Tag: Social

Bellator 234 reactions: Winning and losing fighters on social media

See how the Bellator 234 winners and losers reacted on social media outlets such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Since the early days when the sport was anything but a mainstream endeavor, the MMA industry has thrived and survived through various websites, forums and, perhaps most importantly, social-media platforms.

Fighters interact with fans, each other and many more through the likes of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, which helps outsiders get a deeper look into the minds of the athletes.

Following Thursday’s Bellator 234 event in Tel Aviv, Israel, several of the winning and losing fighters, along with their coaches, training partners or family members, took to social media to react to the event or share a message with supporters.

Check out some of those reactions.

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The defeated

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Извиняюсь перед всеми фанатами ММА, порвал связку, сделаю операцию и вернусь…@bellatormma @ufc @bellatorkb @ufceurope @m1global @zharafight #bottlecapchallenge #камчатка #хабаровск#спорт#подготовка#сборы#америка#россия#европа#украина#казахстан#беллорусия#минск#команда#Тольковперединешагуназад#самбо#дзюдо#армейскийрукопашныйбой#универсальныйбой#бокс#кикбоксинг#грекоримскаяборьба#вольнаяборьба#слававдв#победа2019

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Twitter reacts to Jan Blachowicz’s lackluster win over ‘Jacare’ Souza at UFC on ESPN+ 22

See the top Twitter reactions to Jan Blachowicz’s win over Ronaldo Souza in the UFC on ESPN+ 22 main event.

[autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] won a UFC main event for the first time on Saturday when he went into enemy territory to defeat [autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN+ 22.

Blachowicz (25-8 MMA, 8-5 UFC) strengthened his case for a light heavyweight title shot when he ruined Souza’s (26-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC) move up to the division with a split decision victory in the headlining bout, which took place at Ginásio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo, and streamed on ESPN+.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Blachowicz’s victory over Souza at UFC on ESPN+ 22.

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Twitter reacts to ‘Shogun’ Rua vs. Paul Craig split draw at UFC on ESPN+ 22

See the top Twitter reactions to the Mauricio Rua vs. Paul Craig split draw in the UFC on ESPN+ 22 co-main event.

The judges could not decide a winner between [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] and [autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag] in the UFC on ESPN+ 22 co-main event on Saturday.

After three hard-fought rounds in the light heavyweight division, former UFC champ Rua (26-11-1 MMA, 10-9-1 UFC) and Craig (12-4-1 MMA, 4-5-1 UFC) fought to a split draw in the matchup, which took place at Ginásio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo, and streamed on ESPN+.

Check below for the Twitter reactions to the “Shogun” vs. Craig split draw in the UFC on ESPN+ 22 co-main event.

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Bellator 237, Rizin FF 20 cards begin to fill out with multiple additions, including five crossover bouts

Multiple new additions have been added to December’s dual Bellator and Rizin FF cards in Japan, including five crossover contests.

Five additional fights have been added to the upcoming Bellator and Rizin FF joint cards being held in Saitama, Japan.

Bellator president Scott Coker shared the news of three crossover bouts that are headed to the Bellator 237 card at Saitama Super Arena, as well as two crossover bouts added to the Rizin FF 20 card also taking place at the same venue, two days later.

On the Bellator card, UFC veterans [autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag] (21-7 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) and [autotag]Keita Nakamura[/autotag] (35-10-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will both make quick turnarounds and square off in a welterweight bout. Since dropping his first two promotional bouts with Bellator, Larkin has won his last three in a row, most recently picking up a split-decision win over Andrey Koreshkov at Bellator 229. Nakamura made good in his Rizin debut, scoring a first round finish over Marcos Yoshio de Souza at Rizin FF 19.

Also headed to Bellator 237 is a women’s flyweight bout between [autotag]Ilara Joanne[/autotag] (9-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Kana Watanabe[/autotag] (8-0-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA). Joanne recently picked up the biggest win of her career, submitting UFC veteran Bec Rawlings in her Bellator debut last month. Joanne, who’s riding a three-fight winning streak, recently called out 125-pound champ Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, but instead draws Japan’s undefeated Watanabe.

The third bout added to Bellator 237 is a lightweight bout between [autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag] (24-4 MMA, 10-3 BMMA) and [autotag]Daron Cruickshank[/autotag] (22-12 MMA, 0-0 BMMA). Yamauchi is coming off back-to-back wins that include a decision over Daniel Weichel and a first-round submission over Saad Awad at October’s Bellator 229. Cruickshank, has dropped his last two in a row to Damien Brown and Tofiq Musaev, and he now looks to get back in the win column.

Meanwhile, on the Dec. 31 Rizin card, two bouts will take place under the Japanese promotion’s ruleset. [autotag]Yuki Motoya[/autotag] (23-7) faces undefeated [autotag]Patrick Mix[/autotag] (12-0) in a bantamweight bout, while [autotag]Mikuru Asakura[/autotag] (11-1) will take on [autotag]John Macapa[/autotag] (23-42) in a featherweight clash.

Meanwhile, Rizin officials announced a series of post-lim bouts to take place at Bellator 237, which the Japanese promotion is calling “Bellator Japan powered by RIZIN.”

The matchups include [autotag]Andy Nguyen[/autotag] (6-8) vs. [autotag]Ai Shimizu[/autotag] (5-1), [autotag]Ryuichiro Sumimura[/autotag] (14-7) vs. [autotag]Jon Tuck[/autotag] (10-5), [autotag]Jarred Brooks[/autotag] (15-2) vs. [autotag]Haruo Ochi[/autotag] (19-7-2) and [autotag]Hiroto Uesako[/autotag] (16-8) vs. [autotag]Yusuke Yachi[/autotag] (20-9).

Darren Till accepts Robert Whittaker’s challenge for UFC London

Darren Till has accepted Robert Whittaker’s callout for a London showdown.

[autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] has responded to former UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag]’s callout.

Whittaker initially called for a UFC London headliner vs. Till in a recent interview with “The Daily Telegraph,” and former welterweight title challenger Till now says he welcomes the matchup.

And rather than simply accept the booking, Till also took to Twitter to warn Whittaker that he’s not ready for a fight with him.

In his last outing, Whittaker (20-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) lost his middleweight title to Israel Adesanya via second-round TKO at October’s UFC 243. It was Whittaker’s first loss in over five years, and his first ever at 185 pounds.

Till (18-2-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC), on the other hand, successfully snapped a two-fight losing skid in his most recent outing, defeating former interim middleweight title challenger Kelvin Gastelum via split decision at UFC 244 earlier this mont.

No date has been announced for the UFC’s next trip to London, but it is projected to take place in the first quarter of 2020, as the promotion has done for the past several years.

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Austin Rivers begged the refs to call a T on his dad and loved it when they did

What a father/son moment in Houston!

Well, this was awkward. And also highly amusing.

Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers was throwing a fit in the final minutes of his team’s loss to the Rockets on Wednesday night when his son, Houston guard Austin Rivers, stepped in and begged the refs to call a technical on his dad.

Now that is just cold.

But then refs did just that and ejected Doc Rivers from the game, which Austin Rivers, who was traded from the Clippers by his dad during the offseason, seemed to really love it.

Check out this special moment between a father and his son:

Austin Rivers then said after that it made his night:

And he acknowledged that the holidays might be a little rough:

This league!

Twitter loved it:

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Andrea Lee vs. Lauren Murphy planned for Feb. 8 UFC card

An interesting flyweight fight is heading to a UFC card expected to land in Houston.

An interesting flyweight fight is heading to the UFC’s expected return to Houston.

[autotag]Andrea Lee[/autotag] and [autotag]Lauren Murphy[/autotag] will square off on the yet-to-be-announced Feb. 8 card which is being targeted for the Texas city. Both fighters announced the bout over their social media accounts, after a report from MyMMANews.

The 30-year-old Lee (11-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) isn’t wasting much time trying to shake off her first UFC loss. Lee dropped a split decision to Joanne Calderwood at UFC 242, which ended a streak in which she won her first three UFC bouts and seven overall.

Murphy (11-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC), meanwhile, has proven to be a dependable competitor over the years, always a tough out win or lose. The MMA Lab competitor is coming off a third-round TKO win at UFC on ESPN 5, which gave her two wins in her past three fights.

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After failed Rizin FF negotiation, Ryan Bader targets Bellator light heavyweight title defense

Ryan Bader’s pursuit for more championship belts has hit a snag, and for now he will have to be content with the gold he already has.

[autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag]’s pursuit for more championship belts has hit a snag, and for now he will have to be content with the gold he already has.

Bader (27-5 MMA, 5-0 BMMA), the current Bellator heavyweight and light heavyweight champion, has spent the past several months pushing to fight for a championship under the Rizin FF banner in Japan.

