Tag: UFC Fight Night 207

Damon Jackson eyes spot on UFC 277 in Dallas, wants veteran fight vs. Darren Elkins

Damon Jackson makes a couple of requests for the UFC following his victory at UFC Fight Night 207.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Damon Jackson[/autotag] has two requests for the UFC brass.

The UFC featherweight is hoping to get a spot on the upcoming UFC 277 event in Dallas on July 30, and also get a fight booking against fellow veteran Darren Elkins. These goals come after Jackson (21-4-1 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC) extended his winning streak to three in a row on Saturday night at UFC Fight Night 27 in Las Vegas.

Jackson defeated newcomer Daniel Argueta by a unanimous decision on the preliminary portion of the card.

The 33-year-old fights out of Dallas and says an opportunity to fight there would be a meaningful moment in his career.

“Dana (White), Sean (Shelby), you guys give me that Dallas card,” Jackson said. “People don’t know this, but I was born and raised about an hour from Dallas, so having that fight there is as close to a hometown fight as I could ever get.

“My entire pro career has been based out of Dallas. So I was 3-0 when I moved to Dallas and I’ve been fighting there since 2013, so it would just be incredible to fight at the American Airlines Center. … It would just be cool as hell. And I told my kids, you know, I would never let them come to the (UFC) Apex, I would never let them go to a different country to watch me fight, but I was like, if I fight in Dallas, I was like, you guys can go. We’ll get a box, and we’ll just sit you guys up in the box and you can see. It would be so cool to fight in Dallas and be in front of my family and friends.”

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The placement on UFC 277 is a priority for Jackson. But if he could add the cherry on top and make a second order, Jackson would love to fight Elkins, who last fought at the end of April and has yet to be booked for a return.

“I want Darren Elkins,” Jackson said. “I would love to have that fight. He’s a guy that you call and he’s going to be like, ‘Yeah, I’ll be there, whatever.’ He’s down to fight. I know he would bring the fight for sure and I would love that fight, you know? Whoever they call me to fight, I’ll take it. I’m not going to turn a fight down and I think Sean (Shelby) knows that and I think everyone knows that if you want to call me out, I’m game. Let’s go.”

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Now 3-0 in the UFC, Erin Blanchfield sets sight on winner of Maycee Barber vs. Jessica Eye

Erin Blanchfield calls for the winner of Maycee Barber vs. Jessica Eye following her UFC Fight Night 207 victory.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag] feels ready for a step up in competition.

The 23-year-old flyweight prospect wants a shot at ranked opposition following her latest win inside the octagon. Blanchfield (9-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) extended her unbeaten run in the UFC, submitting JJ Aldrich at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 207 at the UFC Apex.

Following her win, Blanchfield made her intentions known by calling out the winner of the upcoming UFC 276 bout between Jessica Eye and Maycee Barber.

“I think either of those girls would be a great fight for me,” Blanchfield told reporters at the UFC Fight Night 207 post-fight presser. “If not, I definitely want someone in the rankings. I’m 3-0 now in the UFC and I think I deserve that.”

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Blanchfield thinks a step up in competition is due given her body of work. Ideally, she’d like to lock horns with the winner of Barber vs. Eye, but she has no preference on facing either fighter.

Blanchfield expects a competitive bout between the two flyweights at the pay-per-view event.

“I think they’re both pretty even skill-wise,” Blanchfield explained. “I think maybe Barber is a little more aggressive, but so is Eye. I’m not really sure who’s going to win that, but I think it’s going to be a scrappy fight. It’s going to be a war. But I can see either girl winning, I’m not sure.”

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Karolina Kowalkiewicz credits old foe Joanna Jedrzejczyk for UFC Fight Night 207 win: ‘I am here because of you’

“J.J., thank you very much. I am here because of you,” Karolina Kowalkiewicz said post-fight.

LAS VEGAS – Sacrifice and changes: [autotag]Karolina Kowalkiewicz[/autotag] made plenty of them ahead of her bout at UFC Fight Night 207.

In the roughest stretch of her career and with her back potentially up against the wall, Kowalkiewicz (13-7 MMA, 6-7 UFC) proved the sacrifices and changes worth it when Saturday she submitted Felice Herrig (14-10 MMA, 5-5 UFC) in Round 2 of their strawweight bout at the UFC Apex.

“I feel amazing I won this fight,” Kowalkiewicz told MMA Junkie and other reporters teary-eyed at a post-fight news conference. “I’m back. I’m back. It’s great.”

The most profound life change ahead of this fight was an up-and-move across the world, from her usual training grounds of her home country Poland to Coconut Creek, Fla., and American Top Team.

“Before this fight, I changed everything,” Kowalkiewicz said. “I knew this was my last chance to do something. I left my family, my dogs in Poland. I came to ATT in Florida. I spent two months alone without my friends, my family, my husband, my dogs. I trained with Coach Parrumpa and with Coach Anderson. I trusted them and now I won my fight.”

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Why did Kowalkiewicz choose American Top Team for her relocation? It’s a funny story, actually, which involves a former multi-time opponent, [autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag], who is a longtime member of the South Florida powerhouse.

“It was a hard decision, but I knew it would be good for me,” Kowalkiewicz said. “… Joanna helped me to organize this whole fight camp. J.J., thank you very much. I am here because of you. This winning is teamwork.”

The victory snapped a five-fight losing skid for Kowalkiewicz, who hadn’t won a bout since April 2018. While mentally the lengthy skid was a hurdle, Kowalkiewicz ultimately determined she would continue to follow her dreams as her passion is evergreen.

“It’s easy to love this sport when you are champion, when you’re winning your fights,” Kowalkiewicz said. “But when you start losing, when you lose, one, two, three fights, and you still love it, it means you are still a real martial artist. I’m a martial artist. I love MMA. I love UFC. I love to be a part of UFC. This is my home. What can I say? This is my home.”

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Jairzinho Rozenstruik questions Herb Dean’s stoppage in loss: ‘I’m kinda confused’

Jairzinho Rozenstruik doesn’t feel like Herb Dean gave him a fair shake in the UFC Fight Night 207 main event.

[autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] doesn’t feel like Herb Dean gave him a fair shake in the UFC Fight Night 207 main event.

Rozenstruik (12-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) came out on the wrong end of a first-round TKO in Saturday’s heavyweight headliner with Alexander Volkov (35-10 MMA, 9-4 UFC) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

After landing a few good shots of his own in the early moments of the bout, Volkov landed clean on Rozenstruik and send him wobbling into the fence. Rozenstruik tried to stand up, but he got hit with some more blows, and the referee Dean decided he’d seen enough and waved things off.

Rozenstruik admits he was in a compromising spot, but said he was “kinda confused” he wasn’t allowed to try to fight back – or get put out cold (via Twitter):

(1/2) Hi everyone. I’m kinda confused on how the fight went and I’m disappointed that it was stopped. It definitly was a troubling situation, but I was far from giving up the fight. Did someone lay flat on the ground with his eyes shut? That’s what we call a knockout. #UFCVegas56

(2/2) Alexander and I basically just started exchanging some heavy strikes. The stuff you ‘all wanted to see! Big up to @AlexDragoVolkov for taking the fight. I’ve no noteable damage and I like to fight soon. #UFCVegas56

With the defeat, Rozenstruik is now on the first losing skid of his MMA career. He’s dropped three of his past four fights overall, and now the 34-year-old from Suriname has to figure out how to get back on track.

Alexander Volkov doesn’t think stoppage of Jairzinho Rozenstruik was early: ‘He was in bad position’

Wether the stoppage was early or not, Alexander Volkov says the finish was coming for Jairzinho Rozenstruik.

[autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] thinks his finish of Jairzinho Rozenstruik was inevitable.

The UFC heavyweight contender doesn’t feel his TKO win over Rozenstruik came prematurely in the main event of UFC Fight Night 207, which took place on Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Volkov (35-10 MMA, 9-4 UFC) picked up a quick TKO in the first round after wobbling Rozenstruik with a straight right hand and following up with more punches. Rozenstruik, who dropped to one knee briefly during the flurry from Volkov, protested referee Herb Dean’s call immediately after the fight was waived.

Volkov says he did his job and a full knockout was coming if the referee didn’t intervene.

“The moment I hit him he was a little bit knocked out,” Volkov told reporters at the UFC Fight Night 207 post-fight press conference. “He wasn’t fully fresh, so it was a big opportunity to knock him out to the end because he was almost on the mat. I was ready to throw him down and continue my work, so anyway he was in bad position.

“The referee stopped this fight, but anyway he was in a little bit bad position and he took some of my hard punches and he was a little bit knocked out. It’s not my fault, ask the referee not me. I did my job.”

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With the win, Volkov was able to bounce back from his loss to Tom Aspinall earlier this year in London. The 33-year-old is unsure what’s next for his career given the state of the division with top contenders booked and the champion Francis Ngannou out due to injury and contract disputes.

So for now, Volkov will enjoy the win and prepare for whatever comes his way.

“I’m happy,” Volkov said. “I’m happy to come back to the winning way and I’m just happy. I did all the plan that I had for this fight. Everything was perfect. Nothing went wrong and everything went in a perfect way.”

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Former UFC contender Felice Herrig retires from MMA: ‘It’s time to close this chapter of my life’

UFC strawweight Felice Herrig decides to hang up the gloves after her fourth-straight loss.

[autotag]Felice Herrig[/autotag]’s MMA career has come to an end.

The former UFC contender has decided to hang up the gloves following her submission loss at Saturday’s UFCFight Night 207. Herrig, who returned to the octagon after almost a two-year layoff due to injury, was submitted by Karolina Kowalkiewicz in the second round of their strawweight contest.

Immediately after the bout, Herrig (14-10 MMA, 5-5 UFC) left her gloves in the middle of the octagon and announced her retirement from the sport.

“It’s been an honor being in the UFC for eight years, and fighting for 20,” Herrig told Paul Felder in her in-cage, post-fight interview. “The biggest thing for me is I had two ACL surgeries and I really wanted to not go out like that. I really wanted to prove to myself that I can overcome two knee surgeries and come back and still fight at the highest level.

“I felt better than ever in training, my mind felt great and I had so much positive energy around me and great coaches. But I knew if I wasn’t feeling it in the cage, it was going to be my last fight. Not in a bad way, I just feel like there’s something else for me and it’s time to close this chapter of my life. Which is really sad, because I’ve committed the last 20 years to it. But it’s just time to move on to something else.”

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Herrig says she’s done with MMA, but she’s not closing the door on all combat sports. Herrig, who went 23-5 as a professional kickboxer prior to starting MMA, is open to trying her hand at boxing is the opportunity comes around.

But as far as her MMA career, Herrig has mixed feelings. Not only did she lose the love for fighting in the cage, but she also feels like she could’ve achieved more than she did.

“I’m proud and I’m not proud,” Herrig said at the UFC Fight Night 207 post-fight press conference in regards to her career. “I feel like my anxiety for so long got, like my anxiety about the scale. I had a lot of eating disorders which helped me not perform so well. I had a lot of anxiety about the sport and the media. I was like I can’t way this in my interviews because they’ll take it like this. I feel like I could’ve done more.

“And I know I did a lot, but I think that’s what’s so hard. I’m leaving the sport like a physically capable human being. I’m not like a lot of people like, ‘Oh it’s time to hang up the gloves because this sloppy girl, her body has gone to sh*t. Everything has gone to sh*t.’ I physically feel great. I don’t know if the sport has worn on me. … If you’re not doing what you love anymore, then there’s no point of me staying.”

Herrig retires with 25 professional fights under her belt. She’s mainly known for her lengthy run in the UFC, but she also competed in other major organizations such as Bellator and Invicta FC.

Throughout her career, Herrig defeated notable opposition such as Alexa Grasso, Cortney Casey, Kailin Curran and others. She also earned one $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus and was in a co-main event of a UFC Fight night card.

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UFC Fight Night 207 bonuses: Two debuting fighters among four winners

Check out who took home an extra $50,000 for their performance at UFC Fight Night 207 in Las Vegas.

UFC Fight Night 207 was an exciting event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas that saw finishes from the opening bout to the main event.

Nine of the 14 total fights ended early, giving the official judges an easy night at the office. The decision makers had plenty of options to choose from, but two debuting fighters, who both happen to be Dana White’s Contender Series veterans, caught their eye when it came time to issue bonuses.

Newcomer to the women’s flyweight division Karine Silva pulled off a first-round D’arce choke of Poliana Botelho with just seconds remaining in the first round. It was a slick finish after a solid round of work, and it was a strong enough performance on a card filled with finishes to earn an extra $50,000.

Check out who all earned a bonus for their performance at UFC Fight Night 207 below.

UFC Fight Night 207 results: Alexander Volkov earns quick TKO over Jairzinho Rozenstruik

UFC heavyweight contender Alexander Volkov scores his first win in 2022, stopping Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC Fight Night 207.

[autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] is back in the win column.

The UFC heavyweight contender picked up a quick TKO win in his return to the octagon at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 207 in Las Vegas. Volkov (35-10 MMA, 9-4 UFC) defeated [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] after referee Herb Dean waived off the fight at the 2:12 mark of Round 1. Rozenstruik (12-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) was still on his feet at the time of the stoppage but he was visibly hurt.

The stoppage was initiated after Volkov countered a wild, combination by Rozenstruik. The Russian fighter stayed composed through the flurry of big punches, reset his position and landed a sharp, straight right hand to the jaw of Rozenstruik. From there, “Bigi Boy” was wobbled and Volkov continued his attack, even sending Rozenstruik’s mouthpiece flying out before the fight was stopped.

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With this result, Volkov was able to bounce back from his loss to Tom Aspinall earlier this year in London. The Russian fighter has been alternating wins and losses since 2021 – defeating Alistair Overeem, Marcin Tybura and now Rozenstruik; and losing to Ciryl Gane and Aspinall.

Meanwhile, Rozenstruik now has back-to-back defeats for the first time in his professional MMA career. Rozenstruik was coming off a decision loss to Curtis Blaydes last September at UFC 266. Rozenstruik’s last win came in June 2021 when he stopped Brazil’s Augusto Sakai by first-round TKO.

Up-to-the-minute results of UFC Fight Night 207 include:

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Twitter reacts to Alexander Volkov’s TKO of Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC Fight Night 207

See the top Twitter reactions to Alexander Volkov’s win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the UFC Fight Night 207 main event.

[autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] returned to the win column on Saturday when he defeated [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] in the UFC Fight Night 207 main event.

Volkov (35-10 MMA, 9-4 UFC) bounced back from a submission loss to Tom Aspinall in March with a first-round TKO victory over Rozenstruik (12-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) in the heavyweight headliner, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Volkov’s victory over Rozenstruik at UFC Fight Night 207.

UFC Fight Night 207 results: Movsar Evloev dominates Dan Ige, declares ‘I am the next champion’

Movsar Evloev called out “bullsh*t guy” Arnold Allen after dominating Dan Ige to move to 16-0 at UFC Fight Night 207.

[autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] added a signature win to his perfect record on Saturday when he defeated [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag] in the UFC Fight Night 207 co-main event.

Evloev (16-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) used a well-rounded attack centered largely around striking to bust up Ige’s (15-6 MMA, 7-5 UFC) face over the course of three rounds in the featherweight bout at the UFC Apex. As a result, he left with a unanimous decision win by scores of 30-26, 30-27, 30-27.

Ige opened the fight with punching pressure, but it only took a few minutes for Evloev to get respect as he landed some good punches and a flying knee that staggered his opponent. Evloev controlled Ige in the latter half of the round with waist-lock takedowns, but Ige avoided being held down for too long or caught in any submission positions.

Evloev continued his momentum in the second round. He continued to attack the head and body of Ige with his punches and knees. He added in a late takedown and ground-and-pound, establishing a clear lead on the scorecards going into the final frame.

After Ige’s cornerman Eric Nicksick of Xtreme Couture pleaded with his fighter to empty the gas tank in the final round, Evloev came out and got a takedown within the first 25 seconds of the frame. Ige was desperate to get up or scramble free, but Evloev stuck to him like glue and burned minutes off the clock with riding time. Ige has no answers down the stretch, and Evloev cruised to a clear win.

“Feeling great – thank you for everybody,” Evloev said in his post-fight interview with Paul Felder. “Thank you much and all my team and all my corners. I think me with my opponent deserve Fight of the Night, and next one I need a big name for a title shot. I am the next champion.”

Additionally, Evloev said he would be happy to fight “bullsh*t” guy Arnold Allen next.

With four straight UFC wins at 145 pounds, Evloev has the fourth-longest active streak in the division behind Allen (nine), Alexander Volkanovski (nine) and Bryce Mitchell (six).

Ige, meanwhile, has now dropped three consecutive fights and four of his past five since going on a seven-fight winning streak in the division.

Up-to-the-minute results of UFC Fight Night 207 include: