Fantabulous

August 29, 2021

UFC Rankings for Sunday, Week 3 of July 2021

August 28, 2021

UFC Fight Night 188: Holm vs. Pena

UFC Fight Night 188: Holm vs. Pena

Date: Saturday of Week 3 of July 2021 Location: Nebraska

Attendance: 6,714 Gate: $1,477,080

Critical Rating: 77% Commercial Rating: 87%

Commentary Team: Jon Anik, Dan Hardy and Brendan Fitzgerald

Preliminary Card

Welterweight: Gilbert Burns (19-5) vs. Bartos Fabinski (15-1, 1NC)

The night started with Gilbert Burns putting in a commanding performance against Bartos Fabinski, who was replacing an injured Jack Marshman. Burns’ ground game was simply too much for Fabinski, and even a powerbomb couldn’t force Burns to release the triangle choke that led to the tap.

Result: Gilbert ‘Durinho’ Burns beat Bartosz Fabinski by submission due to a triangle choke in 4:28 of Round 2

Middleweight: Antonio Carlos Junior (11-5, 1NC) vs. Deron Winn (10-0)

The clinch-work of Deron Winn was more than Antonio Carlos Junior could deal with, as Winn was able to slam and smother his way to victory, Winn also employing some dirty boxing. Winn was never in trouble and eased to a unanimous decision victory, a victory which maintained his unbeaten record.

In the post-fight interview, Winn called for a fight with Roman Kopylov when Kopylov returns from his drug suspension; the two have been engaged in a war of words for quite some time.

Result: Deron Winn beat Antonio ‘Cara De Sapato’ Carlos Junior by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)

Light Heavyweight: Justin Ledet (11-4, 1NC) vs. Alonzo Menifield (10-0)

Ledet may have come into this fight as the underdog but he also came into it with a significant size edge, and that would eventually pay off when Ledet landed a powerful uppercut that dropped Menfield; although Ledet couldn’t get the finish right away, he soon locked on a kimura to get the tap and end Menifield’s undefeated record.

Result: Justin ‘El Blanco’ Ledet beat Alonzo Menifield by submission due to a kimura in 3:43 of Round 1

Heavyweight: Todd Duffee (10-4, 1NC) vs. Rodrigo Nascimento (8-1)

Todd Duffee lived up to his ill-advised nickname, rocking Nascimento with a right hook and then dropping a bomb of a right hand to knock Nascimento out cold with just over a minute gone in the first round.

Duffee was understandably delighted with the outcome of the fight, and in his post-fight interview Duffee said that he was very happy with the finish, which he said landed perfectly, something Duffee said was a testament to his training.

Result: 'The Irish Car Bomb' Todd Duffee beat Rodrigo 'Ze Colmeia' Nascimento by knockout (punch) in 1:19 of Round 1

Flyweight: Jordan Espinosa (14-8, 1NC) vs. Brandon Moreno (17-6-1)

When you feel the need to grab the cage within twenty seconds, that’s probably not a good sign, and Espinosa’s early infraction, which earned him a stiff rebuke from the referee, set the stage for a fight where he was on defence throughout. Espinosa had a few moments but they were few and far between, and his resistance was finally broken late in the third round when Moreno forced the tap with a north-south choke.

Result: Brandon 'The Assassin Baby' Moreno beat Jordan Espinosa by submission due to a north-south choke in 3:31 of Round 3

Flyweight: Alexandra Pantoja (23-5) vs. Tagir Ulanbekov (13-1)

Pantoja, the former flyweight champion, faced a tough test in his first fight since losing the title, a test he needed to pass to prove that he deserved a rematch against Demetrious Johnson. But Tagir Ulanbekov proved to be a very tough test indeed, giving Pantoja all he could handle, and it took until the third round for Pantoja to finally have Ulanbekov in trouble. Ulanbekov was rocked almost right away after a right hand and Pantoja went for the kill with a tight guillotine choke; but Ulanbekov passed his particular test, managing to escape and quickly get back into the fight.

Although Ulanbekov edged ahead of Pantoja overall, the fight was very competitive, and it was something of a surprise that Ulanbekov didn’t just win, but did so by taking all three rounds on the judges’ scorecards. The former champion looked surprised, but it would be Tagir Ulanbekov who would get the win and remain unbeaten thus far in the UFC.

Result: Tagir Ulanbekov beat Alexandre ‘The Cannibal’ Pantoja by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)

Women’s Bantamweight: Sarah Moras (6-5, 1NC) vs. Marion Reneau (9-6-1)

The next fight pitted the grappling of Moras against the striking of Reneau, and it made for tight and competitive contest, one where the advantage ebbed and flowed. The ending came early in the third round when Reneau floored Moras with a vicious right cross, Reneau then pounding away on Moras to force the stoppage.

After the fight, Reneau, who was returning from suspension, announced her retirement.

Result: Marion ‘The Belizean Bruiser’ Reneau beat Sarah ‘Cheesecake’ Moras by TKO due to strikes in 0:45 of Round 3

Women’s Strawweight: Aleksandra Albu (3-3) vs. Loma (6-3)

This was another fight where the underdog upset the odds and, in this case, it was the Muay-Thai specialist Loma Lookboonmee who shocked the oddsmakers with a display of precise and pinpoint striking that ended with a stunning right hook late in the first round that left Albu totally unconscious.

Lookboonmee acknowledged her underdog status in her post-fight interview, and Lookboonmee said that upsets like this show what can happen when you believe in yourself.

Result: Loma Lookboonmee beat Aleksandra ‘Stitch’ Albu by knockout (punch) in 4:05 of Round 1

Women’s Featherweight: Alesha Delcastillo (27-3) vs. Amari Penton (26-6, 1NC)

The ever-improving ground game of Amari Penton was a big factor in her dominating this fight, with Alesha Delcastillo having little answer for the brutal ground-and-pound she was subject to. Delcastillo did well in the second round when the fight was standing, landing some great strikes, but once the Penton took her down, Delcastillo just couldn’t make a fight of it, and Penton got the submission early in the third round with an americana.

Result: 'Fireball' Amari Penton beat 'Rapid Fire' Alesha Delcastillo by submission due to an americana in 1:27 of Round 3

Light Heavyweight: Michal Oleksiejczuk (15-5) vs. Adam Yandiev (10-2)

The first round of the final preliminary fight saw Yandiev dominant with clinching and grappling, Yandiev taking Oleksiejczuk down twice and controlling him on the ground. Oleksiejczuk came back strong in the second round, battering Yandiev in the stand-up and nearly finishing him with a submission after dropping him with a stunning left hook, with Oleksiejczuk doing well to see the round out. Yet the fight didn’t last too much longer once it resumed, and a crunching head kick from Oleksiejczuk knocked Yandiev out cold.

Result: Michal ‘The Hammer’ Oleksiejczuk beat Adam ‘Boroda’ Yandiev by knockout (kick) in 0:31 of Round 3

Main Card

Women’s Featherweight: Amanda Lemos (8-2-1) vs. Caoimhe Vizcarra (28-3)

The main card kicked off with TUF 29 winner Caoimhe Vizcarra taking some solid strikes right away from Amanda Lemos. But Caoimhe was quickly ablt te the fight to her domain, the ground, where the takedown that took Lemos down also put Caoimhe in side-control; one swiftly applied kimura later, and Lamos was furiously tapping out to give Caoimhe a very decisive victory.

It was a great showing in by Vizcarra, who was now 2-0 in the UFC and moving up the featherweight ladder at a fair clip. Vizcarra, perhaps taking notes from her TUF coach, Conor McGregor, and showing shades of his liveliness and charisma, called out Norma Dumont, with Vizcarra saying that she’d love to fight Dumont if Dumont has the guts to face her.

Result: Caoimhe ‘Twinkle Toes’ Vizcarra beat Amanda Lemos by submission due to a kimura in 1:35 of Round 1

Women’s Bantamweight: Irene Aldana (14-6) vs. Macy Chiasson (8-2)

The female bantamweights provided their own highlight-reel finish in the second fight of the main card, a great all-action affair between Irene Aldana and Macy Chiasson. It was non-stop action all the way, with the only negative being that we didn’t get more of the action, but such is the nature of the MMA game. A wild exchange of blows saw Chiasson evaded a right hook and then drill Aldana with a wicked right uppercut.

Aldana tried to remain upright but her legs betrayed her and she was collapsing to the mat. Chiasson went in for the kill and unleashed a barrage of punches that destroyed Aladana and gave the referee no option but to jump in and stop the carnage.

In her post-fight interview, Chiasson said that she’d like to fight Bethe Correira, as she believed that that would make for a great contest.

Result: Macy Chiasson beat Irene 'Robles' Aldana by TKO due to strikes in 2:06 of Round 1

Heavyweight: Sergey Pavlovich (15-2) vs. Adam Wieczorek (12-2)

Sergey Pavlovich picked Adam Wieczorek apart throughout this fight, with Wieczorek getting rocked and/or dropped a few times. Wieczorek did well just to survive, but survive is all Wieczorek did, and Pavlovich was in total control for the whole fight.

Result: Sergey Pavlovich beat Adam ‘Siwy’ Wieczorek by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26 and 30-26)

Light Heavyweight: Jan Blachowicz (28-9) vs. Mauricio Rua (28-12-1)

The fight opened up with Rua immediately trying to take Blachowicz down and, despite some stout resistance, Rua was finally able to get Blachowicz down with an outside leg sweep. Rua ended up in side-control and began working Blachowicz over with some methodical knees to the ribs, and it was clear that Rua was pacing himself. Rua went for an armbar but Blachowicz defended well, and the Pole was able to slow things down enough force a stand-up.

Blachowicz pressed forward but Rua countered with some well-timed punches and then another takedown attempt, and this time Rua got Blachowicz with a single leg. Rua’s submission skill was in full display as he tried to secure a north-south choke; Blachowicz blocked the attempt, however Rua was able to land some big punches before the round ended, giving the veteran the momentum after a first round that had to surprise people with how ineffective Blachowicz seemed to be.

Rua was soon grabbing a hold of Blachowicz in the second round and Blachowicz was forced back up against the cage before a leg sweep had the fight back on the ground. Blachowicz pulled half-guard, which Rua tried to pass, but Blachowicz kept the Brazilian in position. Rua made a concerted effort to pass the half-guard, resulting in a scramble that ended with Blachowicz having to pull guard, and the fight was not going the way anyone expected.

The fighters remained in this position for the rest of the round, with Rua doing enough to both keep busy to stop a stand-up and keep Blachowicz from scrambling free, and when the round ended, Blachowicz looked stunned when he returned to his corner, as he too couldn’t believe how the fight was playing out, Blachowicz now needing a finish if he wanted to win the fight.

Rua was looking shattered in the third round, the exertion of the first two rounds clearly having taken its toll on his stamina. This gave Blachowicz the chance to physically impose himself on Rua, Blachowicz tying Rua up in a Muay-Thai clinch; Blachowicz landed a nice knee and a good looking elbow, but Rua, with his experience in Muay-Thai, was able to wrestle his way free from the grip of his opponent.

Rua was continuing to breath quite heavily, but he gained a respite when an errant finger caught Blachowicz in the eye, forcing the fight to come to a temporary halt while Blachowicz recovered.

The fight resumed and Blachowicz, mindful of how the fight had gone, pushed forwards for a finish, but Rua was able to evade all of Blachowicz’s efforts, at least until late in the round when Blachowicz once again locked Rua in a Muay-Thai clinch; Blachowicz landed a series of strikes from this position, but Rua took them well and was able to survive the rest of the round.

