Month: May 2020

UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns – Fights to make

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page

The UFC’s first Apex show was kind of a weird card on paper, but ended up being a lot of fun in practice. A lot of that might be chalked up to the promotion using their smaller cage for the event—something that kept fighters like Woodley, Ivanov, and Gutierrez much more engaged with their opponents than they might otherwise choose to be. But, no mater the reason, the fights provided a lot of entertainment—even if they were largely short on deeper meaning.

So, is Gilbert Burns officially welterweight’s top contender now? Is Augusto Sakai on his way to being a top 10 heavyweight? And what the heck is the UFC gonna do with Katlyn Chookagian in the women’s flyweight division?

To answer all those questions – if little else – I’ll be turning to the classic Silva/Shelby fight booking style from the UFC of years past. That means pitting winners against winners, losers against losers, and similarly tenured talent up against one another. Hopefully, by following that system, there’s a small chance that one or two of these fights actually make it off the page and into the Octagon. Now, let’s get to the match-ups!

GILBERT BURNS

Burns is in an unusual place. He’s got rock solid, indisputable wins over two fantastically talented fighters. One a former champion, the other a multiple-time title challenger. But, it also feels like each of those wins closed the door on those fighters’ time as part of the welterweight elite. Demian Maia is talking about taking one or two more bouts before hanging ‘em up for good, and it’s hard to imagine the Tyron Woodley who came out of Saturday’s fight contending for a welterweight belt again.

However, with talk of an Usman/Masvidal title fight seeming more and more remote – and with Colby Covington already having lost his bout to the champ – it’s not unreasonable to say that Gilbert Burns is the top contender at 170 lbs. The only other person in the conversation is Leon Edwards. And other than a remarkable win streak, victories over RDA and Gunnar Nelson don’t quite stack up to Maia and Woodley. If Gilbert Burns wants to fight his training partner, that should create a whole lot of intrigue. So, I’ll say book it. Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns for the Welterweight title.

TYRON WOODLEY

Whether or not fans place the credit for this loss on Gilbert Burns’ fantastic performance, it’s hard not to see this fight as anything other than a serious setback for Tyron Woodley. And one that’s only going to further fuel questions as to whether his head is really in the game anymore. He’s firmly entered the wrong side of the equation where age is concerned. And if potential upcoming challengers aren’t going to give him the fear his power used to command, he’s built a style that doesn’t make for easy, round-winning performances. Staying among the elite may be especially difficult.

Fortunately for Woodley, however, there are a couple other old-guard talents that have had their own recent struggles to keep up with the new blood. Namely Rafael Dos Anjos and Robbie Lawler. Woodley vs. Lawler I was barely even a fight, this could be exactly the time to see how these two men match up over more than a round. At the same time, RDA would be something new. A fight that, at one point, seemed like it would have been an excellent title bout—but never came to be. It also helps that RDA has been a lot more active over the past couple years. Let’s book RDA vs. Tyron Woodley, see who’s still got something left in the tank.

AUGUSTO SAKAI

A very close run thing for Sakai here. Ivanov came out looking to push the pace and keep Sakai from building momentum, and that worked well for a while. But, Sakai started turning the tempo around in round 2 and (along with a really fortuitous cage grab) he kept that momentum well in the third. That could make for match-ups with Oleksiy Oliynyk, Alistair Overeem, or Sergei Pavlovich. Or, this be the time for the UFC to go winner/loser and pit Sakai against Shamil Abdurahimov or Walt Harris. I was gonna suggest Sakai take on Rothwell, but that seems like kind of a weird step back—considering Ivanov beat him not long ago. Eventually, I think the best opportunity Sakai’s got is gonna be against Shamil Abdurahimov. It’s not a flashy fight, but Sakai has yet to really prove he’s a must-see talent in the division to this point.

MACKENZIE DERN

Exactly the kind of win Dern needed to re-start her mojo. She struggled out of the gate with Cifers’ clinch boxing and had difficulty closing distance, but once she got to a strong clinch position she was able to initiate exactly the scramble she needed to win. While I wouldn’t be averse to seeing Dern take on someone like Randa Markos (or maybe even Karolina Kowalkiewicz, given her skid of losses), this still doesn’t feel like the kind of performance that should rush Dern up the division too much. Instead, how about a fight with Mizuki Inoue. The former Invicta champ is a notable name, but one who still needs to prove she has the physicality to hang in the UFC. Fellow former Invicta champ Virna Jandiroba is another strong option. But, I’m most interested in seeing Dern vs. Inoue. A win for either woman would say a lot about their future potential.

