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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”
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”
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”
On a night where Jairzinho Rozenstruik jabbed his way into retaining his top-15 ranking in the heavyweight main event against Shamil Gaziev, the biggest stories unfolded elsewhere in another Apex fight card which saw prospects rise – two in particular – given the existing logjam across fly and bantamweight. Continue reading “Making their case: Mokaev and Umar earn contrasting decision wins at UFC Vegas 87”
Michael Chiesa (#8) delivered on his vow to impress and went the full 25 minutes for the first time in his professional career against Neil Magny (#9). He earned a comfortable decision win (49-46 on all three judges’ scorecards), maintaining a perfect 4-0 welterweight record before calling out former interim champion Colby Covington (#1) as the man he wants next. Continue reading “UFC Fight Island 8: Michael Chiesa eases past Neil Magny, calls out Colby Covington”
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