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Dern sees Namajunas avenging her loss to Esparza and retaining her strawweight championship. 

Considering how much she has evolved as a fighter, Mackenzie Dern sees Rose Namajunas defeating Carla Esparza and avenging one of the first losses of her professional career.

More than seven years ago, Namajunas and Esparza fought at The Ultimate Fighter 20 finale. ‘Thug’ was submitted via third-round rear-naked choke by the ‘Cookie Monster’, who became the first-ever strawweight champion in UFC history. Fast forward to 2022 and now Namajunas has the championship, with Esparza still sitting near the top of the division and hoping to reclaim what she once held.

The key to victory for Esparza was her wrestling, which she has used to overwhelm her opponents on the ground. It would come as no surprise to see that in play again in her upcoming rematch with Namajunas, but Dern has seen a much-improved ground game from the champion since the first fight. And because of those improvements, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace told Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie that she expects to hear ‘and still’ at UFC 274 in May.

“I think Rose is going to win just because I think she’s evolved so much in all different areas,” said Dern. “Her ground, her takedowns — I mean just with her fight with Zhang Weili, they were taking each other down. So to see Rose getting the takedowns in that fight and stuff like that was really entertaining. Her striking, she’s precise. Her striking is just looking so good.”

Though she chose Namajunas over Esparza, Dern also explained that an upset is not far-fetched. Stylistically, Esparza can pose a threat to just about anyone. However, Dern remains confident in Namajunas to avoid any potential fight-ending scenarios like the one she fell to.

“I think Rose is going to get the win, but I won’t be surprised if Carla gets an upset or something like that,” said Dern. “Carla has just gotten so good at implementing her game and it’s like, who’s going to win? The person that’s kind of more all-around, or the person that’s Khabib-style that knows their game and can implement it and just put on that pressure no matter who she fights? That’s what I think Carla really brings to the table. She’s just good and no matter who she fights, she’s able to put her game on. I’m not like that.

“I know everyone says, ‘Take it to the ground, take it to the ground,’ and then all of a sudden when I see I’m two rounds in and I’m striking, and I’m liking the striking, but obviously my striking is not exactly where I am with other girls. So the fact that Carla has that experience and that maturity as a fighter to put her game with whoever, I think that’s dangerous. But I don’t see Rose giving up her neck or back like she did the first time. I don’t see them falling into the same type of fight as the last time they fought.”

As for Dern, she returns to the Octagon against Tecia Torres at UFC 273 on April 9 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.

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Yet another change to UFC 273.

Ilir Latifi’s medical problems kept him off UFC Columbus, and now they’ll prevent him from fighting at UFC 273.

The UFC confirmed on Thursday that the Swedish heavyweight’s rescheduled fight with Aleksei Oleinik has been nixed due to Latifi’s health. He made weight for UFC Columbus last week, only to have his fight cancelled on the day of the event due to what was termed a non-COVID illness. Evidently the two-week postponement was not enough to salvage the contest.

Stepping in to face Oleinik on April 9th in Jacksonville, FL is Jared Vanderaa (12-7), who is likely in desperate need of a win to keep his spot on the UFC roster. The Dana White’s Contender Series signing lost his UFC debut to Sergey Spivak in February 2021, picked up a decision win over Justin Tafa that June, but has since suffered consecutive losses to Alexander Romanov and Andrei Arlovski. Meanwhile, the 44-year-old Oleinik (59-16-1) is on a three-fight losing streak, most recently dropping a decision to Sergey Spivak last June. The submission specialist also had knockout defeats against Derrick Lewis and Chris Daukaus.

UFC 273 features two title fights, including a main event between men’s featherweight title champion Alexander Volkanovski and Chan Sung Jung aka ‘The Korean Zombie.’ Men’s bantamweight titleholder Aljamain Sterling rematches former champ Petr Yan in the co-main event.

