McDojoDelux Posted June 18, 2021 Share Posted June 18, 2021 Main Event Welterweight Bout: (#4) Khamzat Chimaev vs. (#5) Stephen Thompson Co-Main Event Light Heavyweight Bout: (#12) Ilir Latifi vs. (#15) Ryan Spann Main Card Lightweight Bout: Mark O. Madsen vs. Thiago Moises Women's Bantamweight Bout: (#11) Pannie Kianzad vs. (#9) Sara McMann Lightweight Bout: Guram Kutateladze vs. Leonardo Santos ESPN2 Preliminary Card Lightweight Bout: David Teymur vs. Khama Worthy Welterweight Bout: Nicolas Dalby vs. Abubakar Nurmagomedov Lightweight Bout: Damir Hadzovic vs. Thibault Goulti Welterweight Bout: Danny Roberts vs. Chad Laprise Featherweight Bout: Daniel Teymur vs. Matt Sayles Welterweight Bout: Emil Meek vs. Mike Jackson Lightweight Bout: Teemu Packalen vs. Claudio Puelles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxicheezestick Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 Main Event Welterweight Bout: (#4) Khamzat Chimaev vs. (#5) Stephen Thompson Co-Main Event Light Heavyweight Bout: (#12) Ilir Latifi vs. (#15) Ryan Spann Main Card Lightweight Bout: Mark O. Madsen vs. Thiago Moises Women's Bantamweight Bout: (#11) Pannie Kianzad vs. (#9) Sara McMann Lightweight Bout: Guram Kutateladze vs. Leonardo Santos ESPN2 Preliminary Card Lightweight Bout: David Teymur vs. Khama Worthy Welterweight Bout: Nicolas Dalby vs. Abubakar Nurmagomedov Lightweight Bout: Damir Hadzovic vs. Thibault Goulti Welterweight Bout: Danny Roberts vs. Chad Laprise Featherweight Bout: Daniel Teymur vs. Matt Sayles Welterweight Bout: Emil Meek vs. Mike Jackson Lightweight Bout: Teemu Packalen vs. Claudio Puelles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pontarii Posted June 20, 2021 Author Share Posted June 20, 2021 <img src=https://i.imgur.com/52XBiXl.png> <img src=https://i.imgur.com/4GsGaY5.png> WEEK 3 - JULY 2021 UFC on ESPN: Chimaev vs. Wonderboy Critical Rating: 68% Commercial Rating: 90% Profit/Loss: $3.118.559 Main Event Khamzat Chimaev def. Stephen Thompson by Unanimous Decision (50-45 x3) Co-Main Event Ryan Spann def. Ilir Latifi by Submission (Guillotine) in 3:13 of Round 1 Main Card Mark O. Madsen def. Thiago Moises by Unanimous Decision (30-27 x3) Sara McMann def. Pannie Kianzad by Unanimous Decision (30-27 x2, 29-28) Guram Kutateladze def. Leonardo Santos by Knock Out (Punch) in 2:17 of Round 1 ESPN2 Preliminary Card David Teymur def. Khama Worthy by TKO (Strikes) in 0:55 of Round 1 Abubakar Nurmagomedov def. Nicolas Dalby by Majority Decision (29-28 x2, 28-28) Thibault Gouti def. Damir Hadzovic by Knock Out (Kick) in 0:44 of Round 2 Chad Laprise def. Danny Roberts by Split Decision (29-28 x2, 28-29) Matt Sayles def. Daniel Teymur by TKO (Strikes) in 3:58 of Round 2 Emil Meek def. Mike Jackson by TKO (Strikes) in 3:52 of Round 1 Teemu Packalen def. Claudio Puelles by Unanimous Decision (30-27 x3) Summary A 16 000 capacity crowd in the Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden provided a thunderous environment as the highly anticipated main event between the Swedish superstar Khamzat Chimaev, who main evented his first ever UFC-event in his native country, against the fan favorite Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. With the potential of seeing their hometown hero securing a coveted opportunity to fight for a world title in his still young UFC-career, the Swedish fans provided us with a very vocal scenery as Khamzat Chimaev made his entrance while they showed a bit of hostility towards “Wonderboy”, as to be expected during such a momentous fight. Referee Herb Dean instructed the fighters to fight fair and clean, instructed them to move to their respective corners and kicked off the show. Just as Chimaev and “Wonderboy” touched gloves to show each other respect, the commentating team of John Gooden and Dan Hardy started discussing how long it would take for the 27-year old Swede to initiate a takedown, as many experts had highlighted this aspect of his game as the key to victory. It was however “Wonderboy” who took the early initiative in the fight, not by attempting a takedown but to utilize his distance striking with slick combinations, always finishing with a strike to the body in an attempt to hinder Chimaev’s movement. The 38-year old two time title challenger continued this approach in the opening of the first round, even landing a gracing head kick that cut “Borz” open just above the left eye which saw blood trickling down, a potential hinder for the rest of the fight should it get worse. One and a half minute into the fight, after a missed leg kick from “Wonderboy”, it was finally time for the wrestling ability of the undefeated Chimaev to begin, much to the enjoyment of the Swedish crowd. Using his smothering Khabib Nurmagomedov-esque type of ground domination, Chimaev had top control for a significant amount of time, switching between devastating ground and pound with positional passes to keep his experienced opponent guessing. Herb Dean received a lot of criticism from the roaring crowd when he decided to stand the two fighters up with roughly twenty seconds left of the bout as he felt that no progress was being made from Chimaev, but the boos turned into cheers soon after when the wrestling powerhouse secured a second takedown before the end of the round, much to give the judges no room but to give the round to him instead of the American. After an extensive work by the cutman in between the rounds to stop the bleeding from Chimaev, the Swede needed only twenty seconds to secure the first takedown of the second round as he snatched the single leg and drove “Wonderboy” to the ground. This time, Chimaev focused more and more on submission attempts while on the ground, perhaps to become the first fighter to submit the durable South Carolina-native in a way to show people he’s not a dull “lay and pray”-type of fighter, but showing excellent defensive skills, “Wonderboy” constantly defended