The UFC has yet to announce when CM Punk will make his debut, and the former WWE star will have to wait to get his mixed martial arts career underway after suffering a shoulder injury in training.
Continue for updates.
Punk “50 Percent” of the Way to B…
The UFC has yet to announce when CM Punk will make his debut, and the former WWE star will have to wait to get his mixed martial arts career underway after suffering a shoulder injury in training.
Continue for updates.
Punk “50 Percent” of the Way to Being Ready for UFC Debut
Monday, Oct. 5
Punk’s trainer, Duke Roufus, confirmed Monday the 36-year-old injured his shoulder while training, per ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto:
He got caught in a scramble, so right now he’s taking a little time off. He was doing great before that. His progress has been good. He’s got a great attitude and he’s a hard worker. … Our biggest thing is we want him to 101 percent before [we resuming training]. We don’t have a hard date for his fight to force the issue, so making sure he’s completely healthy is possible.
Roufus went on to say Punk could have his first UFC fight in six to 10 months.
Speaking with TMZ in June, UFC President Dana White said Punk could have his first fight in “early 2016” but didn’t commit to any specific date.
While you can understand Roufus’ desire to wait until Punk is 100 percent ready for the UFC, Punk turns 37 years old Oct. 26. He can ill afford to wait much longer before his official introduction to the Octagon.
Although Alexander Gustafsson and Daniel Cormier are headlining UFC 192 on Saturday night, the mere thought of a return to the Octagon for Jon Jones is dominating much of the discussion heading into this weekend.
The former champion pleaded guilty to a…
Although Alexander Gustafsson and Daniel Cormier are headlining UFC 192 on Saturday night, the mere thought of a return to the Octagon for Jon Jones is dominating much of the discussion heading into this weekend.
The former champion pleaded guilty to a charge stemming from his alleged hit-and-run this past summer.
The UFC didn’t outright confirm it will lift Jones’ suspension but said in a statement it “will thoroughly review [Jones’ plea] agreement before discussing Jones’ possible reinstatement to return to competition,” via MMA Mania’s Jesse Holland.
Former UFC fighter and current Fox Sports analyst Brian Stann told FoxSports.com’s Damon Martin:
You couldn’t have drawn up a better narrative for this thing to take place. Whether Gustafsson wins this fight, people have been clamoring to see a rematch there with Jon Jones, and obviously if Daniel Cormier defends his title and wins, it’s going to be him versus Jon Jones again. It’s going to be ridiculous in terms of the buildup for that fight and the trash talk that would take place.
Gustafsson vs. Cormier is absolutely the fight that needs to happen in UFC’s light heavyweight division and should be extremely entertaining. But in a sense, it’s really only the appetizer for the inevitable Jones return bout.
Prediction
According to Odds Shark, Cormier is a 1-2 favorite to win, while Gustafsson is the underdog, albeit with relatively good 17-10 odds.
While Gustafsson is the No. 3 light heavyweight in UFC’s official rankings, he lost to Jones via unanimous decision at UFC 165 and then to Anthony Johnson in a first-round TKO at UFC on Fox 14. Sandwiched between those two fights is a second-round victory over Jimi Manuwa at UFC Fight Night 37.
If I looked at his career and his resume, I would say he beat the guys he’s supposed to beat and any time it’s a toss-up fight he loses. In the fights that he’s not overwhelmingly favored, he really hasn’t done as well as he should outside of the fight with (Jon) Jones where he was a huge underdog and he really fought outside of himself and I truly do believe it was him fighting his best fight and Jones might have fought his worst fight and it was super close.
Meanwhile, Cormier’s one loss in his competitive MMA career was to Jones at UFC 182. He followed that up with a third-round submission win over Johnson at UFC 187 for the light heavyweight title.
Since he’s the challenger, Gustafsson will need to find a delicate balance between being aggressive and cautious so he doesn’t open himself up and allow Cormier to win quickly via knockout or submission.
Gustafsson will also want to keep a safe distance so as to avoid getting in clinches, where Cormier is at his most effective. The tighter the quarters, the more Cormier dominates.
Given Gustafsson’s wrestling prowess and overall agility, staying on the outside shouldn’t be a major issue.
To a certain extent, it feels as if the 28-year-old Swede isn’t getting the respect he deserves; even Cormier is seemingly underselling Gustafsson’s accomplishments based on his above comments. Bleacher Report’s Patrick Wyman firmly believes Gustafsson is capable of winning this fight:
However, Cormier is the top guy in the light heavyweight division for a reason. He possesses a great blend of technique, strength and skill. He also proved against Jones he’s able to close the distance between himself and an opponent who tries to stay on the outside.
