Category Archives: Mmamania.com

Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

This weekend (Nov. 9, 2024), UFC will remain in Las Vegas, Nevada for its 100th “Fight Night” event from inside the UFC Apex. It’s not technically the 100th event total because of some numbered pay-per-view (PPV) events that took place early during the pandemic, but UFC Vegas 100 is still a significant milestone (for better or worse).

To celebrate, the promotion released a 90-minute highlight of the 100 best knockouts to take place inside the Apex. There won’t be any raucous crowd reactions, but the knockouts do feature that signature clear audio of punches, knees, and elbows landing clean. Everyone from Derrick Lewis to Sean O’Malley is highlighted!

MMA Orbit’s Logan Offord noticed one conspicuous absence: Francis Ngannou’s title-winning shellacking of Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 (watch here).

Not only did the Heavyweight title change hands, but it was an incredible KO by any metric. Technically, I suppose there’s the defense that the video is titled “100 UFC Apex Knockouts” rather than best knockouts, but the description does read, “This action-packed compilation showcases the most jaw-dropping knockouts that have taken place at the UFC APEX facility.”

It wouldn’t be the first time Ngannou’s success was forgotten during a UFC production.

Despite a bit of bad blood between UFC CEO Dana White and “The Predator,” all parties have mostly moved on. Miocic is just a couple weeks away from his title shot versus Jon Jones, whereas Ngannou is freshly removed from a successful PFL debut and title win over Renan Ferreira.

Insomnia

Shara Magomedov as a Tekken character definitely tracks!

Alex Pereira is a perfect muse in that he’s got such a distinct look and vibe.

While on the art topic, this Ilia Topuria painting looks very lifelike!

A new unfortunate way to lose a fight just dropped!

A neat stat from an otherwise horrible fight:

What is your dream Tito Ortiz role? After this clip, I think he could be the next True Detective.

Mikey Musumeci’s time as the grappling face of One Championship has come to an end.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

The classic case of a low kick thrown stationary in the pocket being a bad idea …

Going for a leg lock on the jiu-jitsu ace is a similarly bold strategy.

That’s just a lovely overhand right.

Random Land

It’s not stupid if it works?

Midnight Music: Psych rock, 1967

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

MMAmania.com – All Posts

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) continues to make room on its massive roster of mixed martial arts (MMA) talent.

No. 13 ranked Heavyweight Alexandr Romanov scored a win at UFC Edmonton last weekend (Sat., Nov. 2, 2024), when he defeated No. 15 seeded Rodrigo Nascimento -in one of the most boring fights of the year – via sloppy unanimous decision.

Today (Mon., Nov. 4, 2024), Twitter account UFC Roster Watch revealed Romanov was released from his respective contract and/or the promotion decided not to extend it.

While his fight at UFC Edmonton was atrocious, his release is kind of shocking – even though it was the last fight on his contract, according to MMA Junkie.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Romanov, 33, came into UFC on a roll, finishing four out of five opponents, including a super rare forearm choke on Marcos Rogerio de Lima (watch highlights). “King Kong” then suffered back-to-back losses to high ranked Heavyweights Marcin Tyubra and Alexander Volkov but got back into the win column against Blagoy Ivanov – in a bad fight,

Romanov ends his UFC career with a 7-3 record, losing three of his last fights.

The 33-year-old fighter from Moldova had a ton of hype throughout his run, and at times, he looked incredible. However, in the last few fights, he came into the fights out of shape and very pudgy.

To quote UFC CEO Dana White … “PFL should pick him up.”

To checkout UFC’s upcoming schedule of events click here.

MMAmania.com – All Posts

Khalil Rountree Jr. had his face busted open by Alex Pereira atop the UFC 307 pay-per-view (PPV) event last month in Salt Lake City, but judging by the photos he recently uploaded to Instagram, it appears “War Horse” is healing up rather nicely.

Or like a “prime Wolverine,” according to fans on social media.

“That fourth round, I was throwing jabs and hurting my hand,” Pereira told Podpah. “I swear, I was thinking, ‘My hand must be broken.’ It still hurts. Not all the time, but if I squeeze here, it hurts.”

“I saw that the jabs were working,” Pereira continued. “I thought, ‘I have to hurt him.’ But then I hit him right there in the [forehead], one of the hardest parts [of the body], and it kept hurting.”

Fortunately, “Poatan” will have plenty of time to recover.

The reigning light heavyweight champion is expected to remain out of action until early 2025. When he does make his Octagon return, the Brazilian is expected to face off against top 205-pound title contender Magomed Ankalaev, who is clearly tired of waiting.

MMAmania.com – All Posts

UFC Edmonton went down this past weekend (Sat., Nov. 2, 2024) inside Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, leaving several fighters feeling the post-fight blues. Among them was Ariane Lipski da Silva, who was choked out by Jasmine Jasudavicius (see it again here).

And Marc-Andre Barriault, who was viciously knocked out by Dustin Stoltzfus in the first round (see it again here). But, which fighters are suffering from the worst post-fight hangovers now a few days removed from the show?

Amir Albazi and Rose Namajunas.

For Albazi — who was headlining the event opposite Brandon Moreno — one more win would’ve likely earned him his first-ever title shot. After all, he was on a six-fight win streak and ranked No. 3 at 125 pounds. Unfortunately for “The Prince,” he ran into the former division king who looked fresh and rejuvenated after taking a small eight-month break from action.

Indeed, “The Assassin Baby” was crisp with his striking all night, battering Albazi from start to finish.

Albazi simply couldn’t get much going, ending up with a forgettable performance that likely cost him a 125-pound title, while also being taken to the hospital afterward for precautionary measures.

“It wasn’t my night last night, but this is part of life — you win some; you lose some,” Albazi said on Instagram. “All respect to Brandon Moreno, he was the better man. I’ll be back, I promise. I’ll be back on that horse and keep improving, keep getting better. You guys will see me soon. Thank you for the support.”

As far as what could be next for him, he will have to start from scratch on his hunt back to the championship picture, and a fight against Tatsuro Taira — who is coming off a loss to Brandon Royval — seems appropriate.

Namajunas, meanwhile, was eying a title shot at Flyweight after racking up back-to-back impressive wins over Amanda Ribas and Tracy Cortez. A win over Blanchfield would have more than likely giving the chance to win her second title in as many divisions, but “Cold Blooded” just proved to be too resilient and would not let her own championship fight aspirations pass her by.

It’s a disappointing loss for “Thug Rose,” who seemed to be in control of the fight after the first two rounds. Undeterred, Blanchfield regrouped and took over for the final 15 minutes en route to securing a unanimous decision win. Like Albazi, Namajunas couldn’t capitalize on her opportunity at hand to secure a title fight, and will now have to work a bit harder to get back into contention.

As far as what could be next for her, if Valentina Shevchenko and Manon Fiorot throw down for the title in early 2025, I would love to see “Thug Rose” take on the loser of that fight. If it’s Fiorot, it would give her the chance to avenge that loss. If it’s Shevchenko, it’s a great matchup countless fights fans have been longing to see.

Another matchup that could be interesting is a fight against Alexa Grasso, assuming Blanchfield doesn’t get her first.

For complete UFC Edmonton results and play-by-play click HERE.

MMAmania.com – All Posts

UFC Edmonton went down last night (Sat., Nov. 2, 2024) inside Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, which saw Brandon Moreno defeat Amir Albazi via unanimous decision in the Flyweight main event of the evening (more on that here). In the co-main event, Erin Blanchfield defeated Rose Namajunas — also via unanimous decision (recap here) — to secure her spot behind top women’s 125-pound contender, Manon Fiorot, for the next title shot.

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Winner: Brandon Moreno

Who He Should Fight Next: Brandon Royval rematch

Moreno got back in the win column in a big way last night, but a shot at the title won’t be next since he was on a two-fight skid prior to his win. At the moment, division king, Alexandre Pantoja, will be defending his strap against Kai Asakura at UFC 310 next month, so I would like to see Moreno and Royval run it back to see who gets the winner. Royval defeated “The Assassin Baby” via split-decision earlier this year, so let’s go at it one more time to see who will be fighting for the belt in 2025.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Winner: Erin Blanchfield

Who She Should Face Next: Alexa Grasso

After Blanchfield locked down the biggest win of her career over a former champion in Namajunas, “Cold Blooded” called for a fight against another ex-title holder in Grasso. A title fight between Valentina Shevchenko and Manon Fiorot is all but booked, so Blanchfield would have to sit idle for a while if she opted to wait for her title shot. In the meantime, I like that she’d prefer to stay busy against Grasso, who lost her title to “Bullet” at UFC 306.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Winner: Brendson Ribeiro

