Tag: UFC 275

Event of the Year – LowKick MMA 2022 Awards

Event of the YearThe UFC has drawn the curtain on what has been another scintillating year for the promotion. Numerous pay-per-view events and fight night cards took to our screens nearly every single week of the year it’s hard to narrow down our ‘Event of the Year’. With so many events to choose from we got our team […]

Event of the Year

The UFC has drawn the curtain on what has been another scintillating year for the promotion. Numerous pay-per-view events and fight night cards took to our screens nearly every single week of the year it’s hard to narrow down our ‘Event of the Year’.

With so many events to choose from we got our team of writers here at LowKickMMA to vote on what was their event of the year in 2022. Let us take a look at how the results broke down.

Event of the Year: UFC London: Volkov vs. Aspinall (5 Votes)

Taking the crown as our Event of the Year for 2022 was none other than UFC London in March. Despite not being of the promotions pay-per-view events of the year the atmosphere inside the arena gave off exactly that. IMMAF champion and now flyweight contender, Muhammad Mokaev introduced himself to the UFC with his sub-minute submission victory over Cody Durden. The pride of Wales, Jack Shore extended his undefeated run to 16-0 with a calculated decision victory over Timur Valiev.

Ju-Jitsu ace Paul Craig implemented his truly unique fighting style onto Nikita Krylov with supreme effect, submitting the Ukrainian in the first round. Scouse supremacy reigned in London as Molly McCann delivered her iconic spinning elbow knockout and Paddy Pimblett secured his second finish in the promotion against Rodrigo Vargas.

Arnold Allen took down a veteran of the sport and continued his impressive run inside the promotion after defeating Dan Hooker via TKO. Saving the best till last, Tom Aspinall announced himself as a real threat to the heavyweight division with a flawless performance against longstanding UFC veteran Alexander Volkov, submitting him in the opening minutes of the first round.

Honorable Mentions

UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira (4 Votes)

Coming in at a close second was UFC 281 with 4 votes. When a card only requires the use of the ringside judges on three occasions you can be sure that it delivered, and this is exactly the case for UFC 281. Carlos Ulberg kicked off the action with a brutal knockout of Nicolae Negumereanu. Matt Frevola put an end to highly touted prospect Ottman Azaitar’s undefeated streak, knocking out the previously 13-0 lightweight in the first round. Erin Blanchfield unveiled her true potential after providing an absolutely dominant performance submitting Molly McCann.

Chris Gutierrez gave Frankie Edgar a sour ending to his career inside the octagon after he caught the 35-fight veteran with a brutal flying knee knockout. Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler turned in what many fans considered ‘fight of the year’ resulting in ‘The Diamond’ submitting the fellow former title challenger in the final round. Weili Zhang reclaimed her UFC strawweight championship after she submitted Carla Esparza.

Saving the best till last once again, Alex Pereira put a stop to arguably one the greatest middleweights of all time’s reign at the top of the division when he secured a TKO and his third victory over then champion, Israel Adesanya. Had UFC London not delivered on all aspects, it is almost certain UFC 281 would have been crowned Event of the Year.

UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Prochazka (2 Votes)

Taking the third and final sport in our Event of the Year competition is UFC 275 with 2 votes. Silvana Gomez Juarez acquired the first finish of the evening when she secured a technical knockout over Na Liang. Brendan Allen would then shortly follow up extending his good form in 2022 with a unanimous decision victory over Jacob Malkoun. Jack Della Maddalena overcame his toughest test to date since signing for the promotion and put his exquisite boxing ability to good use to see off Ramazan Emeev in the very first round.

Following on from Maddalena, Jake Matthews turned in his best performance to date after he brutally knocked out Andre Fialho in the second round. Weili Zhang secured herself another shot at her previously held UFC strawweight title when she dispatched former title holder Joanna Jedrzejczyk with a spinning back fist, sending the former champion into retirement.

Valentina Shevchenko overcame her toughest title challenger to date (or did not in some people’s eyes) when she edged out a split decision over Brazil’s Talia Santos.

