Tag: Tony Gravely

UFC on ESPN+ 24: Blaydes vs. dos Santos Preview

Going head-to-head with Bellator this weekend, UFC will travel to Raleigh, North Carolina, USA for a card on ESPN+. Headlining the show will be heavyweights Junior dos Santos and Curtis Blaydes. Both high ranked, the winner of this fight could move themself ahead in the line to challenge for Stipe Miocic’s UFC Heavyweight Championship.

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Prelims

Bout 1: Nate Landwehr (13-2) vs. Herbert Burns (9-2) (Featherweight)

Kicking off the preliminary card on ESPN+ at 5PM EST will be a featherweight battle between Nate Landwehr and Herbert Burns. The matchup is a double debut, with Burns getting a contract from Dana White’s Contender Series back in August. Burns had a 5-2 record in ONE FC and a 2-0 run in Titan FC prior ot the signing. Landwehr is on a seven-fight winning streak, with most of those wins from Russian MMA promotion M-1 Challenge.

Bout 2: Brett Johns (15-2) vs. Tony Gravely (19-5) (Bantamweight)

Another debuting Contender Series fighter is on this card in Tony Gravely, being put up against Brett Johns. Gravely stopped Ray Rodriguez in the third round on the show to earn his UFC contract and extend his winning streak to seven. Johns could be fighting for his future in the UFC on Saturday, as he is currently on a two-fight losing streak, his only two losses as a pro. He made his UFC debut in 2016, picking up three wins before losing to Aljamain Sterling and Pedro Munhoz.

Bout 3: Sara McMann (11-5) vs. Lina Lansberg (10-4) (Bantamweight)

Making her return after maternity leave, Sara McMann will challenge Lina Lansberg on the prelims. McMann’s last fight was in early 2018, losing to Marion Renau via triangle choke. After a late 2018 loss to Yana Kunitskaya, Lansberg has bounced back by getting scorecard wins over Tonya Evinger and Macy Chiasson. It’s safe to say that McMann will have a challenge in her comeback bout.

Bout 4: Montel Jackson (8-1) vs. Felipe Corales (9-1) (Bantamweight)

The next preliminary fight will see two more bantamweights compete. Montel Jackson and Felipe Corales, who are both coming off of wins in their short UFC careers thus far will be put against each other. Despite having similar records, Vegas heavily favours Jackson as a -600 favourite. Jackson was picked up via the Contender Series, going 2-1 since then. Corales is 1-1 in the UFC, recently going the distance for a unanimous decision win against Domingo Pilarte.

Bout 5: Justine Kish (6-2) vs. Lucie Pudilova (8-5) (Flyweight)

Justine Kish and Lucie Pudilova will both attempt to break their losing streaks on Saturday, but only one will prevail. Kish hasn’t been super active, with her last two fights taking place over the last two years, being losses to Felice Herrig and Ji Yeon Kim. Pudilova has been more active, with her last three fights, all losses, within the last year and a half. Most recently, Pudilova was stopped in the second round via rear naked choke against Antonina Shevchenko.

Bout 6: Arnold Allen (15-1) vs. Nik Lentz (30-10-2) (Featherweight)

The seemingly unstoppable Arnold Allen will be put against the much more experienced Nik Lentz in what should be an interesting matchup on Saturday. Allen has been undefeated since 2014, currently with six wins in his UFC run. His most recent win was easily his biggest challenge, being a decision win over Gilbert Melendez. Lentz is coming off of a loss to Charles Oliveira, however, there’s no doubt his advantage in this fight is having more octagon time, over doubling the number of professional fights that Allen has.

Bout 7: Bevon Lewis (6-2) vs. Dequan Townsend (21-9) (Middleweight)

The preliminary part of the card will be headlined be Bevon Lewis and Dequan Townsend. Lewis was signed to the UFC through the Contender Series but has yet to get a win in the octagon, falling to Uriah Hall and Darren Stewart before. Townsend made his UFC debut in 2019, having an unsuccessful outing against Dalcha Lungiambula.

Bout 8: Jamahal Hill (6-0) vs. Darko Stosic (13-3) (Light Heavyweight)

 

The main card will kick off with the sole undefeated fighter on the card, Jamahal Hill, fighting Darko Stosic. Hill impressed UFC brass in the fifth episode of the 2019 Contender Series season, stopping Alexander Poppeck in the second round with elbows. This fight will be his debut on the big stage. Stosic has something to prove as well, currently chasing the feeling he had when he had his one and only UFC win, back in July of 2018. He has since failed to prevail over Devin Clark and Kennedy Nzechukwu.

