Rafael Fiziev calls out Al Iaquinta following UFC 256 win, but ‘Ragin’ Al’ says it’s unlikely to happen

Rafael Fiziev says he’s ready to break into the UFC’s lightweight rankings, and he’s identified the ideal next opponent to help him make a splash at 155 pounds.

After picking up his biggest win to date over Renato Moicano this past weekend at UFC 256, Fiziev wants a crack at former lightweight title challenger Al Iaquinta.

Fiziev (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), who earned the “Performance of the Night” bonus for his first-round finish of Moicano, took to Twitter to call Iaquinta out.

What’s up @ALIAQUINTA? How about me vs you and @funkmasterMMA vs my brother @PetrYanUFC on the same card? @tigermuaythai VS Long Island 

Iaquinta (14-6-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) praised the Tiger Muay Thai prospect for his win, but kindly turned down his request.

“Great fight tonight but probably not going to happen unfortunately.”

After receiving some criticism on Twitter for not accepting the fight, Iaquinta went onto clarify that he’s currently rehabbing after undergoing two surgeries.

Iaquinta, who has lost three of his past four, hasn’t competed since October 2019, when he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Dan Hooker in the co-main event of UFC 243.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/12/ufc-news-rafael-fiziev-calls-out-al-iaquinta

 

MMA Twitter is salivating over the idea of Anthony Johnson vs. Yoel Romero in Bellator

We got some unexpected – yet also expected? – breaking news Monday when it was revealed that Yoel Romero would be signing with Bellator 10 days after he was released by the UFC.

The news was expected because, well, even at 43, Romero remains an absolute beast of a human being who would bolster Bellator’s roster, so it made total sense. But it was also unexpected in that, just last week, Bellator president Scott Coker explained to MMA Junkie’s Nolan King why the promotion was taking a pass – initially.

The key word was “initially” as Coker did acknowledge that dialogue would remain open with Romero’s agents at First Round Management. And, well, he must’ve came to his senses about the slough of intriguing matchup possibilities with Romero aboard.

None, however, is bigger or has MMA Twitter salivating quite as much as Romero fighting hard-hitting knockout artist Anthony Johnson, whom Bellator signed just last week after he also parted ways with the UFC.

Take a look:

And on and on the tweets kept coming. Can you blame us? A light heavyweight clash between Johnson and Romero is an absolute dream matchup between two of the most feared men in the history of our sport.

We need this, Scott Coker. Make it happen!

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/12/bellator-anthony-johnson-vs-yoel-romero-dream-matchup

 

MMA Twitter is salivating over the idea of Anthony Johnson vs. Yoel Romero in Bellator

We got some unexpected – yet also expected? – breaking news Monday when it was revealed that Yoel Romero would be signing with Bellator 10 days after he was released by the UFC.

The news was expected because, well, even at 43, Romero remains an absolute beast of a human being who would bolster Bellator’s roster, so it made total sense. But it was also unexpected in that, just last week, Bellator president Scott Coker explained to MMA Junkie’s Nolan King why the promotion was taking a pass – initially.

The key word was “initially” as Coker did acknowledge that dialogue would remain open with Romero’s agents at First Round Management. And, well, he must’ve came to his senses about the slough of intriguing matchup possibilities with Romero aboard.

None, however, is bigger or has MMA Twitter salivating quite as much as Romero fighting hard-hitting knockout artist Anthony Johnson, whom Bellator signed just last week after he also parted ways with the UFC.

Take a look:

And on and on the tweets kept coming. Can you blame us? A light heavyweight clash between Johnson and Romero is an absolute dream matchup between two of the most feared men in the history of our sport.

We need this, Scott Coker. Make it happen!

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/12/bellator-anthony-johnson-vs-yoel-romero-dream-matchup

 

UFC’s Max Griffin tattooed a sliced ear on his elbow to commemorate his gruesome win

UFC welterweight Max Griffin got some new ink, and like a lot of tattoos, it marks a special moment.

What is it? It’s an ear being sliced in memory of the ear he destroyed in his bout against Ramiz Brahimaj last month at UFC on ESPN+ 40. Griffin got it tattooed on the outside of his elbow

Griffin (16-8 MMA, 4-6 UFC), who connected with some nasty blows that almost sliced off Brahimaj’s left ear, picked up a third-round TKO win as a result. Brahimaj’s ear was hanging on, and the referee stepped in and stopped the bout to prevent further damage. It was a gruesome sight.

Well, now that memory lives forever on Griffin’s body. It’s certainly a highlight of his career that led to an important win as he was 1-4 in his past five bouts prior.

Below is Griffin’s sliced ear tattoo (via Twitter):

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/12/ufc-max-griffin-sliced-ear-tattoo

 

UFC’s Max Griffin tattooed a sliced ear on his elbow to commemorate his gruesome win

UFC welterweight Max Griffin got some new ink, and like a lot of tattoos, it marks a special moment.

What is it? It’s an ear being sliced in memory of the ear he destroyed in his bout against Ramiz Brahimaj last month at UFC on ESPN+ 40. Griffin got it tattooed on the outside of his elbow

Griffin (16-8 MMA, 4-6 UFC), who connected with some nasty blows that almost sliced off Brahimaj’s left ear, picked up a third-round TKO win as a result. Brahimaj’s ear was hanging on, and the referee stepped in and stopped the bout to prevent further damage. It was a gruesome sight.

Well, now that memory lives forever on Griffin’s body. It’s certainly a highlight of his career that led to an important win as he was 1-4 in his past five bouts prior.

Below is Griffin’s sliced ear tattoo (via Twitter):

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/12/ufc-max-griffin-sliced-ear-tattoo

 

 

 

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