News
Everything You Need To Know From Dana White’s Live Announcement Video (May 10th)
Dana White got UFC fans excited by putting up a post to announce that he would be going live in half an hour for a special announcement video earlier today. Here is everything you need to know from the short video in case you missed out:
UFC London main event is set:
With tickets on sale in just a few weeks, White announced that Tom Aspinall will meet Marcin Tybura in the main event at the O2 Arena in London on July 22nd. The top 10 heavyweight match-up will see Aspinall headline a card on home soil for the third time with more fights being announced for the card every few days currently.
đđ„đđđđđĄđ: Your #UFCLondon heavyweight main event is signed!!
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) May 10, 2023
đŹđ§ @AspinallMMA vs @MarcinTybura đ”đ±
Get your tickets EARLY đïž https://t.co/slZM2gosSA pic.twitter.com/6uFPMHzW8D
Main card and prelims announced for UFC 290:
We already knew the majority of the card for UFC 290 on International Fight Week but now we have the bout order and it is looking like an absolutely stacked card. The card will feature two title fights at the top of the bill with the featherweight unification bout between Alexander Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez and the flyweight champ Brandon Moreno facing Alexandre Pantoja in a rematch in the co-main.
White also made a point to stress that the winner of Robert Whittaker versus Dricus Du Plessis will face Israel Adesanya next and Robbie Lawler’s fight with Niko Price in the featured prelim spot will be the last fight of Lawler’s career. The former welterweight champion will be inducted into the hall of fame for his fight with Rory MacDonald on the Thursday and then make his last walk to the cage the following Saturday.
Both card announcements can be seen below:
The return of the UFC Fight Pass Invitational:
Finally, Dana announced that the UFC Fight Pass Invitational is back on June 29th, headlined by a match-up between Craig Jones and Felipe Pena. Former UFC light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira will face off with a former foe, Anthony Smith, in the co-main event.
News
Muay Thai Legends Liam Harrison And Seksan Set For Dream Match At ONE 168
After much deliberation, striking veterans Liam Harrison and Seksan Or Kwanmuang have finally found a date for their highly anticipated clash.
The pair will meet in a 140-pound catchweight Muay Thai contest when ONE Championship returns to the U.S. for ONE 168: Denver on Saturday, 7th September.
The event inside Denver, Coloradoâs Ball Arena is already stacking up to be one of the biggest cards of the year for the worldâs largest martial arts organization, and the addition of this matchup will only increase the hype among martial arts fans.
Harrison has been on the sidelines for some time now. He suffered a worrying knee injury when he challenged former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Hama for the gold at ONE on Prime Video 1 in August 2022, and he had to overcome further complications before thinking about a return to action.
The British striking legend will have a chance to shake off the cobwebs before colliding with Seksan, however, as he is scheduled to make his way back to ONE for a battle with Katsuki Kitano at ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga on 8th June.
âHitmanâ will need all the preparation he can get for his match with Seksan. The former Rajadamnern Stadium and WBC Muay Thai World Champion has built a fearsome reputation in ONE Championship over the last 15 months, given that he amassed eight consecutive wins after his debut last January.
Seksan appeared unstoppable in the promotion until he met Japanese star Yutaro Asashi at ONE Friday Fights 58 earlier this month.
After three thrilling rounds of Muay Thai, the Thai veteran fell to a unanimous decision loss, which means he’ll be charged up for a triumphant return to form against Harrison.
And with âHitmanâ keen to find his way back to the top in ONE, their clash in Denver on 7th September is all but guaranteed to be a barnburner.
News
SEAN OâMALLEY GETS THE ALL CLEAR TO BOX BY UFC
The whirlwind surrounding Ryan Garciaâs victory over Devin Haney last weekend is just beginning to settle down but it seems the controversial boxer is intent on staying in the headlines as he eyes UFC champion, Sean O’Malley.
