UFC 211 left everyone pretty happy…except for those who sat through the David Branch/Jotko fight that opened the pay-per-view.
Helping Punch-Out host Josh Nason recap the big news coming out of Dallas is Bleacher Report columnist and past guest Mike Chiappetta.
On the topic board today:
– How Mike’s transition to BR has treated him
– Thoughts on the recent Twitter dustup between former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold and UFC president Dana White, and the overall state of fighter relations
– Leftover thoughts on UFC 211 including the underappreciated excellence of Frankie Edgar, what both guys want next for heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, and whether Joanna Jedrzejczyk is the best female fighter of all time
– Discussion over middleweight champion Michael Bisping’s revelation about a knee injury, what that means for a potential Yoel Romero fight, and whether we’ll actually see GSP ever compete again.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 211: Miocic vs. Dos Santos 2, emanating from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
The UFC presents their most stacked card of 2017 thus far in an event headlined by Stipe Miocic defending the UFC Heavyweight Championship against Junior Dos Santos in a rematch of their epic clash in 2014.
Miocic and Dos Santos met in a five-round war in December 2014, a back-and-forth encounter that ended with Dos Santos taking home the win by decision. Since then, Miocic has won four straight fights by knockout, defeating Fabricio Werdum to become the UFC Heavyweight Champion in the process, and making a successful defense against Alistair Overeem.
Dos Santos has only fought twice since then, going just 1-1, and hasn’t fought since an April 2016 win over Ben Rothwell.
In the co-main event, the most dominant female fighter in the world, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, defends the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship against Jessica Andrade. Jedrzejczyk is undefeated in her career at 13-0 and defends the title for the fifth time. Andrade gets a title shot on the heels of three straight wins since moving to 115 pounds.
Also on the main card is a welterweight bout with title shot implications on the line as Demian Maia goes for his seventh straight win against Jorge Masvidal, winner of three straight, and former UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar looks to get back to a title fight when he faces rising star Yair Rodriguez in the biggest test of Rodriguez’ young career.
In a featured prelim bout, Eddie Alvarez returns for the first time since losing to Conor McGregor at UFC 205 in November as he takes on Dustin Poirier.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.
We are looking for your thoughts on tonight’s show, so send a thumbs up, a thumbs down or a thumbs in the middle along with a best fight and worst fight to Dave at [email protected].
UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS | 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT
> Joachim Christensen (14-4, 1-1 UFC) vs. Gadzhimurad Antigulov (19-4, 1-0 UFC) Light Heavyweights
They were trading early and Antigulov got a takedown. Antigulov was landing knees to the body as he took the back. Antigulov was looking for the choke early on. Christensen was defending but Antigulov had it locked in and Christensen taps! Antigulov with the quick first-round submission win.
Official Result- Gadzhimurad Antigulov def. Joachim Christensen by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:21 of Round 1
> Gabriel Benitez (19-5, 3-1 UFC) vs. Enrique Barzola (12-3-1, 2-1 UFC) Featherweights
Benitez landed a big leg kick early on. Barzola landed a head kick as they were going back and forth with kicks. Barzola scored a takedown. Benitez scrambled out from the bottom and they got back to their feet. Barzola scored another takedown but Benitez was quick to get back up. Benitez scored with a straight left and then landed another. Barzola landed a good combination and scored a big takedown and was landing from the top at the end. 10-9 Barzola.
They were trading early on and Barzola got a quick takedown but Benitez was quick back to his feet. Barzola got another takedown- Benitez has been unable to stop them. They got back up. Another takedown from Barzola and he was looking to take the back. Benitez landed a knee to the body. Benitez landed a big body kick. Barzola started firing back punches and landed a knee to the body. 10-9 Barzola, 20-18 Barzola after two.
