Derrick Lewis thinks Jon Jones makes quick work of Stipe Miocic.
EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada – [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] makes quick work of [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag].
Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) defends his heavyweight title against former champion Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) in the UFC 309 main event Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
“I think Jones will beat him in the first round,” Lewis told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 246 media day. “It’s crazy to see a lot of people just disrespect Jones like that, like he ain’t the GOAT, for real. A lot of people keep throwing around these GOAT terms and this and that. Jones has been doing this for so many years at the top of the level against all these opponents, like top-ranked guys.
“Even though he have been having all this trouble outside of the UFC, it’s like people outside of the UFC don’t know, it’s 80 percent mental that you got to go into these fights, and it’s like 20 percent physical. If you don’t have the mentality going into these fights, you’re not going to do well. For him to be going through all that stuff that he’s been going through, and still beaten these guys like this, it says a lot.”
“Of course, he’s for sure pound-for-pound (No. 1),” Lewis said. “It’s crazy how a lot of these guys keep getting (ranked) pound-for-pound and they ain’t even had that many fights. Think about my run when I had six-fight winning streak going on and they ain’t even mentioning me being in pound-for-pound.
“It’s crazy that these guys come into the UFC now, they get two or three fights, and already pass up everyone who has been fighting for years and already ranked pound-for-pound. I’m like, ‘Damn, that’s just complete disrespect.'”
Former title challenger Lewis (28-12 MMA, 19-10 UFC) returns against Jhonata Diniz (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) on Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 246 (ESPN+) main card at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Could the winner of Brandon Moreno vs. Amir Albazi get the next title shot at flyweight? We discuss on “Spinning Back Clique.”
UFC returns this weekend with a Fight Night event in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, which features two very important flyweight bouts.
On the men’s side, former champion [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] returns from a short break from MMA to welcome [autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag] back to competition after a series of surgeries. On the women’s side, ex-UFC strawweight titleholder [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] looks to extend her winning streak by taking on young contender [autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag].
Who will leave UFC Fight Night 246 with their hands raised? Could the respective winners in each flyweight bout potentially get the next shot at the title in their divisions?
MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Dan Tom, Danny Segura, and host “Gorgeous” George preview the main and co-main event of UFC Fight Night 246 and look at the potential upside for the winners of Saturday’s card.
Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.
It’s hard to know exactly where former champ Brandon Moreno and Amir Albazi are at this point in their careers.
MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom goes in-depth to break down the biggest fights in the UFC. Today, he takes a closer look at the UFC Fight Night 246 main event between [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] and [autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag].
Supplemental info:
+ Former UFC flyweight champion
+ Regional MMA titles
+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt
+ Multiple grappling accolades
+ 5 KO victories
+ 11 submission wins
+ 8 first-round finishes
+ Consistent pace and pressure
+ Accurate left hook
^ Coming forward or off the counter
+ Hard leg and head kicks
^ Works well off of the lead side
+ Improved wrestling ability
+ Good transitional grappler
^ Solid scrambles and submissions
Supplemental info:
+ Regional MMA titles
+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt
+ Multiple grappling accolades
^ In and out of the gi
+ 5 KO victories
+ 9 submission wins
+ 9 first-round finishes
+ KO power
+ Solid sense of range
^ Good eyes in exchanges
+ Dangerous right hand
+ Hard leg kicks
+ Solid wrestling ability
+ Excellent transitional grappler
^ Superb back control
Brandon Moreno vs. Amir Albazi point of interest: Flyweight fisticuffs
Jul 8, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Brandon Moreno (red gloves) fights Alexandre Pantoja (blue gloves) during UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
The main event in Edmonton features a showdown between top-ranked flyweights, [autota]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] and [autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag].
Although Albazi was a prospect who was initially hailed for his grappling accolades, the Iraq-born fighter has shown a natural aptitude for striking since stepping onto the UFC scene.
Albazi does well when it comes to keeping an active and educated lead hand, displaying a consistent feinting or prodding presence.
Offensively, this allows Albazi to connect punches and play off of prior work by hooking off of his jabs and so forth. Defensively, Albazi’s feinting presence helps draw out his opponent’s reactions which, in turn, can lead to some crucial counter opportunities.
