Thiago Santos | Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Light heavyweight title challenger Thiago Santos baffled his doctors after fighting Jon Jon for five rounds with torn ligaments in both knees. Thiago Santos’ amazing feat of going again…
Thiago Santos | Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Light heavyweight title challenger Thiago Santos baffled his doctors after fighting Jon Jon for five rounds with torn ligaments in both knees.
Thiago Santos’ amazing feat of going against Jon Jones for five hard-fought rounds at UFC 239, with all the ligaments torn in his left knee and a few other partial tears in his right one, didn’t only leave MMA fans baffled, but doctors as well.
In an interview with Portal do Vale Tudo, ‘Marreta’, who ended up losing the light heavyweight title fight via split decision, said one of the doctors could not even find a scientific explanation for what Santos pulled off against Jones.
Especially given that he hurt his knee in the first round of the bout.
“Every doctor that I saw asked me the same thing: ‘How were you able to fight like this?’. Tata (Duarte, Santos’ coach) asked a doctor: ‘Doc, is it normal for a person to be able to walk or even fight with a knee like that?’. The doctor told him: ‘No, it’s not. It was his mind, his mind took over. I have no scientific explanation.’”
Before the loss to Jon Jones, Thiago Santos (21-7) was undefeated in the UFC’s light heavyweight division, with wins over Eryk Anders, Jimi Manuwa and Jan Blachowicz, all by way of knockout.
UFC San Antonio goes down tomorrow night (Sat. July 20, 2019) from the AT&T Center in Texas. In the main event of the night, welterweights Rafael dos Anjos, a former lightweight champion, and Leon Edwards will go head-to-head. The up-and-coming Edwards will get to test himself against a former UFC champion in dos Anjos, who […]
UFC San Antonio goes down tomorrow night (Sat. July 20, 2019) from the AT&T Center in Texas.
In the main event of the night, welterweights Rafael dos Anjos, a former lightweight champion, and Leon Edwards will go head-to-head. The up-and-coming Edwards will get to test himself against a former UFC champion in dos Anjos, who is one of the most well-rounded fighters under the promotion’s banner today.
Check out LowKickMMA’s UFC San Antonio staff predictions for the main event here below.
UFC San Antonio Staff Predictions:
Jon Fuentes:
This is undoubtedly the biggest fight of Edwards’ career. He’s taking on a former UFC lightweight champion that Dana White himself has admitted he uses as a measuring stick for up-and-coming talent. If Edwards wants to jump into title contention, a win over “RDA” is a must.
However, dos Anjos is a far superior grappler, and his pressure may be too much for Edwards to handle. Also, “RDA” has some serious knockout power, and if he’s able to land an overhand flush on “Rocky’s” chin, it might be a quick day at the office for him. The former champion is simply all-around superior to Edwards. I expect “RDA” to finish this one. (Prediction: Rafael dos Anjos)
Abhinav Kini:
Rafael dos Anjos is arguably the toughest opponent Leon Edwards will have faced (considering he faced Kamaru Usman back in 2015), and a win over the former lightweight champion would not only make it eight-straight wins for “Rocky,” but also move him into title contention.
That said, “RDA” really impressed me with his win over Kevin Lee, and he’ll be a considerably big step up from Gunnar Nelson. Edwards is dangerous in the clinch and is a good all-rounder in general, but dos Anjos is as well, maybe even better in all areas too. He might not have the youth, but I still think RDA takes this one. (Prediction: Rafael dos Anjos)
Andrew Ravens:
I question how much “RDA” can be trusted to be favored in this fight against such a young lion in Edwards, who has been making a name for himself in the welterweight division.
Dos Anjos has been struggling in his latest outings, and with such a hungry Edwards coming into the biggest fight thus far in his MMA career, I find it hard to think that “RDA” can out-class him. The Brazilian must finish early to get the win, and I don’t see that. I’m taking Edwards in a dominating decision win. (Prediction: Leon Edwards)
Brady Briggs:
This is a great matchup between two of the best in the world at 170 pounds. We have one of the most experienced and well-rounded fighters out there in Rafael dos Anjos, and a really talented former BAMMA champion trying to crack the top ten, who’s on a seven-fight win streak. The former champion has the experience edge, and has overall fought better opponents, and in higher profile situations. Rafael dos Anjos via decision. (Prediction: Rafael dos Anjos)
Cole Shelton:
“RDA” was counted out in the welterweight division after two losses to Usman and Covington. And the recipe to beat him was pressure and wrestling, yet, that is the opposite of what Edwards does well. I think dos Anjos will be able to push the pace, use his grappling, and win by decision to snap the Englishman’s long winning streak. (Prediction: Rafael dos Anjos)
What do you think about the LowKickMMA staff predictions for UFC San Antonio?
Three years ago, Johnny Walker was viewed as the biggest threat to Jon Jones’ rule over the UFC’s light heavyweight division. Since the following article was written, he has gone 1-3 in his last four fights. Tonight at UFC Vegas 48, Walker will be headlining against Jamahal Hill with an opportunity to remind the world…
Three years ago, Johnny Walker was viewed as the biggest threat to Jon Jones’ rule over the UFC’s light heavyweight division. Since the following article was written, he has gone 1-3 in his last four fights. Tonight at UFC Vegas 48, Walker will be headlining against Jamahal Hill with an opportunity to remind the world of his potential.
The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JULY 19, 2019, 1:41 PM]
Headlines: Michael Bisping: I Think Biggest Threat To Jon Jones Is Johnny Walker
Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.
UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping feels Johnny Walker may have the best shot at dethroning Jon Jones.
Walker has been making a name for himself in a short amount of time. Walker has only had three fights in the UFC, but there’s already buzz surrounding the 27-year-old Brazilian bruiser. All three of Walker’s UFC wins have come via KO or TKO. None of those bouts made it to the two-minute mark. He’s also riding a nine-fight winning streak and hasn’t lost since June 2016.
“I think the biggest threat right now to Jon Jones is Johnny Walker. I think Johnny Walker gives him a lot of problems, but I understand it from Jones’ perspective. He’s still not well-known enough to the average MMA fan. He’s had a big splash, he’s had a few big wins in very, very quick time. And in fact, he’s injured right now because he injured himself with his post-fight celebration. That’s the most damage he takes in his fights, in his own f*cking celebrations.”
Bisping went on to talk about the benefits of not hot-shotting Walker to a title opportunity.
“But he’s not there yet. He needs another win or two. For one I think it would be rushing Johnny Walker and potentially bringing him on a little too far, too soon. And Jones is right. Another couple more wins, put him in a co-main event, even a Fight Night main event against a big name and then all of a sudden you’ve got a real star on your hands. And then that makes the pay-per-view bigger for everybody involved. So, I agree with Jones.”
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Ex-UFC heavyweight Arjan Bhullar explains why he signed with ONE Championship earlier this month. Arjan Bhullar couldn’t refuse the offer he received from ONE Championship.
After …
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Ex-UFC heavyweight Arjan Bhullar explains why he signed with ONE Championship earlier this month.
Arjan Bhullar couldn’t refuse the offer he received from ONE Championship.
After a four-fight stint in the UFC, the heavyweight signed with the Asia-based promotion at the beginning of this month. Bhullar fought out his contract and tested free agency after a win over Juan Adams in May at UFC Ottawa. Bhullar went 3-1 in the UFC.
Bhullar said his decision to move to ONE came down to several things: money; ONE’s apparent plans to go to India; a greater chance of fighting for and winning title; a greater ability to build his brand in ONE; and staying more active there.
Ultimately, Bhullar said, the UFC — and other promotions, like Bellator — couldn’t match ONE’s “lucrative” offer.
“We’re allowed sponsorship, which they can’t match, financially they can’t match, and [ONE] has incentives in there that the UFC doesn’t pay their fighters,” Bhullar told Bloody Elbow. “My contract is very custom and very unique — it’s not your standard contract — and [the UFC] doesn’t create contracts like that.”
After his win over Adams, Bhullar expressed the importance of getting what he believed he was worth — whether that meant staying with the UFC or leaving for a different promotion. Bhullar said the ONE offer showed “tremendous value” and he is confident he accomplished what he set out to do.
“My value was significantly more than what the UFC was setting at,” Bhullar said of his deal with ONE.
“Just the way [ONE] went about it: telling me how much they want me, I met the whole team, I was flown out to Singapore — first class — with my wife, all that kind of stuff. It was a no-brainer for me.”
So, what’s the big lesson to learn from Bhullar?
“It’s a no-brainer to test free agency, in my opinion,” Bhullar said. “Whoever doesn’t, I think they’re foolish. The only way you’re gonna know your true value is to let the market decide. You can’t let your employer decide your value.”
Bhullar is scheduled to meet Mauro Cerilli on Aug. 2 in his ONE debut. With a win, Bhullar hopes to challenge heavyweight champion Brandon Vera, who is coming off a win over Cerilli, but Bhullar doesn’t want to look too far ahead.
Point is that Bhullar expects to stay much more active in ONE than the UFC.
“Two fights in a year isn’t going to get me anywhere,” Bhullar, who after his September 2017 UFC debut fought twice in 2018 and once in 2019 (so far), said. “It’s not going to get me paid, and it’s not going to get my career going to the title like I want. It’s not going to get me closer to my end goal of being a world champion and creating a legacy. Two fights a year is just not something I was happy with.”
More than anything, Bhullar is excited for ONE to go to India. Bhullar, who has Indian roots and is of Sikh faith, said the promotion plans to host an event there next year, but ONE has yet to officially announce anything.
“They want me to spearhead that, I’ve been wanting to spearhead that, and the UFC has no plans to go to India,” Bhullar said. “I want to create a legacy in terms of what I’ve done for others in this sport, and a huge part of that is taking this sport to India. I’ve been very frustrated that there’s been no plans from the UFC on that.”
Bhullar expects ONE will do very well in the Indian market.
“It’s going to blow up,” he said. “It’s an English-speaking country, there’s no other sport to compete with. Cricket is saturated out, but that’s the only sport. There’s a huge wrestling and boxing history of success (in the Olympics).”
Bhullar said it was evident the UFC had no plans to host a show in India because otherwise, it would have put more of its marketing power behind him. Bhullar, who said he left the UFC on good terms, ultimately feels more valued in ONE.
“The way the UFC works, they’re going to treat the guys who earn them the most money, they’re gonna handle them the best. And I got that,” Bhullar said.
“If they were going to India, my offer (from the UFC) would be significantly more, the way I’m handled and promoted would be significantly different. Everything would be different. The fact that they’re not looking to crack that market, I’m just another guy to them.”
