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Man, I gotta get me one of them tracksuits for myself.

After the high of last week’s Bellator card and in anticipation of this week’s UFC card, we’ve got a nice little groove going. For the midweek special, we’re gonna try to keep that vibe up.

So Fight Commentary Breakdowns gives us a gem this week, with a Kung Fu master that looks… great? It’s not that easy to explain. He starts off looking goofy with his Drunken Fist style, but when he finds success, it is clean:

Of all the Kung Fu guys we’ve seen test themselves outside of a traditional setting, this guy is now unquestionably my favorite. He even flops around and falls on his butt in true drunken style. Granted, this would dock him points in a Muay Thai fight, but the first scenario is just a kickboxing match.

In a second match he even goes for an Alexander Otsuka dropkick to the leg. It’s not quite as exciting, there’s a lot of movement more than anything. But it does provide some more interesting looks at how someone uses such an unorthodox method to find moments of unquestionable success. Best part is, he’s not some grandmaster of any sort. He’s just some dude that trains in a few Kung Fu styles and he’s made this work for him.

In a third bout, he dresses up in the iconic Bruce Lee jumpsuit from Game of Death. No intoxicated shenanigans here, though. For a guy with his frame, he’s surprisingly spry and agile. This one alone is worth price of admission for all the kicks he throws – despite not landing much. Finally, there’s footage of him sparring and working on some creative attack patterns.

I have no idea if this guy plans to keep fighting or if he’s done, but this was fun. He is fun. And it’s a nice way to start things off for the week.

The crew from SlapFIGHT have been making serious strides over the past year or so. To further illustrate how their shows go down, they’ve managed to compile a collection of some of their most ruthless knockouts over the past year.

See, knocking someone out with a punch is one thing. But with a slap? That takes a different kind of strength and effort. And there’s plenty of that from these competitors.

Next we’ve got a beauty from SilatFanTV. It’s a competition bout from the 2019 Silat Belgian Open, and it’s pretty out there.

Certainly not what most people are used to, and there’s plenty of movement and impact. There’s not much of a feeling out process and these guys really do aim to finish.

As a bonus, here’s a championship bout from 2018:

Personally, I don’t watch too much competitive Silat. I appreciate the strategy and technique, even if some of the movement seems erratic to me. Perhaps it’s just what I’m used to, and your mileage may vary. But it’s great to get some looks at what else is out there and wonder what else is possible in terms of broader application.

We’re basking in the glory of Sumo once again, but a little differently this time. YouTube user Don Don has a collection of ref work gone awry as they end up in some truly unfortunate circumstances. I’d hate to be those guys dealing with this kind of static. Let’s hope they at least get decent healthcare and time off.

It starts with a jaw-dropper from the jump. Poor guy got erased, and I doubt he had an easy time getting up from that one. Maybe that should be some kind of ancillary event, have the two wrestlers try their hardest to box the ref out the paint, see how they fare. Gotta build character somehow, might as well cook on it.

For this segment, another tribute. “Czech Samurai“ Jan Soukup gets the superfan treatment with an assortment of highlights showing him training and then letting loose in competition. A Kyokushin practitioner, he lands devastating knees to the body and just looks like a nightmare to deal with. Enjoy.

Finally, a bit of levity from a Japanese television special. It’s delightful and borrows from Japanese stage antics of the past.

When life seems hard, you never know how you can innovate to find solutions. And remember – you might think you can fight, but there are many guys like you all over the world.

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Jalin Turner puts his four-fight stoppage streak on the line against Brad Riddell at UFC 276

Jalin Turner made his UFC debut opposite Vicente Luque. He was 23 years old and had a pro record of 7-3 with seven first-round finishes. Turner took the fight on short notice at 170 pounds, instead of competing at his usual weight of 155 pounds. Three months before he accepted the Luque matchup, Turner failed to earn a UFC contract on the Dana White Contender Series despite his first-round TKO win (doctor stoppage) over Max Mustaki. The two fighters who won White awarded contracts on that card, Bevon Lewis and Jordan Espinosa, are no longer with the UFC.

