Tag: UFC 282

Video: Jiri Prochazka, Leon Edwards and Alex Pereira claim UFC gold in 2022 with epic fifth-round comebacks

Only a handful of championship bouts in UFC history have ended in the fifth round, and 2022 provided perhaps the most memorable of them all.

There were a number of UFC title changes over the past year, but three stood out from the bunch as the most dramatic.

Only a handful of championship bouts in UFC history have ended in the fifth round, and 2022 provided perhaps the most memorable of them all as [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag], [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] and [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] all staged incredible come-from-behind wins to put gold around their waists.

At UFC 274 in June, Prochazka (29-3-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) went tooth-and-nail with Glover Teixeira (33-8 MMA, 16-6 UFC) in one of the top Fight of the Year contenders. After coming close to being finished on multiple occasions, Prochazka dug deep in the final round and choked Teixeira into submission to become the new UFC light heavyweight champion.

Just two months later at UFC 278 in August, Edwards (19-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) was less than two minutes away from losing a clear-cut decision to Kamaru Usman (20-2 MMA, 15-1 UFC) in their welterweight title rematch. But then the head kick heard ’round the world unfolded, because Edwards landed the perfect combination to end Usman’s incredible winning streak inside the octagon and become just the second British titleholder in company history.

And lastly, at UFC 282 in November, Pereira (7-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) improved his career combat sports record to 3-0 against Israel Adesanya (23-2 MMA, 12-2 UFC) when he rallied from being down on the scorecards to rock his rival and get the fifth-round TKO to become UFC middleweight champion.

They were three of the all-time moments of perseverance we’ve ever seen at the highest level of the sport, and as 2022 comes to a close, the UFC has put together a highlight reel looking back at these moments that left the audience in shock and awe.

[vertical-gallery id=2553217]

[vertical-gallery id=2573336]

[vertical-gallery id=2596106]

UFC in 2022: A ridiculously robust look at the stats, streaks, skids and record-setters

Check out a full recap of 2022’s most significant footnotes and milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.

Now that the year has come to a close, and with a major assist from UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll, here are some of 2022’s most significant milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances in the octagon.

Jiri Prochazka expected ‘better fight’ from Jan Blachowicz, Magomed Ankalaev: ‘You have to give 200 percent’

Jiri Prochazka was not impressed by Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 282.

[autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] was not impressed by [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] and [autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag] at UFC 282.

Prochazka relinquished his light heavyweight title due to a severe shoulder injury, leaving Blachowicz (29-9-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) and Ankalaev (18-1-1 MMA, 9-1-1 UFC) to battle out for the vacant belt earlier this month at T-Mobile Arena.

After five rounds of action, their fight was ruled a split draw, leaving the 205-pound title with no owner. Prochazka (29-3-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) thinks both fighters should have given a better performance considering the implications.

“They had to show, I think, a better fight, because it was a title fight,” Prochazka told CBS Sports. “And for the title fight, doesn’t matter if it’s title fight, but in every fight, you have to give their 200 percent, and they showed just half of that. And that looks like they are not the right challengers for a title.”

[lawrence-related id=2606447,2605107,2605077,2604981]

Before vacating his title, Prochazka became champion by submitting Glover Teixeira last minute in a Fight of the Year contender at UFC 275. He thought Ankalaev edged out Blachowicz but sees a draw as a fair score.

“I think Ankalaev won but just by a little bit on the points, but it was so close,” Prochazka said. “So I think the fight being a draw is OK, but if you’re fighting for a title, you have to show something special. You have to show everything, yeah, to give in the fight, everything. That’s my opinion.”

With the anticlimactic ending, the promotion decided to move on by booking former champ Glover Teixeira against Jamahal Hill for the vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 283 on Jan. 21 in Rio de Janeiro.

[vertical-gallery id=2604595]

UFC 282 ‘Fight Motion’: Watch the controversial Paddy Pimblett vs. Jared Gordon highlights in super slow motion

The final UFC PPV of 2022 was a memorable one for a mixed bag of reasons. Take a look back at the super slow motion highlights.

The final UFC pay-per-view of 2022 was a memorable one for a mixed bag of reasons.

After the UFC 282 card, which took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 11, opened with a remarkable 10 consecutive stoppage results, the night took a turn toward controversy.

In the lightweight co-main event, Paddy Pimblett won a highly controversial unanimous decision over Jared Gordon to stay undefeated inside the octagon. Then just minutes later, Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev battled to a debated split draw, leaving the light heavyweight title vacant.