When it came to the result of the judging, the only surprise was that one judge had given Rua a 10-8 round, which raised a few eyebrows. What didn’t raise eyebrows, at least in any kind of negative way, was the outcome of the fight, as Mauricio Rua had earned a surprising unanimous decision victory.

Result: Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua beat Jan Blachowicz by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27 and 29-28)

Women’s Bantamweight: Holly Holm (14-6) vs. Juliana Pena (10-4)

Holm was noticeably bigger than Pena when they faced off before the fight, but that additional weight didn’t seem to affect Holm too badly, who used a lot of forward pressure and quick combinations to keep Pena off-step. Yet despite being the aggressor, Holm was unable to do any real damage to Pena; she landed some decent shots, but nothing that seriously troubled ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’. Holm had clearly won the first round, but hadn’t really troubled Pena, who was still in the fight.

And that was evident when Pena opened up the second round with single leg takedown, and took Holm down to the mat, Holm quickly pulling guard. Holm tried to sweep Pena but Pena remained firmly in place; Holm threw some wild swings from the bottom but Pena easily avoided them. Pena tried to pass the guard of Holm and, while this allowed Holm to scramble to her feet, Pena soon had a hold of Holm again and drove her back up against the cage.

Pen was able to smother Holm against the cage for around a minute, working her over with short punches, before Holm wrestled her way free. Holm was soon firing off some strikes, and, whilst she did land, Holm was now breathing a little heavier, and it seemed that Pena had been able to wear Holm down. The round ended soon after, and Pena, after being on the backfoot in the first round, was now back in the fight.

The third round opened with Pena once again going for the leg of Holm, although she couldn’t get Holm down and Holm soon worked her way free. Holm started to mix up her punches with some creative kicks, her kickboxing background coming to the fore. But Pena was up to the task of countering this and she was able to again take Holm down, again with a single leg, and again Holm had to pull guard.

Pena went to pass the guard of Holm but lost control of her opponent and Holm was able to scramble back to her feet. Both women were soon coming forward, neither one willing to back down, and Holm and Pena both landed some decent strikes, yet nothing with any serious power, and the round ended with Pena making another takedown attempt, Pena powering Holm down to the mat to firmly stamp her authority on the round.

The fourth round saw Holm opened up aggressively, ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ clearly feeling she needed to re-establish herself in the fight. Holm landed some nice jabs and kicks, and despite clearly slowing down, she landed some good shots, including a crunching left hook.

After taking a flurry of punches and then a kick, Pena went in for another takedown, and was successful in taking Holm back down to the mat. Pena was content to throw body punches and maintain her position, Pena mindful of what happened in earlier rounds when she tried to pass the guard of Holm. Yet her passiveness ended up slowing down the pace enough that the referee ordered a stand-up, and, with less than a minute left in the round, Holm landed beautiful left uppercut that dropped Pena to the mat!

Holm seized her chance to finish the fight and she unloaded on Pena with some heavy shots to the head; with Pena getting battered, the referee was left with no choice but to step in and stop the fight, and Holly Holm had survived the domination of Pena to come back and score a win that she desperately needed.

In her post-fight interview, Holm called for a fight with Beth Correria, which was a curious call-out given that Holm had previously beaten Correira, and in a fight that nobody was enthused by the first time around.

Result: ‘The Preacher's Daughter’ Holly Holm beat Julianna ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ Pena by TKO due to strikes in 4:23 of Round 4

Post-Fight Bonuses

Fight of the Night: Holly Holm vs. Juliana Pena

Performance of the Night: Loma Lookboonmee

Knockout of the Night: Loma Lookboonmee

Submission of the Night: Gilbert Burns

Predictions

CageRage: (11/14)

CageRage (Overall): (266/433; 61.43%)

August 27, 2021

News Blast + UFC Fight Night 188 preview

Tuesday of Week 3 of July 2021

Wednesday of Week 3 of July 2021

Audrey Whitworth, Beatrice Farr and Kathleen Caraway have all been sent to Invicta FC in order to gain experience.

Thursday of Week 3 of July 2021

Friday of Week 3 of July 2021

From the author: UFC Fight Night 188 will be posted tomorrow night, with a high-stakes main event in the women’s bantamweght division as Holly Holm faces Juliana Pena. Jan Blachowicz faces Mauricio Rua in the co-main event, with this being Blachowicz’s first fight since his controversial outing against Jon Jones at UFC 260.

UFC Fight Night 188: Holm vs. Pena

Main Card

Women’s Bantamweight: Holly Holm (#8, 14-6) vs. Juliana Pena (#10, 10-4)
Light Heavyweight: Jan Blachowicz (#5, 28-9) vs. Mauricio Rua (#14, 28-12-1)
Heavyweight: Sergey Pavlovich (#19, 15-2) vs. Adam Wieczorek (#20, 12-2)
Women’s Bantamweight: Irene Aldana (#2, 14-6) vs. Macy Chiasson (#5, 8-2)
Women’s Featherweight: Amanda Lemos (#12, 8-2-1) vs. Caoimhe Vizcarra (#20, 28-3)

Preliminary Card

Light Heavyweight: Michal Oleksiejczuk (#20, 15-5) vs. Adam Yandiev (10-2)
Women’s Featherweight: Alesha Delcastillo (27-3) vs. Amari Penton (26-6, 1NC)
Women’s Strawweight: Aleksandra Albu (3-3) vs. Loma Lookboonme (6-3)
Women’s Bantamweight: Sarah Moras (#18, 6-5, 1NC) vs. Marion Reneau (#15, 9-6-1)
Flyweight: Alexandra Pantoja (#8, 23-5) vs. Tagir Ulanbekov (#14, 13-1)
Flyweight: Jordan Espinosa (#12, 14-8, 1NC) vs. Brandon Moreno (#11, 17-6-1)
Heavyweight: Todd Duffee (10-4, 1NC) vs. Rodrigo Nascimento (8-1)
Light Heavyweight: Justin Ledet (11-4, 1NC) vs. Alonzo Menifield ()
Middleweight: Antonio Carlos Junior () vs. Deron Winn (10-0)
Welterweight: Gilbert Burns (#18, 19-5) vs. Bartos Fabinski (15-1, 1NC)

August 24, 2021

News Blast

Saturday of Week 2 of July 2021

Amanda Nunes has been stripped of the UFC Women’s Featherweight Championship. Megan Anderson vs. Cris Cyborg will now be for the vacant title, and that fight has been moved from UFC 265 to the co-main event spot of UFC on ESPN 14. As a result of this change, Anthony Johnson vs. Stipe Miocic has been moved from UFC on ESPN 14 to UFC 265.

Sunday of Week 2 of July 2021

Monday of Week 3 of July 2021

August 22, 2021

Okami vs. Weidman to headline UFC Fight Night 190

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Okami vs. Weidman to headline UFC Fight Night 190

Saturday of Week 2 of July 2021

Yushin Okami, the Japanese legend, returns to the UFC to headline UFC Fight Night 190, and Okami, never one to turn down a challenge, faces one of his toughest to date when he takes on Chris Weidman, the former UFC Middleweight Champion.

Okami is a wily and crafty veteran of fifty fights, many more than his opponent, but Weidman has achieved something Okami has not, the status of UFC champion; will Weidman be Okami’s first victim on his road to finally achieving UFC gold, or will Weidman sour the return of Japan’s greatest middleweight?

In the heavyweight division, Ciryl Gane continues his journey up the heavyweight rankings against the hard-hitting Aussie, Tai Tuivisa. Gane is a well-rounded striker, with a 13-0 record in Muay Thai, but Tai Tuivisa has some of the heaviest hands of anyone in the heavyweight division. In the co-main event, will diversity defeat power, or will heavy hands have the edge?

‘Raging’ Al Iaquinta faces Arman Tsarukyan in what could a serious contender for Fight of the Night honours, while Ariane Carnelossi will try to hand Angela Lee her first loss since arriving in the UFC, Lee having won her debut fight in convincing fashion.

And in what is sure to start the main card off with a bang, a featherweight contest sees Andre Fili step into the Octagon against Brian Ortega.

It’s a great main card, with a tasty preliminary card as the appetiser, one that includes the UFC debut of Logan Storely, and it takes place on Saturday of Week 2 of September in Montana.

UFC Fight Night 190: Okami vs. Weidman

Main Card

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Middleweight: Yushin Okami (#21, 38-12) vs. Chris Weidman (#12, 15-6)

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Heavyweight: Ciryl Gane (#13, 11-1) vs. Tai Tuivisa (#6, 10-4)

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Lightweight: Al Iaquinta (#18, 14-6-1, 1NC) vs. Arman Tsarukyan (#20, 17-3)

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Women’s Strawweight: Ariane Carnelossi (13-3) vs. Angela Lee (12-3)

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Featherweight: Andre Fili (#8, 21-7) vs. Brian Ortega (#5, 15-3, 1NC)

Preliminary Card

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Middleweight: Andre Muniz (21-4) vs. Markus Perez (13-3)

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Welterweight: Phillip Rowe (8-2) vs. Logan Storley (14-0)

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Welterweight: Emil Meek (10-6, 1NC) vs. Brok Weaver (16-5)

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Lightweight: Paul Felder (#13, 19-7) vs. Yancy Medeiros (16-8, 1NC)

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Women’s Flyweight: Sabina Mazo (10-1) vs. Polyana Viana (11-5)

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Women’s Bantamweight: Tracy Cortez (#21, 9-2) vs. Lara Procopio (#22, 8-1)

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Bantamweight: Brad Katona (10-3) vs. Diego Perieira (9-3)

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Featherweight: Gabriel Benitez (22-8) vs. Darrick Minner (25-12)

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Flyweight: Jenel Lausa (#24, 9-5) vs. Shohei Masumizu (#23, 12-3)

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Heavyweight: Davion Franklin (#24, 4-1) vs. Delroy Masemola (2-0)</div>

August 20, 2021

News Blast

Wednesday of Week 2 of July 2021

Thursday of Week 2 of July 2021

Friday of Week 2 of July 2021

August 18, 2021

News Blast

Saturday of Week 1 of July 2021

Sunday of Week 1 of July 2021

Monday of Week 2 of July 2021

Tuesday of Week 2 of July 2021

August 16, 2021

UFC returns to ESPN; Shevchenko to defend against Barber

UFC returns to ESPN; Shevchenko to defend against Barber

Saturday of Week 1 of July 2021

The UFC today announced their return to ESPN, featuring the company’s 14th special on the sporting network, and it will be headlined by Valentina Shevchenko defending the UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship against Maycee Barber, the number one contender to the title, and the next woman facing the seemingly impossible challenge of finding a way to unseat the greatest female flyweight of all time.

Barber is on quite the roll, but will it be enough to unseat a champion who seems to have no equal?

In the co-main event, Stipe Miocic returns to action for the first time since losing the UFC Heavyweight Championship, and he faces the hardest hitting opponent of his career as he steps into the Octagon against Anthony Johnson. Johnson has hit fantastic form coming into this fight, and a big win over the former heavyweight champion would surely put Johnson in line for a shot at the UFC Heavyweight Championship.

Can Miocic stop the freight train that is Anthony Johnson?

In the women’s bantamweight division, former title challenger Bethe Correia takes on rising starlet Aspen Ladd. TUF 29 finalist Sheila Blakey takes on Larissa Pacheco as Blakey seeks to bounce back from the first loss of her career, which she suffered at the hands of Caoimhe Vizcarra in the TUF 29 final. And the main card opener, Shana Dobson looks to build on the momentum of her upset win over Joanna Calderwood at UFC Fight Night on HBO 3, as she takes on Ariane Lipski.

