Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
UFC on ESPN+ 22 takes place Saturday in Sao Paulo, and you can discuss the event here.
UFC on ESPN+ 22 takes place Saturday in Sao Paulo, and you can discuss the event here.
UFC on ESPN+ 22 takes place at Ginásio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo and kicks off at 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT).
Be sure to follow along with the latest card updates in our UFC on ESPN+ 22 live results post, and then discuss the event in the comments section below.
Round-by-round updates and official results begin at approximately 5 p.m. ET for the preliminary card and 8 p.m. ET for the main card.
Blachowicz vs. Souza Craig vs. Rua Gordon vs. Oliveira Arroyo vs. Muniz Perez vs. Turman MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2019: 194-120 (62%) Blachowicz (61%) Rua (64%) Oliveira (95%) Muniz (53%) Perez (56%) Simon Head @simonhead 2019: 110-62 …
| Blachowicz vs. Souza |
Craig vs. Rua |
Gordon vs. Oliveira |
Arroyo vs. Muniz |
Perez vs. Turman |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2019: 194-120 (62%) |
 Blachowicz (61%) |
 Rua (64%) |
 Oliveira (95%) |
 Muniz (53%) |
 Perez (56%) |
| Simon Head @simonhead 2019: 110-62 (64%) |
Blachowicz |
Rua |
Oliveira |
Muniz |
Perez |
| Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2019: 200-114 (64%) |
Blachowicz |
Rua |
Oliveira |
Muniz |
Perez |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 2019: 106-61 (63%) |
Blachowicz |
Rua |
Oliveira |
Muniz |
Perez |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2019: 198-116 (63%)  2018 Champion |
 Souza |
Rua |
Oliveira |
Muniz |
 Turman |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 2019: 197-117 (63%) 2017 Champion |
Blachowicz |
Rua |
Oliveira |
Muniz |
Perez |
| John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2019: 195-119 (62%) |
Blachowicz |
Rua |
Oliveira |
Muniz |
Perez |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 2019: 195-119 (62%) |
Souza |
Rua |
Oliveira |
Muniz |
Perez |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2019: 194-120 (62%) 2014 Champion |
Souza |
Rua |
Oliveira |
Muniz |
Perez |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2019: 190-124 (61%) |
Blachowicz |
Rua |
Oliveira |
Muniz |
Turman |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2019: 96-65 (60%) |
Blachowicz |
Rua |
 Gordon |
Muniz |
Perez |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2019: 184-130 (59%) |
Blachowicz |
Rua |
Oliveira |
Muniz |
Perez |
| Dave Doyle @davedoylemma 2019: 122-100 (55%) |
Blachowicz |
Rua |
Oliveira |
Muniz |
Perez |
| Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2019: 167-147 (53%) |
Souza |
 Craig |
Gordon |
 Arroyo |
Turman |
The UFC is back in Brazil this week with a longtime middleweight heading to 205 pounds for the first time.
UFC on ESPN+ 22 takes place Saturday at Ginásio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo. The card streams on ESPN+.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
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In the main event, [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] (24-8 MMA, 7-5 UFC) takes on longtime 185-pound standout [autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag] (26-7 MMA, 9-4 UFC), who is moving to light heavyweight for the first time. Blachowicz is as much as a 2-1 favorite at some sports books, and nine of our 13 MMA Junkie editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers are picking him to win in hostile territory.
In the co-main event, [autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) travels into hostile territory to take on former light heavyweight champion and longtime fan favorite [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] (26-11 MMA, 10-9 UFC). “Shogun” is a heavy favorite, and all but one of our pickers are taking him to beat Craig.
Also on the main card, only two pickers are taking [autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) to upset [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] (27-8 MMA, 15-8 UFC) in their lightweight bout. Oliveira is the heaviest favorite on the card at -450.
A pair of promotional newcomers from Dana White’s Contender Series meet at middleweight when [autotag]Antonio Arroyo[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) takes on [autotag]Andre Muniz[/autotag] (18-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC). It’s a close fight with the oddsmakers, who have it nearly a pick’em with just a slight betting edge to Muniz. But Muniz has the picks lead from our staff members in a 12-1 blowout.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Markus Perez[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) is a slight favorite against [autotag]Wellington Turman[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at middleweight, but our pickers have Perez with a heavy 10-3 lead.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Blachowicz (61%), Rua (64 percent), Oliveira (95 percent), Muniz (53 percent) and Perez (56 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
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The UFC is back in Brazil tonight, and one of the country’s legendary fighters makes a big move up.
The UFC is back in Brazil tonight, and one of the country’s legendary fighters makes a big move up.
Former Strikeforce middleweight champion [autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag] (26-7 MMA, 9-4 UFC) is heading to light heavyweight after years at 185 pounds. He’ll take on Jan Blachowicz (24-8 MMA, 7-5 UFC) in the main event at UFC on ESPN+ 22 in front of his home fans.
It’s been an up-and-down run of late for “Jacare,” who has alternated wins and losses his past six fights. He’ll be looking to get back on track after a unanimous decision setback against Jack Hermansson in April. That loss snapped a run of three straight fight-night bonuses that started with a knockout of Derek Brunson in the UFC on FOX 27 main event nearly two years ago.
In that fight, Souza blasted Brunson with a head kick, then finished him with a few punches to get back in the win column. The irony was that he needed to rebound from a TKO loss to Robert Whittaker nine months prior – a loss that stemmed from a head kick.
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So the question is, despite Souza’s standout skills on the canvas, does he have a head kick in him Saturday night against Blachowicz? Blachowicz has won five of his past six fights, including a July knockout of former UFC middleweight champ Luke Rockhold that put him squarely back in contention in the division.
Ahead of UFC on ESPN+ 22, check out Dan Tom’s top five head kick finishes in the video above. Then don’t miss UFC on ESPN+ 22, which takes place at Ginásio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo and streams on ESPN+, to see if Souza – or Blachowicz – brings a head kick to the table in the headliner.
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Check out a live stream of the UFC on ESPN+ 22 post-event press conference.
UFC on ESPN+ 22 takes place Saturday at Ginásio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo, and as usual, you can watch a live video stream of the post-event news conference here on MMA Junkie at approximately 11:30 p.m. ET (8:30 p.m. PT).
Expected to take part in the press conference are headliners Jan Blachowicz and Ronaldo Souza, as well as other winners from the card.
When fans tune into UFC on ESPN+ 22, Ronaldo Souza said they can expect to see the resurgence of the true “Jacare.”
Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 22 marks the debut of [autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag] at light heavyweight.
Souza (26-7 MMA, 9-4 UFC), a perennial middleweight contender, will elevate to 205 pounds for the first time in his UFC tenure when he takes on Poland’s Jan Blachowicz.
Souza’s move to 205 pounds comes after dropping three of his past five fights. In April, Souza suffered a unanimous decision loss to Norway’s Jack Hermansson. Since then, “Jacare” said he has improved his life inside and outside the cage.
“I’m happy because everything has changed in my life,” Souza said in a UFC promotional video. “This fight against Jan is very important for me. The UFC gave me the opportunity to fight in a light heavyweight main event – a tough fight in my hometown.”
For the fight against Blachowicz (24-8 MMA, 7-5 UFC), Souza said he will return to his roots – his signature grappling abilities. While his striking has improved over the years, Souza thinks he’s over-utilized it in recent fights.
“Sometimes, I use too (much) striking,” Souza said. “Sometimes, I win. Sometimes, I lose. But right now, I’m back to my roots. I use a lot of jiu-jitsu. I train a lot of jiu-jitsu. I believe everything is going to be different right now.”
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When fans tune into UFC on ESPN+ 22, Souza said they can expect to see the resurgence of the true “Jacare.” The key to his success has been his happiness. Souza indicated he’s entering UFC Sao Paulo in a great mood.
“I’m happy, and if I’m happy it’s hard to beat me,” Souza said. “I have to go there and beat Jan and make me more happy. When I think about this, my mind is blowing. Whatever he brings to the octagon, I overcome.
“I’m ready for the fight and to show everybody ‘Jacare’ is back.”
UFC on ESPN+ 22 takes place Saturday at Ginásio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo. The card streams on ESPN+.
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UFC light heavyweight Sam Alvey says he’s rooting for Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, even though he was hoping to face him at UFC on ESPN+ 22 in Sao Paulo.
TEMECULA, Calif. – [autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag] was supposed to be facing Brazilian legend [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] on Saturday at UFC on ESPN+ 22, but a broken hand in sparring put an end to a matchup he admits is his dream fight.
Alvey told MMA Junkie things are on track for a quick recovery after an unfortunate accident in training.
“I don’t think it could have been avoided,” he said. “I was just trading with one of my training partners, Jared ‘The Mountain’ Vanderaa, and I threw, and I was coming over, and I don’t know what happened. I didn’t roll my hand fast enough … and I caught him square on the forehead. He’s all right, though, so don’t worry about him.”
As for the injury itself, it’s just a case of letting nature take its course after getting the bones pinned. In typical Alvey fashion, he’s dealing with the layoff with his trademark smile on his face.
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“The hand’s doing well,” he said. “It’s getting a bit better every day. They put the three pins in. The pins come out in three weeks-ish. Then I start the rehab. It’s going well – it’s going in the right direction.”
The fight with “Shogun” was all set to be a magic moment for the affable American, who admitted he had harbored hopes of a matchup with the former UFC light heavyweight champion and PRIDE legend throughout his career.
“I have wanted to fight ‘Shogun’ for almost my whole career, just out of respect,” he explained. “He’s as good as that’s ever been. He’s got fights in the Hall of Fame. He will be in the UFC Hall of Fame. I would love to fight him. I’d love to beat him, too. But to be able to share that fight camp knowing he’s at the end, it would be the highlight of my career.”
Alvey’s injury now means he has been reduced to the role of interested spectator when Rua returns to action against Scottish submission ace Paul Craig in Sao Paulo. The Wisconsin native admitted that, while he has no axe to grind with Craig, he’d be siding with the Brazilian.
“I’m rooting for ‘Shogun’ because I’m always rooting for ‘Shogun,'” Alvey said. “Unless he’s fighting me or (Dan Henderson), I’m rooting for ‘Shogun’ at all times. I like Craig. It’s kind of a short-notice fight for him, I believe, so I think the advantage (goes) to ‘Shogun.’ But I’m really just excited to see the fight.”
It says a lot about Alvey’s personality that he can still be excited to see his opponent fight while he’s forced to sit out and rest his injury. But Alvey said he hopes the UFC might do him a solid down the line and rebook him against the Brazilian legend once they’re both fit and ready to fight again.
“Win or lose, I hope to be ‘Shogun’s’ next fight,” he said.
“The UFC has given me the lifestyle I never dreamed I’d have. They don’t owe me anything. But I have done a lot for them and I would love this fight opportunity again.”
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“Why so serious?” Watch Markus Perez channel his inner Heath Ledger at the UFC on ESPN+22 weigh ins.
UFC middleweight [autotag]Markus Perez[/autotag] stole the show at the UFC on ESPN+ 22 ceremonial weigh-ins ahead of his fight this Saturday night,
Channeling his inner Joker on Friday afternoon, Perez (11-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) kept his painted face away from the crowd as he walked up the stairs. With his hood up and his hair blocking most of his face, Perez removed his shirt.
As he turned towards the crowd to get on the scale, Perez spun around and revealed an intricately crafted Joker face-paint job. The likeness didn’t stop there. Perez emulated Heath Ledger’s version of the joker on the scale, chewing and jerking his head awkwardly.
In the square-off with opponent Wellington Turman, Ledger … uhhhh … I mean, Perez only had one question.
“Why. So. Serious?”
Check out Perez’s inner Joker in the UFC on ESPN+ 22 ceremonial weigh-ins clips below:
WHY SO SERIOUS!? #UFCSP pic.twitter.com/HugaUTKJr0
— UFC (@ufc) November 15, 2019
Welcome to #UFCGotham!? pic.twitter.com/t54u24APxn
— UFC (@ufc) November 15, 2019
Perez takes on UFC sophomore Turman (15-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in the main card curtain jerker. Perez has split his four UFC appearances to date. In his most recent fight at UFC on ESPN+ 2 in February, Perez submitted highly-touted debutant Anthony Hernandez by second-round anaconda choke.
UFC on ESPN+ 22 takes place Saturday at Ginasio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo. The card streams on ESPN+.
The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.
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Check out a live video stream of the UFC on ESPN+ 22 ceremonial weigh-ins.
UFC on ESPN+ 22 ceremonial fighter weigh-ins take place Friday, and you can catch a live video stream of the proceedings here on MMAjunkie at 4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. PT).
The weigh-ins take place at Ginásio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo. The same venue hosts Saturday’s event, which streams on ESPN+.
In addition to the video stream above, you can check out the early and official UFC on ESPN+ 22 weigh-in results from earlier in the day.
Hours after Tracy Cortez and Vanessa Melo missed weight, CABMMA changed its ruling due to a scale it said wasn’t properly calibrated.
It looks like [autotag]Tracy Cortez[/autotag] and [autotag]Vanessa Melo[/autotag] were under the bantamweight limit after all.
Friday morning, Cortez (6-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and Melo (10-6 MMA, 0-1 UFC) weighed in heavy at 136.5 pounds for their bantamweight bout at UFC on ESPN+ 22.
But hours after the weight miss, the Comissao Atletica Brasileira de MMA (CABMMA) issued a correction. The scale was not correctly calibrated, according to a CABMMA release. For that reason, Cortez and Melo’s official weights have been changed to 136 pounds – the bantamweight limit.
At the official weigh-ins, UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard told reporters neither fighter would be penalized for the weight miss since they were fighting each other and came in equally over the limit. But now that’s moot.
In a statement acquired by MMA Junkie, CABMMA executive director Cristiano Sampaio said:
“CABMMA reviewed the incident between the athletes Vanessa Melo and Tracy Cortez. Both were checked by the commission with 20 minutes left to the ending time of the official weigh-ins. Scale used by the commission was 0.7lbs above the official scale, which indicated that the athletes could not lose any more weight in the remaining time. Athletes were then withdrawn from the cutting process.
“CABMMA physicians evaluated the athletes and considered both in well conditions but were not given the extra hour, which per guideline is only for main event and title bouts.
“Considering the fact that (i) fighters were checked in a scale which was not calibrated as the official one; (ii) commission was misguided by the wrong weight and conducted their guideline on an incorrect data; and (iii) since the difference between the scales was off by 0.7lbs and both athletes made the exact weight on the official scale, CABMMA will consider their official weight as 136lbs.
“In that sense, the athletes will not suffer any fine (or) penalty, and have their records maintained. To CABMMA’s understanding, weight classes are designed for safety and fairness, not a strict rule that prevents these goals.”
Isabella de Padua (5-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) also came in heavy for her fight against Ariane Lipski (11-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC), which she accepted on just hours’ notice. But her weight miss was roughly four pounds heavy, even with the scale correction.
UFC on ESPN+ 22 takes place Saturday at Ginásio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo. The card streams on ESPN+.
Check out the results from the official UFC on ESPN+ 22 fighter weigh-ins.
The official weigh-ins for UFC on ESPN+ 22 are in the books, and three of the four women on Saturday’s card missed their marks.
In the main event, Jan Blachowicz (24-8 MMA, 7-5 UFC) takes on longtime middleweight standout Ronaldo Souza (26-7 MMA, 9-4 UFC), who moves up to light heavyweight for the first time.
Souza weighed in first and was 205 pounds on the nose. Blachowicz weighed in shortly after and was 205, as well. Blachowicz is as much as a 2-1 favorite in the fight at some sports books.
In the co-feature, Paul Craig (12-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) meets former 205-pound champion Mauricio Rua (26-11 MMA, 10-9 UFC). Craig was 205 when he stepped on the scale. “Shogun” Rua weighed in about 55 minutes into the two-hour window and was 206.
Isabella de Padua (5-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) stepped up on just hours’ notice to take on Ariane Lipski (11-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC) when Veronica Macedo was forced to withdraw. But de Padua came in at 130.5 pounds for the women’s flyweight bout. Lipski was on point at 125.5. UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard told reporters at the weigh-ins that no decision had been made yet if the fight will take place at a catchweight.
In the first fight on the prelims, promotional newcomer Tracy Cortez (6-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) takes on Vanessa Melo (10-6 MMA, 0-1 UFC). Both fighters weighed in with only about 10 minutes left in the window. Cortez was first and was 136.5 pounds with the use of the hoop. Melo weighed in immediately after and was 136.5, as well. Maynard told reporters the fight will go on, and neither fighter will be fined since their weight misses effectively canceled out.
The early weigh-ins took place at the UFC host hotel in Sao Paulo. UFC on ESPN+ 22 takes place Saturday at Ginásio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo. The card streams on ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN+ 22 weigh-in results included:
MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET)
*De Padua missed the women’s flyweight limit. She accepted the bout just hours before the weigh-ins as a replacement for Veronica Macedo.
**Both Cortez and Melo missed the women’s bantamweight limit. They will not be fined percentages of their purses and the fight will go on.