Bout 9: Hannah Cifers (10-3) vs. Angela Hill (10-7) (Strawweight)

Angela Hill was a busy fighter in 2019. After a run of taking four fights in seven months, Hill took an understandable break for the final quarter of 2019. She returns to the octagon on Saturday, fighting Hannah Cifers. Cifers is riding a two-fight winning streak, last winning over Jodie Esquibel at UFC 241.

Bout 10: Jordan Espinosa (14-6) vs. Alex Perez (22-5) (Flyweight)

In late 2018, Alex Perez tasted defeat in the UFC for the first time, taking many unanswered shots by Joseph Benavidez before the referee fully stepped in. That didn’t stop his momentum however, as he bounced back by beating Mark De La Rosa. Riding that momentum, Perez will fight Jordan Espinosa high up on this card. Espinosa sees himself in Perez’s position, attempting to come off his first loss in the UFC, which was also a first-round stoppage. On Saturday, another fighter will likely see their second loss in the big leagues.

Bout 11: Rafael dos Anjos (29-12) vs. Michael Chiesa (15-4) (Welterweight)

Michael Chiesa has been undefeated since making the switch from lightweight to welterweight back in 2018. He has defeated Carlos Condit and Diego Sanchez, and now eyes to beat Rafael dos Anjos in the co-main event slot of this card. “RDA” has lost quite a bit recently, however it’s worth noting his losses have come to notable names in the division. He lost an interim Welterweight Championship fight to Colby Covington in 2018 at UFC 225. He then lost to current champion Kamaru Usman, going to decision. He has most recently lost to Leon Edwards, defeating Kevin Lee before then. While Chiesa is being pitted against someone who has lost more than they have won recently, dos Anjos is the biggest welterweight challenge he has gotten so far.

Bout 12: Curtis Blaydes (12-2) vs. Junior dos Santos (21-6) (Heavyweight)

Main eventing in Raleigh will be Curtis Blaydes and Junior dos Santos. The battle is one between one of the division’s rising stars and a more experienced veteran. Of course the star is Blaydes, with the more experienced being Santos. Blaydes holds an impressive 12-2 record, with the two defeats coming via fights against Francis Ngannou. He is on a two-fight winning streak, going through Justin Willis and Shamil Abdurakhimov. 

Santos’ last win gives him a way to relate to Blaydes, as he lost to Ngannou back in June. He failed to fight Alexander Volkov in November, falling victim to a bacterial infection. Santos is most known for his 2011 UFC Heavyweight Championship run, which saw him dethrone Cain Velasquez. After a defence against Frank Mir, Santos lost the belt in a rematch against Velasquez. Both Blaydes and Santos are highly ranked in the division, and a win could put them in closer reach to Stipe Miocic’s Heavyweight belt. With that being said, there are a lot of bidders for that title shot at the moment.

UFC will take next weekend off, returning on the 8th with UFC 247 in Houston, Texas, USA. Headlining that card will be Jon Jones putting his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship on the line against undefeated Dominick Reyes.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 3 Episode 8 Full Report

On Tuesday, another episode of the Contender Series aired, with MMA fighters getting the opportunity for a UFC contract. On this week’s five fight card, the main event saw two undefeated light heavyweights in Herdem Alacabek and William Knight face off. Whether either of them or others earned contracts was determined by their performances. Let’s look at the first fight of the evening.

Bout 1: Karl Reed (6-1) vs. Julius Anglickas (6-1) (Light Heavyweight)

The first fight of the evening was also a light heavyweight bout. Former LFA Champion Julius Anglickas fought Karl Reed, who had an identical record of 6-1. Reed tried for a single leg takedown in the first minute of the fight. He couldn’t get it, with Anglickas staying standing up against the cage. They took turns having their backs up against the cage. Anglickas got the first takedown of the fight, getting on Reed’s back. Reed got back up, then they went back to stand-up with under two minutes left in the round. Reed his first takedown with over a minute left. Back to stand-up with a few seconds left in the round, Anglickas strung together a few good punches. Anglickas had a decent first minute of the second round, throwing kicks and punches. He landed another takedown after a few moments of looking for one. Just like last time, Reed got right back up. While up against the cage, there was a timeout called by the referee as Reed was hit in the groin. Anglickas landed another takedown when they resumed, but Reed got up immediately after. They were clinched up against the cage for long enough that referee Jason Herzog brought them back to stand-up. Reed got a takedown with a minute left in the second round. When they stood back up and separated, Anglickas had some good strikes again. In the final round, Anglickas had a great combination of knees and punches, then went into a body lock up against the cage. Anglickas got another takedown. On the back of Reed, Anglickas put in a rear naked choke which made his opponent tap out. 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Reed 10 9
Anglickas 9 10

