UFC Fight Night: Renato Moicano vs. Benoît Saint Denis takes place on Saturday, and MMA News is here to bring you the final faceoffs from the ceremonial weigh-ins! After staging its latest numbered event inside the unique surroundings of the Sphere earlier this month for Noche UFC, MMA’s leading promotion has gone back on the […]
UFC Fight Night: Renato Moicano vs. Benoît Saint Denis takes place on Saturday, and MMA News is here to bring you the final faceoffs from the ceremonial weigh-ins!
In a first, heavyweight standout Ciryl Gane won’t be topping the lineup. Instead, the Sept. 28 event sees Benoît Saint Denis as the main attraction for the French crowd as he does battle with Renato Moicano.
Nassourdine Imavov can also expect a good reception for the co-main event. The top-five middleweight contender will look to advance his title ambitions on home soil by ending the winning run of Brendan Allen.
Nevertheless, every fight is intact, and all that remains on Friday is for the athletes to face off one final time at the UFC Fight Night Paris ceremonial weigh-ins!
Check out a live stream via the official UFC YouTube channel below, commencing at 12 PM ET.
Jared Cannonier recently conveyed that he bears no animosity toward referee Jason Herzog for the controversial stoppage of his fight against Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Fight Night Louisville. Cannonier suffered a fourth-round TKO loss to Imavov in June when Herzog stepped in to halt the fight as the former UFC middleweight title challenger attempted to […]
Jared Cannonier recently conveyed that he bears no animosity toward referee Jason Herzog for the controversial stoppage of his fight against Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Fight Night Louisville.
Cannonier suffered a fourth-round TKO loss to Imavov in June when Herzog stepped in to halt the fight as the former UFC middleweight title challenger attempted to defend himself against a relentless barrage of strikes from his opponent.
Although “The Killa Gorilla” appeared shaken before the stoppage, it didn’t seem that he was on the brink of being finished, as evidenced by his visible frustration and immediate protest of the referee’s decision.
Herzog, widely regarded as one of the most respected and experienced referees in MMA, faced intense scrutiny from the MMA community for what many deemed a premature stoppage. Even Cannonier, at the time, described the entire situation as “gut-wrenching.”
Cannonier on Herzog’s Judgment: ‘We All Make Mistakes’
During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Cannonier opened up about his stoppage loss to Imavov. The 40-year-old Texan emphasized that Herzog wasn’t at fault, noting that the referee was simply fulfilling his duty and, in fact, spared him from taking further damage from his opponent.
“I’m not going to be salty like that. Herzog is a good referee,” Cannonier said. “I mean, he’s human; we all make mistakes or erroneous judgments, you know what I mean? To whatever degree we may perceive them to be, he was just doing his job in keeping me safe—or, you know what I’m saying, getting paid off to let the Frenchman win, I don’t know. But whatever the f**k, man. I didn’t go in there and knock out Imavov, so this is what I have to deal with.”
Cannonier further expressed that he wants to ensure such mistakes don’t occur again.
“I get the lessons from the unfortunate things that may have happened, like these stoppages and sh*t like that. Hopefully, it doesn’t happen again. Hopefully, these refs will give me an opportunity—if they see me on my feet, don’t stop the fight. You won’t see me on my feet getting battered like a speed bag making that sound or something like that.”
Cannonier’s loss was a tough setback, especially after his impressive back-to-back victories over Marvin Vettori and Sean Strickland. A win would have positioned him as a prime contender for a second shot at the championship, but now he finds himself pushed further down the ranks in the contender lineup.
UFC Vegas 67 kicked off 2023 for the UFC as we journey into what will undoubtedly be another fantastic year for Mixed Martial Arts. Sean Strickland and Nassourdine Imavov headlined the first event of the year, with the short-notice challenger making the most of his quick turn-around. In the bantamweight division, Umar Nurmagomedov more than […]
UFC Vegas 67 kicked off 2023 for the UFC as we journey into what will undoubtedly be another fantastic year for Mixed Martial Arts.
Sean Strickland and Nassourdine Imavov headlined the first event of the year, with the short-notice challenger making the most of his quick turn-around. In the bantamweight division, Umar Nurmagomedov more than lived up to the challenge of Raoni Barcelos, stoppage the Brazilian with a highlight reel KO.
With plenty of action occurring at UFC Vegas 67, let us take a look at what should come next for those who emerged victorious at the UFC Apex.
Sean Strickland
Middleweight contender, Sean Strickland made good of his short-notice opportunity after Kelvin Gastelum had to withdraw from the bout. Strickland scored a unanimous decision victory over France’s Nassourdine Imavov in the main event.
