Undefeated in his past four fights, having won two straight in the UFC, Sodiq Yusuff is on a roll. After coming off another successful outing at UFC Philadelphia, he has his next goal set: International Fight Week. Cageside Press caught up with Super Sodiq this week following his big win in Philly, and he made clear that the UFC’s crown jewel of summer is an event he’s interested in.

“I think everybody’s shooting for that, man. I hope I can get on,” he exclaimed.

He certainly has a shot. One of the bright young talents in the UFC’s featherweight division, Yusuff (9-1) was lighting Sheymon Moraes up with calf kicks in the opening round of their fight in Philly. He’d go on to win a unanimous decision in the bout, making him two for two in the big show.

Moraes didn’t make it easy, either. By the second round, he’d adjusted to the kicking attack of Yusuff. “He started pulling back a lot. It’s hard to check, so he wasn’t checking as much, he was like cross-checking with his other leg, but he was mostly stepping off. Which is really the only way to deal with it, to step off out of the way.”

The Brazilian is a Mauy Thai veteran, but Sodiq was able to keep the pressure on. He stayed calm, and refused to become frustrated hunting for the finish. “I have finishing power, but it’s not something I’m expecting,” he explained. “When I hit people, it’s not like ‘okay, he’s going to drop on this one, he’s going to drop on this one.’ I try to stay away from that kind of mentality.”

The reason for that is simple. “If you’re banking on that too much, you’re going to leave yourself wide open. You’re going start throwing too much on each punch.”

A smart take for a young fighter. But Yusuff has a lot to fight for. His family back in Nigeria, for starters. It was talked up a lot during fight week, but it can’t be understated.

Yusuff has a pile of gifts he’s sending back home to Nigeria to support them after his latest win. “Each fight, I try to give something back. I wasn’t able to get the bonus this time, last time I got the bonus, and I was able to make a lot of people happy. But it’s still good enough. That’s why I’m happy I’m in the UFC, I’m finally able to make decent money, I can actually make some changes.”

There’s a Nigerian wave, African wave, in the UFC at the moment, with fighters like Yusuff, Israel Adesanya, and new welterweight champ Kamaru Usman. Yusuff is still blown away by that latter’s success. “I thought he was going to win, I couldn’t believe how he won. I don’t think anybody saw that.”

“I have a lot of respect for Woodley,” Yusuff added. “I didn’t see [Kamaru Usman] being able to do that to Tyron Woodley.” As he said back in Philly, “that’s the most emotional I’ve been from watching someone else fight.” Even Sodiq’s mom, not one to watch much outside her son, was pulling for Usman to win.

But perhaps that shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, the success of Nigerian fighters could boost the country as a whole. As Yusuff himself put it, “a rising tide raises all ships. It’s going to help all of us. It’s going to help the whole country. It seems like something small, mixed martial arts helping a whole country. But hope is hope. Seeing somebody that looks like you, someone that comes from where you’re from, if you see them achieve something, it’s going to spark a little inspiration inside you too.”

And that’s what it’s all about. Inspiration.

The post UFC Featherweight Sodiq Yusuff Looking to Inspire Nigerians: “A Rising Tide Raises All Ships” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Philadelphia, PA — Coming out of UFC Philadelphia, Sodiq Yusuff wasn’t super excited about his win over Sheymon Moraes. Fact is, ‘Super’ Sodiq was hoping for a stoppage over the Brazilian featherweight, but it didn’t come. “I wanted more of a definitive finish,” Yusuff said of his win Saturday night at the Wells Fargo arena, speaking to reporters including Cageside Press.

However, he always understood that going the distance could be in the cards. “Like I said before the fight, if it wasn’t a first round finish, it was going to be a three-round war.” That’s exactly what it was in the end.

Following the fight, Sodiq made what many considered a questionable callout: Kron Gracie. The Gracie family name is entrenched in the sport of MMA, and Kron is a newcomer to the UFC, but has been in the sport longer, and the grappling world well before that.

Sodiq explained the thought process behind the callout backstage in Philly. “I just beat a guy that’s at the top of his skill set in his traditional martial art. And the best person in jiu-jitsu that we have right now is Kron. So if I could get both martial arts out of the way, I’ll look for the best boxer in my division too. You know, one at a time, going down the list.” Yusuff’s idea is that he knock off top contenders in each discipline, one by one. Which could gain him some prestige. Or notoriety at least. “If I could beat Kron, that’s just going to be another feather in my cap on the way to being the best in the world.”

With “a couple of aches and pains” following the fight with Moraes, Yusuff isn’t sure when he wants to return just yet. When he does, he’ll continue to support his family back in Nigeria — but that is not something, he told Cageside Press, that he considers pressure.

“That’s no pressure. That’s no pressure at all. It’s different. Not to insult Americans at all, but you guy’s mindset and our mindset is completely different,” he said when asked if it was more important to go out and win given he was supporting his family. “That’s not pressure. My family gave me everything. My mom gave me everything. My dad gave me everything. That’s not added pressure to provide for them. You’re paying what you owe. Without them, I’d be nothing. That’s not pressure at all, that’s my job.”

“When I have my kid, I’ll be the best father in the world so my kid will look at me that way too,” he added. “I’d cut my arm off for my family. That’s nothing for us, man. That’s how I was raised. If you raise a child and your child don’t feel that way about you, you failed along the way.”

Watch the full UFC Philadelphia (UFC on ESPN 2) post-fight press scrum with Sodiq Yusuff above!

The post UFC Philadelpia: Despite Helping Provide for Family, Sodiq Yusuff Feels No Added Pressure to Win appeared first on Cageside Press.

UFC Philadelphia offered us one promise: violence. The card delivered just that. With a main event like Justin Gaethje and Edson Barboza, people thought the card would be top-heavy. Instead, we got a card filled with every thing we could ever want. Point deductions, submissions, and knockouts. Let’s look at the fighters and what’s next for them.

Sodiq Yusuff Prevails in his Second UFC Appearance

Coming off the Contender Series and a great promotional debut, Nigerian-born Sodiq Yusuff had plenty of eyes on him going into his second fight in the big show. Yusuff looked good, controlling the fight and getting a unanimous decision victory over a quality opponent in Sheymon Moraes. Yusuff did not come out and brawl like some people expected. Instead, the 25-year-old featherweight was patient and calculated. He showed he belongs in the UFC and has a bright future ahead of him.

Sheymon Moraes didn’t look bad against “Super” Sodiq. He managed to control some of the fight and even managed to win a round. But, Yusuff was just too much for the Brazilian. Moraes dropped to 11-3 with his other losses being to Marlon Moraes and Zabit Magomedsharipov. Not bad company to be in if you’re Sodiq Yusuff.

Next opponent for Sodiq Yusuff: Bryce Mitchell, Kevin Aguilar
Next Opponent for Sheymon Moraes: Rick Glenn, Chas Skelly

Paul Craig Submits Kennedy Nzechukwu with a Slick Triangle

Paul Craig came into UFC Philadelphia on a controversial loss to Jimmy Crute at UFC Adelaide last December. He took on a second Contender Series signee, Kennedy Nzechukwu. Craig was not intimidated by Nzechukwu’s size. Marching forward the whole fight, Craig shot takedown after takedown, exposing Nzechukwu’s weak spot. After nearly locking up a couple of armbars early on, Craig finally sunk in that submission and had everyone from Scotland yelling one thing:

https://giphy.com/gifs/freedom-braveheart-musical-theater-6901DbEbbm4o0

Kennedy Nzechukwu had a tougher time with Paul Craig. Getting caught in several submission attempts, which was ultimately his demise, Nzechukwu struggled with Craig’s relentless pressure. With multiple warnings about grabbing the fence and having a point deducted for eye pokes, Nzechukwu showed his green-ness in his UFC debut. While he has the skill and size to be something special in the cage, he just needs a little more time and experience to make his rise to the top of the light heavyweight division.

Next Opponent for Paul Craig: Smilin’ Sam Alvey, Gian Villante
Next Opponent for Kennedy Nzechukwu: Deron Winn, Adam Milstead

Michelle Waterson Making Her Statement at Strawweight

Fan-favorite Michelle Waterson came in and put on a clinic against Karolina Kowalkiewicz. Waterson won 30-27 on all three judges’ scorecards. Waterson showed good patience and didn’t fret during Kowalkiewicz’s pressure. The Karate Hottie showed she’s ready for a title-eliminator fight and will likely get one in the near future.

Karolina suffered her second straight loss for the second time in her career. While she still shows promise at strawweight, Kowalkiewicz will have to take a longer road to a title shot than Waterson from this point on in their careers. It might be time for Karolina to add a few new tools to her toolbox, which she surely will.

Next Opponent for Michelle Waterson: Tatiana Suarez/Nina Ansaroff Loser, Rose Namajunas/Jessica Andrade Loser
Next Opponent for Karolina Kowalkiewicz: Weili Zhang, Cynthia Calvillo

Josh Emmett Rebounds in Dramatic Fashion

If it seems like it’s been a year since Josh Emmett was brutally knocked out and hospitalized with major facial injuries, it’s because it was a year. Emmett made his return to the cage against a tough opponent in Michael Johnson. Johnson presented problems to Emmett in size coming down from lightweight. Emmett struggled to find his range at first but pushed the pace all fight. Finally, that shot landed and he knocked out Michael Johnson in a highlight-reel worthy knockout.

After two wins over Andre Fili and Artem Lobov, Johnson was looking to get a win over a top ten opponent at 145 and make his statement in the featherweight division. While he looked good for most of the fight, one mistake is all it takes. Johnson got caught late in the third in a fight he would have likely won. While he didn’t get the win he wanted, he will likely get another shot at a ranked opponent at featherweight.

Next Opponent for Josh Emmett: Yair Rodriguez, Renato Moicano
Next Opponent for Michael Johnson: Ricardo Lamas, Mirsad Bektic

Jack Hermansson Makes Quick Work of David Branch. Under a Minute Quick

We didn’t get to see much of Jack Hermansson. He took a big step taking on #11 ranked middleweight, David Branch. While Branch is up there in age, he’s still a force to be reckoned with. Hermansson was not scared. He submitted Branch in 49 seconds and put himself in the conversation as a future contender in the middleweight division.

Branch lost his third out of four fights to Hermansson and, like Jack, we didn’t get to see much of him. At 37-years-old, fans have no choice but to question if Branch’s time is up in mixed martial arts. While we may need to see one last goodbye fight, Branch’s days are likely numbered. UFC Philadelphia won’t be his last.

Next Opponent for Jack Hermansson: Paulo Costa, Chris Weidman
Next Opponent for David Branch: Uriah Hall, Tom Breese

Violence

Justin Gaethje fought last weekend, if you guys didn’t know. The MMA gods promised us violence and we got it. Gaethje traded leg kicks with Edson Barboza, nothing a mere mortal could withstand. In typical Gaethje fashion, he put down Edson with a wild hook. It was all we wanted and more. Honestly, there was no point in scheduling that fight for more than one round everyone knew it wasn’t leaving the first. Gaethje looked fearless as usual. His pressure forced Edson to exit an exchange with his hands down on more than one occasion.

Edson Barboza got the raw end of the deal at UFC Philadelphia. No one wanted either of these fighters to lose, but one was destined to. Barboza did his usual, murderous leg kicks, spinning kicks, big power shots. It just wasn’t enough for the win. Barboza will live on to dazzle fans another day.

Next Opponent for Justin Gaethje: Cowboy Cerrone/Al Iaquinta winner, Tony Ferguson
Next Opponent for Edson Barboza: Alexander Hernandez, Paul Felder

The post UFC Philadelphia Aftemath: If You Want Violence, You’ve Got It appeared first on Cageside Press.

Philadelphia, PA — Ask the supposed experts to call the finish for the co-main event at UFC on ESPN 2, and nary a one would have said ‘The Joker’ via guillotine within a minute. That’s kind of why fans love MMA, however. It is unpredictable by nature. Anything can happen in a fight, and often, the most unlikely of outcomes is exactly what happens. Odds be damned. Such was the case Saturday at UFC Philadelphia, and it could not have worked out better for said Joker, Jack Hermansson.

Speaking to reporters backstage including Cageside Press, he broke down the finish. “It’s a kind of special guillotine, when you come from the side. That’s something I specialized in, so it was a go-to move and planned way before. During the camp, I was doing that all the time. So no coincidence at all.”

“My first grappling session with my grappling coach (Eduardo Rios), the first session we ever had, he showed me that move,” the Swede continued. “I couldn’t do it for many years, I never got it. He showed me the move, and many years later I thought, ‘I’m going to try this again.’ I started to do it in training and was getting everybody with it. Now I’m doing it in my fights. So this is the second fight in a row, I won my last fight with it as well.”

Branch was a big-name opponent, a former two-division champ outside the UFC. And the UFC Philadelphia card, being on ESPN, and the pair in the co-main event — that was huge. “Can’t ask for more. Great card, co-main event, no injuries, first-round finish, second first-round finish in a row, a submission against a great grappler. I hope this was a statement,” said the likeable middleweight.

So what comes next? During fight week, Hermansson let it be known that he had interest in a fight with Chris Weidman. That remains the goal. “Chris Weidman, a great fighter, former champ. I know the guys at the top, like Jacare [Souza] and [Yoel] Romero are going to make their fights happen. So I think Chris Weidman is right after them in the rankings. So of course, I want to get up there. It would be an honor to fight him.”

Hermansson is also hoping to take part in UFC Stockholm in June — which might be a hard sell for Weidman. “I think he’d be willing to come to Sweden, but it’s not a lot of time [until that card],” Hermansson admitted. “So we’ll see if we can make it happen or not.”

Either way, he’ll be a little more choosy about opponents moving forward. “Up until this point, I never ever thought twice about a fight. I always accepted the second I got it offered.” That has changed now that he’s ranked, however. “When you get the number beside your name, you should be a little bit intelligent to see what the best options are. Because you want to get up there to the top, that’s my goal. So I’ll have to be smart about it and talk to the matchmakers and make it happen.”

Watch the full UFC Philadelphia (UFC on ESPN 2) post-fight press scrum with Jack Hermansson above!

The post UFC Philadelphia: Jack Hermansson Hoping for Chris Weidman, Stockholm Card Spot Moving Forward appeared first on Cageside Press.

Philadelphia, PA — Let it be known that UFC middleweight Kevin Holland is no fan of the ground game. Holland most certainly let that be known following his scrap with Gerald Meerschaert Saturday, after winning a unanimous decision on the preliminary card. Holland wanted to stand and trade. His opponent had other ideas, and the end result was more like making love than fighting, Holland insisted.

Speaking to reporters including Cageside Press back stage, Holland was as talkative outside the cage as he tends to be in it (later admitting in that even in the gym, he never stops talking).

“I want to bang, I want to fight. Guys want to do jiu-jitsu, they can go do IBBJF, they can go do one of those jiu-jitsu tournaments,” Holland exclaimed after the Philly bout at UFC on ESPN 2. “They can even come to the gym,” he suggested, “we can do some jiu-jitsu there”

In the octagon, however, “we’re here for an MMA fight. I think the fans want to see a little bit more banging,” Holland said. “I liked it when we were going for submissions. But when we were just laying there, it was like ‘dang, what are we doing here bro? We’re getting a little too intimate. So I wasn’t really with all that.”

Despite being in the City of Brotherly Love, “there was no love here tonight,” Holland remarked. “I got married not to long ago, if I want to get intimate, I’ll do it with her. I came to Philly to catch a body, not to make love.”

Later, he added, “now that I see that everybody in the division wants to hump me, maybe I should just go out and hump first and knock their head off on the ground. It’s okay if I’m pressing you and smacking you at the same time, you know, it’s dirty sexual love. I’m down for that, that’s real brotherly love right there.”

The crowd reaction in Philly — mainly boos and jeers — seemed to get to Holland, who yelled out after to the masses that it was Meerschaert that wanted to “hump.”

This was a recurring theme for Holland post-fight. “I don’t like when guys that normally strike come in and try to hug me,” he’d say later. “Do what you normally do. Don’t come in here and switch the game plan up just because I’m long and lanky.”

“I don’t want to lay and hug, I’m really not fond of that. Really really not fond of that.”

It’s even an issue Holland has with previous opponents, including his most notable. “Look at Thiago [Santos], he’s fighting Jon Jones, hat’s off to him, he’s been knocking everybody out,” said Holland Saturday. “He hit me with some massive shots in our fight, tried to rearrange my face. I think he was mad because I asked him if he was on the naughty or nice list for Santa Claus, and he just started pounding my freaking head in. But he’s normally a striker, and he wanted to grapple me on the ground the whole time. So I guess right there, that should tell me it all. Only thing these guys want to do is hug.”

It worries him that, moving forward, “the next striker will want to hug. If I was to fight Israel [Adesanya], hat’s off to Israel, I think he’s a phenomenal striker, but he might want to hug too.” So who does that leave then?

“Give me [Anderson] Silva. I know Silva won’t want to hug. I know Silva won’t want to hug. Give me somebody like that.”

Holland is one of the few men to go the distance with Thiago Silva recently, and having done so, “it’s a feather in the cap knowing that he came there and he hugged me. Because I know when he goes against Jon Jones, he’s not going to try any of that hugging, right? So a feather in the cap, I guess you could say so, but I still lost to the man.”

Holland isn’t against packing on some pounds at some point and going up to light heavyweight for a rematch with Santos. “He’s not escaping me. I’m going to get him one day.”

In the end, however, he got the win. And it was in a special place, even with the booing. Holland actually saw his first UFC fight in Philadelphia. “But what really blew me away was when Anderson Silva was backing up, and he knocked out Forest Griffin. It was a knockout that blew me away, it wasn’t hugging and grappling on the ground.”

Watch the full UFC Philadelphia (UFC on ESPN 2) post-fight press scrum with Kevin Holland above!

The post UFC Philadelphia: Kevin Holland Says He Came to Philly to “Catch a Body, Not to Make Love” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Philadelphia, PA — It’s safe to say that UFC Philadelphia was a bit of an emotional roller coaster for UFC lightweight Desmond Green. Coming into the bout, he’d lost three of five fights, all via decision. All losses outside the U.S. In two of those losses, his opponent had missed weight. So getting a quick finish against Ross Pearson at the Philly card (UFC on ESPN 2) was huge.

Something else was on his mind Saturday as well, he told media outlets including Cageside Press following the fight. Blackzilians founder Glenn Robinson, who passed away last September. Robinson was also a manager for Green, who helped get him signed with the UFC. His relationship with the fighter went past that, however.

“Before I even got into the UFC, this guy, he helped me and my family, my kids move from New York to Florida. Gave us a place to stay, found me a job, let me train on the team, introduced me to all these great guys. Had a couple of fights, and then he ended up getting me signed in the UFC,” Green remembered. Clearly, Robinson had a huge impact on his career, and was actively involved right up to ‘The Predator’s’ last fight.

“He always had big dreams for me. He passed away literally two days after my last fight, in Moscow,” Green continued. “The day before he passed away, he let me know ‘good fight, it’s a tough decision, when you get back, come to the house, we’ll have dinner, we’ll talk about our next move.’ I just know for sure that he would have been proud of this.”

“Leading up all week, I didn’t say anything to the media, but my family knew I was dedicating this fight to him.” With that in mind, the Green’s finish of Pearson, a veteran in the sport, is all the more impressive.

Green also broke down the finish back stage, recalling that “after the first two shots, I seen it, he like shut it off. I went for a third one, he came up, but he wasn’t guarding the shot. It was kind of like, he had both hands on the ground.” It wasn’t a good spot for Pearson to be in, for sure. “I was putting my whole hip in it. I was taking a page out of my boy Rumble’s book when he fought Gustafsson. He really was leaning into the punches. After like the fourth one, I knew it was going to be over. Even if [Pearson] got up, I knew his head wasn’t going to be where it was supposed to be.”

Green would have liked a bonus — “man I got four kids, trust me. I’m hoping I get that bonus for sure” — but unfortunately, it didn’t come. Jack Hermansson and Paul Craig scored the Performance of the Night awards instead.

However, the win will remain sweet for Green after struggling with decisions. “With me being on the bad end of three decisions out of the country, I really really wanted to take it out of the judge’s hands,” he told reporters Saturday. “This is my fifth fight in the UFC on top of that. You don’t want to be known as that guy, the Decisionator, you know what I mean? The UFC is known as putting you on the back burner if all you do is go fifteen minutes.”

“This is my first fight of 2019. I wanted to kick it off with a finish, and I got it.” The next step, now, is getting on May’s UFC Rochester card. Green, a Rochester native, said post-fight in the octagon that he’d fight for free if need be. As long as he can take part. After battling back from injuries, coming out unscathed from the Pearson fight is the best possible scenario for Green. Because a short turnaround is very possible.

It doesn’t matter who the fight comes against, as long as Green is in Rochester. “Location is the number one thing. I literally will fight anybody,” he said backstage. “I don’t care who it is, I’ll sign it. As long as I’m on that card. I don’t want to fight for free, but I will. Put me on that card, man. Please man, please!”

Watch the full UFC Philadelphia (UFC on ESPN 2) post-fight press scrum with Desmond Green above!

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UFC Philadelphia — UFC on ESPN 2, officially — went down Saturday in the City of Brotherly love. The card, of course, was topped with a hotly anticipated lightweight clash between Justin Gaethje and Edson Barboza.

If Gaethje doing his traditional back-flip off the octagon didn’t give it away, ‘The Highlight’ absolutely came out victorious. A first round knockout of the Brazilian, that set the crowd at the Wells Fargo Arena on fire.

The Sunday Morning Cornerman podcast with John Franklin and Keith Shillan recap the card from top to bottom, including the controversial Casey Kenney vs. Ray Borg fight, Michelle Waterson’s big win, and yes, of course, Justin Gaethje — who earned yet another post-fight bonus Saturday night in Philly!

The crew also takes a brief sidetrack to this past weekend’s CES MMA event, which had press row somewhere up in the nosebleed section. Binoculars not included.

UFC on ESPN 2: Barboza vs. Gaethje Results:

Main Card (ESPN)

Justin Gaethje def. Edson Barboza by KO (punch), Round 1, 2:30
Jack Hermansson def. David Branch by submission (guillotine choke), Round 1, 0:49
Josh Emmett def. Michael Johnson by KO (punch), Round 3, 4:14
Michelle Waterson def. Karolina Kowalkiewicz by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Paul Craig def. Kennedy Nzechukwu by submission (triangle choke), Round 3, 4:20
Sodiq Yusuff def. Sheymon Moraes by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Preliminary Card (ESPN)

Marina Rodriguez def. Jessica Aguilar by unanimous decision (29-26, 29-27, 29-27)
Desmond Green def. Ross Pearson by TKO (punches), Round 1, 2:52
Kevin Aguilar def. Enrique Barzola by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-29, 29-28)
Kevin Holland def. Gerald Meerschaert by split decision (29-27, 28-29, 30-27)

Early Preliminary Card (ESPN+)

Casey Kenney def. Ray Borg by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Maryna Moroz def. Sabina Mazo by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Alex Perez def. Mark De La Rosa by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

The post Sunday Morning Cornerman: UFC on ESPN 2 — Barboza vs. Gaethje appeared first on Cageside Press.

Philadelphia, PA — Casey Kenny stepped in on short notice against Ray Borg at UFC Philadelphia, so it was a bit of a surprise to find that it was Borg, with a full camp and moving up in weight, was the one who missed weight for their bout Saturday. Then again, Kenney was fighting barely a week after picking up a knockout win at LFA 62 over Vince Cachero. Oh, and that fight was on short notice as well.

That’s the kind of crazy month Kenney has had. It’s a fight he feels has been a long time coming, as he told media outlets including Cageside Press backstage in Philly.

“I’ve been staying ready for like the last two and a half years for this call,” he said. “When it came, I was coming off that knockout [LFA 62]. Momentum, confidence is everything in this sport. I wanted to make it a little bit more exciting [of a fight], but that’s what Ray does. He throws that big overhand right, and tries to push you up against the cage.”

If you can’t tell from that previous statement, his UFC debut certainly wasn’t what he had expected. “Not at all,” he told Cageside Press. “One, I figured I’d get some UFC newcomer, not a guy that just fought Demetrious Johnson in his last fight for the flyweight belt.”

“The flyweight’s been my home for a while. I think bantamweight is the new step,” Kenney continued. “I wouldn’t mind taking a couple months and getting my weight up and becoming a true bantamweight. I’m still a flyweight right now. I’ve definitely got the experience and the body to become a true bantamweight. But I’m just enjoying the ride.”

With a big name in his debut, controversial as it was (the crowd was not happy to hear Kenney announced as the unanimous decision victor), what’s next should be interesting for the newcomer. In regards to future opponents, Kenney said that “I’ll take anybody, but you know, you step in against number three flyweight Ray Borg, that’s a tough fight.”

“There’s a ton of bums in the UFC I feel I would run through,” he added, which should raise some eyebrows. “Calling my bonuses, start knocking off those 50K when I put them away. But there’s also a lot of tough guys that I got my eye on as well. But I’d like to have a full camp, then get back in there and see what I can do.”

Bums or tough guys, however, Kenney wasn’t ready to pick and name. Yet while he spoke of taking time off in the octagon after his win over Borg, he added backstage “Not too much time! Shoot, like I said I’ll fight next week if they want me to. Give me a month, give me two months just to bulk up a little bit, get that cardio where it should be, fight camp shape.” So with that in mind, we should learn his next opponent soon enough.

Watch the full UFC Philadelphia (UFC on ESPN 2) post-fight press scrum with Casey Kenney above!

The post UFC Philadelphia: Casey Kenney Says There Are a Lot of Bums in the UFC appeared first on Cageside Press.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, Justin Gaethje defeated Edson Barboza via first-round knockout last night at UFC Philadelphia. In the fight, we saw Barboza and Gaethje go leg kick for leg kick, Justin get rocked and Barboza’s defeat. Fans love watching Justin Gaethje fight. Why is that? Let’s dive deeper into the “he’s a brawler” aspect of it.

Justin Gaethje is fearless. He is the epitome of anyone, any time. Ever since coming into the UFC, Justin Gaethje has taken the hardest fight he could. He’s also won post-fight awards each time. He has already fought Michael Johnson, Eddie Alvarez, Dustin Poirier, James Vick and now Edson Barboza. While all of the fights haven’t gone his way, fans still love the fearlessness and ferocity that he brings. 

It’s that fearlessness that fans crave in a fighter. Much like the rise of Conor McGregor, who fought anyone and aimed to take on the invincible Jose Aldo, Gaethje has the same attitude. He has the warrior spirit that Chuck Liddell and Robbie Lawler have that make them such popular fighters. He has the traits of a hero at war who, while maybe outmatched by skill, knows he has more heart than his adversaries. He’s a warrior, through and through. 

Seeing our heroes through him

It’s always those type of tales that last through the centuries, told as folklore from generation to generation. There’s Beowulf, King Arthur, Luke Skywalker, Miyamoto Musashi, King Leonidas and countless more. These fearless leaders inspire generation after generation. That’s what Justin Gaethje brings to fight fans. He reminds them of the heroes they looked up to and read about as kids. 

Justin Gaethje knows what he has to do to win a fight. He knows it won’t always work. But he also knows it’s his best shot at winning. And he’s paid handsomely for it. Four Fight of the Night awards and two Performance of the Night awards are what he hangs on his wall. 

Fans know that he can beat anyone in his division. It’s just a matter of if he does. The controlled chaos Gaethje brings is exciting. What were to happen if he fought Conor McGregor, Tony Ferguson, or even the unstoppable Khabib Nurmagomedov? That’s what fans have been clamoring for since Gaethje got in the UFC. He’s just two weeks’ notice away from taking on Khabib and potentially becoming world champion. 

The post Justin Gaethje: What Attracts Fans to His Controlled Chaos? appeared first on Cageside Press.

Philadelphia, PA — No concern about the orbital. That was the first thing Josh Emmett let reporters know following his big knockout win over Michael Johnson at UFC Philadelphia. The returning featherweight had been out over a year thanks to injuries suffered in a fight with Jeremy Stephens early in 2018 in Orlando. UFC on ESPN 2 in Philly was his first fight back. He’d said he was confident in his recovery coming in, and that proved correct.

What also proved correct was Emmett’s non-claim to being a knockout artist. To be clear, it was opponent Michael Johnson saying that the Team Alpha Male fighter supposedly was one. Johnson questioned that, but Emmett made it clear fight week and again post-fight that he’d never said it. “All I said was, if I land one clean punch, that will be it. And I said if you ask anyone on our team who hits the hardest, 9 out of 10 will say me.”

In the end, Emmett’s “one clean punch” statement proved true. He landed that clean punch in the third round, putting an end to Johnson’s night.

“I work with a mind coach, and he records the sessions,” said Emmett backstage, adding he’s hoping to put his recorded sessions out for the public to see. “We just went over it for an hour straight, and it was that exact punch. Landing an overhand right, perfect placement to the chin, and him just out cold, hitting the ground, walk-off home run.”

Mind coach might be a new term for some MMA fans, but it seemed akin to a sports psychologist. Emmett explored that subject further when prompted by Cageside Press, saying that his mind coach “works with a lot of military, special forces, law enforcement agencies, and MMA fighters. It’s just a lot of visualization. He puts you into these deep trances, and just constantly goes over things. I visualize the fight, I see in the fight what I’m going to do. From walking into the cage, he puts me in a bird’s eye view. Puts me in the corner watching it, doing it, landing those clean shots.”

In this case, he feels it worked. “That’s exactly what I said was going to happen.”

Ultimately Emmett feels that his return fight against Johnson was “a good scenario. I went in there, I got two solid rounds then in the third round put him away. It felt good to get back in there.” As for any questions about a slow start, the victorious featherweight explained it was simply that “I didn’t want to rush in with anything stupid, and get caught with something and be on his highlight reel.”

The only negative on the night? No post-fight bonus for the finish.

Wow, No Bonus again! #UFCPhiladelpha

— JOSH EMMETT (@JoshEmmettUFC) March 31, 2019

Watch the full UFC Philadelphia post-fight press scrum with Josh Emmett above.

The post UFC Philadelphia: Josh Emmett Visualized Michael Johnson Knockout with Mind Coach appeared first on Cageside Press.