Tag: UFC 295

Mark Madsen thrilled to have ‘genius’ Firas Zahabi in his corner for UFC 295

Mark Madsen will have a famed coach in his corner at UFC 295.

[autotag]Mark Madsen[/autotag] will have a famed coach in his corner at UFC 295.

Madsen (12-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) takes on Jared Gordon (19-6 MMA, 7-5 UFC) in Saturday’s prelims at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

Madsen, who recently moved back to his home country of Denmark, spent over three weeks training with Tristar Gym head coach [autotag]Firas Zahabi[/autotag], who has coached the likes of former two-division UFC champion Georges St-Pierre, Rory MacDonald, and Olivier Aubin-Mercier.

“I also had the chance to work with Firas Zahabi,” Madsen told MMA Junkie Radio. “(It was a) huge honor and very interesting working with a coach of that level. It actually turned out to be better than I expected moving back home to Denmark.”

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Madsen is confident his preparation with Zahabi will allow him to rebound from his first professional loss, which came to Grant Dawson a year ago.

“(He has) a very unique mind when it comes to MMA,” Madsen said. “He showed me some stuff that played right into my game, my Greco-Roman (wrestling) background. He showed me some of the stuff that him and GSP used in his fights. In my opinion, he’s kind of a genius when it comes to developing a unique style for a fighter.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Merab Dvalishvili reacts to Sean O’Malley vs. ‘Chito’ Vera news, confirms Henry Cejudo is next assignment

With Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera on the UFC schedule, Merab Dvalishvili reacts to the news and confirms his next assignment.

NEW YORK – The UFC bantamweight title picture has been figured out and [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] isn’t part of the immediate equation.

Though he disagrees with the promotion’s decision of [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] at UFC 299 in March, Dvalishvili (16-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) couldn’t be too disappointed. The writing was on the wall.

“I knew before (that) they were making this fight. I feel very disappointed,” Dvalishvili told MMA Junkie at a Sign Here Signatures event Thursday. “‘Chito’ Vera doesn’t deserve this fight. He’s 1-1. Cory Sandhagen beat him. Jose Aldo beat him. I beat Jose Aldo. I’m No. 1 contender for the title or they should give rematch to Aljamain Sterling. This is what it is. I guess it’s numbers now – number-wise and money-wise, (the) fight.”

Dvalishvili doesn’t agree with the decision, as he thinks the decision wasn’t based on merit. On the flip side, Dvalishvili attributes the UFC’s handling of O’Malley to dollars and cents, which he knows is a big part of the decision-making process.

“I think I’m a bad stylistic matchup for him,” Dvalishvili said. “In my opinion, I can beat him because styles make fights. I think that’s what they’re thinking too. … I think they want to keep him longest, because it’s not a secret. O’Malley makes money. O’Malley is a big number. If I beat O’Malley, who is going to sell pay-per-views. I think it’s how it goes. I understand. That’s why UFC is great. They’re smart. For competition and what’s right, I think I should fight him. If I’m big numbers or good money, I don’t know what to say.”

Dvalishvili didn’t get a championship crack, but he’s been told the next closest thing is on deck. The UFC’s plan is for him to fight former double champion [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] next, Dvalishvili confirmed.

“I have a big challenge in front of me in Henry Cejudo,” Dvalishvili said. “I have to handle that. Now, I’m focused on Henry Cejudo. He’s a great fighter and a big challenge for me. All my focus is on him. O’Malley and ‘Chito’ Vera, I can fight both of them the same night, no problem.”

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According to Dvalishvili, the fight was offered for January. With time winding down, Dvalishvili now expects February – but would wait an extra few weeks if it meant he could align on the O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) vs. Vera (23-8-1 MMA, 15-7 UFC).

“I’d like to fight on the same card as ‘Chito’ Vera and O’Malley. That’ll be good,” Dvalishvili said. “That makes sense. We’re all the same weight class and it’s going to be a fun one. The winner of us will fight (for the) title. Me or Henry Cejudo will go fight (for the) title. That fight makes sense. If something happens and one of them pulls out, I can jump in. That’s my opinion.”

Dvalishvili won’t take Cejudo (16-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) lightly. His initial breakdown was nothing short of completely complimentary. It’s a stiff test, in his estimation.

