Check out the second episode of Embedded for UFC 275.
UFC 275 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 second episode for this weekend’s big show in Singapore, and it serves as a brief introduction to the fighters at the top of the card.
We start off at the fighter hotel with Joanna Jedrzejczyk. She finally got her luggage. Mike Brown expects another war with Weili Zhang. Glover Teixeira walks in and immediately starts making jokes. Glover says his inspirations are Wanderlei Silva, Minotauro (Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira), and Jose Aldo. He gets a video of Joanna speaking some Polish for his Polish friend.
Glover continues, talking about being a landscaper back in the day thinking it was an impossible dream to one day be a UFC champion. He used to do submission challenges anywhere and everywhere, even if it was just for food. He runs over and picks up Mike Brown and puts him on the mat, where they scramble a bit. Joanna laughs. He sings Brown’s praises as they smile about the whole thing.
Weili has arrived. She’s happy that there’s no language barrier since many people in Singapore can speak Mandarin. She trained in Thailand for this fight, so there’s much less travel involved in getting to the event. She hopes that this will be her most exciting fight.
Jiri Prochazka gets in a light workout and adjusts to the weather. They’re trying not to feel any pressure, just embrace the opportunity. His coach gives Glover props. Since Jiri is mentally prepared and strong, his coach says he is much easier to work with than other fighters.
And that’s it! UFC 275 goes down this weekend in Singapore.
Nkazimulo Zulu wants to help victims learn to protect themselves from “sick individuals.”
A South African mixed martial arts fighter plans to open a gym that specializes in training victims of gender-based violence.
Nkazimulo Zulu, a longtime Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) competitor with a 13-5-0 record, wants women and children to live without fear of domestic abuse, rape, or kidnappings, and believes training them to defend themselves would be a step in the right direction.
“When myself and my partner first had the conversation, I thought of gender-based violence. I dislike reading or hearing about violence against children and women. I believe I have skills to share – skills which I learned during the many years of my career,” Zulu said in a recent interview with Springs Advertiser. “I want to help each individual to protect themselves from sick individuals that think they can do as they please. Our gym is based on self-defence classes, incorporated with fitness and wellness.”
Gender-based violence occurs as a result of normative role expectations and unequal power relationships between genders in a society. GBV can be physical, sexual, emotional, financial or structural, and can be perpetrated by intimate partners, acquaintances, strangers and institutions. Most acts of interpersonal gender-based violence are committed by men against women, and the man perpetrating the violence is often known by the woman, such as a partner or family member.
South Africa has reportedly high rates of GBV, particularly sexual violence committed by intimate partners. There is also a high prevalence of gang rape.
It is worth noting that various MMA fighters have previously been accused or convicted of various forms of gender-based violence. Last year saw three high-profile domestic violence arrests, including UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell who was arrested on a domestic violence charge involving his wife. Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones was arrested in Las Vegas for alleged abuse against his partner with their kids present. Previous cases included the likes of former UFC champ Conor McGregor, whom the New York Times reported was under investigation for his second sexual assault in 2019, as well as Tito Ortiz, Greg Hardy and Mike Perry.
The 33-year-old Zulu hopes to open his gym in the coming months while also training for his next EFC fight.
“My dream is to restore safety in our country,” said Zulu. “It’s a big statement but what is a better tomorrow if it is not promised to be a good, one without fear.”
Jorge Masvidal had harsh words for Nate Diaz and his UFC contract situation | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Jorge Masvidal seems to have forgotten that two years ago he was the ‘diva’ when it came to the UFC and contract negotiations.
Jorge Masvidal likes to project the image of a competitor who will take any fight, anywhere, against anyone. Give him a dotted line and he’ll sign it. To back that kind of attitude up, ‘Gamebred’ most recently made waves in the MMA world when he picked up two felony charges for reportedly attacking Colby Covington outside a Miami Beach steak house.
On a recent episode of the MMA Hour, Masvidal hit on a whole range of topics. One of which included another notable MMA ‘bad boy,’ Nate Diaz. Diaz has been campaigning to get the final fight of his UFC contract lately, presumably so he can make the move over to boxing. When asked about Diaz’s contract struggles, Masvidal wasn’t exactly sympathetic.
“I think he’s got too much CTE,” Masvidal opined. “Probably can’t even f-cking understand what they’re putting in front of him. I don’t know. I usually don’t take the UFC’s side for many things, but from what I’ve heard and seen, I’m like, ‘This guy’s just a f-cking diva. Bro, just f-cking fight.’
“I could sign him off in his last fight if he wants. All that sh-t talking he’s been doing lately. I wouldn’t mind breaking his jaw and sending him off to whatever gambling casino he’s going to be fighting at or Indian reservation he’ll be headlining. I don’t mind. But he won’t sign when my name gets brought up again. It’s another ghost-ghost on [UFC executive] Hunter [Campbell], on all the matchmakers for weeks when my name gets brought up. So it’s whatever.”
Those are strong words from Masvidal. But they feel pretty empty considering where he was back in 2020.
At the time, Masvidal was out in public saying almost exactly the same things Diaz is saying today, telling the UFC to “let me go” if the promotion would not pay him what he wanted for a fight against UFC welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman. The longtime ATT talent went so far as to accuse those who thought he was being overly demanding of white knighting for the company.
It only looks worse if we actually go back and look at the other points Masvidal was making during his own struggle for better pay. To hear the man tell it then, what he was looking for during his contractual standoff with the UFC, he wasn’t just looking out for his own interests, but the interests of everyone on the promotion’s roster.
“We don’t get a percentage of the gate, we don’t get a percentage of the t-shirts and none of that sold,” Masvidal said at the time. “So what does it matter to us? Why do I have to do my job at a lesser rate? Now, if they were giving us 50 percent shares or 40 percent, or any of that stuff, it’ll be a different ball game. Yeah, we could come to different terms like how they do it in the NBA and other sports because of the things that are at hand.”
“I’m not asking to get more money,” he added. “I’m just asking to get a bigger revenue of what I bring in. And I think that’s fair for everybody across the board, you know?”
Unfortunately, and maybe predictably (given other past efforts from star fighters), Masvidal’s quest to better the lot of his compatriots seems to have ended right around the time the promotion reportedly made him one of the three highest-paid fighters on the UFC roster.
It’s a pretty obviously hypocritical stance he’s taken now, but I have to wonder if there isn’t another angle in trying to get fans to side with him against Diaz. After all, the more bold he gets about other, meaningless topics, the more he can distract from the very real and serious situation he finds himself in for his alleged attack on Covington.
Why call Nate Diaz a diva? Masvidal seems to believe that if he can talk loud enough he can get people to speak less about his upcoming trial and more about how he is the kind of guy who will fight anyone, anywhere, anytime. And honestly? Congratulations to Masvidal, because his heavy-handed PR move seems like it’s successfully shifting the narrative.
In a sport where everyone tends to glom onto the next shiny new thing, this kind of distracting spin isn’t so much bold as it is a tried and true method. However, for a man who likes to think of himself as the living personification of the BMF title—which he might have won, but Diaz literally spoke into existence—it’s pretty weak sauce to play the company man.
All this mess Masvidal is talking about Diaz comes across as a PR move, and maybe that’s the smart move. But that doesn’t make it any less tired and uncool.
Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 248. | Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
The stakes are higher for the rematch between Weili and Jedrzejczyk.
A new No. 1 contender in the strawweight division is going to be determined at UFC 275 on Saturday.
UFC president Dana White confirmed to John Morgan of the Underground that the winner of Zhang Weili vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk 2 would be next in line for newly crowned champion Carla Esparza.
“This would definitely be whoever wins this will definitely fight Esparza for the title,” said White.
