MMA: Strickland stuns champion Adesanya to win UFC middleweight title

SYDNEY, Australia -- Polarizing Sean Strickland unleashed a flurry of powerful punches to defeat champion Israel Adesanya and claim the UFC middleweight title after a grueling fight in Sydney on Sunday.

In the main event of UFC 293, American Strickland stunned hot favourite Adesanya to win the 185-pound belt with an unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) to prevail in a five-round slugfest.

At the sold-out Qudos Bank Arena, Strickland landed several stinging punches to the head and had Adesanya on the back foot throughout.

"Never in a million years did I think I would be here," said Strickland, who inflicted New Zealander Adesanya's third defeat from 27 fights.

"I thought I would be walking away a little broken up. I'm a little shocked that didn't happen.

"This is the first time I'm lost for words."

Strickland, who caused controversy ahead of the fight with misogynistic comments about putting women back in the kitchen, agreed to fight on late notice after Adesanya's South African rival Dricus du Plessis was unavailable.

Fifth-ranked Strickland earned his title shot after wins over Abus Magomedov and Nassourdine Imavov.

In the first UFC fight held in Sydney since 2017, both fighters felt each other out initially amid a febrile atmosphere.

The 32-year-old attempted to play to his strengths of wrestling and striking from close range in a bid to produce a major upset.

He made his move late in the first round after connecting with a powerful right-hand punch that felled Adesanya.

After surviving Strickland's flurry, Adesanya regrouped in the second round and utilized his favored kicks to deadly effect.

Adesanya threatened to take control in round three before Strickland landed a left hook as the fight went the distance.

Strickland (28-5) was unrelenting and trash-talked a bloodied Adesanya, a former kickboxer considered the marquee fighter in mixed martial arts, in the waning seconds with a shock title secured.

Also on the main card, towering two-meter (six foot seven inches) Alexander Volkov silenced the rowdy fans after defeating Australian Tai Tuivasa by submission in the heavyweight fight.

With a five-inch height advantage, Russian Volkov confirmed his favoritism by submitting Tuivasa with an Ezekiel choke in the second round, pinning his opponent to the ground with his right arm around the neck.

"(He took) so many punches and he was still on his legs, this guy is very tough," said 34-year-old Volkov, who won by submission for the first time since 2016.

In the other heavyweight bout, New Zealander Justin Tafa knocked out American Austen Lane in the first round after landing a left hook flush on the chin.

It was the second UFC event in Australia this year after lightweight champion Islam Makhachev overcame local Alexander Volkanovski at Perth Arena in February.

Agence France-Presse

MMA: Jones crushes Gane to win UFC heavyweight crown

LAS VEGAS -- Mixed martial arts legend Jon Jones scored a stunning first-round victory over France's Ciryl Gane to claim the vacant UFC heavyweight crown on Saturday.

Former light heavyweight champion Jones, making his return to the Octagon after more than a three-year absence, forced Gane into a submission after just 2min 4sec of the opening round to seal the win.

The 35-year-old American, who is widely considered to be the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, used all his skill and experience to outfox his 32-year-old French opponent.

Jones had talked boldly before the fight of scoring a quick victory against Gane, who hinted at nervousness in the opening seconds by aiming kick at the American's groin which required an official timeout.

Jones meanwhile proved to be as good as his word, easily ducking under a wild left hand from Gane and wrestling the off-balance Frenchman to the floor with ease.

He quickly had Gane in trouble and the Parisian submitted after being trapped in a guillotine chokehold by Jones.

"I've been working for this for a long time," a delighted Jones said after his victory. 

"You know a lot of people thought I was never coming back. I'd read that all the time 'This dude's never coming back' – but I've been faithful to my goal, faithful to my mission."

Jones said while he was wary of Gane's prowess on his feet -- the Frenchman is a former kick-boxing champion -- he had always been confident of winning if the bout ended up on the canvas.

"I really had the strong conviction that if I could get him down to the ground the fight would be in my area," Jones said. 

"I've been wrestling since I was 12 years old and I feel stronger and more comfortable, especially on the ground.

"With kickboxers you never know -– he zigs, I zag. And I actually felt a little goofy on my feet -– it's been a while. 

"But once I got my hands on him I knew that’s where I was most comfortable and I could take control."

Agence France-Presse

MMA: Kamaru Usman defends title over Colby Covington at UFC 268

Through two rounds, the UFC 268 main event rematch between welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington seemed ill-conceived.

Usman (20-1), of Denver by way of Nigeria, won their first fight nearly two years ago at UFC 245. And he nearly finished this bout at New York's Madison Square Garden when he dropped Covington (16-3) twice in the closing seconds of the second round.

Covington, though, showed tremendous tenacity by rallying in Rounds 3 and 4 with crisp striking, putting the fight's result in question.

That's when Usman showed championship mettle. He clamped down in Round 5 with crisp striking and a little more in the gas tank, and held on for a unanimous decision in the title bout.

The judges' scores were 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 for the champ.

"I know there's a lot of trash talk and there's a lot of bad blood here, and there's probably still gonna be some after tonight, but this guy is tough as (expletive)," said Usman, who successfully defended his belt for the fifth time.

The evening's co-feature bout was a rematch of a strawweight title bout from seven months ago.

And once again, Colorado's Rose Namajunas defeated China's Zhang Weili. But unlike the last time, when Namajunas (12-4) defeated Weili (21-3) with a flash knockout early in the first round to claim the 115-pound belt, this match was a five-round battle of attrition.

Weili clearly won the first round with a takedown and extended control time, and Namajunas did the same with the fifth and final round in a similar manner.

The middle three rounds were all coin flips, with both fighters having moments in tense kickboxing and grappling exchanges. In the end, Namajunas got enough nods from the judges in those rounds to retain her championship.

She earned a split decision on scores of 47-48, 48-47 and 49-46 for her fifth straight win.

"I was pretty confident in the end that I won it," Namajunas said. "The first couple rounds were pretty close. I wasn't even too worried about the result, just doing my best."

-reuters

UFC star Cody Garbrandt wants to fight Manny Pacquiao

Mixed martial arts star Cody Garbrandt doesn’t mind seeing MMA and boxing crossover fights.

In fact, Garbrandt wants to figure in such, saying he’s willing to fight Filipino boxing star Manny Pacquiao.

“I would love that fight. Yeah, I would love that,” Garbrandt told TMZ Sports.

The former UFC bantamweight champion won his first 11 fights but has lost his last two bouts both against TJ Dillashaw.

Pacquiao, who turns 40 in December, on the other hand, showed he still has it after scoring a TKO win over Lucas Matthysse of Argentina in July, his first stoppage since 2009.

Garbrandt also thinks a potential crossover fight between UFC lightweight titleholder Khabib Nurmagomedov and former pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. would be a “great fight” with both fighters staking their undefeated records in the boxing ring.

Last year, Mayweather came out of retirement to stop MMA superstar Conor McGregor in the 10th round.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Tyron Woodley defends UFC welterweight title, hands Darren Till 1st loss

DALLAS — Tyron Woodley had the crowd buzzing instead of booing in his latest UFC welterweight title defense.


The champion who keeps on winning likely will avoid the wrath of UFC President Dana White this time as well, while Woodley waits for his next opponent.

Woodley sent Darren Till to the canvas with a right hand early in the second round, then repeatedly punched and elbowed his English opponent in the face and head before finally winning by submission at UFC 228 on Saturday night.



It was the fourth title defense for the 36-year-old Woodley, and first in more than a year after he was roundly booed and even criticized by White in his previous win in the 170-pound mixed martial arts division.

“Winning conquers everything if you really think about it,” Woodley said. “As long as you keep winning, you keep building up your stats and people go back and look at your record, at the end of the day, they’re going to recognize you as the greatest of all time.

“That’s why I’ve been so quiet. I didn’t overly celebrate after the fight. I just went out there and got the job done.”

Till (17-1-1) lost for the first time in his first title fight.

“Backstage, I was just too calm,” said the 25-year-old from Liverpool, England. “I’m a weird person. Sometimes I’ll warm up hard. And then sometimes I’m just relaxed. I don’t have the same type of ritual for every fight. This time it cost me. In my eyes, it cost me everything.”

Perhaps responding to the boos from his plodding win over Demian Maia in a five-round unanimous decision last summer in California, Woodley (19-3-1) came out aggressively before settling into a more conservative approach for most of the first round.

A right hand early in the second dropped Till, and with Woodley on top of his opponent, the crowd screamed for him to finish it with the repeated blows while Till desperately tried to stay in the fight.

