UFC on ESPN 72: Anthony Hernandez full post-fight interview
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USA Today
6 minutes ago
- USA Today
UFC 319 video: Michal Oleksiejczuk punishes Gerald Meerschaert with first-round barrage
Michal Oleksiejczuk is on a roll. At UFC 319, Oleksiejczuk (21-9 MMA, 9-7 UFC) finished Gerald Meerschaert (37-19 MMA, 12-12 UFC) with punches 3:03 into their three-round middleweight bout on the prelims Saturday at United Center in Chicago. Oleksiejczuk dropped Meerschaert before finishing the fight with ground-and-pound punches. The victory moved him to 2-0 since he moved to train with the Fighting Nerds. With the knockout win, Oleksiejczuk moves into third all-time in UFC history for most first-round knockout/TKO stoppages as eight. Only Vitor Belfort and Anthony Johnson have more. Meerschaert, 37, has now lost three fights in a row for the first time in his 57-fight professional MMA career. Up-to-the-minute UFC 319 results include:
USA Today
37 minutes ago
- USA Today
UFC 319 live results: Dricus Du Plessis vs Khamzat Chimaev fight stream, card highlights
Khamzat Chimaev doesn't like his chances of being part of a UFC event at the White House if it materializes. "Bro, look at my face," Chimaev, the Russian fighter with a thick, long beard, told MMA Junkie. But the odds of his becoming a UFC champion Saturday? Infinitely better. Chimaev will be the betting favorite when he fights middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis in Chicago. The bout scheduled for five rounds figures to be entertaining. Chimaev, 31, boasts wrestling skills that have led to comparisons to legendary Russian Khabib Nurmagomedov. He also has a spotless record – 14-0 overall and 8-0 UFC. Plessis, 31, has an impressive record in his own right – 23-2 overall and 9-0 UFC. Though his herky-jerky style has turned off purists, he'll be making his third title defense since winning the belt with a victory over Sean Strickland by split decision in 2024. USA TODAY Sports has everything you need to enjoy UFC 319, including updates, highlights and analysis: UFC 319: Time, PPV, streaming for Du Plessis vs Chimaev The highly anticipated clash between Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev will take place on Saturday, Aug. 16 and can be purchased on ESPN+ PPV. UFC 319 results Michal Oleksiejczuk def. Gerald Meerschaert by TKO Oleksiejczuk arrived to this fight with the equivalent of a hammer. Meerschaert came virtually unarmed. So you can guess how that middleweight bout ended. Oleksiejczuk scored two takedowns, and the second one with authority. He delivered hammer shots with abandon until the referee halted the fight at 3:03 of the first round. Oleksiejczuk, a 30-year-old from Poland, improved to 21-9 (9-7 UFC). Meerschaert, a 37-year-old from Wisconsin, fell to 37-20 (12-12 UFC). Gerald Meerschaert vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk: Round-by-round analysis Middleweight bout Gerald Meerschaert and Michal Oleksiejczuk will challenge not only each other but also the effectiveness of spellcheck. Oleksiejczuk throws a left while trying to gain control. Throws another and takes Meerschaert to the canvas but the referee intervenes and both men are on their feet. Not for long. Meerschaert misses a lazy takedown and the crowd boos. Oleksiejczuk responds with left hands and Meerschaert drops to the canvas. Then Meerschaert is up and he gets dropped again for real. Oleksiejczuk follows up with hammer punches before the referee stops the fight! It's Oleksiejczuk by TKO! Loopy Godinez def. Jessica Andrade by unanimous decision Godinez caught Andrade by surprise early with her fists – landing hard shots to Andrade's head in the first two rounds of their women's strawweight fight. Then it came down to survival. Andrade, known for her power punches, began to land with a thump. She opened a cut beneath Godinez's left eye, and the blood flowed as she tried to hold off Andrade and unleash a final flurry of punches. The judges scored it 29-28, 29-28, 29-28 for Godinez, who improved to 14-5 (9-5 UFC). Andrade, a 33-year-old from Brazil, dropped to 26-14 (17-13 UFC). Jessica Andrade vs. Loopy Godinez: Round-by-round analysis Women's strawweight bout Jessica Andrade and Loopy Godinez exchange punches early. Godinez connects with a hard left and so much for Andrade being the only power puncher in the octagon. Godinez scores with three more punches while Andrade moves in and eats another punch. Godinez increases her lateral movement as Andrade tries to load up. Godinez lands another right and then a right kick to the body. Godinez just a right and a left and Andrade just keeps marching forward and lands some big punches. Godinez, after being under siege for about 45 seconds, finishes it with a right. Godinez 10, Andrade 9 Andrade comes out swinging, strikes and Godinez takes her down and gains control in the half guard. Godinez landing punches and knees on Andrade, who finally gets free. Godinez gets hit and hits harder – a big left. Godinez takes an eye poke and needs a moment before the fight resume and she lands a right kick. Andrade lands a punch and this is turning brawl-like. Andrade is stacking and she eats a right and kick. Andrade marches and scores with her fists. Godinez fighting back but unable to get Andrade back to the mat. But she follows a big left with a knee. Godinez 20, Andrade 18 Andrade comes out swinging again. Andrade looking extremely aggressive. Godinez covering up more, then lashes out with a right. Andrade fights through it and lands a flurry of punches. Godinez landing enough punches and kicks to keep Andrade at bay – barely. Andrade has opened a cut over Godinez's eyes and Andrade is assaulting Godinez. Godinez sneaks in a right, but Andrade is not backing up. Godinez answers with a right kick. Godinez fails a takedown attempt as the round comes to a close with the two women brawling. The cheers with approval! Godinez 29, Andrade 28 Alexander Hernandez def. Chase Hooper by TKO Harnandez, apparently on the verge of losing the first round on the scorecards, took matters into his own hands. His right hand, to be precise. Hernandez throttled Hooper with a powerful right and, after Hooper fell to the canvas, followed up with more rights. The referee quickly stopped the lightweight bout with just two seconds left in the round. At 6-foot-1, Hooper appeared to have an important height advantage. But the 5-foot-9 Hernandez compensated with his fists. Hernandez, a 25-year-old from Texas, improved to 17-3-1 (9-7 UFC). Hooper, a 25-year-old from Washington, fell to 16-9 (8-4). Chase Hooper vs. Alexander Hernandez: Round-by-round analysis Lightweight bout Chase Hooper, at 6-foot-1, looks noticeably bigger against the 5-foot-9 Alexander Hernandez. The reach with his legs and arms is leaving Hernandez perplexed until he lands a right. Hernandez fires again with his fists and scores with a right. Hooper ties him up before Hernandez wriggles free. Henandez has grown more comfortable against his taller opponent. Hooper using kicks, then gets grazed by a right. Hernandez with a right and the fight is halted with two seconds on the clock! It's Hernandez by TKO. Darkkar Klose def. Edson Barboza by unanimous decision In their lightweight bout, Klose prevailed over Barboza thanks to a novel strategy. The foot stomp. Over the first two rounds, Klose stomped on Barboza's feet, to the point where Barboza looked unsteady on his feet – and vulnerable. Klose, in turn, blasted away with punches and left welts under Barboza's eyes. Not to mention noticeable swelling on Barboza's feet. The judges scored it 29-28, 29-28, 29-28 for Klose, a 37-year-old from Florida who improved to 16-3-1 (10-3 UFC) . Barboza, a 39-year-old from Brazil fell to 24-13 (18-13 UFC). Karine Silva def. Dione Barbosa by unanimous decision In a rematch of their 2019 fight, Silva avenged a loss to Barbosa with a victory by the same manner: unanimous decision. The crowd rewarded Silva with boos after the flyweight bout. The clock saved Silva in the first round, when it ran out while Barbosa looked close to submitting her by armbar. But in the third round, it was Silva who almost finished Barbosa by guillotine before Barbosa wriggled free. The judges scored it 29-28, 29-28, 29-28 for Silva, the 31-year-old Brazilian who improved to 19-5 (5-1 UFC). Barbosa, a 33-year-old Brazilian, fell to 8-4 (2-2 UFC). Joseph Morales def. Alibi Idiris by submission Morales turned in a scintillating performance over Idiris in the flyweight finale of The Ultimate Fighter 33. Morales dominated the first round, then owned the second, when he knocked down Idiris and submitted him by triangle choke at 3:04 of Round 2. Before it was over, blood was trickling down Idiris' nose as Morales exulted in victory. Morales, a 30-year-old from Sacramento, California, who entered the bout as a decisive underdog, improved to 13-2 (1-2 UFC). And with the victory, he earned a UFC contract. Idiris, a 30-year-old from Kazakhstan, suffered his first loss as his record fell to 10-1. Khamzat Chimaev keeps UFC, fans on toes Khamzat Chimaev will enter the ring to great relief considering he has pulled out of several big fights for a variety of reasons. He canceled three fights with Leon Edwards because he had COVID-19, according to the UFC. He also had to withdraw from a fight with Nate Diaz when he weighed in 7 1/2 pounds over the maximum weight of 170. He also withdrew from a fight against Robert Whitaker because of an undisclosed illness. Dricus Du Plessis relies on mind Dricus Du Plessis says he has used a mental coach for the past eight years and that it'll pay off when he fights Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319. Chimaev is expected to take Du Plessis down early, and the reigning middleweight champion shrugged it off. 'We are just weaponizing the mental aspect,'' he told UFC Unfiltered. 'I don't have any issues. It is just strategizing. How we approach (fights), because each opponent is a little bit different. 'Seeing how we can make this even more powerful. That is where my mental training comes in … winning the fight before the fight. 'Mentally, I cannot be broken. It is impossible.' Why Khamzat Chimaev is nicknamed 'Borz' In Chechen, the native language of the Russian republic where Khamzat Chimaev was born and raised, "Borz" means wolf. It is the national animal of Chechnya and generally represents strength and courage, attributes Chimaev has exhibited while going 14-0 as an MMA fighter. This week Chimaev got custom shorts featuring howling wolves on each side. UFC 319 press conference ignites crowd Khamzat Chimaev looked delighted. The source of his mirth was a boisterous crowd gathered in Chicago for the final press conference before he fights UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319 on Saturday, Aug. 16. Boos drowned out Du Plessis as he tried to answer the first question. "Well, that was one of the best boos I've heard," Du Plessis said when the noise finally died down. "Well done, gents, well done." Read more about it from Josh Peter. UFC 319: Du Plessis vs Chimaev predictions Josh Peter, USA TODAY Sports: 'Dricus Du Plessis must drag Khamzat Chimaev into the fifth round to prevail based on his superior stamina. But Chimaev will end the fight sooner than that.'' Prediction: Chimaev by stoppage, second round. Andrew Richardson, MMA Mania: 'I trust Du Plessis and his team have proven their ability to game plan appropriately even complicated stylistic asks.'' Prediction: Du Plessis by KO. Alexander K. Lee, MMA Fighting: "When Chimaev is on, there isn't a soul in the world that can beat him in a fight, and I see no reason to deviate from that belief.'' Prediction: Chimaev by stoppage, first or second round. Din Thomas, ESPN: 'I think Khamzat's grappling pressure is going to be too much.'' Prediction: Chimaev wins. Drake Riggs, Uncrowned: 'Against Chimaev, the best offensive grappling is defensive, which is what the champion needs to showcase, as the relentless Chechen will waste no time going at him.'' Prediction: Chimaev wins. Trent Reinsmith, Forbes: 'Most of the talk around this fight is that if Du Plessis can survive the first round he should be able to take over with his striking and rack up points for the win, but that's a big if when it comes to someone as aggressive and explosive as Chimaev.'' Prediction: The betting pick is for Du Plessis to win a decision or via late knockout. However, a pick for Chimaev to win via early submission is not out of line. UFC 319 preliminary and main card start times UFC 319 odds: Du Plessis vs Chimaev fight card Fight card according to ESPN and all odds via BetMGM. (Odds as of Wednesday) Our team of savvy editors independently handpicks all recommendations. If you purchase through our links, the USA Today Network may earn a commission. Prices were accurate at the time of publication but may change. Gambling involves risk. Please only gamble with funds that you can comfortably afford to lose. 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USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
UFC 319 video: Alexander Hernandez pulls off buzzer-beating TKO of Chase Hooper
Alexander Hernandez pulled off a stunning first-round finish on the UFC 319 prelims. It was a buzzer-beating TKO stoppage in the opening frame for Hernandez (17-8 MMA, 9-7 UFC), who found Chase Hooper's chin to end their lightweight bout at 4:58. Hooper came forward throughout the round, offering a variety of kicks and spinning attacks. Hernandez stayed light on his feet, defensively sound, and struck when he saw an opening. He found a home for the right hand that dropped Hooper (16-4-1 MMA, 8-4 UFC), and the follow-up punches prompted referee Jason Herzog to stop the fight just before the round ended. Check out video of the finish below (via Instagram): With the win, Hernandez extends his winning streak to three, as he entered following decision wins over Austin Hubbard and Kurt Holobaugh. During his post fight interview, Hernandez didn't have a name ready to call out, but he wanted a spot on the Noche UFC card, which takes place in his hometown of San Antonio on Sept. 13. Hooper sees his five-fight winning streak come to an end. His previous loss was also a first-round TKO stoppage against Steve Garcia in October 2022. Up-to-the-minute UFC 319 results include:
