UFC 2020: When Sven Took Charge II

[Fantabulous]

News Blast

 

Monday of Week 2 of December 2020

 

 

Enrique Briones has been cut by the UFC. Briones last fight for the UFC was at UFC Fight Night 172, a first-round submission loss to Nathaniel Wood. It was his fourth straight loss.

 

Tuesday of Week 2 of December 2020

 

 

From the author: UFC on Fight Pass 2 will be posted tomorrow and here is a reminder of the card for predictions, comment, etc;

 

UFC on Fight Pass 2: Ivanov vs. Wieczorek

 

Main Card

 

Heavyweight: Blagoy Ivanov (18-4, 1NC) vs. Adam Wieczorek (11-2)

Women’s Strawweight: Hannah Cifers (11-4) vs. Istela Nunes (8-1, 1NC)

Flyweight: Jenel Lausa (8-5) vs. Tyson Nam (17-11-1)

Bantamweight: Bruno Gustavo da Silva (12-5-2) vs. Aiemann Zahabi (8-1)

Lightweight: Francisco Trinaldo (26-7) vs. Arman Tsarukyan (16-2)

Welterweight: Bryan Barbarena (14-8) vs. Gilbert Burns (18-5)

 

Preliminary Card

 

Welterweight: Luan Chagas (15-3-1) vs. Ramazan Emeev (18-4)

Bantamweight: Francisco Rivera (11-7, 1NC) vs. Louis Smolka (16-6)

Featherweight: Charles Rosa (12-3) vs. Khalid Taha (14-2)

Lightweight: Rafael Fiziev (7-1) vs. Nad Narimani (12-3)

Bantamweight: Martin Day (8-3) vs. Patrick Williams (8-6)

Lightweight: Omar Morales (9-0) vs. Daniel Teymur (7-4)

Featherweight: Danny Henry (12-3) vs. Kyle Nelson (13-3)

Bantamweight: Danaa Batgerel (7-2) vs. Su Mudaerji (12-4)

Bantamweight: Joey Gomez (6-2) vs. Luke Sanders (13-3)

Bantamweight: Mark de la Rosa (11-4) vs. Benito Lopez (10-1)

[CageRage]

UFC on Fight Pass 2: Ivanov vs. Wieczorek

 

Main Card

 

Heavyweight: Blagoy Ivanov (18-4, 1NC) vs. Adam Wieczorek (11-2)

Women’s Strawweight: Hannah Cifers (11-4) vs. Istela Nunes (8-1, 1NC)

Flyweight: Jenel Lausa (8-5) vs. Tyson Nam (17-11-1)

Bantamweight: Bruno Gustavo da Silva (12-5-2) vs. Aiemann Zahabi (8-1)

Lightweight: Francisco Trinaldo (26-7) vs. Arman Tsarukyan (16-2)

Welterweight: Bryan Barbarena (14-8) vs. Gilbert Burns (18-5)

 

Preliminary Card

 

Welterweight: Luan Chagas (15-3-1) vs. Ramazan Emeev (18-4)

Bantamweight: Francisco Rivera (11-7, 1NC) vs. Louis Smolka (16-6)

Featherweight: Charles Rosa (12-3) vs. Khalid Taha (14-2)

Lightweight: Rafael Fiziev (7-1) vs. Nad Narimani (12-3)

Bantamweight: Martin Day (8-3) vs. Patrick Williams (8-6)

Lightweight: Omar Morales (9-0) vs. Daniel Teymur (7-4)

Featherweight: Danny Henry (12-3) vs. Kyle Nelson (13-3)

Bantamweight: Danaa Batgerel (7-2) vs. Su Mudaerji (12-4)

Bantamweight: Joey Gomez (6-2) vs. Luke Sanders (13-3)

Bantamweight: Mark de la Rosa (11-4) vs. Benito Lopez (10-1)

[Majster_93]

Heavyweight: Blagoy Ivanov (18-4, 1NC) vs. Adam Wieczorek (11-2)

Women’s Strawweight: Hannah Cifers (11-4) vs. Istela Nunes (8-1, 1NC)

Flyweight: Jenel Lausa (8-5) vs. Tyson Nam (17-11-1)

Bantamweight: Bruno Gustavo da Silva (12-5-2) vs. Aiemann Zahabi (8-1)

Lightweight: Francisco Trinaldo (26-7) vs. Arman Tsarukyan (16-2)

Welterweight: Bryan Barbarena (14-8) vs. Gilbert Burns (18-5)

 

Preliminary Card

 

Welterweight: Luan Chagas (15-3-1) vs. Ramazan Emeev (18-4)

Bantamweight: Francisco Rivera (11-7, 1NC) vs. Louis Smolka (16-6)

Featherweight: Charles Rosa (12-3) vs. Khalid Taha (14-2)

Lightweight: Rafael Fiziev (7-1) vs. Nad Narimani (12-3)

Bantamweight: Martin Day (8-3) vs. Patrick Williams (8-6)

Lightweight: Omar Morales (9-0) vs. Daniel Teymur (7-4)

Featherweight: Danny Henry (12-3) vs. Kyle Nelson (13-3)

Bantamweight: Danaa Batgerel (7-2) vs. Su Mudaerji (12-4)

Bantamweight: Joey Gomez (6-2) vs. Luke Sanders (13-3)

Bantamweight: Mark de la Rosa (11-4) vs. Benito Lopez (10-1)

[Fantabulous]

UFC on Fight Pass 2: Ivanov vs. Wieczorek

 

 

UFC on Fight Pass 2: Ivanov vs. Wieczorek

 

Date: Saturday of Week 2 of December 2020 Location: Iberia

Attendance: 321 Gate: $59,224

Critical Rating: 70% Commercial Rating: 45%

 

Commentary Team: John Gooden and Dan Hardy

 

Preliminary Card

 

 

Bantamweight: Mark de la Rosa (11-4) vs. Benito Lopez (10-1)

 

Result: Benito 'Golden Boy' Lopez beat Mark 'Bumblebee' de la Rosa by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)

 

 

Bantamweight: Joey Gomez (6-2) vs. Luke Sanders (13-3)

 

Result: Joey 'The KO King' Gomez beat 'Cool Hand' Luke by TKO due to strikes in 0:26 of Round 2

 

 

Bantamweight: Danaa Batgerel (7-2) vs. Su Mudaerji (12-4)

 

Result: Danaa Batgerel beat Su 'Tibetan Eagle' Mudaerji by submission due to an armbar in 2:06 of Round 2

 

 

Featherweight: Danny Henry (12-3) vs. Kyle Nelson (13-3)

 

Result: Danny 'The Hatchet' Henry beat Kyle 'The Monster' Nelson by split decision (29-28, 30-27 and 27-30)

 

 

Lightweight: Omar Morales (9-0) vs. Daniel Teymur (7-4)

 

Result: Omar Morales beat Daniel 'Kid Dynamite' Teymur by TKO due to strikes in 1:03 of Round 1

 

 

Bantamweight: Martin Day (8-3) vs. Patrick Williams (8-6)

 

Result: Martin 'The Spartan' Day beat Patrick 'The Animal' Williams by knockout (punch) in 4:06 of Round 3

 

 

Lightweight: Rafael Fiziev (7-1) vs. Nad Narimani (12-3)

 

Result: Rafael 'Ataman' Fiziev beat Nad Narimani by knockout (knee) in 4:58 of Round 3

 

 

Featherweight: Charles Rosa (12-3) vs. Khalid Taha (14-2)

 

Result: Khalid 'The Warrior' Taha beat Charles 'The Boston Strangler' Rosa by split decision (29-28, 30-27 and 27-30)

 

 

Bantamweight: Francisco Rivera (11-7, 1NC) vs. Louis Smolka (16-6)

 

Result: Louis 'Da Last Samurai' Smolka beat Francisco Rivera by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 and 29-28)

 

 

Welterweight: Luan Chagas (15-3-1) vs. Ramazan Emeev (18-4)

 

Result: Ramazan Emeev beat Luan 'Tarzan' Chagas by TKO due to strikes in 0:50 of Round 3

 

Main Card

 

 

Welterweight: Bryan Barbarena (14-8) vs. Gilbert Burns (18-5)

 

Result: Gilbert 'Durinho' Burns beat Bryan 'Bam Bam' Barberena by split decision (30-27, 29-28 and 28-29)

 

 

Lightweight: Francisco Trinaldo (26-7) vs. Arman Tsarukyan (16-2)

 

Result: Arman Tsarukyan beat Francisco 'Massaranduba' Trinaldo by knockout (punch) in 2:36 of Round 3

 

 

Bantamweight: Bruno Gustavo da Silva (12-5-2) vs. Aiemann Zahabi (8-1)

 

Result: Aiemann Zahabi beat Bruno 'Bulldog' Gustavo da Silva by TKO due to strikes in 0:28 of Round 2

 

 

Flyweight: Jenel Lausa (8-5) vs. Tyson Nam (17-11-1)

 

Result: Jenel 'The Demolition Man' Lausa beat Tyson by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 and 29-28)

 

 

Women’s Strawweight: Hannah Cifers (11-4) vs. Istela Nunes (8-1, 1NC)

 

Result: 'Shockwave' Hannah Cifers beat Istela Nunes by split decision (29-28, 29-28 and 28-29)

 

 

Heavyweight: Blagoy Ivanov (18-4, 1NC) vs. Adam Wieczorek (11-2)

 

Result: Adam 'Siwy' Wieczorek beat Blagoy Ivanov by unanimous decision (48-46, 49-46 and 48-47)

 

Post-fight interview notes

 

Joey Gomez, who showed innate charisma, said that being the underdog motivated him.

Danaa Batgerel said that his fight was amazing, one of the best he’d ever been part of.

Danny Henry called out Hakeem Dawodu.

Omar Morales called out Rodrigo Vargas

Everything about Rafael Fizie exudes ‘star power’.

Francisco Trinaldo retired.

Arman Tsarukyan called out David Teymur.

Aiemann Zahabi called out Miles Johns.

Hannah Cifers called out Syuri Kondo, saying that it would be an exciting fight.

 

Post-Fight Bonuses

 

Fight of the Night: Martin Day vs. Patrick Williams

Performance of the Night: Joey Gomez

Knockout of the Night: Rafael Fiziev

Submission of the Night: Danaa Batgerel

 

Predictions

 

CageRage : (6/16)

CageRage (Overall): (137/240; 57.08%)

 

Majster_93: (10/16)

Majster_93 (Overall): (10/16)

[Fantabulous]

UFC Rankings for Thursday, Week 2 of December 2020

 

[Fantabulous]

Thursday of Week 2 of December 2020

 

 

Friday of Week 2 of December 2020

 

 

 

Women’s Featherweight: Beatrice Farr (3-0) vs. Amari Penton (26-6)

 

Result: ‘The Human Arsenal' Beatrice Farr beat ‘Fireball' Amari Penton by submission

 

 

Saturday of Week 2 of December 2020

 

 

 

Sunday of Week 2 of December 2020

 

[Fantabulous]

News Blast

 

Monday of Week 3 of December 2020

 

 

Tuesday of Week 3 of December 2020

 

 

Thursday of Week 3 December 2020

 

 

Friday of Week 3 of December 2020

 

 

 

Women’s Featherweight: Sadbh Kuehn (9-2) vs. Audrey Whitworth (1-0)

 

Result: Audrey ‘Crossbones' Whitworth beat ‘Deadeye' Sadbh Kuehn by submission

 

 

Saturday of Week 3 of December 2020

 

 

 

From the author: UFC Fight Night 183 will be posted on Saturday, and here is a reminder of the card for predictions, comment, etc;

 

UFC Fight Night 183: Chiesa vs. Magny

 

Main Card

 

Welterweight: Michael Chiesa (17-5) vs. Neil Magny(23-7)

Bantamweight: Urijah Faber (35-11) vs. Jimmie Rivera (22-5)

Middleweight: Jack Hermansson (21-5) vs. Edmen Shahbazyan (13-0)

Women’s Bantamweight: Macy Chiasson (7-1) vs. Raquel Pennington (12-8)

Women’s Strawweight: Alexa Grasso (11-4) vs. Amanda Ribas (10-1)

Lightweight: Carlos Diego Ferreira (18-2) vs. Gregor Gillespie (15-1)

 

Preliminary Card

 

Heavyweight: Curtis Blaydes (14-3, 1NC) vs. Jair Rozenstruik (11-1)

Women’s Strawweight: Cynthia Cavillo (8-2-1) vs. Yan Xiaonan (12-2, 1NC)

Welterweight: Alan Jouban (16-8) vs. Diego Lhima (15-8)

Light Heavyweight: Michal Oleksiejczuk (14-5) vs. Kildson de Abreu (17-4)

Middleweight: Marvin Vettori (15-4-1) vs. Rodolfo Vierra (9-0-1)

Welterweight: Maki Pitolo (12-5) vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov(12-0, 1NC)

Lightweight: Christos Giagos (17-8) vs. Damir Ismagulov (19-1)

Featherweight: Gabriel Benitez (21-8) vs. T.J Brown (14-7)

Bantamweight(*): Raoni Barcelos (15-1) vs. Kyler Phillips (7-1)

