Tag: UFC Fight Night 225

Max Holloway sends ‘Korean Zombie’ heartwarming gift after fan stole glove; Zombie pays it forward to Hawaii

Here’s your heartwarming MMA story of the day, thanks to Max Holloway and “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung.

Sometimes, one unexpected act of kindness leads to another.

That was the case with UFC opponents-turned-friends [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] and “The Korean Zombie” [autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag], who recently both injected positivity into the world.

The chain-reaction started with Holloway (25-7 MMA, 21-7 UFC) when he became aware one of Jung’s retirement fight gloves had been stolen by a fan. Holloway defeated Jung (17-8 MMA, 7-5 UFC) by second-round TKO in that Aug. 26 fight at UFC Fight Night 225 in Singapore. Jung took his gloves off in typical retirement ceremony fashion and placed them in the cage.

However, when he collected the gloves and exited down the runway, a fan snatched one of them. Jung, out of emotion and the fact that he was already missing one glove, chucked the other into the crowd.

Jung later said on his YouTube channel he was upset neither of the gloves from his final in-cage battle were in his possession. While Holloway couldn’t retrieve those specific gloves, he decided to send Jung the next best thing: his own gloves from the fight.

In a classy, charitable reciprocation, Jung donated $20,000 to The Maui Food Bank following the Hawaiian wildfires, a cause important to Holloway. Jung also encouraged others to donate.

Check out Jung’s full post below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CxaUgE6PxDg/?img_index=3

MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month for August: Collard, Burgos produce a classic contest for PFL

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from August 2023.

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from August 2023: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for August.

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 August: Max Holloway sends ‘The Korean Zombie’ into retirement

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from August 2023.

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from August 2023. Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Knockout of the Month award for August.

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

Nominees

Erin Blanchfield: UFC title reign inevitable – whether now or later, through Manon Fiorot beforehand or not

Following her UFC Fight Night 225 win, Erin Blanchfield explains where she fits into title picture and responds to Manon Fiorot’s comments.

By all accounts, [autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag] is in the mix of a complicated UFC women’s flyweight title picture. She thinks there’s no better time than the present to get a crack at gold.

Following her UFC Fight Night 225 win over Taila Santos by unanimous decision, Blanchfield (12-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) could be next for the winner of Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko 2 on Sept. 16. However, if Shevchenko wins, it’s possible the promotion goes for a trilogy bout. Additionally, it’s possible the winner of Manon Fiorot vs. Rose Namajunas could be chosen.

Blanchfield still likes her odds.

“I feel like things in MMA change so quickly, so you never know,” Blanchfield told MMA Junkie on Wednesday, four days after her UFC Fight Night 225 win. “I feel like I’ve made my case for sure, beating (Jessica) Andrade the way I did and beating Taila, someone that a lot of people think Valentina lost to. I feel like I’ve made my statements for sure and I should 1000 percent be the next title challenger.”

“With Rose and Manon fighting soon, that’s obviously another big fight in the division. I feel like it almost depends on how the Alexa and Valentina fight goes. If Valentina wins, do they fight again to solidify that, like best two-out-of-three? Or do they just have a new contender fight? I don’t really know and I won’t really know until we see the next two fights play out. But I know if I am next, I’m definitely ready.”

At a news conference Wednesday in Paris, Fiorot (10-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) downplayed Blanchfield’s recent successes and said she was unimpressed with the fight vs. Santos. When presented with Fiorot’s quotes for the first time, Blanchfield let them roll off her.

“I feel confident that I’ve done enough because I have competed against people at a high level,” Blanchfield said. “My fight previous to Taila was against a former champ. I feel like I’ve beaten higher-level fighters than Manon has. I’ve kind of stated my case. If I can beat up Manon to get that title, I’ll do that, too. I’m not really sure. I don’t see that she edges me out there. I feel like I could make more of a case. Also, being able to be the youngest champ is another thing that I feel like the UFC could promote. I feel like I could definitely get the shot over her.”

Blanchfield radiates confidence she will be champion. It’s nothing new. She’s been saying the same things since she won the Eddie Bravo Invitational in 2017 at age 18. At 24, Blanchfield has the opportunity to become the youngest female champion in promotion history.

While the immediate pathway to a title is clouded with multiple relevant fights scheduled in the coming weeks, Blanchfield sees the end destination as crystal-clear – and that’s really all that matters.

“I don’t think it’s a question of my ability,” Blanchfield said. “It’s just how the cards fall. I’m always just focused on the next fight in front of me and what comes. I’m just waiting to see what happens with that. If that happens, that’ll be great. If it doesn’t, I’m still going to be champ.”

