Author: Mike Chiari

UFC 190: Start Time, Prelim Live Stream Info and Full Fight Card Predictions

There will be no shortage of star power for UFC 190 on Saturday night at HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but there is no question the women’s bantamweight clash between Ronda Rousey and Bethe Correia will have fight fans across the globe captivat…

There will be no shortage of star power for UFC 190 on Saturday night at HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but there is no question the women’s bantamweight clash between Ronda Rousey and Bethe Correia will have fight fans across the globe captivated.

Rousey is the undefeated UFC women’s bantamweight champion and has barely been challenged during her professional career, but Correia will look to put a stop to that against her greatest rival and on home soil in front of her Brazilian fans.

Along with Rousey versus Correia, here is a full rundown of predictions for every UFC 190 bout, as well as all the information you need to enjoy the entire event.

 

Where: HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

When: Saturday, Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. ET (early prelims), 8 p.m. ET (Fox Sports 1 prelims) and 10 p.m. ET (main card pay-per-view)

Watch: PPV (main card) and Fox Sports 1 (prelims)

Live Stream: UFC Fight Pass

 

UFC 190 Predictions

 

Breaking Down Top Fights

Ronda Rousey vs. Bethe Correia

Rousey’s dominance is not unlike Mike Tyson’s run of success early in his boxing career, and Correia is hoping she can play the role of Buster Douglas on Saturday night.

Doing so will be an extremely tall order, but the 32-year-old Brazilian has done everything in her power to throw Rowdy off her game entering the fight. That includes comments to Damon Martin of Fox Sports, suggesting that the biggest star in women’s MMA is overrated:

Ronda has this characteristic of being this almighty perfect fighter, and the media’s created this illusion that she’s unbeatable. I don’t believe she’s unbeatable. I can go in there and beat her.

Even in the interview she did recently where she said she was going to use me as an example of what not to do for the other girls coming up—it’s something she’s trying to make herself seem so dangerous and make people fear her in a way. She’s trying to create this illusion around herself, and it’s making me want to go out there and do justice for everyone else.

Correia’s brashness has clearly fired Rousey up, as evidenced by her intensity during the the pre-fight staredown with her opponent, as seen in this video courtesy of UFC Canada:

Rousey also claimed that despite all but one of her fights being stopped in the first round, she intends to draw this one out in order to punish Correia, relayed by TMZ:

If I beat you quickly, that’s me at my nicest and most merciful. That means you get to go home unscathed with a paycheck. If I make the fight last longer, that means I don’t like you and I want you to go home looking different than the way you walked in…and I don’t like this chick.

Correia has talked a big game, but few expect her to come out on top. That includes Kenny Florian of UFC Tonight, who feels as though nobody is on Rousey’s level:

It is difficult to argue with that notion, considering the American superstar’s level of success, so the biggest question relates to how long the fight will last.

Despite Rousey’s contention that she will toy with Correia, she won’t do anything to risk a loss. Because of that, look for her to retain her title in vintage fashion with a first-round armbar.

 

Mauricio Rua vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

In a rematch that has been a decade in the making, Mauricio Rua and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira will meet in what promises to be a highly competitive light heavyweight battle.

Rua defeated Nogueira 10 years ago in what many consider to be one of the greatest MMA fights of all time. Both fighters are much longer in the tooth now as Rua is 33 and Nogueira is 39, but the desire to win is still present.

For Nogueira, who has lost three of his past five fights, this meeting has been a long time coming, reported by Steven Marrocco and John Morgan of MMAjunkie:

“We were supposed to fight two years ago. But now, I have an opportunity to fight against him. So I think this fight was a war in 2005, so for me it’s a great opportunity to fight him again. I’m going to do my best to win this time.”

Although both fighters are probably a bit slower and less powerful than they were in 2005, Shogun feels as though the rematch will be similar to their first meeting, per Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting:

I expect a tough fight, man. ‘Minotouro’ is a tough fighter, has a huge heart, so I expect another war, just like in our 2005 fight. He likes to strike and so do I, so a brawl is inevitable, right? I’ve been fighting for over 10 years, and so does he, so I’m sure we both will keep it standing. It’s MMA, but our best weapon is our striking game.

