Rob Font – Page 12 – Syndication Server

UFC Fight Night 183 predictions: Stephen Thompson or Geoff Neal in UFC’s last 2020 show?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC Fight Night 183 main card featuring Stephen Thompson vs. Geoff Neal.

	Thompson vs. Neal	Aldo vs. Vera	Pereira vs. Williams	Font vs. Moraes	Hardy vs. Tybura
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2020: 154-95	Thompson (58%)	Vera (52%)	Williams (67%)	Moraes (80%)	Hardy (58%)
Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2020: 169-80	Thompson	Aldo	Pereira	Font	Tybura
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2020: 164-85	Thompson	Vera	Pereira	Moraes	Tybura
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2020: 163-86	Thompson	Aldo	Williams	Font	Tybura
Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2020: 162-87 2014 Champion	Neal	Aldo	Williams	Moraes	Hardy
Simon Head @simonhead 2020: 161-88 2019 Champion*	Thompson	Vera	Williams	Moraes	Hardy
Nolan King @mma_kings 2020: 161-88	Thompson	Aldo	Williams	Moraes	Tybura
Simon Samano @SJSamano 2020: 159-90	Neal	Vera	Pereira	Moraes	Hardy
Brian Garcia @thegoze 2020: 157-92 2017 Champion	Thompson	Vera	Williams	Moraes	Hardy
John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2020: 156-93	Neal	Vera	Williams	Moraes	Hardy
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2020: 156-93 2018 Champion	Neal	Vera	Williams	Font	Hardy
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2020: 154-95	Thompson	Vera	Williams	Font	Hardy
Dave Doyle @davedoylemma 2020: 153-96	Thompson	Aldo	Williams	Font	Tybura
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2020: 152-97	Neal	Aldo	Williams	Font	Hardy
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2020: 92-157	Neal	Vera	Williams	Font	Tybura

The UFC is back for its final event of a strange calendar year of fighting with a welterweight bout atop the card.

UFC Fight Night 183 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

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

In the main event, former welterweight title challenger [autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag] (15-4-1 MMA, 10-4-1 UFC) takes on [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC). Neal is a slight favorite at BetMGM at -125, but it’s Thompson with a slight 8-6 lead from our 14 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts.

In the co-feature, former featherweight champion [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] (28-7 MMA, 10-6 UFC) meets [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] (18-6-1 MMA, 10-5 UFC) in a bantamweight bout. Aldo is a -150 favorite at the book, but slight underdog Vera has an 8-6 lead in the picks.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag] (24-11 MMA, 2-2 UFC) takes on [autotag]Khaos Williams[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) at welterweight. Pereira is a slight favorite at -120, but Williams is our pickers’ biggest favorite at 11-3.

[autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) takes on [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] (23-7-1 MMA, 5-3 UFC) at bantamweight. Moraes is a -155 favorite, but the picks are a dead heat at 7-7.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Greg Hardy[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) takes on [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag] (20-6 MMA, 7-5 UFC) at heavyweight. Hardy is a -130 favorite, and he’s got an 8-5 picks lead.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Thompson (58 percent), Vera (52 percent), Williams (67 percent), Moraes (80 percent) and Hardy (58 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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UFC Fight Night 183: Rob Font virtual media day

During ACL recovery, UFC Fight Night 183’s Rob Font drew motivation from Calvin Kattar

Rob Font hopes UFC Fight Night 183 kicks off a successful stretch for “The New England Cartel.”

[autotag]Rob Font[/autotag]’s 2020 didn’t go as planned, but a win at UFC Fight Night 183 could make that irrelevant.

After competing only once in 2019 despite being healthy all year, Font (17-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) tore his ACL in a win against Ricky Simon last December. The injury knocked him out of action until he was rebooked for Saturday’s fight against Marlon Moraes.

“I made rehab my new sport, my new martial art,” Font told reporters, including MMA Junkie, during Thursday’s media day. “I just put my head down and got to work. The whole pandemic and coronavirus situation kind of slowed everything down, so it wasn’t the worst.”

Fighting consistently has been Font’s goal, though bad luck and lack of opponents have prevented him from doing so. In order to combat infrequent activity, Font had to eliminate the negativity from his mindset – even during tough times.

“I was shadowboxing on one leg,” Font said. “I was figuring out ways to kick, holding the couch, just figuring out different ways to stay active. Once I was able to ride the bike and shadowbox, it wasn’t the worst. I watched a lot of film and watched a lot of fights.”

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Though he has not yet competed in 2020, Font remained an active member of UFC training camps. As his close friend and teammate [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] ascended up the 145-pound ladder, Font was there every step of the way to offer support. In return, Font was inspired by Kattar’s success.

“Watching Calvin rise the way he did, it was motivating,” Font said. “It urged me to have that hunger to get back to it.”

Font competes against Moraes (23-7-1 MMA, 5-3 UFC), a former UFC bantamweight title challenger, on Saturday – a fight that could have major implications should he win. In January, Kattar (22-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC) fights former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway. Font deemed the month stretch vitally important to the rise of the New England Cartel.

“This is big,” Font said. “We’ve got to go out there and obviously win these fights. It will take us one step closer to bringing the belts (to) New England, to Boston, and obviously, holding it down for the cartel.

UFC Fight Night 183 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

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Nearing UFC title shots, burgeoning New England Cartel aims to capitalize on big bookings

Coach Tyson Chartier, Calvin Kattar and Rob Font haven’t let themselves become complacent – and now they’re reaping the benefits.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – In April 2018, coach Tyson Chartier and UFC featherweight [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] stood backstage during UFC 223 fight week.

After Chartier watched his fighter walk to the media day stage to square off with his opponent, Renato Moicano, the coach kept a close eye on then-UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway, who was supposed to compete in the main event vs. lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Holloway and Kattar stood in the same vicinity as the fighters were funneled through the backstage area. As soon as Holloway left, Chartier leaned over and said to Kattar, “Dude, we’re going to fight him one day.”

Almost three years later, his thought will become a reality. Kattar will fight Holloway in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Jan. 16 in a bout that could set him up for a title shot.

“We’re excited,” Chartier told MMA Junkie this past Thursday. “Calvin earned this opportunity. We came out of that last fight – we did our job. We fought down. We fought the guy that made sense on short-ish notice. We headlined a card and were able to show we are a true headliner. We were able to show we can finish big in the fourth and the fifth (rounds) and take out the surging prospect (Dan Ige). Now it’s our time to shift gears and be the surging prospect and fight the GOAT.”

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During their journey to UFC contendership, Chartier and Kattar, along with UFC bantamweight [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] and coaches Sean Farley, Jack Manini and John Deupree, have dubbed themselves “The New England Cartel.” Their circle is close but tight with a one-for-all mentality.

Ever since Kattar entered the UFC in July 2017, Holloway has been on the Cartel’s mind, but so have major top-tier fights for Rob Font.

At UFC Fight Night on Dec. 19 in Las Vegas, Font will compete in his most high-profile fight to date against former UFC bantamweight title challenger Marlon Moraes – a fight that would land him in the title picture if he wins.

With Kattar entering a potential No. 1 contender fight, their high-paced, focused schedule has shifted into full gear. The countdown has started to what will perhaps be – and what Chartier thinks certainly should be – Kattar’s title shot-punching opportunity.

“If we turn around and beat Max, now we’ve beaten Max, Jeremy Stephens and Dan Ige,” Chartier said. “Since (our) Zabit (Magomedsharipiov) fight, he hasn’t fought anybody. They took a calculated risk back in August by saying no to fighting us because they were trying to push for a title shot. We said to them, ‘That’s fine. You can do that. But don’t be surprised if we turn around and get a big fight this fall … then we jump the line.’ If you beat Max Holloway, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be fighting for a title.”

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Through ups and downs, it’s always been about sticking to the plan for the Cartel – and in the long term, it’s paid off. While positive reflection is needed every once in a while, Chartier attributes the team’s position in the 145-pound and 135-pound divisions to a lack of complacency.

“It’s hard because you get in this tunnel vision of fight camps,” Chartier said. “You’re moving, you’re moving, you’re moving. I have this line that I always say: ‘The white-belt version of myself would think what we’re doing is very cool right now.’ I used to look up to people that are doing what I’m doing right now. Sometimes you want to stop and smell the roses and appreciate where you’re at, but that’s not going to help us win these next two fights.

“… We’re only as good as our last fight. Fortunately, both of these two guys are coming off wins. We’ve got a tall task ahead of us. The recognition comes with success, and we’re just still trying to build it. It’s exciting, though. It’s exciting to see how far the New England Cartel has come and how far New England MMA as a whole (has come). It’s finally getting the credibility to do it on the national level.”

