Blog Page 692

Mario Bautista Always Comes Back Stronger

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Becoming a UFC fighter can change a life in many ways. For some, like Mario Bautista, it means being the first result that pops up when his name is Googled, knocking the Mexican pop star with the same name out of that spot. Sure, the singer still has the space on the right side of the page still to himself, but the bantamweight remains hopeful.

“It’s a little unfortunate, but hopefully one of these days we’ll be right above him,” said Bautista with a chuckle.

All kidding aside, life is different for the 26-year-old since he stepped up on short notice to face Cory Sandhagen in January. The UFC deal has allowed him become a full-time fighter, and while he didn’t get the win against Sandhagen, he is moving forward as he heads into a Saturday meeting with Jinsoo Son in San Antonio.

“If anything, I just get to continue with this journey,” he said. “With the last fight that I had, I was able to quit my job and focus full-time on training. And with a win over Jin, I’ll be able to keep on training, possibly buy things I need for training and I’ll focus more on MMA.”

That’s all good news for Bautista, who nearly had some more when he fought Sandhagen in Brooklyn. Facing the future top 10 contender, the Arizona newcomer bounced back from an early knockdown to seemingly take control for a brief moment with a slam before Sandhagen came back to end the fight via submission at the 3:31 mark. 

“I think I was thinking a little too much and not going off muscle memory,” said Bautista. “I had that opportunity, and I’m thinking I’m gonna slam this guy. Unfortunately, I slammed myself right into a submission. I was able to get out of it, but then I got caught again. I just got caught up in the moment.”

That’s understandable, being in a position to possibly take over and win a fight that few expected him to win on short notice. But when it was over, Bautista knew that he belonged in the big show.

“Definitely, just being in there with the amount of time I had to work with, I did pretty good, especially against an opponent like that,” he said. “Cory’s doing pretty amazing right now and he’s got the big fight (with Raphael Assuncao at UFC 241) lined up, so I felt like I belonged in there. Every loss I’ve had, I’ve come back stronger from it.”

Well, if my math’s right, Bautista is 6-1 as a pro. Correct, he says, but he also counts his amateur loss to Josh San Diego in 2012 in this equation. 

“He (San Diego) went on to Tachi Palace and I think he fought for that belt and he fought for Bellator,” said Bautista. “And I was still an amateur when he was doing this. So I lost that fight, but I saw that he was doing pretty good, so I knew I could get to where he was at.”

It’s clear that Bautista has a long memory, and that will serve him well in the future because he won’t make the same mistake twice. That future begins Saturday against Son, who impressed in a losing effort in his UFC debut against another 135-pound contender in Petr Yan.

“As soon as I looked up his name, I saw that Petr Yan fight and I remembered it immediately,” said Bautista. “It was a good fight, they went back and forth, and I think Petr was a little bit sharper, but I remember it being a pretty tough fight, and he’s a tough guy.”

In other words, just the kind of fighter Bautista wants to share the Octagon with this weekend.

“I like a little bit more of an exciting fight, and especially for me, it will open up more opportunities to set up guys,” he said. “So with Jin being so tough, I think I’ll be able to show a lot more of my skills against him.”

Unfiltered Episode 308: Jared Gordon and Fight Night 155 Recap

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On today’s episode, the guys recap Fight Night: De Randamie vs Ladd, including the call timing of the Randamie/Ladd fight, stoppage treatment between female and male fighters, and Urijah Faber’s HOF performance. Later, UFC lightweight Jared “Flash” Gordon joins Jim and Matt to chat about his big win two weeks ago, and his memorable post fight speech about his battle with addiction (WARNING: Jared shares tragic details of his past). Finally, Jared discusses being a coach on July 16th’s episode of Dana White’s Contender Series, and Matt Serra weighs in on being deemed “Bagel Boss Guy”.

Leon Edwards’ Dream Fights

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“I want that rematch. I learned a lot from that fight and I know that I’m not the same fighter as I was then. He has the strap and my goal is to take it from him.”

