Tag: UFC Vegas 55

EXCLUSIVE | Joseph Holmes Rips ‘Boring’ Fighter Israel Adesanya

UFC middleweight prospect Joseph Holmes doesn’t think that UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya is an entertaining watch. Holmes is now only one week removed from his win over Alen Amedovski at UFC Vegas 55. He earned his first UFC win after dropping his debut to Jamie Pickett back in January. Win the victory, Holmes moved…

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UFC middleweight prospect Joseph Holmes doesn’t think that UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya is an entertaining watch.

Holmes is now only one week removed from his win over Alen Amedovski at UFC Vegas 55. He earned his first UFC win after dropping his debut to Jamie Pickett back in January.

Win the victory, Holmes moved to 8-2 in his professional career and is considered by many to be one of the top middleweight prospects in the UFC. As he moves closer to a potential spot in the rankings, he has a thing or two to say about the champion Adesanya.

During an exclusive interview with MMA News, Holmes explained why he doesn’t find Adesanya to be an appealing fighter to watch.

“Israel’s kind of a point fighter, he doesn’t really look for finishes,” Holmes said. “He has some finishes, but he ain’t looking for no finishes. I think [Jared] Cannonier has a chance if he can press him up against that cage, take him down and drop some bombs on him…I think if it goes past the fourth, Cannonier doesn’t have a shot. Izzy’s just ‘pick and run’, he’s looking to fight 25 minutes every fight. That’s just boring as hell. Nobody’s trying to do that.

“Compared to his level, he’ll face someone who is a C+ fighter and just go to a decision with them. That’s ridiculous. I’d like to see a change in the belt holding but I’m not there yet, so there’s not much I can do.”

Adesanya will face Jared Cannonier in the UFC 276 headliner on July 2nd. He most recently earned successful title defenses over Marvin Vettori and Robert Whittaker.

Holmes believes Adesanya is a deserving champion but doesn’t feel that means he’s automatically an entertaining product for the UFC. Depending on how Holmes’ UFC career plays out, he may get a shot at Adesanya down the line for a chance to prove his point.

What do you make of our interview with Joseph Holmes?

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EXCLUSIVE: Joseph Holmes “Wasn’t Expecting (Amedovski) To Drop From The Knee” After 1st-Round Finish At UFC Vegas 55

Joseph HolmesUFC middleweight Joseph Holmes talked about his most recent winning efforts inside the cage against Alen Amedovski. Making his professional debut in Bellator, Joseph Holmes made his way into the UFC through Dana White’s Contender Series last October. After a rocky start in his debut against Jamie Pickett, ‘Ugly Man’ Joe got back to winning […]

Joseph Holmes

UFC middleweight Joseph Holmes talked about his most recent winning efforts inside the cage against Alen Amedovski.

Making his professional debut in Bellator, Joseph Holmes made his way into the UFC through Dana White’s Contender Series last October. After a rocky start in his debut against Jamie Pickett, ‘Ugly Man’ Joe got back to winning ways in his latest outing at UFC Fight Night 206. Taking on Alen Amedovski at UFC Vegas 55, Holmes emerged victorious in the opening minute with a rear-naked submission.

Joseph Holmes was surprised to see Amedovski go down

Holmes has been clear about his intentions of getting bonuses in his fights, and with his latest first-round finish, it may surprise many to know that he did not receive any kind of bonus. In a sequence that began with a straight knee to the head, Holmes sent Amedovski down the canvas and followed up with multiple strikes to secure the submission.

In an exclusive interview with LowKick MMA, Joseph Holmes talked about his recent win over Amedovski and explained what was going through his mind when he saw his opponent go down from what seemed to be a light knee strike.

“No, I wasn’t expecting him to drop from the knee,” Holmes said. “It was actually super surprising. I just threw the knee because I was told to, and I just threw it in that split second. The moment it hit him, I was like ‘damn! Did I really drop this guy? Oh shit, I’m ready to be done. Let me try and finish this fight.”

Holmes did not receive any bonuses

During the same interview, Holmes was probed by the interviewer on whether he received any behind-the-scenes bonuses. While the UFC does make public the winners of the night’s incentives, many fighters have talked about getting paid more behind the camera.

“No bonuses, no behind-the-scenes bonus, nothing,” Holmes said. “They showed me no love for that performance, man.”

With a finish like that, it wouldn’t have been crazy to hand ‘Ugly Man Joe’ a Performance of the Night bonus. Regardless, the Texas native stays confident about his ambitions to win some down the line as he looks to continue putting on exciting fights for the fans.

