MMA News

Tom Taylor - December 18, 2016

Last night, on the main card of UFC on Fox 22, MMA legend Urijah Faber competed in the final bout of his long and illustrious career. He did so in his hometown of Sacramento, California, against English bantamweight Brad Pickett. Faber was able to dominate his English foe to a unanimous decision win for a successful swan song. At the event’s post fight press conference, Faber weighed in on his final fight. The legend explained that he’s happy he was able to keep it together throughout this emotional experience – especially given the tear-jerking pre-fight promo the UFC aired in the moments before his fight.

bjpenndotcom - December 17, 2016

Saturday night in the main event of ‘UFC Fight Night: Sacramento’ women’s strawweight prospects Paige VanZant and Michelle Waterson stepped into the Octagon for a highly anticipated showdown which likely would see the winner catapulted into the top 5 of the women’s strawweight division. While VanZant came out of the gate looking extremely quick, Waterson managed to land a throw from the clinch and ultimately submit VanZant in the very first round with a rear-naked choke. The win marked the second of Waterson’s UFC career, and also marked a successful return to the Octagon following a seventeen month layoff.

bjpenndotcom - December 17, 2016

Saturday night in the co-main event of ‘UFC Fight Night: Sacramento’, welterweight prospects Sage Northcutt and Mickey Gall stepped into the Octagon in a highly anticipated matchup between two of the brightest prospects in not only the 170 pound division, but the UFC. While Gall went into the fight with just a 3-0 professional record, he was able to pick up the biggest win of his career when he submitted ‘Super’ Sage in the second round with a rear-naked choke. The performance was certainly an impressive one for the 24-year old as he not only cemented his place in the UFC, but proved that despite the fact that he is relatively young in the sport, he is a legitimate UFC prospect.

Chris Taylor - December 17, 2016

A key women’s strawweight tilt between Paige VanZant and Michelle Waterson served as the main event of tonight’s UFC on FOX 22 fight card in Sacramento, California. Michelle Waterson was able to dominate VanZant in tonight’s main event, eventually securing a fight-ending rear-naked choke in the very first-round.

Chris Taylor - December 17, 2016

A welterweight fight between Sage Northcutt and Mickey Gall served as the co-main event tonight’s UFC on FOX 22 fight card in Sacramento, California. Round one begins and Gall presses the action early. He lands a left jab and then dives in for a takedown attempt. He gets it and begins working from full guard. He quickly moves to half guard and unloads a punch to the body. Gall is isolating Sage’s neck here and looking to setup a choke. He gives up on that and transitions to side control. Sage explodes but gives up his neck. Mickey has the guillotine choke but Sage is defending well. Northcutt pops his head out and winds up on top. Sage opts to stand up and land a kick. Gall stands up and Sage is talking to him. Sage throws a kick but Mickey catches it and scores another takedown. Gall is working from full guard here. He tries to step over but Sage defends. Good shots from the top by Gall. He moves to mount and lands a nice left as the horn sounds to end round one.

bjpenndotcom - December 17, 2016

On the main card of ‘UFC Fight Night: Sacramento’ MMA veteran Urijah Faber stepped into the Octagon for the final time as he squared off against Brad Pickett. Faber dominated the fight from the beginning, dropping Pickett in the first round before proceeding to out-strike and out-grapple Pickett over the course of the remaining two rounds.

Chris Taylor - December 17, 2016

A key bantamweight tilt between Urijah Faber and Brad Pickett took place during tonight’s UFC on FOX 22 main card in Sacramento. Round one begins and Pickett throws a leg kick to start. Faber presses forward and lands a jab. Pickett ducks under a punch and misses with a left hook. Faber with a front kick. He eats a left hand. Faber responds with a jab. Brad lands a leg kick. He charges forward wit a combo that misses. Pickett throws a leg kick the drops Faber. Urijah pops right back up and works his jab. Faber leaps in and lands a nice right hand. He shoots in and presses Brad against the fence. Pickett reverses the position and pushes Faber against the fence. There is a scramble and Faber is back up. Faber drops Pickett with a left hook. He pounces on him with ground and pound. He takes the back of Pickett and looks for a rear-naked choke. Brad survives and winds up mounted. Faber dropping bombs now. Brad once again gives up his back. Faber begins working some hard elbows. Pickett is busted up. Round one comes to an end.

Chris Taylor - December 17, 2016

A welterweight scrap between Mike Perry and Alan Jouban kicked off tonight’s UFC on FOX 22 main card in Sacramento, California. Round one begins and Perry quickly presses forward with a leg kick and the a side kick. He throws right and gets countered by a left hand of Jouban. Alan goes to the body with a kick and Mike circles out. Jouban throws a front kick that misses. Perry misses with a left hook and then a right hand. Jouban with a pair of hard left low kicks. Perry lands a low kick. Jouban goes to the body with a punch. Another good low kick from Mike and then another. Jouban returns fire with one of his own. Perry continues to apply pressure. He chases Jouban down and presses Alan against the fence. Jouban switches the position and picks up Perry and slams him down. Perry scrambles and gets back to his feet. Alan greets him there with a kick to the body. Perry charges forward and throws a right hand that misses the mark. Alan with a body kick but Perry lands a right hand. Mike goes upstairs with a high kick that wobbles Jouban. Alan circles away and Perry is quick to chase after him. Alan lands a kick to the body. Perry connects with a hard left hand. Jouban retreats. Perry chases after him but eats a hard low kick. Another low kick from Jouban and round one comes to an end.

Chris Taylor - December 17, 2016

A featherweight bout between Cole Miller and Mizuto Hirota took place on today’s UFC on FOX 22 prelims in Sacramento, California. Round one begins and Miller lands a low kick and then a follow up kick to the body. Hirota shoots in and presses Cole against the cage. They break and Cole pumps a jab. Mizuto returns fire with a low kick. Another nice jab and then a right hand from Miller. Cole grabs a hold of Hirota’s neck and drops down for a choke. Mizuto pulls his head free and works some shots from guard. Cole scrambles and stands back up. He misses with a jab. Hirota scores with a low kick. Miller replies with one of his own and then another. Miller circles out. Hirota lands a left jab. He follows that up with a low kick. Cole scores with a right but Mizuto replies with one of his own and then scores a takedown. He begins working some big ground and pound. Cole scrambles and gets back to his feet. He lands a knee inside. Hirota shoots for a takedown. He gets it and lands in full mount. Good shots from Mizuto. Cole gets to half guard but eats some ground and pound for his trouble. Round one comes to an end with Hirota on top.

Chris Taylor - December 17, 2016

A welterweight bout between Bryan Barberena and Colby Covington took place during today’s UFC on FOX 22 prelims in Sacramento, California. Round one begins and Colby throws a high kick that is partially blocked. Bryan fires back with a low kick and then another. Covington misses with a left and then shoots in for a takedown attempt. Colby has a hold of a single leg and drags Bryan to the floor. Barberena fights his way back to his feet but Colby drags him right back down. Bryan once again pops back up but Colby is quick to put him back down. Covington tries to sink in a hook but Bryan scrambles and gets back up. Colby has Bryan presses against the cage and unloads a right. He then shoots in and scores another takedown. However, Bryan instantly pops back up to his feet. He throws an elbow from the clinch and breaks free. Covington throws a right hand and then a head kick. He shoots in for another takedown but Bryan stuffs the attempt. Colby has Barberena pressed against the fence but Bryan is able to shake free and land a jab. Colby lands a nice left hand and then an uppercut. Round one comes to an end.

Chris Taylor - December 17, 2016

A welterweight scrap between James Moontasri and Alex Morono took place during today’s UFC on FOX 22 prelims in FS1. Round one begins and Morono misses with an early high kick. Moontasri replies with a nice one-two combination. Morono circles and throws a leg kick. James responds with one of his own. Another low kick from Morono. James circles and lands a right and then a low kick. Morono presses forward and fires off with another low kick. James switches his stance and fires off a kick to the body of Alex. Moontasri scores with a nice front kick. Morono responds with an inside leg kick. Alex presses forward and misses with a front kick. James catches Alex with a beautiful counter left hand. He follows that up with a nice spinning kick to the body. Morono with some forward pressure and lands a left hand. Moontasri lands a pair of kicks to the body. He faints and lands a nice left hand. Morono misses with a spinning back fist attempt. He scores with a low kick and then another. Alex misses with a high kick to end round one.

Chris Taylor - December 17, 2016

A lightweight scrap between Josh Emmett and Scott Holtzman took place during tonight’s UFC on FOX 22 prelims on FS1. Round one begins and Emmett throws a head kick that is blocked. Holtzman replies with a right and then a left hand. Josh with a kick to the body. Scott counters with a right but Emmett shoots in for a takedown. Scott is able to stuff the attempt but is pressed up against the cage by Josh. Holtzman breaks free and lands a right. He follows that up with a low kick that apparently connected with the groin of Emmett. The referee steps in a to stop the action momentarily. After a short break we continue. Immediately upon restart Emmett lands an eye poke. We break again and then restart. Josh unloads a right hand and then shoots in for a takedown. He gets it but Scott pops right back up. Holtzman charges forward with a combination. Emmett shoots in for a takedown. Scotty stuffs the attempt and begins working some knees from the clinch. The fighters battle against the cage. Emmett presses Holtzman up against the fence. He picks Scott up and slams him to the canvas. Scott is able to quickly get back to his feet however and unleashes a hard combination. The fighters clinch and Scott lands a trip takedown. He begins working some short shots from the full guard position. A nice right hand finds a home for Scott. He begins working some good lefts from the top. Emmett scrambles and gets back up to his feet. Scott still has him pressed against the cage and lands some good knees. Emmett breaks free and circles out. Round one comes to an end.

Chris Taylor - December 17, 2016

A key bantamweight tilt between Eddie Wineland and Takeya Mizugaki served as the featured bout of today’s UFC on FOX 22 Fight Pass prelims in Sacramento. Round one begins and Mizugaki opens up with an early combination. Wineland presses forward but eats a leg kick. Takeya leaps in with another combination and then a leg kick. Eddie with a left jab. He is bouncing around trying to find a way inside. Takeya with another leg kick and then a crisp left jab. Mizugaki with a nice counter right. He follows that up with a leg kick. Eddie slips a combination. He throws a right hand but it misses the mark. Eddie is using a lot of movement here. He presses forward and lands an uppercut. Takeya misses with a left and Eddie counters him with a right hand. Another right hand from Wineland drops Mizugaki. Takeya pops back to his feet but Eddie drops him again with another right. Wineland follows up with some ground and pound and this one is over.

bjpenndotcom - December 17, 2016

Unable to catch tonight’s UFC on FOX 22 action in Sacramento? BJPenn.com has you covered! Stay glued to this page for live results updates, and stay tuned to BJPenn.com for recaps of every fight throughout the night: Main Card (FOX – 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT)

bjpenndotcom - December 17, 2016

Interim UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway has certainly been on a tear of the UFC’s featherweight division over the past two years. After dropping a unanimous decision to Conor McGregor in the Irish superstar’s second UFC fight, Holloway bounced back by rattling off ten straight wins, the most recent being a win over former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis for the interim featherweight championship.

bjpenndotcom - December 17, 2016

Tonight in Sacramento, California, MMA veteran Urijah Faber will step into the Octagon for the final time as he faces Brad Picket in front of his hometown fans in the co-main event of ‘UFC Fight Night: Sacramento’. Ahead of the fight, the MMA community has continued to reflect on Faber’s iconic career, which dates back thirteen years. While Faber’s professional career goes back thirteen years, his rivalry with Dominick Cruz goes back nearly ten years, to a time when Faber reigned as the WEC featherweight champion. Faber defeated Cruz in the pair’s first meeting, however it was Cruz who won the next two fights, with the most recent one being a dominant unanimous decision win over Faber at UFC 199 in June.

bjpenndotcom - December 17, 2016

Earlier this month, UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier was set to fight top ranked light heavyweight contender Anthony Johnson in the main event of UFC 206. The fight was not only set to be a highly anticipated rematch, but would also serve as Cormier’s second title defense. Unfortunately, several weeks before the fight, Cormier was forced to pull out of the fight with a torn adductor in his groin, and as a result the fight was scrapped. The initial timetable for Cormier’s return, indicated that the champ could be making his return in spring of 2017, however there had been no official word from the champ himself on what course of action he would take to recover from the injury.

bjpenndotcom - December 17, 2016

Earlier this week, former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar received his punishment from the Nevada State Athletic Commission for his pair of failed drug tests surrounding his UFC 200 fight with Mark Hunt back in July. After it was announced in June that Lesnar would be returning to the Octagon to fight Hunt at UFC 200 in July, it was also revealed that the UFC had waived the mandatory testing period a fighter must go through in order to become eligible in the eyes of USADA. That didn’t sit too well with many fight fans, and USADA responded by testing Lesnar several times over the course of one week.