MMA News Feed

by MMAjunkie Staff on September 18, 2020 at 5:35 pm

Check out the results from the official UFC on ESPN+ 36 fighter weigh-ins.

by Dave Doyle on September 18, 2020 at 5:10 pm

5 burning questions heading into UFC on ESPN+ 36

by John Morgan on September 18, 2020 at 4:30 pm

Check out the official weigh-ins for UFC on ESPN+ 36 headliners Colby Covington and Tyron Woodley.

by Danny Segura on September 18, 2020 at 4:20 pm

Donald Cerrone likes what Khamzat Chimaev is doing in the UFC.

by Newswire on September 18, 2020 at 5:08 pm

The World Kickboxing Network released the full fight video, featuring Francisco Pintos up against Pablo Roa in WKN Argentinian super lightweight title bout at Simply the Best 2 Caceros in December 2014. You can watch it up top. The post Full Fight: Francisco Pintos decisions Pablo Roa to take WKN Argentinian title appeared first on FIGHTMAG.

by Newswire on September 18, 2020 at 4:30 pm

Two exciting marquee bouts have joined Bellator Paris on Saturday, October 10 from Accor Arena in Paris, with the addition of a light heavyweight contest featuring combat sports legend Melvin Manhoef (32-14-1, 2 NC) facing Cameroon’s Simon Biyong (7-1) and a welterweight matchup pitting Sweden’s Oliver Enkamp (9-2) against France’s Emmanuel Dawa (9-3). A limited The post Melvin Manhoef, Oliver Enkamp and Terry Brazier join Bellator 248 in Paris appeared first on FIGHTMAG.

by Parviz Iskenderov on September 18, 2020 at 2:06 pm

ONE Championship: A New Breed 3 on September 26 saw the quickest KOs in its Super Series to date. The record also goes in the books as one of the fastest knockouts in kickboxing history overall. Capitan Petchyindee Academy and Petchtanong Petchfergus squared off in a bantamweight battle, which preceeded the the main event. The The post One punch, six seconds: Watch one of the fastest KOs in kickboxing history appeared first on FIGHTMAG.

by Newswire on September 18, 2020 at 1:42 pm

Dominick Reyes goes up against Jan Blachowicz in hopes to become a new light heavyweight champion on September 26 in the co-headliner of UFC 253 on Fight Island. Today the promotion released the full fight video going back to october 2019 when he faced and KO’d former middleweight champion Chris Weidman in the first round The post Full Fight: Dominick Reyes knocks out Chris Weidman at UFC Boston (video) appeared first on FIGHTMAG.

by Tim Bissell on September 18, 2020 at 5:00 pm

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC UFC welterweight Niko Price is feeling thankful heading into his fight with Donald Cerrone this weekend. The co-main event for this weekend’s UFC Vegas 11: Covington vs. Woodley is an intriguing welterweight bout which promises plenty of action. It features the exciting Niko Price taking on wily Octagon veteran and bonus-hunter Donald Cerrone. Price, who comes into this fight with a 19-4 (1 NC) record and six UFC wins under his belt, spoke to the media about the moment he found out he would be facing off with a future Hall of Famer. “I had three minutes of frozenness,” said Price (ht MMA Junkie). “Then I just kept reading [the fight offer] over and over. Then I told my wife to come here and read it to me, and she realized what she was reading to me and she was like, ‘Really?’ And I’m like, ‘You’re reading it.’ And then I got ready to fight him. I had to put that all behind me.” Price admitted that a major factor for his excitement was not just the fact he had an opportunity to get a W over the biggest name he’s ever faced—it was because he is such a huge fan of Cerrone, too. “I watched videos of him and tried to do what he does. I love that guy. He’s a beast – great style, great person, great fighter, class act. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him sour. I learned my sportsmanship from someone like him.” “I’m blessed,” continued Price when talking about being matched up with ‘Cowboy’. “I have blessings upon blessings upon blessings on me. I’m trying to capitalize all these blessings that I get and show you guys that I’m worthy to be here and that I’m not alone up here. Even though it may look like it, I’ve got God by my side.” Price made his UFC debut back at 2016’s UFC 207 in a fight with once-highly touted prospect Brandon Thatch. Price submitted Thatch in the first round. Price followed that up with knocking out Alex Morono, though that fight would be ruled a no contest after Price tested positive for marijuana. Next up Price TKO’d Alan Jouban and then got submitted by Vincente Luque. He beat George Sullivan in January 2018 and since then he has alternated between wins and losses, scooping three Performance of the Night bonuses along the way. His most recent fight was this May inside the short-lived Jacksonville bubble, at UFC 249. There he was defeated by Luque again, this time due to a TKO (doctor’s stoppage) after a grueling battle. Cerrone is one of the most experienced—with respect to cage-time—UFC fighters on the planet with an overall record of 36-15 (1 NC). Since joining the UFC, after ZUFFA’s aquisition of WEC, Cerrone has repped the UFC 35 times, facing the majority of the last decade’s most notable fighters at 155 and 170 lbs. This year Cerrone has fought, and loss, twice in the Octagon. In January he took a quick TKO defeat to Conor McGregor at UFC 246. After that he lost to Anthony Pettis by unanimous decision. Those losses put Cerrone on a four-fight losing skid and a record of 4-8 in his last 12 fights.

