Tag: UFC on ESPN 40

Fighting families: 30 sets of siblings to fight under the UFC banner

Kamaru Usman and his brother Mohammed are the most recent set of siblings to both fight in the UFC’s famed octagon.

(Editor’s note: This list originally published Aug. 4, 2022.)

For some, fighting is the family business.

We’ve seen siblings break into the UFC together or years apart, and there’s been success ranging from championship caliber to irrelevant fizzles.

In 2022, Mohammed Usman joined his older brother, former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, on the roster when he fought in “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 30 heavyweight final. The Usmans became the 30th pair of siblings, including in-laws, to compete under the UFC banner.

Which other family duos have accomplished the feat? Check below for a complete list.

Video: UFC’s Event of the Year nominees include three legendary world cities

The UFC has narrowed its list of top 2022 events down to a shortlist of four, including events in London, Paris and New York.

The UFC has narrowed its list of top 2022 events down to a shortlist of four.

The promotion this past week unveiled the four finalists on its list for Event of the Year. Fans can vote for their favorite of the four through the UFC’s YouTube channel or social media platforms.

Two international cities, including one the UFC visited for the first time, are on the list, as is another of the most famous cities and venues in the world.

Check out the four finalists on the UFC’s list below, as well as looks back at their aftermaths. In addition, you can see a recap of all four highlight-reel finishes in the video above.

UFC in 2022: A ridiculously robust look at the stats, streaks, skids and record-setters

Check out a full recap of 2022’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 producer Michael Carroll, here are some of 2022’s most significant milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances in the octagon.

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Aug. 23: Leon Edwards enters P4P

The new UFC welterweight champ has shaken up the divisional and pound-for-pound rankings.

After one of the most incredible moments in UFC history, [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] has shaken up the welterweight division and the men’s pound-for-pound rankings.

In the main event of UFC 278, Edwards pulled off a last-minute knockout of now-former champion Kamaru Usman to claim the welterweight title. Entering the week at No. 3, Edwards walks out of Salt Lake City with gold and the new No. 1 slot in this week’s rankings update. The title changing hands also caused a massive shakeup in the men’s P4P, which Edwards has now entered.

Check out all of the moves following UFC 278 and 2022 PFL Playoffs 3.

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Aug. 16: Nina Nunes’ retirement shakes up strawweight

A retirement in the women’s strawweight division caused changes in the rankings this week.

The biggest fight of the weekend saw [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] take on former champion Dominick Cruz at UFC on ESPN 41 in San Diego.

Vera finished Cruz with a devastating head kick in the fourth round, firmly establishing his spot among the top names in the bantamweight division. Vera entered the week at No. 7 but holds the same position in this week’s update. Cruz also holds his No. 11 position despite the loss.

The only move this week came as a result of a retirement in the strawweight division. No. 10 [autotag]Nina Nunes[/autotag] decided to hang up the gloves after defeating Cynthia Calvillo in San Diego. As a result, each fighter moves up a spot, and [autotag]Tabatha Ricci[/autotag] emerges from the honorable mentions to claim the new No. 15 spot.

Check out the latest rankings update following UFC on ESPN 41 in the dropdown menus above.

Jamahal Hill blasts critics saying he’s not ready for Jan Blachowicz: Thiago Santos ‘knocked him the f*ck out’

“Bro, Jan f*cking lost to Santos. Santos knocked him the f*ck out.”

[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] thinks it’s ludicrous that people are questioning if he’s ready for [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag].

Hill (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) is coming off a fourth-round TKO of former title challenger Thiago Santos this past Saturday in the UFC on ESPN 40 main event. “Sweet Dreams” initially called for a title shot, but also expressed interest in ex-champ Blachowicz.

In an expletive-filled rant, Hill went off on his haters, reminding everyone that Santos (22-11 MMA, 14-10 UFC) owns a third-round knockout of Blachowicz (29-9 MMA, 12-6 UFC) in February 2019.

“People need to shut the f*ck up about this whole, ‘Oh, Jan is this, he’s not on Jan’s level, Jan will take it,'” Hill said in an interview with Sportskeeda. “Bro, Jan f*cking lost to Santos. Santos knocked him the f*ck out, and if I’m not mistaken, he was losing that fight. Thiago Santos knocked him out. Three f*cking years ago, it’s not that long ago, so he never fought him again after that. He beat Corey Anderson, no longer in the UFC, he beat Dominick Reyes coming off a loss, that’s how he became champion.

“Then his only title defense was against the smallest f*cking 205-er that you could possibly fight (Adesanya) just because he was the champion in the smaller weight class. You didn’t go out and just put on a dazzling performance and beat him up. He laid on him. I respect Jan. Jan is a credible threat, he’s definitely one of the best in the world. But whenever you talk about comparing myself to anybody, bro, I compare to any f*cking body.”

Hill is currently the No. 6 ranked UFC light heavyweight. With champion Jiri Prochazka and Glover Teixeira expected to run things back before the end of the year, and Magomed Ankalaev eyeing Blachowicz, the logjam in the division leaves the rising star in a tough spot.

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Jamahal Hill irritated by possibility of Jiri Prochazka vs. Glover Teixeira rematch taking place in December

“I wanted Glover to get the rematch, but I thought they would’ve at least got it out of the way by like the fall or some sh*t.”

[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] thinks the [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag] rematch is going to stall the light heavyweight division.

UFC light heavyweight champion Prochazka (29-3-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is rumored to run things back with Teixeira (33-8 MMA, 16-6 UFC) in December, which Hill thinks is too far away.

Prochazka dethroned Teixeira in a back-and-forth war at UFC 275 in June. Prior to submitting Teixeira late in Round 5, Prochazka was down on two of the three judges’ scorecards and thought it was only right to rematch Teixeira. Hill is all for Teixeira getting a rematch, but not six months later.

“It’s what we expected, but damn, December? A whole year of fighting the same f*cking person,” Hill said in an interview with Sportskeeda. “Yeah, I want it – don’t get it wrong. I’m cool with Glover getting the rematch. I wanted Glover to get the rematch. But I thought they would’ve at least got it out of the way by like the fall or some sh*t. Like, Dec. 10, that’s what? It’s like four months (away), and when’d they fight? They fought in May, right?

“So they fought three months ago and now you need a four-month camp? Come on, bro. Now, when it comes to sh*t like that, that is when immediate rematches start to become a problem, especially when you only had one and you lost in your first defense. That’s when those start to become a problem, because now, what about the rest of the division? I’m just sitting here now at No. 6. Now I have to just sit here pretty much or fight (opponents) behind me, which I’m supposed to fight behind me multiple times? Yeah, that’s irritating.”

Hill (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) called for a title shot after he finished Thiago Santos this past Saturday at UFC on ESPN 40. He admits he was just shooting his shot, but with Magomed Ankalaev angling for Jan Blachowicz, Hill thinks he might be left out of the picture.

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“I want the title shot,” Hill said. “I just put my name out there to let them know I’m ready and that’s what my aspirations are. Do I think that’s what I’m going to get right now? No. I see the line. I see where it’s at. That’s why that date in December pisses me off, because now we know the rematch is happening.

“But I also know that Magomed has first crack at Jan. The winner of that has the first crack at whoever wins that fight (between Prochazka and Teixeira). And so I’ll have to win another fight and then – you know what I’m saying? And then when is that going to be? The end of next year? Yeah, that’s irritating.”

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Spinning Back Clique: New UFC light heavyweight contender emerges, Jon Jones taking too long?, and more

“Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show, discusses the emergence of Jamahal Hill, Jon Jones’ return timeline, and more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

Our panel of Mike Bohn, Nolan King and Brian “Goze” Garcia discuss five topics with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

  • Looking back at UFC on ESPN 40 this past weekend, [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] defeated Thiago Santos in what was a fast-paced, action-packed, back-and-forth thriller to assert himself as a new title contender at light heavyweight. Or is that too strong of a position for the DWCS alum considering we’ve also got Glover Teixeira, Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev in the mix?
  • Also, this past weekend, [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] was bounced from the 2022 PFL lightweight playoffs after losing for the second consecutive time to Stevie Ray, this time a unanimous decision. The former UFC and WEC lightweight champion’s bid to win a third major title will have to wait. Furthermore, his contract expires after this season. At $750,000 a fight (disclosed), did the PFL get the return it wanted and should he be brought back?
  • Turning the page and looking forward, what are the stakes this weekend between [autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag] and [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] in the UFC on ESPN 41 headliner? We have a former champ vs. someone on a quest to be a champ.
  • Looking forward even further, we got a HUGE announcement last week that UFC 281 in New York will be headlined by middleweight champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] defending his title against [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] on Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden. These two have met before in kickboxing, with Pereira up 2-0. What do we think? MSG, Stylebender, November … sound about right? What are the early predictions?
  • Last but not least, looking ahead even further, former UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] seemed a little perturbed and motivated by the notion from fans that he’s taking too long to return to the octagon for his heavyweight debut. Unless he headlines the UFC’s December pay-per-view, we will have gone two full calendar years without a Jones fight and not since March 2020 has he been in action. Could this long, drawn-out layoff hurting Jones?

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Tuesday on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch the full episode in the video above.

Mayra Bueno Silva says Stephanie Egger tapped leg at UFC on ESPN 40: ‘God sees everything’

“God sees everything and God is my judge.”

LAS VEGAS – The referee had to double check whether or not Stephanie Egger tapped to [autotag]Mayra Bueno Silva[/autotag]’s armbar at UFC on ESPN 40.

That’s because once Bueno Silva (9-2-1 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC) latched onto Egger’s (7-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) arm just over one minute mark Round 1 on Saturday’s card at the UFC Apex, she felt a tap and decided to let go of the submission and signal to the ref that the fight was over.

Referee Chris Tognoni waved the fight off and asked for a replay. He polled the three cageside judges for help, and after at least one judge claimed he absolutely saw Egger tap, the result was made official. Egger protested the stoppage and denied tapping, but Bueno Silva is adamant she did.

“God sees everything and God is my judge,” Bueno Silva told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at UFC on ESPN 40. “She tapped on my leg. I feel first and two and three and OK because I remember I did some training in CSA Gym and then Jessica-Rose Clark tapped, tapped, tapped, and I thought, ‘Wow no, I don’t need to break her arm. Why? No, and then I let go…I was like, ‘Stephanie, you tapped.’ She (looks around confused), but the judge helped me.”

Since signing with the UFC in August 2018, Bueno Silva has fought at the UFC Apex all but twice. She hopes that after notching back-to-back wins, she can fight in front of a crowd, preferably on the same UFC 281 card as headliner and fellow Brazilian Alex Pereira.

“UFC listen, UFC (281) ‘Poatan’ vs. Adesanya,” Bueno Silva said. “Please give me one fight. I’m ready. I’m very ready.”

“This year, it’s been four months I signed a contract with the UFC in the Contender Series Brazil. Four years and now, OK, stop Apex. Give me a big arena please.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 40.

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Cory McKenna reacts to becoming first woman in UFC history to land Von Flue choke

Cory McKenna explains how she landed a historic submission finish at UFC on ESPN 40.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Cory McKenna[/autotag] made history at UFC on ESPN 40.

McKenna (7-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) became the first woman in UFC history to earn a Von Flue choke submission when she tapped out Miranda Granger (7-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) in Round 2 this past Saturday at the UFC Apex.

The Team Alpha MMA fighter talked reporters through the finish at the post-fight news conference.

“At first I was like, ‘Oh, OK, I’m here, I’ll give it a try. Worst case I get out of her clinging onto my neck,'” McKenna told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “Then I heard her corner freaking out and I heard her breathing heavier and then she shouted at her corner, ‘I’m trying to get out,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, this is deep.’ Yeah, I’ve never finished a Von Flue before, so I was like this would be pretty cool.”

At just 23, McKenna, who is a graduate of Dana White’s Contender Series, isn’t necessarily in a rush for a quick turnaround.

“It was only a round and a bit, but I’m sure there’s plenty to work on,” McKenna said. “There always is. So take at least a few weeks to work on the improvements that need to be made. I’ll sit down with the coaches and see what they offer us and have a look from there. But nothing really in mind as of yet, just gonna take things as they come.

“I’m very lucky to be where I’m at and that’s kind of why I want to take the time to enjoy it and really appreciate where I’m at right now.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 40.

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