Tag: UFC 261

‘A gentleman never tells’: Nick Diaz is causing quite a stir by being at UFC 261

People have their thoughts and theories as to why Nick Diaz is in Jacksonville for UFC 261.

We figured [autotag]Nick Diaz[/autotag] would be seen back at a UFC event next month when his younger brother, Nate, returns to fight Leon Edwards on May 15 at UFC 262, but wait just a minute.

Diaz has been in Jacksonville, Fla., all week ahead of tonight’s UFC 261, leading people to wonder why he’d attend this particular event headlined by a rematch between welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal.

Diaz, 37, hasn’t competed in ages – Jan. 31, 2015, to be exact, when he fought Anderson Silva at UFC 183. Every now and again, talk of a Diaz return to competition bubbles up, and that happened again this past December after Diaz’s manager, Kevin Mubenga, said there was a “99.99999 (percent)” chance Diaz will fight this year. After that came out, it didn’t take long for UFC president Dana White to say he wasn’t sold on that happening.

And yet, here we are, just hours from UFC 261 as of this writing, and Diaz earlier today stoked speculation with this tweet:

A gentleman never tells.

For all we know, Diaz is just in town to enjoy some fights cageside. But folks on Twitter certainly have thoughts, theories or are just fired up to see that he’s there:

UFC 261 ‘Embedded,’ No. 6: Kamaru Usman balls with Justin Gaethje, Francis Ngannou

Go behind the scenes with the sixth episode of UFC 261 “Embedded” featuring Jorge Masvidal, Kamaru Usman and more.

The UFC is back on pay-per-view Saturday with three title fights at UFC 261, and the promotion is getting fans ready with its popular “Embedded” series.

UFC 261 takes place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

In the main event, welterweight champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] defends his title in a rematch with [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag]. In the co-headliner, women’s flyweight champ [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] aims for her fifth consecutive title defense when she takes on [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag]. A third title fight also sees [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] defend her strawweight crown against ex-champ [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag].

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The sixth episode of “Embedded” follows the big stars who will compete at UFC 261. Here’s the UFC’s description from YouTube:

Foes Jorge Masvidal and Kamaru Usman cut weight in very different ways. Francis Ngannou lightens the mood. Valentina Shevchenko has an easy cut, and the title fights are official at the weigh-in. Fans return for the triple-header ceremonial weigh-in.

Also see:

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UFC 261: How to watch on Jorge Masvidal vs. Kamaru Usman on ESPN+, odds and more

Everything you need for Saturday’s fight.

Saturday is here, and that means the countdown begins to UFC 261, with Jorge Masvidal facing off against Kamaru Usman for a second time.

The stakes? The welterweight title is on the line.

Usman retained the title in that first fight after Masvidal replaced Gilbert Burns on short notice. This time? We’ll see if much more prep time makes a difference.

That’s not the only fight to watch on Saturday night, which we’ll get to in a second. To prepare for the UFC 261, we’ve got you prepared with the info you need to know for Saturday’s slate of bouts. Let’s jump in:

And here are the highlights from the first Usman-Masvidal fight:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kqbv_rCW5JI

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Colby Covington wants in-cage faceoff with Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal winner at UFC 261

Colby Covington’s pushing Dana White to let him in the cage at UFC 261 to face off with the Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal winner.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] hopes to get a face-to-face look at the winner of the UFC 261 main event after the dust settles between [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] and [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag].

Covington (16-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC) has a well-documented history with both men set to fight for the welterweight title in Saturday’s headliner. He fought Usman (19-1 MMA, 14-0 UFC) to a thrilling fifth-round TKO loss at UFC 245 in December 2019, and was a former friend and training partner of Masvidal (35-14 MMA, 12-7 UFC) before their relationship took a turn for the worse and they became heated enemies.

No matter who wins, Covington will have a big fight in front of him. UFC president Dana White has already labeled him the likely No. 1 contender to the throne, and if Covington has his way, he’ll enter the octagon immediately after the fight and get a good look at the winner.

“I hope that Dana puts that together,” Covington told MMA Junkie on Friday. “I would love to go look the winner in the eyes and let them know I’m next. Then the fans can see how cowardice they are when they go hiding and they go looking for a way out or ‘retirement’ or ‘I’m walking away from the sport.’ I’m hoping I get to look them in the eyes tomorrow night, but I don’t know if there will be enough men in the building to hold me back from what I’m going to do to the winner tomorrow night.”

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UFC 261 takes place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena with a main card that streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

Covington said he hopes to one day settle his feud with both men, but isn’t sure if that’ll materialize. Only one can be first, and his expectation – and preference – is for that to be Usman. He’s still bitter about the way their fight ended at UFC 245, and has repeatedly gone into detail about how he thought Usman bent the rules to victory.

A rematch has to happen, Covington said, but he’s not sure it will. Usman has hinted in the lead-up to UFC 261 that retirement for him may not be far off, and Covington said he wouldn’t be surprised if “The Nigerian Nightmare” skips town after this fight.

“Of course I would rather it be ‘Marty Fakenewsman,'” Covington said. “We have unfinished business. That first fight, there’s a bad taste in my mouth, there’s a bad taste in the fans’ mouth. … That fight needs to be run back. That’s the best fight that people want to see and it’s the fight that the fans deserve. But honestly, he’s already talking about retiring, so I don’t see that fight happening. He’s probably going to retire and not fight me. Masvidal doesn’t want to fight me. He’s already turned down that fight for a year. He knows who his daddy is. Jorge Masvidal’s my son, and he knows what.”

If Covington’s vision of Usman retiring and Masvidal avoiding a fight with him comes to life, it would leave both him and the 170-pound weight class in a curious predicament. The winner of Leon Edwards vs. Nate Diaz would likely be the next top contender, but Covington said he doesn’t care who he would face in a potential vacant title bout.

The gold is the ultimate goal for “Chaos,” and although there might be a perception he’s trying to pick and choose his spots en route to the strap, he said that’s not remotely true.

“I don’t pick my fights,” Covington said. “I let UFC and Dana White decide that. I’ve never turned down a fight. People like to go with this fake narrative I’ve been turning down fights. I haven’t turned down one fight. I haven’t had an official fight offer besides Jorge Masvidal in the last year, and I accepted every single day for the last eight months. I’m ready to fight him. I’m ready to expose him. Look at all the lies he was saying about how I got kicked out of the gym.”

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UFC 261 breakdown: Jessica Andrade’s path to upset Valentina Shevchenko exists, but it’s hard

MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom takes a closer look at the UFC 261 title fight between Valentina Shevchenko and Jessica Andrade.

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC’s top bouts. Today, we look at one of three featured title fights for UFC 261.

UFC 261 takes place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

UFC 261 weigh-ins faceoffs video: Three title fights, including Usman vs. Masvidal, lock eyes

Check out the UFC 261 final faceoffs for Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal, Zhang Weili vs. Rose Namajunas and Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jessica Andrade.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – At the conclusion on Friday’s UFC 261 ceremonial weigh-ins, the six athletes from the three championship fights came face to face for their final fight-week staredowns.

Saturday’s card, which takes place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena and streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view, will feature the eighth championship triple-header in company history. The welterweight, women’s strawweight and women’s flyweight belts will be on the line with [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag], [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] and [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag].

Check out the last faceoff from each title fight below.

Video: Watch UFC 261 ceremonial weigh-ins live on MMA Junkie

Check out a live video stream of the UFC 261 ceremonial weigh-ins, which feature three title fights in Jacksonville, Fla.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – UFC 261 ceremonial fighter weigh-ins take place Friday, and you can catch a live video stream of the proceedings here on MMA Junkie at 4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. PT).

The weigh-ins take place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The same venue hosts Saturday’s event, which has a main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

In addition to the video stream above, you can check out the early and official UFC 261 weigh-in results from earlier in the day.

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