Tag: UFC 270

Rodolfo Vieira vs. Wellington Turman scratched from UFC 270 lineup

UFC 270 has lost the main card opener between Rodolfo Vieira and Wellington Turman.

UFC 270 has lost its main card opener.

The middleweight matchup between Brazilians [autotag]Rodolfo Vieira[/autotag] and [autotag]Wellington Turman[/autotag] has been scrapped from Saturday’s card after Vieira was forced to withdraw due to medical reasons. As a results, Trevin Giles vs. Michael Morales has been elevated to the pay-per-view portion of the card.

A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the news to MMA Junkie after an initial report by ESPN Deportes. The person requested anonymity because UFC has yet to make an official announcement.

Vieira (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC), an ADCC champion, rebounded from his first-career loss to Anthony Hernandez with a “Performance of the Night” submission of Dustin Stoltzfus at UFC on ESPN 26 in July. The jiu-jitsu ace has finished all his pro wins, seven by submission.

Turman (17-5 MMA, 2-3 UFC) was also coming off a rebound win. After suffering back-to-back knockout losses to Andrew Sanchez and Bruno Silva, the 25-year-old was able to edge out Sam Alvey via split decision at UFC on ESPN 30 in August, in a bout where he was deducted two points due to repeated eye poke offenses.

UFC 270 takes place Saturday at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view after prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The UFC 270 lineup now includes:

  • Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane
  • Brandon Moreno vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
  • Andre Fialho vs. Michel Pereira
  • Said Nurmagomedov vs. Cody Stamann
  • Trevin Giles vs. Michael Morales

Preliminary ESPN, ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET

  • Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Jourdain
  • Raoni Barcelos vs. Victor Henry
  • Tony Gravely vs. Saimon Oliveira
  • Jack Della Maddalena vs. Pete Rodriguez

Preliminary ESPN+, 6:15 p.m. ET

  • Matt Frevola vs. Genaro Valdez
  • Vanessa Demopoulos vs. Silvana Gomez Juarez
  • Kay Hansen vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius

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UFC 270 video: Brandon Moreno facepalms at Deiveson Figueiredo’s ‘crybaby motherf*cker’ comment

Brandon Moreno doesn’t seem to understand the hostility coming from Deiveson Figueiredo going into UFC 270.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] doesn’t seem to understand the hostility coming from [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] going into UFC 270.

Moreno (19-5-2 MMA, 7-2-2 UFC) and Figueiredo (20-2-1 MMA, 9-2-1 UFC) have come into Saturday’s flyweight title trilogy fight with two different demeanors. The champion said he has “so much respect” for his opponent, while the challenger made it clear there’s bad blood on his end.

That spilled over into Thursday’s pre-fight press conference, where Figueiredo made his disdain for Moreno quite clear.

“Brandon Moreno (is a) crybaby,” Figueiredo told reporters, including MMA Junkie. “He’s crybaby motherf*cker. Yeah, motherf*cker. I’m going to knock you out.”

Moreno was quite amused by Figueiredo’s verbal onslaught, and could only laugh at the aggression of his opponent going into the co-main event matchup at Honda Center, which airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

“Why you try so hard, man? Just stop,” Moreno said. “Money? Fame? I know you’re a nice guy, man. Just stop.”

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UFC 270: Francis Ngannou, Ciryl Gane verbally spar over memory of actual sparring session

For Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane, a lot of their beef might come down to a matter of semantics.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – For [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] and [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag], a lot of their beef might come down to a matter of semantics.

For example, Ngannou said Thursday he never was teammates with Gane – but that he already had moved from France to Las Vegas, and merely was passing back through MMA Factory in Paris when he happened to do some sparring with Gane. They trained, but they weren’t teammates.

Similarly, they have a difference of opinion – and perhaps a difference of recollection – of a claim Ngannou (16-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) made earlier this week that he knocked out Gane (10-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) with a kick when they sparred.

“He was knocked out, probably, because he doesn’t remember,” Ngannou said.

“This is not the truth,” Gane said in response. “We did some sparring – and it was really great sparring from Francis. It was a beautiful left kick. The problem with Francis is he doesn’t like technical sparring – (he likes) to make power. … You gave me the left kick. You hurt me. You see? I’m honest – you hurt me. You hurt me. But you didn’t knock me down.”

The two sparred back and forth verbally at Thursday’s UFC 270 pre-fight news conference with UFC president Dana White in the middle.

Saturday, Ngannou, the UFC’s heavyweight champion, meets Gane, the interim champ, in the main event at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., to unify their belts. The unbeaten Gane is a slight betting favorite. He has the pair’s former coach, Fernand Lopez, in his corner. Ngannou now is with Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas after leaving Lopez’s gym several years ago.

When challenged to look him in the eyes and say he knocked him out with the kick, Ngannou ultimately said he can’t prove it because he doesn’t have the video tape – but said he respects Gane.

And Gane said he’d like to see Ngannou respect him, then, publicly in front of the crowd.

Their backstory – be it as friends, teammates, or merely two heavyweights who trained a few times – has turned into a solid selling point for the UFC. And White said that will be a big deal come Saturday.

“This whole story is a great story. But the most important thing is no matter who hit who, who did what, who doesn’t like who, on Saturday night, the two biggest, baddest heavyweights in the world are going to fight, and all the questions will be answered. That’s all that matters.”

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UFC 270 faceoff: Brandon Moreno, Deiveson Figueiredo have first trilogy-fight staredown

Brandon. Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo added another faceoff to the list going into Saturday’s UFC 270 trilogy bout.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] and [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] had yet another faceoff on Thursday’s following the UFC 270 pre-fight press conference.

Moreno (19-5-2 MMA, 7-2-2 UFC) and Figueiredo (20-2-1 MMA, 9-2-1 UFC) are set to clash in a third consecutive UFC flyweight championship bout – all of which have occurred within a 406-day stretch. They’ve spent more than 30 minutes in the octagon together, and even more time outside of it when including all the media obligations.

The pre-fight staredowns between Moreno, 28, the reigning 125-pound titleholder, and Figueiredo, 34, have ranged from pleasant to confrontational, so it was relatively unknown what was going to happen when they came face-to-face for the first time ahead of UFC 270.

Both men kept civil and acted in a professional manner after answering questions from the media ahead of Saturday’s co-main event trilogy fight, which takes place at Honda Center and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

Watch the video above to see the first UFC 270 fight week faceoff between Moreno and Figueiredo.

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UFC 270 faceoff: Francis Ngannou, Ciryl Gane have first staredown at press conference

Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane came face-to-face as opponents for the first time following Thursday’s UFC 270 pre-fight press conference.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] and [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] came face-to-face as opponents for the first time following Thursday’s UFC 270 pre-fight press conference.

After answering questions from the media, former teammates and training partners Ngannou (16-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) and Gane (10-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) posed for a traditional faceoff, and there was no lack of intensity.

Ngannou, 35, the reigning UFC heavyweight champion, and interim titleholder Gane, 31, meet Saturday in a championship unification bout. The fight tops the UFC 270 lineup, which takes place at Honda Center and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

Despite the history between them, Ngannou and Gane have remained level-headed in the build to UFC 270. They remained professional during their first staredown, but there was no mistaking the tension between the two sides.

Watch the video above for the Ngannou vs. Gane press conference faceoff.

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UFC 270 ‘Embedded,’ No. 4: Power vs. technique? Not really, Ciryl Gane says

The UFC returns for its first pay-per-view of 2022 with UFC 270, which means “Embedded” is back to document the fighters behind the scenes.

The UFC returns for its first pay-per-view of 2022 on Saturday with UFC 270, which means the fight week video series “Embedded” is back to document the fighters behind the scenes.

UFC 270 takes place Saturday at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

UFC 270 features a championship double-header. In the main event, heavyweight champion [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) looks to unify his belt against interim champ [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC). In the co-headliner, newly crowned flyweight champ [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] (19-5-2 MMA, 7-2-2 UFC) will look to close out his trilogy with [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] (20-2-1 MMA, 9-2-1 UFC).

The fourth episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters as they go throughout their fight week. Here is the description from YouTube:

Champ Brandon Moreno heads west with his team. Deiveson Figueiredo arrives by air. Champion Francis Ngannou visits a gym with history. Interim king Ciryl Gane talks to media. UFC 270 is on Saturday, January 22.

Check out the episode in the video above.

Also see:

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Video: Watch today’s UFC 270 pre-fight press conference, including Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane (8 p.m. ET)

Watch the UFC 270 pre-fight press conference featuring competitors from the main and co-main bouts.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – You can watch today’s press conference from Anaheim Convention Center in advance of UFC 270 here on MMA Junkie starting at 8 p.m. ET.

UFC president Dana White hosts the event, which features the four competitors in the two title fights at the top of the pay-per-view main card. UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC), interim heavyweight champion [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC), flyweight champion [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] (19-5-2 MMA, 7-2-2 UFC), and [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] (20-2-1 MMA, 9-2-1 UFC) will participate, answering questions from media in front of a packed house of fans.

UFC 270 takes place on Saturday at Honda Center. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and early prelims on ESPN+.

From Jon Jones to Jake Paul, Dana White answers who could fight in UFC this year

UFC president Dana White has weighed in on the possibility of various fighters competing inside the octagon in 2022.

UFC president Dana White has weighed in on the possibility of various fighters competing inside the octagon this year.

Speaking to TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter, White partook in their annual odds show in which he answered yes or no on the chances of seeing the likes of [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag], [autotag]Zabit Magomedsharipov[/autotag], [autotag]Nick Diaz[/autotag], [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag], and even Hasbulla fighting in the UFC in 2022.

Check out the full list of fighters White was asked about below:

How Henry Cejudo was prompted to corner Deiveson Figueiredo against Brandon Moreno

Henry Cejudo went from being Brandon Moreno’s mentor to cornering against him at UFC 270.

[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] went from [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag]’s mentor to cornering against him at UFC 270.

UFC flyweight champion Moreno (19-5-2 MMA, 7-2-2 UFC) was a cast member on Season 24 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which Cejudo coached alongside Joseph Benavidez. Heading into the competition, Moreno was already good friends with Cejudo, but things took an awkward turn when Cejudo didn’t pick Moreno on his team.

That’s because the format of that season of TUF had all 16 flyweights already seeded and with Cejudo unaware of Moreno’s ranking, his protege ended up on Benavidez’s team. Cejudo opted to use his first pick to select Alexandre Pantoja, who was seeded No. 1. That meant that the No. 16 seed automatically went to Benavidez’s team, which happened to be none other than Moreno, which left Cejudo stunned.

Pantoja ended up submitting Moreno to eliminate him from the tournament, a fight that Cejudo refused to coach Pantoja in. Although things seemed cordial at the time, Cejudo says it was a turning point in his relationship with Moreno.

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“On January 19th 2019, I was able to win the greatest fight in UFC history. Why? Because the 57 jobs aka the flyweight divisions head was on the chopping block and it was up to me to win and save it! And that I did! I knocked the dude out who was on EPO’s and save a entire division from complete extinction. That being said there is nothing like a good rivalry with former training partners and friends who are now rivals. On April 23rd 2016 Brandon Moreno helped me train for Demetrious Johnson which I was ko’d in the first round. On Dec 3rd 2016 he joined Joseph Benavidez training camp to help beat me. I ended up losing that fight in what many people called robbery. My next step was to fight Brandon Moreno because I had a sour taste in my mouth but he declined to fight me. The UFC wanted us to headline in Mexico City and he decided to fight Sergio Pettis instead. I approached him in person (UFC Retreat 2017) and said “let’s fight” and he replied to me in Spanish “tengo mucho cariño para pelear contigo” which means I have too much love for you to fight you. When he told me that I immediately dropped it. Going on a two fight losing streak and coming back to becoming the Triple C is who I really am. At the end of the day you have a good story line with two country men and a middle man who knows them both. Who wins? I can tell you right now the Flyweights win! You are welcome, Sincerely The Flyweight savior Henry Ce-Judas 🔪 💀🇧🇷”

Fast forward more than five years later, and Cejudo has now taken [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] (20-2-1 MMA, 9-2-1 UFC) under his wing, helping him strategize against his former friend. Figueiredo will attempt to reclaim his belt when he meets Moreno in the co-main event of UFC 270 where he’ll attempt to close out their trilogy with Cejudo in his corner.

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MMA Junkie Radio #3227: Guest Ray Borg, UFC 270 preview, more

Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.


Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,227, the fellas welcomed in guest [autotag]Ray Borg[/autotag], who has been a hard man to track down for a while. They also previewed Saturday’s big UFC 270 event in Anaheim, Calif., with its heavyweight and flyweight title fights. Tune in!

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.