Tag: UFC Fight Night 184

UFC Fight Night 184: Make your predictions for Alistair Overeem vs. Alexander Volkov

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 184 event in Las Vegas.

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 184 event in Las Vegas.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC Fight Night 184 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC Fight Night 184 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event streams on ESPN+.

Make your picks for the six main card fights below.

Justin Jaynes steps in to fight Devonte Smith at UFC Fight Night 184

With Alex da Silva out, Justin Jaynes has stepped in to fight Saturday in Las Vegas.

One week ago, [autotag]Justin Jaynes[/autotag] didn’t have a fight on the books. Now, he’s fighting Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

After Alex da Silva withdrew from UFC Fight Night 184 due to undisclosed reasons, Jaynes (16-6 MMA, 1-2 UFC) was offered the open lightweight slot against [autotag]Devonte Smith[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC), which he since accepted.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie of the booking Monday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Jaynes made his promotional debut in June 2020 when he knocked out Frank Camacho in 41 seconds. Following his emphatic first impression, Jaynes has lost back-to-back outings vs. Gavin Tucker and Gabriel Benitez. Both losses came inside the distance.

Smith has not competed since a knockout loss to Khama Worthy at UFC 241 in August 2019. After the fight, Smith tore his Achilles tendon, which required surgery and months of rehabilitation.

With the change, the UFC Fight Night 184 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Alistair Overeem vs. Alexander Volkov
  • Frankie Edgar vs. Cory Sandhagen
  • Macy Chiasson vs. Marion Reneau
  • Manel Kape vs. Alexandre Pantoja
  • Andre Ewell vs. Cody Stamann
  • Beneil Dariush vs. Diego Ferreira

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET)

  • Clay Guida vs. Michael Johnson
  • Danilo Marques vs. Mike Rodriguez
  • Martin Day vs. Timur Valiev
  • Justin Jaynes vs. Devonte Smith
  • Joselyne Edwards vs. Karol Rosa
  • Molly McCann vs. Lara Procopio
  • Seungwoo Choi vs. Youssef Zalal
  • Denys Bondar vs. Ode Osbourne

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Alistair Overeem previews Alexander Volkov main event at UFC Fight Night 184

Alistair Overeem previews Alexander Volkov main event at UFC Fight Night 184

Alistair Overeem previews Alexander Volkov main event at UFC Fight Night 184

With Collin Anglin out, Youssef Zalal steps in to face Seungwoo Choi at UFC Fight Night 184

Seungwoo Choi will get yet another change in opponent on Feb. 6 when he draws Youssef Zalal.

[autotag]Seungwoo Choi[/autotag] will get yet another change in opponent on Feb. 6.

Collin Anglin has been forced out of UFC Fight Night 184, and [autotag]Youssef Zalal[/autotag] (10-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) will step in on short notice to face Choi (8-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC).

Two people with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie of the booking Thursday but asked to remain anonymous, as the promotion has not yet made an official announcement. MMA DNA was first to report the news.

The pair were originally slated to square off at this past October’s UFC Fight Night 179, but Choi was forced to withdraw due to undisclosed reasons. Instead, Zalal faced newcomer Ilia Topuria, who handed him his first promotional loss. Prior to that, the Moroccan featherweight had notched three wins over Austin Lingo, Jordan Griffin and Peter Barrett, becoming the first fighter in 2020 to go 3-0.

After dropping his first two UFC bouts to Movsar Evloev and Gavin Tucker, Choi notched his first promotional win when he defeated Suman Mokhtarian at UFC Fight Night 165 in December 2019. Prior to his latest booking, Choi had been booked on Feb. 6 against Steven Peterson and then Anglin.

