The Latest from Blogs https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/ NZME 2024-03-28T21:35:09.766Z en Everything you need to know about UFC 293: Adesanya Vs. Strickland https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-293-adesanya-vs-strickland/ https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-293-adesanya-vs-strickland/ ACC UFC contributor Felix Heath-Collins with everything you need to know ahead of UFC 293: Adesanya Vs. Strickland. UFC 293 in Sydney was built specifically for the rapidly expanding mass of Aussie and Kiwi fight fans. While some overseas fans and punters have been complaining about the lack of star power past the main event, we Kiwis have plenty to be excited about. Nine Oceanic fighters will compete, and five of them fight out of or represent New Zealand specifically. In the main event, Nigerian-born Kiwi champion Israel "The Last Stylebender" Adesanya (24-2) (wins-losses) defends his middleweight belt against Sean "Tarzan" Strickland (27-5). Israel Adesanya's last fight was a beautifully violent return to form as he dismantled Pereira on the feet, before he landed a brutal punch combination to knock his Brazilian rival unconscious, and, ultimately, running scared to light-heavyweight. Now back on top, the UFC has been scrambling to find Adesanya some worthy competition with a fighting chance. Streaking South African contender Dricus du Plessis was the answer. But an injury forced du Plessis to pull out, and Sean Strickland has stepped up on short notice to challenge the champ. Sean Strickland's "Tarzan" nickname perfectly encapsulates his fighting style and personality. He's the middleweight division's wildman. Equal parts brash and dangerous, Strickland's cockiness comes from a place of genuine martial arts skill. Always marching forward, always throwing punches, always talking shit. Sean Strickland is certifiably cracked. And that's exactly what makes him dangerous. So how will this one go?Adesanya's striking is so far ahead of Strickland's that it's like Adesnaya's playing chess while Strickland's playing checkers. Strickland's best shot at beating the champ would be to secure an early takedown to eliminate the lethal danger Adesanya possesses on the feet. Unfortunately for him, Adesanya's takedown defence is much better than Strickland's takedown offence. Of course, there's always a puncher's chance for a brawler like Strickland to land something clean and finish the fight, but Adesanya has destroyed much better grapplers and much better strikers alike. I have Adesanya with an easy, spectacle knockout in the first round. Across this Oceanic card, there are four other Kiwi fights: Napier's Shane "Maraenui" Young faces Brazillian Gabriel "Fly" Miranda at featherweight; Zimbambwe-born, Auckland-trained Blood Diamond faces American Charles Radtke at welterweight; Auckland's Carlos "Black Jag" Ulberg faces South Korean Da Woon Jung at light-heavyweight; and Auckland's Justin "Bad Man" Tafa faces American Austen Lane at heavyweight. This card's great for MMA fans, but it's unmissable if you're a Kiwi MMA fan. As far as I can count, the only two Kiwi fighters missing are Kai "Don't Blink" Kara-France and Dan "The Hangman" Hooker. In fact - despite UFC 293 coming from an rena in Sydney - there's actually more Kiwi representation than Australian. UFC 293 is this Sunday, with the early prelims from 10am and the main card from 2pm. Enjoy! 2023-09-07T20:27:32.341Z Everything you need to know about UFC 291: Poirier Vs. Gaethje 2 https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-291-poirier-vs-gaethje-2/ https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-291-poirier-vs-gaethje-2/ ACC UFC contributor Felix Heath-Collins with everything you need to know ahead of UFC 291: Poirier Vs. Gaethje 2. UFC 291 is an absolute banger. Each fight on the main card should deliver. And some of them will deliver big. In the main event Dustin "The Diamond" Poirier (29-2) (wins-losses) and Justin "The Highlight" Gaethje (24-4) will duke it out for the vacant BMF (baddest motherf****r) belt. Dustin Poirier has been Louisiana's best fighter since double-champ Daniel Cormier hung up his gloves. He's a dynamic southpaw kickboxer with an incredibly well-rounded overall MMA game. Poirier is dangerous on the feet, very hard to ground, and a submission threat on the ground too. Justin Gaethje is the guy you show people to get them hooked on MMA. He truly is "The Human Highlight Reel" with a signature combination that has made him the people's champ. He knocks out some elite fighter in spectacular fashion then climbs the cage and does a standing backflip back down. This fight is a rematch of their first bout back in 2018 which was one of the greatest in the division's history. That one was a back-and-forth war over four rounds that Poirier edged out with his straighter, more efficient punches, and general durability to the power of Gaethje. While both fighters have improved their games significantly over the last five years, I see a similar fight playing out in the rematch. Hopefully, we get several rounds of battle between these legends of the division before one of them scores a KO in the fourth or fifth. I've got Gaethje via KO/TKO in the fourth round. The co-main event between JanBłachowicz (29-9) and Alex "Poatan" Pereira (7-2) is also unmissable. The Polish powerhouse JanBłachowicz and the Brazilian beast Alex Pereira are the only two fighters to beat middleweight champion Israel "The Last Stylebender" Adesanya in MMA (kickboxing too, in Alex's case). Both are well known for their striking and their lethal left hooks in particular. But Pereira is among the most dangerous strikers in MMA history. The only ever two-division Glory kickboxing champion with horrifying left hooks. He's got that Francis Ngannou level of shit your fight shorts. Błachowicz would do best taking this one to the ground just like he did with Adesanya. I've got Pereira via KO/TKO in the first round. Plus one of the funnest fighters Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson will face Michel Pereira which should be a ridiculously entertaining banger as well. UFC 291 is this Sunday, 30th July with the main card kicking off at 2:00 PM and the earliest prelims starting at 10:30 AM. 2023-07-27T21:45:24.185Z Everything you need to know about UFC 290: Volkanovski Vs. Rodríguez https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-290-volkanovski-vs-rodr%C3%ADguez/ https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-290-volkanovski-vs-rodr%C3%ADguez/ ACC UFC contributor Felix Heath-Collins with everything you need to know ahead of UFC 290: Volkanovski Vs. Rodríguez. UFC 290 is finally here! This absolutely loaded PPV (Pay-Per-View) features some of the greatest mixed martial artists from Australia and New Zealand. The main event sees Australia's own featherweight champion Alexander "The Great" Volkanovski (25-2) (wins-losses) defend his belt against the explosive kickboxer Yair "El Pantera" Rodríguez (16-3). Alex Volkanovski is the current face of Australian combat sports, and stands among legends Mark "The Super Samoan" Hunt, Israel "The Last Stylebender" Adesanya, and John Wayne "The Gunslinger" Parr as one of the greatest fighters Oceania has ever produced. His style is the perfect blend of pressure-forward striking, dominant grappling, and - most importantly - a near-infinite gas tank. Volkanovski was initially overlooked due to his jack-of-all-trades style. Fight fans are simple, and we tend to favour specialists over generalists. But, just like Frankie "The Answer" Edgar and Georges "GSP" St. Piere proved before him, the generalist is a terrifying challenge. Facing a striking specialist? Attack the grappling. Facing a grappling specialist? Attack the striking. Facing a generalist? Just pray to god their stamina runs out before yours. Volkanovski parlayed his impressive MMA game into a series of wins over featherweight greats Jose Aldo "Junior", Max "Blessed" Holloway, Brian "T-City" Ortega, and "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung. Along the way, he took the featherweight title from the former divisional great Max Holloway, and proceeded to defend it four consecutive times. In his last fight, Volkanovski challenged the lightweight champion Islam Makachev to become a double champion. While he held his own, Volkanovski lost this fight via unanimous decision, and now returns to his division to defend the belt for a fifth time. Yair Rodríguez is the pinnacle of entertainment. Chuck this Mexican master of striking in there with anybody and you have an unmissable fight. His strikes are fluid, fast, and absolutely devastating. In the UFC Rodriguez has won via decision, head kick, punches, triangle choke, and with one career-defining elbow against "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung. In their classic fight, Jung was a single second away from claiming a decision victory when Rodriguez ducked an advancing punch from Jung before throwing a devastating up-elbow which landed directly on Jung's chin, and instantly knocked him out. Rodriguez is a veritable assassin in the cage, and has proven he can carry fight-ending power into the last second of the fifth and final championship round. In this fight, I see Volanovski's pressure and pace slowly sapping Rodriguez's energy until Volanovski either hurts Rodríguez on the feet or on the floor. I have Volkanovski winning this fight via third-round TKO. The other absolutely unmissable fight on this card is Jalin "The Tarantula" Turner (13-6) and Auckland's Dan "The Hangman" Hooker (22-12). Jalin Turner is among the scariest contenders in the lightweight division. His long limbs and ensnaring Jiu-Jitsu are beautifully encapsulated by his nickname - "The Tarantula". Turner leveraged these invaluable attributes into an impressive UFC career that has seen him finish each of his wins via submission or KO/TKO. His UFC wins have come via punches, ground and pound, rear naked choke, right hook to ground strikes, and mounted guillotine choke. Most significant was the submission victory over Dan Hooker's own teammate Brad "Quake" Riddell. Dan Hooker has represented New Zealand at the highest level of MMA since 2014 - a decade next year! In that time, Hooker has built up an impressive resume of victories including stoppages of Ross Pearson (knee), Marc Diakiese (guillotine choke), Jim Miller (knee), Gilbert Burns (punches), James Vick (left hook to ground and pound), and, in his last fight, Claudio Puelles (body kick). Israel Adesanya is the best Kiwi fighter, and Kai Kara-France is my favourite - but Dan Hooker is easily the most entertaining. His dynamic striking is mesmerizingly, and his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is lethal. Combine them both and you see why Dan hasn't had a dull fight yet. In this fight, I see a brawl developing between Turner and Hooker. In the chaos of the battle, either fighter has a chance to catch the other's neck in a guillotine choke, while Turner would be the favourite to win via submission. I have Hooker dragging the fight into a war of attrition, before he finishes it via KO in the third round. Also featured on this fight card is the flyweight championship co-main event between the pride of Mexico Brandon "The Assassin Baby" Moreno and Brazilian monster Alexandre "The Cannibal" Pantoja, and the middleweight battle between Aussie fan-favourite former champ Robert "The Reaper" Whittaker and South African contender Dicus "Stillknocks" Du Plessis. With all these incredible match-ups and more UFC 290 could be one of the best fight cards of the year. The action goes down this Sunday for us here in New Zealand, with the main card starting at 2:00 PM, and the earliest prelims beginning a few hours earlier at 10:00 AM. Enjoy! Because I sure will. 2023-07-06T20:41:07.000Z The Top 5 Super Rugby Trades we love to see! https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/the-top-5-super-rugby-trades-we-love-to-see/ https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/the-top-5-super-rugby-trades-we-love-to-see/ While the rest of the Rugby world has spun its wheels about instituting a Draft system into Super Rugby, we here at the ACC had already figured this out years ago - you can read the article for yourself HERE. We kept the receipts. If Super Rugby had pulled its head out of its own ruck and adopted the idea when the ACC first wrote about it in 2017, we would have had 6 years of Draft Picks and Trades to debate at pubs across the country. To give teams enough time to gel with new trade acquisitions we reckon the trade deadline would have been somewhere around the round 12 mark. (And while we’re at it, why not move the failed “Super Round” to Rd 12 to coincide with the Trade Deadline. Picture Jeff Willson at half-time of the Crusaders/Chiefs in the middle of Super Rugby’s carnival weekend breaking down the latest in player movements) So with that in mind, and the hypothetical Trade Deadline less than a week away, The Alternative Commentary Collective presents the Top 5 Trades we’d like to see for 2023: Send The Ferg Burker Home Crusaders Receive:Folau Fakatava Highlanders Receive:Fergus BurkeChay Fihaki Folau would start for any other franchise and that’s Fakatavan fact. What the 'Landers are in desperate need of however, is a game-breaking back and a steady hand at first receiver. In Fihaki the Southerners would have a young gun who ripped up NPC last year but won’t get the run he deserves behind the likes of Will Jordan and David Havili on a Crusaders team with championship aspirations. Meanwhile, Fakatava could be the twist on the end of the punch that the 'Saders need to get over the Chiefs this year. The Tony Johnson Tongue Twister Hurricanes Receive:Folau Fakatava Highlanders Receive:Peter Ionatana Jack Umaga-JensenThomas Carlos Umaga-Jensen This article could just as easily have been “Top 5 landing spots for Folau Fakatava”. That’s the great thing about a Trade system - it allows teams to redistribute talent. In this scenario, Otago split the talent of one-star player into two up-and-comers. Pair that with the fact that you are also reuniting Peter and Thomas Umaga-Jensen, as well as Jackson and Connor Garden-Bachop. Selfishly, we just want to see the Sky commentators having a meltdown as the Landers run a backline consisting of Garden-Bachop, Umaga-Jensen, Umaga Jensen and Garden Bachop. House Of Pita Chiefs ReceiveShannon Michael Frizell Highlanders Receive:Pita Gus Nacagilevu Sowakula The Chiefs as they are currently constructed are looking at competing for multiple championships. Frizell is a proven commodity with 25 All Black caps and with Jacobson taking most of the minutes at 8, would fit seamlessly into what would be a fearsome loose forward trio. Pita-Gus’ Cult Hero status on the other hand, feels almost wasted in the Waikato. Picture this; O Week, the Landers have an attacking scrum 5 metres out from a Zoo packed with rabid Scarfies 2 goon sacks deep in Blue and Gold jumpsuits. The dreadlocked dome of Pita-Gus emerges from the back of the scrum and he crashes over for a try that blows the roof off Forsyth-Barr Stadium #CaravanThickness Hit The Road Jack Blues Receive:Elias Jack Goodhue Crusaders Receive:Stephen Perofeta This move gives the Saders two things; it provides cover for the inner ear of Will Jordan, and if he’s healthy provides more flexibility in the backline. The Crusaders have a logjam in the midfield. Despite Razor’s constant roster re-jigging Ennor, Havili, Fainga’anuku and Goodhue - all All Blacks in their own right - are competing for essentially 2 jerseys. Someone’s got to go. As a product of the Winterless North, let’s get Jack home, fill him up with kaimoana, grow the mullet back and slot him in when RTS leaves next year. Oh and on that note… Pack The House Blues Receive:Moana Pasifikas unprotected 2024 First Round Draft Pick Moana Pasifika Receive:Roger Tuivasa-Sheck Attendance is low across the board this year, but Moana’s home games are particularly tough. There are plenty of reasons for the low turnout and all are valid but regardless - they need bums on seats. Short of Stacey Jones coming out of retirement, only one man can single-handedly pack out Mt Smart. As it stands, Moana Pasifika would have the #1 pick in the 2024 draft and could do worse than flipping it for Dally M Player of the Year Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. Sure it’s essentially a one-year rental, with RTS returning to league next year, but sharing a home ground with the mighty One New Zealand Warriors could open the door for RTS to be the first-ever Concurrent Dual International. Waratahs on a Saturday, then Roosters on a Sunday? Absolute. Scenes. All that and more on the Daily Agenda powered by Musashi, Helping you stay ahead of the game. 2023-05-08T06:39:48.000Z Everything you need to know about UFC 288: Sterling Vs Cejudo https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-288-sterling-vs-cejudo/ https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-288-sterling-vs-cejudo/ ACC UFC contributor Felix Heath-Collins with everything you need to know ahead of UFC 288: Sterling Vs Cejudo With another month comes another premium MMA offering from the premier promotion. UFC 288 doesn't have nearly the star power of last month's UFC 287, but who could ever compete with Adesanya's re-ascension to the throne? What this fight card does offer is a high likelihood of violence throughout. In the main event, bantamweight king Aljamain "Funk Master" Sterling (22-3) (wins-losses) will defend his belt against the former double champ Henry "Triple C" Cejudo (16-2) who is making his inevitable post-retirement return. The champ Aljamain Sterling is a dangerously well-rounded fighter with a combination of elite wrestling, lethal Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), and a constantly improving arsenal on the feet. Sterling has dominated some of the greatest bantamweights in MMA history, typically finishing them with an impressive variety of submissions. And I suppose anyone who earns their BJJ blackbelt under Matt "The Terror" Serra is a certified master of the craft. Sterling has suffered a lot of disrespect in the last couple of years due to his controversial title win which he earned via disqualification when the former bantamweight champ Petr "No Mercy" Yan illegally kneed Sterling to the head while he was grounded. The controversy wasn't so much that the fight ended via disqualification, but more that the belt shouldn't switch hands without the champion being beaten or vacating. And on the more extreme side, a significant number of MMA fans believe Sterling played up his injuries to win the belt in a losing fight. What none can doubt, however, is Aljamain Sterling's championship-level fighting talent which he proves time and time again. Henry "Triple C" Cejudo is a born winner. And - just like Sterling - he's a figure fight fans love to hate. Cejudo is the most credentialed fighter to ever grace the octagon. He is the first and only Olympic gold medalist who also won a UFC championship - or two in Cejudo's case. Cejudo's crowning achievement came when he dethroned the long-time flyweight GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) Demetrious "D.J." Johnson for the flyweight belt. Following that accomplishment, the UFC planned to close the flyweight division due to consistently low PPV viewership. The bantamweight champion at the time T.J. Dillashaw was sent down to flyweight to "kill the division" by eliminating its champion. In this champ vs. champ fight, Cejudo knocked Dillashaw out in 32 seconds flat. Right after the fight Dillashaw tested positive for the super-banned performance-enhancing drug EPO and was handed down a two-year ban from USADA (U.S. Anti-Doping Agency). Cejudo next challenged the newly crowned bantamweight king "Magic" Marlon Moraes who he finished via TKO in round three. He then changed his moniker to "Triple C" for his three championships (Olympic gold medal plus the UFC flyweight and bantamweight belts). After that Cejudo defended his new belt with a TKO against bantamweight legend Dominick "The Dominator" Cruz. Then he retired. At the pinnacle of the sport, and as the triple champion. This fight is particularly hard to predict. Theoretically, Cejudo is the far superior wrestler and Sterling's game relies heavily on his wrestling takedowns which will likely be useless against the Olympian. Sterling's best chance would be in his dangerous BJJ submission game. Or perhaps Sterling's (comparatively) larger frame at 5'7" (170cm) will be significant against the naturally smaller Cejudo at only 5'4" (163cm). My prediction is Henry Cejudo via TKO in the third round, but I'd be happy for Sterling if I was proven wrong. Some other fighters not to miss on the main card are Jessica Andrade vs. Yan Xiaonan and Kron Gracie vs. Charles Jourdain. The early prelim bout between heavyweight bangers Braxton Smith and Parker Porter also essentially promises a horrifying knockout of some variety. UFC 288 is this Sunday for us here in New Zealand with the first fight kicking off at 10:00 AM and the PPV main card beginning at 2:00 PM. Don't miss out! 2023-05-04T19:48:48.335Z The Top 10 reasons to support the Philadelphia 76ers these NBA playoffs https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/the-top-10-reasons-to-support-the-philadelphia-76ers-these-nba-playoffs/ https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/the-top-10-reasons-to-support-the-philadelphia-76ers-these-nba-playoffs/ By Marty Jones Philadelphia is the greatest sports town in the worldHome of iconic and championship winning franchises such as the Eagles (NFL), Phillies (MLB), Sixers (NBA), Flyers (NHL) and Union (MLS), Philadelphia is arguably the greatest sports town in the US if not the world. With so many successful teams, the sports culture in the city sees a level of dedication like no other. Losses take days, if not months, for people to recover from and the results directly tie to the city’s psyche. And wins, well, wins see the city and its celebrations go to another level, quite literally. Fans go to new heights to celebrate and officials need to now grease their poles to contain fans' enthusiasm from climbing lamp posts when their teams win. And wins, well, wins see the city and its celebrations go to another level, quite literally. Fans go to new heights to celebrate and officials need to now grease their poles to contain fans' enthusiasm from climbing lamp posts when their teams win. 'POLE PATROL': Philadelphia police were out in numbers just hours before Super Bowl LII was set to kick off applying hydraulic fluid to the poles in Center City. pic.twitter.com/BlFFufYEjg— Action News on 6abc (@6abc) February 4, 2018 The Sixers are one of the most storied teams in the history of the NBA The Sixers are the oldest franchise in the league, who boast multiple NBA championships, and have seen Hall of Fame players such as Wilt Chamberlain, Julius ‘Dr J’ Erving, Charles Barkley, and Allen Iverson don the team's red and blue uniforms. The trajectory of the team over the past ten years has been an especially fascinating ride… "The Process" is the greatest sports story in modern NBA history Stuck in mediocrity in 2013 (and kicking off the night Steven Adams joined the NBA) the leadership of new manager Sam Hinkie took a strategy of being bad to become good—of trading away anything of current value to create future value, with the goal of becoming regular championship contenders. The strategy was nicknamed ‘The Process’. The ups and (mainly) downs over this past ten-year stretch have made for a story as captivating and crazy as that great Brad Pitt film 'Moneyball'. The Sixers have the MVPIn 2014 the team drafted Joel Embiid, a Cameroonian who, despite only starting to play basketball at age 15, was touted as a future star. After sitting multiple seasons due to injuries, then dealing with the loss of his brother, many declared he would never step foot on a court. Embiid debuted in 2016 and has since become one of the top players in the league. The 7-foot titan has for the past few years been a top-three finalist for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award and has finally won it this year. Embiid has now won back-to-back scoring titles and in doing so became the first center to win consecutive titles since the 1970s. The 2022-23 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player is... Joel Embiid!#NBAAwards | #KiaMVP | @Kia pic.twitter.com/Ztj5HCzfuL— NBA (@NBA) May 2, 2023 The Sixers have the greatest team-based NBA podcastLook, there are a million basketball pods, and they can’t all be as good as The ACC’s Benchwarmers. But, the Sixers podcast The Rights to Ricky Sanchez is a show like no other. Having started about ten years ago, at the beginning of the Process era, hosts Spike Eskin and Mike Levin, plus others (Hi CJ/AU/Abbie), have created one of the most engaging and enduring sports podcasts around. From putting up billboards to honour Sam Hinkie, to instigating retweet Armageddon to celebrate a win against its foes, to having their producer kidnapped by a knife wielding puppet, the Ricky is special and like no other. We would not normally platform such content. However, we hope with more eyes we will be able to find CJ. pic.twitter.com/WXCLr8KGvD— Rights To Ricky Sanchez Podcast (@RTRSPodcast) March 27, 2023 They don’t have to worry about Ben Simmons no moreIn 2016, the team drafted highly discussed Australian player Ben Simmons. He was the top prospect coming out of college and was claimed by many to be the second coming of LeBron James. Over a number of seasons Simmons seemingly refused to improve on his widely acknowledged weaknesses (shooting the basketball!!!) which began significantly hampering the Sixers' chance at a championship. Simmons then stopped playing for the team, and demanded to be traded, in what became an unprecedented standoff, before being eventually sent to New Zealander Sean Mark’s Brooklyn Nets for future Hall of Famer James Harden. They have Basketball Ball Paul ReedThe Sixers have been notoriously short handed at the back up center position in recent years, playing corpse after corpse in the minutes Embiid is on the bench, costing them dearly. However, over the past twelve months a certain Paul Reed aka BBall Paul, has proven himself to be one of the greatest offensive rebounders in Sixers history. Between his on court heroics and offcourt hoodie selling escapades, he has become a fan favourite and one of the easiest guys to root for. I mean come on, the guy’s nickname is literally basketball. Paul Reed with some hustle and flare!10-0 76ers run on ESPN. pic.twitter.com/VhFobvj1NP— NBA (@NBA) April 15, 2023 And they have the dunk contest champion Look, the dunk contest has sucked for years. But this year the Sixers called up internet phenom Mac McClung from the G-League to deliver a series of dunks that rocked the internet and, according to Shaq and Magic, saved the dunk contest! This is the year! The past season has seen the ups and downs of the Sixers level out. The team has been overseen by league legend Daryl Morey, who has steadied the ship and focused on building around Embiid, including adding Harden. This has been reflected in the results. This season the team won their most games in a regular season since 2001, the year the team was last in the Finals. Embiid and Harden have accomplished a feat the NBA has not seen for 40 years — teammates leading the league in both scoring and assists in the same season. They have the MVP, the G-League finals MVP, the Dunk Contest Champion and a guy who’s name is basketball. With a first round win against the Brooklyn Nets behind them, their first series sweep since 1991, and a historic game 1 upset versus the highly favoured Celtics, the team is presenting itself as a true contender and the underdog you wanna root for. So get on board and enjoy the wild ride that is the Sixers! 2023-05-02T23:25:48.000Z Everything you need to know about UFC 287: Pereira Vs Adesanya 2 https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-287-pereira-vs-adesanya-2/ https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-287-pereira-vs-adesanya-2/ ACC UFC contributor Felix Heath-Collins with everything you need to know ahead of UFC 287: Pereira Vs Adesanya 2! Kiwi fight fans have been waiting since November for this weekend's UFC 287 PPV. That's because, in the main event, the Nigerian-born Kiwi former champion Israel Adesanya rematches the new king at middleweight, Alex Pereira. Israel "The Last Stylebender" Adesanya (23-2)(wins-losses) was long considered the top kickboxer in modern MMA. His combat sports credentials are impeccable and he was only knocked out once in his entire championship kickboxing career. That knockout came against Brazil's Alex "Poatan" Pereira and his devastating left hook. Following that KO loss Adesanya finally moved to the UFC where he went on an incredible streak of 9 straight wins earning himself the middleweight championship in the process. An unsuccessful attempt to claim the light-heavyweight title left Adesanya with the first loss on his pro-MMA record. Back at middleweight, Adesanya defended his belt three more times before meeting his old nemesis Alex Pereira once again. Alex "Poatan" Pereira (7-1) recently transitioned to MMA and immediately started tearing through the middleweight division in pursuit of Adesanya. Pereira won his first three UFC fights (two via KO) before earning the chance to challenge for the title. What followed at UFC 281 was, predictably, the hardest and most tightly contested of Adesanya's middleweight fights thus far. By the fifth round, Adesanya was up three rounds to one going into the fifth and final round. Just five more minutes to secure the decision. In round five Pereira backed a fatigued Adesanya up against the cage before landing a devastating series of punches (including his patented left hook). By 2:01 of round five, Adesanya was taking too much punishment and the referee called the fight via TKO. Now Pereria is the undisputed champ of the middleweights and Adesanya has one more chance to reclaim his belt. In the first fight, I predicted an extremely close contest that Adesanya would edge out due to MMA experience and gas tank. What happened was Adesanya outpointed Pereira for three of the four rounds before becoming fatigued in the fifth, allowing a defensive opening for Pereira to exploit. The problem with this match-up is Adesanya wins via skill, but Pereira wins via power every time. Adesanya either needs to manage his stamina very carefully over five full rounds, or change up the game plan to involve more grappling (which Pereira is inexperienced at). Of course, I still have Adesanya winning. This time I predict a slower fight that opens up to grappling toward the middle rounds with Adesanya claiming the victory via decision. But they both have fight-finishing power so anything is possible. In the co-main event, we also have a barn-burner between Gilbert "Durinho" Burns and Jorge "Gamebred" Masvidal. UFC 287 goes down this Sunday for us here in New Zealand, with the main card starting at 2:00 PM and the earliest prelims at 10:00 AM. This easter treat isn't one to miss. Enjoy! 2023-04-05T19:40:00.000Z Everything you need to know about UFC 286: Edwards vs. Usman 3 https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-286-edwards-vs-usman-3/ https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-286-edwards-vs-usman-3/ ACC UFC contributor Felix Heath-Collins with everything you need to know ahead of UFC 286: Edwards vs. Usman 3. The UFC is back with another great PPV in UFC 286: Edwards vs. Usman 3. In the main event, British kickboxer Leon "Rocky" Edwards (20-3) makes his first welterweight title defence against the former champion and elite wrestler Kamaru "The Nigerian Nightmare" Usman (20-2). The first fight saw Usman win via a decisive unanimous decision. The rematch started in much the same way. At the time Usman was the uncontested king of the welterweights and one of the greatest champions to ever reign in the division. For the first four rounds, Usman dominated Edwards. But something changed in "Rocky" between rounds as his head coach verbally beat him back into fighting shape. With a renewed focus on his fighting future his family, Edwards decided if he was going to lose what could be his last opportunity at a title fight, he was going out on his shield. But then, in round five, Edwards feinted a left straight which Usman slipped to his right. Unfortunately for the former champion, Edwards had hidden a left roundhouse kick behind his straight left feint, blasting Usman to the side of the head as he moved into the strike. Then it was night-night. With this immediate rematch, many analysts are predicting a blow-out for Usman now that he is aware of the danger Edwards presents to his continued consciousness. But I see Edwards - emboldened by his shock win, and unwilling to relinquish his championship - fighting competitively throughout the bout, until he finally closes the gap and finishes Usman again, this time by TKO in the fourth. The co-main event is also can't-miss MMA as two of the most entertaining knockout artists in the whole of MMA history battle for a coveted lightweight title shot. Justin "The Highlight" Gaethje (23-4) and Rafael "Ataman" Fiziev (12-1) own some of the craziest knockouts in the storied history of combat sports. My prediction is that one of them leaves on a stretcher. I would guess Gaethje finishes the fight via knockout in the first round before a crazy backflip. These crazy fights and a whole lot more go down this Sunday for us here in New Zealand, with the main card starting at 10:00 AM and the early prelims starting a few hours earlier at 6:00 AM. Enjoy! 2023-03-17T02:43:10.166Z Everything you need to know about UFC 285: Jones vs. Gane https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-285-jones-vs-gane/ https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-285-jones-vs-gane/ ACC UFC contributor Felix Heath-Collins with everything you need to know ahead of UFC 285: Jones vs. Gane The cocaine king has finally returned! That's right, Jon "Bones" Jones will make his first UFC appearance in over three years with a heavyweight title fight against former interim champion Ciryl "Bon Gamin" Gane at UFC 285 this weekend. Jon Jones (26-1) (wins-losses) vs. Ciryl Gane (11-1) Jon "Bones" Jones has spent his entire MMA career ricocheting between the role of MMA superhero and supervillain. But, while fans and analysts endlessly debate Jones's moral compass, nobody questions his ability. At 6'4" (194cm) and with an unprecedented reach of 84.5" (215cm) Jones made his UFC debut at 21 years old. And in that debut, he demonstrated an incredibly dynamic and unpredictable new MMA style that he coined "Look-see-do". Named after Bruce Lee's iconic "Jeet Kune Do", Jones' style is comprised of looking at fight footage, seeing how it's done, and then doing it. Interestingly, in the years leading up to his professional MMA debut, Jones based his training on fight footage and technique he saw uploaded to YouTube. Jones' "Look-see-do" style involves single strikes in extremely high variability. Or, in layman's terms, he throws a lot of strikes and never really throws the same strike twice. In his prime, Jones demolished the legendary light-heavyweight division so absolutely that now ten years on it's still recovering. He won the championship off Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and defended the belt against everybody who was anybody. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida, Vitor Belfort, Daniel "DC" Cormier, Alexander Gustafsson, and Dominick "The Devastator" Reyes all fell to "Johnny Bones" Jones. In fact, the only loss on Jones' record came in a controversial DQ (disqualification) following a 12-6 (downward) elbow on the ground. In short, the only fighter who beat Jon Jones WAS Jon Jones himself. Jones abdicated his light-heavyweight throne in 2020, and ever since has teased a move up in weight to heavyweight and a fight against the former champion Francis "The Predator" N'gannou. But now N'gannou has left the UFC behind for (literally) greener pastures, Jones and the top contender battle for the vacant belt. Ciryl "Bon Gamin" Gane is essentially the perfect counter to Jon Jones. Instead of 21, Gane was 29 years old in his UFC debut; instead of inventing his own bizarrely effective style, Gane relies on the powerful fundamentals of French kickboxing; instead of training every strike and combination of strikes he sees on YouTube, Gane trains simple strikes in high repetitions; and, instead of 27 professional fights, Gane only has 12. But they're both 6'4", so there's that. Ciryl Gane's pro career may be short, but he has definitely made the most of his time in the spotlight. In only nine UFC fights, Gane has already collected wins against Junior "Cigano" dos Santos, Jairzinho "Bigi Boy" Rozenstruik, Alexander "Drago" Volkov, Derrick "The Black Beast" Lewis, and Tai "Bam Bam" Tuivasa. The only loss on Gane's record came against former champion Francis N'gannou who surprised Gane with a wrestling gameplan before winning a unanimous decision. Who wins? Well, it's a crap shoot, really. Jon has all the credentials and skills to smoke Ciryl like a cigar. But Jon hasn't fought in nearly three years and his prime is likely far in the rearview. Ciryl has the speed and heavyweight power to hurt Jon on the feet. But if even Francis' rudimentary wrestling could ground Ciryl, then Jon should be able to toss him around like a rag. On paper, this fight is incredibly close. Yet I would still pick Jon Jones. The man is an MMA monster that spent the past three years solely building muscle mass and getting arrested. Hero or villain, he sure is super. Further down the card the greatest female fighter of all time Valentina "The Bullet" Shevchenko defends her flyweight belt against Alexa Grasso in the co-main event, while one of America's best wrestlers Bo Nickal faces the talented prospect Jamie Pickett to open the main card, and Ireland's newest superstar Ian Garry defending his undefeated record against the much more experienced Kenan Song to headline the prelims. All in all, this ain't the card to miss. UFC 285's main card starts at 4:00pm this Sunday for us here in New Zealand, with the early prelims beginning a few hours earlier at 11:30am. Enjoy! 