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Chael Sonnen declares the UFC ‘BMF’ title ‘gone’ as he also talks about potential downsides of Jorge Masvidal’s new deal.

Even after three straight losses, Jorge Masvidal remains to be one of the top names in the sport today. He also continues to hold the title as the UFC’s first and only “BMF” champion in history.

“Gamebred” was rewarded for his efforts over the years through a new UFC deal that makes him the “top 3 highest-paid” fighter on the roster, at least according to his manager. But that new deal, however lucrative it may be, could also be his downfall, according to Chael Sonnen.

Sonnen discussed Masvidal’s “interesting” position in a recent YouTube video he uploaded. Without giving a specific reason, he first went to declare the BMF title experiment to be “over.”

“The BMF is gone. We never need to discuss it again, and it’s never being contested again, for multiple reasons,” Sonnen said.

“One of the things that makes Masvidal so compelling for me is that he’s a champion. I think whoever’s a champion has a built-in mechanism. Now, it’s just a matter of when are we gonna defend it and who we’re gonna defend against.

“Masvidal’s at a really interesting place where he got a championship that hasn’t been on the line. I love it. I love the BMF, I am sad that it’s over.”

Sonnen then touched on Masvidal’s new contract, which he compared to Ronda Rousey’s situation in the early 2010s when she rose to mainstream superstardom.

“I have seen guys lose their careers over a lucrative contract. I maintain for you what cost Ronda Rousey her career was the money she was making. ‘Cause Ronda was good enough to be one of the girls. She was not good enough to be the champion of the world. She was one of the girls, though. Top ten, for sure,” he explained.

“She could’ve done this for years. She’s gonna win some, and she’s gonna take a loss here and there. But her contract was so big and so beautiful, that she had to be main event. She had to be marquee, which means she had to fight the best girls in the world, which she was no longer was.”

For Sonnen, Masvidal may have painted himself into a corner by signing the new deal.

“It’s a way to get a guy to sign a contract. You bring a 37-year-old, you put a $ 10 million contract in front of him, he’s got to fight five times to get it,” Sonnen said. “You know full well how hard those matches are gonna be, and you’re never gonna exhaust that ‘cause he’s not gonna be here when he’s 40, for one, is how long that’s gonna take. He’s not gonna see all of these fights.

“For two, he’s gonna see a match or two, he’s gonna have a jackpot full of money, his time’s gonna be out. But now, he’s under contract with you, so he can’t go over here and do one of these exhibition matches. It’s a game, everybody’s playing the game.

“If it’s a $ 20 million deal, but it’s gonna take you eight fights to do — which you’re never gonna have eight more fights, and you really didn’t sign that big of a contract did you? You just tied yourself up for the rest of your life.”

Masvidal’s camp never specified how many fights were in the new deal. He is coming off a decision loss to former training partner turned sworn enemy Colby Covington at UFC 272 a week ago.

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Atlantic City based promotion puts on another stellar submission only jiu-jitsu event

With just a handful of professional events in the books, Emerald City Invitational has quickly become one of the premier events in submission grappling. Their 145 lb. tournament back in August 2021 produced some of the best no-gi matches of the year, including Estevan “The Giant Slayer” Martinez’s match with Cameron Mellot and Gianni Grippo’s finals match with Kennedy Maciel. This time, ECI brought the 155 pounders for the main showcase with Jon Calestine, Pedro Serrano, Gabriel Sousa, Adam Benayoun, Josh Cisneros, Jordan Holy, Kieran Kichuk, and 145 lb. champion Gianni Grippo vying for the title and $ 10,000. The card also featured super fights between some of the most promising female no-gi competitors as Jaidyn Mueller took on Chrissy Briggs and Izabella Frezzo faced Lauren Sears.

Emerald City uses EBI rules, a submission only ruleset with 10-minute rounds. The regulation period has no points and no advantages. If a submission is not achieved in regulation, the match will go to overtime where a competitor can start on their opponent’s back or in an armbar position where the opponent has his or her hands connected. An athlete can win either via submission or ride time, accumulated time in these dominant positions.

ECI IV was all about upsets. Gabriel Sousa and Josh Cisneros, both highly seeded competitors who’ve won big titles at black belt, went down in the first rounds. The two standouts from the 155 lb. bracket were Adam Benayoun and Kieran Kichuk. Benayoun, a Ryan Hall pupil, took out Gabriel Sousa in the opening round via rear naked choke in overtime. His second match was against Jon Calestine, a leg lock specialist with plenty of experience in the ruleset. This match also went to overtime, where Adam was able to win via ride time, holding the back position for longer than Calestine.

On the other side of the bracket, Kieran Kichuk of Team Lloyd Irvin had an equally impressive series of wins. In the first round he faced Josh Cisneros of Ares, one of the favorites coming into the event. Josh controlled the regulation portion of the match, catching Kieran in multiple kimura attacks while Kieran was playing reverse de la riva. Kieran showed great defense, however, and was able to push the match to overtime where he got the win via rear naked choke.

His semi-final match was against Gianni Grippo, who won the 145 lb. tournament back in August. The regulation period was close as both men spent time in top and bottom position but were unable to present any threatening submissions. In overtime, Kieran and Gianni showed great defense yet again. In a sequence where Gianni looked like he was about to escape the back, Kieran locked in a kimura that he turned into an armbar, getting the finish and his shot at $ 10,000.

The final was yet another match where neither could find a submission in regulation. Kieran was looking for leg locks for much of the match while Adam showed great awareness and defense. In the over time rounds, Kieran and Adam showed that they were well prepared foe the ruleset. Adam escaped Kieran’s back control in the first round and Kieran answered back with an escape of his own. In the second overtime round Kieran secured a rear naked choke in 17 seconds, forcing Adam to finish Kieran in less time. Adam chose the armbar position and Kieran escaped as Adam had to rush his attack. Kieran Kichuk came away with the $ 10,000 and the Emerald City Invitational 155 lb. title despite having to earn his way to the event via a qualifying tournament rather than being invited.

In one of the feature super fights of the night, Jaidyn Mueller of Ocean County BJJ faced Chrissy Briggs of Padilla Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The match started with both competitors looking for takedowns. Briggs attempted a scissor takedown that Jaidyn shut down while working her way to half guard. Jaidyn utilized her guard passing skills for much of the regulation period, forcing Briggs to turtle where she attacked the back. In overtime, Jaidyn escaped Briggs’ back control and then finished her with a beautiful transition from the back to a triangle to a kimura.

155 lb. tournament and featured super fight results can be found below.

155 lb. tournament results:

Jon Calestine def. Pedro Serrano via escape time in OT

Adam Benayoun def. Gabriel Sousa via rear naked choke in OT

Gianni Grippo def. Jordan Holy via rear naked choke in OT

Kieran Kichuk def. Josh Cisneros via rear naked choke in OT

Adam Benayoun def. Jon Calestine via ride time in OT

Kieran Kichuk def. Gianni Grippo via arm bar in OT

Kieran Kichuk def. Adam Benayoun via rear naked choke in OT

Super fight results:

Jaidyn Mueller def. Chrissy Briggs

Izabella Frezzo def. Lauren Sears via arm bar from triangle

Frank Rosenthal def. Ellis Karadag via outside heel hook

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“I see my arms getting raised, but I think it’s gonna be a war.”

Former UFC welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns predicts a war against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273, which is more than can be said about the latter.

Burns (20-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) knows he has a tough test ahead of him against the undefeated Chimaev (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC), but ‘Durinho’ believes he will be the one with his arms raised at the end of the contest.

The Brazilian spoke to Helen Yee ahead of his April 9 showdown against Chimaev.

“I see it going very hard,” Burns, who will look to elevate himself back into title contention with a win over Chimaev, told Yee (h/t MMA Junkie). “Especially in the beginning, he might be very strong. I do believe he’s gonna strike a little bit, but I do believe he’s gonna grapple too. He’s gonna try and take me down, wrestle, stay heavy on top, good ground-and-pound, and that’s what I think he’s gonna do.”

