Tag: UFC 263

Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Leon Edwards, Nate Diaz after UFC 263?

What should come next for Leon Edwards and Nate Diaz after UFC 263? There are options on the table for both.

[autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] and [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] v made history on Saturday at UFC 263, fighting the first five-round bout to ever take place inside the octagon that was neither a main event nor a championship contest.

In the end, Edwards (19-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) was dominant, taking a unanimous decision in the welterweight bout at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz. The 25-minute window benefitted Diaz (20-13 MMA, 15-11 UFC), however. It allowed him to stage a nearly miraculous comeback in the final minute of the fifth round.

It didn’t happen, though, and now Diaz is on a two-fight losing skid while Edwards is unbeaten over his past 10 octagon appearances.

How do both men proceed? Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on the next move for Edwards and Diaz after UFC 263.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVdWS8hUF88

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1f6CvyEyXXs

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Marvin Vettori: Israel Adesanya earned respect at UFC 263, says ‘drunk guy’ Paulo Costa next

When his five-round fight with Israel Adesanya was complete at UFC 263, Marvin Vettori thought he was going to have his hand raised.

When his five-round fight with Israel Adesanya was complete at UFC 263, [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] thought he was going to have his hand raised. Once again, it didn’t happen.

Vettori (17-5-1 MMA, 7-3-1 UFC) lost his rematch with UFC middleweight champion Adesanya (21-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) by unanimous decision, dropping all five rounds on the scorecards across the board at Gila Rivera Arena in Glendale, Ariz.

Although he did land some solid strikes and had the champion in some compromising positions on the mat, Vettori never truly had Adesanya in danger of being finished. He thinks he did “some good things,” but absorbed 96 significant strikes and called leg kicks “the story of the fight.”

Still, though, Vettori thought in the moment he might get his hand raised.

“Right after the fight, I thought I won,” Vettori told BT Sport in the aftermath of UFC 263. “He’s like, ‘No, you didn’t win.’ But at the end of the day, it’s respect. We don’t like each other, but it’s respect. We’ve shared the octagon for eight rounds now, for 40 minutes basically. At the end of the day, you’ve got to give some props.

“I think 50-45 was definitely not the right decision, but it is what it is. At the end of the day, I’m 27 years old. I’m going to go back to the hotel. I’m going to go and run. I’m going to do like a five-mile run. I didn’t even take a hot shower because I didn’t think I deserve it. That’s how crazy I am. I’m going to go back and work and get ready for the next fight.”

Vettori said the fight didn’t play out how he wanted in a lot of ways. After dropping a split decision to Adesanya in their initial meeting at UFC on FOX 29 in April 2019, his entire goal around the rematch was to make it definitive with a knockout or submission.

He didn’t get either, and he said it’s all considered a failure.

“I had all the cards to beat him, but I didn’t,” Vettori said. “I said coming in I left no doubt, and even if I won, I would’ve left doubts. At the end of the day, I didn’t do enough.”

Despite the setback in the biggest moment of his career so far, Vettori said he’s not done. He still sees a bright future ahead with many big fights, and he is already targeting a clash with Paulo Costa next.

“I would like to really destroy this drunk guy who can’t even stay off drinking,” Vettori said. “It’s ‘Borrachinha.'”

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Brandon Moreno accomplished ‘principal goal’ by becoming first Mexico-born UFC champion

Brandon Moreno made history at UFC 263 and put Mexican MMA on the map in the process.

PHOENIX – The new UFC flyweight champion [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] is proud to elevate the status of MMA in Mexico.

Moreno (19-5-2 MMA, 7-2-2 UFC) tapped out Deiveson Figueiredo at [autotag]UFC 263[/autotag] on Saturday evening in a rematch of their first battle that resulted in a draw.

“I can’t believe it,” Moreno told reporters, including MMA Junkie, during the post-fight news conference. “This moment is so special. I’m always trying to make jokes and play with everybody but today was an emotional day for me, you know? I started to cry because I feel it in the bottom of my heart.”

