UFC 2020: When Sven Took Charge II

Fantabulous · October 22, 2020

News Blast

Saturday of Week 2 of August 2020

Sunday of Week 2 of August 2020

Monday of Week 3 of August 2020

Wednesday of Week 3 of August 2020

Fantabulous · October 24, 2020

News Blast

Tuesday of Week 2 of August 2020

Wednesday of Week 2 of August 2020

Thursday of Week 2 of August 2020

Fantabulous · October 26, 2020

News Blast

Thursday of Week 3 of August 2020

Saturday of Week 3 of August 2020

Sunday of Week 3 of August 2020

Monday of Week 4 of August 2020

Fantabulous · October 28, 2020

News Blast

Tuesday of Week 4 of August 2020

Wednesday of Week 4 of August 2020

From the author: Although Ngalani isn’t a part of the UFC, I couldn’t resist sharing this. I’m guessing that because Ngalani failed two different tests, it generated two different responses, although the fact that they’re conflicting is rather amusing. The only question that remains is which of the two types of drugs is Ngalani admitting to taking, although if you’ve ever seen the guy (jacked to the gills), he’s probably taking both types.

Friday of Week 4 of August 2020

Saturday of Week 4 of August 2020

From the author: Mickey Gall will out of action for one year.

Daniel Rodriguez will take his place.

Fantabulous · October 31, 2020

UFC 253: One More Time

UFC 253: One More Time

Date: Saturday of Week 4 of August 2020 Location: Oklahoma

Attendance: 13,728 Gate: $2,645,600 PPV Revenue: $221,776

Critical Rating: 71% Commercial Rating: 92%

Commentary Team: Jon Anik, Joe Rogan and Dan Hardy

Preliminary Card

Lightweight: Mark Madsen (10-0) vs. Lando Vannata (11-4-2)

The night started off with something of a bang as Mark Madsen maintained his undefeated record with an upset win over Lando Vannata. Vanatta was expected to be a tough test for Madsen, but the former Olympian handled Vanatta with relative ease, taking him down right away. Vanatta somehow survived and escaped Madsen’s first submission attempt, an arm triangle, but he couldn’t get out of a kimura and ‘Groovy’ was forced to tap out.

Madsen was lively and charismatic in his post-fight interview, and as all the makings of a future star.

Result: 'The Olympian' Mark Madsen beat 'Groovy' Lando Vannata by submission due to a kimura in 3:05 of Round 1

Middleweight: Tim Boetsch (21-14) vs. Oskar Piechota (11-3-1, 1 NC)

Boetsch had his moments in the first round, rocking Piechota and having him in trouble with a guillotine choke as the round ended. But it was all Piechota after that, Piechota using his grappling and clinching to great effect, tiring Boetsch over the next two rounds before submitting him in the third round with an armbar.

Result: Oskar 'Imadlo' Piechota beat Tim 'The Barbarian' Boetsch by submission due to an armbar in 3:05 of Round 3

Heavyweight: Alexander Romanov (6-2) vs. Adam Wieczorek (10-2)

Although Romanov came into the fight with a weight advantage; he looked to be at least 20lbs bigger than Wieczorek. It did absolutely nothing to help him in what was very one-sided fight, with Wieczorek mixing up striking and wrestling to great effect. So dominant was Wieczorek that one judge even gave him a 10-8 round.

Result: Adam 'Siwy' Wieczorek beat Alexander 'King Kong' Romanov by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 and 30-26)

Women’s Flyweight: Mariya Agapova (8-1) vs. Hannah Goldy (5-1)

Although this fight was as one-sided as the previous one, Mariya Agapova had little to worry about, as she used mostly grappling to dominate and control Hannah Goldy, who appeared to have some severe stamina issues throughout the fight.

Mariya already had her next opponent in mind, as she called out Shana Dobson in her post-fight interview.

Result: Mariya Agapova beat Hannah 'Queen of Sparta' Goldy by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27 and 30-27)

Women’s Flyweight: Jennifer Maia (18-6-1) vs. Molly McCann (11-2)

‘Meatball’ continued her impressive run of form, this time with a sub-one minute win over the tough Jennifer Maia. McCann timed a combination to perfection, waiting for Maia to miss a right hook before countering with left jab and powerful right hook of her own that knocked Maia out cold.

McCann expressed confidence in her punching power in her post-fight interview, McCann saying that she can rely on it to get the job done. McCann came across as a confidant talker, and someone who is definitely marketable.

Result: 'Meatball' Molly McCann beat Jennifer Maia by knockout (punch) in 0:55 of Round 1

Heavyweight: Philipe Lins (14-3) vs. Jair Rozenstruik (10-1)

We had our second first-round finish in a row with Rozenstruik knocking Lins out with a sensational high right head kick. Rozenstruik is known for his punching power, but his ability to deliver knockout kicks is a new addition to his repertoire.

Clearly fired up after his spectacular win, Rozenstruik eagerly called out Curtis Blaydes in his post-fight interview.

Result: Jair 'Bigi Boy' Rozenstruik beat Philipe 'Monstro' Lins by knockout (kick) in 1:10 of Round 1

Featherweight: Steven Peterson (18-9) vs. Zubaira Tukhugov (19-4-1)

Although Peterson controlled Tukhugov against the cage for extended periods, he didn’t do enough with his control to offset, in the minds of the judges, the damage that Tukhugov inflicted with his striking, and, late in the third, Tukhugov wobbled Peterson with a punch in what was the most significant damage inflicted in the entire fight.

Result: Zubaira 'Warrior' Tukhugov beat Steven 'Ocho' Peterson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)

Middleweight: Uriah Hall (15-10) vs. Wellington Turman (16-3)

This might have played out as a battle of kicks, both fighters displaying their prowess in that department, but it was punching power that ultimately decided this one with Hall rocking and dropping Turman with a right cross and then finishing the job with some ground-and-pound to get the TKO finish.

Result: Uriah 'Primetime' Hall beat Wellington 'Fofao' Turman by TKO due to strikes in 4:41 of Round 1

Women’s Strawweight: Cortney Casey (8-7) vs. Tecia Torres (10-5)

This fight was great with both women landing numerous kicks and punches, inflicting some serious damage on each other. By the second round, Casey was limping, but she was still able to dish out just as much punishment as she’d received and Casey was able to keep this fight a very competitive one. It looked like this one was going to the judges but, late in the third round, Casey managed to land a right cross that had Torres on wobbly legs, Torres then collapsing to the canvas. Casey seized her chance to win, delivering some powerful ground and pound that forced the referee to step in and stop the fight.

Result: Cortney 'Cast Iron' Casey beat 'The Tiny Tornado' Tecia Torres by TKO due to strikes in 3:30 of Round 3

Light Heavyweight: Da Un Jung (13-2) vs. Saparbek Safarov (9-4)

Although this had a few moments of genuine excitement when the fighters were exchanging strikes, this was definitely one for the purist as Safarov spent a lot of time grinding Jung against the fence, wearing him down, and working him over with some short shorts. It wasn’t the most exciting of strategies, but it was highly effective in securing Safarov the unanimous decision.

Result: Saparbek Safarov beat Da Un Jung by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)

Main Card

Middleweight: Anderson Silva (34-10, 1NC) vs. Chris Weidman (14-5)

The main card kicked off with the third meeting between two familiar foes as the legendary Anderson Silva looked to finally achieve victory over Chris Weidman. Their first fight had ended in unexpected fashion when Silva’s clowning around backfired and saw the then-Middleweight champion get knocked out. The rematch had an equally unexpected ending, this time a gruesome one, when Weidman checked a leg kick from Silva and Silva suffered a compound fracture of the leg.

The first round of this saw Silva showcasing some of his flashy kicks and punches, so he still had some of his old brilliance, including head movement. But the power wasn’t enough to damage Weidman or otherwise hurt him, who continued to come forward; Weidman was able to take Silva down late on, although he was almost caught with a guillotine choke as a result.

The second round was mainly a stand-up battle, just like the first round, but this time Weidman was getting the better of things, and it seemed like Silva was starting to slow down, the former champion displaying little of the flashiness that he exhibited in the first round, as well as getting caught by counters that he was previously able to avoid.

The third round was more of the same, only with Silva slowing down even more and showing clear signs of tiring. The action was fine, but nothing really notable occurred until near the very end of the round when Weidman dropped Silva with a massive right hook; Weidman tried to follow up with ground-and-pound, but there was not enough time left for him to get the stoppage.

The scoring was fairly academic, with Weidman getting the unanimous decision victory, and Weidman was clearly relieved at finally getting a clear win over his rival.

Result: 'The All American' Chris Weidman beat Anderson 'The Spider' Silva by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 and 30-27)

Heavyweight: Walt Harris (14-7, 1NC ) vs. Marcin Tybura (19-6)

This fight was a great, all-action affair with Harris getting the better of Tybura for the first half of the fight but Tyrbura coming back to look strong in the second half. Harris had Tybura in trouble in the first round, rocked and dazed, but Tybura managed to hold on. Harris looked good in the second round, but he seemed to tire as the round went on and was taken down with about a minute to go, and was kept grounded for the rest of the round. In the third round, Tybura took Harris down right away and kept him there for almost the entire round. Tybura had Harris in trouble, getting some tight submissions on, but Harris survived them to see the round out.

The scoring went somewhat as expected, with all three judges scoring the fight 29-28 in favour of Harris.

Harris made full use of his post-fight interview, calling for a fight with Derrick Lewis, although he may end up having to wait for that one.

Result: Walt 'The Big Ticket' Harris beat Marcin 'Tybura' Tybura by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 and 29-28)

Women’s Strawweight: Michelle Waterson (17-7) vs. Yan Xiaonan (12-1)

This was such a great fight, and a highly competitive one, and that competitiveness would be reflected in the outcome.

Early in the first round, Yan tried to take the fight to the ground; she was successful but Waterson didn’t stay there for long and the fight was soon back on its feet. A scintillating series of kicks were then exchanged, really exciting the fans, an excitement that was maintained as Yan and Waterson continued trade strikes, both punches and kicks, in a round that was very close and could have gone either way.

The second round followed a similar pattern to the first with both women trading punches and kicks at a very consistent pace, and both women also continuously coming forward. It seemed like neither of them could land that one telling blow that could shape the fight, but, with just over a minute to go, Waterson had Yan in trouble after a beautiful right kick to the head. Waterson went in for the kill but Yan was able to evade and avoid the follow-up, and she escaped to safety. Waterson pressed forward as the round wound down but she was unable to do anymore significant damage before the round ended.

The third round was much like the first two, with both Yan and Waterson coming forward, looking to land that one decisive blow. Yan and Waterson threw more kicks in this round, both showing their flexibility with some of the kicks that were delivered. Waterson seemed to be tiring as the round went on, but she still had enough to make a well-timed feint that set Yan up perfectly, although Yan avoided the resultant follow-up. Not long after, Yan clinched up with Waterson and tried to take her down, and this resulted in a series of reversals as both women tried to take the other down, unsuccessfully, and this is how the remainder of the round went.

