July 2021 – culturesink

The MMA Vivisection – UFC Vegas 33: Hall vs. Strickland

Posted on July 29, 2021 by Zane Simon in Front Page, MMA Podcasts, UFC Gambling, UFC Vegas 33: Hall vs. Strickland

The UFC is setting up for one of their weakest events of the year so far. After a glorious fight night card last weekend, featuring TJ Dillashaw eking out a decision over Cory Sandhagen, this week’s headline bout between Uriah Hall and Sean Strickland just doesn’t feel like it has the same stakes. Underneath is a card that has some interesting prospects, potential action bouts, but nothing in the way of divisional relevance across any of the promotion’s weight classes.

For fans interested in diving deeper into the undercard, however, we’ve got you covered with the Prelims Vivi below.

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Here’s a look at the UFC Vegas 33 fight card as it stands right now:

ESPN MAIN CARD | 9pm/6pm ET&PT
Uriah Hall vs. Sean Strickland – At 4:14, Odds 20:43, Picks, Zane: Strickland, Connor: Hall
Kyung Ho Kang vs. Rani Yahya – At 23:28, Odds 34:13, Picks, Both: Yahya
Cheyanne Buys vs. Gloria de Paula – At 35:36, Odds 44:11, Picks, Both: Buys
Jared Gooden vs. Niklas Stolze – At 44:34, Odds 53:02, Picks, Both: Stolze
Zarrukh Adashev vs. Ryan Benoit – At 53:24, Odds 1:01:39, Picks, Both: Benoit
Bryan Barberena vs. Jason Witt – At 1:02:59, Odds 1:07:16, Picks, Both: Barberena

ESPN PRELIMS | 6pm/3pm ET&PT
Wu Yanan vs. Nicco Montano – At 3:12, Odds 11:21, Picks, Both: Montano
Melsik Baghdasaryan vs. Collin Anglin – At 11:58, Odds 17:47, Picks, Both: Baghdasaryan
Chris Gruetzemacher vs. Rafa Garcia – At 18:23, Odds 24:59, Picks, Both: Garcia
Danny Chavez vs. Kai Kamaka III – At 25:17, Odds 37:27, Picks, Both: Chavez
Jinh Yu Frey vs. Ashley Yoder – At 37:46, Odds 42:01, Picks, Both: Frey
Ronnie Lawrence vs. Trevin Jones – At 44:15, Odds 53:36, Picks, Both: Lawrence
Philip Rowe vs. Orion Cosce – At 54:01, Odds 1:00:58, Picks, Both: Rowe

For those of you following the picks made on the show, we started tracking them with the July 13th, 2020 Vivisections for ‘Kattar vs. Ige’… Standings for our last event, UFC Vegas 32: Zane went 5 out of the 11 bouts we watched this week, Connor went 6 out of those 11. So far, here are the overall standings: Zane is now 329/536 and Connor is now 317/536.

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Weidman undergoing second surgery on busted leg: ‘The bones aren’t healing the way it’s supposed to’

Posted on July 28, 2021 by Zane Simon in Front Page, MMA Health and Science, UFC News

When Chris Weidman crashed to the mat in the first round of his bout against Uriah Hall, it seemed reasonable to fear that his long MMA career could be over. Weidman shattered his lower leg on a early, checked low kick against Hall, breaking both the Tibia and Fibula in eerily similar fashion to the leg break Anderson Silva suffered against the ‘All American’ back in 2013.

Just a few weeks later, however, and it seemed like Weidman was well on course to make a shockingly quick return to action. The longtime Serra-Longo talent posted a quick video of some light sparring work back in mid-June, only 54-days after breaking his leg at UFC 261—and less than a month after posting a video to YouTube where Weidman said he was probably 6-12 months away from training again.

“I woke up yesterday with no plans on getting back in the gym,” Weidman wrote alongside a video uploaded to Instagram. “I just started driving again and was feeling good, so I said to my self I’m going to drive to the gym and try to hit the bag. I figured I would probably last a minute and then have to rest and elevate my leg, but I think the excitement carried me through. Once I got there and saw some of my guys, I couldn’t resist asking to do some drills and then eventually “spar” kinda. Felt soooooo good to be back.”

Unfortunately, this time around the updates aren’t nearly so glowing. In a recent interview with Sirius XM’s MMA Today, Weidman revealed that he’s now set to undergo a second surgical procedure, as his fibula has failed to knit properly.

“I’m actually getting another surgery, I just found out,” Weidman revealed (transcript via MMA Fighting). “I’m getting another surgery, most likely on Aug. 11. They’re going to have to plate the fibula bone because I guess it’s considered a non-union so the bones aren’t healing the way it’s supposed to, which kind of sucks.

“But I did expect setbacks and some issues with this type of traumatic injury. I’ve been through a lot. At the end of the day, I’m a positive person to begin with. Not that I don’t have moments of negativity and just laziness, lack of motivation but I’m usually a glass half-full type of person. So I think that helps.”

