Tag: UFC

Amir Albazi Issues First Statement On Lopsided Loss To Brandon Moreno At UFC Edmonton

Having tasted defeat for the first time in the UFC, flyweight contender Amir Albazi has vowed to fix the holes in his game and bounce back stronger. After health issues kept him out of the cage for 17 months following a main event win over Kai Kara-France, Albazi finally had the opportunity to stake his […]

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Having tasted defeat for the first time in the UFC, flyweight contender Amir Albazi has vowed to fix the holes in his game and bounce back stronger.

After health issues kept him out of the cage for 17 months following a main event win over Kai Kara-France, Albazi finally had the opportunity to stake his claim for a title shot this past weekend in Edmonton.

Instead of doing so, however, and nothing his biggest victory to date, his perfect UFC record was blemished courtesy of Brandon Moreno’s efforts.

The Mexican snapped “The Prince’s” six-fight winning run in emphatic fashion to close out Saturday’s UFC Fight Night, beating the Iraqi up across five rounds to collect convincing nods on all three scorecards.

A disappointed Albazi took to Instagram a day later to speak on the result, thanking his supporters and promising to display an improved version of himself next time out.

“It wasn’t my night last night, but this is part of life. You win some, you lose some,” Albazi said. “All respect to Brandon Moreno, he was the better man. I’ll be back, I promise. I’ll be back on that horse and keep improving, keep getting better. You guys will see me soon. Thank you for the support.”

“No excuses,” Albazi wrote in the caption. “You win some and lose some but i will be back better ?? i promise. Thanks for the support.”

For Moreno, this past weekend’s main event marked a crucial rebound result. He previously lost two straight by split decision to Alexandre Pantoja — losing the flyweight gold in the process — and Brandon Royval.

He’ll now look ahead to a potential title eliminator, as he seeks the chance to achieve three-time champ status on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage.

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UFC Confirms Apex Events Will Continue, Plans for More Road Shows in 2025

UFC Apex David ShawUFC Vice President David Shaw confirmed Saturday that the UFC Apex will continue to be utilized despite the promotion’s…

UFC Apex David Shaw

UFC Vice President David Shaw confirmed Saturday that the UFC Apex will continue to be utilized despite the promotion’s plans for more road shows in 2025.

Shaw was filling in for UFC President Dana White at the UFC Edmonton post-fight press conference and spoke about the UFC’s plans to hit the road more in this upcoming year, but also maintained that the UFC Apex will continue to be a home for fights.

“There’ll be an increased number of events outside of the Apex relative to this year as we get into the 2025 schedule,” Shaw said (H/T Cageside Press).

David Shaw speaks on plans for the UFC Apex and explains its value to the company

“It’s tough for us to anticipate what two or three years down the road is going to look like,” Shaw continued. “But it (continuing to use the UFC Apex) makes a lot of sense for a lot of reasons. There’s a lot of fighters in Vegas, it’s easy for us operationally, it’s obviously simple from a budgetary perspective.”

“The rigor and the pressure and how laborious it can be to be on the road, I mean you guys know it, you’re week in and week out with us and other promotions. It’s tough,” he explained. “So I think having home games and being in the Apex where you can just turn off the lights and lock the door, it makes a lot of sense for us. Will we ever get back to pre-COVID of no Apex, I don’t think so. But I think we’re going to find the right balance for us.”

Fights at the UFC Apex saved the UFC during the COVID years, but fans have grown pretty tired of the tiny arena and almost nonexistent crowd. Fighters also seem to prefer fighting in packed arenas, as evidenced by their reactions to the electrifying crowd at UFC Edmonton. The Edmonton card also broke a record, becoming the highest-grossing Fight Night event in North American history at $2.6 million U.S.

UFC Matchmaking Bulletin: Payton Talbott’s Next Fight Set For UFC 311

MMA News has you covered with this week’s UFC matchmaking bulletin, featuring all the additions to upcoming cards. With events being held most weekends, Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby have their matchmaking work cut out if they’re to fill them, meaning new bouts are confirmed each and every week. Between Monday, October 28, and Sunday, November […]

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MMA News has you covered with this week’s UFC matchmaking bulletin, featuring all the additions to upcoming cards.

With events being held most weekends, Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby have their matchmaking work cut out if they’re to fill them, meaning new bouts are confirmed each and every week.

Between Monday, October 28, and Sunday, November 3, a number of notable fights were made official by the UFC or reported by reputable sources. For more information on those matchups, check out the links below:

Plenty of lower-profile matchups also came together. For those, check out this week’s quick hits:

But it wasn’t all positive, with two fights falling through or being adjusted. For those, see below:

Continue Reading UFC Matchmaking Bulletin: Payton Talbott’s Next Fight Set For UFC 311 at MMA News.

‘Like Holloway vs. Kattar’ – Fans React To Brandon Moreno’s Masterclass Against Amir Albazi In UFC Edmonton Main Event

Anyone who tried to write off Brandon Moreno was taught a lesson in Saturday night’s UFC Edmonton main event, where the former two-time flyweight champion put a beatdown on fellow top contender Amir Albazi. From the get go, Moreno looked to utilize his striking to the nth degree. And it was a strong start in […]

Continue Reading ‘Like Holloway vs. Kattar’ – Fans React To Brandon Moreno’s Masterclass Against Amir Albazi In UFC Edmonton Main Event at MMA News.

