Official MMA Appreciation Thread

[[MERIT]]

2-UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum [23-8-1 MMA, 11-5 UFC] has requested his release from the UFC. He is currently serving a 2 year suspension for using PEDs.



2-time GFS Lightweight Champion, former WEC Lightweight Champion, 2-time UFC Lightweight Champion and UFC Featherweight Championship challenger Anthony Pettis [21-8 MMA, 8-7 UFC] and 2-time UFC Welterweight Championship challenger Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson [14-3-1 MMA, 9-3-1 UFC] are calling each other out for a UFC fight at welterweight.

[[MERIT]]

Leg kick carnage around the 0:25 mark.

[[MERIT]]

A heavyweight bout between 2-time UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior Dos Santos [20-5 MMA, 14-4 UFC] and 2-time Legacy FC Heavyweight Champion and former UFC Heavyweight Championship challenger Derrick Lewis [21-6-0-1 MMA, 12-4 UFC] is being targeted for UFC On ESPN+ 4 on March 9th in Wichita, Kansas. Lewis lost his last fight, while Dos Santos is on a 2-fight winning streak.



Former USKBA Light Heavyweight Champion, 11-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and GOAT contender Jon Jones [23-1-0-1 MMA, 17-1-0-1 UFC] will defend his title against 2-time CFFC Middleweight Champion and former VFC Middleweight Champion Anthony Smith [31-13 MMA, 7-3 UFC] at UFC 235 on March 2nd in Las Vegas. Smith is on a 3-fight win streak, while Jones is virtually undeafeated.

[[MERIT]]

Some dude tried to steal the cellphone of female UFC strawweight Polyana Viana over the weekend. He used a cardboard cutout of a gun to threaten her. She beat the shit out of him.

[The Batlord]

Originally Posted by [MERIT]

Some dude tried to steal the cellphone of female UFC strawweight Polyana Viana over the weekend. He used a cardboard cutout of a gun to threaten her. She beat the shit out of him.

*Googles*

He probably just wanted her to touch him. Me-ow.

[[MERIT]]

I should add his totally real looking cardboard gun to my gun porn journal.

[[MERIT]]

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2-time UFC Women's Strawweight Champion Rose Namajunas [8-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC]
will defend her title against former UFC Women's Strawweight Championship challenger
Jessica Andrade [19-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC] at UFC 237 on May 11th in Brazil.


Both fighters are on a 3-fight winning streak. It will be Namajunas' first fight in over
13 months. Andrade last fought in September.

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The UFC Welterweight Championship picture is a total shit show. Tyron Woodley
[19-3-1 MMA, 9-2-1 UFC] won the belt in July 2016 and defended it 3 times up to
July 2017. Then he got injured, so the UFC set up an interim title fight in June 2018, which
saw Colby Covington [14-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC] beat Rafael Dos Anjos [28-11 MMA, 17-9 UFC].


Then Woodley came back in September 2018, but instead of fighting Covington
to unify the belts, the UFC stripped Covington of his belt and had Woodley fight
Darren Till, whom he beat.


Now, the UFC has scheduled Woodley to defend his belt against Kamaru Usman
[14-1 MMA, 9-0 UFC] at UFC 235 on March 2nd in Las Vegas. Dana White promised
Covington the next fight with Woodley, but renigged on the offer, and Covington is PISSED.


They did Covington super dirty. He's demanding either a title shot or his release.

[Ol’ Qwerty Bastard]

i like woodley a lot but i felt once he got the belt he started to fight a lot more passively. like he was fighting to not lose rather than fighting to win. didn't get to catch his last fight so i'm not sure if rings true to that one but i'd love to see him get a little more aggressive. dude has tree trunks for legs and superhuman strength i swear.

[[MERIT]]

Originally Posted by Ol’ Qwerty Bastard

i like woodley a lot but i felt once he got the belt he started to fight a lot more passively. like he was fighting to not lose rather than fighting to win. didn't get to catch his last fight so i'm not sure if rings true to that one but i'd love to see him get a little more aggressive. dude has tree trunks for legs and superhuman strength i swear.

Yeah, I agree, Woodley doesn't really fight to win. A lot of wrestlers are like that. It will be interesting once Ben Askren gets into the title picture, because they are long-time friends and former training partners, and have said that they will not fight one another. I have heard talk about Woodley moving up to 185 once Askren starts making a run at the 170 belt.

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The UFC decided not to renew the contract of commentator Jimmy Smith [5-1 MMA]. They're aiming to put active fighters in that role.

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2008 PFC Welterweight Grand Prix winner Charles Oliveira [25-8-0-1 MMA, 13-8-0-1 UFC] will face David Teymur [8-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC] in a lightweight bout at UFC On ESPN+ 2 on February 2nd in Fortaleza, Brazil.

Teymur is on an impressive 8-fight win streak, while Oliveira is on a 3-fight win streak, as well as holding the record for the most victories via submission in UFC history, with 12 of his 13 UFC wins coming by way of a tap out.

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Former WEC Bantamweight Championship challenger and 2-time UFC Flyweight Championship challenger Joseph Benavidez [26-5 MMA, 13-3 UFC] has signed a 4-fight contract extension with the UFC. It's still unclear if the UFC will continue the 125-pound division, evidenced by many recent roster cuts.

[Ol’ Qwerty Bastard]

yeah what's the scoop on askren? i hear big things but have never seen him fight. really excited for him to debut.