each attempt that was being made. After a control time almost reaching four minutes, referee Dean once again made himself unpopular with the crowd as he stood up the fighters for a lack of progress. Providing the fans with quite the déjà vu-feeling, Chimaev once again wasted no time after the separation and shot for a single leg takedown that Stephen Thompson so far had no real answer to, and controlled the remainder of the round completely with some big shots towards the last seconds. An argue could be made for a 10-8 round, but despite having control for the majority of the round, Chimaev didn’t really land any potential fight ending strikes nor did he succeed in his submission attempts so it was probably a 10-9 round after all in the eyes of the judges. Round three was six seconds old when Chimaev shot for, and landed his fifth takedown of the fight and immediately took aim for a leglock but it was clear that “Wonderboy” had worked hard on his submission defense as he stopped yet another attempt. For the first time in the fight, Stephen Thompson managed to escape the grip of Chimaev and even got up to his feet at one point, but the 27-year old nicknamed “The Wolf” initiated the clinch and dragged the fight towards the cage from which he smothered Thompson with tight pressure and effective dirty boxing to keep him in control. The fighters got separated for a third time at the end of round, and when Chimaev once again went for and landed a takedown before the round stoppage, a cheer from the Swedish crowd surrounded the arena as they expected nothing less than a repeat of the previous round endings. In between the third and fourth round, Thompson’s coach and dad Ray urged him to avoid Chimaev’s closing of the distance at all time and warned him that he was about to lose the fight if he didn’t make the necessary adjustments soon. Ten seconds into the fourth round, “Wonderboy” did everything but follow that advice as Chimaev once again shot for a takedown which followed in the same pattern as his previous attempts, securing a top control position. “Wonderboy” began a more aggressive defensive style from the bottom and managed to get up, although with Chimaev still clinging on to him, but the small window of success quickly turned into a successful takedown for Chimaev, this time with a swift belly-to-belly. Besides a shallow kneebar submission attempt, the Swede didn’t do any real damage on his opponent but his brute strength and incredible skills on the ground kept him in top control for the rest of the fourth round. With four out of four rounds decisively against him, the former two time title challenger from Simpsonville, South Carolina needed a finish in the fifth and final round to realistically leave Stockholm as the winner, and he started well avoiding a takedown and landing a crucial spinning side kick to the rib area of Chimaev, but the 27-year old just laughed it off which earned a big cheer from the crowd. Shooting for ninth takedown of the fight, Chimaev showed signs of fatigue as he didn’t manage to take “Wonderboy” down this time, instead they ended up in a clinch against the cage from which Chimaev continued his smothering style of fighting. It was obvious that Stephen Thompson didn’t have anything left in the bag against this monster of a man, instead Chimaev went for and succeeded with his tenth takedown of the fight. Cruising for the last minutes, it was clear as day that Khamzat Chimaev hadn’t only defeated a top contender and a two time title challenger like Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, he had absolutely dominated him like no one had previously managed to do against the 38-year old and he had undoubtedly earned himself the next title shot in the process. When Bruce Buffer announced that Chimaev indeed had won the Unanimous Decision with 50-45 on all three scorecards, the Avicii Arena exploded in a vibrant cheer for their home town hero and in the least surprising callout in perhaps the UFC history, Chimaev said he wanted the champion Kamaru Usman as soon as possible, even tomorrow if it was needed. It may not happen tomorrow, but make no mistake about it, Kamaru Usman and Khamzat Chimaev will square off inside the Octagon before the end of the year. That is not a suggestion nor is it wishful thinking; it’s a complete and undeniable fact. If Chimaev’s performance pleased the Swedish fans, the same can’t be said about Ilir Latifi’s performance in the co-main event against Ryan “Superman” Spann. Despite looking extremely well in his return to the 205lbs division against Nikita Krylov a few months back and despite him having a clear advantage in the wrestling department, Latifi made some serious errors in this first round loss to the 29-year old from Beaumont, Texas. “The Sledgehammer” had some early success in the clinch, pinning the much taller Spann to the cage and hitting the body well, but when Spann took the 37-year old down with a leg-sweep trip halfway through the round, it was the beginning of the end for the hometown fighter. While seated with his back to the cage, Latifi got caught in a tight Guillotine choke and with Spann applying an immense pressure, the training partner of both Khamzat Chimaev and Alexander Gustafsson saw no way out than to tap, giving Spann another big victory in his growing UFC-career. After securing his 20th victory of his career, Spann took the opportunity after the fight to call out two former title challengers in Anthony “Lionheart” Smith and Volkan Özdemir as his next potential victims, saying that he “wants to show that the new breed of fighters are on a whole new level than these guys”. For Latifi, this was a huge disappointment and rumblings about a potential retirement for the Swede began surfacing after the fight considering his age and the murderous row he has to conquer to earn that sought-after title shot, but now official words from the 37-year old