“I think I’ll have a lot of answers to the game, takedown defense, getting up, a lot of striking too. I see a war. I don’t think it’s gonna be easy for me. I don’t think it’ll be easy for him. I think we’re gonna grind down, and it’s gonna be – I see my arms getting raised, but I think it’s gonna be a war.”

UFC 273, which will feature Burns vs. Chimaev on the main card, is scheduled to take place on April 9 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.

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Magomed Ankalaev won his first UFC main event yesterday night.

Magomed Ankalaev notched the biggest win on his record last night with an, albeit timid, victory over Thiago Santos in the main event of UFC Vegas 50. The unanimous decision win gave the Dagestani his eighth win in a row.

With his name likely to bounce up the UFC light heavyweight standings, Ankalaev made it clear—during the post-fight press conference—that he sees himself as the next title contender in the division.

“In my opinion, I deserve the title shot next,” he said (ht MMA Fighting). “Because I am on an eight-fight winning streak and some of the fights I finished the guys, and I feel I’m ready.”

During the presser Ankalaev also made it clear that he has no interest in taking a fight with Anthony Smith, who was reportedly offered a fight with him before that spot was taken by Santos.

“As you know, Anthony Smith was offered to fight me before and he wasn’t interested, as I have said. Now I’m looking forward to get the title shot next. I believe I deserve it.”

Smith quickly responded to those claims. He said the fight was on the table, but he had to turn it down due to a staph infection.

“I’m healthy now,” said ‘Lionheart’. “I’ve been begging for a fight. I think me and the UFC have been waiting for this match-up to happen to see how it unfolds. I guess I do apologize for getting staph infection.”

“May or June, I’m ready,” he continued. “I’m begging for a fight. I’ve just been waiting to see what happens here.”

Ankalaev joined the UFC in 2018. In his debut he pummelled Paul Craig for three rounds before losing by triangle choke in the last second of the contest. His division leading win-streak started immediately after that.

During his current run he has beaten Ion Cutelaba, Nikita Krylov, and Volkan Oezdemir. The loss to Craig is the only blemish on his 17-1 career.

The UFC’s light heavyweight title is due to be contested at UFC 274 on May 7 with champion Glover Teixeira defending against challenger Jiri Prochazka.

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Greg Hardy’s contract has expired after his third straight loss.

Not many wanted to be in the Greg Hardy business after his high profile domestic violence arrest, but the disgraced NFL veteran was accepted by the UFC with open arms in 2018. He had two fights on Dana White’s Contender Series and 10 official bouts with the promotion, but it looks like his four-year run has come to an end.

Hardy recently lost to Sergey Spivak at UFC 272 earlier in March, which marked his third straight knockout loss. That was the final fight on his UFC contract, and if his recent statement is any indication, it seems like his time with the promotion is over.

“What a run,” Hardy wrote on Instagram. “ya boy is far from done just got some fine tuning to do. Thank you to all my fans and haters. I appreciate you all. Mostly i appreciate my coaches, family, and the @ufc for giving me the opportunity to shine bright”

If the UFC is indeed not interested in re-signing the controversial 33-year-old, he will end his much criticized stint going 4-5 (1 NC) with the promotion. Apart from the final three knockout losses on his record, Hardy also had a disqualification loss for an illegal strike, and a No Contest for illegally using an inhaler in between rounds.

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Zane Simon & Eddie Mercado are here to breakdown this Saturday’s, March 12th, ‘UFC Vegas 50: Thiago Santos vs. Magomed Ankalaev’ Fight Night event. The guys will have hot takes, possible next fights, as well as reactions to the overall event.

Bloody Elbow fight experts, Zane Simon & Eddie Mercado, are back, recording for you late Saturday, March 12th, 2022, to breakdown the UFC Vegas 50: ‘Santos vs. Ankalaev’ jam-packed 14-bout Fight Night event, which was simulcast in English & Spanish exclusively on ESPN+ from the APEX Center, Las Vegas, NV. The card brought us a wide array of compelling clashes in a number of relevant divisions. So, let’s check it out…

June M. Williams

The guys have hot takes, possible next fights, as well as reactions to the overall event in the player above, or can be caught on our Bloody Elbow Presents YouTube Channel or any of our BE Presents Podcast Network. (SPOILERS…)

The Main Event:
The UFC put their Light Heavyweights on display tonight in the Main Event of UFC Vegas 50. Thiago Santos and Magomed Ankalaev went the distance for us. ‘Maretta’ was coming off a win against Johnny Walker at UFC Vegas 38, with a record of 22-9. Meanwhile Ankalaev, the impressive emerging Russian, was building a case for contendership, walking into the Octagon with a 16-1 record, on an impressive seven-fight win streak; this would be his first five-rounder, defining his forthcoming trajectory in the promotion.

The Co-Main:
In the co-main event, we had a Bantamweight scrap between the up-and-comer Chinese, Song Yadong from Team Alpha Male, and the Brazilian veteran, Marlon Moraes. The ‘Kung Fu Monkey’ was looking to notch a third win in a row on his belt, upping his record to 19-6 against ‘Magic’ Moraes tonight. Marlon was hoping to break his three-fight loss streak, increasing his own record to 24-9 in an effort to secure a slot in the Top 10 of the division. Song meanwhile, has been preparing hard to advance his journey towards title contention. Where the main event went to the judges scorecard, in stark contrast, the co-main was over in around two minutes. Be sure to check out the highlight reel.

Rounding out the main card, were four additional fights:

Just prior to the co-main event we saw Featherweights Sodiq ‘Super’ Yusuff vs Alex ‘Bruce Leeroy’ Caceres go at it..

We were treated to another Light Heavyweight bout, aside from the main event, from ‘The War Horse’ Khalil Rountree and Karl ‘Baby K’ Roberson…

There was also a Lightweight brawl between Drew Dober and Terrance ‘T.Wrecks’ McKinney (who accepted the bout on short notice right after appearing at UFC Vegas 49 on February 23rd.)…

Also worth mentioning, was the Middleweight tilt between fellow Brazilians, Alex Poatan’ ‘Pereira and Bruno ‘Blindado’ Silva in our main card opener.

Our featured prelim tonight highlighted one of many bouts on the card to go the distance, between Matt ‘Semi the Jedi’ Semelsberger and AJ ‘The Ghost’ Fletcher…

For all the results, reactions and much more detail on the main card, with plenty of tidbits about the eight-bout prelims card as well, be sure to hit play on the show to hear what our fight experts, Zane and Eddie, have to say.

Overall, this 14-bout card saw three exciting first round finishes, five thrilling KO/TKO’s, three sweet submissions, and six hard-fought decisions. Rounding things out, four fighters were awarded for putting forth POTN efforts: Khalil Rountree, Cody Brundage, Song Yadong & Azamat Murzakanov: FOTN honors went to nobody tonight.

Here’s a look at the UFC VEGAS 50: ‘THIAGO SANTOS VS MAGOMED ANKALAEV’ fight card’s full results & updated fight records —

ESPN+ MAIN CARD | SAT. MAR 12
14. 205lbs: Magomed Ankalaev (17-1) DEF. Thiago Santos (22-10) — DEC, Unanimous (49-46×2, 48-47)

13. 135lbs: Song Yadong (19-5) DEF. Marlon Moraes (23-10) — KO/TKO, Uppercut at 2:06 of Rd 1

12. 145lbs: Sodiq Yusuff (12-2) DEF. Alex Caceres (19-13) — DEC, Unanimous (30-27×2, 29-28)

11. 205bs: Khalil Rountree (10-5) DEF. Karl Roberson (9-5) — KO/TKO, Hooks & Body Kicks at 0:25 of Rd 2, Total 5:25

10. 155lbs: Drew Dober (24-11) DEF. Terrence McKinney (12-4) — KO/TKO, Knee to Ground Strikes at 3:17 of Rd 1

9. 185lbs: Alex Pereira (5-1) DEF. Bruno Silva (22-7) — DEC, Unanimous (30-27×3)

ESPN+ PRELIMS
8. 170lbs: Matt Semelsberger (10-3) DEF. AJ Fletcher (9-1) — DEC, Unanimous (29-28×3)