In the main event, Jiri Prochazka and Glover Teixeira delivered arguably one of the best fights of the year in their back-and-forth war for the UFC light heavyweight championship. Just seconds remained in the matchup and had the bout gone to the judges’ scorecard, Glover Teixeira would have secured his first successful title defense at the pinnacle of the 205-pound division. However, this was not to be as Jiri Prochazka submitted the Brazilian in the dying moments to crown himself as the new UFC light heavyweight champion of the world.

Full List Of 2022 Prospect Of The Year Votes

Frank Bonada: UFC London

Ross Markey: UFC 275

Murdo Todd: UFC 281

Patrick Post: UFC London

Ian Shutts: UFC London

Tim Wheaton: UFC London

Ollie Brockett: UFC 281

Keelin McNamara: UFC London

Marc Ray: UFC 275

Arshan Dhillon: UFC 281

Alex Lerman: UFC 281

UFC London claimed victory in our Event of the Year Awards 2022. Let us know in the comments below whether you agree with our decision.

Following the announcement of the promotion returning to the UK in March with UFC 286, do you believe it could deliver the same level of excitement as before?

Jan Blachowicz Calls For Middleweight Title Fight With Israel Adesanya

Jan BlachowiczJan Blachowicz has a victory over UFC middleweight world champion Israel Adesanya at light heavyweight. Now he’s open to running it back at 185 pounds. After dropping his title to Glover Teixeira at UFC 267 in October, the Cieszyn, Poland native bounced back with a third-round TKO over Aleksandar Rakic in a title eliminator. Now […]

Jan Blachowicz

Jan Blachowicz has a victory over UFC middleweight world champion Israel Adesanya at light heavyweight. Now he’s open to running it back at 185 pounds.

After dropping his title to Glover Teixeira at UFC 267 in October, the Cieszyn, Poland native bounced back with a third-round TKO over Aleksandar Rakic in a title eliminator. Now it looks like Blachowicz may have to wait in line for a crack and new light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka.

After his win over Teixeira at UFC 275 to capture his first world title in the promotion, the stars were aligned for a European showdown between Poland’s Jan Blachowicz and the Czech Republic’s Jiri Prochazka. Now it appears that ‘Denisa’ has different plans.

“Hello everybody. I wish you a great day, and I made [a decision] for my next fight: I want to fight Glover the next fight,” said Prochazka in a post on Instagram.

Jan Blachowicz Willing to ‘Sacrifice’ Himself to Make The 185-Pound Limit

Voicing his displeasure with Prochazka’s statement, Jan Blachowicz may have found another opportunity at UFC gold. During an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Blachowicz discussed the possibility of moving down to middleweight to challenge ‘The Last Stylebender’ for his crown.

“Maybe this is the reason that now he will be very careful in the fights to not make any mistakes. Just don’t lose the fight. Maybe I have to cut the weight and give him rematch in his category. If I have a chance, why not? For Izzy and his belt, to fight for the belt? I can try.”

Making the 185-pound weight limit could prove to be a daunting task for the Polish wrestler. Blachowicz typically tips the scales at the 205-pound light heavyweight limit and the lightest weight he can remember competing at is still 15 pounds heavier than the middleweight world title fight requirement.

“I don’t remember [the lightest I’ve been as an MMA fighter] but when I was a fighter in Muay Thai, it was 91 kilos or [200 pounds],” he said. “For a title, I can sacrifice myself a little bit. Why not? I will do it.”

One other hiccup in a potential rematch is that Israel Adesanya is slated to face former Glory kickboxing rival Alex Pereira following his first-round knockout of Sean Strickland at UFC 276. With a built-in story, it’s highly unlikely that the UFC would opt to give Blachowicz a middleweight title shot over ‘Poatan’. 

The end result could leave Blachowicz waiting an extended period of time for a title opportunity or accepting a bout with another top contender and putting his spot in line at risk.

Jiri Prochazka Offers UFC Title Fight Rematch To Glover Teixeira: ‘My Performance Was Bad’

Jiri ProchazkaOff the back of his UFC light heavyweight championship coronation last month, Czech Republic finisher, Jiri Prochazka has offered to rematch former division titleholder, Glover Teixeira in his first defense of the 205lb crown, insisting that he was less than happy with his performance in June. Jiri Prochazka managed to submit Glover Teixeira with a […]

Jiri Prochazka

Off the back of his UFC light heavyweight championship coronation last month, Czech Republic finisher, Jiri Prochazka has offered to rematch former division titleholder, Glover Teixeira in his first defense of the 205lb crown, insisting that he was less than happy with his performance in June.

Jiri Prochazka managed to submit Glover Teixeira with a late fifth round rally

Jiri Prochazka, who landed his third promotional victory back in the main event of UFC 275 back in June, stopped then-defending light heavyweight champion, Teixeira with a hail mary, fifth round rear-naked choke – in a bout he was losing on the judge’s scorecards.

Touted as one of the greatest and most competitive title fights in the history of the promotion’s light heavyweight division, following his title victory, Prochazka was immediately linked with a championship rematch against the Minas Gerais veteran, who held his own, and was mere moments away from snapping Prochazka’s promotional perfect run.

Another potential opponent for former Rizin FF champion, Prochazka in his first attempted defense of light heavyweight gold, came in the form of former champion, Jan Blachowicz. However, Prochazka insists he would like to improve on his performance against Teixeira – in the form of an immediate title re-run.

“Hello everybody, I wish you a great day,” Jiri Prochazka said in a video posted on his social media. “I have decided on my next fight. And I wanna fight Glover (Teixeira) (in) the next fight. Not because it will be another big fight, but one reason – my performance was bad in the first fight. And I will show you why I am the champion, clearly, decisively. And I think Glover deserves it.” (H/T UFC on BT Sport)

Prior to his championship-clinching performance against Teixeira, Prochazka managed to earn his premier title challenge with a pair of blistering knockout wins over former title challengers, Volkan Oezdemir, and Dominick Reyes.

Jan Blachowicz Expects Title Fight With Jiri Prochazka Over Glover Teixeira Rematch; ‘He Will Be Upset’

Jan BlachowiczFollowing his third-round win over Aleksandar Rakic in May, Jan Blachowicz expects the UFC to give him the first crack at new UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka. At UFC 275, Prochazka defeated UFC mainstay, Glover Teixeira, in an absolute war that many called a potential Fight of the Year candidate. It was a back-and-forth […]

Jan Blachowicz

Following his third-round win over Aleksandar Rakic in May, Jan Blachowicz expects the UFC to give him the first crack at new UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka.

At UFC 275, Prochazka defeated UFC mainstay, Glover Teixeira, in an absolute war that many called a potential Fight of the Year candidate. It was a back-and-forth affair that saw both fighters on the cusp of a finish. In the end, the Czech fighter scored a rear-naked choke with just 28 seconds left in the fifth round to get the submission and his first piece of UFC gold.

While speaking to The Schmo, Blachowicz discussed a potential title bout with Prochazka and admitted that he would be upset should the UFC move forward with an immediate rematch between the new world champion and Teixeira.

“Of course, I will. And he will be upset when they give me this title shot. It’s normal, yeah? But I think, yeah, I would like to prove the world that I will just get this belt back.”

Jan Blachowicz Wants to Face Jiri Prochazka in a ‘Battle For Europe’

Despite early rumors that the UFC may be considering a rematch of the UFC 275 main event, Blachowicz believes that the UFC will give him the opportunity to reclaim the light heavyweight title next.

“I believe in that. I believe everything what you say right now…I don’t think they would not give it to me. But if [I’m not given a title shot], I don’t care. I never choose my opponent.”

Jan Blachowicz laid down the challenge to Jiri Prochazka on Twitter calling it the “Battle of Europe.” Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, the new light heavyweight king expressed an interest in taking on the Polish pounder, calling him the “most dangerous man” in the division, aside from himself of course.

“I think the most dangerous man here in the light heavyweight division, after me, under me, there is Jan Blachowicz — and I think he can be the next challenger of me.”

Dana White Hints at Jiri Prochazka Headlined European PPV, Speaks on Prochazka’s Heroic Homecoming

Dana White Jiri Prochazka PPVAfter a stunning win at UFC 275 to claim the light heavyweight title, it could be safe to say that Jiri Prochazka has ascended into superstardom. So, it’s no surprise that after the fights at UFC Austin, Dana White was asked about the possibility of a European PPV featuring Prochazka as one side of the […]

Dana White Jiri Prochazka PPV

After a stunning win at UFC 275 to claim the light heavyweight title, it could be safe to say that Jiri Prochazka has ascended into superstardom. So, it’s no surprise that after the fights at UFC Austin, Dana White was asked about the possibility of a European PPV featuring Prochazka as one side of the main event.

“We wanna take this thing everywhere,” Dana White began. “It’s just gonna depend on what’s going on around the world, as far as COVID restrictions and that type of stuff. I’m going to places that are easy to run the business. That’s where I’m going.”

“But yes,” White continued. “Eventually we wanna go everywhere. That thing (Jiri Prochazka returning home to the Czech Republic) reminded me of Brady and the Patriots going back to town after winning a Super Bowl. That’s what that looked like. So yes, It would be incredible to do an event there (in the Czech Republic or Europe).”

European PPV Could Be Next for Jiri Prochazka, But Who Does He Defend The Belt Against?

UFC 275 featured one of the greatest light heavyweight fights of all time and ended with Jiri Prochazka locking in a rear-naked choke with less than thirty seconds separating him from a submission victory or a decision loss (as Glover Teixeira was ahead on the judges’ scorecards).

Fortunately for ‘Denisa’, Teixeira would tap and the judges’ score would never play a factor in crowning the winner. And, in only three fights, Jiri Prochazka has realized his UFC dreams and now stands at the top mountain. But, where will he go from here?

A potential rematch with Glover Teixeira could make sense. After all, it was a legendary battle and a true “instant classic”. Both men displayed heart and willpower in what was one of the grittiest fights in recent memory.

However, Jan Blachowicz is also waiting in the wings. Being of European descent himself, he could be an ideal partner for Prochazka to headline a massive European PPV with.

Who would you like to see face Jiri Prochazka, and where in Europe should the UFC look to hold an event?

Shevchenko Shares Theory On Why Santos Performed Well At UFC 275

Valentina Shevchenko was given a real run for her money at UFC 275 by Taila Santos this past weekend. Shevchenko successfully retained her 125-pound title over Santos via split decision in a very close bout. Santos looked as dominant as anyone ever has against Shevchenko inside the Octagon, but it still wasn’t enough. Speaking at…

Continue Reading Shevchenko Shares Theory On Why Santos Performed Well At UFC 275 at MMA News.

Valentina Shevchenko was given a real run for her money at UFC 275 by Taila Santos this past weekend.

Shevchenko successfully retained her 125-pound title over Santos via split decision in a very close bout. Santos looked as dominant as anyone ever has against Shevchenko inside the Octagon, but it still wasn’t enough.

Speaking at the post-fight press conference, Shevchenko reflected on the contest, and what, if anything, surprised “Bullet” about her counterpart’s performance. She noted that Santos’ weight was certainly a factor inside the Octagon.

“Weight, it was kind of (noticeable) that she was big. And I don’t know, maybe it’s the structure we have here, kind of like two nights after the weigh-in to replenish the food, to gain more weight.

“Because coming into this fight, into the arena, my weight was 130 pounds. And I didn’t gain almost nothing. And she looked like (she) was kind of like bigger. Maybe this was why she had a little bit more success (on the mat).”

Santos took Shevchenko down on several occasions throughout the fight, holding dominant position and attempting several submissions.

However, Shevchenko argues that she was the more active fighter on the ground despite being on bottom, and doesn’t think Santos did enough to win those rounds despite her position.

“But still, like I mentioned, she was not active — even just holding position, but being not active, it doesn’t mean you’re gonna win the fight. Me being on the ground, being on the other position, I (was) constantly striking, striking, striking, and working towards the victory.”

What do you make of Valentina Shevchenko and her comments on her win over Taila Santos? Let us know in the comments!

Continue Reading Shevchenko Shares Theory On Why Santos Performed Well At UFC 275 at MMA News.