or his team has been made as of yet. It was all in all an eventful day for the Allstars team as two of their fighters, including Khamzat Chimaev and the older Teymur-brother David, secured impressive victories while the other two, Ilir Latifi and the younger Teymur-brother Daniel, lost convincingly. For Daniel Teymur, his TKO-loss against Matt Sayles in the second round was especially tough as he was released from the UFC shortly after the event, with a 1-5 record during his six fights with the company. Two other fighters, Mike Jackson and Damir Hadzovic, also received their release notices after the event as Jackson lost to Emil Meek and Hadzovic lost to Thibault Gouti. The former opponent of Phil “C.M. Punk” Brooks, Mike Jackson went 1-2 in the UFC and in his entire MMA career before getting released while Damir “The Bosnian Bomber” Hadzovic lost three in a row and went 3-5 before leaving the UFC. UFC on ESPN: Chimaev vs. Wonderboy may not have been the most exciting card the UFC has ever produced with many fights lacking that special entertaining feeling, except for perhaps the main event, but despite being pretty dull fights, the two wrestling Olympians Mark O. Madsen and Sara McMann, who stated that she’s not done fighting yet after her win, displayed a high level of ground dominance in their respective bouts. Especially Madsen who won a clear cut Unanimous Decision victory over the young and talented Thiago Moises. The 36-old Danish superstar has really evolved into a threat in the 155lbs division and you can really feel that the Olympic silver medalist has all the potential in the world to be a contender, if he can get the right matchup as father time is slowly creeping up on him. Madsen wasted no time after the dominant showing against Moises, with an open invitation for anyone in the top fifteen rankings. When asked by Dan Hardy if he had anyone in particular he wanted to target, Madsen named Paul Felder as a potential candidate but reiterated that he’s open to face anyone in the rankings. Another notable callout in the 155lbs division came at the hands or mouth rather, of one Guram Kutateladze who viciously knocked out the veteran Leonardo Santos in the first round with a bomb of a right hand, as he called for a fight against Kevin Lee. “I would dominate him on the ground. I would dominate him on the feet. Please Dana White, give me this wannabe poser”, said Kutateladze in a fiery victory speech. If the knockout of Santos wasn’t enough for people to start taking notice of the 29-year old Swedish-Georgian, the callout certainly was as social media began speculating if Lee would dare to step inside the Octagon against such a killer like Kutateladze, granted should he be victorious against the dangerous Rafael Fiziev at UFC 264 at the end of the month. Kutateladze, together with Khamzat Chimaev, Ryan Spann, and Mark O. Madsen were the real winners in this return to Sweden and Scandinavia. Bonus Awards Fight of the Night: Khamzat Chimaev vs. Stephen Thompson Performance of the Night: Ryan Spann, Guram Kutateladze, David Teymur, and Thibault Gouti <img src=https://i.imgur.com/yFzKplN.png Prediction Table CageRage = 8 out of 12 McDojoDelux = 8 out of 12 maxicheezestick = 7 out of 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pontarii Posted June 22, 2021 Author Share Posted June 22, 2021 <p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><img src=https://i.imgur.com/52XBiXl.png></p><p> <img src=https://i.imgur.com/4GsGaY5.png></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>WEEK 3 - JULY 2021</strong></span></p><p><strong> </strong><strong><span style="font-size:14px;">UFC Event Announcement</span></strong></p><p> </p><p> <img src=https://i.imgur.com/gvk8bDH.png></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Lightweight title eliminator between Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler headlines UFC Fight Night 194</strong></span></p><p> </p><p> With the undefeated GOAT-contender Khabib Nurmagomedov retired and Dustin Poirier newly crowned UFC Lightweight Champion, there’s a big spot to fill for the other top ranked fighters in the division as no clear cut contender has emerged. Hopefully that will change next month when a much anticipated title eliminator will main even UFC Fight 194 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The former title challenger and former Interim UFC Lightweight Champion Justin Gaethje (22-3) will square off against the former Bellator Lightweight Champion “Iron” Michael Chandler (22-5) in a bout to determine who will face Dustin Poirier for his first title defense, and considering the momentum both fighters are riding with Gaethje’s only loss in five fights being against Khabib Nurmagomedov in his title bout while Chandler dominated Dan Hooker in his UFC-debut as he emerged on the scene with a brutal knockout, the fight will be a must-see affair for every UFC-fan in the world. Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje, now 33-years old, joined the UFC with a monumental hype back in 2017 with many labeling him the best 155lbs fighter outside the organization back then. The then 17-0 Gaethje debuted in the UFC to much fanfare when he defeated veteran Michael Johnson in a Fight of the Year-candidate late in the second round, and throughout his tenure with the company, the former WSOF Lightweight Champion has made a name for himself of being perhaps the most entertaining fighter on the entire roster with wars against Tony Ferguson, Dustin Poirier, and Eddie Alvarez on his resume. His opponent in this upcoming Lightweight clash, the former Bellator Lightweight Champion, also became a star outside the UFC with many memorable fights in his long and storied career. His bouts against Eddie Alvarez, Will Brooks, The Pitbull Brothers, and Benson Henderson made Chandler one of the hottest commodities in the sport when he entered Free Agency in 2020 in