With most of his peers already scheduled to fight, I think Strickland may have to fight down in the rankings and with that, I would like to see him take on the man whom he replaced, Kelvin Gastelum.
Dan Ige
Dan Ige put his trademark power to good use when he finished Damon Jackson in the second round of their matchup. After snapping a three-fight losing streak ‘50K’ will look to build momentum in order to earn himself a shot at the featherweight title. I think he could seriously push himself into the conversation and up the rankings if he were to face 8th-ranked contender, Giga Chikadze.
Roman Kopylov made it back-to-back victories since joining the UFC after he finished Soriano in the second round of their matchup. Every outing Koyplov seems to show an improved level of his striking ability and therefore I would like him to go against a competitor with more of a wrestling base. One man who certainly fits that bill is Australia’s Jacob Malkoun who will be looking to snap a two-fight skid on his return to the octagon.
Raquel Pennington
Raquel Pennington scored her 5th consecutive victory this past weekend when she got the nod from the judges, defeating Ketlen Viera via a split decision. Earning that number of victories should be enough for ‘Rocky’ to rematch against divisional champion, Amanda Nunes. Nunes defeated her in the pair’s first meeting via TKO at UFC 224.
Umar Nurmagomedov
A perfect 16-0 for Umar Nurmagomedov. The Dagestani landed a clean body kick and follow-up punch to become the first man to TKO Raoni Barcelos. Umar Nurmagomedov is the real deal if you didn’t believe it. The 27-year-old called for a return to action as early as March, I have no problem with fast-tracking Umar to a title contention; that is why I would like to see him take on 3rd ranked contender, Merab Dvalishvili.
Clear highlight of the night. Would be amazed if Umar does not fight for a title in the next 2 years!pic.twitter.com/b11XCon7Dq
Javid Basharat also extended his perfect unbeaten record as he handed Mateus Mendonca his first professional loss. Basharat scored his third victory this weekend at UFC Vegas 67 and therefore it seems now is the right time for him to begin taking on ranked contenders. What better place to start than by fighting the man he called for in his post-fight interview, Chris Gutierrez.
Abdul Razak Alhassan
In a battle of powerhouses, it was Abdul Razak Alhassan who emerged victorious against Claudio Ribeiro. I have no problem seeing Alhassan face as dangerous strikers as himself and that is why I would like to see him take on fellow power puncher, Brazil’s Bruno Silva.
Abdul Razak Alhassan knocks out Claudio Ribeiro!!#UFCVegas67
Mateusz Rebecki cruised to victory over a short-notice opponent, Nick Fiore this past weekend. Rebecki got the nod on the judge’s scorecards but somewhat disappointed some fans who expected him to breeze through his opponent early on in the bout.
It is clear for all to see that the Polish lightweight carries serious punching power. Therefore, I would like to see him take on fellow heavy-handed 155-er in Mike Davis.
Allan Nascimento
Allan Nascimento notched his 14th professional submission victory this past weekend in a flyweight battle of grappling wizards against, Carlos Hernandez.
Nascimento could arguably already have earned a shot against someone in the flyweight rankings but to secure that thought further, I would first like to see him take on another flyweight with whom he shared that card, Charles Johnson.
Dan Argueta
Dan Argueta controlled Nick Aguirre for nearly the entire duration of their bout as he cruised to a unanimous decision victory in the second bout of the evening. Argueta used his wrestling to control his opponent comfortably. Therefore, I would like to see how he would hold himself against a dangerous striker in ‘The Sniper’, Sean Woodson.
Charles Johnson
Charles Johnson opened the card for UFC Vegas 67 and kicked off 2023 for the promotion. Johnson made good of his opening slot when he dismissed the returning Jimmy Flick in the very first round of their matchup. A somewhat early stoppage won’t phase Johnson as he secured his first victory inside the promotion, let’s see if he could secure a second if he were to take on the aforementioned, Allan Nascimento.
Only a week after returning we shall be treated to the promotion’s first numbered event of the year as the UFC return to Brazil for UFC 283. Be sure to return next week to see whom we match up with the divisional champions and the remaining contenders competing on the card.
Do you agree or disagree with any of these choices? Let me know your thoughts on UFC Vegas 67 and share below how you would matchmake for the winners from the promotion’s first card of the year.
Snapping a run of consecutive losses last year, middleweight contender, Sean Strickland kicked off what promises to be an important 2023 for his career in style at the light heavyweight limit, defeating Nassourdine Imavov in the main event of UFC Vegas 67. Strickland, who had suffered a brutal first round knockout loss to current undisputed […]
Snapping a run of consecutive losses last year, middleweight contender, Sean Strickland kicked off what promises to be an important 2023 for his career in style at the light heavyweight limit, defeating Nassourdine Imavov in the main event of UFC Vegas 67.