It was a long road to the pinnacle of the sport for the Tijuana, Mexico native, but his dedication to the sport and making the necessary changes to succeed culminated in his crowning achievement on Saturday evening.

“I worked so hard for that f*cking belt,” Moreno said. “I have 10 years as a professional, 15 years doing this sport, and this moment is so special – and not just for me, all the people around me who support me on this journey.”

After an extensive training camp that lasted six months, Moreno is happy that the hard work paid off, regardless of the toll it may have taken on his body in the long run.

“This training camp took three years off my life, but I don’t care,” Moreno said. “I have the belt right now and that is the most important thing. I don’t have enough words to explain how I feel today.”

Moreno’s name will be forever attached to history as the first Mexico-born champion, something he is extremely proud of accomplishing.

“That was one of my principal goals,” Moreno stated. “Obviously, I have so much respect for Cain Velasquez and Henry Cejudo. They put so much work in for my country, too. Cain Velasquez brought the UFC to Mexico in 2014. That was amazing. That put the mixed martial arts in Mexico on another level, but I (was) born in Tijuana. I grew up there, I went to school there. I suffered the bad opportunities, the f*cking government there, you know?”

The UFC has recently focused on developing talent in Latin America, and now that Mexico has an undisputed champion, Moreno’s win should elevate the focus on MMA.

“Huge companies don’t put support in the sports, especially mixed martial arts because it’s a new sport for the country,” Moreno explained.

“I know with this belt, I put the sport on another level and that makes me feel amazing.”

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Dana White unsure what to do with ‘unbelievable’ Nate Diaz after UFC 263 loss

Dana White had high praise for Nate Diaz after his UFC 263 loss, but doesn’t know what comes next.

PHOENIX – Dana White had high praise for [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] after his UFC 263 loss, but doesn’t know what comes next.

Diaz (20-13 MMA, 15-11 UFC) succumbed to defeat against Leon Edwards (19-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) on Saturday with a unanimous decision loss on the card, which took place at Gila River Arena and aired on pay-per-view. The fan-favorite said he felt he won “in the real world,” despite clearly losing four of five rounds on the scorecards.

White didn’t indicate he felt Diaz’s assessment of the result was accurate, but he gave him major props for enduring a tough fight where he was cut open badly and largely dominated.

“His leg was done in the first round, he went five rounds taking leg kicks, bleeding out of both sides of his head,” White told reporters, including MMA Junkie, post-fight at UFC 263. “One was squirting this way, one way squirting this way. He was still doing what the Diaz brothers do. He was working the whole fight to get into his head and try to make him make a mistake, and then he eventually caught him in the fifth round. He’s unbelievable. He’s gonna be asking us for a six-round fight next time.”

Diaz had now lost back-to-back fights, and three of his past four overall. He said post-fight that it was his wish to return to the octagon within the next three or four months, but did not name any specific opponents for his next bout.

White said he doesn’t know what he wants to do with Diaz next, either, but is fully aware that there are few fights involving him that won’t draw a lot of eyeballs.

“I don’t know (what’s next),” Diaz said. “He’s a fan-favorite, people love him win, lose, or draw. I don’t know. We’ll see what’s next.”

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Nate Diaz says he beat Leon Edwards ‘in the real world’ at UFC 263, wants quick return

Nate Diaz thinks he was the true winner against Leon Edwards after UFC 263.

PHOENIX – [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] thinks he was the true winner against Leon Edwards after UFC 263.

Diaz (20-13 MMA, 15-11 UFC) offered a classic response to his unanimous decision loss to Edwards (19-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) on Saturday at Gila Rivera Arena, where he got convincingly bested in the first four rounds before staging a late rally in the fifth, where he couldn’t finish the fight.

The fight was originally supposed to take place at UFC 262 in May, but Diaz revealed that a cut in training postponed the fight. He claimed he lacked motivation, and that’s why he wasn’t as sharp as he should have been. Still, he thinks his big moment was the defining moment of the fight.

“I got cut in training, that’s why we had to push the fight back for a month,” Diaz told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at the UFC 263 post-fight press conference. “I kind of lost all motivation to train and work out hard and all that, so I kind of just lingered around for a month to get ready for war like that. At the end of the day, I feel like he won or whatever, but I feel like I’m the better fighter still regardless, and I feel like the peak of the fight is what matters anyway in the end.

“No hate on Leon, congratulations to him and why would you fight anybody but the top guy if you’re going to fight at all,” Diaz said. “I wish it would’ve went my way, but it’s all good.”

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Diaz said Edwards put up a good fight, but said if there were more rounds, it would’ve swung in his favor.

“Fight was a wrap,” Diaz said. “In a real fight in the real world, that’s a wrap. So, yeah. He was sleep-walking.”

Diaz went into his game plan in the aftermath of the result and said he managed to go through with little issue, despite suffering a nasty cut in the cage.

“I just kind of winged it,” Diaz said. “I was just kind of walking through that fight to get to the next opponent in this whole game. I didn’t feel like I was really in any danger. Of course, I got cut and that f*cking sucks, but I wasn’t motivated in training and I was just trying not to use any energy anywhere. Was just kind of in cruise control.”

Despite the loss, Diaz came out of UFC 263 still feeling like a star. He got the biggest positive reception of any fighter from the crowd, and at this stage has reached a point of status where wins and losses don’t mean much.

As far as what’s next, Diaz said he’s not pinpointing any particular opponent. He said he’ll do whatever “makes sense,” but the one thing he’s focused on is the timeline, and that means getting back into the octagon as soon as possible.

“I want to fight in three or four months,” Diaz said. “I’m ready to get back in there. Just to heal up. If I was unscathed I would be back in next week. I just wasn’t motivated to train anymore because I already put in the hard work for the next fight in Texas where it was supposed to be. It had to linger on for another f*cking month and it just sucked so I just rolled with the punches and did what I had to do to get here.”

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UFC 263 bonuses: That wicked arm injury Paul Craig delivered was worth an extra $50,000

The UFC handed out four post-fight bonuses after Saturday’s event, including one for a gnarly arm injury.

The UFC handed out four post-fight bonuses after Saturday’s event, including one handing out a gnarly arm injury.

The promotion gave out four $50,000 bonuses for two “Performance of the Night” awards, plus “Fight of the Night” at UFC 263 in front of a packed house of fans.

UFC 263 took place Saturday at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN/ESPN+ and early prelims on ESPN+.

Check out the four post-fight bonus winners below.

Twitter reacts to Israel Adesanya’s title defense against Marvin Vettori in UFC 263 rematch

See the top Twitter reactions to Israel Adesanya’s title defense against Marvin Vettori in their UFC 263 main event rematch.

[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] got back on track and kept his middleweight title reign alive on Saturday when he beat [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] again at UFC 263.

After an unsuccessful bid up a division, Adesanya (21-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) returned back to 185 pounds and defended his title for a third consecutive time, defeating Vettori (17-5-1 MMA, 7-3-1 UFC) by unanimous decision in the pay-per-view headliner at Gila Rivera Arena in Glendale, Ariz.

“The Last Stylebender” won the first fight with Vettori by split decision in April 2018, and now he’s 2-0 in the series.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Adesanya’s title defense against Vettori at UFC 263.

UFC 263 results: Brandon Moreno taps Deiveson Figueiredo, becomes first Mexico-born champion

The co-main event of UFC 263 was an exciting flyweight title rematch between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno.

[autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] makes history as the first Mexico-born UFC champion by defeating [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag].

Moreno (19-5-2 MMA, 7-2-2 UFC) emerged victorious in the flyweight title rematch against Figueiredo (20-2-1 MMA, 9-2-1 UFC) on Saturday evening, sending fans in attendance into a frenzy.

