Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Petr Yan’s coach Marcos Parrumpa DaMatta shares his thoughts on Aljamain Sterling’s recent comments recalling UFC 259 incident that led to DQ.
Petr Yan’s coach Marcos Parrumpa DaMatta shares his thoughts on Aljamain Sterling’s recent comments recalling UFC 259 incident that led to DQ.
Ahead of his main event Wednesday, watch Calvin Kattar’s finish over Jeremy Stephens at UFC 249.
[autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] continues to rise to the occasion.
Kattar (21-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) fought hard-hitting featherweight Jeremy Stephens at UFC 249 looking to add another finish to his resume.
Stephens put everything into his shots, pressuring Kattar right off the bat, but Kattar did a good job of circling away from danger. Stephens did damage with numerous low kicks, while Kattar used his jab to keep Stephens at bay. Kattar started opening up, landing a good left hook and a right hand that snapped Stephens’ head back.
In Round 2, Stephens ramped up the aggression, but Kattar started to find a home for the uppercut on the counter. Midway through the round, Kattar countered a Stephens right with a beautiful elbow which dropped and stunned him. He followed it up with another elbow that split Stephens open and a few shots later, the referee stopped the fight.
Kattar returns Wednesday when he meets Dan Ige (14-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) in the UFC on ESPN 13 headliner at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
Before he faces Ige, relive Kattar’s finish over Stephens in the video above.
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Under less-than-ideal circumstances, UFC fighters have given us some memorable battles.
The UFC has been forced to make major adjustments during the coronavirus pandemic, but that hasn’t stopped fighters from delivering inside the octagon.
Since UFC on ESPN+ 28 on March 14, the promotion has carried eight other events behind closed doors, with five of them taking place in the 25-foot octagon at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
There’s something about that smaller cage that has resulted in increased action, faster finishes and absolute wars, as the fans watching at home have been treated to some of the best fights in recent memory.
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There was no doubt this fight would deliver, but few imagined it would be as one-sided as it was.
[autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] faced [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] on May 9 at UFC 249 for the interim lightweight title and No. 1 contender spot to face champion Khabib Nurmagomedov later this year.
Ferguson was on a 12-fight winning streak going into the fight and was initially scheduled to face Nurmagomedov before the fight fell through yet again.
After suffering back-to-back stoppage losses to Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier, Gaethje turned things around by stopping his next three opponents all in the first round.
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Gaethje’s less gung-ho approach ended up paying dividends once again as he was able to dominate Ferguson for the most part with his superior boxing before eventually stopping him in the fifth round. Ferguson’s durability and cardio made this an entertaining battle, as he continued to press forward despite taking a plethora of Gaethje’s best shots.
Ferguson was even able to badly rock Gaethje with a beautifully timed uppercut at the end of Round 2, but “The Highlight” made the right kind of adjustments to take over the remainder of the fight. As well as the interim title, Gaethje earned two bonus checks for his efforts on the night, picking up his eighth and ninth bonuses in just seven UFC fights.
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With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from May 2020.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from May 2020: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Fight of the Month” award for May.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.
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Vicente Luque def. Niko Price at UFC 249
[autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] (18-7-1 MMA, 11-3 UFC) picked up a second career win over [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) in their rematch, but it required far more effort to put his welterweight counterpart away than the first time around.
Luque submitted Price in 2017, but this time was lulled into a bloody slugfest that carried over into the third round. Price’s face was a mangled mess, and Luque continued to apply pressure until he shut the left eye of his opponent and the referee decided to step in.
DROPPED! 👊@VicenteLuqueMMA putting Price down in the third! #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/lTPVOJjIEW
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020
Anthony Pettis def. Donald Cerrone at UFC 249
It’s unfortunate both [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] (36-15 MMA, 23-12 UFC) and [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] (23-10 MMA, 10-9 UFC) came into their rematch badly in need of a victory because the two veteran warriors put on a show in which neither could fairly be called a loser.
After going toe-to-toe for three rounds, the scorecards declared Pettis the winner in their welterweight matchup after a hard-fought battle, earning 29-28 scores across the board.
Two gunslingers swinging it out! 💥@ShowtimePettis and @CowboyCerrone giving us a show! #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/viibyoxGFg
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020
Nate Landwehr def. Darren Elkins at UFC on ESPN 8
[autotag]Nate Landwehr[/autotag]’s (14-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) handy work on [autotag]Darren Elkins[/autotag] (24-9 MMA, 14-8 UFC) in their featherweight matchup reminded fans at home how bloody fighting can get.
Landwehr took on seasoned veteran Elkins in his sophomore octagon appearance and was all-action. The bout turned out to be a bloody back-and-forth battle that ended in a decision for Landwehr.
HAND. BEHIND. HIS. BACK. 😳 #UFCFL pic.twitter.com/qcXOzfkYXa
— UFC (@ufc) May 16, 2020
Song Yadong def. Marlon Vera at UFC on ESPN 8
[autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (16-4-1 MMA, 5-0-1 UFC) further elevated his status as one of the top prospects in the sport when he snapped [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag]’s (17-6-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) win streak in a somewhat controversial manner.
The 22-year-old Yadong remained unbeaten through his octagon tenure by beating his most difficult to challenge to date with a unanimous decision victory over Vera after a gritty affair. Yadong got 29-28 scorecards across the board, landing many powerful strikes over the 15 minutes and overcoming a late push from Vera.
They're fighting in a phone booth out there! 🤯 #UFCFL pic.twitter.com/XXiO6ylsJc
— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) May 17, 2020
Billy Quarantillo def. Spike Carlyle at UFC on ESPN 9
[autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag] (14-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) and [autotag]Spike Carlyle[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) may not be the most recognizable names, but they certainly garnered some new fans in a thrilling back-and-forth affair.
Quarantillo and Carlyle went shot-for-shot over three rounds in a 150-pound catchweight affair. It was a very close fight, but in the end the judges favored Quarantillo’s offense as the more effective and granted him the decision.
"It's like a movie." 😅
Carlyle began the walk back to the corner before the end of the round. #UFCVegas pic.twitter.com/uKet8noy7m
— UFC (@ufc) May 31, 2020
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It was a much more competitive fight than their first meeting, but the winner was still the same as Vicente Luque topped Niko Price in their rematch at UFC 249.
After scoring a second-round submission win in October 2017, Luque picked up a third-round TKO due to a doctor’s stoppage at 3:37 after an offensive assault that shut the eye of Price. “The Silent Assassin” has now won eight of his past nine fights.
Control of the fight was taken by Luque in the opening two minutes as he landed a number of chopping leg kicks on Price that caused damage and irritation. Price wouldn’t let it stop him completely, though, and marched forward with strikes of his own before getting a takedown. Price threatened with a submission, but Luque was able to get up and, despite taking a front kick to the face, landed some good strikes to close the round.
The pair went right back to work to begin the second frame. Luque took advantage of Price’s aggression, landing solid counter-punches and continuing to batter the legs of his opponent with kicks. Price found a groove and answered, though, connecting hard on Luque and putting him in some danger. Price got too wild, however, and was dropped with a tight right hand. He recovered and got back up, while Luque stayed disciplined and picked Price apart with punches and kicks to close a strong round.
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For the first time in his UFC career, Price saw a third round. He responded well, offering a high output to start the frame. Luque showed patience as Price trie to walk him down, mixing up his offense to the face and body of his opponent. Price’s grit was evident, though, because he kept on trying and throwing, even going for a takedown attempt. Unfortunately for him, Price couldn’t find the one big moment he needed to turn the tide, and it was Luque who got it. Luque dropped a bloodied Price with just over two minutes late, but somehow didn’t get the finish.
Price’s eye was badly swollen, though, and referee Jason Herzog decided to intervene and bring in the doctor. After a brief exchange, Price was deemed unfit to continue and Luque was awarded the win.
“I prepared for the best Niko Price possible,” Luque said in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. “I beat him last time and I knew he would come prepared and ready. … First event back with everything that’s going on and I just wanted to put on a show.”
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Henry Cejudo wants to fight undefeated lightweight Ryan Garcia and says Saudi Arabia is interested in hosting the event.
Editors’s note: This article originally appeared on mmajunkie.usatoday.com.
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Former UFC two-division champion Henry Cejudo apparently doesn’t plan on staying retired from all active competition.
Cejudo, the former flyweight and bantamweight champion, announced his retirement from MMA last month following his second-round stoppage win over Dominick Cruz at UFC 249. Cejudo relinquished the 135-pound title and has been removed from the UFC rankings, but the Olympic wrestling gold medalist is now looking to conquer another sport.
“Triple C” wants undefeated lightweight Ryan Garcia and says Saudi Arabia, which held the heavyweight championship rematch between Andy Ruiz Jr. and Anthony Joshua, is interested in hosting the event.
“I think I’ve done everything in MMA, Olympic champ, flyweight champ, bantamweight champ, I’ve defended both of my titles,” Cejudo told TMZ. “I think the only one I want to do it is to make Ryan Garcia bend the knee.
“I really don’t think he’s that good. I really don’t. I think with a proper team, the right game plan, I believe I could make him bend the knee in front of Oscar De La Hoya. I feel like I have the tools, the power, the strength, the experience, and we wanna make this happen, potentially in Saudi Arabia so we got the money guy. We got the money guy that’s willing to pay both of us. It’s just up to ‘Randy Candy’ Garcia to sign that contract.”
The 21-year-old Garcia (20-0, 17 KOS) has scored knockouts in his past four fights, including back-to-back first-round KOs in his two most recent bouts.
Cejudo, 33, recently made an appearance at All Elite Wrestling’s “Dynamite” show, alongside boxing legend Mike Tyson and former UFC champs Vitor Belfort and Rashad Evans, as he continues to dabble in other forms of sports and entertainment.
A fascinating look at coach Trevor Wittman’s masterful job of keeping Justin Gaethje composed throughout the fight.
[autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] has provided an inside look at his corner work in between rounds of his UFC 249 fight against [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag].
Gaethje (22-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) dominated Ferguson before stopping him in the fifth round to capture the interim lightweight title and is now expected to unify with champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Gaethje’s corner, led by head coach Trevor Wittman, can be heard giving Gaethje advice on how to control his pace and aggression throughout the fight. It proved to be Gaethje’s best performance of his career as he didn’t get overzealous with his attack, which has cost him before in his UFC career.
Gaethje posted video with clear audio on Instagram of his corner’s advice in between each round, which you can watch below.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CA8u9MEpT2w/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
“UFC 249 Audio and Video Between Rounds
I was able to get these awesome videos of all the interactions between my corners and I during my last fight. I am never able to retain these spots, huge thanks to the team at the @ufc for getting me these awesome memories. Trevor and I clocked in on May 9th, it’s crazy how such a small a moment in time can alter your future. Win or lose it’s all about preparation and calculated risk @violent__1 @onxlabs”
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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With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from May 2020.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from May 2020: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Knockout of the Month” award for May.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.
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Calvin Kattar def. Jeremy Stephens at UFC 249
[autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] (21-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) proved once again why he’s one of the top rising contenders to watch at featherweight when he made a mess of Jeremy Stephens (28-18 MMA, 15-17 UFC) with some brutal fight-ending strikes.
Kattar bided his time and connected with a punishing elbow that dropped Stephens to the canvas. He proceeded to jump on Stephens, connecting with follow up shots that split “Lil’ Heathen” open and set up the second-round stoppage.
Francis Ngannou def. Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC 249
[autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag]’s (15-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) power may be unmatched in MMA. The heavyweight contender reminded every one of his power when he stopped Jairzinho Rozenstruik (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) quickly into their heavyweight bout.
Ngannou just needed just 20 seconds to put away Rozenstruik with a vicious knockout. Rozenstruik landed a few leg kicks that connected well on Ngannou. But shortly after that, Ngannou rushed Rozenstruik. Both began to throw, and just a couple seconds into their exchange, Ngannou floored Rozenstruik with a powerful left hook. He followed up with ground-and-pound, but it was clear Rozenstruik was already out.
Brian Kelleher def. Hunter Azure at UFC 249
[autotag]Brian Kelleher[/autotag]’s (21-10 MMA, 5-3 UFC) short-notice move up to the featherweight division paid off in spade when he flattened Hunter Azure (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) with a highlight-reel knockout.
After both men had their moments though more than a round, Kelleher landed a left hook that sent Azure crashing to the canvas. Azure was out on impact, but Kelleher landed crushing follow-up shot for good measure.
Miguel Baeza def. Matt Brown at UFC on ESPN 8
[autotag]Miguel Baeza[/autotag] (9-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) remained undefeated in his career and netted his biggest win to date when he stopped longtime welterweight veteran Matt Brown (22-16 MMA, 15-10 UFC) by knockout.
After surviving a scare from Brown’s offense in the first frame, Baeza managed to turn the tide and hurt his opponent in the closing moments. He stayed on Brown to start the second, landing more strikes that led to a knockdown and a finish of the fight.
Alistair Overeem def. Walt Harris at UFC on ESPN 8
[autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag] (46-18 MMA, 11-7 UFC) played the unfortunate villain in Walt Harris’ (13-8 MMA, 6-7 UFC) emotional comeback story when he rallied to win their heavyweight main event.
Overeem was compassionate to Harris’ journey back to the cage after the shocking murder of his stepdaughter this past fall, but promised it would be “all business” when fight night arrived. It was a wild back-and-forth fight, with both men knocking each other down. Overeem did it better, though, and picked up the stoppage win at the 3:00 mark of Round 2.
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Kattar earned arguably the biggest win of his career when he stopped Stephens in highlight-reel fashion.
In what was entirely a standup fight, Kattar find an opening to land a sickening elbow in the second round that dropped and stopped Stephens for the thrilling finish. The time of the stoppage was 2:42.
