All articles tagged with #sports mma
Alex Apodaca stunned Bella Mir by unanimous decision at Dana White's Contender Series 89, earning a UFC contract after overcoming Mir's status as the betting favorite with a strong, well-rounded performance.
Henry Cejudo wasted no time in his rematch with Merab Dvalishvili, blasting inside for a quick four‑point takedown and pinning Dvalishvili just 36 seconds into RAF 12 to become the RAF crossover champion. He immediately called out Cody Garbrandt, while Dvalishvili shifts focus to a Petr Yan trilogy at UFC 333 in October.
DWCS 87 winners Anthony Wint, Bilal Hasan, Tom Pagliarulo and Joseph Kropschot earned UFC contracts after decisive wins (Wint stopped Matt Adams in 34 seconds; Hasan finished Saikia in 0:45 of Round 1; Pagliarulo defeated Ananias Mulumba by TKO in Round 3; Kropschot won a unanimous decision over Jon Kunneman with a late armbar), while Abe Alsaghir did not secure a deal despite a split decision trail.
Navajo Stirling, an undefeated 205‑pound prospect, delivered a statement in UFC Belgrade’s co‑main event by stopping former champion Jan Blachowicz in under three minutes with heavy ground‑and‑pound, cementing himself as a genuine title threat even as teammate Carlos Ulberg currently holds the belt; the win drew wide praise from pros on social media.
After UFC 329, Michael Bisping argues Paddy Pimblett has become a bigger threat to Ilia Topuria, fueling talk of a high-profile grudge match between the two; Pimblett’s recent win and Topuria’s Gaethje-induced setback frame the looming clash as a potential UFC blockbuster.
Josh Hokit KO'd Derrick Lewis to advance to No. 6 in the UFC heavyweight rankings at the White House event, but his post-fight line calling Michelle Obama a man drew criticism from Daniel Cormier, who called the move “lame as f*ck.” Dana White condemned the comment while defending free speech, and the event reportedly drew 17 million viewers on Paramount+.
Ahead of UFC White House on June 14, Ilia Topuria fired back at Justin Gaethje’s personal jabs about his divorce, vowing to knock him out in front of his family as the lightweight title unification bout headlines the card; Gaethje had mocked Topuria’s divorce and the feud has intensified, while Topuria enters as the betting favorite in the event that also features Pereira vs Gane for the interim heavyweight title.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, now 43, hasn’t fought in over six years and recently attended the Rousey–Carano event. He says any comeback would require a truly substantial payday and isn’t about name value, noting he has other interests and coaching duties at American Kickboxing Academy.
At MVP MMA 1’s official weigh-ins in Manhattan Beach, Ronda Rousey (142) and Gina Carano (141.4) hit the featherweight limit for their Netflix superfight, with all 22 fighters clearing the scale, including Diaz-Perry and Ngannou-Lins, setting the stage for Saturday’s event outside the Intuit Dome in Inglewood.
Khamzat Chimaev released a brief unseen sparring clip of him pressuring Sean Strickland ahead of their UFC 328 middleweight title fight, with Strickland claiming Chimaev bullied him; the video is short and the hype battle continues as Chimaev defends his title and Strickland seeks a second middleweight crown.
Logan Storley defeated Florim Zendeli by unanimous decision in the PFL Sioux Falls main event, while Gadzhi Rabadanov earned a decision over Alex Chizov in the co-main; the card also featured multiple finishes and decisions across the prelims, delivering a strong night for the league in Sioux Falls.
Alex Pereira moves up to heavyweight to challenge Ciryl Gane for the UFC interim title on June 14 at UFC White House, aiming to become the first fighter to hold belts in three divisions, after establishing himself as a premier knockout artist across multiple weight classes.
Arman Tsarukyan defeated Georgio Poullas in the RAF7 rematch, after Poullas finally paid the $10,000 bet from their first clash; Tsarukyan donated the winnings to a sick child, and the two had previously traded threats but reconciled after the fight.
Alexander Volkanovski defeated Diego Lopes by unanimous decision in UFC 325 to defend his featherweight title in a closely watched rematch, marking the first defense of his second reign, with fighters reacting to the win on social media.
Ilia Topuria threatens to bypass Max Holloway for his first UFC featherweight title defense, insisting that he decides who, when, and where he fights. Topuria has suggested that he would only fight Holloway if the BMF belt is on the line, prompting Holloway to fire back. Topuria has hinted at offering the title shot to Brian Ortega instead, expressing his desire to hold both the BMF belt and a divisional title simultaneously. He also aims to fight in September at The Sphere in Las Vegas, with a potential matchup against Ortega.