Tag: LFA 82

MMA Junkie’s ‘Submission of the Month’ for February: The ‘black belt killer’

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submission from February 2020.

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from February 2020: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Submission of the Month” award for February.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.

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The Nominees

Daniel Rodriguez def. Tim Means at UFC on ESPN+ 25

[autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) rose to the occasion in his UFC debut, taking out Tim Means (29-12-1 MMA, 11-9 UFC), a 21-fight veteran of the organization, in the second round of their welterweight bout.

After battering Means on the feet and putting him in serious danger of a knockout, Rodriguez changed his attack to a standing guillotine choke. It went in deep, and shortly thereafter Means tapped and the fight was over.

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Alex Polizzi def. Jamal Pogues at LFA 82

[autotag]Alex Polizzi[/autotag] (6-0) scored his ticket to a Bellator contract by claiming the LFA light heavyweight title with a submission finish of Jamal Pogues (7-3) in the championship rounds.

Although submissions decrease in likelihood later into fights, Polizzi snatched the leg of Pogues in the early stages of the fourth round and locked in a heel hook. Pogues tapped out, and Polizzi remained undefeated in his young career.

Georgi Karakhanyan def. Paul Redmond at Bellator Europe 7

In his return to the lightweight division, [autotag]Georgi Karakhanyan[/autotag] (29-10-1 MMA, 7-8 BMMA) picked up a much-needed win against Paul Redmond (15-9 MMA, 2-1 BMMA).

After going on a three-fight drought, Karakhanyan had an entertaining battle with Redmond before locking in a guillotine choke in the early stages of the round to finish the fight and get his hand raised for the first time in 21 months.

Jimmy Crute def. Michal Oleksiejczuk at UFC on ESPN+ 26

[autotag]Jimmy Crute[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) rebounded from the first loss of his career with an impressive finish of Michal Oleksiejczuk (14-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) in their light heavyweight matchup.

Crute put his sizable ground advantage to use when he put Oleksiejczuk on his back and synched in a Kimura to elicit the tap in just over three minutes.

Jordan Griffin def. TJ Brown via guillotine choke at UFC on ESPN+ 27

Just when it seemed he was not going to get the finish, [autotag]Jordan Griffin[/autotag] (18-7 MMA, 1-2 UFC) choked TJ Brown (14-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC) out cold.

Attempting to lock in a guillotine choke from bottom position, Griffin’s attempt to finish the fight appeared that it would be unfruitful. Seconds later, though, the fight was over and Griffin had his first UFC win.

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The Winner: Jordan Griffin

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Griffin’s first UFC win was an impressive one.

After going 0-2 with two unanimous decision losses to kick off his octagon tenure, Griffin needed to get his hand raised in order to ensure his future with the organization.

He did just that, and in slick fashion, no less.

Griffin went for a usual guillotine choke while on bottom, which cageside commentator Michael Bisping wrote off as having any real chance of finishing the fight. He was wrong, however, because Griffin was able to finish the fight with a useful technique.

“I love that choke – that’s one of my go-to submissions,” Griffin said. “When you hook that in over the shoulder, it’s almost impossible to escape. People think they can circle around because their legs are free, but that actually makes it tighter. As soon as I locked it in, I knew it was over and that he was out. That’s my black belt killer right there.”

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MMA Junkie’s ‘Knockout of the Month’ for February: An all-time Bellator upset

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from February 2020.

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from February 2020: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Knockout of the Month” award for February.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.

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The Nominees

Khaos Williams def. Alex Morono at UFC 247

A short-notice replacement for injured welterweight Dhiego Lima, [autotag]Khaos Williams[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) entered enemy territory and trucked Alex Morono (17-6 MMA, 6-3 UFC) as a massive underdog.

Williams came out fists-a-flying, winging punches at the Fortis MMA product. Morono retreated, but his back hit the cage, and he couldn’t escape Williams’ heat. Eventually Williams landed a hard combination that crumpled Morono. Follow-up shots added insult to injury before the referee pulled Williams off the fallen Texan after just 27 seconds.

Jan Blachowicz def. Corey Anderson at UFC on ESPN+ 25

[autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] (26-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC), who has been on the list of contenders at 205 pounds for quite some time but never quite made it to the top, knocked Corey Anderson (13-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) cold in the opening round of their rematch.

With champ Jon Jones closely watching, Blachowicz earned the knockout just over three minutes into the fight when he connected with a wicked right hand that found the home. Anderson went down in a heap, and Blachowicz got revenge for a decision loss in the first fight back in 2015.

Timothy Johnson def. Tyrell Fortune at Bellator 239

Based on betting odds alone, [autotag]Timothy Johnson[/autotag] (13-6 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) pulled off one of the great upsets in Bellator history when he shocked top heavyweight prospect Tyrell Fortune (8-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) in the first round.

Merely seen as the next name on Fortune’s flourishing resume, Johnson had other plans when he found the chin of his opponent early in the fight. Fortune couldn’t handle the clean shot, and was knocked out upon impact for the stunning result.

