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Sean Strickland gives "a lot of motivation" to reinspired Johnny Eblen before PFL Austin title bout

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Sean Strickland gives "a lot of motivation" to reinspired Johnny Eblen before PFL Austin title bout

Sean Strickland helms the UFC's middleweight division and steadily gets in work with someone vying for gold in another promotion this weekend. The combatant in question is Johnny Eblen, who runs it back with Impa Kasanganay for a rematch with the interim middleweight belt on the line at PFL Austin on July 18th. The winner will battle lineal PFL middleweight champion Costello Van Steenis at a later juncture when the 185-pound titleholder gets off the shelf from his injury.

Speaking to the motivational component, getting to work with the UFC champion and potential future UFC Hall of Famer in Sean Strickland, who really touts Johnny Eblen's skills in quite a high regard, Eblen said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],

“Yeah, absolutely. A lot of motivation. Especially when you lose to a guy that you know you can beat [Costello Van Steenis]. It definitely gave me motivation to stay with the PFL and right that wrong. Cuz around that time, I was kind of like running through everybody, beating everybody, and I wanted to find new competition outside of the PFL cuz I fought everybody in the PFL.â€

“But having that loss, and then having Bryan Battle come over, and now I get to run it back with Impa [Kasanganay]. Some people thought I might have lost that fight with Impa because it was a split decision and now I have a road back to redemption with Costello [Van Steenis]. It truly spiced up the division and it truly motivated me, I think.â€

Sean Strickland foresees a UFC title fight with Johnny Eblen someday

Sean Strickland and Johnny Eblen have often got in work inside the gym together, whether in Florida or Nevada, with the former envisioning a fight with the latter transpiring someday. Touching upon that during a recent training excursion taken at American Top Team, Strickland stated [via Bloody Elbow],

“First session done with Johnny [Eblen], this guy is a savage… This guy is going to win the [PFL] belt. Then he's going to come to the UFC, he's going to win a fight and then we're going to fight for the belt. And I don't know who's going to f***ing win but I know we're going to fight.â€

To that, Eblen responded,

“It's going to be fun.â€

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MMA

Morning Report | Paddy Pimblett: Movsar Evloev ‘quit’ in loss to Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 333

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Morning Report | Paddy Pimblett: Movsar Evloev ‘quit’ in loss to Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 333

Movsar Evloev, 20-0 no longer. But apparently, his UFC 333 loss to Alexander Volkanovski is deeper than that.

The top featherweight contender updated his Instagram bio following his disappointing knockout defeat at the hands of Volkanovski, but not to 20-1.

Instead, Evloev is now “0-1,” signaling a new beginning, perhaps? At 32, Evloev is not a young man in the 145-pound division, but perhaps there’s still room for him to grow and even if he can’t beat Volkanovski, can he hang around long enough for Volkanovski to exit and then step into his place as a future champion?

What do you all think of Evloev’s profile tweak?

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Aaron Pico admits he was fighting too out of control before UFC 333

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Aaron Pico admits he was fighting 'too out of control' before UFC 333
Aaron
Pico is learning to be more patient inside the Octagon.

Pico (14-5) is scheduled to face Losene
Keita (17-2) at
UFC 333 on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Ahead of the
matchup, the former Bellator
fighter said he wants to gain experience rather than rush to
finish.

Aaron Pico explains new fighting mentality ahead of Losene
Keita matchup at UFC 333

Pico was knocked out in his UFC debut last year before earning his
first promotional victory against Patricio
Freire. He said he has since adopted a “beginner
mentality.â€

Pico, who has finished 11 of his 14 professional victories, has
worked with coach Roberto Barreiro to develop a more measured
approach. Instead of trying to end fights as quickly as possible,
he now wants to settle into the action.

“When I say I needed to be humbled, it’s not in the fact that I
walked or carried myself… I needed to humble myself in the way that
I was fighting,†Pico said at the UFC 333 media day. “I was
fighting just too out of control. When I would go do a fight, the
mindset was to get this thing over. I just want to go in there, do
what I have to do, get the win and go home. I've really worked with
coach Roberto Barreiro a lot in Morocco to switch the mindset a
little bit. Now I want to enjoy and cook the fight.â€

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UFC fighter explains nose-picking moment before Dana White handshake

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UFC fighter explains nose-picking moment before Dana White handshake
Mandel
Nallo says his nose-picking gesture at the ceremonial weigh-ins
for the
Ultimate Fighting Championship's recent event in Edmonton,
Alberta, was a message to his children.

Nallo stopped Nate
Landwehr at
UFC Edmonton on Oct. 17. Before the bout, however, the Canadian
lightweight drew attention by conspicuously picking his nose
onstage. He has since explained the gesture.

Mandel Nallo says his sons inspired UFC Edmonton nose-picking
gesture before Dana White’s handshake offer

Nallo said his sons suggested the gesture as a way to acknowledge
them while they watched. That created an awkward moment when UFC
CEO Dana
White extended his hand before Nallo's faceoff with Landwehr.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani, Nallo explained that refusing the
handshake might have looked disrespectful.

“I have two boys; they’re 5 and 7… I wanted to notify them that I
knew they were watching,†Nallo said. “So I told them, ‘What’s
something I can do so that you guys can see that I know you’re
watching?' They told me, ‘Pick your nose.' I’m a committed nose
picker. I’m not gonna half-*ss it. I’m not gonna pretend. So, I
went up there and that was for them. I’m right-handed. I’m gonna go
up there with my right hand, and then [Dana White] extends his arm
out to you. You don’t have time to explain what just happened. So I
did a finger point so that there was no contact. There was no
disrespect. It was kind of like a ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm' moment. I
got this booger in my hand, but if I go, ‘I don’t want to shake
your hand,' then I look even worse. I just had to roll with
it.â€

Nallo also said his sons don't know what he does for a living.
Although they train jiu-jitsu, he said they are unaware of how
violent MMA can be.

Nallo (15-4, 1 NC) earned his UFC contract on
Dana White's Contender Series last year but lost his
promotional debut to Jai Herbert
by technical knockout earlier this year. The 37-year-old has never
had a professional fight decided by the judges.

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