Tag: UFC on ESPN+ 7

Cynthia Calvillo has no excuses about weight miss; open to flyweight move after UFC DC

Cynthia Calvillo is willing to consider going up to flyweight after once again missing the strawweight mark.

WASHINGTON – [autotag]Cynthia Calvillo[/autotag] will walk away from UFC on ESPN 7 with less money than she anticipated – for two reasons.

In Saturday’s co-main event, Calvillo (8-1-1 MMA, 5-1-1 UFC) fought to a majority draw against Marina Rodriguez (13-0-2 MMA, 2-0-2 UFC), so a win bonus won’t be coming her way.

Additionally, Calvillo was forced to hand over a solid chunk of change when she was fined 30 percent for missing weight by 4.5 pounds on Friday morning. The miss wasn’t her first, either. Prior to her fight against Poliana Botelho in November 2018, Calvillo also missed the strawweight mark.

Post-fight, Calvillo told reporters backstage at Capital One Arena she’s open to moving up in weight – if her body doesn’t allow her to hit the 115-pound mark.

“I don’t want to make excuses,” Calvillo told MMA Junkie. “It’s unfortunate that it happened. It was something we were trying to prepare for again. But once again, I had to deal with my body shutting down. I don’t want to make any excuses. I just want to go back to the drawing board and we’re going to work on that. Whether it means me moving up a weight class and that’s what I’m going to have to do.”

“I would hate to look like I’m unprofessional,” she continued. “I work so goddang hard. If you guys knew me and spent a week with me, you’d know I’m not here to (expletive) around. I definitely didn’t want to give a couple G’s. She went home with a nice paycheck with that draw and my missed weight. It is what it is. I apologize to my opponent and stuff like that. We’re going to make sure that doesn’t happen again. If that means moving up, that means moving up.”

[lawrence-related id=469124,468721]

As for the draw itself, Calvillo didn’t state whether or not she thought she won the fight. Seemingly focused more on her mistakes, Calvillo said she could have done better in certain areas, notably, the clinch.

“You know – it was a tough fight,” Calvillo said. “I did a lot of mistakes in there. Definitely defending in the clinch. She had a really good clinch. But I feel like I got her down in the first round. Second round she was pretty strong.

“But the third round, man, I was goddang this close to finishing her. I let it slip through my fingers. She got up for the last few seconds and it ended up being a draw in the judges’ eyes.”

Having done some of her camp overseas in preparation for UFC DC, Calvillo’s fine stings a little extra. The 32-year-old Californian hopes to be rebooked quickly.

“We’ve got to pay some bills,” Calvillo said. “Hopefully I get a fight really soon – early next year. Dana (White), Mick Maynard. Please. I’ll take a fight January, February, whatever, you know? I got some bills to pay because those four pounds were very expensive.”

[vertical-gallery id=469066]

[vertical-gallery id=468592]

Bryce Mitchell on UFC on ESPN 7 twister submission: ‘I’ve seen Eddie Bravo doing it on YouTube’

Bryce Mitchell breaks down his rare twister submission finish at UFC on ESPN 7 in Washington D.C.

WASHINGTON — [autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag] is now the second man in UFC history to score a twister submission finish.

The featherweight fighter submitted Matt Sayles at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 7 in Washington D.C. with one of the rarest submissions in the game. The end came at the 4:20 mark of round one and it was worthy of a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.

Although the twister is rarely seen in the UFC, Mitchell (12-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) told the media backstage at the event that he often catches the maneuver in the gym.

“It’s something I do in practice a lot,” Mitchell said. “I’ve seen Eddie Bravo doing it on YouTube and I practiced it, practiced it and practiced it. I remember every step that he told me. I even know the Peruvian twister – it’s the tighter version. I really paid a lot of attention to that video, shout out to Eddie Bravo, and yeah, that’s where I got it from.

Me and my teammates are always practicing it and it’s a good ground-and-pound stop too. If you don’t want to go for the sub, you can just punish them, and they can’t do anything. But I knew I didn’t have a lot of time left, so I just went straight to the submission.”

[lawrence-related id=468538,468717]

Despite Mitchell feeling comfortable locking up twisters on a frequent basis, the unbeaten prospect understands why the submission is rare.

“I’d say it’s rare because it’s hard to do, there’s just so many steps,” Mitchell explained. “So, so many steps; it looks funky, that’s another thing. It looks like it wouldn’t work but it’s a common move for me. I get it, not every time I grapple, but one two or three times a week.

“I get twisters more than I get Kimuras, everyone thinks Kimuras are common. But I guess because it’s funky and it takes a lot of steps and it uses your whole body too. Like, armbar, you just fall back from mount, but a twister you go from regular lockdown to that butterfly style with your leg locked down and then you move the grip over here. So it’s a multi-step process if you’re opponent knows how to defend it.

“If your opponent doesn’t know how to defend it, if they don’t know how to defend, then it’s going to be a one or two-step process because they will just give you the arm. But if they defend, then it’s like a six-step process so it takes time. I think that’s why it’s so uncommon because people don’t know all the steps and how to do it.”

[vertical-gallery id=468764]

After impressive win, Jairzinho Rozenstruik says he’ll see Francis Ngannou soon

Jairzinho Rozenstruik wants to fight Francis Ngannou next in order to find out who is the scariest man in the UFC.

WASHINGTON – [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] picked up the biggest win of his career at UFC on ESPN 7 and he’s already got his sights set on a potential next opponent.

As the clock wound down in the fifth round of his main event bout against Alistair Overeem, Rozenstruik (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) landed a huge fight-ending punch. The blow sliced Overeem’s lip open in grotesque fashion.

“First, I got myself beat up and then I knocked him out,” the Surinamese heavyweight told MMA Junkie after the fight. “That’s part of the job. Put in work. He was fighting the fight. He’s so smart to do that. He did it for five rounds.”

Moments after the finishing punch landed, Rozenstruik began celebrating – even before referee Dan Miragliotta waived off the fight. Rozenstruik said he knew Overeem (45-18 MMA, 10-7 UFC) was “really knocked out.”

“I saw he was really knocked out, so I walked away,” Rozenstruik said. “I can be going in like, ‘Boom, boom, boom.’ But I saw (I knocked him out) like right away.”

[lawrence-related id=469124,468910,468725]

While the outcome my seem improbable or surprising to outside observers, Rozenstruik doesn’t view it that way. “Bigi Boy” stated a “never give up” mentality has been instilled in him.

“Don’t give up,” Rozenstruik said. “You always have to go through. And that’s what you do in the gym. You don’t train two minutes, you train two hours sometimes. I showed that today. I showed my heart and I showed that I belonged in this division.”

In his post-fight interview with UFC commentator Jon Anik, Rozenstruik called out the man he’s been targeting for weeks, [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag]. Why Ngannou (14-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC)? Rozenstruik indicated he wants to settle the debate on who the scarier fighter is.

“I like it,” Rozenstruik said. “If he accepts, then I’m excited about it. So I’m going to see him soon. I think it’s going to be a really good fight. He’s strong. He’s big. Even if you look at him, you’re like, ‘You’re big. You’re scary.’ But we have to do it. You know what I mean?”

UFC on ESPN 7 took place Saturday at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The main card aired on ESPN following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

Check out Jairzinho Rozenstruik’s full post-fight media scrum in the video above.

[vertical-gallery id=469110]

Francis Ngannou responds to Jairzinho Rozenstruik’s callout: ‘I heard you’

Francis Ngannou sure sounds open to obliging Jairzinho Rozenstruik’s request for a fight.

[autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag]’s callout didn’t fall on deaf ears.

The Surinamese fighter made waves in the UFC’s heavyweight division on Saturday night at UFC on ESPN 7 in Washington D.C. Rozenstruik (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) viciously knocked out seasoned veteran Alistair Overeem (45-18 MMA, 10-7 UFC) with just four seconds reaming on their main event bout. It was a gruesome scene.

After the fight, Rozenstruik took to the mic to send some words to top contender Francis Ngannou.

“I want to be back in April and I really want to fight this big scary guy [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag],” Rozenstruik said. “So if you hear this right now, I hope you accept this fight. Man, let’s give those people a great show.”

[lawrence-related id=469124,468910,468725]

It didn’t take long for Ngannou (14-3 MMA, 9-2 MMA) to hop on Twitter and respond to Rozenstruik:

“I heard you babayga. You made yourself very clear tonight. Congrats on your come back by the way. #uncrowndedchamp #UFCDC”

 

[vertical-gallery id=469110]

[vertical-gallery id=468592]

Graphic: Alistair Overeem suffers horrific lip injury in loss at UFC on ESPN 7

Alistair Overeem suffered a horrific lip injury with just seconds remaining in his main event against Jairzinho Rozenstruik.

Things didn’t end well for [autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag] on Saturday night.

The heavyweight veteran suffered a knockout loss to Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the main event of UFC on ESPN 7 in Washington D.C. Overeem (45-18 MMA, 10-7 UFC) was dominating the action for the majority of the fight until he got knocked out with four seconds remaining in the fifth and final round.

On top of the defeat, Overeem suffered a huge cut that split the left side of his upper lip. The image, which is not for the squeamish, can be seen below:

Overeem snapped a two-fight win streak with his loss to Rozenstruik. He’s now 2-3 in his last 5 bouts. The 39-year-old has now suffered 14 knockout loses in his 20-year MMA career.

[vertical-gallery id=469110]

UFC on ESPN 7 results: Jairzinho Rozenstruik scores late TKO; tears Alistair Overeem’s lip

It took Jairzinho Rozenstruik nearly 25 minutes at UFC DC, but he got the job done – and tore Alistair Overeem’s lip in the process.

It took [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] nearly 25 minutes, but he got the job done in his first UFC headline fight.

At the 4:56 mark of the fifth and final round of Saturday night’s UFC on ESPN 7 main event, Rozenstruik (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) punched his way to a TKO victory over veteran [autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag], capping an incredible UFC debut year in which Rozenstruik went 4-0 with four finishes.

After minimal striking on the feet in the opening minutes of the first round, Overeem (45-18 MMA, 10-7 UFC) dragged Rozenstruik to the ground. For the majority of the first, Overeem remained in side control.

Throughout the second and third rounds, Overeem’s game plan was apparent – stay on the outside and clinch when possible. On multiple occasions, Overeem landed a hard overhand left. But somehow, Rozenstruik ate Overeem’s hardest shots.

In the third, Overeem secured another takedown. With the clock winding down, Overeem was able to posture up and land his hardest ground-and-pound to that point in the fight.

[lawrence-related id=468721,468714]

Rozenstruik’s best offense came in the fourth round. In two separate flurries, Rozenstruik landed a barrage of punches. The second flurry saw Rozenstruik attempt a flying kick and jumping knee. Overeem hung tough and returned to plodding point-fighting.

With the clock winding down in the final round, Rozenstruik ended the fight seemingly out of nowhere. With one big overhand right, Rozenstruik floored Overeem, tearing his lip in the process.

After the fight, Rozenstruik called out former UFC heavyweight title challenger Francis Ngannou, “If you hear this right now I hope you accept this fight,” Rozenstruik said. “Let’s give these people a real show.”

Rozenstruik has ended all 10 career fights inside the distance. For Overeem, the loss snaps a two-fight win streak. The Dutch heavyweight has a .500 record over the span of his most recent four fights.

The heavyweight fight was the UFC on ESPN 7 main event at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. It aired on ESPN following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

[vertical-gallery id=468592]

Twitter reacts to Jairzinho Rozenstruik’s buzzer-beater KO of Alistair Overeem at UFC on ESPN 7

See the top Twitter reactions to Jairzinho Rozenstruik’s win over Alistair Overeem in the UFC on ESPN 7 main event.

[autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] earned his first UFC main event win on Saturday when he defeated [autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 7.

Rozenstruik (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) kept his undefeated record in tact with a fifth-round knockout victory against Overeem (45-18 MMA, 10-7 UFC) in the heavyweight headliner, which took place at Capital One Arena in Washington, and aired on ESPN.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Rozenstruik’s victory over Overeem at UFC on ESPN 7.

* * * *

UFC DC bonuses: Of course that twister earned Bryce Mitchell $50k

Bryce Mitchell, Makhmud Muradov, Rob Font and Ricky Simon collected $50,000 bonuses at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 7 event.

WASHINGTON – [autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag], [autotag]Makhmud Muradov[/autotag], [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] and [autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag] collected $50,000 bonuses at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 7 event.

Mitchell and Muradov were given “Performance of the Night” awards, while Font and Simon shared in “Fight of the Night” honors. UFC officials announced the winners following the event, which took place at Capital One Arena.

UFC on ESPN 7 results: Cynthia Calvillo vs. Marina Rodriguez ends in majority draw

Cynthia Calvillo vs. Marina Rodriguez was too close to call for two out of the three judges.

[autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag] is still undefeated.

The Brazilian fighter didn’t lose at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 7, but she didn’t win either. Rodriguez (12-0-2 MMA, 2-0-2 UFC) went the distance with [autotag]Cynthia Calvillo[/autotag] (8-1-1 MMA, 5-1-1 UFC) whereupon the judges scored the fight a majority draw.

The official scorecard was 29-28, 28-28, 28-28 with one scorecard favoring Rodriguez.

The catchweight fight (Calvillo missed the contracted strawweight limit at Friday’s weigh-in) was the UFC on ESPN 7 co-main event at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. It aired on ESPN following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

The first two rounds were all Rodriguez. She landed the best shots of round one, rocking Calvillo with a knee. Calvillo had some moments on the feet and did get a takedown in the last seconds of the round, but that wasn’t enough to outshine Rodriguez’s work with her muay Thai.

The second round was also a good five minutes for Rodriguez. She landed solid strikes and hurt Calvillo with several  times with shots to the body.

[lawrence-related id=468456,468714,468710]

It was in the third round where Calvillo had her best moments. Calvillo got a takedown early in the round and worked from half guard, landing heavy ground-and-pound and mauling Rodriguez for the majority of the five minutes.

Calvillo is 2-0-1 since her first professional loss to former UFC and Invicta strawweight champ Carla Esparza in 2017. Meanwhile, Rodriguez picked up her second draw in her four-fight UFC career.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 7 results include:

[vertical-gallery id=468592]

UFC DC attendance: Promotion’s return to nation’s capital outdraws 2011 debut

The UFC’s return to the nation’s capital drew an announced attendance of 10,816 fans for a $932,593.20 live gate.

WASHINGTON – The UFC’s return to the nation’s capital drew an announced attendance of 10,816 fans for a $932,593.20 live gate.

UFC officials announced the totals following Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 7 event, which took place at Capital One Arena. While the number of complimentary tickets distributed was not revealed, the numbers represent an average revenue of $86.22 generated per ticket issues.

In the night’s main event, Jairzinho Rozenstruik (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) remained undefeated with a shocking final-round knockout over Alistair Overeem (45-18 MMA, 10-7 UFC). Down on the cards, Rozenstruik was able to land a crushing right hand that split open Overeem’s lip and sent him falling to the canvas with just four seconds left in the fifth frame, the third-latest stoppage in UFC history.

The UFC has visited Washington D.C. just once previously, for “UFC on Versus 6” in October 2011, where then-UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz defeated No. 1 contender Demetrious Johnson by unanimous decision. That fight card drew an announced attendance of 9,380 fans for a gate of $706,775 – or $75.35 per ticket issued – to the same venue, which at the time was known as Verizon Center.

[vertical-gallery id=469110]