Li Jingliang Set For Long-Awaited Return At UFC 305 In Perth On August 17

“The Leech” is back, with fan-favorite welterweight Li Jingliang set to make the walk for the first time in almost two years at UFC 305. Jingliang hasn’t appeared inside the Octagon since falling short in a widely debated split decision opposite Daniel Rodriguez on the shaken-up UFC 279 card back in September 2022. The Chinese […]

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“The Leech” is back, with fan-favorite welterweight Li Jingliang set to make the walk for the first time in almost two years at UFC 305.

Jingliang hasn’t appeared inside the Octagon since falling short in a widely debated split decision opposite Daniel Rodriguez on the shaken-up UFC 279 card back in September 2022.

The Chinese fighter was scheduled to meet Tony Ferguson, but the changes brought about by Khamzat Chimaev’s weight miss saw him face an opponent who weighed in 10 pounds heavier in “D-Rod.”

That, along with his personality being more and more on display, saw Jingliang’s fanbase increase. Unfortunately, he’s not been able to capitalize on that with a return to the Octagon after suffering a spine injury.

Now, as first reported by UFC Weibo and confirmed by Eurosport Nederland’s Marcel Dorff, “The Leech” is finally ready to make his comeback at the upcoming UFC 305 pay-per-view in Perth, Australia, on August 17, where he’s slated to face the charging Carlos Prates.

Jingliang Out For Bounce-Back Win Against Prates At UFC 305

When Jingliang and Prates do battle Down Under, the former will be looking to return to winning ways at the expense of the fast-rising Brazilian.

Jingliang (19-8) has exchanged victories and losses since moving to a three-fight win streak in 2019. While he fell to defeats at the hands of Khamzat Chimaev and Rodriguez, he sandwiched brutal knockouts of Santiago Ponzinibbio and Muslim Salikhov between them.

If he’s to continue that trend of bouncing back, the Chinese 36-year-old must blemish the UFC record of Prates (19-6). After an emphatic performance on Dana White’s Contender Series to earn a spot on the roster, “The Nightmare” has enhanced his stock with consecutive first-round knockouts of Trevin Giles and Charles Radtke to announce his arrival.

With this addition, the current fights expected to take place at UFC 305 in Perth on August 17 are as follows:

  • Dricus Du Plessis (C) vs. Israel Adesanya (middleweight championship main event)
  • Kai Kara-France vs. Steve Erceg (flyweight)
  • Tai Tuivasa vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (heavyweight)
  • Joshua Culibao vs. Ricardo Ramos (featherweight)
  • Li Jingliang vs. Carlos Prates (welterweight)
  • Casey O’Neill vs. Tereza Bledá (women’s flyweight)
  • Jacob Malkoun vs. Gerald Meerschaert (middleweight)
  • Junior Tafa vs. Valter Walker (heavyweight)
  • Jack Jenkins vs. Gavin Tucker (featherweight)
  • Tom Nolan vs. Alex Reyes (lightweight)
Image: DWCS/Zuffa LLC

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Report: Carlos Prates’ Return In The Works For UFC 309 On Nov. 16

Surging UFC welterweight prospect Carlos Prates looks set to have the chance to make a splash on yet another big stage next month. Prates (20-6) has put the 170-pound division on notice in three fights since earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series last year. The Fighting Nerds standout announced his arrival with knockouts […]

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Surging UFC welterweight prospect Carlos Prates looks set to have the chance to make a splash on yet another big stage next month.

Prates (20-6) has put the 170-pound division on notice in three fights since earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series last year. The Fighting Nerds standout announced his arrival with knockouts of Trevin Giles and Charles Radtke.

“The Nightmare” delivered most impressive performance to date last time out at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, where he put a beating on formerly ranked contender Li Jingliang en route to a brutal KO.

It appears that Prates will have the opportunity to keep his ball rolling at an even bigger pay-per-view event in a few weeks’ time, with Ag. Fight reporting that he’s verbally agreed to share the cage with Randy Brown (19-5) at UFC 309 on November 16.

The numbered event is set to take place inside the prestigious surroundings of Madison Square Garden in New York City. Headlining will be a long-planned heavyweight showdown between champion Jon Jones and legend Stipe Miocic.

While Prates looks to make a statement on the undercard, his veteran opponent will have an upset in mind. “Rude Boy” has won three straight since being submitted by Jack Della Maddalena, most recently outpointing Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos at UFC 302 this past June.