Turner looked good against Luque, who was a -900 favorite in the bout. He was confident in his striking, composed when he got tagged, slick with his counters and varied in his technique. However, Luque’s power proved to be too much for Turner, as he caught his opponent with a counter while Turner’s defenses were down after he landed a spinning elbow. The fight ended at the 3:52 mark of the first stanza.

Following his loss to Luque, Turner flew from California to Australia to put in 53 seconds of work inside the octagon. Turner, who returned to lightweight for the event, ran over Callan Turner and scored a 53-second knockout courtesy of his striking.

UFC matchmakers then booked Turner opposite Matt Frevola. Turner’s striking was effective in this bout, but Frevola took advantage of the moments when the fight went to the mat. Turner’s composure might have hurt him in this matchup. His sense of urgency was lacking on the feet and with Frevola’s striking defense being above average, Turner failed to turn the tide of the fight in his favor while the two were standing. Frevola won the bout via decision.

A return to the Southern Hemisphere for Turner followed the Frevola loss. Turner earned a fairly easy win in that outing. After his dominant second-round finish of Josh Culibao, I noted that as impressive as Turner looked in his first two UFC wins; they did not come against what one would consider top-notch UFC competition.

Back in the states for his next fight, Turner once again showed off his striking, which was relaxed and effective. However, it was his grappling skills that earned him a second-round submission over an outmatched — and no longer with the UFC — Brok Weaver.

At UFC 266, the UFC matchmakers pitted Turner against Uros Medic who was coming off a “Performance of the Night” bonus-winning stoppage of Aalon Cruz. He was also 7-0 with seven stoppage wins. The booking felt like a test to see which rising lightweight would get a push from the UFC machine in the contest’s aftermath. The pre-fight odds favored Medic.

Turner showed in this fight that while he is primarily a striker, he was developing — and not afraid to employ — a ground game. Nevertheless, what stood out in this fight was Turner’s fight IQ. He hurt Medic with body strikes while the two were standing. Instead of head-hunting for a finish in that situation, something we have seen countless other fighters do, Turner mixed up body and head strikes to break the will of his opponent and set up a submission win before the end of the first round.

After the win, Turner gave credit to Frevola for the progress of his grappling game.

“Remember when I fought Matt Frevola?” He asked UFC commentator Daniel Cormier. “He was telling me, my grappling was off and I worked on it… I’m trying to be well-rounded. I want to be a champion one day. I told you all that. I’m working towards it.”

In March, Turner faced Jamie Mullarkey, who was on a run of two straight knockout wins. Turner’s composure during competition had been noted prior to this contest, but that calmness was even more obvious in this scrap because of his ability to remain in control while under fire from the heavy strikes of Mullarkey. Turner kept his winning — and finishing — streaks intact with a second round knockout win over Mullarkey.

The 27-year-old Turner has yet to break into the official UFC lightweight rankings, but that could change on Saturday when he faces the No. 14 ranked Brad Riddell at the top of the ABC portion of the UFC 276 fight card.

Riddell entered the UFC lightweight rankings at No. 12 following his IFC 263 win over Drew Dober. Following that “Fight of the Night” winning scrap, Riddell faced Rafael Fiziev in December. Fiziev scored a third-round knockout in that bout. The loss, the first knockout defeat of Riddell’s career, ended the 30-year-old New Zealander’s seven-fight winning streak. The setback also dropped Riddell to No. 13 in the 155-pound rankings.

Turner is confident that his striking and developing ground game gives him an advantage over Riddell.

“I think I’m one of the highest-level strikers,” Turner told MMA Junkie ahead of Saturday’s fight card. “I have to go against high-level strikers and showcase that, so we’ll see on that night who’s a better striker. And even if it goes into a grappling exchange, I feel like I’m the better grappler, also. So I’m pretty confident wherever the fight goes, and it’s just another step up.

“Brad’s tough. Honestly, I never really go for spectacular finishes – they just happen. I just go in there and try to be basic, but I just have a niche for picking people’s flaws apart. I’ve been studying him a while, so we’ll see. I’ve got a few things up my sleeve, got a lot of composure, diligence for this guy, and we’ll see on fight night.”

Turner is still young enough to bounce back from a defeat and work his way back into the lightweight mix. However, in a sport like MMA where cage time can have many negative effects, it’s always better to take the shortest route possible to the top of the division. Getting past a fighter like Riddell puts Turner on the path to tangling with the elite of the division.

