Tag: Amanda Nunes

Spinning Back Clique: UFC 245 preview, UFC DC reaction

MMA Junkie’s John Morgan, “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” unpack the latest MMA news and notes in Episode 6 of “Spinning Back Clique.”

Welcome to “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. In this week’s episode, John Morgan, “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” react to what transpired at UFC on ESPN 7 and preview what’s to come this Saturday at UFC 245.

Show rundown:

  • [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against [autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag] at UFC DC. He was getting mostly dominated and on his way to a guaranteed decision loss before a huge right hand knocked out Overeem (and shattered his lip) with four seconds remaining in the fifth round. Rozenstruik remains undefeated at 10-0 overall and 4-0 in the UFC. But after that performance, are we buying or selling him as a legit contender at heavyweight?
  • [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] delivered a pair of painful groin’ kicks to [autotag]Stefan Struve[/autotag] at UFC DC, then went on to score a TKO victory – but not before referee Dan Miragliotta advised Struve to continue fighting. Since when should a referee be offering fighters advice during a fight?
  • [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] made history as the first woman to step inside the octagon back in 2013. More recently, she competed for a UFC title again earlier this year but lost to flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko. Carmouche, 4-2 in her last six fights, was released last Friday by the UFC – get this – while she was in Washington D.C. doing a promotional tour with troops for the promotion. What do we make of her unceremonious exit, and what’s next for her?
  • It’s UFC 245 fight week, which means we’re on the verge of finally seeing [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] clash with [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag], who’s been promoting the heck out of this showdown, but has he gone too far?
  • Speaking of UFC 245, there are two other big title fights on the card: [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] and [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag] 2. Which challenger is more likely to win? And which “old dog” on the main card is more likely to turn back the clock: [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] or [autotag]Urijah Faber[/autotag]?

For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 6 of “Spinning Back Clique.”

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Video: ‘UFC 245 Countdown’ for Amanda Nunes vs. Germaine de Randamie

Did you miss the debut of “UFC 245 Countdown,” or just want to watch it again? Check out the women’s title fight preview now.

Did you miss the debut of “UFC 245 Countdown,” or just want to watch it again? Check out the main event preview now.

The segment takes a special look at the women’s bantamweight title fight between [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] (18-4 MMA, 11-1 UFC) and [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC), which will let the winner claim she’s the best 145-pounder in the UFC.

UFC 245 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

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“Countdown” goes behind the scenes with the two fighters, and you can watch the full segment above. And don’t miss the entire episode in the video below.

Check out the entire UFC 245 fight card below:

  • Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington – for welterweight title
  • Max Holloway vs. Alexander Volkanovski – for featherweight title
  • Amanda Nunes vs. Germaine de Randamie – for women’s bantamweight title
  • Jose Aldo vs. Marlon Moraes
  • Urijah Faber vs. Petr Yan
  • Geoff Neal vs. Mike Perry
  • Irene Aldana vs. Ketlen Vieira
  • Omari Akhmedov vs. Ian Heinisch
  • Matt Brown vs. Ben Saunders
  • Kai Kara-France vs. Brandon Moreno
  • Chase Hooper vs. Daniel Teymur
  • Jessica Eye vs. Viviane Araujo
  • Oskar Piechota vs. Punahele Soriano

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Who does Miesha Tate think is the female GOAT? ‘That would be an easy pick’

Miesha Tate has been in there with many of the all-time greats, but one stands above all else in her estimation.

For [autotag]Miesha Tate[/autotag], it’s not a difficult choice.

Widely considered one of the best female mixed martial artists of all time, Tate believes the greatest women’s MMA fighter to date is an easy choice – and she isn’t picking herself.

In the main event of UFC 200 in July 2016, then-UFC bantamweight champion Tate faced off against surging Brazilian [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag]. Midway through the first round, Nunes submitted Tate by rear-naked choke to win the title.

Nunes has not lost a fight since. For three-and-a-half years, she has defended the bantamweight title. She also picked up the women’s 145-pound belt along the way, when she knocked out Cris Cyborg in 51 seconds at UFC 232 in December 2018.

Having shared the cage with Nunes, Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm, and numerous others, Tate’s opinion is as educated as one can be. In her eyes, Nunes is the greatest female fighter to ever put on a pair of MMA gloves.

“For me, it’s been Amanda Nunes,” Tate told MMA Junkie. “She’s just on another level. She’s super legitimate. She hits like a ton of bricks. And it’s just incredible what she’s been able to do with the bantamweight division and what she’s done dipping her toes in the featherweight division. Really, the way she took out Cyborg was so mind-blowing. It was very impressive.

“I think for me that would be an easy pick.”

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While Nunes has been defending a belt and earning a second, Tate has entered an administrative role with One Championship. In November 2018, Tate was announced as the promotion’s vice president.

Despite seeing her former opponents still thriving in competition, Tate indicated she has no semblance of an urge to get back fighting. Fans shouldn’t expect to see a Tate vs. Nunes rematch any time soon – at least not inside a cage.

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“I’m really content doing the executive stuff,” Tate said. “I’d like to get more involved with some form of grappling competition. I can’t say that I have a strong desire to break my nose again, to be honest.”

UFC 245 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In the third fight on the main card, Nunes defends her belt against former UFC women’s featherweight champ Germaine de Randamie. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

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‘UFC 245 Embedded,’ No. 1: ‘Trump, I’ve got a new belt for you’

Get a behind-the-scenes look at the big stars of UFC 245, which features Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington in the main event.

The UFC’s 12th and final pay-per-view of the year takes place Saturday with UFC 245, and the promotion’s popular “Embedded” series returns to get you ready.

UFC 245 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

In the main event, UFC welterweight champion[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] attempts to defend his belt against [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] in a long-awaited grudge match. And in the co-main event, UFC featherweight title challenger [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] puts his belt on the line against [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]. Also on the card, [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] faces [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag] for the UFC women’s bantamweight title.

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The first episode of “Embedded” follows the big-name stars at the top of the card as they arrive in Las Vegas. Here’s the UFC’s description:

On Episode 1 of UFC 244 Embedded, welterweight champion Kamaru Usman goes from “scruffy” to polished at home and then hits the gym for more finishing touches. Rival Colby Covington arrives in Las Vegas and dedicates his upcoming success to a famous family. Featherweight title challenger Alexander Volkanovski makes the long trip from New Zealand with teammate and UFC 245 flyweight Kai Kara France. Featherweight champion Max Holloway works out and horses around with his team at UFC Performance Institute. UFC 245 Embedded is an all-access, behind-the-scenes video blog leading up to the three title fights taking place Saturday December 14. Order the Pay-Per-View at ESPNPlus.com/PPV

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UFC 245: Make predictions for Usman-Covington, Holloway-Volkanovski, Nunes-de Randamie title fights

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC 245 event in Las Vegas, which features three title fights at the top of the card.

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC 245 event in Las Vegas.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC 245 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC 245 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

Make your picks for all five main card fights inside:

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7

UFC 245: How to watch Usman vs. Covington, full card, start time, streaming info

All the info you need to watch UFC 245, which features three title fights, including Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington.

The UFC is back home in Las Vegas for its final pay-per-view and one of the most anticipated events of 2019, which features three title fights at the top of the bill.

In the main event, welterweight champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] and [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] finally will settle their longstanding when they square off for the title. In the co-main event, featherweight champ [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] will defend his belt against [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]. Also, UFC dual champ [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] is set to put her women’s bantamweight title on the line in a rematch with former featherweight champ [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag].

There’s that and much more on the stacked card. Take a look at the UFC 245 event info with lineup, start times, and key storylines below.

What: UFC 245

When: Saturday

Where: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas

TV, Live stream: ESPN+ (subscribe here), ESPN 2, pay-per-view

Full fight card, start times

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

Main Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET

  • Champ Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington – for welterweight title
  • Champ Max Holloway vs. Alexander Volkanovski – for featherweight title
  • Champ Amanda Nunes vs. Germaine de Randamie – for women’s bantamweight title
  • Jose Aldo vs. Marlon Moraes
  • Urijah Faber vs. Petr Yan

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN2, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Geoff Neal vs. Mike Perry
  • Irene Aldana vs. Ketlen Vieira
  • Omari Akhmedov vs. Ian Heinisch
  • Matt Brown vs. Ben Saunders

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6:15 p.m. ET)

  • Chase Hooper vs. Daniel Teymur
  • Kai Kara-France vs. Brandon Moreno
  • Viviane Araujo vs. Jessica Eye
  • Oskar Piechota vs. Punahele Soriano

Key storylines

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MMA rankings report: How will December’s big fights shake things up?

With a big month of fights on tap to close the year, Gorgeous George and John Morgan project how the rankings might shake out.

Things have been a little slow the past couple weeks in mixed martial arts, but the year will end with a bang, as December features a big slate of important fights.

There are several matchups which will have major implications on both their respective divisions and, in some cases, the pound-for-pound list. Matches such as:

  • [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] at welterweight
  • [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alexander Volkanosvki[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag] at featherweight
  • [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag] and [autotag]Aspen Ladd[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Yana Kunitskaya[/autotag] at women’s bantamweight
  • [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] at men’s bantamweight

Those are just some of the matchups over the next several weeks which will have a major impact on the future. What might they mean for the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings? Let MMA Junkie’s “Gorgeous” George Garcia and John Morgan walk you through the changes in the video above.

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UFC 245 free fight: Relive Amanda Nunes’ finish of Holly Holm at UFC 239

Can’t wait for UFC 245 to roll around? Get ready for Amanda Nunes’ next fight by giving another look to her last one.

Ronda Rousey. Cris Cyborg. Miesha Tate. Germaine de Randamie. Valentina Shevchenko. Julia Budd.

That list represents a who’s who of women’s world mixed martial arts champions past and present. And the women on that list have something in common: They’ve all been defeated by UFC champ-champ [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag].

Going into UFC 239, just one huge name was left off that ledger: Holly Holm. But on July 6, Nunes (18-4 MMA, 11-1 UFC) added Holm to her impressive list of vanquished foes, with a magnificent performance in a first-round TKO victory to successfully defend her bantamweight title.

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Nunes, who is also UFC featherweight champion, puts her 135-pound belt up for grabs again at UFC 245 on Dec. 14, where she meets de Randamie (9-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC) for the second time.

And with the three-title-fight mega-card just a few weeks away, you can whet your appetite for Nunes’ return by reliving her UFC 239 finish of Holm. The UFC has made the bout free for all to watch, and you can check it out in the video linked above.

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UFC 245 judges, referees set: Jason Herzog gets first UFC title fight assignment

Judges and referees assignments are set for UFC 245, which features three title fights on Dec. 14 in Las Vegas.

The UFC will close out its 2019 pay-per-view schedule next month with UFC 245, which features three championship fights.

The Nevada Athletic Commission has assigned judges and referees for those title bouts, which top the Dec. 14 card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. NAC announced the assignments at a Wednesday meeting in Las Vegas.

In the main event, [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC) will put his welterweight title on the line against heated rival [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC). Marc Goddard will serve as the referee for the 170-pound title bout, while Derek Cleary, Sal D’Amato and Eric Colon serve as judges.

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The co-headliner, which sees [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (21-4 MMA, 17-4 UFC) put his featherweight belt up for grabs against [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (20-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC), will see Jason Herzog get his first UFC title fight referee assignment, with Mike Bell, Junichiro Kamijo and Chris Lee slated as judges.

Finally, the women’s bantamweight title rematch between dual-champ [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] (18-4 MMA, 11-1 UFC) and [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC) will mark the sixth UFC title fight for referee Keith Peterson. The judges will be Dave Hagen, Ron McCarthy and D’Amato.

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Video: ‘Ready to Rise’ hypes up UFC 245 title fights led by Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington

Check out the “Ready to Rise” video hyping up the three title fights at UFC 245, highlighting Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington.

UFC 245 will feature a trio of title fights, headlined by welterweight champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC), who is set to make his first title defense against former interim champ [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC).

In the co-main event, featherweight champ [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (21-4 MMA, 17-4 UFC), takes on the surging [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (20-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC). And dual champ [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] (18-4 MMA, 11-1 UFC) puts her bantamweight title on the line against ex-featherweight champ [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC).

UFC 245 takes place Dec. 14 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and early prelims on ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.

“Ready to Rise” is a short promo video for UFC 245 centered around the night’s headliner, a grudge match between Usman and Covington. Check out the video below.

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