Tag Archives: Daniel Cormier

Jose Aldo to be Inducted Into UFC’s Hall of Fame

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Jose Aldo is head to the Hall…

The 36-year-old Brazilian retired professional mixed martial artist, the longest-reigning featherweight champion in UFC history, will be inducted into the promotion’s Hall of Fame later this year.

Jose AldoAldo retired from the UFC in September, one month after losing to Merab Dvalishvili in a highly ranked bantamweight fight. Had Aldo won that fight, he might have moved on to fight for a UFC title one more time.

Although he officially retired from MMA and was removed from the UFC’s rankings, Aldo has left the door open to competing in a boxing match.

Born in Manaus, Brazil, Aldo rose to 145-pound superiority in the WEC, where he won his first major championship by knocking out Mike Brown in 2009. He defended the title twice before the UFC brought the division into its fold and crowned Aldo its first-ever featherweight champ.

Aldo (31-8) won 18 consecutive fights from 2006 to 2014 and defended the UFC featherweight title a record seven times. His championship run came to a close in 2015, when he suffered a stunning 13-second knockout to rival Conor McGregor. He reclaimed the title seven months later by defeating Frankie Edgar, but lost it a second time in his next fight to Max Holloway.

Still widely considered the greatest featherweight of all time, Aldo dropped to the 135-pound bantamweight division in 2019 to try to win a second belt. He challenged Petr Yan for the vacant belt in 2020 but lost via fifth-round TKO.

Aldo joins the UFC Hall of Fame’s “modern wing” of fighters that includes Forrest Griffin, BJ Penn, Urijah Faber, Ronda Rousey, Michael Bisping, Rashad Evans, Georges St-Pierre, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Daniel Cormier.

Glover Teixeira Becomes Oldest First-Time Champion in UFC History

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Glover Teixeira has accomplished what many thought impossible.

The 42-year-old Brazilian-American mixed martial artist defeated Jan Blachowicz via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:02 of the second round to win the UFC light heavyweight title on Saturday in the main event of UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi.

Glover Teixeira

Teixeira was a +210 underdog, per Caesars Sportsbook.

At 42 years old, Teixeira is the oldest first-time champion in UFC history and the second-oldest fighter to win a UFC title, behind only Randy Couture.

Teixeira joins Couture and Daniel Cormier as only the third UFC fighter to win a title at age 40 or older.

The 14 UFC fights between Teixeira’s title loss to Jon Jones at UFC 172 on April 26, 2014, and Saturday, were the most between title shots in the same division in UFC history.

“Never give up on your dreams,” Teixeira said in his postfight interview. “No matter what people say, don’t listen to them. They’re gonna put you down. Don’t listen to those negative people. Believe in yourself.”

Teixeira took down Blachowicz in the first round and basically kept him there for the duration. In the second round, Blachowicz had success with his boxing. But Teixeira wobbled him with a left hook and then took him down again. This time, Teixeira was able to get mount, then take Blachowicz’s back and lock in the choke. “I’m breaking the rules — 42 years old,” Teixeira said. “I’m gonna keep breaking those rules.”

ESPN has Blachowicz ranked No. 5 in the world on its pound-for-pound MMA list. At light heavyweight, ESPN has Blachowicz ranked No. 1 and Teixeira at No. 2.

Teixeira (33-7) has won six straight and seven of his past eight, most recently before this weekend a third-round submission win over Thiago Santos in November 2020.

The Brazil native has 28 finishes in 33 career victories. Teixeira, a Connecticut resident, has been considered one of the top light heavyweights in the world for more than a decade, an incredible stretch of consistency and quality.

He has the most finishes (13) and submission victories (7) in UFC light heavyweight history. Teixeira’s 16 UFC light heavyweight wins are second most next to Jones (20).

“Glover Teixeira is and has been one of the toughest guys in the division for a very long time, this was his dream forever to get this title shot,” UFC president Dana White said. “He finally gets it and did it tonight.”

On Saturday, Teixeira said he would be returning to his childhood town of Sobralia, Minas Gerais, Brazil, with the UFC gold. “I told you guys I’m coming home with the belt,” Teixeira said. “And I am. The promise is done.”

“This guy never gave up,” White said. “All the adversity that he’s faced in his career and here at 42 years old, a few days after his birthday, he wins the title. It’s a pretty cool story. Couldn’t happen to a better guy, too.”

Anderson Silva to Fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in 10-Round Boxing Match

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Anderson Silva is taking on a tough competitor in his next bout…

The 45-year-old Brazilian former UFC champion will face former middleweight world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in a 10-round boxing match on June 19 at Jalisco Stadium in Jalisco, Mexico, according to promoters.

Anderson Silva

Promoter Saul Rios says the fight will take place at 180 pounds. This will be Silva’s third professional boxing match. He suffered a first-round TKO loss to Osmar Luiz Teixeira in 1998 and won a second-round TKO over Julio Cesar De Jesus in 2005. Both earlier fights were held in Brazil.

Silva (34-11, 22 KOs and 4 submissions in MMA) is considered one of the best MMA fighters in history. He owns the longest victory streak in UFC history with 16.

However, after he lost four of his last five fights, including decisions to current middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and Daniel Cormier and KOs to Jared Cannonier and Uriah Hall, the UFC released Silva. He hasn’t fought since October.

“When I look back at my journey, I see that nothing has been in vain,” Silva told TMZ. “I am extremely happy for the opportunity to test my boxing skills with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

“I train continuously, always striving for resilience and to overcome obstacles. Fighting is my everlasting breath.”

Chavez Jr. (52-5-1, 34 KOs) defeated Jeyson Minda in November but is 2-3 in his past five fights, which includes a loss to Canelo Alvarez.

Also on the card, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. will face Hector Camacho Jr., the son of the late Hector “Macho” Camacho, who was the senior Chavez’s archrival.

Dominick Reyes to Fight for Jon Jones’ Recently Vacated UFC Light Heavyweight Title

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Dominick Reyes will be fighting for a title next month…

The 30-year-old Mexican American professional mixed martial artist will face off against Jan Blachowicz for the UFC light heavyweight title vacated by longtime champion Jon Jones.

Dominick Reyes

A bout between Reyes and Blachowicz had already been set for UFC 253 on September 26. But the UFC made it official: the two top contenders will be going for the vacant light heavyweight title.

Reyes (12-1), ranked No. 3 in the world by ESPN among light heavyweight fighters, is coming off a controversial, unanimous-decision loss to Jones at UFC 247 in February. It was a bout many thought the California native should’ve won on the scorecards.

Blachowicz (26-8) has won three straight, the most recent a first-round knockout of Corey Anderson in February. The 37-year-old is ranked No. 4 by ESPN at light heavyweight.

This will mark only the second time that the UFC light heavyweight title will not be in a card’s main event. The first was Daniel Cormier‘s title defense against Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 220 on Jan. 21, 2018.

UFC 253 will be headlined by a middleweight fight between champion Israel Adesanya and challenger Paulo Costa.

Jones had held the light heavyweight belt off and on since 2011 and never lost it in the cage. The champion expressed his intent to move up to heavyweight.

Anderson Silva to Fight Uriah Hall in October UFC Fight Night

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Anderson Silva is returning to the Octagon…

The 45-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist, one of the greatest legends of the sport, has booked his next fight.

Anderson Silva

Silva has agreed to meet Uriah Hall in the main event of UFC Fight Night on October 31, according to UFC president Dana White.

The event will take place at a location to be determined. Silva’s longtime manager, Jorge Guimaraes, also confirmed the bout to ESPN.

During a news conference on Tuesday, White hinted it might be the final fight of Silva’s storied career. Guimares told ESPN a decision on his final fight has not yet been made, and the team is taking it fight by fight. Silva, a former middleweight champion, has two fights left on his UFC contract.

“We like the fight, and we’ll see how he does,” Guimaraes told ESPN. “The man is 45 years old, but he’s always in good shape, always training. I was at his house the other day, and he was training well. He’s lost a lot of weight, and he’s been eating healthy.”

Silva (34-10) was booked to fight Hall in May 2014, but he was forced to withdraw due to unexpected surgery to remove his gallbladder. Remarkably, Silva ended up fighting former light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier at UFC 200 on just two days’ notice two months after surgery.

The matchup has not been booked since, but the UFC has chosen now to revisit it. Silva has not fought since he suffered a TKO loss to Jared Cannonier at UFC 237 in May 2019. Silva suffered a knee injury in the bout, and it has kept him sidelined since. He underwent a stem cell procedure on the knee as recently as May.

Hall (15-9) has not yet fought in 2020. He has had terrible luck this year, as scheduled bouts against former Strikeforce champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and former UFC title challenger Yoel Romero have fallen through. The Souza bout was canceled after the Brazilian fighter tested positive for COVID-19, and Romero pulled out of a fight against Hall this weekend due to injury.

Silva is considered one of the greatest fighters of all time. He held the UFC’s 185-pound middleweight title from 2006 to 2013.