Manny Pacquio retained his WBO welterweight title Saturday night against Chris Algieri, battering the American over twelve rounds to take a unanimous decision victory 119-103, 119-103, 120-102. The bout took place at the Venetian Macau in Ma…
Manny Pacquio retained his WBO welterweight title Saturday night against Chris Algieri, battering the American over twelve rounds to take a unanimous decision victory 119-103, 119-103, 120-102. The bout took place at the Venetian Macau in Macau, China and aired in North America on HBO pay-per-view.
Pacquiao’s victory was never in doubt and, at times, it seemed as if the end was near for Algieri as he suffered six knockdowns over the course of the bout. He was able to answer the standing eight count each time, but could never really get any measure of consistent offense going.
Algieri was able to box and move in certain rounds to make the bout close. Despite losing handily, he did attempt to stay off the ropes, avoid being cut off at angles and cover defensively. Pacquiao’s offensive blitzes ended up muting all of Algieri’s offense, who could never really use his jab – one of his bette weapons – to any great effect.
When asked post fight for his reflections on the bout, Pacquiao was largely positive.
“Tonight, I did my best,” he told HBO commentator Max Kellerman. “Of course, I’m satisfied with my performance tonight. I did my best. I think that’s enough.”
Pacquiao never showed any signs of fatigue despite being close to the age of 36. He was able to pressure Algieri backwards for all twelve rounds and had the clear edge in hand speed. The Filipino fighter credited an improved camp for the energy and high workrate shown in the fight.
“We improve our strength. we do more heavy bag in training. We start earlier in training camp. That’s why I was very confident to win the fight. I’m in shape.”
With no real obvious contenders left for him to fight, Kellerman also asked about a potential super fight with Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
“He’s going to fight me? Yes! Yes!” Pacquiao said, referencing a recent Nike ad where he says the same lines. Yet, when being more serious, Pacquiao did, indeed, claim he was ready to face him.
“I think I’m ready to fight next year [with] him.”
As for Algieri, he had nothing but praise for his opponent, recognizing he was outgunned and facing an all-time great.
“Manny is the best in the world at fighting like Manny Pacquiao. His start and stop is great. He’s got so much experience. He’s perfected fighting like Manny Pacquiao.”
Pacquiao’s record climbs to 57-5-2 while Algieri earns his first loss, moving his record to 20-1.
It’s clear Cub Swanson’s takedown defense still needs some work. Frankie Edgar dominated him with excellent wrestling skills en route to a last-second submission win in the fifth round. Per MMA Junkie, Edgar said he would take Swanson’s title shot…
It’s clear Cub Swanson’s takedown defense still needs some work. Frankie Edgar dominated him with excellent wrestling skills en route to a last-second submission win in the fifth round. Per MMA Junkie, Edgar said he would take Swanson’s title shot, and he seemed to have done just that.
He maintained top position for much of the bout and subsequently eliminated Swanson’s striking prowess. From top position, Edgar rained down elbows and punches in a one-sided beatdown.
By the time the fight was over, Swanson’s face was a bloody mess. Per UFC.com, Edgar had landed seven takedowns.
Edgar came in to the fight a lock to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. At 33 years old, The Answer looks to be ready for another title shot. He faced Jose Aldo in Feb. 2013 and lost a close unanimous decision.
It will be interesting to see what he does with another opportunity.
Swanson will likely see his chances at a world title put off once again. After such a decisive loss, it’s hard to tell just where this loss puts him in the title picture.
Here’s a look at the rest of the results from Saturday night’s scraps. Just below the table is a brief summary of every bout leading up to the main event.
UFC Fight Pass Prelims
Doo Ho Choi Eliminates Juan Puig…Quickly
Choi needed just 18 seconds to stop Puig in the event’s opening fight. The 23-year-old South Korean flattened Puig seconds into the bout and reigned down shots on his fallen foe to get the quick stoppage.
That’s how you make an impression in your UFC debut.
We’ll have to wait to see him in the cage against better opposition, but Choi has the look of an exciting fighter.
Knockout Scores a…Knockout
No, this is not a ring-card girl. Paige VanZant is a pretty vicious and relentless strawweight who made an explosive UFC debut of her own. Despite a great effort from her opponent, the 20-year-old stopped Kailin Curran in the very first round with a barrage of punches.
With a very marketable look and some skills to match, VanZant could be on her way to stardom at 115 pounds.
Fox Sports 1 Prelims
AkbarhArreola Overwhelms Yves Edwards
Arreola looked sharp in his stand-up game and even smoother in his transitions from striking to grappling.
A hard right-hand uppercut dropped Edwards early. Arreola pounced and worked his way into an armbar submission win.
This makes five losses in a row for Edwards. The cut line cometh.
Robbery
The first controversial decision of the night came when James Vick somehow won a decision over Nick Hein. Despite a six-inch height disadvantage, Hein floored Vick twice in the first round. He hurt him again in the second round.
Vick showed nice recovery skills, but it seemed as if Hein deserved a 29-28 decision win. Instead, Vick got the decision, and some of the judges even had the bout scored 30-27 in his favor. The MMA community frowned upon these numbers.
Roger Narvaez Pulls out a Tough One
For a little over a round, Luke Barnatt looked to be getting the better of Roger Narvaez. The Texan known as The Silverback took over midway through the second round.
In the third, he hurt Barnatt bad and battered him until the final bell.
Narvaez tried diligently to grab a submission victory in the final two minutes, but Barnatt survived with some solid submission defense. Still, two of the three judges were impressed enough with Narvaez‘s work to give him the decision.
Several folks of note didn’t agree with the decision.
RuslanMagomedovOutstrikes Josh Copeland
When the big fellas take the cage, the expectation is that fans will see an explosive knockout. This one went the distance, but it wasn’t because Magomedov and Copeland weren’t throwing with bad intentions.
As it turned out, Magomedov‘s kicks were the story of the bout.
He kept Copeland off balance and hurt the girthy American on one occasion in the second round. Magomedov showed great dexterity for a heavyweight. It’ll be interesting to see him in the future.
Main Card
Matt Wiman Outlasts Issac Vallie-Flagg
In a bout that wasn’t exactly aesthetically pleasing, Wiman did the better work from the clinch and showed himself to be the better man on the mat.
He had Vallie-Flagg in danger of being submitted on multiple occasions but couldn’t get the finish. The most compelling part of this scrap came after the final bell. The two men jawed at each other and had to be separated.
Still, it was good to see this one end.
Benavidez Wins a Thrilling Scrap
Joseph Benavidez and Dustin Ortiz came to throw bombs. Benavidez rocked his opponent a few times, but to Ortiz’s credit, he bounced back and fired his own shots.
Despite Ortiz’s efforts, Benavidez‘s hands were quicker, and his scrambling was far better when the fight went to the mat. Benavidez needed to string some wins together after being knocked out by flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson in Dec. 2013.
Benavidez submitted Tim Elliott in April, and he now adds another strong win to his resume.
Camus Outworks Pickett
One judge for the Brad Pickett-Chico Camus bout must have been blindfolded for 15 minutes. That judge scored this bout three rounds to none in favor of Pickett. Camus didn’t exactly dominate Pickett, but he clearly won the fight.
It might have been feasible to see a scenario where Pickett won two rounds, but to imply that he pitched a shutout was absurd.
In the end, the right man got the decision. Pickett has now lost two fights in a row. At age 36, that’s a dangerous spot for the man from London, England.
Barboza‘s Striking Too Much for Green
EdsonBarboza‘s kicks troubled Bobby Green from the beginning of the fight. A spinning kick connected in the first round that wobbled Green. Barboza also landed a few hard counterpunches that got Green’s attention. More than anything, the threat of the kicks to the head and legs kept Green from doing the work he normally does in the striking game.
Barboza has won five of his last six fights. He is quickly moving into a place of contention in the lightweight ranks.
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The UFC’s featherweight title picture just cleared up.
Cub Swanson, he of the six-fight winning streak heading into UFC Fight Night Austin, is vanquished. And he went out not with a bang but a whisper, the victim of yet another stifling Frankie Edgar p…
The UFC’s featherweight title picture just cleared up.
Cub Swanson, he of the six-fight winning streak heading into UFC Fight Night Austin, is vanquished. And he went out not with a bang but a whisper, the victim of yet another stifling Frankie Edgar performance.
