Tag: UFC Fight Night 200

UFC Fight Night 200 video: Chidi Njokuani wins in 16 seconds for second fastest debut in UFC history

Chidi Njokuani scored the second-fastest debut victory in octagon history with a 16-second finish at UFC Fight Night 200.

[autotag]Chidi Njokuani[/autotag] couldn’t have drawn up a more perfect UFC debut than what he had against [autotag]Marc-Andre Barriault[/autotag] at UFC Fight Night 200.

Longtime fighter Njokuani (21-7 MMA, 1-0 UFC) finally got his shot at the big stage Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. After being awarded a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series, he maximized the platform of his official octagon debut with a 16-second starching of Barriault (13-5 MMA, 2-4 UFC) in their middleweight bout.

Moments after the fight began, Njokuani hit Barriault with a left jab followed by a right cross that immediately led to a knockdown. He followed up with a swarming flurry against the fence, and the referee had no choice but to stop it.

Check out the replay of the stoppage below (via Twitter):

Njokuani’s win marked the second fastest debut performance in UFC history. Only Terrance McKinney and his seven-second knockout has him beat, but it’s good company to be in.

Having been a professional since 2007, Njokuani has gone through the ranks of various promotions. He said he’s finally where he belongs, though, and is ready to rise to the top at 185 pounds.

“I’m coming for the top,” Njokuani said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “I’m trying to take that belt, you feel me?”

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UFC Fight Night 200 video: Jailton Almeida annihilates Danilo Marques, calls out ‘Shogun’ Rua

Danilo Marques brought a callout with him to his UFC debut.

[autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] needed a little less than three minutes to pick up his first promotional victory at UFC Fight Night 200.

In a light heavyweight matchup on the preliminary card, Almeida (15-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) walked through a durable [autotag]Danilo Marques[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) en route to a TKO stoppage at the 2:57 mark of Round 1.

After he dragged the fight to the canvas, Almeida quickly moved to side control, then mount. Once in mount, Almeida quickly postured up and rained down fast and furious ground-and-pound. Marques tried to survive and escape the position. However, small adjustments from Almeida denied his attempts. After dozens of punches and hammer fists landed, referee Mike Beltran stepped in and waved off the fight.

With the win, Almeida extended his winning streak to 10, all by finish. In September, Almeida punched his ticket to the UFC with a contract-earning victory on Dana White’s Contender Series. Other career wins include those over UFC alums Ildemar Alcantara and Ednaldo Oliveira.

Check out Almeida’s finish in the video below:

After the fight, Almeida called out Marques’ longtime teammate Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in his post-fight interview. Rua, 40, has not competed since a November 2020 loss to Paul Craig.

UFC Fight Night 200 took place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 200 results include:

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UFC Fight Night 200 video: Phil Rowe seizes moment, stops Jason Witt by TKO

Phil Rowe needed just a singular moment to shut the lights off on Jason Witt at UFC Fight Night 200.

[autotag]Phil Rowe[/autotag] needed just a singular moment to shut the lights off on [autotag]Jason Witt[/autotag] at UFC Fight Night 200.

Witt (19-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) started the welterweight fight at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas in strong fashion. He put his grappling to use and grounded Rowe (9-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) for the majority of the opening stanza, establishing a clear path to victory.

Rowe had other plans, however, and when the fight restarted in the second frame, he remained patient through Witt’s attempt at wrestling. Once he got back up to his feet, he unleashed a three-strike combination followed by a hammerfist that forced the referee to stop the fight at the 2:15 mark of Round 2.

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

With back-to-back knockout victories now on his resume, Rowe said know he’s still a youngster in the fight game but will do his best to keep improving.

“One hundred percent, I knew he would try to take me down,” Rowe said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “I don’t get warmed up until the second round, as everyone can see.”

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UFC Fight Night 200 video: Denys Bondar suffers gruesome fight-ending arm injury vs. Malcolm Gordon

Caution: The UFC card Saturday in Las Vegas kicked off grossly.

An arm isn’t supposed to bend the way [autotag]Denys Bondar[/autotag]’s left arm went in the UFC Fight Night 200 curtain jerker.

After 12 months of delays, Bondar (16-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) finally made his first UFC walk. However, things didn’t go as planned when he suffered an arm injury and verbally tapped at the 1:22 mark of Round 1 against [autotag]Malcolm Gordon[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC).

The gruesome sequence took place against the cage. The two fighters clinched with Gordon the aggressor. With one overhook, Gordon tried to drag the fight to the mat. Bondar resisted as the two moved toward the mat. In doing so, he put too much pressure on his planted arm. His elbow torqued in the wrong direction and referee Mark Smith waved off the fight when Bondar yelled out in pain. As Gordon rose to his feet in celebration, Bondar sat up with his elbow nastily protruded.

Check out the gruesome ending to the UFC Fight Night 200 opener below:

UFC Fight Night 200 took place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

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UFC Fight Night 200 play-by-play and live results

Check out live play-by-play and official results from UFC Fight Night 200 in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 200 event, and you can join us for live play-by-play and official results beginning at 4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. PT).

UFC Fight Night 200 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

In the main event, Jack Hermansson (22-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) takes on the streaking Sean Strickland (24-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) at middleweight. In the middleweight co-feature, Nick Maximov (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) meets Punahele Soriano (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC).

Follow along with our round-by-round updates and official results beginning at approximately 4 p.m. ET for the prelims on ESPN+ and 7 p.m. ET for the main card on ESPN+.

To discuss the show, be sure to check out our UFC Fight Night 200 discussion thread. You can also get behind-the-scenes coverage and other event notes from on-site reporters John Morgan (@MMAjunkieJohn) and Ken Hathaway (@kenshathaway) on Twitter.

Enjoy the fights, everyone.

UFC Fight Night 200 weigh-in highlights, faceoffs and photo gallery

Check out the video highlights and photo gallery from the UFC Fight Night 200 weigh-ins and faceoffs in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – All the pre-fight activities are in the books for UFC Fight Night 200 following Friday’s official weigh-ins and fighter faceoffs.

In the main event, Jack Hermansson (22-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) and Sean Strickland (24-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) meet in a middleweight bout between two top-ranked contenders looking to make their case for a title shot.

At the conclusion of the official weigh-ins, the fighters came face to face for final staredowns. Check out the highlights in the video above and a photo gallery from the weigh-ins and faceoffs below.

UFC Fight Night 200 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex. The entire card streams on ESPN+.

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UFC Fight Night 200 weigh-in results and live video stream (noon ET)

Check out the results from the official UFC Fight Night 200 fighter weigh-ins, featuring Jack Hermansson vs. Sean Strickland.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Friday’s official UFC Fight Night 200 fighter weigh-ins, which kick off at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

The weigh-ins take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The same venue hosts Saturday’s card, which streams on ESPN+.

Among those weighing in are Jack Hermansson (22-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) and Sean Strickland (24-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC), who meet in the middleweight main event. In addition, Nick Maximov (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) takes on Punahele Soriano (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in the middleweight co-feature.

The full UFC Fight Night 200 weigh-in results include:

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)

  • Jack Hermansson () vs. Sean Strickland ()
  • Nick Maximov () vs. Punahele Soriano ()
  • Carlston Harris () vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov ()
  • Brendan Allen () vs. Sam Alvey ()
  • Bryan Battle () vs. Tresean Gore ()
  • Julian Erosa () vs. Steven Peterson ()

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)

  • John Castaneda () vs. Miles Johns ()
  • Hakeem Dawodu () vs. Mike Trizano ()
  • Marc-Andre Barriault () vs. Chidi Njokuani ()
  • Alexis Davis () vs. Julija Stoliarenko ()
  • Jailton Almeida () vs. Danilo Marques ()
  • Phil Rowe () vs. Jason Witt ()
  • Denys Bondar () vs. Malcolm Gordon ()

UFC Fight Night 200 breakdown: Will Sean Strickland’s pressure be too much for Jack Hermansson?

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom takes a look at the main event clash between Jack Hermansson and Sean Strickland.

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MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main event for UFC Fight Night 200 .

UFC Fight Night 200 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

Brendan Allen may not know the time in Las Vegas, but he’s ready for short-notice scrap vs. Sam Alvey

Brendan Allen may not know what time it is in Las Vegas, but he’s in town and ready for a fight.

LAS VEGAS – Stepping in on short notice against a UFC veteran is no problem for [autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag], although the whirlwind of everything coming together so quickly has him befuddled.

Allen (17-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC) will step into the cage at the UFC Apex on Saturday to face Sam Alvey, who has just as many UFC appearances as Allen has total professional bouts. Regardless of who he will be facing at UFC Fight Night 200, Allen is still trying to get his bearings after signing up for the short-notice fight after eating lunch on Tuesday.

“Here I am in Vegas, like 30 minutes ago,” Allen told MMA Junkie and other reporters at media day. “I don’t even know what time it is. I don’t know what’s going on, to be honest. All I can tell you is that I’m fighting Saturday and I gotta be at 206 (pounds) on Friday. That’s all I know.”

Typically a middleweight competitor, Allen will meet Alvey (33-16-1 MMA, 10-11-1 UFC) at light heavyweight, considering the late-notice nature of the contest. Despite not being in ideal fighting shape, Allen told his manager he wanted to fight, and when the short-notice opportunity presented itself to face Alvey, he couldn’t turn down the chance.

“I’m coming to get the bad taste out of my mouth from the last outing,” Allen said. “Obviously, to make money for my family, you know? New house, kids – it ain’t cheap. So, gotta do something for ’em.”

In December, Allen suffered his second loss under the UFC banner, falling to Chris Curtis in the second round. The setback snapped a two-fight win streak that followed his first loss in the UFC, which came by the hands of Saturday’s headliner, Sean Strickland. While their connection is apparent and they have a history of trash talk, Allen won’t turn his focus towards Stickland should he defeat Alvey.

“Of course, I’d like to fight him again,” Allen said. “Of course, I’m crazy in my head, probably. I feel like I’m better than him. It was just his night. Same thing with Chris. I got caught (by) both of ’em. Got caught. …No Sean Strickland call out. I know I’m a ways away from that now after this last one, but for me, it’s just about getting wins and not letting people build off of me, especially when it’s not the best me.”

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Jack Hermansson aiming for perfect performance, then ‘I think people want to see Jack Hermansson and Adesanya’

Jack Hermansson knows recent setbacks have slowed his chase of the UFC title but thinks he’s not as far away as you might think.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag] knows recent setbacks to Marvin Vettori and Jared Cannonier have slowed his chase of the UFC’s middleweight title. However, he also thinks that the state of the division may mean he’s not as far away from a title shot as you might think.

“I feel I am at my peak right now, and I’m just getting better,” Hermansson told MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s media day at the UFC Apex. “It has been a few up and downs, but the margin for error is so small in this sport, and I just need to put everything together – and when I do that, I know that I can become the best.”

Hermansson (22-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) faces another stiff challenge in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 200 when he takes on Sean Strickland (24-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) at the UFC Apex in a headliner that streams on ESPN+. It’s a big one at 185 pounds, with Hermansson sitting at No. 8 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie middleweight rankings and Strickland just behind at No. 10.

Hermansson believes the booking proves where the promotion believes he stands.

“I’m super happy to be in this position,” Hermansson said. “I think you’re privileged as a fighter to be headlining a card, and it means that the UFC are appreciating you and see you as one of their main fighters.”

Hermansson said he has respect for Strickland’s skills and is expecting a stern test in the matchup. However, he also believes he’s capable of doing something spectacular in the contest.

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“He’s a guy who has a great record, and in middleweights, he’s undefeated,” Hermansson said. “He looks great. Great win streak, so you’ve got to give it to him. He’s a guy that always comes forward, full pressure, and most people seem to have trouble to handle that.

“You know, you’re always trying to do your best, but I visualize it. It’s in my mind. I don’t want to do a tough, long, grueling fight against Sean Strickland. I want to have a perfect performance, so precision, perfection, early, nice, clean victory. Dominance. That’s what I’m looking for.”

Should he be able to execute that plan, Hermansson believes very big things will follow. After all, at next week’s UFC 271 event, the middleweight title will be on the line with champ Israel Adesanya in a rematch with former titleholder Robert Whittaker, and fellow top contenders Derek Brunson and Jared Cannonier also booked on the card.

With that in mind, Hermansson believes there is a real opportunity for him to make a push to the very top of the division with a big win.

“I’m always trying to find my way up there,” Hermansson said. “You have a couple of guys that are fighting, and it’s going to be interesting to see how it goes, but I feel with a great win here, I’m putting myself next in line.

“I do a good enough performance, you know, and then it depends on the other contenders. Brunson, Cannonier, how will they perform? Are they going to do an exciting fight or not? You know, we have had a lot of rematches just lately. Vettori against Adesanya. Now Whittaker against Adesanya. Do we want to see Brunson against Adesanya? I’m not sure. You know, I think people want to see Jack Hermansson and Adesanya.”

To see the full interview with Hermansson, check out the video above.

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