Tag: UFC 218

Max Holloway vs. Frankie Edgar Is Back On At UFC 222

If you were upset that Frankie Edgar was forced to pull out of his scheduled featherweight title bout versus Max Holloway at UFC 218 on December 2, 2017, you won’t have to wait long to see it. UFC officials confirmed today that the surging “Blessed” will take on former lightweight champion Edgar in the main event […]

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If you were upset that Frankie Edgar was forced to pull out of his scheduled featherweight title bout versus Max Holloway at UFC 218 on December 2, 2017, you won’t have to wait long to see it.

UFC officials confirmed today that the surging “Blessed” will take on former lightweight champion Edgar in the main event of March 3’s UFC 222 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Hawaiian Holloway turned heads in every corner of the mixed martial arts world throughout 2017, winning the official UFC 145-pound title from longtime former champion Jose Aldo via third-round TKO at June 2017’s UFC 212 and defending it by stopping Aldo in the third round once again at UFC 218 after “The Answer” was forced out with an orbital injury. The victories against the all-time great had Holloway high on many people’s “Fighter of the Year” list, and many thought he was indeed the best of 2017.

The win gave Holloway an unprecedented 12th in a row since his unanimous decision loss to former champion Conor McGregor in August 2013. He also won the interim featherweight belt against Anthony Pettis at December 2016’s UFC 206.

He’ll face one of the most grizzled veterans in the UFC in Edgar, who has exhibited toughness and grit uncommon even in the highest levels of MMA. “The Answer” was last seen dominating formerly touted prospect Yair Rodriguez at last May’s UFC 211 to earn his title shot, which will almost certainly be his last in the octagon without a win, as he’s dropped four straight bouts with a belt on the line.

But he’s also won his last seven non-championship fights and has been one of if not the most consistent performers in the UFC for many years. He won the lightweight title from legend BJ Penn in 2010 and defended it against longtime rival Grey Maynard before dropping two close bouts to Benson Henderson and moving down to featherweight in 2013.

Healed from his orbital issue, Edgar will now have his latest- and most likely last – chance to win UFC gold.

Can he stop the momentum of a surging freight train like Holloway?

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UFC 220: Miocic vs. Ngannou Press Conference

With the year-ending pay-per-view UFC 219 set to go down tomorrow (Sat., December 30, 2017) from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, the UFC will look to put a strange 2017 behind them and look forward to the potential of a fresh slate in 2018. Part of that potential will start early in the year when […]

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With the year-ending pay-per-view UFC 219 set to go down tomorrow (Sat., December 30, 2017) from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, the UFC will look to put a strange 2017 behind them and look forward to the potential of a fresh slate in 2018.

Part of that potential will start early in the year when heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic meets surging prospect Francis Ngannou in the main event of January 20’s UFC 220 in Boston in one of the most anticipated UFC heavyweight match-ups in memory. Daniel Cormier will also defend his title against rising star Volkan Oezdemir in the co-main event.

The card has the firepower to get 2018 started right, and the UFC will look to get anticipation going with an official press conference streaming live at 5 pm EST today. Watch the action unfold live here:

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UFC Tradition: UFC 218 Re-Air Scheduled for FOX on Christmas Eve

UFC 218: Holloway vs. Aldo 2 will air this Christmas Eve on FOX, according to a report by MMA Fighting. The special is scheduled for December 24 beginning at 10 p.m. ET and running for 90 minutes. The exact nature of what will be shown is unknown at th…

UFC 218: Holloway vs. Aldo 2 will air this Christmas Eve on FOX, according to a report by MMA Fighting. The special is scheduled for December 24 beginning at 10 p.m. ET and running for 90 minutes. The exact nature of what will be shown is unknown at this time. UFC 218 went down earlier […]

UFC Featherweight Reacts To Bizarre Finger-Biting Incident At UFC Fresno

UFC Fresno had a bit of a Mike Tyson moment when Jason Knight bit Gabriel Benítez’ finger during their featherweight clash last Saturday. Knight as ultimately deducted a point for his indiscretion, and Benítez gave his thoughts on the bite days later. “I think it was a moment of desperation. I heard when his corner […]

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UFC Fresno had a bit of a Mike Tyson moment when Jason Knight bit Gabriel Benítez’ finger during their featherweight clash last Saturday.

Knight as ultimately deducted a point for his indiscretion, and Benítez gave his thoughts on the bite days later.

“I think it was a moment of desperation. I heard when his corner yelled, ‘defend the guillotine, defend the guillotine,’ and in that moment I had him in the guillotine, and I think he felt the pressure. When I grabbed the chin, he slid his chin to his chest, opened his mouth, and in that moment he bit me.”

“All of the sudden, I just felt the bite, and it happened twice. The first one, I stopped for a second and thought, ‘no, it can’t be,’ and the second one, that’s when I yelled because it hurt a lot. My finger is actually a bit swollen, but nothing major happened. He was wearing a mouthpiece but that protected the top teeth, not the bottom, so I did feel the teeth but it didn’t open (cut) me or anything, it was just the pressure of the bite which hurt a lot.”

Knight ended up losing the fight anyway in a bout that saw Benítez dominate from start to finish. “Hick Diaz” carried a good deal of hype leading into the fight, and had proved to be a colorful character during interviews with the media.

While many fighters could have been psychologically and physically shaken by being bit, Benítez persevered and took a decision victory. Two judges even scored the bout 30-26 in Benítez favor.

He revealed despite the distraction of the bite, he didn’t want to let it alter his game on the way to his highest-caliber win:

“In that moment, I didn’t want to get distracted by anything,” Benitez said. “I just simply let it be because I didn’t want to get distracted. I didn’t feel any anger, I just almost didn’t believe it like at that moment. I was like, ‘This is not true, he didn’t bite me,’ so I was just incredulous. But nothing major happened and I was able to continue.

“I just simply stuck to my strategy. I didn’t want to go to the ground with him, I felt superior on the feet, so I just stuck to my plan. If I went to the ground, I was just going to stand back up and keep hitting him on the feet. Even my coach Javier Mendez told me, ‘Don’t worry, you can keep attempting it (guillotine choke), but we’re going to stick to the strategy,’ and that’s what I did.”

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Holly Holm Discusses Thoughts On Move Back To Boxing

Holly Holm is stepping up to take on one of if not the most dangerous female fighters in MMA history when she meets Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino in the main event of December 30’s UFC 219, and while her professional boxing days are over, she still has a massive fight ahead of her. The first fighter […]

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Holly Holm is stepping up to take on one of if not the most dangerous female fighters in MMA history when she meets Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino in the main event of December 30’s UFC 219, and while her professional boxing days are over, she still has a massive fight ahead of her.

The first fighter to beat Ronda Rousey in MMA spoke about her upcoming bout against Cyborg and her past career in boxing during a media scrum for UFC 218:

“I am done boxing. I don’t have the passion for it any more, and it hasn’t come back to me. Maybe that’s because I’m still fighting, so I don’t feel like I ever really retired.”

I didn’t know how I would feel when that fight was over, with a win if I’d be excited and want to do it again. With a loss, I’d probably want to do it again, because I wouldn’t want to end like that. When the fight was over, it was beautiful. It was in my hometown and they brought a beautiful bouquet, and I’m standing there, everything was a beautiful moment thinking, ‘I can’t wait to take my boxing shoes off.’”

The UFC has begun to dabble in boxing with their participation in Mayweather vs. McGregor. While UFC President Dana White hasn’t really discussed the exact specifications of the promotion’s future plans to get more into boxing, Holm made it clear that her boxing days are over:

“And, that’s it. I keep thinking, am I going to ache for it again? And I don’t. And it’s not because I don’t love boxing. I did, obviously. I did it for 10 years professionally. It’s just my new motivation is this new career I’ve been on. So I have no desire to go back to boxing.”

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UFC Rankings Update: Francis Ngannou Overtakes Top Spot At HW

Francis Ngannou has risen to the top spot in the latest UFC rankings. The surging heavyweight star improved three spots to No. 1 after his scintillating first-round knockout of former title challenger in the co-main event of last Saturday’s (Dec. 2, 2017) UFC 218 from Detroit. It’s the expected result, as news broke last night […]

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Francis Ngannou has risen to the top spot in the latest UFC rankings.

The surging heavyweight star improved three spots to No. 1 after his scintillating first-round knockout of former title challenger in the co-main event of last Saturday’s (Dec. 2, 2017) UFC 218 from Detroit.

It’s the expected result, as news broke last night that Ngannou would be taking on current champion Stipe Miocic in the main event of January 20’s UFC 220 from Boston, Massachusetts. Miocic has also finished Overeem in the main event of September 2016’s UFC 203, but it wasn’t without some adversity, as ‘The Demolition Man’ dropped the Ohioan in the first frame and had him in trouble before getting stopped with strikes himself.

‘The Predator’ had no such trouble with Overeem, which undoubtedly played into him opening as the betting favorite over Miocic. Ngannou has won six straights fights in the UFC while Miocic has won five, making their title fight one of the best in the recent memory of the UFC’s star power-void heavyweight division.

For now, check out the full updated rankings courtesy of the UFC’s official website right here:

POUND-FOR-POUND
1 Demetrious Johnson
2 Georges St-Pierre
3 Conor McGregor
4 Max Holloway
5 Daniel Cormier
6 TJ Dillashaw
7 Stipe Miocic
8 Tyron Woodley
9 Tony Ferguson
10 Cris Cyborg
11 Cody Garbrandt
12 Amanda Nunes
12 Robert Whittaker +1
14 Joanna Jedrzejczyk +1
15 Dominick Cruz *NR

FLYWEIGHT
Champion: Demetrious Johnson
1 Joseph Benavidez
2 Henry Cejudo
3 Ray Borg
4 Jussier Formiga +1
5 Sergio Pettis -1
6 Wilson Reis
7 Brandon Moreno
8 Ben Nguyen
9 John Moraga
10 Dustin Ortiz
11 Tim Elliott
12 Alexandre Pantoja
13 Louis Smolka
14 Deiveson Figueiredo
15 Magomed Bibulatov

BANTAMWEIGHT
Champion: TJ Dillashaw
1 Cody Garbrandt
2 Dominick Cruz
3 Raphael Assuncao
4 Jimmie Rivera
5 John Lineker
6 Bryan Caraway
7 Marlon Moraes
8 Aljamain Sterling
9 John Dodson
10 Thomas Almeida
11 Pedro Munhoz
12 Eddie Wineland
13 Brett Johns *NR
14 Rob Font -1
15 Matthew Lopez -1

FEATHERWEIGHT
Champion: Max Holloway
1 Jose Aldo
2 Frankie Edgar
3 Ricardo Lamas
4 Cub Swanson
5 Chan Sung Jung
6 Brian Ortega
7 Yair Rodriguez
8 Jeremy Stephens
9 Darren Elkins
10 Renato Moicano
11 Dennis Bermudez
12 Dooho Choi
13 Mirsad Bektic
14 Myles Jury
15 Jason Knight

LIGHTWEIGHT
Champion: Conor McGregor
1 Tony Ferguson (Interim Champion)
2 Khabib Nurmagomedov
3 Eddie Alvarez +1
4 Edson Barboza -1
5 Justin Gaethje
6 Nate Diaz
7 Dustin Poirier
8 Kevin Lee
9 Michael Chiesa
10 Michael Johnson +1
11 Al Iaquinta -1
12 Beneil Dariush
13 Anthony Pettis
14 Francisco Trinaldo *NR
15 James Vick -1

WELTERWEIGHT
Champion: Tyron Woodley
1 Stephen Thompson
2 Robbie Lawler
3 Colby Covington
4 Rafael Dos Anjos
5 Demian Maia
6 Jorge Masvidal
7 Darren Till
8 Carlos Condit
9 Donald Cerrone
10 Santiago Ponzinibbio
11 Neil Magny
12 Kamaru Usman
13 Gunnar Nelson
14 Dong Hyun Kim
15 Yancy Medeiros *NR

MIDDLEWEIGHT
Champion: Georges St-Pierre
1 Robert Whittaker (Interim Champion)
2 Yoel Romero
3 Luke Rockhold
4 Jacare Souza
5 Chris Weidman
6 Kelvin Gastelum
7 Michael Bisping
8 Derek Brunson
9 Anderson Silva
10 David Branch
11 Uriah Hall
12 Vitor Belfort
13 Krzysztof Jotko
14 Lyoto Machida
15 Paulo Costa

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
Champion: Daniel Cormier
1 Alexander Gustafsson
2 Volkan Oezdemir
3 Glover Teixeira
4 Jimi Manuwa
5 Ovince Saint Preux
6 Mauricio Rua
7 Misha Cirkunov
8 Corey Anderson
9 Ilir Latifi
10 Patrick Cummins
11 Rogerio Nogueira
12 Gadzhimurad Antigulov
13 Tyson Pedro
14 Jared Cannonier
15 Jan Blachowicz

HEAVYWEIGHT
Champion: Stipe Miocic
1 Francis Ngannou +3
2 Alistair Overeem -1
3 Fabricio Werdum -1
4 Cain Velasquez -1
5 Mark Hunt
6 Derrick Lewis
7 Alexander Volkov
8 Marcin Tybura
9 Curtis Blaydes
10 Stefan Struve
11 Aleksei Oleinik
12 Andrei Arlovski
13 Junior Albini
14 Travis Browne
15 Tim Johnson

WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT
Champion: Rose Namajunas
1 Joanna Jedrzejczyk
2 Jessica Andrade
3 Claudia Gadelha
4 Karolina Kowalkiewicz
5 Tecia Torres
6 Cynthia Calvillo +1
7 Michelle Waterson -1
8 Felice Herrig +1
9 Carla Esparza -1
10 Alexa Grasso
11 Cortney Casey
12 Paige VanZant
13 Joanne Calderwood
14 Randa Markos
15 Maryna Moroz

WOMEN’S FLYWEIGHT
Champion: Nicco Montano
1 Sijara Eubanks *NR
2 Lauren Murphy *NR
3 Roxanne Modafferi *NR
4 Barb Honchak *NR
5 Montana De La Rosa *NR
6 DeAnna Bennett *NR
7 Rachael Ostovich *NR
8 Jessica Rose Clark *NR
9 Mara Romero Borella *NR
10 Shana Dobson *NR
11 Gillian Robertson *NR
12 Kalindra Faria *NR
13 Melinda Fabian *NR
14 Bec Rawlings *NR
15 Emily Whitmire *NR

WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT
Champion: Amanda Nunes
1 Valentina Shevchenko
2 Holly Holm
3 Julianna Pena
4 Raquel Pennington
5 Ronda Rousey
6 Cat Zingano
7 Sara McMann
8 Ketlen Vieira
9 Germaine de Randamie
10 Alexis Davis
11 Liz Carmouche
12 Marion Reneau
13 Katlyn Chookagian
14 Bethe Correia
15 Leslie Smith

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