Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Check out a full recap of 2022’s most significant footnotes and milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.
Now that the year has come to a close, and with a major assist from UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll, here are some of 2022’s most significant milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances in the octagon.
Molly McCann owns two of six spinning elbow knockouts in UFC history after UFC Fight Night 208.
The UFC’s encore in London did not live up to the standards of its visit to the city earlier this year. Nine of the 14 bouts at UFC Fight Night 208 on Saturday at The O2 went to a decision.
The heavyweight main event capped off in disappointing fashion when [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC) suffered a knee injury just 15 seconds into the fight, giving [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) a TKO victory.
For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 208.
Jonathan Pearce is on a roll since returning to 145 pounds.
[autotag]Jonathan Pearce[/autotag] is on a roll since returning to 145 pounds.
Pearce (11-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC) took out [autotag]Makwan Amirkhani[/autotag] (17-8 MMA, 7-6 UFC) in the second round Saturday to pick up a TKO win in their featherweight bout at UFC Fight Night 208 in London.
Pearce had to work hard in Round 1 to fend off Amirkhani’s takedowns, but he didn’t make it easy for him. Pearce was able to slice him open with some brutal elbows early and took over the fight in the second round. The 30-year-old reversed the visibly tired Amirkhani on the ground with beautiful scrambles until he got in top position and unleashed some vicious ground and pound, which forced the referee to stop the fight (via Twitter).
JSP with the G&P! 💥
⛔ @JSPMMA puts Mr. Finland out after a dominating performance! #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/L5zAJL9iUo
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) July 23, 2022
Since losing his UFC debut, Pearce has won four straight, three by finish. Amirkhani now has lost five of his past six.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 208 results include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 208.
[vertical-gallery id=2564511]
Check out the best photos from Jonathan Pearce’s TKO win over Makwan Amirkhani at Fight Night 208 in London.
Check out the best photos from [autotag]Jonathan Pearce[/autotag]’s TKO win over [autotag]Makwan Amirkhani[/autotag] at UFC Fight Night 208 at The O2 in London. (Photos by Per Haljestam, USA TODAY Sports)
Makwan Amirkhani will look to string together a winning streak when he meets surging contender Jonathan Pearce in July.
[autotag]Makwan Amirkhani[/autotag] will look to string together a winning streak when he meets a surging contender.
Amirkhani (17-7 MMA, 7-5 UFC) meets [autotag]Jonathan Pearce[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) on July 23 at UFC Fight Night from the O2 Arena in London. The event is expected to stream on ESPN+.
A person with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Iridium Sports Agency, which represents Pearce, was first to share the news.
With his back against the wall in his past outing, Amirkhani snapped a three-fight losing skid in March when he submitted Mike Grundy in just 57 seconds at UFC Fight Night 204. His 12th-career submission win earned him a Performance of the Night bonus.
Pearce has been on a role since dropping his promotional debut to Joe Lauzon in October 2019. The Dana White’s Contender Series graduate went on to score back-to-back finishes of Kai Kamaka and Omar Morales, followed by a unanimous decision win over Christian Rodriguez in February.
With the addition, the UFC London lineup includes:
[vertical-gallery id=2532620]
[vertical-gallery id=1136236]
Check out all the facts and figures from UFC Fight Night 204, which saw a record-setting nine bonuses issued on a historic card.
The UFC put on one of the most memorable events in its storied history on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 204, which went down at The 02 in London and featured a remarkable nine finishes out of 12 bouts.
The show closed with a swift and decisive performance from [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC), who submitted fellow heavyweight contender [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] (34-10 MMA, 8-4 UFC) in the first round of their fight to stay unbeaten inside the octagon.
For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for 53 post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 204.
Makwan Amirkhani needed less than a minute to put Mike Grundy to sleep in a critical career bout for both men at UFC Fight Night 204.
LONDON – [autotag]Makwan Amirkhani[/autotag] needed less than a minute to put [autotag]Mike Grundy[/autotag] to sleep in an absolutely critical career bout for both men at UFC Fight Night 204.
In a matchup in which both fighters entered on losing skids and highly motivated to get the job done, Amirkhani (13-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) locked in his patented anaconda choke on Grundy (16-8 MMA, 6-6 UFC) just 57 seconds into the featherweight fight at The 02.
Grundy was determined to get the win after revealing pre-fight his father was terminally ill. They showed his father cageside on the broadcast just before the bout began, but things didn’t play out the way that side hoped when Amirkhani locked in his technique early and squeezed until Grundy went out cold.
Check out the replay of the finish (via Twitter):
.@MakwanAmirkhani locked up the first round submission QUICK 😬 #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/KcVyfpRUni
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 19, 2022
Amirkhani said post-fight that he’s a soon-to-be father and now that he’s back in the win column, hopes he can get a quick turnaround.
“Dana White and Sean Shelby: Put me back in next week,” Amirkhani pleaded in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping.
[vertical-gallery id=2532418]
[listicle id=2532326]
The best facts and figures about UFC Fight Night 204, which will see Tom Aspinall and Arnold Allen attempt to keep their runs alive.
The UFC makes its long-awaited return to Europe on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 204, which takes place at The O2 in London and streams on ESPN+.
A clash of heavyweight contenders is featured in the main event of the card. Russia’s [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] (34-9 MMA, 8-3 UFC) will take on England’s [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in a matchup that will determine who takes the next step forward in title contention.
For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 32 pre-event facts going into UFC Fight Night 204.
Featherweights Makwan Amirkhani and Mike Grundy will look to rebound when they square off in March.
Featherweights [autotag]Makwan Amirkhani[/autotag] and [autotag]Mike Grundy[/autotag] will look to rebound when they square off in March.
Grundy (12-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) takes on Amirkhani (16-7 MMA, 6-5 UFC) at UFC Fight Night on March 19, which is targeted to take place in London.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Grundy and Amirkhani were originally scheduled to square off in March 2020 in London, but the entire card was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, Team Kaobon’s Grundy has dropped back-to-back decision losses to Movsar Evloev and Lando Vannata. His lone octagon win came in his debut when he stopped Nad Narimani in the second round.
Amirkhani also will aim to snap a losing skid. After winning three of four fights, including submission finishes over Chris Fishgold and Danny Henry, the 33-year-old has lost three straight to Edson Barboza, Kamuela Kirk and most recently Lerone Murphy at UFC 267 in October.
With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for March 19 includes:
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqvpne7c1q486dvv player_id=none image=https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
Six fighters were suspended for 180 days due to injuries sustained in Abu Dhabi.
Glover Teixeira lived out a championship dream at UFC 267, but it came with a price.
After the UFC light heavyweight title was wrapped around his waist for the first time, a goal he’d chased for two decades, Teixeira was handed a six-month suspension by the commissioning regulatory body for a right shoulder injury.
MMA Junkie obtained a list of medical suspensions Tuesday from MixedMartialArts.com, the official record keeper of the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC).
UFC 267 took place Saturday, Oct. 30 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.
Teixeira wasn’t the only one handed a potential 180-day suspension. Preliminary card fighters Albert Duraev, Benoit St-Denis, Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, Michal Oleksiejczuk, and Allan Nascimento were also given six-month terms.
Scroll below to see a complete list of UFC 267 suspensions below. It’s important to note fighters can become eligible to return to competition prior to suspension completion if they are cleared by a physician.
