The Weekly Roundkick on MMA: Chandler, Baeza, More

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Welcome to the Weekly Roundkick, where you can get all your MMA news in one spot. In the age of Covid, the UFC has done a great job of being the leaders of industry in making sure the show goes on. Here’s everything that you might’ve missed this week in the MMA world.

 

Biggest Free Agent Landed

 

  • Michael Chandler, Former Bellator Lightweight Champion has signed with the UFC and will be in as a replacement in the Khabib vs Gaethje fight (via Bjpenn). For Chandler, this is huge for his career. He’s been wanting to prove that he’s one of the best 155 pounder on the planet and now being in the UFC, he has the chance to prove just that. 

 

Fight Announcements

 

    • Miguel Baeza vs Jerimiah Wells is off. Wells was replacing Mickey Gall for this fight. Mickey Gall had pulled out of the fight due to an undisclosed training injury. Jerimiah Wells had put his name in and was selected as a replacement for the fight. Now, for an undisclosed reason, Wells has also pulled out (MMAJunkie). For the undefeated Baeza, this delays his potential run to a title. For now the best option is to stay ready and hope someone in his division has a fight open up.
  • Dustin Poirier vs Tony Ferguson is off… for now. Dana has claimed that Dustin has priced himself out of the fight and that that he didn’t really want the fight. Dustin replied with a tweet “I WANT THE FIGHT”. Ferguson has gone to bat for Dustin telling Dana to pay him so they can fight. It seems like there is pressure from both fighters to have this fight but it seems it’s too expensive for Dana. Dana currently has said that Ferguson is also out of UFC 254.
    • #15 Drew Dober vs #8 Diego Ferreira is on for November 7th. #15 Ranked Lightweight Dober, is set to take on another rising star in #8 Ranked Diego Ferreira (MMAJunkie). Unsure if this is the main event or not, but no matter what other fight is on this card, I’m taking this fight for Fight of The Night. 
    • Malcolm Gordon vs Su Mudaerji has been agreed upon for November 28. Two Fresh UFC prospects in Malcolm Gordon and Su Mudaerji have agreed for a fight in late November (via MMAJunkie). For these two, this is going to be important for the near future of these prospects making a run for the rankings.
    • Khadis Ibragimov vs. Danilo Marques added to UFC 253 (via MMAFighting). For Ibragimov, he’s coming in off of 3 losses in a row after starting 8-0. If he wants to continue his UFC career, this is a must-win for him.
  • Weili Zhang Vs Rose Namajunas is in the works according to Dana White. When asked about the future of this division, Dana says they’re working on making this fight happen. After a potential fight of the year candidate effort by Weili, a fight with a game Thug Rose will undoubtedly make for another great fight.
    • Thiago Santos vs Glover Texiera has been cancelled. Thiago Santos has now tested positive for Covid-19. This fight was supposed to happen this last weekend but Texiera tested positive. Now the future of this fight is in Jeopardy.
  • Ketlen Vieira vs Sijara Eubanks has been scheduled for UFC 253 (via BJpenn). Sijara Eubanks is stepping in on short notice to replace Marion Reneau after her decision win last weekend. 

 

Other MMA News

    • Bellator has signed a deal with CBS Sports. Look for more MMA to be on the national scene starting October 1st!
  • Fight Island Confirmed! UFC will start running events on Fight Island Starting on UFC 253 on Saturday, September 26th and run weekly shows up until UFC 254 on October 24th (MMAFighting)
  • Dana White Contender Series. On Season 4 Week 7 of the the Contender Series, Dana awarded 3 contracts were awarded. Jordan Williams won a contract in his third attempt. Others awarded were 3x National Boxing Champion Danyelle Wolf and Collin Anglin.
  • Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson re-enters the USADA testing pool (via MMAFighting). With this being reported, this puts Rumble about 6 months away from being able to return to the octagon. 

 

You can follow Johnathan Ramlakhan on Twitter @ThreePieceCombo

Winners and Losers from UFC Vegas 10

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No matter what the expectations anyone might’ve had going into this card, UFC Vegas 10 exceeded all of them. From top to bottom this card delivered anything one could’ve asked for. It had submissions, knockouts, underdogs, comebacks, and capped it off with Fight of the Night Main Event.

Let’s take a deeper look at who the winners and losers are coming out of this weekend.

 

Winners:

 

  1. Kevin Croom: Our biggest winner of the night has to be the man who came in on short notice of 2 days. He checked in as the biggest underdog of the night and was making his UFC debut. Even with all that riding on his back, Croom delivered the performance of a lifetime. He secured the fastest win for a debuting lightweight in UFC history. And on top of all that he ends up taking home a $50,000 performance bonus. With his name now on the minds of Dana White and UFC fans, Croom has the opportunity to make his journey to the UFC, which took 11 years, one that has significant impact.
  2. Michelle Waterson: After taking two straight losses in the UFC, Waterson was in jeopardy of falling down the ufc rankings and getting further and further away from a shot at the coveted strawweight championship. With this win tonight, she propels herself forward in the category of “2 fights away” from a shot at the belt. She would need to beat someone ranked 4-7 and then someone top 3 for her to secure that title shot. Getting this win was one that was key for the championship aspirations of the Karate Hottie.
  3. Bobby Green: For as long as a career that Bobby Green has had, it seems like its all coming together for him now. After last nights win, Green is currently on a 3 fight win streak, the longest of his career since 2014. Primarily known as a striker, he showed total domination in the wrestling department. He scored 4 takedowns which was a personal best while also stuffing 5 of 6 from Alan Patrick, a BJJ Black belt. For Bobby Green, winning this fight means getting himself close to the top 20 in the lightweight rankings. His potential seems to be hitting stride and with this streak we could see Green in the top 15 rankings with another 2 wins. 

 

Losers

  1. Mike Rodriguez: The biggest loser of the night was Slow Mike Rodriguez. He gets the biggest loser title because he was ROBBED from a win by the Referee and Ed Herman. Here’s the scene. Rodriguez has Herman in a muy thai clinch with his own back towards the referee. Rodriguez hits Herman with a knee straight to the solar plexus below the ribs, knocking the wind out of herman. After a few more punches to the face the ref comes and says the knee was to the groin which Sherman was pleased to abide by. He sells the groin strike and gets his 5:00 to recover from his near TKO. In the next round, after Rodriguez almost knocks Herman out, the referee doesn’t stop the fight and Herman gets a kimura lock to win. Huge mistake made by the referee and even Dana White said that it was a horrible job done by the ref. Fortunately for Mike even though he took the L, Dana was reluctant enough to give him his win money. 
  2. Angela Hill: Losing decisions are tough. Losing split decisions are even worse. For Angela Hill, she’s just lost her second split decision… in a row. Knowing that one judge had it scored where you won the fight is something that eats away in a fighters mental. With this loss, she’s in jeopardy of falling out of the top 15 rankings. And even though she seems to be improving in every fight, it seems that her skillset wont line up with her rankings. If she wants to get into the title picture, she seemingly would have to win 4 in a row at this point. Her striking is on point, it seemed like the ability to mix it up with the takedowns was the hole in her game. Her defense was on point when it came to the takedowns but she never threatened one herself. If she’s able to get a takedown game into her repertoire, she could definitely work her way back up the rankings. 
  3. Roosevelt Roberts: After winning 10 of his first 11, Roberts was looked at as a rising prospect in the UFC. Now losing two in a row, he sits at a record of 10-3. These last two losses for him were especially painful because it was two times in a row where he was caught in a submission quickly. As a brown belt in BJJ, he should’ve came in with much more awareness with defending the submissions. Now losing two in a row, he needs to do something to show out before he puts himself on the cutting board of the UFC. 

 

Other Winners and Losers:


Waterson def. Hill by split decision

Azaitar def. Worthy by TKO (punches) R1 1:33

Modafferi def. Lee by unanimous decision 

Herman def. Rodriguez by submission (kimura) R3 4:01 

Green def. Patrick by unanimous decision

Quarantillo def. Nelson by KO (punches) R3 0:07 

Eubanks def. Avila by unanimous decision

Croom def. Roberts by submission (guillotine choke) R1 0:31 

Romanov def. Martinez by submission (arm triangle choke) R2 4:22 

Turner def. Weaver by submission (rear naked choke) R2 4:20 

Barberena def. Ivy by unanimous decision 

Mazo def. Kish by submission (rear naked choke) R3 3:57 

 