7. 125lbs: JJ Aldrich (11-4) DEF. Gillian Robertson (10-7) — DEC, Unanimous (30-27×3)

6. 135lbs: Javid Basharat (12-0) DEF. Trevin Jones (13-8) — DEC, Unanimous (30-27×2, 29-28)

5. 145lbs: Damon Jackson (20-4) DEF. Kamuela Kirk (11-5) — SUB, Arm Triangle Choke at 4:42 of Rd 2, Total 9:42

4. 125lbs: Miranda Maverick (10-4) DEF. Sabina Mazo (9-4) — SUB, Rear Naked Choke at 2:15 of Rd 2, Total 7:15

3. 185lbs: Cody Brundage (7-2) DEF. Dalcha Lungiambula (11-4) — SUB, Guillotine Choke at 3:41 of Rd 1

2. 135lbs: Guido Cannetti (9-6) DEF. Kris Moutinho (9-6) — KO/TKO, Punches (Standing TKO) at 2:07 of Rd 1

1. 205lbs: Azamat Murzakanov (11-0) DEF. Tafon Nchukwi (6-2) — KO/TKO, Flying Knee at 0:44 of Rd 3, Total 10:44

Sunday, March 13th: Check out our video production of the show, with all new enhanced graphics to accompany the guys’ commentary, on our Bloody Elbow Presents YouTube Channel right here:

At that time, timestamps will be edited into this post for your listening convenience.

Be sure to follow Zane – @TheZaneSimon & Eddie – @TheEddieMercado; and follow @BloodyElbow on twitter as well, for all the latest in MMA happenings.

If you enjoy our shows, give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow, or give us a “like”, share & subscribe over on whichever ‘BE Presents’ Podcast Channel happens to be your listening platform of choice: SoundCloud, YouTube, iTunes & Apple TV, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, OverCast, or Player FM, & Amazon Music! – For previous episodes of the show, check out our playlists on all of our BE Presents channels.

Join us again for another episode of ‘6th Round’ next Saturday, March 19th for UFC LONDON: ‘Volkov vs. Aspinall, PLUS: Arnold Allen vs. Dan Hooker‘, & more!

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Join us here at Bloody Elbow for live results, discussion, and play-by-play (main card) as UFC Vegas 50: Santos vs. Ankalaev goes down from the promotion’s APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The main event for this fight night is a key light heavyweight bout between former title challenger Thiago Santos and rising Russian contender Magomed Ankalaev. In the co-main event, former WSOF champion Marlon Moraes looks to snap a three-fight losing streak when he takes on China’s Song Yadong.

This will be an ESPN+ show but will be kicking off a little earlier than usual. The eight-fight preliminary card is scheduled to start at 4pm ET/1pm PT on ESPN+. The six-fight main card is also on ESPN+, and that is supposed to start at 7pm ET/4pm PT. For areas outside of the United States, you can catch all the scheduled contests on UFC Fight Pass.

Main Card (7 PM ET, ESPN+)

Thiago Santos vs. Magomed Ankalaev

Marlon Moraes vs. Song Yadong

Sodiq Yusuff def. Alex Caceres by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Khalil Rountree Jr. def. Karl Roberson by TKO (strikes) at :25 of round 2

Drew Dober def. Terrance McKinney by TKO (strikes) at 3:17 of round 1

Alex Pereira def. Bruno Silva by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)

Preliminary card (4 PM ET, ESPN+)

Matthew Semelsberger def. A.J. Fletcher by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

JJ Aldrich def. Gillian Robertson by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)

Javid Basharat def. Trevin Jones by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Damon Jackson def. Kamuela Kirk by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 4:42 of round 2

Miranda Maverick def. Sabina Mazo by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:15 of round 2

Cody Brundage def. Dalcha Lungiambula by submission (guillotine) at 3:41 of round 1

Guido Cannetti def. Kris Moutinho by TKO (punches) at 2:07 of round 1

Tafon Nchukwi vs. Azamat Murzakanov by KO (flying knee) at :44 of round 3

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Khamzat Chimaev defended his record in recent interview.