Benitez tried a spin kick but it almost went badly as he slipped to the mat and Barzola pressured on for a takedown. Benitez was scrambling but gave up his back in the process and Barzola was looking to lock in a choke. He had it in and Benitez was fighting it off and able to escape. They got to their feet and a big crowd reaction. Benitez landed a sharp left hand. Barzola is relentless with his looking for takedowns. They traded punches. Barzola got another takedown into the guard. Benitez scrambled to his feet but Barzola had the back. Benitez landed a body kick but Barzola fired back with a big right hand. Benitez hurt Barzola bad at the horn and knocked him down. Excellent fight. 10-9 Barzola, 30-27 Barzola.
Official Result- Enrique Barzola def. Gabriel Benitez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Casey was landing some punches early. Aguilar tripped Casey to the mat and swarmed on top landing some good hammerfists. Aguilar got to her feet and Casey was looking for upkicks. They got to their feet and Casey landed a lot of punches and Aguilar had to run away as she was trapped against the fence. Casey landed a combo but Aguilar was able to get a takedown. Aguilar drug Casey by the foot to the center of the mat. Aguilar went into the guard and was landing short punches before they were stood up. Casey landed a nice combination. Casey with a head kick and a nice combo at the end. 10-9 Casey.
Aguilar got Casey to the mat quickly to start the second. Aguilar got up and was looking for an opening to the guard but Casey was using push kicks on the mat until she was stood up. Casey with some solid combinations. Aguilar got a quick takedown. Casey landed some upkicks. Aguilar got on top in the half-guard. Aguilar ended on the top. 10-9 Casey, 20-18 Casey.
Casey was landing punches and then pushed Aguilar against the fence. Aguilar was able to get away. Casey was landing some big punches and had Aguilar in trouble. Aguilar is busted open and bleeding all over. Aguilar landed a knee to the body but is just eating shots from Casey. Casey landed some good punches and defended some takedown attempts. Aguilar with a nice combo at the end. Casey looked very good in this fight. 10-9 Casey, 30-27 Casey.
Official Result- Cortney Casey def. Jessica Aguilar by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
FX PRELIMS | 8 PM ET/5 PM PT
> James Vick (10-1, 6-1 UFC) vs. Marco Polo Reyes (7-2, 3-0 UFC) Lightweights
Reyes landed a quick opening flurry and then they were trading kicks. Reyes landed a solid combo. They clinched and Reyes was landing to the body. They were trading and Vick dropped Reyes with a big right hand and after a few more punches on the ground it was stopped. Vick gets a big win in front of a hometown crowd.
Official Result- James Vick def. Marco Polo Reyes by TKO (punches) at 2:39 of Round 1
Sherman with a high kick early on but Coulter fired back with a right hand. They were trading again and Coulter landed a right hand. Sherman landed a jab that hurt Coulter and was then landing some leg kicks. Sherman landed a big shot and hurt Coulter. Coulter landed a big right hand that hurt Shetrman. Sherman has Coulter hurt with leg kicks. 10-9 Sherman.
Sherman with a leg kick but Coulter landed a big right hand. Sherman has Coulter hurt after a leg kick. Sherman dropped Coulter and was pounding away. Lots of punches on the mat but Coulter got to his feet. Coulter was firing back punches but is visibly hurt. Sherman with leg kicks and Coulter can barely walk. Coulter with heavy punches. Sherman with punches against the fence. Coulter with big punches. They traded punches. The crowd is really into this. Sherman with a combo. Sherman finishes Coulter off with a flurry of strikes to a big reaction. Excellent fight.
Official Result- Chase Sherman def Rashad Coulter by TKO (strikes) at 3:36 of Round 2
> Chas Skelly (17-2, 6-2 UFC) vs. Jason Knight (16-2, 3-1 UFC) Featherweights
They were trading early and Knight landed a nice combo. Skelly landed a nice combo. Skelly got a takedown into the guard of Knight. Skelly got to his feet and was looking to slam Knight but Knight held onto the fence. Skelly went back down and Knight reversed positions to the top. A scramble ended with Skelly back into Knight’s guard. They scrambled all over the mat looking for dominant position until they separated and just stood up. Knight got a late takedown. 10-9 Knight.