Who He Should Face Next: Ryan Spann

Ribeiro snapped his two-fight win streak and picked up the first win of his UFC career by narrowly defeating Caio Machado via split-decision. Up next for “The Gorilla,” a fight against Spann makes sense because “Superman” also just got back in the win column, snapping his three-fight skid by defeating Ovince Saint Preux at UFC 307 via submission.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Winner: Jasmine Jasudavicius

Who She Should Face Next: Winner of Karine Silva vs. Viviane Araújo

Jasudavicius secured her third straight win with an impressive submission win over Ariane Da Silva. She will get closer to the Top 10 — she is currently No. 14 — but will likely need one more win to get there. I would like to see her take on the winner of the upcoming showdown between Silva (No. 11) and Viviane Araujo (No. 9), who are set to throw down on Nov. 16 at UFC 309 in New York City.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Winner: Dustin Stoltzfus

Who He Should Face Next: Abusupiyan Magomedov

Stoltzfus secured a huge win by absolutely obliterating Marc-André Barriault via devastating knockout in the very first round (see it here). It’s a good bounce back win for him after he was previously knocked out himself by Brunno Ferreira. Stoltzfus has been rather inconsistent when it comes to picking up wins, as he is just 3-5 in his UFC career. He will look to keep his current momentum going in his next outing, and I’d like that to be against Magomedov, who is coming off a win off the aforementioned Brunno Ferreira at UFC 308.

For complete UFC Edmonton results and play-by-play, click HERE.

MMAmania.com – All Posts

YIKES!

Yesterday (Sat., Nov. 2, 2024), during Dala Fighting Championship, which went down in Astana, Kazakhstan, Zhuman Zhumabekov choked Abhilash Raut unconscious with a Von Flue choke in under three minutes in the first round.

While it was a slick submission, it came with controversy. Referee Baurzhan Zhumanov thoroughly missed the Von Flue choke, and while Raut was completely unconscious, the dumb referee told Zhumabekov to work because he thought he was stalling.

The guy was literally clapping as Raut lay on the canvas, unconscious. Zhumabekov realized his opponent was out and released the submission.

Check out the insane clip below:

Missing a Von Flue choke in 2024 is pretty unacceptable for a pro-level mixed martial arts (MMA) referee, but alas, it happened. Thankfully, Raut woke up and was okay.

Something like this happened last year in America, and it was disturbing.

Nevertheless, Zhumabekov (14-8) snapped a two-fight losing streak with the submission win, while India’s Raut (5-4) has lost three fights in a row, all via stoppage.

Watch the entire fight below:

For more regional MMA news and notes, click here.

MMAmania.com – All Posts

Ilia and his brother were no strangers to scrapping in the streets of Rustavi, Georgia growing up, according to a book written by their mother.

What does Ilia Topuria know about the streets? More than some of his haters would think, it seems.

Leading up to his UFC 308 victory over Max Holloway, Topuria seemed to be beefing with half the Russian fighters on the roster due to comments about Islam Makhachev. “El Matador” expressed interest in fighting the lightweight champion but specified it would be in the cage, not the streets.

“When did you ever fight on the street European boy?” was the response from Mak’s teammate and Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov.

That became a repeated line across social media and forums during fight week, and one media member even asked Topuria during media day what he knew of street fighting. Topuria refused to answer, but not because he didn’t have experiences to share.

According to Topuria’s mother, Ilia and his brother Aleksandre were forced to fight on the streets of Rustavi, Georgia regularly.

“It was not rare, it was a daily routine,” she wrote in a new book about her son (translated by Giorgi Kokiashvili). “Whenever they were in the streets, they were fighting. Imagine: multiple boys would appear … they would come and tell you that they wanted your hat or your belt. There were three ways – giving up, running away and fighting.”

“Ilia and Aleksandre always preferred to fight, and at the end of the day, they always had their hat and belt.”

“It was not about the things,” she wrote. “It was about securing and defending their place in the streets … The way to their biggest championship belts started with keeping their own, ordinary belts in the streets of Rustavi.”

