Tag: UFC Fight Night 197

Dana White shuts down ‘silly’ Holloway-McGregor talk; says Volkanovski has to ‘do it again’

Dana White is ruling out a Max Holloway vs. Conor McGregor rematch after UFC Fight Night 197.

Dana White isn’t rushing into [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag]’s next move after UFC Fight Night 197 main event, but all signs point to a trilogy with [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag].

After Holloway (23-6 MMA, 19-6 UFC) took out another featherweight contender on Saturday with a unanimous decision win over Yair Rodriguez (13-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, immediately discussion was directed toward another encounter with Volkanovski.

Volkanovski already holds two wins over Holloway, but both – and especially the latter – were controversial decisions. It’s clear Holloway is the next best fighter to the champ, though, so White doesn’t see many ways around a third fight.

“It’s one of those things – it was razor thin, (Holloway) just comes in and puts on a performance like this,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at UFC Fight Night 197. “This is just a guy that Volkanovski’s going to have to just him out of the way and do it again.”

Holloway expressed during his octagon interview with Michael Bisping that he’s not tying himself to one option going forward. He’s brought up [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] a lot during fight week, and has got a response out of the Irishman, who beat him by unanimous decision in August 2014.

White isn’t interested in a McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) fight at the time being, though, mainly because the former two-division UFC champ is recovering from his broken leg suffered in a defeat to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July.

“I don’t know what’s next for Max, but it does make sense to see him and Volkanovski again,” White said. “Conor’s not even – Conor’s still hurt. To even talk about Conor is silly.”

[listicle id=1649464]

[listicle id=1668927]

[vertical-gallery id=1668919]

[pickup_prop id=”12665″]

Photo: Max Holloway, Yair Rodriguez head to hospital after UFC Fight Night 197

Max Holloway and Yair Rodriguez were immediately transported to the hospital for precautionary reasons after UFC Fight Night 197.

[autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] and [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag] were immediately transported to the hospital for precautionary reasons after a classic battle in the UFC Fight Night 197 main event.

Before they got checked out by the doctors, though, Holloway (23-6 MMA, 19-6 UFC) and Rodriguez (13-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) took a moment in the ambulance to show the respect they had for each other after five memorable rounds of action at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Holloway came out the winner of the fight by unanimous decision, but Rodriguez put forth a much better effort than the bettings odds gave him when he came in as a large underdog.

Check out the picture Rodriguez’s coach Israel Martinez shared in the aftermath of the fight (via Twitter):

UFC president Dana White said post-fight that Holloway vs. Rodriguez was “one of the best fights I’ve ever seen.” The pair were rewarded “Fight of the Night” honors, and were taken to hospital before speaking the media.

The fight spoke for itself, though, and Holloway and Rodriguez gave 25 minutes viewers won’t soon forget.

[listicle id=1649464]

[vertical-gallery id=1668919]

[pickup_prop id=”12665″]

UFC Fight Night 197 bonuses: Max Holloway, Yair Rodriguez an all-time obvious ‘Fight of Night’ winner

The UFC handed out four post-fight bonuses after Saturday’s card, including to the main event fighters.

The UFC handed out four post-fight bonuses after Saturday’s card, including to the main event fighters.

After UFC Fight Night 197, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances in Las Vegas. Check out the winners below.

UFC Fight Night 197 results: Max Holloway outpaces Yair Rodriguez in exceptional five-round battle

Max Holloway emerged victorious after an exceptional battle against Yair Rodriguez at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 197.

[autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] once again proved his ability to excel in high-volume contests.

The UFC Fight Night 197 bout between Holloway (23-6 MMA, 19-6 UFC) and [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag] delivered an incredible fight over five intense rounds. On paper, this fight was a clash of high volume and high-risk styles, as Holloway usually puts a pace on his opponents they can’t keep up with while Rodriguez (13-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) is a spectacular highlight waiting to happen.

After 25 minutes of intense action, Holloway would walk away with his hand raised, earning a unanimous decision victory in a classic battle.

The featherweight bout was the UFC Fight Night 197 main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It streamed on ESPN+.

Holloway started in his usual method of slowly stalking his opponent while looking for openings. Rodriguez was quick to offer powerful kicks from a variety of angles in response. Heated exchanges in the center of the cage soon followed, with both fighters landing clean.

Rodriguez put together vicious combinations and sharp leg kicks while Holloway fired back with punches of his own as he continued to press forward, despite being on the receiving end of some hard strikes.

The furious exchanges continued early in the second round with both fighters landing often. Holloway continued to push the pace of the fight as Rodriguez looked to counter. Midway through the round, Rodriguez began letting the kicks fly as he tried to change the course of the frame. Holloway continued to press forward with slick punches, but ate a sneaky upward elbow from his opponent along the fence.

The pressure of Holloway continued in the third, finding home for a beautiful flying knee to the body early in the round. Moments later, Rodriguez tripped after a kick attempt which led to Holloway pouncing on an arm-triangle submission attempt.

The damage on Rodriguez’s face was apparent in the fourth round with a swelling bruise under the right eye and a cut under his left. Holloway jumped on a standing guillotine attempt early in the round which led to the former champ ending up on top of Rodriguez on the ground. Holloway did his best to maintain top position while looking for strikes, but Rodriguez was able to get the fight standing again.

The fighters embraced at the start of the final round and the high-pace striking soon followed. Rodriguez attempted some flashy techniques, but Holloway was able to slide out of the way to avoid damage.

Holloway’s forward pressure dictated a majority of the round, leaving one final impression on the judges in this classic battle. The official scores would read 49-46, 48-47, and 48-47 in favor of Holloway.

Holloway makes it two straight wins on the heels of his incredible record-breaking performance against Calvin Kattar at UFC on ABC 1. The former featherweight champ has a world of options for his next outing and is always in the title picture. Saturday’s main event victory over Rodriguez may have earned a third bout against the current champion Alexander Volkanovski.

Rodriguez, who returned after over two years away from the cage, came in as a massive underdog against the former champ, but looked incredible despite the loss. With the threat of a highlight-reel moment in his back pocket, Rodriguez is always capable of pulling off something spectacular, like his last-second upward elbow knockout of Chan Sung Jung. However, no such moment would occur this time.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 197 results include:

[vertical-gallery id=1668923]

[vertical-gallery id=1668919]

Twitter reacts to Max Holloway’s thrilling win over Yair Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night 197

See the top Twitter reactions to Max Holloway’s epic win over Yair Rodriguez in the UFC Fight Night 197 main event.

[autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] put on another memorable performance Saturday when he beat [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag] in the UFC Fight Night 197 main event.

Holloway (23-6 MMA, 19-6 UFC), a former longtime UFC champ, further solidified his place as the top contender in the featherweight division and set himself up for a trilogy fight with Alexander Volkanovski when he beat Rodriguez (12-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) by unanimous decision in their headlining matchup, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Holloway’s victory over Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night 197.

UFC Fight Night 197 video: Marcos Rogerio de Lima TKOs Ben Rothwell in 32 seconds

Marcos Rogerio de Lima became the first to stop Ben Rothwell with strikes since 2009 in the UFC Fight Night 197 co-main event.

[autotag]Marcos Rogerio de Lima[/autotag] needed one opportunity to finish Ben Rothwell in the UFC Fight Night 197 co-main event.

In essentially the first exchange, de Lima (19-7-1 MMA, 8-5 UFC) put hands on Rothwell (39-14 MMA, 9-8 UFC) and staggered him backward toward the cage. He followed up with a big-time flurry, forcing referee Herb Dean to stop it just 32 seconds in.

The heavyweight bout was the UFC Fight Night 197 co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It streamed on ESPN+.

Check out the replay of de Lima’s triumph below (via Twitter):

Not only does de Lima register the most notable win of his career, but he gets consecutive victories for the first time since 2013. He’d alternated wins and losses over his past 11 fights but finally snapped that trend.

Rothwell, meanwhile, suffers his first knockout loss since October 2009.

“I knew it was a tough fight, all respect to Ben,” de Lima said through an interpreter during his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. ”

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 197 results include:

[vertical-gallery id=1668923]

[vertical-gallery id=1668919]

UFC Fight Night 197 video: Felicia Spencer TKOs Leah Letson with brutal ground and pound

Felicia Spencer dominated on the canvas at UFC Fight Night 197 on Saturday.

Former UFC featherweight title challenger [autotag]Felicia Spencer[/autotag] made a statement on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 197.

Facing Leah Letson on the main card, Spencer (9-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) sought to snap a recent losing skid, and was more than successful in doing so. Throughout the contest, Spencer proved too strong in the clinch and dominated the bout whenever it hit the mat.

In the third round, Spencer was able to put the finishing touches on Letson (5-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) as she rained down hard elbows from top position, forcing referee Mark Smith to call a stop to the action.

Check out the video of the finish below (via Twitter):

Spencer returned to the win column in dominant fashion, snapping a two-fight skid. In 2020, she earned a crack at the champ Amanda Nunes but came up short on the judges’ scorecards. Earlier this year, she dropped a close split decision to Norma Dumont, but rebounded nicely to pick up her third finish under the UFC banner.

Up-to-the-minute results of UFC Fight Night 197 include:

  • Felicia Spencer def. Leah Letson via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 4:25
  • Khaos Williams def. Miguel Baeza via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:02
  • Song Yadong def. Julio Arce via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:35
  • Joel Alvarez def. Thiago Moises via TKO (elbows, punches) – Round 1, 3:01
  • Andrea Lee def. Cynthia Calvillo via TKO (corner stoppage) – Round 2, 5:00
  • Sean Woodson def. Collin Anglin via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:30
  • Cortney Casey def. Liana Jojua via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Rafael Alves def. Marc Diakiese via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 1:48
  • Da Un Jung def. Kennedy Nzechukwu via knockout (elbows) – Round 1, 3:04

[vertical-gallery id=1668923]

[vertical-gallery id=1668919]

UFC Fight Night 197 video: Khaos Williams flattens Miguel Baeza in third round

Khaos Williams’ fight-ending power was on full display at UFC Fight Night 197 on Saturday.

[autotag]Khaos Williams[/autotag] packs a serious punch.

On the main card of UFC Fight Night 197 at the UFC Apex, Williams (13-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) ended what was an incredible fight up to that point by sending Miguel Baeza (10-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) crashing to the canvas from a right hand.

Check out the video of the finish below (via Twitter):

Williams improves to 4-1 under the UFC banner, with three devastating knockout finishes to his credit. The hard-hitting welterweight previously finished Alex Morono and Abdul Razak Alhassan in the first round, and on Saturday added a third-round finish of Baeza to his resume for his second win of 2021.

Baeza, a Dana White’s Contender Series veteran who has shown a lot of promise as a future contender, suffers his second straight loss after his Fight of the Night war with Santiago Ponzinibbio in June.

Up-to-the-minute results of UFC Fight Night 197 include:

  • Khaos Williams def. Miguel Baeza via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:02
  • Song Yadong def. Julio Arce via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:35
  • Joel Alvarez def. Thiago Moises via TKO (elbows, punches) – Round 1, 3:01
  • Andrea Lee def. Cynthia Calvillo via TKO (corner stoppage) – Round 2, 5:00
  • Sean Woodson def. Collin Anglin via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:30
  • Cortney Casey def. Liana Jojua via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Rafael Alves def. Marc Diakiese via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 1:48
  • Da Un Jung def. Kennedy Nzechukwu via knockout (elbows) – Round 1, 3:04

[vertical-gallery id=1668923]

[vertical-gallery id=1668919]

UFC Fight Night 197 video: Song Yadong lands head kick, storms Julio Arce for TKO

23-year-old Song Yadong showed again why he’s among the brightest prospects in MMA with a TKO win at UFC Fight Night 197.

[autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] once again showed his strong finishing instincts when he stopped [autotag]Julio Arce[/autotag] at UFC Fight Night 197.

Yadong (17-4-1 MMA, 7-1-1 UFC), who at 23 is one of the brightest prospects in the bantamweight division, got another solid win courtesy of a third-round TKO over Arce (17-5 MMA, 4-3 UFC) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The finish was started by a right head kick. Yadong connected with a shot that staggered Arce, but then he attacked with more strikes until he got a knockdown and forced referee Herb Dean to step in at the 1:35 mark of Round 2.

Check out the replay below (via Twitter):

After the win, Yadong said he followed through on his goal of a knockout.

“I knew it was a crafty opponent, but today I was on the hunt,” Yadong told Michael Bisping through an interpreter during his post-fight interview. “I wanted to knock him out.”

Up-to-the-minute results of UFC Fight Night 197 include:

  • Song Yadong def. Julio Arce via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:35
  • Joel Alvarez def. Thiago Moises via TKO (elbows, punches) – Round 1, 3:01
  • Andrea Lee def. Cynthia Calvillo via TKO (corner stoppage) – Round 2, 5:00
  • Sean Woodson def. Collin Anglin via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:30
  • Cortney Casey def. Liana Jojua via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Rafael Alves def. Marc Diakiese via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 1:48
  • Da Un Jung def. Kennedy Nzechukwu via knockout (elbows) – Round 1, 3:04

[vertical-gallery id=1668919]

[vertical-gallery id=1668923]

Conor McGregor rips Max Holloway before UFC main event: ‘Most shots absorbed is not best boxer’

Conor McGregor does not agree with the notion Max Holloway is the best boxer in the UFC.

[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] does not agree with the notion [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] is the best boxer in the UFC.

Just hours before Holloway (22-6 MMA, 18-6 UFC) is set to take the octagon for tonight’s UFC Fight Night 197 main event against Yair Rodriguez at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) took to social media to give his thoughts on his former opponent.

McGregor and Holloway shared the octagon as a pair of prospects in August 2013, with “The Notorious” winning a unanimous decision. They’ve been linked to each other through years of great fighting success since, and Holloway said during fight week that he’s “always on the shortlist” to get a rematch.

It’s clear McGregor is keeping a close eye on Holloway, but he’s not buying into the self-proclamation of having the best hands in the octagon. McGregor fired off a pair of tweets, one of which has since been deleted (via Twitter):

Hey twitter! The fighter that has absorbed the most head strikes in @ufc history competes tonight. Max Holloway. Can’t wait to watch. 🥊👍

Best boxer my ass crack. The guys been smacked the most smacks in ufc history! Most shots absorbed is not best boxer guys I’m sorry, and I love the kid.

Holloway enters UFC Fight Night 197 with the most significant and total strikes landed of any fighter in UFC history. He absorbs his fair share of blows, as well, but the results have been undeniable in his approach and career success.

“Blessed” has said he wants to break his record for most strikes landed in a UFC fight against Rodriguez, and McGregor will surely be watching to see if he follows through.

[vertical-gallery id=1668923]

[vertical-gallery id=1668919]