Category: UFC

Daniel Cormier: Tony Ferguson at his peak was as good as anybody, but decline has been ‘very steep’

Daniel Cormier wonders how Tony Ferguson’s career suddenly took a downturn after his UFC 279 loss to Nate Diaz.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] wonders how [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag]’s career suddenly took a downturn.

Ferguson (25-8 MMA, 15-6 UFC) once was on a 12-fight winning streak that included interim lightweight title in 2016 and nine post-fight bonuses. However, “El Cucuy” has lost five in a row, including the first knockout and submission losses of his UFC career.

He was submitted by Nate Diaz in this past Saturday’s UFC 279 main event, but Ferguson declared that he was “back,” which baffled Cormier.

“The most discouraging thing about it is Tony Ferguson’s decline,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “It’s sad because for so long, he was so good in a weight division where it was hard to become the champion. So he only held a portion of the belt by becoming interim champion, but Tony Ferguson at his peak was as good as anybody in the UFC. But his decline now has been very steep, and it hasn’t been gradual. It was very fast how he kind of fell off a cliff.

“I’m kind of interested to see what Tony Ferguson is going to do next. He said he’s back when the fight was over, and I don’t know what guided him to believe that he’s back in that performance. Sure, he did some things well. But I don’t believe for a second that Tony Ferguson should have taken that performance and feel like he’s building toward something.”

Cormier has been vocal about Ferguson’s decline on multiple occasions and was hoping he would show him something in the Diaz fight. He found his fight with Diaz odd, but did credit him for effectively chopping away at Diaz’s legs.

“It was a good fight, but what never leaves a guy is his toughness, and Nate Diaz’s toughness was on full display inside the octagon,” Cormier said. “Tony Ferguson hurt him a lot with those inside leg kicks, and the moment the fight was over, when Nate went to leave the octagon, he was limping very bad because his leg was beat up.”

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Aljamain Sterling questions if Colby Covington will face ‘young killer’ Khamzat Chimaev: ‘It’s a tough fight’

Aljamain Sterling thinks Khamzat Chimaev is a bad matchup for Colby Covington.

[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] is a bad matchup for [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag].

Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) remained unbeaten when he ran through Kevin Holland for a first-round submission this past Saturday at UFC 279. Sterling thinks “Borz” is a shoe-in to eventually become a UFC champion, but with newly crowned welterweight champ Leon Edwards expected to face Kamaru Usman in a trilogy bout next, Chimaev will likely have to fight one more time before he earns a title shot.

If it’s at welterweight, former interim champ Covington (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) seems to be perfect, and it’s a matchup Dana White has pitched in the past. But Sterling doesn’t think Covington will take that fight.

“It seems like he just wants to take the top-name guys – and he’s smart,” Sterling said of Covington on his YouTube channel. “Why is he going to take on a young killer like Khamzat? It’s a tough fight for him stylistically because it’s a bigger wrestler, and even though Colby is a really good wrestler, he’s fighting almost a mirror image of himself – except the guy with really good submission skills.”

Two fighters Sterling thinks could make it interesting for Chimaev are Belal Muhammad and Sean Brady, who are scheduled to fight at UFC 280 on Oct. 22.

“When I look through the rankings, I see a guy like Belal Muhammad who may not be the strongest grappler, but he’s a strong-built dude who uses a grinding style to press you against the cage to neutralize your position, beat you up with knees, and if he can get the submission, he’ll get the submission,” Sterling said. “He’s a strong, shredded dude. Then you’ve got Sean Brady – more or less the same thing, but except he’s more of a (Brazilian jiu-jitsu) specialist, in my personal opinion.

“I think it’s going to take a guy, or should I say style, like that for Chimaev to run into that’s going to be his equal. Maybe (Kamaru) Usman – I think he can thwart some of that off. But then I think if he gets Usman down, how does Usman get back to his feet?”

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Daniel Rodriguez calls for Li Jingliang rematch: ‘Everyone talking sh*t saying I lost’

Daniel Rodriguez is tired of hearing people say he lost against Li Jingliang at UFC 279.

[autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag] is tired of hearing people say he lost against [autotag]Li Jingliang[/autotag].

Rodriguez (16-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) edged out Jingliang (19-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC) by split decision on this past Saturday’s UFC 279 main card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It was a decision that even UFC president Dana White thought went the wrong way.

At the post-fight news conference, Rodriguez admitted it was a close fight, but was confident he did more than Jingliang. However, he’s willing to run things back to silence the doubters.

“Everyone talking sh*t saying I lost !!! Let’s rematch !!! @lijingliangmma @danawhite @ufc”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CibVFa3pe6x/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

In a recent appearance on “The MMA Hour,” Jingliang wore a homemade t-shirt with “ROBBED” written across it and expressed his frustration with the outcome of the fight.

“Of course I think I won the fight,” Jingliang said. “I won the fight.

“When Bruce Buffer declared the result, I couldn’t believe that. I couldn’t believe that. It’s already an awful matchup, and the result was worse. And I think it’s just an injustice. I can accept a loss – that’s fine. But please tell me why – why I lost the fight. Please, the three judges, tell me why you think I lost the fight. Tell me. Explain to me, please.”

Rodriguez originally was scheduled to face Kevin Holland and Jingliang was set to fight Tony Ferguson in the co-main event. But after Khamzat Chimaev came in 7.5 pounds over the welterweight mark for his headliner against Nate Diaz, the card was shuffled and Rodriguez wound up against Jingliang in a 180-pound catchweight bout.

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Andreas Michael details Khamzat Chimaev’s weight cut issues ahead of UFC 279: ‘His body was seizing up’

Andreas Michael says Khamzat Chimaev’s body shut down during his weight cut for UFC 279.

Andreas Michael says [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]’s body shut down during his weight cut for UFC 279.

Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC), who was scheduled to face Nate Diaz in this past Saturday’s headliner at T-Mobile Arena, came in 7.5 pounds over the welterweight limit. As a result, the fight card was shuffled and Chimaev fought Kevin Holland, instead. Diaz fought Tony Ferguson in the main event.

Michael said Chimaev was experiencing issues during the cut and wasn’t going to jeopardize his star student’s health, even though they were devastated the fight with Diaz fell through.

“We took the first four kilos quite easy, and then it’s like, ‘We’re going to take the rest in the morning,'” Michael told ESPN. “So we had about 2.5-3 kilos left. But then some complications started happening during the night. (Chimaev) started getting cramps, started throwing up, he started being dizzy. His body was seizing up, and we called the UFC. We called the physician and we wanted the advice from them, because I’m not a doctor. I don’t know what’s safe and not safe, and I always take the safe route. We’re playing with people’s lives here – it’s not a joke.

“Actually, he had about six pounds to lose, but we drank before because he needed to hydrate a little bit before we weighed in, with the physician’s recommendation. Remember that: The doctor recommended this. I will not go against the doctor.”

Michael said Chimaev came into the camp heavier than usual and didn’t have the adequate amount of time he’s accustomed to for his cut down to 170 pounds. Michael wanted to make sure his camp was focused on the fight itself, not just the weight cut.

“He’s never missed weight any other time before that, so I don’t know why everyone’s acting as if he’s always missing weight,” Michael said. “It’s the first time. Yes, he has had a hard time making weight, and that’s on him. He trains hard and he likes to eat to have energy. He trains harder than anyone, but that comes with consequences. You have to fuel the machine.

“You need time to get down to the reasonable weight before you start your camp. Diaz came in the end of August. We said, ‘Can we move it a little bit, please, because it’s a legacy fight, that one. Of course we would love that fight.’ They moved it like one and a half weeks after that, two weeks after that, and I think we had five or six weeks of preparation to get into camp when we heard about it, and he was already about 93-94 kilos (205-207 pounds) starting his camp. So I was thinking like this: Should I make the camp all about his weight, or should I make the camp him training good to win?”

Chimaev appeared to face no physical issues on fight night. He ran through Holland for a first-round submission in a 180-pound catchweight bout.

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With Hamdy Abdelwahab out, Slim Trabelsi steps in to face Parker Porter at UFC 280

Slim Trabelsi has signed with the UFC and will be making his debut next month.

[autotag]Slim Trabelsi[/autotag] has signed with the UFC and will make his debut next month.

[autotag]Hamdy Abdelwahab[/autotag] has been forced out of UFC 280 and Trabelsi (5-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will step in to face [autotag]Parker Porter[/autotag] (13-7 MMA, 3-2 UFC) on Oct. 22 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

A person with knowledge of his removal from the card told MMA Junkie his withdrawal is for a non-injury reason. ESPN was first to report the news of the booking.

Tunisia’s Trabelsi, a former amateur wrestler, has trained with the likes of UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and former interim champ Ciryl Gane at MMA Factory Paris. Just 10 days ago, Trabelsi remained unbeaten when he finished Azamat Nuftillaev in the second round to claim the vacant ARES FC heavyweight title.

Porter, 37, will look to bounce back from a first-round submission loss to Jailton Almeida in May. The defeat snapped a three-fight winning streak of victories over Josh Parisian, Chase Sheman and Alan Baudot.

With the change, the UFC 280 lineup includes:

  • Champion Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev – for lightweight title
  • Champion Aljamain Sterling vs. T.J. Dillashaw
  • Sean O’Malley vs. Petr Yan
  • Sean Brady vs. Belal Muhammad
  • Beneil Dariush vs. Mateusz Gamrot
  • Amanda Lemos vs. Marina Rodriguez
  • Lucas Almeida vs. Zubaira Tukhugov
  • Katlyn Chookagian vs. Manon Fiorot
  • Caio Borralho vs. Makhmud Muradov
  • Malcolm Gordon vs. Muhammad Mokaev
  • Nikita Krylov vs. Volkan Oezdemir
  • Abubakar Nurmagomedov vs. Gadzhi Omargadzhiev
  • A.J. Dobson vs. Armen Petrosyan
  • Lina Lansberg vs. Karol Rosa
  • Parker Porter vs. Slim Trabelsi

UFC Fight Night 210 free fight: Cory Sandhagen survives early scare, batters Iuri Alcantara in Round 2

Ahead of his main event clash with Song Yadong, relive Cory Sandhagen’s finish of Iuri Alcantara at UFC Fight Night 135.

[autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] had to dig deep against [autotag]Iuri Alcantara[/autotag].

In his second octagon fight, Sandhagen faced dangerous submission artist Alcantara at UFC Fight Night 135 in August 2018.

Alcantara pressured Sandhagen with combinations, clipping him with a few solid ones, before dragging him to the mat. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt immediately latched onto a triangle armbar which had Sandhagen in a world of trouble.

Somehow a bloodied up Sandhagen was able to gut it out and refused to tap. He escaped and started dropping big ground and pound on Alcantara, who barely escaped Round 1. However, the damage took a toll on Alcantara, who was dropped in the opening seconds of Round 2 and eventually finished on the ground by a relentless Sandhagen.

Since then, Sandhagen (14-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) has emerged as a top bantamweight contender, scoring notable wins over John Lineker, Marlon Moraes and Frankie Edgar. He returns to action Saturday when he takes on Song Yadong (19-6-1 MMA, 8-1-1 UFC) in the main event of UFC Fight Night 210, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Before he faces Yadong, relive Sandhagen’s finish of Alcantara in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 210.

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Denis Tiuliulin understands referee’s point deduction prior to TKO win at UFC 279

Denis Tiuliulin was perhaps harshly deducted a point prior to finishing Jamie Pickett at UFC 279, but it only fueled him.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Denis Tiuliulin[/autotag] was perhaps harshly deducted a point prior to finishing [autotag]Jamie Pickett[/autotag] at UFC 279, but it only fueled him.

Tiuliulin (11-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC) scored a second-round TKO of Pickett (13-8 MMA, 2-4 UFC) at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday. But prior to stopping Pickett, Tiuliulin was deducted a point for an inadvertent low blow, which could have cost him the fight had it gone the distance.

It was the second time referee Mike Beltran had warned Tiuliulin, which prompted him to take a point off the Russian fighter. The first warning was for a body kick which appeared to connect above the belt, but had an affect on Pickett regardless. The second blow was clearly to Pickett’s cup.

“No, I speak with referee and now I understand him,” Tiuliulin told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the post-fight news conference.

He continued, “When this situation (happened), I was motivated to finish because if this was a decision, this is a problem for me.”

The win over Pickett marked Tiuliulin’s first octagon victory. He lost his UFC debut on short notice to Aliaskhab Khizriev in March, where he was controlled and submitted on the ground.

“I’m happy because first fight I lost and this was a very fast fight, very wrestling opponent,” Tiuliulin said. “He has very good wrestling, Aliaskhab is a very good fighter, and I wasn’t prepared for that fight and he won. This fight I had time, not much time, but I had time, I had a plan, I had my coach and I won. No problem.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 279.

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Julian Erosa loved that Hakeem Dawodu missed weight at UFC 279: ‘I know I’m gonna get paid’

“I encourage and actually am happy if people miss weight because I know I’m gonna get paid.”

LAS VEGAS – As long as he’s making extra money, [autotag]Julian Erosa[/autotag] has no problem if his opponents miss weight.

[autotag]Hakeem Dawodu[/autotag] (13-3-1 MMA, 6-3 UFC) came in 3.5 pounds over the featherweight limit in his fight against Erosa (28-9 MMA, 6-5 UFC) at UFC 279 on Saturday and was fined 30 percent of his purse.

Erosa upset Dawodu with a unanimous decision win at T-Mobile Arena, and although “Juicy J” has a hard time making 145 pounds, he was all smiles when he was asked about Dawodu’s weight miss.

“I used to get upset when people missed weight, but now I love it,” Erosa told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the post-fight news conference. “Peterson missed weight and I made a lot of money off Peterson because of the Fight of the Night and so I encourage and actually am happy if people miss weight because I know I’m gonna get paid.

