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Both Bannon and Hughes came in hot, looking to build on back-to-back wins in the fight. What unfolded turned out to be a one-sided affair however.

Sam Hughes opened up the action moving forward, taking some big, wild swings at times and forcing Bannon to backpedal. Things settled down after a moment, Bannon went after a takedown; that was stuffed, and “Sampage” Hughes then landed her own. Working inside Bannon’s closed guard, Hughes was tight to the body, without much space to work. Hughes tried to posture up, while Bannon tied things up, leading to a ref warning for the lack of action. Bannon was actually looking busier off her back with punches, albeit particularly ineffective ones.

Hughes finally made enough space to land a solid right hand, leading to a reprieve from the ref. She moved into a crucifix next, landing more damage, though Bannon was able to get out of that dicey spot. What she could not do was get off her back, as Hughes remained on top, getting back to side control. Bannon gave up her back with 30 seconds left, allowing Hughes to threaten with a choke despite being out of position. Bannon made it back up at the end of the round, though she’d quite clearly lost it on the scorecards.

Hughes had the fight back to the mat inside of a minute in round two care of a caught kick. That allowed Hughes to get back in the driver’s seat, landing punches and elbows while Bannon looked to scramble free, at times threatening with an upkick. Hughes, however, made it made to side control instead. Again, Bannon gave up her back and this time, Hughes had hooks in, and before long the rear-naked choke in! Bannon had to tap, and Hughes scaled the cage to celebrate.

Official Result: Sam Hughes def. Shauna Bannon by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 1:58

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Luciano had fought to a draw on DWCS opposite Talita Alencar, then won the rematch in her octagon debut last August.

The exchanges came relatively quickly in the opening minute and a half, but after 90 seconds Hughes changed up the pace, catching a kick and dumping Luciano on her back. Hughes got on top but couldn’t keep Luciano down; they were soon back on their feet, battling for position along the fence. A reversal of position and Hughes was back in control for a moment before they moved back to center, where Luciano had a bit of an edge. Hughes did land a low kick, and was happy to press forward; she briefly caught another kick with about two minutes on the clock. A Hughes takedown followed, but Luciano immediately reversed and popped back up. They’d finish a competitive round on the feet.

Round two opened with another quick start, both girls firing, but Luciano getting the better of the exchanges. She added a solid side kick to the midsection, and though Hughes continued to move forward, her face was starting to show some damage. That said, Hughes still found a home for her right hand and a moment later drove into a takedown, landing it with Luciano sitting against the fence. Hughes did a great job moving to full mount, landing a smashing elbow and forcing Luciano to go belly down. Hughes looked to get under the neck, and while her hooks weren’t fully in the choke was in tight.

Luciano tried to fence walk, with the ref swatting at her feet to keep her toes from gripping the cage. Lucaino wound up on her back, free of the choke, but with Hughes still mounted high up on her chest. A round that had started strong for Stephanie Luciano had been stolen back by Sam Hughes, who again went after a choke when Luciano gave up her back. Too high up for the choke, “Sampage” settled for landing ground n’ pound including about a dozen or so unanswered elbows.

Early in the third it was Luciano defending a takedown then getting one of her own, though not for long. Hughes made it back up, using the fence to support her for a bit before they went back to center. The fight was still very much up for grabs as Hughes and Luciano exchanged fire. A late takedown attempt by Hughes was stuffed, not for the first time in the round either. Instead she was forced to continue to march forward, with Luciano doing a solid job catching her on the way in as a result.

An emotional Sam Hughes paid tribute to Fortis MMA head coach Sayif Saud after the fight, with the victory representing his 100th win as a coach.

Official result: Sam Hughes def. Stephanie Luciano by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-27)

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Entering the Contender Series at only 5-0 and then the UFC at 6-0 must have been daunting, but Viktoria Dudakova had passed every test thus far when she met her toughest yet in ‘Sampage.’ Hughes may have had a losing record in the UFC but was known to be always game and had knocked off bright, undefeated prospects before.

The women got straight to action in the first round with a flurry of punches, but soon slowed down into a point-scoring striking contest. Dudakova’s right hand continually landed with significant force before she shot and landed her first takedown. Hughes regained full guard, attempted an omoplata, and used it to sweet and stand up. Sam defended the next two takedowns and began to see the strikes coming her way better. She really upped the volume and tried to overwhelm Viktoria, but Dudakova answered with a big knee and punch late in the round, then a flurry of knees to the body in the clinch.

