Tag: Lightweight

Highlights: Francisco Trinaldo Melts Retiring Evan Dunham With Liver Shot

It was a card full of retiring veterans at this evening’s (Sat., September 22, 2018) UFC Fight Night 137 at Ginásio do Ibirapuera in São Paulo, Brazil. After Brazilian middleweight Thales Leites retired after defeating Hector Lombard earlier at the event, lightweight Evan Dunham met Francisco Trinaldo on the FOX Sports 2-aired prelims. Things didn’t go […]

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It was a card full of retiring veterans at this evening’s (Sat., September 22, 2018) UFC Fight Night 137 at Ginásio do Ibirapuera in São Paulo, Brazil.

After Brazilian middleweight Thales Leites retired after defeating Hector Lombard earlier at the event, lightweight Evan Dunham met Francisco Trinaldo on the FOX Sports 2-aired prelims. Things didn’t go quite as well for Dunham, however.

The fight was an entertaining one. Both fighters had their moments, with Dunham mixing more footwork while Trinaldo looked to counter with heavy shots. “Massaranduba” appeared to be headhunting with several huge kick attempts as well. Dunham was resilient and was landing more shots overall.

The longtime Brazilian veteran had a noted advantage in power, on the other hand. He used it to land a perfect knee to Dunham’s liver. The strike forced referee Marc Goddard to call it immediately. Watch the impressive knockout right here:

Dunham retired after the fight, stepping down with the pure grace and class he’s exhibited throughout his entire UFC career. He received a ton of respect on social media because of just that. Watch him thank the crowd one last time as he gave a heartfelt farewell to the Brazilian fans:

Dunham steps down with an 11-8-1 record in the Octagon, therefore crediting Joe Lauzon, Gleison Tibau, Ross Pearson, Tyson Griffin, and Nik Lentz among his biggest wins. He fought top lightweights Rafael dos Anjos, Donald Cerrone, and Edson Barboza.

He was a veteran of an amazing 20 fights in the notoriously tough UFC lightweight division. We wish Dunham all the best in his post-fighting endeavors.

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Javier Mendez: Conor McGregor’s Striking Is “Too Good” For Khabib Nurmagomedov

American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez believes that the striking gap between his fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor is far too large to bridge, claiming that there is no possible way for Khabib to ready himself for McGregor&#…

American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez believes that the striking gap between his fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor is far too large to bridge, claiming that there is no possible way for Khabib to ready himself for McGregor’s illusive striking arsenal. Conor McGregor’s striking has been praised by many as some of the best […]

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Khabib “A Little Scared” By His UFC Success

Khabib Nurmagomedov was welcomed like a hero when he returned to Russia, the new UFC lightweight champion. The outpour of support is just the beginning Khabib feels. Although the Russian is yet to really become a superstar in the States, he is a cult h…

Khabib Nurmagomedov was welcomed like a hero when he returned to Russia, the new UFC lightweight champion. The outpour of support is just the beginning Khabib feels. Although the Russian is yet to really become a superstar in the States, he is a cult hero in his homeland. Following his victory at UFC 223 over […]

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GSP Responds to Khabib’s Callout

Following the conclusion of his bout at UFC 223, Khabib Nurmagomedov called out MMA legend GSP. The Russian wants GSP as his first title defence. “I remember when I grew up, 11, 12 years ago, when I was in the Junior Combat Sambo Dagestan championships…

Following the conclusion of his bout at UFC 223, Khabib Nurmagomedov called out MMA legend GSP. The Russian wants GSP as his first title defence. “I remember when I grew up, 11, 12 years ago, when I was in the Junior Combat Sambo Dagestan championships, he fights for UFC title,” Khabib said, as he explained […]

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Conor McGregor Fires Back at the UFC: You Will ‘Strip Me of Nothing’

Conor McGregor isn’t giving up his title without a fight. Following Wednesday’s news that the UFC planned to strip McGregor of his lightweight championship the moment Khabib Nurmagomedov and Max Holloway step into the cage together at UFC 2…

Conor McGregor isn’t giving up his title without a fight. Following Wednesday’s news that the UFC planned to strip McGregor of his lightweight championship the moment Khabib Nurmagomedov and Max Holloway step into the cage together at UFC 223, the 29-year old Irish superstar responded with a venomous post aimed at the promotion. While UFC […]

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UFC Lightweight Forced To Move Up After Missing Weight

Michel Prazeres will likely fight for the last time at lightweight tomorrow. Prazeres tipped the scales at 161 pounds for his fight with Desmond Green on Saturday night’s UFC card in Belem, Brazil. The commission says Prazeres will have to compete at welterweight going forward, which Prazeres himself agreed with while speaking to the press […]

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Michel Prazeres will likely fight for the last time at lightweight tomorrow.

Prazeres tipped the scales at 161 pounds for his fight with Desmond Green on Saturday night’s UFC card in Belem, Brazil.

The commission says Prazeres will have to compete at welterweight going forward, which Prazeres himself agreed with while speaking to the press following Friday’s weigh-ins  (via MMA Fighting):

“I had already talked to my team about it during this weight cut. My body is feeling the weight cuts, and I’d rather fight at welterweight and take care of my health and put on a better fight for the fans because sometimes I don’t perform as I could in the fights.

”It was an issue in pretty much all of my fights. I’ll be stronger at welterweight. I’m short, but I can surprise with other things.”

Prazeres, who’s notched an impressive five-fight win streak, will go toe-to-toe with Greene, who’s coming off of a loss to Rustam Khabilov in September. However, Prazeres remains adamant that he has plenty to gain from beating his opponent:

“Every fighter that wants to get to the belt has to fight someone from the top, but Desmond Green is a great fighter,”Coming off a loss or not, he’s a dangerous test for me. If you look at his record, he’s a tough fighter and I respect him a lot, but I’m going there to stop him.

”He has a good boxing, a good cardio. He’s tough,” Prazeres continued. “But I think my game kills his. My striking is better than his, and if I take him down it will be complicated for him. Wherever he makes a mistake, I’ll finish the fight.”

The new rule states a fighter can’t cut more than 10 percent of their natural body weight, which will inevitably force many fighters to move up a weight class. Friday’s missed weight is one of several, each time missing by three pounds or more.

With Prazeres being one of those fighters, how would he do at welterweight? Prezeres actually debuted in the UFC as a welterweight in a losing effort to Paulo Thiago back in 2013.

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