Even back in June, Weidman had noted that he was expecting some potential complications, at the time focused on fractures in his tibia bone. Hopefully this latest round under the knife solves the problem long term and allows Weidman to make his intended return to the cage. But for anyone who thought he might be able to make the same kind of quick bounce back to competition like Anderson Silva did (fighting again just 13 months after his second loss to Weidman), that possibility seems less and less likely.

Weidman posted a video to his YouTube page featuring his latest doctor’s visit to give a more complete breakdown of why he was going back into surgery. Check it out below.

Urijah Faber: TJ Dillashaw ‘doesn’t need the grave digger bringing up the f-ing bones of the last 10 years’

Posted on July 26, 2021 by Zane Simon in Front Page, UFC Interview, UFC Vegas 32: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw

At this point it feels like TJ Dillashaw and Urijah Faber have been feuding for longer than they were ever cohorts. Dillashaw joined Team Alpha Male in 2009, just a few months after graduating college as a three-time D1 NCAA tournament qualifier. His short amateur career, first pro fights, Ultimate Fighter season, and run to his first UFC championship all came working out of Faber’s MMA super-camp in Sacramento, CA.

When Dillashaw and coach Duane Ludwig left with the belt in 2015, a years long war of words ensued. Culminating in a pair of title fights between Dillashaw and next-gen Alpha Male prodigy Cody Garbrandt. Dillashaw walked away with the KO victory in both those bouts. And when he got busted by USADA back in 2019, his former teammates were quick to start airing the dirty laundry between them.

With Dillashaw once again returning to action this past weekend, with a hard fought victory over top contender Cory Sandhagen at UFC Vegas 32, Faber spoke to Submission Radio about his former teammate’s success. And while the ‘California Kid’ felt that Sandhagen should have been given the win in that fight, he also revealed that the UFC actually approached him with the idea of booking these now long-time rivals against one another.

“The only reason I would do a fight with T.J. in particular, would be because they would pay me more for that one,” Faber admitted, saying that the obvious drama surrounding the bout is a major disincentive to take it. “And if they don’t, I wouldn’t do it. And he’s probably the same way. He doesn’t want to fight me. He’s been working hard to regain his [image], try to keep his nose clean and try to tell his side of the story or whatever the deal is of his cheating scenarios. And he doesn’t need the grave digger bringing up the fucking bones of the last 10 years of him being a creep and a POS. So, I don’t think it’s enticing for him on that front. And for me, I would do it because there would be a bounty on his head, and probably vice versa.”

As to what exactly those old bones are? Faber says he was never actually “privy to anything” when it came to TJ’s potential past PED use at the time. But, added that there are plenty of others that likely have stories to tell.

“He knows. His family knows. Everybody knows what he was doing,” Faber said of allegations that Dillashaw had been using PEDs long before his USADA suspension. “It’s not my business to put anything out there. Other people have gone out and said stuff about whether he was or wasn’t. I know that he came to my team as a lifetime athlete who wrestled since he was a little kid and wrestled in college and worked out really, really hard and couldn’t bust 143 pounds, and he was complaining about it.”

While Faber may not be willing to give any more precise details on what Dillashaw did or didn’t do in the past, while working with him at Team Alpha Male, he did give some extra insight into what he feels is Dillashaw’s mentality around PED use. Faber suggested that, rather than PEDs being some kind of mental crutch for Dillashaw, they served more as an example of the extremity of his competitive nature.

“He looked like the same guy,” Faber admitted, speaking of Dillashaw’s successful return to the cage after a two year suspension. “I mean, look, in the aftermath of having the guy on the team and then leaving the team and me always being dark on everything, I know a lot more stuff than most people do about the whole situation. But the one thing I can say is, the reason he’s cheating is because he’s a competitor. Like, not a fair competitor. He’s a cheap-shot guy. He’s a, you know, whatever it is. But the guy’s whole intent and focus is to win.

“And if someone’s a cheater because they don’t believe in themselves, that’s one thing,” Faber continued. “But if somebody does an actual assessment of what they need to gain. Whether it be conditioning or strength or whatnot, and then cheat because of that, there’s a big difference. One is a mental weakness, and the other one is being a crafty cheat. You know, to gain financial and fame and whatever else. And he was able to do that. And the layoff, I think he used the time well and came back with, the same guy he always has. As an older guy who put on some size and whatever else he’s been doing throughout the years. He’s a bigger than he was when he started in the sport, and I think it plays to his favor. And he’s always a competitor. I mean, that’s a legit champion mentality guy when it comes to competing.”

Following his victory over Sandhagen, Dillashaw called for another shot at the bantamweight title, against the winner of Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan. Sterling won the belt via DQ back at UFC 259 in March. While the team Serra-Longo fighter has been recuperating from neck surgery, the UFC plans to hold a rematch of their title fight on October 30th, at UFC 267. Following that bout, it may just be that Dillashaw will once again find himself in title contention.

UFC Vegas 32: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw – Fights to make

Posted on July 25, 2021 by Zane Simon in Front Page, UFC Editorial, UFC Results, UFC Vegas 32: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw

On paper, UFC Vegas 32 looked to be one of the UFC’s best Fight Night cards of the year. And by all measures, it over-delivered on that promise. TJ Dillashaw and Cory Sandhagen went absolutely nip-tuck for 25 minutes to a razor thin split decision that saw Dillashaw get his first win since 2018. Kyler Phillips and Raulian Paiva showed up huge in the co-main event for a brutal slobberknocker. And Darren Elkins got a classic comeback win over Darrick Minner.

So, does Dillashaw need another victory before getting a shot at the bantamweight title? Is Paiva about to hit the rankings at 135 lbs? And is the UFC about to start treating Maycee Barber like a top prospect again?

To answer those questions – and a few other things – I’ll be using the classic Silva/Shelby fight booking methodology 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 model, a few of these bout ideas will actually make it off the page and into the Octagon. Now, let’s get to the fights.

TJ DILLASHAW

Whatever anyone may have thought of the eventual score, Dillashaw put up an absolutely remarkable performance in his first bout back in 2.5 years. He worked a constant, strong low kicking game, put lots and lots of pressure on Sandhagen, and did his best to chase him down with combinations as Sandhagen exited the pocket. The fact that Sandhagen appeared to badly torque Dillashaw’s knee in round 1, and that a massive, bloody cut opened up over his right eye later in the bout made the fact that he was still pushing the pace in round 5 all the more remarkable.

After the bout, Dillashaw made his aspirations crystal clear, he wants to take on the winner of Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan, who are set to fight in late October. Has he definitively earned the shot after getting his title stripped for a drug test failure? Probably not? Is he clearly the most interesting and energizing title contender? Yes. Sorry Rob Font, but it’s hard not see the UFC going with Dillashaw vs. the Yan/Sterling winner next.

CORY SANDHAGEN

If Cory Sandhagen were to somehow never end up competing for a title in his UFC tenure, this loss would probably haunt him for quite a while. If (as I’d expect) he does fight for the belt someday, then this will probably mean next to nothing, since he and many others will feel like he never actually lost this fight. But, he himself said he should have done better after the bout, and letting Dillashaw stay with him and dictate pace in round 5 was a big mistake considering that Sandhagen seemed to dismiss the idea that he had been in trouble at any point during the bout.

If the UFC wants to treat Sandhagen like he may have picked up this win – and to reward Rob Font with a big headlining fight as a second prize for missing out on a title shot – then Font vs. Sandhagen is a top quality booking. If Font doesn’t want to risk his spot atop the contender’s pile, however, then a bout with Dominick Cruz seems like it’d be a whole lot of fun. Cruz wants to fight his way “up” the division, and he’s still got the kind of profile to be a name win on Sandhagen’s record. If Sandhagen is willing to wait around though, the winner of Aldo vs. Munhoz would also be an absolute banger. Given all the options, I’m going to say Font vs. Sandhagen is the premiere fight to make, but it’s hard to put the Elevation Fight Team talent in a bad bout.

RAULIAN PAIVA

Mammoth win for Paiva who seemed entirely set up to get squashed by the bigger, faster, more dynamic prospect up a division at 135 lbs. But, the Brazilian showed the kind of heart that’s made him an incredibly difficult out in the UFC so far, and rallied hard on a flagging Phillips to win the final two rounds of the bout. Should Phillips have gotten a 10-8 round 1? Probably, but he also treated Paiva like the Team Alpha Male fighter would fold under pressure from the opening bell and had to pay the price all the rest of the way.

That win puts Paiva in a surprising spot to get another exciting booking next time around. Fights with the likes of Louis Smolka, Ricky Simon, and Timur Valiev all make sense to me. I especially like the fight with Valiev, who picked up his own big win over Raoni Barcelos last time around. Valiev’s combination of busy striking and solid wrestling could make the matchup tough on Paiva. But if the Brazilian can once again ride out early trouble and land his own shots on the counter consistently, he could also pick up another great win over a top prospect. Valiev vs. Paiva seems like a solid next test to see if Paiva can hang at 135 long term.

DARREN ELKINS

An absolute classic of a performance from Darren Elkins. Minner ran out and started putting hands on him right from the jump. He even started out-grappling Elkins, for what could have been considered a 10-8 round 1. But any time an opponent is putting that much energy into beating Darren Elkins and they’re not finishing him? That’s a win for Darren Elkins. And sure enough, he turned things around in round 2. Once he started winning the battle for positions, he put the kind of steady GnP on Minner that the ref just couldn’t ignore.

As he said, after the win, he’s not out looking for title shots at this point in his career, it’s all about finding the next fun fight that fans will enjoy. What is that fight? None other than Billy Quarantillo. Another high pressure, high cardio, constantly scrambling performer. Can Billy Q put it on Elkins like he did Gabriel Benitez or will he be the latest dude to try out-scrambling the ‘Damage’ on his way to a loss? Elkins vs. Quarantillo would be one hell of a good time.

MAYCEE BARBER

Most of the time that fans call robbery I’m quick to say that I can see exactly how the judges got to their differing scores. This is not one of those times. Maverick seemed to land the better shots, have more control, and generally just get a little more done consistently for the first two rounds of the fight. Even the third round was hardly decisive for Barber, as she mounted a comeback. Judges, however, seemingly found something impressive in Barber’s second round to tip the win in her favor and get her career back on track.

After the fight she called out Jessica Eye, but with Eye on three straight losses I don’t really see any sense in that fight. Add to it that Eye is a former title challenger, and overall this felt like another sign that Barber should keep swimming in the shallower ends of the division. Montana De La Rosa just picked up a solid win over Ariane Lipski. She’s struggled with better athletes in the past, but has a well rounded boxing and grappling game that could make things difficult as Barber continues searching for technical depth to her style. Barber vs. De La Rosa seems like more the kind of fight that Barber needs to keep proving she can win right now.

ADRIAN YANEZ

Huge win for Yanez, who got blitzed out of the gate by Randy Costa in round 1. Costa’s constant diet of high kicks seemed to have him on his heels early, and when the ‘Zohan’ started peppering the jab behind it, it took Yanez a solid few minutes to adjust to the variety of powerful offense coming his way. That said, once he did adjust and start matching Costa’s pace, Yanez was able to get on his front foot and turn the tables in a hurry for the TKO.

The fighter out of Metro Fight Club makes for a thrilling prospect in the bantamweight division. Personally, I’d love to see Yanez vs. Nurmagomedov, but the Dagestani is currently booked for another great prospect battle against Shore. Instead, how about a fight with Chris Gutierrez. Gutierrez’s heavy kicking game, rugged durability, and constant defensive back-foot striking makes him and intensely difficult challenge for many young striking talents. Can Yanez keep the pressure on without eating a diet of calf kicks? Or will he be the latest striker to fall prey to Gutierrez’s style? A big challenge, but the kind of fight Yanez needs to be able to win to move toward the top 15. Yanez vs. Gutierrez seems like a difficult, but winnable test.

BRENDAN ALLEN

What looked like a bad style clash for Allen on paper turned into a great fight for him in the Octagon. Even though he could never find an avenue to get the fight to the mat, he busted Punahele Soriano up with a constant barrage of body kicks, clinch knees, and quick right hands to keep steadily out in front of the power-punching Hawaiian. It’s a great look for the fighter who, in the past, seemed to really need to grapple to keep bouts in control. After the fight he called out Edmen Shahbazyan, and a rematch against Sean Strickland. The Strickland fight doesn’t make much sense at all, especially with ‘Tarzan’ set to fight Uriah Hall in next week’s main event. And while I wouldn’t be against a Shahbazyan fight, he is coming off two straight losses. How about a fight with Brad Tavares though? Tavares is a perrennial top 15 guy, but also someone elite talents tend to be able to get by. If Allen can win that fight, then he’s on his way to much bigger things. Allen vs. Tavares seems like the right introduction to the top 15.

MICKEY GALL

Perhaps Gall’s best performance to date. Hurt Williams badly early in round 1 with a huge right hand in the pocket, and followed that up by out-grappling Williams on the mat on his way to a RNC stoppage. Everything he did looked powerful and well-considered as Williams tried to out-gun him with big shots standing. That victory puts him back in the win column again after a hard loss to Mike Perry June of last year. And it should set Gall up for another mid-card action bout in the welterweight division. Fights with the likes of Muslim Salikhov. Michel Pereira, or Jake Matthews. Given that Gall got himself into ‘meme fighter’ territory with his callouts of CM Punk, Sage Northcutt, and Diego Sanchez, how about taking on the UFC’s ultimate meme!? Michel Pereira has turned himself into a must-see action-fight event at 170 lbs. Can Gall’s surprising power on the feet and crafty back-take game be enough to defeat the high-flying Brazilian? Or will he be the latest addition to ‘Demolidor’’s highlight reel. Gall vs. Pereira sounds like a fun-as-heck nonsense fight.

SIJARA EUBANKS

It wasn’t much of a challenge for Eubanks in her return to 125 lbs. She looks absolutely cut at the lower weight class, and her power advantage over Elise Reed was obvious. At this stage in the 36-year-old’s career, I don’t think there’s any reason for the UFC to try and slow her roll to top 15 opponents. Fights with the likes of Andrea Lee, Antonina Shevchenko, or Alexa Grasso would all be entirely reasonable bookings. And with Andrea Lee coming off her own victory over Shevchenko, that feels like it’d be a great fight to book. Lee is a big and fairly strong flyweight in her own right, and one who loves to strike in volume. Can Eubanks out-muscle her and get her down as easily as she did Reed? And if she can’t, can she hang with Lee for 3 rounds standing? Both good questions to answer. Sijara Eubanks vs. Andrea Lee is a strong next bout to see if Eubanks can make an immediate impact on the Flyweight top 15.

