UFC 260

Sean O’Malley knocks Thomas Almeida out at UFC 260

by
Sean O'Malley

The third fight on the UFC 260 main card was a bantamweight showdown between “Suga” Sean O’Malley (12-1) and Thomas Almeida (22-4). Both of these men were looking to get back on track after a loss in their last outing.

Back at UFC 252, Sean O’Malley saw his perfect record see it’s first blemish in a loss to Chito Vera. After a good start from O’Malley, Vera landed some beautiful calf kicks that deadened the leg of O’Malley.

After that, Vera followed up and got the TKO win. O’Malley has become a star with a huge following, but in order for his star to grow, he needed to get back on track with a win tonight.

Standing in his way was Thomas Almeida. Almeida was once considered the future of the UFC‘s bantamweight division. At one point, he was 21-1 and looked like he was closing in on a title shot.

However, that is where he ran into Cody Garbrandt. Garbrandt knocked him out in the first round and starting with that loss, Almeida is just 1-3 in his last four. UFC 260 was a massive opportunity for him to get back on track.

UFC 260 Recap

Round 1

The UFC 260 bantamweight contest opened with a touch of the gloves. O’Malley moves forward immediately and looks to land a 1-2. Almeida gets his striking going with a calf kick.

O’Malley keeps looking for the left hand throughout the first minute. Another calf kick lands for Almeida, but O’Malley counters with his own big leg kick. A big body kick lands for O’Malley.

A nasty spinning back kick to the body lands for O’Malley. Almeida pushes forward and lands a massive left hook, but O’Malley just ate it. Another big body kick lands for Sean O’Malley.

The kicks were working everywhere for The Suga Show in the first. A massive head kick lands and Almeida goes down. O’Malley walks away, but the fight wasn’t stopped. Almeida gets up and they keep fighting.

Another huge head kick lands for O’Malley, but Almeida took this one clean. Almeida pushes forward and lands a good right hand to close the round. Dominant opening round at UFC 260 for Sean O’Malley.

Round 2

Almeida seemed to have recovered to start the second round at UFC 260. O’Malley opens the striking with a straight left hand. Almeida was struggling with the distance and O’Malley catches him with a clean combination.

A good low kick lands for Almeida and it sits down O’Malley briefly. Another massive low kick lands for Almeida. A side kick to the leg lands for O’Malley and it briefly buckles the leg of Almeida.

A couple of clean left hands land for Sean O’Malley. 1-2 up the middle for O’Malley. Again, it appears that Thomas Almeida was struggling with the distance. Front kick to the body lands for Sean O’Malley.

One minute left in the round and O’Malley starts pushing forward. However, Almeida lands some massive leg kicks that backs him off. O’Malley slips on a flying knee attempt and the round ends. I think it’s 2-0 O’Malley at UFC 260.

Round 3

Heading into the final round at UFC 260 and I think Almeida needs the finish in this one. The two touch gloves and the action begins. A good front kick lands to start for O’Malley.

A huge low kick from O’Malley swings Almeida around. Almeida looks for an entry, but O’Malley lands another front kick to the leg which made him back off. O’Malley was just picking Almeida apart here in the first 90 seconds.

A huge 1-2 lands for Sean O’Malley. Almeida starts pressing forward with urgency, but couldn’t land anything. A couple of clean straight lefts land from O’Malley, but Almeida keeps pushing forward.

O’Malley just keeps popping him with clean shots, but Almeida keeps coming. A massive left hand lands from O’Malley and Almeida falls. O’Malley walks away again, but the referee doesn’t stop it. This time, O’Malley follows with a massive clean shot and Almeida is out cold.

Sean O’Malley def. Thomas Almeida by KO – Round 3

UFC 260 Preview: Sean O’Malley – Thomas Almeida

by
Sean O'Malley

Tomorrow night on the UFC 260 main card, we will see a highly anticipated bantamweight matchup. One of the young stars in the sport, “Suga” Sean O’Malley (12-1), is making his return against Thomas Almeida (22-4).

The last time we saw The Suga Show as back at UFC 252. O’Malley took on Chito Vera in the co-main event. Early on in the fight, I was encouraged by what I saw out of O’Malley.

His speed and feints were giving Vera issues and it looked like we could be heading towards another O’Malley win. However, Vera started to land some nasty calf kicks and one completely deadened the leg of O’Malley.

O’Malley proceeded to roll his ankle a few times and Chito capitalized to get the TKO win. It was the first loss for O’Malley, but there’s still a lot of UFC hype behind him. Prior to that loss, O’Malley had two TKO wins in 2020 after a two year layoff.

O’Malley is going to be looking to get back on track against Thomas Almeida. A few years ago, many were looking at Thomas Almeida as a future UFC champion. Almeida was 21-1 heading into a matchup with Cody Garbrandt.

Garbrandt ended up starching Almeida on his run to becoming UFC champion. Since then, Almeida has gone just 1-3 inside the octagon. The last time we saw him was back in October where he dropped a decision to Jonathan Martinez.

UFC 260 Prediction

When it comes to the hype around Almeida from a few years ago, I’m not sure it was really warranted. He had an incredible record, but a lot of that was padded. When the competition level really turned up, we saw him falter in the UFC.

However, you could also question the competition level of O’Malley. Now, when it comes to their skillsets, I really like Sean O’Malley. He’s longer, he’s crisper on the feet and he has very good skills on the ground that we really haven’t seen.

For Almeida to be successful at UFC 260, he needs to go right after O’Malley’s legs. Attack the lead calf and take the Chito Vera strategy. If he can’t, I think he’s going to get picked apart.

In addition to losing, we’ve also seen Almeida’s chin look incredibly suspect. If O’Malley lands clean tomorrow night, I think it’s over. In the end, I think O’Malley is going to get back on track with a TKO win at UFC 260.

Prediction: “Suga” Sean O’Malley by TKO – Round 1

UFC 260 Preview: Tyron Woodley – Vicente Luque

by
UFC, Tyrone Woodley

In the co-main event of UFC 260, we will see a welterweight contest between two contenders heading in vastly different directions. In one corner, you have the fallen champion, Tyron Woodley (19-6-1). In the other corner, you have the surging contender, Vicente Luque (19-7-1).

At UFC 228, Tyron Woodley dominated Darren Till to retain his welterweight title. Woodley was 6-0-1 in his last seven fights and many were wondering how he would ever lose his welterweight championship.

He had the power and the wrestling to make him a threat everywhere. That’s when Woodley ran into Kamaru Usman at UFC 235. Usman completely destroyed Woodley over the course of five rounds and dominated all aspects of the fight. Woodley spent a year away after that loss.

He returned in 2020 and fought twice. Both times he was completely destroyed by Gilbert Burns and Colby Covington. The former UFC champion has gone from the peak of the mountain to having lost 14 consecutive rounds inside the octagon.

The former welterweight champion is a 2-1 underdog tomorrow night against Vicente Luque. In his last 14 fights inside the UFC, Luque is 12-2 with his only losses coming against Stephen Thompson and Leon Edwards.

Luque fought twice in 2020 and earned TKO wins over Niko Price and Randy Brown. Luque is extremely dangerous on the feet, he has a helluva chin and a solid overall game that is going to make him a very dangerous challenger to the former UFC champion tomorrow night.

UFC 260 Prediction

When it comes to the UFC 260 co-main event, it all comes down to what Tyron Woodley were going to get. A couple of years ago, I’d be comfortable picking Woodley in this spot tomorrow night.

Luque has shown that he can get hit and Woodley has incredibly power. Woodley also has the wrestling to keep Luque on his toes. However, we haven’t seen even a good version of Tyron Woodley since the Till fight.

Woodley is competing in his first three round fight since 2015. Maybe that will create some urgency in him, but if he’s tentative like he has been, Vicente Luque is going to wipe the floor with him tomorrow night.

At the end of the day, I have next to no faith in the former UFC champion. There’s no fire there or there doesn’t appear to be. I see Luque being the aggressor tomorrow night and picking Woodley apart. I don’t see this one going the distance.

Prediction: Vicente Luque by TKO – Round 2

UFC 260 Preview: Stipe Miocic – Francis Ngannou 2

by
MMA, Stipe Miocic

Tomorrow night in the main event of UFC 260, we will see the heavyweight rematch we’ve been waiting for. The greatest heavyweight of all time, Stipe Miocic (20-3), will be defending his title for the second time against the scariest man in the division, Francis Ngannou (15-3).

These two met for the first time back at UFC 220. Ngannou seemed to have this invincibility quality about them when they first fought and that is how the fight was being sold. The Predator had destroyed everyone and many didn’t think Miocic had a chance.

However, that night, the UFC heavyweight champion proved just how special he was. Miocic ate some big shots, but never quit coming forward and ultimately dominated Francis Ngannou over the course of five rounds.

That fight completely shook Ngannou. Ngannou would go on to drop a decision to Derrick Lewis after that where he seemed extremely tentative. Many wondered if Stipe had broken the contender from Cameroon. However, Ngannou was able to emphatically turn things around.

Since that loss to Lewis, Ngannou has gone 4-0 in the UFC. Not a single one of those fights has gone more than 71 seconds. Now, we find ourselves in a very similar position leading up to tomorrow night.

Miocic has spend the last three years fighting one man, Daniel Cormier. Their trilogy concluded at UFC 252 where Miocic won a unanimous decision. Now, Miocic will look to close the Ngannou rivalry after going 2-0.

UFC 260 Prediction

The UFC 260 main event is so intriguing for a number of reasons. For one, I feel like were in the same spot we were just two and a half years ago. Miocic is the champion, but Ngannou has looked so dominant that he’s the betting favorite again.

However, we all saw how that played out the first time. But, I think this time, Ngannou is a different person. I think he believed he was truly invincible the first time they fought and with that loss, it made him humble.

When you’re looking at the totality of their skillsets, Miocic is the better fighter. He has the better cardio, the better grappling and the cleaner technique. However, that still might not be enough at UFC 260.

Everything in me says the smart money is on Stipe Miocic. The heavyweight champion just always finds a way to get it done. However, I don’t think he can take the same shots he did during their first matchup.

The reason why I’m leaning towards Ngannou at UFC 260 is the fact that he’s only one clean shot away. When you have that great equalizer, it’s hard to bet against. I wouldn’t be shocked at all to see Miocic walk away with the title, but I think Africa picks up their third UFC championship tomorrow night.

Prediction: Francis Ngannou by KO – Round 1

BREAKING: Alexander Volkanovski – Brian Ortega off UFC 261

by

On the night where everyone should be excited to watch Kevin Holland and Derek Brunson at UFC Vegas 22, the promotion announced some tough news this evening. The UFC announced that the featherweight title fight between Alexander Volkanovski (22-1) and Brian Ortega (15-1, 1 NC) is off.

The fight was scheduled to be the co-main event of UFC 261 next weekend. According to the promotion, Volkanovski was pulled from the card due to COVID-19 protocol. As of now, the promotion will move forward with the card as is and the featherweight title fight will be booked for a later date.

However, at this time, there’s no word on exactly when the fight will take place. While the news just came out, one of the best targets to watch out for is UFC 262. That event will be held in Houston and is currently scheduled to be headlined by Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveira for the vacant UFC flyweight title.

What’s the UFC’s plan?

As mentioned there is no target date at this time. Given the fact that both men are healthy and ready to go, you’d have to think that the UFC will look to turn this around as soon as possible. I cannot see a situation where this fight gets beyond the date of UFC 262 if both men are healthy.

Volkanovski was looking to defend his featherweight title for the second time. Last July at UFC 251, Volkanovski won a razor thin split decision over Max Holloway. The win was the second straight for Volkanovski over Holloway.

A few months after that title defense for Volkanovski, Brian Ortega made his UFC return. He dominated Chan Sung Jung over the course of five rounds. That win showed everyone the amount he had improved during his time off. Injuries had kept Ortega out of the octagon since his title defeat to Holloway a couple of years prior.

This story is still developing and my guess is that we should get a new date for this fight sometime this week. If I was to put money on it, I would strongly lean towards UFC 262 considering 261 already has three title fights on the card.

UFC: Brian Ortega’s dream scenario is to win the belt then fight Max Holloway

by
Brian Ortega, UFC

Next weekend at UFC 260, Brian Ortega (15-1, 1 NC) will get his second crack at the featherweight title. This time, standing in front of him is Alexander Volkanovski (22-1). Ortega’s first attempt came back at UFC 231 against Max Holloway (22-6).

Brian Ortega was being hyped up as the guy who could take the belt away from Max Holloway back in 2018. Ortega had shown improved striking and his incredible skills on the ground were said to be a threat to the champion at the time.

However, Ortega proved to be no match for Holloway. Holloway put on a dominant performance and the doctor had to stop the fight after the fourth round and Holloway retained his UFC featherweight title.

After that fight in December of 2018, Brian Ortega took some time off. Then, he had a round of injuries that kept him out of action. During that time, Alexander Volkanovski challenged and defeated Max Holloway for the title.

Although controversial, Volkanovski then defeated Holloway a second time at UFC 251. A few months after Volkanovski beat Holloway for the second time, Ortega made his long anticipated return against The Korean Zombie, Chan Sung Jung (16-6).

Ortega was an underdog in the eyes of many due to the layoff. However, he quickly showed UFC fans that he’s much better than he was in 2018. Ortega dominated TKZ on the feet on his way to winning a decisive decision.