Bellator and Rizin FF have a strong relationship and are set to co-promote a card in “The Land of the Rising Sun” on Dec. 29. Bader felt that was the perfect opportunity for him to fight for a Rizin FF belt, possibly against current light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka.

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That opportunity apparently won’t materialize, though, because Bader today took to social media and announced negotiations have failed (via Twitter):

Bader, 36, is most recently coming off a defense of his heavyweight title. He retained the belt in a no contest with Cheick Kongo after an accidental eye poke at Bellator 226 in September.

The first fighter in Bellator history to hold multiple titles simultaneously, Bader has made his intentions to keep both belts clear. He already defended his heavyweight strap (albeit in underwhelming fashion) and now it appears his intent is to return to 205 pounds for the first time in more than two years and put that belt up for grabs.

Leading candidates to land a light heavyweight title fight with Bader would seemingly include Vadim Nemkov (11-2 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) and Phil Davis (21-5 MMA, 8-2 BMMA).

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Trae Young nutmegged a defender, hit a jumper, and stared down the Nuggets’ bench

This looked way too easy.

It hasn’t taken long for Trae Young to become one of the more exciting players to watch in the NBA.

And right now he’s on an absolute tear.

The second-year Atlanta Hawks guard has scored over 30 points in each of his last three games, including 42 in Tuesday night’s victory over the Nuggets in Denver in which he hit eight 3-pointers.

But it was a nice two-pointer that stood out the most against the Nuggets as he nutmegged a defender, collected the ball, hit a jumper, and then stared down Denver’s bench for about five seconds.

You’re gonna want to check this out:

Here’s a better angle of the nutmeg:

Insane.

Here are his highlights from the win:

NBA fans loved the nutmeg:

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UFC on ESPN+ 21 reactions: Winning and losing fighters on social media

UFC on ESPN+ 21 winners and losers react on social media outlets such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Since the early days when the sport was anything but a mainstream endeavor, the MMA industry has thrived and survived through various websites, forums, and – perhaps most importantly – social-media platforms.

Fighters interact with fans, each other and many more through the likes of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, which helps outsiders get a deeper look into the minds of the athletes.

Following Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 21 in Moscow, several of the winning and losing fighters, along with their coaches, training partners or family members, took to social media to react to the event or share a message with supporters.

Check out some of those reactions.

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The defeated

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Всем Здравствуйте друзья,подписчики👋🏼Вот и прогремел ЮФС-МОСКВА! Все всё видели,как прошёл бой и результат вам известен…Большое всем Спасибо🙏🏽кто приезжал и поддержал и поддерживает🙏🏽Кто прилетел поддержать с Родины🙏🏽Многие спрашивают кто был в углу у меня?!! В углу у меня были мои братья,они мне братья по спорту,духу и в жизни,всегда рядом со мной и в моём сердце❤️🙏🏽. С ними прошёл огонь,воду и медные трубы как говорится…Все тягости и трудности знают лишь они близко,через что мне прошлось пройти с 2014 года, знаю каждого из них как родного @alexkrylat Алексей Генадьевич 🇷🇺 Курильский тигр @olenichevmma Олег Сергеевич Уральский тигр🇷🇺и Сергей Владимирович Украинский тигр🇺🇦 Каждый из них является моим учеником,которого я готовил к боям…Их тренировал Тайскому Боксу. Вместе с ними,становился Чемпионом Мира на их глазах…Конечно всё это благодаря моему Тренеру Ивану Владимировичу Спасибо. Сейчас речь идёт о тех кто у меня был в углу🙏🏽БРАТЬЯ СПАСИБО ВАМ🙏🏽Что всё бросили,все свои важные дела и приехали ко мне на бой и были рядом со мной🙏🏽когда я вам сказал надо быть у меня в углу. Всем добра и мира друзья🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽Чистого мирного неба над головой🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

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Definitely wasn’t how this trip was supposed to go 😅 I asked for this fight, across the world, new weight division, coming off injury, against someone I’ve lost to before, and whilst it may not have paid off in the win column, it’s given me more drive to fix the things I’m lacking. Sometimes you gotta break things right down to build them back stronger. The last 18 months have been really rough but win or lose, I’m just so grateful to be physically able to do what I love again ❤️ Thank you to everyone who supports me day in and day out. It doesn’t go unnoticed or unappreciated. On to the next ❤️🏴‍☠️🦖 Thank you @ufc @mickmaynard2 @seanshelby for always giving me amazing opportunities 💯

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Ассаламуалейкум,Приветствую всех. Вчера к сожалению был такой бой,который не хочется особо комментировать.Но своё слово сказать надо.Вчера на арене я почувствовал такую поддержку,что не описать словами,как я благодарен вам.Людям,которые рядом,которые всегда поддержат.Я привык радовать всех вас своими победами,но вчерашний вечер был не таким,каким я хотел себя показать в бою,на что был способен..Но и в таком положении не считаю себя проигравшим.Для меня главное признание сердец,а не то,что пишут на бумаге.Спасибо всем за поддержку.Обещаю,что вернусь сильнее! Иногда надо сделать один шаг назад,чтобы сделать два шага вперед.Всем БаркАллагь ✊🏻

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Всем Салам алейкум , второе поражение подряд , снова вышел на замену , поломал нос в первом раунде, дышать было сложно . Готов был лучше чем в прошлый раз , но это не все на что я способен ! К следующему бою пройду полный лагерь и надеюсь на иной исход событий ! Всем спасибо за слова поддержки) У меня все хорошо и совсем скоро намерен возобновить тренировочный процесс . На все воля Всевышнего ! #спорт#мма#бои#юфс#sport#mma#ufc#питер

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The victorious

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This Saturday went by well, had the trip of a life time. And got to spend it with people who been with me from the beginning. We Went to a country I never thought I would have ever been. And beat one of there own in his backyard. So many emotions going into this fight. So many doubts, so many people thinking maybe this guy had to much experience for me. I mean he had over 32 fights to my 10 and had fought some big names in the ufc. But once again we proved them wrong. I had somethings I needed to prove to myself. I had some demons I needed to face and overcome. Well I face them head on and i proved what I needed to prove. So I’m putting everyone on notice I AM HERE TO STAY!!! And you all will feel me.. 💯💯💪🏽 thank you to my coaches @rothweileradam @carlsongracieteam and my manager @elguero13_714 for believing in me and having my back wherever I go. I am a product of the things you guys teach me. And every fight we will only get better. #Ateam #CarlsonGracieTeam #ThePredator #TopMountApparel #CameFromNothing #itsonlythebeginning

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❗11.Listopad 2019, 101 Lat Niepodlegosci❗ ❗ 🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱 ❗ At First, I am really happy to announce to you all that this was a wonderful weekend of great success. I won in the first round, after 2.50min, by Submission Triangle Choke at @ufc Fight Night 163 in Moscow, Russia. Thanks to my opponent @abubakar_nurmagomedov for the fight and i wish you all the best for your Future in the UFC. #RESPECT In Addition, all my Teammates from @ufd_gym did very well in Zagreb, Crotia. We stay and fall together! #WeMakeChampions I would like to thank my Team, my Coaches and especialy my family and friends. Very special thanks ,for these, which having made the long journey to Russia to Support me. Thank you very much. Thanks to my polish friends and fans who Support me and wish whole 🇵🇱 a nice holiday #niepodległość #polska Thank you also, to all friends and Fans in Germany and all around the World. Have a great Start into the Week Much Love See you soon Sagat #UFCMOSCOW #ufcfightnight163 #winner

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Ещё один бой позади. Хочу поблагодарить каждого, кто вчера болел и переживал за меня, и в зале и у экранов телевизоров. Я чувствовал вашу поддержку. Я всегда стремлюсь провести бой ярко, и ваша поддержка придавала мне сил сделать этот поединок зрелищнее. Драться у себя дома – это напряжение и дополнительная ответственность перед болельщиками. Пройдя все это, я понял, что оно того стоило, я получил огромный заряд адреналина, впервые выступив у себя в стране. Ещё раз спасибо вам всем, что вы рядом ✊🏽

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Спасибо, Рамзан Ахматович, за поддержку и высокую оценку моих навыков✊🏻 ___ @za_kadyrova_95eng Ассаламу алайкум! Наш БРАТ Забит Магомедшарипов одержал очередную победу в главном бою международного турнира UFC Fight 163, прошедшем на арене ЦСКА. Эта победа стала для него шестой в UFC. Забит показал красивый бой, продемонстрировал свои способности одинаково эффектно наносить удары ногами и руками. Американский боец Келвин Каттар «Бостонский Фиришер» не смог противостоять натиску Забита, который является одним из лучших российских бойцов в своей весовой категории. Мне всегда нравится наблюдать за поединками Забита. У него своеобразный и приятный стиль ведения боя. Важно то, что он при любой победе сохраняет чувство такта, скромность, порядочность. Желаю Забиту новых побед, здоровья и удачи! #Спорт #Кадыров #Забит #Магомедшарипов #UFC

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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.