Tag: ESPN UFC 253

UFC 263: Nate Diaz’s expletive-ridden take about manners on ‘SportsCenter’ was too good

Nate Diaz is the best.

UFC 263 is this Saturday night in Arizona and while the main card will be closed out with two title fights, the bout before those could be the most highly anticipated of the evening as fan-favorite Nate Diaz makes his return against Leon Edwards in a five-round welterweight showdown.

We haven’t seen Diaz since a doctor stopped his fight with Jorge Masvidal way back in November of 2019.

Diaz is beloved by fans both because how he fights inside the Octagon and how he carries himself outside of it. He keeps things realer than real all of the time and isn’t concerned about how others feel about that.

This week he made an appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter and was asked what he thought of other fighters picking him to lose to Edwards.

His answer was classic Diaz:

He also had this hilarious moment:

Fans loved it:

UFC 253 results: Israel Adesanya mauls Paulo Costa, retains middleweight title

The battle of undefeateds was a mismatch, as the middleweight champ improved to 20-0.

Not all undefeated records are created the same.

[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] reminded us of this Saturday night when he disposed off [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] in a battle of the unbeatens in the main event of UFC 253.

The UFC middleweight champion simply mauled his Brazilian opponent, using vicious leg kicks to wear him down and then finish him with an enormous right hand to the temple.

The time of the TKO stoppage was the 3:59 mark of the second round, as Adesanya (20-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) successfully defended his belt for the second time.

“Y’all must have forgot because of what happened last time,” said Adesanya, who won a fight over Yoel Romero some considered boring last time out.

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“The Last Stylebender” showed his intentions immediately, as he landed kicks to Costa’s lead leg from the outset. Costa (13-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) put on a brave face and attempted to goad his opponent, putting his hands behind his back at one point, but Adesanya wasn’t having it.

By the second, Costa’s leg had swollen and he noticeably slowed. Adesanya continued picking him apart. He landed a head kick that opened a cut over Costa’s eyebrow, and finally, a wicked left hand to the temple dropped him. Hammerfists and elbows rained down until referee Jason Herzog waved things off.

The victory was the 15th in the career of Adesanya, who stated he wanted to face Jared Cannonier next, should Cannonier win an upcoming bout with Robert Whittaker.

The middleweight title bout was the UFC 253 main event at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 253 results include:

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UFC 253 results: Jan Blachowicz finishes Dominick Reyes to win light heavyweight title

A man who got off to a 2-4 start in the UFC is the new light heavyweight champion.

[autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag], UFC light heavyweight champion.

That is not a phrase many would have expected ever would be written when he got off to a 2-4 start in his UFC stint. But the Poland-based competitor is in fact the new UFC light heavyweight champion after finishing [autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag] in the co-feature bout of UFC 253 on Saturday.

Blachowicz (27-8 MMA, 10-5 UFC) was composed from the outset and looked a step faster than his younger opponent. He put on a methodical beating before winning via TKO at the 4:36 mark of the second round.

With the victory, the Warsaw native becomes the second Polish-born champion in UFC history, along with former strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk. He filled the championship vacated by longtime titleholder Jon Jones in August, and he acknowledged his predecessor in his postfight interview.

“Jon Jones, where are you?” Blachowicz said. “All that’s on my mind is, I’m here, I’m waiting for you.

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Reyes tagged Blachowicz with a left in the bout’s opening seconds and briefly knocked him off balance, but it turned out to be his only real moment of there fight. Blachowicz turned up the heat soon thereafter, and as he slowed Reyes pace with combos of punches which were followed up with pinpoint left kicks to the ribs.

Blachowicz handily won the opening round, and by the time Reyes came out for the second, his right rib cage resembled raw steak. Blachowicz continued to pour it on. A straight right appeared to break Reyes’ nose, and seconds later, a left hand left Reyes involuntarily breakdancing. Blachowicz pounced as Reyes hit the mat and Kevin Sataki waved things off.

“This is nothing new for me,” Blachowicz said. “37 years old, lots of fights, this is fun.”

With his 18th career finish, Blachowicz has won four straight bouts and eight in his past nine. Reyes has lost two in a row, both light heavyweight title fights.The vacant light heavyweight title bout was the UFC 253 co-main event at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

A man who got off to a 2-4 start in the UFC is the new light heavyweight champion.

UFC 253 results: Jake Matthews bloodies Diego Sanchez, wins decision

Jake Matthews was not going to allow Diego Sanchez to continue having late career success at his expense at UFC 253.

[autotag]Jake Matthews[/autotag] was not going to allow [autotag]Diego Sanchez[/autotag] to have late-career success at his expense at UFC 253 on Saturday.

Matthews (17-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) lived up to expectations as the favorite and beat UFC Hall of Famer Sanchez (30-13 MMA, 19-13 UFC) by unanimous decision, using his more precise striking and top control to win by scores of 30-26 across the board.