The UFC’s big return to ESPN, as well as a top-quality preliminary card, takes place on Saturday of Week 1 of September in Kentucky.

UFC on ESPN 14: Shevchenko vs. Barber

Main Card

UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion: Valentina Shevchenko © (#1, 22-3) vs. Maycee Barber (#2, 11-1)

Heavyweight: Anthony Johnson (#2, 25-7) vs. Stipe Miocic (#7, 20-4)

Women’s Bantamweight: Bethe Correia (#4, 13-5-1) vs. Aspen Ladd (#7, 10-2)

Women’s Featherweight: Sheila Blakey (#16, 34-1) vs. Larissa Pacheco (#10, 16-4)

Women’s Flyweight: Shana Dobson (7-5) vs. Ariane Lipski (#14, 14-6)

Preliminary Card

Middleweight: Brendan Allen (16-3) vs. Trevin Giles (13-3)

Middleweight: Anthony Hernandez (7-2, 1NC) vs. Karl Roberson (9-4)

Middleweight: Marceo Guimaraes (10-2-1) vs. Antonio Braga Neto (9-5, 1NC)

Middleweight: Marc-Andre Barriault (12-5) vs. Makhmud Muradov (24-7)

Welterweight: Maki Pitolo (13-5) vs. Alexander Yakolev (26-10-1)

Welterweight: Miguel Baeza (8-1) vs. Takashi Sato (16-3)

Welterweight: Brian Camozzi (8-6) vs. Kenan Song 16-6)

Welterweight: Ramazan Emeev (19-4) vs. Laurean Staropoli (9-3)

Women’s Strawweight: Mallory Martin (6-5) vs. Vivian Pereira (14-6)

Women’s Strawweight: Virna Jandiroba (#23, 17-3) vs. Natalia Silva (13-5-1)

August 15, 2021

UFC Rankings for Sunday, Week 1 of July 2021

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August 14, 2021

UFC on Fight Pass 5: Guida vs. Pettis II

UFC on Fight Pass 5: Guida vs. Pettis II

Date: Saturday of Week 1 of July 2021 Location: Tennessee

Attendance: 2,321 Gate: $440,990

Critical Rating: 76% Commercial Rating: 69%

Commentary Team: John Gooden and Dan Hardy

Preliminary Card

Women’s Flyweight: Ji Yeon Kim (#13, 12-2-2) vs. Maryna Moroz (#16, 11-4)

Result: ‘Fire Fist’ Yeon Kim beat ‘The Iron Lady’ Maryna Moroz by submission due to an armbar in 3:48 of Round 2

Women’s Flyweight: J.J. Aldrich (#21, 9-6) vs. Jessica-Rose Clark (#18, 10-7, 1NC)

Result: J.J. Aldrich beat Jessica-Rose ‘Jessy Jess’ Clark by TKO due to strikes in 1:18 of Round 2

Women’s Flyweight: Diane Belbita (12-5) vs. Barb Honchak (#24, 10-6)

Result: ‘Little Warrior’ Barb Honchak beat ‘The Warrior Princess’ Diana Belbita by submission due to an armbar in 2:44 of Round 1

Women’s Strawweight: Felice Herrig (14-10, 1NC) vs. Mizuki Inoue (#22, 16-7)

Result: Mizuki Inoue beat Felice ‘Lil’ Bulldog’ Herrig by TKO due to strikes in 2:33 of Round 3

Main Card

Welterweight: James Krause (28-9) vs. Geoff Neal (#17, 14-3)

Result: Geoff ‘Handz of Steel’ Neal beat ‘The’ James Krauseby knockout (punch) in 0:43 of Round 2

Welterweight: Erik Koch (17-7) vs. Tim Means (31-12-1, 1NC)

Result: Tim ‘The Dirty Bird’ Means beat Erik ‘New Breed’ Koch by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 and 29-28)

Lightweight: Dustin Poirier (#15, 25-8, 1NC) vs. Matt Wiman (18-9)

Result: Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier beat ‘Handsome’ Matt Wiman by knockout (punch) in 0:35 of Round 2

Lightweight: Clay Guida (36-20) vs. Anthony Pettis (#17, 23-10, 1NC)

Result: Anthony ‘Showtime’ Pettis beat Clay ‘The Carpenter’ Guida by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47 and 48-47)

Post-fight interview notes

Ji Yeon Kim challenged Lucie Pudilova

Geoff Neal challenged Carlos Condit

Tim Means challenged Michael Hill

Post-Fight Bonuses

Fight of the Night: Ji Yeon Kim vs. Maryna Moroz

Performance of the Night: J.J. Aldrich

Knockout of the Night: Geoff Neal

Submission of the Night: Barb Honchak

Predictions

CageRage:*(6/8)

CageRage (Overall):*(255/419; 60.85%)

August 13, 2021

News Blast + Preview of UFC on Fight Pass 5

Tuesday of Week 1 July 2021

Wednesday of Week 1 of July 2021

Thursday of Week 1 of July 2021

Friday of Week 1 of July 2021

From the author: UFC on Fight Pass 5will be posted tomorrow night, with a main event of Clay Guida vs. Anthony Pettis. Here is a rundown of the full card for predictions, comment, etc;

UFC on Fight Pass 5: Guida vs. Pettis II

Main Card

Lightweight: Clay Guida (36-20) vs. Anthony Pettis (#17, 23-10, 1NC)
Lightweight: Dustin Poirier (#15, 25-8, 1NC) vs. Matt Wiman (18-9)
Welterweight: Erik Koch (17-7) vs. Tim Means (31-12-1, 1NC)
Welterweight: James Krause (28-9) vs. Geoff Neal (#17, 14-3)

Preliminary Card

Women’s Strawweight: Felice Herrig (14-10, 1NC) vs. Mizuki Inoue (#22, 16-7)
Women’s Flyweight: Diane Belbita (12-5) vs. Barb Honchak (#24, 10-6)
Women’s Flyweight: J.J. Aldrich (#21, 9-6) vs. Jessica-Rose Clark (#18, 10-7, 1NC)
Women’s Flyweight: Ji Yeon Kim (#13, 12-2-2) vs. Maryna Moroz (#16, 11-4)

August 11, 2021

News Blast

Saturday of Week 4 of June 2021

Sunday of Week 4 of June 2021

Monday of Week 1 of July 2021

August 9, 2021

UFC to fill Light Heavyweight and Welterweight title vacancies at UFC 265

UFC to fill Light Heavyweight and Welterweight title vacancies at UFC 265; Gustafsson vs. Reyes and Covington vs. Usman the double bill at Double Header

Saturday of Week 4 of June 2021

The UFC today announced that UFC 265 will see the light heavyweight and welterweight titles, currently both vacant, find new homes, with UFC 265, named Double Header, to be capped off with two title fights.

Alexander Gustafsson will face Dominick Reyes for the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, the title being vacant since the events of UFC 260, when the former champion, Jon Jones, was stripped of the title after refusing to release a submission on Jan Błachowicz. Jones, in addition to being stripped of the gold, was suspended for 18 months by both the athletic commission and the UFC, and will be sidelined until late next year.

Gustafsson has been unbeaten since returning to active competition, with wins over Mauricio Rua and Corey Anderson, while Reyes has been undefeated since his unsuccessful challenge of Jones at UFC 253. The two top light heavyweights in the world will now face off to determine who will be the new kingpin of the UFC’s light heavyweight division.

Bitter rivals Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman will finally meet inside the Octagon and it’ll have the added spice of being for the vacant UFC Welterweight Championship, with the title having been stripped from Santiago Ponzinibbio when he failed a drug test at UFC 261, where he’d managed to take the title from Nate Diaz. Covington and Usman absolutely hate each other, and they have a chance to settle the score at UFC 265.

Phil Davis makes his UFC return and he’ll be in for a real challenge when he takes on Luke Rockhold, who defeated Anthony Smith earlier this year in what was Rockhold’s first fight after a lengthy sabbatical. For both men, this fight could be their chance to stake their claim for a shot at the winner of the main event, so a big showing here is vital in their hunt for championship gold.

Megan Anderson welcomes the most fearsome female fighters of all time, Cris Cyborg, back to the UFC, in what may be one of the most anticipated female featherweight fights of all time.

And kicking off the main card is another return as former lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez looks to make a big impression in his UFC return, as he’ll face the double-tough James Vick

It’s one of the biggest events of the year, and UFC 265, along with a great undercard, will hit the Octagon on Saturday of Week 4 of August in Florida.

UFC 265: Double Header

Main Card

Light Heavyweight: Alexander Gustafsson (#3 ,20-6) vs. Dominick Reyes (#1, 14-2) for the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship

Welterweight: Colby Covington (#1, 17-3) vs. Kamaru Usman (#2, 18-2) for the vacant UFC Welterweight Championship

Light Heavyweight: Phil Davis (#13, 22-6, 1NC) vs. Luke Rockhold (#6, 17-5)

Women’s Featherweight: Megan Anderson (#2, 11-4) vs. Cris Cyborg (#1, 25-2, 1NC)

Lightweight: Eddie Alvarez (#19, 32-7, 1NC) vs. James Vick (#9, 15-5)

Preliminary Card

Women’s Featherweight: Janay Harding (#6, 7-5) vs. Leah Letson (#4, 7-2)

Featherweight: Kevin Aguilar (18-3) vs. Frankie Edgar (23-9-1, 1NC)

Featherweight: Herbert Burns (10-3) vs. Kron Gracie (#24, 6-1)

Light Heavyweight: Klidson Abreu (#25, 17-5) vs. Tyson Pedro (#24, 8-4)

Women’s Strawweight: Cynthia Cavillo (#16, 8-3-1) vs. Alexa Grasso (#10, 11-5)

Bantamweight: Thomas Almeida (23-3) vs. Cody Stamann (#16, 18-3-1)

Bantamweight: Douglas Silva de Andrade (26-5, 1NC) vs. Casey Kenney (#10, 15-3-1)

Welterweight: Luan Chagas (15-4-1) vs. Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos (#19, 22-7)

Welterweight: Tom Breese (11-4) vs. Jack Hermansson (21-6)

Women’s Flyweight: Poliana Bothelo (#23, -4) vs. Ashlee Evans-Smith (#22, 6-6)

August 8, 2021

UFC Rankings for Sunday, Week 4 of June 2021

August 7, 2021

UFC 263: All In

UFC 263: All In

Date: Saturday of Week 4 of June 2021 Location: Nevada

Attendance: 26,079 Gate: $8,462,636 PPV Revenue: $456,818

Critical Rating: 71% Commercial Rating: 100%

Commentary Team: Jon Anik, Joe Rogan and Dan Hardy

Preliminary Card

Women’s Strawweight: Hannah Cifers (#12, 13-4) vs. Nadia Kassem (9-2)

We kicked things off with a great one-round fight, complete with a brutal finish; Kassem dropped Cifer with a right head kick and then hammered away on her until the referee interceded to stop the fight.

Kassem, who sold herself well in her-post fight interview, used her mic time to call for a fight with Karine Silva.

Result: Nadia ‘187’ Kassem beat ‘Shockwave’ Hannah Cifers by TKO due to strikes in 2:08 of Round 1

Heavyweight: Tyler East (17-6) vs. Ciryl Gane (#15, 12-1)

Ciryl Gane’s last fight saw his undefeated record come to halt by way of a unanimous decision loss to Stefan Struve, and he had to try and rebound from that disappointment against the debuting Tyler East, who was a very tough customer.

Yet East was not quite tough enough because Gane rebounded in about as grand a fashion as possible with a sensational 20-second knockout, Gane leaving East unconscious after a vicious right cross.

Gane, a charismatic talker with looks to match and real star power, had revenge on his mind, as he issued a demand for a rematch with Stefan Struve during his post-fight interview.

Result: Ciryl ‘Bon Gamin’ Gane beat Tyler ‘The Beast’ East by knockout (punch) in 0:20 of Round 1

Heavyweight: Dmitry Poberezhets (25-7-1, 1NC) vs. Ben Rothwell (#24, 37-13, 1NC)

Dmitry Poberezhets was our next debutant of the night and he faced the grizzled veteran Ben Rothwell, an opponent who had around 25lbs on Poberezhets, a significant advantage in any weight class. But the advantage did Rothwell little good because Poberezhets, a heavy underdog, outclassed Rothwell, with his speed and elusiveness proving to be too much for Rothwell. Although he couldn’t quite get the finish, Poberezhets did drop Rothwell in the third round, and Rothwell was lucky to hang on and see the rest of the round out.

Poberezhets was understandably happy to have won his UFC debut, and he said as much in his post-fight interview.

Result: Dmitry Poberezhets beat ‘Big’ Ben Rothwell by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26 and 30-27)

Women’s Strawweight: Ariane Carnelossi (12-3) vs. Celine Haga (12-16)

The third debuting fighter of the night was submission whiz Celine Haga, a decorated star of the BJJ scene. Haga did a great job of dominating Carnelossi in the first round with her controlling ground game, and she had Carnelossi in trouble constantly. Yet Haga was unable to find that finish, and, late in the second round, Carnelossi managed to land an uppercut that dropped Haga, Carnelossi then wailing away on her opponent to get the finish. Haga had lost her UFC debut, but she had put in a good accounting of herself and had nothing to be ashamed of.

Carnelossi was interviewed after the fight and she said she next wanted to faced Angela Lee.

Result: Ariane ‘Sorriso’ Carnelossi beat Celine Haga by TKO due to strikes in 4:37 of Round 2

Flyweight: Tyson Nam (#23, 17-12) vs. Raulian Paiva (19-5)

Coming in as a replacement for the injured Shohei Masumizu, Tyson Nam put forth a sterling effort against Raulian Paiva in what was a good, competitive fight. Punches and kicks were dished out throughout this contest, with Paiva, the underdog, looking great in the first round, although he began tire in the second round, allowing Nam to get back into the fight. The third round saw Nam start to tire as well, but Paiva was more tired, a lot more, and this meant Nam was always one step ahead, and Nam was able to take the round and, with it, the unanimous decision.

Result: Tyson Nam beat Raulian Paiva by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 and 29-28)

Flyweight: Will Campuzano (#20, 16-7) vs. David Dvorak (#25, 19-4)

Will Campuzano was returning to the UFC for his third stint in the Octagon, and he made it a winning return, with his strong ground game overcoming the striking of Dvorak, Campuzano gaining the submission with just under a minute to go in the first round by way of a guillotine choke.

Result: Will Campuzano beat 'Killa Khroust' David Dvorak by submission due to a guillotine choke in 4:39 of Round 1

Featherweight: A.J. McKee (16-2) vs. Khalid Taha (#15, 16-2)

The UFC debut of the highly touted A.J. McKee did not go according to plan, as, less than a minute in, McKee found himself getting rocked and dazed by a good right hand from Taha. Taha knew his time was now, and he felled McKee with a big right hand and then destroyed him with heavy right hands, and referee Dan Miragliotta had no choice but to stop the fight.

Result: Khalid ‘The Warrior’ Taha beat A.J. ‘Mercenary’ McKee by TKO due to strikes in 1:13 of Round 1

Lightweight: Olivier Aubin-Mercer (#25, 13-5) vs. Patricky Freire (25-9)

The anticipated UFC debut of Patricky ‘Pitbull’ Freire saw him hit a stumbling block in the form of the returning Olivier Aubin-Mercer. Aubin-Mercer’s top game was able to very effectively smother and control Freire for the first round, preventing Freire from using his vaunted striking. Freire had more success in the second round, which was all stand-up, with Freire rocking Aubin-Mercer late on. But OAM was once more able to smother and control Freire in the third round, and he eased to a victory, getting 29-28 from all the three judges

Result: ‘The Canadian Gangster’ Olivier Aubin-Mercier beat Patricky ‘Pitbull’ Freire by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 and 29-28)

Middleweight: Fabian Edwards (12-1) vs. Dusko Todorovic (8-1)

It was one more for the newcomers next as Fabian Edwards made a successful debut in the UFC against Dusko Todorovic. Todorovic kept trying to grapple with Edwards and take the fight to the ground, but he couldn’t get it done, and a vicious right cross floored Todorovic. Edwards then laid into his opponent with several powerful shots, and, with Todorovic offering nothing in the way of meaningful defence, the referee stepped in to stop the fight.

Edwards was ecstatic to have won and held nothing back in celebrating his victory, and it made for a highly entertaining post-fight interview.

Result: Fabian Edwards beat Dusko Todorovic by TKO due to strikes in 2:18 of Round 1

Main Card

Lightweight: Michael Chandler (20-6, 1NC) vs. Nasrat Haqparast (12-3)

On a night full of debuts, the PPV began with perhaps the most anticipated one of them all, as the Octagon saw the first appearance of Michael Chandler. Chandler, who is quite possibly the best lightweight in the world who isn’t in the UFC, was looking to prove that his reputation wasn’t smoke and mirrors, as some have asserted, and that he belonged to be competing against the best lightweights in the world.

Tonight, Chandler would have that chance, but he would have to be at his best when he faced one of the hottest young talents in the UFC, Nasrat Haqparast.

Chandler came out aggressively in the first round, Chandler perhaps wanting to stamp his mark on the round, but that aggressiveness left him open to some nice counterpunching from Haqparast, and the newcomer slowed his pace down just a little. Haqparast was still able to tag Chandler on the counter, but now Chandler was also able to counter as well, and, while Haqparast had perhaps edged the round, Chandler seemed to have found a better rhythm.

In the second round, Chandler was a little more measured in the pressure he put on Haqparast, and this not only gave Chandler a little more success in his attack, but it also meant he was beginning to avoid the counterpunching of Haqparast. And when Haqparast landed a left cross, Chandler responded with a jab and a massive right hook that felled Haqparast; Chandler launched a series of powerful punches at Haqparas, determined to get the finish, and with Haqparast offering nothing in the way of resistance, the referee leapt in to stop the fight and Michael Chandler had delivered a devastating and decisive finish in his UFC debut.

Chandler was interviewed after the fight, and he was obviously happy with his win, Chandler saying that he was now simply looking forward to his next fight.

Result: 'Iron' Michael Chandler beat Nasrat Haqparast by TKO due to strikes in 2:34 of Round 2

Middleweight: Rafael Carvalho (#5, 20-4) vs. Brad Tavares (#7, 19-6)

Tavares came out as the aggressor in the early going of this fight, eager to be the first to put a blemish on the UFC record of Rafael Carvalho. Carvalho was well-matched and the first round was definitely a competitive one, neither fighter able to truly dominate the other, although Tavares came on strong in the final minute of the round.

The pace slowed down somewhat in the second round and it was mainly Tavares who seemed to be taking his foot off the pedal. Carvalho pressed forward to try and take advantage of a seemingly slowed down opponent, but Tavares didn’t make it easy for him, and Carvalho found his attempts stifled, and, when the round was over, it felt like Carvalho might be in need of a finish.

Tavares, despite slowing down in the second round, still came forward in the third, and Carvalho countered with grappling, Carvalho managing to get a hold of Tavares and pressed him back up against the cage. Carvalho had a hold of Tavares and threw a knee, but this caused just enough space for Tavares to capitalize on and break free.

Now it was Carvalho’s turn to slow down a little and Tavares was the one to press forward to try and take advantage; Carvalho whiffed on a right cross, allowing Tavares to counter with a vicious right cross, dropping Carvalho to the mat!

Tavares unloaded with big rights, trying to get the finish, but Carvalho, despite taking a few big shots, was soon able to deflect the impact of the punches; Carvalho tried to transition into the guard but Tavares blocked him, Tavares then once more trying to get the finish, but unable to land penetrate the guard of Carvalho, who held on to see the round out.

As competitive as the early portions of the fight were, Tavares’ performance over the fifteen minutes was enough to gain him a comfortable unanimous decision victory.

Result: Brad Tavares beat 'The Blessed' Rafael Carvalho by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)

Lightweight: Gregor Gillespie (#2, 16-1) vs. Kevin Lee (#4, 20-7)

It was time for the first of three rematches this evening, and this one was as personal as any of them, with Gregor Gillespie looking to get revenge on the man who had ended his unbeaten record, and had done so by delivering one of the most memorable and brutal knockouts in UFC history. Since that time, Gillespie had gone 4-0, whilst Lee had gone 2-2, although one of those defeats was a close split-decision loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov; Lee’s two wins had seen him beat Paul Felder and Justin Gaethje, the latter fight coming in the co-main event of an HBO special.

Gillespie went for the takedown almost immediately, Gillespie getting Lee down by way of a deep single leg, putting Lee on his back and having to pull guard. Gillespie kept Lee pressed against the mat, working him over with short punches to the body while he figured out his next move. Lee made a grab for the arm of Gillespie from the bottom, but Gillespie blocked the move and maintained his position on top of Lee, keeping him tightly pressed against the mat.

Gillespie tried to pass the guard of Lee, but Lee was ready for this and scrambled his way out from under Gillespie, and was back standing. After acknowledging some instructions from his corner, Lee moved forward aggressively, looking to put Gillespie on the defensive, but ‘The Gift’ was ready and shot in hard for another single leg, and Lee was once more put on his back and forced to pull guard.

Wary of more submission attempts from Lee, Gillespie didn’t posture up and kept in tight on Lee. Gillespie went to pass the guard of Lee, but a momentarily loss of control allowed Lee to try and scramble free, but this scramble ended with Lee grabbing hold of Gillespie and pushing him back up against the cage, with Lee keeping Gillespie pressed there for what remained of the round.

The second round opened with a well-timed takedown attempt from Gillespie; Lee almost blocked it, but he was left hopping on one leg, with Gillespie forced to press Lee back up against the cage. With his opponent trapped, Gillespie got a hold of underhooks and he pulled off a great looking Greco-Roman slam to throw Lee to the mat, Lee yet again in the position of having to pull guard, although this time it was only half-guard.

Lee tried to manoeuvre his way into full guard, but Gillespie thwarted these attempts before trying to transition into side-control; Lee countered the attempt and the fighters engaged in another scramble, a scramble which saw Gillespie up first, but also saw Lee grab him from behind in a waistlock. Lee didn’t have a hold of Gillespie for too long before letting go and backing off, Lee clearly feeling that such close-quarters combat was not to his benefit.

Gillespie went for another takedown, but a jab from Lee kept him at bay. But a second takedown attempt was successful and Lee found himself in the familiar position of pulling guard. Gillespie was quick to try and pass the guard of Lee, and this time the resultant scramble saw Lee up first and Gillespie having a hold of him from behind in a waistlock.

Gillespie pulled Lee down to the mat with ease. Lee was face down, and Gillespie quickly took his back. Gillespie began working for a rear naked choke, and swiftly had the hold locked on tight; Lee struggled, but refused to tap! In just seconds, though, Lee was choked out, completely unconscious, and the referee rushed to break the hold, and Gregor Gillespie had avenged the only loss of his career, and had done so in about as emphatic a manner as possible.

A fired up Gillespie was still full of fire in his post-fight interview, and he called his shot by demanding a fight with Conor McGregor.

