Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Check out the complete list of fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC 250 event.
While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a UFC win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.
Inside, see what the fighters from UFC 250 went with as their backing tracks in Las Vegas.
The UFC’s upcoming pay-per-view event has a finalized card and location.
The UFC’s upcoming pay-per-view event has a finalized card and location.
Wednesday, the Nevada Athletic Commission approved two UFC events for the first time since COVID-19 – UFC on ESPN 9 on Saturday and UFC 250 on June 6, both of which will take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
The NAC also unanimously approved COVID-19 protocols for the events, which won’t include the presence of a live audience.
UFC 250 will be headlined by bantamweight and featherweight champion [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 12-1 UFC), who will make her first 145-pound title defense when she takes on [autotag]Felicia Spencer[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC).
In the co-main event, former UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) will look to snap his three-fight skid when he takes on [autotag]Raphael Assuncao[/autotag] (27-7 MMA, 11-3 UFC).
A pivotal 135-pound clash between contenders [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) and [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) will also take place, as well as another showcase bantamweight bout between rising star [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) and [autotag]Eddie Wineland[/autotag] (24-13-1 MMA, 6-7 UFC).
The complete UFC 250 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)
Errol Zimmerman’s jumping punch finish at K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 highlights today’s look at historic finishes in Combat Rewind.
There’s “Flashback Friday” and “Throwback Thursday” (and Tuesday, too, if you want). But at MMA Junkie, we figured why not expand that to every day?
“Combat Rewind” brings you some of combat sports’ best highlights from every calendar day of the year. It’s a look back at history, courtesy of the UFC Fight Pass archives, featuring stellar finishes and classic moments in MMA and beyond on their anniversaries.
So kick back and relive the following bits of greatness in the video above:
Fight footage courtesy of UFC Fight Pass, the UFC’s official digital subscription service, which is currently offering a seven-day free trial. UFC Fight Pass gives fans access to exclusive live UFC events and fights, exclusive live MMA and combat sports events from around the world, exclusive original and behind the scenes content and unprecedented 24-7 access to the world’s biggest fight library.
“Combat Rewind” brings you some of combat sports’ best highlights from every calendar day of the year, courtesy of the UFC Fight Pass archives.
“Combat Rewind” brings you some of combat sports’ best highlights from every calendar day of the year, courtesy of the UFC Fight Pass archives.
UFC 250 has added a middleweight bout between Maki Pitolo and Charles Byrd.
[autotag]Maki Pitolo[/autotag] is moving to middleweight.
On June 6, Pitolo (12-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) will face fellow Dana White’s Contender Series signee [autotag]Charles Byrd[/autotag] in a 185-pound matchup June 6 at UFC 250. The promotion announced the booking during the UFC 249 broadcast on Saturday.
UFC 250 takes place June 6 but does not have an official location or venue, though the UFC Apex in Las Vegas is possible, pending the resumption of combat sports in the sate of Nevada. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims likely on ESPN and ESPN+.
In October 2019 at UFC 243, Pitolo made his promotional debut at welterweight. A moderate favorite across major sports books, Pitolo was upset by home country fighter Callan Potter via unanimous decision.
In February, Pitolo was scheduled for his second UFC bout against Takashi Sato. However, Pitolo fell ill as a result of his weight cut and the fight was canceled.
Fortis MMA’s Byrd (10-6 MMA, 1-2 UFC) will be looking to snap a two-fight losing skid. After winning his UFC debut against John Phillips in March 2018, Byrd was finished with strikes in back-to-back fights against Darren Stewart and Edmen Shahbazyan.
The latest UFC 250 lineup now includes:
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An unspecified illness caused Maki Pitolo to be removed from his UFC on ESPN+ 26 matchup with Takashi Sato.
AUCKLAND, New Zealand – UFC on ESPN+ 26 lost one fight in the midst of Friday’s official weigh-in window.
The welterweight bout between [autotag]Maki Pitolo[/autotag] and [autotag]Takashi Sato[/autotag] will not take place on the upcoming card after one fighter fell ill.
After Sato (15-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) made weight without issue, Pitolo (11-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) failed to step on the scale and the matchup was called off by doctors.
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UFC officials confirmed Pitolo would not weigh in and the fight was canceled. No further details were immediately provided other than Pitolo’s “illness.”
No late replacement will be found, and due to the scratch, UFC on ESPN+ 26 will proceed with 12 scheduled bouts. The card takes place at Spark Arena and streams on ESPN+.
The latest UFC on ESPN+ 26 lineup now includes:
MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)
UFC Auckland has added Loma Lookboonmee vs. Hannah Goldy and Maki Pitolo vs. Takashi Sato.
Two fights have been added to the UFC’s return to New Zealand.
A women’s strawweight bout between [autotag]Loma Lookboonmee[/autotag] (4-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and [autotag]Hannah Goldy[/autotag] (5-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC), as well as a welterweight matchup between [autotag]Maki Pitolo[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) and [autotag]Takashi Sato[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC), have been added to UFC on ESPN+ 26.
MMA Junkie confirmed the bookings with two persons with knowledge of the matchups following an initial report by the New Zealand Herald. The persons asked to remain anonymous since the UFC has not yet made an official announcement.
UFC on ESPN+ 26 takes place Feb. 22 (Feb. 23 locally) at Spark Arena in Auckland. The card streams on ESPN+.
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Lookboonmee and Goldy will both be competing in their sophomore UFC appearances when they square off in Auckland. Lookboonmee’s first promotional outing was successful. At UFC on ESPN+ 20 in October, she defeated Aleksandra Albu by split decision. Goldy will look to rebound from a unanimous decision loss to Miranda Granger at UFC on ESPN 5 in August.
Pitolo and Sato each are coming off losses. After punching his ticket to the UFC on Dana White’s Contender Series, Pitolo dropped his debut to Callan Potter at UFC 234 in February. The defeat marked one of the biggest betting upsets of the year. Sato was successful in his UFC debut, an April knockout of Ben Saunders. In his second outing, Sato lost by third-round submission to Belal Muhammad at UFC 242 in September.
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With the additions, the latest UFC on ESPN+ 26 lineup includes:
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