Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Carlos Prates lived up to his early hype with a bonus-winning KO of Trevin Giles at UFC Fight Night 236.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Carlos Prates[/autotag] beat Trevin Giles with a second-round knockout Saturday to close out the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 236 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Prates, a Dana White’s Contender Series product who was making his official UFC debut.
Max Griffin vented his frustration towards judge Sal D’Amato for scoring the fight against him.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Max Griffin[/autotag] vented his frustration toward judge Sal D’Amato for scoring his most recent fight – a win – against him.
Griffin (20-10 MMA, 8-8 UFC) defeated Jeremiah Wells (12-4-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC) by split decision Saturday at UFC Fight Night 236 at the UFC Apex. Two of the judges scored the fight 29-28 for Griffin; D’Amato scored it 29-28 for Wells.
Griffin was adamant D’Amato has something against him. D’Amato was one of two judges who awarded Neil Magny the split decision win over Griffin at UFC on ESPN 33 in March 2022.
“I cannot stand Sal D’Amato,” Griffin told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at UFC Fight Night 236. “He has me on Neil Magny losing, he has me on numerous fights. … He picks against me every single time. I don’t know if I did something in a past life to him, if I did something to him, but Sal D’Amato hates me.”
Most media members tracked by MMA Decisions had Wells winning the fight Saturday, but Griffin was adamant he had done enough to get his hand raised. He has split his past four appearances.
According to MMA Decisions, D’Amato has scored four Griffin fights in recent years. He scored against him in the Wells fight Griffin won Saturday and against him in the Magny fight he lost. But D’Amato was the only judge to score a Griffin split decision loss to Alex Oliveira in Griffin’s favor in 2020 and also concurred with two other judges in a Griffin unanimous decision win over Carlos Condit.
“We won,” Griffin said. “We totally won. Ask (D’Amato) – he knows I won. It’s every time.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 236.
Did Joe Pyfer get exposed as average in his first octagon loss to Jack Hermansson at UFC Fight Night 236?
(ALSO SEE: Mick Maynard’s Shoes: What’s next for Jack Hermansson after UFC Fight Night 236 win?)
If anyone ever underestimates the significance of experience in MMA, point no further than Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 236 main event, in which [autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag] suffered his first octagon loss against Jack Hermansson.
Beaming with the confidence of three consecutive finishes to begin his UFC tenure, Pyfer (12-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) came into the middleweight headliner vs. Hermansson (24-8 MMA, 11-6 UFC) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas with maximum confidence. It showed in the octagon to start the fight, with Pyfer controlling the first and second rounds.
The narrative changed in the third, however, when Hermansson landed a big punch that hindered Pyfer’s vision. He shrunk in the moment of adversity while Hermansson displayed veteran savvy and took over down the stretch to win a unanimous decision and take home the upset, leaving questions about whether Pyfer was overmatched and overhyped.
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His next performance will be more telling on that front. If Pyfer learned lessons in output, pacing and the ability to control the flow of a fight, he’ll be better for this. If not, than this main event might be his pinnacle. At just 27, however, the future could still be quite bright for Pyfer.
He needs to rack up one or two wins before he gets another crack at a ranked opponent, though. Many think he was fast-tracked to this spot, so the next time he gets someone with a number next to his name, it needs to be entirely warranted.
Someone like the winner of next month’s UFC Fight Night matchup between Eryk Anders (15-7 MMA, 7-8 UFC) and Jamie Pickett (13-10 MMA, 2-6 UFC) is in the wheelhouse of a fitting rebound fight for Pyfer. Both men are experienced and have fought some marquee names in the division, and there’s a lot to compare and contrast in how Pyfer would handle them. The fight doesn’t go down until March 2, meaning Pyfer has time to heal up then make his timeline match up with that of the winner.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 236.
Rodolfo Vieira reflects on his submission win over Armen Petrosyan at UFC Fight Night 236.
LAS VEGAS – Decorated grappling world champion [autotag]Rodolfo Vieira[/autotag] had a feeling he was going to win by submission in his return to the octagon.
Vieira (10-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) got his hand raised Saturday on the main card of UFC Fight Night 236 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas after he submitted Armen Petrosyan (8-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) with an arm-triangle choke in the first round of their middleweight contest – something he saw coming.
“I’m feeling great with this victory, with one more finish,” Vieira told reporters at the UFC Fight Night 236 post-fight press conference. “I knew that he was a high-level striker, but he had a lot of (holes) in his ground game. I knew if I put him down, I would finish him.”
Not much surprised Vieira when it came down to face Petrosyan. However, the calf kicks Petrosyan threw did throw a small wrench into the fight.
“I wasn’t expecting the calf kicks,” Vieira said. “He hurt me. I think he hit me like three or four times. At the time, when I was fighting, I didn’t feel anything, but now I’m hurting. But it doesn’t matter. After the kicks, I took him down, and I finished him, and that’s what matters to me.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 236.
See whom Jack Hermansson should fight next after his victory over Joe Pyfer in the UFC Fight Night 236 headliner.
(ALSO SEE: Mick Maynard’s Shoes: What’s next for Joe Pyfer after UFC Fight Night 236 loss?)
[autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag]’s fifth time stepping into the main event spotlight of a UFC card proved to be one of the most important moments of his career.
After going a subpar 1-3 in previous headlining opportunities, many thought Hermansson (24-8 MMA, 11-6 UFC) was being set up for a loss against surging Dana White’s Contender Series alum Joe Pyfer (12-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) going into Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 236 at the UFC Apex.
Hermansson lost the opening two rounds against Pyfer in the middleweight bout before he turned the tide and claimed the final three rounds to win a unanimous decision. It was a hard-fought effort, and a deserved result for Hermansson, who was returning to competition from a career-long 14-month layoff due to injury. Moreover, he hadn’t seen his hand raised in nearly 19 months, so the pressure was on “The Joker” to make something happen.
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He did that by implementing his five-round fight experience against Pyfer, and now Hermansson should move on to bigger and better opportunities. He came into the fight No. 15 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie middleweight rankings, and after defending his spot against an unranked name, he should get the chance to fight upward.
It’s clear Hermansson, 35, has that same belief, with a plan in mind, as well. He called out Nassourdine Imavov, who beat Roman Dolidze by unanimous decision in a main event in the same venue just one week prior to Hermansson. It might not be the sexiest bout on paper, but it’s grounded in logic on both sides, and likely the way to go.
Hermansson said he would relish the chance to fight someone like Khamzat Chimaev or Brendan Allen, though the path to getting those fights isn’t as clear.
Imavov is the better fit at the moment. It seems destined to be the main event of another card at the UFC Apex, but with both men hailing from Europe, it would also be a fantastic fit for a fight card overseas, whenever that may be.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 236.
Gregory Rodrigues feels he’s en route to the UFC middleweight title.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Gregory Rodrigues[/autotag] thinks he’s entering a new phase in his career, and one that can take him all the way to the UFC title.
Rodrigues (15-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) picked up a third-round TKO win over longtime contender Brad Tavares (20-9 MMA, 15-9 UFC) on the UFC Fight Night 236 main card Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It was his second straight victory and likely the biggest name he’s beaten so far in his three years with the UFC.
The Brazilian is unsure what will come next, but he expects for it to be a big opportunity.
“If you see the way Dricus Du Plessis did, he started with Brad, and he did his job to get to the title,” Rodrigues told reporters at the UFC Fight Night 236 post-fight press conference. “I don’t know what the UFC is going to offer me, but I’m happy with everything they do, and they do a good job, but I already showed I belong at the top.
“My goal is to be the champion of this division. I want to be the king of this division. I’m going to take my time, and I believe the UFC already sees that, and they’re going to offer me good things.”
Rodrigues didn’t call anyone out specifically, and said he trusts the UFC will give him a jump up in competition.
As far as the win itself, Rodrigues thinks he’s reaching certain levels in his fighting career that he hasn’t reached before.
“In eight fights, I saw how I improved myself inside the octagon,” Rodrigues said. “”I feel comfortable when I’m inside that cage, and especially when I fight guys like Brad, who have a lot of experience. A fight is a fight. Numbers and experience – of course he can use that. But that’s not everything, and I see more of myself putting me in a good position right now. I’m so grateful.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 236.
Check out all the facts from UFC Fight Night 236, which saw Rodolfo Vieira become the all-time octagon leader in arm-triangle choke wins.
The UFC’s lengthy stretch of events rolled on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 236 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
[autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag] (24-8 MMA, 11-6 UFC) emerged victorious in the main event when he scored an upset of [autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) by unanimous decision in their middleweight bout.
For more on the numbers from the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 236.
Because he “wasn’t supposed to be here anyway,” Joe Pyfer seemed to take things in stride after Jack Hermansson ended his momentum.
Because he says he “wasn’t supposed to be here anyway,” [autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag] seemed to be taking things in stride in the early hours after Jack Hermansson put a halt to his momentum.
Hermansson (24-8 MMA, 11-6 UFC) was down two rounds on the scorecards to Pyfer (12-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 236 main event, but rallied to win the last three rounds for a 48-47 unanimous decision sweep of the scorecards at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
After a much-documented arm injury TKO loss from a Dustin Stoltzfus slam on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020, Pyfer worked his way back and got another crack at the UFC on DWCS and came through with a TKO win. When he told White afterward he was on the verge of homelessness, White made sure he had a place to live for a year and then told future DWCS fighters they needed to “Be Joe Pyfer” in their attitudes and effort if they wanted to make it into the UFC.