The undefeated Khamzat Chimaev is scheduled to face his toughest test in the Octagon. At UFC 273 on April 9 he is expected to face Gilbert Burns; a fighter who challenged for the UFC welterweight title last year.

Chimaev’s crack at one of the division’s top three ranked fighters comes after he dispatched of Li Jingliang at last year’s UFC 267. That submission victory came after a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to serious symptoms of COVID-19.

Prior to his illness lay-off Chimaev thrilled UFC fans, and President Dana White, with three quick victories in 2020, including a submission of John Phillips, a TKO of Rhy McKee and a 17-second KO of Gerald Meerschaert.

With ‘Borz’ now knocking on the door of UFC title relevancy the Chechen-born Swede has had to hear some dismissive claims from those at the top of the food-chain. UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya said that Chimaev wasn’t a threat to him, yet. And UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman downplayed Chimaev’s achievements, stating “he hasn’t beat anyone yet.”

Chimaev appeared in a video for The MacLife recently, where he responded to remarks over his 10-0 record.

“Who did like, go in the cage, ten fights, ten finishes? The guys tell like, ‘Oh, he didn’t fight this guy. He didn’t fight that guy.’” asked Chimaev (ht sportskeeda). “But the guys who’s the best guys – Jon Jones. His first four fights in UFC, he get the punch. I didn’t get the punch. We don’t say his first fights, he didn’t get the best ones; the guys, you know, like, super good guys. Nobody. Conor [McGregor] didn’t get that; crazy good guys in their first fights. Nobody. Khabib [Nurmagomedov] didn’t get crazy good guys. I just need the time.”

Chimaev’s first four UFC opponents had a combined record of 81-30-1 (72% win percentage) when they faced him.

Jon Jones’ first four UFC fights were against Andre Gusmao, Stephan Bonnar, Jake O’Brian and Matt Hamill. Those four fighters had a combined record of 34-8 (81% win percentage) when they faced Jones.

Conor McGregor debuted against Marcus Brimage in 2013, then fought Max Holloway, Diego Brandao and Dustin Poirier. That quartet came into their fights with ‘Notorious’ with a 47-15 (76% win percentage).

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s first UFC fight was against Kamal Shalorus in 2012. He then fought Gleison Tibau, Thiago Tavares and Abel Trujillo. Those opponents had a record of 60-16-3 (76% win percentage) when they fought.

Based on their win percentages, it’s fair to say that Chimaev’s level of competition has been slightly below that of the former champions he mentioned in the interview.

Regardless of past performances, though, Chimaev’s forthcoming date provides him an opportunity to prove he deserves all the hype. And his jump up in competition, versus the 20-4 Burns, is unlike what Jones, McGregor and Nurmagomedov faced in their fifth ever UFC contest.

After his DQ loss to Hamill, Jones broke Brandon Vera’s (11-4) face, but would need two more wins to get a title shot at light heavyweight. McGregor’s fifth fight was a convincing win over Dennis Siver (22-9), which got him one fight away from his shot at Jose Aldo. Nurmagomedov’s fifth fight was against Pay Healy (25-12), but it would take him another five years before he could challenge for a title.

If Chimaev beat Burns and supplants the Brazilian as the second ranked UFC welterweight. It’s entirely possible that he faces Usman next for the title. The only fighter ranked above Burns is Colby Covington, who is 0-2 against the champ.

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Bantamweight Marlon Moraes wants to test Song Yadong’s skills at UFC Vegas 50.

Former UFC bantamweight title challenger Marlon Moraes is in dire need of a win ahead of his next outing. Paired up against the rising Song Yadong for a co-main event match at UFC Vegas 50, ‘Magic’ knows how crucial a win would be, to snap his current three-fight losing skid.

In an interview with Combate, Moraes acknowledged his opponent’s striking skills and youth as Song’s biggest assets. However, Marlon also believes that Yadong has never faced anybody quite like him, which could behoove the Brazilian when they meet on Saturday.

“I think it’s going to be the hardest fight of his career, especially because we have similar styles,” Moraes said. “He’s a striker who’s similar to me, but he hasn’t faced me yet. We’ll see how he reacts to that. Every other opponent he has faced were guys with good styles. Good wrestlers. I do think he might try to take me down, but that’s not his forte. I think that if he tries to change his strategy to do that, he’ll be making a big mistake.”

After losing all of his three previous outings, Moraes decided it could be time to try something different, In order to have a fresh start, Marlon went to Thailand, where he did most of the training camp for Yadong. In the Brazilian’s opinion, the decision was a rather welcome one.

“I think that this trip was all about a change of airs,” Moraes said. “To feel like a boy again, who’s just starting to live in a small apartment. I was living that, I’d go from the apartment to the gym. It’s a new start for me. I’m very satisfied with what I did. It was very productive and I’ll show it on Saturday night. I tried to give my career a fresh start. I did everything I could. I feel great and I’m sure you’ll be able to see that in the Octagon on Saturday.”

In his last three outings, Moraes (23-9) got knocked out by Merab Dvalshivili, Rob Font and Cory Sandhagen. The 33-year-old’s last victory took place in December 2019, when Magic scored a split decision win over former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo.

Now, Moraes is expected to take on Yadong at UFC Vegas 50, on March 12, at the UFC Apex. The card is scheduled to be headlined by a light heavyweight bout between rising contender Magomed Ankalaev and former title challenger Thiago Santos.

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Kevin Lee prevailed over Diego Sanchez in Miami.

Eagle FC’s second United States offering saw ‘The Motown Phenom’ Kevin Lee (19-7) overcome a very early injury to his lead leg to otherwise get a shutout win on the scorecards against fellow ex-UFC fighter Diego Sanchez (30-14) in Friday’s main event.

An early kick from Sanchez created some immediate discomfort on Lee’s lead leg that analyst and current UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman picked up on during the broadcast. Lee was heavy on that leg and clearly compromised to the point of occasional stance switching. With all of that said, Lee did largely outstrike Sanchez and put him on the backfoot. Lee also got takedowns in the first two rounds, which resulted in brief back control in the opening round and some elbows to end the second frame.

Sanchez continued attacking Lee’s left leg in the final round and he was actually connecting on some quality head shots, but a left hook by Lee sent the 40-year-old down to the canvas. In typical Diego fashion, he survived but otherwise was a beaten man as Lee rode out the rest of the clock on the mat.

It’s Lee’s first win since his 2019 head kick KO over Gregor Gillespie, and his first decision victory since Efrain Escudero way back in 2016. Sanchez has dropped two in a row but for all of the concern over his recent performances, he didn’t fare too badly in his Eagle FC debut and has otherwise not suffered a stoppage loss since Matt Brown in 2017.

Sanchez indicated that he wants to complete his Eagle FC contract, which consists of two more fights. Lee meanwhile said he might have blown out his ACL, and that’s a major problem given his knee injuries in 2020. Hopefully it’s not too serious or else the rest of his 2022 may be in jeopardy.

In the Eagle FC 46 co-main event, Rizvan Kuniev remained heavyweight champ with an easy win over UFC veteran Anthony Hamilton, who tapped to a standing guillotine in just 77 seconds.

Former UFC flyweight title challenger Ray Borg also took a competitive split decision over ex-Bellator contender Ricky Bandejas, and it was definitely the most entertaining bout of the evening.

Full results

Kevin Lee def. Diego Sanchez by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)

Rizvan Kuniev def. Anthony Hamilton via submission (standing guillotine) at 1:17 of round 1

Ray Borg def. Ricky Bandejas via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)

Hendesson Ferreira def. Zach Juusola via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Raimond Magomedaliev def. Impa Kasanganay via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)

Ikram Aliskerov def. Nah-Shon Burnell via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Irwin Rivera def. Firdavs Khasanov via TKO (strikes) at 4:48 of round 2

Archie Colgan def. Dylan Mantello via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Tyler Ray def. Thomas Webb via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)

Sitik Muduev def. Caio Uruguai via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Ryder Newman def. Emmanuel Walo via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)

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