Category: Radio Highlight

Dan Hooker looking to steal Michael Chandler’s hype, enter title contention at UFC 257

Dan Hooker sees UFC 257 as a big opportunity to reposition himself at the top of the lightweight division.

[autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] sees UFC 257 as a big opportunity to reposition himself at the top of the promotion’s lightweight division.

Hooker (20-9 MMA, 10-5 UFC) will welcome former three-time Bellator lightweight champion [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC) to the UFC on Jan. 23 and is aiming to steal all the shine of Chandler’s highly anticipated octagon debut.

With Chandler having served as the backup for the lightweight title fight between champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje at this past October’s UFC 254, Hooker understands that a win could put him in the running for a title shot – even if he thinks headliners Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier also have a case to compete for a potentially vacant title.

“I think Conor and Dustin should be for the belt,” Hooker told MMA Junkie Radio. “I feel like that should be a title fight, but regardless whoever wins that, their next fight, whether it’s against Khabib or whether that’s against the No. 1 contender, that’ll be fighting for the title. Michael Chandler popped up on my radar when they put him as the backup for the title fight, as the guy that was gonna get the shot if Khabib or Gaethje, if something happened to one of them.

“So I feel like with a win over him, I take that spot. I take all of that hype that’s behind him, and I put myself back in title contention.”

Chandler may be a new face in the UFC, but he has garnered plenty of experience fighting top-level talent in Bellator. With 12 of Chandler’s career wins coming in the first round, Hooker is expecting an action-packed opening five minutes, which he happily welcomes.

“He’s orthodox; he’s got a good right hand,” Hooker said of Chandler. “There’s a lot of similarities there between Al Iaquinta and Paul Felder, so there’s a lot of similarities there. I just feel like he’s a lot more explosive and is a lot faster at closing the distance, and he starts very fast.

“He starts incredibly quick. In that first round, he will really come out and try to test you and try to take your head off pretty much, so that’s exciting to me. It’s gonna be a fast start, and it might be all she wrote in Round 1, so that’s good news for me.”

UFC 257 takes place at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The night’s main card streams on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

To hear the complete interview with Hooker, check out the video below.

https://youtu.be/QUcCkXI-EGA

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Spinning Back Clique: How critical is mental aspect of McGregor vs. Poirier rematch at UFC 257?

Check out the latest episode of “Spinning Back Clique” focused on the UFC’s upcoming three events on “Fight Island.”

Welcome to “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a quick spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. This week, host John Morgan is joined by panelists Brian Garcia from MMA Junkie Radio, as well as MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn and Nolan King. Let’s get into it!

SHOW TOPICS:

  • Future UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier recently came out and said [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag]’s mindset is key heading into his rematch with [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] at UFC 257, that “The Diamond” needs to convince himself he just got caught in their first meeting. This comes on the heels of McGregor’s coach, John Kavanagh, stating that “The Notorious” should have a huge advantage in the mental department due to his first-round knockout in 2014, and McGregor saying he’ll score a knockout in less than a minute. The old cliche is “styles make fights,” but should it be “minds make fights”? How big is the mental aspect here?
  • Before UFC 257, the UFC’s “Fight Island” run kicks off with a sensational featherweight main event on network television with [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] at UFC on ABC 1. For Kattar, it’s all upside, with a real chance to prove himself among the division’s elite. But for Holloway, it’s his first non-title fight since 2016 and would seem to be a potential crossroads fight, even at just 29 years old. That being said, how much pressure is on Holloway? Is this a must-win situation?
  • Looking outside of “Fight Island,” UFC president Dana White recently said he’s hoping to see [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] fight in 2021 but admitted he’s not incredibly optimistic. It’s been 14 months now since Diaz has fought, and we know he’s only coming back for the biggest fights available. What fight could entice Diaz to get back in the octagon?
  • [autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag] took home MMA Junkie “Fight of the Year” honors in 2020 for her epic battle with Zhang Weili, but right now, the former UFC champ said she’s content waiting on the sidelines until the right opportunity arises. She’d like more money and said fans are a must, and she really believes a title shot should be on the table, too. What do you make of her comments, and is there an ideal scenario you envision for her return this year?
  • Between UFC on ABC 1, UFC on ESPN 20 and UFC 257, what is one bold prediction for this three-event span on “Fight Island”?