2023-03-02T18:33:33.871Z Everything you need to know about UFC 284 https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-284/ https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-284/ ACC UFC contributor Felix Heath-Collins with everything you need to know ahead of UFC 284.MMA is back with another banger in this weekend's UFC 284 PPV (Pay-Per-View). In the main event Khabib-protege Islam Makhachev (23-1) (wins-losses) defends his lightweight title in a super-fight against the Australian featherweight champion Alexander "The Great" Volkanovski (25-1). Makhachev is the new lightweight king, the successor to his lifelong friend and coach Khabib Nurmagomedov's lightweight legacy. As you could probably guess Makhachev is an elite wrestler just like his coach. But, while Nurmagomedov was a wrestler first and a submission specialist second, Makhachev is the opposite. He has little issue taking the fight to the ground, and once the fight is on the mat, it's over. To earn his championship belt Makhachev arm triangle choked the former champion and all-time submission king Charles "Do Bronx" Oliveira. Volkanoski is an extremely dominant fighter and champion with a drowning pressure and pace. His scalps include all-time-greats Jose Aldo "Junior", Max "Blessed" Holloway three separate times, Brian "T-City" Ortega, and "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung. The Australian champ is a short, stocky powerhouse with an unrelenting will to win. Volkanovski's training is split between his head coach Joe Lopez at Freestyle MMA in Australia and with Eugene Bareman at the world-famous City Kickboxing gym in Auckland. Who wins? While I do have a clear bias toward the Oceanic champ Volkanovski, on paper this fight is easily his toughest test yet (and perhaps ever). Volkanovski's game plan likely involves constant takedown defence and striking pressure. Makhachev's game plan likely involves his Dagestani wrestling and arsenal of submissions. Moving up weight classes from featherweight to lightweight does have the potential to limit Volkanovski's power against a larger opponent like Makhachev. But Volkanovski used to play rugby at about 97 kg which is the equivalent of a UFO heavyweight. I see Volkanovski using his immense power and skill to keep the fight standing before winning his second belt via unanimous decision. Anything is possible, however. Further down the card are a plethora of excellent Aussie fighters, but the hidden gem is the fight between the only Kiwi on the card "Smokin'" Shane Young (13-6), and the undefeated prospect Blake "El Animal" Bilder (7-0) at featherweight. UFC 284 goes down this Sunday for us here in New Zealand with the main card starting at 4:00pm and the earliest prelims beginning at 12:00pm. Enjoy! 2023-02-09T22:00:00.000Z Everything you need to know about UFC 283: Teixeira vs Hill https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-283-teixeira-vs-hill/ https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-283-teixeira-vs-hill/ ACC UFC contributor Felix Heath-Collins with everything you need to know ahead of UFC 283: Teixeira vs Hill This weekend's UFC 283 marks the start of a wild 2023 for MMA. It's been a crazy month for the UFC. Both the heavyweight and the light-heavyweight divisions are now missing champions, until this weekend when a new light-heavyweight champion will (hopefully) be crowned. At heavyweight, dominant champion Francis "The Predator" Ngannou grew tired of begging for a fair paycheck and has left the promotion in search of a big boxing payday. At light-heavyweight, Jiří Procházka beat former champion Glover Teixeira for the title, only for the new champion to be injured before his first title defence. In a characteristically classy move, Procházka immediately abdicated his title which allowed Jan Błachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev to fight for the vacant title. Long story short, the fight ended in a draw and now two more elite light-heavyweights will vie for the champion-less belt this weekend. In the main event, former champion Glover Teixeira (33-8) (wins-losses) battles the streaking prospect Jamahal "Sweet Dreams" Hill (11-1) for the vacant light-heavyweight title. At 43 years old, Teixeira is a celebrated legend of combat sports. He's been fighting at a professional level for almost 16 years. He only won the belt last year at the age of 42 making him the second oldest title holder in UFC history. But this old dog has teeth. Jamahal Hill is the exact opposite of Teixeira. He's untested, unheralded, and underestimated by many in the MMA world. And yet in his athletic prime at 31 years old he's still the slight favourite over the 43-year-old former champion. Who wins? I'd have to tentatively pick Glover Teixeira, who has an immense experience advantage of over triple his opponent's professional fights along with a lethal submission game. But Jamahal Hill has the striking ability and power to steamroll Teixeira just like Jiří Procházka did, or even to put the Brazilian legend to sleep. In the co-main event the current flyweight champion Deiveson "Deus da Guerra" Figueiredo (22-2) and the former flyweight champion Brandon "The Assassin Baby" Moreno (20-6) clash for a super rare fourth fight. The skill gap is so slim that these two could trade wins and losses over a hundred fights and come out essentially even. Brazil's mini monster Deiveson Figueiredo would be the uncontested king of all flyweights if not for his rival Brandon Moreno. Their first fight was a draw, their second was a submission win for Moreno, and their third was a controversial decision win for Figueiredo. The current champion Figueiredo is devastatingly powerful for his weight class while also being supremely well-rounded in mixed martial arts. Brandon Moreno, on the other hand, is an extremely dangerous submission specialist with a rapidly developing propensity for boxing. With the fighting heart of a great Mexican boxer, and the skills of a champion, Moreno is untouchable, except by Figueiredo. Who wins? This fight is razor-thin and could flip either way depending on the slightest of mistakes. One slip up on the feet and Moreno is knocked unconscious, and one slip up on the mat, and Figueiredo goes to sleep. Of course, Moreno could get submitted or Figueiredo could be knocked out on the feet, but either seems unlikely. My choice in this matchup is always Moreno because of his story and his fighting spirit. But I'd be the last to put money on this particular fight. Don't miss this undercard, either! We've got a fight between two of the craziest light heavyweights in the world Paul "Bearjew" Craig and Johnny Walker to open the main card, and a late-career appearance from the legendary kickboxer Maurício "Shogun" Rua against fresh prospect Ihor Potieria. All these fights and more go down this Sunday with the main card starting at 4:00 PM. This is not the card to miss. Enjoy! 2023-01-20T09:55:00.000Z Everything you need to know about UFC 282: Błachowicz vs. Ankalaev https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-282-b%C5%82achowicz-vs-ankalaev/ https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-282-b%C5%82achowicz-vs-ankalaev/ ACC UFC contributor Felix Heath-Collins with everything you need to know ahead of UFC 282: Błachowicz vs. Ankalaev. That's all folks! Sunday's UFC 282 marks the final PPV (Pay-Per-View) of the year for the dominant MMA promotion. While quite a lot of steam was lost when the light-heavyweight championship main event was canceled, UFC 282's still shaping up to be a fantastic fight card. In the main event Polish powerhouse Jan Błachowicz battles Dagestani dominator Magomed Ankalaev for the next shot at the light-heavyweight title. Jan Błachowicz (29-9) (wins-losses) uses power and cunning in equal measure to consistently demolish top opponents - whether that be via KO, decision, or even submission; he adapts. Błachowicz's highlights include devastating KOs of Luke Rockhold and Corey "Overtime" Anderson, and an iconic dead-fish dance TKO of Dominick "The Devastator" Reyes to secure the light-heavyweight belt. Not to mention Błachowicz's wrestling Uno reverse card in the Adesanya fight that allowed him to turn a lopsided kickboxing match on its head and win a decision with his superior grappling. Magomed Ankalaev (17-1), on the other hand, is the quintessential Russian tank that never gets an opportunity at championship gold because he isn't very marketable. But god can he fight. Ankalaev's Combat Sambo background serves him the same way it did Khabib and Fedor: well. The common thread between all three is a seemingly unstoppable wrestling base and truly horrifying punching power. Where Ankalaev differs is in his superb head kick game, which he has used to great effect in three of his stoppage victories. Ankalaev's last three victims were Volkan "No Time" Oezdemir, Thiago "Marreta" Santos, and Anthony "Lionheart" Smith. Whether we like it or not, he's ready for the title. Błachowicz is a 39-year-old veteran of mixed martial arts, and Ankalaev is a 30-year-old in his athletic prime. Maybe it's wishful thinking, but I predict Błachowicz stopping the inevitable train of progress. Glover Teixeira won the championship belt at 42, and Randy Couture won his second championship belt at age 45. However the fight pans out, it'll be one hell of a scrap. Another highlight of UFC 282's main card is the Liverpudlian duo Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett and Darren "The Gorilla" Till who are matched up against Jared "Flash" Gordon and Dicus Du Plessis, respectively. For all these fights and more, check out UFC 282 this Sunday for New Zealand, with the main card starting at 4:00 PM. Enjoy! 2022-12-09T01:51:54.955Z Everything you need to know about UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-281-adesanya-vs-pereira/ https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-281-adesanya-vs-pereira/ ACC UFC contributor Felix Heath-Collins with everything you need to know ahead of UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira. This weekend's PPV (Pay-Per-View) UFC 281 is the Kiwi card we've all been waiting for. In total, four New Zealand-born or trained fighters will defend their positions in the UFC, ultimately leading to the main event where Kiwi-trained Israel Adesanya defends his middleweight title against the devastating kickboxer Alex Pereira. And I hate to say it, but if anyone can dethrone Izzy, it's Alex. The Main Event: Israel Adesanya carries the flags of two nations: Nigeria - where he was born, and New Zealand - where he was trained. With a background in elite kickboxing, Adesanya has been near-flawless in his pro MMA run thus far. Adesanya's only loss came when he attempted to claim the light-heavyweight belt from Jan Błachowicz on top of his middleweight belt, a fight he lost via unanimous decision. At middleweight, he's seemed unstoppable. Among his most impressive victories are former middleweight champions such as Anderson "The Spider" Silva, and Robert "The Reaper" Whittaker twice. Adesanya's supremely fluid and focused formulation of kickboxing, Muay Thai, and boxing blend into a potent combination that leaves opponents struggling to land any punches up until they are dropped and finished. In his whole combat sports career, Adesanya has only ever been knocked out once: in kickboxing, against Alex Pereira. Alex Pereira is a Brazilian tank with the firepower to match. Nobody would expect a 6-1 newbie to be challenging the greatest middleweight champion ever. Unless, of course, they've already knocked out that great champion before. Not only is Pereira ready to challenge the champion, but many bettors are predicting a win for the Brazilian challenger. Why? Not only is Pereira a match for Adesanya's height (both at 6'4"), but he easily surpasses Adesanya in terms of knockout power. Adesanya's advantage lies in his vastly superior speed and timing, but one wrong move and Pereira could separate his soul from his body with a devastating lead left hook. Powerful left hooks have been the bane of evasive fighters throughout the history of combat sports. For example, during 1971's "Fight of the Century" between Muhammad Ali and "Smokin'" Joe Frazier, the power of Frazier's lead left hook was so great it nearly stopped Ali twice in the fight, before Frazier won a unanimous decision, and thereby set the scene for a trilogy of legendary bouts. In layman's terms, a dangerous lead left hook punishes evasive fighters because it significantly reduces lateral (sideways) escape options; whereas an evasive fighter can typically escape danger by circling laterally to the non-power side of their opponent, the power left hook makes the non-power side almost as dangerous as the power side. Theoretically, the evasive fighter is then forced into a corner and knocked out. Who wins? My money's on the fleet-of-foot Adesanya who has much more MMA experience and could potentially grapple the inexperienced Pereira to the ground for a TKO or submission. But the MMA community is split on the outcome of this fight, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't extremely nervous. Other Kiwi Fights: Opening the main card is another Kiwi fan favourite fighter Dan "The Hangman" Hooker (21-12) who is rebounding off of two consecutive losses via finish (submission and TKO), with four of his last five fights ending in a loss. What those raw statistics fail to consider is the level of competition. Two of those five losses were against Dustin "The Diamond" Poirier and Islam Makhachev, both of whom have held (or currently hold) championships. Hooker has beaten the breaks off of B-tier fighters such as Jim "A-10" Miller, Gilbert "Durinho" Burns, James "The Texecutioner" Vick, and "Raging" Al Iaquinta. This weekend Hooker will face Claudio "Prince of Peru" Puelles (12-2) who is a rapidly rising contender and submission ace. Hooker's style generally favours a standing brawl or technical showcase, and the promotion hasn't done him any favours matching him up against a submission threat again. Then again: every round starts standing up, and you don't want to trade blows with a kickboxer of Hooker's calibre. The top of the prelim card sees Christchurch native Brad "Quake" Riddell (10-3) face one of his greatest tests thus far in young veteran Brazilian Renato Moicano (16-5). In only two years with the UFC, Riddell has made quite the impact beating the likes of Jamie Mullarkey, Magomed Mustafaev, and Drew Dober. After a great start to his UFC career, Riddell is now carrying the burden of a two-fight losing streak, having been wheel kick TKO'd and then submitted via mounted guillotine choke. Now, at the most difficult point of his young career, Riddell must perhaps face his hardest fight thus far with his back against the wall. His opponent Renato Moicano has a history of championship-level fights, but without ever claiming the belt for himself. Riddell's best chance of victory is of course on the feet - whether that's at distance or in the clinch. But on the floor grappling with Moicano is a surefire way to wind up rear naked choked. I have great faith that Riddell's incredible fight IQ will keep him out of dangerous positions and lead him to a dominant victory. Finally, kicking off the early prelims is the fresh-faced model and newly minted cage fighter Carlos "Black Jag" Ulberg (6-1). The Kiwi-born Ulberg has had a somewhat rocky start to his UFC career. Debuting on the Contender Series in late 2020 with a knockout of Bruno Oliveira, Ulberg was expected to do great things. However, in his actual UFC debut Ulberg beat Kennedy "African Savage" Nzechukwu up until the moment he was knocked out. Ulberg's defensive holes caused his sublime striking game to suffer. Now the light-heavyweight has bounced back with two consecutive victories against well-regarded prospects Fabio "Water Buffalo" Cherant via unanimous decision and Tafon "Da Don" Nchukwi with a KO/TKO via hooks. Now Ulberg faces another super dangerous prospect in Nicolae "Nicu" Negumereanu (13-1). It seems that Ulberg has all the striking tools and power necessary to finish any light-heavyweight, but his willingness to fight with his hands down and chin raised leaves a lot of concerns defensively. Undoubtedly Ulberg and City Kickboxing head coach Eugene Bareman have trained hard to fill these holes, but the real test will be against the powerful Romanian wrestler Negumereanu. UFC 281 featuring all these fights and so many more goes down this Sunday at 4:00 PM for us here in New Zealand, with the early prelims starting at 12:00 PM. Of all the UFC cards to miss, this one ain't it. Enjoy! 