UFC on ESPN 28 medical suspensions: Headliners Sean Strickland, Uriah Hall among 10 facing 6-month terms

Half of the UFC on ESPN 28 card, including the night’s headliners are looking at 180-day medical suspensions.

Half of the UFC on ESPN 28 card, including the night’s headliners, are looking at 180-day medical suspensions after their fights.

[autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag], who scored a lopsided unanimous decision over [autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag] in the main event, needs an X-ray on his left thigh and knee, as well as a dental evaluation of his lower prosthetic tooth before getting cleared to compete again.

On Tuesday, MMA Junkie acquired a full list of the UFC on ESPN 28 medical suspensions handed out by the Nevada Athletic Commission from MixedMartialArts.com, the Association of Boxing Commission’s official record keeper.

Hall, who saw his four-fight winning streak snapped, will need clearance for his right orbital floor fracture or he could be looking at significant time on the shelf.

The full list of UFC on ESPN 28 medical suspensions includes:

Spinning Back Clique: A.J. McKee’s featherweight pedigree, fighter pay, Sean Strickland, more

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” in which our panel discusses the hottest topics in the UFC, Bellator and the world of MMA.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” in which the panel discusses the hottest topics in the world of MMA.

Check out the latest edition of “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a quick spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week, our panel discusses A.J. McKee’s title win at Bellator 263 and if that makes him the best featherweight in the world. Plus, they dive into MMA fighter pay in the aftermath of Cheyanne Buys’ UFC on ESPN 28 win and subsequent viral revelation; Sean Strickland’s post-fight speech; Bellator and UFC breakout performances; and upcoming heavyweight potential fights.

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel this week of Mike Bohn, Nolan King and Brian “Goze” Garcia discusses these topics and more with host John Morgan.

  • [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] made easy work of arguably the greatest fighter in Bellator history when he took out dual lightweight and featherweight champion Patricio Freire in the Bellator 263 main event. McKee won the 145-pound title, as well as the promotion’s featherweight grand prix after blasting through the 16-man tournament with four stoppages – including three in the first-round. Where does that put McKee on the list of current featherweight greats?
  • At UFC on ESPN 28, [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] dominated Uriah Hall to run his winning streak to five fights. In the process, he placed himself into title contention in the division. But did he take his post-fight speech a little too far?
  • The aftermath of [autotag]Cheyanne Buys[/autotag]’ win at UFC on ESPN 28 produced a viral moment with her revelation that she had a bank account in negative numbers and had borrowed money to finance a move back to Las Vegas to help her MMA career. Her $50,000 bonus for a first-round knockout likely will change her life. Did it reignite the discussion about fighter pay?
  • Bellator 263 and UFC on ESPN 28 took place on the same night. We delve into the events’ breakout performers.
  • UFC 265 takes place Saturday in Houston, and hometown fan favorite [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] will go after a belt when he meets [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] for the interim heavyweight title. After that bout, what are the big heavyweight fights to make?

We hope you enjoy this week’s show. Watch the full episode of “Spinning Back Clique” above.

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MMA Junkie Radio #3180: Guest Georgi Karakhanyan, weekend recap (12 p.m. ET)

Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,180, the fellas will recap a busy weekend of MMA that included UFC on ESPN 28 and Bellator 263, as well as ONE Championship, Cage Warriors and more. Additionally, Bellator 263 winner [autotag]Georgi Karakhanyan[/autotag] joins the show to discuss his big win.

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio. You can also catch it on Apple PodcastsSpotifyStitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.

Ryan Benoit suffered fractured fibular head in UFC on ESPN 28 loss to Zarrukh Adashev

Ryan Benoit had to battle through a fractured leg in a hard-fought loss to Zarrukh Adashev at UFC on ESPN 28 on Saturday.

[autotag]Ryan Benoit[/autotag] had to battle through a fractured leg in a hard-fought loss to [autotag]Zarrukh Adashev[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 28 on Saturday.

Benoit (10-8 MMA, 3-6 UFC) revealed that he broke his fibular head early on in the fight after taking Adashev’s heavy leg kicks, but he never stopped pressing forward. The flyweight was immediately transported to the hospital following his unanimous decision loss to Adashev (4-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC), and his leg was severely swollen.

“I’d still chase him around if we had more time to scrap! 😡

Broke my fibular head (probably early in the fight if a rocket scientist had to guess).  The hospital was very concerned about  the swelling and possible compartment syndrome so they kept me overnight and they are still monitoring until tmrw.

Thanks everyone for the love and support 🙏👊 #TeamBabyface#TeamBenoit”

The loss marked Benoit’s third straight and fifth out of his past seven appearances, overall. The 31-year-old hasn’t notched a victory since knocking Ashkan Mokhtarian out in November 2017. However, he pushed forward until the very end against Adashev despite the clear damage to his leg.

A timetable for Benoit’s recovery was not revealed.

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Uriah Hall issues statement on UFC on ESPN 28 loss: ‘This one hurts’

Uriah Hall shared his first thoughts on his lopsided loss to Sean Strickland at UFC on ESPN 28.

[autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag] is understandably disappointed in the wake of his loss to Sean Strickland at UFC on ESPN 28.

Hall (17-10 MMA, 10-8 UFC) had the opportunity to break into the next echelon of middleweight title contention on Saturday when he met Strickland (24-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) in the headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It didn’t go his way, though, as he lost a lopsided unanimous decision.

The pressure and output of Strickland caused problems for Hall throughout the bout. He was unable to get the space he needed to unleash high voracity offensive attacks, and when 25 minutes were up, it was clear “Primetime” wasn’t going to get his hand raised.

Hall did not speak in the immediate aftermath of the fight, but on Sunday issued his first statement. To his credit, Hall gave Strickland his full due (via Instagram):

Tough one last night. Congratulations to @strickland_mma. I was prepared he was just the better man last night. This one hurts, but I’ll be back. Thank you for all the messages and love. It means more then you know. Oss

Hall brought a four-fight winning streak into the bout with Strickland, which took place on his 37th birthday. The momentum coincided with his move to Fortis MMA, but now he’s experienced a setback.

“The Ultimate Fighter 17” finalist did not shed any light on his future.

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Cheyanne Buys on $50,000 bonus for her negative bank account: ‘It’s life changing’

Take a look inside Cheyanne Buys’ knockout of Gloria de Paula at UFC on ESPN 28 in Las Vegas.

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LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Cheyanne Buys[/autotag] beat Gloria de Paula with a first-round TKO Saturday on the main card at UFC on ESPN 28 in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Buys, who picked up her first UFC win after a loss in her promotional debut earlier this year.

Sean Strickland critical of win over Uriah Hall at UFC on ESPN 28: ‘I kind of hit like a pansy’

Sean Strickland wasn’t impressed by his dominant win over Uriah Hall at UFC on ESPN 28.

[autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] had his way with Uriah Hall in the UFC on ESPN 28 main event, but it wasn’t enough to appease him.

Despite winning a lopsided unanimous decision by scores of 50-44, 50-45, and 49-46 in the middleweight headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Strickland (24-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) wasn’t entirely pleased. Mainly because he couldn’t put Hall (17-10 MMA, 10-8 UFC).

“I need to learn how to hit harder,” Strickland told MMA Junkie and other media at the UFC on ESPN 28 post-fight news conference. “I kind of hit like a pansy. I kind of sucked. They’re like, ‘You know you won the middleweight striking record.’ I’m like, ‘What does that mean? That means I can’t hit that hard.'”

Strickland’s victory over Hall elevates his status as a contender at 185 pounds. He’s never lost a fight in 17 divisional appearances dating back to his MMA debut, but he’s not getting particularly caught up in the moment.

The win is likely to land Strickland a place in the top 10 of the rankings, but he said it doesn’t mean a whole lot to him to be considered top tier in his weight class.

“It is what it is,” Strickland said. “I’ve been training for so long. There’s always going to be another killer. It is what it is. I’ll fight somebody again in the next few months. I might win. I might get knocked out. I just like making money.”

Because of Strickland’s mentality, he said he has no preferred next opponent. He admits he’s not particularly familiar with his fellow athletes, so he’s going to be willing to take whatever the UFC gives him.

“I know like two fighters in the division,” Strickland said. “Brad Tavares because we train together and Israel Adesanya. I don’t really watch fights. I just like to do it.”

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UFC on ESPN 28 bonuses: Melsik Baghdasaryan’s head-kick statement worth $50,000

The UFC handed out four post-fight bonuses after Saturday’s card, including one to a first-time UFC fighter.

The UFC handed out four post-fight bonuses after Saturday’s card, including one to a first-time UFC fighter.

After UFC on ESPN 28, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances in Las Vegas. Check out the winners below.

Twitter reacts to Sean Strickland’s dominant win over Uriah Hall at UFC on ESPN 28

See the top Twitter reactions to Sean Strickland’s win over Uriah Hall in the UFC on ESPN 28 main event.

[autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] earned the biggest win of his career thus far on Saturday when he beat [autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag] in the UFC on ESPN 28 main event.

Strickland (24-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) extended his winning streak to five fights in the middleweight division courtesy of a unanimous decision victory over Hall (17-10 MMA, 10-8 UFC) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

With the win, Strickland puts himself in position for another marquee bout at 185 pounds.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Strickland’s victory over Hall at UFC on ESPN 28.

UFC on ESPN 28 results: Sean Strickland dominates Uriah Hall for fifth straight win

Sean Strickland put together a composed and dominant performance to shut down Uriah Hall and move to the next level at middleweight.

[autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] put together a composed and dominant performance to shut down [autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag] and move to the next level at middleweight.

Strickland (24-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) outworked Hall (17-10 MMA, 10-8 UFC) for a unanimous decision with scores of 50-44, 50-45 and 49-46. The win was Strickland’s fifth straight and shut down Hall’s four-fight streak.

The middleweight bout was part the UFC on ESPN 28 main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

Hall pumped a jab early, but Strickland was quick to throw out his own to try to put Hall on his back foot. The jab kept Hall slightly out of his rhythm in the first 90 seconds, though Hall was able to crack Strickland with jabs of his own. Two minutes in. Hall threw a calf kick to mix things up.

Midway through the round, it looked like Strickland started to feel his range. He landed several punches that kept Hall backing up, and Hall appeared to be looking for some kind of an answer.

About a minute into the second round, Strickland put together a big combination that had Hall on the fence. Strickland thought about a level change for a takedown, but stayed on the feet and kept Hall’s back on the cage. Hall worked his way back to the center of the cage midway through the round and looked better in the latter half of the frame in terms of his aggressiveness. After a brief pause for a low blow, Hall seemed to hit another level just before the horn.

Hall came out strong in the third and was busier early than he had been at any time in the first two rounds. But almost out of nowhere, about two minutes into the frame, Strickland took Hall to the canvas after a punch to the back of the ear. Strickland landed punch after punch on the mat, and it looked like he was close to a finish. Hall popped back up, but Strickland dragged him back down again. When they moved back to the feet, Strickland kept him tied up, and another takedown had him in half-guard on top. With 30 seconds left, Strickland took Hall’s back and looked for a rear-naked choke. Hall survived the round, but it was dominance for Strickland.

Hall seemed to have a sense of urgency in the fourth. Strickland, for the most part, stayed largely out of range of Hall’s biggest shots. Hall stayed busy, but didn’t get a lot done in terms of damage. But with a minute left, Strickland took Hall down again and landed some big shots along the way. He opened up a cut over Hall’s left eye for good measure. Hall came back to his feet swinging down the stretch, but it was another round for Strickland.

Strickland looked to be pretty easily the fresher of the two fighters heading into the final frame. He paced in his corner in between rounds and watched as Hall’s team urged him to not be tired. Hall looked exhausted midway through the frame, and while Strickland slowed down a little, too, he had the energy to clinch Hall on the fence and continue to wear him out.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 28 results include:

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