Obviously, a showdown between Edwards and Silva or Edwards and Velasquez will never happen but the other two are very real options.

With a statement win over Dos Anjos, Edwards puts himself right in the driver’s seat for a grudge match with Masvidal. Given their history and the current status of the welterweight division, that fight more than makes sense.

As for a rematch with the welterweight champion, Usman has plenty of title challengers at his disposal. Depending on how things go down at UFC Newark in a couple weeks between former interim champ Colby Covington and Robbie Lawler, Masvidal and Edwards (with an emphatic win over RDA) could be neck-in-neck for a shot at the strap.

Make sure you watch Edwards duke it out with Dos Anjos live on ESPN this Saturday at 9pm/6pm ET/PT.

Gavin Porter is a digital producer and writer for UFC.com, follow him on Twitter at @PorterUFCNews

Dan Hooker Can’t Wait To Get His Hands On Vick

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But after taking what he describes as an “ass-whooping” from UFC lightweight contender Edson Barboza last December, Hooker’s passion for fighting and winning burns stronger than ever.

“I feel like I’m hungrier now than that fight [against Barboza],” Hooker said. “I feel like I hit the reset button and I feel like a whole new fighter.”

Hooker 2.0 will be on full-display this Saturday when he reports for duty against James Vick at UFC San Antonio. Both fighters are coming off losses, with Vick dropping his last two contests to Justin Gaethje and Paul Felder.

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Before Hooker’s eight-month absence, the New Zealander was ranked just outside the top ten, with Vick right there alongside him. But in the UFC’s most stacked division, things change quickly. Now Hooker finds himself on the outside looking in and Vick in the fifteenth spot, and believes that a big win over “The Texecutioner” will put him right back where he wants to be.

“A win over James Vick puts me back in the rankings, and another opportunity like that will come up against a top ten opponent,” Hooker said. “I’m an exciting guy. I like to go out there and finish fights and put on an exciting show. It’s natural; I don’t even have to try it, I just have a fan friendly style.”

That “fan friendly” style isn’t so friendly to his opponents, as Hooker has finished each of his UFC wins. Hooker’s kill or be killed mentality shapes how and why he fights.

Must See Moments: Dan Hooker

Must See Moments: Dan Hooker

“It’s just the way I approach the sport,” Hooker said. “I don’t go in there to beat a guy by decision or hold him down for 15 minutes. I feel like if I don’t finish I don’t win.”

As for how “The Hangman” is approaching his main card matchup with Vick, the first thing that pops into Hooker’s head is the height and length of Vick. The 6-foot-3 Vick is the tallest lightweight that Hooker has ever had to face, and he’s excited for the challenge.

“Vick’s height is a whole new challenge but that’s okay because I love challenges,” Hooker said. “I’ve been training with guys at light heavyweight and middleweight to get an idea of what it will be like. I can’t wait to get my hands on him for real.”

Hooker is not only confident in the skill set he brings to the table, but confident in the abilities that Vick possesses. And for that reason, Hooker predicts that his clash with Vick will result in a bonus check.

“I feel like everyone knows this going to be Fight of the Night and everyone knows what to expect,” Hooker said. “There’s two guys that are just poison man, just poison. We knock people out, we submit people.

We both do it, man; it can end in a split second and it can end anywhere.”

Make sure you tune into ESPN to watch Hooker go to war with Vick on the UFC San Antonio main card at 9pm/6pm ET/PT.

Gavin Porter is a digital producer and writer for UFC.com, follow him on Twitter at @PorterUFCNews

Aldana Plans To Become Bantamweight’s True Contender

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Aldana would do just that, submitting Correia in the third round via armbar. It was Aldana’s first UFC finish, and now that she’s done it once, she can’t wait to do it again.

“I’m a fighter who likes to finish my fights. Before UFC, I always finished my fights,” Aldana said. “Finally in Brazil I got that finish and it felt so good and it made me feel like I needed to go back to the gym and back to training.”

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That work ethic is exactly what has propelled Aldana to a three-fight win streak. She has continued to develop her technique and skill while taking advantage of the positive momentum she’s created.

“I’ve learned that everything is worth it. I’ve learned to just have fun in there,” Aldana said. “I have the capability to continue evolving as a fighter and that’s why I am winning. I trust my team and I am more comfortable than ever.”

On Saturday, Aldana is facing a tough and gritty opponent in former title challenger Raquel Pennington. She knows that this fight will be her toughest to date and she expects nothing less than a war.

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“It’s going to be a war; I think this is going to be a great fight,” Aldana said. “People are going to enjoy this fight. I think that she is well-rounded in every area. She has great boxing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu and cage fighting. This is going to be a great challenge for me to prove to myself that I can have a complete fight in every area.”

Pennington’s two most recent fights have been against the best female to ever do it in Amanda Nunes and the division’s top challenger in Germaine de Randamie. And while neither of those contests went her way, “Rocky” showed true heart each second inside the Octagon.

As the tenth-ranked contender in the division, Aldana knows that a big victory over the fifth-ranked Pennington would catapult her right into the title picture.

And it’s not an opportunity that she can afford to miss out on.

“This is definitely my chance to get in with the top contenders in the division,” Aldana said. “I’m hoping with every fight to bring something new to the table and prove that I deserve to be fighting the best in the world.”

I’ve been working really hard for this and I have a clear goal. I can provide the division with a true contender.”

Make sure you tune into ESPN to watch Aldana take on Pennington on the UFC San Antonio prelims at 6pm/3pm ET/PT.

Gavin Porter is a digital producer and writer for UFC.com, follow him on Twitter at @PorterUFCNews

DWCS: Season 3, Week 4 Results

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LANCE LAWRENCE VS. KEVIN SYLER

Syler boxed up and beat down Lawrence from the outset, throwing over 100 punches and landing at an impressive clip in the first before taking the fight to the canvas in the second, where the domination continued. Bloodied, but not broken, Lawrence continued to defend and search for openings, finishing the second on the offensive after scrambling to top position.
 
At the start of the third, it was Lawrence who was the aggressor, taking the fight to the fading Syler, who missed weight by a considerable amount on Monday and seemed to be dealing with fatigue as his indefatigable opponent mounted an attack. After timing a takedown beautifully, Lawrence worked around to the back, but couldn’t secure the finish.
 
As the clock ticked down, Syler scrambled to his feet and went back on the offensive, taking Lawrence’s back and attacking with chokes and cranks. The finish never came but the bout still received a hearty round of applause from everyone in the building, with Syler surviving the third-round scare to earn a clean sweep of the scorecards.

Official Result: Kevin Syler def. Lance Lawrence by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)

UFC San Antonio: Fight by Fight

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RAFAEL DOS ANJOS VS. LEON EDWARDS

A crucial contest in the congested welterweight division headlines the UFC’s return to AT&T Center in San Antonio, as former lightweight champ and perennial contender Rafael Dos Anjos squares off with surging Brit Leon Edwards.

After dropping back-to-back lopsided decisions to Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman, dos Anjos rebounded with a dominant showing against Kevin Lee in Rochester, New York three months ago. The Orange County-based Brazilian matched Lee’s pace from the outset and started pulling away as the bout entered its latter stages before finally sinking in the fight-ending choke late in the fourth round.

All Edwards has done over the last four years is rattle off seven consecutive wins and counting, bringing his record to 9-1 since his debut split decision loss to Claudio Silva in late 2014. During that time, the Birmingham man has posted wins over fellow streaking contender Vicente Luque, veteran standout Donald Cerrone, and grappling ace Gunnar Nelson, all while continuing to showcase a sharp and still improving arsenal of skills.

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ALEKSEI OLEINIK VS. WALT HARRIS

These two heavyweight hopefuls were initially slated to clash earlier this spring in Ottawa, but a month before the bout, Oleinik was pulled from the pairing and hustled into position opposite Alistair Overeem in the main event of the UFC’s debut in Saint Petersburg, Russia after Alexander Volkov was forced from the card.

But they’re lined up across from one another again and the stakes that accompanied the initial pairing remain on the line today.

Oleinik is a lumbering veteran with an uncanny knack for choking people out on the ground. He’s turned himself into a Top 10 fixture in the heavyweight division, and though he lost to Overeem last time out, the 42-year-old had won four of five before that and remains a solid step up in competition for Harris.

Harris has a losing record inside the Octagon overall, but he’s unbeaten in his last three and finally seems to be putting his abundant raw skills and natural talents together effectively. He remained on that card in Ottawa back in May and needed just 50 seconds to dispatch Serghei Spivac and hasn’t lost since catching Mark Godbeer with a head kick that got him disqualified at UFC 217. 

GREG HARDY VS. JUAN ADAMS

Adams has been lobbying for this opportunity since Hardy officially arrived in the UFC back in January, and now the Contender Series alum gets the chance to share the cage with the former NFL defensive standout. After starting his career with five straight finishes, Adams suffered the first loss of his career last time out, dropping a unanimous decision to Arjan Bhullar in a battle of attrition that went down to the wire.

Hardy was disqualified in his debut after blasting Allen Crowder with an illegal knee while he was downed, but there were no such miscues in his sophomore outing. Three months after his loss to Crowder, the 30-year-old powerhouse made quick work of Dmitrii Smoliakov to secure his first UFC victory.

Both men still have a lot to prove before they can be considered future contenders in the heavyweight ranks, but the results of this one should go a long way towards determining how bright their respective futures are inside the Octagon. 

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JAMES VICK VS. DAN HOOKER

Following a stint on Season 15 of The Ultimate Fighter, Vick started his UFC career with nine wins in 10 starts and began calling for marquee opportunities after rebounding from his lone loss with four straight victories. His request was granted and it landed him in the cage with Justin Gaethje, who toppled the towering lightweight with a single clubbing right hand.

Six months later, Vick dropped his second straight fight — a unanimous decision loss to Paul Felder — and now he arrives in San Antonio looking to snap the first two-fight skid of his career and earn his first victory since beating Francisco Trinaldo in February 2018.

Returning to lightweight seemed to unlock Hooker’s full potential, as the New Zealander rattled off four straight stoppage wins to enter the Top 15. Like Vick, he asked for a step up in competition and received one, landing opposite Edson Barboza last December in Milwaukee, where he showed incredible toughness before ultimately being felled by a body shot late in the fight.

Now the City Kickboxing representative looks to bounce back and cement his standing as one of the most dangerous and durable talents in the 155-pound ranks while handing Vick his third straight defeat.

ALEXANDER HERNANDEZ VS. FRANCISCO TRINALDO

Hernandez was one of the breakthrough fighters of the year in 2018 as he followed up his first-round stoppage win over Beneil Dariush in his short-notice debut with a dominant effort against Olivier Aubin-Mercier in July to establish himself as one to watch in the lightweight division. He was full of confidence as he stepped in opposite Donald Cerrone in January, but after a good start, the wily veteran found his rhythm and halted Hernandez’ ascent up the rankings.

The 40-year-old Trinaldo has been a fixture in the 155-pound weight division for six-plus years, posting a 12-5 mark after winning his UFC debut at middleweight, earning wins over the likes of Chad Laprise, Paul Felder and Jim Miller. Last time out, “Massaranduba” sent Evan Dunham into retirement with a punishing knee to the body and now he’ll look to be the second straight veteran talent to turn back the excitable and ultra-confident Hernandez.

ANDREI ARLOVSKI VS. BEN ROTHWELL

These two first locked up 11 years ago in the co-main event of Affliction: Banned, with Arlovski earning a third-round knockout victory. Now, over a decade later, they meet for a second time in what will be the 48th career fight for each of them.

Arlovski has fought 28 times since their initial encounter and bounced back after being written off multiple times. However, the 40-year-old former UFC champion enters on a four-fight run without a win and having earned just two victories in his last 11 appearances in the Octagon.

