“I am in the process of renouncing American citizenship,” Monson told Russian state media. 

Jeff Monson—the former UFC title challenger who became a Russian politician and wartime propagandist—claims to be in the process of renouncing his U.S. citizenship.

“I am in the process of renouncing American citizenship,” Monson told Russian state media outlet Tassru. “In the spring I will only have a Russian passport. I do not agree with US policy, they interfere in the affairs of other countries, people suffer because of them. Yes, I have children in the USA, but I love Russia and the Russian people.”

“I like everything here, and I want only my Russian passport to remain,” Monson continued.

In 2018, Monson became the latest in a series of Western celebrities to be granted Russian citizenship by President Vladimir Putin, following in the footsteps of U.S. boxing legend Roy Jones Jr and D-list actor Steven Seagal. He quickly joined the political fray and became a useful propaganda tool for the Kremlin and its occupied states in eastern Ukraine.

In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Monson has continued to regurgitate Kremlin disinformation regarding Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. In April, the All-Russia People’s Front—a political coalition started by Russian President Vladimir Putin—posted several videos featuring Monson parroting Kremlin talking points. These included claims that Russia was not interested in occupying Ukraine and that its only intention was to rid the country of fascism.

In September 2022, Monson announced that he was working on a documentary about the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, which was recently annexed by the Russian Federation.

“Everybody six months ago was saying, ‘Oh, Russia’s so bad, Russia’s invading Ukraine.’ “No, Russia came to save the people of Donbass. And people are like, ‘Where’s Donbass, where’s Donetsk?’ Nobody in the world, expect perhaps Russia, understood what was happening,” Monson said in a clip promotiing the documentary at the time

Monson later reiterated his decision to renounce his U.S. citizenship in an interview with RT, adding that part of his motivation to do so was because the US “provoked” the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

“America started this war by instigating the coup in 2014,” Monson said in reference to Euromaidan before pushing a series of unverified conspiracy theories. “Since then, they have been supplying Ukraine with weapons to destabilize the country.

“Ukraine is going to become a colony of corporate America.”

About the author: Karim Zidan is an investigative reporter for Bloody Elbow focusing on the intersection of sports and politics. His is also a contributor to The New York Times and The Guardian. (full bio)

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A deep dive into the statistics from UFC Vegas 69: Andrade vs. Blanchfield

UFC Vegas 69 had its ups and downs, especially the event’s main card. That portion of Saturday’s fight card opened up with a fantastic matchup between Jim Miller and Alexander Hernandez. The three fights following that crackerjack of a scrap brought the temperature inside the UFC Apex down a few degrees. However, things heated back up when Erin Blanchfield and Jessica Andrade faced off in the main event.

In the evening’s headliner, Blanchfield, who has been rising in the UFC women’s flyweight division since her promotional debut in September 2021, answered any lingering questions about her readiness to challenge fighters at the top of the division. The 23-year-old matched Andrade, a former UFC strawweight champion, in the striking department and outclassed her on the mat on her way to a second-round submission victory.

As for the Miller vs. Hernandez fight, that bout showcased Miller’s willingness to continuously pursue a finish, even when the potential for that stoppage win seems out of reach. On the other side of the ledger, Hernandez, who has struggled with adversity in the past, showed resiliency and toughness in getting the win.

Below, we take a deep dive into the stats — and look at the UFC records Blanchfield and Miller claimed — from the UFC Vegas 69 fight card, which streamed on ESPN+.

Total Fights: 11

Unanimous Decisions: 5

KOs/TKOs: 2

Submissions: 4

Fights by Weight Division

Heavyweight: 1

Light heavyweight: 3

Welterweight: 1

Lightweight: 2

Featherweight: 1

Women’s Bantamweight: 1

Flyweight: 1

Women’s Flyweight: 1

Total Knockdowns Landed: 2

Total Submission Attempts: 7

Total Reversals: 7

Total Significant Strikes Attempted: 1,932

Total Significant Strikes Landed: 850

Total Significant Head Strikes Attempted: 1,329

Total Significant Head Strikes Landed: 424

Total Significant Body Strikes Attempted: 333

Total Significant Body Strikes Landed: 231

Total Significant Leg Strikes Attempted: 270

Total Significant Leg Strikes Landed: 195

Total Significant Distance Strikes Attempted: 1,726

Total Significant Distance Strikes Landed: 689

Total Significant Clinch Strikes Attempted: 159

Total Significant Clinch Strikes Landed: 129

Total Significant Ground Strikes Attempted: 47

Total Significant Ground Strikes Landed: 32

Total Strikes Attempted: 2,390

Total Strikes Landed: 1,237

Total Takedowns Attempted: 51

Total Takedowns Landed: 15

Shortest Three-Round Fight: Philipe Lins KOs Ovince Saint Preux at 0:49 of Round 1 via punch to head at distance.

Latest Finish in a Three-Round Fight: Nazim Sadykhov stops Evan Elder at 0:38 of Round 3 via doctor stoppage due to a cut.

Most Takedowns Landed: Jamal Pogues lands five takedowns on 11 attempts on Josh Parisian.

Most Submission Attempts: Clayton Carpenter three submission attempts vs. Juancamilo Ronderos.

Most Knockdowns Landed: Two fighters with one knockdown apiece, Philipe Lins and Evan Elder.

Most Significant Strikes Landed in a Three-Round Fight: Alexander Hernandez lands 108 significant strikes on 234 attempts vs. Jim Miller.

New UFC records from UFC Vegas 69

Total UFC Fights: Jim Miller participated in his 41st fight in the UFC. Andrei Arlovski is second to Miller with 39 UFC bouts.

Submission Attempts: With his one submission attempt vs. Alexander Hernandez, Jim Miller has the most submission attempts in UFC history with 47. Charles Oliveira is second with 40 submission attempts.

Total UFC Lightweight Fights: Jim Miller has 38 fights in the UFC lightweight division. Three other fighters: Clay Guida, Gleison Tibau and Joe Lauzon are tied for second with 27 fighters each.

Total UFC Lightweight Fight Time: Jim Miller has 6:18:59 of UFC lightweight fight time. Clay Guida is second with 5:10:50.

Total UFC Lightweight Submission Attempts: Jim Miller has 44 submission attempts in UFC lightweight fights. Joe Lauzon is second with 29.

UFC Women’s Flyweight Control Time Percentage: Erin Blanchfield has a control time percentage of 55.4 percent in UFC flyweight fights. Taila Santos is second with 46.3 percent.

UFC Women’s Flyweight Top Position Percentage: Erin Blanchfield has a top position percentage of 48.6 percent in UFC flyweight fights. Gillian Robertson is second at 41.9 percent.

UFC Women’s Flyweight Submission Average Per 15 Minutes: Erin Blanchfield averages 1.57 submissions per 15 minutes of UFC women’s flyweight fight time. Taila Santos is second at 1.5.

Stats via UFC Stats

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YouTube Michael Todaro shares how he snuck into UFC 284, got one of the best seats in the house, and even walked out alongside Alexander Volkanovski.

At UFC 274, we all got a preview of how tight security is during live events. This lady learned it the hard way when she tried to jump the barriers and made a beeline toward the cage, only to be stopped and harshly thrown out.

But no matter how foolproof a system is, there are loopholes to exploit. Perth-based YouTuber Michael Todaro (a.k.a Mikey T) got to sneak into UFC 284, which was held in his hometown last week. And as he showed in his recent vlog, it can be done by anyone with the same resourcefulness and connections.

Todaro’s little stunt even got the attention of a local news outlet. Here, he shared how he got into the event for absolutely no charge and even got to walk out alongside Alexander Volkanoski, all while the paying public had to shell out around 6,500AUD ($ 4,400) for front-row seats.

“We literally just walked straight in, and there was no questions asked,” he told 7 News Australia (H/T MMA Mania).

According to the outlet, arena management affirmed that they “take security seriously but weren’t aware of the incident.” The UFC has yet to comment.

As for Todaro, he says he would do it again “a hundred percent.” But unfortunately for him, his hometown fighter lost to Islam Makchachev via decision that night.

About the author: Milan Ordoñez has been covering combat sports since 2012 and has been part of the Bloody Elbow staff since 2016. He’s also competed in amateur mixed martial arts and submission grappling tournaments. (full bio)

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Sorry cry babies! It’s time for another of our infamous and patented Care/Don’t Care Podcasts, with your talent: Eugene S. Robinson, John S. Nash, & Stephie Haynes. The format of the show is to review the prior weeks ‘cares’ & then pick which upcoming fights are HOT and which fights are NOT!

It’s time for another one of our infamous and patented Care/Don’t Care Podcasts, with your talent: the astounding Eugene S. Robinson, author of the ‘Eugene S. Robinson Substack’, the upcoming “A Walk Across Dirty Water and Straight Into Murderer’s Row: A Memoir”, & the ‘Fight Book’, “Fight: Everything You Wanted to Know About Ass-Kicking But Were Afraid You’d Get Your Ass Kicked for Asking”, host of ‘The Eugene S. Robinson Show Stomper! Podcast’, and co-host of the ‘If The Shoes Fit Podcast’, as well as the recently released ‘Bad Boss Brief Podcast’. He is joined by his co-hort, the indubitable John S. Nash, our chief financials columnist and host of our brand new ‘Hey Not the Face! Podcast’, co-host of our ‘Show Money Podcast’, & he is also one of the co-hosts of the ‘If The Shoes Fit Podcast’. Our trio is moderated by the insightful Stephie Haynes, of Bloody Elbow’s ‘The Level Change Podcast’, & the ‘Crooklyn’s Corner Podcast’.

June M. Williams

The format of the show:

• Review the prior weeks’ ‘Cares’ while offering up reactions to bouts from that event.
• Announce each fight on the upcoming card, quickly commenting on which fights are “HOT”, and which fights are “NOT” – by indicating if they care about the bout or not. (This is based on several criteria, including relevancy to the sport as a whole).

