A marathon 15-fight show meant six post-fight bonuses instead of the usual four on Saturday night.
[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] set a modern-day UFC record Saturday when he earned his second victory in 10 days, the shortest span between octagon wins since the days of one-night tournaments.
He’s also earned $100,000 more than his fight purses over that time span after notching his second “Performance of the Night” bonus in as many bouts.
Chimaev (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) overwhelmed Rhys McKee in a welterweight fight on the main card of UFC on ESPN 14 at Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The Russian competitor completely shut down his foe before earning the TKO stoppage at 3:09 of the opening round. For that, he took home “POTN” and an extra $50,000.
Previously, Chimaev’s first-round TKO of John Phillips in a middleweight fight at UFC on ESPN 13 also earned him a bonus.
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Meanwhile, with 15 fights on the show, the most since UFC 2 in 1994, the company handed out six post-fight bonuses, as opposed to the usual four. The remainder of the “Performance of the Night” winners were:
[autotag]Tanner Boser,[/autotag] the Canadian heavyweight who took a second-round KO victory over Raphael Pessoa
[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag], who in his UFC debut stopped Jake Collier via TKO just 45 seconds into their heavyweight fight
[autotag]Jesse Ronson,[/autotag] who, with a first-round submission of Nicolas Dalby, earned his very first UFC win after six years away from the promotion
[autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag], who submitted Gadzhimurad Antigulov in the first round of their light heavyweight bout
[autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag], the former UFC heavyweight champion, who had a first-round submission of Alexander Gustafsson and earned his fourth career postfight bonus
Khamzat Chimaev put himself in the UFC record books in a way that’s going to be very hard to beat at UFC on ESPN 14.
[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] entered the UFC record books in a way that’s going to be hard to beat Saturday at UFC on ESPN 14.
Chimaev (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) set a new mark for shortest gap between octagon victories in the modern era when he beat Rhys McKee (10-3-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) by first-round TKO in their welterweight bout just 10 days after submitting John Phillips at UFC on ESPN 13 on July 15.
Chas Skelly previously held the record for quickest turnaround between UFC wins at 13 days (not including one-night-tournaments during the UFC’s early days), which he set back in 2014. Many believed that record would be tough to top given the UFC schedule layout, but with the promotion firing off events in rapid fashion on “Fight Island,” Chimaev took advantage and got the job done twice at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
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What makes Chimaev’s feat even more impressive and unique, is the fact he did it across two weight classes. His finish of Phillips came in the middleweight division, then he dropped down to 170 pounds and beat McKee by quickly taking the Northern Ireland native down and battering him with ground-and-pound until the referee stepped in at the 3:09 mark of Round 1.
The accomplishment has managed to put the 26-year-old on the radar of UFC fans in short order. Many did not know who Chimaev was prior to his UFC debut, but his quick turnaround garnered him much attention, so they know now.
MMA Junkie senior editor Dave Doyle walks you through the key questions UFC on ESPN 14 will answer.
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The UFC’s debut run on “Fight Island” comes to a close on Saturday with a marathon card in Abu Dhabi.
Barring any last-minute dropouts, a whopping 15 fights will go down at UFC on ESPN 14 – the most since UFC 2 in 1994 – and several of those fights are consequential.
None more so than the evening’s main event, in which [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] returns to the cage for the first time since losing the middleweight championship to Israel Adesanya. There, he’ll take on another fighter with something to prove, English star [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag]. Till, a former welterweight title challenger, has successfully transitioned to 185 pounds, and he’s looking to prove he’s here to stay in his new division.Â
UFC on ESPN 14 takes place Saturday at Flash Forum on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
Without further ado, here are six burning questions heading into UFC on ESPN 14.
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Does Robert Whittaker still have it?
We’ll admit that, at first glance, this looks like a bit of a harsh question to ask of someone coming off only one loss, to Adesanya at that, following a nine-fight winning streak. But then you stop and consider that Whittaker has fought only once in the past two years and twice in the past three.Â
And that his body doesn’t seem to want to cooperate, from knee injuries to staph infections to a collapsed bowel.
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And you also consider that, even though Whittaker (20-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) hasn’t yet hit age 30, he’s been through some wars, including 10 absolutely grueling rounds with a killer in Yoel Romero.
Will this all go down as a detour along the way before Whittaker makes adjustments and returns to the top? Or might the lopsided second-round KO loss to Adesanya prove his ultimate turning point? A battle with Till (18-2-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) should give us a strong indication which way this is going.Â
The best facts and figures about UFC on ESPN 14, which features a Robert Whittaker vs. Darren Till middleweight main event.
The final event of the UFC’s inaugural “Fight Island” stint goes down Saturday with UFC on ESPN 14, which aires on ESPN and streams on ESPN+ from Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
A high-stakes matchup between middleweight contenders takes center stage in the main event. Former champ [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] (20-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) returns for the first time since losing the belt to Israel Adesanya in October when he meets [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] (18-2-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC), who looks to go 2-0 since moving to 185 pounds.
For more on the numbers behind the first 15-fight lineup in modern UFC history (and second overall along with UFC 2 in 1993), check below for 55 pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN 14.
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Main event
Robert Whittaker
Whittaker is the only New Zealand-born fighter in history to win a UFC championship.
Whittaker is 8-1 since he moved up to the UFC middleweight division in November 2014.
Whittaker and Yoel Romero combined for 239 significant strikes landed at UFC 225, the single-fight record for a five-fight UFC middleweight fight.
Whittaker’s seven fight-night bonuses for UFC middleweight bouts are tied for third most in divisional history behind Anderson Silva (11) and Romero (eight).
Darren Till
Till was successful in his middleweight debut when he beat Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 244 in November.
Till has outlanded his opponent in all but one of his UFC victories.
Till is one of five fighters in UFC history to land zero significant strikes in a championship bout defeat, as he did against Tyron Woodley at UFC 228. His 9:19 of cage time is the most of any fighter in the group. The previous high was 3:54.
Co-main event
Mauricio Rua
[autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] (26-11-1 MMA, 10-9-1 UFC) competes in his 21st UFC light heavyweight bout, the second most appearances in divisional history behind Jon Jones (22).
Rua’s 22 victories in UFC/PRIDE light-heavyweight competition are the most in combined divisional history.
Rua’s 18 stoppage victories in UFC/PRIDE/WEC/Strikeforce competition are fourth most in combined organizational history behind Mirko Filipovic (21), Wanderlei Silva (20) and Donald Cerrone (20).
Rua’s 17 knockout victories in UFC/PRIDE light-heavyweight competition are the most in combined divisional history.
Rua’s eight knockout victories in modern UFC light-heavyweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Chuck Liddell (nine).
Rua is the only light heavyweight in UFC history to earn his first six victories with the organization by knockout.
Rua’s 14 knockdowns landed in UFC light-heavyweight competition are tied with Liddell for most in divisional history.
Rua’s eight fight-night bonuses for UFC light-heavyweight fights are tied with Jones for most in divisional history.
[autotag]Antonio Rogerio Nogueira[/autotag] (23-9 MMA, 6-6 UFC), 44, is the oldest active fighter in the UFC light-heavyweight division.
Nogueira, 44, is the oldest of the 30 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
Remaining main card
Fabricio Werdum
[autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] (23-9-1 MMA, 11-6 UFC) is 9-4 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2012.
Werdum and Marcin Tybura combined for 282 significant strikes landed at UFC Fight Night 121, the second most in a UFC heavyweight bout Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier (304) at UFC 241.
[autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] (18-6 MMA, 10-6 UFC) moves up to the UFC heavyweight division for the first time. He made his previous 16 octagon appearances at light heavyweight.
Gustafsson is one of eight fighters UFC history to go at least 0-3 in championship fights. Joseph Benavidez Dan Henderson, Chad Mendes, Kenny Florian, Urijah Faber, Pedro Rizzo and Chael Sonnen have also come up short in three title fights.
[autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] (16-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) was the first UFC strawweight champion. She lost the belt to Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 185 in March 2015.
Esparza is 6-3 since losing the UFC strawweight title to Jedrzejczyk in March 2015.
Esparza competes in her 12th UFC strawweight bout, tied for the fourth most appearances in divisional history behind Angela Hill (15), Randa Markos (14) and Jedrzejczyk (13).
Esparza’s seven victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for second most in divisional history behind Jedrzejczyk (10).
Esparza has earned six of her seven UFC victories by decision.
Esparza has completed at least one takedown against 10 of her 11 UFC opponents.
Esparza’s 34 takedowns landed in UFC strawweight competition are tied with Claudia Gadelha for most in divisional history.
[autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag] (13-0-2 MMA, 2-0-2 UFC) four-fight UFC unbeaten streak at strawweight is tied for the fourth longest active streak in the division behind Tatiana Suarez (five), Yan Xiaonan (five) and Zhang Weili (five).
Rodriguez is the only female fighter in UFC history to fight to multiple draws.
[autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag] (12-4-1 MMA, 4-4-1 UFC) has earned all 12 of his career victories by stoppage.
Craig’s victory at 4:59 of Round 3 at UFC Fight Night 127 is the latest submission in a three-round UFC fight.
[autotag]Gadzhimurad Antigulov[/autotag] (20-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has earned 19 of his 20 career victories by stoppage. He’s earned 17 of those wins in Round 1.