by Dayne Fox on September 18, 2020 at 4:00 pm

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports Get behind the scenes on all the hard-hitting action of this weekends UFC card, headlined by former welterweight champions Colby Covington and Tyron Woodley settling their longtime grudge. I’m sure you’ve already heard it from just about everyone else, but… WHAT A CARD!!! I say that with the perspective of this being a Fight Night card and in comparison to some of the other cards we’ve had lately. It wasn’t that long ago Colby Covington and Tyron Woodley were simultaneously holding welterweight gold. A little over a year ago, Donald Cerrone was still considered by many to be one of the best lightweights on the planet. At that same time, Johnny Walker appeared to have the world by the balls. While each of these men have lost some of their sheen, this card also has Khamzat Chimaev, who only happens to be the hottest thing in the sport at the moment. And is it just me, or wasn’t Mackenzie Dern supposed to be the next big thing in WMMA not that long ago? If none of that excites you, there’s always Kevin Holland…. Colby Covington vs. Tyron Woodley, Welterweight One of the most polarizing figures in all of sports, no objective observer of MMA can deny that Covington is one of the best welterweights in the world. He took the current champion, Kamaru Usman, to the limit before faltering in the fifth round after he already had suffered a serious jaw injury. He was rhisclose to becoming the champion. Now, he’s facing a hell of a road back to challenge for the gold. There may not be a more overwhelming figure in MMA than Covington. He pushes an insane pace and can do so for five rounds, a rarity even in a sport with some of the best conditioned athletes in the world. When he first entered the UFC, it was almost purely on the back of his wrestling, securing takedown after takedown, wearing out his opponent in the process. Not only do they fight to stop from going to the mat, but Covington makes them work to get back to their feet. After offering next to nothing with his striking early in his career, he’s become at the very least, a credible boxer. No, he doesn’t have much power – neither did Floyd Mayweather – but he makes it difficult for his opponents to take a breath as he works them over incessantly to the head and body. Covington mixes in a bunch of low kicks make sure that he works them over on all levels. The question is whether Woodley can stop Covington. The ultimate neutralizer, Woodley received some very favorable matchups in his title reign. If he’s facing strictly a striker, the former champion can threaten with his explosive power to keep them at bay, as well as with his takedowns. He did that with Stephen Thompson and Darren Till. If he’s facing a pure grappler, he can shut down their takedowns and potshot them to cruise to victory. That’s what Woodley did with Demian Maia. But what about when his opponent is a credible striker and wrestler/grappler? Well… he did get dominated by Usman and Gilbert Burns. Woodley appears to freeze up, not knowing what it is he should be prepared to defend. His power hasn’t gone anywhere and few in the division own a more powerful double-leg. He can still be a major threat. At this point, it’s a matter of whether he has lost the ability to pull the trigger. Given the severity of the punishment he received from both Usman and Burns, it’s worth wondering if he’s now suffering from a mental block. It’s worth pointing out Covington endured a hell of a beating against Usman himself and could very well have reservations about returning to the cage. However, those concerns are more prescient with Woodley as it is now two fights in a row he froze. There is one big X-factor for Woodley that could pull him out of the malaise we’ve seen from him in his last two appearances. He and Covington have had a beef for several years, dating back to when they were teammates at ATT. Nothing provides motivation more than hatred for the opponent standing across the cage from you. Of course, emotion can also cause a fighter to fight stupidly. That’s a big reason why Covington makes every fight personal. Plus, Woodley is now 38. Could it just be that he’s getting old? He doesn’t look physically diminished, but a person’s mindset can change over time too. All it takes from Woodley is one punch. He has that type of power. He’ll get opportunities