Jake Childers def. Nate Togbah Richardson at LFA 82

Undefeated featherweight [autotag]Jake Childers[/autotag] (8-0) kept his perfect record intact with a first-round victory over Nate Togbah Richardson (7-2), and while the result wasn’t necessarily a surprise, the way it ended certainly was intriguing.

Working from the clinch in the opening frame, Childers wrapped the body and elevated Richardson in the air before slamming him to the canvas. The impact was enough to render Richardson unconscious, and Childers was awarded the knockout victory.

Priscila Cachoeira def. Shana Dobson at UFC on ESPN+ 26

In desperate need of a win after dropping three consecutive fights to begin her UFC tenure, [autotag]Priscila Cachoeira[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) came through big with a brilliant first-round knockout of Shana Dobson (3-4 MMA, 1-3 UFC).

Cachoeira wasted no time getting into the fight. She was aggressive from the outset, and Dobson clearly wasn’t ready for it. The Brazilian caught Dobson with an uppercut in the opening seconds, putting her down and wrapping the fight up in a mere 40 seconds.

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The Winner: Timothy Johnson

Fortune raised eyebrows during Bellator 239 fight week by proclaiming himself the best heavyweight in the world. However, Johnson had something to say about that when they got into the cage together.

Veteran Johnson, who was previously winless in Bellator, used a hellacious right hand to knock Fortune cold in the opening round of their main card bout. The knockout came at the 2:35 mark of the round.

There wasn’t much going on up until the fight’s climactic moment. The duo stalked one another and tried to figure out their ranges.

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Johnson plainly found his first, as he flicked a left and then landed his bomb flush on the jaw. Fortune was out by the time he hit the mat and the fight was waved off.

The Las Vegas-based competitor had been in a bad way in recent outings, dropping five off his past eight and losing his first two bouts after leaving the UFC for Bellator. It’s almost needless to say he was thrilled with the result.

“It feels weird – it’s been a while since I’ve been in the win column,” Johnson said after his sixth career KO/TKO victory. “That was definitely what I needed. I needed to come out and make a statement.”

Fortune, whose entire career has been with Bellator, was knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten.

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Video: Did this man just get knocked out by his own shoulder?

Friday’s LFA 82 event featured one of the craziest slam knockouts in recent memory.

Friday’s LFA 82 event featured one of the craziest slam knockouts in recent memory.

In the night’s co-main event, undefeated featherweight [autotag]Jake Childers[/autotag] kept his perfect record intact with a first-round victory over [autotag]Nate Togbah Richardson[/autotag] at Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake, Minn. The bout streamed live on UFC Fight Pass.

While the result wasn’t necessarily a surprise, the way it ended certainly was intriguing. Working from the clinch in the opening frame, Childers (8-0) wrapped the body and elevated Richardson (7-2) in the air before slamming him to the canvas. The impact was enough to render Richardson unconscious, and Childers was awarded the knockout victory.

While slam knockouts are rare enough, it was how the finish occurred that made it especially interesting. As Richardson hit the floor, Childers’ forehead slammed into his chin. At the same time, Richardson’s temple seemed to slam into his own shoulder, as well.

UFC Hall of Famer Pat Miletich identified the shoulder as the culprit, though replays weren’t entirely conclusive.

Judge for yourself, courtesy of UFC Fight Pass, where you can watch LFA 82 in its entirety.

Fight footage courtesy of UFC Fight Pass, the UFC’s official digital subscription service, which is currently offering a seven-day free trial. UFC Fight Pass gives fans access to exclusive live UFC events and fights, exclusive live MMA and combat sports events from around the world, exclusive original and behind the scenes content and unprecedented 24-7 access to the world’s biggest fight library.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

LFA 82 heads to Minnesota with vacant light heavyweight title fight on tap

LFA’s vacant light heavyweight strap will be up for grabs in February.

The first LFA title fight of the decade has been booked.

[autotag]Alex Polizzi[/autotag] and [autotag]Jamal Pogues[/autotag] collide for the vacant light heavyweight strap at LFA 82, the promotion announced on Saturday.

The event takes place Feb. 21 at Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake, Minn. It will stream on UFC Fight Pass.

A product of Chosen Few Gym in Wisconsin, Polizzi (5-0) will compete in his second LFA fight when he meets Pogues (7-2). The 28-year-old fighter has also competed for Final Fight Championship, Pure FC, and Chosen Few FC.

Through five professional outings, Polizzi has never seen the judges’ scorecards. He currently holds four TKO wins and one submission victory.

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As for Pogues, the 24-year-old Californian most recently competed (and won) on this past season of “Dana White’s Contender Series.” Although he didn’t earn a UFC contract, his performance impressed the promotion’s brass.

UFC president Dana White suggested Pogues get a few more reps in on the regional scene before he takes the jump to the big leagues.

Also added to LFA 82, a co-main event matchup between surging featherweight up-and-comers [autotag]Nate Richardson[/autotag] (7-1) and [autotag]Jake Childers[/autotag] (7-0). Additionally, a flyweight bout between undefeated fighters [autotag]Sean Stebbins[/autotag] (2-0) and [autotag]Nate Smith[/autotag] (5-0) has been added to the card.

Check out the official LFA 82 poster below: