Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Here’s what you need to know to watch UFC 301 on pay-per-view, ESPN and ESPN+.
The UFC is set for its return to Brazil’s most iconic city.
Here’s how to watch UFC 301 with the flyweight title on the line at the top of the lineup.
The commentary team of Brendan Fitzgerald, Dominick Cruz and Paul Felder will call the action at UFC Fight Night 237 in Mexico City.
The UFC continues its February schedule Saturday with UFC Fight Night 237, which goes down at Mexico City Arena in Mexico.
As always, some marquee on-air talent will be there to help guide viewers through the experience.
Details of who will work as commentators and analysts for each event have been acquired by MMA Junkie through a person with knowledge of the situation, and you can see the scheduled broadcast team below.
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The exact scenario Paul Felder imagined for a return to fighting is playing out as he sees UFC 300 vs. Jim Miller a real possibility.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] gave an inch to the idea of another UFC fight – and the universe is taking a mile.
When Felder (17-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) reentered the promotion’s anti-doping test pool, [autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag] (37-17 MMA, 26-16 UFC) was on his mind. After Miller’s submission win and post-fight callout Saturday at UFC Fight Night 234, Felder has all but committed to fighting once more, at UFC 300.
“When I saw ‘Korean Zombie’ (Chan Sung Jung) have that walkout and I got inspired to potentially get back into the pool and do all this sort of stuff, anybody who knows me or talked to me, you knew Jim was the name,” Felder told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a news conference Saturday. “I was like, ‘If I’m going to do it, I want it to be against a guy like Jim, somebody around my age, who’s been in the game for a long time.’ I’m not trying to come back and make a run for the belt or anything like that.”
Felder did not utter the words “I’m coming back” when he spoke Saturday at the UFC Apex, but his smile and tone couldn’t hide his attraction to the idea of “one more.”
Although he hasn’t fought since November 2020, Felder said he’s in the best shape of his life while he partakes in triathlon training. At this point, the decision really comes down to how he feels in the MMA gym in the coming days.
“When we talked to Jim in the fighter meetings, obviously, the people around me are kind of egging it on and pushing me,” Felder said. “I was like, ‘If you call me out, Jim, it’s something I’d be interested in doing.’ He’s like, ‘If you get me a job sitting next to you on the desk, we’ll make it a deal.’ I think they’ll be calling him for at least an audition coming up soon. When he said that, it’s like, f*ck, now he’s setting me up with all the things I said, ‘If he does this, if this happens, then I’d be interested in doing it.’ I’ve just got to get back in the gym and see how things feel.”
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If he’s going to do it, Felder wants to make sure he’s all in. But as a fighter who yearns for a proper retirement sendoff, Felder is hard pressed to visualize a better final fight scenario than a bout vs. Miller at UFC 300.
“That’s why it’s so tough and so tempting and I’m leaning toward wanting to do it,” Felder said. “Because it’s Jim – as he wants to be called at UFC 300, ‘Jim F*cking Miller.’ He’s awesome. He fights awesome – especially I get to see that fight right in front of my eyes. It’s a leg kick battle. It’s a standup battle, primarily. Obviously, he finished (Benitez) on the ground, as Jim can do. But if it’s going to be a fight like that, I think the fans are going to eat it up – because I’m not shooting any takedowns in there, especially against Jim. I’m not putting my neck out on the line like that. It would definitely be a fun fight. It would probably be the first fight of the freaking night, to be honest with you, the way these cards stack up.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 234.
Check out what the UFC Fight Night 234 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.
LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 234 took place Saturday with 11 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
You can hear from all the UFC Fight Night 234 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 234.
The talent lineup for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 234 is set, which is the first UFC event of 2024.
The UFC opens its 2024 schedule Saturday with UFC Fight Night 234, which goes down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
As always, some marquee on-air talent will be there in “Sin City” to help guide viewers through the experience.
Details of who will work as commentators and analysts for each event have been acquired by MMA Junkie through a person with knowledge of the situation, and you can see the scheduled broadcast team below.
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Paul Felder doesn’t like Paddy Pimblett’s chances against any of the UFC’s ranked lightweights.
[autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] doesn’t like [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag]’s chances against any of the UFC’s ranked lightweights.
Pimblett (21-3 MMA, 5-0 UFC) dominated the skidding Tony Ferguson en route to a unanimous decision win at UFC 296. Prior to the fight, Pimblett described his situation as a lose-lose and Felder agrees.
Although Pimblett was able to hurt Ferguson on the feet and control him on the ground, Felder expected a finish.
“Can Paddy beat anyone in the top 15? I will start with this: Of course he can. We know that it’s MMA – anything can happen,” Felder said on his “Round-Up” show with Michael Chiesa. “But if we were going to sit here and make bets, and if I had to predict: No, I really don’t think so. He struggled to get a Tony out of there who looked the worst he’s ever looked in his career.
“He was able to hurt Tony a little bit, but he really should have been able to put him away. Not taking anything away from him – he knew he was going to be in for a hard one, even if he won this fight. He said it in the media days leading up that we were going to criticize him even if he wins, if he didn’t go out there and maybe get him out of there. So here we are criticizing him.”
After taking a look at who’s currently ranked at 155 pounds, the list only confirmed Felder’s thoughts.
“(Ranked lightweights) 15 through 10, OK: Drew Dober, Bobby Green, (Renato) Moicano, Benoit Saint Denis, Rafael dos Anjos and Jalin Turner,” Felder said.
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Paul Felder doesn’t like the UFC champ-champ craze. “How about you get a whole lot of title defenses first, then you go and step up?”
[autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] is not a fan of fighters chasing dual-champion status so early in their title reigns.
Felder specifically has an issue with UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) expressing interest in moving up to challenge welterweight champion [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 14-2 UFC). Edwards also mentioned moving up to middleweight to capture a second belt, but Felder would like to see both of them rule their divisions first.
“We established that this (Muhammad) is the No. 1 contender, you’re (Edwards) also saying that you want to break Georges St-Pierre’s record, but then we got Islam Makhachev out there saying he should be next for the welterweight belt,” Felder said on his “Round-Up” show with Michael Chiesa. “Guys, stay in your freaking divisions, reign over your division. Can we get dominant champions before you all start wanting to fight for other belts?
“It didn’t used to be like this. The guys that did this in the beginning – obviously Conor is an exception. He did it; it was craziness. He was a superstar. (Daniel Cormier) did it because he earned it and was a 205’er. Amanda Nunes earned it. Now it’s just like everyone and their mother wants to be able to be a double champ. And it’s like, ‘Well, how about you get a whole lot of title defenses first, then you go and step up?'”
Edwards and Makhachev are both fresh off title defenses. Edwards retained his title in a lackluster unanimous decision win over Colby Covington at UFC 296, whereas Makhachev knocked out featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in Round 1 at UFC 294.
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.
Check out the broadcast details for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 233, which has a late start and has Laura Sanko on the call.
The UFC wraps up its November schedule Saturday with UFC Fight Night 233, which goes down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
As always, some marquee on-air talent will be there in “Sin City” to help guide viewers through the experience.
Details of who will work as commentators and analysts for each event have been acquired by MMA Junkie through a person with knowledge of the situation, and you can see the scheduled broadcast team below.
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Check out the broadcast details for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 232, which has an early start for the final Apex event of the year.
The UFC wraps up its November schedule Saturday with UFC Fight Night 232, which goes down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
As always, some marquee on-air talent will be there in “Sin City” to help guide viewers through the experience.
Details of who will work as commentators and analysts for each event have been acquired by MMA Junkie through a person with knowledge of the situation, and you can see the scheduled broadcast team below.
Jon Anik, Daniel Cormier and Paul Felder, who will step in for Joe Rogan, are set to call the action at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi.
The 12th numbered UFC event of the year is rapidly approaching with UFC 294 on Saturday at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
As always, some marquee on-air talent will be there to help guide viewers through the experience.
Details of who will be working as commentators and analysts for the show have been acquired by MMA Junkie through a person with knowledge of the plans – and you can see the scheduled broadcast team below.
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