Max Holloway before his trilogy fight with Alex Volkanovski. | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
The former UFC champ went for quite the ride recently.
Former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway has spent his entire adult life cage-fighting. And most of that time has been spent fighting the stiffest opposition the sport could throw at him.
The Hawaiian made his pro debut at just 19-years-old and was signed to the UFC two years later. He’s fought 30 times in 12 years and currently holds a record of 23-7. Remarkably, all but one of those losses have come via decision. The other loss was a submission defeat to Dustin Poirier in Holloway’s UFC debut.
During his career Holloway has never been stopped with strikes. Despite eating his fair share of shots lately, he’s barely even been knocked down or seemingly dazed by punches.
However, Holloway’s iron chin has finally tasted defeat.
The fighter shared this ‘sad’ news on Twitter recently.
Sadly my “never been KO’d” streak came to an end.
I was blessed with the opportunity to fly with Blue Angels. Shoutout to number 7 pilot Griffin Stangel and everyone behind the scenes for the unreal experience. This once in a lifetime time ride I will never forget. Thank you pic.twitter.com/ptDEaztvEf
— Max Holloway (@BlessedMMA) August 16, 2022
Holloway was a recent guest of the U.S. Navy flight demonstration squadron The Blue Angels. The fighter shared footage from the cockpit, showing him laughing it up as an experienced pilot performs a number of hair-raising stunts.
Eventually the G-Force proves too much for Holloway (as it would any of us) and he is seen passing out.
“Sadly, my ‘never been KO’d’ streak came to an end,” he wrote online. “I was blessed with the opportunity to fly with Blue Angels. Shoutout to number 7 pilot Griffin Stangel and everyone behind the scenes for the unreal experience. This once in a lifetime time ride I will never forget. Thank you”.
Holloway’s most recent Octagon appearance was at UFC 276 in July. There he faced Alexander Volkanovski for the third time. Holloway was thoroughly beaten by the reigning UFC featherweight champion by unanimous decision, putting an end to their storied rivalry in the cage.
Holloway has lost to Volkanovski three times in three years. The first was a unanimous decision which cost Holloway the 145 lbs title. The second bout was a split decision loss.
Around those losses to ‘Alexander the Great’ Holloway has scored impressive wins over Frankie Edgar, Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez.
With Volkanovski expressing his intention to vacate the featherweight throne and move up to lightweight, there’s a chance we’ll see Holloway fight for that belt in the near future.
Jon Jones is more powerful and more explosive than a lot of heavyweight knockout artists?
Jon Jones says he’s currently in a “bulking phase,” and is busy putting on the pounds to go up against the big boys at heavyweight.
The former light heavyweight champion has some excellent highlight reel finishes throughout his decorated career, but he’s never really been known for his knockout power. This is why his striking coach’s recent claim becomes interesting.
According to Brandon Gibson, this bigger Jon Jones is already “more powerful” than a lot of the heavyweight knockout artists he’s coached through the years, including Alistair Overeem.
“You think of fighters going up in a weight class, and they always put on size and mass and power. You look your Conor from this 145 days, going up to lightweight, going up to welterweight. And that’s a 25-pound difference. Jon Jones, his weight is up there right now, and it’s much more than 25 pounds,” Gibson told Submission Radio. “So, he is hitting extremely hard and extremely accurate and technical, and fast.
“I’ve trained a lot of amazing heavyweights. I trained Arlovski and Overeem and Frank Mir and Travis Browne, and Jon Jones is more powerful, explosive, creative, dynamic than all of ‘em,” he said. “So, I can’t wait to see Jon make that walk at heavyweight. It’s gonna be something truly, truly special, and I’m humbled to be a part of it.”
Gibson also discussed the training videos Jones posted, saying people will be “really, really shocked” to see just how good he is at heavyweight.
“We’re not trying to show our sharpest work, right? Jon sometimes just likes to throw up a combination, kind of let everybody see where he’s at. But we’re not going for a speed record or some power record right now. All we care about is being ready when the bell rings on fight night. So, I think it’s cool when he shares a little snippet of that, but I don’t let any fans’ critique of Jon’s mitt work get to me at all, cause I know how it feels. I know how fast he is. I know how focused and dedicated he’s been the last two and a half years working towards this goal.
