UFC 248

Edmen Shahbazyan Believes Win Over Derek Brunson Puts Him In Title Contention

UFC middleweight prospect Edmen Shahbazyan is looking forward to big things should he defeat Derek Brunson. Shahbazyan faces arguably his toughest opponent yet in Brunson at UFC 248 which takes place March 7 in Las Vegas. The unbeaten 22-year-old has already made a splash with the promotion following impressive finishes over Jack Marshman and Brad […]

UFC middleweight prospect Edmen Shahbazyan is looking forward to big things should he defeat Derek Brunson.

Shahbazyan faces arguably his toughest opponent yet in Brunson at UFC 248 which takes place March 7 in Las Vegas. The unbeaten 22-year-old has already made a splash with the promotion following impressive finishes over Jack Marshman and Brad Tavares.

And he hopes to continue his run with another impressive performance against a veteran in Brunson:

“I think it’s a great matchup,” Shahbazyan told MMA Junkie. “I know he’s a veteran of the sport and he’s been a top contender fighting for a while, but I look forward to going out there and performing amazingly.”

The middleweight division is as stacked as ever with a number of top contenders such as Paulo Costa, Jared Cannonier and Darren Till to name a few.

Shahbazyan is looking to join that fray and potentially enter title contention with a win over Brunson:

“I just turned 22,” he added. “I’m improving every single day, and I love doing this. With a win over him, it puts me in a great spot in the division to soon fight for a title.

“I want to be the champ, and I’m going to do whatever it takes to get there one step at a time.”

It is likely that Shahbazyan will need a few more wins before he can think of a title shot. However, he is certainly going in the right direction.

What do you think of Shahbazyan’s future in the middleweight division?

Jared Cannonier Calls Out Kelvin Gastelum For UFC 248

Jared Cannonier has had a tough time locking down an opponent for UFC 248. Initially, Cannonier was scheduled to face Robert Whittaker at the pay-per-view (PPV) event. However, Whittaker pulled out of the card for personal reasons that have yet to be confirmed. Then, it was said that Cannonier would face former UFC welterweight title […]

Jared Cannonier has had a tough time locking down an opponent for UFC 248.

Initially, Cannonier was scheduled to face Robert Whittaker at the pay-per-view (PPV) event. However, Whittaker pulled out of the card for personal reasons that have yet to be confirmed. Then, it was said that Cannonier would face former UFC welterweight title challenger Darren Till. Unfortunately, Till hasn’t agreed to the fight as there are conflicting reports that he’s dealing with an injury or simply can’t come to a financial agreement with the UFC.

In the meantime, Cannonier is trying to secure an opponent for the PPV. He recently took to Instagram and suggested to UFC president Dana White that they match him up with former interim 185-pound title challenger Kelvin Gastelum.

“5 weeks out from UFC 248 and still no fight. @robwhittakermma can’t make it. @darrentill2 is still thinking about it. I’ve got people asking me left and right if they can go ahead and buy tickets and plan trips to Vegas @mickmaynard2 @danawhite @ufc if Darren won’t fight and @yoelromeromma can get a title shot on a 2 fight L streak, then give @kgastelum a contenders match on one too. This is me waiting to hear back.”

View this post on Instagram

5 weeks out from UFC 248 and still no fight. @robwhittakermma can’t make it. @darrentill2 is still thinking about it. I’ve got people asking me left and right if they can go ahead and buy tickets and plan trips to Vegas @mickmaynard2 @danawhite @ufc if Darren won’t fight and @yoelromeromma can get a title shot on a 2 fight L streak, then give @kgastelum a contenders match on one too. This is me waiting to hear back.

A post shared by Jared Cannonier (@killagorillamma) on Jan 31, 2020 at 8:12am PST

Cannonier has been extremely impressive since jumping up to middleweight. He is currently on a three-fight win streak since cutting down to middleweight from the light heavyweight division. With wins over the likes of David Branch, Anderson Silva, and Jack Hermansson, Cannonier is just a win or two away from a title shot.

What do you think about Cannonier calling out Gastelum for UFC 248?

Israel Adesanya Plans To ‘Make It Look Easy’ Against Yoel Romero

Israel Adesanya believes he can style on Yoel Romero. On March 7, Adesanya will put his UFC middleweight gold on the line against Romero. The 185-pound title bout is set to headline UFC 248 inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It’ll be…

The post Israel Adesanya Plans To ‘Make It Look Easy’ Against Yoel Romero appeared first on MMA News.

