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Welcome to MMA News today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For February 22, 2023, we’re taking a look at: Jake Paul Seeking “Knockout Of The Year” Against Tommy Fury This weekend…
Welcome to MMA News today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For February 22, 2023, we’re taking a look at: Jake Paul Seeking “Knockout Of The Year” Against Tommy Fury This weekend, Jake Paul and Tommy Fury will finally meet in the ring. The boxing…
Continue Reading MMA News Today (2/22/23): Jake Paul Puts Tommy Fury’s Girlfriend On Notice Ahead Of Boxing Showdown, Jon Jones On USADA Reparations, And More at MMA News.
Welcome to MMA News today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For February 21, 2023, we’re taking a look at: Tyron Woodley Reveals Low Opinion Of Tommy Fury In a recent interview with BJ Penn, …
Welcome to MMA News today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For February 21, 2023, we’re taking a look at: Tyron Woodley Reveals Low Opinion Of Tommy Fury In a recent interview with BJ Penn, former UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley was asked for his…
Continue Reading MMA News Today (2/21/23): Tyron Woodley Ranks Tommy Fury Against Jake Paul’s Other Opponents, Conor McGregor Threatens Tom Aspinall and more at MMA News.
The last two years has brought about a sea of change in some of the UFC’s weight divisions, with new champions such as Dricus Du Plessis, Ilia Topuria and Leon Edwards ousting some established names on their way to the top. With this influx of new title holders comes a changing of the guard. Some […]
Continue Reading 5 Current UFC Fighters Who Deserve To Be Champions But Likely Won’t at MMA News.
The last two years has brought about a sea of change in some of the UFC’s weight divisions, with new champions such as Dricus Du Plessis, Ilia Topuria and Leon Edwards ousting some established names on their way to the top.
With this influx of new title holders comes a changing of the guard. Some former champions have to get back in line and attempt to climb the mountain once more, while some other members of the ‘old guard’ may be watching their last opportunities at claiming UFC gold slip through their fingers.
Today, let’s take a look at five fan favourites who should have won UFC gold, but most likely won’t.
Dustin Poirier
Poirier fell short of the mark during his third (and likely final) attempt at winning an undisputed UFC title when he was submitted by the pound-for-pound number one Islam Makhachev in the fifth round of their encounter at UFC 302 earlier this year.
“The Diamond” made his UFC debut way back in January of 2011 when he faced Josh Grispi at UFC 125. After originally competing as a featherweight, a defeat to Conor McGregor in 2014 convinced Poirier to make the switch to 155lbs. He won nine of his next ten fights to earn a title shot against Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2019.
Unfortunately for him, he suffered the same result as every other fighter who has ever stepped into the Octagon to face Khabib: heartbreaking defeat. Undeterred, he worked his way back into title contention, memorably picking up two consecutive wins over his old foe Conor McGregor, before again suffering a submission loss in a world title fight when he faced Charles Oliveira in December of 2021.
To add insult to injury, Poirier was knocked out in spectacular fashion by Justin Gaethje when the pair fought for the vacant BMF title in 2023.
Poirier hinted recently that he plans to continue fighting inside the Octagon, but it seems very unlikely the 35-year-old will work his way back to a fourth shot at undisputed UFC gold.
Tony Ferguson
Back in 2011, “El Cucuy” knocked out three opponents to make it to the finals of The Ultimate Fighter Season 13, where he stopped Ramsay Nijem inside the first round to earn himself a UFC contract.
Ferguson won fourteen of his next fifteen fights over an eight-year stretch, taking out names such as Edson Barboza, Anthony Pettis and Rafael Dos Anjos along the way. His wild fighting style and his propensity for violent finishes earned him a place in the hearts of UFC fans all over the world, and there was a clamour to see how his eccentric grappling style would match up against that of the unbeaten Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The UFC booked the pair to fight on five separate occasions between 2015 and 2020, but the match up seemed to be cursed and destined never to happen. A combination of injuries to both fighters, a global pandemic, and a bizarre incident with a TV studio cable that resulted in torn knee ligaments for Ferguson meant the fight never came to fruition.
The fifth and final cancellation (due to Covid pulling the plug on UFC 249 ) cost Ferguson a shot at glory, as by that time Nurmagomedov had won the 155lb title by beating Conor McGregor.
When the event eventually did take place, Ferguson found himself standing across from a new opponent: Justin Gaethje. He was soundly beaten in what has turned out to be the first of seven consecutive losses inside the Octagon.
The 40-year-old returns to action next month looking to snap that skid when he takes on Michael Chiesa in a welterweight contest in Abu Dhabi.
Justin Gaethje
Gaethje, much like his former opponents Poirier and Ferguson, is another fighter who will likely look back on his career when all is said and done and think “what if?”
The former World Series of Fighting world champion arrived in the UFC in 2017 with a reputation for a wild and reckless approach to fighting. After a mixed start to career inside the Octagon, he linked up with coach Trevor Wittman and refined his game, before embarking on an impressive winning run.
The dominant victory over Tony Ferguson at the height of the pandemic in 2020 earned him a title shot against Khabib Nurmagomedov. Much like Poirier, however, he was submitted with relative ease by the Dagestani, who announced his retirement immediately afterwards.
A victory over Michael Chandler upon his return a year later was enough to earn him another shot at glory, and he took on Charles Oliveira at UFC 274. “The Highlight” fell short of the mark once again, as “Do Bronx” submitted him in little over three minutes.
After returning to winning ways against Rafael Fiziev, Gaethje took on Dustin Poirier for the BMF title at UFC 291. The second-round head knockout remains one of the finest moments of his storied UFC career and elevated him back into the number one contender spot in the lightweight rankings.
Gaethje put that ranking on the line when he agreed to defend his BMF belt against Max Holloway at UFC 300 earlier this year, and the gamble failed miserably. Gaethje was knocked out in the final second of the five-round match up, and fellow contenders Dustin Poirier and Arman Tsarukyan leapfrogged him in the title picture at 155lbs.
Much like Poirier, 35-year-old Gaethje faces an uphill battle to get back into contention in the lightweight title discussion.
Stephen Thompson
Thompson transitioned into MMA in 2010 after an insanely successful kickboxing career. Between his amateur and professional careers in the kickboxing ring, “Wonderboy” amassed a record of sixty-two wins and zero defeats.
After an unbeaten start to his MMA career, he announced his arrival in the UFC with a first-round headkick knockout win over Dan Stittgen in 2012. Thompson won nine of his first ten fights inside the Octagon, beating some notable names such as Johnny Hendricks, Robert Whittaker and Rory McDonald before earning a title shot against then-welterweight champion Tyron Woodley.
Their five-round clash at UFC 205 finished as a majority draw, a result which meant Woodley kept the belt, but many fans felt Thompson should have won. The rematch four months later was ruled a majority decision victory for Woodley, but again many observers had felt that Thompson should have been the one getting his hand raised.
Four wins and five defeats in the years since have meant Thompson being seen as somewhat of a gatekeeper in the welterweight division, and the 41-year-old will surely look back at those two title fights and wonder what might have been.
Nick Diaz
For younger fans of MMA, Nick Diaz’s younger brother Nate will be regarded as somewhat of a superstar in the world of combat sports. For the generation of spectators old enough to remember promotions such as Elite XC, Strikeforce and Pride, 40-year-old Nick Diaz will always be known as a true “O.G.” of the sport.
In two separate stints in the UFC between 2003 and 2011, the older Diaz brother beat legends such as Robbie Lawler and BJ Penn, while also racking up impressive wins over Franks Shamrock, Paul Daley and Takanori Gomi during his sabbatical in other promotions.
In 2012, Diaz lost an interim title fight to Carlos Condit, before losing to UFC welterweight champion George St-Pierre in a title fight the following year. His fight against Anderson Silva in 2015 was retrospectively changed to a “no contest” and a five-year suspension due to a marijuana violation followed.
Diaz returned for a rematch with Robbie Lawler in 2021, but clearly wasn’t in shape to compete at the highest level and was stopped in the third round. He is scheduled to face Vicente Luque when the UFC returns to Abu Dhabi next month.
Continue Reading 5 Current UFC Fighters Who Deserve To Be Champions But Likely Won’t at MMA News.
The UFC has grown exponentially in the years since its inception way back in 1993. While the sport of MMA has come a long way since the days of groin strikes, headbutts and Tank Abbott, the demands placed on the global leader to satisfy an ever-growing audience in this social media-driven world has led to […]
Continue Reading 5 Of The Most Underwhelming UFC Main Events In 2024 at MMA News.
