Check out this week’s edition of “Spinning Back Clique,” which unpacks what went down at UFC on ESPN 14 and Bellator 242.
Welcome to “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. This week, Simon Head hosts and is joined by MMA Junkie Radio’s “Gorgeous” George and “Goze,” as well as MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn.
SHOW TOPICS
It all got a little heated cageside at UFC on ESPN 14 as [autotag]Dan Hardy[/autotag] and Herb Dean exchanged views after Francisco Trinaldo’s third-round TKO finish of Jai Herbert. Hardy clearly was livid at what he thought was an egregious late stoppage, but Dean has since come out and defended his handling of the fight, saying there was no late stoppage. It’s sparked a lot of debate, so whose side are you on in this situation? Team Dean or Team Hardy?
Former UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] bounced back from his title defeat to Israel Adesanya as he returned from a nine-month layoff to outpoint Darren Till in Saturday night’s main event. Whittaker said afterward that he’s “championship-level,” but what did you make of his display, and do you think “Bobby Knuckles” will go on to eventually recapture the 185-pound strap?
Swedish grappling sensation [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] was the talk of “Fight Island” this past week after registering two stoppage wins in 10 days. Now the super confident Chimaev wants to mix it up with some of the division’s best and has vowed to “smash them all.” He even called out Demian Maia and challenged the Brazilian to see whose grappling is best. Are you aboard the Chimaev hype train, or does everyone need to slow down?
Saturday night’s event saw a ton of callouts, but one of the most interesting came from [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag]. The former UFC champion has beaten a who’s who of heavyweight greats, including [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag]. After his victory over Alexander Gustafsson, “Vai Cavalo” said he wanted to face “The Last Emperor” one more time. Does this mean the free agent is a lock to join Bellator, or do you think there’s a better landing spot for him elsewhere? And is the Fedor rematch one that you’d be excited to see 10 years later?
Speaking of Bellator, the promotion was back in action this weekend with Bellator 242 marking its long-awaited emergence from the COVID-19 lockdown. It was only a seven-fight card, but there were some important victories on the night. Whose performance excited you the most on Friday night at Mohegan Sun, and what did you make of Bellator’s first show back?
For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 39 of “Spinning Back Clique” above.
Fabricio Werdum and Paul Craig were among those who name-dropped their preferred next opponents at UFC on ESPN 14 in Abu Dhabi.
Earning wins in the UFC is certainly no easy task, but what comes next is often even more important: the post-fight callout.
So after Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 14 event in Abu Dhabi, who took advantage of their time on the mic? See below for this week’s Callout Collection – and just how realistic each one is.
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First up, let’s take a look at the preliminary card …
Nathaniel Wood
Wants to fight: [autotag]John Dodson[/autotag]
The callout: “I’d love to come back here, it’s been an absolutely amazing experience. If the UFC do keep this venue here up and running, I’d love to get back on here. I’d like a rematch with John Dodson at some point, but I understand that (the matchmakers) won’t give that to me necessarily, so just whoever the matchmakers want me to fight, I’ll take whoever the UFC give me.”
The reality: [autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag] knows that he’s unlikely to get a rematch with John Dodson straight away, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to plant the seed in the matchmakers’ minds. The Brit was set to face undefeated debutant Umar Nurmagomedov on “Fight Island” but the death of his uncle – and father of cousin Khabib – Abdulmanap meant he withdrew from the event. Wood stayed on the card and showed off his evolving striking game against game debutant John Castaneda. Wood will have to take on, and beat, more established opposition before he can get his rematch, but after another performance full of positives, the Brit is trending in the right direction again.
Next up: Rising featherweight targets fellow hot prospect.
ABU DHABI – [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] is keeping his options open as to where he fights next.
On Saturday, Werdum (24-9-1 MMA, 12-6 UFC), a former UFC heavyweight champion, defeated Alexander Gustafsson by first-round armbar at UFC on ESPN 14 to snap a two-fight losing streak.
After the fight, Werdum became emotional when speaking in Portuguese in his post-fight interview. The fight was the final one on his UFC contract, and the likelihood of this being his last fight with the promotion (which he hinted it likely will be) drew out feelings of nostalgia.
