Get a behind-the-scenes look at the big stars of UFC 245, which features Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington in the main event.
The UFC’s 12th and final pay-per-view of the year takes place Saturday with UFC 245, and the promotion’s popular “Embedded” series returns to get you ready.
UFC 245 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
In the main event, UFC welterweight champion[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] attempts to defend his belt against [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] in a long-awaited grudge match. And in the co-main event, UFC featherweight title challenger [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] puts his belt on the line against [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]. Also on the card, [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] faces [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag] for the UFC women’s bantamweight title.
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The second episode of “Embedded” follows the big-name stars at the top of the card. Here’s the UFC’s description:
On Episode 2 of UFC 245 Embedded, welterweight title challenger Colby Covington enjoys the familiar faces and fond memories at a Las Vegas wrestling tournament. Featherweight title challenger Alexander Volkanovski cruises through his workout but struggles with a hotel mini-fridge. Featherweight king Max Holloway leads his team on a hike at Red Rock Canyon and demonstrates his questionable tracking skills. Double champ Amanda Nunes does media hits and sightsees in LA. UFC 245 Embedded is an all-access, behind-the-scenes video blog leading up to the three title fights taking place Saturday December 14. Order the Pay-Per-View at ESPNPlus.com/PPV
MMA Junkie’s John Morgan, “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” unpack the latest MMA news and notes in Episode 6 of “Spinning Back Clique.”
Welcome to “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. In this week’s episode, John Morgan, “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” react to what transpired at UFC on ESPN 7 and preview what’s to come this Saturday at UFC 245.
Show rundown:
[autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against [autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag] at UFC DC. He was getting mostly dominated and on his way to a guaranteed decision loss before a huge right hand knocked out Overeem (and shattered his lip) with four seconds remaining in the fifth round. Rozenstruik remains undefeated at 10-0 overall and 4-0 in the UFC. But after that performance, are we buying or selling him as a legit contender at heavyweight?
[autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] delivered a pair of painful groin’ kicks to [autotag]Stefan Struve[/autotag] at UFC DC, then went on to score a TKO victory – but not before referee Dan Miragliotta advised Struve to continue fighting. Since when should a referee be offering fighters advice during a fight?
[autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] made history as the first woman to step inside the octagon back in 2013. More recently, she competed for a UFC title again earlier this year but lost to flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko. Carmouche, 4-2 in her last six fights, was released last Friday by the UFC – get this – while she was in Washington D.C. doing a promotional tour with troops for the promotion. What do we make of her unceremonious exit, and what’s next for her?
It’s UFC 245 fight week, which means we’re on the verge of finally seeing [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] clash with [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag], who’s been promoting the heck out of this showdown, but has he gone too far?
Speaking of UFC 245, there are two other big title fights on the card: [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] and [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag] 2. Which challenger is more likely to win? And which “old dog” on the main card is more likely to turn back the clock: [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] or [autotag]Urijah Faber[/autotag]?
For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 6 of “Spinning Back Clique.”
UFC 245 video: Dan Hardy, John Gooden break down Kamaru Usman, Colby Covington’s headlining fight
With three title fights slated for UFC 245, there sure is a lot going on Saturday night.
UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC) and challenger [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) headline the at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and the winner will be dubbed the promotion’s best 170-pound fighter.
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Ahead of the fight, UFC broadcasters Dan Hardy and John Gooden take an in-depth look at the matchup in the latest edition of their pre-fight analysis series “Inside the Octagon.” Check it out in the video above.
UFC 245 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
Did you miss the debut of “UFC 245 Countdown,” or just want to watch it again? Check out the main event preview now.
Did you miss the debut of “UFC 245 Countdown,” or just want to watch it again? Check out the main event preview now.
The segment takes a special look at the welterweight title fight between [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC) and [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag](15-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC), which will let the winner claim he’s the best 170-pounder in the UFC.
UFC 245 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
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“Countdown” goes behind the scenes with the two fighters, and you can watch the full segment above. And don’t miss entire episode in the video below.
Check out the entire UFC 245 fight card below:
Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington – for welterweight title
Max Holloway vs. Alexander Volkanovski – for featherweight title
Amanda Nunes vs. Germaine de Randamie – for women’s bantamweight title
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the big stars of UFC 245, which features Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington in the main event.
The UFC’s 12th and final pay-per-view of the year takes place Saturday with UFC 245, and the promotion’s popular “Embedded” series returns to get you ready.
UFC 245 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
In the main event, UFC welterweight champion[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] attempts to defend his belt against [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] in a long-awaited grudge match. And in the co-main event, UFC featherweight title challenger [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] puts his belt on the line against [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]. Also on the card, [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] faces [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag] for the UFC women’s bantamweight title.
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The first episode of “Embedded” follows the big-name stars at the top of the card as they arrive in Las Vegas. Here’s the UFC’s description:
On Episode 1 of UFC 244 Embedded, welterweight champion Kamaru Usman goes from “scruffy” to polished at home and then hits the gym for more finishing touches. Rival Colby Covington arrives in Las Vegas and dedicates his upcoming success to a famous family. Featherweight title challenger Alexander Volkanovski makes the long trip from New Zealand with teammate and UFC 245 flyweight Kai Kara France. Featherweight champion Max Holloway works out and horses around with his team at UFC Performance Institute. UFC 245 Embedded is an all-access, behind-the-scenes video blog leading up to the three title fights taking place Saturday December 14. Order the Pay-Per-View at ESPNPlus.com/PPV
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC 245 event in Las Vegas, which features three title fights at the top of the card.
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC 245 event in Las Vegas.
Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).
Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC 245 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC 245 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
Make your picks for all five main card fights inside:
The UFC’s biggest heal was born, in part, because the promotion had lost interest in Colby Covington.
[autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] almost saw his UFC career come to an end, and he knew he had to do something about it.
Going into his co-main event vs. Demian Maia in October 2017 at UFC Fight Night 119, Covington (15-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) was on the final fight of his UFC contract. According to him, the promotion wasn’t too keen on re-signing him.
Speaking on “The Candace Owens Show,” Covington detailed how, despite being 7-1 in the UFC at that point, the promotion didn’t think he was entertaining enough. So Covington felt the pressure of proving them wrong.
After Covington dominated for a unanimous decision victory, he grabbed the mic and took charge of his career with his infamous “filthy animals” rant.
“I think my big break – I’ve never told this story before – but three fights ago before I fought the No. 2 guy in the world, this guy named Demian Maia in Brazil, they had told my manager Dan Lambert that they weren’t going to re-sign me,” Covington said. “They didn’t like my style. They didn’t like that I wasn’t entertaining, and this is before I really started to become an entertainer and understand the entertainment aspect of this business. So before this fight, they told me no matter what happens – I was ranked No. 6 in the world – we’re not re-signing you.
“‘We don’t like your character. We don’t like your fighting style.’ And I’m getting paid $30,000 to go fight the No. 2 guy in the world. Like, after you pay taxes and pay your coaches, you’re really going to get like five or 10 thousand dollars. So I go out there. I beat him up and leave him in a pool of his own blood in Sao Paulo, Brazil, his home city, and I shoot this promo on the Brazilians, and I say, ‘Hey, you guys are all a bunch of filthy animals, and, Brazil, you’re a dump.'”
Just like that, the UFC’s biggest heal was born.
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Covington was showered with boos and had anything and everything thrown at him on his way out of the octagon.
“So I go and shoot this promo, and I wasn’t supposed to have my job, but that promo goes so viral on the internet, the UFC’s like, ‘We have to keep him,'” Covington said. “‘We have to re-sign him because that promo was so big,’ so that’s what saved my career, and that was the turning point of my career and the rest has been history.”
After re-signing with the UFC, Covington would go on and challenge for the UFC interim welterweight title vs. former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos, and was able to put on another stand-out performance for the win.
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Covington never got the opportunity to unify the belts with then 170-pound champ Tyron Woodley and was stripped due to inactivity. He would only enter the cage one year later vs. former UFC welterweight champ Robbie Lawler in August, putting on arguably his best performance and breaking the UFC record for most significant strikes attempted in a fight.
That unanimous decision win would earn Covington a title shot vs. Kamaru Usman in a grudge match that will take place Saturday at UFC 245.
It’s safe to say that Covington’s career has turned around since that night in Brazil.
All the info you need to watch UFC 245, which features three title fights, including Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington.
The UFC is back home in Las Vegas for its final pay-per-view and one of the most anticipated events of 2019, which features three title fights at the top of the bill.
In the main event, welterweight champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] and [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] finally will settle their longstanding when they square off for the title. In the co-main event, featherweight champ [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] will defend his belt against [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]. Also, UFC dual champ [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] is set to put her women’s bantamweight title on the line in a rematch with former featherweight champ [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag].
There’s that and much more on the stacked card. Take a look at the UFC 245 event info with lineup, start times, and key storylines below.
What: UFC 245
When: Saturday
Where: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
TV, Live stream: ESPN+ (subscribe here), ESPN 2, pay-per-view
Full fight card, start times
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
Main Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET
Champ Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington – for welterweight title
Champ Max Holloway vs. Alexander Volkanovski – for featherweight title
Champ Amanda Nunes vs. Germaine de Randamie – for women’s bantamweight title
With a big month of fights on tap to close the year, Gorgeous George and John Morgan project how the rankings might shake out.
Things have been a little slow the past couple weeks in mixed martial arts, but the year will end with a bang, as December features a big slate of important fights.
There are several matchups which will have major implications on both their respective divisions and, in some cases, the pound-for-pound list. Matches such as:
[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] at welterweight
[autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alexander Volkanosvki[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag] at featherweight
[autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag] and [autotag]Aspen Ladd[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Yana Kunitskaya[/autotag] at women’s bantamweight
[autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] at men’s bantamweight
Those are just some of the matchups over the next several weeks which will have a major impact on the future. What might they mean for the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings? Let MMA Junkie’s “Gorgeous” George Garcia and John Morgan walk you through the changes in the video above.
