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Tag: UFC Vegas 44

  • Bisping Wants Nate Diaz To Rematch Clay Cuida After Declining Chimaev

    Michael Bisping has an idea of who Nate Diaz should fight if he is not interested in Khamzat Chimaev.

    Diaz has been vocal about his disinterest in fighting the red-hot prospect Chimaev in the last fight of his UFC contract, despite this being the thing that the UFC is pushing for. He has spoken outright about not wanting to take this fight because he feels that the Chechen is not experienced enough in the UFC and is undeserving of the hype that has been put on him.

    If this is not the fight that the younger Diaz brother wants, then former middleweight champion and UFC commentator Michael Bisping has an interesting alternative.

    Speaking on the Believe You Me podcast, he was empathetic to the reason given for turning down the Chimaev fight and said that it would be great to see 209’s own face off in a rematch against Clay Guida, following “The Carpenter’s” comeback win over Leonardo Santos at UFC Vegas 44.

    “Khamzat [Chimaev], whilst showing the potential and being a potential contender down the line, isn’t a contender right now. And isn’t ranked in the top five so I don’t blame him for saying that. Clay Guida, if I am Nate Diaz, I would take that fight. I’m not sure the UFC would wanna do that fight, who knows,” Bisping said (h/t LowKickMMA).

    “I mean, Clay Guida is a fan favorite. Every time he goes out there, his brother slaps him. Of course, we know he burps all over the effing place as well. He’s a great guy, He’s had a great career. As I said, he’s in the Hall of Fame for that fight that he had with Diego Sanchez. Yeah, off it. Nate Diaz-Clay Guida 2. Fucking Clay deserves it. That would be amazing to see.”

    Michael Bisping makes a good point about how much fun a rematch between Nate Diaz and Clay Guida would be, especially considering it has been 12 years since their first fight, which ended as a split decision for Guida. That said, like Bisping noted, the UFC may not be too keen on making this fight happen.

    You can watch the full podcast with Michael Bisping below:

    https://youtu.be/YGzEY2CCUGI

  • UFC’s Zhalgas Zhumagulov Has 2 Wives: ‘At First, There Were Challenges’

    As crazy as it might sound, being a professional cage fighter may not be the most challenging thing in the life of Zhalgas Zhumagulov.

    Zhumagulov is a Kazakh flyweight who has gone 1-3 in his UFC run thus far, hampering the hype that was surrounding the former Fight Nights Global champion. His most recent fight saw him suffer a TKO at the hands of Manel Kape over the weekend, who is also a highly touted prospect at 125lb.

    However, it was his personal life that was the subject of conversation recently when he was speaking on the “Let Me Interrupt You” YouTube channel. Here, the 33-year old explained that, in addition to having 6 children, he is also married to two different women at the same time, a practice that he says is normal in part of the world.

    “Yes, I have two wives—two wives and six children,” Zhumagulov said (h/t Low Kick MMA). “In principle, it’s normal. At first, there were challenges but now everything is fine.”

    As far as how he divides up his time within his polyamorous relationship, Zhumagulov says that he goes back and forth between the two wives, spending one day with each before going to the next one. This helps to keep everyone happy and maintain his relationships with the pair of women.

    ”Well, where did I leave from? If I left, for example, from my second wife, I go to the first. If I left the first, I go to the second. A day here, a day there,” Zhumagulov said.

    While this is commonplace in the region of the world that Zhalgas Zhumagulov hails from, polygamous relationships are only starting to grow in popularity in the Western world. Perhaps his example will open the eyes to others about the benefits of this type of lifestyle.

  • Clay Guida Wants To Run It Back With Nate Diaz After Comeback Win

    UFC lightweight Clay Guida feels now is the perfect time to get a rematch against Nate Diaz after his improbable win at UFC Vegas 44.

    It was looking to be a disastrous night for Guida against Leonardo Santos after he got caught with some hard strikes on the feet and got dropped early in the fight. After somehow surviving some big blows to the head, he was able to grapple his way out of trouble and survive through the first round.