“I’m sure she’ll be watching this Saturday closely and be ready to roll with whoever wins.”
Esparza won the strawweight championship for a second time against Rose Namajunas at UFC 274 in May. There was no interest in a trilogy between Esparza and Namajunas, which paved the way for a new contender to emerge.
One of those contenders is Marina Rodriguez, who is currently ranked No. 3 in the division and on a four-fight win streak. The Brazilian believed she should get a championship opportunity after her split decision win over Yan Xiaonan at UFC 272 this past March. White agreed she is close to contention, but not enough to get her shot yet.
“She is,” said White. “She’s right there. These things happen. Timing is everything.”
Should Jedrzejczyk win, it would set up a rematch with Esparza. The ex-champion defeated the ‘Cookie Monster’ via second-round technical knockout at UFC 185 and went on to enjoy a nearly three-year reign over the division before suffering her first professional loss to Namajunas. When she announced her return to the Octagon after losing a split decision to Weili in a ‘Fight of the Year’ at UFC 248, Jedrzejczyk welcomed a rematch against Esparza.
Weili also expressed interest in Esparza, who challenged the 34-year-old following her title-winning effort against Namajunas. Though she did not get the fight, ‘Magnum’ knew there was a chance she could still face Esparza at some point.
UFC 275 does down on Saturday, June 11, at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore.
Alexander Volkov lands punches on a reeling Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the UFC Vegas 56 main event. | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Alexander Volkov sounds like he’s not about to dwell on any controversies over his stoppage win of Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC Vegas 56.
Alexander Volkov put on one of the best performances of his career last Saturday night, with a first round stoppage victory over Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the UFC Vegas 56 main event. Volkov showed off an excellent command of range, a strong chin, and some great finishing instincts on his way to getting his hand raised.
The only problem, for some fans (and certainly as far as Rozenstruik was concerned), was in the quickness of the stoppage. ‘Drago’ pummeled a reeling ‘Bigi Boy’ against the cage, landing several heavy uncontested strikes before the bout was waved off. But Rozenstruik never lost consciousness, and he never really dropped. Even as referee Herb Dean stepped in, some might argue the Surinamese fighter was regaining his composure.
None of that is Volkov’s concern, however. As he told reporters after the fight, “Everything went perfect, nothing went wrong.” Anyone who had a problem with the stoppage can take it up with Dean and the commission instead.
“It’s not my fault anyway,” Volkov told reporters during the post-fight presser (transcript via MMA Fighting). “The referee stopped this.
“In the moment, I hit him, he was a little bit knocked out so he wasn’t being fully fresh. Anyway, it was a big opportunity to knock him out, to land because he was almost on the mat. I was ready to throw him down and continue my work.”
“[Rozenstruik] was in a bad position,” he added. “The referee stopped the fight. He was in a bad position and he took some hard punches and he was a little bit knocked out. It’s not my fault but ask this of the referee, not me. I just did my job.”
Speaking of possible future fights, the 33-year-old addressed two notable losses on his record, to Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane. And while it doesn’t sound like the Lewis fight holds much pull—“I won all the rounds and then I just took this punch,” Volkov said of the bout—a chance to fight Gane again is definitely an opportunity the Russian would take.
“For me, I like more challenges, and right now, for me, I think that rematch with Gane because I respect him very much, about his stand-up work, about everything, it’s very interesting for me to meet him again. I’m ready for any challenge against any fighters, any time.”
Gane is currently set to face off against Tai Tuivasa on September 3rd, in the main event of UFC Paris. The card marks the first foray into Gane’s home country, following France’s decision to legalize MMA competition starting in early 2020.
Flyweight Jeff Molina gets his hand raised at UFC Vegas 56. | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Flyweight Jeff Molina apparently got a ton of hate for sporting the UFC’s Pride Month themed shorts for his UFC Vegas 56 fight.
Flyweight fighter Jeff Molina was supposed to be enjoying his third win in the Octagon on Saturday at UFC Vegas 56. Instead, he was met with a ton of hateful comments. The reason? His decision to wear the UFC’s themed shorts in honor of Pride Month.
Jeff Molina goes *off* about the negative comments he received for wearing UFC’s pride month shorts.
“I just thought in 2022 people would be a little more open-minded and not pieces of sh*t. But I guess I was wrong.”#UFCVegas56 | Full video: https://t.co/mOxnqIFGCb pic.twitter.com/aKeVUUeXyg
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) June 5, 2022
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour on Monday, the 24-year-old revealed some of the harsh things said to him.
“There were a couple of narratives in the comments like, ‘The UFC is just doing this to exploit, it’s a business tactic, they’re doing this for money, they don’t really care,” he said. “Blah blah blah.’ The other parts were, ‘Man, you support gay people, you’re gonna burn in Hell. Allah will make sure you burn in hell or God will make sure you burn in hell.’
“I’m telling you there were dozens and dozens of these, like, ‘You should get cut from the UFC for supporting f–ts.’ There (were) a lot of those.
“I looked over to the DMs, my DMs on Twitter were about split with the love and hate. From the love side it was a lot of guys like, ‘Hey man, I didn’t know you rolled that way. I think you’re cute.’ And then on the other side, it was more of the same hateful, spiteful things, and I felt like I just had to address it.”
“El Jefe,” says he did get some praise for taking the stand that he did, but for him, it should be common decency.
“What’s weird is I feel like I’m being appreciated for something I shouldn’t be appreciated for if that makes sense,” he said. “And I’m not trying to backtrack on anything I said, I spoke 100 percent from the heart. I meant exactly what I said.
“But it’s like being applauded for saying, ‘Murder is wrong.’ This should just be common: Rape is wrong. Racism is wrong. Being hateful towards someone for who they love is wrong. And who the f–k cares at the end of the day? That’s the only thing that makes me feel weird about this whole situation.
“I know I have a platform as a fighter, fighting for the UFC, for the biggest organization in the world. But at the same time, I feel weird being appreciated for something that should just be f–ng common decency. Just being a human being.”
Molina entered the UFC through Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021. He won Saturday’s fight against Zhalgas Zhumagulov via split decision to improve to a record of 11-2.
UFC Light Heavyweight Contender: Jiri Procházka | Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC
Bloody Elbow presents its fight week coverage for UFC 275, which goes down on Saturday, June 11th at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore. In the main event, reigning World Light Heavyweight Champion, Glover Teixeira takes on top contender Jiri Procházka in a must-see battle between two of the most exciting mixed martial artists currently competing.
The co-main event is a battle for the Women’s World Flyweight Championship between Champion, Valentina Shevchenko and Taila Santos. As if that weren’t enough excitement for one night, we will also be treated to the much-anticipated non-title rematch between the illustrious Women’s Strawweights, Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
Bonus excitement comes when Flyweights, Rogério Bontorin and Manel Kape are pitted against one another on the main card, as well.
UFC 275 airs live on ESPN+ PPV, with a Main Card start time of 9/6PM ETPT and Prelims on ESPN/ESPN+at 5:30/2:30PM ETPT. Odds at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Valentina Shevchenko faces Taila Santos at UFC 275 | Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images
A decision Valentina Shevchenko made early in her career has helped her remain at the top of the flyweight division
Valentina Shevchenko has owned the UFC women’s flyweight title since she defeated Joanna Jedrzejczyk by decision in December 2018. Since that win, Shevchenko has successfully defended her title six times. On Saturday, she looks to make her seventh defense of the UFC women’s 125-pound crown when she faces Taila Santos in the co-main event of UFC 275.
Shevchenko, who is the No. 1 fighter in the official UFC women’s pound-for-pound rankings, says that one secret of her success is a decision she made early in her MMA career. That secret? Remove the things from her life that might sidetrack her from her goal of being the best fighter she could be.
