Tag: UFC Fight Night 240

UFC Fight Night 240 video: Ignacio Bahamondes crushes Christos Giagos with clean head kick

Ignacio Bahamondes didn’t even need to spin this time in order to notch another crushing head kick knockout.

[autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag] continues to expand his highlight reel.

On the UFC Fight Night 240 main card Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Bahamondes (15-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) finished [autotag]Christos Giagos[/autotag] (20-12 MMA, 6-8 UFC) with a crisp head kick at the 3:34 of Round 1.

Giagos toppled to the canvas against the cage and covered up. Rather than whack him again, Bahamondes saw his downed opponent was in trouble and strolled off in walk-off fashion.

Bahamondes bounced back from a loss to Ludovit Klein. The win was his fourth in five fights. He didn’t call for a specific matchup after the victory Saturday, but campaigned for a spot on UFC 306 in September, the event expected to take place at The Sphere in Las Vegas.

Giagos, 34, has lost four of his most recent five outings.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 240 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 240.

UFC Fight Night 240 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC Fight Night 240 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.

LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 240 took place Saturday with 12 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

You can hear from all the UFC Fight Night 240 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 240.

UFC Fight Night 240 video: Jean Matsumoto taps Dan Argueta with 1 second left in round, moves to 15-0

Now 15-0 in MMA, Jean Matsumoto had to fend off many takedown attempts from Dan Argueta at UFC Fight Night 240 before winning by submission.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Jean Matsumoto[/autotag] had to fend off endless takedown attempts from [autotag]Dan Argueta[/autotag] at UFC Fight Night 240 before finally using one to his advantage to end the fight.

Highly touted bantamweight prospect Matsumoto (15-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) found himself on bottom multiple times from Argueta (9-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) over the course of nearly two full rounds. He then applied a tight arm-in guillotine choke with just one second left and forced the tap at the 4:59 mark of Round 2 at the UFC Apex.

The guillotine has led Matsumoto to multiple previous wins in his career, and it happened again in the biggest spot of his career. Check out the replay of the submission below (via X):

Matsuomoto was nothing short of thrilled after getting his hand raised and extending his unbeaten record. At just 24, he hopes it’s one one of many notable results going forward in his career

“I’m here to prove to people it doesn’t matter where you come from,” Matsumoto told Michael Bisping through an interpreter during his post-fight interview. “I come from a community outside of Sao Paulo. I ended up here. I want people to believe it.”

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Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 240 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 240.

UFC Fight Night 240 video: Cesar Almeida, who holds kickboxing win over Alex Pereira, shines with debut TKO

Kickboxing veteran Cesar Almeida, who has beaten Alex Pereira, finished his UFC Fight Night 240 debut by TKO, then called out Chris Weidman.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Cesar Almeida[/autotag] showed much more of his potential than he did on Dana White’s Contender Series during Saturday’s octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 240.

The powerful striking of kickboxing specialist Almeida (5-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who holds a win in that sport over current UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, was on full display. He thwarted key takedown attempts from opponent [autotag]Dylan Budka[/autotag] (7-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC), then rattled off elbows, punches then ground-and-pound for the TKO at the 2:13 mark of Round 2 in the middleweight bout at the UFC Apex.

Check out the replay of the final sequence below (via X):

After the fight, Almeida hailed his growth in the grappling. He was frustrated he gave up an early takedown in the fight, but thinks he’s evolving where that’s not going to happen too often in the future.

“I trained a lot of jiu-jitsu in Brazil,” Almeida told Michael Bisping in his post-fight interview. “I’m ready for all the wresters in this division. I’m ready, motherf*ckers.”

Almeida wasn’t kidding, either. He called out former UFC middleweight champ Chris Weidman after the fight and said he would happy to be tested on the mat.

“Weidman, I’m ready for you brother,” Almeida said. “Let’s see if you can stop me on the ground. Let’s go brother.”

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Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 240 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 240.

UFC Fight Night 240: Best photos from Las Vegas

Check out these photos from the fights at UFC Fight Night 240 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Check out these photos from the fights at UFC Fight Night 240 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. (Fight and venue photos courtesy of the UFC via Getty Images) (Gallery will update throughout the event.)

Nora Cornolle shuts down Melissa Mullins with knee, head kicks at UFC Fight Night 240

Nora Cornolle hurt Melissa Mullins with a knee, and she wasted no time to take advantage.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Nora Cornolle[/autotag] hurt [autotag]Melissa Mullins[/autotag] with a knee, and she wasted no time to take advantage.

Cornolle (8-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) hit Mullins (6-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) with a knee to the liver in short range, then poured on the punishment to hand Mullins the first loss of her career. Cornolle’s finish came at the 3:06 mark of the second round.

Their fight opened UFC Fight Night 240 (ESPN+) on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The bout was at a 138-pound contract weight after both fighters were going to miss weight Friday.

“It feels so good. I’m so happy,” Cornolle said in her post-fight interview. “Melissa, I knew she was tough. The English girls are tough – it’s just a dogfight. That’s what she gave me. I’m so happy I could get the finish.”