OTHER BOUTS: Kyler Phillips vs. David Grant, Darrick Minner vs. Damon Jackson, Miranda Maverick vs. Aldrich/Cortez loser, Randy Costa vs. Hunter Azure, Punahele Soriano vs. Barriault/Lunbiambula loser, Nassourdine Imavov vs. Jun Yong Park, Ian Heinisch vs. Abu Azaitar, Jordan Williams vs. Jared Gooden, Julio Arce vs. Ricky Simon, Andre Ewell vs. Shane Young, Elise Reed vs. Hughes/Godinez loser, Diana Belbita vs. Luana Pinheiro, Hannah Goldy vs. Liang Na

‘Everybody should be grateful’ – Aspen Ladd compares Conor McGregor to Ronda Rousey

Posted on July 22, 2021 by Zane Simon in Front Page, UFC News, UFC Vegas 32: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw

Conor McGregor’s UFC 264 post-fight comments, where the former two-division champion threatened to kill his opponent Dustin Poirier – along with Poirier’s wife – in their sleep, has earned the Straight Blast Gym superstar some understandable backlash. UFC commentator Paul Felder took exception to McGregor’s words, reminding the Irishman that shouting threats at your opponent as you lie prone & injured on the mat really means you’re operating at their mercy, rather than the other way around.

“Show some humility,” Felder chided. “Listen, this sport is violent. I get that. We’re supposed to beat the crap out of each other, knock each other out. But at the end of the day, it’s not about murder. It’s not about your family. Leave those things out of your mouth, or get the hell out of the octagon, I never want to see you again.”

That doesn’t mean that McGregor has been without defenders however. Even beyond the legions of his still massive fan base, there are others within the MMA community much more willing to cut the ‘Notorious’ fighter some slack. And among them is current women’s bantamweight top contender Aspen Ladd.

Ladd recently spoke to Morning Kombat (h/t Middle Easy) ahead of her upcoming UFC Vegas 32 bout against Macy Chiasson. And while she didn’t necessarily feel that McGregor’s post-fight words were well chosen, it doesn’t sound like she can find much room to criticize him either.

“I think that the only thing that I saw that he handled incorrectly was his post fight interview,” Ladd said, when asked about her opinion of the backlash McGregor has faced in the days following the UFC 264 main event. “But, he was in pain. Like, everybody’s basically crapping all over him, but he’d just broken his leg, he’d just lost a fight. He is not in a good mental place. And anybody hating on him really shouldn’t be. He’s done so much for the sport.

“It’s kinda like, I got that same question as far as—not the same, but: ‘Ronda Rousey, what’s your take on her?’ Everybody should be grateful. Sure, you might want to fight that person. You might want to do that, but these people have elevated the sport. I see nothing but, ‘Great, you did a great job. You helped all of us.’”

Ladd vs. Chiasson set for the co-main event slot on this weekend’s UFC Fight Night event, going down at the Apex facility in Las Vegas, NV, on July 24th. The card is set to be headlined by a bantamweight top-contender’s bout between former champion TJ Dillashaw and Cory Sandhagen.

‘Francis Ngannou will pop your balls’ – Michael Bisping would never try Jackass 4 stunt

Posted on July 22, 2021 by Zane Simon in Front Page, UFC News

Over his 13-year MMA career, Michael Bisping took his fair share of damage. With names like Vitor Belfort, Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva, and Anderson Silva dotting his record, there’s no question that he faced some of the hardest punchers that mixed martial arts had to offer inside the Octagon. But that doesn’t mean the man doesn’t have limits on just what kind of damage he’d be willing to take.

With the recently reported news that Francis Ngannou has a cameo in the new (and supposedly final) Jackass movie, premiering October 22nd in the US, Bisping took to his Believe You Me podcast to talk about the heavyweight champ’s role in the upcoming film. Notably that the ‘Predator’ lent his hands to one of the movie’s many stunts by punching one of the Jackass crew square in the balls as hard as he could. According to the ‘Count’, there’s no amount of money in the world that could have convinced him to take that shot.

“This is ludicrous. This is crazy,” Bisping said of the stunt (transcript via MMA Fighting). “They’re going to let Francis Ngannou punch them in the balls as hard as he can. Punch them in the nuts for Jackass 4. That’s insane. There’s just no way…. (That’s like) a Toyota Prius going at a healthy pace. Your Uber driver takes his eye off the road for a split second and where does he hit you? Right in the balls. Listen, I don’t know man. How much money would they have to pay you for Francis Ngannou to punch you in the balls as hard as he can? There’s no way! There’s no amount of money! That would explode a testicle!

“Francis Ngannou will pop your balls. They will explode like a balloon. If he punches you with bare knuckles to the testicles, it’s a bad day at the office. Simple as that.”

While Bisping may have eventually admitted that there could, hypothetically, be some kind of astronomical amount of money that could push him into that position, he was unwilling to actually put down a hard number. Simply stating instead that it’s “pretty high.”

Ngannou was last seen in the cage knocking out Stipe Miocic this past March, to secure the UFC heavyweight championship. That bout was a rematch of his first bid for gold against Miocic, back in 2018—where Ngannou lost via unanimous decision. The Cameroonian-born Frenchman was in talks to face Jon Jones and Derrick Lewis sometime late this summer, however the UFC’s desire for a heavyweight title fight headliner atop their UFC 265 PPV in Houston, TX, on August 7th, has driven the company to create an interim title fight between Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane. No word yet on exactly when fans may expect to see Ngannou back in action following that bout.