2022-11-10T20:53:59.539Z Everything you need to know about UFC 280: Oliveira vs. Makhachev https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-280-oliveira-vs-makhachev/ https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-280-oliveira-vs-makhachev/ ACC UFC contributor Felix Heath-Collins with everything you need to know ahead of UFC 280: Oliveira vs. Makhachev. We've finally arrived at the big one, UFC 280! This weekend's PPV (Pay-Per-View) is a fantastic offering of elite-level MMA, topped off with two world title fights. To be brutally honest, the last three fight nights are slightly embarrassing in comparison. I wouldn't blame fans for skipping straight from last month's UFC 279 PPV right to this month's UFC 280 PPV. Because 279 was great, but 280 is insane. UFC 280's main event sees former champion Charles "do Bronx" Oliveira attempt to reclaim the vacant lightweight belt against the Dagestani prodigy Islam Makhachev. Charles "do Bronx" Oliveira (33-8) (wins-losses) is the lightweight division's submission king. 17 of Oliveira's 33 professional wins have come via submission, and 15 of those 17 submissions were chokes (7 rear naked chokes, 4 guillotines, a triangle choke, a D'Arce choke, a Peruvian necktie choke, and an anaconda choke). Currently on an 11-fight win streak and constantly improving in his striking, recently Oliveira has seemed unstoppable even against the pinnacle of lightweight competition like Dustin "The Diamond" Poirier and Justin "The Highlight" Gaethje. Simply put, Oliveira would still be king if not for missing weight in his last title defence - he won the fight, but was ineligible to defend the belt due to the weight miss. In the other corner is Islam Makhachev (22-1), who is the cousin and prodigy of former undefeated lightweight champion and all-time-great Khabib "The Eagle" Nurmagomedov. Minus one big loss (via first-round knockout), Islam Makhachev is undefeated in his MMA career. Throughout his career, Makhachev has claimed numerous wins via decision, KO/TKO, and submission. He's your typical dominant Dagestani wrestler with serious submission skills, and a hint of striking ability to round out his superbly balanced skillset. The one obvious concern with Makhachev's record is his lack of elite competition. Recently Makhachev has dominantly won fights against competition like Drew Dober, Dan Hooker, and Bobby Green, but those three pale in comparison to many of the names on Oliveira's list of victims. So who wins this weekend's main event? To me, the obvious choice would be Charles Oliveira. His record speaks volumes about overcoming adversity and he has a history of toppling the titans of MMA. On the feet, I'd give the advantage to Oliveira, while the wrestling advantage goes to Makhachev. But the super significant factor in my eyes is the devastating submission skills of Oliveira. I can imagine Makhachev will secure the takedown only to find himself in Oliveira's world of limb wrenching and suffocation. I've got Oliveira via submission. The co-main event isn't your typical title fight between fan favourites, it's actually a title fight between two fighters considered infamous. Aljamain "Funk Master" Sterling (21-3) is the reigning, defending champion of the bantamweight division. Sterling boasts a balanced style of MMA that blends an equal amount of striking, wrestling, and submissions to identify and exploit the weaknesses of his opponents. The top prospect from the storied Serra-Longo fight team, Sterling has proven himself to be a championship-level fighter time and time again. Many fans might've turned on him for winning the belt off Petr "No Mercy" Yan due to an illegal knee to Sterling's head (on the ground), but "Funk Master" proved himself yet again in his rematch with Yan, which he won via decision. Now the bantamweight division is fairly thin at the top, and so a former champion is being pushed to the front of the queue. Enter everyone's least favourite fighter T.J. Dillashaw (17-4). At one time Dillashaw was the untouchable king of the bantamweight division, who in his prime dominated the likes of Renan Barão, Raphael Assunção, John Lineker, and Cody Garbrandt. At the start of 2019, all of the respect Dillashaw had earned through blood, sweat, and tears was gone. He cut weight down to challenge for the flyweight championship belt against "The King of Cringe" Henry Cejudo. Not only did Dillashaw want the belt, but he also wanted to facilitate UFC president Dana White's goal of dissolving the division. After talking a very big game about being a "mercenary" hired to kill the lightest weight class, Dillashaw ended up metaphorically falling on his face and wetting himself when he was knocked out by the 5'4" Cejudo in 32 seconds flat, and then failing a drug test for the fight a few days later due to EPO abuse, before finally being banned from competition for two years. Yikes! One (universally contested) decision win over Cory Sandhagen and Dillashaw already has another opportunity to reclaim the belt he was stripped of for cheating. Who wins the co-main event? Aljamain Sterling. While in reality, the fight is very close between these two championship-level competitors, a win for Dillashaw would suck all the life out of the bantamweight division for me. He's an unlikeable, blood-doping, cheater with a smug self-satisfaction that makes even the most hardcore of MMA fans quickly lose interest. Unfortunately for me, Dillashaw is also a superbly dangerous striker with a dominant wrestling base to top it off. Whatever happens, this one will be an interesting battle between the past and present of the division fighting to become the future. I've got Sterling via submission, but that might just be wishful thinking on my part. These two unmissable fights cap off an incredible night of MMA action. The main card of UFC 280 starts at 7:00 AM this Sunday for us here in New Zealand, with the preliminary card beginning a few hours earlier at the super early time of 3:00 AM. Enjoy! 2022-10-20T20:09:04.728Z Everything you need to know about UFC 279: Chimaev vs. Diaz https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-279-chimaev-vs-diaz/ https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-279-chimaev-vs-diaz/ ACC UFC contributor Felix Heath-Collins with everything you need to know ahead of UFC 279: Chimaev vs. Diaz. It's finally time for UFC 279! Headlined by a super intriguing matchup between the trailblazing menace Khamzat "Borz" Chimaev and the people's champion Nate Diaz. The co-main event sees "The Leech" Li Jingliang - an unheralded welterweight prospect - against the currently-crashing King of Crazy himself, Tony "El Cucuy" Ferguson. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz Khamzat Chimaev (11-0) (wins-losses) is the currently surging UFC star. He's undefeated, he's a dominant wrestler, and he's got incredible knockout power at welterweight. Plus he's scary, too. What's not to like about the new hotness at welterweight? I mean except for his close ties to Putin-backed Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov, author of innumerable human rights violations and atrocities. To be fair, the argument could easily be made that Chimaev's (and his family's) life could be in threat if he refused the dictator. At one point Chimaev retired from MMA after coughing blood from a severe COVID-19 infection only for Kadyrov to announce Chimaev's 'un-retirement' shortly after. Love him or hate him, Chimaev is a dangerous puzzle for any welterweight to solve. Many have even named him as a potential future champion of the division. Whatever happens, he sure as shit ain't able to retire. Everyone's favourite fighter Nate Diaz (20-13) stands in the way of Chimaev. The loud mouthed, shit talking, middle-finger pulling, joing smoking king of the fans. Diaz's explosion in populariy can be traced back to UFC 196 when Nate Diaz pulled the ultimate upset by dropping and subsequently choking out international superstar "The Notorious" Conor McGregor to claim the welterweight title. The story goes that Nate Diaz grew up poor and starving in Stockton, California with his older brother Nick. Both Nate and Nick began taking Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes, but he admittedly wasn't very good. The only reason Nate stuck it out at BJJ was for the free burritos the older kids in his class would often buy for them. Now he's a world-trained and tested BJJ black belt under the master Cesar Gracie. Along with his aforementioned BJJ, Diaz also excels at unorthodox southpaw boxing just like his older brother. And while Diaz is coming into this matchup on a two-fight losing streak, that was against welterweight killers Jorge "Gamebred" Masvidal and reigning champion Leon "Rocky" Edwards. Nate Diaz was so competitive against the now-champion Leon Edwards that the champion actually promised Diaz a title opportunity following a win this weekend. "The Leech" Li Jingliang vs. Tony "El Cucuy" Ferguson In the co-main event "The Leech" Li Jingliang (19-7) finally has an opportunity at worldwide fame and success against the lagging superstar Tony Ferguson. "The Leech" has been fighting at a consistent professional level for several years now. He was winning against the Frank Camachos and the David Zawadas of the wolrd, but he was losing to the Jake Matthews and the Neil Magnys. However, "The Leech" always had one thing in his favour: he finishes fights. He's got three chokes, and five punch finishes in his pro MMA career thus far. An impressive left hook finish of Santiago Ponzinibbio earned "The Leech" an opportunity against the prospect Khamzat Chimaev, who choked him out in under three and a half minutes flat. "The Leech" now gets another golden opportunity to prove himself to the masses. And boy is his opportunity an exciting one. That opportunity comes in the form of funky freestylist Tony "El Cucuy" Ferguson (25-7). At one point in time "El Cucuy" was the definitive number-two guy in the savage lightweight division. The only guy that fans speculated could beat Ferguson was the lightweight GOAT (Greatest-Of-All-Time) Khabib "The Eagle" Nurmagomedov. That fight was scheduled five separate times, with the fifth time the fight being scrapped by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. UFC president Dana White joked that he was worried about the consequences to the world should they attempt to book the fight for a sixth time. And there was good reason to believe "El Cucuy" could do the damn thing and beat the unbeatable Nurmagomedov (who retired as champion, undefeated and largely unchallenged). Few can match Ferguson's scalp collection: he D'Arce choked Edson "Junior" Barboza and "Groovy" Lando Vannata, triangle choked Kevin "Motown Phenom" Lee, and TKO'd both Anthony "Showtime" Pettis (via corner stoppage) and Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone (via doctor stoppage). Unfortunately, Ferguson is currently riding a four-fight losing streak (Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, Beneil Dariush, and Michael Chandler) with the most recent being Ferguson's first KO loss against "Iron" Michael Chandler via front kick to the face. Ferguson's skillset is a fluid Wing Chun combination of eight limbs: arms, elbows, legs, and knees dynamically and unpredictably. On top of that, Ferguson's a dangerous BJJ black belt under the equally nutty and elite Eddie Bravo. Both of these great fights go down on the main card of UFC 279 this Sunday, which starts at 2:00 PM. The early prelim card begins back at 10:00 AM. Enjoy! 2022-09-08T21:11:57.908Z Andrew Alderson: Remembering the warm and generous Willie Los'e https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/andrew-alderson-remembering-the-warm-and-generous-willie-lose/ https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/andrew-alderson-remembering-the-warm-and-generous-willie-lose/ By Andrew Alderson Few broadcasters in the Newstalk ZB and Radio Sport stable of yesteryear were cherished by colleagues as much as Willie Los'e, who has died aged 55. The former Tongan rugby international, who played at the 1995 World Cup in South Africa, went on to become a core member of the Sevens World Series circuit commentary team. He was set to call the World Cup in Cape Town this weekend. That television career emerged after time spent behind the radio microphone as an expert analyst on the NPC, Super Rugby and All Blacks tests. Los'e soon morphed into a general sports talkback host and, at one point, was the understudy to Murray Deaker on his weekend Scoreboard show. Los'e subscribed to a put-your-hand-up-not-out philosophy and remains one of the most charismatic people to stride into our workplace. Charm radiated from behind a moustache of Magnum PI-standard bristle, a polished dome embracing his baldness and a fitness regime which often had him preparing for a show in lycra after dashing away from a Les Mills' spin class. On that note, Los'e had a Milan-like fashion compass. He often gave the impression of stepping from the pages of GQ to magnetise a crowd. There was a white tuxedo donned for a function in Wellington, citrus-toned pants and a pink shirt for a summery day of tennis at Stanley St, a raspberry beret, crimson strides and a black-and-white houndstooth jacket at Eden Park for the rugby. A crooked little finger as part of any ensemble was a permanent reminder of his dedication to playing sport at the top level. Los'e is remembered principally among the media community for a generous and inclusive nature. Newstalk ZB Weekend Sport broadcaster Jason Pine noted that when you went out for a drink with Los'e, "every round felt like his round" such was Willie's determination to ensure everyone had a good time. He was a gold medal contender for whipping his wallet out first at social functions. Former Christchurch-based Newstalk ZB sports anchor Brian Ashby remembers Los'e visiting Canterbury for work and his manners afterwards "going around the building thanking everyone from the techs to the accounts team who had set up his accommodation". This writer can concur with Willie's sense of largesse. One night, in Hong Kong on the eve of the 2006 Sevens, my accommodation fell through and Los'e stepped up to offer his room without quibble, curtailing any need to walk the streets all night or squander life savings on a hotel at short notice during the annual rugby festival. Like all broadcasters, Los'e had his share of on-air gaffes — unlike many, he laughed them off with charm. His endearing nature, tendency towards self-deprecation and an unimpeachable chutzpah meant people tended to chuckle with him, not at him when he thundered about the four-letter word ruining rugby ... "scrums". He was also peerless dancing around the studio to the likes of Earth, Wind and Fire's September during programme interludes. That seems fitting. There "never was a cloudy day" when you worked with Willie Los'e.This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission 2022-09-08T21:05:56.726Z Everything you need to know about UFC 278: Usman Vs Edwards 2 https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-278-usman-vs-edwards-2/ https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-278-usman-vs-edwards-2/ ACC UFC contributor Felix Heath-Collins with everything you need to know ahead of UFC 278: Usman Vs Edwards 2. It's finally time for UFC 278 which caps off an exciting month of MMA for the leading promotion with a fantastic offering of fights. The main event sees the reining welterweight champion and all-great Kamaru Usman defend his title in a rematch against long-time contender Leon Edwards. Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards Welterweight champion Kamaru "Nigerian Nightmare" Usman (20-1) (wins-losses) is at the absolute pinnacle of mixed martial arts. An extensive wrestling background lead Usman into an MMA career at the highest level, but he wasn't ever happy grinding an opponent to a decision. Kamaru Usman loves to dominate his foes. His first five pro wins came via KO or TKO punches and/or ground-and-pound. Following his 5-1 start to MMA, Usman then made himself known to the wider combat sports world when he competed on season 21 of The Ultimate Fighter reality show, which he smashed through with two decisions and an arm triangle choke in the finale, earning him a UFC contract in the process. Immediately after earning his contract, Usman was matched up against the seasoned kickboxer Leon Edwards, whom he beat via unanimous decision. 13 more victories followed for Usman, along with the welterweight title he claimed from former champion Tyron "T-Wood" Woodley. And now, 6 years on from their first meeting, Usman and Edwards will rematch for the welterweight belt at UFC 278. Leon "Rocky" Edwards (19-3) has long been considered the heir to the British MMA throne after the great Michael "The Count" Bisping lost his middleweight belt and retired in late 2017. Making his UFC debut at the end of 2014, Leon Edwards had a "Rocky" start in the promotion, losing in his debut via decision, winning his second fight via eight-second KO/TKO, and winning his third fight via decision. Next up was the fresh-faced Kamaru Usman who used elite wrestling to dominate the fight. Edwards has been on a tear ever since, going 8-0 (1 No Contest) against the likes of Vicente "The Silent Assassin" Luque, Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone, "RDA" Rafael dos Anjos, and Nate Diaz. Now Edwards believes he has built the skill set necessary to dethrone the reigning champion, Usman. The champion Kamaru Usman is a suffocating wrestler who has refined and sharpened his striking with acclaimed MMA coach Trevor Whitman. With each fight, Usman's significant strike total would increase. Where could Usman go from total domination and record-breaking strike totals? Why knockouts, of course! Under Whitman's tutelage Usman TKO'd his arch nemesis Colby "Chaos" Covington with strikes - and in the process broke Covington's jaw. Gilbert Burns was knocked down with a power jab and was finished with follow-up ground-and-pound. And welterweight's best boxer Jorge "Gamebred" Masvidal suffered his first KO loss when Usman landed a horrifyingly beautiful right cross to the chin. Leon Edwards has a much narrower skillset of kickboxing with a dusting of wrestling defence on top. Edwards has proven he can trade strikes with the best at welterweight and is capable of quick knockouts, but questions remain about his ability to stuff (defend) takedowns, especially those from welterweight's best wrestler Kamaru Usman. If past is precedent, Edwards will defend (or fall to) Usman's takedowns before eventually succumbing to power punches when Edwards ignores strike defence in favour of takedown defence. It'd be one hell of an upset for Edwards to claim the belt off Usman, but the Brit shouldn't be counted out. Paulo Costa vs. Luke Rockhold Paulo "The Eraser" Costa (13-2) is middleweight's strongman. This wild Brazilian is merely a green paint job away from being mistaken for the Hulk. And with immense muscles come immense power, but also low stamina. Making his UFC debut in 2017, Costa stopped all four of his first opponents via first-round punches stoppage (KO/TKO). Among those victims were ex-welterweight champion (and ex-testosterone abuser) Johny "Big Rig" Hendricks and middleweight ninja Uriah "Prime Time" Hall. Next up was the equally-terrifying monster that is Yoel Romero, the rock golem. Costa won that violent back-and-forth affair via decision, earning him a title shot against Nigerian-Kiwi champ Israel "The Last Stylebender" Adesanya. A sleek left hook, some ground-and-pound, and a hump or two later and Costa had lost his first pro MMA fight. Another loss followed against Marvin "The Italian Dream" Vettori via decision, and now Costa aims to right the ship against a returning ex-champion. Luke Rockhold (16-5) was an assassin in his prime. Equally capable of punch-knockouts, body kick TKOs, and submissions, Rockhold is a threat wherever the fight may be. Rockhold's MMA career has seen him rack up seven submissions (five rear naked chokes, one Kimura, and one Guillotine choke), and five striking stoppages (two via punches, one via body knees, a body kick, and one via mixed strikes). Over that violent career, Rockhold managed to claim the middleweight belt by TKO'ing Chris "The All-American" Weidman before being finished by the vengeful Michael Bisping and losing his championship in the process. A strike stoppage victory followed, and then two stoppage losses before Rockhold called it quits on his career - or so we thought. Now Paulo Costa defends his slipping position in the promotion against the ex-champion Luke Rockhold who has renewed title ambitions, and the skillset to finish anybody living. Costa has the power to level buildings in the opening couple of rounds, but should Rockhold survive the onslaught, Costa will be at his mercy. At his prime in 2015, Rockhold would've decimated Costa, but that prime has long since passed. I wouldn't bet money on either fighter. With our current knowledge of each fighter, this one seems like a coin flip. Also featured on this tantalising PPV is former featherweight champion José Aldo "Junior" against Georgian steamroller Merab "The Machine" Dvalishvili, plus Australian light-heavyweight banger Tyson Pedro versus Harry "The Hurricane" Hunsucker, and the long-limbed featherweight Sean "The Sniper" Woodson against Luis Saldaña. All this action and more goes down this Sunday, with the main card beginning at 2:00 PM. Enjoy! 2022-08-18T20:49:16.382Z Everything you need to know about UFC 277: Pena Vs. Nunes 2 https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-277-pena-vs-nunes-2/ https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-277-pena-vs-nunes-2/ ACC UFC contributor Felix Heath-Collins with everything you need to know ahead of UFC 277: Pena Vs. Nunes 2. I'm dying from the flu, but it's not every day that a Kiwi challenges for a championship belt. So, for the sake of MMA history, I'm soldiering through. On to the fights! Julianna Peña vs. Amanda Nunes In the main event, the newly-crowned Women's bantamweight champion Julianna Peña defends her belt against the all-time-great of Women's MMA, Amanda Nunes. Julianna "The Venezuelan Vixen" Peña (12-4) made her UFC debut back in 2013 following her dominant run through season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter reality show. As 2013's Ultimate Fighter winner, Peña had a bright future in the burgeoning popularity of Women's MMA following "Rowdy" Ronda Rousey's popularity explosion. In her early UFC career, Peña defeated top contenders Jessica "Evil" Eye and "Alpha" Cat Zingano via decision, before being submitted by the now-dominant flyweight champion Valentina "Bullet" Shevchenko. Trading wins and losses against Nicco Montaño and the one-time champion of the featherweight division, "The Iron Lady" Germaine de Randamie. Breaking into 2021 with a rear naked choke of Sara McMann, Juliana Peña had finally earned herself a title shot against the Women's GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) Amanda Nunes. Suffice it to say nobody gave Peña a shot in hell. As a +700 underdog, a $100 bet on Peña would've netted $700 upon her winning. And boy did she win! A back-and-forward battle ended in the second round when Peña hurt Nunes on the feet, before finishing the fight via rear naked choke submission. To truly solidify her position at the top of the weight class, Peña must beat the former champion Nunes a second time, back-to-back. Amanda "The Lioness" Nunes (21-5) is the new Cris Cyborg. She's equal parts violent, dominant, and terrifying, while still being incredibly grounded and down-to-earth. Her impeccable career includes a list of victims like Germaine de Randamie, Sara McMann, Valentina Shevchenko, Miesha "Cupcake" Tate, "Rowdy" Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg, and Holly "The Preacher's Daughter" Holm. Up until the Juliana Peña fight, Amanda Nunes was the double champion, holding both Women's bantamweight and featherweight belts. Even following the loss of her bantamweight title, Nunes still currently holds the featherweight belt. So, how do Juliana Peña and Amanda Nunes stack up in this rematch? Well, Peña is a submission specialist out of Sikjitsu gym with a naturally large frame for a female fighter. Not only has she shown the ability to submit the former double-champion Nunes, but Peña has also demonstrated the striking power to rock (and nearly finish) "The Lioness" on the feet. Amanda Nunes is a terrifyingly powerful fighter herself, who could hold her own against most male fighters and champions. Nunes shocked the world at the end of 2018 by demolishing the former featherweight champion Cris Cyborg with punches in under a minute total. While Peña might have the first fight under her belt, this rematch is totally up in the air. Whoever wins will herald a new era in Women's MMA, and I can't wait! Brandon Moreno vs. Kai Kara-France Brandon "The Assassin Baby" Moreno (19-6) is the loveable former champion of the flyweight division, who would still be champion if MMA judging wasn't so wonky. Moreno is the Mexican face of MMA today, and was the first UFC champion born and raised in Mexico (sorry Cain Velasquez). Moreno's run through the flyweight champion saw him choke out Louis "Da Last Samurai" Smolka and Dustin Ortiz, win decisions against the likes of Kai Kara-France, Jussier Formiga, and a TKO against Brandon "Raw Dawg" Royval. And, at the end of 2020, Moreno finally ran into his new nemesis, the flyweight champion Deiveson "Dues Da Guerra" Figueiredo. That first fight was a decision that Moreno should've won decisively, but the fight was ruled a majority draw decision, which allowed Figueiredo to keep his title. In the immediate rematch in mid-2021 Moreno took the judges out of the equation when he demolished Figueiredo, winning via rear naked choke in the third round. Despite winning decisively (in both fights), Moreno offered the former champion another immediate rematch. So, at the start of 2022, Moreno and Figueiredo rematched again. Of course, the judges dropped the proverbial ball and gave the unanimous decision to Figueiredo. And now the terrified Figueiredo has refused to fight Moreno anymore, even though he barely scraped past in a decision after being thoroughly smashed by Moreno previously. Everybody in the world was pissed with Figueiredo, and an interim championship bout was created in the meantime between Moreno and Kara-France while the nominal champion Figueiredo cowers in fear. Kai "Don't Blink" Kara-France (24-9) is that rare example of a powerful fight finisher in the flyweight division. Throughout his pro-MMA career, Kara-France has earned eight first-round stoppage victories, meaning 33% of Kara-France wins have come via stoppage in the first round. Kara-France didn't truly breakthrough in the UFC until his late 2021 KO stoppage of former bantamweight champion Cody "No Love" Garbrandt. Following that KO up with a unanimous decision over Askar Askarov, Kai Kara-France is finally ready for his first title shot against Brandon Moreno. If Kara-France wins this fight, he'll become the new interim flyweight champion (while Figueiredo grows some balls), the first New Zealand-born UFC champion, and the first Maori UFC champion. Auckland's City Kickboxing gym would then have three different current UFC champions: Kai Kara-France, Israel "The Last Stylebender" Adesanya, and Alexander "The Great" Volkanovski (who cross-trains at City Kickboxing, but whose head coach is Joe Lopez out of Freestyle Fighting Gym in Australia). And, as I always mention, Kai Kara-France has the greatest walkout song of all time: "Poi E" by the Patea Maori Club. What an absolute banger! So who wins the interim title? Brandon Moreno is an extremely dangerous (former) champion who already has a decision win over Kai Kara-France back in late 2019. But Kara-France has been an absolute force of nature since 2021, winning back-to-back first-round stoppages of Rogério Bontorin, and Cody Garbrandt, plus the unanimous decision over Askar Askarov. From the UFC's perspective, Kai Kara-France is being fed to the former champion Brandon Moreno so that Figueiredo is forced to rematch the Mexican or abdicate his flyweight belt. Kara-France may be underestimated, but he also has a chance to foil the former champion and alter the future of the flyweight division before a unification bout against Figueiredo. Brandon Moreno is incredibly likeable. Upon winning the flyweight belt in 2021, Moreno's immediate response was a massive Lego shopping spree. But Kai Kara-France, on the other hand, is my favourite active fighter. He's got the best walkout song, an insane rate of first-round KO/TKO's, plus he represents Maori culture and New Zealand impeccably. What's not to love? All this action and more goes down this Sunday. For us in New Zealand, the main card starts at 2:00 PM, while the earliest prelims begin a few hours earlier at 10:00 AM. Enjoy! 2022-07-28T21:29:28.155Z James McOnie - Will this be Fozzie's day of reckoning? https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/james-mconie-will-this-be-fozzies-day-of-reckoning/ https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/james-mconie-will-this-be-fozzies-day-of-reckoning/ The pitchforks have been dusted off and the torches are ready. The angry mob is figuratively preparing to storm NZ Rugby HQ and demand the head of All Blacks coach Ian Foster, aka Fozzie. That's the mood on the street, on talkback radio and in WhatsApp chat groups around the nation, as the All Blacks face a winner-takes-all decider at Sky Stadium, the Wellington Cake Tin, on Saturday night. They face a talented Irish team with a humungous tight five. The reckons have been damning. "It's a muppet show led by Fozzie Bear," wrote one texter to the Alternative Commentary Collective's rugby commentary hotline. "Fozzie-Wozzie has a mare," wrote another, as Ireland won the second test in a canter — their first test victory in New Zealand after 117 years of trying. The Irish will feel the kind of confidence that you only get after having a few Guinnesses and nailing a karaoke version of Dirty Old Town by The Pogues. Yes, they benefitted from the red card that was dished out to "Accidental" Angus Ta'avao late in the first half. But as Murray Mexted would say, the "psychic energy" is with Ireland. But what if Fozzie turns the Titanic around? What if he avoids the Irish-berg? What if he really is the King of the World? This All Blacks team still has outrageous talent — some of it waiting in the wings. Is Saturday the time for Akira Ioane to stamp himself as a match-winning, multi-skilled test loosie? Will the three Barrett brothers, who grew up on a dairy farm on the Pungarehu coast of Taranaki, bring that backyard brilliance to the big stage? Can big Sam Whitelock, lineout savant and human llama, rise to Andes-like altitudes and snatch the treasure of the Emerald Green? Before the second test, ex-Ireland first-five and ex-Crusaders coach Ronan O'Gara said Whitelock's absence, due to concussion, was worth 10 points to Ireland. Well, Ronan Keating said "life is a rollercoaster, you just gotta ride it". And a rollercoaster with Whitelock on it is one Fozzie desperately wants to ride. Foster grew up in Tokoroa, his father was a church minister - he still has faith, and he was defiant about the second-test loss: "We didn't become a bad rugby team overnight," he said. Having said that, the wheels on this bus have been wobbling for a few years. Doubt is creeping into the camp. The drums are beating for Razor. Some All Blacks players may well be thinking: "Perhaps the only one who could ever teach me WASN'T the son of a preacher man!" This third test will have it all: drama, farmers and a llama. You wouldn't want to miss it. This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission 2022-07-13T06:01:45.000Z Everything you need to know about UFC 276: Adesanya Vs. Cannonier https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-276-adesanya-vs-cannonier/ https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-276-adesanya-vs-cannonier/ ACC UFC contributor Felix Heath-Collins with everything you need to know ahead of UFC 276: Adesanya Vs. Cannonier. UFC 276 is finally here. This titanic oceanic PPV (Pay-Per-View) could be the card of the year. Kiwi Fights: (c) Israel Adesanya vs. Jared Cannonier Nigerian-Kiwi middleweight champion Israel "The Last Stylebender" Adesanya (22-1) (wins-losses) represents the next generation of fighting prodigies - among the likes of Muhammad Ali, Anderson "The Spider" Silva, and Jon "Bones" Jones. Everyone knows his list of victims at this point: Derek Brunson via TKO, Anderson Silva via decision, Kelvin Gastelum via FOTY (Fight Of The Year) decision, previous champion Robert "The Reaper" Whittaker via knockout and again by decision, Paulo Costa via humiliation, and Marvin "The Italian Dream" Vettori via decision twice. Much like greats Ali or Silva, Adesanya has a quicksilver speed and fluidity to his striking that overwhelms opponents and leaves audiences in absolute awe. Opposite the champion is Jared "Killa Gorilla" Cannonier (15-5), a terrifying knockout artist with a lot to prove. Originally a heavyweight and then a light-heavyweight in the UFC, Cannonier struggled to find consistency in these heavier weight classes. All that changed when Cannonier moved down to middleweight, and quickly collected finishes against: David Branch, the great Anderson "The Spider" Silva, and Jack "The Joker" Hermansson. A loss to rebounding former champion Robert "The Reaper" Whittaker was followed up with a win over Kelvin Gastelum and a TKO of Derek Brunson. Now that Robert Whittaker has again lost to Israel Adesanya, it's finally Cannonier's turn to challenge the champion. A couple of years ago Israel Adesanya called Jared Cannonier the "dark horse" of the middleweight division, and hardcore fans of MMA couldn't agree more. He has a body capable of delivering KO blows to heavyweights, with the speed of a middleweight, and absolutely nothing to lose. Simply put, Cannonier isn't somebody to underestimate. Luckily Adesanya hasn't underestimated an opponent yet - at least at middleweight. And as Adesanya has stated leading up to this fight, everybody he faces has power. Let's just hope he's prepared for Cannonier's considerable cannons. Brad Riddell vs. Jalin Turner Brad "Quake" Riddell (10-2) is the fighting pride of Canterbury, New Zealand. His nickname is in direct reference to the 2011 Christchurch Earthquake that saw Riddell's workplace demolished, and was the motivation for him to move to Auckland and build a career in combat sports. With a career spanning Kickboxing, Muay Thai, and MMA, Riddell even has the honourable distinction of beating all-time-great Australian kickboxer John Wayne "The Gunslinger" Parr in a Muay Thai bout back in 2016. Riddell's career exploded after making his UFC debut in late 2019 with a fight-of-the-night decision over Aussie Jamie Mullarkey. Following that breakout performance, Riddell won back-to-back-to-back decisions against Magomed "The Sniper" Mustafaev, Alex "Leko" da Silva and Drew Dober. On the fast track to a divisional ranking, Riddell was most recently on the receiving end of a devastating wheel kick knockout from expert finisher Rafael "Ataman" Fiziev. Now Riddell is back on the horse and ready to once more prove himself at lightweight. Standing in the way of Brad Riddell's rebound performance is the deadly predator Jalin "The Tarantula" Turner. An impressive UFC history of finishing fights follows Turner, who has stoppages of Joshua "Kuya" Culibao, and Jamie Mullarkey - along with submissions of Brok "Chata Tuska" Weaver, and Uros "The Doctor" Medic. Besides his 6'3" height and lanky limbs, Jalin Turner's nickname comes instead from his love and fascination for spiders, and not from his own spider-like frame. Brad Riddell's striking mastery puts him in a category of both devastation and entertainment that few others can reach. The comparative striking skills should easily favour "Quake" Riddell, while the submissions favour "The Tarantula" Turner. In a strangely-matched fight, Riddell is rebounding off of a loss, while Turner is currently on a four-fight win streak. Of particular note in this fight, however, is the height difference. While Riddell stands at only 5'7", Turner towers over him at 6'3". That's a whopping eight-inch difference in height. For comparison, Daniel Cormier was only five inches shorter than Jon Jones, who seemed enormous in their duo of fights. Very strange matchmaking, indeed. Other Notable Fights: (c) Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway In the co-main event, Australian featherweight champion Alexander "The Great" Volkanovski (24-1) defends his belt for the third time against former champion Max "Blessed" Holloway (23-6). Volkanovski has an unblemished UFC career dating back to a 2016 debut. In that time he's rattled off victories against the competition like Darren "The Damage Elkins", Chad "Money" Mendes, José Aldo "Junior", Max "Blessed" Holloway twice, Brian "T-City" Ortega, and "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung. The challenger Max "Blessed" Holloway is so loved and respected by fans that many consider him to still be the division's GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) despite losing five fights at featherweight. With dominant victories against almost everyone with a record in his weight class, it's easy to see why the fans still support him. But I'm with Volkanovski, who rightly believes a third victory over the former GOAT should render him the new best. Anyone who still doubts him will just have to continue doubting him on his journey to the top of MMA. Sean Strickland vs. Alex Pereira Finally, we have the fascinating featured bout between middleweight nutjob Sean "Tarzan" Strickland (25-3) and the new bogeyman of the division, Alex "Poatan" Pereira (5-1). Strickland is a crazy man brawler in the vein of a Tank Abbott or Derrick Lewis, who is seemingly more famed for his beatdowns of sparring partners than of actual opponents. Plus his trash-talking is pretty great too. He's the grimy, ethically-grey, and loud-mouthed face of combat sports and that's always great fun to watch. Why is the newest prospect at middleweight featured so highly on the main card against a loony veteran like Strickland? Well, because he has the only knockout in combat sports against our champion Israel Adesanya. Light-heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira and the rest of Brazil are all banking on Pereira to reclaim Anderson Silva's old middleweight belt back for Brazil. This particular fight should be chaos from start to finish. And, while Alex Pereira's infinitely higher degree of striking skill should carry him through this one easily, Strickland is just crazy enough to have a puncher's chance in any fight, at any weight. One day Pereira and Adesanya will surely rematch in MMA, but until then we can only dream. Or will that dream prove to be a nightmare? Only time will tell. All this action and more goes down at UFC 276 this Sunday for us here in New Zealand. The unmissable main card begins at 2:00 PM, while the preliminary cards (featuring Brad Riddell) start back at 10:00 AM. Enjoy! 