[CageRage]

Welterweight: Michael Chiesa (17-5) vs. Neil Magny(23-7)

Bantamweight: Urijah Faber (35-11) vs. Jimmie Rivera (22-5)

Middleweight: Jack Hermansson (21-5) vs. Edmen Shahbazyan (13-0)

Women’s Bantamweight: Macy Chiasson (7-1) vs. Raquel Pennington (12-8)

Women’s Strawweight: Alexa Grasso (11-4) vs. Amanda Ribas (10-1)

Lightweight: Carlos Diego Ferreira (18-2) vs. Gregor Gillespie (15-1)

 

Preliminary Card

 

Heavyweight: Curtis Blaydes (14-3, 1NC) vs. Jair Rozenstruik (11-1)

Women’s Strawweight: Cynthia Cavillo (8-2-1) vs. Yan Xiaonan (12-2, 1NC)

Welterweight: Alan Jouban (16-8) vs. Diego Lhima (15-8)

Light Heavyweight: Michal Oleksiejczuk (14-5) vs. Kildson de Abreu (17-4)

Middleweight: Marvin Vettori (15-4-1) vs. Rodolfo Vierra (9-0-1)

Welterweight: Maki Pitolo (12-5) vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov(12-0, 1NC)

Lightweight: Christos Giagos (17-8) vs. Damir Ismagulov (19-1)

Featherweight: Gabriel Benitez (21-8) vs. T.J Brown (14-7)

Bantamweight(*): Raoni Barcelos (15-1) vs. Kyler Phillips (7-1)

[Fantabulous]

UFC Fight Night 183: Chiesa vs. Magny

 

 

UFC Fight Night 183: Chiesa vs. Magny

 

Date: Saturday of Week 3 of December 2020 Location: Manitoba

Attendance: 2,358 Gate: $466,884

Critical Rating: 68% Commercial Rating: 74%

 

Commentary Team: Jon Anik, Dan Hardy and Brendan Fitzgerald

 

Preliminary Card

 

 

Bantamweight(*): Raoni Barcelos (15-1) vs. Kyler Phillips (7-1)

 

The night kicked off with a fight that was short and had a brutal finish; Phillips dropped Barcelos, who had missed weight for this fight, with a vicious right cross and then battered him with some sickening shots, one of which knocked him out.

 

Phillips, in his post-fight interview, called the finish a testament to his training.

 

Result: Kyler 'Matrix' Phillips beat Raoni Barcelos by knockout (punch) in 1:39 of Round 1

 

 

Featherweight: Gabriel Benitez (21-8) vs. T.J Brown (14-7)

 

This was a good striking battle with both fighters showing a mixture of punches and kicks. Benitez was the heavy favourite, and it showed as he stamped his authority on the fight from the early going and, part-way into the second round, he delivered the big finish, dropping Brown with an uppercut and then getting the stoppage with some heavy ground-and-pound.

 

Result: Gabriel 'Moggly' Benitez beat T.J. 'Downtown' Brown by TKO due to strikes in 2:30 of Round 2

 

 

Lightweight: Christos Giagos (17-8) vs. Damir Ismagulov (19-1)

 

This was a competitive, very hard-hitting fight, one that almost saw the second round, but Ismagulov dropped Giagos late on and then destroyed him with punches to force the stoppage.

 

Result: Damir Ismagulov beat Christos 'The Spartan' Giagos by TKO due to strikes in 4:59 of Round 1

 

 

Welterweight: Maki Pitolo (12-5) vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov (12-0, 1NC)

 

Despite looking tired from early in the second round, and appearing to be fighting through exhaustion soon thereafter, Maki Pitolo had enough of a strong wrestling game to grind out a win over Shavkat Rakhmonov that was not particularly engaging.

 

So, there wasn’t much of a reaction when Pitolo challenged Jessin Ayari in her post-fight interview.

 

Result: Maki 'Coconut Bombz' Pitolo beat Shavkat Rakhmonov by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)

 

 

Middleweight: Marvin Vettori (15-4-1) vs. Rodolfo Viera (9-0-1)

 

It could have been his weight advantage or his skill-level, or a combination of both, but Rodolfo Viera walked right through Marvin Vettori, quickly taking him down, hooking him with a body triangle, and then securing a rear naked choke to get the submission in just 96 seconds.

 

Not one to let the spotlight go to waste, Vierra used his interview time to challenge Omari Akhmedov.

 

Result: Rodolfo 'The Black Belt Hunter' Vieira beat 'The Italian Dream' Marvin Vettori by submission due to a rear naked choke in 1:36 of Round 1

 

 

Light Heavyweight: Michal Oleksiejczuk (14-5) vs. Klidson de Abreu (17-4)

 

Michal Oleksiejczuk was the heavy underdog coming into this fight but his performance showed that, on this occasion, the oddsmakers got it wrong. Oleksiejczuk’s aggression was the difference maker in the first round as it seemed like de Abreu didn’t know how to deal with it. de Abreu came back in the second round with a grappling attack and he was able to keep Oleksiejczuk back up against the cage before taking him down, but, whilst he had Oleksiejczuk on defence the whole round, de Abreu couldn’t get anything of significance done.

 

de Abreu tried the same approach in the second round and, whilst it enjoyed initial success, de Abreu got too aggressive when he had Oleksiejczuk on the ground and Oleksiejczuk was able to scramble out from under de Abreu and end up in top position, and the rest of the fight played out with the competitors in that position.

 

A great fight that had the fans standing had them cheering when the result was announced, as Oleksiejczuk picked up the upset victory, getting the unanimous decision with all three judges scoring the fight 29-28 in his favour.

 

Oleksiejczuk noted his underdog status in his post-fight interview, but he said that he always believed in himself and knew that he knew he could beat de Abreu.

 

Result: Michal 'The Hammer' Oleksiejczuk beat Klidson 'Russian Terror' de Abreu by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 and 29-28)

 

 

Welterweight: Alan Jouban (16-8) vs. Dhiego Lima (15-8)

 

After surviving an early scare, catching a good punch, a combination of superior footwork and head movement gave Dhiego Lima the edge in this fight. Added to that was a series of leg kicks that, over the course of the fight, gave Jouban serious problems with his movement. Both fighters were exhausted by the end of the fight, but it was Lima who was the winner and comfortably so.

 

Result: Dhiego Lima beat Alan 'Brahma' Jouban by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)

 

 

Women’s Flyweight: Mariya Agapova (9-1) vs. Sabina Mazo (9-1)

 

Sabina Mazo was too much for Mariya Agapova, with a combination of the Muay-Thai clinch and some excellent kicks giving Agaopova no chance to mount any major offence. The best Agapova could muster was a grab of the fence in the second round, a move which earned her a rebuke from the referee. MAzo almost finished Agaopova late on, but time ran out before she could get the stoppage.

 

Result: Sabina 'Colombian Queen' Mazo beat Mariya Agapova by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)

 

 

Women’s Strawweight: Cynthia Cavillo (8-2-1) vs. Yan Xiaonan (12-2, 1NC)

 

This was a great fight, one with constant action as both women pressed forward to take the attack to their opponent. Calvillo and Yan each landed some good strikes on the other; combinations, hooks, and crosses. It was a very exciting fight with plenty that had the fans cheering, and it was almost disappointing that it didn’t last longer, however, early in the second round, Yan slipped past a right hook to drop Calvillo with massive right hook that caught Calivillo flush on the jaw.

 

Yan pounced, unloading several big punches, one of which saw Calvillio go limp and the referee jumped in to stop the fight giving Yan the victory in this exciting contest.

 

Through her translator, Yan Xiaonan joked about going out to celebrate her win and inviting everyone along; she was that happy. Regardless, Yan knows how to build her name value.

 

Result: Yan 'Fury' Xiaonan beat Cynthia Calvillo by knockout (punch) in 0:58 of Round 2

 

 

Heavyweight: Curtis Blaydes (14-3, 1NC) vs. Jair Rozenstruik (11-1)

 

Blaydes had a significant weight advantage here and it paid dividends in the first round, with Blaydes taking Rozenstruik down right away and Rozenstruik unable to shift Blaydes off of him. The second round was rather slow, but it didn’t last too long; just over a minute in, Rozenstruik caught a vicious right cross that floored him with Blaydes then pounding away until the referee felt that he’d seen enough, with the official calling off the fight to give Blaydes the TKO victory.

 

Result: Curtis 'Razor' Blaydes beat Jair 'Bigi Boy' Rozenstruik by TKO due to strikes in 1:18 of Round 2

 

Main Card

 

 

Lightweight: Carlos Diego Ferreira (18-2) vs. Gregor Gillespie (15-1)

 

Although Carlos Diego Ferreira is the one noted for his ground game, it was Gregor Gillespie who took the fight to the mat first, Gillespie taking Ferreira down very early on in the fight. Gillespie tried to get past the guard of Ferreira but he had trouble, not just with the defence of Ferreira but his offence as well, with Ferreira threatening with an armbar from the bottom. Gillespie defended against it well and then managed to pass the guard of Ferreira; however, Gillespie couldn’t secure side-control and Ferreira tried to scramble free, only for Gillespie to put him back down on the mat. Gillespie tried to work for an armbar but Ferreira was now defending the submission attempt and both fighters were still jockeying for position when the round ended.

 

In the second round, Gillespie again took Ferreira down early, a tactic which the Brazilian was ill-prepared for. Ferreira was at least able to pull guard but Gillespie worked aggressively to pass the guard of Ferreira and managed to get into the half-guard position. It then became a battle of Gillespie trying to work Ferreira over with elbows, whilst Ferreira tried to get Gillespie back into his guard, and neither fighter had much success, and the fighters were stood up right before the round ended.

 

The third round saw, well, you know the score; Gillespie took Ferreira down, and Ferreira quickly pulled guard. Gillespie tried to pass the guard of Ferreira, resulting in a mad scramble which ended with Gillespie grabbing Ferreira from behind in a waist lock, getting back control, with Gillespie then suplexing Ferreira to the mat, a move which had the crowd popping huge. Gillespie tried to take the mount, but Ferreira rolled over, giving up his back. Gillespie began working for a rear naked choke; Ferreira fended off the first attempt, but when Gillespie got both hooks in, the second attempt was more successful and Ferreira got flattened out and was then forced to tap out, giving Gregor Gillespie his fourth straight victory in the UFC’s most loaded division.

 

Gillespie’s post-fight interview saw him call the finish part of his team’s gameplan and they just had to wait for the right time to execute it.

 

Result: Gregor 'The Gift' Gillespie beat Carlos Diego Ferreira by submission due to a rear naked choke in 3:18 of Round 3

 

 

Women’s Strawweight: Alexa Grasso (11-4) vs. Amanda Ribas (10-1)

 

This fight was a fairly one-sided affair with Amanda Ribas thoroughly dominating Alexa Grasso with lots of clinch work and ground control. Grasso twice grabbed the cage to stop herself from being taken down, although only the first one was noticed. In any event, it didn’t take long for Ribas to get Grass down to the mat anyway. Grasso offered almost nothing meaningful in this fight, so, when it went the distance, while Ribas winning was not a surprise, it was a surprise that two of the judges scored it 29-28; you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who concurred.

 

In any event, Ribas still got the deserved win and elevated herself further up the ladder of contention.

 

Result: Amanda Ribas beat Alexa Grasso by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 and 30-27)

 

 

Women’s Bantamweight: Macy Chiasson (7-1) vs. Raquel Pennington (12-8)

 

This was another great, hard hitting fight from the women, this time in the bantamweight division, as Macy Chiasson and Raquel Pennington duked it out.

 

The fight itself was almost entirely a pure boxing battle, both women showcasing their full arsenal of punches with lots of hooks, jabs, crosses, and combinations. With such a display of punching, it was a surprise that it took until late in the first round for the first major blow to be inflicted, with Chiasson landing a left jab/right cross combination th at put Pennington on wobbly legs. Seconds later, Chiasson landed a wicked right uppercut that dropped Pennington, but, whilst Chiasson tried her best to finish Pennington off, Pennington survived the final few seconds of the round, bringing the first stanza of this exciting battle to an end.

 

The second round continued in the same vein as the first with both women coming out aggressively and taking the fight to their opponent. Despite getting dropped in the first round, Pennington showed no fear in battling Chiasson in the pocket. Yet Pennington couldn’t seem to find any serious success; nor could Chiasson, who was unable to land a strike like the one she landed in the first round, so both women were also fighting a great defensive game when the fight called for it.

 

With just over 90 seconds to go in the round, Pennington went for the first take down of the fight, yet even on her back, Chiasson was still being aggressive, throwing her legs up and working for a triangle, but Pennington fended her off as the round ended and, as both women headed back to their respective corners, the fight felt like it could go in any direction.

 

The third round was more of the action we’d seen in the first two rounds, although Pennington did appear to be slowing down, and Chiasson was starting to take firm control of the fight. Yet Pennington wasn’t entirely out of the fight, opening up a cut on the forehead of Chiasson, which had Chiasson slowing things down herself. But this may have been what Chiasson needed to fire herself up because, moments later, Chiasson landed a stiff head kick that had Pennington on shaky legs again before falling to the mat. Chiasson moved in, hammering Pennington with some sickening shots to the face and, when Pennington went limp, the referee moved in and the fight was over.

