Ronda bites an ear? ‘Drunk History’ has it all
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No bad blood, Stephens says he and Edgar are a dying breed
When Jeremy Stephens talks about his UFC 205 opponent, Frankie Edgar, there is no shortage of respect given. In fact, when the Iowan gives his thoughts on the former UFC lightweight champion, it’s almost hard to believe that the two will be trying to knock each other out in Madison Square Garden on November 12.
“Frankie’s a true champion,” Stephens said. “He hasn’t been broken, he’s hard to rattle, he hasn’t been knocked out, and he doesn’t run away from fights like other people in the division. He’s a real true, born and bred fighter, and that’s why I respect him and why I train hard for fights like this.”
In other words, he can have no problem fighting Edgar because they’re mirror images when it comes to mindset.
“We’re a dying breed,” Stephens said, and he’s right. There will be no Twitter wars on the way to New York City, no shoves at the press conference or weigh-in, no denigrating of each other’s accomplishments. Like the MMA version of Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward, Edgar and Stephens will show up to the Garden, fight like bitter enemies, then shake hands at the end.
“I know Frankie comes from back in the day, where he fought bare knuckle,” he said. “I come from the Toad Holler days in that same era. And that symbolized real fighters. There are only a select few guys out there that are real fighters, like the Diaz brothers, Frankie Edgar and me, and everything we have, it’s all from our hands, feet and chin, and we’ve dedicated our life to this sport. Nowadays, it’s more about athleticism, trash talk and entertainment. But
we’re still some of the realest, bite down on your mouthpiece, hard-working dudes out there and we’re still showing these athletes, yeah, you may be able to talk trash and do all that, but that’s why you avoid guys like us.”
Maybe it’s in the blood, or something in the water in Stephens’ Iowa or Edgar’s New Jersey, but more accurately, it’s probably because the two fight for similar things – to be a champion and to take care of their family. For Stephens, a father of two, providing for his daughters is the be all, end all of his transformation from family man to knockout artist on fight night. And he has no qualms about getting mean when the Octagon door closes. To him, that’s a gift.
“I’ve been through a lot of s**t and I’ve literally fought for everything that I have,” he said. “I’m fighting to put food on my daughters’ table, to get them in dance classes, further their education and put clothes on their back and a roof over their head. I’m fighting for everything that I have and it puts me in a vicious mentality where all I do is stay in the gym, grind and work my ass off because fighting is all I’ve ever known. I’ve dedicated my life to this sport and I’m still thriving off that fear of being embarrassed, that this guy can kick my ass. So I know how to harness those fears and yeah, I am trying to knock your lights out.”
Get ready for UFC 205: Fight card for Nov. 12 | Champions Alvarez, McGregor to headline historic card | Woodley-Wonderboy welterweight title clash set | Polish stars Jedrzejczyk, Kowalkiewicz perfect for NYC | Few tickets remain, buy now
Flipping that switch has been easy for the 30-year-old throughout a pro MMA career that began when he was a teenager. But is it confusing for his girls, aged five and seven, to see the father they were coloring with now punching someone in the face on fight night?
“They see that, and they don’t really ask – they’re just happy that dad won,” he said. “They accept it for what it is – my dad goes in there and fights, and it is what it is. They’ve also seen me lose, and I explain that it’s just like riding a bike. You’re gonna fall down but you’ve got to get back up and ride it. You may not know something now, but if you keep attacking it, you’re gonna get better at it and eventually you’re going to conquer it. I try to be as real as I can be with them, and if you’re not, you’re kind of putting them in Disneyland and Disneyland ain’t good in reality.”
Coming up the hard way in the Midwest gave Stephens a dose of reality that his daughters have been fortunate to never see in southern California. There, it’s sunshine, training, and family.
“They train with me in the gym, they do jiu-jitsu and striking classes and they see me put in work,” he said. “I’ll take them with me to the beach and go run and they’re with us 24/7 and I’m glad. It’s cool to be a part of my kids’ life and they’re very aware of what I do, they love it, they embrace it, and they’ll tell people, ‘You know my dad’s the great Jeremy Stephens?’”
He laughs, but on November 12, the proud papa turns into the “Lil’ Heathen,” and then it’s a whole different story.
“This is what they’re paying me to do,” he said of his no nonsense fighting style. “I’m not going to stop until they pull me off of you. I’ve never disrespected any fighter, and when the ref pulls me off, I’m off of you, but you’ll know you’re in a dogfight, and I’m going to attack you and do anything I have to do to get that win because of what I’m fighting for.”
Luque Replaces Good at UFC 205
Currently sporting a three-fight winning streak in which he has finished each victory before the final horn, former Ultimate Fighter standout Vicente Luque has now accepted a spot on the historic UFC 205 card in New York City’s Madison Square Garden, where he will face Belal Muhammad on November 12.
The opportunity to face Muhammad arrived when it was announced Monday that Lyman Good was removed from the event after a potential Anti-Doping violation caused him to be provisionally suspended by USADA.
The UFC 205 card, which is headlined by a trio of championship fights featuring the lightweight title bout between Eddie Alvarez and Conor McGregor, airs live on Pay-Per-View.
Brazil’s Luque may have lost his bout to Michael Graves at the TUF 21 Finale in July of 2015, but since then, he has submitted Hayder Hassan and Alvaro Herrera and knocked out Hector Urbina, cementing his place as one of the 170-pound division’s top prospects, a title shared with Muhammad, who is coming off a third-round TKO win over Augusto Montano in September.
UFC Unfiltered: Miesha Tate And Katie Nolan
Former UFC Women’s Bantamweight champion Miesha Tate calls in to discuss her UFC 205 fight against Raquel Pennington, losing her title at UFC 200, Ronda Rousey’s Octagon return against Amanda Nunes at UFC 207, the possibility of fighting Cris Cyborg, and a lot more. Plus, Katie Nolan, host of Garbage Time with Katie Nolan, sits in with Jim and Matt to talk sports loyalty, comedy, YouTube, and UFC.
Some of the highlights from Episode 37 of UFC Unfiltered include:
Katie on suspending logic with loyalty to a certain team
Raquel Pennington is the closest person Miesha will have fought in her career
Miesha on fighting Cyborg
Miesha is beyond stoked to fight in NYC at MSG
Mousasi-Hall 2 new main event in Belfast
Despite winning five of his last six bouts and soaring to the top five in the middleweight division, Gegard Mousasi wants to avenge that one loss in that stretch, and he’ll get that chance on November 19 when he faces No. 10-ranked Uriah Hall in the new main event of UFC Fight Night at The SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland.The new main event came together when Gunnar Nelson was forced from his bout against Dong Hyun Kim due to injury. Kim will be rescheduled for a future card.
The event will air live on UFC FIGHT PASS beginning at 12:30pm ET / 9:30am PT.
Currently sporting a three-fight winning streak, the Netherlands’ Mousasi is coming off his biggest UFC win to date, a second round knockout of Vitor Belfort at UFC 204 earlier this month. Now making a quick turnaround, he will attempt to even the score with New York’s Hall, a dynamic striker who delivered the most notable win of his career when he used a series of strikes to score a highlight reel finish of Mousasi in September of 2015. Now „Prime Time“ will seek a repeat in his European debut.
UFC Statement on Lyman Good
The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Lyman Good of a potential Anti-Doping violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collected on October 14, 2016. USADA has provisionally suspended Good based on the potential anti-doping violation.
Good was scheduled to fight Belal Muhammad in New York at UFC 205. The UFC is currently seeking a replacement to fight Muhammad.
USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case. It is important to note that, under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full fair legal review process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed. Consistent with all previous potential anti-doping violations, additional information or UFC statements will be provided at the appropriate time as the process moves forward.
Garbrandt KOs pay off, earns title shot versus Cruz
Dominick Cruz and Cody Garbrandt have been destined to clash, ever since Cruz defended the bantamweight title in June and Cody Garbrandt fought in August.
