Manager Says He “Owns” the Media, As Spat with MMA Factory’s Ferdinand Lopez Continues

Ali Abdelaziz, one of the better-known managers in the MMA realm, has been caught on tape claiming to “own” the media, going so far as to name names in terms of one journalist whose story he alleges he suppressed.

The revelation comes as the result of a leaked recording of Abdelaziz, speaking to MMA Factory head coach Ferdinand Lopez, who is a manager himself. Lopez is best known for working with Ciryl Gane, and formerly Francis Ngannou. But it’s another heavyweight the pair have butted heads over: Slim Trabelsi. Earlier this year, Trabelsi briefly signed a UFC deal before it all fell through after his previous promotion, ARES FC, cried foul.

Lopez is a co-founder and chairman of ARES, which would seemingly put him in a conflict of interest, given he also manages Trabelsi, the ARES heavyweight champ. Abdelaziz had taken on Trabelsi as a client, apparently unaware of his relationship with Lopez.

Interestingly enough, Abdelaziz, who runs management firm Dominance MMA, was dropped from his role as matchmaker in the World Series of Fighting (a precursor to the PFL) in 2015 due to a similar conflict of interest.

Lopez has admitted to asking for 90,000 euros to release Slim Trabelsi from his contract. Abdelaziz has claimed that while he negated his deal with the fighter, Lopez still killed his potential move to the UFC.

Check out the leaked audio below care of MMA Focus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVNuY4XiweU

James Vick Signs with Karate Combat

Former UFC lightweight James Vick has signed with Karate Combat.

Vick (13-6) retired from MMA last year after enduring a five-fight losing streak, including four straight losses that resulted in his exit from the UFC.

Karate Combat recently announced on social media that Vick will face Jorge Perez on October 29, 2022 at Karate Combat 36.

https://twitter.com/KarateCombat/status/1577747744286031885

Melvin Guillard Grounded Again

For the second time, an athletic commission has denied Melvin Guillard a license to compete for BKFC.

Guillard had been announced for BKFC 31 in Colorado later this month, but the Colorado Combative Sports Commission has pumped the brakes on a planned fight with Evgeny Kurdanov.

“Mr. Guillard is not currently licensed in Colorado and the Oct. 15 bout will not take place as scheduled,” the commission told MMA Junkie this past week. No reason was stated for the decision to deny Guillard a license, but a separate statement to MyMMANews indicated concerns over the former UFC fighter’s health.

It’s not the first time this has happened. The Florida Boxing Commission, in conjunction with the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports (ABC), denied Guillard a license in February, when he was matched up with Ulysses Diaz.

Multiple media outlets, including this one, had voiced concerns about Guillard’s ability to effectively and safely compete against Diaz, who at the time was coming off the fastest KO in BKFC history.

Melvin Guillard is 2-6 BKB, with both wins coming in 2017. In MMA, from 2014 on, he went 1-10, 1NC. BKFC booking him against the guy with the fastest KO in promotion history, 'cause Florida.

— Jay Anders🍁n 🇨🇦 (@CageSideJay) January 26, 2022

At the time, the ABC released a statement saying that “After doing due diligence, the executive director Patrick Cunningham found a serious concern with the health of Melvin Guillard.”

Flying Switch Kick!

Definitely worth a watch. And credit to Twitter’s Caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman), without whom, a lot of cool highlights would be missed.

Unbelievable flying kick KO by Patryk Ożóg at Carpathian Warriors. Merab Mamporia was stretchered out of the cage. Holy shitt pic.twitter.com/XRk5cSSRoi

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) October 1, 2022

Jerome Le Banner Is Still Competing, Mangles Leg, Still Earns TKO Win

At 49, kickboxer and mixed martial artist Jerome Le Banner is still competing. To put that in perspective, he made his MMA debut in 2001, while his pro kickboxing debut came way back in 1992.

That’s 30 years of active competition for the French heavyweight, who improved to 2-0 in 2022 on Saturday care of a TKO victory over Adnan Alić. Le Banner appears to injure his knee in the bout, but is still able to reverse position, move to mount, and finish the ground n’ pound for his third straight win overall.