Result: Gregor ‘The Gift’ Gillespie beat ‘The Motown Phenom’ Kevin Lee by technical submission in 4:16 of Round 2

UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion: Amanda Nunes © (#1, 21-4) vs. Ronda Rousey (#8, 13-2) for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship

It was now time for the co-main event of the evening, the biggest rematch in the history of women’s combat sports, as Amanda Nunes defended her bantamweight title against the woman whom she’d seemingly sent into retirement, Ronday Rousey.

These two had first met back at UFC 207 in December of 2016, with Rousey hoping to reclaim the title she had lost in a stunning upset to Holly Holm, a title which had subsequently gone from Holm to Miesha Tate to Nunes. It was Rousey’s first fight since that loss to Holm, and there was great fanfare surrounding her return to action, but that fanfare was silenced in stunning and brutal fashion when Nunes destroyed Rousey with a violent barrage of punches, their fight lasting just 48-seconds.

In less than a minute, Nunes had silenced all critics and, not only that, apparently sent Rousey into retirement; Rousey vanished from the MMA scene before resurfacing in WWE, having seemingly moved on to a new chapter in her life. Yet Rousey always hungered for revenge, against both Nunes and Holly Holm, and her return to MMA was announced late last year; Rousey would go on to submit Holm in the main event of UFC 257, a show dubbed Repeat or Revenge. On that night, Rousey had gained the revenge she dearly sought against Holm, and now, just four months later, she has the opportunity to put that last ghost to rest and avenge the loss that sent her, albeit not permanently, into retirement.

The atmosphere in the arena was electric as Rousey made her walk-out, Rousey having her trademark look of steely determination on her face as she approached the Octagon. Stepping into the preparation area, receiving the final check from officials before entering the ultimate proving ground, the announcers wondered what effect would be had by the fact that Rousey and Nunes were now part of the same team, Rousey having aligned with American Top Team upon returning to MMA competition. It was noted that Rousey wasn’t happy about having to fight a teammate, and that she seemingly had no personal animosity towards Nunes; she simply felt driven to avenge a loss. Yet fighting a teammate was the price Rousey had to pay to avenge that loss, and to regain the bantamweight title.

Nunes likewise looked determined as he walked out, the bantamweight champion looking as all-business as ever, and she too appeared to have no animosity towards her opponent, and the commentary team wondered if, since Rousey had joined ATT, whether or not the two women had developed a professional respect for each other, one that had perhaps not been there before.

As Nunes finished her pre-fight checks and entered the Octagon, there was a huge roar amongst the fans; Nunes, like Rousey, had gone straight to her side of the Octagon, neither woman interested in any histrionics as the awaited what would be the biggest fight of their lives. Indeed, when the introductions had been made, each woman’s name getting a massive roar from the fans, there was an incredible atmosphere as Nunes and Rousey were brought to the centre of the octagon for the final instructions from Dan Miragliotta.

Nunes and Rousey never looked away from each other as Miragliotta spoke and, when he was done, the two women firmly touched gloves before returning to their respective corners. The fans began to buzz, the commentary team were likewise enthused, and the referee called for a start to the biggest fight in female combat sports history.

Nunes come out throwing heavy, swinging for the fences; Rousey avoided the first three punches but was then drilled with a crunching right hook and Rousey was wobbled!

Hurt and covering up, Rousey backed up in the face of the barrage of powerful punches, Nunes pressing forward and looking for the finish. Nunes threw a right uppercut that went right through the guard of Rousey, catching her square on the chin and dropping her to the canvas!

Smelling blood, ‘The Lioness’ pounced, hammering on Rousey with all of her might; Rousey was too stunned to react or respond, and with her offering no defence, Dan Miragliotta was forced to leap in and stop the fight, and history had repeated itself once again as Amanda Nunes had destroyed Ronda Rousey in less than a minute.

The fans erupted into a wild cheers, unable to believe that history had indeed repeated itself. As a dazed Rousey was being tended to, Nunes celebrated with her corner before looking across the cage at her teammate, Rousey looking rather despondent as she began to take in the bitter disappointment in having fallen short at her attempt to reclaim the bantamweight title. Nunes rushed to console her teammate, and the two women appeared to exchange words, the commentary team noting that there did indeed appear to be a deep level professional respect between the two warriors.

When the result of the fight was formally announced, Jon Anik quietly mentioned that the rematch had officially lasted one second less than their first fight, this contest lasting a mere 47-seconds. Nunes celebrated her win, Rousey offering a clearly muted clap, the loss still weighing heavily in her mind.

Tonight, though, belonged to Amanda Nunes, the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion, ‘The Lioness’ now wildly celebrating her seventh successful title defence.

Result: Amanda ‘Leoa dos Ringues’ Nunes beat ‘Rowdy’ Ronda Rousey by TKO due to strikes in 0:47 of Round 1 to retain the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship

UFC Lightweight Champion: Conor McGregor © (#1, 24-4) vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov (#3, 29-1) for the UFC Lightweight Championship

Finally, the wait was over; after almost three years and a string of back-and-forth barbs, the biggest rematch in the history of, not just the UFC, but the history of MMA was upon us. It was finally time for Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov to do battle once more. Their first fight, which had taken place in a sea of controversy, and which itself had led to even more controversy, occured back at UFC 229; it was a fight that Khabib had won by submission to retain the lightweight title, but the victory was almost secondary to a wild post-match melee that saw a mass-brawl break out, a brawl that even saw Khabib launch himself off the Octagon with a wild double footstomp onto one of Conor’s trainers.

Fine and suspensions were levied after the most chaotic scenes in UFC history, and it was said that no rematch would ever take place because there was just too much bad blood between Conor and Khabib. But in the interim, Khabib had lost the lightweight title to Tony Ferguson, and Conor had then taken it from Ferguson. On the very night Conor had reclaimed the title, Khabib had edged past Kevin Lee, and, while the victory was less than decisive, it was enough for Khabib to secure his chance at regaining the UFC Lightweight Championship.

But in order to take back his title, Khabib would have to face a rival he, not just disliked, but outright hated. It was a feeling that was more than mutual, and, in the lead-up to this fight, the insults had become even more intense between the two fighters. As such, the atmosphere was electric even before Khabib made his walk-out, and when Khabib finally did appear, there was a huge roar, the fans buzzing as the fight they had most been waiting for was now just moments away.

Khabib appeared almost subdued, but it was clear upon looking closely that the Dagestan native was in ‘the zone’, his mind totally focused on the fight that was now imminent, to the point that the fans that packed the arena may as well have not even been there. Even as Khabib was in the preparation area and getting checked over, he was lost in thought, his focus solely on mentally preparing for fighting an opponent had grown to detest. As Khabib stepped foot inside the Octagon, the commentary team wondered if there was a danger that Khabib was psyching himself out, was becoming so focused on, not just fighting Conor but beating him that he was overthinking things; Dan Hardy pointed out that if a fighter becomes too obsessed with winning, he can forget the things that have become second-nature to him, the very things that have carried him to victory before, and he can put himself in danger of losing.

Whatever his mindset was, Khabib was intense and determined as he went to his corner, conferring with his cornermen one last time, and the arena began to almost rumble as the fans awaited the entrance of the biggest superstar in the history of MMA, and one of the biggest superstars in the history of sport itself.

The fans started to roar as soon as they saw Conors’s face on the big screen, the strains of his usual walk-in music echoing throughout the arena. Yet the music was barely audible over the roar that filled the building when Conor came out into the arena, the lightweight champion looking confident yet, at least by his standards, rather subdued, and the commentary team felt that this showed just how serious Conor was taking this fight. And as Conor walked to the Octagon, Joe Rogan wondered whether Conor reining in his natural exuberance and confidence would be a detriment, given that he wouldn’t be being himself, even though you’d think being serious was the ideal approach for this fight.

Conor looked quietly confident as he entered the preparation area, and Jon Anik noted that the eyes of the entire sporting world are on this fight, Anik calling it easily the biggest fight in the history of MMA, even bigger than the first fight between the two, and he said that, however the fight went, it could go down as a turning point in the history of the UFC and the sport of mixed martial arts.

Conor posed for the fans before entering the Octagon, the champion going straight to his corner and, rather interestingly, and this was highlighted on commentary, he never once looked at Khabib until reaching his corner and finishing talking to his corner, Conor then finally turning to face his opponent.

During the introductions from Bruce Buffer, Conor and Khabib never turned their gaze off the other, almost as if neither man was willing to back down in even the smallest way. Khabib’s name got a huge roar, yet Conor’s name got, by far, the biggest reaction of the night. The introductions over, referee Yves Lavigne brought both men into the centre of the Octagon for the final instructions, and still neither Conor nor Khabib looked away. To no surprise, they did not touch gloves when invited to, and that got a reaction from the fans.

Conor and Khabib finally looked away from other when they went back to their respective corners, with both men looking equally determined and resolute, yet only one of them able walk away the winner and the UFC Lightweight Champion.

The fight opened with Conor landing a right hand but Khabib avoiding the follow up body shot. Conor landed a few more jabs, with Khabib throwing out a weak jab of his own, perhaps merely gauging distance. That seemed to be the case when Conor threw a kick and Khabib hit a perfectly executed takedown, Khabib taking Conor down with a great single leg, the Irishman then pulling guard. Khabib smothered Conor on the ground, with commentary calling the grinding style was Khabib’s best way to tire Conor, and it was noted that Conor can have stamina issues the longer the fight goes.

Khabib’s approach, whilst effective in wearing Conor down, wasn’t very active, and the referee eventually ordered a stand-up. Khabib was able to clinch up with Conor and, after some resistance from the champion, he was able to wrestle Conor back up against the cage, Khabib smothering him there for the remainder of the round.

Despite how the round played out, Conor seemed relaxed as he went back to his corner, and even Khabib’s apparent success did little to shake his quiet veneer of calm.

The second round saw Khabib trying to bait Conor into another wild strike that would allow him to go for a takedown, but the champion wasn’t falling for it, and he used a series of hit-and-run attacks, darting in to strike and quickly moving away, to thwart the strategy of the challenger. But an attempted body kick finally gave Khabib the chance to hit a takedown, and Conor found himself back on the mat.

Khabib worked Conor over with short punches, yet this seemed more designed to avoid a stand-up and give Khabib more of a chance to wear Conor down, and, whilst not that engaging, it was very effective, and it was only when there were only a few second to go in the round that referee Yves Lavigne finally stood the fighters up.

At the end of the round, neither fighter gave anything away in regards to their facial expressions, so it was hard to tell who the more confident of the two was. On commentary, it was felt that the first round was likely Khabib’s, while the second round probably came down to whether the judges felt Khabib’s control offset the damage, such as it was, inflicted by Conor.

Khabib opened up the third round with a takedown attempt, perhaps looking to catch Conor off-guard, yet the champion was himself coming forward with strikes, and keeping Khabib at bay. However, it only took a few short seconds for Khabib to once again get a hold of Conor and muscle him back up against the cage. With his opponent trapped, Khabib used double underhooks to keep him controlled against the cage, the challenger once again smothering the champion, wearing him down, and the Joe Rogan wondered if Khabib would even try for a finish if he can keep this strategy up, as it was very low-risk and had been successful thus far.

But Khabib couldn’t keep Conor against the cage forever, and the Conor eventually worked enough space so that he was able to pull away from Khabib and circle out to the centre of the Octagon.

Conor now seemed to be slowing down a touch, which was quickly noted on commentary, and it was speculated that with Khabib’s strategy beginning to take its toll, Khabib may try to for a finish once if he feels he has Conor suitably worn down.

Yet before Khabib could think about that, if he even was, Conor brought the fans to life with a crunching straight left that dropped Khabib, the challenger hitting the mat hard.

Conor pounced on his fallen adversary, raining punches down in an effort to get a finish. After a brief struggle, Khabib managed to wrap his legs around Conor and pull guard, giving him a respite, albeit one that may be all too brief. Khabib kept a tight grip on Conor and tried to pull them both backwards to the cage, Khabib likely looking to try and wall walk his way back to his feet. But Conor was wise to this, and kept them firmly near the centre of the Octagon, and the action slowed to a crawl as the round played out.

As the two corners worked on their respective fighters, the commentary talked over the fight thus far and agreed that fight was easy to score in that the first round had gone to Khabib, the third was Conor’s, and the second was up in the air.

In the fourth round, Khabib was quickly angling for a takedown, but Conor was able to stay out of range, the champion keeping the challenger at bay with a well-timed jab and body kick.

Confident after dropping Khabib in the previous round, McGregor seemed to find a new spring in his step, buoyed by flooring Khabib and almost having the fight won. Conor started to land punches and body kicks, the champion throwing in some trademark trash talk as well, and Joe Rogan commented on the clearly growing confidence of the champion. Yet the confidence was ill-judged as Khabib, despite having been dropped in the prior round, still had the awareness to hit a well-timed takedown and once more take Conor down to the mat.

The champion pulled guard as Khabib resumed his smothering attack, and Dan Hardy felt that with Khabib having been dropped, he’d play it as conservatively as possible from now on, content to simply ride it out and avoid giving Conor any chance to land another potentially damaging strike.

As the round approached its final minute, Khabib tried to pass the guard of Conor, but, before he could take side-control, Conor began scrambling free, and this ended up with Khabib on his back and pulling guard. Yet Conor quickly stood up, clearly, and understandably, wanting the fight standing, but there was no time left for Conor to do anything.

When the round ended, the fight was still up in the air, as two rounds were easy to score, whilst the other two would come down to whether the judges favoured damage, albeit light damage, over positional control and dominance. With both fighters getting some frantic instructions from their respective cornermen, the commentary team felt that how Conor and Khabib approached the final round could come down to how confident they each felt of the fight being judged in their favour, with Dan Hardy noting that it’s entirely possible that if either Conor or Khabib felt they were down 3-1 on the scorecards, they could easily decide to go for broke and risk it all in an attempt to win.

That didn’t seem to be the strategy of either fighter, both Khabib and Conor coming out for the fifth round as relaxed as they had for the previous four rounds. So it came out of nowhere when Conor missed a jab and then drilled Khabib with a vicious right cross, and the challenger collapsed to the mat, out cold, totally unconscious, and the fans went absolutely wild as Conor delivered a stunning highlight reel knockout to not just become the first fighter to stop Khabib, but, more importantly, retain the UFC Lightweight Championship!

Medical personnel and officials hit the Octagon, with the medical people checking on Khabib and the officials, who were present in large numbers, making sure that there would be no repeat of the chaos that had befallen the first fight between these two.

Conor celebrated astride the Octagon as Khabib was being tended to, as if that, with the fight over and won, Khabib was now no longer a concern. Khabib’s corner looked understandably devastated, crestfallen at the bitter defeat that Khabib had experienced, and it would defeat that would be harder for Khabib to take than his loss last year to Tony Ferguson. Yet the results spoke for themselves; Conor had delivered the most significant strike of the fight, and scored the keystone moment of his career, by defeating Khabib in the most emphatic manner possible.

There were no questions about this fight, no lingering doubts to be had about the outcome.

On this night, Conor McGregor reigned supreme as the undisputed UFC Lightweight Champion.

Result: ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor beat Khabib ‘The Eagle’ Nurmagomedov by knockout (punch) in 0:28 of Round 5 to retain the UFC Lightweight Championship

Post-Fight Bonuses

Fight of the Night: Michael Chandler vs. Nasrat Haqparast

Performance of the Night: Dmitry Poberezhets

Knockout of the Night: Conor McGregor

Submission of the Night: Gregor Gillespie

Predictions

CageRage:*(9/14)

CageRage (Overall):*(249/411; 60.58%)

August 6, 2021

News Blast + UFC 263 preview <div style="text-align:center;">Tuesday of Week 4 of June 2021 <img alt="llOU6Ai.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/llOU6Ai.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="MGBrkp5.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/MGBrkp5.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> <img alt="Fku96bz.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Fku96bz.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="dFD7K2d.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/dFD7K2d.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> <img alt="rshx62i.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/rshx62i.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="N70cWgb.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/N70cWgb.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Wednesday of Week 4 of June 2021 <img alt="3ISI2Sb.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/3ISI2Sb.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="180it2c.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/180it2c.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> <img alt="zOaw1f5.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/zOaw1f5.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Thursday of Week 4 of June 2021 <img alt="s6lo4iK.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/s6lo4iK.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="mDtRB1a.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/mDtRB1a.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Friday of Week 4 of June 2021 <img alt="5gvG0GG.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/5gvG0GG.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="50712" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>From the author: UFC 263 will be posted tomorrow night and it’s the biggest show in the history of the UFC. In the main event, it’s the highly anticipated rematch between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC Lightweight Championship. Their first meeting had a controversial aftermath; will history repeat itself tomorrow night? The co-main event is just as big, with the biggest rematch in the history of women’s combat sports, as Amanda Nunes defends her UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship against Ronda Rousey. Their last fight resulted in a destructive win for Nunes and, in the aftermath, Rousey retired. Now, back from retirement and having avenged her only other loss, Rousey seeks to avenge the second loss of her career and regain UFC gold. We have a third rematch as well; Gregor Gillespie takes on Kevin Lee, with Gillespie gunning for revenge against the man who ended his unbeaten record with the most devastating knockout of 2019. Here is a rundown of the full card for predictions, comment, etc; <div style="text-align:center;">UFC 263: All In</div> Main Card UFC Lightweight Champion: Conor McGregor © (#1, 24-4) vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov (#3, 29-1) for the UFC Lightweight Championship UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion: Amanda Nunes © (#1, 21-4) vs. Ronda Rousey (#8, 13-2) for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship Lightweight: Gregor Gillespie (#2, 16-1) vs. Kevin Lee (#4, 20-7) Middleweight: Rafael Carvalho (#5, 20-4) vs. Brad Tavares (#7, 19-6) Lightweight: Michael Chandler (20-6, 1NC) vs. Nasrat Haqparast (12-3) Preliminary Card Middleweight: Fabian Edwards (12-1) vs. Dusko Todorovic (8-1) Lightweight: Olivier Aubin-Mercer (#25, 13-5) vs. Patricky Freire (25-9) Featherweight: A.J. McKee (16-2) vs. Khalid Taha (#15, 16-2) Flyweight: Will Campuzano (#20, 16-7) vs. David Dvorak (#25, 19-4) Flyweight: Tyson Nam (#23, 17-12) vs. Raulian Paiva (19-5) Women’s Strawweight: Ariane Carnelossi (12-3) vs. Celine Haga (12-16) Women’s Strawweight: Ariane Carnelossi (12-3) vs. Celine Haga (12-16) Heavyweight: Dmitry Poberezhets (25-7-1, 1NC) vs. Ben Rothwell (#24, 37-13, 1NC) Heavyweight: Tyler East (17-6) vs. Ciryl Gane (#15, 12-1) Women’s Strawweight: Hannah Cifers (#12, 13-4) vs. Nadia Kassem (9-2)</div></blockquote></div>

August 4, 2021

News Blast

Saturday of Week 3 of June 2021

Sunday of Week 3 of June 2021

Monday of Week 4 of June 2021

August 3, 2021

UFC on Fight Pass series travels to Germany for its seventh event

UFC on Fight Pass series travels to Germany for its seventh event

Sunday of Week 3 of June 2021

One day after stepping down in the Netherlands, the UFC on Fight Pass series hops on over to Germany for a card that will be headlined by a rematch between Jeremy Stephens and Cub Swanson. Their first fight took place back in 2014, with Swanson coming out on top by unanimous decision, and now, seven years later, Stephens has the chance to avenge that loss.

The co-main event could see some serious fireworks as Sean O’Malley faces his next when he meets Song Yadong.

Another great main card of action, with a stacked preliminary card, take place on Sunday of Week 3 of August.

UFC on Fight Pass 7: Stephens vs. Swanson II

Main Card

Featherweight: Jeremy Stephens (#10, 29-19) vs. Cub Swanson (#11, 27-12)

Bantamweight: Sean O’Malley (#23, 13-0) vs. Song Yadong (#15, 16-5-1, 1NC)

Welterweight: Abdul Razak Alhassan (11-1, 1NC) vs. Alberto Mina (14-2)

Light Heavyweight: Modestas Bukauskas (11-3) vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu (9-1)

Women’s Strawweight: Justine Kish (8-4) vs. Karine Silva (11-3)

Preliminary Card

Light Heavyweight: Da Un Jung (13-3) vs. Marcin Prachnio (14-5)

Middleweight: Alessio Di Chirico (12-4, 1NC) vs. Eric Spicely (10-5)

Middleweight: Jared Cannonier (13-5) vs. Andrew Sanchez (11-7)

Middleweight: Tim Boetsch (21-15) vs. Zak Cummins (#24, 23-9)

Welterweight: Bryan Barberena (14-9) vs. Alan Jouban (16-8, 1NC)

Welterweight: Lorenz Larkin (24-8, 1NC) vs. Sheldon Westcott (10-4-1)

Lightweight: Drew Dober (22-10, 1NC) vs. Damir Ismagulov (20-1)

Lightweight: Evan Dunham (18-8-1, 1NC) vs. John Makdessi (17-8)

Featherweight: Austin Lingo (8-1) vs. Alex White (13-7)

Featherweight: Danny Henry (13-3) vs. Gavin Tucker (12-1)

August 2, 2021

UFC on Fight Pass series travels to the Netherlands for its sixth event

UFC on Fight Pass series travels to the Netherlands for its sixth event

Saturday of Week 3 of June 2021

The UFC on Fight Pass series goes to home of kickboxing, the Netherlands, for its sixth event, with a great main event in the bantamweight division, and it will see the winner of TUF 14, John Dodson, pit his striking skills against the sublime submission abilities of Rani Yahya.

The light heavyweight division provides the co-main event, a fight with a true international flavour as Magomed Ankalaev tries to end the unbeaten record of Shamil Gamzatov.

A great main card of action, and a loaded preliminary card, take place on Saturday of Week 3 of August.