hopes of signing with the UFC, and a year later he’s battling Justin Gaethje to earn a shot at the coveted 155lbs UFC title. </p><p> </p><p> The co-main event of UFC Fight Night 194 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada is also one with big implications for the Lightweight division. A certified firework fight between Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson (25-5) and Dan “The Hangman” Hooker (20-10) will serve as the co-headliner for the show, an almost must-win bout for either man considering their recent form. A former Interim UFC Lightweight Champion in his own rights, Tony Ferguson 12-fight winning streak from 2013 to 2020 is the stuff of legend in MMA in which he defeated names like Rafael dos Anjos, Donald Cerrone, Anthony Pettis, Edson Barboza, and Kevin Lee before finally losing to the headlining Justin Gaethje in his second Interim UFC Lightweight title bout. Ferguson tried to rebound after the Gaethje-loss against Charles Oliveira, but the latest title challenger secured a dominant Unanimous Decision victory that has made this fight against Dan Hooker a undeniably important one for “El Cucuy”. His opponent, the 31-year old from Auckland, New Zealand, also lost recently to one of the headliners as he was picked as Michael Chandler’s first opponent in the UFC. As previously mentioned, Hooker suffered a devastating first round knockout against the debutant, and with two straight losses against Chandler and the current champion Poirier, the teammate of Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski needs a big performance against such a big name like Ferguson to keep his spot in the top 10 of the 155lbs division. The betting line sees the older Ferguson as the favorite to win as he’s -200 against the +180 underdog Hooker, but it’s definitely a hard bout to predict as it can end in a variety of ways. </p><p> </p><p> The rest of the main card of UFC Fight Night 194 is mixed with both savvy veterans and up and coming prospects in other divisions. The former UFC Light Heavyweight title challenger Anthony “Lionheart” Smith (34-16), currently ranked at number six in the division, will take on one of the biggest prospects in the 205lbs division in the undefeated Jamahal “Sweet Dreams” Hill (9-0-1 NC) in a classic veteran vs. prospect bout. Smith challenged the Light Heavyweight GOAT Jon Jones for the title back in 2019 in a losing effort, but has victories over the likes of Alexander Gustafsson, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, and Volkan Özdemir on his resume while Hill is on a four fight win streak in the organization with his latest victory taking place earlier this year against Paul Craig. Another veteran, this time the 38-year old Women’s Flyweight fighter Roxanne Modafferi (25-18) will also face a highly touted divisional prospect in the eleven years younger Alexa Grasso (12-4). Grasso lost to Maycee Barber in her latest bout at UFC 258: Usman vs. Burns but has been named a future UFC Women’s Flyweight title prospect by many while Modafferi, who handed Barber’s first and only loss in her professional career last year, is a pioneer in Women’s MMA. Opening the main card portion of the card is a banger of a fight when Featherweights Giga Chikadze (12-2) and “The Korean Super Boy” Doo Ho Choi (14-4) squares off in what is believed to be a must-watch bout. Both excellent strikers and durable fighters, Chikadze and Choi have all the tools to provide the fans inside the T-Mobile Arena and at home with a Fight of the Night-candidate, and it would be surprising if a bout with such high level strikers goes the distance. </p><p> </p><p> The announced UFC Fight Night 194: Gaethje vs. Chandler main card looks like the following:</p><p> </p><p> <strong>Main Event</strong></p><p> Lightweight Bout: (#1) Justin Gaethje vs. (#2) Michael Chandler</p><p> </p><p> <strong>Co-Main Event</strong></p><p> Lightweight Bout: (#5) Tony Ferguson vs. (#8) Dan Hooker</p><p> </p><p> <strong>Main Card</strong></p><p> Light Heavyweight Bout: (#6) Anthony Smith vs. (#13) Jamahal Hill</p><p> </p><p> Women’s Flyweight Bout: (#12) Roxanne Modafferi vs. (#14) Alexa Grasso</p><p> </p><p> Featherweight Bout: Giga Chikadze vs. Doo Ho Choi</p><p> </p><p> </p></div><p></p><p></p> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pontarii Posted June 26, 2021 Author Share Posted June 26, 2021 <img src=https://i.imgur.com/52XBiXl.png> <img src=https://i.imgur.com/4GsGaY5.png> WEEK 4 - JULY 2021 UFC Event Preview <img src=https://i.imgur.com/G7WMond.png> Conor McGregor: “I chose Nate Diaz over 155lbs title shot to complete the biggest trilogy in combat sports history” With less than 24 hours away from one of the biggest fights in UFC history, the trilogy fight between “The Notorious” Conor McGregor (22-5) and the cult figure Nate Diaz (20-12), much has been made over the fact that this is a Lightweight bout and not a Welterweight bout like the two previous ones in the rivalry. According to one of the two main attractions, it’s because of the impact himself has over the entire UFC and not necessarily a decision made by both fighters. “Yeah, it’s all my decision really. I am the biggest asset to this company, I own all the records and what I say goes. I fight when and where I want, weight class included. My ambition is to add the 155lbs belt to my collection once again since I never really lost in my eyes, especially now when that pea head Dustin [Poirier] is the quote on quote “champion”. This fight against the human punching bag [Nate Diaz] is for my personal pleasure, before becoming champ again. I specifically said to the UFC that this fight happens in the Lightweight division no matter what they say or what Nate says and now we’re here, fighting at the division I demanded to fight in. He might say otherwise, but you all know the truth”, said a fired up Conor McGregor during the heated pre-fight press conference