Zak Cummings became the first fighter to defeat rising middleweight prospect Trevin Giles earlier tonight (Sat., May 18, 2019) at UFC on ESPN+ 10 live on ESPN+ from inside Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York, as the Octagon veteran fin…
Zak Cummings became the first fighter to defeat rising middleweight prospect Trevin Giles earlier tonight (Sat., May 18, 2019) at UFC on ESPN+ 10 live on ESPN+ from inside Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York, as the Octagon veteran finished the 26-year-old Giles via third-round submission (guillotine choke).
In what was truly a back-and-forth affair, Cummings had to rely on his chin during many exchanges in order to push through the power of Giles. In the third round, Cummings would need his chin again to absorb a big right hand from Giles to land a spectacular counter overhand left that dropped Giles to the canvas. Cummings pounced on top to lock in a tight guillotine attempt and eventually forced Giles to tap after about 20 seconds of defense.
Check out the final moments of the fight above courtesy of UFC/ESPN.
With this performance, Cummings now pushes his record to 2-0 since making a return to middleweight this past December. The 34-year-old veteran isn’t going to skyrocket up the 185-pound ladder with this submission finish, but it’s proof that Cummings still has a lot left in the tank, especially at his new weight.
If UFC wants to reward Cummings for his fourth career finish by way of submission they may grant him a shot at the Top 15 his next time out.
For complete UFC Rochester results and coverage click here.
Julio Arce started the “Prelims” undercard off with a bang earlier tonight (Sat., May 18, 2019) at UFC on ESPN+ 10 live on ESPN+ from inside Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York, as the featherweight fighter put a brutal stop to Julian …
Julio Arce started the “Prelims” undercard off with a bang earlier tonight (Sat., May 18, 2019) at UFC on ESPN+ 10 live on ESPN+ from inside Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York, as the featherweight fighter put a brutal stop to Julian Erosa via third-round knockout (head kick).
Following two back-and-forth rounds, Arce was able to pull ahead in the third. During an exchange along the cage where both featherweights landed punches in close, Arce launched a perfectly-timed head kick that came out of nowhere and connected directly to the chin of “Juicy J.” Erosa instantly toppled to the ground, Arce landed one final punch, and the referee stepped in for the stoppage.
Check out the knockout sequence above courtesy of UFC/ESPN.
With this performance, Arce gets back into the UFC win column after dropping a split-decision loss to Sheymon Moraes this past November. Arce has now won eight out of his last 10 (3-1 UFC) pro fights and looks poised to work his way towards the featherweight Top 10 later this year. More finishes like this one will only help his cause when it comes to UFC matchmaking moving forward.
For complete UFC Rochester results and coverage click here.
Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos will try to shake off back-to-back losses at welterweight when he takes on Kevin Lee later tonight (Sat., May 18, 2019) at UFC on ESPN+ 10 live on ESPN+ from inside Blue Cross Arena in Roche…
Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos will try to shake off back-to-back losses at welterweight when he takes on Kevin Lee later tonight (Sat., May 18, 2019) at UFC on ESPN+ 10 live on ESPN+ from inside Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York.
Despite his recent lack of success inside of the cage, which includes defeats to welterweight blankets Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington, RDA is still being counted on to hold down UFC’s trip to Rochester. It’s an indication of the promotion’s belief in dos Anjos and his ability to draw attention from fight fans even coming off a disappointing loss.
Standing in dos Anjos’ way is “Motown Phenom,” who is moving up from 155 pounds after a recent decision loss to Al Iaquinta this past December. While Lee is known for his ground skills and ability to control opponents with his wrestling, RDA is confident that he can outpoint Lee in the grappling exchanges and eventually score his first submission win since choking out Neil Magny back in 2017.
“(I predict) a win. Let’s say a submission one,” dos Anjos recently told Combate. “I’m in need of a submission win. I haven’t submitted anyone in years, I think it would be beautiful to score a submission in the second or third round. A win is always good. It won’t move me up the ranks, I’m already in third place, but I’m trying to forget about that for a little bit. A win is always good to recover your motivation. My last win was in December 2017, so that’s almost a year and a half ago. I want to win, that’s the main reason why (I took the fight).”
Dos Anjos, 34, is in a tough spot at 170 pounds entering tonight’s clash with Lee. The fact that RDA has lost to the current champion (Usman) and the No. 1 contender in the division (Covington) there’s little room for error. Another loss at welterweight could send dos Anjos all the way down the divisional ladder.
That’s why a victory over Lee at UFC Rochester is as crucial as any of RDA’s previous fights at welterweight. The Brazilian veteran understands that Lee brings a lot to the table, but he’s looking to pressure “Motown Phenom” at every turn and eventually make him fold.
“He’s a tough guy, good wrestling, good jiu-jitsu, he has decent striking, is strong and athletic,” dos Anjos said of Lee. “I know he’ll come out strong in the first rounds, but he better, because I’ll be ready. I’ll be pressuring him and ready to go five rounds. I think I’ll have the upper hand in a long distance fight, but that’s not my intention. I want no overtime in the Octagon, I want to get in there and do it as soon as possible, but I have a chance with my patience, tranquility and experience.”
If dos Anjos is able to get past Lee tonight it will certainly buy him some time atop the 170-pound division. If he’s able to finish “Motown Phenom,” whether it be a submission or knockout, RDA could launch himself back into contention entering the second half of 2019.
But if Lee should knock off dos Anjos in his welterweight debut it may very well bump RDA back down to 155 pounds.
It all goes down later tonight (Sat., May 18, 2019) at UFC on ESPN+ 10 live on ESPN+ from inside Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York, as former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos tries to rebound at 170 pounds in a main event cl…
It all goes down later tonight (Sat., May 18, 2019) at UFC on ESPN+ 10 live on ESPN+ from inside Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York, as former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos tries to rebound at 170 pounds in a main event clash with welterweight newbie Kevin Lee.
In addition to the clash of former lightweights, streaking Brazilian middleweight Antonio Carlos Junior will try to ward off hungry prospect Ian Heinisch, former Invicta FC women’s featherweight champions Megan Anderson and Felicia Spencer will square off in a potential No. 1 contender’s bout, Charles Oliveira will look to build off of four-straight submission victories when he locks horns with lightweight veteran Nik Lentz, and undefeated women’s bantamweight contender Aspen Ladd will aim to push her UFC record to 3-0 with a win over Ultimate Fighter standout Sijara Eubanks.
Take a look below at UFC Rochester’s complete fight card line up and start times:
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Kevin Lee Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Ian Heinisch Megan Anderson vs. Felicia Spencer Derrick Krantz vs. Vicente Luque Charles Oliveira vs. Nik Lentz Davi Ramos vs. Austin Hubbard
Aspen Ladd vs. Sijara Eubanks Desmond Green vs. Charles Jourdain Danny Roberts vs. Michel Pereira Michael Trizano vs. Grant Dawson Patrick Cummins vs. Ed Herman Zak Cummings vs. Trevin Giles Julio Arce vs. Julian Erosa
Here are all the ways to catch the action:
Online
UFC Rochester: “dos Anjos vs. Lee” preliminary and main card can be viewed via the ESPN+ streaming app.
The ultra-popular YouTube series, “Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight,” is officially back for its fourth season, as UFC president Dana White takes his recruiting talents on the road to find the next big MMA talent.
Riding alongside White is …
The ultra-popular YouTube series, “Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight,” is officially back for its fourth season, as UFC president Dana White takes his recruiting talents on the road to find the next big MMA talent.
Riding alongside White is none other than former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra and former UFC contender Din Thomas. Both fighters are also renowned coaches in the sport of MMA so having them as well only makes White’s job easier.
