In a demoralized Instagram post, Peter Sobotta hinted that he has competed in his final fight following his defeat at UFC on ESPN 14.
[autotag]Peter Sobotta[/autotag]’s defeat at UFC on ESPN 14 may have been his last appearance inside the cage.
Polish-German welterweight Sobotta (17-7-1 MMA, 4-6 UFC) suffered only his third loss in a decade when he fell to a unanimous decision defeat against Brazil’s Alex Oliveira Saturday night in Abu Dhabi.
Sobotta lost all three rounds on all three scorecards as he registered back-to-back defeats for the first time since the three-fight skid that marked the start of his UFC career back in 2009 and 2010.
“Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to win tonight,” began a clearly demoralized Sobotta, critiquing his performance in an Instagram post (via translation). “I’m also not particularly well. I broke my right arm early in the fight, my face had to be sewn in four places. I’m not looking for excuses. I was the worse fighter tonight. Not ready to grit your teeth and go forward. Too little pressure, too little courage, too few hits. I could not play my greatest strength because several takedown attempts failed. Oliveira deservedly won.”
The defeat, and his assessment of his performance in that loss, led Sobotta to suggest that his fighting career may now be over.
“I have to recognize that my path as an active MMA fighter ends after 17 years,” he said. “I felt that in the ring today. I really love this sport with all my heart and this decision hurts more than any broken bones and ligaments. But I just don’t have the toughness, robustness and willingness to take risks to fight at the top.
“It was a damn wild ride and I am infinitely grateful for the emotions and experiences that I was able to experience. Thanks to EVERYONE who accompanied and supported me.”
Sobotta, who represented both the country of his birth (Poland) and his home nation of Germany, also flew the flag of Jamaica later in his career after expressing his wish not to upset one of his home nations by flying the flag of the other.
The 33-year-old experienced two stints with the UFC, with his first ending after three back-to-back losses. But Sobotta rebounded and, after reeling off five submission finishes in a row – including three in one night – he was re-signed by the UFC and claimed back-to-back wins in Berlin with victories over Pawel Pawlak and Steve Kennedy before being stopped by Kyle Noke at UFC 193 in November 2015.
Once again, Sobotta bounced back as he claimed victories over Nicolas Dalby and Ben Saunders before suffering a TKO loss to Leon Edwards, then Saturday’s decision defeat to Oliveira.
Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 14, which saw Robert Whittaker score a main-event win over Darren Till in Abu Dhabi.
The final stop of the UFC’s inaugural “Fight Island” stretch took place Saturday with UFC on ESPN 14, which went down at Flash Forum on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi with a record 15-fight card that aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
Former UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 12-3 UFC) rebounded from losing the title to Israel Adesanya last October when he outworked [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] (18-3-1 MMA, 6-3-1 UFC) to a unanimous decision in the main event.
For more on the numbers behind the historic fight card, check below for 50 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN 14.
The six fight-night bonuses issued at UFC on ESPN 14 set a single-event record for the company.
UFC on ESPN 14 drew an announced attendance of zero for a live gate of $0.
Betting favorites went 11-4 on the card.
Betting favorites improved to 14-6 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 15-bout card was 2:40:24.
Main card
Robert Whittaker
Whittaker improved to 9-1 since he moved up to the UFC middleweight division in November 2014.
Whittaker has earned seven of his 12 UFC victories by decision.
Till fell to 1-1 since he moved up to the middleweight division in November.
Till suffered the first decision loss of his career.
[autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag]’s (27-11-1 MMA, 11-9-1 UFC) 23 victories in UFC/PRIDE light-heavyweight competition are the most in combined divisional history.
[autotag]Antonio Rogerio Nogueira[/autotag] (23-10 MMA, 6-7 UFC) fell to 2-5 in his past seven fights dating back to July 2014.
Nogueira has suffered six of his 10 career losses by decision.
Werdum (24-9-1 MMA, 12-6 UFC) improved to 10-4 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2012.
Werdum has earned 18 of his 24 career victories by stoppage. That includes eight of his 12 UFC wins.
[autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag]’s (18-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since May 2017.
Gustafsson was unsuccessful in his heavyweight debut.
Gustafsson fell to 3-6 in his past nine UFC appearances dating back to his first title fight against Jon Jones in September 2013.
Carla Esparza
[autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) improved to 7-3 since losing the UFC strawweight title to Joanna Jedrzejczyk in March 2015.
Esparza’s eight victories in UFC strawweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Jedrzejczyk (10).
Esparza’s four-fight UFC winning streak at strawweight is the fourth longest active streak in the division behind Tatiana Suarez (five), Yan Xiaonan (five) and Zhang Weili (five).
Esparza has earned seven of her eight UFC victories by decision.
Esparza’s 39 takedowns landed in UFC strawweight competition are most in divisional history.
[autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag] (13-1-2 MMA, 2-1-2 UFC) had her 15-fight unbeaten streak snapped for the first defeat of her career.
Craig (13-4-1 MMA, 5-4-1 UFC) has earned all of his career victories by stoppage.
Craig became the first fighter in UFC history to win three separate fights by triangle choke submission.
Craig’s five submission victories in UFC light heavyweight competition are tied with Jones, Misha Cirkunov, Ovince Saint Preux, and Glover Teixeira for most in divisional history.
[autotag]Gadzhimurad Antigulov[/autotag] (21-6 MMA, 3-2 UFC) has suffered all eight of his career losses by stoppage.
Antigulov suffered his first submission loss since Apr. 27, 2013 – a span of 2,646 days (more than seven years) and 18 fights.
[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] (21-8-1 MMA, 11-6 UFC) improved to 9-5 (with one no contest) in UFC welterweight competition.
[autotag]Peter Sobotta[/autotag] (17-7-1 MMA, 4-6 UFC) fell to 4-3 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in May 2014.
Sobotta has suffered four of his six UFC losses by decision.
Khamzat Chimaev
Chimaev (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) set a record for fastest time between UFC wins with two victories in 10 days.
Chimaev earned a fight-night bonus for both of his wins.
Chimaev has earned all eight of his career victories by stoppage. He’s finished five of those wins in Round 1.
[autotag]Rhys McKee[/autotag] (10-3-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered both of his career stoppage losses by knockout.
Preliminary card
Francisco Trinaldo
[autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag]’s (26-7 MMA, 16-6 UFC) 15 victories in UFC lightweight competition are tied for fourth most in divisional history behind Jim Miller (19), Donald Cerrone (17) and Gleison Tibau (16).
[autotag]Jai Herbert[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered both of his career losses by knockout.
Ronson (22-10 MMA, 1-3 UFC) was successful in his return to the UFC after going winless in his first stint from 2013-2014.
[autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag] (18-4-1 MMA, 2-3-1 UFC) fell to 1-1 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in September.
Dalby suffered the first submission loss of his career.
Aspinall (8-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned all eight of his career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) was unsuccessful in his UFC heavyweight debut.
Collier has alternated wins and losses over his past eight fights.
Collier has suffered four of his five career losses by stoppage.
[autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] (13-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has earned all three of his UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Mike Grundy[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) had his nine-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.
Grundy suffered the first decision loss of his career.
Tanner Boser
Boser (19-6-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) earned his second UFC victory in a 28-day stretch. He also won at UFC on ESPN 12 on June 27.
Raphael Pessoa (10-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered both of his career losses by stoppage.
Pessoa suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
[autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has earned nine of her 12 career victories by decision. That includes both of her UFC wins.
[autotag]Ramazan Emeev[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC) improved to 3-1 since he dropped to the UFC welterweight division in May 2018.
Emeev improved to 16-2 in his past 18 fights.
Emeev has earned all four of his UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Niklas Stolze[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered all four of his career losses by decision.
[autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC) earned his first decision victory since Nov. 14, 2015 – a span of 1,715 days (nearly five years) and 11 fights.
[autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
UFC on ESPN 14 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.
ABU DHABI – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 14 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $209,500
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 14 took place at Flash Forum in Yas Island. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN 14 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:
Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 14 event.
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.
See what the fighters from UFC on ESPN 14 went with as their backing tracks in Abu Dhabi.
[autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag]: “I’m A Man” by Black Strobe
[autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag]: “Run This Town” by Jay-Z
The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.
In the main event, former UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] (20-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) is the overwhelming favorite with from our panel of 14 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts. Just two of the panel have picked England’s [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] (18-2-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) to spring the upset.
In the co-main event, [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] (26-11-1 MMA, 6-6 UFC) is even more strongly favored, with all 13 of the 14 panelists siding with “Shogun”, who currently stands at 2-0 in his personal series against [autotag]Antonio Rogerio Nogueira[/autotag] (23-9 MMA, 10-9-1 UFC).
Also on the main card, former UFC light heavyweight title challenger [autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] (18-6 MMA, 10-6 UFC) is set to move up a division to take on former UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] (23-9-1 MMA, 11-6 UFC), and the panel has given its near-unanimous backing to the big Swede, with 12 of the 14 panelists picking “The Mauler” to pick up a huge win on his divisional debut.
The women’s strawweight battle between former champion [autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] (16-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) and Brazilian contender [autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag] (12-0-2 MMA, 2-0-2 UFC) was the tightest matchup on the card in terms of the reader vote, with Rodriguez edging it 56 percent to 44. The bout also split our panel, with seven selecting Esparza as their predicted winner and seven siding with Rodriguez.
The panel was split again for the light heavyweight fight between [autotag]Gadzhimurad Antigulov[/autotag] (20-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC) and [autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag] (12-4-1 MMA, 4-4-1 UFC) with the Scot edging it 8-6 with our panel. The readers also lean towards “The Bearjew” to get the victory, with 63 percent picking him to get the win on Saturday night.
And to open the main card, Brazilian [autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] (21-8-1 MMA, 10-6-1 UFC) was a near-unanimous selection for our panel, with only one member picking his opponent, [autotag]Peter Sobotta[/autotag] (17-6-1 MMA, 4-5 UFC). “Cowboy” was also a very popular pick with our readers and, with 86 percent of the votes, he is the second-biggest reader favorite on the main card.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Whittaker (65 percent), Rua (87 percent), Gustafsson (80 percent), Rodriguez (56 percent), Craig (63 percent) and Oliveira (86 percent) are the choices.
The best facts and figures about UFC on ESPN 14, which features a Robert Whittaker vs. Darren Till middleweight main event.
The final event of the UFC’s inaugural “Fight Island” stint goes down Saturday with UFC on ESPN 14, which aires on ESPN and streams on ESPN+ from Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
A high-stakes matchup between middleweight contenders takes center stage in the main event. Former champ [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] (20-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) returns for the first time since losing the belt to Israel Adesanya in October when he meets [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] (18-2-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC), who looks to go 2-0 since moving to 185 pounds.
For more on the numbers behind the first 15-fight lineup in modern UFC history (and second overall along with UFC 2 in 1993), check below for 55 pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN 14.
* * * *
Main event
Robert Whittaker
Whittaker is the only New Zealand-born fighter in history to win a UFC championship.
Whittaker is 8-1 since he moved up to the UFC middleweight division in November 2014.
Whittaker and Yoel Romero combined for 239 significant strikes landed at UFC 225, the single-fight record for a five-fight UFC middleweight fight.
Whittaker’s seven fight-night bonuses for UFC middleweight bouts are tied for third most in divisional history behind Anderson Silva (11) and Romero (eight).
Darren Till
Till was successful in his middleweight debut when he beat Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 244 in November.
Till has outlanded his opponent in all but one of his UFC victories.
Till is one of five fighters in UFC history to land zero significant strikes in a championship bout defeat, as he did against Tyron Woodley at UFC 228. His 9:19 of cage time is the most of any fighter in the group. The previous high was 3:54.
Co-main event
Mauricio Rua
[autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] (26-11-1 MMA, 10-9-1 UFC) competes in his 21st UFC light heavyweight bout, the second most appearances in divisional history behind Jon Jones (22).
Rua’s 22 victories in UFC/PRIDE light-heavyweight competition are the most in combined divisional history.
Rua’s 18 stoppage victories in UFC/PRIDE/WEC/Strikeforce competition are fourth most in combined organizational history behind Mirko Filipovic (21), Wanderlei Silva (20) and Donald Cerrone (20).
Rua’s 17 knockout victories in UFC/PRIDE light-heavyweight competition are the most in combined divisional history.
Rua’s eight knockout victories in modern UFC light-heavyweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Chuck Liddell (nine).
Rua is the only light heavyweight in UFC history to earn his first six victories with the organization by knockout.
Rua’s 14 knockdowns landed in UFC light-heavyweight competition are tied with Liddell for most in divisional history.
Rua’s eight fight-night bonuses for UFC light-heavyweight fights are tied with Jones for most in divisional history.
[autotag]Antonio Rogerio Nogueira[/autotag] (23-9 MMA, 6-6 UFC), 44, is the oldest active fighter in the UFC light-heavyweight division.
Nogueira, 44, is the oldest of the 30 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
Remaining main card
Fabricio Werdum
[autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] (23-9-1 MMA, 11-6 UFC) is 9-4 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2012.
Werdum and Marcin Tybura combined for 282 significant strikes landed at UFC Fight Night 121, the second most in a UFC heavyweight bout Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier (304) at UFC 241.
[autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] (18-6 MMA, 10-6 UFC) moves up to the UFC heavyweight division for the first time. He made his previous 16 octagon appearances at light heavyweight.
Gustafsson is one of eight fighters UFC history to go at least 0-3 in championship fights. Joseph Benavidez Dan Henderson, Chad Mendes, Kenny Florian, Urijah Faber, Pedro Rizzo and Chael Sonnen have also come up short in three title fights.
[autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] (16-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) was the first UFC strawweight champion. She lost the belt to Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 185 in March 2015.
Esparza is 6-3 since losing the UFC strawweight title to Jedrzejczyk in March 2015.
Esparza competes in her 12th UFC strawweight bout, tied for the fourth most appearances in divisional history behind Angela Hill (15), Randa Markos (14) and Jedrzejczyk (13).
Esparza’s seven victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for second most in divisional history behind Jedrzejczyk (10).
Esparza has earned six of her seven UFC victories by decision.
Esparza has completed at least one takedown against 10 of her 11 UFC opponents.
Esparza’s 34 takedowns landed in UFC strawweight competition are tied with Claudia Gadelha for most in divisional history.
[autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag] (13-0-2 MMA, 2-0-2 UFC) four-fight UFC unbeaten streak at strawweight is tied for the fourth longest active streak in the division behind Tatiana Suarez (five), Yan Xiaonan (five) and Zhang Weili (five).
Rodriguez is the only female fighter in UFC history to fight to multiple draws.
[autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag] (12-4-1 MMA, 4-4-1 UFC) has earned all 12 of his career victories by stoppage.
Craig’s victory at 4:59 of Round 3 at UFC Fight Night 127 is the latest submission in a three-round UFC fight.
[autotag]Gadzhimurad Antigulov[/autotag] (20-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has earned 19 of his 20 career victories by stoppage. He’s earned 17 of those wins in Round 1.
[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] (20-8-1 MMA, 10-6 UFC) is 8-5 (with one no contest) over his multiple stints in UFC welterweight competition.
Oliveira vs. Yancy Medeiros at UFC 218 is the only fight in UFC history to feature two knockdowns for each fighter.
[autotag]Peter Sobotta[/autotag] (17-6-1 MMA, 4-5 UFC) is 4-2 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in May 2014.
Khamzat Chimaev
[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) makes his second UFC appearance in a 10-day stretch. He won at UFC on ESPN 13 on July 15.
Chimaev can set the record for fastest time between UFC wins with a victory at 11 days.
Chimaev has earned all seven of his career victories by stoppage. He’s finished four of those wins in Round 1.
[autotag]Rhys McKee[/autotag] (10-2-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), 24, is the youngest of the 30 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
Preliminary card
Francisco Trinaldo
[autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag] (25-7 MMA, 15-6 UFC) 12 UFC victories in Brazil are the most in company history.
Trinaldo is the only fighter in UFC history to earn two arm-triangle submission victories from half-guard.
Trinaldo’s nine decision victories in UFC lightweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Gleison Tibau (11).
[autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag] (18-3-1 MMA, 2-2-1 UFC) was successful in his return to the UFC for a second stint when he won at UFC on ESPN+ 18 in September.
[autotag]Jesse Ronson[/autotag] (21-10 MMA, 0-3 UFC) returns to the UFC for the first time since July 2014. He went 8-5 between stints with the promotion.
[autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since Nov. 11, 2017. The 987-day layoff is the longest of his nearly 10-year career.
Collier moves up to the UFC heavyweight division after spending his previous octagon appearances at light heavyweight and middleweight.
Collier can become the 11th fighter in UFC history to win in three weight classes.
Collier has alternated wins and losses over his past seven fights. He won his most recent bout at UFC Fight Night 120 in November 2017.
Collier is one of five fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a spinning back kick to the body. He accomplished the feat at UFC Fight Night 88.
Tanner Boser
[autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag] (18-6-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) makes his second UFC appearance in a 28-day stretch. He won at UFC on ESPN 12 on June 27.
[autotag]Bethe Correia[/autotag] (11-4-1 MMA, 5-4-1 UFC) competes in her 11th UFC women’s bantamweight bout, tied for the third most appearances in divisional history behind Raquel Pennington (13) an Amanda Nunes (12).
Correia and Marion Reneau fought to the first draw in women’s UFC history at UFC Fight Night 106.
[autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) has earned 14 of his 16 career victories by stoppage. That includes all three of his UFC wins.
Wood’s three submission victories in UFC bantamweight competition are tied for fifth most in divisional history behind Urijah Faber (six), Rani Yahya (five), Aljamain Sterling (four) and Marlon Vera (four).
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
Peter Sobotta is reenergized after taking more than two years away from competition ahead of UFC on ESPN 14.
ABU DHABI – [autotag]Peter Sobotta[/autotag] is reenergized after taking more than two years away from competition ahead of UFC on ESPN 14.
Sobotta (17-6-1 MMA, 4-5 UFC) said the time off from the octagon was well spent. He was able to get many of his personal affairs in order and said he’s now exactly where he needs to be going into Saturday’s welterweight matchup with Alex Oliveira (20-8-1 MMA, 10-6 UFC), which takes place at Flash Forum at Yas Island and airs on ESPN.
“It’s a great to be back,” Sobotta told reporters, including MMA Junkie, on Tuesday at UFC on ESPN 14 media day. “A lot of things happened. My focus shifted a little bit more towards my personal life. I became the father of two children in the last two years, so that was exciting. I opened up two new businesses. I opened up a big new gym, and I hosted a big MMA event in my home country in Germany.
“I had an injury on my neck. I was preparing for a fight last year, but it fell out. I wasn’t here, but I was pretty busy. But now I’m back.”
Sobotta said a small part of him wondered if there would be a right time to fight again. He hasn’t competed since a third-round TKO loss to Leon Edwards at UFC Fight Night 127 in March 2018, and has had to deal with injuries since.
[lawrence-related id=536280]
The old adage is that distance makes the heart grow fonder, and Sobotta said that rung true for him. Not only is he keen for his comeback fight, but he wants to make a statement that convinces UFC offcials to keep him around in the future.
“(The time off) made me realize how much I miss the fighting and the training and all the challenges that come with it,” Sobotta said. “I was away, and I really started to miss it, and it gave me the feel like, ‘OK, I have to come back, I have to do it again.’ Now I’m feeling great.
“The training camp was good, and it’s the last fight on my contract. So everything depends on the fight on Saturday, and I really hope I’ll get a new contract.”
Sobotta thinks Oliveira is the perfect matchup to allow him to shine and prove his worth. The Brazilian is one of the top action-fighters in the welterweight division and is consistently putting himself in the running for a “Fight of the Night” bonus. That meshes will with Sobotta, he said.
“It’s great to fight him,” Sobotta said. “He was very active in the time I wasn’t fighting, and for sure he’s a very exciting fighter. A cool guy. All of his fights are always with a lot of action, and that’s what I expect: A fast fight with a lot of action, but I think I’m the better fighter and I think I will win.”
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 14 event in Abu Dhabi.
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 14 event in Abu Dhabi.
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 14 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC on ESPN 14 takes place Saturday at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
Make your picks for all six main card fights inside:
“Fight Island” is real, and now the four cards that will take place there are real, as well.
“Fight Island” is real, and now the four cards that will take place there are real, as well.
UFC president Dana White today announced the complete lineup for the four cards that will take place next month in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The unique setup has been necessitated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has made it difficult to get international fighters into the U.S. to compete.
“I think this is going to be a really unique experience, not just for the fighters, but for us,” UFC president Dana White said during the announcement. “It’s going to be cool. It’s going to be something different. It’s never been done before, and however long this thing goes on, and however long it’s hard to get people in from other countries, we will have these fights at ‘Fight Island’ – Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.”
First up, it’s UFC 251 on July 11, which features a trio of title fights.
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
Champ [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] – for welterweight title
Champ [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] – for featherweight title
[autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] – for vacant bantamweight title
[autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag]
[autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag]
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
[autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag]
[autotag]Muslim Salikhov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos[/autotag]
[autotag]Makwan Amirkhani[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Danny Henry[/autotag]
[autotag]Roman Bogatov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Leonardo Santos[/autotag]
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 6:15 p.m. ET)
[autotag]Alexander Romanov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag]
[autotag]Raulian Paiva[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Zhalgas Zhumagulov[/autotag]
[autotag]Vanessa Melo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Karol Rosa[/autotag]
[autotag]Martin Day[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Davey Grant[/autotag]
Calvin Kattar and Dan Ige
The promotion then returns on July 15 with an event headlined by featherweight contenders [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] (21-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) and [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag] (14-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC).
The complete lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (10 p.m. ET)
Calvin Kattar vs. Dan Ige
[autotag]Frankie Edgar[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag]
[autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag]
[autotag]Abdul Razak Alhassan[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Mounir Lazzez[/autotag]
[autotag]Chris Fishgold[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag]
PRELIMINARY (7 p.m. ET)
[autotag]Modestas Bukauskas[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Vinicius Moreira[/autotag]
[autotag]Molly McCann[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Taila Santos[/autotag]
[autotag]Lerone Murphy[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ricardo Ramos[/autotag]
[autotag]John Phillips[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Dusko Todorovic[/autotag]
[autotag]Ryan Benoit[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag]
[autotag]Diana Belbita[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Liana Jojua[/autotag]
Joseph Benavidez and Deiveson Figueiredo
Three days later, on July 18, the promotion hosts its third card in eight days, when top flyweight contenders [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) and [autotag]Joseph Benavidez[/autotag] (28-6 MMA, 15-4 UFC) meet for a second time with the vacant UFC flyweight title on the line.
The full card includes:
MAIN CARD (9 p.m. ET)
Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Joseph Benavidez – for vacant flyweight title
[autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag]
[autotag]Marc Diakiese[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag]
[autotag]Luana Carolina[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag]
[autotag]Askar Askarov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag]
PRELIMINARY CARD (6 p.m. ET)
[autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Khadis Ibragimov[/autotag]
[autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Nad Narimani[/autotag]
[autotag]Joel Alvarez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Joe Duffy[/autotag]
[autotag]Montel Jackson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Brett Johns[/autotag]
[autotag]Aleksander Doskalchuk[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tagir Ulanbekov[/autotag]
[autotag]Davi Ramos[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag]
[autotag]Carlos Felipe[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag]
Darren Till and Robert Whittaker
Finally, the UFC’s run in Abu Dhabi ends on July 25 with a much-anticipated middleweight contest between former champion [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] (20-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) and former welterweight title challenger [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] (18-2-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC).
That night’s full lineup includes:
MAIN CARD
Robert Whittaker vs. Darren Till
[autotag]Antonio Rogerio Nogueira[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag]
[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Peter Sobotta[/autotag]
[autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag]
[autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Danny Roberts[/autotag]
PRELIMINARY CARD
[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag]
[autotag]Raphael Pessoa[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Justin Tafa[/autotag]
[autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Mike Grundy[/autotag]
[autotag]Bethe Correia[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag]
[autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag]
[autotag]Ramazan Emeev[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag]