Meanwhile in France. Jerome Le Banner pulls off a bizarre victory over Adnan Alić, first badly injuring his knee before pulling off a reversal into mount and forcing Alic to tap to strikes. It was an eventful 100 seconds. #MMAGP pic.twitter.com/4XSwBp1fTT

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) October 8, 2022

Michael Bisping Believes Mark Zuckerberg’s Private UFC Vegas 61 Show Will Bring in More Fans

Fans and media outlets alike gave Mark Zuckerberg a chilly reception when news of his private UFC event — that would be UFC Vegas 61 a week ago — broke. The Fight Night card, hosted at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, was closed off to media and fans in an unprecedented move by the promotion. Zuckerberg, who runs Meta and remains one of the world’s richest lizard people men, sat alongside his wife taking in the fights, apparently an invited guest of the UFC and Dana White.

One figure, however, believes the move could be good for the sport. Leave it to Michael “The Count” Bisping to play devil’s advocate and find the silver lining.

“[Zuckerberg]’s a tech genius. You’ve seen him, and he can be described as, quote unquote, a bit of a nerd. But to see a guy like him who does have that influence, who does that wealth, who does have that power, and I don’t know what to think about Mark Zuckerberg, he’s a f*cking nerd, let’s be honest, but he’s awesome because he’s there and he’s watching the UFC,” Bisping stated on his podcast, Believe You Me.

“I believe this will open up, potentially, another realm of people because MMA is hugely and wildly popular, but there’s still skeptics, there’s critics, and there’s still people that won’t give it a shot. But seeing someone that’s clearly wildly intelligent as he is, to be an admirer of the sport, and his wife is there enjoying it, it’s only going to bring in more fans.”

So, about Zuckerberg’s wife enjoying it…

Zuck’s wife 😂😂 #UFCVegas61 #ufcfightnight #mmatwitter pic.twitter.com/5gnITVAsHm

— Breezy (@breeezybets) October 2, 2022

Fighters React to NBA Star Punching Teammate, Jake Paul Offers $10 Million for Undercard Spot

Draymond Green of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors is taking time away from the team after attacking a teammate during practice, but the punch in question has earned him a wee bit of praise for his fighting skills — and a $10 million dollar offer from Jake Paul.

https://twitter.com/DinThomas/status/1578425186109779969

Draymond I got $10 million for you to get in the ring on the next Most Valuable Promotions pay per view. Who you want? @Money23Green

— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) October 7, 2022

The post Sunday MMA Quick Hits: Bisping Believes Zuckerberg’s Private Show Good for UFC, Guillard Grounded appeared first on Cageside Press.

Niko Price vs. James Vick is one of the few UFC fights that promises to be fireworks. Vick is a former top-15 lightweight that is moving up to 170 pounds following a tough three-fight losing streak. However, Vick has big wins over names such as Polo Reyes, Joseph Duffy, and Francisco Trinaldo.

Niko Price is arguably the most entertaining fighter in the UFC. Since debuting in the UFC in 2016, all nine of his fights have ended in finishes. Price has knockout wins over the likes of Alan Jouban, Tim Means, and Brandon Thatch. He’s looking to rebound from a TKO loss to Geoff Neal earlier this year.

Niko Price came out throwing like he usually does, wild strikes as always. Vick did a good job of slipping Price’s initial flurry, but he ended up slipping and Price went to the top position. Vick fought his way back to his feet and end up getting a takedown of his own, he started raining down elbows and strikes with his long arms. He stood up to better posture for his punches, and as Vick was coming in for more, Price landed a sickening upkick that knocked Vick out cold. A couple of unnecessary strikes later and the fight was called off.

Niko Price continues to be must-watch television, as this is also his second TKO off his back in the UFC. The first being a hammerfist TKO victory off his back over Randy Brown in 2018.

Niko Price def. James Vick by KO (Upkick) in Round 1 (1:44)

The post UFC Tampa Results: Niko Price Knocks Out James Vick With Upkick appeared first on Cageside Press.

Like it or not, weight-cutting is deeply rooted in mixed martial arts. MMA adopted its weight-cutting from the sport of wrestling, where it is presumed to be very advantageous to be the biggest and strongest in your weight class. Known as the ‘fight before the fight,’ most UFC fighters cut anywhere from 5-25 pounds, with some fighters even in excess of 30 pounds.

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.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk (15-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC)

Strawweight (115lbs.): 9-2 (UFC), Former UFC Strawweight Champion

Flyweight (125lbs.): 0-1 (UFC), UFC Women’s Flyweight Challenger

Joanna Jedrzejczyk or as she prefers, Joanna Champion, was the long-time holder of the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship belt. Joanna successfully defended her title a very impressive 5 times. Jedrzejczyk had a perfect 14-0 record heading into her first fight with Rose Namajunas but would lose in stunning fashion in the very first round when she was dropped and finished. In the rematch between Rose and Joanna, Jedrzejczyk would again come up short. JJ has always been very long for the division and now at 32 years old her 5’6″, 65.5″ frame is starting to catch up with her as it is becoming increasingly more difficult for her to make the weight. Not to mention that due to the anatomical differences between men and women, it is much harder for the female fighters to hold an extremely low percentage of body fat let alone cut weight than it for their male counterparts. Joanna is one to watch on the scale and for how her performance looks on Saturday night because a bad showing in either area and the next time we see JJ will almost certainly be in the flyweight division.

James “The Texexecutioner” Vick (13-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC)

Lightweight (155lbs.): 9-4 (UFC)

Welterweight (170lbs.): 0-0 (UFC)

Jame Vick was the freakshow of the lightweight division. James’s insane physical attributes for the weight class made him quite a force to be reckoned with until the excessive weight cutting caught up to him. At 6’3 and possessing a 76″ inch reach coming of the Ultimate Fighter, James seemed like he was destined for the top. But what has been speculated for a while now is that, due to the massive amount of weight that Vick had to cut to get down to 155lbs. heavily affected his ability to take a shot. Out of Vick’s last 3 fights (all losses), 2 of them have been early first-round knockouts. Vick and his team have finally wised up to the trauma that his body was undergoing before the fight even began and this saturday he will be making his UFC debut at 170lbs. where he could immeaditily be on the radar with a big win.

Luis “Violent Bob Ross” Pena (7-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC)

Featherweight (145lbs.): 1-0 (UFC), Missed weight at this weight class

Lightweight (155lbs.): 2-1 (UFC)

Luis Pena is an Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated, season participant, and did extremely well despite having an injury during the show. Pena is 6’3″ and a massive 78″ reach. (Yes, longer than James Vick) And he even attempted to go down and fight at 145lbs.but badly missed weight for that fight even though he won the bout. At 26-year-old Luis is a young hungry fighter who’s body is still able to withstand the rigours of weight cutting. But, moving forward in the coming years dont be surprised to see Violent Bob Ross move uo in weight class or even struggle to make weight. Pena will always be a fighter to watch on the scale with his physical attributes.

Eryk “Ya Boy” Anders (12-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC)

Middleweight (185lbs.): 3-2 (UFC)

Lightheavyweight (205lbs.): 1-2 (UFC)

As of late, there has been a rash of middleweight UFC fighters making the leap up between middleweight and light-heavyweight. And a lot of these guys are finding success. Guys like Thiago Santos, Anthony Smith, and former UFC middleweight champions Luke Rockhold and Chris Wiedman. But, one of the first guys to find success in this huge weight jump was Eryk Anders. Eryk stepped up on short notice to fill in at light heavyweight and just kind of continued to take fights there. Ya Boy loves to stay active and taking fights in two different weight classes is one way to do that.  Eryk’s last fight was at 205lbs. back in June and now he is attempting to come back down to 185lbs. Anders is definitely a fighter to watch and see how he recuperates from the weight cut as he relies heavily on his athletic ability when he fights which consumes a lot of energy.

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

A towering lightweight, James Vick always had the height (and often reach) advantage over opponents. Now, however, the ‘Texicutioner’ is heading up to welterweight, where… well, where he’ll likely retain that reach advantage, frankly.

FloCombat’s Mike Heck was first to report Monday that Vick would move up a weight class and take on Niko Price at UFC Tampa (UFC on ESPN+ 19 / UFC Fight Night 161). The bout will see Vick in desperate need of a win following a trio of losses, all at lightweight, to Justin Gaethje, Paul Felder, and Dan Hooker. Two of the three bouts in that skid saw Vick finished.

A towering 6″3, Vick (13-4) started his career on a 9-0 run that saw him collect five straight wins under the UFC banner. After being knocked out by Beneil Dariush at UFC 199 in 2016, he bounced back with another four straight wins, before hitting his current slump.

Niko Price (13–3 (1)) has been trading wins and losses of late, and most recently was finished at the hands of Geoff Neal at UFC 240 back in July. Overall, he’s 5-3 (1NC) in the UFC to date. The no contest came after an original win against Alex Morono was overturned when Price tested positive for Marijuana.

UFC Tampa takes place October 12, 2019 at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Michelle Waterson faces former strawweight champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk in the main event.

The post James Vick Jumps to Welterweight Against Niko Price at UFC Tampa appeared first on Cageside Press.

Both James Vick and Dan Hooker know what it’s like to have consistent success in the UFC lightweight division. Each fighter was recently on a four-fight winning streak. But, heading into UFC San Antonio, Vick and Hooker were looking to get back into the win column. Vick had lost back-to-back bouts, getting beat by Justin Gaethje and Paul Felder in his last two trips inside the Octagon.

Hooker’s most recent fight was a brutal beating at the hands (and legs) of Edson Barboza. Hooker was finished in the third round with a body blow KO from the dangerous Brazilian, snapping his previously mentioned winning streak. There’s no shame in losing to Barboza, but back-to-back losses is no way to live in the UFC’s 155-pound division, which is full of dangerous fights from top-to-bottom.

Dan Hooker took the center of the cage with some kicks to start the fight. Vick responded with a leg kick of his own, then Hooker landed a multi-punch combination as Vick backpedaled away. Another combo snapped the head of Vick back, then Vick did the same to Hooker. Both men were using all six feet of their frames in this one early. Pressuring hooks came in from Hooker. He stayed moving forward, ducked in with a feint right and a big left that floored James Vick. Hooker pounced and got the first finish of the night.

Crowd silenced 🤫

🇳🇿 @DanTheHangman is back in a BIG WAY! #UFCSanAntonio pic.twitter.com/l7N1sU66wG

— UFC (@ufc) July 21, 2019

Dan Hooker def. James Vick by KO (Left Hook) in Round 1 (2:33)

Check out the rest of the results from UFC San Antonio here!

The post UFC San Antonio Results: Dan Hooker Gets First Stoppage of the Night With First Round KO appeared first on Cageside Press.

San Antonio, TX — Last time out at UFC on ESPN 1, James Vick found himself on the losing end of a decision against Paul Felder. The loss put him on the first losing streak of his career: two straight losses under the UFC banner.

Heading into UFC San Antonio — a.k.a. UFC on ESPN 4 — this weekend, Vick (13-3) knows that’s not where he wants to be. “The last time I lost two fights in a row was back in 2008 in amateur boxing. It’s not good,” he admitted at Wednesday’s open workouts, speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press. Then again, Vick doesn’t feel like he necessarily should have lost the Felder bout. “To be honest with you, I thought I could have won that last fight. It was a super close fight, he got the decision, I’m not going to complain about it, because it could have went either way. So congrats to him for getting it.”

Vick doesn’t think that way, doesn’t dwell on or make excuses for losses, he said after, because “I have a warrior’s mentality.”

“I’ve won the majority of the fights I’ve ever had. I’m fighting guys that have literally been training ten years longer than me,” he pointed out. “Some of these guys have been training since they were ten years old, I didn’t even start training until I was twenty, in boxing. I didn’t start grappling until I was twenty-two. Had multiple major surgeries and worked a full-time job half the time I was in the UFC.” And while it’s not uncommon for fighters to take jobs on the side, keep in mind the heights Vick has hit. “So I’m winning, and I’m going to keep winning. I don’t have a loser’s mentality, that sh*t ain’t for me.”

There’s been questions about the weight cut down to 155lbs, as Vick is a towering figure for the lightweight division. At 6″3 he has the height of a heavyweight. But the weight cut, he said, isn’t effecting him at all in his opinion. “Last cut I probably had the best cut I’ve had in five years. I followed George [Lockhart]’s program, I did everything he said, I made the weight in two sauna sessions, one bath, and made weight.”

He admits, however, that food is a weakness. A vice he’s not willing to give up, with all others gone. “It’s just a matter of being more disciplined. It’s hard, I’ve given everything else up in my life. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t party. I haven’t done any of that stuff in years. I haven’t drank alcohol in two and a half years. When I used to drink it would be like twice a year even then.”

“Food’s the only thing I have left. It’s really sugar that’s the problem,” he said. “I can eat healthy clean food, but then want sugar on top of it. I just got to focus on being disciplined.”

