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Much like Alex Pereira and Alexandre Pantoja, Merab Dvalishvili is the latest UFC champion pledging to be active going forward as the bullish bantamweight titleholder heads into 2025 with an unbeaten contender – 18-0 pro Umar Nurmagomedov – expected to emerge in another passing-of-the-torch moment from their UFC 311 co-main event next month. Well, don’t tell the Georgian that. Continue reading “UFC 311: Dvalishvili, much like Pereira, plans an active 2025 schedule after Jan. 18”
Forget about me? Petr Yan’s sharp boxing skills and all-round arsenal proved the talk of the town as the former champ produced precisely the display many critics forecasted would see him reign the UFC’s bantamweight division for many years, deftly outpointing an inspiring Deiveson Figueiredo effort over five rounds with 12,615 watching in the promotion’s first return to China since 2019. Continue reading “UFC Macao: Yan rolls back the clock with UD5 win vs. Figueiredo, calls for title shot”
Merab Dvalishvili outfoxed Sean O’Malley and seized UFC bantamweight gold to avenge defeat for his friend and former champion Aljamain Sterling, after Valentina Shevchenko smartly stifled the partisan crowd before reclaiming the flyweight throne with a dominant decision win over Alexa Grasso in their trilogy on a night where two titles changed hands to finish an epic Sphere spectacle. Continue reading “UFC 306: Dvalishvili, Shevchenko claim gold with UD5 wins to top landmark card”
Ten wins on the spin, #1 UFC bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili gets his title shot next month against Sean O’Malley and while the highly-regarded Georgian will fancy his chances against a flashy striker, the champion’s head coach Tim Welch feels one glaring hole could prove costly in their PPV headliner. Continue reading “UFC 306: O’Malley’s coach Tim Welch pinpoints weakness in Dvalishvili’s game”
He’s found himself on the outside looking in – largely for reasons out of his control – but former UFC interim title challenger Cory Sandhagen is looking forward to the prospect of a title eliminator with considerable proportions on a third trip to Saudi Arabia this summer against highly-regarded contender Umar Nurmagomedov [10] at 135lbs. Naturally, it won’t be an easy task either… Continue reading “Sandhagen declares Nurmagomedov headliner on Aug. 3 a 135lb title eliminator”
Alex Pereira made the first defence of his light-heavyweight title, avenging teammate and close friend Glover Teixeira’s punishing five-round defeat vs. former titlist Jamahal Hill in the UFC 300 headliner to cap an unforgettable night’s action from Las Vegas after contrasting championship victories for strawweight queen Zhang Weili and new BMF titleholder Max Holloway.
Continue reading “UFC 300: Pereira flattens Hill to retain 205lb title as Weili and Holloway win big”
Having seen the pushback on social media after calling for a champ-vs-champ showdown with new featherweight titlist Ilia Topuria, UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley has now said longtime contender Merab Dvalishvili will be his next opponent – two weeks before his maiden championship defence vs. Marlon Vera: the only man to beat him in his professional career to date. Continue reading “UFC 299: Marlon Vera must be O’Malley’s main focus, not Dvalishvili or Topuria bout”
Sean O’Malley scored a second-round knockout win over Aljamain Sterling in the UFC 292 main event to capture bantamweight gold, before calling for a Marlon Vera rematch in his first title defence to finish an unforgettable year this December. The promotion have since announced Edwards vs. Covington will headline UFC 296 on Dec. 16, so Suga must wait until 2024 to satisfy that itch. Continue reading “New bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley confirms early 2024 return, says UFC want him to headline his own show”
Aljamain Sterling makes the fourth defence of his UFC bantamweight title overnight, and has said plenty in the build-up about how Sean O’Malley – a growing star within the promotion – has purposely been matched up in a way allowing him to fast-track his way to a championship shot. So now, only he stands between Suga Show becoming the second DWCS alum to seize gold…
Continue reading “UFC 292: Sterling says the onus is on him to humble O’Malley tonight, and he’s right”
Perennial bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen is now riding a three-fight win streak for the first time since 2019, but completed the achievement with an underwhelming albeit comfy decision win over short-notice replacement Rob Font in their catchweight clash at 140lbs. Should he be rewarded with a title shot next – depending on how UFC 292 unfolds – or does he need another scalp?
Continue reading “UFC Nashville: Sandhagen nullifies Font to dominant decision win in drab main event”
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling secured his third title defence with a split decision nod against two-division champion Henry Cejudo, who acquitted himself well after a three-year layoff but wasn’t active nor urgent enough to consistently trouble the 135lb titlist over 25 minutes. Prior, there were big wins for Belal Muhammad and Yan Xiaonan among others. Continue reading “UFC 288: Sterling outpoints returning Cejudo, after Belal’s big decision win”
He apologised to the fans, aware they would’ve been underwhelmed by what they saw: but it wasn’t his fault. Cory Sandhagen scored a decision win over Marlon Vera – split scorecards notwithstanding – before calling out Merab Dvalishvili after the Georgian’s impressive win over former champion Petr Yan two weeks prior. The bantamweight division is bubbling up nicely again… Continue reading “UFC’s 135lb division shuffles once more, after Cory Sandhagen punishes lethargic Marlon Vera”
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