[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] (20-8-1 MMA, 10-6 UFC) is 8-5 (with one no contest) over his multiple stints in UFC welterweight competition.
Oliveira vs. Yancy Medeiros at UFC 218 is the only fight in UFC history to feature two knockdowns for each fighter.
[autotag]Peter Sobotta[/autotag] (17-6-1 MMA, 4-5 UFC) is 4-2 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in May 2014.
Khamzat Chimaev
[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) makes his second UFC appearance in a 10-day stretch. He won at UFC on ESPN 13 on July 15.
Chimaev can set the record for fastest time between UFC wins with a victory at 11 days.
Chimaev has earned all seven of his career victories by stoppage. He’s finished four of those wins in Round 1.
[autotag]Rhys McKee[/autotag] (10-2-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), 24, is the youngest of the 30 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
Preliminary card
Francisco Trinaldo
[autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag] (25-7 MMA, 15-6 UFC) 12 UFC victories in Brazil are the most in company history.
Trinaldo is the only fighter in UFC history to earn two arm-triangle submission victories from half-guard.
Trinaldo’s nine decision victories in UFC lightweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Gleison Tibau (11).
[autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag] (18-3-1 MMA, 2-2-1 UFC) was successful in his return to the UFC for a second stint when he won at UFC on ESPN+ 18 in September.
[autotag]Jesse Ronson[/autotag] (21-10 MMA, 0-3 UFC) returns to the UFC for the first time since July 2014. He went 8-5 between stints with the promotion.
[autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since Nov. 11, 2017. The 987-day layoff is the longest of his nearly 10-year career.
Collier moves up to the UFC heavyweight division after spending his previous octagon appearances at light heavyweight and middleweight.
Collier can become the 11th fighter in UFC history to win in three weight classes.
Collier has alternated wins and losses over his past seven fights. He won his most recent bout at UFC Fight Night 120 in November 2017.
Collier is one of five fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a spinning back kick to the body. He accomplished the feat at UFC Fight Night 88.
Tanner Boser
[autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag] (18-6-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) makes his second UFC appearance in a 28-day stretch. He won at UFC on ESPN 12 on June 27.
[autotag]Bethe Correia[/autotag] (11-4-1 MMA, 5-4-1 UFC) competes in her 11th UFC women’s bantamweight bout, tied for the third most appearances in divisional history behind Raquel Pennington (13) an Amanda Nunes (12).
Correia and Marion Reneau fought to the first draw in women’s UFC history at UFC Fight Night 106.
[autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) has earned 14 of his 16 career victories by stoppage. That includes all three of his UFC wins.
Wood’s three submission victories in UFC bantamweight competition are tied for fifth most in divisional history behind Urijah Faber (six), Rani Yahya (five), Aljamain Sterling (four) and Marlon Vera (four).
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
Hot on the heels of his impressive debut win, Khamzat Chimaev returns to action in Abu Dhabi on July 25 against debutant Rhys McKee.
One of the most impressive debut performers on “UFC Fight Island” has earned himself a swift turnaround and a chance to repeat the trick at the same venue.
Sweden’s [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] defeated Welsh knockout artist John Phillips via second-round D’Arce choke at UFC on ESPN+ 30 on Wednesday night at Yas Island, Abu Dhabi in a performance that earned rave reviews.
That victory saw Chimaev move up to middleweight for his octagon debut, but now the 26-year-old will be given the opportunity to make a quick turnaround and compete at his optimal weight class of welterweight when he returns to action Saturday night at UFC on ESPN 14 at Flash Forum.
Chimaev (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) will take on former Cage Warriors welterweight contender [autotag]Rhys McKee[/autotag]. The fight was confirmed by UFC president Dana White during the post-fight press conference at UFC on ESPN+ 30.
UFC on ESPN 14 takes place Saturday at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
McKee (10-2-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is a previous lightweight champion for U.K. promotion BAMMA and, after signing for Cage Warriors in 2018, picked up a pair of stoppage wins in the promotion’s lightweight division.
Most recently, McKee opted to start a new chapter in his career as he moved up to welterweight and scored a 63-second knockout of Hakon Foss to position himself for a shot at the promotion’s 170-pound strap.
But now, instead of preparing for a title shot during Cage Warriors’ scheduled three-night triple-header in September, McKee is packing his bags and getting ready to head to Yas Island for his octagon debut.
With the addition, the UFC on ESPN 14 lineup includes:
Khamzat Chimaev debuted Wednesday, and he’s ready to get right back to work.
ABU DHABI – [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] might have the chance to make history.
According to UFC president Dana White, the promotion is angling to schedule Chimaev (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) for his second UFC fight at its upcoming event on July 25. The scramble to make another matchup for the surging Dagestani prospect comes just two days after he made his promotional debut at UFC on ESPN 13.
“He asked me that night (for another fight in Abu Dhabi),” White said, when speaking to reporters after the UFC on ESPN+ 30 weigh-ins on Friday. “I said why not? Yeah. All right. Let’s do it.”
In his promotional debut Wednesday, Chimaev turned heads with a dominant short-notice victory over John Phillips. After a lopsided first round that resulted in 10-7 scoring from one of the three cage-side judges, Chimaev submitted Phillips in Round 2.
While White confirmed the UFC’s intentions, he said the promotion has yet to find Chimaev an opponent. That’s a task UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard is currently working on.
“We are (trying to find someone for him),” White said. “As far as I know, we’re still looking. (UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard) is working on something for him right now. We’ll see what we can figure out.”
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If Chimaev gets a fight booked on the event, he’d have the opportunity to set a modern-era UFC record with victories 10 days apart. Chas Skelly holds the record in the post-tournament era at 13.
The UFC event on July 25 will take place at Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Broadcast information is not finalized at this time.
Episode No. 277 of “The MMA Road Show with John Morgan” podcast is now available for streaming and download.
Episode No. 277 of “The MMA Road Show with John Morgan” podcast is now available for streaming and download.
MMA Junkie lead staff reporter John Morgan hosts the show while traveling the world to cover the sport.
It’s one of the craziest days in recent memory for anyone covering the UFC, with a live event followed hours later by a media day for another card. John Morgan sits down with The Mac Life’s Oscar Willis to talk about it all, and interviews with [autotag]Mounir Lazzez[/autotag], [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] and [autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag] are shared along the way.
Take a look inside Khamzat Chimaev’s submission win over John Phillips at UFC on ESPN 13 in Abu Dhabi.
ABU DHABI – [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] beat John Phillips with a second-round submission Wednesday to close out the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 13 in Abu Dhabi.
Take a look inside the fight with Chimaev, who won his UFC debut and kept his unbeaten streak intact with his seventh finish in seven fights.
“I never felt in trouble. I do this with all my opponents – I smash them all, first round, second round. I have seven wins, seven finishes.”
Chimaev on returning to welterweight
“I feel amazing. This was the plan: Smash the guy, take the money and go home. My coach told me, ‘You have to do wrestling now. Take him down and smash him.’ I listen to my coach. I did this. This division is not my division, … but I felt good. I did this before – same weight class. But down in weight is much better for me. I want to be champion at welterweight. I’m going to be champion in that.”
Chimaev on what he wants next
“I could fight next week if they have (a fight). I told them, ‘Give me Donald Cerrone.’ If they give (him to) me, it’d be an amazing fight for me. I’m going to smash him and everybody is going to talk about it.”
To hear more from Chimaev, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here!
On Episode No. 3,070 of the podcast, the fellas unpack Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 13 event, which took place on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi.
THE RUNDOWN
UFC on ESPN 13 featured [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] winning a big featherweight bout over Dan Ige in the main event to cement himself as a contender in the division. Some thoughts on the fight and what comes next.
[autotag]Mounir Lazzez[/autotag], [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] and [autotag]Jack Shore[/autotag] were all newcomers who came away with wins at UFC on ESPN 13. And they all looked pretty damn good doing it. Could we have a group of future stars on our hands?
Jimmie Rivera defeated Cody Stamann by unanimous decision in the featured bout. Stamann fought just five weeks earlier and won. Was it too soon for a second fight under these circumstances?
Bellator is back next week after five months away, with Bellator 242 taking place July 24. We take a look at the card and offer some thoughts.
Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio, or check it out above. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.
Thoughts and analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC on ESPN 13, which took place Wednesday in Abu Dhabi.
What mattered most at UFC on ESPN 13 in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi? Here are a few post-fight musings …
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1. Calvin Kattar proves he belongs
[autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] left no doubt about his position as a top featherweight with his win over Dan Ige in the main event. Yes, we knew he was good before the unanimous decision, but the performance answered some critical questions about exactly where he fits in.
Kattar’s win over Jeremy Stephens at UFC 249 was a highlight-reel finish, but “Lil’ Heathen” is on a five-fight slide, so it’s hard to quantify what that really means. Ige, meanwhile, brought a six-fight winning streak into the matchup and all the momentum a fighter could ask for.
That momentum was brought to a halt by Kattar, who showed off his slick boxing, durability and conditioning to go five rounds at a strong pace. Those are all tools “The Boston Finisher” will need if he wants to make it to the very top of the stacked 145-pound division. Kattar has solid fight IQ and knows how to fight to his strengths, though, and that will take him a long way.
At this point it’s almost impossible to pick a bad fight for Kattar when sifting through the rest of the division’s contenders. That’s a credit to his style, and unless something dramatic changes, Kattar is going to be part of the conversation at featherweight for years to come.
