UFC on ABC 6 Preview

The UFC is invading the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, June 22 for UFC on ABC 6. The main event will be in the middleweight division between former champion #3 Robert Whittaker and rising prospect Ikram Aliskerov.

Whittaker was originally scheduled to face heavily hyped contender Khamzat Chimaev, but Chimaev withdrew from the fight due to illness. The winner of the fight was expected to be on the short list to challenge for the middleweight title, but what can be expected now? Does a win over an unranked opponent gain Whittaker a title shot or does it merely win the respect of the fans?

After rebounding well in his last fight against Paulo Costa, Whittaker reminded the middleweight division that he is still a threat to win back the title he once held. Whittaker won the title in 2017 with an impressive win over Yoel Romero, but he technically never defended the title after Romero missed weight in their rematch, making it a non-title fight. Whittaker won a disputed split decision in the non-title fight.  He would then go on to lose the belt to Israel Adesanya in 2019.

Whittaker discussed not fighting Chimaev and preparing Aliskerov. “It was a stressful couple of hours while we were trying to find a new opponent, but once we got that locked in, it’s much the same,” Whittaker said.

“It’s another fight week, he brings the same level of threat as anybody else that I’ve had to fight. Let’s see what happens.”

The New Zealander continued, “As soon as I found out my opponent, I watched some fights to get an idea of what he’s going to bring to the table. In a lot of respects, he’s more dangerous than Chimaev, especially mentally wise because he has nothing to lose and everything to gain really. It’s a dangerous fight.

“He’s a strong, tough guy and he was ready to fight last week, so I expect nothing but a test, a war, a slugfest.”

Will Whittaker call for another scheduled fight with Chimaev? “I don’t really have a wish list of fights. They just happen. I just wish him all the best with his health.

“What we do is a job, a career, a sport. Outside of the octagon we’re just people and I wish him only the best.”

Whittaker discussed where he is at in his career in relation to another title shot. “You know what, I’m really enjoying my career thus far,” Whittaker said.

“It’s an exciting time to be a middleweight. I feel like I’m making a lot of ground and I’m really starting to hit my best strides now. Every day is a treat.”

While Chimaev is considered the most dangerous fighter in the middleweight division, Whittaker knows he will not have an easy fight on Saturday. “He wants to take my head off no less than Chimaev did,” Whittaker said.

“I train to beat everyone. Chimaev, Ikram, it doesn’t matter. I’m going to get in there and put on my best fight. I’m going to leave it all there.

“I’m going to go in there and hunt Ikram for 25 minutes, got to war, put on a slugfest and try and take his head off, then go home and spend time with my family. That’s all that matters for me.

“I having geared up ready to go make it an absolute slugfest, a war of a fight for 25 minutes.

“I know that with the approach of being the hunter in this fight, it’s not going to last that long. I’m going to hurt him and I’m going to hurt him until he can’t take anymore.”

With a win Whittaker will cement his place in the top three of the division for now. Ahead of him in the line is a fight between champion Dricus du Plessis and former champion Adesanya. Former champ Sean Strickland is coming off a win and expected to be in line ahead of Whittaker as well.

Aside from Costa and Romero, Whittaker has key wins in his career over Marvin Vettori, Kelvin Gastelum, Jared Connonier, Darren Till, Ronaldo Souza, Derek Brunson, Uriah Hall and Brad Tavares.

Aliskerov is 2-0 in the UFC and is coming off an impressive first round TKO victory over Warlley Alves at UFC 294. He will be facing the toughest test of his career on Saturday but could send a shockwave through the middleweight division with a win.

The Dagestani fighter commented on accepting this fight on short notice. "This is what we do,We’re fighters. This is our sport. This is our life. I even put it on my Instagram, ‘Anyone, anywhere, at any time.’ It’s the type of motto I live by and you have to live by it if you want to fight on the top level. I was ready for this. I don’t care if it was five rounds or 10 rounds, you have to be ready for anything being thrown your way and that’s what I live by,” Aliskerov said.

He believes he was meant to have this fight. "The way I was speaking to Ali, my manager, is the way it sounded is the UFC kind of expected me to have this fight. They think I’m ready, that I’m that level of an opponent that I should be accepting this fight. I think that’s great. It makes me think that the UFC values me. They know what I’m worth. They know what I’m capable of, so I think it’s right that I’m a tougher matchup.”

The 31-year-old commented on Whittaker’s claim that he did not know who he was until saying yes to the fight. “I think he was lying,” Aliskerov said. “I’m sure he rewatched my fight with Khamzat a million times because he was preparing for him. I think [he’ll remember my name]. He’ll have to fight me for five rounds. After I took the fight, I called Khabib [Nurmagomedov]. He said, ‘You can’t miss these chances. You have to fly here, sweat for two-three days.’ We discussed [the fight], but I won’t get into it.”

While he accepted the fight on short notice, Aliskerov was already in camp expecting to fight Atonio Trocolio on June 15. Despite the step up in competition, physically speaking Aliskerov should not be impacted by saying yes to a big fight on short notice. A convincing win could catapult Aliskerov into the top 10 and put him in position to be fighting in a title eliminator.

The rest of the main card:

Heavyweight - #3 Sergei Pavlovich vs. #5 Alexander Volkov

Middleweight - Kelvin Gastelum vs. Daniel Rodriguez

Middleweight - Sharabutdin Magomedov vs. Antonio Trocoli

Light Heavyweight - #7 Johnny Walker vs. #9 Volkan Oezdemir

ESPN + Prelims:

Lightweight - Nasrat Haqparast vs. Jared Gordon

Featherweight - Muhammad Naimov vs. Felipe Lima

Welterweight - Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Nicolas Dalby

Bantamweight - Kang Kyung-ho vs. Muin Gafurov

Light Heavyweight - Magomed Gadzhiyasulov vs. Brendson Ribeiro

Bantamweight - Xiao Long vs. Lee Chang-ho

UFC 302 Preview

The UFC will be returning to the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Saturday, June 1 for UFC 302. The main event will be for the lightweight title as champion Islam Makhachev will defend against former interim champion #4 Dustin Poirier.

Makhachev has won 13 straight fights and is coming off two successful title defenses against former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. He most recently defeated Volkanovski by a devastating first round KO at UFC 294 in October.

The champion confidently reflected on Poirier’s first title shot back in 2019 against his mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov. “Honestly, he’s the same,” Makhachev said. “Maybe [he’s older]. He doesn’t believe he can beat me. His coach doesn’t believe he can beat me. I know I can make this fight easy.

“I will finish him. Because I am on a different level. I am the best fighter in the world right now.”

Makhachev does not believe Poirier has the skills to defeat him. “Honestly, my style is the worst style for him,” Makhachev said. “He can beat some strikers. He’s one of the best strikers in this game, but we’re not strikers. We’re MMA fighters. My skills are on a different level.

“I can strike with him, but I told you guys, if I want to make this fight easy, I know the way and everybody [else] know the way. Always when his opponent pressure him, take him down, he has the same problems always.”

Despite the confidence, Makhachev does have respect for the legacy that Poirier has built. “I hope he [doesn’t] retire after this fight,” Makhachev said of Poirier. “I think he’s one of the biggest names in the sport. That’s why I respect him. I respect him because he has a lot of crazy fights in this sport. Just happy to beat someone who has a big name like Dustin. For the legacy, it’s going to be maybe the biggest name on my list.”

The 32-year-old commented on the rumors that he will be moving to welterweight with a win on Saturday. “Honestly, I think it's my opinion, (I’m) almost done with my division because who is going to be next? Just Arman (Tsarukyan),” he said. “I already beat (him), and, in my division, I don't have some interesting fight (or) too exciting fights for me. We have Dustin right now. This guy is a legend. It's a very good fight for my legacy. I will finish him, and I just will wait for the next go.”

Makhachev wants to put on a show in Newark. “Fans always want to see the finish,” he said. “It's what I will try to do in beating Dustin Poirier.”

Poirier is coming off a second round KO of Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299 in March. The win was a big rebound after being KO’d in a rematch with Justin Gaethje for the BMF belt in 2023. The 35-year-old has twice challenged for the lightweight title but lost by third round submission in both attempts.

Does he believe the third time’s the charm? "I can definitely win this fight," Poirier said.  "If I touch his chin, he'll go down.  He'll find that out on Saturday.  Maybe that's something he doesn't need to believe.  Maybe he needs to be positive and confident walking into this, which he should be, but if you don't think I have a chance to win you're lying to yourself."

"Over the years, if there's anything I've learned fighting is like the media, my opponents, their camps, the critics don't matter.  It's in my hands," Poirier continued.  "I'm the only guy who has the opportunity to make this happen, or whatever decisions I make under those lights on Saturday, I'm the guy in the driver's seat.  All these other guys talking are passengers, or in the backseat.  I steer where this goes."

Poirier commented on the rumors that this could be his final fight. "It could be (my last fight). It could be. I haven't made like an official decision yet, but it could be," he said. "I've said this over and over again. I still have a lot of tread on the tired. I can beat these guys. I can beat these young guys. I just did it. I still feel good. My body feels good, but it's just like how much do I want to give to this sport because you don't ride for free."

The only thing missing from Poirier’s resume is being undisputed champion. He commented,

“I have a UFC title, that says ‘world champion’ with my name on it, in my living room,” Poirier said. “I hold that belt up high because Max [Holloway], when I beat him for that belt, was on a 12-fight win streak. He was the current featherweight champion at the time. So it’s not like I pulled the name out of a hat and beat somebody for an interim title because the champ couldn’t fight.”

“It’s up there, but it’s not undisputed,” Poirier adds. “That’s the last spot. What else can I do in this sport?”

He concluded, “It’s not about the money. It’s not about the Hall of Fame, any records. It’s about me accomplishing something,” said Poirier of his motivation. “It’s not about business; it’s a personal thing that, I think if I can get it done, I can look back and say, ‘You know, I’m content. I’m proud of everything I did. I set a goal out as a kid that knew nothing about what I was walking into, but I kept walking about picking myself up, and I got it done.”

Poirier has been fighting in the UFC since 2011 and has key victories over Micheal Chandler, Conor McGregor (twice), Dan Hooker, Max Holloway (twice), Eddie Alvarez, Justin Gaethje, Anthony Pettis, Jim Miller and Bobby Green. Despite all of the success, a win over Makhachev who is heavily favored would be the biggest victory of his hall of fame career.

The co-main event of the evening will be in the middleweight division between former champion #1 Sean Strickland and former title challenger #7 Paulo Costa.

Strickland is trying to rebound from a loss in his first title defense against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297 in January. Strickland lost a controversial split decision in a fight that many people thought he won. Strickland won the title with a unanimous decision victory over middleweight great Israel Adesanya in the biggest upset of 2023.

The former champion commented on his last fight and why he took a fight with Costa.  At the end of the day, I know I won my last fight,” he said. “I got f***ed… I mean, obviously, I want the title fight, but, at the end of the day, I'm a fighter. I'm a prize fighter. So, you give me money, I fight, but that's what I want. That needs to happen.”

Strickland expects a brutal battle with Costa. “I think we're in a war,” Strickland said. “I think it's going to be a five-round war. We'll see how his cardio holds up. I know he has an issue with that. Hopefully he f***ing trained hard and he's doing the right things and preparing for our death match.”

With a win at UFC 302 it would be fair to say Strickland’s next fight should be for the title. There have been talks of du Plessis making his first title defense against Adesanya, but with a convincing win over Costa it would be difficult to deny Strickland his shot.

Costa is trying to rebound from a unanimous decision loss to former champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 298 in February. The Brazilian is 1-2 since losing a title fight to Adesanya back in 2020, but he feels the best he has felt in recent years.

“After (my last) fight, I was feeling good with no injuries. I didn’t hurt, so why not?” Costa said. “Why not keep the process, not lose all the work I did for that fight and just keep the progress, keep the work? So we did that and we had a great match. First, it was against Cannonier and then it changed for Strickland. So why not? I’m feeling good, in shape and we’ve got this great opportunity.”

The 33-year-old talked about the title picture and where a win over Strickland puts him. “I think once he already beat (Israel) Adesanya, if Adesanya beat Dricus (Du Plessis), I think and if Sean beats me, he’s going to be the next. But let’s see. You never know. I have a beef with Adesanya, as well, and against Chimaev. Anything can happen. Let’s see Saturday. I think who delivers better is going to step in front. It depends how the fight is going to be. If I knock out him in great style Saturday. If the fight in Saudi Arabia is not so good, we can be in front. It depends on how we’re going to perform.”

A victory over Strickland will remind the middleweight division and the MMA world why Costa was once the most hyped fighter at 185 pounds and challenged for the middleweight title.

The rest of the main card:

Middleweight - #15 Kevin Holland vs. Michał Oleksiejczuk

Welterweight - Niko Price vs. Alex Morono

Welterweight - Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos

ESPN+ Prelims:

Middleweight - César Almeida vs. Roman Kopylov

Heavyweight - #7 Jailton Almeida vs. #13 Alexander Romanov

Lightweight - Grant Dawson vs. Joe Solecki

Welterweight - Philip Rowe vs. Jake Matthews

ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass Early Prelims:

Welterweight - Mickey Gall vs. Bassil Hafez

Women's Bantamweight - Ailín Pérez vs. Joselyne Edwards

Flyweight - Mitch Raposo vs. André Lima

Navarrete vs. Berinchyk Preview

The vacant WBO lightweight title will be on the line at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California on Saturday May 18. Former three division champion Emanuel Navarrete will battle undefeated Denys Berinchyk.