This format of “Caring” or “Not Caring” about each bout is geared to our listeners who consider themselves to be “Casual MMA Fans”. We endeavor to steer you toward fights which affect rankings, title contention, possess significant meaning, or are sure to be “must see tv” exciting fights; therefore saving you the tedium of watching every fight on every card – or perhaps missing out on something you might have otherwise skipped.

UFC VEGAS 69 REACTIONS —

June M. Williams 2/13/2023

Here’s a look at what transpired…

This 11-bout card saw two exciting first round finishes, two thrilling KO/TKO’s, four sweet subs, & five hard-fought decisions. Post-Fight BONUS Awards included —

POTN: Mayra Bueno Silva & Erin Blanchfield.
FOTN: Nazim Sadykhov vs Evan Elder.

UFC Vegas 69: ‘Andrade vs. Blanchfield’ fight card, updated records & full results from the event —

Official UFC Vegas 69 Scorecards

MAIN CARD | SAT. FEB. 18

At 6:00 – 11. Main Event: Erin Blanchfield (11-1) DEF. Jéssica Andrade (24-10) — via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:37 of Round 2

At 8:44 – Off Topic about the card & Power Slap banter

At 11:25 – 10. Co-Main: Zac Pauga (6-1) DEF. Jordan Wright (12-5) — via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

At 13:41 – Off Topic about Greg Hardy & BKFC

At 20:26 – 9. Jamal Pogues (10-3) DEF. Josh Parisian (15-6) — via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

At 20:52 Off Topic about cost of the fights vs quality of the fights

At 22:28 – 8. Marcin Prachnio (16-6) DEF. William Knight (11-5) — via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

At 8:07 & 23:07 – 7. Alexander Hernandez (14-6) DEF. Jim Miller (35-17)— via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

PRELIMS

At 25:45 – 6. Nazim Sadykhov (8-1) DEF. Evan Elder (7-2) — via TKO (doctor stoppage) at 0:38 of Round 3

At 26:29 – 5. Mayra Bueno Silva (10-2) DEF. Lina Länsberg (10-8) — via submission (kneebar) at 4:46 of Round 2

At 26:43 – 4. Jamall Emmers (19-6) DEF. Khusein Askhabov (23-1) — via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

At 26:49 – 3. Philipe Lins (16-5) DEF. Ovince St. Preux (26-17) — via KO (punches) at 0:49 of Round 1

At 27:23 – 2. AJ Fletcher (10-2) DEF. Themba Gorimbo (10-4) — via submission (guillotine choke) at 1:37 of Round 2

At 27:33 – 1. Clayton Carpenter (7-0) DEF. Juancamilo Ronderos (4-2) — via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:13 of Round 1

Be sure to follow The 6th Round Post-Fight Show Crew. You can find Zane – @TheZaneSimon & Eddie – @TheEddieMercado; and follow @BloodyElbow on twitter as well, for all the latest in MMA happenings. Plus now, you can show your love and support the efforts of Zane’s Podcast teams by becoming a ‘Devoted Degenerate Patron’ at our 6th Round/MMA Vivi Patreon!

If you would like to catch the show on our BE Presents SoundCloud Channel, join the gang right here…

UFC VEGAS 70: ‘Krylov vs. Spann’ PICKS —

At this point in the show we offer you our ‘disclaimer’, then our trio will go about predicting the UFC Fight Night bout sheet from the bottom up, wrapping up the C/DC quick-picks portion of the show with the Main Event. This UFC on ESPN+ event will take place from the APEX Facility, Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday, February 25th., 2023.

Here’s a look at the fight card & records for the upcoming event via tapology.com, bout order subject to change further, already changed since recording…

UFC Vegas 70 (11 Cares)

ESPN+ MAIN CARD | SAT. FEB. 18 — 7/4PM ETPT (9 Cares)

13. Main Event – 205lbs: Nikita Krylov J/E (29-9) vs. Ryan Spann S (21-7) – At 28:09 & 39:24, 3 Cares (But Split)

12. Co-Main Event – 185lbs: André Muniz J/S (23-4) vs. Brendan Allen E (20-5) – At 36:56, 3 Cares (But Split)

11. 265lbs: Augusto Sakai (15-5) vs. Don’Tale Mayes (9-4) – At 36:41

10. 170lbs: Mike Malott (8-1) vs. Yohan Lainesse (9-1) – At 34:13

9. 125lbs: Tatiana Suarez (8-0) vs. Montana De La Rosa (12-7-1) – At 34:51, 3 Cares

ESPN+ PRELIMS | 5/2PM ETPT (2 Cares)

8. 155lbs: Jordan Leavitt (10-2) vs. Victor Martinez (13-4) – At 32:54

7. 135lbs: Hailey Cowan (7-2) vs. Alin Perez (7-2) – At 31:04

6. 135lbs: Jose Johnson (15-7) vs. Garrett Armfield (8-3) – At 30:29

5. 155lbs: Nurulio Aliev (8-0) vs. Rafael Alves (20-11) – At 31:18

4. 125lbs: Gabriella Fernandes (8-1) vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius (7-2) – At 33:27

