Tag: breaking

UFC champ Israel Adesanya sees unbeaten Edmen Shahbazyan as a future foe

Israel Adesanya is keeping eyes on all the happenings in the UFC middleweight division, and that includes the come-up of Edmen Shahbazyan.

[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] is keeping eyes on all the happenings in the UFC middleweight division, and that includes the come-up of [autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag].

Shahbazyan (11-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is an unbeaten rising star at 185 pounds who has vocalized his desire to become youngest champion in UFC history. He just turned 22, and has a little less than two years to break Jon Jones’ mark in the record books.

After getting three solid wins to begin his UFC career, Shahbazyan really turned heads with a brutal knockout of Brad Tavares at UFC 244. Adesanya (18-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) was unable to stop Tavares inside five rounds when they fought, and the champ said the performance got his attention.

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“I saw his fight,” Adesanya said during a recent appearance on the “JRE MME Show” with host Joe Rogan. “I didn’t know who he was until (my manager) told me. Then I rewatched his fight. He hit Brad Tavares with the head kick and that kind of got my attention, like, ‘Oh (expletive), who is this kid?’ At 185, he’s 22. He’s on the come-up. I played with Brad for five rounds. He starched him in one round. I’m not taking that lightly.”

UFC president Dana White said following UFC 244 that he’s high on Shahbazyan’s talent, but admitted caution must be taken with a prospect of this nature. Whether Shahbazyan is able to accomplish his goal of claiming the belt inside the set timeline remains to be seen, and only time will tell if Adesanya still holds the strap should he get there.

Adesanya’s immediate focus is on the division’s established top contenders such as Paulo Costa, Yoel Romero and more, but “The Last Stylebender” admitted Shahbazyan is more than just a blimp on the radar.

“I look at that kid – eventually when he comes up I’m sure I’ll see him at some point,” Adesanya said. “I need to get back to work. I’m working, but I’ve got the FOMO.”

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KSW 52: Scott Askham and Mamed Khalidov go ‘Fast and Furious’ ahead of main event clash

Mamed Khalidov returns from retirement in a bid to win back his old middleweight title as he challenges Scott Askham at KSW 52 in Poland.

Saturday sees one of the most eagerly-anticipated fights in recent Polish MMA history when the country’s favorite fighting son, [autotag]Mamed Khalidov[/autotag], returns from retirement in a bid to defeat the man who has taken over his mantle at the top of KSW’s middleweight division.

Khalidov (34-6-2 MMA, 17-2-2 KSW) was rated by some analysts as the best middleweight outside the UFC during his six-year, 14-fight undefeated streak between 2011 and 2017. But his catchweight champion-vs.-champion matchups against light heavyweight belt-holder Tomasz Narkun in 2018 ended with back-to-back defeats as he suffered his first losses since 2010.

After his second defeat, Khalidov – who had already vacated his middleweight title earlier that summer – shocked his fans, and the MMA world, by laying his gloves down inside the cage and announcing his retirement from the sport. It saw one of the biggest stars in Polish MMA history walk away from the sport while still in his prime.

But Khalidov soon had second thoughts after seeing the reaction of his family, who were as shocked as the rest of the MMA world at his sudden decision to quit, and he started preparing for a comeback.

That comeback takes place Saturday in Gliwice, Poland, where he’ll take on the man who replaced him at the top of KSW’s middleweight division. Britain’s [autotag]Scott Askham[/autotag] has been in the best form of his career since signing for the Polish promotion back in early 2018, and last time out captured the vacant KSW middleweight title.

A pair of crushing first-round body-kick finishes saw Askham (18-4 MMA, 3-0 KSW) make a spectacular impact in his first two appearances for the promotion as he finished former middleweight champion Michal Materla and former light heavyweight title challenger Marcin Wojcik in impressive fashion.

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And when the Doncaster man finished Materla again – this time with a spectacular third-round flying knee – at KSW 49, Askham was crowned the KSW middleweight champion.

Now the English finisher will welcome former champion Khalidov back to the KSW cage in a non-title 187-pound catchweight clash at KSW 52. The event will be streamed live worldwide via online pay-per-view on KSWTV.com.