Navarrete (38-1-1, 31 KO) is trying to win a title in his fourth weight class after scoring a majority draw to defend the WBO junior lightweight title in his last fight against Robson Conceicao. He is also the former WBO featherweight and WBO junior featherweight champion. The 29-year-old has already achieved plenty with nine total title defenses, but a win on Saturday will put him in pound for pound status.

The Mexican fighter had to have hand surgery after his last fight but is ready to prove he has recovered and is ready for big fights at 135 pounds. “We've worked hard to get here,” Navarrete said. “We'll be looking for those fights, without a doubt. There is a desire for those high-level fights. I feel like I need that in my career and that last vote of confidence and acceptance. Those fights will give me that. My work speaks for itself. I feel good, calm, strong, and confident.”

Navarrete commented on his last fight. “We know that I have some deficiencies in my last fight. My hand did hurt, and that's a fact, but that's OK,” said Navarrete. “Some things held me back, but it's OK. I am 100 percent now. And I am going to be like before, only a new Vaquero, and a new hand. With a more ferocious mentality, I am going to put myself in the best position at 135 pounds.”

Despite his confidence, Navarrete knows he is in for a tough fight on Saturday. “He's dangerous,” said Navarrete. “He's going to come with a lot of hunger and we are going to have to try and take care of that.”

Berinchyk (18-0, 9 KO) is coming off a unanimous decision win over Anthony Yigit last August. The 35-year-old Ukrainian had an extensive amateur career, winning a silver medal in the 2011 World Championships and silver in the 2012 Olympic games.

Amid his first major title fight, Berinchyk is fighting for more than himself. “[Navarrete] is a strong and experienced opponent,” Berinchyk said. “We are highly motivated and working hard to bring the title to Ukraine. The world can’t forget about our country’s struggle, so our victory in the ring is of great importance not just for my career and Ukrainian boxing, but also for the people of Ukraine. We do our best to make the world stand with Ukraine!”

He is excited to be joining his fellow Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk in a title fight on the same night. “It’s the first time in Ukrainian history when two compatriots, two brothers are fighting for the world titles,” he said proudly. “Big day for Ukrainian boxing.”

Berinchyk is grateful for the opportunity to fight for a title. “I’m here and I have a possibility to fight for the world title first of all because of Ukrainian defenders,” clearly appreciative of his fellow Ukrainian’s efforts. “These are the one’s who gave me an opportunity to arrange a safe training camp and prepare myself for the upcoming fight.”

The main card can be seen at 9:00pm ET on ESPN+

Fury vs. Usyk Preview

For the first time since 1999 the undisputed heavyweight championship will be on the line at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday May 18. Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will battle for heavyweight boxing supremacy.

Fury (34-0-1, 24 KO) is the WBC and Lineal champion, and he most recently won a controversial split decision over former MMA champion Francis Ngannou. He managed to outbox Ngannou after being knocked down in the third round, but many pundits believe he did not do enough to win.

Even though many critics did not see the upside of a fight with Ngannou, Fury is not one to run from a challenge. With a win on Saturday, a rematch with Ngannou would have been coveted by the fans, but Ngannou was knocked out by Anthony Joshua in March. So a rematch between Fury and Ngannou is unlikely. Which means the only options are Usyk again or finally a fight with fellow Brit Anthony Joshua.

The fight with Usyk was originally scheduled in February, but Fury had to withdraw due to a bad cut from sparring. How does he feel about the fight now? "It's the fight of the century," said Fury. "[An undisputed heavyweight championship fight] has never happened this century before, and we're looking forward to putting on a fantastic show."

Boxing analysts argued that Fury was out of shape for the Ngannou fight. Is he focused on the fight of the century? "I'm always focused, up for a fight," Fury said, "and it's the reason I've been undefeated in 16 years."

Will Fury be the best heavyweight of all-time with a win over Usyk? "I'm not really interested in all that," Fury said. "[It will] establish me as a mega, uber-rich heavyweight who can feed his family and give them whatever they want for breakfast, dinner and tea."

How does Fury feel about Usyk? “I respect Usyk as a man,” said Fury.

“I respect his career as well. I’m fighting the real deal. He’s got good footwork, good boxing ability, technically sound.

“He’s proved he can mix it with the big heavyweights because he’s beat Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois. I’m messing with an elite fighter.”

The 35-year-old British fighter has key wins in his career over Derek Chisora (twice), Dillian Whyte, Deontay Wilder (twice), Otto Wallin, Wladimir Klitschko and Christian Hammer. He is widely considered the best heavyweight of his era and despite what he thinks he could be considered the best heavyweight of all-time with a win over Usyk. The greatest of all-time conversation sparks a great debate, but if Fury is to be considered in the conversation, even with a win over Usyk I believe he needs to fight Anthony Joshua to complete his legacy.

Usyk (21-0, 14 KO) is the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO champion and he most recently defeated Daniel Dubois by ninth round KO last August. The win came after being knocked down and unable to get to his feet for a few minutes after Dubois landed what seemed like a legal body shot, but shortly after was ruled a low blow by the referee. Usyk was able to recover and dominate the fight, but it did once again bring to light what seems to be his one weakness, shots to the body.

The Ukrainian fighter knows he is in for a tough fight with Fury. “To win this, I don’t need to be heavy, I need to be fast, and quick,” Usyk said.

“You never see a fat wolf in the forest.”

Usyk explained what motivates him. “I fight for legacy, not money,” he said.

“Heavyweight boxing has not had this kind of fight since 1999. I know the history.”

Fury is known for trash talking his opponents, but Usyk does think it has worked on him. “I sit in his head like a little tractor driver.”

The 37-year-old will be fighting for an entire nation on Saturday. Promoter Alexander Krassyuk explained, “Usyk is the real inspiration for Ukraine, for the guys on the front line”.

“When he speaks, these words inspire the Ukrainian people and the soldiers to fight the enemy and to have courage.”

“Usyk is not fighting for himself any more.”

The champion returned to his home country after the Russian invasion and spent time on the front lines. He explained it was his fellow soldiers that convinced him to return to the ring. “The guys from the armed forces convinced me that I need to prepare and fight to help my country on the international stage, talk about it and bring opportunities to Ukraine to restore my country,” Usyk said.

Usyk was a unified cruiserweight champion, and his critics still believe he is too small for heavyweight, despite having two wins over Anthony Joshua. He gives up a ton of size to Fury, but he has proven that does not impact his ability to strategically break down his opponents. Fury’s gameplan could be to punish Usyk to the body, but at what cost?

An Usyk win would put him in the best heavyweight of his era conversation and would set up a highly anticipated rematch with Fury. Fury has always responded well following a questionable performance. Media coverage leading up to the fight has proven that he is in much better shape than he was against Ngannou. Usyk’s sample size at heavyweight is small, but he has proven that as a boxer he could be Fury’s match.

The main card can be seen 12:00pm ET on PPV

UFC Vegas 92 Preview

The UFC is returning to the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada for UFC Vegas 92 on Saturday May 18. The main event will be in the featherweight division between veteran #12 Edson Barboza and undefeated contender #14 Lerone Murphy.

Barboza has won two straight fights having most recently defeated Sodiq Yusuff by unanimous decision in October. The Brazilian has become known by UFC fans as a dangerous knockout artist, but the 38-year-old is 5-5 in his last 10 fights. Despite his recent inconsistencies, he has been fighting in the UFC since 2010 and has won 18 fights with nine coming by TKO.

With a win on Saturday, Barboza has big plans. “If one guy deserves to fight for the BMF title, it’s me,” Barboza said. “Who has better highlight knockouts than me? Bro, imagine. I love Max Holloway, he’s one of my favorite fighters ever. I love to watch him fight, and he’s a very nice guy, very family guy, but imagine a fight against him for the BMF belt.”

He continued, “It’s going to be very, very good for me and him and the company. Like I said, I have 30 fights in the UFC. I think I deserve that. Of course, my focus is 100 percent on the next one, but I think it’s going to be good.”

Barboza explained it is his appreciation for BMF champion Max Holloway that is driving him to want the fight. “Bro, like I said, I love him,” Barboza said. “I loved to watch the whole fight. He showed heart. He’s a great striker. He played everywhere. He’s definitely one of my favorite fighters ever to watch. I think that he’s one of the best ever, and it’s going to be a pleasure sharing the octagon with him.”

When Holloway won the BMF belt it opened exciting options at both featherweight and lightweight with higher ranked fighters. Perhaps he will entertain the idea of a fight with Barboza if the Brazilian gets another massive knockout win over Murphy. Barboza must stay focused on Saturday’s opponent and not look ahead to Holloway, because Murphy has proven he is incredibly dangerous.

Barboza has key wins in his extensive career over Shane Burgos, Dan Hooker, Beneil Dariush, Gilbert Melendez, Anthony Pettis, Paul Felder and Bobby Green. Another win over a rising contender will remind the featherweight division that even at 38 years old, Barboza is not a steppingstone.

Murphy has won five straight fights since scoring a split draw against Zubaira Tukhugov at UFC 242 in 2019. He most recently won a unanimous decision over Joshua Culibao last July. The 32-year-old was excited to be offered a fight with Barboza.

"My first thoughts were, ‘wow, this is my opportunity, this is my breakthrough'," said Murphy.

"It was literally a text from the matchmaker wanting me to fight Barboza - five rounds. I thought, 'this is my time to shine now'.”

Murphy has dealt with near death experiences which have helped him prepare for the biggest fight of his life. In 2013 he almost lost his life after being shot in the face outside a barbers in Manchester, England and then in 2022 he was nearly killed again after being hit by a car while on his bicycle.

“Everything happens for a reason to put you on to a better path, and I feel like now is the time," he said.

"If I got this fight three years ago, maybe I wouldn't have been ready, but now I feel ready."

The English fighter knows what a win over Barboza will do for him. "I have to put on a performance, there's no two ways about it," said Murphy.

"One, for my own safety. And two, they've put me in the main event now, so there's no messing about. You can't be in no boring fights. I want this opportunity again.

"The big thing is fighting Edson Barbosa. He’s a legend of the sport and a dangerous fighter. That's what excites me and that's going to bring the best out of me."

The rest of the main event:

Welterweight - Khaos Williams vs. Carlston Harris

Welterweight - Themba Gorimbo vs. Ramiz Brahimaj

Bantamweight - Adrian Yanez vs. Vinicius Salvador

Women's Strawweight - #9 Luana Pinheiro vs. #12 Angela Hill

ESPN+ Prelims:

Light Heavyweight - Oumar Sy vs. Tuco Tokkos

Lightweight - Victor Martinez vs. Tom Nolan

Women's Bantamweight - Tamires Vidal vs. Melissa Gatto

Middleweight - Abus Magomedov vs. Warlley Alves

Women's Strawweight - Piera Rodriguez vs. Ariane Carnelossi

Flyweight - Alateng Heili vs. Kleydson Rodrigues

Women's Strawweight - Vanessa Demopoulos vs. Emily Ducote

UFC St. Louis Preview

The UFC will be heading back to the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO for just the second time in history on Saturday, March 11. The main event will be in the heavyweight division between fan-favorite #12 Derrick Lewis and surging prospect #15 Rodrigo Nascimento.

Since challenging for the heavyweight title in 2018, Lewis has gone 6-6 and most recently lost to Jailton Almeida by unanimous decision in November. The 39-year-old has learned to rebound from losses by completing highlight reel KO’s which makes him being a must-see fighter to fans, even if his title contender days may have passed him by.

However, Lewis does not think his best days are behind him. “I’m more excited about this fight than any other fight I’ve ever had,” Lewis said. “I trained my butt off for this one, and I don’t have no injuries coming into this fight. I’m feeling healthy. I’m less than 10 pounds away from making my weight already. And usually I’m like 15 pounds, 20 pounds before weigh-ins. I’m less than 10 pounds right now from making weight.

“I’m feeling great right now. I actually really feel like this is my prime. Whenever I was in my 20s, early 30s, I didn’t feel this good. Now I’m feeling fantastic right now.”

The Houston native says he has a surprise in store for the St. Louis crowd. “I want to do something special. I’ve been working on it on my in my garage. My coach don’t know nothing about this. So, what I’m about to throw out the first minute of my fight, my coach don’t have nothing to do with it. So, if you all see me throw something crazy, just know it wasn’t my coaches idea. It’s my idea. That’s how good I’m feeling right now.”

Lewis may have something planned for the fight on Saturday, but he also has plans on something more outside of the octagon. He answered online rumors swirling around the idea of him joining the WWE. “Yeah, we are actually in talks right now and we’ve been talking for a few months now. I was supposed to go down there in February to check everything out,” Lewis said.

