Ottman Azaitar when he defeated Teemu Packalen at UFC 242. | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Follow along with all the prelim action for UFC 281: Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira.
Join us today on Bloody Elbow for live results, discussion, round scoring, and play-by-play as UFC 281 rolls on from Madison Square Garden in New York.
The card features two title fights in the main and co-main slots. The main event sees Israel Adesanya defending the UFC middleweight title against Alex Pereira; the man who KO’d him on the kickboxing circuit. The co-main sees Carla Esparza put her UFC strawweight belt on the line against former champ Zhang Weili.
The post will cover both the early prelims and prelims for UFC 281. That’s a whopping nine fights to set the table for the pay-per-view card to come. Among those prelims are former title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz taking on Silvana Gomez Juarez, former TUF winner Mike Trizano facing Choi Seung-woo and the undefeated Ottman Azaitar meeting Matt Frevola.
UFC 281 is a standard PPV. There are four early preliminary card fights, which should kick off around 6pm ET/3pm PT. Those will air on big ESPN, ESPN+, and UFC Fight Pass. Things will stay on ESPN/ESPN+ for four more fights at 8pm ET/5pm PT, and then we’ll go over to ESPN+ PPV at 10pm ET/7pm PT as per the norm.
Israel Adesanya will defend his middleweight title against Alex Pereira in the UFC 281 main event. | Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC
“He’s only just got here, and I know he’s a decorated wrestler but this is not wrestling, this is MMA.”
Israel Adesanya thinks Bo Nickal could be a victim of his own hype.
The freestyle wrestling champion and American Top Team (ATT) product is one of the hottest prospects in the UFC and believes he is already ready to fight Adesanya despite not yet having made his UFC debut but winning his first three MMA fights via first-round stoppage.
Nickal, whose UFC debut has been pushed back to 2023, claims Adesanya would not be able to stop his takedowns and that he would submit the undisputed UFC middleweight champion with ease.
Adesanya respects Nickal’s opinion but reminds him that this is MMA, not wrestling, claiming Nickal’s grappling can be exploited in the cage by an experienced fighter such as himself.
“Okay… Everyone has an opinion, so he has a right to his opinion,” Adesanya said of Nickal during a recent interview with Luke Thomas (h/t BJPenn.com). “[The sentiment that I could easily be taken down] is because nobody has ever tried to take me down and submit me. It is a [bizarre criticism], I think everyone is just – I could say whatever I want to say about him as well. I actually gave him props like ‘He’s doing what he’s doing’.”
“But, I’d like to see more,” he added. “He’s only just got here, and I know he’s a decorated wrestler but this is not wrestling, this is MMA. There’s ways to exploit wrestlers in MMA.”
Adesanya returns to the cage at UFC 281 to defend his middleweight title against kickboxing rival Alex Pereira in one of the most highly anticipated title fights of the year. The blockbuster pay-per-view, which also features a women’s strawweight title fight between Carla Esparza and Weili Zhang, takes place tonight at Madison Square Garden in New York, with the main card kicking off at 10 p.m. ET.
Israel Adesanya weighing in for UFC 281. | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Check out the final instalment of UFC 281 Embedded.
UFC 281 is now just hours away. Tonight, at MSG, we’ll see UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya defend versus his kickboxing nemesis Alex Pereira. We’ll also see Carla Esparza defend her strawweight title versus Zhang Weili. And before all that we’ll get a certified banger when Dustin Poirier meets Michael Chandler.
This fights stayed in tact thanks to everyone making weight (despite a small scare on the part of Pereira). The UFC’s cameras were there behind the scenes to catch what went into getting those competitors to the scales.
In this episode we see Chandler shedding the last few ounces, while sparring in his hotel room (note Henri Hooft’s t-shirt in that scene). We also see City Kickboxing’s Dan Hooker and Adesanya sweating it out together with their team. As they spar and sit in their portable saunas we see that their choice of TV viewing is long running medical soap Grey’s Anatomy.
After the official weigh-ins we get close-ups of the ceremonial weigh-in staredowns. And boy are they intense. Poirier stares through Chandler’s soul, while the former Bellator champ breaks slightly telling ‘Diamond’ “let’s do it baby!” and flashes a big smile. For Adesanya and Pereira, not a single word is uttered, as both men do their best to mean mug the other.
Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira at the UFC 281 press conference. | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Check out what happens in the main event of UFC 281.
It all comes down to this. UFC 281 is set to conclude with a UFC middleweight title match with an epic backstory. In one corner is the champion Israel Adesanya, looking to make his sixth title defense. In the other corner is Alex Pereira, only four fights into his UFC career. The pair have met twice before, in the GLORY kickboxing ring. Both times Pereira had his hand raised (once after a devastating KO). Will the same thing happen tonight?
This post will cover all the action as Adesanya and Pereira tangle in an MMA cage for the very first time.
UFC 281 is a standard PPV. There are four early preliminary card fights, which should kick off around 6pm ET/3pm PT. Those will air on big ESPN, ESPN+, and UFC Fight Pass. Things will stay on ESPN/ESPN+ for four more fights at 8pm ET/5pm PT, and then we’ll go over to ESPN+ PPV at 10pm ET/7pm PT as per the norm.
Ashley Williams (left) facing Carlos Condit at Polaris 22 | Polaris Jiu-Jitsu
Ashley Williams and Hunter Colvin spoke to Bloody Elbow about their Polaris 22 experiences.
Southampton Central Hall played host to Polaris 22’s stacked middleweight tournament and an MMA vs BJJ themed superfight this past weekend. Eight international ADCC vets, MMA adepts and more fought for the coveted strap that Saturday, and some of the night’s stars went on record for a Bloody Elbow exclusive event recap.
Round one featured big performances from IBJJF Nationals winner Hunter Colvin against ADCC 2022 late replacement Owen Livesey. A judo black belt, Livesey looked strong on the feet and kept head control and top position after Colvin pulled guard early and attempted to sweep.
“I knew going in he’d have good wrestling,” Colvin said in an interview with Bloody Elbow. “So I just figured I was gonna pull guard and use wrestle ups. Just mix everything up so I’m throwing a lot of things at him.”
Colvin stuck to said gameplan, taking advantage of a pass attempt to counter sweep for the first points of the match. Again pulling guard after both men stood up, Colvin’s arm lock from closed guard was stuffed by Livesey and he was back on defense.
Livesey would spend minutes barreling down on Colvin, collecting both legs and making several close passing attempts. Colvin hunted for the kimura again, hoping to get the sub or initiate another scramble.
Livesey finally succeeded in passing to half, but a buggy choke setup from Colvin sent him backward in defense and allowed Colvin to reguard. Livesey still collected a point for his efforts.
A bloody nose from Livesey briefly halted the action, but a reset from the ref sent both men to the center where they quickly returned to the feet. Down one, Colfin shot for a body lock and turned to drive Livesey back. Livesey looked to be turning for a hip throw, but the momentum caused him to continue falling while exposing his back. Colvin locked in back control as they fell out of bounds, causing the ref to reset them to center. Leg’s triangled, Colvin got the tap via RNC under a minute later.
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“I figured if I did get him, it was gonna be with either the leglock or by taking his back,” Colvin said. “He’s just such a bigger guy, I figured I could definitely outmaneuver him and eventually find the back. He did a good job not letting me get to his legs.”
Colvin went on to face Ecuadorian phenom Roberto Jimenez in the semi finals, fronting a massive effort to a close submission defeat. Colvin landed a beautiful footsweep in the first minute, leading Jimenez to counter with a heelhook attempt. Both men scrambled back to the feet, Jimenez landing a takedown of his own before having to defend a guillotine from Colvin. The match hit a near breaking point when Colvin dove in for an armbar off a kimura attempt, dangerously extending Jimenez’s left elbow.
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But as Colvin fell back, Jimenez immediately grabbed his right ankle to create space for his shoulders. Turning into the American, Jimenez managed to escape to top position as the crowd roared.
“He really did have great defense,” Colvin said. “Just being able to grab my ankle the way he did to keep me from finishing the armbar. He was just really on point, man.”
Jimenez maintained positional dominance for the majority of the match, passing to mount and nearly finishing the fight on points. Colvin secured another close armbar attempt, but Jimenez again executed a perfect escape. Another mount pass from Jimenez followed by a mounted triangle to bottom finish sealed things for Colvin.
“I’d love to get another match with him, for sure,” Colvin said. “Definitely won’t be the last time we go. He’s a great contender and he had a great night.”
On the superfight front, Welsh black belt Ashley Williams took on UFC legend Carlos Condit in a nogi match to spice up an already electric card. Fresh off his ADCC 2022 appearance, Williams, 30, entered the favorite against Condit’s impressive 43% submission rate inside the cage. No stranger to takedowns, Condit dodged an early single from Williams and landed a double leg just past the minute mark.
“Carlos was roughly as expected,” Williams said in a statement to Bloody Elbow. “The only thing I’d say was a surprise was that he was willing to move around a lot more. He wasn’t there to just sit and hug and turn it into a boring wrestling match. The thing about competing with MMA guys is that they can either make or break a match. Credit to Carlos, he came to actually grapple.”
Williams worked to break Condit down inside guard, but Condit stood and fell back to 50/50 for a leg attack. Williams countered by threatening a leg of his own, but eventually both men were able to scramble to their feet.
Williams pulled guard, this time initiating the leg entanglement on a defending Condit. Condit freed himself and ended up in closed guard again, but Williams was able to open and regain leg control as Condit turned away. Cradling the right heel, Williams quickly got the tap and had his hand raised.
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“When he went for my legs, I was really surprised at that,” Williams said. “I didn’t think that was the best strategy for him. But you gotta respect your opponent anyway. When he entered the second time I thought, ‘I could probably get the finish here,’ and I did.”
In terms of future opponents, Williams maintains a classically open mind.
“With regards to future opponents and plans with Polaris, the main thing for me is high profile matches versus either super high level UFC athletes or the best guys [grapplers] in the world at 66kg,” Williams said.
Who would you like to see either Williams or Colvin face next?
Floyd Mayweather Jr. speaks to reporters at a press conference in Henderson, Nevada. | Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
“Does he want to fight me? Of course, I’m nearly 50 years old, of course, he wants to fight me.”
Floyd Mayweather Jr. wants Jake Paul to stop fighting 40 and 50-year-olds and test himself against a real boxer.
The undefeated boxing legend and former multi-division champion (50-0) put ‘The Problem Child’ (6-0) on blast following his unanimous decision victory over UFC legend Anderson Silva last month in Arizona.
It was an impressive showing from Paul, his most legitimate win to date, but somewhat tarnished by Silva being his oldest opponent to date (he turned 47 in April). Paul’s previous wins were against former welterweight titleholders Tyron Woodley (40) and Ben Askren (38), both of whom are past their primes and retired from MMA.
Floyd respects what Paul has accomplished at this early stage of his career but urges the YouTube star to stop picking on older guys and fight someone his own age.
“A lot of times when you say certain things you don’t want what you say you want. I mean he’s doing good for what he’s doing. You know, like I said, for what he’s doing [Audience laughs],” Mayweather told reporters ahead of his exhibition with Deji.
“He’s just a lot of talk,” he added. “It’s different when you’re [facing boxers] at the highest level; once you get in there with a real fighter that can really fight. Is he doing good? Absolutely. For who he’s fighting. Guys 50, guys 40 [Audience laughs]. Does he want to fight me? Of course, I’m nearly 50 years old, of course, he wants to fight me.”
Mayweather returns to the ring this Sunday for an exhibition match with YouTuber Deji Olatunji at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Jake Paul and Andrew Tate have officially met face-to-face.
Jake Paul’s unanimous decision victory over MMA G.O.A.T. Anderson Silva left the world wondering who would be next to take a shot at the YouTuber turned prizefighter. Well, Paul just released a clip of himself having a staredown with prizefighter turned controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate. The video came with a caption that read ‘Negotiations,’ and he @’d his Most Valuable Promotions business.
It seemed as though Nate Diaz was going to be next in line, with both Nate and Jake calling for a match with the other man in their last respective post-fight interviews. Betting odds were released shortly after Paul defeated Silva, regarding who would be the next opponent for the Paul brother, and Diaz was favored. Out of the 15 names mentioned that could be wagered on, none of them were Andrew Tate.
For those that don’t know, Tate was a kickboxer, and recently blew up on social media by spanning the spectrum from tame to insane. Andrew was eventually banned on all social media platforms for his outlandish and misogynistic takes and violating policies on hate speech.
Could this just be a publicity stunt? Is this a ploy for Tate to get back in front of a sizable audience, or is it really going to happen? I guess the bottom line here is that it doesn’t appear as though Jake will be boxing a boxer in his next outing, regardless of who it is.
Israel Adesanya faces Alex Pereira at UFC 281 | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Fans shouldn’t be so fast to dismiss Israel Adesanya as “boring,” but it may be time to adjust expectations.
There was a time not that long ago when fight fans looked forward to an Israel Adesanya fight, and the feeling was something akin to the lead-up to the matchups of another legendary UFC middleweight champion: Anderson Silva. There was the anticipation of seeing something spectacular take place inside the Octagon.
Over time, however, it seems that suspense has been replaced for many by a sense of foreboding.
Today it seems far more regular to see fans describe Adesanya as ‘boring’ and ‘safe’ rather than ‘electric’ and ‘dynamic.’ However, I’d argue that those who believe watching the Israel Adesanya of 2022 is a more tedious endeavor than thrilling one are missing the point.
Instead of considering what Adesanya doesn’t do against the top fighters in the UFC’s middleweight division, consider instead what so many of his opponents are unable to do, and why. Adesanya has taken his time at the top to hone his skill set, training and fight IQ to shut down the best competitors the UFC has to offer.
Adesanya has held the UFC middleweight title since 2020 (2019, for fans that want to count winning the interim crown as the start of his reign). With that—and his five title defenses—the top of the UFC middleweight roster has had ample opportunity to study him and his style. They have watched all the tape. They have trained for his strengths. They have searched relentlessly for weaknesses to exploit. In the end, every middleweight fighter the UFC has thrown his way has been left wanting.
Adesanya has been wearing a bullseye for more than two years. Every time an opponent has aimed at the target they have not only missed the gold ring, they’ve almost all failed to hit the outermost circles of that target. That’s what makes the ‘Last Stylebender’ a unique and remarkable fighter at this point in his career.
Instead of looking at Adesanya and asking for high flying action, perhaps it’s time to broaden the view of the UFC champ. Instead of focusing on what he doesn’t do, examine what he does. He makes the fighters who have been training specifically for him over the past few years look overmatched and bewildered, essentially like they don’t deserve to be inside the cage with him in a title fight.
I don’t know if that will change on Saturday when he faces Alex Pereira in the main event of UFC 281. Still, I won’t be the least bit surprised if Adesanya and his team at City Kickboxing defuse what is being called the toughest test of his UFC title reign by many. A man who has had the answers he needed to beat Adesanya in the past.
If the Nigerian-born New Zealander can go out once again and turn Pereira into a cautious or clumsy looking opponent. If he can slide past ‘Po Atan’ and become just the 8th champion in UFC history to collect more than five consecutive title defenses, that will be a fantastic achievement worth celebrating. Even if the fight itself isn’t the kind of all-out war that many hope to see.
UFC 281 takes place on Saturday, November 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+. Follow all the PPV action with Bloody Elbow on fight night.
Dustin Poirier in attendance at UFC 271. | Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
Check out the fourth episode of Embedded for UFC 281.
The march to UFC 281 grinds on. And the competitors are all in New York preparing to throwdown in Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. As always, with these big PPVs, the UFC’s cameras are there to capture some of what is going on behind the scenes.
On this episode of Embedded we see Carla Esparza wrestling the Naked Cowboy on the street (really). He claims she punched him in the groin, but the video evidence does not support this.
We are also treated to Molly McCann training at the Renzo Gracie Academy and Dustin Poirier getting some work in at Church Street Boxing. There, Poirier tells the camera his fight is not against Michael Chandler on Saturday, but a more abstract opponent instead. “It’s me versus me,” said the Diamond. Adding that he doesn’t care about the stage ,records, or purse involved — he just really wants the win.
The episode wraps with McCann gifting Israel Adesanya a signed Alexander Iwobi jersey. Iwobi is a Nigerian player for McCann’s beloved Everton F.C. McCann also made sure to reference the motto under Everton’s crest: Only the best is good enough.
Molly McCann has no interest in watching the upcoming 2022 World Cup.
The UFC flyweight star revealed that she plans to boycott the event due to the well-documented human rights concerns facing host nation Qatar.
“I’m not bothered about that,” McCann said when asked by a reporter if “football was coming home” during the UFC 281 pre-fight media day. “I’m not feeling the Qatar vibes and all the human rights that haven’t gone down there. I won’t even be watching it.”
McCann, who is scheduled to face Erin Blanchfield on the UFC 281 preliminary card, used to play football as a teenager before choosing to become a professional fighter. She tried her hand at boxing before eventually turning to MMA, where she is now the no. 15 ranked flyweight in the UFC.
McCann is also an openly gay woman and is likely aware that this year’s World Cup is set to take place in a country where homosexuality remains outlawed. Qatar’s own World Cup ambassador and former national team player Khalid Salman referred to homosexuality as “damage in the mind” in an interview less than two weeks before the opening of the soccer tournament in the Gulf state, furthering concerns about the conservative country’s treatment of the LGBTQ+ community.
More than a million international visitors are expected to descend upon Qatar for the tournament, which has also faced a deluge of criticism for the country’s treatment of foreign workers. According to The Guardian, more than 6,5000 migrants have died in Qatar since the World Cup was awarded in 2010.
Despite the concerns, Germany’s interior minister Nancy Faeser Faeser revealed that the Qatar’s prime minister had given her a “safety guarantee” for fans “no matter where they come from, whom they love and what they believe in.”
The World Cup is scheduled to begin on Sunday, Nov. 20.
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