Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from July 2023.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from July 2023: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for July.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submission from July 2023.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from July 2023: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Submission of the Month award for July.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.
UFC lightweight Elves Brener refuses to get too big for his britches after scoring the biggest win of his career so far.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Elves Brener[/autotag] refuses to get too big for his britches after scoring the biggest win of his career so far.
Brener (15-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC) came into his UFC on ESPN 48 bout with Guram Kutateladze (12-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) as a significant betting underdog at +500. He was given next to no chance of victory, but then he went through the fire and scored a third-round TKO win in the lightweight bout that netting him Fight of the Night honors.
It was a massive result for the 25-year-old, who is a primary training partner of former UFC champ Charles Oliveira at Chute Boxe in Brazil, but it’s not a win that will disrupt his focus or ego.
“I want to go step by step,” Brener told MMA Junkie Radio through an interpreter at UFC X Radio Row earlier this month. “A few weeks ago nobody knows who I am, but right now you can see my pictures, my Instagram – everything is growing so big. But it’s step by step.”
Part of keeping humble is not calling anyone out just yet. He’s only had two fights inside the UFC to this point, and although both wins were significant, he still sees himself in a position where the UFC brass should guide his development.
“I know the UFC is going to pick a good guy for the next fight for me,” Brener said. “I’m ready for whoever is coming next.”
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Sean Strickland has won back-to-back main events, and continues to climb in the middleweight rankings.
UFC middleweight contender [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] is getting closer to the top of the division.
At UFC on ESPN 48, Strickland overcame adversity in the first round to finish Abus Magomedov with a flurry of punches in the second frame. The win was Strickland’s second main event victory of the year, after kicking off 2023 with a unanimous decision win over Nassourdine Imavov.
Entering the week at No. 7, Strickland now settles in at No. 6, overtaking Marvin Vettori.
Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.
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.
Grant Dawson thinks his style poses problems for Damir Ismagulov at UFC on ESPN 48, and eyes taking on top 10 opponents by year’s end.
[autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] thinks his style poses problems for [autotag]Damir Ismagulov[/autotag].
Dawson (19-1-1 MMA, 7-0-1 UFC) meets fellow ranked lightweight Damir Ismagulov (24-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) at UFC on ESPN 48 on July 1 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Ismagulov recently saw his 19-fight winning streak snapped by Arman Tsarukyan. He briefly retired after the loss citing health issues as the cause, before walking his decision back. But even at 100 percent, Dawson is confident he has his number.
“I don’t think he was exposed,” Dawson told MMA Junkie Radio. “He keeps telling people he was sick that night, that he had health issues, and I believe him. I absolutely believe him. However, if we believe him that he was sick that night, and now he’s healthy and 100 percent, the outcome of this fight, there’s no excuses.
“So, if he’s 100 percent – which I believe he is, we go in there and I beat him, there’s no excuses after that. I’m expecting the best Damir Ismagulov, but I think just stylistically, I’m a bad matchup for him.”
Dawson’s UFC career has been impressive so far, but inactivity has halted his momentum. But if he can get past Ismagulov, he expects a big-name opponent next.
“First off I gotta beat Damir,” Dawson said. “And I think a big win over him, especially a finish over him which is what I’m aiming for – I’m definitely expecting this to go three rounds, but obviously if I can get him out of there, I think that’s going to catapult me in front of a couple of people. My plan is to fight somebody in the top 10 by December.
“So I beat Damir, I get ranked top 12, maybe a little bit higher, and then I go for somebody in the top 10. I’m thinking Beneil Dariush. I know that the Chandler and Conor fight isn’t happening. So, if the UFC wants me to keep Chandler warm, that’ll be something that I’m very interested in as well. However, Damir has my undivided attention right now.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 48.
Grant Dawson would love the opportunity to fight Rafael dos Anjos someday.
[autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] would love the opportunity to fight [autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag].
Dawson (19-1-1 MMA, 7-0-1 UFC) is on the rise at 155 pounds and will look to continue his ascent up the ladder when he meets Damir Ismagulov on July 1 at UFC on ESPN 48. He hopes a win can propel him to a name like Justin Gaethje.
After submitting Mark Madsen in his past outing, Dawson called out Tony Ferguson. He didn’t end up getting the fight but said names like Ferguson or former UFC lightweight champion and current welterweight dos Anjos (33-14 MMA, 21-12 UFC) are what he’d love to have on his resume.
“The goal for me is to be a world champion and then there’s a bunch of little side goals there,” Dawson told MMA Junkie. “I would love to fight with RDA. He was one of my favorite fighters growing up. That one is purely for myself to be like, ‘Wow, this is really cool. We’ve made it. I’m playing catch with Brett Favre’ type of situation. But he went up to 170, so it’s kind of like, ‘Eh, maybe I can get Tony (Ferguson),’ and then it was like no.”
Dos Anjos is not a fight Dawson will immediately chase, but he’s open to entertain a future move up to welterweight just to get that fight.
“Down the line when maybe title implications aren’t on the line so much, I’d like to go to 170 and maybe test myself against him,” Dawson said. “But that’s me lying awake at night thinking about what ifs.”
Dos Anjos, who’s coming off a submission of Bryan Barberena at UFC on ESPN 42 in December, meets Vicente Luque on Aug. 12.
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Grant Dawson breaks down his path to the UFC lightweight belt.
[autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] has his road to the UFC lightweight belt mapped out – and he’s off to a good start.
Entering 2023 on an 11-fight unbeaten streak, which includes seven wins in the UFC, Dawson (19-1-1 MMA, 7-0-1 UFC) believes he’s just two good wins away from the ultimate goal. And it all starts on July 1 when he takes on ranked lightweight Damir Ismagulov at UFC on ESPN 48.
“I’m super happy about it,” Dawson told MMA Junkie regarding his matchup against Ismagulov. “He’s ranked No. 12 in the world, and I think that it’s one of those fights where the winner gets propelled into the top seven.
“I think a win over him, I’m looking at fighting Justin Gaethje next, and hopefully after that a title fight. It’s one of those situations where this fight happens, I win this fight, and my dream is coming true right around the corner.”
Dawson said he knows he can’t just get by Ismagulov in order to get a big name like Gaethje. That’s why he plans on making a statement in becoming the first man to stop the Russian in his 26-fight career.
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“I think I’m going to be the first person to finish Ismagulov in the octagon,” Dawson said. “I think that he’s a very good fighter, he’s a very technical fighter, he’s a very skilled fighter, and he is tough as nails. However, I think stylistically, I’m just a very bad matchup for him and I think I’m going to be the first person that finishes him.”
Often times, fighters are hesitant to call out names and much less lay out their path to the title in a public manner. However, Dawson hasn’t had an issue trying to pick fights in the UFC, and he doesn’t understand why many fighters don’t do the same.
“It’s kind of weird for people to only do it step by step,” Dawson said. “I think it’s weird to not think about the future, not think about, ‘Oh, once I win this fight, what comes next?.’
“Obviously, I’m always ready to adapt, so if something goes wrong or something happens or there’s an opponent change, I’m ready to adapt. But it’s fun to think about, ‘I do this, this is what’s going to happen, and then I reach my goal.’ The end goal is always to be a world champion.”
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