Nikolas Motta
Iron
Brazil
Drops war to Nazim Sadykhov
Motta lost to Nazim Sadykhov via TKO (punches) at 4:17 of Round 2 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Baku, Azerbaijan.
ANALYSIS
Motta has made it a habit of pulling upsets of late, and he almost got another here over Sadykhov. He had his opponent pinned along the fence late in Round 1 and was unloading countless unanswered blows. Referee Lukasz Bosacki appeared to be on the verge of stepping in, but he allowed Sadykhov to work through it. A wild back-and-forth brawl continued, with Motta eventually getting knocked out late in Round 2. The result snaps a brief two-fight winning streak for the Brazilian, although he can take solace in the fact he will walk away well-compensated for his efforts. After the show, UFC President Dana White announced that he would be giving both men $100,000 Fight of the Night bonuses, up from the typical $50,000 payout.
Motta has made it a habit of pulling upsets of late, and he almost got another here over Sadykhov. He had his opponent pinned along the fence late in Round 1 and was unloading countless unanswered blows. Referee Lukasz Bosacki appeared to be on the verge of stepping in, but he allowed Sadykhov to work through it. A wild back-and-forth brawl continued, with Motta eventually getting knocked out late in Round 2. The result snaps a brief two-fight winning streak for the Brazilian, although he can take solace in the fact he will walk away well-compensated for his efforts. After the show, UFC President Dana White announced that he would be giving both men $100,000 Fight of the Night bonuses, up from the typical $50,000 payout.
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Slated to face Sadykhov
Motta will take on Nazim Sadykhov in a lightweight bout at UFC Baku on June 21, per Nolan King of USA Today.
ANALYSIS
Motta is coming off two straight victories, a mini run that's pushed his UFC record to 3-2 with a no contest in there as well. Most recently, he disposed of Maheshate Hayisaer via unanimous decision back in November. He now has to face an opponent in Sadykhov who has yet to lose in the UFC and is seeking an unbeaten 4-0-1 start in the promotion.
Motta is coming off two straight victories, a mini run that's pushed his UFC record to 3-2 with a no contest in there as well. Most recently, he disposed of Maheshate Hayisaer via unanimous decision back in November. He now has to face an opponent in Sadykhov who has yet to lose in the UFC and is seeking an unbeaten 4-0-1 start in the promotion.
Picks up another upset win
Motta defeated Hayisaer Maheshate via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Macau, China.
ANALYSIS
Motta has durability issues and lacks secondary offensive skills, but the power is legitimate, as Maheshate found out here. Motta landed knockdowns in both the first and final rounds and closed with a 78-56 edge in terms of significant strikes landed. The Brazilian is always going to be difficult to trust because he finds himself in wild brawls most every single time out, but with back-to-back upset victories over Maheshate and Tom Nolan, Motta's roster spot is plenty secure.
Motta has durability issues and lacks secondary offensive skills, but the power is legitimate, as Maheshate found out here. Motta landed knockdowns in both the first and final rounds and closed with a 78-56 edge in terms of significant strikes landed. The Brazilian is always going to be difficult to trust because he finds himself in wild brawls most every single time out, but with back-to-back upset victories over Maheshate and Tom Nolan, Motta's roster spot is plenty secure.
New opponent scheduled
Motta is scheduled to compete against Hayisaer Maheshate in a lightweight fight at UFC Macau on Nov. 23, per Damon Martin of MMAFighting.com.
ANALYSIS
Back in September, Motta withdrew from a scheduled fight against L'udovit Klein for UFC Paris. It looked like the former would not compete again in 2024, but that is not expected to be the case. Motta has a chance to go 2-0 this year, his first win logged with an upset over Tom Nolan in January.
Back in September, Motta withdrew from a scheduled fight against L'udovit Klein for UFC Paris. It looked like the former would not compete again in 2024, but that is not expected to be the case. Motta has a chance to go 2-0 this year, his first win logged with an upset over Tom Nolan in January.
Won't fight Sept. 28
Motta (undisclosed) is out for UFC Fight Night's lightweight bout versus L'udovit Klein in Paris on Sept. 28, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Motta will be replaced by Roosevelt Roberts for UFC Fight Night in Paris due to undisclosed reasons. Motta holds a record of 14-5-0 with one no-contest, and he won his last fight against Tom Nolan by TKO (punches) on Jan. 13th.
Motta will be replaced by Roosevelt Roberts for UFC Fight Night in Paris due to undisclosed reasons. Motta holds a record of 14-5-0 with one no-contest, and he won his last fight against Tom Nolan by TKO (punches) on Jan. 13th.
Pulls big upset in Vegas
Motta defeated Tom Nolan via TKO (punches) at 1:03 of Round 1 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
Motta entered with just a single victory in four UFC bouts (1-2, 1NC) and he was probably at risk of a release had he come up short here. Yet, despite entering as a +285 underdog, the Brazilian was able to come up with one massive two-shot combination that dropped the debuting Nolan and led to the tenth knockout victory of Motta's professional career. There are plenty of holes in Motta's game, but he also has legitimate power in his hands, as Nolan found out here. Expect inconsistency moving forward, but the soon-to-be 31-year-old is capable of a performance like this every once in a while.
Motta entered with just a single victory in four UFC bouts (1-2, 1NC) and he was probably at risk of a release had he come up short here. Yet, despite entering as a +285 underdog, the Brazilian was able to come up with one massive two-shot combination that dropped the debuting Nolan and led to the tenth knockout victory of Motta's professional career. There are plenty of holes in Motta's game, but he also has legitimate power in his hands, as Nolan found out here. Expect inconsistency moving forward, but the soon-to-be 31-year-old is capable of a performance like this every once in a while.