Next week’s UFC 276 pay-per-view will be available in part to a national audience.
Next week’s UFC 276 pay-per-view will be available in part to a national audience.
Four fights on the preliminary card in the middle of the event will air on ABC, the UFC and the network announced Friday.
UFC 276 takes place July 2 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The five-fight main card airs on pay-per-view. Just ahead of that, four fights from the prelims will air on ABC, along with ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+. The first four fights of the event stream on ESPN+.
The UFC has had two events that have broadcast on ABC. UFC on ABC 1 featured Max Holloway vs. Calvin Kattar and took place in January 2021 in Abu Dhabi. UFC on ABC 2 featured Marvin Vettori vs. Kevin Holland and took place in April 2021 in Las Vegas.
In addition, UFC on ABC 3 is set for July 16 in Elmont, N.Y., on Long Island with a Brian Ortega vs. Yair Rodriguez headliner.
ESPN’s MMA broadcast schedule currently has the four fights on the ABC prelims to be Brad Riddell vs. Jalin Turner, Bryan Barberena vs. Robbie Lawler, Ian Garry vs. Gabe Green and the recently announced rematch between Donald Cerrone and Jim Miller. The bout order, however, is subject to change, and ESPN’s bout order differs from the one currently listed at UFC.com.
UFC 276 is the showcase of the promotion’s International Fight Week. In the main event, middleweight champion Israel Adesanya takes on challenger Jared Cannonier. In the co-feature, featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski meets former titleholder Holloway in a trilogy rematch.
Robbie Lawler was caught off guard when he found out he’d be on the UFC prelims for the first time since his octagon debut in May 2002.
[autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] was caught a tad off guard when he found out he would be fighting on the preliminary card of a UFC event for the first time in 20 years.
Lawler (29-15 MMA, 14-9 UFC), a former UFC welterweight champion and one of the most exciting competitors in the history of the sport, is set to fight Bryan Barberena (17-8 MMA, 8-6 UFC) on the undercard of UFC 276, which takes place July 2 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The main card for the event will air on pay-per-view, following prelims that were just announced to air on both ABC and ESPN – and early prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
Although the preliminary-card platform sometimes brings more eyeballs than the main card of a pay-per-view, there’s a certain prestige that comes with being placed on the top portion of the lineup. Lawler hasn’t been on the prelims of a UFC card since his promotional debut against Aaron Riley at UFC 37 in May 2002, and he admitted he didn’t expect to be back there at this stage of his career.
“I’m not going to lie: I was surprised,” Lawler told MMA Junkie on Friday. “I’m like, ‘OK, whatever.’ I get to get out of there earlier, which is nice. I wish they just put me first. Start the show and then get out. Maybe fly home.”
The fight with Barberena at UFC 276 is a dramatic shift from Lawler’s most recent fight. “Ruthless” is coming off a TKO win over Nick Diaz at UFC 266 in September 2021 in a highly anticipated rematch of one of the defining losses of his career. It was a marquee matchup against a fellow legend, but now Lawler meets Barberena, who isn’t in the same stratosphere as Diaz in regard to star power.
That’s fine with Lawler, though, because he knows Barberena is going to bring an action-packed affair.
“I mean, obviously it’s totally different,” Lawler said. “They’re both lefties, which is nice. (I) just trained for a leftie in Nick, and Bryan’s a leftie. It’s a decent transition. I don’t have to switch too much up. But it’s all about staying focused and being a professional and trying to bring that same energy to a fight against Bryan. … There’s definitely no back story, but Bryan comes to fight, and that’s a pretty good story. I come to fight, and the fans are going to get what they love: two guys going out there looking for finishes standing up. You never know what’s going to happen. Maybe he’ll wrestle, but we’ll see. I’m excited to go out there and showcase my skills.”
UFC 276 will mark Lawler’s first fight since his turned 40 in March. He’s not willing to put a timeline on when he’s going to walk away from competition, but said he’s currently satisfied with his performance in the gym and in the octagon and has no desire to walk away.
“Just one fight at a time,” Lawler said. “We’ll see what happens. I enjoy doing this. I can do it at a high level. I’m training with really good guys at Sanford MMA. They’re pushing me. I’m holding my own. So as long as I’m enjoying it and my body feels good and I’m excited to fight and put on a show, then I’m going to continue to do it.”