With his neck bent in a headlock and a strained look on his face, Till started tapping Woodley’s hip as the referee stepped in to stop the fight at 4:19 of the second. Woodley had Till pinned for about three minutes before the fight was called.


“Till is a tough kid,” Woodley said. “I’m not surprised he survived my ground and pound.”

After White criticized his win over Maia, Woodley demanded an apology a few days later while saying he had injured his shoulder in the fight. He eventually had arthroscopic surgery.

White declared that “nobody wants to see Tyron Woodley fight” after the Maia bout and said Georges St. Pierre would get the next shot at middleweight champion Michael Bisping instead of Woodley.

St. Pierre has since beaten Bisping and vacated that title, while Colby Covington beat former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos for the interim 170-pound belt in Chicago in June. Woodley dismissed Covington’s spot as the “boo-boo belt.”

Now the question is whether Woodley will face Covington.

“I’m not saying I am going to fight him because I don’t feel like he deserves my platform right now,” Woodley said. “He had a chance to be here. He ditched if you want to be honest and frank.”

Till struggled to stay under the required weight in previous fights, but never got a chance to show whether he had the conditioning to go with it after making weight at 169 pounds and defiantly flashing a pair of obscene gestures at the weigh-in.

Once the fight started, Till was conservative, sitting back while waiting to see how Woodley would attack. There were a few boos when the fighters were locked in bear hugs on the fence twice in the first round.

“He had all the pressure,” Woodley said. “When you’re undefeated, you don’t know. I’ve been in that position, 10-0, rising star. Everybody thought I was the hottest thing on the block. Got knocked out. It broke my heart. I never thought I was going to lose.”

Jessica Andrade (19-6) knocked out Karolina Kowalkiewicz (13-3) at 1:58 of the first round in a women’s 115-pound non-title fight in the co-main event.

Andrade’s strawweight win replaced a women’s flyweight championship fight that was canceled when title holder Nicco Montano was hospitalized for an undisclosed health issue. Montano was supposed to face top-ranked contender Valentina Shevchenko.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Major grudge match for Garbrandt, Dillashaw tops UFC 227

LOS ANGELES — Cody Garbrandt and T.J. Dillashaw have one of the UFC’s most compelling feuds of recent years. This beef is rooted in betrayal and tribalism, and it led to the demolition of a once-cordial relationship between training partners.

The feud persisted even after Dillashaw knocked out Garbrandt and took his bantamweight title belt last year, following months of verbal sparring and pre-fight scuffling.


Their rematch at Staples Center on Saturday night is the main event of UFC 227. It’s also the chance for a particularly personal victory for both men, who declined to shake hands at their ceremonial faceoff Thursday in downtown Los Angeles.


“I prefer to be respectful,” Dillashaw said Thursday. “I prefer to be a martial artist, so I like a respect level, but I don’t mind the drama, either. I’m going to use it to my advantage.”

Garbrandt (11-1) and Dillashaw (15-3) actually have plenty in common. They’re both well-conditioned, gifted strikers who became elite competitors at Team Alpha Male, Urijah Faber’s famed gym in Sacramento. They’ve also both become first-time fathers in the nine months since their last bout.

But they simply haven’t gotten along ever since Dillashaw won the bantamweight title and also left Alpha Male in 2014. To make an epic story short, Dillashaw says he was thrown out because he wouldn’t break ties with coach Duane Ludwig, who had just split acrimoniously from Faber. Several Alpha Male fighters, including Garbrandt, say Dillashaw turned his back on them.

“Let him say what he wants, but that motivates me,” Garbrandt said. “If you say you’re going to ruin my career and basically take food out of my child’s mouth, that’s fine. I didn’t need any more motivation with my new son, and while I’m coming off my first loss, I’ve been more motivated than I ever have out of any win.”

Any viewer of the pay-per-view show can’t miss the clear contrast between Garbrandt, the rural Ohio product with prominent neck tattoos, and Dillashaw, the clean-cut college graduate with a California surfer look. But the rematch primarily is a collision of two fighters with legitimate reason to think they’re the best in the 135-pound division.

Garbrandt rocketed to the top of the class, winning the belt less than two years after entering the UFC. He lost his title in equally stunning fashion last November to Dillashaw, who reclaimed the strap he had lost to Dominick Cruz nearly two years earlier.