It was a close fight, so any score was possible; one judge would even give a rare 10-10. But it was still a surprise when Waterson won the fight on all three scorecards, with Yan more than deserving to have won at least one scorecard. The fight game, however, does not always reward the deserving.

It was 'The Karate Hottie' who got the win, and with it she moved one step closer to a title shot. And Waterson had revenge on her mind in her post-fight interview because she expressed a desire for a rematch with Joanna Jedrzejczyk, a fight which may not happen quite so soon, depending on how other fights go.

Result: 'The Karate Hottie' Michelle Waterson beat Yan 'Fury' Xiaonan by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-28 and 29-28)

Light Heavyweight: Thiago Santos (21-7) vs. Johnny Walker (18-5)

The return to action of Thiago Santos, who had been sidelined with a serious knee injury, wasn’t quite a damp squib, but it didn’t exactly light the world on fire. Most of the first round saw Santos pressing Walker up against the fence, although Walker later on in the round did land some nice strikes, one of which opened up a large gash above the eye of Santos. The second round was somewhat similar, although it featured more clinching as both men sought to control each other, and there was little to get excited about.

The third round saw more clinchwork, with Santo also going for a Muay Thai clinch, although he couldn’t quite get it. Late on in the round, with Walker visibly tired, Santos was able to take him down with ease, but he didn’t do much from his position of dominance.

The scoredcards were somewhat surprising as all three judges scored it 29-28 for Walker and, while Santos looked disappointed, he had nobody else to blame but himself and his lack of aggression.

Walker was quite jovial after his win; when asked for who he wanted next, Walker threw out some names that were obviously not meant to be taken seriously. But Walker finally got serious for a minute, and said he’d like to face Dominick Reyes, which is a fight that may or not happen soon, depending on how the main event goes.

Result: Johnny Walker beat Thiago 'Marreta' Santos by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28 and 29-28)

Flyweight: Kai Kara-France (22-8, 1NC) vs. Alexandre Pantoja (22-4) for the vacant UFC Flyweight Championship

It was now time to crown a new UFC Flyweight Champion, with the championship having been vacant since February when Henry Cejudo vacated the title to concentrate on the bantamweight championship.

Kara-France came into this fight only having lost once in his last eleven fights, while Pantoja’s 22-4 includes an 11-fight win streak, so we had the two flyweights contending for gold, looking to fill the vacancy.

The first round was mostly even, with both fighters landing their fair share of blows, although no significant damage was delivered. Late in the round, Pantojoa managed to smother Kara-France against the cage, and the two traded short strikes with Pantoja landing an elbow to the face right as the round ended. The second round was similar, only this time, Pantoja’s strike in the later stages of the round was a high kick that, whilst only glancing, opened up a gash on the forehead of Kara-France, one that his cutman had to work on heavily in-between rounds.

Whether it was as a result of the cut or the pace he was working at, or both, Kara-France was noticeably slower in the third round. Yet Pantoja remained patient, not rushing in and content to stick to his gameplan. That gameplan was to play the counterfighter, waiting for Kara-France to make his move and then react accordingly, and it served Pantoja well as he maintained control of the fight for the third round.

Kara-France had some success in the first half of the fourth round, landing some nice strikes including a crunching right hand that was sure to leave a mark. But he just couldn’t keep it up, fatigue now starting to overcome him, and Pantoja took the initiative, clinching with Kara-France and wearing him out by pushing him against the cage and working him over with dirty boxing. Although Kara-France was able to break free of Pantoja right before the end of the round, it was clear that he needed a finish to win the fight and that he also had to hope that he had the stamina to survive five more minutes.

Pantoja became more aggressive in the fifth round; he had Kara-France wobbled inside of a minute and was unfortunate not to finish him off. Urged on by his corner, Pantoja employed a lot of leg kicks, the commentary noting that this allowed him to keep Kara-France at something of a distance, and that Pantoja had no reason to try anything risky given that he had to be ahead on the scorecards. And, while he still had to contend with an opponent who, despite his clear exhaustion, was still being aggressive and coming forward, Pantoja had little to be threatened by and he comfortably saw the round out, raising his arms in victory when it was over.

Indeed, there was little doubt as to the outcome when the scores were being read out and, as expected, Alexandre Pantoja was declared the winner by unanimous decision, taking all five rounds on all three scorecards and, with his victory, Alexandre Pantoja was now the UFC Flyweight Champion.

Result: Alexandre 'The Cannibal' Pantoja beat Kai 'Don't Blink' Kara-France by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-45 and 50-45) for the vacant UFC Flyweight Championship

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion: Jon Jones © (26-1, 1NC) vs. Dominick Reyes (12-1) for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship

It was time for the main event of the evening, the highly anticipated rematch between Jon Jones and Dominick Reyes. Their first fight at UFC 247 had ended in a controversial unanimous decision win for Jones; virtually everyone, pundit and fan alike, felt that Reyes had done more than enough to win, and there were calls from all quarters for an immediate rematch.

The first couple of minutes of the first round saw Reyes being the aggressor, coming forward and throwing punches. But Jones was elusive and Reyes couldn’t land anything of significance. Jones was then able to get hold of Reyes in a Muay Thai clinch and, while he landed one vicious knee to the ribs, Jones couldn’t land any of the rest he went for, and Reyes was eventually able to wrestle free from Jones’ grip, and the action petered out over the remainder of the round.

Reyes opened up aggressively in the second round, but missed more than he landed as Jones again remained elusive. Jones surprised Reyes with a takedown attempt, but Reyes was able to sprawl to block it, and, with Jones turtled up, Reyes delivered a series of punches, although he couldn’t land anything cleanly, and Jones was able to work his way back to his feet. Although both fighters exchanged punches, the only blow of real significance came late in the round when Jones, having secured Reyes in a Muay Thai clinch, delivered a powerful knee to the body of Reyes and, when the round was over, Reyes was developing a large bruise in the area where he’d been hit.

It was Jones who came out strong in the third round, the champion noting that the challenger had greatly slowed down, and Jones landed a fast right high kick that wobbled Reyes, but the challenger quickly regained his feet and he was able to evade the vicious overhand right that followed. After a minute of slow action, Jones sprung into life with a takedown that Reyes couldn’t stop, and the challenger end up in a seated position with his back against the cage and Jones pressing into him. Jones immediately began working for a guillotine choke, the champion using the position of his opponent to great advantage; Reyes couldn’t avoid the guillotine for long and he soon found himself trapped in a tight guillotine choke. Reyes tried desperately to escape but the grip of Jones was just too strong and Reyes was forced to tap, and Jon Jones had retained the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.

Result: Jon 'Bones' Jones beat Dominick 'The Devastator' Reyes by submission due to a guillotine choke in 2:13 of Round 3 to retain the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship

Post-Fight Bonuses

Fight of the Night: Michelle Waterson vs. Yan Xiaonan

Performance of the Night: Molly McCann

Knockout of the Night: Jair Rozenstruik

Submission of the Night: Jon Jones

Fantabulous · November 1, 2020

UFC Rankings for Sunday of Week 4 of August 2020

Fantabulous · November 2, 2020

Dominick Cruz to defend bantamweight crown when the UFC heads to North Carolina

Dominick Cruz to defend bantamweight crown when the UFC heads to North Carolina; Sterling to challenge for gold

Saturday of Week 4 of August 2020

The UFC today announced that they will be heading to North Carolina in October for a major event, as UFC 255, titled Cruz Control, will see Dominic Cruz defend the UFC Bantamweight Championship against Aljamain Sterling.

Cruz regained the bantamweight championship back in May at UFC on ESPN 8, when he defeated Henry Cejudo by unanimous decision, an event that also saw Sterling cement his status as the top contender with a first round victory over Petr Yan. It was a victory that primed Sterling to get his long-awaited shot at UFC gold, and now he will have the chance to become a champion. But he must first overcome an opponent who many consider to be the greatest bantamweight of all time.

The co-main event could see the next challenger for the bantamweight title be decided when bitter rivals Cody Garbrandt and Pedro Munhoz face off once more. These two first met at UFC 235, with Munhoz knocking Garbrandt out in the first round. Since that time, Garbrandt has scored wins over Jimmie River and former champion Henry Cejudo, while Munhoz lost to Aljamain Sterling before scoring a win over Marlon Moraes.

A win for Garbrandt would surely see him next in line for whoever emerges from the main event as bantamweight champion, while Munhoz would likely find himself withing reach of a contendership fight if he can beat Garbrandt, decisively, one more time. In any event, there is a lot at stake in the co-main event of UFC 255.

In the lightweight division, Beneil Dariush will take on Anthony Pettis, in another fight that could have championship implications, with both men inching ever closer towards a title shot. Either fighter could be one decisive win away from a chance to challenge for the lightweight title, so you know both of them will be pushing hard for victory in North Carolina.

Jessica Eye will face Andrea Lee, in a battle of the Japanese superstars, Mizuki Inoue tangles with Syuri Kondo in a fight that will have a lot of national pride on the line, with both women looking to prove themselves to be Japan’s premier female strawweight, and the main card kicks off with Jan Błachowicz meeting veteran Antônio Rogério Nogueira.

All these fights, and a great preliminary card, will take place on Saturday of Week 4 of October in North Carolina.

Main Card

UFC Bantamweight Champion: Dominick Cruz © (23-2) vs. Aljamain Sterling (19-3)

Bantamweight: Cody Garbrandt (13-3) vs. Pedro Munhoz (19-4, 1NC)

Lightweight: Beneil Dariush (19-4-1) vs. Anthony Pettis (23-10)

Women’s Flyweight: Jessica Eye (16-7, 1NC) vs. Andrea Lee (12-4)

Women’s Strawweight: Mizuki Inoue (16-6) vs. Syuri Kondo (8-3)

Light Heavyweight: Jan Błachowicz (27-8) vs. Antônio Rogério Nogueira (24-9)

Preliminary Card

Women’s Flyweight: Izabela Baldurek (7-6) vs. Shana Dobson (5-4)

Heavyweight: Ciryl Gane (8-0) vs. Rodrigo Nascimento (8-0)

Lightweight: Paul Felder (18-6) vs. Matt Wiman (17-9)

Middleweight: Tom Breese (11-3) vs. Trevin Giles (12-3)

Heavyweight: Todd Duffee (10-3, 1 NC) vs. Stefan Struve (29-12, 1NC)

Light Heavyweight: Eryk Anders (13-5) vs. Ed Herman (24-15, 1NC)

Light Heavyweight: Corey Anderson (13-6) vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. (9-4, 1NC)

Welterweight: Jack Marshman (25-9) vs. Mike Perry (13-7)

Women’s Bantamweight: Tracy Cortez (7-1) vs. Melissa Gatto (6-0-2)

Light Heavyweight: Devin Clark (11-5) vs. Khadis Ibragimov (8-3)

Fantabulous · November 5, 2020

News Blast

Monday of Week 1 of September 2020

The UFC today announced that the next season of The Ultimate Fighter is in development. As of now, the coaches have yet to be decided, however, we can reveal that this upcoming series will feature female featherweights and that the UFC are preparing to begin scouting the regional scene in search of fighters for the series.

