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Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has once again praised newly crowned king Leon Edwards for the head kick that shocked the world at UFC 278. As we approach the end of August, MMA fans will be reflecting on a month that included one of the …
Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has once again praised newly crowned king Leon Edwards for the head kick that shocked the world at UFC 278. As we approach the end of August, MMA fans will be reflecting on a month that included one of the biggest come-from-behind victories seen inside the Octagon, and one…
Continue Reading Usman Remains “Almost In Awe” Of Head Kick One Week Later at MMA News.
UFC lightweight contender Justin Gaethje is thankful that his UFC 268 war with Michael Chandler didn’t see a fourth or fifth round, for the sake of the former Bellator champion. At the November 2021 pay-per-view, the always-entertaining Gaethje shared the Octagon with Chandler, who was making his third UFC appearance. It’s probably safe to say…
Continue Reading Gaethje: Chandler Might’ve Died If Our Fight Was Five Rounds at MMA News.
UFC lightweight contender Justin Gaethje is thankful that his UFC 268 war with Michael Chandler didn’t see a fourth or fifth round, for the sake of the former Bellator champion.
At the November 2021 pay-per-view, the always-entertaining Gaethje shared the Octagon with Chandler, who was making his third UFC appearance. It’s probably safe to say that no fight has ever managed to exceed such high expectations like the UFC 268 main card opener.
From the very first second, both men threw heavy leather, cracking each other hard and letting blood spill inside Madison Square Garden. While the two looked wobbled at points, with a brutal uppercut even sending “Iron” to the canvas, the fight went the full 15-minute distance.
“The Highlight” ultimately had his hand raised via unanimous decision, but both men increased their stocks with the consensus Fight of the Year on November 6.
While the pair are set to return to action this Saturday at UFC 274, with Gaethje challenging Charles Oliveira’s reign and Chandler facing UFC veteran Tony Ferguson, the #1-ranked contender believes such a quick return may not have been possible for his last opponent had their fight gone an extra two rounds.
During a recent interview with Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole, Gaethje reflected on his ninth walk to the Octagon, which incredibly saw him collect a ninth post-fight bonus.
According to “The Highlight,” the fight was as good as over early in the second round. With that in mind, and with the heavy damage that Chandler sustained in the final frame, Gaethje believes that an extra 10 minutes would have seen catastrophic consequences for the health of the #5-ranked lightweight.
“In the first round, for about a minute-and-a-half, Chandler had a chance. A minute or two into the second round, it was over,” said Gaethje. “And if it goes five rounds, he might die. And that’s—I don’t want that to happen, I never wanna hurt somebody like that.
“But he was in a bad spot and I was landing some seriously, seriously significant shots in that fight. He wasn’t able to get it to the ground, and he was gonna continue to take that damage,” added Gaethje. “If he would’ve stayed on the leg kicks, then it woulda maybe been a different fight.”
Nevertheless, the fight was set for three rounds and, after recovering from the long-lasting effects of his brawl with Gaethje, Chandler is set for his fourth taste of Octagon action this weekend in Arizona.
While he’s certainly maintained his fan-favorite reputation in defeat so far, a loss to “El Cucuy,” who has been resoundingly beaten in his last three fights, would certainly put a dent in Chandler’s title aspirations.
How do you think Justin Gaethje’s UFC 268 war with Michael Chandler would have played out with a fourth and fifth round?
Continue Reading Gaethje: Chandler Might’ve Died If Our Fight Was Five Rounds at MMA News.
UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler says he suffered more than a loss on the scorecards to Justin Gaethje in their war at UFC 268. Chandler and Gaethje threw bombs from start to finish over three rounds, with both fighters dealing significant damage. After 15 minutes of action, Gaethje earned the unanimous decision win. Gaethje and […]
Continue Reading Michael Chandler Reveals Long-Lasting Physical Effects Of Gaethje Fight at MMA News.
UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler says he suffered more than a loss on the scorecards to Justin Gaethje in their war at UFC 268.
Chandler and Gaethje threw bombs from start to finish over three rounds, with both fighters dealing significant damage. After 15 minutes of action, Gaethje earned the unanimous decision win.
Gaethje and Chandler would each earn ‘Fight of the Year’ awards for their efforts at UFC 268. Both men also received performance bonuses following the event.
But Chandler’s loss to Gaethje might’ve stung more than most realized.
During a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Chandler spoke about how long it took to fully recover from the bloodbath with Gaethje.
“It took a while. I mean, we had a lot of soft tissue damage,” Chandler said. “Obviously, the face is always the most telling, but the face healed up pretty quick… Really just soft tissue damage. Obviously there’s no doubt I took a lot of leg kicks. So, my left leg was pretty beat up. My right foot, from the leg kicks that I landed on Justin Gaethje, my right foot/right ankle is still a little bit creaky when I wake up in the morning. But I mean, it was probably six weeks, total, to where I felt like I was able to train at 100% again.”
Chandler is still in the process of working his way back to the Octagon in 2022, including possible fights with Conor McGregor, Tony Ferguson, and Nate Diaz. Chandler and McGregor have gone back-and-forth in lighthearted banter on social media in recent months. It is the Ferguson bout, however, that is currently in the works as confirmed by UFC President Dana White.
Despite the loss to Gaethje, Chandler arguably won more than he lost following the bout. He earned the respect and name recognition of the UFC fanbase in just his third fight with the promotion following a long tenure in Bellator.
How do you think Michael Chandler’s 2022 run will look?
Continue Reading Michael Chandler Reveals Long-Lasting Physical Effects Of Gaethje Fight at MMA News.
UFC lightweight contender Justin Gaethje had a significantly different take than most fans while he fought Michael Chandler at UFC 268.
In the promotion’s return to Madison Square Garden last November, a host of moments took the roof off the iconic…
UFC lightweight contender Justin Gaethje had a significantly different take than most fans while he fought Michael Chandler at UFC 268.
In the promotion’s return to Madison Square Garden last November, a host of moments took the roof off the iconic arena and had fans across the world stuck to their TV sets.
From Chris Barnett’s spinning wheel kick, Ian Garry’s McGregor-esque debut knockout, and Alex Pereira’s memorable flying knee KO, to Rose Namajunas and Kamaru Usman’s successful title defenses, the event certainly didn’t disappoint.
But the one fight that left everybody talking was the clash of lightweight contenders between Gaethje and Chandler. Leaving everything in the cage, both men swung hard and put their bodies on the line. After 15 minutes, Gaethje walked away with the unanimous decision verdict, but both played their part in what was the consensus fight of the year bout.
Whether it was FOTY or not, everybody has and continues to recognize the incredible contest. But one man had a different version of events at the time, that man being one half of the memorable clash.
During a recent interview with BT Sport while in attendance at UFC 270 last weekend, Gaethje incredibly claimed he thought the fight was “boring” while he was inside the Octagon. “The Highlight” said he didn’t like it because the main card opener represented a rare moment where he favored securing the victory over putting “Iron” to sleep.
“To be completely honest with you, I felt like that was kind of a boring fight when I was in there,” said Gaethje. “Yeah, it just makes no sense. It’s the first time I’ve ever wanted to win more than to knock somebody out. So, yeah, it was not good, I didn’t like it. I wanna go back to just wanting to hurt somebody and finish them. But, now that I’ve won, I got my title shot, I can go back to how it should be.”
Thrilling, exhilarating, exciting, enthralling, memorable, crazy, and a host of other adjectives have been used to describe UFC’s 268’s Fight of the Night. But I guess we now have to add… boring to it? I’m okay leaving that out if you are.
How would you describe Justin Gaethje’s barnburner with Michael Chandler at UFC 268?
Continue Reading Gaethje: I Thought Chandler Clash At UFC 268 Was A Boring Fight at MMA News.
UFC women’s strawweight contender Zhang Weili says she has no regrets about her second defeat to Rose Namajunas at UFC 268, and has vowed to come back stronger.
Heading into 2021, Zhang held the 115-pound gold, was riding a 21-fight win streak, boa…
UFC women’s strawweight contender Zhang Weili says she has no regrets about her second defeat to Rose Namajunas at UFC 268, and has vowed to come back stronger.
Heading into 2021, Zhang held the 115-pound gold, was riding a 21-fight win streak, boasted a perfect 5-0 UFC record, and already had a successful title defense over the great Joanna J?drzejczyk under her belt. But while 2020 saw her extend her reign in style in a Fight of the Year contender, last year was less successful for the Chinese star.
At UFC 261, Namajunas provided one of the most memorable moments in the promotion’s history, knocking Zhang out with a first-round head kick in front of the first sold-out crowd in over a year. In doing so, “Thug Rose” became the first woman in UFC history to regain a title.
Seven months later, Zhang had her chance for redemption. In the UFC 268 co-main event, she went five round with the champ inside Madison Square Garden. While many believed “Magnum” did enough to leave the Octagon with the belt back in her possession, Namajunas was awarded the nod on two scorecards.
After her KO loss last April, Zhang was visibly unhappy at the stoppage and seemed reluctant to accept the result. She made a number of comments about the defeat in the following months, including a claim that Namajunas made disparaging comments about her in the build-up in order to turn the fans against the-then strawweight queen, as well as a suggestion that Chris Weidman’s leg break played a part in the result.
However, Zhang’s response to her November setback couldn’t have been more different, despite the incredibly tight nature of it. That positive attitude was clear in a recent interview with People Magazine in China. “Magnum” claimed the defeat has provided her with an opportunity to learn and grow, something she says has built a “new me.”
“Failure is not a bad thing for us. It’s a beginning for us to learn and become stronger. Now I start anew. I’m a new me. A new ‘Beijing Drifter’. I will keep grinding for my dream.”
Despite back-to-back losses, Zhang insists she has no regrets about her UFC 268 performance and is not at a low point in her career. Instead, “Magnum” believes she’s on an upwards surge, and is solely focused on accomplishing her goals when she returns to the Octagon this year.
“I don’t think I’m at a low point right now,” Zhang said. “I think I’m at the point of a final sprint, a point of sprinting upwards.
“There’s no need to regret the past or worry about the future. Just focus on accomplishing every single thing in the present. Eat well when it’s time to eat. Train hard when it’s time to train. Do your best at whatever it is you are doing and the future will not be too bad.” (h/t South China Morning Post)
While her next opponent is yet to be decided, Zhang is seemingly working hard to get back to her best for her next outing. In an exclusive interview with MMA News, Eddie Cha recently revealed Zhang will be returning to the Fight Ready gym in the next few weeks.
When she does begin training again with the likes of Cha and Henry Cejudo, we can expect a fight announcement to come relatively quickly, perhaps in the form of a rematch against J?drzejczyk.
Do you think Zhang Weili will bounce back to the title in the coming months and years?
Continue Reading Zhang Has No Regrets After 2nd Namajunas Loss, Makes Vow For Future at MMA News.
Michael Chandler has learned his lesson following UFC 268.
Michael Chandler and Justin Gaethje put on a Fight of the Year contender at UFC 268, but it was too much for Chandler. The main card opening bout went the entire three-round distance.
G…
Michael Chandler has learned his lesson following UFC 268.
Michael Chandler and Justin Gaethje put on a Fight of the Year contender at UFC 268, but it was too much for Chandler. The main card opening bout went the entire three-round distance.
Gaethje and Chandler went hard and took just as much damage as they gave. Both men were transported to the hospital following the fight. Now a month removed, Chandler is reflecting back on the war.
“I don’t want to fight that way ever again, but 95% of the fight was just a good ol’ fashioned passionate scrap, you know?” Chandler explained on the Bussin’ With The Boys Youtube channel. “5% of it was a little bit of, ‘Dude, what are you doing, man?’ Of course, I’ve gotten criticism like, ‘Hey, if you would have been a little more tactical and not try to put on a show, you would have won the fight.”
Following the loss, Chandler has been open about his performance and the damage he took in the fight. She shared a wholesome video of himself explaining to his son why he looked the way he did following the fight. Chandler has publically gone over details of the fight, and although it didn’t go his way, he is proud of his performance.
“But truthfully, I’m not just saying this. This sounds like something a loser of a fight would say,” Chandler said. “But it’s very genuine when I say it was the first time in my career Mike Beltran, the referee, grabbed my wrist, and it was that moment when I was about to get my hand raised or keep it down while my opponent got his hand raised or kept it down. And at that moment, when he grabbed my wrist, I was like, ‘Oh, shoot. There’s gonna be a winner and a loser right now.’ First time in my life.’”
Chandler is currently healing up and assessing his next move. He has been targeting a fight with Conor McGregor. Whatever his next move is, Chandler still holds Gaethje in high regard, and perhaps we will see these two fight again one day, however, it should be different the next time around.
Do you think the UFC 268 bout between Michael Chandler and Justin Gaethje is the best fight of the year?
Continue Reading Chandler: I Never Want To Fight Like At UFC 268 Ever Again at MMA News.