With the event now in the books, the UFC has released the latest edition of “Fight Motion,” a feature of super-slow motion vide highlights looking back at the event.

Check it out above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 282.

[vertical-gallery id=2604505]

[listicle id=2603841]

Judge Doug Crosby speaks out on controversial scorecards at Bellator 289 and UFC 282

Judge Doug Crosby wasn’t able to justify his recent scorecards, but wants everyone to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Judge Doug Crosby wasn’t able to justify his recent scorecards, but wants everyone to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Crosby was under fire for turning in back-to-back controversial scorecards for the Bellator 289 show on Friday, Dec. 9 then UFC 282 on Saturday, Dec. 10. There was also criticism as to how he was allowed to travel from Mohegan Sun in Connecticut to Las Vegas in span of 24 hours, and have to judge another fight.

Crosby failed to comment on numerous occasions stating that it’s “up to the discretion of the administrators,” but questioned where that criticism was coming from.

“You’d have to ask yourself, before you accept that as valid criticism, I would qualify the source of that criticism and say is this a working class person making that critique or is it a fabulously wealthy person making that critique?,” Crosby told Chael Sonnen on the “You’re Welcome” podcast.

He continued, “You’ve got to assign a numerical value to what you just saw, and on average you get about 15 seconds to turn that score in. And if you write off about five of those seconds for the time it takes to write it, that leaves you about 10 seconds to make a decision about who won a round and who lost a round.”

Crosby scored the Bellator 289 bantamweight title fight between Raufeon Stots and Danny Sabatello 50-45 in favor of Sabatello, whereas the other two judges scored it 48-47 in favor of Stots.

His other debated scorecard was for Paddy Pimblett’s UFC co-main event against Jared Gordon, where Crosby scored it 29-28 for Pimblett – a scorecard many including Gordon heavily disagreed with. However this time, the two other judges agreed with Crosby and awarded Pimblett the fight.

Crosby didn’t justify those specific scorecards, but gave a little insight on what he looks at overall.

“Over the last 15 years, when you talk to the fighters, the overarching comment – and I’m not going to call it a complaint, I’ll call it a comment or a concern, is that effective grappling is not given enough weight in the scoring criteria and recently, the scoring criteria has been modified and updated so that effective striking and effective grappling are considered equal,” Crosby said. “And if effective grappling is considered the equal of effective striking, and then you look at any of my scores through that newly ground mental lens, the scores may become easier to understand.

“But that has to do with reading and understanding the criteria and I don’t know who does that and who doesn’t. I do know that when I talk to fighters they are overwhelmingly intelligent and articulate and courageous and I respect them all, for better or worse, and that’s what moves me forward, is what’s best for the fighters not what’s best for the coaches or the media. For the fighters and any fighter knows that they can discuss anything with me in private at any time.”

[listicle id=2604829]

[listicle id=2603655]

Video: Bryce Mitchell was so discouraged after losing at UFC 282, he immediately thought of retiring

Candid moments from Bryce Mitchell caught by ESPN+ cameras are a poignant reminder of the emotional toll big losses can take on fighters.

Losing to Ilia Topuria at UFC 282 was a tough pill to swallow for [autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag].

Mitchell (16-0 MMA, 6-1 UFC) suffered his first-career setback when he was dropped and submitted by fellow unbeaten rising contender Topuria earlier this month. Although days after the fight Mitchell said he will come back stronger in a video posted to social media, those weren’t his immediate emotions.

Cameras for “UFC Journey,” an ESPN+ series that follows fighters closely in the immediate aftermath, caught a visibly upset Mitchell contemplating retirement while in his locker room.

“That’s why I’m just saying I should f*cking retire after that, dude, before I go any further and move on with my life,” Mitchell told his coaches. “… I’m gonna be done on that one, because I just don’t ever want to feel this much pain.”

Back at his hotel, Mitchell continued: “I’m just feeling, I guess regret, you know? I just know I could have done better. I’m just in so much pain that I just don’t think it’s worth it to keep going. I want to stop with MMA, and I want to take every bit of focus that I spent every single day on MMA, I want to put it into something else. Everything is meant to be, and I’m just going to move on with my life and take all the energy that I spent doing MMA, I’m going to put it into something else, and I think I’m going to be extremely successful.”

These candid moments from Mitchell are a poignant reminder of the emotional toll big losses can take on fighters.