Jorge Masvidal Breaks Down Adesanya vs. Romero

Jorge Masvidal gave his thoughts on the upcoming UFC 248 headliner between middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero. The two middleweights are set to clash on March 7 in a fight many hardcore fans are excited to see. Masvidal is one of them and believes his training partner and friend in Romero is going […]

The post Jorge Masvidal Breaks Down Adesanya vs. Romero appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Jorge Masvidal gave his thoughts on the upcoming UFC 248 headliner between middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero.

The two middleweights are set to clash on March 7 in a fight many hardcore fans are excited to see. Masvidal is one of them and believes his training partner and friend in Romero is going into the bout a very different fighter following his last result — a very close decision loss to Paul Costa:

“He’s ready, man,” Masvidal told ESPN. “This is a good training camp for him. His mind is right and it’s been right for over a period of time. Before the Izzy fight, he had a very bitter mouth about his last fight [vs. Costa] and I understood because I thought he won as well. Yoel sometimes, he wins and takes a couple of weeks off. After that fight, he was jsut back in the gym, hungry as ever.

“We’re going to see how much better conditioned he is for this fight, better than any other fight because he’s been in training camp for so long and his mind hasn’t gotten away. I think maybe that decision loss might have been good in insight because the fire he’s coming in with for this fight, I like what I’m seeing.”

Can the undefeated Adesanya handle this new Romero? Masvidal is a fan of “The Last Stylebender” and heaped praise on his numerous qualities.

However, he feels Adesanya hasn’t faced anyone like Romero yet and naturally, is picking his friend to come away with the win:

“Izzy’s got so much talent, so precise with his striking,” Masvidal explained. “But I don’t think, well, I know he hasn’t faced anything like Yoel. When Yoel’s at his best, he is one of the best dual-threats that you can come around. He can take you down from the clinch, from the single leg, from the double leg, he can grab your ankle and make you do a backflip. And any one of his hands in your face — forget about the knees — if he touches with a knee or elbow, you’re going to a place for a long time. You might wake up in a recovery bed.

“Yoel’s one of those few guys that can grapple at a high level and at any moment in the fight [knock you out]. There’s not many guys like that. Obviously, Izzy’s younger, great conditioning, master of the standup, great reach and he can dictate the pace really well. … I think it’s going to be an amazing fight. Obviously I’m biased in this one. I’m going with my boy Yoel. But Izzy’s one of the best guys I’ve seen for a while at 185.”

What do you make of Masvidal’s breakdown?

The post Jorge Masvidal Breaks Down Adesanya vs. Romero appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Archives: Zhang Takes Aim At J?drzejczyk Over Coronavirus Joke (2020)

Prior to the epic encounter between Weili Zhang and Joanna J?drzejczyk at UFC 248 that saw Zhang emerge victorious via split decision, there was already some tension between the two athletes as evident in the below article. The following article was pu…

Continue Reading Archives: Zhang Takes Aim At J?drzejczyk Over Coronavirus Joke (2020) at MMA News.

UFC 248 Poster Officially Released Featuring Adesanya, Romero

The UFC 248 poster has officially been released ahead of the pay-per-view (PPV) event from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 7. In the main event of the night, UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will put his title up for grabs against Yoel Romero. Adesanya comes off of a second-round knockout victory […]

The post UFC 248 Poster Officially Released Featuring Adesanya, Romero appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

The UFC 248 poster has officially been released ahead of the pay-per-view (PPV) event from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 7.

In the main event of the night, UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will put his title up for grabs against Yoel Romero. Adesanya comes off of a second-round knockout victory over Robert Whittaker, while Romero comes off a controversial decision loss to Paulo Costa. Costa was initially expected to face Adesanya for the title, however, the Brazilian suffered an injury, opening up the door for “The Soldier Of God.”

The co-main event will see women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang defend her title against former division queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Both title fights are featured on the recently released poster, which you can check out below, along with the card thus far.

Middleweight: (C) Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero
Women’s strawweight: (C) Weili Zhang vs. Joanna J?drzejczyk
Middleweight: TBD vs. Jared Cannonier
Middleweight: Derek Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
Welterweight: Neil Magny vs. Li Jingliang
Middleweight: Rodolfo Vieira vs. Saparbek Safarov
Lightweight: Beneil Dariush vs. Drakkar Klose
Welterweight: Alex Oliveira vs. Max Griffin
Women’s strawweight: Emily Whitmire vs. Polyana Viana
Bantamweight: Danaa Batgerel vs. Guido Cannetti

What do you think about the UFC 248 poster? What do you make of the card?

The post UFC 248 Poster Officially Released Featuring Adesanya, Romero appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.