MMA News

Tag: UFC Vegas 100

  • ‘Heartbroken’ Karolina Kowalkiewicz Answers Retirement Questions After UFC Vegas 100 Loss

    ‘Heartbroken’ Karolina Kowalkiewicz Answers Retirement Questions After UFC Vegas 100 Loss

    UFC women’s strawweight Karolina Kowalkiewicz doesn’t plan on letting her defeat at the Apex this past weekend mark the end of her journey in MMA.

    Kowalkiewicz, who has amassed 18 fights worth of Octagon experience since debuting way back in 2015, returned for her second assignment of the year in Saturday’s UFC Vegas 100 featured preliminary bout.

    The Polish standout had hoped to bounce back against Denise Gomes after dropping a decision to the fast-rising Iasmin Lucindo this past May at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro.

    But the 39-year-old once again fell short to a young Brazilian fighter, with “Dee” also getting the nod on all three scorecards following 15 minutes of action.

    A day on from her second straight setback, Kowalkiewicz took to her Instagram Story to address her supporters.

    The Polish veteran gave an honest assessment of her performance and the result, admitting that Gomes was simply better. That fact hasn’t, however, brought her to the brink of calling it quits.

    “Hey guys, Iā€™m so sorry. But thank you for your support, for your love. Iā€™m okay, as you can see, Iā€™m okay, just my heart is broken,” Kowalkiewicz said. “I had a really great fight camp, perfect weight-cutting, I felt really, really good. Really good shape, but my opponent, sheā€™s better than me, what can I say?

    “Give me some time and see you soon. Iā€™m not going to retire, donā€™t worry,” Kowalkiewicz added.

    It remains to be seen what comes next for Kowalkiewicz, but it appears certain that fans haven’t seen the last of the former KSW women’s flyweight champion inside the Octagon.

    Gomes, meanwhile, has now won two on the bounce since failing to climb the ladder against Angela Hill in November 2023. The Brazilian will no doubt look to keep her sights on those above her in pursuit of a spot in contention.

  • Reinier de Ridder Targets Khamzat Chimaev After Successful UFC Debut: ‘I’m Ready’

    Reinier de Ridder Targets Khamzat Chimaev After Successful UFC Debut: ‘I’m Ready’

    Former two-division ONE champion and UFC newcomer Reinier de Ridder would welcome the chance to hand Khamzat Chimaev his first defeat inside the cage.

    De Ridder arrived in mixed martial arts’ leading promotion this year, having had his two pieces of ONE Championship gold ripped from his grasp by Anatoly Malykhin and becoming angered by the workings of the Asia-based promotion.

    After bouncing back under the UAE Warriors banner in the summer, “The Dutch Knight” put pen to paper on a dream move to the UFC. And his pursuit of adding the organization’s middleweight belt to his trophy cabinet got underway this past weekend at the Apex.

    Co-headlining UFC Vegas 100, de Ridder shared the cage with a former training partner and fellow grappling specialist in Gerald Meerschaert. The Breda, Netherlands native emerged victorious from a competitive and grueling affair by way of submission in round three.

    De Ridder’s debut performance split opinion in the community, with many already writing off his chances of defeating the top names high up the ladder at 185 pounds.

    The former ONE double champ, however, says he’s “ready” for the toughest tests.

    During his post-fight press conference on Saturday night, de Ridder reflected on his first foray into the Octagon, admitting that not everything went how he had envisioned pre-fight.

    ā€œOn the floor, I made a few mistakes, especially in the second round,ā€ de Ridder said. ā€œI shouldnā€™t have went for those (Dā€™arce chokes), I thought I had them but they werenā€™t there. Thereā€™s a few little tweaks I should make there.

    ā€œBut Iā€™m happy it happened this way, the fight happened this way. Because normally heā€™s the guy who lasts longer, he takes some shots and heā€™s still there and he finishes guys at the end of the second or in the third round,” de Ridder continued. “So itā€™s cool I was that guy this time.ā€

    Nevertheless, the manner in which the fight played out hasn’t dented his confidence. In fact, de Ridder has maintained his self-belief when it comes to defeating the best contenders, even calling for the opportunity to blemish Khamzat Chimaev’s perfect record.

    ā€œWhy not Khamzat? That would be a nice matchup, grappling wise, it would be cool,” de Ridder suggested. “Whatever the UFC wants of me, Iā€™ll do it. Just give me a call. Iā€™m ready.ā€

  • ‘This Dude Is Legit’ – Fans & Fighters React As Carlos Prates Adds Neil Magny To His List Of KO Victims At UFC Vegas 100

    ‘This Dude Is Legit’ – Fans & Fighters React As Carlos Prates Adds Neil Magny To His List Of KO Victims At UFC Vegas 100

    The violent start to Carlos Prates’ Octagon career continued at the expense of veteran contender Neil Magny at UFC Vegas 100.

    Prates had already staked a strong claim for this year’s Newcomer of the Year accolade, having followed a contract-winning performance on Dana White’s Contender Series 14 months ago with three straight UFC knockouts in 2024.

    And if his brutal finishes of Trevin Giles, Charles Radtke, and Li Jingliang weren’t enough to get some aboard the Prates hype train, his quick night at the office opposite “The Haitian Sensation” Saturday night likely did the trick.

    The Brazilian immediately had his grappling defense tested by Magny, who looked to avoid his opponent’s renowned power at any and all cost.

    But the 37-year-old quickly found himself hurt and backpedaling after being struck by the prolific knockout artist. And with short time remaining in round one, “The Nightmare” shut Magny’s lights out and faceplanted him with a glancing left hand.

    Prates Showered With Praise After Magny KO In UFC Vegas 100 Main Event

    Unsurprisingly, the MMA community was abuzz in the aftermath of the Brazilian’s latest display of violence. Both fellow fighters and fans took to social media to express shock and awe.

    The common theme? “Legit.”

    With the result, “The Nightmare’s” winning run now stands at 11 straight fights spanning seven years. He’s expected to inherit Magny’s #15 spot inside the welterweight rankings come next week’s update.

    “The Haitian Sensation,” meanwhile, has now lost consecutive bouts for the first time since 2013. While his year opened in style when he stalled the surge of Canada’s Mike Malott, he’s now dropped back-to-back outings against two highly regarded names in Michael Morales and Prates.

  • ‘How Bad Is ONE’s MMA Pool?’ – Fans Give Mixed Reviews As Reinier de Ridder Wins UFC Vegas 100 Debut

    ‘How Bad Is ONE’s MMA Pool?’ – Fans Give Mixed Reviews As Reinier de Ridder Wins UFC Vegas 100 Debut

    Reinier de Ridder got his UFC career off to a winning start at UFC Vegas 100, submitting Gerald Meerschaert in the co-main event.

    De Ridder, a former two-division kingpin under the ONE Championship banner, departed Asia’s leading martial arts promotion after being unseated by Anatoly Malykhin at both middleweight (205lbs) and light heavyweight (225lbs).

    Following a bounce-back win at UAE Warriors 51 this past July, the Dutchman put pen to paper on a deal with the UFC, vowing to make a splash and compete with the best in the 185-pound class.

    His path to doing so got underway Saturday night at the Apex, where de Ridder shared the cage with a former training partner of his and fellow submission specialist in Wisconsin’s Meerschaert.

    Things started off rocky for “The Dutch Knight,” who found himself getting hit by the UFC veteran throughout the first round. But de Ridder finished the frame in strong fashion, dropping “GM3” and threatening a finish before the buzzer.

    After a grueling second round, the Octagon newcomer looked to take advantage of his opponent’s apparent fatigue, which paved the way for him to establish control on the ground in the final stanza.

    It was there where he locked in an arm-triangle choke, extending his submission tally to 13 in the cage and forcing Meerschaert’s first tap since a defeat to Jack Hermansson way back in 2018.

    Fans React To de Ridder’s Successful UFC Debut

    While the former ONE double champ had his hand raised, his performance received mixed reviews from MMA peers and the fanbase on social media.

    Some were quick to write off de Ridder’s chances of adding UFC gold to his trophy cabinet, predicting that his striking deficiencies will be exposed by those occupying spots inside the middleweight top 15.

    Others, however, noted that de Ridder’s display at UFC Vegas 100 followed a similar trend to his previous performances on the other side of the world ā€” which he was able to repeat all the way to multiple thrones.

    For Meerschaert, Saturday’s result snapped his two-fight winning run. The veteran had previously strung together consecutive submission triumphs over Bryan Barberena and Edmen Shahbazyan to reignite his ambitions of earning a number next to his name at 185 pounds.