LFA 98 results: Josh Fremd earns middleweight title shot with massive knockout

Josh Fremd is the first man to advance to the finals of the LFA middleweight tournament.

Fremd (7-1) scored a brutal first-round knockout of Bruno Oliveira (7-3) in Friday’s LFA 98 headliner, solidifying his spot in the championship round of the four-man grand prix.

LFA 98 took place at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kan. The entire card streams on UFC Fight Pass.

Fremd wasted no time locking up Oliveira with a trip takedown and planting him on his back inside the first 30 seconds of the fight. The Brazilian stayed patient, and climbed back to his feet to break away into striking range.

The pair threw some blows back-and-forth, but then Fremd found his desired target. Fremd scored with a clean left hook that instantly rocked and dropped Oliveira. Fremd pounced with a few hammerfists on the ground, and the referee dove in to halt the action.

An ecstatic, who trains out of Factory X in Colorado, reveled in the biggest victory of his career.

“This is the biggest win of my career,” Fremd said in his post-fight interview with Alan Jouban. “You don’t know my striking, you don’t know my boxing. I’ve always had (power), I just haven’t shown it.”

Fremd now moves on to an opportunity to fight for the vacant LFA middleweight title later this year. He will fight the winner of Anthony Adams (8-2) and Gregory Rodrigues (7-3), who will meet in the other semifinal bout at LFA 100 on Feb. 19.

“Both of those guys that are in that fight,” Fremd said. “I look forward to fighting either one of them. No preference.”

Full LFA 98 results included:

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/lfa-98-results-josh-fremd-middleweight-title-shot-brutal-knockout

 

Zac Pauga looking to make immediate impact at LFA 98

Having established himself as someone to watch on the amateur circuit in 2019, light-heavyweight Zac Pauga was looking to make 2020 a big first year as a pro, but things did not work out as he anticipated.

With Covid-19 wreaking havoc with scheduling, Pauga was only able to get in one bout in 2020, but still he looks at the positives the year provided him even with the lack of activity.

“Last year was a little frustrating for me,” Pauga told MMAWeekly.com. “I wanted to fight a lot and kind of make a name for myself. That obviously didn’t happen. I only got in one pro fight for the year.

“I was lucky to be part of Team Elevation. We kept training. We broke into small groups and just did what we could to get better. I felt like I’m definitely way better right now than if I had the busy year that I wanted.”

In terms of his game, Pauga feels like he added a skillset to his already formidable natural talents to make him more than a match for anyone he faces.

“Athleticism, strength, and power will always be part of my game,” said Pauga. “That’s what I leaned on heavily early in my fight career, but now I have the skills to back it up to match some of these guys who have been doing it their whole life.”

On Friday in Park City, Kansas, Pauga (2-0) will look to kick off his 2021 in a big way when he faces Ashby Thomas (1-0) in an LFA 98 main card light heavyweight bout.

“For where I want to go and what I want to do I want to make a statement,” Pauga said. “I want to move fast and make a name for myself, so I’ve got to go out there and be entertaining and make a statement, and that’s what I plan on doing.

“I don’t know much about (Thomas), so it’s more about being the best version of myself: come forward, throw big shots, get him on the ground and try to finish him with either a sub or ground and pound.”

After having his 2020 campaign derailed, Pauga is set on making up for it in 2021, working his way up the ranks as quickly as he can.

“I want to fight early and I want to fight often,” said Pauga.

“I’m not overlooking this one, but I’d like to fight again at the end of February or at the beginning of March. I’d like to have two or three fights before summer even. That’s my plan, that’s what I want, so I can move fast and make a name for myself, and show these bigger organizations what I can do.”

TRENDING Khabib Nurmagomedov’s coach: Conor McGregor rematch never going to happen

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Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/zac-pauga-looking-to-make-immediate-impact-at-lfa-98

 

Video: YouTube boxer Jake Paul training with Jorge Masvidal to knock out Ben Askren

YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul is in for the biggest test of his athletic life on April 17 when he faces former ONE Championship and Bellator champion Ben Askren in a boxing match.

It should be a telling moment for Paul’s seriousness as a boxer. If he can’t defeat Askren, who is a phenomenal athlete and former champion that relied heavily on his ground skills, it doesn’t bode well for Paul’s claims of wanting to be a serious boxer and not just a pugilist of the celebrity ilk.

If Paul defeats Askren on April 17, it could prove that he actually has some boxing skill and could open the door for bigger, more lucrative bouts.

Thus far, Paul has fought twice, winning both bouts. His opponents haven’t been much of a test, however, as he defeated former NBA star Nate Robinson on the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. undercard and AnEsonGib, a fellow YouTube sensation. Neither Robinson nor AnEsonGib had boxed professionally prior to their losses to Paul.

In preparation for Askren, Paul has enlisted the services of UFC star Jorge Masvidal. Aside from being one of the top welterweights in the UFC and holding the one-off BMF title, Masvidal has the distinction of holding a record-setting 5-second knockout victory over Askren.

Whether or not training with Masvidal will help Paul’s chances of beating Askren remain to be seen. Paul, however, posted a video of him training with Masvidal, his goal being to better the UFC fighter’s 5-second time in knocking out Askren.

That most certainly would seem to a be a stretch too far when it comes to the reality of what Paul could ever hope to accomplish in the fight with Askren.

Interestingly, Paul not only said that his training with Masvidal would allow him to take out Askren in less than 4 seconds, he then took aim at Nate Diaz, who has been angling for a UFC return in 2021.

TRENDING UFC 257 Fight Motion: Down goes Conor McGregor!

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/video-youtube-boxer-jake-paul-training-with-jorge-masvidal-to-knock-out-ben-askren

 

Frankie Edgar: I have to finish Cory Sandhagen if I want UFC title shot

Frankie Edgar has new life at 135 pounds and knows what’s at stake when he faces Cory Sandhagen.

Former UFC lightweight champion Edgar (24-8-1 MMA, 18-8-1 UFC) meets Sandhagen in the co-main event of next week’s UFC Fight Night 184, which streams live on ESPN+ from UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and he hopes to emerge as the next UFC bantamweight title challenger.

Edgar made his successful bantamweight debut in August, when he outlasted Pedro Munhoz in the main event of UFC on ESPN 15. The win snapped a two-fight losing skid, and “The Answer” has once again repositioned himself for another shot at gold.

“To me, this really could be a No. 1 contender fight,” Edgar told Mike Swick on the “Real Quick with Mike Swick” podcast. “He’s No. 2, I’m right behind him. Aljo (Sterling) and Petr Yan just got booked, I believe March 6, so it’s a perfect time. We fight the month before these guys; see what happens with them and then hopefully the winner of ours gets the winner of that.”

He continued, “Cory’s a tall guy, which is kind of good. I’m used to fighting bigger guys, so it’s not going to be anything new to me, but I can’t let him get his range going, I can’t stand at the end of his punches. I’ve got to either be all the way out or all the way in. Everybody knows that; it’s really no secret. I’ve just got to kind of have a gritty Frankie Edgar-type of fight and go do what I do and just make it happen.”

With hungry rising contenders such as Rob Font and former UFC champions T.J. Dillashaw, Cody Garbrandt and Jose Aldo lurking, Edgar knows he’ll have to deliver a special performance over the highly touted Sandhagen (13-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) if he wants to cement himself as the No. 1 contender.

“The ’35-pound division is really hot right now,” Edgar said. “I’ve got to go in there and make a statement. I’ve got go in there and finish Cory if I want to get that title shot, and that’s what I’ve been working on this whole camp: Going in there, pressuring him, and really making him wilt in there and showing some experience. I have more experience than anybody in this game for the most part; not too many older fighters than me in the UFC right now, so I’ve got to utilize that to my best ability and make this happen.”

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/frankie-edgar-wants-to-finish-cory-sandhagen-and-get-ufc-title-shot

 

Dustin Poirier’s UFC 257 fight gear from TKO of Conor McGregor up for auction

Dustin Poirier recently netted the biggest victory of his career, and now there’s an opportunity to purchase his fight-worn gear during his TKO of Conor McGregor at UFC 257.

As has become his tradition in recent years, Poirier (27-6 MMA, 19-5 UFC) has put his pieces of his fight kit up for auction to help benefit his non-profit, The Good Fight Foundation.

The items this time are particularly special, given the gravity of his victory. A lucky bidder will be able to purchase what Poirier wore in the octagon for a career-defining second-round TKO of McGregor on Jan. 23.

The collection of items includes his fight trunks, hand wraps, gloves, walkout shirt, hat, and fight night credential. Bidding has opened at $15,000 and closes on Feb. 5.

Proceeds from the auction will go toward Poirier’s charity goal set prior to UFC 257. The Good Fight Foundation is teaming up with The Boys Girls Club of Acadiana to “help bridge the gap in academic success by providing transportation and tutoring” in what is called “Project Learn.”

In addition to the fight kit action, Poirier’s UFC 257 fight netted a sizable $500,000 donation from McGregor to his charity. MMA Junkie confirmed with both sides on the eve of the event that the transaction was in the process of being made.

Poirier told MMA Junkie in November that he intends on using that money from McGregor to help build an MMA gym for struggling youth with membership fees covered in exchange for good conduct and dedication to school work.

One of Poirier’s primary sponsors, Robert Graham, is also donating to Poirier’s mission, MMA Junkie has learned. A special clothing collection has been created specifically for the former interim champion, with a portion of proceeds going to The Good Fight Foundation.

Poirier’s efforts have not gone unnoticed in the MMA community. Prior to his most recent win over Dan Hooker at UFC on ESPN 12 in June, Poirier was honored with the inaugural “Forrest Griffin Community Award” to acknowledge his work.

More information on Poirier’s past and future charitable acts can be found at TheGoodFightGroup.com.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/ufc-dustin-poirier-tko-conor-mcgregor-fight-kit-auction-good-fight-foundation

 

 

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