Just days out from Christmas, however, Winn is both without a fight, and without a job.

Following what he referred to as a “freak accident” at the UFC PI which saw him faint and hit his head, Winn’s fight with Marquez was called off during Fight Week. That appears to have been enough to prompt the promotion to release Winn, a move first noted by UFC Roster Watch.

Winn, a teammate of Daniel Cormier, addressed his release shortly after the news broke.

In a video statement posted to social media, Winn stated that “So I think Tuesday I got a phone call from Hunter Campbell [UFC Chief Business Officer] and the UFC and I guess we decided to part ways. He just explained some things to me about my resume and my career that adds up, but I also said a few things to try to defend myself and I just feel like this wasn’t the reason to let me go. I think that they’ve had reasons in the past to let me go, but I just wish that I could’ve went out on my shield. I would’ve rather went out on a loss or even a boring win, than such an accidental, freak accident situation that happened to me at the [UFC] PI. They have it on camera. Their employees are the ones that took care of me, they withdrew me from the fight. It wasn’t me.”

“While I was at the hospital, they tried to put IVs in me,” Winn added, saying he tried to refuse the IV, as it would both potentially violate anti-doping rules, and put weight back on ahead of his weight cut. Winn then called UFC Chief Physician Jeffrey Davidson to explain the situation, only for the doctor to tell him that “due to liability reasons,” he wouldn’t be able to fight. Winn said he cooperated fully with the promotion, only to be released regardless.

“It’s kinda sh*tty. I feel sh*tty about it. I just wish it would’ve happened a different way. But with that being said, the UFC will never define me or who I am as a person or as a man. My legacy, I do believe it’s a highlight of my life and something that I did and just another dream that I accomplished. But in reality, UFC was never my childhood dream. It was more wrestling and traveling the world and trying to make the Olympic team and stuff like that. That was my original dream as a child. I’ve been competing since I was four years old. It’s all I really know.”

“I don’t think I’m done. I’m going to sit down with DC [Daniel Cormier] and others and see what my options are moving forward, I guess in this free agency time,” Winn stated, adding that he’s “definitely willing to fight” in the future.

The post “I Don’t Think I’m Done: Deron Winn Reacts to UFC Release Following “Freak Accident” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Originally, Deron Winn was scheduled to face Julian Marquez in a middleweight match-up at the event. However, earlier today, Winn announced on social media that he was out of the fight, after suffering a freak accident at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas.

According to Winn, after fainting Wednesday, he fell down some stairs, striking his head and neck and resulting in a concussion.

“Hey all— yesterday at the UFC PI, I fainted and had a freak accident. I fell down the stairs, hit my head and neck pretty hard. Sustained a mild concussion. They rushed me to the hospital and ran a bunch of tests on me,” Winn wrote. “The majority of the tests came back normal so I’m thankful for that. Since I suffered the concussion the UFC and medical has decided to pull me from my fight this weekend. I am devastated. I have put so much work in these last couple months. I hope to rebook soon. Sorry to my opponent and sorry to all [who] have invested into me this camp. I’m heartbroken. Love all of you who support me.”

A teammate of Daniel Cormier, Winn (7-3) is a decorated freestyle wrestler who joined the UFC in 2019, after starting his career 5-0. After winning his first fight out of the gate, Winn has struggled, posting a 1-3 record since. In his most recent outing, Winn was lit up by Phil Hawes before being finished with elbows.

