Tag: Anthony Pettis

Anthony Pettis got ‘a little down’ after Nate Diaz loss, but rejuvenated ahead of lightweight return

Putting his last loss behind him, Anthony Pettis is feeling rejuvenated ahead of his return back down to lightweight.

[autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] won’t let his last loss deter him.

He took on a returning Nate Diaz at UFC 241 in August, a fight that could have got him back into title contention. Prior to the fight, Pettis says he suffered a cut in his hand that had him glued up, and unable to even jab.

He wasn’t about to pull out, though.

“I don’t make excuses,” Pettis told UFC News. “Diaz fought his ass off, great fight. I hit him with some big shots, he took them.”

“I did get a little down after the Diaz fight, like, ‘What the heck’s next,’ and, ‘What the heck is happening,’ and I just went back to having fun. I’m blessed. I’m blessed to come in here and do this job, and it’s not like I get paid more to be on the main event or co-main from these guys, so for me, it’s like, whoever’s next is next.”

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At next week’s UFC 246, he now takes on the streaking Carlos Diego Ferreira (16-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC), who’s won his last five in a row and has a lot more to gain in this matchup, taking on a former champ and big name like Pettis (22-9 MMA, 14-9 UFC).

But Pettis has never been one to pick and choose opponents. He was just eager to get back in the cage.

“It’s exciting for me because it’s time to fight,” Pettis said. “Like honestly, I was waiting for an opponent. I was ready right after the Diaz fight. I told the UFC I wanted to go, they kept giving me some like hinters, who could have been, they fell through and he was ready, that’s what it is.”

Pettis feels he did his body a massive disservice by cutting down to 145 pounds in 2016, which made his return to lightweight feel more difficult than it should have. Pettis competed twice at featherweight, where he submitted Charles Oliveira and fell short against Max Holloway, a fight where he was ineligible to win the interim featherweight title due to missing weight by three pounds.

He would then move back up to lightweight, going 2-2 and picking up wins over Jim Miller and Michael Chiesa. But the former WEC and UFC lightweight champ was not in full form, which prompted a move up to 170.

Pettis competed twice at welterweight, against Stephen Thompson and Diaz, which helped him recover his body, in preparation for his move back down again to 155 pounds.

“I get the ‘Wonderboy’ fight, I call him out, we move up to 170, my body feels amazing, no weight cut,” Pettis said. “So a whole year of no weight cut in 2019 and this is going to be my first time going back to ’55, but my body from going down to 145 never recovered. I tried to cut down to ’55 but I was hurting because of that ’45-pound weight cut. I just gave my body some rest. I look and feel the best I’ve ever looked, honestly, and I know everybody says that every time, but this is one of those times where I feel it. I needed rest from cutting weight.”

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MMA Junkie’s 2019 ‘Knockout of the Year’: Jorge Masvidal’s flying knee

Here are the top five honorable mentions and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Knockout of the Year” award for 2019.

With another action-packed year of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie takes a look at the best knockouts from January to December. Here are the top five and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Knockout of the Year” award for 2019.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice for “Knockout of the Year.”

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Honorable mentions

6. Niko Price def. James Vick at UFC on ESPN+ 19

Known for his creative violence, [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) did not disappoint in his welterweight matchup against James Vick (13-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) in October, scoring a knockout with a rarely-successful technique at the top level.

After absorbing some hard shots from Vick on the canvas, Price improvised and sent his foot toward the chin of Vick. A bone-chilling thud sounded as his foot hit Vick flush on the face. Vick’s bloody, unconscious body crumpled onto Price, who landed a few short shots to his already out opponent, and the fight was stopped in less than two minutes.

5. Douglas Lima def. Michael Page at Bellator 221

[autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] (32-7 MMA, 14-3 BMMA) respected Michael Page (17-1 MMA, 13-1 BMMA) in the lead-up to their Bellator welterweight grand prix semifinal matchup in May, but the former two-time champion felt strongly that his experience and striking power would make a difference, and he was right.

Lima gave “MVP” a rude welcome to a new level of competition when he scored an absolutely sickening knockout to make the grand prix final. The Brazilian set it up when he dropped Page with a perfectly timed low kick. As Page attempted to stand up, Lima uncorked a beautiful left hand that landed clean and brought an end to Page’s unbeaten run in MMA.

4. Davy Gallon def. Ross Pearson at “MTK MMA: Probellum”

Ross Pearson (20-17) had a rude welcome back to MMA from his retirement courtesy of the unheralded [autotag]Davy Gallon[/autotag] (18-7-2), who in November delivered what could go down as an all-time knockout to occur outside of a major organization.

The lightweight fight was relatively competitive for more than two rounds. In the closing stages of the third, though, Gallon went airborne and unleashed a rolling thunder kick. The heel landed flush on Pearson’s face, and “The Ultimate Fighter 9” winner was immediately knocked out in a shocking finish.

3. Valentina Shevchenko def. Jessica Eye at UFC 238

[autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) got her UFC women’s flyweight title reign off to a good start in June, when she made an example of overmatched challenger Jessica Eye (15-7 MMA, 5-6 UFC) with a brutal knockout.

Shevchenko kept her firm grip on the 125-pound strap when, as one of the biggest betting favorites in UFC title history, “The Bullet” delivered a highlight-reel head kick knockout of Eye in the second round of the contest. Eye was down on the canvas for quite some time after the kick connected, but fortunately came out OK.

2. Anthony Pettis def. Stephen Thompson at UFC on ESPN+ 6

Former UFC and WEC lightweight champ [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] (22-9 MMA, 9-8 UFC) made a splash in his welterweight debut in March when he upset former title challenger Stephen Thompson (15-4-1 MMA, 10-4-1 UFC) with a brutal knockout.

After getting picked apart and bloodied for the majority of two rounds, Pettis showed his trademark “Showtime” creativity when he bounced off the octagon fence and proceeded to take off with a superman hook punch that caught Thompson completely off guard and put his lights out for the first time in his career.

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Winner: Jorge Masvidal def. Ben Askren at UFC 239

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The most hyped grudge match heading into UFC 239 in July ended in the fastest and perhaps most violent knockout in the history of the UFC.

Veteran welterweight [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] (35-13 MMA, 12-6 UFC) used a hellacious flying knee coming out of the gate to knock Ben Askren (19-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) cold.

The time of the stoppage officially was at the 0:05 mark of the opening round. That beat, by one-second, Duane Ludwig’s record, set in a victory over Jonathan Goulet in 2006.

“I really wanted to beat his ass for 14 minutes and 30 seconds, but it didn’t happen, so back to business,” Masvidal said.

Masvidal, with his hands behind his back, came out at an odd angle and charged at Askren, who attempted to duck under it.

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Instead, the knee landed flush on Askren’s ear, knocking him stiff to the mat. Masvidal landed two more punches to the clearly unconscious Askren before the referee could step in and wave things off.

Masvidal taunted Askren as doctors rushed into the cage to attend to his foe, with whom he had engaged in quite a bit of trash talk leading up to the fight.

“That dude was talking wild, man,” Masvidal said. “I have to show you there’s consequences sometimes, there’s some bad (expletive) out there.”

The victory was by far the biggest in the career of Masvidal, a longtime presence on the scene who is finally breaking through to the top. It also marked the first career loss for Askren, the former Bellator and ONE welterweight titleholder. After regaining consciousness, Askren left the cage under his own power.

Also see:

UFC 246’s 13-bout lineup finalized with Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone headliner

Check out the finalized lineup and broadcast plans for UFC 246, which takes place Jan. 18 in Las Vegas.

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The UFC will kick off 2020 with the long-awaited return of arguably its most bankable fighter.

UFC 246 takes place Jan. 18 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

The main event features a welterweight bout between former dual-division champion [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] (21-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) and former lightweight title challenger [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] (36-13 MMA, 23-10 UFC).

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In the co-main event, former UFC women’s bantamweight champion [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC) will take on [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] (10-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC) in a rematch from a 2015 bout in which Holm edged out Pennington in her UFC debut. The rematch originally was scheduled to take place at UFC 243 in October, but Holm was forced out due to a hamstring injury.

Also on the card is former UFC lightweight champ [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag], Dana White’s Contender Series standouts [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] and [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag], and more.

The full UFC 246 lineup includes:

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

  • Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone
  • Holly Holm vs. Raquel Pennington
  • [autotag]Maurice Greene[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Claudia Gadelha[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag] vs. Anthony Pettis

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

  • Maycee Barber vs. [autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Andre Fili[/autotag] vs. Sodiq Yusuff
  • [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Chas Skelly[/autotag]

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

  • [autotag]Aleksa Camur[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Justin Ledet[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Askar Askarov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Brian Kelleher[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ode Osbourne[/autotag]
  • [autotag]J.J. Aldrich[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Sabina Mazo[/autotag]

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The 10 best UFC knockouts in 2019 – Jorge Masvidal had a few

2019 had some incredible knockouts.

There were some incredible knockouts in the UFC in 2019, including a few memorable ones by Jorge Masvidal, who had a monster year that concluded for him by winning the BMF belt in his fight against Nate Diaz at UFC 244 (though hopefully they run that one back).

