Author: mmafighting
UFC Saudi Arabia has been delayed, but not for the originally reported reason, according to UFC CEO Dana White. 2024 is set to be a year of big-time fights and fight cards if the UFC has its way. From the first four PPV events of the year to breaking into new territories, anything appears possible. Earlier this week, however, MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani reported on Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour that the UFC’s debut in Saudi Arabia set for March 2 had been pushed back to June. The reasoning provided was that the Saudi Arabian government was unsatisfied with…
At the UFC 297 official weigh-ins, all 24 fighters on Saturday’s fight card will step on the scale early Friday morning in Toronto. Watch a live stream of the official weigh-ins above. In the main event, middleweight champion Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis can weigh no more than 185 pounds, the maximum allowed for their title fight. In the co-main event, Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva are limited to 135 pounds for their bantamweight title bout. The UFC 297 official weigh-ins will start at 9 a.m. ET. Check out UFC 297 weigh-in results below. Can Sean Strickland Make…
A few weeks ago, Sean Strickland was diving over chairs to throw punches at Dricus du Plessis in the crowd at UFC 296. Now, just days away from their main event clash at UFC 297, Strickland has buried whatever animosity he had toward du Plessis, going as far as telling the crowd in Toronto to cheer for his opponent on Saturday night. It was quite a change of pace after Strickland threatened to stab du Plessis if the South African fighter brought up his childhood trauma again — the exact subject that led to that brawl this past December. Instead,…
Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis squared off after a raucous UFC 297 press conference in Toronto in which a fan charged the stage for a handshake with Strickland. Strickland didn’t hold eye contact with du Plessis after promising a fight “to the death” with the South African challenger. But at no point was there worry about violence after du Plessis’ earlier comments drew a stabbing threat from Strickland. UFC 297 takes place Saturday at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto and airs live on ESPN+ pay-per-view. The co-main event features a women’s bantamweight title fight between Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno…
Cédric Doumbé looks to build on his ultra-impressive PFL debut when he returns for the main event at an event scheduled in Paris on March 7. The PFL Europe card takes place at Accor Arena in Paris with Doumbé set to face off with undefeated prospect Baissangour Chamsoudinov in the headliner. PFL officials announced the news on Thursday. A decorated kickboxer with over 80 fights on his resume, Doumbé was a prize acquisition for PFL after he was originally slated to join the UFC roster back in 2022. Unfortunately, a medical issue prevented Doumbé from competing and he was ultimately…
UFC 300 will be a massive card, but there was never a plan for any former stars to return for the historic event on April 13. That’s according to UFC CEO Dana White, who promised that matchmaking for that card is still taking place. He said several more marquee bouts are expected to be added, but the promotion never sought out names like Ronda Rousey, Georges St-Pierre or Brock Lesnar to make a surprising return. Back at UFC 200, Lesnar returned to the sport after a lengthy layoff, but White added an option like that was never even explored. “Ronda’s…
Brandon Moreno believes he’s one win away from his next UFC title opportunity. A two-time former UFC flyweight champion, Moreno is set to face replacement opponent Brandon Royval in a Feb. 24 homecoming at UFC Mexico City after original foe Amir Albazi withdrew from the headlining bout this past week. Moreno dropped his belt in a split decision to Alexandre Pantoja in July, but remains one of the top flyweights in the world. Speaking on The MMA Hour, Moreno said he has not received official word from the UFC that a title shot is next with a win over Royval,…
Jon Anik, like the rest of the MMA community, has seen the heat between Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis reach a boiling point ahead of their middleweight championship bout. The rivals headline UFC 297 in Toronto on Saturday, with Strickland putting his title on the line for the first time since capturing it against Israel Adesanya this past September. While the rivalry between Strickland and du Plessis — depending on who you ask — has perhaps reached uncomfortable places, Anik believes there’s a difference between verbal and physical altercations in fight builds. The lead to Strickland vs. du Plessis…
Raquel Pennington thinks Mayra Bueno Silva may be getting a little ahead of herself. In the lead-up to UFC 297, Silva has not been shy to downplay her fight with Pennington and look ahead to a potential showdown with Julianna Peña. Pennington and Silva face off Saturday in the co-main event of UFC 297 with the vacant UFC bantamweight title on the line, however Silva made the surprising statement at her UFC 297 media day on Wednesday that the bout may not be very good “on paper.” When asked to expand on her thoughts, Silva argued that MMA fans would…
UFC 297 is coming quickly, but April’s UFC 300 event stole some headlines with UFC CEO Dana White announcing that Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway will take place for the BMF title at the event. While the fight will likely produce fireworks and incredible action, Gaethje is perceived as next in line for Islam Makhachev and the lightweight title, and Holloway still sits at the top of the featherweight division. Was this the right fight to make? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck reacts to White’s announcement of Gaethje vs. Holloway, and how…