Tag: Global MMA

José Johnson looks to be a force in the bantamweight division: “They haven’t seen the striking mixed with the power I possess at 135.”

Jose? JohnsonJosé Johnson (15-7) is poised to make a statement as the newest Bantamweight on the UFC roster. After a challenging yet successful stint in the regional scene, Johnson competed on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020 in which he was defeated by Ronnie Lawrence via Unanimous Decision. After winning 3 out of his 4 next […]

Jose? Johnson

José Johnson (15-7) is poised to make a statement as the newest Bantamweight on the UFC roster. After a challenging yet successful stint in the regional scene, Johnson competed on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020 in which he was defeated by Ronnie Lawrence via Unanimous Decision.

After winning 3 out of his 4 next fights, Johnson landed another appearance this past August on DWCS to face the undefeated Jack Cartwright. In his second fight in front of Dana White, Johnson was dominant and earned a UFC contract following the victory.

UFC newcomer José Johnson recently took the time to sit down with Alex Lerman of LowKick MMA to reflect on his journey to the UFC, describe his skills and abilities, and offer up some potential opponents and venues for his debut.

Johnson took a minute to talk about what it means to officially be on the UFC roster:

“Everyone’s sending me messages on Instagram and Facebook about how motivational my story has been for them… At the end of the day, I like to fight, but I also like to teach. So, if I was given the opportunity to inspire people, that’s part of being a teacher. It’s a good feeling.”

Additionally, Johnson described his personal journey, to get to where he is today. Using some sobering words, Johnson stated:

“A lot of people say that martial arts changed their lives. No, martial arts saved my life. I was going down a really bad path hanging around some really bad people… For me, it was either I’d be in prison for the rest of my life or I’m dead. A buddy of mine was like hey they got sparring at this one gym, and I was like ‘I’m not going to sparring they can see me in the streets’. Being 17, my pride was up here, ‘somebody was gonna whoop my ass? No sir, I’m going’. Needless to say, I got my ass whooped and I really enjoyed it… and here we are now.”

José Johnson On Improvements as a Fighter

As previously mentioned, Johnson suffered a defeat in his first DWCS bout, but is now 4-1 since. Currently on a three-fight win streak, Johnson reflected on the improvements he’s made since tha loss in 2020:

“I had to improve as a person first. Nothing happens overnight, so little by little I start changing certain things in my life, certain people, certain habits. I became a totally different person. It’s really helped me become a better fighter changing myself as a person.”

Johnson enters an absolutely stacked Bantamweight division. There are dangerous fighters up and down the rankings, but Jose sees himself as different from these other competitors. Confidently, Johnson describes why no bantamweight should want to see him across from them in the octagon:

“They’ve seen good striking. But they haven’t seen the striking mixed with the power that I possess at 135. I finish 80% of my fights be knockout… Typically, if you let me get any type of combination off, I’m putting you to sleep… I think the power difference, the size difference, I’m only getting bigger.”

Continuing on with this topic, Johnson sounded off on Sean O’Malley expressing a strong desire to have a meeting with him in the future:

“Sean O’Malley, this clown, he swears he’s the biggest 135’er in the division and he’s not. He’s 5’11 I’m 6’0. I can’t wait to see him… You’re not the biggest 135’er in the division, I’m gonna show you that, and you don’t possess the same level of knockout power either. You’re kind of like a pop shop fighter.”

Johnson on Potential Debut Opponents

It was recently announced that Jose Johnson will be fighting against Garrett Armfield on February 25th at the UFC Apex for his debut fight. At the time of this interview, the news wasn’t official yet, and Johnson named a few matchups that he would be keen to:

“I like the Miles Johns matchup, I like the Fernie Garcia matchup. I really don’t study my division like that… I study style people. It’s just a fight so I don’t give a sh*t who I fight against.”

On which venues he would like to compete at Johnson goes on:

“Dream wise, two places. Madison Square Garden one, and two, Abu Dhabi. I’m tryna go ride a camel.”

Jose Johnson looks to get his debut victory in the UFC on February 25th vs. Garrett Armfield at the UFC Apex. Watch the full interview below for Johnson’s analysis of the upcoming Sandhagen vs. Vera fight, and a lot more interesting insight from the newest Bantamweight in the UFC.

