Welterweight Belal Muhammad has agreed to step in and face Leon Edwards in the UFC on ESPN+ 45 main event on March 13. Sources told ESPN of the development on Thursday.

Muhammad (18-3) is ranked No. 13 in the 170-pound weight class and just fought on Feb. 13, defeating Dhiego Lima by unanimous decision at UFC 258. He’s replacing Khamzat Chimaev, who was forced out of the event due to lingering effects of COVID-19.

Edwards and Khamzat has been booked three different times, and fell apart each time due to COVID-related issues.

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Edwards (18-3) is riding an eight-fight winning streak and is ranked No. 3 in the division. His last loss was to current champion Karmau Usman back in 2015.

Chmimaev is in Las Vegas receiving treatment. He hopes to return by June, according to his manager Ali Abdelaziz.

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/belal-muhammad-steps-up-to-face-leon-edwards-at-ufc-fight-night-187-on-march-13

With a few days to reflect upon his failed title bid at UFC 258, Gilbert Burns admits the loss still hurts but believes it has only increased his hunger to become a champion.

“Durinho” knows his early knockdown of UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman brought too much emotion to the surface, and the lack of patience ultimately proved costly.

“It’s always painful, but as the days are going, I’m feeling better,” Burns told MMA Junkie. “I watched the fight several times, possibly over 20 times already. I started very good, and I lost the patience. I saw the knockout, and I started going after it too much, loaded up a lot of punches. I was out of my zone at the time, but it was right there.

“If I was a little bit more patient, a little bit more relaxed, even if I was listening to Vicente Luque, the things that he was saying, ‘Hey, don’t load up. Keep the quick punches. He’s not fighting you.’ When I was trying to be quick and not loading up, he wasn’t finding no jab at me, nothing. Head movement was on point. Footwork was on point. But as soon as I hit him hard once, I was out of there, and it was hard to get me back on my flow mode.”

Now back in Florida, Burns said he’s struggling to take the necessary time away from the gym because he’s so anxious to go back and correct his mistakes. He’s already been in contact with UFC president Dana White, as well as his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, and they’ve both advised him to take a little rest before making his next move.

“I already texted Dana,” Burns said. “I already texted Ali. I already texted Sean Shelby. They want me to take a little time off. That’s exactly what I’m going to do, but I believe in three to four weeks, I’ll be able to go back to training camp and training, but we’ll see.

“It’s hard to relax right now because I was believing so much that I would become a champion, and now it didn’t happen, so it’s kind of very weird right now, but I’m trying to be in the moment right now.”

Despite the setback, Burns remains in an enviable position in the UFC’s welterweight division, holding at No. 4 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie welterweight rankings. With much of the division still waiting to book a fight, Burns admits he’s already looking at the possibilities of a May or June matchup with guys like Coby Covington, Leon Edwards, Stephen Thompson, Michael Chiesa or even Khamzat Chimaev, and how those contests might be able to get him back to another shot at the belt.

“At first, when I got back to the hotel, I was already thinking, ‘OK, I want to fight Colby next,’” Burns said. “Then Colby is fighting Leon Edwards. ‘OK, give me Michael Chiesa.’ The names were going. Maybe ‘Wonderboy.’ But to be honest, right now I don’t know. I just saw Colby-Leon I don’t think is going to happen. That was the one that should happen. We’ll see. Now we’ve got some time, especially with the whole division laid off like that. It looks Kamaru is going to fight (Jorge) Masvidal.

“One fight and back to the title would only be Colby Covington. That’s the only one. Or Leon Edwards, if until May he doesn’t get another opponent, and then I fight him. That’s the fight. So I don’t know who I want. I want every single one of these guys. I’ll fight Khamzat. I’ll fight ‘Wonderboy.’ I’ll fight Michael Chiesa. It depends. If the UFC says you need two fights, then I’ll be a little bit behind on the rankings and then a guy up front on the rankings, but if they say one fight, OK, give me Colby Covington.”

If Burns does make his way back to a rematch with Usman, one glaring change that could be made would be for his head coach, Henri Hooft, to handle corner duties on fight night. Hooft declined to do that the first time around due to his relationship with former longtime pupil Usman, but Burns hopes that’s a conversation that can be had if the two are booked a second time.

“I believe the rematch is going to happen, and I would love to have Henri there with me,” Burns said. “I missed that guy in my corner so much. … I hope he will be able to be there for the rematch because I do believe that rematch is going to happen in the future, for sure.”

Until that time, Burns said he’s willing to face anyone and everyone standing in his way. He’ll wait until March to get back into his full training routine, but after that, much like his first run to the title, the 34-year-old Brazilian wants to fight as often as possible against absolutely anyone on the roster.

“I’m not going to decline a fight,” Burns said. “Dana already knows. Sean Shelby. Ali – Ask Ali. Those guys already know I will fight anybody in that division. I was the one calling everybody out and getting the short notice, and I guess I have to do everything back again.”

And Burns said he’s now more driven than ever. A former Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion, Burns also knows the feeling of coming up just short of your ultimate goal. But that’s when a man’s character is truly tested, and Burns says it’s those moments that drive him to succeed.

“There were a lot of people calling me a crybaby, but I cried a lot because that was my dream, and I saw me winning, and then to lose the way I lost, especially feeling that I didn’t give my best, that was devastating,” Burns said. “But I’m in good spirits right now. My mind is good. The family supports me. My team, my team is supporting me. All my friends, a lot of great messages that I got, and I guess that pain, I already felt that a couple times. Before I became a world champion, I lost a couple times. I was second place. I was third place, and then I finally became a world champion, so I know that pain already. I know that feeling already. I don’t know what it does with me, but it just freaking motivates me, drives me to get back to work.

“I know what I did wrong, and I cannot wait to be back fighting again, giving my best. Like I said multiple times, I’m going to be champion, or I’m going to die trying, but a couple more weeks, I’ll be back on the horse again, training. I know that pain, so it’s OK right now. I’m feeling good right now because I know that feeling already, so I’ll be back very soon.”

To hear the full interview with Burns, check out the video below.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/ufc-258-gilbert-burns-says-he-will-be-champion-or-die-trying

Curtis Blaydes

Blaydes’ four-fight UFC winning streak at heavyweight is tied with Francis Ngannou, Ciryl Gane and Marcin Tybura for the longest active streak in the division.

Blaydes’ 59 takedowns landed in UFC heavyweight competition are most in divisional history.

Blaydes’ 14 takedowns landed against Alexander Volkov at UFC on ESPN 11 is the single-fight record for a UFC heavyweight bout.

Blaydes’ 14 takedowns landed are tied for the third most in a single UFC fight behind Khabib Nurmagomedov (21 at UFC 160) and Sean Sherk (16 at UFC 73).

Blaydes has achieved 59:44 of top control time in UFC heavyweight competition, the most in divisional history.

Blaydes completes 55.7 percent of his takedown attempts in UFC heavyweight competition, the second-highest rate in divisional history behind Cheick Kongo (63.2 percent).

Blaydes’ takedown rate of 6.98 per 15 minutes of fighting is fourth highest in UFC history behind Merab Dvalishvili (7.71), Bartosz Fabinski (7.08) and Gregor Gillespie (7.02).

Blaydes’ three knockout victories stemming from elbow strikes in UFC competition are tied with Paul Felder for most in company history.

Derrick Lewis

Lewis makes his 21st UFC heavyweight appearance since 2014, the most in the division and second most fights on the roster behind Donald Cerrone (25).

Lewis’ 15 victories in UFC heavyweight competition are tied with Junior Dos Santos for third most in divisional history behind Andrei Arlovski (19) and Frank Mir (16).

Lewis’ 11 stoppage victories in UFC heavyweight competition are tied with Arlovski, Gabriel Gonzaga and Stefan Struve for second most in divisional history behind Mir (13),

Lewis’ 11 knockout victories in UFC competition are tied for second most in company history behind Vitor Belfort (12).

Lewis’ 11 knockout victories in UFC heavyweight competition are most in divisional history.

Lewis’ 11 knockout victories in UFC competition since 2014 are tied with Thiago Santos for most among active fighters in the organization.

Lewis’ seven knockouts stemming from ground strikes in UFC competition are second most in company history behind Cain Velasquez (eight).

Lewis is the only fighter in history to have his first eight UFC bouts end in a knockout.

Lewis’ knockout of Alexander Volkov at UFC 229 despite a -82 significant strike differential marked the greatest statistical striking comeback in UFC history.

Lewis and Francis Ngannou combined for 31 total strikes landed at UFC 226, the second fewest in a three-round UFC fight that went the distance behind Jens Pulver vs. Joao Roque (23) at UFC 26 in June 2000.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ufc-fight-night-185-pre-facts-andrei-arlovski-stats-records

With LFA firm in its position as one of MMA’s top feeder leagues, the organization is now set on international recognition.

Ahead of the company’s landmark 100th event, which takes place Friday in Kansas and streams live on UFC Fight Pass, LFA CEO said he’s targeting a series of events in Brazil later this year and eyes further expansion, as well.

“I think one of the biggest things that we’re really focused on this year is expanding internationally,” Soares told MMA Junkie. “I think we’re going to do maybe two to four shows internationally, and we’re looking to expand to Brazil in 2021 – and then even looking further than that, I would love to maybe even eventually expand and do international shows in Europe. Maybe that’s not until 2022, but 2021, we have plans of taking LFA international to Brazil, so I’m really excited about that.

“I understand people and ‘regional promotions,’ but I don’t really look at us as a regional promotion. We’re more of a national promotion now, and when we go to Brazil, we’re going to be an international promotion. That’s what I’m focused on, just keep building the LFA better and better.”

Even in a pandemic-stricken 2020, Soares said LFA sent 48 athletes to the UFC and another 14 to Bellator. The longtime MMA manager – who has guided the careers of legends such as Jose Aldo, Lyoto Machida, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Anderson Silva and others – said his experience at the highest level of the sport is what drove him to his current role, where he enjoys prepping fighters for opportunities in promotions such as the UFC, Bellator, PFL and ONE Championship.

“That really came from being a manager myself and realizing that these guys were going from fighting in a high school gymnasium in front of 500 people and then two weeks later they get the phone call to fight in the UFC, and they’re walking out in the Staples Center with 15,000 people,” Soares said. “So I really felt that they needed to develop, not only inside the octagon as fighters, but also outside the octagon, learning what it’s like to have cameras on you, lights, doing interviews, having media commitments, so when someone puts a mic in your face when you get to that point, you’re not going to be stumped and be frazzled by it.”

At this point, earning an LFA title is all but a guarantee to get an offer from the big show, and at LFA 100, that opportunity falls to longtime LFA flyweight Victor Altamirano (8-1) and Dana White’s Contender Series vet Nate Smith (6-1), who challenge for the promotions’ vacant flyweight belt.

Soares said Altamirano is the perfect example of a homegrown LFA athlete that the organization is set on developing.

“He fought on LFA 1 as an amateur, and here he is fighting as the main event at LFA 100, and that in itself is a cool story,” Soares said. “To be a part of these guys lives and to help them get to the next level, honestly, it gives me so much fulfillment to see their success, and the way I look at it is if I were to look at a fighter, and they were to be a block wall, and the LFA could be a few of those blocks that help them build that wall of success, that’s what we want to be, and not only are we going to be a part of that wall, we’re like a fraternity. Once you fight for us, you’re with us. We’re going to promote you and help you. That’s how we like to do it.”

It hasn’t been all smoother sailing ahead of LFA 100, Soares said. With inclement weather impacting travel across the country, the organization has been forced to scramble a bit to keep its lineup intact, and a few planned bouts were scrapped or filled with late replacements. But Soares said he remains happy with the lineup and is looking forward to continued growth well beyond Friday’s centennial card.

“I feel very confident that the next Anderson Silva, the next Conor McGregor, the next whoever may be the big superstar, there’s a pretty big chance that it’s going to be coming through the LFA,” Soares said. “So to me, I just look at as if you’re a fan of the sport, why not tune in? Why not tune in to watch it, because really, our fights are super exciting.

“These guys understand what the LFA is there for. They understand that there’s a platform for them to be able to show their skills on, and it’s a platform that’s making it available to them 24 times a year. So why wouldn’t I give it my all when I go out there, and that’s the kind of feeling that we get from the fighters. It’s exciting.”

To hear the full interview with Soares, check out the video below.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/lfa-ed-soares-celebrates-100th-event-eyes-international-expansion

Derrick Lewis set the UFC record back in August for most heavyweight knockouts with 11 after finishing Aleksei Oleinik. Lewis looks to build on that record and his current three-fight win streak when he faces Curtis Blaydes in the main event of UFC Vegas 19 on Saturday, February 20.

Lewis enters Saturday’s main event ranked No. 4 in the heavyweight division. Blaydes sits in the No. 2 slot, and the winner will have a strong argument to be next in line for a title shot.

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(Courtesy of UFC)

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/watch-derrick-lewis-flatten-aleksei-oleinik-ufc-vegas-19-free-fight