Pontarii

Long time no see friends, just thought I would pop back in here to thank all of you for reading, commenting and following my first ever GDS Dynasty which turned out to be a huge success. I've played the game for a couple of years and have watched MMA for roughly 12 years so it wasn't new for me, but to go on and create the single dynasty with the most amount of views on the WMMA5 forum part of GDS is a proud and unexpected moment for sure. The dynasty is sadly finished. I would have loved to continue it now when everything surrounding Covid-19, work and other time consuming things that initially took over back when the dynasty was active, but my hard drive decided to end its life around 2 months ago so the save file is gone for good. However, I'm currently considering making a new, updated and better dynasty as my sort of return to the forum. Together with my irl friend and fellow GDS member, Daelh, I've spent roughly around 60-70 hours to update and make our real life database the best possible one out there. With over 500 new fighters, all UFC events updated, several fight history records for over 1000 fighters updated, a total rewamp of almost all UFC fighters combat moves and personality traits and much, much more. It's not a promise nor a guarantee that I'll return with a new dynasty after this one, after all it accomplished many of my goals, but don't be surprised if you stumble across a new one from me in the near future. In the infamous words of Conor McGregor: "Catch ya's later" Yours truly Pontarii

<img src=https://i.imgur.com/eYAV0hw.jpg> WEEK 4 - MARCH 2021 UFC Fight Preview <img src=https://i.imgur.com/06aMQmE.jpg> Paulo Costa: "My loss to Adesanya was a fluke, I'm the best 185:er on the planet and I will destroy Whittaker inside one round" The former Middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa (13-1) will headline UFC 261 in the Jeunesse Arena, Rio de Janeiro in his native Brazil this Saturday against the former Middleweight champion Robert Whittaker (21-6), and the Brazilian has not backed down from throwing some verbal assaults at the Australian. During the pre-fight press conference, Costa proclaimed his intentions of knocking Whittaker out cold to once again get the shot at Israel Adesanya's coveted title. "I've learnt a lot of lessons since the fight against the coward champion [israel Adesanya] and it has made me a better fighter, but if I'm being honest with you I believe that this fight was a one time happening. It was a fluke, no doubt about it. I dominated him until he caught me for one second, which was illegal since he poked me in the eyes before the kick. It should be overturned to a no contest. I'm not angry or disappointed or anything at all, I'm just honest with you guys and I know a lot of you agree with me. Adesanya is a b-tch champion, a fake m-therf-cker and I'm going to have my revenge soon enough. I'm still the best 185:er in the world. I'll knock Robert Whittaker out cold inside the first round and then no one can deny my title shot once more. And this time, the belt is coming home to Brazil", said Costa during the pre-fight press conference. One fighter that has been in the spotlight during the recent week leading up to the event is another Brazilian-native in Bethe Correia (12-4-1). The former Women's Bantamweight title challenger has announced that her bout against fellow ranked Brazilian Talita Bernardo (5-4) in the ESPN+ Early Prelim headliner will be her last ever fight - regardless of the result. Correia spoke to the attending fans during the pre-fight press conference to confirm the news. "It's true, this fight against Talita [bernardo] will be my last ever fight. Not only in the UFC but in my whole career. It doesn't matter if I win or lose, this is it. It's my final bout and I want to end on a high note, finishing her in a big way. Don't blink this Saturday, I promise you'll witness something spectacular in my farewell to the sport", said Correia during the pre-fight press conference. The card features several interesting fighters to definitely take notice of. The co-main event between Rafael dos Anjos (31-12) and Santiago Ponzinibbio (28-4) is a no-brainer while the BJJ-legend Rodolfo Vieira (8-0) continues his undefeated MMA-career against a true UFC-veteran Tim Boetsch (21-14). The former PFL-star Chris Wade (20-6) clashes with the Brazilian Leonardo Santos (17-4-1) and the always entertaining Michel Pereira (23-11-2NC) faces Siyar Bahadurzada (24-8-1) during the Early Prelims. The UFC 261: Costa vs. Whittaker card looks like this: Main Event Middleweight Bout: (#2) Paulo Costa vs. (#4) Robert Whittaker Co-Main Event Welterweight Bout: (#5) Rafael dos Anjos vs. (#7) Santiago Ponzinibbio Main Card Flyweight Bout: (#6) Deiveson Figueiredo vs. (#4) Kai-Kara France Middleweight Bout: Rodolfo Vieira vs. Tim Boetsch Lightweight Bout: Leonardo Santos vs. Chris Wade ESPN Preliminary Card Middleweight Bout: Cezar Ferreira vs. Oskar Piechota Women's Strawweight Bout: (#13) Virna Jandiroba vs. (#12) Cynthia Calvillo Heavyweight Bout: Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Todd Duffee ESPN+ Early Preliminary Card Women's Bantamweight Bout: (#11) Bethe Correia vs. (#15) Talita Bernardo Welterweight Bout: Michel Pereira vs. Siyar Bahadurzada Light Heavyweight Bout: Smealinho Rama vs. Dalcha Lungiambula

<img src=https://i.imgur.com/eYAV0hw.jpg> WEEK 3 - MARCH 2021 UFC Fight Night 188: MVP vs. Wonderboy Attendance: 4,758 Gate: $1,332,240 Critical Rating: 75% Commercial Rating: 80% Main Event Michael Page def. Stephen Thompson by TKO (Strikes) in 2:19 of Round 1 Co-Main Event Anthony Johnson def. Marcin Tybura by Knock Out (Punch) in 1:15 of Round 1 Main Card Marc Diakiese def. Beneil Dariush by Knock Out (Kick) in 4:47 of Round 2 Arnold Allen def. Cub Swanson by Unanimous Decision Anatoly Tokov def. Antonio Carlos Junior by Knock Out (Punch) in 0:34 of Round 1 ESPN+ Preliminary Card Danny Roberts drew with Sheldon Westcott by Majority Draw Gavin Tucker def. Mike Grundy by Split Decision Adam Proctor def. Takashi Sato by Split Decision Salimgirey Rasulov def. Tom Aspinall by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 3:30 of Round 2 Christos Giagos def. Drew Dober by Unanimous Decision Summary UFC returned this Saturday to London, England for the first time since last year when Leon Edwards defeated Tyron Woodley in the fourth round to secure his title shot. This time it was yet another Englishman who main evented, as Michael 'Venom' Page made his highly anticipated UFC-debut against one of the most electrifying strikers on the roster in Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson. The Welterweight clash was supposed to be a finger pointing to where the former Bellator superstar would fit into his new surroundings, was he immediately going to be ranked in the top 15 or was he about to take a disappointing position at the back of the line? Page entered the octagon to a roar from his hometown fans, looking relaxed and entertaining as always in the process. Wonderboy looked just as calm and focused, ready to spoil the debut of the showboating Page. This was also the second time that Wonderboy had main evented a card in England, with his first one being the close decision loss to Darren Till in Liverpool back in 2018. Referee Marc Goddard started the bout and both fighters touched gloves before the fighters engaged in combat, with MVP being the early aggressor. Wonderboy looked primarily for counters, like he often does, but neither of his strikes connected early on. One minute into the fight, the first major event of the bout took place when MVP feinted a right hook and threw a vicious head kick that hit Wonderboy clean. The Simpsonville-native was wobbly and backed up against the cage while MVP, sensing a victory, landed a flying knee. Wonderboy still managed to survive as MVP threw another head kick, this time being blocked by Wonderboy's forearm. The sequence looked to be over as Wonderboy seemed to recover and get back to his normal state, but seconds later MVP landed a big right hook that sent Wonderboy to the ground, followed by MVP who pounded away with big shots. Marc Goddard jumped in and stopped the bout to declare Michael 'Venom' Page victorious in his UFC-debut. A very well fought fight and an impressive outing for the flashy Page indeed. The 33-year old wasted no time in his first UFC-post fight interview, calling out the former Lightweight champion and current number 7-ranked Welterweight in Rafael dos Anjos. For Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson, this was his second loss in a row. The former title challenger has certainly a lot to think about moving forward, if he intends to stay in the Welterweight division, if a move up to Middleweight is something to consider or perhaps if it's time to call it quits for the now 38-year old. Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson continued his path of destruction in the Heavyweight division as he knocked out Marcin Tybura in the first round, making his divisional rankings debut. Johnson also called out the winner of the upcoming Heavyweight clash between Derrick Lewis and Sergey Pavlovich, saying that either one of them will feel his power. It was also a very impressive night for Marc Diakiese, who knocked out the veteran Beneil Dariush with a deadly head kick. After having a tough period with three straight losses, the English-Congolese fighter has really turned it around amassing five straight victories. This big win means that Diakiese is now ranked fifteen in the Lightweight division and he's almost certain to get a big name fighter in his next fight in the near future. During the main card we also saw big wins for Arnold Allen, who defeated the veteran Cub Swanson by Unanimous Decision, and Anatoly Tokov, who knocked out Antonio Carlos Junior inside the first 35 seconds of the fight. The preliminary portion of the card gave us a rare draw between Danny Roberts and Sheldon Westcott, a UFC-debut victory for Adam Proctor and a big upset as the -460 favorite Mike Grundy, teammate of Darren Till, fell to the +380 underdog Gavin Tucker by Split Decision. All in all a good event in London with many positives and few negatives. Bonus Awards Fight of the Night: Marc Diakiese vs. Beneil Dariush Knockout of the Night: Marc Diakiese Submission of the Night: Salimgirey Rasulov <img src=https://i.imgur.com/4Cc6Crx.jpg