We saw big knockouts in title fights, big-name fights, early prelim fights – just about everywhere.

Will there be anymore at UFC 245 this weekend, a monster event that has three title fights on its main card?

While we get ready for that huge night of fights, let’s look back at the 10 best KOs from the past year.

10. Makhmud Muradov vs. Trevor Smith, UFC Washington.

This one happened just a few days ago as Muradov kicked off UFC Washington by sending Smith’s mouthguard flying to the moon.

9. Johnny Walker vs. Misha Cirkunov, UFC 235.

Walker’s flying knee just 30 seconds into this fight was a thing of beauty. His celebration afterward wasn’t, however, as he dislocated his shoulder while doing the worm.

8. Josh Emmett vs. Michael Johnson, UFC Philadelphia.

Emmett started slow in this fight but he finished pretty strong with that right hand that put Johnson out on his feet. My goodness.

7. Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jessica Eye, UFC 238.

Shevchenko is one of the most dangerous fighters in the fight game and she proved that during her flyweight title defense in June.

6. Jessica Andrade vs. Rose Namajunas, UFC 237.

Andrade put an end to Namajunas’ run as strawweight champ with that stunning slam in the second round of their fight back in May.

5. Justin Gaethje vs Edson Barboza. UFC Philadelphia.

Gaethje picked up yet another Fight of the Night bonus thanks to that overhand right that put an end to the main event at UFC Philadelphia in March.

4. Jorge Masvidal vs. Darren Till, UFC Fight Night 147.

Masvidal had an incredible 2019, which began with this brutal KO of Darren Till in enemy territory in London. Not sure that last punch while Till was out was super necessary, but the BMF does as he pleases. We’ll get to another one of his awesome KO’s in a few.

3. Kevin Lee vs. Gregor Gillespie, UFC 244.

Kevin Lee put Gregor Gillespie to sleep midway through the first round of their fight at MSG with that BRUTAL left head kick.

2. Anthony Pettis vs. Stephen Thompson, UFC Fight Night 148.

Pettis’ superman punch with five seconds left in the second round of his fight against Wonderboy Thompson was a beautiful piece of controlled violence.

1. Jorge Masvidal vs. Ben Askren, UFC 239.

This fight had so much hype behind it and then… it was over in five seconds thanks to a flying knee that will never be forgotten. Five seconds! It led to this great reaction from Paul Felder, Joe Rogan, and Jon Anik:

 

Anthony Pettis moves back to lightweight, meets Diego Ferreira at Jan. 18 UFC event

A lightweight bout between Anthony Pettis and Diego Ferreira is the latest addition to the Jan. 18 event.

[autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] will make the move back down to 155 pounds for his next fight, where he will take on a streaking lightweight.

Pettis (22-9 MMA, 14-9 UFC) faces [autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag] on Jan. 18, two persons with knowledge of the booking told MMA Junkie on Monday. The person requested anonymity since the UFC has yet to make an announcement.

In his brief move up to welterweight, Pettis, the former UFC and WEC lightweight champion, scored a spectacular knockout over Stephen Thompson in March. But he then dropped a unanimous decision to Nate Diaz at UFC 241 in August, which precipitated his move back to 155.

Fortis MMA’s Ferreira (16-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) has won his last five fights in a row, and is coming off a unanimous decision win over Mairbek Taisumov at UFC 242 in September, snapping Taisumov’s six fight win streak. He will look to continue his run at 155, when he takes on former UFC lightweight champion Pettis.

With the addition, the Jan. 18 lineup, which does not yet have an official location or event name, now includes:

  • Maycee Barber vs. Roxanne Modafferi
  • Drew Dober vs. Nasrat Haqparast
  • Grant Dawson vs. Chas Skelly
  • Maurice Greene vs. Aleksei Oleinik
  • Claudia Gadelha vs. Alexa Grasso
  • Andre Fili vs. Sodiq Yusuff
  • Diego Ferreira vs. Anthony Pettis

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What could’ve been: 10 of the best booked UFC fights that never happened

Conor McGregor vs. Rafael dos Anjos, Nate Diaz vs. Dustin Poirer, Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson, and more make the list.

There have been numerous highly anticipated UFC matchups that have fallen through over the years because of unfortunate circumstances, and they easily could’ve produced fireworks.

From championship fights, to rivalries, to intriguing stylistic pairings, here are 10 of the best scheduled matchups that never ended up happening.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson

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While it appears that another [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] fight booking is imminent at the time of this writing, let’s just hope the fifth time is the charm.