 

Result: Macy Chiasson beat 'Rocky' Raquel Pennington by knockout (punch) in 2:53 of Round 3

 

 

Middleweight: Jack Hermansson (21-5) vs. Edmen Shahbazyan (13-0)

 

The fight didn’t get off to a good start for Hermansson as he found himself getting rocked barely a minute in, Hermansson then getting dropped by a right head kick. Somehow, Hermansson was able to defend against the follow up ground-and-pound, although he was then forced to defend against a kimura. Shahbazyan then tried to take the mount, but his aggressiveness backfired as the resultant scramble forced Shahbazyan to pull guard. Hermansson wasn’t able to do much from the top position, with Shahbazyan being very defensive, pulling Hermansson in close and keeping him well neutralised for the rest of the round.

 

The second round started out just like the first, with Hermansson getting dropped by a wicked right head kick about a minute in, but this time there was no return for Hermansson because the kick knocked him out cold; he dropped to the mat with a thud and Edmen Shahbazyan had scored an explosive and quite decisive victory.

 

Result: 'The Golden Boy' Edmen Shahbazyan beat Jack 'The Joker' Hermansson by knockout (kick) in 1:17 of Round 2

 

 

Bantamweight: Urijah Faber (35-11) vs. Jimmie Rivera (22-5)

 

The first half of the first round was a stand-up battle, and a very competitive one at that. Perhaps that’s why Faber went for a takedown with just over two minutes gone; he he couldn’t initially complete it, but Faber’s persistence finally paid off and an outside leg trip swept Rivera to the mat. After pressing Rivera back up against the cage, Faber managed to transition into the mount, putting Rivera in real danger. Faber quickly went to work on an armbar but Rivera showed great defence, stacking Faber and then working to get side-control, but the round ended before Rivera could get the position he was after.

 

Faber opened up the second round with a takedown, which Rivera seem surprised by, and he was forced to pull guard. Faber tried to pass the guard of Rivera but Rivera saw this coming and tried to scramble free, which he couldn’t quite manage; although he got to his feet, Faber still had a hold of him and Rivera was pushed back up against the cage. The action slowed for a minute before Faber swept Rivera down to the mat with an outside leg trip, and Faber was able to end up in side-control. Faber began to work for submissions, and while Rivera blocked the americana, Faber got a kimura fully applied.

 

Yet Rivera somehow found a way to pull free, although he remained in side-control. The action slowed and the referee, perhaps a little too quickly, order a stand-up, and there was just enough time left for Faber to score another takedown before the round ended.

 

Faber started out the third round with, what else, but a takedown, a single leg, and Rivera again couldn’t prevent himself from being taken to the mat. Faber quickly passed the guard of Rivera but Rivera was once more ready and began to scramble, but this one would end with Faber in the north-south position. Faber tried to lock in a north-south choke, but Faber blocked it, so Faber moved into side-control. Rivera remained on the defensive, having to block Faber from taking mount, and then from getting a kimura, with Rivera getting no chance to even attempt to break free.

 

With a minute left, the referee ordered a stand-up, and the action slowed down, with little happening before the fight ended, and it was very clear what the result of this fight was going to be.

 

As expected, Faber was declared the winner by unanimous decision, yet what was unexpected was Faber, in his post-fight interview, announcing that he had decided to retire from MMA and move on to the next chapter in his life.

 

Result: 'The California Kid' Urijah Faber beat Jimmie 'El Terror' Rivera by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)

 

 

Welterweight: Michael Chiesa (17-5) vs. Neil Magny (23-7)

 

Chiesa opened up aggressively, quickly shooting in for a single-leg takedown, which he achieved, and Magny hurriedly pulled guard. Chiesa made an effort to pass the guard of Magny but Mangy was ready for it and immediately began scrambling, and this furious activity saw Magny come out on top and now Chiesa was the one having to pull guard.

 

Mindful of his opponent’s submission skills, Magny kept very tight to Chiesa, peppering him with short punches, Chiesa didn’t wait long before trying to scramble into a better position but this backfired and Magny slipped over the top of Chiesa and got into side-control. Chiesa tried to manoeuvre Magny into his guard, but Magny stopped this from happening. The action ground to a halt, with Magny simply throwing a series of small strikes, and, whilst the referee eventually ordered a stand-up, the round ended before more action could take place.

 

Chiesa started out the second round just like he started the first, going right for the takedown, and he was able to take Magny down to the canvas. Magny began working to force a separation, which he achieved, so Mangy tried to scramble into a better position, but Chiesa saw the opening to take side-control. Chiesa then went for a kimura, which he got fully applied, yet Magny somehow got his arm free. But Magny wasn’t out of danger yet as Chiesa began going from submission to submission, looking to force the tap, putting Magny on the defensive. Eventually, Chiesa changed tack and tried to mount Magny, which Magny allowed in order get a chance to scramble free, but Chiesa ended up on top, holding Magny down in the turtle position with Magny facing him.

 

Chiesa tried to spin across and grab Magny in a bulldog choke but Magny used this as a chance to scramble free; he was unsuccessful, however, and was forced to pull guard, with Magny deflecting a few punches as the round ended.

 

In the third round, Chiesa again opened up the round with a takedown, which this time Magny left in a seated position with his back against the cage. Chiesa began working furiously for a guillotine choke from this position. With no way to back off and his position against the fence preventing him from making any real movement, Magny was in a bad spot, and he soon found himself caught in a tight guillotine; Magny struggled to free himself, but was trapped and left with no option but to tap out and a victorious Michael Chiesa celebrated with his corner.

 

Pumped by his success, Chiesa had a big name in mind when he was asked who he wanted to fight next as he called out Robbie Lawler.

 

Result: Michael 'Maverick' Chiesa beat Neil Magny by submission due to a guillotine choke in 0:50 of Round 3

 

Post-Fight Bonuses

 

Fight of the Night: Macy Chiasson vs. Raquel Pennington

Performance of the Night: Yan Xiaonan

Knockout of the Night: Edmen Shahbazyan

Submission of the Night: Michael Chiesa

 

Predictions

 

CageRage: (11/15)

CageRage (Overall): (148/255; 58.03%)

 

From the author: Well done to CageRage for correctly predicting all six main card fights.

[Fantabulous]

<p>UFC Rankings for Sunday, Week 3 of December 2020</p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="c6H73Me.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/c6H73Me.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p>

<img alt="hwHy1qw.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/hwHy1qw.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p>

<img alt="uytmkls.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/uytmkls.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p>

<img alt="U82aXIz.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/U82aXIz.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p>

<img alt="BujoQLD.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/BujoQLD.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p>

<img alt="H7RSlYj.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/H7RSlYj.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p>

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

<img alt="UH9Ih5W.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/UH9Ih5W.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p>

<img alt="6noJd7o.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/6noJd7o.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p>

<img alt="PcsCt9l.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/PcsCt9l.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p>

<img alt="98F4NfQ.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/98F4NfQ.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p>

<img alt="FNccejv.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/FNccejv.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p>

[Fantabulous]

News Blast

 

Sunday of Week 3 of December 2020

 

 

Monday of Week 4 of December 2020

 

[Fantabulous]

News Blast and UFC 257: Out With a Bang preview

 

Tuesday of Week 4 of December 2020

 

 

Friday of Week 4 of December 2020

 

 

 

Women’s Featherweight: Beatrice Farr (3-0) vs. Caoimhe Vizcarra (27-3)

 

Result: Caoimhe ‘Twinkle Toes' Vizcarra beat ‘The Human Arsenal' Beatrice Farr by submission

 

 

From the author: UFC 257 will be posted on Saturday; it has three title fights, and is headlined by Conor McGregor challenging Tony Ferguson for the UFC Lightweight Championship. You’ll also see Stipe Miocic defend the UFC Heavyweight Championship against ‘The Black Beast’ Derrick Lewis, and Amanda Nunes defend the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship against Aspen Ladd. Kevin Lee takes on Khabib Nurmagomedov, with the winner of that fight set to challenge the winner of the main event at some point in the new year. There is also the UFC debut of Linton Vassell.

 

UFC 257: Out With A Bang

 

Main Card

 

UFC Lightweight Champion: Tony Ferguson © (26-3) vs. Conor McGregor (23-4) for the UFC Lightweight Championship

UFC Heavyweight Champion: Stipe Miocic © (20-3) vs. Derrick Lewis (24-7, 1NC) for the UFC Heavyweight Championship

UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion: Amanda Nunes © (20-4) vs. Aspen Ladd (10-1) for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship

Lightweight: Kevin Lee (19-6) vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov (28-1)

Heavyweight: Shamil Abdurakhimov (22-5) vs. Linton Vassell (21-8, 1NC)

 

Preliminary Card

 

Heavyweight: Chi Lewis-Perry (10-0, 2NC) vs. Justin Tafa (5-1)

Women’s Flyweight: Maycee Barber (9-1) vs. Emily Whitmore (4-4)

Middleweight: Oskar Piechota (12-3-1, 1NC) vs. Karl Roberson (9-3)

Middleweight: Omari Akhmedov (21-5-1) vs. Bradley Scott (12-6)

Light Heavyweight: Modestas Bukaukas (10-3) vs. William Knight (8-1)

Lightweight: Maxim Divnich (14-2) vs. Rodrigo Vargas (12-4)

Flyweight: Rogerio Bontorin (16-3) vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov (13-4)

Featherweight: Steve Garcia (12-4) vs. Zubaira Tukhugov (20-4-1)

Women’s Bantamweight: Bethe Correira (12-4-1) vs. Lina Lansberg (10-6)

Welterweight(*): Tristan Connelly (14-7) vs. Callan Potter (19-9)

[CageRage]

UFC 257: Out With A Bang

 

Main Card

 

UFC Lightweight Champion: Tony Ferguson © (26-3) vs. Conor McGregor (23-4) for the UFC Lightweight Championship

UFC Heavyweight Champion: Stipe Miocic © (20-3) vs. Derrick Lewis (24-7, 1NC) for the UFC Heavyweight Championship

UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion: Amanda Nunes © (20-4) vs. Aspen Ladd (10-1) for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship

Lightweight: Kevin Lee (19-6) vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov (28-1)

Heavyweight: Shamil Abdurakhimov (22-5) vs. Linton Vassell (21-8, 1NC)

 

Preliminary Card

 

Heavyweight: Chi Lewis-Perry (10-0, 2NC) vs. Justin Tafa (5-1)

Women’s Flyweight: Maycee Barber (9-1) vs. Emily Whitmore (4-4)

Middleweight: Oskar Piechota (12-3-1, 1NC) vs. Karl Roberson (9-3)

Middleweight: Omari Akhmedov (21-5-1) vs. Bradley Scott (12-6)

Light Heavyweight: Modestas Bukaukas (10-3) vs. William Knight (8-1)

Lightweight: Maxim Divnich (14-2) vs. Rodrigo Vargas (12-4)

Flyweight: Rogerio Bontorin (16-3) vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov (13-4)

Featherweight: Steve Garcia (12-4) vs. Zubaira Tukhugov (20-4-1)

Women’s Bantamweight: Bethe Correira (12-4-1) vs. Lina Lansberg (10-6)

Welterweight(*): Tristan Connelly (14-7) vs. Callan Potter (19-9)

[Majster_93]

UFC 257: Out With A Bang

 

Main Card

 

UFC Lightweight Champion: Tony Ferguson © (26-3) vs. Conor McGregor (23-4) for the UFC Lightweight Championship

UFC Heavyweight Champion: Stipe Miocic © (20-3) vs. Derrick Lewis (24-7, 1NC) for the UFC Heavyweight Championship

UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion: Amanda Nunes © (20-4) vs. Aspen Ladd (10-1) for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship

Lightweight: Kevin Lee (19-6) vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov (28-1)

Heavyweight: Shamil Abdurakhimov (22-5) vs. Linton Vassell (21-8, 1NC)

 

Preliminary Card

 

Heavyweight: Chi Lewis-Perry (10-0, 2NC) vs. Justin Tafa (5-1)

Women’s Flyweight: Maycee Barber (9-1) vs. Emily Whitmore (4-4)

Middleweight: Oskar Piechota (12-3-1, 1NC) vs. Karl Roberson (9-3)

Middleweight: Omari Akhmedov (21-5-1) vs. Bradley Scott (12-6)

Light Heavyweight: Modestas Bukaukas (10-3) vs. William Knight (8-1)

Lightweight: Maxim Divnich (14-2) vs. Rodrigo Vargas (12-4)

Flyweight: Rogerio Bontorin (16-3) vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov (13-4)

Featherweight: Steve Garcia (12-4) vs. Zubaira Tukhugov (20-4-1)

Women’s Bantamweight: Bethe Correira (12-4-1) vs. Lina Lansberg (10-6)

Welterweight(*): Tristan Connelly (14-7) vs. Callan Potter (19-9)

[Fantabulous]

UFC 257: Out With A Bang

 

 

UFC 257: Out With A Bang

 

Date: Saturday of Week 4 of December 2020 Location: Nevada

Attendance: 19,474 Gate: $5,687,782 PPV Revenue: $311,434

Critical Rating: 76% Commercial Rating: 100%

 

Commentary Team: Jon Anik, Joe Rogan and Dan Hardy

 

Preliminary Card

 

 

Welterweight: Tristan Connelly (14-7) vs. Callan Potter (19-9)

 

Tristan Connelly failed to make weight for this fight, which took something of an edge off what was an otherwise dominating performance, as he took Callan Potter down with ease and quickly transitioned into an armbar to force the tap.