The striking was even in the second round until Dudakova landed her first takedown of the round, one minute in. Hughes accepted full guard and was held down for two minutes but absorbed little damage before getting back up. Viktoria shot again but failed. In the final minute Hughes began to really pour on the volume and begin to overwhelm her foe. Dudakova shot and failed but turned it into a leg lock, allowing her to stall out the round.

The Russian had recovered somewhat when the final round started but still was desperate to get the fight to the mat. When she shot, Hughes reversed her and landed her own takedown. Sam clearly won the final round from there, likely winning her the right after her onslaught to end the second round probably stole her that one.

However, the judges were split. The first judge bizarrely had it 30-27 Dudakova, but the other two had it correct as they awarded the decision to Sam Hughes.

Official Result: Sam Hughes def. Viktoria Dudakova by Split Decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)

The post UFC Abu Dhabi: ‘Sampage’ Hughes Hands Viktoria Dudakova First-Ever Loss appeared first on Cageside Press.

What’s next? There are a lot of fun fights out there for both parties, so let’s take a look at how the main card losers could bounce back.

Brandon Moreno

There has been talk in the wake of UFC Mexico City about whether Brandon Moreno is now past his prime, or has been in too many wars. He’s just just 30, mind you, and should have a couple more years left in his prime as a flyweight.

That said, the loss to Brandon Royval, albeit by split decision, came off a lackluster performance by Moreno’s standards. Royval appeared to have the better gas tank and Moreno fought something of a defensive fight in comparison to his norm.

Back-to-back losses means Moreno is out of the title picture for now, with names like Amir Albazi, Manel Kape, and Royval no doubt ahead of him. That means fighting down a bit, and one name that makes sense is Matheus Nicolau. Like Moreno, Nicolau is coming off a loss to Brandon Royval. He was supposed to fight Manel Kape in January, but Kape blew weight and the fight was called off. It hasn’t been rebooked to date, and this match-up might make more sense.

Moreno’s next fight: Matheus Nicolau

Yair Rodriguez

Mexcio’s Yair Rodriguez appeared to be close to a finish in the opening round of UFC Mexico City’s co-main event, but Brian Ortega had other ideas. He mounted an impressive comeback, and wrapped up a choke early in the third round to put Rodriguez away.

Back-to-back losses for Yair will bounce him back a little, much like Moreno. That said those losses came to Alexander Volkanovski in a title fight, and a former title challenger in Ortega. No shame there.

Rankings-wise, Movsar Evloev makes sense. It’s not the loser-versus-loser format, but at this level we can forgo there. Evloev is undefeated and coming off a win over Arnold Allen, but the knock on the Russian is that he’s not a finisher. Rodriguez might very well bring out the best in the former M-1 champ.

Rodriguez’s next fight: Movsar Evloev

Francisco Prado

Francisco Prado suffered just the second loss of his pro career at UFC Mexico City. Unfortunately for Prado, both losses have come inside the UFC octagon, putting him at 1-2 in the organization. On the plus side, his loss to Daniel Zellhuber earned Fight of the Night on Saturday. If you’re going to lose, do it in a Fight of the Night, right?

So, Prado is 50K richer (is 50K even considered rich? Let’s just say more wealthy), took a beating and probably needs some time off. When he comes back, he’s in a key fight, most likely the last on his contract unless he renegotiates off a loss, which is rare. A newcomer might work best, or someone like Tom Nolan, who just lost to Nikolas Motta, works.

Prado’s next fight: Tom Nolan

Sam Hughes

Strawweight Sam Hughes has had an interesting run in the UFC. She started on an 0-3 skid then turned things around to go 3-1 over her next four fights. Saturday, however, she was on the wrong end of a decision loss to Yamin Yauregui, but showed plenty of heart in the fight.

Denise Gomes is 2-2 in the UFC and coming off a loss to Angela Hill. She’s another gritty strawweight and this pairing could be a fun scrap.

Hughes’ next fight: Denise Gomes

Chris Duncan

After starting his UFC run 2-0, Scotland’s Chris Duncan dropped his first bout in the promotion and just second of his career at UFC Mexico City, losing to Manuel Torres.

Lightweight Duncan was supposed to fight Terrance McKinney, but McKinney has a fight booked for May so that will have to wait. The next U.K. card might be an ideal landing spot for Duncan, but against who? How about “Slava Claus” himself, Viacheslav Borshchev, who is coming off a draw against Nazim Sadykhov? Sounds like a fun one.

Duncan’s next fight: Viacheslav Borshchev

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The strawweight match-up was second in on the Fight Night event’s main card, with Hughes coming off a win over Jaqueline Amorim, and Jauregui hoping to bunce back from a loss to Denise Gomes.

Hughes landed the first notable strike of the fight, a leg kick, early as the pair circled at center, exchanging mostly single strikes until Jauregui popped off a combo. She began to press forward, resulting in a takedown attempt by Hughes — stuffed by Mexico’s Jauregui. Her takedown defense would serve Jauregui well, with her punches and kicks also keeping Hughes at bay.

As if on cue, Hughes then took the fight to the fence, but Jauregui easily slipped away. The rest of the round played out on the feet with Yazmin Jauregui having the edge.

Sam Hughes continued to pursue takedowns in round two, and continued to pay for it. Hughes was chasing a body lock at center, and was peppered with shots on the way in each time. Soon enough, Hughes was leaking blood from her nose, a cut having opened up on the bridge. Jauregui, meanwhile, mixed up her attacks, targeting the body, legs, head, and even throwing in a superman punch for good measure. As in the first round, Jauregui had the edge, though the gritty Hughes refused to back down.

The third frame of Yazmin Jauregui vs. Sam Hughes started with Jauregui flowing, loose, firing her hands and ending a combination with a high kick. Hughes’ corner had advised her between rounds that she might just be down two rounds to none, which was likely. But it was a leg kick by Jauregui taking Hughes off her feet, with time a factor and things just not going the American’s way. That didn’t change in the final minutes of the fight with Jauregui cruising to a decision win.

Official Result: Yazmin Jauregui def. Sam Hughes by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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“It’s very beautiful. It’s something that has helped me mature quite a bit as well. I was a young mother with no experience whatsoever. I was already in this sport. I was 18-years-old when (my son) was born,” Jauregui told reporters on Wednesday.

“What i’ll never forget are all the sacrifices I made when I was pregnant. When I had my son who was only a few months old, and I wanted to continue in this sport. While I was pregnant I visualized and dreamt of being in this space.”

It only got tougher oncer her son, Matias, was born. The dedication to training put them both through some tough situations and challenges.

“I would wake up every day to run. He’d be in my arms when I went to the gym. I wasn’t economically stable so I was always in taxis with my son, his backpack and diaper bag, running everywhere. If it rained he would get wet, and it was a very hard experience to go through,” Jauregui said.

“But look at where I am now. Grateful to God for this opportunity and I hope that we get very far. I believe in myself so much I believe I will be a champion one day.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Yazmin Jauregui above. She takes on Sam Hughes at UFC Mexico City on Saturday night.

* Translated by Cageside Press

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XMMA 6 cancelled on short notice, promotion cites lack of security at venue

While XMMA have made a name for themselves stacking cards with former UFC fighters, their latest event has been cancelled (or at the very least postponed) on short notice, due to a reported lack of security to handle the show.

This did not go over well with the fighters, at least one of whom did not get advanced notice of the cancellation. Former UFC fighter Luis Pena also suggested the promotion had stopped answering his calls, in a comment left on the cancellation notice on the XMMA Facebook page.

“Due to Security Staffing Shortages at The John T Rhodes Center, XMMA 6 Has been rescheduled for Wednesday May 3rd 2023,” the promotion wrote in part. In responses to criticism by fans, a promotion rep stated via their Facebook page that “For everyone posting, this is not ‘bogus’ and there’s not 4 more days to fix. At the venue we are required to have uniformed MB police officers, there were no officers available to work the event, we can use other security but it has to be in conjunction with attending MB Police Officers. It’s a requirement that there’s no way around.”

“We attempted to find other suitable venues but were unsuccessful given the time constraints. Those are the facts and if anyone cares to message me or call to talk about it fell free to do so. You can also call the John T Rhodes Center and they will tell you the same thing. People love to think the worst of business’s and I get it, this however is not one of those instances.”

The use of “pay duty” police officers for large events is fairly standard and generally booked well in advance.

Dana White goes off on media members’ choice of questions at UFC 287 press conference

Dana White shut down questions about the Kevin Holland-Jorge Masvidal incident that transpired early last week during Wednesday’s press conference. He was in no mood for jokes about the WWE/UFC “merger” under a new parent company, TKO (at least, that’s what the stock ticker will say — Endeavor has yet to announce what the outfit will actually be called) either.

On the Pat McAfee show later in the week, White went off, once again, about the questions asked at Wednesday’s presser. As he did the night of, the UFC President complained about a journalist asking Jorge Masvidal and Kevin Holland about getting into an altercation during fight week. Despite the confrontation being obviously newsworthy, since it involved two fighters getting physical outside that cage, who were both fighting on Saturday’s card.

In other words, that’s fair game, and normal for the media to be interested in.

“The thing that drives me crazy is, yesterday we’re up there, we’re dealing with some of these MMA guys. There’s this f*cking stupid, unprofessional, looking for clickbait dumb sh*t,” said White, referring to The Mac Life’s Oscar Willis, who posited the questions. “You’ve got these guy going up — Kevin Holland and Masvidal got into it, so they want to get up and start asking questions. ‘Why’d you guys get into a fight, what’s going on with this and this?’ Shut the f*ck up. These guys aren’t fighting.”

No, they were not, which is the entire point that White is missing. Why two fighters not contracted to fight get into it is always going to be a question media members ask, because fans want to know.

“It’s not a good thing that they got in a fight in the back or whatever. And it’s so disrespectful to the guys that they’re actually fighting. Do you have questions? These guys are going to fight these other guys that are standing up on the stage. Do you have any intelligent questions that you’d like to ask them?”

What’s also disrespectful is the two fighters involved risking injury in an out-of-the-cage altercation, which could have seen them bounced from the card. Or, in the case of Masvidal, on bail for assaulting Colby Covington, being in breach of his bail conditions— another logistical nightmare were it to transpire.

White then turned his ire to media personality “The Schmo,” who more often than not crosses the line between journalism and entertainment. The question posed by The Schmo had to do with who Kevin Holland wanted to hit with a steel chair, in light of Endeavor’s acquisition of WWE.

“And then that other f*cking idiot gets up there and goes ‘now that the WWE deal is done, who would you like to hit with a chair?'” White exclaimed. “You, motherf*cker! That’s who. Shut the f*ck up.”

Of course, White wouldn’t be in this position if the UFC didn’t covet the following that fringe media personalities like The Schmo and the NELK Boys/Full Send MMA bring with them. Not to mention, any number of serious sportswriters won’t touch the UFC with a ten foot pole because of White’s longstanding animosity towards the media.

The UFC President isn’t entirely wrong about the steel chair question. It was dumb. But press conference questions often are— they’re generally lighter affairs than the media days which come 24 hours or so earlier.

Perhaps the most embarrassing aspect of White’s latest tirade, however, was seeing Pat McAfee and AJ Hawk laughing along like a pair of complete chuckleheads, not even considering asking White any pressing questions, like why he thinks journalists shouldn’t ask about altercations between fighters that potentially threaten events. After all, imagine the fallout had Masvidal been injured in one of the two Holland confrontations last week, and been forced out of his fight with Gilbert Burns.

Dana White looking ripped ahead of UFC 287

Good thing he isn’t being tested by USADA, right? We’re in peak TRT-era Vitor form here.

Ok Kevin Boda, sign me up 🔥 pic.twitter.com/dFcY0V0zjy

— Amy Kaplan (@PhotoAmy33) April 8, 2023

Sam Hughes reveals boyfriend bet $1000 on her at UFC 287

As if the UFC didn’t have enough gambling headaches, UFC 287 strawweight winner Sam Hughes admitted following her fight that her boyfriend had bet $1000 on her to win against LFA champ Jaqueline Amorim.

Sam Hughes says her boyfriend bet $1,000 on her to win and she wants "all of it" 😁 #UFC287 pic.twitter.com/XaaUGtYyO0

— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) April 8, 2023

Hughes may get a pass because her significant other didn’t initially tell her of the bet. Still, the UFC changed its gambling policy earlier this year, forbidding fighters, their teammates, coaches, trainers, managers, “and other individuals affiliated with the athletes or UFC” from betting on UFC events. Fighters are expected to report any integrity concerns to the promotion, under the new policy.

The alterations to the official policy came in the wake of the James Krause betting scandal. Krause, who ran a betting-themed Discord channel, allegedly placed bets on behalf of gamblers with an off-shore sportsbook, and had publicly claimed to make more money off gambling than fighting or anything else.

That comment has come back to haunt him, after betting irregularities were uncovered in connection with the November 5, 2022 fight between Shayilan Nuerdanbieke and Darrick Minner, the latter a Krause-affiliated athlete. Krause, Minner, and Jeff Molina, another betting enthusiast who was involved in Krause’s Discord, remain under suspension while the NSAC and other bodies investigate.