“I was happy to figure out that all these other things are going to just distract from my goal,” Shevchenko said on a recent edition of The MMA Hour. “I discovered this pretty early and from that moment I was thinking ‘What do I want? What do I really want?’ And I knew that what I wanted was to be a fighter and to do in my career as much as I can. Just do what I like to do and I just got rid of all distractions — for now.”
The 34-year-old added that while she has removed distractions from her life, that doesn’t mean her focus will always be on her fight career.
“I know it’s not going to be forever,” said Shevchenko. “I just want to continue the same lifestyle that I have, that’s why I completely understand what I am doing, where is the limit and when I want to cross the limit.”
That distraction free lifestyle has led to success for the champ, who is 22-3 overall and who has not lost a fight since she dropped a split-decision to then-UFC women’s bantamweight champ Amanda Nunes in 2017.
Shevchenko said that her focus on her career is one of the main reasons she has been so successful during her run as UFC champion. Another thing that keeps her from falling into the trap of complacency is that keeping her title outweighs her desire to be comfortable in the cage.
“Sometimes when it happens (she doesn’t feel ‘into’ a fight) and you feel, ‘okay, it’s not going to happen. I feel comfortable. It’s a comfort zone. We’re just hanging around and I’m not tiring,’ but then you start to think, ‘If I would continue to fight like that, I will lose my belt. I will lose the fight. Do I agree with that and continue to do nothing just to be comfortable? No.’ And this is what pushes me every time,” said Shevchenko.
Santos is on a four-fight winning streak headed into UFC 275. She is coming off a November submission win over Joanne Wood. That win, which garnered Santos her first UFC fight-night bonus, earned her the shot at dethroning Shevchenko.
Shevchenko enters UFC 275 with TKO finishes over Jessica Andrade and Lauren Murphy in her two most recent title defenses.
UFC 275 takes place at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore on Saturday, June 11. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
Shane Burgos at weigh-ins for UFC 268. | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Check out all the fights announced over the past week in the UFC, Bellator and other promotions.
Fights on Tap is a weekly roundup of all the fights booked in the UFC, Bellator and other promotions.
UFC 275 is on Saturday, folks! But before we get to that pay-per-view event, let’s see what we have ahead of us on the upcoming schedule. The UFC either announced or finalized 16 fights this week, and a potential ‘Fight of the Night’ between two all-action featherweights is confirmed.
This is one you don’t want to miss. Shane Burgos and Charles Jourdain have agreed to meet at UFC Long Island on July 16 at the UBS Arena in Elmont. ‘Hurricane’ returns since winning a unanimous decision against Billy Quarantillo at UFC 268 this past November. Fresh off signing a new four-fight contract, Jourdain makes his second appearance this year. ‘Air’ recently submitted Lando Vannata at UFC Vegas 52 in April.
