Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”
Monday’s episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.
On Episode 3,511, the fellas preview UFC Fight Night 247 taking place in Las Vegas. They also welcome in UFC bantamweight [autotag]Cody Stamann[/autotag], who competes at the event against Da’Mon Blackshear. Tune in!
An undefeated 7-0 welterweight is expected to make his UFC debut vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos.
It’s UFC Fight Night 247 fight week, but the lineup has been hit with a change.
Days prior to the event, [autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag] is out of his welterweight bout vs. [autotag]Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos[/autotag], who now faces [autotag]Zach Scroggin[/autotag].
Two people with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie of the change Tuesday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
It’s unclear why Dalby (23-5-1 MMA, 7-4-1 UFC) withdrew from the bout.
Dos Santos (28-4-1 MMA, 10-4-1 UFC) looks to get in the win column for the first time in three appearances. After a draw vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov in November 2023, dos Santos lost by unanimous decision to Randy Brown in June.
Scroggin (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is the Fighting Alliance Championship (FAC) welterweight champion. In seven pro fights, he has seven wins and five finishes.
MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 247.
On “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel discusses Brandon Moreno’s return, Belal Muhammad’s UFC 310 withdrawal and much more.
Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.
This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:
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Here’s what you need to know to watch UFC Fight Night 247 on ESPN+.
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Cody Stamann sees UFC Fight Night 247 as a potential do-or-die situation.
[autotag]Cody Stamann[/autotag] sees UFC Fight Night 247 as a potential do-or-die situation.
Stamann (21-7-1 MMA, 7-6-1 UFC) will look to snap a two-fight losing skid when he takes on [autotag]Da’Mon Blackshear[/autotag] (14-7-1 MMA, 2-3-1 UFC) Nov. 9 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Heading into the final fight of his UFC contract, 34-year-old Stamann aims to make a big impression against Blackshear.
“Every fight is the most important fight of your life,” Stamann told MMA Junkie Radio. “I approach every fight the same way, but this one has a lot of extra, I guess, pressure connected to it. (It’s the) last fight on my UFC contract. I’m in a situation where I need to win – I’m not going to sugarcoat it. I have to go out and win. My career depends on it, and I know that. I think that motivates me and scares the living crap out of me because I know if I don’t perform on that night, who knows?
“I may need to look for a job, and I like my job, and I want to keep it. So I’m 100 percent mentally and physically preparing myself to get into a war, and just having that willingness, ability and gas tank to no matter where this fight ends up, just get the job done. I don’t care about my body, I don’t care about my health, I’m going in there with no plans of anything in the future. It’s come back with your shield or on it type of situation for me.”
This isn’t the first time Stamann has had his back against the wall. He was on a three-fight losing skid a few years ago, but says his willingness to fight anyone at anytime is what has contributed to his longevity in the UFC.
“I’ve been in this situation before,” Stamann said. “And I think my saving grace in this situation is the fact that the UFC knows very well – I mean, look at the guys I’ve fought. It’s like killer after killer after killer. They know for a fact that when they ring my line, it doesn’t matter if it’s six weeks, two weeks, one week, four days – it doesn’t matter. The answer is yes, and I just want to know how much I have to weigh.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 247.
Miles Johns has seen Cody Garbrandt get sucked into a fire fight before and hopes to do just that at UFC Fight Night 247.
[autotag]Miles Johns[/autotag] is here to fight the who’s who.
With a chip on his shoulder and an eagerness to further prove himself, Johns (15-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) enters the highest-profile fight of his life Nov. 9 at UFC Fight Night 247 when he takes on former bantamweight champion [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag].
Johns is dead set on getting better and bigger-named opponents each and every time from here on out. It begins with Garbrandt (14-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC), but other names are on the tip of his tongue, as well.
“For me, I take it one fight at a time,” Johns recently told MMA Junkie Radio. “So I’m super focused on Cody right now. It also made me realize I want to fight the who’s who. I want to fight the Pedro Munhozes, the Dominick Cruzes, the Rob Fonts. It seems like none of these prospects can take care of Font. I was thinking in my head, ‘Maybe I’ll be the one that can.’ Two have failed so far, two of these rising prospects. But I think I can be the one to do it.
“Who knows what will come next? Sean Shelby is very good at his job. I trust him. He seems like he keeps giving me the perfect test at the perfect time. We’ll see what happens. But hopefully this will set me up to fight the who’s who of the division. I’m not even so concerned about rankings. I want to be in the rankings. I feel like soon I’ll deserve to be in the rankings. But give me the names. Give me fights that have people getting excited for.”
Johns, 30, is 3-1 with one no contest in most recent four. The no contest was initially a win for Johns, but it was overturned after a failed drug test. However, the Nevada Athletic Commission adjusted allowable thresholds for DHMCT, the substance found in his system, between the time of his positive test and subsequent disciplinary action.
Garbrandt, 33, is 2-1 in his most recent three but is coming off a submission loss to Deiveson Figueiredo in April. The court of public opinion is not unanimous as to where Garbrandt is skill wise in his career, but Johns has some insider intel that’s boosted his confidence he’ll get the best “No Love” on fight night.
“I’m expecting Cody Garbrandt with something to prove,” Johns said. “He has a little bit of a legacy to leave. I hear he’s on the last fight of his UFC contract. I know that he’s had his ups and downs and stuff. He’s dealt with a lot of critique from fans in the MMA world. I don’t really listen to too much of that. People always say he has no chin. I’ve seen fights that he’s been in after he’s gotten knocked out where he did take a lot of punches and his chin did last. I just feel like he’s knowing this is his last fight on his UFC contract. He’s going to come with everything he has. That’s what I hope. I want to beat the best Cody Garbrandt. … I’m expecting the best Cody, and I plan to put the best Cody to sleep.”
Johns said emotional baiting could be in his repertoire during their bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. He’s seen Garbrandt get sucked into fire fights before and might attempt to charge him up into doing the same.
“I know he’s going to crack back,” Johns said. “I’m expecting for him to crack back. But I think if I get him up against the wall and I start putting some heat on him, he’s not going to like that. I want to make it an exciting fight. I want to make it a fight that the fans have fun watching and that they enjoy. We’ll see what happens. I know he’s also a little bit emotional. If he’s waiting a little bit and I tell him, ‘Come on, man. What are we waiting on? Let’s get this thing popping,’ I think he’ll oblige. But we’ll see.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 247.
Cody Garbrandt is heading into the final fight of his contract at UFC Fight Night 247.
[autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag] is heading into the final fight of his contract at UFC Fight Night 247.
Garbrandt (14-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) takes on Miles Johns (15-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in a bantamweight bout Nov. 9 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
“No Love” says he has a good relationship with UFC CEO Dana White, and wants the octagon to remain his home. He hopes they can reach a deal that keeps him as a UFC fighter.
“(I’m) still going through some things with the UFC. This is my last fight on the contract, so (I’ve) got to get together with them and see what we can come up with,” Garbrandt said on the Jaxxon Podcast. “I’d love to (re-sign). I love the UFC – I think especially where the sport is going. I love mixed martial arts. Obviously, UFC is the premier league to fight in. But, you know, money talks.”
Garbrandt already has reached the pinnacle by winning the UFC bantamweight title from Dominick Cruz in one of the most memorable championship-winning performances in company history. He’s experienced plenty of ups and downs since then, but what drives Garbrandt to keep fighting?
“For me, it’s not being satisfied,” Garbrandt said. “I think winning the title, I didn’t feel fulfilled. I won it and was like, ‘That’s it?’ because I think I fixated on it for so long and visualized myself doing it, and when I did it, it wasn’t like this huge surprise, ‘Oh sh*t, I did it.’ Obviously, I was happy for the people around me that were with me from the beginning.
“I don’t know. I’m still chasing whatever I was chasing, just something different. … Now I’m just chasing whatever else is on my mind because I love it. I love fighting, and I don’t see myself doing anything else because this window shuts everyday. You can only fight for so long. Lord willing, I’ll stay healthy and have longevity, five to eight more years.”
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It’s not usually the gateway into MMA, but Lone’er Kavanagh says gymnastics significantly helped his journey.
[autotag]Lone’er Kavanagh[/autotag] hasn’t even been on the UFC roster for a month, but he’s not afraid to tell the world where he thinks he’ll end up.
Looking into his crystal ball, Kavanagh (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) sees high-end contender status a reality 18 months from now – with potential championship gold coming shortly thereafter.
“For me, I’ve already told my manager Jose (Diaz), with First Round Management, my goal is to become UFC champion in two years,” Kavanagh recently told MMA Junkie Radio. “So whatever I have to do to get there, I’m ready for it. I’ll take fights. I’m not here to stick about. I want to get to the top as fast as I can basically. Say, in a year-and-a-half, I want to be on that top. I hope to be up in the rankings. I hope to be closer to those shots.”
Kavanagh, 25, still has a lot to prove before his goal becomes reality, but he made himself known to international audiences in emphatic fashion three weeks ago. Kavanagh was the first fight of Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 8 – and kicked off the show with a bang when he blasted previously-unbeaten An Tuan Ho into the shadow realm for an elongated period of time.
The power displayed was generated through years of MMA-specific technique and strength training, yes. But Kavanagh credits much of physical abilities to a sport atypical of launching many fighters’ careers.
“I used to do gymnastics from a young age,” Kavanagh said. “I started when I was like two or three. I’m surrounded by sports my entire life basically. … I did gymnastics for a really long time. I started when I was like two. … I did that until I was like 10 or 11. That set my foundation. … I’ve definitely had that feedback before, so I think gymnastics helped with that. I think the most thing that it helped with is just having that awareness of where your body is. When you move and stuff like that, it just gives you that awareness. If you’re in a position, you know how to stay relaxed in that position. It’s helped massively with fighting.”
Kavanagh is expected to make his official octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 247 in Macau on Nov. 23 when he takes on Jose Ochoa.
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