You can follow Johnathan Ramlakhan on Twitter @ThreePieceCombo

 

Weekly Roundkick: MMA News at 5 Reasons Sports

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Pretty busy week as far as UFC News is concerned, got some exciting fights announces, a few fights in the works, some unfortunate dropouts due to Covid-19, and much more. Here’s your one-stop for everything that happened this week

 

Upcoming Fights Announced

 

  • Kamaru Usman set to fight Gilbert Burns for UFC Welterweight Championship at UFC 256 on December 12 (Unnoficial Announcement confirmed by Brett Okamoto) 
  • Ovince Saint Preux vs. Alonzo Menifield added to UFC Vegas 9 this Saturday, Sept. 5  on ESPN + (Via UFC)
  • Brian Kelleher vs. Kevin Natividad (Replacing Ricky Simon Due to COVID) on UFC Vegas 9 this Saturday, Sept. 5 on ESPN + (Via MMAJunkie)
  • Herman vs Mike Rodriguez at light heavyweight on UFC Vegas 10 on Sept. 12 (MMAFighting)
  • Sijara Eubanksvs Julia Avila at UFC Vegas 10 on Sept.12 (MMAFighting)
  • Bobby Green vs. Alan Patrick at UFC Vegas 10 on Sept.12 (TheRingReport)

 

Fights Teased

 

Jorge Masvidal vs Nate Diaz for the BMF Title- Dana White among others confirmed that they are working to get this fight on a card in January. There’s no doubt this is one of the biggest fights you can put out as far as marketability. Masvidal in my mind is a heavy favorite in my opinion due to the fact that he’s got great boxing, great takedown defense and Nate Diaz doesn’t like checking leg kicks. Even if the fight didn’t stop the first time, it was pretty clear that Masvidal had won every round since. Hopefully we have the opportunity to have fans in the arena for this fight but even if they don’t, PPV numbers should be pretty high with the proven draw that both fighters are. 

 

Jon Jones vs Brock Lesnar- Now we don’t know if this is something that will come to fruition, but Dana himself said that he is open to it if both fighters want to do it. As far as competitiveness goes, this wouldn’t or shouldn’t be a tough fight for Jon Jones to win. He is way ahead of Brock in the MMA game. Jones is much more well rounded and has much better striking. On top of that Jon Jones hasn’t legitimately lost a fight in his pro career and it would be tough to see Brock be the one to break that streak. As far as breaking the streak goes Undertaker yes, Jon Jones no.

 

Fighter Cancellations and Suspensions

 

  • Glover Teixeira vs. Thiago Santos canceled on September 12th due to Texiera testing positive for Covid-19
  • Light heavyweight Jamahal Hill received a six-month suspension for marijuana (MMAFighting)
  • Flyweight Tim Elliott  received four-and-a-half month suspension for marijuana (MMAFighting)
  • Lightweight Luis Pena received four-and-a-half month suspension for marijuana (MMAFighting)
  • Jorge Gonzalez had temporary suspension extended following a positive drug test for several anabolic steroids (ESPN)
  • Middleweight Deron Winn received suspended for nine months after testing positive for amphetamines (ESPN)

Other News 

 

Daniel “DC” Cormier has pulled out of the USADA testing pool, which means his retirement seems to be final. We have seen many fighters say they’re retired, only to come back and try and get more hype in their name. Pulling out of the USADA testing pool makes it more official because now if he would want to fight again, he would need to reenter and be in the pool for a significant period of time before getting another fight. At 41, it seems we’ve seen the last of the legend DC in the octagon

 

Ricardo Lamas seems to be on that same route. After having a fight of the night performance against Bill Algeo, Lamas said he would love to leave on a high note. Coming into that fight, Lamas was 1-3 in his last 4 fights and was on the back end of his career. He spoke about not wanting to chase that feeling of getting a win as an addiction that could be his downfall. After a great extended career in the UFC, it may seem like that Fight of the Night performance could’ve been his last.

5 Takeaways from UFC Vegas 8: Rakic is Real Deal

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Now that UFC Vegas 8 is in the books, we can look back at it as quite a backwards fight card. The main event and Co-main event were fights that were mediocre excitement wise. Looking at every single other fight on the card, almost every one of them could have gotten a performance of the night award, with Llamas vs Algeo being an absolute technical beauty on the stand-up and grappling game, and Maki Pitolo vs. Impa Kasanganay being an absolute stand and bang war.

 

Let’s look at 5 takeaways from UFC Vegas 8 

 

The Real Deal 

While it may have not been the most exciting fight, Aleksander “Rocket” Rakic put down Anthony Smith with ease. He chopped at Smith’s legs until he couldn’t stand anymore and once he was on the ground, there was no getting him off the top. With Smith being a BJJ black belt, you’d expect him to threaten a few more submissions but Rakic was quick to scope out anything Smith had in mind and just kept him on his back for almost 3 full rounds. The inability for Smith to check the leg kicks is the main reason he ended up on his back and he seemed content lying there taking ground and pound. With this win, Rakic seems to be set up with a path to the title. With Thiago Santos facing off with Glover Teixeira in about two weeks, the winner will probably end up getting a title shot. The loser of that fight will most likely fight Rakic, and with that, we could be looking at our next Light Heavyweight Contender. 

What’s Left in the Tank?

This weekend we saw the breakdown of 2 of UFC’s veteran staples. Smith showed almost nothing in this entire fight, after getting pummeled in his last fight vs Texiera. That begs the question of what does he have left in him? In his postfight comments, Smith flirted with the idea of dropping back down to 185 in hopes of rejuvenating his career. While this may be a good move for him, that division is filled with killers and won’t be a cakewalk even if he does have a size advantage going in. Smith would have to work his way back up and would be a great matchup for star prospect Edmen Shahbazyan to prove that he still has the makings of a ranked fighter. 

 

No Longer Ruthless 

Robbie Lawler was the second veteran that got dominated at UFC Vegas 8. He was matched up with a lengthy Neil Magny and showed a complete inability to get past the reach into his face. Lawler was kept at bay with Magny’s jab and when Lawler got into the clinch, he did nothing offensively. Robbie didn’t seem to have the explosiveness that  we’ve come to know, nor did we see much heart. For Robbie, this seems like the end of the line for him at UFC. He’s won titles, had multiple fight of the year awards and  has become a crowd favorite. But at this point of his career, it seems he needs a step down in competition to remain relevant. Maybe at the end of his contract, a move to Bellator would be smart, unless he’s content sitting out of the rankings,while fighting up and comers until he retires. 

Fresh Blood 

With a Performance of the Night award, undefeated Sean Brady seems to have all the makings of a ranked fighter and potential contender in the Welterweight division. He showed excellent distance management, heavy hands, as shown by busting open Aguilera in the first round, excellent pace without overextending, and to top it off he finished with impressive takedowns into a guillotine choke that left Aguilera squirming for breath until he passed out. At 13-0 and an impressive victory, Brady deserves to have a ranked opponent next to propel him to the next tier of contenders. A match with submission specialist Damien Maia or maybe a big name like Robbie Lawler just to get some name value would serve well for him. 

Perserverance Shines Through 

The comeback win of the night goes to Mallory Martin. After getting knocked down in the first round and absorbing over 50 shots, most of which to the head, she was able to recompose herself and get the Performance of the night win. She was out COLD in the first round after Cifers overhand right landed on the button and the ensuing hammer fist . Her legs go totally limp and by the time the second punch ends up on her face, she seems to wake up and is able to slightly recover. After about 30 more punches to the face, mercifully, the round ends. In the second round she seemed like a completely different fighter. She goes straight into the clinch and is able to take down Cifers into half guard. From here she’s able to get effective ground and pound to the point where Cifers turtles up and gives up her back. At this point it’s all academic as Mallory takes her neck and submits her via Rear Naked Choke. Amazing comeback by Martin and this win could propel her into getting a shot at someone either in or near the rankings of the strawweight division. At only 26 years old, she has lots of room to grow and can be groomed as a future contender if she stays on this path. 

 

You can follow Johnathan Ramlakhan on Twitter @ThreePieceCombo

5 Top Storylines for UFC Vegas 8: Smith, Rakic, Lawler, more

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Where to watch: Saturday, August 29, 2020, UFC APEX, Las Vegas, Nevada, Available on ESPN, ESPN+

With UFC Vegas 8 just around the corner, the UFC keeps the ball rolling with another phenomenal card. Regardless of face value, almost every fight card has exceeded expectations. With up and coming talent wanting to make a name for themselves, seasoned fighters competing to keep themselves relevant, or ranked contenders looking for a path to the title, there’s an abundance of stories to look out for this weekend. Here are five storylines to pay attention to during UFC Vegas 8. 

 

Contender or Pretender? 

 

After running off 6 wins in 7 fights, finishing every one of those fights impressively, #5 Ranked light heavyweight Anthony “Lionheart” Smith has now lost 2 of his last 3. That includes coming up short in his Title shot vs Jon Jones and a brutal beatdown which had much controversy over a late stoppage vs #4 Ranked light heavyweight Glover Texiera. With Jon Jones relinquishing his title to move up to heavyweight, now is the time to see if Smith can make the climb back to the top of the mountain. If he wins here in dominating fashion, it might only take 1 more win to get himself another title shot. If he fails to secure a win, with all the fresh blood in the Light Heavyweight division, Smith will likely be put in the role of Gatekeeper, where he’s fighting guys at the bottom of the rankings just to keep a number next to his name. This weekend is make or break for Anthony Smith’s Title hopes, and we will see what he is made of. 

 

Pick: Rakic by KO

 

Hop back on the Hype train?

 

#8 Aleksander “Rocket” Rakic had won 12 straight including 9 knockouts before a tough split decision loss to Volkan Oezdemir. Most thought he won that fight so he could very well be on a 13 fight win streak at this point. Still, entering his prime age of only 28 he has a far way to grow. After breaking into the rankings with this devastating head kick knockout (which you can watch here for free: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKXBgeS-Jpk ) he was well on his way to title contention. Rakic offers an explosive fighting style with the ability to put his opponent to sleep in a split second. Combine that with good takedown ability and one of the lowest strike absorption rates, Rakic is still very much a threat in this division. He faces his toughest challenge yet in former championship contender Anthony Smith and if he’s able to put him away, hop back on the hype train because this man has all the makings of a future title challenger. His nickname isn’t rocket for no reason

 

Pick: Rakic by KO

 

Is Robbie Lawler still RUTHLESS?

 

Former Welterweight Champion “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler has been one of the UFC’s staples for 18 (!!) years. Since his debut in 2002, he has put on epic fights every time he steps in the ring. Now past his prime, the question becomes is Robbie still a top contender in this division?  Since his Title defense in 2016, he has now lost 4 of his last 5 including his title to Tyron Woodley. No longer are the days of Robbie getting into these wars with his opponents. Now we see him continually get taken down and held there and he doesn’t seem to have the explosiveness as before. That narrative can be put to bed with an opponent like Neil “The Haitian Sensation” Magny. While Magny does have the ability to mix it up and take it to the ground, he’s more likely to stand and bang with Robbie rather than guys like Colby Covington or Ben Askren. Will Robbie be able to give a performance of old, or will Neil Magny break him down and potentially knock him out of the rankings? We will find out on Saturday. 

 

Pick: Lawler via decision 

 

Bad Blood Rematch

 

At the beginning of their last fight, Ankalaev and Cutelaba had to get pulled apart before the match even started! ( Watch here: https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1298319731829739520 ). Unfortunately for everyone who wanted to see this fight go to the bitter end, the ref stopped the fight way too early after Cutelaba seemingly was out on his feet after some solid punches from Ankalaev. Immediately after the stoppage, Cutelaba protested repeatedly claiming he was fine. Now, half a year later, we finally get to see these two go at it. There’s no doubt these guys resent each other, and both of them will be looking to end each other. 

 

Pick: Magomed Ankalaev via decision 

 

Can Grasso reestablish herself as a contender?

 

After starting her career 9-0, #14 Ranked Strawweight Alexa Grasso was seemingly on her way as one of the best prospects in the division. After alternating wins and losses in her UFC career, she now is 1 loss away from being on the outside looking in. On the bright side, she still is young and should be able to use what she learned in her losses to help propel her career forward. She’s a good striker, and if she can put away Ji Yeon Kim, look for her to try to build some momentum and work her way up the ranks. If she loses, that number next to her name will belong to Ji Yeon and this might be the last time we hear about the boxer from Mexico. 

 

Pick: Grasso via Decision 

You can follow Johnathan Ramlakhan on Twitter at @ThreePieceCombo