<img src=https://i.imgur.com/eYAV0hw.jpg> WEEK 3 - MARCH 2021 UFC Rumors & Roster Additions <img src=https://i.imgur.com/ZVWpv4u.jpg> GSP: "I'm happily retired, but I would definitely come back for fight against one of four opponents" Perhaps the Greatest Mixed Martial Artist of all time, former UFC Welterweight and Middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre (26-2) has revealed that even though he's enjoying retirement, he would make an historic comeback to the UFC if one of four named opponents was offered him. Speaking with Ariel Helwani on the Helwani MMA Show, the now 40-year old French-Canadian discussed his life after retiring back in 2017 following his historical title victory in the Middleweight division over Michael Bisping in a bout that will go down in UFC-history as one of the greatest moments ever. "You know Ariel, I'm an honest guy. I tell people how I feel and why I feel the way I do, and for me to sit here and say 'I don't think about MMA or UFC' would be a lie. Of course I think about it, everyday. I still train with Tristar Gym everyday, I teach the sport and I'm involved in several fighters careers both in the UFC and in other organizations, and that makes me happy. I believe in giving back what you was given, and for me to pass the knowledge on to others is a blessing for me. To be honest with you Ariel, I'm happily retired. I've had a perfect career with a lot of great moments that I will cherish for the rest of my life. If I never fight in the octagon again, that would be okay with me, it truly will. But, and I've always said this; if the opportunity and the timing is right, I would do it. I would return, no matter if it's one or two bouts", said GSP during the interview with Ariel Helwani. When asked about what this 'opportunity and timing' meant more specifically, St-Pierre gave an honest answer about which four opponents he can see himself return to the UFC for. "I see four potential opponents, Ariel. It's no secret that I admire Khabib [Nurmagomedov] as a fighter and as a human being. He's the Greatest Lightweight of all time and to challenge him at either Lightweight or at Welterweight would definitely be one opportunity that I would jump on if it was seriously presented to me. The second one is Kamaru Usman. He's a great fighter, a great wrestler and a great champion in the division I hold closest to my heart. If he stays champion, which I think he will, a fight against him for the Welterweight title would be something I would be interested in. The third one is [israel] Adesanya. He is something new and exciting in the sport, he is undefeated and he reminds me very much about Anderson Silva, which was my all-time dream fight before we both retired. I've proven I can make Middleweight and that I can compete there, so to face Adesanya for the Middleweight title would also be something I would seriously consider. And the last one is Conor [McGregor]. It doesn't matter if it's Lightweight or Welterweight, he's the biggest star in the history of the sport and to face him in a battle of the ages is 100 percent something I would do. But as I said Ariel, I'm happily retired and I don't actively look for this to happen. If it does, it would be great. If it doesn't, that's great too", said Georges St-Pierre. Rumors about Georges St-Pierre's future is always a talking point in the MMA community and either of those fights would certainly be something to hope for in the near future, but the clock is ticking. GSP is currently 40-years old and the window of opportunity is closing piece by piece everyday. If GSP was to return, who would YOU like to see him face in one final showdown? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <img src=https://i.imgur.com/ewx1Fpp.png> UFC announce four multi-bout signings including former UFC Lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez, PFL Flyweight Tournament-winner John Moraga In some breaking news, UFC has today announced the signings of four new fighters, with three of them returning to the company after stints in various other organizations. The list includes the former UFC Lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez [31-8-1NC], the PFL Flyweight Tournament-winner as well as former UFC Flyweight title challenger John Moraga [22-7], the former PXC Bantamweight champion Michinori Tanaka [16-3] and the JEWELS Bantamweight champion Kinuyo Ishibashi [5-0]. The most name-worthy signing is of course the former UFC Lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez, who left the company in 2018 to sign a highly lucrative deal with ONE Championship. Alvarez, who lost his UFC Lightweight title to Conor McGregor in one of the biggest fights in the modern era, went 2-2 with the Singapore-based company before opting to not renew his ending contract. Despite losing his last bout as a big -600 favorite against Christian Lee, the brother of current UFC Women's Strawweight fighter Angela Lee, Alvarez returns to the UFC as a big name to strengthen the already steep Lightweight division with high hopes of once again becoming the champion. The 37-year old went 4-3-1NC in his previous stint with the UFC. A 14-fight veteran of the UFC, John Moraga has signed a 5-fight deal with the company to make his return following his departure in 2018. After going 8-6 in the UFC during his first stint, Moraga was released from the company in midst of the uncertainty surrounding the Flyweight division. He signed a deal with Professional Fighters League [PFL] where he entered in their first ever One Million Dollar Flyweight Tournament - which he ultimately won after defeating another former UFC-fighter in Eric Shelton in the final. Moraga informed PFL after his Tournament victory that he intended on returning to the UFC, and his wish was granted two months later. Moraga is currently ranked as the fourth best Flyweight in the world, and his return is certainly one to take notice of. Japanese Bantamweight Michinori Tanaka [16-3], with five UFC-fights on his resume, will also return to the company. Tanaka went 2-3 in the UFC, including a Split Decision victory over the former title challenger Joe Soto, before getting released back in 2017. Since then, Tanaka has fought in various organizations including ACA, Shooto and Pancrase where he has amassed a 5-0 record. It's believed that the signing of the 30-year old is purely meant to bolster the Asian market as the UFC intends on hosting several events on the continent this year. The fourth and final signing is another Japanese fighter, this time it's the JEWELS Bantamweight champion Kinuyo Ishibashi. Despite having only fought five times in her early Mixed Martial Arts career, Ishibashi has made a name for herself as a great Hybrid Fighter. She has a background in several areas of the sport including boxing, wrestling and Judo, this has certainly showed of in her five career bouts as she has five different finishes, including a highlight reel flying knee knockout against the former champion Akiko Naito, on her resume. With the Women's Bantamweight division lacking some new blood, the signing of Ishibashi will hopefully be a valuable one for the UFC.

<img src=https://i.imgur.com/eYAV0hw.jpg> WEEK 2 - MARCH 2021 UFC Fight Night 187: Lee vs. Felder Attendance: 8,175 Gate: $1,798,500 Critical Rating: 78% Commercial Rating: 92% Main Event Kevin Lee def. Paul Felder by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 4:21 of Round 2 Co-Main Event Edson Barboza def. Josh Emmett by Knock Out (Elbow) in 2:09 of Round 1 Main Card Sean O'Malley def. Cody Stamann by Submission (Triangle) in 3:56 of Round 1 Michael Chiesa def. Mike Perry by Unanimous Decision Rani Yahya def. Marlon Vera by Unanimous Decision ESPN+ Preliminary Card Brett Johns def. Rob Font by Unanimous Decision Amir Aliakbari def. Ante Delija by Unanimous Decision Sarah Moras def. Leah Letson by Unanimous Decision Dan Ige def. Enrique Barzola by TKO (Cut) in 3:52 of Round 1 Mark de la Rosa def. Pingyuan Liu by TKO (Strikes) in 4:06 of Round 2* *Pingyuan Liu missed weight by 5lbs. He forfeited 30% of his purse to his opponent and will move up to Bantamweight after missing weight for a second time. Summary An historic event came to and end tonight as UFC hosted their first ever Delaware-based card at the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark, Delaware. The arena was filled to maximum capacity as the Detroit-native Kevin Lee faced the "Irish Dragon" Paul Felder in a main event bout to determine which of the two top ranked Lightweights that was heading towards a potential title fight. Lee received instant boos from the crowd as he refused Felder's offer to touch gloves, the 28-year old is certainly living up to the image of him being a 'bad guy'. The first half of the first round was a feeling out process for both Lee and Felder, neither really took control of the fight instead trading strikes without much damage infliction. It was ultimately Kevin Lee who was the more active striker in the first round with almost double the amount of strikes compared to Felder's output which gave Lee the 10-9 after the first round. Round two started out in a similar fashion as both fighters stayed close to each other striking without landing any potential fight enders. Two minutes into the round, a crucial mistake was made by Felder who, while in clinch, try to take down Lee to the ground. A uncommon thing for Felder to do, especially against a superior wrestler. Lee stopped the takedown, gained control over the clinch, pushed Felder to the cage and tripped him with underhooks in. Felder gave up the back off the takedown which Lee saw as an opportunity to apply a Rear Naked Choke. Felder initially stopped the submission attempt, but after Lee pounded away on Felder he found himself once again in a Rear Naked Choke which was more locked in than the first one. Without no other option for Felder than to tap, Kevin Lee earned perhaps the biggest victory of his career and he immediately took the microphone and called for a title shot against Khabib Nurmagomedov. The 28-year old has a strong case for a title shot as he has now won four fights in a row against four ranked opponents. Reality is though that everything depends on Conor McGregor. If the Irish superstar returns from his so-called 'hiatus', he's more than likely receiving a title shot against Khabib as that fight is significantly more rewarding for the UFC than if Lee gets the shot, but if Conor sits out the next couple of months as well - no other fighter is more worthy of a title shot in the Lightweight division than Kevin Lee. For Paul Felder, the loss was especially hard to swallow. To come so close to his dream of fighting for a title, only to have it taken away from you by one simple mistake is heartbreaking for everyone, but especially when you're talking about a true veteran of the sport. Felder reassured his fans that even though this was the most devastating moment of his MMA-career, he intend on bouncing back to the top of the heap once more before calling it quits. During the co-main event of the evening, Edson Barboza provided the Delaware-fans with a memorable moment as he knocked out Josh Emmett with a highlight reel-elbow KO. The Brazilian has really adapted well to his new division and he's now ranked in the Featherweight top fifteen. Sean O'Malley continued his undefeated career as he submitted the enduring Cody Stamann with a Triangle in the first round while Michael Chiesa finally picked up a victory after two setbacks in the Welterweight division as he got the judges decision over Mike Perry, thanks to his superior ground game. During the preliminary portion of the event, the Welsh prospect Brett Johns defeated Rob Font as he tries to enter the Bantamweight ranking and Amir Aliakbari spoiled the UFC-debut of former PFL- and KSW-star Ante Delija in a Unanimous Decision victory. It's also worth noting that Pingyuan Liu of the Flyweight division missed weight for the second time in one year, this time by 5lbs. Liu gave up 30% of his purse to Mark de la Rosa, as he eventually lost in his last ever Flyweight bout. He will now fight in the Bantamweight division. Bonus Awards Fight of the Night: Kevin Lee vs. Paul Felder Knockout of the Night: Edson Barboza Submission of the Night: Sean O'Malley <img src=https://i.imgur.com/PAP5FN1.jpg

<p>Just want to give the readers a heads up that I'm currently very busy with work. I'm working at a Primary School and everything surrounding the Coronavirus has doubled my work time which affects both my available time for play and my energy for writing. I'm always aiming for at least one "chapter" per day, but it's not always possible and I apologize for the inconvenience. I promise that more stories, rumors and other interesting things will happen in the upcoming posts.</p><p> </p><p> Thanks for over 8700 views and all the comments you guys post, it's astonishing for me to have this kind of support. Thank you guys!</p>

<p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><img src=https://i.imgur.com/eYAV0hw.jpg></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>WEEK 1 - MARCH 2021</strong></span></p><p><strong> </strong><strong><span style="font-size:14px;">UFC Fight Announcement</span></strong></p><p> </p><p> <img src=https://i.imgur.com/hby0ORx.png></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>UFC returns to Rotterdam, Netherlands with Heavyweight clash between Derrick Lewis and Sergey Pavlovich headlining Fight Night 189</strong></span></p><p> </p><p> The world leader in Mixed Martial Arts will return to Europe next month as UFC today announced that the upcoming UFC Fight Night 189-card will take place at the Rotterdam Ahoy in Rotterdam, Netherlands. This will be the third time the UFC host an event in Netherlands in its history, with Fight Night 87: Overeem vs. Arlovski and Fight Night 115: Volkov vs. Struve being the two previous ones. For the first time, the Netherlands-based event will not be headlined by a Dutch fighter. Instead it's a Heavyweight clash between the charismatic American Derrick Lewis (23-8-1NC) and the rising Russian prospect Sergey Pavlovich (16-1) that will headline the card. The aforementioned Stefan Struve (29-13) will however fight in his native Netherlands as he takes on the heavy-hitter Greg Hardy (7-2-1NC) in the third main card fight. </p><p> </p><p> The co-main event of the evening will also feature a big name fighter as the former Women's Bantamweight champion Holly Holm (13-6) takes on the former title challenger Aspen Ladd (9-3). As both fighters comes from a loss, with Holm losing to Germaine de Randamie and Ladd losing to Ketlen Vieira, a victory is much needed for both of them. A loss would probably result in a severe fall down the rankings as several new fighters including Julianna Peña and Lina Länsberg has climbed up to the top of the rankings in recent time. The event will also feature a Light Heavyweight bout between the number eight ranked Aleksandar Rakic (13-3) and the number ten ranked Misha Cirkunov (16-6). Both fighters are in the middle of the divisional ranking and a win here would be of great value for either of them.</p><p> </p><p> Several of the recent acquired fighters will either debut or return on the Netherlands-card including former Bellator fighters Vadim Nemkov (13-3) and Valentin Moldavsky (11-1), the former ACA Lightweight champion Marcin Held (28-8) and the former KOTC Lightweight champion Alex Munoz (8-0). Nemkov faces a real tough test in UFC-veteran and former Light Heavyweight title challenger Glover Teixeira (30-9) while Moldavsky takes on Rodrigo Nascimento (7-1) in the Heavyweight division. Marcin Held will face Rick Glenn (21-7-1) in his UFC-return while Munoz squares off with Roman Bogatov (10-1). </p><p> </p><p> The UFC Fight Night 189: Lewis vs. Pavlovich card looks like this:</p><p> </p><p> <strong>Main Event</strong></p><p> Heavyweight Bout: (#6) Derrick Lewis vs. (#7) Sergey Pavlovich</p><p> </p><p> <strong>Co-Main Event</strong></p><p> Women's Bantamweight Bout: (#3) Holly Holm vs. (#6) Aspen Ladd</p><p> </p><p> <strong>Main Card</strong></p><p> Heavyweight Bout: Stefan Struve vs. Greg Hardy</p><p> </p><p> Light Heavyweight Bout: (#13) Glover Teixeira vs. Vadim Nemkov</p><p> </p><p> Light Heavyweight Bout: (#8) Aleksandar Rakic vs. (#10) Misha Cirkunov</p><p> </p><p> <strong>ESPN Preliminary Card</strong></p><p> Lightweight Bout: Marcin Held vs. Rick Glenn</p><p> </p><p> Heavyweight Bout: Rodrigo Nascimento vs. Valentin Moldavsky</p><p> </p><p> Featherweight Bout: Chase Hooper vs. Nate Landwehr</p><p> </p><p> <strong>ESPN+ Early Preliminary Card</strong></p><p> Women's Flyweight Bout: (#8) Jennifer Maia vs. (#7) Viviane Araujo</p><p> </p><p> Lightweight Bout: Roman Bogatov vs. Alex Munoz</p><p> </p><p> Women's Strawweight Bout: Felice Herrig vs. Brianna van Buren</p><p> </p><p> </p></div><p></p><p></p>