Rothwell has fought just 13 times since their first meeting and also enters Saturday’s contest looking to halt a run of negative results. After winning four straight to emerge as an unexpected contender, “Big Ben” has dropped back-to-back contests, with a nearly three-year hiatus sandwiched in between.

Can Rothwell gain a measure of revenge and get back in the win column or will Arlovski prove once more that he’s still got some fight left in him by defeating Rothwell for a second time and pushing his losing streak to three?

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ALEX CACERES VS. STEVEN PETERSON

It’s not that Caceres was on Season 12 of The Ultimate Fighter that makes the fact that he’s still competing in the UFC remarkable, as fellow Team GSP member Michael Johnson remains on the fringes of the Top 15 at featherweight. But rather it’s the fact that eight years after making his debut and 20 fights later, Caceres is still only 31 years old.

“Bruce Leeroy” ran into Kron Gracie last time out and was quickly submitted by the second-generation standout, but he remains a durable, dangerous, awkward assignment for anyone looking to make headway in the 145-pound weight class and has shown many times over that he’s able to conjure up electric performances seemingly out of nowhere.

A member of the white-hot Fortis MMA squad that has been making serious noise in the UFC for the last two years and change, “Ocho” is looking to bring his record inside the Octagon level after dropping a unanimous decision to Luis Pena last time out. Peterson has never been in a boring fight and is the kind of unrelenting terminator who can give anyone fits, so expect a knock-down, drag-out, thoroughly-entertaining fracas when these two step into the cage on Saturday evening.

RAQUEL PENNINGTON VS. IRENE ALDANA

It’s been a rough few years for Pennington, who surged into title contention with a four-fight winning streak capped by a tremendous performance against Miesha Tate at UFC 205. But a shoulder injury followed by an horrific ATV accident left her sidelined for 18 months and since she’s returned, “Rocky” has run into bantamweight champ Amanda Nunes and former featherweight titleholder Germaine de Randamie.

Now the gritty Colorado resident and Ultimate Fighter alum looks to get back to her winning ways in what should be a quality back-and-forth fight with the streaking Aldana.

After arriving in the UFC pegged as a future contender, Aldana struggled in early losses to Leslie Smith and Katlyn Chookagian. Since then, however, the Lobo Gym product has put together a three-fight winning streak, capped by her submission victory over Bethe Correia in May.

Can the former title challenger Pennington rebound with a big performance that halts Aldana’s march towards contention or will the post-hype prospect continue showing her improvements and take another step towards the top of the division?

SAM ALVEY VS. KLIDSON ABREU

It’s difficult to knock the smile off Alvey’s face, but the veteran light heavyweight was none too pleased following his last appearance. Paired off with Jimmy Crute at UFC 234, Alvey got tagged midway through the opening round, prompting referee Marc Goddard to step in and stop the fight. Alvey protested vociferously, but there was nothing to be done, and now he enters this one on just the second two-fight skid of his lengthy career.

While the pressure is on Alvey to halt his mini-slide, it also ups the ante for Abreu, who makes his sophomore appearance inside the Octagon after landing on the wrong side of a one-sided fight against Magomed Ankalaev earlier this year. The 26-year-old Brazilian had won six straight prior to that setback, all by way of stoppage, so the potential is there for him to rebound and put Alvey on a three-fight losing streak.

ROXANNE MODAFFERI VS. JENNIFER MAIA

Modafferi and Maia battled to a split decision for the vacant Invicta FC flyweight title in September 2016, with Maia coming out on the happy side of the verdict. Now, just under three years later, they’ll run it back in the Octagon as they battle to move one step closer to title contention.

Maia dropped her promotional debut to Liz Carmouche last summer, but rebounded with a quality performance against Alexis Davis in March, while Modafferi has split her four most recent appearances under the UFC banner, having edged out Antonina Shevchenko on the cards in her most recent appearance.

With the belt on the line later this summer and no one yet to really cement themselves as next in line, the winner of this one could force their way into the title conversation and set up an even bigger fight for themselves later this year with a dominant effort on Saturday.

RAY BORG VS. GABRIEL SILVA

It feels unfair to deem this a crossroads fight for Borg as he’s just 25 and endured a hellacious two-year stretch following his loss to Demetrious Johnson that involved multiple fight cancellations and serious medical issues for his infant son. However, he hasn’t won since beating Jussier Formiga in March 2017 and dropped a unanimous decision to Casey Kenney last time out, so drifting to three straight losses with a second consecutive setback against a promotional newcomer would be dangerous ground even for an obvious talent like Borg to enter.

Silva returned from a two-year hiatus earlier this year to register a first-round stoppage victory over Jake Heffernan under the LFA banner to push his winning streak to seven. The 24-year-old Brazilian will drop back down to the 135-pound ranks for this one and has the opportunity to make an instant splash in his new surroundings by earning a victory over the former flyweight title challenger.

MARIO BAUTISTA VS. JINSOO SON

Both Bautista and Son were tasked with taking on emerging bantamweights in their respective short-notice debuts — the former against Cory Sandhagen in January and the latter a handful of months earlier against Petr Yan. Both came away on the wrong side of the results, with Bautista falling by first-round submission and Son going the distance with the rising Russian star in September.

Now with a full camp behind them and the Octagon jitters out of the way, they clash in an intriguing battle of divisional upstarts in search of their first career UFC victory. Son is the more experienced of the two, while Bautista comes from the more established camp as a representative of The MMA Lab, meaning this battle of 26-year-old bantamweights shakes out pretty evenly and should be an entertaining affair early in the night.

DOM PILARTE VS. FELIPE COLARES

Pilarte is the last member of the Class of 2018 to graduate from the Contender Series to the UFC to make his way into the Octagon. He was scratched from a scheduled start against Brian Kelleher late last year, but returns in his home state to kick off the evening in San Antonio with designs on registering his first UFC victory.

Standing between Pilarte and a big pop from the partisan crowd is Colares, who fell on the wrong side of the results in his first trip into the Octagon earlier this year. The 25-year-old Brazilian was undefeated in eight starts prior to squaring off with Geraldo de Freitas in Fortaleza and will look to get back on track in his first North American appearance.

Finishing ‘Bruce Leeroy’ Is Peterson’s Only Option

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But after his third career UFC bout, a decision loss to now-lightweight prospect Luis Pena, “Ocho” realized something had to change.

“I’ve always been the toughest guy around, but toughness doesn’t win fights; skills win fights,” Peterson said. “Ever since that last fight, it woke a new hunger in me.”

That hunger formed a motivation that translated into months of grueling training sessions with the talent-rich team at Fortis MMA in Dallas, Texas. The long hours in the gym also mean that fight fans can expect to see the best version of Peterson when he makes the walk to the Octagon inside the AT&T Center.

Peterson admits that fighting at the highest level in the UFC is his dream, but he can’t be content with his performances thus far.

“I need to show that I’m a finisher,” Peterson said. “I’ve been a finisher in most of my fights; I just need to go out there and do it against the best fighters in the world, and finishing Caceres is exactly what I plan to do on Saturday.”

Caceres has been fighting in the UFC for over eight years, and while Peterson respects his foe and understands that Octagon experience favors his opponent, he has unwavering confidence that he will pass the test that is Caceres.

“I feel like ‘Bruce Leeroy’ is kind of a gatekeeper,” Peterson said. “He’s kind of that guy that if you can beat him, then you can be somebody in the UFC.  The fact that I got him means that I can go out there, take this guy out, and make a name for myself.”

Peterson is currently 1-2 since making his debut early last year, but don’t let those losses fool you. “Ocho” made his contests with Pena and Brandon Davis more than competitive, and he showed the UFC brass that he has what it takes to hang with the big boys.

Now that he’s hit a couple of bumps in the road, Peterson is focused on one thing and one thing only: finishing “Bruce Leeroy.”

