Relive Angela Hill’s finish of Hannah Cifers at UFC on ESPN+ 24.
It’s been an active 2020 for [autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag].
Hill kickstarted the year by taking on [autotag]Hannah Cifers[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN+ 24, looking to put together her first winning streak in the UFC.
Round 1 was contested at a high pace, with Hill pressuring Cifers, and Cifers connecting well with her combinations on the counter.
But in Round 2, Hill was able to sweep Cifers and take her down to the mat, where Cifers had no answer. Hill transitioned from side control to full mount, dropping big elbows and punches in the ground and pound. Cifers hung tough, but the referee eventually intervened and stopped the fight.
Hill would go on to notch her third win in a row by defeating Loma Lookboonmee, but saw her winning streak snapped at the hands of Claudia Gadelha in May, in a narrow split-decision loss.
Hill (12-8 MMA, 7-8 UFC) returns Saturday for her fourth fight in 2020, when she faces Michelle Waterson (17-8 MMA, 5-4 UFC) in the UFC on ESPN+ 35 main event, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Before she faces Waterson, relive Hill’s finish ff Cifers in the video above.
Ahead of his main event on Saturday, relive Curtis Blaydes’ finish over Junior dos Santos at UFC on ESPN+ 24.
[autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] has proved that he’s not just a wrestler.
Blaydes (13-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) faced former UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Junior dos Santos[/autotag] in the main event of UFC on ESPN+ 24 in January, and showed the world that he had striking skills to back up his powerful wrestling credentials.
Blaydes came out looking to exert early pressure on the former champion, but was unable to take down dos Santos in his first two takedown attempts. He then switched to his kicks and connected with some powerful efforts, while dos Santos used his jab to keep Blaydes at bay as he prevented “Razor” from taking him to canvas.
In Round 2, Blaydes ramped up the aggression and countered a dos Santos uppercut with a cracking overhand right that left the Brazilian badly rocked. Blaydes then swarmed all over a wobbled dos Santos as he backed him up against the fence and unleashed a barrage of knees and punches until the referee stepped in to stop the fight.
Blaydes returns this Saturday in his second-straight main event when he faces Russia’s Alexander Volkov at UFC on ESPN 11.
Before he faces Volkov, relive Blaydes’ stoppage win over dos Santos in the video above.
Rafael dos Anjos decided to use a different weight cutting method in his last fight that hampered his performance.
[autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag] decided to use a different weight-cutting method in his last fight, and he believes it may have hampered his performance.
Dos Anjos (30-13 MMA, 18-11 UFC) faced Michael Chiesa at UFC on ESPN+ 24 in January and lost the bout via unanimous decision. Chiesa was able to use his grappling to control the the pace and positioning of the fight, outworking dos Anjos, who started to slow down in the latter rounds.
The former UFC lightweight champion is used to going the distance with no issues, having gone five rounds on numerous occasions. But last time out, dos Anjos says he experimented with a specific type of sauna that he thinks messed with his body temperature and energy levels during the fight.
“My last fight, Chiesa did a great job,” dos Anjos told MMA Junkie. “He’s a tough guy, nice guy though, but I fought so bad. I did something bad in my weight cut. I decided to cut the rest of my weight, like the rest of the eight pounds that I had, I decided to do a different type of sauna. I usually do exercise, but I decided to do infrared sauna because I found a little gym by the side of the hotel in Raleigh, and they had an infrared sauna, and I felt kind of weird. It took me like 10 minutes to break the sweat, and once I broke the sweat, it took me like 30 minutes. I did like 30 minutes, and by the time I got home, that was Thursday night, I felt overheated.
“Over the night, I felt so much headache, and I couldn’t sleep. I was so overheated, and I had to do an ice bath right after weigh-ins, and my body was overheated and I found out later on that these infrared saunas, they heat you inside out. They go right in the middle of your cells; they heat from inside out. I go five rounds with no problem, but for that fight, after the first round, I was pretty much done. I had no energy. That was pretty weird, and I think that was the infrared sauna that messed me up.”
Dos Anjos has been in a rough patch lately, having lost four of his last five, but remains competitive in all his outings. Though he didn’t feel like himself in his last loss, dos Anjos tips his hat to Chiesa.
“But credit to Cheisa, I don’t want to try to make any excuses,” dos Anjos said. “I don’t like to make excuses but everybody saw that I was done after the first round. I was so tired, I didn’t have the energy.”
[autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag] has come with the receipts to prove his post-fight claim that he suffered an injury weeks prior to beating Rafael dos Anjos at UFC on ESPN+ 24.
Chiesa (17-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) defeated the former UFC champ dos Anjos (30-13 MMA, 18-11 UFC) by unanimous decision this past weekend in Raleigh, N.C. The win pushed him to 3-0 since moving up to the welterweight division in December 2018, and following the win, Chiesa revealed troubles he was forced to overcome throughout fight camp, primarily a broken nose.
“The Ultimate Fighter 15” winner said he wasn’t making a baseless claim, and had the evidence to prove that his preparation was far from smooth. On Thursday, Chiesa posted sparring footage of the moment he collided with a training partner, as well as an X-ray taken afterward (via Instagram):
Heres a #tbt to December 11th when I fractured my nose in two places during training camp for RDA. I didn’t want to lose the opportunity’s head of me so I had to take a chance. Deciding not to pull out of the fight made it the most stressful camp of my career. With only a small fraction of the sparring and live grappling I normally do in an 8 week camp, we still got the job done.
#campchiesa
After overcoming adversity to topple a former UFC champ for the first time, Chiesa’s confidence was sky high. He immediately called out former interim titleholder Colby Covington for a summer showdown, but has yet to get a response.
“I always say the most important time to ask for a fight is after you win,” Chiesa said. “You’ve got to capitalize. I’m not out to engage in some verbal pissing match with the guy. I respect his skills. He’s super tough. I’m just trying to get to a world title. I think that’s the fight that makes the most sense when you look at the top five.”
MMA Junkie’s George Garcia and John Morgan break down the changes in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie MMA rankings.
[autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag] and [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] were a solid one-two punch atop the UFC’s first visit to Raleigh, N.C.
Chiesa was a decent underdog against former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in their welterweight fight. Blaydes was a slight favorite against former heavyweight champ Junior Dos Santos in the headliner.
Both Brazilian ex-champs fell in their fights, which means they had to fall in the rankings, as well. But the victors are in tough situations in terms of how high they can climb in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.
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Chiesa still is relatively new to the welterweight division, but is 3-0 since his arrival. His wins are over Carlos Condit, Diego Sanchez and dos Anjos – solid veterans, to be certain, but veterans clearly on slides down at the backends of their careers.
Ahead of Blaydes at heavyweight are champ Stipe Miocic and former champ Daniel Cormier, who presumably is waiting for a rematch trilogy fight. Plus, there’s Francis Ngannou, who has two wins over Blaydes – and is the only one to have beaten the Chicagoan.
To hear about this week’s moves, MMA Junkie’s “Gorgeous” George and John Morgan walk you through things in the video above.
UFC on ESPN+ 24 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+ 24 in Raleigh, N.C., 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.
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.
For a man many claim knows nothing about MMA, Stephen A. Smith sure did occupy a massive space in the sport over the past week.
Welcome to “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. In this week’s episode, “Gorgeous” George, “Goze” and John Morgan take a look at the unexpected biggest story of the past week, with Stephen A. Smith and Joe Rogan publicly expressing their differing positions on the evaluation of UFC 246’s main event between [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] and [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag].
SHOW RUNDOWN:
Smith is known for his bold opinions and his willingness to argue them at length, but his knowledge in the sport of MMA is admittedly limited. But was there any truth to his claim that “Cowboy” quit in the bout with McGregor? And should anyone really even care what Smith’s thoughts are on big UFC events?
[autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] made her Bellator debut over the weekend and picked up the company’s women’s featherweight title with a fourth-round TKO of former champ Julia Budd. Cyborg now owns belts in four different major promotions. Is that enough to call her the women’s GOAT of MMA, or does Amanda Nunes have that title locked down?
Bellator 238 also featured the continuation of Bellator’s featherweight grand prix, and former bantamweight champ [autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag] looked stellar with a first-round finish of Adam Borics. Is “The Wolf” now the favorite to win the grand prix title and the accompanying $1 million prize?
[autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag]’s career has been an absolute rollercoaster of emotions from the start, entering as a man labeled “the greatest prospect in MMA history” but sputtering at times along the way. Pico picked up a much-needed win at Bellator 238, snapping a two-fight losing streak in the process. Is Pico poised to finally deliver on his potential?
At UFC Raleigh, [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] picked up a big win over former champ Junior Dos Santos and made it clear he’s gunning for the title. Unfortunately, champ [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to step back in the cage. What’s going on with the UFC heavyweight division?
For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 13 of “Spinning Back Clique.”
Who was the biggest winner on a UFC vs. Bellator head-to-head night? MMA Junkie’s Dave Doyle, Danny Segura, and Simon Samano give you their picks.
Saturday was another one of those wild and woolly MMA nights. The UFC and Bellator went head to head for the first time in 2020, with UFC on ESPN+ 24 and Bellator 238 going down on opposite coasts.
Plenty of stars shined on both shows, but who shined brightest? MMA Junkie’s Dave Doyle, Danny Segura, and Simon Samano sound off on who they think was the weekend’s biggest winner in the latest edition of Triple Take.
Without further ado …
****
Dave Doyle: Cris Cyborg’s history-making performance the obvious choice
Full disclosure: As of this writing, I’ve yet to watch UFC Raleigh. I covered Bellator 238 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., late in the night, and Sunday was my off day.
But that said? Working cageside meant I got to see [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag]’s handiwork up close and personal, and I’m quite confident nothing I’ll see when I catch up with the UFC show could convince me that anyone other than Cyborg was the weekend’s biggest winner.
We’re on the back end of MMA’s third decade, and as the sport becomes more established and entrenched, history-making moments become fewer and further between.
Saturday night was one of those nights, and Cyborg lived up to the moment. By finishing Julia Budd, she became the first fighter, regardless of gender, to win championships in four separate major promotions, all in the same weight class, 10-plus years apart.
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But it’s not just the fact she got the job accomplished: It was how she did it. Budd’s a legit talent who has ruled over a Bellator women’s featherweight division that is deeper than the UFC’s version. Cyborg never let Budd get untracked. Cyborg has evolved as a fighter over the years, one capable of going into deep waters. The combination of ferocity and pinpoint accuracy Cyborg displayed in finishing Budd in the fourth round was the type of display she used to put on in the opening minutes of fights during her early days.
An all-time great adding to her legacy and creating history in the process? Yeah, I’ll take that over anything else either card could possibly serve up.
Next page – Danny Segura: Michael Chiesa is quickly becoming a threat welterweight
Take a look inside Jamahal Hill’s unanimous decision win over Darko Stosic at UFC on ESPN+ 24 in Raleigh, N.C.
RALEIGH, N.C. – [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] beat Darko Stosic with a unanimous decision Saturday to open up the main card at UFC on ESPN+ 24 in Raleigh, N.C.
Take a look inside the fight with Hill, who came to the UFC from Dana White’s Contender Series and won his official promotional debut.
Result: Jamahal Hill def. Darko Stosic via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Updated records: Jamahal Hill (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) vs. Darko Stosic (13-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) Key stat: Stosic landed six of his nine takedown attempts, but Hill’s but 102-32 striking edge made the difference.
Hill on the fight’s key moment
“My game plan was to just beat him down and break him. He didn’t break, though – he’s a tough dude. He was fighting for a lot out there. He was fighting for his UFC life.”
Hill on DWCS getting him ready
“I’m not a really nervous fighter, but the experience from the Contender Series definitely helped a lot with preparing me for this week. I take something from every fight, and just keep building toward the champion I want to be. You never know with the judges, so I wasn’t happy I left it in their hands. I’m frustrated with myself, but I’m just going to come back better.”
Hill on what he wants next
“I’m happy that I got the win, but I feel like I should have performed a lot better. I expect a lot more from myself. I’m going to get back to the gym and get on it tough and hard. I wanted a finish. I should have finished him and should have put on a much better show for these fans.”
To hear more from Hill, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
Take a look inside Herbert Burns’ knockout win over Nate Landwehr at UFC on ESPN+ 24 in Raleigh, N.C.
RALEIGH, N.C. – [autotag]Herbert Burns[/autotag] beat Nate Landwehr with a first-round knockout Saturday to open the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN+ 24 in Raleigh, N.C.
Take a look inside the fight with Burns, who won for the fourth straight time and picked up a victory in his UFC debut.
“I wanted to show my jiu-jitsu, but people underestimate my striking and this is what happens to them. I’m always trying to finish the fight. (It) doesn’t matter if it’s on the feet or on the ground. It’s all about pressure. I know he felt my jab at the start, so I knew I just had to pressure him. The choke was deep, but I didn’t want to burn myself out.”
Burns on not feeling pressure in his UFC debut
“I feel awesome. I feel very proud of myself. It was a lot of hard work to get the opportunity to come here. I came to make a statement to the rest of the division and make a lot of noise, and that was the first step today. I’ve been in UFC corners before and I’ve fought in big events with 25,000 people watching, so coming here was no pressure at all. I knew the job and work was done in the gym. The training was good, and I was ready to come here and show my skills.”
Burns on what he wants next
“I’ll take on whoever is next, but there are a lot of guys I’d like to fight next; Chase Hooper, (Makwan) Amirkhani … Ryan Hall is looking for a dance partner. He says he has the best grappling in the division. Let’s see.”
To hear more from Burns, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