They were trading and Knight got a quick takedown. Knight is talking trash inside the Octagon. Skelly landed a left hand. Skelly landed an uppercut and a body kick which cause Knight to stumble a little. Knight was saying all sorts of things to Skelly after he hit him. Skelly went for a takedown but Knight sprawled. They were battling for underhooks against the fence. Knight scored a takedown. Skelly scrambled to the top but Knight was looking for an armbar. Skelly got up and landed a head kick on Knight right as he got to his feet and then a hard right hand. 10-9 Knight, 20-18 Knight.
Knight has a big cut underneath his right eye. Knight knocked Skelly down with a right hand and was looking for the finish with punches on the ground and he got it. Jason Knight with a huge win. Skelly not happy about the stoppage but it was the right call.
Official Result- Jason Knight def. Chas Skelly by TKO (punches) at :39 of Round 3
> Eddie Alvarez (#3, 28-5, 3-2 UFC) vs. Dustin Poirier (#9, 21-5, 13-4 UFC) Lightweights
Poirier landed a big body kick to start. Poirier with a hard leg kick. Poirier landed a straight right hand that stunned Alvarez. Alvarez missed on two right hand attempts but landed a high kick. Poirier with a leg kick. Poirier lands another straight right hand. They traded and Poirier landed a body kick. Alvarez just missed a hard right hand. Alvarez lands a right hand at the end. 10-9 Poirier.
Alvarez came out firing with punches to start the round and was working for a takedown. Alvarez was landing left hands in a tie-up before they broke apart. Alvarez’ left eye is showing some good damage. Alvarez landed a clean right hand but Poirier rocked him back with a left hand. They started throwing bombs at each other and Poirier had Alvarez in huge trouble. Alvarez was almost finished with a head kick but survived. Poirier then started teeing off again and they were throwing back and forth. Alvarez with a head kick. Alvarez was teeing off on Poirier and had him in a ton of trouble. Incredible. Incredible. Loud chants for Alvarez. Alvarez got a takedown.Alvarez with an illegal knee that sent Poirier down and we have a break. This might be a DQ. It was a very illegal knee.
Herb Dean waved off the fight after the doctors looked over Poirier. It was an incredible fight up until that point. We’ll see what the decision is here. WHAT??? They are declaring it a no contest. That is all sorts of wrong. It was called an accidental foul by Herb Dean. Blown call there.
Official Result- Eddie Alvarez vs. Dustin Poirier declared a no contest due to an accidental foul at 4:12 of Round 2
PPV MAIN CARD | 10 PM ET/7 PM PT
> Krzysztof Jotko (#9, 19-1, 6-1 UFC) vs. David Branch (20-3, 2-2 UFC) Middleweights
They were trading and Branch scored a takedown after ducking under a punch from Jotko. Branch was landing from the top but Jotko managed to get to his feet. Branch with some knees but Jotko able to reverse position. Jotko got a brief takedown but they stayed clinched against the fence. Not a lot of action and the crowd boos. I don’t blame them considering the action we’ve had on this card. Not much of a round. 10-9 Branch.
They clinched right back up and nothing was happening. They broke and Branch kicked Jotko right in the cup so we had a brief timeout. Back to action and there isn’t a lot of action going on here. Branch got a takedown but Jotko got right back up. Branch pushed Jotko against the fence and was blanketing him before they were broken up by the ref. Jotko got a head kick but Bramch scored a takedown. They each landed left hands on the way up. Crowd still booing this. 10-9 Branch, 20-18 Branch.
Jotko landed a spin kick but Branch fired back with a jumping body kick. Jotko landed a left hand off a takedown attempt from Branch. They clinched and Branch blanketed Jotko against the fence. This fight has been really boring and the crowd is letting them know it. This should have been on Fight Pass. They were broken up by the ref. They clinch again and Branch is punching the thighs of Jotko. Broken up again. Jotko with a late punch. Terrible fight. 10-9 Jotko, 29-28 Branch.
Official Result- David Branch def. Krzysztof Jotko by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
> Frankie Edgar (#2, 21-5-1, 15-5-1 UFC) vs. Yair Rodriguez (#7, 9-1, 6-0 UFC) Featherweights
Edgar with a quick combo. Rodriguez was landing some shots until Edgar stunned him with a combo an pushed the fight against the fence. Edgar got a takedown. The hockey horn blew twice. Edgar was landing from the top but Rodriguez working hard from the bottom. Edgar landing a lot of punches from the top. Edgar with elbows from the top and more punches and he’s looking to finish it. Edgar with a huge round but Rodriguez survived though he has huge swelling under the eye. 10-8 Edgar.
Edgar landed a combo to start the second. Rodriguez with a wheel kick but Edgar was able to score a big takedown in return. Edgar landing from the top but Rodriguez is working for a leg from the bottom. Edgar with more punches from the top and it’s getting close to being stopped. Edgar looking to set up a choke. Rodriguez gives up his back. Rodriguez trying to roll out from under but Edgar back in the guard and landing elbows. Edgar with more stuffing punches from the top. Rodriguez is doing all he can to survive. Rodriguez looking for a triangle but Edgar transitioning out of the way. Another huge round for Edgar. 10-8 Edgar, 20-16 Edgar.
They’ve stopped the fight in between rounds. Edgar gets the win after a corner stoppage.
Official Result- Frankie Edgar def. Yair Rodriguez by TKO (doctor stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 2
Maia went right for a takedown and Masvidal defended it but Maia got him down for a moment. Masvidal got back up but Maia still had the body lock and got the takedown and has the back of Masvidal. Maia got him back down and is on the back. Masvidal to his feet but Maia has the backpack on him. Masvidal backs Maia into the fence. Maia looking to get his arms free. He does and is looking for the choke. Maia is cut on his eye. Maia still has the back and is working for the choke but Masvidal defending well. Masvidal able to shake off Maia and is on top throwing lots of punches. Masvidal has Maia in trouble bt the round ends. 10-9 Maia.
Masvidal landed a punch and then a head kick and a leg kick. Maia has another takedown stuffed. Masvidal with a high kick. Masvidal with a leg kick. Maia went for another takedown but it is defended and Masvidal landed an elbow on the way up. They went back to the mat and Maia scrambled to the top position. Maia looking for the mount but Masvidal holding him in the half-guard. They get to their feet but Maia has the back. Maia with another brief takedown. Masvidal drops down to the mat and gives up his back. Maia looking to get the choke in. Maia landing from the back. I think Masvidal gave this round up. 10-9 Maia, 20-18 Maia.
Masvidal with a body kick. Maia looks very tired, Masvidal more fresh. Masvidal with a high kick. Maia is circling around the cage avoiding the attacks of Masvidal. Masvidal not really chasing after either. Masvidal with a head kick. Maia grabs the leg and gets Masvidal down and quickly jumps to the back. Maia has the neck of Masvidal but lets go. Maia now has the hooks in on the back. Masvidal has now officially given up on this fight. Maia in full control of the back and working to finish but too little, too late. Dominant showing from Maia though. 10-9 Maia, 30-27 Maia.
Official Result- Demian Maia def. Jorge Masvidal by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
It’s official. Demian Maia will get the next title shot at Tyron Woodley and the UFC Welterweight Championship.
Jedrzejczyk attacking the legs early. She lands a solid combo. Andrade lands some big punches. They were trading some hard shots and Andrade clinched up. Jedrzejczyk with a hard knee in the clinch. Andrade gets a big takedown and is on top. They get to their feet and Jedrzejczyk with some hard knees to the body.They break and Jedrzejczyk with some leg kicks. Loud Joanna chants. Jedrzejczyk with a head kick. Jedrzejczyk with a front kick. They trade leg kicks and Jedrzejczyk lands a nice left hand. They clinch again and Andrade with another takedown but Jedrzejczyk right back up.Jedrzejczyk with a couple of late leg kicks. 10-9 Jedrzejczyk.