 

Result: Tristan 'Boondock' Connelly beat Callan 'The Rockstar' Potter by submission due to an armbar in 1:57 of Round 1

 

 

Women’s Bantamweight: Bethe Correira (12-4-1) vs. Lina Lansberg (10-6)

 

It wasn’t always exciting but Lina Lansberg’s strategy of takedown attempts, most of which were successful, and clinchwork allowed her to dominate Bethe Correira for the majority of this contest. Correria landed some decent kicks in the third round, the most significant strikes of the fight, but she was otherwise still thoroughly dominated.

 

The fight went the distance and, very obviously, Lina Lansberg was given the unanimous decision victory.

 

Result: Lina 'Elbow Queen' Lansberg beat Bethe 'Pitbull' Correia by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 and 29-28)

 

 

Featherweight: Steve Garcia (12-4) vs. Zubaira Tukhugov (20-4-1)

 

Steve Garcia made short work of Zubaira Tukhugov, rocking him inside of thirty seconds with a right head kick, Garcia then dropping Tukhugov with a big right hand and finishing him off with some highly effective ground-and-pound.

 

Result: Steve 'Mean Machine' Garcia beat Zubaira 'Warrior' Tukhugov by knockout (punch) in 0:52 of Round 1

 

 

Flyweight: Rogerio Bontorin (16-3) vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov (13-4)

 

Rogerio Bontorin was raring to go even before the fight started, pacing around like a a caged tiger, and this aggression backfired in a big and brutal way, with Zhalgas Zhumagulov evading a right hand and countering with a powerful right hook that dropped Bontorin; Zhumagulov pounced on the chance to get the win, unloading a series of big right hands that forced the referee to step and in end this contest in just 48 seconds.

 

Naturally, Zhumagulov was fired up after that victory and so he used his post-fight interview to call for a fight with Brandon Moreno.

 

Result: Zhalgas 'Zhako' Zhumagulov beat Rogerio Bontorin by TKO due to strikes in 0:48 of Round 1

 

 

Lightweight: Maxim Divnich (14-2) vs. Rodrigo Vargas (12-4)

 

It took until the second round for this fight to get going, but when it did, it was worth the wait as both fighters started landing some very heavy blows. It was Divinich who landed the blows that mattered, first rocking Vargas with a wicked right uppercut; Vargas failed to stay standing and, when he’d fallen, Divnich was ready with the punches that forced the referee to step in and stop the fight.

 

Result: Maxim Divnich beat Rodrigo 'Kazula' Vargas by TKO due to strikes in 1:54 of Round 2

 

 

Light Heavyweight: Modestas Bukaukas (10-3) vs. William Knight (8-1)

 

This was mostly a stand-up battle, and a good one. The fight only went to the ground a couple of times, and both times it was initiated by Knight, who was noticeably tiring as the contest went on. It went the distance, and, while Bukauskas got the unanimous decision victory, the fight was more competitive than the scores suggest.

 

Result: Modestas Bukauskas beat William 'The Knightmare' Knight by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 and 29-28)

 

 

Middleweight: Omari Akhmedov (21-5-1) vs. Bradley Scott (12-6)

 

This was a good fight, one that saw Bradley Scott put in the kind of performance that showed he’d put his time away from the sport to good use, Scott showing more of the improvements he’d made to his game while sidelined. Akhmedov tried to make a fight of it, but it wasn’t until the third round that he finally had success, when he took Scott down. But Akhmedov couldn’t or wouldn’t do anything from top position, as he was content, it seemed, to just ride the fight out.

 

When the fight went the distance, the result was obvious, and Scott got the unanimous decision victory to go for 2-0 since returning to action.

 

Scott was obviously not minded to rest on the laurels of his continued comeback success, so he threw out a challenge to Brendan Allen when he was asked who’d like to fight next.

 

Result: Bradley 'Bear' Scott beat Omari Akhmedov by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27 and 29-28)

 

 

Middleweight: Oskar Piechota (12-3-1, 1NC) vs. Karl Roberson (9-3)

 

This fight was fantastic, packed with action and excitement, with the tide of battle constantly ebbing and flowing, both fighters having their moments yet not able to consistently dominate the other.

 

First blood was drawn by Roberson in the first round when he opened up a cut above the eye of Piechota with a straight left, yet Piechota was soon firing back and he delivered a big suplex to take Roberson down to the mat. In between rounds, Piechota’s cutman had to work hard to stem the bleeding from Piechota’s cut.

 

In the second round, Roberson had Piechota rocked after he landed a good left hand, but Piechota somehow managed to avoid Roberson’s follow up attacks long enough to clear his head and the fight resumed being a highly competitive affair that was having the fans really excited.

 

As the third round developed, it was hard to see who could come out on top if the fight went the distance, which is something that both fighters were keenly aware of as they continued to come forward in the hopes of delivering that fighting blow.

 

Yet this hard-hitting fight would end up being decided by a stunning submission, showing that anything can happen in the fight game. Piechota, who was looking tired, hit what seemed like a desperation takedown on Roberson just past the half-way mark of the third round, and it was almost looking like the excitement was ending before the fight was over. But Roberson was quick to start fighting back, throwing up punches that had Piechota leaning back to avoid from being hit.

 

And this was to prove a huge turning point in the fight because it forced Piechota to look for a different approach, and he quickly began trying to break the guard of Roberson, which he did, and, in doing so, Piechota was able to isolate the leg of Roberson and secure a tight heel hook and Roberson was hurriedly tapping out, less he suffer a serious injury, and the fans roared as this thrilling and exciting contest had come to a stunning but decisive conclusion.

 

When asked about his next opponent, Piechota said that he’d like to face Trevin Giles, with Piechota saying that he respected Giles and that he thinks that the two of them would have a great fight.

 

Result: Oskar 'Imadlo' Piechota beat Karl 'Baby K' Roberson by submission due to a heel hook in 4:12 of Round 3

 

 

Women’s Flyweight: Maycee Barber (9-1) vs. Emily Whitmore (4-4)

 

What the men can do, the women can do just as well, with this fight also lasting less than a minute and ending in brutal fashion. In this case, Barber stunned Whitmire early with a right head kick before piercing her guard with a hard right and dropping Whitmire. Barber rained down punches on her stunned opponent, and with Whitmire offering no defence, referee Yves Lavigne interceded to pull Barber away and end the fight in only 40 seconds.

 

Barber looked great in the fight, and in her post-fight interview, Barber coming across as someone who has the whole package of looks, charisma, etc, to be a superstar.

 

Result: Maycee 'The Future' Barber beat Emily 'Spitfire' Whitmire by TKO due to strikes in 0:40 of Round 1

 

 

Heavyweight: Chi Lewis-Perry (10-0, 2NC) vs. Justin Tafa (5-1)

 

The unbeaten run of Chi Lewis-Perry was halted in epic fashion, as Lewis, who was giving up at least 25lbs here, was drilled with a wicked left uppercut out of nowhere that knocked him out cold, Justin Tafa pulling off a major upset.

 

Tafa’s post-fight interview saw him readily acknowledge his victory as being a shock, but Tafa said that it shows what can happen when you believe in yourself.

 

Result: Justin 'Bad Man' Tafa beat Chi 'Chopper' Lewis-Parry by knockout (punch) in 0:36 of Round 1

 

Main Card

 

 

Heavyweight: Shamil Abdurakhimov (22-5) vs. Linton Vassell (21-8, 1NC)

 

Linton Vassell was making a much-anticipated UFC debut and the British standout showcased some fine skills in a fairly commanding performance, with Shamil Abdurakhimov finding himself stifled by the clinch-heavy game of Vassell. The action picked up in the second round when Vassell clinched up with Abdurakhimov and slammed him to the mat. Abdurakhimov was able to pull half-guard but that was the extent of his efforts to fend off the aggression of Vassell, with the Brit soon able to work his way into side-control, Vassell then delivering some knees to the ribs of his opponent before manoeuvring his way into the north-south position; Vassell promptly worked on securing a north-south choke and Abdurakhimov could only block it for so long before Vassell got the hold on tight and Abdurakhimov was forced to tap out.

 

In his post-fight interview, Vassell was very happy, and understandably so, the Brit clearly delighted at having won his debut in the UFC.

 

Result: Linton 'The Swarm' Vassell beat Shamil 'Abrek' Abdurakhimov by submission due to a north-south choke in 3:59 of Round 2

 

 

Lightweight: Kevin Lee (19-6) vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov (28-1)

 

Boy did this fight suck. Nurmagomedov, who was in a position of having to rebuild himself after losing the UFC Lightweight Championship and, with it, his undefeated record utilized the effective tactic of smothering and clinching to dominate much of the fight. But it made for a fight that was about as exciting to watch as a perpetually looped copy of a Best of Tim Sylvia DVD, which is available at flea markets across the country.

 

The only excitement of this dire affair came at the start of the third round when Lee landed a big right hand that had Nurmagomedov backing up and looking shaky. But the former champion was able to avoid the follow up and quickly clear his head, and the fight was back to being boring.

 

The fight went the distance, so the fans had to suffer through 15:00 of interminable boredom. It actually went a split-decision, and, on this night, luck was with Nurmagomedov as he came out the victor. It was the kind of performance and fight that did nothing to make you enthused to see Nurmagomedov get a title fight with whoever won the main event, so, while he walked away the winner, Nurmagomedov may have actually been the biggest loser of the night.

 

In what may have been an attempt to gain something out of this nightmare, Nurmagomedov physically grabbed the microphone from the interviewer and challenged Conor McGregor to a fight, Nurmagomedov vowing to destroy his old adversary.

 

Result: Khabib 'The Eagle' Nurmagomedov beat 'The Motown Phenom' Kevin Lee by split decision (29-28, 29-28 and 28-29)

 

 

UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion: Amanda Nunes © (20-4) vs. Aspen Ladd (10-1) for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship

 

It was time for the first title fight of the night as the dominant UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Amanda Nunes took on Aspen Ladd, Ladd the latest in a long line of challengers who, despite their impressive skill level, were the decided underdog against the most fearsome female fighter on the planet today.

 

Nunes came out for the first round with her trademark aggression, which saw her leave herself open to get countered with a quick left hook. Ladd, who was showing none of the apprehensiveness you might expect from someone facing a killer likes Nunes, came forward, as did Nunes, so you had plenty of action in this round.

 

And, in a surprise, it was Ladd who was landing more consistently than Nunes, with Ladd even delivering a strong body kick to the champion, a kick that was the most significant strike of a round that was far more competitive than people might have expected. As Ladd walked back to her corner at the end of the round, she was remarkably composed, as she should have been given that, in all likelihood, she had taken the first round on the scorecards.

 

Yet the champion wasn’t fazed by the early success of her challenger, unexpected as it was, and Nunes started the second round just as confidently as she started the first, as did Ladd, with the fight remaining a pure stand-up battle, and a competitive one at that. As the round was winding down, though, with neither fighter landing the kind of strike that Ladd did in the first, it was appearing to look like Ladd was perhaps breathing a little heavier; was it nerves or the pace of the fight that was starting to wear on her?

 

Whatever stamina issues she may have been having, Ladd continued to press forward in the third round, as did Nunes, neither fighter willing to give ground to the other. Just after the first minute of the round, Nunes dodged a big right head kick from Ladd, but thirty seconds later, Ladd landed a right head kick; Nunes did well to take it, but the champion didn’t take a powerful right hook that landed not too long after and the fans stood and roared as Nunes, the seemingly unbeatable monster, staggered back a few steps and fell to the mat. Ladd jumped on her chance to get the upset victory, Ladd pounding away on Nunes with some big shot, many of them clearly rocking Nunes.

 

Yet Ladd suddenly stopped punching Nunes, a fleeting grimace crossing her face before Ladd began working for an armbar. Nunes was able to block the submission from being fully applied, so Ladd transition to a kimura and then an arm triangle, Ladd moving on to a new submission hold as soon as Nunes tried to defend against the previous one. As the round came to an end, Nunes remained firmly on the defensive, the champion having to block elbows from the challenger as the stanza concluded, and there was a real buzz in the air as the challenger was looking like she was ahead two rounds to one against the usually dominant champion.