Wednesday of Week 1 of September 2020

Friday of Week 1 of September 2020

Andre Fili will replace an injured Stephens against Mirsad Bektic at UFC Fight Night 179.

Fantabulous · November 7, 2020

UFC on ESPN 10: Ponzinibbio vs. Woodley

Date: Saturday of Week 1 of September Location: Illinois

Attendance: 5,708 Gate: $1,141,600

Critical Rating: 65% Commercial Rating: 89%

Commentary Team: Jon Anik, Joe Rogan and Dan Hardy

Preliminary Card

Bantamweight: Sean O’Malley (11-0) vs. Randy Costa (5-1)

The kicked off in highly explosive fashion as Sean O’Malley destroyed Randy Costa in rapid fashion. O’Malley rocked Costa with what was almost the first punch of the fight. ‘Sugar’ moved in the for the kill, dropping Costa with a big right hand and then hitting a barrage of punches, one of which knocked Costa out, and the fight was over in just 37 seconds.

O’Malley gave a lively and charismatic post-fight interview, in which he said he was off to celebrate at a local hotspot, and if fans wanted join him they were welcome to.

Result: 'Sugar' Sean O'Malley beat Randy 'The Zohan' Costa by knockout (punch) in 0:37 of Round 1

Lightweight: Clay Guida (35-19) vs. John Makdessi (17-7)

This fight was decent, and perhaps more competitive than most people would have expected, with Makdessi giving Guida plenty of trouble. Enough so that the fans were buzzing when the first round was over, as they sensed an upset could be on the cards. But the fight was close enough that a dominant third round for Guida was enough to secure him the unanimous decision victory.

Result: Clay 'The Carpenter' Guida beat John 'The Bull' Makdessi by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 and 29-28)

Lightweight: Bobby Green (24-11-1) vs. Scott Holtzman (14-3)

This was a fairly dominant win for Bobby Green. Scott Holtzman had his moments, mainly in the second round, but, for the most part, Green was too quick with his strikes and too fast on his feet for Holtzman to be able to effectively handle. There was plenty of action, and it was Green who shined throughout.

Result: Bobby 'King' Green beat Scott 'Hot Sauce' Holtzman by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)

Light Heavyweight: Justin Ledet (10-3, 1NC) vs. Jonathan Wilson (8-3)

This was a one-sided affair, Ledet dropping Wilson early in the first, almost getting the finish with an armbar that soon followed, and then dropping Wilson again early in the second; Ledet pounded away on Wilson, forcing the referee to jump in and halt the fight.

Of note, the referee was former TUF alumni Chris Leben, who got a cheer when he was introduced at the start of the fight.

Result: Justin 'El Blanco' Ledet beat Jonathan 'Johnny Bravo' Wilson by TKO due to strikes in 0:51 of Round 2

Heavyweight: Tom Aspinall (8-2) vs. Dontale Mayes (7-3)

This was a great heavyweight fight, mostly a stand-up battle; Aspinall even dropped Mayes late in the first round, and he was unlucky to not have enough time left to get what looked like a certain finish. But it was the ground game of Aspinall that made the difference, Aspinall taking Mayes down early in the second round, taking him right back down after he’d managed to get to his feet, Aspinall then quickly mounting Mayes and working his way into a tight armbar that got a quick tap.

Result: Tom Aspinall beat Dontale 'Kong' Mayes by submission due to an armbar in 1:54 of Round 2

Featherweight: Martin Buschkamp (9-0, 1NC) vs. Steve Garcia (11-4)

The featherweights matched the previous heavyweight battle for stand-up excitement, with Buschkamp and Garcia really getting the fans going. It was all action with no downtime, which is always makes for a crowd pleasing fight. It was Garcia who came out the winner, rocking Buschkamp with a vicious high right kick to the hdead, Buschkamp unable to stay upright, with Garcia pouncing with ground-and-pound to force the referee to stop the fight.

A charismatic interviewee, Garcia used his mic time to call for a fight with Jordan Griffin.

Result: Steve 'Mean Machine' Garcia beat Martin Buschkamp by TKO due to strikes in 3:41 of Round 2

Welterweight: Siyar Bahadurzada (24-8-1) vs. Tim Means(29-12-1, 1NC)

Means’ striking was a little too much for Bahadurzada to properly handle, with Means being too quick and precise, and too divere, for him to effectively deal with. Means was consistently landing the better shots, and he even threw in some Muay Thai during the third round, which busted Bahadurzada open.

Result: Tim 'The Dirty Bird' Means beat Siyar 'The Great' Bahadurzada by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)

Women’s Strawweight: Ariane Carnelossi (12-2) vs. Loma Lookboonmee (5-2)

Although a good fight, this was a fairly one-sided affair as Loma Lookboonmee was just too quick and too precise for Ariane Carnelossi. Lookboonmee bloodied up Carnelossi late in the first round, opening a large gash above her eye. Carnelossi’s cut man worked to stop the bleeding in between rounds, but it was for nought because Lookboonmee dropped Carnelossi almost immediately upon the resumption of combat, Lookboonmee then dishing out such a beating that even Steve Mazzagatti felt he’d seen enough and he stepped in to stop the brutality.

Result: Loma Lookboonmee beat Ariane 'Sorriso' Carnelossi by TKO due to strikes in 0:37 of Round 2

Middleweight: Omari Akhmedov (20-5-1) vs. Anthony Hernandez (7-1, 1NC)

This was a great fight, one that featured an exciting mixture of both striking and clinch work from both men. Akhmedov dropped Hernandez in the second round but he couldn’t quite get the finish in the follow up. But Akhmedov didn’t make that mistake in the third round, and when dropped Hernandez again, he made sure to get the finish with a series of punches that forced the referee to step in and stop the fight.

Omari Akhmedov already had his next opponent in mind, and, in his post-fight interview, Akhmedov stated his intention to fight Uriah Hall.

Result: Omari Akhmedov beat Anthony 'Fluffy' Hernandez by TKO due to strikes in 4:43 of Round 3

Bantamweight: Ray Borg (13-4) vs. Brian Kelleher (20-10)

Kelleher rocked Borg almost right away and he was unlucky not to finish him. Borg responded with a lengthy period of pressing Kelleher against the fence, and the first round ended with an exchange of punches. In the second round, it was more of the same, just without Kelleher scoring the early devastating blow. The third round was almost all Borg smothering Kelleher against the fence or on the ground, with a little striking action late on.

The only real drama of the fight came when the scores were announced, because we had a split decision, and it was Borg who, luckily in the eyes of some, came away the winner.

Result: Ray 'The Tazmexican Devil' Borg beat Brian 'Boom' Kelleher by split decision (29-28, 29-28 and 28-29)

Main Card

Lightweight: Gregor Gillespie (14-1) vs. Rustam Khabilov (25-4)

Gillespie took Khabilov down right away, but he was immediately on the defensive as Khabilov kept working for submissions. An attempt to pass the guard resulted in a mad scramble, and Gillespie managed to take the back of Khabilov and also get both hooks in. Gillespie quickly worked in a rear naked choke, Gillespie then flattening Khabilov out and forcing the tap with less than thirty seconds to go in the round.

Gillespie noted the rear naked choke in his post-fight interview, stating that going for that choke was always the gameplan and that they were just waiting for the right time to go for it.

Result: Gregor 'The Gift' Gillespie beat Rustam 'Tiger' Khabilov by submission due to a rear naked choke in 4:34 of Round 1

Women’s Strawweight: Jessica Andrade (20-8) vs. Cláudia Gadelha (17-5)

This was a pure stand-up battle for as long as it lasted, both women landing some pretty hard-hitting punches. But it was a quick left hook from Gadelha that was the most important punch because it opened up a cut above the eye of Andrade. Andrade battled on, making a real fight of things, but the cut kept leaking claret, and, when there was a lull in the action, the referee paused the fight to have the doctor look at the cut. The doctor checked the cut and they didn’t like what saw because the doctor was quickly shaking their head and, much to Andrade’s disappointment, the fight was called off.

Gadelha wasn’t happy either because in the post-fight interview she said that a stoppage like that isn’t the way she wants to win a fight.

Result: Claudia 'Claudinha' Gadelha beat Jessica 'Bate Estaca' Andrade by TKO due to a cut in 3:32 of Round 1

Flyweight: Aleksander Doskalchuk (10-2) vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov (13-8)

Aleksander Doskalchuk didn’t make the biggest of splashes in his UFC debut. While he did win the fight, it wasn’t the most action packed of affairs and Doskalchuk sustained a cut on his forehead early in the second round. But he ground out the victory, so he at least started his UFC career on a somewhat positive note.

Despite the somewhat dour nature of his fight, Doskalchuk said he was still happy to have won his UFC debut.

Result: Aleksander Doskalchuk beat Zhalgas 'Zhako' Zhumagulov by unanimous decision (30-27,29-28 and 29-28)

Women’s Strawweight: Joanna Jedrzejczyk (16-5) vs. Randa Markos (11-8-1)

Joanna Jedrzejczyk busted Randa Markos open within the opening minute of the first round, and that told the tale of the fight as Jedrzejczyk put a real beating on Markos, lighting her up frequently throughout the first two rounds. Markos had some success in the first round when she took Jedrzejczyk down, twice, but she couldn’t keep here there and, despite Jedrzejczyk looking somewhat tired, she still had enough to keep picking Markos apart, and there was no doubt as to who was going be declared the winner when the fight went the distance.

Jedrzejczyk, mindful of the stacked nature of the strawweight division, decided to take aim at Tatiana Suarez in her post-fight interview, the former champion calling out the undefeated Suarez.

Result: Joanna Jedrzejczyk beat Randa 'Quiet Storm' Markos by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27 and 29-28)

Middleweight: Yoel Romero (27-8, 1NC) vs. Darren Till (19-2-1)

The first round-and-a-half were contested entirely standing up, Romero opting to try and meet Till in a striking battle. It didn’t work too well for Romero, with Till having a more diverse striking attacking, the Brit mixing up punches and kicks, and being a little too quick for Romero, who missed his fair share of strikes. But Till started to tire, and, in the second half of the second round, Romero finally took the fight to the ground, although Till managed to fit his way to his feet before Romero could do anything, and there was no time left in the round for Romero to press his advantage.

Fired up by his corner between rounds, Romero immediately clinched up with Till to open the third round, Romero eventually able to take Till down by way of a Greco-Roman slam, with Romero ending up in side-control. And from there it was a stalemate, because Till kept trying to transition into pulling guard and Romero kept blocking it. It meant that there wasn’t a lot of action, but it also meant that Romero was too busy to try and deliver any serious damage and it allowed Till to see out the round and the fight.

There was little concern on the face of Till when the scores were read out, and that confidence was warranted as Till won the unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the fight 29-28 in his favour.

Till displayed even more confidence in his post-fight interview, as he called out the middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya. A dominant champion, Adesanya is coming off a 39 second destruction of Paulo Costa, so demanding to face him requires a lot of guts.

Result: Darren 'The Gorilla' Till beat Yoel 'Soldier of God' Romero by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 and 29-28)

Welterweight: Santiago Ponzinibbio (28-3) vs. Tyron Woodley (20-4-1)

The main event of the evening had a fair amount of bad blood heading into it, the fight coming together after Ponzinibbio and Woodley had traded several barbs through the media and through social media.

Give the somewhat personal nature of this contest it wasn’t a surprise that the fight started with a fairly cautious first round, neither fighter waning to give too much to the other. Ponzinibbio did do slightly more damage than Woodley, but neither fighter really established themselves over the other.

The second round saw Ponzinibbio pick things up a little, and this was in conjunction with Woodley seemingly slowing down a little later in the round, and the Argentine began to edge ahead ever so slightly, although not decisively.

The pace slowed down a little in the third, with both fighters noticeably taking their foot off of the peddle, which was either because of strategy or because they needed to conserve energy. With just over a minute to go in the round, Ponzinibbio had Woodley pressed up against the fence, and it was very telling that Woodley was either unable or unwilling to shift Ponzinibbio off of him, almost as if he was content to ride the round out.

In the fourth round, the slowdown of Woodley became more evident as he was frequently leaving himself open to counters, and the commentary team speculated that Woodley’s weight cut may have been as bad as had been rumoured. Ponzinibbio was even able to take Woodley down with an inside leg trip, and, while he didn’t do anything of note from this position, Ponzinibbio was able to maintain the position for the rest of the round, and it was looking bleak for Woodley if he wanted to come out the winner.

Things got no better for Woodley, though, as he spent most of the fifth round pinned against the fence, getting worked over with short knees to the ribs and thighs, and generally just taking short shots. Woodley wrestled free with about 90 seconds to go in the round, and, while he looked shattered, Woodley was able to use underhooks to take Ponzinibbio down, but there was time for Woodley to do anything else. Not that he seemed to have the energy to do anything anyway.

The result of the fight was never in doubt, with Ponzinibbio scoring the biggest win of his career, Ponzinibbio getting the unanimous decision victory.

Result: Santiago 'Gente Boa' Ponzinibbio beat Tyron 'The Chosen One' Woodley by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45 and 49-46)

Post-Fight Bonuses

Fight of the Night: Omari Akhmedov vs. Anthony Hernandez

Performance of the Night: Darren Till

Knockout of the Night: Sean O’Malley

Submission of the Night: Gregor Gillespie

Fantabulous · November 8, 2020

UFC Rankings for Sunday of Week 1 of September 2020

Fantabulous · November 9, 2020

Lawler and Magny to clash when the UFC returns to ESPN

Lawler and Magny to clash when the UFC returns to ESPN

Saturday of Week 1 of September 2020

The UFC is returning to ESPN, taking the Octagon to the hot climate of Arizona and bringing with it a major clash division as former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler takes on Neil Magny.

Lawler’s last outing was on ESPN, as part of UFC on ESPN 9 when he faced and defeated fellow veteran Diego Sanchez. This time out, Lawler is in the main event and he’ll looking to prove that he still has what it takes to challenge the best in the welterweight division. Neil Magny is certainly one of the best, always a threat to any opponent and always in contention for a title shot, and a win over someone like Robbie Lawler could be enough to propel Magny to the first championship fight of his UFC career.

The title picture in the lightweight division could likewise find itself a little more crowded after the co-main event when Michael Johnson faces Islam Makhachev. Both fighters are shooting up the lightweight ladder, and a decisive win in Arizona would put them one step closer to staking their claim to a title fight.

In the women’s bantamweight division, two dangerous strikers do battle when Irene Aldana takes on Yana Kunitskaya. Jessica-Rose Clark will face Ariane Lipski in a duel of flyweights, the former bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo looks to halt a two-fight skid when he faces submission specialist Raphael Assuncao, and the main card kicks off with rising featherweight star Sodiq Yussuf taking on another tough foe, this time in the form of Josh Emmett.

This night of great action, along with a packed preliminary card, takes place on Saturday of Week 1 of November in Arizona.

Main Card

Welterweight: Robbie Lawler (29-14, 1NC) vs. Neil Magny (23-9)

Lightweight: Michael Johnson (20-15) vs. Islam Makhachev (19-1)

Women’s Bantamweight: Irene Aldana (13-5) vs. Yana Kunitskaya (15-6)

Women’s Flyweight: Jessica-Rose Clark (13-5) vs. Ariane Lipski (10-6, 1NC)

Bantamweight: Raphael Assuncao (28-7) vs. Henry Cejudo (15-4)

Featherweight: Josh Emmett (15-3) vs. Sodiq Yussuf (12-1)

Preliminary Card

Light Heavyweight: Gadzhimurad Antigulov (20-7) vs. Anthony Smith (32-15)

Light Heavyweight: Marcin Prachnio (14-4) vs. Jiri Prochazka (26-4-1)

Women’s Bantamweight: Pannie Kianzad (13-6) vs. Sara McMann (12-6)

Bantamweight: Brett Johns (17-2) vs. Umar Nurmagomedov (13-0)

Flyweight: David Dvorak (18-4) vs. Raulian Paiva (19-4)

Welterweight: Alex Morono (18-6, 1NC) vs. Sheldon Westcott (10-3-1)

Heavyweight: Tyler East (16-6) vs. Ben Sosoli (8-3, 2NC)

Middleweight: Punahele Soriano (8-0) vs. Antonio Braga Neto (9-4, 1NC)

Lightweight: Joe Lauzon (28-15) vs. Nik Lentz (30-11, 2NC)

Featherweight: Spike Carlyle (10-1) vs. Luis Pena (8-2)

Fantabulous · November 11, 2020

News Blast

Saturday of Week 1 of September 2020

Sunday of Week 1 of September 2020

Monday of Week 2 of September 2020

From the author: Tomorrow will see the UFC make an announcement that is fairly newsworthy. Friday will have a News Blast that features some major yet not-entirely surprising news. And UFC Fight Night 178 will be posted Saturday night.

Fantabulous · November 12, 2020

A new series of events coming to UFC Fight Pass

<div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="cG1mhfY.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/cG1mhfY.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

A new series of events coming to UFC Fight Pass

Wednesday of Week 2 of September 2020

The UFC today announced that UFC Fight Pass will be the exclusive home of a new series of events that will soon begin airing on the streaming service. The events will be called UFC on Fight Pass, with the first event taking place in November.

The main aims of the series will be to utilize fighters who are unable to headline Fight Night events, but have enough name value to headline smaller shows, with the shows also intended to give a platform to fighters who might not find themselves on the preliminary cards of other shows.

The UFC on Fight Pass events won’t be shown on any other platform, and will take what is said to be a ‘no frills’ approach in regards to presentation. These events will primarily take place in markets that the UFC only run infrequently.

The first event will take place in Wales on Wednesday of Week 2 of November, and will be headlined by Nicolas Dalby vs. Gunnar Nelson.

Main Card

<img alt="sNDjhjX.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/sNDjhjX.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="MM6X8l2.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/MM6X8l2.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Welterweight: Nicolas Dalby (19-3, 1NC) vs. Gunnar Nelson (17-6-1)

<img alt="nZB7I5N.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/nZB7I5N.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="rdDZ9oX.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/rdDZ9oX.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Featherweight: Mike Grundy (13-1) vs. Lerone Murphy (9-0-1)

<img alt="tu0bhc1.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/tu0bhc1.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="mZD5rZk.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/mZD5rZk.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Featherweight: Arnold Allen (17-1) vs. Ricardo Ramos (14-2)

<img alt="2fvavhE.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/2fvavhE.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="IKniRCJ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/IKniRCJ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Bantamweight: Davey Grant (9-5) vs. Ode Osbourne (8-3, 1NC)

<img alt="FNz7I8W.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/FNz7I8W.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="Pb1B930.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Pb1B930.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Welterweight: Sean Brady (12-0) vs. Muslim Salikhov (16-2)

<img alt="mEAt7A6.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/mEAt7A6.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="SQartm6.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/SQartm6.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Featherweight: Grealdo de Freitas (12-5) vs. Jordan Griffin (18-7)

Preliminary Card

<img alt="dZM949J.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/dZM949J.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="bu2ocND.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/bu2ocND.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Welterweight: Luigi Vendramini (8-1) vs. Khaos Williams (10-1)

<img alt="4gzMnjn.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/4gzMnjn.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="OoJFeyH.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/OoJFeyH.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Lightweight: Charles Jourdain (10-2) vs. Don Madge (9-3-1)

<img alt="EeyqG8f.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/EeyqG8f.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="trAnypm.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/trAnypm.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Lightweight: Jamie Mullarkey (12-3) vs. Joaquim Silva (11-2)

<img alt="xf7PlBg.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/xf7PlBg.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="e43j07b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/e43j07b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Lightweight: Mike Davis (8-2) vs. Devin Powell (10-4)

<img alt="oAPznLC.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/oAPznLC.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="eHXhxh6.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/eHXhxh6.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Featherweight: Bobby Moffett (14-5) vs. Alex White (13-6)

<img alt="CJKr8E1.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/CJKr8E1.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="QlJaMz6.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/QlJaMz6.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Featherweight: Jamall Emmers (17-5) vs. Bryce Mitchell (12-0)

<img alt="z4O4Gri.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/z4O4Gri.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="CZhZIW0.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/CZhZIW0.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Featherweight: Grant Dawson (15-1) vs. Matt Sayles (8-3)

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

Featherweight: Herbert Burns (10-2) vs. Gavin Tucker (11-1)

<img alt="s1j8M2x.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/s1j8M2x.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="seGJw5a.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/seGJw5a.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Women’s Bantamweight: Vanessa Melo (10-7) vs. Lara Procopio (6-1)

<img alt="NH01ckY.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/NH01ckY.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="vJD4x8D.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/vJD4x8D.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Lightweight: Matt Frevola (8-1-1) vs. Joseph Solecki (9-2)</div>

Fantabulous · November 13, 2020

News Blast

Friday of Week 1 of September 2020

Saturday of Week 2 of September 2020

Fantabulous · November 14, 2020

UFC Fight Night 178: Kim vs. Kunchenko

UFC Fight Night 178: Kim vs. Kunchenko

Date: Saturday of Week 2 of September 2020 Location: East Asia

Attendance: 1,037 Gate: $207,400

Critical Rating: 70% Commercial Rating: 71%

Commentary Team: John Gooden and Dan Hardy

Preliminary Card

Lightweight: Jared Gordon (15-4) vs. Vinc Pichel (12-2)

Jared Gordon was the dominant fighter here, mixing grappling and striking Vinc Pichel who, whilst giving a good accounting of himself, was rather overwhelmed. The finish came after Pichel sustained cut in the first round that, by the third, had become bad enough that the ringside doctor deemed it a fight ender.

