Tag: UFC on ESPN 16

Carlos Condit wants Nick Diaz rematch: ‘I know a lot of people want to see that fight’

Carlos Condit won his fight with Nick Diaz back in 2012, but he wants to run it back anyway.

[autotag]Carlos Condit[/autotag] wants to run it back with [autotag]Nick Diaz[/autotag] — even though he won their first fight.

“The Natural Born Killer” feels there’s unsettled business with the Stockton, Calif. native. Condit (30-13 MMA, 7-9 UFC) won the UFC interim welterweight title eight years ago when he outpointed Diaz in a unanimous decision in the headlining act of UFC 143, which went down in Las Vegas on February 2012.

But despite walking out of the cage with gold and cemented as the next title challenger for then champion Georges St-Pierre, there was a decent amount of controversy in the decision. So much that a movement was born in the MMA fan base – “Diaz 1, 2, 5.”

Many fans thought Diaz had done enough to steal rounds one, two and five, and they made sure Condit and the world knew how they felt about the decision.

“Oh yeah, it was impossible to ignore, especially after the fight,” Condit told MMA Junkie. “Yeah, obviously that’s been a thing and that’s a point of interest. I know people want to see that fight. I know a lot of people want to see that fight. I want to see that fight. I think Nick wants that fight. I don’t know if it’s the next one or what he’s trying to do. But if the stars align, that fight should happen.

“That fight is intriguing to me, intriguing to a lot of fans. If I go out there and handle business like I think will on Saturday, that one is definitely in my sight. It’s an interesting matchup, there was controversy, and why not? Why not go out there and settle the score.”

Diaz hasn’t fought since 2015, but his team said the former Strikeforce champion is eyeing an early-2021 return.

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Condit make a return to the Octagon this weekend at UFC on ESPN 16, as he takes on fellow veteran Court McGee in a welterweight contest. The former WEC welterweight titleholder is looking to snap a five-fight losing streak that began with this razor thin decision loss in a championship fight with Robbie Lawler.

Condit feels good about his return, as he hasn’t stepped in the cage since December of 2018. The 36-year-old is in no way looking past McGee, but says the Diaz rematch is a fight he’s like to have at some point.

For now, Condit remains focused on the task at hand and he’s glad to be back in the fight game.

“I’m enjoying being out here on fight week again,” Condit said. “The familiarity of the ritual of preparation, the weight cut, and all that. I’m just excited. I have a good opponent. This dude is game, he’s a hard-nose, salty veteran who comes to fight. I think we’re going to put on a hell of a show. I know he doesn’t take a step back and he comes to throw down. I’m super excited about that.”

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Despite emotional roller coaster, Irene Aldana enjoying the journey to first UFC main event

Irene Aldana details emotions ahead of the biggest fight of her career.

[autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag] has been through plenty in the lead up to her next UFC fight.

The bantamweight contender headlines a UFC event for the first time in her eight-year career Saturday at UFC on ESPN 16. Aldana takes on a former bantamweight champion, and one of the biggest names in women’s MMA in Holly Holm in a five-round contest. The event goes down in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

Aldana (12-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC) was originally scheduled to fight Holm (13-5 MMA, 6-5 UFC) on Aug. 1 at UFC on ESPN+ 31, but the bout ended up being postponed when the Mexican fighter tested positive for COVID-19.

“At first it was tough when I was just recovering from the virus, when I started training again,” Aldana said on Monday’s episode of “Hablemos MMA.” “It was difficult because I would get tired very quick. It seemed the virus left lingering effects. Even though I was negative, I would feel fatigued. Maybe I wasn’t 100 percent, but that only lasted a week-and-a-half, two weeks, and then my body was back to normal.

“I started feeling much better and my body was responding well. I had a very complete training camp, and I was able to do it 100 percent. It was hard, and well done in all areas. I’m 100 percent ready for the fight.”

Aldana had a little over two months to get back in top shape after testing positive for COVID-19 in late July.

“Robles” was mainly training from her home in Guadalajara, Mexico, in the lead up to the Aug. 1 event. The postponement to Oct. 3 allowed Aldana to return to Lobo Gym, where she trained exclusively with her team and remained closed to the public.

The change in dates also brought a bigger platform for her pivotal bout with Holm, as she’s now fighting on ESPN and not just the ESPN streaming platform ESPN+.

“The fight is much bigger (now on ESPN) and also because it’s happening in Abu Dhabi, so there’s more attention,” Aldana said. “And yeah, I think it’s very interesting and very exciting that more people will be watching the event.”

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Aldana makes history on Saturday night as the first Mexican female to headline a UFC event. The significance of the moment paired with fighting one of the biggest names in women’s MMA history has certainly brought many feelings to Aldana in the lead up to UFC on ESPN 16.

“I feel all kinds of things,” Aldana said. “It truly is a roller coaster being in this sport. You can have many fights, but you will always experience the nerves, the butterflies in the stomach.

“Each time I control it better and I enjoy it more. Like I said, I feel all kinds of things. I can be nervous in one moment, and five minutes later I’m excited and happy, but then I get nervous again. That’s how it goes. It’s very strange. This sport makes you feel a lot of adrenaline and it makes you feel many things. Nerves will always exist. You’re nervous about things maybe not working out the way you want them to and anything that could go wrong.

“But to be honest, I’m really enjoying all of it and all the process. I’m enjoying the travel, the fight week and all that. So yeah, the fact that it’s my first main event in the UFC, it’s something big on a personal level and for my career, so I’m making the most of it.”

UFC president Dana White previously said if Aldana were victorious, she would likely challenge two-division champion Amanda Nunes for her 135-pound title. Many other experts and fans are also pitting the bout as a No. 1 contender fight in the division.

Aldana is well aware of the implications a win could bring to her career, but she’s not letting the title chatter stray her focus on the task at hand.

“I’m very aware that this fight will open the doors so that my next bout could be for the title,” Aldana said. “However,  I don’t like to get ahead and accelerate things.

“At the moment, I’m very focused on the fight, very focused on Holly Holm. Once I win the fight, then I will focus on the title fight. But I know that this is definitely an opportunity that will take me to the title, but I’m focusing on Holly Holm.”

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With Giga Chikadze out, Kevin Croom steps in to face Alex Caceres at UFC on ESPN 16

After more than 30 professional fights, Kevin Croom finally will get his chance to compete in the UFC with a short-notice opportunity.

After more than 30 professional fights, [autotag]Kevin Croom[/autotag] finally will get his chance to compete in the UFC.

Giga Chikadze has been forced out of UFC on ESPN 16, and Croom will step in to face [autotag]Alex Caceres[/autotag] on Saturday. MMA Junkie confirmed the replacement after an initial report from MMA Fighting on Tuesday.

Croom (21-12), a Bellator, Titan FC and LFA veteran, has competed all across major organizations. Training out of Glory MMA in Kansas City, Croom has won his past three in a row, most recently a unanimous decision over Anderson Hutchinson at Fighting Alliance Championship just 12 days ago.

Caceres (16-12 MMA, 11-10 UFC) is coming off back-to-back wins for the first time since 2016. After defeating Steven Peterson, Caceres upset highly touted Chase Hooper, bouncing him out of the ranks of the unbeaten at UFC 250 in June.

UFC on ESPN 16 takes place Saturday at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event streams live on ESPN.

The latest UFC on ESPN 16 lineup includes:

  • Anthony Smith vs. Aleksandar Rakic
  • Robbie Lawler vs. Neil Magny
  • Alexa Grasso vs. Ji Yeon Kim
  • Magomed Ankalaev vs. Ion Cutelaba
  • Impa Kasanganay vs. Maki Pitolo
  • Bill Algeo vs. Ricardo Lamas
  • Hannah Cifers vs. Mallory Martin
  • Zak Cummings vs. Alessio Di Chirico
  • Alex Caceres vs. Kevin Croom
  • Polyana Viana vs. Emily Whitmire
  • Christian Aguilera vs. Sean Brady

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