Renato Moicano earned his second main event spot vs. Benoit Saint Denis at UFC Fight Night 243 with an epic comeback at UFC 300.
Jalin Turner seemingly had [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] dead-to-rights at UFC 300, but then a tactical error cost him the win.
Moicano (19-5-1 MMA, 11-5 UFC) is set to face Benoit Saint Denis (13-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in next Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 243 main event at Accor Arena in Paris (ESPN+) in what will be the first headliner of his promotional tenure. That spot was earned through a gruelling comeback win over Turner at the monumental UFC 300 event in April.
Turner came out of the fight strong, hurting Moicano on the feet and using his striking ability to score a knockdown. Instead of pouncing on his downed opponent, though, Turner attempted to get a walk-off highlight. The fight wasn’t stopped, however, and Moicano regained his wits and made it to the next round, where he got the fight to the mat and finished the job with a ground-and-pound TKO.
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The result put Moicano on a three-fight winning streak and pushed his record to 6-1 since moving up to the lightweight division from featherweight. His reward was a main event in hostile territory, because he’ll next take on France’s Saint Denis in a fight with big stakes for the winner.
Before UFC Fight Night 243, however, the UFC has released the full fight video of Moicano vs. Turner, which can be viewed above.
Check out the best photos from Bobby Green’s unanimous decision win over Jim Miller at UFC 300.
Check out the best photos from [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag] at UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Fight and venue photos by Mark J. Rebilas, USA Today Sports and Carmen Mandato, Getty Images)
Nov 2, 2019; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Florida Gators linebacker Jonathan Greenard (58) gestures to the crowd against the Georgia Bulldogs at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Stamey-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 21, 2019; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal wide receiver Michael Wilson (4) runs for the first down during the fourth quarter against Oregon Ducks cornerback Thomas Graham Jr. (4) at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
UFC correspondent Megan Olivi gives picks for best fighters, knockout, submission, fight, storyline and more from the first half of 2024.
The first six months of the UFC calendar were nothing short of chaotic.
The promotion hosted 22 events between January and June. Within those there were plenty of memorable and dramatic moments both in and out of the octagon.
Before the UFC turns the page to the next half of its 2024 campaign, though, longtime correspondent [autotag]Megan Olivi[/autotag] joined MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn to recap what’s happened so far and give out awards for the half-year, including:
Best Male Fighter
Best Female Fighter
Best Knockout
Best Submission
Best Fight
Top Storyline
Favorite Personal Moment
Check out the video above to see Olivi and Bohn discuss all the topics above that highlight the likes of UFC 300, UFC 303, Alex Pereira, Max Holloway, Islam Makhachev, Dustin Poirier and much, much more.
The Nevada Athletic Commission has issued its verdict on the incident during Arman Tsarukyan’s walkout at UFC 300.
[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag]’s pre-fight incident with a fan at UFC 300 has come with a cost.
The UFC lightweight contender has been fined $25,000 and suspended nine months by the Nevada Athletic Commission for throwing a punch at a fan during his walkout for his fight against Charles Oliveira on April 13 in Las Vegas. The NAC announced its ruling Tuesday during a monthly board meeting.
Tsarukyan’s suspension is set to terminate nine months from the date of the incident – which is Jan. 12, 2025. The suspension could get reduced to six months if Tsarukyan issues an anti-bullying public service announcement approved by the commission, which would make him eligible to return to action Oct. 12.
Tsarukyan was met with a middle finger by a fan during his walkout before his split decision win over Oliveira. In response, Tsarukyan threw a punch into the crowd, which was captured on the broadcast and from multiple cell phone cameras.
The 27-year-old is currently on a four-fight winning streak and regarded as the next title challenger, given his bout with Oliveira was labeled a “title eliminator” by the UFC.
Dricus Du Plessis doesn’t think people understand how much money he was offered to fight at UFC 300.
[autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] stands by his decision not to fight at UFC 300.
Middleweight champion Du Plessis (21-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) was called by the UFC to defend his title against Israel Adesanya (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) on the historic card April 13 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
He turned it down.
Du Plessis was recovering from a broken foot suffered in his title win over Sean Strickland less than three months before that at UFC 297, and wasn’t going to risk fighting compromised.
“I won’t say numbers just because I don’t like it, but I don’t think people understand the amount of money they offered me to fight at UFC 300,” Du Plessis told Fight Wave. “You don’t understand the bitter pill it was to say no to that fight. I had a broken foot. What do you guys want? The fight was eight weeks after.”
Du Plessis referenced former featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]’s bold move of stepping in on just 10 days’ notice to rematch lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 294. He was knocked out in Round 1, then lost his featherweight title to Ilia Topuria also by knockout at UFC 298.
“This is your career, you have to be smart about it,” Du Plessis said. “Look at Alex Volkanovski. …As a champion stepping in on a week’s notice. That is so bad ass, but what happened? What favors did that do him? Yeah, he got money. That’s not why I do this.
“He got money, but he got knocked out because obviously he didn’t have time to prepare for that fight. Do you think that anybody went, ‘Oh, but he took it on short notice?’ No, everybody went, ‘he got knocked out.’ He still got knocked out, still has that loss then lost his title.”
Friday, the NAC cut that suspension in half in an adjudication with Lopes. Officially, his fine will be $2,500 plus legal fees of $157.04. Because the commission already withheld $5,000 from Lopes, which was 5 percent of his $100,000 purse, he’s due the difference.
At a prior hearing, NAC executive director Jeff Mullen said UFC CEO Dana White said he’d pay Lopes’ fine. Video showed Lopes appeared to ask White for permission to jump over the fence before he did it.
“After (Lopes) won, he jumped up and gestured toward Dana White, like, ‘Can I come over? Can I come over?'” Mullen said. “And White gestured like, ‘Come over.’ Then, I immediately stood up and took a step over that way and Dana White said, ‘I will pay his fine. I will pay his fine.’ Then our inspectors came around and proceeded to (assist) as I was trying to get him back in the cage, also. Our inspectors came around and escorted him back in the cage.”
Lopes (24-6 MMA, 3-1 UFC) knocked out Yusuff (13-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) just 89 seconds into their featherweight fight at UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. After a loss in his UFC debut, Lopes has three straight first-round finishes, all around the 90-second range.
Also at Friday’s hearing, the commission extended the temporary suspensions of [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag], [autotag]Igor Severino[/autotag] and [autotag]Jay Jay Wilson[/autotag] for resolution at a future meeting.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.
Justin Gaethje is starting to put his mind back toward fighting in the aftermath of his unforgettable KO loss to Max Holloway at UFC 300.
[autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] is starting to put his mind back toward fighting in the aftermath of his unforgettable knockout loss to Max Holloway at UFC 300.
Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) lost the BMF title to Holloway with a buzzer-beater knockout finish at the historic event on April 13 in Las Vegas, and it was the type of finish that can change the long-term livelihood of a combat sports athlete if not nurtured properly afterward.
That reality already has been acknowledged by Gaethje, who said shortly after UFC 300 that he didn’t intend to do any sort of full-contact training for at least six months following the significant damage taken. With six weeks of recovery now in the books, Gaethje said Monday he returned to the gym with the intention of “trying to get back in the routine.”
Gaethje shared footage of himself doing some light work on a heavy bag, which you can watch below (via Instagram):
https://www.instagram.com/p/C7e4OfaJCaQ
The lightweight division likely will see transformation in the coming months ahead of Gaethje’s expected return to competition in late 2024 or early 2025. Champion Islam Makhachev is set to defend against Dustin Poirier in Saturday’s UFC 302 headliner at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Matt Brown thought he was going to a get dream MMA retirement scenario at UFC 300. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen that way.
[autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag] thought he would get a dream retirement scenario to end his MMA career. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen that way.
Brown announced Saturday that he was hanging up his UFC gloves after a 28-fight stint with the promotion in which he went 15-13 and racked up a number of notable records, including most knockout wins in the storied history of the welterweight division.