For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 62 of “Spinning Back Clique” above.

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UFC’s Tyson Nam hopes knockout of Matt Schnell leads to Joseph Benavidez matchup

“I just always liked the thought of punching Joseph Benavidez in the face.”

When his fight with [autotag]Matt Schnell[/autotag] fell through, [autotag]Tyson Nam[/autotag] had a specific name in mind.

Nam (20-11-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC) was hoping to draw multiple-time title challenger [autotag]Joseph Benavidez[/autotag] instead, but his fight with Schnell (14-5 MMA, 4-3 UFC) wound up getting rebooked for UFC Fight Night on Jan. 20.

The hard-hitting Hawaiian explains that his callout of Benavidez (28-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC) was about more than just facing one of the division’s most notable names.

“I personally called out Joseph Benavidez,” Nam told MMA Junkie Radio. “I thought that would be a meaningful fight for myself that he actually fought two of my friends that he beat, but I guess the UFC really liked this matchup between Matt Schnell and I and decided to give him another go at it.”

He continued, “I carry a lot of personal pride with my friends, my family. I just always liked the thought of punching Joseph Benavidez in the face. He’s the nicest guy, and he’s really good and myself as a competitor, I love competition and that would be competition at his finest. Especially to test myself because I believe that’s where I should stand and should be at the top of the flyweight division.”

After dropping his first two UFC bouts by unanimous decision, Nam rebounded emphatically with two straight knockouts of Zarrukh Adashev and Jerome Rivera. He plans on scoring another finish over Schnell then calling out Benavidez.

But with Benavidez currently slated to face Askar Askarov on March 6 at UFC 259, Nam understands that he likely may have to move on from the matchup.

“I knock out Matt Schnell, three in a row, I want Joseph Benavidez,” Nam said. “I want to make that four in a row. I’m still very adamant about that callout, but I know he does have a date with Askarov, so I might have to choose another dance partner if Jan. 20 works out in my favor.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zskfg3N6JDw&feature=youtu.be

Spinning Back Clique: Is Conor McGregor facing toughest possible challenge at UFC 257?

Check out the latest episode of “Spinning Back Clique” looking ahead to the biggest fight of the early 2021 schedule at UFC 257.

Welcome to “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a quick spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. This week, host John Morgan is joined by panelists “Gorgeous” George Garcia from MMA Junkie Radio, as well as MMA Junkie managing editor Simon Samano and reporter Danny Segura. Let’s get into it!

SHOW TOPICS:

  • John Kavanagh recently spoke with TheMacLife, and he talked about the possibility of [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] or [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] potentially stepping in for [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] at UFC 257. Let’s all knock on wood that that isn’t necessary, but Kavanagh said – respectfully – that both of those guys are “slightly easier” opponents for [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]. Out of those three guys – and including Dan Hooker, as well – who is the toughest matchup for McGregor?
  • [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] is getting vocal again and claiming that he’s ready to sign a contract with [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] and is simply waiting on the man he calls “Street Judas” to get on board. We know Masvidal is one of the biggest stars in the game, and we know he’ll fight anyone, so what else is going on? Is there a bigger fight to make for Masvidal?
  • Vitor Belfort is the latest MMA fighter to come out and discuss a potential fight with [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag]. UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping has said he’s in. Ben Askren. Dillon Danis. The list goes on. It all does seem a bit silly – professional prizefighters taking on a YouTube sensation – but there also seems to be real money at stake. Is there anything wrong with these fighters trying to cash in at their maximum value, or should there be some sort of code of ethics that prevents pro fighters from taking part in these circus sideshows?
  • The UFC’s bantamweight division continues to be a thrilling weight class with a number of viable contenders in line for champ Petr Yan. A resurgent [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] called out [autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag] after his latest win, but [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] also said he’d like a crack at either one of them. We also now know that [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag] isn’t willing to just sit around for his flyweight title shot and would like to face Aldo while Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno get their rematch sorted. So knowing we’ve got those four names to work with now – Aldo, Dillashaw, Font and Garbrandt – what are the two fights to make?
  • Bellator president Scott Coker recently said he’s not going to let COVID-19 ruin the retirement fight of MMA legend Fedor Emelinanenko, saying he’s hoping to delay things long enough for the 44-year-old Fedor to fight in front of 30,000 people in Moscow. So, knowing that’s the plan, and let’s say Bellator is willing to open up the checkbook to get anybody they need for this fight, play matchmaker for a second and tell us who’s the best choice to stand on the other side of the cage.