Plus, the onus is on Gustafsson to go above and beyond to prove he’s the better fighter. The champion’s advantage isn’t technically a real thing that’s supposed to exist, but you often see judges giving the benefit of the doubt to the guy holding the belt. If a fight is close, nine times out of 10 the champ retains.
Cormier is too good to get himself caught in a compromising situation, and he’ll do enough in the Octagon to sway the judges.
Demetrious Johnson is already one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. If he can beat John Dodson in their rematch at UFC 191, Johnson may make a strong case to be the pound-for-pound champion.Johnson and Dodson headline what should be a …
Demetrious Johnson is already one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. If he can beat John Dodson in their rematch at UFC 191, Johnson may make a strong case to be the pound-for-pound champion.
Johnson and Dodson headline what should be a solid card Saturday night. UFC 190 seemed to suffer from the sheer volume of fights, a problem that shouldn’t be the case with UFC 191, with 11 fights through the UFC Fight Pass preliminaries through the main card.
Below, you can read brief previews and predictions for each of the five main card fights.
UFC 191 Card
Main Card Predictions
Paige VanZant vs. Alex Chambers
This isn’t so much a fight as it is a vehicle to make Paige VanZant a bigger UFC star. Alex Chambers’ two fights in the company include a defeat to Aisling Daly at the Ultimate Fighter 20 finale and an unconvincing submission victory over Kailin Curran at UFC Fight Night 65.
VanZant should have little trouble putting Chambers away on Saturday, and that’s kind of the point. UFC is essentially building VanZant up to be the Ronda Rousey of the women’s strawweight division, a point VanZant briefly discussed on America’s Pregame:
The 21-year-old will come fast and furious at Chambers, and if her win over Curran is any evidence, that should concern Chambers after she took a ton of punishment before pulling out that armbar out of nowhere.
Maybe Chambers can pull off a similar shock, but this should be an easy win for VanZant.
Prediction: VanZant wins, Round 2 TKO
Jan Blachowicz vs. Corey Anderson
This fight will be a nice measure of Corey Anderson’s progression in the Octagon. The 25-year-old looks like a talented, promising fighter, but he’s coming off a TKO defeat to Gian Villante at UFC on Fox 18.
Jan Blachowicz is the favorite, which makes sense. He’s the far more experienced of the two and looks to be the superior overall fighter as well, at least by what we’ve seen from Anderson so far.
With that said, Anderson should be able to pull off the upset. He’s a patient fighter who will wait for his opportunities to get an advantage on Blachowicz. If he can work the clinch and get Blachowicz down on the mat, Anderson should do enough to convince the judges.
Prediction: Anderson wins, split decision
Anthony Johnson vs. JimiManuwa
No matter what happens, this fight should be a ton of fun. Three of Anthony Johnson’s last four wins have come by knockout or TKO, while 13 of JimiManuwa‘s 15 career mixed martial arts victories were over in knockout fashion as well.
“He’s a beast,” Johnson said of his opponent, per Michael Martinez for UFC.com. “He has great power and good stand-up. He’s not afraid to stand there and bang. To me, that’s what makes this fight so entertaining, because everybody knows I’m going to try and knock your head off and he’s trying to do the same thing. We’re just guns blazing.”
Because of his punch power, you can’t completely dismiss Manuwa‘s chances. All it takes is a split-second for Johnson to let his guard down and get caught with a heavy blow that sends him to the mat.
Still, Johnson is the more complete fighter, and his wrestling ability could be the difference in the outcome.
Prediction: Johnson wins, unanimous decision
Andrei Arlovski vs. Frank Mir
Who doesn’t love watching two grizzled veterans throw caution to the wind, especially with a potential title shot up for grabs?
Both Andrei Arlovski and Frank Mir have everything to gain Saturday night. They sit fourth and 10th, respectively, in the heavyweight rankings. They’re also each 36 years old, so the loser of this fight may never be this close to title contention again for the rest of his career.
While Mir is coming off back-to-back KO victories in his last two fights, he still relies more heavily on his submission game. Not to mention he continues to struggle when needing to go into defense mode.
That could spell trouble against a fighter like Arlovski. “The Pit Bull” is a very good striker and should end the fight in relatively short order.
Prediction: Arlovski wins, Round 2 TKO
Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson
In a three-round fight, John Dodson might have a chance to upset Demetrious Johnson. Over five rounds, Dodson will have a hard time hanging with Johnson from start to finish. The longer the fight goes, the better off Johnson will be.
Fighting Johnson is a lot like fighting Floyd Mayweather Jr. You have a window of opportunity in the first round or two, and once you get past that threshold, you’re pretty much toast.
Dodson may own the advantage in Rounds 1 and 2, but Johnson’s methodical, deliberate style will pay off in the long run. As long as Johnson doesn’t completely fall on his face in the fifth round, he will be the judges’ choice.
Far more interesting about this fight is the future of the flyweight division in general. Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden foresees a time when UFC does away with flyweights—at least temporarily:
With Johnson at the helm, the 125-pound division has failed to make it out of the blocks to the point a source at UFC says there have been whispers at headquarters about simply shutting the flyweight class down and sending everybody in it back to the house. It wouldn’t be unprecedented. When the lightweight class led by B.J. Penn failed to take flight, Zuffa got rid of it for a time. The same thing absolutely could happen with flyweights.
Perhaps a thrilling fight between Johnson and Dodson could energize fans behind the division.
UFC Fight Night 74 ended in shocking fashion as Charles Oliveira was forced to wave the white flag against Max Holloway after suffering what appeared to be a neck injury.
A little over a minute-and-a-half into the first round, Holloway pressed Oliveira…
UFC Fight Night 74 ended in shocking fashion as Charles Oliveira was forced to wave the white flag against Max Holloway after suffering what appeared to be a neck injury.
A little over a minute-and-a-half into the first round, Holloway pressed Oliveira headfirst against the cage and seemed to yank back on Oliveira‘s left shoulder a bit. Oliveira got back up on his feet and quickly realized something was wrong. He held his left arm up to signal he was hurt.
Referee Herb Dean then stopped the fight and medical personnel immediately tended to Oliveira. According to MMAjunkie’s Matt Erickson, doctors placed Oliveira in a neck brace and stretchered him to the back.
Holloway was a bit conflicted in his emotions after the fight, per MMA Fighting:
The final moments of the main event certainly overshadow everything else that happened during Fight Night 74, which ran nearly six hours between the preliminary and main cards.
Below, you’ll find the full results from the entire night and brief recaps for the remaining bouts on the main card.
UFC Fight Night 74 Results
Main Card Recap
Valerie Letourneau def. MarynaMoroz
MarynaMoroz suffered the first loss of her professional career after she fell to Valerie Letourneau. The bout went the full distance, with Letourneau coming out on top on all three of the judges’ scorecards.
She owned the edge in just about every statistical category, landing more overall strikes (106) than Moroz (79) and connecting on 69 significant strikes, compared to 55 for her opponent. Letourneau also scored a takedown in the third round.
The third and final round was what likely secured the win for Letourneau. She and Moroz had been neck-and-neck through the first two rounds. Then, the 32-year-old Montreal native got Moroz down on the mat and unloaded on her with punches.
Although Moroz eventually worked her way back to her feet, the damage was already done.
Now having won her third fight in a row since joining UFC, Letourneau is putting herself in line for a title shot fairly soon down the road.
Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Tony Sims
Olivier Aubin-Mercier eschewed aesthetics as he ran his competitive record to 7-1 in a winning effort over Tony Sims.
Aubin-Mercier had control for 11 minutes and 48 seconds of the fight, compared to 1:28 for Sims. Sims owned a distinct advantage in significant strikes (23 to 3), but Aubin-Mercier countered with six takedowns to Sims’ zero. Nobody really expected anything less from a fighter who has built his reputation as more of a grappler.
OAM can also take heart from the fact he set a new UFC record, per Michael Carroll:
While he may have picked up the victory, some will likely have expected more from Aubin-Mercier. Sims is a slight level below him in terms of talent, and he was unable to end the fight before the final bell. MMA Fighting’s Luke Thomas also remains skeptical as to the ceiling for the “Quebec Kid”:
Still, a win is a win, and Aubin-Mercier continues moving up the pecking order in the UFC lightweight division.
Francisco Trinaldo def. Chad Laprise
In what was the first fight not to get out of the first round on the main card, Francisco Trinaldo soundly defeated Chad Laprise via technical knockout.
The finish came after Trinaldo countered with a vicious left hand that sent Laprise to the mat. Sensing his opportunity, Trinaldo went in for the kill, and once he got wrapped around Laprise, he wasn’t letting go. Trinaldo rained punch after punch in on his opponent, leaving Dean no choice but to end the fight.
Those who bet on the Brazilian had a pretty good night, per MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani:
Trinaldo turns 37 on Monday, so his family back home will be left to celebrate without him. But fear not, for he has that covered, per Bleacher Report MMA:
If you want to be critical toward Trinaldo, the result didn’t exactly dispel the notion he lacks a lot of punching power. The referee called for the bells more for the volume of Trinaldo‘s blows rather than the individual impact of them.
Patrick Cote def. Josh Burkman
Josh Burkman enjoyed some brief spells where he looked to be getting the better of Patrick Cote, but Cote ultimately landed a massive right hand in the third round that served as a prelude to Burkman‘s demise.
Once Burkman hit the mat, Cote followed up with hammerfist after hammerfirst before the referee intervened to stop the fight. It’s the first time Burkman has ever lost via TKO.
This was easily the most entertaining of the main card fights, as Burkman and Cote exchanged plenty of offense. If not for the stoppage, the judges would’ve had a hard time determining a winner.
Roy Nelson offered a hearty endorsement of both fighters:
Following the victory, Cote wasted little time looking ahead to the future.
“Hector Lombard, when you come back in January, I’ll be there for you, man,” he said in his post-fight interview, per Fox Sports’ Elias Cepeda.
It might be a case of Cote’s mouth writing him checks his body can’t cash. Lombard is the better fighter, and if the two were to meet in the Octagon, Cote would probably find that out the hard way.
Neil Magny def. Erick Silva
The judges may have been split as to who was the better fighter between Neil Magny and Erick Silva, but it sure looked as though Magny owned a decided edge by the time the final bell rang.
Not only did the 28-year-old own a plus-39 edge in significant strikes, he also landed one more takedown than Silva over the course of the bout.
Magny looked in control for the most part, which belied the fact he had little preparation time after replacing Rick Story on the card. In addition, this was his second fight in August after he lost to Demian Maia at UFC 190.
As Bleacher Report MMA noted, Magny is quickly earning a reputation as the hardest working man in UFC:
Maybe now that he’s back in the win column again, he can take a well-earned break for a bit.
Kinberly Novaes found out the hard way cutting weight can be difficult when you’re carrying a child. During a physical examination to determine why she was unable to lose the requisite pounds in order to face Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger, the 24-year-old dis…
Kinberly Novaes found out the hard way cutting weight can be difficult when you’re carrying a child. During a physical examination to determine why she was unable to lose the requisite pounds in order to face Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger, the 24-year-old discovered she’s nearly six months pregnant.
That timeline means Novaes was roughly 12 weeks pregnant when she defeated Renata Baldan via unanimous decision on May 17.
“We did a morphology ultrasound last week and the doctor said I’m 24 weeks pregnant, almost six months, and my baby is healthy and strong,” Novaes said, per MMAFighting.com’s Guilherme Cruz. “I was worried because I trained hard, fought, cut weight. I suffered a lot to make weight for my last fight, couldn’t dehydrate properly, and I was already training to fight again next week, but the doctor said everything is fine.“
One of the biggest questions is how Novaes’ pregnancy went unnoticed during the standard pre-fight medical exams. According to Combate’s Adriano Albuquerque, it was an oversight by Noxii, which promoted the bout:
“I didn’t ask for the exam. That’s the truth,” said Noxii promoter Bruno Barros, per Cruz. “I didn’t even think about the possibility of a woman fighting while pregnant, going through a camp and dehydrating and everything.“
Novaes was originally supposed to fight Jones-Lybarger on Aug. 21, but that event was canceled upon the reveal of her pregnancy. She has not set an official date for her return.
UFC president Dana White has locked down a date and venue for the highly anticipated bout between Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor. According to Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole, Aldo vs. McGregor is scheduled for Dec. 12 during UFC 194 at the MGM Grand Garden Are…
UFC president Dana White has locked down a date and venue for the highly anticipated bout between Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor. According to Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole, Aldo vs. McGregor is scheduled for Dec. 12 during UFC 194 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
White admitted AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, was a major threat to host the fight:
But White told Yahoo Sports that he wanted a bigger venue than the approximately 11,000-seat Mandalay Bay Events Center. He was in talks with Cowboys’ officials about putting the fight at AT&T Stadium and said that on Thursday, “if you would have asked me, I would have told you for sure we were going to Dallas Cowboys Stadium.”
Instead, officials representing MGM Resorts moved the necessary pieces around to enable the Garden Arena to house Aldo vs. McGregor.
Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter didn’t envision any other outcome:
Fans will simply be happy they now have a confirmed date for the UFC featherweight title clash. McGregor and Aldo were originally set to face off at UFC 189 until Aldo suffered an injury in training.
In a way, fighting Chad Mendes was a good thing for McGregor, since it allowed him one last stern test before he meets the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC.
Aldo vs. McGregor is bound to be one of the biggest fights of 2015. Both fighters are immensely talented and charismatic. Not to mention they seem to genuinely dislike each other, which was evident during the pre-fight press conferences:
Over the past few years, mixed martial arts fans have bemoaned how the UFC has hurt the product by putting together too many cards and building too few new stars. Fans will have little difficulty getting excited for an Aldo vs. McGregor main event.
UFC 194 will be a great way for the company to close out 2015 with a bang.
Although Alexander Gustafsson and