With this addition, the current fights expected to take place at the New York-held UFC 309 event on Nov. 16 are as follows:

  • Jon Jones (C) vs. Stipe Miocic (heavyweight championship main event)
  • Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler (lightweight co-main event)
  • Bo Nickal vs. Paul Craig (middleweight)
  • Nikita Krylov vs. Azamat Murzakanov (light heavyweight)
  • Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders (middleweight)
  • Carlos Prates vs. Randy Brown (welterweight)
  • Viviane Araújo vs. Karine Silva (women’s flyweight)
  • Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee (bantamweight)
  • Mickey Gall vs. Ramiz Brahimaj (welterweight)
  • Karine Silva vs. Viviane Araújo (women’s flyweight)
  • Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura (women’s flyweight)

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‘Very Specific In Our Training’ – Caio Borralho Breaks Down What Makes Fighting Nerds Special

Caio Borralho, who recently beat Jared Cannonier to become a top contender in the UFC middleweight division, is a member of Fighting Nerds. The mixed martial arts gym is based in São Paulo, Brazil, and has gained a ton of prominence in MMA circles lately. Several members of Fighting Nerds have put up impressive performances […]

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Caio Borralho, who recently beat Jared Cannonier to become a top contender in the UFC middleweight division, is a member of Fighting Nerds. The mixed martial arts gym is based in São Paulo, Brazil, and has gained a ton of prominence in MMA circles lately.

Several members of Fighting Nerds have put up impressive performances recently. For instance, Bruna Brasil defeated Molly McCann at UFC 304, Carlos Prates became the first person to knock out Li Jingliang at UFC 305, and Jean Silva stopped Drew Dober just two weeks after knocking out Charles Jourdain at UFC 303.

Here’s why Fighting Nerds has the potential to generate multiple UFC champions according to Borralho, one of their most skilled members…

Caio Borralho Reveals Training Strategies That Have Helped Fighting Nerds Members Excel In The UFC

Borralho discussed what sets Fighting Nerds apart in an interview on the Inside Fighting YouTube channel recently. He highlighted that the gym focuses a lot on distance control and fighters are expected to break their fights into three stages. The first step is to establish range followed by constant movement to make the opponent miss.

From the looks of it, Fighting Nerds fighters aim to start their fights relatively slowly. Once they’ve figured out the opponent’s style and striking patterns, they prepare to close distance and aggress which is the third stage.

Borralho then revealed the rigorous practice that goes into perfecting their striking and distance management. For every opponent, they perform thousands of drills which explains why they’re so calm going into their fights.

Another important step during training is studying footage. According to “The Natural”, Fighting Nerds coaches compile videos of opponents to understand how they start fights, throw strikes and takedowns, and move around the Octagon. For his latest fight, Borralho studied almost all the right hands thrown by Cannonier.

“If we get a guy like Cannonier, like the right hand, like all right hands, almost like a lot of right video with just like big right hands of Cannonier. All his setting ups, you know, all his patterns and all this stuff. So, all take downs, all cage work that the guys do, how he behave himself in the cage work and then there’s like five six minutes of video only with cage work, you know. So, we’re very specific in our training. We have a very close approach when it comes about training and study, you know. And I think that help us a lot and I think this is it you know. We’re bunch of nerds you know!”

All in all, Fighting Nerds members make sure to know everything about their opponent before even stepping into the Octagon. Most of the gym’s fighters are gradually climbing the ranks in their respective divisions, and it’ll be interesting to observe how quickly they can generate a champion with this approach.

Continue Reading ‘Very Specific In Our Training’ – Caio Borralho Breaks Down What Makes Fighting Nerds Special at MMA News.

UFC Contender Targets Michael ‘Venom’ Page Having Emulated Him In The Past: “I Know The Way To Knock The Guy Out”

Carlos Prates has been a fantastic edition to the UFC roster since earning his contract via the last season of the Contender Series. The Fighting Nerds athlete has gone 3-0 inside the Octagon, stopping all three opponents with devastating finishes. His latest win over Li Jingliang at UFC 305 set him up well for an […]

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Carlos Prates has been a fantastic edition to the UFC roster since earning his contract via the last season of the Contender Series.

The Fighting Nerds athlete has gone 3-0 inside the Octagon, stopping all three opponents with devastating finishes.

His latest win over Li Jingliang at UFC 305 set him up well for an even bigger name next time out, and given the fact that he has put on a show with each appearance, a ranked opponent isn’t out of the question.

When looking at the fighters that occupy the ranking sports from 15-10, one name in particular stands out to Prates.

Carlos Prates Reveals That He Emulated Michael Page For ‘MVP’s Only Knockout Loss

In a recent interview with Sherdog.com, Prates gave his thoughts on all of the potential ranked opponents that he could be matched with in the near future.

He revealed an interesting story from his earlier career when arriving at the name of one of the division’s most talented strikers.

Michael “Venom” Page is an incredibly difficult opponent to train for because you don’t find people that have his unique style combined with size and reach, very easily.

Prates said that he has been a stand in for “MVP” when he was training alongside Douglas Lima, who fought Page twice in Bellator.

In their first meeting, Lima would hand the Brit his first defeat at Bellator, via a ruthless second-round knockout.

Prates believes that after being a part of the camp for this fight, he has the secret to become the second man to stop Page.

“Michael Page would be a really good fight. I would like to fight him, it would be a great bonus again. You know the first time he lost to Douglas Lima? I was a sparring partner of Douglas. I was doing like MVP and Douglas was doing his game. He, Douglas and his coach, came to Thailand and we trained all together… So it’s kinda I know the way to knock the guy out.”

Read also: Shavkat Rakhmonov Trusts UFC’s Meritocracy To Prevent Conor McGregor Title Shot Hijack, Reveals Belal Muhammad Turned Down UFC 307 Date

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Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Coach ‘Very, Very Impressed’ With UFC 305 Fighter: ‘Unbelievable, Calm, Relaxed…’

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s coach, Javier Mendez, lavished Carlos Prates with accolades for his standout performance against Li Jingliang at UFC 305. Prates added another show-stopping finish to his resume last weekend at the RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia, where he made history by becoming the first to knock out Chinese veteran Jingliang. “The Nightmare” wielded […]

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Khabib Nurmagomedov’s coach, Javier Mendez, lavished Carlos Prates with accolades for his standout performance against Li Jingliang at UFC 305.

Prates added another show-stopping finish to his resume last weekend at the RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia, where he made history by becoming the first to knock out Chinese veteran Jingliang.

“The Nightmare” wielded his straight left like a guided missile, landing it repeatedly throughout the night and forcing Jingliang to retreat towards the fence. Once “The Leech” was cornered in the second round, the Brazilian unleashed a devastating right hook, immediately followed by a thunderous left hook that shattered Jingliang’s defenses and sent him collapsing to the canvas.

With three fights and three spectacular finishes in the UFC, coupled with an impressive performance on Dana White’s Contender Series that secured his contract, Prates has swiftly become a fan favorite, even earning the admiration of Mendez, thanks to his lethal striking artistry…

Mendez Hails Prates’ Striking As ‘Something To Behold’

During a recent video on his YouTube channel, Mendez shared his admiration for Prates’ performance at UFC 305. The head coach at American Kickboxing Academy praised ‘The Nightmare’ for his elite striking skills, which he noted are seamlessly combined with an impressive fight IQ. Mendez also expressed his eagerness to see more of Prates, especially his ground game, in future bouts.

“You remember I told you I never seen Carlos Prates?” Mendez said. “And what an unbelievable, calm, relaxed sniper that guy is. When he hurt Li, he didn’t even go for the kill; he kept his distance and kept picking him apart. I was so, so impressed with him, and now I understand why he was the favorite and why they’re so high on him. This guy, his striking—man, he’s something to behold. Let’s see what he does with the ground game, because there was no ground game with Li Jingliang.”

“He didn’t even try to take him down, and he’s never been stopped either, so this guy just kept picking him apart, you know, with sniper shots. I mean, God, it was unbelievable. I was very, very impressed with his fight IQ—very impressive fighter. Looking forward to seeing him again. Next time I see something with him on it, I’ll definitely tune in because he’s impressive to watch.”

“The Nightmare” has now demolished nine consecutive opponents by knockout, including every one of his Octagon appearances, with no opponent surviving beyond the second round. With such explosive knockout prowess, Prates is positioning himself as a formidable force in the UFC, with a bright future as a serious title contender on the horizon.

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Watch: MMA Fighter Shuts Off Opponent In Rare Jab Knockout

MMA fighter Carlos Prates earned a first-round knockout by a method rarely seen used for a finishing blow in the modern era. Prates and Charles de Oliveira competed for the vacant welterweight title at SFT 37 in Sao Paulo, BR on Saturday. Both fighters…

MMA fighter Carlos Prates earned a first-round knockout by a method rarely seen used for a finishing blow in the modern era. Prates and Charles de Oliveira competed for the vacant welterweight title at SFT 37 in Sao Paulo, BR on Saturday. Both fighters had been on a roll leading up to the title fight…

Continue Reading Watch: MMA Fighter Shuts Off Opponent In Rare Jab Knockout at MMA News.