UFC on Fight Pass 6: Dodson vs. Yahya

Main Card

Bantamweight: John Dodson (22-12) vs. Rani Yahya (27-1-1, 1NC)

Light Heavyweight: Magomed Ankalaev (14-2) vs. Shamil Gamzatov (17-0)

Middleweight: Trevor Smith (15-10, 1NC) vs. Punahele Soriano (9-0)

Women’s Bantamweight: Liana Jojua (9-4) vs. Nicco Montano (5-4)

Women’s Strawweight: Istela Nunes (9-2, 1NC) vs. Brianna Van Buren (12-3)

Preliminary Card

Bantamweight: Chris Guiterrez (15-3-1) vs. Vince Morales (11-4)

Women’s Strawweight: Vivian Araujo (8-4) vs. Marina Rodriguez (12-2-2)

Women’s Flyweight: Melinda Fabian (4-5-2) vs. Hannah Goldy (5-2)

Women’s Bantamweight: Melissa Gatto (6-1-2) vs. Vanessa Melo (10-8)

Bantamweight: Louis Smolka (17-6) vs. Aiemann Zahabi (9-2)

Bantamweight: Martin Day (9-3) vs. Davey Grant (10-5)

Featherweight: Mike Grundy (14-1) vs. Bobby Moffett (15-5)

Lightweight: Frank Camacho (23-8) vs. Nik Lentz (31-11-2, 2NC)

Welterweight: Alex Morono (19-6, 1NC) vs. Daniel Rodriguez (12-1)

August 1, 2021

UFC Rankings for Sunday, Week 3 of June 2021

July 31, 2021

UFC Fight Night 187: Namajunas vs. Waterson II

<div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="vsaa7XB.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/vsaa7XB.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

UFC Fight Night 187: Namajunas vs. Waterson II

Date: Saturday of Week 3 of June 2021 Location: Oregon

Attendance: 4,762 Gate: $1,047,640

Critical Rating: 81% Commercial Rating: 75%

Commentary Team: Jon Anik, Dan Hardy and Brendan Fitzgerald

Preliminary Card

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Lightweight: Peter Barrett (12-3) vs. Roman Bogatov (11-0)

Bogatov opened up this fight with a bang, rocking Barrett almost right away and having him in trouble. Bogatov couldn’t get the finish, but his opening salvo did set the stage for a fight that Bogatov pretty much dominated, with Barrett’s only real success coming in the second round when he managed to open up Bogatov under the eye.

Bogatov’s post-fight interview saw him express a keen interest in fighting Brad Riddell.

Result: Roman Bogatov beat Peter 'Slippery Pete' Barrett by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)

<img alt="rZYMb1t.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/rZYMb1t.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="37ItXAe.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/37ItXAe.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Middleweight: Maurilo de Souza (10-4, 1NC) vs. Bevan Lewis (7-3)

The debut of Maurilo de Souza was an entertaining affair, but, unfortunately for de Souza, it was one that he just couldn’t quite find his feet in until the third round. Before that point, it was a fight that Lewis was the better fighter in as he was too quick for de Souza to able to land anything of substance. de Souza finally landed something early in the third and Lewis was dazed and looking like he was only being held up by the cage, but Lewis somehow managed to hang in there, surviving the danger and threatening de Souza with takedowns for the rest of the round, giving de Souza no chance to land anything again.

Result: Bevon 'The Extraordinary Gentleman' Lewis beat Maurilio 'Touro' de Souza by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)

<img alt="z0iHKal.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/z0iHKal.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="oQaLKwG.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/oQaLKwG.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Women’s Flyweight: Mariya Agapova (9-2) vs. Shanna Young (7-4)

Mariya Agapova was a replacement for Hannah Goldy and she made the most of her opportunity in this tightly contested affair. Both women brought the fight to the other throughout, in what was something of a kickboxing contest. Agapova busted Young open, above the eye in the second round, which the cutman was working hard to close when the round was over.

The third was more of the same, although Agapova did start to slow down a little; Young tried to take her down but Agapova still had enough to thwart the attempt, and the fight remained standing for the rest of the round.

Despite the very competitive nature of the fight, Agapova not only won by unanimous decision, but she won all three rounds on all three scorecards.

Result: Mariya Agapova beat Shanna 'The Shanimal' Young by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)

<img alt="ql7HXPa.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ql7HXPa.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="znT0hGq.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/znT0hGq.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Welterweight: Court McGee (20-9) vs. Brandon Thatch (13-5)

Brandon Thatch had no easy task in his second fight back in the UFC as he took on the versatile and dangerous Court McGee. Yet Thatch started off fantastically well, dropping McGee almost immediately with a high right head kick, and, whilst McGee survived the follow up barrage, Thatch dominated him for the rest of the first round. The second round was more of the same in terms of Thatch dominating the action, with McGee having little in the way of success, leaving him in need of a finish heading into third round.

But despite his best efforts, McGee just could not get into the fight, Thatch lighting him up throughout with a number of kicks, of varying types. Thatch then dropped McGee with seconds to go; Thatch battered McGee for all he was worth, and, with just five seconds remaining, the referee pulled Thatch away and he had scored a dominant and decisive victory.

Result: Brandon 'Rukus' Thatch beat Court 'The Crusher' McGee by TKO due to strikes in 4:55 of Round 3

<img alt="598G13n.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/598G13n.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="rS1HYx6.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/rS1HYx6.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Bantamweight: Marlon Vera (17-6-1) vs. Nathaniel Wood (18-4)

Any fan stuck in a queue at the concession stand missed this one with Nathaniel Wood cracking Marlon Vera with the first big punch of the fight, a right hook to the jaw after 27 seconds, and it was enough to render Vera completely unconscious.

Wood called out a big name in his post-fight interview, as he said he wanted to take on Brett Johns.

Result: Nathaniel 'The Prospect' Wood beat Marlon 'Chito' Vera by knockout (punch) in 0:23 of Round 1

<img alt="Y1Pp31n.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Y1Pp31n.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="rXJglqY.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/rXJglqY.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Light Heavyweight: Jake Collier (11-5) vs. Ryan Spann (17-6, 1NC)

Jake Collier came into this fight with a noticeable weight edge over Ryan Spann but it did served him little use in a fight where Spann put in a great performance in outworking Collier throughout the first round, before drilling him with wicked right uppercut early in the second round, Spann then pounding Collier out and forcing the referee to stop the fight.

Result: Ryan 'Superman' Spann beat Jake Collier by TKO due to strikes in 0:57 of Round 2

<img alt="uyPI2zv.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/uyPI2zv.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="qybjXJc.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/qybjXJc.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Heavyweight: Jarjis Danho (5-2-1, 1NC) vs. Yorgan de Castro (6-2)

The size advantage of Danho, one of at least 25lbs, was to prove a big advantage, aiding him in muscling de Castro to the ground in the first round, the submission skill of Danho enabling him work for a kimura, Danho then securing a tight submission and forcing the tap.

Result: Jarjis 'Man Mountain' Danho beat Yorgan De Castro by submission due to a kimura in 3:45 of Round 1

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Women’s Bantamweight: Tracy Cortez (#21, 8-2) vs. Karol Rosa (#23, 12-4)

Up next was a closely contested affair between two fighters looking to push up the ladder in the women’s bantamweight division. Cortez and Rosa exchanged a number of punches, whilst also displaying a sound defence, although that defensive display dampened the enthusiasm of the fans, who wanted to see some excitement; the only real high point of the first round was Rosa suffering a cut above the eye,

The action-heavy but excitement-light contest saw Rosa looking shattered by the end of the second round, a round she probably won with more precise striking. Cortez was able to take Rosa down early in the third round and she threatened Rosa with various submissions, but Rosa, despite her exhaustion, was able to fend them all off. With a minute left in the round, the referee stood the fighters up, but there was little to get excite about for the remainder of the fight.

The fight was close and the scoring was too, as it went to a split-decision, Cortez getting the nod, with two judges, not just giving her the fight, but giving her all three rounds.

Result: Tracy Cortez beat Karol Rosa by split decision (30-27, 30-27 and 28-29)

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Women’s Strawweight: Jessica Penne (#20, 13-5) vs. Tecia Torres (#17, 11-6)

This was a great fight with a lot of hard-fought action throughout. Torres landed some nice shots early, and rocked Penne at the half-way mark of the first round; Torres then dropped her opponent and tried finishing her off, but Penne resisted, Penne also fending off several submission attempts that followed, and she saw out the round.

In the second round it was Torres who was dropped, and early on, with Penne landing a vicious right cross. In this instance, Penne followed up with ground control and attempted to submit Torres with various submissions, but Torres displayed stout defence to stay out of serious trouble. The referee stood both fighters up with a minute to go in the round, and the two women exchanged strikes for the rest of the round, neither landing anything of significance.

The third round saw both women looking to dominate, knowing that the outcome of the fight hinged on how the third round played out. And as the round progressed, it was Torres who began to look more in control, both evading Penne’s wilder strikes and landing some stinging strikes of her own, with Torres capping off her performance by ending the round with a great right hook.

The judges were unanimous in their scores, with all three of them giving scoring the fight 29-28 for Tecia Torres, who, in her post-fight interview, expressed her desire to fight Angela Hill.

Result: 'The Tiny Tornado' Tecia Torres beat Jessica Penne by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 and 29-28)

Main Card

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Middleweight: Krzysztof Jotko (22-5) vs. Rodolfo Vieira (11-0)

The main card was kicked off in grand fashion, a fantastic fight in the middleweight division between the dangerous Krzysztof Jotko and the unbeaten Rodolfo Vieira.

Vieira was noticeably bigger than Jotko in the cage, and the vaunted ground specialist was quick to put that size advantage to good use and took Jotko down with a single leg, Jotko having to hurriedly pull guard. Vieira tried to loosen the guard, perhaps with a submission in mind, but Jotko kept a tight guard, so the Brazilian tried to pass the guard of the Pole, but Jotko kept Vieira close to him. The stalemate was only broken when the referee ordered a stand-up; although there was less than thirty seconds to go, Vieira still had the time to take Jotko down, the submission ace putting his stamp on the first round.

The second round started more in favour of Jotko who was able to land some crunching blows on Vieira, the Brazilian now being put on the backfoot. Vieira eventually made his way past the punches of Jotko and he was able to get a hold of Jotko’s leg; Vieira tried to take Jotko down, but the best he could do was pushed his opponent back up against the cage.

Suddenly, Vieira swept Jotko down to the mat and he grabbed a kimura from side-control, where he’d ended up; Vieira had the hold tight and cranked down hard...but Jotko somehow popped his arm, despite the arm being bent at a gruesome angle. Vieira remained in side-control, but he couldn’t take the mount, Jotko keeping up the tight defence he’d maintained so far, and all Vieira could do for the rest of the round was pepper Jotko with short punches.

Vieira opened up the third round with an immediate takedown. Now in the guard, Vieira tried to pass it, and, despite Jotko’s best efforts, Vieira managed to take side-control. Yet Jotko was immediately trying to scramble free, but Vieira was able to get a hold of Jotko and put him back up against the cage. A great inside leg trip saw Jotko get taken down, Vieira once more back in the familiar position of the guard. Vieira tried to pass into side-control, which Jotko allowed in an attempt try and scramble free; Jotko’s gambled didn’t pay off and he was left turtled up, facing Vieira.

Vieira hurriedly grabbed hold of Jotko’s neck and worked his arms into position for the anaconda choke, which he quickly secured before rolling over to tighten the hold, and, with the hold on tight and his face looking anguished, Jotko frantically tapped out and Rodolfo Vieira had scored a big victory that not only raised his ranking but also maintained his unbeaten record.

Vieira was very happy to win, obviously, but he was also happy with the quality of the fight, which he called one of the best fights ever, one that he couldn’t wait to re-watch again.

Result: Rodolfo 'The Black Belt Hunter' Vieira beat Krzysztof Jotko by submission due to an anaconda choke in 2:58 of Round 3

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Women’s Bantamweight: Pannie Kianzad (#14, 15-6) vs. Ketlen Vieira (#8, 12-2)

The grappling of Ketlen Vieira was a problem that Pannie Kianzad simply could not solve, as it gave her trouble throughout this fight. Vieira was clinching and controlling, and sometimes throwing Kianzad with relative ease; Kianzad’s only defence at times was to grab the cage, an action which earned her a stiff rebuke from the referee. Kianzad was able to land some nice punches in the second round, so it wasn’t like she wasn’t without her shine, but this was a fight that Ketlen Vieira dominated; Kianzad almost saw the fight out, but a late flurry of ground-and-pound saw Vieira get the stoppage with just four seconds left in the third round.

After the fight, a very fired up Vieira called out the biggest superstar in the division, Ronda Rousey.

