Author: Dan Hiergesell

Middleweight prospect Bruno Silva kept things rolling earlier tonight (Sat., Oct. 16, 2021) at UFC Vegas 40 live on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, when the knockout finisher stopped veteran contender Andrew Sanchez via third-round TKO (punches).

Sanchez was in control for almost the entirety of this fight as he used pressure and takedowns to subdue Silva’s dangerous striking. Unfortunately, Sanchez also landed a few illegal strikes below the belt that seemed to really bother Silva. Luckily for the Brazilian, Sanchez tired in the third round and it allowed Silva to unload a barrage of strikes on the feet that were simply too much for Sanchez to handle.

Check out the highlights above courtesy of UFC/ESPN.

For complete UFC Vegas 40 results and coverage click here.

Danaa Batgerel scored his third-straight knockout victory as a member of the UFC roster earlier tonight (Sat., Oct. 16, 2021) at UFC Vegas 40 live on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, when the Mongolian bantamweight stopped Brandon Davis via first-round TKO (punches).

Davis was making his return to the Octagon for the first time since 2019 after winning four-straight on the open circuit. “Killer B” had never been finished by strikes so he was hoping to stomach the early aggression of Batgerel. Unfortunately, Batgerel landed a massive right hand that was too powerful and sent Davis crashing into the cage. “Storm” followed up with a flurry of strikes that forced referee Herb Dean to step in and save Davis.

Check out the highlights above courtesy of UFC/ESPN.

For complete UFC Vegas 40 results and coverage click here.

Norma Dumont will be fighting for more than just a win later tonight (Sat., Oct. 16, 2021) at UFC Vegas 40 live on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, as the Brazilian contender tries to make ends meet outside of the cage.

This will be Dumont’s first main event bid after a collection of cancelations left the UFC Vegas 40 card in shambles. The 31-year-old fighter will be matched up against Aspen Ladd in a five-round women’s featherweight main event. The winner could get a shot at current UFC women’s featherweight champion Amanda Nunes seeing as the 145-pound division is practically non-existent.

Even being one win away from a potential title shot Dumont is fighting to survive at UFC Vegas 40. That’s because the Brazilian contender isn’t making enough money as a member of the UFC roster to lived comfortably outside of the cage. Like many fighters who have experienced financial struggles before her Dumont needs a win to pay for the most basic things in life.

“I’m fighting to survive, to live, to pay the rent, my bills,” Dumont recently told Combate. “That’s what some people don’t understand. I’ve never had a good financial situation. I’ve always been hustling. People who are close to me know it. People think that because I’m in the UFC, in Vegas, I must be swimming in money. Ever since we’ve moved here, we’ve been doing food deliveries, now Johnny (Vieira, Norma’s coach) is working at the gym, but he doesn’t earn a lot, it’s enough to pay the rent. I have some support to cover food and and supplements, but that’s the minimum. If I show you what I have in the bank, I don’t have 50 dollars to spare. No lie, it’s the truth. My manager helps me a lot, otherwise I would have returned to Brazil already. This is not a problem for me though, it’s fuel. I have to do my job.”

Dumont only has three UFC bouts under her belt so she’s still fighting out her initial contract with the promotion. A win on Saturday would certainly give Dumont some negotiating power when it comes time to re-up with UFC, but her current rate of pay is simply not enough. In fact, Dumont believes UFC should think about offering up a minimum monthly salary for all fighters so they can comfortably afford food, bills, rent, and so on.

“When I lived in Brazil, I didn’t think that UFC fighters were paid badly. I thought it was good because I would convert it (to reais). But it’s hard for those who live in the U.S., because our expenses are also in dollars. It’s not a monthly thing, too. We get paid every four months or so, if you’re an active fighter. If you get injured, you’re f—ked. You don’t know when you’re coming back to the cage. I think it would be nice if the UFC would pay a minimum monthly wage of three or five thousand dollars. Then when a person fights, they would make what they already make today. Then you can survive for a few months and when you get the fight money, you can actually earn some money. Maybe it can get better when I renew my contract. The amount is really low in your first UFC contract. If you’re in Brazil saying we have no reason to complain, come to the U.S. and see you would not last three months here with your first UFC check. It’s the reality.”

Dumont may end up signing a more lucrative UFC contract in the future but she must first get past Ladd later tonight in Las Vegas to make that a possibility. While Dumont originally trained for a matchup with former UFC champion Holly Holm she will now have to deal with the pressure and takedowns of Ladd.

“Patience, always. It’s not my style to get in and out of range when striking, I’m a counter-striker. Our styles match up well. Aspen’s style is to come out swinging and it matches up well with counter-strikers. I don’t mind being within striking range the whole time. It’s difficult against Holly, because she runs all over the place and when you try get closer, she hits you. You have to know how to corner Holly.”