While he has never become a champion, Lewis has had a storied career in the UFC. His start for the company dates back to 2014 and he has collected key victories over Gabriel Gonzaga, Roy Nelson, Travis Browne, Marcin Tybura, Francis Ngannou, Alexander Volkov, Blagoy Ivanov, Aleksei Oleinik, Curtis Blaydes, and Marcos Rogerio de Lima. He already has the UFC record for knockouts with 14, another KO on Saturday will solidify his position as the greatest knockout artist in UFC heavyweight division history.

Nascimento has won three straight fights and most recently defeated Don’Tale Mayes by unanimous decision in November. Since making his debut in 2020 he has gone 4-1-1 in the UFC. The Brazilian is confident heading into the fight with Lewis on Saturday.

“I have many ways to beat him,” Nascimento said. “Putting him on the ground is just one more way. I can strike, I can knock him out. I can finish him, or I can fight all five rounds.”

He continued, “For sure, he has a big name,” Nascimento said. “He has a good name and good hype on him, but after this Saturday, everyone is going to know my name because I will beat him.”

The 31-year-old is ready to perform in his first main event. “This is my first main event, that’s too different. Too different for sure. The preparation is hard. I’m gonna fight five rounds. I am ready, I am excited you know. I am ready for Saturday. For sure, it will be a big win,” he said.

Nascimento knows what a win over a name such as Lewis does for him. “This fight is super important for me. I always see that your next fight is always the most important fight. This guy is the next step to enter the top 10 for me. Everything I think now is him & Everything I know now is him. I will beat him.”

This fight will be a step up in challenge for Nascimento. Even though he is fighting a 39-year-old version of Derrick Lewis, he cannot underestimate the power, or it could be a short night for him. For Lewis, if he can minimize the grappling exchanges and stay off his back, he has the clear advantage on the feet.

The co-main event of the evening will be in the welterweight division between St. Louis native #11 Joaquin Buckley and Nursulton Ruziboev.

Buckley campaigned hard for a main event spot on the card in his hometown. He even crashed the UFC 300 press conference last month begging to be on the card from the stands. His viral moment even made UFC president Dana White smile. While he was added to the card late and did not get the main event spot, Buckley gets his wish to perform in front of his people in St. Louis.

The 30-year-old has won three straight having most recently defeated long-time contender Vicente Luque by second round TKO in March. He expressed his excitement to be fighting in St. Louis.

“I haven't fought here since 2018, and now to be fighting on the biggest promotion on the planet right at home and getting exactly what I asked for,” Buckley said. “We didn't get the main event, but still, co-main is just as nice and I'm excited to get this knockout.”

Buckley is ready to put on a show. “I feel like I'm bringing the fans out for this one,” Buckley said. “I think a lot of people, even though they're excited to see Derrick Lewis and excited to see all the other fighters, I think I'm kind of boosting up the numbers a little bit for this one.”

While Luque represents his biggest win and a spot in the rankings, he is taking things one fight at a time. “It means a lot to me that I'm able to be a ranked fighter now, and it gets me closer to that title,” Buckley said. “Every fight has its own rewards to it. I’m not looking back in the past with having that fight with Vicente; I'm blessed with it, and I'm blessed with that win. Now we're looking at Nursulton, who's now trying to take my spot, and I just got it. We're going to stop him from doing that.”

How does he feel about his opponent? “He's a big boy, 6'5, could have been an NBA player if he wanted to be,” Buckley said. “I don't know how his game is on the court, but regardless, though, I got to respect him. He has a lot of finishes in his career, and, of course, me, I'm a knockout artist as well, so this fight is not going to the judges, obviously.”

The St. Louis native knows how important a win in this fight could be for his career. “I think this is going to be the one that kind of blows me up,” Buckley said. “I think this is the one that actually takes my career to the next level and makes me skip some spots. A good performance over Nursulton and what he brings and what he has to offer, I feel like the UFC is definitely going to reward me after this.”

Ruziboev is 2-0 in the UFC and is coming off a first round TKO of Sedrique Dumas in March. The Uzbekistan native has fought his most recent fights at middleweight and has the clear size advantage over Buckley.

The 30-year-old talked about dropping down to welterweight for a big fight with Buckley. “Welterweight is my natural weight and I see myself going far in this division,” said Ruziboev. “I cut almost no weight at middleweight, so when the opportunity came, it was a no brainer for me to go down a weight class and take this fight.

“I want to fight in both weight classes,” he added, sharing his ideal vision for how things will work going forward. “If they need a short notice fight at middleweight, I will take it for sure, but for now I want to focus on welterweight.”

Ruziboev talked about his opponent. “Buckley is a very good fighter,” began the divisional debutant. “Fundamentally he is a striker, but we have seen him wrestle in fights before. I will be ready for all situations for this fight. I like this matchup because it’s at welterweight, both of us are strikers, and I like striking fights; they are exciting for the fans.”

He continued by addressing fighting in hostile territory against Buckley. “I have fought in my opponent’s hometown before and this is nothing new to me,” he added when asked about going from having tremendous support in Atlantic City to battling Buckley on his home turf this weekend. “Of course, I like when I have people who come and support me, but if not, then no problem, because inside the Octagon there is only two people.”

Despite fighting in the biggest fight of his career, Ruziboev has big plans for the night and beyond. “I’m prepared for three rounds, but I know I will finish this guy in the first round, Inshallah,” he said confidently. “Now I will finish my next opponent and crack the Top 15 rankings, (and) from Top 15, the title is not too far away. I have big plans in this company.

"After this fight, I want to fight at UFC 302 (on) June 1 in Newark.”

The rest of the main card:

Light Heavyweight - #11 Alonzo Menifield vs. Carlos Ulberg

Lightweight - Carlos Diego Ferreira vs. Mateusz Rębecki

Featherweight - #15 Alex Caceres vs. Sean Woodson

Heavyweight Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Robelis Despaigne

ESPN + prelims:

Lightweight - Chase Hooper vs. Viacheslav Borshchev

Lightweight - Terrance McKinney vs. Esteban Ribovics

Women's Strawweight - Tabatha Ricci vs. Tecia Pennington

Welterweight - Billy Goff vs. Trey Waters

Flyweight - Charles Johnson vs. Jake Hadley

Welterweight - Jared Gooden vs. Kevin Jousset

Women's Flyweight - JJ Aldrich vs. Veronica Hardy

Canelo vs. Munguia Preview

The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada will host a night of dynamic fights on Saturday, May 4th. Two title fights and two interim title fights will be on a card headlined by a showdown for the undisputed super middleweight championship between champion Canelo Alvarez and former light middleweight champion Jaime Munguia.

Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KO) has won three straight fights since unsuccessfully challenging for the WBA (Super) light heavyweight title against Dmitry Bivol in 2022. He most recently defeated Jermell Charlo by unanimous decision in September to retain his super middleweight titles.

The Mexican fighter has found himself embroiled in a conflict with former promoter Oscar De La Hoya. The two had a heated back and forth at Wednesday’s press conference where De La Hoya was supposed to be promoting Munguia, but instead used the opportunity to take shots at Alvarez.

Alvarez said of De La Hoya, "If I hadn't involved my lawyers, you would steal [money] from me," Alvarez told De La Hoya. "The only thing this man does is be a scourge of boxing. Steal from boxers. For whoever is with him, please contact your lawyers, because he is surely stealing from you. It's the only thing he comes to do in boxing,” he said.

"And the only thing he comes to do is steal attention from Jaime Munguia," Alvarez said, "he doesn't come to promote him."

As far as how Alvarez feels about the fight. "I'm so anxious to come Saturday night and just win in a fashionable way," Alvarez said.

The press conference was the first time Canelo and De La Hoya have been on a stage together, despite Alvarez having fought eight times since parting ways with the promotion. Is this the type of energy Canelo needs before a big fight with a younger proven champion?

Alvarez is in the top 10 pound for pound fighters in the world, a list where he once found himself at the top. The 33-year-old has already had an illustrious career with key victories over Gennady Golovkin (twice), Caleb Plant, Billy Joe Saunders, Sergey Kovalev, Daniel Jacobs, Miguel Cotto, Austin Trout, Shane Mosley and Kermit Cintron.

With a win Canelo will have plenty of options as far as his next fight goes. Names such as David Benavidez and Jermall Charlo have been thrown around. But what the boxing world truly needs to see is a showdown with pound for pound number one, Terence Crawford. Alvarez will not have an easy fight with Munguia, so he cannot overlook his fellow countrymen.

Munguia (43-0, 34 KO) is coming off a ninth round TKO over John Ryder in January. He is the former WBO light middleweight champion having won the belt at just 21 years of age. He defended the belt five times with key wins over Dennis Hogan, Takeshi Inoue and Liam Smith. He will without a doubt be facing the toughest test of his career on Saturday.

The Mexican fighter has shown Alvarez plenty of respect leading up to the fight. “I have nothing against Canelo; he has never done anything to me,” Munguia said. “I think we’re both categorized as two very respectful fighters.

“You’re going to get to see the action inside the ring, that’s the most important thing. It will be a great, exciting fight. It’s a fight where you’re going to see a lot of punches landed, and there will be great action for the fans.”

Munguia continued to talk about Alvarez and fighting at super middleweight. “Canelo is a very experienced fighter who has fought in many world championship bouts,” he said. “You have to watch out for everything. He can box, he can fight inside, he can fight in the middle of the ring.

“I feel great at 168. To be honest with you, I was having trouble making 160, and now, at 168, I feel right at home — fits like a glove. I’m using my youth and my vigor to get stronger every day. I’m training as hard as I can to be ready for May 4.”

Is he ready for a battle? “It’s going to be something great, something momentous for my career and for the fans who will be watching” said Munguia. “I can’t wait and I’m really excited.”

Also on the card is a fight for the WBC interim featherweight title between champion Brandon Figueroa and challenger Jesse Magdaleno.

Figueroa (24-1-1, 18 KO) won the belt in his last fight by unanimous decision over Mark Magsayo last March.

The 27-year-old is the former WBA (regular) and WBC super bantamweight champion, and he defended the WBA belt five times. Aside from Magsayo, he has key victories over Luis Nery and Moises Flores. He will have the opportunity to prove his championship value with a win over another former champion on Saturday.

Magdaleno (29-2, 18 KO) is trying to rebound from a loss by unanimous decision to Raymond Ford last April. He is the former WBO junior featherweight champion and defended the belt once. The 32-year-old can now can be a champion once again but will have his hands full with Figueroa.

A third title fight will be highlighted as Mario Barrios will defend his WBC interim welterweight title against Fabian Andres Maidana.

Barrios (28-2, 18 KO) won the belt in his last fight with a unanimous decision victory over Yordenis Ugas in September. He is also the WBA (Regular) super lightweight champion.

Maidana (18-1, 13 KO) will be fighting for the first time since 2021 where he won by unanimous decision victory over Carlos Cordoba. The 31-year-old has been sidelined by injuries and Covid, but will be fighting for his first major title on Saturday.

The fourth and final title fight will be for the WBA (Regular) welterweight title between champion Eimantas Stanionis and challenger Gabriel Maestre.

Stanionis (14-0-1, 9 KO) has not fought since April of 2022, but he won the belt with a split decision over Radzhab Butaev. The Lithuanian scored the biggest victory of his career in his last fight but will now face a different challenge in Maestre who is on a mission to win a title while he still has time.

Maestre (6-0-1, 5 KO) is coming off a second round TKO over Travon Marshall last August. The 37-year-old had an extensive amateur career where he represented Venezuela in two Olympic games. He will now have the chance to prove he is a championship caliber professional boxer.

UFC 301 Preview

The UFC will be invading the Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for UFC 301 on Saturday May 4th. The main event will be for the flyweight title between Brazilian champion Alexandre Pantoja and #10 Steve Erceg.

Pantoja defended the belt for the first time in his last fight where he won by unanimous decision victory over Brandon Royval at UFC 296. The Brazilian has won five straight fights and is looking to make his home country proud against a surging contender.

Pantoja is ready to defend the belt once again. “This is my time,” said Pantoja. “I want to beat the best. That’s what I’m doing.”

The 34-year-old is fighting for more than just himself. “I fight for my family, and I fight to represent the entire division,” said Pantoja. “I want to support my division. Flyweights are so much better than people realize. This division deserves the main event.”

How does Pantoja see the fight going? “Kill or die, that’s how I’m approaching this fight,” said Pantoja. “He is good enough to beat me. He’s going to fight with his heart and soul. But I’m still hungry.”

Pantoja won the belt after a hard-fought battle with two-time champion Brandon Moreno at UFC 290. The MMA world saw the fight as his arrival as not only a skilled fighter, but one that can withstand a war inside the octagon.

The champion believes he still has something to prove. “Fighting makes me feel free,” said Pantoja. “I keep telling myself I’m not the champion. I need to go out there and earn it. This is my chance to prove I’m the best in the world.”

Aside from wins over Royval (twice) and Moreno (twice), Pantoja has key wins over Alex Perez, Manel Kape, Matt Schnell, and Wilson Reis. He will have his hands full with Erceg who is big for the flyweight division and has proven he has one-punch knockout power.

