A lightweight scrap between Yancy Medeiros and Damir Hadzovic has been removed from the UFC Vegas 27 card later tonight (Sat., May 22, 2021) live on ESPN+ from inside UFC APEX …
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images
A lightweight scrap between Yancy Medeiros and Damir Hadzovic has been removed from the UFC Vegas 27 card later tonight (Sat., May 22, 2021) live on ESPN+ from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, per a recent report by MMA Fighting.
There are no additional details at this time and it is unknown if the fight cancelation is related to UFC’s COVID-19 protocol.
Medeiros, 33, was hoping to shake off a three-fight losing streak and capture his first Octagon win since a TKO victory over Alex Oliveira back in 2017. The veteran fighter was also making his first UFC appearance since Feb. 2020. He will have to wait even longer to get back in action.
Hadzovic, 34, was expected to make his first Octagon appearance since Mar. 2020. The Danish fighter has dropped back-to-back fights to Renato Moicano and Christos Giagos after starting his UFC career with a 3-2 record. It should be noted that Hadzovic was expected to fight Nikolas Motta at UFC Vegas 26 earlier this month but that bout was cancelled as well.
As a result of the Medeiros vs. Hadzovic cancelation, UFC Vegas 27 will proceed with the following lineup:
Rob Font vs. Cody Garbrandt Yan Xiaonan vs. Carla Esparza Justin Tafa vs. Jared Vanderaa Felicia Spencer vs. Norma Dumont Viana Ricardo Ramos vs. Bill Algeo Jack Hermansson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
‘Prelims’ Undercard (ESPN+) 4:00 p.m. ET / 1:00 p.m. PT
Ben Rothwell vs. Chris Barnett Court McGee vs. Claudio Silva Bruno Silva vs. Victor Rodriguez Josh Culibao vs. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke David Dvorak vs. Juancamilo Ronderos Rafael Alves vs. Damir Ismagulov
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 27 fight card RIGHT HERE,starting with the ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 4 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN+ main card start time at 7 p.m. ET.
It all goes down later tonight (Sat., May 22, 2021) at UFC Vegas 27 live on ESPN+ from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, as former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt meets rising…
Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC
It all goes down later tonight (Sat., May 22, 2021) at UFC Vegas 27 live on ESPN+ from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, as former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt meets rising contender Rob Font in a crucial main event showdown.
In addition to the bantamweight headliner, surging women’s strawweight contender Yan Xiaonan will try to inch her way closer towards a title shot in a co-main event clash with former division champion Carla Esparza. Fight fans will also get to see a middleweight barn burner between perennial contender Jack Hermansson and promising youngster Edmen Shahbazyan.
Take a look below at UFC Vegas 27’s complete fight card line up and start times:
Rob Font vs. Cody Garbrandt Yan Xiaonan vs. Carla Esparza Justin Tafa vs. Jared Vanderaa Felicia Spencer vs. Norma Dumont Viana Ricardo Ramos vs. Bill Algeo Jack Hermansson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
‘Prelims’ Undercard (ESPN+) 4:00 p.m. ET / 1:00 p.m. PT
Ben Rothwell vs. Chris Barnett Court McGee vs. Claudio Silva Bruno Silva vs. Victor Rodriguez Josh Culibao vs. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke David Dvorak vs. Juancamilo Ronderos Damir Hadzovic vs. Yancy MedeirosCANCELED Rafael Alves vs. Damir Ismagulov
Here are all the ways to catch the action:
Online
UFC Vegas 27: ‘Font vs. Garbrandt’ entire fight card can be viewed via the ESPN+ streaming app.
Check out a list of sports bars and pubs near you that will most likely be showing tonight’s fights CLICK HERE.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 27 fight card RIGHT HERE,starting with the ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 4 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN+ main card start time at 7 p.m. ET.
Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt is looking to showcase a new version of “No Love” later tonight (Sat., May 22, 2021) at UFC Vegas 27 live on ESPN+ from inside UFC APEX in L…
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt is looking to showcase a new version of “No Love” later tonight (Sat., May 22, 2021) at UFC Vegas 27 live on ESPN+ from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, when he takes on surging contender Rob Font in the main event.
