Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 26 event in Auckland, New Zealand.
While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a UFC win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.
Inside, see what the fighters from UFC on ESPN+ 26 went with as their backing tracks in Auckland, New Zealand.
See the best stats and figures about UFC Auckland, which features a Paul Felder vs. Dan Hooker lightweight main event.
The UFC hosts an event in New Zealand for just the third time in company history on Saturday with UFC on ESPN+ 26, which takes place at Spark Arena in Auckland and features a 13-fight lineup that streams entirely on ESPN+.
A key lightweight matchup with some bad blood is featured in the main event. [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) and [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] (19-8 MMA, 9-4 UFC) get an opportunity to headline a card for the first time when they jockey for position in the title picture of arguably the sport’s deepest weight class.
There’s a lot on the line atop the card, but there’s more to it, too. Check below for 40 pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN+ 26.
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Felder competes in his first UFC main event.
Felder is 7-2 in his past nine UFC appearances dating back to January 2016.
Felder’s three UFC knockouts stemming from elbow strikes are tied with Curtis Blaydes for most in company history.
Felder is one of seven fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout victory stemming from a spinning backfist. He accomplished the feat at UFC 182.
Hooker is 6-1 since he moved up to the UFC lightweight division in June 2017.
Hooker has earned 17 of his 19 career victories by stoppage. That includes eight of his nine UFC wins.
Hooker has earned UFC knockouts stemming from a punch, kick, knee and elbows.
Hooker lands 6.16 significant strikes per minute in UFC lightweight competition, the fourth best rate in divisional history behind Justin Gaethje (8.57), TJ Grant (6.83) and Dustin Poirier (6.51).
[autotag]Jim Crute[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC), 23, is the youngest of the 26 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
Crute’s victory at the 4:51 mark of Round 3 at UFC Fight Night 142 is the second latest finish in a three-round UFC light heavyweight fight behind Paul Craig over Magomed Ankalaev at 4:59 of Round 3 at UFC Fight Night 127.
[autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag]’s (14-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) three knockdowns landed at UFC on ESPN+ 7 are tied for second most in a UFC light heavyweight bout behind Rountree’s four knockdowns landed at UFC 236.
Oleksiejczuk’s three knockdowns landed in 44 seconds are the most in the least amount of octagon time in a single UFC fight.
[autotag]Karolina Kowalkiewicz[/autotag]’s (12-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of her career. She hasn’t earned a victory since April 2018.
Kowalkiewicz is 2-5 in her past seven fights dating back to when she challenged for the UFC strawweight title in November 2016.
Kowalkiewicz has earned all five of her UFC victories by decision. She hasn’t earned a stoppage since May 2014.
Kowalkiewicz defends 83.7 percent of all opponent takedown attempts in UFC strawweight competition, the highest rate in divisional history.
[autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is 8-0 (with one no contest) since returning from a nearly five-year layoff in July 2015.
Xiaonan’s four-fight UFC winning streak in strawweight competition is tied for the second longest active streak in the division behind Tatiana Suarez (five).
Xiaonan landed 150 significant strikes against Syuri Kondo at UFC Fight Night 141, the single-fight record for a three-round UFC strawweight fight.
Xiaonan has earned all four of her UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Ben Sosoli[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has had his past two fights result in a no contest.
[autotag]Marcos Rogerio de Lima[/autotag] (16-6-1 MMA, 5-4 UFC) has alternated wins and losses over his past eight fights. He was defeated in his most recent bout at UFC on ESPN+ 3 in February 2019.
De Lima is 2-1 when competing in UFC heavyweight bouts.
De Lima has earned 14 of his 16 career victories by stoppage. He’s finished 13 of those wins in Round 1.
[autotag]Magomed Mustafaev[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) has earned all 14 of his career victories by stoppage. He’s finished all three of his UFC wins by knockout.
Mustafaev is one of three fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a spinning back kick to the head. Renan Barao and Uriah Hall also accomplished the feat.
[autotag]Zubaira Tukhugov[/autotag] (18-4-1 MMA, 3-1-1 UFC) completes 56.5 percent of his takedown attempts in UFC featherweight competition, the second best rate in divisional history behind Diego Brandao (68 percent).
[autotag]Jake Matthews[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) is 4-1 since he moved up to the UFC welterweight division in November 2017.
Matthews defends 71.6 percent of all opponent significant strike attempts in UFC welterweight competition, the third best rate in divisional history behind Georges St-Pierre (73 percent) and Luigi Fioravanti (71.9 percent)
[autotag]Emil Meek[/autotag] (9-4-1 MMA, 1-2 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since July 22, 2018. The 580-day layoff is the longest of his nearly nine-year career.
Meek enters the event on the first losing skid of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since December 2016.
Meek has been taken down 17 times in his three UFC appearances.
[autotag]Tyson Nam[/autotag] (18-10-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC), 36, is the oldest of the 26 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
[autotag]Loma Lookboonmee[/autotag] (4-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is the only Thai-born fighter in history to earn a UFC victory.
[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag] (11-7 MMA, 6-7 UFC) competes in her 14th UFC strawweight bout, the most appearances in divisional history.
Hill makes her sixth UFC appearance in a 10-month stretch, the most in modern company history within that timeframe.
Hill is 5-5 since she returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2017.
Hill’s six victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Joanna Jedrzejczyk (nine) and Jessica Andrade (seven).
Hill’s two knockout victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied with Jedrzejczyk for second most in divisional history behind Rose Namajunas (three).
[autotag]Priscila Cachoeira[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 0-3 UFC) has suffered three consecutive losses after starting her career 8-0. She hasn’t earned a victory since September 2017.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
It was a great adjustment by Atlanta’s offense, who called the perfect audible to Philadelphia’s blitz on fourth down. Perhaps the best part about the play was the block from left tackle Jake Matthews that set up Jones’ running lane.
The Atlanta Falcons defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2, momentarily giving fans hope before losing their next six games. While there were very few highlights during the team’s 1-7 start to the season, the win over the Eagles remains one of the high points of the year.
Trailing by four, with just over two minutes remaining, the Falcons connected on a wide receiver screen to Julio Jones that went 54 yards for the game-winning touchdown.
It was a great adjustment by Atlanta’s offense, who called the perfect audible to Philadelphia’s blitz on fourth down. Perhaps the best part about the play was the block from left tackle Jake Matthews that set up Jones’ running lane.
Watch below as Matthews absolutely demolishes Eagles cornerback Avonte Maddox:
That block though….😳
Happy birthday, @jakematthews70! pic.twitter.com/IO3a1xVqVV
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) February 11, 2020
Matthews, who turned 28 years old today, quietly had another solid season. Pro Football Focus ranked him at No. 96 on their top 101 players of 2019 list.
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Wide receiver Julio Jones and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett were voted into the Pro Bowl and onto the NFL’s All-Pro second team by the Associated Press after outstanding seasons.
The Atlanta Falcons had a down year, but the team’s top players were at their best in 2019. Wide receiver Julio Jones and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett were voted into the Pro Bowl and onto the NFL’s All-Pro second team by the Associated Press after outstanding seasons.
Left tackle Jake Matthews was the first Falcons player to be named in Pro Football Focus’ top 101 players of 2019, coming in at No. 96. The rest of the list has been released and it rightfully includes Jones and Jarrett in the top 30.
Jones was ranked at No. 25 by PFF’s Sam Monson, who wrote the following:
Julio Jones had something of a down year in 2019, yet he still ended the season with 1,394 yards and 99 receptions from 149 targets. Jones had the third-best PFF receiving grade among wide receivers (90.3) and gained 2.44 yards per route run, the fifth-best mark in the league. This represents the first season in the last five in which Jones didn’t lead the NFL in that yards per route run category.
It wasn’t Jones’ best year, but considering the circumstances surrounding his contract, the struggles of the run game and Atlanta’s hazy first half of the season, his production during a “down year” was still among the best at his position.
As for Jarrett, he landed two spots behind Jones at No. 27 on the list. Here’s some of what Monson wrote about the Falcons’ star defensive tackle:
All was not well in Atlanta this season, but Grady Jarrett’s performance on the interior of the defensive line was as good as ever. He backed up last season’s career-best PFF grade of 90.4 with one of 90.1 this season. He tallied 46 total pressures and 40 defensive stops, and he once again earned impressive grades in both the pass-rush and against the run.
There’s really nothing negative you can say about Jarrett’s season, apart from Atlanta’s lack of team success. With both players locked up for the next few years, the Falcons could return to form with a few tweaks in the offseason.
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The Falcons can’t salvage their season after starting 3-8, however, a Thanksgiving night victory over the NFC South leading New Orleans Saints would complete a season sweep of the team’s most-hated rival.
The Falcons can’t salvage their season after starting 3-8, however, a Thanksgiving night victory over the NFC South leading New Orleans Saints would complete a season sweep of the team’s most-hated rival.
While it seems unlikely, Atlanta did beat the Saints convincingly just three weeks ago. After a nice win over the Panthers the following week, the Falcons came crashing back to earth during Sunday’s loss to the Bucs.
As you sit around waiting for the Cowboys–Bills game to be over, check out this pregame hype video the team released previewing tonight’s matchup:
A prime time NFC South showdown.
It's #NOvsATL. pic.twitter.com/Ypi3x2eTx9
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) November 28, 2019
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Atlanta lost the momentum it had built during its two-game winning streak when the team gave up six sacks in an embarrassing loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
Atlanta lost the momentum it had built during its two-game winning streak when the team gave up six sacks in an embarrassing loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
The Falcons are now 3-8 entering their prime-time Thanksgiving matchup with the Saints. Jake Matthews, the team’s veteran left tackle, talked earlier this week about what the line needs to do to get back on track in Week 13.
Watch below, as tweeted by ESPN’s Vaughn McClure:
Jake Matthews looking to clean up the penalties and the protection pic.twitter.com/45VCYZUbaY
— vaughn mcclure (@vxmcclure23) November 25, 2019
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The Panthers will be hosting the Falcons this week in their third NFC South game of the season.
The Panthers will be hosting the Falcons this week in their third NFC South game of the year. A win should keep them afloat in a crowded wild card race, but a loss might effectively sink any realistic hope of making the postseason.
Here are four key matchups we will be watching on Sunday.
James Bradberry missed last week’s game against the Packers, but he’s expected to play and should be able to hold his own against Julio Jones. However, Donte Jackson and Ross Cockrell might both be ruled out, which would leave Carolina rather thin at cornerback. That means Cole Luke and Corn Elder could both see significant playing time. With tight end Austin Hooper out, it will leave Atlanta’s options on offense very limited if they can shut down Ridley. In his two meetings with the Panthers last season, Ridley totaled 154 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He only needed seven catches to get those numbers.
