Tag: Social

Nate Diaz bails on final press conference with Jorge Masvidal: ‘Square off with yourself, motherf*cker’

Nate Diaz closed the final stop of his press conference tour vs. Jorge Masvidal in a very on-brand fashion.

[autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] closed the final stop of his press conference tour vs. [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] in a very on-brand fashion.

After spending the past week traveling to Las Vegas, New York, Miami and finally Los Angeles, Diaz was unsurprisingly fed up with answering similar questions repeatedly in such close proximity with Masvidal.

The annoyance spilled over Friday, when Diaz took an early exit from the final stop of the four-city media tour ahead of the 10-round boxing match with Masvidal on June 1.

“I’m done with all this sh*t,” Diaz said. “I’m cool off all this f*cking talking sh*t. I got a whole team to represent. I don’t want to do none of this. I never wanted to do anything with it. F*ck this n*gga and f*ck his team, bro. I’m out. I’ve got to go.”

After three faceoffs, Diaz wanted no part in a fourth. And he made that much clear to Masvidal, who beat him by doctor’s stoppage TKO in their original meeting for the BMF title at UFC 244 in November 2019.

“Square off with yourself, motherf*cker,” Diaz said.

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For more on the fight, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Diaz vs. Masvidal 2.

Video: UFC 300 behind-the-scenes video blog reveals production side of mega-event

It’s not often we get to see how the sausage is made on a UFC broadcast, so enjoy this behind-the-scenes video blog from UFC 300.

It’s not often we get to see how the sausage is made on a UFC broadcast.

UFC 300 this past weekend at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas was one of the biggest events in the storied header of MMA’s leading organization, and with that has some some special behind-the-scenes access.

UFC Television Director J.J. Szokody posted a unique video blog to a YouTube channel in the aftermath of the event, taking viewers inside the trucks and showing how various elements of a UFC event are put together for the world to watch.

Check out the 15-minute video above and meet some of the key people who make a UFC card happen.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Video: UFC 300 corner cam shows Max Holloway’s coaches lose their minds watching epic knockout

The reaction footage from Max Holloway’s insane knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 continue to pour in, this time from his corner.

The reaction footage from [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag]’s insane knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 continues to pour in, and this time it’s from the corner of the BMF champion.

Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) posted to social media Tuesday openly asking why the UFC didn’t include the shot of his corner celebrating on the UFC 300 broadcast after he scored a remarkable knockout of Gaethje with just one second remaining in the final round at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Just a few hours later, Holloway obtained the raw footage and shared it for the world, and it’s as awesome as you’d expect.

Holloway comes from a largely unheralded team in Hawaii. His coaches rarely speak to the media and just quietly work on helping “Blessed” improve as a fighter. Coaches Michael Nakagawa, Jordan Rita and Darin Yap got to see the fruits of their labor pay off on the biggest stage, watching Holloway score what Joe Rogan called the “great knockout of all time.”

Check out the footage of the corner celebration below (via X):

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C51JrFLPK2P/?igsh=MTQ1c2RtOXM4dTJ1dA

Hollowaym, 32, praised his corner on the caption of the post and was thankful for the support of his team in such a memorable moment.

“It takes a village,” Holloway said. “… they make some of the biggest sacrifices for me. A debt I’ll never be able to repay.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Chris Curtis fears torn hamstring after UFC Fight Night 240 loss, tells Brendan Allen ‘you owe me the trilogy’

Chris Curtis thinks the judges ripped him off at UFC Fight Night 240 and wants a trilogy fight with Brendan Allen once healthy.

[autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag] thought he was going to get the decision nod against Brendan Allen on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 240, but it didn’t work out in his favor.

To make matters worse, Curtis (31-11 MMA, 5-3 UFC) thinks he sustained a torn hamstring late in the split decision defeat to Allen (24-5 MMA, 12-2 UFC) in the middleweight headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Curtis stepped in as a replacement for Marvin Vettori on three weeks’ notice at UFC Fight Night 240 in a rematch of his December 2021 knockout of Allen. He showed again that he’s a tough matchup for “All In,” going five rounds and convincing one of the judges to score it in his favor. The other two didn’t, though, and Curtis came out with the loss.

He reflected on the result in a post-fight statement where he also addressed injury concerns. Curtis also said he hopes to get a trilogy fight with Allen down the line (via Instagram):

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5cboABxOFr/

Not the result we wanted, but it is what it is. I thought we had it, but congrats to @b_allen185. Love you brotha and enjoy the night. But remember, it’s 1-1, you owe me the trilogy lol. Rest up and enjoy your family. Thank you all for the support, and I’m sorry. I felt good, I was ready, maybe I’m just getting to old for this shit. Lol time will tell. Until next time guys.

Edit: btw guys, it looks like I tore my hamstring. Popped it in round 2 and we think it tore in round 5 at the end. We’ll find out on Monday after we get some scans. Thank you guys for the concern.

If Curtis’ worst fears come true, he could be looking at a lengthy absence from competition. A fully torn hamstring typically requires surgery, and the recovery window could last anywhere from three to six months.

At 36, it could be a career-altering situation for Curtis, but his spirits appeared rather high in the aftermath of the competitive bout with Allen, which multiple fighters deemed the Fight of the Year so far in 2024.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 240.

UFC Fight Night 240 video: Cesar Almeida, who holds kickboxing win over Alex Pereira, shines with debut TKO

Kickboxing veteran Cesar Almeida, who has beaten Alex Pereira, finished his UFC Fight Night 240 debut by TKO, then called out Chris Weidman.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Cesar Almeida[/autotag] showed much more of his potential than he did on Dana White’s Contender Series during Saturday’s octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 240.

The powerful striking of kickboxing specialist Almeida (5-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who holds a win in that sport over current UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, was on full display. He thwarted key takedown attempts from opponent [autotag]Dylan Budka[/autotag] (7-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC), then rattled off elbows, punches then ground-and-pound for the TKO at the 2:13 mark of Round 2 in the middleweight bout at the UFC Apex.

Check out the replay of the final sequence below (via X):

After the fight, Almeida hailed his growth in the grappling. He was frustrated he gave up an early takedown in the fight, but thinks he’s evolving where that’s not going to happen too often in the future.

“I trained a lot of jiu-jitsu in Brazil,” Almeida told Michael Bisping in his post-fight interview. “I’m ready for all the wresters in this division. I’m ready, motherf*ckers.”

Almeida wasn’t kidding, either. He called out former UFC middleweight champ Chris Weidman after the fight and said he would happy to be tested on the mat.

“Weidman, I’m ready for you brother,” Almeida said. “Let’s see if you can stop me on the ground. Let’s go brother.”

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Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 240 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 240.

UFC on ESPN 54 video: Kyle Nelson swarms for standing TKO of Bill Algeo, who protests stoppage

Kyle Nelson leaned into the outrage of Bill Algeo and the Atlantic City crowd after his standing TKO win at UFC on ESPN 54.

[autotag]Kyle Nelson[/autotag] landed early and often on [autotag]Bill Algeo[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 54, leading to a standing TKO finish.

Nelson (16-5-1 MMA, 4-4-1 UFC) hurt Algeo (19-7 MMA, 5-4 UFC) early in the first round of the featherweight bout at Boardwalk Hall, and he kept the pressure on until referee Gary Copeland jumped in at the 4:00 mark of Round 1.

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Although Algeo never fell to the canvas, he was wobbled on multiple occasions and forced to retreat repeatedly. Copeland kept a close eye on him and decided to jump in after a final staggering blow, and Algeo expressed frustration with how it all ended.

Check out the replay of the final sequence below (via X):

Nelson was asked about the stoppage during his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping, and he defended the result

“I was having the time of my life in there just throwing punches,” Nelson said. “Bill’s tough, he was eating them, but I was going to keep going all day long. It was a matter of time. I think the ref did his job.

“Anybody that’s got some criticisms, I can be back in this octagon next week. I’m here. I’m ready. You like that, eh?”

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 54 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 54.

UFC on ESPN 54 results: Virna Jandiroba halts Loopy Godinez’s strawweight streak

Virna Jandiroba once again played spoiler at UFC on ESPN 54, this time ending Loopy Godinez’s winning streak.

[autotag]Loopy Godinez[/autotag] had all the momentum coming into UFC on ESPN 54, but [autotag]Virna Jandiroba[/autotag] once again played spoiler.

Former Invicta FC champ Jandiroba (20-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) did what she does best, bringing a 15-minute fight into her style and pace against Godinez (12-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC). As a result, she was awarded the unanimous decision by scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 in the strawweight bout at Boardwalk Hall.

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The fight was heavy on grappling. In the first round, Godinez landed a few solid strikes but spent most of the frame fending off the grappling advances of her opponent. Then, in the second, Godinez spent the majority of the stanza attacked for a leg lock, but Jandiroba patiently defended to escape a tricky round to score.

With either fighter having the chance to make a big impression in the third and final round, it remained competitive. Both women landed some strikes that lacked significant power, but then tied up in a late-round grappling exchange that saw Jandiroba take the back and attack with a rear-naked choke. She couldn’t finish it, but it was the positional statement that she needed for the win.

Jandiroba’s winning streak now hits three fights and includes Godinez, Marina Rodriguez and Angela Hill. Godinez, meanwhile, suffers her first defeat at 115 pounds since April 2021 after winning her past six.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 54 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 54.

UFC on ESPN 54 video: Ibo Aslan avenges loss to Anton Turkalj with third-round TKO

With his eye swelled shut and on the cusp of defeat, Ibo Aslan landed a one-hitter quitter on Anton Turkalj to turn his UFC on ESPN 54 debut into a win.

[autotag]Ibo Aslan[/autotag] had to overcome some adversity in his octagon debut at UFC on ESPN 54, but he ultimately found a way to win against [autotag]Anton Turkalj[/autotag].

After earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series, Aslan (13-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) got the unique opportunity to debut against the man who handed him his only career loss in Turkalj (8-4 MMA, 0-4 UFC) in a light heavyweight matchup at Boardwalk Hall.

For more than two rounds it looked like history might repeat itself, with Turkalj landing some heavy shots and swelling Aslan’s eye to a close. But then Aslan landed a huge punch in the third round that knocked Turkalj down, and the referee jumped in for the TKO at the 1:32 mark of Round 3.

Check out the replay of the final sequence below (via X):

After the win, Aslan proudly stated he’s ready to make waves as the only active UFC fighter from Turkey. He hopes to do big things in the 205-pound division, especially with the lone blemish on his resume now wiped away.

This guy runs for four years from me. I get him in the UFC in my debut. I knocked him out. I am not here to win the fight. I am here to knock people out.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 54 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 54.

UFC on ESPN 53 video: Edmen Shahbazyan KOs AJ Dobson to cap huge comeback

Edmen Shahbazyan returned to form with a brutal knockout of AJ Dobson in the featured bout at UFC on ESPN 53.

[autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag] turned the tables on [autotag]AJ Dobson[/autotag] in a big way at UFC on ESPN 53, and it resulted in a knockout win.

After Dobson (7-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) found a home for his punches in the opening minutes of the middleweight bout at the UFC Apex, Shahbazyan (13-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) turned the tide courtesy of a clean punch that put his opponent on skates. He followed up with some violent ground-and-pound to put his opponent out cold at the 4:33 mark of Round 1.

Check out the replay of the finishing sequence below (via X):

Shahbazyan started his career on an undefeated run, but had run into a 1-4 skid over his past five contests. He got back on track with a highlight-reel finish, and hopes to carry momentum moving forward.

“He hit me with a good shot, I’m not going to lie,” Shahbazyan said in his post-fight interview with Paul Felder. “It buzzed me for a second. I kept telling myself I would battle through adversity. … I tried to show my full skillset today.

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Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 53 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 53.

UFC on ESPN 53 video: Youssef Zalal thrives in octagon return, becomes first to tap Billy Quarantillo

After his first octagon run ended in a four-fight winless skid, Youssef Zalal returned with a statement performance at UFC on ESPN 53.

[autotag]Youssef Zalal[/autotag] promised a better version of himself for his second stint under the UFC banner, and things got off to a promising start Saturday at UFC on ESPN 53 when he submitted [autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag].

Zalal (14-5-1 MMA, 4-3-1 UFC) saw his first run with the company end in August 2022 on a four-fight winless skid. He worked his way back, then thrived with the new opportunity when he threatened Quarantillo repeatedly with submissions until he finally locked in a rear-naked choke that got the tap at the 1:50 mark of Round 2 at the UFC Apex.

Check out the replay of Zalal’s handiwork below (via X):

Zalal, 27, was overcome with joy in the aftermath of becoming the first person to submit Quarantillo in MMA competition. He has big plans moving forward, and intends to live up to the career goals he set for himself from the outset.

“I’m really too good,” Zalal said in his post-fight interview with Paul Felder. “The first time I was in the UFC, I told you guys I would be a world champion and will be a world champion. I just didn’t have the confidence.”

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 53 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 53.