The welterweight bout was part of the UFC 253 preliminary card at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. It aired on ESPN2 and streamed on ESPN+ ahead of the main card on pay-per-view.

Sanchez opened the fight by charging after Matthews with a combination, but to little effect. Matthews tagged Sanchez with number of hard right hands to set the tone. Sanchez struggled to find his range as he winged wild shots while rapidly changing stances and showing awkward movements. “The Ultimate Fighter 1” winner remained persistent, and started to touch Matthews, who answered with a takedown in the final 30 seconds followed by ground-and-pound to close the frame.

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The second round saw similar tactics from Sanchez, who pushed forward with multi-strike combinations, most of which fell short of the target. Matthews remained methodical in picking his shots, but his output was significantly lower than the opening round. Sanchez upped the pressure with more combinations, and while he was able to lull Matthews into a bit of a brawl, Matthews didn’t get too wild and countered with some clean hits at the tail end of the round.

The final frame saw Sanchez open with a flying knee that was met with a counter. Matthews clinched up with Sanchez shortly thereafter and scored a nasty right hand that staggered Sanchez and put him on his backside. Matthews jumped down on top of Sanchez, who was split open with a bad, bad cut. Blood quickly covered the octagon canvas, and Matthews continued to chip away from on top. Matthews did his best to finish the fight on top, avoiding a Sanchez armbar in the process, but couldn’t get the veteran out before the final round.

“I just beat Diego Sanchez,” an ecstatic Matthews said in his post-fight interview with Jon Anik. “It hasn’t set in yet.”

Up-to-the-minute UFC 253 results include:

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UFC 253 video: Ludovit Klein’s KO makes him first Slovak fighter to earn UFC win

Ludovit Klein has power, and he used it to become the first Slovak fighter ever to earn a victory in the UFC.

[autotag]Ludovit Klein[/autotag] sure made a statement in his UFC debut.

The Slovakian scored a first-round knockout over [autotag]Shane Young[/autotag] in the preliminary card of Saturday’s UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi. The official stoppage came at the 1:16 mark of round one.

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The fight was a quick and easy contest for Klein (17-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC). The two spent seconds measuring each other’s distance and then Klein connected with a head kick and followed up with a quick combination to put Young (13-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) away.

With the win, Klein is now on an eight-fight wining streak.

Below is the video of Klein’s knockout win:

Video: Juan Espino picks up first-round submission win at UFC 253 after long layoff

Juan Espino is back, and judging by his performance at UFC 253, better than ever.

[autotag]Juan Espino[/autotag] made his comeback in style.

The winner of season 28 of “The Ultimate Fighter” picked up a first-round submission win over Jeff Hughes during the preliminary card of Saturday’s UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi. Espino (10-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) stopped Jeff Hughes via arm-triangle choke at the 3:48 mark of round one.

Espino pushed the action early and got a takedown after throwing several hard right hands. From there, the Spaniard kept the pressure on Hughes until he was able to get mount, lock up the submission, and transition to side control.

The victory was Espino’s first fight since winning TUF 28 back in November 2018. A series of unsuccessful surgeries on a broken hand and the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic kept “El Guapo” out of competition for 22 months.

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Espino had told MMA Junkie’s Hablemos MMA podcast earlier this week that he hopes to get a quick turnaround if healthy and victorious following UFC 253.

Below is Espino’s quick submission win:

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Video: Matt Serra, Joshua Fabia get into argument at breakfast during UFC 253 fight week

Joshua Fabia is not Matt Serra’s “type of guy,” as exemplified by a video captured by Din Thomas.

Joshua Fabia is not [autotag]Matt Serra[/autotag]’s “type of guy”.

In a recently-released episode of “Dana White: Lookin’ FWD to a Fight,” Serra and Fabia engaged in a verbal back-and-forth. The conversation occurred after the founder of the “School of Self-Awareness” approached the UFC Hall of Famer at breakfast to air a grievance.

Fabia had taken exception with an interview where Serra allegedly failed to mention him by name and used a condescending tone when talking about him. Seemingly feeling disrespected, Fabia called Serra out while he was eating with former UFC fighter Din Thomas.

The verbal altercation was captured on video by Thomas.

“When it was brought up in the interview and they asked you about me, you were able to see my name. You know that they are talking about me. You’re actually saying on a camera, like, you’re disdained with me so much that you can’t even same my name, bro. That’s kind of cold.”

Though Serra voiced his respect for Fabia’s fighter, Diego Sanchez, he didn’t take kindly to Fabia’s claims.

“Like I told you earlier, I don’t even know your name,” Serra responded. “What’s your name again? Joshua, OK, good. (From) the ‘School of Something or Another.’ I understand you. Listen, you know why (I’m talking like this)? Because my friends and I are having breakfast and you try to come over here and make some kind of grandstand.”

