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Islam Makhachev raced through short-notice replacement Renato Moicano to stand on the brink of history, after his proposed Arman Tsarukyan rematch was dramatically shelved late. Prior in the co-main, Merab Dvalishvili was defiant and diligent en route to a successful first championship defence against the anointed one in Umar Nurmagomedov. The Georgian didn’t read the memo.
Continue reading “UFC 311: Merab thrives in Umar firefight, Makhachev makes quick work of Moicano”
Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler was set to headline UFC 303 this weekend, before the former withdrew with a broken toe injury earlier this month. Two-division champion Alex Pereira has again stepped into the breach to save the card and is aware time isn’t on his side, another motivating factor for his refreshing activity as he prepares for a short-notice Jiri Prochazka rematch. Continue reading “UFC 303: Alex Pereira aware of his activity timeline, adds another short-notice save”
Magomed Ankalaev in another title defence? Going up another division to challenge Tom Aspinall at heavyweight? There are options aplenty for reigning UFC light-heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, after making quick work of Jamahal Hill at a historic UFC 300 card earlier this month. If you ask the 36-year-old though, he’s not too fussed on who or when – but wants continuity. Continue reading “Alex Pereira open to various possibilities, wants activity after early night at UFC 300”
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”
Magomed Ankalaev promised a statement showing and delivered a beautiful second-round knockout finish of Johnny Walker in their light-heavyweight main event, extending his unbeaten streak to 12 before calling for a shot at Alex Pereira’s newly-earned UFC title. Elsewhere, there were big wins for Brunno Ferreira, Mario Bautista and lightweight veteran Jim Miller on the main card. Continue reading “UFC Vegas 84: Ankalaev stakes claim for LHW title shot after R2 KO win vs. Walker”
Relive my live fight-by-fight commentary as UFC 295 unfolded from New York’s Madison Square Garden overnight, with Manchester’s Tom Aspinall looking to score interim heavyweight gold – on short-notice no less – against the fearsome finisher Sergei Pavlovich in the night’s co-main event before former champions Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira did battle for the vacant light-heavyweight title.
Continue reading “UFC 295: Relive live commentary as Pereira becomes two-division champion, after Aspinall wins interim HW gold”
Downgraded from main event to co-main event, the story still remains the same at light-heavyweight this weekend when perennial contenders Anthony Smith [5] and Johnny Walker [7] collide. Can the former title challenger return to form after sustaining a freak injury last July, or is now finally Johnny’s time to shine? Continue reading “UFC Charlotte: Must-win stakes at 205lbs for different reasons in Saturday’s co-main”
Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya knows pressure rests on his shoulders with fierce rival Alex Pereira up next, one final time tonight. The stark truth is a 0-3 record stares at him across two disciplines – regardless of the circumstances – so will he get the last laugh to reclaim gold overnight? Continue reading “UFC 287: It’s now or never for Israel Adesanya vs. arch-nemesis Alex Pereira”
Jamahal Hill became the first Dana White’s Contender Series graduate to earn UFC gold after a dominant, exhausting five-round decision win over former champion Glover Teixeira, who announced his retirement post-fight. Elsewhere, Brandon Moreno ended his Deiveson Figueiredo series with a third-round TKO before his rival confirmed he’ll be moving up to bantamweight – while there were emphatic victories for Gilbert Burns and Jessica Andrade. Continue reading “UFC 283: Hill batters Teixeira to become new LHW champ, Moreno ends Figueiredo series with stoppage”
Light-heavyweight contender Jamahal Hill relished the challenge in his first UFC main event and quickly made it a memorable one against Thiago Santos, earning a fourth-round TKO finish against a former title challenger who thoroughly tested him. Elsewhere, there were impressive wins for Geoff Neal and Terrance McKinney among others on the main card. Continue reading “UFC Vegas 59: Jamahal Hill overwhelms Thiago Santos in back-and-forth LHW duel”
Light-heavyweight contender Jamahal Hill (#12) began the new year the same way he ended the last: producing a furious first-round finish, this time blasting Johnny Walker (#10) into a state of helplessness midway though a memorable maiden main event slot. The 205lb division needs some fresh contenders and after an early KO of the Year contender, that won’t be his last. Continue reading “UFC Vegas 48: Hill’s highlight-reel R1 KO win over Walker puts LHW division on notice”
Israel Adesanya produced the third defence of his UFC middleweight strap and handily beat Marvin Vettori (#3) in their rematch, after flyweight Brandon Moreno made history by becoming the promotion’s first Mexican champion – dethroning Deiveson Figueiredo in the co-main event. Continue reading “UFC 263: Adesanya eases past Vettori in shutout, retains middleweight strap”
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