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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Welcome to the latest edition of Missed Fists where we shine a light on fights from across the globe that may have been overlooked in these hectic times where it seems like there’s an MMA show every other day.

As you may have heard, there’s rumors currently swirling around the top of the bantamweight division, with Umar Nurmagomedov supposedly fighting Song Yadong soon instead of getting an expected title shot against Merab Dvalishvili. That’s led to further speculation that Dvalishvili could take on Sean O’Malley in an immediate rematch, which makes no sense, but this is the world we’re living in now.

I bring all this up to say that if O’Malley needs advice on how to deal with Dvalishvili’s relentless wrestling offense, well, I know I a guy.

(Big thanks as always to @Barrelelapierna for their weekly lists of the best KOs and submissions, and to @Grabaka_Hitman for uploading many of the clips you see here. Give them a follow and chip in on Patreon if you can.)

Turpal Gediev vs. Raatbek Kambarov

Hey, “Suga,” why didn’t you just do this to stop Dvalishvili’s takedowns?

At an Integra FC 19 show in Tbilisi, Georgia, Turpal Gediev made fighting look so easy as he stopped a shooting Raatbek Kambarov by simply spinning and planting his foot in his face. Seriously, this technique would have saved O’Malley a lot of trouble (and posting on social media).

Often, I’d call this sort of thing a fluke, like maybe Gediev was planning to kick the body and Kambarov just happened to duck into it, but after several replays, it actually looks like Gediev might have set that up. Either that or he made an incredible read-and-react play, which is mind-blowing in itself.

Will Fleury vs. Pavol Langer
Max Holzer vs. Mohammed Sadok Trabelsi

This news may have flown under the radar in North America, but over in Europe there was no bigger story than Oktagon MMA cramming 59,000-plus rabid MMA fans into Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, Germany.

Though exact numbers are difficult to verify, as with any combat sports event, it’s clear that OKTAGON 62 was a smashing success, and the promotion has truly built something special even without larger-than-life names in the lineup.

Even better, the action delivered with several memorable moments, including Will Fleury’s wicked right hand knockout of Pavol Langer.

Fleury has competed for Bellator and PFL, and now seeks greater glory in Oktagon as he recorded his second straight finish for the promotion.

Big props as well to 22-year-old Max Holzer, who was smart enough to use a scooter for his entrance at the massive venue.

Those long walkouts can kill your cardio, a trap that the wise-beyond-his-years Holzer deftly avoided. Not coincidentally (IMHO), he finished his opponent in Round 3 to improve to 9-0 as a pro.

Adrian Bleszynski vs. Samuel Vogt

Speaking of late finishes, Adrian Bleszynski capped off a win in the fourth with this grueling finish of Samuel Vogt in the main event of Babilon MMA 48 in Sosnowiec, Poland.

That wasn’t exactly the most effective use of guard by Vogt. Great patience by Bleszynski to pick his shots and find a home for some accurate and heavy leather to shut Vogt’s lights off.

Andre Borges vs. Rodrigo Lidio
Inglesson de Lara vs. Marlon Brito
Anderson Ferreira vs. Walber dos Anjos

The knockouts were flowing at Centurion FC 23 in Rio de Janeiro, with both of the evening’s title fights ending via fisticuffs.

Andre Borges claimed Rodrigo Lidio’s welterweight title in violent fashion, loading up a left hand and letting Lidio have it just seven seconds into Round 2.

That’s three straight wins now for Borges, who has been one or two good wins away from signing with a larger promotion. He has losses to The Ultimate Fighter 32 winner Mairon Santos and recent UFC competitor Nick Fiore, names that could have pushed him towards a Contender Series opportunity had the result gone the other way. At 33, it might be too late for Borges to get that call, so he’ll have to settle on busting heads on the regional scene, which he’s doing just fine.

Inglesson de Lara, though? He has future UFC fighter written all over him. The 30-year-old lightweight claimed a vacant title on Saturday with a gorgeous body shot knockout of Marlon Brito.

