CombatSports.org

UFC

Plinio Cruz explains what it was like to get “Poatan” ready for a fight in two weeks and how they mentally prepared their fighter for UFC 303.

Alex Pereira did it again, stepping up on short notice to save another massive Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) card. From UFC 295 to UFC 300 to UFC 303, when UFC needs a main event, it calls “Poatan.”

Even if he has broken toes and it’s on two weeks notice.

For Pereira’s coach and translator, Plinio Cruz, the decision to fight was an easy one. He knew his pupil was ready, and his main job was maintaining the confidence and mindset of “Poatan” through International Fight Week leading into his UFC 303 fight with Jiri Prochazka (which he’d win by second round knockout).

“The way that we drew the plan to come to this fight week was to not feel too responsible for this thing,” Cruz explained on The MMA Hour. “Like, when the fight was booked, he looked at me and said, ‘Okay, how are you gonna do this?’ I say, ‘This time, we’re not gonna get no Airbnb. We’re not gonna get a big house. We’re not gonna bring a whole entourage. It’s gonna be me, you, Glover, the corners, and the boys.’

“‘We’re gonna stay in the fighter’s hotel, we’re gonna go over there like we’re gonna fight on the undercard,” he added. “We’re gonna win this fight, go back home.’

“I told him with these exact words,” he continued. “Sometimes, you have enough time to look at the blueprint of the bank, check the cameras, and plan a bank robbery. Or sometimes, you just give your your friends a gun, tell them to hop in the car, and let’s just go rob a bank together.”

Pereira was extremely relaxed coming into this fight — to the point where cameras caught him and his team dancing in the locker room before their fight. Cruz credits this to everyone knowing they were properly prepared.

“Once you’re confident that you did everything right, even though it was two weeks, he did not slack. He was training. And throughout fight week, since the fight was announced in Australia until the fight, he started to really get into becoming more experienced, like as the world champion.”

“He’s not arrogant, but it’s a level of confidence and the positive vibe that we build around us,” Cruz explained. “We are a small team, but we have a big circle of power. You know what I mean? We are a strong circle of power, so the bond, I think, makes everything like that.”

So, what’s next for Pereira, according to his coach?

“Take a break, enjoy the summer,” he said. “Because right now, if you see, it’s not only two fights. Since November, he fought three times already. So that’s starting [to wear] on the body. And I said, ‘Bro, just enjoy being a world champion for a little bit. Let’s not rush. Let’s train. Let’s keep training.’”

But, as we’ve noted before, a “Poatan” break isn’t all that long.

“Alex Pereira is definitely fighting in the second semester of 2024,” Cruz declared. “100 percent.”

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 303: “Pereira vs. Prochazka 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

MMAmania.com – All Posts

submitted by /u/metanoia09 [link] [comments]

MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Ian Machado Garry wants to set the record straight with Shavkat Rakhmonov.

This past Saturday, Garry secured his eighth straight UFC win, taking a unanimous decision over Michael Page on the main card of UFC 303. The win moved Garry to 15-0 in his MMA career, and afterward, “The Future” threw out a possible matchup with fellow undefeated contender and former training partner Rakhmonov as his next possible fight. Speaking on The MMA Hour on Monday, Garry explained what he likes about the matchup.

“I’ve trained with Shavkat,” Garry said. “I’ve got nothing but respect for Shavkat and everything that he’s done. For someone to be 18-0 and have 18 finishes, it’s pretty remarkable. What I don’t want is for him to fight anyone else and lose that 0. I want to be the guy that, if someone’s going to take it, let it be me. That’s the challenge that I see.

“When I look at Shavkat, he’s by far the most dangerous guy in the entire division at the moment, other than, with respect, the champion. But he’s the most feared at the moment — 18-0, 18 finishes. We’ve not seen anyone cause [him] much trouble. Geoff Neal and him had a great fight back in December. But the point is, that’s the opponent I want to look toward. That’s the excitement I’m ready for, fights like him. That build-up, that skill set — where is he going to try and beat me? Is he going to try and beat me on the feet or is he going to try out-grappling? If so, I need to get better in both areas, because I want to beat him in both areas.

“These are the fights that excite me, and beating someone like Shavkat and taking his 0, it excites me. It gets me hyped.”

For his part, Rakhmonov seems willing. Following Garry’s callout, Rakhmonov tweeted a response, suggesting he got the better of Garry in their training sessions and wouldn’t mind reminding Garry about that. But Garry says that’s not really what happened.

“I don’t know what he’s talking about,” Garry said. “There was one. There was one I remember. We were tippy-tapping. We had a fight on the same night. It was when he fought Geoff Neal and I fought Kenan Song, and [Kill Cliff FC coach] Henri Hooft came over to me and goes, ‘I understand you two are both competitors, you both have a fight, both you are on the same team, go f*cking light. I want you to just touch each other, keep active, give each other good looks, and that sort of thing.’

“We sat there and we were playing around, moving, being good training partners, and I threw a right body kick at him and caught it, and he stepped back and looked at me and went BOOM [punching motion] to the f*cking rib. I was like, ‘You dirty littly c*nt! [Smiling.] You f*cker, you just took the wind out of my rib.’ I was like, ‘Alright, come on,’ but Henri said, ‘Stop it. Don’t be f*cking around, you two.’ It was playful, it was fun, but that’s it.”

On top of this story, Garry also acknowledged that Rakhmonov got the better of him during their grappling sessions together; however, Garry says that was more than a year ago and things are different now. Besides, Garry believes he has his own advantages as well, which is what makes the fight so compelling.

“When it comes to striking, I’m faster than him, I’m more technical than him, I’m more talented than him,” Garry said. “Is he amazing? Is he fearless? Absolutely. But I know for a fact, if this fight’s on the feet, I’m the one with the advantage.

“When it comes to grappling? He absolutely had the grappling advantage over me when we trained. He was a far superior grappler. I say ‘was’ because I’ve been doing a majority of work in Brazil focusing on becoming a far superior grappler.

“So the fight, to me, it’s exciting, it’s interesting. I know where he’s good, he knows where I’m good — let’s go out there and have some fun and put on a show for the fans. It’s not often you see undefeated vs. undefeated at this high of a level in the division. The only way I see it being better is if he’s the world champion and I can take his 0 when he’s got the belt.”

Whether or not the fight happens next is still very up in the air. Rakhmonov appears to be next in line for a title shot against the winner of the upcoming rematch between Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad at UFC 304. But if that doesn’t happen for some reason, Garry says a fight between the two of them is a perfect No. 1 contender matchup.

“I think it has to be,” Garry said. “I would love two more fights before fighting for the belt, but if the opportunity to fight Shavkat is there, if the opportunity to go out there and take that 0, finish him, dominate him, get my hand raised in any way, shape, or form, I think it has to be a No. 1 contender spot. I think it has to be the winner of the fight goes and fights for the belt next.”

MMA Fighting – All Posts

UFC 303 is in the books, meaning attention will soon turn to the mixed martial arts leader’s next pay-per-view offering.

The promotion was in Las Vegas, Nevada, last week, where the T-Mobile Arena played host to a number of intriguing matchups for International Fight Week. Of note were victories for UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira, fast-rising featherweight fan favorite Diego Lopes, and undefeated welterweight Ian Garry.

While the aftermath of the June 29 card is currently the talk of the town, it won’t be long until focus sways to the next PPV, and from the light heavyweight title picture to the 170-pound championship conversation.

At UFC 304, set for the newly built Co-op Live in Manchester, England, on July 27, reigning welterweight kingpin Leon Edwards will make the walk for the first time this year, making his third defense of the gold in a rematch against Belal Muhammad.

There will also be title stakes between familiar opponents in the co-headliner, as interim heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall runs it back with Curtis Blaydes two years on from his devastating knee injury opposite “Razor” just 15 seconds into their UFC Fight Night main event in London.

Pimblett, Mokaev, Allen Set The Stage For Title Headliners At UFC 304

Before Edwards and Aspinall defend their championships on home soil in the main and co-main events, respectively, a number of other high-profile Brits will take to the Octagon looking to make the post of their position on the major card.

That includes up-and-coming lightweight Paddy Pimblett, who gets his toughest test to date in the form of the #15-ranked Bobby Green. After extending his unbeaten UFC record to 5-0 by getting the better of Tony Ferguson, the Liverpool native has the chance to break through into the top 15 against “King,” who most recently outpointed Jim Miller on the milestone UFC 300 card this past April.

Prior to that, Dagestan-born Brit Muhammad Mokaev will look to stake his claim for a first shot at the flyweight gold when he meets former Rizin champion Manel Kape. “The Young Punisher” most recently edged past ex-title challenger Alex Perez at the Apex in March. “Starboy,” meanwhile, hasn’t competed since a victory at UFC 293 in Sydney last September, with a weight miss and injury subsequently scrapping his two scheduled rematches with Matheus Nicolau this year.

Another local favorite will open the main card, with Ipswich native Arnold Allen looking to get back on track. Following a valiant effort in defeat against Max Holloway in Kansas City last April, “Almighty” fell on the wrong side of a tight and debated decision opposite Movsar Evloev at UFC 297 in Toronto, Canada, this past January. To bounce back, Allen must halt the resurgence of striking specialist Giga Chikadze, who most recently returned to winning ways at the expense of Alex Caceres in Singapore last August.

See below for the full UFC 304 card, as it stands.

Main Card:

• Leon Edwards (C) vs. Belal Muhammad (welterweight championship main event)
• Tom Aspinall (C) vs. Curtis Blaydes  (interim heavyweight championship co-main event)
• Bobby Green vs. Paddy Pimblett (lightweight)
• Muhammad Mokaev vs. Manel Kape (flyweight)
• Arnold Allen vs. Giga Chikadze (featherweight)

Preliminary Card:

• Nathaniel Wood vs. Daniel Pineda (featherweight)
• Molly McCann vs. Bruna Brasil (women’s strawweight)
• Caolán Loughran vs. Ramon Tavares (bantamweight)
• Mick Parkin vs. Łukasz Brzeski (heavyweight)

Early Preliminary Card:

• Oban Elliott vs. Preston Parsons (welterweight)
• Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Gregory Rodrigues (middleweight)
• Sam Patterson vs. Kiefer Crosbie (welterweight)
• Shauna Bannon vs. Ravena Oliveira (women’s strawweight)
• Modestas Bukauskas vs. Marcin Prachnio (light heavyweight) 

• Read More: 6 Positives & 3 Negatives From UFC 303: Alex Pereira vs. Jiří Procházka 2

Continue Reading What’s Next After UFC 303? Full Confirmed UFC 304 Main Card For Manchester On July 27 at MMA News.

MMA News

submitted by /u/metanoia09 [link] [comments]

MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

No one wants former two-division champion Conor McGregor to return more than Michael Chandler.  “Iron” last fought in November 2022.  He and McGregor were opposing coaches on The Ultimate Fighter 31 which began filming in February 2023 and aired in May through August last summer.  A fight between McGregor and Chandler has been in the works for well over a year.  Chandler has opted to wait for McGregor to be ready to fight instead of accepting a bout against a different opponent.

“For me, the last year and a half since I got the call in January of 2022 about The Ultimate Fighter, there was a little bit of certainty there doing The Ultimate Fighter.  Originally it was, hey we’re going to fight in September after the show.  Obviously we know how that played out,” explained Chandler during a media crum at UFC 303.  

“We got booked for the following June.  The last couple of weeks I honestly was just living in it.  The press conference gets canceled…  Then it was just rumors, the rumor mill.  With an organization, a worldwide organization as big as the UFC, people are going to talk.  People are going to speculate,” Chandler continued.  “All the way up until the last moment when I got the call, Conor’s never pulled out of a fight whether it was an injury, whether it was whatever the circumstances.  I stayed positive and stayed training and then I got the phone call.”

When McGregor eventually does return, Chandler has no doubt that he’ll be the Irishman’s opponent.  He was adamant that McGregor’s road back to the UFC runs through him.

Related: Jiri Prochazka questions retirement after UFC 303 defeat

“I’m not really that worried about it.  Conor can’t, at this point, and I’ve said this publicly, I’m not letting him off the hook,” Chandler said.  “He’d love to come back and fight someone other than Michael Chandler with what I bring to the octagon.  I think there’s no way he comes back to the UFC and doesn’t fight me.  

“If I do pivot, if there are other names being thrown out, if there are huge fights that I can go ahead and pivot and take, whenever he is ready to come back his road back to the UFC goes straight through Nashville, Tennessee and Michael Chandler.  And that’s it.”

Chandler cited ‘sources close to Conor’ and gave a timeframe for when he believes McGregor will return.  According to Chandler, McGregor making the walk to the octagon could be just around the corner.  

“Sources close to Conor I’m sure know that he’s going to be ready in September, August,” said Chandler.    

MMAWeekly.com | UFC and MMA News, Results, Rumors, and Videos

submitted by /u/metanoia09 [link] [comments]

MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Matchmaking
| BJPenn.com

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

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

2024 might just be the year of Alex Pereira.

“Poatan” picked up his second Light Heavyweight title defense over the weekend by knocking out Jiri Prochazka (watch here), stepping up on short-notice to save the UFC 303 fight card … not long after he stepped up to headline UFC 300 with an equally devastating KO! Pereira has headlined two of the year’s most high-profile cards to massive results, building himself into one of the sport’s biggest stars in the last six months.

It’s certainly been a very lucrative year so far.

Perhaps Pereira isn’t done adding to his legacy in 2024? Prior to UFC 303, Pereira spoke about taking a couple months off, because he has been fighting at a very hectic pace by elite MMA standards. He may have changed his plans, however, as Pereira is already back in the gym! In the video above, Pereira spars in a controlled fashion with his partner, as well as doing other live technical drills like trading combo-for-combo.

Maybe October against Magomed Ankalaev is a possibility? Pereira barely took a shot against Prochazka, and by his standards, a trip to Abu Dhabi in the fall isn’t that quick of a turnaround.

The other interesting angle here is that Pereira is possibly medically suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). The UFC 303 medical suspension information hasn’t been publicly released yet, but it’s fairly standard for commissions to advise no contact for a week even in clear-cut, punishment-free victories like Pereira’s knockout win over Prochazka.

Maybe they’re aware “Poatan” is simply built different.

Insomnia

I’m now fully a believer in Alex Pereira magic, “Poatan” power, and his Light Heavyweight reign. I’m done picking against him. Pereira forever.

Do we get a knockout or the worst fight of the night? Classic undercard Heavyweight MMA booking.

Regardless of intent, this quote is hilariously disrespectful. Renato Moicano is really good! He has better wins than Turner by a fair margin!

Mark Hunt does not have strong expectations for the UFC Sphere.

A great show of respect from Dan Ige and Diego Lopes.

Sean Strickland beating up a tired sparring partner:

Some fight fans need a second hobby.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Good read on the uppercut, Bigdash was ducking when met with the cross.

Left hand counter shot completely finished this fight; the rest of the combo was just for show.

At 16-0 with 13 stoppage wins, just how good is Magomed Umalatov?

Random Land

I genuinely didn’t know ouroboros was more than a symbol, something that happened in reality.

Midnight Music: Soft rock, 1970

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

MMAmania.com – All Posts