MMAWeekly’s Jim “Gries” Grieshaber and Jeff Cain break down the weekly news in MMA and talk about the upcoming UFC events in Las Vegas.

The boys also wrap up the UFC Vegas 19: Blaydes vs. Lewis, where Derrick Lewis pulled off a huge upset with his record-tying knockout of Curtis Blaydes in the main event. What does Lewis’s knockout do to the division? Where does former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones land upon making the move to heavyweight?

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TRENDING Gina Carano fires back on being canceled; Dana White expresses support for her

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/ufc-vegas-19-fallout-derrick-lewiss-record-tying-ko-jon-joness-move-to-heavyweight

UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes defended her belt and took down one of the biggest names in UFC history when she finished Ronda Rousey at UFC 207 back in 2016.

Now a two-division champion, Nunes will put her featherweight title on the line Against Megan Anderson at UFC 259 on Saturday, March 6.

Watch Nunes’s destruction of Rousey at UFC 207 ahead of her bout with Anderson at UFC 259.

(Video courtesy of UFC)

TRENIDNG Watch Israel Adesanya destroy Paulo Costa ahead of UFC 259

Recount Amanda Nunes’s win over Germaine de Randamie at UFC 245

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Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/watch-amanda-nunes-demolish-ronda-rousey-ahead-of-ufc-259

LAS VEGAS – Jared Gordon beat Danny Chavez with a unanimous decision Saturday to close out the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 185 in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Gordon, who has consecutive wins for the first time since 2017.

Danny Chavez vs. Jared Gordon

Result: Jared Gordon def. Danny Chavez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Updated records: Gordon (17-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC), Chavez (11-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC)
Key stat: Gordon had 5:01 of ground control time to just 0:03 for Chavez.

Gordon on the fight’s key moment

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 20: (R-L) Jared Gordon punches Danny Chavez in a featherweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on February 20, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

“When you go into a fight, you overthink a lot of things. I was really worried about the calf kick. It turned out I was kicking his calf way more than he was kicking mine, which is weird because he was supposed to be the striker and I was the grappler.”

Gordon on being back on track

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 20: (L-R) Danny Chavez punches Jared Gordon in a featherweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on February 20, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

“I outstruck him and hurt him. I take guys down and they don’t get up. He got up one time, but I did a great job of keeping him there. I was definitely getting some good ground-and-pound off on him. That’s where I shine. It felt great. I’m finally back on a win streak. It’s been a rough couple years for me.”

Gordon on what he wants next

“It feels great. I can take a breather and go home to my fiance. I’m trying to get right back in there. I want to fight smart and choose wisely. This is a business and I want longevity. I tried to skip the line by fighting ranked guys at a higher weight class and it didn’t work out. I just want to stay active.”

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

Breaking, Jared Gordon, UFC Fight Night 185, video, News, UFC, Videos

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/jared-gordon-winning-streak-fighting-smarter-ufc-fight-night-185-video

LAS VEGAS – Phil Hawes beat Nassourdine Imavov with a majority decision Saturday on the main card at UFC Fight Night 185 in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Hawes, who ran his winning streak to six after a loss on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2017.

Phil Hawes vs. Nassourdine Imavov

Result: Phil Hawes def. Nassourdine Imavov via majority decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Updated records: Hawes (10-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC), Imavov (9-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC)
Key stat: Hawes was outstruck by Imavov, but landed four takedowns.

Hawes on the fight’s key moment

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 20: (L-R) Phil Hawes punches Nassourdine Imavov of Russia in a middleweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on February 20, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

“I feel great. This fight means a lot more than 18-second knockouts. This one I had to dig deep. This is going to help so much with my experience. I’m glad it turned out this way against a tough opponent like Nassourdine. He came ready. He was hitting me with tons of elbows. He got me a little dazed on my feet in the third round, but I just came through it.

“I knew Nassourdine was going to be tough. I was hoping to knock him out. I did a ton of strength and conditioning. I just wanted to let him know I’m here and not going anywhere.”

Hawes on going the distance

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 20: (R-L) Nassourdine Imavov of Russia punches Phil Hawes in a middleweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on February 20, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

“I felt alive. You see at the end of the fight, I’m running around in circles because I was happy. I had never went three rounds. It was a new experience in my career. I’m blessed the UFC gave me the opportunity to show I’m the best in the world.”

Hawes on what he wants next

“I approach this game like I’m the champ already. Getting a number means nothing to me, I want my belt.

“I showed some heart out there. I know people were wondering if I can go three rounds. I answered some questions out there. I’m just going to keep answering questions until they put the right people in front of me. I want to get back in the octagon as soon as possible.”

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

Breaking, Phil Hawes, UFC Fight Night 185, video, News, UFC, Videos

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/phil-hawes-likes-decision-win-more-than-18-second-knockout-ufc-fight-night-185-video

Bellator continues to ink notable names from the Russian talent pool.

The most recent Russian addition to the roster is former Absolute Championship Berkut, Fight Nights Global, and ProFC lightweight standout Alexander Shabliy, whom the promotion has signed to a multifight deal.

A Bellator official on Monday confirmed the signing to MMA Junkie following an Instagram post by Shabliy’s manager, Rizvan Magomedov, on Friday. Shabliy (19-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) doesn’t have a publicly known debut date or opponent at this time.

Shabliy, 27, rides a four-fight winning streak into his Bellator tenure with his most recent victory coming in December 2019. His resume includes wins over former UFC fighter Adriano Martins, former Bellator fighters Ryan Quinn and Gleristone Santos, as well as Brazilian standout Alexandre Cidade.

Ali Abdelaziz said that he’s bringing a few of his free agents to ONE soon. Imagine if Alexander Shabliy joins their Lightweight rankings. Only 27 years old and already with a decade of experience and 17 finishes to his credit. pic.twitter.com/g9Zhv26jZc

— Cerebral Vigilante (@Delisketo) July 29, 2020

Sixteen of his 18 professional wins have come by finish. Since 2014, Shabliy has only lost one fight: a split decision defeat to Eduard Vartanyan in November 2016. Shabliy has been submitted once in his professional career, but has never been finished via strikes.

Recently, Shabliy moved his training to American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Fla. Since then, he has gotten in training with the likes of Dustin Poirier, Jorge Masvidal, Movsar Evloev and Natan Schulte, among numerous other UFC, Bellator, and PFL athletes.

A post shared by Александр Шаблий (@alexandr_shabliy)

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/mma-news-bellator-signs-alexander-shabliy-multifight-deal-russia-acb-fng