Tim Sylvia wins SlapFIGHT Championship Debut

We’ve barely spared more than a dozen sentences on the whole slapfighting scene, because 1) it’s not MMA and 2) well, it’s kind of dumb. Slapfighting blew up thanks to viral social media clips, but watching a full event is tedious at best.

That said, it was only a matter of time before a mixed martial arts notable or two made the jump to the sport. Tim Sylvia, former UFC heavyweight champion, is among the first — which raised eyebrows, given Sylvia’s MMA career came to a close when he failed to get medical clearance for a scheduled fight that saw him weigh in north of 370lbs.

That was in 2015; Sylvia ended his MMA run with a 31-10 record, having fought for the UFC, ONE Championship, and other promotions. Now, at 47, “The Maine-iac” has notched his first win in slapfighting, KO’ing an opponent announced only as “The Bouncer.”

Sylvia appears to have avoided any serious damage, though his lesser-known opponent didn’t get off so easily. Hopefully both were well paid for this spectacle, which had another UFC legend, Mark Coleman, catching bodies — quite literally, as he was on hand to break the fall of any athlete unlucky enough to be knocked down/out.

Juan Espino announces his retirement

The Ultimate Fighter 28 heavyweight winner Juan Espino will always be something of a “what if” when it comes to MMA. Injury, inactivity, and age kept “El Guapo” from progressing the way many had hoped.

Last week, the Spanish heavyweight announced his retirement at age 42. He broke into the UFC in 2018, winning TUF 28, but would only compete twice, going 1-1 following the Ultimate Fighter finale. His last action was in 2021, where he was defeated by Alexander “Kong” Romanov.

A world-champion grappler, Espino cited injuries in his decision to hang up the gloves.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CrTl7XkoOqJ/

Lightning-Quick KO, BKFC 41 Edition

Seven seconds is all it took on the BKFC 41 prelims, but that wasn’t the only quick KO on Saturday.

Tyler Winemiller needs ONLY 7 SECONDS in the first to put away Matthew Maestas! WHAT A FINISH!#BKFC41 is LIVE on #FITE pic.twitter.com/eEacetXac5

— TrillerTV (@Triller_TV) April 30, 2023

Lightning-Quick KO, RIZIN Landmark 5 Edition

Twenty-seven seconds for this beauty from RIZIN Landmark 5, with Shinobu Ota catching opponent Kazuma Kuramoto with his chin up.

27 SECONDS!

Shinobu Ota absolutely floors Kazuma Kuramoto with a clean right hand on the break!

[ #RIZIN_LANDMARK5 | @FiteTV
| Watch the PPV here: https://t.co/0fE6L8rbwg ] pic.twitter.com/vuqEF9DpA7

— RIZIN.tv (@RIZINTV_) April 29, 2023

Chris Weidman “Definitely” Fighting Again, Per Ray Longo

Coach Ray Longo says Chris Weidman will fight again.

Weidman hasn’t been seen since snapping his leg in a fight with Uriah Hall in 2021. The scene was eerily reminiscent of the legendary Anderson Silva breaking his own leg in a fight with Weidman years before; like “The Spider,” Weidman has remained focused on fighting again despite the severe break.

Now, Longo, a longtime coach of the former champ, has given an update on his progress.

“He’s definitely fighting again,” Longo revealed to MMA Junkie Radio recently. “I’m going to say that’s 100 percent and in the gym, he had guys that he was training with – I was at a fight, Ring of Combat, maybe a couple of months ago, and his guys were in the dressing room telling me the guy’s an animal. He’s just dropping people in the gym and that leg is stronger than it ever was. I just asked Chris and he said he’s kicking like a mule with it, which is insanity to me. So he sounds great. He’s still a major problem in the room.”

Weidman has targeted July for a potential return to action.

The post Sunday MMA Quick Hits: Sylvia Returns, Weidman “Definitely” Coming Back appeared first on Cageside Press.

Coker Expects Cris Cyborg to Return to Bellator MMA

While negotiations are ongoing, Bellator CEO Scott Coker expects Cris Cyborg to return to the fold, where she reigns as women’s featherweight champ. That despite what Cat Zingano has said about her fight with Leah McCourt at Friday’s Bellator 293 originally being for a title.

“I’m not sure what Cat heard because I didn’t talk to her directly, but from the company’s standpoint this was always a three-round elimination fight for the No. 1 contender spot,” Coker told media outlets including Cageside Press backstage at the Pechanga Resort and Casino. “Cris Cyborg is still the current champion, we still have her under contract right now. We have her under a matching rights provision, we are negotiating with her, and we expect to bring her back at some point this year.”

“Now, it’s going to be a great fight. Hopefully we’ll put this together with Cris in the next couple of weeks and her and Cat can work on a big fight for the two of them to fight for Cris’ belt. Somewhere along the line between my fight team and Ed Soares and the dialogue, I told them, ‘I don’t know where this got lost,’ but from our perspective it’s always been a three-round elimination fight.”

Zingano doubled down later in the night, saying both herself and McCourt had initially been presented a title fight.

Jose Aldo Says Francis Ngannou “Shot Himself in the Foot” by Choosing Boxing Over UFC

Former UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo is not a fan of Francis Ngannou choosing boxing over MMA.

Aldo, who took part in Gamebred Boxing 4 on Saturday, gave his take on the Ngannou-UFC negotiations (which eventually failed) ahead of his bout with Jeremy Stephens.

“With all humbleness, I think Ngannou shot himself in the foot,” said Aldo during a recent episode of the Trocação Franca podcast (h/t MMA Fighting). “He had everything to sign a great contract, the biggest in heavyweight, but this desire to be a boxing champion or to fight in boxing… People see the top of the boxing pyramid getting paid big numbers but forget that the lower part is paid so little. I think the UFC has bigger salaries than boxing.”

Bigger salaries than boxing? Certainly not at the highest level. But lower level UFC fighters, and mid-carders, often do make more money than their boxing counter-parts — not that it excuses some seriously low pay for those entering the promotion.

“I see Ngannou tripping about a fight with Tyson Fury, a champion, who heavyweights aim at but don’t come anywhere near. It’s like saying I wanna play soccer because they get paid million but forget only five percent gets paid millions, the rest make way below that,” Aldo continued. “People say that the UFC doesn’t pay that well, but it does. That’s why it’s the biggest organization. You can make money like [big] boxers can. Conor [McGregor], Ronda Rousey. People say women don’t make money and she’s made it, right?”

Tim Sylvia Signs with Slap Fighting Promotion

Eight years after being forced to retire from MMA after taking too much damage (discovered at least in part by an abnormal MRI), Tim Sylvia has decided to sign on with a Slap Fighting promotion.

At least it isn’t Dana White’s Power Slap. It is still, however, a very bad idea. Sylvia is expected to compete for SlapFight Championship on April 22.

His last attempt at fighting in MMA saw Sylvia weigh in at 371lbs for a super-heavyweight fight that was ultimately cancelled due to the aforementioned MRI.

An MRI result led Tim Sylvia to retire from MMA, because of the dangers of further damage. This is beyond a bad idea. Can @SlapFIGHTUSA confirm he'll be getting an up-to-date MRI clearing him?

re his retirement: https://t.co/m9u1ukN3fy https://t.co/hSNe9pVloM

— Jay Anders🍁n 🇨🇦 (@CageSideJay) March 30, 2023

RIZIN April Fool’s Joke Gives Us An Idea

RIZIN chief Nobuyuki Sakakibara stepping into the ring? April fools! However, a promoter fight (or promoter vs. promoter) sounds fun. Dana vs. Chatri? Coker vs. Sakakibara?

Just maybe leave Ray Sefo out of it, in the spirit of fairness. He probably smokes all of them in a round.

◤◢◤⚠️⚠️対戦決定⚠️⚠️◢◤◢

"地獄のプロモーター"と"ムエタイ最強の男"が激突🔥

🇯🇵榊󠄀原信行 @nobu_sakakibara
🆚
🇹🇭ブアカーオ#RIZIN
📅：4.1(土)
🏟：丸善インテックアリーナ大阪 pic.twitter.com/tGvv7K6sXo

— RIZIN FF OFFICIAL (@rizin_PR) April 1, 2023

The post Sunday MMA Quick Hits: Coker Expects Cyborg Back, Aldo Criticizes Ngannou appeared first on Cageside Press.

UFC 48 was the location of one of the more gruesome injuries in the early 2000’s in MMA. During the heavyweight championship fight between champion Tim Sylvia and an up-and-coming Frank Mir, Mir locked in an arm-bar that broke Sylvia’s arm. You can see the actual pop in Sylvia’s arm once the submission was locked in, and it resulted in multiple arm fractures for the champion. And a TKO win for the challenging Mir. That night over 16 years ago Sylvia lost his belt, and today he is still having issues with his arm.

Earlier this week the former champion took to social media to show the current state of the arm that Mir broke, and how gruesome it looks. The initial surgery years ago was paid by the UFC, however, the screws from the original surgery have begun to protrude out of his arm. Sylvia supposedly contacted the UFC to see if they could help with any financial assistance, which they subsequently refused.

On Sylvia’s Instagram post he wrote: “The screws are backing out from my arm break when I fought Frank Mir.” He went on to add “My doctor contacted the UFC ‘cause it was paid for by them the first time. Sort of under workman’s comp. The UFC says it’s not their problem and will not cover it. I don’t have insurance and it’s going to cost well over $10,000 to get fixed. Any thoughts on what I should do?”

Sylvia’s fiance started a GoFundMe for the former champion, and in the days it has been up it has raised over $10,000 dollars for the man who once reigned over the UFC’s heavyweight division. Normally the UFC covers fighter insurance for any injuries taken place during the actual fight, however, it’s unclear how long this runs for. However there have been occasions previously where the UFC would take care of fighter injuries far after the fact. Tim Sylvia isn’t as lucky, apparently.

Sylvia has long since been retired, last fighting in October 2013. The former two-time UFC heavyweight champion also fought under the Affliction, and ONE Championship banner most notably. He finished his career with a record of 31-10 (1 NC).

The post Promotion Refusing To Pay For Injury Tim Sylvia Suffered At UFC 48 appeared first on Cageside Press.

While the UFC has been around since 1993, it took nearly 13 years (and 69 events) for the promotion to make their first trip to Southern California. They then stuck around for a while, and held back-to-back pay-per-views in Anaheim and Los Angeles respectively in the spring of 2006. Now, a trip or two is expected each year.

There’s been 12 total UFC events in So Cal: seven in Anaheim, four in Los Angeles, and one in Inglewood. There’s even been a canceled event, UFC 176, which was scrapped in August of 2014 due to an injury to Jose Aldo.

The promotion has not only made Southern California, but the entirety of the golden state, a regular stop in their yearly event calendar. But, it all started with a PPV double-dip in Anaheim and Los Angeles more than a decade ago. We’re headed back again this weekend for UFC 227. Featuring a couple of top-notch title-fights, the UFC is once again showing their appreciation for their Southern California fans.

As we look forward to another fun weekend of MMA in LA, we decided to take a look back at some of the most memorable moments from the UFC’s trips to So Cal. Regardless of the specific location, the promotion has had created some incredible memories for fans and fighters alike.

UFC goes to California

The first time is always memorable. For UFC 59: Reality Check in Anaheim, the promotion made sure to bring some names nobody would forget. Featuring Nick Diaz-Sean Sherk, Tito Ortiz-Forrest Griffin, and Andrei Arlovski defending his heavyweight title, the card was made for the bright lights of Southern California.

The spotlight, though, would be stolen by title-challenger Tim Sylvia. A high point in one of the most interesting careers in the promotion’s history, UFC 59 saw Sylvia re-claim his heavyweight crown nearly three years after he was stripped of the title.

The second of four fights between Sylvia and Arlovski, and the first of back-to-back title bouts against each other, saw Sylvia once again become the heavyweight champion with a first-round TKO. Sylvia would win the rematch with Arlovski at UFC 61 a few months later, too.

The event was a commercial success, hitting an estimated 425,000 PPV buys. It was a record for the company, which was just about to hit their stride. Even today the promotion would gladly take a buyrate of that size. Thanks to a quality, sold-out event at the Arrowhead Pond, and impressive PPV numbers, the UFC’s relationship with Southern California got off to the perfect start.

Bisping Finally Becomes Middleweight Champion

It took more than 12 years, 36 fights, and a short-notice opportunity, but Michael Bisping did it. At UFC 199, filling in for Chris Weidman a few months after defeating Anderson Silva in London, Bisping became the middleweight champion at The Forum in Inglewood.

An event that was overshadowed by injuries, and UFC 200 coming up the following month, UFC 199 wasn’t highly touted come fight night. By the end of the night, we’d seen impressive victories from Brian Ortega, Max Holloway, Dustin Poirier, Dan Henderson, and more. But it was Bisping’s first-round KO of Luke Rockhold that would have everyone talking.

The winner of The Ultimate Fighter 3, Bisping is a UFC OG by anyone’s standard. Showing up on short-notice, out of shape, and defeating a guy who he’d already lost to highlighted the reason so many fans love the Brit. Now retired, Bisping has plenty of wins under his belt, and some losses too. At UFC 199, none of that mattered. He was the champ, and there wasn’t a damn thing anyone could do about it.

Rousey’s Debut (and more)

Ronda Rousey joining the promotion was a big deal. Her UFC career may have ended on a sour note, but it began with a bang. Defendig her belt for the first time in Anaheim at the Honda Center in February of 2013, Rousey wouldn’t disappoint. She’d headlined two Strikeforce cards already in her career, but this was an obvious step into the mainstream spotlight.

Having the first-ever women’s fight in the UFC main event a PPV was great, especially given Dana White’s past comments. But the potential for a disaster was there. Fortunately for White, Rousey, and the rest of us, Liz Carmouche was game. For a while. It took nearly the entirety of the first round, and some strong-willed choke defense, but Rousey was eventually able to secure her signature armbar with 11 seconds remaining in the opening frame.

The first of several UFC highlights for Rousey happened before a raucous crowd at the Honda Center. She’d return to Southern California for UFC 184 a few years later to face Cat Zingano in Los Angeles at the Staples Center. All Rousey did that night was earn the fastest victory of her career, submitting Zingano via armbar after just 14 seconds.

She may have only fought twice in So Cal in her career, but it’s hard to have two better performances than Rousey’s. Her impact on the sport can’t be understated, and Southern California has had a front seat for a couple of the biggest moments of Rousey’s career.

Welcome to Network Television

The UFC making it on to network television was one of the biggest moments in the history of the promotion. We may take Fox cards for granted now, but back in November of 2011, MMA on network TV was a treat. The promotion made sure to make the most of it, holding the event in Anaheim and putting two of the best heavyweights in UFC history in the main event. Oh, and it was for the title.

Anytime Cain Velasquez or Junior dos Santos are mentioned, the other is eventually brought up as well. Their trilogy of fights is stuff of MMA legend, and the first bout set the tone. The Brazilian dos Santos gave Velasquez the first loss of his career in decisive fashion, knocking out the Mexican about a minute into the first round.

Utilizing their time on “Big Fox” as best they could, the promotion knew they needed great fighters and a great arena. As we’ve seen, pitting quality opponents against each other in Southern California is as good a recipe as the promotion could hope for. The deal with Fox may be on it’s last legs, as the UFC heads to ESPN, but we’ll never forget the promotion’s network television debut.

Setting Records with a Couple of Legends

Remember that PPV buyrate record we mentioned ealier from UFC 59? That record lasted for exactly one event, as it would be broken the very next month by UFC 60. The reason? The fighters in the main event. Featuring two of MMA’s biggest legends, UFC 60 brought us the first clash between Matt Hughes and Royce Gracie. It was Gracie’s first bout in the United States since UFC 5, more than a decade earlier.

Drawing 620,000 buys on pay-per-view, there’s no way to call the event anything but a success. The five-fight main card saw three submission finishes, while Hughes cemented his place on the Mount Rushmore of MMA in front of nearly 15,000 people at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Even though the Hughes-Gracie bout was at a catchweight 175-pounds, and not for a title, matchups like this are exactly why the promotion was created. Hughes would go on to defeat Royce’s legendary cousin Renzo Gracie at UFC 112, earning a third-round TKO win. But it’s his matchup with Royce that goes down as one of the first “super-fights” in UFC history.

Honorable Mentions

Apart from these memorable moments, some great title matchups have taken place is Southern California. Matt Hughes-BJ Penn 2 was in Los Angeles headlining UFC 63. Then, at UFC 121 in Anaheim, Cain Velasquez took the heavyweight belt from Brock Lesnar. And we haven’t forgotten about Jon Jones’ third-round knock-out of Daniel Cormeir at UFC 214 last summer, either. The promotion loves big fights in So Cal, and more often than not, the events have delivered in impressive fashion.

We’ve been treated to plenty of great UFC moments in Southern California. Let’s hope for a few more this weekend at UFC 227. Let us know what your favorite moments from the promotion’s trips to Los Angeles are, and if we missed any! Comment below, on Facebook, or reply on Twitter!

The post UFC in Los Angeles: Five Memorable Southern California Moments appeared first on Cageside Press.