Anyone who tried to write off Brandon Moreno was taught a lesson in Saturday night’s UFC Edmonton main event, where the former two-time flyweight champion put a beatdown on fellow top contender Amir Albazi.

From the get go, Moreno looked to utilize his striking to the nth degree. And it was a strong start in the first round, as he landed notable combinations and used his right hand to put Albazi on the back foot, even causing a slip at one point. “The Prince” seemed to be too patient as the fight stretched into the second frame, which saw the Mexican continue to land, land, and land some more.

Moreno’s pacing and accuracy continued to the point where Albazi’s coaches berated him at one point, stating that he was losing every single round with brutal honesty. However, the Iraqi had no answer in the championship rounds despite his best efforts.

“The Assassin Baby” won on all three judges’ scorecards (49-46, 50-45, 50-45) in a masterclass domination.

Brandon Moreno Dominates Amir Albazi In UFC Edmonton Main Event

Moreno vs. Albazi was originally scheduled to take place in February at UFC Mexico City, but a neck injury forced the Iraqi contender to withdraw. The home favorite ended up being defeated by Brandon Royval in the main event of that card.

That result came in the Mexican’s first fight since dropping the UFC flyweight title to Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 290 in July 2023.

Meanwhile, the Canada-held card this weekend was Albazi’s first loss in the Octagon and saw his six-fight win streak snapped. Albazi’s last loss prior to tonight came against Jose “Shorty” Torres in Brave CF back in April 2019.

Continue Reading ‘Like Holloway vs. Kattar’ – Fans React To Brandon Moreno’s Masterclass Against Amir Albazi In UFC Edmonton Main Event at MMA News.

‘Imagine What Shevchenko Would Do’ – Fans React As Erin Blanchfield Outpoints Rose Namajunas At UFC Edmonton

Erin Blanchfield pulled off a reverse sweep and earned a win over another former UFC champion, defeating Rose Namajunas in the UFC Edmonton co-main event. Namajunas had early control of the fight, utilizing her striking over the course of the first two rounds. While Blanchfield had bright spots in the opening frame, “Thug Rose’s” striking […]

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Erin Blanchfield pulled off a reverse sweep and earned a win over another former UFC champion, defeating Rose Namajunas in the UFC Edmonton co-main event.

Namajunas had early control of the fight, utilizing her striking over the course of the first two rounds. While Blanchfield had bright spots in the opening frame, “Thug Rose’s” striking was on complete display in the second, showing the crispness and accuracy that helped elevate her to two UFC strawweight championships previously.

“Cold Blooded” entered tonight with the significant advantage in grappling, and that was on display in the third round. Blanchfield was able to get Namajunas to the ground and controlled the action, but the veteran wasn’t going down without a fight.

Blanchfield was able to get her striking going in the fourth round, finding her range and landing her targets with a solid pace. Namajunas, however, battled back and used her pressure and accuracy for a strong final minute.

The #3-ranked contender got the fight back down and controlled the action there in the final stanza, completing the 48-47 decision win on all three judges’ scorecards.

Erin Blanchfield Pulls Off Reverse Sweep Over Rose Namajunas In UFC Edmonton Co-Main Event

With the result, Blanchfield rebounded from a loss to Manon Fiorot at UFC Atlantic City in March. Prior to that loss, she had been on a solid winning streak that stretched back to her days with Invicta FC. Her recent wins came against former title challenger Taila Santos and ex-strawweight champion Jéssica Andrade.

Namajunas, meanwhile, is now 2-2 since moving up to flyweight after her second strawweight title reign came to an end. She lost to Fiorot last year in Paris but rebounded with wins over Amanda Ribas and Tracy Cortez in 2024.

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‘Fought Like Strickland’ – Fans React As Mike Malott Bounces Back From Magny Loss In Lackluster UFC Edmonton Fight

After his winning streak was snapped in his last outing, Mike Malott is now back in the green column after getting the better of Trevin Giles as part of the UFC Edmonton main card. The first round didn’t bring a lot of activity, with Malott controlling the action. The Canadian continued to control the action […]

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After his winning streak was snapped in his last outing, Mike Malott is now back in the green column after getting the better of Trevin Giles as part of the UFC Edmonton main card.

The first round didn’t bring a lot of activity, with Malott controlling the action. The Canadian continued to control the action in the second, picking up his pacing toward the end. Giles, meanwhile, seemed to be unable or unwilling to pull the trigger.

“Proper” had a notable kick-based attack in the third round, doing damage to Giles’ body and legs. The American, however, did land some significant shots that busted up Malott’s face some.

Ultimately, the home favorite took a decision, sweeping the scorecards after three rounds of action that failed to impress the MMA masses.

Mike Malott Rebounds With Decision Over Trevin Giles At UFC Edmonton

After entering the UFC with a win over Shimon Smotritsky on Dana White’s Contender Series, Malott earned victories against Mickey Gall, Yohan Lainesse, and Adam Fugitt before a loss to Neil Magny at UFC 297.

Giles, meanwhile, has now lost three straight fights.

Continue Reading ‘Fought Like Strickland’ – Fans React As Mike Malott Bounces Back From Magny Loss In Lackluster UFC Edmonton Fight at MMA News.