Anthony Smith fires back at Alex Pereira: ‘If you want a f*cking rival, you’ve got one right here’

Anthony Smith is perplexed by Alex Pereira coming at him so harshly, but will engage in a feud if that’s what the former UFC champ craves.

[autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] is perplexed by [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] coming at him so harshly, but is ready to engage in a feud if that’s what the former UFC champ craves.

After Smith (37-18 MMA, 12-8 UFC) offered an even-keeled analysis of Pereira’s (8-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) split decision win over Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291 in July in what was the former middleweight titleholder’s debut in the light heavyweight division, the Brazilian came back in a much hostile manner.

Pereira trashed Smith after “Lionheart” eked out a split decision over Ryan Spann at UFC Fight Night 225 this past Saturday, calling him “washed up” and declaring that he “never amount to anything” in his career.

That threw Smith off guard, because he insists his initial comments were never meant to be disrespectful.

“I’ll be honest: I texted Glover (Teixeira) yesterday and said, ‘What in the f*ck is this?'” Smith said on his SiriusXM radio show. “I’m trying to figure out which direction I’m supposed to go here. Did he take something out of context? Is he reading headlines, or did he actually listen to what I said? Because what I said was that, essentially, he’s the same size as everyone else. You think if I said Islam (Makhachev) is the same size as every lightweight, he’s going to come at me pissed off about it? No.

“My whole point was that he moved up to 205 so he’s not going to enjoy the same size advantage that he did at 185. That’s it. Is that crazy? Am I wrong? The whole question was, ‘You’re a guy that moved up from 185 to 205. What are some of the things that you experienced that Alex may be experiencing, and what do you see as the differences?’ I said, ‘The difference is he’s not the largest guy in the division.’ He went from being the largest middleweight on planet earth, to being a normal-sized 205er. Then I went on to say, ‘What makes him special’ – I used the word ‘special’ – that he’s a special talent when it comes to being a striker and that the division is more interesting with him in it.”

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For Smith, it appears he’s not particularly keen on mending fences with Pereira. In fact, given their positions at top-10 fighters in the light heavyweight division, a fight between them at some point is more likely than anything.

Pereira is seemingly on the cusp of booking a fight with Jiri Prochazka for the vacant 205-pound title, so he has more pressing business to handle. However, if he wants to continue talking about Smith with the tone of his recent comments, Smith said there’s only one way it ends.

“I said a bunch of nice sh*t about you, and you’re going to talk sh*t? I don’t think so,” Smith said. “That’s not how this works. Then we’re just going to shake hands when we see each other because you’re doing this media thing because you’re looking for a rival? If you want a f*cking rival, you’ve got one right here. I didn’t do sh*t to you. I’ve been nothing but complimentary of him and his whole team and a lot of his training partners. I don’t know what I did to that guy.”

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Aug. 29: Sean O’Malley enters, Erin Blanchfield rises in P4P lists

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, which features moves in the men’s and women’s pound-for-pound lists.

With a new champion crowned and a rising star continuing to turn in impressive performances, the latest rankings update features a few key movements on the pound-for-pound lists.

At UFC 292, [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] became the UFC bantamweight champion by stopping Aljamain Sterling in the second round of the main event title fight. Naturally, knocking off the now-former champion elevated O’Malley to No. 1 in the divisional rankings, but he also debuted on the men’s P4P rankings at No. 8.

The following week, [autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag] continued to prove a real threat to the top of the women’s flyweight division. At UFC Fight Night 225, Blanchfield picked up a unanimous decision win over Taila Santos. She now holds the No. 4 spot in the division, but also rises in the women’s P4P ranks to No. 14.

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

Video: Why ‘The Korean Zombie’ was so cool and such a beloved UFC fighter

“The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung was an all-action fighter who will certainly be missed after retiring at UFC Singapore.

“The Korean Zombie” went out in a blaze of glory – just as you might expect.

After an entertaining first 10 minutes of action, Max Holloway scored a brutal third-round knockout of [autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag] this past Saturday in the UFC Fight Night 225 headliner, a finish that may not have been made possible without “The Korean Zombie” relentlessly bringing the fight to Holloway at the onset of Round 3.

Afterward, Jung laid down his gloves and announced his retirement, making the fight a fitting way to conclude his career that was all about action. He never won a UFC title, but what made him so cool and so beloved? Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Danny Segura and Farah Hannoun answer that with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

You can watch their discussion in the video above or check out this week’s full episode below.

Video: Does Max Holloway have a path to another UFC title shot? And if so, what is it?

Max Holloway is still at the top of his game, but he’s in a less-than-ideal scenario for a title shot coming out of UFC Singapore.

As long as former UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] isn’t fighting Alexander Volkanovski, he apparently can’t be beat.

