Tag: UFC 177

UFC 177 Results: 3 Fights for Joe Soto to Take Next

Joe Soto stepped up in a huge way Saturday night. Friday before the weigh-ins, Soto was supposed to face Anthony Birchak on the undercard. Then, when Renan Barao was forced to pull out of the fight, Soto stepped up to face the champion, TJ Dillashaw, o…

Joe Soto stepped up in a huge way Saturday night. Friday before the weigh-ins, Soto was supposed to face Anthony Birchak on the undercard. Then, when Renan Barao was forced to pull out of the fight, Soto stepped up to face the champion, TJ Dillashaw, on little more than 24 hours’ notice.

Soto came absolutely ready to fight, and although Dillashaw won the first four rounds on all three judges’ scorecards, it was by no means a blowout.

In the fifth, Dillashaw landed a head kick to end a long combination and earn a knockout win.

While Soto did lose, his stock went way up following this fight. It’s highly likely he’ll be ranked in the top 10 when the updated rankings are released.

That opens up a wealth of opportunities for his next fight, so let’s check out three potential fights.

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Coach: Renan Barao Doesn’t Need to Move to Featherweight

Former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao saw opportunity slip through his fingertips Friday, as just 24 hours before a title rematch with T.J. Dillashaw, he passed out from a bad weight cut and was unceremoniously removed from the fight. 
Howe…

Former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao saw opportunity slip through his fingertips Friday, as just 24 hours before a title rematch with T.J. Dillashaw, he passed out from a bad weight cut and was unceremoniously removed from the fight. 

However, Barao‘s coach and manager, Andre Pederneiras, told Combate the whole incident was the result of one bad, freak mishap and not because his star client cuts too much weight to make the 135-pound weight limit, per a translation by Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting.  

We started the first rounds at the tub and, after approximately 20 minutes, when Barao was leaving the tub, he completely fainted. When he was going down, I held him, but he had so much cream on him, (he slipped) and his head touched the wall. We laid him on the ground but, from that moment on, he stayed out for a long time. … When he had to go to the hospital, the UFC had to cancel the fight immediately. It was UFC’s option, and based on Barao’s situation, I saw no way how he could fight.

Pederneiras goes on to say that The Baron never had a problem making bantamweight in the past and blamed a heavy workload (three scheduled fights since February) on the issues with the scale this time around. 

The UFC shockingly announced Barao‘s removal from UFC 177 just hours before Friday’s weigh-ins, with former Bellator featherweight champ Joe Soto stepping up to the plate on just a little over a day’s notice, per Damon Martin of Fox Sports. 

Soto was already set to make his UFC debut at the pay-per-view event against Anthony Birchak, but given the circumstances, that bout was quickly scrapped to salvage the main event of the evening.

Soto became one of the unlikeliest title challengers in UFC history on the strength of a six-fight win streak (five finishes) on the regional scene. 

While Soto proved to be a game opponent for 20-plus minutes, the Team Alpha Male standout was too much for him. Dillashaw finished Soto off with a head kick and subsequent punches midway through the fifth and final frame.

Not surprisingly, UFC President Dana White showed zero empathy for Barao in this situation, making it abundantly clear that the Brazilian won’t be receiving a pay check from the company after his weight cut debacle, per Jesse Holland of MMA Mania. 

When he is ready to make his return to the Octagon, who will be a suitable opponent for Barao, and will that bout be contested at 135 pounds?

 

John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.

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UFC 177 Results: 3 Fights for Bethe Correia to Take Next

On Saturday night, Bethe Correia squared off against Shayna Baszler on the main card of UFC 177. The two had a highly entertaining fight that ended by TKO in the second after Correia landed a flurry of punches up against the cage.
Correia is now 9-0 in…

On Saturday night, Bethe Correia squared off against Shayna Baszler on the main card of UFC 177. The two had a highly entertaining fight that ended by TKO in the second after Correia landed a flurry of punches up against the cage.

Correia is now 9-0 in her career and 3-0 in the UFC with one finish. Correia was hoping to take down the “Four Horsewomen”, which consists of Baszler, Jessamyn Duke, Marina Shafir and Ronda Rousey. Correia has beaten Baszler and Duke but likely won’t face Shafir, who is a featherweight in a regional organization right now.

Additionally, according to Dana White, Correia is not necessarily next in line for a title shot, meaning the final two Horsewomen will have to wait.

In the meantime, let’s check out three other fights for Correia to take.

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UFC 177 Results: 3 Fights for TJ Dillashaw to Take Next

On Saturday night, T.J. Dillashaw looked to defend his UFC bantamweight title for the first time against former Bellator bantamweight champion Joe Soto at UFC 177. Dillashaw had originally been scheduled to face the former champion, Renan Bar…

On Saturday night, T.J. Dillashaw looked to defend his UFC bantamweight title for the first time against former Bellator bantamweight champion Joe Soto at UFC 177. Dillashaw had originally been scheduled to face the former champion, Renan Barao, but Barao was forced to pull out just hours before the weigh-ins Friday.

Soto was definitely game, as he was able to keep up with Dillashaw and was never really out of the fight until the fifth round. About halfway through the final frame, Dillashaw ended a long combination with a right head kick that simply dropped Soto. One more punch was all it took, and the fight was over.

That marks Dillashaw‘s second straight fifth-round finish and also makes him the only fighter in UFC history with two fifth-round finishes.

Dillashaw is now on a three-fight win streak and has several interesting options for his next title defense. According to Dana White, Barao is not an option, but let’s check out three other choices for Dillashaw‘s next fight.

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Renan Barao Puts Life at Risk, Makes $0.00


(Photo via Getty.)

Dana White lobbed a financial insult at Renan Barao in the wake of UFC 177.

In case you’ve been away from the Internet for the last few days: The main event of UFC 177 was supposed to be bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw vs. Renan Barao–an unnecessary rematch of their bout from May. Barao botched his weight cut, which caused him to fall and hit his head in the shower. He was rushed to the hospital and couldn’t fight. Weight cutting is a serious health issue, but Dana White and the UFC apparently don’t care.

Insults to the ego are one thing, insults to the wallet are another. The former is naught but the buzzing of flies, but the latter stings like Head and Shoulders in the eye. Renan Barao will probably get over Joe Rogan essentially calling him an embarrassment to himself and the UFC. But will Barao get over Dana White refusing to pay him his show money? Because that’s what Dana White is doing. He’s not paying Barao.


(Photo via Getty.)

Dana White lobbed a financial insult at Renan Barao in the wake of UFC 177.

In case you’ve been away from the Internet for the last few days: The main event of UFC 177 was supposed to be bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw vs. Renan Barao–an unnecessary rematch of their bout from May. Barao botched his weight cut, which caused him to fall and hit his head in the shower. He was rushed to the hospital and couldn’t fight. Weight cutting is a serious health issue, but Dana White and the UFC apparently don’t care.

Insults to the ego are one thing, insults to the wallet are another. The former is naught but the buzzing of flies, but the latter stings like Head and Shoulders in the eye. Renan Barao will probably get over Joe Rogan essentially calling him an embarrassment to himself and the UFC. But will Barao get over Dana White refusing to pay him his show money? Because that’s what Dana White is doing. He’s not paying Barao.

“Barao’s not making any money,” Dana White said at the post-UFC 177 media scrum. “I’m not paying Barao. Barao showed up and didn’t fight.”

Henry Cejudo, who also messed up his weight cut and couldn’t fight, did not get paid. In the scrum, White referred to Cejudo as a “kid.”

First: Don’t call an OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST “kid.” That’s denigrating and stupid.

Second: What the fuck, Dana?

So Cejudo and Barao don’t get paid for draining their bodies of precious nutrients because Dana White is mad at them? It wouldn’t be a shameful Dana White moment without weapons-grade hypocrisy.

Alessio Sakara got paid when he withdrew from UFC 122 the day of the event due to “flu like symptoms” but Barao and Cejudo don’t get paid? Nick Ring got paid when he had to withdraw from his UFC 154 fight when he got sick, but not Barao and Cejudo? Stefan Struve got paid at UFC 175 when he couldn’t fight, but not Barao and Cejudo?

This is as bad as when EliteXC paid a guy $1. White could have at least given Barao and Cejudo a Harley Davidson for his troubles…

TJ Dillashaw vs. Joe Soto: Video Highlights from Main Event

As expected, TJ Dillashaw successfully defended his bantamweight championship against replacement opponent Joe Soto on Saturday. That said, Soto did his best to keep the bout competitive all the way into the fifth and final round.
Dillashaw was origina…

As expected, TJ Dillashaw successfully defended his bantamweight championship against replacement opponent Joe Soto on Saturday. That said, Soto did his best to keep the bout competitive all the way into the fifth and final round.

Dillashaw was originally suppposed to meet Renan Barao, the man he took the 135-pound belt from, in a rematch. However, moments before the UFC 177 weigh-ins, it was announced that Barao encountered difficulties during his weight cut and wouldn’t be able to compete against Dillashaw. Previously scheduled to make his UFC debut against Anthony Birchak on the preliminary card, Joe Soto filled in to prevent the fight card from becoming a complete disaster.

Despite facing the best bantamweight in the world on short notice, Soto fought very respectably. The first two rounds were very closely contested. Although, Soto lost both of them on the scorecards, he was able to land some solid shots on the champion, showing Dillashaw that he wouldn’t be able to cruise to victory despite being a massive favorite heading in.

Dillashaw did begin to pull away in the third and fourth rounds, though. The titleholder landed over 100 significant strikes and scored his only two takedowns of the bout in those rounds. 

When the fifth round rolled around, it became clear that Soto wasn’t quite ready to go 25 minutes. The tired challenger took a head kick around two minutes into the frame and was finished with a few follow-up punches.

The stoppage gave Dillashaw his first title defense as bantamweight champion. At 28 years old, Dillashaw could be on his way to big things. With losses to John Dodson and Raphael Assuncao, he has had some bumps along the road, but Dillashaw appears talented enough to hold onto the belt for many years.

Because he did not cut weight properly and was unable to fight on Saturday, Barao won’t be getting a chance to reclaim his title until he fights somebody else now.

Instead, Assuncao could be up next in a different rematch for Dillashaw. The two originally met in October ’13, when Assuncao edged Dillashaw in a split decision on the scorecards. While Assuncao got his hand raised, it was a controversial decision, with many in the MMA media believing Dillashaw should have won.

While he came up short on Saturday, Soto gained much respect across the MMA world. Rather than stepping in and simply taking his lumps, Soto looked like he belonged inside the Octagon with Dillashaw, an impressive accomplishment for a UFC newcomer.

The former Bellator MMA champion is still only 27 years old, so this may end up being the first of multiple UFC title shots, should he continue to compete like he did this weekend. After the unlikeliest of title shots, Soto will have to work his way back up the ladder, but it doesn’t look like it will take him long to return to title contention judging by his performance against Dillashaw. 

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