Tag: UFC 255

Paul Felder: If Mike Perry gets Darren Till in his corner it might be the best case scenario for him

Paul Felder thinks Mike Perry would actually benefit from having Darren Till in his corner.

ABU DHABI – [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag] would actually benefit from having [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] in his corner.

Perry (14-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) startled the MMA community this week when he announced plans to auction off a spot in his corner for his upcoming fight against Robbie Lawler at UFC 255. Things got even crazier when Till, a longtime rival of “Platinum,” threw his name in the hat.

Till initially offered Perry $5,000, then started a GoFundMe so fans can help contribute and raise money. Although Till is known for his banter, Felder echoes fellow analyst Dan Hardy’s opinion, and thinks that Till would certainly give him better advice than a random fan.

“Ultimately it’s up to him and it’s up to the fighter,” Felder told reporters, including MMA Junkie, on Wednesday. “Whoever they wanna have in there, as long as they fill out all the paperwork and do their thing, that’s his decision. He’s a guy that maybe isn’t gonna listen to them anyway. He’s just gonna do his own thing. I don’t mean that disrespectfully, some guys are gonna ride off their emotions and instincts in the octagon and Mike is definitely one of those guys.”

Perry’s biggest win to date is arguably against Felder, when he edged him out via split decision at UFC 226 in 2018. In his corner was the famed Jackson Wink MMA team, and Felder thinks Perry was able to take good advice and translate it into one of his finer performances.

So, having a fighter like Till, who actually has knowledge of technique and the overall game, wouldn’t be so crazy, Felder said. However, he doubts it comes to fruition.

“When he fought me, he had a good corner,” Felder said. “He was out at Jackson’s and Winkeljohn and had Frank Lester in his corner and that’s who he was working pads with and he listened. They were yelling out certain code words and he was following those so even though it maybe it was frustrating him to do that, he beat me and he had a good performance and he was more technical in that fight than we’ve seen him in other fights.

“So, I don’t know what’s gonna happen. If he gets Darren Till, it might be the best case scenario for him so hopefully Darren is serious and chucks out that cash, but I don’t see Mike letting that happen.”

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Dan Hardy says Darren Till would be a ‘good cornerman’ for Mike Perry: ‘He’ll give him good advice’

Former UFC title challenger and UFC analyst Dan Hardy offers his take on cornermen, and explains why Darren Till would do a good job in Mike Perry’s corner.

ABU DHABI – [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag]’s pledge to place a winning bid and become [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag]’s cornerman may have raised a laugh on social media, but the presence of the Englishman in Perry’s corner may not be the worst thing for “Platinum,” according to Dan Hardy.

The former welterweight title challenger and UFC analyst chatted to the media, including MMA Junkie, ahead of UFC on ESPN+ 37 on Yas Island, and explained that Till winning a spot in Perry’s corner would give the livewire UFC welterweight the benefit of a knowledgable voice between rounds.

Perry’s last fight saw him claim a unanimous decision win over Mickey Gall in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN 12 in a fight that saw him compete with only one cornerperson, his girlfriend Latory Gonzalez.

Ahead of his upcoming fight with former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler at UFC 255 on Nov. 21, Perry (14-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) has stated that he’ll put a second spot in his corner up for grabs for the highest bidder, prompting Till to respond on social media with his pledge to be the winner.

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Speaking about Perry’s unusual move of putting a cornerman spot up for auction, Hardy said, “If he wants to do it, he can do it. My concern is he could have a random fan and his missus, and no legitimate, educated voice in the corner. I’d probably still prefer that than Diego Sanchez’s corner, but that’s another story altogether!”

Hardy said the need for a full team of coaches in your corner isn’t a crucial one, but stated that having one experienced, trusted voice on tap between rounds can be crucial to a fighter’s success or failure on fight night.

“One good cornerperson could make a massive, massive difference,” he explained. “My concern for Mike is that he’s not going to have anybody. I was happy to see Stephan Bonnar in the corner of Sanchez, but you need a voice of reason and logic in the corner, and you also need someone you can trust. … Faith in a corner team’s a big thing.”

As for the prospect of Till actually cornering Perry at UFC 255, Hardy said it might actually be to Perry’s advantage, as opposed to having a random member of the public manning the ice and bucket during the fight.

