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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

UFC Edmonton went down this past weekend and a couple of very notable results happened. In the main event, Brandon Moreno broke his losing streak, dominating Amir Albazi in a sensational performance for the former champion, while in the co-main event, Erin Blanchfield also got back in the win column, albeit by eking out a win over former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas.

So with a lot to talk about, let’s dive right in to this week’s questions.

Brandon Moreno

“Thoughts on the fact that Moreno put on a masterclass but didn’t even get a bonus?”

“Masterclass” is the correct word for what Moreno did to Albazi on Saturday; he won that fight pillar to post. Credit to Albazi who despite being clearly outclassed still hung tough, even surviving a couple of scares in there, but that was one of those one-sided performances that really puts into perspective the gap between Albazi and the top tier of the weight class.

It was also a stark reminder of how small the margins are in MMA. Moreno was on a two-fight losing streak heading into this weekend and as such was almost an afterthought. But those losses were contentious split decisions and in another universe, Moreno is still the UFC flyweight champion. On any given night he can perform like the best in the world.

As for not getting a bonus, it’s to be expected. Though “performance” is open ended enough to mean anything, the Performance of the Night bonuses are derived from the old Knockout and Submission of the Night awards, and the UFC treats them as such, which is fine. Jasmine Jasudavicius, Dustin Stoltzfus, Charles Jourdain, and Youssef Zalal all probably could use the $ 50,000 more than Moreno.

Rose Namajunas

“If ‘Thug Rose’ didn’t get to cocky and attempt a takedown on the heavier grappler, would Blanchfield’s low Fight IQ lose her the fight?”

Man, I sure thought it was going to.

It’s no secret that I’ve been extremely high on Blanchfield as a prospect. I’ve got a lot of Take Equity stored up in her becoming champion one day. And for 10-plus minutes on Saturday, I was calling my Take Broker to scout options for dumping my stock.

Simply put, Blanchfield was atrocious for the first two rounds of that fight. I have no idea what the plan was, but I simply cannot imagine the plan was “willingly engage in a long-range, low-volume kickboxing match with Rose” because that would be among the dumbest game plans ever created. And it’s not like Rose was forcing Blanchfield out of her comfort zone, Blanchfield just didn’t try to do anything other than get sniped. It was maddeningly bad, and I still cannot figure out why she did it.

HOWEVER, I take issue with the idea that Rose “got cocky” with her takedown attempt. Rose got forced into that takedown attempt, because in the third round, Blanchfield started fighting. Namajunas has never liked to be in fire fights, and after punting the first two rounds, Blanchfield decided to start walking into the line of fire and exchanging. Although she also got hit a bunch, Blanchfield started landing and tagged Rose, leading her to look for an escape route with the takedown. I don’t think that was necessarily bad Fight IQ from Rose, but a good adjustment from Blanchfield.

That being said, there was one instance earlier in the fight that I’ve re-thought quite a bit, and while I don’t think it’s “bad Fight IQ” per se, I do think it’s instructive of where Namajunas is in her career and up at flyweight.

In the second round, Rose hits a trip on Blanchfield and ends up in side control, but instead of holding the position and working, Namajunas immediately stands up and retreats to striking range. Part of me can understand the thinking there of not engaging with the grappler, but another part of me believes that’s a sign of a legitimate issue with Namajunas at this stage of her career: she doesn’t fight to win, she fights not to lose.

If you go back and watch the Carla Esparza rematch (don’t do that to yourself, it’s terrible) that fight is really just two women completely unwilling to risk losing, so neither does much of anything, and frankly, that’s no way to be a professional fist fighter. I’m not saying everyone has to become Justin Gaethje, but passivity is a deadly sin in this game and Namajunas really seems to have that in her now, especially when she’s facing someone who can clearly threaten her.

I don’t know where Rose goes from here, but if she can’t get that spark back, I think we’ve probably seen the end of fun Namajunas fights and her title aspirations.

Erin Blanchfield

“She’s still only 25, but how long until Blanchfield’s reliance on her toughness as opposed to learning striking defense becomes a concern?”

It’s already a concern, though not the biggest one I have at this moment.

Blanchfield is a terrible striker, full stop. It’s not just her defense, it’s her offense as well. For as comfortable and effortless as Blanchfield looks on the ground, she looks physically uncomfortable and uncoordinated striking. Like a newborn baby deer stumbling around on legs it’s just figuring out are hers, that’s Blanchfield when it comes to striking.

Right now, the only reason Blanchfield’s striking can be effective is, as you pointed out, because she’s pretty tough and she’s willing to take one to give one. But that sort of brawling mentality goes a long way, especially in a weight class where there are maybe a half-dozen people who can really crack. Honestly, if I were coaching her (and let me stress this: I am not a coach, I am a moron) I’d work on building her offense because that’s a more critical piece of the puzzle right now. Give Blanchfield some real weapons she can rely on on the feet and the defense can get sorted out later.

But the thing that most concerns me about Blanchfield right now is how disjointed her game is. Blanchfield is a great grappler and a solid wrestler and athlete, but none of it works together. She does not blend the martial arts, she engages in them separately at each stage and so both are lessened dramatically by that. Nobody would ever confuse Khabib Nurmagomedov with an elite striker, but he had enough tools there to compete and his striking game was entirely catered to serve his grappling. That’s what Blanchfield needs and instead she has a great Plan A and limited ways to impose it.

The upper bounds of women’s flyweight has people who can match the physicality Blanchfield brings to bear. We saw that in the Manon Fiorot fight, and to some extent, we saw that on Saturday. Blanchfield is not the sort of hyper-athlete that can just run over even the best fighters, so she needs to get a cohesive offensive sorted out sooner rather than later or she’ll never win the title.

Callout

“Asking as a Blanchfield fan, how does a fight against Alexa Grasso go for her? Was that the right callout?”

In case you missed it, Blanchfield called for a fight with Alexa Grasso next, and I while I initially liked it, I’ve cooled on the idea with more time to think about it, at least promotionally.

Fiorot has the next shot at Valentina Shevchenko, but after that, the title picture is pretty empty. A win over Grasso would definitely put Blanchfield in line for the next title shot, but if Grasso wins and so does Shevchenko, now the UFC just killed off a contender for a fight that we really do not need to see again.

Instead, Blanchfield should fight Maycee Barber. This is obviously dependent on Barber being healthy enough to compete, and for the moment, that seems like it may not be the case. But if she can solve whatever issues she’s facing, Blanchfield vs. Barber makes the most sense as a no-doubt-about-it No. 1 contender fight.

That being said, if Barber doesn’t work out and the Grasso fight is what happens, that’s not a terrible consolation prize. And I’m genuinely interested in the matchup. Historically, Grasso is a bad defensive wrestler, which lines up well for Blanchfield, but Blanchfield is so one-track at this point, that should help Grasso prepare and make things tough on Blanchfield. Valentina Shevchenko took Grasso down a billion times because she’s a physical monster AND she’s dangerous on the feet. Blanchfield doesn’t have that same threat so Grasso has a very good chance against her.

Youssef Zalal

“How good is Youssef Zalal? I admit I didn’t pay much attention to his 1st run in the UFC but 3 subs in his last 3 fights is impressive, along with the fact he took Ilia Topuria the distance back in 2020…who would you book him against next?”

Seems pretty good!

Zalal is a lock for making the 2024 All-Violence Team with three finishes and two bonuses in three fights, and it just goes to show that sometimes the best thing for a career can be to leave the UFC. Development isn’t linear and it’s not the same for every fighter, and the regional circuit can be extremely good for building a fighter back up after a tough run. Just look at Zalal.

As for who he should fight next, let’s go with the winner of the Nate Landwehr vs. Doo Ho Choi fight at UFC 310.

LONG TIME

“UFC cards feel like they are getting longer, and in some cases, they are. Your solution?”

Per the great Mike Bohn, UFC Edmonton ended with 3:06:38 of total fight time, the third-longest in UFC history. And I’ll be honest, it felt like that.

Fights were on for seven hours and Saturday frankly, parts of it felt like an eternity. It’s not necessarily anyone’s fault but a lot of that card was competent yet unmemorable. It’s like that line from Ocean’s 11 where Brad Pitt tells Matt Damon the bad guy needs to like you and then forget about you immediately. The UFC Edmonton undercard was the Linus of fight cards.

And in my mind there are only two ways to “fix” this. The first is to bring pageantry back into the production to break things up and keep it feeling fresh. But we know that’s never going to happen, so the other option is to have fewer fights.

13 fights is a lot of fights. Hell, it’s a lot of anything (other than rice). 10 fights is a nice round number that’s hard to feel bad about. Part of the reason I like Contender Series so much is that it’s five fights, and we’re done. In the absence of pageantry, efficiency rules. And on Saturday, I was definitely wishing for a little more efficiency.

Thanks for reading, and thank you for everyone who sent in tweets (Xs?)! Do you have any burning questions about things at least somewhat related to combat sports? Then you’re in luck, because you can send your tweets to me, @JedKMeshew, and I will answer my favorite ones! Doesn’t matter if they’re topical or insane, just so long as they are good. Thanks again, and see y’all next week.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

The UFC is looking to get on the road more often in 2025.

For the past several years, a major talking point among MMA fans has been the rise of the UFC APEX. Built in 2019, the APEX became one of the UFC’s primary event venues during the COVID-19 pandemic as promotion continued to put on shows during the lockdown. However even after the lockdowns ended, the APEX remains a fixture of the UFC rotation to the dislike of some fans. But that may be changing soon.

This past Saturday, UFC Edmonton took place and per the promotion it broke the record for highest-grossing UFC Fight Night event in North American history. This comes on the heels of similar performances when the promotion visited other locations like Denver and Louisville earlier this year, and speaking with reporters after the event, UFC Vice President David Shaw told reporters that this continued success will lead to some changes for how often the UFC goes on the road in 2025.

“Yeah, there will be [more events on the road],” Shaw said. “There will be an increased number of events outside of the APEX relative to this year as we get into the 2025 schedule.”

This weekend marks the UFC’s 100th event in the APEX and will be the promotion’s 17th trip there this year. The promotion also used the APEX 17 times in 2023, down from the 21 times they held events there in 2022.

But while Shaw envisions a world where the UFC relies less heavily on the APEX, he also made it clear that things will not return to the pre-COVID era where every show was somewhere different.

“It’s tough for us to anticipate what two or three years down the road looks like, but it makes a lot of sense for a lot of reasons,” Shaw explained. “There’s a lot of fighters in Vegas, it’s easy for us operationally, it’s simple from a budgetary perspective. The rigor and the pressure and how laborious it can be to be on the road… It’s tough.

“So I think having home games and being in the APEX where we can just turn off the lights and lock the door, it makes a lot of sense for us. So will we ever get back to pre-COVID or no APEX? I don’t think so. But I think we’re going to find the right balance for us.”

And according to Shaw, more road shows does not just mean more opportunity for American fans to attend events. With the UFC’s media rights deal ending next year, Shaw says that more international trips is part of the promotion’s longterm planning as well.

“Are there more plans? Yes. We’re going to be back in the U.K. next year,” Shaw said “… Then as we get through next year which is sort of the last year of our current media deal in the U.S. and we start to plan out what we want to do in 2026 and beyond in terms of the number of international events we can have, the intention is to be able to go back to Europe more often.”

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Don’t expect Stipe Miocic to lose any sleep over the criticism that he’s getting a fight against Jon Jones at UFC 309 after a three-plus year long absence while interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is left waiting in the wings.

Never mind the fact that Miocic was booked for this same exact fight almost exactly one year ago until a torn pectoral muscle knocked Jones off the card, but the former heavyweight champion reminds anybody complaining that he’s not the matchmaker. As much as Miocic has always wanted the fight against Jones, it’s still up to the UFC to book these fights and that’s completely out of his control.

“It wasn’t my choice,” Miocic told MMA Fighting. “It’s a fight I wanted, and the UFC gave it to me. They didn’t have to. They gave it to me.”

Of course, Aspinall would surely disagree after he’s amassed an impressive 8-1 resume in the UFC with all of his wins coming by knockout or submission inside two rounds.

Perhaps the biggest difference with Miocic is the legacy he’s built as arguably the greatest heavyweight in UFC history after breaking the record for the most title defenses in the division (three total). Miocic takes nothing away from Aspinall, but he ultimately believes his fight against Jones just means more to the sport.

“I believe so [there’s a reason why it’s happening],” Miocic said. “I believe people want to see that. I think a lot more people want to see the fight than him fight Aspinall.

“[Tom Aspinall is] tough. He hits hard. Big boy. It’s what people want, he knocks people out.”

Beyond Aspinall lurking around the corner, Miocic also faces a growing narrative that he’s destined to lose with his last fight coming all the way back in 2021 when he suffered a knockout to Francis Ngannou.

While Miocic pushed for a trilogy against Ngannou right away with the heavyweights tied at one win a piece, the UFC never ended up booking the fight. Ngannou only fought for the UFC one more time before suffering a torn ACL in his knee and then leaving the promotion in free agency.

That’s when attention shifted towards Jones after he repeatedly called for the chance to face Miocic with hopes of cementing his status as the greatest fighter in the history of the sport.

Miocic understands the task he’s undertaking with a fight against Jones after such a long layoff but don’t expect him to lay down and play dead just because some loud voices in the sport are saying he can’t win. The 42-year-old Cleveland native admits there’s a time when hearing that might have bothered him, but these days he just doesn’t pay attention to what anybody says much less let it get to him.

“I don’t listen to anything on the outside,” Miocic said. “I used to when I was younger, when I started I was like why would you say that? How dare you? I was real sensitive. I literally stopped caring anymore. I don’t care what anyone says. I really don’t care.”

Perhaps the other biggest storyline surrounding the UFC 309 main event are the persistent rumors that win, lose or draw, there’s a word where both Miocic and Jones call it a career afterwards.

Jones hasn’t exactly hidden the fact that he’s got nothing left to prove, and he’s hinted at retirement numerous times when addressing his future after facing Miocic on Nov. 16.

Meanwhile, Miocic hasn’t said nearly as much because he just doesn’t really engage on social media and he rarely grants interviews leading up to his fights.

So where exactly does he stand on this whole retirement talk after facing Jones?

“I think every fight, I’m always preparing for my last one,” Miocic said. “I always thought about retiring after my first UFC fight. I say that all the time. Who wants to get beat up for 10 weeks, 12 weeks, come back and do it again?

“I love what I do and it’s fun. So we’ll see but right now my task at hand is Jon. That’s all I care about. That’s what I’m thinking about.”

That said, Miocic clearly envisions winning, and he couldn’t fathom a much better way to end his career than becoming the first person to legitimately beat Jon Jones.

“When I do beat him, it’s going to be great,” Miocic said. “100 percent [that would be a great exclamation point on the career].”

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Big Names
| BJPenn.com

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.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul is almost upon us, and the takes are starting to fly.

On Nov. 15, Tyson and Paul face off in an eight-round boxing match broadcast live on Netflix that figures to be one of the biggest combat sports events of the year. The fight was originally supposed to take place in July until the 58-year-old Tyson suffered a medical issue, delaying the event.

The incident led many to question whether this fight should even take place given the 30 year age difference between Paul and Tyson, but for at least one combat luminary, that age gap is the thing that makes the fight interesting.

Speaking with TMZ Sports over the weekend, Paul’s former opponent Tyron Woodley said he believes the bout is actually close, because of Tyson’s advanced age.

“It’s a very even fight, to be honest,” Woodley said. “It’s even because of the age of Mike Tyson. I think it’s an even fight because of the age of Mike Tyson. He’s completely, obviously, out of his prime. In his prime most of his fights were almost attempted murder, so literally Jake wouldn’t have stood a chance. Nobody would even commission or sanction a fight between him and Mike Tyson.”

While Tyson certainly was one of the most feared fighters on the planet in his prime, that was almost 35 years ago. Tyson has no competed professionally since 2005 and was last seen in the ring four years ago for an exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr.

Meanwhile, Paul has had 10 professional boxing bouts in the at time, winning six of them by knockout, including a devastating finish of Tyron Woodley in their rematch in 2021. Most recently, Paul stopped BKFC star Mike Perry back in July. That was just the latest instance of what Woodley says is Paul choosing his opponents wisely.

“Jake’s always on a win-win situation,” Woodley said. “He’s fighting guys that if he loses, ‘He lost to this guy. You lost to Tyron, you lost to Anderson Silva, you lost to [Nate] Diaz.’ So he’s always in a position where if he wins he goes up, if he loses it’s like, OK, he took a risk, he took a chance.”

Paul does not appear to be taking much of a chance this time around as he’s currently a considerable betting favorite over Tyson. Still, as the old adage goes, anything can happen in the ring and so come fight night, Woodley intends to be ringside to find out exactly what happens.

“I like the fight. I’ll be at the fight,” Woodley said. “I was originally fighting on the card. We couldn’t find a formidable opponent that made sense. So now it’s just to support the event and be a part of a big event in combat sports.”

Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul takes place on Nov. 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

TOP STORIES

ICYMI. Michael “Venom” Page and Carlos Condit threw down on the Polaris mats and it was fun! | Live Blog | Highlights

Back At It. Brandon Moreno put on a vintage performance to snap a two-fight skid at UFC Edmonton. | Live Blog | Highlights | Pros React

Decisions. Belal Muhammad gives his side of the story regarding his withdrawal from UFC 310.

The End? Coach Brandon Gibson is preparing Jon Jones for what could be the last fight of his legendary career.

Limits. Even Alex Pereira can’t save the UFC 310 main event.

Missed Fists. One of the most disturbing KOs of 2024. Viewer discretion is advised.

HUZZAH. The Ultimate Fighter is back!

Happy Trails. All-time wrestling great David Taylor went out in style.

VIDEO STEW

UFC Edmonton post-fight show.

Coach Brandon Gibson and Damon Martin.

Classic.

Never forget your first.

FLAVOR IN YOUR EAR

On to the Next One. Matches to make after UFC Edmonton.

SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Amir Albazi.

Michael Chandler appears to be in great shape.

One of many tributes to a beloved member of the UFC family.

It’s real out there.

Iron Arse.

Late, but worth it.

Six out of nine ain’t bad!

That’s, like, $ 1 million CAD.

Just kidding!

Truth.

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Marcin Tybura (25-9) vs. Jhonata Diniz (8-0); UFC 309, Nov. 16

Ian Machado Garry (15-0) vs. Joaquin Buckley (20-6); UFC Tampa, Dec. 14

FINAL THOUGHTS

I guess I could always be wrong, but I truly have no idea why there are people out there who think Tyson vs. Paul could be close. This is a thing that shouldn’t even be sanctioned and will probably make us all very sad. But if you’re one of the believers, let me know why you think so in the comments. — Meshew

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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