Latest news with #FortisMMA
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Billy Ray Goff pleased Ramiz Brahimaj's UFC on ESPN 68 misfortune matched his own
Billy Ray Goff pleased Ramiz Brahimaj's UFC on ESPN 68 misfortune matched his own Show Caption Hide Caption Hear Billy Ray Goff's plans to break Charles Oliveira's bonus record UFC on ESPN 68's Billy Ray Goff spoke to MMA Junkie at media day for his welterweight bout vs. Ramiz Brahimaj on Saturday in Las Vegas. LAS VEGAS – One man's misfortune... paired with another man's misfortune... creates fortune? That's the case with Billy Ray Goff and Ramiz Brahimaj ahead of their UFC on ESPN 68 clash Saturday at the UFC Apex. Initially scheduled to fight different opponents, Goff (9-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and Brahimaj (11-5 MMA, 3-3 UFC) were paired when those fighters fell off the card due to visa issues. "With the last one, I had two people pull out and couldn't get another opponent that was on the same card and whatnot," Goff told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. "I'm just happy somebody else also lost a fight, and we were able to match up. I'm just excited to get in there." Goff, 26, has not competed since May 2024 due to multiple opponent withdrawals. Now that he's back, Goff's goals are ambitious – but he's determined. "Whether time off or not, I want to beat (Charles) Oliveira's record for bonuses," Goff said. "I've wanted to get a bonus every fight. I should've gotten a bonus in my debut, but whatever. I'm shooting for a bonus every time I get in there. ... I've got 19 more to go." He'll have an opportunity to knock that number down to 18 on Saturday against Fortis MMA's Brahimaj, who has proved a tough out for all. "He's definitely going to be dangerous on the ground," Goff said. "He's got a bunch of submission wins. He's good on the feet. I think he's less of a threat on the feet than Ko was. I think it's going to be a little more comfortable on the feet, and I have to be more aware on the ground."
USA Today
19-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Fortis MMA's Sayif Saud shares key to reaching 100 UFC coaching wins
Coaches are among the most unheralded people in MMA, but at UFC Fight Night 254 this past Saturday, Fortis MMA leader Sayif Saud got his flowers. After being a frequent presence in the corner of notable athletes under the UFC banner, Saud reached the landmark of 100 team victories with the sport's biggest promotion, and it came courtesy of a Sam Hughes split decision triumph over Stephanie Luciano in a strawweight bout at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The moment Hughes' hand was raised, she took the microphone during her post-fight interview and showered Saud with praise, vocalizing the significance of the Dallas-based team hitting the milestone of triple-digit victories in the UFC. 'Everybody was so cool about it like, 'Tonight's the night,'' Saud told MMA Junkie. 'It surprised me, honestly, because there's so much fights, so much crap going on. Everybody who plays a role (at the UFC) that people don't see were like, 'Tonight's the night. You're going to do it.' Everybody handled it pretty awesome and gave me a lot of love. Just a really cool moment and something I'll something I never forget.' 'Winning fights in the UFC isn't easy. Winning double digit fights over multiple years, it's so hard. I think we've done it five times in five years or six years. It is so hard then to win 20 fights in a year, we've done that a couple of times. Just one win is hard, so obviously if you're getting 20 wins in a year in the UFC, it's really something to be proud of.' Saud, a former fighter who found his place as a coach with the famed Jackson-Wink MMA in Albuquerque, N.M., got his first coaching win on the back of Sean Spencer beating Yuri Villefort at UFC Fight Night 28 in September 2013. His personal highlights as a cornerman on the road to 100 included Geoff Neal's 90-second knockout of Mike Perry in December 2019, and Brandon Moreno emerging from his four-fight series with Deiveson Figueiredo as undisputed flyweight champion. Although 100 represents a monumental achievement for Saud and a key item crossed off his bucket list, he said it's not the time to rest on his laurels. He's still got relevant, highly ranked names in his stable of fighters who have aspirations of their own. 'I had two goals (as a coach): My first goal was to get to 100 wins, because I thought that's Don Shula-esque, you can't be denied,' Saud said. 