KATLYN CHOOKAGIAN

An absolutely dominant performance from Chookagian. She clearly saw what worked for Roxanne Modafferi in her win over Shevchenko and focused her whole game around getting to the clinch and hitting takedowns. She absolutely dominated Shevchenko on the ground—it’s just too bad for her she couldn’t pick up the finish. What comes next for ‘Blonde Fighter,’ however, is less clear. She’s already fought Alexis Davis, Jessica Eye, Joanne Calderwood, and Jennifer Maia. Viviane Araujo is unfortunately coming off a loss, as are Andrea Lee and Maycee Barber. Even Cortney Casey is already booked again. So, it seems like the best option is the winner of Modafferi vs. Murphy. Both women have been making steady improvements to keep themselves in spitting distance of title contention. And while Chookagian already beat Murphy, that was back in 2016. A rematch wouldn’t be amiss. Katlyn Chookagian vs. the Modafferi/Murphy winner is a good way for all three women to continue making their case for contender status.

BRANDON ROYVAL

Tim Elliott looked to give Royval everything he could handle for his Octagon debut. Started fast, wrestled hard, and put a pace on the newcomer out of the gate. Then he just kinda flamed out and Royval’s sharp BJJ took over. It was a thrilling performance that highlighted Royval’s scrambling and sub-hunting skills, but not one ‘Raw Dawg’ was particularly happy with it seems (fortunately he did get his bonus check after all). If he wants the chance to face off against a more polished, consistent kickboxer, David Dvorak is coming off his own debut Octagon win. That should make for an excellent bout, to see which man is more deserving of their rankings spot in a still largely untested talent pool. Royval vs. Dvorak should give both men a chance to prove they’re long-term talents at 125 lbs.

CASEY KENNEY

A good win for Casey Kenney that should help put him back on track toward the bantamweight top 15. Smolka was looking to walk him down and put a pace on him, but Kenney showed some sharp counter punching. And once he got to a good grappling position, this fight was over fast. Bouts with Montel Jackson, Nathaniel Wood, or Ricky Simon would all be solid options. Of those, I think the Wood fight would be most interesting. Wood’s got the better range kickboxing, but tends to lean on being able to out-wrestle and out-grapple opponents when things get wild. Kenney could make that a very difficult proposition. Kenney vs. Wood is a top quality bantamweight prospect scrap.

OTHER BOUTS: Blagoy Ivanov vs. Ilir Latifi, Billy Quarantillo vs. Jordan Griffin, Spike Carlyle vs. Matt Sayles, Roosevelt Roberts vs. Luis Pena, Brok Weaver vs. Fares Ziam, Hannah Cifers vs. Ashley Yoder, Antonina Shevchenko vs. Mara Romero Borella, Daniel Rodriguez vs. Dwight Grant, Gabriel Green vs. Cole Williams, Jamahal Hill vs. Da Un Jung, Klidson Abreu vs. Dalcha Lungiambula, Tim Elliott vs. Raulian Paiva, Louis Smolka vs. Aiemann Zahabi, Chris Gutierrez vs. Luke Sanders, Vince Morales vs. Domingo Pilarte

Report: Dana White may watch Woodley vs. Burns from his room due to NSAC mask policy

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page

Dana White is drawing a line in the sand with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. The NSAC recently handed down their COVID-19 protocols for combat sporting events, which cleared the way for the UFC to return to Las Vegas and put on this weekend’s show at their Apex facility. However, as part of those protocols, the commission made it clear that all fighters, corners, and event staff must wear masks at all times during fight week activities. That includes UFC president Dana White. And from the sound of things, he’s not having it.

In a recent media scrum, during the lead up to the event, White reportedly revealed that he may be watching this week’s UFC card from his private room. That move is reportedly due to his unwillingness to fall in line with the guidelines set down by the NSAC.

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If the commission isn’t willing to back down on their mask policy, it could make for a strange few months for the promotion—which has appeared to see their Apex facility in Las Vegas as the host for most of their stateside events as pandemic measures continue.

Will White really opt against being on-hand for the upcoming UFC 250 PPV card? Or will he just flout NSAC regulations to see how the commission reacts? Of course, he could always just put a mask on and make things easy. But for now, it seems like that’s a bridge too far.

