Tag: UFC on ESPN+ 39

After UFC on ESPN+ 39, emotional Greg Hardy vows to clear his name about past controversies

During his MMA career, Greg Hardy has largely remained silent about his past.

LAS VEGAS – During his mixed martial arts career, [autotag]Greg Hardy[/autotag] has largely brushed off criticism and questioning of his past controversies.

That changed Saturday after his UFC on ESPN+ 39 win over Maurice Greene by second-round TKO.

Hardy’s troubles with the law have long been a topic of discussion during his professional athletic career – something he had said was behind him. But on Saturday, Hardy (7-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) claimed, his past, in some way, shape, or form presented itself again hours before the fight.

“Some people from my past coming to extort me, put me in crazy situations, try to take food out of my family’s mouth, and (there were) a lot of outside circumstances going on,” an emotional Hardy told reporters at a post-fight news conference. “I was breaking down in my bathroom before I even started to fight. I was in tears trying to figure out how we’re going to function and if I could go on. It was just a lot of drama, man – people trying to take advantage of my situation.”

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While Hardy would not elaborate on specific details, he said people tried to take advantage of him and said it was unwarranted. According to Hardy, the character the public makes him out to be is not accurate.

“They’re trying to prey on me, man,” Hardy said. “You guys know me by now. I would’ve jumped off a building or done so crazy T.O. stuff if I was that guy you’re always talking about. I’m not. I never will be. I’m a good guy. I’ve been a good guy – an innocent man. I always have been.”

Five years ago, Hardy was convicted of domestic violence after an incident in Charlotte, N.C. The police report, obtained by Deadspin, stated the victim was thrown onto a pile of semi-automatic assault weapons and that Hardy strangled her and told her he should kill her.

Later, after reportedly reaching a settlement with the victim, charges against Hardy were dropped when the victim stopped cooperating.

Hardy said he’s long avoided engaging in the public conversation about past accusations because he wanted to put his family first. Now that his family is taken care of, Hardy said he’ll be revealing “the truth,” which he began to do on his Instagram on Thursday.

“The hate against me was so loud that you would’ve never believed me,” Hardy said. “Nobody would ever believe me. I’ve been telling you the same thing since literally Day 1. From the very beginning, I’ve said the same exact thing. Now, it’s just the time to where I’m in a place where I brought myself back. My family is safe from being targeted. My financial situation is not. My career is not. My family is safe. So now I can actually start to put the truth out there.

“I have a son. I have a daughter, who carries my last name. I need that name cleared. My little brother is about to try to get in the NBA and the NFL. I need them to have that name and be proud to wear that name and not be persecuted and not be talked about and not be brought down by that name because it’s not right. That’s why I’m doing it.”

UFC on ESPN+ 39 took place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streamed on ESPN+.

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Uriah Hall: Israel Adesanya ‘danced with Anderson’ Silva, and I ‘finished it’

Uriah Hall thinks he got over a meaningful career hump when he beat Anderson Silva in the UFC on ESPN+ 39 main event.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag] believes he got over a meaningful career hump on Saturday when he beat Anderson Silva in the UFC on ESPN+ 39 main event.

Hall (16-9 MMA, 9-7 UFC) has long been a fighter who many think has failed to live up to his potential inside the octagon. He got a defining win over Silva (34-11 MMA, 17-7 UFC), though, when he scored a fourth-round TKO in the middleweight headliner at the UFC Apex.

Like many fighters, Hall said he was a career-long admirer of Silva. He had to separate emotion from business inside the octagon, though, and he said he now feels championship-ready.

“It would be right next to (winning the title),” Hall told reporters, including MMA Junkie, post-fight at UFC on ESPN+ 39. “It’s kind of like that hump to say, ‘Hey, you’re here bro – you can fly.’ I’ll do it.”

Although Hall kept his composure in the fight, it wasn’t the case after he dropped and stopped Silva. All the emotions came pouring out once the referee pulled him off, then the two athletes shared a long embrace in the cage. Hall was crying after the emotional outcome, and he said a lot his reaction was born out of sad feelings.

“I felt bad,” Hall said. “Leading up to the fight, there’s a lot of emotions and we all know Anderson is a ‘G’ and what he’s done for the sport. So for me to beat him up and potentially kill him is weird. Right after the event, all the emotions just came out. Even today, I woke up like, ‘I’m fighting him? (Expletive).’ So I said I’m sorry.”

Hall has long looked to turn himself into a contender at 185 pounds, and beating Silva seems like a solid start. He now put together three consecutive wins since joining the Dallas-based Fortis MMA, and reigning champ Israel Adesanya was seated cageside for the contest. Hall said he enjoyed Adesanya’s presence, and made sure to point out the he did what Adesanya couldn’t when he fought Silva at UFC 234: Finish the fight.

“I know he danced with Anderson, and I was the guy that finished it,” Hall said. “I know there’s an age difference. … He’s the champ. He had to do what he had to do to get to where he is. There’s respect. I knew he was out here. My guess, he was trying to see holes in me or give Anderson the rematch. I thought I looked sloppy out there.”

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Dana White: UFC plans on booking Jan Blachowicz vs. Israel Adesanya next

Israel Adesanya has gotten his wish, according to UFC president Dana White.

LAS VEGAS – Dana White was initially hesitant to book [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] against [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag], but that changed thanks to [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag].

At the UFC on ESPN+ 39 post-fight news conference Saturday, the UFC president said Adesanya (20-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) will move to 205 pounds to fight Blachowicz (26-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC), the light heavyweight champion.

White attributed his willingness to book a fight between two of his champions to the former UFC middleweight champion Whittaker’s recent lack of interest in rematching Adesanya.

“Listen, when the fight was over on ‘Fight Island,’ the last fight (at UFC 254), I was like, ‘I’m going to have to sit down with this kid (Adesanya) and convince him on why he needs to fight Whittaker,'” White said. “Whittaker comes out and says he doesn’t want to fight him – craziest (expletive) I’ve ever seen. Yeah, there’s no arguing with Israel now. I thought Whittaker deserved the shot and Whittaker doesn’t want it, so yeah, we’ll let him do it.”

White did not reveal a timeline or location for the matchup.

Adesanya, 31, knocked out Whittaker to earn the undisputed middleweight title in October 2019. At UFC 248 in March, Adesanya defeated Yoel Romero by unanimous decision. At UFC 253 in September, Adesanya successfully defended his strap for the second time when he finished Paulo Costa with strikes.

Blachowicz, 37, earned the then-vacant light heavyweight championship at UFC 253 when he finished Dominick Reyes with strikes in Round 2. The victory was Blachowicz’s fourth win in as many fights and his third finish in that stretch.

UFC on ESPN+ 39 took place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streamed on ESPN+.

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Dana White says Anderson Silva ‘should never fight again,’ laments letting him compete again

If Anderson Silva opts against retirement after UFC on ESPN+ 39, his fighting future will come outside the octagon.

LAS VEGAS – If [autotag]Anderson Silva[/autotag] opts against retirement after UFC on ESPN+ 39, his fighting future will come outside the octagon.

UFC president Dana White said that after Silva (34-11 MMA, 17-7 UFC) suffered a fourth-round TKO loss to Uriah Hall (16-9 MMA, 9-7 UFC) in Saturday’s headliner that his UFC career is definitively over. And in fact, he regrets allowing Silva even step in the octagon.

“He fought a guy that has absolutely zero output,” White told reporters, including MMA Junkie, post-fight at UFC on ESPN+ 39. “They’re in a five-round main event on ESPN and they threw (expletive) 11 punches in the second round. You fight any of these other savages, he’ll be in big trouble, and he’ll take a (expletive)load of punishment. Uriah Hall threw 11 punches in the second round. Uriah Hall is one of the most gun-shy fighters in the UFC.

“And look at Anderson. When the fight was over, he couldn’t even stand up to do his interview. He had to sit down and do an interview. I made a big mistake and I shouldn’t have let him fight this fight tonight. He’s a legend of this sport and he’s a legend of this company, and I did something I disagreed with. I knew I was right, and tonight proved I was right, and Anderson Silva should never fight again.”

White expressed frustration with Silva’s pre-fight interview with MMA Junkie in which he said he thought the UFC has lost its “family” feel over the years. That disappointed White, who said he’s treated the likely future UFC Hall of Famer particularly well, even letting him take the fight with Hall when he thought he shouldn’t have.

“So, let me start here: It used to be a family when Lorenzo (Fertitta) was here and all that kind of stuff,” White said. “We all miss Lorenzo, and I will always admit that Lorenzo was always the kinder, gentler side of the UFC. But I’ve done nothing but be good to Anderson Silva, and tonight I don’t feel good about myself that I let Anderson Silva fight out this last fight. We’ve treated Anderson Silva with nothing but respect, and if you guys knew what Anderson Silva gets paid to fight, you’d (expletive) your (expletive) (expletive) pants. So, I think that we’ve treated him like family. I shouldn’t have let him fight this fight tonight.”

White confirmed Silva has one fight remaining on his UFC contract after UFC on ESPN+ 39, but it won’t happen, he said. If Silva insists on continuing, White indicated he’d allow “The Spider” out of his contract to compete for another organization. He said it would be a “scumbag” move to for anyone to pick him up, but he hopes cooler heads prevail.

“I’m not trying to prevent him from doing anything,” White said. “He’s a grown man and he can do what he wants, and he’s got one fight left with us. I’ll never let him fight here again. I want him to retire. And what I hope is when he goes home his family, he tells him that same thing.

“I’m in a really hard position right now because this is a guy I care about and this is a guy that’s been here for a long time and is a legend of his company, and I don’t want to sit here and (expletive) on him. But he’s almost 46 years old. Unless you’re trying to defend your (expletive) life or save your family, no one at 46 should be fighting.”

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UFC on ESPN+ 39 bonuses: Who won $50,000 on card with eight finishes?

Check out the $50,000 bonus winners from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 39 event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The UFC handed out four $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonuses Saturday at UFC on ESPN+ 39 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. With eight finishes in 11 fights, the promotion went with four individual winners instead of a “Fight of the Night” bonus and two individual bonuses.

UFC officials announced the winners following the event. Check out the winners below.

Twitter reacts to Anderson Silva’s TKO loss to Uriah Hall in farewell fight at UFC on ESPN+ 39

See the top Twitter reactions to Uriah Hall’s TKO win over Anderson Silva’s in the UFC on ESPN+ 39 main event.

[autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag] sent [autotag]Anderson Silva[/autotag] into retirement on a low on Saturday when he emerged victorious in the UFC on ESPN+ 39 headliner.

Hall (16-9 MMA, 9-7 UFC) spoiled Silva’s (34-11 MMA, 17-7 UFC) final trip to the octagon when he earned a fourth-round TKO win over the former longtime middleweight champion in the main event matchup, which took place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streamed on ESPN+.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Hall’s victory over “The Spider” at UFC on ESPN+ 39.

UFC on ESPN+ 39 results: Uriah Hall TKOs Anderson Silva, who won’t quite commit to retirement

In a moment of true emotion between opponents, Uriah Hall knocked out Anderson Silva, then wept on the canvas with him in a show of respect.

In a stark moment of true emotion between opponents, [autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag] knocked out [autotag]Anderson Silva[/autotag] in what could have been Silva’s final fight, then wept on the canvas with Silva in a show of respect.

Hall (16-9 MMA, 9-7 UFC) finished Silva (34-11 MMA, 17-7 UFC), a longtime former middleweight champion and certain future UFC Hall of Famer, with a fourth-round TKO. The end came at the 1:24 mark of the frame, and came on the heels of a near-finish for Hall at the end of the third round.

After the finish, Hall knelt on the canvas with Silva and appeared to sob and told him he loved him. “You’re the reason why I’m doing this. You’re still one of the greatest,” Hall told Silva after apologizing for beating him. Silva could be heard telling Hall he can win a title and to do his best.

“Today, Uriah was the best. I’m enjoying my moment,” Silva said after the fight. “Today is the final day. I’m so happy to be here … I don’t know. First, I’ll go back home. … Then, let’s go see. It’s tough to say it’s my last or not. This is what I do for my entire life and with my entire heart. Let’s go see.”

The middleweight bout was the UFC on ESPN+ 39 main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It streamed on ESPN+.

It took 75 seconds before Hall pumped off a couple jabs. Silva answered with a leg kick, but the action was minimal through the first half of the first round. But midway through, Silva landed a left, then a front kick to the leg. He pushed Hall back with a body kick, then threw a big left hand that had Hall on the backpedal. Silva tried to swarm, then pulled back. With 80 seconds left, Silva pulled out some of his prototypical hand movements, then tried a spinning back kick. Silva put a combination together, but ate a jab soon after not long before the horn.

The first half of the second frame was largely one-and-done striking for each fighter. Silva circled to the outside, and Hall let him without forcing much. He started to put a little more pressure on with 90 seconds left in the round. With 45 seconds left, Hall landed a solid spinning kick that caught Silva in the left arm.

The third round was similar to the first two given the striking took a couple minutes to pick up anything resembling steam. There was hand fighting a-plenty in the middle frame. Hall landed a spinning kick to the body just past the midway mark, but it was nothing that slowed Silva down. With 90 seconds left, Silva’s jab started to do its work, and he slowed Hall down with a punch to the eye. With a minute left, they tied up for the first time in the fight. Silva pressed Hall to the cage and stomped his foot.

With 30 seconds left, Hall broke away and landed a right hand. Soon after, he knocked Silva from his feet with a right hand and landed several big punches on the canvas while Silva held on to a leg in defense and was saved by the bell.

The fourth round started slowly, but a little past a minute into the frame, Hall again knocked Silva down with a right when Silva left himself open with an aggressive push forward. Hall immediately followed him to the canvas and landed punches there until he got the stoppage.

The win was Hall’s third straight and fourth in five fights. It came in his first UFC main event. Silva lost for the seventh time in eight fights and has just one win since October 2012. Silva hasn’t made anything official, but it’s been widely reported this was going to be his final fight.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN+ 39 results include:

UFC on ESPN+ 39: Greg Hardy post-fight interview

UFC on ESPN+ 39: Greg Hardy post-fight interview

UFC on ESPN+ 39: Greg Hardy post-fight interview

UFC on ESPN+ 39 results: Bryce Mitchell’s takedowns make difference against Andre Fili

Bryce Mitchell said he wasn’t going to lose in his new camo shorts, and that proved true in his fight with Andre Fili at UFC on ESPN+ 39.

[autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag] said he wasn’t going to lose in his new camouflage shorts, and that proved true in his fight with [autotag]Andre Fili[/autotag] on Saturday at UFC on ESPN+ 39.

An endless stream of takedowns and top control were the keys to Mitchell’s (14-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) win. He took Fili (21-8 MMA, 9-7 UFC) down time after time over the course of 15 minutes, doing enough work to get the unanimous decision win by scores of 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27.

The featherweight bout was the UFC on ESPN+ 39 co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It streamed on ESPN+.

Mitchell wasted no time taking the fight to the ground. Fili resisted the initial shot, but found himself grounded less than a minute in and forced to fight off his back. Mitchell applied some serious pressure, advancing and adjusting positions and eventually securing the mount position with less than two minutes remaining. He landed some solid punches, but Fili did a solid job of fending off serious trouble before escaping to his feet with roughly 45 seconds remaining. Mitchell countered with another takedown right away, and concluded a dominant grappling round from on top.

In the second round, Mitchell was forced into more of a standup fight. Fili denied his first several takedown entries, and was able to land some strong punches and kicks that Mitchell didn’t react well too. Mitchell then changed course, and charged his way into a takedown that led to sustained top control. He chipped away with ground-and-pound as he tried to advance positions. Fili scrambled back up to his feet late, and landed a still shot that forced Mitchell to drop to his back.

With the fight potentially hanging in the balance in the final frame, Mitchell was determined to get his takedowns. He succeeded, putting Fili on his ground multiple times in the first few minutes. Fili was able to stand up and land strikes in between the first few takedowns, but Mitchell made sure he kept it down there in the latter stages of the round. He finished the fight with nearly 10 minutes of top control time, and although it frustrated Fili, it was the game plan Mitchell needed to get his hand raised.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN+ 39 results include:

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UFC on ESPN+ 39: Kevin Holland post-fight interview

UFC on ESPN+ 39: Kevin Holland post-fight interview

UFC on ESPN+ 39: Kevin Holland post-fight interview