Tag: TA block

MMA Junkie Radio #3294: UFC 279 recap, McGregor vs. Diaz 3, Chimaev’s future, more

Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.


Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,294, the fellas look back at the insanity that was the UFC 279 pay-per-view, including Nate Diaz’s submission of Tony Ferguson and Khamzat Chimaev’s submission of Kevin Holland. They also discuss the potential for Diaz vs. Conor McGregor 3, touching gloves, Irene Aldana, Johnny Walker and much more. Tune in!

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.

Former UFC fighter Elias Theodorou dead at 34; MMA community mourns

Elias Theodorou, a former UFC fighter and “TUF Nations” winner has died – hitting the MMA community hard.

Former UFC fighter and “TUF Nations” winner [autotag]Elias Theodorou[/autotag] has died.

Theodorou died Sunday after a battle with cancer. Sources who knew Theodorou confirmed the news to MMA Junkie after various reports surfaced of his death online. Theodorou hadn’t publicly revealed his illness prior to his death.

According to TSN journalist Aaron Bronsteter, Theodorou was diagnosed with Stage 4 liver cancer.

From 2014-2019, Ontario’s Theodorou competed 11 times in the UFC. His career kickstarted when he won “TUF Nations” with a knockout of Sheldon Westcott. He went on to defeat names like Cezar Ferreira, Sam Alvey, Eryk Anders, and Trevor Smith. His only three promotional losses came against perennial contenders Thiago Santos, Brad Tavares, and Derek Brunson.

After the loss to Brunson in May 2019, Theodorou was released from the UFC. Despite Theodorou’s lopsidedly successful UFC record (8-3), UFC president Dana White said the decision to part ways was based on the unlikelihood Theodorou would become a top-five fighter.

Theodorou took his release in stride and vowed to reinvent himself. He went 3-0 after his departure, with his most recent win in December over Bryan Baker.

In the later years of his career, Theodorou became a vocal advocate for destigmatization and allowance of medical cannabis. In January 2020, he became the first professional athlete to receive a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) for it.

Theodorou also served as a “ring boy” for Invicta FC and was featured on “The Amazing Race Canada, Season 3” in 2015.

‘Would’ve beat Khamzat’: Twitter reacts to Nate Diaz’s finish of Tony Ferguson at UFC 279

See the top Twitter reactions to Nate Diaz ending his contract with a win over Tony Ferguson in the UFC 279 main event.

[autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] shined through adversity again on Saturday when he defeated [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] in their short-notice UFC 279 main event matchup.

In the highly-publicized final fight on his current UFC contract, Diaz (21-13 MMA, 16-11 UFC) added another greatest hit to his legendary resume when he toppled former interim UFC champ Ferguson (25-8 MMA, 15-6 UFC) by fourth-round submission in the welterweight bout at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Diaz was originally scheduled to face Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of the card, but when Chimaev missed weight by 7.5 pounds, the card was shuffled and he ended up fighting Ferguson instead.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Diaz’s victory over Chimaev at UFC 279.

* * * *

‘Doesn’t deserve a title fight’: Twitter reacts to Khamzat Chimaev’s quick tap of Kevin Holland at UFC 279

See the top Twitter reactions to Khamzat Chimaev’s flawless win over Kevin Holland in their UFC 279 grudge match.

[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] ended his fight week on a high note when he beat [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] in the UFC 279 featured bout.

Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) kept his perfect record in tact when, after a troublesome week, he managed to defeated Holland (23-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC) by first-round submission in their 180-pound catchweight fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Originally scheduled to headline the card vs. Nate Diaz, Chimaev missed weight by 7.5 pounds and forced a reshuffling of the matchups. He was feuding with Holland during fight week as part of the infamous backstage brawl, and ultimately got the last laugh.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Chimaev’s victory over Holland at UFC 279.

* * * *

UFC 279: Official scorecards from Las Vegas

Check out the official scorecards from all 13 fights at UFC 279 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Check out the official scorecards from all 13 fights at UFC 279 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 279 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC 279 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.

LAS VEGAS – UFC 279 took place Saturday with 13 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from T-Mobile Arena.

You can hear from all the UFC 279 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

UFC 279: Quick picks and prognostications

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the main card for UFC 279.

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main card for UFC 279.

UFC 279 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNEWS and early prelims on ESPN+.

Last event’s results: 3-3

Overall picks for UFC main cards in 2022: 89-54-1

Welcome to MMAJunkie’s Quick Picks and Prognostications, where I’ll be giving brief, fight-day breakdowns for UFC main cards.

With that in mind, I hope these write-ups don’t come off as curt or dismissive, as my goal here is to offer quick picks and analysis in a digestible format. All odds listed are provided by Tipico Sportsbook.

If you’d like more detailed analysis from me, then feel free to check out my weekly show, The Protect Ya’ Neck Podcast.