“Henry Cejudo is a great fighter,” Dvalishvili said. “He’s a great champion and he’s really tough, mentally tough. He has great wrestling. We all know he’s an Olympic champion. Even his striking, he has karate striking. He’s just tough. Stylistically, it’s going to be a hard fight for me. Stylistically, the ‘Chito’ Vera fight, for me, is easy. Stylistically, O’Malley fight for me is easy. Henry Cejudo is tough but I’m going to do everything to beat him and win against him. That’s why I’m just focused on this.”

Javier Mendez reflects on Sergei Pavlovich’s time at AKA: ‘Nobody could play with him in the standup’

Javier Mendez always saw potential in Sergei Pavlovich, who fights Tom Aspinall for the interim heavyweight title at UFC 295.

[autotag]Javier Mendez[/autotag] always saw potential in [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag].

Pavlovich (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) faces Tom Aspinall (13-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC) for the interim heavyweight title in Saturday’s UFC 295 co-headliner at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

Pavlovich used to train at American Kickboxing Academy years ago, and Mendez says his power is as advertised. Pavlovich has knocked out his past six opponents in the first round.

“I’m very excited for this fight because I used to train Sergei way back about five, six years ago,” Mendez said in an interview with Red Corner MMA. “He was training with me and I saw the green in him and talent – meaning he was very green, but he was super, super talented … very powerful. He had great striking, great power and great attitude. He was so humble.

“I used to enjoy watching him go with Cain Velasquez and Daniel Cormier because Daniel would kind of like play with him, take him down – only in the wrestling. Nobody could play with him in the standup. But in the wrestling and the grappling area, he was the junior to them. They were the stronger grapplers. Daniel used to take him down and then let him get back up, just to take him down again. He kept doing that and before you know it, Sergei was super tired. It was rough for him on the ground, but in the standup? Oh no, Sergei could hang with anybody.”

Pavlovich’s power has him on the cusp of UFC gold. Currently training at American Top Team, Pavlovich’s lone career loss came in his UFC debut against Alistair Overeem in 2018, where he was finished on the ground. He has since been on a tear.

“Six years later, now we’re talking about a different person,” Mendez said. “We’re talking about someone who has learned, that has been through all the grappling. Now it’s a different individual. I’m sure Sergei’s got everything: ground, obviously standup, and he knocks people out.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Alex Pereira rooting for ‘great guy’ Dillon Danis to sign with UFC

Alex Pereira recently trained with Dillon Danis and “could see that he is a very talented kid,” so he hopes he ends up in the UFC.

NEW YORK – [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] hopes [autotag]Dillon Danis[/autotag] ends up in the UFC.

Danis, a former Bellator fighter, now is a free agent after he was released from his contract. After a layoff of more than three years due to injury, Danis returned to competition in a boxing match against Logan Paul in October. He lost the exhibition match by disqualification.

In preparation for his fight against Paul, Danis spent some time training with former UFC middleweight champion Pereira in New Jersey. “Poatan” had high praise for Danis, and would like it if he ended up under the same banner as him.

“I trained with him. We did two nice sessions, one before (my Jan) Blachowicz fight, which was MMA training, and another one for this fight that he had with Logan,” Pereira told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at a news conference Wednesday.

“First, we did the MMA session. I could see that he is a very talented kid. We had two nice sessions. He’s a great guy, and the fact that he’s in negotiations with the UFC or trying to get in is awesome, and I’m very pumped for him. I root for him.”

Danis, a standout jiu-jitsu competitor, made the transition to MMA in April 2018. He won two fights under the Bellator banner with submissions of Kyle Walker and Max Humphrey.

Thursday, Danis (2-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) suggested on social media the UFC should sign him and have him coach “The Ultimate Fighter” opposite British fan favorite Paddy Pimblett (20-3 MMA, 4-0 UFC) with a fight at the show’s conclusion.

You can check highlights of Pereira and Danis training courtesy of Pereira’s YouTube channel:

Pereira (8-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) will look to capture a UFC belt in a second weight class Saturday when he faces Jiri Prochazka (29-3-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) for the vacant light heavyweight title in the UFC 295 main event at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Photos: UFC 295 press conference, faceoffs

Check out the best photos from the UFC 295 news conference at Madison Square Garden in New York.

NEW YORK – The four fighters involved in the UFC 295 title fights squared off Thursday at Madison Square Garden, the venue for Saturday’s pay-per-view event.

The UFC 295 pre-fight news conference featured [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] and [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag], who fight for the vacant light heavyweight title, as well as [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] and [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag], who compete for the interim heavyweight strap.

Following 30 minutes of questions from the media and answers from the fighters, the two matchups squared off.

Check out the best photos from the UFC 295 press conference (via MMA Junkie’s Nolan King).

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

UFC 295 video: Jiri Prochazka vs. Alex Pereira first faceoff for vacant title fight

The path to crowning a new 205-pound champion is on after the first UFC 295 fight week encounter between Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira.

NEW YORK – We’ve started down the path to a new light heavyweight champion after the first UFC 295 fight week encounter between [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] and [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag].

Prochazka (29-3-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) and Pereira (8-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) will meet for the vacant light heavyweight champion in Saturday’s headliner at Madison Square Garden. Thursday, they came face-to-face at the pre-fight news conference.

After they answered questions from media members, two stoic personalities in Prochazka and Pereira engaged in a tense staredown in front of the cameras and fans.

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Watch the video above to see the Prochazka vs. Pereira faceoff at the UFC 295 pre-fight press conference in Manhattan.

The UFC 295 main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

UFC 295 video: Sergei Pavlovich vs. Tom Aspinall first faceoff for interim title fight

Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall came face-to-face for the first time ahead of their short notice interim title fight at UFC 295.

NEW YORK – Heavyweight contenders [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] and [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] came face-to-face for the first time Thursday ahead of their short-notice interim title fight at UFC 295.

After champion Jon Jones suffered an injury that forced him out of the originally planned main event with Stipe Miocic, the UFC shifted gears and booked Pavlovich (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) vs. Aspinall (13-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC) for the interim strap on the card at Madison Square Garden.

Both men jumped at the opportunity and kicked off fight week activities at the pre-fight news conference, after which they had their first staredown.

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Check out the video above to see the Pavlovich vs. Aspinall faceoff from the UFC 295 press conference.

The UFC 295 main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Video: UFC 295 pre-fight press conference live stream

Watch the UFC 295 pre-fight press conference live, featuring the Prochazka vs. Pereira and Pavlovich vs. Aspinall.

NEW YORK – The UFC 295 pre-fight press conference takes place Thursday, and MMA Junkie will have a live stream of the event beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. PT).

The two championship fights will be featured on the dais. [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] (29-3-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) and [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC), who fight for the vacant light heavyweight title in the main event, as well [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) and [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC), who clash for interim heavyweight gold in the co-main event.

UFC 295 takes place Saturday at Madison Square Garden. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

UFC 295 ‘Embedded,’ No. 4: Alex Pereira KOs Jamahal Hill for light heavyweight title … in new video game

Fighters sign posters, test their gloves, and Alex Pereira tries out the new UFC video game in the fourth installment of UFC 295 “Embedded.”

The UFC is back for its regular fall trip to “The Big Apple,” and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 295 takes place Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

In the main event, former light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] (29-3-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) and ex-middleweight champ [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) meet for the vacant 205-pound title. Pereira will attempt to become the UFC’s newest two-division titleholder.

In the co-feature, the interim heavyweight title is on the line between [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) and [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC), who are fighting for that belt after champ Jon Jones suffered an injury training for his fight with Stipe Miocic, which was the card’s original headliner.

The fourth episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Alex Pereira invests in his legacy; Tom Aspinall puts in work. Sergei Pavlovich and Diego Lopes explore NYC. Matt Frevola and Aspinall check in for fight week. Pereira tests himself in the EA UFC5 Octagon.

Also see:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Pat Sabatini expects ‘ferocious’ fight vs. Diego Lopes at UFC 295, but confident on winning

Pat Sabatini previews his fight against Diego Lopes at UFC 295.

NEW YORK – [autotag]Pat Sabatini[/autotag] expects a barn-burner in his return to the octagon, but that doesn’t mean he’s doubting his chances of winning.

The UFC featherweight takes on Brazil’s Diego Lopes in the opening bout of the UFC 295 pay-per-view main card, which goes down this Saturday at Madison Square Garden. This fight has been pit by many as one of the more exciting bouts of the card. Sabatini (18-4 MMA, 5-1 UFC) seems to agree.

“My hand is getting raised, and it’s going to be a ferocious one,” Sabatini told reporters at the UFC 295 media day on Wednesday.

Sabatini respects Lopes (22-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC), but he just feels he’s a better fighter everywhere.

“He’s well-rounded, but I just feel like I’m better on the feet and better on the ground,” Sabatini said.

He later added,

“He’s a great fighter, very well-rounded. It’s going to be a fun one on Saturday. I’m very, very excited for it.”

You can watch Sabatini’s full interview in the video above.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.