UFC Fight Night 121 wasn’t a bad card, nor was it a contender for sleeper of the year or anything close. Paling in comparison to UFC 217 and UFC Norfolk, UFC Sydney was exactly what it appeared to be on paper. That’s a middle-of-the-road card lacking star power, that as expected produced at least a couple of exciting fights. That made picking the bonuses winners a fairly easy task, and it was no surprise that Tai Tuivasa was among them.

The Australian heavyweight sent shockwaves through the division (and frankly the arena) when he landed a flying knee on Rashad Coulter in their preliminary card bout. Big even by big man standards, Tuivasa first kicked Coulter’s legs out from under him. Then he caught him with the knee as Coulter was on his way up. A flying knee in the Bellator debut of Tywan Claxton? Sure. From a guy walking around at 250lbs or more? There’s something you don’t see every day.

WOW!!! @BamBamTuivasa delivers a spectacular KO at #UFCSydney! pic.twitter.com/ZEiG18wAbt

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) November 19, 2017

The knee was easily enough to earn Tuivasa a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.

Not surprisingly, Fight of the Night went to Frank Camacho and Damien Brown, whose three-round stand-up war was bloody, and bloody good. With the crowd on its feet and both men swinging to the bell, there was never any question that their scrap would be a contender for Fight of the Night. Ultimately, no one else really came close.

The final Performance of the Night bonus was perhaps the only question mark of the bunch. With a couple of fights to choose from (Ryan Benoit’s head kick finish of Ashkan Mokhtarian being the other), the UFC opted to award Nik Lentz for his come-from-behind submission of ‘Ill’ Will Brooks.

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TUF: Nations winner Elias Theodoreau came into UFC Fight Night 121 off a loss to Brad Tavares that snapped a two-fight winning streak. Looking to get back on track down under, he was set to face off against Dad Bod God Dan Kelly. Kelly was also stepping back into the cage after a loss, in his case to Derek Brunson. That loss was suffered in New Zealand, and saw Kelly’s feel-good four-fight win streak come to an end.

Kelly, like Theodoreau, appeared on 2014’s The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia. However, the pair never shared the cage during their time on the show.

Who would return to the win column at UFC Sydney?

The Canadian went right after the lead leg of Dan Kelly with kicks early. He would mix up the levels of his kicks, but get caught with a short punch off of one about ninety seconds in. Kelly would pepper Theordoreau with punches following that, but the Canadian recovered and nearly took Kelly’s leg out from under him. The active first round saw Theodoreau continue the kicking attack from all angles, and fight his way out of any clinch that arose with Kelly, keeping the Australian at range.

The kick-heavy attack continued for Elias Theodoreau in round two, while Kelly’s best moments came from dirty boxing in the clinch. Kelly would finally get the crowd fired up with a trip with just under two minutes gone from the round, but Theodoreau was quickly back to his feet. A low blow landed on Kelly briefly paused the action; back underway, the Canadian continued to chop away at Kelly like a lumberjack. Kelly would land a solid uppercut off a clinch, but Theodoreau would then land three unanswered head kicks, which appeared only partially blocked in some cases. Another head kick by Elias Theodoreau would graze Kelly towards the end of the round, taking the middleweights to a third and final frame.

The big question heading into round three would become conditioning, as Theodoreau appeared to be tiring. The Canadian launched several hard kicks at the bandaged lead leg of Kelly, who was visibly limping early in the round. Kelly would manage to clip his opponent, but Theordoreau clearly had him wounded. Kelly would then manage to take Theordoreau down and take the back, sinking in  rear-naked choke. The Canadian would control the wrist of Kelly and give the thumbs up to the ref, fighting the choke off and winding up on top. Kelly worked back to his feet; that was the closest the bout had come to a finish. With half a round remaining, could Kelly come close again? In the end, he would not, as Theodoreau continued chopping away at the Australian right up to the buzzer. Head kicks, leg kicks, and kicks to the midsection were just too much for Kelly to overcome.

Elias Theodoreau def. Dan Kelly by unanimous decision (30-28, 30-27, 30-26)

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The UFC returned to Sydney, Australia on Saturday, and brought with it a card that saw its main event lost to the bizarre Mark Hunt situation. That having been said, the promotion had found a serviceable replacement for Hunt in former heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum. That made the headliner of UFC Sydney passable — but the rest of the card came off a little thin, at least on paper.

Still, if history is any lesson, cards weak on paper often turn out to produce some of the best action. Would that be the case with UFC Sydney? The show opened up with a trio of fights on UFC Fight Pass, with the odds suggesting that at least a couple would produce.

In the featured preliminary fight, Australian Alex Chambers took on Nadia Kassem at a catchweight of 120lbs. Chambers entered the night 1-2 in the UFC, and desperately wanted back in the win column.

Opening the UFC Fight Pass Preliminary card was a heavyweight showdown between Anthony Hamilton and Adam Wieczorek that had been set for UFC Gdansk until soccer (sorry, football) hooligans forced the bout to be moved from its original date. Seriously.

Also on the UFC Sydney early prelims, flyweights Jenel Lausa and Eric Shelton would battle it out.

Check back come fight time for results and a full recap of the night’s action!

Anthony Hamilton vs. Adam Wieczorek

Hamilton vs. Wieczorek finally got underway at UFC Sydney after being dropped from the UFC Gdansk card. Hamilton went on the offensive early, pushing the action and pressing his opponent against the fence. He’d secure the takedown just under a minute in, and immediately went to half-guard. That allowed him to land some big body shots, softening up Wieczorek. Hamilton then moved to side control, but was back in half-guard moments later. Wieczorek stayed busy off his back, and Hamilton seemed to think about letting him up before changing his mind and moving back in. Hamilton then looked to pin an arm, trying to create space, but Wieczorek continued to stay active, and Hamilton finally did choose to let him up. The Polish fighter would look to get his jab going, but Hamilton showed heavier hands, and had a clear edge in round one.

Adam Wieczorek held the center of the cage and looked to establish range to start the second. He then went upstairs with a headkick; that grazed Hamilton and knocked him down. Wieczorek moved into half-guard, and looked to pull his leg free to gain mount. Hamilton clamped down on Wieczorek’s leg with his own, trapping it, while the Polish fighter pressed down on Hamilton’s mouth then dropped a couple elbows. Hamilton would, however, manage to escape, and get back to his feet off a scramble. Neither man was able to do much standing up, but Hamilton would land a trip with just under a minute left in the round.

Anthony Hamilton looked to pick up the pace in the third, letting his hands fly then pressing Wieczorek against the cage once more. Underhooks in, he threw some knees to the body and thighs of his opponent. Wieczorek landed a knee to the body of his own off the break, and they moved back to the middle of the octagon. Hamilton would control the action, get the better of the exchanges, and continue to work for takedowns. While Wieczorek would stuff the takedown attempts and stay standing, he was losing the battle for control. They’d go to the buzzer, with Wieczorek getting the nod from the judges. Not a robbery, but that fight could have gone either way.

Adam Wieczorek def. Anthony Hamilton by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Jenel Lausa vs. Eric Shelton

Lause vs. Shelton saw the flyweights feeling each other out early, with Lausa launching a head kick just after the round got underway. He’d later scoop up Shelton for a big takedown, dropping him on his back and landing in guard. Shelton kept his feet on Lausa’s hips to create space, but Lausa was able stay heavy, preventing any escape. Shelton would threaten with a kimura which allowed him room to get back up; he’d nearly take the back then take Lausa down. That wouldn’t last long, but just before the end of the first Shelton would score another explosive takedown that may have made the difference on the scorecards.

A crisp overhand right found a home early for Lausa in round two, while Shelton flashed a few level changes to keep his opponent on his toes. A surprisingly quick takedown saw Shelton briefly get Lausa down, but that would last mere seconds. Lausa looked for a kimura, but that allowed Shelton to mount then take the back. He’d find himself in mount dropping some big elbows moments later, that was followed by a scramble, but eventually Shelton was back on top. Even from guard he was able to add some hard punches to the head of Lausa.

Round three saw Shelton come out and immediately go on the offensive. Likely down two rounds, Lausa needed to make something happen in the third. Instead, it was Shelton in control, landing the takedown and assaulting Lausa with elbows. Shelton would stay busy — and on top — until the final few seconds, when he allowed Lausa back up. Shelton would then drop his opponent, and launch a flying knee, putting the icing on the cake just before the buzzer.

Eric Shelton def. Jenel Lausa by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-25)

Alex Chambers vs. Nadia Kassem

Nadia Kassem was making her UFC debut against a fellow Australian in 39-year old Alex Chambers. Chambers held the center of the cage early, while both fighters opened fire. Chambers would repeatedly try to catch a Kassem kick, and look to take the fight to the canvas. While that was stuffed, she’d use her left hook to set up a single leg, eventually finishing it. Chambers then went to work from half-guard, landing some punches to the body. Kassem would defend via an inverted heel hook. Chambers, focusing on freeing her leg, then ate some punches to the head from the sitting Kassem. Once free, however, Chambers would look to land some ground and pound. She’d finish the round dropping elbows.

A scramble led to a takedown early for Alex Chambers in round two, but she would take some damage on the way in. Kassem was not grounded for long, and back up, it was Kassem who would land a big knee, then throw a hard kick that was caught by Chambers. They’d battle in the clinch; out in the open, Kassem was showing she was no slouch in the striking department, but Chambers continued to catch her kicks. Kassem was planted on her back off one of those, but locked in a triangle, and worked to transition to an arm-bar. Kassem held onto the triangle while wrenching on Chambers’ arm; Chambers was forced to step over to escape harm, then had to step over again, rolling through the submission attempt. She ate a number of hard shots for her troubles, and Kassem proved she was a serious threat off her back in the second.

Kassem opened the third round with a knee to the body, while Chambers looked to pick her spots. Kassem then threw her arms up, working the crowd and inviting Chambers in. Chambers would answer with a double leg takedown, finding herself in Kassem’s closed guard. Kassem would look for another triangle, but this time, Chambers was quickly out of it. She’d stand up and work the legs of Kassem, but after re-engaging, it was Kassem who would threaten with a leg lock. Kassem then managed to land a number of punches from the top and look for an inverted triangle moments later; they’d then work their way back up. Kassem would land a huge head kick, and follow it up with a knee in the final half minute! Another knee and another high kick followed. Chambers continued to press forward in response, but was getting beat up for her troubles. The bell would sound; what would the scorecards say?

Nadia Kassem def. Alex Chambers by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)

UFC Fight Night 121: Werdum vs. Tybura Fight Pass Preliminary Results:

Adam Wieczorek def. Anthony Hamilton by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Eric Shelton def. Jenel Lausa by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-25)
Nadia Kassem def. Alex Chambers by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)

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It’s safe to say that the UFC Sydney card coming up this weekend has mostly flown under the radar. Overshadowed by the recent UFC 217 and UFC Norfolk cards, which were stacked, UFC Fight Night 121 is more of a middling card at best. While it’s never good to judge a card before it plays out, there certainly wasn’t much buzz heading into Sunday’s event. Until headliner Fabricio Werdum threw a boomerang at Colby Covington.

Now, UFC Sydney has buzz, for all the wrong reasons.

In Sydney Wednesday ahead of the event, Werdum (who replaced Mark Hunt in the main even against Marcin Tybura) and Covington (there in a promotional capacity) got into an altercation outside their hotel. Covington, who called Brazilians “filthy animals” following his win over Demian Maia at UFC Fight Night 119, made some off-colour remarks to the Brazilian ex-heavyweight champ, according to Werdum. That led to Werdum losing his cool, something he has become infamous for. Werdum, apparently unaware that it would be the most stereotypical assault possible on Australian soil, then threw a boomerang at Covington, hitting him.

Covington alleged he was also punched.

Werdum told his side of the story to UOL Online (translation via MMA Fighting):

I went down with my master to get a haircut and shave my beard. We were at the lobby, and I’ve never seen this guy before. When I walked past him, he looked at me and said ‘filthy Brazilians’. I looked at him and said ‘hey.’ I hit his phone and asked ‘what did you say?’ He kicked my leg, but I managed to defend it, so the guys got in the middle and nothing else happened. But he kicked me, he’s insolent. He could have hurt me.

If I really had (punched) him in the face he would be in the hospital. For sure. There was no punch. He’s delusional. I don’t know why he insists in talking about Brazilians. I don’t get it. He wants media, wants to copy Conor McGregor. He looks ridiculous the way he does it. I couldn’t believe when he said that. I hit his phone and he took a step back and kicked me. We started to argue and he continue to scream that Brazilians were animals.

Not surprisingly, Werdum makes no mention of throwing the boomerang. However, UFC fighter Dan Hooker caught part of the confrontation on video. Covington also posted his own video, which showed an earlier part of the confrontation, prior to the boomerang incident. Covington can be heard using a gay slur on the video, and accusing Werdum of hitting him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nu_m3G3jjig

@FabricioWerdum attacks @ColbyCovMMA with a boomerang outside the hotel for UFC Sydney! 😵 pic.twitter.com/MCadJmCaXu

— Dan Hangman Hooker (@danthehangman) November 16, 2017

It will be interesting to see what sort of punishment the UFC doles out for the incident. Covignton has continued with the anti-Brazil rhetoric since his appearance in the country. While he might be trying to take on the role of a heel, it’s clear the UFC’s Brazilian’s contingent don’t take kindly to their country being singled out. That said, Werdum is now a repeat offender, and seems incapable of controlling his anger when goaded. That’s a bad look for a former champion who should be leading by example.