After just three fights in the UFC, Erceg will be fighting for a title. He proved to the division that he is one to be feared after a one-punch second round knockout over Matt Schnell in his last fight in March.

How does the Australian feel about getting a title shot so quickly? “I know I wasn’t at the top of everyone’s mind when it came to a title shot,” Ergec said. “But just the way the division was with Pantoja already beating all the challengers, people are injured and the only other guy up for the shot was (Muhammad) Mokaev, I was on the same card as him, and I had a more exciting fight than him, (so) UFC decided to give me the shot.

“I’m here to be the best guy in the world, so whether I’m an underdog or favorite, it doesn’t matter to me. I’m going in there to fight another dude in a cage, and whoever is best is going to come out on top.”

Does Erceg feel the pressure of traveling to Brazil to face the Brazilian champion? “Honestly, I believe there’s just as much pressure on me as there is on Pantoja,” Erceg said. “I know that, yeah, technically he’s the champ, and he’s the favorite and all that, but I’ve been working for this dream my whole life, and this is the culmination of all my hard work. To lose here would be devastating. I have all the pressure on my shoulders, and I’m confident in the work I’ve done over the years. I’ve worked very hard for a very long time.”

The co-main event will be in the bantamweight division between #12 Jonathan Martinez and Brazilian legend Jose Aldo.

Martinez is coming off an impressive TKO victory over Adrian Yanez in October. The win was his sixth straight and his arrival into the top 15. The 30-year-old made his UFC debut in 2018 and he has gone 10-3. The Los Angeles native had plenty to say about Aldo’s return to Brazil.

“They got him back because they needed someone on this card, so they called on him,” Martinez said. “He was already retired, doing boxing, and I just think they paid him more to get him on this card.

“Also, in every interview, he says he wants to box and wants to get on that Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson card. I think he thinks this fight is going to be easy because that’s like a month and a half away. I hope he’s not sleeping on me because something can happen.”

Despite what he thinks of Aldo, Martinez knows he is in for a battle on Saturday. “Getting a win over him will put me close to that top five, and that’s what I’m looking for,” Martinez said. “I know this is a tough fight, and I’m training hard for it, and I’m confident. I know I prepared well, and you guys will see on Saturday.”

Aldo is a UFC legend and the former UFC featherweight champion. He is one of the most dominant fighters of his era and he scored seven title defenses. At one point he went undefeated for nine years with 18 straight wins. He is a solidified hall-of-famer but he has business to settle in his home country at UFC 301.

The former champion talked about what is rumored to be his last fight in the UFC and potential retirement. “When we started talking to Dana, they wanted to give me a new deal, but I really wanted to have this fight, which is what I’m focused on right now, to see where I’m at, and then we can take it from there,” Aldo said. “When I stopped fighting, when I retired, I had a lot of offers, a lot of money, but it’s never been about that. So that’s what we’re doing right now. We’re going to see where I’m at,” said Aldo.

The legend is ready for his return to Brazil. “Rio is where I got my start,” Aldo said. “It’s where I live. It’s where I train. It’s where my friends are. So, obviously, very meaningful to be fighting here. But in the end, I want to get in there and do my best and show everyone what I’ve been doing… “When we started talking to the UFC about this, the possibility was doing a new contract, a new agreement. But what I really want to do right now is just show everyone where I’m at, how I’m doing, do this fight, and then we can sit down with the UFC and see how it’s gonna go.”

The rest of the main card:

Light Heavyweight - #11 Anthony Smith vs. #15 Vitor Petrino

Middleweight - Michel Pereira vs. Ihor Potieria

Middleweight - #13 Paul Craig vs. #14 Caio Borralho

ESPN+ PRELIMS:

Featherweight - Jack Shore vs. Joanderson Brito

Strawweight - Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Lasmin Lucindo

Lightweight - Elves Brener vs. Myktybek orolbai

Lightweight - Joaquim Silva vs. Drakkar Klose

ESPN+ and ESPN 2 Early Prelims:

Lightweight - Mauricio Ruffy vs. Jamie Mullarkey

Women’s Flyweight - Dione Barbosa vs. Ernesta Kareckaite

Lightweight - Ismail Bonfim vs. Vinc Pichel

Flyweight- Alessandro Costa vs. Kevin Borjas

UFC 300 Preview

The UFC is making history at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 13th for UFC 300. The event is loaded with three championship fights,10 former champions, and several top contender battles. The main event will be for the light heavyweight belt between current champion Alex Pereira and former champion Jamahal Hill.

Pereira won the vacant belt in his last fight with a second round TKO of Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295. He will be fighting in just his eighth UFC event, but it will be his fourth time battling in a title fight during his short time with the UFC. He is the former middleweight champion but is now looking for his first successful title defense in the UFC.

The Brazilian’s rise in the UFC has been unlike any we have seen in history. It only took him three fights in the UFC to earn his first title shot and just one win at light heavyweight before being granted a shot at the belt. Pereira’s legacy will be solidified if he can successfully defend the title on Saturday.

Pundits are still questioning whether Hill will be 100 percent for this fight after rupturing his Achilles tendon in July which caused him to vacate the title. Pereira is not making that a major concern. “I’m not really thinking too much about his time off and injury,” Pereira said. “I’d like to think that if he’s here, and he accepted the fight, it’s because he’s 100 percent. He knows what kind of responsibility this is, and he knows who he’ll be fighting. In my mind, he’s good, and I’m going to do my part.”

Pereira knows the importance of defending the title. “That’s my job, and I tried to do it the best I could,” Pereira said of his middleweight title defense loss. “I tried to defend the belt, but I lost. I’m not the first person this happens to. I’m changing my mentality, and I’m someone that’s very realistic. I know I can lose, but in my mind, I’m here to fight and win.”

Is Pereira feeling the pressure of headlining such a historical event? "If you stop and think about it, some fighters come from the regional circuit, they're fighting in their own countries on a smaller scale, then they go to the big shows and they feel a difference," he said. "I fought in front of more than 30,000 people when I was in Glory, which is the biggest kickboxing organization in the world. I don't think I've fought in front of that many people in the UFC, and the level of opponents I fought in Glory, I fought the all-time bests in my weight classes.

"Putting all of that together made me very, very seasoned when I got to the UFC. There were no jitters—nothing. I was prepared."

Pereira respects Hill’s abilities. "He's a former champion," Pereira said of his UFC 300 opponent. "He's well-rounded. In terms of striking, I think our levels are a bit far apart, but he's a very strong guy, and he hits hard.”

The champion is optimistic about fighting again soon if everything goes according to plan on Saturday. "I can definitely, absolutely fight at UFC 301," he said. "Everything will be fine, as long as I don't have injuries. If I leave this fight [with Hill] injury free, I'll use this training camp to fight on that card against anybody the UFC puts in front of me."

You would think at 36 years old Pereira would show signs of slowing down, but he continues to defy the odds. How long does he plan on fighting? "What motivates me is to keep writing history," he said. "That motivation never ends.

"People say, 'When will it end?' It will end when I can't fight anymore. As long as I can keep fighting, I'll keep going."

Hill has not fought since the beginning of 2023 where he won the vacant title at UFC 283 by unanimous decision over former champion Glover Texeira. The 32-year-old is 6-1-1 in the UFC and will now have the chance to win back the belt that he never defended.

Despite being a former champion, Hill has noticed a level of disrespect at his chances of winning from the MMA world. "There's some annoyance, there's a chip there. I want to go in and show who I truly am at my peak form. I believe at my peak form, there's nobody close to me. I'm not going to talk you to death, I'm not going to try and convince you of anything. I'll just show it,” Hill said.

He continued, "That's the reason why I stepped aside, for business to continue as usual. The show must go on, and I'm not exempt from that. I'm not a hater. I want to see people accomplish their goals. I want to see everybody make it, fulfilling their dreams.

"The division progressing only benefits me. I'm excited to see these new guys coming in, I'm excited to see these guys reinventing themselves. We're in for some great times: 205 hit the lottery. We have very solid talents and very solid fights upcoming in this division."

What is Hill’s prediction? "Domination. It's what I come with every time. One thing I've stood for the entire time I've stepped in this game, the entire time I've been active fighting, is domination."

The co-main event will be an all China battle for the strawweight title between champion Zhang Weili and #1 contender Yan Xiaonan.

Weili is a two-time champion and has defended the belt twice. She first won the belt back in 2019 with a first round TKO over Jessica Andrade in China. She would successfully defend the belt one time in one of the greatest fights of all-time against Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 248. After losing the belt at UFC 261 in 2021, Weili would work her way back to another title shot at UFC 281, where she became a two-time champion via a second-round submission of Carla Esparza. She has already solidified her position as one of the greatest female champions of all-time and a win on Saturday gets her closer to Hall of Fame status.

How does the champion feel about an all China title fight? “This is another fight for me, but on the other hand, this also means so much for the MMA sport’s development and growth in China,” Weili said.

Weili has respect for her opponent on Saturday. “I see that Xiaonan has grown a lot,” Weili said. “especially in her strength, as well as her grappling, on the ground, everything.”

Xiaonan is 8-2 in the UFC and most recently defeated former champion Jessica Andrade by first round KO last May at UFC 288. Since making her UFC debut in 2017, she has gained wins over Angela Hill, Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Claudia Gadelha, and Mackenzie Dern. She can now shock the world with her biggest win on Saturday.

How does Xiaonan feel about fighting her fellow Chinese fighter? “There are still more people supporting her,” Xiaonan said. “But I have my family, my friends and my coaching team supporting me. All my people will support me. To me, that’s enough.”

The 34-year-old knows she has to be at her best against Weili. “Weili is a great fighter. Every fight, she shows that to everybody,” Xiaonan said. “But I also believe I’m a good fighter. I think I will show you guys the best version of myself.”

A third title fight will be featured at UFC 300. BMF champion Justin Gaethje will defend his BMF title against former featherweight champion and all-time great Max Holloway. The fight will be fought at lightweight where Gaethje has fought most of his career. For Holloway out of his 32 fights will only be fighting at lightweight for the sixth time as he spent most of his career fighting at 145 pounds.

Gaethje won the title last July at UFC 291 with a second-round knockout in a rematch with lightweight contender Dustoin Poirier. The former interim lightweight champion has won two straight fights since unsuccessfully challenging for the lightweight title at UFC 274 in 2022.

The 35-year-old instantly became a fan-favorite with his calculated brawling style and he showcased his skills in key victories over Rafael Fiziev, Michael Chandler, Tony Ferguson, Donald Cerrone and Edson Barboza.

Gaethje has big plans if he wins on Saturday. “I know with a win here, I fight for the (lightweight) belt,” Gaethje said. “I know with a loss here, that all goes away. That’s what I’m fighting for.”

He continued, “I’m a quarter-mile at a time kind of guy,” Gaethje said. “I do not look too far ahead. Honestly, I have no clue what the future holds. I don’t usually plan on being alive the day after my fights, so hopefully I’m there on Sunday.

“… I don’t play what-ifs, but you don’t pass up a championship opportunity. I do want my time (off). I do think June would probably be impossible for me, as every time I fight is a traumatic life experience. I need to go home and unwind, take care of my body, take care of my head. But I have coaches and a manager who ultimately make those decisions, so if they say, ‘Go,’ I go.”

Max Holloway has won two straight fights having most recently defeated Chan Sung Jung via third round KO in August. The former champion defended the featherweight title three times and had three epic battles with Alexander Volkanovski, however coming up short in all three. He challenged for the interim lightweight title back in 2019 but lost a unanimous decision to Dustin Poirier.

The MMA world is wondering if Holloway will stay at lightweight or bid for another featherweight title shot. “We’ll see what happens,” Holloway said. “In this sport, having options is always good. First thing’s first is Justin Gaethje. But there is a fun fight down there, and that man keeps talking, and I keep hearing him. My only advice to (Topuria) is when the contract comes up, sign the dotted line. Don’t make any excuses.”

While Holloway is keeping his options open, it seems he has his eyes set on a featherweight title fight with newly crowned champion Ilia Topuria. “Questionable, I’d say,” Holloway said when asked about his opinion on Topuria. “Questionable. That guy, everyone keeps asking me what do I think of Topuria – and I think he’s questionable.

“I’d fight him, but you go ask him that question about me. At the end of the day, UFC, I always want to fight for that title. I always want to do this. A lot of contenders they gave me. They gave me a lot of up-and-coming contenders, and there’s one that didn’t come up toward my way. You can ask UFC about that. You can ask him the question.”

Holloway made his UFC debut in 2012 and since then he has collected key victories over Cub Swanson, Charles Oliveira, Jeremy Stephens, Ricardo Lamas, Anthony Pettis, Jose Aldo (twice), Brian Ortega, Frankie Edgar, Calvin Kattar, Yair Rodriguez and Arnold Allen. He is already a hall of famer, so with a win over Gaethje what else is left other than one more title shot?

The rest of the main card:

Lightweight - #1 Charles Oliveira vs. #4 Arman Tsarukyan

Middleweight - Bo Nickal vs. Cody Brundage

ESPN/ESPN+ Prelims:

Light Heavyweight - #2 Jiří Procházka vs. #5 Aleksandar Rakić

Featherweight - #8 Calvin Kattar vs. #2 (BW) Aljamain Sterling

Women's Bantamweight - #5 Holly Holm vs. Kayla Harrison

Featherweight - #13 Sodiq Yusuff vs. Diego Lopes

ESPN/ESPN+ Early Prelims:

Lightweight- #10 Jalin Turner vs. #13 Renato Moicano

Women's Strawweight - #4 Jéssica Andrade vs. #6 Marina Rodriguez

Lightweight #14 Bobby Green vs. Jim Miller

Bantamweight - #8 Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Cody Garbrandt

UFC On ESPN 54 Preview

The UFC is invading the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Saturday March 30th. The main event will be in the women’s flyweight division between #2 Erin Blanchfiled and #3 Manon Fiorot, with the winner most likely being the next to challenge for the flyweight title.

Blanchfield is 6-0 in the UFC and she most recently defeated former title challenger Taila Santos by unanimous decision in August. The only loss of her career came back in 2019 by split decision before she entered the UFC.

Does Blanchfield feel this fight will earn her a title shot? “I feel like it definitely should be (a title eliminator),” Blanchfield said. “I’m No. 2, she’s No. 3. The only two girls ahead of us are the girls that have been fighting for the title. So when I win Saturday, I feel like I’m definitely a lock for the title.

“I think you could definitely argue this is like my third No. 1 contender fight. I’m just gaining experience every time. I’m 24 years old fighting super tough girls. I feel like I’m getting so much better from it, and when I do get that title shot, and win that championship, I’ll definitely be a champ.”

How does Blanchfield feel she matches up with Fiorot? “I don’t know (if she’s my toughest test),” Blanchfield said. Every fight is obviously super tough. Everyone in the top five is super tough. We’ve both beat former champions. My last fight was with Taila Santos who some people thought beat Valentina (Shevchenko). We’ve both had tough fights. I think my road’s been a little bit tougher.

“Our records are very similar. She’s long and rangy. I’ve had months to strategize for that and I feel super prepared for this fight and I’m excited to show it off on Saturday.”

Fiorot is also 6-0 in the UFC and most recently defeated former champion Rose Namajunas by unanimous decision in September. She also has win sover former title challengers Katlyn Chookagian, Jennifer Maia, and Mayra Bueno Silva.

Does the French Fighter believe she is next in line for a title shot with a win on Saturday? “You know, obviously, I already deserve two times the title shot, but you know life goes on, sometimes injuries [happen.] That’s the way it is. Of course, I know and I believe the next fight will be the title and I know they have to make the trilogy for the third fight before. I’ll wait: no problem; but the next one is [for] the title,” Fiorot said.

What does Fiorot think of Blanchfield? “No, to be honest it’s not the roughest and the hardest fight for me in my MMA career,” said Fiorot. “Because she didn’t have the same kind of opponents that I had. I had very rough opponent[s], these three last ones were very strong. I have beaten a [former] champ, Rose, who is an amazing fighter so I don’t think it’ll be the hardest.”

While Fiorot is confident, Blanchfield cannot be taken lightly. She has shown in her last two fights that she not only durable, but fully capable of keeping the same frenetic pace for five rounds. Fiorot has proven she has finishing ability, but in order to defeat Blanchfield she will need to be able to deal with constant pressure, something she has not seen in her last five fights.

The Rest of the main card:

Welterweight - #11Vicente Luquevs.Joaquin Buckley

Middleweight - Chris Weidmanvs.Bruno Silva

Middleweight - Nursulton Ruziboevvs.Sedriques Dumas

Featherweight - Bill Algeovs.Kyle Nelson

Welterweight - Chidi Njokuanivs.Rhys McKee

ESPN + Prelims:

Featherweight - Nate Landwehrvs.Jamall Emmers

Women's Strawweight - Virna Jandirobavs.Loopy Godinez

Catchweight - (147.25 lb)Julio Arcevs.Herbert Burns

Featherweight - Dennis Buzukjavs.Connor Matthews

Light HeavyweightIbo - Aslanvs.Anton Turkalj

Women's Flyweight - Viktoriia Dudakovavs.Melissa Gatto

Middleweight - Andre Petroskivs.Jacob Malkoun

Bantamweight - Angel Pachecovs.Caolán Loughran

Tszyu vs. Fundora Preview

The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada will host a quintet of title fights on Saturday, March 30th. In the main event, WBO junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu will defend his title against former WBC interim champion Sebastian Fundora. The fight will also be for the vacant WBC title.

The main event was originally scheduled to be Tszyu to face former champion Keith Thurman at a catchweight of 155 pounds, but Thurman was forced to withdraw due to injury. Fundora will step in on short notice to fight for the titles.

Tsyzyu (24-0, 17 KO) retained the title for the first time in his last fight against with a unanimous decision victory over Brian Mendoza in October. Tszyu became interim champion last March with a ninth round TKO of former champion Tony Harrison and then defended that title in June with a first round KO of Carlos Ocampo. He was promoted to regular champion shortly before the fight with Mendoza.

The Australian fighter is motivated by the change in opponent. "It's a different feel, this fight. I wouldn't say it's a feeling of anger but it has just been built up and it's time to prove," Tszyu said. "I'm literally firing right now and I feel different. I think it just came from the news that Thurman is out.

"Before, I was too relaxed. Now, I'm not. I haven't felt this way in a long time."

The 29-year-old continued, "A lot of growth is happening. I'm going from training camp to training camp to training camp," Tszyu said. "Four fights in 12 months and that pays off. I'm getting better and better each time. I'm learning new things in the game. I'm just willing to test myself out every time.

"I think it's quite obvious -- [Fundora] is tall. But he uses his uppercuts to his advantage and they are quite long. A lot of people have the same gameplan to just get inside because he is so tall. But they also underestimate my skills."

Tszyu was prepared for Thurman but feels like he knows how to defeat Fundora. "Compared to Thurman, of course, it's a completely different gameplan," Tszyu said. "I know what to do with southpaws and I know how to fight tall guys. It's all about adjustments and even though we haven't had much time, they have been made. In one day, two hours. It was one session.

"I'm going to hurt him bad. That's the plan. Someone in the crowd is going to catch a head flying. That's the plan."

The champion has only fought outside of Australia once and he will be taking his talents under the bright lights of Las Vegas for the first time. There have been talks that with a win, he could be matched up with pound for pound great Terence Crawford. What does he think?

"[Crawford] is an opportunity to become a great, for sure," Tszyu said. "This is the first opportunity to do things that no one else does and to save the show [and] to still start this historic card. Once the opportunity arises for Crawford, that's going to be a war.”

He concluded, "I guess you could say I feel right at home [fighting in Las Vegas for the first time]. This is business, I get to relax later."

Fundora will be trying to rebound from a seventh round KO loss to Brian Mendoza last April, where he lost the WBC junior middleweight title. The 26-year-old commented on his first career loss. “I got a reminder – you can’t play boxing. You cannot play boxing,” Fundora said.

He continued, “You cannot make these mistakes. Small, little mistakes, you cannot make ’em because if you do, you pay for it, and that’s what I got in that fight.”

Fundora has an aggressive style that is fan pleasing, but he must fight a smarter fight against Tszyu. He believes he has made the necessary changes in his training. “What I like the most about myself right now is using my brain more,” he said. “I’m a smarter fighter. I’ve gone back to the basics.”

While he has taken the fight on short notice, Fundora believes he is ready to shock the world. “This opportunity is a big surprise, but it is a good surprise. The way I was training we would be ready for what I would say anybody. The fast that we get this fight now, I would say everything is lined up right.”

Tszyu is considered by many in the boxing world to be a future star, but Fundora can spoil that on Saturday. Fundora poses a new threat unlike any Tszyu has seen thus far, standing at 6’5. He was using his range well in the earlier part of the Mendoza fight but like he said, he got sloppy. If he can keep Tszyu from getting inside and avoid his power shots, he could cause problems for the champion.

Also on the main card is a fight for the WBA junior welterweight title. Champion Rolando Romero will defend against former title challenger Isaac Cruz.

Romero won the vacant title in his last fight with a ninth round TKO of Ismael Barroso last May. The victory was a big rebound from the first loss of his career where he suffered a sixth round TKO at the hands of Gervonta Davis.

Romero is not impressed with his challenger. “He’s not that unique,” Romero said. “I fight guys like him all the time. This has probably been the easiest time I’ve ever had finding sparring in my life. He can be replicated; I can’t. My style goes hand in hand with my personality – it’s unique.”

The talk of this fight has been how will Romero handle the pressure of Cruz. Romero responded to Cruz and his critics. “If you want to come right at me and get cracked, go for it,” Romero said. “He can do all that stuff with the small guys he fights, but I’m a big fighter and I hit harder than anyone at the weight class. I’m always here to go for the knockout and to go for the kill. I’m not here to just touch you – I want to pop you.

“I’m gonna knock him out. He’s gonna come forward and I’m gonna stop him. He gets hit with everything, so it could be any kind of punch.”

Cruz battled Davis to hard fought decision loss back in 2021. Many pundits believe he has more valuable experience than Romero. The champion is ready to put an end to the talk. “All I am doing right now is getting ready to shut his mouth, punch by punch,” Cruz said. “With every punch, he is going to talk a little less.”

Since losing to Davis, Cruz has won three straight fights. He most recently defeated Giovanni Cabrera by split decision in July. The Mexican fighter knows he has something to prove on Saturday. “All I can do is prove to everyone why I am deserving of this shot to be a world champion and why I should be in the biggest fights,” Cruz said.

Cruz will be fighting at 140 pounds for the first time in his career. How does he feel? “This is huge motivation,” he said. “It’s a great source of happiness for me. I’m channeling that into really training hard so I can make a great impression at 140 pounds.”

“All I can do is prove to everyone why I am deserving of this shot to be a world champion and why I should be in the biggest fights.”

While Cruz has predicted a knockout, he is ready for any kind of fight. “I’m ready for all 12 rounds, for whatever is going to happen,” he said. “… I’m really happy to be part of the first ever broadcast of Prime Video with PBC. It’s going to be really exciting.”

Two other title fights will be on the undercard on Saturday. Erislandy Lara will defend his WBA middleweight title against Michael Zerafa and Brian Mendoza will defend his interim WBC junior middleweight title against Serhii Bohachuck.

UFC Vegas 89 Preview

The UFC is returning to the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, March 23rd for UFC Vegas 89. The main event will be in the women’s flyweight division between #8 Amanda Ribas and former two-time strawweight champion Rose Namajunas.

Since the beginning of 2021 Ribas has gone 3-3 but most recently defeated Luana Pinheiro by TKO in November for one of the best knockouts of 2023. The Brazilian has struggled to call a weight class home but will once again make the return to flyweight after an impressive victory at strawweight in her last fight.

Ribas is prepared to put on a show in her first main event. “Since the first time that I signed a UFC poster, I was imaging my face there,” Ribas said. “Yesterday I signed with my face, and since the first day at camp I was like, ‘OK, the time is now. You are doing the main event. So let’s go.’

“I’m prepared for all – to do five rounds, to the end or the beginning. I’m training to do a war and do a really good fight for the fans to enjoy and say this is worth being a main event.”

The 30-year-old expects to fight a championship level Namajunas. “I always put in my mind that I will fight the best Rose Namajunas ever,” Ribas said. “I’m training for the best in her. If something comes not like this, I’m prepared.”

While Ribas has traded fights at strawweight and flyweight, she wants to continue to look for the best opportunities regardless of weight class. “I really enjoyed last year where I did three fights,” Ribas said. “I hope I can do three fights this year, too, inside the octagon, and I hope if I win, God will bless me with that, I can do a top five and maybe go to the belt.”

What is missing from Ribas’ record is a marquee victory, and that is exactly what Namajunas represents. If she wants to continue to look for the best opportunities, a win over Namajunas will create a path for Ribas to go on a title run, at flyweight or strawweight.

Namajunas is trying to rebound from two straight losses. She made her flyweight debut in September but lost a unanimous decision to Manon Fiorot. That fight followed a split decision loss to Carla Esparza at UFC 274 where she lost the strawweight title.

The 31-year-old believes fighting at flyweight is the best weight class for her moving forward. “I just think health-wise, to me, it is just not a healthy thing to do at this point,” Namajunas said. “I know that I could keep pushing through it, my mind got a lot stronger with cutting the weight but I could tell my body was not liking that as much. I could tell from my last strawweight fight, my eyes were sunken in and it’s hard to see myself like that. Even though the will gets stronger, the flesh gets weaker so to me, I’m all about health and wellness, even though we are about to go and fight, I want to preserve as much as possible.”

Namajunas has goals of adding even more to her championship resume. “Becoming two-division champion this year would be awesome. But I know that’s a very steep mountain to climb, and I know I have had some setbacks so I obviously I got to be realistic, but I do believe that is very realistic, and anything, God willing that is what is going to happen. I just have to take care business of this weekend,” Namajunas said.

Despite her current losing streak, Namajunas is one of the greatest women’s fighters of all-time. She has two wins over current strawweight champion Zhang Weili, two wins over former champion and hall of famer Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Jessica Andrade, Michelle Waterson, Tecia Torres and Paige VanZant. With a win over Ribas, she could be just one more win away from a flyweight title shot.

