Tag: UFC 246

Off Guard: After UFC 246, coach sees Roxanne Modafferi giving a lot of flyweights problems

John Wood thinks that Roxanne Modafferi, even at 37, is just getting started with how great she can be.

LAS VEGAS – At UFC 246, [autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag] cashed in as a massive underdog once again when she upset highly-touted and previously undefeated prospect Maycee Barber to earn a lopsided unanimous decision win.

It was the second time Modafferi took the zero from an undefeated fighter’s record following her previous win over Antonina Shevchenko last April in Russia.

But while Modafferi’s wins over more fancied opposition have come as a surprise to some, one person who wasn’t shocked is her head coach. Syndicate MMA’s John Wood knew Modafferi would get the job done and said he thinks the 37-year-old is only just starting to hit her stride.

“She did exactly what she was supposed to do, what we planned to do,” Wood told MMA Junkie. “It was one of those rare occasions where everything you think was going to happen, happened, and the game plan didn’t have to deviate at all. She went out there and performed perfectly. She looked sharp, I think she looked the fastest, most balanced that she’s ever looked, and I think she’s going to continue to keep getting better, better, and better, and this one is going to take her up to the next level,and she’s going to give a lot of girls in the division a problem.”

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Modafferi (24-16 MMA, 3-4 UFC) has alternated wins and losses in her last seven bouts, but Wood chalks up her recent losses to the circumstances not being in Modafferi’s favor.

“Roxanne’s always the underdog, and every fight she ever has she’s a massive underdog,” Wood said. “The only fights that she’s really lost in the UFC, one was the title fight with Nicco Montano, which was on less than 24-hour notice (against) a lefty. We switched it all up, and she still went all five rounds. And then two opponents, which both missed weight. With bigger opponents she’s had struggles and things with that. But with the people who come in on weight, I really think that Roxanne, she shows up no matter what.”

The win over Barber was a big one for Modafferi, and Wood thinks the veteran flyweight is starting to put things together and still has a long career ahead of her.

“People don’t realize, she looks awkward and goofy and stuff, but when she gets in there, she’s gameday,” Wood said. “Her ground is phenomenal, and now I really think her striking is going to hit that next level.”

He continrued, “I think this fight is going to set the tone for a lot of other fights coming up. I think she has stepped up, figured out how to make her striking work even that much more, the strength and conditioning is great, everything is kind of working together. We have a really good combination, she is learning and getting better all the time, so I think she’s got a long road ahead of her. As far as fighting, I don’t see any end to her career anytime soon.”

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Watch Donald Cerrone in Netflix’s ‘Spenser Confidential’ trailer with Mark Wahlberg, Post Malone

Check out “Cowboy” in this trailer.

[autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] is getting involved in all kinds of action.

Cerrone will be featured in Peter Berg’s upcoming Netflix movie “Spenser Confidential,” which features the likes of Mark Wahlberg and rapper Post Malone.

In the trailer, Cerrone tells Wahlberg that he and his fellow inmates have a “Going away message” for him, and then a brawl ensues. The movie is expected to be released on March 6.

It’s not the first time Wahlberg has worked with a UFC fighter, as another Berg movie, Mile 22, featured former UFC bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey.

Cerrone competed just last week in the main event of UFC 246, losing by first-round TKO to Conor McGregor in Las Vegas.

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You can check out the trailer in the video above.

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.

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MMA rankings report: The difficulty of dealing with Conor McGregor after UFC 246

Check out our breakdown of the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, including how far Conor McGregor jumped at lightweight.

You knew heading into UFC 246 that there would certainly be movement in the rankings coming out of it, but maybe there wasn’t as much as expected.

The first pay-per-view of 2020 features the highly anticipated return of [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag], who put on a great performance in defeating [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] by TKO in just 40 seconds of their main event. Even though the fight took place at welterweight, the impact on the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings comes at lightweight, where the two fighters traditionally have been active.

As usual, there’s difficulty in deciding where to rank McGregor. He’s the biggest start in the sport with a tremendous skillset, but his inactivity – especially while others rack up big wins – is always something to consider. He entered UFC 246 at No. 13 and made a huge jump this week after an undeniably brilliant performance against “Cowboy.”