Stephens came out with his usual aggression, throwing hard punches and a crisp body kick at Kattar. He followed with a hard right hand, which aded up to a strong start for “Lil’ Heathen.” Kattar struggled to get into a groove, but landed some good leg kicks in between Stephens’ attacks. Both men settled into the fight, but Stephens was clearly leading the dance in the first round, although Kattar recovered some early lost ground.
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Both men showed visible damage from leg kicks going into the second round, and they started the frame by battering each other there some more. Stephens seemed to have the worse of it, but it didn’t stop him from pushing forward. Kattar gained confidence, though, and started to find his range a couple minutes into the round. He tagged Stephens with hooks and uppercuts, although Stephens showed his veteran savvy and didn’t allow himself to be flustered. He got too comfortable, though, because Kattar landed a massive right elbow that dropped Stephens. He swarmed with some punches, busting Stephens open with another elbow and forcing the fight to be called off at the 2:42 mark of Round 2.
“I’ve been learning as I’ve been going and I’ve been doing it with tough fights,” Kattar said in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. “I’m happy to be here and I feel like I’m just scratching these surface and there featherweights are in big trouble when I put it all together.”
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Two-time UFC champ Dominick Cruz is not too big time to clean the gym mats after training.
[autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag] might not have taken the bantamweight title from Henry Cejudo at UFC 249. However, he has earned himself another championship label.
The label of “championship mat-mopper.”
Following his second-round TKO loss to Cejudo earlier this month, Cruz (22-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) has returned to the drawing board as he attempts to rebuild from his first fight in more than three years. That starts in the gym.
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Cruz’s grappling coach, Justin Flores, shared footage of Cruz mopping the mats after a recent workout in a duty that would typically not fall on such a decorated competitor (via Instagram):
Cruz appeared to enjoy the job, which is to be expected. “The Dominator” holds himself to the highest standard, so this is no surprise.
It’s also encouraging to see Cruz is right back to work after a frustrating outcome against Cejudo in which he believes he was robbed of a conclusive finish by referee Keith Peterson.
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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The latest MMA Junkie Q&A featured a special guest in the form of MLB World Series champion and former No. 1 overall pick Carlos Correa.
The latest MMA Junkie Q&A featured a special guest in the form of MLB World Series champion, Rookie of the Year and former No. 1 overall pick Carlos Correa.
Correa, who plays for the Houston Astros, is an avid MMA follower. He even has his own podcast on the sport called “The Walkout,” and it was there he made a prediction for Justin Gaethje to snap Tony Ferguson’s winning streak to claim interim lightweight gold at UFC 249. That, of course, came to fruition.
Why did Correa feel so confident the fight would that way? That was one of the many questions he answered related to recent headlines on the latest MMA Junkie Q&A with senior reporter Mike Bohn.
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In addition, Correa provided an update on the potential resumption of professional baseball during the coronavirus pandemic, and said the UFC’s ability to put on events provided hope.
Watch the replay of the MMA Junkie Q&A with Correa above.
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Eddie Alvarez is on the shortlist of fighters to have faced both Conor McGregor and Justin Gaethje. Now he predicts a fight between them.
Only three men in history have shared the octagon with both [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] and [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag]. So when it comes to analyzing a potential fight between them, [autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag] is uniquely qualified.
Although interim UFC lightweight champ Gaethje (22-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) is expected to have a title unification bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov next, the possibility of McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) inserting himself into the situation is entirely plausible.
Not only has McGregor already made the push on social media, but with Nurmagomedov tending to his reportedly ill father, it puts questions around the September timeline for his return to the octagon.
Alvarez, the former champ of the 155-pound division, suffered a second-round knockout loss to McGregor at UFC 205 in November 2016. He beat Gaethje by third-round knockout in December 2017, and having seen both sides of the coin, “The Underground King” sees an advantage for McGregor.
“I think a knockout (for McGregor),” Alvarez told TheScore. “I was able to catch (Gaethje) quite a bit with punches, and you watch, Dustin (Poirier) was able to box him a little bit.”
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Only Dustin Poirier and Donald Cerrone have also shared the cage with both men, but Alvarez’s total fight time against McGregor and Gaethje was greater than anyone. Alvarez does believe a path to victory exists for Gaethje, but he wouldn’t expect him to use it once the octagon door closed with McGregor.
“The thing with Justin, if I thought he was going to implement a ground game and go in there and take Conor McGregor down and put him against the cage and do what Khabib did, or do what I intended to do, if he was going to implement that game, I would say, ‘Justin is going to do really well against him,'” Alvarez said. “Just standing for standing, is what I feel like it’ll end up being, there’s just too many mistakes Justin would end up making and Conor would be able to kind of capitalize.”
Alvarez left the UFC in mid-2018 and joined ONE Championship. However, he keeps table on his old division, and McGregor vs. Gaethje is one he’d like to see unfold.
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