Tag: Will Brooks

Will Brooks-Alex Oliveira, Josh Burkman-Bobby Green on For UFN 96

The fights continue to come in for UFC Fight Night 96, as Will Brooks will get his shot to compete in Portland.

Brooks will meet Alex Oliveira, while Josh Burkman takes on Bobby Green. The two fights were confirmed by MMAjunkie with the UFC.

Foll…

will-brooks

The fights continue to come in for UFC Fight Night 96, as Will Brooks will get his shot to compete in Portland.

Brooks will meet Alex Oliveira, while Josh Burkman takes on Bobby Green. The two fights were confirmed by MMAjunkie with the UFC.

Following his run to the Bellator lightweight title, Brooks signed with the UFC and earned a July victory over Ross Pearson. Oliveira has gone 4-2 over six Octagon appearances, including a recent win over James Moontasri.

Burkman will remain at lightweight to take on Green, with both fighters coming off losses. Burkman is just 1-3 in his last four, while Green has dropped two straight.

UFC Fight Night 96 takes place October 1 from Portland and the Moda Center.

Edson Barboza Prefers Someone Other Than Will Brooks

edson-barboza

Edson Barboza has no problem trading blows with former Bellator lightweight champion Will Brooks.

He just has his sights set on someone else.

Barboza, who scored a victory over Gilbert Melendez at UFC on FOX 20 recently, was “called-out” by Brooks for a fight this October in Oregon. However, the Brazilian could have trouble getting clearance to fight at that time and put in a full training camp due to an ankle injury.

“I want fights that put me close to the No. 1 contender (spot),” Barboza told MMAjunkie Radio. “If the UFC says you have to fight (Brooks) to get close to the title shot, why not? But like I said, I prefer to fight somebody above me in the rankings.

“If I have a choice, I’d prefer to fight somebody ahead of me. There are five guys ahead of me, and I hope the UFC gives me these guys. If you see the rankings, it’s better for my career. I have to fight the best.”

The 30-year-old Barboza (18-4) is on a two-fight win streak that also features a decision win vs. former UFC champion Anthony Pettis. He is 5-2 over his last seven since a loss to Donald Cerrone in early 2014.

edson-barboza

Edson Barboza has no problem trading blows with former Bellator lightweight champion Will Brooks.

He just has his sights set on someone else.

Barboza, who scored a victory over Gilbert Melendez at UFC on FOX 20 recently, was “called-out” by Brooks for a fight this October in Oregon. However, the Brazilian could have trouble getting clearance to fight at that time and put in a full training camp due to an ankle injury.

“I want fights that put me close to the No. 1 contender (spot),” Barboza told MMAjunkie Radio. “If the UFC says you have to fight (Brooks) to get close to the title shot, why not? But like I said, I prefer to fight somebody above me in the rankings.

“If I have a choice, I’d prefer to fight somebody ahead of me. There are five guys ahead of me, and I hope the UFC gives me these guys. If you see the rankings, it’s better for my career. I have to fight the best.”

The 30-year-old Barboza (18-4) is on a two-fight win streak that also features a decision win vs. former UFC champion Anthony Pettis. He is 5-2 over his last seven since a loss to Donald Cerrone in early 2014.

Edson Barboza Responds To Will Brooks’ Call Out

No. 6-ranked UFC lightweight contender Edson “Junior” Barboza picked up arguably the biggest victory of his career this past weekend (Sat., July 23, 2016), scoring a decisive decision win over former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez. With back-to-back victories over former champions under his belt, Barboza has made it clear that he’d next like to take

The post Edson Barboza Responds To Will Brooks’ Call Out appeared first on LowKick MMA.

No. 6-ranked UFC lightweight contender Edson “Junior” Barboza picked up arguably the biggest victory of his career this past weekend (Sat., July 23, 2016), scoring a decisive decision win over former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez. With back-to-back victories over former champions under his belt, Barboza has made it clear that he’d next like to take on one of the division’s top contenders next. He was, however, also called out by No. 12-ranked former Bellator champion “Ill” Will Brooks.

Check out Barboza’s response to brooks below:

“If the UFC says you have to fight this guy to get close to the title shot, why not? But like I said, I prefer to fight somebody above me in the rankings,” Barboza said according to MMAjunkie. “If I have a choice, I’d prefer to fight somebody ahead of me. There are five guys ahead of me, and I hope the UFC gives me these guys. If you see the rankings, it’s better for my career. I have to fight the best.”

Brooks, who has been considered to be amongst the best 155 pounders in the world for a few years now, recently made his Octagon debut earlier this month, scoring a decision victory over Ross Pearson. “Ill” Will does possess solid name value, but Barboza may have a point, as a higher ranked fighter could be more suitable at this point in his career.

As far as who he would like to fight next, the Brazilian has previously expressed interest in facing off with former champion Rafael dos Anjos, top contender Khabib Nurmagomedov, or the surging Tony Ferguson. “Junior”, however, feels as if Ferguson should receive the next shot at gold so perhaps a bout with RDA or “The Eagle” would make sense:

“In my opinion, the guy who deserves it the most is Tony Ferguson. He’s busy all the time fighting everybody. Khabib stayed out for a long time, and I think he has to fight a couple more guys to get the chance.”

Who would you like to see Barboza meet next time out?

The post Edson Barboza Responds To Will Brooks’ Call Out appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Will Brooks Calls Out Edson Barboza For UFC Portland

Former Bellator champion and No. 12-ranked UFC lightweight “Ill” Will Brooks recently made his successful Octagon debut, scoring a hard fought unanimous decision victory over battle tested veteran Ross Pearson at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 23 Finale earlier this month (July 8, 2016). After getting his first UFC victory under his belt, Brooks is now

The post Will Brooks Calls Out Edson Barboza For UFC Portland appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Former Bellator champion and No. 12-ranked UFC lightweight “Ill” Will Brooks recently made his successful Octagon debut, scoring a hard fought unanimous decision victory over battle tested veteran Ross Pearson at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 23 Finale earlier this month (July 8, 2016). After getting his first UFC victory under his belt, Brooks is now looking on to greater challengers.

Taking to his official Twitter account recently, the former 155-pound titleholder expressed interest in a potential bout with No. 6-ranked Edson Barboza. “Ill” Will also had a date and venue in mind:

The UFC recently announced that they will be returning to Portland, Oregon on October 1, 2016 with the event going down at the Moda Center.

Barboza just competed this past weekend, scoring a somewhat decisive decision victory over former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez in the co-main event of UFC on FOX 20 (July 23, 2016) from Chicago, Illinois. Prior to that, Barboza had also toppled another former champion in Anthony “Showtime” Pettis. With his recent win streak, “Junior” may have his eyes set on higher ranked fighters, but a bout with Brooks could make sense.

In the aftermath of his bout with Melendez, Barboza expressed interest in landing a main event bout next time out. Barboza vs. Brooks could potentially provide a suitable headliner for a FOX Sports 1 card, and from a stylistic standpoint, these two explosive strikers match up quite well.

Does this scenario interest you?

The post Will Brooks Calls Out Edson Barboza For UFC Portland appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Will Brooks Buries The Hatchet With TUF 23 Finale Opponent Ross Pearson

Former Bellator lightweight champion Will Brooks made his debut with the UFC Friday night at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale, scoring a decision victory over Ross Pearson.

The 29-year-old Brooks (19-1), who left Bellator as the titleholder, developed…

will-brooks

Former Bellator lightweight champion Will Brooks made his debut with the UFC Friday night at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale, scoring a decision victory over Ross Pearson.

The 29-year-old Brooks (19-1), who left Bellator as the titleholder, developed a Twitter “feud” with Pearson in the weeks leading up to their contest. But once it was all said and done, the American Top Team fighter buried the hatchet.

Brooks has now won each of his last three fights via decision and holds two victories over current Bellator champion Michael Chandler. He suffered his lone career loss to date in 2013 at the hands of Saad Awad, avenging that defeat with a decision win later that year.

Will Brooks Wants To Make Statement In His Octagon Debut

Former Bellator lightweight champion Will Brooks steps inside the Octagon next month at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale to meet Ross Pearson.

Brooks, who overcame suicidal thoughts to rise to the top of the Bellator 155-pound world, joined “UFC Tonig…

will-brooks

Former Bellator lightweight champion Will Brooks steps inside the Octagon next month at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale to meet Ross Pearson.

Brooks, who overcame suicidal thoughts to rise to the top of the Bellator 155-pound world, joined “UFC Tonight” Wednesday to talk about fighting and more.