The UFC is holding its traditional pre-spring/summer press conference in Atlanta, GA, Friday at noon to get some buzz going for its slate of events through July’s International Fight Week.
Along with UFC president Dana White, Jon Jones, Alexander Gustafsson, Ben Askren, Rose Namajunas, Henry Cejudo, Amanda Nunes, Holly Holm, Francis Ngannou, and Junior dos Santos make up part of 17 fighters in attendance. Notably absent is Jorge Masvidal who is expected to fight Askren in July.
Along with the buzzworthy Askren, the back and forth between flyweight champion Cejudo and Marlon Moraes should be fun to watch. The two square off in June for the vacant bantamweight title.
The UFC is in Atlanta for Saturday’s UFC 236, co-headlined by two interim title fights. In the main event, featherweight champion Max Holloway moves up in weight to face Dustin Poirier for the interim lightweight title while Israel Adesanya battles Kelvin Gastelum for the interim middleweight crown.
Three UFC title fights are set to take place this summer.
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported Wednesday that Jon Jones will defend the UFC light heavyweight championship against Thiago Santos at July’s UFC 239 during International Fight Week in Las Vegas.
Jones won the vacant title back in December by defeating Alexander Gustafsson. He then defeated Anthony Smith by unanimous decison to retain the title in early-March.
Santos is on a four fight winning streak, most recently defeating Jan Blachowicz by KO in February.
Meanwhile, champ-champ Amanda Nunes will defend her bantamweight belt against Holly Holm in the co-main event. Nunes defeated Cris Cyborg in an upset to win the women’s featherweight title, while Holm defeated Megan Anderson in her last outing. Holm was originally set to face Aspen Ladd earlier this month, but the fight was scrapped as Holm was re-negotiating her contract.
UFC also confirmed Wednesday afternoon that Henry Cejudo will fight Marlon Moraes for the vacant bantamweight title in the main event of June’s UFC 238 in Chicago, IL. The previous champion, TJ Dillashaw, vacated the title after he recently failed a New York State drug test. Cejudo defeated Dillashaw in a champion vs. champion fight in January to retain his flyweight championship while Moraes is on a four fight winning streak.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 235: Jones vs. Smith, emanating from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Octagon returns home to Las Vegas with a stacked card featuring two big title fights, the returns of former champions and the much-anticipated UFC debut of one of the biggest UFC signings in a while.
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones makes the quick turnaround as he defends the championship against Anthony Smith in the main event. Jones became the 205-pound champion once again when he defeated Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232 in December, and he looks to continue his dominance in the division. Smith looks to score the biggest upset in UFC history, and he comes in with a lot of momentum after winning three straight fights since moving up to 205 pounds, and looking impressive in doing so.
The co-main event sees UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley make his fifth title defense as he defends against Kamaru Usman. Woodley is unbeaten in his last seven fights and is coming off a title defense against Darren Till at UFC 228 in September. Usman has won 13 straight fights and is seen as one of the biggest threats to Woodley at 170 pounds.
Also on the main card is the return of former UFC Welterweight Champion Robbie Lawler as he welcomes the debut of Ben Askren, the flashy former NCAA wrestling champion who is undefeated in 19 career fights. In the main card opener, former UFC Bantamweight Champion Cody Garbrandt looks to get back in the win column and into the title picture as he takes on Pedro Munhoz.
The stacked preliminary card airing on ESPN is capped off with a featherweight bout as long-time UFC veteran Jeremy Stephens looks to end the 12-fight win streak of Zabit Magomedshapirov. Also on the prelims is a light heavyweight bout between Misha Cirkunov and surging prospect Johnny Walker and a welterweight fight as original TUF winner Diego Sanchez battles Mickey Gall.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time with preliminary action all the way through the main card.
We are looking for your thoughts on tonight’s event, so send a thumbs up, a thumbs down or a thumbs in the middle along with a best fight and a worst fight to Dave at [email protected].
They trade early on. Cifers lands a right hand. Viana with some low kicks. Viana with a body kick. A lot of feeling out going on. Viana with a body kick and Cifers counters with a combo. Viana with a leg kick and then a body kick. They clinch and Viana pulls guard. Cifers with some punches from the top as Viana is going for a leg lock. Cifers gets to the half-guard and they get to their feet. Cifers with a right hand. Cifers drops Viana with a right hand. Viana gets back to her feet. Viana lands some kicks. Viana with a knee to the body at the end. 10-9 Cifers.
They trade punches. Cifers lands a punch. Viana with a combo ending with a body kick and Viana pulls guard. Cifers in the full guard and eats some elbows from Viana on the bottom. Viana controlling the positioning from the bottom. Cifers just hanging on from the top as she wants this fight on the feet. Cifers lands a hemmerfist. Viana with an elbow from the bottom. Viana landing some punches from the bottom. Cifers isn’t doing much from the top. Viana with more elbows from the bottom. Viana is winning this round from the bottom. Viana with more strikes from the bottom. 10-9 Viana, 19-19.
Viana with a some body kicks. Both land inside the pocket. Viana with a body kick and is starting to land more. She is landing kicks and knees. Cifers with a leg kick. They trade and Cifers lands a right hand. Viana lands a right hand to the body. Cifers with a right hand. Viana with a body kick and then lands some knees to the body. They clinch and Cifers lands a left hook on the break after eating some knees. Viana with a body kick. Viana with more kicks to the body and Cifers lands a counter right. They have a flurry late. Close fight. 10-9 Viana, 29-28 Viana.
Official Result- Hannah Cifers def. Polyana Viana by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Mazany attacking the body with some straight left hands. Chiasson with some body kicks. Chiasson with a body kick and Mazany counters with a left hand and then lands another left hand. They clinch against the fence. They break and Chiasson lands some punches and then drops Mazany with a hard right hand and finishes her with a few hammerfists on the mat. Impressive stoppage by Chiasson.
Official Result- Macy Chiasson def. Gina Mazany by TKO (strikes) at 1:49 of Round 1
> Edmen Shahbazyan (8-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Charles Byrd (10-5, 1-1 UFC) Middleweights
Byrd with a leg kick. Shahbazyan lands a good combo. Byrd going for a takedown but eating elbows that are hurting Byrd badly and Byrd goes to the mat and is covering up and Byrd has been stopped by Shahbazyan. That was a brutal and violent finish.
Official Result- Edmen Shahbazyan def. Charles Byrd by TKO (elbows) at :38 of Round 1
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> Diego Sanchez (28-11, 17-11 UFC) vs. Mickey Gall (5-1, 4-1 UFC) Welterweights
Sanchez comes out with a front kick but Gall counters with a big combo. Gall with a head kick that is checked. Gall with a knee to the body followed by an uppercut. They clinch and Gall with some body punches. They break and Gall with a combo. Gall lands a combo as they clinch. Sanchez trying for a takedown and Gall looks for a choke but Sanchez escapes and is on top. Sanchez gets in the guard as he eats some elbows from Gall. They stand and Sanchez with knees to the legs and then drags Gall down from the back. They get back up. Sanchez still has the back and Gall lands an elbow. Sanchez gets a takedown into the guard. Gall with some more elbows. Sanchez with elbows to the body. Sanchez in side control and looking to set up a choke. He runs out of time. 10-9 Sanchez.
Sanchez with a right hook. They trade and Sanchez gets the clinch. They break. Sanchez with a body kick. Gall with a combo. Gall with a huge left hand. Sanchez with a huge knee that hurts Gall and Gall goes to the mat. Sanchez looking to finish and Gall tries to reverse but Sanchez gets back to the top and Gall is hurt. Gall is tired. Sanchez gets the back of Gall. Sanchez gets in the full mount and is landing from the top. Sanchez with elbows. Sanchez with more hard elbows. Gall in a whole lot of trouble as Sanchez gets into the mount. Sanchez with more elbows. Sanchez gets the back and flattens Gall out. Sanchez landing lots of punches and he finishes Gall! Sanchez with a classic showing and it is his first stoppage win since 2008.
Official Result- Diego Sanchez def. Mickey Gall by TKO (punches) at 4:13 of Round 2
They trade near the fence. Stamann misses a head kick. Stamann lands a left followed by a right hand. Perez trying to land the jab but Stamann ducking away. They trade and Stamann tries a takedown but Perez escapes. Stamann lands a left hand. Stamann with an inside leg kick. Perez with a left hook to the body followed by a right hand. Stamann goes for a takedown and lands a knee as they break. Stamann with a left hook. Perez with a leg kick. Stamann goes for a takedown and Perez lands an elbow. Stamann with a brief late takedown. 10-9 Stamann.
Perez coming forward but misses a head kick. They trade punches and Stamann now pushing forward. Perez with a leg kick. Stamann with a left hook as Perez was coming in. Perez lands a left. Stamann with a counter left hand. Stamann with a body kick and he goes for a takedown. Perez defends and they break. Stamann with a left hand. Perez just misses a spinning back fist. Stamann lands a right hand and then a front kick to the body. Perez with a leg kick followed by another. Stamann goes for a takedown against the fence. Stamann with a knee to the body. Perez getting warned multiple times to not grab the cage. 10-9 Stamann, 20-18 Stamann.
Perez lands a leg kick and then gets a takedown. Perez landing some leg kicks as Stamann is on the ground. Stamann gets back up. Perez goes for a single-leg and lands a left hook on the break. Stamann with a left hand to the body and then a right hand there. They trade punches. Stamann misses a high kick. Perez lands a left hand. Perez with a leg kick. Perez with another. Stamann with a combo. Stamann goes for a takedown but Perez defends it well against the fence. They are stood up by the referee. Stamann lands a left hook. Stamann with a right hand at the end. 10-9 Perez, 29-28 Stamann.
Official Result- Cody Stamann def. Alejandro Perez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
> Misha Cirkunov (#14, 14-4, 5-2 UFC) vs. Johnny Walker (#15, 16-3, 2-0 UFC) Light Heavyweights
Cirkunov with a leg kick. Walker with a huge flying knee that drops Cirkunov and finishes him off with a few more punches. Right around 30 seconds. Walker is a star. He may have hurt himself celebrating. It was a perfect flying knee. This guy is terrifying.
Official Result- Johnny Walker def. Misha Cirkunov by TKO (flying knee, punches) at :36 of Round 1
> Jeremy Stephens (#6, 28-15, 15-14 UFC) vs. Zabit Magomedshapirov (#13, 16-1, 4-0 UFC) Featherweights
Magomedsharipov with a leg kick. Magomedsharipov with a left hand. Stephens with a nice leg kick. Stephens with another one. Stephens just misses a spinning back fist attempt. Magomedsharipov with a body kick. Magomedsharipov with a left hand. Magomedsharipov with a head kick. Magomedsharipov with a hard leg kick and then another. Stephens with a right hand to the body. Magomedsharipov with a spinning back fist that gets blocked. Stephens chasing Magomedsharipov around the Octagon. Magomedsharipov grabbed the fence to attempt a kick and got a warning. Magomedsharipov with a left hand and then lands a groin kick and we have a timeout. Magomedsharipov with a spin kick and tried an off the cage kick. Magomedsharipov with a hard body kick. Magomedsharipov with another body kick. 10-9 Magomedsharipov.
Stephens coming forward. Magomedsharipov with a hook kick. They trade punches in close range. Magomedsharipov with a left hand. Magomedsharipov with a head kick. Stephens with a combo and lands a hard right hand. Magomedsharipov with a left hand. They trade punches. Magomedsharipov grabs the single leg and completes the takedown. Magomedsharipov gets the back of Stephens as they get to their feet. Magomedsharipov gets Stephens down again and has his back with the hooks in. Magomedsharipov with punches from the back. Magomedsharipov with some big elbows and punches. Magomedsharipov gets the full mount. Stephens gives up his back. Magomedsharipov with some elbows and rolls Stephens over. Magomedsharipov back to side control. Dominant end to the round. 10-9 Magomedsharipov, 20-18 Magomedsharipov.
Stephens with an inside leg kick. Stephens with a right hand followed by a spinning back fist. Magomedsharipov with a kick to the body. Stephens with a left hand. Magomedsharipov circling around the Octagon. Magomedsharipov goes for a takedown but it is stuffed. Stephens with a left hand. Stephens is landing more this round. Magomedsharipov tries a takedown but Stephens gets away and throws a big right hand that just misses. Magomedsharipov with a left hand. Stephens with a left hand followed by a right hand. Stephens lands a big right hand. They are trading inside the last 30 seconds. Magomedsharipov lands a combo and a left hand and gets a late takedown but eats some punches from Stephens. 10-9 Stephens, 29-28 Magomedsharipov.
Official Result- Zabit Magomedshapirov def. Jeremy Stephens by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
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> Cody Garbrandt (#2, 11-2, 6-2 UFC) vs. Pedro Munhoz (#9, 17-3 1 NC, 7-3 1 NC) Bantamweights
Munhoz lands a right hand as Garbrandt was going for a kick. They scramble and Munhoz goes for a leg lock but Garbrandt escapes and they’re on their feet. Munhoz just misses a head kick. Garbrandt with a high kick. Munhoz with a leg kick. They trade punches. Garbrandt with a combo. Garbrandt with another flurry but eats a leg kick from Munhoz. Munhoz with a spin kick and lands a right hand. They clash heads and Garbrandt is rocked from it and they go to the mat. Munhoz in the half-guard but Garbrandt gets up and lands a flying knee followed by a right hand that rocks Munhoz. They are trading in the pocket and both rocking each other. Garbrandt with a huge knee. They are trading big punches and Munhoz knocks Garbrandt out! Wow. Huge win for Munhoz. Garbrandt had Munhoz in trouble and made a reckless decision to trade punches instead of trying to be patient and finish it and it cost him the fight.
Official Result- Pedro Munhoz def. Cody Garbrandt by knockout (punches) at 4:52 of Round 1
Zhang with some kicks early. Zhang with some more kicks but eats a combo from Torres. Zhang with a leg kick. They trade. Zhang keeps going for the spin kick. They clinch and scramble to the mat and get back up and Torres lands a right hand. Zhang tries another spin kick and eats a right hand. Zhang trying for a takedown against the fence and jumps on the back and is looking for a standing choke. Torres being patient as she avoids the choke attempt and has Zhang on her back as they stand. Torres escapes and lands a right hand. Torres gets a takedown but Zhang rolls over to side control and lands some punches as the round ends. 10-9 Zhang.
Zhang throwing kicks. Torres lands a leg kick and Zhang just barely lands a spinning back fist. Torres with a combo. Zhang constantly throwing spin kicks. They trade body kicks. Torres with a left hook. Zhang with a side kick. Zhang with a left hook as Torres rushes in. Torres with a right hand. Torres with a combo. They clinch and both looking for underhooks. Zhang gets a takedown and is on top and lands. Torres reverses into the closed guard of Zhang. Torres with some hammerfists and ends the round on top. She may have stolen it late. 10-9 Torres, 19-19.
Zhang with a front kick and then a side kick. Zhang constantly coming forward and Torres has her timing down. Torres with a leg kick. Zhang with a combo and Torres fires back with a combo and they hurt each other. They clinch and Torres with a knee to the body before they break. They clinch again for a moment but break. Zhang with a leg kick. Zhang gets a trip takedown. Zhang in the half-guard and landing short elbows. Zhang keeping Torres on her back. Zhang with short punches. Zhang with short shots as the fight ends. Big round for Zhang. 10-9 Zhang, 29-28 Zhang.
Official Result- Weili Zhang def. Tecia Torres by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
> Robbie Lawler (#6, 28-12 1 NC, 13-6 UFC) vs. Ben Askren (18-0 1 NC, 0-0 UFC) Welterweights
Askren going right for the takedown and has the back of Lawler. Lawler lifsts Askren up and slams him down and is landing punches and elbows and Askren in a lot of trouble. Askren looked out there and is cut wide open. Lawler landing more. They get to their feet and Askren still holding on. Lawler with a knee to the body and they break. Lawler with a left hand. Askren wobbly on his feet. They clinch against the fence. Lawler with a big knee. Askren still holding onto Lawler. Askren gets the back of Lawler and looking for a choke. Askren has a bulldog choke and Lawler looks out but wasn’t out and Herb Dean stopped the fight. Lawler wasn’t out and is upset and Herb Dean knows he messed up. Lawler never tapped. Lawler’s arm went limp and that is when Dean grabbed the arm and then stopped the fight. Lawler may have went out for a moment. This definitely controversial.
Official Result- Ben Askren def. Robbie Lawler by submission (bulldog choke) at 3:20 of Round 1
Woodley with a right hand that just misses. Usman gets a single-leg and Woodley has the neck looking for a guillotine as they go to the mat. Usman with right hands as the choke isn’t locked in. Usman with elbows to the thighs. Usman with a knee to the legs of Woodley. They get to their feet. They trade knees and then break. Usman shoots for a single leg. Woodley defends. Usman lands a right hand and they clinch. Usman with a knee to the body. Usman with uppercuts to the body. They are separated by Marc Goddard. Usman lands a short left and they clinch. 10-9 Usman.
Usman coming forward and they clinch against the fence. Usman with short punches and knees and foot stomps. Usman lands a big elbow as they break. They clinch again and Usman with a big takedown. Usman gets into full mount. Woodley is cut above his right eye. Usman looking to set up a choke. Usman with short elbows and punches from the mount. Usman in complete control of this fight so far. Usman still in the mount position. Usman with some elbows. Usman looking for an arm-triangle. Woodley is blocking it but eating punches to the body. Woodley gets out and survives the round. 10-8 Usman, 20-17 Usman.
Woodley just misses a right hand as Usman ducks under. They clinch and Usman with punches to the body. Usman with foot stomps. They are broken up from the clinch by the ref. Usman lands a left hand after faking a takedown attempt. Woodley is constantly backing up and not throwing any combos. They clinch and Usman with short body punches before they are separated. Woodley lands a right hand. Usman lands an elbow after a clinch and then they clinch again. Usman with a foot stomp and uppercuts to the body. 10-9 Usman, 30-26 Usman.
Usman with an uppercut and Woodley grabs the neck and gets taken down by Usman. Woodley looks lost in there. Usman with body punches on the mat. Usman with shoulder strikes on the mat. Woodley is doing absolutely nothing. He looks either tired or that he’s already given up. They are stood up again. They clinch and Usman with some knees and Woodley lands a few uppercuts and they break. Usman with a big uppercut and he is teeing off on Woodley. They are throwing big punches and Usman landing big combos. Woodley lands a knee. Usman with big punches and a big elbow. Usman with an uppercut. 10-8 Usman, 40-34 Usman.
Usman goes for a single leg. Woodley has the neck but is just hanging on. Usman with some knees to the legs and then some foot stomps. Usman with a big takedown against the fence. Usman with punches to the body and short elbows. Woodley is done and this one is over. We are getting a new champion crowned here. Usman with another big elbow. Usman with more body punches. Usman with a knee to the body now. Complete domination from Usman. 10-9 Usman, 50-43 Usman.
Official Result- Kamaru Usman def. Tyron Woodley by unanimous decision (50-44, 50-44, 50-45), Usman is the new UFC Welterweight Champion
> Jon Jones (C, 23-1 1 NC, 17-1 1 NC UFC) vs. Anthony Smith (#3, 31-13, 7-3 UFC) UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Smith with a leg kick. Jones tries to land but Smith gets out of the way. Jones with a spinning back kick to the body followed by a low calf kick. Jones coming forward and lands another spinning back kick to the body. Smith with a head kick and Jones catches the leg and pushes him against the fence. They trade knees. Jones with some shoulder strikes. They break. Smith with a low kick. Smith trying to land a left hand. Jones with a side kick to the body. Smith just misses a right hand. Jones with a head kick that Smith blocks. Jones with a side kick to the body and then a leg kick. 10-9 Jones.
Jones with a leg kick and then one to the upper body and another to the leg. They trade right hands. Jones with a body kick. Jones with a leg kick and then one high. Jones with a spinning elbow as they clinch. Jones with more shoulder strikes. Smith lands a right hand and then lands a left to the body. Jones with a leg kick. Jones with kicks to the body and legs. Smith lands a left hook. Jones with more kicks. Jones lands a left hand and Smith backs up. Jones with a leg kick and then another. Jones with an overhand right. They trade body kicks. Jones with more kicks. Jones with a right hand to the body. 10-9 Jones, 20-18 Jones.
They clinch early on and Jones with short knees. They aren’t doing much otherwise. They trade knees but still not doing much. Jones was trying for a takedown but Smith was defending. Jones with left hands to the body. Jones with a big takedown and he lands an elbow as Smith spins to sprawl position. Jones with some body punches and then some knees. Easy round for Jones. 10-9 Jones, 30-27 Jones.
Jones tries for a flying kick but misses and Smith smiles. Jones with a high kick followed by a spin kick to the body. Jones with some elbows and punches. Jones with a flying knee and he takes Smith down. Jones may have landed an illegal shot. Jones with some kicks to the legs. Jones takes the back of Smith. Smith has no offense. Jones with an elbow. Smith is cut open badly from his nose. It was from the knee. They get to their feet. Jones with another takedown. Jones has the back and lands some nasty elbows and punches. Jones with a big knee to the body and then another. Jones landed an illegal knee. We have a timeout. The knee was illegal and Jones was docked two points. 8-8 round due to the point deduction. 38-35 Jones.
They come out trading and both men landing punches. Jones goes for a takedown but Smith defends and lands a right hand on the break. They clinch and Jones landing some knees and short punches and shoulder strikes. Jones tries a takedown but Smith slips away. Jones with some punches to the body followed by shoulder strikes and an elbow. Jones with some foot stomps. Jones with a flying knee to cap it off. 10-9 Jones, 48-44 Jones.
Official Result- Jon Jones def. Anthony Smith by unanimous decision (48-44, 48-44, 48-44), Jones is still the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
As the saying goes, March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb. We get to see the UFC equivalent of the lion Saturday with UFC 235, the organization’s most potent card of the calendar year.
Featuring two good title fights, a former champion returning against a debuting undefeated Bellator champion, a former champion returning in search for redemption, and an undercard loaded up with intrigue, 235 is why fight fans are fight fans. Plus, for PPV buyers, this is as value-packed a main card as you’ll ever see.