<img src=https://i.imgur.com/eYAV0hw.jpg> WEEK 1 - MARCH 2021 UFC Fight Announcement <img src=https://i.imgur.com/FYFATFf.png> UFC 261 to take place at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with Paulo Costa and Robert Whittaker headlining UFC will return to one of the most prominent Mixed Martial Arts-nations next month as UFC 261 takes place at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The company announced the news on their social media platforms earlier today with a Middleweight contender bout featuring former title challenger Paulo Costa (13-1) and the former Middleweight champion Robert Whittaker (21-6) as the main event. Rumors has it that the main event of the event was initially planned to be the rematch between Junior dos Santos and the returning Fabricio Werdum, but reports suggest that dos Santos suffered an injury during his fight camp which scrapped the bout. This was denied by Dana White, who tweeted that Costa vs. Whittaker was both their plan all along as well as a 'fantastic fight'. Paulo Costa is currently ranked number two in the Middleweight division after succumbing to the champion Israel Adesanya's head kick knockout in the first title opportunity of his career. The 29-year old hasn't lost any other fight than the Adesanya-one, with big victories over the likes of Yoel Romero, Johny Hendricks and Uriah Hall. The number four ranked Robert Whittaker on the other hand has had a longer career in the UFC, making his debut in 2012. Whittaker became the interim UFC Middleweight champion in 2017 after defeating Yoel Romero in a Unanimous Decision victory. He was later promoted to the undisputed Middleweight champion following Georges St. Pierre's second retirement. He defended the belt once, facing and defeating Yoel Romero yet again in a true barn burner before losing the title to the current champion Israel Adesanya in October of 2019. Since then, Whittaker has won against Jared Cannonier at UFC 248, but he has also lost to Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 253. Both him and Costa are in a position of aiming to be the next Middleweight title challenger, but it's generally known that the undefeated 23-year old Edmen Shahbazyan will get the next title opportunity. The co-main event of UFC 261 will also feature a bout with potential title implications as Rafael dos Anjos (31-12) takes on Santiago Ponzinibbio (28-4) in a true South American-clash. The Brazilian dos Anjos is on a 2-fight winning streak, winning against Michael Chiesa and Demian Maia, while the Argentinian Ponzinibbio lost his recent bout against former champion Tyron Woodley, but he had a big victory over Stephen Thompson before that. With both fighters hovering around the top 5-ranking, a win for either of them could potentially lead to a big fight against one of the top dogs in the Welterweight division. There's, as expected, a big presence of Brazilian fighters fighting on the card. Former Flyweight title contender Deiveson Figueiredo (17-3) takes on Kai-Kara France (22-8), with both fighters also looking for a title opportunity in the Flyweight division. BJJ-ace Rodolfo Vieira (8-0) continues his undefeated MMA-career with his biggest test to date in veteran Tim Boetsch (21-14) while Leonardo Santos (17-4-1) faces the former PFL-star Chris Wade (20-6) during the last main card fight. The UFC 261: Costa vs. Whittaker card looks like this: Main Event Middleweight Bout: (#2) Paulo Costa vs. (#4) Robert Whittaker Co-Main Event Welterweight Bout: (#5) Rafael dos Anjos vs. (#7) Santiago Ponzinibbio Main Card Flyweight Bout: (#6) Deiveson Figueiredo vs. (#4) Kai-Kara France Middleweight Bout: Rodolfo Vieira vs. Tim Boetsch Lightweight Bout: Leonardo Santos vs. Chris Wade ESPN Preliminary Card Middleweight Bout: Cezar Ferreira vs. Oskar Piechota Women's Strawweight Bout: (#13) Virna Jandiroba vs. (#12) Cynthia Calvillo Heavyweight Bout: Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Todd Duffee ESPN+ Early Preliminary Card Women's Bantamweight Bout: (#11) Bethe Correia vs. (#15) Talita Bernardo Welterweight Bout: Michel Pereira vs. Siyar Bahadurzada Light Heavyweight Bout: Smealinho Rama vs. Dalcha Lungiambula

<img src=https://i.imgur.com/eYAV0hw.jpg> WEEK 4 - FEBRUARY 2021 UFC 260: Adesanya vs. Till Attendance: 23,510 Gate: $6,230,150 Critical Rating: 72% Commercial Rating: 100% Main Event Israel Adesanya def. Darren Till by Knock Out (Punch) in 1:42 of Round 1 to retain the UFC Middleweight title Co-Main Event Dominick Reyes def. Thiago Santos by Knock Out (Punch) in 0:13 of Round 3 Main Card A.J. McKee def. Jeremy Stephens by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:47 of Round 2 Alexander Hernandez def. Islam Makhachev by Unanimous Decision Zebaztian Kadestam def. Brad Tavares by TKO (Strikes) in 0:47 of Round 3 ESPN+ Preliminary Card Lance Palmer def. Kevin Aguilar by Unanimous Decision Sergey Spivak def. Juan Adams by Submission (Guillotine) in 4:13 of Round 2 Antonina Shevchenko def. Andrea Lee by TKO (Strikes) in 2:30 of Round 2 Zak Cummings def. Marvin Vettori by Unanimous Decision Alexis Dufresne def. Zarah Fairn dos Santos by Split Decision Summary Even though Israel Adesanya has only been in the UFC for only four years now, he has become one of the biggest draws in combat sports. He can sell out arenas purely based on his name value, and when combined with one of the best young fighters in the game, Darren Till, with a big name value himself, especially in the UK, made for a big night at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The prestigious UFC Middleweight title was on the line as the Nigerian champion and the British challenger made their respective entrances. As expected, the crowd erupted when Till's traditional entrance song "Sweet Caroline" echoed through the arena. Many experts hailed Till to be Adesanya's biggest test to date, which reflected in the late changes in the betting odds as both fighters entered as dead even with -150. Even UFC President Dana White joined in into Till's praise as he dubbed the Liverpudlian "the best British fighter since Michael Bisping" as well as naming him as a "guaranteed future champion" during the build up to the fight. It all came crashing down however during the first round of the highly anticipated title bout. Once the cage door was closed and the bout began, Adesanya started extremely aggressive as he wasted no time of hitting Darren Till with some big strikes. The usually calm and collected distance striker had turned into a pressure fighting, aiming to knock out his opponent inside the first round. And so he did. Hitting a barrage of strikes and finish the combination with a deadly right hook en route to a devastating finish, Adesanya silenced the doubters and ended Darren Till before the Brit even landed a handful of strikes. A total domination from start to finish that left Till wondering "what just happen?" in a bit sarcastic albeit kind-of serious way during the post-fight interview. Adesanya didn't even break a sweat in a bout that was supposed to be the toughest challenge in his career in this clean, clinical performance that really showed everyone in attendance as well as everyone watching at him that he's the real deal. The tall 31-year old is now 20-0 in his career, with nine of the victories coming in the UFC, which certainly puts him among the elite fighters - not only just in this generation but every generation of MMA. It's certainly not easy to see who, if any, can dethrone Adesanya as the Middleweight king in the near future, we may even see a lengthy title run for him pan out. If the rumors are to be expected, UFC is currently working on a Middleweight title bout between Adesanya and the next rightful challenger Edmen Shahbazyan later this year. This would put two undefeated records on the line with only one emerging victorious from it, a certain draw for the fans all around the world. The co-main event this evening between Brazilian Thiago Santos and American Dominick Reyes lasted far longer than the main event title fight as it finished in the third round. Both fighters had their moments in the bout, but eventually it was the "The Devastator" from Victorville, California that was victorious as he finished Santos with strikes. With this big win over the number one ranked Light Heavyweight fighter, Reyes more or less cements his position as Jones' next opponent in a rematch from their fight early last year. Hopefully for Reyes and for the UFC we'll see a far more competitive title bout this time. During the evening, we also saw three successful UFC-debuts. The most hyped of the trio was the former Bellator Featherweight champion A.J. McKee who continued his undefeated streak of 19-0 as he submitted Jeremy Stephens. Stephens on the other hand is on a real downwards spiral in his career with five losses and one no contest during his last six fights. Rumors surrounding his release from UFC circulates, but as of yet "Lil' Heathen" is still under contract with the company. Both Zebaztian Kadestam, who defeated perennial ranked Middleweight Brad Tavares, and Lance Palmer, who defeated Kevin Aguilar, was successful in their respective UFC-debuts. Another big winner this night was Alexander Hernandez who defeated the highly touted Islam Makhachev in his native Texas. The San Antonio-born Lightweight is now tenth in the division before big names like Donald Cerrone, who he previously lost to earlier in his career, and Dan Hooker. Makhachev however is now out of the top 15-rankings, as he was replaced by Marc Diakiese. Female Featherweight Alexis Dufresne was also successful in her UFC-return as she defeated Zarah Fairn dos Santos during the first bout of the night. This led to Fairn dos Santos getting released by the UFC, going 0-3 during her three fights. Bonus Awards Fight of the Night: Thiago Santos vs. Dominick Reyes Knockout of the Night: Israel Adesanya Submission of the Night: A.J. McKee <img src=https://i.imgur.com/HVObHcL.jpg

