Hermansson: People Want To See Me Put Sean Strickland Down

UFC middleweight contender Jack Hermansson says he’s never received more messages of support before a fight than he has ahead of his main event clash with Sean Strickland this weekend. With his position one spot outside the 185-pound top five, Hermansson will be hoping to jump closer to a title shot when he enters the […]

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UFC middleweight contender Jack Hermansson says he’s never received more messages of support before a fight than he has ahead of his main event clash with Sean Strickland this weekend.

With his position one spot outside the 185-pound top five, Hermansson will be hoping to jump closer to a title shot when he enters the Octagon for the first time this year.

Having fallen short of doing so in a headliner versus Marvin Vettori in late 2020, “The Joker” got back on track last May with a comfortable decision triumph over the once-highly-touted prospect Edmen Shahbazyan. Since then, Hermansson has been watching matchups unfold and waiting for his next foe.

That rival has come in the form of outspoken and controversial hard-hitter Strickland. The pair will close out Saturday’s UFC Vegas 47 card inside Las Vegas’ Apex facility, with a place in the championship conversation at stake.

Fans Urge Hermansson To “Kill This Dude!”

It’s fair to say that in his 28-fight career, Hermansson hasn’t come up against an opponent like Strickland. The Swedish-born Norwegian couldn’t be more different than his American counterpart when it comes to personality and voice.

With Strickland’s antics, which have split opinions among fans, pundits, and fighters, it’s no surprise a portion of the MMA community want to see the #7-ranked middleweight beaten. That sentiment has apparently been clear in the DMs of Hermansson.

During a recent appearance on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour, the 33-year-old claimed the wave of support and backing he’s received ahead of his contest with Strickland is like nothing he’s experienced before in the UFC.

“I was actually suggesting Sean Strickland (as an opponent),” said Hermansson. “Because he’s ranked one behind me, and he’s on a good win streak. I think he’s undefeated in the middleweight division, and he has some hype right now… He’s a little bit different [LAUGHS].

“I’ve seen (his interviews) and he’s a funny character. Some things he says might be over the line. But what I do know is that I have never faced an opponent where so many people are messaging me, writing to me, like, ‘Man, kill this dude! You have to win this!’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m always trying to win fights.’ People wanna see him go down, that’s for sure,” concluded Hermansson.

While the pair may differ in their fight week, social media, and interview attitudes, one thing they have in common is their talent and toughness when the cage door shuts. They’ll both look to put that on full display come Saturday night.

Who do you think will have their hand raised in the UFC Vegas 47 main event, Jack Hermansson or Sean Strickland?

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Figueiredo Wants To Avoid A Mexico Fight Following Post-UFC 270 Abuse

UFC Flyweight Champion Deiveson Figueiredo does not want to defend his title in Mexico due to the “prejudiced” nature of the country. Figueiredo began his second reign on the 125-pound throne at the opening pay-per-view of 2022 last month. In the UFC 270 co-main event, “Deus da Guerra” shared the Octagon with Brandon Moreno for […]

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UFC Flyweight Champion Deiveson Figueiredo does not want to defend his title in Mexico due to the “prejudiced” nature of the country.

Figueiredo began his second reign on the 125-pound throne at the opening pay-per-view of 2022 last month. In the UFC 270 co-main event, “Deus da Guerra” shared the Octagon with Brandon Moreno for the third time.

Having failed to defeat “The Assassin Baby” in a December 2020 draw and losing the gold to the Mexican last June at UFC 263, Figueiredo hoped to level the score in Anaheim in front of a largely hostile crowd.

After five rounds of action, the Brazilian did just that. Seemingly thanks to knockdowns in the third and fifth frames, Figueiredo was awarded the unanimous decision verdict, with all three judges seeing the fight 48-47 in his favor.

Figueiredo Pours Cold Water On Moreno’s Hopes Of A Mexico Crowning

With the pair’s feud now at 1-1-1, this chapter of their careers seems to be far from over and could see an immediate historical tetralogy go down later this year, something Moreno believes he more than deserves.

But while the newly-crowned champion and his manager appeared to envision a fourth fight with the Mexican happening soon, the tune appears to have changed. Having recently claimed it would take a million-dollar check to get him back in the cage with “The Assassin Baby” and suggested an interest in facing top contender Kai Kara-France, Figueiredo has now shut down talk of a possible defense in Mexico.