Result: Ketlen 'Fenomeno' Vieira beat Pannie 'Banzai' Kianzad by TKO due to strikes in 4:56 of Round 3

<img alt="AkT6ZXa.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/AkT6ZXa.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="xLd7H1b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/xLd7H1b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Heavyweight: August Sakai (#14, 15-2-1) vs. Linton Vassell (#5, 22-8, 1NC)

The UFC run of Linton Vassell continued with a challenge here as he took an opponent in August Sakai who outweighed by a minimum of 25lbs. The battling Brit was able to avoid Sakai in the early going, Vassell very quickly able to clinch up with Sakai and keep him pressed up against the cage, Vassell working his opponent over with close-range punches, slowing wearing him down and forcing his opponent carry that larger frame

Eventually, Saki was able to wrestle his way free from Vassell’s grip, but Vassell almost immediately took Sakai back down with a well-timed takedown; a ground battle ensued, with Sakai scrambling to his feet, but Vassell took hold of Sakai from behind, forcing him against the fence. Vassell tried to start punching Sakai, but Sakai broke free, although the round ended before he could do anything else.

The second round saw Vassell clinched with Sakai early on, and, after some resistance, Vassell was able to take Sakai down with a leg sweep. Vassell easily transitioned to side-control, before working for an arm triangle; Sakai blocked that attempted submission, but he couldn’t block a kimura, and Vassell got the hold deep, cranking down hard and forcing Sakai to tap out, giving Vassell a 2-0 record in the UFC.

Result: Linton 'The Swarm' Vassell beat Augusto Sakai by submission due to a kimura in 2:43 of Round 2

<img alt="uOZqog7.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/uOZqog7.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="8ySwyAn.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/8ySwyAn.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Women’s Strawweight: Cortney Casey (#6, 10-7) vs. Yan Xiaonan (#8, 13-2, 1NC)

The next fight on deck was a great one, in the women’s strawweight division, with Cortney Casey and Yan Xiaonan duelling it out in something of a dogfight. Both Casey and Yan delivered and avoided a number of wild strikes, each woman seemingly determined to get a decisive finish and stamp their authority in an increasingly crowded division.

It was hard to separate the two over the course of the fight, the momentum ebbing and flowing, but, late in the second round, Casey finally landed big, rocking Yan with a powerful right hook, and it took some great defence from Yan to see out the round.

It was a reprieve that wasn’t to last too long, with Casey pressing hard in the third round, and, just a few minutes in, Casey landed a vicious right cross that left Yan a crumpled heap on the mat.

Result: Cortney 'Cast Iron' Casey beat Yan 'Fury' Xiaonan by knockout (punch) in 2:11 of Round 3

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Bantamweight: Raphael Assuncao (#8, 28-8) vs. Petr Yan(#6, 16-3)

The co-main event started off at the quick pace you’d expect out of the bantamweight division, in this case with Yan taking the fight to Assuncao early on. Assuncao responded by taking the fight to the ground, an area where it was expected he would have a big advantage. Yet Yan, whilst not able to counter the ground work of Assuanco, was able to neutralise it and keep Assuanco in his guard until the final stages of the round, but by then it was too late for Assuanco to do anything of note.

The second round saw Assuanco trying to quickly take the fight back to the ground, which he was eventually able to do, with Yan putting up a spirited defence. Assuanco dominated Yan on the ground, going for various submissions and even having Yan in serious trouble at one point, with a kimura that looked very tight, but Yan somehow escaped danger. The fight slowed down enough for the referee to order a stand-up, and whilst there wasn’t much time left, Assuanco was able to take Yan down once more, putting a real exclamation mark on the round.

Yan came out for the third round like a ball of fire, and he rocked Assuanco almost immediately with a straight right. With Assuanco backing up, Yan zeroed in for the kill, flooring Assuanco with a vicious head kick; with his opponent prone, Yan took his opportunity to go for the kill and he pounded away on Assuanco with some powerful shots. Assuanco was taking heavy blows, and, after giving him every chance to defend himself, the referee stepped in to call the fight off and Petr Yan had made the most of his opportunity and scored a major victory.

Result: Petr 'No Mercy' Yan beat Raphael Assuncao by TKO due to strikes in 0:43 of Round 3

<img alt="Qjpp775.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Qjpp775.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="QK8bCKE.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/QK8bCKE.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Women’s Strawweight: Rose Namajunas (#3, 10-5) vs. Michelle Waterson (#4, 18-7)

The main event was up, a major contest in the women’s strawweight division where the winner could very easily find themselves within one more win of a shot at the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship. For Namajunas, it would be her second shot at gold, whereas Waterson would be angling for her first chance at championship glory in the UFC.

Both fighters came forward to meet in the centre of the octagon and began exchanging strikes, with Waterson missing her right cross and Namajunas landing a counter left hook to the body. Waterson continued to come forward, hitting a jab but then missing a high kick. Namajunas swiftly responded with a right head kick of her own, and the blow appeared to rock Waterson and she began backing off, on somewhat unsteady feet.

Namajunas smelt blood and rushed forward, literally, and hit a flying knee, although it only caught a glancing blow. Undeterred, Namajunas landed a flurry of five furiously fast punches, capping it off with a crunching right hook, and Waterson was now barely able to stand. Namajunas landed one more blow, another right head kick, and this one put the fight to bed as it knocked Waterson out cold, and the fans erupted as the main event came to a brutal yet decisive end.

Result: 'Thug' Rose Namajunas beat 'The Karate Hottie' Michelle Waterson by knockout (kick) in 2:20 of Round 1

Post-Fight Bonuses

Fight of the Night: Krzysztof Jotko vs. Rodolfo Viera

Performance of the Night: Rodolfo Viera

Knockout of the Night: Rose Namajunas

Submission of the Night: Jarjis Danho

Predictions

CageRage: (8/16)

CageRage (Overall): (240/397; 60.45%)</div>

July 30, 2021

News Blast + Preview of UFC Fight Night 187

Wednesday Week 3 of June 2021

Thursday of Week 3 of June 2021

Friday of Week 3 of June 2021

From the author: UFC Fight Ngiht 187 will be posted tomorrow night, with a main event of Rose Namajunas taking on Michelle Waterson. In the co-main event, Raphael Assunção faces Petr Yan, who is replacing an injured T.J. Dillashaw. Here is a rundown of the card for predictions, comment, etc;

UFC Fight Night 187: Namajunas vs. Waterson II

Main Card

Women’s Strawweight: Rose Namajunas (#3, 10-5) vs. Michelle Waterson (#4, 18-7)
Bantamweight: Raphael Assunção (#8, 28-8) vs. Petr Yan(#6, 16-3)
Women’s Strawweight: Cortney Casey (#6, 10-7) vs. Yan Xiaonan (#8, 13-2, 1NC)
Heavyweight: August Sakai (#14, 15-2-1) vs. Linton Vassell (#5, 22-8, 1NC)
Women’s Bantamweight: Pannie Kianzad (#14, 15-6) vs. Ketlen Vieira (#8, 12-2)[/i
Middleweight: Krzysztof Jotko (22-5) vs. Rodolfo Vieira (11-0)

Preliminary Card

Women’s Strawweight: Jessica Penne (#20, 13-5) vs. Tecia Torres (#17, 11-6)
Women’s Bantamweight: Tracy Cortez (#21, 8-2) vs. Karol Rosa (#23, 12-4)
Heavyweight: Jarjis Danho (5-2-1, 1NC) vs. Yorgan de Castro (6-2)
Light Heavyweight: Jake Collier (11-5) vs. Ryan Spann (17-6, 1NC)
Bantamweight: Marlon Vera (17-6-1) vs. Nathaniel Wood (18-4)
Welterweight: Court McGee (20-9) vs. Brandon Thatch (13-5)
Women’s Flyweight: Mariya Agapova (9-2) vs. Shanna Young (7-4)
Middleweight: Maurilo de Souza (10-4, 1NC) vs. Bevan Lewis (7-3)
Lightweight: Peter Barrett (12-3) vs. Roman Bogatov (11-0)

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July 27, 2021

News Blast

Saturday of Week 2 of June 2021

Sunday of Week 2 of June 2021

Bartosz Fabinski will replace Marshman against Gilbert Burns.

Monday of Week 3 of June 2021

Tuesday of Week 3 of June 2021

Austin Lingo has been removed from the UFC Fight Night 187 card as there is no time to find a new opponent.

July 24, 2021

Gunnar Nelson and Mike Perry headline UFC Fight Night 189

Gunnar Nelson and Mike Perry headline UFC Fight Night 189

Saturday, Week 2 of June 2021

Home of ‘The Valleys’, Wales becomes the home of the UFC when the Octagon travels overseas for a Fight Night card that will be headlined by a high-profile welterweight clash between Gunnar Nelson and Mike Perry.

Nelson enters this fight off back-to-back victories, over Nicolas Dalby and Rafael dos Anjos, while Perry is also coming in with back-to-back victories; his come over Jack Marshman and Neil Magny. A victory for either man would give them great momentum in a loaded division and would surely vault them into more high-profile fights, pushing them further up the ladder.

In the co-main event, Brett Johns competes in front of his countrymen for the first time in seven years as he looks to continue his sensational run in the bantamweight division, but he faces the toughest test of his career to date as he’ll be facing Cory Sandhagen, whose most recent fight saw him avenge his loss to Aljamain Sterling, and Sandhagen will be looking to spoil the homecoming of Johns and keep rising up the bantamweight division.

Ground specialist Omari Akhmedov takes on the lethal striking of Uriah Hall, Jessica Eye faces Wu Yanan, and the main card kicks off with a hell of a bang as top female strawweights Claudia Gadelha and Angela Hill collide in a fight that could easily steel Fight of the Night honours.

This night of stellar action, which includes a great undercard, hits Wales on Saturday of Week 2 of August.

UFC Fight Night 189: Nelson vs. Perry

Main Card

Welterweight: Gunnar Nelson (#12, 19-6-1) vs. Mike Perry (#14, 15-7)

Bantamweight: Brett Johns (#5, 20-2) vs. Corey Sandhagen (#3, 14-2)

Middleweight: Omari Akhmedov (#19, 21-6-1) vs. Uriah Hall (#17, 16-11)

Women’s Flyweight: Jessica Eye (#3, 17-8, 1NC) vs. Wu Yanan (#12, 13-4)

Women’s Strawweight: Claudia Gadelha (#12, 18-6) vs. Angela Hill (#14, 14-8)

Preliminary Card

Lightweight: Marc Diakiese (#25, 16-3) vs. David Teymur (#21, 9-2)

Women’s Strawweight: Amanda Bobby Cooper (4-7) vs. Bec Rawlings (9-11)

Women’s Flyweight: Veronica Macedo (6-5-1) vs. Talia Santos (#25, 15-3)

Flyweight: Askar Askarov (#17, 12-2-1) vs. Ryan Benoit (#19, 10-8)

Bantamweight: Merab Dvalishvili (10-6) vs. Marlon Moraes (#21, 23-8-1)

Featherweight: Alex Caceras (15-13, 1NC) vs. Eduardo Garagorri (13-2)

Featherweight: Josh Emmett (#16, 15-4) vs. Kyle Nelson (13-4)

Lightweight: Joseph Duffy (16-5) vs. Rustam Khabilov (25-6)

Welterweight: Shavkat Rakhmonov (12-1, 1NC) vs. Danny Roberts (17-7)

Light Heavyweight: Eryk Anders (13-6) vs. Devin Clark (11-6)

July 22, 2021

News Blast

<div style="text-align:center;">Wednesday of Week 2 of June 2021

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Thursday of Week 2 of June 2021

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Friday of Week 2 of June 2021

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