In a statement released after the incident, the UFC said that “UFC was made aware of the altercation between Fabricio Werdum and Colby Covington at the organization’s host hotel in Sydney, Australia. The organization will conduct a full investigation to determine if the Athlete Conduct Policy was violated before taking any further action on this matter.”

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A little background: Mark Hunt, the popular former kickboxer turned comeback success story in the UFC, recently published an article (attributed to him, but that he would later refer to as an “interview”) for Australia’s Player’s Voice. In it, Hunt speaks of slurred speech and memory problems. He talks about dying fighting. It’s heavy stuff.

A little sample:

Sometimes I don’t sleep well. You can hear me starting to stutter and slur my words. My memory is not that good anymore. I’ll forget something I did yesterday but I can remember the shit I did years and years ago. That’s just the price I’ve paid – the price of being a fighter. But I’ve fought a lot of drug cheats and copped a lot of punishment from guys who were cheating and that’s not right.

Hunt was trying to make a point about performance enhancing drugs in the sport. He went on to say that he felt half his fights would be gone from his record if you removed the cheats he’s faced over the years. He might even have become champ.

In response to the article, the UFC pulled Hunt from the main event of next month’s UFC Sydney card.

Hunt would then lash out at the promotion, claiming on social media that his removal from UFC Fight Night 121 was more about his lawsuit against the UFC (over opponents on PEDs, and what the company knew) then about his health. He concluded by saying that “Dana, you’ve always hated me you dog.”

White addressed these comments while speaking to TMZ (via MMA Fighting) recently.

“Listen, sometimes you gotta protect these guys from themselves and that’s what we’re looking into right now. He made a statement that I’ve hated him forever,” White told the outlet. “I don’t hate Mark Hunt at all. I never hated Mark Hunt. He knows that. I was actually really good with Mark Hunt.”

The “protect these guys from themselves” line isn’t exactly new. It’s the same thinking that came about when White was nudging Chuck Liddell towards retirement. Liddell was given a cushy spot on the payroll with the UFC, which dried up when WME|IMG purchased the promotion last year. For Hunt, there’s no such opening to be had.

The UFC had to do something, and really, what else were they supposed to do? One of their most durable heavyweights, beloved by fans, was describing the early warning signs of CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy). CTE is pretty much the Freddy Krueger of the combat sports world (not to mention the NFL) — a thing of nightmares. While Hunt would later claim he was misquoted (which has yet to be confirmed one way or the other), the UFC had no choice but to act. Hunt went so far as to threaten the company with another lawsuit, but it would be by not acting that they’d open themselves up to legal liability.

As to Hunt’s claim the Dana White never liked him? Remember, there was a time when Hunt was 0-6 after his UFC debut, and the promotion was more than willing to pay him to go away. Stay home, put his feet up. He chose to keep fighting, and persevered. That won him legions of fans, but it’s worth noting that the UFC could easily have quashed that opportunity to keep fighting.

It didn’t, and he turned things around. Since then, Hunt has headlined or co-headlined UFC events eight times. Not exactly the actions of a company whose President is showing any sort of bias.

Hunt may fight again. Chances are he probably will, though whether it’s with the UFC remains to be seen. He’s still under contract, but this dispute may turn out to be the breaking point in an already fractured relationship. It’s a good time, however, for Hunt to think about what really matters: family and health, or to press on for a few more fights clinging to fading hopes of a late-career title run.

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In its statement, the UFC said that “Due to medical concerns, heavyweight contender Mark Hunt has been removed from his UFC Fight Night main event bout against Marcin Tybura on Nov. 19.” While it did not expand on the nature of those medical concerns, Hunt had recently contributed a story for Player’s Voice in which he said that “Sometimes I don’t sleep well. You can hear me starting to stutter and slur my words. My memory is not that good anymore.” The story was titled “If I Die Fighting, That’s Fine.”

Clearly, the UFC saw this story from one of its most popular, high profile athletes as cause for concern. Not surprisingly, they acted on it.

Hunt, however, was not happy with the decision. Replying to the promotion and in particular UFC President Dana White on social media, Hunt went on a tirade.

@danawhite u peice of s*** motherf***r why u f****s pull me from the fight u getting another lawsuit u f***wit u can kiss my a** u bald headed p***??????? u put that chicken s*** b*** in get f***ed c***sucker

Hunt took particular offense to being replaced by Werdum, a man he has previously sought a rematch with, calling him chicken in slightly more colorful words. Werdum defeated Hunt at UFC 180 to capture the UFC interim heavyweight championship, and would go on to defeat Cain Velasquez to secure the undisputed title.

Hunt would later add, again via social media, that he believed the reason for him being pulled from the card was his current lawsuit against the UFC, stemming from Brock Lesnar’s UFC 200 drug test failure. Lesnar originally secured a win over Hunt at the event that was later changed to a No Contest after failing a drug screening for two prohibited substances.

I spent hours the other day with the doctors I was cleared to fight the interview I did with players voice was misquoted I don’t slur my words and is a is a running joke between my wife and me my memory isn’t that great but who remembers shit they dont want to not good @ufc @danawhite

I’m disappointed that I have been withdrawn from the fight, I have passed all medicals 2 days ago. And spent 100,000 on camp. The truth is the legal case I have filed has caused me to be withdrawn. The interview has been taken out of context and want to reassure all my fans, I slur my words only when I have a drink I’m fit and healthy, and would have understood if the UFC requested a medical to ensure my safety, however this is total bullshit fuck you Dana, you’ve always hated me you dog

Hunt (13–11–1 (1)) last fought in June, defeating Derrick Lewis at UFC Fight Night 110 by TKO in the fourth round. Werdum (22–7–1), meanwhile, fought this past weekend at UFC 216, finishing short-notice replacement Walt Harris in just over a minute.

It’s interesting to see Hunt refer to the Player’s Voice article as an “interview” as he was quoted as author on the story. It’s also unclear why the UFC would pull Hunt from the card for any reason other than fighter safety, given they’d already booked and promoted the bout. In any case, Mark Hunt’s fighting future once again appears to be in limbo.

The post Mark Hunt Pulled from UFC Sydney, Blasts Dana White in Response appeared first on Cageside Press.

Rawlings (7–6) has lost two straight including the loss to Torres. Prior to the Torres fight, she suffered a highlight reel knockout via switch kick at the hands of Paige VanZant. The Australian native has spoken openly on social media of her struggles and desire to fight at flyweight in the past. She’ll now get just that opportunity at UFC Sydney, a.k.a. UFC Fight Night 121.

For Calderwood (11–3), it’s a return to 125lbs after she participated in the first ever UFC fight in the weight class. That fight, at UFC Ottawa a year ago, was a one-off until the promotion recently announced it would launch the division, with a champion being crowned at the finale of The Ultimate Fighter 26, the competitors on which will populate the women’s flyweight ranks. Since defeating Valerie Letourneau in Ottawa, Calderwood has fought twice at strawweight, losing both. She also missed weight her last time out against Cynthia Calvillo in Glasgow.

For both fighters, it’s a chance for a fresh start in a new weight class. UFC Fight Night 121 takes place November 18 (November 19 local time) at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. Heavyweights Mark Hunt and Marcin Tybura headline the card.

The post Bec Rawlings Joins Flyweight Ranks Against Joanne Calderwood at UFC Sydney appeared first on Cageside Press.

Hunt (13–11–1 (1)), who recently lashed out at the idea of a Brock Lesnar vs. Jon Jones superfight, and who has previously taken legal action against the UFC and Lesnar stemming from Lesnar’s failed UFC 200 drug test, will be fighting for the third time in 2017 with this booking. That’s the first time he has hit that pace in four years; 2013 saw Hunt go 1-1-1 against Stefan Struve, Junior dos Santos, and Bigfoot Silva, respectively.

Prior to the Lewis fight, which Hunt finished in the fourth round at UFC Fight Night 110, Hunt was stopped by Alistair Overeem at UFC 209. The 43-year old continues to be a threat in the division thanks to his crushing knockout power, but has hinted at retirement in recent months.

In Marcin Tybura (16–2), Hunt, ranked sixth in the UFC official rankings, will face the tenth ranked heavyweight in the promotion. Tybura, a former M-1 champion, most recently fought to a unanimous decision victory against former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski at UFC Fight Night 111. He’s currently on a three-fight win streak dating back to August of last year.

UFC Sydney, numerically UFC Fight Night 121, will take place at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia on November 19 (November 18 in North America). A heavyweight bout between Rashad Coulter and Tai Tuivasa is also expected to appear on the card.

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