Former UFC champ Junior dos Santos has his eyes set on boxing glory against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight king Junior dos Santos is…
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Former UFC champ Junior dos Santos has his eyes set on boxing glory against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight king Junior dos Santos is making the move to professional boxing with Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in his sights.
Boxing management company S-JAM Boxing announced on Tuesday that it had acquired dos Santos’ services and are working on a fight for JDS. In a promo video featuring the former UFC fighter, “Cigano” expressed interest in fighting world-class boxers at the pinnacle of the sport.
“Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury. One day I will fight against these guys, and I will beat them up.”
“Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury,” JDS said in a promo video (h/t BJPenn.com). “I really believe at some point it’s going to happen. I’m going to have a big fight against one these guys, and I will beat them up,” dos Santos in the promo.
JDS previously expressed interest in competing in boxing.
A @UFC Heavyweight Champion, who holds the in UFC heavyweight history…
“We were talking with bare-knuckle (BKFC), Bellator, PFL, some boxing conversations as well,” dos Santos told MMA Junkie in August. “I would love to do a boxing fight, but it’s hard to find heavyweights with enough courage to take a fight. These guys are just talking, but let’s see what’s gonna happen. I’m not in a rush.”
JDS (21-9) exited the UFC on the heels of four consecutive losses to Ciryl Gane, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Curtis Blaydes and Francis Ngannou — all via knockout (KO) in the first two rounds.
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The UFC train continues rolling this weekend, with the mammoth UFC 268 PPV set to take place in Madison Square Garden, New York City, this weekend. As always, there will be some incredibly impressive figures Octagon-side calling the action as well. MMA Junkie has revealed who will be on hand to handle various commentary and […]
The UFC train continues rolling this weekend, with the mammoth UFC 268 PPV set to take place in Madison Square Garden, New York City, this weekend. As always, there will be some incredibly impressive figures Octagon-side calling the action as well.
MMA Junkie has revealed who will be on hand to handle various commentary and analysis duties for this fantastic card. Veteran broadcaster Michael Eaves is joined once more by legendary former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight title contender Chael Sonnen, as well as current light heavyweight contender Anthony “Lionheart” Smith.
Longtime widely respected UFC correspondent Megan Olivi will reliably be on hand to provide real-time updates, as well as pre and post-fight interviews with many of the fighters and figures backstage. Iconic octagon announcer Bruce Buffer also makes his welcome return following his unfortunate recent battle with COVID-19 that ruled him out of UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi.
By far the most exciting broadcast news comes from the guys at octagon-side, the color commentators. Jon Anik, as always, is on hand as the lead mic, supported by former light heavy/heavyweight champion of the world Daniel “DC” Cormier. The legendary Joe Rogan makes an appropriately epic return for such an epic card. This will not be one to miss.
Are you excited to see Joe Rogan back in the commentary booth at UFC 268?
Michael Chandler is just as excited as fans are for his fight against Justin Gaethje.
On the stacked UFC 268 card next Saturday from Madison Square Garden, Chandler and Gaethje will lock horns in a highly-anticipated lightweight scrap. Both men lik…
Michael Chandler is just as excited as fans are for his fight against Justin Gaethje.
On the stacked UFC 268 card next Saturday from Madison Square Garden, Chandler and Gaethje will lock horns in a highly-anticipated lightweight scrap. Both men like to brawl and have one-punch KO power, so with that, Chandler knows this fight doesn’t even need to be promoted.
“This fight doesn’t even need to be advertised. This fight doesn’t even need to be promoted. Justin Gaethje: consummate professional, consummate warrior, always coming forward, never takes a backward step, always in entertaining fights; Michael Chandler: the exact same fighter, the exact same cloth that we were both cut from,” Chandler said to The Schmo.
“November 6, I think we’re the people’s main event. You’ve got the women’s title fight as a co-main event; Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington as the main event; but this is the people’s main event. This is the one that people are definitely gonna be just as excited about as a feature fight on the card.”
(via Zuffa LLC)
The stakes are also high for this one as the winner of Michael Chandler vs. Justin Gaethje at UFC 268 could very well earn the next lightweight title shot. Regardless, it’s a fan-friendly fight that both men have said they won’t take a step back in and are ready for a brawl.
