UFC

This weekend (Sat., March 30, 2024), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ventures forth to Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., for UFC Atlantic City. A funny thing happens when UFC takes the show on the road and out of the Apex: the cards are better! I’m not trying to sell UFC AC as pay-per-view (PPV) quality, but it’s got a main event featuring two Top 5-ranked fighters, a co-main event certified banger, and one former champion to round out the main card.

It’s a step up!

Let’s dig into all the main card fights leading up to the co-main event:

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Middleweight: Chris Weidman (+215) vs. Bruno Silva (-305)

Best Win for Weidman? Anderson Silva For Silva? Brad Tavares
Current Streak: Both have lost two in a row
X-Factor: Weidman’s legs are toast
How these two match up: I have no idea why the oddsmakers have such confidence in Silva when I have zero confidence in either.

Weidman — a former Middleweight champion — ain’t looking great, true. He’s still got knockout power and a very decorated ground game, but Weidman is looking more fragile with age and gets tired earlier in fights — classic symptoms of a stellar athlete slowing down with age and injury.

Silva is five years younger, but perhaps even more inconsistent. How does a man give Alex Pereira real trouble on the feet then immediately make Gerald Meerschaert look like Floyd Mayweather? Truly baffling stuff from the Brazilian, who at his best is a fearsome knockout artist capable of Top 10 performances.

I truly, truly have no confidence either way here. There are obvious paths for victory for each man, and there will be plenty of chances for either to self-destruct. I would not in any way advise betting on this contest.

In a nut shell, I could see Weidman wrestling Silva and dominating from top position — Andrew Sanchez scored seven takedowns against “Blindado.” Simultaneously, I could see Weidman doing some early work on his feet, finding some success, and then get blasted into a deep sleep out of nowhere.

Weidman isn’t that hard to knockout (six knockout losses in seven defeats), while Silva is easy to submit (seven submissions losses in 10 defeats). A finish is possible for either side at any point …

Might as well go with the fighter whose legs don’t have a history of exploding?

Prediction: Silva via knockout

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC

Middleweight: Nursulton Ruziboev (-275) vs. Sedriques Dumas (+195)

Best Win for Ruziboev? Brunno Ferreira For Dumas? Cody Brundage
Current Streak: Ruziboev recently won his UFC debut, whereas Dumas has won two in a row
X-Factor: Dumas is still very young in his MMA career
How these two match up: This should be a pretty fun fight between newer Middleweight faces.

Ruziboev — 33-8-2 as a professional — has a ton of experience. He tends to win quickly or fade late, but a nasty combination of powerful range striking and slick grappling means that those early finishes are a viable way to go. Dumas, conversely, hasn’t been fighting that long but is a gifted athlete. If his technical game can continue catching up to his physical attributes, he could go a long way at 185 pounds.

This might be too much, too soon.

It takes a certain amount of defensive savvy to survive an experienced finisher like Ruziboev, who knows how to start quickly and get opponents out of the cage. While I like Dumas’ ability to win minute-to-minute exchanges here, it feels like a big connection or sudden takedown is going to land Dumas in a bad spot at some point in the first.

Prediction: Ruziboev via submission

Photo by Al Powers/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Featherweight: Bill Algeo (-240) vs. Kyle Nelson (+175)

Best Win for Algeo? Alexander Hernandez For Nelson? Fernando Padilla
Current Streak: Both have won two in a row
X-Factor: Nelson has really come into his own in recent wins
How these two match up: A good Featherweight veterans match up.

Algeo fights are a lot of fun. He’s not the fastest nor most powerful man on the roster, but Algeo is an iron chin and throws a ton of strikes, which makes for an entertaining dynamic. He’s also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and capable wrestler.

Nelson’s UFC career started off with a 1-4-1 run that didn’t seem to spell much future success. The Canadian talent was given another chance, and since then, he thoroughly shut down two up-and-comers with his technical kickboxing. He seems to have settled his status as a UFC fighter, better understanding how he wins fights at this level.

Interestingly, Algeo seems likely to give Nelson the kind of fight he wins. Algeo isn’t an overwhelming wrestler, and he does most of his striking at distance, just as Nelson prefers. The elephant in the room is that Algeo works at a much higher rate than Nelson, which is a difficult trait to overcome since Nelson isn’t a particularly powerful hitter.

The question is this: can Nelson be accurate enough with his kicks and counter punches to slow Algeo down to his pace? I tend to think Algeo will tire out Nelson with his volume before that happens — and if one man is going to hurt the other — it feels more likely that “Senor Perfecto” is dropping the hammer.

Prediction: Algeo via decision

Photo by Suhaimi Abdullah/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Welterweight: Chidi Njokuani (-150) vs. Rhys McKee (+120)

Best Win for Njokuani? Marc-Andre Barriault For McKee? Jim Wallhead
Current Streak: Njokuani has lost three straight, while McKee lost his last bout
X-Factor: WTF is 6’3” jacked Njokuani doing dropping to Welterweight at 35 years of age?!?
How these two match up: I don’t quite get this one.

Yes, Njokuani lost three in a row at Middleweight, but size was not an issue in any of those fights. Twice, Njokuani fell apart because his opponents refused to go away after he landed nasty shots, and the other time a couple bad decisions cost him control time in a split decision. None of this indicates he’ll be more effective at Welterweight — he hasn’t made 170 pounds since 2016!

McKee, conversely, is still chasing his first UFC win. Dedicated fans may remember him as the English lad who Khamzat Chimaev ran through back in 2020 (watch highlights). Since then, he scored a Cage Warriors title. He’s best known for his kickboxing, but defensive wrestling has been his fatal flaw inside the Octagon.

Good thing Njokuani isn’t known for his wrestling at all! The short version of this prediction is that — if it’s not incredibly obvious by now — I don’t think Njokuani has any business at 170 pounds. He’s going to kill himself to make weight (if he even succeeds), meaning he’ll have about 90 seconds to knockout McKee before his body implodes.

McKee is a striker himself and is historically durable. If he survives the first couple minutes then takes the fight to Njokuani, he’s going to be able to put it on “Chidi Bang Bang.”

Prediction: McKee via knockout

‘X-Factor’ Picks for 2024: 21-6 (2)

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Atlantic City fight card right here, starting with the ESPN2/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance on ESPN (simulcast on ESPN+) at 10 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Atlantic City: “Blanchfield vs. Fiorot” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

The Mixed Martial Arts Hour is back in your life! Below is a rundown of Monday’s show, which begins at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 6 p.m. UK time.

1 p.m. ET: Intro

1:10 p.m.: A.J. McKee will discuss what’s next after his win at PFL vs. Bellator last month.

1:35 p.m.: Ben Shalom, the promoter for BOXXER, talks about the upcoming Wardley vs. Clarke fight and other news with his organization.

2 p.m.: Becky Lynch drops by the studio to discuss WrestleMania 40 next month, her new book, and more.

3:05 p.m: We answer your questions in latest On the Nose.

3:30 p.m. Saul Milton, a part of the English electronic music duo Chase & Status, visits the studio to discuss music, MMA, and more.

4:30 p.m.: We return to On the Nose questions and the parlay pals make their latest selection.

For the latest episodes of The MMA Hour, subscribe on Spotify or iTunes.

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Before the rise of Ronda Rousey and women’s mixed martial arts as a whole, there was Gina Carano.

During a time when UFC CEO Dana White remained adamant that women would never be a part of his promotion, Carano made a name for herself competing under the Strikeforce and EliteXC banners. Before long, she became the most famous female fighter on the planet.

In 2009, she famously stepped inside the cage for a showdown with Cris Cyborg, headlining an event on Showtime that featured the likes of Gegard Mousasi, Renato ‘Babalu’ Sobral, Gilbert Melendez, and Fabricio Werdum. Carano lost the bout, succumbing to a TKO in the final second of the opening round.

‘Conviction’ never formally announced her retirement from MMA after the loss, but she never fought again. However, it wasn’t due to a lack of trying.

Five years later, as Ronda Rousey was quickly becoming one of the biggest sports stars in the world, Carano liked the idea of a comeback fight against the then-UFC bantamweight champion. During a recent appearance on the PBD Podcast, Carano revealed that conversations with Dana White about making the fight happen were positive, but she ultimately blames him for it not coming to fruition.

“I needed six months,” Carano explained. “Because first of all, weight cutting for me during that time I would struggle because all of the women were in the 135 [pound] weight division and I could get down to 145 but there was only twice in my career where I got down to 136 and 139 and that is like chopping off a leg for me. It was so difficult for me but that’s where all the women were at that time because there wasn’t a lot of women.

“I sat down with Dana and [said] I wish you guys would have approached me five years ago because I’ve been waiting for this so I just need some time and I need you to keep it quiet, Dana. Keep it really quiet because I didn’t have a gym. I would have to go [re-immerse] myself in a gym, which when I go in a gym people put cameras on me and you have to find and build your team and I wasn’t living in Las Vegas, which is where my team was. So I was living in L.A. and it would have been hard and I needed to rebuild a team and do it right.

“Dana, and I love him now, he’s been amazing now but Dana’s Dana. He immediately started talking about it and it made my life very difficult to try and get to go into that” (h/t MMA Fighting).

On top of that, Carano was actively being courted by Hollywood after she landed the lead role in Haywire, an action thriller directed by Academy Award-winning director Steven Soderbergh which was well received by critics and featured an immensely talented cast of actors.

“It is a very difficult thing to try and do both of those things at once,” Carano said about acting and fighting. “In my head, I’m just so passionate about the storytelling and the last couple of years I’ve just been passionate about trying to get back into that.”

After appearing in Deadpool opposite Ryan Reynolds, it was off to the races for Carano’s acting career. She had even earned herself a recurring role on the incredibly popular Disney+ series The Mandalorian and was in line for her own spinoff show before an ill-advised post on social media brought her budding film and television career to a crashing halt.

Gina Carano confident she would have won fabled fight Against Ronda Rousey

Of course, her fight with Ronda Rousey never came to be, but to this day, Gina Carano remains confident she would have come out on top.

“I do, absolutely [believe I would have won],” Carano said. “Because I pack a hell of a punch. I know how she punches. I punch like a trucker. [She would have the edge] on the ground obviously but I’m scramble. It’s no disrespect and I’m sure she would say the same thing that she would win, but that’s just something I know. After you’ve been punched like that, she got shook twice [by] Amanda Nunes and Holly Holm, I’m one of the hardest punchers that women’s mixed martial arts has ever seen.”

Though confident she would have finished Rousey inside the Octagon, Carano has nothing but respect for the UFC Hall of Famer. After all, Rousey often touted Carano as the reason she pursued mixed martial arts — something the former World MMA Awards’ Female Fighter of the Year never forgot.

“Ronda has just been such a respectful [person], she was such a little sh*t talker throughout her career, but the one person she didn’t really sh*t talk was me, really,” Carano said. “She really always did give me that tribute. To have not made the walk in the UFC and gotten to fight, to have the person that did really break down those barriers, that is very special to me and I think she’s a very special person.

“I think she gets a really bad [reputation] and people like to paint her as the bad guy, just because she likes to play the heel. She doesn’t mind playing the heel. It’s just certain people’s personalities but I think when you look deeper at the person that she is, which I watch and I study people, I think that’s a very special, special person.”

LowKickMMA.com

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Tom Aspinall doesn’t think Francis Ngannou should hang up the boxing gloves.

Ngannou’s follow-up match to his stellar debut went far from how he had hoped. Tasked with another top-ranked boxer in the world, Ngannou suffered a brutal second-round knockout loss to Anthony Joshua earlier this month after his split decision defeat to Tyson Fury in October.

The result will likely lead Ngannou back to his original sport of MMA for his next outing, which would be his PFL debut in the second half of 2024. However, Ngannou isn’t planning to end his boxing career on that note, and his fellow top MMA heavyweight Aspinall believes he’d stick with it were it him.

“Those punches that Francis Ngannou got hit with, it was scary to watch wasn’t it, let’s be honest,” Aspinall told OLBG. “It looked like he was going to be asleep for a week. It was ridiculous. They were absolute thunderous punches he got hit with. What he’s going to do next is ultimately up to him. If I was in his position, I’d go where the money is — and as far as I’m aware — the money right now is in boxing, so that’s what I’d do. But I’m not Francis Ngannou, so it’s difficult to say. I see that a lot of MMA fighters think it would be easy to switch to boxing. We punch, they punch, but it’s not that easy. But it’s not. I’ve done a lot of rounds with high-level professional boxers. These guys have been boxing since they were ten years old.”

With boxing becoming all the rage for MMA fighters or celebrity influencers to get involved with in recent years, it can sometimes look like MMA is just a prerequisite to follow Ngannou’s blueprint. For example, see Sean O’Malley’s recent interest in a boxing match.

Aspinall, the interim UFC title holder, is focused on his current journey, though. stepping into the ring someday is an enticing thought, but the timing has to be right.

“Absolutely, I’d be interested in a boxing match, but towards the back end of my career,” Aspinall said. “Right now, I’ve got so much work to do in the UFC, and I’m not interested in those sorts of fights. I’ve got a lot of stuff to prove.”

Ultimately, Aspinall wants to win undisputed gold, and that means challenging himself against the title’s owner, Jon Jones. Of course, that depends on the outcome of Jones’ expected rebooked matchup with Stipe Miocic once he’s healthy enough to return.

Meanwhile, Aspinall hopes to stay busy and defend his title. Ideally, that would come against the only man to defeat him in the UFC, Curtis Blaydes.

“Jon Jones and Stipe are tied up with each other, and they’re not going to budge on that,” Aspinall said. “Right now, it’s in the UFC’s hands, and I’ve never been picky about my opponents. I’ve only ever told them fights I want. I’ve never told them fights that I don’t want. Blaydes has said he wants to fight me, and I’ve said, ‘Okay, cool, let’s do it.’ That’s it.

“I’m just waiting at the minute. I’m just waiting for the call. I’m in the gym twice a day, and I’m en route to training as we speak. I’m ready to go whenever. I like Curtis Blaydes, but professionally, I want to beat him because he’s got a win over me when I got injured. I don’t know if the right word is ‘personal,’ but it is personal. But not in the way that I don’t like him as a person; it’s personal in a professional kind of way. I want to get that one back.”

TOP STORIES

Matchup. Gina Carano explains why fight with Ronda Rousey never happened in UFC, confident she would have won

Loyalty. Dana White threatened to resign from UFC in defense of Joe Rogan amid 2022 controversies

Leaders. Ex-UFC champs Luke Rockhold, Tyron Woodley coach Ultimate Fighter-style reality series for Hardcore FC

Officials. Referee, judges assigned for UFC 300 main event and co-main event

Controversy. Alan Jouban: ‘Bad move’ for Jamie Varner to criticize Laura Sanko the way he did

Plan. Dana White teases ‘badass’ PPV coming to England, hints at Tom Aspinall, Leon Edwards possibly fighting there

Possibilities. Chris Weidman explains what will determine if he retires or continues fighting after UFC Atlantic City

Critique. Erin Blanchfield: ‘Pathetic’ Maycee Barber talks a lot but ‘scared of fighting people at the very top’

VIDEO STEW

UFC 100 Watch Party.

Catching up with Charles Oliveira and Irene Aldana.

Blanchfield vs. Fiorot Preview.

UFC Connected: Amanda Nunes.

Free fight.

LISTEN UP

Heck of a Morning. MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck reacts to Brandon Moreno taking time away from MMA, Dana White’s plans for U.K. return.

MORNING MUSIC

Let someone know you care today.

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!

SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

One of a kind.

Poatan.

Machine vs. Borrachinha.

Art.

Cold-kicks.

Company.

He had me in the first half, not gonna lie.

Smiles in the gym.

Don’t. Be. Weird.

Vegas.

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Taila Santos (19-3) vs. Ilara Joanne (11-8); PFL San Antonio, April 4

Bruno Cappelozza (15-7) vs. Sergei Bilostenniy (11-3); PFL San Antonio, April 4

Julia Polastri (12-3) vs. Josefine Knutsson (7-0); UFC Vegas 93, June 15

Garrett Armfield (10-3) vs. Brady Hiestand (8-2); UFC Vegas 93, June 15

FINAL THOUGHTS

From a financial standpoint, Ngannou should obviously keep boxing. As a fan, though, I want to see the man back in MMA before it’s too late.

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.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Sick
| BJPenn.com

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

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Colby Covington isn’t a fan of Sean Strickland.

The two have traded shots in the past. In fact, Covington was at one point considering jumping up to Middleweight to chase Strickland’s (former) belt. In a recent interview, Covington doubled down on his attacks on Strickland, both in regards to his abilities as a fighter and his struggles outside of the cage.

He also says Strickland is heading to court (something Covington knows all about).

“He was a washout in my division,” Covington declared (via Cole Shelton). “He couldn’t handle it in my division, he got beat up, knocked out because he couldn’t cut it. I think he’s a bum, he’s been hit in the head too many times, he’s got CTE. Anything that guy says you can’t follow along, that guys going literally probably going to kill someone someday. He’s under investigation right now in Vegas. Some drunk guy was wandering the streets near his home, he goes outside the home, pistol-whips the dude in the middle of the street. He’s under crazy investigation in Vegas right now. He’s gonna be going to court.”

Not long ago, Strickland did help lead to the arrest of a would-be car thief in his driveway. Perhaps Covington heard a distorted version of that tale? Alternatively, we know Strickland isn’t afraid to show off his firearms, so maybe there is something to this “Chaos” tall tale. Until we hear something from a more official source, however, I wouldn’t buy into the story.

Both athletes are coming off title fight losses. Sean Strickland coughed up a competitive decision loss to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 299, whereas Colby Covington was largely dominated in his latest Welterweight title bid opposite Leon Edwards. With both coming off title losses, maybe a grudge match isn’t fully impossible?

Insomnia

Ilia Topuria and his golden belt are make the rounds all over Europe!

It may be a while until we see Brandon Moreno back in the Octagon.

… Are Luke Rockhold and Tyron Woodley going to fight at the end? Because in that case, I’m curious.

AJ Dobson fought well against Edmen Shahbazyan over the weekend, but that performance will be the last of his current UFC stint.

Merab Dvalishvili and Henry Cejudo go on a magical journey together.

Several updates to the upcoming PFL San Antonio card.

Jim Carrey, karate master!

K-1 founder Kazuyoshi Ishii, 70-year-old lifelong karateka, showing some different ways to score low kicks.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Flashed the jab to raise the guard then ripped the right hook around the elbow.

Simultaneous punches and kicks can really surprise opponents.

A high kick sneaks around the guard:

Random Land

The most unbelievable news I’ve woken up to in years.

Midnight Music: I am pleased to report that Neil Young is back on Spotify.

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

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