Video – UFC Alum Spike Carlyle Out Choke Opponent At Rizin 35, Kisses His Head

Spike CarlyleSpike Carlyle has enjoyed a stunning run of five consecutive victories and finishes since his departure from the UFC two years ago – and last night, turned in a second round guillotine choke win over Koji Takeda – choking his opponent unconscious, before planting a kiss on his head from guard. Spike Carlyle, a native […]

Spike Carlyle

Spike Carlyle has enjoyed a stunning run of five consecutive victories and finishes since his departure from the UFC two years ago – and last night, turned in a second round guillotine choke win over Koji Takeda – choking his opponent unconscious, before planting a kiss on his head from guard.

Spike Carlyle, a native of San Diego, California – featured three-times under the banner of the UFC in 2020, managing to amass a 1-2 promotional record.

Debuting in February of that year against Aalon Cruz, Spike Carlyle would land a first round knockout win, before dropping a unanimous judging loss to Billy Quarantillo – and then a November decision blemish against Bill Algeo.

In the time since his departure, Carlyle, a renowned finisher, has competed under the notable banners of LFA, Cage Warriors, Bellator MMA – and last night – landing in Japan for Rizin FF 35, tackling Takeda. 

Riding a run of four wins over Batsumberel Dagvadorj, Gil Guardado, J.J. Ambrose, and Dan Moret into the Chofu event, Carlyle secured a five fight winning run for the second time in his professional career – in quite impressive fashion. 

Last night’s submission win for Spike Carlyle came as his seventh professionally

Featuring on the preliminary card of the event at the Musashino Forest Sport Plaza, Carlyle – from guard, wrapped a guillotine on the aforenoted, Takeya – eventually choking him unconscious, and then kissing his fallen opponent on the head

Last night’s card featured a championship tripleheader to boot – with super atomweight, Seika Izawa defeating champion, Ayaka Hamasaki with a unanimous decision win to land the title.

In the night’s co-main event, featherweight champion, Juntaro Ushiku successfully defended his title with a unanimous decision win over Yutaka Saito.

Rounding out the promotion’s return, Brazilian grappling sensation, Roberto de Souza – otherwise known as Roberto Satoshi avenged a knockout loss to Johnny Case – stopping the lightweight title challenger with a spectacular opening round armbar – improving to 14-1 in the process. 

Gordon Ryan Confident He Can Beat Khabib Nurmagomedov & Khamzat Chimaev

Gordon Ryan, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Khamzat ChimaevBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert Gordon Ryan believes that he can beat Khabib Nurmagomedov and Khamzat Chimaev in grappling matches. BJJ great Gordon Ryan is universally considered to be the greatest no-gi grappler on the planet right now having won two IBJJF No-Gi World championships. His claim to win against former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and current […]

Gordon Ryan, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Khamzat Chimaev

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert Gordon Ryan believes that he can beat Khabib Nurmagomedov and Khamzat Chimaev in grappling matches.

BJJ great Gordon Ryan is universally considered to be the greatest no-gi grappler on the planet right now having won two IBJJF No-Gi World championships. His claim to win against former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and current rising prospect Khamzat Chimaev makes sense to him as the two Russians are mixed martial artists whereas he is a specialist in grappling.

Ryan’s training partner Garry Tonon also previously claimed to be capable of submitting Nurmagomedov in a grappling match. Both members train with the legendary BJJ coach John Danaher and base their opinion on reason and sound logic. Ryan has also managed to defeat Tonon in competition back at ADCC 2019

In a post made on Instagram, Gordon Ryan was asked by a fan how he would fare against the rising star of Khamzat Chimaev. Ryan responded to the fan explaining why he feels confident he would get the win.

“Generalist(s) usually won’t beat specialists in their domain. Generalists never beat the absolute best specialists. A submission grappling match wouldn’t be competitive, objectively.”

The Chechen-born Swede has shown impressive wrestling in competition and even managed to defeat Jack Hermansson in a freestyle wrestling match. He recently got promoted to purple belt in BJJ after his thrilling victory over Gilbert Burns at UFC 273.

As more fans chimed in, the subject turned to Khabib Nurmagomedov. Ryan responded to the discussion by using similar logic as before:

“Khabib is a generalist. These are very silly questions lol. No one who specializes in jiu-jitsu can beat me. Why would an MMA fighter be able to?”

Gordan Ryan and the Danaher Death Squad

BJJ came to prominence with the rise of the UFC in mixed martial arts. It was the Gracies who revolutionized the art form and brought it to the eyes of the world when they helped create the promotion. The spectacle of seeing a smaller man win over a bigger man changed how the community thought about fighting.

One name that stands out after the Gracie family is the legendary BJJ coach John Danaher, who Gordon Ryan trains under. In Joe Rogan’s podcast episode with Dan Gable, the commentator backed Ryan to be the “pound for pound greatest of all time”. He explained the pedigree Ryan comes from and ranked Danaher as possibly the best BJJ mind in the world right now.

Ryan is a member of the Danaher Death Squad alongside many supreme BJJ practitioners. He stands out as the best guy in a team of world champions under Danaher. Their approach to objectively assessing a potential fight in terms of generalized and specialized skills sounds reasonable. However, we can only speculate how these dream fights would turn out.

Do you think Gordan Ryan will win a grappling match against Khabib Nurmagomedov and Khamzat Chimaev?

AJ McKee Reveals ‘Dream’ UFC Move, Requires $1 Million Fight Purse To Stay With Bellator

AJ McKeeBellator champion AJ McKee has revealed his ‘dream’ of making the move over to the UFC and testing himself against the highest level of competition out there. Ahead of McKee’s rematch with Patricio Pitbull this Saturday it was revealed AJ McKee would be leaving his profile management team over at CAA to have his father, […]

AJ McKee

Bellator champion AJ McKee has revealed his ‘dream’ of making the move over to the UFC and testing himself against the highest level of competition out there.

Ahead of McKee’s rematch with Patricio Pitbull this Saturday it was revealed AJ McKee would be leaving his profile management team over at CAA to have his father, Antonio McKee, and himself handle his representation.  

Currently sitting at 18-0 McKee is one of the most sought-after fighters in the sport and has now revealed he will only continue with Bellator if they make it worth his while financially.

AJ McKee Demands $1M Per Fight

Speaking to MMA Fighting AJ McKee revealed it’s nothing but $1 Million purses moving forward for him given what he has achieved in the sport.

“They did [try to re-sign me] I had already fought previously for a million dollars. I feel I should never have to see anything under a million dollars again, especially with the achievements I’ve accomplished. Every time I step in that cage, there’s an ‘O’ on my record.

“For me to go backwards, anything under a million, I feel it’s just not reasonable. We were at like [$500K] but it’s not appetizing to me.”

McKee secured himself a $1 Million prize after he emerged victorious from the Bellator featherweight Grand Prix in 2021. AJ McKee revealed his current contract purse is set to $250,000 and says if Bellator is unable to match the asking price he will test free agency.

“Possibly, if we can’t come up with the million dollars, then yeah [this could be it],” McKee said.

“Also that’s the thing. Every time I fight, my numbers are going to double because I want to be back paid for the fights that I haven’t. It’s business. I’ve got families to feed.

“There’s been nothing re-signed so currently championship clause, three fights [remaining],” McKee said. “It doesn’t specify specifically [how long the contract lasts] so it’s normally about six months per fight, a year and a half [left]. A year and a half but I’ve got other things going on outside of that, all kinds of other stuff.”

If McKee’s time with Bellator is ending, the undefeated fighter has already revealed what he would like to achieve if he does move on from the promotion.

“Owning a UFC belt one day, it’s going to happen. It’s inevitable,” he said. “It’s an achievement and an accolade that I would love to have under my belt. Being champ-champ there as well.

“Beat [Alexander] Volkanovski up real quick one time,” he said. “but my dream fight’s [Max] Holloway. That’s the dream fight.” (Transcribed by BloodyElbow)

It will be interesting to see where McKee ends up, UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has already welcomed the opportunity to ‘school’ McKee if he does join the UFC roster.

What promotion do you think AJ McKee will sign too?

Aljamain Sterling Responds To Jose Aldo Demand For A Title Shot

Aljamain SterlingUFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has called for a meeting with UFC president Dana White following Jose Aldo’s call for a shot at the title. Aljamain Sterling was able to retain his bantamweight strap following his hard-fought decision victory over Petr Yan at UFC 273. Scores were divided among fans however credit must be given […]

Aljamain Sterling

UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has called for a meeting with UFC president Dana White following Jose Aldo’s call for a shot at the title.

Aljamain Sterling was able to retain his bantamweight strap following his hard-fought decision victory over Petr Yan at UFC 273. Scores were divided among fans however credit must be given to Sterling as a large portion of the community had written him off before this rematch and simply gave him no chance.

Aldo took to social media to call for his shot at the bantamweight strap before Sterling replied requesting a sit down with the boss.

“u said I would be next on merit and I’m here accepting your challenge, @danawhite send me the contract soon before he changes his mind!!”

Aljamain Sterling responded saying: “.@danawhite Hey man, when are we having a sit down? We clearly have a lot to discuss…

PS: Go watch the first round again. You are WRONG!

@OrenHodak @vaynersports”

Aljamain Sterling Open To Jose Aldo Challenge

Jose Aldo has more than earnt his shot to the title, after losing to Petr Yan in an attempt to secure bantamweight gold he’s gone on to accumulate a three-fight win streak holding victories over Marlon Vera, Pedro Munhoz, and most recently Rob Font cementing himself still as a top contender in the division.

Originally it seemed like the current division champion had his eyes set on TJ Dillashaw as the next threat to his throne, but a change of feeling has now taken Aljamain Sterling away from that idea and drawn his attention to Aldo.

Following on from Sterling’s victory at UFC 273, he offered all of his ‘doubters’ the opportunity to apologize to him by filling out the apology form he uploaded on Twitter.

Who do you think wins in a potential Sterling vs Aldo matchup?

Jared Cannonier Planning Hometown Decapitation Of Israel Adesanya

Jared CannonierJared Cannonier earned himself the next shot at the middleweight strap following his impressive TKO victory over Derek Brunson at UFC 271. Now Jared Cannonier is planning to complete the dream and take the belt from out the hands of ‘Easy Adesanya’. On the same night that Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya battled out for […]

Jared Cannonier

Jared Cannonier earned himself the next shot at the middleweight strap following his impressive TKO victory over Derek Brunson at UFC 271. Now Jared Cannonier is planning to complete the dream and take the belt from out the hands of ‘Easy Adesanya’.

On the same night that Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya battled out for the middleweight championship of the world, Jared Cannonier submitted himself as the next contender for that title when he was able to stop the re-surging Derek Brunson by TKO.

Jared Cannonier Looking Forward To Hometown Showdown

After promising to turn ‘Blonde Brunson’ into ‘Blood Brunson’ it appears Cannonier aims to live up to his prediction once more and turn the current middleweight champion into ‘Easy Adesanya’, he told The Schmo.

“I certainly did, I certainly did [live up to my last prediction],” Jared Cannonier said. “I’ve actually already come up with a new prediction for this one. We’re gonna turn ‘Izzy’ Adesanya into ‘Easy.’ It’s gonna be ‘Easy’ Adesanya.

“I’ve heard through the grapevine that it’s going down. I am next. Izzy is also a man of his word. From what I’ve seen, he also has the ability to choose his fights, and he has chosen me as if I’m some sort of Pokémon or something (laughs). Hey man, whatever it takes for me to get in there and get my shot at the title. I’ll put on that little Pikachu costume and go in there and shock the world.”

There is speculation that this matchup could take place in the summer at UFC 277 in July with the venue potentially being set in Cannonier’s hometown of Dallas, Texas. Something he considers to be almost perfect as he looks to become the middleweight champion of the world.

“That’s the perfect timing for me,” Cannonier said. “Knowing that I already had a fight after my last fight, you’re in shape from the last camp. Already have something to focus on, getting in the gym is easy as it always is because I love coming here. When you come in here [at The MMA Lab] and really focus on something, it’s like having a head start in a race.

“I’m sure Izzy gets a kick out of the prospect of whooping me in my hometown, but I also get the prospect of whooping him in front of my tribe, if you will,” he concluded. “Picking his decapitated head up and showing it to the fans out there in the crowd.” (Transcribed by MMAMania)

Nothing has been confirmed regarding the location, but expect an announcement in the near future.

Who do you believe would walk away as middleweight champion of the world once these two compete?

Rose Namajunas vs. Carla Esparza II Set For UFC 274

Rose Namajunas Carla EsparzaStrawweight champion Rose Namajunas has been set her next title defence at UFC 274 in May when she rematches against Carla Esparza. The pair initially faced off against each other for the first time at The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale in 2014 for the inaugural strawweight title. Esparza would get the better of the current […]

Rose Namajunas Carla Esparza

Strawweight champion Rose Namajunas has been set her next title defence at UFC 274 in May when she rematches against Carla Esparza.

The pair initially faced off against each other for the first time at The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale in 2014 for the inaugural strawweight title. Esparza would get the better of the current champion in this meeting and submitted her via rear-naked choke in the third round.

Namajunas and Esparza are set to co-main event the UFC 274 card of May 7th at the Footprint Centre In Phoenix, after it was confirmed by Sports Illustrated.

From the pairs first meeting, Rose Namajunas has gone on to claim the strawweight tile on two separate occasions and made her first successful defence of it against Zhang Weili at UFC 268 beating the former champion via split decision.

Esparza has been on an impressive run of her own picking up five straight wins in a row. Esparza started this off with decision victories over Virna Jandriroba, Alexa Grasso and Michelle Waterson. Esparza would then beat two fellow top contenders first by getting past Marina Rodriguez back in July of 2020. She would follow that victory up with her most impressive win in this spell by stopping Xiaonan Yan in the second round at UFC FN: Font Vs. Garbrandt.

Rose Namajunas And Carla Esparza added to UFC 274.

With the confirmation of this fight the UFC 274 card reads as followed:

  • Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje – for lightweight title
  • Rose Namajunas vs. Carla Esparza – for women’s strawweight title
  • Michael Chandler vs. Tony Ferguson
  • Mauricio Rua vs. Ovince Saint Preux
  • Donald Cerrone vs. Joe Lauzon
  • Brandon Royval vs. Matt Schnell
  • Blagoy Ivanov vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
  • Macy Chiasson vs. Norma Dumont
  • Ariane Carnelossi vs. Loopy Godinez
  • Kleydson Rodrigues vs. CJ Vergara
  • Danny Roberts vs. Francisco Trinaldo
  • Randy Brown vs. Khaos Williams
  • Fernie Garcia vs. Journey Newson
  • Michael Johnson vs. Alan Patrick
  • Tracy Cortez vs. Melissa Gatto

Which fight are you looking forward to most at UFC 274?