UFC bantamweight contender Marlon Vera has reacted after promotional newcomer Raul Rosas Jr. expressed confidence in his chances against reigning champion Aljamain Sterling. Having broken the record for the UFC’s youngest-ever signing with his co…
UFC bantamweight contender Marlon Vera has reacted after promotional newcomer Raul Rosas Jr. expressed confidence in his chances against reigning champion Aljamain Sterling. Having broken the record for the UFC’s youngest-ever signing with his contract-winning performance on Dana White’s Contender Series earlier this year, Rosas Jr. made history again this past weekend at UFC 282…
Jared Gordon feels the judges did him wrong this past weekend (Dec. 10, 2022) at UFC 282.
Taking on Paddy Pimblett in each fighter’s first UFC co-main event appearance, Gordon put on a sol…
Jared Gordon feels the judges did him wrong this past weekend (Dec. 10, 2022) at UFC 282.
Taking on Paddy Pimblett in each fighter’s first UFC co-main event appearance, Gordon put on a solid performance as the betting underdog. Unfortunately for “Flash,” he came up on the wrong end of the unanimous decision result with all three judges scoring the bout 29-28 for Pimblett.
The spotlight was the biggest of Gordon’s 11-year career thus far which makes it all the tougher of a pill to swallow.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Gordon told MMA Fighting. “I’m devastated. But there’s nothing I can do obviously. We’ll see what comes with it.
“When I watched the fight back, I was like I won every round,” he continued. “I believe 99.9 percent of the world thinks I won, too. It’s not like it could have gone either way. No, I clearly won. But Doug Crosby is blind or something and I know the other guys had it going the other way, too, but I don’t know how anybody could have given him all the rounds. It’s impossible.”
Crosby’s card for the Pimblett versus Gordon bout wasn’t his only controversial one of the weekend as just the night before UFC 282, the judge scored the Bellator 289 headliner between Raufeon Stots and Danny Sabatello 50-45 for Sabatello who lost a split decision. As a result, Crosby is now being investigated by the Mohegan Tribe Athletic Department.
A win for Gordon would have gotten him back on a winning streak after defeating Leonardo Santos in Aug. 2022. Instead, Pimblett extended his streak to six in a row (four in UFC) despite many in the community disagreeing with the outcome.
Gordon has since mentioned how he’ll happily rematch “The Baddy” in London, England.
“It’s probably one of the worst decisions ever,” Gordon said. “It’s got to be top three worst decisions ever in UFC history, I would imagine at this point. I lost out on a lot of opportunity. Money, I lost out on a couple of sponsors that were in the works that I haven’t heard about yet since the fight. A loss on my record. What do they do with me now?
“It’s so fresh still so I’ve got to see how it all pans out,” he added. “I’ve got so much stuff going through my head. One moment, I’m like this isn’t that bad. The next moment, I’m devastated. I’m like all right, I should be grateful, I feel all right. Then I think about everything and then I’m devastated again. It’s sad. I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to think anymore. I lost out on a lot. But whatever, I believe most of the world knows who the real winner was.”
For complete UFC 282 results and coverage click here.
Joe Rogan interviews Paddy Pimblett following his controversial decision over Jared Gordon at UFC 282. | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
From fighters to fans to pundits, even the UFC broadcast booth had trouble believing…
From fighters to fans to pundits, even the UFC broadcast booth had trouble believing the scorecards for Paddy Pimblett’s win over Jared Gordon.
As wild as it is to say, the major topic of discussion coming out of UFC 282 was not the fact that the UFC failed to crown a light heavyweight champion, as planned. Or even that they ditched both Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev as title contenders after they fought to a split draw in the PPV’s main event.
Instead, the story that has captured fans, pundits, and headlines had everything to do with an un-ranked lightweight bout that served as the night’s co-main event. There, rising star attraction Paddy Pimblett fought Jared Gorden to a unanimous decision victory, with all three judges giving the ‘Baddy’ two rounds to Gordon’s one. A tally that put them square in the minority among viewers, who seemingly were near-unanimous in their belief that ‘Flash’ Gordon should have gotten the nod.
Even the UFC broadcast team was surprised by the result. Well… maybe surprised isn’t the right word. Joe Rogan was in the Octagon when the decision was read, and his face said it all.
For his part, Pimblett seems firm in the belief that he was the better man in the Octagon that night, telling media that “Fights get scored on damage now. I landed a lot more damage.”
That likely means he’ll be leaving Gordon in the rear view mirror, as the Liverpudlian looks for bigger, more notable bouts. In a post to his Twitter account, however, Gordon made the case for a rematch, writing that “With all the controversy with our fight, I’d love to run it back with you in London.”
Oddsmakers have Pimblett sitting at a -140 favorite line, in the unlikely event that he and Gordon fight again.
Former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen believes he’s identified a good option for Anthony Smith following his loss of a fight against Jamahal Hill. When he arrived at the T-Mobile Arena this past Saturday to complete analyst duties at the ESPN …
Former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen believes he’s identified a good option for Anthony Smith following his loss of a fight against Jamahal Hill. When he arrived at the T-Mobile Arena this past Saturday to complete analyst duties at the ESPN desk for UFC 282, it’s safe to say that Smith likely wasn’t expecting proceedings…
UFC light heavyweight contender Magomed Ankalaev doesn’t see what’s so special about the striking of his division’s champion. Alex Pereira finds himself atop most lists when it comes to the current top standup fighters competing on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage. His fearsome reputation on the feet was built as a two-weight Glory Kickboxing champion. […]
UFC light heavyweight contender Magomed Ankalaev doesn’t see what’s so special about the striking of his division’s champion.
Alex Pereira finds himself atop most lists when it comes to the current top standup fighters competing on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage. His fearsome reputation on the feet was built as a two-weight Glory Kickboxing champion.
He’s since enhanced it inside the Octagon, where he’s delivered brutal knockout after brutal knockout to secure the crowns at both middleweight and light heavyweight.
“Poatan” currently reigns with the latter in his possession, and he cemented that status last weekend in the main event of UFC 303, where he got the better of Ji?í Procházka for the second time in emphatic fashion.
It didn’t take long for talk to turn to the Brazilian’s future, and one high-ranked contender was waiting in the wings to stake his claim with a number of posts on social media.
And as his campaign for another title shot continues, Ankalaev has made a bold assertion regarding the champ…
Ankalaev Downplays Pereira’s Striking Superiority
During a recent interview with MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn, Ankalaev reiterated his belief that a clash with Pereira makes sense later this year and assessed how they match up against one another.
“With Alex, you just have to watch a couple of his past fights,” Ankalaev said, via his translator. “With (Jan) B?achowicz, you know, his wrestling was on a level and Alex didn’t have much to offer. Same with (Israel) Adesanya, they’re both strikers but Adesanya was able to show him some wrestling.
“I think he is a great striker. But he is the kind of guy who always moves forward, and that is where sometimes he might make a mistake. That’s where I might catch him,” Ankalaev continued. “Definitely he has a strong punch, but I think just overall, his standup fight is overrated. Watch his fight with Jamahal Hill; he had something to offer to counter him. Same with the fight with Procházka. … He was probably lucky or didn’t face serious opposition. Wrestling is there, but I’m ready to fight with him standing up.”
In pleading his case for a showdown with Pereira, Ankalaev has vowed to knock the champ out. Whether that will be the path he pursues in a potential fight down the line or if he looks to overcome “Poatan” in the grappling realm remains to be seen.
Henry Cejudo has joked about dying his hair blonde to gain favoritism over champion Aljamain Sterling. The former double UFC champion referenced Paddy Pimblett’s controversial UFC 282 win. Judging has become a hot topic in the last few months. Sean O’Malley won a questionable decision against Petr Yan in October at UFC 280. Cejudo disagrees […]
Henry Cejudo has joked about dying his hair blonde to gain favoritism over champion Aljamain Sterling. The former double UFC champion referenced Paddy Pimblett’s controversial UFC 282 win.
Judging has become a hot topic in the last few months. Sean O’Malley won a questionable decision against Petr Yan in October at UFC 280. Cejudo disagrees with the latest decisions. During a recent YouTube video, he has criticized the judges’ decisions and jokingly plans to dye his hair blonde to gain a win.
“This isn’t a popularity contest. First, they [the judges] did it with Sean O’Malley against Petr Yan, and now they’re doing it against these guys, man. When I fight Aljizzlame [Aljamain Sterling] I’m literally gonna dye my hair blonde dude. So maybe I can get a little more favoritism.” (h/t MMA News)
Cejudo (16-2) has been rumored to face Aljamain Sterling for the UFC bantamweight title in early 2023. The Olympic gold medalist last fought in May 2020. Two weeks later, he relinquished the bantamweight crown and retired.
Aljamain Sterling Recently Announced That Henry Cejudo Will Be His Next Opponent
The 33-year-old (22-3) says the fight against Cejudo is not made official yet but expects it to happen soon.
“I’m announcing that I am going to fight Henry next,” Sterling said. “We are targeting March. I will say Ali, brother, it’s done but it’s still not done until there’s ink on the paper but it’s done. But it’s still kind of not done but this is the fight that’s going to happen next.” (h/t MMA Fighting)
Cejudo and Sterling faced off at the PFL World Championship event this past November. If the fight is made official, a Cejudo-Sterling fight will be a bout between two elite bantamweights. A clear winner is hopeful for the potential matchup.