 

If Ladd had been suffering from stamina issues, they weren’t evident in the fourth round as she and Nunes both continued to press forward. Although both women had their successes, Ladd did land a pair of great looking kicks to the body of Nunes, kicks that may have had in effect on Nunes as she appeared to slow down ever so slightly as the fight developed. Perhaps because of this, Nunes’ corner shouted out some instructions that she acknowledged with a nod of the head, and, soon, after, Nunes began responding to the kicks of Ladd with kicks of her own, turning this fight into a kickboxing battle. As the round was coming to a close, Ladd, who was now definitely looking tired, was pulled into a clinch by Nunes, and, after some resistance, taken to the ground with an outside leg trip sweep. Nunes couldn’t do anything from here, as the round promptly ended, but it might have been the sort of move that would be enough to sway the minds of the judges when it came to scoring a very even round.

 

Early in the fifth round, it was evident that both women were tired, yet they both found the energy to keep coming forward; with the fight very likely tied on the scorecards, neither champion nor challenger could afford to slow down, even if they desperately wanted to. And both women were getting a little sloppy in their striking, missing punches or kicks that they would have otherwise been expected to land. Because of this, Nunes was going back to her clinch work, and, whilst her efforts to trip Ladd up were unsuccessful, the champion was able to force the challenger backwards, pushing her back up against the cage.

 

With her back to the cage, Ladd didn’t have the foot space to block third attempt at the leg trip, and she found herself taken down, but, most unfortunately, Ladd had inadvertently given up her back. Nunes got both hooks in, but not as quickly as you might think, as she normally did, and Nunes was breathing heavily and also looking like she had little left in the tank. Taking a deep breath, perhaps going for the big push, Nunes forcefully began working for a rear naked choke, and, as gassed as Nunes was, Ladd was gassed just as badly, and, maybe even worse, because was unable to stop the choke from being applied, to stop herself from then being flattened out, and Ladd, who had fought the fight of her life and pushed the champion harder than anyone else had ever done, had ever come close to doing, was forced to tap out, and Amanda Nunes had escaped from UFC 257 as still the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion.

 

Result: Amanda 'Leoa dos Ringues' Nunes beat Aspen Ladd by submission due to a rear naked choke in 2:51 of Round 5 to retain the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship

 

 

UFC Heavyweight Champion: Stipe Miocic © (20-3) vs. Derrick Lewis (24-7, 1NC) for the UFC Heavyweight Championship

 

Next up was the co-main event of the evening, the fight to see who would be king of the heavyweights in the UFC. Stipe Miocic was making the second defence of his second reign as heavyweight champion, while Lewis was getting his second chance at the heavyweight gold, after having come short against Daniel Cormier, the man whom Miocic lost and then regained the heavyweight title from. With so many weird coincidences connecting them, it was as if Miocic and Lewis had always been destined to meet.

 

As the two heavyweight fights faced off to get the final instructions from the referee, the difference between the two were stark; Stipe, no small man, looked slim compared to his more heavyset opponent, with Lewis coming into the fight with at least 25lbs on the champion. Yet, despite the difference in mass, they were otherwise similar in their dimensions, with Miocic being only one inch taller and having a one inch reach advantage.

 

With so much in common, in many ways, would it be that weight difference, the only major difference between the champion and the challenger that would decide the outcome of this heavyweight contest?

 

Lewis threw the first punch of the fight, a left jab; Miocic avoided the blow but he couldn’t avoid the right cross that followed. Miocic soon unleashed a flurry of punches, but could only land one punch, and he couldn’t quite land a body kick. The fighters then separated, each man assessing the other before moving forward to engage again, and the first round that followed was very even, although not as explosive as heavyweight contests can sometimes be, in part because both men were being extremely cautious.

 

The fight itself was fairly technical, both mean being quite measured in their approach. Miocic would periodically try to land body kicks or head kicks, yet Lewis would always manage to avoid them, the challenger showing an evasiveness that belied his frame. Neither fighter landed anything major in the first round, which, when it was over, was one that could go either way when it came to judging.

 

The second round saw the aggression get ramped up and, inside of thirty seconds, Lewis landed a powerful right that Miocic somehow took and remained conscious. But the champion couldn’t remain upright, Miocic losing his foot despite his best efforts to stay standing. As the Miocic hit the mat, Lewis was in like a shot, trying to get the finish; Lewis landed some big punches, but not all of his shots were landing, giving Miocic the chance to stay in the fight, which he did by holding on as tight as he could to the challenger who sought to take his title.

 

Lewis kept trying to land punches, while Miocic kept trying to pull guard; neither fighter could achieve their goal, their opponent able to keep them from doing so, so the round played out as a stalemate, the champion unable get their opponent in guard, the challenger unable to land the big shots that would undoubtedly get him the win. When the round ended, and the fighters went back to their respective corners, this one could clearly be scored in favour of Lewis; despite not getting the finish, he had rocked and dropped the champion with the most decisive blows of the fight so far.

 

The fighters came out for the third round, and, as Miocic and Lewis moved forward, it looked like both champion and challenger were breathing heavily after the exertions of the previous round. Although both fighters landed some shots, none of them had serious power behind them, so neither man was trouble.

 

That all changed when, with just over a minute gone in the round, Lewis slipped past a right hook and landed a thunderous right hook that caught Miocic flush and the heavyweight champion dropped to the mat in a crumpled heap, Miocic having knocked unconscious by the punch that Lewis had landed, and Derrick Lewis had pulled off the upset and was now the new UFC Heavyweight Champion of the World!

 

Lewis looked beyond thrilled as he was interviewed post-fight, ‘The Black Beast' gripping the UFC Heavyweight Championship with both hands as he wore it proudly around his waist. And the new champion had a challenger inmind, with Lewis stating that he’d hope to be able to take on Junior Dos Santos, and that would be a fight that would give Lewis the chance to avenge a previous loss, with JDS having beaten Lewis early last year.

 

Result: Derrick 'The Black Beast' Lewis beat Stipe Miocic by knockout (punch) in 1:41 of Round 3 to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship

 

 

UFC Lightweight Champion: Tony Ferguson © (26-3) vs. Conor McGregor (23-4) for the UFC Lightweight Championship

 

The atmosphere in the arena was incredible to experience, it was the kind of atmosphere you only get when the biggest superstars are in action and with Conor McGregor, there is no bigger superstar in MMA or all of combat sports.

 

There was electricity in the air as McGregor made his way to the ring, and McGregor, in a rarity for the Irishman, was coming out first, which he was doing tonight only because he was the challenger in this championship contest, McGregor looking to once more reign as the king of the UFC’s lightweight division. But as McGregor was making his final preparations before entering the cage, the commentators stressed how McGregor was facing the toughest test of his career, because, even though Khabib Nurmagomedov had beaten McGregor, he was taking on an opponent who had handled Nurmagomedov with ease; if McGregor was beaten by Khabib, how could he handle facing the person who had proved himself so superior to Khabib?

 

Yet if McGregor was worried in any way, if was doubting himself in the slightest, it didn’t show, as McGregor was displaying the confidence that had long become his hallmark, the Irishman looking calm as he entered the cage, totally focused on the task ahead, and the commentators noted that McGregor wasn’t as gregarious as he might normally be, a sign as to just how seriously he was taking his opponent.

 

As you’d expect for someone facing McGregor, Tony Ferguson got a mixed reaction; although ‘El Cucy’ had his support, the fans, as is usually the case in these situations, were behind the bigger name, the superstar. Could Ferguson become a superstar himself, by beating McGregor and ascending to the level of superstardom that a fighter of his talents deserved?

 

Like McGregor, Ferguson was composed as he entered the cage, and it was quite clear that Ferguson was not letting himself be awed by the biggest superstar in combat sports, with the commentators remarking that some opponents of McGregor are beaten before they fight him, because the occasion, the prospect of facing a worldwide superstar on a worldwide stage, gets to them mentally, and takes them out of their game.

 

During the introductions, neither Ferguson nor McGregor took their eyes off each other, nor did they break their game face, both men unwilling to let the other see that they had in any way been affected by the fight that lay ahead. When they were brought to the centre of the cage for final instructions, Ferguson and McGregor remained stoic, and, whilst they did touch gloves, you felt it was reflexive, an automated response to the words of the referee; both men were so in ‘the zone’, that there was nothing else in the world but the opponent who stood before them.

 

The first round started and the atmosphere was incredible as the two fighters circled each other, throwing out a few tentative strikes, both men trying to gauge the other. Ferguson and McGregor moved in close; Ferguson hit a nice right jab, but McGregor caught the follow up right hand before responding with a right jab of his own, McGregor then landing a left hook.

 

Ferguson landed a left jab before going for a big roundhouse kick to the body, but McGregor avoid the kick, the Irishman then darting in to land four quick jabs and then a nice left hook. McGregor then switched from the southpaw stance to a traditional stance, and this seemed to work for McGregor, who dodged a right hand from Ferguson before countering a right left jab, although a right hand narrowly failed to connect.

 

Ferguson then decided to come in close, the champion landing a good jab but going slightly wide with a right cross. This seemed to inspire McGregor, who, for the first time in the fight, started a little trash talk, something that was not missed by the commentators or the fans. Yet Ferguson remained undaunted, the champion coming forward with a leg kick; but it missed, leaving Ferguson off-balance and allowing McGregor to counter with a left jab. McGregor went for a right cross as well, but Ferguson managed to avoid that, so the challenger wasn’t having everything his own way.

 

The fighters resumed coming together, exchanging strikes; Ferguson landed a left hook, but McGregor missed a left jab before delivering a wicked right uppercut, and, out of absolutely nowhere, Ferguson dropped to the canvas, completely unconscious, and the fans erupted into incredible cheers as the referee rushed in to stop McGregor, and the fans got even louder as the fight was officially halted, and Conor McGregor, the biggest superstar in combat sports, had done what he had set out to achieve, as McGregor once more stood atop the UFC’s lightweight division as he was once again the UFC Lightweight Champion!

 

Result: 'Notorious' Conor McGregor beat Tony 'El Cucuy' Ferguson by knockout (punch) in 2:26 of Round 1 to win the UFC Lightweight Championship

 

Post-Fight Bonuses

 

Fight of the Night: Oskar Piechota vs. Karl Roberson

Performance of the Night: Conor McGregor

Knockout of the Night: Justin Tafa

Submission of the Night: Amanda Nunes

 

Predictions

 

CageRage: (9/15)

CageRage (overall): (157/270; 58.14%)

 

Majster: (10/15)

Majster (overall): (20/31; 64.51%)

 

From the author:And just like that, Majster overtakes CageRage for having the best overall percentage of correct predictions. They both picked the same winner for eight fights and were right in six of those picks; the two they both missed out on were Lina Lansberg and Derrick Lewis.

[Fantabulous]

Ronda Rousey returns to the UFC; will face Holly Holm at UFC 259

 

 

Ronda Rousey returns to the UFC; will face Holly Holm at UFC 259

 

Saturday of Week 4 of December 2020

 

In perhaps the biggest surprise of the year, especially because of how quiet the efforts to put it together were kept, at today’s press conference for UFC 257, the UFC ended it with the shock announcement that Ronda Rousey was coming back to the UFC and that she would be facing Holly Holm, who was herself coming out of retirement, at UFC 259, an event that is going to be titled Repeat or Revenge.

 

It was at UFC 193 in November of 2015 when Holm shocked the world with the biggest title upset in UFC history by knocking Rousey out to both claim the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship and end Rousey’s undefeated record. The upset made headlines around the sporting world, and it made Holm a household name. Rousey would return to action just over a year later, to challenge Amanda Nunes, who had since won the bantamweight title; her efforts ended in a scant 48 seconds and Rousey would subsequently retire from the sport of MMA and enter the world of professional wrestling.

 

Now, with her wrestling career behind her, Rousey has made the jump back into MMA, and her first order of business is to attempt to gain revenge on the person who upset her back at UFC 193.

 

For Holm, her career entered into a decidedly rocky patch after upsetting Rousey; she lost the bantamweight title in her very first title defence, to Miesha Tate, before going 4-4 in her next eight fights, with her last fight taking place at UFC 252, a fight which saw her avenge a controversial loss to Germaine de Randamie. It was after that fight that Holm announced her retirement, but the prospect of facing Rousey once again was enough to reignite the competitive fire and Holm is back in the fight game.

 

Will Holm be able to repeat her shocking upset of Rousey? Or will Rousey gain the revenge that she desperately seeks?

 

In the co-main event, it’s a fight that would also be befitting of UFC 259’s title, as Dominick Cruz defends the UFC Bantamweight Championship against Cody Garbrandt. Back at UFC 207, Cruz defended the bantamweight title against Garbrandt, and, on that occasion, Garbrandt took the title by way of unanimous decision. Garbrandt would lose the title on his first defence, and lose the next two fights after that, before going on a run of three straight victories, the last of which saw him avenge a prior loss to Pedro Munhoz.

 

Now, Garbrandt finds himself in with a chance of reclaiming the bantamweight title, however, he must wrest it away from a champion who dominated the seemingly unbeatable Henry Cejudo, and turned back the threat of rising superstar Aljamain Sterling. Dominic Cruz is considered one of the best bantamweights of all time, a claim that would gain more credence were he to avenge his first title loss.

 

Will Cruz be able to avenge that loss? Or will Garbrandt repeat the success he had at UFC 207?

 

In the second title fight of the night, another cornerstone of the UFC returns to the octagon as Demetrious Johnson will challenge Alexandre Pantoja for the UFC Flyweight Championship.

 

For six years, there was only one flyweight champion in the UFC, the first champion, Demetrious Johnson. For the 11 fights that spanned those six years, Johnson turned back challenger after challenger, with an ease that made it seem like he something beoyond mortal, with an ease that had many hailing Johnson as perhaps the greatest of all time. But even Rome fell, and Johnson finally lost his flyweight title, with Henry Cejudo managing to take it away from him with a split-decision win at UFC 227.

 

Following this loss, Johnson left the UFC, hoping to regroup away from the spotlight of the biggest promotion in the world. Now, with his time in the wilderness over, Johnson has returned to the UFC to reclaim the title he was the first person to ever hold, and perhaps also reclaim his status as one of the best in the world.

 

Johnson, though, must face a champion who will be intent on retaining a title he has only recently claimed.

 

With Henry Cejudo electing to vacate the flyweight title to focus on defending the bantamweight title, it was Pantoja and Kai Kara-France who fought to fill that vacancy at UFC 253, and, after an intense and gruelling fight that went the distance, it was Pantoja who emerged victorious to claim the UFC Flyweight Championship and become only the third champion in the title’s history.

 

Yet no sooner had Pantoja won the title than the news broke that Johnson would be returning to the UFC, making it all but assured as to who Pantoja’s first challenger would be, and now, with the speculation confirmed, Pantoja must ready himself for what will surely be the fight of his life, and it is a fight he must win if he is to remain the UFC Flyweight Champion.

 

Also at UFC 259, perennial middleweight contender Ronaldo Souza takes on one of the hottest prospects in the division, Brad Tavares; a win for Souza would affirm his status as a threat in the middleweight division, whilst a win for Tavares, and it would be the biggest win of his career, would instantly propel him into the spotlight.

 

In the light heavyweight division, Volkan Oezdemir looks to keep his good run of form going when he faces Ovince St. Preux. Oezdemir’s 2020 saw him win two big fights, against Nikita Krylov and Thiago Santos, and a win over Ovince St. Preux would cement his status in the top ten of the light heavyweight division. However, St. Preux will be no pushover; St. Preux’s last fight saw him spoil the UFC debut of Jiri Prochzaka, and a victory over a competitor like Oezdemir, on the run of form he’s experiencing, would put St. Preux firmly in the top ten, so this is a fight with potential contendership implications.

 

And kicking off the main card is a heavyweight collision that could last 15-minutes or 15-seconds, as a battle of the heavy-handed strikers pits Anthony Johnson against Alexander Volkov.

 

This historic and potentially legendary night of action, which includes a preliminary card that features a number of anticipated UFC debuts, takes place on Saturday of Week 4 of February next year, and it all goes down in New York.

 

Main Card

 

 

Women’s Bantamweight: Ronda Rousey (12-2) vs. Holly Holm (14-5)

 

 

UFC Bantamweight Champion: Dominick Cruz © (24-2) vs. Cody Garbrandt (14-3) for the UFC Bantamweight Championship

 

 

UFC Flyweight Champion: Alexandre Pantoja © (23-4) vs. Demetrious Johnson (30-3-1) for the UFC Flyweight Championship

 

 

Middleweight: Ronaldo Souza (28-8, 1NC) vs. Brad Tavares (18-6)

 

 

Light Heavyweight: Volkan Oezdemir (19-4) vs. Ovince St. Preux (25-12)

 

 

Heavyweight: Anthony Johnson (23-7) vs. Alexander Volkov (33-7)

 

Preliminary Card

 

 

Welterweight: Michael Hill (11-4) vs. Luigi Vendramini (9-1)

 

 

Featherweight: Shuya Kamikubo (12-1-1) vs. Luis Pena (9-2)

 

 

Featherweight: Martin Buschkamp (9-1-1) vs. Yutaka Saito (19-4-2)

 

 

Bantamweight: Darrion Caldwell (17-3) vs. Joey Gomez (7-2)

 

 

Bantamweight: Miles Johns (11-1) vs. Luis Rafael Laurentino (36-3)

 

 

Bantamweight: Chris Guiterrez (15-3-1) vs. Matheus Mattos (14-1-1)

 

 

Women’s Bantamweight: Julia Avila (7-2) vs. Juliana Pena (9-4)

 

 

Women’s Flyweight: Polian Bothelo (8-3) vs. Wu Yanan (11-4)

 

 

Women’s Strawweight: Karolina Kowalkiewicz (12-7) vs. Jessica Penne (12-5)

 

 

Women’s Strawweight: Nadia Kassem (8-2) vs. Ashley Yoder (7-6)

[Fantabulous]

<p>UFC Rankings for Sunday, Week 4 of December 2020</p><p> </p><p>

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

<img alt="gNsAC54.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/gNsAC54.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p>

<img alt="tgyxYfu.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/tgyxYfu.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p>

<img alt="Xawualk.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Xawualk.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p>

<img alt="WLmqrSs.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/WLmqrSs.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p>

<img alt="hRgWCq8.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/hRgWCq8.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p>

<img alt="gvw6crq.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/gvw6crq.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p>

<img alt="y7yC0ti.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/y7yC0ti.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p>

<img alt="co6fohm.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/co6fohm.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p>

<img alt="dRDyBEX.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/dRDyBEX.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p>

<img alt="hjfSiZa.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/hjfSiZa.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p>

<img alt="9s7LyGF.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/9s7LyGF.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p>

[McDojoDelux]

Main Card

 

Women’s Bantamweight: Ronda Rousey (12-2) vs. Holly Holm (14-5)

 

 

UFC Bantamweight Champion: Dominick Cruz © (24-2) vs. Cody Garbrandt (14-3) for the UFC Bantamweight Championship

 

 

UFC Flyweight Champion: Alexandre Pantoja © (23-4) vs. Demetrious Johnson (30-3-1) for the UFC Flyweight Championship

 

 

Middleweight: Ronaldo Souza (28-8, 1NC) vs. Brad Tavares (18-6)

 

 

Light Heavyweight: Volkan Oezdemir (19-4) vs. Ovince St. Preux (25-12)

 

 

Heavyweight: Anthony Johnson (23-7) vs. Alexander Volkov (33-7)

 

 

 

Preliminary Card

 

 

 

Welterweight: Michael Hill (11-4) vs. Luigi Vendramini (9-1)

 

 

Featherweight: Shuya Kamikubo (12-1-1) vs. Luis Pena (9-2)

 

 

Featherweight: Martin Buschkamp (9-1-1) vs. Yutaka Saito (19-4-2)

 

 

Bantamweight: Darrion Caldwell (17-3) vs. Joey Gomez (7-2)

 

 

Bantamweight: Miles Johns (11-1) vs. Luis Rafael Laurentino (36-3)

 

 

Bantamweight: Chris Guiterrez (15-3-1) vs. Matheus Mattos (14-1-1)

 

 

Women’s Bantamweight: Julia Avila (7-2) vs. Juliana Pena (9-4)

 

Women’s Flyweight: Polian Bothelo (8-3) vs. Wu Yanan (11-4)

 

 

Women’s Strawweight: Karolina Kowalkiewicz (12-7) vs. Jessica Penne (12-5)

 

 

Women’s Strawweight: Nadia Kassem (8-2) vs. Ashley Yoder (7-6)

[Majster_93]

Main Card

 

Women’s Bantamweight: Ronda Rousey (12-2) vs. Holly Holm (14-5)

 

 

UFC Bantamweight Champion: Dominick Cruz © (24-2) vs. Cody Garbrandt (14-3) for the UFC Bantamweight Championship

 

 

UFC Flyweight Champion: Alexandre Pantoja © (23-4) vs. Demetrious Johnson (30-3-1) for the UFC Flyweight Championship

 

 

Middleweight: Ronaldo Souza (28-8, 1NC) vs. Brad Tavares (18-6)

 

 

Light Heavyweight: Volkan Oezdemir (19-4) vs. Ovince St. Preux (25-12)

 

 

Heavyweight: Anthony Johnson (23-7) vs. Alexander Volkov (33-7)

 

 

 

Preliminary Card

 

 

 

Welterweight: Michael Hill (11-4) vs. Luigi Vendramini (9-1)

 

 

Featherweight: Shuya Kamikubo (12-1-1) vs. Luis Pena (9-2)

 

 

Featherweight: Martin Buschkamp (9-1-1) vs. Yutaka Saito (19-4-2)

 

 

Bantamweight: Darrion Caldwell (17-3) vs. Joey Gomez (7-2)

 

 

Bantamweight: Miles Johns (11-1) vs. Luis Rafael Laurentino (36-3)

 

 

Bantamweight: Chris Guiterrez (15-3-1) vs. Matheus Mattos (14-1-1)

 

 

Women’s Bantamweight: Julia Avila (7-2) vs. Juliana Pena (9-4)

 

 

Women’s Flyweight: Polian Bothelo (8-3) vs. Wu Yanan (11-4)

 

 

Women’s Strawweight: Karolina Kowalkiewicz (12-7) vs. Jessica Penne (12-5)

 

 

Women’s Strawweight: Nadia Kassem (8-2) vs. Ashley Yoder (7-6)

[Fantabulous]

News Blast

 

Saturday of Week 4 of December 2020

 

 

Sunday of Week 4 of December 2020

 

[Fantabulous]

News Blast

 

Monday of Week 1 of January 2021

 

 

Tuesday of Week 1 of January 2021

 

 

Wednesday of Week 1 of January 2021

 

 

Thursday of Week 1 of January 2021

 

 

 

 

Emily Whitmire has moved down to the strawweight division.

 

Friday of Week 1 of January 2021

 

 

 

Women’s Featherweight: Sheila Blakey (33-0) vs. Ailbhe Krauss (23-7)

 

Result: Sheila Blakey beat ‘Buster' Ailbhe Krauss by TKO

 

 

From the author: UFC on ESPN 12 will be posted tomorrow night, with a main event that we never got in real life, but would have been very interesting to see. Here is a reminder of the card for predictions, comment, etc;

 

UFC on ESPN 12: Cormier vs. Dos Santos

 

Main Card

 

Heavyweight: Daniel Cormier (22-3, 1NC) vs. Junior Dos Santos (23-7)

Flyweight: Kai Kara-France (22-9, 1NC) vs. Eric Shelton (15-6)

Middleweight: Rafael Carvalho (18-4) vs. Urijah Hall (16-10)

Women’s Featherweight: Gabriel Holloway (7-5) vs. Riley Spooner (9-0)

Women’s Featherweight: Julia Budd (13-4) vs. Felicia Spencer (12-2)

Featherweight: Edson Barboza (20-8) vs. Jeremy Stephens (29-18)

 

Preliminary Card

 

Heavyweight: Tom Aspinall (9-2) vs. Maurice Green (9-5)

Bantamweight: Hunter Azure (8-1) vs. Jack Shore (13-0)

Featherweight: Calvin Kattar (20-5) vs. Guan Wang (20-1-1-)

Lightweight: Alex da Silva (21-2) vs. Marc Diakiese (15-3)

Light Heavyweight: Magomed Ankalaev (13-2) vs. Bojan Mihajlovic (10-7)

Welterweight: Lyman Good (22-5, 1NC) vs. Chad Laprise (14-4)

Welterweight: Belal Muhammad (16-4) vs. Peter Sobotta (17-6)

Welterweight: Philip Rowe (7-2) vs. Cole Williams (11-3)

Featherweight: Aalon Cruz (8-3) vs. Bharat Kandare (5-3)

[CageRage]

UFC on ESPN 12: Cormier vs. Dos Santos

 

Main Card

 

Heavyweight: Daniel Cormier (22-3, 1NC) vs. Junior Dos Santos (23-7)

Flyweight: Kai Kara-France (22-9, 1NC) vs. Eric Shelton (15-6)

Middleweight: Rafael Carvalho (18-4) vs. Urijah Hall (16-10)

Women’s Featherweight: Gabriel Holloway (7-5) vs. Riley Spooner (9-0)

Women’s Featherweight: Julia Budd (13-4) vs. Felicia Spencer (12-2)

Featherweight: Edson Barboza (20-8) vs. Jeremy Stephens (29-18)

 

Preliminary Card

 

Heavyweight: Tom Aspinall (9-2) vs. Maurice Green (9-5)

Bantamweight: Hunter Azure (8-1) vs. Jack Shore (13-0)

Featherweight: Calvin Kattar (20-5) vs. Guan Wang (20-1-1-)

Lightweight: Alex da Silva (21-2) vs. Marc Diakiese (15-3)

Light Heavyweight: Magomed Ankalaev (13-2) vs. Bojan Mihajlovic (10-7)

Welterweight: Lyman Good (22-5, 1NC) vs. Chad Laprise (14-4)

Welterweight: Belal Muhammad (16-4) vs. Peter Sobotta (17-6)

Welterweight: Philip Rowe (7-2) vs. Cole Williams (11-3)

Featherweight: Aalon Cruz (8-3) vs. Bharat Kandare (5-3)

[Fantabulous]