For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 59 of “Spinning Back Clique” above.

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Cub Swanson went old school for UFC 256 victory over Daniel Pineda

Cub Swanson dug back into what made him a contender to earn his UFC 256 win over Daniel Pineda.

[autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag] is not exactly trying to reinvent the wheel.

The seasoned veteran is taking a step back in order to focus on the things that once made him a UFC championship contender. Swanson (27-11 MMA, 12-7 UFC) feels that in order to move forward at this stage of his career, he needs to hold back on learning new things and adding to his game, and instead sharpen the old tools.

And that mentality paid off with his victory over Daniel Pineda at UFC 256.

“This whole year off gave me the opportunity to think about my game and what made me great,” Swanson told MMA Junkie Radio. “What I did was kind of really dive back in. I said that when I got injured, I wanted to start back over from the beginning and just get back to what I was really good at and what made me shine.

“I really felt like I did that this camp, and I really believe that the little things that I did for so long were giving me an advantage, and at some point I was just kind of … you know, when you’re trying to progress, you always lose certain things. When you’re trying to add something to your game, you always lose something else, and that something else is something so important.

“It turns out that I was missing some important aspects of my game. I knew I was going to bring those back for this fight, and yeah, I felt like I was firing on all cylinders right now.”

Swanson picked up an impressive second-round finish of Pineda. It was his first fight back since undergoing knee surgery earlier this year.

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The 37-year-old now has back-to-back wins, which helped him bounce back from a four-fight losing streak. Swanson feels he’s making the right adjustments to move forward in his game.

“This win meant a lot to me just to kind of put a stamp on this whole year of recovery,” Swanson said. “It’s just a step in the direction of being the best version of myself.”

Swanson would like a quick turnaround, but he suffered a broken hand in the fight against Pineda and said he expects to be recovering for eight weeks before he gets back to full training.

The popular veteran says he’s open to all opportunities when he returns but hopes to get big names and fun matchups.

“I know (the fans are) going to enjoy whatever fight I bring to the table, but people want to see two big names fight,” Swanson said. “I’d love the opportunity to get somebody they wouldn’t have thought I’d fight in my career, so that’s why I’d be open to doing different weight classes. But we’ll see. I’m open for whatever, just trying to get back into shape and have another great performance.”

For more from Swanson, watch the video above.

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UFC’s Belal Muhammad hopes win over Dhiego Lima will finally secure bout with ranked foe

Belal Muhammed hopes to rebook his fight with Dhiego Lima, then move on to a fight against a ranked opponent.

[autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] is being made to wait in his quest to climb the UFC welterweight ladder.

Muhammad (17-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) was scheduled to face [autotag]Dhiego Lima[/autotag] last weekend at UFC Fight Night 183, but was forced to withdraw after testing positive for COVID-19.

Initially targeting a return on the UFC’s first event of 2021, Muhammad realized that might not be feasible after getting hit fairly hard with COVID-19 symptoms.

Before Muhammad was booked to face Lima, he drew another unranked opponent in Sean Brady, but Brady was forced to pull out and he was replaced by Lima. So whether or not the UFC decides to rebook him against Lima, all Muhammad knows is that, if he gets a win next time out, he’d like a ranked opponent next.

“It all depends on whether Lima wants to wait or not,” Muhammad told MMA Junkie Radio. “This thing pushed me back a little bit just because if I do end up having to fight Lima again, I have a set plan where it’s like, ‘Alright, I beat Lima and now I finally get a ranked guy.’ I got my number now, he came up, basically got lucky because he got a ranked opponent now. It took me forever to get a ranked opponent, he got a ranked opponent so it’s all on him if he wants to wait for me to get healthy and fight me because your goal is to be in the rankings. So if he wants to wait for me, that’s a ranked guy, so why not wait for me?

“But if he doesn’t, cool, I don’t really care. I don’t have anything personal or anything against him. I just want a name, I want somebody to fight, and I wanna move up that ladder. I want to keep moving up that ladder. For me, the only thing that’s heartbreaking is I would have fought him, if I would have beat him, my next fight for sure would have been against a ranked guy. So let’s see who the UFC gives me now, (and see) what they’re thinking now.”

Muhammad admits that though Lima (15-7 MMA, 4-5 UFC) is unranked, it would be convenient if they rescheduled that fight, considering that he was already in training camp for him.

“If it’s gonna be Lima again, I was already training for him, so hopefully that will be a lot easier if we could just do that and then pop that up in February real quick.”

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UFC 255’s Brandon Royval says statement win over Brandon Moreno puts him next in line at 125

Brandon Royval is well aware of what’s at stake on Nov. 21 as he targets a shot at the UFC flyweight title.

[autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] is well aware of what’s at stake on Nov. 21.

Royval (12-4 MMA, 2-0 UFC) faces [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] at UFC 255 in a matchup that he knows could propel him toward a shot at the flyweight title.

With only two UFC fights under his belt, Royval is a fairly new face in the division. But, having already notched two bonuses in finishes over Tim Elliott and Kai Kara-France, Royval is looking to leapfrog the other contenders at 125 with a definitive win against Moreno (17-5-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC).

“I don’t know what a win does for me exactly, but I think if I go out there and make a statement then that makes me the title challenger,” Royval told MMA Junkie Radio. “If I go out there and have an exciting fight, I wouldn’t see why they wouldn’t just want to keep just riding my wave and stay with me and try and get that title shot, (that) would be great. But I get that I’d have to go out there and make a statement against Brandon Moreno. I get that I’ve only been in the UFC at this point five months, so I get that. I need to actually do something and go out there and make a statement to earn that spot out there.”

It’s been a fast rise for surging contender Royval, who’s only been on the UFC roster for five months. He credits the matchmaking for his recent success and thinks that the fight with Moreno will bring the best out of him too.

“There’s matchups right here that I think benefit me, and I think that goes all the way to the top three and that kind of benefits me well,” he explained. “I think a bad matchup for me is Tim Elliott, for sure, and you could see a little bit of that in that fight. He’s just a guy who put the muscle on me a little bit and just made me make it a boring fight. But Tim Elliott doesn’t have that boring fight style in him at all so that’s why I was able to do what I was able to do.

“I think that’s what’s contributing to these fights in the UFC is that the UFC is having exciting fighters. They want excitement that pushes the pace and that, and I think anyone who’s trying to kill me or take my head off is more beneficial to my fighting style because it leaves openings and it leaves a lot of chances that I can take and I can gamble in comparison to fighting some dude who doesn’t take too much risk.”

UFC 255 takes place Saturday, Nov. 21 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event streams live on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN+.

Coach says Aspen Ladd ahead of recovery schedule, ‘wants to fight Julianna Pena really bad’

As things stand, Aspen Ladd could return sooner than expected.

As things stand, [autotag]Aspen Ladd[/autotag] could return sooner than expected.

Ladd (9-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) suffered a torn ACL and MCL two weeks out from her planned June 12 fight against Sara McMann and has been doing most of her rehab at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas.

Ladd, who rebounded from her first professional loss to Germaine de Randamie in July 2019 with a third-round finish of Yana Kunitskaya last December, appears to be targeting a return early next year, her head coach Jim West told MMA Junkie Radio.

“Aspen does (physical therapy) two or three times a day, five times a week, so she’s really putting a lot of work,” West said. “Last I heard, she’s about five or six weeks ahead of schedule, and a lot of it boils down to as much effort as Aspen puts in. She pushes past most that I’ve seen. Her hiking and all that kinda stuff adds to that, so my guess is you’re probably gonna see Aspen fight sometime around the end of February, the beginning of March.

“She started boxing, I held pads for her maybe two weeks ago for the first time so she was kinda able to move a little bit. So she’s making progress quite nicely.”

Prior to the McMann booking, Ladd was scheduled to face Julianna Pena in March, but Pena was forced out due to injury. Pena went on to face de Randamie on Oct. 3, suffering a third-round submission loss to the former UFC featherweight champion.

