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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”
Valentina Shevchenko felt she did enough to edge a competitive rematch with Alexa Grasso last September, having had UFC flyweight championship gold skillfully snatched away after a costly mistake backfired in their first meeting. Now, they settle their score in the co-main of a card the promotion are billing as the greatest live sporting event of all-time. This trilogy bout fits it perfectly. Continue reading “O’Malley and Dvalishvili headline but Grasso-Shevchenko 3 the real main event: finally they settle their flyweight score”
Erin Blanchfield’s boxing deficiencies were painfully laid bare under the lights over 25 minutes against an economical Manon Fiorot display in their main event title eliminator, while Joaquin Buckley’s move down a weight class continues to pay off as he’ll have a number next to his name at 170lbs this coming week after making longtime contender Vicente Luque look ordinary en route to a R2 finish.
Continue reading “UFC Atlantic City: Blanchfield has a big problem, Buckley boosted by Luque scalp”
No-one likes to fight down in the rankings, not least seasoned veterans more eager to boost their championship credentials and especially on short-notice. While not indirectly, Dustin Poirier’s stoppage win over Benoit Saint-Denis has resonated with others in a similar situation – including longtime contender Vicente Luque, facing unranked Joaquin Buckley in New Jersey this weekend. Continue reading “Luque taking a leaf out of the Poirier playbook with unranked Buckley next”
Former two-time strawweight champion Rose Namajunas outpointed Amanda Ribas over five rounds to snap her losing streak and notch a first win at 125lbs as she targets becoming a two-weight titlist. However, their main event matchup underwhelmed and did little to dismiss regression concerns with head trainer Trevor Wittman again not in her corner as she laboured to victory here.
Continue reading “UFC Vegas 89: Namajunas poses more questions than answers after Ribas win”
After two contrasting decision defeats in her last two bouts, two-time former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas outlined the burning motivation behind a desire to conquer a new weight division at 125lbs. She gets a showcase opportunity this weekend against a highly-regarded ranked opponent in Amanda Ribas, with the flyweight landscape still navigating choppy waters. Continue reading “UFC Vegas 89: Namajunas motivated by falling short vs. Fiorot, Ribas now awaits”
Former interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane picked his strikes well and showed improved takedown defence in an assertive R2 TKO win over Serghei Spivac, a year after successfully headlining a similarly raucous Accor Arena. What about Rose Namajunas’ flyweight debut, or the resurgence of Volkan Oezdemir? Read on, for five thoughts from Saturday’s Fight Night card. Continue reading “UFC Paris 2: Five big takeaways, as Gane gets what he ordered in Spivac stoppage”
After outpointing Viviane Araujo with slick boxing back in mid-October, Alexa Grasso [6] faces the toughest challenge of her 11-year professional career this weekend against long-reigning flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko. Riding a four-fight winning streak at 125lbs, is she ready for the Bullet?
Continue reading “Rewind: Alexa Grasso’s UD win over Viviane Araujo on Oct. 15, is she ready for Shevchenko shot?”
Tatiana Suarez’s long-awaited return to the Octagon is scheduled for tonight after nearly four years on the sidelines. So, what better time than now to reflect upon an career-best victory last week for flyweight contender Erin Blanchfield over a former strawweight champion in Jessica Andrade last weekend? Continue reading “A week on: UFC Vegas 69 – Blanchfield’s R2 submission win over Andrade opens up possibilities”
She toppled long-standing number one contender Katlyn Chookagian to earn top spot at 125lbs at UFC 280 in October. Now in a division ruled by dominant champion Valentina Shevchenko, France’s Manon Fiorot – who underwent successful knee surgery – has this week spoken about a return timeline and a readiness to welcome former two-time strawweight champion Rose Namajunas to the weight class, should speculation about her future prove true. Continue reading “#1 contender Manon Fiorot aims to avoid Murphy, Santos misstep before Shevchenko title shot”
Islam Makhachev did what he said he would, winning lightweight gold with a second-round submission win over Charles Oliveira before dedicating it to Khabib and his close friend’s father, late coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. Prior, Aljamain Sterling definitively defended his bantamweight title against TJ Dillashaw – a fight that should never have been cleared – after Sean O’Malley stunned critics to earn a split decision victory over former champion Petr Yan. Continue reading “UFC 280: Makhachev claims lightweight gold, after Sterling defends 135lb strap and O’Malley stuns Yan”
Former light-heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz ultimately prevailed against Aleksandar Rakic (#3), though the #1 contender would’ve much preferred a blistering KO than to witness the gruesome injury his Austrian adversary sustained. Elsewhere, there were big wins for fellow 205er Ryan Spann (#13) and women’s flyweight Katlyn Chookagian (#1), among others. Continue reading “UFC Vegas 54: Blachowicz back to winning ways, calls for Teixeira-Prochazka winner”
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