2022-06-30T20:18:05.686Z Everything you need to know about UFC 275: Teixeira VS Procházka https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-275-teixeira-vs-proch%C3%A1zka/ https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-275-teixeira-vs-proch%C3%A1zka/ ACC UFC contributor Felix Heath-Collins with everything you need to know ahead of UFC 275: Teixeira VS Procházka. I'm back! Covid might've kicked my ass last month, but I'm back just in time for this Sunday's UFC 275 PPV (pay-per-view). In the main event, the light-heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira looks to defend his title against the human highlight reel that is Jiří Procházka, while the co-main event sees the dominant champion Valentina Shevchenko battle Taila Santos for the women's flyweight belt. And finally, in the featured fight, Zhang Weili and Joanna Jędrzejczyk rematch one of the greatest fights of all time. All in all, MMA fans have plenty to sink their teeth into come lunchtime on Sunday. Headlining UFC 275 is Glover Teixeira's (33-7) (wins-losses) first defence of his new light-heavyweight belt against the spectacular striker Jiří Procházka (28-3). Only two days after his 42nd birthday, Brazilian knockout artist Glover Teixeira became the second oldest fighter to win a UFC belt (behind "Captain America" himself, Randy "The Natural" Couture). Teixeira has been a dominant force in the light-heavyweight division of the UFC since his debut in 2012 at UFC 146 - 10 years or 129 PPV events ago. In his extensive UFC tenure, Teixeira has amassed wins against the likes of Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Jared "Killa Gorilla" Cannonier via decision; Ovince St. Preux, Ion Cutelaba, Thiago Santos, and (former champion) Jan Błachowicz via submission; plus Ryan "Darth" Bader, "Suga" Rashad Evans, and Anthony "Lionheart" Smith via KO/TKO. With dynamite in his gloves and a Mike Tyson-inspired bob-and-weave style to match, Teixeira might well be the most violent man at light heavyweight. In short, Glover is a Brazilian fight finishing machine who might've just entered his fighting prime at 42 years of age. Incredible. In the opposite corner, the Czech Republic's Jiří Procházka would love nothing more than to take Teixeira's belt - by force, if necessary. Following an extensive 29-fight run outside of the promotion, Procházka burst onto the UFC scene with ultraviolent KO/TKO finishes against top light heavyweight contenders Volkan "No Time" Oezdemir (via overhand right), and Dominick Reyes (via spinning elbow). A veritable violent spinning top (a Beyblade?!) of strikes, Procházka only needs one spinning kick, back-fist, or elbow to land and any opponent - at any weight - would be separated from their consciousness. Procházka rocketed through the sport at top speed, but will he have enough momentum to claim the ultimate prize: Teixeira's championship belt? Only time will tell. The co-main event sees arguably the greatest female fighter around, Valentina "Bullet" Shevchenko (22-3) defending her flyweight title against the fresh-faced Taila Santos (19-1). Kyrgyzstan's greatest (fighting) export, Valentina "Bullet" Shevchenko, has been fighting professionally - whether that be kickboxing or MMA - since 2003. That means she made her debut only a single year after the 42-year old Texeira did. After a dominant career in kickboxing, Shevchenko blasted out of the UFC gate in late 2015, quickly building a record with wins against the likes of Sarah Kaufman, Holly "The Preacher's Daughter" Holm, (current bantamweight champion) Julianna "The Venezuelan Vixen" Peña, Joanna Jędrzejczyk (who Shevchenko had previously beaten in amateur kickboxing), Jessica "Evil" Eye (with a career-best head-kick KO), Liz "Girl-Rilla" Carmouche, Jennifer Maia, Jéssica "Bate Estaca" Andrade, and "Lucky" Lauren Murphy. Shevchenko's only two UFC losses were close decisions against the much larger former double champion Amanda "The Lioness" Nunes. Are there any gaps in the sublimely-balanced MMA skillset of Valentina Shevchenko? Probably not, no. Can she still be beaten by a supreme demonstration of skill or power? Sure, it is MMA after all. And crazier has happened. Taila Santos only has a five-fight UFC career thus far, but she's sure made her mark on the flyweight division in that time. Her current four-fight win streak has seen her beat top contenders "Meatball" Molly McCann, Gillian "The Savage" Robertson, Roxanne "The Happy Warrior" Modafferi, and Joanna "Jojo" Wood. A title contender with an equal balance of fight finishing power and serpentine submission skills, Taila Santos could be the one to finally dethrone the (seemingly) untouchable champion Shevchenko. Or not. Probably not. In the featured fight (or the co-co-main event), former strawweight champions Zhang Weili (16-4) and Joanna Jędrzejczyk (21-3) rematch after their all-time great bout back in 2020. In 2019, Zhang Weili stopped former strawweight champion Jéssica "Bate Estaca" Andrade via KO/TKO to become the first-ever Chinese-born champion in the UFC. Immediately following her title win, Zhang made her first title defence against another former champion, Joanna Jędrzejczyk. In what has since been called the greatest ever female fight, Zhang and Jędrzejczyk battered each other from pillar-to-post, bell-to-bell. By the end of the fight, both women had nearly been finished, and Jędrzejczyk face had swollen to the exact proportions of an alien invader. Thus a fight in which Jędrzejczyk was edged out by Zhang on appearance alone. Back-to-back losses followed for Zhang Weili, first by head-kick KO, and then by split decision, both by fan favourite female fighter "Thug" Rose Namajunas. Thus ended a staggering 21-fight win streak from China's first champion. And now she's back to rematch the hardest, most violent fight of her entire career - significantly harder and more violent than even her losses. Packing a modern and refined style to MMA that blends ALL of MMA, Zhang Weili (much like Valentina Shevchenko), expertly balances striking, wrestling, and grappling into a recipe even the great GSP (Georges "Rush" St-Piere) would be proud of. Standing in Zhang's way is Poland's favourite villain, Joanna Jędrzejczyk (phonetically: yen-jey-chik). With a career in the UFC dating back to 2014 when she was just 6-0, Jędrzejczyk surged through the sport's strawweight division, beating Juliana Lima and Cláudia Gadelha via decision, before demolishing then-champion Carla "The Cookie Monster" Esparza, and defending her new belt against Jessica Penne, both by KO/TKO punches. Four more decision wins followed, making Jędrzejczyk an undefeated champion with five defences under her belt. She was unstoppable. That is until she met "Thug" Rose. In that classic fight, "Thug" Rose Namajunas defeated the dragon when she KO'd the unbeaten champion Jędrzejczyk. An immediate rematch saw Jędrzejczyk lose again to her rival Rose, this time via unanimous decision. Following those setbacks on the highest stage, Jędrzejczyk see-sawed between winning and losing. She beat Tecia "The Tiny Tornado" Torres, lost to Valentina "Bullet" Shevchenko for the vacant strawweight championship, beat Michelle "The Karate Hottie" Waterson, and, finally, lost to Zhang Weili in the aforementioned all-time classic fight. Now Jędrzejczyk is perfectly positioned to make another run at the title she lost almost four years ago to Valentina Shevchenko. Joanna Jędrzejczyk is the only female Diaz brother. Win, lose, or draw, she's must-see TV every time. This delicious MMA offering goes down this Sunday for us here in New Zealand, with the main card kicking off at 2:00 PM, with the earliest prelims beginning a few hours earlier at 10:30 AM. Enjoy! It'd be genuinely hard not to. 2022-06-09T23:19:51.568Z Dai Henwood: The most worrying question raised after Warriors' self KO https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/dai-henwood-the-most-worrying-question-raised-after-warriors-self-ko/ https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/dai-henwood-the-most-worrying-question-raised-after-warriors-self-ko/ I was 19 waking up from a nap. Walking out of my room I saw all my mates partying on the deck. Running, I slipped on my stonewash jeans, chain wallet and Dead Kennedys T-shirt. In a whirlwind of excitement and sprinting I did not notice the ranch slider was shut. I hit the ranch slider at full speed, knocking myself unconscious. I missed the party - and this is pretty much what happened to the Warriors on the weekend. Halftime in the match against the Storm was a good place to be for a Warriors fan. We were a converted try behind and all the points Melbourne scored had come from Warriors' errors - Edward Kosi should be counted under the Storm's salary cap for a week. Then we hit the ranchslider and the floodgates opened. Melbourne glided into top gear which was to be expected, and from the 55th minute on we did something unacceptable in professional sport. The Warriors threw in the towel. Watching Xavier Coates be allowed to run in a try from the wing to under the sticks with a Warrior giving up the chase was a low point for me as a fan. Questions are raised. Are we playing a style of football beyond our ability? Should we just try and go through the front door with our big forwards, earning metres then having some set plays to use when we are in opposition territory? Is Shaun Johnson taking on the line as fearlessly as his counterparts? Perhaps most worryingly, do blow-out losses affect our ability to attract players to a club which has not made a decent dent in the finals for more than a decade? This weekend's match against Canberra is going to show the true heart of the club. This is a winnable game. We have injuries, we are a bit of a shambles, but do we have heart? Tune in 5pm Saturday to find out. 2022-04-28T23:56:45.548Z Everything you need to know about UFC 273: Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-273-volkanovski-vs-the-korean-zombie/ https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-273-volkanovski-vs-the-korean-zombie/ ACC UFC contributor Felix Heath-Collins with everything you need to know ahead of UFC 273: Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie. The UFC's back at it again with a fantastic PPV (Pay-Per-View) offering in the form of UFC 273: Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie. Two titles are on the line - Volkanovski's featherweight belt and Sterling's bantamweight belt, so plenty is of hardware is at stake. UFC 273 is sure to be essential viewing for any fan of MMA or combat sports. Two titles could change hands this weekend. Featherweight champion Alexander "The Great" Volkanovski headlines UFC 273 with a defence of his belt against "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung. It should be fireworks. Alexander "The Great" Volkanovski (23-1) (wins-losses) is the only current Australian UFC champion, and he's not ready to relinquish that belt anytime soon. With a UFC career dating back to late 2016, Volkanovski has gone completely undefeated in the big leagues (his lone loss coming against Corey Nelson at Australian FC 5 back in 2013). Since debuting in the UFC, Volkanovski has dominated the featherweight division. Names such as Chad "Money" Mendes, José Aldo "Junior", Max "Blessed" Holloway, and Brian "T-City" Ortega have all fallen to the dominant Aussie champion. As with many fighters who predominantly win by decision, Volkanovski has his fair share of detractors. And Volkanovski loves to prove them wrong, "time and time again", as the promo reel keeps reminding us. Volkanovski's head trainer is the super underappreciated Joe Lopez, but he also cross-trains at Auckland gym City Kickboxing (the gym of Kiwi champion Israel "The Last Stylebender" Adesanya). "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung (17-6) on the other hand has a nickname so good that he insists everybody abandon his birth name in favour of it. And boy has he earned that nickname. No matter the danger, "The Korean Zombie" will continue to march forward... like a zombie. Famously "The Korean Zombie" earned the first-ever UFC Twister submission against Leonard "Bad Boy" Garcia in his memorable UFC debut back in 2011. In direct contrast to Volkanovski, "Zombie" willingly takes massive risks and they often pay off, even. He rolled the dice and D'Arce choked Dustin "The Diamond" Poirier, and KO/TKO'd Dennis "The Menace" Bermudez, Renato Moicano, and Frankie "The Answer" Edgar. But he also lost spectacularly to Yair "El Pantera" Rodriguez via savage up-elbow in the literal last second of the 5-round fight. Win or lose, "The Korean Zombie" is essential viewing every time he fights. Who wins this tantalizing main event? Wrestling-wise, Volkanovski reigns supreme and could prove to be a problem for "The Korean Zombie" if the Aussie gets top control. Volkanovskin was a pro-Rugby League player who would've weighed around the same as a UFC heavyweight in his prime, so even at featherweight, he's a bulldog. Grappling-wise, "The Korean Zombie" has a dangerous arsenal of submissions, even from underneath his opponent. With the first of the only two ever Twister submissions in UFC history, on the ground "The Korean Zombie" is equal parts lethal as flamboyant. The true battle lies on the feet. Maybe Volkanovski or "Zombie" will instantly prove superior, but chances are it'll be a back-and-forth war of attrition between the two. I suspect that the wrestling (and Rugby-tackling) skills of Volkanovski will influence the confidence of "The Korean Zombie", even on the feet. The co-main event sees the massively anticipated rematch between bantamweight champion Aljamain "Funk Master" Sterling and challenger Petr "No Mercy" Yan. Aljamain "Funk Master" Sterling (20-3) combines a lethal Matt "The Terror" Serra-trained Jiu-Jitsu mastery on the ground along with a Ray Longo-guided kickboxing strategy on the feet. Sterling's wrestling is all his own, however. Sterling rebounded from a brutal knee-KO courtesy of "Magic" Marlon Moraes with a five-fight win streak culminating in a rear-naked choke of Cory "The Sandman" Sandhagen. Having earned himself a title shot, Sterling went on to face then-bantamweight champion, Petr Yan. The fight went very dominantly in the favour of Yan, with Sterling only getting 5% of his attempted takedowns (1/17), while the supposedly inferior wrestler Yan landed all 100% (7/7). Fortunately for Sterling, Yan showed how little "Mercy" he truly has when he clocked Sterling with a full-force knee to the head on the ground, ending the fight. Now Sterling has the belt off of an insanely blatant foul and nobody is happy. Petr "No Mercy" Yan (16-2), as noted above, has absolutely "No Mercy". Not only did he break the most obvious rule in the book (unless the book's written in Japanese), but Yan has begun attacking Sterling by whatever social media means he can find. Yan's savage personality pales in comparison to the violence he inflicts inside the cage. Despite only debuting in the UFC back in 2018, Yan has already recorded an 8-1 UFC record highlighted by stoppages of Urijah "The California Kid" Faber by head kick and José Aldo "Junior" by ground and pound. Above all, however, Petr Yan is a boxer. The violent fluidity and deceptively fight-finishing power of Yan combine to make him kind of like a tiny Canelo Alvarez, only Russian instead of Mexican - and a villain instead of a hero. Everybody except the most ardent Aljamain Sterling fans seem to be picking Petr Yan for the rematch and for good reason, too. With supreme boxing and anti-grappling with smooth transitions to clinch-striking, Yan was already a handful and a half. But now he's proven he can beat Sterling at wrestling, too. You can surprise someone with a well-timed takedown but seven of seven is a pretty clear trend. One of the only areas I would clearly favour Sterling is in the submission game, of which he is an elite black belt. Logic says that Yan will dominate Sterling from bell to bell, while the fairytale ending would be the American hero Sterling repelling the Russian villain Yan, but that seems super unlikely. Who knows, maybe Yan will win all the way to another disqualification. And then he could embrace the villainy before ultimately changing his nickname to Petr "The Cheater" Yan. That's where my money is, anyways. Also featured on this awesome main card is a long-awaited step-up in competition for the undefeated and surging welterweight prospect Khamzat "Borz" Chimaev (10-0) and the powerful Brazillian legend Gilbert "Durinho" Burns (20-4). All this action and more goes down this Sunday for us here in New Zealand. The PPV main card begins at 2:00 PM while the early prelims begin a few hours earlier at 10:00 AM. Enjoy! 2022-04-08T07:13:11.000Z Everything you need to know about UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Daukaus https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-fight-night-blaydes-vs-daukaus/ https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-fight-night-blaydes-vs-daukaus/ ACC UFC contributor Felix Heath-Collins with everything you need to know ahead of UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Daukaus. Sunday plays host to another UFC event in Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Daukaus. Notably, this fight night features the surging Kiwi contender Kai Kara-France in a high-stakes flyweight fight against the undefeated prospect Askar Askarov. In the heavyweight main event elite wrestler Curtis "Razor" Blaydes (15-3) faces fresh-faced contender and knockout artist Chris Daukaus (12-4). Curtis "Razor" Blaydes has a prototypical wrestling style that has dominated MMA to some degree or other since 1994. What happened in 1994, you ask? Dan "The Beast" Severn is what. Since his UFC 4 debut, pure wrestling (whether that be Greco-Roman, Freestyle, or Folkstyle) has been a dominant force in MMA. Up next were Mark "The Hammer" Coleman who debuted at UFC 10 in 1996, and Kevin "The Beast" Randleman (Coleman's protégé) who debuted at UFC 19 in 1999. Wrestling determines where the fight is fought, as the MMA cliché goes. And Curtis "Razor" Blaydes sure knows how to wrestle. Not only that, but he's also a devasting ground-and-pound specialist (thanks Mark Coleman!). In his brief UFC career Blaydes has finished the likes of Aleksei "The Boa Constrictor" Oleinik, Alistair "The Demolition Man" Overeem (who subsequently joined Blaydes' camp to learn how he lost), and Junior dos Santos. His only losses in MMA have come against current heavyweight champion Francis "The Predator" Ngannou (twice), and UFC KO all-time-leader Derrick "The Black Beast" Lewis. Chris Daukaus has only been in the UFC since 2020, but he's sure made up for lost time! Daukaus's first three UFC fights ended via TKO in the first round, while his fourth fight was another KO, this time in the second round. First he TKO'd Parker Porter in the first, then Rodrigo "Zé Colmeia" Nascimento in the first, then Aleksei "The Boa Constrictor" Oleinik in the first, and finally Shamil "Abrek" Abdurakhimov in the second. Unfortunately, Daukaus then ran into Derrick "The Black Beast" Lewis. And, like Curtis Blaydes, Daukaus was violently knocked out cold by a "Black Beast" right hook. Although this main event isn't mind-blowing, violence is guaranteed over 25 minutes in MMA - especially when two dangerous heavyweights are scrapping. If past is pretence, Blaydes will attempt to ground the fight and annihilate with heavy ground strikes, while Daukaus will attempt to defend against the takedowns of Blaydes and set up opportunities to land flurries or uppercut/knee counters to constant takedown attempts. Chris Daukaus seems unable to put on a boring fight, and I don't expect him to start now. The only fight on this card that's somehow bigger and more exciting than the heavyweight main event is the main card match-up between undefeated Russian flyweight Askar "Bullet" Askarov (14-0) and the rapidly rising Kiwi contender Kai "Don't Blink" Kara-France (23-9). Askar Askarov debuted in the UFC back in 2019 with a draw against future flyweight champion Brandon "The Assassin Baby" Moreno. Next Askarov would stamp out three consecutive unanimous decision wins against Tim Elliot, Alexandre "The Cannibal" Pantoja, and Joseph Benavidez. Now, second-ranked flyweight contender Askar Askarov defends his undefeated record and his direct trajectory to the title shot against his Kiwi opponent. Stylistically Askarov is a dominant wrestler (as is common with Russian fighters) who doesn't lose. He won't knock your head off, but he consistently and predictably wins decision after decision. Before the UFC, Askarov had a much more dynamic win-streak, earning himself three rear-naked chokes, four KO/TKO's from punches, an anaconda choke, and a twister (the rarest submission in MMA). And, after all those accomplishments, Askar Askarov was born deaf and therefore can't hear advice from his corner. Every cage-fighter is alone, but Askarov is especially solitary. And, on the other hand, completely unfazed by the crowd (likely anti-Russian) or any other audible distractions. Kai Kara-France isn't just a Kiwi fighter, he's potentially the Kiwi-est fighter around. He was born and raised here in New Zealand to Maori ancestry, but that doesn't matter. What truly matters is his walkout song: Poi E. Which is easily the greatest walkout song ever. Kara-France has an impressive background having trained at Tiger Muay Thai in Phuket, Thailand before transitioning to MMA and joining the famed City Kickboxing gym in Auckland. Debuting in the UFC back in 2018, Kara-France started his career in the big leagues with three consecutive decision wins against Elias Garcia, Raulian Paiva, and Mark "The Bumblebee" De La Rosa. Following that was a unanimous decision loss to future flyweight champion Brandon "The Assassin Baby" Moreno, and then a unanimous decision win against Tyson Nam. next Kara-France was guillotine choked by Brandon "Raw Dawg" Royval, before earning back-to-back first-round KO's of Rogerio Bontorin and former bantamweight champion Cody "No Love" Garbrandt. And now Kara-France finds himself in a position to hand Askar Askarov his first loss and potentially earn a title shot. Of course, I'm expecting Kai Kara-France to extend his amazing punch KO-streak to three with a first-ever finish of the undefeated Russian Askarov, therefore earning himself a title shot, before winning the flyweight title and riding off into the sunset. But perhaps there's a sliver of bias creeping in there. Much like the main event matchup, expect to see a typical grappler vs. striker pairing. Askarov's best bet is in the takedown and potentially the submission, if not a simple points-based decision win. Kara-France will likely look for a devastating KO and he has all the tools to pull it off. An undefeated fighter is a mystery, however, and Askar Askarov might just pull a Khabib and retire as the undefeated champion. Either way, this one should be explosive. All this MMA action goes down this Sunday for us here in New Zealand. The main card begins at 12:00 PM (midday), while the prelims start a few hours earlier at 9:00 AM. Enjoy! 2022-03-25T09:54:00.000Z Jeremy Wells: What the hell are the Netherlands doing here? https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/jeremy-wells-what-the-hell-are-the-netherlands-doing-here/ https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/jeremy-wells-what-the-hell-are-the-netherlands-doing-here/ I visited Holland a few years ago, in fact, the word "visit" might be a little too generous. I was in Amsterdam for approximately 15 hours doing a build-up show with my Alternative Commentary Collective colleagues before the 2015 Rugby World Cup Final. Why we were doing the build-up from the streets of Amsterdam and not from on location at Twickenham? That’s a great question and one I was asking myself quite a lot at the time and still do to this day. I believe it was done purely to confuse people and go against the mainstream idea of what a "build-up show" should be. It certainly worked as we got a message almost immediately on landing from the then CEO of our mother ship asking “What the f*** are you doing in Amsterdam?” Which brings me to the latest cricket series about to kick off this Friday night in Napier and you could rightly ask “What the f*** are Holland doing here?” Again a great question that can be quickly followed up by “What will NZ look to gain out of such a series? I will attempt to answer these both, albeit in a very round-a-bout way. The Dutch are no strangers to international cricket, they have rolled their arm over in four ODI & T20 World Cups but they simply haven’t registered on my cricketing radar as I’ve never actually seen them swing the willow and I challenge even the nerdiest of cricket nerds to say they have. But they are here and padded up which means I get to watch and commentate cricket, two big ticks from me. In an international summer schedule that came close to sucking my cricket passion dry at least this is a little bit of moisture for the lips, sure it’s not Australia or India as planned but I feel OK about it. The BLACKCAPS took 26 long painful years to win their first test match and now they are the World Champions so the Dutch need all the encouragement they can get, hell I’m breaking out the Cricket Clogs, my orange Tui catch-a-million t-shirt and going full Dutch – orange is the new black! And what will NZ gain from the series? Well bugger all to be honest but at least it will give us a chance to see Ross Taylor sign off in style, ideally with a slog sweep into the sub-canopy of cricketing folklore. 2022-03-25T09:44:45.000Z Everything you need to know about UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-fight-night-volkov-vs-aspinall/ https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-fight-night-volkov-vs-aspinall/ ACC UFC contributor Felix Heath-Collins with everything you need to know ahead of UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall. After a year of COVID delays, the UFC's London fight night finally goes down this weekend, and it's overflowing with incredible fights! Let's dig into some of the best. In the main event towering Russian heavyweight kickboxer Alexander "Drago" Volkov faces top British boxing prospect Tom Aspinall. Alexander "Drago" Volkov (34-9) (wins-losses) is a veteran Karate kickboxer with a pro MMA career dating back to 2009. In the time since, Volkov has competed for top promotions like M-1 Global, Bellator, and, since late 2016, the UFC. A dominating Russian force who more than lives up to his "Drago" namesake from Rocky, Volkov fought his way to heavyweight championships in both M-1 Global and Bellator MMA before making his UFC debut. In the UFC, "Drago" has KO/TKO finishes over Stefan "The Skyscraper" Struve (via punches), Fabrício Werdum (via punches), Walt "The Big Ticket" Harris (via body kick), and Alistair "The Demolition Man" Overeem (via punch combo). Volkov's fighting style relies on his fluid karate kickboxing style and is founded upon his black belt in Tsu Shin Gen (Karate) and brown belt in Kyokushin Karate, plus an emergency backup in his Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) brown belt. The fresh-faced Tom Aspinall (11-2) is in stark contrast to the weathered veteran Alexander Volkov. Five years younger than Volkov at 28, Tom Aspinall represents both the modern wave of MMA boxers (alongside Petr Yan or Calvin Kattar), and the new guard of British fighters (alongside Darren "Gorilla" Till and Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett). A super-fast heavyweight that spars with Irish heavyweight boxing champion Tyson "The Gypsy King" Fury, Tom Aspinall's hands are very dangerous, indeed. This one's pretty damn close, on paper at least. Maybe Volkov's lifelong Karate/kickboxing experience will earn him a veteran's victory. Or maybe Apsinall's quicksilver fists and footwork will end this headliner quickly. Whichever way it swings, this is an essential fight for the future of the heavyweight division. Either Volkov makes his way toward a third pro MMA belt, or Aspinall proves his reputation as heavyweight's killer of kings. The co-main event is the only fight that truly matters to Kiwi fans. That's because British veteran "Almighty" Arnold Allen defends his home-turf against the invading Aucklander Dan "The Hangman" Hooker. "Almighty" Arnold Allen (17-1) joined the UFC's featherweight division a year after Dan Hooker did, but the two never encountered each other. And, by 2017, 6'0" Dan Hooker had moved up a division to lightweight. 5'8" Arnold Allen stayed at featherweight while staying undefeated in the UFC, where he collected victories over the likes of Makwan "Mr. Finland" Amirkhani (via split decision), Mads Burnell (via front choke), Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez (via unanimous decision), Nik "The Carny" Lentz (via unanimous decision), and "Super" Sodiq Yusuff (via unanimous decision). Arnold Allen is reliable and consistent, with similar wins throughout his professional MMA career, and, most notably, only a single loss in his time as a pro (via unanimous decision). Allen's consistent style, fight approach, and win-streak are his most valued assets, while simultaneously being his greatest flaws. Where Arnold Allen is impressively consistent, his opponent Dan "The Hangman" Hooker (21-11) is dangerously violent and unpredictable. At the start of his UFC career as a featherweight, Dan Hooker lost as often as he won. Upon moving up to lightweight, however, Hooker began eliminating his competition. Hooker began as a lightweight in the UFC with KO/TKO's against Ross "The Real Deal" Pearson (via knee), Marc Diakiese (via guillotine choke), Jim "A-10" Miller (via knee), and Gilbert Burns (via punches). A beatdown from Muay Thai kickboxing legend Edson "Junior" Barboza followed, before Hooker beat James Vick (via ground and pound TKO), "Ragin'" Al Iaquinta (via unanimous decision) and Paul "The Irish Dragon" Felder (via split decision). Losses to Dustin "The Diamond" Poirier and "Iron" Michael Chandler followed, before a unanimous decision win over Nasrat Haqparast and another loss, this time to an Islam Makhachev Kimura. Now, once again, Dan Hooker looks to compete down at featherweight. Hooker's City Kickboxing Muay Thai style of striking is evident in the way he fights. He's an elite feinter, and trap-setter with a deceptively long reach and a knockout power that comes more from skill than from raw force. In simple terms, it's very obvious that Hooker spent so much time warring it out in his sparring sessions with middleweight champion Israel "The Last Stylebender" Adesanya. They both fight ferociously, but never forcefully. Surely it's not favouritism to say I believe Dan Hooker's intangibles should allow him to overcome Arnold Allen's tangibles. I'm talking things like heart, willpower, endurance, grit, pain tolerance, reflex. Hooker has it all. But he's a ball of chaos. Allen's greatest asset is that he wins, consistently. Hopefully, chaos reins this weekend. Further down the main card also watch out for top British lightweight prospect Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett (17-3) who faces Rodrigo "Kazula" Vargas (12-4). Plus there's some legitimate heat brewing in the main card opener between Jai Herbert and Ilia Topuria. Don't miss that dose of violence. UFC London finally goes down this Sunday for us here in New Zealand, with the main card starting at an early and UK-friendly time of 9:00 AM, while the prelims begin a few hours earlier at 6:00 AM. This wouldn't be the fight night to rain-check. It'll be great, I guarantee it. Enjoy! 2022-03-18T09:02:18.000Z Everything you need to know about UFC 272: Covington vs. Masvidal https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-272-covington-vs-masvidal/ https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-272-covington-vs-masvidal/ ACC UFC contributor Felix Heath-Collins with everything you need to know ahead of UFC 272: Covington vs. Masvidal. UFC 272 took a bit of a beating lineup wise, but the hugely-hyped grudge match main event between former friends Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal should make this one worth the PPV (Pay-Per-View) admission fee alone. This weekend's main event is one of those prototypical MMA matchups: the wrestler versus the striker. Colby "Chaos" Covington is a supremely dominant wrestler and Jorge "Gamebred" Masvidal is a devastating kickboxer. At one point they were best friends and sparring partners at ATT (American Top Team) until Covington's media trash-talking of fellow ATT fighters and Masvidal himself resulted in multiple heated exchanges and, eventually, Covington's expulsion from the gym. But, after all that, most fighters and fans seem to be picking Covington to win. Let's find out why. Colby "Chaos" Covington (16-3) (wins-losses) is an Oregon State University Division I All-American wrestler and two-time Pac-10 champion, I'm assured. In the UFC he struggled on his grappling-heavy style. He was winning, just not in style. He then self-admittedly adopted a ranting alt-right MAGA persona, resurrecting his career as the guy people watch to lose, however rare his losing might be. Plus he's Donald Trump's favourite fighter and he visited the White House. His UFC wins include unanimous decisions against Bryan "Bam Bam" Barberena, Dong Hyun "Stun Gun" Kim, Demian Maia, Rafael dos Anjos, and "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler. His only losses came against Warlley Alves via first-round Guillotine Choke, and the reigning welterweight Kamaru "Nigerian Nightmare" Usman who broke Covington's chin and TKO'd him in the fifth round in 2019 and then won again via unanimous decision in a closer 2021 outing. The point is Covington doesn't have a massive number of fights, but when he does fight, he tends to win. Jorge "Gamebred" Masvidal (35-15) is in many ways a polar opposite of Covington. Instead of a world-class wrestler, he's a lethal street striker. Not only is Masvidal about to record his 51st professional MMA fight, but he was also a disciple of street fighting legend Kimbo Slice. In reality, Masvidal's real tally of total "fights" would be near-impossible to count, but I would estimate in the hundreds. Not only is he a UFC veteran dating back to 2013, but his recently reinvented "Street Jesus"-style where he "baptises" people has led to the fastest knockout in UFC history against "Funky" Ben Askren in 2019 at 5 seconds via flying knee, plus a KO win against Darren "The Gorilla" Till in his hometown, and a TKO from a cut against Nate Diaz for the BMF (Baddest Mother F*cker) gimmick-belt. Much like Covington, Masvidal has two losses to Kamaru Usman: the first via a boring unanimous decision and the second via a shock right cross KO of Masvidal by the wrestler Kamaru Usman. Of course, the wrestling threat led to the knockout punch opening for Usman, but Masvidal's chin is at this point battle-tested, if not battle-worn. Who wins this one? That's the difficult question. Understandably most are choosing Covington, the overwhelming wrestling and cardio machine. Reality says Covington will impose his usual "Chaos" on Masvidal and blitz to a hard-fought decision win. Make-believe says Masvidal will put his hands behind his back and concoct a silly plan to insta-kill Covington just like he did to Askren in five seconds flat. So I'm obviously going with Masvidal because make-believe is better than reality. Or something. There are a couple of other fights that stand out further down the cards First up is the featured fight on the main card between Muay Thai kickboxing master Edson "Junior" Barboza (22-10) and Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) master Bryce "Thug Nasty" Mitchell (14-0). Another prototypical battle plays out, this time between striking and BJJ, in the tradition of Royce Gracie who won three of the earliest UFC one-night tournaments solely with his BJJ mastery, inspiring a generation of BJJ fighters and Brazilians alike. After all that I'm rooting for Barboza. I can't help it. I love me some striking, and I love me some Barboza (Hector Barbossa too). Barboza's Brazillian, too. The final fight I wanted to highlight is way down as the headliner of the early prelim card. It's a fascinating fight between fan favourite bulldog Bryan "Boom" Kelleher (24-12) and the cousin of lightweight great Khabib "The Eagle" Nurmagomedov, Umar (13-0). Brian "Boom" Kelleher is just fun to watch. He's got UFC wins by Guillotine choke, Punches, Left Hook & Hammerfist, and more Guillotine choke. Seven of Kelleher's pro MMA wins are via guillotine choke. Umar Nurmagomedov, on the other hand, is a unique Nurmagomedov. While the world-famous Khabib favoured his Dagestani wrestling roots and accented it with formidable boxing and kickboxing, Umar instead favours a kick-focused striking style and accents it with the Dagestani wrestling heritage of his namesake. In Umar's UFC debut last year, he out-struck, out-grappled, and then choked out Sergey Morozov (17-5) to earn the Performance of the Night award and $50,000 (before tax). The winner of this one will be particularly interesting since Umar Nurmagomedov is undefeated and Brian Kelleher is willing to risk losing again, whereas Umar isn't willing to risk losing for the first time. My money's on "Here Come's The Boom" Kelleher because he's in funner fights than Umar. Skill-wise it could swing either way. UFC 272's main card starts this Sunday at 4:00 PM for us here in New Zealand, while the earliest prelims begin back at 12:00 AM. Enjoy! 