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USA Today
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Daniel Zellhuber sees Michael Johnson as a 'stepping stone,' promises KO at UFC 318
Daniel Zellhuber expects a big win at UFC 318. Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway 3, rightfully so, has drawn most of the attention of the MMA community heading into Saturday's UFC 318, given it's the main event and Poirier's farewell from the sport. But down below, in the opening bout of the UFC 318 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) pay-per-view card, there's another lightweight matchup that's heating up. Mexican prospect Daniel Zellhuber takes on one of the three men to ever knock out Poirier, UFC veteran Michael Johnson. This matchup wasn't just a fun booking from the UFC matchmakers, it was a fight Zellhuber picked himself. "I began to bother Michael Johnson, making fun of him here and there, calling him old, and it worked," Zellhuber told Hablemos MMA in Spanish. "I got his attention. He blocked me on Instagram, which I thought was very funny. After he blocked me on Instagram, it got even funnier." After taking some online shots from Zellhuber (15-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC), Johnson (23-19 MMA, 15-15 UFC) confronted "Golden Boy" while he was working the Spanish broadcast for UFC Fight Night 256 in May. The two traded verbal jabs, and then Johnson went his own way. "That day on the broadcast, he came up to me. I had been bothering him, and looking for that fight before I got injured for Mexico," Zellhuber said. "He didn't want to fight with me. He kept turning it down, turning down, and turning it down, like throwing a tantrum. He has like 30 years in this game and can't take a joke online. That's wild. "He blocked me on Instagram, threw a fit, and finally that day he thought it was a good idea to confront me. That day I was working, so it's not like I could do anything. We had words for each other, nothing that crossed any lines. I'd never take things too far. So we had a few words and a few weeks later, I got the word I was fighting him. I think he still has me blocked on Instagram." Zellhuber really likes the matchup against Johnson, hence the callout. He's happy the fight was able to come together for UFC 318 and sees Johnson as a step towards his ultimate goal – the UFC lightweight title. "I've prepared very well, and we did an extensive study of all his fights," Zellhuber said. "I've noticed he hasn't really improved, and I mean, why would he? He's 40 years old. He's in the UFC because he goes out there, fights hard, gives somewhat of a show, and he serves as a stepping stone for young fighters like myself. In the end, that's what this is. He's just one more step in my career." As far as the fight itself, Zellhuber doesn't expect a war like the one he was in last September against Esteban Ribovics, which won MMA Junkie's Fight of the Year. He believes he will put away Johnson. "He needs to make the most out of this opportunity because after I knock him out on Saturday, he's not going to get another call to fight on a pay-per-view."
USA Today
05-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Randy Brown targets ranked UFC opponent next, interested in Gilbert Burns
LAS VEGAS - Randy Brown thinks he's earned a ranked UFC opponent for his next fight. Winner of eight of his past 10 fights, Brown (20-6 MMA, 14-6 UFC) is coming off a Fight of the Night knockout of Nicolas Dalby at UFC on ESPN 66 in April. He is certain that he'll get a big step up in competition after his statement performance against Dalby. "I would love October," Brown told MMA Junkie on the 2025 UFC Hall of Fame red carpet. "There's so many different guys I'd love to fight. I know that I'm fighting in the rankings next so, it's moving. The division is moving. So for me, I like Geoff Neal. I think that's a great fight. I also think that Gilbert Burns is another great fight for me. There's so much opportunities right now in the division, and I think there's a lot of opportunities for myself." Geoff Neal is rumored to be rebooked against Carlos Prates at UFC 319 on Aug. 16 in Chicago. As for Gilbert Burns (22-9 MMA, 15-9 UFC), the former title challenger lost his fourth-straight fight when he was knocked out by Michael Morales in the UFC Fight Night 256 headliner, but sits in the No. 10 spot in the welterweight rankings. Brown was happy to rebound in emphatic fashion after his controversial decision loss to Bryan Battle at UFC 310. "The way the Bryan Battle fight went, I personally thought I won," Brown said. "A lot of people thought I won, the company thought I won, but you can't leave it in the hands of the judges. That's just what it is, and yeah, that fight with Dalby was a moment to remind people that I'm still here, I'm still hungry, and I'm still very dangerous, and I belong in the top of the division with the best in the world."
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Randy Brown targets ranked UFC opponent next, interested in Gilbert Burns
LAS VEGAS - Randy Brown thinks he's earned a ranked UFC opponent for his next fight. Winner of eight of his past 10 fights, Brown (20-6 MMA, 14-6 UFC) is coming off a Fight of the Night knockout of Nicolas Dalby at UFC on ESPN 66 in April. He is certain that he'll get a big step up in competition after his statement performance against Dalby. Advertisement "I would love October," Brown told MMA Junkie on the 2025 UFC Hall of Fame red carpet. "There's so many different guys I'd love to fight. I know that I'm fighting in the rankings next so, it's moving. The division is moving. So for me, I like Geoff Neal. I think that's a great fight. I also think that Gilbert Burns is another great fight for me. There's so much opportunities right now in the division, and I think there's a lot of opportunities for myself." Geoff Neal is rumored to be rebooked against Carlos Prates at UFC 319 on Aug. 16 in Chicago. As for Gilbert Burns (22-9 MMA, 15-9 UFC), the former title challenger lost his fourth-straight fight when he was knocked out by Michael Morales in the UFC Fight Night 256 headliner, but sits in the No. 10 spot in the welterweight rankings. Brown was happy to rebound in emphatic fashion after his controversial decision loss to Bryan Battle at UFC 310. "The way the Bryan Battle fight went, I personally thought I won," Brown said. "A lot of people thought I won, the company thought I won, but you can't leave it in the hands of the judges. That's just what it is, and yeah, that fight with Dalby was a moment to remind people that I'm still here, I'm still hungry, and I'm still very dangerous, and I belong in the top of the division with the best in the world." This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Randy Brown wants ranked UFC opponent next, mentions Gilbert Burns
USA Today
20-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Noche UFC: Jared Gordon vs. Rafa Garcia added to Sept. 13 lineup
Noche UFC: Jared Gordon vs. Rafa Garcia added to Sept. 13 lineup A battle between lightweight veterans is the first addition to UFC Fight Night 259, which is the third-annual Noche UFC event. Jared Gordon will take on Rafa Garcia on the Sept. 13 event, which moved from Guadalajara, Mexico to Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas (ESPN+). Both fighters confirmed news of the matchup on social media after an initial report from MMA Mania. Gordon (21-7 MMA, 9-6 UFC) has won two of his past three fights, with both wins coming by knockout. The 36-year-old is coming off a first-round knockout of Thiago Moises at UFC Fight Night 256 in May. Meanwhile, Mexico's Garcia (17-4 MMA, 5-4 UFC) has won five of his past seven fights, most recently defeating Vinc Pichel by unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN 64 in March.
USA Today
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
MMA Junkie's Fight of the Month for May: Jack Della Maddalena takes Belal Muhammad's belt
MMA Junkie's Fight of the Month for May: Jack Della Maddalena takes Belal Muhammad's belt With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from May 2025: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie's Fight of the Month award for May. At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice. Nominee: Daniel Santos def. Jeong Yeong Lee at UFC 315 Daniel Santos and Jeong Yeong Lee produced three solid rounds of action in the featherweight division, busting each other's faces up over the course of 15 minutes as the contest flowed on both the feet and the ground. After three rounds, Santos (12-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) was awarded the unanimous decision win over Lee (11-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) with 30-27 scorecards across the board, which was a credit to Lee's toughness. Nominee: Aiemann Zahabi def. Jose Aldo at UFC 315 Aiemann Zahabi went to war with Jose Aldo in what turned out to be the UFC Hall of Famer's final fight before retirement. After a strong start by the former UFC champion, Zahabi (13-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) survived a scare and turned the tables on Aldo (32-10 MMA, 14-9 UFC) to win a competitive unanimous decision, extending his winning streak to six fights and marking the end of Aldo's legendary career. Nominee: Melquizael Costa def. Julian Erosa at UFC Fight Night 256 Melquizael Costa and Julian Erosa were immediately transported to a hospital after their hard-fought battle in the featherweight division. Costa (24-7 MMA, 5-2 UFC) and Erosa (31-12 MMA, 9-8 UFC) put on a gruelling three-round scrap, and as a result, both men received an additional $50,000 for Fight of the Night honors. In the end, Costa was awarded the unanimous decision victory after enduring a late swarm from Erosa. Nominee: Alice Ardelean def. Rayanne dos Santos at UFC on ESPN 68 Alice Ardelean got her first UFC win when she outworked the favored Rayanne dos Santos to get her hand raised and snap of eight-month skid women getting Fight of the Night honors. Ardelean (10-7 MMA, 1-2 UFC) pulled off a unanimous decision over dos Santos (14-9 MMA, 0-3 UFC) in the curtain jerker on the prelim in the strawweight division. Dos Santos was more than a 2-1 favorite in the fight, but Ardelean pulled off the upset. The winner: Jack Della Maddalena def. Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 The UFC's welterweight division has a new king, and his name is Jack Della Maddalena. Incoming champion Belal Muhammad entered the fight seeking his first title defense, but would run into a stiff challenge in the form of a highly confident Della Maddalena (18-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC). The welterweight title fight served as the main event of UFC 315 at Bell Centre in Montreal. After the final horn sounded, Della Maddalena was declared the new champion unanimously with 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 scores over Muhammad (24-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC). Della Maddalena came forward early, putting pressure on the champ as he landed combinations while the crowd chanted in his favor. After studying his opponent's movements, Muhammad began to open up his offense. Della Maddalena appeared very comfortable on his feet, and grew in confidence after stopping Muhammad's first takedown attempt. Striking exchanges unfolded early in Round 2, with both fighters connecting with clean offerings. Della Maddalena found a home for a hard right hand that turned Muhammad's head, but the champ ate it and continued to come forward. Della Maddalena stifled another takedown attempt, but Muhammad landed nicely on the exit. Still feeling good, Della Maddalena had some fun with a few spinning strikes in the closing seconds of the round. A beautiful combination from Della Maddalena started Round 3. As the round progressed, Muhammad chased the challenger all over the octagon, but was met with quick jabs and the occasional two-punch combo. It wasn't all one-way traffic, but Muhammad was unable to land anything of significance to change the tone of the fight. In the fourth round, Muhammad dedicated himself to more takedown attempts. The champ pushed forward with urgency, looking to get the fight to the ground. This caused a few heated exchanges, but it was clearly Muhammad's best round, even though he was on the receiving end of a share of clean strikes. With just five minutes to go and the fight on Della Maddalena's side, Muhammad turned up the pressure more than before. This created some heated moments of hard striking exchanges, where it seemed like the fight could end at any moment. Muhammad was finally able to complete a takedown with over three minutes to work. After landing some ground and pound, Della Maddalena exploded back to his feet and resumed landing sharp strikes, putting Muhammad on wobbly legs. Della Maddalena went for a takedown but was reversed, allowing Muhammad to get off some more offense on the ground momentarily. However, the fight would return to standing, where Della Maddalena would close out his championship-winning performance by pressing on the gas until the final horn. Cast Your Vote!
