Tag: UFC on ESPN 47

Ariane Lipski surprised by split decision at UFC on ESPN 47: ‘Everyone saw a different fight’

Ariane Lipski beat Melissa Gatto with a split decision Saturday at UFC on ESPN 47. She’s still chasing her first UFC knockout.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag] beat Melissa Gatto with a split decision Saturday on the main card at UFC on ESPN 47 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Lipski, who has back-to-back decision wins in 2023.

Benoit Saint-Denis has a trio of UFC lightweight ‘young lions’ he wants to take out

Benoit Saint-Denis kept his perfect finish rate intact with a first-round submission of Ismael Bonfim. Then he called out three big names.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Benoit Saint-Denis[/autotag] beat Ismael Bonfim with a first-round submission Saturday on the main card at UFC on ESPN 47 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Saint-Denis, who won for the third straight time after the lone loss of his career.

Luana Carolina says training, fighting happy a difference maker at UFC on ESPN 47

Luana Carolina beat Ivana Petrovic at UFC on ESPN 47 to snap a two-fight skid and gave credit to a disposition of happiness in training.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Luana Carolina[/autotag] beat Ivana Petrovic with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 47 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Carolina, who snapped a two-fight skid.

MMA Junkie Radio #3375: Guest Jon Anik, UFC on ESPN 47 recap, UFC 290 preview, more

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


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

On Episode 3,375, the fellas bring lead UFC play-by-play voice Jon Anik on to the show to look back at UFC on ESPN 47 and look ahead to Saturday’s International Fight Week title fights at UFC 290. Names among the discussions include Grant Dawson, Sean Strickland, Kevin Lee, Michael Morales, Henry Cejudo and more. Tune in!

Spinning Back Clique: Sean Strickland and Grant Dawson as contenders, UFC 290’s title fights, more (LIVE, noon ET)

Spinning Back Clique is live at noon ET. Our panel looks back at UFC on ESPN 47, ahead to UFC 290 and more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Farah Hannoun and Nolan King join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate:

  • Sean Strickland put on a mostly masterful performance against and pounded out Abus Magomedov in the second round of their UFC on ESPN 47 middleweight main event. In his post-fight interview, he said he wants a title shot next. He’s won eight of his past 10, but only two in a row, one of which was at light heavyweight. Are we in or out on a possible Strickland title shot?
  • Grant Dawson took it to Damir Ismagulov in the UFC on ESPN 47 co-main event. He didn’t get the finish, but he was dominant in the mild upset. At 8-0-1 in the UFC, did Dawson just become a legitimate lightweight title contender?
  • There wasn’t a lot of buzz about UFC on ESPN 47 going into the event, but what it might have lacked on paper, it made up for with six finishes and some solid entertainment in some of the decisions. Elves Brener pulled off his second straight big upset. Joanderson Brito and newcomer Nursulton Ruziboev had sick KOs. Rinat Fakhretdinov and Benoit Saint-Denis had brilliant submissions. So who stole the show with a breakout performance?
  • The UFC is back on pay-per-view Saturday with two title fights in Las Vegas. In the main event, featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski meets interim champ Yair Rodriguez in a title unifier. In the co-feature, flyweight titleholder Brandon Moreno defends his belt for the first time in his second stint as champ when he takes on Alexandre Pantoja, who has a 2018 win over him. We’ll work through the title fights to see if we’ll hear two “And still” announcements – or potentially two “And new” calls.
  • South Africa’s Dricus Du Plessis is trying to fight his way to a title shot with middleweight champ Israel Adesanya – who was born in Africa, but lives in New Zealand. That has been a point of contention for Du Plessis in what has turned into a bit of a personal rivalry. Du Plessis fights former champ Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 on Saturday – and Whittaker is a heavy favorite. Has anyone been more written off in recent memory ahead of a huge matchup than Du Plessis? We’ll break down the title picture at 185 pounds, particularly as it relates to UFC 293 in Sydney – which is likely to be headlined by Adesanya.

Elves Brener: ‘It’d be great to hit’ Paddy Pimblett at UFC Sao Paulo

Elves Brener pulled off his second straight big upset when he finished Guram Kutateladze with a third-round TKO at UFC on ESPN 47.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Elves Brener[/autotag] beat Guram Kutateladze with a third-round TKO Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 47 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Brener, who won for the fourth straight time – and second straight time as a big underdog in the UFC.

Mick Maynard’s Shoes: What’s next for Sean Strickland after UFC on ESPN 47 win?

Is Sean Strickland a serious candidate for a middleweight title shot after his TKO win in the UFC on ESPN 47 main event?

The first UFC main event of July went the way of [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag], and it was arguably one of the most important wins of his career.

It’s not because Strickland (27-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) managed to halt Abus Magomedov (25-5-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) by second-round TKO for his first stoppage in nearly three years in the UFC on ESPN 47 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, but because of the timing of it all.

Strickland put himself in position to potentially get a title shot against Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 in September with his win, but it’s a matter of how Saturday’s UFC 290 bout between Robert Whittaker and Dricus Du Plessis shakes out.

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Could Strickland actually get the shot? Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on his future after UFC on ESPN 47.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 47.

Rinat Fakhretdinov not surprised by 55-second finish of Kevin Lee: ‘Pretty much the fight that I expected’

Rinat Fakhretdinov was not surprised to have finished Kevin Lee in just 55 seconds.

LAS VEGAS – Kevin Lee’s return to the UFC only lasted 55 seconds – something few saw coming … except his opponent [autotag]Rinat Fakhretdinov[/autotag].

Lee (19-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC), a former UFC interim lightweight title challenger, was knocked down and then choked unconscious by Fakhretdinov (21-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) in less than a minute at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 47 at the UFC Apex. It was a shocking result to many, but not for Fakhretdinov, who said he saw ot coming.

“This is pretty much the fight that I expected,” Fakhretdinov told reporters at the UFC on ESPN 47 post-fight press conference in Russian. “In Russia, it is customary for us to not say anything until you do it, so you do more than what you say, so I was keeping quiet. This is exactly what I was planning for. I know that people were saying that I only have boring fights, but I hope that I proved myself and I changed that.”

Fakhretdinov’s right hand was the beginning of the end. He dropped Lee with a monster shot and then jumped on him to sink in the guillotine choke that put Lee out. Fakhretdinov said this specific punch was pivotal to the game plan.

“I trained that,” Fakhretdinov said. “I knew that if I landed that, that was going to be the end. When I landed – I think it was the right hand – that’s the one. This is my key punch. This is the punch that got me the contract from Dana White, and now the one that I dropped Kevin Lee with. I feel like if I get the next fight soon, this is going to be the shot that gets me the win.”

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As far as what’s next for Fakhretdinov, the Russian fighter wants to take some time off. His preparation for Lee was a tough one and his body needs a break.

“I feel good now, but this camp was the best and the worst for me,” Fakhretdinov said. “It was the worst because I had a lot of injuries. I tore my chest pec and I had problems with my knees. I also got sick at one point. There were a lot of things that I had to go through this camp. It was a very injury-prone preparation.

“I really just want to rest for a while, get doctor checkups (and) make sure my body is fine. Also, my parents are out right now, and I want to spend some time with my parents.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 47.

UFC on ESPN 48 post-event facts: Grant Dawson’s numbers show title trajectory

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 48, where Grant Dawson joined an exclusive club by putting together a nine-fight unbeaten streak in the octagon.

The UFC’s loaded July schedule got off to a hot start on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 48, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and featured six stoppages out of 12 fights.

One of those finishes came in the main event, when [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (27-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) held serve as a top middleweight when he turned back [autotag]Abus Magomedov[/autotag] (25-5-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) with a second-round TKO before calling for a title shot.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check out MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 48.