MMA Junkie senior editor Dave Doyle walks you through the key questions that could be answered at UFC Raleigh.
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The UFC’s traveling roadshow heads to Raleigh, N.C., on Saturday for UFC on ESPN+ 24. And while the card isn’t of the same significance as last week’s UFC 246, it still offers plenty of reasons for fans to tune in.
Like the main event, which is a classic clash of an up-and-comer trying to make his name at the expense of a former champion. Heavyweight standout [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] already has impressive names on his resume, but none would be bigger than former UFC titleholder [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag], who, for his part, is looking to prove he still belongs in the mix.
The co-headliner also has a former champion, but there’s a twist in this one. In this case, it’s former UFC lightweight titleholder Rafael dos Anjos, who likewise wants to prove he still belongs among the elite. He’ll be taking on a veteran who has been knocking on the door for a long time in Michael Chiesa. The twist is that the bout is at welterweight, where RDA is trying to get back into the title mix and where Chiesa is showing signs he might reach greater heights than he ever did at 155 pounds.
UFC on ESPN+ 24 takes at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. The card streams on ESPN+.
Without further ado, here are six burning questions leading into the evemt.
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Is Curtis Blaydes ready for another run at the elite?
Curtis Blaydes at UFC 242. (Per Haljestam, USA TODAY Sports)
Blaydes (12-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC)went on an impressive run in 2017 and 2018, winning four fights that included names like Aleksei Olienik, Mark Hunt and Alistair Overeem.
Then he met up with Francis Ngannou and, like many before him, that’s where Blaydes’ fun ended, as Ngannou finished him in just 45 seconds.
So the UFC did a smart thing in allowing Blaydes to regroup against lesser-ranked competition, and Blaydes responded with a strong pair of performances in victories over Justin Willis and Shamil Adburakhimov.
Now he’s getting ready to fight the big dogs once again. This time, he meets Dos Santos (21-6 MMA, 15-5 UFC), who hasn’t been on the greatest run of late but also seems to perform well when counted out. Will this be the time Blaydes demonstrates once and for all that he belongs in the title mix? We’ll find out.
The best stats and figures about UFC on ESPN+ 24, which features a Curtis Blaydes vs. Junior Dos Santos main event.
The UFC makes its sixth trip to North Carolina on Saturday with UFC on ESPN+ 24. Its the promotion’s debut in Raleigh, and is set to stream on ESPN+ from PNC Arena.
In the main event, heavyweight contenders clash. [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) will attempt to extended his two-fight winning streak against former UFC champion [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] (21-6 MMA, 15-5 UFC), who looks to rebound from a loss in his most recent outing.
The matchup tops the 12-fight card, which also features one more former UFC titleholder as well as former title challenger.
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Main event
Curtis Blaydes
Blaydes absorbs 1.9 significant strikes per minute in UFC heavyweight competition, the best rate among active fighters in the weight class.
Blaydes’ 45 takedowns landed in UFC heavyweight competition are most in divisional history.
Blaydes completes 60 percent of his takedown attempts in UFC heavyweight competition, the second-highest rate in divisional history behind Cheick Kongo (63.2 percent).
Blaydes’ takedown rate of 7.05 per 15 minutes of fighting is highest in UFC history.
Blaydes’ 10 takedowns landed against Mark Hunt at UFC 221 tied the record for second most in a single UFC heavyweight fight behind Cain Velasquez’s 11 takedowns landed at UFC 155.
Blaydes’ three knockout victories stemming from elbow strikes in UFC competition are tied with Paul Felder for most in company history.
Junior Dos Santos
Dos Santos competes in his 13th UFC headliner. He’s 8-4 in his previous main event bouts.
Dos Santos’ total fight time of 3:44:34 in UFC heavyweight competition is second most in company history behind Andrei Arlovski (4:33:42).
Dos Santos’ 15 victories in UFC heavyweight competition are third most in divisional history behind Arlovski (17) and Frank Mir (16).
Dos Santos’ 10 knockout victories in UFC heavyweight competition are tied with Velasquez and Derrick Lewis for most in divisional history.
