Ultimately, though, he knows the best statement he can make ends with getting his hand raised. His opponent, Gabriel Silva, most recently dropped a unanimous decision to Borg in San Antonio last summer. Whether that adds urgency or not, Phillips isn’t trying to get swept up in reading into what implications a win or loss
UFC News
First, MMA Junkie Lead Staff Reporter John Morgan calls in to talk Felder vs. Hooker, Aldo vs Cejudo, a potential matchup between Usman and Masvidal, how to fix the UFC’s recent issues with judging (if it needs fixing), and all the latest UFC news. After Matt Serra pops in to offer his thoughts on this
First and foremost, Cutelaba was relatively untested and just 22 years old when he first stepped into the Octagon in the Canadian capital, and while seven fights is a solid sample size when it comes to diagnosing his potential, it’s also not quite big enough when it comes to making definitive statements about where his
I’ve never been one to weigh in on whether a fighter should retire or not, at least not in print. The way I see it, that’s up to the fighter, his family, and his team to decide. But after Paul Felder hinted at retirement after his five-round war with Dan Hooker, I will go public
It didn’t because Allen was able to create a scramble and land on top, eventually working to mount and then Holland’s back, where he laced up the fight-ending choke before even securing his hooks. A slight underdog heading into the fight, it was an eye-opening performance for anyone who was getting their first look at
Auckland, stand up! Paul Felder and Dan Hooker absolutely delivered a warriors’ performance in UFC Auckland’s main event. Both fighters refused to give the other man ground, with Hooker using the distance to pepper Felder and “The Irish Dragon” closing that distance to land huge shots. It was a back and forth battle that had
Lightweight contenders Dan Hooker and Paul Felder were expected to deliver the goods in the UFC Auckland main event at Spark Arena, and that’s exactly what they did in a memorable five-round war that saw Hooker emerge with a split decision victory that propels him further up the list of elite 155-pounders. As for Hooker’s rival
Fighting out of The MMA Lab in Glendale, Arizona, the 24-year-old Phillips has already had a couple opportunities to break into the UFC, but come up short each time. First, he faced off with James Gray on the opening season of the Contender Series, collecting a first-round stoppage win in 46 seconds. Rather than being
Kevin Aguilar (145.5) vs Zubaira Tukhugov (145) Jalin Turner (155.5) vs Josh Culibao (155.5) Jake Matthews (170.5) vs Emil Meek (171) Callan Potter (170.5) vs Song Kenan (171) Kai Kara-France (125.5) vs Tyson Nam (125) Loma Lookboonmee (115) vs Angela Hill (115) Priscila Cachoeira (126) vs Shana Dodson (125.5) *** Due to illness, Maki Pitolo is
“In Vegas at the Contender I felt like a kid, I felt like a young boy,” Crute said. “As I said before, this is the first fight I’ve felt like a man that’s going in there with a purpose.” That purpose is to be remembered as an exciting fighter and a warrior that never took
And anywhere Tukhugov goes, fighting will be a part of his DNA, which isn’t surprising considering that he started training at the age of five, focusing on wrestling and hand-to-hand striking before beginning to compete in MMA at 18 years old. So, when forced to the sidelines for over three years due to a pair
1. Dan Hooker vs Ross Pearson After elbowing Ian Entwistle into defeat in his UFC debut in Auckland three years before, the UFC’s favorite Kiwi was at it again. Dan Hooker came out brawling, but Pearson had seemed to figure out Hooker’s jab and was making him pay for it. “The Hangman” was now eating
Owner of wins over Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, Vitor Belfort and Kelvin Gastelum over the course of his storied career, Weidman believes he has another title run in him, and it starts when he faces Norway’s Hermansson, whose recent body of work has seen him defeat the likes of “Jacare” Souza, David Branch and Gerald Meerschaert.
“It’s something very special,” he said. “I am Maori, I do come from the native people of New Zealand, so being able to perform in front of them live is incredible. A lot of my family hasn’t seen me fight live because a lot of my fights have been overseas, so I’ve definitely not taken
He brought it to Dana White’s Contender Series last summer, and now that he has a UFC fight under his belt, he is ready to live up to his nickname at UFC Auckland this weekend. “I love the action. I always stand because I don’t like a boring fight and I don’t like to watch
“I don’t have a knee injury this time, I don’t have anything stopping me, and I don’t have any hindrances,” he said. “Mentally, I’m prepared, and physically I feel like I’m where I need to be. So I feel I can start showcasing what I can do. My mindset is to start cracking the top
PAUL FELDER VS. DAN HOOKER There have been fights with greater stakes, but in terms of overall intrigue and explosive potential, this might be the best piece of matchmaking the UFC has delivered thus far in 2020. Not only is this a crucial bout in the lightweight title chase, but what started as a respectful,
Everything about Matthews screamed “future contender,” but while his size, athleticism, and acumen on the canvas remained impressive for someone so young, that same youthful exuberance and relative inexperience cost him in critical matchups against future contenders James Vick and Kevin Lee. A split decision loss to Andrew Holbrook turned out to be his final