Tag: UFC 282

Daniel Cormier: Paddy Pimblett can’t be compared to Conor McGregor, who climbed faster

Daniel Cormier thinks the comparisons between Paddy Pimblett and former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor need to stop.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] thinks the comparisons between [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] and [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] need to stop.

Pimblett and McGregor both stormed onto the UFC scene as former Cage Warriors champions brimming with confidence and personality. McGregor’s first four UFC wins came over Marcus Brimage, Max Holloway, Dustin Poirier and Diego Brandao. Pimblett finished Luigi Vendramini, Rodrigo Vargas and Jordan Leavitt, then defeated Jared Gordon by controversial decision at UFC 282.

Although Pimblett (20-3 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is on the right track with a 4-0 start to his octagon tenure, Cormier says the competition level has been completely different than former UFC dual-champ McGregor’s.

“You know what’s crazy? When they compare him to McGregor,” Cormier said on his “DC & RC” ESPN show. “In McGregor’s fourth fight, he beat Dustin Poirier and then he beat Max Holloway, and then Max Holloway after losing to Conor McGregor won 12 in a row, became the champion and did what he did. We can’t really compare their accomplishments, especially in the first four fights.”

Although Cormier thinks Gordon should have gotten his hand raised against Pimblett, he doesn’t deny the Englishman’s star power. He doesn’t see his popularity taking a hit, but says more questions have risen in regards to his fighting after the Gordon win. Cormier isn’t drawing conclusions on Pimblett’s ceiling, but rather that he sees McGregor’s rise as incomparable.

“Nobody really takes the McGregor path,” Cormier said. “It takes a long time. I think right now, we need to chill on those comparisons. Compare the star power at least at that time, but let’s not compare them in terms of fighting skill right now because Conor McGregor was at a much higher level, much faster.”

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Video: UFC 282 review, from stoppage madness to Paddy Pimblett and rare main event result

UFC 282 will go down as an event to remember for all kinds of reasons. But what were the most memorable?

UFC 282 will go down as an event to remember for all kinds of reasons.

The first 10 fights on the card ended in finishes, which is unheard of, and led to a decision by UFC president Dana White to hand out post-fight bonuses to everyone with a stoppage win.

But the co-main event buildup for Paddy Pimblett didn’t pan out as predicted. He won a unanimous decision against Jared Gordon, but it’s a decision that has been derided by the vast majority of fans and pundits as a classic MMA robbery.

And in the light heavyweight main event, the vacant title remained just that: vacant. The fight between former champ Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev ended in a split draw, and White was so non-plussed about things that he immediately announced a new vacant title bout between former champ Glover Teixeira and Jamahal Hill in Brazil next month.

A few days removed from the last UFC pay-per-view of the year, our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Mike Bohn and Farah Hannoun looked back on the event with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia. You can watch their discussion in the video above. Then don’t miss this week’s full episode below.

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel.

Sean O’Malley advises Paddy Pimblett ‘to dial in, not get fat as f*ck’ after UFC 282

Sean O’Malley thinks Paddy Pimblett needs to make some improvements after UFC 282.

[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] needs to make some improvements after UFC 282.

Pimblett (20-3 MMA, 4-0 UFC) capped off his 2022 unbeaten in the octagon when he scored a unanimous decision win over Jared Gordon in this past Saturday’s co-main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

But Pimblett’s win came with a big asterisk. Many, including O’Malley, were surprised to see him get his hand raised. Gordon gave Pimblett all he could handle, but the judges awarded Pimblett the win.

O’Malley knows what it’s like to be part of a controversial decision. Many disagreed with the judges who gave him a win against Petr Yan at UFC 280. But O’Malley thinks Pimblett’s fight with Gordon should be a wakeup call.

“I bet Paddy takes away from that fight and goes, ‘OK, I need to f*cking dial in. This is the time where I need to dial in – not get fat as f*ck and get skilled. Get more skills,'” O’Malley said on “The Timbo Sugar Show” podcast. “Because he has skills. He knows how to perform. He’s not bad. He has a lot of potential. Where is he going to direct his energy? Is he going to get better? Is he going to get fatter? We will see.

“I couldn’t believe how confident he was after. He was like, ‘I won that fight.'”

Pimblett is known to balloon up in between fights, which UFC president Dana White even showed concern for. But the 27-year-old star insists he doesn’t cut too much weight and has never has missed weight in the UFC.

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John McCarthy thinks crowd reaction influenced son to score UFC 282 fight for Paddy Pimblett

“My son was one of the judges and he asked me and I said, ‘You got that wrong. I thought Jared Gordon won 29-28.'”

John McCarthy disagrees with his son’s scorecard for [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag].

McCarthy’s son, Ron McCarthy, was one of the three judges cageside scoring the UFC 282 co-main event between Pimblett and Gordon this past Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Pimblett (20-3 MMA, 4-0 UFC) defeated Gordon (19-6 MMA, 7-5 UFC) by unanimous decision, a result many saw as questionable. McCarthy’s son awarded Pimbeltt the first two rounds and Gordon the third, but McCarthy thinks he got it wrong.

“No f*cking way Paddy Pimblett won that fight,” McCarthy said on his Weighing In podcast.

He continued, “My son was one of the judges and he asked me and I said, ‘You got that wrong. I thought Jared Gordon won 29-28.'”

Pimblett got arguably the loudest pop from the crowd when walking out to his fight. Being that he’s a fan favorite, McCarthy thinks the crowd’s reactions to his shots made it appear as though he was landing more significantly than he really was.

“First round in that fight, Jared Gordon hit Paddy Pimblett with a left hook like it was a magnet,” McCarthy said. “He hit him over and over and over again and he stung him. You could see it. Now, Paddy had his things, but this can happen when you’re a judge sitting there. You’re getting the crowd responding every time Paddy does something. Because truthfully, Paddy did not punch as many times as Jared Gordon.

“He didn’t land as much as Jared Gordon and the shots that he landed were not as good. But when you get the crowd reaction and that’s what you’re hearing, there’s times when you’re not seeing that angle but you’re hearing the reaction of the crowd and it’s an influencer, and I think they got influenced by what the crowd was into.”

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McCarthy scored the fight 29-28 in favor of Gordon, giving him Rounds 1 and 3. McCarthy’s son and Doug Crosby gave Pimblett Round 1, but “Big John” can’t understand how.

“Jared Gordon won that first round, he won the third round, I give Paddy Pimblett the second round,” McCarthy said. “But if you go back and you watch that fight, that first round, a lot of people said really close, not really that close. I’m not like one guy ran over the other, but it’s pretty clear Jared Gordon should have won that round.”

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Daniel Cormier: Raul Rosas Jr.’s claim he can beat UFC champ Aljamain Sterling now is ‘youthful ignorance’

Daniel Cormier thinks 18-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. should slow his roll with his bold claim he can beat UFC champ Aljamain Sterling right now.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Raul Rosas Jr.[/autotag] needs to slow down with his bold claims.

At 18, Rosas Jr. (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) became the youngest UFC winner when he submitted Jay Perrin in Round 1 this past Saturday at UFC 282.

Rosas Jr. made it look easy and recently said on The MMA Hour he thinks he can finish UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag]. Cormier sees championship potential in Rosas, but not yet.

“I heard him do an interview and say he could beat Aljamain Sterling today,” Cormier said on his “DC & RC” ESPN show. “I’m like, ‘Hey, wait a minute.’ But again, youthful ignorance. (He has) youthful ignorance because he believes he could be the champion right now. But I do believe that in time, there’s a lot of potential for Raul Rosas Jr. to be something very special in the UFC – especially being Mexican. The passion of the Hispanic fans – crazy, and he’s going to tap into that like all the great Mexican fighters that came before him.”

Sterling, who is projected to defend his title against Henry Cejudo next in March, had a sarcastic response to Rosas Jr.

“They should make that fight next. I really think that Rosas will f*ck him up! I heard Cejudos out and Rosas is in!”

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

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‘No ill will’ but Jared Gordon wants Paddy Pimblett rematch at UFC 286 in London

Jared Gordon thinks he was robbed against Paddy Pimblett at UFC 282 and is eager to avenge his loss.

[autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag] thinks he was robbed against [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] at UFC 282 and is eager to avenge his loss.

Gordon (19-6 MMA, 7-5 UFC) lost a unanimous decision to Pimblett (20-3 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in this past Saturday’s co-main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Gordon was visibly upset and surprised when the judges’ scorecards were read, and many shared his sentiment.

The build-up with Pimblett had been a cordial one and while Gordon is upset with the outcome, he kept the same energy. He called Pimblett out for a rematch and is even willing to fly to enemy territory and face “The Baddy” at UFC 286 in London on March 18.

“With all the controversy with our Fight Id love to run it back with you in London @theufcbaddy I have no ill will towards you, as a matter of fact I really like you 😂 @stoolpresidente maybe we can all work together and between Paddy and I there’s no way we can’t help others and we can beat each other up again in the mean time for everyone’s entertainment! The people want it, and we can settle this on your turf ⚡️@graham_boylan @aliabdelaziz.”

Despite the controversy surrounding the outcome, Pimblett thought he did enough to win. He told Joe Rogan in his post-fight interview that he was confident he won the first two rounds and just “coasted” in Round 3. He also stated in the post-fight news conference that damage outweighs control which is why he got the nod.

