Tag: UFC on ESPN 45

Daniel Santos wants Adrian Yanez for rumored UFC Sao Paulo card, Yanez responds

Daniel Santos is ready for a fight against a ranked UFC opponent, and he wants it in his home country.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Daniel Santos[/autotag] is ready for a ranked opponent, and he wants it in his home country.

Santos (11-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) defeated Johnny Munoz via unanimous decision this past Saturday at UFC on ESPN 45 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Training out of Chute Boxe Diego Lima alongside former champion Charles Oliveira, Santos hopes to land on the rumored Brazil card in Sao Paulo in November.

“I want to fight as soon as possible,” Santos told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter. “To be honest, I would love fighting next week with my brother Charles Oliveira, but I know it’s probably not gonna happen. I’m gonna be ready whenever the UFC wants me to fight. I’ve heard some rumors that UFC is going back to Sao Paulo in November, and it would be a dream to fight there because I live there.”

Santos is eyeing [autotag]Adrian Yanez[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 5-1 UFC), who’s coming off his first octagon loss to Rob Font in April.

“Right now when I was checking, there’s one guy in the rankings, Adrian Yanez, and I want to be in the rankings,” Santos said. “So, I think it would be a good name to fight there in Sao Paulo.

Yanez responded, but would rather fight much sooner.

“Let’s go July or August,” he tweeted. “… “Not trying to wait around. I waited a year just to fight. Can’t do that again.”

 

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 45.

Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos confident with UFC on ESPN 45 win, says Abubakar Nurmagomedov came to stall

Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos knew he had done enough to get his hand raised at UFC on ESPN 45.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos[/autotag] knew he had done enough to get his hand raised at UFC on ESPN 45.

Zaleski dos Santos (24-7 MMA, 10-3 UFC) returned after serving a one-year suspension by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to squeak past [autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] by split decision in this past Saturday’s main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Nurmagomedov was only 1-for-8 in his takedown attempts as the Brazilian was able to fend off his grappling and outstrike him overall in the fight.

“I knew what I had done to win this,” Zaleski dos Santos told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter. “I thought I was more aggressive. I had more significant strikes. What he came to do was actually stall against the fence, and I was pretty confident about it.”

Zaleski dos Santos, who is expecting a baby girl within days, is ready to book his next fight. He has two welterweights in mind.

“As soon as possible,” Zaleski dos Santos said of his next fight. “Just want to go back home, my daughter is scheduled for the 10th (of June), so pretty soon. There are a couple of names that I mentioned: Gunnar Nelson and Neil Magny. I want to fight them as soon as possible. Hey, UFC, just make that happen, and I’ll be right back.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 45.

Don’Tale Mayes honored to share UFC cage with Andrei Arlovski: ‘I’m trying to be a legend’

Following his UFC on ESPN 45 win, Don’Tale Mayes explained why his fight vs. Andrei Arlovski was one for the bucket list.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Don’Tale Mayes[/autotag] took out a heavyweight legend Saturday at the UFC Apex, but his respect for his opponent never hindered.

At UFC on ESPN 45, Mayes (10-5 MMA, 3-3 UFC) finished former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski (34-22 MMA, 23-16 UFC) with punches in Round 2. The fight checked an item on the bucket list for Mayes, who since he entered the UFC has wanted to compete against a fighter with an Arlovski-like status.

“My whole career, from as soon as I got in the UFC, I was hoping I could catch one of the legends before they were gone,” Mayes told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a news conference after the fight. “It was an opportunity, and it was an honor to fight a legend, Andrei Arlovski.”

One of the reasons Mayes wanted that experience is because he hopes to one day have a similar reputation to Arlovski. He has a way to go, but Mayes thinks he may have punched his ticket to a ranked matchup next time out.

“Fighting a legend, I’m trying to be a legend,” Arlovski said. “I mean no disrespect, but I’m trying to be legendary myself. I want to get the belt. Of course, anybody in the UFC, if you ain’t got belt dreams then I don’t know what you’re here for. I still want to get a belt. I still want to get a ranked person next time I can. That’s what I want. … Give me the No. 15 dude. I don’t even know who it is, but I want a number.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 45.

Elise Reed thinks Karolina Kowalkiewicz could finally give her the standup fight she wants

Elise Reed wants a fight with someone who will stand and trade. After her win over Jinh Yu Frey, she thinks that’s Karolina Kowalkiewicz.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Elise Reed[/autotag] beat Jinh Yu Frey with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 45 in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Reed, who has rebounded from all three of her stoppage losses with decision wins.

Philipe Lins sees bright future at light heavyweight after another win at UFC on ESPN 45

Philipe Lins moved to 3-0 as a light heavyweight with a unanimous decision win over Maxim Grishin at UFC on ESPN 45 in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Philipe Lins[/autotag] beat Maxim Grishin with a unanimous decision Saturday to open up the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 45 in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Grishin, who moved to 3-0 as a light heavyweight.

Now training full-time, John Castaneda says to expect 2.0 version: ‘I’m fully focused on this sport now’

John Castaneda says 2.0 version is here after quitting his full-time job to focus on his UFC career.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag] feels he’s started a new chapter in his fighting career.

Having made some big changes in his life, the UFC bantamweight is confident a new and improved version is here to stay in the promotion. Castaneda (20-6 MMA, 3-2 UFC) was training and managing his career as a fighter while he had a full-time, regular job – which wasn’t working out for him.

“Up and til the Daniel Santos fight, I was working full time, 40 to 45 hours a week, training 30-35 hours a week, getting very little sleep,” Castañeda said at the UFC on ESPN 45 post-fight press conference. “I was always sick, always getting injured and walking really, really chubby just because my metabolism was super slow from everything going on in my life.”

Castaneda lost by knockout to Daniel Santos to finish out his UFC contract. He knew he needed a chance to take his career to a new level, so he quit his job.

“After that Daniel Santos fight, which I found out I was fighting with an upper respiratory infection, I said, ‘What am I doing? There’s no need for me to work full-time. I’m good financially. I just need to go dive 100 percent,'” Castañeda said. “So I quit my job, and keep in mind it was my last fight on the contract, Daniel Santos. I didn’t know if I was going to get resigned. I took a leap of faith. I quit my job. I left to Thailand for three months and got some really good training at Bangtao Muay Thai and MMA. George, Frank Hickman, those guys are top-level trainers. The jiu-jitsu coach Alex Shields and the strength and conditioning coach Woody, those are super top guys. The biggest thing I took from Thailand was re-emerging myself into being a full-time athlete.”

Castañeda returned, re-signed to the UFC, and re-focused this past Saturday at UFC on ESPN 45 in Las Vegas. He defeated UFC newcomer Muin Gafurov (18-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) by unanimous decision.

Castañeda feels this is a new chapter and warns fans to brace themselves for what’s to come.

“This is my first fight on my new contract,” Castañeda said. “I’m fully focused on this sport now, and I re-introduced myself to the UFC tonight. This is John 2.0.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 45.

Tim Elliott ‘for sure’ would fight Muhammad Mokaev after UFC on ESPN 45 win

After winning at UFC on ESPN 45, Tim Elliott welcomed the callouts he’s received from Muhammad Mokaev.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag] is open to fighting [autotag]Muhammad Mokaev[/autotag] after UFC on ESPN 45.

Elliott returned to defeat Victor Altamirano in this past Saturday’s main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Elliott has been called out multiple times by undefeated prospect Mokaev, who is struggling to find a ranked opponent to fight him.

When asked about Mokaev, Elliott (19-12-1 MMA, 8-10 UFC) said he welcomes the matchup.

“For sure,” Elliott told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “He calls me out every weekend, and everybody calls me out. I mean, I want to fight the 36-year-old crippled guy too. Let’s go. I’ll fight whoever, whenever.”

Elliott’s response drew excitement from Mokaev (10-0-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC), who appreciates his willingness to fight.

“That’s what you call a real man! Let’s go @ufc I’m waiting for the contract!”

Elliott now has won four of his past five but was quite critical of his performance against Altamirano. The 36-year-old recently opened up about his divorce with former UFC fighter Gina Mazany, which weighed heavily on him during training camp.

“I wasn’t really happy with the performance, but I love this job, I love this sport, I love my coaches, and I love my team,” Elliott said. “I just had a long camp. It was a grueling camp. Outside of fighting, I had a lot of things going on, and that kind of took away from what I love about this sport so much, but on the mats with my team, I’ve never had more fun. I have a great group of guys who were pushing me, that were helping me.

“I had a ton of support from the MMA community with my hardships going on, and I wanted to perform so well that I felt crippled out there. I was having a hard time moving, a hard time finding my groove. Victor fought a hard fight. He just didn’t fight a smart fight, and I feel like that’s the only reason why I won.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 45.

Karine Silva in no rush to get fast tracked but wants opponent that gets her closer to UFC title goal

Karine Silva wants to make sure she takes the necessary steps before reaching UFC title contention.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Karine Silva[/autotag] wants to make sure she takes the necessary steps before reaching title contention.

Boasting a 100 percent finish rate, Silva (16-4 MMA, 2-0 UFC) continued her tear through the flyweight division when she scored a knee-popping submission of Ketlen Souza in this past Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 45 event at the UFC Apex.

Silva has aspirations of becoming UFC champion but doesn’t have a name in mind for her next fight. The Brazilian just wants an opponent that moves her forward in the rankings.

“Obviously I don’t see a line coming up to fight me,” Silva told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter. “I want to fight as soon as possible. As I said before, this was a step that I took. The direction of what I want to achieve is to be a champion.

“Meaning the opponent, whoever it is, the opponent that’s put in front of me, I want somebody that gets me closer to that goal. So, whoever the UFC wants to put in front of me, that’s fine. I’m ready to fight in August. If you’re ready, I’m ready. Again, whoever lines up, I’ll do it.”

With her exciting fight-finishing style, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Silva was pushed by the UFC despite only having two fights in the octagon. Silva would accept a big step up in competition but won’t ask for it.

“If they put a top-15 in front of me, I’ll face her, yes,” Silva said. “But I don’t want to get ahead of myself because, as I said, I want to ensure that every step of the way here is actually pretty on the ground and very strong. You need to keep yourself at bay and in order to do that, you need to take things one step at a time.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 45.

MMA Junkie Radio #3367: UFC on ESPN 45 wrap up, Anthony Romero interview, more

Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze,” featuring guest Anthony Romero and UFC discussion.

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

On Episode 3,367, the guys went over the controversial decision in the UFC main event, discuss Dana White sending a message to Tyson Fury, invite Anthony Romero onto the show, and much more. Tune in!

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Muhammad Naimov thanks ‘coach’ Cory Sandhagen for pushing him toward UFC dream

Muhammad Naimov credits Cory Sandhagen for encouraging him toward his UFC goal.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Muhammad Naimov[/autotag] credits [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] for encouraging him toward his UFC goal.

Naimov (9-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who fell short in Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020, admits he was starting to lose faith that the UFC will ever become a reality for him. But his Elevation Fight Team training partner and current bantamweight contender Sandhagen urged him to keep his dream alive, and Naimov thanks him for that.

“To be honest, no. I didn’t have the confidence,” Naimov told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “Myy confidence it break when I won my Titan FC title, they give to another guy. Then I said to myself, ‘Hey Muhammad, that’s done.’ I’m really tired. And Cory Sandhagen he was my corner, he is my coach right now, he’s my friend.

“He told me, ‘He,  Muhammad, you are very talented. You’re a really good athlete. I promise you’ll be in the UFC one day. I just promise. Just work hard and wait for your time.’ I want to thank Cory right now. Hey, Cory, you did a lot for me. I love you my brother.”

That all changed this past Saturday when Naimov got the short-notice call to replace Guram Kutateladze against Jamie Mullarkey in a lightweight bout at UFC on ESPN 45. The biggest underdog on the card, Naimov rallied to knock out Mullarkey in Round 2, which earned him a Performance of the Night bonus.

Following his win, the Tajikistan-born fighter had a message for the entire 145-pound division, which he plans on dropping back down to.

“I want to fight featherweight. I want to go back to featherweight,” Naimov said. “That’s my division. All my pro fights I had at are at featherweight.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 45.