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Tag: Mickey Gall

  • UFC 302 Results & Highlights: Islam Makhachev Submits Dustin Poirier

    UFC 302 Results & Highlights: Islam Makhachev Submits Dustin Poirier

    The UFC staged its latest pay-per-view event on Saturday, and MMA News has you covered with all the action.

    After taking the Octagon back to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil for last month’s numbered card, the promotion’s return to United States soil saw the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, play host to a 12-fight lineup.

    In the main attraction, American fan favorite Dustin Poirier hoped to finish his story by checking the final box in his career. Standing in his way of an undisputed lightweight title crowning at the third time of trying, however, was a formidable force in Islam Makhachev. 

    The Dagestani champion left the crowd disappointed by submitting Poirier in the fifth round of a memorable headliner. In doing so, he tied his mentor, the great Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Benson Henderson for title defenses by notching his third at UFC 302.

    All eyes were also on the co-headliner, as former middleweight titleholder Sean Strickland competed for the first time since being unseated from the throne by the barest of margins this past January in Toronto. After being denied an immediate rematch with Dricus Du Plessis, “Tarzan” staked his claim for a title shot by stalling the ambitions of Paulo Costa in a lackluster five-round affair.

    Before those matchups, the likes of Kevin Holland, Niko Price, Randy Brown, Roman Kopylov, Jailton Almeida, and Bassil Hafez all had their hands raised.

    With the event concluded, check out the full results below, followed by some of the highlights!

    UFC 302: Makhachev vs. Poirier Results & Highlights

    Main Card:

    • Lightweight Championship Main Event: Islam Makhachev def. Dustin Poirier via submission (D’arce choke): R5, 2:42
    • Middleweight Co-Main Event: Sean Strickland def. Paulo Costa via split decision (50-45, 46-49, 49-46)
    • Middleweight: Kevin Holland def. Michaล‚ Oleksiejczuk via submission (armbar): R1,  1:34
    • Welterweight: Niko Price def. Alex Morono via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
    • Welterweight: Randy Brown def. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

    Preliminary Card:

    • Middleweight: Roman Kopylov def. Cรฉsar Almeida via unanimous decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
    • Heavyweight: Jailton Almeida def. Alexandr Romanov via submission (rear-naked choke): R1, 2:27
    • Lightweight: Grant Dawson def. Joe Solecki via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
    • Welterweight: Jake Matthews def. Phil Rowe via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

    Early Preliminary Card:

    • Welterweight: Bassil Hafez def. Mickey Gall via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
    • Women’s Bantamweight: Ailรญn Pรฉrez def. Joselyne Edwards via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
    • Flyweight: Andrรฉ Lima def. Mitch Raposo via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)

    Ailรญn Pรฉrez Def. Joselyne Edwards

    Bassil Hafez Def. Mickey Gall

    Jailton Almeida Def. Alexandr Romanov

    Randy Brown Def. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos

    https://twitter.com/mmaSharke/status/1797093108800225302https://twitter.com/mmaSharke/status/1797093678902599797

    Niko Price Def. Alex Morono

    Kevin Holland Def. Michaล‚ Oleksiejczuk

    https://twitter.com/TakeruCigarra/status/1797108550453297652

    Sean Strickland Def. Paulo Costa

    Islam Makhachev Def. Dustin Poirier

    https://twitter.com/TakeruCigarra/status/1797133433904214327

  • Mickey Gall: UFC 302 Fight First Time Competing Without A Broken Back In Four Years

    Mickey Gall: UFC 302 Fight First Time Competing Without A Broken Back In Four Years

    Mickey Gall hasn’t appeared inside the UFC Octagon for over two years having gone under the knife for surgery. As it turns out, such a layoff was long overdue.

    Gall, who is well known for handing CM Punk a crushing defeat in his MMA debut back in 2016, is set to make his comeback on the early preliminary card of the UFC 302 numbered event this weekend.

    The 32-year-old heads to the Prudential Center in Newark off the back of a lengthy recovery. That’s after committing to surgery following his knockout loss to Mike Malott at UFC 273 in April 2022.

    That result left Gall on a two-fight losing skid and 3-5 across eight fights since extending his then-undefeated record to 4-0 with a victory over Sage Northcutt more than seven years ago.

    But while the New Jersey native has struggled with consistency for a long time, he’s revealed that the past four years of his career have played out alongside a serious injury.

    UFC 302’s Gall Fought Through Back Break That Left Him Unable To Sit

    During a recent fight week interview with UFC.com, Gall previewed his return to action at UFC 302 and looked back on his layoff, as well as the losing form that came before it.

    The once-highly touted prospect revealed that the most recent stage of his career had played out in spite of intense struggles from a broken back. Having finally decided upon surgery and a pause in competition, Gall is back and feeling better than ever.

    “I’m feeling good,” Gall said. “I had back surgery, so I haven’t fought in over two years. I’ve competed for four years with a broken back. Now that that’s done, I feel better than I ever have. So I’m excited to show my full potential.

    “I was so limited before. I was trying to avoid the surgery ’cause I wanted to keep fighting and people were like, ‘Surgery, that could be career-ending.’ But it got to a point where I couldn’t sit down,” Gall continued. “It was tough. Camp went great. I’m not limited anymore. I was limited in my rotation and certain movements. Now, I had a great camp… I feel better than I ever have, truly.” 

    Gall will look to show his improved condition on Saturday night by getting the better of Bassil Hafez. Following a narrow loss to Jack Della Maddalena on debut last year, Hafez is looking to get in the winner’s circle on MMA’s biggest stage for the very first time.

    The bout also presents an opportunity for some slight redemption for Gall, as he was defeated by his UFC 302 opponent at a local grappling tournament a decade ago.

  • UFC Vegas 44: Font vs Aldo Weigh-In Results & Preview

    Every fighter has made weight ahead of UFC Vegas 44, including the event’s headliners, Rob Font and Josรฉ Aldo.

    UFC Vegas 44 takes place Saturday, December 4, 2021, from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the main event, Rob Font (#4) will battle Josรฉ Aldo (#5). Font has candidly stated that he does not believe a win here would be enough for him to earn a title shot, yet he still expects that his jab and other tools in his arsenal will be enough to get the job done nonetheless.

    On the contrary, Aldo has a “title shot or bust” mentality for the duration of his career, and this is just another chapter in that journey. With a victory here, Aldo would prefer a bout against TJ Dillashaw next before earning a second stab at the bantamweight championship.

    In the co-main event, Rafael Fiziev will take on Brad Riddell. MMA News caught up with Fiziev prior to tomorrow’s battle. One of the things Fiziev had to say ahead of tomorrow’s contest is he views this fight as a must-win if he is to secure a strong new UFC contract. If he is victorious, he would have handed Riddell his first loss in the UFC.

    Also competing on tomorrow’s card is ranked lightweights Jimmy Crute and Jamahal Hill. Hill told MMA News that he is moving on from the brutal outcome of his previous bout against Paul Craig. Tomorrow, the world will witness how the promising young light heavyweight rebounds.

    Additionally, Brendan Allen will be taking on Chris Curtis, who is coming off a big knockout win over Phil Hawes at UFC 268. Allen spoke with MMA News about how he negotiated his own UFC contract ahead of this bout, which will be against the short-notice replacement Chris Curtis.

    MMA News also caught up with Mickey Gall ahead of his main card bout against Alex Morono. Gall believes he is a bigger killer than “The Great White” and that the world will witness this for themselves tomorrow night.

    The main card for UFC Vegas 44 begins at 10:00 PM ET, with the preliminary bouts starting at 7:00 PM. The entire card will be available on ESPN, ESPN+, and ESPN Deportes.

    You can find the full weigh-in results below, courtesy of UFC.com, and you check out the video of today’s weigh-ins here, courtesy of MMA Weekly.

    UFC Vegas 44 Weigh-In Results

    Main Card

    Main Event – Bantamweight Bout: Rob Font (134) vs Jose Aldo (136)

    Co-Main Event – Lightweight Bout: Brad Riddell (155.5) vs Rafael Fiziev (155.5)

    Light Heavyweight Bout: Jimmy Crute (205.5) vs Jamahal Hill (205)

    Lightweight Bout: Clay Guida (155) vs Leonardo Santos (156)

    Middleweight Bout: Brendan Allen (185.5) vs Chris Curtis (185)

    Welterweight Bout: Alex Morono (170.5) vs Mickey Gall (170.5)

    Preliminary Card

    Middleweight Bout: Maki Pitolo (184.5) vs Dusko Todorovic (185.5)

    Flyweight Bout: Manel Kape (125.5) vs Zhalgas Zhumagulov (125.5)

    Welterweight Bout: Bryan Barberena (170.5) vs Darian Weeks (170)

    Welterweight Bout: Jake Matthews (170) vs Jeremiah Wells (170.5)

    Strawweight Bout: Cheyanne Vlismas (115.5) vs Mallory Martin (115) 

    Light Heavyweight Bout: Alonzo Menifield (205.5) vs William Knight (206)

    Lightweight Bout: Claudio Puelles (155) vs Chris Gruetzemacher (156)

    Bantamweight Bout: Louis Smolka (135.5) vs Vince Morales (135.5)

    Be sure to visit MMANews.com tomorrow full for coverage of UFC Vegas 44, including all the highlights and results from the event!

  • 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.”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CWMOMG_vzcp/

    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?