Author: Dan Hiergesell

Michael Johnson turned back the clock earlier tonight (Sat., Dec. 14, 2024) at UFC Tampa LIVE on ESPN2/ESPN+ from inside Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., when “Menace” obliterated fellow lightweight Ottman Azaitar with a ridiculous second-round knockout (punch). It was the first knockout finish for Johnson since a stoppage over Alan Patrick back in May 2022.

Despite being 38 years of age, Johnson entered this “Prelims” headliner against Azaitar as the betting favorite. He showed early on why the oddsmakers trusted him to take care of business on Saturday night by tagging Azaitar and keeping him at bay. “Menace” just seemed to possess more power when his shots connected.

Azaitar came out more aggressive in the second round and quickly pressed the action with a fiery exchange inside. “The Bulldozer” landed a nice left hand, but while the fists were flying Johnson connected on an insane right hook that instantly put Azaitar down for the count. Unfortunately for him, Johnson was in position to uncork two violent punches on the ground before the referee made it over.

Check out the video highlights in the above player.

Johnson, who was coming off a decision win over Darrius Flowers his last time out, now has his first UFC win streak since 2018. The veteran lightweight clearly has some gas left in the tank and made it a point to tell UFC brass that he intends to stick around for a long time during his post-fight interview.

For complete UFC Tampa results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.

Joel Alvarez once again proved he’s ready for ranked competition in the UFC’s lightweight division earlier tonight (Sat., Dec. 14, 2024) at UFC Tampa LIVE on ESPN2/ESPN+ from inside Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., when “El Fenomeno” put a brutal stop to veteran Drakkar Klose via first-round knockout (knee and punches).

Fans tend to forget that Alvarez’s only loss in the past five years came against current title challenger Arman Tsarukyan, but the oddsmakers always remember. Alvarez was a sizeable betting favorite coming into Saturday night with a 6-2 overall UFC record and a 100-percent finish rate.

It didn’t take Alvarez long to find his range and start to do some damage from the outside. Klose was hesitant to attempt a takedown because of Alvarez’s elite ability on the ground, but the veteran still secured one early into the first. Alvarez was able to fight back to the feet and that’s where the action would ultimately end.

“El Fenomeno” landed a clean left hand that sent Klose falling back into the cage. Alvarez was hot on his tail and launched a flying knee that landed flush. Klose looked to be out. Alvarez caught him on his way down and appeared to be close to sinking in a choke, but he just held Klose up and smashed punches into his face until the referee finally stepped in.

It was a pretty wild sequence and a finish that should land Alvarez a top 15 matchup in early 2025. You can check out the video highlights in the above player.

For complete UFC Tampa results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.

Sean Woodson may have punched his ticket to a top 15 matchup in the UFC’s featherweight division earlier tonight (Sat., Dec. 14, 2024) at UFC Tampa LIVE on ESPN2/ESPN+ from inside Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., stopping brawler Fernando Padilla with a vicious first-round knockout (punches).

Both featherweights are used to having a height advantage at 145-pounds, but against each other it was going to be a battle of skill. Padilla burst out of the gate early with a barrage of strikes and some knees inside that caught the attention of Woodson. Padilla was also able to threaten with an omoplata when the fight hit the canvas for a minute and change.

Woodson, who came into this “Prelims” scrap riding a six-fight unbeaten streak, eventually got back to his feet and started to take over. He was calm in the pocket and landed almost at will with his lead jab and rangy hooks. Padilla was tired from his early-round efforts and failed to defend much of anything. It allowed Woodson to find his window of opportunity for a finish.

Woodson closed the gap and ended up catching Padilla with a crisp four-punch combination. The final punch even connected as Padilla was falling to the canvas. Once he hit, Woodson jumped on top for a few follow-up shots that forced the referee’s hand seconds before the bell.

Check out the video highlights in the above player and let us know what you thought of Woodson’s finish!

For complete UFC Tampa results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.

Brendan Allen is scheduled to fight Anthony Hernandez in a rematch this February in UFC’s return to Seattle, Washington, but “All In” is currently dealing with a pretty nasty staph infection and will have to heal up in time.

The rematch between Allen and Hernandez was announced just one month ago and is expected to take place at UFC’s upcoming Fight Night event on Feb. 22 from inside Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. It will be the second time the two middleweight contenders are meeting in their career. They fought all the way back in 2018 for the vacant LFA middleweight title and “Fluffy” ended up winning by way of unanimous decision.

With about three months to prepare for the rematch Allen is hoping to avenge that loss and start 2025 off on the right foot. Remember, the middleweight veteran was riding a seven-fight win streak before suffering a disappointing decision loss to Nassourdine Imavov this past September. Unfortunately, Allen has hit an unexpected snag in his camp that may or may not effect his upcoming fight against Hernandez.

Earlier this week, Allen took to social media to reveal an issue with staph infection. “All In” posted about five photos with an up-close look at his ongoing ailment. Luckily, Allen still has about two months left before his rematch with Hernandez so he’ll have enough time to take some medication, get healthy, and resume his camp in preparation for a return to the UFC middleweight win column.

Check out Allen’s NSFW photos below:

Colby Covington is entering tonight’s (Sat., Dec. 14, 2024) main event clash with Joaquin Buckley at UFC Tampa coming off a decision loss to Leon Edwards his last time out, but “Chaos” blames that title fight fiasco on a case of “altitude sickness.”

In case you forgot, the last time fight fans saw Covington compete he was fighting Edwards for the undisputed UFC welterweight title back at UFC 296 one year ago. Many were upset over the booking considering Covington’s previous fight before that was a decision win over Jorge Masvidal back in early 2022, but the promotion still gifted “Chaos” his third shot at official UFC gold. Unfortunately for Covington, he came up considerably short against Edwards and is now just 2-3 in his last five trips to the Octagon.

While most fight fans thought Covington looked flat against Edwards and blamed his uncanny efforts on cage rust, the perennial welterweight contender is pointing the finger at something else. In a recent interview with Sportsnet’s Aaron Bronsteter, Covington explains how altitude poisoning played a big factor in his lackluster UFC 296 performance. That’s because “Chaos” traveled to Breckenridge, Colorado, for the final week of training in order to boost his cardio game even more and didn’t come back the same.

“I went there [Breckenridge] originally with the idea that all boxers are doing it, everybody talks about it just changing their cardio game,” said Covington. “Go from sea level, where I live in Miami to 9,000 ft above sea level in Breckenridge, Colorado, and train there for a week and it’s going to take your lungs to a new level.

“It shocked my body and my lungs so much because I’d never been used to that. I’ve never trained in altitude or tried that before.

“When it was the Sunday before the fight I went to the ER and I got diagnosed with HAPE [high-altitude pulmonary edema] and it’s altitude sickness. I couldn’t breathe. They put me on oxygen tanks. I just never fully recovered by Saturday for that title fight.”

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Tampa fight card right here, starting with the ESPN2/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET, before the main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN2/ESPN+).

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Tampa: “Covington vs. Buckley” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

Joaquin Buckley is aiming to not only capture his sixth-straight win in the UFC’s welterweight division later tonight (Sat., Dec. 14, 2024) at UFC Tampa LIVE on ESPN2/ESPN+ from inside Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., but he’ll try to send former title challenger Colby Covington into retirement.

Tonight’s main event matchup came together pretty quickly, but it still provides Buckley with the chance to earn the biggest win of his career and cap off an incredible 2024 campaign that has already seen him go 3-0 at 170 pounds. This includes a spectacular knockout finish over Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson this past October.

Surprisingly, Buckley is a sizeable betting favorite against Covington for UFC’s final event of the calendar year. The heavy-hitting knockout artist has certainly been on a roll, but dealing with the wrestling and pressure of “Chaos” is no easy task.

On Friday, Buckley got one final look at Covington before taking to the microphone and promising to put an end to his opponent’s career on Saturday night. Check it out below:

“Look, this dude been quiet, he plays a character, now he wants to be soft with it. So at the end of the day man, we’re going to go out in that cage bro, we’re going to retire this man and send his ass off to Twitch. Let’s get it.”

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Tampa fight card right here, starting with the ESPN2/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET, before the main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN2/ESPN+).

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Tampa: “Covington vs. Buckley” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.