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Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Steven Nguyen reacts to UFC record-breaking win, Jason Herzog's stoppage
Steven Nguyen was in the second UFC on ABC 9 prelim Saturday in Abu Dhabi, but the fight ended up as one of the main talking points among viewers. It was a historic night for Nguyen (10-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and a controversial one for referee Jason Herzog. Nguyen knocked opponent Muhammad Yahya down a record-breaking six times in the bout, which only lasted a total of 10 minutes. "Honestly, I felt like it was a triple bonus," Nguyen told MMA Junkie on Monday. "I got my first UFC win, which was most important. I made history, No. 2. And I got a bonus, as well, No. 3. It was like a triple bonus. It feels amazing. I feel amazing. I feel on top of the world right now. At the same time, it just makes me more hungry." Nguyen, like many who watched the fight, was wowed by Yahya's toughness. Even when his left eye inflated to the relative size of a softball, Yahya (12-6 MMA, 0-3 UFC) asked to keep going – but the doctor said no and the bout was waved off. "It was a little bit frustrating honestly," Nguyen said. "The first few knockdowns, it was like, 'OK, I know I secured the first round because I knocked him down.' Toward the second round, I kept knocking him down like, 'How is this guy still here?' I gassed myself trying to finish him so many times to where that very last knockdown, I just kind of hovered over him. I was just so tired. I was like, 'I'm just going to try to take this as a breather. Instead of unleashing punches on him, let me take a little breather.' I was so gassed." Making history It's not every day a fighter picks up his first UFC win – and makes history. He had no idea he set a new UFC record until Michael Bisping notified him in the post-fight interview. Nguyen still glowed about the feats he achieved days later and praised Yahya's heart and refusal to quit. "It takes two to tango and Muhammad didn't want to give up," Nguyen said. "Even after that eye was messed up, I remember shaking his hand right before the decision was called. He was like, 'I wanted to keep going.' So props to him for being that warrior – just nonstop. He wanted to keep fighting. Obviously, he wanted that win so bad, saying that to me. We were both trying to get our very first wins in the UFC. It's his home town and he had a lot of pressure. He wanted it real bad. Like I said, it takes two to make it happen. When Michael Bisping told me about it, he was the first person to tell me. My natural reaction was, 'This is f*cking amazing.' He's like, 'How do you feel about that?' I'm like, 'F*cking amazing.' It's like it's hit me, but I've just been in Dubai on vacation mode. It's really crazy to me to think I did that. It's more than just completing my dream. It's wild." Jason Herzog's stoppage Contributing to the historic moment was Herzog's threshold of allowance for Yahya to be knocked down so many times over the span of the 10-minute bout. The decision not to stop the fight until the doctor intervened was criticized by many pundits and commentators, including UFC lead play-by-play man Jon Anik. Nguyen had as close of a look as anyone but was hyper-focused on the task of finishing the fight. Having gone back and watched it, Nguyen is a bit surprised it was not stopped sooner – particularly after seeing Yahya's grotesque eye injury. "I didn't actually see his eye (injury) until after the fight," Nguyen said. "I was pretty locked in. I knew I did damage on him. But when I saw him after I was like, 'Oh sh*t, I did that?' There are a few times where I hit him and knocked him down. There was one time where his leg bent backward. I put my hands up like, 'This has to be a walkaway KO.' But nothing happened. Jason didn't stop it. I was like, 'OK, I have to finish him now.' I was definitely surprised but at the end of the day I'm just going to do what I have to do to win the fight. I wasn't thinking about it too much. But after watching the fight, there could've been a few times where the fight could've been stopped. But obviously at that time, I wasn't thinking about it." What's next? Nguyen, 32, has been crafting his game at Fortis MMA under coach Sayif Saud in Dallas for a few years now. Despite his advancements in the gym, Nguyen has had seldom opportunities to show them. Since he signed with the UFC in September 2023, Nguyen has only competed twice in the organization. Nguyen just tacks up the inactivity to circumstance, but hopes now that he has a little hype surrounding his name, more fight offers will start to come through. Nguyen plans to visit Vietnam soon and has a couple of bumps and bruises to heal, but is eager to get another fight in 2025. "I definitely want to ride this momentum, this wave that's starting to happen right now," Nguyen said. "I have a few little bumps and bruises right now but nothing major. As soon as I'm recovered, I'm going to be talking to my manager Jason House pretty soon when I get back to the states. We're going to come up with a good game plan. I definitely don't want to wait another year or 14 or 16 months. Definitely not that. I'm going to get back in the gym, get better, talk to my manager and we're going to figure out a good game plan. I definitely, definitely want to keep riding this momentum, man." This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Jason Herzog error? Steven Nguyen reacts to stoppage at UFC Abu Dhabi
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC analyst says Robert Whittaker's title days over after UFC on ABC 9 loss
Din Thomas was impressed with the fighting spirit of Robert Whittaker at UFC on ABC 9, but can't overlook the negative career impact of the result against Reiner de Ridder. Thomas was on-site Saturday in Abu Dhabi serving as the broadcast analyst when former middleweight champion Whittaker (26-9 MMA, 17-7 UFC) suffered a split decision loss to de Ridder (20-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) at Etihad Arena. It was a competitive battle with both men getting hurt at moments and fighting hard until the end, and two of three judges had it for the former two-division ONE Championship titleholder. At could've been a deflating moment for Whittaker, who lost consecutive fights for the first time since 2014. Instead, he only said he was "butt hurt" about what happened then left the octagon with no further excuses. And Thomas likes what he saw in that moment. "Even when the result was read and he lost, he still seemed to be in a good place," Thomas told MMA Junkie. "I like this for Robert Whittaker because he's not sour, he didn't seem like he was complaining and he wasn't pointing fingers at anybody. He knew what he was in with that fight and he knew it was a tough fight, he knew it wasn't a dominant performance so neither fighter could complain either way. "I was really impressed with Robert Whittaker his ability to withstand those hard times in the fight and have a lot of positivity left a lot of confidence in his ability to win. ... In the trenches in this fight, Robert Whittaker still seemed to be able to bounce back, and I liked that. I thought it was inspiring." Despite his commendable performance, results are almost always the ultimate dictator in the UFC, and now Whittaker's record shows four losses in his past seven fights, albeit to elite competition. At 34, Whittaker has logged more than four hours of total fight time during his run at 185 pounds. It's a crossroads moment going forward, and with the top of the division being as intruiging as ever, Thomas said it would be a good time for Whittaker to drop down in rankings and fight someone who will truly serve as a barometer. "I think you give him Roman Kopylov," Thomas said. "I think you give him Kopylov before you start feeding him to the guys. Before we say, 'We're done with you and we're going to start feeding you.' Because Kopylov is somewhere in the back of the rankings. You give him Kopylov to say, 'We're giving you No. 15 and if you win that we keep you up here. We'll keep you fighting these guys. But if you lose that, now you've got to fight the up-and-comers.'" Fighting up-and-comers is surely a far cry from what Whittaker wants to do, but Thomas said it's not an easy spot. "The Reaper" needs a victory to keep his head above water with the emerging contenders, but as far as the pre-fight plans he expressed to have a "fairytale end" to his career with UFC gold? Thomas said that seems like a long shot. "No, if I had to bet I wouldn't assume he gets there," Thomas said. "It's interesting though because he said he had a four-fight plan to get back to a title. Now it looks like it's going to take about four fights. With a win over RDR it would've of been less than four fights." To hear more from Thomas, check out his complete appearance on "The Bohnfire" podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn above. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC analyst: Robert Whittaker's title days over after Abu Dhabi loss
The Australian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Australian
Nikita Tszyu next fight date revealed
Nikita Tszyu will make his long awaited return to the ring on August 20, nearly exactly a year after his last fight, and just in time for a proposed showdown with Michael Zerafa later in the year. Tszyu has been out of action since his August 28, 2024 fight of the year win over Koen Mazoudier. The 27-year-old had surgery on tendons in his hand following that dramatic ninth round stoppage win, and suffered a series of setbacks in his recovery. Tszyu then welcomed the birth of his first child, a daughter named Curiosity, last week, but will be fit and firing to return next month. Tszyu hasn't fought since his win over Koen Mazoudier last August. Picture: No Limit Boxing Tszyu has been linked to a fight with Zerafa later in the year. That bout would likely be at middleweight, with Zerafa eyeing up a WBA world title fight if he wins. It has been a hectic year for Nikita already. 'The Butcher' was married in a lowkey ceremony in January, and was initially scheduled to return to the ring in May in Sydney, before those plans were shelved. He was then slated to fight in Cairns last week, but that was put on ice as well. Instead, Nikita will fight exactly one month after older brother Tim's must-win world title rematch against Sebastian Fundora in Las Vegas. No opponent has been confirmed, but several names are in the mix. Meanwhile, Melbourne and Sydney are possible destinations the fight could be held. 'The Butcher is back, baby,' No Limit boss George Rose said. 'You don't know what you've got until it's gone, and we've all been craving Nikita Tszyu. Tszyu celebrates his win over Dylan Biggs in 2023. Picture: No Limit Boxing 'He's special. He's unique. He's must-see TV. 'Nikita's style, energy and chaos is unlike anything else in the sport. 'Now he's healthy, he's focused, and he's ready to bring that unmissable all-action brand of boxing back. 'Nikita Tszyu is not just a fighter, he's an experience. 'And the timing couldn't be better with Tim heading to Las Vegas to bring home the WBC belt against Fundora. 'Then just a few weeks later, Nikita steps back in for what's shaping as one of the biggest months in the history of Australian boxing. 'This is a huge month. For the sport. For the fan. And for the Tszyu name.' Brendan Bradford Content producer Brendan Bradford is a sports writer for CODE Sports. He primarily covers combat sports, league, union, cycling and athletics. Brendan has worked in sports media for a decade, covering world title fights, World Cups, Grand Slams and Spring Tours. @1bbradfo Brendan Bradford
The Australian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Australian
Why Tim Tszyu can't meet his new niece Curiosity before Sebastian Fundora rematch
His younger brother just experienced a life changing moment by becoming a dad for the first time, but Tim Tszyu says he won't meet his new niece until after his July 19 fight with Sebastian Fundora. Tszyu flies out for Las Vegas on Friday afternoon, a little over a week after Nikita's daughter, Curiosity, was born. And while he can't wait to meet the newest addition to the Tszyu family, Tim says he's too deep into fight preparation to see her. 'I haven't been able to take it all in yet – I've just been so focused,' Tszyu told Code Sports after his last training session in Sydney before he jets out. 'When I finish, and after the fight, it will be different. 'But right now, I'm just hard. I don't feel soft. Kids, babies, they make you slow down. They make you feel soft. Tim Tszyu fights Sebastian Fundora in Las Vegas. Picture:'I don't have that right now. 'I don't have that feeling of, 'Oh, I want to go see a little baby'.' Tszyu only needs to go back to his fight with Bakhram Murtazaliev in October for a similar example of losing that hardness. That was when Kostya Tszyu made a surprise fight week appearance, with heart-warming scenes of a long overdue family reunion. But heart-warming isn't the vibe you want when preparing for a world title fight. 'I don't like to feel soft, or vulnerable before a fight,' he said. 'It's warrior mentality. 'The fact my dad was there, it was a little bit of emotions from that, but I'm more stoic when I get into the ring and before the fight. That's how I like to feel.' Tszyu is focused ahead of his rematch with Fundora. Picture:Which is why he doesn't want to see babies or have any more family reunions ahead of his must-win fight with Fundora. Instead, Tszyu is channeling his old man's cold blooded approach to the fight game. There are dozens of examples of Kostya's no-nonsense approach to boxing and life. Like waking Tim and Nikita up at 5am to go on morning runs when they were barely teenagers. Tim reveals another one, this time from Kostya's world title unification bout with Zab Judah in 2001. Kostya held the WBA and WBC titles, but was the underdog against the flashy IBF champion Judah. 'My dad named the fight 'Destiny' and the whole thing was promoted as 'Destiny',' Tim said. 'It was all roads leading to this one fight, this place. Tszyu flies to Las Vegas on Friday. Picture:'Well, Zab Judah had named his daughter Destiny, and she'd just been born, but he had kept it real quiet. 'Dad found out what he'd named his daughter, and at the weigh-ins, he walked up to Zab Judah and whispered in his ear, 'How's your Destiny? My destiny awaits me tomorrow night'. 'And that rattled him. It rattled him big time. 'He was cold-blooded, and that's my mindset right now too. 'I'll always remember that, and that's why, right now, I'm just in a hard, vengeance mode. 'No disrespect to anyone, but it's just kill and vengeance on my mind right now.' Meanwhile, after hand surgery kept him out of the ring for nearly a year, Nikita will make his long-awaited return on August 20. After a series of recovery setbacks, he finally returned to sparring this week in preparation for his comeback. No opponent or venue have been confirmed, but a win will likely see him propelled into a domestic pay-per-view blockbuster with Michael Zerafa in December. Nikita Tszyu training for his comeback. Picture: No Limit Boxing/Gregg Porteous Zerafa and Tim have a long and ugly history, but Nikita says he doesn't buy into any of the drama. 'I couldn't care less what he's said in the past - I say stupid shit all the time,' he said. 'I say things I don't mean all the time. If he meant it, good on him, but I don't care. 'I'm going to be respectful. I've had a long year behind me where I've had some reflection on how I want to conduct myself, and I'm going to try and be an see how long that lasts.' Nikita suffered numerous setbacks after requiring surgery on his hand following his dramatic ninth round stoppage win over Koen Mazoudier last August, but is confident he'll be fully firing for his comeback. 'I've been punching for a couple of months,' he said. 'I've been punching the heavy bag for about a month. (Punching) heads, one day. 'Usually I don't feel anything, but in the morning I woke up and could feel the injury a little bit. But in sparring yesterday, it didn't hurt, especially compared to March when I really busted it up. 'We're good. We'll be fine.' Brendan Bradford Content producer Brendan Bradford is a sports writer for CODE Sports. He primarily covers combat sports, league, union, cycling and athletics. Brendan has worked in sports media for a decade, covering world title fights, World Cups, Grand Slams and Spring Tours. @1bbradfo Brendan Bradford
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Man left with fractured cheekbone and eye socket after Woolwich Arsenal station fight
A man has been left with a fractured cheekbone and an eye socket after a fight at Woolwich Arsenal station. The incident between a man in his 30s and two other men happened at around 11.15pm on July 5. Officers say the man was assaulted by the pair and they then left the station. The man suffered a fractured cheekbone and eye socket and attended hospital for treatment. Detectives believe the man in the image may have information which could help with their investigation. A spokesperson for British Transport Police said: 'Anyone with information is urged to contact British Transport Police by texting 61016 or by calling 0800 40 50 40 with the reference 939 of 5 July. 'Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be passed anonymously.'