The entirety of Lawler’s focus at the moment is centered around Barberena. He’s excited to be part of the UFC’s annual International Fight Week festivities, and though the competition is going to be fierce for performance bonuses, Lawler expects to be in the running when the UFC brass issues extra $50,000 checks at the end of the night.
“I always feel like I’m going to go out there and put on a fight,” Lawler said. “That’s the only way I know how to do this. I’ve been doing this a long time. I’m not planning on switching my style anytime soon. But there’s really good fighters on the card. Really good fighters – real technical, real exciting. Guys who bang, guys who do it all. It’s going to be a tough one to get that Performance of the Night.”
Longtime UFC fighter Donald Cerrone has stepped up on short notice to replace Bobby Green and fight Jim Miller in a rematch at UFC 276.
It didn’t take long for [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] to get a fight booking.
The longtime MMA fighter has will step in on short notice to replace [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] against [autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag] in a rematch at UFC 276 on July 2. The bout is set go down at welterweight, rather than lightweight. The reason for Green’s withdrawal wasn’t disclosed.
The news was confirmed by MMA Junkie following an initial report from UFC broadcast partner ESPN.
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Cerrone (36-16 MMA, 23-13 UFC) is coming off an unlucky stretch that has left him without a fight in 2022. “Cowboy” was supposed to fight in May against Joe Lauzon, but he fell ill the day of the fight and was forced to pull out. The bout was rescheduled for this past Saturday, but Lauzon’s knee locked up the day of the fight and he wasn’t able to fight.
Cerrone is looking to snap the worst skid of his career. The 39-year-old is on a six-fight winless stretch that includes five losses (four by finish) and a no contest. Cerrone’s most recent win came in May 2019 when he dominated Al Iaquinta for a unanimous decision.
Miller (34-16 MMA, 23-15 UFC) is on a two-fight wining streak with finishes over Erick Gonzalez and Nikolas Motta. The 38-year-old most recently fought in February at UFC Fight Night 201.
Cerrone and Miller first fought in July 2014 in a main event in Atlantic City, N.J. Cerrone picked up a post-fight bonus award with a knockout that stemmed from a head kick. At the time, it was Cerrone’s fourth straight win and fourth straight bonus. He won four more after that and got a lightweight title shot, but was stopped in 66 seconds by then-champion Rafael dos Anjos.
Israel Adesanya doesn’t see a need for a third fight with Robert Whittaker.
[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] doesn’t see a need for a third fight with [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag].
The UFC middleweight champion, Adesanya (22-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC) dethroned Whittaker with a dominant second-round knockout at UFC 243 in October 2019. The pair ran things back this past February at UFC 271, when Adesanya was able to beat “The Reaper” again, this time by unanimous decision.
Whittaker (23-6 MMA, 14-4 UFC) now has a pivotal Sept. 3 clash with Marvin Vettori in Paris and hopes a win earns him a trilogy bout with the champion. However, up 2-0, Adesanya thinks that chapter is already closed.
“Bobby, he’s a great fighter, I’ll give it to him,” Adesanya said Tuesday in a UFC press conference in Australia. “He’s a great fighter, but I know how that book ends. I’ve read that book twice already. First time was a quick read, the second time a little bit longer, but I mean, he’s probably gonna be at the top for a while. But if we fight again, I know how that book ends, you know?”
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Adesanya aims for his fifth title defense when he faces Jared Cannonier in the main event of UFC 276 on July 2. Having already beaten Whittaker and Vettori twice, “The Stylebender” is looking forward to a new challenge.
“So, that’s why I’m excited about this next fight,” Adesanya said. “Some new blood, someone I’ve never fought before. I told you, if (Whittaker) wants it, he should go up to 205, see what that’s about. Maybe try that for a little bit. But yeah, I’ve read that book already and yeah, I don’t like reading the same book over and over again.”
Adesanya’s past two wins came via unanimous decision, but he sees himself getting back to his finishing ways against Cannonier.
“He’s a guy that packs a lot… he still carries that strength around, so I can’t overlook him,” Adesanya said. “But, I don’t think he’ll be the toughest challenger. Honestly, think I’ll make this easy. I really believe I’ll make this look easy come July 3rd.”
He continued, “A prediction, I’ll give you a prediction, it’s gonna be fun, it’s gonna be fun. It’s gonna look a lot like the Costa fight minus the little tap-tap at the end.”
Sean O’Malley has a clear view of what he eventually wants from the UFC and is figuring the best way to get there.
UFC bantamweight [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] is looking to bump up his pay ahead of the biggest fight of his career.
O’Malley (15-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) meets ranked contender Pedro Munhoz (19-7 MMA, 9-7 UFC) on July 2 at UFC 276, a big step up in competition from his recent wins.
The 27-year-old turned heads when he once stated that he’ll fight ranked opposition only with an increase in pay and after inking a new UFC deal, it looks like he might’ve gotten his wish. However, O’Malley has big aspirations when it comes to his fight purse, and knows he has the drawing power to achieve it.
“I actually recently sat down with the UFC, re-signed with them, and I had a great conversation with Sean Shelby,” O’Malley said on ESPN’s “DC & RC” show. “I go in there, and I say, ‘Hey, I want to make this amount of money. How do I do that? What do I need to do as a business partner to the UFC to end up making the amount of money I want to make?’ For me, I want to get to a point where I’m making a million dollars a fight. Obviously I’m not there right now, and that’s not what I’m expecting to make against Pedro, but that’s where my mind’s at.”
“I want to go in there and say, ‘Hey, what do I have to do outside the UFC?’ Obviously I’m doing what I need to do inside the UFC. I’m putting people’s lights out, and I’m bringing eyeballs to the sport. What can I do outside the UFC to make more money, but I haven’t beat a guy in the top 10. I haven’t even beat guy in the top 15, and I’m balling out. So whatever I’m doing, it’s working.”
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Considering his octagon experience, O’Malley has made a significant name for himself while inking some major deals in the process. During the interview on ESPN, O’Malley showed off his cars, which included a pink Lamborghini.
The UFC 276 title fight referees and judges were selected Tuesday by the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC).
UFC 276 is right around the corner and the NSAC putting the final touches on regulatory details.
At a Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) monthly meeting Tuesday, the commissioning body overseeing the July 2 event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas finalized referees and judges for the two title fights on deck. A commission spokesperson later informed MMA Junkie of the decisions.
In the main event, the UFC middleweight championship will be on the line as [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (22-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC) battles [autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag] (15-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC). In the co-main event UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (24-1 MMA, 11-0 UFC) puts his title on the line as he looks to make it three-for-three against [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (23-6 MMA, 19-6 UFC).
Check out below which officials were set for the two five-round bouts scheduled for UFC 276. Judges and referees for the rest of the card will not be publicly known until fight day.
[autotag]Ian Garry[/autotag] will face his sternest test in the UFC in July.
Garry takes on [autotag]Gabe Green[/autotag] at UFC 276 on July 2 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The fight was confirmed on Saturday’s UFC 275 broadcast after an initial report by Green’s management, Iridium Sports Agency.
Unbeaten in his professional MMA career, Garry (9-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has won his first two octagon bouts. After knocking out Jordan Williams at UFC 268, the former Cage Warriors welterweight champion defeated Darian Weeks at UFC 273 in April.
Since dropping his promotional debut in a short-notice fight against Daniel Rodriguez in May 2020, Green (11-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has rebounded with a decision win over Phil Rowe, followed by a second-round TKO of Yohan Lainesse at UFC on ESPN 35 in April.
If Sean Strickland beats Alex Pereira at UFC 276, “there’s a clear-cut fight that we can have eight weeks later hopefully.”
City Kickboxing head coach Eugene Bareman doesn’t know if [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] beating [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] would be enough for a title shot.
Pereira (5-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) will get a big leap up in competition when he faces Strickland (25-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) on July 2 at UFC 276 on the same night that middleweight champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] defends his title against Jared Cannonier.
With Pereira holding two kickboxing wins over Adesanya (22-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC), beating the streaking Strickland could result in a rubber match in MMA. However, Bareman thinks just three octagon wins for Pereira would make it too soon.
“It would be nice for Strickland to win, because Strickland’s body of work is good enough to fight for a title,” Bareman told Submission Radio. “Whereas if Pereira wins, he’s still got to do more work.”
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Bareman was not coaching Adesanya when he lost to Pereira, so he has no personal attachment to their story. He doesn’t think Adesanya does either and simply sees Strickland as a more logical option because of his resume.
