Armed with welterweight champion Kamaru Usman among his circles, confidence brewing on a five-fight win streak and a maiden UFC middleweight title shot in the offing, Derek Brunson has plenty to be happy about after earning a third-round submission win over Darren Till overnight.
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Tag: middleweight
UFC Vegas 34: Jared Cannonier outworks gamely Kelvin Gastelum in tense main event
The striking differential between the pair was razor-thin over five rounds, but middleweight contender Jared Cannonier (#3) returned to winning ways vs. Kelvin Gastelum. Prior to this, there was a big win for possible new flyweight title challenger Alexandre Pantoja after lightweight prospect Ignacio Bahamondes’ crazy spinning wheel kick knockout on the prelims. Continue reading
UFC Vegas 34: Jared Cannonier aims to bounce back vs. a determined Kelvin Gastelum
Although his title-chasing momentum was convincingly halted by former champion Robert Whittaker last October, middleweight contender Jared Cannonier (#3) looks to pick up where he left off this weekend against Kelvin Gastelum (#9) in the UFC Vegas 34 main event. Both fighters find themselves in contrasting situations as far as their promotional stock is concerned too… Continue reading
UFC Vegas 33: Strickland’s super striking breaks records as he eases past Hall
Although he was understandably critical of his display in the post-fight presser, Sean Strickland broke a record for most significant strikes in a UFC middleweight fight (186) en route to a dominant decision main event win (50-44, 50-45, 49-46) over former training partner Uriah Hall. Continue reading
UFC Vegas 33: Sean Strickland keen to solve the Uriah Hall puzzle in main event
On a rare weekend overshadowed by Bellator’s featherweight title main event, this is far from a sexy main event on paper but Uriah Hall (#9) vs Sean Strickland (#11) feels like a middleweight matchup with implications aplenty for both – especially considering the latter has won four straight and will be targeting the top guns should he pass this latest acid test at 185lbs. Will he? Continue reading
Jermall Charlo still gunning for Gennady Golovkin and co after Montiel win
Jermall Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs) made the fourth defence of his WBC middleweight title, earning a unanimous decision win over gutsy challenger Juan Montiel on Saturday night, before calling out Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Álvarez during his post-fight interview ringside. Will he manage to do what many haven’t, getting in the ring with either man before it’s too late?
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UFC 263: Adesanya eases past Vettori in shutout, retains middleweight strap
Israel Adesanya produced the third defence of his UFC middleweight strap and handily beat Marvin Vettori (#3) in their rematch, after flyweight Brandon Moreno made history by becoming the promotion’s first Mexican champion – dethroning Deiveson Figueiredo in the co-main event. Continue reading
Talk is cheap: Pivotal moment awaits Marvin Vettori in middleweight championship slot
38 months after suffering a split decision loss to the now-reigning 185-lb champion, the #3 ranked middleweight has been granted an unexpected but nonetheless golden opportunity to exact his revenge – but another defeat in Arizona could be catastrophic for his future title hopes. Continue reading
Demetrius Andrade: Ready to show I’m the best, after Liam Williams victory
Having successfully defended his WBO world middleweight strap with a points win over a spirited Liam Williams display on Saturday night, Demetrius Andrade (30-0, 18 KOs) called for fellow divisional champions to step-up and fight him, as he wants to make unification fights with WBC champion Jermall Charlo and IBF, IBO title-holder Gennadiy Golovkin in particular.
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UFC Vegas 24: Robert Whittaker eases past Kelvin Gastelum, eyes Adesanya next
During a middleweight matchup three years in the making, Robert Whittaker handily beat a durable Kelvin Gastelum on the judges’ scorecards, once again retaining his #1 ranking while making his case indisputable to finally rematch champion Israel Adesanya later this year.
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UFC Vegas 23: Marvin Vettori dominates Kevin Holland, calls for Adesanya rematch
Marvin Vettori amplified Kevin Holland’s wrestling deficiencies with a dominant and record-breaking main event victory – before calling for a rematch against existing champion Israel Adesanya, who beat him by split decision three years ago this month. Elsewhere, there were big wins for women’s strawweight Mackenzie Dern and featherweight Arnold Allen among others.
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No Darren Till, no problem for middleweight title-chasing Marvin Vettori
After Darren Till (#5) broke his collarbone in training and withdrew from this weekend’s main event on March 30, Kevin Holland – who recently underwhelmed against Derek Brunson (#4) – is stepping up on nine days’ notice to face Vettori (#6), though the Italian is unfazed as he continues on the trail to get a crack at the middleweight strap and an Israel Adesanya rematch. Continue reading