After a competitive first round, Cornolle hit Mullins with a head kick midway through the second, and not long after landed the knee. Mullins quickly started to hunch over, and Cornolle moved in with a pair of head kicks and a couple punches once she hit the ground for the finish.

Other than her UFC debut in front of her home fans in Paris in 2023, a decision win over Joselyn Edwards, all of Cornolle’s wins have been finishes.

Check out her latest stoppage, part of her eight-fight winning streak, below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 240.

UFC free fight: Brendan Allen dominates, then submits Paul Craig to win Performance of the Night

Watch Brendan Allen’s impressive submission win over Paul Craig ahead of his return at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 240.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag]’s most recent UFC win was an impressive one.

Back in November, in the main event of UFC Fight Night 232, Allen put the middleweight division on notice by dominating and then submitting veteran and standout grappler Paul Craig. The victory put Allen on a six-fight winning streak that includes five finishes and earned him a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.

You can watch Allen’s impressive submission finish in the video above.

Allen (23-5 MMA, 11-2 UFC) returns to the octagon this Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night 240, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. He will face Chris Curtis (31-10 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in a rematch from a 2021 meet that ended with Curtis stopping Allen by TKO in the second round.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 240.

UFC free fight: Chris Curtis puts out Joaquin Buckley in brutal KO finish

Watch Chris Curtis knock out Joaquin Buckley in his last stoppage win ahead of his return at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 240.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag] has proven he has stopping power.

Back at UFC 282 in 2022, Curtis (31-10 MMA, 5-2 UFC) reminded fans of the danger he poses when he took on knockout artist Joaquin Buckley. “The Action Man” put the lights out on Buckley as he dropped him with a brutal left hand in the second round of their contest and then followed up with a few extra shots to secure the win. It was a brutal finish that got Curtis a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.

You can watch Curtis’ most recent KO win in the video above.

Curtis returns to the octagon this Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night 240, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. He takes on Brendan Allen in a rematch that stems from a 2021 meeting that ended with Curtis stopping Allen (23-5 MMA, 11-2 UFC) by TKO in the second round.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 240.

UFC’s Ignacio Bahamondes strengthened by personal and professional struggles: ‘I’m a completely different person’

UFC lightweight Ignacio Bahamondes opens up about his struggles in and out of the cage.

[autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag] has been through a lot in recent months, personally and professionally.

The UFC lightweight prospect feels he’s a new version of himself in and out of the octagon ahead of his return this Saturday at UFC Fight Night 240. Bahamondes (14-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) takes on veteran Christos Giagos (20-11 MMA, 6-7 UFC) on the event’s main card, which goes down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Bahamondes is eager to show the world how far he’s come in the last few months.

“Everything has been working out in preparation for this fight,” Bahamondes told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “After my last fight, I went through a tough time, some difficult things. I thought everything was crashing down, but thank God I was able to get myself together, and everything started working out.

“These last three months have been a blessing for me and my family. I’ve been feeling great at the gym, and I’ve never felt better. I’m a completely different person and ready to give it my all this Saturday.”

Bahamondes is coming off a decision loss to Ludovit Klein in August, which snapped a three-fight winning streak that included a highlight-reel KO of Roosevelt Roberts. It was a missed opportunity for the 26-year-old, and soon after his defeat, tragedy hit.

“I had the fight, and everyone knows I lost,” Bahamondes said. “Then two weeks after the fight my wife was pregnant, and she lost the baby, it was our first baby, so they were things that made me hit rock bottom. I didn’t want to train. I didn’t want to go to the gym. I was feeling horrible for like two months.

“God sent me those tests, and they made me stronger. They made me better and helped me improve as a person and a fighter. God does everything for a reason, so now I’m back stronger than ever, and I’m on the right path. Perhaps I wasn’t doing things well before. Everything I went through made me look at my life retrospectively and see what I was doing wrong because things can’t be going bad if I’m doing everything well. I changed my life completely, and these last few years, I’ve never felt better. I’m my best version, and I’m reaching my peak. I feel like this fight is going to catapult me.”

Bahamondes is happy to draw a veteran name like Giagos for his return. He’s hoping to make a big statement and show the world that he’s bound for big things in the UFC’s lightweight division.

“I see this as a test that UFC is putting me to see if I’m going to keep rising or plateau,” Bahamondes said. “I’m very excited about this fight and happy to have gotten such an experienced name like Giagos because it’s a test that forced me to improve and get better in all aspects. I think after this fight, more difficult things will come, and that makes me very excited and happy.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 240.

UFC Fight Night 240 predictions: Who’s picking Chris Curtis to upset Brendan Allen?

Check out our staff members’ picks and analysis for UFC Fight Night 240 in Las Vegas.

The UFC is back on its “Sin City” home turf for a Fight Night event ahead of the monumental UFC 300 next week, and middleweights are at the top of the bill.

UFC Fight Night 240 (ESPN+) takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

Get pick results from our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers, as well as additional analysis, below.