With Ronda Rousey now having all but retired from the sport and Conor McGregor essentially having taken a year out to focus on his boxing superfight with Floyd Mayweather, there’s been a general feeling that the UFC has been running at a low ebb in 2017. However, while it’s undoubtedly true that there’s nowhere near […]
With Ronda Rousey now having all but retired from the sport and Conor McGregor essentially having taken a year out to focus on his boxing superfight with Floyd Mayweather, there’s been a general feeling that the UFC has been running at a low ebb in 2017.
However, while it’s undoubtedly true that there’s nowhere near the same buzz, excitement, and enthusiasm surrounding the sport as there was a year ago, the reality is that there’s still been a lot of UFC events this year that delivered big in the entertainment category with plenty of memorable knockouts, slick submissions, stand-out performances and all-out wars.
The problem is that without those superstar names topping the bill, these events have often slipped under the radar, resulting in those talented fighters who have been putting it all on the line each week not getting the audience and attention that they deserve.
With that in mind, in this article, we’ll endeavor to shine a spotlight on 10 of the best UFC fight cards in 2017 that no one bothered to watch.
UFC On FOX 23: Shevchenko vs. Pena
After an exciting end to the previous year, MMA’s New Year hangover seemed to last all month long in January, with there being a distinct lack of enthusiasm for the end of month UFC on FOX 23 card, which slipped under many people’s radars and barely scraped above 2 million viewers.
However, those paying attention would have noted that the four main card match-ups always looked like they could deliver a fun night of fights.
Valentina Shevchenko secured a bantamweight title shot in a strong main event showing, proving that she was more than just a striker with a well-executed armbar finish against former TUF winner Julianna Pena.
The co-main event featured what should have been a must-see welterweight encounter between in the in-form Donald Cerrone and Jorge Masvidal, and it was exciting stuff for as long as it lasted, with ‘Gamebred’ flooring ‘Cowboy’ late in the first round and then finishing him off early in the second.
Fans also got to witness major heavyweight prospect Francis Ngannou notch up the most significant win of his career to date with a TKO finish in 92 seconds against Andrei Arlovski, while the main card opener got the proceedings on ‘big’ FOX off to a good start with Jason Knight, aka ‘Hick Diaz,’ outgrappling Alex ‘Bruce Leeroy’ Caceres for a second-round submission finish.
With every decision comes a consequence and for those fighters who took part in battle at UFC Fight Night 107, it’s their time to faces those consequences in the form of medical suspensions. Some of the more notable suspensions include Corey Anderson, Teemu Packalen, and Lina Lansberg being suspended for 60 days while Francimar Barroso,
With every decision comes a consequence and for those fighters who took part in battle at UFC Fight Night 107, it’s their time to faces those consequences in the form of medical suspensions.
Some of the more notable suspensions include Corey Anderson, Teemu Packalen, and Lina Lansberg being suspended for 60 days while Francimar Barroso, Brad Scott, and Scott Askham were suspended for 180 days. Here are the entire medical suspensions:
Corey Anderson: suspended 60 days with no contact during training for 45 days for precautionary reasons
Alan Jouban: suspended 30 days with no contact during training for 21 days for precautionary reasons
Brad Pickett: suspended 30 days with no contact during training for 21 days for precautionary reasons
Makwan Amirkhani: suspended 30 days with no contact during training for 21 days for precautionary reasons
Joseph Duffy: suspended 30 days with no contact during training for 21 days (cleared of a possible right-foot injury after event)
Reza Madadi: suspended 30 days with no contact during training for 21 days due to a forehead laceration
Francimar Barroso: suspended 180 days due to a left-foot injury, though a doctor can clear him early; regardless, suspended 30 days with no contact during training for 21 days due to a right-eyebrow laceration
Timothy Johnson: suspended 30 days with no contact during training for 21 days for precautionary reasons
Daniel Omielanczuk: suspended 30 days with no contact during training for 21 days for precautionary reasons
Vicente Luque: suspended 30 days with no contact during training for 21 days for precautionary reasons
Teemu Packalen: suspended 60 days with no contact during training for 45 days for precautionary reasons (cleared of a possible head injury after event)
Brad Scott: suspended 180 days due to a left-shoulder injury, though a doctor can clear him early; regardless
Scott Askham: suspended 180 days due to a right-leg injury, though a doctor can clear him early; regardless, suspended 30 days with no contact during training for 21 days for precautionary reasons
Lina Lansberg: suspended 60 days with no contact during training for 45 days for precautionary reasons (cleared of possible head and face injuries)
Lucie Pudilova: suspended 30 days with no contact during training for 21 days for precautionary reasons
UFC heavyweight Timothy Johnson, otherwise known as the man with the baddest mustache in the octagon since Don Frye, is looking up. Coming off a split decision win over Daniel Omielańczuk at UFC Fight Night 107 this past weekend, Johnson, ranked 12th in the UFC heavyweight division, will likely be bumped up a spot or […]
UFC heavyweight Timothy Johnson, otherwise known as the man with the baddest mustache in the octagon since Don Frye, is looking up. Coming off a split decision win over Daniel Omiela?czuk at UFC Fight Night 107 this past weekend, Johnson, ranked 12th in the UFC heavyweight division, will likely be bumped up a spot or […]
Reebok payouts for the UFC Fight Night 107 athletes have been revealed. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) held a Fight Night event inside the O2 Arena in London, England. The card aired on UFC Fight Pass. Light heavyweights Jimi Manuwa and Corey Anderson shared the Octagon in the main event. Manuwa flattened Anderson with a […]
Reebok payouts for the UFC Fight Night 107 athletes have been revealed. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) held a Fight Night event inside the O2 Arena in London, England. The card aired on UFC Fight Pass. Light heavyweights Jimi Manuwa and Corey Anderson shared the Octagon in the main event. Manuwa flattened Anderson with a […]
Jimi Manuwa secured a second straight highlight reel knockout when he stopped Corey Anderson with a huge left hand in the main event of yesterday’s (Sat., March 18, 2017) UFC Fight Night 107 from the O2 Arena in London, so a huge fight should await the British combatant in his next trip to the cage. Just
Jimi Manuwa secured a second straight highlight reel knockout when he stopped Corey Anderson with a huge left hand in the main event of yesterday’s (Sat., March 18, 2017) UFC Fight Night 107 from the O2 Arena in London, so a huge fight should await the British combatant in his next trip to the cage.
Just don’t expect it to be against former champion Jon Jones.
Speaking at yesterday’s UFC Fight Night 107 post-fight presser (quotes via MMA Fighting), Manuwa said he is not interested in fighting Jones because he was suspended for one year after he tested positive for banned substances:
“I’m not interested in Jon Jones. Jon Jones takes steroids and now he’s been banned for steroids. Before, I was a big fan of Jon Jones, the things he’s done in the Octagon and everything, but he’s been suspended for a year or something and he’s had issues before. He’s a great fighter. I greatly respect him, but he’s been banned for steroids and that taints everything that he’s done. So, I’m not really interested. When he comes back, I’ll fight him, no problem. But I’m focused on the belt right now, and that’s going to be the winner of DC and ‘Rumble’ Johnson.”
Jones was infamously suspended only three days before his heavily promoted rematch with Cormeir at last July’s UFC 200 for using banned estrogen-blocking clomiphene and Letrozol, which USADA later agreed was due to a sexual performance-enhancing drug in arbitration but still suspended Jones for one year. “Bones” is also still on probation for his highly criticized hit-and-run accident on a 25-year-old Albuquerque woman in April 2015, and his career has unfortunately become a whirlwind of one harrowing mistake after another.
Due to that dynamic, Manuwa called for a title shot against the winner of April 8’s light heavyweight championship rematch between current champion Daniel Cormier and fellow knockout slugger Anthony Johnson, and the “Poster Boy” is certainly in the right division to do it, as the 205-pound fray is considered one of the shallowest in MMA.
But many still regard Jones as the uncrowned, fallen champion, a legend who didn’t lose his belt and is only hampered by his seeming inability to get out of his own way as arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter to ever compete in the octagon. Because of those views, in conjunction with his somewhat one-sided win over Cormier in 2015, it’s likely “Bones” will get the next title shot instead of Manuwa if and when he’s able to return when his suspension is up this July.
“Poster Boy” knows that’s a probable outcome, yet offered the outside opinion that he could already be booked into a title bout against the winner of Cormier vs. Johnson by the time Jones is eligible to return:
“Possibly, but to me, whatever happens, happens,” Manuwa said. “I will be fighting the elite fighters in the world, and I don’t know, we’ll see what happens. He’s back in July or something. [Cormier and Johnson] are fighting next month, so the fight could be made before he comes back anyway, so we’ll see what happens. I’m going to fly to Vegas to meet with (UFC president) Dana (White) after this and we’ll see what happens.”
Manuwa offered his respects for both “DC” and “Rumble,” whom he lost a second-round knockout to at UFC 191 and would therefore love to avenge a prior loss. But he also knows Cormier already tapped him out, so he’d definitely love to battle the champion, as well:
“Me and ‘Rumble’ Johnson are two of the hardest hitters and the most exciting fighters in the light heavyweight division, and I’d love to get a rematch with him to avenge my loss,” Manuwa said. “Because I made some silly mistakes with my weight and my striking as well. So, I’d like to avenge that loss against the most feared man probably on the UFC roster in ‘Rumble’ Johnson.
“But then again, DC is a great champion. He’s feared, and he’s beat the guy I’m talking about, he’s beat Alex (Gustafsson), he’s beat a lot of guys in the division. So I’d like to fight him as well.”
Photo: Jayne Main-Oncea for USA TODAY Sports
Ultimately, however, the surging power slugger won’t turn down a fight, and confirmed that if the UFC wanted him to fight Jones, he would accept the high-profile match:
“Listen, I don’t turn down anybody. I’m not scared of anybody. Everyone bleeds. Everyone feels pain. And I’ve proven through my career that I’m not scared to fight anybody, because it’s mixed martial arts. Everyone feels pain, everyone bleeds the same, except if you’re out taking steroids. That’s what I’ve got a problem with. So it is what it is. I’ll fight Jon Jones, no problem.”
Veteran UFC bantamweight Brad “One Punch” Pickett competed for the last time yesterday (March 18, 2017) at UFC Fight Night 107 in his home of London, England. Pickett had made it clear prior to the fight that he had planned on retiring after the event, but unfortunately the bout didn’t go his way, as he
Veteran UFC bantamweight Brad “One Punch” Pickett competed for the last time yesterday (March 18, 2017) at UFC Fight Night 107 in his home of London, England.
Pickett had made it clear prior to the fight that he had planned on retiring after the event, but unfortunately the bout didn’t go his way, as he was stopped in the third round when his opponent, Marlon Vera, landed a brutal head kick.
“One Punch” was emotional after the fight, but he confirmed that retiring was ‘definitely the right decision’:
“I was winning the fight for 14 minutes, and then I got a head kick where, to be honest, the younger me would have chewed that up and carried on going,” Pickett said (Via MMAJunkie). “It’s definitely the right decision (to retire).
“Obviously, it’s not the fairytale ending that myself and probably everyone else wanted.”
Pickett was indeed winning the fight, so he could’ve played things safer in the final round, but elected to fight as he always has, which he described as living and dying by the sword:
“It’s me – my fighting style,” he said. “I live by the sword, die by the sword. I say I fight for the fans.
” … I did have some trouble taking him down when I went for a takedown, but I could have just taken him down and laid on him and made it boring. But for me, I wanted to be in a typical Brad Pickett fight. And in a typical Brad Pickett fight, it’s would’ve been me getting up and carrying on fighting.”
Mixed martial arts is an unforgiving game that rarely sends its warriors out on a high note, which Pickett learned the hard way yesterday:
“You can tell, this is real life – this isn’t always fairytales,” he said.