3. 125lbs: Ode Osbourne (11-5) vs. Charles Johnson (13-3) – At 31:29, 2 Cares

2. 155lbs: Erick Gonzalez (14-7) vs. Trevor Peek (7-0) – At 34:00

1. 155lbs: Joe Solecki (12-3) vs. Carl Deaton III (17-5) – At 29:41

June M. Williams

Be sure to follow John on twitter @heynottheface, you can catch Stephie @CrooklynMMA, and twice a week she’s on @LevelChangePod. Meanwhile, Eugene is @EugeneSRobinson on twitter and @MrSleep3 on instagram.

If you enjoy our variety of shows, please give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow, and give us a “like”, share & subscribe on your BE Presents Podcast platform of choice: YouTube, SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Audible, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, OverCast, PocketCasts, Castro, Castbox, Player FM, imdb, ThisMMALife, Podcast Addict, Podvine, Podchaser, Podbay, Podtail, Owltail, Listennotes, Podcast Republic, MuckRack, Chartable, Podtoppen.se & Patreon.

Follow your favorite Bloody Elbow Presents hosts on your preferred apps, such as: Downcast, PodCruncher, iCatcher!, Castaway 2, Podcastapp, Podbean, BeyondPod (Android), & more in your App Store! Coming soon to Simplecast, Pandora & Sirius XM! For previous episodes, check out our playlists on any of our BE Presents channels.

About the author: June M. Williams is a midwest-based graphic designer, videographer, author & editor for Bloody Elbow. She began work for the Combat Sports Division in 2010, BE since 2013. Among other tasks, she currently manages & syndicates our ‘Bloody Elbow Presents’ Podcast Network. (full bio)

All the best, most interesting, and unquestionably coolest fights the UFC needs to book following their latest event in Las Vegas, NV.

It may not have been much of a card to support her, but Erin Blanchfield got the chance to shine in the main event of UFC Vegas 69, and she took it—submitting former strawweight champ Jessica Andrade via rear naked choke early in the second round. That’s really the only result of note on the night.

So, is there any reason Blanchfield should fight again before getting a crack at UFC gold? Is Alex Hernandez “back” yet? And is it time to give Mayra Bueno Silva a big step up in the bantamweight division?

To answer those questions—and pretty much only those questions—I’ll be using the classic Silva/Shelby fight booking methodology from the UFC of years past. That means pitting winners against winners, losers against losers, and similarly tenured talent up against one another. Hopefully, by following that model, a few of these bout ideas will actually make it off the page and into the Octagon. Now, let’s get to the fights!

ERIN BLANCHFIELD

Short notice for Jessica Andrade be damned, this was a huge step forward for Erin Blanchfield just five years into her MMA career, and four fights into her time with the UFC. Andrade hasn’t been unbeatable, but the only fighters she’s ever lost to under 135 lbs have been champions. Given all that then, maybe it’s time to quell the feeling that Blanchfield is being given too much too soon.

In fact, among a contender field of Alexa Grasso, Manon Fiorot, and Taila Santos, it has to be noted that not one of those women have a win that is near as dominant over an opponent as high quality as Andrade. Finishing a former champ still well within her physical prime is a monumental feather in the cap for ‘Cold Blooded.’ It’s almost too bad that Grasso is set to fight for gold next month, because it’s clear who the division’s top contender is right now. Erin Blanchfield vs. the Shevchenko/Grasso winner is the fight we need to see.

JESSICA ANDRADE

Was being willing to jump straight into a main event against a top prospect on one-week’s notice the reason Jessica Andrade got a big new contract? Or was getting the big new contract the reason Jessica Andrade was willing to take this fight? I’m not sure of the answer, but I’m glad either way that ‘Bate Estaca’ got paid for her work. Unfortunately, it’s hard not to think that Andrade losing didn’t just rob us of the most interesting and high profile women’s strawweight title fight available.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Would the UFC be willing to give Andrade a rematch with Weili Zhang coming of this loss? It seems unlikely, but it wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen something like it. Hell, Randy Couture won the light heavyweight belt off Chuck Liddell in 2003, off back-to-back heavyweight losses to Josh Barnett & Ricco Rodriguez. All things considered, I’ll say this makes for a better time to target the trilogy fight with Rose Namajunas, with a title shot on the line for the winner. Both women would have a strong claim to top contender status, even with just one victory.

ALEXANDER HERNANDEZ

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

A badly needed win for Alexander Hernandez, who has seemed to be in a constant state of rebuilding ever since Donald Cerrone put an old-man ass whoopin’ on him. To that end, this was the most convincing victory of his career since that loss to ‘Cowboy’; a truly hard-fought three round battle where he went through plenty of adversity, but dug deep to do damage of his own in every round. Are the problems that saw him lose to Renato Moicano and Billy Quarantillo gone? Probably not, but this win will get him more chances in the thick of the lightweight division to figure it all out. If Drakkar Klose is able to return from injury any time soon, he’s another guy who’s been trying to iron the kinks out of his game for a while now. If he’s not, then Nasrat Haqparast is exactly the right kind of fight for Hernandez to take next. Hernandez vs. Haqparast for the battle of exciting prospects still trying to live up to potential.

MAYRA BUENO SILVA

What’s it take for a woman bantamweight to get off the prelims? That’s three straight wins for Mayra Bueno Silva, including one Fight of the Night showing and now a Performance of the Night as well. She’s wild, fun to watch, and a born finisher from any position.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

After the bout she called out everyone from Juliana Pena, Raquel Pennington, and Miesha Tate to Amanda Nunes herself. At the very least she deserves someone in the Tate-to-Santos, bottom half of the top 10 range. Of those options, Pannie Kianzad is the woman coming off a win (over Lansberg, no less) who doesn’t yet have another fight booked. Silva vs. Kianzad is just the kind of booking that could push the Brazilian into the contender’s circle if she can get the W there.

JAMALL EMMERS

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

It was hard not to feel like Jamall Emmers was getting overlooked heading into Saturday night. Khusein Askhabov had the kind of record and the kind of pedigree that gets a lot of attention; a clear physical force with a love of violent aggression that Emmers would have to be perfectly on point to survive. The thing is, while it’s happened quietly and with its share of setbacks, Emmers’ game really has improved a lot over the years into a very high-level veteran style. That’s what showed up in the Octagon this weekend, and left Askhabov flailing against a brick wall of Emmers’ defensively responsible counter-punching, wrestling, and forward pressure. The result is a big win for the Pinnacle MMA talent, one that may have even saved his UFC career. As a 33-year-old with tons of experience and a difficult style to crack, just about any fight outside the top 15 would make sense right now. So, I’ll go ahead and say a booking against Andre Fili would be a ton of fun. Throw the man into deeper waters, see if he can swim to the top.

PHILIPE LINS

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

This is the kind of performance the UFC had to be hoping for when they brought Philipe Lins over from the PFL after his million-dollar tournament winning 2018 run. Lins has had 10 cancelled bookings since then, and just four bouts in the Octagon, but seems thoroughly revitalized down at 205 lbs. OSP may not be the fighter he once was, but it was on ‘Monstro’ to prove as much. Which he did, walking through the former interim title contender in under a minute. Khalil Rountree is just coming off a pretty surprising win over Dustin Jacoby from last October, that seems like exactly the kind of test for Lins to see if he can break into the light heavyweight rankings going forward. Rountree vs. Lins would be a ‘don’t blink’ war.

OTHER BOUTS: Zac Pauga vs. Aleksa Camur, Jordan Wright vs. William Knight, Jamal Pogues vs. Mohammed Usman, Josh Parisian vs. Buday/Collier loser, Marcin Prachnio vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu, Jim Miller vs. John Makdessi, Nazim Sadykhov vs. Maheshate, Evan Elder vs. Mike Breeden, Lina Lansberg vs. Julija Stoliarenko, Khusein Askhabov vs. Melsik Baghdasaryan, Ovince St. Preux vs. Alexander Gustafsson, AJ Fletcher vs. Josh Quinlan, Themba Gorimbo vs. Yusaku Kinoshita, Clayton Carpenter vs. Hyun Sung Park, Juancamilo Ronderos vs. Shannon Ross

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‘Thug Nasty’ had a fight with a splinter — and almost lost. 

One of the worst feelings in the world is having a minor injury turn into a major pain in the ass. Try to pull off a hangnail from your finger? You rip off nearly 90 percent of your skin. Chew your food too fast? You bite the inside of your cheek and have to stop eating for a while. Walk close to the end table you thought would complete the living room? You stub your pinky toe and have a slight limp for the next couple of days.

But you know what is the worst one of all? Trying — and failing — at removing a splinter. That piece of wood embeds itself into your hand or foot and refuses to leave, even with your meager attempts at getting it out with your fingers or tweezers. Recently, UFC featherweight Bryce Mitchell had his own fight with a splinter and found out how tough his opponent was.

According to ‘Thug Nasty,’ a three-inch splinter left him bloodied and battered after he attempted to remove it from his hand.

“That splinters like 3 inches long,” wrote Mitchell. “I tried to cut it out myself and almost passed out. It was buried in my hand. Doc just got it. I will always wear gloves from now on. And the [fight] is still on, I ain’t no b—h.”

Well, at least he’ll wear gloves now.

Though how he got the splinter was not shared, it is worth noting that Mitchell maintains his own cattle farm when he isn’t fighting.

In terms of fighting, Mitchell has his next assignment scheduled. The 28-year-old faces Jonathan Pearce at UFC 288, the upcoming pay-per-view event in May. He returns after suffering the first loss of his professional career to Ilia Topuria, who submitted him at UFC 282 this past December.

