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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

When BKFC flyweight champion Christine Ferea got a call almost a decade ago about participating in a brain health study involving fighters, she was just looking for some quick cash.

At the time, she was struggling to make ends meet, so the promise of an extra few hundred dollars just to get an MRI and some other scans done by the Cleveland Clinic sounded like a great deal. Little did she know that the brain health study provided her with so much insight that she’s remained part of the program ever since, undergoing yearly updates provided by her doctors to ensure she’s still cognitively fit to compete.

“I didn’t know what it was at first, and I went in and they do a brain scan on you, and it lets you know if your cognitive [function] is getting messed up, if your brain is damaged from the hits,” Ferea told MMA Fighting. “The first one is like a two-hour scan, and then every three years they do the two-hour scan, and then I do [another scan] every year.

“They let me know if I’m cognitively declining, if my brain is declining, if there’s brain damage accumulating. They do several cognitive tests, balance, so many different things to make sure [I’m healthy].”

Ferea admits she didn’t really concern herself with long-term health when she first became involved with fighting because she was just doing something that she loved. She also displayed incredible heart and durability during many of her fights across several combat sports, but that also meant she took a lot of damage along the way.

Once she got involved with the brain health study, Ferea started to see the benefits of understanding what effect the repeated blows to the head were having on her. It was a wake-up call that serves as a constant reminder that she can’t fight forever.

“Now I don’t have to wonder,” Ferea explained. “Am I getting messed up? Am I taking too many hits? How am I going to affected down the road? Because I have a meeting with the doctor after every MRI and the cognitive [testing] and all that kind of testing, and then they read the results, and then I meet with him right after. He runs down everything for me, he’ll tell me. I trust him. It’s good not to wonder what I’m doing to my brain every year.

“If I’m starting to decline, I’m quitting. Period. I’m not messing with my brain. If I break bones, if my back hurts, my shoulder, if that hurts I still care about that, but not as much as my brain.”

Ferea’s commitment to the study is so strong that she’s already planning on donating her brain to science after her death because there’s so much information that doctors can only retrieve post-mortem.

In particular, chronic traumatic encephalopathy — better known as CTE — can only be detected in examinations done during an autopsy.

“I definitely will give my brain to the study,” Ferea said. “It’s not like I need to keep it or anyone else needs to keep it.”

While long-term brain health has remained incredibly important to her, especially after getting involved with Cleveland Clinic, Ferea dealt with a situation recently that hit a little too close to home.

Back in May, Ferea was scheduled to face former boxing champion and Bellator veteran Heather Hardy in a BKFC title fight. Just days before they were scheduled to meet, Hardy dropped out of the fight and revealed that her career was likely over due to the amount of head trauma she suffered throughout her career.

“After finally seeing a doctor, he said I’ve had too many concussions,” Hardy said in a sobering social media post. “When you have a concussion, a piece of your brain dies and you never get it back. Imagine that? In 10 years I’ve had too much brain damage. I can’t get any more or else I won’t be able to see. No running, no jogging, no jumping rope, and no getting hit in the head.”

Hearing that served as a harsh reminder to Ferea that no amount of toughness or grit can save you from something as serious as brain damage.

After Hardy made that post, which effectively served as a retirement announcement, Ferea reached out in an attempt to connect her with the same doctors she’s been working with for the better part of the past decade.

“It’s very, very scary,” Ferea said of Hardy’s situation. “I’m the type of person, I have a chin so I can take a lot of damage. I’ll sit there and take it like whatever, it doesn’t affect me. That’s the kind of fighter Heather was. She’ll take a lot of damage because she has a lot of heart and a high pain tolerance. That really puts you in check in terms of being tough and just taking shot.

“You’ve got to be responsible even though you’re playing defense and you can take the hits and stuff like that.”

Now Ferea openly states that her dedication to long-term brain health hasn’t changed the way she fights because that would be a detriment to her career.

That said, the 41-year-old veteran promises if she ever finds out that her cognitive function has been compromised, she’ll retire on the spot.

“You’ve got to have a little bit of that ‘f*ck it’ [attitude] because you can’t go in there too careful,” Ferea said. “If you’re too careful, you’re not going to perform right or you’re going to hesitate. You can get knocked out hesitating.

“If it gets bad, I’m going to stop. I love this with all my heart and I love being champion and I love competing and I love dominating people, but it’s not worth not being able to speak my name or not being able to remember my family and all that.”

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Second-round TKO
| BJPenn.com

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight sluggers Jessica Andrade and Natalia Silva will go to war this weekend (Sat., Sept. 7, 2024) at UFC Vegas 97 inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Andrade has rebounded nicely from a rough 2023, winning her last two bouts opposite quality competition. Now that the former champion has a bit of 115-pound momentum, she’s — once again! — going to risk it all by jumping up 10 pounds and facing off with a top-notch Flyweight prospect.

