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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Heading into UFC 251 in July 2020 in Abu Dhabi, Amanda Ribas was riding a four-fight winning streak.  She faced Paige VanZant, who was coming off a submission win over Rachael Ostovich in her previous outing.  

Midway through the opening round, Ribas submitted VanZant via armbar.  It was VanZant’s final octagon appearance.    

Amanda Ribas vs. Paige VanZant Full Fight Video

Ribas headlines this weekend’s UFC Vegas 89 event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas against former two-time strawweight champion Rose Namajunas. 

Namajunas (11-6) is coming off back-to-back losses for the first time in a decade.  She made her divisional debut in her previous bout, losing to Manon Fiorotrot by unanimous decision.  More accustom to the weight class, Namajunas expects to pick up her first flyweight win on Saturday.

Ribas (13-4) is coming off a stunning TKO win over Luana Pinheiro in her last fight in November.  Ranked eighth in the division, Ribas plans to take out a former champion.   

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Solidarity
| BJPenn.com

A football match between Turkey’s Trabzonspor and the visiting Fenerbahce turned ugly on Sunday (Mar. 17, 2024) when the home crowd stormed the field after a 3-2 loss and proceeded to brawl with security and opposing players.

It looked like a mixed martial arts (MMA) bout on steroids.

Following the conclusion of the match, players from the visiting Fenerbahce team started to celebrate at the center of the pitch (a fancy word for field). I’m not too familiar with international football, but if it’s anything like American football then celebrating at an opponent’s mid-field is an absolute no-no. That seemed to be the case on Sunday.

Fans in attendance began to storm the field and attack players from Fenerbahce. Security obviously got involved, but that didn’t stop a collection of skirmishes from breaking out that will leave the most casual fight fan proud. In fact, one player from the opposing team nearly landed a spinning back kick to the face. Others relied on throws and punches to ward off the hoard of angry fans.

It was a chaotic scene to say the least and a terrible way to end the weekend if you’re a football fan. Check out the post-fight brawl in the above video player and more footage below:

According to ESPN, authorities have launched an investigation to identify the fans who had stormed the pitch and created the post-fight melee.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Raquel Pennington was not a fan of Sean Strickland’s antics ahead of UFC 297 and took the time to discuss how his ridicule could be construed as hate speech.

Entering UFC 297 as the undisputed middleweight champion, Sean Strickland was on top of the world. As boisterous as ever, he showed up to media day wearing a shirt that proclaimed: “A woman in every kitchen, a gun in every hand.” That was just the beginning though, as he’d later go on and spout a number of comments that some could perceive as homophobic.

Speaking to Lowkick MMA reporter Mike Owens, Raquel Pennington would touch upon the experience of UFC 297 fight week, and address the comments that were made.

Raquel Pennington draws the line between freedom of speech and hate speech

“Everybody has their opinions, and they’re warranted to how they feel and stuff,” Pennington began, speaking as an openly gay woman. “But you’re not going to tell me how to live my life, and I’m not going to tell you how to live your life. I don’t find the need to judge other people’s lifestyles… He wants to talk about female fighters, but we’re here to stay.”

“I can respect the UFC for giving a platform to where we have freedom of speech, and they allow us athletes to be ourselves and whatnot, but I do feel a significant difference in freedom of speech and hate speech. And there were a lot of interesting things coming on that end (hate speech)… He talks all big and bad all the time on the camera, and he’s constantly running his mouth, but then you see him in person, and he’s looking the other direction.”

Raquel Pennington went on to say that things said on such a big platform can negatively affect the way some people feel. Saying that Strickland voicing such things on a platform like the UFC “breaks her heart”. But, ‘Rocky’ did hold firm in claiming that the ‘hate speech’ would never hold her back from doing her job in the cage.

What’s your opinion on Sean Strickland saying things that borderline on hate speech?

LowKickMMA.com

Interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall really wants to fight champion Jon Jones in a title unification match.  On Saturday, Aspinall took matters into his own hands.  

He and Jones were scheduled to appear at Arnold’s Sports Festival UK in Birmingham, England and Aspinall made it a priority to track down Jones for a photo and a conversation.  

“I’m hearing that Jon Jones is going to be there,” Aspinall said as he arrived at the venue.  “Me and Jon will be having words.  Respectful on my part at least but we’ll see.”  

Aspinall released a video showing his encounter with Jones.  “I would love to have the honor one day,” Aspinall said.  ““Maybe one day,” Jones responded.  

Jones is expected to face former two-time titleholder Stipe Miocic when he returns from injury.  He tore a pectoral tendon while preparing to fight Miocic at UFC 295.  “It’s healing.  Slowing but surely,” Jones said about his recovery in the video. 

“I just asked if he’d give me the opportunity one days,” Aspinall said after meeting Jones.  “He said he’s healing up good so we’ll see.  We’ll see what he does.”    

Aspinall does not have a fight booked.  He’s expected to be back in action in July when the fight promotion hosts an event in the United Kingdom.  

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Jose Aldo will end his nearly two-year retirement to make his return at UFC 301 when he faces Jonathan Martinez in a bantamweight bout on May 4 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Sources with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed the news to MMA Fighting on Saturday following an initial report from AG Fight, and Aldo himself confirmed the bout via his Instagram account.

It’s a stunning turn of events for Aldo, who called it a career back in 2022 after he suffered a loss to Merab Dvalishvili that ended his hopes for another title shot at 135 pounds. Following that fight, Aldo, who was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2023, transitioned into a boxing career where he’s competed twice in the past year, including a battle with fellow UFC veteran Jeremy Stephens.

It’s not clear what led to Aldo’s decision to return to MMA, but he’s back now with a fight scheduled in May.

Under the UFC’s anti-doping program, Aldo should be required to undergo six months of drug testing before competing again, but it appears that timeline will be waived to allow him to fight at UFC 301. Based on available online records, Aldo hasn’t been tested under the anti-doping program since 2022.

As for Martinez, the 29-year-old fighter is currently enjoying the best run of his career with six straight wins in the UFC, including dominant performances over Adrian Yanez, Said Nurmagomedov, and Cub Swanson in his most recent outings. Martinez has been making a steady climb up the bantamweight ranks, and now he’ll serve as quite an obstacle for Aldo, who competes in MMA for the first time since September 2022.

UFC 301 goes down May 4, with flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja also competing on the card when he defends his title against Steve Erceg.

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