“So, I don’t mind if he shares something. I also don’t mind if we just keep working in the shadows. Because all that matters to me is that fight night. But believe me, Jon is hitting hard, and he’s so skilled right now. His skillset’s at an all-time high, and he has so much power and athleticism and stamina on top of it all. I think the fans are gonna be really, really shocked and surprised when they see him at heavyweight.”
Jones, who hasn’t fought since before the pandemic, has been hyping up a heavyweight move for a while now. He’s discussed the move up for about a decade now, but this time he says it’s really happening.
Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards at the UFC 278 press conference. | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Check out the fight card and bout order for UFC 278.
The UFC’s final event of the month is a pay-per-view in Salt Lake City, Utah on August 20th. In the main event, Kamaru Usman defends his welterweight title against Leon Edwards, who’s unbeaten in his last ten fights. The last time Edwards lost was back in 2015, when he dropped a three-round decision to none other than Kamaru Usman.
In co-main event action, former Strikeforce and UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold returns to the cage for the first time since 2019, and awaiting him will be the heavy hands of former UFC title challenger Paulo Costa. Perhaps the most compelling fight on the entire card is a men’s bantamweight bout between legendary ex-UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo and rising star Merab Dvalishvili, with the winner moving one step closer to a title shot.
Robbie Lawler got TKO’d by Bryan Barberena in July 2022. | Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
Welterweights Robbie Lawler and Santiago Ponzinibbio are headed to Las Vegas on December 10.
A welterweight pairing three years in the making might finally take place in December.
Per ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler has agreed to fight Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 282.
After being paired up against the Argentinian for a bout back in December 2019, Lawler saw the original matchup fall through when a staph infection forced Santiago to withdraw from the fight. At the occasion, the promotion decided to remove Robbie from the UFC 245 card as well, not giving the former champion a replacement opponent.
Most recently, Lawler (29-15-1 NC) got TKO’d by Bryan Barberena at UFC 276 last month. Before that, the 40-year-old had scored the only win of his career in his past six outings, when he TKO’d Nick Diaz, in September 2021. That victory made Robbie snap a four-fight losing skid, with defeats to Rafael dos Anjos, Ben Askren, Colby Covington and Neil Magny.
Also in dire need of a win, Ponzinibbio (28-6) will look to snap a two-fight losing skid, with split decision losses to Geoff Neal and Michel Pereira. The 35-year-old’s last win happened just last year, when he scored a unanimous decision over prospect Miguel Baeza.
Now, Lawler is scheduled to face Ponzinibbio at UFC 282, on December 10, in Las Vegas, Nevada. A light heavyweight title fight between champion Jiri Prochazka and former title-holder Glover Teixeira is expected to also be on the card.
If you’re happy with the action so far, you’re in luck. This wave should keep going.
Contender Series has been giving us some prime action this year, and this week doesn’t appear to be much different.
This week’s main event should be great. England’s Thomas Paull (11-3) meets Argentina’s Esteban Ribovics (10-0) at lightweight in an action bout. Paull is a punishing striker with excellent finishing instincts that works well with his feints for his setups. He does have the unfortunate habit of backing straight up if pressured enough and sometimes eating a bit too much damage. He’s also deaf, which is amazing. Not sure how his corner communicates things with him during the fight, but he gets his work done, no doubt.
Ribovics is another striker that has some powerful shots that end up putting dudes to sleep. Fortunately for him, he’s also got a bit of long-haul experience, as he’s been to the third round twice. Granted, he’s never faced a pressure wrestler or the type of grappler that can really sap your energy. Don’t get it twisted: his third round results can be devastating.
All in all, Paull may be the more well rounded of the two and has faced more established overall competition. But that doesn’t mean he can’t get reckless and pay for it. Ribovics seems like the more explosive athlete and he has a good head on his shoulders. He may not be flustered by the feints and jabs, but might run out of weapons as the fight goes on.
