Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 25 event in Rio Rancho, N.M.
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+ 25 went with as their backing tracks in Rio Rancho, N.M.
Montana ended things on a high note as she and her husband, Mark, became the first married couple to compete on the same UFC card.
History was made Saturday when the husband-and-wife combo of Mark and [autotag]Montana De La Rosa[/autotag] became the first married couple ever to compete on the same UFC card.
And while Mark came up short in his preliminary fight at UFC on ESPN+ 25, Montana (11-5 MMA, 4-1 UFC) earned redemption for the duo during her main-card flyweight bout against [autotag]Mara Romero Borella[/autotag].
In the process, Montana demonstrated she is high on a short list of potential challengers to flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko.
Montana used a superior grappling game to overwhelm her opponent and earn a unanimous decision at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, N.M. The judges’ scores were 30-27 across the board.
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Borella (12-7 MMA, 2-3 UFC) had her best effort in the first round as she scored a takedown and earned top position. But by midway, Montana had reversed position, taken the fight back to the feet, and climbed into a backpack position on the standing Borella, which was enough for her to take the round.
In the second, Montana controlled the action on the ground as she relentlessly improved her position and sought openings for submission attempts, which, to Borella’s credit, were fended off.
The final round opened with Borella trying to keep things standing, but she ate a right hand for her trouble, which knocked her to the mat. Montana worked for the finish and had her opponent in a head-and-arm choke when time expired.
Montana now has won five of her last six fights. It was her first decision victory in the UFC after earning decisions in her first three. Borella has lost two in a row and three of her past four.
After a week in which the fact a married couple was fighting on the same card garnered attention, Montana acknowledged it was a challenge, but she was glad to have the experience.
“It feels great. It was hard, but it was well worth it,” she said.
In the evening’s opening contest, Mark (11-4 MMA, 2-4 UFC) was defeated in the second round by Raulian Paiva, who earned his first UFC victory. The flyweight matchup was pretty much a straight boxing match most of the way, and Mark may have gotten the edge in a back-and-forth opening round. But Paiva (19-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) picked up the pace in the second, began landing, and finished things via a big right hand with 18 seconds remaining in the second round. It was Mark’s third straight loss.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN+ 25 results include:
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Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ESPN+ 25 main card in Rio Rancho, N.M.
| Anderson vs. Blachowicz |
Pereira vs. Sanchez |
Borella vs. De La Rosa |
Vargas vs. Weaver |
Bontorin vs. Borg |
Medeiros vs. Vannata |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2020: 13-7 |
 Anderson (57%) |
 Pereira (58%) |
 De La Rosa (83%) |
 Weaver (71%) |
 Borg (61%) |
 Medeiros (62%) |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 2020: 17-3  2017 Champion |
Anderson |
Pereira |
De La Rosa |
Weaver |
Borg |
Medeiros |
| Simon Head @simonhead 2020: 16-4 2019 Champion* |
Anderson |
Pereira |
De La Rosa |
Weaver |
 Bontorin |
Medeiros |
| John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2020: 16-4 |
Anderson |
 Sanchez |
De La Rosa |
Weaver |
Bontorin |
Medeiros |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2020: 16-4 |
Anderson |
Pereira |
De La Rosa |
Weaver |
Borg |
Medeiros |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2020: 16-4 2014 Champion |
Anderson |
Pereira |
De La Rosa |
Weaver |
Borg |
Medeiros |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2020: 16-4 |
Anderson |
Sanchez |
De La Rosa |
Weaver |
Borg |
Medeiros |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2020: 15-5 2018 Champion |
Anderson |
Pereira |
De La Rosa |
Weaver |
Bontorin |
Medeiros |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 2020: 15-5 |
Anderson |
Pereira |
De La Rosa |
Weaver |
Borg |
 Vannata |
| Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2020: 15-5 |
Anderson |
Sanchez |
De La Rosa |
Weaver |
Bontorin |
Medeiros |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 2020: 15-5 |
Anderson |
Sanchez |
De La Rosa |
Weaver |
Borg |
Medeiros |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2020: 14-6 |
Anderson |
Sanchez |
De La Rosa |
Weaver |
Borg |
Medeiros |
| Dave Doyle @davedoylemma 2020: 14-6 |
 Blachowicz |
Pereira |
De La Rosa |
Weaver |
Borg |
Vannata |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2020: 12-8 |
Blachowicz |
Pereira |
De La Rosa |
Weaver |
Borg |
Medeiros |
| Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2020: 11-9 |
Anderson |
Pereira |
De La Rosa |
 Vargas |
Bontorin |
Medeiros |
The UFC is in New Mexico this week for the first time in more than five years with a pair of light heavyweight contenders topping the bill.
UFC on ESPN+ 25 takes place Saturday at Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, N.M., near Albuquerque. The event streams on ESPN+.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
In the main event, [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) takes on [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] (25-8 MMA, 8-5 UFC) in a fight that will see the winner stay in the light heavyweight title picture for a possible meeting with champion Jon Jones. Anderson is more than a 2-1 favorite from the oddsmakers, and he has a big 12-2 lead in the picks from our 14 MMA Junkie editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers.
In the co-main event, [autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag] (23-10 MMA, 1-1 UFC) takes on longtime Albuquerque resident [autotag]Diego Sanchez[/autotag] (29-12 MMA, 18-12 UFC) at welterweight. Pereira is the slight favorite, and he’s got a 9-5 edge in the picks.
There’s a unanimous pick on the card, and another that nearly is unanimous. [autotag]Montana De La Rosa[/autotag] (10-5 MMA, 3-1 UFC) is a -175 favorite over [autotag]Mara Romero Borella[/autotag] (12-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC) in their women’s flyweight fight. But despite fairly close betting odds, De La Rosa, whose husband Mark De La Rosa fights on the prelims, is a 14-0 pick from our staff.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Brok Weaver[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) nearly is a unanimous pick in his lightweight fight against [autotag]Kazula Vargas[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC). Only one of our pickers is taking Vargas in an upset – Weaver nearly is a 3-1 favorite.
[autotag]Ray Borg[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) takes on [autotag]Rogerio Bontorin[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) in a flyweight fight that was moved up to the main card from the prelims mid-week. The fight is one of our two most contentious ones with Borg at a 9-5 lead.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Yancy Medeiros[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 6-6 UFC) takes on [autotag]Lando Vannata[/autotag] (10-4-2 MMA, 2-4-2 UFC) in a lightweight fight that is a near pick’em at the sportsbooks. But it’s Medeiros who has a whopping 12-2 lead in the picks with only two staff members taking Vannata.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Anderson (57 percent), Pereira (58 percent), De La Rosa (83 percent), Weaver (71 percent), Borg (61 percent) and Medeiros (62 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
MMA Junkie senior editor Dave Doyle walks you through all the biggest issues heading into the UFC’s New Mexico return.
[jwplayer sircU01n-FLu19iir]
With Jon Jones’ narrow victory over Dominick Reyes last weekend at UFC 247 — which came seven months after his narrow victory over Thiago Santos at UFC 239 — the UFC’s light heavyweight division is suddenly more interesting than it has been for quite some time.
No longer simply a matter of Jones lording over a cast of over-the-hills and also-rans, 205 pounds is a land of intrigue. And the increased interest from UFC 247’s result carries over into this weekend’s UFC on ESPN+ 25.
[autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] meets [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] in a light heavyweight showdown Saturday night in the main event of the UFC’s return to New Mexico. It’s a rematch of a bout won by Anderson (13-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) in 2015, but so much has changed in the meantime that this may as well be an all-new matchup.
And while many fans continue to clamor for an immediate rematch between Jones and Reyes in the wake of Jones’ highly controversial decision win in Houston, the victor on Saturday night will have a real claim for a title shot, too.
UFC on ESPN+ 25 takes place Saturday at Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, N.M. The event streams on ESPN+.
Heading into UFC 247, Jones let slip that the UFC approached him with both Reyes and Anderson as potential opponents, and given the choice, Jones picked Reyes. Jones said he saw Reyes as a more interesting style matchup than Anderson.
That shows both how far Anderson has progressed, but also how much of his old image still lingers. The “TUF 19″ winner was perceived as a play-it-safe wrestler, and one who went through a 1-3 stretch at one point, to boot.
His current four-fight win streak, all over solid names, has been good enough to get him onto the short list for a title shot. But not even an exciting TKO of Johnny Walker at Madison Square Garden last time out was enough to vault him into a No. 1 contender spot.
Should he put in a similar performance against a competitor who enjoys a good brawl in Blachowicz, though, then Anderson might snag that elusive title matchup once and for all.
[opinary poll=”whats-your-pick-for-corey-anderson-vs-ja” customer=”mmajunkie”]
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 25 event in Rio Rancho, N.M.
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 25 event in Rio Rancho.
Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).
Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC on ESPN+ 25 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC on ESPN+ 25 takes place Saturday at Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, N.M. The event streams on ESPN+.
A 125-pound women’s matchup is in the works for a yet-to-be-announced UFC event this February.
A fight between women’s flyweights [autotag]Montana De La Rosa[/autotag] and [autotag]Mara Romero Borella[/autotag] is in the works for a Feb. 15 UFC card the promotion has yet to announce.
A person with knowledge of the situation told MMA Junkie of the booking Friday, but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. While no location is set, the promotion is targeting Rio Rancho, N.M.
Neither fighter has officially confirmed the matchup, but De La Rosa announced her participation on the Feb. 15 card in an Instagram post Friday.
De La Rosa (10-5 MMA, 3-1 UFC) had a four-fight winning streak snapped in June at UFC on ESPN+ 12, where she faced former LFA champion Andrea Lee. In her first loss in the UFC, De La Rosa dropped the bout by unanimous decision.
Prior to the defeat, De La Rosa had submitted all comers placed in her way in the UFC. In her promotional debut in December 2017, De La Rosa submitted Cristina Marks. Follow-up submission victories over Rachael Ostovich and Nadia Kassem propelled her into the UFC rankings.
Italy’s Romero Borella (12-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has split her two UFC appearances to date. After she won her lone Invicta fight in 2017, Romero Borella was inked to a UFC contract. She submitted Kalindra Faria in her debut, but lost a split decision to Kaitlyn Chookagian in her sophomore UFC outing.
In February, Romero Borella defeated Taila Santos by split decision. In her most recent fight in August, Romero Borella was finished by Lauren Murphy in the third round due to strikes.
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