So, without further ado…

UFC 279 video: Nate Diaz vs. Tony Ferguson faceoff for new main event

Nate Diaz and Tony Ferguson sized each other up for the first time at UFC 279 ceremonial weigh-ins for their new main event.

LAS VEGAS – New UFC 279 headliners [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] and [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] got the chance to size each other up for the first and only time on Friday at ceremonial weigh-ins.

After official weigh-ins turned to chaos and the entire top of the card was forced to be revamped, Diaz (20-13 MMA, 15-11 UFC) and Ferguson (25-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC) will now fight each other in a welterweight bout.

First, though, the pair had a staredown at MGM Grand Garden Arena; just down the street from T-Mobile Arena which hosts Saturday’s pay-per-view main card following prelims on ESPNNEWS and ESPN+..

Check out the video above to see the Diaz vs. Ferguson UFC 279 ceremonial weigh-in faceoff.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 279.

[listicle id=2579386]

[vertical-gallery id=2579314]

UFC 279 faceoff video: Khamzat Chimaev, Kevin Holland separated ahead of heated grudge match

Khamzat Chimaev and Kevin Holland had a staredown for their late-notice grudge match at UFC 279.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] and [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] will have the chance to settle their beef in unexpected fashion on Saturday when they clash in the newly-made UFC 279 co-main event.

After a backstage brawl between them unfolded on Thursday, Chimaev (11-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) missed weight for his planned main event with Nate Diaz on Friday morning at official weigh-ins, causing the entire card to be overhauled. As a result, Chimaev was paired against Holland (23-7 MMA, 9-4 UFC), who was supposed to fight Daniel Rodriguez, in a catchweight contest.

With the feud coming to an end, Chimaev and Holland came face-to-face for a staredown at ceremonial weigh-ins.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 279.

[vertical-gallery id=2579314]

[listicle id=2579386]

UFC 279 matchup shuffle: Nate Diaz headlines vs. Tony Ferguson, Khamzat Chimaev faces Kevin Holland in co-main

Multiple last-minute changes were made to the UFC 279 pay-per-view event after Khamzat Chimaev missed weight Friday morning.

LAS VEGAS – The UFC 279 fight card has been hit with mix-and-match changes unlike any pay-per-view before.

After [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] missed weight at official weigh-ins Friday morning, the promotion scrambled to repair key matchups on Saturday’s main card, including the creation of a new main event.

Chimaev (11-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) will no longer compete in the headlining bout and will face Kevin Holland in the co-main event of the card. [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] remains in the top billing, where he will now face former interim lightweight champion [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag]. [autotag]Li Jingliang[/autotag] and [autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag] will meet in a 180-pound contract weight bout to round out the changes to the main card.

UFC president Dana White officially announced the changes to the card Friday afternoon.

“It’s been a hell of a night, and a hell of a morning,” White said on Instagram Live.

Diaz (20-13 MMA, 15-11 UFC), originally scheduled to face Chimaev, faces an opponent switch on the eve of his final-contracted UFC bout. A highly-anticipated 6-to-1 underdog matchup, sees Diaz go from facing the No. 3 UFC-ranked welterweight to the No. 11 UFC-ranked lightweight Ferguson (25-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC).

UFC 279 marks the first weight miss of Chimaev’s UFC tenure. While he competed at middleweight too, most of his UFC bouts have come at welterweight. He most recently competed in April when he defeated Gilbert Burns.

Holland (23-7 MMA, 10-4 UFC) was first to hit the scales Friday at official weigh-ins. He made weight at 179.5 pounds for his previously-scheduled 180-pound contract weight bout against Rodriguez (16-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC). Holland has headlined three events during his UFC career, and will now compete in his first pay-per-view co-main event. He is 2-0 since he dropped to welterweight with wins over Alex Oliveira and Tim Means.

“The co-main event is five rounds, the main event is five rounds,” White said, confirming the length of the top two bouts.

Jingliang (19-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC) loses his co-main matchup with Ferguson, but now will face Rodriguez in the feature bout of the pay-per-view event.

Despite all of the changes, White is pleased with how things turned out.

“It literally couldn’t have played out any better.”

With the changes, the UFC 279 lineup includes:

  • Nate Diaz vs. Tony Ferguson
  • Khamzat Chimaev vs. Kevin Holland
  • Daniel Rodriguez vs. Li Jingliang
  • Irene Aldana vs. Macy Chiasson
  • Ion Cutelaba vs. Johnny Walker
  • Hakeem Dawodu vs. Julian Erosa
  • Jailton Almeida vs. Anton Turkalj
  • Jamie Pickett vs. Denis Tiuliulin
  • Chris Barnett vs. Jake Collier
  • Norma Dumont vs. Danyelle Wolf
  • Heili Alateng vs. Chad Anheliger
  • Melissa Martinez vs. Elise Reed
  • Yohan Lainesse vs. Darian Weeks

[vertical-gallery id=2578217]

[pickup_prop id=”27464″]