About the author: Kristen King is a writer for Bloody Elbow. She has covered combat sports since 2016. (full bio)

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It was David vs Goliath in Spain.

We’ve seen quite a number of freakshow fights and open weight matches throughout MMA history, and that tradition continued in Barcelona, Spain.

Friday night, in a promotion aptly called “Dogfight Wild Tournament,” the Spanish MMA promotion put on a David vs Goliath bout. It was a 5-foot-4 flyweight in Raymison “Formiga” Bruno taking on a much bigger 6-foot-6 heavyweight Roger “Goliat” Dalet.

Formiga has a 12-4 record, while Dalet is a basketball player that doesn’t have any pro bouts, at least on his online record.

Could that significant skill advantage overcome an insane amount of size and strength?

It was a hilarious visual seeing two men with such a big size difference, but on this occasion, skill beat size. Formiga closed the distance, took him down, and dominated on the mat against a strong, but clueless opponent on the ground.

Watch video of the fight below, courtesy of the inimitable Caposa:

Although it won’t be on their official records as it was an exhibition match, Formiga won the match by armbar at 3:16 mark of the very first round.

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Check out which fighters won performance bonuses from UFC Vegas 69: Andrade vs. Blanchfield. 

UFC Vegas 69 was a so-so event. The flyweight headliner saw a new contender emerge, and the light heavyweight co-headliner was clinch-heavy.

The preliminary portion of the card started with Clayton Carpenter showing off his Brazilian jiu-jitsu and submitting Juancamilo Ronderos with a first-round rear-naked choke. There were some great scrambles in this fight, but ‘Concrete’ got the better of them and forced Ronderos to tap. AJ Fletcher clubbed and subbed Themba Gorimbo for a second-round guillotine choke. When the ‘Ghost’ and the Gorimbo were tied up, the former connected with a brutal elbow that dropped the ‘Answer,’ who went down immediately. Fletcher snatched up his neck and that was that. Philipe Lins took Ovince Saint Preux out in less than a minute! WOW! After a few kicks were exchanged, ‘Monstro’ popped ‘OSP’ with a straight left hand that stunned him. The Brazilian swarmed and finished Saint Preux with another left hand before referee Mark Smith stepped in and stopped the fight.

Jamall Emmers dominated Khusein Askhabov, giving the UFC newcomer his first professional loss. From the striking to the grappling, ‘Pretty Boy’ had ‘Nohcho’ beat everywhere. Mayra Bueno Silva earned her second consecutive submission with a second-round kneebar of Lina Länsberg. When the ‘Elbow Queen’ decided to follow her to the ground, ‘Sheetara’ rolled, separated the leg and pulled. In her post-fight interview, Bueno Silva called out some top names of her division, including Raquel Pennington. The early contender for ‘Fight of the Night’ between Nazim Sadykhov and Evan Elder ended abruptly due to a nasty cut. The ‘Black Wolf’ threw a head kick (update: it was actually a headbutt!) that opened the cut above the right eye of the ‘Phenom,’ prompting the referee to request the cageside physician who deemed Elder ineligible to continue.

The main portion of the card saw Alexander Hernandez add a legend to his resume with a unanimous decision over Jim Miller. The ‘Great Ape’ left ‘A10’ bloodied and battered by the end of three rounds, which saw him snap a two-fight losing streak. He had to survive some adversity, though, as Miller nearly stole the win with a rear-naked choke in the end. Marcin Prachnio leg kicked his way to a win over William Knight, who spent most of his time standing up against the fence being…kicked. The only damage that came from this fight was Prachnio injuring his foot from throwing so many kicks. Jamal Pogues notched his first UFC win, besting Josh Parisian for a unanimous decision. Zac Pauga used his clinch to control Jordan Wright. The ‘Ripper’ kept the ‘Beverly Hills Ninja’ pressed up against the cage, periodically tagging him with punches, elbows and knees.

Erin Blanchfield got the biggest win of her career thus far with a second-round submission of Jéssica Andrade. ‘Cold Blooded’ stood with ‘Bate Estaca’ before bringing her to the ground, switching to side control and transitioning to a beautiful rear-naked choke. That was a phenomenal performance from Blanchfield! And with that win, she could see herself on the shortlist of potential opponents for reigning champion Valentina Shevchenko soon.

Performance of the Night: Mayra Bueno Silva and Erin Blanchfield

Clayton Carpenter def. Juancamilo Ronderos by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:13 of Round 1

AJ Fletcher def. Themba Gorimbo by submission (guillotine choke) at 1:37 of Round 2

Philipe Lins def. Ovince Saint Preux by knockout (punches) at 0:49 of Round 1

Mayra Bueno Silva def. Lina Länsberg by submission (kneebar) at 4:45 of Round 2

Nazim Sadykhov def. Evan Elder by TKO (doctor’s stoppage) at :038 of Round 3

Erin Blanchfield def. Jéssica Andrade by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:37 of Round 2

Fight of the Night: Nazim Sadykhov vs. Evan Elder

Jamall Emmers def. Khusein Askhabov by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)

Alexander Hernandez def. Jim Miller by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Marcin Prachnio def. William Knight by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)

Jamal Pogues def. Josh Parisian by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Zac Pauga def. Jordan Wright by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

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Check out the live results and highlights for UFC Vegas 69: Andrade vs. Blanchfield.

Stay up to date with what’s happening today at UFC Vegas 69, which is going down from the oh so familiar APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Atop the main card sits a top-ranked flyweight fight between the UFC’s former strawweight champion, Jéssica Andrade, and a surging 125-pound contender in Erin Blanchfield.

Andrade is on a pretty sweet three fight winning streak. She knocked out Cynthia Calvillo in the first round, and then dropped back down to 115-pounds to pull off an impossible standing arm triangle on Amanda Lemos… also in the first. In Jéssica’s last match, she won a unanimous nod over Lauren Murphy, so getting past Blanchfield could very well put her right back into a title fight.

As for Blanchfield, right now she is listed as the UFC’s #10 ranked flyweight, and is currently enjoying a lengthy seven fight winning streak. She’s competed four times in the Octagon, winning two decisions and snagging two submissions. Erin is rapidly on the rise, and now has a clear path to the title if she can pull off the win. It will not be easy, though, since Andrade is basically the assistant champion of the strawweight and flyweight divisions.

The main card is slated for 7:00pm ET/4:00pm PT, and the preliminary bouts begin at 4:00pm ET/1:00pm, PT — all of which can be streamed on ESPN+.

Main card:

• Jéssica Andrade vs. Erin Blanchfield: (W) Flyweight
• Zac Pauga vs. Jordan Wright: Light Heavyweight
• Josh Parisian vs. Jamal Pogues: Heavyweight

Marcin Prachnio def. William Knight by unanimous decision (30-27 x3): Light Heavyweight

Prachnio came out probing from the outside, staying far away from the explosive power of Knight. The kick was a constant weapon of choice for Prachnio, with none of them being checked by Knight. Complete one way traffic.

The leg kicks kept flying for Prachnio, which had Knight backed all the way up the cage and standing on one leg. Things only got worse for Knight, who just didn’t have an answer for the leg kick. The third round was just more of the same.

Alexander Hernandez def. Jim Miller by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28): Lightweight

There was mutual respect being shown on the feet to kick this one off. Miller got poked in the eye, but only took a short amount of time to recover. The fight resumed and Miller connected with a head kick that stunned Hernandez. The veteran tried to follow up with a flurry, but Hernandez did a good job of weathering the storm. As the round went on, Hernandez started to land from range, picking off Miller when he tried to advance. Then, Miller hit Hernandez with a cup check, but like Miller, he too did not take much time to recover.

The straight right of Hernandez was finding a home early and often in the second stanza. The chin of Miller was hanging tough, but these blows were adding up. Hernandez continued to fire from range, keeping Miller exactly where he wanted him. The match quickly devolved into target practice for Hernandez, as Miller continued to struggle to get into his striking distance.

Miller came on strong in the final round. He was putting hands on Hernandez, and even threatened with a guillotine. Hernandez regained his composure and went back to his range striking. Miller was trying to come forward, but kept getting picked off on his way in. Hernandez slipped, and Miller jumped on the back to attack with an RNC. Hernandez gritted through, and then got on top to drop some ground strikes before the bell. Great fight!

Prelims:

Nazim Sadykhov def. Evan Elder by TKO at :38 of round 3: Lightweight

Sadykhov was aggressive right away, trying to walk down Elder. A big punch rocked Elder, but he recovered quickly and kept throwing back. Then, Elder dropped Sadykhov with a big shot! It was Sadykhov’s turn to recover quickly, and get right back to swinging. We got an unfortunate eye poke to Sadykhov, bringing a brief break to the banger. The fight resumed with the same sort of ferocity that it had before the foul, but there wasn’t much time left in the round.

The firefight continued in the second round, with both men going power combo for power combo. Elder changed levels and hit a short-lived takedown, and then forced Sadykhov against the fence. In open space, the momentum kept swinging back and forth, but then Sadykhov blasted a brief takedown of his own. What a matchup!

The incredible pace continued in the third, but ended shortly into it. Sadykhov went high with a head kick that split open Elder above his right eye. The referee brought the doctor in to check on Elder, and the physician recommended that the match be stopped.

Mayra Bueno Silva def. Lina Länsberg at 4:45 of round 2: (W) Bantamweight

Bueno Silva got poked in the eye just 16-seconds into the match. After a brief timeout, the fight resumed and Bueno Silva started to work the body. She was also lighting up the lead leg of Länsberg. The fight drifted into the clinch, and Länsberg was able to land some chipping strikes, but Bueno Silva came up with a takedown.

Länsberg crashed into the clinch to start the second stanza, but it was Bueno Silva that was connecting with elbows. Bueno Silva put Länsberg on her back again, and fully locked down the top of half guard. She patiently waited for her opportunity too advance, and then took the back. Länsberg found a way to escape, but instead of moving to open space, she stepped in to tower right over her opponent. That’s when Bueno Silva beautifully transitioned to a kneebar, and stuck with it until she got the tap. WHAAAT!

Jamall Emmers def. Khusein Askhabov by unanimous decision (30-27 x3): Featherweight

Askhabov was looking for the takedown in the opening round. Emmers was defending well against the cage, but took a knee to the cup. The foul paused the action, and then the match was restarted in open space. The fighters began exchanging low kicks, with both connecting with power, but Askhabov was doing a better job of checking some of them. It was a highly competitive round.

Emmers had a strong start to the second round. He was staying long and using his straight punches to score. Askhabov was still exploding into his strikes, and even landed a slick up kick from his back at one point. The explosions got the better of him, though, as he threw a spinning backfist and got dropped for it.

Askhabov had lost most of his explosiveness in the third. Emmers was able to stuff the takedown attempts, and surf atop Askhabov. Credit to Askhabov for continuing to move and scramble, but Emmers was all over him. Time expired as Emmers attacked with a Kimura attempt.

Philipe Lins def. Ovince St. Preux by KO at :49 of round 1: Light Heavyweight

Lins rocked OSP with a straight left in the opening exchange, and then stepped on the gas. He chased OSP all around the cage behind fists of fury, not allowing the veteran a chance to recover. Just as OSP tried to circle out, another haymaker landed that dropped him. Lins dropped down with a ground strike, but the referee was already coming to the rescue of OSP.

AJ Fletcher def. Themba Gorimbo by submission (Guillotine) at 1:37 of round 2: Welterweight

Gorimbo picked up an early takedown, but was so busy trying to control Fletcher that he wasn’t able to do any damage. Meanwhile, Fletcher made use of his time in the full mount by dropping some hammers. Gorimbo threatened with a leg lock to get out of the bad position, and that’s where the round came to a close.

We saw a guard pull from Gorimbo to open the second round, and was able to summon his inner Demian Maia to get on top. He took the back and went for an RNC, but Fletcher quickly escaped and stood up. In the clinch, Fletcher uncorked a nasty elbow that rocked Gorimbo, and then addressed the takedown with tight guillotine. Gorimbo rolled to his back to try and relieve the pressure, but the squeeze was on Fletcher earned the tap.

Clayton Carpenter def. Juancamilo Ronderos by submission (RNC) at 3:13 of round 1: Flyweight

The fighters got to work right away, exchanging combos in the middle of the Octagon. Ronderos then changed levels and drove through Carpenter for the takedown. From his back, Carpenter threw up a triangle attempt, and although he didn’t get it, it was close enough for him to sweep on top. Ronderos gave up his back, and Carpenter hated for a rear-naked choke. Ronderos was stuck and had to tap out. Great debut for Carpenter here!

About the author: Eddie Mercado has covered combat sports since 2015. He covers everything from betting odds to live events and fighter interviews. He holds a 1-0 record in pro MMA and holds a purple belt in Jiu-Jitsu. (full bio)

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Check out the results and highlights of Leigh Wood vs Maurico Lara

Leigh Wood and Mauricio Lara clash today in a battle for Wood’s WBA featherweight title. Both men are aggressors by nature, Join us for live coverage of the main event and results throughout the night.

Wood (26-2, 16KOs) comes in on the back of one of the most spectacular victories of last year, as he came from behind to knock Michael Conlan clean out of the ring last April. Lara, meanwhile, burst onto the scene when he put a heavy beating on hometown favourite Josh Warrington in 2021, and he’s hoping to repeat the trick here.

The card will be available on DAZN. Coverage starts at 2PM ET (7PM GMT), with main event ringwalks expected at about 5:50 PM (10.50 GMT), but keep an eye out here for changes to that.

If you’re interested in the early prelims, DAZN often air a before-the-bell show on youtube, but announcement of that and which fights are on it usually doesn’t happen till quite late, so keep an eye on DAZN boxing’s twitter and youtube accounts should you be interested.

update: those early prelims have started, two fights down, on DAZN boxing’s youtube channel.

update: okay, the prelims are done. Main card starts in half an hour, because unlike the UFC, boxing cards don’t typically stretch prelim cards to fill in the time till the main card starts.

Main Event Play-by-play

Results

WBA World Featherweight title: Leigh Wood vs. Mauricio Lara

British super-lightweight title: Dalton Smith vs. Billy Allington

Lightweight: Gary Cully vs. Wilfredo Flores

Crusierweight: Cheavon Clarke vs. Israel Duffus

Super-bantamweight Gamal Yafai vs. Diego Alberto Ruiz; Super bantamweight

Middleweight: Aaron Bowen KO1 Mathieu Gomes

Light middleweight: Junaid Boston TKO-7 Peter Kramer

Super middleweight: Kieron Conway def. Jorge Silva 80-72 (ref’s decision)

Super lightweight: Sam Maxwell def. Shaun Cooper 60-54 (ref’s decision)

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