The MMA Vivisection – UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns picks, odds, & analysis

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, MMA Podcasts, UFC Gambling

These UFC cards have had more and more the feel about them of the promotion doing the best they can with a very limited available talent pool. Who’s in the US already and willing to take whatever fight’s available? That’s how you get a card like this. Still there’s some solid intrigue for Tyron Woodley fighting in a small cage, especially against a grappler like Burns. Even if Woodley can hurt him, would he chase him to the mat?

For those that want to dive deeper into the undercard, check out the Prelims Vivi below…

The MMA Vivisection is brought to you by Combat Wombat, makers of combat sports themed artwork featuring MMA’s legendary fighters and legendary fights. Visit chrisrini.com for the latest pieces and commissions. Get your Combat Wombat themed Vivi t-shirts today! cottonbureau.com/products/dr-wombat

Here’s a look at the UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns fight card as it stands right now:

ESPN MAIN CARD | 9pm/6pm ET/PT
Tyron Woodley vs. Gilbert Burns – At 5:46, Odds 20:58
Blagoy Ivanov vs. Augusto Sakai – At 23:13, Odds 34:16
Billy Quarantillo vs. Spike Carlyle – At 35:28, Odds 43:56
Roosevelt Roberts vs. Brok Weaver – At 44:10, Odds 50:45
Mackenzie Dern vs. Hannah Cifers – At 51:13, Odds 57:35

ESPN PRELIMS | 6pm/3pm ET/PT
Katlyn Chookagian vs. Antonina Shevchenko – At 1:15, Odds 12:15
Daniel Rodriguez vs. Gabriel Green – At 13:36, Odds 20:25
Jamahal Hill vs. Klidson Abreu – At 20:53, Odds 31:14
Tim Elliott vs. Brandon Royval – At 32:31, Odds 43:34
Louis Smolka vs. Casey Kenney – At 45:49, Odds 53:46
Chris Gutierrez vs. Vince Morales – At 54:17, Odds 1:02:20

Be sure to follow Zane on twitter @TheZaneSimon, follow Connor, @BoxingBusch, and follow @BloodyElbow for all the latest in MMA happenings. If you enjoyed our show, give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow, or give us a “like”, share & subscribe over on one of our other BE Presents Channels: SoundCloud, YouTube, iTunes & Apple TV, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play, TuneIn, OverCast, or Player FM – whichever one happens to be your listening platform of choice. While you’re there, don’t forget to subscribe to Bloody Elbow Presents; that way you’ll always be the first to get all of BE’s daily MMA offerings. For previous episodes of the show, check out our playlists on all of our BE Presents channels.

‘Thank you for the awesome experiences’ – Henry Cejudo sends farewell to Dana White

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, UFC News

With each passing day it seems more and more likely that Henry Cejudo’s sudden retirement from MMA wasn’t some kind of negotiation power play. Or, perhaps, even if it was all a tactic to get a big money fight, it’s not about to result in him getting back in the cage anytime soon.

Cejudo was recently removed from the UFC’s personal ranking system, and his bantamweight title has been officially vacated. And while his manager insisted that he felt ‘Triple C’ would be fighting again in a few months, Cejudo took to Twitter to send a farewell message to UFC president Dana White, as well as his coaches and fans.

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Cejudo walks away from his MMA career on the back of a six fight unbeaten streak, in which he picked up the flyweight and bantamweight titles—following a pair of 2016 losses to Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez. In the years following his first title challenge against ‘Mighty Mouse,’ Cejudo avenged that loss (albeit controversially) and went on to defeat T.J. Dillashaw, Marlon Moraes, and finally former bantamweight king Dominick Cruz.

It’s a remarkable run of success to close out the former Olympic gold medalist’s time in the UFC. And while he seems set on hanging ‘em up right now, at just 33-years-old, there’s plenty of time left for a comeback. Until that day, however, hopefully he enjoys life after cage-fighting.

UFC enhances COVID-19 protocols in run up to Las Vegas event plans

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, MMA Health and Science, UFC News

With their push to be the first sport back in business during the COVID-19 pandemic, the UFC was always going to have to do some adjusting on the fly. The world’s largest MMA organization arrived in Jacksonville, Fl, with a 30-page plan for how they would hold a fight card while still enforcing as many safety precautions and as much social distancing as possible—along with running pre-event testing. And even if they didn’t follow all those guidelines, Dana White has been quick to herald their preventative measures as a resounding success.