“The truth is, knowing Darren Till as a fighter, when he gets in that corner, for all the hot air and nonsense that he talks, when he gets in that fight with Mike Perry, he’ll corner him like a good cornerman,” he suggested. “He will, because it’s his instinct. I would. I could corner anybody. It doesn’t matter whether I like them or not. If I feel like I could help them win that fight, I will tell them, because that’s my job as a cornerman. Darren Till’s old-school, I know he’ll do that. If he’s in that corner, he’ll give Mike Perry good advice.”

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The Mike Perry cornerman sweepstakes for UFC 255 are getting out of control

Do we have a winner yet or not?

[autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag] will have an extra cornerman for his upcoming fight against [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag], and it’s not a coach.

Perry, who had only his girlfriend, Latory Gonzalez, in his corner for his last fight, has opted to have another person join her for his next outing at UFC 255.

“Platinum” took to Twitter to offer fans the chance to pay him to be in his corner, and after a couple of days, we have a winner – maybe. Twitter user “LuckyNutsPoker1” apparently was the highest bidder and heard back from Perry directly.

Darren Till said he would offer $5,000 to corner Perry, then tweeted as though he’d be the one to join Gonzalez.

Hold, though. Perry’s manager, Malki Kawa of First Round Management, says there’s interest from NFL players. Seriously?

After that, some trolling continued from Till.

In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Perry explained that he doesn’t see the use of having coaches give him advice when they’re not the ones competing. He said he only needs someone to wipe him down and give him water, and that’s exactly what his girlfriend did when Perry was able to snap a two-fight losing skid with a unanimous decision win over Gall in June.

UPDATE: Till has created a GoFund Me to help his cause.

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.

Brandon Royval replaces Alex Perez, meets Brandon Moreno at UFC 255

Brandon Moreno didn’t go long without an opponent at UFC 255 as he is now set to fight Brandon Royval in November.

[autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] didn’t go long without an opponent at UFC 255 as he is now set to fight [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] at the November event.

After an injury to Cody Garbrandt opened up a flyweight title opportunity for Alex Perez, Moreno (17-5-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC) was left without a matchup. The promotion took quick action, though, booking Royval (12-4 MMA, 2-0 UFC) to step in for a matchup with high entertainment potential.

On Friday, Royval confirmed an earlier report from BJPenn.com that he’s stepping in.

UFC 255 takes place Nov. 21 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims expected to air on ESPN and stream on ESPN+.

Royval has delivered big time in his first two UFC appearances. He’s picked submission wins over Tim Elliott and Kai Kara-France, both of which have earned him an extra $50,000 fight-night bonus. He’ll try to keep that run alive in his third octagon appearance.

Moreno is the type of fighter who could make for a “Fight of the Night,” as the Mexican fighter is always entertaining. “The Assassin Baby’ is unbeaten in three fights since returning to UFC for a second stint in September 2019.

The latest UFC 255 lineup now includes:

  • Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Alex Perez – for flyweight title
  • Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jennifer Maia – for women’s flyweight title
  • Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval
  • Ariane Lipski vs. Antonina Shevchenko
  • Paul Craig vs. Mauricio Rua
  • John Allan vs. Roman Dolidze
  • Jared Gooden vs. Alan Jouban
  • Robbie Lawler vs. Mike Perry
  • Kyle Daukaus vs. Dustin Stoltzfus

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Cody Garbrandt out of UFC 255, Alex Perez meets champ Deiveson Figueiredo

It appears Cody Garbrandt’s quest to become a two-division UFC champion will be put on hold.

It appears [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag]’s quest to become a two-division UFC champion will be put on hold.

Former bantamweight champion Garbrandt (12-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) was set to take on flyweight champ [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] (19-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) at UFC 255 in November. But due to yet-undisclosed reasons, Garbrandt is out of the title fight and will be replaced by 135-pound contender [autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag] (24-5 MMA, 6-1 UFC).

MMA Junkie confirmed the change with a person with knowledge of the new booking. The person requested anonymity because the UFC has not yet made an official announcement. The news first was reported by Combate.

Perez was set to fight on the same UFC 255 card ahead of the title fight against [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] (17-5-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) – who now is left without an opponent. It is not yet known if Moreno will remain on the card against a new opponent, will be booked for a new date, or perhaps stay on to serve as a backup for Perez or Figueiredo – a practice that is becoming increasingly common for the UFC for title fights.

UFC 255 takes place Nov. 21 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card will air on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

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After a loss to recent title challenger and perennial flyweight contender Joseph Benavidez, Perez has won three straight fights. He outpointed Mark De La Rosa at UFC on ESPN 2 in March 2019, and in 2020 has back-to-back finishes with a first-round submission of Jordan Espinosa in January and a first-round TKO win over Jussier Formiga at UFC 250 in June – a bout he won thanks to incessant leg kicks.

Figueiredo won the flyweight title in July with a brutal first-round technical submission of Joseph Benavidez in their rematch. In February, Figueiredo stopped Benavidez with a second-round TKO, but was not eligible to win the then-vacant flyweight title because he missed weight. Three weeks ago, though, he had no weight issues and won the belt free and clear with his fourth straight victory.

Garbrandt was going to test the flyweight waters for the first time. Because of that, there was some criticism about the former 135-pound champ’s selection as a title challenger without first having fought in the division. He won the banamtamweight title against Dominick Cruz in December 2016, but lost it to T.J. Dillashaw in his first attempted title defense. He lost a rematch to Dillashaw, as well. And in March 2019, he was knocked out by Pedro Munhoz, which gave him three straight KO losses after starting his career 11-0. But in June, he rebounded in a big way with a bonus-winning knockout of Raphael Assuncao at UFC 250 before deciding to move down to flyweight for a shot at the belt.

With the change, the UFC 255 lineup now includes:

  • Champ Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Alex Perez – for flyweight title
  • Champ Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jennifer Maia – for women’s flyweight title
  • Brandon Moreno vs. opponent TBA
  • Ariane Lipski vs. Antonina Shevchenko
  • Paul Craig vs. Mauricio Rua
  • John Allan vs. Roman Dolidze
  • Jared Gooden vs. Alan Jouban
  • Robbie Lawler vs. Mike Perry
  • Kyle Daukaus vs. Dustin Stoltzfus

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Skidding ex-champ Robbie Lawler meets returning Mike Perry at UFC 255

Robbie Lawler will oblige to Mike Perry’s desire to fight years after “Platinum” first called out the former UFC champ.

[autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] will oblige to [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag]’s desire to fight years after “Platinum” first called out the former UFC champ.

Lawler (28-15 MMA, 13-9 UFC) and Perry (14-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) have agreed to meet at UFC 255 on Nov. 21, MMA Junkie verified with multiple people close to the situation following an initial report from ESPN. The people requested anonymity because UFC has yet to make an official announcement..

UFC 251 takes place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims expected on ESPN and ESPN+.

Lawler has lost his past four fights. The former 170-pound kingpin most recently returned to action after taking a year off following a loss to Colby Covington, only to drop a lopsided decision to Neil Magny.

Perry, meanwhile, will attempt to win two straight for the first time since 2017. “Platinum” beat Mickey Gall at UFC on ESPN 12 in June, but was single entangled in outside-the-cage issues, with a situation in which he got into trouble altercation at a restaurant that was caught on video.

The UFC forced Perry to take a hiatus in the aftermath of that situation, stating it wouldn’t offer Perry any fights until he sought help. Apparently he’s done enough to make his return, and it will be for arguably the biggest win of his career.

The latest UFC 255 lineup now includes:

  • Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Cody Garbrandt – for flyweight title
  • Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jennifer Maia – for women’s flyweight title
  • Brandon Moreno vs. Alex Perez
  • Ariane Lipski vs. Antonina Shevchenko
  • Paul Craig vs. Mauricio Rua
  • John Allan vs. Roman Dolidze
  • Jared Gooden vs. Alan Jouban
  • Robbie Lawler vs. Mike Perry

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Alan Jouban vs. Jared Gooden targeted for UFC 255 in November

A welterweight matchup between Alan Jouban and Jared Gooden is in the works for UFC 255.

A welterweight matchup is in the works for UFC 255.

The promotion is targeting [autotag]Alan Jouban[/autotag] (16-7 MMA, 7-5 UFC) vs. [autotag]Jared Gooden[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at its upcoming pay-per-view event on Nov. 21. The event’s location and venue have yet to be announced.

