Latest news with #TainaraLisboa
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
MMA Junkie's Submission of the Month for May: Ramiz Brahimaj's savage standing choke
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from May 2025: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie's Submission of the Month award for May. At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice. Nominee: Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Jessica Andrade at UFC 315 Jasmine Jasudavicius passed the sternest test of her career with flying colors against former champion Jessica Andrade. Advertisement Jasudavicius (14-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) submitted Jessica Andrade (26-14 MMA, 17-12 UFC) less than three minutes into the opening round of the women's flyweight bout. Jasudavicius picked Andrade up and slammed her down, before quickly transitioning to her back to cinch in the rear-naked choke finish. Nominee: Benoit Saint Denis def. Kyle Prepolec at UFC 315 Benoit Saint Denis performed like a heavy favorite against short notice replacement Kyle Prepolec in their lightweight bout. Saint Denis (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) ran through the returning Prepolec (18-9 MMA, 0-3 UFC) for an arm-triangle choke at the 2:35 mark of Round 2. After controlling the action throughout, Saint Denis sunk in the finishing technique to snap a two-fight losing skid. Nominee: Luana Santos def. Tainara Lisboa at UFC Fight Night 256 Luana Santos was a force to be reckoned with in her return to the women's bantamweight division, and Tainara Lisboa felt the wrath. Advertisement Santos (9-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) dominated Tainara Lisboa (7-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) with superior grappling, eventually locking in and finishing the first Americana in women's UFC history with just one second remaining in the second round. Nominee: Jordan Leavitt def. Kurt Holobaugh at UFC on ESPN 68 Jordan Leavitt returned to the octagon from a long layoff and scored one of the most impressive wins of his career against Kurt Holobaugh. Leavitt (12-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) landed a takedown just seconds into the lightweight contest, and that was the beginning of the end. Holobaugh (21-10 MMA, 2-7 UFC) tried to scramble, but Leavitt transitioned into an anaconda choke and put his foe to sleep in just 99 seconds. The winner: Ramiz Brahimaj def. Billy Ray Goff at UFC on ESPN 68 Ramiz Brahimaj scored one of the most vicious submissions in recent memory at UFC on ESPN 68 when he put Billy Ray Goff to sleep. Advertisement Brahimaj (12-5 MMA, 4-3 UFC) applied a tight standing guillotine choke on Goff (9-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) in the opening round of their welterweight bout on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and squeezed until he dropped his opponent's lifeless body to the canvas with shades of Jon Jones' finish of Lyoto Machida back in December 2011. With the win, Brahimaj maintained his 100 percent career finish rate and now has back-to-back wins in the octagon. He said he thinks this is the start of his best days at 170 pounds. "I feel like I'm home," Brahimaj said in his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier. "I've battled through a lot. I was going to hang up these gloves two years ago due to injuries. I know it's God pushing me toward this journey, so I'm here." Cast Your Vote! This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Submission of the Month, May 2025: Ramiz Brahimaj's standing choke
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Luana Santos calls bantamweight return at UFC Vegas 106 a ‘shortcut' to title fight
Luana Santos started her UFC career as a flyweight, but her future may be at bantamweight. At 25, she returns to the 135-pound division to face Tainara Lisboa at UFC Vegas 106 on Saturday looking to make an important decision. Santos was booked to fight once before at bantamweight in the UFC, but badly missed the target, coming in at nearly 140 pounds. Doctors discovered the young Brazilian had Hashimoto's disease, an autoimmune condition that can lead to weight gain by affecting the thyroid gland. Santos took medication to get the disease under control and she went 1-1 as a flyweight, but it just made sense to return to bantamweight after struggling with stomach issues before and after the cut for her recent bout with Casey O'Neill. Advertisement On top of that, Santos sees the bantamweight class as being so shallow it could mean a quicker rise to the top. 'Not that it's easier… but it is,' Santos told MMA Fighting. 'I think the 125 division is more competitive than 135. And if I can fight at 135, why not take the shortcut? For example, Tainara was ranked after only two fights in the UFC. She didn't beat anyone relevant to be ranked. It's easier to climb [the ranking] at 135 than 125. If I have the strength and size to be at 135, why continue battling my body to cut to 125 if I'm only 25 and will definitely not be a flyweight in the future?' Santos' decision is not set in stone yet. A future at bantamweight depends on her performance against Lisboa and possibly her next fight, but the move makes sense right now. 'I'm not a small girl for 135. Quite the opposite,' Santos said. 'I fought at 135 before and I will try that again. Let's see how it goes. If I win this one and the next, let's do it. It all depends on how the fight goes and how I feel in there.' Advertisement Lisboa is older than Santos and hasn't fought in 18 months due to a battle with a career-threatening left knee injury. Santos won't overlook her opponent, but sees the scenario as more favorable for her at UFC Vegas 106. 'I think Tainara is a very tough and experienced girl,' Santos said. 'She's almost 10 years older than me but if we're talking MMA, we have almost the same experience. Her striking is more Muay Thai oriented, she has good jiu-jitsu, but I think I can be superior than her in that area. The two losses she had were against girls who have done that type of game.' 'I think it's a great matchup,' she added. 'She's coming off a knee injury and I don't know how her head will be after more than a year off. I think she's tough. I don't think it's going to be an easy fight, but I think there's a great chance I come out with the win.' More from
