Tag: Askar Askarov

UFC on ESPN 33 post-event facts: Neil Magny ties Georges St-Pierre’s win record, sets another

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 33, which saw Neil Magny tie Georges St-Pierre’s long-held wins records.

The UFC returned in front of crowds for non-PPV events in the U.S. on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 33 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

The 12-fight card was capped off by a sensational showing from [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 10-4 UFC), who used his hands and no wrestling to crush [autotag]Chris Daukaus[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) into a second-round TKO and remind everyone that he’s still a young and evolving player in the heavyweight division.

Blaydes set some personal records in the win, but there were other bits of UFC history across the card, as well. For more on the numbers, check below for 45 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN 33.

UFC on ESPN 33 results: Kai Kara-France upsets Askar Askarov, calls for title shot

Kai Kara-France called for a flyweight title shot after his upset win over Askar Askarov at UFC on ESPN 33.

[autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag] outperformed the betting odds against [autotag]Askar Askarov[/autotag] on Saturday with an upset victory at UFC on ESPN 33.

Kara-France (24-9 MMA, 7-2 UFC) ended the undefeated run of Askarov (14-1-1 MMA, 3-1-1 UFC) with a gutsy unanimous decision win in the high-stakes flyweight matchup.

After a rough first round, Kara-France came on strong in the second and third to win a 29-28 decision on all three scorecards. Afterward, he called for a title shot against the presumed upcoming fourth championship meeting between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno.

“I know Brandon Moreno and Figueiredo are fighting very soon,” Kara-France said. “I want the next title shot.”

The 125-pound bout was part of the UFC on ESPN 33 main card at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

It was a tentative start to the fight, but once the pair came together, the action picked up in a big way. Askarov chased his first takedown less than two minutes in and Kara-France showed some initial resistance. Askarov kept on him and got the fight down, though, which allowed him to take the back and threaten with the submissions. Kara-France was at serious threaten of being finished, but he defended the choke attempts until the end of the round.

Kara-France opened the second round with his best moment of the fight to that point. He connected with an overland right that caught Askarov’s attention, but it only prompted the Russian to land a takedown. Kara-France got back to his feet and tried to land a knockout blow, but Askarov was wise defensively. That’s until Kara-France found his range and started connecting. He wobbled Askarov multiple times as he threw caution to the wind and press forward. He couldn’t drop Askarov, but his pressure changed the momentum of the fight.

The third round began with Kara-France showing confidence. Askarov hit him with a low kick to halt the action, though, causing a break. The fight continued and Askarov waiting for his moment to shoot in and get a body lock against the fence. He worked his clinch positions and tired to get the fight down to the ground, but Kara-France stayed evasive and got it back into a striking matchup. Both men landed some solid punches on each other down the stretch, but nothing clean enough go threaten a stoppage as it was narrowly contested to the end.

Both men raised their hands in victory when it all came to an end, but the judges sided with Kara-France, who now has back-to-back wins over Askarov and Cody Garbrandt on his resume.

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UFC on ESPN 33 predictions: Who’s our lone unanimous pick in Columbus?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ESPN 33 main card, featuring Curtis Blaydes vs. Chris Daukaus.

Blaydes
vs.
Daukaus		 Grasso
vs.
Wood		 Barberena
vs.
Brown		 Askarov
vs.
Kara-France		 Latifi
vs.
Oleinik		 Borshchev
vs.
Diakiese
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
47-19		 blaydes2022
Blaydes
(75%)		 grasso2022
Grasso
(79%)		 brown2022
Brown
(72%)		 askarov2022
Askarov
(64%)		 latifi2022
Latifi
(51%)		 borshchev2022
Borshchev
(76%)
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
45-21		 blaydes2022
Blaydes		 wood2022
Wood		 brown2022
Brown		 askarov2022
Askarov		 oleinik2022
Oleinik		 borshchev2022
Borshchev
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohnMMA
44-22
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 blaydes2022
Blaydes		 grasso2022
Grasso		 brown2022
Brown		 askarov2022
Askarov		 latifi2022
Latifi		 borshchev2022
Borshchev
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
44-22
trophy copy 2018 Champion		 blaydes2022
Blaydes		 wood2022
Wood		 brown2022
Brown		 askarov2022
Askarov		 oleinik2022
Oleinik		 borshchev2022
Borshchev
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
43-23		 blaydes2022
Blaydes		 grasso2022
Grasso		 brown2022
Brown		 askarov2022
Askarov		 latifi2022
Latifi		 borshchev2022
Borshchev
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
42-24		 blaydes2022
Blaydes		 grasso2022
Grasso		 brown2022
Brown		 askarov2022
Askarov		 latifi2022
Latifi		 diakiese2022
Diakiese
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
41-25		 blaydes2022
Blaydes		 grasso2022
Grasso		 brown2022
Brown		 askarov2022
Askarov		 latifi2022
Latifi		 diakiese2022
Diakiese
Nolan King
@mma_kings
41-25		 blaydes2022
Blaydes		 grasso2022
Grasso		 barberena2022
Barberena		 askarov2022
Askarov		 latifi2022
Latifi		 borshchev2022
Borshchev
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
40-26		 blaydes2022
Blaydes		 wood2022
Wood		 brown2022
Brown		 askarov2022
Askarov		 oleinik2022
Oleinik		 borshchev2022
Borshchev
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
39-27		 blaydes2022
Blaydes		 grasso2022
Grasso		 barberena2022
Barberena		 askarov2022
Askarov		 latifi2022
Latifi		 borshchev2022
Borshchev
brian Garcia
@thegoze
38-28
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 blaydes2022
Blaydes		 grasso2022
Grasso		 brown2022
Brown		 karafrance2022
Kara-France		 latifi2022
Latifi		 diakiese2022
Diakiese
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
28-38		 blaydes2022
Blaydes		 grasso2022
Grasso		 brown2022
Brown		 askarov2022
Askarov		 latifi2022
Latifi		 borshchev2022
Borshchev

The UFC makes its long-awaited return to Ohio this week with a heavyweight bout at the top of the bill.

UFC on ESPN 33 takes place Saturday at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) takes on [autotag]Chris Daukaus[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC) at heavyweight. Blaydes is a heavy -450 favorite at Tipico; the comeback on Daukaus is +310. With Blaydes the biggest favorite on the main card, it’s no surprise our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have him in our only unanimous pick at 11-0.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) is a -250 favorite in her women’s strawweight bout against [autotag]Joanne Wood[/autotag] (15-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC). Grasso has a big 8-3 lead in our picks.

Also on the main card, hometown fan favorite [autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag] (23-18 MMA, 16-12 UFC) nearly is a unanimous pick against [autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag] (16-8 MMA, 7-6 UFC) in their welterweight bout. Although Barberena is a -115 favorite to -110 to Brown, Brown has a 10-1 rout in the picks.

[autotag]Askar Askarov[/autotag] (14-0-1 MMA, 3-0-1 UFC) is a -420 favorite at flyweight against [autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag] (23-9 MMA, 6-2 UFC) and is a near-unanimous pick at 10-1.

[autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag] (15-8 MMA, 8-6 UFC) takes on [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] (59-16-1 MMA, 8-7 UFC) in a heavyweight bout. Latifi is a -210 favorite at the betting window, and he’s got an 8-3 lead in the picks.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Viacheslav Borshchev[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is a mild -160 favorite against [autotag]Marc Diakiese[/autotag] (14-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC), and he has a big 8-3 picks lead.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Blaydes (75 percent), Grasso (79 percent), Brown (72 percent), Askarov (64 percent), Latifi (51 percent) and Borshchev (76 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Dec. 20-26)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from Dec. 20-26.

UFC targets Askar Askarov vs. Kai Kara-France for March 26 event

A pivotal flyweight clash between Askar Askarov and Kai Kara-France is expected to take place in March.

A pivotal flyweight clash is expected to take place in March.

[autotag]Askar Askarov[/autotag](14-0-1 MMA, 3-0-1 UFC) meets [autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag] (23-9 MMA, 6-2 UFC) at UFC Fight Night on March 26, which takes place at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, and airs on ESPN.

MMA Junkie verified verbal agreements are in place for the bout with two people close to the situation. The people requested anonymity because the UFC has yet to make an official announcement.

Askarov, 29, will get his wish. After seeing Kara-France campaign for a title shot, the former ACB flyweight champion suggested they fight to vie for the No. 1 contender spot. Unbeaten in his pro MMA career, Askarov is coming off back-to-back wins over Alexandre Pantoja and former multi-time title challenger Joseph Benavidez at UFC 259. Askarov also battled current UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno to a split draw in his promotional debut.

Kara-France, 28, meanwhile, is coming off the biggest win of his career, a first-round knockout of former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt at UFC 269. The finish of Garbrandt marked his second consecutive “Performance of the Night” bonus after he dispatched of Rogerio Bontorin at UFC 259.

With the addition, the UFC Columbus lineup includes:

  • Jan Blachowicz vs. Aleksandar Rakic
  • Amanda Ribas vs. Michelle Waterson
  • Sara McMann vs. Karol Rosa
  • Tucker Lutz vs. Seungwoo Choi
  • Askar Askarov vs. Kai Kara-France

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Askar Askarov to Kai Kara-France: ‘Let’s see if anybody from your country can beat anyone from Dagestan’

Askar Askarov thinks Kai Kara-France should get through him before thinking of a title shot.

[autotag]Askar Askarov[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag] should get through him before thinking of a title shot.

Kara-France (23-9 MMA, 6-2 UFC) knocked out former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt at UFC 269 this past Saturday and thinks his marquee win was enough for him to leapfrog the other contenders.

But sitting at the No. 2 spot in the UFC flyweight rankings is Askarov (14-0-1 MMA, 3-0-1 UFC), who’s unbeaten in his professional MMA career. The 29-year-old is coming off back-to-back wins over Alexandre Pantoja and former title challenger Joseph Benavidez and battled current UFC flyweight champ Brandon Moreno (19-5-2 MMA, 7-2-2 UFC) to a split draw in his promotional debut.

