Tag: TV Start

Rafael dos Anjos returns to welterweight, meets Bryan Barberena at UFC Fight Night in Orlando

Admittedly done chasing UFC titles, Rafael dos Anjos is also giving up on drastic weight cuts as he’ll return to welterweight.

Admittedly done chasing UFC titles, [autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag] is also giving up on drastic weight cuts.

Former UFC lightweight champion dos Anjos (32-14 MMA, 20-12 UFC) will revert from his brief return to the division where he once held gold and jump back up to welterweight for a clash with [autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag] (18-8 MMA, 9-6 UFC) at UFC Fight Night on Dec. 3.

MMA Junkie confirmed with multiple people close to the situation that the matchup has been agreed to take place at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. Brazilian news outlet Combate was first to report the pairing.

Dos Anjos, 37, won the lightweight title at UFC 185 in 2015 when he defeated Anthony Pettis by unanimous decision. At UFC on FOX 17, he recorded his only title defense by quickly finishing Donald Cerrone in 66 seconds.

In the years since, dos Anjos’ journey has been a series of ups and downs against the best fighters available in the lightweight and welterweight divisions.

Returning from a 15-month layoff in March, dos Anjos defeated Renato Moicano to make it two-straight wins following a split decision nod over Paul Felder in November 2020. However, in his second outing of the calendar year, Rafael Fiziev finished the former champ early in the fifth round of their main event contest.

He’ll get a tough out in his move back to 170 pounds as Barberena, 33, has been on a roll. “Bam Bam” has won four of his past five but has found recent success against legends of the game in scoring a second-round TKO of Robbie Lawler at UFC 276 in July after edging Matt Brown by split decision at UFC on ESPN 33 in March.

The latest lineup for UFC Orlando includes:

  • Stephen Thompson vs. Kevin Holland
  • Derek Brunson vs. Jack Hermansson
  • Tracy Cortez vs. Amanda Ribas
  • Darren Elkins vs. Jonathan Pearce
  • Matheus Nicolau vs. Matt Schnell
  • Eryk Anders vs. Kyle Daukaus
  • Marc Diakiese vs. Michael Johnson
  • Clay Guida vs. Scott Holtzman
  • Emily Ducote vs. Angela Hill
  • Bryan Barberena vs. Rafael dos Anjos
  • Yazmin Jauregui vs. Istela Nunes

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MMA Junkie Radio #3300: Guest Ben Rothwell, reaction to Aspen Ladd in PFL, more

Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”

Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,300, the guys welcome Ben Rothwell fresh off his knockout win in his Bare Knuckle FC debut. They also discuss the latest news in MMA, including Aspen Ladd signing with PFL, Henry Cejudo sounding off on Dustin Porier, Michael Chandler’s remarks on Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev, and more. Tune in!

An congrats to George and “Goze” on reaching 3300!

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.

Mariusz Pudzianowski faces former two-division champ Mamed Khalidov at KSW 77

KSW has pulled the trigger on booking one of the biggest fights in company history between Mariusz Pudzianowski and Mamed Khalidov.

KSW has pulled the trigger on booking one of the biggest fights in company history between [autotag]Mariusz Pudzianowski[/autotag] and [autotag]Mamed Khalidov[/autotag].

Pudzianowski (17-7) and Khalidov (35-8-2), who have fought a combined 49 times under the promotional banner, will meet in the KSW 77 main event on Dec. 17, the organization announced on Wednesday.

The event will takes place at Gliwice Arena in Gliwice, Poland, and will stream via online pay-per-view on the KSW website.

Pudzianowski, who is a multi-time “World’s Strongest Man” champion, is on the best run of his career at 45. He’s won his past five fights, all by knockout, including a highlight-reel finish of Michal Materla at KSW 70 in May.

After Pudzianowski won that fight, Khalidov entered the cage to set to the foundation for a showdown between them, and now it’s come to fruition.

Khalidov, 42, will have to overcome a significant weight discrepancy in the heavyweight bout. The former KSW light heavyweight and middleweight champion hasn’t fought since a December 2021 knockout loss to Roberto Soldic, and is coming off losses in four of his past five contests overall.

Despite his rough run, Khalidov is still dangerous. He’s finished 89 percent of his career wins by stoppage, and prior to his recent slump had gone on an incredible run of 34 victories in 35 fights.

Pudzianowski and Khalidov have both proven to be faces of the KSW organization at certain times, and now they will fight.

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Need For Speed Unbound leaks ahead of official reveal

The next installment in EA’s high-speed franchise is getting a proper unveil later this week.

Another installment in the Need For Speed franchise is getting shown off later this week. However, the actual title seems to have leaked ahead of time.

On Tuesday, Electronic Arts (EA) announced that a trailer for an all-new Need For Speed game is coming Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022, at 8:00 A.M. PDT // 11:00 A.M. EDT // 3:00 P.M. GMT. It’ll be live on the official YouTube channel come go-time here. 