Before and after his fight, with Cruz in attendance as part of the FS1 announce team, “No Love” had his eyes on the champ. He even called out Cruz inside the Octagon after his win over Takeya Mizugaki.
Since then, it’s been a waiting game for fans as well as for Garbrandt and former champion TJ Dillashaw, who has been doing all he can to campaign for his rematch against Cruz.
But Garbrandt won out and now gets his crack at Cruz in the co-main event of UFC 207 in Las Vegas, right before the anticipated return of Ronda Rousey in the main event.
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Garbrandt earned his shot after compiling a perfect 10-0 record that includes an unblemished five-win run in the UFC.
“No Love” is a finishing machine, ending his last three bouts by knockout. He’s only gone to the judges one time in his UFC career and his last three fights were all stopped in the first round.
What does he get for all that hard-hitting success inside the Octagon? He’ll face Cruz, who is the most hard-to-hit and invincible champion in the UFC today. True, Demetrious Johnson makes a strong case, but Cruz beat him, too.
“The Dominator” has won 13 in a row and his only loss came in 2007 against Garbrandt’s mentor, Urijah Faber, by guillotine choke in his WEC debut. Nine years is a long time to go without a loss, but it’s important to remember that Cruz was forced out of action for three of them by a litany of career-threatening injuries.
But when he returned, Cruz looked as unbeatable as ever. His style is predicated on speed, movement and precise footwork. He is never fearful of fighting a powerful puncher because he doesn’t think they’ll be able to hit him with the big punches.
Dillashaw was successful at times against Cruz because he employs a similar style that was derived from playing the role of Cruz in fight camps for fellow Team Alpha Male fighters preparing to fight Cruz.
An analytical look at Garbrandt’s fight style reveals a more abrupt and straightforward ideology. He isn’t as concerned with making guys miss as he is with pushing the pace and landing the two missiles he wields in both side pockets.
Critics claim that Garbrandt’s fast, aggressive game plan will fall short against Cruz because the champion will force the challenger to miss and push him into the later rounds where it’s always been Cruz’s advantage.
Garbrandt isn’t worried about his cardio and he has supreme confidence is his ability to test Cruz’s chin and finish the fight. Many have tried and failed against Cruz, but Garbrandt brings youthful power, talent and confidence to the Octagon.
When he gets there he has an opportunity to take out the man who has reigned for almost a decade, on the year’s final fight card – one that has quickly rivaled the collection of fights going down at UFC 205 in New York City.
This is going to be one hell of a ride to close out 2016.
Matt Parrino is a digital producer and writer for UFC.com. Follow him on twitter at @MattParrinoUFC
Cruz defends title against Garbrandt in 207 Co-Main
The action-packed bantamweight division will continue to be showcased on Friday, December 30 in Las Vegas, as the UFC announced Monday that 135-pound champion Dominick Cruz will defend his title against unbeaten knockout artist Cody Garbrandt in the co-main event of UFC 207.
The matchup joins the UFC women’s bantamweight championship bout between Amanda Nunes and Ronda Rousey, which airs live on Pay-Per-View from T-Mobile Arena.
UFC 207 TICKETS GO ON SALE FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4
Unbeaten at bantamweight, the 31-year-old Cruz has not lost a fight since he was defeated by Urijah Faber in 2007. „The Dominator“ went on to avenge that loss twice while going 13-0 over the last nine-plus years. In 2016, Cruz returned from a horrific slate of injuries to regain his championship by defeating TJ Dillashaw in January, and after a June win over Faber in their rubber match, he is looking forward to settling a score with Garbrandt.
One of the most potent punchers in all of MMA, Ohio native Garbrandt has earned nine of his 10 pro wins by knockout, including UFC stoppages of Marcus Brimage, Augusto Mendes, Thomas Almeida and Takeya Miugaki. After his 48-second finish of Mizugaki in August, the 25-year-old Garbrandt made no secret of his desire to fight Cruz, and this December, he gets his shot.
Also added to the UFC 207 card is a flyweight showdown between top prospects Louis Smolka and Ray Borg.
The Ultimate Fighter LATAM Ep. 9 Recap
The first finalist for this season of The Ultimate Fighter Latin America has been determined, as Martin Bravo from Team Griffin defeated Leonardo Rodriguez from Team Liddell.
Before the fight on the latest episode unfolded, the fighters first had to say goodbye to coach Forrest Griffin, who spent his last few days with the competitors during before heading home to the United States. Coach Chuck Liddell was forced to go home earlier in the competition but Griffin stuck around almost until the end as he helped his team make it through a very tough tournament pitting 16 of the best up and coming lightweights from Latin America against each other.
Griffin was very close with his team all season long and he will definitely keep an eye on the last two semifinals before the competition comes to a close. 
To make sure that Griffin’s team would go without a head coach for the last week, the UFC brought in top ranked welterweight contender Demian Maia to help before the season came to a close. With a six-fight win streak under his belt, Maia seems like the next fighter in line to compete for the welterweight title against the winner of the UFC 205 co-main event between Tyron Woodley and Stephen „Wonderboy“ Thompson, and his knowledge was an invaluable addition to the fighters on the show this season.
From the moment Maia walked into the gym, it was clear the fighters were excited to work with the multi-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion, and with Bravo looking to potentially out grapple Rodriguez this week, it was a perfect match for the Team Griffin competitor.
Liddell’s team also got a guest coach this week, with top 15-ranked featherweight superstar Yair Rodriguez joining the show. Rodriguez actually won the first season of The Ultimate Fighter Latin America, so he’s gone through the process before and knows exactly what the competitors are dealing with as the tournament comes to a close. Rodriguez was still very raw when he competed on the first season of the show, but since that time he’s developed into one of the best prospects in the entire sport. Rodriguez not only served as a great resource for the fighters heading into the semifinals, but also as an inspiration for them to see just how far you can go in a very short time after the reality show is finished.
With only a matter of days left in the competition, the fighters also got to enjoy a night out on the town with an extravagant dinner to celebrate the season. Of course, a few of the competitors were still cutting weight, so not everybody got to enjoy the dinner as much as the others, but it will all taste that much better with a win and an invitation to the finale on November 5 in Mexico City.
Once dinner was wrapped up, Liddell and Griffin each took time to meet with their fighters via Skype before the semifinals kicked off. Liddell told Rodriguez to keep the pressure on during his bout with Bravo, as he will have a size and power advantage over the much smaller Team Griffin fighter. As for Griffin, he just passed along some messages of positivity as Bravo got ready this week and Marcelo Rojo prepares for his fight in the final episode against Team Liddell’s No. 1 pick, Claudio Puelles.
The fighters were also treated to one more special guest this week as boxing legend Juan Manuel Marquez sent them a special message from Mexico ahead of the semifinals. Marquez has fought the best of the best inside the ring and he’s an icon of Latin American combat sports, so his appearance was undoubtedly a huge moment for everyone on the show.
„The four of you have shown to be the best fighters out of a select group. You are very close to having your dream come true, to win and be a part of the UFC. The final moment has come, it’s time to get it done for your country and fight these last rounds that separate you from the victory,“ Marquez said.
It definitely served as motivation for everybody preparing for the semifinals and with that, it was finally time to kick things off.
MARTIN BRAVO VS. LEONARDO RODRIGUEZ
As this fight got underway, it was clear that Rodriguez listened to his coach as he went on the attack almost immediately and started attacking Bravo’s lead leg with kicks. Rodriguez was extremely active in the early going, and during one exchange he clipped Bravo with a hard right hand that seemingly wobbled the Team Griffin fighter. Bravo quickly recovered before getting into a couple wild exchanges with Rodriguez on the feet. While Rodriguez landed the best punch in the first, it was Bravo who came storming back with a couple takedowns as well as some ground-and-pound on the mat before the horn sounded that may have secured him the round.
