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Check out a full recap of 2020’s most significant footnotes and milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.
Now that the year has come to a close, and with a major assist from UFC research analyst and live statistics producers Michael Carroll, here are some of 2020’s most significant milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.
Check out “Spinning Back Clique,” which covers the fallout from UFC on ESPN+34, looks ahead to a busy Bellator weekend, and more.
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 and “Goze,” as well as MMA Junkie lead staff reporter John Morgan. Let’s get to it!
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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.
Michel Pereira wants a piece of “Gamebred,” believing it’s the fight which will get him long-due recognition.
[autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag] has a big fight in mind.
The welterweight competitor wants a showdown with divisional star Jorge Masvidal after securing his latest victory at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 34 in Las Vegas.
Pereira (24-11 MMA, 2-2 UFC) stopped Zelim Imadaev in the third round of their contest with a rear-naked choke and he wasted no time directing his attention to the cameras in order to call out Masvidal.
“Jorge Masvidal, be ready,” Pereira shouted.
Pereira considers Masvidal to be one of the best fighters in the division. The Brazilian thinks the potential matchup would be a treat for fans around the world.
“I want to fight the best,” Pereira told reporters in his post-fight new conference. “I train very hard to do that and I train with some of the best. I want to fight the best and Jorge Masvidal is one of them. He’s a guy that I want to fight against. I think people would find it to be a great fight, a big fight, and it would give a show to all the UFC fans and the world.”
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Pereira is a fan favorite in the UFC given his wild and unpredictable style. “Demolidor” is also not shy to get down and dirty, as he slapped Imadaev multiple times throughout their contest in retaliation for Imadaev slapping him during their face-off at Friday afternoon’s weigh-ins.
Pereira said wouldn’t hesitate to go to those lengths with Masvidal, if the former title challenger were to disrespect him.
“If he disrespects me, yeah,” Pereira said. “I want to fight with him and do a great fight, and with that, the fans of the UFC and MMA – they would enjoy a great show and a great fight. I want to fight him.”
Masvidal is currently not booked for a fight, but UFC president Dana White recently the promotion’s intentions of making a rematch between Masvidal and Nate Diaz in the near future.
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Ovince Saint Preux reflects on the wild past few weeks after testing positive for COVID-19.
LAS VEGAS – Before, during, and after he was infected with the disease, [autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag] wasn’t afraid of COVID-19 itself. It was the ramifications of the illness that he feared most.
After his massive, bonus-earning second-round knockout over Alonzo Menifield (9-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) at UFC on ESPN+ 34, Saint Preux (25-14 MMA, 13-9 UFC) explained the most mentally challenging parts of dealing with the disease caused by coronavirus.
After Saint Preux tested positive ahead of a previously scheduled matchup against Menifield on Aug. 22, the fight was canceled. The bout was rebooked for Saturday, which made OSP nervous he’d encounter the same issue all over again ahead of UFC on ESPN+ 34.
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“I’m telling you,” Saint Preux said at the post-fight news conference. “The whole panic thing is (crazy). When I did the at-home COVID test, I was like, ‘OK, cool. I didn’t hear nothing. It’s a negative result.’ I got here Tuesday. I didn’t hear nothing. Negative result. During weigh-ins, same thing: negative result. When I was cleared and was good, I was like, ‘Thank you.’
“Now, I’m trying to look at my trainers and be like, ‘OK, look.’ I had negatives. Pretty much, I know my trainers had negatives. I was like, ‘The last thing I need is for me to be walking out there by myself if all my trainers test positive or something.’ But everything worked out. Everything worked out perfectly.”
Everything worked out well for Saint Preux indeed. The finish was vicious – an easy addition to Saint Preux’s lengthy highlight reel. Midway through the fight, Menifield rushed in on an attack and Saint Preux made him pay.
“Alonzo is a power puncher,” Saint Preux said. “He overcommitted. When he overcommitted, he left himself open and his chin was staring right at me. I just landed perfectly. It was kind of the same thing that happened when I fought ‘Shogun’ (Rua).”
UFC on ESPN+ 34 took place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event streamed on ESPN+.
Check out Ovince Saint Preux’s full UFC on ESPN+ 34 post-fight news conference in the video above.
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Alistair Overeem talks to media after his UFC on ESPN+ 34 victory
Alistair Overeem talks to media after his UFC on ESPN+ 34 victory
UFC on ESPN+ 34: Andre Muniz post-fight interview
UFC on ESPN+ 34: Andre Muniz post-fight interview
UFC on ESPN+ 34: Viviane Araujo post-fight interview
UFC on ESPN+ 34: Viviane Araujo post-fight interview
Alistair Overeem rallied in the late rounds Saturday night to earn his fourth victory in his past five outings.
[autotag]Augusto Sakai [/autotag]looked like he belonged in the cage with a legend in his first UFC main event Saturday. But the legend taught the upstart there are levels to this game.
[autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag] took everything his Brazilian opponent could throw at him – and Sakai threw out quite a bit – during the UFC on ESPN+ 34 heavyweight main event in Las Vegas. But using veteran guile, Overeem (47-18 MMA, 12-7 UFC) turned the tables in the fourth and finished things in the fifth. The time of the TKO stoppage at the UFC Apex was 26 seconds into the final round. Overeem won for the fourth time in his past five fights.
“Augusto is a tough guy, and an up-and-comer. We kind of knew that he’d take the punishment,” Overeem said in his post-fight interview. “But we did it, at 40 years of age.”
The fight was fought at a methodical pace, with Sakai the aggressor for the bulk of the fight. Overeem frequently covered up in a high guard whenever Sakai (15-2-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) pushed forward, and while Overeem parried most of the blows, some of them got through.
Much of the fight was a clinch war, usually with Sakai pressing Overeem against the cage, with both fighters landing knees on the break.
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On this went for the better part of three rounds, and it appeared perhaps Overeem was attempting a bit too much to conserve energy. This appeared to further be the case early in the fourth, when a Sakai elbow broke through Overeem’s high guard, landed flush, and cut him open.
But that’s when things changed for good. Overeem landed a sloppily executed but effective takedown and then went town from the top, absolutely battering Sakai with a wide variety of punches, hammerfists, and elbows.
Sakai made it to the horn, but Overeem immediately landed the same takedown in the fifth, and poured it on until referee Herb Dean waved things off.
The victory was the 42nd finish of Overeem’s career. All four of his wins on his current 4-1 run have been by knockout or TKO. Sakai’s first career stoppage loss ended a six-fight winning streak.
The heavyweight bout was the UFC on ESPN+ 34 main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
Complete UFC on ESPN+ 34 results:
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Did Zelim Imadaev tap to Michel Pereira’s choke at UFC on ESPN+ 34?
[autotag]Zelim Imadaev[/autotag] didn’t seem OK with the way his fight ended Saturday.
The Russian fighter lost to Brazil’s [autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag] with a third-round submission at UFC on ESPN+ 34 in Las Vegas. Imadaev (8-3 MMA, 0-3 UFC) fell to a rear-naked choke at the 4:39 mark of the final round of his welterweight contest.
But the referee’s intervention was off to many watching from home, and certainly for Imadaev. The 25-year-old complained to the referee about the stoppage, claiming he didn’t actually tap out to Pereira’s submission.
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Although Imadaev seemed to be down on the scorecards and there only were 21 seconds left in the fight, MMA has seen crazier comebacks. Imadaev is now 0-3 since joining the UFC. Did you think the referee was wrong for stopping his fight against Pereira?
Check out the submission finish below:
An exclamation point to a stellar night – @UFCPereira, take a bow 👏
[ We’re live on #ESPNPlus ] #UFCVegas9 pic.twitter.com/kk9NaYnpl3
— UFC (@ufc) September 6, 2020
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