Tag: Global MMA

UFC Vegas 54 Betting Preview

UFC Vegas 54Despite falling under the shadow of the recent UFC 274, UFC Vegas 54 is a card full of surprisingly interesting and high-level matchups. Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz takes on surging contender Aleksandar Rakic in the main event, with the winner likely to go on and fight for the belt next. In the […]

UFC Vegas 54

Despite falling under the shadow of the recent UFC 274, UFC Vegas 54 is a card full of surprisingly interesting and high-level matchups. Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz takes on surging contender Aleksandar Rakic in the main event, with the winner likely to go on and fight for the belt next.

In the co-main, Ryan ‘Superman’ Spann takes on the ever-entertaining Ion Cutelaba, whilst UFC veterans Davey Grant and Louis Smolka face off in an electric bantamweight scrap.

Katlyn Chookagian, Amanda Ribas, Jake Hadley, Michael Johnson, and Angela Hill also all feature on this card. Join LowKick MMA as well attempt to break down, and hopefully make some money, off of UFC Vegas 54:

Jan Blachowicz vs. Aleksandar Rakic

There are a number of ways you could play the main event of UFC Vegas 54. Both men are solid strikers, with the gas tank to go the full five rounds. Blachowicz likely has the more attritional damaging strikes, but Rakic has the reach advantage and a style that wins rounds. Blachowicz’s last fight, when he lost his title against Glover Teixeira, was one of his worst performances in the octagon to date. Whether you think this is indicative of the Pole’s future or not will likely result in you taking either man’s ML.

However, we will not be backing either side. Instead, Betway has the fight to go over 3.5 rounds at 1.83 odds. Jan Blachowicz has this ‘Polish Power’ reputation, that does not completely represent the way he fights. Nine of his UFC fights have gone to decision, with the majority of his KO wins coming against opponents now known for their durability, such as Luke Rockhold. As of late, Rakic has also been a decision machine, preferring to outpoint Thiago Santos and Anthony Smith, rather than go for the big finish.

There is still a chance this fight doesn’t go the distance, but this is more likely to happen late than early. Blachowicz vs. Rakic to go over 3.5 rounds is our first bet.

Davey Grant vs. Louis Smolka

Two solid options here in this UFC Vegas 54 bantamweight matchup. Louis Smolka has not gone to the decision in his past six UFC fights, and he takes on one of the hardest hitters in the 135lb division. Smolka’s most recent loss to Vince Morales was a brutal KO, by an opponent not known for his finishing ability. Look for Grant to land his patented body shot, hook to the head combination and put ‘Da Last Samurai’ to sleep. Davey Grant to win via KO is at 2.00 on Betway.

Alternatively, if you think Smolka has a chance at locking up one of his sneaky submissions, fight doesn’t go the distance is priced at 1.44.

Katlyn Chookagian vs. Amanda Ribas

Another bet from UFC Vegas 54 that essentially picks itself is Katlyn Chookagian to win via decision against Amanda Ribas. Chookagian is undeniably one of the best fighters in the division, especially in the striking department. However, she never finishes her opponents. All 10 of her UFC wins have gone to the judge’s scorecards. She will also have a significant size and reach advantage over Ribas, who is moving up in weight.

Chookagian by decision can be found at plus money on Betway.

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Katlyn Chookagian vs. Jennifer Maia

What are your best best for UFC Vegas 54?

Michael Chandler Speaks On The Financial Implications Of Trading In His Bellator Gloves For The Bright Lights Of The UFC

Michael ChandlerMichael Chandler recently opened up about his jump from Bellator MMA to the UFC in 2020.  Chandler (23-7-0) debuted under the Bellator banner in October 2010 at Bellator 31. After 10 years and three lightweight world title reigns with the promotion, Chandler made the leap to the Octagon and debuted in spectacular fashion with a […]

Michael Chandler

Michael Chandler recently opened up about his jump from Bellator MMA to the UFC in 2020. 

Chandler (23-7-0) debuted under the Bellator banner in October 2010 at Bellator 31. After 10 years and three lightweight world title reigns with the promotion, Chandler made the leap to the Octagon and debuted in spectacular fashion with a first-round knockout of Dan Hooker at UFC 257.

Chandler followed up his debut with back-to-back losses against Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje. Despite coming up short in two straight bouts, Chandler immediately became a fan favorite for his full-throttle style of combat. 

‘Iron’ earned his way back into the win column at UFC 274 with a crowd-pleasing front kick knockout of fan-favorite Tony Ferguson, a KO that was immediately dubbed the knockout of the year by fans and fighters. 

Michael Chandler on the Financial Differences He Faces with a New Employer

During an appearance on the ‘How U Livin J Piven’ podcast, Michael Chandler took time to discuss his transition from Bellator to the UFC and how it has affected him financially and personally.

“You know what it is? I make more money, (but) I don’t necessarily make more money on paper or in my fights.”

“What I’ve been able to do is — once again, going back to my reputation, I have been a smaller name, I may have been a guy who was overlooked, I may have been a guy who (people) said, ‘Well, he’s not that legitimate ’cause he fights in Bellator,’ but one thing I always did, was I kept a really good reputation. I kept my nose clean, I stayed out of the negative headlines, I was always in the positive headlines, and then my fights spoke for themselves. I was an entertainer.”

Chandler also discussed the significant increase in exposure he has received since joining the promotion.

“It all kinda just built this long-standing résumé for when I did come over to the UFC to be the co-main event on Conor (McGregor) vs. (Dustin) Poirier—almost two million pay-per-view buys, and then I was the main event for a world title fight, and then I was on another huge pay-per-view.

“The amount of eyeballs that I’ve been given and afforded by the UFC coincided with this great reputation of being a hard worker, being a man of integrity, being a hard-nosed fighter, being a fighter, a father, a husband. It just meshed perfectly, and I’ve been able to make a lot of money outside the cage and have some great relationships with some great companies and some great people.”

While he may not make more money on paper, it is clear that the increase in exposure since joining the UFC has positively impacted ‘Iron’ Michael Chandler’s life, allowing him to reach a larger fan base and in turn, create more opportunities for financial success outside of the cage. 

After his stunning knocking at UFC 274, who would you like to see Michael Chandler square off with next?

Khabib Nurmagomedov Calls For Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira Lightweight Title Fight

Charles OliveiraFormer UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has declared that Islam Makhachev should be allowed an immediate title shot against the current number one contender, and former champ, Charles Oliveira. Until very recently, Oliveira was the champion of the UFC’s 155lb division. However, he missed weight for his headline fight at UFC 274 by 0.5lbs, resulting […]

Charles Oliveira

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has declared that Islam Makhachev should be allowed an immediate title shot against the current number one contender, and former champ, Charles Oliveira.

Until very recently, Oliveira was the champion of the UFC’s 155lb division. However, he missed weight for his headline fight at UFC 274 by 0.5lbs, resulting in his title being stripped. Oliveira still went out and defeated Justin Gaethje, although he must now compete for the vacant title, should he wish to once again call himself champion.

Islam Makhachev, a teammate and close friend of Khabib Nurmagomedov, is rumored to be set to take on Beneil Dariush to determine who will be next to challenge Charles Oliveira for the vacant title. However, Nurmagomedov believes that Makahchev should be allowed an immediate title shot against Oliveira, on account of there being no current 155lb champ.

Khabib took to Twitter, stating that: “

“Dana White you have no other choice but (to) make Oliveira vs Islam fight in AbuDhabi 22 October. Perfect date, Perfect location, Perfect opponents with perfect winning streaks 10 vs 11.”

‘The Eagle’ followed this statement up with the following:

“Why (does) @MAKHACHEVMMA (Islam Makhachev) has to do contender fight, if there’s no champion in this division.”

Charles Oliveira Victorious Again At UFC 274

Despite being stripped of his title, Charles Oliveira still showed up at UFC 274 in fine form, maintaining the championship mindset even if he no longer had the belt around his waist.

Oliveira took on Justin Gaethje, a man known to personify violence in its most brutal form. Many thought Gaethje may have too much for ‘Do Bronx,’ who has a reputation of being clipped early on in his fights.

Sure enough, Oliveira hit the canvas twice in the first minute of their fight. However, this did not perturb him for a moment, as the Brazilian BJJ black belt rose back to his feet, and fought fire with fire. A one-two down the middle sent Gaethje tumbling to the mat, and Oliveira followed him down. Once the fight hit the floor, Oliveira quickly began demonstrating why so many believe he is one of, if not the, greatest BJJ practitioners the UFC has ever seen.

After initially threatening with an armbar, Oliveira would switch to a mounted triangle, before transitioning to a rear-naked choke that saw Gaethje fall into the realms of slumber.

What did you think of Charles Oliveira’s performance at UFC 274? Would you like to see him fight Islam Makhachev?

Ex-MMA Fighter Darren Towler Wanted Over Drug Crimes, Police Advise ‘Do Not Approach’

Darren TowlerDarren Towler, a former professional mixed martial arts fighter who boasts a 13-8 professional record and has competed under the banner of BAMMA, and Cage Rage, is currently wanted by law enforcement over drug offenses and crimes, as well as issuing a “do not approach” order against him to the public.   Police have advised the […]

Darren Towler

Darren Towler, a former professional mixed martial arts fighter who boasts a 13-8 professional record and has competed under the banner of BAMMA, and Cage Rage, is currently wanted by law enforcement over drug offenses and crimes, as well as issuing a “do not approach” order against him to the public.  

Police have advised the public to not approach convicted ex-MMA fighter, Darren Towler

Darren Towler, 40, a native of Newcastle, was found guilty of three counts of conspiracy to supply controlled drugs, at Teesside Crown Court. The Team Machine trainee is expected to be sentenced after he was found guilty on drug offenses, with police and law enforcement currently attempting to discover his whereabouts. 

“Darren Towler is described as 6ft 3ins tall and of large build,” A Durham Police spokesperson said, “He is well-known in the local community having had a career as a professional MMA fighter. If you see hm or know of his whereabouts, please do not approach him, instead call the police on 101.” (H/T GazzetteLive.co.uk)

Back in January 2016, Towler, who managed to win a championship under the banner of UCMMA in 2011, was handed a three year and three months jail sentence after he was found with £2,300 cash, 2,000 ecstasy tablets, and 12g of cocaine stashed in his car. Towler would be released from jail on license later that same year. 

Towler was also caught in possession of cocaince and a sum of cash during a search of his Citeron Berlingo following a meeting with another male outside a Toby Carvery pub in Kingston Park, after he was also caught in the process of transporting ecstasy tablets after a prior meeting with another male in a carpark of a Newcastle pub. 

Despite being apart of a group charged with the trafficking of heroin in 2011, Towler, who most recently featured professionally at BAMMA 33 in December 2017, was found not guilty after trial, while four other members of the group were all found guilty of trafficking heroin.

EXCLUSIVE | Preston Parsons Reflects Upon UFC Vegas 52 Performance

Preston ParsonsPreston Parsons (10-3) returned to the UFC octagon this past weekend at UFC Vegas 52 where he would take on Evan Elder (7-1) in his promotional debut. Elder entered the bout on short notice after Parsons initial opponent, Louis Cosce, had to withdraw from the bout due to a positive COVID-19 test. For the first […]

Preston Parsons

Preston Parsons (10-3) returned to the UFC octagon this past weekend at UFC Vegas 52 where he would take on Evan Elder (7-1) in his promotional debut. Elder entered the bout on short notice after Parsons initial opponent, Louis Cosce, had to withdraw from the bout due to a positive COVID-19 test.

For the first time in his professional career Parsons would be forced to go the distance to ensure he secured himself his first victory inside the UFC, in a well-rounded display. In an interview with LowKick Parsons gave his thoughts on the matchup and how he felt it played out. Here is what he had to say:

“I think I did well, there was some stuff to improve on, which I kind of hinted at that in the post-fight meeting but I’m happy with performance. It is my first decision(victory) as a pro which I think was good for me as a fighter. It was fun, it was fun to go all three rounds and I got more time in there and more experience. I enjoyed the whole fight.”

“I definitely saw myself getting the finish, I’ve visualised that fight a lot that week I almost couldn’t close my eyes without thinking about the fight. Especially with the opponent change there five days out I watched a lot of his so again any time I closed my eyes I was visualising the fight, and visualising getting my hand raised. It played out almost exactly like I thought it would.”

Preston Parsons Reflects On Dealing With Setbacks

Although Parsons was able to have full-training camp before heading into this matchup he revealed to LowKick it was not all smooth sailing during this preparation time with the Jacksonville based fighter suffering just a week away from fight day.

“I got sick about a week out, I was taking antibiotics until Tuesday on the week of the fight. I popped my knee a little bit about three weeks before the fight so there was definitely a few hiccups in my camp but other than that I felt pretty good about everything. “

Despite having these setbacks within his training camp, Parsons was able to remain positive and persevere through to secure a very important first victory within the promotion. Dealing with injuries can be extremely de-motivating to fighters and hard to comeback, Parsons detailed how he ensures he stays motivated and the importance on staying disciplined when dealing with setbacks.

“It is difficult, especially that its easy to get into you own head and I’ve been guilty of that plenty of times. When I hurt my knee it popped, it was kind of on the outside and then the next day it was swollen, and I couldn’t walk that well so that definitely got into my head a little bit, but I just had to take it a little easier towards the end of the camp and not push myself as hard in training and it healed up fine. But it messes with your head a little bit.

Parsons also revealed during the interview that he broke his hand during the fight and after having a consultation with a doctor was told he won’t be able to throw a punch for 8-12 weeks. Despite this injury delaying his return “Pressure” is looking to step back inside the UFC cage again within this year. There appears to be only one name that Parsons is interested it and it is the man at the top of the food chain, Kamaru Usman.

“Me and my friends were talking about it earlier, I want to be the champion. So Kamaru Usman was the name we were talking about a bunch earlier but obviously I must work my way up towards that, but I do think that is a good matchup for me.”

Be sure to check out the full interview with Preston Parsons here.

Canelo Alvarez Warns Kamaru Usman: ‘Sit Down It’s Not Your Turn Yet’

Canelo AlvarezSaul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez has sent a reminder to UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman that he will have to mind his time if he ever wants a shot against one of boxing’s greatest. Speculation has circled around for weeks now regarding Usman’s interest in facing Canelo inside the square, but now it appears one of boxings […]

Canelo Alvarez

Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez has sent a reminder to UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman that he will have to mind his time if he ever wants a shot against one of boxing’s greatest.

Speculation has circled around for weeks now regarding Usman’s interest in facing Canelo inside the square, but now it appears one of boxings best may have dampened the UFC champion’s plans.

The pair exchanged an interaction on social media in the past day or so. This originally was started by Usman’s manager who called out Canelo on social media. This is how it went.

Canelo Alvarez and Kamaru Usman Exchange on Social Media

“@Canelo is an absolute chicken, he is fighting guys with 5000 followers on Instagram, these guys will never do nothing for his legacy. Now I understand why he doesn’t wanna lose to someone like @USMAN84kg this is chicken style, no risk – no reward.”

Understandably, the first undisputed super middleweight champion did not take to well to this given his highlight-filled career and time spent at the elite level of boxing, so he responded.

‘who the f**k is this? ???’

Ali replied with a comparison of the two and suggested Alvarez had been ducking Gennady Golovkin for the past two years now.

‘You know who I am, you know what’s the difference between you and @USMAN84kg? You’ve been ducking GGG for 2 years now, but Kamaru have fought everybody UFC threw at him. I’m being very nice to you, because it’s Ramadan.’

This sparked the UFC welterweight champion’s interest who replied with a light-hearted comment.

‘Let’s just all relax… before somebody gets hurt ?’

To which Alvarez then decided to up the stakes with his response.

‘I agree cuz  it will not be me ??’

Usman responded to him by offering him the chance to find out both inside the boxing ring and the octagon.

‘In the cage or the ring I’m willing find out in both… Are you? ??’

Canelo responded to remind Usman it is not his time for the opportunity yet, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be ever.

‘You calling me out right ? You want the pay day right ? So you know where, but sit down it’s not your turn yet I have a legacy to make ??’

Canelo has his own challenge to overcome first in the form of Dmitry Bivol, whilst Kamaru Usman is waiting to return from injury and defend his welterweight strap against Leon Edwards.

As a fan of combat sports, is this a fight you would like to see?