The MMA Vivisection – UFC Vegas 32: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw picks, odds, & analysis

Posted on July 22, 2021 by Zane Simon in Front Page, MMA Podcasts, UFC Gambling, UFC Vegas 32: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw

It’s a strong Fight Night offering from the UFC this week. Cory Sandhagen and TJ Dillashaw face off in the main event to vie for top contender status once Aljamain Sterling returns from his neck injury (and very likely faces Petr Yan again). In the co-main event, Aspen Ladd and Macy Chiasson look to stake their claim to a title shot in the women’s bantamweight division. And Kyler Phillips just might add to his quickly growing UFC highlight reel.

For those interested in diving into the not at all deeper undercard, check out the Prelims Vivi below.

Here’s a look at the UFC Vegas 32 fight card as it stands right now:

ESPN/ESPN+ MAIN CARD | 7pm/4pm ET&PT
Cory Sandhagen vs. T.J. Dillashaw – At 13:19, Odds 40:28, Picks, Zane: Sandhagen, Connor: Dillashaw
Aspen Ladd vs. Macy Chiasson – At 40:58, Odds 48:25, Picks, Both: Ladd
Kyler Phillips vs. Raulian Paiva – At 48:44, Odds 58:45, Picks, Both: Phillips
Darren Elkins vs. Darrick Minner – At 59:35, Odds 1:04:10, Picks, Both: Elkins
Maycee Barber vs. Miranda Maverick – At 1:04:35, Odds 1:13:04, Picks, Both: Maverick
Mickey Gall vs. Jordan Williams – At 1:13:21, Odds 1:19:28, Picks, Both: Gall

ESPN/ESPN+ PRELIMS | 4pm/1pm ET&PT
Punahele Soriano vs. Brendan Allen – At 2:56, Odds 12:35, Picks, Both: Soriano
Ian Heinisch vs. Nassourdine Imavov – At 14:11, Odds 19:33, Picks, Both: Heinisch
Adrian Yanez vs. Randy Costa – At 21:00, Odds 30:50, Picks, Both: Yanez
Julio Arce vs. Andre Ewell – At 31:35, Odds 38:43, Picks, Both: Arce
Sijara Eubanks vs. Elise Reed – At 40:02, Odds 48:56, Picks, Both: Eubanks
Diana Belbita vs. Hannah Goldy – At 49:42, Odds 55:22, Picks, Both: Goldy

For those of you following the picks made on the show, we started tracking them with the July 13th, 2020 Vivisections for ‘Kattar vs. Ige’… Standings for our last event, UFC Vegas 31: Zane went 6 out of the 10 bouts we watched this week, Connor went 7 out of those 10. So far, here are the overall standings: Zane is now 324/525 and Connor is now 311/525.

Conor McGregor takes fans on drone tour of his ‘Black Forge Inn’

Posted on July 19, 2021 by Zane Simon in Front Page, UFC News

It turns out that the Marble Arch pub where Conor McGregor clouted that old man for turning down his whiskey isn’t the only drinking establishment owned by the UFC superstar. Coincidentally, it’s also not the only bar where he got into a scuffle before purchasing the venue.

Way back in 2017, Irish tabloids reported that McGregor had gotten into a scrape with a Kinahan mob member at the Black Forge pub in south Dublin. The reports were roundly denied by McGregor and his father at the time, with no police reports filed, and fears of reprisals seemingly unfounded.

Whatever the veracity of that story may be, the SBG talent and former UFC double-champ recently released a video to his twitter account, taking fans on a drone tour of his soon-to-open establishment. None other than the Black Forge Inn.

Welcome to my pub, The Black Forge Inn ☘️ @blackforgeinn pic.twitter.com/wCmQ8LdsZ8

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) July 18, 2021

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Shortly after purchasing the Marble Arch back in April of this year, McGregor announced that Desmond Keogh, the man he was fined €1,000 for striking in 2019, was barred from the establishment. No word yet as to whether Keogh will be refused service at the Black Forge as well.

TJ Dillashaw will be a ‘f-ing animal’ on UFC return, dismisses PED past

Posted on July 19, 2021 by Zane Simon in Drugs and PEDs, Front Page, UFC Vegas 32: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw

Perhaps the most difficult thing about PEDs in MMA is that combat sports aren’t exactly rife with measurable results. It’s not sprinting or power lifting. Scoring points is a matter of entirely subjective observation. And each fight has enough variables that getting replicable data is nearly impossible outside of the gym.

Was a fighter’s excellent cardio down to blood doping, or the fact that their opponent wasn’t able to push them hard enough? Was their power the product of HGH or testosterone injections? Or was it just a matter of landing the right shot at the right time with the right form?

Those are the kinds of questions that make measuring the overall effectiveness of something like the UFC’s USADA-led drug testing program hard to pin down, beyond the fact that sometimes the agency manages to catch people cheating. And one of their most famous collars is none other than former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw.

