Last night, UFC president Dana White heated up talk of Brock Lesnar returning to MMA by posting a photo alongside the hulking former heavyweight champion on all of his social media accounts. The teasing posts came on the heels of Lesnar’s in-ring WWE ‘advocate’ Paul Heyman recently saying that a UFC comeback was possible for the […]
The teasing posts came on the heels of Lesnar’s in-ring WWE ‘advocate’ Paul Heyman recently saying that a UFC comeback was possible for the behemoth, who was last seen defeating Mark Hunt in the Octagon at 2016’s UFC 200, a fight after which he was suspended by USADA for a positive drug test for banned estrogen blockers.
But Lesnar’s one-year suspension is up, and his WWE contract is set to expire in April, meaning a reunion with the new UFC ownership and their star-focused ‘strategy’ could be in the cards for this year.
In fact, it could even be an eventuality, as White kept hinting at a ‘Beast’ return in a recent discussion with TMZ Sports, even though he was asked about it), offering the obvious view that Lesnar’s time with the UFC was ‘fun’:
“I think Brock’s under contract though right now, you know, but uh…I’d love to see him. Yeah, I’d like to see him come back. Brock’s been fun when Brock Lesnar won the championship, it was fun. Yeah, he was fun.”
Hardly a surprise to hear the polarizing UFC front man call Lesnar’s time in the UFC fun, as anyone bringing in truckloads of cold hard cash for the company will obviously be among the company favorites.
With stars like Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey inactive and highly uncertain to ever return, the promotion could use a big name with an even bigger personality – and physique – to provide a shot in the arm to their sagging pay-per-view numbers.
But in terms of Lesnar fighting his way back to the top of the heavyweight rankings, White stopped short of speculating about that, noting that current champion Stipe Miocic, who he’s had a highly public spat with recently was ‘pretty tough’:
“Stipe’s pretty tough. Stipe’s pretty tough, you know?”
Lesnar was briefly linked to a super fight with former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones after “Bones” won the 205-pound title from Daniel Cormier last July, but that fell apart when Jones promptly tested positive for steroids, his second USADA violation in as many years.
Now, it’s unclear against whom Lesnar would return, and Miocic is busy coaching The Ultimate Fighter 27 against Cormier before the two fight for the heavyweight belt at UFC 226, but you can bet that at this point, the UFC would give Lesnar a title shot against the winner of that match-up rather easily.
It may not be deserved, but little is when it comes to handing out UFC title shots these days, and above all else, Lesnar brings in the numbers.
This past weekend (Feb. 10, 2018), 43-year-old Mark Hunt suffered a decision defeat to rising contender Curtis Blaydes in the co-main event of UFC 221. And although it’s no secret that “The Super Samoan” has had his issues with the UFC, he isn’t considering hanging his gloves up just yet. In fact, prior to UFC […]
This past weekend (Feb. 10, 2018), 43-year-old Mark Hunt suffered a decision defeat to rising contender Curtis Blaydes in the co-main event of UFC 221.
And although it’s no secret that “The Super Samoan” has had his issues with the UFC, he isn’t considering hanging his gloves up just yet. In fact, prior to UFC 221, he told MMAjunkie that he had three fights left on his contract with the promotion:
“I get reminded all the time I am the oldest fighter in the universe,” Hunt said. “I’ve got three fights left with the UFC because I haven’t had a good run with a lot of things that’s happened with them.”
“Everyone knows I’m in court about having to get an even playing field. They called me a whiny bitch, but they can all get (expletive). I survived the era of PRIDE, where everyone knowingly juices. I’m here now and they’re trying to make it even.”
Now, he has two fights left on his current contract, and he’d like to fight those out before completing his fighting career ‘globally’:
“After the three fights with the UFC, I’d like to fight globally three more times and then retire. Hang it up,” Hunt said. “I want to go out there in my best shape ever and compete. I feel like I can compete still with these young guys, even though they’re half my age.”
One of the most decorated knockout artists in the history of the heavyweight division, Hunt is certainly nearing the tail end of his career, but he appears to have some fight left in him.
Where would you like to see him fight after he finishes his UFC contract?
Last night (Feb. 10, 2018), rising heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes scored the biggest victory of his career, as he outwrestled veteran Mark Hunt on his way to a decision win. Given the fact that Hunt is one of the very best knockout artists that the heavyweight division has ever seen, Blaydes knew that he had […]
Last night (Feb. 10, 2018), rising heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes scored the biggest victory of his career, as he outwrestled veteran Mark Hunt on his way to a decision win.
