Blog

[embedded content]

After breaking his right hand in a loss to Stephen Thompson this past December, Kevin Holland wasn’t exactly sure how he would feel against Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 287.

Advertisement

Things turned out pretty well for Holland, as he knocked out Ponzinibbio 3:16 into the third round of their featured welterweight encounter on Saturday night in Miami.

“It felt pretty good, especially going in there against a knockout artist like Ponzinibbio. No excuses, but I really didn’t know how my right hand was gonna be playing into this fight,” Holland said in a backstage interview with the UFC. “[After I] had broken it the last time, as soon as I got cleared I was in here about a week or two later. I didn’t think it was gonna play out right, but thank God I’ve got a left hand as well.”

Indeed, it was a left hook from Holland that proved to be the decisive blow, as he evened his mark at 170 pounds to 2-2 in the UFC. “The Trailblazer” admitted to h…

Rob Font entered a firefight with Adrian Yanez at UFC 287, and after a little less than three minutes, emerged with an enthralling technical knockout victory.

Advertisement

“I don’t know how not to get into something like that,” Font admitted at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I believe he’s the same way. I like to say I want to stay calm, it just never happens. It felt good to be back. Big ‘W,’ just all smiles right now.”

Font entered the matchup with Yanez on the heels of back-to-back losses to Marlon Vera and Jose Aldo. To maintain his footing at bantamweight, he had to hold off a surging contender who was previously unbeaten in five UFC appearances.

“Obviously losing to Chito and Aldo sucked,” Font said. “I needed to bounce back for myself, for my team, for my family. To go out and do it on a big pay-per-view against a dangerous guy like Adrian, I’m all smiles. I can’t stop cheesing.”

More than anything, Font needed to prove to himself that he…

The hype slowed for Raul Rosas Jr. on Saturday night.

Advertisement

The 18-year-old prospect started quickly, then hit a wall in a unanimous decision loss to Christian Rodriguez in their bantamweight bout, which opened the pay-per-view card at UFC 287 in Miami. Rosas Jr. issued a brief statement on his Instagram stories after the defeat.

“My bad bros,” Rosas wrote. “I didn’t have the energy to do what I know or even try. Things happen for a reason (and) God knows. My opponent was better tonight. Thank you guys.”

Rosas Jr. generated plenty of attention when he received a UFC contract at 17 years old after a victory on Dana White’s Contender Series last year. He followed that up with a first-round submission victory against Jay Perrin in his Octagon debut at UFC 282 in December, perhaps raising expectations to an unreasonable level. His loss at UFC 287 tempered that outlook somewhat, but the UFC president pointed out that it isn’t the end of the world for a …

[embedded content]

Amanda Nunes wasn’t expecting an immediate trilogy against Julianna Pena.

Advertisement

After suffering a shocking upset loss to Pena at UFC 269, Nunes avenged that defeat with a dominant five-round verdict in their rematch at UFC 277 this past July. Late last week, the promotion announced that Nunes-Pena 3 would headline UFC 289 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on June 10. Initially, Nunes thought Irene Aldana, who has won four of her last five promotional appearances, would be next in line to face her.

“I did [think it would be Aldana]. I thought it was gonna be her,” Nunes told ESPN over the weekend. “Everything changed to Julianna and I was okay with it, too. No matter what, whatever UFC showed me the opponent, I’m gonna be happy to defend my belt.”

While it wasn’t necessarily the opponent she expected, Nunes is more than willing to face Pena for a third time.

“I always say I leave it to what UFC decides,” Nunes said. “I’m ready, I’ve bee…

Jorge Masvidal hinted ahead of UFC 287 that it could be his swan song if things didn’t go his way against Gilbert Burns in his hometown.

Advertisement

Following a unanimous decision loss to Burns in Saturday’s co-main event at the Kaseya Center in Miami, “Gamebred” officially called it a career after 52 documented professional MMA bouts.