<img src=https://i.imgur.com/eYAV0hw.jpg> WEEK 4 - FEBRUARY 2021 UFC Fight Preview <img src=https://i.imgur.com/rVB7mYZ.jpg> Israel Adesanya: "Career defining fight against Jon Jones inevitable in the future, but Darren Till has my full attention" The Middleweight crown is on the line tomorrow night at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas as undefeated champion Israel Adesanya (19-0) defends his title against the former Welterweight title challenger Darren Till (19-2-1). Fans around the world has traveled to The Lone Star State to witness one of the most anticipated Middleweight title bouts in the history of the division as many see the Englishman Till as the perfect candidate to dethrone the Nigerian Adesanya. Since moving up from Welterweight, Till has looked incredibly good with renewed confidence and a more tactical approach to his fights which he demonstrated against both perennial contenders Kelvin Gastelum and Yoel Romero. Till himself praised the champion during his pre-fight interview, but he also notified the 31-year old of his plans for tomorrow. "I'm a big fan of him [israel Adesanya]. He's the best Middleweight champion since Anderson Silva and to see him outstrike the Greatest of All Time in my books is not only a great accomplishment but it's also somewhat poetic as I know Adesanya consider Silva to be his idol and inspiration. I've watched everyone of his fights in the UFC. His progress has been great to watch and I consider him as the best Middleweight on the planet, but he's not the only best Middleweight on the planet. I am as well. I'm confidant in myself and my abilities to beat Adesanya, I'm going out there tomorrow night for the kill. My goal is of course to knock him out, as my plan is for every opponent I face, but it's not solely "knock out or nothing" for me. I can go the distance, I can outwrestle him, I can clinch him, I'll do whatever it takes to get the W tomorrow", said Till during the interview leading up to the fight. Adesanya however was more harsh with his words to Till, perhaps in an attempt to wind him up a bit for the upcoming bout. The champion also went on to further discuss an upcoming bout with Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones, which Adesanya believes is destined to happen in the near future. "My legacy is being built every single day, no one comes close to what I've accomplished in the UFC and the world of combat sports. You can talk about your Khabib's, your Jon Jones', your McGregor's and all that crap but no one has had the rise and dominance like I've had. I've decimated every single opponent put in front of me and I will continue doing it until I'm done with this sport, and Darren Till is no exception. He's a good fighter, no doubt about it or else he wouldn't be here fighting for the belt tomorrow, but he's not on my level. No one is. He's a big and powerful striker that can knock people out, but he has some serious holes in his game that I will exploit. Just like Tyron Woodley and Jorge Masvidal did during his Welterweight days. I will knock him out for sure inside two rounds. And when I do, I will fight the next challenger in my division. The Edmen-kid [shahbazyan] I believe is next. And when I destroy his undefeated record, I've got no challenger left in the Middleweight division which leads me to my next target - Jon Jones. We've been going at it for a while now and I believe a fight against him is inevitable, we're in each others paths and I truly believe it's my destiny to be the one to finish him once and for all. It will be a sort-of career defining moment. I will become a double champion with the world at my feet, just like my plan has been all along. But for now, Till is my target and he has my full attention. I'm bringing the best of me tomorrow", said Adesanya during the pre-fight interview. There are several interesting bouts taking place this Saturday along with the main event, including a potential Light Heavyweight title eliminator between Thiago Santos (22-7) and Dominick Reyes (13-1). Both fighters has fought Jones in the recent past, and both fighters has wins against top contenders after that to solidify a second title opportunity. Santos beat Volkan Özdemir in July of last year while Reyes defeated Anthony Smith in September. With the division lacking a clear cut contender, with Ryan Bader being a potential exception, it's safe to say that the eventual winner will get the next shot at Jones' title once more. We will also witness the UFC-debut of the undefeated, former Bellator Featherweight champion A.J. McKee (18-0) as he takes on the dangerous striker Jeremy Stephens (28-19). This will be a historic bout for McKee as he, together with his father former one-time UFC-fighter Antonio McKee, will be the first ever father and son duo to have fought in the company. It will also be the UFC-debut of the former ONE Championship Welterweight champion Zebaztian Kadestam (13-5-1) of Sweden as his bout against Brad Tavares (18-6) in the Middleweight division will finally take place. The bout was initially meant to take place at the Stockholm-event last year but Kadestam pulled out of the fight citing injuries. Last but not least, the event will also feature the UFC-debut of former PFL-star Lance Palmer (24-3) as he takes on Kevin Aguilar (17-3) in the headlining Prelim-fight. The UFC 260: Adesanya vs. Till card looks like this: Main Event Middleweight Championship Bout: © Israel Adesanya vs. (#1) Darren Till Co-Main Event Light Heavyweight Bout: (#1) Thiago Santos vs. (#2) Dominick Reyes Main Card Featherweight Bout: A.J. McKee vs. (#11) Jeremy Stephens Lightweight Bout: (#12) Alexander Hernandez vs. (#13) Islam Makhachev Middleweight Bout: Zebaztian Kadestam vs. (#11) Brad Tavares ESPN Preliminary Card Featherweight Bout: Lance Palmer vs. Kevin Aguilar Heavyweight Bout: Juan Adams vs. Sergey Spivak Women's Flyweight Bout: (#14) Antonina Shevchenko vs. (#11) Andrea Lee ESPN+ Early Preliminary Card Middleweight Bout: Marvin Vettori vs. Zak Cummings Women's Featherweight Bout: Alexis Dufresne vs. (#7) Zarah Fairn dos Santos

<p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><img src=https://i.imgur.com/eYAV0hw.jpg></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>WEEK 3 - FEBRUARY 2021</strong></span></p><p> </p><p> <strong><span style="font-size:14px;">UFC on ESPN: Dillashaw vs. Faber</span></strong></p><p> <strong><span style="font-size:10px;">Attendance: 7,315</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-size:10px;"> Gate: $1,828,750</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-size:10px;"> Critical Rating: 71%</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-size:10px;"> Commercial Rating: 92%</span></strong></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:12px;"><strong>Main Event</strong></span></p><p> <strong>T.J. Dillashaw def. Urijah Faber by Unanimous Decision</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:12px;"><strong>Co-Main Event</strong></span></p><p> <strong>Yair Rodriguez def. Mirsad Bektic by TKO (Strikes) in 0:49 of Round 1</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:12px;"><strong>Main Card</strong></span></p><p> <strong>Joanna Jedrzejczyk def. Randa Markos by Split Decision</strong></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Carlos Condit def. Lyman Good by TKO (Strikes) in 1:16 of Round 1</strong></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Erik Koch def. Abdul Razak Alhassan by Knock Out (Punch) in 0:39 of Round 1</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:12px;"><strong>ESPN+ Preliminary Card</strong></span></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Nicco Montaño def. Yana Kunitskaya by TKO (Strikes) in 3:25 of Round 2</strong></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Ruaridh Griffen def. Matt Schnell by Split Decision</strong></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Devin Clark drew with Paul Craig by Majority Draw</strong></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Michal Oleksiejczuk def. Alonzo Menifield by TKO (Strikes) in 1:56 of Round 3</strong></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Oddmund Duus def. Su Mudaerji by Submission (Armbar) in 2:22 of Round 1</strong></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:12px;"><strong>Summary</strong></span></p><p> One of the most heated rivalries in the entire sport of Mixed Martial Arts is the one featuring T.J. Dillashaw, together with his long-time coach Duane Ludwig, vs. the entire Team Alpha Male, spearheaded by the founder Urijah Faber. The rivalry has been brewing for years with many heated moments between the two parties, including Dillashaw's bouts with one of the elite Alpha Male-members Cody Garbrandt, the TUF-season opposite each other and multiple verbal assaults. During the 20th of February, 2021 the rivalry was ignited once again as Dillashaw returned to the octagon following his 2-year drug suspension against the aforementioned Faber. The war of words had been escalating during the lead up to the fight and the two combatants nearly came to blows during the ceremonial weigh-ins and face offs, which added fuel to the fire even more heading into the main event of UFC on ESPN: Dillashaw vs. Faber in Phoenix, Arizona. The crowd was more or less entirely on Faber's side as the boos rained down Dillashaw during his entrance, and his newfound heel-persona embraced it all with finger gesturing to the crowd. An intense staredown with the expected no glove touch took place seconds before referee Herb Dean called for the start of the fight. Dillashaw took the initiative early on using a high pressure game plan with combinations and in-and-out movement like he always does. Faber tried closing the distance and engaging in the clinch with the ultimate goal of taking Dillashaw down, but the former Bantamweight champion was one step ahead during the first round which he won comfortably. He also won the second round just as easily as it was a identical round to the first with Dillashaw controlling the pace and the striking exchange. Faber managed to take his opponent down one time during the latter stages of the second round, but it was a little to late to get anything of value from the judges standpoint. Faber grew in to the fight more and more during the third and fourth round, as his takedowns became more efficient and his ground game neutralized Dillashaw's striking. Faber even locked in a kimura which was close to ending the fight, but Dillashaw eventually got out of the situation. With one final round left, the judges scorecards had it dead even. Both fighters sensed this as they went gun blazing for the fifth and final round, swinging for the fences in hope of securing the final round and eventually the victory. After all five rounds was done, T.J. Dillashaw got the nod from the judges as he won 48-47 on all three scorecards, but it ultimately could have gone either way. Dillashaw was the better striker with much more significant strikes while Faber had much more control time on the ground and more strikes landed in that position. After the fight, both fighters showed respect and raised the arm of each other as a sign of the personal rivalry between the two being buried, although no one believes that the bigger rivalry between T.J. and Alpha Male is over in any sense of the word. During the post-fight interview, Faber announced that he indeed was retiring from the sport once again. He told the fans that he made the decision there and now, and it was the right decision to make as he wanted to spend more time with his family. He thanked everyone for the support over the years while the applause echoed in the arena. T.J. Dillashaw joined him in his career celebration as he took the microphone from Daniel Cormier and congratulated Faber on a great career, as well as saying that it was an honor for him to be Faber's last opponent. For the rest of the card, we saw some notable things transpire. Yair Rodriguez strengthen his position in the top five ranking of the Featherweight division as he defeated Mirsad Bektic in under one minute, the Mexican also called out the former champion Alexander Volkanovski for an upcoming bout. Joanna Jedrzejczyk took home a close Split Decision over Randa Markos, which didn't really do much for her stock in the Women's Strawweight division. A strong showing could lead to a future title shot for Joanna, but she looked tentative against Markos which ultimately has her staying put in the rankings. Carlos Condit finished Lyman Good in the first, Erik Koch knocked out Abdul Razak Alhassan in 39 seconds, Nicco Montaño defeated Yana Kunitskaya in a fantastic prelim-bout and Michal Oleksiejczuk ended Alonzo Menifield's undefeated record with strikes in the third round. It was also fun to see two TUF-alumni in Oddmund Duus and Ruaridh Griffen winning their respective bouts, despite being underdogs. </p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:12px;"><strong>Bonus Awards</strong></span></p><p> <strong><span style="font-size:10px;">Fight of the Night: Yana Kunitskaya vs. Nicco Montaño</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-size:10px;"> Knockout of the Night: Erik Koch</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-size:10px;"> Submission of the Night: Oddmund Duus</span></strong></p><p> </p><p> <img src=https://i.imgur.com/59wmVii.jpg</p></div><p></p><p></p>

Thank you Majster, I appreciate it a lot! Good luck with your dynasty as well, always great to see more people on here to make the forum active again. I agree with you, I feel like Wonderboy is the perfect match up for MVP in his debut. A highly skilled striker with next to none ground game, so it's basically a striker vs. striker bout. As for your fellow Polish fighters, all I can say is powodzenia!