Ivan Valenzuela (8-1) has been a force in Mexico’s Lux Fight League. He’s absolutely a fighter that should be signed without having to do this, and you’ll see why when you get to see him fight. He punishes opponents with attacks of all kinds, and fights very smart when the other guy starts getting a bit too wild.
His opponent is Brazil’s Claudio Ribeiro (9-2) who packs a hell of a punch. He’s got a hell of a highlight reel too, despite a knack for also getting pressed up against the cage. His cardio is fine most of the time, but it can be tested. That notwithstanding, I’m calling this fight of the night right now. It should totally deliver and add some much-needed talent to middleweight.
Cage Warriors bantamweight champion Jack Cartwright should be on your radar already. He’s an exceptional talent with a calculated madman vibe. Terrifying power and a savvy and opportunistic submission game that catches people off guard consistently. He’s another talent that’s ready for the big show. He takes on Jose Johnson (14-7), who has been here before, losing to Ronnie Lawrence in 2020. He’s a good all-around fighter, but this may be a bit much. If anything, this smells like a showcase/setup here for Cartwright. Doesn’t mean Johnson doesn’t have a chance, though.
Hailey Cowan (6-2) went viral over her sensational finish a few years ago. She’s since shown that she’s way more than just that one kick, working smart from top position on the ground and making sure to thrive anywhere the fight may go. She meets Brazil’s Claudia Leite (7-2), who will make this as ugly as she has to make it. A ground control fighter with a ton of pressure, she really tries to find ways to break opponents. Her standup is mostly composed of wild swings, though. That also seems to burn out her cardio to a degree until she gets it back to the ground.
You can check out the weigh-in highlights here, courtesy of the crew over at MMAJunkie:
Full card is as follows:
Thomas Paull (155.5) vs. Esteban Ribovics (155.0) – Lightweight
Claudio Ribeiro (181.5) vs. Ivan Valenzuela (186.0) – Middlweight
Jack Cartwright (136.0) vs. Jose Johnson (136.0) – Bantamweight
Hailey Cowan (136.0) vs. Claudia Leite (136.0) – Bantamweight
Ahmad Hassanzada (156.0) vs. Nazim Sadykhov (155.5) – Lightweight
Dana White’s Contender Series takes place this Tuesday night starting at 8:00pm, streaming exclusively on ESPN+.
Dominick Cruz at UFC San Diego. | Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Cruz is facing several medical suspensions following his KO loss at UFC San Diego.
Dominick Cruz has received several medical suspensions following his fourth-round KO loss to Marlon Vera at UFC San Diego this past Saturday.
The former UFC bantamweight champion has to sit for 45 days but could be on the sidelines for up to six months unless he gets cleared by an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) doctor for a potential nose injury, per the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC). Though unconfirmed, it was suspected that Cruz suffered a broken nose after finding himself on the receiving end of a head kick.
Joining Cruz is Devin Clark, Lupita Godinez, Gabriel Benitez and Charlies Ontiveros, all of whom are facing six months away from the Octagon for injuries they suffered in their respective fights.