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There are some real jaw-droppers on this week’s What The Fight. Prepare to be amazed.

Yeah, we know. The week started with the whole slap thing, which we’ve already covered more than we perhaps should have. But that’s enough. It ends here. We won’t cover that today.

We’ll begin, as usual, with Jerry over at Fight Commentary Breakdowns. This one is really special, as it’s a series of Kung Fu vs Kyokushin matches from 1975. It’s so good, and I’m a sucker for all sorts of classic clashes like this. Not really much to add, just watch it immediately. This is extraordinary:

As a bit of a bonus, I sat down for another chat with Jerry on his other channel as well. We covered an Indian MMA bout that was surprisingly thrilling, as well as a Tai Chi push hands demonstration, among other things.

Did you miss Dambé content? I know I did. But African Warriors has us covered, starting with a riveting standoff that explodes into a totally surreal finish out of nowhere. It needs to be seen to be believed:

This next bout pulls out all the stops with everything that makes Dambé so exciting. Showdowns, flurries, micromovements, feints, and devastating strikes. But this one goes above and beyond with another magnificent finish out of nowhere.

Seriously, blink and you’ll miss it:

Told you. It’s mind-bending.

Next up, DEFEND FC is back with more action. This time it’s billed as a Turkey vs Moldova, Boxer vs MMA fighter bout. While I’m not a fan of the whole country vs country format for this, the talent is undeniable here. These guys have a higher bar than usual and the outdoor MMA situation works a lot better than it would seem at first glance.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that this much freedom of movement would lead to guys running around or something. But no, it’s two guys getting in each other’s space while fighting smart. You can’t ask for too much more than that from guys that are clearly amateurs yet still well-trained.

It goes a bit long-ish, but the finish is worth it.

Next up, a pair of Lethwei battles. This first one is from Myanmar, and it’s ruthless. Grueling pace, lot of damage delivered. Plenty of respect between combatants.

We’ve also got this bout from Japan where it’s competitive until someone springs the Jack-in-the-box and the lights go out:

And here’s a compilation of Muay Thai headkick knockouts courtesy of Radikal Videos.

Finally, Judo Highlights brings us a wild Japanese Judo tournament from last year. Technique and tenacity are on display throughout. It’s lovely:

Finally, a relic of martial arts fraud and failure, Ashida Kim. Straight from one of his infamous training videos, here he is demonstrating ninja technique. Marvel at his deadliness, no can defend:

Believe in the power of forgiveness. Tony Hawk certainly does.

And remember – you might think you can fight, but there are many guys like you all over the world.

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Mousasi has his next title defense set. 

Gegard Mousasi hoped to stay active in 2022 and the reigning Bellator middleweight champion just got his wish granted.

Mousasi will return to the Bellator cage in the summer to defend his championship against Johnny Eblen at Bellator 282, the upcoming event scheduled to take place on June 24 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Ariel Helwani was first to report the fight and it was later confirmed by the promotion.

Now on his second reign as champion, Mousasi has successfully defended his title twice. The ‘Dreamcatcher’ finished John Salter and Austin Vanderford by technical knockout at Bellator 264 and Bellator 275, respectively.

An undefeated prospect, Eblen earned his championship opportunity with a unanimous decision over the aforementioned Salter at Bellator 276 this past March. ‘The Human Cheat Code’ improved to 11-0 as a professional, with seven of those wins coming under the Bellator banner. Following his win over Salter, the American Top Team product said he was absolutely ready for Mousasi next.

“I’m a man who likes to work, so whatever gets me the next fight, I’m down to do it,” said Eblen during his post-fight press conference (video provided by MMA Junkie). “Obviously I would love to fight for the title. If that doesn’t happen, so be it. But I am the No. 1 contender now, and the guy hasn’t fought me yet. So let’s do it maybe.”