Jedrzejczyk starts off with some leg kicks. Jedrzejczyk with a quick jab. Jedrzejczyk with another power jab. She’s defending all of Andrade’s attacks before they are even thrown. Jedrzejczyk with a head kick. Andrade unable to land her punches as Jedrzejczyk is circling away perfectly. They trade leg kicks. Jedrzejczyk with a big right hand. Andrade ate it and then missed all of her return punches. Jedrzejczyk’s footwork is incredible. Andrade got a half-second takedown. Jedrzejczyk with a jumping head kick. Jedrzejczyk with some more jabs that are slowing Andrade down. Jedrzejczyk tagged her with a head kick and Andrade stumbled into a takedown late. 10-9 Jedrzejczyk, 20-18 Jedrzejczyk.
Jedrzejczyk with some leg kicks but Andrade is able to land a nice left hand. Jedrzejczyk with a body kick. Jedrzejczyk with a leg kick and a hard right hand. Andrade chases her down looking for a takedown but it’s defended. Jedrzejczyk with a leg kick. Jedrzejczyk with a big head kick that stunned Andrade. Jedrzejczyk lands a right hand and just misses a spinning head kick. Andrade got a late takedown. 10-9 Jedrzejczyk, 30-27 Jedrzejczyk.
Andrade’s leg is a mess from the leg kicks. And she eats a right hand from Jedrzejczyk to start the fourth. Jedrzejczyk lands another right hand. Jedrzejczyk with a leg kick. Jedrzejczyk with a big head kick. Andrade is tough. They clinch and Andrade is trying to get a takedown but is eating knees from Jedrzejczyk. Andrade got a brief takedown. Jedrzejczyk with a combo left hand and leg kick. She then lands a big right hand. Jedrzejczyk with another head kick. Jedrzejczyk with a knee in the clinch and a quick combo on the break. 10-9 Jedrzejczyk, 40-36 Jedrzejczyk.
Andrade has to finish this. They were trading inside the clinch. Andrade was landing some short punches but Jedrzejczyk was landing the same in return. They clinch but not much happens and Jedrzejczyk lands an elbow on the break. Andrade lands a nice right hand. Jedrzejczyk just keeping the distance and landing whenever Andrade rushes in. Jedrzejczyk with a right hand. One minute left for Andrade to find a finish. Jedrzejczyk ducks under a right hand and lands a front kick to the body. Andrade had nothing for Jedrzejczyk. Another dominant performance from the defending champion. 10-9 Jedrzejczyk, 50-45 Jedrzejczyk.
Official Result- Joanna Jedrzejczyk def. Jessica Andrade by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-44, 50-45), Jedrzejczyk remains the UFC Strawweight Champion
> Stipe Miocic (C, 16-2, 10-2 UFC) vs. Junior Dos Santos (#4, 18-4, 12-3 UFC) UFC Heavyweight Championship
Miocic with an early leg kick. They started throwing big bombs at each other. Miocic with a right hand. Miocic lands some punches as Dos Santos circles away. Dos Santos has landed a couple but Miocic has more volume thus far. Miocic rocks Dos Santos. Miocici with a ciplle of clean right hands and he drops Dos Santos with another right hand. Miocic swarms on top with more punches and Herb Dean finally steps in and stops the fight! Miocic with another first-round knockout win as he remains the champion.
Official Result- Stipe Miocic def. Junior Dos Santos by TKO (punches) at 2:22 of Round 1, Miocic remains the UFC Heavyweight Champion
In terms of fight quality and star power, UFC presents its biggest pay-per-view of the year so far tonight with UFC 211.
In the main event, heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic looks to avenge a decision loss at the hands of former champ Junior dos Santos in ia rematch from December 2014.
