Tag: Chase Sherman

Chase Sherman shines in octagon return at UFC on ESPN+ 29

Chase Sherman seems determined to make the most of his second UFC stint, and he got off to a good start at UFC on ESPN+ 29.

[autotag]Chase Sherman[/autotag] determined to make the most of his second UFC stint, and he got off to a good start on Wednesday.

In his first octagon appearance since September 2018, Sherman (14-6 MMA, 3-5 UFC) put on arguably his best UFC performance when he battered Ike Villanueva (16-10 MMA, 0-1 UFC) to a second-round TKO at UFC on ESPN+ 29, which took place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.

Sherman was a step ahead of Villanueva from the outset, and you can see how he finished the job below (via Twitter):

After losing five of seven fights in his first UFC stint, Sherman was gone for more than a year. He picked up a few wins outside the organization and fought in a bare-knuckle boxing bout, but he said it wasn’t an enjoyable experience.

Now he’s back on the big stage and got a solid win, which in his post-fight interview, compared to ordering a 10-piece of chicken wings only to receive 11 pieces.

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UFC on ESPN+ 29 pre-event facts: Andrei Arlovski’s activity unmatched at heavyweight

The best stats and figures about UFC on ESPN+ 29, which features an Anthony Smith vs. Glover Teixeira main event.

The UFC’s busy schedule returning from the coronavirus pandemic continues on Wednesday with UFC on ESPN+ 29, which takes place at VyStar Veteran Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., with a 12-fight lineup set to stream on ESPN+.

A pair of light heavyweight contenders are set to clash in the main event. [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] (32-14 MMA, 8-4 UFC) returns from an 11-month layoff when he takes on former title challenger [autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag] (30-7 MMA, 13-5 UFC) in a matchup with high implications for both men.

That’s not all the card has to offer, though. For more on the numbers, check below for 40 pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN+ 29.

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Main event

Anthony Smith

Smith competes in his fifth consecutive UFC headliner. He’s 3-1 in previous main event appearances.

Smith is 4-1 since he moved up to the UFC light heavyweight division in June 2018.

Smith is 8-3 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2016. He’s 15-4 since he was first released from the promotion in June 2013.

Smith has earned 30 of his 32 career victories by stoppage. That includes seven of his eight UFC wins.

Smith’s four stoppage victories since 2018 in UFC light heavyweight competition are most in the division.

Smith has been awarded a fight-night bonus in his past three UFC wins.

Glover Teixeira

Teixeira’s three-fight UFC winning streak at light heavyweight is the fourth-longest active streak in the division behind Jon Jones (four), Magomed Ankalaev (four) and Ryan Spann (four).

Teixeira’s 13 victories in UFC light heavyweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Jones (20) and Ryan Bader (15).

Teixeira’s 10 stoppage victories in UFC light heavyweight competition are tied with Jones and Ovince Saint Preux for most in divisional history.

Teixeira’s five submission victories in UFC light heavyweight competition are tied with Jones, Saint Preux and Misha Cirkunov for most in divisional history.

Teixeira has landed 86.6 percent of his significant strikes in UFC light-heavyweight competition to his opponent’s head, the largest proportion in divisional history.

Co-main event

Ben Rothwell

[autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] (37-12 MMA, 7-6 UFC) is 1-2 since he returned to competition in March 2019 after a nearly three-year layoff.

Rothwell has earned 34 of his 37 career victories by stoppage. That includes four of his seven UFC wins.

Ovince Saint Preux

[autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag] (24-13 MMA, 12-8 UFC) moves up to the UFC heavyweight division for the first time after spending his previous 20 octagon appearance at light heavyweight.

Saint Preux’s 11 victories since 2013 in UFC light heavyweight competition are the most in the division.

Saint Preux’s 10 stoppage victories in UFC light heavyweight competition are tied with Teixeira, Jones and Chuck Liddell for most in divisional history.

Saint Preux’s five submission victories in UFC light heavyweight competition are tied with Teixeira, Jones and Cirkunov for most in divisional history.