Also featured at Bellator 282 is a pair of quarterfinal fights for the Bellator Bantamweight World Grand Prix. Magomed Magomedov and Leandro Higo are still awaiting opponents, but they will soon be determined by the wild card fights set for Bellator 278 in April. The winner of Enrique Barzola vs. Josh Hill meets Magomedov and the winner of Jornel Lugo vs. Danny Sabatello faces Higo.

Additionally, Alejandra Lara takes on Ilara Joanne at flyweight.

The current lineup of Bellator 282 is as follows:

Main Card

Gegard Mousasi vs. Johnny Eblen

Magomed Magomedov vs. Enrique Barzola/Josh Hill

Leandro Higo vs. Jornel Lugo/Danny Sabatello

Preliminary Card

Alejandra Lara vs. Ilara Joanne

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Costa has officially moved on from either a rematch with Marvin Vettori or a meeting with Sean Strickland and would now like Brunson next. 

Paulo Costa wanted a fight against Marvin Vettori or Sean Strickland, but ‘Borrachinha’ has since shifted his focus to someone else.

Though Costa previously mentioned he was only interested in a rematch with Vettori for his next appearance, that option became unavailable as soon as the ‘Italian Dream’ was booked against Robert Whittaker at UFC 275 in June. The Brazilian then moved on to Sean Strickland, who he went back-and-forth with on social media over a potential fight, which also fizzled out after ‘Tarzan’ verbally agreed to share the Octagon with Alex Pereira at UFC 277 in July.

With Vettori and Strickland out, Costa has decided to go after Derek Brunson. He took to Twitter on Tuesday and challenged his fellow contender, who he is currently tied with in the official middleweight rankings.

“Now it’s time to Derek Brunson runway [sic] or accept. Sean gave up. Brunson?,” wrote Costa.

Costa and Brunson have traded barbs before on social media, but a fight between them has never materialized. Because of their shared history, Costa and Carlos Borracha — his brother and head coach — believe now is the time to book it.

“Strickland challenged ‘Borrachinha’ a long time ago, [but] when he accepted, Strickland ran from us and they ended up giving him to ‘Poatan,’” Borracha told Leonardo Fabri of PVT (h/t Marcelo Alonso of Sherdog). “Strickland chickened out, but we have other ranked fighters in our target like Brunson.

“We truly hope Brunson keeps his word and doesn’t run like Strickland did,” continued Borracha. “Actually, Brunson already challenged ‘Borrachinha,’ and now it’s the best time for that fight to happen.”

Brunson has not responded to Costa yet. The 38-year-old recently had a solid five-fight win streak snapped at UFC 271, where he was finished by Jared Cannonier via second-round knockout this past February.

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Masvidal was arrested on a felony battery charge last week following an alleged attack on fellow UFC fighter Colby Covington.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is promoting Jorge Masvidal as the special guest at a Wednesday campaign event despite the UFC fighter facing felony battery charges.

According to Florida Politics, DeSantis’ campaign advertised a “DeSantis x Masvidal VIP Experience” for early arrivals who contribute $ 250 to his gubernatorial re-election bid. Each guest will reportedly an opportunity to “mix and mingle with Jorge Masvidal before the event begins.”

The campaign event takes place less than a week after Masvidal was arrested for allegedly attacking his ex-teammate, Colby Covington. The police report, which did not name the victim of the suspected attack, revealed that Masvidal approached him wearing a hoodie and blue surgical mask outside a Miami restaurant and blindsided him with two punches to the face, which resulted in a fractured tooth and a wrist abrasion.

Masvidal surrendered himself to the police and has since been charged with aggravated battery causing great bodily harm. He entered a written plea of not guilty and was released later that same night after posting a $ 5,000 bond.

If found guilty, Masvidal could face up to 15 years in prison and/or a $ 10,000 fine for second-degree felony aggravated battery with additional penalties possible for the criminal mischief charge.

