Coincidentally, both 125’ers had previously walked back retirements from the sport. Both men also entered the fight off losses, though it was Schnell, having lost three straight, in the more precarious position of the two.

Just past a minute in, Flick was grabbing for a leg, though Schnell pulled away. Still, sloppy as the sequence might have ended, it allowed Flick to string together a second attempt, and get Schnell seated against the fence. With Schnell unable to escape, Flick moved to side control briefly, but soon found himself having to contend with a triangle attempt.

Round two saw Flick get the fight down early, going to work from half guard. He worked to step over, with Schnell cramped up against the fence, adding to the challenge. Schnell would have to contend with a choke, but did manage to reverse and get on top later in the round. A huge moment for Schnell, but that didn’t last, and then it was Jimmy Flick jumping the guillotine. Schnell survived, got back on top and began dropping elbows, forcing Flick to shoot for a leg.

At the end of the round, ref Dan Miragliotta mistook the 10 second clapper for the bell, the second time that had happened at UFC Kansas City. Either way the true end did come ten seconds later. In the second, Flick was bloodied, and Schnell found the opening to go after a guillotine of his own, but was unable to land it. Flick then took the fight to the fence, looking for a takedown then threatening with a guillotine, which was quickly becoming both men’s weapon of choice. Schnell would work to the back at the end of the round, putting on a body triangle, but was slipping off and couldn’t quite find the choke.

A wild, competitive fight in the end went to the scorecards, where Schnell took it with 29-28 scores from all three judges. That’s his first UFC win since 2022.

Official Result: Matt Schnell def. Jimmy Flick by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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Flick and Maness were both coming off single wins and looking to put together the start of a win streak.

Maness started the fight by establishing the jab right away, while Jimmy looked to use head movement and cover up. Flick threw kicks at multiple targets, body and head, with success to the body. With nearly three minutes left in the round, Flick went for a single leg takedown, but Maness was able to clamp down on the guillotine while pinned against the fence. Flick released the single leg and the two returned to exchanging in the center of the octagon. Maness was looking very composed still throwing the jab and landing to the body and head.

With one minute left in the round Flick, threw combinations and attempted to enter on the single leg once again. After a little resistance, Flick took Maness to the ground where his opponent elected to hang on to the guillotine. Flick looked for the von flue choke in the final seconds of the round but was unsuccessful.

To open the second round, Maness uncorked a couple of combinations looking for the body of a retreating and circling, Flick. But Jimmy was able to come forward with some solid punches to the midsection and leg kicks, all while still moving his head to evade some of the incoming jabs. Nearly halfway thru the round and Maness still looked in control, poking his opponent with single punches and successfully keeping him away from a shot and locking in a D’arce momentarily. Jimmy escaped and continued the scramble, looking for a body lock takedown against the fence. Jimmy didn’t get the takedown and ended up back against the fence and dropped for a guillotine. Maness was able to pop his head out of the guillotine and rain down some punishing shots on Flick in the closing seconds of the round.

Maness came out again flicking the jab finding the head of Flick a little earlier to start the third.

Flick was stalking Maness with his guard high, waving on his opponent, and trying to strike into the clinch.  Midway through the round, Flick attempted yet another single leg takedown off of a nice overhand. Maness was able to defend the takedown once again and turn Flick around against the cage.  Nate had Flick up against the cage and was landing some nasty short punches and knees. Maness was able to maintain control in the clinch and in the final seconds, a bloodied Flick unsuccessfully went for the guillotine landing on his back and absorbing some ground n’ pound before time expired.

All three judges would award the fight for Nate Maness.

Official Result: Nate Maness def. Jimmy Flick by unanimous decision (30-27 30-27, 29-28)

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While Gordon started strong in the fight, the tide shifted in Flick’s favor in the second round, Gordon having spent much of his energy early. After a D’arce attempt didn’t work out, Flick finally pulled off an arm-triangle choke, forcing Gordon to tap and silencing the Canadian crowd in the card-opening fight.

Flick, who retired a few years back, secured his first win since returning to action and his first since 2020, likely saving his job with the performance. Something he knew coming in, as he previously told Cageside Press. Confirming it was his last fight on his deal – “Unless they give me a new one” — Flick (17-7) noted during the post-fight press conference that “I am 2-2 in the UFC, four fights, never hit the scorecards, don’t plan on hitting the scorecards, and if I get that bonus tonight, three out of four fights there’s been a bonus.”

Flick did not get the Performance bonus — they went to Jasmine Jasudavicius and Gillian Robertson, the only two winning Canadians on the card. That said, Flick’s chances of re-signing with the UFC are high. In his own post-fight press conference appearance, UFC CEO Dana White replied “absolutely” when asked if the promotion was interested in re-signing Flick.

Ahead of UFC 297, Jimmy Flick’s opponent, Malcolm Gordon, missed weight. In the end, the explanation was less than satisfactory for the flyweight, but he was happy to take the extra money that Gordon was fined as a result.

“We passed each other the other day, and when he was coming up I was like ‘did you make it?’ and he said ‘no, I was too tired.’ And I was like ‘we’re all tired.’ He said a little comment back, I don’t know if it was disrespectful or what it was, I didn’t hear it. All I know is I got an extra 20% tonight, baby!”

Watch the full UFC 297 post-fight press conference with Jimmy Flick above.

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Flick once had one of the best submissions in the UFC during his debut in 2020, but now he found himself in a much different position after retiring and then losing two straight fights. Flick started 2024 by seeking his first win since that debut, but his opponent, Malcolm Gordon was highly motivated to start the night off strong for the Canadian crowd and other fighters, but in the end his aggression was his downfall.

At the start of the fight Gordon blitzed forward, energized by the home crowd, and forced Flick to look for a takedown. However Gordon was the one who landed the takedown and rained down punches as Flick tried to throw up submissions. Malcolm got somewhat reckless and stuck in a tight triangle choke. It was not enough to force a tap or put him out and, helped by his coolness under pressure, he escaped. Gordon went back to aggressive ground and pound in the last half of the round. Flick worked to build back up but Gordon went for a guillotine with thirty seconds left. However Flick reversed, got on top, and went for a rare Von Flue choke. Gordon puffed hard and was ultimately saved from the position by the end of the round.

Round two began the same way the first did. Jimmy Flick retreated under fire and turtled up, then shot a takedown. This time, he got it as Gordon over-pursued and fell over, allowing Flick to take his back. Gordon rolled to his back but got stuck in an arm triangle on his way. He tried to bridge and explode out but this submission was much tighter than the first two and Gordon was forced to tap.

Immediately after the finish, Flick taunted the Canadian crowd as Malcolm Gordon began to unwrap his gloves immediately, indicating retirement. They embraced before Flick’s post-fight interview, where he promised his gloves from the fight as a gift for his father.

Official Result: Jimmy Flick def. Malcolm Gordon by Submission (arm-triangle choke) Round 2, 1:17

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Flick (16-7), who briefly retired after winning his UFC debut in 2020, has lost his last two fights, and at 33 has no illusions about what a third loss would mean in the 125lb division.

So yes, there’s added pressure heading into the Toronto card, he told Cageside Press in a recent exclusive interview.

“I mean, yeah. For me, for him, our job, everything,” admitted Flick, who will be fighting for the first time since a June 2023 loss to Alessandro Costa. “I’m coming to his country, he wants to defend his country and get a win. He’s on a two-fight losing streak, I’m on a two-fight losing streak. We need a win here.”

“Our jobs are in jeopardy, our careers are in jeopardy. We’re both older as well now. There’s a lot,” Flick continued. “How does he feel about fighting in his country, how do I feel about— at the end of the day, it’s business. And I know what I’ve got to do. I trained really, really hard for this, I’m finishing up a great camp, and it could not have went any better. We usually have a lot up and downs. I can’t say mentally I haven’t had some battles but physically, everything has been great for this camp.”

Part of that smooth sailing has been keeping his diet under control. Flick highlighted the benefits of Icon Meals, a sponsor of the UFC, with helping on that front.

“Weight’s on point. Usually I have to hit the sauna occasionally. Everything’s been so good with the diet, with Icon meals that the UFC’s been taking care of us with, eight weeks out my weight’s been good, haven’t hit the sauna at all. I’m going to fly into Toronto just feeling good, and it’s going to come together, and I’m going to prove why I belong in the UFC.”

Watch our full interview with UFC 297 flyweight Jimmy Flick above.

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Flick (16-7) will face Canada’s own Malcolm Gordon (14-7) at UFC 297 on January 20, 2024. Although not announced by the promotion just yet, the card has previously been reported as being held in Toronto, Ontario at the ScotiaBank Arena. Multiple sources confirmed the date and location to Cageside Press.

Not surprisingly, the event has been stacked with Canadians as a result, including Gillian Robertson, Marc-Andre Barriault, two-time TUF champ Brad Katona, and Mike Malott, among others.

As for Flick, he’ll be looking to snap a two fight skid incurred after returning from a retirement he announced back in 2021. Though he returned to the USADA pool shortly after, Flick did not fight between December 2020 and January 2023. He’s 1-2 inside the octagon, and coming off a loss against Alessandro Costa this past June.

Flick announced the news at a regional MMA event earlier this month.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CyYy-m5Rfi4/

Gordon has also lost two straight, against Muhammad Mokaev and Jake Hadley. He’s 2-4 in the promotion overall, making this a must-win situation for both fighters.

UFC 297 does not have a main event officially announced at this time, but the following match-ups have been reported for the card:

• Arnold Allen vs. Movsar Evloev
• Brad Katona vs. Garrett Armfield
• Gillian Robertson vs. Polyana Viana
• Serhiy Sidey vs. Ramon Taveras
• Chris Curtis vs. Marc-Andre Barriault
• Malcolm Gordon vs. Jimmy Flick
• Neil Magny vs. Mike Malott

The post Jimmy Flick Facing Malcolm Gordon at UFC 297 in January appeared first on Cageside Press.

Flick was looking to bounce back from a loss to Charles Johnson, while Brazil’s Costa had dropped his promotional debut last time out against Amir Albazi.

Round one began with Jimmy Flick looking to land a few front kicks up the middle, but it was shortly met with a heavy low kick from Costa. Again as Flick came into range to try and jab Costa, he was blasted with another extremely heavy low kick. Costa began to let his hands go on the body of Flick, landing some big body hooks. Costa became bloodthirsty for the liver, but it resulted in him over-extending several times.

Midway through round one, Costa stepped back and allowed some forward pressure before blasting him with yet another low-kick. This time, Flick fell to the floor and looked for Costa to follow him. The two broke from a level change attempt from Flick, and as Flick was trying to evade Costa’s movement, his leg buckled from underneath him. It became clear that all Costa had to do was blast him with a few more heavy calf kicks and the fight would likely end. Despite that, Flick made it out of round one and onto the much needed stool.

Coming into round two, Flick looked to be moving more fluidly on his leg. But that was short lived, Costa blasted yet another calf kick and Flick’s leg went out again. Costa subsequently followed him down to the ground which originally looked to be a bad choice. The Brazilian decided to rain down some ground-and-pound elbows and that was enough for Keith Peterson to step in.

Official Result: Alessandro Costa def. Jimmy Flick by TKO, Round 2, 1:03

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For Flick, once considered a top prospect at 125lbs, it was his first action since December 2020 win against Cody Durden. Johnson, 1-1 in the organization, was coming in off his own, more recent win over Zhalgas Zhumagulov.

The first UFC fight of 2023 went to the ground early, with the returning Flick initiating the takedown, only to be reversed on the mat. Flick would escape back to his feet, but not before taking a bit of damage from Johnson. Flick would then slip, and belly flop, off a high kick, perhaps a sign of some ring rust after all that time away.

Johnson then got his hands going, putting together a combo the included both body and head. Teep kicks were there for Johnson as well, and he soon had Flick on his back foot. And teep appeared to hurt Flick, but he hid it well, flashed a high kick, then dropped to his knees for a takedown attempt against the fence. Flick landed that and attacked the back, only to slip off to one side. As a result, Johnson would end up on top, dropping elbows and hammer fists on a bloodied Jimmy Flick until the ref waved it off.

Flick wasn’t loving the stoppage, but as long as it lasted, the fight was all Charles Johnson.

Bringing that 𝙄𝙉𝙉𝙀𝙍𝙂, indeed!!!

@InnerGMMA gets the TKO to kick things off! 😤 #UFCVegas67 pic.twitter.com/XAPZTcvhyy

— UFC (@ufc) January 14, 2023

Your first fight of the year ends in a finish! That’s now two straight wins for Johnson, who picks up his first finish inside the octagon. “Being tough ain’t enough at this point. These guys are all champions,” said ‘Inner G’ following the win, who also announced that he had a baby girl on the way.

Official Result: Charles Johnson def. Jimmy Flick by TKO, Round 1, 4:33

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In a somewhat shocking occurrence on Saturday, flyweight prospect Jimmy Flick announced his retirement from MMA at the regional MMA event Freestyle Cage Fighting event in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The Corner & The Causal podcast captured the footage of Flick’s retirement speech at FCF 61.

“A lot of people keep asking me where I see myself in 10 years. ‘Where do you see yourself in the UFC?’ To be honest, everybody, the UFC is not my dream anymore. A lot of people won’t understand why,” Flick said inside of the FCF Cage. “It’s hard to explain, and it does bring tears to my eyes, but the UFC is not looking out for me. My wife is looking out for me, my kids are looking out for me, and that’s what I want. I want to be their father. I want to go to work every day, come home and be with my family. I want to spend time with my little girls. I want to spend time with my wife.”

He continued.

“And I’ve found out I don’t want to be the next Conor McGregor or the next Demetrious Johnson. So I step in this cage tonight and telling everybody that I’m retiring from mixed martial arts. I’m gonna pursue the other goals in life that make me more happy than fighting ever did.”

Flick also said that he accomplished his three 2020 goals: not to drink pop, make $100,000, and make the UFC walk.

“The Brick” leaves MMA with a 16-5 record. The announcement was surprising as he had his best year in 2020. He won the flyweight titles at FCF and LFA. He then would get the call to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series and would dominate Nate Smith to win a contract. Flick would then make his UFC debut on the last card of 2020 and be award Performance of the Night for his efforts, as he submitted Cody Durden with a flying triangle. Quite the year.

Flick was scheduled to make his second UFC appearance against Francisco Figueiredo on May 8, but it looks like that won’t happen after all.

The post UFC Flyweight Jimmy Flick Retires From MMA appeared first on Cageside Press.

On Tuesday, Cageside Press confirmed with multiple sources close to the situation that Jimmy Flick and Francisco Figueiredo will face off at the UFC Fight Night event on May 8.

The Corner & The Casual podcast was first to report news of the bout.

Flick (16-5) is coming off one of the best submissions of 2020. He submitted Cody Durden with a flying triangle choke on the last UFC card of the year; not surprisingly, Flick was awarded a Performance of the Night bonus for his efforts. “The Brick” had a more active and positive 2020 than most. He won two flyweight titles, the Freestyle Cage Fighting belt in February, and then in 38 seconds, he captured the LFA flyweight title in July. Two months later, he won a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series by putting on a grappling clinic against Nate Smith. Quite a year for Mr. Flick.

Francisco Figueiredo (12-3-1) joined his brother, current flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo, in the promotion earlier this year. He fought Jerome Rivera in his octagon debut at UFC Fight Night: Chiesa vs. Magny on ‘Fight Island.’ Figueiredo won the bout via unanimous decision.

The May 8 UFC Fight Night has no known location or venue, but the lineup now looks like this:

• Holly Holm vs. Julianna Pena
• Donald Cerrone vs. Diego Sanchez
• Zarrukh Adashev vs. Ryan Benoit
• Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Maurice Greene
• Jimmy Flick vs. Francisco Figueiredo
• Christian Aguilera vs. Carlston Harris

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