The rest of the main card:

Heavyweight - Justin Tafa vs. Karl Williams

Middleweight - Edmen Shahbazyan vs. A.J. Dobson

Bantamweight - Payton Talbott vs. Cameron Saaiman

Featherweight - Billy Quarantillo vs. Youssef Zalal

Featherweight - Fernando Padilla vs. Luis Pajuelo

ESPN+ Prelims:

Lightweight - Kurt Holobaugh vs. Trey Ogden

Featherweight - Ricardo Ramos vs. Julian Erosa

Bantamweight - Miles Johns vs. Cody Gibson

Featherweight - Jarno Errens vs. Steven Nguyen

Women's Bantamweight - Montserrat Rendon vs. Darya Zheleznyakova

Flyweight - Igor Severino vs. André Lima

Heavyweight - Mohammed Usman vs. Mick Parkin

UFC Vegas 88 Preview

The UFC is returning to the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday March 16th for UFC Vegas 88. The main event will be in the heavyweight division between fan-favorite #9 Tai Tuivasa vs. battle-tested veteran #10 Marcin Tybura.

Tuivasa is trying to rebound from three straight losses having most recently lost by second round submission to Alexander Volkov in September at UFC 293. Prior to the losing streak he won five straight and was on the verge of a title shot. His title shot hopes were halted when he lost a main event to Ciryl Gane by third round KO in one of the best fights of 2022.

While no fight is ever easy, the 30-year-old will not have a new set of challenges against Tybura. They were originally scheduled to fight at UFC 298, but the fight was moved because Tuivasa had to have surgery due to a torn meniscus. Does this put added pressure on him as he tries to end his losing streak?

“There’s always pressure, but it’s no pressure I haven’t seen before. I’ve been here before in my life and infighting. My preparation has been good, so I’m relying on that. Marcin has been around for a long time – I’ve watched him for many years. He’s very experienced. I’m not going to be able to bring anything that he hasn’t seen before. I know his plan is to try to drag me through the rounds and then try to wear me down, I suppose. But this is the heavyweight division and I want to come down and come hard and try to get this job done,” said Tuivasa.

Has Tuivasa had enough time to recover from surgery?  “Yeah, it feels good, I’ve got a good team around me and we’ve been doing everything we can to get it sweet, so I’m confident and confident in my team. The knee’s all good it just is what it is, I’m getting old and fat but get better looking every day. Like I said I feel good, I’m confident in my team I’ve got a good team around me, a lot of old school mixed with new school, and just everyone from the area so it’s good to be home training at home around familiar faces and I get to do my daddy duties as well.”

This is not new ground for Tuivasa as he has been on a three-fight losing streak before. After the first losing streak he then reeled off five straight victories with the biggest win coming against Derrick Lewis. The Australian had a promising start in the UFC and while he is still 8-6, he needs to make a statement on Saturday. Tuivasa is known as a stand-and-bang fighter and in his 20-fight career, has only been to a decision twice. It is unlikely he goes 25 minutes with Tybura, but his best chance at scoring a signature knockout will come earlier in the fight.

Tybura is 7-2 in his last nine fights but is trying to rebound from a first round TKO loss to Tom Aspinall in July. How does he feel about the fight being moved? “When the fight was moving it was a little bit hard because you already the camp and you’re just a little bit tired and you’re waiting for the final days, and it’s rescheduled,” Tybura said. “So that’s a little bit damaged to the camp schedule. But it was cool. It’s always nice to see your face on the fight posters. I agreed because I know there was some problems with Tai there.”

The 38-year-old respects the power of Tuivasa. “I think Tai is an exciting fighter,” Tybura said. “Fans love him. For sure the first thing that comes to mind is his heavy hands. He’s strong. He tries to finish. He’s dangerous every second of the fight. That’s pretty much it. That’s how I would describe him.”

Does Tybura think cardio will come into play, which is not Tuivasa’s strongest asset? “I don’t mind the cardio-wise going 25 minutes. I’ve been doing this before and I’m pretty sure about my cardio. But my approach is always go for the finish. Try to finish the fight. I’m hoping to get that done.”

Tybura has proven that he can go 25 minutes but does he have the ability to finish the fight? If he chooses to test the power of Tuivasa for longer than the first two minutes of the fight, this battle has the potential to be fight of the year.

The rest of the main card:

Welterweight - Bryan Battle vs. Ange Loosa

Light Heavyweight - Ovince Saint Preux vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu

Women's Bantamweight - #6 Pannie Kianzad vs. #10 Macy Chiasson

Middleweight - Gerald Meerschaert vs. Bryan Barberena

Featherweight - Christian Rodriguez vs. Isaac Dulgarian

ESPN + Prelims:

Lightweight - Thiago Moisés vs. Mitch Ramirez

Lightweight - Natan Levy vs. Mike Davis

Women's Bantamweight - #13 Josiane Nunes vs. #14 Chelsea Chandler

Flyweight - Jafel Filho vs. Ode' Osbourne

Featherweight - Joshua Culibao vs. Danny Silva

Women's Strawweight - Cory McKenna vs. Jaqueline Amorin

Bantamweight - Charalampos Grigoriou vs. Chad Anheliger

UFC 299 Preview

The UFC will be invading the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida on Saturday, March 9th for UFC 299. The main event will be a rematch for the bantamweight title between champion Sean O’Malley and the only fighter to defeat him, #5 Marlon Vera.

O’Malley won the title in his last fight in August at UFC 292 with a second round TKO of Aljamain Sterling. Vera defeated O’ Malley by first round TKO at UFC 252 in 2020, but the champion is no bothered by the loss.

“Yeah, that fight never necessarily bothered me,” O’Malley said. “Look where I’m at now. That fight plays out a different way, I win that fight, and then next fight I fight somebody I wasn’t ready for, and I lose, and my career completely plays out differently. So I go out there and knock out Thomas Almeida like seven times with a beautiful performance, so I’m just grateful for everything that’s happened, but yeah, that fight has never really bothered me. I’m excited to go out there and do what I was going to do in that first fight.”

While O’ Malley has been vocal about the loss to Vera not being real, he does respect the challenge that Vera will bring on Saturday. “His durability,” O’Malley commented on Vera. “He’s hard to put away. If you can’t put him away, you better be ready to go for 25 minutes, so I plan on a 25-minute war.”

But he still has the same opinion of the first fight. “If he were to beat me, he’d beat me once,” O’Malley said. “It’s that simple.”

Aside from his belief that he won the first fight, O’Malley knew that becoming champion would mean a rematch with Vera.  “There was more deserving opponents, but the biggest fight as far as pay-per-view, the storyline, it was Chito Vera, 100%”, O’Malley said.

“This fight is going to play out the way the first fight was about to play out.”

Vera is 5-2 since defeating O’Malley and most recently defeated Pedro Munhoz by unanimous decision at UFC 292 in August. The two have no bad blood lost leading into this fight and Vera has not hesitated to voice his opinion of O’Malley.

“I get it. One of his main tools is getting in people’s heads,” Vera said. “Good luck with that. I’m going to f*** you up. I’m prepared for Saturday night. So he’s trying to start things. Yesterday, he asked me if I was ready to lose the fight. They didn’t catch my answer. I would have loved the camera to catch what I said back to him, but they only got one side. But that’s just one tool to the game. I’m ready for a fight. My mind is in the right place and I’m going to kick his ass.”

The Ecuadorian fighter continued, “I don’t give two f*cks about what he’s doing, who he talks for,” Vera said. “I focus [on] myself, I focus [on] my schedule, my training, my body, my mind and whatever he’s doing, I don’t give two f**ks about him or his life.”

Vera concluded, “I’m going to get in there and I’m going to drill a hole through his face. Then what? There’s no talking in there. I know his corner likes to [talk] when we’re in there, but I would love my corner to give me advice to win the fight. If my corner is more concerned about talking sh*t about my opponent and they don’t tell me what to do, I wouldn’t be with those people. But the whole circle: I mean it’s just like, it’s all a full rainbow in there, right? And we know what it stands for these days.”

The 31-year-old made his UFC debut in 2014 and is 15-7 having found the most success in his last 14 fights. Aside from Munhoz and O’Malley, he has key wins over Dominick Cruz, Rob Font and Frankie Edgar. He has never been finished and has fought five rounds only once, losing a split decision to top contender Corey Sandhagen. If Vera gets a second win over O’Malley, how soon does the UFC book a trilogy fight?

The Rest of the Main Card:

Lightweight - #3 Dustin Poirier vs. #12 Benoît Saint Denis

Welterweight - #13 Kevin Holland vs. Michael Page

Welterweight - #4 Gilbert Burns vs. #11 Jack Della Maddalena

Bantamweight - #4 Petr Yan vs. #7Song Yadong

ESPN+ Prelims:

Heavyweight - #5 Curtis Blaydes vs. - #7 Jailton Almeida

Women's Flyweight - #4 Katlyn Cerminara vs. #6 Maycee Barber

Lightweight - #6 Mateusz Gamrot vs. #11 Rafael dos Anjos

Bantamweight - #13 Pedro Munhoz vs. Kyler Phillips

ESPN + Early Prelims:

Light Heavyweight - Ion Cuțelaba vs. Philipe Lins

Middleweight - Michel Pereira vs. Michał Oleksiejczuk

Heavyweight - Robelis Despaigne vs. Josh Parisian

Catchweight (127 lb) - C.J. Vergara vs. Assu Almabayev

Women's Flyweight - Joanne Wood vs. Maryna Moroz

Joshua vs. Ngannou Preview

The Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia will feature  a powerful night of boxing on Friday, March 8th. Former two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will battle former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.

Joshua has won three straight fights since his departure from being a champion and he most recently defeated Otto Wallin by fifth round TKO in December. The 34-year-old had seven title defenses and key wins over Kubrat Pulev, Andy Ruiz Jr, Alexander Povetkin, Joseph Parker, Wladimir Klitschko, Eric Molina and Charles Martin.

The former champion knows a potential fight with current WBC champion Tyson Fury could be on the horizon with a win. “All will be revealed,” Joshua commented.

He continued, “Just straight-out war, relentless, a good fight. That’s what everyone is here for, a good fight.”

The English fighter concluded, “I spar, I do my film study, all that type of stuff. I keep it professional.

“But on the night is on the night. That’s different. All that textbook stuff goes out the window. You’ve just got to be relentless, give it your best. It’s already written in the stars what’s going to happen, I’m just going to follow my destiny.”

Fury has a scheduled fight in May with the man who took Joshua’s WBA (super), IBF, WBO, IBO titles Oleksandr Usyk. While the boxing world has long awaited a showdown between Fury and Joshua as they are bitter rivals, Fury will have his hands full with Usyk. Joshua has lost to Usyk twice, so should Usyk defeat Fury will we see Joshua vs. Usyk 3?

While Joshua looked to be back to his old form in his last fight, many across the boxing world feel taking this fight with Ngannou was a bad move by on his part. Former super-middleweight champion Carl Froch who was trained with Joshua, does not see a positive outcome for his friend and mentor.

“If he hits AJ on the chin like [he did against Fury], AJ gets caught, he stays hurt, he takes ages to recover. He blew a gasket against Pulev. He was boxing, moving doing well then he needed four or five rounds off before he got the job done,” said Froch.

“He won’t have that time with Ngannou. Ngannou will put him on it, it’s only 10 round fight. It’s kind of like an exhibition, which is why it’s dangerous for AJ. He needs to go in there and get it won and earn his money, which is the only reason he’s doing it.

“AJ is trying to get this undisputed fight with the winner of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, but that’s still going to be there for him, so this is potentially a real bad move if it goes wrong for him, as it could be the end of his career.”

Francis Ngannou made his professional boxing debut last October against the best heavyweight of his generation Tyson Fury. He shocked the world by knocking down Fury in the third round of the fight, but Fury would go on to win a razor thin split-decision. Many pundits believe Ngannou won the fight.

It was argued that Ngannou would get outclassed having come from MMA against a technician like Fury, but he was not outmatched and proved he belongs among the top of the heavyweight ranks. Many questions were asked about the fight. Did Ngannou strike lighting or did Fury not take the fight seriously?  Ngannou now once again has the chance to use his punching power to shock the world twice against Joshua. There were many unknowns about how Ngannou would look in the ring against a fighter as skilled as Fury, so if he was taken lightly by Fury, Joshua will not make that same mistake.

Ngannou is confident heading into just his second pro fight against one of the best in the world. "Everything is a clue. I mean, every space that I have an opening, I'm going to hit. So, don't you worry about where is the key or the clue, so I'm not going to let any stone unturned and any opportunity unexplored,” said Ngannou.

While the Cameroonian fighter has appeared to be focused on Joshua, he also seems to have his sights set on a rematch with Fury, who interrupted the fight press conference on Wednesday. Directed at Fury, “You’re going to sleep in the [ring] again and I’m going to wipe the ring with your ass again,” Ngannou said. “You wiped the ring with your ass, that was the blood in the ring sticking to your pants.”

He concluded the back and forth by saying, “I tell you, your only chance is in the ring with the boxing rules,” Ngannou said. “When you step off of that ring, you better stay five meters away before you talk your s*** because if I lose it, you’re going to have a really bad time, my friend.

“Respect the fact that boxing is protecting us and the rules of boxing are protecting us because without that, you are nothing in front of me. I would beat you every day, twice on Sunday.”

A second heavyweight title fight will be showcased on the card. Interim WBO champion Zhilei Zhang will defend his title against former champion Joseph Parker.

Zhang (26-1-1, 21 KO) is coming off two straight wins over Joe Joyce in which he won and defended the WBO interim title. His last fight came against Joyce in September, and he had the most impressive performance of his career finishing Joyce in three rounds.

The Chinese Fighter believes this fight with Parker will lead to big things in the heavyweight division.  “The fight with Parker is one I have wanted for some time. We both had big years, and his win over [Deontay] Wilder was very impressive. Whoever wins deserves a title shot for sure,” said Zhang.

Zhang dominated Joe Joyce who dominated his current opponent Parker, but he does not believe that will matter come fight night. “Boxing doesn’t work in a way where if you beat someone who beat someone, then you are sure to beat the man that your former opponent beat,” he said. “It is all about styles, and there are a lot of examples of this through the history of boxing.”

The two previously met as amateurs where Zhang won on points, but he believes things have changes for both fighters. “I did beat him to the points,” he said. “I don’t have much to say because it was amateur boxing and I was about 28 and he was even younger. A lot has changed in 13 years. Our styles developed. Professional boxing is also a different sport.

“I’m happy we both got to the top through the years. I believe we will be performing to our best ability on March 8.”

Zhang has an idea of who he wants to fight should he defeat Parker. “Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are the two guys I would like to share the ring with most,” he said. “I think I’ve earned that right and if I beat Parker, I think I should have a big opportunity like that sooner than later.”

Parker has won four straight fights and his most recent unanimous decision win over former champion Deontay Wilder earned him comeback of the year in 2023. The 32-year-old is the former WBO champion and he defended the belt twice before he lost it to Joshua in 2018.

The New Zealander talked about facing the power of Zhang. “ I will have to be very focused and very alert because Zhang in bursts and throws good, sharp, combinations, said Parker.

“It’s all about being smart, not being predictable and showing just different things that we’ve been working on in camp.”

Parker vows to be at his best this time around against Zhang. “I’m going to give it everything I have, and whatever the result, I know I’ve done everything leading into this fight perfect, the eating, the resting, the training.

I have the right people around me and I’m ready to put on the performance of my life.”

Aside from Wilder, Parker has key wins over Derek Chisora (twice) and former champion Andy Ruiz Jr. The boxing world believes he is fighting the boogeyman of the heavyweight division on Friday, if he walks away with the win, it will be the biggest of his career.

The rest of the card:

Rey Vargas vs. Nick Ball, 12 rounds, for Vargas' WBC featherweight title

Israil Madrimov vs. Magomed Kurbanov, 12 rounds, for the vacant WBA "super" junior middleweight title

Mark Chamberlain vs. Gavin Gwynne, 12 rounds, lightweights

Justis Huni vs. Kevin Lerena, 10 rounds, heavyweights

Jack McGann vs. Louis Greene, 10 rounds, junior middleweights

Andrii Novytskyi vs. Juan Torres, 8 rounds, heavyweights

Ziyad Almaayouf vs. Christian Lopez, 6 rounds, junior welterweights

Roman Fury vs. Martin Svarc, 4 rounds, cruiserweights

UFC Vegas 87 Preview

The UFC will be heading back to the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, March 2nd for UFC Vegas 87. The main event will be in the heavyweight division between #12 Jairzinho Rozenstruick vs. undefeated prospect Shamil Gaziev.

Rozenstruick is trying to rebound from a first-round submission loss to Jailton Almeida last May. He is 3-5 since starting his UFC career 4-0. Despite his inconsistent record as of late, he will still be headlining his sixth card on Saturday.

The 35-year-old discussed how he used a 10-month layoff to improve the holes in his game. “(My layoff was) definitely relaxing and focusing on my skillset,” Rozenstruik said. “Especially taking some wrestling and jiu-jitsu classes. It became a habit, second nature and stuff like that. … In the beginning, it felt (annoying), but after a while of doing it, you’re going to start embracing it. I’m at that point.”

Rozenstruick commented on his opponent, “If the UFC selected the guy as a main event, then you know he’s a big deal,” Rozenstruik said. “He has a perfect record. You’ve got to give him his props. You’ve got to take him serious. 12-0. It’s not that he’s doing nothing. So this weekend, he’s going to get a test.”

“I’m very happy the UFC see the main event caliber in me. It’s definitely a big opportunity. I can’t wait to go in there this Saturday and do my thing. I definitely think they see me as a guy you can put there and get the job done. So I’m happy they recognize that. Now the day’s almost there for me to do my part.”

Rozenstruick has everything to lose in this fight, so he explained on what would be next for him with a win. “After this Saturday’s win, I’ll take a couple steps back,” Rozenstruik said. “I feel like in my UFC career I made a couple mistakes, a couple of missteps. I gave away a little bit of my power. So I’m focusing on getting all the puzzle pieces together. I’m finding the puzzle pieces already, so I already feel my real power again. I’m focusing on that. I want to get back close to July or August.”

The Surinamese fighter has key wins over Junior Dos Santos, Alistair Overeem and Andrei Arlovski. He was on the verge of a title shot until he ran into former champion Francis Ngannou at UFC 249 in 2020. Since then he has been inconsistent, but in the heavyweight division you are two wins away from being mentioned as a title contender, so for Rozenstruick a run back at the title starts on Saturday.

Gaziev is coming off a second round TKO at UFC 296 in December over Martin Buday. He got his start in the UFC just one fight before that on Dana White’s Contender Series two months prior. In that short amount of time he has worked his way to a UFC main event.

The MMA pundits have been critical of this main event, but Gaziev has laughed it off. “Fans are different,” Gaziev said. “Some people understand, real fans, that it’s a good thing for our division to have new blood. But some people just trash talk. They just want to write something. They write. I don’t get serious with comments. So just my advice is to be happy there is a new fighter coming and making a big statement. As you saw in my UFC debut, just watch it and enjoy.”

The 34-year-old from Bahrain has his mind on big fights. “It’s not the place where I make decisions, (but) if you ask me, of course. I want to fight (for the title) as soon as possible. Big fights will get me to the UFC gold. If UFC will tell me to do another 10 fights to reach that, I’m ready to do (those) fights also.”

The rest of the main card:

Light Heavyweight - Vitor Petrino vs. Tyson Pedro

Flyweight - #7 Alex Perez vs. #8 Muhammad Mokaev

Bantamweight - #13 Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Bekzat Almakhan

Flyweight - #9 Matt Schnell vs. #12 Steve Erceg

ESPN+ Prelims:

Middleweight - Eryk Anders vs. Jamie Pickett

Bantamweight - Aiemann Zahabi vs. Javid Basharat

Middleweight - Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Cláudio Ribeiro

Lightweight - Ľudovít Klein vs. AJ Cunningham

Lightweight - Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady vs. Loik Radzhabov

Lopez vs. Abe Preview

The Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York will play host to a dynamic title fight on Saturday, March 2nd. IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez will defend his belt against mandatory challenger Reiya Abe.

Lopez (29-2, 16 KO) will be defending the belt for the third time after winning it back in 2022 with a majority decision win over long-time champion Josh Warrington. He most recently defeated Joet Gonzalez by unanimous decision in September.

The Mexican fighter has studied his opponent and knows what he will need to do to remain champion. “He’s a very slippery fighter. He doesn’t really like to brawl. So, it’s going to be difficult to catch him in the early rounds. But we’ve got great sparring partners. You can tell by the black eye one of them left me. I think we’re doing a great job, and I expect to win this fight by knockout. My long-term goal is to fight the other champions and become a unified champion. I welcome a fight with whomever is next in line. Honestly, I want to unify the titles quickly and establish myself as a great champion and then move up to 130 pounds,” Lopez said.

Lopez is ready to put on a show for the fans.  “The fans know that I give everything in the ring. I always look for the fight. I always look to win by knockout. They know that I come here to fight. So, it’s going to be a real war. It’s going to be a bit complicated in the early rounds, but everyone knows that when I step in the ring, it’s always going to be a war,” he continued.

The 30-year-old knows big plans start with a win over Abe. “It’s been a grandiose year for me, ending with victories, important steps forward, getting myself closer to a unification fight,” he said. “The fight I have upcoming is a good fight, all fights are good but it’s nothing like these unification fights and that’s what I’m desiring to do. God willing, after that we can have a unification fight against anyone. It doesn’t matter to me, as long as it’s a good deal. We’re ready for everything, we don’t have any favorites, whoever is there, whoever wants to face me, so we can give a great fight.”

Lopez has proven in his last three fights he can make good on his promises of exciting fights and taking the fight to his opponents. Abe will be walking into hostile territory but Lopez cannot get comfortable in being the reigning champion, no title defenses will be easy fights moving forward.

Abe (25-3-1, 10 KO) defeated former world champion Kiko Martinez in his last fight by unanimous decision last April. He will be fighting outside of his home country of Japan for the very first time against Lopez.

The 30-year-old spoke about his first time fighting in the United States. "I am traveling a long way to fulfill my dream of becoming champion of the world. Lopez is a tough opponent, and I will give it my all to bring a world title home to Japan," Abe said.

Abe has won six straight since suffering the third loss of his career back in 2019. He stayed consistent with his gameplan to outpoint Martinez in his last fight, but it is likely he will not have that luxury with Lopez. He will have to do more than win on points and find a way to counter Lopezs’ aggressive style.

Also on the card is a fight for the vacant WBA featherweight title between undefeated prospects Otabek Kholmatov and Raymond Ford.

Kholmatov (11-0, 10 KO) is coming off a KO victory over Thomas Patrick Ward in March of 2023. The 25-year-old from Uzbekistan flew under the radar for nine fights, but in his last fight he traveled to Ward’s home and defeated him brutally. He now has a chance in his short professional career to become a champion.

Ford (14-1-1, 7 KO) is coming off a unanimous decision victory over former champion Jessie Magdaleno last April. The 24-year-old is ready to prove to the world he has worked to become a champion. “He got a lot of holes in his game. I’m a go in there and dominate. That’s what I train to do. I’m not going in there looking for a close fight. I’m a completely outclass him and show him and the whole world that he’s not on my level,” said Ford.

ESPN+ 10:00pm ET

UFC Mexico Preview

The UFC is heading back to Mexico City on Saturday, February 24 for UFC on ESPN 95. The main event will be a high stakes flyweight fight between former champion #1 Brandon Moreno vs. #3 Brandon Royval.

The fight will be a rematch dating back to 2020 where Moreno won by first round TKO over Royval at UFC 255. Moreno was originally scheduled to fight #2 Amir Albazi, but Albazi withdrew from the fight for undisclosed reasons.

After defeating Royval in their first fight, Moreno would then go on to have a historic tetralogy with Deiveson Figueiredo. The two split wins and Moreno would become a two-time champion and in the process he became a fan favorite. In his last fight at UFC 290 in July, Moreno lost the belt by split decision to Alexandre Pantoja in a rematch for one of the best fights of 2023.

Moreno is trying to not only get back to a title fight but also change bad fortune in his home country.  “I feel a little bit frustrated, because obviously I want to put that on my legacy,” Moreno said. “Raise my hand in front of my people, in front of my Mexican flag. That’s it. It’s something that happened in the past, and I just try to turn the page. It’s frustrating, but I’ve been living with a lot of pressure since 2020, fighting for championships and rematches and the trilogies.”

Moreno has unsuccessfully fought in Mexico twice. He lost a unanimous decision to Sergio Pettis in 2017 and fought to a split-draw with Askar Askarov in 2019. He continued speaking about this fight in Mexico.

“I’m just trying to have fun in this one. At the same time, I understand the importance this fight has to my record right now. I’m focusing on Brandon Royval. I’m focusing on the challenge in front, and I’m ready.”

The former champion knows this fight with Royval will be different than the first fight. “It was a really quick fight – just one round,” Moreno said. “The only thoughts I have is that I was winning. He was throwing a lot. He was making a lot of distance. I wanted to take him down, and I was controlling him. That’s the only thing, but I understand his frustration. He really believes he can beat me. But I don’t care. I’m just ready to fight.”

Moreno is not overlooking Royval for another title fight. “Maybe (I’ll get a title shot),” Moreno said. “I don’t even know. I just want to be focused on Royval. A lot of people right now are asking me about Pantoja. I know it’s (media’s) job to ask about that and the future. But right now I’m very focused on Brandon Royval.”

Moreno has fought the who’s who of the flyweight division and with another win over Royval, it is hard to imagine where he goes next another than another title shot. Albazi would have been a new challenge for Moreno, so that fight could be rebooked with a Moreno win. But does Moreno need to take that fight? Albazi is 17-1 and 5-0 in the UFC, so his title apsirations are not going anywhere. But he does not necessarily need to go through Moreno to get to a title shot. He could just sit and wait, as could Moreno. However, Moreno is not known as a fighter to say no to a new challenge, so a rebooking of Moreno and Albazi could be seen in mid 2024.