in Madison Square Garden. Unsurprisingly, his opponent refuted those claims in classic Diaz-fashion. “That’s bullsh*t. The only one believing that sh*t is yourself. You lost to [Dustin] Poirier and came begging to me for a chance to make you relevant again because you’re broke. This is the easiest fight in the entire division” said Nate Diaz in response to Conor’s comments. There has been many trilogies inside the Octagon through the years with Randy Couture vs. Chuck Liddell, Georges St. Pierre vs. Matt Hughes, and even Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard being amongst the absolute best, but it’s almost guaranteed that this Saturday’s main event and the eventual conclusion of the McGregor vs. Diaz-saga will be the biggest of them all. According to Conor, it’s so big that he opted for this bout instead of being Dustin Poirier’s first opponent as Lightweight champion. “It’s the biggest fight in the business, no doubt about it. I could have fought for the title right now, the UFC offered me a shot at the title in August, but I turned it down for this one. The first one made huge numbers, but the second when was even bigger. I believe that the third one will break all the records yet again. Why? Because I am in it, Nate is just a side character. Everyone else on the card is side characters. I could fight my own shadow on a one fight card and make millions tune in, that’s how big of a star I am. Nobody can touch me, nobody is on my level”, said Conor McGregor, who has ditched the “good guy”-persona completely to once again embrace the trash talking, fight marketing geniality he is known for. Taking the coveted co-main event spot will two top ten-ranked Welterweights do as the TUF 15-winner Michael “Maverick” Chiesa (18-4) and perhaps the greatest grappler in MMA history Demian Maia (28-10) will face each other in what undoubtedly will be an exciting bout for all the grappling lovers out there. The 33-year old Chiesa has looked immensely good since moving up to 170lbs and is currently undefeated in the division with four wins over Neil Magny, Rafael dos Anjos, Diego Sanchez, and Carlos Condit. Maia on the other hand enters the contest with a loss in his most recent bout against top contender Gilbert Burns, but the now 44-year old is constantly a dangerous threat to anyone in the Welterweight division with his elite level grappling and wealth of experience. It’s no secret that Maia is making his last appearances, not only in the UFC but in his entire MMA career, and a victory over Chiesa could be a suitable way for the Brazilian to call it quits. “I’ve had a long and great career with many highlight moments to remember when I look back. Of course I regret not becoming UFC Champion, but I’ve had my opportunities and faced the best of the best. Anderson Silva, Tyron Woodley, and Kamaru Usman are all great fighters and great champions that I’ve enjoyed fighting. I don’t know if this is my last fight, I will decide after it’s over, but a victory over such a great fighter and respectful opponent like Michael Chiesa would be a great way to end my career, absolutely”, said Maia during the pre-fight press conference. For Chiesa on the other hand, this fight against Maia is his opportunity to continue his climb through the Welterweight rankings in hopes of one day earning a shot at the title. “I respect him [Demian Maia] tremendously, he’s a legend in the sport and one of the most respectful and humble fighters to ever grace the Octagon. To fight in the co-main event spot against him on such a monumental event is an honor for me and a great opportunity to put my name in the proverbial championship hat, I’m on a four fight win streak and a fifth one against such a respected fighter would be big for me. I’m going out there to hopefully put on a show and put some eyes on my performances”, said a visibly motivated and positive Chiesa during the pre-fight press conference. Chiesa isn’t the only fighter with the feeling that fighting under such a monumental main event like McGregor vs. Diaz III is a big opportunity to attract some new fans, with many of the fighters pointing that out. 28-year old Rafael Fiziev (9-1) takes on the 17-fight veteran Kevin Lee (18-6) in what is Lee’s return to the Octagon following a lengthy absence, and Fiziev told the media members that “this is the biggest opportunity of my career so far, a win over a big name like Kevin Lee on this big event would be the huge for my career”. Another prospect in Maycee Barber (9-1), who takes on the one time UFC Women’s Bantamweight title challenger Alexis Davis (20-10), stated that “the anticipation and hype those two [Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz] brings to this event has a sort of ripple down effect to everyone else on the card” and that “every fighter that leaves Madison Square Garden as a winner will gain a huge momentum from it”. UFC 264: McGregor vs. Diaz III may not feature the biggest names for the casual MMA fan, but it’s undoubtedly a great platform for both young prospects and veterans alike to make a statement. Fighters like the undefeated Bryce Mitchell (14-0), who takes on the veteran Jeremy “Lil’ Heathen” Stephens (28-18) in the main card opener, Tom Aspinall (10-2), who faces Ben Rothwell (39-13) in the prelim headliner, and Charles Jourdain (10-3-1), who will square off against Steve Garcia (11-4) during the prelims, are all very big prospects that could benefit a lot from having a great showing this Saturday, to name a few. The historic UFC 264: McGregor vs. Diaz III event from Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York looks like this: Main Event Lightweight Bout: (#4) Conor McGregor vs. (#11 WW) Nate Diaz Co-Main Event Welterweight Bout: (#8) Michael Chiesa vs. (#9) Demian Maia Main Card Lightweight Bout: (#13) Kevin Lee vs. Rafael Fiziev Women's Flyweight Bout: (#9) Maycee Barber vs. (#11) Alexis Davis Featherweight Bout: (#11) Jeremy Stephens vs. (#13) Bryce Mitchell ESPN Preliminary Card Heavyweight Bout: Ben Rothwell vs. Tom Aspinall Welterweight Bout: Warlley Alves vs. Matt Brown Women’s Bantamweight Bout: (#8) Irene Aldana vs. (#9) Marion Reneau ESPN+ Early Preliminary Card Light Heavyweight Bout: Ion Cutelaba vs. Devin Clark Featherweight Bout: Charles Jourdain vs. Steve Garcia Flyweight Bout: Francisco Figueiredo vs. Tyson Nam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CageRage Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 Main Event Lightweight Bout: (#4) Conor McGregor vs. (#11 WW) Nate Diaz Co-Main Event Welterweight Bout: (#8) Michael Chiesa vs. (#9) Demian Maia Main Card Lightweight Bout: (#13) Kevin Lee vs. Rafael Fiziev Women's Flyweight Bout: (#9) Maycee Barber vs. (#11) Alexis Davis Featherweight Bout: (#11) Jeremy Stephens vs. (#13) Bryce Mitchell ESPN Preliminary Card Heavyweight Bout: Ben Rothwell vs. Tom Aspinall Welterweight Bout: Warlley Alves vs. Matt Brown Women’s Bantamweight Bout: (#8) Irene Aldana vs. (#9) Marion Reneau ESPN+ Early Preliminary Card Light Heavyweight Bout: Ion Cutelaba vs. Devin Clark Featherweight Bout: Charles Jourdain vs. Steve Garcia Flyweight Bout: Francisco Figueiredo vs. Tyson Nam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McDojoDelux Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 Main Event Lightweight Bout: (#4) Conor McGregor vs. (#11 WW) Nate Diaz Co-Main Event Welterweight Bout: (#8) Michael Chiesa vs. (#9) Demian Maia Main Card Lightweight Bout: (#13) Kevin Lee vs. Rafael Fiziev Women's Flyweight Bout: (#9) Maycee Barber vs. (#11) Alexis Davis Featherweight Bout: (#11) Jeremy Stephens vs. (#13) Bryce Mitchell ESPN Preliminary Card Heavyweight Bout: Ben Rothwell vs. Tom Aspinall Welterweight Bout: Warlley Alves vs. Matt Brown Women’s Bantamweight Bout: (#8) Irene Aldana vs. (#9) Marion Reneau ESPN+ Early Preliminary Card Light Heavyweight Bout: Ion Cutelaba vs. Devin Clark Featherweight Bout: Charles Jourdain vs. Steve Garcia Flyweight Bout: Francisco Figueiredo vs. Tyson Nam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxicheezestick Posted July 1, 2021 Share Posted July 1, 2021 Main Event Lightweight Bout: (#4) Conor McGregor vs. (#11 WW) Nate Diaz Co-Main Event Welterweight Bout: (#8) Michael Chiesa vs. (#9) Demian Maia Main Card Lightweight Bout: (#13) Kevin Lee vs. Rafael Fiziev Women's Flyweight Bout: (#9) Maycee Barber vs. (#11) Alexis Davis Featherweight Bout: (#11) Jeremy Stephens vs. (#13) Bryce Mitchell ESPN Preliminary Card Heavyweight Bout: Ben Rothwell vs. Tom Aspinall Welterweight Bout: Warlley Alves vs. Matt Brown Women’s Bantamweight Bout: (#8) Irene Aldana vs. (#9) Marion Reneau ESPN+ Early Preliminary Card Light Heavyweight Bout: Ion Cutelaba vs. Devin Clark Featherweight Bout: Charles Jourdain vs. Steve Garcia Flyweight Bout: Francisco Figueiredo vs. Tyson Nam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pontarii Posted July 1, 2021 Author Share Posted July 1, 2021 <img src=https://i.imgur.com/52XBiXl.png> <img src=https://i.imgur.com/4GsGaY5.png> WEEK 4 - JULY 2021 UFC 264: McGregor vs. Diaz III Critical Rating: 73% Commercial Rating: 100% Profit/Loss: $2.107.475 Main Event Conor McGregor def. Nate Diaz by TKO (Strikes) in 0:51 of Round 3 Co-Main Event Michael Chiesa def. Demian Maia by Unanimous Decision (30-27 x3) Main Card Kevin Lee def. Rafael Fiziev by TKO (Strikes) in 4:05 of Round 2 Maycee Barber def. Alexis Davis by Split Decision (29-28 x2, 28-29) Jeremy Stephens def. Bryce Mitchell by Unanimous Decision (29-28 x3) ESPN Preliminary Card Ben Rothwell def. Tom Aspinall by TKO (Strikes) in 1:38 of Round 1 Warlley Alves def. Matt Brown by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 1:27 of Round 2 Marion Reneau def. Irene Aldana by Knock Out (Elbow) in 4:23 of Round 1 ESPN+ Early Preliminary Card Devin Clark def. Ion Cutelaba by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 3:57 of Round 3 Charles Jourdain def. Steve Garcia by TKO (Strikes) in 3:01 of Round 1 Tyson Nam def. Francisco Figueiredo by Unanimous Decision (29-28 x3) Summary After years of anticipation and waiting, the time had finally come for the biggest trilogy fight in the history of combat sports when “The Notorious” Conor McGregor took on perhaps his greatest rival in Nate Diaz in front of a sold out Madison Square Garden. It was a historic night for the UFC as early reports indicated that this event had surpassed both the second bout in the trilogy taking place at UFC 202 and UFC 257: McGregor vs. Poirier II for the second bestselling PPV in company history behind UFC 229: Khabib vs. McGregor. Both fighters entered the Octagon to huge ovations from the crowd, and you could really feel the excitement, the anticipation and the aura of witnessing something truly special from every single one in attendance. Bruce Buffer announced both fighters as the start of the fight edged closer and closer for every second. When Herb Dean, the man who got the prestigious honor to referee the fight, instructed both fighters to fight hard and fight clean, both Conor and Nate locked eyes on each other and didn’t blink for what felt like an eternity after the most predictable “no touch” perhaps in UFC history occurred. Both fighters backed away to their respective corners, still firmly eyeing each other as Herb Dean called for the fight to start, accompanied by a deafening roar from the capacity crowd. The 36-year old Diaz began advancing forward looking to attack his opponent with a high paced, high volume striking game, but although he landed a few punches early, he missed a right cross that left him wide open for a trademark McGregor-counter to the head which was followed up by a right hook to the side of the body. After the first minute of fighting, you could easily tell which game plan both fighters entered the contest with. McGregor leaned heavy on his countering ability, especially focusing on hurting the body of his opponent with multiple sidekicks and spinning kicks, while Diaz was primarily focusing on implementing a high volume of striking, perhaps to tire the 32-year old former champ-champ out early. According to the stats halfway through the first round, it was clear that the slight underdog Diaz had an advantage in both attempted strikes and landed strikes while McGregor was ahead in the significant strikes-department. This continued all throughout the entire first round with Nate Diaz landing a large amount more strikes to Conor, almost double than the Irishman, while Conor on the other hand looked to have landed the more damaging shots, even though they were significantly less than the total strikes Diaz. With nothing taking place on the ground in the first round, you really had to determine what aspect of striking you value the most in a fight to award the round to either fighter. If you went by aggressive and total striking, Diaz would have earned the first round clearly, but if you instead went for damage and percentage of landed strikes, McGregor would be the round winner. Nevertheless, round two saw a similar structure with Nate Diaz taking the more aggressive approach and constantly moving forward while Conor McGregor focused on countering and leg strikes both to the body and to the legs of the Stockton-native. The relentless pace set by the underdog in the first two rounds began taking its toll on the 32-year old McGregor, who was visibly getting more and more tired as Diaz continued utilizing a large volume of striking, not giving the Irishman one second to rest throughout the rounds. With McGregor’s output getting lesser and lesser at the end of round two, many started to predict a similar ending to their first encounter where McGregor would gas out and eventually lose to a Diaz-submission. With round two in the bags and Diaz most likely up by two rounds, McGregor’s long time coaches John Kavanagh and Owen Ruddy instructed their fighter to stop searching for a counter and be the aggressor instead as their approach to the fight had clearly been underwhelming so far. A clearly invigorated McGregor entered the third round looking like a new fighter, a big contrast from when he looked fatigued and tired after round two moments earlier. It didn’t take long for the two fighters to meet in the center of the Octagon, both ready to take the initiative with the striking, with Diaz landing two out of four of his attempted combination strikes while McGregor connected with a two piece combo of his own. Following his coaches instructions, McGregor quickly threw a punch which landed and followed up by a big left head kick straight to the dome of Nate Diaz, a hard strike that had Nate backing up towards the cage covering up in a clear wobbly state. Sensing a victory, Conor aggressively approached the stunned Diaz and threw everything he had, working both the head, the body, and the legs in quick fashion before landing a vicious left uppercut that sent Diaz to the floor. As the crowd jumped out of their seats in both excitement and shock, Conor launched a barrage of punches to the grounded Diaz, who took a lot of punches in between his defense, while the announcing trio of Jon Anik, Joe Rogan, and Daniel Cormier argued whether or not Herb Dean should stop the fight or not. Just like when it looked like Nate Diaz would survive the onslaught from Conor, albeit with a lot of blood pouring from his battered face, the former double champion landed a nasty left hand that visibly hurt his opponent to the point a stoppage from the referee took place. Roughly fifty seconds into the third round, Conor McGregor had finished Nate Diaz via TKO and the place erupted completely. Cheers from the McGregor-side of the crowd, while their favourite celebrated on top of the cage, combined with boos from the Diaz-side, with Nate protesting to Herb Dean about the stoppage inside the Octagon, filled the Madison Square Garden in a vibrant way. When being interviewed by Joe Rogan after the fight result had officially been announced, Conor McGregor thanked his team, his coaches and the fans for this incredible moment as well as taking shots at both the current champion Dustin Poirier and the now retired, former champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, saying that they’re both his b*tches and that he intend to not only end their careers, but also end their entire lives if they dare to step inside the Octagon against him. Nate Diaz was also interviewed after the bout and he continued questioning the stoppage, saying that “it was a gift from the UFC to their golden boy” and that “everyone knows who won that fight”. With Diaz’ advantage in the two rounds and the argument of an early stoppage, you could easily assume that we haven’t seen or heard the last thing about this historic rivalry, no matter the result. If the main event provided fans with some great entertainment value, the same can’t really be said about the co-main event between two elite level grapplers in Michael Chiesa and Demian Maia. It was a clear Unanimous Decision victory for the former TUF-winner Chiesa as he dominated Maia from start to finish, mostly by way of top control and striking from a mounted position, but the fans in attendance didn’t enjoy the fight and pretty much booed the entire contest with some few exceptions. It’s really disappointing for a fighter of Chiesa’s level to not get the recognition he deserves because of his fighting style, with many fans criticizing his intention of always taking the fight to the ground almost at all cost, when you can’t really argue his success of doing just that. In his five fights in the Welterweight division since moving up back in 2018, he has not only controlled but mostly dominated a plethora of the biggest names in UFC like Demian Maia, Neil Magny, Rafael dos Anjos, Diego