Prior to losing to Topuria, Mitchell, 28, was coming off the biggest win of his career against Edson Barboza at UFC 272.

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.

[vertical-gallery id=2604325]

California State Athletic Commission adds new rule for combat sports officials traveling out of state

Following a recent judging controversy involving Doug Crosby, CSAC has added a new rule regarding out-of-state assignments.

The California State Athletic Commission has added a new rule for officials following a recent controversy involving judge Doug Crosby.

On Friday, CSAC executive officer Andy Foster issued a memorandum that places restrictions on out-of-state travel for combat sports officials. With this new rule in place, judges and referees may travel no further than Nevada if they intend to work an event in California within one day of an assignment. MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani was first to report the news.

MMA Junkie obtained the full memorandum, which includes the update for CSAC officials regarding out-of-state assignments that can be read below:

While the Commission understands that, as Officials you may also work in other states. It is imperative that you be at your best for those assignments and keep in mind the travel distance between locations when accepting consecutive assignments. If you work in California on a Friday, the Commission finds it acceptable for you to work as far as Nevada on Saturday or vice versa. If you accept an out of state assignment that is within one day of an assignment in California, you may be removed from the California assignment if you are being required to travel further than the state of Nevada.

[lawrence-related id=2605503,2603851]

This change comes just days after Crosby’s controversial scorecards at consecutive events held on opposite sides of the country.

Crosby submitted a highly-criticized 50-45 scorecard in favor of Danny Sabatello over Raufeon Stots in the co-main event of Bellator 289 on Dec. 9 in Uncasville, Conn. Stots won the fight on the other two judges’ scorecards with scores of 48-47.

The Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulations has since announced it intends to review the fight with all three judges. Commission director Mike Mazzulli acknowledged that scoring every round for Sabatello is incorrect, and a “learning moment” for the officials.

The next night, Crosby flew across the country to Las Vegas to work UFC 282 on Dec. 10, where he submitted another controversial scorecard. Crosby scored the first and second rounds in favor of Paddy Pimblett in the co-main event against Jared Gordon. Pimblett won the fight unanimously, but many disagreed with the decision, especially the scoring of the opening round.

[vertical-gallery id=2604505]

[vertical-gallery id=2603690]

Chris Weidman: Paddy Pimblett ‘completely delusional’ about UFC 282 win vs. Jared Gordon ‘or it’s a gimmick’

Chris Weidman can’t believe that Paddy Pimblett seriously thinks he beat Jared Gordon at UFC 282.

[autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag] can’t believe that [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] seriously thinks he beat [autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag] at UFC 282.

Pimblett (20-3 MMA, 4-0 UFC) defeated Gordon by unanimous decision in this past Saturday’s co-main event at T-Mobile Arena – a decision which turned plenty of heads and put the judges under fire.

Pimblett immediately defended the decision, saying he thought he won Rounds 1 and 2 easily. The rising star also said pre-fight that he would have given UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev a tougher test than Charles Oliveira did, a statement that Weidman finds ludicrous.

“Paddy is just confusing the hell out of me,” Weidman said on Daniel Cormier’s YouTube channel. “I just want to know is it a gimmick? Him jumping on the mic right after he gets the decision. I thought he definitely lost 30-27. I thought he lost all three rounds, the second round maybe being the closest, but I still think he lost. If I was being generous to him, I’d give him the second. That being said, I do not know if it’s confidence or a gimmick. It’s either he’s completely delusional or it’s a gimmick. And if it’s a gimmick, all power to him, I bow down to him, you’re doing a great job. But if he’s that delusional, he’s out of his mind.

“For him to think he could give a good match to Makhachev and compare himself to Charles Oliveira when he was getting rag-dolled by Jared Gordon, who I have a lot of respect for, but he’s a small ’55er, and he’s talking about Makhachev, who’s specialty is wrestling and Oliveira, these monster dudes whose specialty is ground game. I don’t understand where he’s getting this from. How could he talk like that?”

Gordon was puzzled with the result himself and called for a rematch with Pimblett. The 34-year-old New Yorker said he’s even willing to head into enemy territory to run things back with Pimblett at UFC 286 in London.

[listicle id=2604829]

Anthony Smith: Darren Till needs step down in UFC competition to get his mojo back

Darren Till probably won’t like what Anthony Smith has to say about the direction he should take to get his UFC career on track.

[autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] doesn’t think [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] should face ranked opposition in his next bout.