Strickland, who had suffered a brutal first round knockout loss to current undisputed middleweight champion, Alex Pereira back in July of last year, then dropped a close, contentious split decision loss to Jared Cannonier just last month.
Replacing one-time interim title challenger, Kelvin Gastelum on just five days’ notice in a 205lbs matchup, Strickland turned in another striking heavy approach against Dagestan-born contender, Imavov to land a unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) win over the course of five rounds.
Electing a much more aggressive and pace pushing output against MMA Factory product, Imavov, Strickland cruised to an impressive unanimous judging win — returning him to the winner’s enclosure for the first time he defeated Jack Hermansson back in February of last year.
Below, catch the highlights from Sean Strickland’s decision win over Nassourdine Imavov
Nassourdine Imavov expects that fans will see his older brother join him on the UFC roster at some point in the near future. Imavov is set to compete in his first UFC main event at UFC Vegas 67, but he’ll be taking on an entirely different oppone…
Nassourdine Imavov expects that fans will see his older brother join him on the UFC roster at some point in the near future. Imavov is set to compete in his first UFC main event at UFC Vegas 67, but he’ll be taking on an entirely different opponent from the one he spent his training camp…
Ahead of his upcoming UFC Vegas 67 headliner this weekend at the light heavyweight limit, middleweight contender, Sean Strickland appears unmoved by his matchup with Russian-born contender, Nassourdine Imavov, poking fun at the people of France – where the latter currently trains. Strickland, the current #7 ranked middleweight contender, replaces former interim title chaser, Kelvin […]
Ahead of his upcoming UFC Vegas 67 headliner this weekend at the light heavyweight limit, middleweight contender, Sean Strickland appears unmoved by his matchup with Russian-born contender, Nassourdine Imavov, poking fun at the people of France – where the latter currently trains.
Strickland, the current #7 ranked middleweight contender, replaces former interim title chaser, Kelvin Gastelum this weekend in the UFC’s return to schedule, clashing with MMA Factory mainstay and Fernand Lopez trainee, Imavov.
Headlining the final event of last year, Strickland took main event honors at UFC Vegas 66 against one-time title challenger, Jared Cannonier, suffering a close, split decision loss. The defeat marked Strickland’s second consecutively following a KO loss to middleweight champion, Alex Pereira back in July of last year.
Previewing his matchup against the surging, Imavov this weekend, Strickland poked fun at the people of France, maintaining he was unconcerned with his clash with the Dagestan-born challenger.
“If we’ve learned anything about the French – what’re the French best at? Giving up,” Sean Strickland told assembled media during his media availability ahead of UFC Vegas 67. “I haven’t really watched him (Nassourdine Imavov) fight – I know he likes to bang, he throws big punches, but he’s still f*cking French, man.”
“That’s a hard thing to move past,” Sean Strickland continued. “There’s a lot of history of cowardice to move on from when you’re f*cking French. Maybe he’s gonna prove a statement, maybe he’s gonna say that his country’s finally left the cowardice behind, but I don’t f*cking know.” (Transcribed by MMA Mania)
Sean Strickland enjoyed a 7-fight undefeated run prior to last summer
Riding a seven-fight winning run before his knockout loss to current titleholder, Pereira, Strickland managed to chalk up wins over the likes of Brendan Allen, Uriah Hall, and Jack Hermansson during his impressive streak which saw him climb as high as #5 in the middleweight pile.
UFC Vegas 67 kicked off 2023 for the UFC as we journey into what will undoubtedly be another fantastic year for Mixed Martial Arts. Sean Strickland and Nassourdine Imavov headlined the first event of the year, with the short-notice challenger making the most of his quick turn-around. In the bantamweight division, Umar Nurmagomedov more than […]
Snapping a run of consecutive losses last year, middleweight contender, Sean Strickland kicked off what promises to be an important 2023 for his career in style at the light heavyweight limit, defeating Nassourdine Imavov in the main event of UFC Vegas 67. Strickland, who had suffered a brutal first round knockout loss to current undisputed […]
Ahead of his upcoming UFC Vegas 67 headliner this weekend at the light heavyweight limit, middleweight contender, Sean Strickland appears unmoved by his matchup with Russian-born contender, Nassourdine Imavov, poking fun at the people of France – where the latter currently trains. Strickland, the current #7 ranked middleweight contender, replaces former interim title chaser, Kelvin […]