Tag: Social

‘Izzy will be back’: Fighters react to Nassourdine Imavov’s KO of Israel Adesanya at UFC Fight Night 250

The MMA community reacted to Nassourdine Imavov’s second-round knockout of Israel Adesanya in the UFC Saudi Arabia main event.

[autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag]’s title trajectory moved forward in a big way Saturday when he defeated former champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] in the UFC Fight Night 250 main event.

Imavov (16-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC) extended his winning streak to four with a signature name on his resume in former titleholder Adesanya (24-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) courtesy of a second-round knockout victory in the headlining bout at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Check below for the top X (formerly Twitter) reactions to Imavov beating Adesanya at UFC Fight Night 250.

* * * *

‘I would hate to fight MVP’: Fighters react to Michael Page’s win over Shara Magomedov at UFC Fight Night 250

The MMA community reacted to Michael Page’s dominant victory over a listless Shara Magomedov at UFC Saudi Arabia.

[autotag]Michael Page[/autotag]’s move to middleweight paid off Saturday when he halted the undefeated streak of [autotag]Shara Magomedov[/autotag] in the UFC Fight Night 250 co-main event.

In his return to the middleweight division after more than a decade, Page (23-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) produced one of the more meaningful wins of his career with a unanimous decision victory over Magomedov (15-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) in their clash at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Check below for the top X (formerly Twitter) reactions to “MVP” beating “Shara Bullet” at UFC Fight Night 250.

* * * *

UFC Fight Night 250 video: Shamil Gaziev lands walk-off KO of Thomas Petersen

Shamil Gaziev continued to shatter any stigma that he’s boring with a walk off knockout of Thomas Petersen at UFC Saudi Arabia.

[autotag]Shamil Gaziev[/autotag] added a highlight-reel finish to his resume against [autotag]Thomas Petersen[/autotag] at UFC Fight Night 250.

After seeing his perfect record ruined in a lackluster main event with Jairzinho Rozenstruik in March 2024, Gaziev (14-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) has now put together back-to-back wins after he floored Petersen (9-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) with a walkoff knockout at the 3:12 mark of Round 1 in the heavyweight bout on Saturday at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Check out the replay of Gaziev’s big win below (via X):

Gaziev, 34, is keen to continue rising in the heavyweight ranks after the dominant win. He knows he had an underwhelming performance in his decision win over Don’Tale Mayes at UFC on ABC 7 in August, but said that was the product of an injury and this was a better representation of his ability.

“Last fight, I broke my hand – that’s why my fight went to decision,” Gaziev said through an interpreter in his post-fight interview with Paul Felder. “I promise you guys when I’m healthy, I will try to look at first-round finish.”

[lawrence-related id=2801687,2801684]

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 250 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 250.

UFC Fight Night 250 video: Terrance McKinney overwhelms Damir Hadzovic for quick TKO

Terrance McKinney has 16 career wins and 15 first-round finishes after dispatching of Damir Hadzovic at UFC Saudi Arabia.

[autotag]Terrance McKinney[/autotag] showed once again that his first wave of offence is tough to deal with when he put [autotag]Damir Hadzovic[/autotag] away early at UFC Fight Night 250.

It was short work for McKinney (16-7 MMA, 6-4 UFC) in the lightweight bout at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He stung Hadzovic (14-8 MMA, 4-6 UFC) with the hands early and forced his opponent to try to grapple. “T-Rex” countered with a guillotine attempt, which led to a reversal into top mount where he unleashed elbows and punches until the referee stepped in at the 2:01 mark of Round 1.

Check out the replay of McKinney’s handiwork below (via X):

With the win, McKinney kept his 100 percent career stoppage rate in tact. He has earned all 15 of his victories inside the first round (including all six in the UFC), and after changing camps prior to this performance, the 30-year-old said he hopes this is the start of meeting his full potential.

“I took a change, moved to Orlando, Florida, and you guys see me reap the blessings of my hard work,” McKinney said in his post-fight interview with Paul Felder. “I’d like to fight Chris Duncan next. Baby, let’s get it.”

[lawrence-related id=2801687,2801684]

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 250 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 250.

UFC Fight Night 250 video: Bogdan Grad declares himself ‘a f*cking problem’ at 145 after debut win

Bogdan Grad declared himself “a f*cking problem” at featherweight after a TKO of Lucas Alexander in his UFC Saudi Arabia debut.

