Cynthia Calvillo: If fight hits the canvas, ‘it’s game over’ for Marina Rodriguez at UFC on ESPN 7

Cynthia Calvillo thinks it will be a short night for Marina Rodriguez if their fight hits the canvas at UFC on ESPN 7 in Washington.

[autotag]Cynthia Calvillo[/autotag] is confident she has a major advantage in the grappling department going into her next fight.

Calvillo (8-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) takes on the undefeated Marina Rodriguez (12-0-1 MMA, 2-0-1 UFC) at UFC on ESPN 7 next week and thinks if the fight hits the canvas, it will be a short night for Rodriguez.

“I feel like it’s going to be a fun fight standing, but if it hits the ground, it’s going to be game over,” Calvillo told MMA Junkie. “So if I get that opportunity to take her down, it’s going to be a quick finish for sure.

“Its going to be ground by elbows, first round ground-and-pound. It goes down, it’s going to be over. There’s going to be a submission or ground and pound. She’s either going to get stopped with a ground-and-pound TKO, or she’s just going to turn around and give me her neck.”

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Originally scheduled to take on former UFC strawweight title challenger Claudia Gadelha, Calvillo faces a different stylistic matchup in Rodriguez, but is confident in her preparation. She has spent a little more than two months in Thailand at the renowned Tiger Muay Thai gym in preparation for the fight.

Despite losing out on the Gadelha fight, she still thinks Rodriguez is a formidable opponent.

“She’s 12-0 for a reason,” Calvillo said. “She is a muay Thai champ, and she did beat some notable names. She did beat Tecia Torres in her last match. She looked great, and I think it would be awesome for me to beat an undefeated fighter at 12-0 who’s ranked above me. So I think it’s an opportunity for me to really make a statement.”

There is also the perk of taking the zero away from an undefeated fighter’s record, a feeling Calvillo knows all too well.

“I was there – I was her when I was fighting Carla Esparza, and then I kind of got stopped (and) slowed back a little bit,” Calvillo said. “(It) was just more of a learning lesson, but I feel like it’s just one of those things. She’s coming up (and) I’ve already been in the UFC for a while. I do think she’s a dangerous fighter and she’s hungry, and I think she understands how important this opportunity is to fight me. And on top of that also, being a co-main event – I’m super thankful to be able to have that spot, a co-main event in our nation’s capital.”

Calvillo’s loss to Esparza is her only career blemish. Since that loss, she was able to rebound with back-to-back wins over Poliana Botelho and, most recently, Cortney Casey in February.

In Rodriguez, she takes on another taller and rangier striker, but preparing at a camp like Tiger Muay Thai has allowed her to further develop her striking skills.

“She’s a dangerous fighter,” Calvillo said. “I feel like it’s a great fight for me to be able to really showcase what I have. I feel like sometimes I’ve had really tough or awkward fighters when it comes to striking, and I haven’t been able to really showcase what my striking is just because everybody’s been different. Styles make fights, and I think this is a great fight where I’m strong in my grappling and submission wrestling, but I’ve also been in Thailand for the last nine weeks getting ready and training non-stop, striking.”

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Jacob Kilburn replaces Chris Fishgold against Billy Quarantillo at UFC on ESPN 7

It didn’t take long for Billy Quarantillo to get a new opponent for UFC on ESPN 7.

It didn’t take long for [autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag] to get a new opponent for UFC on ESPN 7.

“Dana White’s Contender Series” season 2 signee Quarantillo (12-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will now face season 1 competitor [autotag]Jacob Kilburn[/autotag] on Dec. 7.

Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an announcement.

UFC on ESPN 7 takes place Dec. 7 at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. The card airs on ESPN following early prelims on ESPN+.

Kilburn (8-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will replace former Cage Warriors champion Chris Fishgold, who withdrew from the event earlier this week for unknown reasons.

New York’s Quarantillo is riding a five-fight win streak entering his showdown with Kilburn. In his most recent fight in July, Quarantillo punched his ticket to the UFC when he defeated surging Arizonan Kamuela Kirk by third-round TKO.

In 2018, Kilburn was one solid performance away from being inked to the UFC. However, Bobby Moffett played the spoiler when he submitted Kilburn in the second round at DWCS 16.

Since DWCS, Kilburn has won back-to-back fights by TKO – both under the Island Fights banner. In his most recent outing in October, Kilburn finished Javanis J. Ross by strikes in 94 seconds.

With the change to the card, the UFC on ESPN 7 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN, 9 p.m. ET)

Alistair Overeem vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Cynthia Calvillo vs. Marina Rodriguez
Ben Rothwell vs. Stefan Struve
Yana Kunitskaya vs. Aspen Ladd
Cody Stamann vs. Song Yadong
Rob Font vs. Ricky Simon

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, 7 p.m. ET)

Thiago Alves vs. Tim Means
Jacob Kilburn vs. Billy Quarantillo
Bryce Mitchell vs. Matt Sayles
Joe Solecki vs. Matt Wiman

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5:30 p.m. ET)

Virna Jandiroba vs. Mallory Martin
Makhmud Muradov vs. Trevor Smith

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Mallory Martin steps in to face Virna Jandiroba at UFC on ESPN 7

Mallory Martin wasn’t granted a contract this past summer on DWCS, but she didn’t have to wait long for a UFC offer.

[autotag]Mallory Martin[/autotag] wasn’t granted a contract this past summer on Dana White’s Contender Series, but she didn’t have to wait long for a UFC offer.

A veteran of Invicta FC and LFA, Martin (6-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) takes on former Invicta champ [autotag]Virna Jandiroba[/autotag] (14-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at UFC on ESPN 7. Martin will replace [autotag]Livia Renata Souza[/autotag], who withdrew from the bout due to a back injury.

A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the news to MMA Junkie following an initial report from MMA Fighting.

UFC on ESPN 7 takes place Dec. 7 at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. The card airs on ESPN following early prelims on ESPN+.

Martin has won five straight fights entering UFC on ESPN 7. Her two career losses both came in 2017, suffered at the hands of Maycee Barber and Sunna Daviosdottir.

Jirandoba made her promotional debut in April at UFC on ESPN+ 8, where she lost to former UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza by unanimous decision.

MAIN CARD (ESPN, 9 p.m. ET)

Alistair Overeem vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Cynthia Calvillo vs. Marina Rodriguez
Ben Rothwell vs. Stefan Struve
Yana Kunitskaya vs. Aspen Ladd
Cody Stamann vs. Song Yadong
Rob Font vs. Ricky Simon

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, 7 p.m. ET)

Thiago Alves vs. Tim Means
Billy Quarantillo vs. TBA
Bryce Mitchell vs. Matt Sayles
Joe Solecki vs. Matt Wiman

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5:30 p.m. ET)

Virna Jandiroba vs. Mallory Martin
Makhmud Muradov vs. Trevor Smith

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Mickey Gall removed from UFC on ESPN 7 after Carlos Condit’s withdrawal

Mickey Gall won’t fight at UFC on ESPN 7, after all.

[autotag]Mickey Gall[/autotag] won’t fight at UFC on ESPN 7, after all.

Gall (6-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) originally was scheduled to meet Carlos Condit (30-13 MMA, 7-9 UFC) in a welterweight bout on next week’s card, but the former interim UFC champion had to pull out of the matchup because of an eye injury.

There were discussions about finding a replacement opponent for Gall, but ultimately it didn’t come to fruition. A UFC official on Tuesday told MMA Junkie that Gall will not compete at the event.

UFC on ESPN 7 takes place Dec. 7 at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. The card airs on ESPN following early prelims on ESPN+.

With Gall off the card, the revised bout order for UFC on ESPN 7 includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN, 9 p.m. ET)

Alistair Overeem vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Cynthia Calvillo vs. Marina Rodriguez
Ben Rothwell vs. Stefan Struve
Yana Kunitskaya vs. Aspen Ladd
Cody Stamann vs. Song Yadong
Rob Font vs. Ricky Simon

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, 7 p.m. ET)

Thiago Alves vs. Tim Means
Billy Quarantillo vs. TBA
Bryce Mitchell vs. Matt Sayles
Joe Solecki vs. Matt Wiman

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5:30 p.m. ET)

Virna Jandiroba vs. Mallory Martin
Makhmud Muradov vs. Trevor Smith

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Chris Fishgold out of UFC on ESPN 7 fight against Billy Quarantillo

Chris Fishgold’s fourth promotional appearance will have to wait.

[autotag]Chris Fishgold[/autotag]’s fourth promotional appearance will have to wait.

The featherweight fighter has been forced to withdraw from his UFC on ESPN 7 bout on Dec. 7 against [autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag].

Monday, Fishgold (18-3-1 MMA, 1-2 UFC) announced his withdrawal in a now-expired Instagram story. He did not give any reason for the withdrawal, but said he would like to be back soon.

“Unfortunately, I won’t be fighting on UFC Washington next week. Fingers crossed (I’ll) be back fighting soon,” Fishgold wrote.

A former Cage Warriors champion, Fishgold has bookended his lone promotional victory with two losses. In his debut, Fishgold lost by TKO to Calvin Kattar.

Fishgold rebounded in February with a win over Daniel Teymur, but dropped his next fight to Makwan Amirkhani in June.

As for Quarantillo (12-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), the Tampa-based fighter has yet to compete in the UFC since signing with the promotion. Quarantillo earned his shot at UFC notoriety when he defeated Kamuela Kirk on this past season of Dana White’s Contender Series.

The UFC on ESPN 7 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN, 9 p.m. ET)

Alistair Overeem vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Cynthia Calvillo vs. Marina Rodriguez
Ben Rothwell vs. Stefan Struve
Yana Kunitskaya vs. Aspen Ladd
Cody Stamann vs. Song Yadong
Rob Font vs. Ricky Simon

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, 7 p.m. ET)

Thiago Alves vs. Tim Means
Billy Quarantillo vs. TBA
Bryce Mitchell vs. Matt Sayles
Joe Solecki vs. Matt Wiman

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5:30 p.m. ET)

Virna Jandiroba vs. Mallory Martin
Makhmud Muradov vs. Trevor Smith

A love-hate relationship: Ricky Simon reminded of MMA’s emotional conflicts entering UFC on ESPN 7

Ricky Simon was reminded why he loves and hates MMA in the aftermath of his July loss to Urijah Faber.

After [autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag] lost to Urijah Faber at UFC on ESPN+ 13, he was nothing short of devastated.

A near four-to-one betting favorite entering the fight, Simon (15-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) was finished by the UFC Hall of Famer due to strikes 46 seconds into the opening round of their July bout. Initially demoralized, Simon was reminded of why he hates MMA. And also, why he loves it.

“I was heartbroken,” Simon told MMA Junkie. “I set very high standards for myself and it just sucks when you put in so much work and you really think something is going to go a certain way. That’s why I hate and love the sport. It wouldn’t be so much fun if it you didn’t get the pit in your stomach realizing something like that can happen.

“I’m thankful for the experience, but losses always suck. We train our asses off, so when it doesn’t go your way, it definitely is a tough pill to swallow.”

Simon has come to terms with the Faber loss – so much so, he can joke about it. He has been able to find humor within the finish, and in particular, what transpired just prior.

“I talk a lot when I fight,” Simon said. “Nothing too disrespectful or anything, but I like to talk. I was talking to Urijah in there a little bit and I even – this is the best part. I see him loading up on the right hand, so I told him, ‘Oh, here comes the Urijah Faber overhand right.’ Then he circled and I circled right into it. I think I was just a little too excited and he landed a great shot.”

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On Dec. 7, Simon returns to the cage when he takes on fellow ranked bantamweight Rob Font at UFC on ESPN 7. If fight fans are writing him off, Simon said he’s ready to provide a “Y’all must have forgot” moment.

“It’s crazy, I was a pretty heavy favorite over Urijah Faber and I had a lot of hype going into that last fight,” Simon said. “But MMA fans are forgetful. They’ll jump off real quick, so let me remind them. Let me remind them Dec. 7 against Rob Font. I’ll let them know I belong here.

“Things happen, but I’m going to keep doing what I do, train my ass off and beat people up when it comes time to.”

A fight against Font (16-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) is one Simon has been requesting for almost a year. In February, Simon called for a fight against Font, which never materialized. Instead, the two fighters were booked in divergent directions. Ten months later, they’ll meet with the same stakes, at least according to Simon.

“He had some fights that fell out and then I got the Faber fight,” Simon said. “This is a fight that was supposed to happen a little earlier on. He’s in a great spot. He’s number 10.

“I set a goal for myself to hit top 10 this year. Even with the bump in the road last July, I’m going to be on track to hit that in 2019.”

UFC on ESPN 7 takes place at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The main card airs on ESPN after prelims on ESPN+.

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Jairzinho Rozenstruik in awe of quick UFC rise: ‘Damn, I know those guys from my PlayStation’

Jairzinho Rozenstruik is enjoying the ride ahead of the biggest – and unexpected – opportunity of his career.

[autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag]’s rise through the UFC heavyweight division has been a quick one, and things might just get even faster next month.

The Surinamese fighter began his career in the UFC back in February, scoring a second-round TKO victory over Junior Albini at UFC on ESPN+ 2 in Brazil. Since his debut, Rozenstruik (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has picked up first-round knockouts over Allen Crowder and most recently former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski.

And just a couple of days after the biggest win of his career at UFC 244, Rozenstruik was slotted to face another legendary name in the game. The unbeaten heavyweight replaced Walt Harris, who’s in search of his missing step-daughter, to take on [autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag] (45-17 MMA, 10-6 UFC) in the main event of UFC on ESPN 7 on Dec. 7.

“I just fought, and I didn’t fight that long, and there was an opportunity that came up with the Walt Harris situation with his stepdaughter missing. I hope they find her as soon as possible in this heart-breaking situation, and there was a chance where I could’ve got the fight or Derick Lewis could’ve got that fight,” Rozenstruik told MMA Junkie. “But Derrick Lewis fought, and I think he’s a little bit injured. I think I was the only one that wasn’t injured, so I got the opportunity to get the fight. As soon as the question came up I accepted.

“A win over Alistair Overeem would mean a lot for my career, and for sure I’m happy. I get the chance at this high level in the rankings to prove my skills. I see it as a test and on December 7, I’ll be ready to show my skills.”

Overeem is No. 8 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie heavyweight rankings and holds one of the bigger names in the weight class, having fought for the UFC title and being a former Strikeforce and DREAM heavyweight champion.

Rozenstruik, who trains out of Hardknocks 365 in South Florida, is well aware of what a win over “The Reem” could do to his career.

“I hope a win over Alistair Overeem will bring me to the top 10, maybe top five,” Rozenstruik said. “With this fight, I’m already happy, so where I land on the rankings with this fight is just going to be a surprise. I’m already happy with this matchup, so that’s a surprise for me. I come from all the way down, and I got myself up this fast, so whatever comes next will be just extra for me.

“Overeem got my respect for sure. He’s done a lot; he’s a legendary name. He has a good style, and I’ll be prepared for everything. I’ll make sure to get my hand raised at the end of the fight whether it goes five rounds or one. I think a win over him would be very good for my career.”

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The idea of possibly going from a UFC debutant to a top title contender in less than a year is one that still sounds a little crazy to Rozenstruik.

“I have to be honest: No, I never saw it coming so fast,” Rozenstruik explained. “I really wanted it. Me and my coach Michael Babb, we didn’t expect it be so fast. We train hard all the time, so we expect everything, but that we were going to rise so fast in 2019, no, we didn’t see it, but we’re happy with it.”

Rozenstruik is happy and feels lucky to have been able to get four fights in his first year with the UFC. He’s also grateful of the household names he’s been able to get matched up.

“Yeah, he’s (Alistair Overeem) a big name, and it’s good to have a win over such a big name on your record, and you’ll always remember those special moments for sure,” Rozenstruik said.

“As soon as I got that fight, I was like, ‘Oh damn, I know those guys from my PlayStation.’ I’ve been working for this, and this is awesome. I’m living my dream, and I give it my all. I’ve been playing them (UFC games) since PlayStation 2, and now I play it on my PlayStation 4.”

It’s unsure where a win on Dec. 7 could put “Bigi Boy” in the UFC heavyweight sphere, but it will sure get him a lot closer to championship gold. And Rozenstruik is not afraid of being catapulted to the very top.

“I was born ready for this. Life prepared me for this, and I can’t wait to get to the top after this,” Rozenstruik said. “I’m going to get to there one way or another. I will win this fight. I really want to make it happen.”

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MMA Junkie Radio #3001: Nick Diaz, Jorge Masvidal, Carlos Condit, UFC Sao Paulo, more

Hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” break down the latest MMA news, including Nick Diaz’s possible return, Jorge Masvidal’s rise and more.

Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here!

On episode 3,001 of the podcast, the guys break down the latest MMA news and notes, as well as look ahead to UFC on ESPN+ 22 this weekend in Sao Paulo.

The rundown

Could [autotag]Nick Diaz[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] actually happen, or should Diaz be fighting at all?
Just how big of a star is “Gamebred” right now?
[autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] wanted to collect belts from around the world, but even he didn’t anticipate this.
Women’s MMA pioneer [autotag]Tara LaRosa[/autotag] is back in the news, but it’s in a very odd way.
[autotag]Gilbert Melendez[/autotag] no longer in the UFC
[autotag]Carlos Condit[/autotag] out at UFC on ESPN 7; who should Mickey Gall face?
UFC Sao Paulo breakdown.

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at AudioBoom, or check it out above. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.

Injury pulls Carlos Condit from UFC on ESPN 7; Mickey Gall needs new opponent

Carlos Condit will have to wait for the opportunity to snap his five-fight losing skid.

[autotag]Carlos Condit[/autotag] will have to wait for the opportunity to snap his five-fight losing skid.

Condit (30-13 MMA, 7-9 UFC), the former WEC and interim UFC welterweight champion, has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled welterweight fight with [autotag]Mickey Gall[/autotag] (6-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) next month at UFC on ESPN 7.

MMA Junkie confirmed Condit’s withdrawal with a UFC official on Wednesday, though the exact nature and severity of his injury remains unknown.

A replacement opponent search for Gall is already underway.

UFC on ESPN 7 takes place Dec. 7 at Capital One Arena in Washington. The card airs on ESPN following early prelims on ESPN+.

The latest UFC on ESPN 7 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN, 9 p.m. ET)

Alistair Overeem vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Cynthia Calvillo vs. Marina Rodriguez
Ben Rothwell vs. Stefan Struve
Yana Kunitskaya vs. Aspen Ladd
Cody Stamann vs. Song Yadong
Mickey Gall vs. opponent TBA

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, 7 p.m. ET)

Rob Font vs. Ricky Simon
Thiago Alves vs. Tim Means
Chris Fishgold vs. Billy Quarantillo
Bryce Mitchell vs. Matt Sayles

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5:30 p.m. ET)

Joe Solecki vs. Matt Wiman
Virna Jandiroba vs. Livinha Souza
Makhmud Muradov vs. Trevor Smith

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Off Guard: Cody Stamann looks to make statement against Song Yadong

Cody Stamann admits that Song Yadong is nasty, but is looking to beat the (expletive) out of him at UFC DC.

[autotag]Cody Stamann[/autotag] could break into the top tier of bantamweight contenders as he looks to make a statement on Dec. 7.

Stamann (18-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) takes on [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 7, and while he admits that he’s in for a tough challenge, he’s confident that he has the game plan to beat him.

“I don’t know about excited, that kid is nasty,” Stamann told MMA Junkie. “He’s a nasty little (expletive) for sure but same thing, I got to beat his (expletive) and cut the paycheck. I don’t really see it any different than anything else. I just got to stylistically prepare for what he does well, and I do that really well. I’m good at game planning and scheming and figuring out ways to beat people and things are starting to come together.”

Stamann recently suffered his first setback in almost four years, in a submission loss to Aljamain Sterling at UFC 228, but was able to rebound with a unanimous decision over Alejandro Perez in his last outing in March.

Yadong (15-4 MMA, 4-0 UFC) on the other hand, is off to a 4-0 start in the UFC, notching three performance bonuses in the process. In his last outing, he scored a first round knockout over Perez at UFC 239, the same opponent Stamann last fought.

“I see a lot of guys that rise and fizzle out,” Stamann said. “I’m not saying that he’s that guy, he’s got a lot of really great people around him, he’s a really good athlete but it doesn’t make a difference. Dec. 7, I’m going to beat the (expletive) out of him. That’s all there is to it.”

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And with the recent additions of former champions and future hall of famers Frankie Edgar and Jose Aldo to the division, Stamann is excited for the possibility to one day throw down with these legends.

“You got Aldo and Edgar coming down to (1)35 and those are two more legends to add to the already stacked division so it’s insane, and those are fights that I want,” Stamann said. “I’m excited about it, I think a lot of guys are probably shitting their pants because oh no all these really good guys are moving into bantamweight. I’m pumped about it because I do think I can beat those guys, and I think I’m going to peak at just the right time as an athlete to kind of get those legends like Edgar and Jose Aldo, right at the ends of their careers.”

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