Ortega’s UFC dream scenario

That performance against Jung earned Ortega this shot at UFC 260. Ortega talked with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto this week about the fight and his future with the promotion. During the interview, Okamoto asked Ortega if the belt would mean more than beating Max Holloway.

Ortega gave a very interesting answer to this question. While capturing the UFC title is a dream of his, Ortega said he wouldn’t feel like the real champ until he beats Max Holloway. Holloway is the only man to have ever defeated him inside the octagon and that eats at him.

Ortega said that his dream scenario would be to defeat Volkanovski at UFC 260 then defend the title against Holloway. In that scenario, he could avenge his loss and capture the title. However, it all has to start with next Saturday night. I will say this, after seeing Ortega in October, I believe he’s fully capable of pulling it off.

Francis Ngannou planning on redemption at UFC 260 after falling short the first time

by
Francis Ngannou

The most terrifying heavyweight in the UFC is not the heavyweight champion. That title belongs to the number one contender. I don’t think anyone doubts that the most terrifying heavyweight is Francis Ngannou (15-3).

The top contender has won four straight fights in under 71 seconds. Watching Ngannou makes me think of the Rocky 4 line, “Whatever he hits, he destroys.” When he’s on and focused, nobody in the UFC has had an answer for Ngannou.

Well, nobody but the heavyweight champion, Stipe Miocic (20-3). Miocic and Ngannou first fought in the headliner of UFC 220 back in January of 2018. Ngannou was coming off of a knockout over Alistair Overeem where he sent his head to the moon.

Despite the fact that Miocic was a dominant champion, Ngannou went into the fight as the betting favorite. Ngannou had destroyed everything that was put in front of him by the UFC. For that reason, the oddsmakers figured this fight would be the same.

However, Miocic had different plans. Miocic took some good shots in the first round. But, the champ proved to Ngannou that he wasn’t going to be easy to put away. As the minutes kept going, Stipe Miocic was still in front of Ngannou.

What resulted was a five-round humbling loss for Francis Ngannou at UFC 220. This 25 minute experience was incredibly important to Ngannou and he believes that will be key for his redemption at UFC 260.

Will Ngannou get redemption at UFC 260?

Ngannou was on the Joe Rogan Experience yesterday where he talked about his journey from Cameroon to being the top UFC heavyweight contender. When asked about the first fight with Miocic, Ngannou said the first fight is key to his redemption.

“The Redemption,” Ngannou said of the rematch. “I had two feelings from that fight. First, I was upset and disappointed. However, since that day, I look back at that fight and say, ‘This is good.’ I learned so much from that fight.”

Ngannou also talked about the fact that he spent more time in the cage at UFC 220 than he had previously in his entire career. That experience has changed the way he prepares and he believes that the world will see the difference on March 27th.

Of course, Ngannou has a tall mountain to climb to wrestle the title away from Stipe Miocic. Ngannou might be the betting favorite again at UFC 260, but if we’ve learned anything about the champion, it’s never doubt him. He has a habit of proving people wrong.

Johnny Walker out of UFC 260 bout with Jimmy Crute

by

A fun light heavyweight matchup scheduled for UFC 260 has been called off. MMA Fighting confirmed this morning that Johnny Walker (18-5) is out of his upcoming matchup with Jimmy Crute (12-1).

Crute posted on Instagram last night that his opponent (Walker) was ducking him again. However, Walker’s team told MMA Fighting today that Walker tore his pectoral muscle and the injury requires immediate surgery.

The rough timetable for this injury is about six months of recovery. This was expected to be a barnburner between the two top fifteen UFC light heavyweights. Johnny Walker was looking to pickup his second straight win.

A couple of years ago, Walker was one of the hottest prospects in the UFC. He was destroying anyone the promotion put in front of him and he was doing it quickly. However, he then ran into Corey Anderson.

Anderson is one of the best light heavyweights in the world and he was able to stop Walker in the first round. From there, Walker dropped a decision to Nikita Krylov before bouncing back to knock out Ryan Spann. This is just another setback for the UFC‘s Walker.

What’s the UFC’s Plan?

Jimmy Crute is still going to be competing at UFC 260. According to Crute’s original post on Instagram, the promotion has already found him an opponent who has accepted the fight. Apparently, Crute likes this matchup a lot more.

Crute wrote on his Instagram, “I can’t express how excited and grateful I am that a true fighter has decided to step in and fight me. This is a better fight , better name and bigger challenge but I’m ready for it.”

As of now, there is no word on who this mystery opponent is for UFC 260. Although, given the excitement of Crute, you have to imagine it’s someone ranked in the top ten. A name I’d watch out for is Anthony “Lionheart” Smith (34-16).

UFC books Sean O’Malley – Thomas Almeida

by
Sean O'Malley

The Suga Show is back. The UFC has finalized a matchup between “Suga” Sean O’Malley (12-1) and Thomas Almeida (22-4). O’Malley announced the news on his YouTube page last night and said that the fight was booked for UFC 260 at the end of March.

While O’Malley has a huge following with a lot of hype, several years ago, Thomas Almeida was a prospect with ton of hype. In 2016, Thomas Almeida was 21-0 and he looked like he was going to be a force in the UFC‘s bantamweight division.

That’s when the promotion booked him against Cody Garbrandt. At the time, Garbrandt and Almeida entered the contest as unbeaten prospects. However, only one of them looked elite on the night that they fought.

Almeida was knocked out by Cody Garbrandt in the first round. Thomas Almeida did bounce back later in the year with a knockout of Albert Morales. However, that’s the last time he’s tasted victory inside the octagon.

We’ve only seen Almeida in the UFC three times since 2017 and he’s lost all three. He just returned back in October for the first time since January of 2018 and dropped a decision to Jonathan Martinez.

UFC’s Suga Show

As we were going through 2020, it appeared that the sky was the limit for the Suga Show. Sean O’Malley had two years off with some USADA issues, but returned with two vicious knockouts in the first half of the year.

Many were saying that he would be challenging for a UFC title at some point in 2021. However, that was all derailed when he took on Chito Vera back at UFC 252 in August. O’Malley looked very good when the fight started.

Vera was biting hard on feints, but halfway through the round, Vera started finding success. He ended up landing a calf kick that deadened the leg of O’Malley. O’Malley ended up rolling his ankle a number of times after.

Seeing the wounded O’Malley in front of him, Chito went in for the kill and got the stoppage. In all honesty, if O’Malley was going to lose, it was the most ideal situation. He didn’t get outclassed or dominated so his brand really didn’t suffer.

Now, we will see his return at UFC 260. This fight is so interesting because Almeida needs to win to keep his spot in the UFC while O’Malley needs to win to regain some steam. It’s honestly a must-win fight for both of these bantamweights in March.

UFC targeting Tyron Woodley – Vicente Luque

by
UFC, Tyrone Woodley

While everyone is focused on UFC 257 tonight, there has been some news that has come out this evening. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani is reporting that the promotion is currently targeting a fight between Tyron Woodley (19-6-1) and Vicente Luque (19-7-1).

The welterweight clash would take place at UFC 260 which of course already contains two title fights. The card is being headlined by the heavyweight title fight between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou while Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega will serve as the co-main.

Now, it appears that the UFC is close to finalizing this welterweight showdown for the main card. It is worth noting that the fight is not finalized at this moment, but there is growing optimism that the fight will be booked.

This would be a massive opportunity for Vicente Luque. Luque is currently ranked tenth in the UFC‘s welterweight division and he’s riding a two-fight win streak. He’s only lost twice since 2015.

Those two losses came against two of the best fighters in the world. He lost to Leon Edwards in 2017 and in 2019 he lost to Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. Luque will finally look to break through against elite competition when he takes on the former UFC champion.

Redemption for the former UFC champion?

It has been a pretty steep fall from grace for the former UFC welterweight champion, Tyron Woodley. After Woodley stopped Darren Till at UFC 228, many were wondering who would be able to stop the champion.

He had the power in his hands and the grappling ability to be a problem for anyone. Woodley was building his resume as one of the greatest welterweights to have ever lived. However, he’s fallen on really hard times.

All of this started at UFC 235 when he was completely dominated by the current champion, Kamaru Usman. After Woodley lost to Usman, he took a year off before he returned to face Gilbert Burns back in May.

Burns completely dominated Woodley and the UFC champion had lost ten consecutive rounds in competition. Desperate for a turnaround, Woodley took a fight against his biggest rival and former interim champion, Colby Covington.

Again, Woodley was completely dominated in this fight. Woodley lost all four rounds before getting finished in the fifth round by Covington. Woodley is still ranked sixth in the division, but it’s shocking to see how much he’s fallen in the last two years.

This will truly be a do or die fight for the former welterweight champion. If he’s able to defeat a hungry Vicente Luque, he might have one more run left. However, if he loses, it’s probably time for him to hang up the gloves for good.