UFC 249 – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Triple Take: Which star shone brightest as the UFC returned to action in Jacksonville?

Which star shone brightest as the UFC returned to action in Jacksonville? MMA Junkie’s Farah Hannoun, Simon Head, and Dave Doyle name their winners.

After a long hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, the UFC made its return with three events in eight days in Jacksonville, Florida. UFC 249, UFC on ESPN+ 29 and UFC on ESPN 8 each featured a host of eye-catching performances, but which fighter stood out as the star performer over the course of the eight days?

That’s the question we put to MMA Junkie’s Simon Head, Farah Hannoun and Dave Doyle as they sound off in the latest edition of Triple Take.

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Simon Head: Justin Gaethje reaching the pinnacle

Fans loved watching [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] long before he got his hands on UFC gold, but his performance to win the UFC interim lightweight title at UFC 249 showed that he had evolved his game to go that extra yard and push him to within touching distance of a fight with champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Gaethje’s fan-friendly fighting style had already won him a legion of supporters, but it also put him in harm’s way more often than perhaps was sensible, and his back-to-back losses to Dustin Poirier and Eddie Alvarez – both in the later rounds – showed that there was still some refinement needed if “The Highlight” was to go all the way to the top.

His performance against Tony Ferguson proved that those refinements had been made, as Gaethje produced the best performance of his career to win the interim belt and book himself a future date with “The Eagle.”

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I’ve felt for awhile that Gaethje had the best combination of skills to test Nurmagomedov and potentially even hand the Russian his first defeat, but I wasn’t sure if his gung-ho approach would count against him against the other top contenders. Now he has taken his game to a different level, beaten Ferguson and showed that he’s championship-ready, those doubts are now out of the window.

Gaethje is ready, and his upcoming clash with Khabib could turn out to be one of the fights of 2020.

Next page – Farah Hannoun: Henry Cejudo goes out on a high

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Urijah Faber sympathizes with old rival Dominick Cruz over UFC 249 stoppage: ‘I feel for him on that’

Urijah Faber thinks the UFC 249 title fight between former rival Dominick Cruz and Henry Cejudo may have been stopped too early.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – [autotag]Urijah Faber[/autotag] thinks the fight between [autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag] and Henry Cejudo may have been stopped too early.

Cruz was stopped late in Round 2 of his bantamweight championship fight with champion Cejudo at UFC 249 after eating a knee and several unanswered punches.

He protested the stoppage and fired heavy accusations toward referee Keith Peterson, claiming that the official smelled of alcohol and cigarettes.

Speaking to reporters, including MMA Junkie, at UFC on ESPN 8 the following weekend, Faber admitted that he sided with his former foe, saying that Cruz should have been given more of a fighting chance, especially considering that it was a title fight.

“The referees are in there to do their jobs and save guys from taking too much damage,” he said. “But, at the end of the day, especially in world championship fights when you’re dealing with guys that are future Hall of Famers and multiple-time world champions, we want to remove all doubt. We want to know like I had no more chance so I feel for him on that.

“I feel like he still could have had a chance and that’s always the part that irks you, so I can understand his frustration. I doubt Keith Peterson was drunk. He might have been sweating some alcohol and definitely smelling like cigarettes but I don’t think he was drunk. He was just trying to look out for Dom.”

After an almost decade-long rivalry that ended 2-1 in Cruz’s favor after their trilogy bout in 2016, the Faber and Cruz have since buried the hatchet.

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Dana White reflects on UFC’s three return events in Jacksonville: ‘It was successful in every way’

UFC president Dana White reflected on holding his first three events since the COVID-19 outbreak, his time in Jacksonville, Fla., and more.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Dana White is ready to go home.

The UFC president, despite being admittedly tired, was in a seemingly good mood Saturday when he took the podium following the conclusion of UFC on ESPN 8.

The event took place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. UFC on ESPN 8 marked the third and final show in an eight-day stretch for the promotion in Jacksonville. UFC 249 took place May 9, while UFC on ESPN+ 29 was a rare Wednesday card for the promotion.

“It feels good,” White told MMA Junkie at the post-fight news conference. “I’m happy to have it behind me. I wanted this week to be over. It was successful in every way it could be successful. I feel great about it. More importantly, nobody is sick. Nobody is sick. Nobody has gotten sick. Hopefully, that’s the case. There’s no guarantees in life, but hopefully that’s the case and we all go home. It was a great event. It was a great week.”

White was particularly complimentary of the local governing bodies in Jacksonville from the commission to restaurant workers in the area.

“I think we picked the perfect place to do it, too,” White said.” This town was perfect for it. Like I said, the governor and the mayor and the athletic commission – everybody was great. This arena was incredible. These guys were great to us. I don’t know what your experience was out in Jacksonville, but everybody was nice. Everybody was great. The food was awesome. I just couldn’t say enough good things about Jacksonville and the experience here. I’m glad we did it here first. I’m ready to go home, though.”

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With his first three events under his belt since the COVID-19 pandemic struck the United States, White seems confident about the direction the promotion is headed. He plans to stick to the routines and regiments developed for the Jacksonville events as he tries to expand the product.

“This is what we’re going to do,” White said. “Obviously, you guys know me. You’ve dealt with me long enough. When we’re doing what we’re doing and you’re just taking unnecessary punishment, you know I’m going to (expletive) snap eventually – and I do. We worked hard. We worked hard to pull this thing off and get here. Nothing means more to me than the safety of everybody that was involved in the event. Not just with COVID-19, but the fight that wasn’t stopped soon enough – all these type of things. Anytime we finish an event, I want everybody to go home safe. It’s not any different now with the COVID-19 thing.

“We will do everything in our power. We will spend the money. We will get the best, the brightest. We’ll talk to doctors and experts in the field to figure out how to beat it. One of the things I always do is I believe nothing is impossible. Everything can be done, especially in 2020. You just have to be willing to work hard enough, spend some money, and come up with solutions.”

Check out Dana White’s comments in the video above.

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Twitter Mailbag: Has MMA media been too critical of UFC operations during the pandemic?

MMA media’s (unfair?) treatment of Dana White, Conor McGregor jumping the lightweight queue, and more in this week’s Twitter Mailbag.

Questions on your mind about recent happenings in MMA or the sport in general? MMA Junkie’s Twitter Mailbag is here – and this week it’s @simonhead to answer:

Has MMA media been too critical of Dana White and the UFC as they attempted to stage their return during the coronavirus pandemic?
With Tony Ferguson out of the picture (for now), does this give [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] an opportunity to jump the queue and get the next title shot, or does [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] now hold all the aces at lightweight?
Why have the judges in Jacksonville officially scored rounds that contained knockouts and submission finishes?

Those are answered in the video above.

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To ask a question of your own, follow @MMAjunkie on Twitter and let us know.

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Tony Ferguson to avoid orbital bone surgery after UFC 249

Tony Ferguson won’t require surgery on his broken orbital bone after all.

[autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] won’t require surgery on his broken orbital bone.

Ferguson (25-4 MMA, 15-2 UFC) suffered the injury in his interim lightweight title fight loss to Justin Gaethje (22-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) last weekend at UFC 249. He lost by fifth-round TKO and absorbed a lot of damage along the way.

Immediate post-fight reports indicated a broken orbital bone for “El Cucuy,” which would force him to have surgery, but after further examination that will not be the case, Ferguson’s team told MMA Junkie on Friday.

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As a result, Ferguson’s timeline to return to the octagon could be expedited, although it remains to be seen what’s next and when.

Ferguson had his lightweight division record 12-fight winning streak snapped against Gaethje. He was originally supposed to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov on April 18, but when the coronavirus pandemic hit, the fight was postponed, Nurmagomedov was unable to compete, and Gaethje stepped in as the replacement.

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Video: Mannix, Mora: Is Gennadiy Golovkin still feared?

Gennadiy Golovkin had run roughshod through the middleweight division for years, knocking out one opponent after another. He might’ve been the most feared fighter in the world at that time. Then came two close encounters with Canelo Alvarez and …

Gennadiy Golovkin had run roughshod through the middleweight division for years, knocking out one opponent after another. He might’ve been the most feared fighter in the world at that time.

Then came two close encounters with Canelo Alvarez and tough fights with Steve Rolls and rugged Sergey Derevyanchenko in which Triple-G looked mortal.

The question was asked at that time: Is Golovkin losing it?

In this episode of Jabs with Mannix and Mora, DAZN commentators Chris Mannix and Sergio Mora discuss whether one of the most respected fighters of his generation is still feared at 38.

Here’s what they had to say.

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‘Jacare’ Souza issues statement after positive COVID-19 test, wants Uriah Hall fight rebooked

Jacare Souza has broken his silence to provide his first update after testing positive for coronavirus at UFC 249.

[autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag] has spoken out after testing positive for coronavirus.

Souza (26-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC), who was scheduled to face [autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag] last week at UFC 249, received a positive test for COVID-19 one day before the event and, as a result, his bout with Hall was scrapped. Two of Souza’s cornermen also tested positive.

On Wednesday night, Souza released his first statement on social media, saying that he hopes his fight with Hall can be rebooked as soon as he’s medically cleared.

“I was very sad to not be able to fight at UFC 249, but I want you to know that, as soon as I’m medically cleared, I hope to reschedule my fight with Uriah Hall so that I can put on the show that everyone expects,” Souza said. “I thank my corners for the partnership, my opponent for the words of support and the UFC for all the care.

“Thank you all for the kind messages I have received in the last few days. The upcoming weeks I will be secluded with my family and coaches and focused on our health so I can be back soon.”

View this post on Instagram

Fiquei muito triste por não poder lutar no UFC 249, mas quero que saibam que, assim que estiver liberado, espero remarcar minha luta com o Uriah Hall para que eu possa dar o show que todos esperam. Agradeço aos meus corners pela parceria, meu adversário pelas palavras de apoio e ao @ufc pelo cuidado. Obrigado a todos pelo carinho e pelas mensagens que tenho recebido nos últimos dias. Nas próximas semanas estarei recluso com minha família e treinadores e focado em nossa saúde para logo poder estar de volta. Muito obrigado! I was very sad to not be able to fight at UFC 249, but I want you to know that, as soon as I'm medically cleared, I hope to reschedule my fight with Uriah Hall so that I can put on the show that everyone expects. I thank my corners for the partnership, my opponent for the words of support and the UFC for all the care. Thank you all for the kind messages I have received in the last few days. The upcoming weeks I will be secluded with my family and coaches and focused on our health so I can be back soon. Thank you!

A post shared by Ronaldo “Jacaré” 🐊 Souza (@ronaldojacare) on May 13, 2020 at 3:06pm PDT

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Upon arriving in Jacksonville last Wednesday, Souza notified the UFC that he’d been in contact with a family member who had COVID-19. Souza wore gloves and a mask at weigh-ins and was visibly distant from Hall at the face-offs. But a couple of hours later, Souza was notified that he tested positive, the second known UFC fighter to be infected with COVID-19 after Lyman Good came forward last month.

According to UFC president Dana White, both Souza and Hall were paid for their canceled fight.

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Video: Mannix, Mora: What does success of UFC 249 mean for boxing?

UFC 249 did strong pay-per-view numbers on Saturday, a reported 700,000 buys. And many more watched the preliminaries for free. Indeed, not only did UFC President demonstrate that a combat sports event could be staged in a responsible manner during …

UFC 249 did strong pay-per-view numbers on Saturday, a reported 700,000 buys. And many more watched the preliminaries for free.

Indeed, not only did UFC President demonstrate that a combat sports event could be staged in a responsible manner during the coronavirus pandemic, fans bought into it wholeheartedly.

Were the powers that be in boxing paying attention?

In this episode of Jabs with Mannix and Mora, DAZN commentators Chris Mannix and Sergio Mora discuss whether the success of UFC’s first event in months should add urgency to the efforts of promoters working to get boxing restarted.

Here’s what they had to say.

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Francis Ngannou adds UFC 249 knockout to ‘Predator Punchout’ list

Well, this is excellent.

[autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] has posted his own rendition of the “Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!” video game, and it’s incredible.

Prior to his fight with [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] at UFC 249, Ngannou posted a clip featuring all his knockouts in the “Punch-out!!” video game theme.

And he has now added Rozenstruik to the list, who he dismantled in only 20 seconds for his fourth straight first-round finish.

Check it out (via Twitter):

Of course had to update the #PredatorPunchout 🇨🇲 💪 @mediaprolific pic.twitter.com/6HPGQ0aL74

— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) May 12, 2020

Of course had to update the #PredatorPunchout 🇨🇲 💪 @mediaprolific

Ngannou is undoubtedly the No. 1 heavyweight contender as he awaits the trilogy bout between champion Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier. The former title challenger has vented his frustration on numerous occasions, looking like a man possessed at UFC 249 with his quick finish of Rozenstruik.

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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