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Pyfer’s first three middleweight fights in the UFC were stoppage wins, including for a pair of $50,000 bonuses, and it looked every bit like he was on an ascension toward title contender status – especially in a 185-pound division that never has been more chaotic in the UFC.
After his loss to Hermansson, who was the third biggest underdog on the card, Pyfer said a punch in the eye affected his vision and, along with calf kicks from Hermansson, were the stories of the fight.
“I’m OK, despite how my face looks,” Pyfer said in a video posted to social media. “I wasn’t rocked. I got punched in the eyeball (and) couldn’t see. I did a good job on the calf (kicks). But I feel like the eye, when I lost vision, I fell that round; I lost that round and just couldn’t get it back, and he did a good job on the calf.
“To all my haters, suck a fat d*ck. I wasn’t supposed to be here anyway. I give it 100 percent every time. We’ll make adjustments and we’ll come back. Thank you to all my sponsors, thank you to everybody who supports me, and yeah – good job, Jack.”
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The fight was the first time in his career Pyfer had been past the third round, and that time – the only previous decision of his career, win or loss – was nearly six years ago. Hermansson has more than twice as much experience as Pyfer and had been five rounds in the UFC three times prior to Saturday. But after a four-fight winning streak had him in middleweight title contention in 2019, Hermansson has alternated wins and losses for nine fights.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 236.
Dan Ige sees Diego Lopes, Brian Ortega or Yair Rodriguez as possible opponents for UFC’s debut at The Sphere for Mexican Independence Day.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag] has a ideal situation in mind for his next fight following a violent knockout win Saturday at UFC Fight Night 236.
Ige (18-7 MMA, 10-6 UFC) returned to the win column in emphatic fashion when he dropped and stopped Andre Fili (23-11 MMA, 12-10 UFC) for a first-round knockout in their featherweight co-headliner at the UFC Apex. The result got another Performance of the Night bonus for “50K” and proved once again he’s among the hardest hitters in the division.
On the heels of the highlight-reel performance, Ige said he intends to take several months off. His wife is close to giving birth to their second child, and Ige said he regrets not being around for the opening portion of his first child’s life, and won’t repeat that again.
He doesn’t mind putting his career on pause for family, though, because Ige already knows when he wants to be back. UFC is planning a mega-event at The Sphere in Las Vegas for Mexican Independence Day in September, and it’s a goal of Ige’s to be on that card.
“We’ll get back to work in maybe August or September,” Ige told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at UFC Fight Night 236. “Like I said at media day, I would love to fight at The Sphere.”
Ige, 32, is open to any matchup the UFC presents to him next, but he does see some realistic possibilities against ranked featherweights. He wants to see how some key upcoming fights play out, but there are two in particular that would be fitting for a Noche UFC fight card.
“There’s multiple options,” Ige said. “If (Diego) Lopes gets through Sodiq (Yusuff), that could be a good one, or I could take out the loser of maybe (Brian) Ortega and Yair (Rodriguez) – one of those guys depending how their fight goes in Mexico City. I know they’re going to want to stack it for Mexican Independence Day with a bunch of Mexicans, but I’ve got a left hook like a Mexican, too.”
For now, Ige is enjoying the fruits of his labor. He said he took no joy out of knockout out Fili, who is a former training partner and someone he has formed a bond with. He knows it’s all business inside the octagon, however, and he did what the job requires.
“I’ve had visions,” Ige said. “I’ve had dreams of knocking him out, but you can’t just expect to knock the guy out and it doesn’t happen. But it did tonight, and it felt nice and I definitely dreamed that one.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 236.
Jack Hermansson calls out Nassourdine Imavov following his decision win over Joe Pyfer at UFC Fight Night 236.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag] already has a name in mind following his most recent win in the octagon.
This past Saturday, Hermansson (24-8 MMA, 11-6 UFC) derailed the hype train of prospect Joe Pyfer (12-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) in the main event of UFC Fight Night 236, which went down at the UFC Apex. Hermansson defeated Pyfer, winning 48-47 on all three judges’ scorecards.
And now back in the win column, Hermansson wants a ranked name, specifically [autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag].
“I just watched the rankings and I fought a lot of guys up there, and I obviously can’t fight an unranked opponent and go directly to the top, so I need to fight someone close to me in the rankings,” Hermansson said at the UFC Fight Night 236 post-fight press conference. “I think he makes the most sense at the moment.”
Hermansson was able to get back to the win column with the victory over Pyfer, as he was coming off a December 2022 loss to Roman Dolidze. Hermansson, 35, felt he was being used to build Pyfer, and was glad to remind the MMA world he’s still a contender at middleweight.
“He didn’t have a ranking and I feel like he had more exposure than I did for this fight, but I understand why,” Hermansson said. “He has an amazing story, he’s coming through the contender series, and he has a lot of eyes on him. He should get the shot like this, but then you also need to perform to take it to the next level, and I was not going to be that stepping stone.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 236.
