Tag: UFC on ESPN 47

UFC on ESPN 47: Best photos from Las Vegas

Check out these photos from the fights at UFC on ESPN 47 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Check out these photos from the fights at UFC on ESPN 47 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. (Fight and venue photos courtesy of the UFC via Getty Images)

UFC on ESPN 47 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC on ESPN 47 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.

LAS VEGAS – UFC on ESPN 47 took place Saturday with 12 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

You can hear from all the UFC on ESPN 47 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

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

UFC on ESPN 47 results: Grant Dawson dominates Damir Ismagulov en route to victory

It was one-way traffic for Grant Dawson at UFC on ESPN 47 as he dominated Damir Ismagulov en route to a unanimous decision nod.

[autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] utilized a strong ground game Saturday en route to arguably the biggest win of his professional career.

In the UFC on ESPN 47 co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Dawson (20-1-1 MMA, 8-0-1 UFC) took on fellow lightweight contender [autotag]Damir Ismagulov[/autotag] (24-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC), who he dominated and defeated by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27).

For the vast majority of the 15-minute bout, Dawson completely controlled Ismagulov on the ground. Dawson spent a lot of time with control of Ismagulov’s back but was unable to lock in a submission.

Dawson took Ismagulov down three times throughout the fight as he chose to place his opponent down in the center of the cage rather than against it.

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After the fight, Dawson requested either a big name or a big-ranked opponent for his next matchup. Dawson has not lost in a dozen appearances. Other notable wins include Mark Madsen and Jared Gordon.

Ismagulov, who had publicly contemplated retirement in recent months, has lost back-to-back fights for the first time in his pro career.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 47 results include:

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

Video: Nursulton Ruziboev’s UFC debut KO of Brunno Ferreira looked like it came out of a movie

Check out this unreal-looking UFC knockout by debutant Nursulton Ruziboev.

There are good first impressions – and then there’s the picture-perfect knockout blow [autotag]Nursulton Ruziboev[/autotag] landed at UFC on ESPN 47.

Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Ruziboev (35-8-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) introduced himself to the international audiences – and his fist to the face of Brunno Ferreira (10-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC). In what almost looked like a fight scene out of a major motion picture, Ruziboev displayed impeccable timing when he caught Ferreira’s kick, came over the top with a punch, and blasted his opponent clear off the ground.

As Ferreira flew backward both of his feet flew toward the sky and he landed square on his back. Ruziboev blasted him with a few more punches until the referee dove in. The stoppage came at 1:17 of Round 1.

After the fight, Ruziboev was extremely emotional on the microphone, barely able to get any words out while he spoke with UFC commentator Michael Bisping.

Ruziboev, 29, had 44 professional MMA bouts prior to his short-notice UFC signing. The victory Saturday extends his winning streak to nine.

Ferreira, 30, is a Dana White’s Contender Series signee who won his promotional debut vs. Gregory Rodrigues by knockout.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 47 results include:

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

Twitter reacts to Rinat Fakhretdinov choking out Kevin Lee at UFC on ESPN 47

Check out the reaction to Rinat Fakhretdinov’s near-flawless performance against Kevin Lee at UFC on ESPN 47.

[autotag]Rinat Fakhretdinov[/autotag] spoiled former UFC interim lightweight title challenger Kevin Lee’s return to the promotion.

In the feature prelim of UFC on ESPN 47 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Fakhretdinov rocked, dropped, and then choked Lee unconscious in the first round. It was a flawless performance for Fakhretdinov, who made a massive statement against a well-known fighter in Lee.

Unfortunately for Lee, his return to the UFC could not have gone worse after a one-fight stint outside of the promotion.

Check out the reaction on social media to the fight and the finish below:

UFC on ESPN 47 results: Rinat Fakhretdinov renders Kevin Lee unconscious in 55 seconds

Kevin Lee returned to the UFC and it did not go well for him.

[autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag]’s long-awaited UFC return lasted 55 seconds Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

In his first promotional appearance in almost two years, Lee (19-8 MMA, 11-8 UFC) was dropped and submitted by [autotag]Rinat Fakhretdinov[/autotag] (22-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) at UFC on ESPN 47. The technical submission stoppage came by guillotine choke.

A right hand from Fakhretdinov dropped Lee to the canvas in the opening seconds. As Lee tried to get back to his feet, Fakhretdinov grabbed hold of a guillotine and cranked. While Lee’s hands were tied around Fakhretdinov, referee Herb Dean checked his limbs and determined a loss of consciousness. The bout was stopped and Lee was left with his face on the canvas.

Fakhretdinov, 31, has emerged as a dark horse in the UFC welterweight division as he extends his winning streak to 17. Other UFC victories include Andreas Michailidis and Bryan Battle.

Lee, 30, rejoined the promotion in February after a one-off appearance for Eagle FC, during which he defeated Diego Sanchez via unanimous decision. Lee suffered a left knee injury

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 47 results include:

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

UFC on ESPN 47 video: Joanderson Brito smashes Westin Wilson for knockout during kneebar attempt

Joanderson Brito brought the heat with a brutal knockout followed by a fiery callout of a top featherweight contender.

[autotag]Joanderson Brito[/autotag] smashed his way to another victory Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

In a featherweight prelim bout at UFC on ESPN 47, Brito (14-3-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) brutally knocked out 14-to-1 underdog [autotag]Westin Wilson[/autotag] (16-8 MMA, 0-1 UFC) during a submission attempt. The stoppage came at 2:54 of Round 1.

Wilson was a short-notice replacement who filled in for the withdrawing Khusein Askhabov and was met early with a signature Brito flurry. Wilson tied up Brito, who then took him down. Once on the ground, Wilson, a submission specialist, attempted a kneebar. After he failed to slip his leg out, Brito rained down some powerful right hands that eventually knocked Wilson unconscious.

After the fight, Brito debuted English during his in-cage interview when he called out featherweights Dan Ige and Alex Caceres for a bout in Brazil this November. Brito has won three straight bouts since he lost his promotional debut to Bill Algeo.

Wilson had a three-fight winning streak snapped with the loss.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 47 results include:

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

UFC on ESPN 47 video: Elves Brener stuns Guram Kutateladze, oddsmakers with rally for upset TKO

At UFC on ESPN 47, Elves Brener was a five-to-one underdog against Guram Kutateladze but cashed underdog bets with a late TKO rally.

[autotag]Elves Brener[/autotag] wasn’t going to win, if you believed the sports books.

But betting odds and real life are two different things. At UFC on ESPN 47, Brener (15-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC) rallied to finish [autotag]Guram Kutateladze[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) at 3:17 of Round 3. The event took place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Ahead of the fight, Brener was listed as an average +491 underdog across major online sports books (per BestFightOdds). As the fight progressed, Kutateladze appeared a step ahead, though the bout was competitive.

Bloody but not beaten, Brener remained confident and focused as he landed a left hand directly to the right temple of Kutateladze. While the blow didn’t seem to connect square on the target, Kutateladze immediately retreated, crumpled, and stuck up his hand. Brener pounced with a few more punches before referee Chris Tognoni intervened.

The win is Brener’s second in as many UFC appearances. It succeeds a split decision victory for Brenner, who upset Zubaira Tukhugov with similar odds.

Kutateladze, who has struggled to have fight bookings follow through, falls to a two-fight winning skid after a UFC debut win over Mateusz Gamrot.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 47 results include:

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

UFC on ESPN 47 predictions: Sean Strickland or Abus Magomedov in Las Vegas?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ESPN 47 main card in Las Vegas, which features Sean Strickland vs. Abus Magomedov.

Strickland
vs.
Magomedov		 Dawson
vs.
Ismagulov		 Griffin
vs.
Morales		 Gatto
vs.
Lipski		 Bonfim
vs.
Saint-Denis		 Ferreira
vs.
Ruziboev
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
103-61		 strickland2023
Strickland
(58%)		 dawson2023
Dawson
(56%)		 morales2023
Morales
(75%)		 gatto2023
Gatto
(59%)		 bonfim2023
Bonfim
(71%)		 ferreira2023
Ferreira
(64%)
Nolan King
@mma_kings
104-60		 strickland2023
Strickland		 ismagulov2023
Ismagulov		 morales2023
Morales		 gatto2023
Gatto		 bonfim2023
Bonfim		 ruziboev2023
Ruziboev
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
104-60		 strickland2023
Strickland		 dawson2023
Dawson		 morales2023
Morales		 gatto2023
Gatto		 bonfim2023
Bonfim		 ferreira2023
Ferreira
Matt Erickson
@MattE
104-60		 magomedov2023
Magomedov		 dawson2023
Dawson		 morales2023
Morales		 gatto2023
Gatto		 bonfim2023
Bonfim		 ruziboev2023
Ruziboev
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
103-61		 strickland2023
Strickland		 dawson2023
Dawson		 morales2023
Morales		 gatto2023
Gatto		 bonfim2023
Bonfim		 ruziboev2023
Ruziboev
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
100-64		 strickland2023
Strickland		 dawson2023
Dawson		 morales2023
Morales		 gatto2023
Gatto		 bonfim2023
Bonfim		 ferreira2023
Ferreira
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
-99-65
trophy copy 2018, 2022 Champion		 magomedov2023
Magomedov		 dawson2023
Dawson		 morales2023
Morales		 gatto2023
Gatto		 bonfim2023
Bonfim		 ferreira2023
Ferreira
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohn
98-66
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 strickland2023
Strickland		 dawson2023
Dawson		 morales2023
Morales		 lipski2023
Lipski		 bonfim2023
Bonfim		 ferreira2023
Ferreira
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
97-67		 strickland2023
Strickland		 dawson2023
Dawson		 griffin2023
Griffin		 gatto2023
Gatto		 bonfim2023
Bonfim		 ruziboev2023
Ruziboev
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
95-69		 strickland2023
Strickland		 ismagulov2023
Ismagulov		 morales2023
Morales		 gatto2023
Gatto		 bonfim2023
Bonfim		 ruziboev2023
Ruziboev
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
94-70
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 strickland2023
Strickland		 dawson2023
Dawson		 griffin2023
Griffin		 gatto2023
Gatto		 bonfim2023
Bonfim		 ruziboev2023
Ruziboev
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
89-75		 magomedov2023
Magomedov		 dawson2023
Dawson		 morales2023
Morales		 gatto2023
Gatto		 bonfim2023
Bonfim		 ruziboev2023
Ruziboev

The UFC is back to its Las Vegas home base this week with a key middleweight fight at the top of the bill.

UFC on ESPN 47 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the headliner, Sean Strickland (26-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) takes on Abus Magomedov (25-4-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) at 185 pounds. In the co-feature, Grant Dawson (19-1-1 MMA, 7-0-1 UFC) meets Damir Ismagulov (24-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) at lightweight.

The main card also includes Max Griffin (19-9 MMA, 7-7 UFC) vs. Michael Morales (14-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) at welterweight, Melissa Gatto (8-1-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) vs. Ariane Lipski (15-8 MMA, 4-5 UFC) at women’s flyweight, Ismael Bonfim (19-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) vs. Benoit Saint-Denis (10-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) at lightweight and Brunno Ferreira (10-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) vs. Nursulton Ruziboev (34-8-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at middleweight.

Check out all the picks above.

[pickup_prop id=”33199″]

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

Sean Strickland: A Dricus Du Plessis title shot is embarrassing, but Robert Whittaker will ‘f*ck him up’

Sean Strickland doesn’t think Dricus Du Plessis deserves to be in the UFC middleweight title conversation.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] doesn’t think [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] deserves to be in the title conversation.

Du Plessis (19-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) meets former champion Robert Whittaker (24-6 MMA, 15-4 UFC) on the UFC 290 main card July 8 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

With UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya manifesting a Du Plessis win, the South African fighter likely will earn the next title shot if he beats Whittaker. But Strickland doesn’t see Du Plessis as worthy – even though he sees Whittaker beating him, anyway.

“I think Whittaker’s going to f*ck Dricus up,” Strickland told reporters at the UFC on ESPN 47 media day Wednesday. “I think we all know that. That’s kind of a like a fight, why is this happening? Dricus fought (Derek) Brunson. Is Brunson retired yet? No, he’s not retired yet?

“When’s the last time you’ve seen a top 10 guy quit on the stool? Have you ever seen that? You don’t see that sh*t. It’s kind of embarrassing that Dricus gets a potential shot. But, you know, Izzy, the Chinese, the true Chinese, they probably want to bring a real African back to the championship.”

Strickland (26-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) hopes to emerge as the next title challenger when he meets Abus Magomedov (25-4-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 47 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

[lawrence-related id=2655631,2655473,2644859,2643589]

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