Barber most recently defeated Miranda Maverick in a split decision win at UFC Vegas 32. Before that, she had lost back-to-back lopsided Octagon appearances against Alexa Grasso and Roxanne Modafferi.
Barber will face a tough test in De La Rosa, who knocked out Ariane Lipski at UFC Vegas 28 and holds previous wins over Rachael Ostovich and Nadia Kassem. She is another solid flyweight prospect who, like Barber, is looking to make a name for herself in the division.
The Barber/De La Rosa matchup will be joined by several intriguing matchups on April 23, including Jessica Andrade vs. Amanda Lemos and Clay Guida vs. Claudio Puelles. The venue for the event has yet to be announced as well as the official main event.
Barber began her professional MMA career with a perfect 8-0 record, including three-straight wins to begin her UFC tenure. After earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series, she showcased elite power for a flyweight and earned the praise of the UFC brass.
Despite her back-to-back losses to Modafferi and Grasso, UFC president Dana White remained confident that Barber could turn it around. After a controversial win over Maverick in his last outing, she’ll look to make a statement against De La Rosa.
How do you think Maycee Barber will fare in her return against Montana De La Rosa?
Claressa Shields is out to remind the boxing world who she believes is the best female boxer in the sport after her recent MMA fights.
Despite signing with PFL, Shields has remained adamant that she intends to fight in both boxing and MMA going forward. Her debut season in the league featured a mixed bag, with a comeback win over Brittney Elkin followed up by a decision loss to Abigail Montes.
Shields will now face Ema Kozin as she defends her WBC, WBA, and IBF middleweight world titles in her U.K. debut. During a recent media appearance in Detroit, she reiterated her intentions to show boxing fans how great she is in the ring.
“The boxing world has forgotten who the best female fighter is since I’ve been doing MMA,” Shields said. “The other girls like Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor have been showcasing some great skills, but I’m planning to showcase even better skills in my fight on February 5. I’m looking forward to coming back and showcasing my skills. In my last fight, I was coming off over a year layoff and I didn’t perform how I wanted to. When I watch back the film, I wasn’t sharp. I didn’t have the speed and the timing that I normally have.” (h/t 15Rounds.com)
During Shields’ absence from boxing, fighters such as Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor have risen to the top of the pound-for-pound discussion. A fight between Serrano and Taylor is expected to happen next in arguably the best fight in women’s boxing history.
What are your thoughts on Claressa Shields’ MMA future?
UFC heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis has revealed the business aspiration he’s looking to pursue in the near future.
Like many athletes on the UFC roster, Lewis wants to balance his Octagon activity with ventures outside of fighting. In terms of his performances inside the cage, “The Black Beast” had a mixed bag in 2021 but added two brutal knockouts to his collection and ended the year in style.
While Lewis’ record-breaking KO on December 18 provided an impressive and immediate rebound from his August setback, it also provided the New Orleans-born powerhouse the type of matchup he’s targeting for the rest of his Octagon career: fun and pressure-free contests.
With that in mind, it seems like the perfect time for Lewis to balance his fighting career with his ambitions outside the cage, especially with his title aspirations seemingly in the past.
Fighter-owned businesses are nothing new. Perhaps the best example of an athlete harnessing their name, popularity, and wealth to create success in the business world is Conor McGregor. As well as his lucrative Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey brand, which he, along with his co-founders, sold the majority stake in for $600,000 last year, the Irishman has dipped his feet in the clothing business with August McGregor and the fitness industry with McGregor Fast.
Elsewhere, McGregor’s arch-rival Dustin Poirier boasts a successful hot sauce brand, while rising bantamweight star Sean O’Malley is looking to break into the marijuana business. Lewis has now revealed his own ambitions, and it’s perhaps not what most would expect.
“I’m just trying to open up more businesses,” said Lewis. “Also, I wanna do like, a clothing line store, as well. Like, sell vintage clothing and stuff like that. We’ll see how that goes.
In an era where the discrepancies between fighter pay and the remuneration of other athletes is being increasingly highlighted, we’ll likely see a number of UFC stars testing the waters of various businesses moving forward.
Would you buy from a Derrick Lewis-owned vintage clothing store?
UFC featherweight Bryce Mitchell is finding out the hard way that there will always be music critics, even if they’re in your own family.
Mitchell, an undefeated prospect who has emerged as a UFC fan favorite, recently put out his first rap mixtape Pasture Fire on social media. Fans gave “Thug Nasty” mostly rave reviews for his first musical endeavor.
But not everyone is a fan of Mitchell’s music, including his own mother. During a recent interview with MMA journalist Helen Yee, Mitchell revealed an awkward moment he had when his mom commented on his rap mixtape.
“I was playing my music in the car and rolled up to my mom’s house. Was going to say hi, eat and everything. I pulled up and I didn’t know she was out in the yard,” Mitchell said. “She hates rap music. I had my mixtape playing, practicing the words. My song’s playing as I park, and she yells ‘Turn that nasty s**t off, I don’t like all that rap stuff!’ I just couldn’t help but laugh because she was talking about my music.
“I turned the music right off, I know better than to tell my mom. I just laughed it off. She don’t like it, but that’s alright. It’s not for everyone.”
Mitchell is set to return to the Octagon at UFC 272 against Edson Barboza. He has been sidelined since late 2020 due to a variety of circumstances, including injury issues.
Meanwhile, Mitchell isn’t just focused on his MMA ambitions. He wants to prove that his recent musical journey isn’t just an antic and that he’s here to stay on the mic.