Still, with hopes of running operations out of their Las Vegas based UFC Apex facility for the coming months, the promotion has released a memo to fighters and their camps outlining more stringent guidelines for future events. This coming just days ahead of a planned Nevada State Athletic Commission (NAC) meeting that will decide the immediate future of combat sports in the state. NAC officials are set to vote on protocols covering all combat sports that would allow major revenue generators like MMA and boxing to return to operation.

The details of the NAC’s expected protocols have not yet been released, but it would be surprising if they created any major hurdle to the UFC’s upcoming plans. MMA Junkie first reported news of the UFC’s coronavirus plan updates, since confirmed by MMA Fighting.

Along with announcing that the UFC Performance Institute would be closed to athletes during fight week, the principle points of the memo center around a new testing plan—and more stringent guidelines for social distancing and isolation surrounding testing. Fighters will now be immediately administered an oral swab test upon arriving at the “Athlete Hotel” and may not leave their accommodations or “have physical contact with anyone other than the members of [their] camp until [they] have received [their] test result.”

Upon receiving the results of that first oral swab test, fighters who came back negative for COVID-19 will be allowed to proceed with their normal fight week duties—while fighters who test positive will be required to remain isolated pending further instruction.

Short Version:

  • Fighters will be tested upon arrival at the athlete hotel, and remain isolated pending results.
  • Fighters will be tested a second time, after weigh ins, and remain isolated pending results.
  • Fighters and their teams must have NAC approval to leave the athlete hotel during periods of isolation.
  • Fighters and their teams must avoid physical contact with non-camp members during isolation.

The second major change to the UFC’s event plans will be another swab test (although it’s unclear from reports whether that will also be oral, or the nasal swab test used in Jacksonville) performed following weigh-ins the day before the event. After that test is performed, fighters will remain isolated with their own team at the athlete hotel, and may not leave the premises without authorization from not just the UFC, but the NAC as well.

Athletes will then be transported to the UFC Apex facility, and allowed to compete pending the results of the second test. If they test positive for COVID-19 they will be required to remain isolated until otherwise instructed by UFC medical staff.

It’s slightly unclear from the reports provided by Junkie & Fighting whether or not the UFC will actually be getting results back from the second set of tests before they transport athletes to the Apex facility. Taking fighters to the event space first seems like an entirely unnecessary risk, but it may be that the promotion doesn’t feel like they can be sure they’ll have results back in time to bring fighters over later in the day and still allow for proper preparation.

Many of these steps seem like they probably came about as a direct result of Jacare Souza’s positive test for the coronavirus during UFC 249 fight week. Souza was removed from the card and isolated before getting a chance to compete, but several fight week photos and videos showed him wearing a mask, but still mingling among other fighters and staff in the lead up t the event. Hopefully these new steps mitigate that risk. If not, fighters will likely see more memos and more stringent protocols down the line.

Dustin Poirier vs. Dan Hooker rescheduled for June 27th

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, UFC News

May 16th has already come and gone without the UFC’s planned lightweight bout between Dustin Poirier and Dan Hooker. The two men were supposed to meet in the main event of the UFC’s San Diego fight card, before the event was scrapped amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, however, while it still doesn’t look like the UFC will be headed back to California in the immediate future, the promotion does appear to have been able to save the fight booking.

Combate first reported the news that the UFC is looking to re-schedule the top-flight lightweight action bout for their planned June 27th card. MMA Junkie has since confirmed the details, although the fight is not yet 100% official, since it’s contingent on Hooker’s ability to travel from New Zealand to the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas. Otherwise, Junkie reports, that the bout will likely get pushed back another few weeks for one of the ‘Fight Island’ cards sometime in July.

For Poirier (25-6 1NC) this bout will be his first since losing his title challenge against lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov back in September of 2019. That loss broke a four fight winning streak, including victories over Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway—the latter of which netted him an interim belt. Assuming the June date goes ahead as planned, it will be just a couple months shy of a year since the ‘Diamond’ last stepped into the Octagon.

His opponent, Dan Hooker (20-8), has made a strong return to form after a crushing TKO loss at the hands of Edson Barboza in 2018. Hooker followed that win with a KO of James Vick and a dominating victory over Al Iaquinta. His split decision over Paul Felder in February of this year was a point of controversy on the night, but stands as an excellent performance from both men over the course of 5 rounds. Hooker’s loss to Barboza marks the only time the New Zealander has failed to get his hand raised since moving up from Featherweight in 2017.

While the location and fight card are not yet final, reports are that the UFC is also planning a women’s bantamweight bout between Aspen Ladd and Sara McMann for their June 27th card. As well as a pair of women’s flyweight bouts, with Viviane Araujo facing Jennifer Maia and Alexa Grasso facing Ji Yeon Kim.

Conor McGregor is the second greatest MMA fighter of all time… according to Conor McGregor

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, Quick Hits, UFC News

The recent release of The Last Dance, Netflix’s docu-mini series on NBA super star Michael Jordan and his final season with the Chicago Bulls has provided a perfect platform to reignite the longstanding water cooler debate of all sports fans: who is the greatest of all time.

Baseball has Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, and Barry Bonds. For hockey, there’s Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Bobby Orr. Michael Jordan battles for his claim alongside Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and LeBron James among many others.

For a sport as young as MMA, though, the pantheon of all-time legends is much less settled. Georges St-Pierre just got his UFC Hall of Fame spot, and Anderson Silva & Jon Jones seem like shoo-ins, even if both men come with a potential asterisk. Conor McGregor is unquestionably the most popular star MMA has ever seen. And recently, the former two-division champion took to social media to put together his own MMA Mount Rushmore—one that, unsurprisingly, features him in prominent position.

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McGregor did add a bit of a footnote on his feelings about potential PED use and drug test failures, something that has plagued both Jones’ & Silva’s recent careers. With those things in consideration, he feels there’s no other option than to place himself as MMA’s unquestioned GOAT.

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Some fans may be wondering, however, ‘What about Demetrious Johnson?’ ‘What about Khabib Nurmagomedov?’ ‘Mighty Mouse’ holds claim to the longest string of consecutive title defenses in UFC history. But, to McGregor’s way of thinking, the depth simply isn’t there.

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And as for Nurmagomedov—the man who dominated McGregor to a 4th round submission win back in 2018? Apparently, the ‘Eagle’ has a lot more work to do if he wants a spot on this list.

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It’s all subjective, clearly, but it’d be nice to see a little love thrown Fedor Emelianenko’s way. After all, back in the early 2000s, he seemed like MMA’s unquestioned greatest of all time—even if he’s picked up a few losses in the decade since.

Jon Jones ‘shocked’ by UFC refusal to negotiate on Ngannou fight

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, UFC News

Love him or hate him, for most of the past decade Jon Jones has been one of the UFC’s biggest, most consistently drawing stars. He’s had his conflicts with UFC brass over the years, and his legal problems—and drug testing problems. But there can be little doubt that over that same stretch, he’s helped make the UFC a whole lot of money.

All of which, apparently, came with an understanding: if he ever wanted to really up his pay grade in the Octagon, he’d have to take on more risk. In a recent interview on The MMA Road Show with John Morgan, Jones spoke about his seemingly failed negotiations with the UFC over a potential heavyweight fight with Francis Ngannou. What looked like a true ‘superfight’ in the making, with both parties interested, quickly fell to pieces when the UFC refused to budge on renegotiating Jones’ contract. A situation that left the Jackson-Wink athlete totally flabbergasted.

“Honestly, I’m just in a spot where I’m shocked,” Jones said. “I feel like the UFC have told me and my management team for years that if I ever wanted to reach a certain level in the sport and really get to a certain level of pay, that I had to take the really big fights, and I had to kind of step out of my comfort zone and be willing to take those megafights – and specifically, the heavyweight division.

“The UFC clearly told me that they would redo my contract the day I went heavyweight, and it would be a different deal, so I’ve always held that in my back pocket, that my goal is to fight at light heavyweight for a long time until I got to a place that I’ve got nothing else to prove, and then retire as a heavyweight with some real big fights – risk putting it all on the line against these guys that could cause some serious damage. Thursday, I found out that that’s just simply not happening, and it’s upsetting. I feel like someone’s put a little bit of a limit on my ceiling.”

Jones went on to explain that he feels that a bout with Ngannou is potentially “one of the riskiest fights in the history of the sport as far as what he has with his skillset and our size difference.” But his attempts to bring any kind of pay-bump to the table for the bout were met with a flat “no” from the UFC. A stance Jones feels didn’t have anything to do with the current coronavirus pandemic or the lack of gate revenue.

“They didn’t say anything about a gate or the pandemic or anything like that,” Jones said. “They just said that they feel like they’re taking care of me pretty good and that if I want to make more money, inevitably my money will go up by fighting Francis and those more entertaining fights. But that just wasn’t the deal, originally. They told me it would be a new contract if I went up to the heavyweight division.”