Chandler enters this fight coming off a TKO loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 262 in May for the vacant lightweight title. He made good on his UFC debut back in January as he knocked out Dan Hooker in the first round at UFC 257.
Gaethje, meanwhile, has not fought since his submission loss to Khabib Nurmagomedv for the lightweight strap back at UFC 254 in October 2020. Prior to that, he TKO’d Tony Ferguson to win the interim lightweight title.
Do you agree with Michael Chandler? Is his fight with Justin Gaethje the “People’s Main Event?”
Colby Covington claims that Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is not from Nigeria and has even accused the champion of being on steroids. Covington has always been vocal about Usman’s Nigerian background and has said many times that Usman introduced himself as ‘Marty’. Thus birthing the nickname ‘Marty Fakenewsman’ by Colby Covington. Kamaru’s nickname came from […]
Colby Covington claims that Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is not from Nigeria and has even accused the champion of being on steroids.
Covington has always been vocal about Usman’s Nigerian background and has said many times that Usman introduced himself as ‘Marty’. Thus birthing the nickname ‘Marty Fakenewsman’ by Colby Covington. Kamaru’s nickname came from an old coach that couldn’t pronounce his name correctly.
“Well, you know, Kevin, I’m not being derisive calling him ‘Marty’. He chose to put it on his college admissions ticket going to school in Nebraska because he was born in Dallas. He’s not even Nigerian. He’s never been in Nigeria – I mean, unless there’s a Nigeria in Texas, then, I guess you can call him Nigerian. Because, you know, I don’t know. Is there a Nigeria in Texas? But he put on his college admissions to be called Marty. So, I’m just calling him what he wants to be called. If you go look at all his tournament wrestling brackets in college, Marty Usman was his name.” (H/T Sportskeeda)
Covington also questioned Usman’s physique by claiming he is on steroids
“So, we know his name is ‘Marty Juiceman’ now. He’s the CEO of EPO. And, you know, there’s a reason there’s a chemical imbalance. You can see the pimples all over his back, all over his face, you know. Dude, you’re a 36-year-old man. You think you’re gonna have a chemical imbalance in your age, like you’re going through puberty in your mid-30s? So, you know, I do think he s**ks, though. I think he’s a cheater. I would’ve finished him in that first fight if he didn’t get a fake timeout.”
Whether you love Covington or hate him, it is just a fact that he gave Usman the most trouble when defending his title. Many argue the fight could have been 3-1 before heading into the 5th round. Usman finished Covington in the 5th round of their first meeting. Covington has continually claimed that the stoppage came early and the fight should have gone on.
The two have a rematch this Saturday at UFC 268 where they headline the card at Madison Square Garden, in New York City.
Who do you think wins the rematch, Kamaru Usman or Colby Covington?
All good things must come to an end, and that includes the historically productive fifth season of Dana White’s Contender Series, which concludes this evening (Tues., Nov. 2, 2021) on ESPN…
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
All good things must come to an end, and that includes the historically productive fifth season of Dana White’s Contender Series, which concludes this evening (Tues., Nov. 2, 2021) on ESPN+ with Episode 10.
Six fights produced five contracts last week. Gadzhi Omargadzhiev, Javid Basharat, Karine Silva, and Manuel Torres all ended things inside the distance, and though Christian Quinonez failed to put Xiao Long away, he nonetheless impressed Dana White enough to earn a spot in the Octagon.