“You have to know how to control the fight for five rounds.” Norma continued. “If you empty your tank in the first two rounds, the next three will be all about heart. Holly has it. Aspen does not. After my loss I learned that being patient in the cage is something sacred, necessary. I’m going to be cool, countering, waiting for Aspen to come at me. Because she is going to, it’s what she does. So it’s an interesting pairing.”

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 40 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” bouts at 4 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN+ main card start time at 7 p.m. ET.

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell has filed for divorce from his wife following a domestic violence arrest earlier this week.

Liddell, who is one of the most revered fighters in UFC history, was brought into custody by police on Monday on charges of domestic violence. The incident occurred between Liddell and his wife, Heidi Northcott, at their home in Agoura Hills, California.

Later that Monday, “Iceman” took to social media to explain the situation and claimed that he was the victim in the domestic altercation. According to Liddell, he suffered bruises and lacerations at the hands of his wife before police showed up. After learning that his wife was going to be brought into custody Liddell volunteered to take her place so she can stay home with their minor child.

The complete details remain unknown at this time but we do know that Liddell has filed for divorce from his wife. According to a recent report by TMZ, Liddell filed paperwork for “dissolution with minor children” at a L.A. courthouse on Friday. Liddell and his wife have been married for over 10 years and have two children together.

Liddell, 51, hasn’t competed professionally since a knockout loss to Tito Ortiz in their trilogy fight back in 2018. “Iceman” has hinted at multiple comebacks along the way, including a potential stopover in bare knuckle boxing, but nothing has come to fruition for the former UFC champion.

Stick with Mania for more updates on Liddell’s recent arrest.

Dominick Cruz isn’t sure why some fighters are stepping away from MMA with a zero in the loss column, especially if they didn’t completely test themselves throughout their careers.

Not too my fighters have the record to retire undefeated but it does happen. Just look at former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who stepped away from MMA in the prime of his career less than one year ago. The death of Khabib’s father certainly fueled the Russian’s departure from UFC, but “Eagle” didn’t exactly clean house before he left. Khabib was 13-0 under the UFC banner, but he retired after defending his 155-pound title just three times. So much more could have unfolded if Nurmagomedov stuck around.

Cruz, who is considered the best bantamweight champion in UFC history, doesn’t understand why some of these fighters are walking away with so much left in the tank. The former UFC champ has experienced one of the most up-and-down careers you can have in MMA thanks to countless injuries over the past decade. If anyone was going to reflect on prolonging a career it would be Cruz because he’s hung around through it all.

“I look at this whole sport from a completely different frame of mind these days than I ever looked at before. Because I’ve had to rewrite my belief systems as I’ve won and lost, won and lost,” said Cruz during a recent appearance on the MMA Hour.

“That’s one of the reasons I’m here. I’d never felt that much loss two years in my life. And then to come back and win again after feeling that loss… there’s no understanding of yourself like that.

“So any athlete who left the sport undefeated, I question: Are you really undefeated? Or did you not challenge yourself as hard as you could’ve? And if you did, what would it look like on the other side?

“Anybody who leaves undefeated in this sport, I get it, you’re undefeated. But are you undefeated? Or could you have just pushed a little harder to get that next level? And get that loss and then come back and reclaim the loss with a win and see what your next level, what your next evolution in life is.”

Cruz, who began his UFC career with a 5-0 record only to lose two out of his last three Octagon appearances, believes that a loss helps build character. It certainly takes a lot to create an undefeated record in MMA, let alone UFC, but Cruz feels that defeat really helps a fighter understand what they are made of.

“It’s not all about just winning and being perfect. Nothing in life is that. You can’t dodge loss. You can’t dodge pain. You can’t dodge any of it. So what’s the point? You might as well just go right through it.

“Because when it happens… the question is when it does happen, what are you gonna do with it? Are you gonna just give up and say, ‘I’m retired, I didn’t quit’? Or are you gonna get back on the horse and see what else you can be? See what you can get through. See what it looks like on the other side.

“I was fortunate enough to have that experience and be that, and I’m still on that ride. And let’s see what comes next.”

Cruz will have his opportunity to continue his road back to redemption when he meets Pedro Munhoz at UFC 269 this December. It will be Cruz’s chance to win back-to-back fights for the first time since 2016.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos made his pro wrestling debut Friday night at AEW Rampage live on TNT.

Dos Santos was paired up with AEW wrestlers Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky in a six-man tag-team match against Chris Jericho, Jake Hager and Sammy Guevara. “Cigano” has made a few AEW appearances before, but never to this capacity.

JDS was tagged in early into the match and battered Jericho with a collection of body shots. Dos Santos would later have an encounter with Hager, a current Bellator heavyweight fighter, which ended in JDS going through a table. It was quite the debut for the former UFC champ.

Check out the highlights below courtesy of AEW:

UFC welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal also played a major role in tonight’s AEW showdown. “Gamebred” not only distracted Jericho early in the match so Page could land a flying attack, but Masvidal also unleashed another flying knee on Jericho to close out the show.

Check it out below: