LAS VEGAS – Jonathan Pearce beat Kai Kamaka III with a second-round TKO Saturday to open up the main card at UFC on ESPN 18 in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Pearce, who picked up his first win in the UFC.

Kai Kamaka III vs. Jonathan Pearce

Result: Jonathan Pearce def. Kai Kamaka III via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:28
Updated records: Pearce (10-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC), Kamaka III (8-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC)
Key stat: Pearce has eight of his 10 career wins by knockout.

Pearce on the fight’s key moment

“I was looking for that takedown. It wasn’t working as I’d planned on the feet, so I was just like, ‘Let’s try the wrestling.’ I shot for the takedown and it was my night from there. I heard the ref say he had to do something, so I really cranked it up.”

WHAT A PERFORMANCE by @JSPMMA!!#UFCVegas15 live on ESPNews and E+ pic.twitter.com/YZ5DfSA4qj

— UFC (@ufc) November 29, 2020

Pearce on using no crowd to his advantage

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 28: (R-L) Jonathan Pearce punches Kai Kamaka in their featherweight bout during the UFC Fight Night at UFC APEX on November 28, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

“I was calm in there with no crowd. It was a calmer fight. I could place my shots a lot better and conserve my energy more. As the fight goes on I can see tendencies and I pick up on those tendencies. Then I try to attack them.

“I was seeing that he was freezing after one or two punches. So I looked for the uppercut and only threw it one time, but the wrestling was definitely there. The only time I felt in danger was when he got that guillotine, but other than that I felt like it was my fight.”

Pearce on what he wants next

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 28: (L-R) Kai Kamaka punches Jonathan Pearce in their featherweight bout during the UFC Fight Night at UFC APEX on November 28, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

“I’d love to get right back in there, or I’d love to wait until there’s a crowd. Whatever the big man wants. I like it here, and I’d like to stay here.”

To hear more from Pearce, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

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Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/jonathan-pearce-no-crowd-advantage-ufc-espn-18-video

Former undisputed heavyweight champion “Iron” Mike Tyson returned to the ring on Saturday against former four-division champion Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition bout. Prior to the match, it had been 5,649 days since Tyson stepped in the ring.

The 54-year-old Tyson last fought in June 2005. Jones, 51, last fought in February 2018. Although it was billed as an exhibition bout, the two approached it as a real fight. Tyson threw power punches and Jones Jr. displayed his head movement and elusive style that made him a legend.

The bout ended in a draw according to the unofficial celebrity judges. Tyson was guaranteed a $10 million payday for the bout and plans to donate it to charity. During the event’s post-fight press conference, Tyson stated that he plans to do more exhibition bouts with his earnings going to humanitarian causes.

TRENDING Dana White says Mike Tyson looked ‘f—ing awesome’; targets UFC Fight Island for International Fight Week on

“God willing, I’ll be better in the next exhibition,” Tyson said. “I just want to continue to do this from a humanitarian perspective.

“I’m capable of helping a lot of people less fortunate than myself. That’s what I’m capable of doing, all over the world. In a perfect world I’m a missionary,” said the former champion.

“Before, it was all about me, the nice chick, the nice car, the planes, and boats. It doesn’t do it for me anymore, so I went another way. I help somebody else.”

Tyson not only plans to compete in more exhibition bouts, he wants to do it often. If he had his way, he’d be in the ring every two months.

“I had 15 fights in one year, so let’s just try to work on closer to that,” he said. “I would like to have one every two months. I’d like to have one fight every two months.”

“The old Mike Tyson no longer exists,” he said. “This is not who I am right now. That guy was a platform to become me.”

(Photo courtesy of Triller and Joe Scarnici)

Related Video Dana White’s initial reaction to ‘no knockouts and no judges’ for Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. was epic

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Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/mike-tyson-plans-to-do-more-exhibition-bouts-with-earnings-going-to-charity

Jack Hermansson headlines Saturday’s UFC Vegas 16 at the Apex opposite last-minute replacement Marvin Vettori. He was originally supposed to face Kevin Holland, but Holland was pulled from the bout over the weekend after testing positive for COVID-19.

Before Hermansson squares off with Vettori on Saturday, re-watch his submission victory over Gerald Meerschaert, which put him on a run towards UFC middleweight title contention.

(Video courtesy of UFC)

TRENDING  Dana White says Mike Tyson looked ‘f—ing awesome’; targets UFC Fight Island for International Fight Week on

Trending Video Dana White explains why Michael Chandler isn’t fighting Tony Ferguson

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Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/re-watch-jack-hermanssons-submission-of-gerald-meerschaert-ahead-of-ufc-vegas-16

LAS VEGAS – Michael Chandler may not have his UFC debut booked just yet, but there’s no reason to worry, according to UFC president Dana White.

The UFC lightweight division is the subject of much speculation and excitement following Khabib Nurmagomedov’s retirement announcement after UFC 254 in October, and a pair of big-time lightweight matchups have already been booked, with Tony Ferguson set to face Charles Oliveira before Dustin Poirier rematches Conor McGregor.

The fact that Chandler (21-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who was drafted in as a backup for Nurmagomedov’s win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, hasn’t yet been booked for his octagon debut has raised question marks over who he’ll face, and when. But when speaking to reporters, including MMA Junkie, backstage at the UFC Apex after UFC on ESPN 18, White explained that the UFC was simply making sure the former Bellator champion arrived for his debut at 100 percent.

“The problem with Michael Chandler right now is he stepped up for that fight and he cut weight, so he can’t turn around as fast as these other guys can right now. We can’t do that to him,” he said. “So, no hurry, take his time, get his body back together. We’ll get him something soon.”

While White wouldn’t be drawn on identity of Chandler’s debut opponent, he did hint that the new arrival may make his debut when the UFC returns to “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi early in 2021.

“Once we go back to Abu Dhabi there’s going to be a lot of big fights coming up here, so he’ll be a part of something,” he stated.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/11/ufc-news-dana-white-no-hurry-michael-chandler-debut-fight-island

The UFC’s Super Bowl Saturday event continues to build with the addition of a lightweight fight – and it’s a rematch.

Beneil Dariush (19-4-1 MMA, 13-4-1 UFC) will put his hot streak on the line when he takes on Diego Ferreira (17-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC), who is on a big run of his own. MMA Junkie on Sunday confirmed the matchup with a person with knowledge of the booking. The person requested anonymity because the promotion has not yet made a formal announcement. The new first was reported by UFC broadcast partner ESPN.

The UFC’s Super Bowl weekend card takes place Feb. 6. A location and venue have not yet been announced, but the promotion’s U.S.-based events have been taking place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas during the pandemic. International events have been on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi.

Dariush and Ferreira first fought inn October 2014 at UFC 179. Dariush won a unanimous decision in that fight – and handed Ferreira the first loss of his pro career after a perfect 11-0 start.

Dariush is on a five-fight winning streak that includes four straight stoppage wins. In August, a first-round spinning backfist knockout of Scott Holtzman was marred by Dariush missing weight for the first time. Prior to that, he had three straight bonus-winning performances with submissions of Drew Dober and Frank Camacho and a knockout of Drakkar Klose.

Ferreira has won six straight fights, and by the time he steps into the cage with Dariush he’ll have gone nearly six years since his most recent loss. After he lost to Dariush, he was knocked out by Dustin Poirier in April 2015 for a second straight setback, and he’s been perfect since then. Included in Ferreira’s current streak are three stoppages, including a January submission of former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, which arguably is the biggest win on his resume.

With the addition, the UFC’s Feb. 6 card now includes:

• Alistair Overeem vs. Alexander Volkov
• Macy Chiasson vs. Marion Reneau
• Molly McCann vs. Lara Procopio
• Macy Chiasson vs. Marion Reneau
• Aliaskhab Khizriev vs. Wellington Turman
• Julio Arce vs. Timur Valiev
• Seungwoo Choi vs. Steven Peterson
• Clay Guida vs. Michael Johnson
• Beneil Dariush vs. Diego Ferreira

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/11/beneil-dariush-vs-diego-ferreira-ufc-super-bowl-saturday-fight-booking-mma