UFC – Syndication Server

Anthony Smith on Alex Pereira: ‘Given the opportunity, we both would jump on it’

Anthony Smith knows he’s not currently in the title picture, but hopes he gets an opportunity to face Alex Pereira some day.

[autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] knows he’s not currently in the title picture, but hopes he gets an opportunity to face [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] some day.

The pair traded barbs in the past, but Smith insists it’s nothing personal. UFC light heavyweight champion Pereira (10-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) currently awaits his next challenger after knocking out Jamahal Hill in his first title defense at UFC 300.

Meanwhile, Smith (37-19 MMA, 12-9 UFC) meets rising contender Vitor Petrino (11-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) at UFC 301 on May 4 in Rio. If Smith climbs his way back up into the upper echelon of the division, he thinks a matchup against Pereira would be intriguing for the both of them.

“Yeah, he’s fun, and him and I have had our words back-and-forth,” Smith told Submission Radio. “I don’t think that there’s any real beef there, but there’s definitely something there with him and I, where, given the opportunity, we both would jump on it.

“If I can put myself into a position where, holy sh*t, here, we’re on a little bit of a streak and things are going well, the timing works out, I think both of us would jump on that opportunity. And I don’t know why that is. … I don’t know – real recognizes real, a little bit.”

Smith also sees the stylistic matchup with Pereira delivering.

“I’m one of the few guys probably that would step in the fire with him, and he knows that,” Smith said. “Is (Magomed) Ankalaev going to stand in the pocket and trade with Alex Pereira and really play that game? Probably not. You know what I mean? Which is probably the worst matchup in the division for, not just him, and f*cking everybody else. That guy’s kind of the boogeyman just floating around out there.

“But yeah, I like it … I like having a little bit of stability in the division. I’m not going to lie: Jamahal is a friend of mine, so it would have been nice to see him get the title and get his title back if for no other reason other than just to legitimize himself and put himself in a good spot. But I like (a Pereira fight). I like it, and I like Pereira’s game. I like his game a lot. It’s fun.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 301.

Vanessa Demopoulos prepared to get used to familiarity with UFC opponents like Emily Ducote

UFC women’s strawweight Vanessa Demopoulos has another big opportunity in front of her next month.

[autotag]Vanessa Demopoulos[/autotag] has another big opportunity in front of her next month, and from here on out when those happen, they might seem a little more personal.

Demopoulos (10-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) takes on Emily Ducote (13-8 MMA, 2-2 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 241 on May 11. For Demopoulos, a win would give her five in six fights – which would put her in great position in the women’s strawweight division.

But it will have to come against someone she’s got some familiarity with.

“Not only do I know a lot about her – Emily’s a sweetheart,” Demopoulos told MMA Junkie Radio. “She came here to Las Vegas. She trained over at Xtreme (Couture) and, in fact, me, her and Hannah Goldy all went hiking together over at Red Rock. So we’ve spent a little bit of time together. It was nice to kind of get to know her on a little bit of a personal level.”

Demopoulos has been training in Las Vegas, where she utilizes not only Xtreme Couture, but the UFC Performance Institute. She said that has been a game-changer for her, especially when it comes to nutrition.

Then there’s the consistency in her coaching, which she thinks was missing earlier in her career.

“I feel like everybody’s really on the same page,” she said. “Being a part of the PI and being able to have access to my food, have access to recovery, have access to the strength and conditioning, the PT, the facility – it just makes my life so much easier being in fight camp and being able to be here in Las Vegas.”

This fight camp, though, for Ducote was for someone she’s spent time with. And even looking down the road, her division’s champion, Zhang Weili, spends a lot of time at the PI, herself.

In a division that isn’t the biggest in the UFC, and given her training in Las Vegas where so many fighters come through at one point or another, Demopoulos is confident this situation will happen again.

“When we got the fight contract, it’s not like I (called) her out. She didn’t hit me up, either,” Demopoulos said. “We both knew that it might happen even while she was here. It’s OK. It’s going to happen. I feel like for being here in Las Vegas, we see so many people, it would be almost impossible for me not to fight somebody that I knew.”

Demopoulos got back in the win column this past October with a decision over Kanako Murata in a fight in which Murata was a decent favorite. Earlier in the year, she had a three-fight winning streak snapped by Karolina Kowalkiewicz.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 241.

Why Chael Sonnen thinks Tom Aspinall potentially facing Ciryl Gane at UFC 304 is a big risk

Chael Sonnen doesn’t want to see Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane next.

[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] doesn’t want to see [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] next.

Interim heavyweight champion Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) confirmed that he’ll be fighting at UFC 304, which will take place July 27 in the newly built Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England.

Aspinall dismissed Gane as a potential opponent after Gane refused to acknowledge his presence this past September in Paris. Aspinall watched Gane finish Serghei Spivac, but didn’t get his desired face-off. Gane hasn’t competed since, but Aspinall wound up facing Sergei Pavlovich for the interim title at UFC 295, and knocked him out to claim the belt. Now Aspinall is making Gane wait his turn.

Cormier likes Aspinall vs. Gane (12-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) next, but Sonnen sees a big problem with that fight.

“I believe that the problem is if you do bring Ciryl back, if he wins, you put a belt around Ciryl,” Sonnen said on his ESPN show “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Daniel Cormier. “If Jon Jones is agreeable, you’re going to do a rematch between Jon Jones and Ciryl.

“I think that’s too tough after the performance that Ciryl gave (at UFC 285), or did not give. I just don’t think there’s any scenario where they re-do that match, and you would run into a big risk if you put the belt around him.”

Aspinall wants to run things back with Blaydes. Blaydes handed Aspinall his only octagon loss when Aspinall blew out his knee just 18 seconds into their fight in July 2022. Blaydes is coming off an impressive knockout of Jailton Almeida at UFC 299 – snapping the Brazilian contender’s 15-fight winning streak.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

Arman Tsarukyan: Michael Chandler ‘never uses his brain,’ has to knock out Conor McGregor early to win

Arman Tsarukyan thinks Michael Chandler’s thirst for war will likely cost him against Conor McGregor.

[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag]’s thirst for war will likely cost him against [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag].

Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) welcomes McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) back in a welterweight bout, which headlines UFC 303 June 29 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+). McGregor will return from an almost three-year long layoff after breaking his leg in July 2021.

Chandler’s two most recent losses came to Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. Chandler had his moments, but was ultimately outlasted in all-out wars. Tsarukyan expects the same approach from him against McGregor.

“He never uses his brain,” Tsarukyan said on the “Believe You Me” podcast. “He always fights for the fans. He’s going to try to knock him out because he’s so dangerous in the first round. He can finish Conor in the first round.

“If it’s going to be second round or third round, he’s going to lose the fight. He has to knock him out in the first round or he’s going to lose that fight. I feel like Conor, his conditioning is better and he’s smarter than Chandler.”

Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) and Chandler have recently gone back-and-forth. Chandler criticized Tsarukyan’s decision to turn down a short-notice title fight against lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 on June 1, and Tsarukyan fired back. Tsarukyan defeated former champion Charles Oliveira two weeks ago at UFC 300 to cement himself as No. 1 contender.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.

‘That’s some bullsh*t’: Max Holloway believes Justin Gaethje deserves credit for first UFC career knockdown

BMF winner Max Holloway believes Justin Gaethje should be credited with first knockdown of his UFC career.

[autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] has never been knocked down in his UFC career. That’s what the official fight stats say, anyway.

At UFC 300, Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) was clipped clean by a punch from Justin Gaethje during the fourth round of their BMF title fight. The moment happened in a blink of an eye. Gatheje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) landed, Holloway hit the canvas and popped right back up to his feet, appearing no worse for wear. Apparently, the statistician thought Holloway slipped.

“It didn’t count as a drop, which is crazy,” Holloway said on “JRE MMA Show”. “ESPN is posting and saying like in however many fights I’m with the UFC, I still didn’t get dropped. That’s some bullsh*t. Give Justin that one. Like, I’ll take it, you know what I mean? But I wouldn’t be a man sitting here and telling you that he didn’t.”

There was only one knockdown officially recorded by UFC Stats, which is the frontrunner for Knockout of the Year, when Holloway slept Gaethje with one second remaining in the fight. Joe Rogan dubbed it the greatest knockout of all time.

Obviously, there’s no debating how to score the fight-ending blow, but the shot that Gaethje did connect with in Round 4 clearly knocked Holloway off his feet. The point is somewhat moot, considering Holloway epically closed the show. However, since the former featherweight champ never hit the canvas in his previous 28 UFC bouts, it was a significant occurrence for Holloway’s career.

“Blessed” doesn’t appear bothered that the moment happened, but rather that Gaethje wasn’t given the proper credit for it. Holloway chalks it up to a solid strike from one of the most dangerous fighters in the game.

“Bro, I don’t even remember getting hit with that punch,” Holloway said. “And then I sat, and I came back up. I was like, ‘What the – what did he just hit me with?’ You know what I mean? I was like, ‘Holy sh*t!’ I was like, ‘That was a good punch.’

“Then when I rewatched it, he hit me like right on the top of my dome. I was like, ‘Holy smack, brother. This guy smacks.’ I was fine as soon as I got up, but it was one of those like, ‘Boom.’ The legs just give out. Like, I was still there, even when I was standing, I was looking at him. But I don’t know how that didn’t count as a drop. I don’t know what they count as a drop. … That was crazy.”

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‘That’s some bullsh*t’: Max Holloway believes Justin Gaethje deserves credit for first UFC career knockdown

BMF winner Max Holloway believes Justin Gaethje should be credited with first knockdown of his UFC career.

[autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] has never been knocked down in his UFC career. That’s what the official fight stats say, anyway.

“It didn’t count as a drop, which is crazy,” Holloway said on the “JRE MMA Show”. “ESPN is posting and saying like in however many fights I’m with the UFC, I still didn’t get dropped. That’s some bullsh*t. Give Justin that one. Like, I’ll take it, you know what I mean? But I wouldn’t be a man sitting here and telling you that he didn’t.”

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Melissa Gatto fights Tamires Vidal at UFC Fight Night 241 after Hailey Cowan suffers broken leg

Hailey Cowan has withdrawn again, and so Melissa Gatto is now set to make her UFC bantamweight debut.

The UFC Fight Night 241 lineup has been tweaked slightly.

With [autotag]Hailey Cowan[/autotag] injured, [autotag]Melissa Gatto[/autotag] moves to bantamweight to fight fellow Brazilian [autotag]Tamires Vidal[/autotag] at the May 18 event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Two people with knowledge of the change recently informed MMA Junkie of the tweak but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Update (5:45 p.m. ET): Cowan (7-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) revealed on social media after MMA Junkie’s report that she suffered a broken leg in training. Initially thought to be a rolled ankle, Cowan said an X-ray showed a displaced fracture of her fibula. She shared photos of her bruised leg.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C6PN0iqSYuN/

Gatto (8-2-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) was scheduled to fight Victoria Dudakova at UFC on ESPN 54 on March 30. The bout was canceled moments prior to the scheduled walkouts due to an illness with Dudakova. Gatto has not previously competed at bantamweight in the UFC and will look to snap a two-fight skid.

After a flying knee knockout win in her promotional debut, Vidal (7-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) most recently competed in September when she lost a split decision to Montserrat Rendon. The defeat snapped a six-fight winning streak.

With the change, the UFC Fight Night 241 lineup includes:

Edson Barboza vs. Lerone Murphy
Angela Hill vs. Luana Pinheiro
Warlley Alves vs. Abus Magomedov
Vinicius Salvador vs. Adrian Yanez
Vanessa Demopoulos vs. Emily Ducote
Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Themba Gorimbo
Victor Martinez vs. Tom Nolan
Carlston Harris vs. Khaos Williams
Ariane Carnelossi vs. Piera Rodriguez
Rodolfo Bellato vs. Oumar Sy
Heili Alateng vs. Kleydson Rodrigues
Melissa Gatto vs. Tamires Vidal

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 241.

Michael Bisping warns Islam Makhachev of ‘sniper’ Leon Edwards: ‘Be careful what you wish for’

Michael Bisping advises UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev to focus on his division.

[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] advises UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] to focus on his division.

Makhachev expressed his desire to move up to welterweight to challenge [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] on multiple occasions, and almost got the opportunity when he was one of three names offered to Edwards at UFC 300.

Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) declined because he didn’t want to train while observing Ramadan, but still has his sights set on Edwards (22-3 MMA, 14-2 UFC).

“He wants a shot to become the two-weight division champion just like he offered Volkanovski,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “But be careful what you wish for because Leon Edwards, right – Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards is an absolute sniper in there. And look at what he just did to Colby Covington.

“Now apparently Colby Covington says that he broke his foot in the first round. And he also said that the judges, well, they were Democrats, and because of his love for Donald Trump, that’s why they didn’t give him the decision. The reality was it wasn’t a close fight.”

Makhachev defends his title against Dustin Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) in the UFC 302 main event June 1 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Bisping thinks if Makhachev gets past Poirier, he has multiple challengers awaiting him at 155 pounds.

“Leon Edwards is not a wrestler, but he’s a black belt in defending takedowns and stopping takedowns against the fence,” Bisping said. “That first round against Kamaru Usman, in that second one when he knocked him out: ‘Head shot, dead.’

“Remember: nice little foot trip, got the mount, took the back, got the body triangle, was looking for the rear-naked choke. … (Makhachev) wants a chance to be great, OK? And Islam, he’s probably just getting headlines because he knows damn well there’s a lot of opposition out there.”

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UFC on ESPN 55 weigh-in faceoff highlights video, photo gallery

UFC on ESPN 55 ceremonial weigh-ins are complete, and the fighters came face-to-face one final time before Saturday’s event.

LAS VEGAS – UFC on ESPN 55 weigh-ins took place Friday, and the fighters came face-to-face one final time before Saturday’s event.

The weigh-ins took place at the UFC Apex, which hosts Saturday’s event (ESPN/ESPN2/ESPN+). Check out the video above to see the athletes from all 13 scheduled matchups come face-to-face, and don’t miss the photo gallery below.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 55.