Many believed that a Cris Cyborg fight inside the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Octagon would be a sight they’d never live to see.
Especially since UFC president Dana White never seemed too fond of the fearsome striker, taking ve…
Many believed that a Cris Cyborg fight inside the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Octagon would be a sight they’d never live to see.
Especially since UFC president Dana White never seemed too fond of the fearsome striker, taking verbal stabs at her any chance he’d get. Like calling her “Wanderlei Silva in a dress,” and laughing at inappropriate “dick” jokes at her expense.
Then out of the blue, Cyborg earned a spot at the upcoming UFC 198 event in her hometown of Curitiba, Brazil, on May 14, 2016. That said, fences haven’t exactly been mended between White and Cyborg, as she revealed on The MMA Hour that it’s simply business.
Nothing more, nothing less.
“Me and Dana White just have business. I’ll go inside the Octagon and do my job, and he’ll pay my check. I don’t think about after this.”
Of course, White has to put aside any issues he may have with Cyborg in order to promote her upcoming catchweight bout against Leslie Smith. And it’s a good thing for the Brazilian, as White and the UFC Public Relations machine can make stars of anyone.
But according to Cyborg, she’s already known worldwide, and while she is very appreciative to finally compete inside the eight-walled cage, she’s proud that she didn’t need UFC in order to become a household name.
“Of course, when I go to the UFC, more people will know me. I’ve never been in the UFC but everybody in the world knows Cyborg. I never had the UFC to promote my name and grow my name. I grew my name by myself, by fighting, and of course, with other promotions. I feel very blessed to not have to be in the UFC for people to know me.”
Cyborg has long been pegged as the woman to finally give former women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey a run for her money (Holly Holm, though, took care of that). But a bout between them never came to be, and likely never will, as Cyborg and her nutritionist confirmed once and for all that a drop to 135 pounds is simply out of the question.
That means if Cyborg wants to continue fighting inside the Octagon, she better hope White and Co. agree to give her more bouts at 140 pounds.
A weight class that doesn’t exactly exist under the UFC banner.
In a rare situation, the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 24 will be next in line for the UFC flyweight champion. The next installment in The Ultimate Fighter series was officially announced by the UFC on Tuesday and a shot at U…
In a rare situation, the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 24 will be next in line for the UFC flyweight champion.
The next installment in The Ultimate Fighter series was officially announced by the UFC on Tuesday and a shot at UFC gold is up for grabs.
The Ultimate Fighter 24 features men’s flyweights and the season winner will be rewarded a UFC flyweight title shot against the winner of Demetrious Johnson vs. Henry Cejudo at the end of the year.
Tryouts for TUF 24 will be held at Palace Station in Las Vegas on April 25 and are open to flyweight fighters aged 21-34 with a minimum of three professional fights and a current winning record.
The show will begin filming in June and will premiere on FOX Sports 1 on Aug. 31.
“World class coaches, guest coaches, and former opponents of the current champion will be brought in throughout the season to break down film and help the contestants tailor their training to a game plan designed to help them become the next UFC champion,” according to a press release. “The winner will face the flyweight champion at the Finale just days after the season concludes.”
The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale will take place on a TBD date in December of this year.
More fights are coming to Fight Pass and FOX Sports 1 this weekend (Sun., April 10, 2016) when UFC Fight Night 86: “Rothwell vs. dos Santos” kicks off from Arena Zagreb in Zagreb, Croatia. MMAmania.com’s Patrick Stumberg continues the UFC Fight Night 86 “Prelims” party with the second (and final) installment of a two-part undercard preview series.
Hope you enjoyed that break, because it’s time for things to heat up.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) kicks off three consecutive weekends of fights this Sunday (April 10, 2016) with UFC Fight Night 86, live from Arena Zagreb in Zagreb, Croatia, airing on FOX Sports 1. In the main event, Junior dos Santos looks to rebound from his knockout loss to Alistair Overeem against the rising Ben Rothwell, while Gabriel Gonzaga co-helms against late replacement Derrick Lewis.
Four “Prelims” undercard matches join the six-fight main card on FOX Sports 1 starting at 12 p.m. ET. Your lunchtime appetizers are as follows (check out the brunch menu here):
170 lbs.: Nicolas Dalby vs. Zak Cummings
Sweden’s Nicolas Dalby (14-0-1) has been nothing but entertaining in his two-fight UFC career, beginning with a gritty split decision over Brazilian knockout artist Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos. In October, he threw down with top British prospect Darren Till and battled through a knockdown to force a draw and earn Fight of the Night in the process.
“Sharpshooter” has knocked out four opponents and submitted another three.
Zak Cummings’ (18-4) run on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 17 came to an end in the Round of 16 with a decision loss to Dylan Andrews. He’s gone 3-1 in UFC itself, including an upset decision over Yan Cabral and 43-second knockout of Dominique Steele in July 2015.
He replaces the injured Bartosz Fabinski on one month’s notice.
In many ways, Dalby reminds me of Martin Kampmann. He’s capable on the feet, but doesn’t have much stopping power and can struggle with bigger hitters. One thing he lacks that Kampmann relied heavily on, however, is a powerful offensive and defensive wrestling game.
Hence the reason I’m picking Cummings.
Cummings is huge for the weight class and is a very capable grappler when not dealing with beasts like Gunnar Nelson. Expect him to edge a decision through effective top control.
Prediction: Cummings via unanimous decision
155 lbs.: Mairbek Taisumov vs. Damir Hadzovic
Mairbek Taisumov’s (24-5) one-sided loss to Michel Prazeres in 2014 has given way to three straight knockouts, his head kick finish of Alan Patrick in May 2015 earning him “Performance of the Night.” “Beckan” was set to take a step up against Beneil Dariush in January, only for Darush to suffer an injury and Taisumov to run into visa issues.
He has just one decision victory in nine years as a professional.
Damir Hadzovic (10-2) has won six straight since a 2012 loss to current UFC middleweight Krzysztof Jotko, four of them via stoppage. Training alongside Nicolas Dalby, Hadzovic has stopped eight opponents overall with five knockouts.
“The Bosnian Bomber” stands three inches taller than Taisumov at 6’0.”
I picked Taisumov to beat Dariush and Wade, so no prize for guessing what I think of Hadzovic’s chances. The Bosnian is a decent, slow-starting striker, but lacks Taisumov’s speed, power, and kicking prowess. “Beckan” will also have a considerable edge in wrestling and can do major damage from top position.
To win this fight, Hadzovic would have to keep Taisumov at range and try to exhaust him. Taisumov just hits too damn hard for that to work, unfortunately. The Chechen chews him up with kicks before putting him down late in the first.
Prediction: Taisumov via first-round technical knockout
135 lbs.: Ian Entwistle vs. Alejandro Perez
Ian Entwistle’s (9-2) relentless pursuit of submissions came back to bite him in the UFC debut, where he held fast to a heel hook attempt and, in doing so, allowed Daniel Hooker to beat him senseless with elbows. “Enty” returned to Bantamweight and had a bit more success with his leglocks against Anthony Birchak, whom he tapped in 64 seconds.
He has never gone past the first round as an amateur or a professional, scoring seven submissions.
Mexico’s Alejandro Perez (16-6) took home gold on the inaugural TUF: “Latin America” with a decision over teammate Jose Alberto Quinones. He suffered a quick submission loss to Patrick Williams his next time out, but rebounded with an injury stoppage of Scott Jorgensen in Nov. 2015.
He will give up two inches of height to the 5’8″ Entwistle.
Entwistle fights are annoying to pick because he either wins big or loses big — there are no in-betweens. Either he scores an immediate sub or gets smashed to pieces in the process. This fight should be no different, as Perez is by far the better striker and has some decent grappling of his own.
Honestly, though, I think Entwistle catches him.
Perez, while very skilled and well-rounded, doesn’t have the top-tier submission defense he’d need to survive the early onslaught. Entwistle wraps up a heel hook sometime in the first two minutes.
Prediction: Entwistle def. Perez via first-round submission
135 lbs.: Filip Pejic vs. Damian Stasiak
Filip Pejic (10-1) has gone 8-0-1 since a technical knockout loss in 2012, including a four-fight first-round knockout streak through 2013. Following a draw against Serbia’s Slobodan Maksimovic, he destroyed Zoltan Turai with soccer kicks 57 seconds into their Oct. 2015 showdown.
“Nitro” stands three inches taller than Damian Stasiak (8-3) at 5’11.”
A five-fight win streak brought Poland’s Stasiak to UFC, where he debuted in Aug. 2015 in Krakow. There, he struggled with Yaotzin Meza’s grappling en route to a unanimous decision loss. He was originally set to face Erik Perez back in Nov. 2015 before withdrawing.
I watched Pejic’s draw with Maksimovic and came away with a distinct “meh” impression. He’s decent with his hands and decent off his back, but doesn’t throw very much and doesn’t have much in the way of wrestling. Stasiak, meanwhile, is every bit as capable on the feet and also has a decent grappling game to go along with it.
Seems pretty cut-and-dry to me.
Stasiak should have at least a slight edge everywhere the fight goes, plus the option of hitting a takedown if things get hairy. Expect a clear decision win for the Pole.
Prediction: Stasiak via unanimous decision
There are plenty worse ways to spend a Sunday afternoon than watching European prospects kick the snot out of each other.
See you Sunday, Manaics!
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Fight Night 86 fight card, starting with the Fight Pass “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. ET, and then the remaining undercard balance on FOX Sports 1 at 12 p.m. ET, before the FOX Sports 1 main card start time at 2 p.m. ET.
Current UFC “Prelims” Prediction Record 2016: 29-27-1
More fights are coming to Fight Pass and FOX Sports 1 this weekend (Sun., April 10, 2016) when UFC Fight Night 86: “Rothwell vs. dos Santos” kicks off from Arena Zagreb in Zagreb, Croatia. MMAmania.com’s Patrick Stumberg continues the UFC Fight Night 86 “Prelims” party with the second (and final) installment of a two-part undercard preview series.
Hope you enjoyed that break, because it’s time for things to heat up.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) kicks off three consecutive weekends of fights this Sunday (April 10, 2016) with UFC Fight Night 86, live from Arena Zagreb in Zagreb, Croatia, airing on FOX Sports 1. In the main event, Junior dos Santos looks to rebound from his knockout loss to Alistair Overeem against the rising Ben Rothwell, while Gabriel Gonzaga co-helms against late replacement Derrick Lewis.
Four “Prelims” undercard matches join the six-fight main card on FOX Sports 1 starting at 12 p.m. ET. Your lunchtime appetizers are as follows (check out the brunch menu here):
170 lbs.: Nicolas Dalby vs. Zak Cummings
Sweden’s Nicolas Dalby (14-0-1) has been nothing but entertaining in his two-fight UFC career, beginning with a gritty split decision over Brazilian knockout artist Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos. In October, he threw down with top British prospect Darren Till and battled through a knockdown to force a draw and earn Fight of the Night in the process.
“Sharpshooter” has knocked out four opponents and submitted another three.
Zak Cummings’ (18-4) run on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 17 came to an end in the Round of 16 with a decision loss to Dylan Andrews. He’s gone 3-1 in UFC itself, including an upset decision over Yan Cabral and 43-second knockout of Dominique Steele in July 2015.
He replaces the injured Bartosz Fabinski on one month’s notice.
In many ways, Dalby reminds me of Martin Kampmann. He’s capable on the feet, but doesn’t have much stopping power and can struggle with bigger hitters. One thing he lacks that Kampmann relied heavily on, however, is a powerful offensive and defensive wrestling game.
Hence the reason I’m picking Cummings.
Cummings is huge for the weight class and is a very capable grappler when not dealing with beasts like Gunnar Nelson. Expect him to edge a decision through effective top control.
Prediction: Cummings via unanimous decision
155 lbs.: Mairbek Taisumov vs. Damir Hadzovic
Mairbek Taisumov’s (24-5) one-sided loss to Michel Prazeres in 2014 has given way to three straight knockouts, his head kick finish of Alan Patrick in May 2015 earning him “Performance of the Night.” “Beckan” was set to take a step up against Beneil Dariush in January, only for Darush to suffer an injury and Taisumov to run into visa issues.