If that’s the deal on offer, it doesn’t sound like Jones is going to be thinking about taking a jump up a division anytime soon. And if the UFC really isn’t willing to come back to the table, it may even be that he won’t be fighting at light heavyweight anytime soon either.

“I feel like I don’t have to answer to them,” Jones said, “if this is how they’re going to treat me. I’m totally fine with them vacating the belt, letting someone else fight for the belt, and I’ll come around I guess when I’m ready to, and I’ll see if they’re willing to pay for a really big fight.”

Anthony Smith isn’t against stopping fights: ‘Just not with me’

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, UFC News

Anthony Smith has officially created a conversation. On the one side stands him, and other fighters who feel similarly about wanting their bouts to continue no matter the cost—but may not be willing to address those ideas so publicly. On the other side seems to be everybody else.

Smith took a complete and utter thrashing at the hands of Glover Teixeira on Wednesday, May 13th in Jacksonville, FL. It was a beating bad enough that even the referee felt the need to address fans afterward and suggest he’d be changing his approach for future fights. Smith, however, has been defiant in the face of any narrative that would suggest that he took even an ounce more punishment than was strictly necessary.

In a recent interview with MMA Fighting he further clarified his stance. Most interestingly, noting that he’s not actually against corners stopping fights, or referees being cautious. Just, not while he’s in the cage. Safety can be for other fighters.

“Put that on me,” Smith said of criticisms toward his corner or the referee. “Listen, I understand the fans’ side. I get it. It makes me look crazy. I’m not anti-stopping fights. I’m not against throwing in the towel. I’m not against cornermen stepping in and saying ‘that’s enough.’ I’m just against it for me. I personally would stop fights for people that I care about that I’m coaching. I would do that. I have no problem stepping in and stopping a fight and I think that it needs to happen more. Just not with me. I know that sounds nuts.”

Adding to that, Smith says that he’s also specifically spoken to referees before his fights, making sure that he knows exactly what commands they’ll be using and what they’ll be looking for when it comes to stepping in and calling a fight off. That way, he feels he can hold them to their word, and react appropriately to their instruction to ensure he’s never going to get a bout waved off early. Beyond those revelations, however, ‘Lionheart’ also made stated that he wants fans to know that he appreciates all their concern. He just doesn’t want to be seen as a victim.

“All of me appreciates it,” Smith said of the fan reaction to his loss. “I think that’s getting missed. People are missing that part of it. I’m not unappreciative of you caring.

“I’m just trying to explain to people, it’s not that I don’t care. It’s not even that I don’t expect people to feel the way that they feel. I’m not trashing you for feeling that way. I’m just explaining to you that it’s this way on purpose. That I’m not a victim.”

UFC 250 adds Aljamain Sterling vs. Cory Sandhagen

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, UFC News

UFC 250 is starting to fill out in earnest. When the promotion announced the card’s early lineup last week, it seemed like they were heading toward one of their least impressive PPV offerings to date. However, they’re adding bouts to the card in a hurry. And one of them is a top-flight bantamweight fight between contenders Aljamain Sterling and Cory Sandhagen. MMA Junkie confirmed the news.

Sterling and Sandhagen were both in the running as potential title contenders back before Henry Cejudo’s sudden retirement after defeating Dominick Cruz at UFC 249. In fact, it’s a little surprising that neither man will be facing off with announced vacant title challenger Petr Yan immediately—even if this bout seems likely to crown the next title contender.

Sandhagen has taken the bantamweight division by storm, since dropping into the UFC in 2018 against Austin Arnett at featherweight. In the time since, he’s gone 4-0 at 135—with wins over Iuri Alcantara, Mario Bautista, John Lineker, and Raphael Assuncao. A win over Sterling would mark eight straight victories for the Elevation Fight Team athlete, stretch back to a 2017 defeat to Jamall Emmers in LFA.

Sterling finds himself on his own 4-0 bantamweight run, stretching back to a lightning quick KO loss to Marlon Moraes in 2017. In the time since dropping that fight, he’s picked up victories over Brett Johns, Cody Stamann, Jimmie Rivera, and Pedro Munhoz. Overall, the Team Serra-Longo fighter has built a 10-3 record with the UFC, since debuting in the Octagon back in 2014, with a win over Cody Gibson.

UFC 250 is set to go down on June 6th, at a location yet to be confirmed. The event is expected to be headlined by a women’s featherweight title fight between Amanda Nunes and Felicia Spencer. Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for more bout announcements in the coming days.