Take a look inside Grant Dawson’s win over Nad Narimani at UFC on ESPN+ 30 in Abu Dhabi.
ABU DHABI – [autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] beat Nad Narimani with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN+ 30 in Abu Dhabi.
Take a look inside the fight with Dawson, who picked up his seventh straight win.
“The strategy pretty much always stays the same: Be aggressive, get the takedown, look to be dominant from start to finish. We did that. In the third round, I wanted to show my striking ability. I wanted to get at least a knockdown or some good punches, but it didn’t go that way. But we got the win, and that’s all that matters.”
Dawson on what weight class he belongs in
“I am a huge ’45er. I don’t even think that calling me a ’45er is fair. I don’t want to get into numbers, but I’m heavier than a welterweight right now. Making 145 is hard. And making 145 for the amount (of money) I’m making, it’s just not worth it. … If I’m going to go down to ’45, I want to make the money doing it. I want to get a couple wins at ’55. … It’s going to be 155 until everything is normal.”
Dawson on what he wants next
“At 155 with the right matchup, I’ll turn around tomorrow, whenever, as soon as I’m able to fight – let’s go.”
To hear more from Dawson, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
After 36 UFC fights in eight days, which winner on “Fight Island” delivered the most memorable performance? Our MMA Junkie writers debate.
This past Saturday concluded a marathon of UFC action that included three events in seven days on “Fight Island” at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. From UFC 251 to UFC on ESPN 13 to UFC on ESPN+ 30, a total of 36 fights unfolded over from July 11 to July 18, and there’s a lot to digest from that time.
There were memorable performances delivered in championship bouts, matchups between contenders and fighters making their debuts. Which effort left the strongest lasting impression, though? MMA Junkie’s Farah Hannoun, John Morgan and Simon Head debate in the latest edition of Triple Take.
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Farah Hannoun: Deiveson Figueiredo
Deiveson Figueiredo
[autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag]’s performance against Joseph Benavidez at UFC on ESPN+ 30 will go down as one of the most dominant championship wins in UFC history.
Few imagined Figueiredo (19-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) would be able to run through Benavidez like that, dropping him three times and becoming the first man to ever submit him. While Figueiredo did stop Benavidez in Round 2 of their first fight, it was a competitive battle where Benavidez was able to win the first round.
Though Benavidez has never won a UFC title, he’s been a staple in the 125-pound division, taking out just about every flyweight on the roster, including a decision win over former UFC dual-champ Henry Cejudo. But Figueiredo was a man on a mission that night and wanted to erase the notion that he only won the first fight because of an inadvertent head butt.
There are several 125-pounders chomping at the bit to get their crack at the title, but Figueiredo looked like an unstoppable force that may rule the division for a very long time.
Take a look inside Roman Dolidze’s finish of Khadis Ibragimov at UFC on ESPN+ 30 in Abu Dhabi.
ABU DHABI – [autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag] beat Khadis Ibragimov with a first-round TKO Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN+ 30 in Abu Dhabi.
Take a look inside the fight with Dolidze, who picked up a highlight-reel finish on his octagon debut.
Result:Roman Dolidze def. Khadis Ibragimov via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 4:15 Updated records: Dolidze (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Ibragimov (8-3 MMA, 0-3 UFC) Key stat: Dolidze extended his 100 percent finishing rate with his fifth first-round finish, and his fourth successive knockout.
Dolidze on his knockout record
“I am only two years in MMA. Of course, I’m surprised because I’m a grappler and I KO people. It’s strange!”
Dolidze on his pre-fight chat with Michael Bisping
“We had a conversation and he asked me, ‘You’re only two years in MMA now you’re in the UFC. Are you happy? Is this your dream?’ I said no, it’s not my dream, I have other goals in my life. But really, I’m very excited to be here and it’s a big thing for me.”
Dolidze on what fired him up
“For me, I don’t like when someone at the weigh-ins is looking at me like crazy. And this guy started looking at me like crazy. It was a big mistake for him.”
To hear more from Dolidze, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
Take a look inside Joel Alvarez’s submission of Joe Duffy at UFC on ESPN+ 30 in Abu Dhabi.
ABU DHABI – [autotag]Joel Alvarez[/autotag] beat Joe Duffy with a first-round submission Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN+ 30 in Abu Dhabi.
Take a look inside the fight with Alvarez, who sent Duffy into retirement with the win.
“He was using a lot of the kicks. At the end of the fight, we went into grappling and my guillotine took him out. He surprised me with the lateral kicks at the beginning, but we had practiced a little bit to maintain that aspect and at the end of the day, we were able to maintain and control that aspect.”
Alvarez on the “Fight Island” experience
“The experience on ‘Fight Island’ has been great with my team. Everything has been wonderful so far, and hopefully I get to repeat the experience.”
Alvarez on what he wants next
“Whoever the boss says is next, I’m ready for them. I’m ready to fight the best guys in the UFC.”
To hear more from Alvarez, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
Fighters from around the globe dream of the day they’ll step into the octagon the first time. How did the four newcomers perform Saturday?
Fighters from around the globe dream of the day they’ll step into the UFC octagon for the first time. For four athletes, Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 30 event marked that special moment in their respective careers.
Check out this week’s rookie report to see what kind of first impression they made on the sport’s biggest stage from Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
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Carlos Felipe
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JULY 19: (L-R) Carlos Felipe of Brazil punches Serghei Spivac of Ukraine in their heavyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event inside Flash Forum on UFC Fight Island on July 19, 2020 in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Division: Heavyweight Result: Serghei Spivac def. Carlos Felipe via majority decision (28-28, 29-27, 29-27) Record: (8-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) Grade: D
[autotag]Carlos Felipe[/autotag] bounded out of his corner for his UFC debut with bags of enthusiasm. But, despite an encouraging start, the Brazilian ended up on the wrong end of a majority decision against Moldovan Serghei Spivak.
Felipe looked full of energy at the start of the first round as he looked to establish his boxing straight away. He enjoyed some success with it, too, as he connected with a number of fast punches.
But as the fight wore on and Felipe’s pace started to ease off, Spivak got a foothold in the matchup and, when the Moldovan switched from striking to wrestling in the final round, the Brazilian had no answer as he lost an ill-tempered matchup on the scorecards.
The pair looked ready for a fourth round after the decision was read, but the damage had already been done and Felipe had suffered his first professional loss.
[autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] left no doubt that he’s currently the top flyweight in the UFC when he captured the vacant championship on Saturday in the UFC on ESPN+ 30 main event.
Figueiredo (19-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) put on one of the most one-sided title-fight performances in recent memory when he battered Joseph Benavidez (29-6 MMA, 16-4 UFC) all around the octagon before securing a fight-ending rear-naked choke in the first round.
The Brazilian took hold of the belt at 32 and with a near-perfect career record. He has all the makings of a dominant champion and is the new torch-bearer for male Brazilian champions.
Is there anyone out there capable of dethroning Figueiredo? Who should be the first to challenge for his 125-pound belt?
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Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on Figueiredo’s future after his title-winning performance against Benavidez at UFC on ESPN+ 30.
[autotag]Joseph Benavidez[/autotag] suffered the worst kind of heartbreak on Saturday when his UFC title hopes were seemingly dashed for good in the UFC on ESPN+ 30 main event.
In what was his fourth chance at a UFC belt, Benavidez (28-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC) suffered a first-round submission loss to new flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo (18-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in their main event bout, which took place at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and streamed on ESPN+.
A devastated Benavidez pulled back the curtain on his emotions post-fight. He did his best to hold back tears as he admitted he’s going to accept that being UFC champ is not part of his story, but he did make it clear this is not the end for him.
Benavidez said he wants at least one more fight so he has the chance to go on top, but is that a wise plan for the 35-year-old?
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Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on Benavidez’s future following his loss to Figueiredo at UFC on ESPN+ 30.
“I was very confident. We studied her game, so we knew we would have to pressure her. If it got to the ground, she would try to put me in the guard because she has a good guard. I was very confident on the ground and I was training very hard for the leg lock and the foot lock, too. … The fight was amazing, I was very confident. I wanted to win this fight by KO, but I was confident that if the fight went to the ground that I would submit her in the first round.”
Lipski on her confidence
“I feel very, very happy. I was very, very confident for the fight. I went to the octagon and just enjoyed and did my best. I have much more to show. I just want to get back as soon as possible.”
Lipski on what she wants next
“I’ll look to the rankings, so I don’t have a name. I have to talk to my head coach and to my manager for the best option. I have no injuries. I’m healthy, I’m young and I’m hungry – very hungry for more victories.”
To hear more from Lipski, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
Benavidez has wins over champions from three major promotions and is tied for most UFC flyweight wins in history. That’s not a bad legacy at all.
[autotag]Joseph Benavidez[/autotag] owns victories over a former UFC two-division champion (Henry Cejudo), two former WEC champs (Miguel Torres and Eddie Wineland), a former Bellator titleholder (Zach Makovsky), and three UFC title challengers (Ali Baguatinov, John Moraga, and Tim Elliott).
Remember that next time someone fixates on the fact Benavidez came up short in his title challenges over the course of his career.
While we’re at it, Benavidez’s next victory in the UFC flyweight division will break his tie with the division’s all-time standard-bearer, Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, for most in history, which is currently 13. Since he’s not retiring after his loss to Deiveson Figueiredo in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 30 main event which filled the vacant belt, we’re confident in saying the only thing that would stop him from achieving this feat would be a decision to go up to bantamweight.
Remember that, too, when you discuss the career legacy of the soon-to-be-36 year old from Las Cruces, N.M.
Benavidez dropped to 0-4 in UFC title fights on Saturday night, with his second loss to Figueiredo in as many efforts in 2020. Benavidez likewise dropped two fights to Johnson, and before that, two to WEC bantamweight standard-bearer Dominick Cruz (one before Cruz became champion).
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Ask the Buffalo Bills of the 1990s how easy it is to fixate on a statistic like 0-4. The team was one of the greatest in NFL history, boasting five future Pro Football Hall of Famers, an HOF head coach, and won four consecutive AFC championships. All that outstanding play gets reduced to not then winning the Super Bowl on each of those four occasions.
Make no mistake: the circumstances which separate the champions from the top contenders can be razor-thin. The Bills lost the Super Bowl to the Giants in 1991 after kicker Scott Norwood barely missed what would have been a game-winning field goal at the end. If that kick is a couple feet to the left, they’re not even in this conversation. Don’t believe that? The Boston Bruins are 1-7 in the Stanley Cup Finals since Bobby Orr’s teams won two in the 1970s, a stretch which includes some of the most horrific meltdowns in the history of sports. But they eked one out in 2011, and get spared from these sort of lists.
Benavidez twice fought to split decisions in title fights: In a WEC 40 in a loss to Cruz, and at UFC 152 in a loss to Johnson in the bout to crown the UFC’s first 125-pound champ. In both contests, one of the cards which went against him was 48-47, meaning he was twice one round on one judges’ card from winning a major title. One round flips on one card in either of those fights and we’re not having this conversation today.
That’s the difference which puts Benavidez alongside someone like Chael Sonnen, who owns seven victories over men who held major belts, instead of Michael Bisping, who seemed destined to go down as the greatest UFC fighter never to win the big one before he capitalized against Luke Rockhold in 2017.
Of course, Sonnen got caught cheating more than once, and his plight led to a sense of schadenfreude among many. That’s far from the case with Benavidez, who has never had so much as a whiff of a scandal around him. He’s universally regarded on the inside as one of the real good guys in a business which doesn’t have nearly enough of them. Wife Megan Olivi does an outstanding job as an interviewer, first with FOX and now ESPN. They’re both considered approachable, a reporter’s dream of an interview, those inside the UFC love working with them, and they treat the fans great.
Which made Saturday’s fight all the more tough to watch. Figueiredo sure looks like the next Great One of the lighter weight classes, and it was obvious from the moment he dropped Benavidez in the opening seconds this was going to be Figgy’s coronation.
That Benavidez fought the inevitable as valiantly as he did — all the way to going out rather than tapping out — was an admirable coda to this story.
“I’ve died freaking 100 times,” Benavidez told MMA Junkie during an emotional post-fight press conference. “What’s another death? It’s different because I know I did everything right in preparation. I didn’t take any shortcuts. I did everything right. … I felt good in there, honestly. I felt focused and present even with the no crowd. Fights go fast but I could see little movements felt focused.”
And that’s how Benavidez, who isn’t through yet, should be remembered: As someone who did everything right. Someone who always dusted himself off when he was knocked down, picked himself back up, vowed to improve his craft, then went out and did so. Someone who would have gotten more credit for his positive attitude and relentless work ethic before the sport was overrun by Twitter trolls and bad-faith actors.
There are plenty of former NBA benchwarmers running around with multiple rings because they had the dumb luck of playing on the same team as Michael Jordon or Kobe Bryant. Meanwhile, Charles Barkley and John Stockton don’t have rings. That’s not bad company to have.
All the notable stats and figures to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 30, which saw Deiveson Figueiredo submit Joseph Benavidez in the main event.
The third event in the UFC’s four-card July stretch on “Fight Island” went down Saturday with UFC on ESPN+ 30, which took place at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi with a main card that streamed on ESPN+.
After more than six months with the belt vacant, a new flyweight champion was crowned in the main event when [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] (19-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) brutalized [autotag]Joseph Benavidez[/autotag] (28-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC) en route to a first-round submission victory. With the win, he became the first Brazilian to hold 125-pound gold.
For more on the numbers behind the 12-fight card, check below for 35 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 30.
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General
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The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $165,000.
Debuting fighters went 2-2 at the event.
Figueiredo, [autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag], [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag] and [autotag]Marc Diakiese[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN+ 30 fight-night bonuses.
UFC on ESPN+ 30 drew an announced attendance of zero for a live gate of $0.
Betting favorites went 7-5 on the card.
Betting favorites improved to 13-6 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 12-bout card was 1:33:56.
Main card
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JULY 19: Deiveson Figueiredo of Brazil celebrates after defeating Joseph Benavidez in their UFC flyweight championship bout during the UFC Fight Night event inside Flash Forum on UFC Fight Island on July 19, 2020 in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Figueiredo became just the third flyweight champion in UFC history, joining Henry Cejudo and Demetrious Johnson.
Figueiredo has earned 16 of his 19 career victories by stoppage. That includes six of his eight UFC wins.
Figueiredo’s six stoppage victories in UFC flyweight competition are tied with Benavidez for second most ind divisional history behind Demetrious Johnson (seven).
Figueiredo’s eight knockdowns landed in UFC flyweight competition are most in divisional history.
Figueiredo lands 52.5 percent of his significant strike attempts in UF
Benavidez became the first in UFC history to go 0-4 in undisputed championship fights.
Benavidez suffered the first submission loss of his career.
[autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) has earned 17 of his 21 career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 10-6 UFC) fell to 4-4 (with one no contest) since he moved up to the UFC middleweight division in December 2016. He’s 5-4 (with one no contest) in the organization at 185 pounds.
Gastelum has suffered both his career stoppage losses by submission.
Fiziev (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has earned both of his UFC victories by decision.
Diakiese (14-4 MMA, 5-4 UFC) has suffered three of his four career losses by decision.
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JULY 19: (R-L) Ariane Lipski of Brazil secures a knee bar submission against Luana Carolina of Brazil in their flyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event inside Flash Forum on UFC Fight Island on July 19, 2020 in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Lipski (13-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has earned nine of her 13 career victories by stoppage.
Lipski’s victory at 1:28 of Round 1 marked the second fasted stoppage in UFC women’s flyweight history. Veronica Macedo holds the record with a 69-second win at UFC on ESPN+ 14.
[autotag]Luana Carolina[/autotag] (6-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) suffered the first submission loss of her career.
[autotag]Askar Askarov[/autotag] (12-0-1 MMA, 2-0-1 UFC) has earned both of his UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag] (22-5 MMA, 6-3 UFC) has suffered all five of his career losses by decision.
Preliminary card
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JULY 19: (L-R) Roman Dolidze of Georgia knocks out Khadis Ibragimov of Russia in their light heavyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event inside Flash Forum on UFC Fight Island on July 19, 2020 in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
[autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned all seven of his career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Khadis Ibragimov[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 0-3 UFC) has suffered three consecutive losses after starting his career 8-0.
Ibragimov suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
[autotag]Nad Narimani[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has suffered three of his four career losses by decision.
[autotag]Joe Duffy[/autotag]’s (16-5 MMA, 4-4 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since March 2017.
[autotag]Joel Alvarez[/autotag] (17-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has earned all 17 of his career victories by stoppage. He’s finished 15 of those wins by submission.
[autotag]Montel Jackson[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) has suffered both of his career losses by decision.
[autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag] (13-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned 12 of his 13 career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Malcolm Gordon[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has suffered all four of his career losses by stoppage.
Gordon suffered the first submission loss of his career.
[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] (15-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has earned both of his UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Davi Ramos[/autotag] (10-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC) has suffered all four of his career losses by decision.
[autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 2-2 earned the first decision victory of his career.
[autotag]Carlos Felipe[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) had his eight-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
