Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”
Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.
On Episode 3,262, the guys went over Eagle FC 47 and UFC Fight Night 206. They also discussed UFC fighters trying comedy, and much more. 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.
Check out these photos from Eagle FC 47 which took place at FLXcast Arena in Miami.
Check out these photos from Eagle FC 47 at FLXcast Arena in Miami, which was headlined by Junior Dos Santos vs. Yorgan De Castro. (Photos courtesy of Eagle FC)
Yorgan De Castro was counted out ahead of Eagle FC 47, now he wants the same opportunity to fight a legend.
MIAMI – No matter how the fight ended, [autotag]Yorgan De Castro[/autotag] can say he holds a win over former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos.
In the third round of their heavyweight bout at Eagle FC 47, Dos Santos’ right shoulder became dislocated after landing a punch, leading to an immediate stop to the contest. De Castro was awarded the TKO victory in a fight that was competitive up to that point.
Considering the nature in which the fight ended against Dos Santos, which was not the manner in which he hoped to win the fight, De Castro was asked by reporters afterward if he would be open to a rematch. Without hesitation, he replied, “Absolutely.”
“I respect Junior,” De Castro said. “Not just like a fighter, as a human being. If he wants to run it back, right back, I run it right back. I can do it again. I’m a fighter, I want to test myself. Actually, I’m gonna come even better. Actually, that’s not a bad idea. Let’s do it again.”
If that is the next fight for him, De Castro would enter the rematch with a different approach. Not just in how he plans to fight differently, De Castro would make changes to his physique as well.
“I’m gonna drop some weight, get a nutritionist right now soon as I go home,” De Castro said. “I’m gonna come lightning fast. I’m gonna drop 15, 20 pounds, kinda want to counter. He was pretty fast. I did not feel the power much, but he was super fast. … I need to be fast, press forward, and definitely check those kicks.”
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De Castro apologized for his loud celebration after the fight was called, but he assured he meant no disrespect to Dos Santos and the injury he suffered. The emotion was a release of frustration from being counted out all week long, with many assuming he would lose the fight.
“I felt everybody counted me out, everybody,” De Castro said. “So, don’t underestimate the power of someone who’s underestimated. I had a lot of emotions in me, a lot of feelings, a lot of anger.”
De Castro already felt overlooked, but the feelings reached a new height at the pre-fight press conference when Khabib Nurmagomedov announced he wished to work with Bellator to match up Dos Santos against [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] after Friday’s event. While De Castro understands his opponent has a bigger name as a former UFC champion, he felt slighted by being overlooked as a viable opponent.
“The thing is, you count me out already before the fight start,” De Castro said. “So, I feel like that if someone have to get that chance, then give it to me. I will take it too. I will sign the fight. I want to fight a legend like Fedor and I want to share the cage with him. And guess what? I will come for fight too. I can fight.”
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An unfortunate injury to former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos resulted in a TKO stoppage in the third round.
MIAMI – [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag]’s MMA return almost went as planned.
The former UFC heavyweight champion was en route to winning his first fight after his release from the UFC, but he suffered a shoulder injury in the main event of Eagle FC 47 and lost the bout to [autotag]Jorgan De Castro[/autotag] as he was unable to continue fighting. The bout was stopped at the 0:35 mark of Round 3.
In the first round, Dos Santos (21-10) was the more effective striker. He connected the higher volume of shots, landing hard leg kicks and good jabs. Although De Castro (9-3) didn’t seem to be too affected by the shots, he was unable to get a consistent offense going for the majority of the round, as Dos Santos stayed light on his feet and circled around him. Towards the end, De Castro closed the gap a bit.
Yorgan de Castro throws some hard punches in the first round against Junior dos Santos #EagleFC47: Dos Santos vs. De Castro | LIVE AND FREE NOW only on FLXcast worldwide and Combate in 🇧🇷 | Sign up NOW at https://t.co/QslxaipV9R pic.twitter.com/gaz61MZmW1
— Eagle FC (@EagleFightClub) May 21, 2022
The second was very similar, but even more dominant by Dos Santos. He was able to get the range on De Castro and avoid the majority of his shots while landing his own. De Castro pressured forward while looking to connect, but was unable.