The UFC has grown exponentially in the years since its inception way back in 1993. While the sport of MMA has come a long way since the days of groin strikes, headbutts and Tank Abbott, the demands placed on the global leader to satisfy an ever-growing audience in this social media-driven world has led to a swollen roster of contracted fighters.
The need to provide content to fulfil contractual obligations with TV networks has meant an increase in the overall number of events the UFC are pumping out these days. There are 53 shows scheduled to take place in 2024 alone, between pay-per-view events and ‘Fight Night’ cards, spread out over international locations such as Brazil, France, the United Kingdom, Abu Dhabi, Australia and of course, the United States.
With many of these events taking place in the relatively low-key surroundings of the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, some of these cards have become less about putting fans in seats and more about ticking off fights on some fighters’ contracts. The biggest names are being kept for the pay-per-views and the rest are being wheeled out with the sole purpose of filling in the gaps.
This Saturday’s Fight Night event (set to be headlined by a strawweight rematch between Amanda Lemos and Virna Jandiroba) is another card loaded with fights lacking in jeopardy and unlikely to have any telling effect on the title picture in any of the UFC weight divisions.
With that in mind, let’s look at five of the more underwhelming main events the UFC have offered up so far in 2024.
Roman Dolidze vs Nassourdine Imavov, UFC Fight Night, February 3rd (UFC Apex)
The UFC’ had a somewhat slow start to 2024. January brought us an underwhelming Fight Night card followed by a PPV event in Canada that lacked star names outside of the main event between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis. Coming into February, UFC fans were desperately in need of some high-stakes entertainment.
The Apex middleweight showdown between Dolidze and Imavov was not it. A main card entirely devoid of ranked fighters (outside of the main event) offered up one draw and four decisions, with only Randy Brown’s first-round knockout of Muslim Salikhov managing to give viewers something to get them out of their seats.
Both main event fighters came into this event in stuttering form. Dolidze hadn’t been seen in competitive action since losing to Marvin Vettori eleven months earlier, while Imavov was coming off the back of a difficult 2023. A decision loss to Sean Strickland early in the year was followed by his summer bout with Chris Curtis being declared a “no contest” after an accidental clash of heads.
A majority decision victory for Nassourdine Imavov after twenty-five less-than-inspiring minutes followed. Both fighters picked up victories last month and seem to be rising through the ranks at 185lbs, but their clash at the Apex last February is not one that will live long in the memory of many UFC fans.
Joe Pyfer vs Jack Hermansson, UFC Fight Night, February 10th (UFC Apex)
A week later, with UFC 298 on the horizon and the MMA news cycle being dominated by the build-up to Alexander Volkanovski vs Ilia Topuria, fans were treated to another Apex event with a middleweight headliner. This time, admittedly, there was a little more intrigue surrounding the headline match-up as Joe Pyfer was coming off the back of an unbeaten start to his UFC career. “Bodybagz” had won all three of his fights inside the Octagon to that point, and finishes over Alen Amedovski, Gerald Meerschaert and Abdul Razak Alhassan had earmarked the 26-year-old as a fighter worth keeping an eye on.
Jack Hermansson looked like he was being positioned as the man to give up his place in the rankings to Pyfer. The Swede was returning from a year-long absence due to injury and had lost three of his previous five bouts at 185lbs. Against the odds, however, Hermansson derailed the Pyfer hype train and, after a strong opening two rounds from Pyfer, “The Joker” picked off his opponent from range over the remainder of the fight and walked away with a 48-47 scorecard from each of the three judges.
Pyfer returned to winning ways last month with an impressive first-round knockout win over Marc-André Barriault at UFC 303 and he will hope his flat performance against Jack Hermansson is simply a bump in the road on his journey to the top of the middleweight division.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs Shamil Gaziev, UFC Fight Night, March 2nd (UFC Apex)
UFC 298 and the Fight Night that was held in Mexico City a week later gave fans a reminder of how good the atmosphere can be when big crowds and exciting fights are paired together. Ilia Topuria’s title victory in Anaheim, California followed by Brandon Royval’s win over Brandon Moreno the following week meant February had its’ fair share of entertainment inside the Octagon.
Fans were brought back down to earth with a bang on March 2nd however, as perennial heavyweight gatekeeper Jairzinho Rozenstruik was paired with Shamil Gaziev. Although Gaziev came into this event unbeaten at 12-0, the Bahraini fighter had only made one appearance inside the Octagon so far and many fans seemed perplexed at his positioning in the headline slot of a UFC event so soon.
The gulf in class was evident as Gaziev was utterly dominated by “Bigi Boy” from the off. After four one-sided rounds, a bruised and battered Gaziev was deemed unfit to continue following an inspection by referee Marc Goddard. Not only did Gaziev pick up the first loss of his professional career, his positioning in the main event slot so soon after signing with the UFC drew plenty of criticism from fans and fighters alike.
Marcin Tybura vs Tai Tuivasa, UFC Fight Night, March 16th (UFC Apex)
Just two weeks later, in the wake of UFC 299, the “new normal” resumed in the UFC Apex as heavyweights Marcin Tybura and Tai Tuivasa collided in the main event of an event that featured such names as Ange Loosa, Isaac Dulgarian and Brian Battle on the main card.
Tybura’s first-round submission victory would be his eighth win in ten fights helping the Polish fighter break into the top ten of the UFC’s heavyweight rankings. His opponent however was riding a three-fight losing streak coming into this bout and with the Australian taking significant damage in his defeats to Cyril Gane, Alexander Volkov and Sergei Pavlovich, the discussion among the MMA community in the wake of this defeat centred around whether or not “Bam Bam” should retire.
As it would turn out, Tybura made quick work of Tuivasa and the fight didn’t even see two minutes of action. Another underwhelming main event into the books, then.
Derrick Lewis vs Rodrigo Nascimento, UFC on ESPN+ 32, May 11th (St. Louis)
April brought fight fans one of the most memorable fight cards in the history of the sport. UFC 300 was packed from top to bottom with current or former champions, and the knockouts delivered by Alex Pereira and Max Holloway during the main card will go down in history as two of the most exciting finishes inside the Octagon.
The following month, shortly after UFC 301 which took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the UFC returned to American shores and went on the road to Saint Louis, Missouri. When the heavyweight main event between Derrick Lewis and Rodrigo Nascimento was announced, St. Louis-based welterweight Joaquin Buckley vowed to convince the UFC to switch things up and allow him to headline in his hometown. “New Mansa” was unsuccessful in his efforts however and had to make do with his place in the co-main event.
Lewis knocked out Nascimento in the main event but the fight failed to cause a ripple in the heavyweight rankings. “The Black Beast” had lost four of his previous six fights and is unlikely to enter the heavyweight title discussion anytime soon, while Nascimento had won three consecutive split-decision victories over unranked opponents prior to facing Lewis.
It seems in the modern world of the UFC, for every title fight or number-one contender match-up fans are granted, they are doomed to sit through multiple filler events behind closed doors at the UFC Apex.
Continue Reading 5 Of The Most Underwhelming UFC Main Events In 2024 at MMA News.
UFC Fight Night 112 saw some major controversy in the main event. The fight between Michael Chiesa and Kevin Lee was anticipated to be a high stakes game between two fighters hoping to enter title contention with a win Sunday night. But instead of everyone speaking on how great the main event was, everyone is talking about Mario Yamasaki’s supposed “flub.”
The post Fallout: Chokes, Referees, and Kevin Lee, Tony Ferguson Talking Major Trash appeared first on Cagepotato.
UFC Fight Night 112 saw some major controversy in the main event. The fight between Michael Chiesa and Kevin Lee was anticipated to be a high stakes game between two fighters hoping to enter title contention with a win Sunday night. But instead of everyone speaking on how great the main event was, everyone is talking about Mario Yamasaki’s supposed “flub.”
Watch the fight the first time around, it appeared that Michael Chiesa was still conscious and willing to continue his grudge match again Kevin Lee. Yamasaki intervened and called the fight which seemed to many observers to be an early stoppage. Here’s the thing about being a ref: it’s an absolutely thankless job. No one appreciates what these refs have to go through with each and every fight they have to call. The thing about this fight was that it was apparent in multiple viewings that Michael Chiesa was on his way to blacking out completely.
The choke was locked in tight, there was thirty plus seconds left, Lee was cranking his choke and Chiesa’s arms went limp, eyes fading and rolling back into his head, a clear response from a blood choke rather than a wind choke. With Yamasaki on top of the action he had the best view out of anyone present. Rather than letting Chiesa go out like a “warrior” Yamasaki instead stopped the match. Sure, we want fighters to be given a chance at victory, at accomplishing the goals they’ve been obsessed with for weeks of training. Problem is that their ego can get in the way of their health at times and that’s what the refs are there for. As a result we have an angry fighter, angry fans, and people cursing the ref for his utter stupidity. Funny thing is, while the tough call may not be the most popular, Yamasaki had a job to do, did what he thought was right and shouldn’t be demonized for it.
On a side note, I never knew I wanted a Kevin Lee versus Tony Ferguson fight before last night. Ferguson congratulated Lee like a true class act, but the brash Detroit native took things a different way. In true McGregor form, Lee wasted no time in his additional time on television as he relegated the rest of the lightweight division as chumps and potentially set up a match between himself and Ferguson.
It was entertaining as hell and is just the kind of thing you want to see if you’re the UFC. Two personalities clashing making for a potentially exciting grudge match in the cage. It’ll sell and at the end of the day this sport is a business. Dollars and cents rule the day and Kevin Lee is setting himself up nicely to start making a nice profit.
What are your biggest takeaways from UFC Fight Night 112?
Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.
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Perhaps my most anticipated fight on this card, Douglas Lima versus Lorenz Larkin is a truly wonderful match up between two strikers with very different styles. We have the bare bones approach of Douglas Lima against the flashier yet effective strikes of Lorenz Larkin. While there are many other intriguing fights on this card, this could easily be the main event.
The post Bellator 180: Douglas Lima vs Lorenz Larkin Will Be A Striker’s Delight appeared first on Cagepotato.
Perhaps my most anticipated fight on this card, Douglas Lima versus Lorenz Larkin is a truly wonderful match up between two strikers with very different styles. We have the bare bones approach of Douglas Lima against the flashier yet effective strikes of Lorenz Larkin. While there are many other intriguing fights on this card, this could easily be the main event.
In Douglas Lima’s most recent outing he scored a come from behind victory against former Bellator welterweight champion Andrey Koreshkov. After a competitive first frame, Lima found himself on his back in the second round, yet he obviously never lost hope. Against Koreshkov we saw improvement in his ground game in order to get back to his feet in the first round, but seemed content to lay on his back in the second. Nevertheless, it was Lima’s game changing weapon that ultimately won him the belt, the left hook.
But like every season striker should understand, setting up your Sunday punch should be done in strategic fashion. First off, Lima should want to focus on utilizing his jab to both track the faster Larkin as well as set a pattern to fire off hard shots once he closes the distance. Lima should also look to use his second favorite weapon, the leg kick. His rear leg kick works wonders to punish the legs of an opponent and should do well here as Larkin is a fighter who tends to constantly be on his bicycle. To slow down Larkin’s movement this should be Lima’s main weapon. Once he slows down Larkin with kicks he should look to fire his left hook which could ruin Larkin’s debut in spectacular fashion. But the jab to the leg kick should be key.
In his first fight since leaving the UFC, Lorenz Larkin finds himself in an immediate title fight. It could be alarming to some, but when you consider the fact that Larkin was on a hot streak in the UFC, coupled with the fact that he’s an exciting striker, it’s easy to see why the Bellator execs pushed for this fight. Larkin fights in an extremely interesting and unexpected manner. You wouldn’t call his striking Muay Thai nor could you call it karate or kickboxing. He strikes with a flair all his own.
While already mapping out that Lima should use his jab and leg kick to win the day, Lorenz Larkin should be taking a somewhat similar approach. The only difference is that he has more tools to work with. He should utilize his low calf kick to the legs to set up his left hook right straight combination. But before unloading, he should use his well polish oblique kick and mix it in with his leg kick. The chamber he uses for both kicks are fairly similar and if utilized correctly will keep Lima guessing on what shot is coming next.
This will undoubtedly be one of the more exciting match ups of the night and will be an absolute strikers delight.
Who do you think walks away the Bellator welterweight champion?
Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.
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