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The rankings also got a shakeup at women’s bantamweight, where Holly Holm makes a jump after beating Raquel Pennington for the second time. And there also was a women’s flyweight shakeup to consider after Roxanne Modafferi dominated Maycee Barber for an easy unanimous decision win.

To hear about the big changes this week, let MMA Junkie’s “Gorgeous” George and John Morgan walk you through them in the video above.

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Analyze this: MMA Twitter roasts Stephen A. Smith’s atrocious pad work

Stephen A. Smith can dish it, but can he take it?

It’s about time Stephen A. Smith tried to protect himself from all his absurd MMA takes.

This past Saturday, after [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] finished [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] in 40 seconds at UFC 246, Smith proceeded to rip Cerrone’s performance during the ESPN+ post-fight show. He called it “atrocious,” said Cerrone was “in over his head” and alluded to the fact that he gave up, quite the take for a veteran of the fight game who holds some of the UFC’s most prestigious records.

And that wasn’t Smith’s first unreasonable MMA take.

So just in case Cerrone took notice of Smith’s comments, it’s best to be prepared. Prepare yourself at all times, right? But maybe not quite like this.

Take a look below at Stephen A. doing some pad work (not sure we’d actually call it “sparring”) in a video that surfaced Tuesday night. MMA Twitter took notice, and the takes came in hot and heavy.

Clint Eastwood’s pad work in Million Dollar Baby can rest easy after seeing this.

Who’s the pad holder prepping Stephen A. Smith to strike at with that two piece, anyways? Dr. Evil and Mini Me? Jfc…

When your preparing for cowboy and his son just Incase they come after him 😂..need to see more reporters hit pads 😂

Couldn’t bust a grape. 🖕

Only thing I see are how trash his hands are

Hey, @stephenasmith, I’m going to let you finish your mitt session, but please, for everything that is holy at ESPN, please keep your #MMA opinions to yourself, thanks.

this might be the fight to make in 2020 👀

“Atrocious”

Cerrone was interviewed by Smith alongside Max Kellerman pre-fight on ESPN’s “First Take,” where “Cowboy” looked visibly bothered by their line of questions. So Smith didn’t exactly get off the right foot with Cerrone, and his post-fight comments weren’t any better.

Well, if you can dish it, you better be able to take it. Right?

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.

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Fabricio Werdum calls out Aleksei Oleinik: ‘My jiu-jitsu is better’

Fabricio Werdum thinks a matchup with fellow heavyweight submission artist Aleksei Oleinik would be a nice fight for his octagon return.

With [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] edging closer to a return, he has set his eyes on a fellow heavyweight submission artist.

The former UFC heavyweight champion, who tested positive for trenbolone and epitrenbolone metabolites stemming from an out-of-competition drug test in April 2018, was recently granted a suspension reduction by the United States Anti-Doping Agency.

His two-year ineligibility period commenced on May 22, 2018, but after the suspension reduction, Werdum is now eligible to return to the octagon on April 1.

And Werdum (23-8-1 MMA, 11-5 UFC) has called out the recently victorious [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] (58-13-1 MMA, 7-4 UFC), who picked up a “Performance of the Night” submission over Maurice Greene at UFC 246.

“Congratulations @oleynikufc all my respect for you BUT I think my JiuJitsu it’s better, let’s dance you can be my special guest for my return in the UFC.”

Prior to being flagged by USADA, Werdum was slated to headline UFC Fight Night 136 against Oleinik in Russia, before being forced out due to the violation. He has won two of his last three, suffering a fourth-round knockout loss to Alexander Volkov in his last outing in March 2018.

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The keys to Sodiq Yusuff’s UFC 246 victory? Oils, prayers and a new U.S. passport

Newly documented U.S. citizen Sodiq Yusuff reveals how his mother helped him to victory at UFC 246.

UFC 246 proved to be a the perfect night for “Super” [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag] after a landmark time in his life, but he needed love, support and some wise words from his mother to make sure he got the win he wanted.

Yusuff (11-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC), his mother and his brother all received their U.S. citizenship during the lead-up to his victory over Andre Fili at UFC 246 in Las Vegas. Afterward, he admitted he was so ecstatic at the news that he had to work hard to get his mind back on the task at hand.

“We got our citizenship a couple of weeks back, and we didn’t really get to celebrate,” Yusuff told reporters, including MMA Junkie, backstage at T-Mobile Arena. “I was ready to start filing as soon as we got our citizenship. I was like, ‘All right, it’s time for me to start filing for my brothers and sisters to try to get them over here.’ But my mom was like, ‘Hey, relax, man! Go and take care of your fight first.'”

Yusuff’s mom had a good point. With just a few weeks to go until his fight, he couldn’t afford to miss out on training ahead of the biggest matchup of his career. Indeed, time was so tight that Yusuff had to train as soon as he left his citizenship meeting.

“As soon as we left the citizenship place – we took our vows, they gave us our new passports and stuff like that – I had to go straight back to practice,” he said. “I was so eager to start filing for my brothers and sisters, but my mom was like, ‘Go and get the win first. After the fight, then we can celebrate your citizenship, celebrate your fight, and then we’ll start filing for your brothers and sisters.'”

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It meant Yusuff went to his first training session as an officially documented U.S citizen and got straight back to preparing for Fili.

“It means a whole lot to me, so the fact that when it happened, it was really hard for me to focus. Because it’s like, ‘Man, I don’t want them to wait any longer,'” Yusuff said. “Because no matter what, the process to bring them over here is going to take a while, but I guess the three weeks I had to prepare for the fight, my mom said, ‘You can wait.'”

Yusuff went on to explain just how much support from his mother has been, as he revealed how her love helps him ahead of his fights.

“That’s my mom’s greatest superpowers, those oils and prayers that she’s got,” Yusuff said. “She’s always showering me in them. It doesn’t matter whether you’re religious or you’re not. Just being around the positive vibe and that positive energy, it does a lot for an athlete’s career, especially in a sport like this where so much of it is mental. All of the physical stuff is done in practice; everything else is just mental. So just being around that positivity changes a lot.”

Yusuff even takes time to go and stay with his mother before his fights. It’s a tradition that started when he was advised to move out of the fighter house he lives in due to one of his housemates getting sick. He turned to his mother, and he ended up starting a regular routine that continues to this day.

“I went to go stay with my mom, and I hadn’t lived with my mom since I was in high school,” he explained. “Every morning she’d wake me up with a bunch of oils and prayers and stuff like that. The first night it kinda freaked me out. I was like, ‘Whoa, what the heck is this?’ But after a while I liked it. Since then I purposely go over there two weeks before the fight and sleep on her couch just because of that positive energy and positive vibes. Like I said, it might sound silly to some people, but that energy goes a long way.”

The inspiration cuts both ways, too. While Yusuff’s mother’s oils, prayers and motherly support have helped get the best out of him, his dedication and success has inspired her to hit the gym herself, though he remains adamant that she won’t be hitting anything or anyone else.

“She’s doing really well. She lost a good 20-30 pounds since she started,” Yusuff said with a smile. “I’d say it’s one of my proudest accomplishments, getting her in the gym. One day she called me up, and she was like, ‘Man, would they let people my age fight?’ I was like, ‘Man, cut this out,’ and I made sure I called my striking coach straight away and said, ‘If I see my mom doing any kind of sparring, man, me and you are gonna have problems!’ I don’t want her to do any type of fights. But she’s happy. She loves it, as you can tell.”

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In trying to land Conor McGregor fight, Justin Gaethje won’t be anything but himself

Justin Gaethje thinks what he’s done in the cage should be enough to entice Conor McGregor – especially now that he has a win under his belt.

It’s no secret that [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] thought he should have been the one standing across from [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] at UFC 246.

Instead, McGregor took on Donald Cerrone, the man that Gaethje took out in one round in his last fight.

It took McGregor only 40 seconds to dispatch Cerrone and, speaking on the “Punchlines Podcast,” Gaethje (21-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) admitted that maybe it would have helped his case if he was in attendance this past Saturday. But he explained that it’s not really his style to cause a ruckus to get a fight.

“For me, I hope knocking people out is my ‘something special,’ because I can’t sell myself, per se, and become a different person on camera and be a different person off camera,” Gaethje said. “It takes a lot of intelligence to be able to do something like that, for one. To be able to keep that act up is going to take a lot of time and energy and a lot of concentration away from what I want to do.

“I think it could hurt me in the long run, just not wanting to take that route. I could have been (at UFC 246). I could have been front row. I could have made a scene, but maybe I’ll miss an opportunity because I wasn’t there.”

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Gaethje has scored three straight first-round knockouts and finds himself in a peculiar spot. Gaethje, like many others, did not think McGregor should have been facing a Cerrone that’s coming off back-to-back stoppage losses. The fast finish for McGregor at UFC 246 may have proven that.

“I think it was an (expletive) move that he took it, and that’s just coming from a straight competitor because – he’s coming off of losses, too, and that’s his argument when you say hey you’re going to fight someone coming off losses, but he’s talking about title contender, title contention or title shots, and you can’t fight him (Cerrone).”

When Gaethje faced Cerrone, he insists it was because there was no one else available for him to fight.

“People are going to say you’re saying it was a (expletive) mov,  so you’re pretty much saying you’re an (expletive) for taking that fight (Cerrone), but it was a whole set of different circumstances at that time.

“That wasn’t the case for Conor. I was there, I was ready, and I could have fought last night, and he didn’t take that, so the circumstances are different, and the argument isn’t valid.”

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The McGregor fight makes a lot of sense but, while Gaethje knows he can’t control what’s next, all he can do is keep putting on impressive showings until he can’t be denied.

He started off 1-2 in the UFC, with two straight losses in wars with Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier, but a tactical adjustment paid dividends. Gaethje barely took any damage in his last three outings. Now he says he’s in the mix for those big fights at the top of his division, and even though he admitted staying home for the event may not have helped his case, he thinks McGregor is more likely to face him now that he has the Cerrone win under his belt.

“I’m not necessarily being overlooked. I’m in the conversation,” Gaethje said. “I lost two times not that long ago, and unfortunately that set me back, and that allows these people to have an argument or a case when it comes to the argument or it comes to this circumstance.

“Ultimately that dude (McGregor) makes his own decisions, and I think he has more confidence now. He needed a win. Yeah, I think he’ll fight me now.”

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UFC 246 ‘Fight Motion’: Conor McGregor’s brilliant 40 seconds slowed down

Conor McGregor couldn’t have scripted his highly anticipated return to the octagon any better than what transpired at UFC 246.

[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] couldn’t have scripted his highly anticipated return to the octagon any better than what transpired at UFC 246.

McGregor, the former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion, needed just 40 seconds to TKO [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

McGregor opened the fight by whiffing on a big straight left hand and falling into the clinch of Cerrone, but he hurt “Cowboy” with shoulder strikes to the face, which clearly caught him by surprise. That led to the fight’s pivotal moment just moments later, when McGregor landed a big head kick that rocked Cerrone before he finished the fight with punches on the ground.

You can see it all play out in beautiful super slow motion thanks to the UFC’s ‘Fight Motion’ cameras.

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Also featured in “UFC 245: Fight Motion” is Roxanne Modafferi’s pummeling of Maycee Barber, Drew Dober’s knockdown that spelled the end for Nasrat Haqparast, and more.

Check out slow motion highlights from the entire fight card in the “UFC 246: Fight Motion” video above.

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UFC 246 medical suspensions: Donald Cerrone gets lengthy term for facial fractures

The Nevada Athletic Commission has released it’s full list of UFC 246 medical suspensions.

[autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] is facing a lengthy medical suspension as a result of his UFC 246 loss to [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag].

Cerrone, a former UFC title challenger, was defeated by McGregor on Saturday due to strikes just 40 seconds into their headliner. As a result of damage suffered from a kick, punches, and even a trifecta of shoulder strikes, “Cowboy” is facing a lengthy 180-day suspension.

McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC), on the other hand, walked away from the main event unscathed.

The Irishman wasn’t the only fighter to walk away suspension-less. Co-main event participants [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] and [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] were among six other fighters who won’t be mandated to sit out.

[autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag], who suffered an apparent ACL tear vs. [autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag], was handed a 180-day suspension. Pending doctor clearance, she could return sooner than July.

[autotag]Maurice Greene[/autotag], [autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag], [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag], [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag], and [autotag]J.J. Aldrich[/autotag] are also looking at potential 180-day suspensions for injuries suffered in their respective bouts.

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UFC 246 took place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

MMA Junkie acquired the full list of medical suspensions from the Nevada Athletic Commission, which you can see below:

  • J.J. Aldrich: Suspended 180 days or until right hand x-ray is cleared by physician; also suspended 21 days with no contact for 14 days
  • [autotag]Sabina Mazo[/autotag]: No suspension
  • [autotag]Justin Ledet[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
  • [autotag]Aleksa Camur[/autotag]: No suspension
  • [autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days with no contact for 45 days
  • [autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days
  • [autotag]Askar Askarov[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
  • [autotag]Andre Fili[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
  • Sodiq Yusuff: Suspended 180 days or until right foot x-ray is cleared by physician; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
  • Maycee Barber: Suspended 180 days or until left knee MRI is cleared by orthopedic physician; also suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days do to laceration on left side of forehead
  • Roxanne Modafferi: No suspension
  • Anthony Pettis: Suspended 180 days or until right foot is cleared by orthopedic physician; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
  • Diego Ferreira: Suspended 180 days or until right knee MRI is cleared by orthopedic physician; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
  • [autotag]Ode Osbourne[/autotag]: Suspended 21 days
  • [autotag]Brian Kelleher[/autotag]: No suspension
  • Maurice Greene: Suspended 180 days or until right elbow MRI and right foot x-ray are cleared by orthopedic physician; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
  • [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days
  • Raquel Pennington: No suspension
  • Holly Holm: No suspension
  • Conor McGregor: No suspension
  • Donald Cerrone: Suspended 180 days or until nasal fracture and possible mild orbital fracture are cleared by maxillofacial physician; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days

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John Kavanagh wants to see Conor McGregor fight Justin Gaethje … at welterweight

“That would be my personal preference … because he’s another lightweight.”

While the MMA world debates whether [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] should face Khabib Nurmagomedov, Jorge Masvidal or Kamaru Usman, his head coach revealed he has other ideas for his star pupil.

Speaking on “Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show,” coach John Kavanagh said he’d like to see McGregor stay at welterweight, but face a different opponent to those being widely mooted.

Former two-division champ McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC), became the first fighter in UFC history to score finishes in three different weight classes, featherweight, lightweight, and most recently, a 40-second finish over Donald Cerrone at UFC 246, at 170 pounds.

There are many options ahead for McGregor, but Kavanagh would like to see him lock horns with [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] (21-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC), a fighter that believes he should have been the one standing across McGregor at UFC 246.

“Justin Gaethje at 170,” Kavanagh said. “That would be my personal preference … because he’s another lightweight. Neither of them have to cut weight and the goal – I’ll be careful with my words here – the kind of vision is to get that 155-pound belt back so it’s a step towards that.”

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And why welterweight? Kavanagh says he doesn’t see a point in McGregor cutting down to 155 pounds unless it’s really worth it.

“I don’t see the reason for him to cut weight unless there’s a significant – there has to be a belt on the line,” Kavanagh said. “Otherwise, why would he do it? So yeah, stay at this weight, don’t cut weight and then when the big one comes along, shed the last 15 pounds.”

McGregor did not compete in 2019, and has stated that he wants to be active in 2020. With the UFC lightweight title fight between champion Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson scheduled for UFC 249 on Apr. 18, Kavanagh says he definitely expects McGregor to return to within the next couple of months, and hopefully at around the time of the lightweight title fight, so he is on the same schedule as the fighter that emerges with the lightweight title.

“I’d be very surprised if he wasn’t going to compete before the summer,” said Kavanagh. “There were talks of March or April so (he’s) definitely going to be competing before the summer. What I think would make sense was that we get ready, we prepare for the April fight (and) if one of those guys isn’t fortunate enough to be able to make the walk, we’re ready to go and then if that’s not there, if the guys make it, schedule one within a few weeks of that and then you’re kind of on the same timeline as those guys for a fight a couple of months after that.”

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