to fire too as Covington will come at him. However, if Woodley doesn’t get the job done by the time round two is over, I have a hard time believing he stands a chance. Covington won’t allow him to sit back and conserve energy the way Thompson did, allowing Woodley to be effective deep into their contest. Covington will look to break him in the same way Usman and Burns did. Covington doesn’t have the power to put him away unless Woodley just outright quits. Woodley might end up checking out mentally, but he doesn’t quit. I anticipate it will make for another long night for the former champ. Covington via decision Donald Cerrone vs. Niko Price, Welterweight There are some who are declaring the sky is falling for Cerrone. Yes, he is on a four-fight losing streak. Yes, he doesn’t appear to be as durable as he was in his younger days. And yes, his reaction time appears to be a hair slower than what it was in his prime. But there’s a couple of things to note before we declare Cerrone a relic of the past. First of all, we had this conversation near the end of 2018 when Cerrone had dropped four of his previous five only for him to rush back with three impressive wins to launch him back into prominence by the middle of 2019. Secondly, have y’all paid attention to the names he’s losing to? Tony Ferguson. Justin Gaethje. Conor McGregor. Anthony Pettis. At one point or another, all those men have been/are champions of some sort in the UFC. Cerrone may not be elite anymore, but that doesn’t mean he’s finished. Cerrone may be the most technically sound competitor he’s ever been at any point in his career. He’s worked hard over the years to add new wrinkles – from step-in knees to a power double – and he’s got a very deep bag from which to draw from. Even with all the improvements, his arsenal of kicks is still probably his best weapon. It isn’t just the several head kick KO’s he has on his record either. Early in his career, Cerrone was a classic club-and-sub artist. He doesn’t need his opponent to be dazed either to find a submission. He’s got a good clinch game too and has become a good boxer in the pocket. However, the story is the same as it has always been with Cerrone: is his head right? When it’s just another fight outside of the spotlight, Cerrone has been at his best. When the lights are brightest, he falters. He’s also a notoriously slow starter. Cerrone has been fortunate at times to quickly reverse his fortunes – the Melvin Guillard and Edson Barboza wins come to mind – but those have been more infrequent as he ages beyond his prime. The other thing he struggles with: pressure from his opponent. Pressure is something Price will bring. It isn’t the most technical pressure, but Price is always up in his opponent’s face. Willing to eat a shot – or two, maybe three – to get his, Price has developed into one of the most consistent action fighters on the roster. At some point, that type of style begins to come up short on the returns and Price would appear to be tougher than he is durable. However, Price doesn’t appear to be at the point of no return yet. Though he is known for his creativity – his KO’s from off his back of Randy Brown and James Vick come to mind – his base consists of a lot of offense up the middle. Jabs, uppercuts, front kicks to the gut. Part of that is he relies on finding openings as opposed to creating openings with feints and fakes, but he has been evolving. This is a big opportunity for Price. Even on his skid, Cerrone still has a lot of name value. If Price can style of someone of Cerrone’s notoriety the way he has on some of his past opponents, he could be on his way to stardom. However, until I see Cerrone fall to someone less than elite, I can’t pick against him. This could very well be that point when he finally does – I gave serious thought to picking Price – but I can’t bring myself to say it is until I see it. Cerrone via submission of RD2 Khamzat Chimaev vs. Gerald Meerschaert, Middleweight Chimaev is becoming the new it thing. After two of the most dominant victories in UFC history – no hyperbole — in his first two contests, in different weight classes no less, people are salivating at the potential of the Swede. Did I mention those wins came just ten days apart? Even more incredible is that there is no secret to what he wants to do: close the distance, throw his opponent to the ground, and maul them from there. The rate at which Chimaev unleashes his fury is ungodly, landing a total of 83 significant strikes in just over nine minutes in his two contests with another 109 no-so significant strikes landed for a total of 192 total strikes. Though the furthest he has gone in a UFC contest is six minutes thus far, there’s been no signs of his slowing down from his relentless pace. Does Meerschaert stand a chance? Given he’s faced a plethora of opponents in his long career and has seen just about everything… he might. Meerschaert is a tricky submission artist who may very well be able to catch Chimaev off-guard. Throw in the fact that he has plenty of motivation – something that has appeared to be an issue at times with him – given Chimaev is double-booked, a contest with Demian Maia waiting in the wings. With Maia booked in the background, that’s an indication the organization doesn’t think Meerschaert is going to do much to Chimaev, much less beat him. It’s hard to imagine he doesn’t have a fire lit underneath him. The wild card in this contest is the striking aspect. Chimeav is very much a mystery on the feet as the only thing we’ve seen out of him in the UFC is using his strikes to set up his takedowns, though there is footage of him dropping Alexander Gustafsson with a groin shot in a sparring session, whatever that’s worth. Meerschaert is a crafty striker, though not a particularly powerful one. He’ll catch his opponent off-guard every now and then and drop them, but his primary weapon on the feet is his body kicks. However, kicks would appear to be a risky proposition given Chimaev will likely use that opening to take him to the mat. Meershaert is by far a better grappler and scrambler than he is wrestler. He can be controlled, but he can also take advantage of an opening an opponent leaves open. Chimaev hasn’t been doing that. His body positioning and limb control – whether it’s wrapping up his opponent’s legs or holding their wrist behind their back – has been some of the best I’ve ever seen. There’s a reason he’s emerged virtually untouched in both of his contests. Meerschaert is a good sized middleweight, so perhaps he can cause some problems. I don’t see it happening. Chimaev via TKO of RD2 Johnny Walker vs. Ryan Spann, Light Heavyweight A year ago at this time, Walker was the hottest thing in the light heavyweight division. In three UFC contests, he had three explosive first round KO’s against increasingly difficult competition. And when I say explosive, I mean EXPLOSIVE!!! Then he ran up against Corey Anderson, ended up getting blitzed, and appears to have lost his confidence in the process. Confidence can be regained, but the Johnny Walker who lost to Nikita Krylov wasn’t the same Johnny Walker who did all the blitzing in his first three UFC contests. Even if Walker’s head isn’t in the right place, he’s still a dangerous opponent. At 6’6” with an 82” reach, Walker sports a frame that’s incredibly difficult to navigate. What’s even worse is if you can cut a swath through his reach, the clinch might very well be strongest part of his game. His lanky frame makes it easy for him to utilize the Thai clinch, from where he’ll alternate between driving his knees into the gut and head or landing a flurry of elbows to the head of his opponent. Just ask Khalil Rountree how those elbows feel. However, when Walker’s confidence is high, he’s willing to unleash flying and/or spinning attacks at will… and you better believe they land with the utmost impact. Walker’s kryptonite was exposed by Krylov, proving a long frame isn’t nearly as effective when it’s horizontal. That’s good news for Spann, another plus athlete with a similar frame. Entering the UFC with a reputation as a grappler, Spann has developed into a skilled boxer in the pocket. While finding moments to trade in the pocket might be rare in this contest, he still has his submission skills that he can fall back on… provided he can get Walker to the mat. Spann isn’t a bad wrestler, but he relies a lot on clinch takedowns, which would walk him right into Walker’s wheelhouse. There is no doubt Spann is the more disciplined fighter. He’s also won eight fights in a row, four in the confines of the UFC. Throw in Walker’s two consecutive losses and it’s clear momentum is on the side of Spann. Even with that said, I can’t pick him. Spann is used to being the rangier fighter and/or the better athlete. He’s neither of those in this case and I don’t know if he can overcome that. Plus, Spann’s chin has been cracked before. It might take Walker a bit longer than usual, but I think he can find a way to end Spann’s night early and get back on track. Walker via TKO of RD1 Through her first three UFC contests, most would agree Mackenzie Dern’s UFC run had been a disappointment, even with a winning record. With a history of missing weight and nearly allowing an opponent without nearly the physical gifts to upend Dern’s UFC debut, there were questions that she wasn’t taking her career seriously. After having a child and suffering the first loss of her career, Dern appears to have discovered her focus, A physically gifted athlete with an extensive – and impressive – BJJ career, Dern could very well be the best pure grappler in the division. She has shown signs of development in her striking and her wrestling, but still isn’t where she needs to be to be a contender. She’ll be tested by Randa Markos, one of the longtime veteran mainstays of the division. Perhaps the most inconsistent member of the division, Markos has looked like she should be on the verge of title contention in one contest only to look aimless the next. She’s at her most consistent when she’s aggressive, pursuing takedowns and letting her fists fly. Unfortunately, that type of strategy would play right into what Dern does well as Dern doesn’t need to be on top to be dangerous. Markos is a skilled grappler in her own right, but it appears Dern is putting it all together. Dern via submission of RD2 It’s impossible not to appreciate Kevin Holland on some level. It’s also impossible not to be frustrated by him. Creative in both his trash talk and his fighting style, Holland has been better off at times when his arsenal is limited as he can be aimless in his attack. When he’s limited – as he was when he suffered a shoulder injury against Alessio Di Chirico – Holland is forced to direct his energy in a particular direction. With his incredibly lanky frame, you’d think he’s best suited to fight from the outside. However, he’s had a lot of success in the clinch and puts his long limbs to good use on the mat. Given the questionable ground game of Darren Stewart, you’d expect Holland to do everything in his power to implement his wrestling. Then again, because it’s Holland, you expect him to do whatever his opponent wants to do. In this case, Stewart has developed into a skilled pocket boxer, but an ugly battle in the clinch is still his bread and butter. Most encouraging for the Brit is that he still appears to be adding more wrinkles to his game as his guillotine choke win over Maki Pitolo indicates. It’s impossible to predict a Holland contest, but he’s been coming out on top more often than not. For no other particular reason than that, I’ll go with the irrepressible one. Holland via decision It should be noted the following contest will be on the prelims. However, it was booked after the prelims preview was submitted. So, with something being better than nothing, here it is: Circa 2014, many were predicting Mirsad Bektic was going to be the next big thing in the sport. All he needed was a bit of seasoning and he’d be challenging for UFC gold before the turn of the decade. We’ve turned the decade and Bektic is scheduled to fight… Damon Jackson. If you’re asking who that is, that’s the point: Bektic hasn’t come anywhere close to fulfilling expectations. Then again, Jackson was a late replacement for Eduardo Garagorri who pulled out due to a cornerman testing positive for COVID-19. An aggressive pressure fighter who did whatever it takes to finish his takedowns. Even now, when Bektic finishes his takedowns and gets proper positioning, he has some killer GnP. For some reason, he’s made his takedowns secondary, attempting to become a standup fighter highly reliant on a jab. Perhaps he that strategy in hopes of remaining fresh in the final round as gassing late has been an issue. Regardless, the sheen is off the rose. Jackson gets back into the UFC after washing out in early 2016. A skilled grappler with a penchant for chokes, Jackson struggled in his initial UFC run with opponents who were physically stronger than him. Given Bektic is exactly that and many have described Jackson as being pillow-fisted, I don’t think his second run in the UFC is going to start off any better than his first one did. Bektic via TKO of RD2

