Amanda Nunes Only Focused On Keeping Title At UFC 224

UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes hasn’t competed since September 2017 when she scored a split-decision victory over Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 215 and when she returns to action in the main event of May 12’s UFC 224 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, she’ll meet a familiar face – well, sort of. Nunes will be […]

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UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes hasn’t competed since September 2017 when she scored a split-decision victory over Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 215 and when she returns to action in the main event of May 12’s UFC 224 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, she’ll meet a familiar face – well, sort of.

Nunes will be taking on Raquel Pennington, the fiancé of strawweight contender Tecia Torres, who Nunes has trained with.  That, however, will not play a factor in the fight according to “The Lioness”:

“I don’t think it matters that much,” Nunes told MMAjunkie earlier this week in Rio. “When the door closes, only me and ‘Rocky’ know what’s going down. We think we know each other, but we don’t know because we never fought before, we never trained together before. It’s going to be a surprise for both of us.

“I know we’re going to be ready, but things are going to happen. Somebody has to win, and I know everything she brings, I’m going to be ready. I did train with Tecia (at American Top Team), and we were close in the gym. But stepping in that cage, no one knows what’s going down.”

There were rumors indicating that Nunes could next take on featherweight champion Cris Cyborg in a super fight, but Pennington ultimately received the call and she’s a deserving challenger nonetheless, as she’s won four consecutive fights.

Heading into this bout, Nunes is the betting favorite, however, which is a rarity for her, although she’s only focused on one thing and that’s making sure she walks out of the arena with her belt wrapped around her waist:

“This is the dangerous thing – I have to be careful,” Nunes said. “MMA is MMA – things can happen. When people underestimate somebody, they get stronger. I’ve been there before. I know how she feels right now, and I’m not going to let that get me down. That’s why it’s going to be good for me this camp, because I know all about what people say. I’m going to worry about me, do my thing, get 100 percent and keep my belt.”

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Cody Garbrandt Book ‘The Pact’ Drops May 8

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight champion, Cody Garbrandt, fulfilled his end of “The Pact” when he captured the 135-pound crown with a unanimous decision win over Dominick Cruz at UFC 207 in December 2016.
Also hold…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight champion, Cody Garbrandt, fulfilled his end of “The Pact” when he captured the 135-pound crown with a unanimous decision win over Dominick Cruz at UFC 207 in December 2016.

Also holding up his end of the deal was Maddux Mason, who promised to beat leukemia if and when “No Love” became champion. The journey to that end goal was recently documented in a new book penned by Garbandt and co-author Mark Dagostino.

“I break the will of my opponents but I never break a promise or a Pact – I fight for me, life, respect, and love,” Garbrandt said in a recent press release. “Maddux helped me change and put life into perspective.”

The Pact is available on May 8 (full details here).

Garbrandt (11-1) would surrender his title to TJ Dillashaw at UFC 217 last November, the first loss of his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career, but is expected to return to the Octagon later this year.

Patricio Freire Explains Turning Down Bout With Michael Chandler

Patricio Freire wanted to face Michael Chandler, but he didn’t get the terms he wanted. Freire and Chandler have been involved in a bit of a beef. It all stems from a bout between Freire’s brother Patricky and Chandler back in June 2016. Ch…

Patricio Freire wanted to face Michael Chandler, but he didn’t get the terms he wanted. Freire and Chandler have been involved in a bit of a beef. It all stems from a bout between Freire’s brother Patricky and Chandler back in June 2016. Chandler knocked out Patricky in the first round. Patricio claims Chandler looked […]

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UFC fighter rankings: Volkov, Blachowicz up big

Alexander Volkov and Jan Blachowicz made major moves in the UFC rankings this week. Going into UFC London, there weren’t many people that thought the rankings were going to get shaken up based on the card. The heavyweight fight on top had …

Alexander Volkov and Jan Blachowicz made major moves in the UFC rankings this week.

Going into UFC London, there weren’t many people that thought the rankings were going to get shaken up based on the card. The heavyweight fight on top had some intrigue, but Fabricio Werdum was a healthy favorite over Alexander Volkov. And the co-main seemed like an altogether unnecessary rematch between Jimi Manuwa and Jan Blachowicz.

But as usual in MMA, crazy things happen. Volkov won. Blachowicz won. And they were definitely rewarded by the rankers, each moving up a bunch of spots in their respective divisions.

Here’s a look at all of the changes coming out of last weekend’s London event.

P4P – For some reason that makes absolutely no sense, Georges St-Pierre moved up three spots to take over number three on the list. Daniel Cormier dropped one to a tie for four with Stipe Miocic. Max Holloway is down one to six. Amanda Nunes is up three to 11. Robert Whittaker and Cody Garbrandt dropped one each to 12 and 13 respectively. Khabib Nurmagomedov dropped two to 14.

Heavyweight – Volkov’s huge win moved him up five spots, and he is now the number three contender. Curtis Blaydes is also up one to four. Werdum fell two spots to five. With Cain Velasquez removed from the rankings due to not fighting, there was a litany of other activity. Marcin Tybura, Andrei Arlovski, Aleksei Oleinik, and Stefan Struve are all up a spot each, to 8, 9, 10, and 11. Shamil Abdurakhimov randomly re-enters the rankings at 12. Tai Tuivasa is up two to 13. Justin Ledet is now ranked at 15. Yikes.

Light HeavyweightIlir Latifi is up one spot to four. Blachowicz is up a huge six spots to five after beating Manuwa. Manuwa drops two to six. Ovince Saint Preux is down two to eight. Misha Cirkunov, Corey Anderson, and Patrick Cummins all drop one to 9, 10, and 11 respectively.

MiddleweightVitor Belfort oddly moved up one spot to nine, bumping Uriah Hall to ten.

WelterweightKamaru Usman moves up into a tie for seven with Darren Till. Leon Edwards’ win in London helped him move up one spot to 14, bumping Dong Hyun Kim to 15.

LightweightJames Vick is up one to ten, dropping Al Iaquinta to 11.

FeatherweightMyles Jury is up one spot to 14, dropping Doo Ho Choi to 15.

BantamweightBryan Caraway moves into a tie for eight with Aljamain Sterling. Cody Stamann passes Rob Font for the 11 spot.

FlyweightAlexandre Pantoja is up two spots to 11, dropping Matheus Nicolau to 12 and Tim Elliott to 13.

Women’s Bantamweight – Cynthia Calvillo’s suspension led her to be removed from the rankings, which changed up the bottom half. Alexa Grasso, Cortney Casey, and Randa Markos are all up one, taking over 9-11 respectively. Tatiana Suarez is up two to 12. Nina Ansaroff is up one to 14. Angela Hill cracks the rankings at 15.

Women’s Flyweight – Mara Romero Borella and Rachael Ostovich flip-flop the 12 and 13 spots.

Women’s StrawweightLeslie Smith is up one to nine, dropping Bethe Correia to ten. Ronda Rousey’s removal (finally) saw Irene Aldana and Sarah Moras move up one to 13 and 14. Lina Lansberg enters the rankings at 15.

Dana Who? Conor McGregor Anoints Himself ‘Real Boss’

Apparently Frankie Edgar was right, the “C” in UFC stands for Conor, as in lightweight champion Conor McGregor.
Well, at least in the mind of “Notorious,” who told promotion president Dana White to sit down because if anyone is the boss, p…

Apparently Frankie Edgar was right, the “C” in UFC stands for Conor, as in lightweight champion Conor McGregor.

Well, at least in the mind of “Notorious,” who told promotion president Dana White to sit down because if anyone is the boss, particularly in the EA Sports UFC 3 video game, it’s the power-punching Irishman.

Though these in-game stats may tell a different tale.

White recently became a playable character in the popular video game franchise, but will flex his boss muscles for real when he takes the title from McGregor just as soon as the first punch is thrown at UFC 223.

That’s where Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov will battle for the 155-pound strap, with the winner moving on to face “Notorious” later this year. Early estimates have the new face of Burger King returning in September.

Unless something ridiculous (like this) happens and throws a wrench into those plans.

Tyron Woodley Reacts To Interim Title Bout Rumors

Some surprising news surfaced in mixed martial arts (MMA) yesterday (Thurs., March 22, 2018) when a report arrived the UFC was targeting an interim welterweight title bout between Rafael dos Anjos and Colby Covington at May’s UFC 224 from Rio de Janeiro. Upon second glance, it may not be all that surprising considering the UFC’s […]

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Some surprising news surfaced in mixed martial arts (MMA) yesterday (Thurs., March 22, 2018) when a report arrived the UFC was targeting an interim welterweight title bout between Rafael dos Anjos and Colby Covington at May’s UFC 224 from Rio de Janeiro.

Upon second glance, it may not be all that surprising considering the UFC’s extreme focus on interim title fights over the past year-and-a-half or so, but the timing was a bit odd because divisional champ Tyron Woodley, although on the sidelines since last July with a shoulder injury, was planning to return this summer.

So the outspoken 170-pound champ not surprisingly spoke up on the situation on this week’s episode of UFC Tonight (via MMA Weekly), detailing his recovery and projecting a July return:

“I feel really good. I had surgery in December. I had two series of PRP, as well as stem cell injections to my shoulder. I have one more series in April. After that, I’ll be in training camp.

“I fought four world title fights in 12 months, if anybody deserves to heal and be back at 100 percent (it’s me). I will be back when it’s time for Tyron Woodley to be back.

“My projection is July. The doctors are telling me that. I’m feeling good about it. I’m healing up very well. I’m back to training again. After I do that third series of PRP and stem cells, I’m gonna be 100 percent. Somebody is getting hurt.”

With Woodley predicting he’d be back in three months, he predictably scoffed at the prospect of an interim title being made after he had fought so often the year prior:

Woodley is on the mend, but his next fight is unknown in terms of date and opponent. He urged everyone to be a little patient with him, insisting that the top-ranked combatants in the deeply talented welterweight division would all get sent packing one by one.

He believes it’s an exciting time for the weight class, with surging names like dos Anjos and Convington joining rising contenders like Darren Till and Kamaru Usman stirring things up on social media, even if Woodley believes they ultimately don’t really want to face his jaw-dropping power:

“Everybody is gonna get it. It doesn’t matter. It’s just a matter of when. At the end of the day, every welterweight that wants to be at the top is gonna have to see me at some point,” Woodley said when asked about who is next for him.

“I could fight (Rafael Dos Anjos), I could fight Colby (Covington), I could fight (Kamaru) Usman, I could fight Darren Till. It’s a good time for the sport because I’ve got the red dot on me, but to be honest, I don’t think any of these guys want to see me. I’ve already beat the toughest guys in the division. I’m the champion for a reason. I got here the old school way,” he continued.

“They are doing what they are supposed to. They’re supposed to want to fight me. They’re supposed to want to be the UFC champion, but it’s not gonna happen.”

‘The Chosen One’ is correct in his suggestion that the welterweight division is buzzing with top contenders and talent at the present moment, but the issue is all of them are just talking about fighting each other instead of actually sorting out the mess at the top.

With dos Anjos rumored to face Covington in Brazil and Till supposedly headlining UFC Liverpool against former title challenger Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson, the division should get some much-needed direction in the somewhat near future.

If and when it does, the returning ruler will hopefully have his next rival.

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