Wednesday’s campaign event is not the first time that Masvidal will be featured at a political event. The UFC fighter repeatedly campaigned for former president Donald Trump, including headlining a “Fighters Against Socialism” bus tour with Donald Trump Jr. During the tour, Masvidal espoused the “horrors” of communism and socialism.

“Obviously I am not a politician,” Masvidal told the crowd during one of campaign stops. “I may not be schooled in a lot of these political issues like some of you, but I do know Latinos. Latinos are not lazy people looking for a handout. Latinos don’t want free stuff, we want freedom.”

DeSantis, who recently signed the controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill that banned public school teachers from holding classroom instruction about sexual orientation or gender identity, is also no stranger to Masvidal, who headlined UFC 261 in Jacksonville, Florida, last year against welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.

“Welcome to Florida,” DeSantis said at the UFC 261 pre-fight press conference. “You guys aren’t the only ones looking to come to this oasis of freedom.”

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Brandon Moreno airs his side of the current back-and-forth with UFC champion Deiveson Figueiredo.

Last week, the UFC announced the booking of the fourth fight between reigning flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo and ex-titleholder Brandon Moreno. The two elite 125-pounders are slated to headline an event in July, which likely falls on International Fight Week.

The bout has yet to be finalized and at least based on the two combatants themselves, everything is still up in the air. Both men even called out Kai Kara-France, who notched an impressive win against Askar Askarov at UFC Columbus on Saturday.

Figueiredo then doubled down on the Kara-France challenge on Monday, saying Moreno and his team “crossed the line with racist comments.” This all stems from a June 2021 Instagram live session by Moreno’s teammate Marcelo Rojo, who supposedly depicted Figueiredo as a monkey using filters.

Rojo apologized, but now, “The Assassin Baby” is issuing his response in a recent interview with ESPN Deportes.

“It’s just stupid,” Moreno said of Figueiredo’s claims. (Rojo) was playing with his phone, he was streaming live on Instagram and was using many filters. It’s a shame we don’t have the full video because it was a live stream. He didn’t save it.

“He was using filters on everyone: Dana White, my teammates. He even used a filter on me. He was switching filters, and then appears a monkey filter on Figueiredo. That’s true.

“And someone took a screenshot, we don’t know who, and starts calling Marcelo Rojo a racist. And you know Marcelo, you’re not going to let me lie. He’s not racist.”

As far as Moreno is concerned, the fourth Figueiredo fight is still on.

“I’ve already talked to the UFC, with the top guys in the promotion. And they told me that the fourth fight is set. At some point, they told me not to worry. That the plan for me is to fight again for the title,” he said.

“But I think at this point, Deiveson is running away from me. I’m not lying. UFC wants Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno number four. I’ve said yes already, but the other part has not.”

Figueiredo may be the reigning champion, but Moreno sees him as the “B-Side.”

“He needs to understand that he’s still the B-side on this. And that’s not my fault. I’m just here to fight and be the best. Chances for him to lose against me are very high, and he sees an easier opportunity versus Kara-France to keep the belt and make some money.

“But he knows that the only ‘money fight’ for him is with me. Simple facts.”

Moreno and Figueiredo are 1-1 against each other. Their first fight at UFC 256 in December 2020 ended in a draw, while Moreno won the second bout with a submission finish at UFC 263 exactly six months later. Figueiredo then reclaimed the belt via decision at UFC 270 in January. Moreno earned $ 50K bonuses for all three bouts.

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The highly anticipated title unification rematch is now official.

Naoya Inoue and Nonito Donaire put on a show when they first fought, with the wild back and forth affair being recognized as Ring Magazine’s 2019 Fight of the Year. After months of negotiations, the pair will officially run it back.

According to a report from Boxing Scene, the two bantamweights will have a title unification rematch on June 7, at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan. The bout will be on Amazon Prime Video in Japan, with US media deals still unannounced as of this writing.

Japan’s Inoue will put his WBA, IBF, and Ring bantamweight titles on the line, while the Filipino star in Donaire will put his WBC belt at stake.