West says that once Ladd is cleared, she hopes to get the Pena fight rebooked.

“Aspen wants to fight Julianna Pena really bad,” West said. “They were supposed to fight several times, and we’re gonna get that fight at some point, or maybe Raquel Pennington. I don’t know what Raquel is doing at that time, but Julianna is on Aspen’s radar.”

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Longtime ring card girl Mercedes Terrell tells why she left Bellator, what’s next

After 11 years as a Bellator ring card girl, Mercedes Terrell has decided to move on to the next stage.

After 11 years as a Bellator ring card girl, [autotag]Mercedes Terrell[/autotag] has decided to move on.

Terrell, one of Bellator’s most prominent faces, took part in her last card at Bellator 246 on Sept. 12, a move she planned from last year.

Speaking to MMA Junkie Radio, Terrell explained that she left Bellator on amicable terms and is grateful to have been part of the company for so long. Terrell wanted to focus on hosting her podcast “The MAJic Hour” with actress Jade Bryce and is looking to embark on other projects.

“I had originally talked to the producer December of last year and basically discussed what was next for me,” Terrell said. “What did I want to do going forward? Did I still want to be a ring girl? Was there another position in Bellator that made sense and at that point? I said I’d like that to be my last season as a ring girl, and then I had a bunch of ideas of what that would look like moving forward.

“I put together a whole program for them, and then COVID hit and changed a lot of things.”

Ultimately, while Terrell cherishes what she’s accomplished over the past 11 years, she simply felt it was time to try new things.

“For me, it was really this clarity of the transition that I was really just getting myself ready for which was moving from the limitations that being a ring girl held for me into the bigger space that felt right for me,” she said. “Which was exploring deeper on the podcast, ‘The MAJic Hour’ that I have with Jade and spending more of my time and attention on that and then really expanding the type of content and amount of content I can create for the directions that I’m passionate about.”

Terrell won’t rule out the possibility of getting involved in the MMA space again, but for now, she is content with growing her podcast and social media presence.

Check out the full video with Terrell in the video below.

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Aljamain Sterling confident UFC title fight happens in December: ‘I am the next guy in line’

Aljamain Sterling provides an update on his title fight vs. bantamweight champ Petr Yan.

[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] has cemented himself as the No. 1 contender at bantamweight but is yet to get his crack at the championship.

Winner of his last five fights, Sterling is coming off a first-round submission of Cory Sandhagen in June at UFC 250 but was passed up for a title opportunity when [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] and Jose Aldo were selected to square off for the vacant bantamweight title just a month later at UFC 251.

Yan (15-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) stopped Aldo by TKO to become the new champion, and all signs point to his first title defense being against Sterling. Speaking recently to MMA Junkie Radio, Sterling (19-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) provided an update on his potential title shot, saying that it’s currently being negotiated.

“I don’t know. I think we’re just figuring out contract negotiations,” Sterling said. “Your boy’s gotta get paid. I gotta get paid. I put in a lot of work.”

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While UFC president Dana White has been quite hesitant to label Sterling as the clear-cut title challenger, “The Funkmaster” has no doubt that he’s the No. 1 contender and is hopeful the fight happens before the end of the year.

“I am the next guy in line. I understand what (White is) saying, if you don’t want to fight, COVID and the whole thing. Don’t fight, you don’t want to risk it, whatever,” Sterling said. “For me, I defeated COVID like 10 times already, so I’m ready to fight. Just getting in shape and hopefully it’s gonna be in December, first or second week.”

He continued, “It’s the right fight to make, and I think the people want it. There’s a lot of hype behind this one, and I can’t wait to steal that thunder.”

Yan and Sterling have been trading barbs on social media dating back to last year, but Sterling doubts that the champ is underestimating him.

“I think there’s still a respect factor there,” Sterling said. “I think he knows I’m a dangerous opponent, otherwise he wouldn’t be in Dagestan wrestling right now. … It’s gonna be a very interesting night. I want to see if he can make up for that gap in the wrestling and grappling department in a couple of short months, so I think he’s taking me serious. I’m taking him serious, and I can’t wait for the opportunity.”

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