Turner has looked very good during his time with the UFC, but Riddell is his first big test with the promotion. During his rise, Turner has looked like excellent. He has power, footwork, grappling, length, height, composure, good fight IQ and the smarts to know what aspects of his game are fully developed and what he and his team need to work on and shore up. With a win on Saturday, Turner moves from fighter to watch to top-15 UFC lightweight.

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Check out the midweek betting odds for Saturday’s UFC 276 card, where Israel Adesanya is favored over Jared Cannonier, and Alexander Volkanovski over Max Holloway.

UFC 276 is going down this Saturday (July 2nd) from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with two championship bouts sitting atop the PPV main card.

The main event of the evening has the 22-1 middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya listed as a rather large betting favorite against the 15-5 challenger, Jared Cannonier. Izzy is being offered up with a sizable -410 moneyline, while Jared is on deck with a +330 underdog tag.

Although Cannonier is on quite the hot streak, nobody at 185 pounds has really been able to give the champ a run for his money. The closest was Kelvin Gastelum in 2019, and even then it was unanimous.

In the card’s co-main event, we’ve got a trilogy match on our hands when the UFC’s featherweight king, Alexander Volkanovski, is running it back again with the former 145-pound ruler, Max Holloway. Volk is currently posted up as a -190 betting favorite, with Holloway clocking in as a +160 underdog.

Although Volkanovski is up 3-0 against Holloway, each fight has been exceptionally close and competitive. Max has been closer than anyone to defeating the champ, so the odds seem to be pretty spot on here.

Check out the UFC 276 betting odds, courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook:

Be sure to check back in with Bloody Elbow to catch the final betting odds on fight day, as the moneylines tend to shift a bit following the weigh-ins. Don’t forget to subscribe to our Bloody Elbow Presents YouTube channel to stay up to date with all of our podcast content. Happy hunting!

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UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo has signed a new management contract.

The UFC flyweight champion has parted ways with his long-time manager, Wallid Ismail. According to the news originally broken out by Combate, but later on confirmed by Deiveson Figueiredo himself, the Brazilian is now under the management of another UFC veteran in Urijah Faber.

Per Combate, Deiveson has signed a contract with Vayne Sports, a company owned by Faber and Lloyd Pierson. They are also responsible for managing the careers of other well-known MMA athletes, such as Stipe Miocic, Chris Weidman, Sean O’Malley and Tony Ferguson, among others.

On his personal Instagram account, Figueiredo shared the news, while writing an excited message to Faber and his fans.

“Welcome my friend and now entrepreneur Urijah Faber. I’m happy with this new moment, the decision to be with you is aiming for the top in the organization I’m part of the UFC and I know well of your competence as a great entrepreneur to lead me in the best way and excellence . We continue together now.”

The UFC champion revealed that the management change was due to him not being happy with his purse.

“Our disagreement was based on numbers,” Figueiredo told Sherdog. “When I was champion and fought [Brandon] Moreno at UFC 263, my purse was $ 200,000 to show plus $ 100,000 to win plus pay-per-view points. In the third fight [at UFC 270], when I regained my belt, it was $ 100,000 (to show) plus $ 100,000 (to win) — that’s not a champion´s purse. I called Wallid and apologized to him for some bad stuff I said to the press when I was angry, but we parted ways.”

In his last outing, Figueiredo (21-2-1) defeated Brandon Moreno in their trilogy bout, back in January 2022. Although the pair was expected to fight again in July, hand injuries have prevented ‘Daico’ to compete until late into this year.

For this reason, the promotion decided to creat an interim title, which will be disputed between Moreno and Kai Kara-France, at UFC 277, on July 30.

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Grappling representatives from the USA and Brazil battled at Polaris Squads this weekend, with a superfight match featuring Demian Maia and Benson Henderson.

Countries collided this weekend as some of the best grapplers from Brazil and the United States of America battled at Polaris 20 Squads. Attendees packed the International Convention Centre in Wales for a glimpse of BJJ royalty, ADCC vets and IBJJF worlds winners joined by the ever-novel mixed-weight team ruleset. This cross-Atlantic feud was further stoked by the event’s superfight match, pitting former UFC champ Benson Henderson against fellow UFC alum and 2007 ADCC winner Demian Maia.

