There was some controversy in the main event of Saturday’s (July 28, 2018) UFC on FOX 30 event at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada that aired on big FOX that featured rising contender Dustin Poirier being able to score a second round stoppage victory over former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez.
Near the end of the fight, there was an incident that saw Alvarez threw an illegal elbow in the second round against Poirier which led to referee Marc Goddard order a standup as that was an illegal infraction and ultimately led to Poirier recovering, rebounding and scoring a TKO win.
Following this fight, there were some fight fans who brought attention to the decision made by the referee to stand up these fighters and the most vocal fighter to bring light to this situation was UFC welterweight Kamaru Usman, a friend of Alvarez’s, as he went on a mini-rant through the power of social media about it as he noted that he never wanted Goddard to officiate his bout.
This led to Goddard to take the rare step for a referee of defending his call in his response to the UFC star as he noted that the former UFC champ also grabbed the fence and illegally put his finger in Poirier’s ear.
Umman: “**** that referee. I will not fight if that ref is calling my fight. He cost Eddie that fight smfh #UFcCalgary”
Goddard: “Mr Usman, I understand that emotion is a factor. Mr Alvarez held the fence, clawed the ear & then threw the 12-6 elbow that is why the positional advantage was taken away. As for your request, no problem that’s easily arranged. I wish you all the best in your career. Thank you.”
Umman: “Marc you’re not wrong. Obviously I’m overacting because that’s my brother Ed. There were a few questionable strikes on both ends. You still do a fine job as a ref.”
Mr Usman, I understand that emotion is a factor. Mr Alvarez held the fence, clawed the ear & then threw the 12-6 elbow that is why the positional advantage was taken away. As for your request, no problem that’s easily arranged. I wish you all the best in your career. Thank you. https://t.co/x3GoCEkLqi
Marc you’re not wrong. Obviously I’m overacting because that’s my brother Ed. There were a few questionable strikes on both ends. You still do a fine job as a ref.
At the end of the day, yes, that was an illegal move and did change part of the fight but, despite it being a dumb rule, it’s illegal and Alvarez knew it but decided to throw it.
Dustin Poirier is coming off the biggest win thus far in his pro-MMA career and as a result, has a lot of options in front of him.
As seen in the main event of Saturday’s (Saturday, July 28, 2018) UFC on FOX 30 event at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada that aired on big FOX, Poirier was able to score a second round stoppage victory over former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez.
With this win, one would think that he just got a bit closer to a lightweight title shot despite the division being backlogged at the moment with the expectation that the promotion will announce a blockbuster title fight between Conor McGregor and champion Khabib Nurmagomedov for a fight that is likely to go down as soon as October at UFC 229 and as late as December at UFC 232.
These are two completely different fights for Poirier as he will likely fight the winner of this mega fight between these two stars and that makes Poirier excited as if he fights McGregor next then not only will he get one heck of a payday but also the chance to get some revenge on McGregor.
“They’re both tough fights,” Poirier said on FS1’s post-fight show to MMA Junkie. “Very different fights. If I get a cut of pay-per-view, I want to fight Conor. Every loss hurts, and I’m sure it feels great to get them back,” Poirier said. “But like I said before, I’m not chasing grudge matches. I’m chasing gold.”
“I don’t want to wait a year, but if it makes sense for me to wait four, six months, we’ll see,” he said. “I’ve been fighting a while. This is my 39th fight, man. I feel like I’ve earned a position to contest for a world title.”
“If (UFC President) Dana (White) calls me, and we make a deal for the fight, maybe,” Poirier said during the post-fight press conference. “I don’t know. I’m the best in the world, man. I could beat all these guys.”
“I don’t plan on getting crazy out of shape or anything like that,” Poirier said. “I’m going to get back in the gym, work on some stuff. I have a bunch of buddies fighting in a couple months back in Louisiana, so I want to help them get ready. I’ll be around, but in a perfect world, which this is not, I would have a full camp and get a fair shake at a title shot.”
If you recall, McGregor and Poirier faced off as featherweights four years ago with the ending seeing McGregor get his hand raised after scoring a first round stoppage to climb the ranks, which on the flip side, was a turning point for the rising contender as he decided to move up to lightweight shortly after and has been on a tear since then.
UFC on FOX 30 is set to take place on Saturday, July 28, 2018 at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with the main card will air on FOX at 8 p.m. ET while the preliminary card will be split broadcasted on FOX Sports 1 at 6 p.m. ET and the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass, at 4 p.m. ET.