There’s no telling what the trailer will entail, but we do know the game’s actual title seemingly is: Need For Speed Unbound. Ahead of the reveal event, EA’s website briefly hosted an image that kinda-sorta spoiled the surprise. Check it out for yourself below.

Of course, this could be a label for something else within the game. So as ever, don’t take this leak as gospel.

There hasn’t been a mainline series entry since Need For Speed Heat by EA Gothenburg came out in 2020. Criterion Games, the studio primarily responsible for Burnout, is behind the upcoming franchise revival. Rumors are floating about claiming that Need For Speed Unbound will be out within the next few months — though there’s no telling if that’ll happen.

It’s been a pretty big year for racing games already between F1 22 and Forza Horizon 5‘s Hot Wheels DLC. So another Need For Speed would round things out nicely.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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Xbox Game Pass games for early October 2022

Chivalry 2, A Plague Tale: Requiem, Scorn, and loads more will land on the service very soon.

At long last, it’s spooky season — that glorious time of year when pumpkin carving and scaring the bejesus out of loved ones is acceptable. If neither activity is your cup of tea, know that Microsoft is giving away some thematically appropriate video games that might help pass the time.

Quite a number of titles will arrive on Xbox Game Pass over the next few weeks, though you’ll need an active subscription to scoop all of these up. We’ll list every game coming out below, along with the corresponding release dates and platform details. All information comes straight from Xbox Wire.

Xbox Game Pass games for October 2022

Oct. 4

  • Chivalry 2 (console, cloud, and PC)

Oct. 6

  • Medieval Dynasty (Xbox Series X|S)
  • The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season (PC)
  • The Walking Dead: Season Two (PC)

Oct. 11

  • Costume Quest (console and cloud) 
  • Eville (console and PC)

Oct. 13

  • Dyson Sphere Program (PC)

Oct. 14

  • Scorn (PC, cloud, and Xbox Series X|S)

Oct. 18 

A Plague Tale: Requiem (PC, cloud, and Xbox Series X|S)

As is always the case, there are several bonuses for Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. We’ll list what DLC is on offer below.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate perks for October 2022 include:

Oct. 11

  • Eville: Housewarming Bundle
  • Need for Speed Heat: Deluxe Edition Upgrade
  • Apex Legends: From Above Weapon Charm

Finally, numerous titles are leaving Xbox Game Pass on Oct. 15, 2022. Remember, there’s a membership discount of up to 20 percent for those who want to keep the games.

  • Bloodroots (console, cloud, and PC)
  • Echo Generation (console, cloud, and PC)
  • Into The Pit (console, cloud, and PC)
  • Ring of Pain (console, cloud, and PC)
  • Sable (console, cloud, and PC)
  • The Good Life (console, cloud, and PC)

That does it for now. As a reminder: Microsoft will probably announce more games coming to the service later this month. Absolute bangers like Deathloop, Slime Rancher 2, and Valheim landed on Xbox Game Pass in late September.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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Ex-UFC fighter Aspen Ladd signs deal with PFL

Just one week after parting ways with the UFC, Aspen Ladd has a new home.

(Editor’s note: Story updated to reflect revised statement from Ladd, which doesn’t mention new featherweight division.)

[autotag]Aspen Ladd[/autotag] has a new home.

Just one week after parting ways with the UFC, Ladd (9-3) has signed with PFL to compete at women’s featherweight, promotion officials announced Tuesday.

 

“I want to thank the Professional Fighters League for giving me the opportunity to continue my career in the PFL SmartCage,” Ladd said in a statement. “I am excited about the PFL’s sport season format where you win and advance based on talent and merit. I look forward to testing myself against the best women in the world.”

Ladd was released by the UFC after a history of failing to make the non-title bantamweight limit of 136 pounds, which led to numerous fight cancellations. The 27-year-old was booked against Sara McMann at UFC Fight Night 210, but the bout was scrapped after Ladd came in at 138, two pounds over the bantamweight limit. Ladd’s weight cut was stopped by commission officials, and she was subsequently released by the promotion.

Ladd made her featherweight debut against Norma Dumont in the UFC Fight Night 195 main event last October, but lost the fight by unanimous decision. During her almost five-year UFC tenure, Ladd scored finishes of Lina Lansberg, Tonya Evinger and Yana Kunitskaya. She had three fights called off due to weight-related issues during that stretch.

It’s unclear in which division Ladd will compete. Originally, ESPN reported that 2023 would be the first PFL season with a women’s featherweight division, which Ladd would partake in. PFL’s subsequent press release made no mention of a women’s 145-pound division, and Ladd’s prepared statement was changed.

Through three seasons, the only PFL women’s division has been at lightweight, which has been won by Kayla Harrison twice. She’ll go for a third title against Larissa Pacheco on Nov. 25 at the 2022 PFL Championships event in New York.

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Disco Elysium studio has ‘no further comments’ about recent staff departures

ZA/UM responds to community outrage regarding several key minds behind Disco Elysium leaving the company.