Dos Santos continued to put the pressure on early in the third, but after attempting to throw a right-hand punch, his shoulder popped out. He immediately backed away and tried to rotate it back into place, but De Castro noticed the injury and pointed it out to the referee. Dos Santos became upset because he knew it meant the fight was over. As a result of being unable to continue, De Castro picked up the TKO victory.
Eagle FC 47 main event ends after Junior dos Santos dislocates his shoulder pic.twitter.com/DMRhp1j84D
— Eagle FC (@EagleFightClub) May 21, 2022
With this unfortunate result, Dos Santos is now on a five-fight losing streak. This return marked his first fight since his UFC release in 2021. The last time “Cigano” had his hand raised was against Derrick Lewis back in 2019. Dos Santos holds notable wins over Stipe Miocic, Cain Velasquez, Mark Hunt, Mirko Cro Cop, Fabricio Werdum and many others.
Meanwhile, De Castro records a victory and keeps picking up momentum post his UFC career. The Cape Verde fighter is on a three-fight winning streak with a decision win over Danyelle Williams, a submission finish of Shaun Asher, and now a TKO victory over Dos Santos. De Castro entered the UFC in 2019 after winning a contract in Dana White’s Contender Series. He competed four times under the UFC banner going 1-3. The win over “Cigano” is easily the highest-profile victory in De Castro’s career, even if by injury.
The full official results of Eagle FC 47 include:
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UFC veteran Maki Pitolo picks up the second 30-second knockout of Eagle FC 47 in Miami.
MIAMI – What’s better than one 30-second knockout on a fight card? Well, two of them, of course.
In the feature bout at Eagle FC 47, [autotag]Maki Pitolo[/autotag] took on Doug Usher in a middleweight contest that had a finish written all over it. The result did not disappoint on that promise and resulted in a highlight reel moment in just 30 seconds, the second knockout finish of the evening in the same amount of time. Akhmed Aliev knocked out UFC veteran Darrell Horcher in a half-minute earlier at the event.
Pitolo (15-9) found a home for a beautiful left hook just as Usher (13-4) began to throw a punch of his own. As a result, Usher crashed to the canvas and the referee rushed in to prevent any further damage as he lay on the canvas.
Check out the full fight replay below (via Twitter):
🥥💣 MAKI PITOLO WITH A CRAZY KO#EagleFC47: Dos Santos vs. De Castro | LIVE AND FREE NOW only on FLXcast worldwide and Combate in 🇧🇷 | Sign up NOW at https://t.co/QslxaipV9R pic.twitter.com/cQPqs0GiW8
— Eagle FC (@EagleFightClub) May 21, 2022
Pitolo’s win marked his second straight after his exit from the UFC. “Coconut Bombz” entered the promotion after scoring a knockout on Dana White’s Contender Series, but hit a rough patch that led to his exit.
Usher decided to leave his gloves in the cage after the fight, telling in-cage interviewer Henry Cejudo that he was retiring from the sport.
Up-to-the-minute results of Eagle FC 47 include:
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Check out this vicious combination by Akhmed Aliev to put out Darrell Horcher quickly at Eagle FC 47.
MIAMI – [autotag]Akhmed Aliev[/autotag] bounced back into the win column on Friday and needed less than a minute to get the job done.
The first knockout finish of Eagle FC was a fast one at the FLXCast Arena. The lightweight contest between Aliev (21-7) and Darrell Horcher was over just as quickly as it started. Aliev put together a beautiful combination of punches to put Horcher (14-6) down and out in just 30 seconds.
Check out the full video replay of the fight below (via Twitter):
30 SECOND KO
From Akhmed Aliev makes an impressive Eagle FC debut #EagleFC47: Dos Santos vs. De Castro | LIVE AND FREE NOW only on FLXcast worldwide and Combate in 🇧🇷 | Sign up NOW at https://t.co/QslxaipV9R pic.twitter.com/GgPrOepa4I
— Eagle FC (@EagleFightClub) May 21, 2022
The win put Aliev back in the win column, as he has traded wins and losses over his past seven fights. The PFL veteran impressed in his debut with Eagle FC, while spoiling the first appearance for Horcher, who dropped his second straight after exiting the PFL as well.
