Tag: UFC Austin

Donald Cerrone Responds To Anthony Smith’s Accusation Of Stealing Family’s Seats During UFC 235

Donald CerroneAhead of his Octagon return at UFC Austin against Joe Lauzon, veteran former lightweight championship challenger, Donald Cerrone has responded to recent claims from former light heavyweight title chaser, Anthony Smith – who accused Cerrone and Dan Bilzerian of stealing his family’s seats during his UFC 235 title fight.  Removed from his UFC 274 lightweight […]

Donald Cerrone

Ahead of his Octagon return at UFC Austin against Joe Lauzon, veteran former lightweight championship challenger, Donald Cerrone has responded to recent claims from former light heavyweight title chaser, Anthony Smith – who accused Cerrone and Dan Bilzerian of stealing his family’s seats during his UFC 235 title fight. 

Removed from his UFC 274 lightweight return against Lauzon due to food poisoning, Donald Cerrone returns in Texas this weekend in tandem with Lauzon – attempting to make one final run in the division following a return to the welterweight pile.

Discussing an apparent issue between Cerrone, Bilzerian, and his family ahead of his UFC 235 title fight with former kingpin, Jon Jones, Smith claimed that the duo moved his wife and mother from their seats front row, and alleged that Bilzerian began watching pornography on his phone, whilst seated beside his mother. 

Responding to those claims, Cerrone insisted that the altercation in question did not make logical sense due to the seating arrangements, as well as questioning why Smith waited so long to make allegations.

“For one, I saw Anthony (Smith) a couple of times and he never said anything, so why he waited for three years to go by – I just don’t know if he’s trying to stay relevant, why he would bring that up,” Donald Cerrone told assembled media during his availability ahead of UFC Austin. “You know, because you go to the fights, your name is literally on your chair in Dana’s (White) section. So, ‘Cowboy’, ‘Cowboy.’ Nobody was sitting in my seat when we showed up there. It’s not like we were like, ‘Hey, mom, get out, you’re not in this seat.’ You walk in the back, the security grabs you and walks you to your seat, ‘Ticket, 6, 7, OK, right there and there.”

“It’s not like you can just free range walk around any seat you want and be like, ‘Get out, you’re in my seat’ or ‘Get out, I want to sit there.’” Donald Cerrone said. “And if they were there and we kicked them out, how did we find another seat? The whole story doesn’t make any sense to me. I don’t get it, but I’m not sure where he even fabricated this story from. It’s funny to me and then to say Dan (Bilzerian) was in there watching porn. That means after we threw your grandma and mom out of their seat, they sat behind us? It’s strange to me, so I don’t know.” 

Donald Cerrone weighs up if the altercation actually occurred

Cerrone then further explained that the alleged altercation in question was highly unlikely to have occured, however, admitted that he also could not be totally sure.

“I don’t get why Anthony didn’t just come to me and call me,” Donald Cerrone said. “If he was there and seen it and witnessed it, why wasn’t something said right there on the spot? Why would you wait three years to come out with it. And if I was drunk – which probably was a pretty serious case at a UFC fight – the seat still said ‘Cowboy’ on it. I don’t recall kicking anybody out. Could it have happened? Possibly. Doubt it. But I would definitely not have kicked somebody’s mom or grandma out of a seat, I’m not that guy. If it was another dude, probably like, ‘Hey, man, scoot over, you’re in my seat.’ But someone’s mom? I’m not that guy. Plus, I know everybody here. I would just find another seat. It’s a strange story to me, but whatever.” (Transcribed by MMA Fighting)

Emmett Reveals Which Ranked FW He Flew Into Camp For Kattar Fight

UFC featherweight Josh Emmett has turned to a familiar name for some help ahead of his main event against Calvin Kattar next month. In the UFC’s first visit to Austin, Texas since 2018, the 145-pound division will take center stage, with top contenders Emmett and Kattar set to collide in the June 18 main event….

Continue Reading Emmett Reveals Which Ranked FW He Flew Into Camp For Kattar Fight at MMA News.

UFC featherweight Josh Emmett has turned to a familiar name for some help ahead of his main event against Calvin Kattar next month.

In the UFC’s first visit to Austin, Texas since 2018, the 145-pound division will take center stage, with top contenders Emmett and Kattar set to collide in the June 18 main event.

While “The Fighting Farmer,” who is currently ranked #7, will be hoping to continue his momentum from a return victory over Dan Ige last December and extend his win streak to five, “The Boston Finisher” will be looking to maintain his place in the featherweight top five with a second consecutive headlining victory.

Fighting a talent like Kattar would no doubt be a daunting task at any time, not least when he’s coming off a remarkable five-round performance against the highly touted Giga Chikadze, who was unbeaten in the Octagon before meeting the #4-ranked contender.

With that in mind, Emmett is doing whatever he can to prepare for their date in the cage, and that includes calling in the featherweight calvary.

Emmett Turns To Former Opponent For Help

During a recent exclusive interview with MMA News’ own James Lynch, Emmett went into detail about his latest camp and the individuals present to help him prepare for what is perhaps the biggest fight of his career to date.

As well as usual training partner Andre “Touchy” Fili, Emmett has flown in a “Hurricane” to Team Alpha Male. Emmett revealed that former opponent Shane Burgos has been brought into his camp in order to emulate the style and attacks of Kattar.

“I actually flew out Shane Burgos. After we fought — he’s just a good guy. We’ve just connected with texts and talking here and there. And he’s a phenomenal athlete, a great striker,” Emmett told MMA News. “He’s long, he’s big, he has a great jab; just like Calvin. So yeah, him and his brother, I flew them out this week, and we’ve just been working. He’s trying to emulate Calvin’s style.”

Back in June 2020, Emmett and current #14-ranked 145lber Burgos put on a Fight of the Year contender. After emerging victorious on the scorecards following a three-round war, the 37-year-old was left on the sidelines for over a year having torn his ACL.

Now, having returned to the Octagon and the win column, Emmett will next be looking to cement his place in the title conversation with an impressive performance against Kattar on June 18.

Catch our exclusive interview with UFC featherweight Josh Emmett below:

Do you think that training with Shane Burgos will help Josh Emmett prepare for the threat of Calvin Kattar?

Continue Reading Emmett Reveals Which Ranked FW He Flew Into Camp For Kattar Fight at MMA News.

Adrian Yanez vs. Tony Kelley Set For UFC Austin On June 18

Bantamweight prospect Adrian Yanez is set to enter the Octagon for the first time in 2022 at UFC Austin on June 18, where he’ll collide with Tony Kelley. The pair will throw down inside The Moody Center in what will be the UFC’s first trip to Texas since 2018. News of the matchup was broken…

Continue Reading Adrian Yanez vs. Tony Kelley Set For UFC Austin On June 18 at MMA News.

Bantamweight prospect Adrian Yanez is set to enter the Octagon for the first time in 2022 at UFC Austin on June 18, where he’ll collide with Tony Kelley.

The pair will throw down inside The Moody Center in what will be the UFC’s first trip to Texas since 2018. News of the matchup was broken by Yanez’s representation, Iridium Sports Agency, with the rising 135lber sharing the post on his personal social media platforms soon after.

Yanez (15-3) has been calling for a fight for a while and has finally had his wish of competing in his home state granted. On June 18, the La Porte native will be looking to continue his fast ascension up the bantamweight ladder by extending his perfect UFC record to 5-0.

So far, Yanez has dispatched Victor Rodriguez, Gustavo Lopez, Randy Costa, and Davey Grant since graduating through Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020. Having been taken to the scorecards in the Octagon for the first time last November, the 28-year-old will be hoping to return to his knockout ways when he enters the cage for the first time this year.

