Tag: UFC on ESPN 34

Accidental or intentional? Francis Ngannou, others question illegal elbow ruling at UFC on ESPN 34

How could Martin Buday land an illegal elbow to end his fight with Chris Barnett and not be penalized?

Should it have been a disqualification or a no contest? That’s the question many in the MMA world were asking following the [autotag]Martin Buday[/autotag]-[autotag]Chris Barnett[/autotag] fight on Saturday at UFC on ESPN 34.

The bout ended with a technical decision in favor of Buday following an illegal elbow to the back of Barnett’s head in Round 3 of their heavyweight contest. Because referee Dan Miragliotta determined the elbow to be accidental and not intentional, the fight went to the judges’ scorecards, with Buday being awarded a unanimous decision despite landing the illegal blow that ended the fight.

Many fighters questioned the ruling as they thought Buday’s elbow was far from accidental. Below is how several UFC fighters reacted.

UFC on ESPN 34 video: Rafa Garcia chokes out Jesse Ronson after point deduction

Rafa Garcia overcame a point deduction to tap out Jesse Ronson at UFC on ESPN 34.

[autotag]Rafa Garcia[/autotag] spoiled [autotag]Jesse Ronson[/autotag]’s return to competition Saturday with a slick submission win at UFC on ESPN 34.

It was one-way traffic for Garcia (14-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) in the lightweight bout, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. He established grappling superiority in the first round over Ronson (21-11 MMA, 0-4 UFC), but hurt his own chances by having a point deducted due to an illegal knee on a getup.

The point deduction appeared to only boost Garcia’s aggression for a finish, though. In Round 2, he got Ronson back on the mat, secured a rear-naked choke and forced the tapout.

Check out the replay of Garcia’s handiwork below (via Twitter):

After losing his first pair of UFC fights, Garcia has now turned things around with back-to-back octagon victories. Ronson, meanwhile, remains officially winless under the UFC banner spanning across two stints that date back to 2013.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 34 results include:

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UFC on ESPN 34 play-by-play and live results

Check out live play-by-play and official results from UFC on ESPN 34 in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 34 event, and you can join us for live play-by-play and official results beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. PT).

UFC on ESPN 34 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN+.

In the main event, Vicente Luque (21-7-1 MMA, 14-3 UFC) takes on Belal Muhammad (20-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) at welterweight.

Follow along with our round-by-round updates and official results beginning at approximately 5:30 p.m. ET for the prelims on ESPN+ and 8:30 p.m. ET for the main card on ESPN and ESPN+.

To discuss the show, be sure to check out our UFC on ESPN 34 discussion thread. You can also get behind-the-scenes coverage and other event notes from on-site reporter Ken Hathaway (@kenshathaway) on Twitter.

Enjoy the fights, everyone.

UFC on ESPN 34: Quick picks and prognostications

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC on ESPN 34 main card, which features Vicente Luque vs. Belal Muhammad at welterweight.

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main card for UFC on ESPN 34.

UFC on ESPN 34 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN+.

Last event’s results: 3-2

Overall picks for UFC main cards in 2022: 31-11

Welcome to MMAJunkie’s Quick Picks and Prognostications, where I’ll be giving brief, fight-day breakdowns for UFC main cards.

With that in mind, I hope these write-ups don’t come off as curt or dismissive. My goal here is to offer quick picks and analysis in a digestible format. All odds listed are provided by Tipico Sportsbook.

If you’d like more detailed analysis from me, then feel free to check out my weekly show, The Protect Ya’ Neck Podcast.

So, without further ado …

UFC on ESPN 34 weigh-in faceoffs video, photo gallery

Check out video and photo highlights of the fighters on the scale and facing off at UFC on ESPN 34 weigh-ins.

LAS VEGAS – All the pre-fight activities are in the books for UFC on ESPN 34 following Friday’s official weigh-ins and fighter faceoffs.

In the main event, welterweight contenders [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] (21-7-1 MMA, 14-3 UFC) and [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) rematch in a pivotal bout at 170 pounds.

At the conclusion of the official weigh-ins, the fighters came face to face for final staredowns. Check out the highlights in the video above and our photo gallery below.

UFC on ESPN 34 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex. The main card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN+.

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UFC on ESPN 34 weigh-in results: Drakkar Klose lone fighter to miss but makes it after one-hour allowance

Check out the results from the official UFC on ESPN 34 fighter weigh-ins.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie was on scene and reporting live from Friday’s official UFC on ESPN 34 fighter weigh-ins.

The weigh-ins took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The same venue hosts Saturday’s card, which airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

Among those weighing in were Vicente Luque (21-7-1 MMA, 14-3 UFC) and Belal Muhammad (20-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC), who meet in the welterweight main event.

The full UFC on ESPN 34 weigh-in results include:

MAIN CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 8:30 p.m.)

  • Vicente Luque (171) vs. Belal Muhammad (170.5)
  • Caio Borralho (186) vs. Gadzhi Omargadzhiev (186)
  • Miguel Baeza (171) vs. Andre Fialho (171)
  • Mayra Bueno Silva (136) vs. Wu Yanan (136)
  • TJ Laramie (145.5) vs. Pat Sabatini (146)
  • Mounir Lazzez (171)vs. Ange Loosa (171)

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5:30 p.m.)

  • Devin Clark (223) vs. William Knight (251)
  • Pannie Kianzad (136) vs. Lina Lansberg (135.5)
  • Brandon Jenkins (155.5) vs. *Drakkar Klose (156)
  • Rafa Garcia (155) vs. Jesse Ronson (155.5)
  • Chris Barnett (263.5) vs. Martin Buday (264.5)
  • Jordan Leavitt (155.5) vs. Trey Ogden (156)
  • Sam Hughes (115.5) vs. Istela Nunes (114)
  • Heili Alateng (135.5) vs. Kevin Croom (136)

*Klose was given one hour and made the lightweight limit after initially weighing 156.75. 

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MMA Junkie Radio #3251: Guest Carla Esparza, previewing Bellator 277 and UFC on ESPN 34

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

Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,251, the fellas welcome former UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza to the show to discuss her upcoming title-fight rematch with Rose Namajunas at UFC 274. They also look ahead to the weekend’s Bellator 277 and UFC on ESPN 34, as well as react to the latest news, including Marlon Moraes’ retirement. 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.

Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos out of UFC on ESPN 34; Ange Loosa steps in to fight Mounir Lazzez

After falling short on Dana White’s Contender Series, Ange Loosa will finally get his shot in the UFC.

After falling short on Dana White’s Contender Series, [autotag]Ange Loosa[/autotag] will finally get his shot in the UFC.

Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos has been forced out of UFC on ESPN 34, and Loosa (8-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will step in on short notice to face [autotag]Mounir Lazzez[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at the UFC Apex on Saturday.

Two people with knowledge of the booking confirmed the news to MMA Junkie on Tuesday. They asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Ryan Frederick of the Wrestling Observer first reported it.

Loosa failed to earn a UFC contract when he lost an entertaining battle to Jack Della Maddalena at Dana White’s Contender Series 39 this past September. However, the 28-year-old Sanford MMA fighter was able to rebound with a unanimous decision win over ex-UFC fighter John Howard just 10 days ago at XMMA 4.

Meanwhile, Lazzez will return for the first time since suffering a TKO loss to Warlley Alves in January 2021. Prior to that, “The Sniper” scored an impressive win over Abdul Razak Alhassan in his UFC debut in July 2020 on “Fight Island.” Lazzez was scheduled to face Niklas Stolze this past July, but visa issues forced him out of the bout.

With the change, the UFC on ESPN 34 lineup now includes:

  • Vicente Luque vs. Belal Muhammad
  • Chris Barnett vs. Martin Buday
  • Mounir Lazzez vs. Ange Loosa
  • Brandon Jenkins vs. Drakkar Klose
  • Rafa Garcia vs. Jesse Ronson
  • Caio Borralho vs. Gadzhi Omargadzhiev
  • Pannie Kianzad vs. Lina Lansberg
  • TJ Laramie vs. Pat Sabatini
  • Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Wu Yanan
  • Jordan Leavitt vs. Trey Ogden
  • Sam Hughes vs. Istela Nunes
  • Miguel Baeza vs. Andre Fialho
  • Heili Alateng vs. Kevin Croom
  • Devin Clark vs. William Knight

UFC on ESPN 34 news: Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos withdraws from fight against Mounir Lazzez

UFC on ESPN 34 has lost a fun matchup.

UFC on ESPN 34 has lost a fun matchup.

[autotag]Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos[/autotag](23-7 MMA, 9-3 UFC) has withdrawn from Saturday’s welterweight matchup against [autotag]Mounir Lazzez[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at the UFC Apex due to personal reasons. Lazzez is expected to remain on the card.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the news but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. MMA Fighting was first to report the withdrawal.

Dos Santos rebounded from a split decision loss to Muslim Salikhov with a lopsided decision win over Benoit Saint-Denis this past October at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi.

Meanwhile, Lazzez will look to return for the first time since suffering a TKO loss to Warlley Alves in January 2021. Prior to that, “The Sniper” scored an impressive win over Abdul Razak Alhassan in his UFC debut in July 2020 on “Fight Island.” Lazzez was scheduled to face Niklas Stolze this past July, but visa issues forced him out of the bout.

With the change, the UFC on ESPN 34 lineup now includes:

  • Vicente Luque vs. Belal Muhammad
  • Chris Barnett vs. Martin Buday
  • Mounir Lazzez vs. TBA
  • Brandon Jenkins vs. Drakkar Klose
  • Rafa Garcia vs. Jesse Ronson
  • Caio Borralho vs. Gadzhi Omargadzhiev
  • Pannie Kianzad vs. Lina Lansberg
  • TJ Laramie vs. Pat Sabatini
  • Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Wu Yanan
  • Jordan Leavitt vs. Trey Ogden
  • Sam Hughes vs. Istela Nunes
  • Miguel Baeza vs. Andre Fialho
  • Heili Alateng vs. Kevin Croom
  • Devin Clark vs. William Knight

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Vicente Luque: Colby Covington ‘would be an awesome fight,’ great test before UFC title shot

Vicente Luque doesn’t like Colby Covington outside of the cage but respects him as a fighter.

With a win over Belal Muhammad, [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] could be the fight to propel him to a UFC welterweight title shot.

Luque (21-7-1 MMA, 14-3 UFC) rematches Muhammad (20-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) in the main event of UFC on ESPN 34 on April 16 looking to go 2-0 against the surging Muhammad.

Should he emerge victorious in his first UFC headliner, Luque likes the idea of facing former two-time title challenger Covington (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC), whom he appreciates as a fighter but not so much outside the cage.

“He’s the No. 1 contender. He’s coming off a win,” Luque told ESPN. “I don’t know what’s gonna happen in the division until I fight and after I fight, so it might be a good fight for me to secure that No. 1 contender (spot) and get the next title shot, so we got to see what’s going to happen. When I see Colby, I don’t like his personality, I don’t like who he is as a person outside of the octagon, but I respect him as a fighter. He’s a tough guy. He goes in there and really puts his heart in the fight. So I think it would be an awesome fight. He would go in there and try to beat me; I’m going to go in there and try to finish him.”

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Luque has been on a tear through the welterweight rankings. The 30-year-old has scored stoppage wins in his past four fights, earning three bonuses for his impressive showings. If he gets past Muhammad, Luque sees someone with Covington’s style as the perfect prep for champion Kamaru Usman.

“He’s a wrestler,” Luque said of Covington. “He’s a guy that’s gonna try to control me, very (much) like Kamaru would try and do against me, so I think it would be a good training. Go in there, five rounds against a guy like Colby and go out there and try and beat him, secure my No. 1 spot, and that might be an option for sure.”

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