Tag: UFC 251

Bellator’s Patricio Freire calls for champ vs. champ fight with Alexander Volkanovski

Patricio Freire wants to test his skills against the UFC’s 145-pound king, Alexander Volkanovski.

[autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] wants to test his skills against the UFC’s 145-pound king.

Bellator lightweight and featherweight champion Freire took to Twitter to call out UFC featherweight champ [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag], who retained his title against Max Holloway this past Saturday at UFC 251.

“Let’s make MMA better. @BellatorMMA vs @ufc. Me vs @alexvolkanovski. I heard you’re a betting man @danawhite, let’s bet. Let’s go @ScottCoker.”

Freire (30-4 MMA, 18-4 BMMA) has won his five in a row and in 2019 stopped Michael Chandler in the first round to capture the promotion’s 155-pound title.

After defeating Juan Archuleta this past September in the opening round of the Bellator featherweight grand prix, Freire was scheduled to face Pedro Carvalho at Bellator 241 on March 13, but the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With Bellator expected to resume operations soon, Freire’s fight with Carvalho will likely get rescheduled. But that hasn’t stopped him from issuing a challenge to Volkanovski (22-1 MMA, 9-0 UFC).

Volkanovski has yet to lose in the UFC, already building an impressive resume at 145 pounds with wins over Chad Mendes, former UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo and Holloway twice.

UFC president Dana White has never been open to cross-promoting, which makes Freire’s callout a long shot. Bellator president Scott Coker, on the other hand, has cross promoted on numerous occasions, most notably with Japanese organization Rizin.

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Marcin Tybura calls out Aleksei Oleinik after dominant UFC 251 win

Take a look inside Marcin Tybura’s win over Maxim Grishin at UFC 251 in Abu Dhabi.

ABU DHABI – [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag] beat Maxim Grishin with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 251 in Abu Dhabi.

Take a look inside the fight with Tybura, who won for the second straight time after a stretch of four losses in five fights.

Result: Marcin Tybura def. Maxim Grishin via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Updated records: Tybura (19-6 MMA, 6-5 UFC), Grishin (30-8-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) (UD)
Key stat: Tybura landed three takedowns and outstruck Grishin 70-54.

Tybura on the fight’s key moment

“I worked lots of wrestling for this fight, because my original opponent was more of a wrestler. There was a change of opponent and I decided to wrestle him. We planned that I may not be successful at first, but I knew eventually I’d take him down.”

Tybura on ‘Fight Island’

“I’m feeling great. Given the circumstances of the pandemic, then fighting here on ‘Fight Island’ and winning — it’s amazing. … I loved fighting on ‘Fight Island.’ It’s amazing what the UFC’s doing. That’s why I’m so happy to be a part of it.”

Tybura on what he wants next

“My last two fights were out of the top 15. I would like to start climbing the rankings. I’m thinking Aleksei Oleinik would be a good matchup for me right now.”

To hear more from Tybura, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

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Max Holloway staying positive, despite controversial UFC 251 loss: ‘Blessed era continues’

Max Holloway may not have gotten his hand raised on Saturday, but thinks he’s done enough to reclaim his title.

[autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] didn’t get his hand raised on Saturday night in Abu Dhabi, but he thinks he did enough to reclaim his title.

Holloway (21-6 MMA, 17-6 UFC) was edged out by featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] in their co-main event rematch at UFC 251 in a fight that many, including UFC president Dana White, scored in his favor.

Holloway started out strong and took Rounds 1 and 2 on all three judges’ scorecards. The remaining three rounds were all scored for Volkanvoski by two judges, with the third judge giving Holloway Round 5, but the end result was a split-decision win for Volkanovski (22-1 MMA, 9-0 UFC).

It was a close fight, with the champion rallying late to score the win, but Holloway had an interesting comment in his reaction to the loss. He took to Twitter to urge people to lay off the media members who suggested the Hawaiian wasn’t “robbed” by the judges.

“Just landed in Vegas for another quarantine and was told some guys in the media are receiving threats for saying my fight was not a robbery. This is not ok. I appreciate everyone who wants to ride for me but that ain’t it.”

Holloway also gave a positive update, claiming that he’s nowhere near done, and expressing his gratitude for being able to compete during the unprecedented times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Life isn’t fair. It’s even more unfair for many many other people in the world than it will ever be for me. People are unemployed right now with no end in sight and it’s not their fault.”

“It is what it was. Nothing changed for me as a fighter. We proved our point. I still have my five belts at home. I’m 28 and healthy. Blessed era continues. Bless yourself 🤙🏻“

Holloway has suffered back-to-back losses for the first time in almost seven years. He is no stranger to adversity, though, and turned his form around in remarkable fashion after back-to-back defeats to Dennis Bermudez and Conor McGregor in 2013. Holloway bounced back in style by winning 13 fights in a row as he captured the UFC featherweight title.

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Gilbert Burns, Leon Edwards get heated in push for next title shot after UFC 251

The top two candidates for the next welterweight title shot – Gilbert Burns and Leon Edwards – made their cases to fight Kamaru Usman.

It appears to be a two-horse race for the next welterweight title shot after [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] registered his second title defense on Saturday against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 251.

With Usman (17-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC) already having wiped out many of his contenders, the two names that clear sit at the front of the pack are [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] and [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag], both of whom have a case to fight for the gold after “The Nigerian Nightmare” beat Masvidal by unanimous decision in the headlining bout at Flash Forum in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

Burns (18-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) is confident he will get the next shot for a multitude of reasons. He was originally supposed to challenge Usman as the event before he tested positive for COVID-19 and was pulled, and UFC president Dana White all but confirmed the Brazilian would get his opportunity back.

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“Durinho” absolutely agrees that should be the case, and took aim at anyone who suggested otherwise, including ESPN reporter Ariel Helwani, who pitched the idea of a Burns vs. Edwards title eliminator (via Twitter):

Only fair? Come on @arielhelwani I know you don’t like me and I couldn’t care less. But let’s go to facts I just k.o the number 5 and dominate the number 1 (former champ) Leon has good wins but no one in the top 5 So as the REAL BOSS @danawhite said I’m Next! That’s Only Fair ✊🏾

Edwards (18-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC), meanwhile, thinks he case speaks for itself. He owns the longest winning streak at 170 pounds behind Usman at eight consecutive fights. He’s already lost to the champion, but that came in a non-title affair in December 2015 when neither man was regarded as a contender.

The rematch was offered to Edwards at UFC 251, but he couldn’t accept due to lockdown restrictions in his native England, and that’s when the promotion shifted gears and went to Burns. Now “Rocky” thinks that offer should be made again (via Twitter):

Usman done what he needed to! Good win. Now somebody please go and throw that BMF title in the bin and whilst your there add Woodley’s name to my streak.
Everybody knows I would of smoked him. Gilbert get in line and you can get yours after me and Kamaru run it back.

The push from both men finally intersected with one another on social media. Edwards caught wind of one of Burns’ tweets, and he responded to him to kick off a back-and-forth interaction where both men tried to tear down the resume of the other (via Twitter):

Shut your mouth boy you’re only where you are at due to good luck and circumstance. You have no place in the top 5 and you know it so sit the fuck down. You knocked out a 46 year old jujitsu guy and a washed Woodley sit the f*ck down

🤣🤣 Who you beat journeyman Cowboy? Split decision on Nelson?? RDA is the only real one you beat, but he wasn’t in the top 5. And you just fight once or 2 a year! Sit down 🪑 the boss already said I’m next!

Remember boy you got the Woodley fight because I couldnt. You got the title shot because I couldnt. You are always steps behind me and you are levels below me.

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5 biggest takeaways from UFC 251: Usman’s approach, Holloway’s heartbreak, Yan’s potential

Thoughts and analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC 251, which took place Saturday in Abu Dhabi.

What mattered most at UFC 251 on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi? Here are a few post-fight musings …

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1. Kamaru Usman displays his dominance

It’s not the most exciting style to watch, but [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] continues to prove time and time again that he has one of most effective styles of anyone on the UFC roster. Jorge Masvidal got to experience that first hand in his unanimous decision loss to Usman in their welterweight title bout.

No matter what the opponent’s approach is or how they try to fight him, Usman finds a way to sap the life of his foes with a rare mix of clinch and grappling pressure. “The Nigerian Nightmare” is now 12-0 in the UFC, and the only two fighters in history to get off to that same start in the promotion are Khabib Nurmagomedov and Anderson Silva.

Wins are most important at the end fo the day, but Usman was the recipient of a solid amount of negative feedback. Let’s tone down on that a bit and remind ourselves Usman spent an entire camp preparing for Gilbert Burns only to have a complete change in styles on six days’ notice.

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His win over Colby Covington at UFC 245 in December was a completely different and far more exciting fight from this one, and although the effort against Masvidal was more in tone with what Usman has delivered historically, let’s give him another title defense or two before labeling him a “boring” champion and expecting this to be the norm.

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UFC 251 rookie report: Grading the newcomers at ‘UFC Fight Island’

Fighters from around the globe dream of the day they’ll step into the octagon the first time. How did the four newcomers perform Saturday?

Fighters from around the globe dream of the day they’ll step into the UFC octagon for the first time. For four athletes, Saturday’s UFC 251 event marked that special moment in their respective careers.

Check out this week’s rookie report to see what kind of first impression they made on the sport’s biggest stage from Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

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Zhalgas Zhumagulov

Division: Flyweight (competed at 129-pound catchweight)
Result: Raulian Paiva def. Zhalgas Zhumagulov via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Record: (13-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Grade: D

Like many UFC debutants, [autotag]Zhalgas Zhumagulov[/autotag] headed into his maiden octagon appearance with the deck stacked against him. But “Zhako” found himself dealing with more disadvantages than most.

The Kazakh fighter already knew he’d be conceding significant reach advantage to No. 14-ranked Raulian Paiva. But when the Brazilian missed weight by four pounds for their flyweight matchup, it meant the newcomer took on a man who didn’t have to go through the punishing final pounds of his cut.

Despite this, the 31-year-old produced a solid display on his debut as he battled the bigger, rangier man throughout the full 15 minutes.

Zhumagulov started pretty well as he looked to close the distance and connect with his honey punch, the right hook, early. But it quickly became apparent that the Kazakh was fighting an uphill battle against a much bigger man.

Then, with the seconds ticking down in the final round, a thumping Paiva kick planted all five of the Brazilian’s toes deep into the Zhumagulov’s groin. It left him in absolute agony as he tried to fight off the pain during his injury timeout.

Despite still being in clear discomfort, Zhumagulov returned to action and received a knee to the same region in the final seconds of the matchup.

The judges’ verdict added insult to Zhumagulov’s injury as he ended up on the losing end of a unanimous decision, with all three scorecards reading 29-28 in Paiva’s favor.

Ultimately, size proved a huge factor in the contest as the gritty Zhumagulov just couldn’t land enough offense to push Paiva. But his willingness to scrap will certainly see him in an entertaining flyweight fight or two as he looks to bounce back from his debut defeat.

Next up: Light heavyweight gets tough welcome in short-notice heavyweight bout

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Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Kamaru Usman and UFC 251’s key winning fighters?

See who champs Kamaru Usman, Alexander Volkanovski and Petr Yan should fight next after their title-fight victories at UFC 251.

(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Jorge Masvidal and UFC 251’s key losing fighters?)

After every event, fans wonder whom the winners will be matched up with next.

With another night of UFC action in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward, put on a pair of Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker for UFC 251’s key winning fighters.

Those included [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC), who successfully defended his welterweight title against Jorge Masvidal (35-14 MMA, 12-7 UFC) by unanimous decision in the headliner at Flash Forum in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, the still featherweight champ [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (22-1 MMA, 9-0 UFC), the new bantamweight champ [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC), as well as former champ Rose Namajunas (9-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) and top prospect [autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC).

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Amanda Ribas

Should fight: Winner of [autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 14
Why they should fight: Ribas lived up to the heavy betting odds that were placed upon her going into her matchup with Paige VanZant by delivering a dominant performance that ended in a first-round submission.

Ribas appears to have all the attributes to be a big star in the UFC. She has largely had her way with all her opponents so far, and the matchup with VanZant was clearly one to help her shine off a known commodity. She did that in every way.

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The Brazilian moved up to the women’s flyweight division for the fight specifically, but she’ll drop back down to strawweight where she does her best work for the next fight. Ribas could fight anyone in the top 15 it would be a compelling bout. Ribas called her shot, though, mentioning the winner of the July 25 bout between former champ Esparza (16-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) and unbeaten Rodriguez (13-0-2 MMA, 2-0-2 UFC) as a fight of interest.

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Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Jorge Masvidal and UFC 251’s other losing fighters?

See who Jorge Masvidal, Max Holloway and Jose Aldo should fight next after their title-fight losses at UFC 251.

(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Kamaru Usman and UFC 251’s winning fighters?)

After every event, fans wonder whom the losing fighters will be matched up with next.

With another night of UFC action in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward, put on a pair of Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker for UFC 251’s most notable fighters.

Those fighters include [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] (35-14 MMA, 12-7 UFC) who fell short of the welterweight title in a unanimous decision loss to Kamaru Usman (17-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC) in the main event at Flash Forum in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, as well as former champs [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (21-6 MMA, 17-6 UFC), [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] (28-7 MMA, 10-6 UFC) and [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] (20-8 MMA, 11-6 UFC), and, lastly, [autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag] (8-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC).

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Paige VanZant

Should fight: No one in the UFC
Why:The writing has been on the wall for some time regarding VanZant’s UFC departure and it now seems imminent after finishing her contract on a quick submission loss to Amanda Ribas.

If VanZant had put on a performance that that was more competitive, perhaps the UFC would give her the money she clearly wants. It didn’t happen, though, and the long-lasting rumor has been that she’ll join her husband Austin Vanderford on the Bellator roster. Given that promotion’s ability to be more flexible with matchmaking, that seems like a better fit for VanZant at this point, anyway.

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Chan Sung Jung labels Alexander Volkanovski a ‘shameful’ champion after UFC 251 defense

Featherweight contender Chan Sung Jung is in the camp of people who did not think Alexander Volkanovski won at UFC 251.

It appears featherweight contender [autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag] is in the camp of people who did not think Alexander Volkanovski won at UFC 251.

Volkanovski (22-1 MMA, 9-0 UFC) registered his first defense of the 145-pound belt on Saturday when he edged Max Holloway (21-6 MMA, 17-6 UFC) by split decision in their co-main event matchup, which took place at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

Jung, also know as “The Korean Zombie,” has spent much of 2020 campaigning to fight for the belt. He’s been rumored to be fighting Brian Ortega next, but now he has turned his attention on the champion. Jung thinks it’s “shameful” Volkanovski still has the belt after the fight with Holloway, and he wants to take it from him.

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Check out Jung’s full comments toward Volkanovski below (via Instagram):

I am responding to yesterday’s title match against Volkanovski and Holloway. To be honest, it is shameful that Volkanovski is a champion of my weight class.

Give him to me then you don’t need to worry about the judges decision.

As you know, I won’t let the judges decide the result of my fight. I will finish him at the title match and that is what UFC fans want to watch.

There has been a lot of backlash toward Volkanovski after he was awarded the win. UFC president Dana White said he disagreed with the judges, and dozens of fighters on social media expressed disbelief Volkanovski got his hand raised.

Nevertheless, Volkanovski came out of UFC 251 with his 19th consecutive win, and it appears Jung is keen to stop that streak before it hits 20.

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UFC 251 post-event facts: Even in defeat, Max Holloway makes history

The best facts and figures to come out of UFC 251, which saw Kamaru Usman defend his title against Jorge Masvidal in the main event.

The UFC’s biggest event of 2020 so far went own on Saturday with UFC 251, which took place at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN.

Three championship fights were featured on the card, but the main event occupied most of the attention with Kamaru Usman (17-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC) successfully defending his welterweight title for the second time in a unanimous decision over Jorge Masvidal (35-14 MMA, 12-7 UFC).

Usman put himself further in the record books with the win, but he wasn’t the only one to make history on the night. For more on the numbers, check below for 50 post-event facts to come out of UFC 251.

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General

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The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $305,500.

[autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag], [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag], [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] and [autotag]Davey Grant[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC 251 fight-night bonuses.

Debuting fighters went 1-3 on the card.

UFC 251 drew an announced attendance of zero for a live gate of $0.

Betting favorites went 11-1 on the card. One fight had even odds.

Betting favorites improved to 11-6 in UFC headliners this year.

Total fight time for the 13-bout card was 3:07:27, a new single-event record in UFC history.

Main card

Usman extended his winning streak to 16 fights. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since May 2013.

Usman became the third fighter in UFC history to start 12-0 with the promotion. Anderson Silva and Khabib Nurmagomedov also accomplished the feat.

Usman’s 12-fight UFC winning streak is tied with Nurmagomedov for the longest active streak in the company.

Usman is the only welterweight in history to start his UFC career with 12 consecutive victories.

Usman’s 12-fight UFC winning streak at welterweight is the longest active streak in the division.

Usman’s 12-fight UFC winning streak at welterweight is tied with Georges St-Pierre for longest in divisional history.

Usman has earned nine of his 12 UFC victories by decision.

Masvidal fell to 7-5 since he returned to the welterweight division in July 2015.

Masvidal has suffered 11 of his 14 career losses by decision. That includes all six of his UFC defeats.

[autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (22-1 MMA, 9-0 UFC) extended his winning streak to 19 consecutive fights. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since May 2013.

Volkanovski’s seven-fight UFC winning streak at featherweight is tied with Arnold Allen for the longest active streak in the division.

Volkanovski has earned six of his nine UFC victories by decision.

[autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (21-6 MMA, 17-6 UFC) has suffered five of his six career losses by decision.

Holloway has landed 100 or more significant strikes in 11 separate UFC fights, the most in company history. No other fighter has more than seven such performances.

Holloway’s 2,182 total strikes landed in UFC competition are most in company history.

Holloway became the second fighter in UFC history to complete 23 octagon appearances without suffering a knockdown. B.J. Penn also accomplished the feat.

[autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag]’s (15-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) became the third Russian-born champion in UFC history. Nurmagomedov and Andrei Arlovski also accomplished the feat.

Yan’s seven-fight UFC winning streak at bantamweight is the longest active streak in the division.

[autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag]’s (28-7 MMA, 10-6 UFC) four-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since February 2019.

Aldo fell to 0-2 since he dropped to the bantamweight division in December.

Aldo fell to 3-6 in his past nine fights after going undefeated for more than a decade.

Aldo has suffered five of his seven career losses by stoppage.

Aldo has suffered all four of his UFC stoppage losses by knockout.

Namajunas’ (9-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) seven victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for second most in divisional history behind Joanna Jedrzejczyk (10).

Namajunas’ five fight-night bonuses for UFC strawweight bouts are second most in divisional history behind Andrade (seven).

Andrade (20-8 MMA, 11-6 UFC) fell to 7-3 since she dropped to the UFC strawweight division in June.

Andrade’s seven fight-night bonuses for UFC strawweight bouts are most in divisional history.

[autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) has earned seven of her 10 career victories by stoppage.

[autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag] (8-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC) fell to 1-2 since she moved up to the UFC women’s flyweight division in January 2018.

VanZant has suffered all three of her career stoppage losses by submission.

Preliminary card

Prochazka (27-3-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) improved to 20-1-1 in his past 22 fights dating back to June 2013.

Prochazka has earned 26 of his 27 career victories by stoppage.

[autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC) fell to 2-4 in his past six fights dating back to January 2018.

Oezdemir has suffered four of his five career losses by stoppage.

[autotag]Makwan Amirkhani[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC) became the third fighter in UFC history to earn multiple submission victories by anaconda choke. Phil Davis and Charles Oliveira also accomplished the feat.

[autotag]Danny Henry[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) fell to 1-2 since he dropped to the UFC featherweight division in March 2018.

Henry has suffered both of his career stoppage losses by submission.

[autotag]Leonardo Santos[/autotag] (18-3-1 MMA, 7-0-1 UFC) extended his unbeaten streak to 13 fights. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since May 2009.

Santos’ eight-fight unbeaten streak in UFC lightweight competition is the second longest active streak in the division behind Nurmagomedov (11).

[autotag]Roman Bogatov[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) had his 10-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.

[autotag]Maxim Grishin[/autotag] (30-8-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) suffered his first decision loss since Dec. 11, 2009 – a span of 3,865 days (nearly 11 years) and 32 fights.

[autotag]Karol Rosa[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned both of her UFC victories by decision.

[autotag]Vanessa Melo[/autotag]’s (10-8 MMA, 0-3 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of her career. She hasn’t earned a victory since January 2019.

Melo has suffered seven of her eight career losses by decision. That includes all three of her UFC defeats.

UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.