This season’s final main event pits Battlefield Fight League Lightweight Champion Achilles Estremadura (7-0) against China’s Maheshate (5-1), while the co-feature sees CFFC Welterweight titlist Yohan Lainesse (7-0) face fellow unbeaten Justin Burlison (6-0). There’s also Qiu Lun (14-7) vs. Erisson Ferreira da Silva (10-1) at Flyweight, the long-awaited return of Nova Uniao’s Jonas Bilharinho (8-1-1) opposite series vet Canaan Kawaihae (6-1), and a Flyweight opener between well-traveled veterans Shang Zhifa (32-7) and Juan Puerta (22-6)
‘Contender Series’ Quick Results:
Achilles Estremadura vs. Maheshate — Maheshate def. Estremadura by unanimous decision (29-28 x3) Yohan Lainesse vs. Justin Burlinson — Lainesse def. Burlinson by KO (punch) at 1:37 of Round One Qiu Lun vs. Erisson Ferreira da Silva — Ferreira da Silva def. Qiu by unanimous decision (29-28 x3) Jonas Bilharinho vs. Canaan Kawaihae — Bilharinho def. Kawaihae by TKO (wheel kick) at 4:00 of Round Three Shang Zhifa vs. Juan Puerta — Puerta def. Shang by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
‘Contender Series’ Play-By-Play Results:
155 lbs.: Achilles Estremadura vs. Maheshate
Round one: Estremadura comes out slugging, gets caught by some counters along the way. Body kick from Maheshate. Estremadura jab. Huge two-piece drops Maheshate against the fence. Estremadura tries to pour it on, gets tied up and puts Maheshate on the fence. One minute in. Maheshate tries a right on the exit. Circling. Estremadura patiently pursuing. He tanks a counter right, then hurts Maheshate with a left hand as he flurries on the fence two minutes in. Back to the clinch. Snap kick and knee by Maheshate after they separate. Two minutes to go.
Maheshate seemingly threatening with knees, lands a right cross and some kicks. Check hook. Front kick attempt. One minute to go. Estremadura hanging back, now blitzes in and lands a solid left hook. Counter right connects. Long right cross knocks Maheshate back. Left hook to the body. 10-9 Estremadura.
Round two: Estremadura back to the lackadaisical pursuit. Big flurry on the fence. Maheshate fires a combination of his own a minute in. Circling once again. Right hand downstairs, head kick attempt. Both try left hooks. Two-piece by Estremadura. Two minutes in. Brief clinch on the fence. Low kick and right cross by Maheshate. Two minutes to go.
Maheshate looking for kicks, Estremadura seemingly content to wait for his opportunity to explode. Counter left by Estremadura, elbow comes back his way. Mehashate suddenly blasts him with a flying knee and tries to pour it on against the fence. Estremadura manages to tie up with a minute to go. Jockeying for position. They separate with 10 seconds to go. Maheshate unable to put him away. 10-9 Maheshate.
Round three: Maheshate tossing out kicks, eats a pair of left hooks. Estremadura’s blitzes are few and far between at this point. Good body kick by Maheshate. One minute in. Straight right by Estremadura. Maheshate answers in kind, follows a wheel kick attempt with another flying knee. Nice spinning back kick to the body. Two minutes in. 1-1-2 lands, then a calf kick. Wheel kick attempt. Another knee and wheel kick attempt. Estremadura with a tired-looking overhand. Two minutes to go.
Jabs from Estremadura. There’s a nice counter two-piece, best shots in a while. Maheshate tries a front kick. They exchange in the center. Elbow attempt blocked. One minute to go. Body kick. Counter hook from Estremadura. Maheshate leg kick, eats a jab. Both fire big right hands. Maheshate body kick. Low kick. 10-9 Maheshate.
Final result: Maheshate def. Estremadura by unanimous decision
170 lbs.: Yohan Lainesse vs. Justin Burlinson
Round one: Lainesse aggressive early. Long-range double-leg and he passes to side control as Burlinson chases a guillotine. Kimura trap attempt, regains guard. Armbar denied, caught in side control again. Nice scrambles. One minute in. Burlinson works his way up with the fence and lands a knee on the break. They start exchanging and a gigantic left hook lands right on Burlinson’s chin, sending him timber-ing to the mat to eat one more punch before the ref steps in.
Final result: Lainesse def. Burlinson by KO (punch)
125 lbs.: Qiu Lun vs. Erisson Ferreira da Silva
Round one: Nice exchanges to start. Ferreira slips, then gets dropped soon after by a straight left. Qiu standing over him, elects to let him up a minute in. Straight left into the clinch. Ferreira slips on the exit. Hard low kicks by Qiu. Good counter 2-3 by Ferreira and he rushes in with punches. Two minutes to go. Heavy blows by both men at close range. 1-2 stings Ferreira again. Another 1-2, Ferreira with a left hook in return. Brutal shots by Qiu, who follows up with a double-leg attempt. Ferreira threatening a front headlock. Qiu tries to throw on the break. Two minutes to go.
