Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from February 2024.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from February 2024: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for February.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.
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Not only does Renato Moicano believe he would beat Paddy Pimblett, he says he’d finish him in the first round.
[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] thinks he would make quick work of [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] in a potential UFC fight.
Moicano (18-5-1 MMA, 10-5 UFC) baited Pimblett (21-3 MMA, 5-0 UFC) into calling him out after he suggested that Drew Dober, whom he beat by unanimous decision Saturday at UFC Fight Night 235, should fight him next.
Pimblett responded by suggesting that they fight, and Moicano is all in.
Paddy Pimblett vs. Renato Moicano, anyone? đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/wz0wwekpSb
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) February 5, 2024
Moicano said he is willing to fight Pimblett in the UFC’s rumored return to England in summer, but he won’t chase him.
“I can beat this motherf*cker in June, but I’m not waiting too much,” Moicano said on the “Believe You Me” podcast with Michael Bisping. “I’m 34 years old. I have to go and if you want that smoke just send me the contract, Paddy Pimblett. Easy money. I’m going to make you easy money, my brother, finish on the first round.”
Moicano wasn’t entirely critical of Pimblett’s skillset but said he sees several holes he can expose.
“He’s trying to make himself a name in UFC right, and I think he could be a good fighter,” Moicano said. “I remember his fight against Luigi Vendramini, and I know Luigi Vendramini is tough, and he was losing and then he beat (Vendramini), so I think he has a good chin. Every time that I talk sh*t about the fight is because I want to get the fight, but I will be honest with you: I think he can take a punch.
“I think his chin is good, but I do think that he lacks some defense in the striking, especially when he’s walking forward like his chin is up high. I think his wrestling is not top notch, I think he has a good jiu-jitsu, but only jiu-jitsu is not going to get you to the rankings. You have to have good striking and solid wrestling and good cardio, and as far as I am concerned, his cardio is not the greatest. So, I see a lot of holes.”
Moicano sees potential in Pimblett but only after he’s done with him.
“With his popularity and how UFC likes him, I think he can do it,” Moicano said. “The only problem is he’s going to be a better fighter after I finish him in the first round.”
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Molly McCann thinks the best of her career is yet to come after introducing herself to the UFC strawweight division in emphatic fashion.
[autotag]Molly McCann[/autotag] thinks the best of her career is yet to come after introducing herself to the strawweight division in emphatic fashion at UFC Fight Night 235.
McCann (14-6 MMA, 7-5 UFC) dropped down from her longtime home of women’s flyweight to 115 pounds with a first-round submission of Diana Belbita this past weekend at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. She said afterward that the performance was a reflection of what she has always been capable of, but she wasn’t competing at the proper weight class.
The Brit looked strong and tenacious during her performance against Belbita, and the 33-year-old made it clear with her comments afterward that she’s only in this to become UFC champion.
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Can McCann rise into title contention and eventually challenge for a belt? The was a topic of discussion on the latest episode of “Spinning Back Clique” with panelists Nolan King, Danny Segura, Brian “Goze” Garcia and host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.
Check out the video segment above, or the complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below.
Nassourdine Imavov is closing in on a top 10 ranking at middleweight after his main event win at UFC Fight Night 235.
The combat sports slate was relatively thin on the first weekend of February, which allowed UFC Fight Night 235 to capture the attention of the MMA world.
A handful of fights on the card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas impacted their respective divisions, but none more so than the main event, which saw [autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag] improve his stock at middleweight with a majority decision victory over Roman Dolidze.
Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.
Jung Gyeong Lee dominated Blake Bilder statistically at UFC Fight Night 235, but was only halfway satisfied with his win.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Jung Gyeong Lee[/autotag] beat Blake Bilder with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 235 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Lee, the 2022 Road to UFC featherweight winner from South Korea.
Luana Carolina missed weight and was ineligible for a performance bonus for her finish of Julija Stoliarenko at UFC Fight Night 235.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Luana Carolina[/autotag] beat Julija Stoliarenko with a third-round submission Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 235 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Carolina, who missed weight and was ineligible for a performance bonus for the finish – which came after she fended off multiple close submission attempts.
Jamal Pogues got back in the win column at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and thinks maybe he should just make that his regular fighting home.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Jamal Pogues[/autotag] beat Thomas Petersen with a unanimous decision Saturday to open up the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 235 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Pogues, who got back in the win column after a loss this past July snapped a three-fight streak.
Marquel Mederos won his UFC debut after punching his ticket on DWCS. After UFC Fight Night 235, he’d like a fight in an arena.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Marquel Mederos[/autotag] beat Landon Quinones with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 235 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Mederos, who won his official UFC debut after punching his ticket through Dana White’s Contender Series.
Charles Johnson napped a three-fight skid of decision losses from 2023 to upset Azat Maksum at UFC Fight Night 235.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Charles Johnson[/autotag] beat Azat Maksum with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 235 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Johnson, who snapped a three-fight skid of decision losses from 2023.
Perhaps one bad decision cost Drew Dober the fight against Renato Moicano at UFC Fight Night 235.
Perhaps one bad decision cost [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag] the fight against [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] at UFC Fight Night 235.
Dober (27-12 MMA, 13-8 UFC) lost a unanimous decision to Moicano (18-5-1 MMA, 10-5 UFC) in Saturday’s co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Dober was having success on the feet, but struggled to fend off Moicano’s grappling. With each fighter winning a round heading into Round 3, Dober tried to reverse a Moicano takedown but wound up on his back for the remaining two minutes and a half of the fight. Dober took to Instagram to react to the loss.
“Not the outcome we wanted. In a game of inches, I made mistakes, and @renato_moicano_ufc was the better man tonight. Congratulations to him and his team. I feel no shame in putting everything on the line and testing my abilities against the best in the world.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/C26OkimL_82/
Moicano responded to Dober’s post by paying him respect, and even suggesting who he should fight next.
“Im a huge fan…. On every interview I was saying that you are dangerous!!!
I want to see you fighting Paddy Pimblett next… huge respect for you thank you for the fight.”
Dober, 35, has now lost two of his past three. Prior to his setback against Moicano, Dober earned a Performance of the Night bonus when he finished Ricky Glenn by first-round TKO this past October.
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 235.
