Petr Yan

TJ Dillashaw wants a title shot in his UFC return

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On January 18th, the suspension of former UFC bantamweight champion, TJ Dillashaw (16-4), will officially be lifted. The MMA world has not seen Dillashaw inside a cage since January 19th of 2019.

That night, Dillashaw took on Henry Cejudo for the UFC‘s flyweight championship. Dillashaw was attempting to become a two-division world champion, however, he was caught and finished in the first 32 seconds of the fight.

The stoppage was controversial and the UFC was looking to book a rematch between the two. However, Dillashaw then announced that he was vacating his UFC bantamweight title due to a result in his pre-fight drug test.

We later found out that Dillashaw had tested positive for the performance enhancing drug, EPO. Dillashaw was suspended for two years for the positive drug test. In the span of just a couple of weeks Dillashaw went from superstardom to being shunned by the MMA community.

Now, the suspension is almost up and the former champ is anxious to get back into the cage. Dillashaw was interviewed yesterday by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto and talked about his return. Dillashaw made it clear that he’s wanting to go right to the top.

UFC title shot right away?

“They (the UFC) know I want the title fight. I want that title. I want it right away because you got a guy, Petr Yan, that beat someone for the belt who was 0-2 (Jose Aldo) in the weight division. You know, how are you calling yourself a champion,” Dillashaw told Okamoto.

The current UFC bantamweight champion, Yan, is scheduled to take on Aljamain Sterling at some point early next year. The fight was originally supposed to take place next week, but Yan had to postpone the fight.

Dillashaw also said in the interview that he’s looking to fight around March. In all honesty, I don’t see Dillashaw getting a title shot right away. There would have been a chance if Yan and Sterling had fought next week, but now, I don’t think so.

With that in mind, Dillashaw will need to fight someone in the UFC‘s top ten. A couple of names stick out including Cory Sandhagen and Frankie Edgar. A fight with either of those two makes a lot of sense for Dillashaw.

Dillashaw made it clear that he wants a UFC title shot right away. However, if he is forced to fight someone else, he wants it to be a title eliminator. One thing is for sure, and that is with the return of Dillashaw, bantamweight just got even better.

BREAKING: UFC title fight between Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling is off

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The UFC 256 card just can’t catch a break. The card was originally supposed to feature a welterweight title fight between Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns as well as a women’s featherweight title fight between Amanda Nunes and Megan Anderson.

However, both of those title fights were called off due to injuries. Now, just a few weeks before the event, the UFC 256 card has lost another title fight. Per ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, the Petr Yan – Aljamain Sterling fight has been called off.

The news was first reported by MMA Island. Petr Yan (15-1) had to pull out of the fight for undisclosed reasons and the UFC is said to be working on a new date for that title fight. Aljamain Sterling (19-3) will have to wait even longer for his UFC title shot.

This is a crushing blow for the UFC 256 card. The past couple of days has seen the card get a major boost with the additions of Tony Ferguson – Charles Oliveira and the addition of a UFC flyweight title fight. However, this is very bad news for a card that needed two title fights.

UFC 256’s bad luck

In all my years of watching the sport, I never remember a UFC card losing three title fights. However, the December PPV has been dealt three crushing blows which has damaged the card.

Yet, the UFC 256 still has a couple of really good fights now that the flyweight title is on the card and Ferguson – Oliveira is on the card. The fight night that the promotion is putting on, December 19th, is absolutely stacked with amazing fights.

I wouldn’t be shocked to see the UFC move up one of those contests to the PPV card. That card could really use another big matchup to get the PPV numbers as much as possible. However, there’s no word on that yet. This situation is still developing.

BREAKING: Amanda Nunes – Megan Anderson at UFC 256 is off

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The return of the greatest female mixed martial artist of all time is going to have to wait. Per ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, UFC 256 is losing the title fight between Amanda Nunes (20-4) and Megan Anderson (11-4). The fight was expected to headline the card.

Nunes was getting ready to make her UFC return after she became a mother a short time ago. Nunes took some time off after she successfully defended her featherweight crown at UFC 250 in an absolute destruction of Felicia Spencer.

The Lioness seemed ready to be very active over the next year recently stating that she will be competing between 145 and 135 defending both UFC titles. Now, it appears that the world is going to have to wait a little longer for the return of the UFC champion.

This is a tough break for the Australian challenger, Megan Anderson. Anderson has won back-to-back fights to earn the shot at the UFC champion. She has a skillset that would pose some interesting challenges for Nunes.

Per Megan Anderson’s Twitter account, it appears that Nunes was injured which is why the fight has fallen through. She stated that the promotion is working to book the fight for early next year. However, there is no date as of now.

UFC 256 Outlook

UFC 256 has gone through several changes. Originally, the card was set to be headlined by the welterweight title fight between Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns. However, that fight fell through after Usman needed more time to heal from his last fight.

Then, the UFC announced that Petr Yan would defend his bantamweight title against Aljamain Sterling. That put the card back to two title fights. However, now we’ve just learned that the headlining fight between Nunes and Anderson is off.

The good news is that the UFC does still have one title fight on the card. The bad news is that the promotion is going to have to scramble to book a quality co-main event or a new main event for the December 12 PPV.

Aljamain Sterling finally gets his title shot at UFC 256

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After months of campaigning, Aljamain Sterling (19-3) is finally getting the shot that he deserved. UFC president Dana White announced today that in December, Petr Yan (15-1) will be defending his bantamweight crown against Sterling at UFC 256.

Sterling has been asking for his chance at UFC gold for months. However, the promotion hasn’t guaranteed him the spot until now. It’s hard to imagine anyone who is more deserving in the bantamweight division than Aljamain Sterling.

Sterling last competed back at UFC 250 against Cory Sandhagen. The fight was labeled as a title eliminator and Sterling ran through Sandhagen in just 88 seconds. You couldn’t have been more convincing in a title eliminator.

Yet, the UFC wouldn’t come out and say that Sterling was for sure next. The UFC normally is very blunt about who’s next, just look at the way Dana White talks about Francis Ngannou. However, Sterling was never given that treatment.

There was a bunch of quotes saying things like Sterling might get the next shot. Or that Sterling was probably next for the UFC bantamweight champion. However, everything was put to bed today when the promotion announced the Yan – Sterling title fight.

UFC 256 Co-Main Event

It appears that this title fight is going to slide into the co-main event slot. While Amanda Nunes and Megan Anderson are going to get the headlining treatment at UFC 256. Nevertheless, fans should be pumped up for this bantamweight matchup.

Sterling will be coming into the octagon in December on a five fight winning streak. In those five fights Sterling has beaten the likes of Cody Stamann, Jimmie Rivera, Pedro Munhoz, and Cory Sandhagen. He’s looked absolutely sensational.

Yan on the other hand is coming off of his destruction of Jose Aldo back at UFC 251. Yan became the bantamweight champion that night after he stopped Aldo in the fifth round of their title fight. Prior to that, Yan knocked out Urijah Faber.

He has never lost in the UFC and he will bring his 7-0 record into the cage in December. Both of these men present such interesting styles. Yan’s striking is elite while Sterling has unique striking but sensational ground skills. It should translate to a fantastic fight.

What’s next for Cory Sandhagen after UFC Fight Island 5?

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This past Saturday night, the UFC hosted their fifth fight night from Fight Island. In the main event of the evening, there was a bantamweight contest between former title challenger Marlon Moraes (23-7-1) and Cory Sandhagen (13-2).

It was a very big fight for the UFC‘s bantamweight division. Moraes was the top ranked contender while Sandhagen came in fourth. Despite being fourth, Sandhagen was actually the betting favorite heading into UFC Fight Island 5.

In the fight, Sandhagen made it apparent why he was the betting favorite. Sandhagen did a fantastic job of striking from the outside and flustering Moraes with his movement. Moraes really just looked like he could never get going on Saturday.

Finally, in the second round, Sandhagen handed a spinning kicked that floored the former UFC title challenger. A few follow up shots after that caused the referee to step in and call a stop to the action. The biggest UFC win so far for Sandhagen.

Who should the UFC pair him with next?

In his post fight interview, Sandhagen had a couple of names that he was interested. TJ Dillashaw and Frankie Edgar were the two names that Sandhagen had in mind when envisioning his next UFC fight. He figured those were the only two ahead of him in the title picture.

Edgar recently made his successful UFC bantamweight debut by defeating Pedro Munhoz. The fight was razor close, but a win put Edgar near the top of the division. Edgar is looking to challenge for a UFC title in the third weight class that he’s competed in.

TJ Dillashaw is able to come back in January after being suspended for two years. The former UFC bantamweight king was known as one of the best fighters in the world a couple of years ago. Dillashaw dropped down to flyweight in his last UFC contest to challenge Henry Cejudo.

Dillashaw lost to Cejudo, but that wasn’t the main story however. He tested positive for EPO and was suspended for two years. He had to relinquish his UFC bantamweight title, but he’s itching to get back into the cage.

Personally, I like either fight for Sandhagen. A win over one of those high profile guys would surely put him in the title picture. Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan are expecting to fight early next year, but Sandhagen could get a UFC title shot at some point in 2021.

Frankie Edgar proves he’s still elite at UFC Vegas 7

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There were many questions about Frankie Edgar (24-8-1) entering UFC Vegas 7. He was making his bantamweight debut at the age of 38 after spending his entire career at lightweight and featherweight.

Of course, Edgar was diving right into the deep end taking on the UFC‘s fifth ranked contender in Pedro Munhoz (18-5, 1 NC). It was a sink or swim test for Edgar in his first outing at bantamweight. After a five round war, Edgar proved that he can still swim with the best of them.

UFC Bantamweight’s Newest Contender

In an instant classic, Edgar and Munhoz went to war. Both men had big moments in the fight. Both men wobbled the other at various points, and both displayed crisp striking over five rounds.

In the end, the two of the three judges gave the split decision to the former UFC lightweight champion Edgar. It was a razor close fight, but I believe that the judges got this one right. Munhoz had big moments, but Edgar’s output and higher number of strikes landed won the fight on my scorecard as well.

One of the UFC‘s most dynamic divisions just got a little more dynamic and deep with Edgar making his successful debut. With defeating the top five ranked Munhoz, expect Edgar to be in the top five to start the week next week.

Personally, I would like to see Edgar get one more win in the division before getting a UFC title shot. Aljamain Sterling has worked for and earned the next shot, but Dana White has yet to confirm that he’s next for the UFC‘s champion, Petr Yan.

Either way, at UFC Vegas 7, Edgar proved that he belongs at bantamweight. He didn’t tire from the weight cut, and he looked just as sharp as ever. One has to wonder what it would have been like if he jumped straight to bantamweight instead of his time at featherweight.

UFC: Marlon Moraes – Cory Sandhagen to headline October 10th Fight Night

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The UFC is planning on having a big time bantamweight fight headline their fight night on October 10th. According to multiple reports, Magic Marlon Moraes (23-6-1) will be taking on Cory Sandhagen (12-2).

What does the mean for UFC’s title pictures?

Originally, it was being reported that the UFC was trying to book Moraes with former champion, Cody Garbrandt. However, Garbrandt recently told Ariel Helwani that he was wanting to drop to flyweight to take on the champion, Deiveson Figueiredo.

With the UFC moving to book Moraes/Sandhagen, it looks like the writing is on the wall with a couple of title fights. One being the title fight between Garbrandt and Firgueiredo while the other title fight will be Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling.

Dana White has been hesitant to say that Sterling was next for Yan after Yan won the title at UFC 251. However, with all other top contenders booked, it appears that the UFC will be making Yan – Sterling after all.

Moraes – Sandhagen

Now back to this fight. This is a fantastic matchup in the bantamweight division. I’m a little surprised that the UFC is having Sandhagen fight a guy like Moraes after he was steamrolled by Sterling in the first round.

I was thinking maybe a guy like Jimmie Rivera could have been next for Sandhagen. Either way, it’s a big time fight for the division. A win for either of these guys might put them in line for a title shot next.

Moraes was in a weird spot after his last fight. He beat Jose Aldo, but the court of public opinion gave Aldo the win. Even the UFC gave Aldo a title shot over Moraes. The former title challenger will look to cement his top contender status with a win over Sandhagen.

The UFC‘s bantamweight division is on fire right now. The weight class is filled with tremendous talent and they have budding superstars. This will be a division to keep your eyes on moving forward.

UFC: Aljamain Sterling still not confirmed as number one contender

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After UFC 250 back in June, there was little doubt in the MMA community as to who was the number one contender in the bantamweight division.

Aljamain Sterling (19-3) steamrolled Cory Sandhagen in 88 seconds in what was supposed to be a title eliminator. Everyone (including myself) made the assumption that Sterling would be next for the UFC bantamweight title.

However, UFC president Dana White has yet to confirm Sterling as the next contender. White is usually pretty firm about the next guys in line. Just look at how he’s talking about Gilbert Burns. White was asked about Sterling at the post-fight press conference last night.

Who is the UFC’s top bantamweight contender?

White continues to evade from confirming Sterling as the next contender for Petr Yan’s first title defense. Yan (15-1) just won the vacant UFC bantamweight title a little over a week ago on Fight Island.

I just can’t help but think that if Sterling is not the next contender, who is? The only two guys ranked around Sterling are Marlon Moraes and Cody Garbrandt. Those two guys are rumored to be fighting in October.

Yan has said that he wants to defend his title for the first time in October. So that would rule out those two. Sandhagen just lost to Sterling and Aldo just lost to Yan. The only other guy in the top six is Pedro Munhoz who is fighting Frankie Edgar at UFC 252.

Is it possible that the UFC is waiting to see if Frankie Edgar (23-8-1) can defeat Munhoz at UFC 252? Are they thinking more about name recognition instead of resume?

Whatever the reason, it just doesn’t make sense. Despite the chaos in other divisions, the bantamweight division seems very clear. There is a true number one contender and his name is Aljamain Sterling.

 

UFC targeting Cody Garbrandt – Marlon Moraes for October

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The UFC is targeting a big time title eliminator for their bantamweight division in October.

Per ESPN, “Magic” Marlon Moraes (23-6-1) said that the UFC is planning to have him and Cody Garbrandt (12-3) fight in October. Moraes also told ESPN that he and his wife had recently tested positive for COVID-19.

Huge fight in the UFC’s bantamweight division

When it comes to non-title fights, it doesn’t get much bigger than this in the UFC. For Moraes, the fight will be his first since his controversial decision win over Jose Aldo at UFC 245.

Despite the judges giving Moraes the fight, the UFC believed Aldo won the fight. Because of that, and by the request of the former champ Henry Cejudo, Aldo received a title shot over Moraes.

Moraes is 5-1 in his last six fights inside the octagon including knockouts over Jimmie Rivera and the current number one contender, Aljamain Sterling.

Cody Garbrandt took 15 months off after he was knocked out by Pedro Munhoz at UFC 235. The fight had marked Garbrandt’s third consecutive loss by knockout.

Garbrandt had dealt with injuries and just didn’t seem to be himself. “No Love” also decided to make a switch prior to his last fight by incorporating coach Mark Henry into his camp.

The results speak for themselves. At UFC 250 against Raphael Assuncao, Garbrandt looked fantastic. His speed and footwork were on point, and he might have secured the knockout of the year.

It’s clear that the UFC is planning to have Petr Yan defend his title against Aljamain Sterling. In fact, Yan said that he wants to do the fight in October. If that’s the case, this fight between Garbrandt and Moraes might be on the same card.

A win for either man would put them next in line for the title shot at 135 pounds. There might not be a better division in the UFC right now than the bantamweight division.

UFC: Fights to make after UFC 251

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Following any major UFC event, the fans want to know what comes next? UFC held their first event on Fight Island last night, and everyone wants to know what fights are going to be made following UFC 251. Here are five fights that the UFC should make.

Kamaru Usman vs Gilbert Burns

This is a fight that we basically got confirmed from UFC president Dana White last night. In the post-fight press conference, White made it clear that Gilbert Burns (19-3) would be the next challenger for Kamaru Usman (17-1).

Burns was originally scheduled to be in the main event last night, but a positive COVID-19 test took him out. Once he recovers, he is the first guy in line for Usman. He’s also the one fighter who is the worst matchup for Usman in the division.

Usman did not win any new fans at UFC 251, but the champion did what he had to do in defeating Jorge Masvidal (35-14). Usman leaned on his wrestling and controlled the BMF title holder for five rounds.

Burns and Usman matchup extremely well. Usman’s wrestling can be neutralized by Burns’ elite skills on the ground. Burns has elite striking and speed which can give Usman issues.

Usman and Burns were once teammates which adds in another wrinkle to the fight. Expect this matchup to be booked in October/November.

Jorge Masvidal vs Colby Covington

Gamebred stepped up on six days notice, but he fell short in his quest to become the UFC’s welterweight champion. He made it clear that he wants to stay active and work his way back to the title. The quickest route to that is against his former training partner.

Colby Covington (15-2) would make the perfect opponent. Both men used to live together, but now they can’t stand each other. Both are coming off a loss to Usman which is a perfect setup for the fight.

This fight would have a ton of heat, and the winner would be guaranteed another shot at the UFC‘s welterweight title. With the drawing power of both men, this could headline a card on it’s own. I wouldn’t be shocked to see this one occur around the same time that we see Usman-Burns.

Weili Zhang vs Rose Namajunas

It was known that the winner of the Rose Namajunas (9-4) and Jessica Andrade (20-8) fight would likely get the next shot at UFC strawweight champion, Weili Zhang (21-1). Both women went to war last night, but Namajunas walked away with a decision.

To me, Namajunas has always been the second best strawweight in the world. I thought she was always better than Andrade, but got caught in that slam. I also firmly believe that Zhang is the absolute best in the world.

Thug Rose is going to get the title shot after last night’s victory, but I’m not sure how I feel about the matchup for her. This fight could be a springboard for Zhang.

If Zhang is able to defeat Namajunas, she could aim for a champion versus champion fight with Valentina Shevchenko next.

Petr Yan vs Aljamain Sterling

The UFC crowned a new bantamweight king last night, and his name is Petr Yan (15-1). It didn’t come easy, but Yan was able to stop Jose Aldo (28-7) in the fifth round to claim the UFC‘s bantamweight champion.

Last month, Aljamain Sterling (19-3) made an emphatic statement that he’s the top contender at 135 pounds. In a fight with Cory Sandhagen (12-2) which was considered a title eliminator, Sterling finished Sandhagen in under 90 seconds.

Many people believe that Sterling was more deserving of a title shot than Yan was. Well, now the UFC can move to make this fight. There might not be a more exciting division in the UFC than bantamweight right now. Yan/Sterling is going to be incredibly fun to watch.

Alexander Volkanovski vs Winner of Zabit Magomedsharipov-Yair Rodriguez

The UFC‘s featherweight king didn’t get the clean victory he wanted last night. Many people, including Dana White, believe that he lost the fight. However, the judges are all that matter and they gave the fight to Alexander Volkanovski (22-1).

I can’t see the UFC moving to book Volkanovski-Holloway 3 with Alexander being up 2-0 in the series. The Australian champ wants to fight by the end of the year, so what makes the most sense?

Reportedly, Zabit Magomedsharipov (18-1) and Yair Rodriguez (13-2-1) are supposed to fight in August. Magomedsharipov is currently ranked right behind Holloway while Rodriguez is ranked fifth.

Both of these men are extremely popular and talented fighters. I think the UFC would be smart to make this fight the title eliminator. Brian Ortega and Chan Sung Jung who are also supposed to fight this year, have already had shots at the title.

Magomedsharipov is considered the next great Russian champion that’s in the UFC. If Zabit can defeat Rodriguez in August, it would be a massive global fight to pair him with the champion, Volkanovski.

UFC has great fights ahead

The UFC is going to put on some stacked cards the rest of this year. All of the fights listed above should take place before we hit 2021. Combine those with the fights that are already scheduled, and you should be expecting some stacked cards in the second half of 2020.