Tag: UFC Hamburg

Shogun Rua Breaks Silence On UFC Hamburg Loss

Shogun Rua has spoken.

The post Shogun Rua Breaks Silence On UFC Hamburg Loss appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Shogun Rua has broken his silence on his latest loss inside of the Octagon under the UFC banner.

Rua was expected to fight former title contender Volkan Oezdemir at the UFC Hamburg event but that fight got scrapped once it was revealed that Oezdemir was removed from his headliner role against Rua, which led to the UFC booking him against Anthony Smith and during the lead up to this fight, Rua went on record by stating that he believed that he was close to a title shot if he was able to beat Smith especially since UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier recently stated that he would be interested in a fight with Rua but obviously those hopes have been shattered.

As seen in the main event of UFC Hamburg (also known as UFC Fight Night 134) that took place on Sunday, July 22, 2018, at Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, Germany, Smith was able to score a KO win over the former UFC light heavyweight champion after landing some brutal shots in 89 seconds with a flurry of punches and a vicious elbow that left him unconscious.

Just hours after this fight was over, which snapped Rua’s three fight winning streak, the former UFC and PRIDE champion took to his official Instagram account to issue the following statement on the fight:

”Unfortunately we don’t always get the result we want, and to understand that fact is part of life,” Rua wrote. “Congratulations to Anthony Smith. For so many times I was celebrating at this moment and I can’t take his merits from him. I dedicated myself, trained hard, and did all that was within my reach for this fight, but he was better yesterday. Life continues, thank you all for the support.”

Infelizmente nem sempre a gente tem o resultado que gostaria, e entender isso faz parte da vida. Parabéns ao Anthony Smith. Por tantas e tantas vezes eu estive comemorando nesse momento e não posso tirar o mérito dele. Me dediquei, treinei muito, e fiz tudo que estava ao meu alcance pra essa luta, mas ele foi melhor nessa noite. A vida continua, obrigado pelo carinho de todos. Unfortunately we don’t always get the result we want, and to understand that fact is part of life. Congratulations to Anthony Smith. For so many times I was celebrating at this moment and I can’t take his merits from him. I dedicated myself, trained hard, and did all that was within my reach for this fight, but he was better yesterday. Life continues, thank you all for the support.

A post shared by Shogun Rua (@shogunoficial) on

It will be interesting to see where Rua goes from here but it’s a safe bet that it won’t be against Daniel Cormier for the UFC light heavyweight title.

The post Shogun Rua Breaks Silence On UFC Hamburg Loss appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

3 Things We Learned From UFC Hamburg

UFC Hamburg took place at the Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, Germany on Sunday, July 22nd. It wasn’t the most star-studded card, but some solid performances were turned in by a handful of intriguing prospects. Light heavyweight renaissance Althoug…

UFC Hamburg took place at the Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, Germany on Sunday, July 22nd. It wasn’t the most star-studded card, but some solid performances were turned in by a handful of intriguing prospects. Light heavyweight renaissance Although the 205-pound division’s championship situation is still in limbo, UFC Hamburg represented a big step forward for […]

The post 3 Things We Learned From UFC Hamburg appeared first on MMA News.

Daniel Cormier Guarantees Gustafsson They’ll Never Fight Again

Daniel Cormier just went off on Alexander Gustafsson:

The post Daniel Cormier Guarantees Gustafsson They’ll Never Fight Again appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Daniel Cormier has had enough of Alexander Gustafsson’s posturing.

After the Swedish star withdrew from August 4’s UFC 227 due to a minor injury instead of facing rising challenger Anthony Smith when “Lionheart” called him out following his thrilling first-round knockout of Shogun Rua (highlights here) at UFC Germany today, the double champ took to social media to call “The Mauler” out for his recent behavior.

Although Cormier respected Gustafsson greatly due to their classic 2015 war, “DC” isn’t happy with how the two-time title contender has called out both him and Luke Rockhold while turning down several fights with other top light heavies.

He’s so mad, in fact, that he told Gus they wouldn’t fight again:

”Dear Alex, I don’t know what happened to you going back to the Rockhold situation,” Cormier wrote on Twitter. “You have always been a stand up guy but your behavior changed. From calling a guy out the day after he got knocked out, to now offering to fight me knowing I have a broken hand after Volkan couldn’t go. Now you’ve turned down Jan, turned down Khalil, all while calling for a heavyweight title fight. Now moments after Anthony Smith does his work like an animal you decide you’re hurt.

”Man, I respect you as a fighter. I will always be grateful for October 2015, buy you and I won’t share the octagon again. I am disappointed in who you’ve become. You are so entitled, man, I can’t deal with delusional people. Good luck recovering. Our time has passed. See you from the commentary table.”

Gustafsson was left without an opponent for August 4’s UFC 227 when Volkan Oezdemir pulled out of the fight last week. Out of action for 14 months, Gustafsson could have fought Smith – or perhaps Khalil Rountree Jr. or Jan Blachowicz like “DC” suggested – but UFC doctors at their Las Vegas-based Performance Institute reportedly told him to play it safe.

The top-ranked light heavyweight has said he would go up to heavyweight to meet Cormier for his new championship, but it appears that isn’t happening due to Gustafsson’s recent actions.

Was “DC” right to put “The Mauler” in his place?

The post Daniel Cormier Guarantees Gustafsson They’ll Never Fight Again appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Anthony Smith Responds To Alexander Gustafsson’s UFC 227 Withdrawal

Anthony Smith discussed Alexander Gustafsson pulling out of UFC 227:

The post Anthony Smith Responds To Alexander Gustafsson’s UFC 227 Withdrawal appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Anthony Smith got his biggest win today, but he won’t be getting the fight he wants.

Following his first-round demolition of former champ Shogun Rua (highlights here) in the main event of today’s (Sun., July 22, 2018) UFC Fight Night 134 from the Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, Germany, ‘Lionheart’ called out former title challenger Alexander Gustafsson for August 4’s UFC 227 after “The Mauler’s” original opponent Volkan Oezdemir pulled out last week.

However, news soon arrived that Gustafsson had been forced off of the August 4 event from Los Angeles due to an undisclosed injury, sparking speculation that the Swedish veteran simply didn’t want to face the lesser-known but increasingly more dangerous fighter in Smith.

At the UFC Hamburg post-fight presser, Smith reacted to the news by saying it was “mighty ironic” that Gustafsson was now off the card after he knocked out Rua:

“That’s ironic, isn’t it?” Smith told reporters. “That’s kind of weird how that works out. He needed an opponent yesterday. What happened between then and now? I don’t know. That’s mighty ironic. I think that I’m a hard guy to train for; I really do. I show up with a different product every time I fight.”

So with the Gustafsson fight on the cutting room floor now – and uncertain to ever materialize – Smith shifted focus to what his next fight may be. He noticed knockout artist Jimi Manuwa in the crowd at UFC Hamburg, so he tabbed the British “Poster Boy” as a potential foe in his pending rise:

“I’ve seen Jimi Manuwa out there – Jimi’s a great fighter,” Smith said. “He’s a hell of a striker, he’s powerful, and he’s ranked. He’s ranked pretty high in the division. I’m not 100 percent sure. I’ll let the UFC and my management figure that out. If it’s not Gustafsson, then I don’t know.”

Finally, with champion Daniel Cormier now injured and returning at heavyweight to fight Brock Lesnar in his next bout, the UFC light heavyweight title picture is an unclear one at best and an unmitigated mess at worse.

No one is sure if and when he’ll return to 205 pounds for one of final two fights, but Smith said he owed it to the rest of the division to clear that up soon:

“I think that’s the first step: We need to figure out if Cormier’s staying or going,” Smith said. “(UFC President) Dana (White) even said this before, ‘I think Daniel is an honorable man.’ It wouldn’t be very honorable to hold up the division. Because he knows right now. You guys can ask him 100 times, and he won’t tell you, but he knows if he’s coming back down or not. I think he needs to make that public so we can figure out what we’re all doing.”

“Lionheart” may have a good point, as Cormier most likely only has one fight left if he ever decides to undergo one final draining weight cut to 205 pounds.

No one would blame him if he didn’t, yet he does owe it to fighters like Smith and Gustafsson to let them know what they’re actually fighting for, and when they can win it. With Smith knocking out former champs left and right, you can see why.

The post Anthony Smith Responds To Alexander Gustafsson’s UFC 227 Withdrawal appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Alexander Gustafsson Out Of UFC 227 Due To Injury

Alexander Gustafsson was immediately declared off UFC 227 after Anthony Smith called him out.

The post Alexander Gustafsson Out Of UFC 227 Due To Injury appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Alexander Gustafsson vs. Anthony Smith won’t be happening at August 4’s UFC 227.

After the rising “Lionheart” called Gustafsson out in the minutes after his dominant first-round knockout over Shogun Rua at today’s (July 22, 2018) UFC Hamburg, news broke on the post-fight show on FOX Sports 1 that “The Mauler” would not be fighting at UFC 227 due to an undisclosed injury. The Swedish contender was originally scheduled to fight Volkan Oezdemir at the Los Angeles Calif.-based card until the recent title challenger was forced out due to injury himself.

It’s curious timing from Gustafsson, who has been out of action since a fifth-round knockout win over Glover Teixeira last May. He’s been campaigning for a second shot at double champ Daniel Cormier, whom he fought to a close split decision loss three years back, even saying he would go as far as to move up to heavyweight to meet “DC.”

Gustafsson’s management subsequently released the following statement to MMAjunkie:

“Alex Gustafsson is out of UFC 227 with a minor injury,” the statement read. “The injury occurred last week. Since that time, we have been working closely with the UFC doctors, our doctors in Sweden, and the experts at the UFC Performance Institute. We have been advised that Alex has a minor injury, and he will not be permitted to compete at UFC 227. Had Alex been fit to fight, we were prepared to face (Khalil) Rountree or anyone else the UFC had asked us, including (Daniel) Cormier at heavyweight.

“Alex will be fighting again very soon. He will give his side of the story shortly. We don’t care who the opponent is. But whomever we face it should be for the meaningful result of the LHW UFC Title.”

Perhaps a fight with the surging Smith, who has brutally knocked out former champions Rua and Rashad Evens in his only two fights at light heavyweight, wasn’t such an appealing prospect for the already top-ranked Gustafsson. He may draw flack from fans for not accepting Smith’s callout, yet he stood little to gain other than a paycheck in facing a dangerous rising force.

For now, we’ll have to wait and see what “The Mauler’s” next move will be, yet Smith clearly isn’t in his plans. With a few more knockout wins over big names, however, he may not have the option for long.

The post Alexander Gustafsson Out Of UFC 227 Due To Injury appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Highlights: Anthony Smith Knocks Out Shogun Rua In Hamburg

Watch Anthony Smith demolish Shogun Rua at UFC Hamburg.

The post Highlights: Anthony Smith Knocks Out Shogun Rua In Hamburg appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Rising UFC contender Anthony Smith scored the biggest win of his mixed martial arts career today.

After knocking out Rashad Evans at Junes UFC 225, Smith picked up another victory over a former champion when he ran through Shogun Rua in the main event of today’s (Sun., July 22, 2018) UFC Fight Night 134 from the Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, Germany.

It took him only one minute and 29 seconds as well. “Lionheart” hit Rua with a right hand early, opening up a spot for him to front-kick the all-time great in the face, and from then on it was all she wrote. Smith pushed forward with a powerful barrage of punches, landing seemingly at will until he backed Rua up to the fence and finished him with an absolutely massive elbow on the temple.

Watch the dominant stoppage here:

The post Highlights: Anthony Smith Knocks Out Shogun Rua In Hamburg appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.