The final UFC event of 2022 caused some moves in this week’s rankings update, including some moves in the flyweight division.
The UFC wrapped up its calendar year with UFC Fight Night 216 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and the event produced a number of moves in this week’s rankings update.
While the main event was a top-tier middleweight matchup between [autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag] and [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag], the names surrounding either fighter on the rankings are tough to cause a big jump. Cannonier remains at No. 4 after picking up the split decision win, while Strickland falls one spot to No. 8.
The division that saw the most movement this week was the men’s flyweights, which saw two of the division’s rising contenders pick up wins, ultimately shaking up the bottom half of the rankings. [autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag] defeated Allessandro Costa and [autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag] beat David Dvorak. Albazi entered the week at No. 12, but climbs to the No. 10 spot. Kape, who was among the honorable mentions last week, now finds a number next to his name as he settles at No. 13.
Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.
Henry Cejudo believes the future is bright for UFC flyweight Amir Albazi after watching him fight this past weekend.
[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag] has emerged as a top flyweight contender after UFC Fight Night 216.
Albazi (16-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) knocked out Alessandro Costa this past Saturday at the UFC Apex, showing that he’s not just a submission specialist. Although Albazi’s win came over a short-notice replacement making his UFC debut, it’s the fashion in which he put Costa away and the work he’s done in his octagon run that have impressed Cejudo.
“The flyweight guy that everybody needs to keep their eyes on, I’m talking about Amir Albazi,” Cejudo said on his YouTube channel. “He’s going to be a nightmare for anybody at 125 pounds. He has grit, he has the mentality, he was able to show, especially in his fight against Alessandro from Brazil, how he was able to knock him out.
“At flyweight when you’re able to catch these uppercuts, these hooks, these right hands on people, and you’re able to fold them and put them out, those are the guys that you really want to watch out for. Those are the dangerous guys. Those are the guys that, when I see him, I see a very technical guy that knows when to take risk at the right time.”
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Cejudo even issued a warning to UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo, whom he helped coach in his most recent title-winning performance against Brandon Moreno.
Cejudo, a former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champ, mapped out a plan for Albazi to earn a title shot and doesn’t think he’s too far off.
“I personally called Deiveson Figueiredo and let him know, ‘Hey, man, keep your eye on this guy, because this guy does produce power,'” Cejudo said. “He could wrestle, he could defend, he’s a pretty well rounded fighter, and if I was a 125 pounds, which I’m not no more, I’d keep my eyes on him.
“I do believe in the future, this guy is a future title contender. He’s got anywhere between one to two fights before he fights for the title. I can see him fighting against Matheus Nicolau. If I was him, that’s the fight that I would call out and then call out a Kai Kara-France or somebody in that top three, top four, and you will get the next title shot.”
UFC Fight Night 216 winners and losers react on social media outlets such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Since the early days when the sport was anything but a mainstream endeavor, the MMA industry has thrived and survived through various websites, forums, and – perhaps most importantly – social-media platforms.
Fighters interact with fans, each other and many more through the likes of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, which helps outsiders get a deeper look into the minds of the athletes.
Following Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 216 in Las Vegas, several of the winning and losing fighters, along with their coaches, training partners or family members, took to social media to react to the event or share a message with supporters.
After his win over Jake Matthews, whom he considers one of the UFC’s best, Matt Semelsberger is looking forward to the future.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Matt Semelsberger[/autotag] beat Jake Matthews with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 216 in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Semelsberger, who pulled off the event’s biggest upset with his win.
After a stoppage win in her previous fight, Cory McKenna was glad to show off a few new things in a 15-minute effort at UFC Fight Night 216.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Cory McKenna[/autotag] beat Cheyanne Vlismas with a unanimous decision Saturday to close out the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 216 in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with McKenna, who won for the second straight time.
After his UFC Fight Night 216 win, Said Nurmagomedov said he might start chirping a little more in the new year and see where it takes him.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag] beat Saidyokub Kakhramonov with a second-round submission Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 216 in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Nurmagomedov, who rallied from a rough first round to pull off a guillotine choke for the win.
Michal Oleksiejczuk sees Chris Curtis as the perfect fight to break into the UFC middleweight rankings.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag] sees [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag] as the perfect fight to break into the UFC middleweight rankings.
Oleksiejczuk (18-5 MMA, 6-3 UFC) scored a first-round Performance of the Night knockout of Cody Brundage in this past Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 216 event at the UFC Apex.
In his post-fight interview, Oleksiejczuk called out [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag] (30-9 MMA, 4-1 UFC), who’s coming off a big knockout win over Joaquin Buckley at UFC 282.
“Chris Curtis is a very good fighter, and Chris Curtis is in the top 15 rankings,” Oleksiejczuk told MMA Junkie and other reporters backstage at the UFC Apex. “I want to fight with him, because Chris is a very good fighter, very good striker, and good opponent for me. I want to go to the top. This is my dream.”
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Oleksiejczuk is 2-0 since moving back down to middleweight, where he scored back-to-back first-round knockouts of Sam Alvey and Brundage. It’s a move that has paid dividends for the 27-year-old Polish fighter.
“I think that this is the best fight in my career,” Oleksiejczuk said. “Because I show grappling, and I show very good grappling control, good position, and my punches were very strange.”
He continued, “I think the middleweight division is the ideal weight for me. The light heavyweight division is not good for me, but this division is good because my strength is up, my speed is up. I feel very good in this division.”
Arman Tsarukyan thinks it’s time he gets matched up with the upper echelon of the UFC lightweight division.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] thinks it’s time he gets matched up with the upper echelon of the lightweight division.
Tsarukyan (19-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) returned to the win column when he defeated Damir Ismagulov by unanimous decision in this past Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 216 co-main event at the UFC Apex.
After handing Ismagulov his first octagon loss, Tsarukyan is targeting former champion [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] or streaking top contender [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] next.
“It’s a big fight for me and a big name,” Tsarukyan told MMA Junkie and other reporters of Ismagulov backstage. “Yeah, he’s not in the top five, but he’s tougher than top fighters.”
He continued, “I would like to have my next fight (against) Charles Oliveira or (Beneil) Dariush, because I deserve to have a big name. They don’t have a fight now, and I’m ready.”
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The win over Ismagulov was big for Tsarukyan, but Ismagulov doesn’t carry the ranking that will elevate the 26-year-old to title contention. So if Tsarukyan can’t get a top-ranked opponent next, he has no issues waiting until he’s offered one.
“I don’t get injured. I feel good,” Tsarukyan said. “I’m young, and I can cut weight. If the UFC offered me a big fight, I’m going to be ready in two months. But if they’re going to offer me someone from the top 15, I’m not gonna fight. I’m going to wait like a little bit, improve my skills and go to ATT to train with my coach.
“Because last camp I had in Thailand, because I didn’t have a visa. He got mad. This time, I’ve got to go to Miami, ATT and train with him for a long time and choke everybody. This time, he said I made some mistakes in grappling, and I’m going to improve it, and we’re going to choke everybody.”
UFC bantamweight Sergey Morozov was victorious Saturday in Las Vegas, which made him even happier because it was the first fight on his new contract.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Sergey Morozov[/autotag] beat Journey Newson by unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 216 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Morozov, who swept the scorecards in the first fight on his new contract.
Rafa Garcia was a bloody mess after his win over Hayisaer Maheshate at UFC Fight Night 216.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Rafa Garcia[/autotag] beat Hayisaer Maheshate with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 216 in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Garcia, who was a bloody mess after the fight thanks to a big cut.