'That's a lot of wins. The second was to win an undisputed title, which that wasn't easy at all and will be very hard to do again and that's what we're striving to do, to win titles.' Although Fortis MMA is now among the most established and prestigious gyms in the sport, Saud said it's a priority to continue expanding and evolving. Longtime team member and UFC lightweight veteran Diego Ferreira recently committed to a role as full-time jiu-jitsu coach, which Saud said adds to the 'very unique' staff Fortis MMA has to offer. In December, Saud told MMA Junkie that he was mulling a coaching retirement in the not-too-distant future. He said those comments were met with pushback from his athletes, especially those who are younger in their respective careers. Saud said he's not yet ready to make his exit as Fortis MMA's head coach, especially as he reflects on such a big moment in his career, which he preached as a product of having fighters consistently prepared to compete at the highest level of MMA. 'I've got to thank everyone at the gym that has been part of this journey since Day 1,' Saud said. 'This dream that we had to build this team from scratch, to kind of see it now hit this milestone of 100 wins is just kind crazy. It's surreal in some ways because it's like, we did it. We solidified this dream, and I feel like what's what this 100 wins shows, is the consistency at the highest level when the sport has continued to get harder and harder. It is so hard to win now even compared to pre-COVID and Contender Series. It's so much more competitive. I'm just really proud of everybody. 'I'm gone so much. Life's trade-offs. For those 100 wins, that's 100 times that I wasn't here at home to watch my own kinds. It's an accomplishment that so many people were a part of and supported and I really appreciate everybody. It was a really cool weekend.' To hear more from Saud on his milestone of 100 UFC wins, check out his complete appearance on 'The Bohnfire' podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn in the video above.
USA Today
23-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Dana White shares gruesome UFC Fight Night 252 photo of Alonzo Menifield's foot
Alonzo Menifield toughed out a victory Saturday at UFC Fight Night 252, but paid the price. Following Saturday's event in Seattle, promotion CEO Dana White revealed a picture of Menifield's left foot, that suffered a severe laceration between the pinky and ring toes. The bloody picture is not for the faint of heart. Dana white shares gruesome Alonzo Menifield cut in between the toes 😬💀#UFCSeattle @alonzomenifield — FightCrack (@FightCrack) February 23, 2025 Menifield, 37, defeated Julius Walker by split decision in a bout that was later named Fight of the Night and earned him an additional $50,000. The win snapped a two-fight skid for Menifield, who returned to Fortis MMA in preparation of the bout. For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC Fight Night 252.
USA Today
20-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Alonzo Menifield explains return 'home' to Fortis MMA before UFC Fight Night 252
SEATTLE – Alonzo Menifield is back in familiar surroundings as he tries to snap a two-bout losing skid Saturday at UFC Fight Night 252. After starting his UFC run fighting out of Fortis MMA in Dallas under coach Sayif Saud, Menifield expanded his horizons in recent years to multiple gyms. The most prominent of his stay saw him go to Colorado with kickboxing and MMA veteran Pat Barry in his corner, but recently, the decision was made to return to his roots. Menifield (15-5-1 MMA, 8-5-1 UFC) has never lost three consecutive fights in his career. He doesn't want that to happen when he meets newcomer Julius Walker in a light heavyweight bout at Climate Pledge Arena (ESPN+), and in order to give himself the best chance, Menifield did his training camp at Fortis MMA. 'I traveled around, went to everywhere and then I was in a training facility, I'm not going to name the name, but I was in this big old gym and I was realizing, 'They do this at Fortis. They're grinding hard like this,'' Menifield told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday's UFC Fight Night 252 media day. 'So I'm like, 'Why don't I just go home and be with my family and train?' So I'm back at Fortis. Appreciate Fortis.' According to Menifield, there was no negativity around his original departure from Fortis MMA. When this situation arose, he said Saud had no issues welcoming him back with open arms. 'Me and Sayif, we've always been good,' Menifield said. 'I never left on bad terms. I just told him I need to expand and that's what I did just traveling around realizing what I can add to me. I wasn't anything sour, so I was able to go back home. No problem.' Menifield, 37, is seemingly in prime position for a strong rebound. He get a short-notice promotional debuting fighter in Walker (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) who has never experienced the stage of the UFC lights. Menifield has been in those shoes and knows what it's like, but said it's his job to give Walker a rude introduction. 'I think this is an exciting fight as far as this opportunity for both of us,' Menifield said. 'For him, especially, right? He's a young guy trying to make a statement and I look forward to just shutting that all down.' For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC Fight Night 252.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Analyst: Israel Adesanya being 'a hair slower' than prime is biggest obstacle to UFC rebound
Every fighter experiences a decline, but when it happens at the highest level of the sport, the flaws that lead to it can have an even greater spotlight. That's what coach Sayif Saud sees happening to former UFC middleweight champion and future UFC Hall of Famer Israel Adesanya, who saw his losing skid hit a career-worst three fights in a knockout loss to Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Fight Night 250 this month. After losing consecutive championship bouts to Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis, the once-longtime titleholder Adesanya (24-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) found himself in a different spot. His streak of 12 consecutive title fights was over and he was in a non-title bout for the first time since 2019 against a surging contender in Imavov. He said all the right things heading in, and started with a strong first round. But then it fell apart. Imavov landed a big punch on Adesanya in the second round that rocked "The Last Stylebender." He pounded and got the knockout finish in what was a breakthrough moment for his career, but the post-fight narrative was firmly on Adesanya and what his future holds. Saud, who is the head coach at Fortis MMA and was an Analyst of the Year nominee at the 16th annual World MMA Awards, saw this is a natural progression of Adesanya's career. At 35 and with more than 100 combat sports bouts on his record, Saud thinks Adesanya is experiencing the slightest fallout in what were once his strongest attributes. "I look at that fight and just think about how incredible Izzy has been and what he's done," Saud told MMA Junkie. "I see everybody and they're like sad. It's kind like mourning this great fighter. But this happens to every single fighter after a certain point, because they fight at the very elite level. The thing about these champions is once they get to that level, everybody you fight is on the way up and is the very best of the new breed or the new generation or whatever. Nassourdine is a good example of that. He's five or six or seven years younger than Izzy, in his prime and hungry. It's constantly like being at the very tip of the sphere against the most amount of danger, and how long can you do that for? "At 35 years old, if you're just a hair slower, just a hair, just like Roy Jones Jr. The guy was all reflexes. He would hit people and come back and they couldn't even touch him. He got just a hair slower and that was the difference. So I think that's what we're seeing with Izzy. I still think he looked really, really good in the fight. I think he can beat tons of people. I think he can beat Nassourdine in a fight. But with the style that he has and the way that he strikes, in that division with the young guys coming up (it's tough)." Although Adesanya has yet to make a definitive statement about what his fighting future holds, his path to victories aren't going to get any easier. Unless he takes a dramatic step down in competition, Saud said everyone who enters the octagon with Adesanya will be studying him closely and coming for his head in this vulnerable position. Reigning champion Du Plessis said he thinks Adesanya does not have another title run in him, and Saud tends to agree we are witnessing a turnover with the elite at 185 pounds. "We see a big shift coming in the middleweight division," Saud said. "That was an example." Din Thomas says Israel Adesanya's fall happens to most UFC greats Kamaru Usman encourages Israel Adesanya to follow Anderson Silva's approach Sean Strickland shares uplifting message with Israel Adesanya after UFC Saudi Arabia loss To hear more of Saud's analysis of Adesanya's loss and future, check out his complete appearance on "The Bohnfire" podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Analyst: Israel Adesanya being 'a hair slower' than prime is biggest obstacle to UFC rebound
