Misha Cirkunov – Page 3 – Syndication Server

UFC Fight Night 187 predictions: Edwards or Muhammad in welterweight showdown?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC Fight Night 187 main card, featuring Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad.

	Edwards vs. Muhammad	Cirkunov vs. Spann	Ige vs. Tucker	Grant vs. Martinez	Kape vs. Nicolau	Anders vs. Stewart
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2021: 18-15	Edwards (68%)	Cirkunov (51%)	Ige (65%)	Martinez (72%)	Nicolau (50.1%)	Stewart (61%)
Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2021: 25-13 2020 Champion	Edwards	Cirkunov	Ige	Martinez	Nicolau	Stewart
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2021: 24-14 2018 Champion	Muhammad	Spann	Tucker	Martinez	Nicolau	Stewart
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2021: 24-14	Edwards	Cirkunov	Ige	Martinez	Kape	Stewart
Brian Garcia @thegoze 2021: 23-15 2017 Champion	Edwards	Cirkunov	Ige	Martinez	Kape	Anders
John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2021: 23-15	Edwards	Spann	Ige	Martinez	Kape	Stewart
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2021: 23-15	Muhammad	Spann	Ige	Martinez	Kape	Anders
Simon Samano @SJSamano 2021: 22-16	Edwards	Cirkunov	Ige	Martinez	Nicolau	Stewart
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2021: 21-17	Edwards	Cirkunov	Ige	Martinez	Nicolau	Stewart
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2021: 20-18	Muhammad	Cirkunov	Ige	Martinez	Kape	Stewart
Simon Head @simonhead 2021: 20-18 2019 Champion*	Edwards	Spann	Ige	Grant	Nicolau	Stewart
Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2021: 20-18 2014 Champion	Edwards	Spann	Ige	Martinez	Kape	Anders
Nolan King @mma_kings 2021: 19-19	Edwards	Spann	Ige	Martinez	Kape	Stewart
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2021: 18-20	Muhammad	Spann	Tucker	Martinez	Nicolau	Anders

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The UFC stays on its home turf in Las Vegas this week with a welterweight clash atop the bill.

UFC Fight Night 187 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event streams on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

Get action on UFC Fight Night 187: Place your legal, online bets in CO, IA, IN, MI, NJ, PA, TN, VA, WV at BetMGM Sportsbook. New customer offer: Risk-free first bet. Bet now!

In the main event, [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] (18-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) takes on replacement opponent [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] (18-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) at welterweight. Edwards is a -275 favorite at BetMGM, and he has a 9-4 lead in the picks from our 13 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Misha Cirkunov[/autotag] (15-5 MMA, 6-3 UFC) meets [autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag] (18-6 MMA, 4-1 UFC) at light heavyweight. Cirkunov is a slim -125 favorite, but it’s Spann with a 7-6 edge in the picks.

It’s a close fight from a betting perspective between featherweights [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) and [autotag]Gavin Tucker[/autotag] (13-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) with Ige a -155 favorite. But he has a big 11-2 lead in the picks.

[autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 4-2 UFC) is the main card’s biggest favorite at -300 at bantamweight against [autotag]Davey Grant[/autotag] (10-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC). He’s also the biggest favorite from our staff pickers, near unanimous at 12-1.

[autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag] (15-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) is a -140 favorite at flyweight against [autotag]Matheus Nicolau[/autotag] (15-2-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), and he’s got just a narrow 7-6 edge in our picks.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Darren Stewart[/autotag] (12-6 MMA, 5-5 UFC) is a -185 favorite at middleweight against [autotag]Eryk Anders[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC), and he’s got a big 9-4 lead in the picks.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Edwards (68 percent), Cirkunov (51 percent), Ige (65 percent), Martinez (72 percent), Nicolau (50.1 percent) and Stewart (61 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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UFC Fight Night 187: Misha Cirkunov media day interview

UFC Fight Night 187: Make your predictions for Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 187 event in Las Vegas.

