Tag: Global MMA

Alex Pereira reveals he was dealing with a major injury in the build-up to UFC 281: “I couldn’t train very well”

Alex PereiraThe newly crowned middleweight champion, Alex Pereira, has revealed an injury he suffered in the running to his successful title challenge at UFC 281. Pereira was able to achieve something that many had not even come close to in the middleweight division when he finished then 185-pound champion, Israel Adesanya. The Brazilian was down on […]

Alex Pereira

The newly crowned middleweight champion, Alex Pereira, has revealed an injury he suffered in the running to his successful title challenge at UFC 281.

Pereira was able to achieve something that many had not even come close to in the middleweight division when he finished then 185-pound champion, Israel Adesanya. The Brazilian was down on all of the judges’ scorecards when he finally landed the devastating combination that saw him TKO ‘The Last Stylebender’.

Despite ultimately setting out and achieving what he aimed for, the former kickboxing world champion has revealed it was not all plain sailing during his training camp for UFC 281. Pereira detailed an injury he suffered to his hand whilst training when speaking in an interview with ESPN.

“I didn’t train very well for this fight. I could have been better,” Pereira said. “But I won, I became champion. A lot of people talk nonsense and don’t know what was going on. I [tore] the ligaments. I think I can come back better for this next fight.”

Alex Pereira Touches on A 4th Fight with Israel Adesanya

Injuries were unable to prevent Alex Pereira from becoming an MMA world champion and beating Israel Adesanya for the third time and the Brazilian fully expects to see his familiar foe inside an octagon once again.

“It doesn’t matter to me whether he or another will come,” Alex Pereira continued. “If I were him, I would wait a bit, but since he wants to … he was the champion. If he really wants that, he deserves this rematch. It was a good fight. He hit me, he believes he can beat me. It doesn’t matter to me, I’ll fight. If there are two people, Adesanya and someone else, and you say who I want, I’ll say ‘Adesanya.’ Because he is him.” (Transcribed by BJPenn.com)

An immediate rematch only seems fair given the length of time Adesanya reigned at the top of the division, the questions still remain will he want to jump back in there straight away with a man who has defeated him on three separate occasions already?

If Israel Adesanya doesn’t wish to face Alex Pereira again straight away, who would you like to see the new middleweight champion make his first defense against?

Exclusive | Chris Daukaus backs Francis Ngannou to ‘Knock Out’ Jon Jones in a potential heavyweight clash

Chris DaukausNo.11 ranked UFC heavyweight Chris Daukaus has backed Francis Ngannou to KO Jon Jones, should the two men ever face off in the octagon. Chris Daukaus is currently preparing for his own heavyweight clash, as he is set to take on Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC 282 in the T-Mobile Arena. Daukaus is riding a two-fight […]

Chris Daukaus

No.11 ranked UFC heavyweight Chris Daukaus has backed Francis Ngannou to KO Jon Jones, should the two men ever face off in the octagon.

Chris Daukaus is currently preparing for his own heavyweight clash, as he is set to take on Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC 282 in the T-Mobile Arena. Daukaus is riding a two-fight skid, having come up short against Derrick Lewis and Curtis Blaydes. However, prior to those losses, Daukaus was considering one of the surging future contenders in the division, alongside the likes of Ciryl Gane and Tom Aspinall. At UFC 282, Daukaus will be looking to reclaim his place in the top 10, and begin his own title run.

Chris Daukaus recently took the time to speak with Mike Owens of LowKickMMA about his upcoming fight, as well as the future of the heavyweight division. When asked about a hypothetical matchup between current heavyweight champ, Francis Ngannou, and one of the MMA Goats, Jon Jones, he had the following to say:

“I think that Francis (Ngannou) will be able to walk Jon (Jones) down. Even though how crazy that sounds to say. I think that Francis is so big – Jon’s a big guy, don’t get me wrong. Jon’s a big guy, his reach. But I think that Francis would have the bigger reach… And Jon, he’s never been hit by a heavyweight as big as Francis. He’s never been hit by a heavyweight, let alone a heavyweight as big as Francis. As big as the guy who literally flatlines everyone.”

“Anyone in the world that Francis decides to punch in the face, their going unconscious. And I don’t think Jon Jones is any different than any other human being on this world. So, if I would make a prediction, I would say Francis would knock out Jon Jones.”

Jon Jones announced he would be making the move to the heavyweight division back in 2020, the same year in which Chris Daukaus made his UFC debut. Since then, Daukaus has fought 6 times in the UFC’s heavyweight division, going 4-2. In comparison, Jon Jones holds a UFC heavyweight record of 0-0.

Do you agree with Chris Daukaus?

Opinion | Fights To Make After UFC Fight Night: Nzechukwu vs. Cutelaba

UFC Fight Night: Nzechukwu vs. CutelabaFights to make after UFC Fight Night: Nzechukwu vs. Cutelaba – formerly UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivac. Welcome to a brand-new segment we are going to be running here at LowKickMMA. Each week I will be taking a look at the fights from the previous week and share my two cents on what should […]

UFC Fight Night: Nzechukwu vs. Cutelaba

Fights to make after UFC Fight Night: Nzechukwu vs. Cutelaba – formerly UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivac.

Welcome to a brand-new segment we are going to be running here at LowKickMMA. Each week I will be taking a look at the fights from the previous week and share my two cents on what should come next from each winner on the card.

Be sure to share your thoughts down below and let me know whether you agree or disagree with the choices I have gone for. Also, feel free to offer any alternative matchups which you think would be better suited for any of the fighters mentioned below.

Now, without further ado, let us take a look at UFC Fight Night: Nzechukwu vs. Cutelaba.

After their originally scheduled matchup was canceled during the prelims portion of the card due to a medical issue on the side of Derrick Lewis, it only makes sense for ‘The Black Beast’ and Sergey Spivak to have the opportunity to face each other once again. Given Lewis receiving the all-clear medically just a few hours after their matchup had been canceled, this fight could very well occur in the back end of 2022 or early 2023 headlining a UFC Fight Night card again.

UFC Fight Night: Nzechukwu vs Cutelaba – Main Card

Kennedy Nzechukwu

Making excellent work of the opportunity at hand when his fight against Ion Cutelaba was bumped up to the main event of this UFC Fight Night card, Kennedy finds himself on a two-fight winning streak and will now be looking to climb the light-heavyweight standings.

Sitting in the 15th spot is a former kickboxing veteran, Dustin Jacoby. Both men have strong striking acumen and would match up well. Jacoby himself will be looking to bounce back after suffering his first defeat in the promotion since he re-signed following a controversial decision loss to Khalil Roundtree Jr.

Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Waldo Cortes-Acosta moved to 2-0 in the UFC and 9-0 overall after he was able to beat Chase Sherman over fifteen minutes. Given his first two fights with the promotion have seen him emerge victorious via decision, it only feels right that Acosta should face the decision machine of recent times and take on former UFC heavyweight champion, Andrei Arlovski.

Muslim Salikhov

Muslim Salkihov delivered an extremely impressive performance when he was able to secure a stoppage victory over Fialho this past weekend. Now, it seems the perfect time for the Russian to begin his ascent up the welterweight rankings. A big step up in competition granted, however, Vicente Luque and Salikhov would provide a fan-friendly affair should the two be matched up against each other.

Jack Della Maddalena

It seems with have something special on our hands with Jack Della Maddalena. His clinical combinations and striking have seen him earn two stoppage victories since joining the promotion and he clearly is showing great potential. Given UFC 284 in Perth is just around the corner, let us see him find a spot on that card and in my opinion in a matchup against Daniel Rodriguez. 2023 could well be a big year for the Aussie and it would not be surprising to see him headline a UFC Fight Night card before the year is out.

UFC Fight Night: Nzechukwu vs Cutelaba – Prelims

Charles Johnson

In the featured prelim of UFC Fight Night: Nzechukwu vs Cutelaba, Charles Johnson managed to secure a decision victory in a fight not many believed he had won. Despite this Johnson showed clear signs of ability and toughness as he had to battle through a leg injury during the bout. Tyson Nam always brings the heat and after his impressive knockout of Ode Osbourne back in August, I’d like to see this pair matched up.

Jennifer Maia

Jennifer Maia proved that she is still a serious contender in the flyweight division with a victory over Maryna Moroz this past weekend. I would like to see her try and work her way back up the rankings and she could do exactly that in a matchup with Viviane Araujo.

Miles Johns

Miles Johns edged out a close and somewhat controversial decision victory this past weekend against Vince Morales to place himself back in the winning column. In what would be a chaotic affair, I think Johns would match up well with Jonathan Martinez whose last outing saw him defeat UFC veteran Cub Swanson.

Ricky Turcios

Ricky Turcios dealt with some brutal shots from Kevin Natividad en route to his decision victory at UFC Vegas 65. Next in line for Turcios could potentially be the ever-game Brit, Davey Grant. Grant’s last outing saw him defeat Louis Smolka via ground and pound in the third round.

Vanessa Demopoulos

Vanessa Demopoulos laid down a dominant display with her unanimous decision victory over Maria Oliveira this past weekend. Her third victory in a row since dropping her debut in the promotion, it now seems time for Demopoulos to attempt to scale the strawweight rankings. And what better place for her to start than by taking on recently ranked number fifteen, Polyana Viana.

Brady Hiestand

Brady Hiestand was able to neutralize the striking abilities of Fernie Garcia en route to his decisive victory and his first victory inside the promotion after dropping his debut matchup to a man he shared this very card with Ricky Turcios. In a similar-styled matchup next for Brady Hiestand should be Mongolia’s Danaa Batgeral who will be looking to bounce back following two consecutive defeats.

Watch his post-fight interview here:

Natalia Silva

Natalia Silva got UFC Fight Night: Nzechukwu vs. Cutelaba off to a flying start with her finish over undefeated prospect Tereza Bleda. Next for Silva could be American flyweight, JJ Aldrich, who will be looking to bounce back from her submission defeat to Erin Blanchfield.

That concludes the first segment of our fights to make column, be sure to check us out in the days following UFC Orlando, aka UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Holland.

Let us know in the comments below what you think of our speculative matchups for the winners of UFC Fight Night: Nzechukwu vs. Cutelaba, and be sure to share your own thoughts on who you would like to see each fighter face next.

Watch | Danil Sharov suffers skull fracture in kickboxing debut from a knee strike

Danil Sharov suffers skull fractureAn unfortunate end to any fight is a fighter experiencing a skull fracture. In his professional debut, Russian kickboxer Danil Sharov suffered a fractured skull when he absorbed a knee from Danil Kirikov at WAKO’s FKR PRO 1 in a lightweight clash. The knee was landed during a clinch and visibly caused damage to the […]

Danil Sharov suffers skull fracture

An unfortunate end to any fight is a fighter experiencing a skull fracture. In his professional debut, Russian kickboxer Danil Sharov suffered a fractured skull when he absorbed a knee from Danil Kirikov at WAKO’s FKR PRO 1 in a lightweight clash.

The knee was landed during a clinch and visibly caused damage to the forehead of Sharov, slightly up and between his eyes. His opponent, Kirikov, was quick to point out the injury to the referee. The fight nearly continued as Danil Sharov was game, and remained in his fight stance. The doctor inspected the visible fracture by putting his thumb in it and the fight was quickly called off.

See below for the video:

It was a lightweight kickboxing fight with both men making their debut. This was an undercard bout in Moscow, Russia on WAKO’s FKR PRO 1.

Reactions to Danil Sharov’s skull fracture

On Twitter, fans were very impressed with the fortitude of Danil Sharov. User ‘Fedor’s Nephew’ commented:

“PS: toughness of this kid is insane. Acted like he got a cut or something.”

Twitter user ‘OkayDFS’ was happy that Kirikov refused to continue knowing his opponent was injured. This user said:

“Yeah another blow would’ve been bad. Opponent knew it too it seemed. I wonder if his skull will heal fully.”

‘Vinny_Napalm’ added that many fighters, Danil Sharov included, are too tough for their own safety. He added:

“Jesus what a great referee. That was hard to notice and that kid is too damn tough for his own good. Would have needed up very bad if it continued.”

Many combat sports fans have also pointed out the similarity of this situation to Michael ‘Venom’ Page fracturing the skull of Evangelista ‘Cyborg’ Santos at Bellator 158. After this gruesome injury, took some time to rest and recover. The Brazilian fighter has not returned to action since this fight in 2016.

In an interview with MMA Junkie, ‘Cyborg’ explained:

“Right after, I was vocal about my wishes to get back to fighting as soon as possible, but it’s better to act with good sense. I took time to think about it, and I want to recover. That’s what I’m doing in Brazil. I’m living with my daughter. I’m teaching fighters here at Chute Boxe in Curitiba, at our professional branch. It’s a great opportunity to share my knowledge with a new generation of fighters, both amateur and professional. Chute Boxe is a true stable of champions, and when one of us stops, we teach what we’ve learned. And that’s what I’m doing now.”

Aljamain Sterling prefers title match against Sean O’Malley, downplays Henry Cejudo fight: “I’m just not excited about that matchup”

Aljamain SterlingAljamain Sterling has expressed his interest in a title defense against the number one ranked bantamweight contender, Sean O’Malley, as opposed to an ‘uninteresting’ fight against Henry Cejudo. The Bantamweight division is deeply stacked with elite-level competitors so the next challenge for champion Aljamain Sterling could come from anyone competing at 135-pounds. Sterling has already […]

Aljamain Sterling

Aljamain Sterling has expressed his interest in a title defense against the number one ranked bantamweight contender, Sean O’Malley, as opposed to an ‘uninteresting’ fight against Henry Cejudo.

The Bantamweight division is deeply stacked with elite-level competitors so the next challenge for champion Aljamain Sterling could come from anyone competing at 135-pounds. Sterling has already notched two defenses during his title reign with a decision victory over Petr Yan and a TKO of TJ Dillashaw at UFC 280.

Fresh off of the back of his most recent victory, the bantamweight champion already has an idea in mind of who he would like to face next.

In an interview with MMA Fighting, Sterling showed respect to the potential next threat to his title in Sean O’Malley and says the eye-catching contender has earnt his shot at the belt should he get one.

“O’Malley did earn it – I can’t deny that,” Sterling said. “Even Dana (White) said you beat the No. 1 contender so it made sense and then somehow, some way he backtracked.

“I’m not sure if he thought my fight wasn’t going to go that way, and I’m not sure if he thought the Yan-O’Malley fight was going to go that way as far as being so competitive. He probably thought somebody was going to get stopped and then, ‘Holy s*** this guy definitely needs to fight for the title!’ That’s usually how it works. It’s usually the performance, but it was a great performance from both guys. Both guys fought their asses off. They got ‘Fight of the Night.’ So I don’t see why either one should have been denied that follow-up claim that Dana made that whoever won would be next and he threw Cejudo in there.”

Henry Cejudo has been actively trying to throw his name into the conversation as the former champion plots his return to competition, however, Aljamain Sterling quickly put that idea to rest but admitting his disinterest in a matchup against the former two-division champion.

I’m just not excited about that matchup [with Henry Cejudo],” Aljamain Sterling said. “Because he hasn’t competed. For me, if the fans cared — like really cared — the overall consensus was this is the matchup to make, Cejudo you are the guy, I’m calling you out, that’s the money fight because people want to see that fight. I just don’t feel like that’s it.

“If O’Malley is the biggest name right now coming off the win, now the No. 1 guy, I don’t see why he shouldn’t get the fight. People are going to say ‘you want the easier fight.’ I don’t get how that fight’s easy? He’s long, he’s rangy, he’s got great footwork. He can crack. I don’t see how it’s an easy fight by any means.”

Aljamain Sterling Plots Return To Competition Midway Through 2023

Who Aljamain Sterling faces next won’t be of much concern to him at this very moment as he doesn’t plan to return to the octagon until the middle of 2023.

Following his victory at UFC 280, the bantamweight champion expressed his interest in taking some well-deserved rest time before he attempts to make the third defence of his belt.

“If we’re finally going to use the merit system, it should actually be O’Malley. That’s what I think,” Sterling said.

“I don’t plan on coming back until midway next year. That’s honestly how I’m feeling right now. I defended the belt. I fought in April. I fought in October. I think I earned to take some time off and let the division kind of play out and see where things are at. I’m going to be training but I want to take some time to enjoy life a little bit before it’s passing me by.” (Transcribed by MMAFighting)

Who would you like to see Aljamain Sterling defend his Bantamweight title against next?

Watch | Conor McGregor spotted partying in Dubai with his old featherweight belt

Conor McGregorFormer UFC Featherweight and Lightweight champion, Conor McGregor has been seen partying with one of his previously held titles out in Dubai. Conor McGregor created history when he became the first athlete in the promotion to hold more than one UFC championship title at once when he became a double champion in 2016. The Irishman […]

Conor McGregor

Former UFC Featherweight and Lightweight champion, Conor McGregor has been seen partying with one of his previously held titles out in Dubai.

Conor McGregor created history when he became the first athlete in the promotion to hold more than one UFC championship title at once when he became a double champion in 2016. The Irishman blitzed through arguably one of the greatest fighters of all time when he knocked out Jose Aldo in December 2015.

Less than a year later, he displayed a vintage McGregor performance putting on a striking clinic against then-champion, Eddie Alvarez, to obtain the lightweight strap and forever cement himself in UFC history.

Now fast forward to 2022, and it appears McGregor indulged himself in some nostalgia when he was seen partying with one of his previously held titles out in Dubai.

Watch below, Conor McGregor partying with his old UFC belt:

Conor McGregor Is Expected To Make His UFC Return In 2023

Less than a year and a half ago was when we saw Conor McGregor compete inside the octagon in his trilogy matchup with Dustin Poirier. The Irishman suffered a brutal leg injury that has kept him sidelined for the entirety of 2022 and potentially will keep him out for the start of 2023.

However, McGregor is expected to return to action next year. The ‘Notorious’ has bulked up since being away from the sport so questions surround in which division his return will take place, as it seems difficult for him to be able to cut down to the lightweight limit once again.

He was recently active on social media expressing his desire to return to the sport posting a photo from one of his matchups against Dustin Poirier showing him executing a perfectly placed left hand.

‘Final shot before bracing on the break. All me. Excited to return and prove my support correct! Marathon not a sprint.’

Given McGregor’s status as an individual, you can never presume he is far away from competing for a UFC title upon his return, just in what weight class remains the question.

Where were you when Conor McGregor made history and became the first UFC two-division champion?