Dillashaw returns to the cage this Saturday, against Cory Sandhagen, after a two year suspension for EPO use. While other former training partners have alleged that his doping stretched back long before his disastrous bout with Henry Cejudo, Dillashaw has maintained that it was essentially a one-time thing—something he used to help get his body down to the 125 lb limit.

And in an interview with ex-UFC heavyweight Brandan Schaub, the former Team Alpha Male star and current Treigning Lab talent looked to distance himself further from any allegations that large portions of his career success might have been aided by the use of performance enhancing substances.

“If I thought I got somewhere due to PEDs, I wouldn’t be calling out Cory Sandhagen,” Dillashaw said during a recent episode of Schaub’s Food Truck Diaries (transcript via MMA Junkie). “I wouldn’t be asking for someone in the top five. I wouldn’t be knowing that I’m getting my belt back. I’m going to be a fucking animal when I get back in the cage.”

“They tried to offer me fights that weren’t top five, and I said no. I want someone top five. Dude, I’m coming back. I’m 35 years old. I want my belt back. I never lost it. I’m here to prove a point that I’m the best in the world, and what better way to do it then get back right to the top? Cory Sandhagen is a great opponent. I trained a ton with him. He’s a great athlete, but it’s a great fight for me. Him being No. 1 contender, it’s a great fight for me to win, come back, prove my worth and get my belt back as soon as Aljamain (Sterling) and (Petr) Yan figure out their deal.”

Dillashaw added that, following his suspension, USADA “put me under a microscope.” Testing all his past samples stretching back to 2016.

“They went back to all my fights that they ever collected my samples and retested all of them all the way back to my (Raphael) Assuncao fight after (Dominick) Cruz because they keep an A and B sample every time you get tested.”

Dillashaw vs. Sandhagen is set for the main event of UFC Vegas 31, taking place Saturday, July 24th, at the Apex facility in Las Vegas, NV. Alongside the bantamweight headliner, the card is also expected to feature a women’s bantamweight top contender’s bout between Aspen Ladd and Macy Chiasson.

UFC Vegas 31: Makhachev vs. Moises – Fights to make

Posted on July 18, 2021 by Zane Simon in Front Page, UFC Editorial, UFC Results, UFC Vegas 31: Makhachev vs. Moises

Considering the way the UFC Vegas 31 card looked on paper, it really went as well as could be expected. Sure Islam Makhachev vs. Thiago Moises and Miesha Tate vs. Marion Reneau weren’t exactly thrillers, but they both finished impressively inside the distance on an event where only two bouts saw the final bell. For a fight card whose thrilling high point was Billy Quarantillo vs. Gabriel Benitez, that’s all anyone could really ask.

So, can the UFC finally find Makhachev a top-ten opponent? Is Miesha Tate really about to go on a title run? And how fast can the UFC move Amanda Lemos up the strawweight division?

To answer those questions – but very little else – I’ll be using the classic Silva/Shelby fight booking methodology 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 model, a few of these bout ideas will actually make it off the page and into the Octagon. Now, let’s get to the fights.

ISLAM MAKHACHEV

An absolutely dominating victory for Makhachev, who out-struck Moises 5-to-1 in significant strikes and more than 8-to-1 overall. There wasn’t one area of this fight, neither at range, in the clinch, nor even on the mat, where Moises truly competed with the Dagestani. And at 29-years-of-age with more than a decade of fighting experience, it’s time for the UFC to start booking the Khabib heir-apparent like a true contender. There’s no real reason he couldn’t be fighting Beneil Dariush or Tony Ferguson next time out. Other than the high probability that neither man wants to take that kind of fight.

Instead, the more likely result seems like bouts against Rafael Dos Anjos – who Makhachev himself called out – or Gregor Gillespie (a fight I’ve personally been campaigning to see for years now). Given all the options on the table, this really does seem like the right time to re-book RDA vs. Makhachev. It’s not quite a top contender’s bout, but it’s clearly the kind of fight that – if he wins – would put him in the top 5 and ready for contention. Makhachev vs. RDA seems like a fight the UFC needs to try booking again.

MIESHA TATE

Considering all her time away, Tate looked pretty damn good in her UFC return. She had a lot of even exchanges with Reneau standing, but started getting the better of even those by the third round. And, most notably, when she did have to eat hard shots, she did it without shying away from the contact. Given where Tate was mentally against Pennington when she retired, that seems like an especially good sign.

After the bout, she made it clear that she has title aspirations first and foremost on her mind. She’s also got Holly Holm calling her out on social media if she wants to try to fast track her way to the belt. Still, I wouldn’t mind seeing her take at least one more fight before we plug her right back into the top contender’s picture. Irene Aldana just got a big win, but has had trouble picking up that top tier name victory that would truly make her a member of the elite. Tate could be that fight. And if Tate can win it, then bouts with the likes of Holm or de Randamie and others make a lot more sense. Miesha Tate vs. Irene Aldana seems like a solid next booking for the former UFC champ.