As Rodriguez started to tire in round two, Bravo was able to take advantage with a good ground attack as he took the fight to the ground on a couple occasions. Much to the chagrin of his coaches, Rodriguez continuously threw kicks, which Bravo countered perfectly before tripping him up and taking him down. The second takedown, with time ticking away in the round, saw Bravo land in side control, where he rained down some hard elbows and punches from the top.
The third round saw more of the same as Rodriguez continued to slow, which meant his kicks became even more predictable for Bravo to counter and reverse. Bravo’s ability to put Rodriguez on the ground repeatedly was a huge factor in the fight. By the time Bravo was getting the takedowns late into the third, Rodriguez stopped looking for the counter to get back to his feet and instead resigned himself to battle from the bottom. When the final horn sounded, it was clear that Bravo had earned the victory.
The judges all agreed and Martin Bravo got the win by unanimous decision after three rounds.
With Bravo now officially in the finals, that only leaves his teammate Marcelo Rojo against No. 1 overall pick Claudio Puelles next week to determine his opponent.
Who will join Bravo at the live finale on Nov. 5? Tune in to the final episode of The Ultimate Fighter Latin America this Wednesday on UFC FIGHT PASS to find out.
UFC 205 look ahead: Prelims preview
DON’T MISS THE UFC 205 MAIN CARD PREVIEW
Q: How good is the lineup for UFC 205?
A: So good that the preliminary card fights could make up a pretty damn solid UFC on FOX event.
Here’s a look at the action scheduled for the non-Pay-Per-View portion of the show.
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Michael Johnson
Denied a chance to challenge for the lightweight title, Nurmagomedov asked for a matchup with “The Menace” and his wish was quickly granted, meaning not only is the title on the line on November 12, but the next challenger for the belt could also be decided as well.
Had Nurmagomedov been able to stay healthy over the last couple years, he would have already fought for the title, but a series of injuries have limited him to just one appearance over that span. After starting off a little slow, the undefeated Dagestani contender found a rhythm and finished Darrel Horcher in the second round of their April encounter in Orlando. A strong showing here and it will be really difficult to deny the unbeaten 28-year-old a chance to fight for the lightweight title.
Johnson is wasting little time getting back to work, accepting this opportunity less than 10 days after knocking out Dustin Poirier in the main event of the UFC’s debut show in Hidalgo, Texas earlier this month. Eager to prove he’s capable of competing with the best in the division on a nightly basis, the 30-year-old Johnson could potentially earn himself a title shot if he’s able to become the first man to defeat Nurmagomedov.
Frankie Edgar vs. Jeremy Stephens
While the status of the featherweight belts remain in limbo, these two contenders will battle to cement their place in the pecking order.
After amassing five straight victories and looking the best he had in his entire career, Edgar fell short in his quest to claim the interim title against Jose Aldo at UFC 200, falling to the Brazilian legend for a second time. Not one to dwell on his setbacks and lick his wounds for too long, the pride of Toms River, New Jersey wasted little time in signing up for this one as he was champing at the bit to get another win streak started and compete at Madison Square Garden.
A fixture in the Top 10 for the last couple years, Stephens scored a unanimous decision win over former bantamweight champ Renan Barao in his last outing and looks to finally take the next step forward in his career when he steps in opposite Edgar at UFC 205. The powerful “Lil’ Heathen” has struggled against elite competition in the past, but he’s also never looked better than he has over his last three outings, so this could be the fight where he puts himself in the Top 5.
Get ready for UFC 205: Fight card for Nov. 12 | Champions Alvarez, McGregor to headline historic card | Woodley-Wonderboy welterweight title clash set | Polish stars Jedrzejczyk, Kowalkiewicz perfect for NYC | Few tickets remain, buy now
Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson: UFC welterweight title
This compelling clash of veterans marks Kennedy’s return to the Octagon for the first time in more than two years and Evans’ debut in the middleweight division after a decorated career competing in the light heavyweight ranks.
Kennedy pressed pause on his fighting career following a controversial loss to Yoel Romero at UFC 178, but seeing Michael Bisping ascend to the top of the division helped lure the Army Ranger back to the cage. Boasting a previous win over the reigning champion and former welterweight champ Robbie Lawler, Kennedy has all the skills to cobble together a quick and impressive winning streak and establish himself as a contender should he win here and opt to stick around.
The move to middleweight is one Evans talked about for a number of years and on the heels of back-to-back losses, the perennially undersized former champion is finally relocating to the 185-pound ranks. There are numerous question marks surrounding “Suga” heading into this one, but a strong showing against the returning Kennedy would provide a lot of answers.
Earlier this summer, Boetsch quickly cast aside all doubts about his place in the division after losing three straight with a victory over Josh Samman in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The durable and dangerous “Barbarian” has been a fixture in the middleweight division for a number of years now and his second-round stoppage win over the former Ultimate Fighter favorite shows he has no plans of allowing that to change any time soon.
After stringing together four straight wins, Natal was on the wrong side of a unanimous decision result when he faced off with Robert Whittaker at UFC 197 back in April. The 33-year-old Brazilian brings an awkward approach and well-rounded skill set to the cage and is 9-4-1 in his last 14 fights after beginning his UFC career with a loss.
While it certainly isn’t the most high profile pairing on the card, this clash of 185-pound veterans should be fun nonetheless.
Once a fixture near the top of the welterweight rankings, injuries have limited Alves to three appearances since April 2014 and now the 33-year-old Brazilian is looking to start fresh as a lightweight.
In a division already lauded as the deepest and most talent rich collection in the sport, the addition of Alves into the mix has the potential to be an interesting wrinkle heading into 2017 if the former title welterweight challenger is healthy and carries the explosive power that made him a perennial threat earlier in his career to his new weight class. He gets a stern test right out of the gate in the form of Miller.
The gritty veteran intended to call it quits following his bout at UFC 200 against Takanori Gomi, but after finally getting back to full strength after two years spent battling the effects of Lyme disease and picking up a quick finish of the Japanese veteran, Miller opted against walking away and subsequently earned a second consecutive victory in his rematch with Joe Lauzon at the end of August. If he can make it three straight to close out the year, the Sparta, New Jersey native should find himself back in the Top 15 by the time we ring in the New Year.
Well over a year after picking up a second-round TKO victory over Andrew Craig in his promotional debut, New York’s Good gets a homecoming assignment at MSG when he takes on Muhammad in this battle of welterweight hopefuls.
After seemingly missing out on his opportunity to compete in the UFC after failing to earn his way into the house on Season 19 of The Ultimate Fighter, Good finally got the call in July 2015, filling in for Edgar Garcia and making the most of it by earning an impressive finish. Injuries have kept him out of action since, but you can be sure the Team Tiger Schulmann product will be fired up about fighting at home on the biggest stage in the sport.
Muhammad made a positive impression in a losing effort against Alan Jouban in his UFC debut, battling tooth and nail in a Fight of the Year contender before coming up short on the scorecards. Earlier this month, the 28-year-old collected a third-round stoppage win over Augusto Montano and he’s wasting little time in trying to earn a second UFC victory by jumping at the chance to face Good at The Garden in November.
Liz Carmouche vs. Katlyn Chookagian
Returning for the first time since earning a unanimous decision win over Lauren Murphy in April 2015, Carmouche, the first female fighter to ever cross the threshold into the UFC Octagon to compete, is looking to re-establish herself as a threat in the bantamweight division. Having shared the cage with a collection of the top names to compete in the women’s 135-pound ranks, Carmouche is a seasoned vet with a wealth of experience; now she just needs to stay active in order to reclaim her stop in the upper echelon of the division.
Like Carmouche, Chookagian’s last UFC appearance also came against Murphy, but the 27-year-old with the on-the-nose nickname “Blonde Fighter” got the nod over the MMA Lab product and will look to make it two-in-a-row in the UFC 205 opener. The first of several members of the Ricardo Almeida/Mark Henry-trained crew from New Jersey competing in NYC, the undefeated Chookagian aims to stay that way and announce herself as someone to watch in the bantamweight ranks heading into next year with a win over Carmouche.