What looked like a routine striking exchange turned out to be the end for Brito as his insides gave out on him. De Lara improves to 10-1 with the win.

Anderson Ferreira unleashed the best in the semifinals of the CFC one-night tournament, clipping Walber dos Anjos with a right hand, bonking him with a hammerfist, and then ruining him with a head kick.

Unfortunately for Ferreira, he’d later go on to lose by first-round submission to Paulo Henrique in the finals, but man, what a KO.

Kai Katayama vs. Shota Arikawa

What were you doing when you were 16? I wasn’t delivering highlight-reel knockouts, that’s for sure.

Kai Katayama, on the other hand…

Those legs are absolute thunder and you can’t help but feel for Shota Arikawa, who just happened to get caught in the storm.

Best of all, Lucas Bourdon’s note-perfect description of Katayama’s fighting fit.

If you know of a recent fight or event that you think may have been overlooked, or a promotion that could use some attention, please let us know on X — @AlexanderKLee — using the hashtag #MissedFists.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Dustin Poirier recently confirmed that he will indeed fight in the UFC again despite contemplating retirement after his loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 302. “The Diamond” wants to plan his exit from the sport by going out in front of his home fans in Louisiana.

MMA retirements never tend to last too long, just look at Donald Cerrone’s recent comments, and this likely isn’t going to change as the sport continues to age.

During a recent episode of ESPN MMA’s Good Guy / Bad Guy show with Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen, Cormier said that he was never convinced that Poirier would step away. He said that the former interim champions ability to still compete at the highest level meant that he wouldn’t ride off into the sunset just yet, even if he was suggesting that this was more than likely.

Sonnen followed this point up by referencing something that he would do in his childhood in order to receive words or praise and encouragement from his peers. He said that in art class, which he was hit and miss at, he would parade his best pieces of work around and say how bad they were in order to draw compliments.

Sonnen believes that fighters do a similar thing in order to hear the kind of appreciation that makes them feel validated.

“I did this when I was a little kid. Daniel, as I became an adult, I still did little things like that, I just did it fewer and further between and I swear, I do feel that some of these guys just so that we’ll pat them on the head and tell them, ‘No you’re so great’, I swear they’ll say like something bad about themselves to get the rest of us to go, ‘No, hey, you’ve got more.’ I do feel that way sometimes.”

Sonnen then spoke specifically about Poirier and his decision to make the walk one or two more times.

“I imagine it is hard to go and physically, Dustin has it. Mentally, Dustin has it but he’s got that little kid in him somewhere that wants us to constantly tell him, ‘Hey Dustin, you still got it.’ Well, I’ll buy in. Dustin, you still got it.”

Continue Reading Chael Sonnen Says Dustin Poirier & Others Flirt With Retirement To Receive Praise at MMA News.

MMA News

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Add Daniel Cormier to the list of people not enthusiastic about Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone coming back to the UFC.

Earlier this week, “Cowboy” announced he intends to end his retirement and fight two more times in the UFC, hitting 50 total bouts between the UFC and WEC. The announcement received mixed reviews, with UFC CEO Dana White being among the most ardently opposed to it. But Daniel Cormier might give him a run for his money.

“The one thing about Cowboy, is that it’s very refreshing to watch how open he’s been with all of this,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “He never lied. He never lied about what he was doing, what he was going to do, and how he was going to apply it to his life. And I’m all for a guy that has personal goals. And I love Cowboy… But at the end of the day, for years now, he’s been openly using steroids.”

“When you’re training, you start to feel better. You start to feel like yourself again, especially with the help. Then you go, ‘I want to fight again.’ But at the end of the day, Cowboy has been doing steroids, openly!”

Cormier is not the only fighter to raise these concerns. Cerrone himself noted he’s been taking TRT for years now along with other things and is now in the process of getting off those so he can re-enter the USADA testing pool and return to action, which is perfectly legal per the testing criteria. But Cormier believes that even if it abides by the letter of the law, it goes against the spirit of them.

“He’s not been clean,” Cormier said. “And even if he can come back, take tests, pass those tests to get back, he had to do all those things, all those enhancers to allow for him to feel like he can compete at that level again.

“So he would test clean, but isn’t that just a loophole? Isn’t it just a loophole like the guys that when they get hurt, they get out of the testing pool, then when they recover from the injury, then they re-enter the testing pool? It’s not wrong. It’s not illegal. But is it right? Because you truly have been enhanced to get to where you are and how you feel, and feel good enough to come back and fight in the elite organization of the UFC.

“To me, it doesn’t feel right.”

To add to all this, Cormier notes that the nature of Cerrone’s exit from MMA opens up even more questions for his return. Cerrone left the sport having lost six of his final seven fights, with a no-contest as the only non-loss of his final three years competing. If Cerrone comes back looking like a new man, Cormier wonders how that will look given the circumstances. So all things considered, Cormier believes the UFC shouldn’t allow this to happen.

“Remember also, Cowboy lost six fights, had one no-contest in seven fights, and the last time he fought Jim Miller and got submitted,” Cormier said. “Imagine if he comes back and he looks like a world-beater. I’m against it. I’m honestly against the idea that you could find a loophole, go in and use that loophole, feel better while using that loophole, come back and fight because you can pass a clean test.

“I like Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone. I’m against Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone getting to compete in the UFC after openly doing what he’s been doing for the last two and a half years.”

TOP STORIES

Lawsuit. Gegard Mousasi is suing Bellator/PFL, seeking $ 15 million in damages.

Interim. Alexander Volkanovski is open to an interim title fight against Diego Lopes if in Australia.

Trash talk. PFL CEO Donn Davis issued a challenge to Dana White ahead of PFL’s big event this weekend.

Return. Brendan Schaub discusses Cowboy Cerrone’s return to MMA, possible issues.

VIDEO STEW

Between the Links

Full PFL Press Conference.

PFL faceoffs.

Contender Series highlights.

Max Holloway training camp.

SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Tom Aspinall in the WWE.

Ride for your people.

Next gen Cowboy Cerrone.

Looking for a new home.

Deep.

Georges St-Pierre has the sort of retirement we should all aspire to: just chilling.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This should be pretty simple: if you believe in drug testing, then Cerrone should be allowed to compete if he passes the tests. If you bar him from fighting despite him coming in clean, that’s pretty clearly dumb. You believe in the science or you don’t. Pick one.

EXIT POLL

If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @AlexanderKlee or @JedKMeshew on Twitter and let us know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and like us on Facebook.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Pereira cautions Ankalaev
| BJPenn.com

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

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Brain health amongst UFC fighters is a hot topic at the moment, and perhaps that’s for the best.

It’s rarely thought of during the actual highlight reel KO or slobber knocker “Fight of the Night,” but UFC athletes are waking up Sunday morning and feeling foggy with regularity. It’s part of the game, and damage incurred in the cage is often just the tip of the iceberg. Former interim champion Shane Carwin, for example, didn’t fight in the UFC that many times and only really gotten beaten up in one fight, but gym wars also took their toll and left Carwin in dire straits.

For whatever reason, some athletes are affected worse than others. Sometimes, there’s hope that a dominant fighter who really minimizes damage can walk away from the sport with their health intact like Demetrious Johnson. Even that’s no guarantee, however, which is why current Heavyweight kingpin, Jon Jones, was recently recorded advising his team mates to take the utmost caution with their brain health. In the process, he also described a decade of having consistent headaches, which is a worrying sign of repeat concussions.

“Throughout my whole twenties,” Jones began. “Going home with a headache all the time, concussions. Now when that happens, I get really upset and I feel like I did something wrong. Really really try to protect that brain man. After you get punched in the head enough times, your ability to see things coming goes away. I’ve been team mates with guys who you couldn’t hit, and then towards the end of their career they couldn’t stop a jab. They just couldn’t stop it. The ability for your brain to process and react quickly goes away.”

At 37 years of age, Jon Jones has never been knocked down in the cage, let alone finished. Hopefully, he adjusted his training habits early enough to avoid serious longterm consequence.

