Tag: UFC on ESPN 30

UFC on ESPN 30 medical suspensions: Daniel Rodriguez faces 180-day term after big win

Daniel Rodriguez might have to take a hiatus from his active schedule after UFC on ESPN 30.

[autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag] might have to take a hiatus from his active schedule after UFC on ESPN 30.

Rodriguez, who picked up arguably the most prominent win of his career over Kevin Lee on Saturday, needs an X-ray on his left hand in hopes of avoiding a mandatory six-month suspension.

On Tuesday, MMA Junkie acquired a full list of the UFC on ESPN 30 medical suspensions handed out by the Nevada Athletic Commission from MixedMartialArts.com, the Association of Boxing Commission’s official record keeper.

Also joining Rodriguez on the sidelines are Season 29 “The Ultimate Fighter” finalists Gilbert Urbina and Brady Hiestand. Uribina needs a left knee MRI and a left wrist X-ray, while Hiestand needs an MRI on his right knee and his chipped tooth cleared by a dentist.

The full list of UFC on ESPN 30 medical suspensions includes:

Kevin Lee after UFC on ESPN 30 loss: ‘I won’t stop until I figure this sh*t out’

Kevin Lee was on the losing end of another fight over the weekend, but he still seems determined to right the ship.

[autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag] was on the losing end of another fight over the weekend, but he still seems determined to right the ship.

In his return to welterweight this past Saturday, Lee dropped a unanimous decision to late-replacement opponent Daniel Rodriguez at UFC on ESPN 30 on Saturday night in Las Vegas, leaving his future in question. The loss dropped Lee (18-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC) to 1-4 in his past five fights, leading UFC president Dana White to wonder if Lee still has a future in the UFC.

On Monday, Lee posted his first extensive comments about the fight and where he stands in general, and it appears he has no intention of quitting on himself.

“Didn’t have a good performance this last time out but honestly after 500 days away and multiple surgeries I’m proud of what I was able to do,” Lee wrote on Instagram. “I tried climbing a very tall mountain and this was just another speed-bump [sic] on the way. My best performances are ahead of me and I know that.”

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Lee, 28, was considered one of the UFC’s brightest prospects not long ago as he’d won nine out of 10, including a five-fight winning streak, to earn an interim lightweight title shot against Tony Ferguson in October 2017 at UFC 216. Lee was competitive in that fight but ultimately lost by third-round submission.

The loss to Ferguson was the beginning of a 2-5 downswing. Complicating matters is the fact that Lee has undergone surgeries and struggled to make the lightweight limit, prompting two separate moves to welterweight that have resulted in defeat.

What happens next is unclear, but Lee is determined to get back on track.

“I don’t care if I have to bump my head to get there [sic] I won’t stop until I figure this sh*t out,” Lee wrote. “I’m still competing with the best in the world and won’t hang my head just yet. If you have something negative to say f*ck you from (the) bottom of my heart. F*ck all the hate yell [sic] can burn in hell. And thank you to everyone who has reached out with love. I’m not done yet. Not at all.”

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MMA Junkie Radio #3188: Reaction to Paul’s win over Woodley, UFC and PFL results, more

Check out Monday’s episode 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 3,188, the guys recap Jake Paul’s win over Tyron Woodley and discuss who Paul should fight next. They also react to UFC on ESPN 30 and 2021 PFL Playoffs 3 results, the booked rematch between Rose Namajunas and Zhang Weili, and more. Tune in!

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

Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Giga Chikadze after UFC on ESPN 30 win?

See whom Giga Chikadze should fight next after his victory over Edson Barboza in the UFC on ESPN 30 headliner.

(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Edson Barboza after UFC on ESPN 30 loss?)

[autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] erased any doubt that he’s a serious player to watch in the UFC featherweight division Saturday with a main event win over Edson Barboza.

It was primarily one-way traffic for Chikadze (14-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) in the UFC on ESPN 30 headliner. He dropped longtime octagon veteran Barboza (22-10 MMA, 16-10 UFC) multiple times en route to the third-round TKO at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

With the win, Chikadze became just the third 145-pound fighter in UFC history to start his tenure with the promotion with seven consecutive wins. He called for a role as the backup fighter for the UFC 266 title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega, but what should he do next if the bout goes forward as planned and the opportunity doesn’t come to fruition?

Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on Chikadze’s future after UFC on ESPN 30.

Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Edson Barboza after UFC on ESPN 30 loss?

See whom Edson Barboza should fight next after his loss to Giga Chikadze in the UFC on ESPN 30 headliner.

(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Giga Chikadze after UFC on ESPN 30 win?)

[autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag]’s main event struggles continued on Saturday at UFC on ESPN 30.

Barboza (22-10 MMA, 16-10 UFC), who is widely considered to be one of the most exciting fighters in the history of the octagon, fell to 0-3 in UFC headliners with a third-round TKO loss to Chikadze (14-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The definitive nature of the contest served as a difficult blow to Barboza’s championship aspirations at featherweight, where he’s looked strong since moving down four fights ago. At 35, making another run to the to top could be a difficult task for the Brazilian, but Barboza is one of the most positive athletes in the game and will surely give it his best effort.

So what should come next for Barboza? Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis of his future after UFC on ESPN 30.

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Abdul Razak Alhassan doesn’t do call-outs, but wouldn’t mind ‘smacking’ Antonio Braga Neto

Abdul Razak Alhassan doesn’t like to call anyone out, but wouldn’t mind ‘smacking’ Antonio Braga Neto.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Abdul Razak Alhassan[/autotag] got back on track with a spectacular, lightning-fast knockout of Alessio Di Chirico.

In the final prelim bout of UFC on ESPN 30, Alhassan (11-4 MMA, 5-4 UFC) only needed 17 seconds to dispatch of his middleweight opponent and did it on the first strike he landed. The win meant a lot for the former welterweight, who believed his job could have been on the line as he entered the bout on a three-fight losing streak.

“I went into my last fight saying, ‘If I don’t win, this is it,'” Alhaassan said at the post-fight news conference. “My coaches and everyone around me told me, ‘Don’t think about the negative. Go in there and do what you gotta do. Do what you are good at doing. When you do what you are good at doing, the result will follow it.’ So that’s what I did.”

The result certainly followed, and he earned a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his highlight-reel moment, as well.

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Alhassan made a move to Colorado to prepare for this contest to elevate his cardio, which was a point of concern for him in the past. After training at altitude, he entered the fight against Di Chirico with full confidence in his ability to go 15 minutes if necessary, but he ended up only needing just over 15 seconds.

As far as what’s next, Antonio Braga Neto is a name that came to mind, who he was originally scheduled to fight at UFC on ESPN 29 and then again on Saturday.

“If you guys know me, I never call anyone out,” Alhassan started. “But, if I’m not saying I’m not upset a little bit at Braga, I’d be lying, because I trained three months for him and on the 21st, he backed out, and then on the 28th, he backed out. Of course, I don’t want to take it personally, but I’m upset a little bit. I’m not trying to call him out, but if I can smack him, I want to smack him.”

“I don’t hate him, I don’t dislike him, but he made me work three months for him and he didn’t show up.”

Watch the full post-fight press interview with Alhassan in the video above.

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Giga Chikadze wants back-up role for Volkanovski-Ortega title fight or bout vs. Max Holloway

Giga Chikadze lays out what he wants next following TKO win over Edson Barboza at UFC on ESPN 30.

[autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] feels he’s at the top of the featherweight division and wants his next steps to resemble that.

The striking expert is looking to be a backup fighter for the upcoming title fight between [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] at UFC 266 on Sept. 25. And if that’s not possible, he welcomes a fight with former champion Max Holloway.

“I’m here to fight the best fights and the biggest names,” Chikadze said in his post-fight interview. “I would love to cover the title shot and be a replacement fighter. If not, somebody Hawaiian who’s in the division. He knows my name. I saw him doing interviews and he said something like this, ‘Oh yeah I heard this Giga guy who kicks.’ I’m not just a Giga guy, I’m a guy who kicks the sh*t out of people.”

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For Chikadze (14-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC), it’s title shot or Holloway and nothing else. With his main event win over Edson Barboza at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 30, Chikadze feels like he’s done more than enough now that he’s 7-0 since joining the UFC.

“I’m not interested in anything else,” Chikadze said at the post-fight press conference. “Like why? Everybody before this said no to me. I’ve been told that I’m going to fight a top-five guy and then the title. The top-five guy didn’t agree nobody agreed and that’s why I fought Edson, who is a bigger name than top five. So I want to see myself on a top-five next week ranking, top three actually.”

Watch the full post-fight press conference with Chikadze in the video above.

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‘I’m in the age bracket’: Dana White responds to Jake Paul’s prediction of knocking UFC boss out

YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul recently predicted their feud would end with him ‘knocking (Dana White) the f*ck out’ in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] seems unfazed by recent threatening comments made by YouTuber-turner-boxer [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag].

Following the conclusion of UFC on ESPN 30 at the UFC Apex, White was asked about Paul’s recent statement that if he ran into White, their feud would end up with Paul “knocking him the f*ck out.”

The proposition that makes sense to the UFC president who poked fun at Paul’s boxing opponents, including post-UFC-career athletes [autotag]Ben Askren[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag].

“It actually makes sense,” White told MMA Junkie at the UFC on ESPN 30 post-fight news conference. “I’m 52 years old. I’m in the age bracket of guys he fights, so yeah, I could see him wanting to fight me. It’s all he fights are 50-year-olds.”

White said he doesn’t take Paul’s threat that seriously – at least not enough to organize any legal papers. Like with his fighters, White expects “mean things” to be said in the combat sports world – even ones directed at him.

“Let me tell you what,” White said. “Get in line. There are plenty of people who would like to assault me. Get in line. It’s a long f*cking line, buddy. You’re going to be waiting for a while. No, it doesn’t bother me. This is the business we’re in. I say it all the time about the fighters, too. We are not in the nice guy business. This is a very mean business. I say many mean things about people, too. It’s just part of this game. It’s all good.”

The back-and-forth is the latest chapter in the saga of Paul and White. Although White has long said he’s not interested in doing business with Paul, the YouTuber-turned-boxer has remained relentless in his prodding. He constantly attempts to goad the UFC president while bringing up the issue of fighter pay.

Paul, 24, fights former UFC welterweight champion, Woodley, on Sunday in Cleveland as the headlining match of a Showtime pay-per-view. He will look to advance to 4-0 as a professional boxer against Woodley, a pro boxing debutant.

UFC on ESPN 30 took place Saturday at the UFC Apex. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

Check out Dana White’s full UFC on ESPN 30 post-fight news conference in the video above.

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UFC on ESPN 30 bonuses: Chikadze’s main event finish, Alhassan’s 17-second KO among four winners

Check out the four bonus winners from UFC on ESPN 30.

The UFC handed out four post-fight bonuses after Saturday’s card, including four individual performances and a promise from UFC president Dana White to send the “TUF 29” bantamweight finale competitors an extra undisclosed bonus as well.

After UFC on ESPN 30, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out the winners below.

Twitter reacts to Giga Chikadze’s thrilling TKO of Edson Barboza at UFC on ESPN 30

See the top Twitter reactions to Giga Chikadze’s win over Edson Barboza in the UFC on ESPN 30 main event.

[autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] extended the unbeaten start to his octagon tenure Saturday with a main event win over [autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 30.

Chikadze (14-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) further proved his legitimacy as a 145-pound contender to watch when he beat longtime veteran Barboza (22-10 MMA, 16-10 UFC) by third-round TKO in the headlining matchup, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Chikadze’s triumph over Barboza at UFC on ESPN 30.