Except for maybe Nick Diaz, everyone loves to see spinning (expletive). So check out the UFC’s highlight reel of memorable spinning KOs.
To mangle a legendary Nick Diaz saying, you want spinning (expletive), you got spinning (expletive).
A spinning knockout is the best of all worlds in mixed martial arts. Not only does it have “wow factor” necessary for a memorable moment – have you ever seen a boring spinning finish? – but it also highlights the sport at its technical finest.
With that in mind, the UFC has put together a highlight reel of some of the flashiest spinning back fists, elbows and kicks ever seen in the octagon.
From [autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag] to [autotag]John Makdessi[/autotag] to [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] to [autotag]Dennis Siver[/autotag] and so many more, there’s a little something in here for everyone.
So take a trip down memory lane and relive some of the most memorable spinning stoppages in UFC history in the video above.
According to Ali Abdelaziz, the rumored fight between Conor McGregor and Justin Gaethje isn’t happening.
.According to Dominance MMA head Ali Abdelaziz, the rumored fight between [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] and [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] isn’t happening.
After news emerged that discussions between both Gaethje and McGregor’s teams have started regarding a summer showdown, Gaethje’s manager Abdelaziz took to Twitter to shut those talks down.
He says McGregor missed his chance when he opted to face Donald Cerrone instead of Gaethje in his January return fight, and that Gaethje is the rightful No. 1 contender as it stands.
“This rumor about @Justin_Gaethje fighting vs @TheNotoriousMMA is absolutely false. He had the opportunity to fight him already instead of cowboy but he didn’t. Justin is the number one contender and like khabib said. Conor needs to win 10 fights.”
This rumor about @Justin_Gaethje fighting vs @TheNotoriousMMA is absolutely false. He had the opportunity to fight him already instead of cowboy but he didn’t. Justin is the number one contender and like khabib said. Conor needs to win 10 fights.
However, Gaethje has continuously been calling McGregor out, and even said he’s willing to go to Dublin to face him. While it’s highly unlikely that McGregor will ever compete in Dublin again in his UFC career due to a lack of a suitable venue, Gaethje is game to head to enemy territory for the fight.
“You kidding me. I would love to fight in the most hostile environment on earth. That would be scary but beyond an experience of a lifetime. Bring the heat. #ufc”
You kidding me. I would love to fight in the most hostile environment on earth. That would be scary but beyond an experience of a lifetime. Bring the heat. #ufchttps://t.co/VhdG0inzJo
Gaethje has won his last three in a row, by knocking out James Vick, Edson Barboza and Donald Cerrone, all in the first round. He has positioned himself as one of the top contenders at 155 pounds, but with UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s next fight already booked against Tony Ferguson in April, Gaethje will likely have to take another fight in the meantime.
If his heart is set on Dublin, there is another lightweight looking to make the trip: [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag].
MMA Junkie’s John Morgan and “Gorgeous” George break down how another week in MMA action impacted the rankings.
[autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] beat [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] in an early contender for “Fight of the Year” in Saturday’s UFC Auckland main event.
The fight was close enough that all three judges scored it 48-47, with two of those scorecards going in Hooker’s favor. While you might have a strong opinion on who deserved the nod, you can’t rightfully say the fight was a robbery. It was just that close of a fight.
Prior to the fight, Felder (17-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) had the No. 10 spot in the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie lightweight rankings, while Hooker (20-8 MMA, 10-4 UFC) grabbed the final spot in the Top 15.
How do the rankings change after such a well-contested, tight fight? And did anything else happen over the course of a weekend with both a UFC card and a pair of Bellator events which merits further moves?
Hear from rankings chair “Gorgeous” George of MMA Junkie Radio and MMA Junkie’s John Morgan as they discuss this and all the other results with ratings implications coming out of a busy weekend, in the latest edition of the MMA rankings report.
In our latest edition of Triple Take, three writers take a look at whether Paul Felder should retire after UFC on ESPN+ 26.
The UFC saw another razor-thin fight in a main event on Saturday when [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] edged [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN+ 26 in Auckland, New Zealand.
In the immediate aftermath, a disappointed Felder told in-cage interviewer Dan Hardy that he might be done fighting. It should be noted that Felder (17-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) also works as a regular analyst on UFC broadcasts, so if he retires from fighting, he has a fairly solid built-in backup plan for the next phase of his life.
But should he call it quits? That’s the question MMA Junkie’s Matt Erickson, Nolan King and Danny Segura attempt to answer in the latest edition of Triple Take.
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Matt Erickson: If it’s crossed your mind, and family is the reason, then yes
I don’t get salty about athletes deciding to retire. I get salty when they retire and change their minds later – sometimes multiple times. My childhood sports hero, Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, retired in 1994 and unretired a couple years later. And while I selfishly was glad to see him back, even as a college kid I had to roll my eyes just a little.