The UFC’s final pay-per-view event of 2021, UFC 269, was reportedly another great night of business for the promotion overall.
UFC 269 featured plenty of exciting fights and wild finishes inside the Octagon. Arguably the most shocking moment of the event came courtesy of Julianna Peña’s upset over Amanda Nunes in the co-main.
The event was capped off by UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira’s successful title defense against Dustin Poirier. After surviving an early barrage, Oliveira utilized his grappling and secured a third-round submission with a standing rear-naked choke.
T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas was raucous from start to finish as the fights went on, with the athletes competing in front of another sold-out crowd. Sports Business Journal’s Adam Stern recently reported the PPV statistics for UFC 269.
While the UFC managed to exceed a half-million PPV buys on ESPN+, the event didn’t outsell UFC 268. The card held at Madison Square Garden in New York City recorded around 700,000 PPV purchases.
It’s unclear how UFC 270 did in terms of PPV purchases, as president Dana White wasn’t present at the post-fight press conference to talk about the promotion’s business trends. Nevertheless, the recent bump in PPV price to $74.99 may have an impact on their business going forward in 2022.
According to reports, Falcao was standing outside of a bar when he was attacked and stabbed multiple times. It’s unclear if there is one or multiple suspects in the attack.
The 40-year-old Falcao was rushed to a local hospital but did not recover from his stab wounds, being pronounced dead just hours later.
Falcao began his professional MMA career back in 2004, making a name for himself in various Brazilian regional promotions. He would eventually sign with the UFC for a fight against Gerald Harris at UFC 123, earning a unanimous decision victory.
Falcao’s most notable performances came in Bellator, where he won the middleweight tournament championship over Andreas Spang. He would get a title shot against then-champion Alexander Shlemenko at Bellator 88, losing via second-round knockout.
The UFC had planned to bring Falcao back to its promotion for multiple fights before he was let go for assaulting a female. He spent eight months in jail before serving the rest of his sentence under house arrest.
After beginning his career with an astounding 31-5 record, Falcao’s end to his MMA career was less than ideal. He lost his final five fights overseas, including in October against Nemanja Uveric at Serbian Battle Championship 36.
The investigation into Falcao’s death is ongoing and we’ll bring you the latest here at MMANews.
What is your reaction to the death of Maiquel Falcao?
Ciryl Gane wants the UFC to come to terms with heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou on a new deal so he can eventually get a rematch.
Gane fell short via a unanimous decision against Ngannou at UFC 270. After finding his range on the feet early in the fight, Ngannou’s improved wrestling gave Gane fits as the fight went on.
Ngannou and the UFC have been at odds for months over negotiations of a new contract. A new deal didn’t come to fruition leading up to UFC 270, and Ngannou’s future with the promotion remains uncertain.
But Gane wants Ngannou to stay in the UFC so they can run it back at some point. During his UFC 270 post-fight press conference, Gane opined on Ngannou possibly leaving the promotion and transitioning to boxing.
“If he leave like that, I don’t want that,” Gane said. “I want my rematch. I want to do this fight a second time. I want this fight. I want this rematch.”
Gane was then asked by a reporter whether or not it’ll be a relief to not deal with the Ngannou pre-fight drama in a potential rematch.
“No, I was ready for this one….All the (stories) around this fight was just stories. It was not important for me. I was just focused on my target. And no, no, no, if we have a rematch, I’m gonna be focused, but I’m gonna improve on my weakness.”
Ngannou and Gane never seemed to have bad blood with one another, but Ngannou’s issues with coach Fernand Lopez have been widely publicized. In addition to promoting Gane, Lopez had taken shots at Ngannou throughout the pre-fight buildup.
Ngannou is widely expected to face former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones next, although Jones didn’t seem impressed with Ngannou’s performance. As for Gane, he’ll look to rebound from the first defeat of his career and get back to the heavyweight title shot at some point.
What do you think is next for Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane in the UFC?
The following article was published on this day five years ago. It is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
On This Day Five Years Ago…
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 23, 2017, 4:56 PM]
Headline: Tyron Woodley Talks Racism and Conor McGregor on The MMA Hour
Conor McGregor was among the topics in which Tyron Woodley vented his frustrations on Monday’s MMA Hour.
Author: Adam Haynes
Woodley has been vocal in recent times regarding what he deems to be a racial agenda in the UFC and sport as a whole. UFC’s welterweight champion has openly discussed what he feels is disrespect aimed at him by fans and the franchise.
‘T-Wood’ has recently declared himself “the worst treated champion in the history of the promotion” and further reinforced his opinion that skin color is a major factor in why he has not enjoyed the same spoils of fame and recognition that lighter-skinned fighters have had in the UFC:
“Certain things are subliminally embraced that are racist. When you say to me ‘Tyron, you are well spoken’, what does that mean? Does that mean I’m well-spoken comparable to all the mixed martial artists, the 500 UFC fighters on the roster? Or does that mean as a black male in America?”
The champion, who is preparing for a rematch with Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson at UFC 209 in March, also disapproves of those who use terms he feels are disrespectful to his skill-set:
“When you say I’m a freak athlete, does that mean I don’t work hard, that I’m going to fade in the later rounds? That I don’t have great cardio, that I don’t have a great skill set? It comes off to me…it almost sounds barbaric, like ‘hey, you’re strong, you knock people out, but if it gets to the later rounds you might get tired, you might fade and all those muscles come at a cost’.”
Woodley has made no secret in targeting Conor McGregor in the past, and touches upon his own podcast ‘The Champ Life’ which may be similar in format to that of ‘The Notorious’, but is in contrast when it comes to the message and material:
“I do my own podcast series. I go out and make my own opportunities but, if the person that’s promoting me and networks are talking about picking up my ‘Champ Life’ series and major companies want to endorse it and get behind it because they see value in it, I’m going to need for my promoter to not be the last one to take notice.”
“if it was [Mcgregor’s ‘the maclife’], that thing immediately took fire. And it’s same stuff every episode, flashy cars, money, talking crap, got this, got that; that’s all it is. I’m not seeing him giving back to the community and shelters. I’m not seeing him giving back to the people or networking with others. This one [The Champ Life] has an impact that can go far.”
Brandon Moreno admits he was surprised when Deiveson Figueiredo was declared the winner in their trilogy fight.
In the co-main event for UFC 270, Moreno fought a five-round war against Figueiredo. The fight, which was the third consecutive meeting between the fighters, was Moreno’s chance to defend his UFC Flyweight Championship for the first time.
After a battle that saw both fighters have strong moments, Moreno believed he was about to get his arm raised. When reflecting on the fight, Moreno felt that performance didn’t feel like previous losses he took in his career.
“It’s a weird feeling because it’s the first time in my life when I lost a decision but I felt like I won, you know?” said Moreno during the UFC 270 post-fight press conference. “I remember my last two losses, against Alexandre Pantoja or against Sergio Pettis, I mean, I knew in that moment I lost. I was like ‘Okay, this feels like sh*t,’ but I knew I lost. But this time I felt like I won.”
While Moreno thought he was the winner, he isn’t mad about the outcome of the fight. He knows the performance was a back-and-forth fight between him and Figueiredo, and that it was a close fight in the end.
“It is what it is because I was in a really hard fight. He had his own moments too and I have to recognize that,” Moreno said. “I don’t want to be that kind of guy who starts to put excuses. Because I felt like Deiveson did an amazing job, put a better game plan. I just want to go to the gym, spend time with my family, and watch the fight again and be back stronger.”
Were you surprised when Deiveson Figueiredo was announced as the winner?
The Pulse of MMA: Fan Reactions To The Sport’s Biggest Stories
In this installment of The Pulse of MMA, we dive into the raw, unfiltered reactions of MMA fans after Francis Ngannou turned in his first successful title defense over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.
Francis Ngannou def. Ciryl Gane via Unanimous Decision
Francis Ngannou, Image Credit: 2021 Chris Unger
Nobody really knew what to expect at UFC 270. It was truly one of the most unpredictable heavyweight fights of all time. It featured the scary power of Francis Ngannou with the eloquent technique of Ciryl Gane. Which attribute and style would reign supreme?
As it turns out, Ngannou won via unanimous decision. The odds of that happening according to the books? About +1200. That means that if you beat $100 for Ngannou to win this fight via decision, you netted a profit of $1,200. Surely, some gutsy folks took that bet and went home with lots to celebrate—and plenty of fuel to celebrate with.
How exactly did the fight play out according to the judges? The official scorecards below give us a glimpse.
All three judges saw the fight the same way. The champion, Francis Ngannou, came up big in the clutch championship rounds to retain the title.
In his post-fight interview, the champ stated that he entered the fight with an MCL tear, which would explain the kneepads he competed with. That makes his victory over the previously undefeated Gane all the more impressive.
During and after the bout, fighters reacted to the results of the main event. But what about The Pulse of MMA? Let’s take a look down below, shall we?!
Cameroonian Legend #AndStill Congratulations @francis_ngannou you surprised many with the wrestling but us from Cameroon aren't surprised cos it's easy to understand how hardship builds one mentally. You are a KING
It's pretty good to see that @francis_ngannou has showed some variety or grappling/wrestling and good top position control in his game tonight to win the fight, just shows he's still constantly improving #UFC270
Deiveson Figueiredo believes a big piece of advice that his team was stressing helped him pull off a win over Brandon Moreno at UFC 270.
Figueiredo reclaimed the UFC Flyweight Championship on Saturday night, defeating Moreno in their trilogy bout. The win kicked off his second reign as champ and avenged one of the two losses he has taken as a pro.
Figueiredo credits this success to a certain piece of advice he was given: be calm. Figueiredo mentions a more relaxed game plan for his fight helped him against Moreno on Saturday night.
“We focused a lot on being calm because I used to come into the Octagon so full of energy trying to finish people off right in the first minutes,” said Figueiredo during the UFC 270 post-fight press conference. “And it was very important to us to keep calm and become even more dangerous, because then my strikes would come as a surprise to him. He would not know because I had that power kind of bottling up. And I became more dangerous because my strikes surprised him.”
Figueiredo certainly showed a more patient game plan on Saturday night, working at a more methodical pace than before. He certainly had more of a reputation to be a finisher earlier in his title run, stopping fighters like Joseph Benavidez and Alex Perez within a round each.
Figueiredo’s explosive style butted heads with Moreno in their first and second appearances. He struggled in their first fight, working towards a majority draw in late 2020. Then in 2021, Moreno was able to stop him in the third round via submission.
What’s next for Figueiredo now is unknown. On Saturday night he teased a fourth fight against Moreno, throwing out the idea of hosting it in Mexico.
Did you notice a change at UFC 270 in how Deiveson Figueiredo fights?