“I wasn’t involved in the fight (when Israel lost to Pereira),” Bareman said. “So I don’t have some deep-seeded need to go and beat up Pereira because we lost to him. We had a match with Pereira and lost fair and square in those matches. That’s the life of a fighter. So, I don’t have a deep-seeded need to go and fight Pereira and get revenge, if that’s what you’re saying. Maybe Israel does. For him, I don’t think he does. I don’t think it concerns him at all.
“I think Pereira’s just another fighter trying to make his way to the champion, who’s beat the champion in a completely different sport. I just don’t think Israel even thinks about it too hard. I definitely don’t. The only reason I say Strickland is (worthy is) because if Strickland wins, that’s got a really clear cut contender. Whereas if Pereira wins, it’s like, well, you’ve beaten one guy, you’ve probably gotta beat some more. So, if Strickland wins, there’s a clear-cut fight that we can have eight weeks later hopefully.”
Marlon Vera says “everything is to benefit” Sean O’Malley and explains why that’s the case with his UFC 276 fight.
[autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] thinks the UFC is trying to protect [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag].
O’Malley (15-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC), who hasn’t lost since getting stopped by Vera at UFC 252, has knocked out his past three opponents. His impressive run has led to a matchup with perennial contender [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag] (19-7 MMA, 9-7 UFC) in July at UFC 276.
Although Vera (21-7-1 MMA, 11-6 UFC) respects Munhoz, he thinks the UFC purposely offered him to O’Malley because of his significant height and reach disadvantage.
“They couldn’t find him a better fight in the top 10,” Vera told Brendan Schaub on “Food Truck Diaries.” “They find the smaller guy with the shorter reach. Everything is to benefit ‘Sugar’ because even if he lost, he’s gonna make an excuse. ‘Oh, I fought a tough guy,’ which who f*cking cares? I’ve beat him. When people come to me about it, I’m like, ‘I don’t need that. I’m not looking for hype, I’m not looking for more followers, I don’t give two f*cks.’ I’m making my money, I’m getting up, I’m going after the belt. I’m not going after the hype. I’m not looking to be cool because I know I’m cool. I know I’m funny, I don’t need to chase that sh*t. When you try too hard, you won’t get it.”
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Vera revealed that he was offered a rematch with O’Malley a few fights ago and while he doesn’t see a point in running things back, he was open to it at the time. However, he never heard back.
“The UFC three fights ago offered me this fight,” Vera said. “And I called my coach, and we went like this: ‘Let’s do this.’ Sean Shelby, call him first. Don’t call us, you know what’s up with us. … They called him, and they never called back.”
He continued, “I already beat you. Say whatever you want. I beat you. You want it, you can come get it. You and any f*cking body.”
Vera finds himself in the UFC’s top five bantamweight rankings after scoring back-to-back wins over ex-lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and most recently Rob Font in his first UFC headliner in April.
Miesha Tate’s first cut down to the UFC women’s flyweight division is right on track.
[autotag]Miesha Tate[/autotag]’s first cut down to the UFC women’s flyweight division appears to be right on track.
Tate, a former UFC and Strikeforce titleholder at bantamweight, will drop down to 125 pounds for the first time in her storied career this summer when she meets Lauren Murphy at UFC 276.
“Cupcake” has fought as high as 145 pounds in the past, but she hopes her trip to a new weight class will do wonders and potentially lead to an opportunity to join Amanda Nunes as the only females in UFC history to win belts in multiple divisions.
First things first, though: Tate (19-8 MMA, 6-5 UFC) must get through Murphy (15-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC). And by all appearances, she’s not skipping any steps to set herself up for victory. According to Tate, her weight-loss program is going well, and she’s currently the lightest she’s “ever walked around in my adult life.”
I am officially the lightest I have ever walked around in my adult life! Flyweights are you ready for some cake? 💪🏼🧁💋
UFC 276 takes place July 2 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
Tate, 35, returned from a nearly five-year retirement in July 2021. She won her comeback fight against Marion Reneau but then lost a main event to Ketlen Vieira at UFC Fight Night 198 in November.
The defeat prompted Tate’s decision to change divisions. She was originally booked to fight Murphy in May, but then she landed a spot on the cast of “Celebrity Big Brother” and went on to win the reality series.