The full list of suspensions can be seen below (obtained by Steven Marrocco of MMA Fighting):
Marlon Vera: Mandatory seven days
Dominick Cruz (nose): Mandatory seven days; suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact for KO; 60 days or until cleared by doctor for laceration on nose; and 180 days or until cleared by Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) doctor for possible nose injury
Nate Landwehr (left eye): Mandatory seven days; suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact for hard fight; 60 days or until cleared by doctor for laceration on left eye
David Onama (left eye): Mandatory seven days; suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact for hard fight; 60 days or until cleared by doctor for laceration on left eye
Yazmin Jauregui: Mandatory seven days; suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact for hard fight
Iasmin Lucindo (right cheek): Mandatory seven days; suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact for hard fight; 60 days or until cleared by doctor for laceration on right cheek
Azamat Murzakanov: Mandatory seven days
Devin Clark (left hand, right foot): Mandatory seven days; suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact for TKO; 180 days or until cleared by doctor for possible left hand injury; 180 days or until cleared by doctor for possible right foot injury
Priscila Cachoiera: Mandatory seven days
Ariane Lipski: Mandatory seven days; suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact for TKO
Gerald Meerschaert: Mandatory seven days
Bruno Silva: Mandatory seven days; suspended 30 days with 21 days no contact for hard fight
Angela Hill: Mandatory seven days
Lupita Godinez (chest): Mandatory seven days; suspended 180 days or until cleared by X-ray for possible injury on chest
Martin Buday: Mandatory seven days
Łukasz Brzeski (right eye): Mandatory seven days; suspended 60 days or until cleared by doctor for laceration on right eye
Nina Nunes: Mandatory seven days
Cynthia Calvillo (left eye): Mandatory seven days; 45 days with 30 days no contact for hard fight; 60 days or until cleared by CT of orbital or ophthalmologist for possible left eye injury
Gabriel Benitez (left hand, left ankle, left elbow): Mandatory seven days; 180 days or until cleared by doctor for possible left hand injury; 180 days or until cleared by doctor for possible left ankle injury; 180 days or until cleared by doctor for possible left elbow injury
Charlie Ontiveros (left eye, right little toe): Mandatory seven days; 45 days with 30 days no contact for TKO; 60 days or until cleared by doctor for laceration on left eye; 180 days until cleared by doctor for possible injury to right little toe
Tyson Nam: Mandatory seven days
Ode’ Osbourne: Mandatory seven days; 45 days with 30 days no contact for TKO
Josh Quinlan: Mandatory seven days
Jason Witt: Mandatory seven days; 60 days with 30 days no contact for KO
Jack Hermansson at UFC Vegas 27. | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Check out all the fights announced over the past week in the UFC, Bellator and other promotions.
Fights on Tap is a weekly roundup of all the fights booked in the UFC, Bellator and other promotions.
The UFC gave us a great event in its return to San Diego this past Saturday. Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera finished Dominick Cruz with a jaw-dropping head kick that should easily be in the running for ‘KO of the Year,’ and Nate Landwehr vs. David Onama was one of the most entertaining fights of the year so far. And a special shout-out should go to Yazmin Jauregui and Iasmin Lucindo, the promotional newcomers who delivered in a back-and-forth affair that earned praise from UFC president Dana White. With the event now over, we can look at what we have ahead of us on the upcoming schedule.
The UFC either announced or finalized 20 fights this week, and a pair of middleweight contenders are throwing down at the end of the year.
A fight between Jack Hermansson and Derek Brunson is being targeted for an upcoming UFC Fight Night scheduled for Dec. 3 at a soon-to-be-announced location and venue.
Hermansson rebounded from a split decision loss to Sean Strickland with a unanimous decision against Chris Curtis at UFC London in July. The ‘Joker’ has alternated between wins and losses in his past six appearances. Brunson recently fought in a No. 1 contender against Jared Cannonier at UFC 271, where he was finished by second-round KO. That loss to Cannonier snapped a five-fight win streak that included names such as Edmen Shahbazyan, Kevin Holland and Darren Till.
Announced UFC fights:
UFC Paris — September 3
Ricardo Ramos vs. Danny Henry — featherweight First rep. by Paradigm Sports
Nathaniel Wood vs. Charles Jourdain — featherweight First rep. by Al Zullino
UFC 279 — September 10
Darian Weeks vs. Yohan Lainesse — welterweight First rep. by Tudor Leonte of Sherdog
UFC Vegas 60 Fight Night — September 17
Tony Gravely vs. Javid Basharat — bantamweight First rep. by Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie
UFC Fight Night — October 1
Raoni Barcelos vs. Trevin Jones — bantamweight
UFC Vegas 61 Fight Night — October 15
Mana Martinez vs. Brandon Davis — bantamweight First rep. by Iridium Sports Agency
UFC 280 — October 22
Abubakar Nurmagomedov vs. Gadzhi Omargadzhiev — welterweight First rep. by Red Fury MMA
Armen Petrosyan vs. AJ Dobson — middleweight First rep. by MMA Fight Universe
UFC Vegas 62 Fight Night — October 29
Kleydson Rodrigues vs. Vinicius Salvador — flyweight First rep. by Raphael Marinho of Combate
Roman Dolidze vs. Phil Hawes — middleweight First rep. by Giorgi Kokiashvili of Setanta Sports
Christian Rodriguez vs. Garrett Armfield — bantamweight First rep. by Marcel Dorff of Eurosport Nederland
Tresean Gore vs. Josh Fremd — middleweight First rep. by Mike Heck of MMA Fighting
Tim Means vs. Max Griffin — welterweight First rep. by Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie
UFC Fight Night — November 5
Nate Maness vs. Tagir Ulanbekov — flyweight First rep. by James Lynch
Ramona Pascual vs. Tamires Vidal — women’s bantamweight First rep. by Nolan King of MMA Junkie
Johnny Munoz Jr. vs. Liudvik Sholinian — bantamweight First rep. by Nolan King and Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie
Jinh Yu Frey vs. Polyana Viana — women’s strawweight First rep. by Marcel Dorff of Eurosport Nederland
UFC 281 — November 12
Erin Blanchfield vs. Molly McCann — women’s flyweight First rep. by Blanchfield on Instagram
UFC Fight Night — December 3
Eryk Anders vs. Kyle Daukaus — middleweight First rep. by Iridium Sports Agency
Jack Hermansson vs. Derek Brunson — middleweight First rep. by Ariel Helwani
Announced Bellator MMA fights:
Bellator 286 — October 1
Aaron Pico vs. Jeremy Kennedy — featherweight First rep. by Brett Okamoto of ESPN
Juan Archuleta vs. Enrique Barzola — bantamweight First rep. by Brett Okamoto of ESPN
Max Rohskopf vs. Mike Hamel — lightweight First rep. by Nolan King of MMA Junkie
Nick Browne vs. Islam Mamedov — lightweight First rep. by Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie
Keoni Diggs vs. Ricardo Seixas — lightweight First rep. by Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie
Khadzhimurat Bestaev vs. Khalid Murtazaliev — middleweight First rep. by Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie
Miguel Peimbert vs. Bobby Seronio III — bantamweight First rep. by Curtis Calhoun of MMA News
Chris Avila vs. Lance Gibson Jr. — lightweight First rep. by Ariel Helwani
Vladimir Tokov vs. Jay Jay Wilson — lightweight First rep. by Stephen Foote of Newshub
Bellator Milan — October 29
Adam Piccolotti vs. Mansour Barnaoui — lightweight
Fabian Edwards vs.Charlie Ward — middleweight
Saul Rogers vs. Tim Wilde — lightweight
Justin Gonzalez vs. Andrew Fisher — featherweight
Davy Gallon vs. Daniele Scatizzi — lightweight
Simon Biyong vs. Dragos Zubco — light heavyweight
Alfie Davies vs. Thibault Gouti — lightweight
Chiara Penco vs. Manuela Marconetto — women’s strawweight
Yves Landu vs. Walter Cogliandro — featherweight
Costello van Steenis vs. Kamil Oniszczuk — middleweight
Nicolò Solli vs. Bourama Camara — welterweight
Steven Hill vs. Walter Pugliesi — middleweight
Announced KSW fights:
KSW 73 — August 20
Miłosz Melchert vs. Carl McNally — bantamweight
Krystian Bielski vs. Ion Surdu — catchweight (181 lbs.)
Borys Borkowski vs. Borys Borkowski — catchweight (183 lbs.)
Dominick Reyes at UFC Vegas 25. | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Reyes returns for the first time in more than a year.
The ‘Devastator’ returns.
Dominick Reyes is sharing the Octagon with Ryan Spann at UFC 281, the upcoming pay-per-view event scheduled for Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie was the first to report the fight.
Reyes has not fought since suffering a second-round KO to Jiří Procházka in a ‘Fight of the Night’ awarded performance at UFC Vegas 25 over a year ago. That was the third straight loss for the Cage Combat Academy product, who also fell to Jan Blachowicz (by TKO) and Jon Jones (by unanimous decision) in consecutive championship appearances at UFC 247 and UFC 253, respectively. Despite his absence, Reyes still sits at No. 7 in the division.
The 32-year-old was previously 12-0 as a professional, with half of those wins coming under the UFC banner. He defeated the likes of Ovince Saint Preux, Volkan Oezdemir and former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman in that run.
Spann has alternated between wins and losses in his past five appearances. ‘Superman’ held wins over Sam Alvey and Misha Cirkunov but suffered losses to Johnny Walker and Anthony Smith. The Fortis MMA representative recently returned to the win column with a first-round submission of Ion Cutelaba at UFC Vegas 54 this past May.
UFC 281 is headlined by a middleweight championship fight between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira. With the addition of Reyes vs. Spann, the event has three confirmed fights. Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for more updates on the event as they become available in the coming weeks.
Paddy Pimblett wants to return to the UFC in December. | Photo by Kieran Cleeves/PA Images via Getty Images
Paddy Pimblett has already gained about 45 pounds since his last fight.
Paddy Pimblett is making the most of his time off as the 27-year-old lightweight prospect has ballooned up to 200 pounds since his last fight at UFC London.
Pimblett, known for gaining weight in between fights, revealed backstage at UFC San Diego that he has gained roughly 45 pounds in three weeks.
“I’m about 200 (pounds),” Pimblett said on Saturday (h/t MMA Junkie). “I don’t know (if it’s normal). You could say that, you could not say that.
Pimblett plans to take his weight more seriously as he starts fighting higher-ranked opponents, but for now, he intends to enjoy himself as much as possible.
“When I’m a little older and I start fighting ranked opponents, I will keep my weight down, but for now, I enjoy putting on a little chub rub on,” he said.
As one of the fastest-growing stars in the UFC, Pimblett (3-0 UFC, 19-3 MMA) naturally finds himself the target of those wanting to build a reputation off the back of his name, recently drawing the ire of Terrance McKinney and Drew Dober.
With no name in mind for his next opponent, Pimblett didn’t respond to either of those callouts, but he would like to return to the UFC in December, preferably in Las Vegas.
“Everyone wants to fight me, lad,” Pimblett said. “They all got less than 100,000 followers, and I’m at 1.8 million or something. That’s why they want to fight me. I’m also not a very scary dude. I don’t look that intimidating, lad. So people think, ‘Oh, I can beat him.’ And when you get in the cage with me, and you’ve got to solve the puzzle, you can’t.”
“I think I’m going to fight in Vegas,” he added. “That’s what I’m hoping. I’ve seen the card get slated for December 10.”
Pimblett last fought at UFC Fight Night 208 where he submitted Syndicate MMA’s Jordan Leavitt with a rear-naked choke in the second round. He has won all three of his UFC fights via stoppage.
Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards at the UFC 278 press conference. | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Here’s the full Countdown to UFC 278.
UFC 278 fight week is here!
On August 20th in Salt Lake City, reigning welterweight champion and pound-for-pound king Kamaru Usman puts his title on the line against a familiar foe in Leon Edwards. These two fought way back in December 2015, with Usman winning a decision. It remains to date Edwards’ most recent defeat, having gone 9-0 (1 NC) over his subsequent ten bouts. Usman will still be a hefty favorite to remain atop the welterweight throne.
As usual, when it’s a pay-per-view week it gets the Countdown treatment. You can watch the full Countdown to UFC 278 video at the top of the page. In addition to the title fight main event, you get a preview of the co-main between former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold and ex-title challenger Paulo Costa.
UFC 278 airs live on ESPN+ PPV, with a main card start time of 10 PM ET/7 PM PT and prelims once again simulcast on ABC/ESPN/ESPN+at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT. The early prelims on ESPN and ESPN+ at 6 PM ET/3 PM PT.
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