Royval is trying to rebound from a unanimous decision title loss to Pantoja at UFC 296 in December. The 31-year-old is 5-3 in the UFC but can erase a bad loss from everyone’s memory with a convincing win over Moreno in his home country.

How does Royval feel about fighting Moreno in hostile territory on short notice?

“I’ve spent my whole life risking it all, and it’s paid off big for me,” Royval said. “I feel like this is another big risk, and another opportunity to step into a situation where everybody’s doubting me and the odds are stacked up against me. I’m going into enemy territory on short notice, and I’m the big underdog.

“It’s going to be me versus the world in there, and I’m ready to prove the world wrong. I’m going to get in there, do the job, ruin everybody’s night and then come back home to Denver.”

The Denver native reflected on his last loss for the title. “He clearly wanted to win the rounds, and not necessarily look for a finishing (blow),” Royval said. “I feel like I was diehard on my game plan that he was going to try to kill me (via knockout or submission) and that’s where I was going to beat him, by capitalizing on his mistakes. But he went quickly from him swinging big, to just trying to win rounds. He made that adjustment early on in the first round, and I should’ve made that adjustment right back.”

Royval believes he knows what Moreno’s approach to the fight will be. “The obvious game plan for (Moreno) is to try to shoot in for takedowns and wrestle his way to the win,” Royval said. “For me, it’s not letting him take me down, making him work hard the whole entire time, and if he gets me down on the mat, I’m going to sub him. And if he doesn’t get me down, I’m going to piece him up on my feet from a distance.”

Due to what happened in his last fight, Royval has a golden opportunity to show that he has improved on the holes that Pantoja exposed in his game. If he does this with a win over Moreno, he will find himself back in prime position to once again challenge for a title.

The co-main event of the evening will be another high-stake fight but in the featherweight division. Former title challengers #3 Yair Rodriguez and #4 Brian Ortega will also have a rematch dating back to 2022 where Rodriguez won by TKO after Ortega suffered a shoulder injury. The winner of this fight could jump to the front of the line to challenge newly crowned champion Ilia Topuria for the title.

Rodriguez is trying to rebound from a third round TKO loss for the title at UFC 290 to former champion Alexander Volkanovski. The Mexican fighter has not hesitated to voice his interest in fighting the new champion.

“I would love to f*ck him up,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t want to fight him, I want to f*ck him up. There’s a f*cking big difference on that, just to make that clear. And anywhere I f*cking see him, I’ll f*ck him up.

“… F*ck this b*tch. I don’t f*cking like him.”

Rodriguez has found himself in a not-so-friendly back and forth on social media with Topuria. “I don’t normally get into this kind of situation with nobody, I’m really respectful,” Rodriguez said. “But this f*cking guy, you know, I just don’t really like him. I don’t like him. I don’t have to f*cking like him. I want to f*ck him up. That’s what I want to do.”

Despite having a win over Ortega, Rodriguez explained why he is not thrilled to be fighting him a second time. “It’s always weird. I never wanted to fight the guy,” Rodriguez said. “This time is no different. I like his family, I like him. He’s Mexican, so it’s not the same feeling. It’s a job we have to do. Not something that I really wanted to do.”

Aside from Ortega, Rodriguez has key wins over Josh Emmett, Jeremy Stephens, Chan Sung Jung, B.J. Penn, Alex Caceres, and Dan Hooker. He made his UFC debut at 20 years old and was once considered a top prospect and now at 31 and a former title challenger, he can channel his energy on shocking the world one fight at a time. It all starts with a convincing win over Ortega on Saturday.

Ortega has not fought since the first fight with Rodriguez which gave him his second straight loss. He challenged for the featherweight title a second time at UFC 266 but lost a brutal unanimous decision to Alexander Volkanovski. He first fought for the title at UFC 231 in 2018 against Max Holloway but lost to Max Holloway by fourth round TKO.

The 33-year-old is 1-3 in his last four fights, but he believes he has learned from the losses and a long layoff. "It's been a hell of a year. I've learned a lot. It's taught me a lot," Ortega said. "The main lesson I think I learned is patience. I think a lot of us don't really spend a lot of time with ourselves, by ourselves, without distractions. That's what I was able to do these last 19 months or so.”

He continued, "It taught me a lot about myself, who I am, and man did I dig out some roots and just fix a lot of things about myself," Ortega continued. "To be alone with your own thoughts, it's not always the best. But then later on, it turned out to be good."

How does he feel about this rematch with Rodriguez? “My perspective on it is just a continuation of [the first] fight,” Ortega said.

“But it depends who you are, how you view the sport, incident, the fight — it’s either a rematch or a continuation. For me, it’s a continuation. We just started getting warmed up. We were very dry. We were still trying to feel each other out, got a hold of each other, hit each other a little bit, felt each other’s strength. It was still partially in that feel-out session. It’s gonna be just two rounds now of that feel-out session [when the fight begins.]”

Ortega has key wins over Chan Sung Jung, Frankie Edgar, Cub Swanson, Renato Moicano, and Clay Guida. Ortega needs a win, but a convincing win will erase his latest struggles. It is difficult for a fighter to be granted a third title shot, but a win on Saturday puts Ortega on that path.

The rest of the main card:

Lightweight - Daniel Zellhuber vs. Francisco Prado

Bantamweight - Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Ricky Turcios

Women's Strawweight - Yazmin Jauregui vs. Sam Hughes

Lightweight - Manuel Torres vs. Chris Duncan

ESPN + Prelims:

Bantamweight - Cristian Quiñonez vs. Raoni Barcelos

Flyweight - Jesús Santos Aguilar vs. Mateus Mendonça

Flyweight - Edgar Chairez vs. Daniel Lacerda

Lightweight - Claudio Puelles vs. Farès Ziam

Flyweight - Luis Rodriguez vs. Denys Bondar

Flyweight - Victor Altamirano vs. Felipe dos Santos

Featherweight - Erik Silva vs. Muhammad Naimov

UFC 298 Preview

The UFC will be invading the Honda Center in Anaheim, California on Saturday, February 17 for UFC 298. The main event will be for the featherweight title between champion Alexander Volkanovski vs. #3 Ilia Topuria.

Volkanovksi will be trying to rebound from a bad loss where he challenged Islam Makhachev for the lighweight title for the second time. In the first fight which took place at UFC 284 Makhachev won the fight by unanimous decision, while many fans argued the decision should have gone to Volkanovski. Makhachev was scheduled to fight Charles Oliveira at UFC 294, but after Oliveira had to withdraw from the fight due to injury, Volkanovski stepped in on 10 days’ notice. The result was devastating for the featherweight champion as he lost by a brutal KO in the first round due to a head kick.

The champion is 13-2 in the UFC and before fighting Makhachev was widely considered the greatest pound for pound fighter in the world. He has defended the featherweight championship five times and has defeated all contenders in the division, including two wins over all-time great Max Holloway. He now faces Topuria who is slated to represent new blood in the division.

Volkanovski wants to make a statement on Saturday. "What's getting me excited is showing Ilia. I want him to understand and feel 'wow, he was levels ahead'," Volkanovski said.

"Believe it or not, I don't want a first-round finish. I want him to feel like he never stood a chance, and then I'll take him out."

The Australian fighter talked about rebounding from such a bad loss in his last fight. "I'm in a much better position because a lot of people are in the same position and feel uneasy but probably don't even know why. I know why," Volkanovski said.

"A lot of other fighters suffer a lot more than what you saw in me - it was just the timing of it.

"But I'm glad people got to see that because it was more awareness for other people."

The 35-year-old still believes he has something to prove. "I love when people doubt me. I'm not the underdog but I feel like I've always had an underdog mentality," said Volkanovski.

"I don't think it's just the doubters; it is bouncing back from that fight and showing Ilia, 'Hey, I don't care about your last 14 fights - that don't work with me'."

Aside from Holloway, Volkanovski has wins over Yair Rodriguez, Chan Sung Jung, Brian Ortega, Jose Also and Chad Mendes. Should he win on Saturday, what is next? Is it a move back to lightweight or does he take on more new blood in the featherweight division?

Topuria is undefeated and is coming off an impressive unanimous decision victory over long-time contender Josh Emmett in June. The 27-year-old is 6-0 in the UFC and now faces the toughest challenge of his career under the brightest lights. Is he ready?

“[It will be one of my easier fights] at the moment he is right now,” Topuria said. “Because he lost his last fight. He talked about his mental problems. I feel like he is not at his 100% right now. And me myself too, I feel I am way better than him anywhere, so…”

Topuria believes he has all the tools to defeat Volkanovski. “The strategy I bring to the fight, he won’t be able to solve it,” Topuria said. “A lot of fighters are punching hard, grappling hard, all that type of stuff, but no one has a strategy. No one comes in with the strategy that I have. That’s what separates me from rest of the fighters... I'm going to create opportunities. Of course, I'm going to wait for the right moment to create those opportunities, but I’m going to open spaces that I will be able to take advantage of.”

While he is confident, Topuria respects Volkanovski. “Oh yeah, he’s going to stay in the featherweight book for a while, that’s for sure,” Topuria said. “He will be remembered as one of the greatest in the featherweight division. He was a great champion.”

The Spanish fighter is known for his brash ego, so he was not shy about making a bold prediction. “I see myself knocking him out in the first round.” If Topuria wins it would for the time being represent a new era in the featherweight division. Would Volkanovski get an immediate rematch, or do we see another new title challenger?

The Rest of the Main Card:

Middleweight - #3 Robert Whittaker vs. #6 Paulo Costa

Welterweight - #8 Geoff Neal vs. #10 Ian Machado Gary

Bantamweight - #2 Merab Dvalishvili vs. #3 Henry Cejudo

Middleweight - #15 Anthony Hernandez vs. Roman Kopylov

ESPN + Prelims:

#3 Amanda Lemos vs. #7 Mackenzie Dern - women’s strawweight

#15 Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Justin Tafa - heavyweight

Rinya Nakamura vs. Carlos Vera - bantamweight

Mingyang Zhang vs. Brendson Ribeiro - light heavyweight

Early Prelims:

Josh Quinlan vs. Danny Barlow - welterweight

Oban Elliott vs. Val Woodburn - welterweight

Andrea Lee vs. Miranda Maverick - women’s flyweight

Foster vs. Nova Preview

The Theatre at Madison Square Garden will play host to a dynamic title fight on Friday, February 16. WBC junior lightweight champion O'Shaquie Foster will defend his title against ambitious contender Abraham Nova.

Foster (21-2, 12 KO) is coming off a 12th round TKO victory over Eduardo Hernandez in October to retain his belt in one of the best fights of 2023. He won the vacant title in February 2023 by unanimous decision over Rey Vargas. The 30-year-old has not lost since 2016 and is looking to leave his mark as a dominant champion with his second successful title defense.

In this fight Foster is living his dream. “It's always been my dream to fight at Madison Square Garden, and what better promoter to make this all happen than Top Rank?” Foster said. “As a kid, watching all the greats fight at MSG inspired me to want to be a part of the history that comes with fighting at such a legendary place. I'm ready to put on a show and keep proving that I'm the best fighter in the world."

The 30-year-old is ready to prove he has grown not only as a fighter, but as a champion. “The journey has been everything,” Foster said. “The ups and downs. Growing as a person. I’ve matured now, mentally and physically. Words can’t explain how I feel, but I’m ready.”

In his last fight, Foster proved he is technically one of the best in his division, but also proved he has the grit to tough out a win. “It was crazy [against Hernandez],” said Foster, who has now won 11 consecutive fights. “We shocked the world. And I’m here to do it again. Everybody calls me Shock, and we’re going to keep doing it.”

Foster has the fight he wanted. “We’ve been calling out Nova for years,” Foster said. “He knows it. His excuse was that my name wasn’t big enough. Funny how the tables turn. I’m ready, and I’m familiar with his style.”

“I did everything in the gym. We are prepared. Come Friday night, we will dominate and put on a show.”

Nova (23-1, 16 KO) has won two straight fights since losing by KO in 2022 to Robeisy Ramirez at featherweight. He most recently defeated Jonatan Romero by third round KO in July. He is now comfortable a new weight heading into his first title fight.

"I was a lot more dehydrated, a lot more frail," Nova said of the fight with Ramirez.

"I should have communicated and said these things, but I didn't. Because I'm a fighter and I take a lot of pain. And I have a very high tolerance for pain. So when I'm not feeling well, I don't like making excuses."

He continued, "You have to put your emotions to the side and you have to understand that if your body is not feeling well and you're not nutritionally, right, you have to hire a nutritionist, you have to eat correctly."

Nova explained the difference of fighting at junior lightweight. "I knocked a lot of dudes out. I was a big puncher. What slowed me down was the coming down in weight to 126lbs. I depleted myself and wasn't able to deliver those power shots and also received those power shots," Nova said.

He issued a fair warning to Foster, "I've always been a big puncher."

The fight can be seen at 9:30pm ET on ESPN+