Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Before UFC Fight Night 235 on Saturday, watch as the main card athletes fighters speak to reporters at media day.
LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 235, which takes place at the UFC Apex with a card that streams entirely on ESPN+, goes down Saturday.
Before fight night arrives, though, notable athletes from the main card spoke to reporters Wednesday at media day.
If you happened 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 Fight Night 235.
There were 35 UFC 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.
Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Jan. 8-14.
Randy Brown vs. Muslim Salikhov was abruptly canceled during UFC 296 fight week in Las Vegas. Now, it’s back on.
Less than one month after it suddenly fell through, [autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Muslim Salikhov[/autotag] is back on the UFC schedule.
The welterweight bout now takes place Feb. 3 at UFC Fight Night 235. The event is set for the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. The bout was first posted by UFC broadcast partner ESPN.
Brown (17-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) vs. Salikhov (19-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) was initially slated for Dec. 16 at UFC 296 in Las Vegas. However, Brown withdrew with an undisclosed illness midway through fight week.
Now with the fight back on, Brown looks to continue momentum from a June victory over Wellington Turman by unanimous decision. Salikhov looks to turn his luck around, coming off a unanimous decision defeat to Nicolas Dalby in June.
With the addition, the UFC Fight Night 235 lineup includes:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 235.
Apparently, Randy Brown has been left on read by UFC-ranked Michael Chiesa.
UFC welterweight [autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag] wants a fight against a ranked opponent, but so far, a direct call out to Michael Chiesa has fallen on deaf ears.
Brown (17-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) was set to compete on the prelims of UFC 287, but had to withdraw due to illness just a couple of days before the final pay-per-view of the year. “Rudeboy” was aiming to make it two in a row after a unanimous decision win over Wellington Turman in June, but his next appearance will have to come in the new year against a new opponent.
According to Brown, he and Chiesa (16-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC) have discussed meeting in the past, and he thinks the timing of the matchup makes sense.
In a video posted on social media, Brown revealed a recent direct message he sent to Chiesa, respectfully calling out the UFC-ranked No. 14 welterweight.
“What’s up Mike. I hope all is well,” Brown started. “My fight fell through last weekend as I got sick. I know we spoke about fighting a few times briefly, but it didn’t make sense for you at those times. I got a ton of respect for you and I’d still love an opportunity to scrap with you. I think it makes a lot more sense now. What do you say?”
Chiesa did not respond to Brown’s message, but instead called out former title challenger Colby Covington.
Chiesa why does it have to come to this? When i seen You in person you told me let's make it happen. Now the UFC says ur not interested. Colby ain't fighting you. pic.twitter.com/C6XspYXSaB
— Randy Brown (@TouchNgo_) December 26, 2023
“Everybody wants to fight up, and I understand it, but everybody wants to fight up,” Brown said. “I completely get that, but bro, you’re on a three-fight skid. That’s the only reason I want to fight you is because you’re in the rankings.”
Chiesa has dropped his last three outings, two of which were by stoppage. After building a four-fight winning streak, he was submitted by Vicente Luque and dropped a unanimous decision to Sean Brady in back-to-back 2021 bouts, and then was tapped by Kevin Holland in his only appearance of 2023.
Brown went on to say he would fight any ranked fighter out there, but he believes Chiesa makes the most sense right now given their most recent results.
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The best facts to come out of UFC 296, which saw Colby Covington and Tony Ferguson join exclusive and unfortunate clubs in defeat.
The UFC’s final event of the 2023 started with a bang, but ended somewhat slow as UFC 296 unfolded at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The two championship fights to close out the calendar year saw both belts stay put. [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) defeated [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) by unanimous decision to defend welterweight gold in the headliner, while [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag] (27-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) also got the nod on the scorecards over [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] (15-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) to retain flyweight gold.
For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 296.
UFC 296 has lost a second fight from the lineup in less than 24 hours.
UFC 296 has lost another fight.
The final UFC pay-per-view for 2023 lost a welterweight bout between [autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Muslim Salikhov[/autotag]. The bout fell through after Brown was forced to withdraw due to illness.
MMA Junkie conformed the news on Thursday night after an initial report from MMA Mania.
This is the second fight to fall through in less than 24 hours for UFC 296. On Wednesday night, UFC president Dana White announced that Ian Garry was out of his fight against Vicente Luque after getting pneumonia. It’s uncertain if Brown (17-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) vs. Salikhov (19-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) will be scheduled for a later date.
Brown was looking to build off his unanimous decision win over Wellington Turman this past June. The UFC veteran is 5-1 in his last six fights. Brown’s only loss came to rising contender Wellington Turman.
On the other hand, Salikhov was hoping to bounce back from his defeat to Nicolas Dalby in June. He’s 1-2 in his past three trips to the octagon.
Below is the updated card for UFC 296:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN2/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.
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 the promotions from Oct. 9-15.
Today’s installment focuses on the 29 players who wore No. 11 over the years as of September 2023.
The Boston Celtics have more retired jerseys than any other team in the NBA, but that doesn’t mean the rest of their jerseys have little history of interest tied to them.
In fact, with 17 titles to their name and decades of competitive basketball played in them, their unretired jersey numbers pack in some of the most history not hanging from the rafters of any team in the league. To that end, we have launched our accounting of that history, with every player in every jersey worn by more than one Celtics player in the storied franchise’s history accounted for.
Today’s installment focuses on the 29 players who wore No. 11 over the years as of September 2023.
Ainge started his athletic journey as a multi-sport athlete in high school, excelling in basketball, football, and baseball. https://t.co/4PnH3CVgoh
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 3, 2023
Whether Ian Machado Garry wins his UFC 292 fight or not, Randy Brown wants the outspoken Irishman next.
LAS VEGAS – Whether [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] wins his UFC 292 fight against Geoff Neal or not, [autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag] wants to share the octagon with the Irishman next.
After scoring a unanimous decision win over Wellington Turman at UFC on ABC 5 in June, Brown (17-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) is already looking for his next assignment in the welterweight division. He’s not super picky about whom he fights, as long as it represents a step up, but Brown thinks Garry (12-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) would be a compelling fight for the fans.
I’ve always been a high-risk, low-reward kind of fighter unfortunately,” Brown told MMA Junkie Radio on UFC X Radio Row earlier this month. “As of late, I’m starting to get momentum, and my name’s getting out there. Dudes are not quick to call me out because I have a style that’s very dangerous for everybody. Nobody wanta to deal with a 6-foot-three-and-a-half welterweight. I’m a giant in there. I could see why a lot of people don’t call me out.
“For me, I think there’s a lot of guys and a lot of fun fights for me in my division. A guy like Ian Garry, I’m happy with the things he’s doing. … He has a great style; I have a great style. We’re both long and lengthy. I think we’ll put on a phenomenal fight. Besides him, there’s a ton of other guys.”
Brown, 33, has won five of his past six fights dating back to April 2021. His only setback in that stretch came at UFC 284 in February, when he suffered a first-round submission loss to surging contender Jack Della Maddalena.
It was a disappointing result for Brown but one he thinks didn’t damage his career too significantly as he plots to continue making noise at 170 pounds.
“Honestly, while I was in that loss, when I experienced that loss, I don’t even think that loss itself set me back too far,” Brown said. “I feel like I got caught in a transition, and it is what it is. The dude capitalized. But I fought, I came back, and I thought I had a great performance. Not the performance that I wanted – I definitely wanted a big finish – but Thurman came to fight. I think I’m right back where I left off before, and hopefully my next fight we can really get out there with someone that’s down to scrap.”
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Josh Emmett and Justin Tafa suffered graphic injuries at UFC on ABC 5 and are among those suspended indefinitely by the Florida commission.
UFC on ABC 5 took place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. and featured 13 fights.
There were back-and-forth battles, knockouts, an eye gouge, and a submission. Through these fights, the athletes involved sustained injuries that will put them on the shelf for some time, unless cleared by a doctor.
Tuesday, MMA Junkie acquired a list of athlete medical suspensions from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), the sanctioning body that oversaw the event. The DBPR does not disclose injury specifics, but does show the durations of the suspension.
Atop the card, [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] proved he’s a premiere contender when he dominated [autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag] en route to a unanimous decision, including a rare 10-7 scorecard. The two headliners were suspended indefinitely by DBPR afterward.
Seven fighters total were handed indefinite suspensions, while two were handed terms of specific durations and the rest of the card was cleared on fight night. Fighters are permitted to return prior to the end of their assigned durations if they are cleared by a doctor.
Scroll below to see the suspensions for the full UFC on ABC 5 card.