Swanson strolled to the cage full of confidence, and his first-round performance showed glimpses of the fighter he has become since the first time he lost to Jose Aldo. But that confidence was mostly gone by the end of the second round after Swanson spent the better part of five minutes drowning underneath Edgar’s relentless quicksand style.
With Edgar having dispatched the only legitimate contender to the featherweight championship, the way forward is clear.
ConorMcGregor should get the next shot. He will get the next shot.
Provided he beats Dennis Siver, of course. And while that is no foregone conclusion—mixed martial arts is an unpredictable beast at times—it is logical to assume that McGregor will beat Siver.
And once he does, it’s time to lock him in the cage with Aldo.
Swanson was deserving. If he’d beaten Edgar, there would have been some controversy. McGregor, because he is best friends with Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta, would have found himself standing across the cage from Aldo before Swanson regardless of Saturday’s outcome. If you think sporting concerns would have outweighed the lucrative dream of McGregor vs. Aldo in a Brazilian or Irish soccer stadium, well, you’re out of your mind.
But none of that matters. Not anymore. The true deserving contender has been swept away, and now comes the money fight. And while some will call for Edgar to get a title shot—and perhaps he deserves it, with a dominant win and late finish over a legitimate contender—there is zero chance such a thing happens. He’s already faced Aldo. He lost. And while he has improved since then, the appeal of Aldo vs. McGregor at this point far surpasses anything Edgar might bring to the table.
McGregor is the UFC’s fastest-rising star in years. It is time to capitalize on his star power, on his ability to sell himself and to sell a fight. He’s the only relevant thing that has happened to the featherweight division since it began.
And it doesn’t matter if he can beat Aldo. You don’t make the fight because you think he can beat Aldo. You make the fight because it’s going to make more money than any featherweight fight in history.
This was always with the way things were going to end up. McGregor was already in waiting for the title shot despite Swanson’s protests to the contrary.
Saturday night’s results just make the eventual reaction to the UFC’s decision that much easier to handle.
The UFC Fight Night 57 post-fight press conference is the last piece of business to take care of after the action is over in the Octagon, and we have the live video below at MMAFighting.com.UFC officials will announce the winners of the Fight of th…
The UFC Fight Night 57 post-fight press conference is the last piece of business to take care of after the action is over in the Octagon, and we have the live video below at MMAFighting.com.
UFC officials will announce the winners of the Fight of the Night and the Performance of the Night bonuses, and winning fighters will meet the media after their fights.
The UFC Fight Night 57 post-fight press conference takes place about 30 minutes after the main event ends, meaning it will start around 1:45 a.m. ET. The video is above.
At UFC Fight Night 57, Edson Barboza used his arsenal of powerful kicks and footwork to snap the eight-fight winning streak of Bobby Green in Saturday night’s co-main event. Green got hit with some hard shots and taunted Barboza after nearly…
At UFC Fight Night 57, EdsonBarboza used his arsenal of powerful kicks and footwork to snap the eight-fight winning streak of Bobby Green in Saturday night’s co-main event. Green got hit with some hard shots and taunted Barboza after nearly every connection the Brazilian made. Instead of firing back with strikes or takedown attempts, Green chose the strategy of walking down Barboza with his hands down and getting lit up in the process.
The win was a big one for Barboza and his first victory over a Top 10 opponent. He’s made some missteps in the past that cost him greatly in fights against Jaime Varner and Donald Cerrone, but against Green he kept his composure and used his powerful offense to make his claim for a spot in the Top 10.
Here are five fights for Barboza to take next after UFC Fight Night 57.
After dominating Cub Swanson for five rounds and finishing him with a timely rear naked choke at 4:56 of the fifth and final round – the latest finish in UFC history – Frankie Edgar was rewarded with one of the performance bonuses, earning an extra $50…
After dominating Cub Swanson for five rounds and finishing him with a timely rear naked choke at 4:56 of the fifth and final round – the latest finish in UFC history – Frankie Edgar was rewarded with one of the performance bonuses, earning an extra $50k for his efforts.Paige VanZant was successful in her Octagon debut, defeating Kailin Curran by TKO on the UFC FIGHT PASS prelims. The two strawweights earned fight of the night honors, and Alexey Oliynyk earned the other performance bonus for his KO win against Jared Rosholt. All four fighters earned $50k.UFC Sr. Director of Public Relations Dav … Read the Full Article Here
It’s clear Cub Swanson’s 