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Quote: Cris Cyborg Doesn’t Have Knockout Power

She may be facing by far the toughest test of her MMA career when she meets Cris Cyborg in the main event of this weekend’s (Sat., March 3, 2018) UFC 222 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, but Yana Kunitskaya says she isn’t feeling pressure. Speaking up during an interview with MMAJunkie, the […]

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Speaking up during an interview with MMAJunkie, the Jackson-Wink product said she watched Cyborg throughout her five-round victory over Holly Holm at December’s UFC 219 and noticed holes in the bruising Brazilian’s game ‘everywhere’:

“I don’t feel any pressure. Everyone has weaknesses, and her last fight with Holly (Holm), it was five rounds, and it showed a lot. I was getting ready for everything and find holes everywhere – in stand-up and the ground in wrestling. I’m trying to get ready for everything.”

After winning the vacant Invicta FC bantamweight title last year, Kunitskaya was originally set to make her UFC debut against a much less high-profile opponent, but when Max Holloway was forced out of his scheduled UFC 222 main event with Frankie Edgar, the chance to meet Cyborg on short notice arose.

It was obviously an opportunity she couldn’t pass up, one that she revealed she’d been dreaming about ever since Cyborg was dominating her opponents in Strikeforce:

“Since she started fighting in Strikeforce (I’ve been thinking about it),” Kunitskaya said. “I wanted to fight in Strikeforce, but I couldn’t get a visa, an American visa. After she was fighting in Invicta and then in UFC. All my career I was thinking about this; one day I would fight her. I’m happy this is happening in big show in the UFC, and it’s a good chance for me.”

The bout came to fruition in a somewhat haphazard manner, but Kunitskaya said she was already training so it didn’t affect her camp as much. With dates, times, and opponents constantly shifting, she said she was pleased to finally get the biggest opponent possible:

“I was in my camp for a couple months and was getting ready, and the UFC kept changing everything for me,” Kunitskaya said. “Dates, weight class, girls. So I was just training very hard and was ready for any moment. Three weeks before they told me Cris Cyborg, so I was excited and kept training hard.”

The excitement soon waned, however, and she knew she would be in for the biggest challenge of her athletic career. But even though she believes Cyborg is a strong fighter, perhaps her claimed lack of intimidation comes in the form of her belief that Cyborg doesn’t have real knockout power:

“I know that she’s strong, but I don’t think she has that strong of knockout power,” Kunitskaya said. “She has no clean knockouts where girls go down, like Holly (Holm) have. But yes, she’s very tough. She finishes all the fights by technical knockout. I think I’m strong, too, strong enough to compare with her.”

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Mackenzie Dern: I’m Not The Next Ronda Rousey

As one of the more decorated and well-known female competitors in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Mackenzie Dern will bring her undefeated MMA record to the Octagon at this weekend’s (Sat., March 3, 2018) UFC 222 from Las Vegas, Nevada. With three submission wins on her 5-0 MMA record, Dern has predictably been called ‘the next Ronda Rousey’ – […]

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With three submission wins on her 5-0 MMA record, Dern has predictably been called ‘the next Ronda Rousey’ – something the UFC badly needs right now – by a never-ending stream of sources.

However, headed into her anticipated UFC debut, Dern isn’t exactly on board with all of the comparisons. While she certainly respects what Rousey accomplished in the UFC, she told TMZ Sports that she wants to be her own person in the sport and possibly accomplish even more:

”For sure it’s flattering that when they see me they remember her, that they can see me as her when she was fighting and everything. But, at the same time, to be another Ronda Rousey, it’s like for sure she’s done so much for the sport, and me like personally I hope I can do at least as much if not more for women’s MMA that she’s done, that’s a big inspiration.

”But we are two different people, different personalities, different histories, different obstacles we were facing, when she came into the UFC and now that I’m in the UFC. So I think the biggest thing is it’s a new era, you know? A new generation. So I think it’s nice that people think that, but man, I’m not like the next Ronda Rousey. I’m the new Mackenzie!”

So while she may be touted as the next big thing in women’s MMA, Dern knows she’s still a bit green in terms of an overall MMA body of work outside of jiu-jitsu, shifting her focus to working towards becoming the most well-rounded fighter she can be:

”I came in here to be the best MMA fighter possible. So if I can be like known in the future for being an all around good MMA fighter and not just at jiu-jitsu, I’ll be like, ‘Mission accomplished!’”

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Cat Zingano ‘Broke’ Amanda Nunes, Felt Raquel Pennington ‘Quit’

Cat Zingano may have been gone for a while but she’s never forgotten. The former UFC title contender returns this weekend where she will face Ketlen Vieira in what could ultimately be a No. 1 contender’s bout in the women’s bantamweig…

Cat Zingano Says She Broke Amanda Nunes At Her Lowest Point

After 20 months out of action, former UFC women’s bantamweight title contender Cat Zingano will finally return to the Octagon at this weekend’s (Sat., March 3, 2018) UFC 222 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. There, she’ll meet surging undefeated Ketlen Vieira on the opening main card bout, but Zingano has her eyes on […]

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There, she’ll meet surging undefeated Ketlen Vieira on the opening main card bout, but Zingano has her eyes on a much bigger prize.

As the only female to beat women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes in the Octagon when she stopped ‘The Lioness’ at 2014’s UFC 178, Zingano told MMA Junkie Radio that while Nunes has gotten better she has as well. From a personal standpoint, Zingano feels she was at her lowest in 2014 after dealing with a serious knee injury and the suicide of her husband but was still able to ‘break’ Nunes in their fight:

“She says she’s improved since then, but there’s no way I didn’t improve since then. I didn’t stop training, and that was my first fight back after blowing my knee. It was the first fight back after losing my husband and coach to suicide and having a completely different camp – and having no idea what I was going to do with myself now that there’s a new normal.

“Everything is different now, so to think that I haven’t improved since then, or that was even my best – that’s ridiculous. She had everything in her favor that fight. Everything in her favor in that fight, and I still broke her.”

There’s little doubt that Zingano’s win over Nunes, even in 2014, was a telling reminder of just how much “Alpha” possesses when healthy and focused on fighting, as do her previous wins over current title contender Raquel Pennington and former champion Miesha Tate.

The win over Nunes was her last, however, as injuries and long bouts of inactivity have kept from establishing any tangible momentum in the last few years. Still, with the women’s 135-pound division lacking in true top contenders, Zingano said her bout with Vieira is a potential title eliminator that could put her right back at the top with an impressive finish:

“This fight, they said it has potential to be a No. 1 contender fight,” Zingano said. “That could be one fight away; that could be two fights away. Either way, I’m focused on this fight, I’m focused on getting through this one in the most fantastic way possible. Of course I want those title shots. Of course I want to jump right back in to where I left off and do everything the way that I know I’m capable of doing. I also understand there’s a patience that comes with it and a believing in myself that comes with it, and taking little steps to get to the big steps.”

The words may suggest she’s looking forward to a title fight with Nunes or Pennington, but Zingano then shifted focus to Vieira, admitting the rising Brazilian was no joke while bringing the confidence of being undefeated to UFC 222:

“Ketlen is not a joke,” Zingano said. “She’s a great fighter, and she’s done good. I know what it’s like to be undefeated and to put that pressure on her and do everything I need to do to end up breaking her down from that feeling, I’ve got work to do. It’s a dangerous fighter that’s undefeated. But what’s next is still to be written.”

This weekend could mark the return of one of the division’s biggest stars, or it could mark her further decline, putting Zingano in yet another tough spot in her mercurial five-year career.

She’s been through it – and much worse – before, but will she be able to climb back up the mountaintop this Saturday?

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Frankie Edgar Explains Why He Accepted Fight Against Brian Ortega At UFC 222

There are some fight fans who still do not understand why Frankie Edgar took his next fight. UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway was forced to pull out of his next title defense against the former UFC lightweight champion at UFC 222 due to injury. As a result of this fight being scrapped, the UFC had […]

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There are some fight fans who still do not understand why Frankie Edgar took his next fight.

UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway was forced to pull out of his next title defense against the former UFC lightweight champion at UFC 222 due to injury.

As a result of this fight being scrapped, the UFC had to make some changes to that fight card. Cris Cyborg vs. Yana Kunitskaya in a female featherweight title bout will serve as the headliner.

Now, Edgar is slated to take on fellow top contender Brian Ortega at the upcoming pay-per-view event in the co-main event.

Edgar recently did an interview with MMAJunkie during fight week, and during that interview, he explained once again why he decided to take this fight.

“I like things the hard way, I guess,” Edgar told MMAjunkie. “Nothing comes easy. I’m OK with that. If I think I’m the best guy, I should be able to beat anybody. … I haven’t fought since May. It’s just too long to wait. In December, I pretty much got to the end of the training camp (before I pulled out of UFC 218 against Holloway) and didn’t get that release.

“I always tell people, ‘The week after your fight is just a very good time.’ You get to release, relax, unwind mentally – everything. I didn’t get that. Here we are, four weeks away from it, I didn’t want to have to go through that again. So let’s just get one out of the way and take it from there.”

“It just shows the type of person I am, the type of fighter I am,” Edgar said. “I don’t know if you want to call it like ‘an old school guy’ or what, but you’ve got to go out there, you’ve got to perform in order to get what you want. I’m willing to put my skills on the line and put my heart on the line just to say I’m the best and prove that I can achieve this title.”

UFC 222 is set to take place on Saturday, March 3, 2018, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.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 6:30 p.m. ET.

“You always have to play it safe no matter who you’re fighting,” Edgar said. “I don’t fight any easy guys. I haven’t maybe ever in the UFC. To me, you’ve always got to be safe. But I don’t want to have my foot on the brake at all. My foot is going to be on the gas, and I’m going to be smart at everything.”

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Yana Kunitskaya: I’m Strong Enough to Compare With Cris Cyborg

Yana Kunitskaya feels her power is comparable to that of Cris Cyborg. This Saturday night (March 3), Kunitskaya will challenge Cyborg for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women’s featherweight title. The championship bout will headline UFC 222. The action takes place inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Unfazed Speaking to MMAJunkie.com, Kunitskaya said […]