The first edition of Rua versus Nogueira went the distance, and there is no reason to believe their rematch will be any different in that regard.

Rua enters the contest in the midst of a tough stretch, as he has dropped four of his past five fights, but thanks to the energy engendered by facing his greatest opponent in his home country, he’ll scratch out a back-and-forth decision victory.

 

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Chad Mendes Injury: Updates on UFC Star’s Thumb, Return

Chad Mendes fell to Conor McGregor Saturday at UFC 189 in a bout for the interim UFC featherweight title, and while his popular opponent may have come out on top regardless, Mendes was compromised by an injury.
Continue for updates.
Mendes Broke Thumb …

Chad Mendes fell to Conor McGregor Saturday at UFC 189 in a bout for the interim UFC featherweight title, and while his popular opponent may have come out on top regardless, Mendes was compromised by an injury.

Continue for updates.

Mendes Broke Thumb in First Round Against McGregor

Tuesday, July 14

According to Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com, the 30-year-old native of Hanford, California, was far from 100 percent entering the second round of Saturday’s contest as he broke his right thumb early in the opening round.

Per Ron Kruck of AXS TV, Mendes faces a lengthy medical suspension until he is cleared by a doctor:

Mendes was subsequently knocked out late in the second round, which dropped his career record to 17-3, while McGregor improved to 18-2.

While Mendes didn’t make any excuses following the defeat, his comments to Tristen Critchfield of Sherdog.com suggested he may have been dealing with a physical issue:

“Sometimes your mind’s willing but your body’s not. And that’s basically what happened tonight,” Mendes said. “There’s not a whole lot I can say about it other than Conor was the better man tonight. I’d absolutely love to get back in there again and fight that guy with a full training camp under my belt.”

Jose Aldo was initially supposed to fight McGregor, but when a rib injury prevented him from competing, Mendes stepped in at short notice to challenge the Irishman.

It is unclear if a lack of preparation may have contributed to Mendes’ injury, but it certainly didn’t help his overall chances at UFC 189.

Mendes deserves credit for going up against one of the top fighters in UFC without a proper amount of training, but that decision could ultimately cost him weeks or even months of his career.

 

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Conor McGregor Taunts ‘Little Buddies’ Chad Mendes and Jose Aldo Before UFC 189

UFC star Conor McGregor has never been one to mince words, and he certainly isn’t holding back his opinions prior to Saturday’s UFC 189 clash with Chad Mendes for the interim featherweight championship.  
The 26-year-old McGregor was originally sc…

UFC star Conor McGregor has never been one to mince words, and he certainly isn’t holding back his opinions prior to Saturday’s UFC 189 clash with Chad Mendes for the interim featherweight championship.  

The 26-year-old McGregor was originally scheduled to face champion Jose Aldo, but the latter was forced to withdraw from the contest due to a rib injury. Mendes has stepped up in his place, but both men have been on the receiving end of the Irishman’s verbal barbs.

According to Joe Callaghan of the Independent, McGregor believes the fact that Aldo has been tweeting Mendes about the fight after dropping out is a sign of weakness:

(Aldo) didn’t show up. Where’s the pride? Where’s the fighter in him? And then I see him sitting back and him and Chad tweeting back and forth like little buddies. … When a man is close to death they try and bunch up and buddy up together. They know it’s over for them. Let them be little pally pals. We are different people me and (Aldo). If he grows a set of balls, his time will come too. He will get it as well.

McGregor also piled on to Mendes for appealing to Aldo for the support of his fans, per Callaghan: “I think he is crumbling already to be honest. I see a forced persona. He’s just different. And then the little back and forth tweets with Jose and he’s talking in Brazilian, ‘Can I have your fans’ support please?’ and all this b******t. What is that? That’s coward s**t.”

McGregor is referring to this tweet by Mendes in Brazilian before Aldo ultimately responded and made it clear that he was set to back McGregor’s new challenger:

Despite McGregor’s insistence that Mendes is scared, he has made it clear that he believes he will win at UFC 189, according to the UFC on Twitter:

The 17-2 McGregor is a 25-43 favorite to defeat Mendes, per OddsShark, but the American underdog is no pushover with a career record of 17-2 in his own right.

McGregor certainly seems to be winning the war of words leading up to the bout, as he so often does, but he may get more than he bargained for against a competitor of Mendes’ caliber on such short notice.

 

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Chris Weidman vs. Luke Rockhold, Daniel Cormier vs. Alex Gustafsson Announced

MMA fans are in for an exciting stretch as UFC President Dana White announced two huge upcoming bouts with title implications Wednesday night.
According to UFC Tonight, Luke Rockhold will get a shot at Chris Weidman’s UFC middleweight championship in t…

MMA fans are in for an exciting stretch as UFC President Dana White announced two huge upcoming bouts with title implications Wednesday night.

According to UFC Tonight, Luke Rockhold will get a shot at Chris Weidman’s UFC middleweight championship in the near future.

Also, Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafsson will clash over the UFC light heavyweight title, per UFC Tonight.

The company didn’t reveal a date and venue for either bout, but both are worthy of being headlining events and drawing some big pay-per-view numbers.

Rockhold has been rumored as a challenger for Weidman’s title for quite some time, as the 30-year-old fighter has impressed with a 14-2 record. There is already some bad blood built up between the two combatants as well, since Weidman put over Ronaldo Souza as a more troubling opponent, according to Dave Doyle of MMAFighting.com:

I would expect a tough fighter, but I’m running right through any of these guys. (Rockhold)’s well-rounded, but he’s not great anywhere. He’s not the best striker I’ve ever fought, he’s not the best jiu-jitsu guy I ever fought. Jacare brings a different element, he’s really good on the ground and he’s probably more dangerous on the feet than Rockhold. Rockhold is well-rounded and keeps a good solid pace going throughout the whole fight. They are two completely different fighters. If I was to say who was more dangerous, it would probably be Jacare, but there are probably more holes in his game than Rockhold.

With regard to the other fight, there is no shortage of controversy as Gustafsson is coming off a knockout loss to Anthony Johnson.

Gustafsson did manage to push Jon Jones to the limit, but Damon Martin of Fox Sports is among those who believe Ryan Bader was more deserving of the title shot:

Cormier and Gustafsson do have the potential to put on a highly entertaining fight, though, which could prompt UFC fans to quickly forget Bader’s merits.

Although there will undoubtedly be arguments about whether White made the right calls, both fights are compelling, and creating matchups that viewers want to see is ultimately White’s job.

 

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ONE Championship 27: Winners and Scorecards from Warrior’s Quest Fight Card

Shinya Aoki put the ONE Championship lightweight title on the line Friday against Koji Ando in Kallang, Singapore, and the incumbent champion came out on top in a thrilling main event at ONE Championship 27: Warrior’s Quest.  
While the card was …

Shinya Aoki put the ONE Championship lightweight title on the line Friday against Koji Ando in Kallang, Singapore, and the incumbent champion came out on top in a thrilling main event at ONE Championship 27: Warrior’s Quest.  

While the card was certainly highlighted by Aoki’s victory, it was far from a one-fight show. Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke became the first strawweight champion in ONE Championship history in the co-main event, while Angela Lee made an explosive debut in the women’s division.

Warrior’s Quest featured several close contests that went down to the wire, but it also packed plenty of punch on the undercard with some exciting knockout and submission finishes.

With ONE Championship 27 officially in the books, here is a look at the results from all 10 fights on the card, including Aoki’s impressive defense.

 

Results

 

Shinya Aoki vs. Koji Ando

Aoki hasn’t lost a fight since getting knocked out by Eddie Alvarez at Bellator 66 in 2012, and his three-year undefeated streak continued Friday by virtue of a unanimous-decision win over Koji Ando at ONE Championship 27: Warrior’s Quest.

Tobikan Judan retained the ONE Championship lightweight title in the process and improved his career record to 38-6 in the process. The 32-year-old star from Japan was in control from start to finish as he kept Ando grounded and prevented him from mounting any sustained offense.

The fight got off to a bizarre start as Aoki and Ando were rushed to the ring following the strawweight title fight, which Jordan Breen of Sherdog.com believes had something to do with ONE wanting to avoid pay-per-view overrun:

Once things got going, though, Aoki was on cruise control. The fight played out like the bulk of his contests tend to, but Ando simply didn’t have the ability to stop him, per freelance MMA journalist James Goyder:

The only thing Aoki was unable to do was stop the fight early. It wasn’t for a lack of trying, however, as he very nearly locked in a submission in the latter stages of the bout, according to MMA Latest:

It went to the scorecards, but the result was elementary by that point since Aoki quite clearly won all five rounds.

In the wake of such a dominant showing, the focus shifts toward what is next for Aoki. There has been some speculation about him moving on to a higher-profile promotion, but he indicated that he is enjoying his time with ONE, per Mike Bohn of MMAJunkie.com: “I’m not sure about the future, and I don’t really think about it to be honest. I’m happy here with ONE Championship, and I’ll gladly fight and defend my ONE Lightweight world championship title against anyone they have for me.”

Ando was one of the best lightweight opponents ONE had to offer Aoki, but it was clear from the very start that the challenger simply wasn’t in the champion’s league.

Aoki entered Warrior’s Quest as the class of ONE Championship, and that will continue to be the case until someone manages to give him trouble.

 

Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke vs. Roy Doliguez

In the first of two title fights on the ONE Championship: Warrior’s Quest card, Amnuaysirichoke scored the biggest victory of his young MMA career over Thai martial artist Roy Doliguez by technical unanimous decision following a fifth-round headbutt to become the first strawweight champion in the history of ONE Championship.

DSA is already a titleholder after five professional fights, which is extremely impressive. Perhaps even more shocking than that, though, is the fact that it has been only 16 months since he began his MMA training, according to Goyder:

The 36-year-old star fought like a savvy veteran, though, and his Filipino opponent was never able to get into any sort of rhythm. Doliguez fell to 6-2 with the loss, and it is difficult to imagine him getting another crack at the strawweight title in the immediate future.

Amnuaysirichoke is a true natural as an MMA fighter, and it is clear after Friday’s victory that it will take a special talent to wrestle the title away from him.

 

Ev Ting vs. Marat Gafurov

Marat Gafurov entered his bout with Ev Ting as a fairly substantial favorite Friday by virtue of his perfect record, and the 30-year-old Russian certainly didn’t disappoint as he improved to 11-0 by making quick work of his Malaysian adversary.

Gafurov is something of a submission specialist, and The Cobra lived up to that reputation by forcing Ting to tap out to a rear-naked choke in the first round.

After such an easy and dominant showing, SJ Rivers of LastWordOnSports.com couldn’t help but be impressed:

Friday marked Gafurov’s second ONE Championship fight after taking M-1 Global by storm, and those in charge of the promotion would be wise to elevate his status after another big win.

If Gafurov continues to fight at this level, then it is likely only a matter of time before he competes for and wins the featherweight title.

 

Lowen Tynanes vs. Kuat Khamitov

In a fight that seemingly never exited the feeling-out stages, Lowen Tynanes defeated Kuat Khamitov by unanimous decision.

Tynanes, a native of Hawaii, was on the attack for much of the contest, while his opponent from Kazakhstan constantly backpedaled. According to Goyder, Tynanes never deviated from the blueprint he created to defeat Khamitov:

It was ultimately highly effective as there was no real debate about who won the fight when it went to the scorecards. Tynanes is now 7-0, and after beating a fighter that has 18 career wins to his credit, the Hawaiian looks very much like a potential star in ONE Championship.

 

Eddie Ng vs. Ariel Sexton

After a year away from the cage, Eddie “The Magician” Ng returned to action Friday against Ariel Sexton. Unfortunately for the native of Hong Kong, his initial comeback bid was unsuccessful as Sexton scored a second-round submission victory.

The 33-year-old veteran from Costa Rica secured the 10th win of his career with a snug rear-naked choke that Ng was unable to escape.

For Tarzan, it was his fifth win in six fights, while Ng has now dropped two in a row. It wasn’t long ago that he was considered a contender for the ONE Championship lightweight title, but now, he will have to go back to the drawing board.

Sexton is the one who is now on the ascent, and it may not be long before he gets a shot at the belt.

 

Amir Khan vs. Shannon Wiratchai

The featherweight showdown between Amir Khan and Shannon Wiratchai was not only one of the most entertaining fights on the entire Warrior’s Quest card, but it was also arguably the most closely contested one.

Both combatants had their moments throughout the three-round fight, but in the end, it was determined that Wiratchai did enough in the first two rounds to earn a split-decision victory.

The 20-year-old Khan made a run in the third round, but it ultimately wasn’t enough to get past his older and more experienced opponent from Thailand. With this win, One Shin is now 4-1, and he may very well have earned himself an even higher-profile fight at the next ONE Championship event.

 

Angela Lee vs. Aya Saeid Saber

On a card that featured several professional debuts, none was more impressive than that of Angela Lee as she made quick work of Aya Saeid Saber in a women’s strawweight clash.

The 18-year-old from Hawaii took charge from the opening bell and channeled her inner Ronda Rousey by making her Egyptian counterpart tap to an armbar in less than two minutes.

According to Breen, Lee certainly looked the part of a dominant fighter by having her way with Saber:

With women’s MMA reaching incredible levels of popularity, Lee is hitting the professional scene at the right time. If she can continue to turn in performances like the one she did Friday, then a rise to stardom could be in the offing.

 

Stephen Langdown vs. Heili Alateng

In the final contest on the preliminary card, a pair of intriguing fighters did battle in Stephen Langdown and Heili Alateng. It looked like an even fight on paper, but that ultimately wasn’t the case as Alateng won decisively.

The Chinese star showed no mercy against his Singapore-born opponent as he unleashed an array of soccer kicks that ultimately led to a second-round knockout.

As pointed out by Goyder, Langdown simply wasn’t equipped to deal with the flurry that was thrown his way:

Alateng improved to 4-3 with the win, and while his overall record isn’t impressive, his showing at Warrior’s Quest suggests that the best is yet to come for him.

 

Benedict Ang vs. Waqar Umar

Benedict Ang entered Friday’s event with huge expectations hanging over his head in his professional debut. He managed to live up to them, though, by defeating Waqar Umar by unanimous decision in what was a fairly one-sided fight.

Ahead of his first pro bout, the 19-year-old from Singapore made it clear that he intended to leave it all out in the Octagon, according to Evolve Daily: “I’ve come this far and all I want to do is make my supporters proud, no matter what happens.”

There is no question that Ang validated all of the hard work that he has put in to this point, and he also set the stage for what figures to be a long and prosperous MMA career.

 

Ali Yaakub vs. Jianbing Yang

The opening bout of the card featured a pair of relative unknowns in a flyweight clash. Ali Yaakub entered the fight looking for his first career victory, but he didn’t get it as Jianbing Yang improved to 4-0 with an armbar submission in the second round.

The Malaysian underdog was never able to get anything going as Yang immediately took him down in the second round and worked him over before finally locking in the decisive move. With that, the 21-year-old native of China came away with a victory in impressive fashion.

 

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Video of Jon Jones’ Car Being Searched by Police After Crash Emerges

More than a week after turning himself in to authorities following an alleged hit-and-run car accident, video has emerged of former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones’ vehicle being searched by police in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  
As…

More than a week after turning himself in to authorities following an alleged hit-and-run car accident, video has emerged of former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones’ vehicle being searched by police in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  

As seen in this video, courtesy of KOAT, officers looked through Jones’ abandoned car where they found a pipe and condoms, among other items:

Following the incident, the UFC announced that it suspended the 27-year-old fighter indefinitely and stripped him of his championship as well, according to ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto.

In the wake of the situation, Jones was apologetic on Twitter:

It is unclear what the future holds for the box-office attraction at this point, but he has plenty of legal proceedings to go through before he or anyone else can consider a UFC return.

There is no doubt that UFC President Dana White would love to have one of his biggest stars back in the fold at some point; however, Jones has to get his life back on track first.

 

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

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