    Santos appeared to be gassed out entering Round 2, and Guida took advantage of the opportunity and sunk in a rear-naked choke for the comeback win. It snapped a recent skid of losses in three of his previous four fights.

    During his UFC Vegas 44 post-fight press conference, Guida said he still wants another shot at Diaz before their careers are over.

    “We just wanna stay on the gas pedal, stay active, and there’s still one dude out there with our name on him,” Guida said. “I beat him once, I’ll give him another chance. Nate Diaz, I know you’re out there. You can’t run, you can’t hide. I know you’re gonna turn the fight down, you probably won’t even know we want to fight you again. But if you ever want to do it again, buddy, I’ll give you a shot. Let me know.”

    Clay Guida Earned A Close Win Over Nate Diaz At UFC 94

    Guida has been a mainstay in the UFC’s lightweight division since he made his UFC debut back in 2006 at UFC 64. Coincidentally, his first UFC loss came against Din Thomas in 2007, and Thomas was part of the broadcast crew for his UFC Vegas 44 victory.

    Guida has fought most of the top names that have come through the lightweight division; including Diego Sanchez, Anthony Pettis, and Rafael dos Anjos. Despite his long career in the promotion, he has yet to fight for a title.

    Since their first fight, Diaz has emerged as a top star in the UFC and has recently focused on a run at welterweight. He most recently fell to Leon Edwards earlier this year at UFC 263.

    It’s unclear whether or not Guida still has it in him to make another title run, but Diaz is still searching for an opponent for his UFC return. A throwback matchup between Guida and Diaz could be the fight to make if both sides want to make it happen.

    Would you be interested in seeing Clay Guida vs. Nate Diaz 2?

  • The Pulse of MMA: Fans React To José Aldo’s Victory Over Rob Font

    The Pulse of MMA: Fan Reactions To The Sport’s Biggest Stories

    In this installment of The Pulse of MMA, we look at the raw, unfiltered reactions from MMA fans to the result of UFC Vegas 44’s main event between José Aldo and Rob Font.

    José Aldo def. Rob Font via Unanimous Decision At UFC Vegas 44

    Jose Aldo's power too much for Rob Font at UFC Vegas 44

    Last night at UFC Vegas 44, José Aldo picked up his third consecutive victory when he defeated Rob Font via unanimous decision. Font brought the fight to him but Aldo stood strong and struck back with more firepower behind his shots. You can check out the official scorecards from the bout below.

    Judges Derek Cleary and Junichiro Kamijo gave all five rounds to Aldo while Sal D’Amato gave the third to Font. If you missed the action, you can catch our highlights from yesterday’s event right here.

    After the bout in the Octagon interview, Aldo reiterated what he said leading into the bout, which is that he would fancy a fight against T.J. Dillashaw next. With Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling on a collision course to settle their unfinished business, Dillashaw is unbooked and should be ready to return from knee surgery in early 2022.

    Aldo’s peers have reacted to his win over Font last night, but what about the Pulse of MMA? Check out the raw, unfiltered reactions of what fans had to say about the UFC Vegas 44 main event below!

    https://twitter.com/MMAWillis_/status/1467376852247334914
    https://twitter.com/Stek02/status/1467378971264356354

    Want to weigh in on the sport’s biggest stories? Be sure to follow us on Twitter and let your voice be heard!

  • UFC Vegas 44 Bonuses: Rafael Fiziev Gets Bonus For Wheel Kick KO Win

    The UFC Vegas 44 bonuses have been released.

    The event took place in Las Vegas, Nevada at the UFC Apex facility. Headlining the card was a clash between Rob Font and Jose Aldo. This fight saw Font seem to be a few steps quicker than Aldo, who was taken down by Font briefly in the first round. Font was also moving forward. Aldo landed a big strike that dropped Font to end the round. Aldo rocked him in the second round with an uppercut. Font was landing his jab at will. In the third round, Aldo defended a takedown and got on top. Aldo started to attack the legs. Aldo dropped him with a knee strike and got on top to start the fourth round. Font had some nasty swelling to his left eye. Aldo looked tired to start the fifth round and they clinched up against the fence. Aldo dropped him in the middle of the round before taking Font’s back. Aldo got the decision win. 

    The co-main event saw more action between Brad Riddell and Rafael Fiziev.

    This fight saw Riddell being hesitant in the first round to throw strikes although he was more willing to do leg kicks. In the second round, they both let their hands go, which resulted in Riddell being busted open on his left temple and a cut under his right eye. The finish came in the third round when Fiziev landed a wheel kick. 

    Peep the full list of performance bonus winners below.

    ‘Fight of the Night’: Cheyanne Vlismas vs. Mallory Martin

    ‘Performance of the Night’: Chris Curtis

    ‘Performance of the Night’: Clay Guida

    ‘Performance of the Night’: Jamahal Hill

    ‘Performance of the Night’: Rafael Fiziev

    UFC Vegas 44 Results: Rob Font vs. Jose Aldo, Brad Riddell vs. Rafael Fiziev

    Were the right choices made for the UFC Vegas 44 bonuses?

  • Fighters React To Jose Aldo’s Decision Win Over Rob Font At UFC Vegas 44

    Rob Font vs. Jose Aldo lived up to expectations. 

    The two fighters met in a bout on Saturday night (December 4) at the UFC Vegas 44 event from Las Vegas, Nevada at the UFC Apex facility.

    Font did get a takedown, but it was brief, in the first round. Font kept moving forward while Aldo was looking to counter strike. Aldo landed a big strike that dropped Font to end the round. In the second round, Aldo landed a big time uppercut, but Font came back with combos and the jab. In the third round, Aldo defended a takedown and got on top.

    Aldo was landing some serious leg kicks. The start of the fourth round, Aldo dropped him with a knee strike and got on top. In the fifth round, they did some clinch work. Aldo dropped him in the middle of the round before taking Font’s back. Aldo got the decision win. 

    Peep the highlights of the fight courtesy of the UFC’s official Twitter account:

    Let’s see how the fighters reacted to the outcome of this fight: 

    Font had won his last 5 out of 6 bouts and was on a four-fight winning streak heading into this fight. He ripped off wins over the likes of Sergio Pettis in December 2018 by decision, Ricky Simón via decision in December 2019 and a KO win over Marlon Moraes in December 2020. He most recently beat Cody Garbrandt by decision in May 2021. 

    Aldo entered this fight with a 4-5 record in his previous nine bouts with two of those losses coming to Max Holloway. He suffered a decision loss to Alexander Volkanovski at the UFC 237 pay-per-view event from the Arena da Baixada in Curitiba, Brazil. He dropped a split decision loss to Marlon Moraes at UFC 245. He got TKO’d by Petr Yan for the vacant bantamweight title at the UFC 251 pay-per-view event from Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island aka Fight Island. Aldo then beat Marlon Vera at UFC Vegas 17 in December 2020. In his previous fight, he beat Pedro Munoz by decision at UFC 265. 

    UFC Vegas 44 Results: Rob Font vs. Jose Aldo, Brad Riddell vs. Rafael Fiziev

    MMA News is providing ongoing coverage of UFC Vegas 44. We’ve got you covered with live results, video highlights, and post-fight tidbits.

  • Fighters React To Rafael Fiziev’s Wheel Kick KO Win At UFC Vegas 44

    Brad Riddell vs. Rafael Fiziev was a solid co-headliner with a special finish. 

    The two fighters met in a bout on Saturday night (December 4) at the UFC Vegas 44 event from Las Vegas, Nevada at the UFC Apex facility..

    The first round had a slow start with Riddell being various cautious and not throwing a lot of volume although he was landing some leg kicks. However, Riddell did get in a nice combo to end the frame. They started to let their hands go in the second round. Brad had a cut under right eye and was bleeding from his left temple. Riddell got the brief takedown in the third round, but let him back up. Fiziev finished the fight with a wheel kick. 

    Peep the highlights of the fight courtesy of the UFC’s official Twitter account:

    Riddell entered this fight on a six-fight winning streak with his promotional debut going down at the UFC 243 pay-per-view event where he picked up a decision win over Jamie Mullarkey. 

    Fiziev entered the fight with a pro-MMA record of 10-1 and was riding a four-fight winning streak including his most recent win over Bobby Green by decision at UFC 265. 

    Let’s see how the fighters reacted to the outcome of this fight: 

    UFC Vegas 44 Results: Rob Font vs. Jose Aldo, Brad Riddell vs. Rafael Fiziev

    MMA News is providing ongoing coverage of UFC Vegas 44. We’ve got you covered with live results, video highlights, and post-fight tidbits.

  • UFC Vegas 44 Results & Highlights: José Aldo Decisions Rob Font

    UFC Vegas 44 went down tonight (Sat. December 4, 2021) from Las Vegas, Nevada at the UFC Apex facility and we have the results. The world’s leading mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion compiled an excellent card for fight fans to enjoy. 

    It was headlined by a meeting between Rob Font and José Aldo in a bantamweight bout. 

    The co-headliner saw a bout between Brad Riddell and Rafael Fiziev. Clay Guida vs. Leonardo Santos in a lightweight fight, Jimmy Crute vs. Jamahal Hill in a light heavyweight bout, Brendan Allen vs. Chris Curtis in a middleweight showdown and Alex Morono vs. Mickey Gall in a middleweight bout finished out the main card. 

    It was certain to have a great night of fights. Check out MMA News’ UFC Vegas 44 results below:

    Alex Morono vs. Mickey Gall

    They had a feeling out process early. Alex dropped him with a jab with less than two minutes to go and he jumped right into guard. Gall tried to go for a few different submissions while getting punched in the face. He survived the round. Gall came out firing in the second round. Alex was throwing a lot of looping shots that most of the time missed, but did land a few and kept that trend rolling. Gall continued to press forward in the third. The judges gave the win to Morono.

    Brendan Allen vs. Chris Curtis

    After striking for the majority of the first round, Allen went for a single leg and pulled guard for an ankle lock. He kept a hold of the ankle, but Curtis ended up moving to half guard to wrap up the round. In the second round, Curtis rocked him with a right hook then swarmed him with strikes and knees to the gut for the finish. 

    Clay Guida vs. Leonardo Santos

    Santos trapped him up against the fence and Guida shot in for a takedown, but Santos swarmed him on the ground then the feet with strikes. Guida was covering up before dropping again. Santos unloaded with knee strikes then backed up. Santos was exhausted after all of that and yet Guida is still standing. Santos landed 46 unanswered strikes. Guida took him down and landed some shots to end the first round. Guida took him down to start the second round and landed several knee strikes to the body. Guida got his back and locked in the rear-naked choke for the win. 

    Jimmy Crute vs. Jamahal Hill

    Hill caught him with a left hook that dropped Crute, who recovered. Moments later, Crute landed the same shot again and flattened him then landed one good shot on the ground for the knockout finish. 

    Brad Riddell vs. Rafael Fiziev

    It was a slow start. Fiziev was doing a nice job of counter striking. Brad landed a strong combo to end the first round. In the second round, they both landed hard left hooks. Brad had a cut under right eye and was bleeding from his left temple. Fiziev had him pressed up against the fence, but Brad was doing a nice job in that spot. They clinched briefly. In the third round, Riddell got the brief takedown, but let him back up. Fiziev finished it with a wheel kick and Riddell went down hard. 

    Rob Font vs. José Aldo

    Font got a takedown early in the first round, but Aldo got right back to his feet. Font had a lot of speed and backed up Aldo. Aldo landed a big strike that dropped Font to end the round. In the second round, Aldo cracked him with an uppercut. It almost woke up Font who fired back with a combo then started landing jobs. Aldo side stepped him and Font slipped, but got back to his feet. In the third round, Aldo defended a takedown and got on top. Font got back to his feet. Aldo went to the leg kicks and was dishing out punishment with them. To start off the fourth round, Aldo stunned him then dropped him with a knee strike and Font went to the ground. Aldo got on top and landed some strikes. To start off the fifth round, they did some clinch fighting. Aldo dropped him in the middle of the round and got his back, but there was a scramble. Aldo stayed on him. Aldo got the decision win. 

    Quick UFC Vegas 44 Results

    PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)

    • Bantamweight bout: Vince Morales def. Louis Smolka by knockout (punches) at 2:02 of Round 1
    • Lightweight bout: Claudio Puelles def. Chris Gruetzemacher by submission (kneebar) at 3:25 of Round 3
    • Light heavyweight bout: William Knight def. Alonzo Menifield by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
    • Women’s strawweight bout: Cheyanne Vlismas def. Mallory Martin by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
    • Welterweight bout: Bryan Barberena def. Darian Weeks by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
    • Flyweight bout: Manel Kape def. Zhalgas Zhumagulov by TKO (punches) at 4:02 of Round 1
    • Middleweight bout: Dusko Todorovic def. Maki Pitolo by TKO (punches) at 4:34 of Round 1

    MAIN CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET)

    • Welterweight bout: Alex Morono def. Mickey Gall by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
    • Middleweight bout: Chris Curtis def. Brendan Allen by TKO (strikes) at 1:58 of Round 2
    • Light heavyweight bout: Clay Guida def. Leonardo Santos by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:21 of Round 2
    • Lightweight bout: Jamahal Hill def. Jimmy Crute by knockout (punch) at :48 of Round 1
    • Lightweight bout: Rafael Fiziev def. Brad Riddell by TKO (wheel kick) at 2:20 of Round 3
    • Bantamweight bout: José Aldo def. Rob Font by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46)

  • Check Out Last-Minute Betting Odds For UFC Vegas 44

    The final UFC Vegas 44 betting odds are in for as this event is quickly approaching for the Las Vegas-based promotion. 

    The event is here, and it goes down tonight (Saturday, December 4, 2021) from Las Vegas, Nevada at the UFC Apex facility.

    Rob Font vs. Jose Aldo will headline the show. In the co-main event, Brad Riddell vs. Rafael Fiziev. Rounding out the main card is Clay Guida vs. Leonardo Santos, Jimmy Crute vs. Jamahal Hill, Brendan Allen vs. Chris Curtis and Alex Morono vs. Mickey Gall. 

    According to oddsmakers, Font is a -150 favorite over Aldo, who is a +130 underdog. Other odds for the main card include Riddell being a +105 underdog against Fiziev, who is a -125 favorite. Here are the full betting odds: 

    MAIN CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET)

    Rob Font (-150) vs. Jose Aldo (+130)

    Rafael Fiziev (-125) vs. Brad Riddell (+105)

    Leonardo Santos (-190) vs. Clay Guida (+160)

    Jimmy Crute (-190) vs. Jamahal Hill (+160)

    Brendan Allen (-365) vs. Chris Curtis (+280)

    Alex Morono (-220) vs. Mickey Gall (+180)

    PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)

    Dusko Todorovic (-160) vs. Maki Pitolo (+140)

    Manel Kape (-250) vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov (+200)

    Jake Matthews (-190) vs. Jeremiah Wells (+160)

    Cheyanne Buys (-190) vs. Mallory Martin (+160)

    Alonzo Menifield (-170) vs. William Knight (+150)

    Chris Gruetzemacher (-115) vs. Claudio Puelles (-105)

    Bryan Barberena (N/A) vs. Darian Weeks (N/A)

    Louis Smolka (-145) vs. Vince Morales (+125)

  • WATCH: UFC Vegas 44 Post-Fight Press Conference Live Stream

    The UFC Vegas 44 post-fight press conference will be live once the action concludes.

    In the headliner, Rob Font and Jose Aldo will collide in a bantamweight clash. UFC Vegas 44’s co-main event will see a clash between Brad Riddell and Rafael Fiziev. action will also be featured on the main card as Leonardo Santos shares the Octagon with Clay Guida. 

    The fighters from both the main and co-main events are expected to attend the post-fight press conference barring any hospital visits. Of course anyone else on the card who has a breakout performance could also attend the presser.

    MMA News will be providing live coverage of the UFC Vegas 44 card. Be sure to check back here for the post-fight presser with a tentative start time of 12:15 p.m. ET.

    Let us know your big takeaways once the UFC Vegas 44 post-fight press conference.

  • 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 José 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 José 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!