MATEUSZ GAMROT

Huge win for the ‘Gamer.’ He went out and hit his low single leg right out of the gate, got Stephens to the mat, transitioned to the north-south, and had the kimura wrapped up just a few seconds later. The fight couldn’t have gone any more perfectly for him. After the victory, he called for a top-15 opponent. Unfortunately, even top 15 fighters find those hard to come by in the lightweight division. Still, if Gamrot wants a real, serious challenge next time out – the kind of challenge that could build his resume as a contender in the making – then I’ve got one all picked out.

Arman Tsarukyan has blitzed his way into the UFC as one of lightweight’s most promising young talents. He’s got a fantastic grappling game, a top shelf wrestling game, and the persistance as a striker to make life difficult on anyone who can’t find a way to hurt him. Hell, he’s even got a number next to his name right now. Can Gamrot out-grapple Tsarukyan? Can he crack him standing? It’d be a huge challenge, but exactly the kind he needs to win if he’s gonna make himself a title contender as fast as he wants. Mateusz Gamrot vs. Arman Tsarukyan is a top tier lightweight battle.

RODOLFO VIEIRA

It wasn’t an easy win for him, and I’m not entirely convinced he actually won any of the rounds up until hitting that fantastic back take to RNC in the third round (officially it was 1-1). But Vieira did show a lot of improvement and gave a stark reminder of just how dangerous he can be given even the smallest opportunity. That win puts him back on track to climb up the middleweight division. Opponents like Andreas Michailidis, Jacob Malkoun, and Jordan Wright all seem ideally situated to provide that. But, I’d also be a big fan of a matchup against Roman Dolidze. The Georgian styles himself as something of an expert grappler in his own right, and otherwise has a funky, low-output striking style that should give Vieira room to move standing. However, his size as a former LHW very well could nullify one of Vieira’s biggest advantages: his strength. Can Vieira beat someone he can’t easily out-muscle? Seems worth finding out as his LHW career continues. Vieira vs. Dolidze should be a fun contest at 185 lbs.

BILLY QUARANTILLO

Quarantillo had a decent callout ready, in veteran Charles Rosa, who’s fresh off a bounce-back win over Justin Jaynes. And I can see the appeal. Both men like to grapple, both have unstructured striking games. But, I’ll admit, it’s not exactly the first fight I’d have on my bucket list. Quarantillo has been such an exceptionally over-performing fighter in the UFC, off his impossibly high pace and pressure. Every fight of his is wildly entertaining, and I feel like I’d like to see him take on someone delivers their own style of high paced action. Maybe Alex Caceres, Chas Skelly, or even Lando Vannata. For some reason, the Chas Skelly fight really appeals to me. Maybe just because Skelly’s a strong wrestler in his own right, and I’m interested to see how Quarantillo hangs with him on the mat. Chas Skelly vs. Billy Quarantillo sounds like a fun, messy action bout.

DANIEL RODRIGUEZ

Obviously a win Rodriguez had to have if he wanted to turn his persistent success into a real drive up the welterweight division. Parsons was coming in on short notice, but had been a dangerous finisher regionally, and looked sharp out of the gate. Unfortunately for him, Rodriguez hits a little too hard to try and hang with him in a fire fight; the 1-2 that became the beginning of the end looked as though it may have busted Parsons’ orbital. That’s two straight wins after a pretty questionable loss to Nicolas Dalby, and it should get Rodriguez closer to a top 15-20 opponent. Someone along the lines of Muslim Salikhov, Randy Brown, Alex Morono, or Jake Matthews. On the other hand, Khaos Williams just put together an excellent performance of his own last time out and has a similar reputation for huge, fight-changing power. Khaos Williams vs. Daniel Rodriguez seems like a fight I have to see.

AMANDA LEMOS

This fight really shouldn’t have been booked. And Lemos made it apparent why just a few seconds into the bout, cracking ‘Conejo’ with a devastating body kick. Some sharp counter-punching followed and this fight was over before it really even got started. That should get Lemos a really top-flight opponent next time around. Someone like Marina Rodriguez, Virna Jandiroba, or Nina Nunes. I would have loved to see the Jandiroba fight, but it seems she’s already booked to take on Amanda Lemos sometime soon. So how about a winner/loser matchup instead. Nina Nunes was nearly a title contender before taking a hiatus from the Octagon. Her loss to Mackenzie Dern might have been a rough re-entry to the UFC, but she still has a reputation as a heavy handed, consistent striker on the feet. Can Lemos implement her game against a seasoned vet? Can Nunes bounce back and carve out her spot in the top-10 again? Nunes vs. Lemos seems like it’d be a damn fun striking battle.

OTHER BOUTS: Thiago Moises vs. Drew Dober, Jeremy Stephens vs. John Makdessi, Dustin Stoltzfus vs. Antonio Arroyo, Gabriel Benitez vs. Gavin Tucker, Preston Parsons vs. Louis Cosce, Montserrat Ruiz vs. Liang Na, Sergey Morozov vs. John Castaneda, Khalid Taha vs. Journey Newson, Malcolm Gordon vs. Jeff Molina, Francisco Figueiredo vs. Cody Durden, Rodrigo Nascimento vs. Josh Parisian, Alan Baudot vs. Chris Barnett