Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Here are the top four honorable mentions and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Submission of the Year” award for 2020.
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With another action-packed year of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie takes a look at the best knockouts from January to December. Here are the top five and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Submission of the Year” award for 2020.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice for “Submission of the Year.”
Megan Olivi discusses her prominent role in “UFC Fight Island: Declassified.”
Megan Olivi discusses her prominent role in “UFC Fight Island: Declassified.”
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submission from July 2020.
With another action-packed month in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from July 2020: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Submission of the Month” award for July.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.
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Makwan Amirkhani def. Danny Henry at UFC 251
[autotag]Makwan Amirkhani[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) has scored another submission victory in the UFC featherweight division against Danny Henry (12-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) — and he earned some points for good sportsmanship, too.
Amirkhani submitted Henry with his signature move, the anaconda choke. Amirkhani wasted little time finishing his opponent. Then he wasted even less time bringing him back to consciousness, as Amirkhani immediately helped officials raise Henry’s legs to bring back the blood flow back toward his head.
Technique on display 👏
🇫🇮 @MakwanAmirkhani with the quick submission at #UFC251
We are LIVE on @ESPN. #InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/LuLTHyua59
— UFC (@ufc) July 12, 2020
Ariane Lipski def. Luana Carolina at UFC on ESPN+ 30
[autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) promised to bring back the “Queen of Violence” against Luana Carolina (6-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC), and that’s exactly what happened when she finished the women’s flyweight fight in the first round.
Lipski secured one of the nastiest kneebar finishes in UFC history against Carolina, doing so from a rather precarious position. They got tangle up on the mat and Lipski grabbed the leg of her opponent and pulled it in an awkward direction, forcing a screaming tap-out from Carolina.
"The Queen of Violence" @Ariane_lipski lives up to the name with this kneebar 😳 #UFCFightIsland2 pic.twitter.com/sxrZLDDsul
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 19, 2020
Jack Hermansson def. Kelvin Gastelum at UFC on ESPN+ 30
[autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) pulled off one of the biggest wins of his career when he submitted Kelvin Gastelum (16-6 MMA, 10-6 UFC) in a high-stakes middleweight bout.
Hermansson need just 78 seconds to lock in a tight heel hook on Gastelum and finish the fight. A clinch exchange early in the fight saw Gastelum end up on top. Hermansson’s didn’t just a small opening to make his move, though, and latched onto the submission that Gastelum couldn’t escape from without giving up.
Jokers are WILD! 🃏
🇸🇪 @JackTheJokerMMA needs just over a minute!
The main card finishes on E+ for #UFCFightIsland2 pic.twitter.com/vftPDUP5K2
— UFC (@ufc) July 19, 2020
Deiveson Figueiredo def. Joseph Benavidez at UFC on ESPN+ 30
[autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] (19-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) left no doubt he’s the top flyweight currently competing in the UFC when he obliterated Joseph Benavidez (28-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC) in the first round, this time officially claiming the UFC title.
Figueiredo missed weight for the first meeting and did not get a belt despite getting a knockout. He dropped Benavidez with strikes multiple times in the rematch, but was fishing for the submission. Figueiredo finally locked on a rear-naked choke that could not be escaped, and Benavidez was submitted for the first time in his career.
Fabricio Werdum def. Alexander Gustafsson at UFC on ESPN 14
43-year-old [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] (24-9-1 MMA, 12-6 UFC) showed he can still get the job done at a high level on the mat, as he spoiled the heavyweight debut of Alexander Gustafsson (18-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC).
The former UFC champ only needed one opening to take the fight to the mat, and when he did, it was game over. Werdum got into position for an armbar on Gustafsson, who fought mightily for roughly one minute. He could only resist Werdum’s jiu-jitsu prowess for so long, though, and eventfully the tap came.
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Human knees are not meant to bend in the direction Carolina found her left knee going into against Lipski.
Lipski, an impressive competitor out of Brazil, saw an opening in a grappling exchange, straightened the leg out, and leaned all the way back, causing Carolina to tap at the 1:38 mark of the opening round in their UFC on ESPN+ 30 main card bout at Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
That marked both the seventh first-round finish in Lipski’s career, and the second-fastest submission victory in UFC women’s flyweight history.
“She was trying to take my neck,” Lipski said in her post-fight interview. “I have trained this sub before then I pushed her leg and I was pretty sure it was working.”
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Check out the full medical suspensions from UFC on ESPN+ 30.
New UFC flyweight champion [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] won’t be held back by a medical suspension from his title conquest at UFC on ESPN+ 30.
On Wednesday, MMA Junkie obtained the full list of suspensions from MixedMartialArts.com, the Association of Boxing Commission’s official record keeper.
According to the list, Figueiredo (19-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC), who submitted [autotag]Joseph Benavidez[/autotag] in the first round of their main event title bout, will only be suspended for seven days due to mandatory rest. On the other hand, Benavidez (28-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC) faces 45 days. The longtime contender was dropped multiple times before he was submitted.
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The UFC on ESPN+ 30 competitor facing the longest potential suspension is [autotag]Luana Carolina[/autotag] (6-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC). The Brazilian was suspended 180 days after suffering a kneebar submission defeat to [autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag], which appeared to hyperextend her knee. Carolina can reduce the suspension down to 30 days if an MRI on her left knee is done and cleared by a doctor.
Below is the full list of UFC on ESPN+ 30 medical suspensions:
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Check out this week’s edition of “Spinning Back Clique” with special guest “Big” John McCarthy.
Welcome to “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. This week, Simon Head hosts and is joined by MMA Junkie Radio’s “Gorgeous” George, reporter Farah Hannoun, and special guest “Big” John McCarthy.
SHOW TOPICS
For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 38 of “Spinning Back Clique” above.
Legendary MMA referee “Big” John McCarthy joins the Spinning Back Clique crew as they unpack another busy night at UFC on ESPN+ 30, and discuss the biggest stories in MMA this week
Legendary MMA referee “Big” John McCarthy joins the Spinning Back Clique crew as they unpack another busy night at UFC on ESPN+ 30, and discuss the biggest stories in MMA this week
UFC on ESPN+ 30 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+ 30 at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, 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.
Check out some of those reactions.
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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.
Take a look inside Brett Johns’ win over Montel Jackson at UFC on ESPN+ 30 in Abu Dhabi.
ABU DHABI – [autotag]Brett Johns[/autotag] beat Montel Jackson with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN+ 30 in Abu Dhabi.
Take a look inside the fight with Johns, who won for the second straight time to get back on track after the first two losses of his pro career.
Result: Brett Johns def. Montel Jackson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Updated records: Johns (17-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC), Jackson (9-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC)
Key stat: Johns landed eight takedowns in the fight.
“We expected Montel to have a very quick 1-2. There is quick, and there was that. That was super fast. That’s what caught me off guard, really. Once I got caught with it once, I was weary about it and I managed to time it and get the shots off to get to the fence. (It was) probably not the most attractive fight, (but) at this level and this big stage, I wanted a win, and that’s what I got.”
“Overall, I’m happy I grinded it out. That’s my style, really. I have that fighting style in me where I grind things out. I am very happy overall to get the win. It’s a new chapter in my career. Did I feel like I looked good? Not very. But I’ll take it. He was a good striker. I’m very thankful.”
“I’m happy to fight anybody in this weight division. It is the ‘anyone can get it’ tour. If you ask me a name, I’d like to fight a legend – a legend of the game. I’d like to fight someone like Urijah Faber, a guy who has been there and done it and fought the best guys. Was that the performance to really shout and scream about it? Probably not. But if Urijah is watching, that’s a fight I dream to have. I think about getting my shorts framed after the fight and imagine fighting Urijah Faber and them shorts. That would be a dream come true.”
To hear more from Johns, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
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Check out the latest edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”
Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here!
On Episode No. 3,071 of the podcast, the fellas unpack this past Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 30 event, which took place on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi.
Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio, or check it out above. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.
Take a look inside Serghei Spivac’s win over Carlos Felipe at UFC on ESPN+ 30 in Abu Dhabi.
ABU DHABI – [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag] beat Carlos Felipe with a majority decision Saturday to open the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN+ 30 in Abu Dhabi.
Take a look inside the fight with Spivac, who got back in the win column after a February loss to Marcin Tybura.
Result: Serghei Spivac def. Carlos Felipe via majority decision (28-28, 29-27, 29-27)
Updated records: Spivac (11-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC), Felipe (8-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Key stat: Spivac outstruck Felipe 165-44 and landed three takedowns.
“I felt that I could finish him, even in the first round. But I didn’t really go full in. The next time, you’re going to see a different Serghei Spivac. … To be honest, it’s the first time in my career I’ve seen an opponent talking to me that much. I wanted to ask him after the fight, ‘What did you want to say?’ But it doesn’t really matter to me. A fight is a fight.”
“My daughter was born right before the fight, so I didn’t sleep well because of that. I want to dedicate the victory to my wife and daughter.”
“I want to get back to work. I’ll take around 10 days’ rest. But as a parent now, I have a child and I have to work twice as hard as I used to. So I have to get back to training.”
To hear more from Spivac, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
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