Tag: Cheyanne Buys

5 burning questions heading into UFC on ESPN 21: Can Kevin Holland surge into title contention?

MMA Junkie’s Simon Head looks at five key storylines to follow at UFC on ESPN 21 in Las Vegas.

Two middleweight finishers will go head to head at UFC on ESPN 21 in a bid to gatecrash the title picture at 185 pounds.

Middleweight stalwart [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag] and rising contender [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] will look to thrive under the main event spotlight on Saturday night. Both are on solid winning streaks and both have eyes on the division’s top men, with victory likely to propel one of them toward a bout against one of the 185-pound elite.

The co-headliner will see the return to action of [autotag]Gregor Gillespie[/autotag], who will look to bounce back from his first career defeat following his knockout loss to Kevin Lee at UFC 244 in November 2019. He’s set to face surging Kiwi [autotag]Brad Riddell[/autotag], who will be keen to extend his winning run under the UFC banner after winning his first three bouts on the big stage.

UFC on ESPN 21 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2.

Ahead of the event, we take a look at five burning questions we’ll be seeking answers to when the fighters take to the cage.

Montserrat Ruiz: Cheyanne Buys must accept the fate that was awaiting training partner Emily Ducote

Montserrat Ruiz would have been happy fight anyone that got her in to the UFC, but facing Cheyanne Buys makes it even more special.

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LAS VEGAS – Truth be told, [autotag]Montserrat Ruiz[/autotag] would have been happy fight anyone that got her in to the UFC, but the fact that she’s facing [autotag]Cheyanne Buys[/autotag] made it even more special.

“As soon as I heard she was my opponent, I was thinking, ‘You know what, the one that I was reserving for Emily Ducote, she’s going to get it because they’re training together,'” Ruiz told reporters, including MMA Junkie, through an interpreter at a Wednesday media day at the UFC Apex.

Ruiz (9-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and fellow strawweight Buys (5-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) kick off the ESPN-broadcast main card of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 21 event at the UFC Apex, which airs following prelims on ESPN2.

Ahead of her UFC debut, Ruiz said she’s more excited than nervous and can’t wait to show that she belongs at the sport’s highest level.

“More than fear, I feel anxious to step into the cage and start fighting,” Ruiz said. “Probably at the moment I step into the cage, I’ll start feeling a little nervous, but so far I just feel more anxious to be competing and fighting.”

Hailing from Mexico, Ruiz has been tagged as a potential prospect for quite some time, fighting first in her native country and then traveling to the U.S. to compete twice under the Invicta FC banner. However, her debut for Invicta didn’t go exactly as planned, losing a decision to five-time UFC veteran Danielle Taylor.

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Despite the loss – which remains the lone setback of her career to date – Ruiz earned a call to the UFC after a first-round submission win over Janaisa Morandin this past July.

“I think the loss was one of the best things that could happen in my career because it made me touch the bottom, and I realized how much I want this,” Ruiz said. “I knew that UFC wasn’t that far away, but I knew that I had to work on some things, so that loss wasn’t something really, really bad in my career because I know that everybody has some bad days and bad nights, especially the fighters, so it was one of those for me, but it helped me a lot to improve and to keep focusing on my main goal.”

Prior getting the fight, Ruiz was set to face Emily Ducote at Invicta FC 43 this past November in a bout that was ultimately scrapped. Ducote’s camp included Buys as a primary training partner, tasked with mimicking Ruiz in sparring sessions.

Ruiz said she’s not worried about any added familiarity her opponent may have and is simply expecting a solid scrap.

“I think it’s a perfect matchup,” Ruiz said. “I know she’s a black belt in taekwondo and likes to go forward, but so do I. I like to go forward, I have a wrestling background, and I know this is going to be a good fight and a good war.”

It’s an opportunity to make an immediate impact for “Conejo,” as well. Making a UFC debut on the big stage of ESPN doesn’t happen all that often, and Ruiz believes it’s going to be her time to shine.

“I can’t wait to show what I’ve been waiting for here all this time,” Ruiz said. “I’m so happy to have this opportunity.”

To see the full availability with Ruiz, check out the video above.

After ‘stressful’ camp, married couple Cheyanne and JP Buys target history at UFC on ESPN 21

They’re the second married couple to share a UFC fight card, but Cheyenne Buys and JP Buys hope to be the first winners together.

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LAS VEGAS – UFC on ESPN 21 this Saturday will have a historic narrative attached to it as [autotag]Cheyanne Buys[/autotag] and [autotag]JP Buys[/autotag] will become the second married couple to share a fight card with the organization.

Mark and Montana De La Rosa were the first to do it back in February 2019 but came away with mixed results. Cheyanne (5-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who meets Montserrat Ruiz in a strawweight bout on the main card, and JP (9-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who takes on Bruno Silva at flyweight in the opening bout of the night, intend to be the first duo with winning outcomes.

“This is not our first time fighting on the same night,” Cheyanne told reporters, including MMA Junkie, during Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 21 media day. “We’ve made history in LFA as the first married couple to both fight and win on the same night. So it’s about coming here and making a legacy and representing our family name. We’re not here for a long time, but a good time.”

UFC on ESPN 21 takes place at the UFC Apex. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2.

This unique situation was something both Fortis MMA-trained fighters wanted to happen but didn’t necessarily expect at this point in time. UFC on ESPN 21 marks the octagon debut for both members of the family, and to have it line up perfectly was kismet.