Inoue won a decision in their first contest in 2019, and has since won three more fights since, all by stoppage. The 28-year-old, who is considered as one of the top pound-for-pound stars today, remained undefeated and is now 22-0 in his career.

The future Hall of Famer in Donaire has won two fights since their first meeting, claiming and defending the WBC belt, while making history as the oldest fighter to win a bantamweight title. The 39-year-old four-division world champion won his last two bouts by fourth round knockout.

You can watch the full video of their fight of the year meeting below:

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A new report from TMZ, citing police documents, added more details to MMA star Chael Sonnen’s recent assault accusations.

Reports around Chael Sonnen’s December 2021 arrest in Las Vegas keep getting stranger. Originally spun as a story of Sonnen virtuously protecting his wife from inappropriate comments by former UFC fighter and podcast host Brendan Schaub, a recent lawsuit and police reports from the night paint a very different picture.

Sonnen is currently facing 11 counts of battery, including felony strangulation, after claims that he struck a Four Seasons Las Vegas employee as the man was exiting a hotel room. That man claims he called security, but before security could arrive, Sonnen had apparently accosted two other hotel guests—Christopher and Julie Stellpflug.

The Stellpflugs claim that Sonnen struck Christopher repeatedly in the head and attempted to choke him, then turned on Julie, throwing her against a light fixture and striking her in the face, resulting in a bloody lip. The couple is currently in the process of suing Sonnen over the altercation.

“Am I going to die? Is this monster going to kill my wife next, and my kids will have no parents?” Christopher Stellpflug recently told Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We did nothing wrong, and this guy went on a crazy rampage.”

When security finally did arrive, police reports state that Sonnen attacked the guard as well—striking him in the throat before going on to elbow and shove another bystander who witnessed the altercation.

While the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s coverage of the incident includes information disputing Schaub’s version of events, notably that Sonnen’s wife had apparently been asleep for several hours at the time after taking sleeping pills, a new report from TMZ added another wrinkle: that Sonnen apparently told police at the time that couldn’t remember the incident.

The report claims that Sonnen told officers that he and his wife had both taken sleeping pills and that he “did not have memory of anything” and “could not recall anything else” from the period of time after taking the pills and leading up to his arrest.

Sonnen is expected to appear in court for a hearing on the charges this week. Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for more news and updates.

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“You know what I just wanted to give him a big hug like, I’ve been there, I’ve been there bro.”

UFC veteran Stephen Thompson has nothing but love for Jorge Masvidal following ‘Gamebred’s’ lopsided decision defeat to Colby Covington at UFC 272.

Thompson, who beat Masvidal back in 2017, empathizes with the Miamian because he knows Covington was such a tough stylistic matchup for him.

‘Wonderboy’ just wanted to give Masvidal a hug following the fight and would like to see the UFC BMF champ matched up with a fellow striker in his next bout.

“You know what I just wanted to give him a big hug like, I’ve been there, I’ve been there bro,” Thompson said on a recent edition of The MMA Hour (h/t BJPenn.com). “I mean the guy is just constantly taking you down and he’s the guy who just wants to bang. Give him somebody that wants to fight, and that will be a fight of the night.”

Masvidal doesn’t appear to be taking the loss too well as the American Top Team (ATT) product is alleged to have attacked Covington outside a restaurant in Miami just two weeks removed from the fight.

Thompson doesn’t condone that type of behavior and says both men should have settled their differences in the cage on fight night.

“He wasn’t able to pull it off and then you’ve got the fight on the street after the fight,” Thompson said. “I was like come on man, come on guys, we get paid for this, let’s go! You ain’t gotta be doing that in the street. So, it is what it is.”

Thompson is on a two-fight losing skid and has called for a rematch with Masvidal in his next fight. The two-time title challenger is currently #6 in the UFC welterweight rankings.

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