Gordon was very respectful towards his opponent in his post-fight interview, and he has a lot of natural charisma.

Result: Jared 'Flash' Gordon beat Vinc 'From Hell' Pichel by TKO due to a cut in 3:43 of Round 3

Featherweight: Kron Gracie (5-1) vs. Suman Mokhtarian (8-2)

Kron Gracie was tagged throughout this fight, busted open early and was well on his way to defeat, but a triangle choke out of nowhere late in the third round allowed Gracie to gain a stunning victory.

Gracie was clearly excited by his victory, and he even threw out a challenge to crowd favourite Doo Ho Choi.

Result: Kron Gracie beat Suman Mokhtarian by submission due to a triangle choke in 4:34 of Round 3

Welterweight: Miguel Baeza (8-0) vs. Daniel Rodriguez (11-1)

Both fighters delivered their fair share of damage in this one, but Baeza took the more visible damage, sustaining a cut and being left limping, and that was just in the first round. He was able to come back and smother Rodriguez against the fence in the second and third rounds, but, perhaps controversially, it wasn’t enough to sway the judges when it came to scoring the fight.

Result: Daniel 'D-Rod' Rodriguez beat Miguel 'Caramel Thunder' Baeza by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 and 29-28)

Middleweight: Abu Azaitar (14-2-1) vs. John Phillips (22-9, 1NC)

This was a great fight while it lasted, one with lots of action that excited the fans. The finish came when Azaitar missed a jab but then landed a powerful right hook; Phillips was dropped and some brutal ground-and-pound finished the job, and it was back to the valleys for John Phillips.

Result: Abu 'Gladiator' Azaitar beat John 'The Welsh Wrecking Machine' Phillips by knockout (punch) in 2:25 of Round 1

Middleweight: Kevin Holland (16-5) vs. Bradley Scott (11-6)

Bradley Scott came into this fight as a +330 underdog against the -420 favourite Kevin Holland, and that wasn’t surprising given his layoff due to suspension. Bradley Scott came out of this fight having re-established himself as a threat in the middleweight division, with a performance that only won him all three rounds on all three scorecards, but also saw one judge even gave him a 10-8.

Scott said that he was glad to be the underdog in his post-fight interview, and he said that underdog status helped to motivate him. After this showing, it’s hard to imagine Scott being the underdog for much longer.

Result: Bradley 'Bear' Scott beat Kevin 'Trailblazer' Holland by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26 and 30-27)

Women’s Strawweight: Istela Nunes (7-1, 1NC) vs. Ashley Yoder (7-5)

Istela Nunes was finally making her UFC debut, with her original debut fight being cancelled due to a USADA policy violation. And she was a heavy underdog, with Nunes the +480 underdog against the -610 favourite, Ashley Yoder. Nunes made up for lost time with a fight that easily earned Fight of the Night honours.

Yoder completely dominated Nunes in the first round, taking her down right away and threatening her with a series of submission attempts that Nunes worked hard to fend off. In between rounds, Yoder looked confident, as she should have done, with the fight going according to the odds.

But the second round saw Nunes come back strong with a striking game that prevented Yoder from getting in close enough to take the fight back to the ground. And, just over two minutes in, Nunes landed a vicious right high kick that dropped Yoder. Sensing that her time was now, Nunes pounded on Yoder, landing some sickeningly heavy shots to the face that forced the referee to jump in and stop right, and Istela Nunes had won her UFC debut and pulled off the stunning upset.

Nunes was understandably thrilled to have won, and she acknowledged the quality of the fight, saying it is amazing fights like this one that make her a fan of MMA.

Result: Istela Nunes beat Ashley Yoder by TKO due to strikes in 2:32 of Round 2

Bantamweight: Andre Ewell (16-6) vs. Chris Guiterrez (14-3-1)

Although not the quality of the previous fight, this encounter once again saw the underdog come out as the victor. In this case, the underdog was Chris Gutierrez, and he dropped his opponent with a beautiful right uppercut half-way into the first round, though Andre Ewell managed to hang on and survive and see the round out. Yet Ewell was unable to see out even the first minute of the second, getting dropped almost right away and then taking a series of powerful punches saw the referee step in and stop the fight.

Result: Chris 'El Guapo' Gutierrez beat Andre 'Daii' Ewell by TKO due to strikes in 0:35 of Round 2

Featherweight: Darrick Minner (24-11) vs. Chas Skelly (18-4)

Chas Skelly is known for exciting fights, but that wasn’t what we saw here, with Skelly content to smother Minner on the ground or against the cage, and not press the issue. The only real excitement came late in the third when Minner trapped Skelley in an arm triangle, that looked deep, but Skelly managed to escape and hold on to see out the round and take the unanimous decision victory.

Result: Chas 'Scrapper' Skelly beat Darrick Minner by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27 and 29-28)

Heavyweight: Jarjis Danho (5-1-1, 1NC) vs. Justin Tafa (4-1)

This was a pure heavyweight slugfest, and a great one, with little in the way of defence on display. The ending to this brawl came early in the second round, which wasn’t a surprise given the size of these two. Tafa missed badly with a jab, but then landed a stunning left hook that knocked Danho out cold.

Result: Justin 'Bad Man' Tafa beat Jarjis 'Man Mountain' Danho by knockout (punch) in 1:09 of Round 2

Light Heavyweight: Jake Collier (15-4) vs. Shamil Gamzatov (15-0)

This fight was a good one, and more competitive than the scores suggest, with both fighters having their share of success. The action was almost all in the stand-up, although Gamzatov did take Collier down late in the third round. Gamzatov was the winner by unanimous decision, but it was by no means a one-sided affair and Collier definitely handled himself well.

Result: Shamil Gamzatov beat Jake Collier by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)

Main Card

Women’s Strawweight: Hannah Cifers (10-4) vs. Bec Rawlings(9-9)

Bec Rawlings return to the UFC was not the success that Bradley Scott’s was, with Rawlings taking a ton of damage from Hannah Cifers. Cifers used the Muay-Thai clinch to great effect throughout the fight; Rawlings ribs were red by the end of the first round. Rawlings had a few moments, but they weren’t particularly effective and this was an easy one for the judges to score.

Cifers already knew who she wanted to take on next as she used her post-fight interview to declare her desire to take on Yan Xiaonan.

Result: 'Shockwave' Hannah Cifers beat 'Rowdy' Bec Rawlings by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)

Women’s Flyweight: Montana de la Rosa (12-5) vs. Lauren Murphy(13-4)

This was a fight that was contested almost entirely on the ground or in the clinch position, and it was a hotly contested throughout with some great sequences, especially in the first round with one very thrilling sequence on the mat where the women went back-and-forth in exchanging control of each other. It was almost a shame to see a decisive winner, as neither woman deserved to lose in such a manner, but that, alas, is the fight game. It was de la Rosa who managed to gain victory, taking Murphy down early in the third round and powering her way into taking the back of Murphy and then quickly applying a rear naked choke, de la Rosa getting both hooks in, flattening Murphy out and getting the tap.

de la Rosa wasn’t the best of talkers in her interview, but she’s so photogenic that it didn’t matter and she still got over.

Result: Montana de la Rosa beat Lauren 'The Pirate' Murphy by submission due to a rear naked choke in 2:10 of Round 3

Welterweight: Ben Askren (19-2, 1NC) vs. Gilbert Burns (18-4)

Ben Askren’s anticipated return to action was a huge disappointment in terms of excitement because the fight sucked.

Pretty much the entire fight saw Askren quickly taking Burns down early in all three rounds and then smothering him on the ground, doing enough to keep busy and stop from being stood up. Burns did make a number of efforts to get offensive off his back, but Askren was able to completely neutralise his efforts. Askren cruised to the unanimous decision victory, but he didn’t win over any fans.

Askren didn’t seem to care that the fight hadn’t won over the fans; confident as ever, he said he wanted to next fight Vincente Luque, with Askren even saying that it would fun to kick Luque’s ass for money when he’d be happy to do it for free.

Result: 'Funky' Ben Askren beat Gilbert 'Durinho' Burns by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)

Bantamweight: Kyung Ho Kang (18-8, 1NC) vs. Vince Morales(10-4)

Kang got a great reception from the fans and, while the fight was also great, Kang couldn’t take the momentum of the fan’s support and ride it to victory. It was a competitive bout, one that was contested equally standing up and on the ground, and, such was the pace of the action, both fighters were visibly tired by the third round, although they had enough left in the tank to see the full fifteen minutes out.

Result: Vince 'Vandetta' Morales beat Kyung 'Mr. Perfect' Ho Kang by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 and 29-28)

Featherweight: Enrique Barzola (16-5-2) vs. Doo Ho Choi (15-4)

Doo Ho Choi got a major reaction upon both coming out and getting introduced, and he rewarded the fans with a great performance. Although it started out as a competitive one, Choi slowly stamped his authority on the fight as it went on, Choi leaving Barzola limping badly and noticeably bleeding before it was over, and, when it went the distance, everybody cheered loudly because they knew that there was only going to be one winner.

Result: 'The Korean Super Boy' Doo Ho Choi beat Enrique 'El Fuerte' Barzola by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)

Welterweight: Dong Hyun Kim (23-4-1, 1NC) vs. Alexey Kunchenko (21-2)

Dong Hyun Kim got a superstar reaction upon both coming out and getting introduced and he gave a performance that sustained that response, with Kim dominating Alexey Kunchenko for the entire fight. Kim took Kunchenko down twice in the first round, and whilst Kunchenko was great on defence, he was only on defence and couldn’t get any offence going.

The second round was more of the same, only in a much shorter timeframe, with Kim not wasting his chance for victory as he took the back of Kunchenko off a scramble, quickly getting both hooks in, and quickly applying a rear naked choke, flattening Kunchenko out and getting the submission, once more sending the fans wild.

