UFC Fight Night 245 – Page 5 – Syndication Server

UFC Fight Night 245’s Kyler Phillips happy to get one of the names he wanted in Rob Font

Kyler Phillips has had his eye on Rob Font prior to drawing him at UFC Fight Night 245.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Kyler Phillips[/autotag] has had his eye on [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] prior to drawing him at UFC Fight Night 245.

Phillips (12-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) meets Font (20-8 MMA, 10-7 UFC) in Saturday’s co-main event (ESPN+) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Phillips, who’s coming off a win over Pedro Munhoz at UFC 299 in March, would have preferred a quicker turnaround, but likes his matchup against perennial contender Font.

“I did initially, but we got a good opponent. We got one of the names we wanted,” Phillips told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a UFC Fight Night 245 pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “So it’s an honor to be able to do that and step into the octagon with such a decorated fighter.”

Phillips has won seven of his past eight, and is expected to continue his ascent up the bantamweight ladder if he can get past the higher-ranked Font.

“I see myself matching up very well against anybody in the division, just because of my elusiveness and able to adapt on the fly at any given moment, but still have that basis of a strong fighter,” Phillips said.

You can watch Phillips’ full pre-fight interview in the video above.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 245.

Charles Johnson predicts bonus-winning destruction of Su Mudaerji at UFC Fight Night 245

Su Mudaerji has a theory that Charles Johnson will lead him to think he wants to stand and trade, but quickly will change his mind.

LAS VEGAS – Su Mudaerji has a theory that [autotag]Charles Johnson[/autotag] will lead him to think he wants to stand and trade Saturday, but quickly will change his mind.

Mudaerji (16-6 MMA, 3-3 UFC), at media day for UFC Fight Night 245, said he fully expects a takedown from Johnson (16-6 MMA, 5-4 UFC) when they have a featured flyweight throwdown Saturday. But that flies in the face of what Johnson said he wants.

And what he wants, he said, is a $50,000 performance bonus after he puts Mudaerji away.

“I’m thankful for another opportunity,” Johnson said at Wednesday’s media day at the UFC Apex. “I’m sad it wasn’t a ranked opponent, but understanding that it’s my third fight on this contract, it’s going to allow me to get to my next contract, and I think it’s a great moment for me to show the UFC exactly what I can be in this promotion.”

When he heard what Mudaerji thinks, he intimated a plan to make sure he leaves Vegas disappointed – no matter how it unfolds.

“I think that’s just insecurity,” Johnson said. “I think that I dominate everywhere in the fight. I think that he hopes that I stand with him. That’s his only means to win this fight. He’s not going to beat me in wrestling or jiu-jitsu, so he hopes to stroke my ego (saying he thinks I won’t stand and trade).

“But I’m going to pressure him from the go. It doesn’t matter what he wants to happen. I’m going to dominate him in every facet of this game. He may have a couple moments. But overall, when people see this fight and it’s over with, they would say Charles should be fighting for a title very soon.”

Check out Johnson’s full media day interview in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 245.

Su Mudaerji: Charles Johnson doesn’t really want to stand and trade at UFC Fight Night 245

Su Mudaerji has been down this one particular road in MMA, and he isn’t sure he wants to trust taking it again.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Su Mudaerji[/autotag] has been down this one particular road in MMA, and he isn’t sure he wants to trust taking it again.

On it, against Tim Elliott this past December, he maybe kinda sorta thought he had a gentleman’s agreement in place to stand and trade in their flyweight fight. Instead, he soon found himself on the canvas and was submitted in the first round. Credit to Elliott, certainly, but Mudaerji knows now, he says, that hoping to stand and bang and actually standing and banging are two different things.

“Those promises often are broken, even like my last fight – Tim was telling me the same thing: Let’s bang. Let’s (go for a) knockout.’ And within a minute and a half, he start taking me down relentlessly. So I don’t believe in that anymore,” Mudaerji said Wednesday at a media day at the UFC Apex.

The next flyweight who might try to have Mudaerji (16-6 MMA, 3-3 UFC) think he wants to stand and trade is Charles Johnson (16-6 MMA, 5-4 UFC). The two meet on the UFC Fight Night 245 (ESPN+) main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

“I was very excited when I found out the opponent was him because he’s also a striker – a standup fighter like me, so I think we’re going to put on a show for the fans,” Mudaerji said. “But I do think my opponent will fear striking with me because he’s seen my videos. Most likely, he’ll try to take me down. He wouldn’t want to stand with me, striking with me.”

Hear Mudaerji discuss that, his recent layoff, marriage and family life and more in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 245.

Rob Font: Kyler Phillips at UFC Fight Night 245 ‘a Fight of the Night for sure’

Rob Font expects an action-packed fight with Kyler Phillips.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] expects an action-packed fight with [autotag]Kyler Phillips[/autotag].

Font (20-8 MMA, 10-7 UFC) takes on Phillips (12-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 245 (ESPN+) co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

“Kyler, he brings it,” Font told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a UFC Fight Night 245 pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “He’s nonstop action. These type of guys, there’s more opportunities to counter, more opportunities to get finishes, and they’re not necessarily a boring fight at all.”

Font is no stranger to facing a surging bantamweight contender, and thinks Phillips style matches up perfectly with his.

“I think this is a great matchup. I think this is a Fight of the Night for sure,” Font said. “Like I said, he brings it. He starts off fast. I believe I start off fast, as well. He has a wild kicking style. He’ll pull guard and try to jump on submissions.

“He seems like a lifelong martial artist, like one of those kids that have been in the gym since he was like 3 – karate background, jiu-jitsu background, and he’s fighting tough guys. He just beat Pedro Munhoz so, this is another tough fight.”

Font will look to snap a two-fight losing skid after losses to Cory Sandhagen and Deiveson Figueiredo. The last time he lost back-to-back fights, he was able to upset Adrian Yanez with a TKO finish, and he looks to play spoiler once again vs. Phillips.

“This feels similar to when I fought Adrian Yanez,” Font said. “Unfortunately I lost two in a row, then I fought him, got a big win and then lost another two in a row. Now I’m back with another unranked fighter that’s super dangerous, so it has that feeling. It just gets me up and ready to go. I know with a big win, a big finish, the headlines will be different.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 245.

Exactly how good is Michel Pereira? UFC Fight Night 245 opponent Anthony Hernandez doesn’t really know

Respectfully, Anthony Hernandez wants to let you know he doesn’t care.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Anthony Hernandez[/autotag] is like many MMA fans.

He doesn’t know what to expect out of opponent [autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag] come fight night, nor does it bother him.

Despite being one of the highest-ranked middleweights in the world, Hernandez (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) is largely unplugged from the MMA scene. He has a low-key social media presence and doesn’t research the odds or other divisional happenings.

Sure, he knows Pereira (31-11 MMA, 9-2 UFC) does backflips and leaps off the cage. But Hernandez isn’t interested in predicting the unpredictable.

“I don’t know, and I really respectfully don’t care,” Hernandez told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a UFC Fight Night 245 pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “I’m just going to kind of go out there and do what I do. I really don’t give a f*ck what he has to offer because I’m focused on what I’m going to do great. That’s as simple as that. That’s kind of how I keep things mentally for myself.”

Hernandez laid out a very simplistic read of the fight – the things he felt he knew for sure. The difference, he thinks, lies in the cardio.

“It’s hard to say because Pereira in the third round, respectfully, he looks like sh*t,” Hernandez said. “He’s wild as f*ck. He can catch you and knock you the f*ck out. So it’s not like, ‘Oh sh*t.’ But I think that if everything goes right and my hands are up, I think I finish him just because of the way he finishes and the way I don’t gas. Stylistically, seeing it on paper is perfect for me. But now, it’s just go do it.”

“… He’s a hard guy to f*cking judge. I don’t even think he knows what he’s doing. I think he even mentioned that he kind of sees it and goes. But yeah, for sure. It’s like jogging and sprinting. He’s sprinting all the time when he’s doing all that crazy sh*t. That sh*t takes hella energy. His last two fights he came out calm and collected, so I’d expect him to come out calm and collected. That would definitely help his gas tank, for sure.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 245.

Michel Pereira unbothered by underdog status ahead of UFC Fight Night 245, predicts finish of Anthony Hernandez

Michel Pereira previews his main event bout against Anthony Hernandez at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 245, which he believes will end early.

LAS VEGAS – Although he’s fighting in the main event, [autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag] doesn’t think he’ll need the full 25 minutes to get his hand raised at UFC Fight Night 245.

Pereira (31-11 MMA, 9-2 UFC), a rising middleweight contender, takes on [autotag]Anthony Hernandez[/autotag] in the main event of Saturday’s UFC event at the UFC Apex. This is an interesting bout, as Pereira has been stopping his opposition and Hernandez (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) hasn’t been finished in four years. Pereira is confident he can end Hernandez’s run.

“I got very prepared, I’m very ready for this to go five rounds, but I do not think this fight is going to go five rounds,” Pereira told reporters through an interpreter at the UFC Fight Night 245 media day on Wednesday. “Let’s wait and see what happens, but I do not believe this fight is going five rounds.”

In most betting houses, Hernandez enters UFC Fight Night 245 as a slight favorite. Pereira, who’s riding an eight-fight winning streak, is more than fine with being the underdog in this contest and thinks “Fluffy” has done enough to deserve to be favored ahead of their bout.

“I don’t pay attention to that because I do think he’s coming off four or five straight wins in the division, so I understand why people would say that,” Pereira said. “It’s the merit to his credit, much respect to him. I’m accomplishing that, and I’m making my own accomplishments right now. That’s what I’m going to get to in this division as well.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 245.

Are there UFC fights tonight? Here’s the promotion’s upcoming schedule after UFC 306 at Sphere

Missing out on UFC action this Saturday? Check out the promotion’s upcoming schedule, which includes events in Paris and Abu Dhabi.

Sometimes, the UFC and the fans need a break from the hectic schedule of fights.

The UFC’s last event was UFC 306 at Sphere in Las Vegas. Noche UFC, the visual masterpiece that was, thrilled fans in attendance and at home with a breathtaking journey throughout the “love letter to Mexico” that saw two titles change hands.

Are there UFC fights tonight?

No, the UFC is not hosting an event on Sept. 21, 2024. The promotion takes one week off as it gears up for nine consecutive weeks of action worldwide.

Check out the promotion’s upcoming schedule for the remainder of September through October:

Sept. 28 – UFC Fight Night 243: Moicano vs. Saint Denis

Location: Paris, France
Venue: Accor Arena
Broadcast: ESPN+

Current UFC Fight Night 243 lineup:

Renato Moicano vs. Benoit Saint Denis
Brendan Allen vs. Nassourdine Imavov
Joanderson Brito vs. William Gomis
Bryan Battle vs. Kevin Jousset
Morgan Charriere vs. Gabriel Miranda
Matt Frevola vs. Fares Ziam
Ion Cutelaba vs. Ivan Erslan
Da Woon Jung vs. Oumar Sy
Ludovit Klein vs. Roosevelt Roberts
Ailin Perez vs. Darya Zheleznyakova
Taylor Lapilus vs. Vince Morales
Victor Altamirano vs. Daniel Barez
Jacqueline Cavalcanti vs. Nora Cornolle
Chris Duncan vs. Bolaji Oki

Oct. 5 – UFC 307: Pereira vs. Rountree Jr.

Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Venue: Delta Center
Broadcast: ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+

Current UFC 307 lineup:

Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree – for light heavyweight title
Raquel Pennington vs. Julianna Peña – for women’s bantamweight title
Movsar Evloev vs. opponent TBA
Kayla Harrison vs. Ketlen Vieira
Roman Dolidze vs. Kevin Holland
Joaquin Buckley vs. Stephen Thompson
Alexander Hernandez vs. Austin Hubbard
Carla Esparza vs. Tecia Pennington
Jose Aldo vs. Mario Bautista
Ovince Saint Preux vs. Ryan Spann
Mauricio Ruffy vs. opponent TBA
Iasmin Lucindo vs. Marina Rodriguez
Court McGee vs. Tim Means
Cesar Almeida vs. Ihor Potieria

Oct. 12 – UFC Fight Night 244: Royval vs. Taira

Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Venue: UFC Apex
Broadcast: ESPN+

Current UFC Fight Night 244 lineup:

Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira
JunYong Park vs. Brad Tavares
Grant Dawson vs. Rafa Garcia
Cory McKenna vs. Polyana Viana
Alex Morono vs. Daniel Rodriguez
Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Josh Fremd
Jared Gooden vs. Chidi Njokuani
Terrance McKinney vs. opponent TBA
Ramazonbek Temirov vs. CJ Vergara
Jonathan Pearce vs. Pat Sabatini
Themba Gorimbo vs. Niko Price
Chris Barnett vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta
Dan Argueta vs. Cody Haddon
Clayton Carpenter vs. Lucas Rocha

Oct. 19 – UFC Fight Night 245: Pereira vs. Hernandez

Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Venue: UFC Apex
Broadcast: ESPN+

Current UFC Fight Night 245 Lineup:

Michel Pereira vs. Anthony Hernandez
Asu Almabayev vs. Matheus Nicolau
Rob Font vs. Kyler Phillips
Brad Katona vs. Jean Matsumoto
Darren Elkins vs. Daniel Pineda
Robelis Despaigne vs. Austen Lane
Charles Johnson vs. Su Mudaerji
Jessica Penne vs. Elise Reed
Jake Hadley vs. Brady Hiestand
Alice Ardelean vs. opponent TBA
Joselyne Edwards vs. Tamires Vidal

Oct. 26 – UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway

Location: Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
Venue: Etihad Arena
Broadcast: ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN+

Current UFC 308 lineup:

Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway – for featherweight title
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robert Whittaker
Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov
Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic
Shara Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan
Dan Ige vs. Lerone Murphy
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Geoff Neal
Myktybek Orolbai vs. Mateusz Rebecki
Said Nurmagomedov vs. Daniel Santos
Brunno Ferreira vs. Abus Magomedov
Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Justin Tafa
Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Nursulton Ruziboev
Farid Basharat vs. Victor Hugo
Ismail Naurdiev vs. Bruno Silva
Ibo Aslan vs. Raffael Cerqueira

Upcoming Dana White’s Contender Series events

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 03: A general view of the Octagon prior to Dana White’s Contender Series season eight, week four at UFC APEX on September 3, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

If you want to see potential stars of the future, Dana White’s Contender Series continues into October, showcasing regional hopefuls fighting to earn a UFC contract.

Each event takes place on Tuesdays at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streams on ESPN+.

Rayanne Dos Santos out of UFC Fight Night 245 due to broken arm

UFC strawweight Rayanne Dos Santos suffered a broken arm in training and has been forced out of her upcoming October bout.

[autotag]Rayanne Dos Santos[/autotag] is out of her upcoming UFC bout due to a broken limb.

Dos Santos (14-8 MMA, 0-2 UFC) was scheduled to face Alice Ardelean in a strawweight contest at UFC Fight Night 245 on Oct. 19 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, Dos Santos broke her arm during training and has been forced out of the contest. Dos Santos shared the news Friday on Instagram.

“I was going to fight the UFC on October 19 in Las Vegas, against Alice Ardelean, But I had the unhappiness of breaking my arm in training,” Dos Santos wrote in Portuguese on Instagram. “I still can’t believe it🥺 I feel heartbroken 💔 but God knows everything!! I’ll heal and can’t wait to go back! I’m doing medical exams and then I’ll do a live stream when I’m calmer.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/C_l0yjcyZWF/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Dos Santos, a Dana White’s Contender Series veteran, sees a frustrating start to her UFC run continue. She must now wait until her limb heals before attempting to pick up her first win in the UFC. In her first two fights with the promotion, she lost a pair of split decisions to Talita Alencar and Puja Tomar.

At the time of writing, it’s unclear if Ardelean (9-6 MMA, 0-1 UFC) will remain on the card against a different opponent.

With the change, the UFC Fight Night 244 event lineup includes:

Michel Pereira vs. Anthony Hernandez
Asu Almabayev vs. Matheus Nicolau
Rob Font vs. Kyler Phillips
Brad Katona vs. Jean Matsumoto
Darren Elkins vs. Daniel Pineda
Robelis Despaigne vs. Austen Lane
Charles Johnson vs. Su Mudaerji
Jessica Penne vs. Elise Reed
Jake Hadley vs. Brady Hiestand
Alice Ardelean vs. opponent TBA
Joselyne Edwards vs. Tamires Vidal