Tag: UFC 221

Mark Hunt Doesn’t Regret Comments Made Towards Dana White

Veteran UFC heavyweight Mark Hunt is set to make his return to action in the co-main event of this weekend’s (Feb. 10, 2018) UFC 221 from Perth, Australia against rising contender Curtis Blaydes. Although he’ll once again be entering the Octagon, Hunt’s relationship with the UFC has been rocky over the last year or so […]

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Veteran UFC heavyweight Mark Hunt is set to make his return to action in the co-main event of this weekend’s (Feb. 10, 2018) UFC 221 from Perth, Australia against rising contender Curtis Blaydes.

Although he’ll once again be entering the Octagon, Hunt’s relationship with the UFC has been rocky over the last year or so to say the least.

After Brock Lesnar failed a drug test following his UFC 200 fight against Hunt in July 2016, “The Super Samoan” lashed out at the UFC and Lesnar, while also filing a lawsuit. Also, Hunt blasted the promotion after he was pulled from a scheduled main event bout with Marcin Tybura this past November following controversial comments he made about his health.

In a recent interview with ESPN, Hunt said that he doesn’t regret anything he’s said towards White or the UFC:

“No, I never regret airing my grievances,” Hunt said. “I like to speak the truth; if the guys didn’t hear then that’s fine, that’s just the way it is…I don’t regret nothing I say. I go out and speak the truth and that’s all I’m [going to] do. If it costs me, it costs me.”

And although Hunt wishes he was able to take on Tybura in Sydney, Australia, he’s excited to compete again this weekend:

“Yeah it’s great for me to be fighting again,” he said. “I missed out on Sydney, this is my second camp, so I’m looking forward to competing on Sunday and looking forward to locking horns with Curtis Blaydes. He’s No.9, and we’ll see who goes forward.

“I love fighting at home, there’s nothing better. I wish I could have fought in Sydney so I could bring my family to watch me compete. I’m amped, I’m looking forward to fighting on Sunday and putting on a great show. Curtis is a great competitor, he’s No.9 for a reason and we’re going to kill each other. It’s [going to] be great.”

The 43-year-old Hunt has gone 3-1-1 in his last five bouts and is coming off of a stoppage victory over Derrick Lewis last June.

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Luke Rockhold Says He’ll Be Real Champ After UFC 221

Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold has always considered himself the best man in the division, and with a win over fellow contender Yoel Romero on Saturday at UFC 221, he will once again see himself as the true champ of the division. Rockhold, who lost the belt in a knockout loss to Michael Bisping […]

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Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold has always considered himself the best man in the division, and with a win over fellow contender Yoel Romero on Saturday at UFC 221, he will once again see himself as the true champ of the division.

Rockhold, who lost the belt in a knockout loss to Michael Bisping at UFC 198, rebounded with a crushing victory over former World Series of Fighting two-division champion David Branch last September.

Now, he’s set to take on perennial top contender Yoel Romero in the main event of this weekend’s (Sat., Feb. 10, 2018) UFC 221 from Perth, Australia, for the interim belt after undisputed champion Robert Whittaker was forced out of the fight with a frightening staph infection.

Rockhold recently said at the UFC 221 pre-fight press conference via MMA Fighting that with an impressive win over Romero, he will once again be “the real champ” because Whittaker beat Romero by decision:

“Slight difference but this was bound to happen one way or the other. Whittaker would have been first, Yoel would’ve been second. Yoel’s first, so Whittaker will be second. I’m up for the task. I’m not lacking in any way. I’m prepared to fight the best guys in the world. It’s a shame it’s not gonna be for the undisputed title but Whittaker beat Yoel to be the interim champion. I’m gonna beat Yoel to be the interim champion. It’s a matter of who did it better is gonna be the real champion at the end of this thing. So that’s the way I see it.”

The middleweight division remains in flux after GSP’s abrupt abdication and departure and Whittaker’s injury, which leaves the weight class wide open for contenders but also causes a strange and disappointing logjam at the top.

Do you agree with Rockhold that if he defeats Romero handily in Perth, he will be the true champion of the middleweight division?

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Luke Rockhold Says He’ll Be Real Champ After UFC 221

Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold has always considered himself the best man in the division, and with a win over fellow contender Yoel Romero on Saturday at UFC 221, he will once again see himself as the true champ of the division. Rockhold, who lost the belt in a knockout loss to Michael Bisping […]

The post Luke Rockhold Says He’ll Be Real Champ After UFC 221 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold has always considered himself the best man in the division, and with a win over fellow contender Yoel Romero on Saturday at UFC 221, he will once again see himself as the true champ of the division.

Rockhold, who lost the belt in a knockout loss to Michael Bisping at UFC 198, rebounded with a crushing victory over former World Series of Fighting two-division champion David Branch last September.

Now, he’s set to take on perennial top contender Yoel Romero in the main event of this weekend’s (Sat., Feb. 10, 2018) UFC 221 from Perth, Australia, for the interim belt after undisputed champion Robert Whittaker was forced out of the fight with a frightening staph infection.

Rockhold recently said at the UFC 221 pre-fight press conference via MMA Fighting that with an impressive win over Romero, he will once again be “the real champ” because Whittaker beat Romero by decision:

“Slight difference but this was bound to happen one way or the other. Whittaker would have been first, Yoel would’ve been second. Yoel’s first, so Whittaker will be second. I’m up for the task. I’m not lacking in any way. I’m prepared to fight the best guys in the world. It’s a shame it’s not gonna be for the undisputed title but Whittaker beat Yoel to be the interim champion. I’m gonna beat Yoel to be the interim champion. It’s a matter of who did it better is gonna be the real champion at the end of this thing. So that’s the way I see it.”