In 2015, Paige VanZant shared her thoughts on why a fight against Felice Herrig was inevitable. Before we get to that, here’s a quick glimpse back to the two coming face to face prior to their bout at UFC on FOX 15.
Vanzant would win the fight via unanimous decision to advance to 5-1 at the time. As for her theory on why the two were bound to fight? You can revisit that in the article below that we ran seven years ago to this day.
The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
On This Day Seven Years Ago…
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 23, 2015, 1:16 PM]
Headline: Paige VanZant On Felice Herrig: “We’re Fighting Because We’re The Hot Girls In The Sport”
Author: Matt Boone
Rising UFC Women’s Strawweight contender Paige VanZant recently appeared on “The MMA Hour” at MMAFighting.com to discuss her upcoming UFC On FOX 15 bout with Felice Herrig.
“I always had on the back of my mind that me and Felice would fight, because we’re the hot girls in the sport,” said VanZant. “So I kind of got myself ready for that.”
“She’s been around for a long time, and she’s been somewhat of a veteran in the sport,” said VanZant. “Just to be fighting her, and to be at her level in as honor. I looked up to her when I first started the sport. She was someone who I wanted to follow in her footsteps.”
VanZant concluded, “Now to be on the same playing field and the same level as her, it’s exciting. I’m really excited about this fight.”
Headlined by Lyoto Machida vs. Luke Rockhold, UFC On FOX 15 is scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 18th from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Related Link: – Check out a full Paige VanZant photo gallery by clicking here.
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The Pulse of MMA: Fan Reactions To The Sport’s Biggest Stories
In this installment of The Pulse of MMA, we dive into the raw, unfiltered reactions of MMA fans after Deiveson Figueiredo defeated Brandon Moreno in their trilogy at UFC 270 to become a two-time UFC flyweight champion.
Deiveson Figueiredo def. Brandon Moreno via unanimous decision
Credit: Gary Vasquez, USA TODAY SPORTS
In what was an extremely competitive trilogy fight that could have gone either way, Deiveson Figueiredo earned his redemption with a unanimous decision nod from the judges. Before we go any further, let’s take a look at the judges’ scorecards to get a glimpse at which rounds were the deciding factors.
All three judges scored the first and third rounds for Figueiredo, and two of the three judges’ gave the fourth to him as well, with one judge giving him the fifth. You can check out the highlights from the trilogy fight right here if you missed the action, and you can also peep the fighters’ reactions to the bout right here.
But what about The Pulse of MMA? How did they react? Did they agree with the judges’ decision or were they just as irate as the partisan Anaheim audience? You can catch a quick snapshot of the overall reaction down below!
Jon Jones is teeming with confidence after taking in the UFC 270 main event between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane.
For months, Jon Jones has not wavered about his decision to finally make the move up to heavyweight and vie for the division’s world title. After an inactive 2021 with another arrest controversy, Jones’ future in the sport was once again subject to speculation.
Heading into 2022, however, Jones let it be known that his professional focus remained steady despite his ever-turbulent personal life.
“I said I’ll be the champion in 2022, that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I feel like I’m jumping up three weight classes, going from competing at 205 pounds to 265 pounds is no easy task. Nothing great happened overnight, I’m patient and I’m working my ass off every day towards my goals,” Jones posted last month.
Of course, heading into this past weekend, the entire world was waiting with bated breath to see what would happen when the Ford Escort power of Francis Ngannou crossed paths with the new-wave heavyweight that is Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.
Jones was expectedly chief among those interested. In fact, Jones himself took to social media to express just how closely he’d be watching the highly anticipated heavyweight clash.
Really have no clue who’s going to win, I’m just excited to watch the fight. Going to learn so much about the both of them no matter how it goes down https://t.co/e59QVSiuy7
“Really have no clue who’s going to win, I’m just excited to watch the fight. Going to learn so much about the both of them no matter how it goes down,” Jones responded when asked to give his official prediction for the UFC 270 main event.
Jon Jones Shares Post-Fight Reaction To UFC 270 Main Event
The main event went down at UFC 270, and as Ngannou hinted, it was indeed a surprising one for many fans. The outcome was so surprising that the oddsmakers had it listed as +1200, meaning that those who bet $100 on a Ngannou decision victory took home $1,200.
As for Jon Jones, he derived something even more valuable from the main event than cash: a new level of confidence ahead of his anticipated heavyweight debut later this year.
If this is the Apex of heavyweight fighting, I’m excited about it. Got some more records to break
“Lol stay humble? Sure I’ll stay humble, sleeping like a baby tonight. People talk so much shit, have no clue what it takes.”
“At the end of the day, I’m fucking them both up,” Jones concluded in a since-deleted tweet.
As of now, it is still unconfirmed if Jones will be next in line for Francis Ngannou or even if he will compete at all this year. Not unlike Ngannou, Jones has been in sterile contract negotiations with the UFC, thus his future in the promotion remains uncertain.
In fact, White himself stated as recently as last week that he was uncomfortable to say with certainty that Jones is next in line for a title shot due to him not being sure of what Jones will decide to do. All things considered, 2022 may be the one year where the heavyweight drama outside of the cage is more impactful than the heavy blows dealt on the inside.
MMA News will keep you posted on the latest developments of what is next for the biggest players of the division and the landscape of the world title picture.
After watching UFC 270, who do you think would win between Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones?
Francis Ngannou feels like he deserves better treatment from the UFC.
The UFC Heavyweight Champion voiced his displeasure with the promotion on Saturday night after defeating Ciryl Gane in the main event of UFC 270.
