Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Who will have the better UFC career between Shavkat Rakhmonov and Khamzat Chimaev? That was a question in our UFC on ESPN 38 takeaways.
What mattered most at UFC on ESPN 38 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings …
Unbeaten prospect Umar Nurmagomedov thinks he’s ready for top-15 opposition following his latest win at UFC on ESPN 38.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] thinks he’s ready to size up ranked opposition in the UFC.
Nurmagomedov (15-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC), a UFC bantamweight prospect and cousin of former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, kept his undefeated record intact Saturday at UFC on ESPN 38. The 26-year-old defeated Nate Maness in a dominant unanimous decision win with 30–27, 30–26 and 30–25 scores.
Nurmagomedov thinks he can fare well against the top tier of the UFC’s 135-pound division following his latest win.
“If they give me (a top-15 opponent), I’m ready, but I don’t want to say someone’s name,” Nurmagomedov told reporters at the UFC on ESPN 38 post-fight news conference. “(I’m going) step by step. I think I’m close to beating somebody in the top 10, top five and then fighting for the belt. Slowly, slowly I’m improving everywhere, and it’s going to be great.”
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Despite thinking he’s ready to take on ranked challengers, Nurmagomedov is not keen on calling anyone out. He’s also not trying to rush his career, but does see himself with a UFC belt around his waist in the future.
“I don’t care if they give me a quick road or if they give me slowly, I’m ready,” Nurmagomedov said. “For me, it’s important to win every fight and one day it’s going to happen. I’ll become champion.”
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Umar Nurmagomedov had little problem dominating Nate Maness at UFC on ESPN 38 to go 15-0 in his career.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] had little problem dominating Nate Maness at UFC on ESPN 38 to stay undefeated in his career.
Nurmagomedov (15-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC), who is the cousin of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, showed the trademark overwhelming grappling pressure that has become synonymous with his family name by making light work of Maness (14-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) en route to a unanimous decision victory by scores of 30-27, 30-26 and 30-25.
The bantamweight fight was part of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 38 main card, which took place at the UFC Apex.
It took about 90 seconds for Nurmagomedov to get his first takedown after an early feeling-out process between the two sides. Nurmagomedov completely smothered Maness with his top pressure, landing short shots until he passed guard and into the mount. Nurmagomedov threatened with a late submission, but there wasn’t enough time to finish it.
In the second round, Nurmagomedov needed less than 40 seconds to shoot for a takedown and plant Maness on his back. Maness never got up over the course of the round, because Nurmagomedov controlled from on top, from the back, and then landed big shots in the closing moments of a completely one-sided round.
With Maness worn down and out of answers in the final frame, Nurmagomedov started to showcase some of his striking with a hard kick to the face of his opponent and some other solid strikes. He then secured a takedown and battered Maness to the final bell.
THIS KICK FROM UMAR 😳 #UFCVegas57 pic.twitter.com/2hjg0PcUbY
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 26, 2022
After the win, Nurmagomedov said he’s coming for UFC gold, and ready to break into the top 10 at 135 pounds with his next fight.
“I’m going to continue to fight and I’m going to work and I’m going to be the champion,” Nurmagomedov said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping.
Up-to-the-minute results of UFC on ESPN 38 include:
Streaking bantamweights Umar Nurmagomedov and Nate Maness will collide in June.
Streaking bantamweights will collide in June.
The UFC is targeting a matchup between [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] and [autotag]Nate Maness[/autotag] for UFC Fight Night on June 25, which is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
A person with knowledge of the booking informed MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Reporter James Lynch was first to share the news Thursday.
Also unbeaten like his cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov, 26-year-old Umar (14-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has notched two submission wins to kick off his octagon tenure, choking out Sergey Morozov and most recently Brian Kelleher at UFC 272 in March.
Maness (14-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is on a hot run of his own. The 30-year-old has won his past four in a row, notching two straight “Performance of the Night” bonuses. He’s coming off a come-from-behind finish of Tony Gravely this past September at UFC Fight Night 192.
With the addition, the UFC’s June 25 lineup now includes:
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Well, Joe Rogan tried.
Maybe Joe Rogan forgot to do his own research on how to pronounce [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag]’s last name.
After Nurmagomedov made easy work of Brian Kelleher on Saturday at UFC 272, he got his post-fight interview time with Joe Rogan, something you know every winner looks forward to.
Everything was good up until the very end when Rogan butchered the pronunciation of “Nurmagomedov.” Here it is, via Twitter:
Joe Rogan nailed it #UFC272 pic.twitter.com/alG3jsOQg9
— Talkin Hands (@TalkinHands101) March 6, 2022
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Surprising since Rogan has called a bunch of Usman’s cousin, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s fights in the past. Then again, Rogan isn’t working events as often as he used to now that he’s a $200 million man with his “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast on Spotify, so he may be understandably rusty.
Rogan missed last month’s UFC 271 on the heels of controversy surrounding a video that showed him saying the N-word two dozen times in the past.
The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.
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Umar Nurmagomedov continued to build his hype by making light work of Brian Kelleher at UFC 272.
[autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] has been touted by many as the heir apparent to Khabib in the octagon. He showed another reason why he’s getting that hype with a dominant win over Brian Kelleher at UFC 272.
Nurmagomedov (14-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) made light work of Kelleher (24-13 MMA, 8-6 UFC) in their featherweight bout on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, securing a rear-naked choke for the finish at the 3:15 mark of Round 1.
After putting the pressure on from the outset, Nurmagomedov eventually found his way to the back of Kelleher, got his forearm under the neck and squeezed until he got the top.
Check out the highlight of the finish below (via Twitter):
Nurmagomedov stays undefeated!
Where have we heard that before? 🤔 #UFC272 pic.twitter.com/ZLg4mEAGSh
— UFC (@ufc) March 6, 2022
That's a proud coach 🙌 #UFC272 pic.twitter.com/2gFrfaAdtQ
— UFC (@ufc) March 6, 2022
The BW division has a problem on its hands 😤
[ @UNmgdv | #UFC272 ] pic.twitter.com/q4P9IbeyGf
— UFC (@ufc) March 6, 2022
Nurmagomedov, 26, is the cousin of Khabib. He has now earned both of his UFC wins by submission.
“I’m very happy that I got a win over such a hard opponent,” Nurmagomedov said in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. “I’m ready to fight just a week from now.”
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All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.
MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.
But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.
Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.
Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from Feb. 7-13.
Umar Nurmagomedov is unavailable to fight in March and Timur Valiev is stepping into his place to fight Jack Shore.
[autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] is unavailable to fight in March, and [autotag]Timur Valiev[/autotag] is stepping into his place to fight [autotag]Jack Shore[/autotag].
Following Nurmagomedov’s withdraw from UFC Fight Night on March 19, which does not have an official location or broadcast plans, Valiev (18-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has agreed to fill in as a replacement against undefeated bantamweight prospect Shore (15-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC).
Both fighter verified the new matchup on social media following an initial report from MMA Fight Universe.
Shore, 26, has yet to encounter defeat in his MMA career. He joined the UFC roster in September 2019 and has managed to rattle off four straight victories inside the octagon, with his first pair coming by submission. The Welshman’s most recent victories each came by way of decision.
Looking to end Shore’s flawless run will be Valiev, 31, who is riding a nine-fight unbeaten streak dating back to February 2016. The Russian has won his past two UFC appearances by decision, including edging out Raoni Barcelos at UFC Fight Night 190 in June.
The exact nature behind Nurmagomedov pulling out of the initial fight with Shore is unknown at this time.
The latest UFC Fight Night lineup for March 19 includes:
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Javier Mendez talks Umar Nurmagomedov with MMA Junkie’s Danny Segura
Javier Mendez talks Umar Nurmagomedov with MMA Junkie’s Danny Segura
Mike Davis and Victoria Leonardo are facing potential six-month suspensions for injuries sustained in their fights.
[autotag]Mike Davis[/autotag] and [autotag]Victoria Leonardo[/autotag] are facing potential six-month medical suspensions after UFC on ESPN 20.
Davis (9-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC), who earned the “Fight of the Night” honor in a unanimous decision win over Mason Jones, needs clearance for his left thumb for his hard-fought battle with Jones.
Joining Davis with a potential 180-day term is Leonardo (8-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who needs clearance for her right forearm after suffering a second-round stoppage loss to Manon Fiorot.
MMA Junkie on Friday obtained the full list of suspensions from MixedMartialArts.com, the Association of Boxing Commissions’ official record keeper.
The full list of UFC on ESPN 20 medical suspensions includes:
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