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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”
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”
Sean O’Malley no longer the bantamweight king? No problem. Alexandre Pantoja admitted he’d been contemplating a move up to 135lbs, but now there seems to be a changing of the guard, the Brazilian is happy to reign over the flyweight division for as long as possible – ala recently-retired Demetrious Johnson, racking up title defences to solidify his legacy as one of the best ever. Continue reading “UFC 310: Pantoja pledges to rule flyweight for a long time, debutant Asakura awaits”
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”
Many former foes, rivals and contemporaries quickly compounded the frustrations felt by his main event defeat – as expected – but now former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley won’t have a chance to stay active in attempting at reclaiming gold as he awaits surgery on a torn labrum in his left hip next month, an injury potentially sidelining him for a full calendar year.
Continue reading “O’Malley set for surgery on torn hip injury in October, now sidelined for most of 2025”
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”
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”
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”
They were quick to laugh and rubbish his perceived arrogance during the build-up to the biggest fight of his career, but Ilia Topuria made good on his promise by securing a stunning second-round knockout win over long-reigning UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and snap the Australian’s unbeaten 145lb streak, becoming the new divisional king in their PPV headliner. Continue reading “UFC 298: Topuria tops Volkanovski with superb R2 KO to clinch featherweight gold”
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”
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