After an entertaining first 10 minutes of action, Holloway scored a brutal third-round knockout of Chan Sung Jung this past Saturday in the UFC Fight Night 225 headliner to reaffirm his spot as the No. 1 contender at 145.

Understandably, Holloway would like another crack at champ Volkanovski. Thing is, we’ve seen that fight play out three times already, with Holloway on the losing end of a decision all three times, including when he lost his belt to Volkanovski back in December 2019, which means the Hawaiian finds himself in a less-than-ideal scenario in his career at just 31.

Does Holloway have a path to another UFC title shot? And if so, what is it? Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Danny Segura and Farah Hannoun answer that with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

You can watch their discussion in the video above or check out this week’s full episode below.

Alex Caceres shares X-ray of broken forearm from UFC Fight Night 225 bout vs. Giga Chikadze

UFC featherweight Alex Caceres says he broke his forearm in the first round against Giga Chikadze in Singapore.

UFC featherweight veteran [autotag]Alex Caceres[/autotag] walked out of Singapore with more than just a loss on his record.

On the main card of UFC Fight Night 225 at Singapore Indoor Stadium, Caceres (21-14 MMA, 16-12 UFC) welcomed Giga Chikadze (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) back to action after his 18-month layoff. The fight went the distance and Chikadze won a clear unanimous decision, but Caceres has since learned he suffered a fractured arm in the first round.

“I broke my forearm blocking a head kick in the first round and tried my best to win even through the pain,” Caceres wrote on Instagram. “Hat’s off to Giga Chikadze for a great fight.”

The injury appeared to occur at the 1:24 mark of Round 1, when Chikadze threw a hard right head kick. Caceres blocked the attempt with his left forearm, but the impact still caused significant damage. Caceres can be seen shaking the arm out immediately after, and then was hesitant to land punches with the left hand from that point forward.

Caceres also shared his X-ray, which clearly shows the bone fracture. Check out the photo below (via Instagram):

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cwa9HDCBFP5/?img_index=1

First I would like to thank my wife and teammates @zen_ronin_ and @themmalab, my managers @firstroundmgmt, as well as the @ufc for the opportunity. Tonight wasn’t my night, i broke my forearm blocking a head kick in the first round and tried my best to win even through the pain.
Hats off to @knockoutcancer for a grate fight

The result of the fight snapped a two-fight winning streak for Caceres, who entered with back-to-back victories over Julian Erosa and Daniel Pineda. Caceres earned bonuses for both bouts; a Performance of the Night for a first-round stoppage of Erosa and Fight of the Night against Pineda.

The 28-fight UFC veteran will be sidelined for an undetermined time until cleared from his forearm injury.

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Max Holloway praises ‘legend’ Chan Sung Jung: ‘It was an honor to be his last fight’

Max Holloway has nothing but respect for ‘The Korean Zombie.’

[autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] can’t say enough good things about ‘The Korean Zombie.’

Despite being brief rivals in the cage this past Saturday, Holloway (25-7 MMA, 21-7 UFC) has nothing but respect for [autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag], who closed out a 16-year career as a professional MMA fighter.

Jung (17-8 MMA, 7-5 UFC) announced his retirement from the sport after his knockout loss to Holloway in the main event of UFC Fight Night 225, which went down at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore. Although he came up short, Holloway has respect for Jung and what he was able to accomplish in MMA.

“Legend, legend,” Holloway told reporters at the UFC Fight Night 225 post-fight press conference. “The dude is a zombie. I hit him in the second and thought I had him out, but he kept coming back. I was like, ‘Oh my God. What is going on? Next thing I know, he’s in the third round. I hit him with that in the third round and I got it, but he got up pretty fast too after that. He’s just a legend. He’s just a legend. To go out there, and he never wanted to die on his shield, he always dies on his sword. That’s why people love ‘The Korean Zombie.’ That’s why I love him, you know?

“It was an honor to be his last fight. I know it didn’t go the way that he wanted or his fans wanted, but that’s what he wanted to do. He wanted to fight me. He wanted to do that, and that’s how you know the man is a legend.”

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With this win, Holloway is now 4-1 in his past five bouts and 5-3 in his past eight, with his losses only coming against UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanosvki in title fights.

The 31-year-old knows he’s 0-3 against Volkanosvki, but that won’t stop him from wanting to get a fourth fight.

“My next goal is to be undeniable,” Holloway said. “Whenever, whoever, be undeniable. Keep reminding these cats. People keep falling, people keep forgetting I’m only turning 32 in December, 32. I’ve been with you guys since I was a little baby, so that’s why you guys getting sick of me, but I ain’t going nowhere for a long time. Get used to it.”

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