UFC Vegas 66 takes place this Saturday, December 17, 2022 and moves forward with the following contests:

• Jared Cannonier vs. Sean Strickland
• Arman Tsarukyan vs. Damir Ismagulov
• Amir Albazi vs. Alessandro Costa
• Alex Caceres vs. Julian Erosa
• Drew Dober vs. Bobby Green
• Michał Oleksiejczuk vs. Cody Brundage
• Cheyanne Vlismas vs. Cory McKenna
• Jake Matthews vs. Matthew Semelsberger
• Said Nurmagomedov vs. Saidyokub Kakhramonov
• Rafa García vs. Hayisaer Maheshate
• Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Bryan Battle
• Manel Kape vs. David Dvořák
• Sergey Morozov vs. Journey Newson

The post Deron Winn Suffers Concussion After Fainting, Out of UFC Vegas 66 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Julian Marquez (9-3) will face Deron Winn (7-3) at a UFC Fight Night event on December 17, 2022. The match-up, first reported by MMA Junkie, finds both fighters looking to return to the win column after recent setbacks.

Marquez would later confirm the booking on social media, with Winn also making reference to the fight, posting that it was “bound to happen at some point” on his Instagram Story.

Winn was most recently seen in a losing effort against Phil Hawes, in a fight perhaps best remembered for what happened after the finish. With Winn stopped via TKO in the second round, Hawes got into a verbal spat with UFC broadcaster and former champ Daniel Cormier, a teammate of Winn. Luckily, cooler heads prevailed.

Overall, Winn is 2-3 inside the octagon, with victories over Antonio Arroyo and Eric Spicely.

Marquez is likewise coming off a loss in his last fight, opposite Gregory “Robocop” Rodrigues. That defeat snapped a two-fight winning streak for “The Cuban Missile Crisis,” who had submitted Maki Pitolo and Sam Alvey in 2021.

In 2019 and 2020 Marquez failed to make it to the cage, missing nearly two years after tearing his Latissimus dorsi muscle — an injury that required multiple surgeries.

Other than Julian Marquez vs. Deron Winn, no other fights have been reported for the UFC’s December 17 event. No venue, location, or broadcast plan has been set for the card.

The post Julian Marquez vs. Deron Winn Set for UFC’s December 17 Card appeared first on Cageside Press.

The middleweight duo, who have been booked twice previously, are back on for that date. MMA Fighting was first to report the news, which was subsequently confirmed by Winn on social media, who added “3rd times a charm?” in doing so.

Hawes (11-3) and Winn (7-2) saw their previous dates, both in 2021, fall through due to Winn withdrawing.

Winn entered the UFC in 2019 off a perfect 5-0 start to his career, and to much fanfare as a teammate of former UFC double champ Daniel Cormier. Dropping to middleweight for his debut, Winn won against Eric Spicely, only to falter in his next two fights, losing to both Darren Stewart and Gerald Meerschaert.

Controversy surrounded both losses. In the first, Winn missed weight; the second saw him fail a drug test for amphetamines. That resulted in a nine month suspension by the NSAC.

In his last fight, in December 2020, Winn got back in the win column, picking up a unanimous decision victory against Antonio Arroyo in a 195lb catchweight bout. Injury and illness has kept him out of the octagon since.

Phil Hawes, a WSOF and Brave CF veteran who twice appeared on Dana White’s Contender Series, started his UFC run with three straight wins. That streak was snapped by Chris Curtis last November at UFC 268, with Hawes knocked out in the first round.

The UFC’s June 18, 2022 event does not have a venue, location, or broadcast plan officially announced. Thus far, only one other bout has been reported for the Fight Night card. That will see Julian “The Cuban Missile Crisis” Marquez face Brazilian Wellington Turman. Marquez vs. Turman will also be contested at middleweight.

The post Phil Hawes vs. Deron Winn Booked for Third Time at UFC’s June 18 Card appeared first on Cageside Press.

With Deron Winn dropping out of the event due to undisclosed medical reasons, PFL veteran Chris Curtis has stepped in to take his place. Curtis will now face Winn’s opponent, Phil Hawes, on barely 48 hours notice.

MMA DNA was first to report the news.

The middleweight fight is set to take place on Saturday’s main card, which kicks off at 4PM ET — and with the early start, that’s even less notice for Curtis.

Known as “The Action Man,” Curtis (26-8) had been preparing for a fight with Evan Cutts at Fury FC 53 next month. He competed in the PFL in 2019, going 1-3 with the promotion, then returning to the regional scene. He currently sits on a five-fight win streak.