The flyweight title bout was the UFC 263 co-main event at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz. It aired on ESPN following early prelims on ESPN+ and ahead of the main card on pay-per-view.

Moreno began the fight ready to let his hands fly early and often while the champ Figueiredo stayed defensive. The Brazilian’s patience worked in his favor at moments as he found a home for a few hard counters. However, Moreno’s consistent aggression led to a hard, well-timed jab that dropped the champ briefly. The first round belonged to the challenger, who looked ready to make a statement.

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Figueiredo switched up the game plan in the second round by taking Moreno to the mat early, much to the disappointment of the Phoenix crowd. Moreno stayed calm on the canvas, fighting off a couple of guillotine choke attempts before bringing the fight back to the feet. Moments later Moreno completed a takedown of his own, ending up in the champ’s full guard until the conclusion of the round.

The pair met in the center of the cage to start the third, exchanging kicks and punches. Moreno scrambled for a takedown, ended up on the champ’s back, and immediately began looking for a rear-naked choke. The champ defended well for a moment, but after adjusting, Moreno clamped back down on the submission to get the tap.

Moreno and Figueiredo’s first meeting at UFC 256 was not only Fight of the Night, it was one of the best fights of 2020. Saturday’s rematch had a lot to live up to in comparison, but Moreno’s spectacular submission finish made the moment special.

“For everyone in Mexico, dreams can be achieved, dreams can be achieved. Look at me now,” Moreno said in Spanish during his post-fight interview.

“I’m so f*cking happy! Viva Mexico!”

The flyweight division has a new king, and for the first time in any division under the UFC banner, the champion was born in Mexico. With the UFC’s recent focus on developing talent in Latin America, Moreno’s win could be the boost the region needed.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 263 results include:

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UFC 263 results: Israel Adesanya outpoints Marvin Vettori again, calls for Robert Whittaker rematch

Israel Adesanya didn’t mince words when he called for a fight against Robert Whittaker.

[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] is two-for-two against [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag].

The UFC middleweight champion, Adesanya (20-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) retained his title Saturday when he defeated his two-time rival Vettori (17-3-1 MMA, 7-2-1 UFC) via unanimous decision.

The middleweight title bout was the UFC 263 main event at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz. It aired on ESPN following early prelims on ESPN+ and ahead of the main card on pay-per-view.

At UFC on FOX 29 in April 2018, Adesanya defeated Vettori via split decision. The fight was Adesanya’s second in the promotion and Vettori’s fifth. Since their first meeting, the two exchanged verbal jabs in interviews and written insults on social media, which all led up to their rematch Saturday.

The fight was largely dominant in Adesanya’s favor. The champion utilized his leg kicks as a major debilitating weapon as Vettori plodded forward. Although Vettori did secure multiple takedowns in the fight, they were few and far between and often were reversed by Adesanya.

Vettori’s best moment came in Round 3 when he got Adesanya’s back and worked for a rear-naked choke. However, the struggle was brief and Adesanya wiggled his way out to land on top.

When the final bell rang and the judges’ decision was read, Vettori looked stunned. He exchanged calm words with Adesanya as the two argued about whether or not the decision was accurate.

After the fight, Adesanya dedicated the win to his late friend and City Kickboxing training partner Fau Vake, who was brutally beaten and later died in May. He then turned his attention to his next potential challenge and called for a rematch against Robert Whittaker, the man he took the title from in 2019.

Adesanya, 31, returns to the win column after an unsuccessful crack at attaining double champ status. At UFC 259 in March, Adesanya lost a unanimous decision in a title challenge against light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz. The loss was the first of his career.

Returning to middleweight, Adesanya successfully defended his title for the third time. His first two defenses came against Paulo Costa and Yoel Romero.

As for Vettori, the loss snaps a five-fight winning streak. Prior to Saturday, Vettori’s last loss came in his first fight against Adesanya. All of Vettori’s career losses have come by decision.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 263 results include:

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