During his ascent, Garbrandt appeared to be the archetype of the most compelling lighter-weight fighters. He was slick, athletic, stylistically well-rounded and powerful enough to generate knockouts — and he looked the part of a mixed martial arts star, right down to those tattoos that spread down his resplendently multicolored arms. Garbrandt’s neck is covered by large wings flanking a diamond, with the words “SELF MADE” atop his sternum.

He seemed ticketed for superstardom — until Dillashaw, the former Cal State Fullerton wrestler whose only losses in the last six years were on debatable split decisions, wrecked the narrative with his fists.


Immediately after their bout at Madison Square Garden, Garbrandt claims he tried to quash their grudge, but Dillashaw rejected him. Dillashaw says he isn’t to blame for not wanting Garbrandt around him.

“You’ve got me by the throat before, and that pushed me overboard,” Dillashaw said, recalling a past scuffle between the two. “What’s changed now? Just because I slapped you upside your face, what’s different? Why have you got to be fake?”

While Garbrandt doesn’t accept the blame for this state of affairs, he insists he has grown and changed since his wife, Danny, gave birth in March to their first child, a son named Kai. But Garbrandt also angrily declined to apologize this week for a series of racially insensitive tweets from his early 20s.

“I’ve never felt entitled to anything in my life,” Garbrandt said. “I feel like everything happens for a reason. I’ve been given second chances my whole entire life. … T.J. is a tough adversary. He’s skilled. He’s a good competitor. He doesn’t like to lose either. That’s what’s great about this rivalry.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

MMA star Conor McGregor back in court amid melee plea talks

NEW YORK — Mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor is due in court amid plea negotiations to resolve charges stemming from a backstage melee at a New York City arena.

The 30-year-old Irish fighter is expected to be joined Thursday in Brooklyn by his 25-year-old friend and co-defendant Cian (KEE’-uhn) Cowley.

Video showed what appeared to be McGregor hurling a hand truck at a bus full of fighters after a news conference for the UFC 223 event at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center in April.


Two fighters hurt by broken glass were unable to compete.

McGregor has expressed regret, saying after his last court appearance in June that he understood the seriousness of the matter and hoped to resolve it soon.

Last week, he attended the World Cup final as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s guest.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Bader wins light heavyweight title in Bellator’s NYC debut

NEW YORK — Ryan Bader defeated Phil Davis by split decision in his Bellator debut to win the promotion’s light heavyweight championship on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.

Bader (23-5) defeated Davis in an MMA bout for the second time in his career and his win capped the undercard in Bellator’s New York debut. Bader won a lackluster bout filled with more boos than blows. Referee Dan Miragliotta stepped between the fighters in the fourth round and warned them about inactivity — one of the few times the crowd cheered in a TV bout designed in part to get fans hooked on ordering Bellator’s second pay-per-view card.

Bader had edged out a split decision victory over Davis when the former Division I All-American wrestlers fought for the first time on a UFC card in January 2015. The loss was Davis’ last in UFC and he had won four straight Bellator fights headed into the rematch.

The first fight was widely panned as boring and this one may have topped it for dormancy.

Bellator made its Madison Square Garden debut seven months after UFC christened the arena in the MMA genre with a record $17.7 million gate. Bellator was going to fall well shy of that massive box office bank, but for the No. 2 MMA promotion in the United States, just snagging a spot at MSG was a needed credibility boost.

Bellator will wait to find out if the pay-per-view buys (at $49.95 a clip) hit 200,000, the total the company aimed for to count as a major success. Bellator broadcast on pay-per-view for only the second time in promotional history, signaling another step in its growth as a rival for the industry-leading UFC. Bellator staged its only previous pay-per-view event in May 2014, shortly before CEO Scott Coker took over the promotion.

Bellator loaded the card with some of the biggest names in MMA to make a splash in New York.

Wanderlei Silva takes on Chael Sonnen in the main event grudge match; a fight first scheduled for a UFC pay-per-view in 2014. The 40-year-old Silva, who made his name fighting for Pride in Japan, was set for his Bellator debut following a six-year run in UFC. Sonnen, also 40, was choked out by Tito Ortiz in his Bellator debut in January. Ortiz was on hand at the Garden.

Fedor Emelianenko fights Matt Mitrione in a heavyweight bout. Emelianenko (also 40, continuing the trend) may be the greatest fighter to never sign with UFC. The Russian won his last five fights, but the days when he ruled in Japan as one of MMA’s most dynamic fighters and top heavyweights are well behind him.