Garbrandt, who is coming off a blistering one-punch knockout finish over Raphael Assuncao back in June 2020, is entering his first main event spot since a title fight loss to T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 227. It’s a massive opportunity for “No Love” to continue his climb back up the 135-pound ladder and another chance to prove he’s still a championship-caliber fighter.
Luckily, Font is a game opponent and should give Garbrandt more than enough chances to land his punches and do what he does best. But that doesn’t mean we’re going to see the same old “No Love” when the cage door shuts at UFC Vegas 27. Instead, Garbrandt is hoping to show a new version of himself against Font. One that nobody has even seen before.
Cody Garbrandt says to expect a new version of “No Love” at #UFCVegas27
“This ain’t the Cody Garbrandt that he’s seen,” said Garbrandt (via ESPN’s Brett Okamoto). “This is gonna be a different one. I don’t think anybody’s seen this, not even the Dominick Cruz fight. I’m just excited to go out there and perform. I got respect for the guy and his camp and s—t like that, but I’m taking him out.”
Despite posting a 1-3 record over his last four Octagon appearances Garbrandt remains one of the most popular fighters on the UFC roster today, especially when you dial it down to the smaller weight classes. It’s not going to take much for him to fight his way back into a bantamweight title shot and his resurgence continues this weekend against Font.
All of that said, Font is good enough to give “No Love” problems from the opening bell and prevent him from ever displaying his new skill set. Font is 4-1 in his last five UFC fights and is coming off a beautiful TKO finish over Marlon Moraes in Dec. 2020. He’s as legit as they come.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 27 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 4 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN+ main card start time at 7 p.m. ET.
Michael Chandler came up short in his lightweight title fight against Charles Oliveira at UFC 262 earlier this month, but the former Bellator MMA champion is handling the defeat like …
Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
Michael Chandler came up short in his lightweight title fight against Charles Oliveira at UFC 262 earlier this month, but the former Bellator MMA champion is handling the defeat like a true professional.
Having only competed inside the Octagon once before his clash with Oliveira for the vacant lightweight strap Chandler was the betting underdog at UFC 262. He had the punching power and elite athleticism to pull out the win, but many believed the fight would favor “Do Bronx” if it lasted long or went to the ground.
Chandler surprised many in the early going when he clobbered Oliveira with a right hand and put the Brazilian in serious trouble. More punches followed and Chandler nearly found the finish to capture his first UFC title. Unfortunately for him, Oliveira was able to recover and avoid the first-round stoppage.
Chandler recently sat down to break down the entire UFC 262 main event and discussed his early success in detail.
“This right here, is probably the hardest part of this entire fight to watch,” said Chandler about hurting Oliveira (shown above). “Charles Oliveira is essentially almost out here.
“It’s one of those deals if maybe I stopped punching, he is out, and I think I woke him back up by punching him again. But we threw the hook, chased him down. Right hand to the temple, he drops. Bang, bang, just landing shots.
“Right there he almost looks like he’s out, (but then) goes back to pulling guard. Here’s where the age old question of ‘Should you let him up? Should you just let him back to the feet?’ (Do) I think the right decision here could’ve been to let him up? Or the right decision here is to be in his guard and finish him with strikes like I have numerous people in the past? There’s a lot of times that people wilt under my pressure.”
Oliveira was able to regroup on the stool in between rounds and come out in the second with a point to prove. He cracked Chandler with a massive left hook that knocked the former Bellator MMA champion down. Chandler tried to defend and give himself enough time to recover but Oliveira was relentless and eventually found the finish.
“Here is the agony of defeat, where it starts to settle in,” said Chandler when describing the final moments of the fight. “You look around and you see the facial expressions of people.
“Man, that’s my fault,” he said. “I should’ve came up with the jab as a defense, instead of just throwing the right hand by itself.”
Luckily, Chandler is still one of the top names in the division and he’ll be given another chance to prove himself inside of the Octagon. It may take a few more wins to lock down another lightweight title shot, but Chandler has to be happy with his first-round performance against Oliveira. He looked incredible until it all came crashing down.
Michael Chandler believes he’s still in the thick of things atop the UFC’s lightweight division and he may be right.
Chandler, who is 1-1 inside of the Octagon thus far, is coming off…
Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
Michael Chandler believes he’s still in the thick of things atop the UFC’s lightweight division and he may be right.
Chandler, who is 1-1 inside of the Octagon thus far, is coming off a second-round TKO loss to Charles Oliveira in a lightweight title fight at UFC 262 earlier this month. It was a tough loss to swallow considering Chandler had “Do Bronx” badly hurt in the first round and nearly finished the fight. Oliveira eventually came back and quickly stopped Chandler moments into the second.
Despite the loss, Chandler believes he showed enough in his fight with Oliveira to stay afloat atop the 155-pound division. The former Bellator MMA lightweight champion still holds a knockout win over Dan Hooker so he shouldn’t pay too dearly for his recent defeat to “Do Bronx.” After all, Oliveira was on an eight-fight win streak heading into his clash with Chandler.
While Chandler remains a consummate professional who always takes a loss like a champion he believes he did enough against Oliveira to warrant an immediate rematch.
“There’s a case to be out there, and I’ve seen a lot of people say maybe an immediate rematch,” Chandler told MMA Junkie. “There’s a case to be made that I have one fight and beat any other guys in the top five, and I’m right there. I do believe I’m a big player at this point. I do believe I’m world-class. I do believe I’m just as good as any of these guys. I do believe that Charles Oliveira beats anybody else in the top five. You look at him against (Dustin) Poirier, you look at him against Conor (McGregor), you look at him against (Justin) Gaethje. I mean that’s a tough test for anybody, so losing to Charles Oliveira doesn’t make a me a guy that shouldn’t be fighting for a world title anytime soon.
“At this point, I don’t put any limits on what could happen. Immediate rematch could be a possibility, who knows? One fight could be a possibility, and then I’m fighting for the world title again by first quarter of next year. I’m not putting limits on anything. Obviously I have a limited time period. I’m not going to be here for a ton longer, so I want to get that title shot again before the end of next year. Either way, I’m willing to cut my teeth. I’m willing to re-build.”
Chandler, 35, remains one of the best lightweights in the world. He’s one of the most accomplished fighters in Bellator history and clearly has the chops to compete alongside the top 5 lightweights on the UFC roster. In fact, the promotion contacted Chandler after his loss to Oliveira to ensure him he’s still a major player at 155 pounds.
“On Monday, I heard from the UFC,” Chandler said. “They called me and said, ‘Keep your head up. You’re right there in the mix. Phenomenal fight. You almost beat the eventual world champion. You’re right there in the mix, and we’re going to get you another top five guy.’
“I got a lot of fun fights ahead of me, but I want to take a little bit of time off. I’ve been doing nothing but working since September when I signed with the UFC, and I think a couple months (away) from MMA training will be good. I’m going to keep my cardio high, my strength and conditioning going and keep taking care of my body.”
While Chandler continues to say he doesn’t have a lot of time left to become a UFC world champion he’s only one win away from putting himself back in contention. The downfall of perennial contender Tony Ferguson could certainly help Chandler’s chances moving forward, but other guys like Beneil Dariush, Islam Makhachev, and Gregor Gillespie are on the rise. Chandler won’t have any room for another mistake down the line.
What say you, Maniacs? Will Chandler one day fight for the UFC lightweight title again? If so, how long before that happens?
It’s rare that a referee has to choke a fighter to stop a fight, but that’s exactly what happened earlier this week at WEF Selection 35.
The incident occurred at an event for Kyrgyzstan-based MMA…
@Grabaka_Hitman, Twitter
It’s rare that a referee has to choke a fighter to stop a fight, but that’s exactly what happened earlier this week at WEF Selection 35.
The incident occurred at an event for Kyrgyzstan-based MMA promotion World Ertaymash Federation (WEF). In the main event, Doolotbek Narmatov and Saidburkhon Saidakbarova collided for the featherweight championship.
Narmatov, who was 2-0 coming into the main event fight, made quick work of Saidakbarova in the first round and locked in a tight guillotine choke. Narmatov dropped to the ground and cranked until Saidakbarova squirmed and eventually tapped.
That’s about the time a fighter typically lets go, especially if the referee rushes in for the stoppage. Unfortunately, Narmatov didn’t let go and continued to squeeze, forcing the referee to actually choke Narmatov before he released the submission.
It was pretty insane to see. Check out the video footage below:
This has Rousimar Palhares written all over it and Narmatov should have been disqualified for his actions, but that wasn’t the case. He was crowned featherweight champion and walked away with the title, while Saidakbarova was left to pick up the pieces.
