Tag: UFC on ESPN 52

Daniel Cormier couldn’t have imagined Sean Brady’s ‘absolute shutout’ of Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Austin

Daniel Cormier was pleasantly surprised and “so impressed” with how dominant Sean Brady looked against Kelvin Gastelum.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] was surprised with how dominant [autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag] looked vs. [autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag].

Brady (16-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) submitted Gastelum (18-9 MMA, 12-9 UFC) this past Saturday at UFC on ESPN 52. After two rounds of complete control on the ground, Brady cinched in the Kimura submission in Round 3.

Cormier compared Brady’s performance to his lopsided win over Dan Henderson in 2014, when Cormier also rag-dolled his opponent then submitted him late.

“Sean Brady pitched an absolute shutout,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “I couldn’t have imagined that he would fight that good. I’m telling you guys, the last time I saw a dominant performance like that with the grappling, it was mine. It was when I fought Dan Henderson.

“Everything that Kelvin Gastelum was gonna do, it’s like Sean Brady knew and was a step ahead of him – everything. Everything he did, he was a step ahead of him. It was an amazing performance for a kid that people were starting to question because of the way he lost to Belal Muhammad.”

Prior to beating Gastelum, Brady suffered his first-career loss to Belal Muhammad by TKO at UFC 280. He was able to rebound in emphatic fashion.

“For a kid that people were starting to question for the way he lost to Belal Muhammad, they said he wasn’t very good, but this guy is (16-1) now,” Cormier continued. “He was 15-0, and people were saying, ‘Well, this guy is not that good.’

“I don’t know if that was to knock Belal or if they really believed that this kid wasn’t that good. I was so impressed. I was sitting talking to Bisping, and I’m like, ‘Dude, I don’t think people recognize what they are witnessing in this performance by Sean Brady.'”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.

Video: Did Arman Tsarukyan shake up the UFC lightweight title picture?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” debates if Arman Tsarukyan’s performance at UFC on ESPN 52 is worthy of jumping the line to a title shot.

[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] could not have asked for a better outcome against Beniel Dariush at UFC on ESPN 52.

Entering the week looking to make a statement, Tsarukyan did exactly that by finishing Dariush with a furious combination 64 seconds into the first round. After the fight, Tsarukyan felt confident his call for a title shot against Islam Makhachev would be heard.

If granted, that would mean the 27-year-old Armenian would jump over a couple of contenders in wait. Based on the current UFC’s promotional rankings, Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier are ahead.

Could the UFC opt for a fresh title matchup in this position? While it wouldn’t be the first time Tsarukyan has shared the cage with Makhchev, it would be a new contender getting his shot at gold.

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Our “Spinning Back Clique” panelists Dan Tom, Matthew Wells, and Brian “Goze” Garcia discuss Tsarukyan’s chances of jumping the line with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

Check out their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss the most recent entire episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube or in podcast form.

 

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Dec. 5: Arman Tsarukyan enters top 5

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC on ESPN 52 in Austin, Texas.

The UFC’s latest road trip to Austin, Texas produced a few changes in this week’s rankings update.

In the main event of UFC on ESPN 52, [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] torched Beneil Dariush in just 64 seconds with a furious combination. He now has his sights set on a title shot, and firmly inserted his name into the mix. Entering the week at No. 12 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie lightweight rankings, Tsarukyan claims Dariush’s old spot at No. 5 in this week’s update.

Former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo was also in action at the event, making his bantamweight debut against Rob Font. After a clear decision victory, Figueiredo emerges in the bantamweight rankings at No. 12, with Font dropping from No. 9 to No. 13.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.

Michael Bisping recalls ‘madness’ of watching ref allow Bobby Green to get unnecessarily pummeled at UFC Austin

Michael Bisping was says he was “in shock” by what he saw from referee Kerry Hatley in the Jalin Turner-Bobby Green fight at UFC Austin.

UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] believes [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] took too much unnecessary damage in his loss to [autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag].

Green (31-15-1 MMA, 12-10-1 UFC) was knocked out by Turner (14-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC) in this past Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 52 co-headliner in which where he took plenty of unanswered strikes. Turner floored Green with a one-two combination then had to rain down plenty of follow-up shots before referee Kerry Hatley finally stepped in.

Hatley has taken a lot of heat for letting Green absorb too much damage. Bisping, who was on commentary duty, wants to give Hatley the benefit of the doubt but believes he needed to do a much better job of assessing the fight-ending sequence.

“He is pretty much out, unconscious right there, but of course the referee didn’t stop the fight,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “Jalin Turner follows him down, boom, boom, a few more punches, gets on top of him, Bobby Green is face down on the canvas, and Jalin Turner has no choice but to continue to rain down potentially – well very, very bloody traumatic blows. Not potentially, they were heavy punches. They were knockout power punches, one after the other after the other and the whole arena, all of the commentators, everyone around the octagon was in shock.

“The referee, I don’t know his name and he is a good referee, he is OK, but that was madness. That was insane. Bobby Green was unconscious, and he took about nine or 10 unnecessary blows. The commission have got to have a word with that guy. Maybe from his angle he couldn’t quite see it right. Maybe he couldn’t see that Bobby Green was unconscious, but he did go unconscious a couple of times, and some of the punches brought him back around.”

Like fellow commentator Daniel Cormier, Bisping called the stoppage one of the worst he’s ever seen.

“Fighter safety is supposed to be paramount,” Bisping continued. “That was not good. That was an awful stoppage. One of the worst, if not the worst that I can remember in recent memory. It might not be the worst, but from what I can remember and maybe it’s recency bias, that was the worst stoppage I’ve ever seen, man.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.

Gilbert Burns ‘very, very impressed’ by Sean Brady’s UFC Austin submission win over Kelvin Gastelum

Gilbert Burns gives props to Sean Brady for the way he dominated Kelvin Gastelum at UFC on ESPN 52.

There might not be a higher compliment for a grappler in the UFC than catching the attention of Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion and top UFC welterweight [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag].

[autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag] did just that this past Saturday with his dominant submission win over Kelvin Gastelum at UFC on ESPN 52 in Austin, Texas. Burns was taken away by the level of grappling Brady displayed.

“I was very, very impressed,” Burns told MMA Junkie in an interview facilitated by Stake.com. “We have a lot of common friends, me and Sean Brady, so I’ve heard he’s very, very good. Whenever I saw that first round and I saw he took down Kelvin Gastelum so easy, I kind of predicted that he’s going to take him down over and over again, and he’s going to be on top.

“I said, I didn’t tweet it out or anything, but I thought he might get a finish by the end of the fight because Kelvin is going to get so tired by the end of the fight because Kelvin is going to get so tired by that pressure from top. I thought eventually Sean Brady was going to cook him and get a finish. But wow, I was impressed with the way Sean Brady did.”

This was an important fight for Brady, given that it marked his return to the cage in more than a year. The last time he was seen in the octagon prior to Saturday, Brady suffered his first professional defeat by TKO to Belal Muhammad at UFC 280.

Burns believes that fight would look much different if they were to fight again.

“I think if Sean Brady fights Belal Muhammad again, that fight might be different,” Burns said. “I heard from Sean Brady that he got so messed up with the jet lag and all the things. That’s another one that I want to see again.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.

UFC Austin winner Joaquim Silva lauds Clay Guida’s toughness, believes he’d beat Arman Tsarukyan with full camp

After a hard-fought win against a gritty Clay Guida at UFC on ESPN 52, Joaquim Silva was happy with what he proved to himself.

AUSTIN, Texas – [autotag]Joaquim Silva[/autotag] defeated Clay Guida by unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN 52 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

Take a look inside the fight with Silva, who got back in the win column after an entertaining scrap with the veteran.

Dustin Stoltzfus had to work past pressure of recent skid to upset Soriano at UFC Austin

Dustin Stoltzfus’ submission of Punahele Soriano was the biggest upset at UFC on ESPN 52.

AUSTIN, Texas – [autotag]Dustin Stoltzfus[/autotag] beat Punahele Soriano with a second-round submission Saturday to open up the main card at UFC on ESPN 52 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

Take a look inside the fight with Stoltzfus, who pulled off the event’s biggest upset.

Veronica Hardy talks self-growth, husband Dan’s importance for UFC Austin win

Veronica Hardy hopes her upgrade in preparation will continue to pay dividends.

AUSTIN, Texas – [autotag]Veronica Hardy[/autotag] beat Jamey-Lyn Horth with a split decision Saturday to open up the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 52 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

Take a look inside the fight with Hardy, who now has back-to-back wins for the first time in more than seven years.

UFC on ESPN 52 reactions: Winning and losing fighters on social media

UFC on ESPN 52 winners and losers react on social media outlets such as X, Instagram and Facebook.

Since the early days when the sport was anything but a mainstream endeavor, the MMA industry has thrived and survived through various websites, forums, and – perhaps most importantly – social-media platforms.

Fighters interact with fans, each other and many more through the likes of X, Facebook and Instagram, which helps outsiders get a deeper look into the minds of the athletes.

Following Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 52 in Austin, Texas, several of the winning and losing fighters, along with their coaches, training partners or family members, took to social media to react to the event or share a message with supporters.

Check out some of those reactions.

Jalin Turner fires back at Renato Moicano’s ‘corny’ callout: ‘You’re not Conor McGregor’

Jalin Turner slams Renato Moicano for calling him out.

AUSTIN, Texas – [autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag] has slammed [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] for calling him out.

Turner (14-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC) scored a first-round knockout of Bobby Green (31-15-1 MMA, 12-10-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 52 co-headliner at Moody Center. Moments after the fight, Moicano posted on social media to issue Turner a challenge.

“Hey @danawhite I saw that co main event Renato Moicano vs @JalinTurner let’s keep this fight… first round KO… no injuries… congrats turner see you Feb…. #UFCAustin @ufc.”

Turner wasn’t amused by Moicano’s (17-5-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) callout.

“That fool’s been calling everybody out,” Turner told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “It’s all he do – call everybody out. Anybody that wins, he wants to call out. That’s annoying, bro. Stop doing that. I don’t know why these fighters keep doing that. It’s corny, bro. You’re not Conor McGregor. Stop trying to have everybody’s name in your mouth. That’s weird.”

Moicano was referring to a leaked image of the UFC’s “War Room” that showed the promotion’s plans to book Moicano vs. Turner at a Feb. 10 UFC Fight Night event. But after Dan Hooker was forced out of his bout against Green in this past Saturday’s event, Turner received the short-notice call.

Moicano hasn’t competed since submitting Brad Riddell in the first round in November 2022. The 34-year-old has won three of his past four, all by submission.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.