The middleweight division remains in flux after GSP’s abrupt abdication and departure and Whittaker’s injury, which leaves the weight class wide open for contenders but also causes a strange and disappointing logjam at the top.

Do you agree with Rockhold that if he defeats Romero handily in Perth, he will be the true champion of the middleweight division?

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UFC 221 Embedded Episode 1

UFC 221 is less than a week away and the first episode of Embedded was released on the UFC’s YouTube channel. In the episode, middleweight title contender Luke Rockhold braves the traffic patterns down under as he arrives in Perth to a traditional Australian meal. Opponent Yoel Romero braces himself for a week of media before […]

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UFC 221 is less than a week away and the first episode of Embedded was released on the UFC’s YouTube channel.

In the episode, middleweight title contender Luke Rockhold braves the traffic patterns down under as he arrives in Perth to a traditional Australian meal. Opponent Yoel Romero braces himself for a week of media before his title showdown. Heavyweight Curtis Blaydes takes in the Big Game and recounts how he landed his big fight against local legend Mark Hunt. “The Super Samoan” moves into his fight week home, looks back on his career and hits the gym. Rockhold shops for organic produce and get Ali-inspired advice in the sauna.

You can watch it here:

 

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UFC 221 Countdown: Full Episode

UFC 221 is set to take place on Saturday, February 10, 2018 at Perth Arena in Perth, Australia. The main card will air on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET while the preliminary card will air on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET and the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass, at 6:45 p.m. ET. […]

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UFC 221 is set to take place on Saturday, February 10, 2018 at Perth Arena in Perth, Australia. The main card will air on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET while the preliminary card will air on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET and the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass, at 6:45 p.m. ET.

Luke Rockhold vs. Yoel Romero for the interim middleweight title will serve as the main event while Curtis Blaydes vs. Mark Hunt in a heavyweight bout will serve as the co-main event. Rounding out the five bout card is Cyril Asker vs. Tai Tuivasa in a heavyweight bout, Li Jingliang vs. Jake Matthews in a welterweight bout, and Tyson Pedro vs. Saparbek Safarov in a light heavyweight bout.

The UFC has released the full episode of UFC 221 Countdown to their YouTube channel to not only get the fans excited for this upcoming event but to give insight into the background of the current stories revolving around the fighters. You can watch the full episode here:

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Luke Rockhold Promises To Put Away ‘Overconfident’ Yoel Romero

Luke Rockhold’s quest to regain his UFC middleweight title was recently put on hold when champion Robert Whittaker was forced out of their scheduled UFC 221 main event on February 10 from Perth, Australia. Instead, the former UFC and Strikeforce titleholder will take on Cuban wrestling powerhouse Yoel Romero for another interim title in a division […]

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Luke Rockhold’s quest to regain his UFC middleweight title was recently put on hold when champion Robert Whittaker was forced out of their scheduled UFC 221 main event on February 10 from Perth, Australia.

Instead, the former UFC and Strikeforce titleholder will take on Cuban wrestling powerhouse Yoel Romero for another interim title in a division that’s as confusing as any in the UFC right now – or perhaps ever.

After only just returning to the octagon last September to defeat former WSOF champ David Branch following over a year off when he was knocked out by Michael Bisping, Rockhold has admitted he knows it’s a mess he’s created, and indeed, it is a mess, with three champions since early November and the current one inactive with a serious staph infection.

So Rockhold’s looking to lend at least some continuity to his weight class, and the first step towards doing that is obviously getting past Romero, no easy task in its own right. But as he has been in the past, Rockhold is supremely confident to the point where some would call him cocky, so it was hardly a surprise to hear him predict to MMA Junkie Radio that he was going to stop Romero at UFC 221 and then face Whittaker:

“No one’s putting away Romero other than me and Whittaker, so that’s what I’m going to do: I’m going to put him away. I’m going to show what’s up, and then I’m going to take on Whittaker.”

Rockhold acknowledged Romero’s belief in himself, something he believes could cause overconfidence in his opponent. Even with Romero’s extensive resumé and accomplishments, Rockhold said, he would simply take him to “deeper, darker” places than any of his prior opponents:

“I know Yoel believes in himself. I know he is almost overconfident at times. I think he doesn’t really understand where the dangers are I pose to him. I know what he is and what he’s capable of, but I’m going to give this guy more than he can handle. I’m going to shut him down. I’m willing to go deeper than he’ll ever go.

“Some people act the part. Some people talk the part. But to be the part, to go there and to get into those moments, I’ve never been outdone. I’m willing to go deeper and darker than any of these motherf*ckers. Yoel can look it, and he can act it, but I’ll bring it out of him, and I’ll push this thing to a different world that he’s not ready for.”

Romero has shown moments of sheer dominance in finishing fights with explosive, out-of-nowhere wins few can duplicate inside an MMA cage, but he’s also shown a significant tendency to fade if the fight extends into the championship rounds.

Regardless, the Cuban ‘Soldier of God’ is one of the best wrestlers to ever compete in the UFC, and his track record shows it. With Rockhold being known for one of the most dominant top games on the ground, the grappling battle between these two should be a heated match-up, one where Rockhold believes Romero will find a surprise:

“I don’t know if Yoel thinks he can grapple with me,” Rockhold said. “He’ll be in for a surprise if he really wants to take it there. So whether he wants to strike, and he thinks he’s OK there, I’m going to make him pay there, and I think he falls back to his instincts, and he tries to wrestle. I’m going to make him pay for the wrestling. I’m going to hit scrambles. I’m going to be on top. I’m going to get in positions where he’s never felt.”

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