Tag: Noche UFC

Kamaru Usman explains how Alexa Grasso rematch could be harder for Valentina Shevchenko at Noche UFC

Kamaru Usman thinks Alexa Grasso will enter her rematch with Valentina Shevchenko even more confident.

[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] will enter her rematch with [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] even more confident.

Flyweight champion Grasso (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) runs things back with Shevchenko (23-4 MMA, 12-3 UFC) in Saturday’s Noche UFC main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The event streams on ESPN+.

After seven title defenses, Shevchenko was dethroned by Grasso, who submitted her in Round 4 of their title fight at UFC 285 in March. Grasso initially wanted one more fight before a title shot, but ended up getting the call to compete for the belt.

“When you’re fighting someone who’s not exactly supposed to be in there right now at that time and you let them hang around long enough, and they start to build that confidence that they do belong in here, you find yourself in a fist fight or some type of situation you don’t want to be in,” Usman said on ESPN’s “DC & RC.” “That is this case to a ‘T.’

“Alexa Grasso, who at the time I believe was ranked No. 3 and got the opportunity to fight because Valentina had ran through the entire division, when she got in there, she took full advantage of that opportunity because looking at that fight, who thought Valentina Shevchenko was going to lose to Alexa Grasso?”

From personal experience having lost to Leon Edwards twice in a row, former welterweight champion Usman expects Grasso to have the mental edge over Shevchenko.

“This is one of those things, now, with the rematch, it becomes even harder to try and get that belt off of these contenders,” Usman said. “They jump in there as just contenders, they leave as champion. That’s a whole aother confidence they have now in thinking and saying to themselves, ‘Oh, I was the best all along. I just needed the opportunity.'”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Noche UFC.

Kevin Holland: Jack Della Maddalena would’ve gotten UFC 293 opponent if he was worth traveling

“Big Mouth” Kevin Holland largely contained his trash talk ahead of UFC Noche, but a small rant snuck out when Australia was mentioned.

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LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] has established himself as an anytime, any place, anyone sort of fighter, but grew tired of [autotag]Jack Della Maddalena[/autotag]’s campaigning for a matchup at UFC 293 in Sydney.

Had he been formally offered the matchup in that location, Holland (25-9 MMA, 12-6 UFC) indicated he would’ve taken it – if the promotion paid for taxes. The two welterweight contenders will instead square off one week later, at Saturday’s Noche UFC at T-Mobile Arena.

“Be realistic. Do you think I wouldn’t go somewhere to fight somebody?” Holland said to reporters including MMA Junkie at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “… Bro, my second fight with the UFC was where? Nah, it was in China. Do your homework, my boy. So why wouldn’t I go? If they cover my taxes, I’ll go anywhere. I’m pretty sure if they really wanted me to fight in Australia, they would’ve covered the taxes. I wasn’t asked to fight in Australia. I was asked to fight in Vegas when the fight fell out with Kelvin Gastelum and old boy, and I’m here in Vegas.”

“Old boy keeps crying about not being able to fight in Australia. Motherf*cker, if you were worth somebody coming out to Australia to fight you, they would’ve made sure somebody came to Australia to fight you. You’ve got a Timex sponsorship. Be happy with that and shut the f*ck up. Bam. My bad. See, y’all are getting me in that zone. I’m trying not to go there.”

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The semi-fiery answer from Holland was really the only time during his media availability he delved into the trash talk. He declined questions about future fights or title shots, only focused on the task at hand. Even though he’s on a two-fight winning streak, Holland is containing his confidence ahead of Noche UFC.

“I don’t need to do that too much because if I start to think about that too much I start to get a little cocky and big-headed,” Holland said. “It’s best to always feel like you’re coming off a loss, two losses at that. It’s like your back is against the wall and you might get kicked out of the organization. You’re just doing your best to f*cking stay here at all times.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Noche UFC.

Raul Rosas Jr. still aims to be youngest champion in UFC history: ‘Nothing has changed’

UFC’s Raul Rosas Jr. says his aim to be the youngest champion in UFC history still remains the same despite first pro loss.

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LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Raul Rosas Jr.[/autotag]’s goal to become the youngest champion in UFC history still remains.

Rosas (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC), who’s the youngest fighter on the UFC roster, returns to action this Saturday at Noche UFC, which takes place at T-Mobile Arena. It’s his first fight back since suffering his first professional defeat. Despite the setback, Rosas’ ambitious career goals remain the same.

“Everything I’ve said in the past, all the goals I’ve set in the past, nothing has changed,” Rosas told MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s Noche UFC media day. “Everything remains the same. I meant everything. If you bring up something I’ve said in the past, I’ll still admit to it. I still think the same way. Nothing has changed.”

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After his appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series and successful UFC debut, Rosas quickly became one of the more popular rising stars on the UFC roster. This may be a double-edged sword given the nature of the fanbase. After his first loss back in April in Miami, he did feel the weight of his popularity.

“I got more love than hate,” Rosas said regarding his first defeat. “Everyone telling me since I lost that they can’t wait to see me come back, so I appreciate that, but of course, there was hate too. I knew this is how the sport is.

“Even if Khabib would come back and lose, the fans would turn their back on him. Every time I would go to a UFC event and saw a star of the show, he lost, everyone would turn their back on him, so we knew since we were little that that’s how the sport is, so it doesn’t really matter.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Noche UFC.

Valentina Shevchenko: ‘I have no choice’ but to show Alexa Grasso ‘no mercy’ at Noche UFC

Valentina Shevchenko is laser focused on Alexa Grasso as she tries to re-gain her belt at Saturday’s Noche UFC.

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LAS VEGAS – Ruthless. That is former champion [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag]’s mentality as she seeks to regain her belt.

Shevchenko fights Alexa Grasso in an immediate rematch for the UFC women’s flyweight title this Saturday in the main event of Noche UFC, which takes place at T-Mobile Arena. Shevchenko (23-4 MMA, 12-3 UFC) lost her belt to Grasso (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) in March at UFC 285 by fourth-round submission.

Shevchenko feels she was in control for the majority of the first fight, and having studied her errors, she no longer needs to look back at the fight.

“Watching the fight back, I would say I was winning all the fight from first to the third round, except the last moment of the fourth round,” Shevchenko said. “And another thing, right now my mindset and my focus, I don’t go back to March. I don’t go back and think about what happened there. I did it already. I did it in my training camp. I did it for all these months.

“Right now, I’m a person who’s motivated to get rid of that feeling back then in March. I’m determined on what I have to do this Saturday. That’s my mindset. I don’t watch back. Everything I had to take from the fight I took. Now it’s strong energy, positive energy, no mercy. Go to the end.”

Shevchenko feels she has no option but to have that mentality.

“The position that I’m right now, I have no choice for any sentimental things,” Shevchenko said. “I have no time for that. It’s a fight. In this fight, I have to just go without any step back, always forward.”

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This is the first time Shevchenko enters a fight without a UFC belt and a label as champion since 2018. Although it is rare to see her as the challenger, nothing has changed for “Bullet.”

“I wouldn’t say it’s different because a fight is a fight,” Shevchenko said. “You have to deal with the same in the cage. In the octagon, you have to perform your best with what you have, right? Speaking about Fight Nights, I have a very good score about fighting on Fight Nights. In my main events in the Fight Nights, I’ve been very successful, so for me, it’s a good thing.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Noche UFC.

Jack Della Maddalena says ‘fair play’ to critics of most recent UFC fight: ‘It wasn’t a good performance’

Cool, calm, and collected ahead of Noche UFC, Jack Della Maddalena realizes there is no way to silence the trolls, haters, and doubters.

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LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Jack Della Maddalena[/autotag] doesn’t deny his DMs and comments on social media weren’t kind after his July win over UFC newcomer Bassil Hafez, but he’s honestly OK with that.

Following a UFC 290 cancellation, Della Maddalena (15-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) was rebooked vs. Hafez (8-4-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) and squeaked by with a split decision victory. The lack of dominance became the subject of critique, but Della Maddalena embraces the negativity – because he agrees with it.

“I think it’s fair play,” Della Maddalena told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a Noche UFC pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “This is sport for the fans. I think they have the right to their opinion. It didn’t really bother me. I felt like it wasn’t a good performance, so fair play. … It’s hard to shut them up. I feel like they’re always going to be talking. I don’t really mind. It doesn’t really bother me. I think it’s just the way the sport is.”

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Della Maddalena will have the opportunity to prove what he’s capable of Saturday when he battles Kevin Holland (25-9 MMA, 12-6 UFC) in a co-main event bout at T-Mobile Arena.

Holland rides high off a quick submission of Michael Chiesa at UFC 291 in July, though Della Maddalena wasn’t overly impressed by that performance. Regardless, Della Maddalena sees Holland as a tricky puzzle to figure out. The stakes, however, make the matchup worth it.

“I don’t know what to expect. I don’t really care,” Della Maddalena said. “I’m coming to fight. Whatever happens leading up to it happens. There’s definitely going be a time for fighting, so I’m just waiting for that. … I think a good win over Kevin Holland will get me in a nice spot to fight one of the top contenders.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Noche UFC.

Alexa Grasso surprised by Valentina Shevchenko’s reaction to title loss: ‘There are no accidents’

Ahead of the rematch at Noche UFC, Alexa Grasso says she was surprised by Valentina Shevchenko’s reaction to her title loss at UFC 285.

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LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] was taken off guard by Valentina Shevchenko’s comments after their first fight.

Back in March at UFC 285, Grasso (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) pulled one of the biggest upsets of 2023, submitting Shevchenko (23-4 MMA, 12-3 UFC) to take her UFC women’s flyweight title. After the fight, Shevchenko was very vocal in emphasizing how it was her wrongdoing that caused her to lose the belt more than Grasso’s effort.

The Mexican champion couldn’t disagree more with Shevchenko’s outlook.

“It just kind of surprised me because someone with such big experience and competing at such high level, we know that there are no accidents,” Grasso told MMA Junkie at the Noche UFC media day on Wednesday. “I trained for that moment. You can see the video that I have before the fight. I was training that exact same position. It was something that I trained to win that fight.”

Both Grasso and Shevchenko fight again in an immediate rematch this Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. The women’s flyweight championship bout headlines Noche UFC, an event created by the UFC to celebrate Mexican Independence Day.

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Now entering the fight as a champion and not a challenger, Grasso has made an effort, along with her team, to stay honest and aware of the challenge they have ahead. They respect Shevchenko, but they have every intention of retaining the title.

“Thanks to my team and my coaches, they’re always trying to keep me focused, ‘Yeah, you’re the champion, but you’re just one more in the gym. You have to help your teammates. You have to evolve. You have to be here on time. You have to do everything we ask you to do and more.,'” Grasso said.

“I think the most important thing at this high level is to keep motivated, to keep the hunger, and do my best to evolve and improve.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Noche UFC.

Video: Noche UFC media day live stream

Before Noche UFC arrives, hear from some of the featured fighters at media day.

LAS VEGAS – Noche UFC, which takes place at T-Mobile Arena with a card that streams exclusively on ESPN+, goes down Saturday.

Before fight night arrives, though, notable athletes from the main card, including  will speak with reporters Wednesday at media day.

If you happen to miss any of the individual sessions on the live stream above, check below for the archived videos of each media day.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Noche UFC.

Noche UFC pre-event facts: Can Alexa Grasso overcome Valentina Shevchenko’s greatness – again?

The best facts and figures about Noche UFC, which features an Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko title rematch in the main event.

The first Noche UFC in history is set to take place Saturday with the Mexican Independence Day fight card slated to go down at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and stream on ESPN+.

An anticipated championship rematch will serve as the main event. After pulling off a stunning upset in March, women’s flyweight titleholder [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) will attempt to prove her submission victory over [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] (23-4 MMA, 12-3 UFC) was no fluke when they run it back for the belt.

For more on the numbers behind the title fight, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about Noche UFC.

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Noche UFC commentary, broadcast plans set: Dominick Cruz rejoins booth for Mexican Independence Day

Jon Anik will be joined by a pair of former UFC champs on the Noche UFC commentary team on Saturday.

The UFC continues its busy September schedule on Saturday with Noche UFC, which goes down at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

As always, some marquee on-air talent will be there to help guide viewers through the experience.

Details of who will work as commentators and analysts for each event have been acquired by MMA Junkie through a person with knowledge of the situation, and you can see the scheduled broadcast team below.

Alexa Grasso would love UFC to make Mexican Independence Day event a yearly tradition

Boxing promoters long have made big fights on Mexican holidays but not the UFC, which Alexa Grasso hopes will continue beyond Noche UFC.

UFC fans will get a taste of Mexico this Saturday night as the promotion honors Mexican heritage with Noche UFC, an event headlined by Mexican flyweight champion [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag].

This is the first time the promotion has tried to build a card with plenty of Mexican talent taking place on Mexican Independence Day, Sept. 16. The event goes down at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas where Grasso (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) defends her women’s flyweight title for the first time in an immediate rematch against all-time great Valentina Shevchenko (23-4 MMA, 12-3 UFC).

It’s long been tradition to see boxing promoters build big fights both around Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Independence Day, but not so much in the UFC. Grasso would like to see this tradition extend to the octagon.

“That would be super cool, and I think it would be a good thing because you’ve witnessed it, there are many Mexicans now in the UFC, many,” Grasso told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “So, for me, it’s very important that they’re giving us this platform so we can show all of our skills, technique, personality, and who we are.

“In an ideal world, I would love to fight every Sept. 16. It would be really cool to see it become a tradition to go to Las Vegas or if a UFC event can be done in Mexico, that would be crazy. But yeah, in an ideal world, I’d love to see it.”

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Grasso is happy to see the UFC honor her, her country, and her fellow Mexicans with Noche UFC. She’s grateful for the support and believes this is in part a product of the work that her and her team at Lobo Gym have put in for years.

“I’m very happy. I swear, I wake up some days to news that I just go, ‘Wow,'” Grasso said regarding the event. “I’ve worked so hard and been so responsible and disciplined that whether you want it or not, you get these little incentives.

“Sometimes you might not ask for them, you simply just work and these things happen. It’s beautiful. UFC has always pushed me, pressured me, and projected me to do my best. I’ve given them the result, and this is what happens. When you give good results, in this case the UFC, but really anyone you give good results to, they will always give you more incentives. So, yeah, I’m just super thankful for the UFC for these great opportunities.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Noche UFC.