Tag: DWCS 56

Sam Patterson: I’m glad I earned UFC contract, but ‘I cannot wait to show how good I really am’

Sam Patterson thinks he only showed a fraction of what he’s capable of at Dana White’s Contender Series 56.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Sam Patterson[/autotag] thinks he only showed a fraction of what he’s capable of at Dana White’s Contender Series 56.

That’s because the Brit faced adversity when he was hurt early in his fight against Vinicius Cenci at the UFC Apex on Tuesday, before turning things around and getting the second-round submission to earn a UFC deal.

“The pressure of tonight, maybe that was the factor in the performance, but me and my team know how good I am,” Patterson told reporters, including MMA Junkie. “That wasn’t up to standard, let’s say, on my part, and I can’t wait. I’m glad I got the contract, I’m glad I dealt with adversity in there, and I cannot wait to show how good I really am.”

Unbeaten in his past 10 fights, 26-year-old Patterson (10-1-1) hasn’t lost since a first-round knockout in his second professional fight in 2017 – and he doesn’t plan on losing again.

“We know how good I am, and it wasn’t bad, don’t get me wrong,” Patterson said. “It wasn’t bad. Every fight there’s adversity, and if I was going in there smashing everyone, you’d get pushed to the top too quick. I’ve got the right team around me that keep me grounded and keep me humble instead of me thinking I’m like the boss and thinking I can’t be touched, because the last time that happened, I got touched and that was it. So that won’t happen again.”

Watch the video of Patterson’s complete post-fight media availability above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 56.

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DWCS 56 winner Rafael Estevam: ‘With me, you’re gonna need an extra tank of gas’

Rafael Estevam lays out what UFC fighters can expect when they face him.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Rafael Ramos Estevam[/autotag] had no problem matching Joao Elias’ early intensity at Dana White’s Contender Series 56.

In a scrappy back-and-forth battle, Estevam (11-0) finished Elias by TKO in the second round, wearing him out with some ground-and-pound.

Elias threatened with a lot of aggressive submission attempts early, but Estevam said he never once felt in danger.

“In no point I felt that any of those positions were compromising at all,” Estevam told reporters, including MMA Junkie, through an interpreter. “I felt that I was a step ahead of him throughout the fight. I did not feel anything at risk at any time. Then obviously not forgetting to hit him, so impose that ground and pound when I was there, because I wanted to impress for the contract. So when I was on top of him, just making sure I never stopped hitting him.”

He continued, “I’m gonna come out with the stamina. That’s an alley that someone’s gonna die on if they’re gonna come fight me. You need to be prepared. I’m gonna go all the way and with me, you’re gonna need an extra tank of gas.”

Watch the video of Estevam’s complete post-fight media availability above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 56.

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UFC contract winner Jack Jenkins admits Contender Series experience was a ‘pressure cooker’

Although Jack Jenkins dominated at Dana White’s Contender Series 56, he wasn’t entirely happy with his performance.

LAS VEGAS – Although [autotag]Jack Jenkins[/autotag] dominated at Dana White’s Contender Series 56, he was entirely happy with his performance.

Jenkins (10-2) bloodied and battered Freddy Emiliano Linares to score a third-round TKO at the UFC Apex on Tuesday, which earned him a UFC deal. The Australian prospect said he would have liked to show off more of his striking, but the pressure of a hectic fight week got to him.

“Huge week of emotions,” Jenkins told reporters, including MMA Junkie, on Tuesday. “I just caught Dana for a couple of minutes out in the back and just sort of spoke about the performance and said, ‘Mate, it was such a pressure cooker this week.’ I had some troubles getting a visa, so we ended up flying in late. I got in at 10:30 and got picked up at 6:30 to come here and do media, and it was all a bit of a whirlwind.

“But I think the Contender maybe is designed for that a bit to try and weed out the guys who can’t handle that high pressure. Maybe it got a little bit to me in the performance there, and I didn’t let my hands go or my kickboxing prowess show, but I did enough to get the job done.”

Although Jenkins’ coaches were happy with his performance, he wasn’t sure if he’d be awarded a UFC deal.

“I was just a bit overwhelmed,” Jenkins added. “You get the finish. I think I 10-9’d him, 10-8’d him in the second and then finished in the third. So on paper in any other scenario, you go, ‘Wow, what a performance.’ But with the pressure that comes with being in the Apex for Contenders, you go, ‘F*ck, was that enough?’

“So, looking back at it now, I was a bit disappointed, and my coaches both said to me, ‘Mate, pull your head in. You did very well.’ So yeah, got the contract, and now the real work begins. It’s murderer’s row now, so time to pull the finger out and really get going.”

Watch the video of Jenkins’ complete post-fight media availability above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 56.

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Dana White says ‘it’s a little too soon’ for Kevin Holland to retire, chalks up post to emotions

UFC president Dana White expects to see Kevin Holland back in the octagon soon.

LAS VEGAS – UFC president [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] doesn’t think [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] genuinely meant he wanted to retire.

After getting quickly submitted by Khamzat Chimaev in a 180-pound catchweight bout at UFC 279 earlier this month, Holland (23-8 MMA, 10-5 UFC) posted on social media that he was done with the sport, saying “I’m out.”

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But White thinks Holland spoke out of frustration. The 29-year-old, who was MMA Junkie’s 2020 Male Fighter of the Year, has shown moments of brilliance throughout his career but struggled against some of the top grapplers in the UFC.

“I’m really close to this kid, and I like him a lot,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters Tuesday at the UFC Apex. “I think when you are competing in a sport like this, and you’ve done the things that Kevin Holland has done. He gets out of the fight with (Derek) Brunson and realizes that he needs to work on his wrestling more.

“So he dives in and starts working on his wrestling, and I think when what happened to him happens to you, I think you lay in bed at night and go, ‘Holy sh*t, how did that happen to me?’ He’s an emotional guy. I think the emotions got the best of him. Just take some time, get back in the gym and whatever he wants to do obviously – I love the kid, whatever he wants to do, he can do. But it’s a little too soon for him to retire.”

Prior to the first-round loss to Chimaev, Holland scored back-to-back bonus-winning finishes against Alex Oliveira and Tim Means. He expressed interest in fighting a striker like Daniel Rodriguez or Stephen Thompson next before deciding to hint at retirement.

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Mateus Mendonca sends message after quick DWCS 56 KO: ‘The problem has arrived’

Newly signed UFC fighter Mateus Mendonca even has his own catchphrase.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Mateus Mendonca[/autotag] was quick to impress at Dana White’s Contender Series 56.

Mendonca (10-0) needed just 48 seconds to knock out CES MMA champion Ashiek Ajim with a blitzing combination that earned him a UFC deal on Tuesday at the UFC Apex. The undefeated Chute Boxe Diego Lima fighter already has his own catchphrase and sent a warning to the UFC’s featherweight division.

“Look at ‘The Cat’!,” Mendonca told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter.

He continued, “I have a lot of faith in God, and Diego Lima always says to me, ‘You came here to get what’s yours. I came here to have fun in the octagon. I just came to have fun in there and do my thing and just show people the problem has arrived.”

Watch the video of Mendonca’s complete post-fight media availability above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 56.

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Bo Nickal won’t hate on Raul Rosas Jr. directly inking UFC deal: ‘I’m on my own path’

Raul Rosas Jr. may have stolen some of Bo Nickal’s hype, but the standout wrestler thinks there’s room for everyone.

[autotag]Raul Rosas Jr.[/autotag] may have stolen some of [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag]’s hype on Dana White’s Contender Series, but the standout wrestler thinks there’s room for everyone.

Nickal (2-0) came in as one of the most highly touted prospects in recent memory at DWCS 49, but his quick TKO of Zachary Borrego more than a month ago wasn’t enough for a UFC deal. Instead, Nickal has been given another opportunity on the show when he meets Donovan Beard at DWCS 56 on Tuesday.

Rosas (6-0), on the other hand, was awarded a UFC deal a week ago when he defeated Mando Gutierrez by unanimous decision at DWCS 55, making him, at 17, the youngest fighter ever signed by the promotion. Nickal admitted he didn’t watch Rosas’ fight, but is solely worried about his own journey.

“I don’t really care – do your thing,” Nickal said in an interview with Full Send. “Good for you – the youngest fighter on the roster. Congratulations. That’s amazing – amazing accomplishment. I’m not really one to hate at all, so do your thing. That’s dope. I’m on my own path.

“My path, I’m comfortable with it and I know where I’m headed and my trajectory, where I’m going, so I’m not really worried about anyone else. Seeing these young guys succeed, that hypes me up. I want everybody to win. So for me, at the end of the day, I focus on what I can control and go out there and do what I need to do.”

Nickal has aspirations of becoming the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter and vows to make his official UFC debut before the end of the year.

“One hundred percent you’ll see me in the UFC octagon, probably December,” Nickal said. “I’m looking at obviously this fight first, take care of business, do what I need to do, and then from there … I want to stay active. I want to fight as much as possible, get experience, and you’ll 100 percent see me in an octagon before the end of the year.”

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