Result: Dong 'Stun Gun' Hyun Kim beat Alexey Kunchenko by submission due to a rear naked choke in 1:49 of Round 2

Post-Fight Bonuses

Fight of the Night: Istela Nunes vs. Ashley Yoder

Performance of the Night: Istela Nunes and Ashley Yoder

Knockout of the Night: Justin Tafa

Submission of the Night: Dong Hyun Kim

Fantabulous · November 15, 2020

UFC Rankings for Sunday of Week 2 of September 2020

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Fantabulous · November 18, 2020

News Blast

Monday of Week 3 of September 2020

Tuesday of Week 3 of September 2020

Saturday of Week 3 of September 2020

Fantabulous · November 21, 2020

UFC Fight Night 179: Gastelum vs. Souza II

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UFC Fight Night 179: Gastelum vs. Souza II

Date: Saturday of Week 3 of September 2020 Location: Tennessee

Attendance: 3,156 Gate: $479,712

Critical Rating: 79% Commercial Rating: 77%

Commentary Team: Jon Anik, Dan Hardy and Brendan Fitzgerald

Preliminary Card

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Lightweight: Frank Camacho (22-8) vs. Rick Glenn (21-6-1)

This fight got over great because we saw a serious upset, with the -550 favourite getting upended by the +430 underdog. It was a competitive fight throughout, but Camacho edged ahead and even a clear third round for Glenn wasn’t enough to stop the surprise result of a Camacho victory.

Result: Frank 'The Crank' Camacho beat Rick 'The Gladiator' Glenn by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 and 29-28)

<img alt="JlNs4Ja.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/JlNs4Ja.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="jd3Ws5b.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jd3Ws5b.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="HMamM2a.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/HMamM2a.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Welterweight: Callan Potter (19-8) vs. Alexander Yakovelv (25-10-1)

There was no such upset in the next fight, with Alexander Yakovlev thoroughly dominating Callan Potter with a mixture of striking and ground and clinch control.

Result: Alexander 'Thunder of the North' Yakovlev beat Callan 'The Rockstar' Potter by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)

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Lightweight: Ottman Azaitar (12-0) vs. Peter Barrett (11-3)

Both fighters were ‘slippery’ in this one, as the each showed some great head movement and feinting ability to avoid some pretty big shots. But Barrett is the one with the nickname, and he sipped a right hand to counter with a quick left jab and a powerful right hook that put Azaitar on unsteady legs, Azaitar then falling to the mat. Barrett began battering Azaitar with some really heavy shots and the referee was quick to pull Barrett off of Azaitar, giving Barrett the TKO victory.

Mindful of making use of his post-fight interview, Barrett used his to call for a fight with Damir Ismagulov.

Result: Peter 'Slippery Pete' Barrett beat Ottman 'Bulldozer' Azaitar by TKO due to strikes in 0:39 of Round 3

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

Women’s Flyweight: Maria Romero Borella (13-7, 2NC) vs. Talia Santos (15-1)

Mara Romero Borella controlled Talia Santos with grappling for the majority of the fight, controlling her on the mat or against the cage. Even when Santos had her wobbled early in the second round, Borella still had enough about to attempt a takedown, and, while she didn’t get it, Borealla was able to get a firm grip of Santos and control her anyway.

Although she gave a rather generic post-fight interview, it was very obvious that Maria Romero Borella has all the tools to be a superstar in the making.

Result: Mara Romero Borella beat Talia Santos by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)

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Featherweight: Sergio Giglio (12-0) vs. Shane Young (13-4)

Although Shane Young had a few moments to shine, this fight was dominated by Sergio Giglio, who showed off his takedowns and submissions en route to forcing a submission from Young with a well executed leglock.

Result: Sergio 'Cachorrito' Giglio beat 'Sugar' Shane Young by submission due to a kneebar in 1:57 of Round 2

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Lightweight: Jonathan Pearce (9-4) vs. Roosevelt Roberts (9-1)

The home favourite, Pearce was the more dominant fighter in the first two rounds, using precise striking to great effect, and he was able to survive a third round surge from Roberts to see out the fight and take the popular unanimous decision victory.

Showcasing a lot of natural charisma, Pearce, in his post-fight interview, said that the fight he’d like next is one with Bobby Green.

Result: Jonathan 'JSP' Pearce beat Roosevelt 'The Predator' Roberts by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 and 29-28)

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Middleweight: Court McGee (19-9) vs. Laureano Staropoli (9-2)

Staropoli took something of a beating here and it was partially his own fault, in that he was tiring by the start of the second round and looked to be shattered by the end of it. McGee took full advantage, and the result of the fight was never in doubt.

In his post-fight interview, McGee declared his interest for a fight with Randy Brown.

Result: Court 'The Crusher' McGee beat Laureano 'Pepe' Staropoli by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27 and 30-27)

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Middleweight: Antonio Arroyo (9-3) vs. Duško Todorović (8-0)

This was a one-sided fight with Todorovic dominating Arroyo with his ground game, but that domination led to overconfidence and Todorovic slipped up when on his back on the ground and left himself open a kimura; Todorovic was forced to tap out and Arroyo had scored a stunning victory.

Result: Antonio Arroyo beat Dusko Todorovic by submission due to a kimura in 2:18 of Round 2

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Women’s Featherweight: Gabrielle Holloway (6-5) vs. Iony Razafiarison (6-5)

With both fighters making their UFC debut, you knew that Holloway and Razafiarison would put their best foot forward and that is exactly what you got in a great fight, and it was a shame it didn’t last longer. The end came with Holloway, having been taken down by Razafiarison, unbalancing her with an elevator sweep, and, in the resultant scramble, managing to end up in the north-south position; Holloway quickly locked on a north-south choke and Razafiarison was forced to tap out.

Result: Gabrielle 'Gabanator' Holloway beat Iony Razafiarison by submission due to a north-south in 3:20 of Round 1

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Bantamweight: Douglas Silva de Andrade (25-4, 1NC) vs. Nathanial Wood (17-4)

This was a great fight, with de Andrade putting in a good accounting of himself despite being the big underdog. Yet despite Wood seeming to hurt his hand early in the first round, the Brit, the decided betting favourite, still did more than enough to earn the unanimous decision victory, with one judge even giving him all three rounds.

Result: Nathaniel 'The Prospect' Wood beat 'D'Silva' Douglas Silva de Andrade by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 and 30-27)

Main Card

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Welterweight: Leon Edwards (18-4) vs. James Krause (28-8)

The first round was competitive and fairly even, although Krause did rock Edwards with a quick head kick, but he failed to capitalise on it and the fight continued in a hard-fought vein. The second round was more of the same, but this time it was Edwards who landed the head kick that dropped his opponent and he did capitalise, Edwards unloading series of punches that battered Krause; one of the punches saw Krause go limp and the referee jumped in to pull Edwards away and end the fight.

Result: Leon 'Rocky' Edwards beat 'The' James Krause by knockout (punch) in 2:50 of Round 2

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Light Heavyweight: Ion Cutelaba (11-5, 1NC) vs. Tyson Pedro (8-3)

A fast-paced first round saw Cutelaba keep up a high put that saw Pedro on the backfoot for a lot of it, although he did land a few decent strikes. Cutelaba wasted no time in the second round, literally; he knocked Pedro out with a left jab counter/straight right combination that knocked Pedro out cold in just fifteen seconds of the second round.

Cutelaba was understandably proud of his power and, in his post-fight interview, he called the fight-winning punch a perfect shot and he said that he can always rely on his power.

Result: Ion 'The Hulk' Cutelaba beat Tyson Pedro by knockout (punch) in 0:15 of Round 2

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Women’s Strawweight: Carla Esparza (16-6) vs. Felice Herrig (14-9)

Even though Carla Esparza is best known for her wrestling ability, she was content to stay standing for the first round-and-a-half, which was a surprise given the Muay-Thai background of Felix Herrig. But she was fairly competitive in that regard so, when she did take the fight to the mat, she was already confident with how things had gone. Esparza was quick to take Herrig down in the third round, and it was game over when that happened because Herrig just couldn’t defend against the ground game of Esparza, Herrig eventually giving up her back, which allowed Esparza to secure a rear naked choke and get the tap.

Esparza had no hesitations in calling out Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Esparza clearly looking to gain a measure of revenge against the woman who had previously taken the strawweight title from her.

Result: Carla 'Cookie Monster' Esparza beat Felice 'Lil' Bulldog' Herrig by submission due to a rear naked choke in 3:42 of Round 3

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Women’s Bantamweight: Lina Lansberg (10-5) vs. Raquel Pennington (11-8)

The first round was definitely not one for the casual, as most of it saw Lansberg keeping Pennington pressed up against the cage, and, whilst it was gruelling, was from engaging for most observers, although, in an exchange of short strikes, Pennington did open up a gush under the eye of Lansberg. The second round was competed mostly in the stand-up, and Pennington was able to reopen the gash under the eye of Lansberg. Lansberg was able to take Pennington down, but she was unable to do anything with it because of Pennington’s defensive game. The third round was similar to the first round, albeit with a little more striking, and Pennington was unable to work over the cut under Lansberg’s eye.

When the scores were announced, there was something of a surprise when Pennington was announced as the winner, given how much control Lasnberg had enjoyed in the third round, but perhaps the judges had favoured the more aggressive fighter.

Result: 'Rocky' Raquel Pennington beat Lina 'Elbow Queen' Lansberg by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 and 29-28)

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Featherweight: Mirsad Bektic (14-3) vs. Andre Fili (20-7) (20-7)

Coming in as a late replacement for...who the fook was it again? Anyway, Andre Fili was the +350 underdog against Mirsad Bektic, the -500 favourite, but you wouldn’t have know that by the performance he put in because Fili was just too much for Bektic to handle. Fili’s striking was just too good for Bektic, who could only manage a minute or so of occasional ground control. Such was Fili’s performance that all three judges scored the fight 30-26, which is a rare accomplishment.

Fili admitted in his post-fight interview that the result was a shock, but he said that it shows what can happen when you believe in yourself.

Result: Andre 'Touchy' Fili beat Mirsad Bektic by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26 and 30-26)

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Middleweight: Kelvin Gastelum (17-5, 1NC) vs. Ronaldo Souza (27-8, 1NC)

Gastelum started the fight pressing forward, but Souza was up the task of meeting Gastelum head-on and the two spent the first few minutes of the first round exchanging strikes and trying to establish their dominance. Although neither fighter was able to do that, of the harder punches that landed in the first round, it was Gastelum who delivered them, so that round likely went to him.

The second round was very similar, although, early on, it looked like Gastelum was now breathing a little heavier. Whether or not Gastelum was tired or just pacing himself, it didn’t matter in the end, because, just past the two-minute mark, Souza cracked Gastelum with a wicked right uppercut and sent him crashing to the mat.

A series of wild punches soon followed and, when one of them resulted in Gastelum going limp, the referee immediately leaped in to stop the fight and Souza had both gained the victory and claimed revenge.

Souza made the smart call-out in his post-fight interview, as he called for a fight with Darren Till, who is the top contender for the middleweight title, and, if the fight happens, a victory for Souza would likely get him a long-awaited title shot.