[autotag]Bogdan Grad[/autotag] had some shaky moments against [autotag]Lucas Alexander[/autotag], but ultimate he became the latest Dana White’s Contender Series signee to win his UFC debut.

At UFC Fight Night 250 on Saturday at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Grad (15-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) rallied out of some bad positions to get Alexander (8-5 MMA, 1-3 UFC) on the mat and ground-and-pound his way to a TKO stoppage the 4:22 mark of Round 2.

Check out the replay of the closing sequence below (via X):

After getting his UFC contract on DWCS this past August, Grad was the lone fighter to make his promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 250. He got the job done, and the 29-year-old expressed confidence this will be the start of a special run inside the octagon

“I know no one in the fight game expected me, but here I am, and I’m going to be a f*cking problem for the featherweight division,” Grad said in his post-fight interview with Paul Felder.

[lawrence-related id=2801687,2801684]

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 250 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 250.

UFC’s Instagram account hacked: Promotion confirms cryptocurrency post as fraudulent

UFC has confirmed its Instagram account was hacked after a strange cryptocurrency post Wednesday evening.

The UFC’s Instagram account has been hacked.

Wednesday evening, the Las Vegas-based MMA promotion’s Instagram account displayed a bizzare cryptocurrency post, suggesting the UFC was launching a new coin. A promotion official quickly confirmed to MMA Junkie that the post is not legitimate and the account has been hacked.

“UFC fans have been waiting, and the moment is here,” the post read. “Get ready to own the legacy. Precision. Strength. All in one coin. #UFC #UnleashTheFight”

The post also included a crypto wallet address. At the time of writing, the post has been up for over 30 minutes.

A post was also made to the account’s Instagram Stories, which linked out to a website where the fraudulent crypto coin could be purchased. That portion has since been removed.

Cryptocurrency scams cost Americans more than $5.6 billion in 2023.

Bitcoin BTC, the world’s largest cryptocurrency, recently reached a new all-time high of $109,026.02 after U.S. president Donald Trump expressed plans to create a U.S. Bitcoin strategic reserve.

Eddie Alvarez reveals fractured jaw in BKFC loss to Jeremy Stephens: ‘Damage was too much’

Eddie Alvarez has revealed his corner was more than justified in stopping his fight with Jeremy Stephens at BKFC: KnuckleMania 5.

[autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag] has revealed his corner was more than justified in stopping his fight with Jeremy Stephens at BKFC: KnuckleMania 5.

Stephens was awarded the third-round TKO victory after Alvarez’s corner waved off the fight following the third round of this past Saturday’s main event at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The former UFC and Bellator champion was dropped twice in the bout and tried to keep fighting, but ultimately his team wasn’t having it.

The evidence now shows that was the correct decision. Monday, Alvarez shared X-rays of his face revealing a significant fracture across the right side of his jaw. According to Alvarez, the pain was excruciating (via Instagram):

https://www.instagram.com/p/DFV0cHwxYDP/

Got hit with a kill shot in the first or second … I did my best to keep a Gameface and ignore it . By the 3rd round the damage was too much . Please understand how bad I wanted this and what I sacrificed in order to Win, it wasn’t my night . Bare Knuckle is as real as it gets . Unpredictable, Fast Pace and violent …. Congrats to all the new Up and coming Philly stand outs @cody__fights @teamgarbarino @theanimalbkfc @hevweightbrady on their wins . You Men are the Future and made Philadelphia Proud , I’m soo Happy for our City and the future of our Combat Athletes . Whether I win or lose is not as important as Philadelphia/Pennsylvania slowly becoming the most dominate Area in the country for Combat Sports . @bareknucklefc is the fastest Growing and will be the Greatest Show on Earth .. Mark my words 👊🏼👊🏼👊🏼👊🏼🙏🏼 Thank you Philadelphia for showing out … 👊🏼👊🏼

Alvarez, 41, did not comment on his fighting future after falling short in front of his hometown fans in Philadelphia. He has lost two of three fights since signing with BKFC, and his bout with Stephens marked the return from a 13-month layoff after sustaining two orbital fractures in a December 2023 loss to Mike Perry.

[lawrence-related id=2800782,2800549]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for BKFC: KnuckleMania 5.

UFC at Donald Trump’s inauguration: Dana White, Joe Rogan, Conor McGregor, more

Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration has a heavy UFC presence with Dana White, Joe Rogan, Conor McGregor and more in Washington.

Donald Trump’s second presidential inauguration has a heavy combat sports presence.

Notables from the UFC, boxing and WWE have flocked to Washington ahead of Trump’s inauguration Monday, which officially marks the beginning of his second term as U.S. president. [autotag]Dana White[/autotag], [autotag]Joe Rogan[/autotag], [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag], [autotag]Logan Paul[/autotag], and [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] are among those taking in the festivities.

White and the UFC played a big part getting Trump elected, so it’s no surprise to see a plethora of familiar faces in attendance.

Check out updates from around the inauguration event, including some surprising scenes of (supposed) rivals coming together.

Inauguration ceremony free live stream

Dana White’s speech

After flying in directly from UFC 311 in Los Angeles on Saturday, White took the stage for a four-minute speech touting Trump’s victory.

Dana White links up with Joe Rogan and Trump

Following his speech, White shared a photo on his Instagram Stories alongside Trump and longtime UFC commentator Rogan.

Donald Trump, Joe Rogan, Dana White

Conor McGregor, Paul brothers united for Trump?!?

Former two-division UFC champion McGregor shared a bus ride with Jake Paul, who has talked a tremendous amount of trash about him in the past, and [autotag]Logan Paul[/autotag], whom he claims to be facing in a $250 million boxing match later this year in India.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DFDIcUSRRH7

Colby Covington arrives for Trump inauguration

Diehard Trump supporter and former interim UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] certainly wasn’t going to miss the inauguration.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DFBNUyzRxJj/

Conor McGregor speaks on Trump

Dana White and Barack Obama

Jake Paul puts Mike Tyson on his shoulders

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFEjhtrR_Yr/?igsh=MXJueDc2cndkdXI0ag%3D%3D

Georges St-Pierre, Tim Kennedy, Gordon Ryan, Jon Jones rub elbows with Mark Zuckerberg

Conor McGregor and Jon Jones recreate a memory

Bryce Mitchell’s ‘experience of a lifetime’

https://www.instagram.com/p/DFFHmaJO2Y1/?img_index=1&igsh=bnRlZWd2azRzdWZq

Merab Dvalishvili shares graphic footage of pre-UFC 311 injury he hid from commission

Merab Dvalishvili’s leg injury was no joke going into UFC 311.

[autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] didn’t lie when he said he was compromised going into his successful UFC 311 bantamweight title defense against Umar Nurmagomedov.

Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) sustained multiple gashes to his right leg after colliding with a set of stairs ahead of this past Saturday’s unanimous decision victory over Nurmagomedov (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC). The wounds, which he said didn’t close until right before fight week, were still evident when he stepped into the octagon at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.

According to Dvalishvili during an interview Monday on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” he feared the California State Athletic Commission would pull him from competition. To prevent that, he revealed he hid the damage during a physical check.

[lawrence-related id=2798545]

“California has a very strict commission,” Dvalishvili said. “The commission guy asked me to show him my shin, so I lifted my left leg pant to show him my shin. He kept talking and then asked to show my other leg, so I showed him my left leg again and then he never knew about the cut.”

Dvalishvili said 27 stitches were required on his leg, and he’s now revealed video and images on social media of when it originally happened. Swipe on the Instagram carousel post below, but be warned, it’s not for the faint of heart.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DFECxTIS95J

Despite the adversity, Dvalishvili went on to hand Nurmagomedov his first career loss in the Fight of the Night at UFC 311. He’s now on a 12-fight winning streak inside the octagon, and is looking poised to becoming a dominant champion at 135 pounds.

[lawrence-related id=2799288,2799293,2799267]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.

UFC 311 social media reactions: Islam Makhachev’s title defense over Renato Moicano

The MMA community reacted to Islam Makhachev’s title defense over Renato Moicano at UFC 311.

[autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag]’s reign of terror over lightweight continue Saturday when he retained gold over replacement opponent [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] at UFC 311.

After Arman Tsarukyan fell out of the main event rematch with injury on one days’ notice, Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) got the job done against Moicano (20-6-1 MMA, 12-6 UFC) courtesy of a first-round submission triumph in the headlining fight at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.

Now Makhachev has a record four title defenses during his run as 155-pound champ, and opens up questions about what comes next.

Check below for the top X (formerly Twitter) reactions to Makhachev beating Moicano at UFC 311.

* * * *

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.