With the change, the UFC Fight Night 184 lineup includes:

  • Alistair Overeem vs. Alexander Volkov
  • Frankie Edgar vs. Cory Sandhagen
  • Macy Chiasson vs. Marion Reneau
  • Manel Kape vs. Alexandre Pantoja
  • Beneil Dariush vs. Diego Ferreira
  • Clay Guida vs. Michael Johnson
  • Julio Arce vs. Timur Valiev
  • Alex da Silva vs. Devonte Smith
  • Joselyne Edwards vs. Karol Rosa
  • Molly McCann vs. Lara Procopio
  • Seungwoo Choi vs. Youssef Zalal
  • Aliaskhab Khizriev vs. opponent TBA

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Joselyne Edwards replaces Nicco Montano, fights Karol Rosa at UFC Fight Night 184

Joselyne Edwards will look for two wins in quick succession to start her UFC career, as she replaces Nicco Montano on short notice.

[autotag]Nicco Montano[/autotag] won’t compete in the cage on the next UFC event.

Montano, a former UFC women’s flyweight champion, has withdrawn from her Feb. 6 bout against [autotag]Karol Rosa[/autotag] at UFC Fight Night 184. Montano, who pulled out for undisclosed undisclosed reasons, has been replaced by [autotag]Joselyne Edwards[/autotag].

MMA Junkie confirmed the news Tuesday following an initial report by Milenio.

Edwards (10-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) made her debut 11 days ago on Jan. 16, stepping up on short notice to take on Wu Yanan in a bantamweight contest. Edwards won the fight via unanimous decision, making her the first fighter from Panama to earn a victory in the UFC.

Meanwhile, Brazil’s Rosa (13-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC) last fought in August 2020, outpointing Vanessa Melo at UFC 251. The 26-year-old is on a four-fight winning streak.

With the change, the UFC Fight Night 184 lineup includes:

  • Alistair Overeem vs. Alexander Volkov
  • Frankie Edgar vs. Cory Sandhagen
  • Macy Chiasson vs. Marion Reneau
  • Molly McCann vs. Lara Procopio
  • Julio Arce vs. Timur Valiev
  • Collin Anglin vs. Seungwoo Choi
  • Clay Guida vs. Michael Johnson
  • Beneil Dariush vs. Diego Ferreira
  • Alex da Silva vs. Devonte Smith
  • Manel Kape vs. Alexandre Pantoja
  • Joselyne Edwards vs. Karol Rosa
  • Aliaskhab Khizriev vs. opponent TBA

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Rising UFC prospect Khaos Williams says self-belief, hard work the key to success

After a tough road to the octagon, UFC prospect Khaos Williams hopes to use his success as an inspiration to others.

[autotag]Khaos Williams[/autotag] wants to be an example to his community of how far hard work and dedication can get you.

Williams (11-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), who exploded onto the UFC scene with back-to-back first-round knockouts of Alex Morono and Abdul Razak Alhassan, is already one of the most promising prospects on the roster.

But, while Williams’ arrival in the UFC has looked fast, his road to the octagon was far from easy. In 2013, Williams earned a high school diploma through an online program while incarcerated in Jackson County Jail after being convicted of selling cocaine.

And as soon as he walked out, he knew he wanted to turn his life around.

“I always say I don’t just want to make an income, I want to make an impact,” Williams told MMA Junkie. “Because people see the finishing product, they see the glitz and glamour, they see you win, they see me on ESPN and stuff like that, but they don’t see the hard work and dedication. They don’t see when I was at the bottom. I had to get out of the mud and there were a lot of people that didn’t believe in me. I had to believe in myself.

“I didn’t have a lot of money to start off, I didn’t have a lot of resources. I didn’t have a lot. I didn’t come from a rich family or nothing like that, I had to make it. I just had to believe in myself and I made it happen so for the youth and stuff like that, if you got a dream, you just gotta believe in yourself. You just gotta put the work in. That’s it.”

Williams is already booked for his next bout, where he’ll face fellow knockout artist Michel Pereira at UFC Fight Night 184 on Dec. 19. His phone blew up after he scored his second straight finish in less than a minute, but it wasn’t always an outpour of support for Williams.

“Everybody loves you when you’re winning,” Williams said. “It’s crazy, like you said, because a lot of people, they did doubt me. They didn’t expect me to be here. When I was telling people I was gonna get to the UFC or that was my goal, a lot of people were hating. They didn’t think I was gonna be here, especially doing what I’m doing now, and the way I’m doing it in the top-level competition. I definitely had haters.”

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Khaos Williams vs. Michel Pereira added to UFC Fight Night on Dec. 19

If it wasn’t expected already, there’s a good chance something crazy will happen at the UFC’s year-end event thanks to the latest addition.

If it wasn’t expected already, there’s a good chance something crazy will happen at the UFC’s year-end event thanks to the latest addition.

That’s because [autotag]Khao Williams[/autotag] is set to make a five-week turnaround and fight [autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag] on Dec. 19 at UFC Fight Night 184. A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie but requested anonymity since the UFC has yet to make an announcement. UFC broadcast partner ESPN first reported the news.

The matchup of welterweights should have fight fans salivating, given what Williams (11-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) and Pereira (24-11 MMA, 2-2 UFC) bring to the cage.

Williams, who made his promotional debut this year, has won his first two UFC bouts in impressive fashion, with neither lasting longer than 30 seconds. He knocked out Alex Morono in 27 seconds at UFC 247 then, in his most recent bout Nov. 14, knocked out Abdul Razak Alhassan with a one-punch straight right hand in 30.

Pereira, he of back flip and moonsaulting fame, has dazzled fans with his flashy fighting style since stepping foot inside the octagon, but to mixed results. He knocked out Danny Roberts with a flying knee and punch in his UFC debut in May 2019 before losing two in a row, which included a disqualification against Diego Sanchez last February because of an illegal knee. Pereira, though, rebounded with a “Performance of the Night” in his most recent bout in September, submitting Zelim Imadaev by third-round rear-naked choke.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night 184 card now includes:

  • Leon Edwards vs. Khamzat Chimaev
  • Geoff Neal vs. Stephen Thompson
  • Jose Aldo vs. Marlon Vera
  • Rob Font vs. Marlon Moraes
  • Antonio Braga Neto vs. Deron Winn
  • Belal Muhammad vs. Dhiego Lima
  • Tafon Nchukwi vs. Jamie Pickett
  • Rick Glenn vs. Carlton Minus
  • Tyson Nam vs. Matt Schnell
  • Manel Kape vs. Alexandre Pantoja
  • Misha Cirkunov vs. Ryan Spann
  • Sijara Eubanks vs. Pannie Kianzad
  • Michel Pereira vs. Khaos Williams

Jack Hermansson explains clear advantage vs. Kevin Holland in UFC Fight Night bout

Jack Hermansson is confident that Kevin Holland won’t be able hang with him on the ground.

[autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag] is confident that few fighters can hang with him on the mat.

With an injury forcing Darren Till out of their UFC Fight Night main event on Dec. 5, Hermansson now is set to face the streaking [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]. Hermansson (21-5 MMA, 8-3 MMA) has six submission wins on his resume, with his most recent ones coming against jiu-jitsu black belts Gerald Meerschaert, David Branch and Kelvin Gastelum, all in the first round.

While he rates Holland’s skills highly, Hermansson thinks it’ll be a quick night if the two hit the mat, and he’s ready to remind everyone of the diversity in his game.

“He looks pretty technical, but at the same time, I gave a lot of black belts trouble, and I really, really believe in my skills, and I know that if I get him to the ground, he’s gonna have a rough day for sure,” Hermansson told MMA Junkie. “… I’m gonna go in there, I’m gonna go after him, and it’s gonna be a first-round finish. Probably ground and pound again, good ol’ ground and pound. I’m gonna remind the world what I can bring to the table. People have been watching some of my submission skills lately. It’s time to get those fists into action again.”

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Hermansson understands that facing unranked Holland (20-5 MMA, 7-2 UFC) is a high risk-low reward situation, but he insists on remaining active as he continues his campaign for a title shot.

“I’m really looking to make a statement and to show that I’m on the next level, and so that’s definitely my plan,” Hermansson said. “A loss would be devastating of course, but I’m willing to take that chance. I really believe I can be the best in the world and that I can beat Israel Adesanya, and to be ready to do that, I need to be ready to beat Kevin Holland, as well, so I’m not relying on having one lucky day out there. If I’m gonna be the champ, I’m gonna be the one that can beat everybody in the division.”