Tag: UFC on ESPN 26

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, July 20: Welcome back, Miesha Tate

After more than four years in retirement, Miesha Tate is once again a part of the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie women’s bantamweight rankings.

After more than four years in retirement, [autotag]Miesha Tate[/autotag] is once again a part of the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie women’s bantamweight rankings.

This past weekend, the former UFC champion returned to action for the first time since 2016, taking on Marion Reneau on the co-main event of UFC on ESPN 26. While Reneau was hoping for a memorable performance in her retirement bout, Tate was dominant from the start before scoring a third-round TKO win.

With the result, Tate re-enters the rankings at No. 11, where she will begin her quest to regain the UFC title.

Of course, the women’s bantamweight division wasn’t the only one to experience some changes after a busy weekend that included UFC on ESPN 26 and Bellator 262. Take a look at the updated rankings across all divisions using the dropdown list above.

Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Islam Makhachev after UFC on ESPN 26 win?

See who Islam Makhachev should fight next after his submission victory over Thiago Moises in the UFC on ESPN 26 headliner.

[autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] showed once again why he’s one of the most highly touted lightweights in the world when he beat Thiago Moises in the UFC on ESPN 26 main event on Saturday.

Makhachev (20-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) extended his winning streak to eight consecutive fights, courtesy of a fourth-round submission stoppage of Moises (15-5 MMA, 4-3 UFC) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

With the win, Makhachev joins the conversation of the top names at 155 pounds. He’s had trouble getting big fights for years, though, so will this finally be his breakthrough moment?

Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on Makhachev’s future after UFC on ESPN 26.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jbIOyruxSg

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Mick Maynard’s Shoes: What’s next for Miesha Tate after UFC on ESPN 26 win?

See who Miesha Tate should fight next after her TKO victory over Marion Reneau in the UFC on ESPN 26 headliner.

[autotag]Miesha Tate[/autotag] made a triumphant return to the octagon on Saturday when she defeated Marion Reneau in the UFC on ESPN 26 co-main event.

After hanging up the gloves in November 2016, former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Tate (19-7 MMA, 6-4 UFC) looked sharp in her return. She overwhelmed and pounded out Reneau (9-8-1 MMA, 5-7-1 UFC) for a third-round TKO at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

“Cupcake” appears to still have the skills to hang with the best at 135 pounds, but how much did the win over Reneau prove, and where does she fit into the divisional pecking order?

Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on Tate’s future as a women’s bantamweight contender after UFC on ESPN 26.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GcVDJFCkOs

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Jeremy Stephens wants quick return after he ‘let a lot of people down’ with UFC on ESPN 26 loss

Jeremy Stephens is eager to make things right after suffering the quickest loss of his career at UFC on ESPN 26.

[autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag] is eager to make things right after suffering the quickest loss of his career at UFC on ESPN 26.

Although Stephens (28-19 MMA, 15-18 UFC) holds the octagon record for most career defeats, Saturday’s result against Mateusz Gamrot (19-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas had some added sting. It was all over in just 65 seconds.

Stephens was planted on his back very early in the fight, and before he knew it, Gamrot had locked in a kimura that forced “Lil’ Heathen” to tap out for the first time since February 2009.

It wasn’t a banner night for Stephens, who declared afterward he’s keen to get back in the cage immediately and put this loss behind him (via Twitter):

Feel I let a lot of people down tonight. Not my best performance, congrats to Gamrot and his team. Hope to get a quick turn around to show the world once again what I’m made of. 🙏🏽

Stephens, 35, is currently experiencing the worst drought of his career. He’s winless in his past six fights and hasn’t had his hand raised since February 2018.

After a long run in the featherweight division, Stephens returned to lightweight for the clash with Gamrot. It didn’t help change his fortunes, though, because he lost decisively.

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Islam Makhachev wants to fight Tony Ferguson, prove he is not on Khabib Nurmagomedov’s level

Islam Makhachev takes aim at Tony Ferguson following his latest win at UFC on ESPN 26.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] wants to settle unfinished business.

The rising UFC lightweight contender is hoping to fight his teammate and mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov’s long-time nemesis, Tony Ferguson.  Makhachev (20-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) took aim at the former UFC interim lightweight champion following his latest win at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 26. Makhachev defeated Thiago Moises via submission in the fourth round of their main event clash.

The 29-year-old is on an eight-fight winning streak and wants to get a crack at the bigger names of the 155-pound division. Although interested in Michael Chandler and Rafael Dos Anjos, Makhachev prefers to get his hands on Ferguson.

“If they were to give me a choice, let’s do it with Tony because we have good history with him,” Makhachev told reporters at the UFC on ESPN 26 post-fight press conference. “Khabib was supposed to fight with him like five, six times. Let’s finish this, you know. I’m going to finish this. I’m going to show Tony not Khabib level. People don’t understand how Khabib pressures. I can’t explain to you guys, but I think you know everything.”

Ferguson was long time considered one of the best fighters at 155 pounds and many believed he was the one capable of handing Nurmagomedov’s first professional defeat. Both fighters were scheduled to fight five times, but due to injuries and other circumstances, the two never met in the cage.

Nurmagomedov retired last October following his title defense win over Justin Gaethje. Ferguson is still active, but now finds himself in a three-fight losing streak.

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The Dagestani fighter is often referred to as Nurmagomedov’s heir to the lightweight title. Makhachev doesn’t mind comparisons, and in fact, enjoys being seen as the next Nurmagomedov.

“If somebody says I’m almost the same as Khabib, I agree with this,” Makhachev said. “I want to be like Khabib, you know. He’s a great man, he’s champion, he has a lot of money and he has everything, but he’s still a humble guy.

“He’s coming to U.S. without his family. He stays here one, two months to help us. He doesn’t take money, nothing. He just comes and does the whole thing. We came to U.S. and he rent big house for team and a lot of cars for team and nobody pay. He pay for everything. I cannot explain Khabib. He does a lot of stuff, but not everyone knows this.”

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Miesha Tate responds to Holly Holm’s call for rematch: ‘Her and I will fight again’

Following return win at UFC on ESPN 26, Miesha Tate responds to Holly Holm’s call for a rematch.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Miesha Tate[/autotag] is back.

The former UFC and Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion successfully made her return to MMA competition, scoring a third-round TKO win over veteran Marion Reneau (9-8-1 MMA, 5-7-1 UFC) in the co-main event of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 26.

Tate (19-7 MMA, 6-4 UFC) hadn’t competed in five years, as she walked away from the sport in 2016. But being one of the bigger names in women’s MMA, the 34-year-old caught the attention of many with her comeback win. Former champion Holly Holm took to Instagram to call for a rematch with “Cupcake.”

Tate, who defeated Holm to become champion back in March 2016, is down to run things back with Holm but also wants to keep her options open.

“They’re all fair game, they can all get it, respectfully,” Tate told reporters at the UFC on ESPN 26 post-fight press conference. “I expect them to come out of the woodwork. I think a second fight with Holly, it’d be great.

“There’s a lot of women in the division, so name them all. I don’t know where I’ll come in the rankings right now, but you know I’m never one to say I deserve this or that. I understand I have to continue to climb. But whoever’s name is on that list to get to the top, that’s fine with me. And I’m sure Holly and I, I have no doubt about it, her and I will fight again.”

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Tate looked impressive in her return. She’s confident the best has yet to come in her storied career, as she feels the MMA world hasn’t seen her full potential.

“This is why I couldn’t stay retire, I felt like I had so much more to give and there’s truly a better version of myself,” Tate explained. “I didn’t want to leave thinking I didn’t put my best foot forward.”

As far as a return date, Tate looks to fight once again in 2021. She’s unsure of who will make sense next, but she does want her next opponent to be a progression to the UFC title, which Amanda Nunes currently holds.

“I want to let this victory settle, I don’t want to be in a rush, but of course I’m a woman on a mission,” Tate said. “I do want to get to the top. I think a fight by the end of the year is reasonable. I’m going to go home kiss my babies, enjoy this hard-earned victory, and in the next few weeks, my management and my team we’ll re-group and we’ll talk to Mick, Sean, Dana and we’ll get something lined up.”

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UFC on ESPN 26 bonuses: Miesha Tate gets extra $50,000 in return from retirement

UFC on ESPN 26 had eight finishes in 10 fights, so there was plenty of competition for post-fight bonus awards.

UFC on ESPN 26 had eight finishes in 10 fights – including seven straight to close the show. So there was plenty of competition for post-fight bonus awards.

So instead of giving a $50,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus and two “Performance of the Night” awards, the UFC upped the ante with four performance bonuses and “Fight of the Night” for six $50K winners total instead of just four.

Check out the winners below.

Twitter reacts to Islam Makhachev’s dominant win over Thiago Moises at UFC on ESPN 26

See the top Twitter reactions to Islam Makhachev’s win over Thiago Moises in the UFC on ESPN 26 main event.

[autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] continued his rise up the lightweight rankings on Saturday when he defeated [autotag]Thiago Moises[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 26.

Makhachev (20-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) extended his winning streak to eight consecutive fights courtesy of a fourth-round submission victory over Moises (15-5 MMA, 4-3 UFC) in the headlining bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Makhachev’s victory over Moises at UFC on ESPN 26.

UFC on ESPN 26 results: Islam Makhachev overwhelms, taps Thiago Moises in fourth round

Check out how the main event of UFC on ESPN 26 unfolded between Islam Makhachev and Thiago Moises.

[autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] made an emphatic statement in his first UFC main event.

In a bout that was expected to involve a fair share of grappling, Makhachev (20-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) shined in the clinch before securing a finish in the fourth round against a very tough Thiago Moises.

The lightweight bout was the UFC on ESPN 26 main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

Makhachev looked to keep the pressure on Moises (15-5, MMA, 4-3 UFC) by controlling the center of the cage. After a feeling-out process that included a few quick exchanges of single kicks and two-punch combinations, the fight quickly progressed to the clinch.

With just over a minute remaining, Makhachev got the fight to the canvas after a takedown and began looking to land ground and pound strikes from guard until the round ended.

Moises began the second round looking sharp with quick strikes, but Makhachev didn’t allow for significant offense to mount before initiating a clinch, where the Russian continued to improve his position while landing a few punches from Moises’ back for the remainder of the round.

The fight continued in close quarters in the third round, as the pair continued to jockey for position against the cage. With a minute remaining, Makhachev secured another takedown. Moises was quick to shift position though and latched on to Makhachev’s ankle for a submission attempt, but nothing would come of it before the round ended.

Moises turned up the pressure early in the fourth round, perhaps sensing he was down on the scorecards. Makhachev halted his progress by picking him up and dumping him for a big takedown. After working to take his opponent’s back, Makhachev locked in a rear-naked choke to force the tap midway through the round.

Becoming the first man to finish Moises, Makhachev extends his win streak to eight in the always-tough lightweight division.

Vowing to only compete in five-round fights going forward, Makhachev’s performance tonight keeps that promise alive as he forges a path towards the title once held by the man in his corner, Khabib Nurmagomedov.

“Hey guys, you can run, but you can’t hide,” Makhachev said in a warning to the rest of the division during his post-fight interview with Paul Felder. “I’m coming. I’m here.”

On the other end, Moises’ impressive three-fight win streak came to an end. It’s back to the drawing board for the 26-year-old Dana White Contender Series veteran who came up short on the biggest stage of his career thus far.

Full results of UFC on ESPN 26 include:

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Twitter reacts to Miesha Tate’s TKO of Marion Reneau in return fight at UFC on ESPN 26

See the top Twitter reactions to Miesha Tate’s win over Marion Reneau in her return from retirement at UFC on ESPN 26.

[autotag]Miesha Tate[/autotag]’s return to MMA from a nearly five-year retirement was a success on Saturday when she beat [autotag]Marion Reneau[/autotag] in the UFC on ESPN 26 co-main event.

Former UFC champ Tate (19-7 MMA, 6-4 UFC) got back in the octagon for the first time since November 2016 and managed to pull off a third-round TKO victory over Reneau (9-8-1 MMA, 5-7-1 UFC) in the women’s bantamweight matchup, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Tate’s victory over Reneau at UFC on ESPN 26.