Eagle FC 44 – Page 2 – Syndication Server

How competition lured Rashad Evans out of retirement: ‘Why leave anything left on the table?’

Rashad Evans is a UFC Hall of Famer with nothing left to prove. So why come back?

MIAMI – [autotag]Rashad Evans[/autotag] is a UFC Hall of Famer with nothing left to prove. So why come back?

Evans (19-8-1) hung up his gloves following a knockout loss to Anthony Smith in June 2018, but his itch to compete never completely faded. The former UFC light heavyweight champion is coming out of retirement and will face Gabriel Checco (12-5) at Friday’s Eagle FC 44 event.

It’s been three-and-a-half years since 42-year-old Evans last competed, but the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had helped him put things into perspective.

“It’s competition,” Evans told MMA Junkie. “I’m a competitor, and if I can go out and just enjoy it one more time or however many other times that I’m blessed to do so, then I want to do so. At this point in my life I feel like why leave anything left on the table? If anything that this whole pandemic and everything around COVID has taught us is that tomorrow is not promised. And if you’re able-bodied and you want to do something, then you should do it because I feel as if we’re running out of time to do things that we want to do.”

Friday may or may not be a one-off fight for Evans, but his entire focus is on getting past Checco.

“Just wait and see what happens,” Evans said. “That’s the thing about it, opening the can. Everybody’s like, ‘OK, how many are you going to do? What’s going to be next? Who’s going to be next?’ But before worrying about what’s next, let’s worry about what’s now.”

Eagle FC 44 weigh-in results: Spong-Kharitonov, Evans-Checco official

The weigh-ins are in the books for Eagle FC’s first visit to the U.S.

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, now a promoter, has Eagle FC 44 set for FLXcast Arena in Miami on Friday. Thursday, all but one of the fighters on his first card in the States hit their marks on the scale.

In the heavyweight main event, Sergei Kharitonov (33-9) will have a weight advantage of more than 35 pounds on Tyrone Spong (2-0), who hasn’t fought in MMA since 2014. Kharitonov weighed in at 264.6 pounds; Spong was 228.4.

In the co-feature, former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans (19-8-1) makes his return from retirement. He was 202.2 pounds for his fight against Gabriel Checco (12-5), who was 204.4. Evans retired after a 2018 loss to Anthony Smith, which was his fifth straight setback.

The complete Eagle FC 44 weigh-in results included:

Tyrone Spong (228.4) vs. Sergei Kharitonov (264.6)
Gabriel Checco (204.4) vs. Rashad Evans (202.2)
Ray Borg (135.8) vs. Cody Gibson (135.8)
John Howard (174.8) vs. Ramazan Kuramagomedov (174.6)
Raimond Magomedaliev (175.4) vs. Anthony Njokuani (173.6)
Arman Ospanov (146) vs. Dylan Salvador (149.4)*
Shaun Asher (239.4) vs. Yorgan De Castro (264.6)
Miles Hunsinger (175.8) vs. Demarques Jackson (174.6)
Shawn Bunch (135.6) vs. Firdavs Khasanov (134.2)
Loik Radzhabov (165) vs. Zach Zane (164.5) – 165-pound catchweight
Sitik Muduev (155.4) vs. Ayadi Majdeddine (156)

Salvador missed the featherweight limit and will be fined 20 percent of his show purse.

Former UFC flyweight title challenger Ray Borg enters Eagle FC 44 with a renewed, ‘dangerous’ focus

Ray Borg believes he has hit a new stride in his fight game, re-discovering the fire he had from his early UFC days.

Former UFC flyweight title challenger [autotag]Ray Borg[/autotag] has experienced his fair share of highs and lows throughout his career, but the 28-year-old believes he has hit a new stride.

Following his unceremonious exit from the UFC in 2020 after missing two straight fights, Borg contemplated retiring from the sport, but ultimately decided to continue fighting after realizing that he was built to compete.

At Eagle FC 44, Borg (14-5) hopes to make it two straight wins following his unanimous decision victory over Jesse Arnett at UAE Warriors 20, as he returns from a seven-month hiatus to face fellow UFC veteran Cody Gibson.

“At this point in my career, I’m not going to fight anyone who’s a bum,” Borg told MMA Junkie. ” He’s a good fighter, he’s coming off a good win, but there really are some levels to this game.”

Having shared the cage with Demetrious Johnson when he was in his prime at UFC 216, Borg believes his experiences in tough situations such as that one, coupled with his renewed focus on the fight game, will give him the edge over Gibson (18-7).

“Ray Borg, right now mentally, is in a very dangerous spot for any of my opponents,” Borg explained. “I’m focused, I’m driven. I haven’t been this focused since I’ve been a young kid. When I first got in the UFC and I was a young, hungry lion, now I’m that seasoned, polished lion. I’m in a great, great spot right now.

“Being 28, I have a load of experience. I fought some of the best in the world. I fought the best in the entire game, so it goes a long way for me. I think right now I’m in a fantastic spot in my career.”

[lawrence-related id=2047208,1987556]

As Eagle FC prepares for its first event on American soil, Borg says the promotion has done a fantastic job treating its fighters well, living up to the expectations when he heard former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov was involved.

“We knew that when Khabib was putting on a promotion that he was gonna do it big and he was gonna do it great,” Borg said. “So far he’s completely delivered. It’s completely professional. It couldn’t get any high-level than this, honestly.”

Eagle FC 44 takes place Jan. 28 in Miami and streams on FLX Cast.

[listicle id=1987778]

MMA Junkie Radio #3226: Guest Tyrone Spong, UFC on ESPN 32 recap

Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,226, the boys bring on guest [autotag]Tyrone Spong[/autotag], who headlines Eagle FC 44 against Sergei Kharitonov. Additionally, thy recap UFC on ESPN 32 and what comes next for Calvin Kattar and Giga Chikadze, as well as talk the latest headlines, including Dana White vs. Henry Cejudo. Tune in!

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.

Henry Cejudo, Felicia Spencer highlight Eagle FC broadcast team

Familiar names fill the broadcast team for Eagle FC 44 on January 28.

Eagle FC is preparing to land stateside later this month, and the organization, which is partially owned by former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, has recruited some combat sports notables for its broadcast team.

With Eagle FC 44 scheduled to take place Jan. 28 in Miami and featuring a main event between Tyron Sponge and Sergei Kharitonov, the promotion has announced the names who will be helping guide viewers through the event.

Check out the details below.