Tag: Matt Dixon

Twitter Mailbag: Will Georges St-Pierre vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov happen?

MMA Junkie’s Nolan King tackles that question and more in this week’s Twitter Mailbag.

Questions on your mind about recent happenings in the UFC or the sport of MMA in general? MMA Junkie’s Twitter Mailbag with @mma_kings is here – and this week he answers:

  • Will [autotag]Georges St-Pierre[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] happen?
  • What are your thoughts on [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag]?
  • Who should be next for [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]?
  • What August fight is flying under the radar?

Those are answered in the video above. You can also read on a few more topics below.

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Which Contender Series prospect, with the assumption they win their fight, do you think will make the quickest impact in the UFC?

This a great question, Doug. Every Dana White’s Contender Series season has a different vibe. This season, the vibe is great matchmaking – something that I thought was lacking the past two seasons. There are a lot more toss-ups, which makes it harder for fighters to stick out of the crowd in a prediction sense.

If I had to throw out a few names:

  • [autotag]Matt Dixon[/autotag]: A talented, undefeated welterweight who has largely been tied up with a regional scene contract finally gets a shot at the big show after his LFA debut.
  • [autotag]Mana Martinez[/autotag]: Fans might not know his name yet, but Martinez is about as stylistically pleasing a fighter as is possible. He’s a flashy knockout artist who is still improving leaps and bounds in between every fight.
  • [autotag]Impa Kasanganay[/autotag]: Kasnaganay is a legitimate anomaly. His pro career began in January 2019. His DWCS, Season 3 performance was one of the best of the season – yet he didn’t get a contract. Another strong performance and that should change.

Where will Sean O’Malley be in three to five years?

That’s a lot of time. Anything can happen. But if [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] continues his improvement at his current clip, he could very well be a UFC champion.

I’ll admit it, I wasn’t buying the hype after O’Malley’s DWCS appearance in 2016. He had flash, style, charisma, and flair, but at the time I needed to see improvements.

Before long, however, he made the adjustments. Each and every fight since he’s showed new wrinkles in his game. He’s battled adversity inside and outside the cage like a champ. That’s huge.

There are all really promising signs, indicative of a fighter destined for greatness – championship greatness.

To ask a question of your own, follow @MMAjunkie on Twitter and let us know.

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7 fighters who should fill remaining spots on Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 4

Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 4 is right around the corner – and its lineup is filling up quickly.

Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 4 is right around the corner – and its lineup is filling up quickly.

While many top regional fighters and high-ceiling prospects have been snatched up by the promotion, some very worthy prospects still remain without a contract.

The UFC is working on fights for the first six events but the final four still seem largely open. Here are five of the most deserving candidates to snatch one of the final slots.

Johnny Munoz (Bantamweight, 10-0)

One of the best pound-for-pound prospects in North America, it’s about time for [autotag]Johnny Munoz[/autotag] to be noticed. One of the faces of King of the Cage for the past five years, Munoz is ready to venture outside the promotion. A versatile, multi-faceted finisher, Munoz presents a puzzle no opponent has been able to figure out yet. He holds an 80 percent finishing rate with five submissions and three knockouts. He currently holds the KOTC bantamweight title. To put it simply, Munoz on DWCS is an absolute no-brainer.

Nikolas Motta (Lightweight, 11-3)

[autotag]Nikolas Motta[/autotag] first entered the national and international spotlights as a participant on “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4.” He went through the proverbial wringer, competing in Shooto Brasil in his native country. All the while, he trained with UFC champs Jose Aldo and Renan Barao. Dedicated to his craft, Motta moved to the United States in order to find fights, where he began training with Eddie Alvarez. He competed for 864 Fighting Championship, then took on a plethora of challenges and won the vacant CFFC title. Sure he’s had a couple losses, but the final product is better because of them. He’s already ready, but if the UFC needs him to prove that one more time on DWCS, so be it.

More fighters on next page:

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

10 welterweights you can expect to see on Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 4

The return of Dana White’s Contender Series isn’t far off, and here are 10 welterweights who are candidates to appear on the show.

Dana White’s Contender Series has become a destination point for fighters on the regional scene. Since its inception in 2017, the UFC Fight Pass-turned-ESPN+ summer original removed some of the guesswork for up-and-comers trying to make it big.

With UFC president Dana White and matchmakers Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby cageside, the stakes are high. Have an impressive, exciting victory on the show, and you’re in the UFC.

Rumored for a late-June 2020 start date, DWCS Season 4 is almost here. The lineups haven’t been announced yet, but advanced planning is underway. While there are hundreds of fighters qualified to compete on the show, we’ll be narrowing each divisional pool to 10 fighters you should expect to see on the show this summer.

Up next, the welterweights…

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Image via Australian Fighting Championships (AFC)

Theo Christakos

Record: 11-2
Age: 29
Height: 6’3″
Birthplace: Australia

One of the top pound-for-pound prospects in the Australia/New Zealand regional scene, [autotag]Theo Christakos[/autotag] has quietly built a solid resume. He’s picked up two titles along the way, under the BRACE MMA and Australian FC banners. In his most recent outing at Australian FC 23, Christakos outpointed and submitted fellow up-and-comer Andrew Mills in Round 2. The rear-naked choke win was the sixth of his career by that submission. Win or lose, Christakos has only seen the judges’ scorecards once in his pro career. A do-or-die fighter? Sounds like Christakos fits the DWCS mold.

