Tag: ufc 307

Khalil Rountree Delivers Motivational Speech To His Teammates

Khalil Rountree gave a good account of himself in the main event of UFC 307 despite being a sizable underdog. Many expected that Alex Pereira would defend his lightweight title in Salt Lake City but the feeling was that the fight would be entertaining for however long it lasted. In the end, the challenger made […]

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Khalil Rountree gave a good account of himself in the main event of UFC 307 despite being a sizable underdog.

Many expected that Alex Pereira would defend his lightweight title in Salt Lake City but the feeling was that the fight would be entertaining for however long it lasted.

In the end, the challenger made it competitive in the first three rounds but started to slow down and when he did, an incredible display of toughness kept him in there as “Poatan” looked to close the show.

Just days after the biggest fight of his career, Rountree returned to his home base of Syndicate MMA where his coach, John Wood, used his fighter as a role model for others to follow.

“As a coach guys, there’s not much more, obviously the best thing is always to go out and get a win and that’s what we’re always looking to do and have that success but all I ask for you guys, one way or the other, is go out and fight your a** off. Go out on your shield like this man did the other night. Shock the world, proved to a lot of people that he deserves to be there, proved to himself, proved to all of us what we already knew, that he’s one of the best in the world so congratulations.”

Khalil Rountree Tells His Teammates That UFC 307 Setback Had Motivated Him And Should Do The Same For Them

Rountree then gave his own speech where he reflected on the fight and his performance against one of the biggest stars in the sport.

His interviews on fight week both before and after the contest featured a lot of talk about self belief and gratitude.

This was still the case in the words he said days after UFC 307, telling his teammates that he wanted to thank them for their support and share the positives that he was able to take away from the defeat.

“I’ve gone out there and like represented Syndicate. I think that like not only was I the underdog but it just shows like I’ve been training out of this place for so long and we don’t need all this crazy s***, we don’t need all these guys from all around the world. We just need us, we got enough people here on the mats to make sure that we can go and fight for a title and show who we are so yeah. I just wanted to swing by, I saw everybody’s support in the IG group so I thought let me just go say what’s up to everybody.

“But yeah, hell of a fight. Dude was big. Dude was big, I tried to use whatever tools I can but it motivated me. I think like just to know that I went in there and put up the fight that I had but I’m not done. We’re not done here, I know Syndicate we’re gonna keep going so yeah, appreciate you guys.”

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Chael Sonnen: Kayla Harrison Not Next In Line For UFC Title Shot Based On ‘Merit’ 

If the UFC was to favor a meritocratic route to decide the first challenger to Julianna Peña, former fighter Chael Sonnen believes Raquel Pennington would be getting an immediate rematch. Having not competed since being unseated by Amanda Nunes back in July 2022, Peña returned to the bantamweight throne at this past weekend’s UFC 307 […]

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If the UFC was to favor a meritocratic route to decide the first challenger to Julianna Peña, former fighter Chael Sonnen believes Raquel Pennington would be getting an immediate rematch.

Having not competed since being unseated by Amanda Nunes back in July 2022, Peña returned to the bantamweight throne at this past weekend’s UFC 307 pay-per-view in Salt Lake City.

“The Venezuelan Vixen” fell on the right side of a widely debated split decision verdict in Utah, bringing a short reign for Pennington to an end in the co-main event.

Some were pointing to the recent numbered card as a tournament for the 135-pound division, with top contenders Kayla Harrison and Ketlen Vieira meeting earlier in the night.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time PFL champion emerged victorious from that clash on the scorecards, seemingly booking a first UFC title shot.

Sonnen, however, thinks the conversation isn’t quite so clear-cut…

Sonnen Puts Pennington Above Harrison In Meritocratic Title Shot Queue

During a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sonnen reacted to the events that unfolded in regard to the bantamweight championship conversation at UFC 307.

While Sonnen acknowledged that Harrison is likely to compete for the gold in her third walk to the Octagon, he suggested that wouldn’t be the case if the decision was based on “merit.”

“When we’re having the discussion of what’s next, I think it would be responsible for us all — because if we’re just coming from a competitive nature or looking at the rankings, something like that, you lose, you don’t get Kayla. You get Raquel,” Sonnen said. “If you’re gonna just pay attention to merit and who’s done what, you don’t get Kayla vs. Peña next, you get Raquel in a rematch.

“From the world of promotion, there is nothing on Peña vs. Pennington in a rematch. But guys, there was nothing on it three days ago when we saw it,” Sonnen continued. “We’re not in a vastly different situation. If we’re just going to go off of merit, Pennington must be considered. That’s what I’m offering for you. Pennington should be the champion of the world right now.”

Regardless, Harrison is expecting to receive her opportunity next time out, having started life on MMA’s biggest stage with consecutive wins over top-five opposition at 135 pounds.

Continue Reading Chael Sonnen: Kayla Harrison Not Next In Line For UFC Title Shot Based On ‘Merit’  at MMA News.

Kevin Holland Tells Troll He Feels Like A ‘Total Piece Of Sh*t’ After UFC 307 Injury Loss

UFC middleweight Kevin Holland is understandably not pleased with the manner in which he fell to defeat in Salt Lake City this past weekend. Holland had an opportunity to break into the top 10 at 185 pounds at Saturday’s UFC 307 pay-per-view event in Salt Lake City. He was matched up against Roman Dolidze after […]

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UFC middleweight Kevin Holland is understandably not pleased with the manner in which he fell to defeat in Salt Lake City this past weekend.

Holland had an opportunity to break into the top 10 at 185 pounds at Saturday’s UFC 307 pay-per-view event in Salt Lake City. He was matched up against Roman Dolidze after returning to the weight class in style at the expense of Micha? Oleksiejczuk this past June.

While he left the Polish veteran injured after finding an armbar at UFC 302, the grappling exchanges against Dolidze saw “Trailblazer” on the receiving end of a painful night.

After attempting to break the Georgian’s control in round one, an awkward twist on the ground resulted in Holland audibly reacting to an injury. And although he managed to see out the round before clutching his rib, the bout was waved off before the second frame.

Holland Agrees With Abusive Internet Troll’s UFC 307 Take

No fighter in the sport is safe from those in the MMA community who choose to unload on them in defeat, and that’s especially the case when an injury leads to a fight’s conclusion.

Holland was evidently the recipient of such messages from trolls post-UFC 307, and he revealed an interaction with one in a recent Instagram Story.

An attached image showed DMs from a user who berated him by branding him a “sh*t fighter.” While some would either ignore the troll or perhaps hit back, Holland went a different route.

“Can’t have a response to everyone but yeah I feel like a total piece of sh*t,” Holland captioned his Instagram Story. “My bad to all the ones who put some bread on the line or told they friend I was gonna win. I’m a p*ssy.”

Holland also agreed with the troll while directly responding to them.

With the unfortunate result in Utah, “Big Mouth” has now lost three of his last four. Prior to returning to middleweight, Holland dropped back-to-back decisions opposite Jack Della Maddalena and Michael “Venom” Page.

Continue Reading Kevin Holland Tells Troll He Feels Like A ‘Total Piece Of Sh*t’ After UFC 307 Injury Loss at MMA News.

‘Get In Line’ – Kamaru Usman Laughs Off Joaquin Buckley’s UFC 307 Callout

Joaquin Buckley did the unthinkable at UFC 307 by becoming only the second fighter ever to knock out Stephen Thompson. He tried to grapple the veteran striker from the get-go. but “Wonderboy” could get back to his feet quickly every time. Based on the official scorecards, the third round would’ve decided the winner of the […]

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Joaquin Buckley did the unthinkable at UFC 307 by becoming only the second fighter ever to knock out Stephen Thompson. He tried to grapple the veteran striker from the get-go. but “Wonderboy” could get back to his feet quickly every time.

Based on the official scorecards, the third round would’ve decided the winner of the fight but Buckley sealed the deal with an overhand right. Interestingly, it was similar to the overhand superman punch Anthony Pettis landed to knock out Thompson five years ago.

“New Mansa” called out Kamaru Usman after the victory but it seems like the former champ has no intentions of entertaining that fight…

Kamaru Usman Admits Joaquin Buckley’s Calling Him Out At UFC 307 Was Better Than The Conor McGregor Callout

In the latest Pound 4 Pound with Kamaru & Henry podcast, Henry Cejudo asked Usman about Buckley calling him out after the impressive KO win at UFC 307. The American fighter is now 5-0 at welterweight and is clearly riding an impressive win streak.

However, “The Nigerian Nightmare” outright laughed at the callout and asked Buckley to get in line since the latter’s not the only welterweight to call out the former kingpin recently.

“Take a number and get in line! I believe he’s probably, what, the 10th, 11th guy? I don’t know how many guys have called me out. It is what it is. It’s obviously, like DC said, it’s a more reasonable callout for him because he is on the streak. He’s been doing good work inside there. I believe he was losing that fight and it was just a way to be relentless and find the shot, eventually, to get that finish. So, you know, hats off to him.”

However, Usman gave Buckley his props for winning against “Wonderboy” in the best way possible. He also agreed with Daniel Cormier that this was a much more sensible callout than his last fight.

From the looks of it, Buckley will have to yet again wait for his dream opponent. A couple more memorable wins would make him an undeniable title challenger, though.

Continue Reading ‘Get In Line’ – Kamaru Usman Laughs Off Joaquin Buckley’s UFC 307 Callout at MMA News.

Julianna Peña Downplays Harrison’s Performance Against Vieira: ‘She Didn’t Do Anything’

Julianna Peña Downplays Harrison’s Performance Against Vieira: ‘She Didn’t Do Anything’Julianna Pena was not impressed with Kayla Harrison’s sophomore appearance inside the Octagon. On Saturday, both Pena and Harrison…

Julianna Peña Downplays Harrison’s Performance Against Vieira: ‘She Didn’t Do Anything’

Julianna Pena was not impressed with Kayla Harrison’s sophomore appearance inside the Octagon.

On Saturday, both Pena and Harrison returned to MMA’s biggest stage as part of the promotion’s UFC 307 card in Salt Lake City. In the co-main event of the evening, ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ recaptured the bantamweight championship via a controversial split decision victory over Raquel Pennington.

Julianna Pena

Immediately following the fight, Pena called for a trilogy bout with former two-division queen Amanda Nunes despite ‘The Lioness’ retiring from the sport last year following a dominant win against Irene Aldana at UFC 289.

“When I saw Amanda retire that day, I was sitting cageside, and I was booing because I didn’t believe she was truly done,” Peña said at the post-UFC 307 press conference. “You hear Dana White saying that he thinks she retired too early, and then you watch her and I think she’s just twiddling her thumbs and saying, ‘What am I doing? I’m bored. Who am I if I’m not fighting in the UFC?’

“I truly do not believe she’s done. She retired too early. I think that she’s looking for something to do. That, to me, is the biggest fight in women’s mixed martial arts history because we’re 1-1,” Peña said. “My fight against her was so dominant, I made her tap. Our second time, I ran out of time. I lost a decision handily, fine. No problem. But it would be nice to put it to bed once and for all and get that trilogy fight that she ran away from” (h/t Middle Easy).

Julianna Pena was not impressed with the two-time Olympic gold medalist’s performance

In reality, Pena’s next opponent will likely be Harrison who claimed her second-straight win and 18th overall to kick off Saturday’s main card in The Crossroads of the West. The two-time Olympic gold medalist handily defeated No. 2 ranked contender Ketlen Vieira.

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That should put Harrison next in line, but Pena doesn’t seem too keen on giving the former PFL champion a shot at the gold.

“To be honest, I’ll tell you, I was warming up and focusing on my own fight,” Peña said when asked about Harrison’s performance. “But, with that being said, I had my coaches there watching the fight [and] kind of giving me the 4-1-1 on what was going down. We’re not impressed. She said she was gonna put an elbow through her skull, and she was gonna do all this damage. Like, the girl [Vieira] didn’t have a scratch on her. It was boring, and she didn’t do anything that jumped off the pages like, ‘Ooh, the boogeyman.’ You know what I mean? So I was definitely, especially hearing from my team, not impressed.

“If Amanda cowers away, again, and does not come back and fight me then yes. Kayla brings a lot of eyeballs and a lot of attention to the sport and I love that.”

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VIDEO: Israel Adesanya Reacts To Former Rival Alex Pereira’s UFC 307 Win

Israel Adesanya watched closely as UFC 307 went down this past weekend, where a former foe of his was back in action. The former two-time middleweight champion is always able to offer unparalleled analysis when Alex Pereira is stepping inside the cage. They’ve faced each other on four occasions in various rule sets, and despite […]

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Israel Adesanya watched closely as UFC 307 went down this past weekend, where a former foe of his was back in action.

The former two-time middleweight champion is always able to offer unparalleled analysis when Alex Pereira is stepping inside the cage.

They’ve faced each other on four occasions in various rule sets, and despite his prior losses to “Poatan,” Adesanya is the only man to beat him in the UFC.

Via the reactions video on his YouTube channel, FREESTYLEBENDER, fans got the chance to watch “The Last Stylebender” enjoy a fun fight and devastating performance from Pereira to cap off the night.

Israel Adesanya Reacts To Alex Pereira’s Ruthless Display At UFC 307

Now that he’s not competing against him and they’re in different weight classes, Adesanya is able to join the ranks of all the fans that enjoy watching Pereira do what he does best.

Throughout his reaction, he constantly drew attention to things that Pereira is doing or thinking based on his experiences of fighting and studying “Poatan.”

Despite a strong start to the fight from the challenger, Adesanya believed that Pereira was only going to get stronger as the fight went on.

“Round two, if ‘Poatan’ gets past this or doesn’t get knock him out, I think he’ll be fine. Khalil is better early on… I think he has to. If not, ‘Poatan’ is gonna get those leg kicks going again.”

Adesanya also pointed out in-between rounds how well the champion is able to recover in tough fights, whispering about how he knows all too well about this.

“He’s a f****** demon bro. I felt it.”

The third round came to a close and the former champ made the call that Pereira was going to close out proceedings in the fourth round now that he had really found his groove in Salt Lake City.

“I can feel it, I can feel it. Now it’s gonna be ‘Chama’ time.”

Throughout the fourth round, Adesanya repeatedly called for Pereira to switch up his approach and target the body which he eventually did, ending the fight after a barrage of strikes that Rountree somehow withstood.

“Good on him, he lasted longer than I thought he would but at least someone else took him to the fourth round, shows how good Khalil is.”

Adesanya rounded out his thoughts on the fight by talking about what is in front of both Pereira and Rountree going forward.

“He’s got some hard fights in front of him but he’s that guy right now, he’s on… honestly, that’s how I called it but I thought it was going to be early but shout to Khalil ’cause heart. Fighting with a broke nose, f***** eye and intelligence not to blow his nose in the fight, respect and his stock goes up after this, so yeah, what a moment.”

Continue Reading VIDEO: Israel Adesanya Reacts To Former Rival Alex Pereira’s UFC 307 Win at MMA News.