“The Immortal” hadn’t fought since May 2023 and was seriously mulling walking away for some time. However, he hung onto the idea that he could have one last dance on the monumental UFC 300 card last month in Las Vegas. Brown said he was expecting to get a contract to fight Jim Miller in what would be his retirement fight, but the promotion decided to book Miller against Bobby Green instead, and that marked the nail in the coffin for Brown’s decision.
“The only thing I was really holding off for was I thought I was going to get on UFC 300 and fight Jim Miller, and I was going to use that for my sendoff,” Brown told MMA Junkie Radio on Monday. “I was pretty dead set on that: I’m going to fight Jim Miller at UFC 300, this would be the most badass sendoff ever fighting such a legend like Jim Miller on the biggest card in UFC history, and they didn’t make it happen. So I was like, ‘Well, f*ck it then.’
“I’m not bitter by any means, but if there’s anything that rubbed me the wrong way it’s that I wasn’t able to get on 300, because that’s how I wanted to end it. I begged to get on 100. I begged to get on 200. I begged to get on 300. I was like, ‘Dude, haven’t I earned something yet.’ I tried everything I could, and I thought it was set in stone. I was literally training to fight Jim Miller. He said he wanted to fight me; I said I wanted to fight him. I thought all the cards were in place, and I thought it was going to be an easy call, and then it didn’t happen. It would’ve been the perfect sendoff for me. I’m sure UFC has their reasons, whatever they are.”
‘No bitterness’ toward UFC
Brown clarified that he has “no bitterness whatsoever” toward the UFC brass and emphasized he was treated well throughout his nearly 16-year tenure with the company. In fact, he was offered a fight against Max Griffin recently for an upcoming event, but by the time the proposal came through, he’d already mentally exited from the idea of competition.
“The UFC did make me an offer a few months ago for a fight,” Brown said. “I remember I woke up one morning and I saw the email, and my d*ck didn’t get hard. I didn’t get a feeling down my spine. I wasn’t excited. I was like, ‘Man, I could use that money. That’d be cool.’ But I just didn’t get fired up about it. That was probably the first thing. Then, secondly, (I’ve been) flipping houses and running a gym now. I have a good crew of people and staff in my gym. I really feel like I’m selling these people short because I’ve been fighting, and these businesses are not growing to the extent they could because I’m not putting that kind of energy into it.
“I’m just going for that quick buck, going and making money fighting. My guys in my gym have been with me for the six years I’ve owned it. They’ve gotten very small raises the whole time. I feel like I can make a lot more money, not only for myself but for them also. We have a lot of customers I don’t really get to hang out with and speak to. I just feel like I’m feeling a lot of people short, including my family. My children – the ability to be present with them and the ability to spend more time with them, things like that.”
May 13, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Matt Brown (red gloves) celebrates after defeating Court McGee (blue gloves) in a welterweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Fighting outside of MMA?
At 43, Brown struggles to see a path back to fighting in his future, though he didn’t completely rule it out. The idea of fighting in the UFC is over, he said, and he’s already been withdrawn from the Drug Free Sport drug-testing pool.
Brown said he’s open to offers from non-MMA entities, but the dollars have to make sense.
“It’s not out of the question,” Brown said. “I’ve talked a little bit with those people (at BKFC). It’s not completely out of the question. Bareknuckle doesn’t excite me a ton because it’s just boxing with the hands, which doesn’t excite me a ton. But obviously I’m not going to turn down a big payday. I wish there was like a muay Thai promotion that would pay that kind of money, like a ONE Championship or something. That’s what makes me fired up the most is muay Thai. That’s what I love doing the most. I wouldn’t say it’s completely out of the question. But my mindset is not really in the fighting mindset right now. It’s really in the business mindset.
“If the number was right, and I don’t think any of these places will give me that number. If it was Floyd Mayweather or something and get $5 million, $6 million like, of course, I’m not going to turn that down. But anything under $1 million doesn’t even really make sense to me.”
UFC CEO Dana White apparently offered to front the bill for Diego Lopes so the two could chat outside the cage at UFC 300.
Nevada has officially voted to withhold earnings from UFC 300 fighters [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] and [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] pending disciplinary hearings.
At a monthly meeting Tuesday, the Nevada Athletic Commission voted to withhold 20 percent ($31,600) of Tsarukyan’s purse ($158,000) for swiping at a fan during his walkout, and five percent ($5,000) of Lopes’ $100,000 purse for hopping over the cage in celebration of his victoy. The commission had temporarily withheld the funds since the April 13 event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Executive director Jeff Mullen also revealed that UFC CEO Dana White said he’d pay Lopes’ fine, which came about after he hopped the cage following his finish of Sodiq Yusuff. Video showed that Lopes appeared to ask for and receive permission from White prior to the leap.
“After (Lopes) won, he jumped up and gestured toward Dana White, like, ‘Can I come over? Can I come over?'” Mullen said. “And White gestured like, ‘Come over.’ Then, I immediately stood up and took a step over that way and Dana White said, ‘I will pay his fine. I will pay his fine.’ Then our inspectors came around and proceeded to (assist) as I was trying to get him back in the cage also. Our inspectors came around and escorted him back in the cage.”
Tsarukyan was met with a middle finger by a fan during his walkout before his split decision win over Charles Oliveira. In response, Tsarukyan threw a punch into the crowd, which was captured on the broadcast and from multiple cell phone cameras.
Mullen said Tuesday the fan was asked if he wanted to press charges. The fan declined, accepted responsibility for instigating the incident (something he also did publicly) and expressed relief he was not ejected.
Multiple commission members indicated they felt the incident was unprecedented with nothing quite like it having happened before.
The two fighters will have formal disciplinary hearings at a future commission meeting, likely one scheduled for May 31.
BMF winner Max Holloway believes Justin Gaethje should be credited with first knockdown of his UFC career.
[autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] has never been knocked down in his UFC career. That’s what the official fight stats say, anyway.
At UFC 300, Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) was clipped clean by a punch from Justin Gaethje during the fourth round of their BMF title fight. The moment happened in a blink of an eye. Gatheje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) landed, Holloway hit the canvas and popped right back up to his feet, appearing no worse for wear. Apparently, the statistician thought Holloway slipped.
“It didn’t count as a drop, which is crazy,” Holloway said on “JRE MMA Show”. “ESPN is posting and saying like in however many fights I’m with the UFC, I still didn’t get dropped. That’s some bullsh*t. Give Justin that one. Like, I’ll take it, you know what I mean? But I wouldn’t be a man sitting here and telling you that he didn’t.”
There was only one knockdown officially recorded by UFC Stats, which is the frontrunner for Knockout of the Year, when Holloway slept Gaethje with one second remaining in the fight. Joe Rogan dubbed it the greatest knockout of all time.
Obviously, there’s no debating how to score the fight-ending blow, but the shot that Gaethje did connect with in Round 4 clearly knocked Holloway off his feet. The point is somewhat moot, considering Holloway epically closed the show. However, since the former featherweight champ never hit the canvas in his previous 28 UFC bouts, it was a significant occurrence for Holloway’s career.
“Blessed” doesn’t appear bothered that the moment happened, but rather that Gaethje wasn’t given the proper credit for it. Holloway chalks it up to a solid strike from one of the most dangerous fighters in the game.
“Bro, I don’t even remember getting hit with that punch,” Holloway said. “And then I sat, and I came back up. I was like, ‘What the – what did he just hit me with?’ You know what I mean? I was like, ‘Holy sh*t!’ I was like, ‘That was a good punch.’
“Then when I rewatched it, he hit me like right on the top of my dome. I was like, ‘Holy smack, brother. This guy smacks.’ I was fine as soon as I got up, but it was one of those like, ‘Boom.’ The legs just give out. Like, I was still there, even when I was standing, I was looking at him. But I don’t know how that didn’t count as a drop. I don’t know what they count as a drop. … That was crazy.”