Hawes (11-2), who briefly fought for Bellator after a snub on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2017, made it back to the show last year. Winning a UFC contract on his second go-round on DWCS, Hawes has now won three straight inside the octagon.

UFC Vegas 39 (UFC Fight Night 194) goes down Saturday, October 9 at the Apex in Las Vegas. A strawweight bout between ranked contenders Mackenzie Dern and Marina Rodriguez headlines.

Saturday’s card currently breaks down as follows:

Mackenzie Dern vs. Marina Rodriguez
Randy Brown vs. Jared Gooden
Tim Elliott vs. Matheus Nicolau
Sabina Mazo vs. Mariya Agapova
Phil Hawes vs. Chris Curtis
Chris Gutiérrez vs. Felipe Colares
Alexander Romanov vs. Jared Vanderaa
Charles Rosa vs. Damon Jackson
Lupita Godinez vs. Silvana Gomez Juarez
Steve Garcia vs. Charlie Ontiveros

The post UFC Vegas 39: Deron Winn Out, Chris Curtis In on Extremely Short Notice Against Phil Hawes appeared first on Cageside Press.

Weight-cutting is the ultimate test of discipline and willpower. Many fighters in the sport consider it very unprofessional to miss weight. In this series, we will shine a light on fighters who cut a massive amount of weight, who have missed weight multiple times in the past, who have made weight-class changes, along with how the weight-cut and weigh-in could affect possible upcoming match-ups. Basically, every aspect of weight-cutting and how it affects the fight game.

Mackenzie Dern (11-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC)

Strawweight (115lbs.): 6-1 (UFC), Missed weight 1x

Mackenzie Dern has been one of the standouts in the UFC’s women’s strawweight division since her much anticipated debut with the promotion in 2018.

At 5’4″ with a 63″ reach Dern has missed weight just one time in the UFC. It came in 2018 ahead of her fight against Amanda Cooper when she came in at whopping 123lbs. Fast forward a year to Dern giving birth to her first child in 2019, and despite that incredible feat, she has not missed weight again in the UFC. It seems as if Dern has clearly turned a corner.

Again, Dern hasn’t missed weight in over 3.5 years but she will remain a fighter to keep an eye on as she reaches the age that most people’s metabolism begins to slow down. Dern is now 28 years old and rapidly ascending the ranks at strawweight, but do not be surprised to see her move up to flyweight in the near future. (Reguardless of how well she is doing at 115lbs. at said time.)

The post The Weight Cutting Chronicles: UFC Vegas 39 appeared first on Cageside Press.

A big height disparity was featured at UFC Vegas 17 when wrestler Deron Winn faced Contender Series veteran Antonio Arroyo. Arroyo comes in nine inches taller than his opponent, who he was fighting at a 195-pound catchweight. Since winning on the Contender Series in 2019, it’s been a rough ride for Arroyo. He’s stepped into the Octagon once, losing to Andre Muniz, and has had five fights fall through, only one of which was his doing.

Winn, a junior college wrestling champion, won the first six fights of his MMA career, including a UFC debut win over Eric Spicely. It’s been rough since then for Winn, missing weight and losing to Darren Stewart. After that, he lost to Gerald Meerschaert and was subsequently suspended nine months after testing positive for amphetamines.

Arroyo landed a hard leg kick to start the fight and then landed a left hand. Winn pushed through a kick, attempting a takedown, got held up by the fence, then pulled Arroyo away from the fence to secure the takedown. Arroyo pushed him off, only to be taken down again. The process repeated, with Winn getting another takedown against the cage. Arroyo moved away from the fence and tried a triangle choke to get to his feet. Arroyo landed a heavy combination and Winn started landing a few hooks from range. A big front kick caught Winn on the chin, then Winn landed yet another takedown to end the round. Arroyo stayed on the ground between rounds.

🇧🇷 Arroyo putting it together on the feet! #UFCVegas17 pic.twitter.com/M0CSim6Mdv

— UFC (@ufc) December 19, 2020

Winn started the second round with a head kick and whiffed, falling to the ground. He bounced back to his feet, pushed through a spinning back kick to get a hold of Arroyo and took him down. Arroyo landed a body kick then ate a hook. Arroyo landed a big knee to the body and was able to stay on his feet when Winn attempted to take him down. They separated, but Winn got him right back down with two more takedowns. Arroyo again stood up against the fence and pushed Winn away. Arroyo was visibly exhausted and was taken down again. This time, Arroyo couldn’t get back up and Winn rode out the round in guard.

Winn got a takedown right away in the final round. He then had to fight off a leg lock attempt from Arroyo which led to them returning to the feet. Winn didn’t let him gain any momentum, scoring another takedown. After getting forced to his feet, Arroyo stayed on his back so Winn got right back in guard. They returned to the feet and Arroyo landed a head kick. Winn started pushing forward and landed a combination of hooks and Winn got the fight to the ground again to lock up the fight.

Deron Winn def. Antonio Arroyo by Unanimous Decision (29-28 x3)

The post UFC Vegas 17 Results: Deron Winn Exhausts Antonio Arroyo With Wrestling appeared first on Cageside Press.

Weight-cutting is the ultimate test of discipline and willpower. Many fighters in the sport consider it very unprofessional to miss weight. In this series, we will shine a light on fighters who cut a massive amount of weight, who have missed weight multiple times in the past, who have made weight-class changes, along with how the weight-cut and weigh-in could affect possible upcoming match-ups. Basically, every aspect of weight-cutting and how it affects the fight game.

Check out a video highlight version of this week’s WCC in the YouTube video above for your viewing pleasure!

Geoff “Handz of Steel” Neal (13-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC)

Welterweight (170lbs): 5-0 (UFC), 6-0 (MMA), Missed weight 2 times outside of the UFC

Middlewieght (185lbs): 1-0 (DWCS), 1-1 (MMA)

Geoff Neal is a fighter that is undefeated in the UFC and fast rising with a trajectory towards the top of the 170lb division.

It is important to note that since being signed to the UFC in early 2018, Neal has not missed weight, and has only used his total alotted grace pound just one time. Neal hasn’t missed weight for a pro fight in over six years.

Neal began his pro MMA career about eight years ago, with a welterweight bout, but competed in a middleweight bout in his sophomore MMA fight.

Geoff missed weight for the first time way back in 2013 for his fight against Martin Sano. Neal weighed in at 172lbs for the bout, ahead of being handed his first loss in pro MMA.

Just over a year in a half later in 2014, Neal missed weight by a pound for the welterweight division ahead of his fight against Charlie Ontiveros.

In Geoff’s second to last fight before getting a shot on DWCS, he challenged Kevin Holland for the Xtreme Knockout Middleweight Championship. Geoff tallied the second loss of his MMA career in this bout.

Neal defeated Chase Waldon in the first round of their bout on the very first season of Dana White’s Contender Series in 2017. Waldon was a career middleweight while Neal has only had a few fights in the weight class. This performance was one of the true testaments to Neal’s strength and punching power even against guys 15lbs heavier than where he often competes. Geoff had just competed at 170lbs in a round one finish of Bilal Williams in the LFA promotion just 11 days prior.

Neal is on a five fight undefeated streak in the promotion with four fight finishes including his most recent finish of Mike Perry last December. Its evident that not only is Geoff big for the welterweight division, but also extremely skilled and talented too.

Geoff had to spend a week in the ICU at the hospital, attached to a dialysis machine less than a month away from his scheduled bout against Neil Magny. Geoff is scheduled to fight  a very difficult style in Stehpen Thompson at UFC Vegas 17 in a fight within the welterweight division.

The post The Weight Cutting Chronicles: UFC Vegas 17 appeared first on Cageside Press.

The NSAC met Thursday, with Deron Winn, Luis Pena, Tim Elliott, and Jamahal Hill on the docket. And while Pena, Elliott, and Hill received reduced sentences after testing positive for marijuana, Winn’s situation was a little more dire.

Per a report by MMA Fighting, Winn (6-2) tested positive for amphetamines in a test administered in conjunction with UFC 248, where he suffered a submission loss to Gerald Meerschaert.

Thanks to that positive test, Winn has been suspended nine months by the athletic commission. The ban is retroactive to March 7, 2020, the date of the event, meaning he’ll be able to return this December. In addition to the suspension, Winn was hit with an $1,800 fine, will have to pay court costs, and provide clean drug tests prior to returning to competition.

Winn reportedly admitted to violating NSAC rules in a settlement reached with the commission. He had been eligible for a suspension of up to two years.

Hill, Elliott, and Pena, meanwhile, were also handed fines in addition to six month retroactive suspensions. They’ll be handing over 15% of their show money from their most recent bouts. Court costs will also have to be paid, and payment arrangements made plus clean drug tests provided before they can return to action. They had been facing between nine months and two years on the shelf.

The post UFC: Deron Winn Suspended for Amphetamines, Three Others Benched for Marijuana appeared first on Cageside Press.

Kicking off the televised preliminary card at UFC 248 in Las Vegas on Saturday night was a middleweight bout that had pretty much booked itself. Deron Winn and Gerald Meerschaert had been looking to fight, and the UFC made it happen. Winn, who had built up some hype coming into the UFC as a training partner of Daniel Cormier, was a strong wrestler (zero surprise there) coming off his first career loss, against Darren Stewart.

Meerschaert, with the UFC since 2016, was coming off a loss of his own to Eryk Anders. A black belt who would be sure to threaten on the ground, Meerschaert’s jiu-jitsu was being put up against Winn’s wrestling at UFC 248, at least on paper.

Gerald Meerschaert’s plan was to go to the body, but his second kick hit Deron Winn below the belt. After action resumed, Winn popped Meerschaert with a right hand. He closed the distance then threw Meerschaert down. He avoided staying in the guard too long and stood back up, hitting Meerschaert with a heavy combination. Meerschaert answered with a straight left. Winn continued to push the pace, then ate a high knee from Meerschaert. A hard left and right connected for Winn, then a combination for Meerschaert. Both men were connecting with their fair share of shots, but Meerschaert was wearing it.

Meerschaert struck first in the second round, landing a left hook, his power hand. Winn’s range was not quite there in the second round, with Meerschaert landing with more success. Another combination landed for Meerschaert, to which Winn responded with a takedown attempt. Meerschaert went to a knee then avoided a high kick. Winn ate a few jabs from Meerschaert then missed on some overhands. Meerschaert started to dig to the body and Winn felt it. He got on his horse and quickly tried moving out of danger. Meerschaert won the second round by a wide margin.

Meerschaert has a CHIN, folks. 😳 #UFC248 pic.twitter.com/Kaytf2s5bY

— UFC (@ufc) March 8, 2020

The third round started with striking exchanges with both men connecting well. Winn then landed a pair of huge overhands, but couldn’t pursue a finish. Meerschaert recovered, then landed a combination that wobbled Winn. Meerschaert continued to land as Winn stumbled, then fell to his knees. Meerschaert went for a guillotine, then took the back of the wrestler. He went for a rear-naked choke, got the arm over the face of Winn and got the tap.

WOW! It ain't over till it's over! 👏@The_Real_GM3 with a HUGE R3 to sink in the RNC for the victory! #UFC248 pic.twitter.com/AHfPC402Of

— UFC (@ufc) March 8, 2020

Gerald Meerschaert def. Deron Winn by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) in Round 3 (2:13)

The post UFC 248 Results: Gerald Meerschaert Finishes Deron Winn in Third Round appeared first on Cageside Press.