Category: Radio Highlight

Cub Swanson reveals new contract ahead of UFC Tampa, taking things ‘fight by fight’

UFC veteran Cub Swanson knows the end is near, but he isn’t ready to call it a career quite yet.

[autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag] knows the end is near, but he isn’t ready to call it a career quite yet.

Swanson (29-14 MMA, 14-10 UFC) will make his 25th octagon appearance when he takes on Billy Quarantillo (18-6 MMA, 6-4 UFC) on Dec. 14 at UFC on ESPN 63 from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. Ahead of his fight against Quarantillo, 41-year-old Swanson revealed to MMA Junkie that he signed a new contract with the UFC.

“I just signed a new multifight deal, four fights,” Swanson told MMA Junkie Radio. “It’s fight by fight, but this would have been my last one, so I told them I didn’t intend on fighting out of my contract and going other places. I want to stay here. I think it’s fitting, and so we did a new deal. But it’s fight by fight.”

Swanson has split his past six appearances. He’s fought the who’s who at featherweight throughout his career and is happy to draw someone who isn’t a rising contender on a tear.

“I know that he’s tough, he’s gritty,” Swanson said of Quarantillo. “He wants to be in the exciting fights, and he’s been in a bunch of them, so I think that’s what he wants. He wanted a fight like me so he could go out there and have a big performance, something he could be proud of. That’s the kind of fighter I think he is.

“He’s getting up there in age. He’s been around for a little bit, so I like the matchup. I kept getting told stop fighting the youngsters who are on their way up, and I think the last two opponents have been good opponents. They’re guys who like to fight, but they’ve been around for a while. I think the fans appreciate it.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 63.

Jasmine Jasudavicius eager to capitalize on UFC Fight Night 246 opportunity given short window

At 35, Jasmine Jasudavicius is eager to get to UFC gold ASAP.

[autotag]Jasmine Jasudavicius[/autotag] may not have hit her peak yet, but she’s looking to get to the top as soon as possible.

Although she’s only seven fights into her UFC career with a total of 14 pro bouts, Jasudavicius (11-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) is 35 and knows she can’t fight forever. A few stumbles could set her back into an impossible timeline.

“This is my time. I understand my window is short. I’m older,” she told MMA Junkie Radio. “I know I’m not going to have a long career, a 10-year, 20-year career in the UFC. So I know my window is short and I’m here to make the best of it.”

Jasudavicius returns Saturday at UFC Fight Night 246 as she battles fellow promotion-ranked flyweight Ariane da Silva (17-9 MMA, 6-6 UFC). The event takes place at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

While she thinks her skills are already title challenger-ready, it’s just a matter of getting repetitions in and proving herself to the UFC. Saturday’s bout is the next step in doing that.

“I know my skill set is there, but it’s just the opportunities,” Jasudavicius said. “I’ve got to wait for them to line up. Hopefully soon. … A title shot is a title shot, but also any loss that I’ve ever had, I’d love to obviously avenge that. If one of them ever owned a title, then I’d love to take it from them. It’d be kind of the dream. But other than that, whoever has a title, that’s who I want to get matched up with.”

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A proud Ontarian, Jasudavicius is excited to represent Canada three provinces away. She’s one of eight home country fighters competing on the card.

“I can see martial arts growing just around,” Jasudavicius said. “There are so many more people just in the gym than there was even a year ago. It’s growing exponentially. I understand that I’m one of the people kind of putting themselves out there in front of everyone, presenting martial arts. I am grateful that people can get inspired and I can be part of the growth of martial arts.

“It’s a wonderful journey and everyone should at least try martial arts for a little bit regardless of if they fight or not. But I think it’s so good it’s growing and it’s growing exponentially in Canada.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 246.

 

UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway watch-along live stream with MMA Junkie Radio

Join MMA Junkie Radio’s “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” for a live-streamed watch-along of UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi.

UFC 308 goes down Saturday night with perhaps the biggest title fight of the year, and MMA Junkie Radio’s “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” will host a live-streamed watch-along right here at 10 a.m. ET. for the full card.

In the headliner, featherweight champion [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) puts his title on the line for the first time when he takes on former champ [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC). In the co-feature, [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) meets former champ [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] (27-7 MMA, 17-5 UFC) to determine the next top contender at middleweight.

UFC 308 takes place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi and streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN+.