Result: Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza beat Kelvin Gastelum by knockout (punch) in 2:21 of Round 2

Post-Fight Bonuses

Fight of the Night: Kelvin Gastelum vs. Ronaldo Souza

Performance of the Night: Andre Fili

Knockout of the Night: Leon Edwards

Submission of the Night: Carla Esparza</div>

Fantabulous · November 22, 2020

UFC Rankings for Sunday of Week 3 of September 2020

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Fantabulous · November 23, 2020

Gadhela and Jedrzejczyk to face off one more time

Gadhela and Jedrzejczyk to face off one more time

Saturday of Week 3 of September 2020

The UFC travels to the cold climate of Alaska in November, but the action inside the Octagon will be sure to heat things up as the latest announced Fight Night features a major fight in the women’s strawweight division, with Alaska holding the third confrontation between Claudia Gadhela and Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

These two warriors have clashed twice before, with Jedrzejczyk edging past Gadhela both times; their first encounter ended in a hotly disputed split-decision, and it was a victory which enabled Jedrzejczyk to challenge for, and subsequently win, strawweight gold. A similar prize may await the former champion if she can beat Gadhela again, especially if she can finally score that elusive decisive finish over her perennial rival. For Gadhela, she will be looking to avenge those defeats and, if she were to do so, it may be Gadhela who finds herself rewarded with a shot at championship gold.

In the co-main event, Volkan Oezdemir faces Thiago Santos. Santos recently made his return to action after a lengthy absence due to injury, but it wasn’t the performance Santos wanted and he lost by unanimous decision to Johnny Walker. Santos is wasting no time at all getting back in Octagon, knowing full well that in a crowded division like the light heavyweight division, any loss of momentum could put a fighter a very long away from a title shot.

But he won’t have it easy as Volkan Oezdemir is a tough and dangerous fighter, and Oezdemir will be mindful of what a win over Santos could mean, as he himself looks to keep himself at the head of the pack of potential light heavyweight contenders.

In the lightweight division, Gregor Gillespie tries to keep his winning streak going against James Vick, who is looking keep his own good run of form going. The women are action in what promises to be a great fight when top striker Angela Hill battles the submission ace Virna Jandiroba. Marlon Moraes tries to get back into the win column against Ricky Simon, who is assuredly in fine form this year.

And the main card kicks off in the middleweight division when Zak Cummings goes up against Krzysztof Jotko

This night of great action, and a tremendous preliminary card, takes place on Saturday of Week 3 of November in Alaska.

Main Card

Women’s Strawweight: Claudia Gadhela (18-5) vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (17-5)

Light Heavyweight: Volkan Oezdemir (18-4) vs. Thiago Santos (21-8)

Lightweight: Gregor Gillespie (15-1) vs. James Vick (14-5)

Women’s Strawweight: Angela Hill (13-7) vs. Virna Jandiroba (17-1)

Bantamweight: Marlon Moraes (23-7-1) vs. Ricky Simon (16-3)

Middleweight: Zak Cummings (23-8) vs. Krzysztof Jotko (21-5)

Preliminary Card

Heavyweight: Anthony Johnson (22-7) vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima (17-7-1)

Women’s Strawweight: Alexandra Albu (3-2) vs. Nadia Kasem (7-2)

Women’s Strawweight: Tina Lahdemaki (5-2) vs. Looma Lookboonmee (6-2)

Featherweight: Billy Quarantillo (13-2) vs. Michael Trizano (6-1)

Featherweight: Eduardo Garagorri (13-1) vs. Hakeem Dawodu (11-1-1)

Middleweight: Marcelo Guimaraes (9-2-1) vs. Makhmud Muradov (24-6)

Welterweight: Max Griffin (15-8) vs. Leonardo Santos (17-3-1)

Welterweight: Randy Brown (12-3) vs. Brok Weaver (15-4)

Lightweight: Chris Gruetzemacher (14-3) vs. Magomed Mustafaev (14-3)

Women’s Strawweight: Sarah Alpar (9-4) vs. Karol Rosa (12-3)

Fantabulous · November 25, 2020

News Blast

Tuesday of Week 4 of September 2020

Wednesday of Week 4 of September 2020

Thursday of Week 4 of September 2020

Fabricio Werdum has failed to overturn the one-year suspension he received as a result of failing his post-fight drug test at UFC 251. Werdum tested positive for PEDs, however Werdum disputed these findings and filed a legal challenge as a result. However, it was today announced that Werdum’s challenge has been dismissed and he will therefore have to serve the full one-year suspension.

Werdum had beaten Stefan Struve at UFC 251, however, the result was overturned and the fight ruled a no-contest when the test results came back.

Fantabulous · November 27, 2020

News Blast

Friday of Week 4 of September 2020

Saturday of Week 4 of September 2020

Nikita Krylov has missed weight for his fight at UFC 254. Krylov, who is set to face Paul Craig, came in 3lbs over the light heavyweight limit. The fight will still go ahead, although Krylov has been fined a percentage of his pay.

From the author: UFC 254 will be posted tomorrow night, and here is a reminder of the card for predictions, comment, etc;

UFC 254: Featherweight Fury

Main Card

UFC Featherweight Champion: Chan Sung Jun © (17-5) vs. Max Holloway (22-5) for the UFC Featherweight Championship
Featherweight: Frankie Edgar (23-8-1) vs. Alexander Volkonovski (22-2)
Heavyweight: Francis Ngannou (14-4) vs. Alexander Volkov (32-7)
Women’s Strawweight: Cynthia Calvillo (8-1-1) vs. Tatiana Suarez (9-0)
Bantamweight: Cody Stamann (18-2-1) vs. Petr Yan (14-2)
Light Heavyweight* (Krylov missed weight) : Paul Craig (13-4-1) vs. Nikita Krylov (26-8)

Preliminary Card

Heavyweight: Ben Rothwell (37-13) vs. Sergey Spivak (11-2)
Welterweight: Sergey Khandozhko (27-6-1) vs. David Zawada (117-5)
Lightweight: Alex Reyes (13-3) vs. Brad Riddell (8-1)
Featherweight: Julio Arce (16-4) vs. Nate Landwehr (13-3)
Bantamweight: Mario Bautista (8-1) vs. Movsar Evloev (12-0)
Bantamweight: Heili Alateng (14-7-1) vs. Miles Johns (10-1)
Women’s Strawweight: Amanda Ribas (9-1) vs. Livia Renata Souza (13-3)
Women’s Flyweight: Mackenzie Dern (8-1) vs. Melinda Fabian (4-4-2)
Women’s Flyweight: Diana Belbita (11-5) vs. Rachel Ostovich (4-6)
Heavyweight: Yorgan De Castro (6-1) vs. Maurice Greene (8-1)

CageRage · November 27, 2020

Featherweight: Frankie Edgar (23-8-1) vs. Alexander Volkonovski (22-2)

Heavyweight: Francis Ngannou (14-4) vs. Alexander Volkov (32-7)

Women’s Strawweight: Cynthia Calvillo (8-1-1) vs. Tatiana Suarez (9-0)

Bantamweight: Cody Stamann (18-2-1) vs. Petr Yan (14-2)

Light Heavyweight* (Krylov missed weight) : Paul Craig (13-4-1) vs. Nikita Krylov (26-8)

Preliminary Card

Heavyweight: Ben Rothwell (37-13) vs. Sergey Spivak (11-2)

Welterweight: Sergey Khandozhko (27-6-1) vs. David Zawada (117-5)

Lightweight: Alex Reyes (13-3) vs. Brad Riddell (8-1)

Featherweight: Julio Arce (16-4) vs. Nate Landwehr (13-3)

Bantamweight: Mario Bautista (8-1) vs. Movsar Evloev (12-0)

Bantamweight: Heili Alateng (14-7-1) vs. Miles Johns (10-1)

Women’s Strawweight: Amanda Ribas (9-1) vs. Livia Renata Souza (13-3)

Women’s Flyweight: Mackenzie Dern (8-1) vs. Melinda Fabian (4-4-2)

Women’s Flyweight: Diana Belbita (11-5) vs. Rachel Ostovich (4-6)

Heavyweight: Yorgan De Castro (6-1) vs. Maurice Greene (8-1)

Fantabulous · November 28, 2020

UFC 254: Featherweight Fury

UFC 254: Featherweight Fury

Date: Saturday of Week 4 of September 2020 Location: Quebec

Attendance: 8,842 Gate: $1,768,400 PPV Revenue: $74,225

Critical Rating: 72% Commercial Rating: 87%

Commentary Team: Jon Anik, Joe Rogan and Dan Hardy

Preliminary Card

Heavyweight: Yorgan De Castro (6-1) vs. Maurice Greene (8-1)

The first fight of the night ended with a brutal finish; Greene, after dropping De Crastro with a stunning right hook, destroyed him with a series of heavy shots, forcing the referee to step in and stop the carnage.

Maurice Greene issued a challenge to Tom Aspinall in his post-fight interview.

Result: Maurice 'The Crochet Boss' Greene beat Yorgan De Castro by TKO due to strikes in 3:18 of Round 1

Women’s Flyweight: Diana Belbita (11-5) vs. Rachel Ostovich (4-6)

Our second fight of the night was shorter but the finish was no less brutal. Belbita rocked Ostovich with a right cross and Ostobich appeared to be out on her feet; the fight could have been stopped then. Belbita then landed a big right hand that snapped Ostovich’s head back and the referee, Marc Goddard, finally stepped in to stop the fight.

Belbita exuded a lot of charisma and star power in her post-fight interview, an interview she used to declare an interest in fighting Sabino Mazo.

Result: 'The Warrior Princess' Diana Belbita beat Rachael Ostovich by TKO due to strikes in 1:55 of Round 1

Women’s Flyweight: Mackenzie Dern (8-1) vs. Melinda Fabian (4-4-2)

The ground game of Mackenzie Dern was too much for Melinda Fábián, but it has be to be said that Fabiam was at least able to make it difficult for Dern to get her to the mat in the first place. But once Fábián was on the mat, it was only a matter of time before the end came, which it did near the end of the second round with Dern using punches to force Fábián to give up her back; a rear naked choke soon followed, which got the tap.

Result: Mackenzie Dern beat Melinda Fábián by submission due to a rear naked choke in 4:00 of Round 2

Women’s Strawweight: Amanda Ribas (9-1) vs. Livia Renata Souza (13-3)

This fight took a while to get going; it was rather uninspiring in the first round. But it developed into a fairly decent fight, one that Amanda Ribas dominated by controlling Souza on the ground or against the cage. Ribas threatened Souza with numerous submissions throughout the fight, but it was late in the third when she finally broke the defences of Souza and secured a rear naked choke that left Souza with no alternative but to tap out.

Result: Amanda Ribas beat Livia 'Livinha' Renata Souza by submission due to a rear naked choke in 4:21 of Round 3

Bantamweight: Heili Alateng (14-7-1) vs. Miles Johns (10-1)

This fight was decent, one that Johns controlled from beginning to end, mainly with strikes, although he did take Alateng down in the third round, albeit not in the most elegant of ways, and, from there, land a few knees to the head.

Result: Miles 'Chapo' Johns beat Heili 'The Mongolian Knight' Alateng by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)

Bantamweight: Mario Bautista (8-1) vs. Movsar Evloev (12-0)

When Bautista was busted open inside of a minute, sustaining a cut under the eye, it would set the tone for the rest of the fight, which turned into a fairly exciting brawl filled with some big moments for both fighters. Late in the first round, the fight was momentarily paused so the ringside doctor could check the cut Bautista had sustained, but it wasn’t ruled to be that bad and so the fight continued. Bautista might have wished the fight had been stopped give how it did end up going for him; Bautista took a right cross that had him badly rocked and up against the fence. Bautista was then nailed with a stunning right uppercut, but it would take a powerful right hook, when it was long obvious that the cage was the only reason Bautista was still upright, for Marc Goddard to finally step in and stop the fight.

Result: Movsar Evloev beat Mario Bautista by TKO due to strikes in 1:59 of Round 2

Featherweight: Julio Arce (16-4) vs. Nate Landwehr (13-3)

Nate Landwehr put in a solid, workmanlike performance to dominate Julio Arce. Landwehr stuck to clinch work, mainly keeping Arce pressed up against the fence, to dictate the fight, and there seemed to be little Arce could do. In the third round, Landwehr took Arce down and, eventually, began working him over with a series of short elbows, that grew with intensity before one of them caused Arce to go limp, and the referee jumped in to stop the fight.

Result: Nate 'The Train' Landwehr beat Julio Arce by knockout (punch) of Round 3

Lightweight: Alex Reyes (13-3) vs. Brad Riddell (8-1)

The first round finishes were back in this great fight in the lightweight division. This action packed affair came to an end after Reyes missed a right hook, and, in response, Riddel landed a superb head kick that had Reyes stumbling and then falling to the mat. Riddell moved in to hammer Reyes with a series of punches and, when Reyes went limp, referee Herb Dean leapt in to stop the fight.

Result: Brad 'Quake' Riddell beat Alex 'The Executioner' Reyes by knockout (punch) in 3:14 of Round 1

Welterweight: Sergey Khandozhko (27-6-1) vs. David Zawada (117-5)

Khandozhko was busted open early in the fight, Zawada opening up a cut above the eye of Khandozhko with a right cross. But Khandozhko battled past that setback, quickly taking Zawada down. Zawada let Khandozhko pass his guard so he could scramble free, but this was a major miscalculation as the scramble ended with Khandozhko taking Zawada’s back, Khandozhko quickly getting both hooks in and then almost effortlessly getting a rear naked choke and forcing the submission from Zawada.

Result: Sergey 'Honda' Khandozhko beat David 'Sagat' Zawada by submission due to a rear naked choke in 3:01 of Round 1

Heavyweight: Ben Rothwell (37-13) vs. Sergey Spivak (11-2)

A significant size advantage, one of at least 25lbs, was of little help to Ben Rothwell, as Sergey Spivak was too quick for him, Spivak’s speed giving Rothwell trouble throughout the fight. The size also worked against Rothwell, as he was tiring by the second round and he started getting badly outstruck by Spivak. Late in the second round, Rothwell was stunned by a right stinging right high kick, and a second kick followed, this one knocking Rothwell out cold and putting an end to this contest.

Result: Sergey 'The Polar Bear' Spivak beat 'Big' Ben Rothwell by knockout (kick) in 4:11 of Round 2

Main Card

Light Heavyweight: Paul Craig (13-4-1) vs. Nikita Krylov (26-8)

Nikita Krylov came into this fight under the cloud of missing weight by 3lbs. That cloud turned into a rainstorm of punches late in the first round, when, after taking a right head kick from Paul Craig, Krylov was unable to avoid a right hand that sent him crashing to the math. A series of punches followed and, whilst Krylov dealt with them, they left him open for Craig to apply a tight kimura and Krylov was forced to tap out.

Result: Paul 'Bearjew' Craig beat Nikita 'The Miner' Krylov by submission due to a kimura in 4:41 of Round 1

Bantamweight: Cody Stamann (18-2-1) vs. Petr Yan (14-2)

Stamann took Yan down almost right away, and controlled him from there; Stamann went for various submissions, and, whilst Yan fended them off well, he was on the defensive for the entire round, and the best thing you can say about Yan in regards to the first round is that he saw it out.

In the second round, Yan was able to keep Stamann at bay, stopping him from getting another takedown, with a smart display of striking; Stamann almost close at one point, and took a crunching right hook for his troubles. As Yan continued to successfully employ this gameplan, his confidence grew and he started to press the attack, and his aggressive stance seemed to cause Stamann to withdrew and be more defensive, which may have been a wise move considering his legs were taking a lot of heavy kicks.

But it was the punching of Yan that Stamann should have been worried about, because a crunching right to the jaw, a familiar strike in the arsenal of Yan, landed flush and Stamann was knocked completely unconscious.

Result: Petr 'No Mercy' Yan beat Cody 'Mr. Wonderful' Stamann by knockout (punch) in 4:15 of Round 2

Women’s Strawweight: Cynthia Calvillo (8-1-1) vs. Tatiana Suarez (9-0)

This fight was definitely one for the grapple fans, because it was one where grappling, and clinch-work, was the predominant form of attack. For the most part, it was Suarez who was one dictating the action, although Calvillo did have a moment or two where she shone. It was undoubtedly a physically gruelling contest; both women were sweating heavily when the fight was over. But it was also a fight that lacked any moments of stand-up excitement, so it wasn’t one for the neutral.

Suarez eased to a unanimous decision victory and, in doing so, very likely cemented herself as the next title challenger in the strawweight division.

Result: Tatiana Suarez beat Cynthia Calvillo by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 and 29-28)

Heavyweight: Francis Ngannou (14-4) vs. Alexander Volkov (32-7)

The heavy hitting heavyweight division saw the fans witness a bruising slugfest with Ngannu and Volkov both landing some big shots. It was looking like neither fighter was going to be able to land anything of significance on the other. Then Volkov landed a punch that had Ngannou backing up; the Russian then landed a right hook that had Ngannou barely standing, and it was clear that the only reason he was still standing was the cage. Volkov then landed a spinning back first and a flying knee, both of which admittedly only grazed Ngannou, but a right hook landed flush and, finally, Mario Yamasaki decided that he’d seen enough and called the fight off.

Result: Alexander 'Drago' Volkov beat Francis 'The Predator' Ngannou by TKO due to strikes in 3:38 of Round 1

Featherweight: Frankie Edgar (23-8-1) vs. Alexander Volkonovski (22-2)

There was a lot of grappling in the first round, with both fighters jockeying for control of the other. It took a while, and some effort, but, eventually, Volkanovski was able to press Edgar back up against the cage. Volkanovski was then able to take Edgar down, but ‘The Answer’ pulled guard and there wasn’t enough time left for Volkanovski to do anything else.

The second was somewhat similar; after a minute or two of stand-up action, Edgar tried to grapple with Volkanovski but Volkanovski outgrappledhim and took coplete control of him. Edgar was too defensive for Volkanovski to achieve much other than positional dominance, but Edgar couldn’t do much either and it took him a while to break free. More stand-up followed, although neither fighter did much damage; Volkanovski took Edgar down later on, but it was right at the end of the round.

The third round was another wrestling-heavy affair with Volkanovski, after some trouble, managing to get Edgar backed up against the cage. Edgar was soon free, though, and then had Volkanovski backed up against the cage instead. Some dirty boxing ensued, but neither fighter did any damage. The action slowed near the end of the round and the referee stood the fighters up, and Volkanovski had enough time to grapple with Edgar and press him up against the cage, although Edgar broke free in the final seconds of the fight.

It wasn’t the most thrilling of fights, although it wasn’t bad, and Volkanovski had done enough to get the unanimous decision victory, with all three judges scoring the fight 29-28 in his favour. The only question was had he done enough to ensure a shot at the winner of the main event.

Result: Alexander 'The Great' Volkanovski beat Frankie 'The Answer' Edgar by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 and 29-28)

vs. Max Holloway (22-5) for the UFC Featherweight Championship

The first round was a well contested affair, with both fighters showing off a variety of punches and kicks. Zombie and Holloway also both displayed some great footwork and head movement, each of them able to avoid some of the bigger strikes that the other attempted to deliver. Neither fighter was dominant in the first round, although you could, perhaps, give the round to Holloway by virtue of several flurries he landed in the midway point.

The second round is when the fight started to shift in favour of Holloway, as the former champion showed the superior footwork and head movement, avoiding a lot of what Zombie was trying to land while countering some well timed shots that tagged the Zombie. Zombie started to land some nice leg kicks late on in the round, but Holloway took them well and continued to move forward, and the momentum was now firmly with the man looking to reclaim the featherweight title.

Zombie was starting to show the effects of Holloway’s attack, the champion displaying a slight, but very noticeable limp. For his part, Holloway seemed to be breathing a little deeper after the effort he’d put into dominating the second round, but this didn’t seem to affect him too much and he was still able to land some good combinations and counters, further stamping his authority on this championship contest, and, when the round ended, it was looking increasingly like Zombie was going to need to turn up the heat, and possible look for a finish, if he wanted to retain his title.

It was now Zombie’s turn to look a little tired, the champion also opening up the fourth round by once more displaying the limp that had been all too clear in the previous round. But even as Holloway kept pressing forward, his output and precision putting serious pressure on the champion, he was displaying serious fatigue, and, with a couple of minutes to go in the round, it was looking like the challenger had perhaps neared the limits of his gas tank. Yet this somehow didn’t affect the Holloway, and he managed to take Zombie down and began unloading some serious shots on the champion. The champion took most of them well, but a few clearly rocked Zombie and he ended up giving up his back. Holloway began working for a rear naked choke, which he got, and he even flattened Zombie out. But the round ended at the right moment to save the champion, and, barring a miracle shot, it seemed like Holloway was on his way to regaining the featherweight crown.

Indeed, it took Holloway a little over thirty seconds of the fight round to end things, a powerful right head kick finally putting Zombie down; Holloway pounced with some powerful and very precise punches, and, with Zombie taking them flush, even surviving them, he was taking too much punishment and referee Mario Yamasaki was forced to step in and Max Holloway was once again the UFC Featherweight Champion.

Result: 'Blessed' Max Holloway beat 'The Korean Zombie' Chan Sung Jung by TKO due to strikes in 0:32 of Round 5 to win the UFC Featherweight Championship

Post-Fight Bonuses

Fight of the Night: Alex Reyes vs. Brad Riddell

Performance of the Night: Diana Belbita

Knockout of the Night: Petr Yan

Submission of the Night: Paul Craig

Predictions

CageRage: (11/15)

CageRage (overall): (93/164)

Fantabulous · November 29, 2020

UFC Rankings for Sunday of Week 4 of September 2020

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