Tag: UFC on ESPN 47

Michael Morales acknowledges Max Griffin’s experience edge but ‘won’t back down’ at UFC on ESPN 47

UFC welterweight Michael Morales won’t let Max Griffin’s experience edge affect how things unfold in Las Vegas at UFC on ESPN 47.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Michael Morales[/autotag] has time on his side, and plans to take full advantage of his position in the UFC as a young, rising welterweight.

On the main card of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 47, Morales (14-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) steps into the cage to face veteran Max Griffin. The event takes place at the UFC Apex and airs live on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

There’s an experience edge in this one for Griffin (19-9 MMA, 7-7 UFC), who will be entering his 15th bout under the UFC banner. On the other hand, the 24-year-old Morales will step into the UFC’s octagon for just the third time.

“I think his experience is his biggest advantage, someone that has seen a lot in the UFC,” Morales said through an interpreter at Wednesday’s media day. “He comes in wanting to win and so am I. I’m not going back down. It’s a great opportunity to have such an experienced fighter for me to continue to improve in the UFC.”

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Despite signing with the UFC at a young age after his appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021, Morales doesn’t feel pressured to shoot up the rankings quickly, even if successful against Griffin. Instead, his focus is on a steady improvement so he may have a long, successful career.

“I know I have a long way to go, and I never thought that I would be in the UFC at 21 years old,” Morales said. “So I do feel I can improve all the time, and I want to continue to improve. I feel like I can keep doing this for a long time in my career, going into 50 years old.”

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

‘Makes no sense’: Grant Dawson unhappy with PFL pulling ATT teammate Natan Schulte from 2023 season

Grant Dawson gave his two cents on PFL removing ATT teammate Natan Schulte from its 2023 season.

LAS VEGAS – PFL’s decision to overrule their own point system rubbed many the wrong way, including UFC lightweight [autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag].

Last week, the PFL announced that they had removed 2019 PFL champion Natan Schulte from the 2023 lightweight playoffs – even though Schulte had qualified based on his results – as they deemed that Schulte and his opponent Raush Manfio, who’s a close friend and teammate, didn’t put their “best efforts” in the fight, which they are contracted to do.

This pushed Shane Burgos, a former UFC fighter and one of PFL’s biggest signings, into the playoffs after originally being eliminated.

Like many online, Dawson disagrees with the decision and thought his American Top Team teammate shouldn’t have been removed.

“That’s a boycott PFL situation,” Dawson said at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 47 media day. “That makes no sense. They’re two former world champions, two former tournament winners, so for them to fight not even in the tournament, it makes no sense.

“I think that there were some politics that went behind it. I don’t know the whole story, (but) I think there were some politics that went behind it.”

Schulte and Manfio did fight in a lackluster bout, and it was unusual given their styles. Their corners also gave little to no instructions throughout the bout.

Regardless, the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission, which regulated the 2023 PFL 6 event in Atlanta, told MMA Junkie neither Schulte nor Manfio would face any regulatory suspensions beyond medicals for their fight, making the bout above board in terms of regulation of a professional MMA fight.

It was solely PFL’s decision to alter the outcome of what their point system dictated its 2023 playoffs.

“They matched those two up and were hoping that some type of controversy would happen, so that they could slip Shane Burgos into the tournament,” Dawson said. “Again, super happy for Shane, love that dude, but I think that was that kind of situation. I’m really bummed out for Natan.”

Dawson (19-1-1 MMA, 7-0-1 UFC) returns to the cage this Saturday in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN 47. He takes on Damir Ismagulov (24-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) in a lightweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

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

Ariane Lipski honored to have spent UFC on ESPN 47 training camp alongside Amanda Nunes

Ariane Lipski spent much of her UFC on ESPN 47 training camp under the watchful eye of retired women’s MMA GOAT Amanda Nunes.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag] couldn’t have asked for a much better training situation ahead of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 47 bout against Melissa Gatto.

Lipski (15-8 MMA, 4-5 UFC) got the chance to share the gym with recently retired former two-division UFC champion Amanda Nunes in South Florida, and she said it boosted both her physical and mental game prior to sharing the cage with Gatto (8-1-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in their women’s flyweight fight, which takes place at the UFC Apex and airs on ESPN/streams on ESPN+.

“It’s such an inspiration,” Lipski told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 47 media day. “Great opportunity for me, just to see her train the way she does. Had the opportunity to learn from her. She was always there to try to help. Even in her training camp she would still look at me on the mats and mistakes and say, ‘Hey, do this.’ Always trying to give me some advice that could maybe make a better fight. She’s great. I’m a big fan of her and have an opportunity to know her and be a friend of her. It’s an honor for me.”

Lipski, 29, hopes the ideal preparation for her fight will show in the results. It’s been nearly three years since the Brazilian was able to string together consecutive winning results, and after beating JJ Aldrich in March, she hopes the momentum will spill over.

“The way I fight, my style, is always look to finish the fight,” Lipski said. “But I’m becoming a well-rounded fighter, more focused, more technical fight. Every fight the level goes up. My opponent is good. It’s not easy to finish the fight. Sure, I want to. But my focus is win.

To hear more from Lipski, check out her complete UFC on ESPN 47 media day interview above.

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

UFC on ESPN 47’s Ismael Bonfim feels pressure to upstage spectacular KO in debut

Ismael Bonfim delivered a highlight for the ages in his octagon debut, and he wants to produce something even better at UFC on ESPN 47.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Ismael Bonfim[/autotag] delivered a highlight for the ages in his octagon debut in January, and he wants to produce something even better at UFC on ESPN 47.

Bonfim (19-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) stopped Terrance McKinney in spectacular fashion at UFC 283, which was deemed MMA Junkie’s Knockout of the Month. Now he moves on to his sophomore promotional appearance against Benoit Saint-Denis (10-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC), which takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex and airs on ESPN/streams on ESPN+.

The lightweight bout has potential for serious fireworks, and Bonfim knows the world expects him to produce a strong encore from his first appearance in a UFC cage.

“There’s a bit of a pressure because more people see that, they expect you to do that and better,” Bonfim told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 47 media day. “The pressure’s on me to go back and there and go inside and do it even better.”

Bonfim said he expects a “tough fight” against Saint-Denis, but his end goal will be the same as always: Put his opponent away inside the distance.

If Bonfim could do that, he said he anticipates bigger and better matchups going forward. He named Drew Dober and Matt Frevola as two notable lightweights he would like to face in the near future.

“I think with a good performance on Saturday, having another victory like that, I could be facing a ranked fighter or someone very close to the rankings,” Bonfim said. “I do think I deserve that.”

To hear more from Bonfim, check out his complete UFC on ESPN 47 media day interview above.

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

Max Griffin offended by booking against Michael Morales: ‘They’re sending a guy that they think can beat me’

Max Griffin is determined to derail the hype from unbeaten prospect Michael Morales.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Max Griffin[/autotag] is not exactly happy with his matchup against [autotag]Michael Morales[/autotag].

The 37-year-old welterweight veteran is set to take on Michael Morales on the main card of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 47 at the UFC Apex. This booking made Griffin (19-9 MMA, 7-7 UFC) feel like he’s been set up to be a stepping stone for Morales (14-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC), who’s unbeaten and just 24 years old – and that has Griffin fuming.

“I have a thing for these new guys: I get offended,” Griffin told reporters at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 47 media day. “So it’s another guy, 14-0, fought Trevin Giles. That was a terrible fight from Trevin Giles. He beat him in the beginning but burned his arms out, getting sloppy, and got knocked out. … He (Morales) ain’t fought nobody. It’s not even about who y’all fought, but I am me. I am him. I’m not the guy you want to fight when you’re that raw, that new.”

Although there’s something to be said about Morales’s promise and rise, Griffin is not getting caught in a bad career moment. “Pain” is 4-1 in his past five bouts, with the lone defeat coming to Neil Magny in a close, split decision.

Griffin is puzzled to see his opponent favored on the betting odds and is motivated to prove them wrong.

“I think for me, it’s more that they’re sending a guy that they think can beat me, and he’s the favorite,” Griffin said. “I don’t like that. I don’t even know how he is the favorite. Because he’s younger? I don’t know, but my homies are cashing in, I can tell you that. Cash that, baby.”

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

Sean Strickland explains why he accepted Abus Magomedov fight despite having ‘no idea who the f*ck he was’

Sean Strickland explains why he accepted to fight Abus Magomedov despite having ‘no idea who the f*ck he was.’

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] alleges to have no clue who he’s fighting, yet he’s still fighting.

The UFC middleweight contender takes on [autotag]Abus Magomedov[/autotag] in the main event of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 47 at the UFC Apex. Just days away from fighting Magomedov (25-4-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Strickland (26-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) claims to not know much of what he’s getting himself into.

“I’m happy with Abus, but I don’t really know much about the guy,” Strickland told reporters at the UFC on ESPN 47 media day on Wednesday. “Do you have any pointers for me?”

Amid his now-typical vulgar rants, Strickland explained how the fight came together and why he accepted someone that wasn’t on his radar despite wanting a bigger name.

“I had no idea who the f*ck he was,” Strickland said. “So I’ve been hounding the UFC to fight, I even offered to do 205, but Mick (Maynard) didn’t want me to f*ck up the rankings because there are a lot of 205ers I’d f*ck up. So I had a conversation with Mick, and he pretty much offered me a couple of ranked guys. I said yes to them, they said no.

“So I had a choice: I either wait eight f*cking months or I f*cking fight. The money was right and here we are. I mean, we all fight for money. If the dollar is right, I will f*cking do it. We came to good terms and good pay, and here we are fighting Abus.”

The fight will be Strickland’s second of the year, and also his third-straight headlining spot. Although he lost a split decision to former title challenger Jared Cannonier in December, he bounced back into the win column against Nassourdine Imavov in the marquee spot of the promotion’s first event of the year at UFC Fight Night 217.

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

Kevin Lee 2.0? He’s ready to show ‘bigger, stronger, more mature, faster version’ in second UFC stint

Kevin Lee returns to the octagon at UFC on ESPN 47 with something to prove after he was released in late 2021.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag] will return to the octagon at UFC on ESPN 47 with one main thought on his mind.

“I’m excited to test my skills, come out here and perform against the best in the world,” Lee told reporters, including MMA Junkie, during Wednesday’s media day at the UFC Apex. “That’s the only thing that I’m interested in. I love this sport. That was the ultimate decider in me coming back.”

For his first scene in the sequel to his UFC career, Lee (19-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC) is moving up to welterweight to fight unranked Rinat Fakhretdinov (21-2 MMA, 2-0) in the featured prelim. It’s a sort of humbling restart considering where Lee has ventured before in the UFC. But then again, the promotion didn’t just release him for no reason.

Lee, 30, was rising star on a five-fight winning streak when he fought Tony Ferguson for the interim UFC lightweight title in October 2017. After losing by third-round submission, Lee went 2-4 in his next six fights before the UFC released him after an August 2021 loss to Daniel Rodriguez.

Lee said he hasn’t really fought to his potential since a November 2019 Knockout of the Year contender against Gregor Gillespie at UFC 244. Even in his win outside the UFC, a unanimous decision against Diego Sanchez at Eagle FC 46 in March 2022, Lee said he wasn’t himself coming off knee surgery.

“The fans haven’t really seen me since I fought Charles Oliveira (in March 2020), and they’re gonna see a different version of me in this fight,” Lee said. “A bigger, stronger, more mature, faster version. I’m excited to show that I’ve been in the dark for these three years, and now I get to come to the light.”

Lee, who goes by the moniker “Motown Phenom,” always has been considered physically gifted, which is why expectations were high early in his UFC career. His biggest issue, he said, has always been the mental aspect, but he feels right after joining Kill Cliff MMA in South Florida.

“Mentally I feel more clear, more clarity. I feel more put together,” Lee said. “I think you’re gonna see a much more experienced me, and I think that’s what’s really gonna show through in this fight. He hasn’t fought anybody at this level. I might not have fought for a while, but I’ve got 18 fights in the UFC against former world champions, against current world champions, against a lot of different dudes. I think me relying on experience and being a strong, still athletic guy is going to shine through.”

He continued, “I’ve got unproved and unfinished business over here that I’ve got to get to. I don’t care too much about stepping into the spotlight. I don’t care too much about the media attention. I don’t care too much about the fans. I appreciate everbody that supports me, don’t get me wrong. But at the end of the day, it’s about something bigger than that. I’ve got a son now, and I want him to be my biggest fan. For him to do that, I’ve got to be my biggest fan, so that’s the only thing I’m worried about.”

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

Rinat Fakhretdinov initially thought UFC on ESPN 47 booking vs. Kevin Lee was ‘a prank’

Rinat Fakhretdinov had to do a double take when he was offered a matchup with the returning Kevin Lee at UFC on ESPN 47.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Rinat Fakhretdinov[/autotag] had to do a double take when he was offered a matchup with Kevin Lee at UFC on ESPN 47.

Fakhretdinov (20-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) admits he was caught off guard when the promotion came to him with a fight against Lee (19-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC), who is set to make his return to the octagon Saturday at the UFC Apex after nearly two years away. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

“The first thought I had was, ‘Is this a prank? No way. Kevin Lee?'” Fakhretdinov told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 47 media day. “I thought they were going to call me and say, ‘No, you get a different opponent.’ Then I realized it was for real and I really was happy about it. He’s got a big name, he’s a former title challenger, he’s got a lot of media following, and he’s an important fighter. So, I was really happy to fight with him, and I’m excited to stand and bang with him.”

Since Lee made his UFC debut more than nine years ago, his talent and potential have been clear. He’s failed to meet expectations at times, but after changing gyms, management and winning one fight outside the promotion, he is back in hopes of starting another run.

Fakhretdinov is aware of all the ups and downs “The Motown Phenom” has endured, but he’s preparing for the best version of Lee.

“I’m not worried about the fact his record has losses,” Fakhretdinov said. “We have many champions in the different parts of MMA that has had losses before. I’m not thinking because he has losses he’s a weaker fighter or a worse fighter. I think he’s a strong fighter. It’s all about his preparation. How seriously did he take this fight? Is he going to come out? What kind of Kevin Lee is going to come out?”

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Fakhretdinov enters UFC on ESPN 47 riding a 19-fight winning streak. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since June 2013, and just two fights into his UFC tenure is starting to garner attention as a potential future welterweight contender.

He wants to meet those expectations, and said being more active will be key to climbing the ranks. If he wins this fight, he hopes for another step up at 170 pounds.

“I think it really depends on what kind of win it’s going to be,” Fakhretdinov said. “If it’s going to be a submission, if it’s going to be a knockout, if it’s going to be a quick one. But I think that at least I’m going to be put in the top 20 with this win and I’m going to ask for a fight in Abu Dhabi. And hopefully in Abu Dhabi I’ll be able to fight someone in the top 15. My goal this year is to be in the top 15.

To hear more from Fakhretdinov, check out his complete UFC on ESPN 47 media day interview above.

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

Video: UFC on ESPN 47 media day interviews

Before UFC on ESPN 47 on Saturday, 14 athletes from the card are scheduled to speak to reporters Wednesday at media day.

LAS VEGAS – The UFC schedule for July kicks off Saturday with UFC on ESPN 47, which takes place at the UFC Apex with a card that airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

A middleweight bout serves as the main event, with [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (26-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) taking on [autotag]Abus Magomedov[/autotag] (25-4-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) in a matchup between one established contender and an opponent looking to make a splash in just his second octagon appearance.

Before fight night arrives, though, 14 athletes from this weekend’s card spoke to reporters Wednesday at media day.

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

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

UFC on ESPN 47 pre-event facts: Kevin Lee returns with records intact

The best facts and figures about UFC on ESPN 47, which sees Kevin Lee return to the promotion with records on his resume.

The UFC’s rampant summer schedule continued on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 47, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and airs on ESPN/streams on ESPN+.

Opening a four-event lineup in July will be a middleweight headliner between [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (26-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) and [autotag]Abus Magomedov[/autotag] (25-4-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who are scheduled for five rounds.

For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s prevent facts about UFC on ESPN 47.

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