In a sign Bellator craves star power over super bouts, neither of the two main events were for a championship.

Coker wore a headset as he sat cage side and watched a bank of monitors, former NFL great Herschel Walker in the first row behind him. Coker might have listened to the revamped broadcast lineup. Bellator signed Mike Goldberg, unceremoniously dumped last year by UFC after 20 years as the voice of the company, and veteran combat sports announcer Mauro Ranallo to bolster the broadcast booth.

Bellator, founded only in 2008, has failed to build that mainstream star that UFC has in the mold of Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor. Bellator has eschewed the PPV model and built its fan base on the strength of live TV cards on Spike (broadcast home of Saturday’s undercard) and by signing past-their-primetime MMA players to main event their biggest cards. Kimbo Slice, Ken Shamrock, Royce Gracie and Rampage Jackson all took their turn in main event bouts more spectacle than sport that delivered record ratings for Bellator.

Bellator did sign more than just a few 40-something fighters for its New York debut. Aaron Pico, 20, was set to make his pro debut against Zach Freeman. Pico advanced to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in wrestling last year and was a junior golden gloves champion in 2009. Bellator jumped to sign him in 2014 and has perhaps the top prospect in the MMA game.

Heather Hardy, a boxer signed under promoter Lou Dibella, won her professional MMA debut with a bloody TKO over Alice Yauger. Hardy, of Brooklyn, New York, had the crowd going wild when she dropped Yauger with a vicious right. Hardy suffered a deep cut over her left eye following an accidental head-butt. Even the New York crowd gasped when blood gushed down Hardy’s face. Hardy wiped it off, then wiped out Yauger while the crowd roared.

“I think I just fell in love. I’m hooked,” she said. “I can’t feel it, but I have stitches in my face.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Rousey stopped by Nunes 48 seconds into comeback at UFC 207

LAS VEGAS — Ronda Rousey was stopped 48 seconds into her comeback fight Friday night, losing to bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 on Friday night.

Rousey (12-2) returned from a 13-month absence and never managed to get her footing against Nunes (14-4), who rocked Rousey with her very first punches.

Rousey staggered and stumbled backward while Nunes relentlessly pursued her and landed multiple shots. Referee Herb Dean stopped the bout with Rousey still on her feet, and Rousey briefly protested the stoppage before leaving the cage in her mother’s arms.

Cody Garbrandt also won the men’s bantamweight title in the penultimate bout, battering champion Dominick Cruz to earn a surprising decision victory at T-Mobile Arena in the UFC’s traditional end-of-the-year show in its hometown.

Rousey couldn’t compete in her first fight since losing her belt to Holly Holm 13 months ago in her first career defeat. Rousey became arguably the world’s most famous female athlete and a combat sports trailblazer while she rocketed atop the UFC, but a year away from the sport apparently did little to heal the holes in her game.

Nunes claimed her belt with a violent stoppage of Miesha Tate at UFC 200 in July, completing an unlikely ascent for a Brazilian veteran whose skills have improved in recent years. Nunes lost three fights earlier in her career to opponents beaten easily by Rousey, but Nunes’ work ethic and toughness propelled her into the biggest fight in the women’s game against Rousey.

Rousey hadn’t fought since November 2015, when Holm stopped her with a head kick in one of the biggest upsets in MMA history. Rousey had never lost or been in much trouble while the former Olympic judo medalist rocketed to the top of her sport with a series of one-sided victories, but Holm’s veteran striking made Rousey look amateurish before the dramatic finish.

Rousey nearly vanished from public view after her loss, taking time away from the gym and attending to her acting career. After the bantamweight belt changed hands two more times in her absence, Rousey agreed to return for a shot at reclaiming her title. The UFC also was sold during her absence to WME-IMG, the entertainment conglomerate that also represents Rousey’s career.

But Rousey refused to promote this pay-per-view show, leaving Cruz and Nunes to do most of the work. While Rousey’s media blackout will hurt her cut of the pay-per-view revenue, it didn’t affect her guaranteed payday of $3 million, matching Conor McGregor for the biggest disclosed check in UFC history.

Earlier, Garbrandt (11-0) remained unbeaten with a virtuoso performance to claim the belt held for the past 11 months by Cruz (22-2), who ended up with a gaping cut over his left eye. Garbrandt used precise striking, multiple takedowns and remarkable charisma to win over the judges, who all favored him by scores of 48-46, 48-46 and 48-47.