Till was submitted by Dricus Du Plessis in Round 3 this past Saturday at UFC 282 and is now 1-5 in his past six fights. Although Du Plessis can be viewed as a step down from the likes of former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and top contender Derek Brunson, the South African finisher is unbeaten in the octagon.

Smith didn’t specify whom he’d like to see Till (18-5-1 MMA, 6-5-1 UFC) fight next, but he doesn’t think it should come against elite-level competition.

“He’s got to, and he’s not gonna want to, but he’s gonna have to back way up, and he’s gonna have to give someone way down in the rankings an opportunity,” Smith said on Michael Bisping’s “Believe You Me” podcast. “Which he doesn’t want to do. He doesn’t want to do that because he wants to continue to climb, he wants to swing for the fences and get his spot back and look ahead.

“But I think the best case scenario for him is to drop way down and give one of these up-and-comers, these young guys, these unknowns, give them an opportunity to face a big-name guy that holds a decent spot in the rankings and hope that you can use that step down in competition as an opportunity to get your mojo back. The flip side of that is you drop one to one of those guys, you’ve got a big f*cking problem.”

Till did appear discouraged when he released a statement post fight but vowed he was not done with the sport. UFC president Dana White doesn’t think Till’s stock dropped after his Fight of the Night effort against Du Plessis, but the 29-year-old plans on taking some time off to recalibrate.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 282.

[vertical-gallery id=2604388]

Jared Gordon addresses ‘idiot’ Doug Crosby’s controversial scorecard from UFC 282, Bellator 289

Jared Gordon is taking his controversial loss to Paddy Pimblett in stride, but would like to see more focus on MMA judges.

UFC lightweight [autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag] is taking his controversial loss to Paddy Pimblett in stride, but would like to see some changes made to the judging process.

Gordon (19-6 MMA, 7-5 UFC) wound up on the wrong end of a unanimous decision after three rounds with Pimblett in the co-main event of UFC 282. The result sparked the latest debate about MMA judging, as many believed Gordon should have been declared the winner. Some labeled it the worst decision in UFC history.

While there have been calls for changes to the MMA judging system, such as utilizing open scoring, or moving away from the 10-point must system adopted from boxing, Gordon thinks it’s more important to focus on the judges themselves.

“I believe that the system is good, could be better, but I believe that the judges need to be looked at way more,” Gordon told MMA Junkie. “Who’s judging these fights, and how long have they been around? What sports did they judge before, and are they fighters? They should have fighters, retired fighters judging these fights – unbiased people.”

A big point of contention in the decision was the scorecard turned in by Doug Crosby, who scored the first and second rounds for Pimblett. Ron McCarthy also submitted the same card, however, Crosby was the focal point after submitting controversial scorecards on back-to-back nights. Gordon doesn’t understand how any judge could have scored the first round for his opponent.

“This guy Crosby, he’s being investigated right now,” Gordon said. “He’s been tied to so many other (decisions), and there’s a million other judges that people hate. (They’re) always crucified. So, yeah I think that’s a big problem and I think that it could be fixed.”

The night before the UFC pay-per-view in Las Vegas, Crosby scored the Bellator 289 main event in Uncasville, Conn. 50-45 for Danny Sabatello in the bantamweight interim title and grand prix semifinal bout against Raufeon Stots. The other two judges scored the fight 48-47 for Stots, prompting Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulations commission director Mike Mazzulli to review the fight with all three judges.

“How could they have given that kid all those rounds?” Gordon questioned. “It’s literally impossible. The only thing that makes sense is that he is an idiot. That’s all I can come up with.”

[lawrence-related id=2605109,2604915,2604612]

While Gordon has called for a rematch against Pimblett in London, he believes it is unlikely that the UFC will put the pair together again. He certainly wouldn’t expect to receive any judging favors in Pimblett’s backyard either, if the rematch does come together.

Gordon said UFC president Dana White told him that this was the “best-case scenario” if he were to lose the fight at UFC 282. White was critical of Gordon’s approach in the final round, but “Flash” isn’t holding that against the UFC boss.

If he were to get his hand raised, Gordon would have taken home his win bonus, but admits he would be left with more questions than answers about the trajectory of his career, among other concerns.

“What would be the narrative if I won?” Gordon questioned. “‘Oh, he beat Paddy, he sucks,’ you know, they would flip the narrative somehow. ‘Oh, that was a boring fight, you laid on him in that last round.’ People would be crucifying me right now.”

[vertical-gallery id=2604505]

[listicle id=2603841]