Given the fact that Hunt is one of the very best knockout artists that the heavyweight division has ever seen, Blaydes knew that he had to get the fight to the ground where he feels as if he’s a ‘shark’:
“That was always my game plan. I am not a fool,” Blaydes said at the evening’s post-fight press conference. “I had no aspirations of standing and trying to bang with Mark Hunt so he can knock my head off. That was always the game plan. I am the better wrestler, why not use it? And I train in Denver, we’re a mile up in the air. There’s no elevation here in Perth, I knew I’d be the better conditioned athlete, I knew wrestling would gas him out a lot faster than standing and banging at his own pace, so I wanted to dictate where we went.
“On the feet, he’s a lion; on the ground, I’m a shark. I wanted to drag him into deep waters. That’s what I did.”
He did, however, admit that he was ‘rocked’ for a moment on the feet when Hunt landed a big shot, even going as far as to reveal that his vision ‘went black’:
“When he landed those heavy strikes, he definitely rocked me,” Blaydes said. “My vision went black for like, two seconds, and I heard my cornermen screaming ‘takedown!’ I knew I should get the takedown and that’s why he was able to get up so quickly because I wasn’t really in it so I got the takedown, it gave me enough time just to recover and then from there I kind of knew my range and I knew where not to be. From there, I knew I had to continue with the takedowns. I knew it would gas him out and help me get the W.”
At 26-years-old, Blaydes certainly has a bright future ahead of him. With a marquee win now under his belt, who would you like to see him face next?
While not the strongest card on paper, UFC 221 actually ended up delivering a night of entertaining fights from Down Under. Yoel Romero scored one of his patented third-round knockouts over former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, Mark Hunt lost to ever-intriguing heavyweight prospect Curtis Blaydes, and Tai Tuivasa lit up the hometown crowd with a […]
While not the strongest card on paper, UFC 221 actually ended up delivering a night of entertaining fights from Down Under.
Yoel Romero scored one of his patented third-round knockouts over former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, Mark Hunt lost to ever-intriguing heavyweight prospect Curtis Blaydes, and Tai Tuivasa lit up the hometown crowd with a quick TKO win before chugging a beer from an audience member’s shoe.
UFC 221 wasn’t as bad as everyone was predicting, and could actually be a launching spot for several rising stars and possibly a new champion who is over 40.
Taking that in context, here are the five best fights for the UFC to make following UFC 221.
Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
5. Tyson Pedro vs. Misha Cirkunov
Tuivasa’s brother-in-law Tyson Pedro scored a first-round slick submission that will move him ever closer to a top 10 fight.
To properly build this potential Australian light heavyweight star, the UFC is going to have to bring him along slowly, which they’ve done well thus far.
Cirkunov would be the perfect match up to see exactly where Pedro is at. Although he’s stumbled a bit in recent outings, those losses have occurred to Volkan Oezdemir and Glover Teixeira.
If Pedro can put on a similar performance against Circunov, he would be right where he wants to be within the light heavyweight division.
In the co-main event of last night’s (Sat. February 10, 2018) UFC 221 pay-per-view (PPV) card heavyweights Curtis Blaydes and Mark Hunt went to war inside of the Octagon. Hunt came into the fight off a big win over Derrick Lewis who he finished in the fourth round of their June meeting last year. He […]
In the co-main event of last night’s (Sat. February 10, 2018) UFC 221 pay-per-view (PPV) card heavyweights Curtis Blaydes and Mark Hunt went to war inside of the Octagon.
Hunt came into the fight off a big win over Derrick Lewis who he finished in the fourth round of their June meeting last year. He previously suffered a vicious knockout loss to Alistair Overeem at UFC 209 in March of last year in the third round.
Blaydes had been on a three-fight winning streak since suffering the first and only loss of his mixed martial arts (MMA) career to Francis Ngannou in April of 2016. A win over Hunt would be a massive win for the young American’s career.
“Razor” really utilized his reach right out the gate but got caught ate in the first round by Hunt who nearly had the fight finished. Blaydes was able to rally and take Hunt down until the end of the round. From then on out in the rest of the fight Blaydes continuously took Hunt down and was able to grind out a unanimous decision win over “The Super Samoan.”
You can check out the fight video highlights below:
UFC 221 might not have been the most anticipated card of the year, but it delivered the goods for those who tuned in.
If anything, Yoel Romero’s third-round TKO win over Luke Rockhold was worth the price of admission. Romero didn’t win the interi…
UFC 221 might not have been the most anticipated card of the year, but it delivered the goods for those who tuned in.
If anything, Yoel Romero‘s third-round TKO win over Luke Rockhold was worth the price of admission. Romero didn’t win the interim UFC title because he missed weight before the fight, but he established himself as the biggest threat to Robert Whittaker’s crown regardless.
The fight got off to an inauspicious start. Rockhold maintained his distance while Romero’s bursts were sporadic as he stayed on the outside.
But when Romero decided to attack, it was violent. The 40-year-old lunged forward a few times during those rounds, but he was usually swinging at air.
