Robbie Lawler will oblige to Mike Perry’s desire to fight years after “Platinum” first called out the former UFC champ.
[autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] will oblige to [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag]’s desire to fight years after “Platinum” first called out the former UFC champ.
Lawler (28-15 MMA, 13-9 UFC) and Perry (14-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) have agreed to meet at UFC 255 on Nov. 21, MMA Junkie verified with multiple people close to the situation following an initial report from ESPN. The people requested anonymity because UFC has yet to make an official announcement..
UFC 251 takes place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims expected on ESPN and ESPN+.
Lawler has lost his past four fights. The former 170-pound kingpin most recently returned to action after taking a year off following a loss to Colby Covington, only to drop a lopsided decision to Neil Magny.
Perry, meanwhile, will attempt to win two straight for the first time since 2017. “Platinum” beat Mickey Gall at UFC on ESPN 12 in June, but was single entangled in outside-the-cage issues, with a situation in which he got into trouble altercation at a restaurant that was caught on video.
The UFC forced Perry to take a hiatus in the aftermath of that situation, stating it wouldn’t offer Perry any fights until he sought help. Apparently he’s done enough to make his return, and it will be for arguably the biggest win of his career.
The latest UFC 255 lineup now includes:
Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Cody Garbrandt – for flyweight title
Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jennifer Maia – for women’s flyweight title
Despite picking up wins, Polyana Viana and Mallory Martin could be facing up to six months on the sidelines.
Despite picking up wins at UFC on ESPN+ 33, [autotag]Polyana Viana[/autotag] and [autotag]Mallory Martin[/autotag] could potentially face up to six months on the sidelines due to medical suspensions.
MMA Junkie obtained the full list of suspensions from MixedMartialArts.com, the Association of Boxing Commission’s official record keeper.
In the night’s opener, Martin (7-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) picked up a comeback submission finish of [autotag]Hannah Cifers[/autotag] (10-7 MMA, 2-5 UFC) at this past weekend’s event, which took place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. In the second fight of the night, Viana (11-4 MMA, 2-3 UFC) submitted [autotag]Emily Whitmire[/autotag] (4-4 MMA, 2-3 UFC) with an armbar in the first round.
Also potentially facing several months on the shelf is [autotag]Ji Yeon Kim[/autotag], who suffered a unanimous decision loss to [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC). Kim (9-3-2 MMA, 3-3 UFC) has to have her right orbital non-displaced fracture cleared or she could be facing six months.
Despite the one-sided loss to [autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag] in the main event, [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] (32-16 MMA, 8-4 UFC) will only be facing 45 days, whereas Rakic (13-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) did not receive a suspension.
[autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] (28-15 MMA, 13-9 UFC) will be facing 45 days for nasal lacerations in his co-main event loss to [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag], whereas Magny (24-7 MMA, 17-6 UFC) will be facing 45 days until the cut on his right elbow is cleared by a doctor.
Below is the full list of UFC on ESPN+ 33 medical suspensions:
Anthony Smith: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
Aleksandar Rakic: No suspension.
Robbie Lawler: Suspended 45 days with no contest for 30 days due to nasal lacerations.
Neil Magny: Suspended 45 days or until cut on right elbow cleared by doctor or no contest until Sept. 11.
Ji Yeon Kim: Must have right orbital non-displaced fracture cleared by oral and maxillofacial doctor or ophthalmologist or no contest until Feb. 26; minimum suspension until Oct. 14 with no contact until Sept. 29.
Alexa Grasso: No suspension.
[autotag]Ricardo Lamas[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
[autotag]Bill Algeo[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Maki Pitolo[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to facial lacerations.
[autotag]Impa Kasangay[/autotag]: Must have right eye laceration cleared by doctor or no contest until Oct. 14; minimum suspension until Sept. 11.
[autotag]Alessio Di Chirico[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
[autotag]Zak Cummings[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Alex Caceres[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Austin Springer[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Christian Aguilera[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to right eyebrow and nose lacerations.
Polyana Viana: Must have right thumb MRI and x-ray of
right foot. If positive, then must have orthopedic doctor clearance or no contest until Feb. 26, 2021; minimum suspension until Sept. 29 with no contact until Sept. 20.
Emily Whitmire: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 30 days due to left elbow pain.
Mallory Martin: Must have right knee MRI. If positive, must have orthopedic doctor clearance or no contest until Feb. 26, 2021; minimum suspension until Oct. 29 with no contact until Oct. 14.
Hannah Cifers: Must have nose cut cleared by doctor or no contest until Oct. 14; minimum suspension until Sept. 29 with no contact until Sept. 20.
Neil Magny has some stellar wins on his resume, but Saturday’s might be his best yet.
[autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] has some stellar wins on his resume, but Saturday’s might be his best yet.
Magny (24-7 MMA, 17-6 UFC) frustrated former welterweight champion [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] (28-15 MMA, 13-9 UFC) for the better part of 15 minutes on his way to a unanimous decision. Magny took the fight with a trio of 30-27 scores.
The victory was Magny’s third straight for his best winning streak since 2015-2016. The win was Magny’s third in 2020 and moved him into the No. 2 spot for career UFC welterweight wins, just two behind Georges St-Pierre. Lawler dropped his fourth straight fight to continue a career-worst slide.
The welterweight bout was the UFC on ESPN+ 33 co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It streamed on ESPN+.
“It’s definitely a feather in the cap beating a legend like Robbie Lawler,” Magny said after the fight. “This guy’s done amazing things in the sport throughout his time here. It was literally an honor for me to go in there and face him tonight. It feels good to actually be able to execute a game plan and come out victorious with a guy like Robbie Lawler.
“… I’m doing the right things, and I’m going the right direction. It’s only a matter of time before I’m considered a world champion, or I am the world champion.”
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Magny went to the outside to open and landed a solid kick to the body 25 seconds in. But Lawler swung heavy seconds later and backed Magny up, then tried to wrap Magny up for a takedown. He couldn’t finish it, and it gave Magny a chance to work for a D’Arce choke 75 seconds into the bout. He let it go, but started working punches to the body, then worked his way to Lawler’s back when the fight moved to the feet. Magny tried to wear Lawler down, then took him to the canvas, but found himself reversed by Lawler with two minutes left. When Magny got back to his feet, he landed a knee to the body, then an elbow, and then took Lawler down again along the fence.
A minute into the middle frame, Magny took Lawler down again. Soon after, he took Lawler’s back and tried to get his hooks in for a rear-naked choke. Lawler turned out of the choke, but Magny had plenty of time to work. Lawler got back to his feet with a minute left, but ate elbows from Magny, then knees to the body. They broke away with 45 seconds left, but Lawler couldn’t get anything going to rally.
Lawler almost certainly needed a finish to win the fight, and he landed a solid right hook 30 seconds into the third. Magny dropped back to guard and held Lawler at bay on top of him. With Magn yholding on, they were put back on their feet and Lawler tried to chase Magny down with heavy hands ready. But with three minutes left, Magny briefly dragged Lawler to the canvas. They went back to the middle midway through, but Magny continued to frustrate the former champ and never let him put anything together.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN+ 33 results include:
Neil Magny def. Robbie Lawler via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
The UFC has released the official fight poster for UFC on ESPN+ 33 with a light heavyweight matchup headlining the card in Las Vegas.
With the UFC light heavyweight title now vacant, [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag] will be vying for top contention.
Smith vs. Rakic will headline UFC on ESPN+ 33 on Saturday in a three-round fight at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.
Smith (33-15 MMA, 8-5 UFC) has lost two of his past three and will look to rebound from his fifth-round stoppage loss to Glover Teixeira in May. The former UFC light heavyweight title challenger has finished all but one of his UFC wins.
Rakic (12-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) is coming off a split decision loss to Volkan Oezdemir in December 2019, which is his ony blemish in the UFC. Prior to that, he scored back-to-back first-round finishes over Devin Clark and Jimi Manuwa.
Also featured on the poster is a co-main event matchup between [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 16-6 UFC) and former UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] (28-14 MMA, 13-8 UFC), who will look to snap the first three-fight losing skid of his career.
Check out the official poster for the UFC on ESPN+ 33 event below:
The latest lineup for the UFC’s Aug. 29 card includes:
Anthony Smith vs. Aleksandar Rakic
Robbie Lawler vs. Neil Magny
Alexa Grasso vs. Ji Yeon Kim
Magomed Ankalaev vs. Ion Cutelaba
Impa Kasanganay vs. Maki Pitolo
Bill Algeo vs. Ricardo Lamas
Hannah Cifers vs. Mallory Martin
Zak Cummings vs. Alessio Di Chirico
Alex Caceres vs. Giga Chikadze
Polyana Viana vs. Emily Whitmire
Christian Aguilera vs. Sean Brady
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.
Neil Magny is no stranger to facing power punchers and expects to shine in his matchup against Robbie Lawler on Aug. 29.
[autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] relishes challenges like [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag].
Magny (23-7 MMA, 16-6 UFC), who was originally scheduled to face Geoff Neal, will now take on former UFC welterweight champion Lawler at the UFC’s Aug. 29 event after Neal was forced out due to an unforeseen health scare.
For Magny, despite Lawler being ranked a couple of spots under Neal in the UFC’s welterweight rankings, it’s an even bigger opportunity.
Lawler (28-14 MMA, 13-8 UFC) has lost three in a row, but was once considered one of the most feared competitors in all of MMA. He’s been a part of numerous memorable barnburners and had two title defenses in his run as champion.
Magny is no stranger to facing power punchers, having outlasted the likes of Kelvin Gastelum and Hector Lombard in two of his most impressive wins.
So he expects to shine in the Lawler matchup.
“I see this fight playing out great for me,” Magny told MMA Junkie. “I know for a fact that Robbie Lawler is one of those guys that likes to come out super aggressive in the fight, so I’m looking to meet him right in the center of the octagon and bring that aggression right back to him. I’m excited for it. I know for a fact that these fights that most people are afraid of taking bring the best out of me.
“The fights like Kelvin Gastelum, Hector Lombard where most people are afraid of that kind of power or that kind of pace, I feel like are the fights that bring out the best in me. I expect nothing different going in the fight against Robbie Lawler.”
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Lawler may be on a losing skid, having suffered three straight losses to Rafael dos Anjos, Ben Askren and Colby Covington, but Magny knows it would be dangerous to overlook the former champion.
“For me to underestimate Robbie Lawler or think that his last couple of performances are going to be something that’s going to give me an advantage in any kind of way, that’ll be silly on my part,” Magny said. “The guy’s a great athlete, a great competitor, been in the sport for a long time, and you don’t survive in this sport being a slouch. His last couple fights have been, in my opinion, just bad matchups.”
With the Aug. 29 headliner between Zabit Magomedsharipov and Yair Rodriguez falling through, Magny expected his fight with Lawler to be promoted to the main event. But either way, he’s confident that his matchup will deliver.
“At this point, I really do not care where the fight lands,” Magny said. “I know he and I are going to go out there and steal the show. So if we’re the first fight of the night, I’m good with that. If we’re the last fight of the night, I’m good with that. At the end of the day, I know we’re going to go out there and steal the show (and) put on a good performance.”
Magny has been a perennial contender in the welterweight division for years, but he’s yet to break into title contention. Having won four of his past five, he sees a win over an established name like Lawler pushing him a big step forward in his quest for gold.
“I think a win over Robbie Lawler puts me in the top of my division. But it’s not just any win – it needs to be a dominant win,” Magny said. “I need to go out there and really show people why I should be in the top 10. I know fighting (Anthony) Rocco Martin last, I didn’t really show much of what I can do and show my full potential. But I feel like this fight against Robbie Lawler does that for my career.
“It allows me to go out there and really demand what I want for my career. So going out there, putting on a dominant performance throws me back in the top 10 (and) allows me to keep moving forward closer to that title shot.”
Geoff Neal recently suffered a health scare, landing him in the ICU. Robbie Lawler is expected to fight Neil Magny.
[autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] won’t be fighting [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag] on Aug. 29.
Magny (23-7 MMA, 16-6 UFC) and Neal (13-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) were expected to square off at the UFC’s Aug. 29 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. However, Neal recently suffered a health scare leading to hospitalization in the ICU. Neal’s withdrawal has opened the door for [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag], who has stepped in as a replacement.
On Sunday, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of Neal’s withdrawal and the Lawler (28-14 MMA, 13-8 UFC) fight but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
MMA DNA reported Lawler was the frontrunner shortly after Neal’s post.
Neal opened up about his health scare in an Instagram post on Sunday, writing “I almost died.” Neal also said he has undergone treatment with a dialysis machine and has returned home.
“These past few week have been crazy, and that’s putting it lightly. It’s really hard to try to find an eloquent way to say “I almost died.” So screw it.. I almost died…. This really put alot of things into perspective for me. Never did I ever think I would be hooked up to a dialysis machine before my 30s. Everything was going well for me. Was training everyday, making money at work, just signed a contract for a huge fight, then BOOM, life hit me with a check hook. I’m just glad to be home after having to spend 1 week in the ICU. Stay healthy out there y’all and listen to your body at all times.”
With Neal’s withdrawal, the Aug. 29 lineup now includes:
It didn’t take long for Tyron Woodley to capture the UFC welterweight title, when he faced champion Robbie Lawler in 2016.
It didn’t take long for [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] to capture the UFC welterweight title.
Woodley (19-4-1 MMA, 11-4-1 UFC) faced the division’s boogeyman, then-champion [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag], at UFC 201 in 2016 for his first shot at gold since joining the roster.
Lawler had been involved in some of the greatest wars in UFC history, outlasting the likes of Johny Hendricks, Rory MacDonald and Carlos Condit.
But Woodley got him out of there quick.
After an almost minute-long feeling out process, Woodley lunged in with a combination, backing Lawler to the fence and engaging in the clinch. With Woodley not working enough, referee Dan Miragliotta separated the fighters.
Lawler continued to circle around with a more patient approach but just over two minutes into the fight, Woodley exploded with an overhand right, knocking Lawler out.
Woodley would go on to retain his title four times, before losing out to current champion Kamaru Usman last March.
He will return to action for the first time since losing his belt, when he faces Gilbert Burns this Saturday in the UFC on ESPN 9 headliner. The event takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
Before he faces Burns, relive Woodley’s championship winning performance over Lawler in the video above.
Courtesy of the UFC, have another look at the battle many have called the greatest in MMA history.
If someone compiles a list of the greatest mixed martial arts bouts of all-time and does not include [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] at UFC 189, that list can be safely ignored.
Many consider Lawler’s successful defense of the UFC welterweight title on July 11, 2015 in Las Vegas to be the single greatest fight in the sport’s history. Regardless where you specifically rank Lawler’s fifth-round TKO victory in their rematch (Lawler took a split decision of the first meeting at UFC 167), it belongs somewhere on the short list of most memorable fights, a battle which was equal parts skill, heart, and determination.
With the MMA world shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, there’s rarely been a better time to relive classic fights. And there are few better fights to give another look than this thriller.
The UFC is helping fill the void by making this fight free to watch. Watch the video above to go back in time and enjoy an all-time great battle.