by Tim Bissell on September 18, 2020 at 3:45 pm

Handout Photo-USA TODAY Sports See what happens on the scales ahead of UFC VEGAS 11: WOODLEY VS. COVINGTON. The UFC is back in the APEX for another of it’s ‘UFC Vegas’ series. Tomorrow’s offering—UFC Vegas 11—is headlined by a welterweight clash with plenty of bad blood; Colby Covington vs. Tyron Woodley. Woodley and Covington once trained together at American Top Team. However, since Covington decided to turn himself into a gimmick for attention, Woodley is one of many fighters he has publicly feuded with. Also on the main card there is a bout between Donald Cerrone and Niko Price, which promises action. This card also offers another chance to MMA’s current Monster of the Week; Khamzat Chimaev. He takes on Gerald Meerschaert in the middleweight division. The prelim card has a mix of ranked fighters and somewhat familiar names. There you’ll find Mirsad Bektic vs. Damon Jackson, Jessica-Rose Clark vs. Sarah Alpar and Jordan Espinosa vs. David Dvorak. Video of the weigh-ins can be watched below, starting at 12 p.m. ET. Video is courtesy of our friends at MMA Fighting. Thanks to the COVID-19 era we are currently trying to survive there will be no ceremonial weigh-ins for this event, or any others for a very long time. Main card (8 p.m. ET on ESPN+) Welterweight: Colby Covington (171) vs. Tyron Woodley (171) Welterweight: Donald Cerrone vs. Niko Price (170.5) Middleweight: Khamzat Chimaev (185.5) vs. Gerald Meerschaert (186) Light heavyweight: Johnny Walker (205.5) vs. Ryan Spann Strawweight: Mackenzie Dern vs. Randa Markos (115.5) Middleweight: Kevin Holland (185) vs. Darren Stewart Preliminary card (5 p.m. ET on ESPN+) Featherweight: Mirsad Bektic (144.5) vs. Damon Jackson (145.5) Welterweight: Miguel Baeza vs. Jeremiah Wells Flyweight: Mayra Bueno Silva (125.5) vs. Mara Romero Borella (125) Flyweight: Jordan Espinosa vs. David Dvorak (125.5) Bantamweight: Sarah Alpar vs. Jessica-Rose Clark Bantamweight: Randy Costa (135) vs. Journey Newson (135) Bantamweight: Andre Ewell (134.5) vs. Irwin Rivera (135.5) Featherweight: Darrick Minner vs. T.J. Laramie (145) Flyweight: Tyson Nam vs. Jerome Rivera

by Kristen King on September 18, 2020 at 3:00 pm

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images The featherweight returns to the promotion after more than four years. Damon Jackson is back in the UFC and will take on fellow featherweight Mirsad Bektic on just two-days’ notice at UFC Vegas 11. Bektic was expected to face Luiz Eduardo Garagorri, but due to a positive COVID-19 test from one of his cornermen, Garagorri was pulled from the fight earlier this week. On Thursday, Bloody Canvas reported that Jackson was called in as the replacement for Garagorri and the news was later confirmed by Jackson himself on Facebook. Jackson (17-3) has competed in the UFC previously, but finished up his first stint with a loss to Yancy Medeiros at UFC 177 followed by a No Contest to Rony Jason at UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Alves. He also drew against Levan Makashvili at UFC on FOX: Johnson vs. Bader. Jackson would leave the promotion in 2016 and went on to compete in Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) for several years — eventually becoming an interim champion — before joining the Professional Fighters League in 2019. After a brief stint in the PFL, Jackson returned to LFA, where he most recently picked up a first-round submission over Mauro Chalet. Bektic is currently on a career-first two-fight losing streak after being knocked out by Josh Emmett at UFC Fight Night: de Randamie vs. Ladd and dropping a split decision to Dan Ige at UFC 247. Prior to those losses to Emmett and Ige, Bektic earned a stoppage win over Godofredo Pepey in a Performance of the Night awarded showing and a split decision over Ricardo Lamas. UFC Vegas 11 is headlined by a welterweight clash between former champions Colby Covington and Tyron Woodley.

by By Gavin Porter, on Twitter: @PorterUFCnews on September 18, 2020 at 5:10 pm

Ryan Spann looks to continue his case to become a contender when he takes on Johnny Walker at UFC Vegas 11 Read the Full Article Here

by By E. Spencer Kyte, on Twitter @SpencerKyte on September 18, 2020 at 5:02 pm

Johnny Walker had all the buzz in the world when he won his first three UFC fights and earned three bonuses. He returns to UFC Vegas 11 to remind everyone of that potential Read the Full Article Here

by By Zac Pacleb, on Twitter: @ZacPacleb on September 18, 2020 at 4:02 pm

Veteran Welterweight Aiming For A Good Time Against Niko Price Saturday Read the Full Article Here

on September 18, 2020 at 3:38 pm

The final episodes of Season 4 of Dana White's Contender Series will return on Nov. 4 Read the Full Article Here