For the first episode of season four, the three men visit Austin, Texas, to check out a talent-rich Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) card. In the process, they discover welterweight fighter Derrick Krantz, who is actually stepping up on short notice to make his Octagon debut later this evening at UFC Rochester (results here).
From the official YouTube description:
Dana, Matt and Din venture to Austin, Texas to hang with craftsman Jesse James and filmmaker Robert Rodriguez. They’re also going to check out the famed food truck scene and then scout a loaded LFA fight show. Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight season 4 episode 1 presented by DEVOUR Frozen Foods.
Alongside Krantz, featherweight Gabriel Silva and bantamweight Armando Villarrea each scored main card finishes at the LFA 63 event back on Mar. 29 to earn some attention from White and company.
We’ll see if Krantz has what it takes to compete on the biggest stage in the sport as he takes on proven welterweight contender Vicente Luque, who has finished four-straight Octagon appearances en route to earning a spot within the division’s top 15.
Stick with Mania for the upcoming episodes of “Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight.”
Streaking light heavyweight contender Thiago Santos will test his luck against reigning UFC champion and pound-for-pound great Jon Jones when the two meet for the title at UFC 239 this summer.
With less than two months before the toughest …
Streaking light heavyweight contender Thiago Santos will test his luck against reigning UFC champion and pound-for-pound great Jon Jones when the two meet for the title at UFC 239 this summer.
With less than two months before the toughest fight of his career, Santos, who has won four in a row since moving up to 205 pounds last year, is starting to spice things up. In a recent interview with Combate, the Brazilian knockout artist discussed Jones and the champ’s storied mistakes outside of the cage over the past few years.
“I’m not bothered by it (the controversy around Jones),” said Santos. “It’s karma, he’ll have to live with it. He will be remembered as a roider, a guy who drives while drunk. That’s his business. I have to be remembered for not doing those things. It’s his life. If that’s how he wants to live his life, that’s his problem. It doesn’t bother me. It’s like I said, you can’t argue about his talent inside the Octagon, but outside of it, unfortunately he’s not a good role model. That’s what I think.”
This reaction from Santos isn’t completely out of left field as fighters have tried to get under Jones skin since the dawn of his UFC takeover, but it’s a little surprising considering the two light heavyweights have been cordial up until this point. At least that’s what Jones thought before seeing Santos’ comments hit the MMA airwaves.
The reigning UFC champion, who is coming off back-to-back title defenses over Alexander Gustafsson and Anthony Smith, took to Twitter late last night to deliver the following message for Santos:
I’ve shown my opponent nothing but respect yet today’s headlines are of him talking shit. 95% of my opponents insult my personal life before the fight, 100% of them end up losing the fight. Who’s ready for July 6?
“I’ve shown my opponent nothing but respect yet today’s headlines are of him talking shit,” wrote Jones. “95% of my opponents insult my personal life before the fight, 100% of them end up losing the fight. Who’s ready for July 6?”
Jones went a little deeper.
I don’t think he’s nervous, it’s just his way of winning some type of moral victory over me. It’s his insurance for when he loses, at least he’ll be known as a good guy. https://t.co/RPqr97bYr0
“I don’t think he’s nervous, it’s just his way of winning some type of moral victory over me,” wrote Jones. “It’s his insurance for when he loses, at least he’ll be known as a good guy.”
Despite his struggles outside of the Octagon you can’t argue with Jones’ success inside of it. The 31-year-old phenom has never truly lost a fight in his entire MMA career and seems to get better and better as the years go on. So while Santos is doing his best to get under Jones’ skin, the champion is unlikely to be effected entering their clash this summer.
But who knows, maybe Santos will deliver the recipe to defeat Jones and pull off one of the biggest upsets of all time. It’s certainly a possibility, given the nature of this sport and the Brazilian’s violent finishing ability.
UFC 239 will take place on July 6 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, and also feature a co-main event clash between UFC women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes and former 135-pound titleholder Holly Holm.
