Tag: UFC on ESPN+ 33

Ricardo Lamas officially retires: How a rosary and his brother’s memory helped the UFC standout make the call

With retirement on Ricardo Lamas’ mind going into his past fight, one emotional moment helped him finalize his decision.

With retirement on [autotag]Ricardo Lamas[/autotag]’ mind going into his most recent fight, one emotional moment helped him finalize his decision.

Lamas (20-8 MMA, 11-6 UFC), 38, has officially decided to hang up his gloves, he told MMA Junkie Radio exclusively. The decision comes on the heels of a unanimous decision win over Bill Algeo at UFC on ESPN+ 33, and he said someone very special to his heart prompted that choice.

Lamas lost his brother in 2009, and though he’s always with him in spirit, something was a little different in his last fight.

“If you watch me fight, you’ll know that I always carry a rosary with me to the weigh-ins and to the walkout, and I’ll give it to my corner or whatever,” Lamas told MMA Junkie Radio. “In 2009, one of my brothers passed away and he was living in Arizona at the time. So when we got the news, me, two of my brothers and my dad went out there to kind of gather his belongings, see him, kind of identify him and bring him back. … I was in this little store, kind of like a Native American store, and they had a bunch of rosaries – little wooden rosaries.

“So I picked one up, one for myself, one for each of my brothers, one for my dad, and one for my brother who had just passed away. At his wake, I had the priest bless all the rosaries, and I gave one to each of my brothers and we buried one with my brother. So that was kind of my way of bringing him with me to every fight, because he was really proud (of me).”

Prior to facing Algeo, Lamas was coming off a knockout loss to Calvin Kattar in which he suffered a broken jaw. He entered the Algeo fight already contemplating retirement, but he almost made the walk with something pivotal missing.

“After my last fight, because of my hospitalization, I was in the hospital, putting all my crap away. I misplaced the rosary,” Lamas said. “I didn’t know where it was, and I kind of forgot about it because I pretty much only bring it to fights. And I’m getting ready to leave for Miami, and because I had to go straight to Vegas from Miami, I’m getting everything ready to bring to the fight, like my flag, and I’m looking for the rosary. I’m tearing my house apart and my wife is helping me look, and I couldn’t find it anywhere and I’m like, ‘(Expletive).’

“So I just had to leave without it. And the other crazy thing is that my brother passed away on Aug. 28, 2009. The day of the weigh-ins was Aug. 28, and that night, I had made weight. So I’m on weight, I go to bed, I wake up about 3 a.m. just because I’m so thirsty, and I just start scrolling through Facebook and one of my brothers had posted a comment on my late brother’s memorial page, and I commented on it, and I just started scrolling through pictures of him and kind of talking to him in my head and saying, ‘I know I don’t need a rosary to know that you’re here with me, and please just watch over me just one more time. I just want one more win, and I’ll move on from the sport.'”

Lamas made a promise to his brother that Aug. 29 would be his final walk. But on the morning of the fight, Lamas realized his brother was with him all along, giving him confidence that he was in for a memorable night.

“So the next morning, I’m packing up my backpack, the backpack that I use every single day. I’m putting stuff in there, and the main pocket flapped open,” Lamas said. “On the inside of the main pocket is another pocket with a zipper. The zipper was cracked maybe half an inch, an inch, and I’m just sitting on the bed, and I glance over and look at the backpack and through that half-an-inch hole, I see a piece of the rosary in there. And I was like, ‘No (expletive) way.’ So I unzip it, stick my hand in and pull the rosary out and just started bursting out into tears.

“But after that happened, I knew something big was going to happen in this fight. One of my corners was staying with me, and I tried telling him about it and I couldn’t even talk. I kept getting choked up. I was crying, and then he started crying, so I’ve never had anything like that happen to me – if it was a coincidence … the same day that my brother passed away … a few hours before, I’m literally talking to him in my head and mention the rosary … I didn’t have it with me … and I think it was just his way of letting me know he was still there. So he kept his promise to watch over me, so I’ve got to stick by my word, and I’m going to hang up my gloves after that performance.”

Lamas put on a vintage performance, using his experience and grit to outlast Algeo in a “Fight of the Night” effort. The WEC and UFC veteran has been a top contender for the majority of his career, even challenging for the UFC featherweight title in 2014. He holds notable wins over Cub Swanson, Diego Sanchez and Charles Oliveira, and has competed against the who’s-who of the sport.

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MMA Junkie Radio #3085: Ricardo Lamas makes retirement official, UFC on ESPN+ 34 recap, more

Check out the latest edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”

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

On Episode No. 3,085 of the podcast, the guys bring on longtime friend of the program [autotag]Ricardo Lamas[/autotag], who made his retirement official on the show after hinting at it for the past 10 days. Plus, they recap UFC on ESPN+ 34 and much more.

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.

UFC on ESPN+ 33: Despite wins, Mallory Martin, Polyana Viana could face six-month suspensions

Despite picking up wins, Polyana Viana and Mallory Martin could be facing up to six months on the sidelines.

Despite picking up wins at UFC on ESPN+ 33, [autotag]Polyana Viana[/autotag] and [autotag]Mallory Martin[/autotag] could potentially face up to six months on the sidelines due to medical suspensions.

MMA Junkie obtained the full list of suspensions from MixedMartialArts.com, the Association of Boxing Commission’s official record keeper.

In the night’s opener, Martin (7-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) picked up a comeback submission finish of [autotag]Hannah Cifers[/autotag] (10-7 MMA, 2-5 UFC) at this past weekend’s event, which took place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. In the second fight of the night, Viana (11-4 MMA, 2-3 UFC) submitted [autotag]Emily Whitmire[/autotag] (4-4 MMA, 2-3 UFC) with an armbar in the first round.

Also potentially facing several months on the shelf is [autotag]Ji Yeon Kim[/autotag], who suffered a unanimous decision loss to [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC). Kim (9-3-2 MMA, 3-3 UFC) has to have her right orbital non-displaced fracture cleared or she could be facing six months.

Despite the one-sided loss to [autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag] in the main event, [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] (32-16 MMA, 8-4 UFC) will only be facing 45 days, whereas Rakic (13-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) did not receive a suspension.

[autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] (28-15 MMA, 13-9 UFC) will be facing 45 days for nasal lacerations in his co-main event loss to [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag], whereas Magny (24-7 MMA, 17-6 UFC) will be facing 45 days until the cut on his right elbow is cleared by a doctor.

Below is the full list of UFC on ESPN+ 33 medical suspensions:

  • Anthony Smith: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
  • Aleksandar Rakic: No suspension.
  • Robbie Lawler: Suspended 45 days with no contest for 30 days due to nasal lacerations.
  • Neil Magny: Suspended 45 days or until cut on right elbow cleared by doctor or no contest until Sept. 11.
  • Ji Yeon Kim: Must have right orbital non-displaced fracture cleared by oral and maxillofacial doctor or ophthalmologist or no contest until Feb. 26; minimum suspension until Oct. 14 with no contact until Sept. 29.
  • Alexa Grasso: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Ricardo Lamas[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
  • [autotag]Bill Algeo[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Maki Pitolo[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to facial lacerations.
  • [autotag]Impa Kasangay[/autotag]: Must have right eye laceration cleared by doctor or no contest until Oct. 14; minimum suspension until Sept. 11.
  • [autotag]Alessio Di Chirico[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
  • [autotag]Zak Cummings[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Alex Caceres[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Austin Springer[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Christian Aguilera[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to right eyebrow and nose lacerations.
  • Polyana Viana: Must have right thumb MRI and x-ray of
    right foot. If positive, then must have orthopedic doctor clearance or no contest until Feb. 26, 2021; minimum suspension until Sept. 29 with no contact until Sept. 20.
  • Emily Whitmire: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 30 days due to left elbow pain.
  • Mallory Martin: Must have right knee MRI. If positive, must have orthopedic doctor clearance or no contest until Feb. 26, 2021; minimum suspension until Oct. 29 with no contact until Oct. 14.
  • Hannah Cifers: Must have nose cut cleared by doctor or no contest until Oct. 14; minimum suspension until Sept. 29 with no contact until Sept. 20.

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UFC standout Ricardo Lamas firms up retirement decision: ‘I want to go out on a high note’

Ricardo Lamas was on the fence about retirement after UFC on ESPN+ 33, but sounds like his mind is made up a few days removed from his win.

[autotag]Ricardo Lamas[/autotag] left his MMA future up in the air after his win this past Saturday in Las Vegas.

He said he wanted to talk over his options with his family before making a decision – though it sounded like the longtime featherweight standout was leaning toward retirement. Tuesday, it sounded like his mind was made up, and that his “Fight of the Night” decision win over Bill Algeo at UFC on ESPN+ 33 will be his last trip to the cage.

Lamas (20-8 MMA, 11-6 UFC) took a unanimous decision from Algeo (13-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) to open the main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. He won with 29-27 scores from all three judges, each of whom gave him a 10-8 third round when the bout was even at a round each.

Lamas told former Bellator and UFC analyst Jimmy Smith on his new “Unlocking the Cage” show on SiriusXM’s Fight Nation Ch. 156 that going out with a win played a big factor in his decision.

“For me, there were a couple things going into this sport that I wanted to do before I left it,” Lamas said. “I’ve accomplished a ton of that. I’m the type of guy where if I were to leave on a bad note, it would just stick with me for the longest time ever – and it’s just something that I couldn’t live with. I always told myself I want to go out on a high note.

“You always hear about these athletes that don’t know when to hang the gloves up, and they experience this downward slide, and it’s just like, ‘Man, this isn’t the same guy he was before.’ I don’t want to leave the sport like that. I don’t want to leave with my face in the mud. I want to leave holding my head up high.”

Lamas lives in Chicago’s West suburbs and owns a UFC Gym location in suburban Naperville, Ill. But he has based a large portion of his training in Miami at the MMA Masters gym, meaning time spent away from his wife and three children, the youngest of which only is a little more than a year old.

After his win over Algeo, a portion of his post-fight time on the microphone was devoted to a message to Cuban-Americans regarding the political climate in Cuba, as well.

“The more I think about that last fight and everything that happened – having it be a ‘Fight of the Night,’ just showing everybody I’m still there; I can still hang with these guys; I leave my heart in the cage; having my post-fight speech kind of go viral with the Cuban-American community everywhere; just the influx of messages I’ve been getting – I was up a 3 in the morning rocking my girl to sleep because she woke up in the middle of the night, trying to answer everybody back – the more I think about all those things, the more I couldn’t make a more perfect time to leave the sport and kind of leave my legacy where it’s at.”

Lamas fought six times in the WEC, going 4-2 as a lightweight, before that promotion merged with the UFC in late 2010. He started off 4-0 in the UFC as a featherweight, including a bonus-winning submission of Cub Swanson in November 2011.

He fought just once in 2012 and once in 2013 as part of his four-fight run, but that streak was good enough to get a shot at Jose Aldo’s featherweight title at UFC 169. He went the distance with the Brazilian in the co-main event in Newark, N.J., and took a round from the champ from all three judges, but came up short. He flirted with title contention in the division after that, but key losses to Chad Mendes and Max Holloway kept him from another title shot.

After a rough stretch of three losses in four fights, Lamas’ win over Algeo was a bounce-back that gave him wins in two of his past three.

“I was never a world champion or anything like that, but with my post-fight speech, if I could be one tiny spark of the million sparks that helps bring down the dictatorship in Cuba, to me that’s worth more than 10 world championships put together.

“(I want fans to remember) maybe that I’m just kind of one of the last of the old-school guys that held the true aspect of martial arts true during my whole career – respect and discipline I didn’t put on an act. I was who I was every time. And every time I stepped into that cage, I gave it my all and left my heart soul in there. I think if people remember me that way, I’d be pretty happy with my legacy.”

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MMA Junkie Radio #3083: UFC on ESPN+ 33 reaction, will Ricardo Lamas retire?

Check out the latest edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”

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

On Episode No. 3,083 of the podcast, the guys recap the action from UFC on ESPN+ 33, discuss whether or not [autotag]Ricardo Lamas[/autotag] will retire, [autotag]Diego Sanchez[/autotag]’s desire to keep his career rolling, and much more.

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.

Anthony Smith has ‘some big decisions to make’ after lopsided UFC on ESPN+ 33 loss

Anthony Smith’s loss to Aleksandar Rakic confirmed his feeling on a size and strength difference at light heavyweight.

[autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] could feel the difference between himself and Aleksandar Rakic at UFC on ESPN+ 33, and that has him contemplating a change to his career.

On Saturday night, Smith simply could not get anything going as Rakic mostly had his way with the former light heavyweight title challenger, en route to a unanimous decision by scores of 30-26 and 30-27 twice in their three-round main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Smith spoke afterward about how strong Rakic was compared to and wondered about what to do next.

“I’ve never been one of the guys that’s out here pining and calling for more weight classes, but in these last couple of fights that’s kind of where my brain goes,” Smith said on the UFC on ESPN+ 33 post-fight show. “I’m just too big for 185, and you start getting into these bigger, stronger, taller, longer guys. They’re just so strong. … I think I got some big decisions to make in my career and figure out where we go from here. It’s super frustrating to lose to a guy you feel you can beat.”

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Right from the start, Smith was behind the eight ball as leg kick after leg kick from Rakic went unchecked until Smith finally fell to the canvas. And while Smith never felt like he was in serious trouble, he admits there wasn’t anything he could do.

“Well, the first round I kind of stayed in kicking range at the beginning, which was obviously stupid now. He just beat on my lead leg, and then we got into clinch and grappling exchanges, which I felt OK in, but he was just so strong. He’s so big,” Smith said. “… He was so tight on top that I couldn’t make any space. I guess just my biggest takeaway is that he’s just so big and so strong.”

And that’s what has Smith wondering. He felt similarly about his prior loss to Glover Teixeira in May, when he was dominated in ugly fashion for five rounds.

Smith used to compete at middleweight before moving up to light heavyweight in June 2018. He made an immediate splash by winning three fights in a row – against former champions Rashad Evans and “Shogun” Rua, as well as Volkan Oezdemir – to earn a shot at Jon Jones’ title. Smith, however, fell short of gold with a lackluster performance against Jones.

Although Smith, 32, rebounded with a June 2019 win over Alexander Gustafsson, these last two fights against Teixeira and Rakic have been rough. Smith finds himself in a quandary when he considers how much he struggled to make middleweight.

“I don’t know. (One hundred and eighty-five pounds) is still really tough,” Smith said. “It’s a total lifestyle change, and that’s year-round. It’s not like one of those things where I can get into camp and change my diet and cut down. It’s a complete lifestyle change. I guess that’s one of the options. I guess the other option is to take some time off and get bigger. I don’t know. I’ve got some things to decide on.”

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UFC on ESPN+ 33: Aleksander Rakic post-fight interview.mp4

Aleksander Rakic talks to media after his victory at UFC on ESPN+ 33 in Las Vegas.

Aleksander Rakic talks to media after his victory at UFC on ESPN+ 33 in Las Vegas.

UFC on ESPN+ 33 results: Aleksandar Rakic works over Anthony Smith for easy decision

Aleksandar Rakic had his rise in the light heavyweight division paused in December 2019, but now may find himself right back in the mix.

[autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag] had his quick rise in the UFC’s light heavyweight division interrupted in December 2019, but now may find himself right back in the mix.

Rakic (13-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) worked over former title challenger [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] (33-16 MMA, 8-6 UFC) with leg kicks when they were on the feet, then smothered him on the canvas en route to a unanimous decision sweep of the scorecards, including a 30-26.

The light heavyweight bout was the UFC on ESPN+ 33 main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

“I’m happy with my performance against a veteran and former title challenger,” Rakic said after the fight. “Everybody underestimates my wrestling and my grappling. … The focus was a lot of pressure, make damage on the ground, (and) control.”

Rakic opened with heavy leg kicks, and Smith answered back. But Rakic’s were harder in the first minute, and more plentiful. He continued to try to kick Smith’s legs out from under him, and 75 seconds in he got it done.

Rakic drilled Smith with a kick that took him off his feet. Rakic went to the canvas with him and ate a few punches. When Smith threatened to take Rakic’s back on the feet Rakic dragged it back to the canvas and tried to go to work on top. At the end of the round, Smith went back to his corner with no limp – perhaps surprising given the kicks he absorbed.

Rakic went right after the lead leg kicks again, then went to the body. Just 20 seconds in, Smith landed a big right hand, but Rakic dragged him back down and kept him smothered and frustrated essentially the whole round.

Rakic opened the third with a heavy kick, and then again found himself put to the canvas. Smith couldn’t find his way back to his feet, and with Rakic draped all over him had to eat knees to the thighs, as well.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN+ 33 results include:

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UFC on ESPN+ 33 results: Neil Magny frustrates ex-champ Robbie Lawler for decision win

Neil Magny has some stellar wins on his resume, but Saturday’s might be his best yet.

[autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] has some stellar wins on his resume, but Saturday’s might be his best yet.

Magny (24-7 MMA, 17-6 UFC) frustrated former welterweight champion [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] (28-15 MMA, 13-9 UFC) for the better part of 15 minutes on his way to a unanimous decision. Magny took the fight with a trio of 30-27 scores.

The victory was Magny’s third straight for his best winning streak since 2015-2016. The win was Magny’s third in 2020 and moved him into the No. 2 spot for career UFC welterweight wins, just two behind Georges St-Pierre. Lawler dropped his fourth straight fight to continue a career-worst slide.

The welterweight bout was the UFC on ESPN+ 33 co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It streamed on ESPN+.

“It’s definitely a feather in the cap beating a legend like Robbie Lawler,” Magny said after the fight. “This guy’s done amazing things in the sport throughout his time here. It was literally an honor for me to go in there and face him tonight. It feels good to actually be able to execute a game plan and come out victorious with a guy like Robbie Lawler.

“… I’m doing the right things, and I’m going the right direction. It’s only a matter of time before I’m considered a world champion, or I am the world champion.”

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Magny went to the outside to open and landed a solid kick to the body 25 seconds in. But Lawler swung heavy seconds later and backed Magny up, then tried to wrap Magny up for a takedown. He couldn’t finish it, and it gave Magny a chance to work for a D’Arce choke 75 seconds into the bout. He let it go, but started working punches to the body, then worked his way to Lawler’s back when the fight moved to the feet. Magny tried to wear Lawler down, then took him to the canvas, but found himself reversed by Lawler with two minutes left. When Magny got back to his feet, he landed a knee to the body, then an elbow, and then took Lawler down again along the fence.

A minute into the middle frame, Magny took Lawler down again. Soon after, he took Lawler’s back and tried to get his hooks in for a rear-naked choke. Lawler turned out of the choke, but Magny had plenty of time to work. Lawler got back to his feet with a minute left, but ate elbows from Magny, then knees to the body. They broke away with 45 seconds left, but Lawler couldn’t get anything going to rally.

Lawler almost certainly needed a finish to win the fight, and he landed a solid right hook 30 seconds into the third. Magny dropped back to guard and held Lawler at bay on top of him. With Magn yholding on, they were put back on their feet and Lawler tried to chase Magny down with heavy hands ready. But with three minutes left, Magny briefly dragged Lawler to the canvas. They went back to the middle midway through, but Magny continued to frustrate the former champ and never let him put anything together.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN+ 33 results include:

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