He has just one decision victory in nine years as a professional.
Damir Hadzovic (10-2) has won six straight since a 2012 loss to current UFC middleweight Krzysztof Jotko, four of them via stoppage. Training alongside Nicolas Dalby, Hadzovic has stopped eight opponents overall with five knockouts.
“The Bosnian Bomber” stands three inches taller than Taisumov at 6’0.”
I picked Taisumov to beat Dariush and Wade, so no prize for guessing what I think of Hadzovic’s chances. The Bosnian is a decent, slow-starting striker, but lacks Taisumov’s speed, power, and kicking prowess. “Beckan” will also have a considerable edge in wrestling and can do major damage from top position.
To win this fight, Hadzovic would have to keep Taisumov at range and try to exhaust him. Taisumov just hits too damn hard for that to work, unfortunately. The Chechen chews him up with kicks before putting him down late in the first.
Prediction: Taisumov via first-round technical knockout
135 lbs.: Ian Entwistle vs. Alejandro Perez
Ian Entwistle’s (9-2) relentless pursuit of submissions came back to bite him in the UFC debut, where he held fast to a heel hook attempt and, in doing so, allowed Daniel Hooker to beat him senseless with elbows. “Enty” returned to Bantamweight and had a bit more success with his leglocks against Anthony Birchak, whom he tapped in 64 seconds.
He has never gone past the first round as an amateur or a professional, scoring seven submissions.
Mexico’s Alejandro Perez (16-6) took home gold on the inaugural TUF: “Latin America” with a decision over teammate Jose Alberto Quinones. He suffered a quick submission loss to Patrick Williams his next time out, but rebounded with an injury stoppage of Scott Jorgensen in Nov. 2015.
He will give up two inches of height to the 5’8″ Entwistle.
Entwistle fights are annoying to pick because he either wins big or loses big — there are no in-betweens. Either he scores an immediate sub or gets smashed to pieces in the process. This fight should be no different, as Perez is by far the better striker and has some decent grappling of his own.
Honestly, though, I think Entwistle catches him.
Perez, while very skilled and well-rounded, doesn’t have the top-tier submission defense he’d need to survive the early onslaught. Entwistle wraps up a heel hook sometime in the first two minutes.
Prediction: Entwistle def. Perez via first-round submission
135 lbs.: Filip Pejic vs. Damian Stasiak
Filip Pejic (10-1) has gone 8-0-1 since a technical knockout loss in 2012, including a four-fight first-round knockout streak through 2013. Following a draw against Serbia’s Slobodan Maksimovic, he destroyed Zoltan Turai with soccer kicks 57 seconds into their Oct. 2015 showdown.
“Nitro” stands three inches taller than Damian Stasiak (8-3) at 5’11.”
A five-fight win streak brought Poland’s Stasiak to UFC, where he debuted in Aug. 2015 in Krakow. There, he struggled with Yaotzin Meza’s grappling en route to a unanimous decision loss. He was originally set to face Erik Perez back in Nov. 2015 before withdrawing.
I watched Pejic’s draw with Maksimovic and came away with a distinct “meh” impression. He’s decent with his hands and decent off his back, but doesn’t throw very much and doesn’t have much in the way of wrestling. Stasiak, meanwhile, is every bit as capable on the feet and also has a decent grappling game to go along with it.
Seems pretty cut-and-dry to me.
Stasiak should have at least a slight edge everywhere the fight goes, plus the option of hitting a takedown if things get hairy. Expect a clear decision win for the Pole.
Prediction: Stasiak via unanimous decision
There are plenty worse ways to spend a Sunday afternoon than watching European prospects kick the snot out of each other.
See you Sunday, Manaics!
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Fight Night 86 fight card, starting with the Fight Pass “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. ET, and then the remaining undercard balance on FOX Sports 1 at 12 p.m. ET, before the FOX Sports 1 main card start time at 2 p.m. ET.
Current UFC “Prelims” Prediction Record 2016: 29-27-1
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will make his Bellator MMA return on June 24th.
The former UFC star, who recently returned to the Bellator MMA promotion, will make his return inside the cage against Japanese Olympic gold medalist Satoshi Ishii.
Rampage…
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will make his Bellator MMA return on June 24th.
The former UFC star, who recently returned to the Bellator MMA promotion, will make his return inside the cage against Japanese Olympic gold medalist Satoshi Ishii.
Rampage last fought at UFC 186 in April of 2015, defeating Fabio Maldonado via unanimous decision. He is currently riding a four fight win streak.
Ishii last fought at the Rizin FF event in December of 2015, losing via knockout to Jiri Prochazka in the first round. Prior to that loss, he was riding a two fight win streak.
The Rampage-Ishii bout will take place at the Belaltor Dynamite 2 event, which is scheduled for the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri on June 24, 2016.
And to think Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White wanted “Cupcake” to retire (seriously).
Reigning women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate, 29, will be sticking around for the foreseeable future after putting pen to paper on a new ZUFFA contract, even though her existing deal with the world’s preeminent mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion had not yet run its course.
Tate (18-5), who also held gold under the Strikeforce banner, has now won five straight inside the Octagon, including last month’s submission win over Holly Holm to capture the crown. A championship fight against longtime nemesis Ronda Rousey, her third, is expected later this year.
For more on her upcoming “Rowdy” trilogy click here.
And to think Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White wanted “Cupcake” to retire (seriously).
Reigning women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate, 29, will be sticking around for the foreseeable future after putting pen to paper on a new ZUFFA contract, even though her existing deal with the world’s preeminent mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion had not yet run its course.
Tate (18-5), who also held gold under the Strikeforce banner, has now won five straight inside the Octagon, including last month’s submission win over Holly Holm to capture the crown. A championship fight against longtime nemesis Ronda Rousey, her third, is expected later this year.
For more on her upcoming “Rowdy” trilogy click here.
This will be a Fight Pass debut for Correia, who is coming off a 1st round KO loss to Ronda Rousey at UFC 190. Likewise for Pennington, all of her previous UFC bouts were on a main card or the FS1 prelims. At UFC 184, she rose to co-headlining status and suffered a split decision loss to Holly Holm.
Sterling, who recently re-upped with the UFC in free agency, still has yet to appear on a main card. The 26-year-old was on the prelims of a Fight Pass-exclusive show in his last fight, which ended in a 2nd round submission win over Johnny Eduardo. Meanwhile, Caraway heads to Fight Pass for the first time, having last been on the FOX prelims against Eddie Wineland, and a main card co-headliner vs. Raphael Assuncao. For the rest of today, Fight Pass is offering free (no sign-in required) viewing of the 4 wins by Sterling, as well as the 5 for Caraway.
Also set for Fight Pass this month:
UFC Zagreb (April 10th) – Lucas Martins vs. Rob Whiteford UFC 197 (April 23rd) – Cody East vs. Walt Harris
Some fans have voiced their displeasure over the decision to once again put Sterling on Fight Pass, and Winter has responded to those concerns on Twitter.
This will be a Fight Pass debut for Correia, who is coming off a 1st round KO loss to Ronda Rousey at UFC 190. Likewise for Pennington, all of her previous UFC bouts were on a main card or the FS1 prelims. At UFC 184, she rose to co-headlining status and suffered a split decision loss to Holly Holm.
Sterling, who recently re-upped with the UFC in free agency, still has yet to appear on a main card. The 26-year-old was on the prelims of a Fight Pass-exclusive show in his last fight, which ended in a 2nd round submission win over Johnny Eduardo. Meanwhile, Caraway heads to Fight Pass for the first time, having last been on the FOX prelims against Eddie Wineland, and a main card co-headliner vs. Raphael Assuncao. For the rest of today, Fight Pass is offering free (no sign-in required) viewing of the 4 wins by Sterling, as well as the 5 for Caraway.
Also set for Fight Pass this month:
UFC Zagreb (April 10th) – Lucas Martins vs. Rob Whiteford UFC 197 (April 23rd) – Cody East vs. Walt Harris
Some fans have voiced their displeasure over the decision to once again put Sterling on Fight Pass, and Winter has responded to those concerns on Twitter.