Cash rules.

Silva has been highly impressive in her two years on the UFC roster. Undefeated in five trips to the Octagon, the 27-year-old Brazilian has picked apart all of her opponents and shown impressive athleticism. She looks like a future contender, and she’ll get a chance to prove her time is now in this match up.

Let’s take a closer look at the betting odds and strategic keys for each athlete:

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Andrade vs. Silva Betting Odds

• Jessica Andrade victory: +240
• Jessica Andrade via TKO/KO/DQ: TBD
• Jessica Andrade via submission: TBD
• Jessica Andrade via decision: TBD
• Natalia Silva victory: -298
• Natalia Silva via TKO/KO/DQ: TBD
• Natalia Silva via submission: TBD
• Natalia Silva via decision: TBD
• Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

How Andrade Wins

Andrade is a powerhouse. She’s more physically dominant at Strawweight, but she’s still a powerful hitter and big takedown threat at 125-pounds. Aside from raw power and huge slams, Andrade is known for putting together body-head combinations of hooks.

Closing the distance is going to be a huge key here. Silva’s kickboxing at times leans more towards enthusiastic than technical, but she is still often able to keep opponents away by spamming them with a variety of kicks. Given Andrade’s height and reach disadvantages, closing into the pocket will be very important.

It’s a common situation for the former champion.

Andrade does her best work at closing range when she doesn’t headhunt. Her low kicks are a great weapon, as they can disrupt her opponent’s stance, leaving them stationary for follow-up punches. Body-head combinations are more likely to catch Silva circling with her chin high as well.

Generally, Andrade has to answer every kick. Whether she blocks, evades, or absorbs a Silva kick, “Bate Estaca” has to swarm forward with her own offense afterward rather than hang back.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

How Silva Wins

Silva has a Taekwondo background, and it shows in the cage! Strong and fast, Silva stabs at her opponent with lots of powerful kicks. When pressed, she’ll stand her ground and fire hard counter punches before returning to her bike and punishing kicking game. It’s an exhausting style, but Silva has the athleticism to pull it off.

We’ve seen Andrade cracked on the counter many times as she tries to come forward. Notably, Yan Xiaonan knocked her cold just last year with a plant right hand. Joanna Jedrzejczyk landed about 100 plant counters in her 25-minute domination of Andrade. Silva has the power to make that shot hurt as well as the style to land it often.

It starts with the jab, kicks, and movement. If Silva keeps her feet moving and offense flowing, she’ll force aggressive charges from the Brazilian. Silva can take her time, get a sense of Andrade’s timing, then plant her feet and try to make Andrade pay for her reckless nature.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Andrade Vs. Silva Prediction

Jessica Andrade’s career management is tragic.

On one hand, I get it: divorce and alleged embezzlement are expensive. Being a UFC fighter isn’t THAT profitable even for former champions. Andrade takes on any fight the UFC offers because she signed a lucrative contract relatively recently and wants to cash in on all those fights.

Alas, it’s very bad strategy for earning another title shot. All of Andrade’s style relies on her physicality advantage, which just isn’t as prominent at Flyweight. Silva in particular can probably match her speed and strength, which means Andrade is facing a range disadvantage without the skill to compensate.

Andrade is a gamer and could always pull it off via sudden KO or submission, but it sure feels like Silva picks her apart and ruins her Strawweight win streak.

Prediction: Natalia Silva via decision (odds not yet released)

MMAmania.com – All Posts

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Is Demetrious Johnson ready to make a definitive decision about the future of his fighting career?

Over the past 16 months, the reigning ONE Championship flyweight champion has been mulling retirement or possibly coming back for one more fight but he hasn’t said for certain which will happen. Johnson’s main focus lately has been competing in Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournaments, building his YouTube channel and continuing to expand his businesses outside the sport.

He said just recently that he wasn’t “officially retired” but admitted that MMA “is not on my mind right now.”

ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong can’t say with any certainty what Johnson is planning but he supports whatever decision the 38-year-old veteran makes.

“I talked to DJ nine months ago, six months ago and a month ago and I said hey, the ball’s in your court,” Sityodtong told MMA Fighting. “Whatever you want to do, we’ll support it. Nine months ago, he called me ‘hey Chatri, I want to make a run at gi jiu-jitsu, I want to try and compete in brown belt Worlds Masters.’ He obviously won that world championship. He just competed in the black belt Masters last weekend and got to the quarterfinals, which is unbelievable.

“I mean think about his resume as a martial artist. He’s an elite striker, an elite wrestler, an elite jiu-jitsu competitor and obviously the GOAT of mixed martial arts. But he is 38 and he’s literally not sparred in 18 months. I’m not pushing him or anything but the ball’s in his court. DJ’s in Denver. So let’s see what he says.”