In the third round, he found Rockhold’s chin. After doubling up on the jab, a smashing straight left put Rockhold down, and a followup punch promptly ended the fight. Chamatkar Sandhu of MMA Junkie noted the finish and called for Romero to get the next shot at Whittaker upon his return:
Of course, that was the plan for this fight originally; however, Romero missing weight threw a wrench into things. The interim middleweight championship was only up for grabs for Rockhold.
However, this was a fight that Romero took on short notice. With just four weeks to prepare, he didn’t have a full fight camp, and that might be taken into consideration. Romero noted in his apology that he hadn’t missed weight before:
The fact that Romero ended the bout in the third round shouldn’t come as a shock. It’s been his favorite round to end fights, as noted by MMA writer Wesley Riddle:
The featured middleweight bout wasn’t the only excitement during the night. It was a card that was marked by exciting finishes and back-and-forth affairs. Here’s a look at the complete results and a closer look at the main card fights.
Main card
Yoel Romero def. Luke Rockhold via third-round TKO (1:48)
Curtis Blaydes def. Mark Hunt via unanimous decision
Tai Tuivasa def. Cyril Asker via first-round TKO (2:18)
Jake Matthews def. Li Jingliang via unanimous decision
Tyson Pedro def. Saparbek Safarov via first-round submission (kimura, 3:54)
Undercard
Dong Hyun Kim def. Damian Brown via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Israel Adesanya def. Rob Wilkinson via second-round TKO (3:37)
Alexander Volkanovski def. Jeremy Kennedy via second-round TKO (4:57)
Jussier Formiga def. Ben Nguyen via third-round submission (rear-naked choke, 1:43)
Ross Pearson def. Mizuto Hirota via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Jose Quinonez def. Teruto Ishihara via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Luke Jumeau def. Daichi Abe via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 28-27)
Mark Hunt vs. Curtis Blaydes
One result the crowd in Australia didn’t like was Curtis Blaydes’ unanimous-decision win over Mark Hunt.
The matchup came down to Blaydes wrestling against Hunt’s explosive striking technique and power. Blaydes felt that early on as the Super Samoan connected and nearly put the fight away:
But Blaydes’ toughness and chin aren’t to be underestimated. While Hunt was going for the finish, Blaydes secured a takedown and rode out the rest of the round.
As the fight persisted, the takedowns went from a tool for survival to an actual offense that would help him win the fight. One takedown in particular made the highlight reel for the former NJCAA national champion wrestler:
Blaydes came into the bout ranked No. 9 overall. It wouldn’t be shocking to see him jump all the way up into the rop five after a win over someone of Hunt’s caliber.
Tai Tuivasa vs. Cyril Asker
Coming into the bout with a 6-0 record that featured six first-round finishes, Tai Tuivasa promised violence.
He delivered.
For the few minutes the fight lasted, “Bam Bam” turned Cyril Asker’s face into the canvas. Tuivasa came charging early and often attacking with hooks, elbows and body shots that left his opponent stumbling around the cage.
The UFC passed along some of the destruction:
Much like Tyson Pedro’s fight, this was a setup for an Australian prospect to put on a strong performance in front of a home crowd.
Tuivasa didn’t disappoint, and it’s likely going to open bigger doors soon.
In a division as shallow as heavyweight, a 24-year-old with a 7-0 record and seven first-round finishes is likely to get fast-tracked.
Jake Matthews vs. Li Jingliang
The Australian crowd was happy to see Aussie welterweight Jake Matthews’ hand raised via unanimous decision against Li Jingliang.
It wasn’t without controversy, though.
Matthews arguably should have won the fight via a guillotine choke. The 23-year-old had the submission locked in, but Li Jiangliang created some separation with some blatant eye-gouging, and MMA Twitter was not happy about it:
Controversy aside, Matthews put on a full display of both his striking and submission skills and had his hand raised anyway. It’s a strong win for a fighter who seems like he’s been fighting for 10 years because he already has eight UFC bouts this early in his career.
His experience is starting to show, and performances that well-rounded against a fighter of Jingliang’s caliber is a good sign of things to come.
Tyson Pedro vs. Saparbek Safarov
Tyson Pedro’s skills go farther than chokes. The Aussie light heavyweight has made a habit of choking opponents out, but this time around he put an aggressive opponent in Saparbek Safarov to rest with a kimura.
The UFC passed along the slick submission:
It’s a big win for Pedro, who remains one of the more intriguing prospects in the 205-pound division but just suffered his first loss to Ilir Latifi last time out.
Safarov felt like a sacrificial lamb for the hometown fighter in this spot. His only other UFC fight was against another hometown fighter, Gian Villante, in New York.
Still, there’s something to be said for a prospect crushing it when they have the opportunity to show what they can do.
UFC 221 might not have been the most anticipated card of the year, but it delivered the goods for those who tuned in.