UFC on ESPN 43 – Page 9 – Syndication Server

Cory Sandhagen: Henry Cejudo getting title shot out of retirement ‘seems a little bit lame to me’

Cory Sandhagen isn’t sure why Henry Cejudo retired if he’s still chasing after a UFC title and gets first crack when he returns.

SAN ANTONIO – [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] isn’t sure why [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] retired if he’s still chasing after a title.

Cejudo hung up his gloves after he retained his bantamweight title against Dominick Cruz in May 2020. Three years later, Cejudo will look to reclaim the belt he never lost when he challenges champion Aljamain Sterling in the UFC 288 headliner May 6.

While Sandhagen (15-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) doesn’t see Cejudo’s re-entry to the division’s top directly affecting him, he’s not a fan of him jumping the line.

“I guess I’m OK with it,” Sandhagen told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s pre-fight news conference for UFC on ESPN 43. “I do think that you shouldn’t be able to pop out of retirement and then just fight for a belt. That seems a little bit lame to me. You shouldn’t have returned in the first place if that was the case. That’s my opinion on it. As long as I’m not the one competing against Cejudo for the next title shot, which I don’t feel like I am, I could (not) kind of care less.”

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Sandhagen, who meets Marlon Vera (20-7-1 MMA, 14-6 UFC) in a pivotal bantamweight clash in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 43 headliner, is on the fence when it comes to the winner of Sterling and Cejudo.

But Sandhagen sees how former Olympic gold medalist wrestler Cejudo (16-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) can neutralize Sterling’s (22-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) biggest strength.

“That’s actually a really interesting fight,” Sandhagen said. “You get two guys who are really good at wrestling, and usually what you get is a not-so-good kickboxing match, which could be what it is. But I also could see Cejudo using his takedowns just to nullify close rounds.

“I think that’ll probably be his path to victory: He’ll try to just score some takedowns – not really mess around with Aljamain too much on the floor, just nullify the striking that I feel like is probably going to be pretty close. It’s a tricky one. I have really no idea what Cejudo’s been up to except for making YouTube videos. It’ll be interesting to see.”

UFC on ESPN 43 takes place Saturday at AT&T Center in San Antonio. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.

UFC on ESPN 43 pre-event facts: Marlon Vera is the best finisher at 135 pounds

The numbers show no bantamweight in UFC history has finished more fights than Marlon Vera going into the UFC on ESPN 43 main event.

The UFC’s road trip outside of Las Vegas continues Saturday with UFC on ESPN 43, which takes place at the AT&T Center in San Antonio with a main card that airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

A marquee bantamweight fight is featured in the main event. After their original date was postponed from February, contenders [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] (20-7-1 MMA, 14-6 UFC) and [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) will finally share the octagon in a matchup that will push the winner near the forefront of the title conversation at 135 pounds.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN 43.

Excited for return, former UFC flyweight title challenger Alex Perez explains recent inactivity

Life hit Alex Perez from all angles over recent years, but he is excited to get back on track against Manel Kape at UFC on ESPN 43.

SAN ANTONIO – Due to life events and a series of unfortunate bout cancelations, former UFC flyweight title challenger [autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag] hasn’t competed as often as he would like.

At UFC on ESPN 43, Perez (24-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC) returns to action to take on Manel Kape in his first appearance since last July. Perez expects an evenly-matched fight against Kape (18-6 MMA, 3-2 UFC), but believes he will have to deal with early blitzes in order to stop a two-fight skid.

In his previous outing, Perez was tapped in the first round against Alexandre Pantoja, which came after a first-round submission in his title challenge against Deiveson Figueiredo. There was over 20 months between the two bouts, a pace that Perez hopes to avoid at all costs in the future.

“Injuries and the whole COVID thing,” Perez told reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “I believe I was supposed to fight (Matt) Schnell three or four times, and like two or three weeks before the fight, something happened whether he got COVID, I got COVID one time, you know things like that.

“It was nonstop for me, I just kind of had to go with it. I would love to be more active, and then obviously, injuries. During that time I was still helping my teammates train and I’d still get banged up. Just a little bit of everything. Life kind of came into that, my son was born, so I wanted to take some time off and spend some time with him. So yeah, I’m excited to be back.”

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After being signed to the UFC from Dana White’s Contender Series in 2017, Perez won six of seven bouts, including a three-fight win streak with stoppages of Jordan Espinosa and Jussier Formiga to earn a title shot. He hopes to get right back in the mix by picking up a big win over Kape at AT&T Center on Saturday.

Check out the full pre-fight interview with Perez in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.

Andrea Lee hopes a UFC on ESPN 43 win over Maycee Barber breaks her into top 10

With a win at UFC on ESPN 43, Andrea Lee will have three wins in four appearances.

SAN ANTONIO – [autotag]Andrea Lee[/autotag] thinks a win over [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 43 will get her one step closer to where she’s going.

Currently ranked in the official UFC rankings at No. 11, Lee (13-6 MMA, 5-4 UFC) faces Barber (11-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) on Saturday at AT&T Center with top 10 aspirations on her brain in the short term, and title shot aspirations after that.

“After I get my hand raised with this fight, I’d like a top 10 opponent to make sure that I can get back into the top 10,” Lee told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “… The belt is still the goal. I love fighting. I enjoy it. I want to do it until I retire, but my main goal is to fight and get that title shot. Of course, I feel like that should be everyone’s goal.”

Lee, 34, has won two of her most recent three outings. The wins were over Antonina Shevchenko and Cynthia Calvillo before the loss came against Viviane Araujo in May 2022.

Check Lee’s full UFC on ESPN 43 pre-fight news conference in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.

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Holly Holm embarks on ‘scary’ title run after signing new six-fight UFC contract

41-year-old Holly Holm expects to end her combat sports career with UFC after signing a new six-fight contract with the promotion.

SAN ANTONIO – [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] expects to end her combat sports career under the UFC banner after signing a new six-fight contract with the promotion.

The 41-year-old former women’s bantamweight champion Holm (14-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) was originally set to enter Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 43 co-main event with Yana Santos (14-6 MMA, 4-3 UFC) on the final bout of her contract. However, her team came to terms with the UFC brass prior to fight week starting, and now any lingering questions about her future are off the table.

“After my last fight I wasn’t sure (what would happen),” Holm told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 43 media day. “I was hopeful we could still come to an agreement and be able to continue to my career with the UFC, so I’m very, very happy to have that contract signed. My mind is of course just on this fight ahead of me, but I’m happy to continue my journey with the UFC.”

As Holm’s previous contract was winding down, the possibility of her returning to boxing was a topic of discussion. Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn expressed interest in pitting Holm against Katie Taylor, and that was compelling to “The Preacher’s Daughter.”

That talk has all fizzled for now, Holm said, because with this new contract likely keeping her with the UFC until her mid-40s, there’s not much room for her energy to be placed elsewhere.

“I would say that’s it (on boxing),” Holm said. “We kind of talked about if something like that came up if we could ever figure something out, I don’t know. But my mind’s set on MMA right now.”

Despite her age and longevity in the fight game, Holm doesn’t think her skillset has fallen off much. She’s won two of her past three bouts, and was arguably robbed of a win in her most recent contest, which was a split decision to fellow contender Ketlen Vieira at UFC Fight Night 206 in May 2022.

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If Holm can get the win over Santos, her in-cage work paired with name value could lead to another title shot, and that’s what she wants. In fact, it’s the sole reason she keeps working so hard.

“I think that’s the only thing you need to focus on if you’re in this game,” Holm said. “If you don’t want to be the champion, what are you doing here? It’s a scary kind of path to take because you know that means you have to take the toughest fights, the biggest fights to be successful. That’s where all that pressure comes in on you. But if I’m going to be here, I want to do it all the way.”

Beating Santos would be a nice boost to Holm’s resume, especially because there’s an extra layer of challenge attached to this fight, which airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+ from AT&T Center.

Holm and Santos have trained together in the past, and both admit they used to go quite hard when sparring against one another. That’s going to bring more intensity to fight night, Holm said, because she knows exactly what she’s getting herself into.

“I used to train with her,” Holm said. “She trains hard and she’s kind of unpredictable. You get in the clinch and she might surprise you with some things. On her feet, she throws a bunch of punches. There’s a lot of strengths she has. I feel like I’m going to edge it out everywhere, but I’m not overlooking her at all.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.

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Maycee Barber sets sights on Alexa Grasso rematch regardless of UFC title status: ‘I want that back’

Ahead of UFC on ESPN 43, Maycee Barber explains why she wants a rematch with Alexa Grasso – and it’s not because of the title.

SAN ANTONIO – Seemingly every fighter guns for the fighter holding gold in their division, but [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] wants UFC women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] for a different reason.

Grasso won a competitive unanimous decision against Barber (11-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in 2021 at UFC 258. Even more than two years later as she approaches Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 43, Barber still speaks with internally directed frustration when she talks about the February 2021 loss.

“I do want that fight back with Alexa, but like I said, it’s whether she’s the champ or not,” Barber told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “If she has the belt when it comes time, then I want her. If Valentina is back to being the champ, then I want her. But at the end of the day, I still have my journey to the top and right now I think I’m currently No. 13, so I’ve got to work my way up again.”

Barber has lost twice in her professional MMA career with both defeats in the UFC. Although Barber has a loss to Roxanne Modafferi on her resume, a defeat which she tacks up to a major, in-fight knee injury, that doesn’t sting the same as a defeat without a health catastrophe.

“I came off of a year layoff and an ACL surgery,” Barber said. “I lost the first round, but I won the third round. I feel like if that was a five-round fight, I would’ve won that fight. I think there’s a lot of people that could agree. But at the same time, I lost that fight. Obviously I want that back.

“… I do (think the injury was the biggest factor). I do. The one with with Alexa Grasso, I’m not going to take anything away from her, like I said. She’s a great fighter. That was not a fight that I was ready for at the time. I took it, because I’m not going to turn down a fight. At the same time, the fight with Roxanne, I tore my ACL in the first round of the fight, and I went all three rounds, but I lost. It was really hard. I fought off one leg. That one, I never really was super bitter about that one. The fight with Alexa, that was the one where I was like, ‘Dang. I lost.’ That was a feeling of that. But I was proud of the fact that I won that third round. That is what made me want it back.”

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Grasso defeated long-reigning champion Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 285 on March 4 – a massive upset. While it’s unclear what the division’s next title fight will officially be, many think Shevchenko is a shoe-in for a rematch. Regardless, Barber thinks a win Saturday over Andrea Lee (13-6 MMA, 5-4 UFC) could have large implications for her trajectory.

“I’m No. 13 (in the official UFC rankings),” Barber said. “It doesn’t matter to me. I’m getting paid, and I have a great contract. So I’m happy with working my way back up. At the same time, I think it’s also about the noise you make in the division and how you push yourself and how you project yourself that’s really going to push you. And also the performances, you look at Erin Blanchfield, she fought one fight, and now she’s right up there. So good job on her. But that’s what I mean. One fight can put you so far forward. So it’s really a matter of the right fight and the next fight after this finish.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.

UFC on ESPN 43’s Marlon Vera: Title shots are given out based on ‘whatever the f*ck UFC wants’

Marlon Vera doesn’t see much rhyme or reason to the way UFC title shots are decided these days, and he’s not going to stress about it.

SAN ANTONIO – [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] doesn’t see much rhyme or reason to the way UFC title shots are decided these days. However, he thinks that probably plays to his advantage.

Vera (20-7-1 MMA, 14-6 UFC), who meets Cory Sandhagen (15-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 43 headliner at AT&T Center on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+, is one of the more popular fighters in the bantamweight division, has a finish-heavy fighting style, a country behind him in Ecuador, and an attitude toward the fight game that personifies what the UFC should be about.

Currently riding a four-fight winning streak that includes knockouts of former champions Dominick Cruz and Frankie Edgar, “Chito” would likely put his case over the top if he beats Sandhagen. He’s not certain, though, because he knows UFC is not a meritocracy.

Despite the fact that he holds a TKO win over Sean O’Malley, “Suga” is probably still in front to challenge the winner of the UFC 288 title fight between Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo. There’s also Merab Dvalishvili, who has won his past nine fights.

Vera doesn’t know exactly how the landscape at 135 pounds is going to play out, but he does know he won’t be included in any major short-term plans unless he wins.

“The way that the rankings are done, it’s really hard to predict,” Vera told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “You’ve got O’Malley at No. 1 after he beat (Petr) Yan. Now you’ve got Merab at No. 1 after he beat him. Yan wasn’t at No. 1 after his last fight, but you beat the guy then you go to No. 1? So it really doesn’t f*cking matter. You can be No. 10 and fight for the title. It’s whatever the f*ck UFC wants to do at this point. I’m OK with that.”

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Vera points to Cejudo’s title shot against Sterling at UFC 288 on May 7 as an example of the promotion’s selective decision making. He thinks Cejudo is getting some special treatment but can’t complain about it, because he would happily accept that treatment if the shoe was on the other foot.

Instead, Vera intends on taking the long and tough road to the top. He said his life begins and ends with Saturday’s showdown with Sandhagen, and he’s prepared to his best possible ability to get the win.

“Just the fact that he’s a guy preparing himself to beat me up, I’ve got to worry about it,” Vera said. “I wake up every morning thinking there’s a lot of jobs to get done. It doesn’t matter who is in front of me. I just focus on getting better, and I’ve been showing that fight to fight.

“I feel like people start looking past things like, ‘This is what I want after. This s who I want to fight.’ You can’t predict fighting. Even if you get to the ‘Mystic Mac’ level, you can predict maybe three times. You can’t predict it forever.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.

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Yana Santos reveals training history with Holly Holm ahead of UFC on ESPN 43 co-headliner

UFC on ESPN 43 won’t be the first time Yana Santos has stepped in a cage opposite Holly Holm. It’s just the first time we’ll see it.

SAN ANTONIO – Saturday won’t be the first time [autotag]Yana Santos[/autotag] has stepped in a cage opposite legendary women’s fighter [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag]. It will just be the first time the world gets to see it.

Santos (14-6 MMA, 4-3 UFC), who meets former bantamweight champion Holm (14-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) in the UFC on ESPN 43 co-headliner at AT&T Center, has trained quite extensively with her upcoming foe in the past at Jackson-Wink MMA in Albuquerque, N.M.

“I respect her so much,” Santos told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “We trained a lot together, and she was probably the first big star who I met when I came to America. I’m so grateful for this opportunity.”

Although the memories of leaving her native Russia and training alongside Holm are still fresh in her mind, many years have gone by in reality. Santos did not reveal who got the better of each other during sparring, but she teased that it was action-packed.

Santos, 33, isn’t holding on to any particular successes or failures during those moments. She knows both she and Holm, 41, aren’t comparable to the past versions of themselves who shared a gym.

“Six years ago we trained a lot, sparred a lot, and we don’t have anything between us,” Santos said. “I only have respect for her before and after fight. I don’t take this personal. I’m still going to bring my best in the octagon. I think it’s nice to see what we both changed in these six years, so I don’t think it’s going to affect anything.

“A lot of time when she sparred around the gym, a lot of people say, ‘We should have to pay to see you girls because of how crazy (it is).’ I think it’s a great style matchup. We both like to strike and go forward, aggressive. I think it will be so exciting.”

UFC on ESPN 43, which airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+, will mark Santos’ return to competition after a 20-month layoff. She took a hiatus to give birth to her baby with her husband, former UFC title challenger and current PFL light heavyweight Thiago Santos.

Given it’s the second time Santos has put her career on pause to have a child, she is familiar with the process of coming back and what it takes to be ready. She said she’s there now and knows what a win over a decorated opponent like Holm could do for her career.

“I think yes (I could get a title shot with a win),” Santos said. “But I always try to not look over the fight and focus only on fight this Saturday.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.

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Cory Sandhagen prepared to unleash his inner-dog to beat Marlon Vera at UFC on ESPN 43

“If the dog has to come out of me to win a fight, then the dog will come out,” Cory Sandhagen said before he fights Marlon Vera.

SAN ANTONIO – [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] doesn’t talk trash. He isn’t the most active on social media, and callouts aren’t his style.

For Sandhagen (15-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC), that’s not what’s important – even if perhaps it gives others the promotability advantage over him. Sandhagen wants to be known for his fighting style, both offensive and defensive.

“I don’t really dig a lot of the attention maybe like other people do, which is fine,” Sandhagen told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “I express myself a lot in the cage. I like expressing that piece of me. I like looking back and watching the Yan fight and the Song fight before the fifth round and knowing that’s in my heart. That’s one of the most fun things for me in this sport, just being able to express that piece of me because I don’t really do it in everyday life.”

In Sandhagen’s opinion, Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 43 headliner against [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] (20-7-1 MMA, 14-6 UFC) at AT&T Center could be the perfect fight for him to showcase such skills and build his brand without opening his mouth. He’s eager to capitalize on the opportunity.

“I learned that you only get to fight these dudes once,” Sandhagen said. “Like nine times out 10, you only get to prove you’re better than these guys just once. That wakes me up now. That wakes me up. I don’t care about anything other than beating ‘Chito’ on Saturday night. It’s because the likelihood of me being able to prove I’m better than this dude is only on one night.

“I’m going to go out, fight my ass off, do everything I can to win. If I get to do whatever the hell I want, I’ll do whatever the hell I want. I don’t anticipate that happening. I’m going to have to make adjustments. If the dog has to come out of me to win a fight, then the dog will come out, too. I’m ready to do whatever I’ve got to do to win because I know this is my only one crack at beating this guy.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.

Video: UFC on ESPN 43 media day live stream, interviews

Watch Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 43 media day live from San Antonio.

SAN ANTONIO – The UFC is making its return to the great state of Texas, and they’re doing it with a pivotal bantamweight matchup leading the event.

Marlon Vera (20-7-1 MMA, 14-6 UFC) vs. Cory Sandhagen (15-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) headlines UFC on ESPN 43. On the co-main event of the card, former UFC women’s bantamweight champion [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) takes on [autotag]Yana Santos[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 4-3 UFC).

UFC on ESPN 43 takes place Saturday night at AT&T Center. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+. Below is the expected schedule for Wednesday’s media day (ET times):

11:30 a.m. Cory Sandhagen
12 p.m. [autotag]Austin Lingo[/autotag]
12:15 p.m. [autotag]Albert Duraev[/autotag]
12:30 p.m. [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag]
1 p.m. Yana Santos
1:15 p.m. [autotag]CJ Vergara[/autotag]
1:45 p.m. Marlon Vera
1 p.m. [autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag]
2:15 p.m. Holly Holm
2:30 p.m. [autotag]Chidi Njokuani[/autotag]
2:45 p.m. [autotag]Nate Landwehr[/autotag]
3:15 p.m. [autotag]Andrea Lee[/autotag]
3:30 p.m. [autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag]

If you happen to miss any of the individual sessions on the live stream, check below for the archived videos of each media day.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.