Bout 2: Tony Gravely (18-5) vs. Ray Rodriguez (15-5) (Bantamweight)

In the second fight, we went to a lighter weight division in the bantamweight division for Tony Gravely versus Ray Rodriguez. Both fighters had quite experienced records. Gravely was coming forward with strong punches early on. He got a takedown in the second minute after Rodriguez landed a combo. After landing punches in top position, Gravely tried for a guillotine choke. He couldn’t secure it, as Rodriguez got up shortly after. Gravely got another takedown as the first round was closing out. Gravely had a good start to the second round, although Rodriguez landed a takedown and took his back in the second minute of the round. Gravely scored a slam takedown and then assumed the dominant position on the ground. Gravely tried for a rear naked choke with a minute left in the round. Rodriguez slipped out of the hold before the round ended. At the start of the final round, Rodriguez tried to come forward with a running strike but didn’t really connect. He slipped and had to fight out of a guillotine attempt. Rodriguez got on the back of Gravely. On the ground, Gravely took the back of Rodriguez and started to throw tons of punches. After numerous unanswered strikes, the referee stepped in and ended the bout.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Gravely 10 10
Rodriguez 9 9

Bout 3: Shanna Young (6-1) vs. Sarah Alpar (8-4) (Bantamweight)

The third fight was another bantamweight clash, with Shanna Young and Sarah Alper competing. Alpar was coming forward with strong punches at the start, landing a single leg takedown shortly after. Alpar landed another takedown and took Young’s back. She put in a rear naked choke which made Young tap out. Sarah Alpar got the third stoppage victory of the evening.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Young 9
Alpar 10

Bout 4: Brok Weaver (13-4) vs. Devin Smyth (9-1) (Welterweight)

On the co-main event of the show, Brok Weaver and Devin Smyth fought in a welterweight bout. Weaver came from the Island Fights promotion, with Smyth having a 10 fight record in numerous promotions. Right at the start of the first round, Smyth threw a kick and got a takedown. They stood up against the cage, with Smyth getting a slam takedown the second time. Smyth tried for many for takedowns throughout the round, but wasn’t as successful. At the very start of the second round the referee called a timeout as Smyth was hit with a low kick. Smyth shot for another takedown but it was defended by Weaver. Weaver got much more offense in through the second round. Smyth got a takedown in the final minute of the second round. Smyth’s corner was in his face screaming as the round ended. Weaver was landing even more punches in the final round, with Smyth stopping the flurries with clinches. The round ended after a dominant round by Weaver. The judges all picked Brock Weaver as the winner of the fight (30-27, 29-28 & 29-28).

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Weaver 9 10 10 29
Smyth 10 9 9 28

Bout 5: Herdem Alacabek (5-0) vs. William Knight (4-0) (Light Heavyweight)

In the main event, undefeated light heavyweights Herdem Alacabek and William Knight fought for a potential UFC contract. In the opening minutes, both fighters were going wild with strikes. Alacabek landed a takedown halfway through the first round. He tried for a rear naked choke but couldn’t keep it in. Knight took top position in the final minute, where Alacabek tried for an armbar but didn’t get it. A lot of clinch strikes were thrown in the second round. Alacabek got a slam takedown halfway through the second round. Knight scored a takedown in the final minute of the round. He postured up and started to tee off on Knight. Knight landed a knee in the first minute of the final round which rocked Alacabek. Later on, Knight took Alacabek to the ground and went back to ground and pound. Knight landed an elbow that cut open Alacabek. The referee stepped in and ended the fight with under 30 seconds left in the contest.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Alacabek 10 9
Knight 9 10

At the end of the episode, Dana White offered contracts to Tony Gravely, Sarah Alpar, Brock Weaver and William Knight. White said he wants Alpar to drop a weight class and he wants to develop Knight.