Eddie Alvarez vs. Dustin Poirier in a lightweight bout will headline this event while Jose Aldo vs. Jeremy Stephens in a featherweight bout will serve as the co-main event and rounding out this four bout main card is Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Tecia Torres in a women’s strawweight bout and Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Alexander Hernandez in a lightweight bout.
Jordan Mein vs. Alex Morono in a welterweight bout will serve as the headline for the preliminary portion of this card.
UFC officials held the weigh-ins for UFC on FOX 30 on Friday and here are the weigh-in results:
MAIN CARD (FOX, 8 p.m. ET)
Eddie Alvarez (155) vs. Dustin Poirier
Jose Aldo vs. Jeremy Stephens
Joanna Jedrzejczyk (115) vs. Tecia Torres (115)
Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Alexander Hernandez (155)
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX, 6 p.m. ET)
Jordan Mein vs. Alex Morono (170)
Austin Arnett (145) vs. Hakeem Dawodu (146)
Kajan Johnson (155) vs. Islam Makhachev (156)
Gadzhimurad Antigulov (205) vs. Ion Cutelaba (205)
PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass, 4 p.m. ET)
John Makdessi (155) vs. Ross Pearson (155)
Katlyn Chookagian (125) vs. Alexis Davis (126)
Matheus Nicolau vs. Dustin Ortiz (125)
Nina Ansaroff (116) vs. Randa Markos (115)
Alvaro Herrera (156) vs. Devin Powell (155)
#UFCCalgary official weigh-ins live from Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
UFC 211, which went down last night (May 13, 2017) live on pay-per-view (PPV) from Dallas, Texas, was being billed as the biggest and baddest event of the year and it certainly lived up to the expectations that had been set for it, as it produced a plethora of exciting fights and finishes. The main
UFC 211, which went down last night (May 13, 2017) live on pay-per-view (PPV) from Dallas, Texas, was being billed as the biggest and baddest event of the year and it certainly lived up to the expectations that had been set for it, as it produced a plethora of exciting fights and finishes.
The main attraction featured a heavyweight title rematch between champion Stipe Miocic and ex-titleholder Junior Dos Santos. The co-main event played host to a strawweight title fight between 115-pound queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Jessica Andrade.
The rest of the card featured pivotal fights as well, as top contenders faced off with major implications on the line.
Let’s take a look at six fights to make after UFC 211:
Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Eddie Alvarez vs. Dustin Poirier Rematch:
A highly anticipated lightweight fight between exciting contenders Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier headlined the preliminary portion of UFC 211, although it didn’t end without controversy.
Alvarez, a former champion who hasn’t competed since losing his title in brutal fashion to Conor McGregor last November, was looking to bounce back against Poirier, who had won four of his last five up until that point. The two went back-and-forth throughout the first round, but things went south when Alvarez landed an illegal knee in the second round that forced referee Herb Dean to stop the bout and rule it a no contest.
Being that this bout had such high expectations surrounding it, it only seems right to run back and both fighters appeared to be interested in doing so.
Photo by Jerome Miron for USA TODAY Sports
Frankie Edgar vs. Ricardo Lamas:
At UFC 211, former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar reminded everyone that he is still an elite level featherweight, dominating red hot rising contender Yair Rodriguez over the course of two rounds before the bout was stopped between the second and third frames.
The win made it two straight for “The Answer” and he could campaign for another 145-pound title shot, although it’s unlikely he’ll receive one at this moment, especially if Jose Aldo beats Max Holloway next month. Edgar has already lost twice to Aldo.
With that being said, a bout between Edgar and No. 3-ranked Ricardo Lamas makes the most sense.
Lamas has won two of his last three bouts and he even called out Edgar on Twitter prior to “The Answer” being booked against Rodriguez. Edgar seemed interested in a fight with “The Bully” then and now it lands as the fight to make.
Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada USA Today Sports
Jorge Masvidal vs. Stephen Thompson:
Jorge Masvidal came up short in a title eliminator with Demian Maia on UFC 211’s main card, but he still put on a solid showing, picking Maia apart on the feet and avoiding the Brazilian’s submissions, albeit losing a split decision.
In his next fight, “Gamebred” should take on top contender and two-time title challenger Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson.
Thompson is coming off of back-to-back fights with champion Tyron Woodley, battling “The Chosen One” to a majority draw last November before suffering a decision loss to the champion in their rematch this past March. “Wonderboy”, however, still represents a big name in the sport and exciting fighter to watch at 170 pounds.
Masvidal and Thompson should do battle in a bout that could propel the victor back towards title contention.
Photo by Jerome Miron for USA TODAY Sports
Demian Maia vs. Tyron Woodley:
With his win over Masvidal, Maia extended his winning to streak to seven straight and he can no longer be denied a title shot. In fact, he kneeled before UFC President Dana White and asked for the shot after his win over Masvidal. White appeared to have granted him his wish.
A bout between Woodley and Maia not only makes sense from a rankings standpoint, but it is also an intriguing bout stylistically.
Woodley is an explosive and powerful fighter with brutal knockout power and a division one wrestling background. Maia, on the other hand, is arguably the very best submission artist to have ever competed inside of the Octagon, and although opponents know what’s coming, few have been able to stop it in recent memory.
It’ll be interesting to see which man can implement his game plan first when these two inevitably meet.
Photo by Jerome Miron for USA TODAY Sports
Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Rose Namajunas:
Strawweight queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk defended her 115-pound title for the fifth consecutive time last night, winning every round in a one-sided decision victory over the tough but overmatched Jessica Andrade. “Joanna Champion” is now one win away from tying Ronda Rousey’s record of most consecutive title defenses made by a female fighter.
In her sixth defense, Jedrzejczyk should meet surging contender Rose Namajunas. The 24-year-old “Thug” Rose has won four of her last five bouts and is coming off of an impressive submission win over former Invicta champion Michelle Waterson. Namajunas has improved each and every time out and she may be able to supply “Joanna Champion” with a legitimate test.
Photo by Jerome Miron for USA TODAY Sports
Stipe Miocic vs. Cain Velasquez:
Stipe Miocic continued to establish himself as an all-time heavyweight great, scoring yet another first round knockout victory over Junior Dos Santos in the second defense of his heavyweight title.
In my opinion, there’s only one opponent who makes sense for Miocic next: ex-champion Cain Velasquez.
Velasquez was scheduled to compete against Fabricio Werdum in a title eliminator last December, but he was forced to withdraw with a back injury. He hasn’t competed since.
Werdum, on the other hand, will take on Alistair Overeem in July in a bout that could potentially produce the next title challenger, although Miocic has already scored first round stoppages over both Werdum and Overeem.
With that being said, Velasquez should be the next title challenger. A bout between him and Miocic would pit two well-rounded, elite level, athletic heavyweights against each other with a title on the line.
It’s no secret that the UFC has had a less than stellar start to 2017. New owners WME-IMG have appeared to struggle settling into their new roles at the helm of the world’s largest mixed martial arts promotion and it has shown with the pay-per-view (PPV) cards that have took place so far this year.
It’s no secret that the UFC has had a less than stellar start to 2017.
New owners WME-IMG have appeared to struggle settling into their new roles at the helm of the world’s largest mixed martial arts promotion and it has shown with the pay-per-view (PPV) cards that have took place so far this year.
PPV has and likely always will be the main platform and main source of income for the promotion, but UFC 208, which took place on Feb. 11, 2017, and UFC 209, which went down on March 4, 2017, weren’t cards to remember. UFC 210, which took place on April 8, 2017, didn’t garner much attention either, as it appeared to have been a rather weak card aside from its main event and co-main event, which ended in a whirlwind of controversy.
With that being said, the UFC is in desperate need of a rebound and the promotion is well-aware of that.
That rebound should come at UFC 211, which will hit screens tomorrow May 13, 2017 live on PPV from Dallas, Texas. Seemingly aware of the slow start it has gone through to start the new year, the UFC has stacked the deck for UFC 211, making it look like a vintage event that fight fans had grown to love.
The upcoming card will be headlined by a heavyweight title rematch between Stipe Miocic and Junior Dos Santos, two sluggers who went back-and-forth for five rounds in a bloody war in their first meeting back in Dec. 2014.
The co-main event has a strong chance to produce fireworks as well, as reigning strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk will put her 115-pound title on the line for the fifth consecutive time against Jessica Andrade. ‘Joanna Champion’ has proven to be an exciting fighter and she will face a legitimate threat in the No. 3-ranked Andrade.
Two intriguing title fights are set to headline the card, but that isn’t all. No. 3-ranked surging welterweight contender Demian Maia will meet No. 6-ranked Jorge Masvidal in what could potentially be a 170-pound title eliminator. Former lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez will return to action as well, as he takes on No. 10-ranked Dustin Poirier. Finally, former featherweight title challenger Frankie Edgar will take on rising prospect Yair Rodriguez in an interesting clash of styles.
It’s well-rounded cards with a plethora of talent and depth like this one that made the UFC the premier organization for mixed martial arts. Unfortunately, the promotion has seemed to stray away from this strategy in recent memory, but UFC 211 should serve as a rebound, and one that is needed by the promotion.
Let’s hope that UFC 211 doesn’t just mark a rebound, but a return to high level consistency as well.