Round One

Our first half gave us matchups of incredibly well-paired opponents. With three straight draws from the likes of Nathan Orchard, Geo Martinez, Igor Tanabe and Luiz Paulo, The first points on the board would dictate the first half. Mason Fowler hoped to deliver in his showdown with Roger Gracie black belt, Kywan Gracie.

Gracie put up a formidable offense, taking control of a collar tie to launch a flying armbar attempt in the opening 30 seconds. But the Submission Underground champion was quick to escape, passing the downed Gracie’s guard to land in north-south. He was forced to defend again as Gracie locked in an Ezekiel choke from bottom.

As miraculous a finish that would have been, Fowler calmly endured the awkward choke as Gracie’s grip strength ran out. As the hold loosened, Fowler immediately moved to attack the left arm. Briefly considering a triangle as Gracie stood, the Caio Terra black belt opted for the armbar instead. Going belly down, Gracie was quick to give the tap for the first and only sub of the first half.

First Half Results:

Luiz Paulo vs. Nathan Orchard – draw

Igor Tanabe vs. Hunter Colvin – draw

Marcelo Fausto vs. Geo Martinez – draw

Isaque Bahiense vs. Richie Martinez – draw

Mason Fowler def. Kywan Gracie via armbar

Mica Galvao vs. Keith Krikorian – draw

Diogo Reis vs. Nick Ronan – draw

Mason Fowler vs. Fabricio Andrey – draw

Jon Blank vs. Isaque Bahiense – draw

Mica Galvao vs. Geo Martinez – draw

Luiz Paulo vs. Nathan Orchard – draw

Igor Tanabe vs. Nick Ronan – draw

Keith Krikorian vs. Fabricio Andrey – draw

Brazil would bounce back hard in the second half, utilizing the skill of the recent 2022 IBJJF Worlds champion Mica Galvao. Taking the Tenth Planet superstar out first with an armbar, Galvao would face him again after Jon Blank and Isaque Bahiense fought to a draw.

Both men began with a double guard pull, immediately fighting for control of the other’s leg. They traded grips in 50/50 for a majority of the opening, but Galvao jumped into side control after moving to combat base. Locking down Kirkorian’s left arm, Galvao then slipped through Kirkorian’s legs into mount and began working the triangle. Despite Kirkorian’s defensive efforts, Galvao got the submission to pull Brazil ahead 2-1. Following a draw against Fowler, Brazil took home the victory.

Second Half Results:

Richie Martinez vs. Kywan Gracie – draw

Luiz Paulo vs. Jon Blank – draw

Diogo Reis vs. Nathan Orchard – draw

Hunter Colvin vs. Marcelo Fausto – draw

Mica Galvao def. Keith Krikorian via armbar

Mason Fowler vs. Igor Tanabe – draw

Mica Galvao vs. Nick Ronan – draw

Fabricio Andrey vs. Geo Martinez – draw

Isaque Bahiense vs. Hunter Colvin – draw

Luiz Paulo vs. Jon Blank – draw

Marcelo Fausto vs. Nick Ronan – draw

Mica Galvao def. Keith Krikorian via triangle

Mica Galvao vs. Mason Fowler – draw

Maia vs Henderson

Henderson began by circling Maia, looking to establish a collar tie on the grappling legend. Maia was soon forced to defend a close single leg, breaking down Henderson’s posture to free himself. Not wanting to stand with the more athletic Henderson, Maia pulled into closed guard and quickly worked for a hip bump sweep. Henderson immediately spread his base, and maintained posture in face of the sweep attempt.

This became a stalled point in competition, with both men unable to further develop their offense. Maia’s isolation of Henderson’s left arm and transition to a body triangle was a consistent annoyance for the lightweight legend, but his patience kept the Brazilian from advancing to submission attempts.

Despite a near triangle from Maia, Henderson freed his arm and moved to break free of closed guard. He stood, hoping to shake Maia loose and take the mount as he fell, but Maia was able to reverse the tide off a stumble and nearly take the top position himself. Henderson recuperated, and returned to inside closed guard.

Called for inaction at seven minutes in, the referee stood both men up to reset the match. Henderson went for a single leg, but Maia locked up a guillotine to force Benson to disengage. Letting the hold go after breaking Henderson down the hold, Maia moved to take the back and work an RNC.

With only one hook in, Henderson was able to defend the choke and begin to make space for an escape. In response, Maia locked in a body triangle as he deepened the choke. Henderson was briefly able to stand, but Maia endured the attempts to shake him off as gravity forced them to return to the mat. Showcasing incredible resilience against one of the greatest grapplers MMA has ever seen, Henderson defended his neck for over 10 minutes as the match neared its end.

At the 1:50 mark, Maia opened his hooks looking to reestablish a body triangle, giving Henderson the window to finally roll free and work is way back up. Defending Maia from half guard, Henderson secured a leg and landed a takedown after standing. Locking ups a guillotine as he fell, Maia failed to roll onto mount before Henderson disengaged. Both men returned to the feet in the final seconds, launching into a rapid scramble and a final takedown attempt from Henderson. But as the bell rang, the two legends could only embrace as they awaited the decision.

With his superior ride time and variety of submission attempts, Maia was awarded the decision victory.

“He’s a great wrestler, and a great jiu-jitsu fighter,” Maia said of his opponent.

Looking ahead to future matchups, Maia pointed to a pair of notoriously tough Stockton natives.

“There are some great guys I would like to fight,” the 44-year-old said. “Like Nick Diaz or Nate Diaz. That would be nice, if they want. You know, because they have great jiu-jitsu and it would be very cool.”

Which Diaz brother would you want to see tangle with Maia first?

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The former UFC champ said he is a big fan of the Fury family.

Jake Paul is supposed to be boxing Tommy Fury on August 24 at New York’s Madison Square Garden. However, that bout is now under threat.

Fury was stopped from boarding a flight to the US yesterday. That might indicate that Fury is subject to a travel ban imposed by the US government because of alleged links to accused Irish drug cartel boss Daniel Kinahan.

Fury’s older brother, Tyson Fury, has reportedly been denied entry to the US on two occasions ever since the US imposed sanctions against Kinahan.

Kinahan founded MTK Global, which used to represent Tyson Fury (and many other top boxers and MMA fighters) before it folded in May. Tyson Fury has also been pictured and videoed with Kinahan on multiple occasions, most recently in February.

Tyson Fury has also publicly thanked Kinahan for negotiating his fight contracts.

Tommy Fury, who was never represented by MTK or been pictured with Kinahan, has stated he has no idea why he would be barred entry to the US.

If the fight does go ahead, Fury stands to earn his highest purse to date. He would also get a chance to shut Jake Paul up, someone he has been feuding with for over a year. Someone willing to help Fury in this endeavour is former UFC champion Bas Rutten.

The Karate Combat commentator recently talked about Fury vs. Paul and his eagerness to join Team Fury.

“I would love to train Tommy Fury, are you kidding?,” said Rutten (ht Give Me Sport). “Shit, for the Fury family; I love Tyson. Major fan of this guy and I think [that] we can do some damage.”

“Yeah, it would be great,” continued Rutten. “I’ll be in the corner. Yeah, at least he has a cornerman. I think if he can get inside his head and show a few things that I had and that I was very successful with against really good boxers in Holland. Then a guy like that who has already picked up really great boxing while he picks that up really fast and he’s going to use that to his advantage.”

UFC Hall of Famer was a successful kickboxer before transitioning to MMA in the early 90s. After a storied run in the Pancrase organization he joined the UFC in 1999.

His debut fight was a TKO over Tsuyoshi Kohsaka at UFC 18. His second bout was against Kevin Randleman for the vacant UFC heavyweight title. He won the fight by split decision.

Rutten would vacate his UFC title due to injury. Rutten only had one more pro fight after that win and retired from the sport in 2006.

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Conor McGregor tweeted and deleted a mom comment to Jorge Masvidal today.

Both Conor McGregor and Jorge Masvidal are coming off decisive losses to bitter rivals. The Irishman is a year out from a serious leg injury suffered in a TKO defeat to Dustin Poirier. And ‘Gamebred’ is reeling after losing a lopsided decision to teammate turned enemy Colby Covington.

With both man needing an exciting match-up (and a win) to get their UFC careers back on track, it shouldn’t be too surprising that they’ve singled each other out as a potential meal ticket.

McGregor and Masvidal have been exchanging barbs for the last few days. Masvidal gave some of the more in-depth statements on a potential match-up when chatting with MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin.

“Conor doesn’t want the fight,” Masvidal claimed. “If he did he’d post something, he’d say something. He’d probably just insult my mom or some relative of mine or my nation where I come from. He’ll say something like that but he won’t say anything about a fight or a fight date. So the Conor thing, he just wants it ‘I hope it goes away’ because he really doesn’t want to fight. He doesn’t mention [me] or say anything.”

“I think the only thing that makes him want to get out of bed is cocaine,” continued Masvidal. “That’s OK, every man has a free will. You do whatever you want. But don’t say you’re a fighter and don’t take cheap shots at me, especially the things that he’s been saying, talking about my legal problems and this and that.

“You’re a f****** p****. We could do it man-to-man in the cage and just once and for all and get paid a handsome reward while doing it. So if this individual doesn’t want to do it, [because] he knows what’s going to happen.”

McGregor responded to this earlier today, tweeting “Insult your mom? What a loser you are mate. Me and your mom get along.”

McGregor then deleted the tweet, as he often does.

And Masvidal couldn’t resist firing back, tweeting: “Yeah my mom loves you man. She knows you are about to be the biggest paycheck for me and a relatively easy fight.”

McGregor’s shine has worn off considerably since he snatched the UFC lightweight title in 2016. Since then he’s lost to Floyd Mayweather in the boxing ring and gone 1-3 in the Octagon. Along the way he has collected numerous controversies involving pub punch-ups, driving offences and investigations over sexual assault.

McGregor fought twice in 2021, losing both contests to Poirier by TKO. Now recovered from a broken leg it seems as though McGregor will return to action later this year.

Among the opponents mentioned for possible comeback fights are Charles Oliveira (for a lightweight title), Michael Chandler and Tony Ferguson. However, due to this ongoing online spat Masvidal may now be in pole position to welcome ‘Notorious’ back to action.

Masvidal is currently on a three fight losing streak. That skid began when he took on UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, on short notice, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He lost that title fight by unanimous decision. His next fight came against Usman a year later. Masvidal lost that bout by KO.

In March he lost to Covington. It is alleged that weeks after the fight Masvidal ambushed and assaulted Covington outside a Miami restaurant. Masvidal has been charged with aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and criminal mischief in relation to that incident.

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From being uncertain about a return in 2019, Luke Rockhold explains how some personal problems led him back to pursue his chosen career path.

The last time Luke Rockhold stepped inside the Octagon was during his light heavyweight debut against fellow ex-champion Jan Blachowicz at UFC 239 in July 2019. The former middleweight title holder ended up losing badly via second-round knockout, putting him on a two-fight skid.

A few months later, Rockhold admitted to being “happy not fighting” at the time, prompting discussions about possible retirement. But less than a year later, he decided to commit to a return, simply stating he was “getting an itch” to fight again.

But apparently, there is more to the story. In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Rockhold revealed some personal problems that urged him to fight on.

“I know it’s not a popular subject right now, but I did have an abortion, and I did have a big breakup,” he said. “There was a lot committed in trying to – you know, I’m 37 and wanting that, needing that and then it all falling apart, it hurt.

“It definitely was a big turning point in realizing where my life was and where I’m going. Having a kid on the way and prepping for that and carrying the weight of the kid and another, it weighs on you, to where you want to put yourself in that place later in life.

“Having to make that decision, a lot of things just weren’t right. There wasn’t a lot of truth on both sides, on either side, and it just f–ked me up.”

The 37-year-old says he’s been sober for a while now and wants nothing more than to get his career back on track.

“It made me f–ng transition and change my life for the better. Ever since then really, I’ve been sober. I think Super Bowl weekend was that, and the week after was sobriety,” Rockhold said.

“So, I want what I want, and I want it all. That was that. I want this f–ng thing, and every part of me wants this, and I’m not going to do anything that’s going to compromise that come that day.

“I’ll do more than Paulo Costa, and I’ll do more leading up to that point, and I’ll do more in the cage. And I’ll keep doing more after.”

Rockhold (16-5) was supposed to face former title contender Paulo Costa at UFC 277 on July 30th, but that fight’s been pushed back to UFC 278 on August 20th. And for him, it is a “blessing in disguise.”

“It gives me more time to prep. I took that hiatus, that leave of absence, and you burn out,” he said. “Everyone can burn out in this sport. In any sport, but especially in fighting. Coming into the gym every day and fighting people, sometimes you just hit a wall.

“Fifteen years in the sport, 14 years – I needed to take a break. Take two or three years away. I have that hunger. I have that will. I want to watch my sparring. I want to watch my opponents. My last few fights, I wasn’t even f–ng watching film. I wasn’t watching myself.

“I wasn’t eager to get home and turn on f–-ng Fight Pass and do my homework. I’m f–ng hungry, and I want it, and my body feels great.”

UFC 278 takes place in Salt Lake City, Utah. The event will be headlined by a welterweight title fight between champion Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards.

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Thiago Moises shares some of the thoughts and feelings he had ahead of his fight at UFC Vegas 57.

UFC lightweight Thiago Moises may have saved his job at UFC Vegas 57. After scoring a much needed submission win against Christos Giagos, the Brazilian was in an emotional state during the card’s press conference.

In an interview with Combate, Moises explained why he was emotional about the win. Not only was Thiago afraid of losing his third fight in a row and getting released, the Brazilian shed some light on all the hardships he had to go through in order to get into the UFC.

“I yelled, I cried,” Moises said. “I got very emotional because I was coming off two tough losses that happened during difficult moments in my life, but I kept working. When I entered the cage, the song that was playing said ‘He left school, he rode his skateboard and listened to music’. That’s what I did. I practiced sports, I trained jiu-jitsu. I sacrificed my whole life for that moment. That’s why this win is so important to me and my family. All the hard work I put in was at stake. I’m happy I was able to get that submission.”

A submission artist, Moises knew what he had to do against Giagos. Although Thiago enjoys trading striking to test his stand-up before going for the takedown, this time around the Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt knew he had too much at stake in order to take any chances.

“This time, the plan was to use my wrestling and my jiu-jitsu. It was one of the best performances of my life. He’s really tough. He’s faced a champion in Charles Oliveira, Gilbert Burns and I was able to finish him and have a great performance.”

The win made Moises (16-6) recover from back-to-back losses to Joel Alvarez and Islam Makhachev, respectively in November and July of 2021. Before the victory over Giagos, the 27-year-old’s most recent win happened in February 2021, when he defeated Alexander Hernandez by unanimous decision.

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Check out the first episode of Embedded for UFC 276.

UFC 276 is almost here, and as usual, Embedded is here as well. The show that gives you an inside look at the marquee contestants on PPVs has issued the first episode for this weekend’s big show in Vegas, and it serves as a brief introduction to the fighters at the top of the card.

We start off at Israel Adesanya’s pad, where he’s playing basketball with some of his team. They go to explore the new place and Israel’s coach scares the hell out of him by placing a hideous mannequin thingy in a bathroom. He thought there might be strippers in there instead, lol.

Alexander Volkanovski arrives in Vegas. He is jokingly complaining about having to carry his own luggage. He thinks Adesanya got better treatment. They set up a bed for him in the laundry room, which is pretty funny. They pull the same stripper scam on Volkanovski, who just swears when he sees the dummy. He admits that it scared him too.

Max Holloway is in Sin City. He says the flight was good but the landing was rough. He says Vegas is too hot even for a Hawaiian.

Sean O’Malley is doing some breathing exercises. Tanquinho says that his his BJJ is on point.

The City Kickboxing crew gets a workout in at the PI. As usual, they’re all talking smack. Volkanovski loves it. Adesanya throws a crazy spin kick at the bag. His rather hefty teammate tries the same thing and falls down as everyone laughs. Adesanya says that all they need is each other.

And that’s it! UFC 276 goes down this Saturday night in T-Mobile Arena.

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