It was an early morning for fight fans who watched UFC Zagreb which took place in Croatia.
The card was headlined by a heavyweight bout between former champion Junior Dos Santos and Ben Rothwell which went for the whole five rounds and ended with a decision victory for Dos Santos.
The full results from the card are noted below.
- Junior Dos Santos def. Ben Rothwell via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
- Derrick Lewis def. Gabriel Gonzaga via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 4:48
- Francis Ngannou def. Curtis Blaydes via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) – Round 2, 5:00
- Timothy Johnson def. Marcin Tybura via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Jan Blachowicz def. Igor Pokrajac via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Maryna Moroz def. Cristina Stanciu via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Zak Cummings def. Nicolas Dalby via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Alejandro Perez def. Ian Entwistle via verbal submission (punches) – Round 1, 4:04
- Mairbek Taisumov def. Damir Hadzovic via TKO (punch) – Round 1, 3:44
- Damian Stasiak def. Filip Pejic via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:16
- Lucas Martins def. Robert Whiteford via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
- Jared Cannonier def. Cyril Asker via knockout (punch, elbows) – Round 1, 2:40
- Bojan Velickovic def. Alessio Di Chirico via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
By now you’ve probably heard that Frank Mir has tested positive to steroids following his loss at UFC Brisbane.
The former heavyweight champ has professed his innocence stating that tainted kangaroo meat, that he ate while down under, may be the culprit.
“Kanagaroos are wild and this guy wanted to beef em’ up so he bought something that was very abundant – in the study that I did – oral turinabol could be bought in powdered form.
“You put it on the food and you bulk up your livestock, and you could sell it into the stores because now you get more bang for your buck. An animal that takes two years to reach maturity, you know, muscle weight, now in four months he’s bigger than he’s ever gonna be and you slaughter him. It’s a common practice.
“I don’t know, I’m not pointing the finger any where, I’m just saying there’s so many loopholes for me to sit there and go ‘where did it come from?’ Hell man, I don’t know, I really don’t. All I know is that I didn’t willingly take anything,” Mir told the ‘Phone Booth Fighting’ podcast.
If Mir is found guilty he will likely face a two year suspension that he admits may force him into retirement.
“Basically this is retirement for me. I don’t see any other way around it. That was probably my last time fighting.”
Dan Hardy wants his return to the octagon to be a super fight.
The UFC veteran hasn’t fought since September 2012 due to a heart condition however this hasn’t stopped Hardy from thinking about a much anticipated comeback.
With super fights starting to become more regular, the British fighter has expressed an interest in finishing out his three fight contract in just that fashion.
“I like the way the sport is moving into this area where we’re having a lot of super fights. I like super fights. If there are two guys I want to see fight, I’m not bothered by what weight class or what the rankings are. If I want to see them fight, that’s the fight that should be made. If there’s an overwhelming support for a matchup – I mean, when the (Conor) McGregor vs. (Nate) Diaz fight was made, who didn’t want to see that? There were so many people complaining about the weight class and this and that, but it was a fight we wanted to see, and I’d like to at least have the option to step in and just have those single marquee fights every now and then,” Hardy told MMA Junkie Radio.
Who would you want to see “The Outlaw” fight?
Damon Jackson has been released by the UFC.
The 27 year old came into the UFC as an undefeated top prospect for the featherweight in 2014 after claiming the Legacy FC title.
Jackson had just three fights under the UFC banner. His first was a loss via submission to Yancy Medeiros, the second a no contest to Rony Jason and the third a draw with Levan Makashvili in January.
Daniel Cormier doesn’t want to wait for Madison Square Garden.
The light heavyweight champ, who has been sidelined with injury, is adamant about fighting Jon Jones as soon as possible.
With UFC 200 nearly filled to the brim, and two title fights already on the card, the next opportunity seemed to be New York City.
Cormier however has said he isn’t interested in waiting until November, the likely date for the event.
“(New York is) way too far. I’m 37 years old. I need to be fighting. To have to wait all that time would be a little too much,” Cormier told MMA Junkie.
Whether it’s too far away or not I think it’s safe to say that Cormier has no desire to fight Jones in Jones’ home state of New York, as he’s stated previously. Hopefully the UFC can put a date in the calendar for this fight sooner rather than later!
BJ Penn is on the comeback trial.
Penn chatted to Inside MMA about coming out of retirement and how Mark Hunt has been a form of inspiration. Check the video out below.