Not that we think anyone should be encouraging all this talk of street fighting. The UFC has been lucky that their relatively recent hands-off approach to unsanctioned attacks and brawls hasn’t resulted in any serious injury. They might not be so lucky when the added tensions between Russia and Georgia are added into the mix.

The last thing we need is some situation where things go horribly sideways, especially involving the UFC’s next potential breakout star. But for the record: Topuria is no stranger to defending himself on the streets.

MMAmania.com – All Posts

Former UFC heavyweight title challenger Derrick Lewis, who hold the promotion’s all-time knockout record at 15, was unable to add to his record at the UFC Edmonton MMA event last night in Canada, thanks to a mysterious “medical issue” that sent “The Black Beast” to the sidelines.

So what the heck happened?

“There is nothing to update beyond what the official release was,” UFC exec Dave Shaw revealed at the UFC Edmonton post-fight press conference. “It was not a fight-related medical issue or not a weight-cut-related medical issue. The situation yesterday was all … It was all happening in real time. So we didn’t actually have enough answers at the time of ceremonial weigh-ins yesterday. He weighed in yesterday morning.”

This marks the second time Lewis bailed on short notice.

“He had to cut a little bit but it’s not uncommon for him. And then, over the course of the afternoon, he started to get the medical treatment and we just didn’t have any answers. So at that point, it made more sense for us to proceed with the weigh-ins with Diniz and try to figure out what was going on before making any decisions. But there is no substitute to taking the safe road when it comes to athlete health and safety. So it was the right decision to not compete.”

His opponent, was later rebooked to face Marcin Tybura at UFC 309.

MMAmania.com – All Posts

Last night (Sat., Nov. 2, 2024), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ventured forth to Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada for UFC Edmonton. It’s a real shame that Derrick Lewis was forced to withdraw at the last-second, because this was really shaping up to be a better live card than usual. With the loss of “The Black Beast,” it felt a whole lot more like the typical Apex affair. Seriously, what the heck was Caio Machado vs. Brendson Ribeiro doing on the main card? Awful.

Regardless, let’s take a look back over at UFC Edmonton’s best performances and techniques:

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

The Champ Is Back

Brandon Moreno is an incredible fighter and multiple-time champion, but he is known for inconsistency as well. “Assassin Baby” will look incredibly different in back-to-back performances, sometimes to his own detriment. His last showing vs. Brandon Royval was a competitive fight against a top contender, but by his previous standards, it was a sloppy showing that saw him overly reliant on a wide overhand.

Moreno admitted to needing a break after that loss … and it worked! His performance last night matched the best of his championship wins. His timing was sharp, his boxing combinations were lovely, and his ability to mix up his attacks to various targets was very effective. Amir Albazi is quite tough, but the hard-hitting wrestler couldn’t get anything going and was largely relegated to punching bag status.

I loved the variety of Moreno’s offense. His jab is deceptively long, and he expanded upon that effectiveness by doubling and tripling the strike. He hunted for the left high kick and found it on a couple occasions, but he also mixed chopping low kicks to both legs. Moreno’s overhand and left hook complimented one another beautifully, and yet he still managed to sneak lead hand uppercuts into his attack as well. There were lunging elbows, jumping kicks, and even a Rolling Thunder.

It’s good to have Moreno back in the title mix — Flyweight needs him. If he needs six months between fights to have this level of performance consistently, that’s a trade I would happily make!

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Blanchfield Gets It Done

I’ll confess that I didn’t find Erin Blanchfield vs. Rose Namajunas particularly compelling or interesting. For two rounds, Namajunas was able to cleanly pick apart Blanchfield, whose same flaws from the Manon Fiorot fight remained apparent. By the third, however, youth, pressure, and wrestling were starting to take effect. Namajunas’ footwork slowed, Blanchfield started landing more, and suddenly the takedown didn’t seem so impossible.

Good for “Cold Blooded.” She picked up the best win of her career by wanting it more — a perfectly respectable way to defeat a former champion. The Alexa Grasso callout afterward was perfect as well, and a win would push her right back into title contention.

Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images

Jasudavicius Dominates On The Floor

Jasmine Jasudavicius might have the best top game at 125-pounds. Her kickboxing is still a little stiff — which likely cost her the first round opposite Ariane Lipski da Silva — but once the fight hits the floor, she’s in complete control. The combination of above-average chain wrestling and such a nasty top game is a winning one, resulting in five victories in her last six bouts.