2022-03-04T07:20:45.000Z Everything you need to know about UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-271-adesanya-vs-whittaker-2/ https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-271-adesanya-vs-whittaker-2/ ACC UFC contributor Felix Heath-Collins with everything you need to know ahead of UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2. It's finally here! This weekend's UFC 271 card is headlined by the rematch over two years in the making between the best Oceanic fighters in MMA history. In the main event Nigerian-Kiwi champion Israel "The Last Stylebender" Adesanya defends his middleweight belt against the man he took it from, Australian former champion Robert "The Reaper" Whittaker. If "what's past is prologue" then Adesanya should annihilate Whittaker within the first couple rounds. But, in reality, Adesanya has everything to lose, and Whittaker has everything to gain in this rematch. Adesanya has the middleweight title, an undefeated middleweight record, a freshly-signed, massively lucrative contract with the UFC, and a palpable air of invincibility in his natural weight class. Whittaker, on the other hand, is expected to lose again, perhaps even more dominantly than the first time. With nothing to lose and everything to gain, Robert Whittaker is a deadly underdog. Stylistically, Israel "The Last Stylebender Adesanya (21-1) (wins-losses) is the greatest kickboxer in MMA history. He blends a sublime combination of punches, kicks, knees, and elbows to either eliminate or thoroughly outclass his competition. With the tactical forethought of a chess grandmaster along with the lightning-fast footwork and defensive flexibility of Muhammad Ali or Anderson Silva, Adesanya is such a kickboxing phenom that he redefines what elite MMA striking can truly be. Robert "The Reaper" Whittaker (24-5) is the bull to Adesanya's matador. And, much alike to a bull's charge, Whittaker is famed for his devastating karate-style "blitz" of sudden, forward aggression. Last time that exact technique of blindly rushing forward cost Whittaker the belt as Adesanya redirected that energy into his own offence, finishing the Aussie in the second round. Whittaker's wins since losing his belt (beating Darren "The Gorilla" Till, Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum - all by unanimous decision) have showcased a new ace in his deck: offensive wrestling. If Whittaker can combine his full-force blitz with well-timed takedowns, Adesanya could be in serious trouble (as evidenced by Jan Blachowicz's grappling-focused light-heavyweight win over Adesanya). So who wins? The obvious choice is obvious for a reason. Isreal Adesanya should be able to overcome any improvements or adjustments Robert Whittaker has made since their first fight. In the striking domain, Whittaker would have a better chance of shooting Neo in the Matrix than striking Adesanya in the cage. In the grappling domain, it's not much likelier. Because, despite recent improvements, Whittaker's takedown accuracy of 34% pales in comparison to Adesanya's takedown defence of 80%. Whittaker's best chance of winning is either in focusing almost entirely on takedowns and ground-control time or in throwing caution to the wind and swinging his fists wildly - a tactic that cost him in the first fight. Whoever wins, the middleweight division is at an all-time peak of talent. In the co-main event, the man with the most knockouts in the history of the UFC (13 KO's) Derrick "The Black Beast" Lewis (26-8) faces off against Australia's most popular export Tai "Bam Bam" Tuivasa (14-3). Lewis's insane record includes UFC knockouts of Gabriel "Napão" Gonzaga, Alexander "Drago" Volkov, Aleksei "The Boa Constrictor" Oleinik, Curtis "Razor" Blaydes, and Chris Daukaus. "Bam Bam" Tuivasa, on the other hand, is currently on a four-fight knockout streak with the victims being Stefan "The Skyscraper" Struve, Harry "The Hurricane" Hunsucker, Greg "The Prince of War" Hardy, and Augusto Sakai. When these two savages enter the Octagon, one of them will leave on a stretcher. I can't wait. And finally, way back in the early prelims, Kiwi kickboxer Carlos "Black Jag" Ulberg (3-1) rebounds off a second-round KO loss in his official UFC debut against Fabio "Water Buffalo" Cherant (7-3), who's lost both of his UFC appearances - one via Von Flue Choke against "Atomic" Alonzo Menifield and another via counter left hook KO against William "Knightmare" Knight. Of the many talented prospects coming out of Adesanya's home-base City Kickboxing in Auckland Carlos Ulberg has some of the best offence, and easily the worst defence. Ulberg is insaley fun and nerve-wracking to watch. He marches forward where either he knocks his opponent out or gets knockout out himself. In stark contrast is Fabio Cherant whose only stoppage wins have come via chokes (two guillotine chokes, two rear-naked chokes, and one anaconda choke). Cherant will undoubtedly look to floor the Kiwi kickboxer and attempt to break him with grappling. And we simply don't have enough data to know how competent Ulberg truly is at defending takedowns and punishing wrestlers. It's about time we found out. UFC 271 is shaping up to be a fantastic PPV (Pay-Per-View). The first time Adesanya and Whittaker fought at UFC 243 in Melbourne saw all three Kiwi competitors (Brad "Quake" Riddell, Dan "The Hangman" Hooker, and Israel "The Last Stylebender" Adesanya) come away with victories. Hopefully, UFC 271 is another night of the Kiwis. The main card of UFC 271 begins at 4:00 PM this Sunday for us here in New Zealand, with the earliest prelims beginning a few hours earlier at 12:00 PM (midday). Enjoy, because I sure will! 2022-02-11T06:23:27.000Z Ranking the best Test Centuries in Black Caps history https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/ranking-the-best-test-centuries-in-black-caps-history/ https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/ranking-the-best-test-centuries-in-black-caps-history/ By Adrian Seconi All centuries in test cricket are special in their own right. But what makes a great ton ... well, great? Otago Daily Times cricket writer Adrian Seconi rips off one of his favourite cricket books to name his top 10 New Zealand test centuries. The Philosophy Memorable hundreds are not necessarily the same as great hundreds. Brendon McCullum flayed the fastest test hundred in history in 2015. But he was dropped early and caught off a no-ball. And some of the boundaries were dirty thick edges that flew over the slip cordon. It was a really entertaining knock and infinitely rewatchable. But, from a technical perspective, was it one of the great innings? Keep that in mind while reading through this top 10. The Criteria Patrick Ferriday and Dave Wilson, in their wonderful book Masterly Batting — 100 Great Test Centuries, set themselves the ambitious task of ranking the top 100 test hundreds and came up with a methodology that I have leaned on here. Each century was judged according to these criteria: value; quality; conditions; bowling strength; and impact. Value encompasses the number of runs scored and the percentage it made up of the team total. Quality is partly aesthetic but also the pace and tempo of the innings and whether any chances were offered. The conditions, the strength of the bowling and the impact the innings had on the match/series are each marked out of 20 as well for an overall score out of 100. There was a determined effort made to make sure there was a good representation rather than just listing the top five knocks by Kane Williamson and Martin Crowe. Effectively, I picked my top 10 and then applied the methodology. There were some surprising results. The order was not what I expected. Honourable mentions- Classy left-hander Bert Sutcliffe returned to international cricket following a six-year break at the age of 38 and scored 151 not out against India in Kolkata in 1965. - All-rounder John Reid scored a couple of memorable hundreds but in losing efforts. He scored 100 out of 159 against England in 1963 but the game was lost by seven wickets. And he stroked 142 out of 249 against South Africa in 1962 but New Zealand lost by an innings and change. 10) 222 - Nathan Astle v England, Christchurch, 2002Balls faced: 168. Team score: 451. Significance: Still the fastest test double ton ever scored. Description: At the foot of Mt Everest in a pair of high heels, Astle launched a devastating counterattack that almost proved anything is possible. England won by 98 runs in the end, though. Scorecard: Value 18, quality 18, conditions 13, bowling strength 15, impact 11. Ranking: 75 9=) 302 - Brendon McCullum v India, Wellington, 2014Balls faced: 559. Team score: 680/8 dec. Significance: Came into bat with the Black Caps 52 for three and steered his side out of trouble. Description: Was in the form of his life but abandoned all his instincts and buckled down to save the game with a mammoth and historic knock against a useful Indian attack. Scorecard: Value 19, quality 16, conditions 13, bowling strength 14, impact 17. Ranking: 79 9=) 111 not out - Jeremy Coney v Pakistan, Carisbrook, 1985Balls faced: 243. Team score: 278/8. Significance: Nursed the tail through to a tense two-wicket win at Carisbrook which helped clinch the test series win 2-0. Description: Lance Cairns had been felled by a bouncer by a young and fired-up Wasim Akram, so Coney and Ewen Chatfield put on 50 for what was effectively a last-wicket stand. Coney combined dour defence and strong attack to win the day. Dropped a couple of times, including on 97. Scorecard: Value 16, quality 15, conditions 16, bowling strength 13, impact 19. Ranking: 79 7) 173 - Ian Smith v India, Auckland, 1990Balls faced: 136. Team score: 391. Significance: Smashed 24 off one over. Broke the world record for a No 9 batter. Featured in two New Zealand-record partnerships. Description: New Zealand had slumped to 131 for seven and, out of the blue, Smith bludgeoned the attack in a stunning assault. Scorecard: Value 17, quality 17, conditions 15, bowling strength 14, impact 17. Ranking: 80 6=) 146 not out - Mark Greatbatch v Australia, Perth, 1989Balls faced: 485. Team score: 322/7. Significance: His test century was the slowest scored in Australia but he also engineered a wonderful rearguard action. Description: Batted for the best part of two days against some hostile bowling to salvage a draw. Scorecard: Value 17, quality 16, conditions 15, bowling strength 16, impact 17. Ranking: 81 6=) 102 not out Kane Williamson v South Africa, Wellington, 2012Balls faced: 228. Team score: 200/6. Significance: Came of age by fending off a ferocious Proteas attack to secure a draw. Description: New Zealand had slumped to 83 for five but Williamson defied a red-hot Morne Morkel and kept out the great Dale Steyn. Offered a couple of chances, though. Scorecard: Value 16, quality 15, conditions 15, bowling strength 18, impact 17. Ranking: 81 4) 274 not out - Stephen Fleming v Sri Lanka, Colombo, 2003Balls faced: 476. Team score: 515/7 dec. Significance: Scored a huge double ton in his 50th test as captain. Description: Was up against Sri Lankan all-time greats Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan on their turf and won the battle. The game petered out to a draw. Scorecard: Value 19, quality 17, conditions 14, bowling strength 15, impact 17. Ranking: 82 3) 188 - Martin Crowe v West Indies, Georgetown, 1985Balls faced: 462. Team score: 440. Significance: The 22-year-old batted like a veteran to help his side avoid the follow-on. Description: Marked himself out as a batter of sublime class with a conscientious knock against a devastating three-pronged pace attack of Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding and Joel Garner. The docile nature of the pitch helped out a tad. Scorecard: Value 17, quality 17, conditions 12, bowling strength 19, impact 17. Ranking: 82 2) 110 not out - Glenn Turner v Australia, Christchurch, 1974Balls faced: 335. Team score: 230/5. Significance: Carried New Zealand to a maiden test win over Australia. Scored a century in the first innings as well to become the first New Zealander to achieve back-to-back hundreds in a game. Description: Mastered tough batting conditions and a decent attack including the world's No 1 bowler, Max Walker. Scorecard: Value 16, quality 17, conditions 17, bowling strength 14, impact 19. Ranking: 83 1) 290 - Ross Taylor v Australia, Perth, 2015Balls faced: 374. Team score: 624. Significance: The highest score in Australia by a visiting player. Description: Smashed around an all-star Australian bowling line-up in very friendly batting conditions at the Waca. Mitchell Starc was bowling with extreme heat, though. Hit 160kmh at one point. The game was a draw. Scorecard: Value 18, quality 17, conditions 13, bowling strength 19, impact 17. Ranking: 84 This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission 2022-01-27T09:20:39.000Z Everything you need to know about UFC 270: Ngannou V Gane https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-270-ngannou-v-gane/ https://www.theaccnz.com/blogs/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ufc-270-ngannou-v-gane/ ACC UFC contributor Felix Heath-Collins with everything you need to know ahead of UFC 270: Ngannou vs. Gane. UFC 270 marks the first UFC 'PPV' (Pay-Per-View) of the year, and boy is it a doozy. In the main event the supremely dangerous Cameroonian UFC heavyweight champion Francis "The Predator" Ngannou faces his ex-sparring partner, the undefeated French interim heavyweight champion Ciryl "Bon Gamin" Gane. As in boxing, in MMA the heavyweight champion is considered king. Since the UFC is (unfortunately) the only truly massive MMA promotion (RIP Pride), their heavyweight champion is THE heavyweight champion. And that man is Francis "The Predator" Ngannou (16-3) (wins-losses). The "Iron" Mike Tyson of MMA, Francis Ngannou's fights are generally over in seconds, not minutes. Of Ngannou's thirteen UFC fights, eight were first-round knockouts for Ngannou. Beyond a mere "Predator", Ngannou is a killer of kings, willing to end the career of any former champion in reach. Among Ngannou's many victims are former UFC champions Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski (in 1 minute, 32 seconds), Cain Velasquez (in 26 seconds), Junior "Cigano" dos Santos (in 1 minute, 11 seconds), and, in his last appearance, former champion Stipe Miocic (52 seconds of round 2). Ngannou's path to victory in any fight is simple. His technique is rarely ever as good as his competition's, but his power is simply unprecedented. After winning a demoralizing decision in their first encounter, we once believed that Stipe Miocic could win another fight against Francis Ngannou. Now we know the only man with a live chance at victory now is Ciryl Gane. Undefeated Frenchman Ciryl "Bon Gamin" Gane (10-0) is the yin to Francis Ngannou's yang. Ngannou is an intimidating 6'4" (193cm), and so does Gane (193cm). Ngannou has a long reach of 83.0" (211cm), and so does Gane (211cm). Despite being the same height and reach, Ciryl Gane's strengths are the opposite of Francis Ngannou's. And that's because Gane's strength isn't strength, it's speed. This is one fast Frenchman - especially for the heavyweight division. In tandem with a middleweight's movement and striking speed is an extreme technical proficiency in Ciryl Gane's striking. Quick and fluent striking sans significant finishing power. Yes, Ciryl has UFC wins via submission and two by KO/TKO, but forcing a finish against Francis is a terrible game plan. So, who wins the main event? Everybody seems to be picking the interim champion Ciryl Gane, and he's been the betting favourite as of now. Maybe the incredible violence Ngannou provides is clouding my judgement, I just have a soft spot for the big guy. A childhood salt-miner turned illegal border jumper turned homeless man turned heavyweight champion is a story I'll always root for. In the co-main event, the newly-crowned first-ever Mexican-born champion of the flyweights Brandon "The Assassin Baby" Moreno (19-5) concludes a trilogy of fights against the former flyweight champion Deiveson "Deus da Guerra" Figueiredo (20-2). The first fight was a war that went to a draw, which allowed Figueiredo to keep his title. The second fight was a dominating victory and rear-naked choke submission in round 3 for Moreno. And now we have what is likely their final fight for the flyweight belt. Once again it's the bull and the matador, with the bull, in this case, being Figueiredo and the matador being Moreno. Who wins? Who knows?! But I sure wouldn't wanna miss it. Before the co-main is the fight hardcore fans have been buzzing about. Capoeira and general backflip-artist Michel "Domlidor" Pereira (26-11) faces the debuting Andre Fialho (14-3). What makes this one so special? Well, while Francis Ngannou is the Mike Tyson of MMA, Andre Fialho is the Francis Ngannou of the welterweight division. With 5 of his 13 wins coming via first-round KO/TKO, Fialho is one to fear. A Brazilian dance-fighter versus a Portuguese boxing butcher. The main card of UFC 270 kicks off at 4:00 PM this Sunday for us here in New Zealand, while the early prelims begin back at 12:00 PM (midday). There are plenty of crap cards in MMA, but this ain't one of them. Enjoy! 2022-01-21T07:53:22.000Z