Cruz hadn’t lost an MMA fight since March 24, 2007, winning 13 straight bouts in a career marked by multiple comebacks from major injuries.

The 25-year-old Garbrandt is a native of Uhrichsville, Ohio, who trains in the Sacramento-area gym of veteran fighter Urijah Faber.

Cruz and Garbrandt taunted each other repeatedly during the promotion of their bout, and their genuine dislike translated into a frenzied five-round fight. Garbrandt lived up to his boundless promise with a resourceful effort against Cruz, who was favored to defend his belt.

Instead, Garbrandt landed more shots and did more damage from the opening round. Both fighters landed significant strikes in the first two rounds, but Garbrandt turned the fight in his favor early in the third round during the exchange that opened the cut on Cruz’s face.

Garbrandt put on a performance in the fourth round, repeatedly knocking down Cruz when he wasn’t dancing away from the champion. The unfriendly rivals congratulated each other after the bout, but Cruz didn’t appear surprised when Garbrandt’s hand was raised.

After receiving his belt, Garbrandt wrapped it around the waist of Maddux Maple, a 10-year-old leukemia survivor from northern Ohio who has been his motivational talisman.

Garbrandt’s first title defense could be against T.J. Dillashaw, who dominated John Lineker in a unanimous-decision victory moments earlier at UFC 207, winning 30-26 on all three cards. Dillashaw (15-3) showed off precise striking and a superior ground game to trounce the Brazilian brawler.

“Come try me!” Garbrandt shouted at Dillashaw afterward.

source: sports.inquirer.net

McGregor-Diaz rematch officially headlines UFC 200

It’s the surprise sequel to the stunning fight between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz and it’s happening in UFC 200 on July 9 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

McGregor lost to Diaz in their first match in UFC 196 when the Irishman tapped out in the second round.

Rafael dos Anjos was originally slated as McGregor’s opponent in what would’ve been for the lightweight title early this month but an injury forced the Brazilian to pullout from the headliner with UFC president Dana White putting Diaz as the replacement.

Like the first bout, the rematch will also be in the welterweight division.

An interim title fight would be the co-main event of the fight between former champion Jose Aldo, the man McGregor beat for the title, against Frankie Edgar, the man who wants McGregor.

Other matches include a heavyweight showdown between top ranked Cain Velasquez and No. 7 Travis Browne, welterweight Jimmy Hendricks taking on Kelvin Gastelum, and a middleweight matchup between Gegard Mousasi and Derek Brunson.

source: sports.inquirer.net

MMA star Silva undergoes surgery to repair broken leg

Anderson Silva underwent surgery to repair a broken left leg, a gruesome injury he suffered in his loss to Chris Weidman on Saturday night (Sunday Manila time), the Ultimate Fighting Championship said.

In a statement posted on its website, the UFC said that an “intramedullary rod” was inserted into Anderson’s left tibia (shinbone) in an operation performed at a local Las Vegas hospital.

Silva’s broken fibula (calf bone) has also been stabilized and does not require additional surgery.

In the their UFC 168 title bout, the 38-year-old Mixed Martial Arts star from Brazil dropped to the canvas, writhed in pain, as his lower-leg snapped upon absorbing the impact of Weidman’s check of the kick.

The referee halted the fight a minute and 16 seconds into the second round, and Weidman retained the UFC Middleweight title.

The injury and the loss cast doubts on whether Silva, one of the celebrated MMA fighters of all time, could still return to the ring.

Silva, in a Twitter post, thanked his fans and friends for the support and said that he “will be better soon.”

“I now I need to be with my family to recovering better,” he also said.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Demetrious Johnson defends UFC featherweight title

SACRAMENTO, California—Demetrious Johnson stopped Joseph Benavidez with a big right hand in the first round Saturday (California time) to defend his Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight title for the third time.

Johnson (19-2-1) remained the only champion in the history of the UFC’s lightest men’s division. He caught Benavidez (19-4) directly in the face with an unblocked punch, knocking the challenger senseless just 2:08 into the fight.

Johnson beat Benavidez by split decision in Toronto 15 months ago, claiming the UFC’s first flyweight title in a tight matchup. He defended his title twice this year against John Dodson and John Moraga.

Benavidez earned his way back to a title shot with three straight victories this year, the last two by impressive stoppage.

source: sports.inquirer.net