Up-to-the-minute results of Eagle FC 47 include:
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MMA Junkie is on-site with live coverage of Friday’s Eagle FC 47 event in Miami.
MIAMI – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Eagle FC 46 which takes place Friday (6 p.m. ET).
Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s promotion continues to grow with familiar names. Friday’s event at FLXcast Arena features former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos (21-9) against Yorgan De Castro (8-3) in the main event.
The event is available to stream for free by signing up on the Eagle FC website.
Below are the official results of Eagle FC 47:
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Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”
Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.
On Episode 3,261, the guys previewed the two big shows for this coming weekend, UFC Fight Night 206 and Eagle FC 47, plus and went over all the news nuggets. UFC strawweight Vanessa Demopoulos also joins the show! 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.
Check out the weigh-in results for Friday’s Eagle FC 47 event in Miami.
[autotag]Yorgan De Castro[/autotag] will enter the cage almost 20 pounds heavier than [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag].
As expected, the two heavyweight fighters headlining Eagle FC 47 made weight for their bout Friday night. The weigh-ins took place on Thursday at the host hotel in Miami. The card is set to take place at the FLXcast Arena and streams for free on GoFLX.
De Castro came in just a little under the heavyweight limit, registering 264.2 on the scale. Meanwhile, Dos Santos, a former UFC champion, came in at 245.6.
Four of 22 fighters failed to make their respective weight. The 11 bouts will still proceed, per Eagle FC officials, but information regarding fines or penalties for the weight misses were not disclosed.
Below are the full Eagle FC 47 weigh-in results:
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Now at Eagle FC, Junior Dos Santos opens up about his frustrations towards the end of his UFC run.
MIAMI – [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] is starting fresh.
A former UFC heavyweight champion, Dos Santos (21-9) returns to MMA competition in the Eagle FC 47 main event Friday. It’s his first fight since his departure from the UFC, the promotion where he built a legendary resume over a span of 13 years.
Although Dos Santos had many memorable moments on the UFC stage, the Brazilian is not happy with the way his run ended in the Las Vegas-based company.
“I was feeling pressured,” Dos Santos told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “The way that things happened, we’re under pressure all the time. I feel like they were trying to drain everything I could provide for them to build other names and things like that they could maybe do work (with).
“That’s what my feeling is. It doesn’t mean anything. They’re a huge company. It’s kind of stupid of me thinking that they would put that much focus and attention on top of me. But that’s how I felt, and if I feel that way, things don’t go very right inside of me, so that’s why.
The UFC released Dos Santos a few months after he lost to then-rising contender Ciryl Gane in December 2020. The loss to Gane marked a four-fight skid for Dos Santos – his worst career skid.
The stretch of losses came against the next crop of talent: Gane, who would go on to win a UFC interim title; Francis Ngannou, the current heavyweight champion; and two other top contenders, Curtis Blaydes and Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
Dos Santos, 38, thinks the UFC looked to build up-and-comers off his name and didn’t offer much in return. “Cigano” understands the nature of the fight business and that’s why he warns the current champions to look after themselves.
“That’s the reality,” Dos Santos said. “I know it’s a business and they’re there to make money and they’re doing great actually doing that. Man, there’s nothing really covering or helping the fighters, you know? All the guys who are there and they’re champions and things, in the future they will see what I’m talking about. At some point, you’re not their focus anymore. They try to drain everything. … I was there for 12 years. I felt I was being part of the building process, and of course, everybody is, all the fighters are. But you know, it wasn’t in a good way, but business is business.”
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He’s nearing 40, but Dos Santos feels he’s got a lot in the tank. Dos Santos feels good and happy to start fresh at Eagle FC. He hopes to show he’s still game against dangerous finisher Yorgan De Castro in the main event of the card.
“I want to show this truth that I’m talking about because people are kind of underestimating me, again,” Dos Santos said. “‘Ah, Junior is done. Junior is that.’ I don’t really care about the haters, but I care about the people around me and the fans that have always been supporting me and are still there.
“I want to give back to them that you’re not wrong and I’m still here. I still can do great things inside the octagon and the ring. And yeah, that’s the goal: Show myself to the world and show how good I feel, what a good performance I can have in there.”
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