When making the callout, Askarov took a little dig at Kara-France’s teammate Dan Hooker for his first-round submission loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 267.

@kaikarafrance I want to give you a chance to fight contender fight I am number 2 you are number 6 let’s see if anybody from your country can beat anyone from Dagestan we all know what happened last time.

Following Moreno’s title-winning performance of Deiveson Figueiredo, Askarov sent the champion a message, claiming there was unfinished business. But now that Moreno is set to defend his belt in a trilogy at UFC 270 on Jan. 22, Askarov has turned his attention to Kara-France.

Though Kara-France didn’t directly respond to Askarov, he laughed at a fan’s comment, which criticized Askarov for coming in a pound over the flyweight limit in his past fight against Benavidez.

After going the distance in his first four UFC wins, Kara-France finally started living up to his “Don’t Blink” nickname, scoring two straight knockouts of Rogerio Bontorin and most recently Garbrandt.

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With Askar Askarov out, Alex Perez will now face Matt Schnell at UFC Fight Night on Aug. 28

Alex Perez will get a new opponent, but one month later when he takes on Matt Schnell at UFC Fight Night on Aug. 28.

[autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag] will get a new opponent, but one month later.

[autotag]Askar Askarov[/autotag] has been forced out of UFC on ESPN 27 on July 31 and Perez (24-6 MMA, 6-2 UFC) now will face [autotag]Matt Schnell[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 5-4 UFC) at the Aug. 28 Fight Night event, which is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

A person with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie on Thursday but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. ESPN Deportes first reported the matchup. The news of Askarov’s withdrawal first was reported by MMA DNA.

Winner of three of his past four, Perez hasn’t competed since this past November, when he was submitted by then-flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in a title fight at UFC 255. He was scheduled to return against Schnell at UFC 262 in May, but was forced out due to injury. The pair nonw has been rebooked three months later.

When Perez withdrew, Schnell faced Rogerio Bontorin instead, but lost the fight by unanimous decision. He expressed interest in having the Perez fight rebooked if he beat Bontorin, and now will get his wish regardless. Prior to that, the “Ultimate Fighter” alum had won five of his past six, with his most recent octagon win coming over Tyson Nam at UFC on ESPN 20 in January.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for Aug. 28 now includes:

  • Edson Barboza vs. Giga Chikadze
  • Gerald Meerschaert vs. Makhmud Muradov
  • Sara McMann vs. Ketlen Vieira
  • Joselyne Edwards vs. Zarah Fairn
  • Kevin Croom vs. Marcelo Rojo
  • Mario Bautista vs. Guido Cannetti
  • Jamall Emmers vs. Pat Sabatini
  • Dustin Jacoby vs. Darren Stewart
  • J.J. Aldrich vs. Tracy Cortez
  • Sean Brady vs. Kevin Lee
  • Mario Bautista vs. Guido Cannetti
  • Alessio Di Chirico vs. Aliaskhab Khizriev
  • Alex Perez vs. Matt Schnell

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Callout Collection: Who UFC 259 winners want next – and how likely they’ll get them

Islam Makhachev and Aleksandar Rakic were among those who name-dropped their preferred next opponents at UFC 259 in Las Vegas.

Earning wins in the UFC is certainly no easy task, but what comes next is often even more important: the post-fight callout.

So, after Saturday’s UFC 259 event in Las Vegas, who took advantage of their time on the mic?

See below for this week’s Callout Collection – and just how realistic each one is.

UFC 259 results: Askar Askarov dominates, bloodies Joseph Benavidez in one-sided decision

Askar Askarov’s success and Joseph Benavidez’s struggles both continued at UFC 259.

[autotag]Askar Askarov[/autotag] entered and exited UFC 259 without a loss on his resume.

On the UFC 259 prelims Saturday, Askarov (14-0-1 MMA, 3-0-1 UFC) defeated former UFC flyweight title challenger [autotag]Joseph Benavidez[/autotag] with a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26).

The flyweight bout was part of the UFC 259 preliminary card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It aired on ESPN following additional prelims on ESPN+ and ahead of the main card on pay-per-view.

Round 1 was predominantly a striking battle. Askarov and Benavidez (28-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC) gave and took with both fighters landing strikes. Askarov’s kicks came into play and he scored a late takedown.

The second round was when Askarov really began to tip the scales in his favor. Askarov controlled Benavidez for much of the round – on the mat and on the feet. Late in the round, Askarov landed some heavy shots that further damaged the face of Benavidez. In Round 3, Askarov’s striking shined again. The Russian flyweight landed punches and kicks alike. Benavidez’s offense was never allowed to get going.

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With the victory, Askarov continues his quick ascent up the UFC’s flyweight ladder. Following a draw against Brandon Moreno in his promotional debut, Askarov rattled off unanimous decision wins against Tim Elliott and Alexandre Pantoja prior to Saturday’s fight.

As for Benavidez, the loss is his third in as many outings. A four-time UFC flyweight title challenger, Benavidez has only lost to two men who haven’t held UFC title gold. Askarov is one. The other is current Bellator bantamweight Sergio Pettis.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 259 results include:

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