“The emotion was because this is my last fight in the UFC,” Werdum told reporters, including MMA Junkie, during the post-fight news conference. “I had many years with the UFC. I don’t know how many I had with the UFC, like 10 years (or) 12 years. You know? I’m a working individual – on Spanish commentaries. I think almost all of my life was here. I love UFC for sure. I want to say thank you to the UFC for many things.”
Is Werdum closing the door on the UFC altogether? Is there no chance he changes his mind and re-signs with the promotion?
Werdum isn’t ruling anything out.
“I don’t say ‘no’ because I have to talk to (my manager) Ali (Abdelaziz) first,” Werdum said.
Regardless of whether his UFC career is over or not, Werdum asserted that he is not done fighting. At 42, Werdum stated his mind is still young. A win entering free agency could increase his market value.
“Sometimes you lose the last fight in the UFC, and it’s like everything changes,” Werdum said. “You know? I don’t know if I’m staying in the UFC or not or maybe with a different (promotion). I won’t stop (fighting). One hundred percent I’m not stopping. I have a couple fights (left). I told you before, I’m very young. My mind is young.”
When asked if he’d like to rematch current Bellator heavyweight [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag], Werdum excitedly jumped at the proposal. Werdum became the first man to defeat Emelianenko at a Strikeforce event in June 2010. The public is still interested in a rematch, Werdum said.
“This is 100 percent (true),” Werdum said. “I want to fight with Fedor, 100 percent. I respect him a lot. I want to give this opportunity to him to fight with me again. This has history: Me vs. Fedor in 2010. Ten years later, everybody wants to see this fight. I don’t know where, but for sure I want to fight with Fedor because I respect him. In my mind, he is the best in the world.”
UFC on ESPN 14 took place Saturday at Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The entire card simulcasted on ESPN and ESPN+.
Coronavirus has stalled Fedor’s retirement tour, but it’s still coming.
[autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag]’s retirement tour is still on tap – just on a new timeline.
Due to the global coronavirus pandemic, Emelianenko’s final fights will have to occur later than expected. Beyond that, Bellator president Scott Coker hopes to keep the plans in tact as much as possible.
“I definitely think (the pandemic) effected his timeline and the timeline we wanted to do for him,” Coker said in a recent interview with MMA Junkie. “We wanted him to fight some time in the fall. That might be tough now. The idea of Fedor was not to bring him into the States anymore. It was to fight in the Middle East or in Europe. In Japan, we already did that as our first one.”
In particular, Coker voiced excitement about the potential final stop on Emelianenko’s farewell tour: Moscow. If Bellator organizes an event there, it will be the first time the promotion has done so on Russian soil.
“The final one would be in Russia in Moscow,” Coker said. “We’d throw a fight in his home country where he lives now and put on a great show and bring Bellator there for the first time. I mean, look at how many great Russian fighters we have. It’s unbelievable. The list goes on and on. There’s some great talent there, and we’re scouting all the time. We’re going to be in the Russian fight business for a long time. We wanted to go there with Fedor. We wanted to do the first Bellator event there.”
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If he had to give a specific estimate in the current climate, Coker predicted the stops on the tour would each be delayed by four to five months.
“Now I think everything gets pushed back four of five months,” Coker said. “Something that we’re trying to do maybe at the beginning of the year might not go until May of next year. We’re going to do right. We’re going to do it in a way that’s health and safety first. Then, we’re going to put on some great fights. It’s going to be a matter of time.”
Coker said Bellator is targeting a summer return, possibly in July. With the promotion still on hiatus, Coker asked Bellator fans to remain patient until operations resume.
“I just tell all of the MMA fans out there: MMA fans, Bellator fans, just be patient,” Coker said. “We’re getting this thing together. I believe this, too, will pass at some point and then we’re going to get it on.”
Emelianenko’s last fight came in December, when he defeated former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson by first-round TKO at Bellator 237 in Japan.
Check out MMA Junkie’s full interview with Scott Coker below:
Watch Fedor Emelianenko make his first PRIDE heavyweight title defense in a trilogy bout against ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira in 2004.
[autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] is an MMA legend, and he largely built his empire during the PRIDE FC days.
At PRIDE Shockwave in December 2004, “The Last Emperor” defended his heavyweight belt for the first time in a trilogy bout with fellow veteran Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
The two had fought twice before. The first time, Emelianenko walked away with a decision win and the PRIDE heavyweight belt. Their second bout ended in a no contest due to an accidental headbutt.
The trilogy bout was a chess match between the two technicians. It went the distance and Emelianenko managed to get the nod from the judges in Saitama, Japan.
Relive the trilogy between the two legends in the video above.
Jay Glazer and Robin Black team up to deliver a YouTube update on all things Bellator in the promotion’s newest video feature, “The Dose.”
Do you have Bellator fever? Then the only prescription is “The Dose.”
Jay Glazer and Robin Black have teamed up for the promotion’s latest video franchise, with the duo shooting the Bellator breeze as they look back at some of the biggest performances from recent events and look ahead to the big-time matchups to come.
In the first episode of “The Dose,” Glazer and Black preview the Bellator 239 main event in Oklahoma, as former collegiate wrestling standout [autotag]Ed Ruth[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) faces off against Ukraine’s undefeated [autotag]Yaroslav Amosov[/autotag] (22-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) in a pivotal welterweight bout, while also highlighting the co-main event between [autotag]Myles Jury[/autotag] (18-5 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) and [autotag]Brandon Girtz[/autotag] (16-8 MMA, 8-6 BMMA).
The duo also take look back at flyweight champion [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 10-0 BMMA), who enjoyed a memorable win – and a memorable walkout – at Bellator 236, and the throwback fight between former PRIDE FC legends [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] (39-6 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) and [autotag]Quinton Jackson[/autotag] (38-13 MMA, 5-3 BMMA) at Bellator 237.
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We also hear from the fighters themselves, as Jenn Brown chats with newly-crowned featherweight queen [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] (22-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) and featherweight grand prix semifinalist [autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 11-2 BMMA) following their winning performances at Bellator 238.
Finally, Glazer and Black run through the current state of play in the Bellator featherweight grand prix, with the second half of the bracket set to play out and produce the second semifinal matchup with [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (30-4 MMA, 18-4 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Daniel Weichel[/autotag] (40-11 MMA, 9-3 BMMA) set for Bellator 241 in Uncasville on Mar. 13.
Relive the Bellator 237 headliner between Fedor Emelianenko and Quinton Jackson by watching the fight in its entirety.
Last week, Bellator turned back the clock by bringing two MMA legends back to the country in which they first became stars.
In the Bellator 237 main event, PRIDE veterans [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] and [autotag]Quinton Jackson[/autotag] stepped into the cage in front of the Japanese fans.
After a brief feeling-out process, Emelianenko (39-6 MMA, 3-2 BMMA), the former PRIDE heavyweight champion, began to look more comfortable in the attack. Before Jackson (38-14 MMA, 5-3 BMMA) could muster up any sort of offense, Emelianenko connected with a right cross. The shot glanced off of the left side of Jackson’s forehead, right above his eye.
Not only did the cross slice “Rampage” open, it sent the former UFC light heavyweight champ toppling to the ground. Referee Kevin MacDonald stepped in immediately and waved off the fight, while Emelianenko casually strolled away from his downed opponent.
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The victory placed Emelianenko back in the win column after suffering a loss to Ryan Bader in the Bellator heavyweight grand prix finals in January. The ageless Russian MMA legend has now won three out his most recent four outings.
Bellator 237, the promotion’s debut in Japan, took place this past Saturday (Sunday locally) at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, near Tokyo. The main card aired on Paramount and streamed on DAZN.
Check out the full Bellator 237 headlining fight between Fedor Emelianenko and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in the video above.
Here are 20 fights MMA Junkie hopes to see happen in 2020.
With a new year comes new things, including good ol’-fashioned fist fights. What kinds of matchups are we hoping to see in 2020? What kinds of bookings do we want the MMA gods to bless us with?
Here’s a list of some ideas and why they may (or may not) make sense:
Dillon Danis
20. [autotag]A.J. Agazarm[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Dillon Danis[/autotag]
This list is being kicked off by “El Jefe” himself. I know this will automatically trigger the Twitter trolls, but hear me out. Danis and Agazarm easily are two of the best grapplers Bellator has in its lighter weight classes. The two have competed against each other plenty of times in the grappling world and they don’t have a lot of love for each other. Their name value doesn’t match their experience level in MMA, so they both often have fights against unknown opponents, which makes their fights hard to promote.
So why not pit them against each other? It makes sense for both fighters skill-level wise, it could be a fun buildup, and we could certainly see some fun, world-class jiu-jitsu.
Bryce Mitchell
19.[autotag]Kron Gracie[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag]
Let’s keep the jiu-jitsu train rolling. Gracie is jiu-jitsu royalty and Mitchell scored a cool-looking submission in his most recent fight – a twister. The UFC certainly is not shy about throwing Gracie against someone with far more experience (cough, cough – Cub Swanson). I know Mitchell is a bit more experienced than Gracie, but not by a crazy margin. Both guys need fights and have interesting and opposing personalities. Why not?
There has only been one fight the UFC president wishes he could have booked, but was never able to.
UFC president Dana White has booked a lot of fights in his career.
The promotion has held more than 500 events since its inaugural show in November 1993, and White has steered the ship for most of them.
Just the past decade alone saw Conor McGregor superfights, Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva title defenses, and two grudge matches between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier. It saw McGregor cross over into boxing to fight Floyd Mayweather and two of the greatest female fighters of all time square off. It was the home for Ronda Rousey and the pro MMA debut of CM Punk.
But there’s one missed booking that escaped White – one he really wishes could have come to fruition: a megafight between two of MMA’s heavyweight icons.
In an interview with UFC.com released Thursday, White was asked outside of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson (which has been rebooked for April 2020), what fight he wished he could have booked.
“The only fight that I wanted to make that was never made was [autotag]Brock Lesnar[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag],” White said. “We were going to do it at Texas Stadium. But I couldn’t get a deal done with Fedor, so it never happened.”
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In the past, White has spoken about the failed Lesnar vs. Emelianenko booking. In early 2013, White revealed the promotion was deep into negotiations in 2012. However, the death of Emelianenko’s father temporarily halted the Russian heavyweight’s professional career. In turn, it permanently ended the talks of a matchup with Lesnar.
“We were in deep talks with (Emelianenko),” White said in January 2013. “We were that close to signing him recently, right before his dad died. We were right there. When I was talking about doing the big Dallas, Texas, stadium show? It was going to be Brock Lesnar vs. (Fedor Emelianenko).
“Remember when I met with him and said it didn’t go well? It actually went well. It went well, and Brock wanted to fight Fedor. Then (Fedor’s) dad died, and he was done.”
Since talks fizzled in 2012, Lesnar has retired from MMA twice. Emelianenko had also called it quits, but has since returned. Fighting under the Bellator banner, Emelianenko and the promotion have implied he has two fights left before he hangs the gloves up for good.
This list is filled with shocking and sensational knockouts and submissions from the 2010s.
Given that my colleagues already have done a fantastic job of covering everything from the top fighters to the top moments of the decade, I figured I’d contribute to the retrospective content by examining some of the more memorable fight finishes from the last 10 years – parsing out technical trends and evolution while paying homage to performances that are worthy of the ole “Baba O’Riley” highlight reel.
As you’d hope with any maturing sport, the cultural fist-fighting phenomena that is MMA has improved from many perspectives.
Aside from the obvious growth of audience and accessibility, the quality of fighting, in general, has seen a sure-and-steady uptick since 2010 – particularly in the athleticism department. In fact, you could argue that one of the quiet benefits to the global expansion and corporate interest-era of this past decade is the increase in the level of athletes we’re seeing accumulate in MMA’s proverbial talent pools.
Not only have more Olympic medalists and collegiate athletes successfully made the jump to mixed martial arts, but we’ve also seen small countries like Surname or unassuming giants like China make their mark in regards to flexing their athletic powers. Coupled with the ever-growing index of techniques (from fighting to fight prep), and we’ve been privy to fighters – from all around the world – finding increasingly fun and explosive ways to finish fights.
Since it’s practically impossible to include all of the best fight finishes from the past 10 years, I decided to limit myself to 20 selections that I believe helped shape the state of fighting over the last 10 years.
Without further ado …
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‘Shogun Rua’ knocks out Lyoto Machida
‘Shogun’ Rua and Lyoto Machida at UFC 113. (Getty Images)
Date: May 6, 2010 Event: UFC 113
With Frankie Edgar dethroning B.J. Penn just one month prior, the decade starts off with what are the beginnings of a trend in regards to “auras of invincibility” being shattered, as well as stylistic conundrums being figured out. And sure enough, after finishing the previous decade off with a sour decision at UFC 104, [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] exacted his revenge in 2010 by emphatically ending the undefeated streak of then-light heavyweight champion [autotag]Lyoto Machida[/autotag] at UFC 113.
Not only did Rua build off of his previous successes of low kicks and right hands to eventually find the crashing counter, but he also provided a useful blueprint for future fighters when it comes to dealing with karate stylists in mixed martial arts (see Douglas Lima vs. Michael Page or Anthony Pettis vs. Stephen Thompson).
Fabricio Werdum submits Fedor Emelianenko
Fabricio Werdum and Fedor Emelianenko in 2010. (Getty Images)
Date: June 26, 2010 Event: Strikeforce/M-1 Global: “Fedor vs. Werdum”
As I mentioned, 2010 in MMA was essentially the first few seasons of “Game of Thrones” wrapped into one year in regards to watching our heroes fall.
[autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag], who finishes 2009 with a surprisingly competitive fight with Brett Rogers, starts off the decade with a rude reminder from [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] that the guard still works in mixed martial arts.
At this particular time in the sport, the jiu-jitsu guard was trending down both in popularity and proven application at the highest levels; therefore seeing someone like Fedor (of all people) falling into the grappling honeytrap was incredibly surprising. To Werdum’s credit, he masterfully played possum like an NBA player trying to draw an offensive foul, further placating Fedor’s strong sense of security from topside – something that ultimately cost the Russian his legendary winning streak.
Anderson Silva submits Chael Sonnen
Anderson Silva submits Chael Sonnen at UFC 117.
Date: Aug. 7, 2010 Event: UFC 117
It’s hard to forget fights that happen on your birthday, especially when it comes to classics like this one.
[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag], who had surprised me with his brand of promotional candor since his WEC victory over Bryan Baker, ended up surprising us all by backing up his words when taking on the great [autotag]Anderson Silva[/autotag] at UFC 117.
After four-plus rounds of domination from Sonnen, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Silva was going by the wayside like Fedor, Penn and Machida had done months before him. However, despite being down on the scorecards (as well as sporting an injured rib), Silva shows off elite, clutch-player sensibilities that would make the likes of Michael Jordan or Reggie Miller proud, as the then-UFC champ secured a triangle-armbar submission in the fifth round that reminded us all there are no safe spaces in MMA so long as there’s time on the clock.
Edson Barboza TKOs Mike Lullo
Date: Nov. 20, 2010 Event: UFC 123
Legend bashing wasn’t the only thing going on in MMA back in 2010, as there were fighters like [autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag] stepping onto the scene to help start/reinforce the trend of leg bashing.
Sure, the decade prior had a solid offering of leg kickers like Pedro Rizzo, Pat Barry and Antoni Hardonk, but it’s hard to ignore that those men were all heavyweights while Barboza – the only fighter to officially earn two leg-kick TKOs under the UFC banner – is a lightweight.
Of course, Jose Aldo’s domination over Urijah Faber at WEC 48 would’ve also been a great example to list if it fit the bill for a fight finish, but it’s ultimately hard to deny Barboza’s consistent commitment to killing his opposition with kicks, as well as his contributions toward this decade’s trend of attacking the legs.