“We actually spoke to coach Sayif (Saud) about it and said we wanted to do it together,” JP said. “When we started, we actually said, ‘Oh, I’m going to be in the UFC before you, you’re going to be in there before me.’ So it was kind of a race thing. But God blessed us and put us out there at the same time.”

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Given the way things are structured, Cheyanne, 25, appears to be the one in the more challenging situation. She said she’ll be walking out with JP, 24, to corner him, then will return backstage to warm up to then enter the cage herself.

Even if JP goes unscathed and wins his fight easily, it’s an emotional rollercoaster in store for Cheyanne. Instead of worrying about the potential pitfalls of that, though, she’s thinking about how it can benefit her.

“Whenever he fights, I’m more nervous for him than when I fight,” Cheyanne said. I already know we’ve just got to go out there and do our jobs. I’m actually excited because I get to make the walk before I make the walk for myself. So I’m actually using this as motivation for myself. Like, ‘OK, I’m going to get the walkout jitters for him because I’m going to be a nervous wreck for him anyways.’ So for me, it plays out in my favor, anyways. Instead of a negative situation, I look at it as a positive situation.'”

Although this rare opportunity to share the spotlight on MMA’s biggest stage is something that’s genuinely exciting, the Buys family admits it hasn’t been the simplest road to get here.

Going through simultaneous training camps, dieting and weight cuts since getting the call to book the date two days before Christmas, it has not been easy. Both admitted as much, but said the joy of finally being on the cusp of a potentially historic moment outweighs any hardship over the past few months.

“We will do this again if they give us the call,” Cheyanne said. “Maybe next time one of us fights. It’s been some special times in our house. The mood swings. It’s all fun and games now that we’re here and laughing about everything. It’s been stressful. Maybe if they call us like short notice to both fight, but man, it’s been life changing or us this camp, the step up in competition to do this together.”

UFC on ESPN 21: Make your predictions for Derek Brunson vs. Kevin Holland

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 21 event in Las Vegas.

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 21 event in Las Vegas.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC on ESPN 21 main card staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC on ESPN 21 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event streams on ESPN+.

Make your picks for the fights below.

Cheyanne Buys vs. Kay Hansen added to UFC Fight Night card on March 20

An interesting strawweight matchup has been added to the UFC’s March 20 event.

An interesting strawweight matchup has been added to the March 20 UFC Fight Night.

[autotag]Cheyanne Buys[/autotag] will meet [autotag]Kay Hansen[/autotag] during the event, which does not yet have a location announced. Both fighters confirmed the booking on Instagram after an initial post from “I Like Who I’m Becoming MMA.”

Buys (5-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) earned her spot in the UFC through Dana White’s Contender Series. She was given a UFC contract after an impressive unanimous decision win over Hilarie Rose at DWCS 29 on Aug. 18. The victory gave the Fortis MMA product four straight wins.

Hansen (7-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC), meanwhile, is a 21-year-old prospect who has proven herself capable of exciting fights, win or lose. Hansen lost an entertaining scrap via decision against Cory McKenna on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas. That ended a three-fight win streak which included a “Performance of the Night” bonus in her UFC debut, a submission finish of former Invicta champion Jinh Yu Frey.

While much of the card has yet to be signed, the March 20 event features a highly anticipated middleweight showdown between Derek Brunson and Kevin Holland.

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Cheyanne Buys explains how she manifested her journey to the UFC by moving to Fortis MMA

Cheyanne Buys had been blowing up Dana White’s phone for a while, and Tuesday he finally got to see what she’s about.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Cheyanne Buys[/autotag] had been blowing up Dana White’s phone for a while, and Tuesday he finally got to see what she’s about.

Buys (5-1) earned a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series 29 with a unanimous decision over Hilarie Rose.

Buys earned high praise from White for her performance and she made sure to let the UFC president know how long she’s been trying to get his attention.

Buys, along with her husband JP, moved from South Africa to Dallas to train with coach Sayif Saud at Fortis MMA, which has produced the likes of Geoff Neal, Alonzo Menifield and Ryan Spann – all of who earned UFC contracts through DWCS.

So Buys made the move to Fortis MMA, knowing that it’s a proven launch pad for fighters who want to make it to the UFC.

“For the past two years, I’ve been writing Dana, and I just kept telling him, ‘Dana, I’m going to be a star for you. Dana, I’m coming,'” Buys told reporters, including MMA Junkie, after her win at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. “And my coach over at Fortis MMA, Sayif – my husband and I we moved from South Africa all the way to Dallas just to be with that coach because, one, they’re the best team in the world, and two, Dana loves them fighters. If you look at our team, they’re killers. They’re mean.

“If you think I’m mean, we’ve got some dudes that I’m like, ‘Yo, they’re mean.’ So we went there and I told Dana, ‘Listen, I’m going to Fortis MMA. I know you like that gym. I’m going there.’ I had this whole thing set up for this moment tonight. I told them, ‘Hey, I’m at Fortis.’ ‘Hey, I just won another fight with LFA.’ ‘Hey, my coaches talked to Mick (Maynard). I’m getting on Contender.’ And then I got my opponent, and I was like, ‘I’m going to kill this girl, I promise you.’ And tonight, the only thing I wanted to do was to kill this girl and go to him and be like, ‘Can you write me back now?’ I just wanted to get his attention.”