During a recent appearance on Combate’s Mundo da Luta podcast, the flyweight king revealed his team is targeting a Brazil outing. Despite previously expressing a desire to defeat Moreno on the former champ’s home turf, post-fight “prejudiced” comments have left “Deus Da Guerra” with little desire to venture to his rival’s nation.

“If we fight in Mexico, we’re sure not to go out with Cejudo from there because people want his head in Mexico,” said Figueiredo. “We’re going to ask this fight for Brazil, or anywhere else, except Mexico. Even I don’t want to go there. Guys are pretty prejudiced too, some Mexicans come to me calling me ‘monkey’ and stuff. Through that, I don’t want to fight in Mexico.” (h/t BJPenn.com)

With the likes of Kara-France, Askar Askarov, and Alexandre Pantoja waiting in the wings for a shot at gold, a fourth fight between Figueiredo and Moreno is certainly not an obvious and clear-cut choice for the UFC.

Nevertheless, if the promotion does choose to go down that path, it appears unlikely “The Assassin Baby” will have the chance to dethrone Figueiredo in front of a home crowd, especially while the champ is training with Henry Cejudo.

Would you like to see Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno meet again for a historical fourth fight?

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Daniel Cormier Says Israel Adesanya Needs To Do More For GOAT Talk

Daniel Cormier thinks UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is great, but not to the level of Anderson Silva yet as some fans think. Adesanya is set to face former champion Robert Whittaker in a rematch at UFC 271. Since he first earned the title over Whittaker, he’s defended his belt against Paulo Costa, Yoel Romero, […]

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Daniel Cormier thinks UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is great, but not to the level of Anderson Silva yet as some fans think.

Adesanya is set to face former champion Robert Whittaker in a rematch at UFC 271. Since he first earned the title over Whittaker, he’s defended his belt against Paulo Costa, Yoel Romero, and Marvin Vettori in dominant performances.

Some believe that Adesanya is potentially on the way to becoming the greatest middleweight champion in UFC history, but Cormier tells fans to pump the brakes on that assumption.

“No. Dude, Anderson Silva existed. Anderson Silva existed. Like, I don’t get this recency bias that fans have,” Cormier said during a recent episode of DC&RC. “Honestly RC, I think the word ‘GOAT’ gets thrown around way too easy in fight sports. The only person that doesn’t get passed is Muhammad Ali and there have been some really impressive fighters, but people recognize what Muhammad Ali was. Anderson Silva was to MMA what Muhammad Ali was to boxing. No, [Israel Adesanya] has some work to do to catch Anderson.” (h/t SportsKeeda)

Silva is arguably the greatest UFC fighter of all time, regardless of weight class. His run as the middleweight champion was a spectacle that has arguably yet to be replicated.

Adesanya defeated Silva at UFC 234 when Silva was arguably years past his prime. Following his losses to Chris Weidman, Silva was never quite able to repeat the magic that he created as the middleweight king.

Adesanya’s lone blemish on his UFC record came against Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259 for the light heavyweight belt. While he had his fair share of moments on the feet, Blachowicz used his grappling and size to smother Adesanya in the later rounds.

Adesanya certainly has the potential to be an all-time great, but Cormier thinks he has some work to do to warrant that distinction.

Do you agree with Daniel Cormier regarding Israel Adesanya?

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Whittaker Explains What His Biggest Mistake Was In Adesanya Loss

UFC middleweight contender Robert Whittaker has revealed what he believes was the biggest mistake he made against Israel Adesanya at UFC 243. Midway through 2019, Whittaker held the 185-pound gold and hadn’t been beaten since a loss to Stephen Thompson in 2014. In his nine-fight win streak, “The Reaper” defeated the likes of Brad Tavares, […]

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UFC middleweight contender Robert Whittaker has revealed what he believes was the biggest mistake he made against Israel Adesanya at UFC 243.

Midway through 2019, Whittaker held the 185-pound gold and hadn’t been beaten since a loss to Stephen Thompson in 2014. In his nine-fight win streak, “The Reaper” defeated the likes of Brad Tavares, Uriah Hall, Derek Brunson, and Ronaldo Souza; won the interim title against Yoel Romero, after which he was promoted to undisputed king; and defeated the Cuban powerhouse for the second time.