Amid chatter of Ngannou possibly leaving the UFC following his recent win, the champ was asked what his main problems with the promotion are. While not going through the nitty-gritty details of things, he mentioned that his qualms certainly go further than just being paid more.
“It’s not simply money. Obviously, money is a part of it. But also the terms of the contract, I don’t agree with it,” said Ngannou during his UFC 270 post-fight press conference. “I don’t feel like it’s fair. I don’t feel like a free man. I don’t feel like I have [been] treated good. It’s unfortunate that I have to be in this position to be able to say that, but I think […] that everybody should have the right to claim what’s best for them. Because at the end of the day, we put a lot of work in this job. We take a lot in our body to make it happen, so at least we can have a fair and square deal.”
Ngannou Has Been Outspoken In The Past
Francis Ngannou (Image Credit: Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)
Ngannou has been outspoken for a long time about how he wants better treatment from the UFC.
The champion recently said he would only continue fighting for the UFC if they can pay him more. The California State Athletic Commission reported that Ngannou was paid a flat fee of $600,000 for his fight on Saturday night at UFC 270.
Ngannou has entertained doing things outside of the promotion before as well. In recent months, he started to discuss a hypothetical fight against boxing prizefighter Tyson Fury. The boxing champ responded to the call out, mentioning that he would take the challenge.
Do you agree with Francis Ngannou’s opinion on how he is treated?
UFC 270 was the first pay-per-view event of the new year and came in with two title fights for UFC fans. A fight for the undisputed UFC heavyweight title and a third flyweight title fight to settle who the “King of the flies” is once and for all.
There was a lot to take away from UFC 270, here are some things that stood out.
COVID Protocols
The UFC has new protocols in place for 2022. MMA Junkie obtained a copy of the memo sent to fighters on the UFC roster to let them know how they have to roll if they want to rock on fight week. In short, fighters and their corners have to take three pre-fight tests for the fight week of their scheduled events. One at-home test before showing up, one upon arrival, and one after weighing in. That’s three chances to lose fights for future events so, fans should keep their fingers crossed for fighters on cards being announced this year.
Lost Some
Speaking of losing fights, the UFC had to scratch quite a few bouts from UFC 270. Whittled down to 11 bouts the first pay per view of the year, as well as the previous weekend’s event lost fights for various reasons, including the above protocols. When thinking about that, the pay-per-view price increase for this year is really hard to swallow.
Night of Something Strange
UFC press conferences in the past have usually been about the fighters, their antics, and trash talk to get fans riled up for a fight. Lately, not just this last one for UFC 270 it seems to be becoming a platform for members of the media to try and get their 15 minutes of fame. Questions obviously aimed at antagonizing fighters seem to keep happening more and more, but it seems any attention is good attention for the UFC— but is it good for MMA?
Victor Henry
What are the ingredients to make a “fight of the night” candidate? An underdog and a favorite, a high pace, and the fight going the distance. This fight featured all three and with Henry a +375 underdog, him winning and pushing the pace made this fight one that put Victor Henry’s name on the radar for UFC fans. Raoni Barcelos fought well and was a -510 favorite, but after watching this fight, you’d wonder who’s making odds over at Draftkings?
Usually, a trilogy settles a rivalry in combat sports. However, when one is a draw, Brandon Moreno wins the second match, and Deiveson Figueiredo wins the third. These great flyweights are 1-1 against each other. Another one has to happen to truly close the book on who the true flyweight king is. For now, it is Figueiredo but you’d be hard-pressed to find someone against seeing them fight for the title again. This was the official “Fight of the Night.”
Francis Ngannou cemented his position as the most dangerous man in MMA by defeating the Interim Champion Cyril Gane. So, where does he go from here? He is still the champion but when asked in his post-fight interview by Joe Rogan, he clearly seems to want to try boxing. However, he also said he hurt his ACL and MCL in training which is likely why he wrapped both knees for this match with compression wraps.
You Put it On Him
Photo via MMAJunkie
For winners of title fights, it is usually Dana White that wraps the belt around the champion when the announcement is made in the cage. However, when Ngannou won the decision in the main event, it was UFC Matchmaker Mick Maynard who put the belt on him.
There’s obviously more to take away from this event than what is listed here. Especially when it comes to the heavyweight division. Ngannou’s injuries obviously need time and the business between him and the UFC needs to be discussed. Dana White did not attend the post-fight press conference, which is usually something he does come to. Could be telling of the future.
Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane was everything that was advertised as Gane stepped up to challenge for the heavyweight title.
The two fighters met in a bout on Saturday night (January 22, 2022) at the UFC 270 pay-per-view event from Anaheim, California at the Honda Center. Francis was wearing knee pads. Not a ton happened in the first frame aside from clinch work.
Gane started letting his hands go in the second round and was landing some kicks. Another lackluster round as Francis is swinging, but not connecting. In the third round, Francis caught a kick and slammed him down hard right into side control.
This happened another time with Gane continuously getting back up. Ngannou was tired at this point. Ngannou got a few more takedowns in the fourth round, but Gane did a nice job of defending transitions and wrist control.
Ngannou got a takedown to open the fifth round, but Gane went for a leg submission only for Ngannou to get out and got on top in half guard. Francis was awarded the decision win. Ngannou revealed he tore his MCL in training and injured his ACL in training for this fight.
Peep the highlights of the fight courtesy of the UFC’s official Twitter account:
Ngannou entered this fight on a five-bout winning streak. He scored three straight first-round KO wins over the likes of Curtis Blaydes in November 2018, Cain Velasquez in February 2019, and Junior Dos Santos in June 2019. He previously knocked out Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC 249 before knocking out Stipe Miocic to win the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 260.