Sanchez, and Carlos Condit all falling victim to the demoralizing style of Chiesa, but despite this he hasn’t really attracted the same notoriety as many others in the 170lbs division. Perhaps one more big name on his resume can be the different maker for Chiesa in his quest to earn a title shot, maybe against someone like Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, Leon Edwards, Tyron Woodley, or perhaps the eventual loser of the upcoming bout between TUF-coaches Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington, but Chiesa opted not to call anyone out in his post-fight interview with Rogan, instead focusing on fighting whoever the company wants him to face next. Many expected his opponent Demian Maia to announce his retirement after the bout as the 44-year old former title challenger fought the last fight on his UFC-contract, but the Brazilian made his intentions clear on the post-fight press conference as he said “my next fight is guaranteed my last fight in my career. I hope UFC will grant me my wish and give me a retirement fight in Brazil against a legend of the sport. Nick Diaz, if you’re ready to come back, it would be an honor for me to face you in my last fight”, said Maia which immediately made social media discuss the possibility in a long-awaited Nick Diaz-return to the Octagon. If the older Diaz-brother would return to the sport of Mixed Martial Arts and the UFC, a better return opponent than Demian Maia would be hard to find in a quite intriguing contest between two contrasting styles. UFC 264 in Madison Square Garden could be a proving ground for many fighters, both older, experienced fighters as well as younger, rising prospects, and it certainly was. In a wild back and forth-affair between the 17-fight UFC-veteran Kevin Lee and the dangerous knockout artist Rafael Fiziev, who are both 28-years old, both fighters looked incredible during the two round war with Fiziev landing several flashy kicks and strikes while Lee’s boxing looked crisp. Round one clearly was Fiziev’s as his striking was very impressive and illusive, especially his kicks that targeted both the legs and the body of the former Interim title challenger from Detroit, Michigan, but Kevin Lee stayed focused and adapted really well in the second round with a variety of strikes and takedown attempts to keep his opponent guessing. Feinting a takedown, Lee struck Fiziev with a big right hand and followed up with a swift left high kick that would easily knock out any other opponent, but Fiziev survived the attack from Lee and recuperated well enough to continue and inflict damage onto his opponent. It was however clear that Fiziev hadn’t fully recovered from the damage done by the head kick, as Lee landed a big right hand a few moments later that sent the flashy striker down to the floor in severe pain, and with his following ground and pound, the returning Lee had secured a big victory over a hyped prospect in Fiziev as Marc Goddard stopped the fight. In his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Kevin Lee called out his former nemesis Tony Ferguson for a rematch, saying that “Tony Ferguson owes me a rematch. He knows I’m the better fighter and that I would have won against him in our first fight hadn’t it been for the staph infection I suffered before the fight, that’s a fact”. Another veteran securing a big victory over a rising prospect was Jeremy Stephens, who handed Bryce Mitchell his first ever professional loss with a Unanimous Decision victory. Stephens takedown defense, submission defense and his ability to lure “Thug Nasty” into a striking contest was the deciding factor, although you could make the argument that Mitchell could have been awarded the victory as he was pretty effective while he got the fight to the ground, but “Lil Heathen” god the nod from the judges which the majority of the fans, experts, and media members seemed to agree with. The bout between Maycee Barber and Alexis Davis was a bit harder to decide as it ended in a Split Decision victory for the younger prospect, much thanks to her aggressiveness and pushing of the pace, but the former Women’s Bantamweight title challenger Davis could’ve easily left Madison Square Garden as the winner. Another big winner this event was the 39-year old veteran Ben Rothwell who finished the rising Heavyweight prospect Tom Aspinall via strikes early in the first round. The 27-year old Aspinall had Rothwell hurt early with a flurry of punches, but got overexcited in his attempts of finishing the 17-fight veteran from Kenosha, Wisconsin and ended up getting TKO:ed instead. Fight of the Night was given to Warlley Alves and Matt Brown after a fantastic display from both fighters, in which both was on the verge of getting finished multiple times before Alves secured a Rear Naked Choke-finish over the 40-year old Brown in the second round. All in all was it a memorable, historic event that will go down in history as the night Conor McGregor once again was the hottest commodity in MMA, and the fans eagerly awaits the next move for “The Notorious” Bonus Awards Fight of the Night: Warlley Alves vs. Matt Brown Performance of the Night: Conor McGregor, Warlley Alves, Marion Reneau, & Devin Clark <img src=https://i.imgur.com/xp3zrDV.png Prediction Table maxicheezestick = 7 out of 11 McDojoDelux = 7 out of 11 CageRage = 5 out of 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pontarii Posted July 27, 2021 Author Share Posted July 27, 2021 Just wanted to inform everyone that this dynasty story is not dead. I'm currently in the process of moving and it will take a couple of days for my computer to be ready and for the network to be up and running. When it's all set and done, the story will undoubtedly continue as I have many more events, news and other things to present. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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