<p>UFC on ESPN 12: Cormier vs. Dos Santos</p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="vsaa7XB.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/vsaa7XB.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:'Arial Black';"><span style="font-size:24px;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><span style="color:#FF8C00;">UFC on ESPN 12: Cormier vs. Dos Santos</span></span></strong></span></span></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Date:</strong></span> Saturday of Week 1 of January 2021 <span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Location:</strong></span> Washington </p><p> <span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Attendance:</strong></span> 4,882 <span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Gate:</strong></span> $1,098,450</p><p> <span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Critical Rating:</strong></span> 71% <span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Commercial Rating:</strong></span> 82%</p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Commentary Team:</strong></span> Jon Anik, Joe Rogan and Dan Hardy</p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:'Arial Black';"><span style="font-size:18px;"><span style="color:#FF8C00;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Preliminary Card</span></strong></span></span></span></p><p> </p><p> <img alt="08L6BQF.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/08L6BQF.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="QZRRwN2.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/QZRRwN2.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Tahoma;"><strong>Featherweight:</strong></span> Aalon Cruz <em>(8-3)</em> <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Bharat Kandare <em>(5-3)</em></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Arial;">The night got off to an exciting start with a short fight that had a brutal knockout; Cruz landed a sick right head kick out of nowhere that knocked Kandare out cold. Cruz was all-too happy, and justifiably so, after that finish, which he referred to as a highlight reel finish and it is a finish that will surely be in contention for Knockout of the Year.</span></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Result:</span></strong></span></span> Aalon Cruz <strong>beat</strong> Bharat Kandare <span style="color:#000080;"><strong>by knockout </strong></span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong><em>(kick)</em></strong></span> in 1:21 of Round 1</p><p> </p><p> <img alt="WFt7rQa.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/WFt7rQa.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="DSxcoEh.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/DSxcoEh.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Tahoma;"><strong>Welterweight:</strong></span> Philip Rowe <em>(7-2)</em> <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Cole Williams <em>(11-3)</em></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Arial;">Although Williams dominate Rowe in the first round, all he did was smother Rowe on the ground and it was Rowe who landed the most significant strike of the round, Rowe dropping Williams with a head kick right at the end of the round. The second round followed a similar pattern, but with Rowe able to land more strikes and avoid the takedown of Williams until late on in the round. Rowed even busted Williams open, inflicting a cut that momentarily halted the fight so that the doctor could check it out. The third round was almost all Williams smothering Rowe the ground, Williams able to control the action but not actually do much with that control. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> Despite Williams controlling the fight, it was Rowe who got the unanimous decision, with Rowe having delivered more damage and been far more aggressive.</span></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Result:</span></strong></span></span> Philip ‘The Fresh Prince' Rowe <strong>beat</strong> Cole ‘The Edge' Williams <span style="color:#000080;"><strong>by unanimous decision </strong></span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong><em>(29-28, 29-28 and 29-28)</em></strong></span> </p><p> </p><p> <img alt="4Qa2vrn.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/4Qa2vrn.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="guy3ehW.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/guy3ehW.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Tahoma;"><strong>Welterweight:</strong></span> Belal Muhammad <em>(16-4)</em> <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Peter Sobotta <em>(17-6)</em></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Arial;">Although Peter Sobotta had his moments, and landed some decent shots, Belal Muhammad dominated this fight. Muhammad’s head movement, speed and reflexes were better, and Sobotta had problems with them throughout this contest, with Muhammed also having Sobotta rocked a couple of times.</span></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Result:</span></strong></span></span> Belal ‘Remember the Name' Muhammad <strong>beat</strong> Peter Sobotta <span style="color:#000080;"><strong>by unanimous decision </strong></span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong><em>(30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)</em></strong></span></p><p> </p><p> <img alt="08HlkRA.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/08HlkRA.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="o9ImBLt.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/o9ImBLt.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Tahoma;"><strong>Welterweight:</strong></span> Lyman Good <em>(22-5, 1NC)</em> <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Chad Laprise <em>(14-4)</em></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Arial;">This was a fantastic fight, a total kickboxing battle with neither fighter making any attempt to take things to the ground. Good and Laprise exchanged a variety of punches and kicks for one round and change, with Laprise actually opening Good up in the first round, as Good suffered a cut above the eye after taking a head kick. But it was Good who delivered the most important strike of the fight, Good dropping Laprise almost right away at the start of the second round with a wicked head kick. Laprise was dropped and Good proceeded to pound Laprise out, with one of the punches knocking Laprise unconscious, causing the referee to intercede and stop the fight.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> Good showed himself to be a charismatic talker in his post-fight interview, one he which used to challenge Michael Hill.</span></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Result:</span></strong></span></span> Lyman ‘Cyborg' Good <strong>beat</strong> Chad ‘The Disciple' Laprise <span style="color:#000080;"><strong>by knockout </strong></span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong><em>(punch)</em></strong></span> in 0:44 of Round 2</p><p> </p><p> <img alt="3QsEAdQ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/3QsEAdQ.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="snQB8Cd.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/snQB8Cd.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Tahoma;"><strong>Light Heavyweight:</strong></span> Magomed Ankalaev <em>(13-2)</em> <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Bojan Mihajlovic <em>(10-7)</em></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Arial;">This was a decent fight, fine but not outstanding. Ankalaev got the finish near the end of the first round, dropping Mihajlovic with a brutal right hand and then finishing him off with some ground-and-pound.</span></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Result:</span></strong></span></span> Magomed Ankalaev <strong>beat</strong> Bojan Mihajlovic <span style="color:#000080;"><strong>by TKO </strong></span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong><em>due to strikes</em></strong></span> in 4:53 of Round 1</p><p> </p><p> <img alt="DDZg0g4.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/DDZg0g4.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="ujAwQAj.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ujAwQAj.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Tahoma;"><strong>Lightweight:</strong></span> Marc Diakiese <em>(15-3)</em> <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Alex da Silva <em>(21-2)</em></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Arial;">Diakiese lived up to his nickname in this fight, dropping and stopping da Silva in little over a minute, Diakiese putting in the kind of showing that would surely put the entire lightweight division on notice. In his post-fight interview, Diakiese said that he can always rely on his punching power, so, if he lands the punch, it’s probably ending the fight.</span></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Result:</span></strong></span></span> Marc ‘Bonecrusher' Diakiese <strong>beat</strong> Alex ‘Leko' da Silva <span style="color:#000080;"><strong>by knockout </strong></span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong><em>(punch)</em></strong></span> in 1:07 of Round 1</p><p> </p><p> <img alt="75wgx0M.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/75wgx0M.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="cuKnoLR.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/cuKnoLR.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Tahoma;"><strong>Featherweight:</strong></span> Calvin Kattar <em>(20-5)</em> <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Guan Wang <em>(20-1-1-)</em></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Arial;">Wang was the +480 underdog against Kattar, the -380 favourite, but the oddsmakers got this one so, so wrong because Wang destroyed Kattar, rocking him with the first significant strike he threw, a stinging right high kick, with Wang then dropping Kattar with a big right hook, and following up on that </span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><em>by pounding Kattar out for the stunning upset in just 46 seconds</em></span><span style="font-family:Arial;">.</span></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Result:</span></strong></span></span> ‘The Dongbi Tiger' Guan Wang <strong>beat</strong> ‘The Boston Finisher' Calvin Kattar <span style="color:#000080;"><strong>by TKO </strong></span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong><em>due to strikes</em></strong></span> in 0:46 of Round 1</p><p> </p><p> <img alt="WrTZeYM.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/WrTZeYM.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="xCP0K9G.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/xCP0K9G.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Tahoma;"><strong>Bantamweight:</strong></span> Hunter Azure <em>(8-1)</em> <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Jack Shore <em>(13-0)</em></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Arial;">The story of this fight was told in the first forty seconds, with Azure grabbing the cage three times to stop from being taken down. The referee saw the first attempt and issued a verbal warning; the referee would miss the second grab, but not the third and he stopped the fight to take a point off Azure. Shore was able to take Azure down with ease, while Azure, despite repeated efforts, couldn’t take Shore down. The best Azure could manage was pressing Shore back up against the fence; other than that, he couldn’t get in any offence and was pretty ineffective for the whole fight.</span></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Result:</span></strong></span></span> Jack ‘Tank' Shore <strong>beat</strong> Hunter Azure <span style="color:#000080;"><strong>by unanimous decision </strong></span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong><em>(30-26, 29-27 and 29-27)</em></strong></span></p><p> </p><p> <img alt="WHx9emD.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/WHx9emD.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="CbfW7sn.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/CbfW7sn.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Tahoma;"><strong>Heavyweight:</strong></span> Tom Aspinall <em>(9-2)</em> <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Maurice Green <em>(9-5)</em></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Arial;">The night was full of short and explosive fights, and this was one of them, with Greene derailing the rising heavyweight Aspinall in brutal fashion, dropping him with a right hook and then destroying him with punches to force the stoppage. Greened showed natural charisma in his post-fight interview as he challenged Justin Tafa/</span></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Result:</span></strong></span></span> Maurice ‘The Crochet Boss' Greene <strong>beat</strong> Tom Aspinall <span style="color:#000080;"><strong>by TKO </strong></span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong><em>due to strikes</em></strong></span> in 1:09 of Round 1</p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:'Arial Black';"><span style="font-size:18px;"><span style="color:#FF8C00;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Main Card</span></strong></span></span></span></p><p> </p><p> <img alt="6uaCL3U.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/6uaCL3U.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="ktjdBc6.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ktjdBc6.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Tahoma;"><strong>Featherweight:</strong></span> Edson Barboza <em>(20-8)</em> <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Jeremy Stephens <em>(29-18)</em></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Arial;">After a hiatus due various issues, Edson Barboza announced his return in grand and spectacular fashion in the first fight on the main card. Barboza had Stephens in serious trouble inside of 20 seconds, with Stephens not surviving for much longer before getting dropped and destroyed, </span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><em>the referee stopping the fight in only 53 seconds</em></span><span style="font-family:Arial;"> and Edson Barboza was back in a big way.</span></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Result:</span></strong></span></span> Edson ‘Junior' Barboza <strong>beat</strong> ‘Lil' Heathen' Jeremy Stephens <span style="color:#000080;"><strong>by TKO </strong></span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong><em>due to strikes</em></strong></span> in 0:53 of Round 1 </p><p> </p><p> <img alt="d7sosmT.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/d7sosmT.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="owTTGht.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/owTTGht.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Tahoma;"><strong>Women’s Featherweight:</strong></span> Julia Budd <em>(13-4)</em> <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Felicia Spencer <em>(12-2)</em></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Arial;">With Julia Budd making her UFC debut, she was looking to make a good impression, and she certainly did that in this highly competitive affair. The fight was mostly contested on the ground, where Budd gave Felicia Spencer all she could handle, making things extremely challenging for her in the first round. It took until the second round for Spencer to have sustained success against Budd, but even then she had to fight for it with Budd showing great defence on the mat.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> Spencer had better success in the third round and, late on she finally broke the submission defence of Budd and secured a tight rear naked choke to force the submission. Felicia Spencer had won the fight, but Julia Budd had definitely proven that she belonged in the UFC.</span></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Result:</span></strong></span></span> Felicia ‘FeeNom' Spencer <strong>beat</strong> Julia ‘The Jewel' Budd <span style="color:#000080;"><strong>by submission </strong></span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong><em>due to a rear naked choke</em></strong></span> in 4:25 of Round 3</p><p> </p><p> <img alt="Wkl2s5F.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Wkl2s5F.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="AsbiMzF.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/AsbiMzF.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Tahoma;"><strong>Women’s Featherweight:</strong></span> Gabriel Holloway <em>(7-5)</em> <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Riley Spooner <em>(9-0)</em></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Arial;">It was time for the much-anticipated UFC debut of the highly rated taekwondo standout-turned MMA fighter Riley Spooner, with Spooner taking on a more experienced opponent, Gabrielle Holloway, who would provide her toughest to date, a test that would tell us just how far Spooner could potentially go in the UFC.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> The early returns were good for Spooner, after having tagged Holloway with some good punches, she then blocked a takedown attempt from Holloway with an excellent sprawl, a move that gave Spooner an air of the legendary Chuck Liddell. Spooner was both mixing up her strikes </span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><em>and</em></span><span style="font-family:Arial;"> where she was landing them, making it hard for Holloway to know what to defend against and it wasn’t long before Holloway was noticeably limping.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> With a minute to go in the round, Spooner landed a right head kick that had Holloway dazed and looking unsteady. Spooner looked to follow up with a Muay Thai clinch and, whilst she got the clinch, Spooner couldn’t land the killer blow she was looking for before the round ended.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> If anyone thought Spooner was just a stand-up fighter with a good sprawl, she put paid to that idea when she took Holloway down early in the second round. Spooner then surprised everyone, especially Holloway, when she loosened the guard and quickly secured the leg of Holloway with a heel hook and Holloway quickly tapped out, reminiscent of Ken Shamrock’s win over Pat Smith way back at UFC 2, with the fans cheering loudly as the debuting Spooner not only delivered a decisive victory out of nowhere but she’d done so in a manner that nobody had expected, with Spooner showing that she had a diverse skillset that could cause problems for anyone in the women’s featherweight division.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> Spooner’s was a class-act in her post-fight interview, Spooner carrying herself like a superstar and further making a name for herself in her UFC debut.</span></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Result:</span></strong></span></span> ‘Eternity' Riley Spooner <strong>beat</strong> Gabrielle ‘Gabanator' Holloway <span style="color:#000080;"><strong>by submission </strong></span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong><em>due to a heel hook</em></strong></span> in 1:14 of Round 2</p><p> </p><p> <img alt="s9Zk8d7.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/s9Zk8d7.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="i8vAgN2.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/i8vAgN2.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Tahoma;"><strong>Middleweight:</strong></span> Rafael Carvalho <em>(18-4)</em> <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Urijah Hall <em>(16-10)</em></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Arial;">With Rafael Carvalho making his UFC debut following the impressive UFC debut of Riley Spooner, you knew he’d want to make a good impression in this fight. And, whilst Carvalho would end up the victor, putting Hall away in the second round, the fight itself couldn’t quite match the quality of the previous fight. Carvalho did have some great moments though, rocking Hall a few times, once in the first round and then again before getting the finish, and he at least stood out in that regard</span></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Result:</span></strong></span></span> ‘The Blessed' Rafael Carvalho <strong>beat</strong> Uriah ‘Primetime' Hall <span style="color:#000080;"><strong>by TKO </strong></span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong><em>due to strikes</em></strong></span> in 2:42 of Round 2 </p><p> </p><p> <img alt="5bA9jfT.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/5bA9jfT.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="KTUzJSp.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/KTUzJSp.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Tahoma;"><strong>Flyweight:</strong></span> Kai Kara-France <em>(22-9, 1NC)</em> <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Eric Shelton <em>(15-6)</em></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Arial;">With both fighters having something to prove; Kara-France was having to rebound from falling short in his fight for the vacant flyweight title, while Shelton was looking to show that his victory in his first back in the UFC earlier in the year was no fluke. It was no surprise to see both fighters opening up by pressing forward, each of them mixing it up with punches and kicks. The first round was very even, although it did look like Shelton was inching ahead as the first round ended. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> In the second round, it started out even but Shelton landed a jumping front kick just over a minute in that dropped Kara-France. Shelton tried to pound Kara-France out, but Kara-France defended well enough that Shelton began looking for submissions. Kara-France fended them off well, but his attempts to scramble free only ended up allowing Shelton to take the north-south position, further putting Kara-France on the defensive, and, when the round ended, it was clear that Kara-France needed a finish if he wanted to win the fight.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> Kara-France tried to take Shelton down repeatedly early in the third round, but the best he could achieve was pushing Shelton back up against the cage. Getting used to the tactic, Shelton was able to defend against it when Kara-France tried to take him down again, with Kara-France also having no luck on the stand-up.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> And, at just past the half-way mark of the orund, that was made evident when Shelton landed a stiff head kick that knocked Kara-France out cold, sending him crashing to the mat.</span></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Result:</span></strong></span></span> Eric 'Showtime' Shelton <strong>beat</strong> Kai 'Don't Blink' Kara-France <span style="color:#000080;"><strong>by knockout </strong></span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong><em>(kick)</em></strong></span> in 2:57 of Round 3</p><p> </p><p> <img alt="WkU4emN.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/WkU4emN.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="v9pY2LQ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/v9pY2LQ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Tahoma;"><strong>Heavyweight:</strong></span> Daniel Cormier <em>(22-3, 1NC)</em> <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Junior Dos Santos <em>(23-7)</em></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Arial;">It was now time for the main event of the evening, a major clash in the heavyweight division, with a lot for the line for both men, as a victory for either one could put them in line for a title shot, especially if there was a decisive finish.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> JDS opened up with a combination that ended with a low kick, but the kick was a tad too slow and Cormier caught the leg of JDS and took him down to the mat. As Cormier smothered dos Santos against the ground, he tried to pass his guard; dos Santos was ready for this, though, and used the guard pass to and scramble to his feet. Yet Cormier was quick enough to grab dos Santos from behind, allowing him to maintain control of his opponent, and Cormier spent a couple of minutes controlling JDS and delivering a series of short punches to the side of his head.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> Cormier then changed tack, looking for and executing a trip takedown to get dos Santos down. But the Brazilian wasn’t ready to give up and he began scrambling and squirming free, and dos Santos was able to force Cormier to pull guard, and the Brazilian spent the last minute or so of the round hitting the occasional shoulder smash whilst keeping Cormier close to him to avoid submission attempts.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> JDS came out rather aggressively in the second round, keeping Cormier at bay with various punches and kicks, some of which landed. The action remained at somewhat of a distance, with Cormier unable to get in close enough to grapple, and dos Santos unwilling to get too close to Cormier in case his opponent got a hold of him. With about two minutes left in the round, Cormier managed to get in close enough to clinch up with dos Santos, Cormier then engaging in some dirty boxing to punish dos Santos, before transitioning into a Muay Thai clinch, with Cormier controlling dos Santos in this position for the rest of the round.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> The third round saw dos Santos again start aggressively, but it didn’t take long for Cormier to catch dos Santos coming in and take a hold of him. Cormier used some dirty boxing to set up a Muay Thai clinch, Cormier putting his new skill to good use, delivering some short elbows to dos Santos, and, although they were more aggravating than punishing, the accumulation of strikes was wearing dos Santos down, something clearly evident after he’d managed to break free and was taking some deep breaths.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> It didn’t take long for Cormier to get a hold of dos Santos again, Cormier not taking a single shot as he came in and got hold of dos Santos and slammed him to the mat. It wasn’t all bad for dos Santos as when Cormier tried to pass his guard, the Brazilian scrambled free and ended up in the top position. Yet all dos Santos could before the round ended manage was a few shoulder smashes, with Cormier responding with some short punches to the side of his head.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> In the fourth round, dos Santos was again doing his best to stay at a distance and keep Cormier at bay, but, as in earlier rounds, it didn’t take long for Cormier, even though he too was starting to tire, to get past the strikes of dos Santos and clinch with his opponent. Cormier resumed the dirty boxing he’d employed in previous rounds, as well as short strikes to the side of the head and some knees as well. Although dos Santos tried to break free, he simply couldn’t manage it and the Brazilian was looking heavily fatigued.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> The action slowed down enough for the referee to order a separation.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> When the action resumed, dos Santos threw some punches and kicks, but none of them landed, and Cormier caught the final kick and took dos Santos back down to the mat, ending up in half-guard. For the remainder of the round, Cormier threw some quick elbow strikes, although none of them landed with any impact. Even so, when the round was over, it seemed very clear that Cormier was in control and that dos Santos was in dire need of a finish.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> Cormier was quickly trying to get in close on dos Santos, eager to keep going with a gameplan that had worked well so far; it took him a while, and taking a few shots from the Brazilian, but Cormier was able to move in and get close enough to clinch up with dos Santos and take him down with a slam, Cormier ending up in half-guard. Cormier began working to move to side-control, and he was too skilled, and dos Santos was too tired, for the Brazilian to stop him. Cormier initially went for a Von Flue choke but dos Santos managed, despite his exhaustion, to block the hold. Undeterred, Cormier worked to transition to the mount; dos Santos rolled to try and escape, but he only succeeded in giving up his back. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"> Cormier quickly got his arms under the chin of dos Santos to sink in a rear naked choke, and a shattered dos Santos quickly tapped out and Daniel Cormier had gained a victory that was crucial in maintaining his status near the top of potential title contenders in the heavyweight division.</span></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Result:</span></strong></span></span> Daniel 'DC' Cormier <strong>beat</strong> Junior 'Cigano' dos Santos <span style="color:#000080;"><strong>by submission </strong></span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong><em>due to a rear naked choke</em></strong></span> in 3:48 of Round 5</p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Post-Fight Bonuses</span></strong></span> </p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Fight of the Night:</strong></span> Lyman Good <span style="color:#A0522D;"><strong>vs.</strong></span> Chad Laprise</p><p> <span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Performance of the Night:</strong></span> Guan Wang</p><p> <span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Knockout of the Night:</strong></span> Eric Shelton</p><p> <span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Submission of the Night:</strong></span> Riley Spooner</p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Predictions</span></strong></span></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>CageRage:</strong></span> (12/15)</p><p> <span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>CageRage (Overall):</strong></span> (169/285; 59.29%)</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="50712" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><strong>From the author:</strong> Well done to CageRage for correctly predicting all the main card fights correctly, which is the second time they've done that in three events.</div></blockquote></div><p></p><p></p>

[Fantabulous]

UFC Rankings for Sunday, Week 1 of January 2021

 

[Fantabulous]

Esparza vs. Jedrzejczyk II to headlined UFC’s next ESPN special

 

 

Former rivals to collide once again; Esparza vs. Jedrzejczyk II to headlined UFC’s next ESPN special

 

Saturday of Week 1 of January 2021

 

The UFC has already announced their next ESPN special and it will be headlined by a major clash in the women’s strawweight division, one that has title implications, as Carla Esparza will fight the woman who took the strawweight title from her back at UFC 185, Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

 

Carla Esparza has long wanted the chance to both regain the strawweight title and obtain revenge against the woman who took the title from her, and she’ll have the opportunity to achieve one of those goals when she finally gets the rematch against her rival. Esparza comes into this fight on a three-fight win streak, and victory over Jedrzejczyk will not only get the revenge she seeks but also give her the chance to regain the strawweight title as the winner of this huge fight will challenge for the women’s strawweight championship.

 

Yet for Esparza to secure that title fight, she must beat a fighter who is not only on a roll of her own, but also owns a decisive victory over her.

 

Joanna Jedrzejczyk was the dominant strawweight champion before being upset by Rose Namajunas for the title at UFC 217. After losing the rematch, and a brief foray into the flyweight division, Jedrzejczyk fought her way back to title contention again, only to fall short when she lost to Zhang Weili at UFC 248 in an incredible encounter that is the consensus pick for the greatest fight in women’s combat sports history.

 

Now, after back-to-back wins, Jedrzejczyk is in prime position for one more chance at the strawweight title, but she must face an opponent who, whilst she has beaten her in the past, is on a tremendous run of form and has a lot of momentum behind her.

 

Which fighter will walk out of this ESPN spectacular having earned themselves the chance to challenge for strawweight gold?

 

In the co-main event, title aspirations will be in the minds of both combatants as Curtis Blaydes faces Aleksei Olenik. Blaydes has put together consecutive wins, and victory here will not only extend that winning streak, but put him right at the top of the heavyweight rankings In his way, though, is a submission master who has his own contendership hopes to maintain, and a win over a heavy-hitter like Blaydes is sure to put Olenik into the top five of the heavyweight division.

 

Top bantamweights Ricky Simon and Petr Yan will face off and, like with the other top fights on this card, the winner of this fight will assuredly find themselves in the mix for a title shot, with both fighters on winning streaks and placed very highly in the bantamweight rankings already.

 

In the women’s flyweight division, Mara Romero Borella takes on Jessica Eye, a top women’s strawweight fight sees Nina Ansaroff tangle with Cortney Casey, and the main card kicks off with Shane Burgos taking on Brian Ortega.

 

All this action, and a great preliminary card that features some great fights, such as Rafael dos Anjos vs. Gunnar Nelson and Michel Prazeres vs. Stephen Thompson, goes down on Saturday of Week 1 of March in Arkansas.

 

Main Card

 

 

Women’s Strawweight: Carla Esparza (17-6) vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (18-5)

 

 

Heavyweight: Curtis Blaydes (15-3, 1NC) vs. Aleksei Olenik (59-13-1)

 

 

Bantamweight: Ricky Simon (17-3) vs. Petr Yan (16-2)

 

 

Women’s Flyweight: Mara Romero Borella (14-7, 2NC) vs. Jessica Eye (17-7, 1NC)

 

 

Women’s Strawweight: Nina Ansaroff (11-6) vs. Cortney Casey (9-7)

 

 

Featherweight: Shane Burgos (14-2) vs. Brian Ortega (14-3, 1NC)

 

Preliminary Card

 

 

Flyweight: Askar Askarov (12-1-1) vs. Tagir Ulanbekov (12-1)

 

 

Women’s Flyweight: Lauren Murphy (13-5) vs. Gillian Robertson (8-5)

 

 

Welterweight: Rafael dos Anjos (29-14) vs. Gunnar Nelson (18-6-1)

 

 

Light Heavyweight: Aleksa Camur (7-0) vs. Mike Rodriguez (10-5-1)

 

 

Featherweight: Guido Cannetti (8-6) vs. Chase Hooper (9-0)

 

 

Welterweight: Michel Prazeres (26-3) vs. Stephen Thompson (15-5-1)

 

 

Bantamweight: Frankie Saenz (12-6) vs. Yadong Song (15-5-1, 1NC)

 

 

Bantamweight: Iuri Alcantara (36-10, 1NC) vs. Joe Soto (19-7)

 

 

Middleweight: Alen Amedovski (9-2) vs. Markus Perez (12-3)

 

 

Welterweight: Alvaro Herrera (9-7) vs. Zelim Imadev (8-3)