Tag: UFC on ESPN+ 12

MMA Junkie’s ‘Knockout of the Month’ for June: A haymaker beats the buzzer

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from June 2020.

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from June 2020: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Knockout of the Month” award for June.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.

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The Nominees

Alex Perez def. Jussier Formiga at UFC 250

[autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag] (24-5 MMA, 6-1 UFC) might not have gone into his matchup with Jussier Formiga (23-8 MMA, 9-7 UFC) on the short list of contenders for the vacant flyweight title, but he sure came out of it as one.

Perez put his division on notice by taking out one of flyweight’s longstanding contenders in Formiga via TKO, but it was one of the rarest forms of TKO: the calf kick. Perez clobbered Formiga with calf kicks, connecting with his right leg to the lower portion of Formiga’s right. He dropped him twice with the kicks, and the second time around turned out to be one time too many.

Sean O’Malley def. Eddie Wineland at UFC 250

[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) had shown plenty of sizzle early in his UFC career, but he didn’t yet have the type of veteran name on his resume that indicates he truly could be on his way to the top. Then he fought Eddie Wineland (24-14-1 MMA, 6-8 UFC).

After some frenetic early exchanges, “Suga” set up the fight-ending sequence. O’Malley feinted a left, Wineland bit, and O’Malley followed through with a flawless straight right hand to the jaw, which put Wineland to the mat and ended the bout.

Cody Garbrandt def. Raphael Assuncao at UFC 250

Former bantamweight champ [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) finally got back in the win column when he defeated Raphael Assuncao (27-8 MMA, 11-5 UFC) with his most spectacular career finish.

Garbrandt snapped a three-fight losing skid and got his hand raised for the first time since December 2016 when he beat Assuncao by second-round knockout. After a more reserved approach than his recent fights, Garbrandt waited until the closing seconds of the round to wind up with a grenade-level right hand that put Assuncao out on impact and spelled the end of the fight.

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Tyson Nam def. Zarrukh Adashev at UFC on ESPN 10

[autotag]Tyson Nam[/autotag] (19-11-1 MMA, 1-2 UFC) broke his slump in the most brilliant of ways when absolutely obliterated Zarrukh Adashev (3-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC).

Adashev came out with an early mini-blitz, indicating he was ready for a scrap. Which apparently was all good with Nam, who connected clean with a picture-perfect counter right hand just 32 seconds into the first round of the bantamweight fight.

Tanner Boser def. Philipe Lins at UFC on ESPN 12

[autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag] (18-6-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) made a statement in an important fight against the inaugural PFL heavyweight champion Philipe Lins (14-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC).

The Canadian picked up an impressive first-round finish. Boser connected with a hard right hand that seemed to briefly stun the Brazilian, but he immediately followed up with a quick combination that send Lins straight to the canvas. After Lins went down, Boser aded a couple nasty hammerfists for good measure.

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The Winner: Cody Garbrandt

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Garbrandt still has it.

Shortly after the 10-second clacker sounded in Round 2, Garbrand landed a vicious right hook that flattened Assuncao with one second left. Out on impact, Assuncao crumpled to the canvas facedown, forcing referee Keith Peterson to wave off the fight.

The opening round was a tactical chess match. The volume of strikes thrown was low. Both fighters stayed at a distance, with Garbrandt targeting the low calf of Assuncao, who was constantly switching stances.

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In Round 2, the pace picked up. Garbrandt returned to targeting Assuncao’s leg, which was wearing damage. Midway through the round, Garbrandt connected on his best strike of the fight – a punch, which knocked Assuncao off balance. The playful trash talk picked up, with Assuncao claiming he slipped on Garbrandt’s punch.

The conversation was all for not, however, as the next big punch was the last. Sneaking in a massive punch just before the horn sounded, Garbrandt picked up his first victory since December 2016.

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MMA Junkie Radio #3064: UFC on ESPN 12 preview, Michael Bisping-Chad Mendes beef, more

Check out the latest edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”

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

On Episode No. 3,064 of the podcast, the lads recap UFC on ESPN 11 – including interesting stories from Max Rohskopf and Curtis Blaydes – and look ahead to UFC on ESPN 12.

THE RUNDOWN

  • We preview the UFC on ESPN 12 main event between [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] and [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag], which promises to be spectacular
  • How will [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag] having just his girlfriend in his corner affect his fight with [autotag]Mickey Gall[/autotag]?
  • [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] — the perfect fight?
  • We discuss the details of [autotag]Billy Quarintillo[/autotag] and his positive COVID test last week, along with everything that came after that.
  • [autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] and[autotag] Chad Mendes[/autotag] are beefing bad on social media. Why?

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.

UFC adds Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Takashi Sato to June 27 event in Las Vegas

A welterweight matchup between Ramiz Brahimaj and Takashi Sato is the latest addition to the UFC’s June 27 event.

A welterweight matchup is the latest addition to the UFC’s June 27 event.

Fortis MMA’s [autotag]Ramiz Brahimaj[/autotag] will make his octagon debut against Japan’s [autotag]Takashi Sato[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 12, which takes place at the Apex in Las Vegas.

A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie after an initial report from Shu Hirata. The person asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Winner of two of his last three, Brahimaj (8-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was scheduled to face Miguel Baeza on Dana White’s Contender Series 19 last June, but withdrew due to injury. He last competed in March 2019, when he submitted Carlos Martinez in under a minute at LFA 62.

After stopping Ben Saunders in his UFC debut, Sato (15-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) was submitted by Belal Muhammad last September at UFC 242. He was scheduled to return in February against Maki Pitolo, but Pitolo was forced out and the fight was subsequently scrapped.

With the addition, the UFC’s June 27 lineup now includes:

  • Dustin Poirier vs. Dan Hooker
  • Aspen Ladd vs. Sara McMann
  • Viviane Araujo vs. Jennifer Maia
  • Maurice Greene vs. Gian Villante
  • Tanner Boser vs. Philipe Lins
  • Mickey Gall vs. Mike Perry
  • Brendan Allen vs. Ian Heinisch
  • Luis Pena vs. Khama Worthy
  • Kyle Nelson vs. Sean Woodson
  • Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Takashi Sato

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Jennifer Maia vows weight-cutting ‘errors have been corrected’ ahead of Viviane Araujo fight

Ahead of her fight with Viviane Araujo, Jennifer Maia is certain that her weight-cutting issues are a thing of the past.

[autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] is sure that her weight-cutting issues are behind her.

Maia (17-6-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) faces [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] on Aug. 1, where she will look to climb back up to flyweight contention. Maia missed weight in her last two outings, and the former Invicta FC champion chalks up her mishaps to being ill-prepared.

“I’ve been fighting for a long time,” Maia told MMA Junkie. “I had always made weight. But, for my last two bouts, there were strategic errors during my preparation. They caused me problems at the weigh-ins. Those errors have been corrected. It won’t happen again. The problem was in trying to maximize my physical strength before the final stages of the weight cut.”

After notching wins over Alexis Davis and Roxanne Modafferi in her first two UFC fights, Maia suffered a unanimous decision loss to Katlyn Chookagian last November, who went on to challenge champion Valentina Shevchenko for the flyweight title.

While Maia is focused on Araujo, she has her sights set on one day getting a shot at the title.

“I look at things one fight at a time,” Maia said. “Of course, I very much want the UFC belt. I’m looking to get there, but my focus now is completely on the bout against Viviane. Hopefully a victory will push me even closer to the top of the division so I can eventually face the champion.”

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Similarly to Maia, Araujo impressed in her first two UFC fights but suffered a unanimous decision loss to former flyweight title challenger Jessica Eye in her last outing at UFC 245.

So Maia is expecting a very game Araujo when the meet on the Aug. 1 event, which was rescheduled from an original June 27 date.

“‘Vivi’ is truly tough,” Maia said. “She’s had excellent performances inside the UFC. I think it’s going to be a great fight. It’s going to be a challenge. We’ll both be constantly looking for a finish. I’ve been training hard for this specific fight. I’m confident I’ll be bringing this win home. I don’t know exactly how the fight will end, but I plan to make sure it happens before it goes to the judges.

“In this fight, and going forward, I want to show things that I haven’t yet been able to show in the UFC. I want to show how much sharper my game is. I want people to see that I’m a different fighter now.”

Mickey Gall on Mike Perry having girlfriend as corner: ‘I don’t think Mike’s the brightest guy’

Mickey Gall is unsurprised Mike Perry would do something as unusual as abandon a traditional corner setup in favor of his girlfriend.

[autotag]Mickey Gall[/autotag] is unsurprised [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag] would do something as unusual as abandon a traditional corner setup in favor of his girlfriend.

Gall (6-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC), in fact, thinks it’s quite on-brand for Perry (13-6 MMA, 6-6 UFC) to make such a much ahead of their welterweight matchup at UFC on ESPN 12.

Perry told MMA Junkie last month that he’s decided to separate from any formal coaching structure and work largely on his own. Perry’s girlfriend, Latory Gonzalez, will serve as his lone backup when he meets Gall in the co-headlining bout, which takes place June 27 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas and airs on ESPN.

Gall, meanwhile, has a tight-knit group of coaches behind him. It’s quite the contrast, and although Perry’s approach is the more unusual of the two for a high-level bout, Gall is not letting it cloud his vision of the fight.

“I don’t think it’s a very bright idea, but I don’t think Mike’s the brightest guy,” Gall told MMA Junkie. “It’s kind of an appropriate move. Not shocking. I don’t know what to make of it. I’m not putting too much stock into that, because it’s going to be a fight. It’s a fight and it’s me and him in there. I’m going to have a great corner of coaches. Real, legit coaches and he might not. But that doesn’t make a difference. It’s just going to be us in there.”

Gall is somewhat reluctant to put Perry’s choice of tactics on blast because he’s “a low-key Mike Perry fan.” Established coaches or not, he views Perry as a fighter who pushes his chips all-in for every second of every fight, and it’s hard not to respect that as a competitor.

“This will be a big win for me,” Gall said. “This will be nice win. I’m a low-key Mike Perry fan. He’s a fun fighter, he’s exciting, he always brings it. I’m looking forward to putting my kill stuff up against his kill stuff and see it where it ends up. He’s a great character. He’s funny, he talks some smack, he comes in there and fights hard and fights violent. I like that. I’m a low-key fan. I like him as an opponent.”

That’s why Gall has pushed for a showdown with Perry for so long. He first mentioned the idea more than a year ago, then had some words for “Platinum” after Perry took a shot at the quality of his win over Salim Touahri at UFC on ESPN 4 in August.

Since the fight was booked, Perry has expressed gratitude for UFC giving him an “weak ass opponent” in comparison to some of his most recent matchups. On paper, Gall might not be as highly ranked as many of Perry’s UFC foe. However, he said Perry’s going to learn the hard way that doesn’t mean he’s not as good.

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“I hope he’s expecting a weak opponent,” Gall said. “He’s going to be sorrily mistaken. … I’m going to be prepared for the best Mike Perry. I’m going to be ready for it all. I’d be stupid to take him or anyone lightly, so we’re not doing that. We’re preparing for hell.”

Gall said he thinks he holds the advantage of Perry in every facet of the game. However, the ground game is his bread and butter, and he sees a strong avenue to a submission win.

“I probably have a bigger gap and advantage on the jiu-jitsu and the grappling,” Gall said. “But I plan on cracking him a few times for sure, maybe the whole time. I’d like to get a knockout, but the smart money would be a submission. Maybe I’ll drop him and jump on his neck or something.”

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UFC announces lineups for June 20 and 27 events; fights still to come

The UFC will keep rolling with its latest batch of fights in consecutive weeks.

The UFC doesn’t quite have every fight secured for its next two events, but still an announcement was made Friday about what’s to come.

UFC president Dana White revealed the lineups for UFC on ESPN 11 and UFC on ESPN 12 during an interview with broadcast partner ESPN. Both events will take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and be simulcast on ESPN and ESPN+.

UFC on ESPN 11, which takes place June 20, has been finalized with 12 fights and is headlined by a heavyweight clash between [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] and [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag], with both men looking to take a step toward a title shot. Blaydes will head into the headliner riding a three-fight winning streak, although his two career losses are to No. 1 contender Francis Ngannou.

“The heavyweight division is finally heating up here,” White said. “Get that title fight out there and then find out who’s next. Obviously Ngannou is the man right now. No matter what happens with Curtis Blaydes, he’s lost to Ngannou twice.”

UFC on ESPN 12, which takes place June 27, currently has 10 fights booked witha complete main card that features a pivotal lightweight main event between former interim champion [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] and surging [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag]. Poirer hasn’t fought since losing to champion Khabib Nurmagomedov last September in their title unification bout at UFC 242, which snapped a five-fight winning streak. Hooker, meanwhile, is on a three-fight winning streak and most recently won a hard-fought split decision over Paul Felder this past February.

“This is an important fight for both guys,” White said. “Obviously Poirier wants to get a shot at that title. And if Hooker comes in and beats Poirier, he (will have) finally arrived. He (will be) one of the top five guys in the world and on his way to a title fight.”

UFC on ESPN 11 lineup includes:

  • MAIN CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
  • Curtis Blaydes vs. Alexander Volkov
  • Shane Burgos vs. Josh Emmett
  • Raquel Pennington vs. Marion Reneau
  • Lyman Good vs. Belal Muhammad
  • Jim Miller vs. Roosevelt Roberts

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET)

  • Bobby Green vs. Clay Guida
  • Tecia Torres vs. Brianna Van Buren
  • Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Oskar Piechota
  • Cortney Casey vs. Gillian Robertson
  • Frank Camacho vs. Matt Frevola
  • Roxanne Modafferi vs. Lauren Murphy
  • Austin Hubbard vs. Joe Solecki

UFC on ESPN 12 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Dustin Poirier vs. Dan Hooker
  • Mickey Gall vs. Mike Perry
  • Brendan Allen vs. Ian Heinisch
  • Maurice Greene vs. Gian Villante
  • Aspen Ladd vs. Sara McMann

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Viviane Araujo vs. Jennifer Maia
  • Luis Pena vs. Khama Worthy
  • Tanner Boser vs. Philipe Lins
  • Alexa Grasso vs. Ji Yeon Kim
  • Kyle Nelson vs. Sean Woodson