Tag: UFC on ESPN+ 10

Marvin Vettori: Keeping anger in check, but I plan to beat up Karl Roberson ‘as brutally as I can’

Marvin Vettori says he and Karl Roberson have kept it civil thus far ahead of their upcoming matchup, but don’t expect that to last.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] says he and [autotag]Karl Roberson[/autotag] have kept it civil thus far ahead of their upcoming matchup, but don’t expect that to last come Saturday.

“I just saw him here like three minutes ago,” Vettori told MMA Junkie. “At the end of the day, when he steps in the cage, we’ll settle it there. I was just pissed because you’re acting tough in the f-cking lobby, and we were supposed to fight in a few hours. You should have just kept your mouth shut and show up in the cage.”

Vettori (14-3-1 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC) and fellow middleweight Roberson (9-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) were expected to meet at May’s UFC on ESPN+ 29 event in Florida. Roberson missed weight for the matchup, but Vettori agreed to a catchweight contest. However, after the official weigh-ins, “Baby K” continued to struggle with his recovery, and medical personnel ruled him ineligible to compete.

For Vettori, who had already had two other fight dates scratched due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it was an infraction he simply couldn’t let slide, leading to a now-infamous hotel confrontation the day they were scheduled meet in the octagon.

“I just wanted to talk to him and say, ‘Why the hell did you pull out?'” Vettori said. “He missed weight. I accepted, and then he still pulled out. I was like, ‘What the hell? Why did you pull out?’ Then his coach talked, and he was telling me that he fainted after the weigh-ins. Meanwhile, he was recharging, and they right away called the UFC medical team, and they brought him to the hospital, and they said his kidney values were up. But man, the kidney values would be up after a weight cut.

“But yeah, then I was about to walk off. Honestly, I was about to walk off, and just right before, I told him, ‘You know you f-cked up? You know you f-cked up? All of this is really f-cked up.’ He was like, ‘Yeah, I know.’ This and that. Then I was about to walk off, and the moment I’m walking off, he looks at me, and he’s like, ‘Oh, but I heard you said that I’m scared to fight you.’ I’m like, ‘Of course I said that, and I really believe that. I think you were a broken man yesterday. You’re a broken man today,’ and that’s what I told him. Then he put his chest out and he tried to square off with me. That’s why I freaked out.”

Vettori tried to find anyone willing to fight him in Florida but ultimately had to settle for a rebooking at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 10, which takes place at UFC Apex and airs live on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

There’s no question it’s a grudge match, but Vettori said he understands the importance of keeping his emotions in check.

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“I just kind of like flipped off on him when he tried to square off on me,” Vettori said. “At the end of the day, now I’m going to go out, beat him up as brutally as I can, and that’s it.

“You’ll see a lot of action, but I’m not stupid. Any high-level fighter, they know you can’t let anger get to your head. I’m not stupid. I’m not a stupid fighter. At the end of the day, you have to think, the worst thing you can do to him is to beat him and walk away with a dominant, super beautiful-fashioned win. That’s it. That’s what I’m going to do.”

Oddsmakers have Vettori installed as a sizable favorite in the contest, currently sitting at around a -230, suggesting a 70 percent probability of winning. That sounds about right to “The Italian Dream,” who believes he’s going to send a message in this grudge match.

“It is a little bit personal,” Vettori said. “It is personal. It’s just that now, the only thing that I want is for him to step into the cage, and I’ll be happy like this. But it is personal because he messed with my own life. He messed with my coaches’ life. He messed with the whole team.

“It was unprofessional and a bunch of things. But I think he’s a solid fighter – just not on my level. When the level of competition went up for him, he wasn’t able to match the level. That’s what happened. He’s jut not on my level.”

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Here’s why Cynthia Calvillo called out Jessica Eye (sort of)

So just how did Cynthia Calvillo get booked with top flyweight contender Jessica Eye in her first fight in the division? She asked for it.

LAS VEGAS – So just how did [autotag]Cynthia Calvillo[/autotag] get booked with top flyweight contender [autotag]Jessica Eye[/autotag] in her first fight in the division? She asked for it.

“I actually asked for that fight,” Calvillo told MMA Junkie. “We had just got into the gym. I talked to them and told them I wanted to fight in July, and then I was watching everybody in the flyweight division – you know, in the top 10 – getting booked for fights, and I’m like, ‘Man, dude, like if I don’t get up on this and try to get a fight, then I’m going to be left out.’

“So I noticed that there were probably like two fighters that hadn’t been matched up, which was Jessica Eye and Jennifer Maia. But Jennifer Maia, of course she’s in Brazil, and I didn’t know how the restrictions were going to be. So I was like, ‘Well, Jessica Eye. Let’s go for it.’ So I messaged my manager, and I told him, ‘Hey, does Jessica Eye have anything booked? If she doesn’t, I would love to fight her in July.’ He was like, ‘Let me ask.’ He came back with, ‘Uh, how about main event in three weeks?’ Well, all righty then. So that’s pretty much how it happened.”

Calvillo (8-1-1 MMA, 5-1-1 UFC) and Eye (15-7 MMA, 5-6 UFC) meet in the headlining bout of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 10, which takes place at UFC Apex. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

It’s Calvillo’s first UFC fight at 125 pounds after competing at strawweight in her first seven fights for the promotion – though she missed weight in two of her past three.

Calvillo admits even she was surprised to get a main event but felt honored the promotion was willing to give her the opportunity.

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“I’m super thankful,” Calvillo said. “I think the UFC has had my back, honestly. I mean, I’ve had two co-main events, and now I’m in the main event, and especially considering with the struggles that I’ve had these last years, for them to put me on there, it means a lot. I really didn’t think I was going to get an opportunity like that.

“I felt like I needed to establish myself a little better in the flyweight division before I got a slot like that, but it’s here, and I’m super grateful. I’m really, really happy and blessed to be able to fight for this organization and for them to continue to support me.”

Calvillo, 32, said she’s not completely ruling out a return to strawweight at some point in her career, but she admits it doesn’t seem very likely. The addition of more muscle mass to her growing frame makes it a very tough ask.

“I mean, I’ll go down back to 115 for the right fight, but I just think that for my longevity as a professional athlete, I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to continue killing myself at strawweight,” Calvillo said. “My body has changed a lot since then, and it is very difficult for me to make that weight.”

If Calvillo is victorious over Eye, she may not need to worry about big fights at 115 pounds. A recent title challenger, Eye is considered one of the top contenders in the division, posting a 4-1 mark in the weight class since dropping down from bantamweight, and with the only loss in that stretch coming to dominant champion Valentina Shevchenko.

Calvillo realizes getting her wish means she’s got a big opportunity in front of her right now.

“I want to go in there guns blazing, and I want to prove that I’m one of the best in the world,” Calvillo said. “You’ve just got to keep fighting. The last few months have not been very busy as much as I want. Definitely slowed down a lot, so I’m excited to just get matched up. When I beat Jessica Eye, if they tell me do I want to fight for the title, ‘Yes, I will.’ If they tell me I need to wait, I need to take another fight, I will fight. I want to stay busy.”

That’s not an empty promise from Calvillo. After all, she fought four times in her first nine months in the UFC. A loss and and a subsequent suspension for testing positive for marijuana metabolites slowed things down, but she’s ready to gain steam once again – so much so, that she’s willing to face anyone the UFC offers up.

Almost.

“I want to fight everybody on that roster – of course the girls, not the guys, and I don’t know about Amanda Nunes, either,” Calvillo said with a laugh. “But I love doing this, man. I don’t know how to explain it. There’s nothing on the planet I’d rather being doing than doing martial arts and fighting, so I want to be able to do this as long as I can. It is something that doesn’t last forever.

“Father Time is undefeated, so as long as I can get to the best shape that I possibly can and do what I can – I want to be a legend in this sport, and I feel like I’m barely scratching (the surface). I want to put more names beneath my belt. This is a great start. This is exactly where I want to be.”

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Karl Roberson details fateful weight cut, has strong words for Marvin Vettori

Karl Roberson may have had to withdraw from his most recent scheduled fight, but he may be lucky things weren’t way worse.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Karl Roberson[/autotag] may have had to withdraw from his most recent scheduled fight, but it seems he was lucky things weren’t way worse.

Roberson (9-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) was scheduled to face [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] (14-3-1 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC) in May at UFC on ESPN+ 29 in Florida, but he was ruled medically ineligible to fight on the day of the card due to medical issues associated with his weight cut. It all sounds rather routine until you hear him describe exactly what happened.

“During the weight cut, I starting have seizures – like, small seizures – so they had to stop my weight cut,” Roberson told MMA Junkie. “I still went down there, weighed in and tried to make it to the fight. When I tried to rehydrate, my body never came back. My legs gave out, and I passed out. I hit my head, and they said I was going through rhabdomyolysis.

“My brain functions started to not work, so they took me to the hospital, rehydrated me and checked me to make sure I wasn’t completely gone down the drain, so they pulled me from the card.”

Fortunately, Roberson is fine now and ready to compete just one month later. However, he insists it hasn’t exactly been an easy stretch.

“It’s been a long road,” Roberson said. “It’s been a hard journey, but basically getting the right people in my corner, making sure my levels stay right and make sure I was able to even do it, truthfully. I talked to a few doctors, and they told me, like, ‘It’s going to be hard, but you can definitely get down because your body didn’t completely shut down, but you were pretty close, so if you do everything right and you diet right and stay on the path, you’ll be OK. You’ll make it.’

“It was a complete diet change. I was more on a fat-heavy diet, not that much carbs, so my muscles weren’t rebuilding really correctly and I wasn’t treating my body the correct way, so I had to put a lot more carbs and really go a different direction with my diet.”

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Roberson’s withdrawal from the card in Jacksonville was only part of the story. The real headlines came when he and Vettori crossed paths in the host hotel when Roberson was waiting to get to the airport.

“Baby K” said when he left his room, he ended up riding down in an elevator with a member of Vettori’s team. Once they reached the ground floor, things took a turn for the worse.

“Truthfully, it was a little suspect situation,” Roberson said. “I got called from my room to go get on a plane to go home so I could go and get to my doctor to see what I can get. … As we’re coming down, Marvin was standing there in the lobby with a coffee, pacing back and forth. OK. It is what it is. As I’m walking, he’s approaching me and said, ‘What happened?’ I’m like, ‘I passed out. My bad. Like, they pulled me from the card.’ He said, ‘That’s messed up.’ I said, ‘Yeah, it’s messed up.’

“Then I asked him, like, ‘Bro, you called a journalist and said I was scared to fight you?’ And he said, ‘Yeah.’ Then he approached me like he was trying to fight me. I’m a fighter. You don’t approach a fighter in an aggressive way, especially when we’re supposed to fight. So I was like, ‘My bad, man. So why would you say that?’ … So he walks to the other side of the lobby, puts his coffee down, and that’s when his nutritionist or his boy or whatever the f-ck he is comes out the elevator. He starts yelling, ‘Oh you want to fight me?’ and this and that. I was like, ‘What are you yelling for? This is completely unnecessary.’

“That’s basically what it was. He got all mad. He got pushed away by hotel concierge, which is weird, and we just left.”

The two will get to settle their differences Saturday when they meet in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN 10, which takes place at the UFC Apex. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

Given the previous exchanges between the two, it seems likely that fireworks will ensue. Roberson said he was thrilled the UFC could get them booked together again.

“I love this fight, and I wanted to fight him,” Roberson said. “He wants to talk all this sh-t and be all emotional. Basically, his emotions – he can’t control his emotions. He sounds like he’s still on steroids, truthfully. He sounds like he’s still juicing because his emotions were all over the place, and he’s acting like a little b-tch. So I wanted to fight him. I’m like, ‘Set it up. If I get cleared to fight, if I’m good to make weight, let’s do it.’ And the UFC did it, so let’s get it.”

Given the pair’s fighting styles, the contest could prove quite entertaining, and with a little backstory to boot, it’s a contest rife with intrigue.

“It’s definitely a big fight,” Roberson said. “With everything going on, we’ve got a lot of attention, and we both like to fight. So we’ll go in there, stand, bang, see who really wants to fight, and we’ll do it for the fans.”

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Jessica Eye has stern warning for Cynthia Calvillo in move to new division

As someone who once competed at a higher weight class but now enjoys her new home, Jessica Eye has concerns for anyone going the other way.

LAS VEGAS – As someone who once competed at a higher weight class but now quite enjoys her new home, [autotag]Jessica Eye[/autotag] has some concerns for anyone going the other way.

“I am jacked about how much I know my size will play into a factor with this,” Eye told MMA Junkie. “I remember going up a weight class and thinking that, ‘Oh, I can hang with them.’ You know what I mean? ‘It’s hard to make flyweight, but I can hang with bantamweights’ – and that’s not true. That wasn’t true. It really wasn’t.”

Recent UFC women’s flyweight title challenger Eye (15-7 MMA, 5-6 UFC) takes on [autotag]Cynthia Calvillo[/autotag] (8-1-1 MMA, 5-1-1 UFC) in the main event of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 10 event from UFC Apex. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

Calvillo is moving up a division after twice missing weight in her seven UFC strawweight appearances, and she gets a big fight in her debut at flyweight facing Eye, who is ranked No. 3 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie MMA rankings. However, Eye said she had no hesitation in taking a contender who is unproven at 125 pounds, accepting UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard’s offer immediately – or, at least, immediately after he finally tracked her down with the help of Xtreme Couture’s Eric Nicksick.

“I was taking a nap that day from my earlier training, and when Mick called me, I didn’t see it,” Eye said. “Then Eric blew my phone up. As soon as I finally picked up the phone, he was like, ‘Jessica, you vs. Cynthia Calvillo, main event if Dana (White) approves it on June 13 here in Vegas.’ I was like, ‘In Vegas? Well, yeah, but let me wake up. Hold on.’

“I literally walked to my living room where my friends were at, and I was like, ‘They just offered me a main event fight June 13. I’m going to take it.’ They were like, ‘F-ck, yeah. Let’s do this.’ So was my team.”

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Eye certainly isn’t looking at the matchup as some type of walkover. After all, even though she feels Calvillo may be in for a rude awakening, she certainly doesn’t see her as incapable. And with a shot at make an immediate impact in the division on the line, Calvillo is bound to be driven.

“I know Cynthia is a gamer,” Eye said. “I’m sure this has got to heighten her sense. I’m sure she’s bringing her A game. She’s fighting the No. 1 girl. This could be a big jump for her. This could be a big day for her, you know what I mean?

“I could see why she would want the fight, and you know why I want the fight? Because I want to prove that no matter who they put in front of me, I am as good as I believe I am and as good as I know I am, and I like winning. I like winning, and it’s all about a win.”

Eye vs. Calvillo has taken a bit of criticism from fans for its placement as a headlining bout, but the 33-year-old Ohio native said she isn’t worried about those opinions. Instead, it’s all about building off her December win and proving that her 4-1 record in the UFC since moving down from 135 pounds is no accident, and she still belongs at the top of the division.

And unfortunately for Calvillo, Eye says, that could mean a very rude welcome to her new neighborhood.

“I guess we’ll have to see whether or not I lace that right hand straight down the pipe or I put it on her body and break her body down to where she can’t stand,” Eye said.

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MMA Junkie Radio #3060: ‘Fight Island’ madness, Dana White, McGregor, Diaz Brothers, more

The fellas look ahead to UFC on ESPN 10 event and discuss Dana White, Jorge Masvidal, Conor McGregor, Joe Rogan, the Diaz Brothers and more.

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Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here!

On Episode No. 3,060 of the podcast, the fellas look ahead to Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 10 event and discuss Dana White, Jorge Masvidal, Conor McGregor, Joe Rogan, the Diaz Brothers and more.

THE RUNDOWN

  • The UFC announced its “Fight Island” schedule – including one event with three title fights. We break it down.
  • UFC president Dana White did an interview on ESPN earlier this week, and it went a bit sideways.
  • Jorge Masvidal is butting heads with White and the UFC brass. Who’s in the right?
  • White didn’t mince a lot of words about Conor McGregor in his ESPN interview.
  • Nick Diaz should make a comeback. But against whom?
  • UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman is having a war of words with Nate Diaz.
  • Joe Rogan has some thoughts about fighter pay.
  • UFC on ESPN 10 goes down Saturday. We take a look at the card.

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio, or check it out above. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.

Gina Mazany on ‘Cloud 9’ ahead of UFC return vs. Julia Avila

Gina Mazany is ecstatic to be getting a second shot in the UFC.

[autotag]Gina Mazany[/autotag] is ecstatic to be getting a second shot in the UFC.

The news of her release came as a surprise, but ever since she was handed her walking papers from the UFC, Mazany has been staying ready.

After suffering back-to-back losses to Lina Lansberg and Macy Chiasson, Mazany (6-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) went back to the regional scene and picked up a first-round finish over Valerie Barney in January.

Almost five months later, Mazany got the call she was waiting for and will step in to face Julia Avila on Saturday at UFC on ESPN 10.

She said she didn’t even know about her release until months after the fact.

“I’m on Cloud 9,” Mazany told MMA Junkie. “After the fight with Macy, the current manager I was with – I was under the impression that I was still signed with the UFC. I was still able to use the (UFC) Performance Institute, they were still feeding me, still working on me, still doing strength and conditioning for like six, seven months – and my management told me, ‘Just keep working – we’ll get you a short-notice fight.’ And I would look at fights and be like, ‘If any of these girls drop out, let me know – I’ll get in.’

“(I’m) just looking for redemption, just trying to get back in there. … I spoke with my boyfriend Tim Elliott’s manager, Jason House, (and) quickly found out that I was actually cut. So that was a good six, seven months where I was just staying ready. But I eventually got a fight up in Colorado at 155. I weighed in at 152, and I won that fight, and that was cool.”

Since then, Mazany has been keeping an eye out for fights that she could potentially step in for while staying in shape, which eventually paid off for her.

She credited House for making it happen.

“I just told him, ‘Hey, I’m ready – I’m training. I’ll be here if somebody can’t make the weight or whatever,'” Mazany said. “(I was) kind of looking for any sort of opportunity. But Jason worked really hard to get me back in. … It was important on my part to stay ready and stay mentally good and physically good and weight good and all that fun stuff.”

UFC on ESPN 10 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

Charles Rosa expecting a war against Kevin Aguilar at UFC on ESPN 10

Win or lose, Charles Rosa always come to fight – and he expects his upcoming matchup with Kevin Aguilar to be no different.

Win or lose, [autotag]Charles Rosa[/autotag] always come to fight.

Rosa (12-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) faces [autotag]Kevin Aguilar[/autotag] in a lightweight bout this Saturday at UFC on ESPN 10, where he will be making a relatively quick turnaround.

Though Rosa has alternated wins and losses since joining the UFC roster, he’s already won four bonuses in just seven fights.

And he expects his upcoming fight with Aguilar to be no different.

“I love this one,” Rosa told MMA Junkie. “I know Kevin is coming to fight. I’m sure he knows I’m coming to fight. He’s a guy that’s proven it before, and I am myself, so this is a guy that you’re going to see some blood, I’m sure. You’re going to see some action, and you’re going to see a war. We’re both guys that don’t quit. You watch his fights – the guy, he can take some shots. You watch my fights – I mean, no one’s really ever finished me. I have the one loss to Shane Burgos, but I don’t feel like I was stopped.”

Rosa is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Bryce Mitchell at UFC 249 in a fight in which he was controlled on the ground and unable to really get any offense going.

But Rosa said if Aguilar thinks he’s found a blueprint to beat him, he should think again.

“If he wants to fight and if his chin can hold up and he’s durable enough to take it the distance, then you’re probably going to see a ‘Fight of the Year’ or a ‘Fight of the Night’ type of fight – it’s going to be a war,” Rosa said. “I know we’re both super durable, super tough.

“If he starts shooting in on me thinking because Bryce was able to do what he did to me and take me down, then he’s going to get submitted and he’s going to learn the hard way and you’re going to see the level I have in jiu-jitsu.”

UFC on ESPN 10 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

With Ryan Benoit out of UFC on ESPN 10, Zarrukh Adashev steps in to fight Tyson Nam

Ex-Bellator fighter Zarrukh Adashev will take on Tyson Nam at UFC on ESPN 10 on Saturday.

[autotag]Zarrukh Adashev[/autotag] only has four fights on his professional MMA resume, but he’s already a UFC fighter.

With [autotag]Ryan Benoit[/autotag] withdrawing from UFC on ESPN 10, Adashev (3-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has stepped in on four day’s notice to take on [autotag]Tyson Nam[/autotag].

Benoit’s reason for withdrawal is unknown at this time.

Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the targeted booking and Benoit’s withdrawal Tuesday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Additionally, Adashev confirmed the news on his Instagram story. TSN was the first to report the news.

After losing his professional debut under the Ring of Combat banner in 2015, Adashev went on a three-year hiatus from MMA. Upon his 2018 return, Adashev went 3-0 in Bellator with two finishes. Adashev, 27, has also competed for Glory Kickboxing.

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Nam (18-11-1 MMA, 0-2 UFC) signed with the UFC in mid-2019 after 28 professional fights outside the promotion. After losing to Sergio Pettis by unanimous decision, Nam dropped another unanimous decision to Kai Kara-France at UFC on ESPN+ 26 in February.

UFC on ESPN 10 takes place Saturday at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The entire card is expected to stream live on ESPN and ESPN+.

The entire lineup for the June 13 UFC event includes:

MAIN CARD (9 p.m. E.T.)

  • Cynthia Calvillo vs. Jessica Eye
  • Karl Roberson vs. Marvin Vettori
  • Andre Fili vs. Charles Jourdain
  • Ray Borg vs. Merab Dvalishvili
  • Mark De La Rosa vs. Jordan Espinosa

PRELIMINARY CARD (6 p.m. E.T.)

  • Mariya Agapova vs. Melissa Gatto
  • Kevin Aguilar vs. Charles Rosa
  • Julia Avila vs. Gina Mazany
  • Zarrukh Adashev vs. Tyson Nam
  • Jordan Griffin vs. Darrick Minner
  • Christian Aguilera vs. Anthony Ivy

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