“By the time they’re gonna miss weight, I’ve already rehydrated because I’ve made weight at 9 o’clock and they missed weight at 10:30 and 10:30 I’m probably like 10 pounds heavier than I was, so I don’t think there’s even an advantage. I mean they didn’t really kill themselves like I had to kill myself – I’m a big guy, but I don’t feel sorry for guys that miss weight or taking their money because they weren’t worried about me when I was about to die in my garage making weight.”

Erosa is currently enjoying his best UFC run having won his past three in a row. As for what’s next, the 33-year-old hopes to continue drawing fellow strikers and has a few names in mind.

“I loved the Dawodu fight because I knew he was gonna stand and bang,” Erosa said. “I knew he wasn’t really going to care about taking people down, and I was willing to exchange with him. I’m pretty much healthy and I took a little too much time off in between the Peterson fight and this fight, but it was a good time for me to kind of reset.

“But I’d be willing to fight before the year is up for sure. I would really just like to fight another striker. Guys like Luis Saldana, a long, lanky striker, I think he would be a fun one. Caceres, I’ve always wanted to fight Caceres, but I don’t even know what he’s got going on. But long, lanky strikers are always fun because this is what I am, and I think we could mix it up and have a Fight of the Night.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 279.

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Josh Thomson: Khamzat Chimaev has ‘a lot of great gifts. Fight IQ is not one of them.’

Josh Thomson thinks Khamzat Chimaev needs to manage his energy in fights, or it will eventually cost him.

[autotag]Josh Thomson[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] needs to manage his energy, or it will eventually cost him.

Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) ran through Kevin Holland (23-8 MMA, 10-5 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 279 co-main event, scoring a first-round D’Arce choke submission at T-Mobile Arena.

“Borz” stormed out the gate, immediately shooting for a takedown. Holland proved to be scrappy and tough to keep down, but ultimately Chimaev overwhelmed him. While Thomson lauds Chimaev’s skills, the former Strikeforce lightweight champion thinks his style will eventually cause him to burn out.

”Chimaev used a lot of energy in those first initial takedowns,” Thomson said on his “Weighing In” podcast. “And even the commentary team was saying he’s breathing heavy. He’s one of those fighters that fights this way, and he’s gonna realize how like a Michael Chandler, you’re going to run into someone who can take everything you dish out. And what are you gonna do if you burn your gas, if you burn the candle on both ends?”

He continued, ”Chimaev is a good fighter. He’s got a lot of great gifts. Fight IQ is not one of them.”

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Thomson thinks Chimaev could run into some trouble against a fighter like former interim welterweight champion Colby Covington, who is known for his cardio and pace.

“To me, one of those guys is Colby Covington,” Thomson said. “He’s not the greatest guy on the feet, but his striking works for him.”

He continued, “His style of standup, it looks horrible, but it works for him. And then you mix that with the ability to takedowns and stuff takedowns, and make you work, and his cardio – he’s kind of a bad matchup. He’s a bad matchup, I think, for Chimaev.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 279.

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Josh Thomson: Khamzat Chimaev has ‘a lot of great gifts. Fight IQ is not one of them.’

Josh Thomson thinks Khamzat Chimaev needs to manage his energy in fights, or it will eventually cost him.

[autotag]Josh Thomson[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] needs to manage his energy, or it will eventually cost him.

Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) ran through Kevin Holland (23-8 MMA, 10-5 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 279 co-main event, scoring a first-round D’Arce choke submission at T-Mobile Arena.

“Borz” stormed out the gate, immediately shooting for a takedown. Holland proved to be scrappy and tough to keep down, but ultimately Chimaev overwhelmed him. While Thomson lauds Chimaev’s skills, the former Strikeforce lightweight champion thinks his style will eventually cause him to burn out.

”Chimaev used a lot of energy in those first initial takedowns,” Thomson said on his “Weighing In” podcast. “And even the commentary team was saying he’s breathing heavy. He’s one of those fighters that fights this way, and he’s gonna realize how like a Michael Chandler, you’re going to run into someone who can take everything you dish out. And what are you gonna do if you burn your gas, if you burn the candle on both ends?”

He continued, ”Chimaev is a good fighter. He’s got a lot of great gifts. Fight IQ is not one of them.”

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Thomson thinks Chimaev could run into some trouble against a fighter like former interim welterweight champion Colby Covington, who is known for his cardio and pace.

“To me, one of those guys is Colby Covington,” Thomson said. “He’s not the greatest guy on the feet, but his striking works for him.”

He continued, “His style of standup, it looks horrible, but it works for him. And then you mix that with the ability to takedowns and stuff takedowns, and make you work, and his cardio – he’s kind of a bad matchup. He’s a bad matchup, I think, for Chimaev.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 279.

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