Tag: UFC on Fox 9

UFC Fight Night 33 Results: 10 Burning Questions Heading into UFC on Fox 9

UFC Fight Night 33 is in the books. The results are as follows:
Mark Hunt and Antonio Silva fight to a majority draw (48-47 Hunt, 47-47, 47-47)Mauricio Rua defeats James Te-Huna by KO at 1:03 of Round 1Ryan Bader defeats Anthony Perosh by unanimous dec…

UFC Fight Night 33 is in the books. The results are as follows:

Mark Hunt and Antonio Silva fight to a majority draw (48-47 Hunt, 47-47, 47-47)
Mauricio Rua defeats James Te-Huna by KO at 1:03 of Round 1
Ryan Bader defeats Anthony Perosh by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Soa Palelei defeats Pat Barry by KO via punches at 2:51 of Round 1
Clint Hester defeats Dylan Andrews by TKO via doctor stoppage at 5:00 of Round 2
Bethe Correia defeats Julie Kedzie by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Takeya Mizugaki defeats Nam Phan by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-28)
Caio Magalhaes defeats Nick Ring by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Justin Scoggins defeats Richi Vaculik by TKO via punches at 4:43 of Round 1
Krzysztof Jotko defeats Bruno Santos by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Alex Garcia defeats Ben Wall by KO via punch at 0:43 of Round 1

Next up is the super-duper stacked UFC on Fox 9.

Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez sit atop one of the greatest top-to-bottom cards in UFC history. In addition to the flyweight championship bout, we see critical fights in the bantamweight, welterweight, featherweight and lightweight divisions. 

So what topics are worth thinking about for the next eight days? Find out right here!

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Michael McDonald: I’ve Been Abstinent for 3-and-a-Half Years

UFC bantamweight contender Michael McDonald is one of the best young prospects on the UFC roster, boasting a 16-2 professional record inside the cage at just 22 years old. 
What’s the Oakdale MMA fighter’s key to success? Sexual intercourse is a t…

UFC bantamweight contender Michael McDonald is one of the best young prospects on the UFC roster, boasting a 16-2 professional record inside the cage at just 22 years old. 

What’s the Oakdale MMA fighter’s key to success? Sexual intercourse is a thing of the past for him.

Check out how “Mayday” responded after being asked, “Do you cut sex out before a fight?” during an interview on KMRQ Rock 96.7 radio’s Bueller and Brent show this week, per Fighters Only.

“I’ve actually been abstinent from sex for about 3 and a half years now,” McDonald replied. Momentary silence then Bueller cried, “So he’s gonna kick some ass! This is why you’ve been on such a tear!”

“It’s very arguable,” McDonald responded.

Whatever is on the agenda to help him prepare for his fights appears to be working, as the California native has won nine of his past 10 bouts. 

His sole blemish during that roughly four-year span was a submission loss to interim bantamweight champ Renan Barao, who is undefeated in his past 32 bouts. 

McDonald rebounded with his most recent victory at UFC Fight Night 26 in August, submitting fellow Top 10 bantamweight Brad Pickett with a triangle choke in the second round. 

The win earned him both “Submission of the Night” and “Fight of the Night” honors for the event. 

Currently ranked the No. 3 bantamweight in the UFC’s official rankings, McDonald could catapult himself into another title fight with a win over perennial contender Urijah Faber at UFC on Fox 9 on Saturday. 

Will McDonald’s strict training ritual lead him toward another shot at UFC gold in 2014?

 

John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com.

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Urijah Faber: Instincts Key to Defeating Michael McDonald at UFC on Fox 9

The UFC bantamweight title is the ultimate destination for Urijah Faber.
“The California Kid” has been shredding the competition in the bantamweight division as of late as he’s rolled out one impressive showing after another against some of the toughes…

The UFC bantamweight title is the ultimate destination for Urijah Faber.

“The California Kid” has been shredding the competition in the bantamweight division as of late as he’s rolled out one impressive showing after another against some of the toughest challenges in the 135-pound fold. The former WEC featherweight champion has racked up three consecutive victories in 2013 as he’s built steady momentum toward earning another title opportunity.

That said, the championship picture in the bantamweight division has been locked in a state of disarray for the past two years.

Belt holder Dominick Cruz has been sidelined with injury, and interim champion Renan Barao has defended his belt on two occasions as he’s worked toward a unification bout. This situation created a scenario where the upper tier of the division could have gone stagnant—and that very well could have happened—had Faber not rolled out his impressive streak.

But while he’s looking for another shot at championship gold, there is one stern challenge obstructing that path in the form of Michael McDonald.

“Mayday” bounced back from his loss to Barao at UFC on Fuel TV 7 back in February with a submission victory over Brad Pickett at Fight Night 26 in August. The former title challenger’s victory over the scrappy Brit put him on a collision course with the perennial contender, and they are set to square off at UFC on Fox 9 on Dec. 14 in Sacramento, Calif.

Where Faber is 12 years and 17 fights the Modesto native’s senior, he’s expecting an all-out war when the two fighters step into the cage. The Team Alpha Male leader is one of the most well-rounded fighters in the bantamweight division, and he believes he’ll have all the tools necessary to get his hand raised at fight’s end.

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UFC on FOX 9 Loses Another One: John Dodson Out of Jorgensen Fight With Knee Injury [UPDATED]


(“It’s the craziest thing, man. We were in the gym playing daddy-horse like normal, and suddenly I just slipped off Andrei’s back and fell directly onto the Duplo castle I built that morning. Coach is always telling me to pick up after myself. Well, now I know.” / Photo via TitoCouture)

It’s not a real injury curse until replacement fighters start pulling out with their own injuries. And so it goes with former flyweight title contender John Dodson, who joined the UFC on FOX 9 card (December 14th, Sacramento) to fill in for Ian McCall against Scott Jorgensen. Unfortunately, Dodson suffered a “serious knee injury” during a training session at Jackson’s MMA yesterday, and will not be able to compete. We have no other details about Dodson’s condition at this time.

Dodson’s injury marks the sixth fighter-withdrawal from UFC on FOX 9, following Anthony Pettis, the aforementioned Uncle Creepy, Kelvin Gastelum, Jamie Varner, and John Moraga. The UFC is currently trying to secure a second replacement opponent for Jorgensen, who looks to make his 125-pound debut at the event.

Luckily, the main card is still looking solid, with fights like Condit vs. Brown, Faber vs. McDonald, Mendes vs. Lentz, and Johnson vs. Benavidez 2 still intact for the time being. Of course, that could change at any moment, so head down to the comments section and submit your predictions for the next injury to befall the lineup; closest guess by fight night wins a CagePotato t-shirt.

Update: MMAWeekly reports that Scott Jorgensen will now face former Bellator bantamweight champion Zach Makovsky, who is 2-0 since dropping to 125 pounds earlier this year. Makovsky most recently competed last month at RFA 11, where he became the promotion’s flyweight champion with a decision win against Matt Manzanares.


(“It’s the craziest thing, man. We were in the gym playing daddy-horse like normal, and suddenly I just slipped off Andrei’s back and fell directly onto the Duplo castle I built that morning. Coach is always telling me to pick up after myself. Well, now I know.” / Photo via TitoCouture)

It’s not a real injury curse until replacement fighters start pulling out with their own injuries. And so it goes with former flyweight title contender John Dodson, who joined the UFC on FOX 9 card (December 14th, Sacramento) to fill in for Ian McCall against Scott Jorgensen. Unfortunately, Dodson suffered a “serious knee injury” during a training session at Jackson’s MMA yesterday, and will not be able to compete. We have no other details about Dodson’s condition at this time.

Dodson’s injury marks the sixth fighter-withdrawal from UFC on FOX 9, following Anthony Pettis, the aforementioned Uncle Creepy, Kelvin Gastelum, Jamie Varner, and John Moraga. The UFC is currently trying to secure a second replacement opponent for Jorgensen, who looks to make his 125-pound debut at the event.

Luckily, the main card is still looking solid, with fights like Condit vs. Brown, Faber vs. McDonald, Mendes vs. Lentz, and Johnson vs. Benavidez 2 still intact for the time being. Of course, that could change at any moment, so head down to the comments section and submit your predictions for the next injury to befall the lineup; closest guess by fight night wins a CagePotato t-shirt.

Update: MMAWeekly reports that Scott Jorgensen will now face former Bellator bantamweight champion Zach Makovsky, who is 2-0 since dropping to 125 pounds earlier this year. Makovsky most recently competed last month at RFA 11, where he became the promotion’s flyweight champion with a decision win against Matt Manzanares.

John Dodson Injured, out of UFC on Fox 9 Bout with Scott Jorgensen

John Dodson became the latest fighter to drop off Dec. 14’s UFC on Fox 9 card Tuesday evening. 
According to MMAjunkie, Dodson withdrew from his scheduled fight against Scott Jorgensen after suffering an injury in training, leaving the UFC to do s…

John Dodson became the latest fighter to drop off Dec. 14’s UFC on Fox 9 card Tuesday evening. 

According to MMAjunkie, Dodson withdrew from his scheduled fight against Scott Jorgensen after suffering an injury in training, leaving the UFC to do some last-minute shuffling. 

For those keeping track at home, Dodson’s injury represents the fifth major hit to this card, as Anthony Pettis, John Moraga, Kelvin Gastelum and Jamie Varner also fell off the night’s lineup in recent months. 

Pettis’ injury was particularly devastating, as he was expected to defend his lightweight title for the first time against Josh Thomson. Because of his injury, however, the UFC replaced the bout with the current main event between flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez. 

Jorgensen was originally expected to face Ian McCall at this event, but “Uncle Creepy” pulled out of the fight in late October, also citing an injury. 

No replacement opponents have been named for Jorgensen’s flyweight debut, but in a thin division, the pickings are slim. 

Since McCall and Dodson were originally named as opponents for Jorgensen’s first trek to the 125-pound division, it is clear that the UFC is comfortable with giving him a top-level opponent right away. 

Because of this, top 10 opponents like John Lineker, Ali Bagautinov or Chris Cariaso make sense. All of these men are coming off big wins in recent months and would provide an adequate test for Jorgensen to gauge how well he can perform in a new division. 

Lineker, however, struggles to make weight with a full training camp behind him, and a short-notice bout will almost assuredly not work out in his favor on the scale. 

Bagautinov and Cariaso, on the other hand, have always made weight, and they’ve each competed within the past two months, so they should be prepared for a quick turnaround. 

These possibilities aside, Jorgensen is fully expected to participate at UFC on Fox 9, and his flyweight debut will be hotly anticipated regardless of who stands across from him inside of the Octagon. 

Stay tuned. A replacement opponent will be released shortly. 

 

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Former Title Challenger Moraga Out, Ozkilic in vs. Uyenoyama at UFC on Fox 9

Another injury has forced a reshuffle at UFC on Fox 9, as former UFC Flyweight Championship challenger John Moraga has dropped out of his scheduled bout with Darren Uyenoyama. In his place is a top flyweight outside the UFC in Alp Ozkilic.
This signing…

Another injury has forced a reshuffle at UFC on Fox 9, as former UFC Flyweight Championship challenger John Moraga has dropped out of his scheduled bout with Darren Uyenoyama. In his place is a top flyweight outside the UFC in Alp Ozkilic.

This signing has further bolstered the flyweight division, which keeps getting bigger and more talented as the days go by. Ozkilic, considered by many to be a top-five 125er outside the company, will certainly make the division even more talented.

Ozkilic‘s signing comes on the heels of the signing of his flyweight teammate Josh Sampo, who will compete this weekend at The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale. Both men were college wrestling teammates who train out of St. Charles MMA in Missouri.

Ozkilic is much like Sampo in that he is a good wrestler with a solid submission base. The difference between Ozklic and Sampo is that Alp is probably the more powerful of the two, especially in the striking category.

He has especially shown that power and potential in his latest two outings, both of which came via knockout. After pasting journeyman Josh Robinson with nasty ground-and-pound, Ozkilic notched the biggest win of his career when he blasted through UFC vet Antonio Banuelos in just 30 seconds.

His matchup opposite of Uyenoyama provides an interesting chess match. Uyenoyama is a good wrestler that relies on his ground game to suffocate opponents. That may be tough against a better wrestler such as Ozkilic.

Most of Alp’s wins come via decision, showing that he can grind guys out as needed; however, one would think his plan here is to use his wrestling defensively while he chips away at Uyenoyama on the feet.

Alp’s only loss came back in April of last year, when he fell to current UFC bantamweight Chico Camus. Since then, however, he has grown leaps and bounds, showing to be a different fighter to this day.

The fight will take place on the prelims. Though the loss of Moraga is unfortunate, it’s great to see the UFC ink a future title contender like Ozkilic.

Stay tuned for more information from Bleacher Report as breaking news rolls in.

 

Follow me on Twitter for MMA news and other random thoughts (@RileyKontekMMA). Or don’t; that’s cool too.

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