MMA News

Category: UFC

Latest UFC news articles, interviews and more covering the world’s top Mixed Martial Arts promotion.

  • Mickey Gall: I’m A “Bigger Killer” Than Alex Morono

    UFC welterweight Mickey Gall is confident he can take a step closer towards the 170-pound rankings when he faces Alex Morono this weekend.

    Since victories over Mike Jackson, CM Punk, and Sage Northcutt got him off to a 3-0 start in the UFC and established himself as one of the most promising prospects in the promotion, Gall has been unable to carry forward any momentum, trading wins and losses since 2017.

    In-between victories over George Sullivan and Salim Touahri, the 29-year-old fell to setbacks against Randy Brown, Diego Sanchez, and Mike Perry. Having rebounded from his defeat to “Platinum” with an impressive submission win against Jordan Williams at UFC Vegas 32 in July, Gall will be looking to close 2021 out with a second consecutive triumph, something he hasn’t managed in five years.

    If he’s to succeed in doing so, he’ll have to get past welterweight mainstay Morono at UFC Vegas 44 this Saturday. Ahead of their prelim clash, Gall spoke exclusively to MMA News’ James Lynch.

    Discussing his 10th opponent in the UFC, Gall admitted that Morono, who’s fought 14 times since 2016 and boasts wins over Donald Cerrone and Max Griffin, is an unassuming threat, but a dangerous foe nonetheless. Despite that, Gall believes he boasts the superior killer instinct.

    “He’s a tough dude, man. He’s very, he’s scrappy, he’s tough. I knew I had to come correct to this fight, and I did that… He’s one of those guys like, he doesn’t look like a killer, but he’s definitely a killer. So am I. I believe I’m a badder killer and a bigger killer. I feel real good about the fight.”

    When asked for his prediction, Gall told MMA News he’s capable of having his hand raised through multiple routes, be it knockout or submission. Either way, he expects to deal damage come December 4.

    “I see me bashing my bones into his skull; cracking him with big, heavy shots, concussive blows. I could submit him, I could knock him out. Wherever the fight goes, I’m just gonna go in there and be me; just do what I do.”

    Gall Claims He’s Had His “Best Fight Camp” Ahead Of Morono Clash

    Despite coming up against an experienced veteran who’s riding a two-fight winning streak, Mickey Gall is clearly confident he’ll get the job done on fight night. The 29-year-old’s self-belief derives from a positive fight camp, which he described as the “best” he’s had in the UFC.

    “Fight camp went well. Even if it didn’t, I’d probably tell you the same thing. But it really was, I think, my best one. I think I was able to peak, and like, do everything right. It’s just been great. My team around me; it’s been a homegrown like, good camp… We’ve been putting in some good, hard work, and I’m really proud of what we did as a team. The way I feel now is beautiful, everything’s great.”

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    Gall vs. Morono will be the second fight on the UFC Vegas 44 card, following a bantamweight contest between Louis Smolka and Vince Morales.

    Having missed out on a bonus for his first-round stoppage win last time out, Gall will be hoping to leave the Apex with an extra $50,000. But with the likes of Rob Font, Jose Aldo, Rafael Fiziev, Alonzo Menifield, Manel Kape, Brendan Allen, and Jimmy Crute all in action, he’ll have to deliver a special performance versus Morono to make the bonus list.

    Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC Vegas 44, Mickey Gall or Alex Morono?

  • Rafael dos Anjos Trades Barbs With ‘Khabib Wannabe’ Islam Makhachev

    Rafael dos Anjos and Islam Makhachev are back at it once again, throwing insults back and forth.

    dos Anjos and Makhachev have been on the docket to fight each other on multiple occasions, with the fight falling through each time for various reasons. This has led to a beef between the two that has ebbed and flowed throughout the years, never ceasing to entertain.

    The most recent of these interactions came when dos Anjos posted a clip of an altercation between he and Conor McGregor to Twitter, captioning it by saying that the Irishman was lucky that guards were between them. Makhachev chimed in by noting that there were no guards stopping RDA during that altercation.

    “Let’s meet without security to break up the fight. See you in 2022,” dos Anjos wrote, directing his message to McGregor.

    “There was no security around you man ?” Makhachev quipped.

    This led to a fiery response from dos Anjos, who brought up the fact that Islam Makhachev has not faced any former champions and saying that he only has hype because of his close relationship with former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

    In response, the Dagestani made the point that he was booked to fight RDA, but the Brazilian withdrew.

    “How many champions have you fought? How many main events? You only getting the hype because of your brother, Get my name out of your dirty mouth Khabib wanna be,” dos Anjos said.

    “Never fought champion, because you keep pulling out, unfortunately,” said Makhachev in response.

    Finally, dos Anjos stated that Makhachev is lucky to not be facing him and that he must be his manager, Ali Abdelaziz’s favorite fighter. However, Makhachev countered this by somewhat sarcastically saying that this honor clearly belongs to Justin Gaethje, who appears to be getting the title shot over him while he instead faces Beneil Dariush.

    “Btw you’re lucky because you’re yours manager’s favorite,” dos Anjos tweeted.

    “Wrong, Justin is favorite , he’s fighting for title ???,” responded Makhachev.

    This was an entertaining back-and-forth between Rafael dos Anjos and Islam Makhachev. While it is unclear if they will ever end up actually fighting, it is always entertaining to see them trading barbs online.