MMA Junkie confirmed the booking with two people with knowledge of the matchup. The people requested anonymity because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Jouban hasn’t competed since suffering a split decision loss to Dwight Grant in April 2019. Prior to that, he picked up a “Fight of the Night” bonus when he knocked out Ben Saunders at UFC on FOX 28.

Jouban underwent knee surgery this past November, which has kept him sidelined. Despite the loss to Grant, Jouban recently signed a new five-fight deal with the UFC and will kick things off when he takes on newcomer Gooden.

Gooden was scheduled to make his UFC debut against Grant on Aug. 22, but was forced out due to injury. With Titan FC, Island Fights and LFA bouts on his resume, “Nite Train” has stopped his past three opponents.

With the addition, the latest UFC 255 lineup includes:

  • Champ Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Cody Garbrandt – for flyweight title
  • Champ Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jennifer Maia – for women’s flyweight title
  • Brandon Moreno vs. Alex Perez
  • Ariane Lipski vs. Antonina Shevchenko
  • Paul Craig vs. Mauricio Rua
  • John Allan vs. Roman Dolidze
  • Jared Gooden vs. Alan Jouban

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UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo sends Cody Garbrandt a stern warning ahead of UFC 255

Deiveson Figueiredo wants to let Cody Garbrandt know that he’s in for a rude awakening at UFC 255.

[autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] wants to let [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag] know that he’s in for a rude awakening at UFC 255.

Newly crowned flyweight champion Figueiredo (19-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) will make his first title defense against former bantamweight champion Garbrandt (12-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in the main event on Nov. 21 and the Brazilian is already stoking the fire ahead of the matchup.

Figueiredo claimed the vacant UFC flyweight title in July by finishing Joseph Benavidez for the second straight time. After dropping Benavidez multiple times in the rematch, Figueiredo then became the first man to submit the perennial flyweight contender.

Meanwhile, Garbrandt snapped his three-fight losing skid with a spectacular buzzer-beater knockout of Raphael Assuncao at UFC 250 in June. Now he will make the drop to 125 pounds for the first time in his career to challenge newly crowned champ Figueiredo for the flyweight strap.

But, ahead of their title clash, Figueiredo has sent “No Love” a message warning him of what’s to come when they square off.

“@cody_nolove you think you are going to take my Belt? I go to sleep dreaming of taking your head off!!!! I wake up thinking of knocking you out. my whole day is dedicated to putting you to sleep!!!! Cody vc pensa que vai tirar meu cinturão, Eu durmo e acordo pensando em nocautear vc, Estou focado e determinado a arrancar a tua cabeça👊🏽”

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Valentina Shevchenko: Joanne Calderwood was ‘not there mentally’ in loss to Jennifer Maia

Valentina Shevchenko sympathizes with Joanne Calderwood after the women’s flyweight contender lost out on a UFC title shot.

[autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] believes there was something missing within [autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag] in a recent loss to Jennifer Maia that cost her a UFC title shot.

Calderwood (14-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC) was supposed to be next in line to challenge Shevchenko (19-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) for the women’s flyweight title, but the bout was postponed from June and then August due to an injury to the champion.

Tired of waiting, Calderwood rolled the dice by accepting a short-notice matchup with Maia (18-6-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC) at UFC on ESPN+ 31 on Aug. 1. She’d been off for 11 months and said she wanted to be active to avoid rust heading into her title shot, but then everything went awry when Maia pulled off the first-round submission win.

Shevchenko was watching the bout closely, and although she gives Maia credit, she said it was hard to ignore Calderwood looking flat inside the octagon, which “The Bullet” said contributed to the result.

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“What I could see in this fight I cannot tell about ‘JoJo’ – I felt she was not there mentally,” Shevchenko told MMA Junkie Radio. “Sometimes it happens. Sometimes it’s something that you cannot prevent. You do your training camp good, you’re preparing good but the time of the fight, you’re just not there and you don’t understand what happened. But you can tell in her eyes, you can tell in the speed of her reaction and probably this is what the major factor why she lost her fight.”

Shevchenko did not want to pinpoint the entire outcome on her belief Calderwood did not show up. She made sure to give Maia her credit, because now the Brazilian is set to challenge for the 125-pound belt at UFC 255, which takes place Nov. 21 and airs on pay-per-view from an unannounced location.

“From other side we could see Jennifer Maia,” Shevchenko said. “She focused with her eye, focused on the victory. She wanted it and she was training so bad for this fight.”