Below is the complete UFC 308 lineup:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 2 p.m. ET)

  • Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway – for featherweight title
  • Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robert Whittaker
  • Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic
  • Dan Ige vs. Lerone Murphy
  • Shara Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 10 a.m. ET)

  • Ibo Aslan vs. Raffael Cerqueira
  • Rafael dos Anjos vs. Geoff Neal
  • Myktybek Orolbai vs. Mateusz Rebecki
  • Brunno Ferreira vs. Abus Magomedov
  • Chris Barnett vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu
  • Farid Basharat vs. Victor Hugo
  • Ismail Naurdiev vs. Bruno Silva
  • Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Carlos Leal

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

Raquel Pennington says UFC even had her family lined up thinking she beat Julianna Peña at UFC 307

Raquel Pennington says everyone but the judges thought she beat Julianna Peña at UFC 307.

[autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] says everyone but the judges thought she beat [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag].

Pennington (16-10 MMA, 13-6 UFC) lost her bantamweight title to Peña (13-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) by split decision in the co-main event of UFC 307 in Salt Lake City.

All but two media members scored the fight in favor of Pennington (h/t MMA Decisions). Pennington says even the UFC was prepping to have her announced as the winner.

“That night was just a really weird night,” Pennington told MMA Junkie Radio. “I’ve gone to a decision multiple times, and I’ve never felt so confident going to the judges’ decision. I feel like it’s one of those things, for one, when it comes to a championship fights, you have to beat the champ to be the champ – and she did not beat me.

“The three people who had the best seat in the house – the entire world, the entire media, like everybody in the UFC was for me then all of a sudden it’s like, oh – her. I think that says a lot, especially when you’re just shocked that your name got called. They even had my family lined up ready to go in there. I mean everybody, the commentators, Dana (White), were like, ‘Hmm – no.'”

Despite the disappointment in losing her title, Pennington hinted that the UFC has some plans for her.

“It was really interesting. It definitely hurt my heart, but my head is high,” Pennington continued. “It’s just another bump in the journey. I’m actually excited for what the future holds. I’ve had some great conversations with the UFC, and there’s a lot to look forward to. I definitely don’t feel like I lost that fight, so I still feel like the champ.”

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PFL: Battle of the Giants watch-along and prelims live stream with MMA Junkie Radio

Join MMA Junkie Radio’s “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” for a live-streamed watch-along of PFL: Battle of the Giants in Riyadh.

PFL: Battle of the Giants goes down Saturday with three title fights atop the bill, including the return of one of the biggest names in mixed martial arts, and MMA Junkie Radio’s “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” will host a live-streamed watch-along right here at 1:30 p.m. ET. 

In the main event, former UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] makes his highly anticipated return to the sport against 2023 PFL season winner [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag]. And in the co-main event, Bellator women’s featherweight champ [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] meets two-time PFL champ [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag]. At stake in both bouts are the first PFL Super Fights title belts.

Also featured on the card is a Bellator middleweight title-fight rematch between champ [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] and [autotag]Fabian Edwards[/autotag]. Eblen won their first fight in September 2023.

PFL: Battle of the Giants takes place at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia, with a main card that streams on pay-per-view (ESPN+, DAZN). As part of the watch-along, the full preliminary card will stream in the video above. 

Below is the complete PFL: Battle of the Giants lineup:

PFL: Battle of the Giants main card

  • Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira – for heavyweight super fights title
  • Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco – for women’s featherweight super fights title
  • Champ Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards – for Bellator middleweight title
  • Husein Kadimagomaev vs. Zafar Mohsen
  • A.J. McKee vs. Paul Hughes

PFL: Battle of the Giants preliminary card

  • Marcos Breno vs. Raufeon Stots
  • Dedrek Sanders vs. Makkasharip Zaynukov
  • Nacho Campos vs. Ibragim Ibragimov
  • Taha Bendaoud vs. Tariq Ismail

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL: Battle of the Giants.

Raufeon Stots calls fight with Marcos Breno the ‘Temu version’ of Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira

Raufeon Stots expects his fight with Marcos Breno to serve as an appetizer for the PFL: Battle of the Giants main event.

[autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] expects his fight with [autotag]Marcos Breno[/autotag] to serve as an appetizer for the PFL: Battle of the Giants main event.

Bantamweights Stots (20-2) and Breno (15-3) throw down in Saturday’s featured prelim at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with the main card on ESPN+/DAZN pay-per-view.