Given the talk of a potential fight with #13-ranked Sean O’Malley, whose now being lined up to face top-10 bantamweight Pedro Munhoz in July, it stands to reason that another victory for Yanez will land him a big-name opponent and perhaps even a number next to his name soon enough.

But looking to put an end to Yanez’s hype will be Kelley (8-2), a Louisianan who has fought under the UFC banner on three occasions. Most recently, the 35-year-old moved his promotional record to 2-1 with a TKO finish over one of Yanez’s former opponents, Costa, after which he called out Yanez for a fight in Texas.

Fans may recall Kelley hitting the headlines last time out after opting for a 20-hour drive to Las Vegas over wearing a mask on a plane. He’ll be making a slightly shorter trip to Austin this time around.

The current fights expected to take place on the UFC Austin card are as follows:

Calvin Kattar vs. Josh Emmett (featherweight main event)

Donald Cerrone vs. Joe Lauzon (lightweight)

Tim Means vs. Kevin Holland (welterweight)

Damir Ismagulov vs. Guram Kutateladze (lightweight)

Roman Dolidze vs. Kyle Daukaus (middleweight)

Adrian Yanez vs. Tony Kelley (bantamweight)

Joaquin Buckley vs. Albert Duraev (middleweight)

Eddie Wineland vs. Cody Stamann (bantamweight)

Court McGee vs. Jeremiah Wells (welterweight)

Maria Oliveira vs. Gloria de Paul (women’s strawweight)

Julian Marquez vs. Gregory Rodrigues (middleweight)

Phil Hawes vs. Deron Winn (middleweight)

Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Natalie Silva (women’s flyweight)

Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC Austin, Adrian Yanez or Tony Kelley?

Continue Reading Adrian Yanez vs. Tony Kelley Set For UFC Austin On June 18 at MMA News.

Sage Northcutt Brings In Biggest Ratings At UFC Austin

The ratings are in for last weekend’s UFC Fight Night 126: Cowboy vs. Medeiros from the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas, and it turns out the biggest draw was not the main event. While Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone’s first-round TKO over Yancy Medeiros drew 893,000 viewers, it was Sage Northcutt’s fight against Thibault Gouti in the first […]

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The ratings are in for last weekend’s UFC Fight Night 126: Cowboy vs. Medeiros from the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas, and it turns out the biggest draw was not the main event.

While Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone’s first-round TKO over Yancy Medeiros drew 893,000 viewers, it was Sage Northcutt’s fight against Thibault Gouti in the first fight on the main card to draw the most eyeballs.

Northcutt drew 1,078,000 viewers, the highest number for the entire card. The UFC was competing against both the Olympics and NBA All-Star game on Sunday, however, the ratings were actually better than recent Fight Nights and PPVs that did far less in terms of viewership, even with less competition airing against it.

The UFC has promoted Northcutt quite a bit since his signing with the promotion in 2015, and although the 21-year-old has had mixed results thus far, it appears as if people are still tuning in to see “Super” Sage fight.

FOX says it’s streaming platforms averaged 13,959 viewers per minute as well.

UFC events are typically held on Saturday nights, making Sunday’s event in Austin a bit of an outlier. Last year, the UFC hosted a card on a Sunday headlined by Derrick Lewis and Travis Browne, which did 907,000 viewers albeit with much less competition airing simultaneously.

How do you feel about Northcutt being the card’s biggest draw, especially considering the fact that he hasn’t yet lived up to the UFC’s lofty potential?

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Curtis Millender Wants ‘To Beat Up Mickey Gall’ In Second UFC Bout

Last night (Feb. 18, 2018) welterweight contender Curtis Millender made his UFC debut on the main card of UFC Fight Night 126, which took place at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas, and it was a successful one to say the least, as Millender scored an impressive second-round stoppage victory over longtime veteran Thiago […]

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Last night (Feb. 18, 2018) welterweight contender Curtis Millender made his UFC debut on the main card of UFC Fight Night 126, which took place at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas, and it was a successful one to say the least, as Millender scored an impressive second-round stoppage victory over longtime veteran Thiago Alves.