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UFC books Marlon Moraes for quick turnaround vs. Rob Font on Dec. 19

Marlon Moraes is wasting no time returning to the cage after his recent loss to Cory Sandhagen.

[autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] is wasting no time returning to the cage after his recent loss to Cory Sandhagen.

A former UFC bantamweight title challenger, Moraes (23-7-1 MMA, 5-3 UFC) will attempt to get back into the win column against [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] on Dec. 19 at an event expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Multiple sources confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie on Wednesday but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. MMA reporter Mike Russell first reported the matchup as being targeted in a tweet Tuesday.

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Moraes competed against Sandhagen earlier this month at UFC on ESPN+ 37. He was finished with a spinning wheel kick and punches in Round 2. The loss was Moraes’ second in as many fights but the first time he’s been finished since 2011.

Font (17-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) will compete in his first fight since tearing his ACL in a December 2019 unanimous decision win over Ricky Simon. Coming into the matchup, Font rides a two-fight winning streak and has lost only once since late 2017.

With the addition, the Dec. 19 lineup includes:

Sean Brady vs. Belal Muhammad
Antonio Braga Neto vs. Deron Winn
Tafon Nchukwi vs. Jamie Pickett
Rob Font vs. Marlon Moraes

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Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Stipe Miocic and UFC 252’s key winning fighters?

See who Stipe Miocic and other notable UFC 252 winners should fight next after their victories on Saturday’s card in Las Vegas.

(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Daniel Cormier and UFC 252’s losing fighters?)

After every event, fans wonder whom the winners will be matched up with next.

With another night of UFC action in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward, put on a pair of Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker for UFC 252’s key winning fighters.

Those included [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC), who defended his heavyweight title against Daniel Cormier (22-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) by unanimous decision in the main event at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, as well as [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] (16-6-1 MMA, 10-5 UFC), [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) and [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC).

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Merab Dvalishvili

Should fight: [autotag]Cody Stamann[/autotag]
Why they should fight: Dvalishvili showed he has more layers to his game than just grappling when he outworked two time title challenger John Dodson to a unanimous decision that extended his winning streak to five fights.

At this point, it’s obvious Dvalishvili is going to be a problem for a lot of people in the bantamweight division. Is he championship material? That remains to be seen. However, he has a great team around him that has made UFC champions and has the motivation and talent to become a real contender.

In beating Dodson, Dvalishvili earned himself a high profile opponent at 135 pounds. He called out Sean O’Malley again post-fight, but his style seems like a nightmare matchup or someone the UFC is positioning to be a big star. It’s a good storyline to keep going, but at this point someone like Stamann (19-3-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC), who is also a grinder, would be more appropriate for Dvalishvili’s wheelhouse.

Jairzinho Rozenstruik

Should fight: Winner of [autotag]Walt Harris[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] at UFC 254
Why they should fight: Rozenstruik bounced back from his first career loss when he netted a second-round TKO of former champ Junior Dos Santos.

After having his unbeaten streak snapped in a brutal 20-second knockout against Francis Ngannou in May, it was hard to tell how Rozenstruik would respond. He had a slow start against Dos Santos, but found his home for the fight-ending blows in the second frame.

With the win, Rozenstruik is back in the mix of heavyweight contenders. He’s a few notches behind the very top tier, but one or two wins can put him where he wants to be. The Suriname native should be keeping a close eye on the Oct. 24 bout between Harris (13-8 MMA, 6-7 UFC) and Volkov (31-8 MMA, 5-2 UFC) at UFC 254, because that match presents a realistic next-fight option.

Marlon Vera

Should fight: [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag]
Why they should fight: Vera lived up to his promise to upset Sean O’Malley with his first-round TKO win. “Chito” has now won his past six fights in the bantamweight division, and has stopped everyone inside the distance.

There’s some debate to be had about the nature of the win against O’Malley, of course. Vera believes his win was totally legitimate, though, and now he should move forward to more notable bouts in one of the UFC’s most exciting weight classes.

As Vera breaks his way into the rankings, it’s hard to go wrong with any matchup in the top 15. Given who is available at the moment, Font (17-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) seems like the best option. He’s an action fighter himself, and his style would make for a thriller against Vera once he’s healthy from a recent injury.

Stipe Miocic

Should fight: [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag]
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Miocic should rematch Ngannou (15-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) next for his second title defense.

UFC bantamweight Rob Font sheds light on injury recovery, timetable for return

Rob Font says he’s “at least 90 percent right now” and is just waiting for the pieces to fall in place for him to book a fight.

UFC bantamweight [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] is edging closer to an octagon return.

Font (17-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC), who’s been sidelined with a knee injury since the beginning of 2020, is hoping to squeeze one fight in before the end of the year. He’s been rehabbing at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas and helping his good friend and teammate, Calvin Kattar, prepare for his past couple of fights.

“I’m looking at fighting in November honestly,” Font told MMA Junkie. “I’m good to go. I’m like at least 90 percent right now. I’m just waiting for the green light from Heather and the surgeon and obviously a matchup from Sean Shelby, but I should be in there November, December the latest, so I’m excited.”

He continued, “The division’s moving. The division’s on fire. We had the belt, we had a lot of fights go down in the division, so I’m excited to see who I get matched up with.”

Font hasn’t competed since last December, when he defeated Ricky Simon in a “Fight of the Night” effort at UFC on ESPN 7. He’s won three of his past four and is aiming for a top-ranked bantamweight upon his return.

“Jimmie Rivera would be a great fight,” Font said. “I would love to see how that Pedro Munhoz, Frankie Edgar (fight) plays out. Cory Sandhagen’s out there. There’s a lot of fights. There’s so many, and I’m pretty sure it’ll be more by the time I get back, so we’ll see. But anybody really. I’m just excited to get back in there and mix it up with some of these guys.”

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Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Amanda Nunes and UFC 250’s key winning fighters?

See who Amanda Nunes should fight next after defending her title against Felicia Spencer at UFC 250.

(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for UFC 250’s losing fighters?)

After every event, fans wonder whom the winners will be matched up with next.

With another night of UFC action in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward, put on a pair of Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker for UFC 250’s key winning fighters.

Those fighters included [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 13-1 UFC), who defended her UFC women’s featherweight title against Felicia Spencer (8-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) by unanimous decision in the pay-per-view headliner at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, as well as Cody Garbrandt (12-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC), [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (19-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC), [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (12-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) and [autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag] (24-5 MMA, 6-1 UFC).

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Alex Perez

Joseph Benavidez (right) vs. Deiveson Figueiredo

Should fight: Winner of [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Joseph Benavidez[/autotag]
Why they should fight: Perez had his breakthrough moment to turn himself into a top contender in the flyweight division when he stunned the highly regarded Jussier Formiga with a first-round finish.

Not only did Perez put Formiga away inside the opening frame, but he did it with the brilliance of leg kicks. It was just the 12th finish in UFC history with the technique, and that’s going to get Perez, who has won 11 of his past 12 fights, some well-deserved attention.

The flyweight division is thin on worthwhile contenders at the moment. Figueiredo (18-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) vs. Benavidez (28-6 MMA, 15-4 UFC) will rematch for the vacant 125-pound belt on July 18, and there’s an opportunity for someone to step up and make the case to fight the winner. Well, Perez did about as good a job of that as one could.

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Off Guard: Rob Font details knee injury in last fight, hopes for 2020 return

Currently recovering from a knee injury with the help of the UFC Performance Institute, Rob Font hopes to return sometime this year.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] suffered a knee injury that has kept him on the sidelines since his last fight.

In his UFC on ESPN 7 bout against Ricky Simon last December, Font (17-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) tore his knee midway through the contest but still powered through to win the fight, notching a bonus in the process.

“Yeah second round, he took me down, we’re coming up in the exchange, he kind of had that triangle wrapped around my legs, his hips went down, my foot came up, tore my ACL,” Font told MMA Junkie. “Slight tears on both my meniscuses as well. It was wobbling a couple of times throughout the fight – it wasn’t Maycee Barber’s situation where it was like pain the whole time, it was just unstable. I was pretty much on skates the whole round but we figured it out, got the job done.”

Font has won three of his last four bouts, with back-to-back wins over Sergio Pettis and Simon, as he guns for the top of the bantamweight rankings. The Boston native is currently in Las Vegas rehabbing at the UFC Performance Institute, aiming to return by this year.

“That’s the plan,” he said. “I’m just trying to get through these next couple of months and then we’ll find out who exactly but I’m definitely getting back in.”

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Catching up with Rob Font | Off Guard

You never know when “Gorgeous” George or “Goze” will catch somebody “Off Guard.” This time they catch up with UFC Bantamweight Rob Font.