The post Sunday MMA Quick Hits: White Rips Media for Presser Questions, XMMA 6 Cancellation appeared first on Cageside Press.

Now a six-fight veteran of the UFC, Hughes was an Invicta FC veteran who had seen a two-fight win streak snapped in her last outing, against Piera Rodriguez.

Amorim, meanwhile, was undefeated, and a bonafide threat on the ground.

To open up the fight it was Amorim throwing volume on the outside. A few times Amorim landed her looping right hand. Hughes was walking forward but not throwing anything. Instead, she ended up walking right into a takedown from Amorim.

While that could have been dicey, Amorim was too aggressive on the back, and she lost position and let Hughes back up. Staying on the bone Amorim kept on the high crotch takedown and got the fight back down. Amorim that time got her hooks in and put in a deep rear-naked choke. Somehow Hughes escaped and got to her feet but with Amorim still on her back. Against Amorim locked in the rear-naked choke and Hughes fell back to the mat. Again Hughes was toughing it out and she survived the round. Amorim did land another right hand right at the bell.

Sam Hughes REFUSES to tap!! 😳 #UFC287 pic.twitter.com/l30pyoYsrq

— UFC (@ufc) April 8, 2023

In round two, Huges came forward with pressure and was forcing Amorim to pull guard. Amorim was able to pull guard and pull Hughes in her guard. It didn’t work out for Amorim as she held the body triangle until Hughes got right back up. Amorim was definitely gassed as she kept shooting too far out and then pulling guard. Even when Amorim was getting Hughes in her guard she wasn’t doing anything. Amorim did go for a heel hook at the end of the round but Hughes had everything scouted.

In the final round, things started with forward pressure from Hughes. Every time they would clash Amorim would just fall to her back. Hughes was happy to be in guard as she was doing all the offensive work. Hughes hung around in the guard for a large amount of time landing some good ground and pound. Amorim was let back up but just crumbled back down with Hughes came forward.

On the scorecards, it was Hughes taking the second and third round — zero surprise. Hughes rained all over the parade that was Amorim’s UFC debut, taking her undefeated record in the process.

Official Result: Sam Hughes def. Jaqueline Amorim by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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Jaqueline “Jacque” Amorim
Standing at five-foot-five
Fighting at 115 lbs (strawweight)
27-years-old
Fighting out of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
Training out of American Top Team
A pro record of 6-0
1 KO/TKO, 5 Submissions

How Amorim will fare in the UFC

Amorim has only been competing in MMA for a little over two years. Before that, she was a highly touted jiu-jitsu practitioner. Some of her accomplishments in BJJ are being IBJJF World Champion, IBJJF World No-Gi Champion, CBJJ Brasil Champion, and more. She burst onto the LFA scene in 2021, starting off with a first-round submission and then a 10-second knockout. Amorim was then awarded a title shot against a really dangerous Loveth Young. Not dangerous enough as Amorim submitted her in round one. Last September she defended her title and is now in the UFC.

Amorim has looked darn good but there are a lot of questions. What if she can’t get the fight to the ground? Yes, she has a knockout win but that was before the fight even got started. How will she look if she can’t find the finish in the first round? Amorim has never fought outside the first round so her cardio is in question. How will Amorim deal with adversity? Amorim has never been dropped or taken down. Of what I’ve seen she’s never really been hit clean. How will Amorim adapt in the fight once the game plan isn’t working out? So far, Amorim has been in full control in all her fights and everything has gone perfectly for her.

I can’t say much about her striking but her jiu-jitsu is excellent. However, even her wrestling is a big question. From the takedowns I’ve seen her takedown entrances are telegraphed. She’s good once she closes the distance but I worry about how she closes the distance. Grappling she’s at her best. Amorim has five submission wins and four of those come by different subs. She’s finished with an armbar twice, arm-triangle, kneebar, and a rear-naked choke. So, Amorim is diverse on the mat.

I do like the signing but it couldn’t have hurt to see a little more of her before bringing her into the UFC. Hard to tell her ceiling when there are so many unknowns. I would imagine she will be good but don’t know how good.

How Amorin and Hughes match up:

Hughes is tough for Amorim on the feet but she has shown over her UFC run that her takedown defense isn’t great. Of the six UFC fights Hughes had she’s been taken down twelve times. I’m not sure Amorim’s wrestling is as good but I do know she’s the best jiu-jitsu player Hughes has fought. I can’t be confident but I think it would it just one takedown from Amorim to get the job done. I’m picking Jaqueline Amorim because I can’t trust the TDD of Hughes. Not confident though.

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