After telling Fabia that Sanchez’s fight vs. Michel Perreira “looked like (expletive),” Serra continued.

“This is not going to get any better,” Serra said. “Do your thing. Good luck with you. I hope you make some money off of Diego. Do what you gotta do and that’s it, bro. OK? (You’re) not my type of guy. Do your thing.”

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Fabia’s unusual training methodologies have caught the attention of many inside the MMA circle, though Sanchez (30-12 MMA, 19-12 UFC) and longtime UFC fighter Stephan Bonnar have high praise for Fabia.

Sanchez, 38, takes on Jake Matthews (16-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) on the prelims of UFC 253 on Saturday.

UFC 253 takes place Saturday at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

Check out the full exchange between Serra and Fabia in the video above.

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UFC 253 discussion thread

UFC 253 takes place Saturday in Abu Dhabi, and you can discuss the event here.

ABU DHABI – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Saturday’s UFC 253 event at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, which kicks off at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT). You can discuss the event here.

Be sure to follow along with the latest card updates in our UFC 253 live results post, and then discuss the event in the comments section below.

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Round-by-round updates and official results begin at approximately 7 p.m. ET for the preliminary card and 10 p.m. ET for the main card.

UFC 253 live streaming watch-along with MMA Junkie Radio on SportsCastr

Join MMA Junkie Radio’s “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” for a live UFC 253 watch-along Saturday on SportsCastr.

UFC 253 takes place Saturday night with a pair of title fights atop the bill, and MMA Junkie Radio’s “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” will host a live streaming watch-along via SportsCastr that kicks off during the preliminary card at 9:30 p.m. ET.

In the main event, middleweight champion Israel Adesanya puts his title on the line against unbeaten challenger Paulo Costa. And in the co-feature, Dominick Reyes and Jan Blachowicz fight for the light heavyweight title vacated by Jon Jones.

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UFC 253 takes place Saturday at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

Here are the six fights included in tonight’s watch-along:

  • Champ Israel Adesanya vs. Paulo Costa – for middleweight title
  • Jan Blachowicz vs. Dominick Reyes – for vacant light heavyweight title
  • Kai Kara-France vs. Brandon Royval
  • Sijara Eubanks vs. Ketlen Vieira
  • Hakeem Dawodu vs. Zubaira Tukhugov
  • Alex da Silva vs. Brad Riddell

Be sure to check back and follow @MMAjunkie, @MMAjunkieRadio and @SportsCastrLive on Twitter to be notified when the guys go live.

UFC 253: Predictions for Paulo Costa vs. Israel Adesanya

These two title fights should be a lot of fun.

The UFC is back on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi on Saturday night with two title fights that have the potential to be some really darn good fights.

The co-main event is for the light-heavyweight belt, which Jon Jones owned for so long before giving it up to make the jump to heavyweight. Dominick Reyes, who lost to Jones in a close decision last February, takes on Jan Blachowicz in a fight that I’m guessing won’t go the distance.

Watch UFC 253 on ESPN+

The fun thing about this fight is that each fighter knows the opportunity that is sitting right there for them. With Jones now out of the picture, this division  needs a new champion and a win here can do wonders for their careers. That’s why I don’t expect either of them to hold anything back and I’m predicting this thing will be over early. Reyes has nine first-round finishes in his professional career and Blachowicz has seven.

So who’s going to win? Reyes is the favorite and rightfully so, as many thought he should have been given the decision in his fight against Jones. Blachowicz is coming off three straight wins over Luke Rockhold (a former champ), Ronaldo Souza, and Corey Anderson (who he knocked out in the first round back in February).

Here’s who I like – Blachowicz in a second-round KO. I think they will be trading strikes early and often and I think the red-hot Blachowicz catches Reyes with one that gives him the belt.

Now we move on to the main event, which should be a doozy. The champ, Israel Adesanya, is a special talent who is must-see TV every time he enters the Octagon. We got burned by that, however, in his last fight as his win over Yoel Romero was a snoozer. Adesanya had to avoid the one-punch knockout power of Romero in that one, which was understandable, although disappointing.

But I think this one against Paulo Costa will be more like the war Adesanya had against Kelvin Gastelum, as both fighters have traded bad blood leading up to this title fight. I also think Adesanya will show us the incredible skills that were on display when he took the belt from Robert Whittaker with a second-round KO last year.

Costa has finishing power and his last fight was a classic against Romero where he showed he could take a lot of damage and also cause a lot of damage on his opponent, too

But I think Adesanya will be able to create enough space to limit Costa’s ability to do too much damage in this one.

I think Adesanya puts on a show in this one and wins with a fifth-round KO, as Costa has never fought in the championship rounds and things will become too much from him in the last round.

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