What stands out about Jasudavicius’ top work is her activity and ability to blend strikes and submissions. While advancing position, she’s constantly digging punches and landing bludgeoning elbows. Da Silva was forced to cover up constantly just to survive, which ultimately opened up the very textbook d’arce finish.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Stoltzfus Stuns The Crowd

Germany’s Dustin Stoltzfus started his UFC career with an 0-3 run that saw him finished twice. He may have showed a decent mix of skills in those defeats, but it was something of a surprise when he scored a fourth chance. He finally scored a UFC win via decision in his fourth chance, but his fifth trip to the Octagon ended in a 19-second KO loss.

That’s quite a few defeats with little success. For some reason, however, UFC brass saw something in Stoltzfus and opted to keep him around, and guess what? He’s gotten better! Stoltzfus has won two of his last three, and better yet, each contest was entertaining and resulted in a finish.

His work last night against Canada’s Marc-Andre Barriault may be his best yet. An early low kick knockdown gained him top position, and he spent most of the round hunting submissions against the striker. When Barriault scrambled to his feet with 40 seconds remaining in the first, brawling seemed like a bad idea … until Barriault hit the floor fully unconscious!

Is Stoltzfus suddenly a contender? Certainly not. He deserves credit, however, for continually refining his game, showing up in great shape, and finally earning a bit of job security. For the fans, Stoltzfus can be trusted to put on a scrap … for better or worse.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Year Of The Devil

Youssef Zalal isn’t in the running with Alex Pereira and Ilia Topuria for “Fighter of the Year,” but “The Moroccan Devil” deserves some love. Zalal’s second UFC stint began in March, and he’s been nothing short of spectacular! Opposite the very skilled Jack Shore, Zalal scored his third straight submission finish since rejoining the roster.

It was a fun fight for as long as it lasted. Shore started strong with snappy combinations, but Zalal evened up the first round with a takedown and good control. They continued to exchange into the second when Zalal timed a PERFECT counter knee, catching Shore as he changed levels. That signature strike floored Shore, opening up an arm triangle choke finish.

It’s just more great work from Zalal, who should serve as an inspiration for every young fighter that gets cut after a rough start with the promotion. At 28 years of age, he’s back and far better than ever, potentially looking at a ranked foe next.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Additional Thoughts

• Charles Jourdain defeats Victor Henry via second-round guillotine choke (highlights): This was a fun fight and better Bantamweight performance than I expected from “Air” Jourdain. Generally, when a fighter drops weight class after a couple losses that don’t really have anything to do with size, it’s hard to feel too confident. In this match up, however, he played the outside kickboxing role rather well, doing real damage while imposing his height and reach advantage. Henry started to find success in the second with his wrestling, but Jourdain baited him into a reshot and snatched up his neck — exactly how he strangled Ricardo Ramos! The style of guillotine Jourdain employs means that even though Henry was able to jump around the guard to theoretical safety, the Canadian could still crank on his neck and force the tap. Slick!

For complete UFC Edmonton results and play-by-play, click HERE!

MMAmania.com – All Posts

Jasmine Jasudavicius delivered the biggest win of her career earlier tonight (Sat., Nov. 2, 2024) at UFC Edmonton live on ESPN+ from inside Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, when the Canadian flyweight stopped veteran Ariane da Silva with a third-round anaconda choke.

Da Silva came into this fight the betting underdog but she looked good early on. The Brazilian was quick on her feet as she landed combinations to the head and body. Jasudavicius channeled her wrestling for a late-round takedown, but the first five minutes went to da Silva.

Jasudavicius went back to the well in Round 2 with another takedown and minutes of top time. She unloaded countless punches on the ground (some to the back of the head) that put da Silva on the brink of defeat. Da Silva hung in tough and made it to the end of the round, but the writing was on the wall.

In the third round, Jasudavicius found another opportunity to take the fight to the ground. This time, the Canadian fighter put her ground-and-pound aside to work for the submission finish. Jasudavicius got her wish and secured a tight anaconda choke. Da Silva defended just for a few seconds before tapping and giving the fans the stoppage they wanted.

Check out the submission finish in the above video player.

For complete UFC Edmonton results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.

MMAmania.com – All Posts