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

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USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Dec. 13: Ilia Topuria climbs at featherweight

The final UFC pay-per-view of 2022 caused some moves in this week’s rankings update, including Ilia Topuria climbing the featherweight ladder.

UFC 282 had the potential to create some major moves in the light heavyweight division, but due to a split draw in the main event, a featherweight contender takes this week’s update spotlight.

In the main event of UFC 282, former champion [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] took on [autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag] for the vacant light heavyweight title. The bout was a replacement for [autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] 2, which fell apart due to injury. Unfortunately, no new champion was crowned after the bout resulted in a split draw, but Ankalaev’s performance was strong enough to warrant a move up to No. 4 behind Blachowicz.

Arguably the most impressive performance at the promotion’s final pay-per-view of the year was turned in by UFC featherweight [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag], who dominated the previously undefeated Bryce Mitchell. Topuria was unranked last week, but breaks in at the No. 11 spot after tapping Mitchell. The undefeated rising contender looks poised to make another big jump next time he competes.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.

Video: Who saw their stock drop at Bellator 289 and UFC 282?

There were plenty of interesting results this past weekend. Darren Till? Paddy Pimblett? Danny Sabatello? Whose stock dropped the most?

There were plenty of interesting results in the MMA world this past Friday and Saturday.

At Bellator 289 in Connecticut, the promotion’s final event of the year, interim bantamweight champion Raufeon Stots punched his ticket to the tournament final with a split decision win over the brash Danny Sabatello – but with a controversial score.

Plus, Liz Carmouche beat former champion Juliana Velasquez for a second straight time, Patchy Mix put Magomed Magomedov to sleep to reach the tournament final vs. Stots, and 15-1 favorite Pat Downey got knocked cold by relative unknown Christian Echols.

At UFC 282 in Las Vegas on Saturday, the main event vacant light heavyweight title fight ended in a split draw between former champ Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev. Now a new vacant title fight has been made between former champ Glover Teixeira and Jamahal Hill in Brazil next month.

And in the co-feature, Paddy Pimblett beat Jared Gordon by unanimous decision, but it’s a decision that has become an instant all-time robbery candidate in the MMA world. That controvery came after 10 straight stoppages, including when Darren Till lost to Dricus Du Plessis.

So of all the madness between the two events, whose stock dropped the most because of losses – or in one case, a win? Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Mike Bohn and Farah Hannoun give their thoughts with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia. You can watch their discussion in the video above. Then don’t miss this week’s full episode below.

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel.

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Dana White: Potentially renewed UFC broadcast deal could put Contender Series on ESPN

Five years and six seasons into its existence, Dana White’s Contender Series has handed out nearly 200 UFC contracts.

LAS VEGAS – Five years and six seasons into its existence, [autotag]Dana White[/autotag]’s Contender Series has handed out nearly 200 UFC contracts.

And UFC president White thinks the series might one day soon hit the next level. The prospect search show currently airs on ESPN+, the streaming platform of UFC broadcast partner ESPN.

White said DWCS has become a major success for the UFC.

“The Contender Series has been massive for us,” White said after UFC 282 this past Saturday in Las Vegas. “It’s been an incredible way to showcase up-and-coming talent. … It’s one of the best shows we’ve ever done. Much like the ‘Lookin’ for a Fight’ show, these kids come in, they’re unknown, they don’t even fight in the UFC yet, and millions of people know who they are before they ever (get to the UFC).”

One of the UFC’s recent contract winners from DWCS was Raul Rosas Jr., who is just 18 – and was 17 when he fought on the show in September. This past Saturday, Rosas (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) made his UFC debut at UFC 282 and submitted Jay Perrin in the first round. He became the youngest fighter to win his debut in UFC history.

“This is this kid’s first fight,” White said. “Did you hear the place tonight? It was crazy. That’s the power of the Contender Series. This season of the Contender Series is the first time ever we were trending worldwide on social media because of Contender fights. The show continues to grow.

“Our contract’s coming up here with ESPN, and when we do our next deal I think you’ll see the Contender Series on linear television.”

The UFC and ESPN started a five-year deal in 2019, which would make 2023 the final year of the deal. A two-year extension reportedly was signed early on.

Big UFC names who came out of DWCS include upcoming vacant light heavyweight title challenger Jamahal Hill, Sean O’Malley, Maycee Barber, Geoff Neal, Don’Tale Mayes, Brendan Allen, Sean Woodson and Johnny Walker.

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Cameron Saaiman wants on London card, then will make push for UFC South Africa

After his bonus-winning finish at UFC 282, Cameron Saaiman would love to help usher the UFC into his home country of South Africa in 2023.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Cameron Saaiman[/autotag] beat Steven Koslow with third-round TKO Saturday to open up the preliminary card at UFC 282 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Saaiman, a Dana White’s Contender Series product who picked up a win and bonus in his UFC debut.