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Check out the best photos from Kurt Holobaugh’s win over Austin Hubbard in “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 31 lightweight final at UFC 292.
Check out the best photos from [autotag]Kurt Holobaugh[/autotag]’s second-round submission win over [autotag]Austin Hubbard[/autotag] in “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 31 lightweight final at UFC 292 at TD Garden in Boston. (Photos by Bob DeChiara, USA TODAY Sports; MMA Junkie; and UFC)
Check out the best photos from the UFC 292 official weigh-ins including Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley and more.
Check out these photos of the UFC 292 official weigh-ins at the UFC host hotel in Boston. (Photos by Nolan King, MMA Junkie)
Austin Hubbard’s ticket to the “TUF 31” final didn’t impress Dana White, and he plans on changing that.
BOSTON – [autotag]Austin Hubbard[/autotag]’s ticket to “The Ultimate Fighter 31” finale didn’t impress UFC president [autotag]Dana White[/autotag], and he plans on changing that.
Hubbard (15-6 MMA, 3-4 UFC) defeated teammate Roosevelt Roberts in the lightweight semifinals in what was a lackluster affair. He meets Kurt Holobaugh in the finale to crown the “TUF 31” lightweight tournament winner, which takes place at Saturday’s UFC 292 event at TD Garden.
White was critical of the semifinal, but Hubbard plans on changing the UFC president’s opinion of him.
“It’s important to make the boss happy,” Hubbard told reporters, including MMA Junkie, during UFC 292 media day. “I personally thought it was a very tactical, technical fight. I get the criticism. You got to take the good with the bad, and I definitely heard what he said, and I’m trying to grow from that and expand on that and make sure he’ll be happy with my performance in this final.”
Hubbard admits the tentativeness throughout the fight came from having a lot of respect for Roberts’ game.
“I think that’s a big part,” Hubbard said. “We were literally main training partners through this whole process. We were bunk mates throughout this whole process. On top of that, he’s a very good fighter, and I feel like I’m a very good fighter – it’s not always easy to just go out there and finish the guy. Obviously I want to finish him. I don’t want to be in here getting hit and kicked. I want to get out as soon as possible, but realistically fights don’t always go that way.”
Holobaugh (19-7 MMA, 0-4 UFC) on the other hand, did impress White with his finishes of Team Conor McGregor prospect Lee Hammond, and teammate Jason Knight – one of the best fights of the season. Hubbard knows Holobaugh is a game opponent and wants to show that he can ramp up the aggression too.
“Taking some advice from the boss and just making sure I bring it,” Hubbard said. “Bring up the aggression the best I can, and it also helps that we didn’t have to train together all camp long. We’ve been in our home gyms and away from each other, not living together, seeing each other everyday at home and at practice, things along that line.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.
Before UFC 292 on Saturday, watch as the title-fight athletes, main card and prelim fighters speak to reporters at media day.
BOSTON – UFC 292, with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+, goes down Saturday at TD Garden.
Before fight night arrives, though, notable athletes from the two championship fights, main card and preliminary lineup spoke to reporters Wednesday at media day.
If you happen to miss any of the individual sessions on the live stream, check below for the archived videos of each media day.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.
Cast member Kurt Holobaugh gives MMA Junkie an exclusive, inside look at “The Ultimate Fighter 31: Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler” one last time.
“The Ultimate Fighter 31” with coaches [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] and [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] came to an end Tuesday night, attracting more eyeballs back to the series.
This season featured eight lightweights and eight bantamweights. McGregor’s team was comprised of eight fighters who have not competed in the UFC against Chandler’s team of eight UFC alumni.
Among those UFC alums was [autotag]Kurt Holobaugh[/autotag], the lone fighter who had two previous stints with the promotion. Holobaugh went 0-4 over those stretches, but history shows a tough strength of schedule: Steven Siler, Raoni Barcelos, Shane Burgos, and Thiago Moises.
Now at lightweight rather than featherweight, Holobaugh devastated two opponents to get a third look from the UFC.
Each week here at MMA Junkie, Holobaugh has peeled back the curtain to provide an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look and give insight into what may not have made it on the show.
Check out below what Holobaugh had to say about Episode 12, the season finale that featured [autotag]Rico DiSciullo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Cody Gibson[/autotag].
“The Ultimate Fighter, Season 31” finals are officially locked for Saturday’s UFC 292 card in Boston. See which UFC vets will be competing.
“The Ultimate Fighter 31” will end in Boston.
Following the season’s final episode Tuesday night, the lightweight and bantamweight finals are set and will take place Saturday at UFC 292 from TD Garden, as was first reported by MMA Junkie.
In the lightweight final, UFC alumni [autotag]Kurt Holobaugh[/autotag] and [autotag]Austin Hubbard[/autotag] will collide for a six-figure UFC contract. The two were members of [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag]’s team during the show.
A grudge match materializes in the bantamweight final, as [autotag]Cody Gibson[/autotag], of Team Chandler, faces Team [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]’s [autotag]Brad Katona[/autotag].
Holobaugh (19-7 MMA, 0-4 UFC) enters his third stint with the UFC after consecutive wins on the reality series. His first stint was only one fight long (a loss to Steven Siler in 2013) and it immediately followed the Strikeforce merger. In 2018, Holobaugh returned after a win on Dana White’s Contender Series and lost three consecutive fights against Raoni Barcelos, Shane Burgos, and Thiago Moises.
First, Holobaugh rallied to submit McGregor underling Lee Hammond before he put forth a brutal TKO beatdown of teammate and friend Jason Knight to win in the semifinals. The bout vs. Knight is considered by many one of the best in series history.
Hubbard (15-6 MMA, 3-4 UFC) competed seven times in the UFC from May 2019 to August 2021. His wins included Kyle Prepolec, Max Rohskopf, and Dakota Bush. Though he alternated losses and wins for his entire UFC tenure, Hubbard and the promotion separated following a loss to Vinc Pichel.
During the “TUF 31” filming, Hubbard defeated LFA lightweight champion Aaron McKenzie by unanimous decision and former UFC fighter Roosevelt Roberts by split decision.
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While Holobaugh and Hubbard remained cordial throughout the season, Gibson (19-8 MMA, 1-3 UFC) and Katona (12-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) have not.
Due to his mixed allegiances of having coach John Kavanagh as the opposing team’s coach, Katona departed Team Chandler to join Team McGregor – a move many in the house saw as overdue.
In the final episode of “TUF 31,” an argument between the two broke out after Gibson wrote “F*ck you, Brad” on a note in the kitchen.
Gibson returns to the UFC after nearly a decade outside of the promotion. He competed four times for the UFC from February 2014 to February 2015 and went 1-3 including a loss to future bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, who headlines Saturday’s event. En route to the finals, Gibson defeated Mando Gutierrez by knockout, then submitted Rico DiSciullo.
Katona seeks his second “TUF” championship after wins over Carlos Vera (unanimous decision) and Timur Valiev (split decision).
In 2018, Katona won “The Ultimate Fighter 27” at bantamweight. Though he won his next bout vs. Matthew Lopez, Katona dropped decisions to Merab Dvalishvili and Hunter Azure immediately thereafter and he was let go. Katona has gone 4-0 in professional bouts since.
With the additions, the UFC 292 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.
“The Ultimate Fighter 31” returns as the final in-house bout ends in a fashion that has one fighter kicking himself.
“The Ultimate Fighter 31: Team McGregor vs. Team Chandler” returned Tuesday for Episode 12 as the final fight of the season transpires.
On Episode 12, Team McGregor’s [autotag]Rico DiSciullo[/autotag] fights Team Chandler’s Cody Gibson to see who will be the final fighter to fill a slot in the finals and face [autotag]Brad Katona[/autotag]. Also, Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler competed against one another – in the coaches’ challenge: an ice plunge trivia game – with thousands of dollars on the line.
The season concluded Tuesday with the live finale set for Saturday at UFC 292. The promotion also intends for coaches McGregor and Chandler to square off in the months that follow the conclusion of the season.
Scroll below for a recap of Episode 12 and make sure to check out an exclusive insider look from [autotag]Kurt Holobaugh[/autotag], who will peel back the curtain on MMA Junkie the morning after each episode airs.
All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.
MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.
But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.
Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.
Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by a promotion from Aug. 7-13.
Cast member Kurt Holobaugh gives MMA Junkie an exclusive, inside look at “The Ultimate Fighter 31: Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler.”
“The Ultimate Fighter 31” is ongoing with coaches [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] and [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] attracting more eyeballs back to the series.
This season, which features eight lightweights and eight bantamweights, airs Tuesdays on ESPN. McGregor’s team features eight fighters who have not competed in the UFC against Chandler’s team of eight UFC alumni.
Among those UFC alums is [autotag]Kurt Holobaugh[/autotag], the lone fighter who had two previous stints with the promotion. Holobaugh went 0-4 over those stretches, but history shows a tough strength of schedule: Steven Siler, Raoni Barcelos, Shane Burgos, and Thiago Moises.
Now at lightweight rather than featherweight, Holobaugh devastated two opponents to get a third look from the UFC.
Each week here at MMA Junkie, Holobaugh will peel back the curtain and provide an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look and give insight into what may not have made the cut onto the episode.
Check out below what Holobaugh had to say about Episode 11, which included his semifinal fight vs. Jason Knight.
Cast member Kurt Holobaugh gives MMA Junkie an exclusive, inside look at “The Ultimate Fighter 31: Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler.”
“The Ultimate Fighter 31” is ongoing with coaches [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] and [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] attracting more eyeballs back to the series.
This season, which features eight lightweights and eight bantamweights, airs Tuesdays on ESPN. McGregor’s team features eight fighters who have not competed in the UFC against Chandler’s team of eight UFC alumni.
Among those UFC alums is [autotag]Kurt Holobaugh[/autotag], the lone fighter who had two previous stints with the promotion. Holobaugh went 0-4 over those stretches, but history shows a tough strength of schedule: Steven Siler, Raoni Barcelos, Shane Burgos, and Thiago Moises.
Now at lightweight rather than featherweight, Holobaugh devastated two opponents to get a third look from the UFC.
Each week here at MMA Junkie, Holobaugh will peel back the curtain and provide an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look and give insight into what may not have made the cut onto the episode.
Check out what Holobaugh had to say about Episode 9 below.
