Tag: UFC on ESPN 21

UFC on ESPN 21 reactions: Winning and losing fighters on social media

UFC on ESPN 21 winners and losers react on social media outlets such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Since the early days when the sport was anything but a mainstream endeavor, the MMA industry has thrived and survived through various websites, forums, and – perhaps most importantly – social-media platforms.

Fighters interact with fans, each other and many more through the likes of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, which helps outsiders get a deeper look into the minds of the athletes.

Following Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 21 in Las Vegas, several of the winning and losing fighters, along with their coaches, training partners or family members, took to social media to react to the event or share a message with supporters.

Check out some of those reactions.

The defeated

MMA Junkie Radio #3142 with Randy Couture, UFC on ESPN 21 recap, more (noon ET)

Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here, and you can catch a live stream at noon ET.

Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here, and you can catch a live stream on SportsCastr beginning at noon ET.

On episode 3,142, the fellas welcome on former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion and current PFL commentator Randy Couture, as well as XFC president Myron Molotky. Plus, they’ll discuss the latest MMA news, including a look back at this past Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 21 card and a look ahead to the upcoming heavyweight title rematch between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou at UFC 260.

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio. 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 on ESPN 21 video: Tai Tuivasa does a post-TKO shoey … with a sandal

Yes, Tai Tuivasa pulled off a shoey using a sandal in his post UFC on ESPN 21 celebration.

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[autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag] is a man of many talents.

Not only does the UFC heavyweight provide fans with spectacular fights and  knockouts, but he’s also the pound-for-pound shoey king.

Many times, “Bam Bam” has been seen chugging a beer from a shoe (most of the times not his own) on UFC broadcasts or social media. Following his TKO win over over Harry Hunsucker at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 21 event in Las Vegas, Tuivasa took the shoey game to new lengths.

The UFC heavyweight drank a beer from a sandal instead of a shoe. Expectedly, he did make a mess – but got the job done nonetheless. Check out Tuivasa’s shoey game with a sandal below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMq19TEn8fV/

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Tuivasa now is on a two-fight winning streak, which marks his comeback from a string of three consecutive defeats to Junior Dos Santos, Blagoy Ivanov and Serghei Spivac. Prior to the defeats, Tuivasa was unbeaten with a 9-0 record.

Following the bout, Tuivasa said he hoped for a short-notice opportunity in his interview on the broadcast.

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Grant Dawson targets Clay Guida after UFC on ESPN 21: ‘It’s legends and rankings from here’

Grant Dawson explains why he called out Clay Guida following his last-second knockout win at UFC on ESPN 21 on Saturday.

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LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] is aiming high following his most recent UFC win.

The 27-year-old UFC lightweight is in search of big names after his late buzzer stoppage win over Leonardo Santos at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 21. Dawson (17-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) knocked out Santos with one second remaining in the fight.

Now with five straight wins since joining the UFC, Dawson thinks it’s time to start dipping his feet in higher profile bouts.

“It’s legends and rankings from here on out,” Dawson told reporters at the UFC on ESPN 21 post-fight press conference. “I want to fight guys that are ranked and guys that have big names. I don’t think that I’ve proven myself quite yet at 155. I think that a win over Clay Guida, especially after him saying he’s the one who said ‘I want to fight a young up-and-comer at 155 and somebody with less than 10 UFC fights.’ I’m your guy Clay Guida.

“I’m hurt – my leg is bruised up – but I will make time for you. I will make time. I’ll wait until these are healed, and I will cut weight and fight you. I’ve already beat up two guys from his camp. He’s got the opportunity to get it back for them. I’m the guy.”

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But the callout of Guida wasn’t the only thing that made headlines for Dawson on Saturday. Dawson’s finish right before the buzzer had many talking online. Although it may seem an unlikely outcome, Dawson said he knew he could put away Santos at any point in time.

“I feel like I’m one of the most dangerous guys in the UFC,” Dawson said. “I feel like I’m dangerous from Round 1 to 3, and that’s a tribute to my cardio, conditioning team, my coaches. I feel like I can finish the fight at any time, and I proved that (Saturday).”

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Focused on growth, Macy Chiasson happy with evolution shown in UFC on ESPN 21 win

UFC women’s bantamweight Macy Chiasson discusses her growth in skill following her victory over Marion Reneau at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 21.

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LAS VEGAS –– [autotag]Macy Chiasson[/autotag] thinks she’s finally coming into her own.

The winner of Season 28 of “The Ultimate Fighter” is happy to see her game evolve at the same time she’s been working to establish herself in the UFC women’s bantamweight division. Chiasson (7-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) is now on a two-fight streak after a win over Marion Reneau at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 21.

Chiasson outpointed Reneau in a unanimous decision, winning 29-28 across all three judges’ scorecards.

It had been a little more than a year since Chiasson stepped in the cage, but she said she noticed a change in her game.

“I think for me, it was all about growth,” Chiasson told reporters at the UFC on ESPN 21 post-fight news conference. “I haven’t been in the cage in a year, and even though there was a lot of downs because of that – fight cancellations, postponements – I think it was a blessing in disguise because I had a lot of time to develop not only physically (and) technically, but mentally.

“The biggest factor for me was composure. I basically grew up in the UFC. I was 2-0 when I got here. I’m 8-1 now. Most of my fights are against game opponents in the UFC, so for me it was a lot of mental work. If I’m going to fight these girls, I can’t take everyone out. I have to expect that it could be three rounds. What’s my mind going to be like? Is my mentality going to be there? Is my composure going to be there?  Will I be able to scramble in risky situations and not stress about it? I think for me, it was a huge win.”

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Chiasson attributes her growth to being able to take time off in between fights. The 29-year-old hopes to do the same for future bouts now that she’s fighting top-10 opponents.

“When I first got into the UFC, I was like, ‘Fight, fight, fight,’ which is good because I also need cage time,” Chiasson said. “But at this point, I also think cracking the top 10 all the way up to (champion) Amanda (Nunes), I need to make sure I’m woking on my game and it’s going to be hard to do that fighting ranked fighter after ranked fighter. I think a few months in between each fight will be very beneficial for my growth and be a complete fighter.”

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UFC on ESPN 21 post-event facts: Derek Brunson climbs all-time wins list

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 21, which saw Derek Brunson beat Kevin Holland in the main event.

The UFC continued its busy March run on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 21, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas with a main card that aired on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2.

[autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag]’s (22-7 MMA, 13-5 UFC) resurgence as a middleweight contender continued in the main event when he largely dominated [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] (21-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC) en route to a unanimous decision, moving him into a tie for the third most wins in 185-pound history.

For more on the numbers behind Brunson’s win, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 30 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN 21.

Callout Collection: Who UFC on ESPN 21 winners want next – and how likely they’ll get them

Derek Brunson and Max Griffin were among those who name-dropped their preferred next opponents at UFC on ESPN 21 in Las Vegas.

Earning wins in the UFC is certainly no easy task, but what comes next is often even more important: the post-fight callout.

So, after Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 21 event in Las Vegas, who took advantage of their time on the mic?

See below for this week’s Callout Collection – and just how realistic each one is.

Derek Brunson happy to shut up ‘stupid’ Kevin Holland, responds to Dana White’s analysis

Derek Brunson can’t agree with Dana White’s “mental breakdown” analysis of Kevin Holland in the UFC on ESPN 21 main event.

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LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag] can’t agree with Dana White’s “mental breakdown” analysis of [autotag]Kevin Holland [/autotag]in the UFC on ESPN 21 main event.

After Brunson (22-7 MMA, 13-5 UFC) extended his winning streak to four consecutive fights with a unanimous decision win over Holland (21-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in Saturday’s middleweight headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, the UFC president expressed confusion over the loser’s performance and in-cage trash talk.

White said he thought Holland broke mentally due to the magnitude of the moment, and the result was a level of talking and antics that were uncharacteristic, even for “Loud Mouth.”

Brunson said he doesn’t agree, though. Instead, he points to his huge advantage in wrestling as the difference-maker in the octagon.

“He just couldn’t stop the takedown,” Brunson told reporters, including MMA Junkie, post-fight at UFC On ESPN 21. “It’s funny he kept giving me his hips, you know? He’s the kind of guy who is very explosive to like run in, but he’s long so he can get away with it at times. He kept presenting his hips and he was there for the taking down. Dana White’s one of those guys. He’ll be upset with you. I’ll come out the next fight and knock a guy out and he’ll be happy again. So, it’s all good.”

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Brunson said nothing about the fight with Holland really surprised him. But he doesn’t think it was a wise move. He knew his opponent would be vocal to some extent, and although it was originally his plan to respond, he changed course once he saw how the fight was unfolding.

“Come on, man: You’ve got to do better than that,” Brunson said. “That was pretty stupid. Work to get up out of positions. You’re talking the whole time. I was going to talk back to him during the fight, but I’m like, ‘This guy’s stupid. He’s stupid. He’s just laying here talking and not improving position, so I’ll just let him.’ I didn’t want to want to break his rhythm. Just let him keep doing his thing.

“I think he’ll learn from this. He’s got to be a little bit more focused on the fight. He was in shape, I was in shape. He wanted to entertain between rounds, but this is the fight game. It’s good to have fun, but you should probably be a little bit more focused on the fight because I was looking for my moments to really put some good punches on him and get him out there.”

Brunson’s four-fight UFC winning streak now has him tied with Marvin Vettori for second longest among active middleweights behind champion Israel Adesanya (nine). He said he’s looking for a big fight next, potentially with former title challenger Paulo Costa.

The veteran, who was the betting underdog to Holland coming in, said he wishes he could’ve made the victory more emphatic, but he’s pleased to get his hand raised against a name who had a lot of hype around him coming in.

“To go out there and get the win, shut him up, it feels good,” Brunson said. “I was a little upset that I didn’t get the finish. I thought my ground-and-pound would get it done. He was pretty crafty on bottom, holding my hands, holding my wrists and stuff like that. We got the win. Onto the next.”

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Dana White thinks Kevin Holland had ‘mental breakdown’ in loss to Derek Brunson

UFC president Dana White was perplexed by Kevin Holland in the UFC on ESPN 21 main event.

UFC president Dana White was perplexed by [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] in the UFC on ESPN 21 main event.

Holland (21-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC) had his five-fight winning streak snapped by Derek Brunson (22-7 MMA, 13-5 UFC) in a unanimous decision loss in Saturday’s middleweight headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Although Holland came into the fight well known for his in-cage talking and boisterous acts, he took it to a new level in the bout with Brunson. He was talking from the moment the bout began, and was even stating a conversation with White and former UFC champ Khabib Nurmagomedov, who were stationed cageside.

White thinks Holland’s level of vocality as he was being taken down and losing rounds to Brunson was triggered by breaking under the pressure of the stage.

“I think that was a mental breakdown,” UFC president Dana White told Yahoo! Sports. “The only other thing I saw like it was [in boxing] when Lennox Lewis fought that guy [Oliver McCall] who kept his hands at his side and was crying. I don’t know what he was doing. I think he might not have been able to handle the pressure and just broke mentally. I haven’t seen anything like that.”

White wasn’t the only one who had thoughts on Holland’s antics. A number of fighters chimed in on social media as the bout was going on, and while some were entertained, others were critical.

Holland said on the UFC on ESPN 21 post-fight show that he’s considering a drop down to the welterweight division following his first loss since October 2019.

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