ANNOUNCED UFC FIGHTS:
UFC Fight Night — June 25
Mario Bautista vs. Brian Kelleher — bantamweight
UFC Fight Night — July 16
Matt Schnell vs. Sumudaerji — flyweight
Dwight Grant vs. Dustin Stoltzfus — middleweight
Jessica Penne vs. Emily Ducote — women’s strawweight
Shane Burgos vs. Charles Jourdain — featherweight
UFC 277 — July 30
Orion Cosce vs. Mike ‘Blood Diamond’ Mathetha — welterweight* * Cosce vs. Matheta was already finalized, but shifted from UFC 275 to UFC 277
Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Ľudovít Klein — lightweight
UFC Fight Night — August 13
Alexa Grasso vs. Viviane Araujo — women’s flyweight
UFC Paris — September 3
Robert Whittaker vs. Marvin Vettori — middleweight* * Whittaker vs. Vettori was already finalized, but shifted from UFC 275 to UFC Paris
Alessio Di Chirico vs. Roman Kopylov — middleweight
Zarah Fairn vs. Ailín Pérez — women’s featherweight
UFC Fight Night — September 10
Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Jailton Almeida — heavyweight
Hannah Cifers vs. Melissa Martinez — women’s strawweight
Trevin Giles vs. Louis Cosce — welterweight
UFC Fight Night — October 1
Leah Letson vs. Chelsea Chandler — women’s bantamweight
Vinc Pichel vs. Jesse Ronson — lightweight
Announced Bellator fights:
Bellator Dublin — September 23
Leah McCourt vs. Dayana Silva — women’s featherweight
Announced Professional Fighters League (PFL) fights:
PFL 6 (2022 Regular Season) — July 1
Kayla Harrison vs. Julia Budd — women’s lightweight
Rory MacDonald vs. Sadibou Sy — welterweight
Ray Cooper III vs. Brett Cooper — welterweight
Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. Joao Zeferino — welterweight
Jarrah Al-Silawi vs. Magomed Umalatov — welterweight
Larissa Pacheco vs. Genah Fabian — women’s lightweight
Nikolai Aleksakhin vs. Gleison Tibau — welterweight
Marina Mokhnatkina vs. Abigail Montes — women’s lightweight
Martina Jindrova vs. Zamzagul Fayzallanova — women’s lightweight
Olena Kolesnyk vs. Vanessa Melo — women’s lightweight
Announced Cage Warriors fights:
Cage Warriors 139 — June 10
Eli Leggett vs. Brandon Laroco — featherweight
Cage Warriors 140 — June 25
Troy Gibson vs. Paddy Wilkinson — welterweight
James Sheehan vs. Martin Causse — welterweight
Announced KSW fights:
KSW 71 — June 18
Borys Mańkowski vs. Daniel Torres — lightweight
Jakub Wikłacz vs. Bruno Dos Santos — bantamweight
Marc Doussis vs. Przemysław Dzwoniarek — light heavyweight
Filip Stawowy vs. Michal Martinek — heavyweight
Artur Szpilka vs. Serhiy Radchenko — catchweight (231 lbs.)
The USA Boxing Foundation has launched the “Be Like Mike” campaign to fundraise for the sport.
The USA Boxing Foundation is paying tribute to Mike Tyson in a new campaign despite the former boxing champion’s prior rape conviction.
Entitled ‘Be Like Mike,’ the initiative will run throughout the month of June in the hopes of gaining 100 donors willing to commit $ 100 to the foundation to “meet its mission to advance boxing as the sport of opportunity.”
The original ‘Be Like Mike’ initiative was part of a Gatorade campaign that took place in 1991 and celebrated legendary basketball player Michael Jordan.
“USA Boxing Foundation is carrying the sentiment forward as a nod to Mike Tyson, not only because he is one of the sport’s greatest of all time, but to highlight his path to the sport, and all that he overcame,” read a statement from the organization.
Mike Tyson rose to fame in 1986 when he beat Trevor Berbick and became, at age 20, the youngest heavyweight champ in boxing history. However, in 1992, the former heavyweight champion was found guilty of raping 19-year-old Desiree Washington. He was given a 10-year prison sentence, with four years suspended. He was eventually released in 1995 after serving three years and continues to maintain his innocence.
“I knew from the start that I’d get no justice,” Tyson wrote in his 2013 book Undisputed Truth: My Autobiography. “I wasn’t being tried in New York or Los Angeles; we were in Indianapolis, Indiana, historically one of the strongholds of the Ku Klux Klan. I had been found guilty by a jury of my “peers,” only one of whom was Black.”
Following his stint in prison, Tyson managed to recapture the heavyweight title in 1996. The following year, Tyson bit off a piece of heavyweight champ Evander Holyfield’s ear, which led to his boxing license being temporarily revoked. Tyson later spent several months in jail for assaulting motorists after a traffic accident.
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