“Once the fight starts, you can expect a non-stop pace. I’m going to be aggressive and you can expect violence. Violence is a key word,” Peterson said. “Bruce Leeroy’ is a great matchup for me. He’s dynamic, flashy, likes to move around a lot. I’m aggressive I like to come forward, so that plays right into my style.”

With his hunger for winning and technical skill at an all-time high, Peterson is licking his chops to get into that locked cage with Caceres on Saturday. And he has a clear idea of what things will look like once it’s go time.
“It’s going to be like the lion chasing his prey in the cage.”

Make sure you tune into ESPN to watch Peterson take on Caceres in the featured prelim bout on ESPN. The UFC San Antonio prelims start at 6pm/3pm ETPT.

Gavin Porter is a digital producer and writer for UFC.com, follow him on Twitter at @PorterUFCNews

UFC San Antonio Official Weigh-In Results

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Alex Caceres (146) vs Steven Peterson (145)

Raquel Pennington (136) vs Irene Aldana (135)

Sam Alvey (205) vs Klidson Abreu (205)

Roxanne Modafferi (125) vs Jennifer Maia (129)*

Ray Borg (136) vs Gabriel Silva (134)

Mario Bautista  (136) vs Jin Soo Son (136)

Domingo Pilarte (136) vs Felipe Dias Colares (136)

*Jennifer Maia missed weight and will forfeit 30 percent of her purse. The bout will proceed as scheduled.

UFC Sacramento: The Scorecard

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1 – Urijah Faber

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When Urijah Faber announced that his retirement was over, it wasn’t met with the usual groans these announcements get because a) Faber never stopped moving and b) He appeared to have something left in the tank when he walked away from the sport. And if he was taking a tough kid like Ricky Simon in his first fight back, he was serious about this whole comeback thing. And yeah, in the time it took to write that, he ended Simon’s night. Faber could not have had a better performance in his return, and if it gets announced that he’s going to challenge for Henry Cejudo’s title next, you will get no complaints from me.

2 – Germaine de Randamie

Say what you want about the stoppage of Saturday’s main event. The bottom line is that after dropping and stunning Aspen Ladd, Germaine de Randamie was likely a punch or two away from a finish, regardless. So with that out away, let’s appreciate one of the most gifted strikers in the sport and one who got to show those gifts off briefly in Sacramento. And whether at featherweight or bantamweight, I know I’m ready to see “The Iron Lady” challenge the elite, because as long as she throws those hands and feet, she’s something to see. One more thing: kudos to Ladd for taking her loss with class. She’ll be back.

3 – Andre Fili

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Though the world may not know it yet, Andre Fili is one of the most interesting fighters on the UFC roster. With a unique approach to life and the sport, the Californian has all the attributes to be a star…when he finds the consistency needed to make a featherweight title run. And friends, that consistency may be here. With his knockout of Sheymon Moraes, Fili has now won two in a row and four of his last five, with the only loss a controversial decision to Michael Johnson. Top ten contender next? I’m guessing that’s what Fili will be demanding.

4 – Josh Emmett

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Josh Emmett hasn’t had an easy road over the last couple years. Sure, he’s won four of his last five, the last three victories coming by knockout. But after his 2018 loss to Jeremy Stephens, it was a long recovery from injuries suffered in that fight that had many – including Emmett – wondering if he would ever fight again. But Emmett is back, and after knocking out Michael Johnson and Mirsad Bektic in back-to-back bouts, he’s a legitimate title threat who may be one win more away from making his case for a crack at the crown.

5 – Ryan Hall

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Let’s be honest – Ryan Hall’s first two UFC wins over Artem Lobov and Gray Maynard weren’t particularly compelling. The Maynard bout was particularly painful to watch. But after a quick win over BJ Penn last December, Hall put on an entertaining three-rounder in defeating Darren Elkins. Throwing spinning kicks, landing crisp shots with his left hand and always looking to grab a submission, Hall doesn’t appear to be a strict jiu-jitsu player anymore. Instead, he’s using all the tools at his disposal to get a finish, and that makes him a very dangerous featherweight.

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