Tag: UFC Fight Night 86

Junior Dos Santos Explains Why He Feels Miocic Has Edge Over Werdum At UFC 198

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While former UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior Dos Santos admits that current UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum has improved a lot over the years, he is still giving the edge to the challenger, Stipe Miocic, in the next UFC Heavyweight title fight.

Dos Santos spoke with Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of “The MMA Hour” at MMAFighting.com and explained why he feels Miocic has the advantage over Werdum heading into their scheduled showdown at UFC 198 in Werdum’s home country of Brazil.

“Werdum has evolved a lot, he impressed in the few times he fought. He has evolved a lot. His ground game is the best in the heavyweight division, no question about it. He has what it takes to keep the belt for a good time, but he’s facing a tough opponent next. Miocic has that knockout punch. I was completely dizzy a few moments when we fought. He has that punch, and his stand-up is more complete and better than Werdum’s.

“I don’t see how… Werdum is excellent on the ground, but I don’t see him taking anyone down. If the fight stays standing, I see Miocic as the favorite. If it goes to the ground, it’s going to be fast. But I see Miocic as the favorite standing. Comparing their qualities, I don’t see Werdum taking him down, so it’s going to be a stand-up fight and Miocic has an advantage.”

While he still has to get past Ben Rothwell at UFC Fight Night 86 on April 10th, JDS admits that he feels good knowing that he holds wins over the two fighters who will be competing in the next UFC Heavyweight title bout.

“I think it’s great that I already beat the two guys in the next title fight. I think it’s great that the division is stacked. When you have someone holding the belt for so long… It’s positive in a way, yes, but the division is in a good moment.

“I don’t care that much about rankings, and that doesn’t matter that much in the UFC too,” he continued. “What really matters is which fight sells more at the moment. I want to move forward and get to my goals. My main goal is to become world champion again, and I know I’m capable of doing that, but I need to earn a title shot first, and I might need two or three fights. But I’m capable of doing that.”

junior-dos-santos-2

While former UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior Dos Santos admits that current UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum has improved a lot over the years, he is still giving the edge to the challenger, Stipe Miocic, in the next UFC Heavyweight title fight.

Dos Santos spoke with Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of “The MMA Hour” at MMAFighting.com and explained why he feels Miocic has the advantage over Werdum heading into their scheduled showdown at UFC 198 in Werdum’s home country of Brazil.

“Werdum has evolved a lot, he impressed in the few times he fought. He has evolved a lot. His ground game is the best in the heavyweight division, no question about it. He has what it takes to keep the belt for a good time, but he’s facing a tough opponent next. Miocic has that knockout punch. I was completely dizzy a few moments when we fought. He has that punch, and his stand-up is more complete and better than Werdum’s.

“I don’t see how… Werdum is excellent on the ground, but I don’t see him taking anyone down. If the fight stays standing, I see Miocic as the favorite. If it goes to the ground, it’s going to be fast. But I see Miocic as the favorite standing. Comparing their qualities, I don’t see Werdum taking him down, so it’s going to be a stand-up fight and Miocic has an advantage.”

While he still has to get past Ben Rothwell at UFC Fight Night 86 on April 10th, JDS admits that he feels good knowing that he holds wins over the two fighters who will be competing in the next UFC Heavyweight title bout.

“I think it’s great that I already beat the two guys in the next title fight. I think it’s great that the division is stacked. When you have someone holding the belt for so long… It’s positive in a way, yes, but the division is in a good moment.

“I don’t care that much about rankings, and that doesn’t matter that much in the UFC too,” he continued. “What really matters is which fight sells more at the moment. I want to move forward and get to my goals. My main goal is to become world champion again, and I know I’m capable of doing that, but I need to earn a title shot first, and I might need two or three fights. But I’m capable of doing that.”

Slight Change To The UFC Fight Night 86 Lineup In Croatia

Bojan Mihajlovic has been forced out of a planned heavyweight encounter with Francis Ngannou this April at UFC Fight Night 86, opening the door for Curtis Blaydes to make his debut.

The bout goes down April 10 from inside the Zagreb Arena in Croatia…

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Bojan Mihajlovic has been forced out of a planned heavyweight encounter with Francis Ngannou this April at UFC Fight Night 86, opening the door for Curtis Blaydes to make his debut.

The bout goes down April 10 from inside the Zagreb Arena in Croatia. The main card and part of the prelims are set for FOX Sports 1, including a headline bout between former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos and top contender Ben Rothwell.

Blaydes (5-0) has recorded five TKO victories in his pro career, including a third round victory over Luis Cortes at Resurrection Fighting Alliance 35 this past February. He is a native of Oklahom and turned pro in 2014 with a win over veteran Lorenzo Hood.

Ngannou (6-1) picked up a win via knockout over Luis Henrique in December in his debut with the UFC. The French fighter is currently on a five-fight win streak, with all five victories coming via either TKO or submission.

The rest of the card includes Jan Blachowicz vs. Igor Pokrajac, Nicholas Dalby vs. Zak Cummings and Lucas Martins vs. Robert Whiteford.

Rothwell Claims He Can Submit Werdum: “If The Fight Happens, Remember Me Saying This”

https://youtu.be/_X8vRImWNys

After becoming the first fighter to force Josh Barnett to tap out to a submission hold in a pro MMA fight, “Big” Ben Rothwell is aiming his submission-sights even higher.

Rothwell claims that if he ever gets a UFC Hea…

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https://youtu.be/_X8vRImWNys

After becoming the first fighter to force Josh Barnett to tap out to a submission hold in a pro MMA fight, “Big” Ben Rothwell is aiming his submission-sights even higher.

Rothwell claims that if he ever gets a UFC Heavyweight Title shot at current champion Fabricio Werdum, fans shouldn’t be shocked to see him pull off such a victory — by way of submission.

“This sport has made me very open minded to anything is possible. Anything can happen, that’s how this sport works, so I just do my very best to prepare for anything,” said Rothwell. “My submissions skills are 16 years in the making. We have a full arsenal: we’re ready to fight off our back, fight on top, it’s what makes me so confident — I know I can win the fight anywhere the fight goes. I couldn’t even tell you how many different submissions I can apply during a fight, so I’m extremely dangerous. If Werdum wants, I’ll lay down on my back and he can hop in my guard.”

Rothwell concluded, “I’m very confident I’ll submit him. If that fight happens, remember me saying this.”

For now, UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum will prepare for his next title defense, which is scheduled for UFC 198 in May against highly regarded contender Stipe Miocic. Meanwhile, Rothwell prepares for arguably the biggest test in his MMA career, as he battles former UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior Dos Santos in his next fight at UFC Fight Night 86.

Junior Dos Santos: A Win Over Rothwell Puts Me Close To A Title Shot

Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos has hit some rough times as of late. Battling a plethora of injuries, the Brazilian slugger has only competed three times since October 2013, losing two out of his last three bouts including a disappointing knockout loss to Alistair Overeem at last December’s UFC on FOX 18.

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Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos has hit some rough times as of late.

Battling a plethora of injuries, the Brazilian slugger has only competed three times since October 2013, losing two out of his last three bouts including a disappointing knockout loss to Alistair Overeem at last December’s UFC on FOX 18.

After the upsetting loss, Dos Santos was quickly booked to meet surging contender “Big” Ben Rothwell at UFC Fight Night 86 in Croatia. Having not been too active as of late, the quick turnaround was ideal for the former champion, who would like to fight three times in 2016.

Not only did he express the interest in fighting more often, but “Cigano” also feels as if a win over Rothwell would put him back close to a title shot:

“After my last fight, I told Joe Silva I wanted to fight again soon and I was glad they were able to get me a fight quickly. I think it’s important to fight more frequently so I can stay active. Rothwell is a very hard opponent, who is on a good win streak and has been imposing himself. He showed he can be very effective, especially in his last fight, when he submitted Josh Barnett, which was kind of unexpected. I think a win over him will put me back on the top of the weight class, maybe even close to a title shot. But honestly, I’m not thinking about the belt now. All I want to do is fight as frequently as possible. If everything goes according to my plan, I want to have this fight in April, then another one in August or September and then again in December. Three fights in one year is a good number.” Dos Santos told Portal do Vale Tudo.”

While Dos Santos clearly hasn’t looked his best, he does indeed have a huge opportunity in front of him.

Rothwell has won four straight all by way of finish and is currently ranked at No. 5 in the division. Arguably already deserving of a title shot, “Big” Ben represents a pivotal test for the Brazilian.

If “Cigano” indeed gets back to his winning ways, where does that put him in the cloudy heavyweight class?

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Ben Rothwell vs. Junior dos Santos Set For UFC Fight Night 86

Both Ben Rothwell and Junior dos Santos are returning to the octagon soon. UFC officials announced on Monday that the two fighters will meet in heavyweight clash at the UFC Fight Night 86 event. BREAKING: Heavyweights @RothwellFighter vs. @junior_cigano meet at #UFCZagreb! Tix: https://t.co/rEuxZh1wk2 pic.twitter.com/4jUJCfgAAp — UFC (@ufc) February 8, 2016 Rothwell (36-9) is currently

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Both Ben Rothwell and Junior dos Santos are returning to the octagon soon. UFC officials announced on Monday that the two fighters will meet in heavyweight clash at the UFC Fight Night 86 event.

Rothwell (36-9) is currently on a four-fight winning streak. In his last six bouts, he’s 5-1. He beat Brendan Schaub at UFC 145 by first-round KO, but then lost to Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC on FX 7 by second-round guillotine choke. He then ripped off three straight wins. He beat Brandon Vera at UFC 164 by third-round TKO, Alistair Overeem at UFC Fight Night 50 by first-round TKO, and Matt Mitrione at UFC Fight Night 68 by first-round guillotine choke. He beat Josh Barnett at UFC on FOX 18.

Dos Santos (17-4) is currently on a one-fight losing streak. In his last six bouts, he’s 3-3. He beat Frank Mir at UFC 146 by second round TKO, lost to Cain Velasquez at UFC 155 by unanimous decision then beat Mark Hunt at UFC 160 by third round KO. He then lost to Cain Velasquez at UFC 166 by fifth round TKO but beat Stipe Miocic at UFC on FOX 13 by unanimous decision. He lost to Alistair Overeem at UFC on FOX 17 by second round TKO.

UFC Fight Night 86 takes place from Zagreb, Croatia at the Zagreb Arena on April 10th. No broadcasting details are not known as of this writing. Rothwell vs. Dos Santos will most likely be the headliner of this event.

Here is the updated card for the event:

Ben Rothwell (36-9) vs. Junior Dos Santos (17-4)

Gabriel Gonzaga (17-10) vs. Ruslan Magomedov (14-1)

Jan Blachowicz (18-5) vs. Igor Pokrajac (25-12, 1NC)

Bojan Mihajiovic (10-3) vs. Francis Ngannou (6-1)

Bartosz Fabinski (13-2) vs. Nicolas Dalby (14-0-1)

Bojan Velickovic (13-3) vs. Alessio Di Chirico (9-0)

Mairbek Taisumov (24-5) vs. Damir Hadzovic (10-2)

Timothy Johnson (9-2) vs. Marcin Tybura (13-1)

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