Miesha Tate Explains Holly Holm’s Mistakes In UFC Vegas 55 Main Event

Former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Miesha Tate has assessed Holly Holm’s performance at UFC Vegas 55, and explained why her game plan played right into the hands of Ketlen Vieira. In this past weekend’s main event, two 135-pound contenders collided, both of whom were looking to secure their place behind Amanda Nunes in the queue…

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Former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Miesha Tate has assessed Holly Holm’s performance at UFC Vegas 55, and explained why her game plan played right into the hands of Ketlen Vieira.

In this past weekend’s main event, two 135-pound contenders collided, both of whom were looking to secure their place behind Amanda Nunes in the queue for a shot at reigning bantamweight queen Julianna Peña.

After five rounds of action, which saw the #2-ranked Holm record an abundance of control time against the cage, the Brazilian fell on the right side of a split decision. While the verdict caused a fare amount of controversy, most acknowledge that Vieira’s offense secured her at least two rounds, with a couple others being close enough to swing either way.

In the aftermath of the event, some fans and pundits criticized Holm’s strategy, which seemed solely committed to control against the fence, which, as per the scoring criteria, is not credited in the eyes of the judges without some effective offense behind it.

Now, one of Holm’s former opponents has become the latest to suggest that the former champ’s clinch-heavy approach was a mistake.

Taking to Twitter following the culmination of the main event, Miesha Tate suggested that “The Preacher’s Daughter” got it all wrong with her gameplan on the night. Speaking from experience, the 35-year-old discussed the importance of forcing Vieira to be the aggressor.

“Not a good game plan by @HollyHolm I can say it bc I’ve made the mistake before too. she shoulda stayed on the outside & forced Ketlen to be the aggressor. Holly’s an excellent counter striker, she tired herself out by engaging in the clinch too much. Ketlen makes it look easy”

Vieira’s victory over Holm on Saturday night marked the addition of a second former titleholder to her record. In her previous contest, the Brazilian outpointed Tate across 25 minutes of action.

Having defeated Tate and likely secured her ascent deep into the division’s top five with her triumph against Holm, Vieira will be keeping a close eye on the rematch between Peña and Nunes, which was recently confirmed to be the headliner for UFC 277 on July 30.

Do you agree with Miesha Tate’s assessment of Holly Holm’s performance at UFC Vegas 55?

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Daniel Cormier Debates Holly Holm Loss, Judging Criteria: ‘I Don’t Really Understand What I’m Watching’

Daniel CormierFormer two-weight UFC champion, Daniel Cormier has claimed that he’s unsure how two of three judges managed to score last weekend’s UFC Vegas 55 headliner in favor of Ketlen Vieira – questioning if onlookers just don’t understand the criteria or what they are actually viewing, in fact. Cormier, who called last weekend’s UFC Vegas 55 […]

Daniel Cormier

Former two-weight UFC champion, Daniel Cormier has claimed that he’s unsure how two of three judges managed to score last weekend’s UFC Vegas 55 headliner in favor of Ketlen Vieira – questioning if onlookers just don’t understand the criteria or what they are actually viewing, in fact.

Cormier, who called last weekend’s UFC Vegas 55 action alongside both former lightweight contender, Paul Felder, and play-by-play staple, Jon Anik as part of a commentary booth trio, expressed his confusion as to how Vieira managed to land a split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47) win against former bantamweight champion, Holm.

“This is where I don’t really understand what I’m watching in terms of the fight,” Daniel Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “(Eryk) Anders fight, (Holly) Holm fight – both had so much control time against the side of the Octagon that I don’t know how they are losing the fight.”

“And I think probably the most famous instance in which that happened was Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal, the first fight,” Daniel Cormier claimed. “If there is no value in clinch control, then how did Kamaru win that fight so dominantly the first time he fought Masvidal? I’m not saying dominantly in terms of damage, I’m talking so dominantly across the scorecards. Because very few judges scored a round for Jorge Masvidal outside of round one.”

“What they did was give value and give credit to Kamaru Usman for putting Jorge Masvidal in a position that he did not want to go to for extended periods of time. That’s where I think the judging gets f*cked up a little bit.”

Daniel Cormier believes judges are consistently making mistakes in their scoring

Despite overall damage and effective, impactful striking listed as the most valuable means in scoring points on judge’s scorecards as per the criteria, Cormier believes Octagon-side judges are continually making consistent mistakes when it comes to scoring fights.

“But once again, it’s on the judges, “Daniel Cormier said. “Once again, they keep on making these mistakes, I would think? Or we just don’t know what the hell we’re watching. … The Holm fight last night was wrong.”