"I love everybody here," Masvidal said. “This is where I started my career. It's been a long 20 years, 50-some fights. Sometimes your favorite basketball player don't have that 3-pointer no more. Your favorite quarterback loses that rifle. I don't feel the same when I get in here no more. It's been 20 long years.”

Long a favorite among hardcore fans, Masvidal gained mainstream appeal with a breakout 2019 campaign that saw him defeat Darren Till, Ben Askren and Nate Diaz inside the distance. The victory over Askren, in particular, was a star-making effort, as Masvidal set a UFC record for fastest finish with a five-second, fl…

Im just here to let u know that I’m fine ! I want to thank my family, my team and all the people who are supporting me during my journey.

Now I just have to rest and continue with the plans that are already on motion. Thanks god 🙏 pic.twitter.com/xU4nELWPBj

— Alex "Poatan" Pereira (@AlexPereiraUFC) April 9, 2023

Advertisement

Even though he suffered a vicious knockout loss at the hands of Israel Adesanya at UFC 287, Alex Pereira would like his supporters to know that he is doing well.

“Poatan” released a brief statement via social media on Sunday. He was not in attendance at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. Accompanying the statement was a video of Pereira and Adesanya sharing a moment together backstage after UFC 287.

“I’m just here to let [you] know that I’m fine!!” Pereira wrote. “I want to thank my family, my team and all the people who are supporting me during my journey.

“Now I just have to rest and continue …

While championship trilogies have been all the rage in the UFC, the rivalry between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira might follow a different path.

Advertisement

On the heels of Adesanya’s second-round knockout of Pereira in the UFC 287 headliner, the newly-crowned middleweight champion shot down the notion of a potential trilogy between the two rivals.

“I don’t keep score. I settle it, and now it’s settled,” Adesanya said at the UFC 287 post-fight press conference. “I gave him a fast track to the belt. I could’ve said, ‘Naw, who’s he fought? He only fought one top five.’ But no. He did well. He fought some top guys. He beat [Sean] Strickland, and I was like, ‘Well, fine, There’s no one else.’

“I was looking for that challenge. He beat me in kickboxing and I got the immediate rematch because of what I’ve done in the game. … I did the hard yard and I earned my f—-ing rematch. Now he has to do the hard yard and earn it, but I don’t think he’s going to. Go ca…

Gilbert Burns gave Jorge Masvidal an unhappy farewell on Saturday night, winning a unanimous decision over the popular Miami native in the UFC 287 co-main event.

Advertisement

Though he didn’t get the finish, Burns had the edge in all aspects of the fight, as he tagged Masvidal with right hands while landing takedowns in every round. However, “Durinho” claimed that Masvidal might have done something to make grappling exchanges a little more challenging.

“I was really looking forward for a finish, but I think it was a good fight. I try to put on a show every single time. I was really, really looking forward to a finish,” Burns said at the post-fight press conference. “I hit him with good shots, took him down a couple of times – if I’m not wrong, I had three takedown attempts, and I finished all three. A lot of wrestlers didn’t do that. A lot of guys, high-level wrestlers that he fought had trouble taking him down, and I didn’t.

“I think I showed a lot of impr…

It took seven years, but Israel Adesanya finally has his first win over Alex Pereira.

And oh, what a win it was.

Advertisement

Adesanya regained the middleweight crown with a massive knockout of Pereira in the UFC 287 headliner at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, on Saturday night. “The Last Stylebender” brought the show to a close 4:21 into Round 2 with a finish that will likely end up on many “Knocokout of the Year” lists when all is said and done. In victory, Adesanya (24-2, 13-2 UFC) rebounds from a fourth-round TKO loss to Pereira at UFC 281 this past November.

“They say revenge is sweet, and if you know me, I’ve got a sweet tooth,” Adesanya said.

After a measured opening round for both men, the action picked up considerably in the second stanza. Emboldened by his success landing calf kicks, Pereira (7-2, 4-1 UFC) stalked Adesanya after buckling his foe’s legs near the fence. As Adesanya shelled up against the cage, Pereira became careless, unloading…

WHAT A FIGHT TO END THE PRELIMS AT #UFC287 👏 pic.twitter.com/mJEdGcKA5k

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 9, 2023

Kelvin Gastelum needed a win in the worst way possible, and Chris Curtis made him go through heavy fire to earn it.

Advertisement

“The Ultimate Fighter 17” winner went toe-to-toe with Curtis for three entertaining rounds, earning a unanimous decision triumph in the featured UFC 287 prelim at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, on Saturday night. Gastelum, who had lost five of his previous six promotional appearances, received scorecards of 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 from the cageside judges. Both middleweights traded willingly for the duration of the contest. Gastelum (18-8, 12-8 UFC) enjoyed success landing quick punching combinations to the head — opening a cut over Curtis’ eye in the process — and low kicks. Curtis (30-10, 4-2 UFC), meanwhile, stood in the pocket and fired back, doing some of his best work digging to the body o…

An instant classic is headed to the #UFCHOF :raised_hands:@Ruthless_RL vs @Rory_MacDonald 2 will officially go down in UFC history!

[ B2YB @ToyoTires ] pic.twitter.com/x546ghwaH8

— UFC (@ufc) April 9, 2023

Advertisement

An incredible welterweight title clash is being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship announced during the UFC 287 pay-per-view that Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald's incredible UFC 189 fight is being immortalized in the UFC Hall of Fame's fight wing. The five-round war saw Lawler successfully defend his welterweight title against the Canadian that left both men forever changed. The back-and-forth battle would see Lawler eventually overcome his foe and pick up a TKO victory one minute into the fifth round.

One of the most dramatic moments came at the end of Round 4 as Lawler spit blood on the ground and glared at MacDonald. Eventually, a damaged nose of MacDonald became too…

#ANDNEW Middleweight champion of the world! 🏆@stylebender gets his belt back at #UFC287!!

[ B2YB @RE_Games ] pic.twitter.com/WzTsvdP7C5

— UFC (@ufc) April 9, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship awarded four fighters performance bonuses on the UFC 287 pay-per-view card.

Israel Adesanya received an extra $50,000 for his impressive middleweight championship win. "The Last Stylebender" scored an incredible knockout over Alex Pereira in the second round with a series of crushing punches. Additionally, Rob Font pocketed $50,000 for his TKO stoppage over Adrian Yanez.

Meanwhile, fight of the night honors went to Kelvin Gastelum and Chris Curtis. The two middleweights had a back-and-forth featured prelim, with Gastelum ultimately taking home the decision win.

UFC 286 Bonuses: Israel Adesanya - $50,000Rob Font - $50,000Kelvin Gastelum - $50,000Chris Curtis - $50,000

Highly-touted middleweight prospect Bo Nickal will make his sophomore Octagon appearance against Tresean Gore at UFC 290.

Advertisement

Nickal revealed the booking to Betr Combat, and the fight has subsequently been confirmed by multiple outlets. UFC 290 takes place on July 8 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and also includes a featherweight title tilt pitting Alexander Volkanovski against Yair Rodriguez.

Nickal enjoyed a successful promotional debut at UFC 285, where he submitted Jamie Pickett with an arm-triangle choke 2:54 into Round 1 of their clash. The victory was not without controversy, as Pickett initially considered appealing the result after claiming Nickal turned the tide of the bout with a knee to the groin. Pickett and his team ultimately decided against filing an appeal with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. A three-time NCAA national champion wrestler at Penn State University, Nickal is 4-0 in his pro MMA career, with all of those triumphs …

It was closer than most anticipated, but Larissa Pacheco did enough to get by.

The 2022 Professional Fighters League women’s lightweight champion downshifted to 145 pounds and began her quest for gold in a second division with a unanimous decision over Julia Budd in the PFL 2 headliner on Friday inside The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. Scores were 30-27, 29-28 and 30-27—all for Pacheco (20-4, 9-2 PFL).

