Tag: Bryan Barberena

Rafael dos Anjos returns to welterweight, meets Bryan Barberena at UFC Fight Night in Orlando

Admittedly done chasing UFC titles, Rafael dos Anjos is also giving up on drastic weight cuts as he’ll return to welterweight.

Admittedly done chasing UFC titles, [autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag] is also giving up on drastic weight cuts.

Former UFC lightweight champion dos Anjos (32-14 MMA, 20-12 UFC) will revert from his brief return to the division where he once held gold and jump back up to welterweight for a clash with [autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag] (18-8 MMA, 9-6 UFC) at UFC Fight Night on Dec. 3.

MMA Junkie confirmed with multiple people close to the situation that the matchup has been agreed to take place at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. Brazilian news outlet Combate was first to report the pairing.

Dos Anjos, 37, won the lightweight title at UFC 185 in 2015 when he defeated Anthony Pettis by unanimous decision. At UFC on FOX 17, he recorded his only title defense by quickly finishing Donald Cerrone in 66 seconds.

In the years since, dos Anjos’ journey has been a series of ups and downs against the best fighters available in the lightweight and welterweight divisions.

Returning from a 15-month layoff in March, dos Anjos defeated Renato Moicano to make it two-straight wins following a split decision nod over Paul Felder in November 2020. However, in his second outing of the calendar year, Rafael Fiziev finished the former champ early in the fifth round of their main event contest.

He’ll get a tough out in his move back to 170 pounds as Barberena, 33, has been on a roll. “Bam Bam” has won four of his past five but has found recent success against legends of the game in scoring a second-round TKO of Robbie Lawler at UFC 276 in July after edging Matt Brown by split decision at UFC on ESPN 33 in March.

The latest lineup for UFC Orlando includes:

  • Stephen Thompson vs. Kevin Holland
  • Derek Brunson vs. Jack Hermansson
  • Tracy Cortez vs. Amanda Ribas
  • Darren Elkins vs. Jonathan Pearce
  • Matheus Nicolau vs. Matt Schnell
  • Eryk Anders vs. Kyle Daukaus
  • Marc Diakiese vs. Michael Johnson
  • Clay Guida vs. Scott Holtzman
  • Emily Ducote vs. Angela Hill
  • Bryan Barberena vs. Rafael dos Anjos
  • Yazmin Jauregui vs. Istela Nunes

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Bryan Barberena says UFC 276 win over Robbie Lawler was dream come true

With three straight wins and his first finish in nearly four years, Bryan Barberena might be ready for the next level.

LAS VEGAS – With three straight wins and his first finish in nearly four years, [autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag] might be ready for the next level.

Barberena (18-8 MMA, 9-6 UFC) took out Robbie Lawler (29-16 MMA, 14-10 UFC) with a second-round TKO on the UFC 276 main card Saturday. Their back-and-forth fight, which saw Barberena turn up the heat late in the middle frame to get the finish, was a Fight of the Night winner.

Barberena said fighting a former champion and longtime fighter like Lawler was a “dream come true” for him, and now he’s ready to move things up a notch on the heels of a March win over Matt Brown and this one over Lawler.

“I want to continue to fight people who want to come fight – who want to bring it,” Barberna said at his post-fight news conference at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “… I want people who want to come fight, not dance around, not pitter-patter. Let’s come fight. Let’s throw down. Let’s do this.

“There are some names I like. (Santiago) Ponzinibbio is one of them. A rematch with (Vicente) Luque would be awesome. Niko Price. These are guys who come to fight.”

Check out Barberena’s full interview in the video above.

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UFC 276 post-event facts: Alexander Volkanovski joins exclusive club with 12-0 UFC start

Check out the facts and figures to come out of UFC 276, where Alexander Volkanovski continued his epic run with a 22nd consecutive win.

The biggest UFC event of the year thus far took place Saturday with UFC 276, which went down at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and featured a plethora of notable names – none more so than a pair of champions from Oceania.

In the main event, [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) outpointed [autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) for a unanimous decision to defend the middleweight title. That win came soon after [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (25-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC) defended the featherweight title against [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 19-7 UFC) with another unanimous decision in their trilogy bout.

For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 276.

Bryan Barberena def. Robbie Lawler at UFC 276: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Bryan Barberena’s win over Robbie Lawler at UFC 276.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag]’s TKO win over [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] at UFC 276 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Photos by Stephen R. Sylvanie, USA TODAY Sports)

UFC 276 results: Bryan Barberena out-brawls Robbie Lawler for TKO win

Bryan Barberena put away former champion Robbie Lawler.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag] picked up a big win, and he did it in thrilling fashion.

Barberena (17-8 MMA, 8-6 UFC) stopped former welterweight champion [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] (29-15 MMA, 14-9 UFC) on the UFC 276 main card Saturday. The wild and chaotic fight that ended with a Barberena TKO win at the 4:47 mark of Round 2.

The welterweight bout was part of the UFC 276 main card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Barberena was forced to rally back to get the win.

In the first round, Lawler didn’t let his foot off the gas and constantly pressed Barberena. Lawler had the lower output, but by far the more significant shots. Barberena constantly threw combinations, but the majority were blocked by Lawler. It was a striking battle for the entirety of the round.

The second frame was similar, but Lawler found plenty of success with his right hand. Halfway through the round, Barberena began to change the momentum of the fight. He pressed Lawler and began connecting with shots that seemed to stun Lawler.

Barberena continued to attack and landed clean shots until Lawler clearly was out of the fight. Lawler never dropped to the canvas, but the referee had little option but to halt the bout.

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Barberena has three consecutive wins under his belt. The 33-year-old entered UFC 276 with decision wins over Matt Brown and Dairan Weeks. It’s the first time Barberena has more than two straight victories in his eight years in the UFC.

Lawler fell out of the win column once again. The 40-year-old was coming off a win over fellow veteran Nick Diaz in his most recent outing in September 2021 at UFC 266. But prior to that, Lawler was on a four-fight skid that stretched back to 2017. Lawler is 1-5 in his past six trips to the octagon.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 276 results include:

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UFC 276: Robbie Lawler vs. Bryan Barberena odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC 276 bout odds and lines between Robbie Lawler vs. Bryan Barberena, with MMA picks, tips and predictions.

In a welterweight bout on the main card, Robbie Lawler and Bryan Barberena meet Saturday at UFC 276 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Below, we analyze the UFC 276 Lawler vs. Barberena odds and lines, with picks and predictions.

The early prelims can be viewed on ESPN/ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the prelims on ABC/ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. The main card on Pay-Per-View starts at 10 p.m.

Lawler and Barberena were bumped up to the main event after the bout between Miesha Tate and Lauren Murphy’s scrap was wiped out due to a positive COVID test for Murphy.

“Ruthless” Robbie Lawler stopped a 4-bout skid with a third-round KO/TKO victory over Nick Diaz in late Sept. 2021 at UFC 266. It was also his first knockout win since July 2015 against Rory MacDonald way back at UFC 189. Four of his past 6 fights have ended up going the distance, with 3 resulting in unanimous-decision setbacks.

Barberena is looking for his first 3-fight win streak since arriving at the UFC level. He picked up a split-decision victory against Matt Brown last time out in late March. In fact, he has ended up going the distance in 4 straight, with his last stoppage coming in a KO/TKO loss against Randy Brown in June 2019.

Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC 276 Lawler vs. Barberena odds and lines

Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 7 a.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Lawler -110 (bet $110 to win $100) | Barberena -114 (bet $114 to win $100)
  • Total rounds Over 2.5 (-200) | Under 2.5 (+140)
  • Will the fight go the distance? Yes (-175) | No (+125)

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UFC 276 Lawler vs. Barberena picks and predictions

Records: Lawler (29-15-0) | Barberena (17-8-0)

Fight result (2-way line or money line)

Lawler (-110) is in the twilight of his illustrious career. While the 40-year-old has a lot of fans, BARBERENA (-114) has 7 years less tread on the tires, and a lot less wear and tear physically.

Barberena gives up 1.5 inches in the reach department, but he holds a 5.61-to-3.73 significant strikes landed per minute advantage, while landing 60.57% of his significant strikes to just 51.27% for Lawler.

Over/Under (O/U)

Over 2.5 rounds (-200) is a little too expensive for my liking, so skip risking twice your potential return.

However, YES (-175): FIGHT TO GO THE DISTANCE is not out of line. Barberena has ended up going the distance in 4 consecutive fights, while Lawler has had just 2 stoppages in his past 6 outings. These are 2 veteran fighters who are likely to go the distance, without much flair and dramatics. There is a reason this one was originally slated for the preliminary round.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

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Photos: UFC 276 ceremonial weigh-ins and faceoffs

Check out these photos from the UFC 276 ceremonial weigh-ins and the final fighter faceoffs.

Check out these photos from the UFC 276 ceremonial weigh-ins at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Photos by Mike Bohn, MMA Junkie)

UFC 276 pre-fight news conference: Best photos

Check out photos from the UFC 276 pre-fight news conference that included Israel Adesanya, Max Holloway, Sean O’Malley and more.

LAS VEGAS – The UFC 276 pre-fight news conference took place Thursday at T-Mobile Arena and featured all 10 main card competitors including [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag], [autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag], [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag], [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag], [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag], [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag], [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag], [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag], [autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag], and [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag].

Check out the best photos from MMA Junkie and Getty Images below.

UFC 276 video: Press conference faceoffs with Strickland-Pereira, Munhoz-O’Malley, More

The non-title fights on the UFC 276 main card came face-to-face for staredowns at Thursday’s pre-fight press conference.

LAS VEGAS – The UFC 276 pre-fight press conference took place Thursday and the entire main card was in attendance to answer questions.

At the conclusion of the festivities, all five matchups from the lineup, which airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC/ESPN and ESPN+, participated in some traditional staredowns.

Both championship fights were locked in, but so were the remaining pairings, including a middleweight title eliminator of [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (25-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) vs. [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (5-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), a clash of ranked bantamweights [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag] (19-7 MMA, 9-7 UFC) vs. [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC), then an all-action clash with MMA legend [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] (29-15 MMA, 14-9 UFC) vs. [autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag] (17-8 MMA, 8-6 UFC).

The staredowns featured a range of emotions, and you can watch the video of the three non-title faceoffs above.

MMA Junkie will have complete on-site coverage of UFC 276 all week.

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Video: UFC 276 pre-fight press conference live stream

Watch the UFC 277 pre-fight press conference on MMA Junkie.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie was on the scene for the UFC 276 pre-fight news conference, which took place at T-Mobile Arena, which also hosts Saturday night’s pay-per-view event.

At Thursday’s news conference were headliners [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] and [autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag], co-headliners [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] and [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag], as well as main-card fighters [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag], [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag], [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag], [autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag], [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag], and [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag].

Check out the video above.

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