“Last night was probably the most clear instance in which I felt like I did not know what I’m watching, I guess,” Daniel Cormier explained. “Because I was on the wrong side of two fights that I thought were going one direction, and they didn’t.” (Transcribed by MMA Junkie)

Almeida Vouches For Teammate Carlos Felipe Following ‘Unjust’ USADA Test

Jailton Almeida has spoken out in support of his teammate Carlos Felipe in the wake of the latter’s second USADA suspension. The Brazilian submission artist spoke to reporters after his first-round rear-naked choke win against Parker Porter at UFC Vegas 55. Almeida had given a shout-out to Felipe immediately after his win, prompting the interviewer…

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Jailton Almeida has spoken out in support of his teammate Carlos Felipe in the wake of the latter’s second USADA suspension.

The Brazilian submission artist spoke to reporters after his first-round rear-naked choke win against Parker Porter at UFC Vegas 55. Almeida had given a shout-out to Felipe immediately after his win, prompting the interviewer to ask about Filipe’s importance to Almeida as a friend and teammate.

“Carlos Felipe is like a brother to me,” Almeida said. “He was the person that extended his hand and showed me the dream that it is to fight in the UFC. If I was able to do what I did there with Porter, it’s because I had Carlos Felipe there working with me every day, you know?”

While the interviewer didn’t specifically ask about Felipe’s suspension, Almeida went on to acknowledge the topic anyway.

Carlos Felipe (left) and Jailton Almeida (right)

“We believe that he was unjustly caught in the doping test. We know that he didn’t do anything, but something popped in his test. He has done it before, and he openly talks about having used before when he was caught the first time. But you know, he’s not a dumb person. He knows what he has to do in order to stay clean and stay in the sport. So, I know that he didn’t do it and he’s gonna be back here very soon.”

Originally signed by the UFC in 2017, Felipe failed a USADA test in the lead-up to his promotional debut and accepted a two year suspension.

The Brazilian heavyweight finally entered the UFC with a majority decision loss to Sergey Spivak in 2020. “Boi” rebounded with three straight wins but lost to Andrei Arlovski in 2021 and ran afoul of USADA a second time. He is currently unable to compete until April 16, 2023.

Contender Series 2021 contract winner Jailton Almeida entered the UFC as a light heavyweight and is now 2-0 in the promotion following his win over Parker Porter at heavyweight. “Malhadinho” has finished both his UFC opponents in the first round and hasn’t lost an MMA bout since 2018.

What are your thoughts on Almeida claiming that Felipe was “unjustly caught” by USADA?

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Holly Holm Expresses Frustration With Judging Following UFC Vegas 55

Former UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm has spoken out following her controversial loss to Ketlen Vieira at UFC Vegas 55. Holm was looking to win a third-straight fight following back-to-back victories over Irene Aldana and Raquel Pennington. A win over Vieira would’ve likely given her a title shot against the winner of the Julianna Peña/Amanda…

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Former UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm has spoken out following her controversial loss to Ketlen Vieira at UFC Vegas 55.

Holm was looking to win a third-straight fight following back-to-back victories over Irene Aldana and Raquel Pennington. A win over Vieira would’ve likely given her a title shot against the winner of the Julianna Peña/Amanda Nunes rematch.

But it wasn’t to be after five rounds of action as she lost a split decision to Vieira in the UFC Vegas 55 headliner. Despite outstriking Vieira in nearly every category, she didn’t end up triumphant on the judges’ scorecards.

During the UFC Vegas 55 post-fight show, Holm explained her issue with MMA judges following the loss.

“It’s just frustrating, because I think a lot of times these judges haven’t been through a training camp and see what you put on the line, and then when it comes short, just because they decide, ‘Well maybe I’ll throw this round here or this round there,’” Holm said. “I don’t agree with them. I’m pretty upset with them.

“I know it’s a hard position to be in, to be the judge, you have to make that decision right there, but I felt like I won.” (h/t MMA Fighting)

Holm is the latest victim of controversial judging and decisions over the past few years. Fighters such as Francis Ngannou and Anthony Smith have been critical of judges and the lack of accountability for their scorecards.

When asked about how she felt the fight played out, Holm gave her thoughts on how she would’ve scored the bout.

“I felt like she had round two but at the end of the fight, I truly felt in my heart that I won the fight,” Holm opined. “So I’m disappointed.

“I really don’t give her three rounds. You would have to give her three rounds to win the fight. I don’t really give her three rounds. But I always want perfection on my side so I want to make it so clear that there’s not even a question but I really felt like I won the fight.”

When asked about her thoughts on the judging, Vieira accused Holm of stalling throughout the fight, which in her mind impacted the final scorecards.

Despite the obvious disappointment that comes with defeat, Holm took a forward-thinking approach to the aftermath of her fight with Vieira.

“It’s a loss now,” Holm admitted. “I’ve got to be able to be back, be better and not ever let it be a question.”

After previously hinting at a return to the boxing ring to face Katie Taylor, Holm remains intent on getting at least one more bantamweight title shot before her MMA career concludes.

How did you score Holly Holm vs. Ketlen Vieira?

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