Gane picked up a few wins under the TKO banner where he finished all of his fights before going to the UFC. He beat Raphael Pessoa by submission in his promotional debut with the UFC. He got decision, submission and KO victories. He beat Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC Vegas 20 by decision and then over Alexander Volkov at UFC Vegas 30th by decision. He won the interim title with a TKO win over Derrick Lewis at UFC 265.
Let’s see how the fighters reacted to the outcome of this fight:
To see Francis be able to knock people out the way he does and now win the later rounds of a championship title fight with grappling… #LovetoSeeIt#UFC270
The trilogy fight for the flyweight title between Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo was just as good as their past two fights.
The two fighters met in a bout on Saturday night (January 22, 2022) at the UFC 270 pay-per-view event from Anaheim, California at the Honda Center. The first round saw Moreno catch him a few times, but was taken down only to roll through to his feet while Figueiredo had his back.
The second round saw Moreno stuff two takedown attempts and cracked him a few times with shots. The third round was wild as both were hurting each other in it. Figueiredo dropped him with a massive right hand then went for a guillotine choke, but the bell sounded. The fourth round was a close striking match.
The fifth round was crazy as they both caught each other at the end of the round and had a wild exchange with 30 seconds left. Figueiredo got the decision to win the flyweight title.
Peep the highlights of the fight courtesy of the UFC’s official Twitter account:
Their first fight took place at UFC 256 in December 2020 where they went to a majority draw. Their second fight was the UFC 263 co-main event in June 2021 where Moreno locked in a rear-naked choke for the win to become the new champion.
Before the first fight, Figueiredo was on a four-fight win streak. He got a first-round submission win over Alex Perez at UFC 255, a KO win over Joseph Benavidez at the UFC on ESPN+ 30 event from Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island aka Fight Island, another TKO win over Benavidez in February 2020, a decision win over Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 240 and then a submission victory over Tim Elliott in October 2019.
On the flip side heading into their first fight, Moreno had three straight wins including two back-to-back decision wins over Kai Kara-France at UFC 245 and Jussier Formiga in March 2020 before knocking out Brandon Royval at UFC 255.
Let’s see how the fighters reacted to the outcome of this fight:
Low leg kicks of Figueirdo landing….let see how Moreno ressponds. #ufc270
Henry Cejudo has played a huge part in Deiveson Figueiredo’s preparation ahead of his trilogy fight against Brandon Moreno at UFC 270 tonight. But two years ago, Cejudo wanted to be the man standing across the cage from him, even though he had already vacated the flyweight title. This article from two years ago gives you the breakdown.
The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED MARCH 3, 2020, 8:21 PM]
Headline: Henry Cejudo Doubles Down On Wanting To Fight Deiveson Figueiredo
Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.
Henry Cejudo isn’t playing games when he says he wants to fight Deiveson Figueiredo.
Cejudo, who holds the UFC bantamweight gold, was thought of to be done with the flyweight division. Cejudo also held the 125-pound title but vacated the gold. Following the conclusion of UFC Norfolk, “Triple C” claimed he’d fight the “ugly detached Siamese twins” Figueiredo and Joseph Benavidez on the same night.
Cejudo Takes Further Aim At Figueiredo
Figueiredo earned a TKO win over Benavidez this past Saturday night (Feb. 29). Had he made weight, he would’ve been the new flyweight champion. Since he did not, the title remains vacant. Speaking to TMZ Sports, Cejudo criticized Figueiredo for not hitting his target (via BJPenn.com).
“I thought it was unfortunate I thought Figueiredo should have made the weight. It was a bit of a cheat against Joe but he did connect that punch,” he said. “Joe did lose, but Figueiredo did not win.”
When asked if he truly wants to fight Figueiredo, Cejudo made it clear that he wasn’t kidding.
“Oh absolutely [I want to fight Figueiredo]. I said it before, I would like to get him and Jose Baldo on the same night,” Cejudo said. “Co-main event and main event. Allow me to make history.”
Cejudo is set to put his bantamweight championship on the line in two months’ time. He’ll collide with Jose Aldo in the main event of UFC 250 on May 9. Cejudo will be in hostile territory as the bout will be contested in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
There was a lot of concern over the future of the flyweight division after UFC Norfolk. In the past, UFC president Dana White admitted he was contemplating what he should do with the men’s 125-pound division. Things are different this time as the UFC boss told reporters that he plans to book the rematch between Figueiredo and Benavidez. Obviously he hopes to avoid seeing another scale fail.
Although the former UFC Welterweight champion, Tyron Woodley is on a six-fight losing streak, he is still determined to get back on the winner’s circle.
2021 presented many challenges for Woodley. A loss to Vincent Luque at UFC 260 and towards the end, he lost twice to Jake Paul, in December by a vicious knockout.
Social Media reacted negatively to the fighter’s shortcomings, but Tyron Woodley is not fazed, rejecting suggestions for him to hang it up after the abysmal run he’s been on.
“And people want you to quit because it makes you their equal. They’re willing to quit. It’s something they always do. They quit jobs like a motherfucker. They quit on the treadmill, they quit. Even after they said 30, they quit after 10. They quit on their diet one week into January. (To) People and humans, it’s so much easier to quit. So when you can try to encourage somebody else to quit, it makes us feel equal. We’re not equal because I’m built different,” Woodley told Ariel Helwani in a recent interview with MMA Fighting.
“The Chosen One” refuses to allow his last bout to signify his career.
“I never thought that, and everything that I had before, all it did was basically, I was gonna fight three times this year anyway, maybe four,” answered Tyron Woodley when asked if he thought his recent loss shrouded his image permanently.
The Comeback
Tyron Woodley could shock the world in 2022.
Tyron Woodley, Photo Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
The former Welterweight Champion wants to get back out there and show MMA fans what he is capable of. Woodley’s KO loss on December 18 was a setback for his next match, but he still plans to fight this year.
“But it’s just basically when I fought in December, it kinda took away a chance for me to fight in January. I was gonna fight in January, most likely. So all it did was replace that. I’m still gonna fight a couple more times this year, go out there and kick some ass, get back in the winning side, and just show people who I am and remember. Like, it’s so easy to quit,” Woodley continued.
Many incredible fighters have hit snags in their career. For example, MMA legend Anderson “The Spider” Silva has made a comeback through boxing after suffering several losses towards the end of his UFC career, not to mention, Robbie Lawler who got some redemption with his win against Nick Diaz at UFC 266.
And 42-year-old Glover Teixeira fought for the belt and lost against Jon Jones in 2014, but became the UFC LightHeavyweight Champion last October at UFC 267.
Top: Anderson Silva, Bottom: Robbie Lawler, Right: Glover Teixeira; Photo Credit: Manuel Velasquez / John Locher/Associated Press / Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC
So, Woodley has a message for those who want to see his downfall:
“Yeah, I just need people to know I’m not that dude. I’m not that dude. I’m not gonna quit because it’s easy for you.”
Having six losses back-to-back is enough to break many people, but Woodley’s strong fighting spirit may be the deciding factor in his next bout.
Are you excited for a Tyron Woodley fight in 2022?
Tonight at UFC 270, Brandon Moreno will look to retain the UFC flyweight championship against Deiveson Figueiredo to bring a close to their trilogy in his favor. As you’ll find in the following article from last year, there hasn’t been much love lost between these two competitors in quite some time.
The following article is brought to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED MAY 31, 2021, 8:13 PM]
Headline: Brandon Moreno Declares Figueiredo To Be Ugly, Dumb, & An A**hole
Author: Doug Murray
There is no love lost between flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo and Mexican challenger Brandon Moreno ahead of their UFC 263 showdown.
Last time, Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno met at UFC 256 last December where the fight became an instant candidate for “fight of the year” honors. Despite the fight between Figueiredo and Moreno not having a clear winner, there is an unsatiable appetite to see these two flyweights run it back. After all, since their last bout ended in a majority draw, it’s only right that these two fighters square up again to determine who is the rightful undisputed champion.
Going toe-to-toe for twenty-five hard minutes, each fighter had big moments in the first fight. However, it was the champion’s right-hand piston that continued to stagger Moreno throughout the night. As the rematch approaches, Moreno had no kind words for the champion leading up to their rematch on June 13 in Phoenix Arizona in front of a sold-out crowd.
“Man, I told you, the guy’s not really smart. He’s an asshole and it’s fine, I don’t care. He’s ugly. Man, the guy’s so ugly. My goodness. I can’t believe it,” Moreno said to TMZ Sports.
It seems Brandon Moreno didn’t have anything nice to say when asked about fighting the champion in June. In fact, it seems some animosity is building between the two flyweights as we lead into their last few weeks of fight camp.
Overall, the initial fight was closely contested and for the first time in many ways, fans got to see Figueiredo fight out of some bad positions. In particular, Moreno was able to time and score some effective takedowns. For the most part, “Deus Da Guerra” managed to get back to his feet pretty quickly, but the takedown pressure certainly wore on the Brazilian champion as the rounds progressed. Undoubtedly, it will be interesting to see how each fighter approaches the rematch since the first fight was razor close.
Who is your pick in the flyweight title fight between Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo?
UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington isn’t holding back in his attempts at mental warfare against his UFC 272 opponent Jorge Masvidal.
Covington is set to face his old American Top Team teammate and friend, Masvidal in the main event of UFC 272. It is one of the few times in recent UFC history that a pay-per-view main event will feature a non-title fight.
Masvidal made headlines recently after opining on why fighters like Covington and former middleweight Chael Sonnen have to be brash and talk trash. He alluded to Covington and Sonnen’s wrestling-first style as a reason for them to overcompensate outside the Octagon.
After getting word of Masvidal’s comments, Covington posted a photo of him and Masvidal’s ex on his Instagram page.
“Don’t worry [Jorge Masvidal], I got you,” Covington said.
Covington and Masvidal have been on each other’s nerves for years, stemming from Covington’s dismissal from ATT. Masvidal has accused Covington of failing to pay his former coach following a win over Rafael dos Anjos for the interim welterweight title.
In response, Covington has thrown decency out of the window, bringing family into the discussion. He’s accused Masvidal of cheating on his former wife and being a poor father to his children.
Masvidal and Covington used to be great friends as the two of them were grinding their way into the UFC headlines. However, their friendship has soured and a grudge match between them is on the horizon.
Masvidal isn’t one to promote trash talk too often, but it’s safe to say that his matchup with Covington may be another exception to that rule.
Last year, Ciryl Gane explained why he would love a fight against Jon Jones. If Jones makes his heavyweight debut on schedule and Gane is victorious tonight at UFC 270, then there is nothing theoretically preventing that fight from happening.
The following article is brought to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JUNE 30, 2021, 11:00 AM]
Headline: Ciryl Gane Wants To Fight Jon Jones Because He’s “The GOAT”
Author: Cole Shelton
Ciryl Gane says Jon Jones is the best MMA fighter of all time and wants to fight him down the line.
Jones, the former longtime UFC light heavyweight champ, has been bulking up for a move to heavyweight. The plan was to face Francis Ngannou, but that hasn’t come to fruition yet. Nevertheless, he still plans to move up to heavyweight, and Gane says he would love for the chance to fight him down the line.
“Yes of course, of course. A lot of people talk about this fight because I am a technical fighter and he is, too, a technical fighter, so the people like to say, ‘Yeah, this is a good matchup.’ So yes, I’m really excited about that because Jon Jones is the GOAT and everybody knows that. So wow,” Gane said to TMZ Sports (h/t BJPENN.com).
“I think it’s a good move for him (going to heavyweight), of course. He can make a lot of money with it,” Gane continued. “He did a lot at light heavyweight, so I understand his move to the heavyweight division, he wants to prove something. But yes, of course, there are a lot of people in this division waiting for the title shot, so every time people say ‘Jon Jones, Jon Jones,’ but we are here, too.”
Should Gane beat Lewis, he will get a title shot against Ngannou, and if he wins that, a scrap against Jones does make a ton of sense. Whether or not that will happen is to be seen.
Julianna Peña likes Miesha Tate’s idea of them both holding UFC titles.
Julianna Peña and Miesha Tate are good friends so wouldn’t them both holding UFC titles at the same time be great? That is the idea that Tate has for the future. She has decided to make the move down to flyweight in order to pursue a championship without attempting to dethrone her friend and former training partner. Upon hearing this idea, the bantamweight champ has to agree.
“I think that that’s great,” Peña told MMA Fighting. “If Miesha, (who) I do believe will find a ton of success at 125 and can fight for the belt at 125, I think there would be nothing better, especially for the UFC and for the sport, and particularly for the state of Washington to have two Washington champions at 125 and 135. That’s the plan.”
Tate decided to return to the UFC following a four-year retirement. As a former champion, Tate was looking to regain her belt in the bantamweight division. However, her path was stalled when she lost to Ketlen Vieira in November. At that time it was Peña who got the title shot. She defeated Amanda Nunes in December and will now be the one to beat at 135 pounds.
Last March, Stephen A. Smith shared his belief that the best thing to ever happen in UFC history took place when Francis Ngannou knocked out Stipe Miocic to become the heavyweight champion.
The following article published last year explains how he came to that conclusion. Tonight, Ngannou’s follow-up performance to this KO will come when he takes on Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 to unify the UFC undisputed heavyweight championship.
The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED MARCH 31, 2021, 10:00 AM]
Headline: Stephen A: Ngannou’s KO The Greatest Thing To EverHappen To UFC
The First Take crew is showering new UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou with the ultimate praise.
Francis Ngannou made history as the first man from Cameroon to become a UFC champion when he knocked out Stipe Miocic at UFC 260. In doing so, the continent of Africa now has three current champions on the UFC roster. The feeling of joy Ngannou had for achieving those two things has been articulated by Ngannou in the aftermath of the event, and he has already been commended far and wide for his improvements, his approach, and his achievement.
In an appearance on ESPN’s First Take on Monday, host Stephen A. Smith threw one more massive heap of praise Ngannou’s way.
“I caught your knockout on Saturday. I called it the greatest thing that’s ever happened to the UFC,” Smith told Ngannou. “Because when you’re the heavyweight champion of the world and you come into the Octagon with bad intentions like Mike Tyson did in boxing, like George Foreman did before him, that’s the greatest thing for a pugilistic sport.”
There’s been some big things to happen in the nearly 30-year history of the UFC: becoming sanctioned by state athletic commissions after being viewed as a bloodsport, women finally being allowed to compete in the promotion after 20 years, Conor McGregor’s rise to fame, the partnership with ESPN, just to name a few. But Smith’s argument comes with the premise that nothing can match the impact of a mainstream heavyweight destroyer.
As someone with a great amount of experience covering the pugilistic sport of boxing, Smith’s co-host Max Kellerman co-signed Smith’s statement to a degree but seemed to stop at the “potential” Ngannou’s win carries as opposed to proclaiming it the greatest thing in UFC history full stop.
“I agree with Stephen A,” Kellerman began. “This has a chance to be, what you did now, a turning point in the history of the UFC in the sense that light heavy was always the glamor division. Brock Lesnar looked for a second, like, ‘Can he be that guy at heavyweight?’ But he couldn’t consistently stay at that level. You now have a fight maybe lined up with Jon Jones.
New UFC Champion Francis Ngannou. Image Credit: Getty Images
“Because the UFC champion would beat the heavyweight champion in boxing in an actual fight, that guy’s the baddest man on the planet, especially if he’s a guy that fights like you. So this could be a turning point in the history of your sport. That’s a tremendous achievement.”
Ever the gracious giant, Ngannou took his praise in stride. During the interview, he noted the impact that Kamaru Usman had on his victory and discussed what it means to him to be a champion for his countrymen and his family. Ngannou’s story and UFC 260 achievement is certainly mainstream news now, and only time will tell if he will be able to carry the heavyweight torch to the places Smith and Kellerman believe he could.
What are your thoughts on Stephen A. Smith’s and Max Kellerman’s level of praise for new UFC champion Francis Ngannou?