Following the big win, Millender has an idea of who he’d like to fight next:

“I would like to beat up Mickey Gall,” Millender told MMAjunkie. “I’m a huge WWE fan, big CM Punk fan, so I’d love to beat up Mickey Gall for that.”

Punk, a former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar, made his mixed martial arts debut at UFC 203 in September 2016, but it didn’t go his way, as he was famously dominated and stopped by Gall just minutes into the first round.

Since then, Gall has gone 1-1, finishing Sage Northcutt in December 2016 and then dropping a decision loss to Randy Brown at UFC 217 last November in New York City.

In regards to Millender, it certainly appears as if he has a bright future ahead of him, and although he may have been a relative unknown prior to last night, he claims as if he saw all of this coming:

“I knew this was coming,” Millender said. “I worked really hard. I have a canteen of water that I drink every day, and every fight I write my goals on it. And it says that I’m going to knock him out in the second round. I’m going to tweet it when I get home and see that the marker is fading. I work hard, and when I say I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it.”

And while he has his sights set on Gall, Millender’s goals are sky high and he said that ‘anybody can get it next’:

“Easy breezy; I want to fight everybody,” Millender said. “I want to be the best in the world, and to do that, I’ve got to be up there. I’ve got my welterweight hit list. Thiago’s first; anybody can get it next.”

Where would you like to see the 30-year-old go from here?

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Sage Northcutt Looking To Be ’10 Times Better’ After UFC Austin

21-year-old Sage Northcutt returned to action last night (Feb. 18, 2018), scoring a slightly controversial decision victory over Thibault Gouti at UFC Fight Night 126 in Austin, Texas. Due to the fact that Gouti landed multiple takedowns, some felt as if she should’ve received the nod from the judges, but Northcutt disagreed, arguing that Gouti […]

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21-year-old Sage Northcutt returned to action last night (Feb. 18, 2018), scoring a slightly controversial decision victory over Thibault Gouti at UFC Fight Night 126 in Austin, Texas.

Due to the fact that Gouti landed multiple takedowns, some felt as if she should’ve received the nod from the judges, but Northcutt disagreed, arguing that Gouti wasn’t able to do much damage after landing the takedown:

“I was glad that when he got the takedowns I was able to stop any kind of strikes or submissions he could do,” Northcutt told MMAjunkie. “So he never even worked off my legs, didn’t get one punch on the ground, didn’t get one elbow, one knee. I stopped all that. I would have liked to have gotten up faster off the ground, but I’m going to improve that for sure.”

Northcutt is now 5-2 under the UFC banner and 2-0 since making the move to Sacramento, California to train with Team Alpha Male under the tutelage of UFC Hall of Fame member Urijah Faber. Despite the improvements he’s already made, Northcutt is looking to forward to returning to camp and coming back ’10 times better’:

“I’m definitely going to go back and improve for sure,” Northcutt said. “I’m with the perfect team to do that. Team Alpha Male, my coach Urijah Faber, so I’m going to go back and improve my game, make all the little things that I didn’t do correctly or could have done better, make them like 10 times better.”

As far as his future goes, Northcutt will be looking to remain at 155 pounds. He has competed at welterweight before, but he feels as if lightweight is where he’s ‘bigger’ and ‘stronger’ than his opposition:

“Going into 155 (pounds), the last few pounds are pretty tough for me, but I feel like I’m one of the bigger, stronger 155 (pounders),” he said. “So that’s good. I feel like 155 is my weight class for now. In the future, if I grow three inches taller, if I do, and get a few more inches on my arm length and my leg length like my brother, for instance, then I can fight back up at 170.”

Who would you like to see Northcutt take on next?

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