Always dangerous to get too predictable with your head movement and counters. pic.twitter.com/iO7S5UaJWn
Albazi also appears to have excellent eyes in exchanges, which is something that surely contributes to his solid sense of range. I’ll be curious to see if Albazi looks to control leg kick traffic, but he, too, will need to be careful about the potential counters coming from Moreno’s way.
Moreno, who initially stepped onto the UFC scene as more of a grapple-first fighter, has since developed into a more complete and technical striking threat as he’s matured.
Still only 30 years of age, Moreno continues to display almost unshakable composure, win or lose, almost as if he’s determined to finish the fight stronger than his foe. But when you look beyond the brief, brash moments that allow his character to shine, you can see a more mature countering game at play.
Always a fan of the left hook (both coming forward and off the counter), Moreno does a much better job of variating both his timing and targets, often working them off of a jab. The theme of lead-side savvy travels fluently for the Mexican fighter in the way that Moreno attaches lead-leg kicks to his combinations when feeling in stride.
Moreno also has a knack for navigating extended exchanges, but I’m not sure how much he’ll want to do that given the potential level-changing counters that lay in wait.
Brandon Moreno vs. Amir Albazi breakdown: Potential grappling threats
Aug 20, 2022; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Amir Albazi (red gloves) fights Francisco Figueiredo (blue gloves) during UFC 278 at Vivint Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Considering that grappling is a large part of Albazi’s game, do not be shocked if he is the first to engage in the grappling department.
As mentioned in the previous section, Albazi is a fighter who initially excelled in the grappling arts. A tenacious competitor, Albazi’s aggression shines through in transition – something he seems to be applying to his wrestling repertoire.
Even though Albazi has the athletic ability to shoot in the open, his more effective setups and takedowns seem to come against the fence or in the clinch. And since Albazi appears to have spent this last training camp at Fight Ready MMA, I suspect those takedown tools will only be sharper this Saturday.
Luckily for Moreno, the Mexican is far from a slouch in the grappling department.
Starting off his career as more of a jiu-jitsu fighter, Moreno smartly swam toward the wrestling side of things (from an offensive standpoint) after being afforded the chance to train stateside through the UFC’s former developmental program.
Although Moreno was still not beyond being taken down or scoring submissions off his back, he offered plenty of glimpses of improvement during his first run with the promotion.
Moreno has been much more aggressive on the feet during this second stint, but doesn’t seem to be ignoring the other parts of his game. As far as grappling and wrestling scrambles go, Moreno was able to come out on top of stanzas against some of the division’s best grapplers in Jussier Formiga and Askar Askarov (who he clearly beat, in my opinion).
But for as good as Moreno’s grappling is concerned, he may want to pick his spots wisely with a fighter like Albazi.
Albazi is an avid back-taker with fantastic controls from the rear mount. Whether Albazi’s opting to lock down opponents from safer rear-riding positions or utilizing crab rides to transition, the Iraqi-born fighter does a great job at staying behind his opponent’s knees and elbows whenever possible (a quiet key to look for in good grapplers).
Brandon Moreno vs. Amir Albazi odds
The oddsmakers and the public favor the former champion, listing Moreno -172 and Albazi +134 via FanDuel.
Brandon Moreno vs. Amir Albazi prediction, pick
Considering that Moreno is the more proven product (in general and over five rounds), it’s not a big shock to see the Mexican fighter favored in this spot. However, it’s hard to know exactly where either fighter is at this point in their career.
Outside of an insane slew of title fights since the pandemic, Moreno has also experienced multiple camp changes in said time. Whereas Albazi, who has had to overcome some recent health scares, has also shifted his training camp ahead of his contest.
The larger octagon and 25-minute time frame should favor Moreno on paper, but I worry that the Mexican fighter’s cage positioning puts him in prime operating space for Albazi.
Although Moreno is not beyond stepping on the gas and taking initiatives of his own, he traditionally likes to counter and can be pushed into playing between the fence and inner-black octagon lines.
Should Moreno allow Albazi to take the initiative early, then I suspect that Albazi can draw out the former champ’s hooks and get off takedown entries along the cage en route to banking some early rounds. And if Albazi shows the pacing improvements that typically come with the second swings at five-round affairs, then I believe we’ll be in for a competitive fight from start to finish.
Despite usually siding with the more proven products, I find myself fading my usual trends given how god-awful my picks have been this year. I wouldn’t mind being wrong as a fan of Moreno, but I’ll be semi-reluctantly siding with Albazi to edge out another decision by having the more effective grappling and landing the more eye-catching shots.
Prediction: Albazi by decision
Brandon Moreno vs. Amir Albazi start time, where to watch
As the main event, Moreno and Albazi are expected to make their walks to the octagon at approximately 10:45 p.m. ET. The fight streams live on ESPN+.
Check out a live video stream of the UFC Fight Night 246 ceremonial weigh-ins.
EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada – UFC Fight Night 246 ceremonial fighter weigh-ins take place Friday, and you can catch a live video stream of the proceedings here on MMA Junkie at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT).
The weigh-ins take place at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.. The same venue hosts Saturday’s event (ESPN+). In addition to the video stream above, you can check out the official UFC Fight Night 246 weigh-in results from earlier in the day.
Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).
Those reader consensus picks will be part of the main card staff predictions we release ahead of UFC Fight Night 246 (ESPN+), which takes place Saturday at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Here’s what you need to know to watch flyweights atop the lineup at UFC Fight Night 246 on ESPN+ from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
The UFC is North of the border this week for the first time since January, and in Edmonton for the first time in more than five years.
Here’s how to watch UFC Fight Night 246 flyweights at the top of the card at Rogers Place.
Broadcast and streaming info
Brendan Fitzgerald, Dominick Cruz, Michael Bisping
UFC Fight Night 246 has a main card that begins at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) on ESPN+. The eight-fight preliminary card streams on ESPN+ at 5 p.m. ET.
Stay tuned for more broadcast info later this week.
Main event: Brandon Moreno
Jan 21, 2023; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Brandon Moreno (blue gloves) enters the arena before the fight against Deiveson Figueiredo (red gloves) during UFC 283 at Jeunesse Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason da Silva-USA TODAY Sports
Record: 21-8-2 MMA, 9-5-2 UFC Opponent: Amir Albazi (17-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) Division: Flyweight Key wins: Deiveson Figueiredo (twice), Kai Kara-France (twice), Brandon Royval, Jussier Formiga Misc.: Moreno is sitting on back-to-back losses for the first time in more than six years. He was supposed to fight Albazi in February, but a neck injury led to a rematch with Royval, instead – and a split decision loss.
Main event: Amir Albazi
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JUNE 03: (L-R) Amir Albazi of Iraq punches Kai Kara-France of New Zealand in a flyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 03, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Record: 17-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC Opponent: Brandon Moreno (21-8-2 MMA, 9-5-2 UFC) Division: Flyweight Key wins: Kai Kara-France, Alessandro Costa Misc.: Albazi hasn’t fought since a split decision win over Kara-France in June 2023. He was set to return in February against Moreno, but was sidelined by a neck injury.
Co-main event: Erin Blanchfield
Mar 30, 2024; Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA; Erin Blanchfield (red gloves) walks to the Octagon to fight Manon Fiorot (not pictured) during UFC Fight Night at Boardwalk Hall. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
Record: 12-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC Opponent: Rose Namajunas (13-6 MMA, 11-5 UFC) Division: Women’s flyweight Key wins: Taila Santos, Jessica Andrade, Molly McCann, Miranda Maverick Misc.: Blanchfield could have been looking at a title shot right now had things gone differently for her in March. But Manon Fiorot upset her in her second main event in three fights.
Co-main event: Rose Namajunas
Jul 13, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Rose Namajunas (red gloves) fights Tracy Cortez (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Record: 13-6 MMA, 11-5 UFC Opponent: Erin Blanchfield (12-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) Division: Women’s flyweight Key wins: Tracy Cortez, Amanda Ribas, Zhang Weili (twice), Jessica Andrade, Joanna Jedrzejczyk (twice), Michelle Waterson-Gomez Misc.: Former champ Namajunas rebounded from her title loss to Carla Esparza in May 2022 and follow-up loss to Manon Fiorot with consecutive wins over Ribas and Cortez earlier this year. Namajunas will fight for the third time this calendar year – something she hasn’t done in a decade.
Featured bout: Jhonata Diniz
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – AUGUST 10: (R-L) Jhonata Diniz of Brazil punches Karl Williams of the U.S. Virgin Islands in a heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on August 10, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Al Powers/Zuffa LLC)
Record: 8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC Opponent: Derrick Lewis (28-12 MMA, 19-10 UFC) Division: Heavyweight Key wins: Karl Williams, Austen Lane Misc.: 33-year-old Brazilian burst on the scene through Dana White’s Contender Series a year ago with a first-round knockout. His official UFC debut earlier this year was a bonus-winning knockout of Lane, and now he’ll go after a perfect 3-0 calendar year as a rookie in the promotion.
Featured bout: Derrick Lewis
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI – MAY 11: (R-L) Derrick Lewis punches Rodrigo Nascimento of Brazil in a heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Enterprise Center on May 11, 2024 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Record: 28-12 MMA, 19-10 UFC Opponent: Jhonata Diniz (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) Division: Heavyweight Key wins: Rodrigo Nascimento, Curtis Blaydes, Aleksei Oleinik, Blagoy Ivanov, Alexander Volkov, Francis Ngannou Misc.: Saturday will be six years to the weekend from Lewis’ loss to Daniel Cormier in his first shot at the UFC heavyweight title. He lost an interim title shot to Ciryl Gane a little less than three years after that, which was the start of his current 3-5 slide.
UFC Fight Night 246 main card betting odds
MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
Brandon Moreno -160 vs. Amir Albazi +135
Erin Blanchfield -125 vs. Rose Namajunas +105
Jhonata Diniz -160 vs. Derrick Lewis +135
Caio Machado -160 vs. Brendson Ribeiro +135
Marc-Andre Barriault -205 vs. Dustin Stoltzfus +170
Trevin Giles +215 vs. Mike Malott -265
UFC Fight Night 246 prelim betting odds
Dec 16, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Ariane Lipski (left) reacts after defeating Casey O’Neill (not pictured) during UFC 296 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET)
Pedro Munhoz -125 vs. Aiemann Zahabi +105
Ariane da Silva +170 vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius -205
With new rules being implemented starting at UFC Fight Night 246, Jasmine Jasudavicius suggests one more.
EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada – With new rules being implemented starting at UFC Fight Night 246, [autotag]Jasmine Jasudavicius[/autotag] is suggesting one more.
Jasudavicius (11-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) takes on Ariane da Silva (17-9 MMA, 6-6 UFC) on Saturday’s prelims (ESPN+) at Rogers Place. Two new rules will make their UFC debut Saturday as, for the first time in the history of the Unified Rules of MMA, 12-6 elbows will be allowed at UFC Fight Night 246. Also, a “grounded fighter” is redefined as an athlete who has any part of their body, besides their hands or feet, on the ground.
“I’m a big fan of the ruleset being changed to that, and I’ve definitely been implementing it,” Jasudavicius told MMA Junkie and other reporters at UFC Fight Night 246 media day.
Jasudavicius wants to see a bigger punishment for weight misses, especially big ones. At UFC 297, Jasudavicius was scheduled to face Priscila Cachoeira at flyweight, but the bout was moved to bantamweight after Jasudavicius revealed that Cachoeira was having issues making weight. Jasudavicius ended up submitting Cachoeira to earn a Performance of the Night bonus.
“I think more of a penalty for missing weight,” Jasudavicius said. “Like the guy last week missing by 10 pounds, that’s crazy. There has to be some more accountability than just money. Like it should be a suspension or something like that.
“I think half the battle is making weight, and for people that are professional and they’re doing it, I understand, yes, there are some misses and stuff, and that happens. But there has to be, I think, something with that. I don’t know what, but something.”
Pedro Munhoz will look to halt the momentum of rising bantamweight Aiemann Zahabi at UFC Edmonton.
EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada – [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag] will look to halt the momentum of rising bantamweight [autotag]Aiemann Zahabi[/autotag].
Munhoz (20-9 MMA, 10-9 UFC) meets Zahabi (11-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 246 (ESPN+) featured prelim at Rogers Place. Munhoz has only one win in his past six outings, but the perennial contender is not discouraged by his recent results.
“It is not good and not bad,” Munhoz told MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 246 media day. “It is what it is. Every time that I step in the octagon, I’m always on the night my best version. Saturday night is going to be my better version than all the other fights that you guys have seen before.
“I get to train at the best gym in the world, American Top Team, and train with the best fighters. So, that’s a tool that helped me always to see what I’ve done wrong in the past and always to be a better fighter.”
Munhoz is on a two-fight losing skid. Zahabi has won his past four in a row.
Although there’s a big difference in their level of competition, with Munhoz having fought the likes of former champions Sean O’Malley, Aljamain Sterling, Dominick Cruz, Jose Aldo, Cody Garbrandt, and Frankie Edgar, he won’t take the Tristar Gym prospect lightly.
“He’s well rounded, training with a good team, they have a good coach,” Munhoz said on Zahabi. “I know he’s going to be ready to face me Saturday. Watching some of his previous fights, my coaches also, we got to be aware of everything he can present.
“He’s a dangerous fighter, he fights calm, he’s been around a lot of fighters that have fought in these type of caliber events and fights so, not underestimating him, and I know it’s going to be a tough fight.”
As for his game plan? Munhoz points to specific attributes that will help him prevail.
“Pressure, skills, and my desire to get the victory Saturday night,” Munhoz responded.
Aiemann Zahabi hopes to follow in Ilia Topuria’s footsteps and finish one of the most durable fighters in history at UFC Edmonton.
EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada – [autotag]Aiemann Zahabi[/autotag] hopes to follow in the footsteps of Ilia Topuria and put away one of the most durable fighters in octagon history at UFC Fight Night 246.
After Topuria shocked the world and became the first to knock out Max Holloway at UFC 308 this past weekend, Zahabi (11-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) wants to put the first knockout or submission blemish on the record of Pedro Munhoz (20-9 MMA, 10-9 UFC), whom he meets in a bantamweight bout on Saturday at Rogers Place (ESPN+).
“You never know,” Zahabi told MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 246 media day. “People said Max Holloway would never be finished and then Topuria did it. That gives me a lot of confident that I can do it too. … There’s always a possibility. But the training camp, the main idea was we’re going to decision but he’s never been finished. Never been subbed, never been KO’d. So I’m ready to go all night.”
Zahabi is fully aware what he’s getting into with Munhoz, because it’s the biggest fight of his career so far. The Canadian gets a shot at the record holder for the most appearances in UFC bantamweight history with Munhoz. He earned it on the power of a four-fight winning streak.
“Yeah of course it’s nice to have an opportunity to fight guys with big names,” Zahabi said. “It’s how you solidify yourself in the UFC. Now I’ve got a few records. I got a huge upset win. I’m tied for like the ninth-biggest upset win in UFC. I have some other records, too. So it’s good to be established now and I’m happy to fight someone who has been in the top 15 for so long and he’s only lost to champions and potential future champions.”
[lawrence-related id=2782834,2782800,2782615]
Despite Munhoz entering the card on a tough run of just one win in his past six fights, Zahabi discredits the notion he is catching the Brazilian at an advantageous time. In fact, he argues Munhoz is going to be at his most threatening because of his desperate need to put a victory on his resume, which he reminded everyone again is only filled with elite opposition.
“Not everybody can beat all these guys,” Zahabi said. “It’s a testament to him that they keep giving him even bigger names and all these tough fights. I respect him and when a guy has lost a couple in a row, that’s when he’s most dangerous. So I think he really wants to come out there and beat me and just keep himself in the game. I wouldn’t say that he’s taken up lightly at all. He knows I have knockout power so he’s going to be trying to protect his chin as well, because he doesn’t want to get put to sleep.”
The UFC Edmonton main and co-main event matchup faced off for the first time in the chilly outdoors of Canada.
EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada – The UFC Fight Night 246 headlining bouts of [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag] and [autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] had a scenic stare down Thursday.
The pair of flyweight bouts are both scheduled for five rounds, and go down Saturday at Rogers Arena and stream on ESPN+.
All sides have been respectful toward one another in the lead-up to the event, and that remained the case when they engaged in official staredowns in the chilly outdoors of Edmonton.
Watch the video above to see the faceoffs for Moreno (21-8-2 MMA, 9-4-2 UFC) vs. Albazi (17-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) and Blanchfield (12-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) vs. Namajunas (13-6 MMA, 11-5 UFC) before UFC Fight Night 246.