At UFC San Antonio, Vick will face a dangerous opponent in Dan Hooker. The New Zealand native is coming off a loss to Edson Barboza that saw him show incredible heart before finally going down to a body shot. Prior to that, Hooker had been on a four-fight winning streak.”

“I’m taking Dan Hooker very seriously, it’s not a game to me, and I know it’s not to him either,” Vick told reporters.

“This is exciting, obviously I’m looking for a quick finish. A war is fun or whatever, but people who have wars have short careers,” he added. “My goal is to finish. But I’m ready for war, and I’m mentally prepared. I know he’s not an easy dude to finish, I know that, I’m not delusional. So it could be a war, and I’m ready for that.”

If it is, at least it’s a war in his own back yard. “I love it. I love fighting in Texas, I love fighting at home,” said Vick Wednesday. While other fighters complain of the pressures of fighting at home, it’s a feeling Vick doesn’t understand. “I felt no pressure.”

Finally, you can quit chirping at him online. Despite his recent struggles, “I still have one of the best records in the UFC (9-3 in the promotion), and my career is far from over. These people are delusional, these trolls on social media, talking sh*t, they’re delusional.” He reiterated, again, what a late start he got in the sport. “I started this game ten years later than some of these people. My last fight, Felder’s literally been training ten years longer than me. [Justin] Gaethje too, Gaethje’s been training for ten of fifteen years longer than me, been wrestling since he was five. I didn’t start training until late in life, I’ve been catching all these guys, it’s just a matter of time.”

James Vick fights Dan Hooker this Saturday, July 20 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, TX, part of UFC on ESPN 4.

The post UFC San Antonio: James Vick Gunning for Finish, but Ready for War appeared first on Cageside Press.

Last time James Vick was in the octagon, he was on the wrong end of a decision against Paul Felder. A fantastic fight, one in which Felder persevered but broke his rib in the process. The loss put Vick on the first losing streak of his career, something he’ll look to change at UFC San Antonio next month.

It’s a big card, serving as UFC on ESPN 4, and for Vick, it’s a fight in his own back yard. The Texas native has competed four times for the promotion in his home state, and ‘The Texecutioner’ is four for four on home turf.

Ahead of the bout, Vick took time out for an interview with Cageside Press, telling us that he’s been wanting to get back in the octagon for a while now.

“I’ve been wanting to fight for a couple months now. Actually wanted to fight in June, I wanted to fight this month but they didn’t get anything sent for me,” Vick revealed. “Apparently Hooker’s been wanting to fight also.” The good news, with both men wanting to fight, is that the promotion has put together an exciting match-up. Although initially, “they asked me to fight on the Canada card [UFC 240], the weekend after [UFC San Antonio].”

That didn’t make sense to Vick. “I was like ‘dude, how are you going to come to Texas and not let me fight?’ I was like ‘just let me fight a week before that, please.'”

Eventually, a fight fell off the San Antonio card, and that opened up space for Vick vs. Hooker.

Speaking of ‘The Hangman,’ Vick summed his opponent up as “a tough match-up. He’s good, he’s very well-rounded. He’s good everywhere. He’s a good striker, technique is good, can fight in both stances. Brings a lot to the table, and is tough.”

Tough is what James Vick is used to seeing across from him in the octagon. In his last four fights, he’s faced Paul Felder, Justin Gaethje, Francisco Trinaldo, and Joe Duffy. He’s 2-2 in that span, dropping the bouts to Felder and Gaethje.

The Gaethje fight, of course, stands out. It was just the second time Vick had been knocked out in his career, and there’d been a lot of bad blood heading in. What made the difference? “Little gloves,” suggested Vick. “People get offended when I say this, and they’re like ‘oh people talk sh*t.'” While he admitted that he did engage in some banter ahead of the Gaethje fight at UFC Lincoln, “you know me talking trash against Gaethje, it really backfired on me. The reason why it backfired on me was he’s so beloved in MMA, that’s why. If he was just an average guy — we were at the press conference, he initiated that sh*t talk. Not me. He initiated it. And mine just happened to be better.”

“If I win that fight the way he won that fight, I’m an overnight superstar. So I wouldn’t take it back,” he continued. Only, he didn’t win, and the talk backfired as a result. But, said Vick, “it’s not like I’m a big disrespectful person, I don’t have problems with any of the other people I’ve ever fought.”

Still, lesson learned. “Back to what I was saying, little gloves, the best fighter don’t always win. That’s just what it is, people can get offended by that, but the best fighter don’t always win.”

“When you’ve got four ounce gloves and you can punch,” he reiterated, “the best fighter don’t always win.”

Vick knew something was up from the get-go that night. “When I got in there with him I felt it. I knew that someone was about to get knocked out, obviously I thought it was going to be him. But I could tell he’s not going to be a guy who’s going to stand on the outside and wait, and lose a decision. He’d rather get knocked out.”

Vick recalls going out and lighting Gaethje up with his first seven, eight strikes or so, landing nearly everything he threw. “The first thirty seconds, a minute of the fight, I was like ‘man I’m going to literally hit this guy with anything I want to hit him with.’ And I knew I could.” Vick also knew Gaethje would take chances to avoid a decision loss. But then, he found himself too close to the cage, and got caught. Gaethje got the win that night.

Vick, for his part, is always looking for a finish, but “if I’m winning a decision, I’m not going to take any stupid risks.” Which leads us to the Felder fight, which Vick called “the first time I’ve ever lost a decision in my life, ever, in anything.” It’s a fight Vick felt he won, although he recognizes it was close. But it stings a little more, because of the nature of the result.

Asked whether knockouts are difficult to come back from as a fighter, given the nature of concussions (not to mention Vick being a new dad), the fighter downplayed the impact. “Not really, I’ve never had a concussion in MMA. In training, ever. After the Gaethje fight, you know that was a bad one. I went and had a CT scan, I got everything, I’ve never had any problems whatsoever. I’ve never been concussed, ever.” If he was, at least, he’s not aware of it, and it’s not as if he wasn’t getting checked out by professionals.

Vick was also careful not to get back into sparring too soon after the knockout loss. A smart approach, and more common with modern fighters.

So it’s not the knockout, but his recent decision loss that nags at him. “The Felder fight bothers me more than anything, because I did lose a decision. That calf kick is not something you can fight through. It’s not like getting beat up and you just bite down on the mouth piece. It’s different, it’s a game-changing move in the sport.”

“I left the arena on crutches that night,” he said later. “That move is just literally, it’s a game changer. There’s never been a move in MMA — I’m not criticizing Paul Felder, and I’m not disrespecting him, and I’m not saying he’s a B-level guy, because we’re very similar on skill-set, you saw that in the fight. But there’s never been a move in MMA where you can take a B-level fighter, and they can land 3 or 4 of those calf kicks, and it puts them on a level playing field. There’s never been a move like that.”

He believes he’s better prepared coming into the Hooker fight, mind you. “I’m not giving my secrets away,” Vick noted, “but I’m prepared for a calf kick, I have depth in my game. Honestly what I should have done with the Felder fight, to be honest with you, but I didn’t do, it’s just not my instinct, but I’m trying to make it, is I should have wrestled him. I should have wrestled more, because I do have the offensive wrestling skill set to be able to take him down. And I have a world class jiu-jitsu game. I’m not a world class jiu-jitsu competitor, but for MMA, for mixed martial arts, I have a word class ground [game].”

“I train with one of the best jiu-jitsu schools in the world, and I have three submission wins in the UFC,” he added. “People literally don’t even want to take me down, because they know if I grab their neck, it’s over.”

Watch the full interview with James Vick above, covering his past fights and upcoming bout with Dan Hooker at UFC San Antonio. Below, check out some bets to make with Vick and Rodney James Edgar ahead of UFC 238!

UFC San Antonio (UFC on ESPN 4) takes place July 20 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. The card is the promotion’s first stop in San Antonio since 2014.

The post UFC San Antonio’s James Vick Breaks Down Gaethje and Felder Fights, Looks Ahead to Dan Hooker appeared first on Cageside Press.

My San Antonio reported the additions to UFC San Antonio.

Dan Hooker and James Vick are two of the taller 155ers you’ll see, with Vick coming in at 6’3″ and Hooker standing at 6’0″. Hooker moved up to lightweight in 2017 and subsequently went on a tear. The New Zealander rattled off four consecutive stoppages, with first-round knockouts against Ross Pearson, Jim Miller, and Gilbert Burns, and a third-round submission against Marc Diakiese. His run came to an end at the hands of Edson Barboza in December of last year.

Vick is also looking to find success once again, as he has lost two consecutive fights after starting his UFC career at 9-1. “The Texecutioner” saw his four-fight win streak come to an end when he was knocked out by Justin Gaethje in August 2018. He was unable to rebound four months ago, dropping a decision to Paul Felder.

Ray Borg will look for a stroke of good luck when he steps in the cage against Gabriel Silva. “The Tazmexican Devil” had three fights canceled in 2018 due to various issues including an eye injury that was a result of Conor McGregor’s bus attack at UFC 223, and his newborn son’s diagnosis with hydrocephalus. He then returned to the cage in March of this year, missing the bantamweight limit, and losing a controversial decision to newcomer Casey Kenney after having his opponent change twice in the month leading up to the fight.

Gabriel Silva made his US debut in a big way in March. He knocked out Jake Heffernan in the first round at LFA 63, which was attended by Dana White for his Lookin’ for a Fight program. Silva was signed backstage as an 8-0 Brazilian prospect, and now he’ll make his promotional debut in July.

As it stands, UFC San Antonio currently has 11 fights to its name, but none have been designated as the main event. Joining the two aforementioned bouts on the ESPN card is a heavyweight tilt between disgraced former NFL star Greg Hardy and up-and-comer Juan Adams. Top bantamweight contender Raquel Pennington will also return to the cage for the first time in 2019 to take on Irene Aldana. The event takes place on July 20 from the AT&T Center in Texas, the home of the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs.

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James Vick comes off his first main event with a co-main event spot at UFC Phoenix. That headlining bout was against Justin Gaethje, and resulted in a first-round knockout defeat for the lanky lightweight. The loss snapped a four-fight win streak for Vick, who had defeated respected veterans Joe Duffy and Francisco Trinaldo along the way. Vick is an impressive 9-2 in the UFC.

Paul Felder may be proving his worth as a commentator for the UFC, but he is still not one to be messed with inside the cage. Before a short-notice welterweight loss to Mike Perry in his last fight, Felder has won five of six and was on a three-fight knockout streak. “The Irish Dragon” has five stoppages in his seven Octagon victories.

James Vick established his length early on by throwing a good amount of kicks. We also saw Felder try to get a feel for the range with several missed overhands and even a spinning attack. Those would become key instruments later on. After a brief clinch exchange late in the round, Felder nails Vick with a spinning back fist that rocks his opponent. Vick was able to clinch up and hang on until the buzzer.

Vick clinched up with Felder early in the second to the dismay of the restless crowd. They broke apart began establishing his low kick against his lanky opponent. A pair of big overhand rights landed for Felder in the round, but his leg kicks started to add up, doing visible damage to Vick.

Low kicks began hobbling Vick in round three. The leg attacks opened other angles for Felder, and he was able to land overhand rights and a stinging left hand throughout the round. Felder landed a crushing spinning back fist late in the fight, but it just led to a clinch battle. Vick landed a hard straight as time expired, but Felder pieced him up.

Paul Felder def. James Vick by Unanimous Decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)

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As the UFC continues to unveil its line-up for early 2019, the promotion has announced a promising lightweight scrap. On Tuesday, the UFC revealed on social media that Paul Felder will return to action at UFC 233 in January against James Vick. Felder has been busy with UFC broadcast duties of late, appearing as part of the UFC 230 announce team this past weekend.

A LW war heads to #UFC233!@JamesVickMMA meets @FelderPaul in a FOTN contender! pic.twitter.com/ffmk4qjaCd

— UFC (@ufc) November 6, 2018

UFC 233 will mark Paul Felder’s return to action after breaking his forearm on a spinning back fist attempt against Mike Perry at UFC 226. That bout was held at welterweight, as Felder (15–4) stepped in on short notice to replace Yancy Medeiros. Despite the injury, the ‘Irish Dragon’ battled his way to a split decision loss. The setback snapped a three-fight winning streak for Felder.

James Vick (13–2) meanwhile suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Justin Gaethje at UFC Lincoln. That loss, a first round knockout, snapped a four-fight winning streak for the towering lightweight, who enters the octagon at 155lbs despite standing 6″1.

UFC 233 takes place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California on January 26, 2019. While no main event has been announced for the card, a champ vs. champ battle between Henry Cejudo and T.J. Dillashaw is reportedly in the works.

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