<img src=https://i.imgur.com/eYAV0hw.jpg> WEEK 3 - FEBRUARY 2021 UFC Fight Announcement & Preview <img src=https://i.imgur.com/YyfWBke.png> Michael 'Venom' Page debuts in London, headlines UFC Fight Night: 188 vs. Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson One of the most exciting fighters not only on the UFC-roster, but in the entire Mixed Martial Arts world is the charismatic and energetic Michael 'Venom' Page (17-2). The former Bellator Welterweight has recently signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC and rumors about his debut has circulated ever since, but as of today his first opponent has been made official. 'MVP' as Page is often refereed to will face former two-time Welterweight title challenger and kickboxing ace Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson (15-5-1) as the organization returns to London, England. Coincidentally, Page is a London-native and one of the biggest stars on the English MMA-scene. For him to headline his first ever UFC-bout in his hometown is certainly something special for the 33-year old elusive striker. As expected, the rest of the card is also pretty stacked with big names as London is one of the premiere European cities for the UFC. Former Light Heavyweight title challenger Anthony Johnson (23-6), who made his successful return to UFC last year in the Heavyweight division, will take on one of the constants of the division in Marcin Tybura (17-7). The Polish heavy-hitter has lost his three latest bouts against Shamil Abdurakhimov, Augusto Sakai and the recently retired Aleksei Oleynik but he's still ranked in the top 15 and a win for Johnson would definitely make him a ranked Heavyweight for the first time in his career. With the division consisting of many aging fighters past their prime, a 36-year old Johnson with unparalleled knockout power would be a serious threat to anyone. Two of the most exciting young British fighters will also fight on the main card as Marc Diakiese (16-3) and Arnold Allen (16-1) faces veterans Beneil Dariush (17-5-1) and Cub Swanson (26-12) respectively. Diakiese has looked very impressive after a 3-fight slump earlier in his UFC-career and a win against Dariush would probably result in him entering the prestigious top 15 Lightweight rankings for the first time. As for Allen, who's already the top 15 Featherweight rankings, the Cub Swanson-bout is more about adding another big name to his already impressive resume, but never count out the former Fight of the Year-winner Swanson. He is one of the most experienced fighters in the entire roster and can cause problems to anyone. The UFC Fight Night 188: MVP vs. Wonderboy main card looks like this: Main Event Welterweight Bout: Michael Page vs. (#11) Stephen Thompson Co-Main Event Heavyweight Bout: Anthony Johnson vs. (#15) Marcin Tybura Main Card Lightweight Bout: Marc Diakiese vs. Beneil Dariush Featherweight Bout: (#15) Arnold Allen vs. Cub Swanson Middleweight Bout: Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Anatoly Tokov ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <img src=https://i.imgur.com/I0N5AI6.png> UFC on ESPN: Dillashaw and Faber nearly comes to blow during weigh-ins & Joanna Jedrzejczyk on her future in the Strawweight division Tomorrow night at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona the much anticipated grudge match between former friends and teammates turned foes T.J. Dillashaw and Urijah Faber will battle it out in the center of the octagon. The UFC-fans are eager to see how the 2-year suspension has effected the former Bantamweight king Dillashaw, but considering he's the slight betting favorite at -150 many expect him to be somewhere around his former level. The talk surrounding Faber on the other hand has revolved around his potential retirement following the fight, but he denied the rumors loud and clear during the weigh-ins as he said he wants another shot at the title after defeating 'the cheat' this Saturday. T.J. Dillashaw apparently didn't take kindly to Faber's comments which resulted in some shoving and kicking before security stepped in. During the week, several of the fighters on the card has talked to various media outlets including Yair Rodriguez, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Carlos Condit and Lyman Good. Fighting in the co-main event slot, 28-year old Mexican Rodriguez talked to MMAJunkie about his position in the Featherweight division as he predicted a knockout win over Mirsad Bektic tomorrow night. "I'm still in the top 5 and I'm evolving every fight, every training session. I'm looking for a first round KO on Bektic, and to fight one of the guys ahead of me", said Rodriguez to MMAJunkie. Joanna Jedrzejczyk spoke to Bloody Elbow about her future in the Women's Strawweight division, as she confirmed that she's aiming at one more title shot before stepping up to Flyweight. "I've been the champion for a long time. I've fought the best, I've beaten the best. I can still win the title and that's my goal. After that, I'm stepping up to Flyweight to try and become champion in two divisions. I think this will be my final legacy in UFC", said Joanna to Bloody Elbow. Opponents this Saturday but highly respectful of each other was Carlos Condit and Lyman Good during their interviews with MMA on Point. The former Interim Welterweight champion Condit praised his opponent for his time in Bellator, saying that "Good is one of the most underrated fighters in the world" and that their bout this Saturday would be "a great fight for the fans to watch". The inaugural Bellator Welterweight champion Lyman Good also praised Condit, calling him "a legend of the sport" and "one of the best fighters in the history of the Welterweight division". Condit has bounced back after a terrible 5-fight losing streak which almost had him released by the UFC, while Lyman Good has had mixed success since joining the UFC in 2015. The UFC on ESPN: Dillashaw vs. Faber card looks like this: Main Event Bantamweight Bout: T.J. Dillashaw vs. (#9) Urijah Faber Co-Main Event Featherweight Bout: (#6) Yair Rodriguez vs. (#8) Mirsad Bektic Main Card Women's Strawweight Bout: (#2) Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. (#7) Randa Markos Welterweight Bout: Lyman Good vs. Carlos Condit Welterweight Bout: Erik Koch vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan ESPN+ Preliminary Card Women's Bantamweight Bout: (#11) Yana Kunitskaya vs. (#14) Nicco Moñtano Flyweight Bout: Matt Schnell vs. Ruaridh Griffen Light Heavyweight Bout: Devin Clark vs. Paul Craig Light Heavyweight Bout: Alonzo Menifield vs. Michal Oleksieczjuk Flyweight Bout: Su Mudaerji vs. Oddmund Duus

<img src=https://i.imgur.com/eYAV0hw.jpg> WEEK 2 - FEBRUARY 2021 UFC on ESPN: Cejudo vs. Yan Attendance: 9,238 Gate: $2,309,500 Critical Rating: 74% Commercial Rating: 98% Main Event Petr Yan def. Henry Cejudo by Knock Out (Punch) in 0:56 of Round 3 to win the UFC Bantamweight title Co-Main Event Rose Namajunas def. Weili Zhang by Unanimous Decision Main Card Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua def. Volkan Özdemir by TKO (Strikes) in 1:52 of Round 1 Michael Johnson def. Shane Burgos b TKO (Strikes) in 4:55 of Round 3 Charles Jourdain def. Alex Caceres by Knock Out (Punch) in 2:19 of Round 2 ESPN+ Preliminary Card Trevin Giles def. Karl Roberson by Unanimous Decision Eduardo Garagorri def. Kyle Nelson by Submission (Anaconda Choke) in 2:11 of Round 3 Livia Renata Souza def. Marina Rodriguez by Unanimous Decision John Phillips def. Rafael Fiziev by Knock Out (Punch) in 4:06 of Round 1 Geraldo de Freitas def. Julio Arce by Submission (Heel Hook) in 2:14 of Round 2 Benito Lopez def. Andre Ewell by Unanimous Decision Summary King of Cringe is no more, at least not as the Bantamweight champion. The always dividing Henry Cejudo stepped into the octagon at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada looking to make his third title defense since winning the title back in 2019. The champion was the slight betting favorite heading into the bout as many predicted his grappling and wrestling being two keys to a victory over the fairly one dimensional Petr Yan, who solely relies on his knockout power. And their predictions seemed pretty spot on as Cejudo dominated the first round with his wrestling, and his opponent looked pretty lackluster early on. It all changed in the second round as the Russian heavy hitter grew into the fight and stuffed Cejudo's takedowns, something that turned the fight into a stand-up exchange. Cejudo was the aggressor with a pressure striking game plan while Yan focused on his powerful counter striking. Both men had their moments of brilliance in the second round where Cejudo landed an elbow to the dome of Yan which stunned the Russian, but Yan returned it with a big head kick that nearly finished the fight late in the second. Perhaps it was the effects of that kick that led to the finish early in the third, but it's safe to say that Petr Yan's knockout punch on Cejudo was devastating. A clean right hook dropped Cejudo and Marc Goddard the referee stopped the fight shortly thereafter. Cejudo tried to dispute it as an early stoppage but the stoppage was pretty obvious a right call by Goddard. Petr Yan joins Khabib Nurmagomedov as the second ever Russian title holder in the UFC and he has vowed to both defend the title and honor it during his reign. His first title defense will probably happen later this year with several candidates named, including a rematch against Cejudo, or one of the two former champions Dominick Cruz and Cody Garbrandt who both have two-fight win streaks. Two other former champions in a totally different division that fought during the co-main event was Rose Namajunas and Weili Zhang, both former Women's Strawweight champions. The bout, which was labeled as a title eliminator for Tatiana Suarez' first title defense, was a very close. Realistically it could have gone either way as both fighters preformed a great bout but in the end it was Rose Namajunas that got the nod from the judges as she took home the 29-28 decision victory. Rose has defeated both Jessica Andrade and Weili Zhang since she fought Tatiana Suarez the first time last summer and she has really proved that she is the rightful number one contender. The legendary 'Shogun Rua has revitalized his career as he knocked out one of the perennial top ranked Light Heayvweight fighters in Volkan Özdemir. This victory moves 'Shogun' up to the sixth spot in the rankings, and how crazy it might seemed two and a half years ago when he fought the unranked Paul Craig to a Split Draw, Rua is on his way to a golden opportunity. One big win more against one of the top five ranked fighters can result in a title fight, which would be a tremendous effort for the Brazilian in the late stage of his career. We also saw big wins for one of the true UFC-veterans in Michael Johnson as he TKO:ed Shane Burgos despite being a big underdog, as well as the former TKO Featherweight champion Charles Jourdain who defeated another UFC-veteran in Alex Caceres in a spectacular fight. Jourdian, who is on his way of becoming a ranked Featherweight, thanked his countrymen in the audience and called out Jeremy Stephens for a future showdown which indeed sounds like an exciting bout. Two fighters was released from the UFC following the event, including Kyle Nelson (1-3 in the UFC) and Rafael Fiziev (1-3 in the UFC). Bonus Awards Fight of the Night: Charles Jourdain vs. Alex Caceres Knockout of the Night: Petr Yan Submission of the Night: Eduardo Garagorri <img src=https://i.imgur.com/cObEjXx.jpg

<img src=https://i.imgur.com/eYAV0hw.jpg> WEEK 1 - FEBRUARY 2021 UFC Fight Announcement <img src=https://i.imgur.com/K5pjE10.png> Undefeated Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya defends title against Darren Till at UFC 260 in Dallas, Texas UFC announced today that they're returning to Dallas, Texas for the first time in over 3 years, and just like last time the main event will feature the Middleweight title contender Darren Till (19-2-1). Just like the last time he main evented a show in Dallas, when he faced Tyron Woodley for the Welterweight crown, the Englishman has the opportunity to become champion as he takes on the undefeated Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya (19-0) at the American Airlines Center. Adesanya recently defeated Paulo Costa in his first title defense while Till is undefeated since moving up to the Middleweight division with two straight wins over Kelvin Gastelum and Yoel Romero. The betting line sees the champion as a close -100 favorite while Till is the slight underdog with +150, which is similar to the last time he fought in Dallas. Hopefully for Till's sake, he can perform better this time around. A highly anticipated Light Heavyweight title eliminator between two former title challengers Thiago Santos (22-7) and Dominick Reyes (13-1) will co-main event on the card. Santos lost a razor sharp Split Decision against the champion Jon Jones in 2019 while Reyes lost his title shot with a rear naked choke in the first round last year. Both fighters comes from big victories as Santos defeated the perennial top ranked Volkan Özdemir while Reyes defeated another one of Jones' victims in Anthony Smith. A win for either Santos or Reyes will probably result in a second championship opportunity as the division is pretty thin at the top. The only other viable option for Jones beside Santos and Reyes is the newly acquired Ryan Bader, but the former Bellator double champion likely needs one win in his return before getting the opportunity to dethrone the all-time great. During the event, two of the newly signed fighters will make their anticipated UFC-debuts. The undefeated, former Bellator Featherweight champion A.J. McKee (18-0) looks to kick start his career in the leading organization of the MMA-world as he faces the veteran Jeremy Stephens (28-19). McKee has already made an impact in the UFC as fans has grown fond of his charismatic personality which he often demonstrates on social media. A win for McKee here would be extremely valuable as he is incredibly marketable and has the potential of be one of the biggest stars in the company. The other debutante is the Swedish former ONE Championship Welterweight title holder Zebaztian Kadestam (13-5-1) who faces Middleweight gatekeeper Brad Tavares (18-6) during the main card. This bout was, as you probably remember, initially booked for UFC Fight Night 185: Hermansson vs. Romero in Kadestam's native Sweden but injuries pulled him from that event. Instead, he makes his debut during the bigger stage in Dallas, Texas as the main card opener. Last but not least, a Lightweight bout between two of the biggest prospects in the division in form of Alexander Hernandez (12-2), who hails from San Antonio, Texas, and Islam Makhachev (18-2) is the fifth and final fight on the main card. The preliminary portion of the event will also feature the UFC-debut of former PFL-star Lance Palmer (24-3) and the return of current Invicta Featherweight champion Alexis Dufresne (8-3) who has been called up to the big league for her second ever UFC-bout to deepen the severely lacking Women's Featherweight division. The entire UFC 260: Adesanya vs. Till-card looks like this: Main Event Middleweight Championship Bout: © Israel Adesanya vs. (#1) Darren Till Co-Main Event Light Heavyweight Bout: (#1) Thiago Santos vs. (#2) Dominick Reyes Main Card Featherweight Bout: A.J. McKee vs. (#11) Jeremy Stephens Lightweight Bout: (#12) Alexander Hernandez vs. (#13) Islam Makhachev Middleweight Bout: Zebaztian Kadestam vs. (#11) Brad Tavares ESPN Preliminary Card Featherweight Bout: Lance Palmer vs. Kevin Aguilar Heavyweight Bout: Juan Adams vs. Sergey Spivak Women's Flyweight Bout: (#14) Antonina Shevchenko vs. (#11) Andrea Lee ESPN+ Early Preliminary Card Middleweight Bout: Marvin Vettori vs. Zak Cummings Women's Featherweight Bout: Alexis Dufresne vs. (#7) Zarah Fairn dos Santos

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="CageRage" data-cite="CageRage" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="47212" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Hope Faber whips TJ's butt. What's going on with Bellator? Are you controlling them now? Threw them a bunch of money? Just making up a story to go along with your dynasty? You've got my interest piqued.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> I grew tired of Bellator not really doing anything, not posing any sort of threat at all. They kept on giving the same mediocre contract proposals to every fighter in negotiation period but they never managed to sign anyone. So for this dynasty to not get monotone, I decided to boost Bellator's finance and reputation to hopefully make them a serious threat. And to make it somewhat realistic to go along with the whole story based dynasty, I created the story of the consortium and their business with Bellator. Purely for entertainment purposes of course, everything about it is fictional and nothing represented in the game.</p><p> </p><p> I'm not controlling them at the moment though, my desired plan is to make them a serious threat with the A.I. controlling them but now with a huge amount of money and boosted reputation, but if they continue not doing anything of real value I'm contemplating whether or not to take control over them and run them side by side with UFC in a rivalry. </p><p> </p><p> Perhaps all of you can give me your opinions about what I should do moving forward; should I continue only with the UFC and leave Bellator to the A.I. with their new, severely increased budget or should I take controll over them myself and play them as well as writing about them side by side with the UFC?</p>

<p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><img src=https://i.imgur.com/eYAV0hw.jpg></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>WEEK 1 - FEBRUARY 2021</strong></span></p><p><strong> </strong><strong><span style="font-size:14px;">News from the world of MMA</span></strong></p><p> </p><p> <img src=https://i.imgur.com/Vg5bZRe.png></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Breaking News: Bellator takeover completed as consortium takes charge - Scott Coker to step down as President this Summer</strong></span></p><p> </p><p> The rumors have circulated for a while now and after months of speculation it's finally official: Abu Dhabi-based consortium Monochrome Investments has completed the ownership takeover of the second biggest Mixed Martial Arts company in the US - Bellator. According to media outlet Bloody Elbow, the deal was agreed to last night and the process of completing the affair was done earlier today as Monochrome Investments has bought out ViacomCBS majority shares in the company. Canadian-French Businessman and millionaire Peter Lecomte, who is the spokesperson of the newly formed consortium, confirmed the purchase in a written statement posted on Bellators homepage.</p><p> </p><p> "<em>To all the fans, fighters and everyone involved with Bellator MMA</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> We thank you all for your patience during the recent negotiation period and we welcome you all to a brand, new era - not just for Bellator MMA but for the sport of Mixed Martial Arts as a whole. The opportunity to enter the fantastic and evolving world of MMA has always been on Monochrome Investments radar and when the opportunity arose, we didn't hesitate to take the first step in our grand vision for this fantastic company. Bellator MMA is one of the biggest, and most respected MMA companies in the world and it has all the tools and the potential to become not one of but the best MMA company in the world. Under our ownership, we intend to enter a new Era of Bellator MMA where you, the fans, and you, the fighters, are the two main priorities.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> We strive to put on the best, most entertaining events for our ever growing fan base with the best fighters and talents in the world. We also strive to treat our fighters as top athletes with fair salaries, health benefits and with respect. We feel that the world of MMA has fallen into the pits of moneyfights, spectacles and ludicrous bouts only to garner attention and in it's process, it has lost sight of everything that made the sport great in the beginning i.e. fair and justified rankings and honoring the championship titles. As part of our grand vision with this 'project' is partly making MMA a legit and respected sport, partly to take the fight to our competitors in hope of securing the best talent around. To ensure this, we have taken a few initial, necessary steps;</em></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:8px;"><strong>- Bellator has partnered with USADA to legitimatize the sport and our company even further.</strong></span></p><p><span style="font-size:8px;"><strong> </strong></span></p><p><span style="font-size:8px;"><strong> - A new Bellator President will be elected to take the company into the new era. Current Bellator President Scott Coker has been notified that his employment has been terminated effective during the Summer of 2021. Coker will remain as a Senior Adviser to the company.</strong></span></p><p><span style="font-size:8px;"><strong> </strong></span></p><p><span style="font-size:8px;"><strong> - Bellator will launch a streaming platform called 'BellatorPlus' where all previous events as well as all future events will be available on demand. It will also feature past and future events from our partners RIZIN.</strong></span></p><p><span style="font-size:8px;"><strong> </strong></span></p><p><span style="font-size:8px;"><strong> - Bellator has signed a multi-year deal with the American Broadcasting company FOX Sports. All Bellator events will be available on FOX effective from the Summer of 2021, with the current DAZN-deal coming to an end during the same time period</strong></span></p><p><span style="font-size:8px;"><strong> </strong></span></p><p> <em>We hope you will follow us on this new and exciting journey for Bellator MMA, because without you - there's no Us."</em></p><p> </p><p> Following the breaking news, Bellator announced three new events taking place during the upcoming months. This includes:</p><p> </p><p> <strong>Bellator 253: Caldwell vs. Dantas II </strong>- <span style="font-size:8px;">Darrion Caldwell defends his Bellator Bantamweight title against Eduardo Dantas in a rematch from their 2017 bout.</span></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Bellator 254: Cyborg vs. Bell</strong> - <span style="font-size:8px;">Cris Cyborg defends her Bellator Women's Featherweight title against Amanda Bell.</span></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Bellator 255: Lovato Jr. vs. Carvalho II</strong> - <span style="font-size:8px;">Rafael Lovato Jr. defends his Bellator Middleweight title against the former champion Rafael Carvalho in a rematch from their 2020 bout.</span></p><p> </p><p> </p></div><p></p><p></p>

<img src=https://i.imgur.com/eYAV0hw.jpg> WEEK 4 - JANUARY 2021 UFC Fight Announcements <img src=https://i.imgur.com/vmodOlE.png> T.J. Dillashaw cleared to return following 2-year drug suspension, takes on fierce rival Urijah Faber at upcoming UFC on ESPN-card The former UFC Bantamweight champion and one of the greats in the division, T.J. Dillashaw (16-4) has served his 2-year USADA Suspension following his failed post-fight drug test when he challenged Henry Cejudo for the UFC Flyweight title. Dillashaw is already booked into a main event slot for the upcoming UFC on ESPN-event where the highly anticipated grudge match between fierce rival and former teammate Urijah Faber (36-11) will take place at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. Dillashaw vs. Faber has been in the makings for several years but has never come to fruition until now and the war of words has already started between the two. "T.J. [Dillashaw] is cheat and a bad person all around", said Faber during an interview with Luke Thomas of the MMA Hour following the fight announcement. "Everyone knows our story. We [Team Alpha Male] brought him up, recruited him from high school and made him into a superstar. During his time with the team, he was always putting himself in the limelight. It was like 'We're teammates and all, but I'll do what's best for me' which wasn't always necessarily the best for the team. Just take the stuff with Chris Holdsworth as an example. He ended that kids career with his carelessness just to have an edge over anyone else. I know Chris has denied it being the reason why he hasn't fought since but that's because Chris is the nicest person ever, he don't want to turn this into a dog fight but it's the truth. I've waited a long time for the opportunity to face T.J. and I will make sure to bring everything I've got", Faber elaborated during the interview. T.J. Dillashaw on the other hand used social media to do his talking, posting a serious of tweets regarding Faber and the upcoming bout. "He [urijah Faber] can do all the talking he wants. That's all his ever done in his career, talked his way into big fights. He's never reached the level of my success and he's always been jealous of my accomplishments. I never left his team, I stayed loyal to the team even though I felt that it lacked the necessary tools for me to be the best version of myself, which Duane Ludwig provided me with. He pushed me out of the team, saying things like 'Either you leave Duane or you're out' which for me is disrespectful to both me and Duane. I considered Urijah my friend back in those days, but his ego couldn't handle the situation and he made me out to be the bad guy. And for that, I will enjoy the revenge as I get my hand raised next month", said Dillashaw on Twitter. UFC on ESPN: Dillashaw vs. Faber also features some interesting bouts including the former Women's Strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk (17-4) as she takes on Randa Markos (11-7-1) who's on a two-fight win streak, former Interim Welterweight champion Carlos Condit (31-13) as he takes on the inaugural Bellator Welterweight champion Lyman Good (21-6-1NC) as well as a Featherweight bout between the two top ranked fighters Yair Rodriguez (13-3) and Mirsad Bektic (15-2). Two of the alumni from the recent TUF-season Ruaridh Griffen (3-1) and Oddmund Duus (4-0) also returns to the Octagon during the preliminary portion of the card as they face Matt Schnell (14-6) and Su Mudaerji (14-4) respectively. The UFC on ESPN: Dillashaw vs. Faber main card looks like this: Main Event Bantamweight Bout: T.J. Dillashaw vs. (#9) Urijah Faber Co-Main Event Featherweight Bout: (#6) Yair Rodriguez vs. (#8) Mirsad Bektic Main Card Women's Strawweight Bout: (#2) Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. (#7) Randa Markos Welterweight Bout: Lyman Good vs. Carlos Condit Welterweight Bout: Erik Koch vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <img src=https://i.imgur.com/PsXyEfA.png> UFC Fight Night 187: Lee vs. Felder announced for the first ever UFC-event in Delaware UFC will host an event in Delaware for the first time in the history of the organization. The news broke earlier by Brett Okamoto of ESPN as he reported that UFC will head to Newark, Delaware and the Bob Carpenter Center named after the legendary MLB-owner Roberth R.M. Carpenter Jr. who died of cancer in the early 90's. For the first ever Delaware-based event, a Lightweight bout between the number five ranked Kevin Lee (20-5) and the number three ranked Paul Felder (19-4) will main event, a bout which has some serious title implications for the eventual winner. With Conor McGregor on some sort of temporary hiatus from the sport and both Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje recently receiving and subsequently losing their title shots against the undefeated champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, a win for either Lee or Felder could very well lead to a title shot. Kevin Lee has revitalized his career since switching camp to Tristar Gym, where he trains under the tutelage of one of the greatest coaches in Mixed Martial Arts - Firas Zahabi. Lee has won three straight bouts since his arrival at Tristar defeating two of the biggest prospects in the Lightweight division in Gregor Gillespie and Islam Makhachev as well as the former top five ranked Dan Hooker. Paul Felder on the other hand has also had a sort of career renaissance with five straight victories over some of the biggest names in the division including Donald Cerrone, the aforementioned Dan Hooker and Edson Barboza before the Brazilian went down to Featherweight. It's truly two of the most in-form fighters facing each other in what many expect to be a Fight of the Night-guarantee. Several prominent fighters will also fight on the first ever Delaware-card. Edson Barboza (21-9) will continue his potential climb up the Featherweight rankings as he faces Josh Emmett (15-4) in the co-main event while the popular and charismatic Sean O'Malley (12-0) takes on Cody Stamann (18-3-1). A heated rivalry match between Mike Perry (14-7) and Michael Chiesa (16-6) also features on the main card where Perry has threatened to "kill Chiesa and his career". Also worth noting is that the former PFL, KSW and RIZIN Heavyweight Ante Delija (18-3) will make his UFC-debut against one of the greatest Greco-Roman wrestlers ever in Amir Aliakbari (10-2) during the prelims. The UFC Fight Night 186: Lee vs. Felder main card looks like this: Main Event Lightweight Bout: (#5) Kevin Lee vs. (#3) Paul Felder Co-Main Event Featherweight Bout: Edson Barboza vs. (#14) Josh Emmett Main Card Bantamweight Bout: (#15) Sean O'Malley vs. (#13) Cody Stamann Welterweight Bout: Mike Perry vs. Michael Chiesa Bantamweight Bout: Marlon Vera vs. Rani Yahya

Probably Curtis Blaydes. He has wins over JDS and Derrick Lewis in 2020 and is currently ranked number one after Ngannou's loss. Volkov is a contender as well having defeated a roided up Overeem and Jairzinho Rozenstruik in 2020, but I feel he need one more big win to earn a title shot. Other potential contenders are Stipe, but a fourth fight is something I want to avoid at all cost, and Walt Harris, who's now ranked number five after victories over Sakai and JDS in 2020. Me neither, and not the game apparently as they see DJ as an -1200 favorite and Terblanche as a +900 underdog but you can never count out the champ, especially after his upset win over Joey Two Times. DJ should win this one 99 times out of 100, no doubt about it. It's good and bad. I wanted Burns to win to freshen up the top 10 a bit as it consists mainly of the same guys that has been there the last couple of years but at the same time it's always good to have the more marketable fighter win as we can sell more tickets with Maia headlining an event compared to with Burns headlining. But yeah, there's many fighters coming up that's going to refresh the Welterweight rankings like MVP, Larkin, Soldic, Kunchenko and veterans making some form of comebacks like Matt Brown and Carlos Condit and so on so it's not the end of the world that Maia won. For his last fight, I've got a big name in my mind. I'm not going to spoil it until it gets announced, but I can guarantee that it's going to be a great bout for Maia's final show.

<p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><img src=https://i.imgur.com/eYAV0hw.jpg></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>WEEK 4 - JANUARY 2021</strong></span></p><p> </p><p> <strong><span style="font-size:14px;">UFC 259: Cormier vs. Ngannou</span></strong></p><p> <strong><span style="font-size:10px;">Attendance: 23,641</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-size:10px;"> Gate: $7,281,428</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-size:10px;"> Critical Rating: 74%</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-size:10px;"> Commercial Rating: 100%</span></strong></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:12px;"><strong>Main Event</strong></span></p><p> <strong>Daniel Cormier def. Francis Ngannou by Knock Out (Elbow) to retain the UFC Heavyweight title</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:12px;"><strong>Co-Main Event</strong></span></p><p> <strong>Demetrious Johnson def. Ray Borg by TKO (Strikes) in 4:32 of Round 1</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:12px;"><strong>Main Card</strong></span></p><p> <strong>Demian Maia def. Gilbert Burns by Submission (D'Arce Choke) in 4:25 of Round 3</strong></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Ketlen Vieira def. Aspen Ladd by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 4:34 of Round 3</strong></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Neil Magny def. Geoff Neal by Knock Out (Punch) in 3:42 of Round 2</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:12px;"><strong>ESPN Preliminary Card</strong></span></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Thomas Almeida def. John Dodson by Unanimous Decision</strong></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Lucie Pudilova def. Yanan Wu by TKO (Strikes) in 1:35 of Round 3</strong></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Brian Kelleher def. Brad Katona by TKO (Strikes) in 1:07 of Round 3</strong></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:12px;"><strong>ESPN+ Early Preliminary Card</strong></span></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Montel Jackson def. Raoni Barcelos by TKO (Strikes) in 3:03 of Round 1</strong></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Damir Ismagulov def. David Teymur by Knock Out (Punch) in 1:10 of Round 3</strong></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:12px;"><strong>Summary</strong></span></p><p> Madison Square Garden, one of the most iconic venues in the entire world, hosted the UFC 259: Cormier vs. Ngannou event tonight at it was a great event for everyone involved. The place was jam packed and UFC provided a solid card with some truly memorable moments for the fans to enjoy, both at home and at the arena. Of course the main attraction for the night was the main event which featured a heavily anticipated Heavyweight title bout between the undisputed champion Daniel Cormier and perhaps the scariest man alive in Francis Ngannou. A bout which was expected to provide fireworks, and it surely did. The referee for the evening was none other than former UFC-veteran Chris Leben, who has advanced remarkably since becoming a ref a few years ago. As predicted, the champion Cormier begun the first round with a grappling heavy game plan shooting for several takedowns but Francis Ngannou had evolved tremendously since he was outgrappled by Stipe Miocic a few years back and stuffed all three takedowns that Cormier went for even stunning him with a hard uppercut during the third and final one. This led to Cormier ditching the grappling entirely to focus on pressure fighting instead, getting in close to Ngannou and work in the clinch. This proved to be successful as he got the nod from the majority of the judges during the first round. Ngannou, who looked a bit cautious in the opening stage of the bout, came to life in the second round and used feints to land one of his deadly right hand knockouts, but Cormier always seemed to have the tactic telegraphed as he moved away almost every time. The former champ-champ edged Ngannou to secure the second round as well, using body kicks to his advantage to great success. Was this about to be a replica of the Stipe-fight for Ngannou or was he about to unleash the beast during the remainder of the bout? The third round certainly showed signs of the latter as Ngannou became more and more aggressive, connecting with several strikes to the head of Cormier. Especially one strike which happened four minutes into the third round was massive, Cormier got dropped for a second but jumped back to his feet before Ngannou could pound away. An extremely close call for the champion, who verbally confirmed to his coaches during the intermission between rounds three and four that he was out for a second when the shot landed. Sensing a victory after that shot, Ngannou became even more aggressive nearly on the verge of carelessness when the fourth round begun which ultimately led to the downfall that cost the Cameroonian the fight. Launching in for some bombs, Cormier calculated the move and connected with an elbow straight to the jaw of the ducking Ngannou. The enormous mountain of a man crumbled down and was out cold when Chris Leben stopped the fight, declaring Daniel Cormier the Heavyweight champion once again. A visibly disappointed Ngannou asked the fans for forgiveness during his post-fight interview for letting them down, but he was eventually cheered up by Cormier who raised Ngannou's hand and praised him for his effort stating that his strikes was "the most powerful I've ever felt". Cormier on the other hand thanked his family and his teammates for helping him prepare for the though fight, and welcomed the next challenger in line to a title shot. The fight truly lived up to the hype and both fighters received praise from the fans as the cheers and applause echoed through the illustrious Madison Square Garden. Earlier in the night, Demetrious Johnson made a greatly successful return to the UFC as he finished Ray Borg for a second time in his career, this time in the first round via strikes. "DJ" got a massive standing ovation during his walkout which shows that he has earned the respect of the fans, despite being labeled as "boring" by many during his first run with the company. It would be no surprise at all if "DJ" gets the immediate title shot against the newly crowned Flyweight champion Antiere Terblanche, as he's the biggest star in the division by a country mile. The highly experienced Demian Maia showed that age is merely a number as the 43-year old Brazilian defeated his countryman Gilbert Burns with the first D'Arce Choke of his career. Maia announced after the fight that his next bout will be the last of his storied career, and plans about him headlining his final card in Brazil against a big-name opponent is already in the works. Both Ketlen Vieira and Neil Magny earned big wins as they were both underdogs against their respective opponents Aspen Ladd and Geoff Neal. Especially Vieira's victory will have some serious consequences as she leapfrogged the aforementioned Ladd as well as Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie to become the number one ranked Women's Bantamweight fighter, and a future title shot against Amanda Nunes is most likely bound to happen. It's also worth noting that we saw some upsets during the ESPN Preliminary Card and the ESPN+ Early Preliminary Card. Thomas Almeida defeated the -300 favorite John Dodson, Brian Kelleher finished the -200 favorite Brad Katona and Damir Ismagulov defeated the -200 favorite David Teymur. </p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:12px;"><strong>Bonus Awards</strong></span></p><p> <strong><span style="font-size:10px;">Fight of the Night: Daniel Cormier vs. Francis Ngannou</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-size:10px;"> Knockout of the Night: Daniel Cormier</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-size:10px;"> Submission of the Night: Demian Maia</span></strong></p><p> </p><p> <img src=https://i.imgur.com/cMa8Ze4.jpg</p><p> </p><p> </p></div><p></p><p></p>

<img src=https://i.imgur.com/eYAV0hw.jpg> WEEK 4 - JANUARY 2021 Bellator Results & UFC Press Conference <img src=https://i.imgur.com/m06aBpq.jpg> Bellator 249: Lovato Jr. finishes Gegard Mousasi inside the first round as rumors about potential takeover grows larger everyday Bellator kicked off 2021 with a bang last night as the Middleweight title was on the line in the anticipated rematch between undefeated champion Rafael Lovato Jr. and the former champion Gegard Mousasi. The betting lines before the bout had Mousasi as the slight favorite despite being the challenger, but Lovato Jr. cemented his position as the top Middleweight and perhaps the best fighter outside the UFC as he finished the Dutch UFC-veteran with a D'Arce Choke two and a half minute into the first round. The Oklahoma City-resident is ranked as the sixth best Middleweight in the world behind the likes of Israel Adesanya, Darren Till, Edmen Shahbazyan, Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa and he has openly talked about the possibility of a cross-promotion bout with the best that UFC has to offer. During the celebrated event, which garnered a gate of roughly $1,2 million, we saw a big victory for the former UFC-veteran Roger Huerta as he finished the former Bellator Lightweight champion Brent Primus in his comeback bout for the company. Huerta has been on a hiatus from the sport after losing three straight bouts against the top contenders of the Bellator Lightweight division, but bounced back in successful fashion scoring the Unanimous Decision victory over Primus as the underdog. We also saw big victories for the undefeated Tyrell Fortune, who defeated UFC-veteran Timothy Johnson in the Heavyweight division, as well for Rafael Carvalho, who defeated wrestling ace Johnny Eblen in the Middleweight division. Carvalho's victory earned him an upcoming title shot as the rematch against Lovato Jr. was announced shortly after the event. But the big headlines surrounding Bellator is still the rumors about a potential company takeover. According to multiple sources, the company is in advanced talks with a Abu Dhabi-based consortium led by an anonymous multi-millionaire businessman with a large interest in Mixed Martial Arts. If the deal goes through, Bellator will challenge UFC of being the wealthiest MMA company in the world. That would probably lead to a more significant rivalry between the two with Bellator certainly interesting in signing the best fighters available on the market. It's still unclear whether or not the deal is legit or not, but according to MMAJunkie the deal, if it goes through, will be announced in the near future. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <img src=https://i.imgur.com/O6Ckqjr.jpg> Demetrious Johnson: "I'm here to reclaim my destiny of being the best fighter of all time, and to do that I have to beat Henry Cejudo once more" UFC 259: Cormier vs. Ngannou takes place at the Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York this Saturday. One fighter who makes his long awaited return to the company is the Flyweight great and one of the best pound for pound fighters on the planet in Demetrious Johnson (31-3-1). Johnson, who hasn't fought in the UFC since 2018, will fight Ray Borg (14-4) in the co-main event for the second time in his career, but "DJ" is already looking at the future to, as he says; reclaim his destiny. "I'm focusing in facing Ray [borg] first of foremost, he's a dangerous fighter with a great wrestling pedigree who has defeated many top ranked fighters in the division. I'm not looking past him one bit, but I have to be honest with myself and to my fans when I say that I'm here for bigger and better things. I left UFC in disappointing fashion feeling unwanted and underutilized, but as I've said multiple times since signing the contract; I've worked things out with Dana [White] and everyone in charge so there's no hard feelings left. They understand my standpoint and I understand their standpoint. And now I'm back where I belong to reclaim my destiny of being the best. Not only the best Flyweight, but to be the best fighter of all time. I've got many records to my name and I've been on the mountain top for the biggest part of my career, but my goal is simple. I want to be the champion once again, and I want to face Henry Cejudo once more to get my win back and end our trilogy once and for all. He's the only man to beat me since 2011 and he has only been getting better ever since, but I want to prove to myself and everyone that I'm the better fighter and the better athlete than him", said Johnson during the press conference leading up to this Saturday's big event. The event will feature the much anticipated Heavyweight title bout between the evergreen champion Daniel Cormier (23-2-1NC) and perhaps the most dangerous athlete on the planet in Francis Ngannou (15-3). Many experts predicts the bout going one of two ways; either Cormier outwrestles Ngannou to a decision victory just like Stipe Miocic did a few years ago or Ngannou finishes Cormier with a knockout. Staying true to his word, Cormier said that this fight will be "100 percent his last if he loses" but he intend on having "one or two more fights after winning against Francis" this Saturday. When asked about what fighters he sees as being challengers in the Heavyweight division, Cormier simply replied with "[Curtis] Blaydes and [Alexander] Volkov". It's not only Cormier who is seriously considering retiring this Saturday. The 43-year old Brazilian legend Demian Maia (28-10) also stated during the press conference that he thinks this will be his final fight. "I'm 43-years old and I've fought the best of the best since 2001. Maybe it's time to call it quits, but I'm focused on my fight with Gilbert [burns] this Saturday and then we'll see what happens", said Maia when asked about how many fights he has left. If it truly is the last fight in his long and storied career, Maia deserves all the credit in the world for an excellent career with many bright moments to cherish. The UFC 259: Cormier vs. Ngannou card looks like this: Main Event Heavyweight Championship Bout: © Daniel Cormier vs. (#1) Francis Ngannou Co-Main Event Flyweight Bout: Demetrious Johnson vs. (#7) Ray Borg Main Card Welterweight Bout: (#13) Gilbert Burns vs. (#9) Demian Maia Women's Bantamweight Bout: (#2) Ketlen Vieira vs. (#4) Aspen Ladd Welterweight Bout: (#12) Geoff Neal vs. (#15) Neil Magny ESPN Preliminary Card Bantamweight Bout: Thomas Almeida vs. John Dodson Women's Flyweight Bout: Yanan Wu vs. Lucie Pudilova Bantamweight Bout: Brad Katona vs. Brian Kelleher ESPN+ Early Preliminary Card Bantamweight Bout: Raoni Barcelos vs. Montel Jackson Lightweight Bout: David Teymur vs. Damir Ismagulov

Massive win indeed, a guaranteed title shot coming shortly for Edmen after this incredible run! Thanks for the comment mattu and thanks to everyone for over 7000 views on the dynasty. It means the world to me, thanks and here's to many more!

<img src=https://i.imgur.com/eYAV0hw.jpg> WEEK 3 - JANUARY 2021 UFC Fight Night 186: Shahbazyan vs. Gastelum Attendance: 7,383 Gate: $1,624,260 Critical Rating: 73% Commercial Rating: 90% Main Event Edmen Shahbazyan def. Kelvin Gastelum by TKO (Strikes) in 0:35 of Round 4 Co-Main Event Abdulrashid Sadulaev def. Ed Herman by Unanimous Decision Main Card Maycee Barber def. Jessica Eye by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:44 of Round 2 Yadong Song def. Cory Sandhagen by TKO (Strikes) in 4:46 of Round 1 Randy Brown def. Diego Sanchez by Unanimous Decision ESPN+ Preliminary Card Alex Perez def. Tim Elliott by TKO (Strikes) in 3:49 of Round 2 Markus Perez def. Tom Breese by Unanimous Decision Sabina Mazo def. Justine Kish by Unanimous Decision Arman Tsarukyan def. Bobby Green by Unanimous Decision Jack Marshman def. Maki Pitolo by Unanimous Decision Summary Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico hosted the UFC Fight Night: 186-event during the second Saturday for 2021 with a main event consisting of Mexican-American Middleweight Kelvin Gastelum and rising Middleweight prospect Edmen Shahbazyan of Armenian descent. A highly anticipated bout between two of the top ranked Middleweights with the eventual winner most likely getting a future title shot. The talk before the fight centered around Gastelum's toughness and experience over Shahbazyan, but the 23-year old was the slight betting favorite with a +100 line much due to his incredible win streak and form. Having faced some adversity in his last fight, Edmen Shahbazyan promised his always growing fanbase to finish Gastelum and not leave it at the hand of the judges, which was a subtle nod to the fact that Gastelum, having some form of connections to New Mexico due to his heritage, may be favorited by the judges if it went the distance. The fight started at close and cautious by both fighters with Gastelum getting the slight advantage with his advancing and controlling of the octagon during the first round. The second round was more in favor of Shahbazyan as he started utilizing his distance striking with some swift jab-kick combos to the body of Gastelum. With 19-19 on the scorecards, the third round was similar to the second one with Shahbazyan controlling the majority of the round again with a distance striking, focusing primarily on countering Gastelum's attempts to hit the 23-year old with power strikes. Having worked his opponent versatile and well, Shahbazyan started the fourth round in explosive fashion as he hit Gastelum with a head kicked that stunned the former title challenger to the point where he fell to the ground. The undefeated prospect jumped on the opportunity to finish the grounded Gastelum with some heavy elbows to the dome which led to the stoppage by referee Dan Miragliotta. A big victory for the 23-year old Armenian-American who advances to 14-0, with seven of those victories coming in the UFC. Whoever wins the upcoming title fight between the champ Israel Adesanya and the challenger Darren Till, it's safe to say that Edmen Shahbazyan is the new number one title contender in the Middleweight division without a shadow of a doubt. During the post-fight interview, before calling out the winner of the future title fight, Shahbazyan paid his respect to one of the MMA-greats in Ronda Rousey as she is a part of Glendale Fighting Club in which Shahbazyan trains. Moving on to the co-main event, Russian wrestling sensation Abdulrashid Sadulaev claimed his second victory in his second ever Mixed Martial Arts bout against the veteran Ed Herman. The affair went Sadulaev's way completely as he dominated Herman with takedown after takedown, using his next-to-none superior wrestling skills to neutralize the Portland-native. Looking to further climb the rankings of the Light Heavyweight division, Sadulaev called out Ovince St. Preux for a future showdown in Russia after the Haitian's impressive victory over Jim Crute at UFC 258. We also saw another bright prospect in Maycee Barber winning, and ultimately securing a title shot against the Women's Flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko. Barber dominated the number one ranked Jessica Eye and won via a rear naked choke in the second round. The title bout is already being discussed, with May being the most likely month for it to happen but nothing is yet official. Disappointingly, Diego Sanchez lost his homecoming fight in Albuquerque as Randy Brown outstroke him for two rounds to secure the 29-28 decision victory. Controversially, one judge ruled it to be a 30-27 victory for Diego Sanchez which was met by anger and shunning by the MMA community on social media with former UFC-fighter Ross Pearson calling it "one of the worst judging I've ever seen". As to be expected nowadays, three fighters was released following the event including Bobby Green (5-6-1 UFC), Justine Kish (2-4 UFC) and Maki Pitolo (0-2 UFC). During the broadcast, the audience was treated with a teaser as UFC confirmed that they're returning to London, England for an upcoming event. It's rumored to be the UFC-debut of British star Michael 'Venom' Page, but nothing has been made official as of yet. Who do you think 'MVP' will face in his promotional debut in his home country of England? Bonus Awards Fight of the Night: Diego Sanchez vs. Randy Brown Knockout of the Night: Edmen Shahbazyan Submission of the Night: Maycee Barber <img src=https://i.imgur.com/7W90hbZ.jpg

<img src=https://i.imgur.com/eYAV0hw.jpg> WEEK 2 - JANUARY 2021 UFC Fight Announcement & News <img src=https://i.imgur.com/isUyQsg.jpg> Double champion Ryan Bader signs lucrative 8-fight deal with UFC following fallout with Bellator The rumors surrounding the Bellator Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight champion Ryan Bader's (29-5-1) willingness to try out the free agency market has circulated for a while now, and after a couple of weeks of silence it's finally official: Ryan Bader has signed a lucrative multi-fight deal with the UFC, which marks his return to the company after almost five years away. According to sources, the contract spans multiple years and features a 8-fight deal which will net Bader around $75,000 per fight. This makes Bader the third best payed Light Heavyweight fighter behind the champion Jon Jones and the former Middleweight Chris Weidman. 37-year old Bader hasn't lost since leaving the UFC back in 2016 with his latest loss coming at the hands of now Heavyweight Anthony Johnson. During his tenure with Bellator, Bader claimed both the Light Heavyweight title, in a championship bout against fellow former UFC-fighter Phil Davis, and the Heavyweight title, emerging victorious in the 8-man Heavyweight Grand Prix where he defeated the legendary Fedor Emelianenko in the final. He is widely considered as one of the top five pound for pound greatest fighters on the planet and a potential rematch against the P2P-king Jon Jones will be greatly sought after for the fans. The loss of the company's top fighter and the double champion of two of the most prominent weight classes is a tough pill to swallow for Bellator, and especially for the president Scott Coker. His position is being more and more questioned every day and many of the true Bellator-fans feels it's time to move on from the so-called "Coker Era". There's heavy rumors about a potential takeover regarding Bellator, and according to MMAJunkie the potential buyer is a wealthy businessman with some serious intentions about leading Bellator into a fierce rivalry with the UFC. If the rumors are to be believed, the Bader-deal will certainly lead to hostile negotiations between the two organizations in the future. Ryan Bader is expected to make his highly anticipated return to the UFC during the first half of 2021. It's still unclear who he will face, but rumors suggest that a Light Heavyweight bout against recent title challenger Jan Blachowicz is in the works for an upcoming event. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <img src=https://i.imgur.com/oPn4KXe.png> Bantamweight title bout between Henry Cejudo vs. Petr Yan slated for upcoming UFC on ESPN-card in Canada Bantamweight king Henry Cejudo (17-2) will defend his championship for the third time when he takes on the extremely dangerous Petr Yan (15-1) in the main event of the upcoming UFC on ESPN-event. The card will take place at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada during the second weekend of the new year. Cejudo has defended his Bantamweight title twice since winning it back in 2019, against two of the toughest in the division in Aljamain Sterling and José Aldo. Yan on the other hand are on a 10-fight winning streak having defeated Marlon Moraes, Urijah Faber and Jimmie Rivera to name a few. In the co-main event spot, former Women's Strawweight champions face each other as Rose Namajunas (9-5) makes a quick return following her win against Jessica Andrade just two months ago to take on Weili Zhang (21-2). This bout will most likely be a number one contender bout as there's no clear title contender for the champion Tatiana Suarez to face in her first title defense. Either way it's going to be a rematch for Suarez as she has faced, and defeated, both Namajunas and Zhang during 2020. Another potential title challenger is Joanna Jedrzejczyk, who can always be thrown into the title mix without hesitation due to her being one of the greatest female fighters of all time but it's expected that she faces another top ranked fighter before getting another shot at the title. The rest of the card is a solid one with many potential show stealers. A Light Heavyweight bout between the resurgent Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua (27-11-1) and Volkan Özdemir (17-5), and two Featherweight bouts between Shane Burgos (13-2) vs. Michael Johnson (20-15) and home town fighter Charles Jourdain (11-2) vs. Alex Caceres (15-13-1NC) also takes place on the main card portion of the event. The UFC on ESPN: Cejudo vs. Yan main card looks like this: Main Event Bantamweight Championship Bout: © Henry Cejudo vs. (#1) Petr Yan Co-Main Event Women's Strawweight Bout: (#1) Rose Namajunas vs. (#2) Weili Zhang Main Card Light Heavyweight Bout: (#8) Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua vs. (#7) Volkan Özdemir Featherweight Bout: Shane Burgos vs. Michael Johnson Featherweight Bout: Charles Jourdain vs. Alex Caceres

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="CageRage" data-cite="CageRage" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="47212" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Too bad injuries tore apart this card. Good to see Hermansson moving up the rankings, will be interesting to see who his next fight's against, especially given the number of fighters calling him out.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="mattu29" data-cite="mattu29" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="47212" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Damn! surprised to see Hermansson beating Romero, who do you see him facing next out of Rockhold/Whittaker/Cannonier? I guess a win next would earn him a title shot?</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Quite a shocker to me as well, I thought Romero was going to be quite the task in Hermansson's return home but he exceeded every expectation with this victory. I'm probably leaning against Rockhold for his next bout, but the Whittaker one is promising as well. Cannonier is the obvious third choice here since they fought recently IRL, but you never know.</p>