Adesanya, meanwhile, defeated Brunson, Tavares, Marvin Vettori, and Anderson Silva on his way to an interim title shot earlier in the year. In a Fight of the Year contender, he defeated Kelvin Gastelum, setting up a unification showdown with Whittaker at UFC 243.

In phenomenal fashion, “The Last Stylebender” dominated the short-lived contest. After knocking his foe down at the end of round one, Adesanya secured his place on the middleweight throne with a second-round knockout inside Melbourne, Australia’s Marvel Stadium.

Whittaker: I Was Too Reckless

Given Whittaker’s prior performances, the way in which Adesanya was able to dispatch him came as quite a shock. But following a break from the sport, the New Zealand-born Australian returned with a vengeance.

Having comfortably defeated Darren Till, Jared Cannonier, and Gastelum on the scorecards since losing his title, three of the best performances of his career, Whittaker has earned his shot at redemption. And he believes he’s rectified the mistakes that led to his downfall in October 2019.

During a recent interview with MMA Junkie’s Farah Hannoun, Whittaker was asked whether he’s identified the greatest error he made against Adesanya. Aside from getting hit very hard in the face, “The Reaper” named his reckless attitude in the Octagon as the leading cause for his loss.

“Getting hit in the face [LAUGHS]. Definitely that one. Probably my recklessness,” said Whittaker. “I was recklessly charging in, I was falling into every one of his baits, every one of his traps, and just, you know, stubbornly just trying to press forward, press the attack, and rip his head off. That’s what was going through my head, and yeah, it didn’t work.

“That’s not how I usually fight. You don’t see me fight like that in a lot of other fights,” added Whittaker. “So I have addressed it, I’ve reflected on it, and we’re gonna try and get in there and do something different this next time.”

Whittaker will have the chance to prove he’s eliminated the mistakes from his game when he steps inside the Octagon with Adesanya for the second time. The pair are set to headline Houston’s UFC 271 pay-per-view on February 12.

Do you think Robert Whittaker has what it takes to hand Israel Adesanya his first middleweight loss?

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Marvin Vettori Responds To Rematch Calls From Paulo Costa, Criticizes Him For Weight Issues

Marvin VettoriUFC middleweight contender, Marvin Vettori appears to have played down the possibility of standing opposite fellow one-time title challenger, Paulo Costa in the immediate future, as well as criticizing the Brazilian’s weight-cut mishap ahead of their November headliner. Landing a unanimous decision victory over the Belo Horizonte native, Vettori managed to turn in a Fight […]

Marvin Vettori

UFC middleweight contender, Marvin Vettori appears to have played down the possibility of standing opposite fellow one-time title challenger, Paulo Costa in the immediate future, as well as criticizing the Brazilian’s weight-cut mishap ahead of their November headliner.

Landing a unanimous decision victory over the Belo Horizonte native, Vettori managed to turn in a Fight of the Year contender against Costa in their November main event, which was forced to see a weight change in the days leading up to the bout.

Marvin Vettori returned to the winner’s enclosure with his November victory against Paulo Costa

Speaking with media assembled during his fight week media availability, Costa confirmed that he would not be fighting Vettori at the middleweight limit, as agreed upon, before the pair eventually agreed to terms on a light heavyweight main event on short notice.

Suffering his second consecutive loss, Costa had dropped a second round knockout defeat to common-foe, current middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya in September 2020 on ‘Fight Island’ – snapping his promotional perfect winning spree. 

Earlier this week, Costa confirmed that he had instructed UFC officials to pair him in an immediate rematch with Kings MMA staple, Vettori next, as well as insisting he was no longer interested in fighting, unless he stood opposite the Italian again.

“I just said to let Dana White know, I’ll fight him (Marvin Vettori) now,” Paulo Costa told AgFight. “It’s the only fight that interests me. No one else interests me. Unless if it’s for the title but I’m no fool. I’m not stupid to consider (a title fight) now. I want to fight him. He’s the only viable guy that interests me. If it’s not him, I’m not even interested in fighting. I let Dana White know that.”

Responding to Costa’s comments and calls for a rematch, Vettori poked fun at Costa’s weight cut issues ahead of their UFC Apex clash back in November, as well as claiming the Brazilian does not hit hard for a middleweight.

“You (Paulo Costa) was in the cage with me 30 pounds heavier and for real I know a b*tch her name Felicia she hits harder than you @danawhite,” Marvin Vettori tweeted

Whilst campaigning to serve as the official backup replacement fighter for UFC 271 next weekend ahead of a middleweight championship rematch between Adesanya, and former champion, Robert Whittaker, Vettori has yet to be officially confirmed as an backup fighter. 

J?drzejczyk Explains How She’s Trying To Extend Her Legacy

Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna J?drzejczyk has explained how she’s harnessing her business acumen to extend her legacy outside the Octagon. J?drzejczyk held gold on MMA’s biggest stage between 2015 and 2017. After dethroning Carla Esparza at UFC 185, the Polish star went on to defend the belt five times against Jessica Penne, Valérie […]

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Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna J?drzejczyk has explained how she’s harnessing her business acumen to extend her legacy outside the Octagon.

J?drzejczyk held gold on MMA’s biggest stage between 2015 and 2017. After dethroning Carla Esparza at UFC 185, the Polish star went on to defend the belt five times against Jessica Penne, Valérie Létourneau, Cláudia Gadelha, Karolina Kowalkiewicz, and Jéssica Andrade.

But since her victory over the Brazilian, J?drzejczyk has gone 2-4, including consecutive losses to current titleholder Rose Namajunas and a setback against reigning flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko.

The 34-year-old’s last appearance saw her share the Octagon with then-champ Zhang Weili in March 2020. In one of the greatest fights of all time, the pair traded blows for 25 minutes. In a close contest, many believe the level of visible damage on the head of the challenger, including a gruesome hematoma, perhaps swayed the decision in the Chinese star’s favor.

J?drzejczyk: “I Was Always Into Business”

While some fans will look down on a two-year layoff and often criticize inactivity, J?drzejczyk has certainly paid her dues in the sport and has been making an impact beyond the realms of fighting since her last outing.

From commercials to projects, J?drzejczyk has been making a splash in the business world, as many fighters have attempted and succeeded in doing over the past few years.

Having developed a business acumen from a young age, J?drzejczyk is hoping to stretch beyond the confines of being an “athlete” and extend her legacy through partnerships and self-made businesses.

“I do lots of media, lots of sponsorships; I’m trying to build my own businesses,” said J?drzejczyk on a recent episode of American Top Team’s Punchin’ In podcast. “The other things, I love doing sponsorship obligations, media, TV, but training is always first. This is what made me. This is who I am. This is why I’m here, because of all my wins, trophies, sports legacy, sports success; it helped me become kind of a celebrity. I think after I lost the belt, people learn more about the Joanna J?drzejczyk as a woman, a human, than only an athlete. I was like, a robot, only an athlete back in the day. Only training, training training. But I was always full of passions and hobbies.

“I was doing businesses since I was a little girl. I was always into business and doing things. So, this is what I love,” added J?drzejczyk. “Now people know that I’m not only high-quality athlete, they know that I’m high-quality business woman, and I’m high-quality role model, and I’m high-quality human being. That’s why they want to hang out with me, they want to do deals, they want to promote things…

“What I’m trying to build, I’m not trying to only build business relationships, in every business relationship, I’m trying to bring friendship and family relationships. This is what’s important to me. I’m trying to extend my legacy, so I’m trying to build my own businesses as well.”

Having further developed her brand in her native Poland, J?drzejczyk is now back on US soil and training at ATT ahead of her long-awaited return to the Octagon.

With Esparza set to challenge for Namajunas’ gold next, the veteran will seemingly have to face another top contender for her comeback before jumping back to the title, as she’d hoped to do in March or April this year.

Given Zhang’s two 2021 setbacks against “Thug Rose,” now may be the perfect time for her to run it back with J?drzejczyk. And with the Pole seemingly down for a second scrap with “Magnum,” the ball appears to be in the UFC’s court.

Given the way their first fight went, it’s hard to believe anyone would be turning their heads at the chance of seeing the pair share the cage again.

Who would you like to see Joanna J?drzejczyk face when she returns to the Octagon?

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