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 Fight Night 187 main card staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC Fight Night 187 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event streams on ESPN+.

Make your picks for the fights below.

Callout Collection: Who UFC 255 winners want next – and how likely they’ll get them

Deiveson Figueiredo and Paul Craig were among those who name-dropped their preferred next opponents at UFC 255 in Las Vegas.

Earning wins in the UFC is certainly no easy task, but what comes next is often even more important: the post-fight callout.

So after Saturday’s UFC 255 event in Las Vegas, who took advantage of their time on the mic?

See below for this week’s Callout Collection – and just how realistic each one is.

Misha Cirkunov vs. Ryan Spann joins Dec. 19 lineup in Las Vegas

Surging light heavyweight finishers Misha Cirkunov and Ryan Spann will square off on Dec. 19.

Surging light heavyweight finishers will square off in the final UFC event of the year.

[autotag]Misha Cirkunov[/autotag] (15-5 MMA, 6-3 UFC) will take on [autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag] (18-6 MMA, 4-1 UFC) at a UFC Fight Night event on Dec. 19 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie after an initial report from MMA DNA.

Winner of two of his past three, Cirkunov is coming off a first-round submission of Jimmy Crute at UFC 243 in October 2019, bouncing the young Aussie prospect out of the ranks of the unbeaten. All six of Cirkunov’s UFC wins have come by finish.

Spann saw his eight-fight winning streak snapped in September when he was stopped by Johnny Walker at UFC on ESPN+ 36. Prior to that, the “Dana White’s Contender Series” graduate picked up wins over the likes of Sam Alvey, Devin Clark and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

With the addition, the UFC’s Dec. 19 lineup includes:

Leon Edwards vs. Khamzat Chimaev
Geoff Neal vs. Stephen Thompson
Rob Font vs. Marlon Moraes
Antonio Braga Neto vs. Deron Winn
Tafon Nchukwi vs. Jamie Pickett
Rick Glenn vs. Carlton Minus
Tyson Nam vs. Matt Schnell
Manel Kape vs. Alexandre Pantoja
Belal Muhammad vs. Dhiego Lima
Drako Rodriguez vs. Aiemann Zahabi
Misha Cirkunov vs. Ryan Spann
Sijara Eubanks vs. Pannie Kianzad

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Callout Collection: Who UFC Auckland winners want next – and how likely they’ll get them

Dan Hooker, Brad Riddell and Angela Hill were among those with specific names in mind for their next fight after UFC on ESPN+ 26 in Auckland.

Earning wins in the UFC is certainly no easy task, but what comes next is often even more important: the post-fight callout.

So after Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 26 event in Auckland, New Zealand, who took advantage of their time on the mic? See below for this week’s Callout Collection – and just how realistic each one is.

* * * * *

First up, let’s take a look at the night’s prelim winners.

Angela Hill

Wants to fight: Karolina Kowalkiewicz

The callout: “I feel like everyone is booked right now, but I’d love to fight Karolina if she wins today. Even if she doesn’t, I’d like that fight. It would be a great matchup. That’s always been a fight I’ve wanted. I’m willing to fight anyone, but Karolina’s at the top of the list because our schedules line up.”

The reality: [autotag]Karolina Kowalkiewicz[/autotag] didn’t win her fight in Auckland, and that could play heavily into any possibility of a matchup with [autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag] being booked. The Pole has now lost four in a row, and that’s the sort of form that can often lead to a parting of ways. But Kowalkiewicz (12-6 MMA, 5-6 UFC) remains a popular fighter, and a matchup with Hill (12-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC) may still be considered worthwhile, especially on a European card, later in the year. Stylistically, it would certainly produce an exciting fight, and with Kowalkiewicz likely fighting in the last chance saloon, it would be a fight with the highest of stakes.

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Next up, let’s check out the main card.

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Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Corey Anderson after UFC on ESPN+ 25 loss?

See who Corey Anderson should fight next after his knockout loss to Jan Blachowicz at UFC on ESPN+ 25.

(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Jan Blachowicz and UFC on ESPN+ 25’s other key winners?)

[autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag]’s opportunity to solidify a chance to fight for a UFC title was soured on Saturday when he fell short against Jan Blachowicz in the UFC on ESPN+ 25 headliner.

Anderson (13-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) was stopped with a brutal first-round knockout courtesy of the Polish punching power possessed by Blachowicz (26-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC). As a result, Anderson’s four-fight winning streak came to an end.

Still only 30, what does the loss mean for Anderson? Watch the video above for analysis on his future and why [autotag]Misha Cirkunov[/autotag] (15-5 MMA, 6-3 UFC) would be a compelling matchup coming out of the main event loss at Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, N.M.

UFC in 2019: A ridiculously robust look at the stats, streaks, skids and record-setters

A full recap of 2019’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 producers Michael Carroll, here are some of 2019’s most significant milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.

* * * *

EVENTS

The UFC held 42 events in 39 different cities across 15 countries and five continents.

Within those events, there were 516 fights across 13 different weight classes (including catchweight bouts).

Those 516 fights combined for a total cage time of 94:59:04.

The longest event of the year was “UFC on ESPN+ 19: Joanna vs. Waterson” in Tampa, Fla., at 2:57:27. It was the second longest in company history behind “UFC Fight Night 121: Werdum vs. Tybura” (3:04:18).

The shortest event of the year was “UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos” in Minneapolis at 1:38:12.

“UFC on ESPN+ 13: de Randamie vs. Ladd” featured 62 seconds of total fight time in the main and co-main event, the single-event record in company history.

At those events, the UFC drew an announced total attendance of 548,023 for a live gate total of $61,050,133.74 (Note: Live gate was not announced for 11 events; no attendance was revealed for one event).

The highest reported attended event of the year was “UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya” in Melbourne (57,127), which was the all-time company record, while the lowest attended event was “UFC on ESPN+ 20: Maia vs. Askren” in Singapore (7,155).

The highest reported income gate of the year was “UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz” in New York ($6,575,996.19) while the lowest reported income gate of the year went to “UFC on ESPN+ 4: Lewis vs. Dos Santos” in Wichita, Kan. ($636,417.26).

In 2019, 168 fight-night bonuses were given out for a sum of $8.4 million.

In 2019, athletes were paid $7,370,500 in Promotional Guidelines Compliance money.

The most knockouts at a single event went to “UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos,” “UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz” and “UFC 245: Usman vs. Covington” with seven each.

“UFC 238: Cejudo vs. Moraes” featured a total of 1,818 significant strikes landed, a new single-event record. UFC 231 held the previous high with 1,647.

The most submissions at a single event went to “UFC on ESPN 5: Covington vs. Lawler” with five.

The most fights to go to a decision at a single event went to “UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” with 10.

“UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” featured nine consecutive decision results, tied for the single-event UFC record.

“UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” started with nine consecutive decision results, the single-event record.

“UFC on ESPN 7: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik” marked the third event in company history to feature two draws. UFC 22 and UFC 216 were the others.

Betting favorites went 319-182. Fifteen fights ended in a draw, no contest or had even odds.

Betting favorites went 22-18 in event headliners. Two fights ended in a no contest or had even odds.

“UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos” and “UFC on ESPN+ 22: Blachowicz vs. Jacare” had the most favorites come through victorious, with 10 each. On the flip side, seven underdogs won at three separate events.

A total of 30 fighters officially missed weight for their respective contests. The 28 fighters in that group to compete went 10-17-1 in their respective bouts.

A total of 135 fighters made their UFC debut in 2019. Those fighters went 57-74-2 with two no contests. Debuting fighters who faced an opponent with at least one bout of UFC experience went 43-58-2 with two no contests.

A variety of circumstances caused a total of 19 UFC main event or co-main event fights to be adjusted, postponed or canceled entirely.

One entire event was canceled (UFC 233 in January in Anaheim, Calif.)

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