Khabib would likely fight Georges St-Pierre; turned down Floyd Mayweather

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, believes there is a chance that his fighter might return to the Octagon, but it may take more than company president Dana White can pull off.

Abdelaziz believes that a match-up with former UFC two-division champion Georges St-Pierre could draw Khabib out of retirement. He added that Khabib was already offered a fight with Floyd Mayweather, but the fight didn’t get made, even with Dana White’s blessing.

Even though Khabib might return for St-Pierre, will it happen? Abdelaziz weighed in.

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(Video courtesy of TMZSports)


Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/khabib-would-likely-fight-georges-st-pierre-turned-down-floyd-mayweather

 

Watch Jiri Prochazka’s UFC debut knockout of Volkan Oezdemir

Jiri Prochazka made quite the impression in his UFC debut with a stellar performance against Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 251 in July. The Czech light heavyweight has only had one of his 30 professional fights go to decision.

He’ll return to the Octagon in February to headline a UFC Fight Night opposite fellow light heavyweight contender Dominick Reyes.

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(Video courtesy of UFC)


Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/watch-jiri-prochazkas-ufc-debut-knockout-of-volkan-oezdemir

 

UFC free fight: Khabib Nurmagomedov submits Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, then retires

With the weight of the world on his shoulders, Khabib Nurmagomedov was able to produce one of his best UFC performances.

Nurmagomedov defended his lightweight title against interim champion Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC 254, which took place on “UFC Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi.

The champion entered the bout with a heavy heart having recently lost his father, and also carried physical pain from a broken toe sustained before the bout. However, Nurmagomedov’s performance didn’t falter one bit as he ran through Gaethje to register another dominant title defense.

Nurmagomedov applied heavy pressure early, while Gaethje attempted to hinder the Russian’s movement with a succession of his famed low kicks. Once Nurmagomedov was able to back up the challenger, he effortlessly took Gaethje to the mat effortlessly, then transitioned to an armbar right before the buzzer sounded.

In Round 2, Nurmagomedov’s pressure proved to be too much for Gaethje, as he was able to get the fight back down to the mat before sinking in a triangle choke that eventually rendered Gaethje unconscious.

Nurmagomedov (29-0 MMA, 13-0 UFC) announced his retirement after the fight, but UFC president Dana White remains hopeful that he can talk the champion out of retirement when they meet in Abu Dhabi later this month.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/ufc-fight-video-khabib-nurmagomedov-submits-justin-gaethje-ufc-254

 

Bold predictions in MMA for the new year: A reigning champ retires and new UFC PPVs records set

Stipe Miocic

Going into 2020 one of my big predictions was that reigning UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov would retire from MMA. The circumstances leading up to that retirement didn’t fall in line with my prediction, but it did in fact happen when Nurmagomedov announced he was done with the sport at UFC 254 in October.

Now, I’m going to guess that another man who currently owns a UFC belt is going to make his exit from the game in 2021, and that man is reigning heavyweight kingpin Stipe Miocic.

Miocic has said numerous times that he’s contemplated retirement after every fight in the UFC because of the mental and physical stress it brings. He’s always come back for more, though.

At 38, however, and with 2021 potentially bringing some fights that would put the perfect bow on Miocic’s career, it’s entirely possible the coming 12 months could be the final stretch for the arguable heavyweight GOAT. It’s just a matter of if he can go out on top.

Miocic is looking at a rematch with feared power-puncher Francis Ngannou in the first quarter of the year. A loss could spell the end – or maybe set up a trilogy. If he manages to beat Ngannou again, the biggest fight of Miocic’s career will be waiting against Jon Jones, who is moving up to heavyweight.

If the circumstances aligned for Miocic vs. Jones, there would be no better way to finish his career. If Miocic lost, that would be a conceivable final moment, too.

There are many avenues in play for Miocic in the coming year, but many of lead to similar conclusion point.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ufc-mma-predictions-2021-pay-per-view-records-champions-retire-bellator

 

MMA Junkie’s ‘Submission of the Month’ for December: A rarely seen banana split

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from December 2020: Here are the four nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Submission of the Month” award for December.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.

Jose Perez def. Jacob Dorman at CFFC 91

Jose Perez (2-0) provided a highlight to remember for his early career resume against Jacob Dorman (1-4) in their featherweight matchup.

In the opening round of the contest, Perez secured position over Dorman on the mat. From there, he started twisting his opponent in the direction he needed for the banana split. Dorman was in clear agony as his groin was extended, and he had no choice but to tap out.

Patrick Sabatini def. Jesse Stirn at CFFC 91

Patrick Sabatini (13-3) tapped out fellow regional veteran Jesse Stirn (10-4) to become the new CFFC featherweight champion.

After a dominant first round, Sabatini dragged Stirn to the ground in Round 2. From there, he worked his way up to an armbar, pulled guard, and locked in a torque that was too tight for Stirn to handle. Sabatini picked up another submission win and, with it, title gold.

Jimmy Flick def. Cody Durden at UFC Fight Night 183

Jimmy Flick (16-5 MMA, 1-0 UFC) octagon debut wasn’t going so great at the start when opponent Cody Durden (11-3-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) was having his way in the standup game.

Flick threw a head kick. Durden caught it. And before anyone knew what happened, Flick threw his right leg up, pulled guard, and had Durden caught in a triangle choke by the time they hit the mat. Durden tried to escape, but was trapped, and tapped out for the memorable submission win.

Ayaka Hamasaki def. Miyuu Yamamoto at Rizin FF 26

Ayaka Hamasaki (21-3) took on three-time wrestling world champion Miyuu Yamamoto (6-5), and utilized a newly-acquired technique to capture the vacant atomweight title and become a two-time champion.

Yamamoto managed to get the action to the canvas early with a well-executed takedown, but Hamasaki threatened with a Kimura attempt before reversing position and ending up on top.Once there, Hamasaki continued to attack the arm, but while Yamamoto battled her the armbar, Hamasaki surprised her opponent with a scissor choke that forced the tap.

The winner: Jose Perez

This one just hurt to watch.

Perez’s sophomore professional outing memorable when he defeated Dorman by – the rare but always wince-inducing – banana split submission.

The fight hit the mat and as the fighters tangled up, Perez grabbed hold of Dorman’s left leg. From there, it didn’t take long for Perez to obtain the proper level of torque to get the tap from Dorman, whose torso and legs were tweaked in an improper direction.

Even after Perez released the submission, Dorman writhed in pain on the ground – as if losing a fight isn’t bad enough.

It was a thing of beauty, though, and although it didn’t come at the highest level of the sport, it was worthy of recognition as the “Submission of the Month” in December.

, , , , , , , , , , News, UFC

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/submission-of-the-month-december-2020-jose-perez-banana-split-cffc-91

 

 

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