UFC Article Archives

Jake Yono

JY Journalism

1/22/25 

The Journey Of An MMA Fighter #4

Sitting at 16-6 with a three-fight win streak, a new ranking as the third-best welterweight in the world, and a fresh contract, you carry a lot of optimism. But as you soak in the excitement of your achievements, reality sets in—you’re 30 years old, and the average career span of a fighter is short, usually ending between the ages of 35 and 40. The clock is ticking, and it’s clear that if you’re going to make your mark and capture UFC gold, the time is now. Despite the looming pressure, you don’t let it weigh you down. As the #3 contender in the welterweight division, your stock has risen significantly, bolstered by your growing social media presence and a reputation for hard training. You’re assigned a five-round fight on a pay-per-view card—only the second of your career. It’s not the main event, but it’s a pivotal moment to prove you belong in the championship conversation.

Since your last five-round fight was a year and a half ago, you’ve been ramping up your cardio. The long hours in the gym have instilled confidence in your ability to go the distance. Your opponent is a formidable wrestler, ranked #1 in the division before the current champion and interim champion. He’s known for relentless pressure and control, qualities that have derailed many other fighters’ dreams. Determined to meet this challenge head-on, you make significant adjustments to your training. To prepare, you hire a world-class wrestling coach with extensive experience. He pushes you to master scrambles and build endurance to escape tough situations. Twice a week, you jog up a 1,000-foot mountain, a grueling exercise that sharpens your mental and physical resilience. Every day, you visualize what’s at stake—a chance to climb one step closer to the UFC title. Fight night arrives at the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York City. Fans are eager to see if you can overcome the inconsistencies that have plagued your UFC journey. Cameras follow your every move, capturing the intensity in your eyes as you warm up. The noise in the arena is deafening, but you embrace the pressure, knowing that the greater the stakes, the sweeter the reward. Round 1 unfolds as expected: the wrestler immediately shoots for a takedown, securing it within the first minute. He maintains control on the ground, landing heavy strikes that leave their mark. For three minutes, you struggle to escape, but in the final moments, you find a way to scramble back to your feet. Before the round ends, he takes you down again, asserting dominance. In round 2, you make the necessary adjustments. You use your footwork to maintain distance, turning the fight into a kickboxing match. A well-timed head kick forces him to respect your striking. While he manages to take you down again, you escape within seconds, denying him the control he had in the first round. Rounds 3 and 4 are fiercely contested, with both fighters landing significant strikes and controlling different aspects of the fight. Heading into the fifth and final round, the bout is tied on the scorecards. The pressure mounts, but you thrive in these moments. Early in the round, you land a head kick that staggers your opponent, sending the crowd into a frenzy. You capitalize with ground-and-pound, but he survives, barely holding on. Exhausted, he lacks the energy for more takedowns, leaving you to dictate the pace. The fight goes to the judges, and you’re awarded a unanimous decision victory, 48-47. The arena erupts as your hand is raised in triumph. Not long after, the interim champion defeats the reigning champion, setting the stage for your first shot at UFC gold. Your opponent is a 25-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist from Africa with impressive kickboxing credentials. He’s coming up from lightweight, where he claimed the interim title in his last fight. At 31, you have the edge in experience and physical maturity, but his skill set makes him a dangerous challenge. Both of you have 10 UFC fights under your belts, making the matchup highly anticipated. You dedicate yourself to a grueling 10-week fight camp, studying hours of film on your opponent. You sharpen every aspect of your game, knowing that championship fights demand perfection. The fight takes place at the T-Mobile Arena, and the atmosphere is electric. Round 1 is competitive, with you controlling the fight for two minutes before your opponent lands a series of strikes that leave deep cuts above your eyes. Between rounds, your corner patches you up, and you refocus. In round 2, you execute a move no one expects—a spinning backfist from the clinch that knocks your opponent unconscious. The crowd erupts as the referee waves off the fight. Bruce Buffer announces your name, and Dana White wraps the belt around your waist. At 31, you’ve reached the pinnacle of the sport. With the championship comes newfound fame, lucrative brand deals, and the promise of more high-profile fights. Your first title defense is against a well-rounded fighter who recently lost the interim title. The fight ends controversially in the fourth round when a groin strike forces a doctor stoppage. The belt is stripped from you, and your ranking drops to #2. Frustrated but determined, you continue fighting. However, you lose your next two bouts—one by decision, the other by submission—bringing your record to 18-9. At 33, doubts creep in. Do you still love the sport? After reflecting with your family, you find your answer: yes. you embark on a comeback. You win four consecutive fights against mid-level opponents, proving that you still have the hunger and skill to compete. This streak earns you another title shot, this time against a 40-year-old journeyman champion. Critics question his legitimacy, but you silence them with a first-round knockout to reclaim the belt. Determined to prove yourself, you defend the title against a 25-year-old striker. The fight is a war, lasting 25 grueling minutes. Using the lessons from your long career, you outlast your opponent and retain the belt.

At 35, you defend the title one final time. The victory is bittersweet; your body aches from years of punishment. You’ve accomplished everything you set out to do, but the time has come to hang up your gloves. Retiring with a 24-9 record, you reflect on a career that gave you purpose, financial security, and a platform to inspire others. Fighting taught you discipline, resilience, and gratitude. You thank God for the journey and walk away, proud of how far you’ve come.

Jake Yono

JY Journalism

5/30/25

The Best Individual Sport Played At The Highest Level

A while back, I wrote an article on how basketball, even though we do not see it a lot, is the most intriguing team sport to watch. If you want to check this out, it’s currently on my NBA and sports topic pages. I recommend checking it out to get the criteria and motives I’m coming to you with in this article. I will be showcasing what I think the best individual sports talent is at the highest level.

My candidates for the top individual sport played at the highest level are Track and Field, and MMA that’s it, professional golfers are skilled but competitions are usually decided as to who will be at the top after the first 36 holes of the 72 hole competition, within swimming thwres a huge gap between top swimmers who win big meets, world championships, and Olympic Games and other professional swimmers so it’s vary predictable to see whos going to win and this same trend happens within competition, Another close honorable mention is any Red Bull sponsored extreme sport, this includes skiing and snowboarding course ran and in the park, bike time trial races through urban cities, and all other sports found on their website here (Red Bull) the main part of why there not at the top is the staggering difference between top athletes and everyone else and only the top part is well known which needs to be fixed in these truly intriguing sports but I do appreciate Red Bulls effort and investments which have been successful so far and there network which films all of them. 

Those were my honorable mentions, but my top 2 candidates are track and field and MMA, and my top individual sport played at the highest level is MMA. Track and Field made it this far because of the drastic amounts a result can change and how fast runners can push to meet and world records when they have good competition around them, for example at the 2024 NCAA Track and Field Championships in the mens final of the 800m Shane Cohen of Virginia was favored last to win the final. He stayed with the pack and waited until 200m to go. He stretched out to alne 4 to win the NCAA Championship, in other races in track and 100m dash at the highest level is so close where every single part matters from getting out of the blocks to reaching top speed at the perfect time and leaning at the line all within 10 seconds and one imperfecton of this can lead to a shrit in finishing results which makes it so intriguing to watch these athletes at the highest level as anything can happen. For example, at this past summer's Paris 2024 games, the entire 100m final field was separated by 0.12 tenths of a second, and 1 one thousandth of a second separated gold and silver between Kashayne Thompson and Noah Lyles, where he took gold (Men's 100m Final Paris). These and other close finfishes truly show how Track and Field can be so exciting and unpredictable, but MMA tops this.

Mixed Martial Arts is truly at the highest level the best sport to watch because some can argue that in track and field athletes have more to conquer because theres other athletes on the track but in fighting the skills displayed under pressure at the highest level are truly remarkable as every single punch, kick, clinch, and takedown are calculated movements and fighters must have a calm mind under pressure to execute these moves because brute fighting does not exist in the UFC and it’s not an efficient way of succeeding, instead fighters must study and breakdown their opponemnts and make offensive moves while defending themselves to avoid getting knocked out. Several examples of this are Max Holloway are where he has the most landed strikes in UFC history, and he throws calculated strikes while analyzing his opponents, as his UFC record is 22-7, and he defended the belt 3 times at featherweight. Another skilled fighter is retired aruglaby the greatest of all time Khabib Nurmanagov who finished his carrer 29-0 and was famous was his daganstanian style wrestling where it’s stated that when he takes you down, your not getting back up until he finishes you or the rounds over, this truly shows his skill over long 25 minute fights that Khabibs able to control his opponmnts and not let them play any offense, Jon Jones an undefeated fighter does this same tactic where his punch power is so strong where he weakens other light heavyweights so fast and then takes them down and once he gets in a ground and pound it’s over for the other fighters. Many other fighters show their skills in the octagon and perform under pressure.

 This takes over track and field because theres so much more to it then just being the fastest, you could be the most skilled fighter but without any IQ one punch can take you out showcasing how much you need to analyze and anticipate what your opponemnt is bound ti do and try to defend it and match it offensively. The last reasons why this individual sport is the most talented at the highest level is the level of upsets and new champions the UFC constantly gets such as Illia Torupia, Alexasndre Pantoja, and Merab Dvalishvili and that it’s vary hard to consistently defend titles but fighters like Jon Jones and female Valentina Shevchenko can consistently do this making them remarkable, also in the UFC unlike most other popular individual sports direct offense and direct defence are involved, in other individual sports athletes choose to compete defensively depending on competition but in MMA you must compete as much defensively as offensively if you wan to establish a legacy and rack up wins. MMA is the best individual sport played at the highest level.

Jake Yono

JY Journalism

10/5/25

The Journey Of An MMA Fighter Part #3

Your record now stands at 13-5. After a tough championship loss, you take a moment to reflect on your journey. You evaluate yourself, consider your shortcomings, and remind yourself of the quote that has driven your career: “Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but I will be a champion one day.” Those words reignite your determination. Instead of dwelling on defeat, you decide to use it as fuel for improvement. You take a week to rest and recover, both physically and mentally, before jumping back into training. 

During that week, the updated UFC Welterweight Rankings were released. You anxiously check the list and breathe a sigh of relief when you see that you’ve only dropped to #4. It’s a testament to your skills and reputation that a loss in the championship didn’t knock you further down. As you reflect on the fight, you come to terms with the truth—you weren’t fully prepared for the intensity of competing at that level. Your opponent’s clinch control and relentless strikes made it incredibly difficult for you to mount an offensive game plan. It’s a hard pill to swallow, but you know the only way forward is through hard work and preparation. You study the fight tape obsessively, pinpointing areas where you faltered. You analyze your mistakes, from defensive lapses to missed opportunities to capitalize on openings. Armed with these lessons, you approach your next training camp with renewed focus and determination. Your matchmaker contacts you to discuss your next fight. Together, you decide on an opponent who will push you to your limits: the #2 Welterweight Contender. He’s an experienced wrestler nearing the twilight of his career, having held the championship belt four years ago. Despite his age, he remains a formidable challenge, especially given his wrestling pedigree. To prepare for this high-stakes bout, you hire a world-class wrestling coach from the American Top Team. Training intensifies as you drill takedown defense, scrambles, and transitions endlessly. This fight is more than just another match; it’s the main event at the UFC Apex, with fans and analysts eagerly watching to see how you bounce back from your last loss. Financially, you’ve come a long way since the start of your career. After four years in the UFC, you’ve earned enough to stop working a day job and purchase a modest beach house, where you can focus entirely on training. Yet, you remain hungry—not just for victory but for recognition. The thought of earning performance bonuses or Fight of the Night honors keeps you motivated. The day of the fight arrives, and as you walk into the Apex, you feel a deep sense of readiness. Every aspect of your training has been meticulous, and you’re confident that you’ve done everything possible to set yourself up for success.

The fight begins, and as expected, your opponent wastes no time going for takedowns. He manages to get you to the mat early, but you stay active, scrambling out of bad positions and landing ground strikes whenever possible. Round 1 is closely contested, with neither fighter gaining a clear advantage. In Round 2, you seize the momentum. Utilizing your striking, you land several clean shots, including spinning wheel kicks that briefly stun your opponent. The crowd roars as you press forward. Rounds 3 and 4 are a grueling mix of striking exchanges and grappling battles. Both of you are tested to the limit, trading significant blows and exhausting every ounce of energy. In the fifth and final round, your opponent digs deep, securing an early takedown. He controls you for a significant portion of the round, and then, with incredible precision, locks in a tight choke. Despite your best efforts to escape, you’re forced to tap out. The loss stings, but you hold your head high as the crowd erupts in applause. The fight was an instant classic, a thrilling back-and-forth war that showcased the heart and skill of both fighters. The UFC recognizes this by awarding you Fight of the Night honors, along with a generous bonus.

Now 13-6, with three fights left on your contract, you’re determined to bounce back stronger than ever. Your next fight is against a less challenging opponent in a three-round match. This time, you dominate from start to finish, earning a unanimous decision victory in all three rounds during the first bout of a PPV main card. Your second fight is against a top-10 contender. After a cautious and strategic first round, you find your rhythm in the second, landing a clean combination that ends the fight via knockout. In your final contract fight, you face the #6-ranked contender, a dangerous striker with a known weakness in wrestling. The first round is tough—you struggle to take him down and endure a barrage of strikes. But in the second round, you execute a single-leg takedown with precision, dominating in ground control before securing a submission in the final minute.

With your record now at 16-6, Dana White and the matchmakers call you in for a meeting. At 30 years old, with five years of UFC experience under your belt, you feel a renewed sense of purpose. You’ve always believed that your faith in God and your relentless drive could lead you to greatness. The UFC offers you a contract extension, solidifying their belief in your potential. When the new rankings are released, you’re thrilled to see your name at #3 in the Welterweight Division. The stage is set—it’s officially time to chase your ultimate dream of becoming a UFC Champion.

Jake Yono

JY Journalism

3/23/25

My Opinion On The Top 5 UFC Knockouts Of 2024 

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is known for its aggressiveness, high-flying action, submissions, and knockouts. This year, UFC fans saw a lot of crazy knockouts, and in this article, I will give you my top 5 of the year. There were a lot of great moments. From Max Holloway Vs Justin Gaethje, Shara Magomedov Vs Armen Petrosyan, Vinicius Olivera Vs Benardo Sopaj, and 2 Alex (Poaton) Pierreria KO's Jamal Hill and Czech light heavyweight Jiri Procházka. These 5 fights are my nominees for knockout of the year, and in this article, I will rank and showcase them.

All of these could be considered KO of the year, but I’m taking into consideration the skill level of the knockout and how hard it was, how much it rattled the opponent, and the point in the fight the knockout came. Starting at #5 is Alex Pierria Vs. Jamal Hill was in the very first round at UFC 300 in the main event. After referee Herb Dean called time after an alleged groin shot by Hill, after Alex notified him he was ok by pushing Dean's hand aside and kept fighting, and about 2.5 seconds later, he landed a hand-power punch to Jamal's face, which knocked him out and finished him on the ground. This knockout is only #5 because the move was only a left hand-across-the-body punch, but noting the calmness and poise Alex Pierria fights with to know he’s ok and seconds later lands a crazy KO is wild in my opinion, which lands him the #5 spot and his 1st defense of the light-heavyweight title.

The 4th best knockout of 2024 also came from Alex Pereira, 2 and a half months later on the main event of UFC 303 when he head-kicked Jiri Procházka to knock him out for his second title defense. This occurred when Poaton was dominating the bout as he had landed 42 more strikes and had already knocked Jiri down twice. I do appreciate and admire how Alex and Jiri took the fight on 2 weeks' notice. The actual head-kick was amusing to watch as Pierria did it so fast, as he was just feeling him out right before. The first 2 entries on this list go to the 2nd best pound for pound fighter in the organization, currently, in my opinion, only behind heavyweight Jon Jones.

#3 is where we get into the real technical and electrifying moments the UFC had in 2024 in terms of knockouts. This position will go to the first main card fight of UFC 308, where Sahra Magamanov knocked out Armen Petrosyan in the 2nd round of an evenly matched fight in terms of control time and strike total. The skill level here is where I take off, this was a double spinning back fist KO, even landing a single spinning back fist in the octagon puts you in a certain category but a double is truly unheard of as it was the first in UFC history and another note is that there have been 11 single spinning back fist knockouts in the organization's history (UFC Spinning Back Fist Knockouts) showing how rare and remarkable this moment was.

#2 on my list is the most memorable amongst UFC fans this past year, and it was the BMF Title bout of the stacked UFC 300 between high-flying lightweight contenders Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje. Although these guys agreed to 5 rounds to make the battle more interesting for all watching. This was a classic stand-up fight as no one displayed any control time or attempted a takedown. But the iconic moment of this fight was when the 10-second clickers went off in the final round, Max pointed to the center of the octagon and wanted to square off with Ganache. The 2 were throwing haymakers at each other, attempting to knock one another out until in the final second of the fight, Holloway connected on a right hand, which knocked Gauche out cold, marking it as the 2nd fight in UFC history to finish in the final second with a buzzer-beater style knockout. In my opinion, it’s not like Holloway had to do much because he had the fight won by decision because of the 80+ more strikes he landed on Ganache with but I appreciate the willpower he displayed by wanting to square him with his opponent in the closing stages of the fight. This moment will certainly be remembered by UFC fans down the road.

My UFC knockout of the year is going to go to a pair of lesser-named fighters, Vinicius Olivera and Bernardo Sopaj, 2 young up-and-coming fighters. In the prelims of an Apex Fight Night on March 2nd, making his UFC debut, Vinicius Olivera, in the 3rd round of a questionable result if it were to go to decision, Olivera did not want to leave it in the judge's hands. This performance earned the #1 spot by its skill level and technicality. First, Vinicius landed a calf kick, which hurt Sopaj as he wobbled and tried to get away to recover, but as he did this, Olivera ran right over to him as Bernardo was not expecting it, and landed a flying knee, which made him unconscious. This is extremely rare for a fighter in his professional debut at the highest level to pull off something like this. After this, he won another bout in the octagon and is currently 2-0 in the promotion.

As an avid UFC fan, I can’t wait to see what these talent-infested fighters do in 2025 and in years to come, as the sport is evolving in terms of new moves and crazy methods, and approaches to fighters competing. take. There were other great knockouts that I couldn’t include on this prestigious top 5, such as Illa Toropia, Jon Jones, and the female sensation from China, Shi Ming. I will provide video links that you can check out if you want a real-time view of these astonishing finishes. Thank you, guys, for checking this one out. See you at the next one.

5. Jamahal Hill Vs. Alex Pereira KO UFC 300

4. Alex Pereira Vs. Jiri Prochazka KO UFC 303

3. Sahra Magomedov Vs. Armen Petrosyan KO UFC 308 

2. Max Holloway Vs. Justin Gaethje KO UFC 300

1. Vinicius Oliveira Vs. Bernardo Sopaj KO UFC Fight Night March 2nd

The Journey Of An MMA Fighter Part #2

Jake Yono

9/30/23

JY Journalism

You have fought hard to earn your UFC contract for 3 fights, your record now is 7-1 and you are ready to take on the big show in the UFC. You talk to your matchmaker and conclude to fight on the Pay-Per-View card in 4 months. This gives you enough time to train and prepare for the biggest fight of your life, your debut in the UFC.

Your first opponent is a struggling current UFC fighter on the last fight of his 3-fight contract, his record is 1-2, and for his experience, he is the favorite in this bout and you are the underdog. You train as hard as you ever had, watch your opponent's film, fuel your body, and then it's time to leave it all out there and fight. You will be the second fight on the 14-fight massive card with 2 title fights to close off the night, you wonder to yourself if you think you're ever going to get there. After this, you lock in your mind that you will become a UFC champion one day and you quote to yourself "Maybe not today, or maybe not tomorrow, but I will be champion one day". You walk up the canvas, praise your lord and Savior Jesus Christ step in the octagon hear Bruce Buffer call your name for the first time and you set to go. You touch gloves and the fight begins, you and your opponent exchange blows for the first round and you try to take him down but he gets right back up your opponent panics and starts to headhunt and waste all his energy because he panics. Round 2 begins and since you incorporated cardio into your training you know this guy is done. At the start of round 2, you land lots of significant strikes but they don't seem to affect your opponent, until you land a hard punch that sends him flying to the ground, after this, you establish ground and pound and before you know it the ref calls the fight and you have earned your first UFC victory. You get your hand raised while Bruce Buffer screams your name. This is the greatest feeling ever as you have won your first fight in the UFC.

In Fight 2 you get matched up with a similar opponent and he is a little more disciplined but does not have enough to beat you as you guys go all 15 minutes and you win in a 30-27 majority decision. In Fight 3 you get matched up with a hot up-and-coming. NCAA national championship wrestler. You hang with him for all 3 rounds but do get manhandled on the ground but you did land some good strikes on him, and because of his wrestling, he pulls off a 30-27 majority decision victory over you. Your contract is now up and it's up to the UFC to resign you or let you go. 

The matchmakers agree to resign you to a now or never 4 fight contract and they say if your record Is 2-2 or worse you're going to half to be cut. You fight and go 3-1 with 2 finishes and lose to the future champion. You are climbing up the ranks but always folding when you get that one chance. You always seem to end up in the middle of the rankings and you're getting very frustrated. Then after you come to a conclusion you break the news to your hometown gym and announce that you will be training at the American Top Team in Coconut Creek Florida. You say this because you would like to be around a championship environment with all the top UFC fighters in the country. First, you do not like your training as you lose your first 2 fights with the American Top Team. You make adjustments with the best in the USA and then you get 2 consecutive finishes in your next 2 fights. You win your next 4 with 1 finish. Your matchmaker now has offered you the biggest fight of your life a chance to win a UFC championship belt. Your opponent is the current 2-time defending champ, you enter the fight as the underdog. As you get your Co-Main event of the evening fight Bruce Buffer once again yells your name for a championship-level fight intro. Going into the fight you thought you were a good boxer and kicker but then you realize that you did not stay on your previous team. You lose your first championship, but as time goes to on you can figure out everything that as spawning as once again you are going to attempt to conquer the UFC fighting world.

Jake Yono

7/31/23

JY Journalism

The Main Difference between the NFL and UFC

In this article, I will be covering the difference in seriousness between the NFL and UFC. I believe some professional sports leagues have a more business and professional atmosphere compared to the UFC mostly which is more of a let loose and entertainment atmosphere. I think this topic is really interesting in terms of fan enjoyment, and how their leaders and commissions deal with topics and issues. I will be talking about the NFL, the serious and more professional, then I will talk about the UFC, the fun and entertaining organization, and how they run and manage things. 

The NFL is the most popular and highest-grossing professional sports league in the world. This means on a worldwide stage so they need to show that they do not mess around. They do this by holding each teams players, staff, and front office accountable by having strict protocols and keeping everybody involved in the organization on a 

“tight leash”. The sport that is played in the NFL (American Football) is supposed to be a rough and violent sport but I respect the NFL and the NFLPA for having a strict protocol on what their players can and cannot do. For Example, the whole Chad Johnson and his celebrations. His fines for celebrating include using a dollar bill on the field, (to be funny of course) using a pylon as a golf club when he scored, and he got fined 30k dollars for wearing a poncho and sombrero on the sideline. (Ochocinco) In this article, Ochocinco said, “I play to have fun”. Chad Johnson wants the NFL to be more open to celebrations but the NFL has not bought into it. In 2009 he simply set aside 100k dollars for celebrations. “That's OK," said Ochocinco, who confirmed that he has set aside $100,000 to pay fines this season. "They keep jacking them up, I'll keep jacking up the celebrations (Ochocinco). I agree with Chad here, I think the NFL should take a step back on their rules and protocols because I think their viewership will go up if the game was more entertaining to a reasonable extent. Here are some more Ridiculous NFL fines in this article (10 Ridiculous NFL FInes).

Now let's get into the high-flying action of the UFC. I love the UFC because it’s energy-filled events all year round and it is way less serious than the NFL in terms of what people can say and do. The president Dana White can say whatever he wants, the fighters do crazy celebrations, and after having crazy interviews with Joe Rogan and the fans love it with a passion. For Example, Derrick Lewis saying his balls were hot, Paddy the Baddy teabagging his opponent, Tai Tuivasa chugging beer out of shoes, Conor Mcgregor’s whole persona and Israel Adesanya walking into the octagon at UFC 290 and dropping some N-Words on Dricus-Du-Pleases after he won. Every single one of these innocents would be unheard of and major fines and suspensions in the NFL. The comments from Dana White after the UFC 290 Innocent just proved my point here. After the Israel and Du-Plessis moment Dana White said “This is the fight business he (Israel) can say whatever he wants' ' (Dana White Reacts To UFC 290). Also in the interview, Dana said he talked with Israel and he promised Dana he wasn't going to touch him or anything violent like that which means it is ok for Israel Adesanya to step in the octagon. One situation where the tension and trash talk went too far was at UFC 229 between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor Mcgregor. All week Conor Mcgregor was trash-talking Khabib, he even threw a chair at him and went to jail. After the fight when Khabib won, he threw his mouthguard at Connor's corner man and things escalated. Although the fight was the biggest PPV seller in UFC history, (Biggest PPV Sellers in UFC History) A huge fight broke out and both of the fighters received fines and suspensions (UFC 229 Aftermath).  I love how the UFC and its supporting commissions realized that this innocent was way more serious and that they had to file and suspend the fighters and this is exactly what they should have done. 

In conclusion, I think the NFL needs to step back on its protocols and procedures as it will make the game more enjoyable to viewers and fans because now fans just laugh at articles that reveal a player has a ridiculous fine. The UFC to me is currently running the operation well as they let everyone do their thing but step in when it matters most (UFC 229 Aftermath). You could expect the UFC to be looser as it is fighting inside of a cage, you could also expect that out of the NFL also but since they are the best sports league in the world they set high expectations for everyone involved and discipline their employees if they do not follow these protocols.

Jake Yono 

7/10/23

JY Journalism

My Thoughts And Reactions After UFC 290

UFC 289 has been the 2nd best Pay-Per-View card that I have seen this year, starting from Bo Nickal, then moving on to Jalin Turner and Dan Hooker, then Robert Whitaker and Darcus-Du-Pleases, then the upset of Alexandre Pantoja over Brandon Moreno, and to close the card out Alexander Volkanoskis KO over Yair Rodriguez, and on top of all that it was international fight week. For today's article entry, I am going to be talking about each of the main card fights and Robbie Lawler’s storybook ending on the stacked UFC 290 PPV card.

First, we go to the featured preliminary bout between the storied Veteran Robbie Lawler who has the 2nd longest career in UFC history (2002), and UFC Prospect Niko Price. Robbie Lawler finished Niko in 38 seconds of the very first round. Before the fight, Robbie announced it was going to be his last fight and he surely went out with a bang. Congratulations to the one and only Robbie Lawler who made his UFC debut on UFC 37 in 2002.

Let us swing over to the main card of UFC 290 with the first fight being the kid Bo Nickal knocking out Val Woodburn in exactly 38 seconds just like Robbie Lawler in the fight right before his. This means his last 4 fights have had a total fight time of five minutes and thirty-eight seconds including 2 DWCS fights lasting in a total time of under 2 minutes. I believe this kid deserves a title shot right now after what he has been doing in his last fights. His MMA record is now 5-0. This national champion wrestler at Penn State is something special because we have not seen somebody like him in a long time.

Now let us get into the second of 5 fights on the main card between the Aussie Dan “the hangman” Hooker and Jalin “the tarantula” Turner. Both of these fighters are extremely talented in their crafts. Dan Hooker earned the split decision win in this bout because I think since Turner got tired in the 3rd round he could not keep his foot on the gas and Dan Hooker took advantage of this and earned the 23rd victory of his carrer, but this is up for debate as the fight could have gone either way.

This 3rd fight was the most intriguing, electric, and entertaining to me as the South Affrican Dricus-Du-Plessis took on the Aussie once again Robert Whitaker. Coming into the fight Du Plessis was the streaking fighter being 5-0 in the UFC and Whitaker was the veteran coming off a championship loss against Israel Adesanda and then beating contender Marvin Vettori. Dricus had an edge going into the second round and knocked out Robert Whitaker midway through it. What happened after this fight made it so much better, this was the middleweight semifinal matchup for the champion Israel Adesanya, he was attending the fight and came into the octagon at the end of the fight and trash-talked Du Plessis and starred him down, this built up the tension for the upcoming middleweight championship between the 2 fighters. Concluding this section I do think Bo Nickal should be fighting Israel for the championship because of this unheard streak he is on.

Let us head into our Co-Main event of the evening and the 2 championship fights on this card, the flyweight championship between the Mexican champion Brandon Moreno and the streaking challenger Alexandre Pantoja. This was a 5 round battle between the 2 athletes. It was a 48-47 split decision going to the Brazilian Pantoja, this fight honestly could have gone either way but Alexandre Pantoja got the luck of the judges after 25 minutes of fighting and now he gets to bring another UFC championship back to Brazil.

It's Time for the main event of the evening between the featherweight champion the Australian Alexander Volkanowski and the up-and-coming Mexican Interm champion Yair Rodriguez. Volk's last fight was when he challenged the lightweight division against Islam Mackhachev but came short in a Unanimous decision after 25 minutes. Yair rose to the top and it was his time to become the only champion once and for all. Sometimes in MMA and all sports your opponent is just too good and there is nothing you can do about it that is what exactly Alexander Volkanowsi is and he displayed his skills by knocking out Yair in the third round of a possible 5 and he defended his belt and remains the UFC featherweight champion of the world.

Recapping this article entry I believe UFC 290 was the 2nd Pay-Per-View card of the year to UFC 285 Jones Vs. Gane, I think this was the best card of the year there was a women's fight on the main card and in that championship fight Alexa Grasso did the unthinkable by beating Valentina Shevchenko, and the GOAT Jon Jones continued his legacy by submitting Ciryl Gane in the very first round. There are more PPV cards in the UFC this year coming up but I think that so far these 2 have been the first and second best and it is not up for debate anymore. Also to close this out I had a really fun time watching this Pay-Per-View card live in Emagine Theatre with my dad and little brother.