Studio ZA/UM has finally issued a response to the ongoing situation regarding several members of Disco Elysium’s development team suddenly leaving the company.

In a Medium post shared on Saturday, former ZA/UM editor Martin Luiga revealed numerous key people behind Disco Elysium, including writers Robert Kurvitz and Helen Hindpere along with art lead Aleksander Rostov, were “involuntary” ousted from the company.

“I, Martin Luiga, a founding member and Secretary of the ZA/UM cultural association, as well as the assembler of most of the core team, am hereby dissolving the ZA/UM cultural association,” Luiga said. “The reason for dissolving the cultural organization is that it no longer represents the ethos it was founded on. People and ideas are meant to be eternal; organizations may well be temporary.”

Luiga also notes that the cultural association shouldn’t be confused with ZA/UM as a studio — which Kurvitz, Hindpere, and Rostov haven’t been part of since 2021. 

Given that these developers were integral to the success of Disco Elysium, many fans were pretty upset over this news. Since, you know — games with great stories are primarily brought to life by writers, and those responsible for penning a much-beloved narrative like Disco Elysium not being involved in future installments don’t sound all that promising.

On Monday, ZA/UM addressed the departures publicly.

“Like any video game, the development of Disco Elysium was and still is a collective effort, with every team member’s contribution essential and valued as part of a greater whole,” reads ZA/UM’s statement on Twitter. “At this time, we have no further comment to make other than the ZA/UM creative team’s focus remains on the development of our next project, and we are excited to share more news on this with you all soon.”

What this means for Disco Elysium‘s sequel is anybody’s guess, but the situation is pretty surprising nonetheless.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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Horizon Zero Dawn is reportedly being remade for PS5

The PS4 title from Guerrilla Games might be getting a touch-up.

Horizon Zero Dawn, the action-adventure title from Guerrilla Games, might receive some sort of reinvention on PS5. 

According to MP1st and corroborated by VGC, a remake or remaster of Horizon Zero Dawn is in the works. It’ll apparently feature all-new character models, better lighting, more fluid animations, and loads of tweakable accessibility features — pretty much everything we’ve come to expect from these new-generation updates. These updates should make the presentation up to par with Horizon Forbidden West.

Curiously, it seems there might be multiplayer too. More specifically, a campaign co-op mode of some kind. Reports on this aspect are less confident, though. As always, take all of this with a grain of salt for now.

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It’s unclear if this project will be a top-to-bottom remake like The Last of Us Part 1 or merely a port with visual enhancements. The latter arguably makes more sense since Horizon Zero Dawn still looks incredible, especially on PC, but we’ll just have to wait and see. 

Horizon Zero Dawn originally came out back in February 2017 for PS4. It quickly became a fan favorite among PlayStation owners and sold over 20 million copies worldwide. There’s also a small-screen adaptation coming to Netflix eventually.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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MMA Junkie Radio #3299: Reaction to UFC Fight Night 211, Bellator 286, more

Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”

Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,299, the guys recap a busy weekend of action with UFC Fight Night 211 Bellator 286 and Ben Rothwell’s debut in Bare Knuckle FC, as well as offer their thoughts on the UFC shutting out fans and media, Eddie Alvarez’s future, and more. Tune in!

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.

Bellator 286 results: Patricio Freire wins lackluster decision vs. Adam Borics to retain featherweight title

The fans booed as the Bellator 286 main event came to an end – just as they did when it started.

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Not a single round of the Bellator 286 main event was complete Saturday night without significant boos from the crowd at Long Beach Arena.

That’s how lackluster the title fight was between featherweight champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] and [autotag]Adam Borics[/autotag]. In the end, Freire did more to earn a unanimous decision win from the judges, with scores of 48-47, 49-46, and 50-45.

From the start, neither Freire (34-5 MMA, 22-5 BMMA) nor Borics (18-2 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) was willing to take many risks as both men felt each other out in the early going of Round 1 – and that continued with each subsequent round.

Freire managed to find success taking the fight to the mat in the first three rounds, which gave him the edge in control time. Beyond that, the champ’s most effective weapon was his counter-left hook, which caused a small cut over Borics’ eyebrow in Round 2.

With Freire up on the scorecards heading into Round 5, Borics finally tried to push the action and threw a wild flying knee that missed without about 3 minutes remaining. The result was Borics falling to the mat, Freire taking his back and ending up as a backpack as Borics walked around the cage not making much effort to break free – the second time it happened in the fight. Finally, with 1:40 remaining, Borics managed to reverse the position and took down Freire from the clinch. Borics controlled the rest of the round until Freire locked in a standing Kimura before the bell rang.

The fans booed as the fight came to an end – just as they did when it started.

For Freire, the win was his 12th in a Bellator championship fight, which is a promotional record. Borics, meanwhile, had his four-fight winning streak snapped.

Complete Bellator 286 results:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 286.

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