Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Check out the complete list of fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC 247 event.
While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a UFC win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.
Inside, see what the fighters from UFC 247 went with as their backing tracks in Houston.
Fortis MMA hasn’t slowed its production line of UFC-ready prospects, with Austin Lingo next up at UFC 247.
Fortis MMA hasn’t slowed its production line of UFC-ready prospects.
Saturday night, [autotag]Austin Lingo[/autotag] steps from the on-deck circle to the batter’s box when he makes his promotional debut at UFC 247. Last week, news surfaced Lingo (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) had joined a dozen of his Fortis MMA teammates on the UFC roster, when he accepted a short-notice bout against fellow newcomer Youssef Zalal.
“I was already ready to fight the first week of March, but I got this call up,” Lingo told MMA Junkie. “I was like, ‘Uhh, yes. Definitely put me in there.’ It’s a blessing. I didn’t know it was coming. It just hit me. It’s still hitting me.”
Lingo credits his gym and coach Sayif Saud for their help in getting him to the next level. The 25-year-old featherweight went as far as to call joining the Dallas-based gym “the best decision” he’s ever made.
“Fortis MMA has been the greatest camp and gym I’ve ever trained with,” Lingo said. “All the guys are great at fighting, but they mentally make you tough. They mentally make you ready at all times. The grind never stops. Fortis is probably the best decision I’ve ever made.”
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In 2018 and 2019, Fortis compiled a 35-9 UFC record. It’s the “work hard now, celebrate afterwards” mentality Lingo thinks gives his home base an edge over others.
“We all just put our head down when we’re in the gym,” Lingo said. “We don’t really talk. At the fights or after the fights, that’s when we talk. After we win – that’s when we go out and have fun. On top of that, it’s like (my team) is all mentally there.
“If I ever have a question, it’s like all of them have been through it. All of them have been there already. We have guys that are veterans and guys that are just starting in the UFC. There’s a lot of different mindsets and it’s a good flow.”
The gym is already off to a 1-0 start to 2020, as Diego Ferreira submitted former UFC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis at UFC 246 in January. Lingo hopes to up the collective record to 2-0 when he faces Zalal (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) on Saturday.
“We’re going to go out there and you’re going to see a war,” Lingo said. “I’m ready for what he’s going to bring. This is going to be more of a mind game – a chess game. That’s what’s going to go down. It’s going to be a serious, technical war.”
UFC 247 takes place Saturday at Toyota Center in Houston. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
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A former champion will return to LFA in March to try to climb his way back to title contention.
A former champion will return to LFA in March to try to climb his way back to title contention.
Ex-featherweight champ [autotag]Damon Jackson[/autotag] (16-3-1) is set to headline LFA 83 against Brazil’s [autotag]Mauro Chaulet[/autotag] (14-6), the promotion announced Wednesday. In the co-feature, [autotag]Matt Dixon[/autotag] (8-0) puts his unbeaten record on the line in a welterweight bout against [autotag]Justin Patterson[/autotag] (11-5).
Plus, acrobatics All-American [autotag]Hailey Cowan[/autotag] (4-1) will be on the card against a bantamweight opponent still to be announced, [autotag]Emeka Ifekandu[/autotag] (6-3) meets [autotag]Austin Lingo[/autotag] (7-0) at featherweight, and [autotag]Austen Lane[/autotag] (6-2) takes on [autotag]Vernon Lewis[/autotag] (7-4) in a heavyweight bout.
LFA 83 takes place March 6 at The Bomb Factory in Dallas. The card streams on UFC Fight Pass.
“Damon Jackson is our former featherweight champion and he will be looking to gain a record-setting seventh LFA win in front of his home crowd, while Mauro Chaulet is looking to build off the momentum of his debut win for us in September by winning the biggest fight of career,” LFA CEO Ed Soares stated. “This is an exciting main event with a lot on the line for both men.”
Jackson vacated his featherweight title to take a shot at the PFL’s $1 million 2019 season. But that experiment lasted just 10 seconds. Jackson’s five-fight winning streak – all finishes – was snapped by Movlid Khaybulaev with a jumping knee in May 2019. The 10-second KO was the only PFL appearance for Jackson, who also had three fights in the UFC.
Chaulet has three straight wins. This past September, he made his promotional debut with a split call over Samson Phommabout in the LFA 75 co-main event. That was the Brazilian’s first fight in more than five years.
The LFA 83 card includes:
A late addition has been made to the UFC 247 lineup.
A late addition has been made to the UFC 247 lineup.
Two promotional newcomers taking short-notice assignments, LFA alumni [autotag]Austin Lingo[/autotag] and [autotag]Youssef Zalal[/autotag], will square off Feb 8. inside the UFC cage.
Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the booking. The people asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Lingo (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) possesses serious knockout power for a featherweight. In his most recent outing in August, the 25-year-old Fortis MMA product knocked out Hatley Solo Jr. in 25 seconds at LFA 73.
Harnessing some serious striking abilities of his own, Factory X’s Zalal (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) added a flying-knee knockout to his highlight reel at LFA 79 in November.
UFC 247 takes place Feb. 8 at Toyota Center in Houston. With two title fights atop the bill, the main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
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With the addition, the UFC 247 lineup now includes:
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