In the co-main event, strawweight queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk will be looking for her sixth straight title defense and eight UFC win overall as she faces former bantamweight and top contender Jessica Andrade.
Two other main card fights could have immediate title implications as Demian Maia aims for his seventh straight win as he takes on the surging Jorge Masvidal, a former lightweight who has rung up three consecutive wins. The winner will have the best claim to a title challenge against division champ Tyron Woodley.
Former lightweight champ Frankie Edgar hopes to finally earn another featherweight title shot as he faces Yair Rodriguez, one of the most dynamic contenders in any division. With Jose Aldo and Max Holloway set to meet at UFC 212 to determine an undisputed 145-pound king, this fight could determine the next challenger for that belt.
Headlining up the FX-aired prelims is a key lightweight tilt as former champion Eddie Alvarez squares off with Dustin Poirier, one of the hardest hitters in the division. Alvarez will be fighting for the first time since losing his title to Conor McGregor last November at Madison Square Garden.
If you’re new here, our panel picks are listed below and listed alongside the fighter’s names are their worldwide FightMatrix rankings, as well as BestFightOdds.com betting odds. The panelist’s 2017 records is in parentheses, and we also have panel consensus picks as well as a line where we show how the betting favorites did:
Dave Meltzer (23-10; .697) — Wrestling Observer publisher
Favorites (23-10; .697)
John Pollock (23-10; .697) — Fight Network analyst, Live Audio Wrestling co-host, MMA Report co-host
Consensus Picks (22-10; .688)
Mike Sawyer (22-11; .667) — Tough Talk MMA publisher
David Bixenspan (22-11; .667) – Deadspin pro wrestling columnist, Between the Sheets podcast host
Steve Juon (21-12; .636) — MMA Mania writer, Angry Marks publisher
Mike Sempervive (19-14; .576) — Wrestling Observer Live and Big Audio Nightmare co-host
Ryan Frederick (18-15; .545) — WrestlingObserver.com UFC writer
Paul Fontaine (16-17; .485) — MMADraws.com publisher, WrestlingObserver.com writer
Front Row Brian (15-18; .455) — MMA newsbreaker, beloved internet personality, podcast host
UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic (16-2) vs. Junior dos Santos (18-4) II
Many, myself included, feel that Miocic won their first fight, which headlined a Fox show in late 2014. Miocic went on to defeat Fabricio Werdum to win the heavyweight crown and will be aiming for his second title defense here against the former champion.
Dos Santos has been relatively inactive as this will be just his third fight since beating Miocic and his first fight in over a year. He has not finished an opponent in nearly four years since stopping Mark Hunt on Memorial Day weekend in 2013.
The betting lines are very close on this one, but our panel doesn’t see it quite that close.
UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk (13-0) vs. Jessica Andrade (16-5)
Andrade has fought more times than any woman in UFC history as tonight marks her 11th time stepping into the Octagon. She will fight for a title for the very first time as she goes up against the unstoppable-to-this-point “Joanna Champion”.
While flyweight king Demetrious Johnson recently tied the long-standing record for consecutive title defenses at 10, Jedrzejczyk is quietly approaching that record herself and has shown no signs of slowing down. Despite her long winning streak, the oddsmakers have set a fairly close line on this one.
Andrade is one of the hardest hitters in the division and the former 135-pounder will likely have the size advantage here as well. She has three straight wins in her new division including two stoppages and a one-sided beatdown of former Invicta champion Angela Hill in her last outing.
Demian Maia (24-6) vs. Jorge Masvidal (32-11) WELTERWEIGHTS
Many feel that Maia has already earned a UFC title shot as the 39-year-old’s seven-fight win streak is the longest in the division. He’ll once again try to hold serve against former lightweight Masvidal, one of the gutsiest brawlers in the division who will try to pick up his fourth straight win.
Maia has an obvious advantage if the fight goes to the ground, but Masvidal is a very tough fighter to put away. His last three losses have been by split decision and he has not been finished since a submission loss in Bellator to Tody Imada in 2009.
At some point, age has to catch up to the veteran Maia, and the oddsmakers surprisingly have the former middleweight title contender set as the underdog. This should be a very close fight either way.
Frankie Edgar (21-5-1) vs. Yair Rodriguez (10-1) FEATHERWEIGHTS
This is a big step up in competition for Rodriguez, who has picked up main event wins in each of his last two fights, beating journeyman Alex Caceres and the legendary BJ Penn. He faces another future Hall of Famer here, although Edgar is much closer to the peak of his abilities than Penn was.
Edgar’s only loss in the last four-plus years came at the hands of division champ Jose Aldo where he took the champ the distance. Sandwiched around that loss at UFC 200 were wins over top contenders Chad Mendes, Urijah Faber, Jeremy Stephens, Cub Swanson, Charles Oliveira, as well as the aforementioned Penn.
Edgar has already lost to Aldo twice, so his best shot at another title fight would be if Holloway were to win that fight at UFC 212, but should Rodriguez emerge victorious here, he could immediately step into the next featherweight title bout.
Edgar #3; -122 betting favorite: Juon, Fontaine, Nason, Pollock, Meltzer
Eddie Alvarez (28-5) vs. Dustin Poirier (21-5) LIGHTWEIGHTS
Alvarez scored one of the most surprising title wins in recent UFC history when he stopped former champ Rafael dos Anjos last July. His reign was short-lived, however, as McGregor blitzed him to capture the belt.
Another past McGregor victim stands in the way this time out as Poirier shoots for his sixth win in his last seven fights. Many have this one pegged as the leading contender for Fight of the Night as Poirier in particular has a penchant for picking up performance awards.
With the division somewhat on ice with champion McGregor focused on a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather, both guys badly need a win here to maintain relevance in a tough weight class.
Dave Branch (20-3) vs. Krzysztof Jotko (19-1) MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Branch #16; +135 betting underdog
Jotko #13; -147 betting favorite
Chas Skelly (17-2) vs. Jason Knight (17-2) FEATHERWEIGHTS
Skelly #17; -123 betting favorite
Knight #36; +113 betting underdog
James Vick (12-1) vs. Marco Polo Reyes (7-3) LIGHTWEIGHTS
Vick #36; -335 betting favorite
Reyes #178; +353 betting underdog
Jessica Aguilar (19-6) vs. Cortney Casey (6-4 STRAWWEIGHTS
Aguilar NR; +103 betting underdog
Casey #19; -116 betting favorite
Rashad Coulter (8-1) vs. Chase Sherman (9-3) HEAVYWEIGHTS
Coulter #205; +130 betting underdog
Sherman NR; -126 betting favorite
Enrique Barzola (12-3-1) vs. Gabriel Benitez (19-5) FEATHERWEIGHTS
Barzola #192; +137 betting underdog
Benitez #66; -140 betting favorite
Gadzhimurad Antigulov (19-4) vs. Joachim Christensen (14-4) LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
Antigulov #25; -345 betting favorite
Christensen #57; +363 betting underdog
Action begins with the Fight Pass prelims at 6:30 p.m. ET and moves over to FX at 8 p.m. ET. The main card airs on PPV at 10 p.m. ET, covered by our Ryan Frederick, who will be live at cageside.
After a low key first five months of 2017, UFC will attempt to get some interest going for the summer with a big media event scheduled for Friday at 5:30 PM EST in Dallas, TX, streamed live here.
Jon Anik will host the event where it’s expected that some new fights will be announced like Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier II and perhaps Michael Bisping vs. Yoel Romero. Officially scheduled to be there today:
– UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt and T.J. Dillashaw who fight at UFC 213 on July 8th in Las Vegas
– Claudia Gadelha and Karolina Kowalkiewicz who fight at UFC 212 on June 3rd in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
– Holly Holm and Bethe Correia who fight at UFC Fight Night 111 on June 17th in Singapore
– Michael Chiesa and Kevin Lee who fight at UFC Fight Night 112 on June 25 in Oklahoma City, OK
The event will be held before the ceremonial UFC 211 weigh-ins.
UFC 211 lost its second fight when Jared Gordon was hospitalized this morning before weigh-ins and taken off the card.
Gordon wrote on Facebook: “Unfortunately, I will not be fighting tomorrow. Everything was going smooth last night when I turned sick at about 8-9 p.m. I was experiencing food poison symptoms. I was admitted to the hospital, alongside UFC’s doctor, I was advised to use an IV by both ER and UFC’s doctor which would make me ineligible to fight because of USADA’s rules. I’m extremely sorry to everyone who were going to attend and/or watch. Just another bump in the road.”
Gordon was scheduled to face Michel Quinones on what would have been the FX portion of the show.
For the main event UFC heavyweight title match, both men weighed almost identical as champion Stipe Miocic weighed in this morning at 246 pounds and challenger Junior Dos Santos came in at 245.
The show will now start at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time and have 12 fights. Originally it was to be a 14 match show, the biggest in UFC history, and scheduled to be as long as eight hours. It still could end up being a seven hour show.
The Sergio Pettis vs. Henry Cejudo PPV fight ended up being pulled earlier in the week when Cejudo suffered a hand injury.
The weigh-in results were:
Joachim Christensen (204.5) vs. Gadzhimurad Antigulov (204)
Gabriel Benitez (145.5) vs. Enrique Barzola (146)
Chase Sherman (250) vs. Rashad Coulter (241)
Jessica Aguilar (115) vs. Cortney Casey (116)
James Vick (156) vs. Marco Polo Reyes (154)
Chas Skelly (146) vs. Jason Knight (146)
Eddie Alvarez (156) vs. Dustin Poirier (156)
Krzysztof Jotko (185) vs. David Branch (185)
Frankie Edgar (145.5) vs. Yair Rodriguez (146)
Demian Maia (170.5) vs. Jorge Masvidal (171)
Joanna Jedrzejczyk (115) vs. Jessica Andrade (114.5) for the women’s strawweight title
Stipe Miocic (246) vs. Junior Dos Santos (245) for the heavyweight championship
In a year that has been devoid of must-see PPVs, UFC finally has one worth talking about in Saturday’s UFC 211. So, on this very special edition of Josh Nason’s Punch-Out, we did just that.
Joining Josh is past guest and overall good guy Jason Cruz of MMAPayout.com. Note this was recorded on Wednesday night, well before the news of Michael Bisping vs. Georges St. Pierre being canceled.
Josh and Jason went nearly an hour chatting about news of the week and Saturday’s show, headlined by a heavyweight title fight between champion Stipe Miocic and former champion Junior dos Santos.
Also on the docket:
– The injury bug hitting Henry Cejudo, resulting in his fight against Sergio Pettis being taken off the show
– Michael “Venom” Page’s knee injury taking him out of Bellator’s next show
– The possible effect last Saturday’s Canelo vs. Chavez boxing PPV might have on UFC 211
– The fights the guys are looking forward to the most on Saturday
UFC announced yesterday a new television deal with Fox Networks Group Latin America.
FNG will air UFC pay-per-view events, Fight Nights, the Ultimate Fighter reality show, and other events with the new deal that starts on Saturday with the Stipe Miocic vs. Junior Dos Santos headlined UFC 211.
That fight will be Miocic’s second defense of the UFC heavyweight title. He previously defended it against Alistair Overeem in the main event of UFC 203 in Cleveland last September.
The new deal will reach a number of countries, although it does not include Brazil as UFC has an existing deal in that country, nor Mexico, where UFC has worked with Televisa. However, FNG will become UFC’s home in Mexico in 2019.
The PPV events starting in August will air live on FOX Premium Action. The PPV prelims will air on both Fox Sports 2 and FOX Premium Action.
