Tag: DWCS 51

Darrius Flowers believes he can be UFC lightweight champion ‘like Khabib style’

After winning a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series, Darrius Flowers sees himself ruling the lightweight division in due time.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Darrius Flowers[/autotag] is looking to rule the UFC lightweight division.

Flowers (12-5-1), whose past few fights came at middleweight, competed in a welterweight bout Tuesday at Dana White’s Contender Series 51 against Amiran Gogoladze.

He finished Gogoladze in just over a minute when he picked him up and slammed him, causing an injury to his shoulder that stopped the fight. Flowers sees multiple weight classes in his future but is confident he can be champion at 155 pounds after earning a UFC contract.

“I see my future at honestly both welterweight and lightweight,” Flowers told reporters, including MMA Junkie. “Honestly, I’m gonna take lightweight a little bit more serious and chase the title, because I feel like I can be a champion here within the next few years or a couple of years, if it even takes that long. We got to get through the first contract and all that crap first, but I feel like I can be a lightweight world champion for sure like Khabib style.”

Flowers’ win came quick and it came due to an injury. Although it was the slam that led to Gogoladze’s injury, Flowers says it irks him that there will be some doubters due to the nature of the fight-ending sequence.

“The only thing that kind of bothers me is like the naysayers,” Flowers said. “I really didn’t get to show my work, how hard I’ve been working. But I looked good, I went out and did what I said I was gonna do, so I’m happy I got the contract. Nothing really else matters. I got the contract. Haters are gonna still be haters. There’s still gonna be some guys that don’t believe, even when I fry some guys in the UFC. You know, when I start frying these guys on the skillet.”

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Mick Parkin: Making UFC debut on Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman 3 card in England ‘would be crazy’

With the UFC looking to host another big card in England in the near future, Mick Parkin wants to be part of it.

LAS VEGAS – With the UFC looking to host another big card in England in the near future, [autotag]Mick Parkin[/autotag] wants to be part of it.

Parkin (6-0) is the newest English fighter to get signed to the UFC, punching his ticket through Dana White’s Contender Series 51 on Tuesday. In the featured bout of the night, Parkin quickly submitted Eduardo Neves in the first round.

Parkin experienced the buzz and atmosphere while attending the UFC’s two London shows this year and now that he has an opportunity to be a part of one, he hopes to land on the Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman trilogy event, which is being considered for the U.K.

“European card would be great,” Parkin told reporters, including MMA Junkie. “Obviously fight in front of fans, like a big arena, something like that would be great.”

He continued, “That would be crazy. My friend rang me now and was like, ‘England card. Definitely get on it.’ So that would be crazy, because I’ve actually been to the last two events at the O2 to watch my friends Paul (Craig) and Tom (Aspinall) fight, so the atmosphere is absolutely amazing. I remember the first one watching it, all the guys got finishes, and I remember thinking this is going to be me. It’s amazing.”

With Edwards becoming the second English fighter to win UFC gold, U.K. MMA is booming. Teammate and fellow Brit Tom Aspinall has had a fast rise up the heavyweight ranks, and Parkin sees a similar future for himself.

“U.K. MMA is doing mint now, and I’m fortunate that there’s not many heavyweights,” Parkin said. “So it’s probably a little bit easier path for me than some of these lighter guys.”

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Video: UFC hopeful Darrius Flowers ‘tombstones’ Amiran Gogoladze for TKO win at Dana White’s Contender Series

Darrius Flowers looked like WWE’s “The Undertaker” when he oddly slammed Amiran Gogoladze for a TKO due to injury.

[autotag]Darrius Flowers[/autotag] added another TKO to his resume – and it’s one WWE’s The Undertaker might be proud of.

In a bizarre sequence early in his Dana White’s Contender Series bout Tuesday, Flowers (12-5-1) finished [autotag]Amiran Gogoladze[/autotag] (14-3) with an injury-inducing slam that caused a TKO at 1:13 of Round 1.

The finish came when Gogoladze threatened a triangle choke submission from the bottom. In defense, Flowers raised his opponent up. Gogoladze awkwardly spun upside down. From there, Flowers drove Gogoladze into the canvas. Gogoladze tried to tough it out, but the impact to his left shoulder on the slam was unbearable. He looked to his corner before he ultimately decided to tap.

The finish was awkward and surprising, but fired Flowers up. UFC president Dana White cracked a smile and gave him the thumbs up. Regardless, the bizarre “tombstone” piledriver-esque finish instantly went viral.

As commentator Laura Sanko mentioned, piledriver-type slams are illegal in MMA – but there’s an exception. If a fighter is attempting a submission, his or her opponent is allowed to slam in a driving fashion.

With the win, Flowers extends his winning streak to four. Meanwhile, Gogoladze has his three-fight winning streak snapped, as he’s finished for the first time.

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‘The tip of the spear’: Josh Wang-Kim ready to break ‘The Twin Dragons’ into the UFC

Josh Wang-Kim will be fighting for a UFC contract – and he’ll set the stage for his twin brother to do so in the near future.

Since Day 1, it’s always been together.

It’ll be no different Tuesday when [autotag]Josh-Wang Kim[/autotag] fights for a UFC contract, with his twin brother John in his corner.

Highly touted since their ascent through the amateur ranks as teenagers, “The Twin Dragons” have been circled on every fight card they’ve fought on. At Dana White’s Contender Series, Wang-Kim (5-1) hopes the UFC president joined the list of circlers.

“Every time we step out on that canvas, the artist paints something unique and something new every time,” Wang-Kim told MMA Junkie on Tuesday. I’m just excited to paint something uniquely brilliant and masterful for Dana White to be like, ‘Oh sh*t. This is what I’ve been looking for. This is it right here.'”

In 2020, “The Twin Dragons” turned professional. Already turning heads because of their combined amateur record of 30-2 (15-1 each, of course), the brothers declared upcoming dominance on the pro circuit. However, due to their reputations and a pandemic, it took a little longer for the wheels to start rolling.

Josh has compiled a 5-1 record with his only loss a disqualification for strikes to the back of the head in a fight he was winning. John was successful in his professional debut but has not competed since for personal reasons and remains at 1-0. A return for him on the Nevada regional circuit is on the horizon, however.

Although this opportunity has long been one Josh Wang-Kim has anticipated without a doubt, he would’ve loved to have his brother competing on the same card as a fighter. Wang-Kim hypothesized perhaps the universe always had it planned this way.

“Like Max Holloway says, ‘It is what it is.’ I was first out of the womb. He was second out of the womb. I’ll be first to the UFC. I’ll be second to the UFC,” Wang-Kim said. It’s like I’ll be the tip of the spear and he’ll follow. In a perfect world, yeah, it would’ve been great for us to debut together. But this is not a perfect world and there are no entitlements with anything. I’m just very blessed that I get to do what I love and he also gets to do what he loves. We’re just here to make magic and make history.”

After 12 weeks of a grueling, all-in training camp, Wang-Kim is one impressive win away from making a dream come true – and introducing the UFC to “The Twin Dragons.”

“I’ve been training and prepping for 14 years, 22 fights,” Wang-Kim said. “This is not my first rodeo. I’ve done this dance more times than I could count. I’m excited. … It’s probably the opportunity of a lifetime. I’m going to grab by the throat and make it my bitch. The pressure – I love the pressure. Give me the pressure. Pressure creates diamonds. I’m ready to shine tomorrow night.”

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Dana White’s Contender Series adds ‘Twin Dragon’ Josh Wang-Kim vs. South African champ Cameron Saaiman

Two more UFC hopefuls will battle for a contract this summer in Las Vegas.

Two rising bantamweights from opposite corners of the globe will meet in Las Vegas with the opportunity to earn a UFC contract this summer.

One half of the “The Twin Dragons” [autotag]Josh Wang-Kim[/autotag] (5-1) will square off with EFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Cameron Saaiman[/autotag] (5-0) on Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 6. Their bout is scheduled for the Aug. 23 installment, DWCS 51.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Wang-Kim, 29, and his twin brother Josh, make up the professional MMA duo known as “The Twin Dragons.” The two brothers turned heads during their amateur careers, as they accumulated a combined record of 28-2 –  with 14 wins and one loss apiece. While John has been less active due to unexpected delays, Josh has finished four of his five wins. His only loss came via disqualification.

Saaiman, 21, made his professional MMA debut at 19 years old. He quickly shot up the EFC ladder en route to a title clinching win over Sindile Manengela in June. Four of his five professional victories came by stoppage.

To see an entire DWCS, Season 6 lineup, click here.

The up-to-date DWCS 51 card includes:

  • Rayanne Amanda vs. Denise Gomes
  • Jesus Santos Aguilar vs. Erisson Ferreira
  • Eduardo Neves vs. Michael Parkin
  • Cameron Saaiman vs. Josh Wang-Kim

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