Blog

Gilbert Burns is holding his head high following a decision loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273.

Advertisement

The bout was lauded as an instant classic, and Burns clipped his opponent on multiple occasions during a back-and-forth slugfest but was unable to do enough to get the nod in the eyes of the cageside judges. The former welterweight title challenger did give Chimaev the toughest test of his career to date, and their bout earned “Fight of the Night” honors and could be up for “Fight of the Year” down the road.

Burns released a couple statements on his social media, one via video and another that was written, both of which expressed positive sentiments in the face of defeat.

“Thank you everybody for the wishes, everybody for the messages. It was a tough one,” Burns said in a video on his Instagram stories. “I mean, I had fun. It wasn’t the result that I wanted. But unfortunately, life’s like that. A lot of work, a lot of discipline, but it is what it …

While blowout victories are nice, Khamzat Chimaev gained a measure of credibility in his three-round war against Gilbert Burns at UFC 273.

To hear him tell it, it was exactly the type of test that Chimaev desired.

“I like that s—t,” Chimaev said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I love my face bloody and sweaty and kick somebody, punch somebody. Make money, I got [$50,000]. I’m happy.

“Before, I didn’t get that fight. It was my first fight like that. I loved it. I was waiting for that for a long time. I had 10 fights and 10 finishes but this fight happened. I bled, sweat and fought three rounds.”

Indeed, Chimaev vs. Burns figures to be at the top of the list for “Fight of the Year” in 2022 when all is said and done. Chimaev appeared to be on the verge of a finish after dropping Burns in Round 1, but his opponent was able to survive the follow-up salvo of ground-and-pound. From there on, it was a back-and-forth war in which both men showcased impr…

Alexander Volkanovski did exactly what he was expected to do at UFC 273, but that doesn’t make his performance any less impressive.

The reigning featherweight champion overwhelmed Chan Sung Jung in all aspects of their fight en route to a fourth-round technical knockout stoppage at Vystar Veteran’s Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., on Saturday night. Volkanovski was a significant favorite heading into the fight with “The Korean Zombie,” who was a replacement opponent for the injured Max Holloway. Volkanovski has now won 21 straight fights and 11 in a row in UFC competition — the second-longest active winning streak in the Las Vegas-based promotion.

“I said that’s what I was going to do,” Volkanovski said at the UFC 273 post-fight press conference. “I’d been showing everyone – telling everyone all week I’m going to show I’m on another level. I’m raising the bar each time, and you saw that. All these guys can’t touch me. I don’t think anyone’s ever done that to…

Aljamain Sterling didn’t take long to set his sights on a new opponent following a split-decision triumph over Petr Yan in the UFC 273 co-main event.

“Funk Master” used his post-fight microphone time to call out former bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw, who was in attendance at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., on Saturday night. Sterling elaborated on his fiery speech at the UFC 273 post-fight press conference.

“The guy’s just been nonstop talking about me, talking about my heart and ... the spirit of a fighter,” Sterling said of Dillashaw. “The spirit of a fighter is someone who’s never going to give up, if you ask me, and I think I showed that this time. I think I showed that even in my worst night, which was my first performance against Yan. That was a shell of myself and he couldn’t get me out of there that night, and he wasn’t going to get me out of there this night, either. I showed what I’m capable of, and where my mental fortitude is at…

The story of @CubSwanson & Dooho Choi’s all-time classic

[ #UFCHOF | Hall of Fame Presented by @ToyoTires ] pic.twitter.com/kCkc7Uf9sC

— UFC (@ufc) April 10, 2022 Cub Swanson and Doo Ho Choi are headed to the UFC Hall of Fame thanks to their memorable bout more than five years ago.

The promotion announced on Saturday night that Swanson vs. Choi will be enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame’s “Fight Wing” as part of a ceremony for the 2022 class held during International Fight Week in July. The induction will be streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

“The fight between Cub Swanson and Doo Ho Choi is one of the greatest fights of all time,” said UFC president Dana White. “This fight was an absolute war for all three rounds and both guys left everything they had inside the Octagon, it was crazy. This fight was an incredible display of heart, endurance and determination and it was so good, it was named the 2016 ‘Fight of the Year.’ Congratulations …

When all is said and done, Khamzhat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns may have locked up “Fight of the Year.”

For now, the two welterweights will have to settle for “Fight of the Night” and $50,000 apiece following their memorable slugfest at UFC 273 on Saturday night at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. Chimaev, one of the most heavily-hyped talents in recent memory, passed the most significant test of his career to date with a unanimous decision triumph over Burns, a former No. 1 contender at 170 pounds.

Meanwhile, reigning featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski pocketed a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for a dominant performance against Chan Sung Jung in the evening’s main event. The City Kickboxing representative battered Jung all over the Octagon before a pair of right hands had “The Korean Zombie” essentially out on his feet for a technical knockout stoppage 45 seconds into Round 4.

Finally, veteran submission specialist Alexey Oleyn…

Alexander Volkanovski is building quite the legacy as Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight champion.

The City Kickboxing standout was masterful in the UFC 273 headliner, authoring a dominant performance in a technical knockout triumph over Chan Sung Jung at Vystar Veteran’s Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., on Saturday night. Referee Herb Dean mercifully called a halt to the action 45 seconds into Round 4 after watching Jung absorb a pair of searing right hands. Volkanovski (24-1, 11-0 UFC) has won 21 consecutive fights and has three successful 145-pound title defenses to his credit.

Jung, who stepped in for an injured Max Holloway, might have been too tough for his own good. Volkanovski was superior in all aspects of the fight, whether it was at range, in the clinch or on the canvas. Volkanovski made Jung buckle with right hands on multiple occasions before dropping “The Korean Zombie” late in Round 3. In between, the champion punished his foe in close qua…

Still undefeated!@IanGarryMMA earns the UD victory to make it 9️⃣-0️⃣ in his sophomore showing! #UFC273 pic.twitter.com/UgUCyqbhDV

— UFC (@ufc) April 10, 2022

It wasn’t the showcase performance Ian Garry might have hoped for, but the Irish prospect was nonetheless victorious in his sophomore Octagon appearance at UFC 273.

The former Cage Warriors king relied on technical striking, intelligent movement and sound takedown defense to capture a unanimous triumph against Darian Weeks in a featured welterweight prelim at Vystar Veteran’s Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., on Saturday night. All three cageside judges saw the fight in favor of the Sanford MMA product: 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27.

In going the distance for the third time in his professional tenure, Garry (9-0, 2-0 UFC) was largely content to attack on the outside with long punches and a toolbox of kicks. Weeks’ striking defense held up for the most part, and he made the fight ugl…

Sherdog's live UFC 273 “Volkanovski vs. Korean Zombie” coverage will begin Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below.

BetUS.com is offering our listeners an incredible 125% bonus on their deposit for UFC 273. Use code SHERDOG and get $2,500 in extra money to make fight night even better.

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 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:R…

Their first meeting was viewed as arguably the greatest female fight of all-time. Now, Weili Zhang and Joanna Jedrzejczyk will get a second act in June.

UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell informed ESPN that Zhang and Jedrzejczyk have verbally agreed to square off at UFC 275 on June 11 in Singapore. Bout agreements will be sent out soon.

Zhang defeated Jedrzejczyk via split decision in a five-round strawweight title bout in their first meeting at UFC 248 on March 7, 2020. It was an easy selection for Sherdog.com's "Fight of the Year.”

Zhang has fought twice since that classic matchup. She relinquished the 115-pound belt to Rose Namajunas in a first-round knockout loss at UFC 261. The Fight Ready standout received an immediate rematch and was much more competitive, ultimately losing a split decision to Namajunas at UFC 268 this pas November. Zhang owns other notable victories against the likes Jessica Andrade, Tecia Torres and Jessica Aguilar.

Jed…

Undefeated British prospect Simeon Powell kept his perfect record intact with a one-sided unanimous decision over a shoe leather-tough Tobias Baker in a PFL Challenger Series 8 light heavyweight feature on Friday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. The promising 23-year-old swept the scorecards with 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26 marks from the cageside judges.

Afterward, Powell (5-0) was awarded a Professional Fighters League contract.

In his first appearance since Nov. 16, 2019, Baker (2-2) was technically and athletically outmatched on all fronts. Powell operated behind six-inch reach and eight-inch height advantages and picked apart the Oregonian with knifing punches, flying knees and kicks to the head, body and legs. Clearly behind on the scorecards, Baker made passes at a kneebar, a toe hold and a calf slicer late in the third round. None of them were successful, and Powell cruised to the finish line free of real danger.

Meanwhile, Syndicate MMA export Jeslen Mi…

No promo, no tough talk, all honesty from the champ.

Good night from #LFA128!! pic.twitter.com/qEC3D1ttaT

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) April 9, 2022 The Legacy Fighting Alliance put on quite a show for the fans attending the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, as seven out of eight fights ended inside the distance. The LFA 128 main event featured Aaron McKenzie and Lucas Clay colliding for the vacant lightweight championship. McKenzie (11-2-1, 4-0 LFA) imposed his suffocating grappling style over Clay early in Round 1, taking his opponent on the mat and keeping him there for the whole frame while teasing submission attempts. In turn, Clay (8-2, 3-1 LFA) made the proper adjustments when he returned for a much better second round where "Cassius" showcased sharp boxing skills that stopped McKenzie’s takedown attempts and punished his opponent's face in the process. In Round 3, Clay gave McKenzie some of his own medicine after …

Dana White: "I think if Khamzat Chimaev wins this weekend we see him and Colby Covington next." #UFC273 (via @PatMcAfeeShow) pic.twitter.com/sRzLhXGewN

— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) April 8, 2022 The Ultimate Fighting Championship already has plans in motion should one fighter get his hand raised on Saturday.

UFC 273 will take place at the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena on April 9, with 12 fights going down in Jacksonville, Fla., that night. Besides the two title fights atop the billing, a much-anticipated battle between Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns will take place on the main card. According to UFC head Dana White on The Pat McAfee Show on Friday, the promotion is already looking at what’s next for Chimaev should he get past Burns.

“I think…that if Khamzat Chimaev wins this weekend, we see him and Colby Covington next,” White stated.

Chimaev has yet to taste defeat as a professional, racking up 10 finishes in 10 fights while nev…

Due to illness, Marcin Tybura has been removed from his heavyweight bout with Jairzinho Rozenstruik at #UFC273.

As a result, this bout has been cancelled from the event. pic.twitter.com/kO1pTWaovz

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) April 8, 2022 These days, Ultimate Fighting Championship fights are not official until the cage door locks behind the competitors. Shortly after the UFC 273 weigh-ins concluded, the promotion announced that the heavyweight contest between Marcin Tybura and Jairzinho Rozenstruik had been canceled. Tybura suffered an undisclosed illness, and the promotion did not state if it was related to COVID-19 like it has for other recent illness scratches. Tybura (253) and Rozenstruik (252.5) both made weight without issue.

This is the second time this matchup has been nixed, with the two first booked against one another for UFC Fight Night 202 in February. For undetermined reasons, the fight was pushed back to the April 9 event…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rxk0YjzM48?start=7017&w=560&h=315] On short notice, Bellator MMA was able to find someone to take on Aaron Pico in a little over a week.

On Thursday, MMA Junkie reported that Jeremy Kennedy has been forced out of his match with Pico for currently undisclosed reasons. TSN Sports reported on Thursday night that Adli Edwards (9-1) will be stepping in for Kennedy to face Pico (9-3) at Bellator 277. The match will remain at featherweight, and it will go down on April 15 at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. Edwards confirmed this pairing on his Instagram shortly after its announcement.

Edwards will be making his promotional debut less than two weeks removed from his victory at XMMA 4 on April 2. At that event in Louisiana, he submitted Josh Harvey, despite Harvey missing weight by nearly a full weight class to extend his win streak to seven. With a shade over half his wins coming by stoppage, all of his finishes have come in the ope…

First to the scales, the champ is in at 144.5 🏆

[ @AlexVolkanovski | #UFC273 | Tomorrow | Live on ESPN+ PPV: https://t.co/KOluT78H6K ] pic.twitter.com/o5UFaTomzg

— UFC (@ufc) April 8, 2022 UFC 273's two title fights and main card bouts are all good to go after the official weigh-ins. While headliners Alexander Volkanovski and Chan Sung Jung had no issue making championship weight, a pair of preliminary fighters struggled to hit their marks. The most notable miss came from Kay Hansen, who weighed in 2.5 pounds above the strawweight limit for her bout against Piera Rodriguez and has been fined 20% of her purse as a result. Additionally, Julio Arce missed the bantamweight limit by half a pound, and he will have to forfeit 20% of his purse to Daniel Gustavo Santos.

The defending featherweight champion Volkanovski (23-1) is on a remarkable run, having won every fight he has had in the Octagon. His impressive win streak dates back to 2013, al…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_IeIG8ktQc&w=560&h=315] Count the most recent opponent of Alex Pereira among those that believe the ex-kickboxer will smash his way through the rest of the division.

At UFC Fight Night 203 in March, Pereira (5-1) and “Blindado” Bruno Silva (22-7) threw down for three hard-fought rounds to open up the main card. Pereira ultimately had his hand raised after the judges handed down matching 30-27 scores in his favor. Silva did have his moments in the fight, landing a pair of takedowns and getting off some heavy shots of his own, but he could not so much as win a round. Silva’s loss snapped a three-fight knockout win streak for him, but he very nearly had an opportunity for a high-stakes, short-notice opportunity because of his performance. “Blindado” spoke to Sherdog on Wednesday about his last fight and how he sees Pereira going forward.

“Some fights you enter to win, and others, to make history,” Silva noted. “I promised a great fi…

ONE is back on 22 April with another STACKED lineup headlined by two World Title fights 🙌 Which matchups are YOU excited about?#WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/M0koXDTpn4

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) April 7, 2022 With any luck, the days of tape-delayed One Championship fight cards are now completely in the past.

Via press release on Thursday morning, One has announced the entirety of the lineup of its next fight card, which will air live on April 22. Titled both “Reloaded” and “Eersel vs. Sadikovic,” 16 fights of various disciplines will go down inside of the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. The main event will draw a 170-pound kickboxing title fight between Regian Eersel and Arian Sadikovic, while the co-headliner comes under muay Thai rules when Smilla Sundell and Jackie Buntan vie for the vacant 125-pound strap. Additionally, 10 MMA fights will be sprinkled throughout the card.

The top-billed MMA mat…

Ultimate Fighting Championship star Conor McGregor has been charged with six traffic offenses after his latest incident this March.

According to Dublin Live on Thursday, McGregor appeared in court in Dublin, where he was charged with six driving-related offenses. On March 22, he was stopped in his Bentley and arrested for alleged dangerous driving, where he was handed two counts of this violation. Four more came on Thursday, including driving without a license and operating a motor vehicle without insurance. Per to his lawyer, Michael Staines, the police have subsequently been shown his license and proof of insurance.

Via MMA Fighting, McGregor’s representative, Karen Kessler, stated that McGregor was stopped on his way to his gym for “alleged road traffic violations” and that he had passed his field sobriety tests. McGregor has been released on bail, and he will be due to appear in court in June. His lone statement to reporters was simple: “Just straight back into tr…

🔥 Introducing the new https://t.co/vCNztABJoG @UFC Fan Bonus of the Night 🔥

💰60K in #Bitcoin shared by the top 3 UFC athletes🎁Fans can win exclusive prizes

Check it out: https://t.co/svOHGBUBIp#UFC273 pic.twitter.com/kj8BOAWeBq — Crypto.com (@cryptocom) April 7, 2022 The Ultimate Fighting Championship will put some bonus awards in the hands of the fans again.

At UFC 124 in 2010, the promotion announced that fans could vote on their preferred “Fight of the Night,” which would give $100,000 checks to the fighters that fans selected. In a move subsequently maligned by UFC head Dana White, the fans voted on the headliner of Georges St. Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck instead of the other deserving options. White took the option away after just one event, but according to the promotion on Thursday, a version of fan-voted bonuses will return on Saturday.

The bonuses, which will come from the partnership of the UFC and Crypto.com, will not impac…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFiTxgI1dhU&w=560&h=315] A former middleweight and an ex-lightweight will meet in the middle at the first of two Bellator MMA Hawaii shows in April.

According to sources close to the situation, Bellator 278 will be gaining an interesting preliminary match in the welterweight division on April 22. Dante Schiro (8-3) will be making his return to the Bellator cage, and he will be taking on Hawaii’s Scotty Hao (5-3). The two will come to blows inside of the Neil S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu.

Schiro made his organizational debut in August 2021 when he took on top contender Logan Storley, and fought the vaunted wrestler to a close split decision. That win snapped a two-fight finish streak for the Wisconsin native, who has previously tapped Victor Moreno in 2020 and then knocked Kenny Robertson out earlier in 2021. As a pro, the Chosen Few Gym representative celebrates a finish rate of 87%, with none of his stoppages coming any later…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxG_eACYQCw&w=560&h=315] Several current or former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighters wanted to weigh in on a hotly anticipated contest this Saturday.

Even having two belts on the line on Saturday in the main and co-main events of UFC 273, much of the attention on the fight card is on the welterweight battle between Gilbert Burns and Khamzat Chimaev. Burns (20-4) will come in as a huge betting underdog despite being in the top three of his division and a former title challenger. He will take on unbeaten wrecking machine Chimaev (10-0), a man has never needed more than two rounds to dispatch an opponent. On Wednesday, Sherdog spoke to several Brazilian fighters that either currently fight for the UFC or did so in the past to get their opinions on the matchup.

Fabricio Werdum, former UFC heavyweight champ: “No doubt Chimaev is one of the most talented fighters that appeared in UFC lately. And it’s not for being undefeated, bu…

The Challenger Series Week 8 Main Event!

Carlos Leal vs @chrisbreezymma #PFLonFuboTVFri, April 8th | Live 9pm ET pic.twitter.com/bFFDXsMzLV

— PFL (@PFLMMA) April 7, 2022 Several fighters ahead of the Professional Fighters League's "Second Chance" event are not making the most of their opportunities. Headlining PFL Challenger Series 8, with a billing that was announced on Thursday, is a catchweight bout between Carlos Leal Miranda and Chris Brown. The main event was initially announced as a welterweight contest on Thursday morning, but neither fighter hit their scheduled marks. Beyond the main eventers coming in over the welterweight limit, Ali Zebian also missed weight, who weighed in 2.2 pounds heavy for his featherweight bout against Aaron Blackie.

Miranda (15-3) is coming off a quick 56-second TKO win over Korey Kuppe and is undefeated since 2015. "The Lion" officially weighed 171.2 pounds for the main event, just a shade over the …

Middleweight Rodolfo Vieira has been cleared to resume his mixed martial arts career after an abnormal brain scan earlier this year forced him to withdraw from UFC 270.

Vieira revealed via Instagram that he was at AdventHealth Orlando to receive a cerebral angiography, which provides images of blood vessels around the brain and can detect abnormalities such as aneurysms.

“After months of waiting I just had the cerebral angiography I needed, everything went well,” Vieira wrote. “Now I'm here in the room waiting for the doctor to come and tell me what I really have and if I'm going to be able to continue fighting MMA.

Without a doubt today is the hardest day of my life. Whatever it is, I trust in my God and I know that he will do the best for my life as hd always did!”

According to MMAFighting.com, Vieira received medical clearance to compete after the examination. The 32-year-old Brazilian withdrew from a proposed clash against Wellington Turman at UFC 27…