On Friday, ONE Championship lands in Denver for ONE 168, which is the Singapore based promotion’s third card in the United States with a fourth planned in Atlanta in November.

Johnson is expected to attend the event as a special guest and Sityodtong teased that perhaps the former UFC champion will address his future during the show.

“I think DJ’s in Denver for a reason,” Sityodtong said. “I think people have got to ask him why he’s in Denver. Maybe DJ’s going to announce the biggest fight ever or maybe he’s going to retire. I don’t know but let’s see.”

Johnson has stated that for him to return to fighting, he would have to be enticed by the right opportunity.

Considering the long list of accomplishments that Johnson already has on his resume, Sityodtong understands why “Mighty Mouse” isn’t really interested in just facing the next person in line for his flyweight title.

That’s why Sityodtong believes it really comes down to finding a particular opponent that would draw Johnson’s interest enough for him to fight again.

“It has to be a very big, big fight that would move the needle,” Sityodtong said. “I don’t think he could just take a regular fight, a regular title defense. It would have to be something very special. Something unique.

“Something like the special rules fight he did with Rodtang [Jitmuangno], something crazy like that, that would get him adrenaline and goosebumps and ready to go.”

On the flipside, Sityodtong can’t argue with Johnson if he ultimately decides to call it a career and retire with the record setting resume he’s already built since first debuting back in 2006.

Johnson remains the longest reigning champion across any division in the UFC with 11 consecutive title defenses and that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his accomplishments.

He’s also claimed the ONE Flyweight Grand Prix title and then became ONE flyweight champion with a stunning knockout over Adriano Moraes to avenge his own loss to the Brazilian from the previous year. Johnson has done just about everything he’s ever wanted so Sityodtong understands if he just wants to hang up his gloves for good.

“The thing is he’s been there, done that,” Sityodtong said. “In the two largest organizations in the world, he’s been there, done that. He’s conquered the mountain of UFC and he’s conquered the mountain of ONE. The only person to do so, which is just incredible.

“He’s almost like those old Ronin warriors that would travel the world fighting anybody to prove that they’re the best. He is very special. We all know DJ is very special.”

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Israel Adesanya may have squashed the beef with Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305 but it hasn’t taken him long before getting back into a heated altercation.

“The Last Stylebender”, as he previously stated he would, went back to Nigeria after coming up short in Perth several weeks ago.

Though he hasn’t been back in New Zealand for long, city life in Auckland has quickly caught back up with him.

The former UFC middleweight champion hasn’t been known for getting into arguments or conflict with members of the general public but that’s exactly what was captured on video.

Israel Adesanya Gets Into A Heated Confrontation In New Zealand, Spits And Curses At A Man

A recently posted video shows Adesanya standing outside his McLaren 720S Spider, having a confrontation with an aggressive man who has walked over to the car.

The clip appears to capture the end of the interaction as it immediately starts with Adesanya already standing outside the vehicle, telling the person that he isn’t going to fight him for free – because it’s his job.

Whatever happened between them before the video started clearly got to “The Last Stylebender” who is very rarely this agitated. For his part, the man does motion towards Adesanya, flexing, as though he wants to fight him.

“I get paid for this s***, f*** off you little b****. That’s right, walk away, go drive your f****** beat up f****** s***.”

Adesanya continues to curse towards the man who continues to stand across from him.

The final seconds of the video sees the person recording drive past them as Adesanya spits towards the man he is arguing with before saying “I pray for you to try me, I’d pay for you to try me”, shutting his car door at the same time.

Read also: Merab Dvalishvili Clarifies Staph Status After He Is Interrupted Mid-Interview By UFC Doctors

Continue Reading Video: Israel Adesanya Confronts Aggressive Man, Urges Him to ‘Walk Away’ in Tense Altercation at MMA News.

MMA News

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Are we ready to see more champion vs. champion fights?

The vast majority of the community seems to say no. The “superfight era” came and went with double champions like Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, Henry Cejudo, and Amanda Nunes. More recent attempts saw featherweight’s Alexander Volkanovski try to make history against Islam Makhachev but came up short in both efforts last year. Light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira now finds himself with a world of possibilities after speedrunning his way to two-division champion status, albeit not simultaneously like the others.

Pereira, 37, surprised the MMA world this week by continuing to tease a pursuit of the middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis. The latter recently successfully defended his title for the first time with a fourth-round face crank against Pereira’s old rival Israel Adesanya last month. That win was the initial launching point for “Poatan” to tease a 185-pound return.

Amongst those anti-middleweight Pereira is one of his fellow former divisional champions Michael Bisping, who understands what the motive could be behind such a matchup. That doesn’t make him a fan of the idea, though.

“I don’t like it. Simple as that,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “Maybe Alex Pereira’s just messing around because even though he’s a serious son of a b*tch, he’s got a sense of humor. He’s very stoic, but I’m telling you, he’s a sarcastic guy and I get it. Maybe he’s trolling, but maybe he’s not. Maybe he’s trying to make the most money he can, take on the toughest opponents, and retire with millions and millions and millions of dollars in the bank. He’s probably going to do that anyway, but still.”

The timing of Pereira’s tease is odd as he’s got his next defense lined up against Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307 on Oct. 5. After that, there’s a ready and waiting Magomed Ankalaev in — or atop — the contender line, assuming he can get through Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308 at the end of October.

At a glance, it’s an oversight on the Brazilian striker’s part, which Bisping finds a risky game to play.

“He’s got people to fight already,” Bisping said. “He’s fighting Khalil Rountree. You cannot look past ‘Killer’ Khalil Rountree. He’s the kickboxer killer. He really is. Think about this: He beat Gokhan Saki, very good kickboxer that came to MMA. Dustin Jacoby, very good Glory Kickboxer that came to MMA. Could he do the same to Alex Pereira? I don’t know. It’s a tough ask, but I tell you what, don’t underestimate the man.”

“After that [if he wins], he’s gotta fight Magomed Ankalaev. He ain’t happy about this. He’s going absolutely mental online. … He might have a point. We want to see great champions — and Alex Pereira is a great champion make no mistake — we want to see them take on all comers in their division. Also, prove that they can beat all these different types of styles. Magomed Ankalaev on paper is a very, very tough stylistic matchup because of the Dagestani wrestling. If you look at Pereira, he’s had kind of a favorable path. I’m not talking sh*t, I’m just talking facts.”

Luckily for Bisping and detractors of the clash, Du Plessis doesn’t sound keen on the idea of defending against Pereira because of the excuses he’d expect to come after a win. Therefore, he and his coach have already expressed that they’d prefer the fight to see him challenge Pereira at 205 pounds if it does happen.

Ultimately, the prospect of Pereira vs. Du Plessis isn’t likely for 2024 as UFC 307 is around the corner and Du Plessis is expected to rematch another former champion, Sean Strickland, in his next title defense.

For Bisping’s money, that’s probably a better distance to keep for Pereira anyway.

“If Pereira can’t take the best shot from ‘Izzy’ at 185, he probably can’t take the best shot from Dricus at 185 either,” Bisping said. “It means the stock’s gonna drop, simple as that, and it’s going to affect his buying power going forward. Just going down to 185 doesn’t make the most sense for him. Been there, done it, got the T-shirt.

“Go to heavyweight if you truly want to become a three-division champion. What an achievement that would be.”

TOP STORIES

Answers. UFC mailbag: Jon Jones, Belal Muhammad, and the meritocracy of title contention

Reaction. Matt Brown scoffs at Jon Jones’ legacy becoming tainted if he doesn’t fight Tom Aspinall

Delay. Sabah Homasi still waiting on full payment for medical bills from Bellator fight in Sept. 2023

Legals. Ex-UFC fighter Casey Kenney pleads not guilty, released on bond awaiting trial in January

Options. Dana White reacts to Alex Pereira wanting to drop back down to middleweight

Hit. UFC Vegas 97 loses Ovince Saint Preux vs. Ryan Spann due to illness

Legacy. Fight legend Rickson Gracie’s life story being adapted into a feature film

Postitive. PFL heavyweight, ex-UFC fighter Blagoy Ivanov suspended 22 months for failed drug test

LET’S WATCH

MMA Fighting’s 2024 UFC Fantasy Draft.

Dana White’s Post-Contender Series Scrum.

Not just grapplers.

Contender Series highlights.

Burns’ Fight Week.

Chimaev training.

MORNING MUSIC

Go to Twitter, use the #MorningReport hashtag, or find one of my tweets with it, and drop me a jam you’re currently really into. I’ll pick the best one alongside my daily choice and give you a shoutout! You can also share in the comments below — those are just harder to sift through sometimes!

This month’s full playlist:

SOCIAL SCROLL DOWN

A pick-off!

Oh, Jon…

Good company.

Kai looms.

Nomad.

Hacked.

The circus is alive.

Work it out.

The tease.

Troll mode.

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Cody Haddon (7-1) vs. Dan Argueta (9-2); UFC Vegas 98, Oct. 12

Joselyne Edwards (13-6) vs. Tamires Vidal (7-3); UFC Vegas 99, Oct. 19

Rayanne Dos Santos (14-8) vs. Alice Ardelean (9-6); UFC Vegas 99, Oct. 19

FINAL THOUGHTS

The matchup between Alex and “DDP” would be fun but it’s completely unnecessary. Let these guys defend and if they’re still champs after five defenses, let’s talk.

Thanks for reading!

EXIT POLL

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

MMA Fighting – All Posts

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts