Tag: Ilir Latifi

The 10 Most Unexpected Short-Notice Fights In UFC History

The matchmaking for this past weekend’s UFC 223 headliner had more twists and turns than a Hollywood blockbuster. However, it’s far from the only time in the promotion’s history that the UFC’s matchmakers have been left scrambling at the last minute to find short-notice replacements. In this article, we’ll look back at 10 classic examples […]

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The matchmaking for this past weekend’s UFC 223 headliner had more twists and turns than a Hollywood blockbuster.

However, it’s far from the only time in the promotion’s history that the UFC’s matchmakers have been left scrambling at the last minute to find short-notice replacements.

In this article, we’ll look back at 10 classic examples of new opponents unexpectedly materializing out-of-the-blue in the final days before a big event to ensure that the show could still go on.

Fred Ettish vs. Johnny Rhodes

You have to dig deep into the history books to find out the shortest-notice fight ever in UFC history.

The night before UFC 2 in March of 1994, alternate fighter Fred Ettish was informed that he wouldn’t be fighting on the show, but he was invited to help out behind-the-scenes to make sure that the other fighters had everything they needed and were ready to fight on time.

On the night, Ettish was working backstage when one of the UFC’s head honchos Rorion Gracie urgently approached and asked if he could step in at the last minute to replace Freek Hamaker, who had just injured his hand during his opening round victory in the tournament.

Ettish estimates he had as little as 10-20 minutes to prepare, in which time he had to gather his gear, cornermen and do the briefest of warm-ups, before heading out to fight his opponent, Johnny Rhodes.

Unfortunately for Ettish, his bravery that night didn’t pay off as a disappointing performance against Rhodes led to a first-round submission loss, while he then cruelly became something of a laughing stock among MMA fans at the time, though these days he’s become more fondly remembered and respected.

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UFC Rankings Update: “Lil’ Heathen” Soars After Controversial Win

Surging UFC featherweight Jeremy Stephens picked up a third straight win with a brutal knockout finish of Josh Emmett (watch the highlights) in the main event of last weekend’s (Sat., February 24, 2018) UFC on FOX 28 from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, but the victory didn’t come without a heap of controversy. After rocking […]

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Surging UFC featherweight Jeremy Stephens picked up a third straight win with a brutal knockout finish of Josh Emmett (watch the highlights) in the main event of last weekend’s (Sat., February 24, 2018) UFC on FOX 28 from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, but the victory didn’t come without a heap of controversy.

After rocking Emmett with a pinpoint left hand in the second round, ‘Lil’ Heathen’ followed him to the ground with what appeared to be a possibly illegal knee and two elbows that hit him in the back of the head. Emmett and his team were irate after the fight and revealed plans to appeal the defeat.

The results of that appeal, although appeals are rarely successful, remains to be seen, but for now, Stephens has earned a significant boost up the official UFC rankings. For the win over Emmett, he rose three spots to No. 5 on the 145-pound ranks, sending Emmett down two spots to No. 6.

The Orlando event also saw some movement at 205 pounds, where Ilir Latifi also rose up three spots to No. 5 for his impressive submission win over Ovince Saint Preux, who dropped one spot to No. 6.

Marion Reneau also continued to inch up the women’s bantamweight rankings after a shocking comeback submission over Sara McMann following a first round where she was controlled on the ground, rising up a spot to No. 7 and sending McMann to No. 8.

Here are the full updated rankings courtesy of UFC.com:

POUND-FOR-POUND
1 Demetrious Johnson
2 Conor McGregor
3 Daniel Cormier
4 Stipe Miocic
5 Max Holloway
6 Georges St-Pierre
7 TJ Dillashaw
8 Tyron Woodley
9 Cris Cyborg
10 Tony Ferguson
11 Robert Whittaker
12 Cody Garbrandt
13 Amanda Nunes
14 Khabib Nurmagomedov
15 Joanna Jedrzejczyk

FLYWEIGHT
Champion: Demetrious Johnson
1 Joseph Benavidez
2 Henry Cejudo
3 Ray Borg
4 Jussier Formiga
5 Sergio Pettis
6 Wilson Reis
7 Brandon Moreno
8 Ben Nguyen
9 Dustin Ortiz
10 John Moraga
11 Matheus Nicolau
12 Tim Elliott
13 Alexandre Pantoja
14 Deiveson Figueiredo
15 Magomed Bibulatov

BANTAMWEIGHT
Champion: TJ Dillashaw
1 Cody Garbrandt
2 Dominick Cruz
3 Raphael Assuncao
4 Jimmie Rivera
5 Marlon Moraes
6 John Lineker
7 Bryan Caraway
8 John Dodson
9 Aljamain Sterling
10 Pedro Munhoz
11 Rob Font
12 Thomas Almeida
13 Brett Johns +1
14 Eddie Wineland -1
15 Brian Kelleher *NR

FEATHERWEIGHT
Champion: Max Holloway
1 Jose Aldo
2 Frankie Edgar
3 Brian Ortega
4 Cub Swanson +1
5 Jeremy Stephens +3
6 Josh Emmett -2
7 Ricardo Lamas -1
8 Chan Sung Jung -1
9 Darren Elkins
10 Yair Rodriguez
11 Renato Moicano
12 Mirsad Bektic
13 Dooho Choi
14 Calvin Kattar +1
15 Myles Jury -1

LIGHTWEIGHT
Champion: Conor McGregor
1 Tony Ferguson (Interim Champion)
2 Khabib Nurmagomedov
3 Eddie Alvarez
4 Edson Barboza
5 Dustin Poirier
6 Justin Gaethje
7 Kevin Lee
8 Nate Diaz
9 Michael Chiesa
10 Al Iaquinta
11 James Vick
12 Beneil Dariush
13 Anthony Pettis
14 Evan Dunham
15 Francisco Trinaldo

WELTERWEIGHT
Champion: Tyron Woodley
1 Stephen Thompson
2 Rafael Dos Anjos
3 Colby Covington
4 Robbie Lawler
5 Demian Maia
6 Jorge Masvidal
7 Darren Till
8 Kamaru Usman
9 Neil Magny -1
10 Santiago Ponzinibbio
11 Donald Cerrone
12 Carlos Condit
13 Gunnar Nelson
14 Dong Hyun Kim
15 Leon Edwards

MIDDLEWEIGHT
Champion: Robert Whittaker
1 Yoel Romero
2 Jacare Souza
3 Luke Rockhold
4 Chris Weidman
5 Kelvin Gastelum
6 Michael Bisping
7 Derek Brunson
8 David Branch
9 Uriah Hall
10 Vitor Belfort
11 Thiago Santos
12 Lyoto Machida
13 Krzysztof Jotko
14 Paulo Costa
15 Brad Tavares

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
Champion: Daniel Cormier
1 Alexander Gustafsson
2 Volkan Oezdemir
3 Glover Teixeira -1
4 Jimi Manuwa
5 Ilir Latifi +3
6 Ovince Saint Preux -1
7 Mauricio Rua -1
8 Misha Cirkunov -1
9 Corey Anderson
10 Patrick Cummins
11 Jan Blachowicz
12 Tyson Pedro
13 Gadzhimurad Antigulov
14 Gian Villante
15 Jared Cannonier

HEAVYWEIGHT
Champion: Stipe Miocic
1 Francis Ngannou
2 Alistair Overeem
3 Fabricio Werdum
4 Cain Velasquez
5 Curtis Blaydes
6 Mark Hunt
6 Derrick Lewis
8 Alexander Volkov
9 Marcin Tybura
10 Stefan Struve
11 Aleksei Oleinik
12 Andrei Arlovski
13 Tim Johnson
14 Junior Albini
15 Tai Tuivasa

WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT
Champion: Rose Namajunas
1 Joanna Jedrzejczyk
2 Jessica Andrade
3 Claudia Gadelha
4 Karolina Kowalkiewicz
5 Tecia Torres
6 Carla Esparza
7 Michelle Waterson
8 Felice Herrig
9 Cynthia Calvillo
10 Alexa Grasso
11 Randa Markos
12 Cortney Casey
13 Joanne Calderwood
14 Tatiana Suarez +1
15 Nina Ansaroff *NR

WOMEN’S FLYWEIGHT
Champion: Nicco Montano
1 Valentina Shevchenko
2 Sijara Eubanks
3 Lauren Murphy
4 Alexis Davis
5 Roxanne Modafferi
6 Barb Honchak
7 Liz Carmouche
8 Katlyn Chookagian
9 Jessica-Rose Clark
10 Jessica Eye
11 Montana De La Rosa
12 Rachael Ostovich
13 Mara Romero Borella
14 Paige VanZant
15 Shana Dobson

WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT
Champion: Amanda Nunes
1 Holly Holm
2 Raquel Pennington +1
3 Julianna Pena -1
4 Germaine de Randamie
5 Ketlen Vieira
6 Cat Zingano
7 Marion Reneau +1
8 Sara McMann -1
9 Bethe Correia +2
9 Leslie Smith +1
11 Ronda Rousey -2
12 Aspen Ladd
13 Lucie Pudilova
14 Irene Aldana
15 Sarah Moras

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Five Best Fights To Make Following UFC on FOX 28

The UFC put on a banger of a card with UFC on FOX 28 in Orlando on Saturday night featuring contenders emerging, veterans picking up massive wins, and a night full of brutal finishes. Max Griffin, Ilir Latifi, and Jeremy Stephens picked up big victories, and the landscapes of several weight classes changed overnight. Let’s […]

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The UFC put on a banger of a card with UFC on FOX 28 in Orlando on Saturday night featuring contenders emerging, veterans picking up massive wins, and a night full of brutal finishes.

Max Griffin, Ilir Latifi, and Jeremy Stephens picked up big victories, and the landscapes of several weight classes changed overnight.

Let’s take a look at what’s next for Saturday night’s UFC on FOX 28 winners:

Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

5. Jéssica Andrade vs. Winner Of Rose Namajunas vs Joanna J?drzejczyk II

Andrade looked the best she’s ever looked on Saturday, dominating Tecia Torres en route to a clear cut decision victory.

The women’s strawweight division is sort of in limbo right now with Rose and Joanna running it back. Namajunas is now the champion of the division, and Andrade has earned another shot at the belt. Now on a two-fight win streak, Andrade deserves the winner of Namajunas vs. J?drzejczyk II, which is going down at UFC 223 in April.

In a division lacking top talent, Andrade is making quite the name for herself. Although she came up short against J?drzejczyk, she’s shown the necessary improvements to compete with the top strawweights, so don’t be surprised if the UFC were to put her in a title fight next.

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UFC Orlando Bonuses: Stephens & Latifi Cash In On Brutal Victories

UFC on FOX 28 emanated tonight (Saturday, February 24, 2018) from the Amway Center in Orlando, FL, and was headlined by a featherweight tilt between Jeremy Stephens and Josh Emmett. Stephens scintillating second-round knockout earned him one of the Performance of the Night bonuses. Despite getting dropped in the first-round with a right hook, Stephens […]

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UFC on FOX 28 emanated tonight (Saturday, February 24, 2018) from the Amway Center in Orlando, FL, and was headlined by a featherweight tilt between Jeremy Stephens and Josh Emmett.

Stephens scintillating second-round knockout earned him one of the Performance of the Night bonuses. Despite getting dropped in the first-round with a right hook, Stephens managed to recover and find his footing in the second. He put down Emmett with a looping left hook in the second. Follow-up elbows (and an attempted illegal knee) rendered Emmett unconscious and unable to protect himself. Stephens got a second straight main event knockout and earned an extra $50,000 for his troubles.

The other Performance of the Night went to Ilir Latifi, who choked Ovince St. Preux unconscious with a standing guillotine choke. A back-and-forth first round turned suddenly when Latifi knocked OSP down with hook. The Tennessee native tried to recover and wrap up the Sweden-based fighter but found himself ensnared in the fight-ending choke. Latifi released the unconscious St. Preux and walked off with the win and an extra $50,000.

The Fight of the Night went to welterweight sluggers Alan Jouban and Ben Saunders. Their fight was made for violence, and the two men delivered. Jouban’s superior hand speed and blistering kicks beat up Saunders for the duration of their abbreviated contest. But Saunders landed his share of shots as well. Jouban abruptly put an end to the bout with flush left cross on an already compromised Saunders that folded “Killa B” where he stood, his leg grotesquely bent underneath him. The two former training partners each took home an extra $50,000 for their spirited brawl.

Keep it locked to LowKickMMA for all your post-fight news, notes, and analysis from UFC Orlando.

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Highlights: Ilir Latifi Chokes Ovince Saint Preux Unconscious

On the second fight of the night at UFC on FOX 28 from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, Ilir Latifi pulled off an early Submission Of The Year candidate over Ovince Saint Preux. The pair met inside the Octagon and had a feeling out process for the first few minutes. Finally Latifi landed some […]

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On the second fight of the night at UFC on FOX 28 from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, Ilir Latifi pulled off an early Submission Of The Year candidate over Ovince Saint Preux.

The pair met inside the Octagon and had a feeling out process for the first few minutes. Finally Latifi landed some huge shots that dropped OSP and rocked him badly. As he attempted to get up Latifi locked in a deep standing guillotine choke. OSP initially tapped, however, the ref didn’t see it and he proceeded to pass out seconds later.

“The Sledgehammer” proceeded to call out UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, who was handling commentary duties at Octagon-side. Cormier has a date with UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic for the “Baddest Man On The Planet” moniker, so it’s unlikely Latifi will get his shot at “DC” anytime soon. Nonetheless, Latifi put on an impressive performance over a former interim 205-pound title challenger.

With one more big win inside the Octagon it’s not a far fetched idea that we could see the Swede compete for the light heavyweight throne later this year or in early 2019. You can check out Latifi’s amazing submission over OSP here:

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Ilir Latifi Sleeps Ovince Saint Preux With Standing Guillotine

Round 1: Some leg kicks from Latifi early on and neither man is throwing heavy offense. A high kick from Latifi is blocked. OSP is blocking strikes from Latifi while he throws leg kicks. Latifi is able to land a straight left but OSP continues to move …

Round 1: Some leg kicks from Latifi early on and neither man is throwing heavy offense. A high kick from Latifi is blocked. OSP is blocking strikes from Latifi while he throws leg kicks. Latifi is able to land a straight left but OSP continues to move well. An overhand from Latifi drops OSp, he […]