Despite what many fans feared after her defeat at UFC Fight Night 184, Molly McCann is far from done in the UFC.

McCann (10-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) found herself on the losing end of a unanimous decision verdict as she fell to defeat against Brazil’s Lara Procopio in their preliminary card bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. As the fighters prepared for the verdict, McCann was seen on camera taking off her gloves and laying them in the center of the octagon – a traditional symbol of a fighter announcing their retirement from the sport.

McCann’s glove gesture prompted plenty of activity on social media as fans and media reacted with concern to the all-action English fighter’s apparent decision. But those concerns were replaced by messages of support when McCann later clarified that she hadn’t retired, and revealed that the gesture was a tribute to her late father on his birthday.

“Before I get into it. I left the gloves in the cage for my dad. There’s still fight in this old dog yet.”

Before I get into it. I left the gloves in the cage for my dad. There’s still fight in this old dog yet. @dc_mma @DominickCruz

— Molly McCann (@MeatballMolly) February 7, 2021

McCann received messages of support on Instagram from fellow fighters Scott Askham, Kay Hansen, Kiefer Crosbie, and former Strikeforce champion Josh Thomson, as well as her beloved Everton Football Club, who told her, “Hard luck tonight, Molly. You make a lot of scousers, Blues and plenty more people proud every time you do what you do – and we’re sure Paul is, too. We’re always in your corner.”

McCann later returned to Instagram to share a pic of her with her father, with the poignant message, saying, “Happy birthday Pops! I’ll get ‘Em next time.”

A post shared by Molly McCann-Pearson (@meatballmolly)

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/ufc-fight-night-184-molly-mccann-confirms-she-has-not-retired

Asia’s leading mixed martial arts organization was back in action Friday as “ONE Championship 128: Unbreakable III” delivered a card packed with finishes at Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Five of the six bouts on the card finished inside the distance, with Ukrainian debutant Alyona Rassohyna stunning former ONE atomweight kickboxing and muay Thai champion Stamp Fairtex in the main event with a last-gasp submission to hand the Thai starlet the first defeat of her MMA career.

The night’s co-main event was the only bout to reach the scorecards, as Brazil’s Fabricio Andrade moved one step closer to a shot at the ONE bantamweight title with a unanimous decision victory over No.2-ranked former Shooto champion Shoko Sato.

Also on the card, Japanese contender Ryuto Sawada pushed his title credentials in ONE’s strawweight division with a first-round submission finish of Filipino striker Robin Catalan, while undefeated prospect Tial Thang continued his rise up the bantamweight ranks with a second-round TKO of Paul Lumihi.

There were also victories for South Korean heavyweight Ji Won Kang, who fought back from a difficult start to finish Mehdi Barghi via first-round TKO, and Pakistan’s Ahmed Mujtaba, who scored a resounding first-round knockout of India’s Rahul Raju in their lightweight matchup.

Check out the best of the action via the highlight video above.

Ahmed Mujtaba, Alyona Rassohyna, Breaking, Fabricio Andrade, Ji Won Kang, Mehdi Barghi, ONE Championship 128, Paul Lumihi, Rahul Raju, Robin Catalan, Ryuto Sawada, Shoko Sato, Stamp Fairtex, Tial Thang, video, News, ONE Championship

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/one-championship-128-video-highlights-alyona-rassohyna-stamp-fairtex

By Blue Corner
February 7, 2021 6:30 pm

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Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/conor-mcgregor-watch-collection-new-rolex-ufc-luke-rockhold-skateboard

Gilbert Burns earned his shot at the UFC welterweight title with a dominating performance over former champion Tyron Woodley in May.

Burns challenges UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC 258 on Saturday, February 13.

Take a look back at Burns’s domination of Woodley ahead of his UFC 258 title shot.

(Video courtesy of UFC)

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Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/watch-gilbert-burns-dominate-tyron-woodley-en-route-to-ufc-258-title-shot

While the first half of 2020 was a wash for light-heavyweight Fabio Cherant, he was able to rebound and have a productive second half of the year, picking up back-to-back wins.

For Cherant, who was coming off a loss in only bout of 2019, to salvage 2020 with two straight wins made the struggles he faced worthwhile.

“It was a stressful year, but a good year at the same time,” Cherant told MMAWeekly.com. “A lot of good things came with the fights.

“I think performance-wise there are still some things I need to work on. It’s learning process. I’m on year five of doing MMA, going on my third year as a pro, so I still have a lot to learn. I’m just enjoying the ride as I go.”

Though he’s still young in his career, Cherant realizes he’s not going to make huge jumps in his game on an everyday basis, but as long as he’s making the incremental steps to get better he’s pleased.

“I’d be lying if I said (I’ve grown) leaps and bounds, but obviously I’ve grown mentally since the last two fights,” said Cherant. “Physically I’m getting better every day.”

On Friday, Feb. 12, in Park City, Kansas, Cherant (6-1) will look to add a title to his resume when he faces Myron Dennis (18-7) in the 205-pound championship main event of LFA 99.

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“It’s a great test against a Glory veteran, an Ultimate Fighter veteran, and a guy who has a big record,” Cherant said of Dennis. “It’s an awesome opportunity to showcase that I’m ready to be at the next level.

“In watching and studying the film the more I realize it’s going to be a fun match-up. We have a great game plan and the only thing now is to capitalize (on it).”

For Cherant, continuing to build off the momentum he had created for himself in the second half of last year with an impressive performance against Dennis is a goal he’s had in mind for some time.

“I’ve been saying since December that I wanted to start this year off with a bang,” said Cherant. “This is going to be a big statement year for me. I want to make big statements and start this year off right.”

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/fabio-cherant-looking-to-show-hes-next-level-in-lfa-99-title-bout