If Felder is thinking about retiring, he should do it – and he should stick to it. He’s been interviewing fighters in the cage after their wins (and some losses) for long enough now that he knows how this works. For him to even mention it on the microphone after his split-decision loss to Dan Hooker this past Saturday means one of two things: Either he was looking for a nice, dramatic moment on TV, or the thought of retirement has seriously crossed his mind enough times leading up to the fight that it came out organically.
I don’t take Felder for the type who would be disingenuous and pull out that retirement bit to court some kind of sympathy with fans, or use it as a way to fish for compliments to have people tell him, “Oh, Paul, you’re still so good! Don’t retire!”
If he said it, it means he was thinking about it. And if he was thinking about it, then he has enough doubts about staying active that he should listen to them.
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Physically, the man is a beast. He’ll turn 35 in a couple months, but these days, that’s nothing. It used to be that closer to 40 than 30 was the downslope, but it doesn’t have to be like that anymore, and from all indications, Felder seems like he could keep going and be highly competitive against anyone in the UFC’s lightweight division.
He’s got five losses in the UFC – and three of them have been split decisions. He’s only been stopped once, and that was by a doctor. He’s got five bonuses and is regarded as one of the division’s most reliable fighters when it comes to bringing it.
When I say Felder should retire if it’s something that’s been on his mind, it has nothing to do with any kind of performance issues inside the cage, or any kind of head trauma he may have taken in his many wars.
Instead, it has to do with a man who was in tears over the thought of continuing to put himself through fight camps that take him away from home a couple months at a time – knowing what they could be doing to a 4-year-old child at home.
“That might be it for me,” Felder told Dan Hardy in the cage. “I’ve got a 4-year-old at home that misses me every time I go away like this. I don’t know if … I’m not sure. I’ll still go back and talk to my family.”
Felder right now is presumably healthy (after he heals up from his “Fight of the Night” with Hooker, anyway), he’s highly competitive in the division, he’s a well-spoken representative of the UFC and seems to be well-respected in the MMA community. He’s got a side hustle doing analyst work for UFC broadcasts on ESPN, and he gets better at that gig every time out.
He should walk away now because it’s crossed his mind, and the first instinct usually is the right one. If he says it’s because of the impact his fight camps have on his family, then he should put family first, walk away with head held high, and make his contributions to the sport in the broadcast realm. There’s 100 percent no shame in doing that if that’s the direction he chooses. And if that’s indeed what he does, hopefully he stays retired and doesn’t second-guess himself later or allow anyone else to change his mind.
Next page: Nolan King: Maybe, maybe not – but no impulse decisions
See who Paul Felder should fight next after his loss to Dan Hooker at UFC on ESPN+ 26.
[autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] experienced a heartbreaker on Saturday when he lost a razor-close fight to Dan Hooker in the UFC on ESPN+ 26 main event.
Felder (17-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) traveled to the other side of the world into Hooker’s (20-8 MMA, 10-4 UFC) back yard at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand and come out the loser in a hotly contested split decision.
The outcome halts a strong run of momentum for Felder in the lightweight division, and at 34, there’s some questions about his future. He brought many of those on himself, though, by teasing retirement in the octagon immediately after the fight. It appears that may have been premature, however, because his head coach Duke Roufus, as well as longtime manager Brian Butler, both indicated this is not the end.
So, what does the loss mean for Felder? Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on his future, and why he should fight [autotag]Al Iaquinta[/autotag] (14-6-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) next.
Post-fight thoughts and analysis on the biggest storylines coming out of UFC on ESPN+ 26, where Dan Hooker edged Paul Felder.
What mattered most at UFC on ESPN+ 26 in Auckland, New Zealand? Here are a few post-fight musings …
* * * * *
1. Another close decision, but not a robbery
Oh hey, welcome back. It’s another Sunday following a UFC event, and once again here we are having a discussion about judging. Going back to Jon Jones’ win over Dominick Reyes at UFC 247, this is the second time in three weeks a main event decision has created heavy dissent.
This time it was [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] who was awarded the narrow nod, with the judges giving him the split decision over Paul Felder in a five-round classic. It was a brutal and bloody affair that garnered “Fight of the Night” honors, but there were many who cried “robbery!” in the aftermath of the lightweight headliner.
My scorecard had Felder winning 48-47 with him taking Rounds 2, 4 and 5, but a Hooker win is by no means outrageous. The fight was tightly contested, with multiple rounds being close to coin tosses. The fact all three judges had it scored differently is a reflection of the competitive nature of the contest, and regardless of which way it went, someone was going to be displeased.
I’ll reiterate again that Felder secured the win from my perspective, however, this decision was far from criminal. Leaving the fight to be decided by the judges leaves the door open for heartbreak, and after winning a close one over Edson Barboza at UFC 242 in September, Felder was on the tough end of it this time.
All the notable stats and figures to come out of UFC Auckland, which saw Dan Hooker beat Paul Felder in the main event.
The UFC made its third visit to New Zealand on Saturday with UFC on ESPN+ 26. The 12-fight card took place at Spark Arena in Auckland and streamed entirely on ESPN+.
In the main event, [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] (20-8 MMA, 10-4 UFC) elevated his status as a lightweight contender when he edged out a memorable “Fight of the Night” clash with [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) by split decision in front of his hometown fans.
The headliner wasn’t the only fight to produce notable results, though. For more, check below for 45 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 26.
* * * *
General
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The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $137,000.
Debuting fighters went 0-1 at the event.
Hooker, Felder, [autotag]Jimmy Crute[/autotag] and [autotag]Priscila Cachoeira[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN+ 26 fight-night bonuses.
UFC on ESPN+ 26 drew an announced attendance of 10,025 for a live gate of $1,239,625.
Betting favorites went 8-4 on the card.
Betting favorites improved to 4-1 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 12-bout card was 1:59:19.
Main card
Dan Hooker
Hooker improved to 7-1 since he moved up to the UFC lightweight division in June 2017.
Felder has suffered four of his five career losses by decision.
Crute (11-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) has earned eight of his 11 career victories by stoppage. That includes all three of his UFC wins.
Crute became the fifth fighter in UFC history to earn multiple submission victories by Kimura. Krzysztof Soszynski, Rani Yahya, Frank Mir and George Sotiropoulos also accomplished the feat.
[autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) suffered consecutive losses for the first time in his career.
Oleksiejczuk has suffered both of his UFC losses by submission.
Yan Xiaonan
[autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) improved to 9-0 (with one no contest) since returning from a nearly five-year layoff in July 2015.
Xiaonan’s five-fight UFC winning streak at strawweight is tied with Tatiana Suarez for the longest active streak in the division.
Xiaonan has earned all five of her UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Karolina Kowalkiewicz[/autotag]’s (12-6 MMA, 5-6 UFC) four-fight losing skid is the longest of her career. She hasn’t earned a victory since April 2018.
[autotag]Marcos Rogerio de Lima[/autotag] (17-6-1 MMA, 6-4 UFC) has alternated wins and losses over his past nine fights.
De Lima improved to 3-1 in the UFC at heavyweight.
De Lima has earned 15 of his 17 career victories by stoppage. He’s finished 14 of those wins in Round 1.
[autotag]Ben Sosoli[/autotag] (7-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
[autotag]Brad Riddell[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned both of his UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Magomed Mustafaev[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career.
Preliminary card
Zubaira Tukhugov def. Kevin Aguilar
[autotag]Kevin Aguilar[/autotag] (17-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) suffered consecutive losses for the first time in his career.
Aguilar has suffered both of his career stoppage losses by knockout.
[autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag] (9-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has earned all eight of his career victories by stoppage. He’s finished both of his UFC wins by knockout.
[autotag]Joshua Culibao[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) had his eight-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.
[autotag]Jake Matthews[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) improved to 5-1 since he moved up to the UFC welterweight division in November 2017.
Matthews has earned four of his five UFC welterweight victories by decision.
[autotag]Emil Meek[/autotag]’s (9-5-1 MMA, 1-3 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since December 2016.
Meek has been taken down 21 times in his four UFC appearances.
Meek has suffered all three of his UFC losses by decision.
[autotag]Callan Potter[/autotag] (18-9 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered all nine of his career losses by stoppage.
Song Kenan has earned 13 of his 15 career victories by stoppage. That includes three of his four UFC wins.
[autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag] (21-8 MMA, 4-1 UFC) has earned all four of his UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Tyson Nam[/autotag] (18-11-1 MMA, 0-2 UFC) has suffered eight of his 11 career losses by decision. That includes both of his UFC defeats.
Angela Hill
[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag] (12-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC) became the first to earn two UFC victories in 2020.
Hill improved to 6-5 since she returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2017.
Hill’s seven victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied with Jessica Andrade for second most in divisional history behind Joanna Jedrzejczyk (nine).
[autotag]Loma Lookboonmee[/autotag] (4-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of her career.
[autotag]Cachoeira[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) snapped her three-fight losing skid for her first victory since September 2017.
Cachoeira’s 40-second knockout marked the fastest stoppage in UFC women’s flyweight history.
[autotag]Shana Dobson[/autotag]’s (3-4 MMA, 1-3 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of her career. She hasn’t earned a victory since December 2017.
Dobson suffered the first knockout loss of her career.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
UFC on ESPN+ 26 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 26 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $130,000.
The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.
UFC on ESPN+ 26 took place Saturday at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. The entire card streamed ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN+ 26 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $3,500 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,000; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.
In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.
Full 2020 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
