UFC 307 – Syndication Server

Mike Brown: Kayla Harrison ‘head and shoulders above the rest’ of UFC women’s bantamweights

Coach Mike Brown is confident Kayla Harrison is on the cusp of her latest piece of gold.

Although her sophomore appearance in the UFC didn’t produce an abundance of highlights for her all-time reel, coach [autotag]Mike Brown[/autotag] is confident [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] is on the cusp of her latest piece of gold.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo has spent the bulk of her career mostly dominating the PFL, where she won two $1 million 155-pound titles. She moved to the UFC earlier this year and debuted with a second-round finish of former women’s bantamweight champ Holly Holm.

Not only did Harrison (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) take out a former titleholder right out of the gate, but she made a successful debut at 135 pounds, as well – a full 20 pounds down from where she spent most of her time in the PFL. At UFC 307, she faced some second-round adversity against Ketlen Vieira (14-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC), but ultimately won a unanimous decision.

Former WEC champ Brown, who now is her head coach at American Top Team, thinks Harrison’s arrival in the UFC will bring some luster back to the division that had Ronda Rousey as its founding champion before Holm, Miesha Tate, Amanda Nunes, Julianna Peña and Raquel Pennington.

“Kayla really is on another level than these other girls, and I think that she’s bringing back excitement to that division,” Brown told MMA Junkie. “I think that division really needs it. The level of talent is not super deep there.

“She is an outlier. She’s charismatic and she is, I think, head and shoulders above the rest of the females and I think with the way she talks and the way she looks and what she’s capable of, she brings a lot of excitement. I think (the division) needs it, and I think she’s going to do big things.”

Harrison seemed to position herself as the next challenger for the title just a few fights before then-former champ Peña (13-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) beat Pennington (16-10 MMA, 13-6 UFC) by split decision to win back the belt at UFC 307 earlier this month.

But after Peña’s win, she didn’t acknowledge Harrison’s win over Vieira – and instead said she hopes Nunes comes out of retirement to fight in a trilogy matchup. Peña upset Nunes to win the title, but lost it to her in a rematch. Nunes then retired and vacated both the women’s bantamweight and featherweight belts.

Brown, like Harrison, thought Peña ignoring her will only go so far.

“We just laughed. We almost expected it,” Brown said. “I don’t think really the (bantamweight) girls want any piece of Kayla. I think she’s making her claim, and I think she’s the future of the division. It’s going to happen eventually. You can’t run from it forever. You might as well face the music.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Raquel Pennington says UFC even had her family lined up thinking she beat Julianna Peña at UFC 307

Raquel Pennington says everyone but the judges thought she beat Julianna Peña at UFC 307.

[autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] says everyone but the judges thought she beat [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag].

Pennington (16-10 MMA, 13-6 UFC) lost her bantamweight title to Peña (13-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) by split decision in the co-main event of UFC 307 in Salt Lake City.

All but two media members scored the fight in favor of Pennington (h/t MMA Decisions). Pennington says even the UFC was prepping to have her announced as the winner.

“That night was just a really weird night,” Pennington told MMA Junkie Radio. “I’ve gone to a decision multiple times, and I’ve never felt so confident going to the judges’ decision. I feel like it’s one of those things, for one, when it comes to a championship fights, you have to beat the champ to be the champ – and she did not beat me.

“The three people who had the best seat in the house – the entire world, the entire media, like everybody in the UFC was for me then all of a sudden it’s like, oh – her. I think that says a lot, especially when you’re just shocked that your name got called. They even had my family lined up ready to go in there. I mean everybody, the commentators, Dana (White), were like, ‘Hmm – no.'”

Despite the disappointment in losing her title, Pennington hinted that the UFC has some plans for her.

“It was really interesting. It definitely hurt my heart, but my head is high,” Pennington continued. “It’s just another bump in the journey. I’m actually excited for what the future holds. I’ve had some great conversations with the UFC, and there’s a lot to look forward to. I definitely don’t feel like I lost that fight, so I still feel like the champ.”

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Khalil Rountree keen to rebound from loss to UFC champ Alex Pereira vs. ‘anybody that sets me up for another title fight’

Khalil Rountree is determined to fight for the title again after his UFC 307 loss to Alex Pereira, and doesn’t care who it put in his way.

[autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] thinks he proved himself as a top light heavyweight in his loss to Alex Pereira at UFC 307, and now he wants to show he can be champion.

Rountree (13-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) put up a valiant effort earlier this month when he challenges Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) for the belt in a Fight of the Year candidate that resulted in a fourth-round TKO defeat. Rountree’s title shot was unexpected given his No. 8 ranked prior to the fight, but he surpassed the expectation of many before falling short.

Although he didn’t get his hand raised, the respect and admiration that’s poured in for Rountree from throughout the MMA community has been impossible to miss. He said it’s meant a lot to him, especially when coming from the UFC’s top power players.

“I’ve spoken personally with Dana (White) and Hunter (Campbell) and I feel like I got the steak dinner already because they were entertained,” Rountree told MMA Junkie Radio. “I think for me as a partner with the UFC it’s one of my biggest goals to make sure the guys at the top are pleased with what they see. After speaking with them and them being excited about the performance, they’re definitely pleased. That felt like a treat in itself. As far as what’s next on the fight end, I think there would be a little bit more room for me to say what I want. But that vision right now is not so clear.”

Rountree revealed he signed a new multi-fight UFC contract before stepping into the octagon with Pereira, and he intends to honor the whole deal. At 34, it seems this will be Rountree’s final big push in his career. He doesn’t want to take any backward steps, and that means facing a prominent name next

For Rountree, he is not picky outside of the numbers. He said he will need some time to recover from his various injuries and the nose surgery he underwent after the fight, but once he’s cleared for competition, the goal is to get the highest-ranked opponent possible so he can start to build another case for a crack at gold.

“I think right now any name in the top five or within title contention to me, makes sense,” Rountree said. “There’s not one name specifically. There’s not one person who I’m emotionally attached to or a fight I think I deserve next. But I would like to continue to fight people within the top five so I can get another shot at the title. It seems like the majority of the guys are booked or injured, but while I’m healing up there will be a good number of matchups to happen and I would love anybody that sets me up for another title fight.”

One name that has been frequently mentioned for Rountree is a rebooking with former champion Jamahal Hill, who he was supposed to face at UFC 303 in July before the matchup was scratched.

Hill went viral after UFC 307 for his yawning reaction to the main event, which he clarified wasn’t directed at Rountree. That’s a potential fight, but Rountree reiterated he’s not attaching himself to one name as of now.

“I saw it after the fact online – it’s nice to hear the clarification because based off the crowd response and everything I’ve seen, and other articles and post that I’ve seen – the majority of people seem to think it was an entertaining fight,” Rountree said. “So I was bit confused to see why he thoughts maybe it was boring or worth a yawn. But like I said, the clarification definitely helps. Not everyone is going to think the same. Not everyone is going to be entertained.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Julianna Peña: Amanda Nunes the money fight – not Kayla Harrison and her weight struggles

Julianna Peña questions Kayla Harrison’s readiness as a title challenger.

[autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] questions [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag]’s readiness as a title challenger.

Peña (13-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) edged out Raquel Pennington to reclaim the bantamweight title less than two weeks ago at UFC 307. Earlier that night, Harrison (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) defeated Ketlen Vieira to emerge as a top contender.

However, Peña insists on completing her trilogy with Amanda Nunes. The pair split their two title appearances, but Nunes retired before they could fight a third time. Harrison revealed that she was peeing blood during her weight cut for UFC 307, and will likely need some time off before her next fight.

Peña jumped at the opportunity to say Harrison is not ready for a title fight.

“The girl wants to take time off because she even knows that she can’t make the weight and that she’s not a rightful 135’er,” Peña told MMA Today. “She’s too big. She obviously can’t already make the first fight, which is making it to the octagon. She needs time off. That, to me, is already a loss.”

Peña was also not impressed with Harrison’s performance against Vieira, where she outgrappled the Brazilian, but tasted blood for the first time in her career. “The Venezuelan Vixen” is willing to fight Harrison next, but only if Nunes opts to wait.

“Secondly, there was nothing that I saw in her fight against Ketlen Vieira that was, ‘Oh, some world beater. Oh my gosh, I’m terrified: Kayla Harrison,'” Peña said. “Give me a break. She went out there three weeks early and she still gassed out. This is a five-round fight. This is 25 minutes of fighting. She can’t make championship weight like she claimed she was going to make. ‘Oh, I’m going to make 135 on the head.’ She said, ‘That wasn’t me making 136 on that last time, that was God.’ You’re going to need double the God. You have to make 135.0 on the head.

“She can’t even do that. The first fight is already lost. The second fight, she gassed out in three rounds. Come fight me for 25 minutes and you’ll see what it’s like to actually fight in championship rounds, making championship weight and fighting for the championship belt. She can’t even make it. … Kayla Harrison, get in line. I’ve got unfinished business to attend to. Everyone wants to say I dropped the ball for not calling out Kayla Harrison. Kayla Harrison just came to the party. Amanda Nunes is the big fight, the money fight, the fight that people want to see.”

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Julianna Peña coach Mike Valle cautions Kayla Harrison about UFC champ’s ‘unbreakable will’

Julianna Peña coach Mike Valle loves that Kayla Harrison seems to think she’ll easily take gold from the new UFC champ.

[autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] and a large portion of the MMA community seem to believe it’s an inevitability that she will defeat [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] to claim the UFC women’s bantamweight title.

Not so fast.

Peña (11-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) recaptured the championship this month at UFC 307 with a split decision over Raquel Pennington in Salt Lake City. Earlier that night, two-time Olympic gold medalist Harrison (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) likely punched her ticket to a crack at gold with a victory over Ketlen Vieira.

Although Peña largely ignored Harrison (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) in the aftermath of the event and said she was “not impressed” by the performance while subsequently calling for Amanda Nunes to come out of retirement for a trilogy, all signs point to the showdown with Harrison being next.

Peña’s coach, Mike Valle from VFS Academy in Chicago, said his athlete will be ready if it is indeed Harrison. He doesn’t share the same negative slant of the two-time PFL season winner as Peña, but he does think Harrison is in for a rude awakening if she thinks it will be easy to snatch the belt.

“I can’t say that we weren’t impressed,” Valle told MMA Junkie on Friday. “She’s a great fighter. She’s very good in certain areas. It’s nothing that the world hasn’t seen. It’s not nothing we can’t come on top of. She’s good. But Julianna is good, too. When you get her in front of you, you realize how good she is. That’s what makes it very interesting. Whenever Harrison sees Julianna in front of her, she’s going to be like, ‘Oh my God. This girl is way better than what I think.’ And she’s going to be in tons of trouble. That’s what it is. That’s what makes the fight so interesting. All respect to her and her team. I’ve never disrespected her or her team. But I just can’t wait. If they sign a contact, we’ll go to work.”

Valle has heard it all before when it comes to Peña. She’s not skilled enough. Not athletic enough. Not powerful enough. Not dangerous enough. The criticisms can be endless in this industry, but Valle knows better than anyone what he has with “The Venezuelan Vixen” and is happy to let anyone continue to underestimate her.

“When you get that feeling, and you have someone across from you that’s not just going to fight with skills – we’re going to fight with a lot of will,” Valle said. “An unbreakable will. That says something to a person. I think that’s what it is. … You may see the skills and go, ‘OK, she lacks here and here.’ That’s fine. When you have her in front of you, you’re going to see how good she is. Then, on top of that, her will to push, will to go forward and to push. To have her on top of you or in your face all night, it says a lot about an athlete.”

Ultimately, Valle said he knows Peña’s biggest fights and toughest tests are on the horizon. Whether it’s the matchup with Harrison, a trilogy with Nunes or both in successive fashion, Valle is excited to dive into the challenge of game planning and finding a way for Peña to come out on top.

“Both of those fights represent something very interesting in their own way. I think a fight with Amanda would be great, but if it’s Harrison, cracking her is going to be – people think she’s invincible and just going out there and Julianna putting her stamp on it, I think it would be a great statement. From there, Amanda hopefully comes out of retirement. All three girls are amazing and it’s very interesting for MMA fans. Whichever one happens is going to be a great fight.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

T.J. Dillashaw: Jose Aldo ‘lost the fight himself’ against Mario Bautista at UFC 307

T.J. Dillashaw thinks Jose Aldo only has himself to blame for losing to Mario Bautista.

Aldo (32-9 MMA, 14-8 UFC) was edged out by Bautista (15-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) in a split decision loss this past Saturday at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City. Although he wasn’t taken down in the fight, fans were left frustrated after Bautista pressed Aldo against the cage in Round 3, with little to no activity.

Dillashaw was surprised to see Aldo let Bautista just hold him, and thinks the former UFC featherweight champion should have shown a sense of urgency to get his back off the cage.

“My frustration is coming from, how the f*ck does Aldo not know how to get off the cage?” Dillashaw said on the Jaxxon Podcast. “It’s almost like he’s willing to chill here because he doesn’t want to get tired. He can get out so easy. (Bautista) got his wrong leg forward, so he’s got to right underhook and his right leg will be forward.

“That is the easiest thing to get off the cage, every time. It surprises me when a world champion, there’s techniques like this that he doesn’t get off the cage. (A lot of people) thought Aldo should’ve won. To be honest, I don’t know. He kept himself here. I’m not too mad. He lost the fight himself.”

Dillashaw thinks Aldo’s strategy was to reserve energy, but failing to break free from against the cage is a bad look for the judges.

“You’re just chancing it,” Dillashaw said. “You’re chancing it to this judge – he’s controlling me against the cage, rather than take all f*cking chance out of it, circle off the cage. The same mentality I go in every fight is you have to f*cking kill me. You’re not going to hold me down, you’re not going to hold me against the cage. I’m going to do what I want to do.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

UFC 307 ‘Fight Motion’: Super-slow motion video of another brutal Alex Pereira finish

Alex Pereira continued his quick rise as a UFC global superstar with his third title win in 175 days.

The UFC has superstars who seem to never fight, and one who seems to always fight.

Light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) was back at it again for a record third title defense in 175 days – all since April – when he took out Khalil Rountree (14-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) in the fourth round. The pair headlined UFC 307 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City this past Saturday, and though Pereira was tested, he eventually broke Rountree down and took him out to continue his ascension as one of the UFC’s most popular fighters.

Plus, Julianna Peña recaptured the women’s bantamweight title after a two-year layoff, Kayla Harrison got her second UFC test and Court McGee, Ryan Spann, Joaquin Buckley and Roman Dolidze picked up key finishes.

Check out all the highlights in super-slow motion in the UFC 307 “Fight Motion” video highlights above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

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Chael Sonnen questions Tom Aspinall’s takedown ability in potential Alex Pereira UFC heavyweight fight

Chael Sonnen likes Alex Pereira’s chances against Tom Aspinall.

[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] likes [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]’s chances against [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag].

Light heavyweight champion Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) notched his third title defense when he brutally took out Khalil Rountree in Round 4 of their UFC 307 headliner in Salt Lake City.

Pereira said he plans on staying put at 205 pounds for the time being, but would like to move up to heavyweight someday. “Poatan” posted an image of interim heavyweight champion Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) watching him on, which has Sonnen salivating at the idea of a potential matchup between the two.

Although Aspinall’s grappling is expected to pose problems for Pereira, Sonnen isn’t sure if he’d succeed in getting to the necessary positions to take him down.

“I cannot guarantee you that the younger, bigger guy in Tom would win,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “There’s just something special about Alex, and I can’t quite put my finger on it. But I don’t know that Tom has the skills to just go out and take him down, so we might have to take that off of the board.

“I think Alex would have a really hard time getting up because of the size, but to get him there, Tom’s probably going to want to trade, probably have a little bit of ego like everybody else of, ‘Let me show all of you,’ and it might work out for him. But, it just might be a very dangerous proposition as well.”

Aspinall currently awaits the winner of the heavyweight title fight between champion Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic, which headlines UFC 309 on Nov. 16 in New York. But with Jones and a couple of his coaches hinting that “Bones” could be making the final walk at Madison Square Garden, Aspinall’s future is uncertain.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Israel Adesanya: Khalil Rountree’s ‘stock goes up after’ UFC 307 loss to Alex Pereira

Israel Adesanya gives his opinion on Alex Pereira’s title defense against Khalil Rountree a UFC 307.

Give credit where credit is due. Former UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] paid his respect to both [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] and [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] following their recent clash.

This past Saturday, Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) and Rountree (13-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) gave fans one of the best championship fights of the year, going toe to toe for almost 20 minutes in the main event of UFC 307 in Salt Lake City.

Although the result was maybe expected, many were taken away by Rountree’s toughness and competitiveness, while also admiring Pereira’s comeback ability and skill. Adesanya was one of them.

“He lasted longer than I thought he would,” Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. “At least someone else took him to the fourth round. It shows how good Khalil is. Again he’s (Pereira) got some hard fights in front of him, but he is that guy right now, he’s on.

“Honestly, I called it, but I thought it was going to be earlier. Shout out to Khalil because fighting with a broken nose and the intelligence not to blow his nose in the fight, respect. His stock goes up after this. What a moment.”

With the victory, Pereira is now on a five-fight winning streak since moving up to 205 pounds and has three title defenses. He won the light heavyweight title by stopping former champ Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 last November, and went on to pick up his first title defense in April at UFC 300 by finishing Jamahal Hill. “Poatan” then returned on short notice at UFC 303 in June, where he defeated Prochazka in a rematch.

On the other hand, Rountree saw his five-fight winning streak come to an end. This was his first UFC title opportunity in the eight years he’s been in the promotion.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Mario Bautista explains why Jose Aldo also to blame for lackluster UFC 307 fight

Mario Bautista isn’t taking all the blame for his lackluster win over Jose Aldo at UFC 307.

[autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag] believes he shouldn’t be blamed entirely for his lackluster win over [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] at UFC 307.

Bautista (15-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) defeated Aldo by split decision in Saturday’s main card at Salt Lake City – a performance that was heavily criticized. Bautista found success on the feet early but resorted to grappling after he admittedly got rocked in Round 2.

Bautista was accused of stalling when he couldn’t get Aldo (32-9 MMA, 14-8 UFC) down, but the 31-year-old rising contender said UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili did the same thing when he fought Aldo. Dvalishvili went 0-16 in his takedown attempts vs. Aldo but won the fight by unanimous decision.

“Merab did the same thing. He probably held him against the cage longer than I did, and now look at him. He’s the champ,” Bautista told MMA Junkie Radio. “If we’re actually talking about Aldo, he almost did a similar thing against ‘Chito’ (Vera).

“He started losing that first round, and then he takes ‘Chito’ down and stays on his back for the whole second round and the whole third round, and no one gave crap to Aldo about it. Even me, I’m not going to give crap to Aldo. It’s more on ‘Chito.’ Oh, ‘Chito’ can’t get this guy off his back.’ So that’s the thing: It’s just like a little double standard for some of these Hall of Famers and fan favorites.”

Bautista said he was surprised that Aldo never tried to break free when he had his back stacked against the cage. He thinks it’s on him to get busy, too.

“I just wanted him to keep on working,” Bautista explained. “I just wanted him to break out of the clinch, use that energy to get out, and then just kind of stay stuck to him. Just keep him working, working. I just didn’t really think he was going to, I don’t know, I guess just stay on the wall?

“I thought he was going to get out because that takes up some energy. There are points where I felt – yeah, he was defending the takedown, and maybe he could have circled off, but he just kind of chose to stay there and kind of wait a little bit. Yeah, I was holding him against the cage, but at the same time, I think he did have opportunities to circle off. It’s just he chose not to.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.