Saint Preux’s four submission victories by Von Flue choke are the most in UFC/WEC/PRIDE/Strikeforce combined organizational history.

Saint Preux’s four submission victories by Von Flue choke are the most in UFC history.

Saint Preux has earned four of the six Von Flue choke submissions in UFC history. Jason Von Flue and Jordan Rinaldi also won with the technique.

Saint Preux’s two technical submission victories in UFC competition are tied for second most in company history behind Frank Mir (three).

Saint Preux vs. Yushin Okami at UFC Fight Night 117 was just the second fight in modern UFC history to feature zero combined significant strike attempts. Ilir Latifi vs. Cyrille Diabate at UFC on FUEL TV 6 was the other.

Saint Preux’s seven fight-night bonuses for UFC light heavyweight bouts are tied for third most in divisional history behind Jones (eight) and Mauricio Rua (eight).

Remaining main card

[autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag]’s (15-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) victory at the 5:00 mark of Round 3 at UFC Fight Night 128 is the latest stoppage in a three-round UFC fight.

Preliminary card

Andrei Arlovski

[autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag] (28-19 MMA, 17-13 UFC) competes in his 32nd UFC bout, the most in heavyweight history and the fourth most appearances in company history behind Donald Cerrone (35), Jim Miller (34) and Jeremy Stephens (33).

Arlovski is 3-9 (with one no contest) in his past 12 UFC appearances dating back to January 2016.

Arlovski is 7-9 (with one no contest) since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in June 2014.

Arlovski’s total fight time of 4:33:42 in UFC heavyweight competition is the most in divisional history.

Arlovski’s 17 victories in UFC heavyweight competition are most in divisional history.

Arlovski’s 11 stoppage victories in UFC heavyweight competition are tied with Gabriel Gonzaga and Stefan Struve for second most in divisional history behind Frank Mir (13).

Arlovski’s nine knockout victories in UFC heavyweight competition are tied for fourth most in divisional history behind Cain Velasquez (10), Derrick Lewis (10) and Junior Dos Santos (10).

Arlovski’s 10 knockdowns landed in UFC heavyweight competition are tied with Velasquez for second most in divisional history behind Dos Santos (14).

Arlovski landed 152 significant strikes at UFC on ESPN 4, the single-fight record for a three-round UFC heavyweight bout.

Arlovski defends 80.6 percent of all opponent takedown attempts in UFC heavyweight competition, the third highest rate in divisional history behind Alexander Volkov (82.8 percent), Marcin Tybura (82.1 percent) and Dos Santos (81.8 percent).

Arlovski’s nine knockout losses in UFC/WEC/PRIDE/Strikeforce competition are second most in combined organizational history behind Alistair Overeem (12).

Michael Johnson

[autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag] (19-15 MMA, 11-11 UFC) was unsuccessful in his return to the lightweight division at UFC on ESPN+ 20. He hasn’t earned a victory in the weight class since September 2016.

Johnson is 3-7 in his past 10 fights dating back to August 2015.

Johnson’s nine knockdowns landed in UFC lightweight competition are fourth most in divisional history behind Melvin Guillard (13), Cerrone (11) and Edson Barboza (10).

[autotag]Sijara Eubanks[/autotag] (4-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) is 0-2 since she moved up to the UFC women’s bantamweight division in May 2019.

[autotag]Gabriel Benitez[/autotag] (21-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) is one of 11 fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a slam. He accomplished the feat at UFC Fight Night 129.

Benitez defends 71.4 percent of all opponent significant strike attempts in UFC featherweight competition, the second best rate in divisional history behind Josh Emmett (72 percent).

[autotag]Chase Sherman[/autotag] (13-6 MMA, 2-5 UFC) returns to the UFC for a second stint after going 2-0 outside the promotion. He hasn’t earned an octagon victory since September 2018.

UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.

Ike Villanueva ready to impress against Chase Sherman: ‘You’ll remember my name after this fight’

UFC debutant Ike Villanueva is looking to make a big first impression when he takes on Chase Sherman on May 13.

It’s been a long time coming for [autotag]Ike Villanueva[/autotag] who will look to make it count when he makes his UFC debut on May 13.

Fury FC double champion Villanueva (16-9 MMA, 0-0 UFC) finally got the call from the UFC, and will be making his promotional debut in Jacksonville when he takes on [autotag]Chase Sherman[/autotag] on the UFC’s midweek card, which takes place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The card is expected to air on ESPN, with the preliminary card streamed on ESPN+.

Sherman made his way back to the UFC after three straight finishes for Island Fights, and Villanueva is excited for the opportunity to make his UFC debut against a recognizable name.

“He’s well-known, he gets my respect, but I’m finally excited to get my opportunity against a guy like him and show everybody,” Villanueva told MMA Junkie. “From what I hear and what I see, he’s tough. You gotta break him, so I look forward to getting the opportunity May 13.

“My impression that I’m going to leave on the world is, man, this guy is 36-years-old, blue collar, it’s a true story. One day they’ll write my book because what I’m going to show May 13 is everything. I’m letting it all hang out. It’s kill or be killed and you’ll remember my name after this fight.”

Villanueva has had his ups and downs throughout his MMA career, but has stopped his last four opponents in a row, including UFC veterans Roger Narvaez and Rashad Coulter.

But Villanueva was starting to wonder if he was ever going to get his big break, and credits his manager, Jason House of Iridium Sports, for helping him finally realize his dream.

“I took three years off the fight game back in 2012,” Villanueva said. “I came back in 2015 a man on fire. I’ve been on a tear, but after beating Roger and Rashad Coulter, two UFC vets, I was like, ‘OK, I gotta get my shot,’ and it wasn’t playing out. So I was doubting myself. My wife was like, ‘Baby, be patient, it’ll happen,’ and that was then I was like maybe my age is going to be a factor, it’s gonna hold me back, because PFL wasn’t even reaching out.

“I was like, ‘Man, what’s going on?’ but my management were like, ‘We’re working on it. We want the UFC, we don’t want those other guys, we’re trying for the UFC,’ and I put my trust in Jason House and that dude is badass. He made it happen.”

Chase Sherman vs. Ike Villanueva targeted for May 13 UFC event

Chase Sherman vs. Ike Villanueva is targeted for the UFC’s May 13 event.

[autotag]Chase Sherman[/autotag] is back.

After three-straight wins on the regional scene, Sherman (14-6 MMA, 2-4 UFC) returns to the UFC to face Fury FC double champion [autotag]Ike Villanueva[/autotag] (16-9 MMA, 0-0 UFC).

Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the booking on Friday. The people asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

The event takes place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. White said the cards will air live on ESPN, with the preliminary cards streamed live on ESPN+.

Sherman, 30, competed in the UFC from 2016 to 2018. After losing his first two fight under the promotion’s banner, Sherman gained much popularity through his UFC 211 classic against Rashad Coulter. After winning his next fight against Damian Grabowski, Sherman lost three straight fights to Shamil Abdurakhimov, Justin Willis, and Augusto Sakai en route to his UFC exit.

A professional since 2008, there were times where it seemed like Villanueva may remain a regional journeyman. However, Villanueva has only suffered one loss since his 2016 defeat to Trevin Giles. Since then, Villanueva has gone 5-1 with wins over UFC veterans Roger Narvaez and Rashad Coulter. Currently the Fury FC light heavyweight champion, Villanueva, 36, has finished four straight fights by first-round knockout.

The complete May 13 lineup includes:

  • Anthony Smith vs. Glover Teixeira
  • Ben Rothwell vs. Ovince Saint Preux
  • Drew Dober vs. Alexander Hernandez
  • Ray Borg vs. Ricky Simon
  • Karl Roberson vs. Marvin Vettori
  • Andrei Arlovski vs. Philipe Lins
  • Michael Johnson vs. Thiago Moises
  • Sijara Eubanks vs. Sarah Moras
  • Hunter Azure vs. Brian Kelleher
  • Chase Sherman vs. Ike Villanueva

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