Advertisement

Budd (16-6, 1-3 PFL) made it competitive. She punctuated occasional punching volleys with powerful right hands and at times outscrambled Pacheco in back-and-forth grappling exchanges. In the end, she failed to muster enough consistent offense to spring the upset. Pacheco staggered the former Bellator MMA titleholder with a clean left hook in the third round, dragged her to the canvas and secured an advantageous position behind her. Budd escaped and moved on top, only to be reversed soon after. Pacheco eventually settled in half guard, made a …

The 2023 Professional Fighters League marches on with 2023 PFL 2 at 7 p.m. ET. The action airs live on ESPN+ and then continues on ESPN.

Discuss the event in the MMA forums, the world’s largest combat sports community, here.

Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian K…

[embedded content] The Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight title will be on the line in the UFC 287 main event.

Both champion Alex Pereira and challenger Israel Adesanya successfully made weight for the upcoming championship rematch. All of the fighters except one for the 13-fight card, which is co-headlined by a welterweight scrap between Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal, also made weight. The lone miss was Christian Rodriguez, who checked in at 137 pounds. Due to being one pound over the bantamweight limit, he has been fined 20% of his purse for his bout against Raul Rosas Jr.

Pereira (7-1) has been perfect inside the Octagon, and dispatched his former kickboxing rival in their first mixed martial arts meeting. It wasn't easy, though, as it took a late TKO rally for "Poatan" to claim the belt. The Brazilian will look to dispel any notions of the victory being a fluke in the rematch. Pereira stepped on the scale at 185 pounds on the dot.

The impressive…

Sherdog's live UFC 287 coverage will begin Saturday at 6 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Amorim (-245), Hughes (+205)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:

Advertisement

Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Nuerdanbieke (-200), Garcia (+170)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result BE…

Hey Canada! 😃 pic.twitter.com/7ah0IFQAa4

— danawhite (@danawhite) April 7, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship is officially going back to Canada this year.

On Friday, UFC President Dana White – who was caught on video slapping his wife on Dec. 31, 2022 – announced on social media that UFC 289 will be held at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. White then told Canadian outlet TSN that the main attraction for that show would be the rubber match between Amanda Nunes (22-5) and Julianna Pena (11-5) for the women’s bantamweight throne. Other matches recently booked for the card include Hakeem Dawodu (13-3-1) vs. Lucas Almeida (14-1) at featherweight, and Aiemann Zahabi (9-2) vs. Qileng Aori (24-9) in the bantamweight division.

Advertisement

The promotion had been rumored to instead be holding the card at Calgary, Alberta, Canada, but due to the playoff picture for the NHL team Calgary Flames, the Scotiabank Saddl…

Two fan-favorite Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweights will battle it out for top-10 contention this June.

Advertisement

A report from Combate first broke the news on late Thursday that Amanda Ribas (11-3) would be returning to the cage on June 24. The flyweight will be taking on Maycee Barber (12-2), reportedly in Jacksonville, Florida, which would likely put it at the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena. This event is rumored to air on the ABC airwaves in some fashion, and therefore is currently titled UFC on ABC 5. The 125-pound pairing has since been confirmed by both ladies on their respective Instagram pages.

Both women are coming off decision wins in March. For Brazil’s Ribas, she rebounded from her first loss on the scorecards – coming against perennial contender Katlyn Chookagian – to claim a unanimous verdict against Viviane Araujo. Before the 2022 Chookagian setback, Ribas had won five of six in the Octagon, with the lone defeat in her rise a knockou…

⚖️@JuliaBudd weighs in at 145.6 lbs for her main event Women’s Featherweight bout

[ Friday, April 7th | 10pm ET on ESPN 2 | #PFLRegularSeason |🎟 https://t.co/hxZi2fEbA9] pic.twitter.com/fEB6uSO0MX

— PFL (@PFLMMA) April 6, 2023 Editor's note: The article has been updated at 4:15 p.m. ET to reflect that Kolesnyk did not continue cutting weight to reach the featherweight limit.

