Tag: UFC 198

Cris Cyborg Meets Leslie Smith At UFC 198: Werdum Vs. Miocic

Cris “Cyborg” Justino’s Octagon debut is now set, as the reigning Invicta FC champion meets Leslie Smith at UFC 198.

The bout will be part of the May event from Brazil that features a headline bout between Fabricio Werdum and Stipe Miocic for the he…

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Cris “Cyborg” Justino’s Octagon debut is now set, as the reigning Invicta FC champion meets Leslie Smith at UFC 198.

The bout will be part of the May event from Brazil that features a headline bout between Fabricio Werdum and Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight title. It will be contested at a catchweight of 140 pounds.

Justino (15-1) has been pushing hard for a chance to compete in the UFC, but by being a featherweight, she was without a weight class. The former Strikeforce champion will be cutting weight for the contest.

Following the demise of Strikeforce when it was consumed under the Zuffa umbrella, Justino and her management firm – led by Tito Ortiz – went to work on a contract with the UFC. When they were unable to reach an agreement, the Brazilian opted to sign with Invicta FC. Recently, the UFC added Invicta FC to UFC Fight Pass, allowing Justino to shine on the all-digital network.

All nine of her most recent victories have been finishes, including wins over Gina Carano, Marloes Coenen and Charmaine Tweet.

Smith (8-6-1) evened her Octagon mark to 2-2 with a recent victory over Rin Nakai. The 33-year-old former Invicta FC fighter also finished Jessamyn Duke

Along with those two bouts, Vitor Belfort meets Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, Uriah Hall squares off with former UFC champion Anderson Silva and Corey Anderson battles Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

The event is set for May 14 from inside the Arena da Baixada in Curitiba, Brazil.

Breaking: Cris Cyborg Will Make Octagon Debut At UFC 198

After weeks of speculation that Invicta FC featherweight champion Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Justino would make her long-awaited Octagon debut at May 14’s UFC 198 from Curitiba in her home country of Brazil, the news has finally been made official. The UFC just announced on their website that ‘Cyborg’ will take on women’s bantamweight Leslie Smith, who

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After weeks of speculation that Invicta FC featherweight champion Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Justino would make her long-awaited Octagon debut at May 14’s UFC 198 from Curitiba in her home country of Brazil, the news has finally been made official.

The UFC just announced on their website that ‘Cyborg’ will take on women’s bantamweight Leslie Smith, who recently beat Rin Nakai via controversial decision at UFC Fight Night 85 on March 19, in a 140-pound women’s catchweight bout.

The dominant ‘Cyborg’ has gone undefeated since her only MMA loss in the first bout of career back in 2005, with the only major blemish on her record in that time a no contest for her prior TKO win over Hiroko Yamanaka in Strikeforce after Justino tested positive for steroids.

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Justino rebounded and won five straight bouts by knockout in Invicta, adding the Invicta FC featherweight title to her Strikeforce championship by defeating Marloes Coenen in 2013. Cyborg most recently defended the belt against Daria Ibragimova with a vicious knockout at Invicta FC 15.

She’ll look to make a splash in her home country when she takes on bantamweight Smith, a fellow Invicta veteran who has a much less glaring overall MMA record of 8-6. Prior to her win over Nakai, Smith had been out of action for over 16 months since Jessica Eye grotesquely exploded her cauliflower ear to win by TKO at UFC 180 in 2014.

Smith is no doubt a tough competitor who never gives up, but she also fought at 125 pounds in Invicta, losing to flyweight champion Barb Honchak in her last fight with the promotion. All told, she’s lost three of her last five fights and will be discussed as the latest undersized and over-matched combatant to step into a cage with ‘Cyborg.’

Cyborg vs. Smith will join an already packed main card in Brazil that includes Fabricio Werdum vs. Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight championship, Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza vs. Vitor Belfort, and Anderson Silva vs. Uriah Hall.

With the addition of arguably the most lethal female fighter on the planet, UFC 198 is definitely in the running for the most packed pay-per-view (PPV) of the year thus far.

Are you excited to watch her debut, even if many will be calling it a glorified squash match?

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Mark Hunt Wants A Big Fight Against Top Five Opponent

After scoring back to back first round knockout victories over the likes of Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and Frank Mir, legendary heavyweight striker Mark “The Super Samoan” Hunt has his eyes set on a big time fight: “Any of them is fine,” Hunt said Monday on The MMA Hour. “Any of the top-five guys would be fine.” Despite

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After scoring back to back first round knockout victories over the likes of Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and Frank Mir, legendary heavyweight striker Mark “The Super Samoan” Hunt has his eyes set on a big time fight:

“Any of them is fine,” Hunt said Monday on The MMA Hour. “Any of the top-five guys would be fine.”

Despite being 41 years of age, Hunt proved that he still has some pop left in his hands, scoring another of his patented walk off knockouts just last week (March 19, 2016) over the former champion in Mir.

The heavyweight division is almost completely booked up at this time in terms of top contenders which could be a problem for Hunt, as “The Super Samoan” is looking to get right back into the thick of things.

Perhaps a marquee matchup at this summer’s UFC 200 would fit the bill, but Hunt also said that he’d be ready to step in on short notice if any heavyweight bouts were to fall apart:

“If someone pulls out, I’d rather fight sooner,” Hunt said. “So if someone pulls out, I’m your man. Give me a call.”

Despite his recent run of success over the last few years inside of the Octagon, Hunt has suffered a few crucial defeats, all coming at the hands of some of the best heavyweights in the world including reigning champion Fabricio Werdum, current title challenger Stipe Miocic, and former divisional kingpin Junior dos Santos.

“The Super Samoan” has never lost in a rematch, and would happily accept a bout with any of those men. In fact, he even admitted that his loss to Miocic taught him a dire lesson regarding fight preparation:

“I want my rematch with those guys,” Hunt said. “That fight with Stipe taught me a big lesson there, never to be so much over weight before the fight. It was a problem. So I won’t be doing that again.”

Who would you like to see the heavy handed Hunt take on next?

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Of Course Miesha Tate Wants To Fight Cris Cyborg…

Newly minted UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate will likely make the first defense of her title in a trilogy match with former champion “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey. A third showdown with Rousey may not be the only lucrative bout waiting for “Cupcake”, however, as she has once again voiced her willingness to fight Invicta FC

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Newly minted UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate will likely make the first defense of her title in a trilogy match with former champion “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey.

A third showdown with Rousey may not be the only lucrative bout waiting for “Cupcake”, however, as she has once again voiced her willingness to fight Invicta FC featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Justino.

Justino, known for her crushing knockout power, has long been considered one of the best female fighters in the world, but has never made her way to the Octagon. That could change very soon, however, as rumors have surfaced indicating that Justino could debut at May’s UFC 198 in Brazil.

While Tate had no official word on “Cyborg’s” status, she did say that she would be interested in a catch weight bout with Justino:

“I’ve been hearing rumors or something that supposedly she’s coming to the UFC, but I’ve been hearing it for such a long time, I just don’t really know. I don’t have that confirmed. But I am open to that fight,” Tate said at a recent Q&A session (Via FOX Sports).

“Maybe doing it at a catchweight at 140. I have nothing but respect for Cyborg. She freaking eats girls for breakfast, so she’s amazing.”

From Tate’s side, the champion claimed that she wouldn’t have much to lose in a fight with “Cyborg”, admitting that she would love to test herself against the sport’s elite:

“It’s like, what do I have to lose in that fight?” Tate said. “I go out there and give it everything I have and if I’m able to take out Goliath, then I am (good). I would love to step in there with someone of her caliber.”

It’s unlikely that Tate will be ready to go again in May, but a clash between she and Justino would undoubtedly be a huge contest.

Would you like to see these two ladies square off in the future?

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Anderson Silva Set To Meet Uriah Hall At UFC 198

As he burst onto the scene of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 18 with an explosive striking skillset, Uriah “Prime Time” Hall was being dubbed as the next Anderson Silva. Fast forward three years and Hall will actually step into the Octagon with the man he was once compared to, the man many consider to be

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As he burst onto the scene of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 18 with an explosive striking skillset, Uriah “Prime Time” Hall was being dubbed as the next Anderson Silva.

Fast forward three years and Hall will actually step into the Octagon with the man he was once compared to, the man many consider to be amongst the greatest mixed martial artists of all-time.

The UFC has confirmed that Silva and Hall will indeed do battle at May 14’s UFC 198 from “The Spider’s” home of Curitiba, Brazil live on pay-per-view.

Despite his illustrious career, Silva has fallen on rough times since losing his title to Chris Weidman at UFC 162 in 2013. He would go on to gruesomely break his leg in the rematch at UFC 168, putting him on the sidelines for nearly a year.

The former champion then returned to action in January 2015, scoring a win over Nick Diaz. That win was later changed to a no-contest, however, after Silva failed a drug test, putting him out of action for yet another year.

After serving his suspension, “The Spider” took on long-time veteran Michael Bisping last month in London, losing a somewhat controversial split-decision, making the all-time great essentially winless since 2012.

Hall, on the other hand, picked up a super impressive stoppage win over former Strikeforce champion Gegard Mousasi last September, but then dropped a short notice decision to Robert Whittaker in November.

A battle between two of the division’s best strikers, Silva vs. Hall is a nice edition to an already compelling card.

Heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum will put his title on the line against Stipe Miocic in the main event, and top 185-pound contenders Ronald “Jacare” Souza and Vitor Belfort will clash in the evening’s co-main event.

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Anderson Silva vs. Uriah Hall Confirmed For UFC 198

The UFC confirmed a recent report for UFC 198, making Anderson Silva vs. Uriah Hall official.

Silva vs. Hall is added to the May 14 event from inside the Arena da Baixada in Curitiba, Brazil that features Fabricio Werdum vs. Stipe Miocic for the hea…

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The UFC confirmed a recent report for UFC 198, making Anderson Silva vs. Uriah Hall official.

Silva vs. Hall is added to the May 14 event from inside the Arena da Baixada in Curitiba, Brazil that features Fabricio Werdum vs. Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight title.

Also, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza battles Vitor Belfort in the co-main event and former light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua takes on Corey Anderson.

The 40-year-old Silva (33-7) is coming off a decision loss to Michael Bisping last month in England. “The Spider” has not scored an official victory since a 2012 TKO vs. Stephan Bonnar in Brazil, which was also the last time he competed in his home country.

Silva’s name is atop several UFC records, including most finishes (14), most finishes in the middleweight division (10), most consecutive wins (16), longest win streak (16) and most knockdowns (17).

Hall (12-6) had his two-fight win streak snapped by Robert Whittaker in November. The Ultimate Fighter finalist, who was compared to Silva after a highlight-reel knockout on the show by UFC president Dana White, had finished Gegard Mousasi and Oluwale Bamgbose as part of a five-fight calendar year in 2015.

Following a loss to Kelvin Gastelum in the finals of TUF, Hall was bested by John Howard. He went on to win three in a row over Chris Leben, Thiago Santos and Ron Stallings before losing a split decision to Rafael Natal.