These two were scheduled to fight on four other occasions, but a series of unfortunate circumstances and injuries has resulted in it never happening. The first booking was during The Ultimate Fighter Finale card on Dec. 11, 2015, when Nurmagomedov was forced out due to injury and replaced by Edson Barboza. Ferguson submitted Barboza in the second round via D’Arce choke, earning both “Performance” and “Fight of the Night” bonuses.

They were then scheduled to fight at UFC on FOX 19 on April 16, 2016, but this time it was Ferguson who pulled out. Ferguson was replaced by newcomer Darrell Horcher, whom Nurmagomedov battered before earning a second-round TKO win.

Then, an interim lightweight championship fight was scheduled to take place at UFC 209 on March 4, 2017, but the fight was canceled due to Nurmagomedov falling ill from a bad weight cut.

Finally, the two were set to meet a fourth time. At UFC 223 in April 2018, Nurmagomedov and then-interim champ Ferguson were going to fight for the undisputed lightweight title. But in a freak accident, Ferguson tripped over a wire and blew out his knee. Max Holloway stepped in briefly, but the New York State Athletic Commission deemed Holloway unfit to compete due to a severe weight cut. Al Iaquinta, who was scheduled to face Paul Felder on the same night, stepped in for the massive opportunity but was dominated by Nurmagomedov in a five-round battle.

Nurmagomedov finally realized his dream of becoming the UFC lightweight champ, and here’s hoping the fight with Ferguson will finally come to fruition in early 2020 as expected.

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Alexander Hernandez calls out Anthony Pettis, declares 2020 his ‘year of fornication’

Alexander Hernandez has officially declared 2020 his ‘Year of Fornication.’

[autotag]Alexander Hernandez[/autotag] has officially declared 2020 his ‘Year of Fornication.’

A tough 2019 saw Hernandez (11-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) suffer his first UFC loss, sustain an injury which required surgery, and only compete three times – a non-ideal rate by his standards.

Now in the final stages of recovery from shoulder surgery, Hernandez is itching to return and he has his sights set on a former UFC lightweight champion.

Thursday morning, Hernandez tweeted at [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag], challenging him to a fight in February. When speaking to MMA Junkie on Thursday afternoon, Hernandez explained the callout was the first step to him to make up for lost time.

“I’m entering 2020 ready to fornicate,” Hernandez said. “That’s the name of the game. I’m trying to blast off and make this year my year. I think Anthony Pettis is the spark to ignite the rocket for my 2020 ‘Year Of Fornication.’ I just feel like he’s just another good jumping pad for me. I think I’ve got a vast amount of ground to make up for in a short amount of time.”

Throughout his recovery, Hernandez said he’s been in close contact with the UFC. Recently, Hernandez was offered a fight against Pettis in December, but was forced to turn it down as he had not fully recovered from his procedure. The offer set his mental wheels in motion.

“When I had the opportunity to fight him in December, I had to turn it down because of my shoulder,” Hernandez said. “That’s just been my target. I got really excited when they offered me that. I’ve been thinking about nonstop since.

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“He’s the candidate to choose, because he’s right on my mind and I’m motivated. He’s obviously an exciting opponent. I’ve watched him forever. The public has watched him forever. He’s made his name in this business and this game for a reason. Just the thought of it is a huge thrill for me.”

Not only does Hernandez view the matchup as stylistically favorable, he wants the world to know he’s not a gun shy, “play it safe and eke out a decision” kind of fighter. The lightweight killer who flattened Beneil Dariush at UFC 195 is still present, Hernandez believes. A fight against Pettis would prove it.

“I definitely want to eradicate the idea that I’m scared or that I’m humbled to a degree that I don’t fight my fight any more,” Hernandez said. “With a fight like this and this kind of opponent, I plan to go out there and starch. I want to bring that murk wagon back around and go toe-to-toe and take Pettis out. There’s not a position or facet in this game that I think he’s better than me at. He breaks. He’s very breakable. And I break things.”

Hernandez perceives the public’s doubt comes from his lone UFC loss. After talking smack to Donald Cerrone in their lead-up to UFC on ESPN+ 1 in January, Hernandez was TKO’d by “Cowboy” in round 2.

Hernandez views the Pettis matchup as being similar to Cerrone. The difference? Hernandez believes he’ll be able to merge his killer instinct and discipline – something fight fans have yet to see from him in the UFC.

“Now having the experience that I have to slow down and breathe to appreciate that wounded animal, I can make the kill,” Hernandez said. “I think that’ll make all the difference. I won’t be so excited by the name or the lights or by the stage. I think that his type of game is really his willingness to throw, his ability to do it, and the flashy style. That’ll make it an exciting fight.

“We both will say we’re going in there to put each other’s heads out, but I guarantee I’ll be the only one going for it. ”

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