Advertisement

The 2023 Professional Fighters League season is about to begin for the heavyweight and women's featherweight competitors.

The 10-fight PFL 2 card is headlined by an intriguing 145-pound women's pairing between Larissa Pacheco and Julia Budd. Both women had no trouble making weight, as did the rest of the event with the exception of Olena Kolesnyk, who came in .4 pounds over the featherweight limit for her bout against Aspen Ladd. Additionally, one fight was moved, as PFL announced that Michal Andryszak was out of his encounter with Patrick Brady…

Jorge Masvidal’s Gamebred Boxing promotion paid out nearly $3 million in disclosed salaries for its most recent event.

According to a release from the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, Unarmed Combat Sports branch, salary totals from Gamebred Boxing 4 on April 1 combined for $2,827,700, per MMA Junkie. The event held at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, played host to a baker’s dozen boxing matches, featuring several Ultimate Fighting Championship veterans and even a few ex-champions.

Advertisement

The top salary figure from the event came for headliner Roy Jones Jr. ($700,000), who dropped a majority decision to Anthony Pettis ($650,000) in the main attraction. While the fight was Pettis’ pro boxing debut, it was the 54-year-old Jones Jr.’s 76th and first since 2018. The two discussed a rematch after the match concluded, although Jones Jr. might elect to return to retirement instead.

The majority of the competitors featured flat …

[embedded content] A number of Brazilian talents including a few Ultimate Fighting Championship greats voiced their thoughts on the upcoming title fight this weekend.

Atop UFC 287 on April 8 in Miami, Alex Pereira (7-1) and Israel Adesanya (23-2) will collide for the second time in the cage, in their fourth meeting across combat sports. “Poatan” has gotten the better of Adesanya on all three prior engagements, winning a close decision in 2016 in kickboxing, and the second ended with Pereira landing a vicious one-punch knockout. Pereira joined up in the MMA ranks and stopped his rival late at UFC 281 in 2022 to claim the title, and the promotion decided to run it back immediately. Sherdog spoke to several notable Brazilian competitors about this matchup, who all had plenty to share about their countryman ahead of his first middleweight title defense.

Advertisement

Paulo Costa: “Every time they face each other, they are very even,” Costa noted. “Adesanya has the spe…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight strap will be unified once again come July.

Advertisement

International Fight Week for the UFC now has its first bout coming together, although it has not yet been signed by the competitors. At UFC 290 on July 8 inside of the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Alexander Volkanovski (25-2) will look to unify his 145-pound belt against interim titleholder Yair Rodriguez (15-3, 1 NC). The news was first reported on Thursday by Ariel Helwani, and it has since been confirmed by other outlets. It has not yet been determined if that match will headline the tentpole event.

Volkanovski saw his bid for a second strap fall to pieces when he moved up to pieces to take on Islam Makhachev. The Aussie fell short against the 155-pound king in hopes of becoming a two-division champ. According to Fox Sports Australia back in March, Volkanovski had been pushing for an immediate rematch, but the promotion wanted him to return to his form…

Jorge Masvidal fight with Kevin Holland in lobby ufc Miami#ufc #ufcmiami #ufc287 #jorgemasvidal #kevinholland #fight #mma #miami pic.twitter.com/yJHv5UOxZR

— Florida Man (@BarryMacokner94) April 5, 2023

UFC 287 is a few days away, but tensions are already high.

Advertisement

Video surfaced on Wednesday of Jorge Masvidal and Kevin Holland engaged in a shouting match at the UFC fight hotel.The two athletes were separated by security, and according to multiple reports, the altercation never got physical.

It’s unclear what started the incident, but it is reportedly common knowledge that Masvidal and Holland are not on the best of terms. In a since-deleted Instagram post, Holland commented on the altercation.

“That video is going to come out,” Holland said. “Then, they’re probably going to do an opponent change again.”

Masvidal is slated to meet Gilbert Burns in Saturday’s welterweight co-main event, while Holland will f…