UFC Fight Night 222 – Syndication Server

Daniel Cormier advises Sergei Pavlovich to be backup for Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic UFC title fight

Sergei Pavlovich weighed in as the backup to one Jon Jones title fight already, and Daniel Cormier believes he should do it again.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] should serve as an alternate for [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag].

Pavlovich (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) scored his sixth consecutive first-round knockout when he stopped Curtis Blaydes in this past Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 222 headliner.

Pavlovich said he intends on waiting for the winner of the projected heavyweight title fight between champion Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) and Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC), but Cormier suggests he weighs in as a backup just like he did for Jones’ vacant title fight against Ciryl Gane at UFC 285.

“I weigh in, and I sit there as an alternate,” Cormier said of Pavlovich on his ESPN show “DC & RC.” “I don’t know if I fight again, because against Ciryl Gane, nobody knew it, but he was the alternate. So he sat there, made the weight, and then when Jon and Ciryl fought, he was just out. But he got paid some money. You don’t wanna risk letting your money dry up. You still get paid along the journey while you still may get an opportunity to fight the champion.

“Here’s the thing about those backup fighters. In most cases, especially at heavyweight, if he’s scheduled to fight as a backup, and Stipe and Jon are fighting, if Jones falls out, the fight will be off. If Miocic falls out then they will just slide him in, so he’s not gonna fight Stipe for the belt. He would fight Jones for the belt, so he could prepare as if he’s getting ready to fight Jon Jones and have himself ready to fight him in case he gets the call.”

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UFC president Dana White said the promotion is targeting Jones vs. Miocic at Madison Square Garden in New York this fall. With the tear he’s on, Cormier even thinks Pavlovich fighting former champion Miocic next would be considered a step back.

“I would do that, because anything else now would be fighting backwards,” Cormier added. “Even fighting Stipe would be fighting backwards for Sergei Pavlovich, and I don’t know if right now he needs to do that.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 222.

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, April 25: Patchy Mix takes big jump

Patchy Mix’s Bellator bantamweight grand prix win resulted in a big jump in this week’s divisional rankings.

After a busy combat sports weekend featuring a number of important fights, there were a few big statements made by rising contenders.

[autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] is one of those fighters who made an impact at Bellator 295, and is no longer just a contender, he’s an interim champion. Mix quickly knocked out Raufeon Stots in the Bellator bantamweight grand prix final, earning a piece of the division’s championship, and a $1 million to deposit in the bank. Entering the week at No. 15, Mix’s performance rises him up to the No. 10 spot in this week’s USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie bantamweight rankings.

UFC heavyweight [autotag]Sergei Pavolovich[/autotag] also turned heads this past weekend. After making quick work of Curtis Blaydes in the main event of UFC Fight Night 222, the powerful Russian could find himself next in line for a title shot. This week, he moves up one spot to claim No. 3 in the heavyweight division.

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

Video: Does Sergei Pavlovich deserve to leapfrog Stipe Miocic for Jon Jones title fight?

Sergei Pavlovich as a strong case for a UFC heavyweight title shot RIGHT NOW after his sixth consecutive first-round knockout win.

[autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] is on a tear and setting UFC records.

In the main event of UFC Fight Night 222, the hard-hitting Russian made quick work of Curtis Blaydes, recording his sixth consecutive first-round knockout. Pavlovich wants to wait for the winner of the expected heavyweight title fight between champion Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic, as he feels he has done enough work to warrant a title shot.

Is he right? And how do we like his chances against Jones or Miocic?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, “Gorgeous” George Garcia and Danny Segura answer those questions with host Mike Bohn. You can watch their discussion in the video above and check out this week’s full episode below.

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch this week’s episode in the video above.

William Gomis says no chance he was tapping to Francis Marshall’s chokes: ‘I prefer to die’

William Gomis says Franklin Marshall’s chokes were tight, but there was no way he was tapping.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]William Gomis[/autotag]’s determination to leave victorious in his return to the octagon was high, to say the least.

The UFC featherweight defeated Francis Marshall by split decision at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 222 preliminary card at the UFC Apex. That result was put in jeopardy in the final seconds of the fight, as Marshall (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) attempted two chokes on Gomis (12-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) that appeared very tight.

Gomis was able to escape from both, but he says they came close to putting him out.

“My God, the first thing I thought was, ‘I’m dying,'” Gomis told reporters at the UFC Fight Night 222 post-fight press conference. “I can’t give up. That’s my mentality. I prefer to die. I told myself, ‘Let’s go. Let’s go.'”

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Gomis doesn’t think the fight went exactly as planned, but he is happy with the end result, which put him on a 10-fight winning streak.

“Good performance, it was an easy win,” Gomis said. “I had a good plan with my coach, and the plan didn’t work in the third round. The third round was very hard, but it worked.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 222.

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UFC Fight Night 222’s Jeremiah Wells confident he outpointed Matthew Semelsberger despite knockdowns

Jeremiah Wells knew he had the decision win in the bag at UFC Fight Night 222.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Jeremiah Wells[/autotag] knew he won in his return to the octagon, despite getting knocked down a couple of times in the process.

The UFC welterweight defeated Matthew Semelsberger in the opening bout of the UFC Fight Night 222 main card, which took place on Saturday night at the UFC Apex. Wells (21-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) won a split decision, defeating Semelsberger (11-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC) with two 30-27 scores in his favor, opposite a dissenting 28-29 score for his opponent from the official judges.

“I knew I had at least two rounds,” Wells said at the UFC Fight Night 222 post-fight press conference. “I know he kind of beat me in the first round, but I was confident that I was going to win. I gave myself two rounds because the first round I was knocked down. I was like, ‘Damn.’ I haven’t gotten knocked down in years. I feel like I was a little rusty. I just needed to move my head a little more and fake.”

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Wells did get hurt in the first round, and was touched up again in the second. With the judging criteria favoring damage over anything else, some watching from home thought the fight could lend itself to a difficult scoring.

Wells says it looked worse than it actually was, and that he was fine from the shots taken from Semelsberger.

“I wasn’t hurt at all,” Wells said. “I seen him, I still had control of his legs, and everything. I knew I would get up. … I was surprised about his speed, not his power. He didn’t even hit that hard. His speed was a little faster than I thought.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 222.

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Brady Hiestand calls out Christian Rodriguez, wants to steal hype he took from Raul Rosas

Brady Hiestand wants a fight with Christian Rodriguez, the man who defeated Raul Rosas.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Brady Hiestand[/autotag] knows exactly what he wants next.

The UFC bantamweight is targeting a fight with [autotag]Christian Rodriguez[/autotag] following his latest win in the octagon, as he wants to steal the hype that Rodriguez took from then-unbeaten sensation Raul Rosas earlier this month at UFC 287.

Hiestand (8-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) called out Rodriguez after his TKO win over Danaa Batgerel (12-5 MMA, 3-4 UFC) at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 222 in Las Vegas.

“I saw his fight against Raul Rosas, and I wasn’t super impressed with anything he did,” Hiestand told reporters at the UFC Fight Night 222 post-fight press conference. “I thought he was good, well-rounded, but I like that matchup. We’re both young. He’s what, 25, 26? We both have a lot of growing to do, and I want to take some of his hype that he took from Rosas. So, I want to fight that dude.”

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Hiestand likes Rosas and believes he’ll bounce back from the decision loss to Rodriguez. He just found Rosas’ inexperience to be the determining factor in the fight.

“I got a lot of respect from that kid,” Hiestand said. “We’re very similar in the fact that we’re heavy into grappling. I think he’s got great skills, he was just inexperienced. He’s just young. He blew his load in the first round and got too excited, spammed the double leg. But yeah, I got nothing but respect for that kid.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 222.

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Paul Felder responds to Bobby Green’s bias commentary accusation, apologizes for letting ’emotions into play’

In addition to his apology, Paul Felder let Bobby Green know “there is no need for threats.”

[autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] issued a public apology to [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] on Monday after he was accused of biased commentary at UFC Fight Night 222.

Felder was cageside to call Green’s (29-4-1 MMA, 10-9-1 UFC) fight with Jared Gordon (19-6 MMA, 7-5 UFC) this past Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, which was ruled a no contest due to an accidental clash of heads.

The Nevada Athletic Commission reviewed the footage of the fight-ending sequence in which Gordon went down after clashing heads with Green, who followed up with ground-and-pound to score the stoppage. Felder was pretty animated by what happened to his good friend, Gordon, which angered Green.

“When we see each other, you know what time it is too,” Green said on “The MMA Hour,” speaking directly to Felder. “We’re going to have some words when I see him. I’m gonna wait until we see each other face to face. When we see each other, he knows what time it is too. It’s just like, bro, stop with all that emotional bullsh*t.

“He was over there, ‘Come on!’ I’m like, bro, come on now, bro. Like, do your f*cking job, and then I heard him say that. They told him to calm down. He was too emotional. Do your f*cking job. I felt like he was d*ckriding because he was his homie. He lived with this dude or some sh*t. Bro, don’t d*ckride. Keep that sh*t straight up.”

Felder responded to Green and apologized on social media for overreacting in the moment.

“I understand the criticism,” Felder said. “I got emotional. It was a friend. But it was also a pretty awful clash of heads that almost resulted in a TKO. I respect Green as a fighter. I do apologize for letting my emotions into play, but there is no need for threats. You don’t have to like me.”

I understand the criticism. I got emotional. It was a friend. But it was also a pretty awful clash of heads that almost resulted in a TKO.I respect green as a fighter. I do apologize for letting my emotions into play, but there is no need for threatsYou don’t have to like me 👊🏻

— Paul Felder (@felderpaul) April 24, 2023

Green was visibly upset at the post-fight news conference, storming out of the room after addressing the head clash.

"I need my money": Bobby Green is FURIOUS about his no contest with Jared Gordon. 😡#UFCVegas71 | Full story: https://t.co/3LlxcSCaOB pic.twitter.com/BIM3a9IrE4

— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) April 23, 2023

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 222.

MMA Junkie Radio #3355: UFC Fight Night 222 and Bellator Hawaii recap, Davis Vs Garcia, 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 3,355, the fellas recap a very busy weekend of combat sports. From UFC Fight Night 222 and Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia in Las Vegas, to back-to-back Bellator shows in Hawaii, the guys discuss it all, 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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Norma Dumont wants UFC featherweight title shot, calls out Amanda Nunes for sitting on belt

“This is the time for the UFC to perhaps step in” and give Norma Dumont what she wants.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Norma Dumont[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] should defend her featherweight title or the division move on without her.

Dual champ Nunes (22-5 MMA, 15-2 UFC) hasn’t defended her featherweight title since submitting Megan Anderson in March 2021. She has since lost her bantamweight title to Julianna Peña then regained it in an immediate rematch.

With their series tied 1-1, Nunes and Peña will attempt to complete their trilogy in the UFC 289 headliner on June 10. But Dumont (9-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC), who defeated Karol Rosa in a featherweight bout this past Saturday at UFC Fight Night 222, is tired of waiting and is ready for her title shot.

“I think that this is the time for the UFC to perhaps step in,” Dumont told reporters through an interpreter at the UFC Fight Night 222 post-fight press conference. “First of all, the belt has not been defended for three years. I mean, she’s just sitting on it right there. I stayed at featherweight exactly for this very reason. So, either they pressure her into actually defending the title once and for all, or I will fight someone else for the interim title.”

If she could pick someone to fight for the interim title, Dumont would love it to be former bantamweight champion Holly Holm.

“Please, Holly Holm, let’s go to work,” Dumont said. “My dream is fighting her. I’ve tried many times, and she never answers me.”

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Dumont hopes Nunes can close out her chapter with Peña emphatically, so she can pivot to defending her featherweight title against her.

“No doubt that I want to face her,” Dumont said. “When I got this matchup to face Karol, I knew exactly the fighter that I was going to see. A tough opponent, someone who was going to come right at me and offer me a very, very good pre-Amanda fight. That’s what I saw. I want Amanda to beat Julianna convincingly so that we can face each other by the end of the year. And my camp starts tomorrow.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 222.

The defeated