Tag: TA block

UFC Fight Night 209 weigh-in video: Tai Tuivasa has 19 pounds on Ciryl Gane

The main event for the UFC’s debut in France is official after Ciryl Gane and Tai Tuivasa weighed in for a marquee heavyweight showdown.

PARIS – The main event for the UFC’s debut in France is official after [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] and [autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag] weighed in for a marquee heavyweight showdown at UFC Fight Night 209.

Former interim UFC champ Gane (10-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) and surging contender Tuivasa (15-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) both stepped on the scale Friday morning at official weigh-ins, setting the stage for their fight.

Tuivasa was first to the scale and was the heavyweight limit of 266 pounds. Gane came in nearly 50 minutes later into the session, and was 19 pounds lighter at 247 pounds.

Watch the weigh-in video above.

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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UFC Fight Night 209 weigh-in video: Robert Whittaker, Marvin Vettori set for key clash

Robert Whittaker and Marvin Vettori have made weight for their massive middleweight showdown at UFC Fight Night 209.

PARIS – [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] and [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] have made weight for their massive middleweight showdown at UFC Fight Night 209.

Former UFC champ Whittaker (23-6, 14-4 UFC) and former title challenger Vettori (18-5-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) are set for a key showdown in Saturday’s co-main event, but ahead of stepping in the octagon, they had to do their part on the scale.

Whittaker weighed in first at 186 pounds, while Vettori came in minutes later and also registered at 186 pounds during Friday’s official weigh-in window.

Check out the video above to see both men making weight.

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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Fresh Ink: Meet the 32 fighters the UFC signed in August 2022

The UFC added 32 fighters to its roster last month. Find out who joined and learn more about them here.

The UFC roster is bigger than ever – and it continues to expand.

Fresh faces appear on nearly every card, whether onboarded as short-notice opening fillers, Dana White’s Contender Series signees, or the increasingly rare straight-up additions. Sometimes, it’s hard to keep track of the hustle and bustle of the mixed martial arts news beat, but here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got you covered.

“Fresh Ink” is your list of fighters added to the UFC roster the previous month and provides background on who they are and where they came from.

Scroll below to check out the 32 fighters the promotion inked in August 2022.

Video: Watch Ciryl Gane, Tai Tuivasa and others smash pads at UFC Paris open workouts

Check out highlights from the UFC Fight Night 209 open workouts in Paris.

PARIS – An old fight week tradition has returned for UFC Fight Night 209.

Before the global pandemic caused all sorts of changes in the UFC’s typical fight week plans, fans in the event’s host city could go out and watch fighters show off their skills at open workouts.

This week, the promotion added the activity back to the schedule, treating fans at La Salle Wagram to an up-close view of former interim heavyweight champion [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag], surging contender [autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag], and other main card competitors as they showed off their striking techniques with their coaches.

You can watch highlights of the open workouts in the video above.

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

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Dana White’s Contender Series 52 live results

Follow along with the live results of Dana White’s Contender Series live at UFC Apex.

MMA Junkie is on scene reporting live from Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series 52 event.

Dana White’s Contender Series cards see prospects fighting for the opportunity to sign a UFC deal, with UFC president Dana White on hand to make the decisions.

The sixth week of the sixth season sees 10 fighters compete for their shot at a UFC contract. Welterweights take center stage in the feature bout as Japan’s Yusaku Kinoshita (5-1) takes on Brazil’s undefeated prospect Jose Henrique (5-0).

The UFC Apex hosts Tuesday’s card, which streams live on ESPN+. The full results of Dana White’s Contender Series 50 include:

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Yusaku Kinoshita vs. Jose Henrique
  • Sedriques Dumas vs. Matej Penaz
  • Rodrigo Lidio vs. Mateusz Rebecki
  • Viktoriya Dudakova vs. Maria Silva
  • Blake Bilder vs. Alexander Morgan

Continue reading below for more details about each fight.

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Reports: Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva boxing match booked for October

Try as he might, Jake Paul can’t seem to get away from boxing former MMA champions and is set to meet Anderson Silva this fall.

Try as he might, [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] can’t seem to get away from boxing former MMA champions.

After fights with Tommy Fury and Hasim Rahman Jr. fell apart earlier this month, Paul is set to fight former UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Anderson Silva[/autotag] in a Showtime pay-per-view headliner on October 29, according to an initial report from NoSmokeBoxing on Monday.

TMZ later confirmed Tuesday, with sources, that the fight has been made but didn’t specify a date. Neither TMZ nor NoSmokeBoxing reported a location or venue for the event.

Paul’s company, Most Valuable Promotions, teased his next fight over the weekend on Twitter, saying he “almost certainly will be the underdog.” Silva likely would fit the bill.

Paul, 25, is 5-0 as a professional boxer with a knockout of Ben Askren and two wins – one decision and one knockout – over Tyron Woodley on his resume. The YouTube star hasn’t fought since his sixth-round knockout of Woodley in December 2021.

Paul has faced questions about his legitimacy as a boxer since he hasn’t fought any traditional boxers, which will continue with Silva. The difference, however, is that 47-year-old Silva has transitioned well in the squared circle since leaving the UFC in late 2020.

Silva officially won two boxing matches in 2021, first taking a split decision from Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. after eight rounds before knocking out fellow former UFC champion Tito Ortiz in just 1:22. Silva also looked formidable in an exhibition bout against Bruno Machado this past May.

Silva’s performance against Machado even got a reaction out of Paul.

Now they’ll settle things in the ring.

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Stots-Sabatello, Magomedov-Mix bantamweight semifinals set for Bellator 289 in December

We’ve got a date and location for the next step in Bellator’s bantamweight grand prix.

We’ve got a date and location for the next step in Bellator’s bantamweight grand prix.

Interim titleholder [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) will take on [autotag]Danny Sabatello[/autotag] (13-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) in one of two semifinals at Bellator 289 in December. On the other half of the bracket, [autotag]Magomed Magomedov[/autotag] (19-2 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) is matched up against sometimes-training partner [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA).

Bellator 289 will take place Dec. 9 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card will air on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie. Bellator officials announced the event Monday following an initial report from “The MMA Hour.”

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Stots won the interim 135-pound title with a third-round head-kick knockout of Juan Archuleta at Bellator 279 in Honolulu in April. It was Stots’ 10th straight win and came in the tournament quarterfinals.

He’ll take on Sabatello, with whom he’s developed a fairly solid rivalry. Sabatello and his brash, trash-talking persona burst onto the scene this year with a play-in win over Jornel Lugo at Bellator 278. At Bellator 282 in June, he outworked Leandro Higo to reach his semifinal fight with Stots.

Magomedov lost to Stots in August 2021. But he bounced babck in June with a fourth-round submission of Enrique Barzola at Bellator 282 to get to the semifinals against Mix. Mix beat Kyoji Horiguchi with a unanimous decision in his semifinal fight at Bellator 279 in April. It was his third straight win.

The four semifinalists are working for an eventual title unification bout with champ Sergio Pettis, who currently is on the shelf.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 289.

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Bellator 288 to host two title fights: Nemkov vs. Anderson, ‘Pitbull’ vs. Nurmagomedov

Bellator is brining two big-time title fights to the “Windy City” this fall.

The “Windy City” has two big-time championship fights coming its way this fall.

On Monday, it was revealed Bellator 288 will be headlined by [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] defending his light heavyweight title against [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] and co-headlined by [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] putting his lightweight title on the line against [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag]. Bellator officials announced the bouts Monday following an initial report from “The MMA Hour.”

Bellator 288 takes place Nov. 18 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, with a main card that airs on Showtime following prelims streamed on MMA Junkie.

Nemkov (15-2 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) and Anderson (16-5 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) faced each other in the light heavyweight grand prix final this past April at Bellator 277. The result of the bout was a no contest after an accidental clash of heads caused a cut to Nemkov, which prompted a stop to the fight. Now, the pair are set to run it back once again for the title with the $1 million grand prize and tournament title at stake.

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Nemkov, 30, entered the Bellator 277 bout against Anderson on a nine-fight win streak that stretches back to 2016.

After defeating Ryan Bader to claim the light heavyweight title at Bellator 244, Nemkov defeated Phil Davis and Julius Anglickas, retaining his title while reaching the finals of the grand prix.

Anderson, 32, reached the finals on the heels of a three-fight win streak. He racked up two TKO finishes over Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov and Ryan Bader, leading to his showdown against Nemkov that resulted in a no contest.

Freire, 36, will have to deal with undefeated Nurmagomedov for his first title defense. Freire (24-10 MMA, 15-8 BMMA) won the vacant lightweight title last November when he knocked out Peter Queally in the second right at Bellator 270.

Nurmagomedov, 24, is the younger cousin and pupil to UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov. Usman is 15-0 as a professional fighter, including 4-0 in Bellator with a decision win over Mike Hamel and finishes against Manny Muro, Patrik Pietila, and most recently Chris Gonzalez this past July.

The current Bellator 288 lineup includes:

  • Champ Vadim Nemkov vs. Corey Anderson – for light heavyweight title; grand prix final
  • Champ Patricky Freire vs. Usman Nurmagomedov – for lightweight title
  • Khasan Askhabov vs. Otto Rodrigues

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Former UFC champion Vitor Belfort set to box Hasim Rahman Jr.

Vitor Belfort’s boxing career continues on, as he’s scheduled to box Hasim Rahman Jr. in Sheffield, England.

[autotag]Vitor Belfort[/autotag] isn’t done yet.

A former UFC light heavyweight champion, Belfort (1-0) will continue his excursion into the world of boxing when he battles [autotag]Hasim Rahman Jr.[/autotag] (12-1) at DAZN X Series 002, the promotion announced during its debut event Friday that featured YouTuber KSI.

The Belfort vs. Rahman event is scheduled for Oct. 15 in Sheffield, England, and will serve as one half of a double main event. The second main event will be announced at a later date. KSI’s promotion Misfits Boxing will promote the event.

Belfort, 45, made his professional boxing debut in September when he knocked out 58-year-old former boxing champion Evander Holyfield in 104 seconds. After the bout was not allowed to happen in California due to safety concerns, it was scrutinized by some due to the age of the competitors. instead moved to Florida.

The bout marked the first professional combat sports competition for Belfort since his final UFC bout against Lyoto Machida in May 2018.

After the Holyfield match, Belfort was scheduled to compete in a hybrid rules match against Chad Dawson for Triad Combat. However, the event was canceled and the bout was not rescheduled.

Rahman Jr, 31, was expected to box Jake Paul at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 6. However, after Most Valuable Promotions perceived Rahman Jr. would not live up to his weight obligations, the card was canceled. The two parties disagreed on the decision to cancel. Rahman Jr. said the promotion jumped the gun.

In an attempt to prove that point, Rahman Jr. held his own unofficial weigh-in, and still came in one pound over the heaviest weight limit compromise Paul offered.

Entering his bout vs. Belfort, Rahman Jr. will look to bounce back from his first professional loss, a TKO defeat to James McKenzie Morrison in April. The combined record of his opponents prior (at the time of his matches against them) was 56-116.

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Twitter reacts to Demetrious Johnson’s title-winning knee KO of Adriano Moraes at ONE on Prime Video 1

Check out the reaction to Demetrious Johnson’s knockout of Adriano Moraes at ONE on Prime Video 1.

One of the best to ever do it has won gold again.

In the main event of [autotag]ONE on Prime Video 1[/autotag], [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] claimed the ONE Championship flyweight title by knocking out Adriano Moraes in the fourth round of their rematch.

Johnson was finished by a knee to the head in their first meeting, but this time around it would be “Mighty Mouse” who finished the fight with a right hand that dropped Moraes, followed by a flush knee to the face.

Check out below to see the reaction on social media to the incredible finish.