Full interview:

Exclusive | Daniel Argueta ready to deliver career best performance at UFC Vegas 67: “I’ve been preparing for war.”

Daniel ArguetaDaniel Argueta is aiming to bounce back spectacularly from a competitive promotional debut loss at UFC Vegas 67 when he faces undefeated newcomer, Isaac Dulgarian. Having taken his debut fight inside the promotion on very short notice, Argueta now feels considerably more prepared as he edges closer to his matchup with Dulgarian. When discussing the […]

Daniel Argueta

Daniel Argueta is aiming to bounce back spectacularly from a competitive promotional debut loss at UFC Vegas 67 when he faces undefeated newcomer, Isaac Dulgarian.

Having taken his debut fight inside the promotion on very short notice, Argueta now feels considerably more prepared as he edges closer to his matchup with Dulgarian.

When discussing the upcoming fight with Alex Behunin of LowKickMMA, Daniel Argueta reflected on the experience he gained from sharing the octagon with a veteran such as Damon Jackson. Argueta suffered defeats on the amateur scene but tasted his first professional loss in his short-notice debut.

Just as he did as an amateur, Argueta believes he will always return to the cage in spectacular fashion following these setbacks, on January 14th, he anticipates he will do exactly this once again.

“I’ve had some of my best performances and best growth after losses. I lost as an amateur in my second fight, so boom I began Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, then loved it and now I love it. You know I lost on the Ultimate Fighter, then I understood, oh, I just have to go back out there and dominate.“

“Then I lost to Damon, and it was like, it didn’t feel like a loss. Here’s the thing, I didn’t care about the undefeated thing, I can go and win ten fights in a row, and no one is going to remember that first loss on ten days’ notice against a guy who is ranked and knocked out Sabatini in his next fight.“

Argueta continued, “That’s where experience showed. He has better fight IQ than me, obviously, I have to swallow my pride for all the people who say it should have been a split decision or maybe you should have won because of damage, f**k that, I lost.“

After taking the lessons he learned from his first outing in the promotion Daniel Argueta is now set on showing the community exactly what he can do when he steps inside the octagon.

Facing Isaac Dulgarian provides him with the perfect opportunity to do that, as he goes on to say.

“I love (the matchup), he is my first wrestler. He got fast-tracked to the UFC and I think he is talented, but it is a different ball game man. At this level, the amount of competition and the amount of experience I have had to fight against plays a big role.“

“The plan stays the same, go out there and win. Make it look fun until it becomes not fun and then get the job done.“

Daniel Argueta Predicts Submission Victory At UFC Vegas 67

Six of Argueta’s eight victories have come inside the distance, so it should be no surprise that he anticipates extending his high fighting rate when he steps inside the octagon at UFC Vegas 67.  

Comfortable in all aspects of Mixed Martial Arts, Argueta believes he will ground Dulgarian before submitting him inside the first round.

“Submission, 1st round, 2nd round, 3rd round I don’t care how long it goes it’s a submission. Now I have realized it is a chess match and for this fight especially knowing that he’s never been to a second round so I’m going to do a couple of things to him. I’m his first wrestler, if I don’t finish him in the first he’s possibly going to the second round. It’s going to be his first time at the Apex, its probably going to be his first time fighting a guy crazier than him you know that’s what I look at.“

“I’ve been preparing for war man, I started long round three times a week just two months after my surgery, and I’m in shape for war.“

Making a habit of defeating undefeated fighters, do you see Daniel Argueta emerging victorious at UFC Fight Night: Imavov vs Gastelum?

Jimmy Flick is looking to prove he is ‘the best black belt in the UFC’ at 125lbs: “He ain’t fought a black belt like me.”

Jimmy FlickJimmy Flick is set to make his return to the UFC after a short-lived retirement. ‘The Brick’ is set to face off against Charles Johnson on the opening card of 2023. Flick is known for his elite submission game, with his most recent win coming via flying triangle over Cody Durden at UFC Fight Night: […]

Jimmy Flick

Jimmy Flick is set to make his return to the UFC after a short-lived retirement. ‘The Brick’ is set to face off against Charles Johnson on the opening card of 2023.

Flick is known for his elite submission game, with his most recent win coming via flying triangle over Cody Durden at UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Neal. Against Johnson, Flick will once again be looking for the finish, although he has warned fans not to rule out a KO stoppage. In a recent exclusive interview with LowKickMMA, ‘The Brick’ had the following to say:

“By finish. I always say finish, but I always like to throw this in there too. I’m 16-5. 14 of my 16 wins are by submission. You’re probably not gonna play me by knockout, but, I can knock people out. I promise it’s happened. My head kick, it got turned into a flying triangle, that easily could have landed right on the jaw and been my first knockout. So knockouts do come. But I always push for a finish. I don’t care if I knock him out or submit him.”

Whilst Jimmy Flick is undoubtedly capable of hanging on the feet with the best of them, his bread and butter is undoubtedly his elite BJJ game. One of his goals for this new tenure of his career is to prove that he is one of, if not the best BJJ black belts in the flyweight division.

Obviously, if you’re betting me, your thinking submission. I’m a submission specialist. I love jiu-jitsu. I’m the best black belt in the UFC at 125. I’m ready to prove it. And I wanna let guys like (Amir) Albazi- he keeps saying he’s beat all these black belts, he ain’t fought a black belt like me. So, I wanna come back, prove that I’m one of the best. Why my jiu-jitsu’s so good. Why I’m so good. And why I’m ‘The Brick.’ I’m ‘The Brick’ because my games solid all over, just like a brick.“

Currently riding a 4 fight-winning streak, Jimmy Flick will be looking to jump right back into his UFC career where he left off. Check out his full interview with LowKickMMA’s Alex Behunin right here:

Where do you rate Jimmy Flick amongst the flyweight divisions’ best BJJ black belts?

Nassourdine Imavov relishes his first main event opportunity vs. Kelvin Gastelum: “He’s a warrior… But I’m here, I’m also a warrior.”

Nassourdine Imavov and Kelvin GastelumNassourdine Imavov will headline the first UFC card of 2023 when he takes on experienced middleweight Kelvin Gastelum on January 14th at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Imavov is currently riding a three-fight win streak in the UFC octagon and finds himself up against a competitor in Kelvin Gastelum who is on a […]

Nassourdine Imavov and Kelvin Gastelum

Nassourdine Imavov will headline the first UFC card of 2023 when he takes on experienced middleweight Kelvin Gastelum on January 14th at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Imavov is currently riding a three-fight win streak in the UFC octagon and finds himself up against a competitor in Kelvin Gastelum who is on a much different career trajectory.

We last saw Nassourdine Imavov face off with Joaquin Buckley at UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Tuivasa in Paris, France. In this fight, Imavov earned a Unanimous Decision victory in his home country and saw his name vault into the top 15 Middleweight rankings.

Leading up to this bout with Gastelum, Nassourdine Imavov took time to speak with James Lynch of LowKickMMA, discussing the anticipation surrounding his upcoming bout.

Pertaining to his most recent victory over Buckley in Paris, Imavov states:

“It was huge to fight for the first UFC in Paris. It’s been a long time that we’re awaiting the UFC in France and I’m very happy to win in Paris with my people.”

Nassourdine Imavov Thankful to Finally Fight Gastelum

January 14th will be Imavov’s sixth appearance in the UFC, and for the first time, he finds himself as a main event headliner. Speaking about this opportunity, he continues:

“It’s a very good thing it’s the first time for me, and I can’t wait to be here for the main event…I’m not really surprised (to be in the main event), I knew that it would happen. My coach said to me that it would happen; I’m not surprised I’m just very happy.”

Imavov vs. Gastelum was a fight originally scheduled to be a part of the UFC 273 card back in April, and finally, in January of 2023, it comes to fruition. Nassourdine offers up his comments about the fight being rebooked:

“I’m very glad that I can fight Kelvin Gastelum now. I was disappointed that the fight was canceled, but now I’m very glad and happy to fight against the big name that Kelvin Gastelum is.”

Imamov Talks About Gastelum as an Opponent

Kelvin Gastelum is certainly a big name and a veteran of the UFC octagon. Gastelum has previously been a title challenger in his career and has fought numerous legends of the game along his journey. Although Gastelum hasn’t enjoyed a victory since February of 2021, he still remains one of the most dangerous and durable Middleweights on the UFC roster. Imavov takes a portion of the interview to talk about the matchup with Gastelum and how their styles will clash:

“Kelvin is a very tough guy; I have a lot of respect for him. He’s a warrior like me and I think his style and my style will be a big fight. But I’m here, I’m also a warrior and I think one of us will (go) down… Kelvin has been in the UFC for a very long time, and he has fought a lot of guys… He’s a young fighter but he has a lot of experience. He has taken a lot of damage over his career and that’s a good thing for me.”

On fight night, Imavov will be cornered by his head coach Fernand Lopez but will also be joined by a few others that are special to Imavov. Nassourdine reveals two other cornermen that will support him for this fight:

“(Lopez) will be in my corner but my big brother Ibrahim will also be here, my true sparring partner will be here, and maybe Cyril Gane also.”

Imavov on Training with Cyril Gane

Fellow Frenchman Cyril Gane has enjoyed much success in the UFC, and Imavov reflects on his opportunity to train with someone of Gane’s level. He goes on to speak very highly of Gane:

“I love to train with Cyril Gane. I learned a lot with Cyril and when I talked with him, I’m aware that I have a lot of obstacles in front of me, and I want to take it the same way. (Cyril’s) always smiling, and he always has a very good ambiance in the gym.”

Prediction for Fight with Gastelum

Nassourdine Imavov was asked how he thinks this fight will play out, and his overall strategy for facing such a tough opponent. To this question, Imavov answered:

“Before my fight against Joaquin Buckley, I had two victories by knockout. My last win was on points, but I will do everything to knock him out. But I’m aware that he will do the same thing. Me, I will try everything to make him a knockout for sure. Of course, a fight of five rounds is not like three rounds. Everything is longer and harder, and my sparring and training are more difficult.”

The long-awaited return of the UFC will take place on January 14th as Nassourdine Imavov and Kelvin Gastelum headline Fight Night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Imavov looks to continue his win streak, putting his number 12 ranking in the middleweight division on the line. No.13 ranked Kelvin Gastelum looks for his first win since 2021 and a chance to move closer to another title shot. UFC fans around the world, tune in and watch as these Middleweight warriors go to battle.

Watch below for the full interview with Nassourdine Imavov:

Nathan Fletcher sets his sights on a ‘rematch’ with Caolan Loughran in 2023: “That fights bound to happen.”

Nathan FletcherAt Cage Warriors 148, Next Gen Liverpool prospect Nathan Fletcher secured the 7th pro win of his career, claiming a unanimous decision victory over Italian striker, Alessandro Giordano. The fight with Giordano, which took place on New Year’s Eve, marked Fletcher’s first bout of 2022. Having started the year off nursing an injury, Fletcher was […]

Nathan Fletcher

At Cage Warriors 148, Next Gen Liverpool prospect Nathan Fletcher secured the 7th pro win of his career, claiming a unanimous decision victory over Italian striker, Alessandro Giordano.

The fight with Giordano, which took place on New Year’s Eve, marked Fletcher’s first bout of 2022. Having started the year off nursing an injury, Fletcher was hoping to return to action in the summer, and then later in the Fall. However, multiple fights would collapse, including a bout vs. UFC veteran Cameron Else.

Eventually, on the last day of the year, Nathan Fletcher found himself with a matchup. ‘The Southport Strangler’ showed that he had continued to improve in 2022, despite not being able to book a fight. A solid well rounded display, in which he demonstrated prowess in both the grappling and striking realms, saw him enter 2023 with an impressive win under his belt.

In a recent interview with LowKickMMA, Fletcher was asked who he envisions facing in the coming year. Whilst Fletcher does have one eye on the current champ, Michele Martignoni, he does already have a win over the Italian. Instead, there was one name that repeatedly came up, that of Caolan Loughran, about whom Fletcher had the following to say:

“That fights bound to happen. I think it’s building up to it. The divisions very interesting at the minute, because obviously, we’ve got (Michele) Martignoni – there was like a little triangle with me, (Dominque) Wooding and Martignoni. Like, I beat Martignoni, Wooding beat me, then Martignoni beats Wooding. Wooding’s out the picture now, he’s signed with PFL. That’s a fight I would have liked to gotten back, obviously, being a competitor. But that’s not gonna happen now.”

“So my focus has kinda switched. I’ve got the Martignoni rematch, which obviously the enticement there for me is the belt, because I’ve already got a win over him… In terms of the competitor in me, the only reason I want that fight is because he’s got the belt. (Caolan) Loughran, again, I beat him, but that was amateur. That was a long time ago. Obviously, he’s improved a lot since then. I’ve improved a lot since then. And he’s got a bit of hype behind him, he’s got a bit of a name. So that fight does really interest me. And the c*** keeps calling me out. He’s called me out a good few times. So, I reckon that’s the fight that’s going to happen at some point next year, definitely.”

Nathan Fletcher defeated Caolan Loughran at Cage Warriors Academy Ireland 1, whilst both men were still on the amateur circuit. He was able to claim a unanimous decision victory over the Irish prospect.

Check out Nathan Fletcher’s full interview with LowKickMMA right here:

Nathan Fletcher reveals he defeated Michele Martignoni whilst suffering from food poisoning!

Whilst a fight with Caolan Loughran may be at the top of his list, a title shot against Michele Martignoni is surely too good a prospect to turn down for Nathan Fletcher.

However, this is a fight the 25-year-old from Southport would be immensely confident in taking. In the same interview, he revealed that he had been suffering from food poisoning the entire day of his original fight with Martignoni, and was still able to overcome ‘The Italian Thunder.’

“So facing him again, it’s not like I want to prove myself, that I can beat him. I’ve already beat him. And actually, when I fought Martignoni, I had food poisoning going into that fight. I was absolutely f***ed. Ask all me teammates, all my coaches. Matt Bonner was there. I didn’t eat a thing all day. And after the fight I was being sick. I came out in a big anaphylactic shock. The doctor had to give me a load of medicine, stuff like that. I was in a bad way. And I still beat him on my worst day.”

Who would you like to see face-off against Nathan Fletcher next? Caolan Loughran, Michele Martignoni, or someone else!?

Luke Rockhold hints at a return to competition this upcoming year: “2023 Could Get Interesting.”

Luke RockholdDespite retiring from the sport only last year, Luke Rockhold has already suggested that he could return to competition in 2023. After laying down his gloves in the center of the cage following a heartfelt performance against Paulo Costa at UFC 278, many of the community believed that was the last we had seen of […]

Luke Rockhold

Despite retiring from the sport only last year, Luke Rockhold has already suggested that he could return to competition in 2023.

After laying down his gloves in the center of the cage following a heartfelt performance against Paulo Costa at UFC 278, many of the community believed that was the last we had seen of Luke Rockhold inside an octagon.

Now it seems this may not be the case. Teasing on his social media about a potential return Rockhold posted saying ‘Putting the old rig to the test. 2023 could get interesting.’

Now whether that return is inside an octagon or not remains to be seen. Given his tenure with the UFC you can expect that he would be welcomed back to competition there should he choose to do so.

However, the former UFC middleweight champion did speculate an entry into boxing following his initial retirement from the UFC.

This was fuelled by several posts to his social media around the time fellow UFC veteran and former champion, Anderson Silva competed against Jake Paul.

Luke Rockhold Suggest A Return To Competition In 2023

Rockhold’s time with the UFC concluded after the former champion suffered a three-fight losing spell. After dropping his middleweight title to Michael Bisping in 2016, Rockhold bounced back by finishing David Branch.

However, things would begin to go downhill for the former champion quickly. The American Kickboxing Academy fighter’s first defeat came at the hands of Cuban powerhouse Yoel Romero who dispatched him at UFC 221.

He would then be tasked with taking on Jan Blachowicz who was beginning his ascent up the light heavyweight division. Rockhold would suffer the same fate as previously being stopped in the second round. The former champion would then take a three-year hiatus from the sport and return in August 2022 to take on Brazilian powerhouse, Paulo Costa.

A matchup that many of the community had written him off in before the bell had even sounded. Rockhold delivered a truly heartful performance which won over many in the fanbase on his final outing, despite him losing via unanimous decision.

Would you like to see Luke Rockhold return to competition in the UFC?