Side kick from Qiu, tries a wheel kick. Ferreira looks for a flying knee and gets taken down for it. Right hands, knees on the way up by Qiu. Ferreira comes on strong, hurts him with a right hand, defends two consecutive level changes with a minute to go. Half guard for the Brazilian. Ferreira standing over Qiu and kicking his legs. Diving elbow whiffs and he sprawls, then looks for the back. 10-9 Qiu.
Round two: Both men a little more tentative to start the round. Looking for leg kicks. Counter left by Qiu. One minute in. Ferreira low kicks and side kick. Straight left for Qiu. He catches a kick and takes Ferreira down. Ferreira scrambles up as soon as Qiu tries to settle on top. Two minutes in. Ferreira just misses with an elbow. Head kick attempt. Qiu with a right hook and body kick. Good exchange in the center. Straight left connects. Two minutes to go.
Qiu lands a side kick to the midsection. Body kick, avoids a combo in return. Big right hook by Qiu sends Ferreira stumbling back. Good body kick and side kick. One minute to go. Sharp straight lefts by Qiu, another side kick. Ferreira goes low-high with a two-piece and stuffs a takedown. Good uppercut inside, Qiu answers with a cross on the exit. Another shot, denied, lands a knee. 10-9 Qiu.
Round three: Ferreira launching punches, puts him on the fence and takes him down with a double-leg. One minute in. Ferreira appears to consider an arm triangle. Nice elbow. Qiu gets an underhook and turns to his knees, then sits through for a takedown of his own into side control. Looking for a Japanese necktie, now a d’arce. Two minutes in. Ferreira breaks his grip and eats a left on the way up. 1-2-2 by Qiu, jabs on the counter. Ferreira getting picked off when he tries to step in. grabs a guillotine as Qiu shoots in. Ninja choke transition, now the back with a hook in. Two minutes to go.
Qiu gets the baseball grip, stands, and separates. Trading in the center. Qiu with a 1-2 downstairs. Left hand. Ferreira tries a three-piece and body kick. One minute to go. Exchanging punches, Qiu landing better. He shoots in and Ferreira jumps guard on a guillotine. He gives a thumbs-up and waits it out. 10-9 Qiu.
Final result: Ferreira da Silva def. Qiu by unanimous decision
145 lbs.: Jonas Bilharinho vs. Canaan Kawaihae
Round one: Kawaihae slips throwing a kick. Back to pushing forward. Jab exchange. Right hook from Bilharinho. Kawaihae looking aggressive, lands a low kick. One minute in. Counter left into a takedown attempt. Pressing Bilharinho against the fence. Two minutes in. Knees to the body. Two minutes to go.
More control. Bilharinho exits with an elbow with a minute to go. Kawaihae calf kicks. Bilharinho tries a head kick. Check hook, eats a calf kick, lands a straight left. 10-9 Kawaihae
Round two: Bilharinho denies an early takedown. Neither man committing at range. One minute in. Kawaihae with a body kick on the counter. Calf kick to a double-leg attempt. Two minutes in. Kawaihae lands a combination. Bilharinho steps in with a left hand, then has to fight off another level change. Kawaihae massively outworking him so far. Both men somehow knee each other in the balls at the same time. Incredible. Kawaihae comes out strong and takes Bilharinho down against the fence with two minutes to go.
They separate. Low kick from Kawaihae. Bilharinho lands a hard body kick with a minute to go. Solid jabs. Another good body kick, right hook. They trade left hands. Hard straight left from the Brazilian. Good late work but 10-9 Kawaihae.
Round three: Heavy exchange to start the round. Elbow from Bilharinho on the exit. Snap kick downstairs. Kawaihae sends out jabs, eats a straight left and right hook. Bilharinho low kick, sharp jab. One minute in. They trade straight lefts. Another check hook by Bilharinho. He tries a jumping knee, eats a body shot. Good left hand. Kawaihae still stalking after him, changes levels. Two minutes to go. Bilharinho separates. Clean jab. Both fire straight lefts. Body kick. Two minutes to go.