On November 16, Jones will make the walk at least one more time as the main event of UFC 309 opposite Stipe Miocic. He’s widely expected to retire afterwards, and conversations like this seem to confirm that notion even if the decision upsets some fans.

Insomnia

In the age of Contenders Series and turn-and-burn matchmaking and the Apex, it’s difficult for newcomers to really standout. However, I’m excited to watch TUF champion Marion Santos’ career develop!

I’m unlikely to ever remember the technical names of various Judo throws, but I do love a good belly-to-back suplex.

Transitioning into WWE after a UFC career seems to be more challenging than many expect, but Tom Aspinall at least has the size!

I would not at all be surprised if Aleksandar Rakic interrupts the Pereira vs. Ankalaev beef. The two men fighting feel very evenly matched to me.

I didn’t realize Charles Johnson has racked up this many fights in such a short time period.

Insane scrambles!

Speaking of wrestling, Sean O’Malley is going to be ready the next time he fights a top-tier takedown artist.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

The Pit is absolutely made for grappling.

One way or another, Daniel Lacerda can be counted on to put on a show.

A lot more contact than it initially appears.

Random Land

PSA …

Midnight Music: Hip-hop, 2019

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

MMAmania.com – All Posts

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz has his eyes on unfinished business to conclude his career in the Octagon.

Cruz, who also held WEC gold prior to his UFC reigns, hasn’t competed since being knocked out by a brutal head kick against Marlon Vera back in August 2022.

That result, which headlined a UFC Fight Night in his home city of San Diego, snapped Cruz’s two-fight winning run and stalled his plans for a late-career rise back up the ladder at 135 pounds.

Since then, “The Dominator” has remained a prominent fixture on UFC broadcasts through his work as a color commentator and desk analyst for ESPN. But although that has left some suggesting his time as an active fighter could be up, the 39-year-old has confirmed that he as more in the tank.

During an appearance on the Anik & Florian Podcast, Cruz reiterated plans to make a comeback over two years on from his setback in California.

And more than just a fighting commitment, Cruz even has some names in mind for his return, the first being a clash with former featherweight kingpin José Aldo.

“I’m with that fight (against Aldo). I would like that fight,” Cruz said.

That bout was rumored to have been in the works for this past May’s event in Rio de Janeiro, where Aldo made his comeback from retirement and defeated Jonathan Martinez. Having had his title plans stalled by Mario Bautista at UFC 307 earlier this month, perhaps the promotion will look to book an all-legends clash with Cruz for Aldo next.

In addition to the Brazilian, “The Dominator” has his sights on a couple of rematches as he looks to right the wrongs from defeats to Cody Garbrandt and Henry Cejudo in 2016 and 2020, respectively.

“I’ve heard Henry (Cejudo) say that he would be willing to fight me if (UFC chief business officer) Hunter (Campbell) would allow it to happen,” Cruz stated. “I would rematch Henry. I would love that. … I’m not saying he didn’t beat me, but I’m saying that on a full camp, we can give an entertaining fight.

“He beat me the last fight. Okay, great. I think with me having a full camp, me not straight off surgery, me doing the training I’ve been doing, me feeling the way I feel right now…we’ll put on a really good, fun show,” Cruz continued. “So, Aldo, Henry, Cody (Garbrandt’s) getting ready to fight, so he’s got a fight coming up. But yeah, rematches for me make sense. My shoulder’s had multiple surgeries. It’s not rocket science, I don’t have tons of fights left. I’m towards the last chunk of my fights, and I want to put on a good show. So, I’m looking for a fight that makes sense.”

It remains to be seen what the UFC will line up for Cruz. But it appears clear that the fanbase has not seen the legendary former bantamweight champion make the walk for the final time.

• Read More: Ilia Topuria Eyes Record Held By Jorge Masvidal At UFC 308

Continue Reading Dominick Cruz Reveals Hit List For ‘Last Chunk’ Of UFC Career at MMA News.

MMA News