Dos Santos’ 14 knockdowns landed in UFC heavyweight competition are the most in divisional history.
Dos Santos has landed 1,068 significant strikes in UFC heavyweight competition, the most in divisional history.
Dos Santos and Ben Rothwell combined for 234 significant strikes landed at UFC Fight Night 86, the third most in a single UFC heavyweight fight behind Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier (304) at UFC 241 and Fabricio Werdum vs. Marcin Tybura (282) at UFC Fight Night 121.
Dos Santos’ 157 significant strikes landed against Rothwell are second most in a UFC heavyweight fight behind Miocic (181) at UFC 241.
Dos Santos’ 92 significant body strikes landed against Rothwell are the UFC heavyweight record for a single fight.
Dos Santos defends 80.5 percent of all opponent takedown attempts in UFC heavyweight competition, the fourth-best rate in divisional history behind Alexander Volkov (82.8 percent), Marcin Tybura (81.5 percent) and Arlovski (80.6 percent).
Co-main event
Rafael dos Anjos
[autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag] (30-12 MMA, 18-10 UFC) is the only Brazilian lightweight champion in UFC history.
Dos Anjos is 4-3 since he moved up to the UFC welterweight division in June 2017.
Dos Anjos’ average fight time of 19:39 in UFC welterweight competition is the longest in divisional history.
Dos Anjos’ 18 UFC wins are tied for seventh most in company history. Donald Cerrone holds the all-time record with 23.
Dos Anjos lands 54.4 percent of his significant strike attempts in UFC welterweight competition, the second-best rate in divisional history behind Gunnar Nelson (56.8 percent).
Dos Anjos became just the second fighter in history to challenge for a UFC title and win a 50-45 decision on all three judges’ scorecards when he beat Anthony Pettis at UFC 185. Randy Couture also accomplished the feat against Tim Sylvia at UFC 68.
Dos Anjos’ 66-second victory over Cerrone at UFC on FOX 17 is the fastest stoppage in UFC lightweight title fight history.
Michael Chiesa
[autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) is 2-0 since he moved up to the welterweight division in December 2018.
Chiesa’s five submission victories via rear-naked choke in UFC competition are tied for third most in company history behind Demian Maia (nine) and Kenny Florian (seven).
Chiesa has completed at least one takedown against 12 of his 13 UFC opponents.
Remaining main card
Alex Perez
[autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag] (22-5 MMA, 4-1 UFC) is one of 17 fighters in UFC history to earn a submission victory by anaconda choke. He accomplished the feat at UFC Fight Night 123.
[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag] (10-7 MMA, 5-7 UFC) competes in her 13th UFC strawweight bout, tied with Randa Markos for the most appearances in divisional history.
Hill is 4-5 since she returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2017.
Hill’s two knockdowns landed in UFC strawweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Rose Namajunas (three).
Hill has landed 100 or more significant strikes in five separate UFC strawweight fights, the second most in divisional history behind Joanna Jedrzejczyk (seven).
[autotag]Darko Stosic[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) is 1-2 since he dropped to the light heavyweight division in July 2018. He went 12-1 at heavyweight.
Preliminary card
Bevon Lewis
[autotag]Bevon Lewis[/autotag] (6-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) has suffered consecutive losses after starting his career on a six-fight winning streak.
[autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag]’s (15-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) six-fight UFC winning streak in featherweight competition is tied with Zabit Magomedsharipov and Alexander Volkanovski for the longest active streak in the division.
Allen is one of four featherweights in UFC history to open his career with six straight wins. Jose Aldo, Conor McGregor and Yair Rodriguez also accomplished the feat.
Allen absorbs 1.78 significant strikes per minute in UFC featherweight competition, the third best rate in divisional history behind Rani Yahya (1.05) and Mirsad Bektic (1.7).
Nik Lentz
[autotag]Nik Lentz[/autotag] (30-10-2 MMA, 14-7-1 UFC) returns to the featherweight division for the first time since May 2015. He went 4-2 during his first stint in the weight class.
Lentz’s 68 takedowns landed in UFC competition are tied for fourth most in company history behind Georges St-Pierre (90), Gleison Tibau (84) and Demetrious Johnson (74).
Lentz’s 20 guillotine choke attempts in UFC competition are the most in company history.
Lentz and Charles Oliveira are one of three pairs of fighters in UFC history to have a trilogy in which all three fights were not for a title. Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz and Sam Stout vs. Spencer Fisher also accomplished the feat.
[autotag]Justine Kish[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since Jan. 27, 2018. It’s the third time in her career she’s had a layoff of at least 23 months.
Kish has suffered consecutive losses after starting her career on a six-fight winning streak.
[autotag]Lucie Pudilova[/autotag] (8-5 MMA, 2-4 UFC), 25, is the youngest of the 24 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
Pudilova’s three-fight losing skid is the longest of her career. She hasn’t earned a victory since February 2018.
Pudilova is 0-2 since she dropped to the UFC women’s flyweight division in February.
[autotag]Montel Jackson[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) submission victory at 1:40 of Round 1 at UFC 232 is the second fastest D’Arce choke finish in UFC history. Only Chas Skelly’s 19-second win at UFC Fight Night 94 was faster.
Sara McMann
[autotag]Sara McMann[/autotag] (11-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC), 39, is the oldest of the 24 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
McMann returns to competition for the first time since Feb. 24, 2018. The 700-day layoff is the longest of her nearly nine-year career.
McMann competes in her 11th UFC women’s bantamweight bout, the third-most appearances in divisional history behind Amanda Nunes (12) and Raquel Pennington (12).
McMann’s two submission victories in UFC women’s bantamweight competition are tied for the second most in divisional history behind Ronda Rousey (three).
McMann’s 2017 victory over Gina Mazany at 1:14 of Round 1 marked the second fastest submission in UFC women’s bantamweight history behind Ronda Rousey’s 14-second finish of Cat Zingano at UFC 184.
[autotag]Lina Lansberg[/autotag] (10-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC) enters the event on the first winning streak of her UFC career.
Lansberg lands 57.7 of her significant strikes in UFC women’s bantamweight competition, the best rate among active fighters in the weight class.
Lansberg has earned all four of her UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Brett Johns[/autotag] (15-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) has suffered consecutive losses after starting his career on a 15-fight winning streak.
Johns has earned one of two calf-slicer submissions in UFC history. Charles Oliveira also accomplished the feat.
Johns’ 30-second submission of Joe Soto at the TUF 26 Finale was second fastest in UFC/WEC combined bantamweight history behind Patrick Williams’ 23-second finish at UFC 188.
Johns’ 11 takedowns landed at UFC Fight Night 99 are tied for the single-fight record for a UFC/WEC bantamweight bout.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 24 event in Raleigh, N.C.
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 24 event in Raleigh, N.C.
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 on ESPN+ 24 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC on ESPN+ 24 takes place Saturday at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. The card streams on ESPN+.
Make your picks for all six main card fights inside.
Hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” discuss the latest MMA news and notes, including Mike Perry’s use of the N-word.
Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here!
On Episode No. 3,016 of the podcast, the gentlemen discuss the latest news and notes, including some unexpected controversy.
THE RUNDOWN:
[autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag] finds himself at the center of controversy after calling actor Michael Jai White the N-word as part of their Twitter beef this week. Perry’s use of the racial slur (slang version) incited a reaction from fellow UFC fighter [autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag], who denounced this. What’s even going on here? Why does Perry have to go there in the first place?
A UFC 246 pre-fight news conference is happening. On Wednesday, Jan. 15, [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] and [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] will come face to face. What impact will this have on the event and overall future for McGregor the rest of this year?
“The Korean Zombie” [autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag] simply will not stop pushing for a title shot against UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]. Could he actually get the fight?
MMA Junkie has handed out its awards for 2019, including Male Fighter of the Year ([autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag]), Female Fighter of the Year ([autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag]), Knockout of the Year ([autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag]), Submission of the Year ([autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag]), Fight of the Year ([autotag]Adesanya vs. Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag]), and more. The fellas react to the winners and share their personal selections.
Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at AudioBoom, or check it out above. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.
Mike Perry has been given leeway on questionable comments over race and ethnicity before, but one fellow fighter thinks he finally crossed the line.
UFC welterweight [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag] has been given leeway on making plenty of questionable comments over race and ethnicity before, but one fellow fighter thinks he finally crossed the line.
Perry, who’s nicknamed “Platinum,” got into a Twitter spat over the weekend with actor Michael Jai White, a martial arts practitioner who appeared in the movie “Blood and Bone” with the late Kimbo Slice. Perry said Slice would “beat the (expletive) outta” White, then suggested he and White should fight each other bare knuckle.
Maybe if MP learned my “Prison Movie Technique” he wouldn’t be ranked #20?😏I got no time for playground callouts Brother but holla when you come thru and maybe I’ll have time to give you a personal demo. Just DM me Bro. It really ain’t that hard! https://t.co/kxKdE5BTzO
Maybe if MP learned my “Prison Movie Technique” he wouldn’t be ranked #20?I got no time for playground callouts Brother but holla when you come thru and maybe I’ll have time to give you a personal demo. Just DM me Bro. It really ain’t that hard!
That seemed to be the end of it, as White, who has 465,000 Twitter followers to Perry’s 91,000, simply dropped the mic and walked away.
On Tuesday, though, Perry tried to troll White into continuing the conversation, using the slang version of the N-word, which is often considered acceptable for African-Americans to refer to one another, but not for other groups to use.
You have to make a big deal out of this. A white man said that to you because you straight up being one. Y’all can’t act like you don’t hear me. It was bull shit he was trying to slander a real gangsta so people would think he more than an actor. For #FLA we say #FOH
This appears to have been the point that Perry, who has a history of making borderline remarks, finally has caused others to speak up. On Wednesday, UFC strawweight [autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag], an African-American woman, denounced Perry’s words over Twitter.
“White people using ‘n**a’ to insult a black person, I don’t give a f*** what your intentions were, it ain’t right,” the former Invicta FC champion said while quote-tweeting Perry. “The few times I’ve run into Perry during fights he’s seemed cool, this isn’t cool.”
White people using ‘nigga’ to insult a black person, I don’t give a fuck what your intentions were, it ain’t right. The few times I’ve run into Perry during fights he’s seemed cool, this isn’t cool. https://t.co/4PnQ5vHKVl
This is not the first time Perry has made such comments. In 2018, he used the slang version of the N-word in a tweet at former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley.
In the face of backlash, Perry has tried to justify his usage of the word by claiming a home DNA test showed he has two percent African ancestry, but that drew more criticism from black fighters, including Gerald Harris and Aljamain Sterling.
As of this writing, Perry has not responded to Hill’s tweet.
Angela Hill steps in to take on Hannah Cifers at UFC on ESPN+ 24.
[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag] is stepping in on short notice once again to save the day.
Hill (10-7 MMA, 5-7 UFC) is set to replace [autotag]Brianna Van Buren[/autotag] against [autotag]Hannah Cifers[/autotag] (10-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) at UFC on ESPN+ 24. A person with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie of the change, but requested anonymity since the UFC has yet to make an announcement.
Van Buren was forced out of the bout due to undisclosed reasons.
UFC on ESPN+ 24 takes place Jan. 25 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. The card streams on ESPN+.
The replacement scenario will mark the third time in Hill’s past four fights that Hill steps in on short notice. She is coming off a third-round doctor’s stoppage win over Ariane Carnelossi in September, which was her fourth fight in 2019. She will look to string two wins in a row for the first time in her UFC career when she takes on Cifers.
Since dropping her UFC debut to Maycee Barber, Cifers has notched back-to-back wins over Polyana Viana, and most recently Jodie Esquibel at UFC 241 in August. She now gets the opportunity to fight close to home in Raleigh.
With the change, the current UFC on ESPN+ 24 lineup includes:
