“What I think [is] TJ [Dillashaw] should have stayed at his weight and should have done what he was supposed to do at 135 [pounds],” Raphael Assuncao told the media on Wednesday in Brazil. “He went down to 125 [pounds] and now… I’m sure he repent, you know, of what happened.
“He should have stayed at his weight class and take responsibility at his weight class. That’s what I think. I think he should have… Just like when I should have fought for the title before, and then Cody [Garbrandt] took my place and it didn’t go well twice for him.
“In the back of my mind I don’t want to be a hater but then I was like, ‘Yeah, see, that’s what you get. It should have been my turn,'” Assuncao continued. “Same with TJ, that’s what you get. You should have been defending your own title.”
At UFC Fortaleza this Saturday night, top UFC bantamweight contender Raphael Assuncao takes on Marlon Moraes in a rematch of their 2017 encounter. The winner will very likely be looking at the next bantamweight title shot against champion TJ Dillashaw.
For Assuncao, the argument could be made that he should have already gotten his first career title shot sooner as he’s 11-1 at 135-pounds with that lone loss coming to Dillashaw who he also holds a win over.
Instead, for Dillashaw’s most recent outing he decided to try his luck at 125-pounds where he challenged the flyweight champion Henry Cejudo for his title at UFC Brooklyn. Unfortunately for Dillashaw, Cejudo would spoil his divisional debut in just 32 seconds.
Now having had Dillashaw lose, it could present a longer waiting period if Cejudo is to rematch Dillashaw for the bantamweight title. If that will happen or not remains to be determined.
For the time being, all either Assuncao or Moraes can do is further make their case starting with UFC Fortaleza.
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 1/30/2019
Manuel Torres has responded to those who criticized referee Mike Beltran during UFC Mexico City.
Torres had a stellar showing this past Saturday, defeating seasoned veteran Drew Dober in the opening frame via TKO. Torres delivered a series of hard punches to the head of his opponent. Beltran stopped the fight, but some believe he was too late in calling a halt to the bout.
Joe Pyfer has found himself in hot water after blaming Mexico City for pulling out of a planned matchup against Kelvin Gastelum.
Pyfer and Gastelum were set to collide on the main card of UFC Mexico City. Plans went south when “Bodybagz” fell ill before fight night. It would’ve been a big opportunity for Pyfer to go up against the biggest name he’s faced yet, but it wasn’t meant to be on March 29.
Patricio “Pitbull” Freire is confident that he will prove himself to be the best featherweight in the world.
Freire will finally be making his UFC debut on April 12. The former two-division Bellator champion will share the Octagon with Yair Rodriguez on the main card of UFC 314 in Miami. It’s been a long time coming for the 37-year-old, who has garnered Hall of Fame worthy accolades during his time in Bellator.
Drew Dober has spoken out after being viciously stopped by Manuel Torres at UFC Mexico City.
Dober was hoping to avoid the first three-fight skid of his pro MMA career going into Saturday’s fight card. He was unable to do so, suffering a first round-TKO loss. Dober grabbed his opponent’s leg in hopes of a takedown, but he ate a barrage of nasty punches before referee Mike Beltran finally stepped in.
Brandon Moreno is throwing his name in the hat to headline UFC 320.
Moreno took center stage in the main event of UFC Mexico City this past Saturday night. He went one-on-one with No. 8-ranked UFC flyweight Steve Erceg. This was a competitive scrap that went the distance. Moreno was awarded the unanimous decision victory.
Ilia Topuria has provided an update on his next fight with a big claim.
Topuria will officially vacate the UFC Featherweight Championship once the UFC 314 main event between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes begins. When it was announced that Topuria is moving up to the 155-pound division, many assumed that “El Leyenda” will be getting a shot at Islam Makhachev’s UFC Lightweight Championship. UFC CEO Dana White told reporters that Makhachev vs. Topuria isn’t a lock for the next lightweight title fight.
The Octagon returned to Arena CDMX for tonight’s UFC Mexico City, and four fighters wound up taking home performance bonuses.
Tonight’s fight card was headlined by a key men’s flyweight bout between Brandon Moreno and Steve Erceg. The bout proved to be a thrilling twenty-five-minute affair. Brandon Moreno got off to a quick start, but Steve Erceg was able to establish his range early in the second frame. The fighters would trade leather for the final three rounds and after five rounds of exciting action, the judges’ in attendance unanimously awarded the decision in favor of ‘The Assassin Baby’. With the win, Moreno is right in line for another crack at the title.
Tonight’s UFC Mexico City event was headlined by a key men’s flyweight bout between Brandon Moreno and Steve Erceg.
Moreno (23-8-2 MMA), the promotion’s former flyweight champion, was competing for the first time since scoring a unanimous decision win over Amir Albazi this past November at UFC Edmonton. Prior to that victory, ‘The Assassin Baby’ was coming off back-to-back losses to Brandon Royval and Alexandre Pantoja respectively.