KSW likes to give each of their shows its own identity and the promotion has branded the upcoming event “The Race” and adopted a “Fast and the Furious” street-racing theme. The promotional video ahead of the middleweight title clash featured Askham and Khalidov revving the engines of a pair of supercars, while footage of their in-cage handiwork shows how they came to be matched up in Gliwice.

“If Khalidov vs Materla was the fight of the decade, then Khalidov vs. Askham has to be the fight of the century,”KSW co-founder Martin Lewandowski said, while defending champ Askham admitted that the fight is undoubtedly one of the biggest of his career.

“Mamed’s probably the second best middleweight of all time in Europe (and) people are talking (about this being) the best fight in Europe, ever. They’re great conversations to be in,” he said. “I can fill his shoes, 100 percent.”

“He cannot fill my shoes as his feet are too small,” said Khalidov in response. “Everybody writes his own history. I feel I’ve already left my mark. That’s my history and he can’t take it away from me.”

With 30 of his 34 career wins coming inside the distance, Khalidov is as dangerous a finisher as you’ll find at 185 pounds, while Askham (14 finishes from 18 wins) has a formidable finish rate of his own, and hasn’t troubled the judges since joining KSW.

It all adds up to a fascinating clash between two of the best middleweights in Europe, and the reigning champion warned to expect fireworks on Saturday night.

“It’s time to make a statement,” said Askham. “I know I can put anyone away with the body kick, and he can put anyone away with the right hand. Be prepared for everything.”

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The KSW 52 fight card includes:

  • Scott Askham vs. Mamed Khalidov – non-title main event
  • Damian Janikowski vs. Szymon Kolecki
  • Champion Salahdine Parnasse vs. Ivan Buchinger – for interim featherweight title
  • Grzegorz Szulakowski vs.  Shamil Musaev
  • Karolina Owczarz vs. Aleksandra Rola
  • Artur Sowinski vs. Vinicius Bohrer
  • Michal Michalski vs. Albert Odzimkowski
  • Maciej Kazieczko vs. Michael Dubois
  • Michal Wlodarek vs. Srdan Marovic

UFC on ESPN 7: Fans invited to open workouts in Washington, D.C.

If you’re in the nation’s capital for this week’s UFC on ESPN 7 card, you can get up close and personal with some of the event’s standouts.

If you’re in the nation’s capital for this week’s UFC on ESPN 7 card, you can get up close and personal with some of the event’s standouts.

UFC on ESPN 7 takes place Saturday at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

In the main event, [autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag] (45-17 MMA, 10-6 UFC) takes on the undefeated [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in a heavyweight clash. In the co-feature, [autotag]Cynthia Calvillo[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) meets [autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag] (12-0-1 MMA, 2-0-1 UFC) in a women’s strawweight bout.

Prior to the event, fans can attend open workouts with the fighters Wednesday night. Doors open for the public at 5 p.m. ET at Capital One Arena. The main and co-main event fighters then will workout for fans and the media in 20-minute increments starting at 5:30.

Calvillo will go through her workout first, followed by Rozenstruik, Rodriguez and Overeem.

Unlike many UFC shows, there are no ceremonial weigh-ins for the fans Friday ahead of the event. So Wednesday’s open workout sessions are the only official opportunity for fans to see the event’s headliners before Saturday’s card.

The UFC on ESPN 7 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Alistair Overeem vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
  • Cynthia Calvillo vs. Marina Rodriguez
  • Ben Rothwell vs. Stefan Struve
  • Yana Kunitskaya vs. Aspen Ladd
  • Cody Stamann vs. Song Yadong
  • Rob Font vs. Ricky Simon

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, 7 p.m. ET)

  • Thiago Alves vs. Tim Means
  • Jacob Kilburn vs. Billy Quarantillo
  • Bryce Mitchell vs. Matt Sayles
  • Joe Solecki vs. Matt Wiman

PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)

  • Virna Jandiroba vs. Mallory Martin
  • Makhmud Muradov vs. Trevor Smith

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The best (and worst!) MMA movies of all time

With Oscar season about to head into full swing, we take a look at the best (and worst) MMA and MMA-type movies ever.

Welcome to December, a month that is a veritable treasure trove of good movie releases every year.

Studios big and small stockpile their best stuff for releases late in the year, after many have premiered at the fall film festivals, in the hopes that they’ll stay more fresh in the award voters’ minds.

By this time of the year, if you’re a moviegoer, you may have survived sitting through “Serenity” and “Miss Bala,” “The Hustle” and “Dark Phoenix,” “Men in Black International,” and maybe you’re even a John Travolta fan and found a way to watch his true duds “The Fanatic” (written and directed by Fred Durst from Limp Bizkit, who may or may not have did it all for “The Nookie“) and “Trading Paint.” If you’ve dealt with some of the madness, you’ve earned the good stuff the next couple months, that’s for sure.

So what better time to take a look at some of the movies in the MMA genre than the start of awards season?

It may not be surprising to hear that in the history of non-pure boxing fighting movies, there haven’t been many that would contend for accolades – unless we’re opening it up to the Golden Raspberry Awards (The Razzies), which honor the worst movie achievements, to be generous, every year. Really, only one – our top choice – was ever part of the conversation (and got an Oscar nod) for some of its acting.

Yes, there have been some pretty awful efforts out there – and those seem to be movies that were trying to take advantage of the MMA boom late in the Chuck Liddell-Tito Ortiz era and early in the Anderson Silva-Georges St-Pierre era. You remember the time – you and all your buds were wearing Affliction and TapouT shirts, and if you were, you had to see these movies.

Who knows? Maybe over time, some of them will grow to the point of being so bad, they’re actually good – like “Showgirls” or “Howard the Duck” or “Superman IV.” It’s doubtful, but this is MMA – stranger things have happened.

Let’s take a look, then, at the best (but mostly worst) MMA movies out there.

(And if we left some off the list, don’t be offended – just add them in the comments. For the record, if a movie was purely karate or kickboxing or boxing, etc., we left it off – it had to be reasonably mixed martial arts to make the cut.)

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Bellator 236 free fight: Juliana Velasquez pummels Kristina Williams to remain undefeated

As Kristina Williams covered up her head, Juliana Velasquez began unloading on her opponent’s body.

Later this month, women’s flyweight contender [autotag]Juliana Velasquez[/autotag] returns to action at Bellator 236 and looks to keep her undefeated streak alive.

Brazil’s Velasquez (9-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) has inched closer and closer to a title shot with every victory. A win over her Bellator 236 foe, Bruna Ellen, could finally propel her into title challenger status.

In her most recent outing at Bellator 224 in July, Velasquez’s full striking arsenal was on display. Taking on Oklahoma’s Kristina Williams, Velasquez ended the fight in the second round.

After picking apart Williams in the first, Velasquez went for the kill in round 2. Velasquez’s body shots really proved to be the difference. Utilizing slick boxing, body kicks, and her ability to throw combinations at multiple levels, stopped the fight by strikes.

After stunning Williams with a hard right to the head, Velasquez swarmed. As Williams covered up her head, Velasquez began unloading on her opponent’s body. Referee Jacob Montalvo saw enough and waved off the bout at the 4:03 mark of round 2.

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The loss was Williams’ second in five fights, while the victory pushed Velasquez to 4-0 under the Bellator banner.

Bellator 236 takes place Saturday, Dec. 21 at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. The main card streams on DAZN after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Watch Velasquez’s masterful performance against Williams in the video above.

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Off Guard: Ronny Markes happy to face legend Josh Barnett at Bellator Hawaii, but thinks now is his time

Ronny Markes is happy to get the opportunity to face a legend like Josh Barnett, but thinks now is his time.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Ronny Markes[/autotag] is excited to get the opportunity to face someone he grew up watching.

Markes (19-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will take on Josh Barnett (35-8 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in the Bellator “Salute the Troops” event on Dec. 20 at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu.

Both fighters will be making their promotional debuts. UFC and PFL veteran Markes said he is excited for the opportunity to take on an opponent like Barnett.

“I’m so happy to sign with Bellator and more happy because I have the opportunity to fight the legend – Josh Barnett is a legend in this sport,” Markes told MMA Junkie. “I’m so happy to fight him.”

Markes recalled watching one of Barnett’s fights live when he took on Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at “PRIDE FC: Shockwave 2006” in Japan, defeating him by unanimous decision.

But while he respects Barnett and what he’s accomplished in the sport, he thinks it’s his time.

“I watched a lot of fights of Josh,” Markes said. “I watched live in the day, Josh fighting ‘Minotauro’ in 2006, and now I’m so happy. I’m so happy to fight the guy – he’s a legend in the sport. But now is my time.”

Their fight will be at heavyweight, so Markes will no longer be cutting to 205 pounds – the weight limit he missed in his most recent outing in the PFL, making him ineligible to collect season points despite picking up the win.

He then failed to make weight for his next scheduled bout against Dan Spohn at PFL 6, resulting in the cancellation of the fight, disqualifying and eliminating him from the playoffs.

Markes doesn’t have to worry about weight cuts anymore since he will be fighting Barnett as a heavyweight.

“I’m so excited for the show,” he said. “I’m so happy and I train very good for this fight. Now (I’m) more happy because I don’t need to cut weight. I think it’s better for me – more energy, and I can’t wait for Dec. 20.”

Michael Chiesa on how he was inspired by Dustin Poirier to make the move up to welterweight

Michael Chiesa talks about how Dustin Poirier’s recent success inspired him to move up a weight division.

Since moving up to welterweight, [autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag] has gone 2-0 and has never felt better.

And Chiesa (16-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) says the motivation to make the move up was largely in part to the success former UFC interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier has had since moving up from featherweight, where he has gone 9-2.

“For me, the biggest one was Dustin Poirier,” Chiesa told MMA Junkie. “When he was at ’45, I remember seeing him at the airport one time and was like, ‘Dude, this guy is, like, wide – he is barrel-chested. That’s a big ’55-pounder, and he’s cutting to ’45.’ So I would see him and be like, ‘I’m not alone. At least I’m not the only guy cutting a lot of weight.’ And I saw him go up in weight class and saw the success he was having.

“I mean, look at his win streak he had, going into that Khabib (Nurmagomedov) fight. I was like, ‘Maybe that’s what I need to do. Maybe I need to make a change in my weight class.’ Look at the success Dustin Poirier is having, look at what he’s doing. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t give myself the opportunity to do the same thing.”

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But it’s not like “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 15 winner didn’t have success at lightweight. Chiesa was able to take out some notable names, such as Al Iaquinta, Beneil Dariush and Jim Miller. But eventually, the cut for Chiesa, who walks around at nearly 200 pounds, started to take a toll on his body.

After suffering back-to-back losses to Kevin Lee and Anthony Pettis, Chiesa decided to make the move to 170 pounds, and said contrary to what many people may think, his grapple-heavy approach works better when he’s not cutting so much weight.

“With my style of fighting, I just don’t think weight cutting really makes a lot of sense,” Chiesa said. “I know a lot of people will say, ‘You’re a grappler and cutting the most amount of weight makes the most sense so you can be the biggest guy, and it’s like, no. I really disagree with that. I think if you’re going to be a grappler, you need to lift a lot of weights, you need to get really physically strong and fast, and you need to work on your strength and conditioning as a whole, and you can’t do that if you’re going to cut a bunch of weight.

“For my style, I need to not cut a ton of weight. I need to hit the weights more. It’s like the polar opposite. So seeing Dustin Poirier’s success was really kind of what influenced me to make that jump.”

Chiesa is heading into arguably one of the biggest fights of his career on Jan. 25, a matchup with former UFC lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos at UFC on ESPN+ 25 in Raleigh, N.C.

Ever since he started competing at welterweight, he has found new life, and is rejuvenated to continue his goal of one day wrapping a UFC title around his waist.

“Ever since I’ve done that, I feel like I started my career over again,” Chiesa said. “I’m training all the time. I never want a break. When I fought at ’55, I’d get done with a fight and it’s like I don’t even want to touch the gym for a month. I’m burned out. The camps at welterweight are tougher, but my body can handle it because I can eat and I can nurture myself.”

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Bellator 237 free fight: Relive Michael Chandler’s brutal knockout of Patricky Freire

Relive Michael Chandler’s brutal one-punch KO of Patricky “Pitbull” Freire.

[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag]’s highlight reel is deep. After all, he is one of the most successful pound-for-pound fighters in Bellator history.

Arguably, no finish is more poignant than his 134-second knockout of Patricky Freire at Bellator 157 in June 2016.

In a rematch of their May 2011 bout at Bellator 44, the two fighters met for a second time. In repeat fashion, Chandler walked away victorious. However, unlike the first meeting, the judges weren’t needed.

With his Bellator lightweight title on the line, Chandler delivered a vicious straight right. The blow stiffened “Pitbull” – his consciousness leaving him in brutal fashion. No follow up shots were needed, as Freire was out before he even hit the ground.

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After a pair of backflips, Chandler hopped on the cage and was confronted by Patricky’s brother, Patricio Freire. As the Bellator featherweight champion hurled insults at the man who had just defeated his brother, Chandler signaled a throat slash in return.

Eventually, Patricio “Pitbull” would get his revenge and knock out Chandler at Bellator 221 in May 2019.

On Saturday Dec. 29, Chandler will return to action to take on former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson. The bout is expected to co-headline Bellator 237 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The card will air on Paramount Network after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Relive Michael Chandler’s brutal knockout over Patricky “Pitbull” at “Bellator 157: Dynamite 2” in the video above.

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No trash talk? Conor McGregor wishes Donald Cerrone well ahead of UFC 246

Could Conor McGregor be turning over a new leaf entering 2020?

[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] is known for his signature trash talk. It’s one of his most famous attributes and has been a major factor in his popularity.

The brash Irishman has engaged in wars of words with seemingly every opponent he’s faced – at least since his UFC debut against Marcus Brimage in April 2013. His press conferences have become infamous. Whether bickering with Jose Aldo, Nate Diaz, Khabib Nurmagomedov, or Dustin Poirier, McGregor seems to love verbally besting his opponents.

In 2015, McGregor took on all comers at the UFC’s quarterly “Go Big” press conference. The event featured numerous headliners from the final quarter of the calendar year. Simply put, McGregor had a field day.

One of his targets? Donald Cerrone.

Now four years later, things may have changed. Despite the two fighters’ war of words in the past, McGregor’s tone was total respect on Friday.

In a reflective Instagram post, Cerrone listed off numerous accomplishments he’s achieved over the span of his soon-to-be 51-fight MMA career. In atypical fashion, McGregor commented by wishing Cerrone and his family well.

“Good man Donald, enjoy the Christmas dinner,” McGregor wrote. “Happy holidays to you and the family, from the McGregor’s here in Ireland. See you in 20/20 with bullseye vision.”

McGregor has shown respect towards opponents in the past – but almost always after he fights them. Could McGregor be turning over a new leaf entering 2020? Only time will tell.

Both former lightweights, McGregor (21-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) and Cerrone (35-13 MMA, 22-10 UFC) will elevate to welterweight when they headline UFC 246.

The event is scheduled to take place Jan. 18 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card will stream on pay-per-view after prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.

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Francis Ngannou offers Alexander Volkov a free trip to UFC 246 in Las Vegas

Francis Ngannou has an opponent and date in mind for his return to the UFC cage.

[autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] has an opponent and date in mind for his return to the cage.

Saturday afternoon, the Cameroonian heavyweight, who sits at No. 3 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie heavyweight rankings, took to Twitter to issue a challenge to fellow contender [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag], who checks in at No. 7.

According to the tweet, Ngannou (14-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) wants to fight Volkov (31-7 MMA, 5-1 UFC) on Jan. 18 at UFC 246 in Las Vegas.

This isn’t the first time Ngannou has called for a fight against Volkov. In an interview with MMA Junkie in early November, Ngannou claimed Volkov refused to fight him on multiple occasions.

“Just for the record, Volkov turned down the fight against me twice,” Ngannou told MMA Junkie. “One was July 2017 and August 2018. He clearly denied to fight me.”

Both Ngannou and Volkov are coming off of winning performances. Ngannou has won his last three fights, finishing Junior Dos Santos, Cain Velasquez, and Curtis Blaydes in a combined 142 seconds.

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As for Volkov, he most recently competed at UFC on ESPN+ 21 on Nov. 9. After his originally scheduled opponent Junior Dos Santos fell off the card, Volkov was matched up with former NFL pro bowler Greg Hardy.

While Hardy was able to hang with the former Bellator champ Volkov for three rounds, the fight was largely one-sided. Volkov point-fought Hardy for the entire duration of the fight, picking him apart from the outside.

Immediately after the fight, Ngannou issued a public challenge on Twitter, much like the one on Saturday afternoon.

Will Ngannou vs. Volkov get booked for UFC 246? Stay tuned to MMA Junkie to find out.

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