Having fought the likes of Patchy Mix, Danny Sabatello, and Juan Archuleta, Breno is a far less notable name for Stots. However, the 35-year-old is fully aware of the scenario that could play out, so he won’t underestimate him.

“I think he sees this as a big opportunity to make a name for himself right away and to erase that stink from his last performance off,” Stots told MMA Junkie Radio on Breno. “I think the trash talk kind of got the best of him this last fight, so I think he’s going to come in guns blazing. He’s got power in his hands. He’s a Brazilian (jiu-jitsu) black belt. He’s just a guy that hasn’t been around as long.”

Stots thinks his fight with Breno is the featured prelim for a reason. He plans on getting the fans excited for the main card, and give them a small preview of the night’s main event between [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] and [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag].

“If you look at the fight, the fight is kind of a Temu version of the main event fight with Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira,” Stots said. “I’m a veteran African like Francis, and he’s a young, powerhouse Brazilian.

“So I think that’s why they wanted me on that featured prelim. They wanted me to showcase and get the people interested and be like, ‘It’s going to be a big barnburner.’ They’re the big giants, we’re the little giants.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL: Battle of the Giants.

PFL CEO Pete Murray says superfight belts must be defended

Pete Murray is excited to kick off a new format for PFL’s championships.

[autotag]Pete Murray[/autotag] is excited to kick off a new format for PFL’s championships.

Two new superfight belts will be introduced at PFL: Battle of the Giants Oct. 19 at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (ESPN+ pay-per-view, DAZN).

In the main event, former UFC champion Francis Ngannou (17-3) takes on 2023 PFL champion Renan Ferreira (13-3). In the co-main event, Cris Cyborg (27-2-1) will look to collect her fifth belt in a major organization when she faces two-time PFL champion Larissa Pacheco (23-4).

“The PFL superfights belt, first time we as a company and organization have a belt where it must be won, but it also must be defended on an ongoing basis,” Murray told MMA Junkie Radio. “Typically, our global season belts, they recognize those champions for the year, and they’re forever that year’s champion. But this is a different belt, a different format for us. So both Francis and Cris want to be the first ones to raise those belts, but Renan and Larissa, two Brazilians, they’re going to bring it.”

The PFL CEO sees Ferreira and Pacheco as the future of MMA.

“Larissa, two-time PFL champion, women’s 155 then she took on 145,” Murray said. “She’s women’s 145 champion, two belts. She’s fierce, she’s really grown into being a bonafide world champion. She’s wanted this fight for a really long time. So when you think about the GOATs in Francis and in Cris, up against Renan and Larissa, that’s really the future.

“These younger fighters in their prime – again, Francis still in his prime, Cris in her prime, not many can dance with either of them, but they’ve had a storied career, both of them. Renan and Larissa, they’re the future. They’re looking to make their mark now, and they deserve this fight. These are both legitimate opponents for both Francis and Cris.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL: Battle of the Giants.

Mario Bautista explains why Jose Aldo also to blame for lackluster UFC 307 fight

Mario Bautista isn’t taking all the blame for his lackluster win over Jose Aldo at UFC 307.

[autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag] believes he shouldn’t be blamed entirely for his lackluster win over [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] at UFC 307.

Bautista (15-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) defeated Aldo by split decision in Saturday’s main card at Salt Lake City – a performance that was heavily criticized. Bautista found success on the feet early but resorted to grappling after he admittedly got rocked in Round 2.

Bautista was accused of stalling when he couldn’t get Aldo (32-9 MMA, 14-8 UFC) down, but the 31-year-old rising contender said UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili did the same thing when he fought Aldo. Dvalishvili went 0-16 in his takedown attempts vs. Aldo but won the fight by unanimous decision.

“Merab did the same thing. He probably held him against the cage longer than I did, and now look at him. He’s the champ,” Bautista told MMA Junkie Radio. “If we’re actually talking about Aldo, he almost did a similar thing against ‘Chito’ (Vera).

“He started losing that first round, and then he takes ‘Chito’ down and stays on his back for the whole second round and the whole third round, and no one gave crap to Aldo about it. Even me, I’m not going to give crap to Aldo. It’s more on ‘Chito.’ Oh, ‘Chito’ can’t get this guy off his back.’ So that’s the thing: It’s just like a little double standard for some of these Hall of Famers and fan favorites.”

Bautista said he was surprised that Aldo never tried to break free when he had his back stacked against the cage. He thinks it’s on him to get busy, too.

