Tag: UFC on ESPN 21

Julija Stoliarenko collapses twice in scary scene at UFC on ESPN 21 weigh-ins, stretchered out

A frightening scene occurred Friday during Julija Stoliarenko’s weigh-in for UFC on ESPN 21.

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LAS VEGAS – A frightening scene occurred Friday during [autotag]Julija Stoliarenko[/autotag]’s weigh-in for UFC on ESPN 21.

Stoliarenko (9-4-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) collapsed twice off the scale as she tried to make weight for her women’s bantamweight bout with Julia Avila, and as a result was taken out on a stretcher.

Less than 15 minutes into the official weigh-in window at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Stoliarenko got up on stage to take her turn. She first sat down on the ledge of the set to take her shoes, socks and pants off, then walked over toward the scale.

As Stoliarenko stepped on, she stumbled backward and fell on her butt, held up only by the signage behind her. UFC staff and medical personnel immediately rushed to tend to her.

It seemed like Stoliarenko regathered her wits after a few seconds. She got back up and stepped on the scale a second time, officially hitting her mark at 135.5 pounds.

Just moments later, though, Stoliarenko fainted again and fell to the floor. She appeared to briefly lose consciousness and looked dazed afterward as she was crowded by medical staff. A stretcher was brought up to the stage, and Stoliarenko was loaded on and taken out of the room.

The UFC later announced that Stoliarenko’s fight with Avila was canceled. The Nevada Athletic Commission declined a request for comment, per UFC officials.

Avila took to social media and sent positive wishes toward Stoliarenko.

“Speedy recovery fellow Julia,” Avila wrote on Twitter. “Your health comes first, hopefully we see each other at another date. Prayers sister.”

Watch the video of the entire incident above.

UFC on ESPN 21 weigh-in results and live video stream (noon ET)

Check out the results from the official UFC on ESPN 21 fighter weigh-ins, featuring Derek Brunson vs. Kevin Holland.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Friday’s official UFC on ESPN 21 fighter weigh-ins, which kick off at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

The weigh-ins take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The same venue hosts Saturday’s card, which has a main card on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2.

Among those weighing in are Derek Brunson (21-7 MMA, 12-5 UFC) and Kevin Holland (21-5 MMA, 8-2 UFC), who meet in the middleweight main event, and Gregor Gillespie (13-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) and Brad Riddell (9-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC), who fight in the lightweight co-feature.

The full UFC on ESPN 21 weigh-in results include:

MAIN CARD (ESPN, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Derek Brunson () vs. Kevin Holland ()
  • Gregor Gillespie () vs. Brad Riddell ()
  • Cheyanne Buys () vs. Montserrat Ruiz ()
  • Gustavo Lopez () vs. Adrian Yanez ()
  • Max Griffin () vs. Song Kenan ()
  • Don’Tale Mayes () vs. Tai Tuivasa ()

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN2, 7 p.m. ET)

  • Macy Chiasson () vs. Marion Reneau ()
  • Grant Dawson () vs. Leonardo Santos ()
  • Roman Dolidze () vs. Trevin Giles ()
  • Montel Jackson () vs. Jesse Strader ()
  • JP Buys () vs. Bruno Silva ()
  • Julia Avila () vs. Julija Stoliarenko ()

Kevin Holland: Everyone should stop riding Israel Adesanya’s (expletive) ‘so damn hard’

Kevin Holland was having none of a reporter’s question about Israel Adesanya during UFC on ESPN 21 virtual media day.

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[autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] is tired of hearing about [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] and definitely doesn’t want to take anymore questions about the UFC middleweight champion.

During Thursday’s UFC on ESPN 21 virtual media day, a reporter asked Holland about Adesanya and his team mentioning that Darren Till could be the next contender for his title. The moment Holland heard the name “Adesanya,” he began shaking his head but let the reporter finish his question.

Then he accused Adesanya of using performance-enhancing drugs.

“I’m gonna tell you what I feel about Israel Adesanya, and then you can ask me other questions besides Israel Adesanya. All right?” Holland said. “I think Israel Adesanya has a titty, and he was doing steroids to get that titty. All right? Next question.”

In talking about Adesanya’s “titty,” Holland was referring to last September’s win over Paulo Costa at UFC 253, where Adesanya’s right pectoral muscle looked swollen and droopy compared to his left. Right after Holland served up that opinion, he let loose one more time.

“Guys, I don’t wanna talk about Israel Adesanya. You know what I mean?” Holland said. “You guys always want to talk about Israel Adesanya, and it’s like, he just lost. You know what I mean? He just lost a fight where he got beat up on the feet, and he’s supposed to be the best striker in the sport. And then he got taken down and beat up there.

“You guys don’t talk about that, but you talk about him stepping up a weight class and doing this and doing this and doing that. Then everybody’s gonna view me as the bad guy because I’m up here telling you guys, you guys are f*cking nuts for riding his d*ck so damn hard. Stop riding his d*ck so hard.”

Adesanya failed in his attempt to become a dual UFC champ earlier this month by dropping a unanimous decision to light heavyweight titleholder Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259. It was Adesanya’s first professional MMA loss in almost eight years and 21 fights.

Holland, the 2020 MMA Junkie “Fighter of the Year,” is looking for the biggest win of his career against Derek Brunson on Saturday in the UFC on ESPN 21 headliner. Holland is ranked No. 11 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie middleweight rankings, while Brunson enters at No. 6.

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Kevin Holland doubles down on Khamzat Chimaev COVID remarks, details hotel lobby run-in

Kevin Holland doesn’t regret his comments towards Khamzat Chimaev’s COVID-19 case – not one bit.

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LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] doesn’t regret his comments towards [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]’s COVID-19 case – not one bit.

Chimaev was hit hard by the virus, which twice forced him to withdraw from scheduled bouts with Leon Edwards. The undefeated prospect later detailed his struggle with battling COVID, claiming that he thought he was going to die when making a recent trip to the hospital.

But Holland, who’s known to not mince his words, recently appeared on the “JRE MMA Show” and blasted Chimaev for his handling of the virus, questioning his heart. Holland was asked about it again ahead of this weekend’s UFC on ESPN 21 event, and he pulled no punches.

“Why would I regret those comments?” Holland asked reporters, including MMA Junkie, at a Wednesday media day at the UFC Apex. “He still looks pretty in all his pictures. Everybody says he feels bad. I had seen him like literally two days before he said he felt bad, and we were about to low-key fight inside the lobby all over again. You know what I mean? I mean, he didn’t feel that bad that hour. So, it is what it is.

“I think the guy’s personally getting better, so when he comes back and he has to fight the tougher competition, he could continue to smash the way he’s been smashing.”

Holland (21-5 MMA, 8-2 UFC) went on to detail a run-in that he had with Chimaev (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) at a hotel lobby, where the two jawed at each other. “Big Mouth” has expressed on multiple occasions his desire to one day lock horns with Chimaev, who was MMA Junkie’s 2020 “Newcomer of the Year.”

“It wasn’t like almost fight, it was just like literally, I seen him, he seen me and he walked in and I was like, ‘Oh look my best friend’s here,'” Holland said. “Granted there’s a language barrier, so he probably didn’t understand like I was being sarcastic, and he was like, ‘Oh you want to be friends now?’ I started laughing, I was like, ‘F*ck no, never. Why would I want to be friends with you?’

“Then somebody behind me was like, ‘Kevin there’s a lot of them, and it’s just one of you,’ and I was like, ‘I’m not worried about it. I drove out here. I got dildos in the car. I’m ready to f*ck that boy.’ So it’s never really worried about these guys. I hope he gets better. I’d love to fight him one day.”

For now, Holland is focused on his first-promotional headliner, when he meets Derek Brunson in the UFC on ESPN 21 main event Saturday at the UFC Apex. The night’s main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2.

To watch the full availability with Holland, check out the video below.

https://youtu.be/ow_ZWSd4wGc

UFC on ESPN 21 breakdown: Will Derek Brunson prove to be ‘trap fight’ for fast-rising Kevin Holland?

MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom takes a closer look at the UFC on ESPN 21 main event between Derek Brunson and Kevin Holland.

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MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main event for UFC on ESPN 21.

UFC on ESPN 21 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2.

Montserrat Ruiz: Cheyanne Buys must accept the fate that was awaiting training partner Emily Ducote

Montserrat Ruiz would have been happy fight anyone that got her in to the UFC, but facing Cheyanne Buys makes it even more special.

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LAS VEGAS – Truth be told, [autotag]Montserrat Ruiz[/autotag] would have been happy fight anyone that got her in to the UFC, but the fact that she’s facing [autotag]Cheyanne Buys[/autotag] made it even more special.

“As soon as I heard she was my opponent, I was thinking, ‘You know what, the one that I was reserving for Emily Ducote, she’s going to get it because they’re training together,'” Ruiz told reporters, including MMA Junkie, through an interpreter at a Wednesday media day at the UFC Apex.

Ruiz (9-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and fellow strawweight Buys (5-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) kick off the ESPN-broadcast main card of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 21 event at the UFC Apex, which airs following prelims on ESPN2.

Ahead of her UFC debut, Ruiz said she’s more excited than nervous and can’t wait to show that she belongs at the sport’s highest level.

“More than fear, I feel anxious to step into the cage and start fighting,” Ruiz said. “Probably at the moment I step into the cage, I’ll start feeling a little nervous, but so far I just feel more anxious to be competing and fighting.”

Hailing from Mexico, Ruiz has been tagged as a potential prospect for quite some time, fighting first in her native country and then traveling to the U.S. to compete twice under the Invicta FC banner. However, her debut for Invicta didn’t go exactly as planned, losing a decision to five-time UFC veteran Danielle Taylor.

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Despite the loss – which remains the lone setback of her career to date – Ruiz earned a call to the UFC after a first-round submission win over Janaisa Morandin this past July.

“I think the loss was one of the best things that could happen in my career because it made me touch the bottom, and I realized how much I want this,” Ruiz said. “I knew that UFC wasn’t that far away, but I knew that I had to work on some things, so that loss wasn’t something really, really bad in my career because I know that everybody has some bad days and bad nights, especially the fighters, so it was one of those for me, but it helped me a lot to improve and to keep focusing on my main goal.”

Prior getting the fight, Ruiz was set to face Emily Ducote at Invicta FC 43 this past November in a bout that was ultimately scrapped. Ducote’s camp included Buys as a primary training partner, tasked with mimicking Ruiz in sparring sessions.

Ruiz said she’s not worried about any added familiarity her opponent may have and is simply expecting a solid scrap.

“I think it’s a perfect matchup,” Ruiz said. “I know she’s a black belt in taekwondo and likes to go forward, but so do I. I like to go forward, I have a wrestling background, and I know this is going to be a good fight and a good war.”

It’s an opportunity to make an immediate impact for “Conejo,” as well. Making a UFC debut on the big stage of ESPN doesn’t happen all that often, and Ruiz believes it’s going to be her time to shine.

“I can’t wait to show what I’ve been waiting for here all this time,” Ruiz said. “I’m so happy to have this opportunity.”

To see the full availability with Ruiz, check out the video above.

Kevin Holland wishes Costa delayed recent withdrawal, would have stepped in to fight Whittaker

There is no doubt that Kevin Holland would have jumped all over the opportunity to face Robert Whittaker.

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LAS VEGAS – It seems quite clear that [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] would have jumped all over the opportunity to face Robert Whittaker had he been given a chance.

Holland said his eyes lit up when Paulo Costa withdrew from his April 17 UFC headliner with Whittaker due to illness, but unfortunately for him, the news came a few days too early.

Holland (21-5 MMA, 8-2 UFC) meets Derek Brunson in the main event of UFC on ESPN 21 this Saturday at the UFC Apex in an event that airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2. Holland said was prepared to make a quick turnaround and face Whittaker, as well, but much to Holland’s disappointment, the UFC opted to go with Kelvin Gastelum.

“It was perfect,” Holland told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at a Wednesday media day. “I’m already in shape for the Brunson fight. I could have went in and took the Whittaker fight. It made sense. I thought Paulo Costa – he literally should have waited three more days before announcing that he couldn’t take the fight.

“Had he waited until I had already beat Brunson, then I’d be fighting Robert Whittaker next. Now, instead, Kelvin Gastelum gets to fight Robert Whittaker, and Kelvin Gastelum is coming off like what, three, four losses? And he finally got one ‘W,’ and now he gets to fight the ex-champ. This is bull crap. But they were supposed to fight already, so I’m happy that they finally get to fight, so props to those guys.”

Though Holland jokingly stated that he isn’t too keen on headlining shows, Saturday marks his first UFC main event. MMA Junkie’s most recent “Male Fighter of the Year,” had a breakout 2020, tying the record for most wins in a year at five, which was highlighted by his spectacular knockout over “Jacare” Souza.

To see the full availability with Holland, check out the video below.

https://youtu.be/ow_ZWSd4wGc

 

Adrian Yanez unfazed by pre-UFC on ESPN 21 tension: ‘Where is all this hostility coming from?’

Adrian Yanez admits he was a little surprised to hear some very strong pre-fight talk from Gustavo Lopez ahead of UFC on ESPN 21.

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LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Adrian Yanez[/autotag] admits he was a little surprised to hear some very strong pre-fight talk from [autotag]Gustavo Lopez[/autotag] at Wednesday’s media day at the UFC Apex.

While Yanez has opened his UFC run in impressive fashion, Lopez labeled the hype as unwarranted and promised to end it all at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 21 event, which airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2.

While he was a little taken aback by Lopez’s claim that he hasn’t fought top competition just yet, Yanez said he didn’t take it personal.

“At first, I was just a little bit shocked, like, ‘Where is all this hostility coming from?'” Yanez told reporters, including MMA Junkie. “Every single time I’m talking about him in an interview, it’s like, ‘Oh, he’s a tough fighter,’ but people have to get themselves fired up. Honestly and truly, I do respect the guy.”

Yanez (12-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and Lopez (12-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) meet in a bantamweight clash on Saturday’s main card. Both are early in their UFC careers, but Yanez said he makes a habit of scouting all potential opponents and said he’s been impressed by Lopez’s career thus far. However, he also warns about sending a message that Yanez hasn’t fought anybody notable yet, because Lopez could end up as part of that list very soon.

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“I’ve been watching him for a very good time,” Yanez said. “He’s a tough guy. I know he was up here just kind of being very like – he was real fired up, and I get it. Sometimes you have to get like that if you’re fighting, and you’re a fighter, of course, but me, I’m cool, calm and I’m very collected. I think before I speak, and it’s going to bite him in the mouth.

“When he goes in there like, ‘Who has he fought? Who has he fought?’ Like, OK, once I knock you out, everybody is going to be like, ‘Well who have you fought?'”

In the end, a little pre-fight rivalry never seems to be a bad thing, perhaps even especially when it’s a little unexpected. But Yanez said it doesn’t really bother him too terribly much. Sure, there’s some hype around his career after securing a “Performance of the Night” bonus in his UFC debit, but Yanez said that doesn’t change anything about has to be done each and every time he steps in the cage.

“He’s reading too much into it,” Yanez said. “All this can be gone one day, so look, enjoy it while you’re here. You’re getting fired up over people’s opinions. We’re going to go out there at the end of the day, and we’re still going to have to fight, so it doesn’t matter to me whether I’ve got the hype or not.”

To see the full availability with Yanez, check out the video above.

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UFC on ESPN 21 pre-event facts: Marion Reneau now oldest active UFC fighter

The best facts and figures about UFC on ESPN 21, which features a Derek Brunson vs. Kevin Holland middleweight main event.

The UFC’s sprint of March events continues Saturday with UFC on ESPN 21, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas with a main card that airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

A key matchup of middleweights takes center stage in the main event. Longtime contender [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag] (21-7 MMA, 12-5 UFC) will look to maintain his presence in the division when he takes on [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 7-2 UFC), who fights for the first time since putting together a record year in 2020.

For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 35 pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN 21.

Derek Brunson: Kevin Holland’s attempts ‘to make it personal’ have failed ahead of UFC on ESPN 21

Derek Brunson not going to play Kevin Holland’s trash-talking games.

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LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag] is not going to play any games.

The UFC middleweight veteran knows better than to fall in the trap and engage in trash talk with his UFC on ESPN 21 opponent, Kevin Holland. Brunson (21-7 MMA, 12-5 UFC) meets Holland (21-5 MMA, 8-2 UFC in the main event of Saturday’s UFC event at UFC Apex, which airs on ESPN folllowing prelims on ESPN2.

Ahead of the card, Holland has fired a few verbal barbs at his opponent on several opportunities, but Brunson has held from firing back – refusing to engage in any real clash, like the one he found himself in ahead of a 2018 clash with Israel Adesanya.

“Holland would like to make it personal; he would like to follow the same thing ‘Izzy’ did with the hype,” Brunson told reporters at a Wednesday media day ahead of the card. “It’s funny, he’s doing the exact same thing ‘Izzy’ did. He’s calling me ‘Bumson,’ and I’m like, ‘Bro, ‘Izzy’ said the same thing. You’re trying to do exactly what he did.’ So I haven’t been engaging with him because I’m going to fight the way I fought my previous couple of fights.

“I’m going to look to knock you out regardless, so like I’m not going to be satisfied until I trap your arms and TKO you. That’s how the fight is going to go no matter what is said or how much trash you’re talking. It’s not going to change the way that I fight.”

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Brunson has been criticized in the past for fighting too emotional and falling short in circumstances because of his emotion. But the 37-year-old has since brushed off some of those previous defeats and now finds himself with a three-fight winning streak.

Brunson admits Holland wasn’t his top choice for opponent, but he hopes that a win over the rising contender finally gets him a desired top-five opponent. Brunson feels a title shot is near if he gets a big win on Saturday night.

“My goal has always been to get that title shot,” Brunson explained. “I’ve been right there, but it’s been twice where if I would’ve won those fights, I would’ve gotten these title shots, but I didn’t do that. I didn’t perform well. I was a little too aggressive. So yeah, take care of this fight and a big fight is right there. I wouldn’t even be opposed to a title shot. I’d be on a four-fight winning streak.”

To see the full availability with Brunson, check out the video above.

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