Aljamain Sterling vs. Cory Sandhagen

Should fight: Winner of Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259
Why they should fight: I mean, come on? Does this one really need much of an explanation? Cory Sandhagen has made about as good of a case for a bantamweight title shot as you can possible ask for his in past two fights, with his killer knockout of Frankie Edgar being his crowning achievement.

Listen to Sandhagen’s (14-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) argument below from the post-fight press conference, where he perfectly brushes off the notion he should fight T.J. Dillashaw next instead of waiting to see what happens in the UFC 259 title fight between Yan and Sterling on March 6 (via Twitter):

Cory Sandhagen (@cors_life) says talk for the next title shot starts and stops with him after flattening Frankie Edgar. 🗣️#UFCVegas18 | Full interview: https://t.co/ce2jHRjEs3 pic.twitter.com/8KMQwMhzWc

— MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) February 7, 2021

Where is the gap in logic here? I don’t see one. Unless something freaky happens in Yan (15-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) vs. Sterling (19-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC), such as a draw, an utterly astonishing judging robbery, some sort of bizarre referee blunder or injury finish that demands an immediate rematch, Sandhagen should be the guy to slide in to fight the winner for the 135-pound belt.

Yeah, the likes of Dillashaw, Cody Garbrandt and Jose Aldo might be more marketable, but none of them have the worth of Sandhagen at this point, even when taking his quick loss to Sterling at UFC 250 in June into account.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ufc-fight-night-184-next-fight-matchmaker-cory-sandhagen-frankie-edgar-beneil-dariush

Division: Flyweight
Result: Alexandre Pantoja def. Manel Kape via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Record: 15-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC
Grade: C

Manel Kape’s eagerly anticipated arrival in the octagon may not have delivered a debut victory, but the fact he looked competitive against a top contender despite not seeming at his best should be considered an encouraging sign for the former Rizin FF bantamweight champion’s UFC career.

Kape started out working the outside and presented a constantly-moving target for Pantoja to pin down as he circled the outer reaches of the octagon and looked to counter as the Brazilian moved in. He also looked very wary of Pantoja’s takedowns as he kept his distance and dipped his hips in anticipation of takedown attempts.

When Kape did throw, he connected with some decent strikes, but looked to be too much on the back foot as Pantoja dictated terms through much the opening round.

Kape looked to up his output in Round 2 as he loosened up and let his strikes – including a few unorthodox techniques – flow. But despite looking more active, Pantoja looked the busier man in the exchanges, and was more often the man to initiate the striking exchanges. Kape did a good job of staying out of too much danger, but his output level wasn’t enough to give him a chance of stealing the round.

With his first two UFC rounds, and any potential octagon jitters, in the rearview mirror, Kape looked much improved in Round 3 as he turned up the pressure and connected far more effectively with his strikes. Rather than working off the back foot, Kape held the center of the octagon a lot better in the final frame and edged the striking in the final five minutes to earn the nod from two of the three judges in that round.

Unfortunately, Kape’s slow start cost him on the scorecards overall, with the judges scoring the fight 29-28, 29-28, 30-27 in Pantoja’s favor. While the defeat probably won’t prove too damaging to Kape’s reputation or potential in the UFC flyweight division, it likely shook off any possible pre-fight nerves.

It wasn’t quite the same powerful, all-action Kape we’ve seen in the past in Rizin FF but, despite not being at his explosive best, “Star Boy” showed plenty to suggest that if he steps into the octagon and hits the gas pedal from the opening bell from his next bout onward, he’ll quickly become a serious threat in the UFC’s 125-pound division, and possibly at bantamweight, too.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ufc-fight-night-184-rookie-report-grading-manel-kape-las-vegas

Alexander Volkov and Cory Sandhagen closed the show at UFC Vegas 18 in spectacular fashion on Saturday night. They were handsomely rewarded with Performance Bonuses.

Though Ode Osbourne opened the UFC Vegas 18 prelims with a 26-second knockout (the fastest finish on the fight card), he didn’t get an official UFC Vegas 18 post-fight award, which is accompanied by a $50,000 bonus.

Performance of the Night: Alexander Volkov

Volkov, who knocked out Alistair Overeem at 2:06 of round two, earned one of the two Performance of the Night bonuses. He also put himself just a victory or two away from being considered for a UFC heavyweight title shot.

Performance of the Night: Cory Sandhagen

The other UFC Vegas 18 Performance of the Night went to Cory Sandhagen, who one-upped Volkov with a blistering flying knee knockout of Frankie Edgar in just 28 seconds.

Currently sitting at No. 2 in the UFC bantamweight rankings, Sandhagen likely solidified his spot as the next in line for the winner of the upcoming bout between current champion Petr Yan and No. 1 contender Aljamain Sterling. Yan and Sterling are slated to fight on March 6 at UFC 259.

Fight of the Night: Diego Ferreira vs. Beneil Dariush

The Fight of the Night honors went to Diego Ferreira and Beneil Dariush for their three-round rematch. Dariush kept the pressure on throughout the fight, weathering a late-fight burst of momentum from Ferreira to earn a split nod from the judges.

It was Dariush’s second decision victory over Ferreira. The two first fought at UFC 179 in October of 2014.

TRENDING UFC Vegas 18 results: Alexander Volkov scores walk-off knockout over Alistair Overeem

Cory Sandhagen believes he’s earned a title shot

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Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/alexander-volkov-and-cory-sandhagen-top-ufc-vegas-18-performance-bonuses

Friends become foes as Champion Kamaru Usman battles former teammate Gilbert Burns in a showdown for welterweight supremacy. Behold their friendship, their fallout, and their lives in this episode of UFC 258 Countdown.

Usman puts his welterweight belt on the line opposite Burns in the UFC 258 main event on Saturday, Feb. 13, in Las Vegas.

(Video courtesy of UFC)

TRENDING Watch Kamaru Usman’s ‘Fight of the Night’ KO of Colby Covington ahead of UFC 258

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/ufc-258-countdown-kamaru-usman-vs-gilbert-burns

When you put a pair of fearsome finishers like Alexander Volkov and Alistair Overeem into the smaller of the UFC’s two cages, the fight isn’t likely to go the distance.

That was the case Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night 184. That turned out to be great news for Volkov (48-18 MMA, 13-7 UFC) and a bad night for Overeem (32-9 MMA, 6-3 UFC).

Volkov, a former Bellator heavyweight champion, had the most impressive victory of his UFC run and quite simply pieced up Overeem before finishing him with a TKO at the 2:06 mark of Round 2.

“I feel great. I feel really excited,” Volkov said. “It is my time.”

Volkov simply looked the sharper of the two from the outset. His low kicks and body kicks were on point and kept Overeem from building any momentum. When Overeem did manage to throw, they were single shots, and while a few of them landed, that wasn’t going to get the job done.

Volkov forced Overeem to cover up with a wicked flurry late in the opening round. While Overeem escaped the first round, there was an air of finality hovering at the UFC Apex. Volkov wasted little time going to work in the second round, each punch and kick landing hard, and it became obvious it was a matter of when, not if. A final left by Volkov sent Overeem awkwardly tumbling forward on hands and knees to the mat, and referee Jason Herzog waved things off before Overeem took any more damage.

With his 22nd career KO/TKO win, Volkov has now win two in a row and three of his past four. Overeem, in his 15th career KO/TKO loss, had a two-fight winning streak snapped.

The heavyweight bout was the UFC Fight Night 184 main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It streamed on ESPN+.

Complete UFC Fight Night 184 results:

• Alexander Volkov def. Alistair Overeem via TKO (punches) — Round 2, 2;06
• Cory Sandhagen def. Frankie Edgar via knockout (flying knee) – Round 1, 0:28
• Clay Guida def. Michael Johnson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Alexandre Pantoja def. Manel Kape via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
• Beneil Dariush def. Diego Ferreira via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Danilo Marques def. Mike Rodriguez via technical submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:52
• Devonte Smith def. Justin Jaynes via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) – Round 2, 3:38
• Karol Rosa def. Joselyne Edwards via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Lara Procopio def. Molly McCann via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 30-27)
• Seungwoo Choi def. Youssef Zalal via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
• Timur Valiev def. Martin Day via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-26)
• Ode Osbourne def. Jerome Rivera via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:26

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/ufc-fight-night-184-results-alexander-volkov-tko-knockout-alistair-overeem