Image CES MMA

Vinicius de Jesus

Record: 9-2
Age: 30
Height: 5’10”
Birthplace: Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

The current CES MMA welterweight champion and a Bellator veteran, [autotag]Vinicius de Jesus[/autotag] presents a lot of problems for fighters of all skillsets. A third-generation Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, he usually sticks to his striking, which consists largely of power shots from the outside and heavy leg kicks. He holds legitimate wins over Jeremiah Wells, Tim Caron, James Boran, and Chris Lozano. He’s only lost once sine 2013 – a controversial split decision defeat at the hands of Joaquin Buckley. De Jesus’ knockout power, combined with his mic skills, makes him a prime candidate to be a target of DWCS.

More fighters on the next page:

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

On the Doorstep: 5 fighters who could make MMA big leagues with March wins

For those who make it to the highest stage, the journey starts long before they strap on UFC or Bellator gloves.

Every champion in MMA history started out somewhere.

For those who make it to the highest stage, the journey starts long before they strap on UFC or Bellator gloves. Modern-era fighters progress through the regional ranks with hopes of accomplishing the highest accolades. Many will try, but few will succeed.

This month, five fighters on the verge of achieving major-promotion notoriety return to the cage for what could be their stepping stone fights. There are dozens of fighters inches away from making the jump in the coming weeks, but these five are particularly exemplary.

This month:

  • An undefeated Oklahoma finisher who’s stepping into the LFA cage for the first time.
  • A young English champion looks to keep his finishing streak alive in his first Cage Warriors title defense.
  • A Tennessean whose MMA journey kicked off in an unlikely fashion hopes to extend his win streak to three.
  • Flying under-the-radar, a slick Texas-based striker takes on arguably his toughest test to date.
  • A CFFC champion from Brazil hopes his first title defense will punch his ticket into the UFC.

Scroll through the following pages to see the five fighters who this month find themselves on the doorstep:

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7

Ex-champ Damon Jackson meets Mauro Chaulet in LFA 83 main event

A former champion will return to LFA in March to try to climb his way back to title contention.

A former champion will return to LFA in March to try to climb his way back to title contention.

Ex-featherweight champ [autotag]Damon Jackson[/autotag] (16-3-1) is set to headline LFA 83 against Brazil’s [autotag]Mauro Chaulet[/autotag] (14-6), the promotion announced Wednesday. In the co-feature, [autotag]Matt Dixon[/autotag] (8-0) puts his unbeaten record on the line in a welterweight bout against [autotag]Justin Patterson[/autotag] (11-5).

Plus, acrobatics All-American [autotag]Hailey Cowan[/autotag] (4-1) will be on the card against a bantamweight opponent still to be announced, [autotag]Emeka Ifekandu[/autotag] (6-3) meets [autotag]Austin Lingo[/autotag] (7-0) at featherweight, and [autotag]Austen Lane[/autotag] (6-2) takes on [autotag]Vernon Lewis[/autotag] (7-4) in a heavyweight bout.

LFA 83 takes place March 6 at The Bomb Factory in Dallas. The card streams on UFC Fight Pass.

“Damon Jackson is our former featherweight champion and he will be looking to gain a record-setting seventh LFA win in front of his home crowd, while Mauro Chaulet is looking to build off the momentum of his debut win for us in September by winning the biggest fight of career,” LFA CEO Ed Soares stated. “This is an exciting main event with a lot on the line for both men.”

Jackson vacated his featherweight title to take a shot at the PFL’s $1 million 2019 season. But that experiment lasted just 10 seconds. Jackson’s five-fight winning streak – all finishes – was snapped by Movlid Khaybulaev with a jumping knee in May 2019. The 10-second KO was the only PFL appearance for Jackson, who also had three fights in the UFC.

Chaulet has three straight wins. This past September, he made his promotional debut with a split call over Samson Phommabout in the LFA 75 co-main event. That was the Brazilian’s first fight in more than five years.

The LFA 83 card includes:

  • Damon Jackson vs. Mauro Chaulet
  • Matt Dixon vs. Justin Patterson
  • Hailey Cowan vs. TBA
  • Emeka Ifekandu vs. Austin Lingo
  • Austen Lane vs. Vernon Lewis

Florida high school football coach ousted after investigation into locker room hazing

Matt Dixon, the head football coach at Oviedo (Fla.) High School, was not retained Thursday after an investigation into alleged hazing practices.

A Florida high school football coach is out of his role leading the team after complaints about a form of hazing in the team’s locker room spilled out and led to pressure on the program.

RELATED: Oviedo football player alleges his brother

As reported by Orlando ABC affiliate WFTV, the Oviedo (Fla.) football program became engulfed in controversy over locker room physical interactions the student athletes called “code reds”, where veteran players targeted younger members of the team and forcibly touched them, sometimes holding them down and penetrating them.

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While three football players were suspended earlier in the football season for their role in the incidents, that only scratched the surface of a series of interactions for which school administrators interviewed more than 100 players.

In the aftermath of the investigation, Oviedo football coach Matt Dixon was not retained, though he is expected to remain as a teacher in the district.

The investigation into code reds was not Dixon’s first brush with administrative scorn; he and his assistants were allegedly issued warnings for their prolific use of foul language in front of players, the lone substantiated claim against the coach after one of his players accused Dixon and an assistant of bullying.

Now Dixon’s football future will have to come elsewhere if he hopes to continue coaching at the high school level.