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones vs. Anthony Smith
UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley vs. Kamaru Usman
Robbie Lawler vs. Ben Askren
Tecia Torres vs. Weili Zhang
Cody Garbrandt vs. Pedro Munhoz
Jeremy Stephens vs. Zabit Magomedsharipov
Misha Cirkunov vs. Johnny Walker
Cody Stamann vs. Alejandro Pérez
Diego Sanchez vs. Mickey Gall
Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Charles Byrd
Gina Mazany vs. Macy Chiasson
Polyana Viana vs. Hannah Cifers
What are you most looking forward to?
Ryan: There is so much to look forward to as it’s one of the best overall cards in a long time. My top three: Jon Jones, Ben Askren, and Zabit Magomedshapirov. Jones is still on another level despite all of the drug test shenanigans going on, and is a pleasure to watch. I hope he has taken Anthony Smith seriously, but this should be another vintage Jones performance. I’m really curious how Askren is going to fare. He is undefeated but he also hasn’t fought in a long time, and Robbie Lawler is no joke. Magomedshapriov is a special talent, and he has a tough and unique test in the form of the veteran Jeremy Stephens. Zabit hasn’t fought someone who hits as hard as Stephens, and Stephens is the type of guy you have to beat if you want to be a true contender.
Paul: Almost everything. There are several fights on the show with established names going against up and coming stars which are the fights I love. Gall vs. Sanchez, Cirkunov vs. Walker, Stephens vs. Zabit, and Lawler vs. Askren kind of all fall into that category and I’m fascinated to see how they play out. Do the veterans have a little gas left in the tank or do the rising contenders get one step closer to stardom? It makes the fights feel important. And then, of course, you’ve got the title fights on top. This show really has everything I’m looking for.
Josh: Broken record alert: it’s basically the whole show. However, I will shine a light on Askren vs. Lawler because the fight could go several directions. Askren really has been something this week and with a win, there’s a lot of intrigue into what he could do next. I don’t know what to make of Lawler because he looked so bad his last time out…but he tore his knee to hell. I’m not a huge fan of wrestlefests, but if Askren makes this into one, it could be pretty entertaining.
Anything being slept on?
Ryan: Garbrandt vs. Munhoz is getting overshadowed. It’s easy to count Garbrandt out after seeing him get knocked out in back-to-back fights against TJ Dillashaw. It is time for him to prove that he is still a contender and that it’s just a case of Dillashaw having his number. Don’t blink watching this one as I feel Garbrandt has a huge chip on his shoulder.
Paul: There’s a fight on the Fight Pass prelims involving a 9-0 stud that’s only 21 years old and I think we could be looking at a future superstar. Edmen Shahbazyan can only get better and if early indications are anything, that could be scary. His opponent, Charles Byrd, has a middling record and this looks to be a showcase fight for young Edmen.
Josh: UFC and media have done a good job with the card overall, but I’m super intrigued with how Johnny Walker looks in his short-notice fight with a game Misha Cirkunov. Walker has been impressive in two UFC fights, but Cirkunov is tough. However, he did have back to back first round losses to hard punchers Glover Teixiera and Volkan Oezdemir before rebounding against Pat Cummins his last time out. If Walker connects flush, Cirkunov could be out quick like.
Anything not doing it for you?
Ryan: I like it all. If I’m pressed to name one fight I don’t care for, I guess it would be Mazany vs. Chiasson, only because it could be the most boring fight on the show. Most people might think that could be Woodley vs. Usman, but I find that one to be so compelling and interesting.
Paul: I feel the same as Ryan, but if I have to pick one that may not be terribly great, it would probably be the Tecia Torres vs. Weili Zhang fight on the main card. This has the potential to be one of those fifteen minute standup fights where both try to stay out of each other’s range and nothing much happens. I hope that’s not what happens but there’s a lot at stake in this one for both and hopefully they want to win more than they are afraid to lose.
Josh: Torres vs. Zhang. Hopefully, it will be entertaining but going into it, I don’t really care about either fighter or their prospects for the future.
What will be people talking about most after the show is done?
Ryan: Jon Jones is still the most dominant fighter on the planet, and made it somehow look as easy as ever. There is a new force at 170 pounds in the name of Kamaru Usman, and can you please let him shut Colby Covington up. Ben Askren is ready to fight for a UFC title right now. Cody Garbrandt has bounced back in a nice way, and ohnny Walker is still the most exciting prospect to come into the UFC in a long time.
Paul: Obviously what’s next for the two champions. There are challengers in waiting for both belts although if we crown new champions, the question will be whether you go to an immediate rematch or have one of those challengers get their shot. Thiago Santos has promised to challenge the winner of the main event and after his destruction of Jan Blachowicz last week, there’s a marketable fight against either Smith (which would be a rematch) or Jones. For the welterweight bout, there’s Colby Covington, who can’t stay away from a camera for more than 10 seconds this week, or the Askren/Lawler winner. And Johnny Walker may just sneak into the 205 title picture with another highlight reel KO over Misha Cirkonov.
Josh: We’ll be talking about a potential Jones vs. Thiago Santos fight for July or August, Woodley calling out Covington and forcing his way into making that fight happen, that Askren belongs in the UFC, and that that Garbrandt needs to change something up badly.
Who wins these five fights?
Jon Jones vs. Anthony Smith
– Jones: Josh, Ryan, Paul
Tyron Woodley vs. Kamaru Usman
– Woodley: Josh
– Usman: Ryan, Paul
Robbie Lawler vs. Ben Askren
– Askren: Josh, Ryan, Paul
Jeremy Stephens vs. Zabit Magomedsharipov
– Magomedsharipov: Josh, Ryan, Paul
Misha Cirkunov vs. Johnny Walker
– Walker: Ryan, Paul, Josh
Keep up with our live coverage tonight on WrestlingObserver.com.
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including the Becky vs. Ronda Twitter war, a long-time bodybuilder talks Jon Jones, Raw, WrestleMania, Fastlane, New Japan and tons more, plus your calls and texts!
A fun show as always so check it out here or on video.f4wonline.com!
Although he has been cleared to fight at Saturday’s UFC 235, light heavyweight champion Jon Jones still has trace amounts of Turinabol in his system according to a Thursday report by MMAFighting.com.
According to their sources, samples collected by the Nevada Athletic Commission on February 14th and February 15 showed 40 picograms per milliliter and 20 picograms per milliliter, respectively.
The findings weren’t enough for the NAC to make any changes in licensing Jones for his Saturday title defense against Anthony Smith in Las Vegas as they feel the traces of the steroid are still of the long-term variety and not a new presence.
Jones and Turinabol have been linked since 2017 but the issues flared up in late-December when the promotion had to move UFC 232 to California from Las Vegas on a week’s notice due to various amounts of picograms found in Jones’ system between August and December 2018.
Because of the timing of UFC 232 around the holidays and the defense that the picograms were from a positive 2017 test, the UFC was concerned the NAC wouldn’t license Jones in time for his fight against Alexander Gustafsson. Thus, they infamously moved the event to Los Angeles.
Since then, Jones had to agree to testing throughout the year from VADA, the California State Athletic Commission, and NAC testing in addition to USADA. In late-January, Jones had a lengthy hearing in front of the NAC to explain the whole situation.
As documented in the MMA Fighting piece linked above, test results have come back completely clean and then partially positive off and on since December.
It took longer than expected but my look back at the MMA year that was in 2018 is finally complete and we saved the best for last: October through December, a three month stretch that saw big stars, big happenings, and the usual major UFC mishaps.
Helping me guide this ship into port is returning guest and now permanent Year In Review co-host Paul Fontaine.
Here’s just a few of the things that happened in this 90+ day stretch:
Conor McGregor returned to the UFC for the first time in a year plus against rival Khabib Nurmagomedov…and a near riot broke out.
Picograms of Turinabol in Jon Jones’ system caused an entire UFC event to be moved and the industry to question whether this whole USADA thing is working.
The UFC made a main event for MSG on several weeks notice by bringing back an injured fighter vs. a fighter who needed a miracle to win weeks prior, screwing over several other fighters promised the spot to begin with.
We had our first MMA ‘trade’ featuring one of the best of all time and a guy Dana White dumped on for years.
All that and more can be heard by clicking below. Can you do no less?
After a three-hour plus meeting Tuesday, the Nevada Athletic Commission cleared Jon Jones to fight at March’s UFC 235 but with extensive stipulations on drug testing.
In order to compete, the UFC light heavyweight champion agreed to twice a month drug testing by the NAC leading up to his title defense against Anthony Smith and twice a month drug testing throughout 2019.
The stipulations were a result of the fiasco surrounding Jones’ positive tests for trace amounts of Turinabol at various tests from August through December that resulted in the UFC moving UFC 232 from Las Vegas to California with six days notice.
Jones popped for Turinabol in July 2017 after his return and victory over Daniel Cormier that eventually resulted in a 15-month suspension from USADA. The organization and UFC VP Jeff Novitsky have chalked up the 2018 positive tests to the steroid remaining in Jones’ system from 2017, and have claimed that independent experts verified their findings.
The CSAC granted Jones a temporary license in December because of their familiarity with the case from when Jones fought Cormier in Anaheim as due to the holidays, the UFC was unsure Jones would be cleared to fight.
The NAC also doled out suspensions to both Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor on Tuesday that could complicate when the UFC lightweight title is next defended.
And just like that, picograms are back in the Jon Jones conversation.
In order to fight in the Las Vegas to California soap opera known as UFC 232, the beleaguered UFC light heavyweight champion agreed to testing from VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency) in addition to state athletic commission testing and USADA testing.
On Wednesday night, MMA Fighting obtained information from the CSAC that Jones tested positive for 33 picograms of Turinabol under VADA testing, collected via a urine sample on December 28th, the day of the 232 weigh-ins.
In various tests between August through December, Jones tested positive for between 19-80 picograms of the oral steroid that was he was previously suspended 15 months for by USADA. After consulting independent experts, it was the anti-doping group’s claim, along with UFC VP Jeff Novitsky, that the trace amounts found were residual effects of Jones’ first positive test in 2017.
CSAC head Andy Foster said no disciplinary actions will be taken against Jones as post-event tests have come back clean and an independent group stood by their previous assertion that Jones has not readminstered the drug, nor did he receive any benefits from the amount found.
The Nevada Athletic Commission couldn’t commit to giving Jones a license prior to the late-December show, resulting in the event being moved to California with six days notice. After the move, Foster had said he wasn’t fully aware of some of the various positive tests Jones had during the summer.
Jones is scheduled to defend his title in Las Vegas this March, but still has to meet with the NAC in order to explain the situation and get licensed. That hearing is scheduled for this Tuesday.
This story was updated at 4:50 EST due to an error.
According to the California State Athletic Commission (via ESPN’s Brett Okamoto), UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones tested clean on his various UFC 232 drug tests with no picograms of the turninabol metabolite present.
Okamoto said the information came from CSAC head Andy Foster, and the tests were from USADA and the CSAC. There was no mention of VADA testing which Jones has volunteered to be part of in the months ahead.
Jones, UFC, and USADA found themselves embroiled in controversy in late-December as the promotion moved UFC 232 to California from Las Vegas due to 60-80 picograms that was found in Jones’ system in December following two separate tests in August and September when they found 19 picograms both times. There was a question whether the Nevada Athletic Commission would license in time for the fight, so UFC simply moved the whole show.
UFC VP Jeff Novitsky said multiple independent experts said the picogram was present from Jones’ previous positive tests for turinabol, something he denied taking knowingly. He was suspended for 15 months by USADA after testing positive in 2017.
Jones defeated Alexander Gustafsson via third round TKO on the show to regain the light heavyweight title.
Jones is set to defend that belt against Anthony Smith at March’s UFC 235 in Las Vegas if he can get licensed. That process is expected to kick off this month with Jones and the commission who said they want to speak with him about the picogram situation and everything surrounding the situation.
A week after controversially returning to competition at UFC 232, the UFC wants one of their biggest stars back in there sooner than later.
UFC president Dana White revealed to TMZ they want light heavyweight champion Jon Jones to defend his newly-won title against fast-rising contender Anthony Smith to headline March’s UFC 235 in Las Vegas, NV.
The one hitch in that plan: getting Nevada to license Jones who had to have his fight against Alexander Gustafsson at 232 moved with one week’s notice from Nevada to California due to the presence of a picogram of turinabol found in his system during December pre-fight testing.
The Nevada Athletic Commission wasn’t confident they could license him for 232 due to the timeframe in which they found out. Instead of waiting, the promotion moved the entire show to California of which thier commission head later said they were unaware of some failed tests in August that were revealed later.
Jones will still need to appear in front of the NAC to explain the situation that UFC VP Jeff Novitsky and USADA are claiming is due to a positive test he had in 2017. White said they will apply for a license later this month.
Since moving up to 205 pounds, the 30-year-old Smith has won three straight with three finishes including an October third round submission win over past title challenger Volkan Oezdemir.
UFC 235 also has Ben Askren vs. Robbie Lawler on that show which also could see the addition of welterweight champion Tyron Woodley vs. either Colby Covington or Kamaru Usman.
In a fight that bore no real resemblence to their first classic encounter, Jon Jones claimed the vacant UFC light heavyweight title at Saturday’s UFC 232 with a third round TKO win over Alexander Gustafsson.
Jones hit a takedown early in the third round and landed some big elbows, eventually transitioning to Gustafsson’s back where he unloaded some powerful left handed punches to his head that he wasn’t defending with the end coming at 2:02 of the round.
With the win, Jones passed Chuck Liddell for the most wins in the division’s history (17) while he tied Liddell for the most finishes in the division’s history (10).
After the fight, a somewhat subdued Jones called out Daniel Cormier and told him to “come get his belt back”.
In the co-main event, bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes moved up to featherweight and knocked out champion Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino in less than a minute to become the first ever women’s “champ champ”, ending Justino’s run of dominance face planted on the mat.
The slugfest went just 51 seconds with Nunes getting the best of the action, landing power rights that hurt Justino and eventually throwing one that put her face first on the canvas in an incredible scene.
Justino is owed one more fight before March or she becomes a free agent while the UFC will have to now figure how whether Nunes will continue to hold both belts, something they just dealt with when Daniel Cormier held the light heavyweight and heavyweight titles.
Well, UFC 232 is on our doorstep after a very strange path to get here. The event moved locations from Las Vegas to Los Angeles due to a picogram of turinabol being found in Jon Jones’ system during USADA testing and concerns that due to the holiday week, the Nevada Athletic Commission wouldn’t license Jones to fight.
There’s obviously more to the story, but that’s been talked about, and will be talked more about, ad nauseum. For a few minutes, let’s focus on the show itself which is pretty damn great from top to bottom.
Helping me finish off the year, as always, are Paul Fontaine and Ryan Frederick. If you’re interested in hearing more about the year that was, check out part 1 and part 2 of my year in review series.
For what it’s worth, thie UFC on Fox era officially ends tonight with the FS1 prelims. Then, we’re onto ESPN.
The card:
Vacant Light Heavyweight Championship: Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson II
Women’s Featherweight Champion Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino vs. Amanda Nunes
Carlos Condit vs. Michael Chiesa
Ilir Latifi vs. Corey Anderson
Chad Mendes vs. Alexander Volkanovski
Andrei Arlovski vs. Walt Harris
Cat Zingano vs. Megan Anderson
Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. Petr Yan
BJ Penn vs. Ryan Hall
Andre Elwell vs. Nathaniel Wood
Uriah Hall vs. Bevon Lewis
Curtis Millender vs. Siyar Bahadurzada
Brian Kelleher vs. Montel Jackson
What are you most looking forward to?
Paul: Not the main event, that’s for sure. I’m sure it will be a great fight but the whole leadup just leaves a sour taste in my mouth. The co-main is it for me. This is the closest betting line for a Cris Cyborg fight ever and for good reason. Nunes has quietly put together one of the most impressive runs in the history of women’s MMA, the names on her resume are arguable bigger than Cyborg’s, and she’s gotten finishes against most of them. The only issue I have with this fight is the aftermath as the women’s bantamweight division (where Nunes is still champion) is kind of a mess no matter what happens.
Ryan: Regardless of the circumstances surrounding it, Jones vs. Gustafsson is the fight to watch. Their first fight was an absolute classic and one of the best fights in UFC history. There’s nothing to say that this one won’t be just as good, and the co-main event between Cyborg and Nunes should be just as good. We will see who the best female fighter on the planet is, and it couldn’t come at a better time as both are at the top of their game right now. It could have easily headlined its own event. There are two fantastic fights on top of this card.
Josh: Even with the issues leading into the event, it’s still Jones vs. Gus. I loved that first fight so much that I’m glad we finally get to seem them bring it back, but it’s a goddamn shame all of the b.s. has put an asterisk on this. If Gus wins, he’s a mega babyface. If Jones wins, I’m guessing we’ll hear more boos than cheers but that seems to flip with the situation.
Anything being slept on?
Ryan: There are a lot of fun fights on this card. Carlos Condit is one of the most exciting fighters in MMA history and has an opponent in Michael Chiesa who should give him a fun fight. The featherweight bout between Mendes and Volkanovski is a great matchup and a real test to see whether Volkanovski will be able to break through to contender status.
Paul: BJ Penn fighting on the televised opener, I guess. That speaks to the depth of this card but also shows how far he’s fallen. I do think that Ryan Hall is a good opponent in the sense that Penn probably won’t take a lot of damage but I don’t think he has much chance of winning. That said, 155 is probably a better weight class for him if he is insistent on fighting.
Josh: Without a doubt, Nunes vs. Cyborg. The Jones drug stuff has taken all the focus away from this bout which should be the best women’s fight in MMA history based on skill level and accomplishments. Cyborg’s March contract date is also a fun side note to all of this and if she doesn’t fight again by that date, tonight could be her UFC swan song. A win for her could mean the end of her division while a loss just throws more wrenches into the 135/145 equation yet again.
Anything not doing it for you?
Josh: Not necessarily a fight, but I’m confused why UFC keeps running Andrei Arlovski and BJ Penn out there. I know Arlovski has picked up some wins, but they are getting less and less enjoyable to watch. As the kids say, Penn has been washed for quite some time. Hall isn’t a heavy hitter, but Penn has lost seven of his last nine. The lone win? A 2010 knockout of the then-equally as done Matt Hughes. No buys.
Paul: Ilir Latifi vs. Corey Anderson feels like something I’ve seen a dozen times before even though they’ve never fought. The fact that these may be two of the top five light heavyweights in the UFC speaks more to how much the division has fallen than it does about either of these two guys. This really should almost be a title eliminator but I can’t see Jones or Gustafsson defending against either of these two any time soon.
Ryan: I’m not really a fan of Penn fighting again. I think it’s long past time for him to hang it up for good. If there is a fight for him to take, it is against Hall. It’s a low-risk fight where he will likely not take a lot of damage, but Hall will make it a boring fight, and Penn isn’t one, at this stage of his career, who will engage freely unless forced to. It could be a very boring fight.
What will be people talking about most after the show is done?
Paul: How long it will be until Jones fails another drug test. That and/or what’s next for Jones. Win or lose, he’s got big money fights lined up with either Brock Lesnar or Daniel Cormier, neither of which would likely involve the title he’s fighting for. Should Gustafsson win, he’s either going to want a rematch with Cormier or a rubber match with Jones. But, it’s likely 50/50 that Jones somehow fails another test and this belt ends up held up at the end of it all and UFC will only have themselves to blame should that happen.
Ryan: While it should be talk about whomever wins the fight between Cyborg and Nunes, it will unfortunately be about how Jon Jones is again the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion under these ridiculous circumstances. He shouldn’t even be fighting now, or perhaps ever, but for whatever reason they decide to give him of all people a free pass. It’s not a good look for the company, and they’re putting themselves in this situation and not seeming to care how they look to their other fighters and their fans.
Josh: That Jones is still one of, if not THE, best of all time and that he will continue to be the most talked about fighter of today outside of Conor McGregor. Also, he’ll call out Lesnar and will try to steal that fight from Cormier. The other thing that will be talked about quite a bit is how the UFC handled this week. While Dana White doesn’t care about what people think about him or the UFC, I am interested to see what long-term damage, if any, was caused by this week. My gut says they will be fine…and they know it.
After a dizzying few days in moving Saturday’s UFC 232 show from Las Vegas to Los Angeles due to a Jon Jones USADA test abnormality, the four main participants for the event will talk to the media Thursday afternoon.
Starting at 5 PM Eastern below, you can watch Jon Jones, Alexander Gustafsson, Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino, Amanda Nunes, and Dana White talk to the media.
The Jones-Gustafsson fight will be for the UFC light heavyweight title currently held by Daniel Cormier. At fight time, Cormier, also the heavyweight champion, will be stripped of the title.
The co-main event will be for Justino’s featherweight belt as Nunes, the bantamweight champion, moves up in weight for a fight that has been discussed most of the year.
The rest of the show is very solid featuring Carlos Condit vs. Mike Chiesa, Chad Mendes vs. Alexander Volkanovski, BJ Penn vs. Ryan Hall, Megan Anderson vs. Cat Zingano, and more.
On 12/20, USADA informed the UFC and the Nevada State Athletic Commission that Jon Jones had tested positive for the steroid Turinabol in a surprise test on 12/9.
This set into motion a series of crazy things, misleading statements and outright deceptions.
Under normal circumstances, Jones positive test, which would be his third drug test failure (the failed cocaine test in 2014 doesn’t count against him because it was out of competition) would mean an eight-year suspension.
An eight-year suspension would be it for Jones. While he probably could still come back, his prime would be long past. USADA already handed Jones his break, cutting down what by its bylaws should have been a four-year suspension.
However, USADA ruled that the Turinabol he tested positive for was residuals of the same Turinabol that he tested positive for in a July 28, 2017, test, which he was already punished for.
The Nevada commission felt that they couldn’t clear him without at least a hearing, and because it was Christmas weekend, most of the commission was out of town. The next day, the UFC started looking at moving the show from the T Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to either California or Texas, as both commissions stated they would allow the Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson main event for the light heavyweight title.