The bizarre lead up to the fight with Haney was plagued with erratic behaviour on Garciaâs part, rumours of a mental breakdown, signs of alcohol and drug issues, and generally controversial behaviour. Garcia missed weight by 3.2lbs, and appeared to chug a beer on the scales during the weigh ins.Â
Entering the fight as an underdog, Garcia surprised everybody by dropping Haney three times and emerging victorious by majority decision. After the fight, Garcia insisted he drank and smoked every day in the build up to the fight and still picked up the win. This shocking turn of events has now opened up a variety of possible lucrative match ups for Garcia going forward, and it seems one MMA superstar wants a piece of that action.Â
The UFC hasnât sanctioned a boxing crossover bout since Conor McGregor faced Floyd Mayweather back in 2017. âSugaâ Sean OâMalley has long campaigned for the opportunity to test his striking skills against Garcia, and this week on his podcast The Timbo Sugar Show, he insisted that the UFC have already given him the green light to seek out some opportunities in the boxing ring:Â
âA boxing fightâs possible for sure. Iâm not there yet. Iâve still got to become bigger. Two more f*cking sick performances, then weâre talking about being able to do it.
OâMalley continued: âThey told me âYou can do a boxing fight, 100 percent, if it makes us enough moneyâ. The option is there, it just has to be able to make enough money. But Ryan being a f*cking freak like that, you need two A-sides to make a f*cking Floyd v Conor fightâ.Â
Ryan Garcia tweeted an image of himself and OâMalley this week with the caption: âRAINBOW CACA BRAIN. WANTS TO BOX. BE PREPARED TO BLEED RAINBOWâÂ
RAINBOW CACA BRAIN
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) April 22, 2024
WANTS TO BOX
BE PREPARED TO BLEED RAINBOW pic.twitter.com/GGrvV7ZSCH
Sean OâMalley became the UFCâs bantamweight champion when he knocked out Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 last August. He then defended the belt and avenged the only loss on his record when he dominated Marlon Vera over five rounds at UFC 299 in March.
News
ALEX PEREIRA REJECTS FIGHT WITH MAGOMED ANKALAEV
The next step in the fascinating UFC journey of Alex Pereira remains to be seen. âPoatanâ pulled off a sensational knockout finish over Jamahal Hill in the first round of their main event bout at UFC 300 to defend his light heavyweight belt.Â
In his post-fight interview, the Brazilian called for the opportunity to compete at heavyweight at UFC 301 which takes place in Rio De Janeiro in just a couple of weeks. UFC president Dana White seemed unenthusiastic about that idea, however, and it seems now that the dust has settled after 300, Pereira is a little more willing to take his time before signing up for his next fight.Â
In an interview with MMA Fightingâs Trocacao Franca podcast, Pereira was asked if heâd rather defend his 205lb title again or test the waters in the heavyweight division. He responded:Â
“Itâs hard to answer that. I havenât thought too much about it yet. If itâs a longer period of time, Iâd obviously rather defend my belt. If it takes too long and I fight at heavyweight and there are injuries, when am I going to defend my belt? I donât want to hold up the division.Â
I was imagining the best-case scenario when I called for a heavyweight fight at UFC 301, but I have two broken toes. Both feet are f*cked. Itâs complicated. I donât want to hold up the light heavyweight division. A cool scenario would have been fighting at heavyweight at 301 and then giving the opportunity to someone to fight for the light heavyweight belt next. I think that would have been coolâ.Â
205lb contender Magomed Ankalaev has called for a fight with Pereira on the UFCâs October pay-per-view card in Abu Dhabi, but âPoatanâ brushed that idea off instantly, saying:Â
âI donât want to fight at the end of the year. I want to fight sooner, so maybe that shows he wonât be ready. I donât know why he said that. This guy is complicatedâ.
If Pereira manages to get another win under his belt and is ready to go again before the end of the year, he said he would much rather compete on the Madison Square Garden event in November, which is closer to his current home in Danbury.
“It makes total senseâ he said. âWait one more month and Iâm fighting at home? Itâs so much betterâ.
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