Issue 142

June 2016

Pena free to fight again

The UFC has cleared Julianna Pena to return to the Octagon after its investigation into an altercation at a bar. The TUF 18 champion was charged with two counts of assault after she was accused of being drunk, fighting in the street, then kicking two men in the groin outside the Zola bar in Spokane, Washington. 

The 26-year-old reached an agreement with the city prosecutor’s office and was granted a stipulation of continuance, meaning her charges will be dropped within a year if she stays out of trouble.

The UFC said it was willing to book the bantamweight contender when her legal proceedings were wrapped up, adding Pena acknowledged her actions should reflect well of her, MMA and the UFC. As a consequence, she volunteered to undergo counseling before fighting again. ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ is now scheduled to fight Cat Zingano at UFC 200.

Silva open to superfights

Record-breaking former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva revealed he’s open to some crowd-pleasing fights in the twilight of his career. ‘The Spider’ is unlikely to compete for a title again before he hangs up his gloves, so his focus is on some of the sport’s other marquee names. 

“It would be a honor for me to fight (Georges St. Pierre). It could happen,” he suggested at the UFC 198 pre-fight press conference. He added his motivations for these contests were not financial. Instead, the fighter many people still regard as the greatest of all time said he’s interested in the challenge of competing at the highest level.

 “I never fought for money, maybe only in the very beginning. Now my goal is to test myself,” he said. “I think McGregor is a great fighter and we could put on a great show. I already fought at (170lb) in Shooto a long time ago. Maybe we could fight at a catchweight.”

168lbs

Silva last fought below 170lb in his Shooto ‘middleweight’ title win over Hyato Sakurai in 2001.

On the radar

Emerging talent with big potential 

Joseph Morales (USA) 

Another mini machine from the mats of Team Alpha Male with a 5-0 record at 125lb. Nicknamed ‘The Brawler’, the 21-year-old can grapple too and, like his mentor, Urijah Faber, already has a finish by standing rear naked choke.

Boston Salmon (USA) 

A former boxer, Hawaiian ‘Boom Boom’ has lived up to his nickname so far with four knockouts out of five victories. Now fighting out of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, he’s improving his ground game in preparation for a UFC call.

Abdul Aziz Abdulvakhabov (Russia) 

The 155lb champion of the Absolute Fighting Berkut organization has serious power and has won his last six fights by stoppage. He’d bring action and entertainment to any event.

Knockout Kings

Inspired by Mark Hunt’s latest killer KO at the UFC’s Fight Night in Brisbane, FO asked who you think is the best fighter to have delivered stoppages by strikes in MMA

@MrFredGuest: Pride years, Wanderlei Silva has to be up there. Cro Cop & Hunto gotta be worth a mention. Igor Vovchanchyn had some classics. 

@SilverbackALem: Mark Hunt The Super Samoan! I love watching a fighter whose only goal is the KO.

@Motomoto1122: Love ya Mark, the walkoff knockout king.

@Enlightenment43: Gotta be Anderson Silva has 20 MMA KOs. 

@mannixlogan: Chuck Liddell. Iceman all the way. 

@Dzero991 Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson.

@Deanoclipper: Chuck is the all-time greatest knockout king undisputed!!!

Mark Hunt

29%

Chuck Liddell

12%

Anderson Silva

24%

Other

5%

What's Hot

Box office 

Despite their country plunging into its worst recession for more than a century, 32,000 Brazilian fans bought tickets for UFC 198 in Curitiba in just 90 minutes.

Balls of steel

Leslie Smith was the only woman with the mettle to accept a fight with Cris ‘Cyborg’ in her hometown. Not even Rona Rousey wanted a piece of that.

Fight for the Troops

Finally, the UFC is once again preparing for another event in front of US servicemen and women. They’re always guaranteed to deliver an evening of high-octane action. 

What's Not

X-rated

NY Assembly members who opposed MMA had some seriously antiquated views. Take Daniel O’Donnell, who compared it to “gay porn with a different ending.”

Make fans snooze – you lose

Even a winning record wasn’t enough for Jared Rosholt to keep his place on the UFC roster. The heavyweight was 6-2 in the Octagon, but notorious for tedious fights. 

Aussie officials

First John Sharp lets Stipe Miocic smash on Mark Hunt, now Steve Perceval lets Neil Magny hit Hector Lombard 100 times before stopping the fight.

Chip off the old block

Son of Slice

Kevin Ferguson Jr has taken his first steps as an MMA athlete. The son of the sport’s favorite former street fighter, Kimbo Slice, won his amateur debut at Warrior Nation XFA XII in Chicopee, Massachusetts. However, his famous father was not in attendance to see his offspring’s success. ‘Baby Slice’, who trains at the Plus One Defense gym in Hartford, dispatched opponent Tom Brink by TKO after just 83 seconds in the 175lb contest. The victor is eyeing future fights at welterweight.

9

Before fighting Jon Jones at UFC 197, Ovince Saint Preux had as many UFC fights as ‘Bones’ had victories in title fights.