“I just wanted him to keep on working,” Bautista explained. “I just wanted him to break out of the clinch, use that energy to get out, and then just kind of stay stuck to him. Just keep him working, working. I just didn’t really think he was going to, I don’t know, I guess just stay on the wall?

“I thought he was going to get out because that takes up some energy. There are points where I felt – yeah, he was defending the takedown, and maybe he could have circled off, but he just kind of chose to stay there and kind of wait a little bit. Yeah, I was holding him against the cage, but at the same time, I think he did have opportunities to circle off. It’s just he chose not to.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

A.J. McKee: Usman Nurmagomedov ‘the fight everybody’s wanted to see for quite some time now’

A.J. McKee is closing in on his desired shot at Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov.

[autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] is closing in on his desired shot at Bellator lightweight champion [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag].

But first, McKee (22-1) has to get past Paul Hughes (12-1) at PFL: Battle of the Giants on Oct. 19 at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN+).

McKee thinks him vs. Nurmagomedov (18-0) is the fight to make.

“I think it’s been the fight that everybody’s wanted to see for quite some time now,” McKee told MMA Junkie Radio. “Obviously, myself catching staph through the tournament, something happened with him during the tournament  testing wise or whatever, so he went on a little suspension. But we just continue to fight, perfect our craft.

“I can’t really look past Paul Hughes, because styles make fights and every fight is a different fight. So for me, it’s staying focused on Paul Hughes. But after that Usman fight (vs. Alexandr Shabliy), Khabib (Nurmagomedov) did walk by and he goes, ‘See you in Dubai, brother,’ and I started laughing. It was just funny, because he knows I’m watching, why I’m there.”

Prior to retaining his title against Alexandr Shabliy in September, Nurmagomedov said he sees McKee as the top contender. McKee isn’t sure why he was booked against Hughes instead of being the next title challenger, but says a fight with Nurmagomedov is inevitable.

“I have no idea – he might need a little break,” McKee said. “I think that’s the next fight regardless, though. Khabib kind of said it to me, I’ve been veering for it for a minute, and I think everybody knows that’s the fight to make.

“I think that’s the fight they’re going to make. It’s the fight that kind of makes sense to make. But obviously, I’ve got to go do my job. It’s one more man in front of me. When you look at the stats, we all know who deserves that title shot, but I’ve just got one more step to prove.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL: Battle of the Giants.

UFC Fight Night 244’s Grant Dawson won’t ‘give up being dominant to be a bit more exciting’

Grant Dawson takes umbrage with people labelling him as boring.

[autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] takes umbrage with people labelling him as boring.

Dawson (21-2-1 MMA, 9-1-1 UFC) takes on Rafa Garcia (15-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) in a lightweight bout at UFC Fight Night 244 Oct. 12 from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Outside from a 33-second upset knockout loss to King Green in the UFC Fight Night 229 headliner last October, Dawson is unbeaten in the UFC. Not only is he unbeaten, but he’s been able to use his wrestling to dominate plenty of his opposition – most recently Joe Solecki at UFC 302 in June.

Despite his prowess on the ground, Dawson hasn’t gained the popularity as a surging lightweight like he would have wished.

“I’m trying to be more exciting, I really am,” Dawson told MMA Junkie Radio. “It’s just I’m so dominant on the ground, it’s so easy for me to take people down, ride them out, get the choke, land lots of punches, make my percentage of top time even farther away from everybody else in the division than it already is.

“It’s so easy for me to do that. It’s hard for me to be, like, in a fight: Somebody’s throwing leather at my face, and me be like, ‘Nah, I’m not going to take them down, the fans want to see me knock him out.’ I’m fighting for my life in there. I’m fighting for my wife to not have to go back to work. It’s hard for me not to take somebody down when I know I can do it.”

Dawson says if UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev can become a fan favorite with an elite wrestling style, then why can’t he get some love as well.

“The thing that upsets me the most about it is probably, they’re so picky on who they like and who they don’t, and what kind of style they are,” Dawson continued. “Everybody thinks that Islam Makhachev is the coolest thing since sliced bread, but he’s doing the same stuff I’m doing.

“But then when I go ride somebody out – literally in my last fight I had 13:45 of control time in a 15-minute fight. That’s insanity. Where, exactly, do you have to give up being dominant to be a bit more exciting? I don’t really know what these guys want to see. I’m just going to keep winning.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 244.