Tag: UFC Fight Night 212

Nevada suspends Ilir Latifi three months, sets precedent for athletes competing with non-disclosed injury or illness

Nevada vows to crack down on fighters who compete ill or injured after a recent situation with UFC heavyweight Ilir Latifi.

The Nevada Athletic Commission now has precedent when it comes to disciplining fighters who compete injured or ill but do not disclose their health ailments.

On Wednesday, the NAC suspended UFC heavyweight [autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag] for three months after he competed Oct. 1 at UFC Fight Night 212 with a possible staph infection. Latifi revealed the ailment in his in-cage interview and said he fought with a swollen leg and fever.

While his purse was not fined, Latifi won’t fight until Jan. 1 and will have to pay legal fees for the commission’s process.

In October, the commission said Latifi failed to inform the promotion or commission of his infection prior to admitting it on camera. The commission called the decision “risky” and added the “behavior cannot be tolerated.”

Nevada commissioners declared the suspension a precedent for similar issues going forward. The commission also denoted harsher punishments could come in the future, depending on the circumstances surrounding each incident.

One commissioner also mentioned a recent incident involving Darrick Minner, a fighter who allegedly competed injured, which drove a suspicious betting line the UFC is currently investigating. The commission said it too will investigate the matter to see if Minner did not disclose an injury.

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MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month for October: A bloody Bellator brawl

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from October 2022.

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from October 2022: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for October.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.

Nominees

MMA Junkie’s Knockout of the Month for October: Roman Dolidze flattens Phil Hawes

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from October 2022.

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from October 2022: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Knockout of the Month award for October.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.

Nominees

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Oct. 18: Alexa Grasso climbs at flyweight

Check out our MMA rankings update after UFC Fight Night 212 in Las Vegas.

UFC was the only major promotion in action this week, and its headliner caused a move in the Oct. 22 edition of the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.

The main event of UFC Fight Night 212 saw [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] defeat Viviane Araujo, making her case for a flyweight title shot stronger. Entering the week at No. 12, Grasso’s unanimous decision victory sees her climb up to the No. 10 spot.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings below.

Cub Swanson says ‘no excuses’ for UFC Fight Night 212 loss to Jonathan Martinez, ‘felt great at 135’

Thirty-fight UFC veteran Cub Swanson dropped to bantamweight and lost to Jonathan Martinez by second-round TKO.

Things didn’t go how [autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag] hoped in his bantamweight debut at UFC Fight Night 212. While still seemingly upbeat, he is undecided about where his most recent loss leaves him.

On Monday, Swanson (28-13 MMA, 18-12 UFC) opened up about the loss for the first time in an Instagram post in which he congratulated opponent Jonathan Martinez (17-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) for his second-round TKO win by leg kicks.

“Congrats to @martinez3jonathan on the Big ‘W’ on Saturday,” Swanson wrote. “No excuses I felt great at 135 but Martinez came to scrap 🙂 I plan on spending some time with my family and take my time before deciding my next move I appreciate everyone who supports me on this crazy journey.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cj01Eb7PLUs/?igshid=ZjA0NjI3M2I%3D

Swanson, 38, dropped to 1-2 in his most recent three and 3-2 in his past five. A member of the UFC roster since 2011, Swanson has competed 30 times for the promotion.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 212.

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Tatsuro Taira thinks he could be three wins away from UFC title shot

Take a look inside Tatsuro Taira’s second-round submission of CJ Vergara on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 212 in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Tatsuro Taira[/autotag] beat CJ Vergara with a second-round submission Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 212 in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Taira, who stayed unbeaten and got his first finish in the UFC after a decision win in his promotional debut in May.

Jacob Malkoun explains decision to not go after Nick Maximov’s leg

Take a look inside Jacob Malkoun’s unanimous decision win over Nick Maximov on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 212 in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Jacob Malkoun[/autotag] beat Nick Maximov with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 212 in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Malkoun, who capitalized on what appeared to be a first-round Malkoun lower leg injury and used takedowns to control the fight.

MMA Junkie Radio #3303: Guest Jon Anik, UFC Fight Night 212 recap, Alexa Grasso, UFC 280 preview, more

Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”


Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,303, the boys welcome in guest Jon Anik, the UFC’s lead play-by-play voice who will call UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. In addition, they look back at this past Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 212 card; discuss the event’s big newsmakers, Aspen Ladd and Cub Swanson; look ahead to UFC 280 and its two title fights; and more. Tune in!

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.

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Raphael Assuncao admits retirement thoughts loomed before UFC Fight Night 212 win: ‘It’s a big relief for sure’

Before UFC Fight Night 212, retirement thoughts snuck in Raphael Assuncao’s brain. He’s glad he didn’t have to cross that bridge – yet.

LAS VEGAS – If [autotag]Raphael Assuncao[/autotag] lost at UFC Fight Night 212, it could’ve been his final fight.

But luckily for him, he’ll never know because he wasn’t faced with that decision. Instead, Assuncao (28-9 MMA, 15-8 UFC) defeated [autotag]Victor Henry[/autotag] (22-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC) by unanimous decision Saturday to snap a four-fight skid.

“It’s a big relief for sure. There are no other words there,” Assuncao told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “… When I turned 40, either I’ll retire or I’ll give it one more shot to put myself to the test and start to do good about it.”

Assuncao has long been a perennial contender, but he admits with the string of losses doubt crept into his mind. He revealed a loss Saturday would’ve likely been his curtain call – at least at bantamweight.

“To be honest, probably (I would’ve retired),” Assuncao said. “Probably, just because, and I’m not being proud about it – I’m not being super proud about this – I would’ve probably made a switch to featherweight. I’m not positive if I would still be in the UFC. I don’t know. With five losses, it’s probably not a good number to be in the UFC. If I decided not to retire had I lost today, I probably would’ve moved up in weight class because I felt like I was losing muscle. It’s just mentalizing all these things. Unfortunately, you have to think of the loss. It worked out fine.”

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Mental adjustments, including a fresh start at Xtreme Couture, were the biggest changes for Assuncao, who visibly broke down inside the cage upon the official decision reading.

“As I showcased up in the cage there, (there) were a lot of emotions,” Assuncao said. “I was doing some math work over there. I haven’t won a fight since 2018. There were a lot of ups and downs, but we made it happen. I made some changes, as I mentioned also: new team, new camp, new everything. It worked out well. I’m very glad.”

Even with his UFC Fight Night 212 win, Assuncao thinks the end is likely near. He’s not done yet, but tries to soak in enjoyment in the twilight of his competitive career. While his competition will eventually cease, MMA will always be a part of his life in some capacity.

“We’re getting close to the end,” Assuncao said. “I don’t want to cry about this right now. We’re getting close to the end. I’ll definitely be (at Xtreme Couture), even if I’m not actively (competing). Like I said, if I decide to retire, I’ll still be around to help the guys.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 212.

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Alonzo Menifield was genuinely concerned for Misha Cirkunov after brutal UFC Fight Night 212 knockout

Following a brutal knockout at UFC Fight Night 212, Alonzo Menifield was concerned during its aftermath as Misha Cirkunov struggled.

LAS VEGAS – A knockout was his goal, but that doesn’t mean [autotag]Alonzo Menifield[/autotag] felt comfortable once he pulled it off.

At UFC Fight Night 212, Menifield (13-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) brutally knocked out [autotag]Misha Cirkunov[/autotag] (15-9 MMA, 6-7 UFC) with a series of punches. The stoppage came 68 seconds into the bout.

“The feeling was great, but I was concerned about him,” Menifield told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at a post-fight news conference Saturday. “You hear him huffing and puffing, ‘Ahh … ahh.’ I’m looking, like, ‘OK, he’s not getting up.’ I was concerned. He got up, so I was able to enjoy fully that feeling.”

Menifield, 34, said he has nothing but respect for Cirkunov, who fell to 0-4 in his most recent four appearances. Health and wellbeing is paramount, Menifield emphasized.

“Misha, overall, is a great opponent as far as being in the sport,” Menifield said. “Any time you’ve got two warriors in there and one of them don’t get up, you should get concerned. I know I would. At the same time, this is the fight game. When he got up, yeah, I was relieved.”

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After the fight, Menifield elected to leave Cirkunov alone and let him regain his bearings. There was no sense in having a conversation that wouldn’t be remembered, Menifield said.

“He’s got to come to it, so as far as saying anything to him, it wouldn’t matter,” Menifield said. “If I can relay this message to him: Great fight. You caught me, man. I really had to dig deep and pull that out.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 212.

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