Tag: UFC on ESPN 11

Dana White to Curtis Blaydes: ‘You look stupid’ after failing to back up talk in UFC on ESPN 11 win

Curtis Blaydes was a winner at UFC on ESPN 11, but that didn’t stop Dana White from laying into him.

UFC president Dana White believes [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag]’ performance at UFC on ESPN 11 didn’t match up with everything he said pre-fight.

Blaydes (14-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) picked up a lopsided unanimous decision win over Alexander Volkov (31-8 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in the headlining bout Saturday at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, using a record number of takedowns for a heavyweight bout over the course of five rounds.

Prior to the fight, Blaydes promised he would “rag-doll” Volkov in essentially the type of performance he delivered. Moreover, he chimed in on the ongoing hot topic of UFC fighter pay. White caught wind of everything he said and called him out on it.

“I like Curtis Blaydes, but Curtis Blaydes has the wrong attitude as far as I’m concerned,” White said at the UFC on ESPN 11 post-fight news conference. “I don’t have anything against the kid at all, (but) when you talk (expletive) like he talked this week, you better come in and whoop somebody’s ass when you talk (expletive) like that. When you talk the (expletive) that he did and perform like he did tonight? You look stupid.

“Yeah, he won. He talked a lot of (expletive) coming in this week. I don’t think you talk the (expletive) he talked this week and come in and perform like that. Talking about rag-dolling people, and he’s not getting paid, and yada yada, he should be getting the title shot. He gassed out at the end of the third round, made it to the fifth and won the fight. Yeah, he won.”

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With four consecutive wins in the heavyweight division, Blaydes is closing in on a title fight. The problem, however, is that his lone two career losses are against Francis Ngannou, who is waiting for the UFC 252 title fight between Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier to play out.

White said he advises Blaydes not to wait around for all that to unfold and instead take another fight.

“His two losses are to Francis,” White said. “How do you give him the title shot ahead of Francis? But, yeah, he would be considered next in line. But with his performance tonight and his cardio? I wouldn’t wait around if I was him. I’d stay active. I’d stay busy.”

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UFC on ESPN 11 results: Curtis Blaydes schools Alexander Volkov on mat to win fourth straight

Curtis Blaydes set UFC heavyweight takedown records as he frustrated the former Bellator champ.

[autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] continues steamrolling any heavyweight opposition in the UFC not named Francis Ngannou.

The Chicago standout had one of his most impressive victories to date Saturday night as he overwhelmed former Bellator champion [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] for the better part of 25 minutes in the main event of UFC on ESPN 11.

Blaydes went the distance — win or lose — for the first time in his career and set a UFC heavyweight record with 14 takedowns along the way as he earned a unanimous decision. The judges’ scores at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas were 49-46, 48-47, 49-46.

It was the fourth straight win for Blaydes, whose only UFC defeats in 11 fights were a pair to Ngannou.

“It was a good experience to go 25 minutes,” Blaydes said. “I know there are things I gotta work on, but a win is a win. I know I need to work on my conditioning after the third round. I’m happy with the win. Volkov is legit.”

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Blaydes (14-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) wasted little time taking Volkov (31-8 MMA,  5-2 UFC) to the mat early in the opening round, and that was the beginning of what must have seemed like a slow-motion nightmare for his Russian foe. Blaydes stayed on Volkov’s back like an oversized Khabib Nurmagomedov, dragging him back to the mat every time Volkov got to his feet.

In the second, Volkov attempted to use his reach advantage to implement his striking game. But Blaydes fearlessly waded in and popped Volkov with an overhand, then resumed his ground assault.

It turned into a rinse-and-repeat performance, as Blaydes scored takedowns early in the third and fourth. His 12th takedown of the fight, two minutes into Round 4, set a new UFC record for takedowns in a heavyweight bout.

With a minute left in the fourth, referee Herb Dean called for a curious standup. Volkov had his best moments of the fight, landing solid knees and scoring a takedown.

Blaydes appeared tired at the start of the fifth, and Volkov did his best to steal the win. But Blaydes regrouped and scored two more takedowns, bringing his UFC career total to 59, to seal the deal.

Volkov has dropped two of his past three.

Complete results from UFC on ESPN 11:

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Twitter reacts to Curtis Blaydes’ lopsided win over Alexander Volkov at UFC on ESPN 11

See the top Twitter reactions to Curtis Blaydes’ win over Alexander Volkov in the UFC on ESPN 11 main event.

[autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] strengthened his case for a heavyweight title shot on Saturday when he beat [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] in the UFC on ESPN 11 main event.

Blaydes (14-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) once again put his “universal game plan” of grappling to work against Volkov (31-8 MMA, 5-2 UFC) and it led to a unanimous decision victory in the headlining contest, which took place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas and aired on ESPN/ESPN+.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Blaydes’ victory over Volkov at UFC on ESPN 11.

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UFC on ESPN 11 results: Josh Emmett wins thriller over Shane Burgos

Josh Emmett vs. Shane Burgos was everything it was expected to be at UFC on ESPN 11.

The UFC on ESPN 11 co-main event between [autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag] and [autotag]Shane Burgos[/autotag] figured to be a referendum on which of the two is destined to become a real factor in the featherweight division.

But after the duo threw down for 15 minutes in a battle, it’s clear that both will be forces to be reckoned with at 145 pounds for some time to come.

After two tightly contested rounds, Emmett (16-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) pulled away in the third to seal a unanimous decision at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, earning a pair of 29-28 scores and a 29-27 for his third consecutive victory.

“He fought me super well, he’s a tough guy, and I wish him nothing but the best,” Emmett said of his foe. “All the respect in the world.”

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The tone was dictated in the opening round. Burgos (13-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) moved forward, kept up the pressure, and mixed up his punches and kicks. Emmett, for his part, is a power puncher, and he landed hooks and uppercuts over and over. Burgos apparently has a chin made of concrete, as he absorbed blow after blow and came back for more.

Emmett appeared to hyper-extend a knee early in the first round, and after the bout indicated he believed he tore his ACL. But he fought through it, as the duo continued the furious pace into the second round.

While you could make a case for either fighter in the first two rounds, the third was Emmett’s time to shine. He dropped Burgos with a left hand early. After Burgos got back up, he landed a kick to the groin. But Emmett wasn’t fazed there, either, and he picked up the pace and never gave Burgos an opening to get back into the fight from there.

With his eighth career decision win, Emmett now has won six of his past seven fights. Burgos had a three-fight winning streak snapped, as he dropped a decision for the first time in his career.

Up-to-the-minute results from UFC on ESPN 11:

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Lyman Good after UFC on ESPN 11 loss: ‘My heart wasn’t in the cage with me’

Lyman Good entered UFC on ESPN 11 with a heavy heart after the recent death of his father.

[autotag]Lyman Good[/autotag] entered UFC on ESPN 11 with a heavy heart. After it was all over, he admitted it was too heavy.

Good, who returned to action after a recent bout with COVID-19, revealed during fight week that his father recently died, and he was forthcoming about wanting to get a victory to honor his memory on the eve of Father’s Day.

Unfortunately for Good, he came up short, as he lost a close unanimous decision to Belal Muhammad by three scores of 29-28 Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Afterward, Good issued a statement on Twitter explaining that he just wasn’t completely into the fight.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t get the win tonight,” Good said. “Tried to honor my father but my heart wasn’t in the cage with me.”

I’m sorry I couldn’t get the win tonight. Tried to honor my father but my heart wasn’t in the cage with me. Congratulations to @bullyb170 for his win and sharing the cage with me tonight. Good luck to my brother @HurricaneShaneB tonight!!!

The result means that Good has alternated losses and wins in last five fights, pushing his UFC record to 3-3.

Good (21-6 MMA, 3-3 UFC), who lives and trains in New York, originally was expected to face Muhammad (17-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) on April 18 at UFC 249. However, two weeks before the event, Good was forced to withdraw. He later revealed himself as the first UFC fighter to test positive for the novel coronavirus.

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Twitter reacts to Josh Emmett’s thrilling win over Shane Burgos at UFC on ESPN 11

See the top Twitter reactions to Josh Emmett’s win over Shane Burgos at UFC on ESPN 11.

[autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag] continued to emerge as a threat at featherweight on Saturday when he beat [autotag]Shane Burgos[/autotag] in the UFC on ESPN 11 co-main event.

Emmett (16-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) improved to 5-1 since he moved to 145 pounds when he scored a unanimous decision victory over Burgos (13-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in the anticipated matchup, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and aired on ESPN/ESPN+.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Emmett’s victory over Burgos at UFC on ESPN 11.

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https://twitter.com/davedoylemma/status/1274523009563254784

https://twitter.com/ThugnastyMMA/status/1274525330628325377

UFC on ESPN 11 results: Jim Miller submits Roosevelt Roberts in first, moves to third on wins list

Jim Miller continued to add to an already memorable legacy at UFC on ESPN 11.

These days, every time [autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag] fight is an opportunity to add to what is already a memorable legacy.

When Miller stepped into the octagon to meet [autotag]Roosevelt Roberts[/autotag] in the main-card opener of UFC on ESPN 11 on Saturday night, he tied Donald Cerrone for most octagon appearances in UFC history with 35.

Then the 36-year old Miller (32-14 MMA, 21-13 UFC) went out and submitted Roberts (10-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC), who was 14 when Miller made his UFC debut in 2008, at just 2:25 into the opening round.

With his 18th career submission, Miller now has 21 UFC victories, surpassing Michael Bisping, Jon Jones and Georges St-Pierre for third on the all-time list. Miller is now two wins behind Cerrone’s record of 23. The bout was a 160-pound catchweight fight, so it did not add to his record 19 UFC lightweight wins.

Miller hit a low kick as Roberts was himself attempting to throw a kick, which dropped Roberts to the mat. After vintage Miller mat work, the submission ace worked his way into position for an armbar, eventually leaving Roberts no choice but to tap.

“He’s talented on the ground, I felt I had a pretty significant strength advantage, and I was just waiting for him to make a mistake,” Miller said.

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Miller has been competing professionally since 2005. The circumstances at the UFC Apex behind closed doors were unusual, to say the least. And while others said empty arenas are no problem, Miller admitted he missed the roar of the crowd.

For years I’ve said I’d fight anywhere they’d put the octagon, and that’s the case. But the fans are a huge part of this,” Miller said. “… Hearing the roar of the crowd is amazing. I miss them, I really do. 

Miller won for the third time in his past four fights. Roberts, who fought and won just three weeks ago, had a two-fight winning streak snapped.

Up-to-the-minute results from UFC on ESPN 11:

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