Kawaihae has him backed to the fence, retreats and eats a jab. Bilharinho check hook. Kawaihae nearly catches him leaning with a head kick, drawing applause from Bilharinho. Kawaihae continues to pursue, only to walk into a monstrous wheel kick that lands clean. Kawaihae wobbles to the ground and Bilharinho patiently waits for Herb Dean to call it off.
Final result: Bilharinho def. Kawaihae by TKO (wheel kick)
125 lbs.: Shang Zhifa vs. Juan Puerta
Round one: Puerta circling at range. Head kick attempt. Puerta presses forward with a flurry, Shang tries to answer in kind. One minute in. Left hand by Shang after seemingly clashing heads. Puerta catches a kick for a takedown into guard. Short ground-and-pound. Two minutes to go.
Shang has a butterfly hook but isn’t really doing anything besides grabbing Puerta’s gloves. One minute to go. Shang catches a knee and takes him down into half guard. 10-9 Puerta.
Round two: Puerta threatens a spinning kick as Shang starts pushing forward. Right hand into the clinch for an outside trip, putting Shang on top in half guard. Looking for the back, one hook in. One minute in. Shang looking to get the other in and pin Puerta’s arm in the process. Puerta slips out and sets up in guard. Shang tries to slip out, can’t do so two minutes in. Short punches. Two minutes to go.
Puerta puts in one hook, then the other. One minute to go. Hunting the RNC. Shang just holding into Puerta’s hands and keeping him from punching. Shang tries a shoulder strike. 10-9 Puerta.
Round three: Shang steadily advancing, tries a lead right. Another one connects. Trading heat on the fence. Shang straight right a minute in. They trade hooks. Puerta comes back with a 1-2. Another straight right by Shang. Low kick behind it. Brief clinch, separation with two minutes to go. Both swing their power hands. Shang leg kick. Lead right lands. He tries to flurry, lands another right and grabs double underhooks. Two minutes to go.
Shang still pressuring, Puerta still cruising. Good uppercut by Shangon the exit with a minute to go, Puerta answers with a knee. Shang pushing hard, hurling right hands. 10-9 Shang.
Final result: Puerta def. Shang by split decision
For more “Contender Series” news and notes, be sure to hit up our comprehensive archive right here.
Weili Zhang is heading into her rematch with Rose Namajunas with a whole new outlook.
UFC 268 goes down on Saturday night live from Madison Square Garden in New York. This could be the biggest event of the year. The co-main event will feature a st…
Weili Zhang is heading into her rematch with Rose Namajunas with a whole new outlook.
“After the fight, everybody was surprised by the result,” Zhang said on her YouTube channel. “Then Dana said there might be a rematch. The mentality I had before was to go there and learn from each other. Then I went and found out it wasn’t like that at all. So I think I need to take it really seriously now, see the fight like a war. In there, you can’t be distracted even for 0.01 seconds, whether it’s just before the fight or in camp.”
“Last time, there were all kinds of factors. I think this time I would focus more on myself instead of watching the outside stuff. After our first fight, my coach kept telling me that the next will mostly be about mental game,” Zhang said. “At this level, we’re all close technically. It’s all about who is more mentally steady. I think for the rematch, her psychological pressure might be greater than mine.”
If there is more pressure on the champion, then Namajunas might have a leg up. This is not her first rodeo as champ. She successfully defended her title once before, the first time she was champion. In fact, Namajunas is undefeated in New York and seems to thrive on the biggest stages. If Namajunas can pull off another win over Zhang at UFC 268, she could be securing a legacy for herself as the company’s strawweight queen.
Who do you think will take home the strawweight title at UFC 268?
The UFC train continues rolling this weekend, with the mammoth UFC 268 PPV set to take place in Madison Square Garden, New York City, this weekend. As always, there will be some incredibly impressive figures Octagon-side calling the action as well. MMA Junkie has revealed who will be on hand to handle various commentary and […]
Colby Covington claims that Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is not from Nigeria and has even accused the champion of being on steroids. Covington has always been vocal about Usman’s Nigerian background and has said many times that Usman introduced himself as ‘Marty’. Thus birthing the nickname ‘Marty Fakenewsman’ by Colby Covington. Kamaru’s nickname came from […]