Jake Yono

JY Journalism

6/1/23 

The Journey Of An MMA Fighter

A friend of yours invites you to a Mixed Martial Arts class he has been partaking in for a few weeks. He is starting to like it and wants you to do it with him. You go there and learn all the different types and sorts of moves, including punching, grappling, kicking, wrestling, takedowns, and submissions. Ultimately, your body, mind, and soul all fall in love with it. You start to talk to the coaches at the gym and collectively you all come to the conclusion that you want to take that big step and take the game seriously and start to fight at the amateur level.

You start to train hard every day like a madman, you put all of your blood, sweat, and tears into it. After 3 months of intense training, you and your coaches agree to find an amateur MMA league where you can make your debut. You do your research and find an organization called the XFC. They hold fights near you and some fighters from your gym have fought in this organization. You find the commissioner, email him and he says he has a spot for you. He gets your weight class and height and matches you with an opponent, he has one ammeter fight under his belt and won it by split decision. You and your coaches start making your game plan and train accordingly to it. The day is here and it is time to make your Mixed Martial Arts amateur debut.

You’ve done everything you can up to this point, by training hard, coming up with a game plan, and studying your opponent, your 6oz gloves are on and the cage is closed and it is time to fight. You have 3x3 minute rounds to prove yourself. In the first round you out-strike and outkick him, in the second round he takes you down and sits on you, and in the 3rd round, you dominate in the clinch and land a lot of knees and punches which leads you to a split decision victory against your opponent. Your contract is for 3 fights, in the next fight your competitor takes you down and wrestles but you earn a submission victory, in the last fight on your ammeter contract you get matched with a more experienced fighter and you get blown out but still hang on for 9 minutes as you lose by unanimous decision which then ultimately wraps up your career as an ammeter.

After this you talk to your matchmaker again, you agree to stay in the XFC and become a professional fighter and agree on a 4-fight contract. In these 4 fights, you show out and win all 4 of them and 3 in dominant fashion. You are starting to become the best version of yourself. You talk to your matchmaker again and agree to part ways as Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Eagle FC has offered you a contract. Knowing it will be a bigger stage and tougher compassion and bigger stages you accept the offer.

Your record is now 6-1 and the UFC’s Dana White Contender series has looked at you, they have offered you a contract and you take it as you have a lot of time to train and analyze your opponent, you probably would not have taken the fight if you did not have this much time. You train as hard as you’ve ever trained before and study your opponent as hard as ever. You head to the apex as it is time to get started. You trained a lot of cardio as you now have 3x5 minute round fights. You battle it out for 15 minutes as the fight is very close, your time in the clinch was enough to earn you the 29-28 split decision victory. You then meet Dana White and he gives you the paper every fighter dreams of having which is a UFC contract. In the octagon, you fall to the canvas and cry tears of joy because you have done it and earned your first UFC contract.

Jake Yono

5/5/23

JY Journalism

My Preview Of UFC 288 and Austin Bsahi's Lights Out Championship 11 Recap.

Hello everybody, today I am going to be previewing and analyzing UFC 288 between Aljarmain Sterling and Henry Cejudo and I am going to be reacting to a family friend of mine Austin Bashi in his win to climb up to 9-0 in the Lights Out Fighting Championship at the Hype Athletics Complex in Wayne MI. 

First for UFC 288, Henry Cejudo will return against Aljarmain Sterling the Current Bantamweight (135 lb) Champion. DraftKings has Henry Cejudo (Triple-C) as the slight favorite to become the new UFC Bantamweight Champion of the world. The fight will go the distance as this is a classic fighter vs wrestler bout in the UFC, there will be lots of significant strikes, and the fighter with the most ground control time and strikes on the ground will take this UFC Bantamweight Title. The 2 other contests I will watch on this card are the Co-Main Event Bebal Muhammad Vs. Gilbert Burns. I feel bad for Gilbert as in the last PPV card UFC 287 he went 3 hard rounds with Miami's own Jorge Masvidal and beat him by way of a Unanimous Decision. I think he will lose the same exact way he won with the star striker Bebal Muhammad. This fight is also significant in the UFC welterweight Division. The next and last fight I will watch is the featured prelim of the night between Drew Dober and Matt Frevola. This is a lightweight bout and I like both of these fighters the more experienced fighter Drew Dober will beat Matt Frevola in this lightweight bout. After all, I think UFC 288 will be an entertaining card mainly because of the return of Henry Cejudo but also because of the talented fighters we have and it’s all going down at the Prudential Center in Newark New Jersey.

Now let's get to talking about my family friend Austin Bashi. If you don't know who Austin Bashi is well he is a Chaladean-American Professional MMA Fighter with a carrer record of 9 wins and 0 losses. He is currently 21 years old and on the come up and is soon to be in the UFC. I Attended Bashi's last fight on Saturday, April 29th, 2023 against Pipe Vargas in the Lights Out Championship Promotion. Austin won by submission via Submission at 3:06 in Round # 2. Most if not all of his fights were won in a dominant fashion. Bashi was a state champion wrestler in high school and skipped college to move on to ammeter and then semi-pro MMA. The first Professional Promotion he fought on was the XFC and all of those fights were at the Deltaplex in Grand Rapids MI (Now closed) and he went 5-0 in those bouts with 2 finishes and 3 Unamious Decisions. The XFC shut down and was bought out by the Lights Out Championship which debuted in 2018 and Bashi is currently fighting in it now. He is 3-0 in Lights Out with 1 submission finish and 2 unanimous decisions. All professional MMA fighters have a dream of going to the UFC. I have some inside sources that have told me the UFC has called Austin Bashi two times to offer him a contract. Bashi declined both of these offers as he said he wanted to work on his weaknesses first before he joins the UFC. My thoughts on this are that I respect where he is coming from. I think he must work on his striking because if a more muscular guy in the UFC can force him to stand up and fight I think he will just lose by decision just like Raul Rosas did in his UFC debut. It would be cool to see someone I personally know in the best MMA organization in the world and to go and travel to one of his fights will be amazing. He will get there one day and I will be right there with him.

Today I talked about Austin Bashi’s reign to glory and Henry Cejudo’s return to fame in the world of Mixed Martial Arts. Thank you guys for listening and see you in the next one. 

Who is the UFC GOAT after UFC 285?

Jake Yono

JY Journalsim

3/10/23

UFC 285 was an amazing card. But for this article entry, I only care about the main event of the evening, Johnny “Bones” Jones Vs. Cyril Gane. Coming into this fight Jon Jones had not fought in 3 years since UFC 247 against Dominick Reyes where he defended his belt for the 13th straight time by going the distance to earn the unanimous decision victory. But after UFC 285 this leaves us with a huge question to answer, who is the greatest fighter in UFC history? Is it Khabib Nurmagomedov, Georges St. Pierre, Demetrius Johnson, or Jon Jones? But before we start it’s the week of international womens day and there is a clear women GOAT in the UFC Amanda Nunes with a record of 22-5 and 15-2 in the UFC.

Before I determine the UFC GOAT let's get to our honorable mentions who I did not mention on this list. Anderson the “Spider” Silva, and Jose Aldo Junior. it is hard to put him here but I think that Anderson Silva fought for too long and is still currently boxing, which is the definition of washed up which hurts his stock of being considered the UFC GOAT. He has had 10 UFC title defenses and a UFC record of 17-7-1 and with all 7 of his losses coming in his last 8 UFC bouts. Now we turn to my last honorable Mention Jose Also Junior. At 31-8 in his MMA career, Aldo started his carrer in the WEC promotion where he went 8-0. Then he went into the UFC where he had a record of 13-7 with 7 title defenses. What does not put Aldo in the greatest of all-time discussion is his UFC title fight losses including Max Holloway, Conor Megeror, and Petr Yan.

Now we get to the 4 fighters I think all of them could be the UFC GOAT. These 4 names are Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov, Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, Jon “Bones” Jones, and Georges St. Pierre. Jon Jones came into MMA and the UFC guns blazing. Coming into the UFC undefeated Jon Jones was already a hot UFC prospect after 3 UFC fights he went on the Ultimate Fighter and in the finale and lost by DQ after an illegal ground-and-pound move which I think was a BS call as the UFC was already developing. He has had 14 title defenses in his carrer. Jones would be the #1 fighter in UFC if he did not take enhancing drugs. We all know during one of his fights Vs. DC tested positive. I believe Jones is an extremely talented fighter and I think he used PED for most of his UFC carrer.

Next, we go to the “Eagle” Khabib Nurmagomedov. With a perfect MMA record of 29-0 and no wins by Majority or split decision in his carrer. He is regarded as one of the best to ever do it. Khabibs was the only fighter on this list to retire in his prime. He retired in UFC 254 Vs. Justin Gaechje is in only his third title defense at the young age of 31. He did not fight anymore because of the death of his dad. With retiring early and being the best grappler in UFC history (Tapology) Khabib Nurmagomedov is considered one of the greatest UFC fighters in history. 

Now it is GSP time, Georges St. Pierre is the 3rd fighter on this list. With a carrer record of 26-2 and 20-2 in the UFC GSP is one of the most perfect fighters in the UFC. with 9 UFC title defenses I think GSP is one of the most decorated fighters in UFC history. His 2 losses were fairly in his carrer and he finished his carrer with 13 straight UFC wins not like Khabib who only fought 13 times in his carrer, or Anderson Silva, Mighty Mouse who lost and switched promotions, and Jon Jones who was on PEDS for most of his career. 

The final Contender in this article is Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson. He has the 2nd most Title defenses in UFC history with 11. I don’t like how mighty mouse left the UFC because this is only a UFC list and not an MMA GOAT list. He lost his last UFC bout to Henry Cejudo and then went to fight in the ONE fighting championship. Not like Nurmagomeov or GSP and Jon Jones who is still kicking it in the UFC.

This was incredibly challenging to make but this debate has come to an end. I think the greatest fighter in the UFC’s history is Gorges St. Pierre because he went 20-2 in the UFC, he was in the UFC for 13 years while Jon Jones is for 15 but was on drugs, and Johnson was for 8 but lost in his last UFC appersaence, and lastly Khabib only had 13 fights in the UFC and retired very early. This list could of been different is Mighty Mouse stayed in the UFC, If Khabib would of fought for longer, and if Jon Jones was not on drugs he would of been the UFC GOAT.