Tag: TA block

Michael Chandler vs. Dustin Poirier grudge match on tap for UFC 281 in New York

Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier will settle their differences inside the octagon at UFC 281.

[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] and [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] will settle their differences inside the octagon this fall at UFC 281.

After tensions have been mounting between the pair since Chandler (23-7 MMA, 2-2 UFC) made his UFC debut nearly two years ago, a three-round grudge match with Poirier (28-7 MMA, 20-6 UFC) will unfold on the Nov. 12 card at Madison Square Garden in New York.

MMA Junkie confirmed that both fighters have agreed to the lightweight bout after a Wednesday report by UFC broadcast partner ESPN, which cited UFC chief legal officer Hunter Campbell.

Chandler, No. 9 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie lightweight rankings, will attempt to produce an encore to his insane Knockout of the Year contender against Tony Ferguson this past May at UFC 274.

After suffering back-to-back losses against Charles Oliveira in a vacant title fight in May 2021 then a Fight of the Year with Justin Gaethje at UFC 268 last November, the three-time Bellator champ bounced back with the incredible front-kick finish of Ferguson.

He will attempt to secure the biggest win of his UFC career when he meets No. 2 Poirier, who hasn’t fought since UFC 269 in December, when he suffered a submission loss to then-champion Oliveira. That fight came on the heels of back-to-back stoppage wins over rival Conor McGregor.

Following his knockout victory over McGregor at UFC 257, Poirier opted to go with a trilogy bout with “The Notorious” rather than a championship fight. That allowed Chandler to slide into his spot, which prompted some friction between the two.

At UFC 276 in July, Chandler and Poirier were caught on camera being restrained after a cageside argument, laying the final piece of groundwork for them to get into the octagon.

With the addition, here’s the updated UFC 281 linuep:

  • Champion Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira – for middleweight title
  • Champion Carla Esparza vs. Zhang Weili – for strawweight title
  • Michael Chandler vs. Dustin Poirier
  • Erin Blanchfield vs. Molly McCann
  • Dominick Reyes vs. Ryan Spann
  • Seungwoo Choi vs. Michael Trizano
  • Silvana Gomez Juarez vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
  • Renato Moicano vs. Brad Riddell
  • Ottman Azaitar vs. Matt Frevola
  • Dan Hooker vs. Claudio Puelles
  • Nicolae Negumereanu vs. Carlos Ulberg
  • Andre Petroski vs. Wellington Turman

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UFC 279 pre-event facts: A final look at Nate Diaz’s resume potential farewell fight

Take a look at the numbers behind Nate Diaz’s resume as he enters his likely final UFC bout vs. Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 279.

The final UFC pay-per-view of the summer goes down Saturday with UFC 279 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

A highly-anticipated and polarizing matchup serves as the main event of the card in “Sin City.” Undefeated rising star [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) will attempt to stay undefeated when he meets a legend of the game in [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] (20-13 MMA, 15-11 UFC), who will fight out the final bout on his current UFC contract.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC 279.

Dricus du Plessis, Darren Till verbally agree to UFC 282 fight

After a streak of misfortune, Darren Till looks to return at UFC 282. Verbal agreements are in place for a bout vs. Dricus du Plessis.

[autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] has his next target in his crosshairs.

After a string of withdrawals and a loss, Till (18-4-1 MMA, 6-4-1 UFC) looks to return to the cage Dec. 10 at UFC 282 against [autotag]Dricus du Plessis[/autotag] (17-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC). The UFC has offered the bout and verbal agreements are in place with contracts expected to be signed in the coming days. The event takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Two people knowledgeable about the targeted matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. ESPN was first to announce the matchup.

Till, 29, most recently competed in September 2021 when he lost to Derek Brunson via submission. Out of his most recent six bookings, it’s the only fight that actually took place. Due to injuries and other unforeseen circumstances, Till has been snake-bit. He’ll look to pick up his second victory in six appearances in Las Vegas this December.

Du Plessis, 28, rides a five-fight winning streak into the bout. Three of those victories have been in the UFC, including knockouts of Markus Perez and Trevin Giles. In his most recent outing, he defeated Brad Tavares via unanimous decision at UFC 276.

With the addition, the UFC 282 lineup includes:

  • Robbie Lawler vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
  • Alexander Hernandez vs. Billy Quarantillo
  • Dalcha Lungiambula vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
  • Dricus du Plessis vs. Darren Till

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UFC 279 commentary team set: Joe Rogan on call for Nate Diaz’s final contracted fight

Joe Rogan will be on commentary for a Nate Diaz fight one last time in the UFC 279 headliner vs. Khamzat Chimaev.

The 10th numbered UFC event of the year is rapidly approaching with UFC 279 on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

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 event have been acquired by MMA Junkie through a person with knowledge of the plans – and you can see the scheduled broadcast team below.

Mick Maynard’s Shoes: What’s next for Tai Tuivasa after UFC Fight Night 209 loss?

See who Tai Tuivasa should fight next after his loss to Ciryl Gane in the UFC Fight Night 209 headliner.

(ALSO SEE: Mick Maynard’s Shoes: What’s next for Ciryl Gane after UFC Fight Night 209 win?)

[autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag]’s winning streak and surge up the heavyweight rankings was brought to an abrupt end by Ciryl Gane in the UFC Fight Night 209 main event.

After putting together five consecutive knockouts inside the octagon, Tuivasa (15-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) ran into an opponent that had too much for him. He suffered a third-round knockout loss to Gane (11-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in the headlining at at Accor Arena in Paris.

Although it was an unwanted setback, Tuivasa’s stock didn’t drop much in the Fight of the Night battle. He had his chances to win, and now he must regroup and figure out how to close the gaps in his game.

What should be next for Tuivasa? Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on his future after UFC Fight Night 209.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 209.

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UFC Fight Night 209 post-event facts: Ciryl Gane rebounds on home soil

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC Fight Night 209, which saw Ciryl Gane knock out Tai Tuivasa in the main event.

The UFC’s debut event in France was nothing short of spectacular on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 209 at Accor Arena in Paris being a memorable show.

The hometown hero emerged with a stellar win in the main event, as [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) broke down and eventually finished [autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) with a third-round knockout in the headlining act between heavyweight contenders.

For more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 209.

UFC Fight Night 209 bonuses: Ciryl Gane, Tai Tuivasa’s slugfest takes FOTN

Check out which fighters took home a bonus for their performance at UFC Fight Night 209 in Paris.

The UFC’s first trip to Paris saw a half of the 12 fights end early, much to the delight of the incredibly loud fans in attendance.

At the conclusion of the event, the promotion awarded a Fight of the Night bonus and two Performance of the Night awards.

The main event between former interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane and top contender Tai Tuivasa was fireworks from beginning to end. Their back-and-forth war had fans at Accor Arena losing their minds, and naturally, it was a lock to take home FOTN.

Check out who all took home a bonus for their performance at UFC Fight Night 209 below.

Twitter reacts to Ciryl Gane’s electric KO of Tai Tuivasa at UFC Fight Night 209

See the top Twitter reactions to Ciryl Gane’s win over Tai Tuivasa in the UFC Fight Night 209 main event.

The hometown hero emerged from the UFC’s debut in France on Saturday when [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] got his hand raised against [autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag] at UFC Fight Night 209.

Gane (11-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) rebounded from his first career loss against Francis Ngannou earlier this year with a third-round knockout victory over Tuivasa (15-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) in the heavyweight headliner at Accor Arena in Paris.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Gane’s victory over Tuivasa at UFC Fight Night 209.

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UFC Fight Night 209 ceremonial weigh-in faceoffs video, photo gallery

Check out video of the final staredowns and photo gallery from ceremonial weigh-ins for UFC Fight Night 209 ahead of Saturday’s event.

PARIS – UFC Fight Night 209 ceremonial fighter weigh-ins took place Friday, and the fighters came face-to-face one final time before Saturday’s event.

The weigh-ins took place at Accor Arena. The same venue hosts the event, which streams on ESPN+.

Check out the video above to see the athletes from all 12 scheduled matchups come face-to-face and view the photo gallery below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 209.

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UFC Fight Night 209 faceoff video: Marvin Vettori rejects Robert Whittaker’s handshake attempt

Robert Whittaker and Marvin Vettori got face-to-face for the first – and last – time at UFC Fight Night 209 ceremonial weigh-ins.

PARIS – Ahead of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 209 co-main event, [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] and [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] got face-to-face for the first – and last – time at ceremonial weigh-ins.

After making weight without issue on Friday morning, former UFC champ Whittaker (23-6, 14-4 UFC) and former title challenger Vettori (18-5-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) engaged in a staredown to set the stage for their anticipated middleweight contender showdown.

UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard regulated the moment, where Vettori denied Whittaker’s attempt to shake hands and gave him a finger wag.

Check out the video above to see the Whittaker vs. Vettori faceoff.

UFC Fight Night 209 takes place Saturday at Accor Arena. The entire event streams on ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 209.

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