Tag: UFC Saudi Arabia

Sean Strickland shares uplifting message with Israel Adesanya after UFC Saudi Arabia loss

Believe it or not, Sean Strickland actually had something positive to say about Israel Adesanya – and his words seemed genuine.

Believe it or not, [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] actually had something nice to say about fellow former UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] – and his words seemed genuine.

Strickland, who challenges Dricus Du Plessis for the 185-pound title in a rematch Saturday at UFC 312 (ESPN+ pay-per-view) in Sydney, appeared Tuesday on Fox Sports Australia, where he was asked for his thoughts on Adesanya dropping his third consecutive fight following a knockout loss to Nassourdine Imavov this past weekend at UFC Fight Night 250.

Rather than kick Adesanya while he’s down, which is the type of behavior fans have come to expect from Strickland, he was classy and respectful.

“At the end of the day, Izzy’s made his legacy,” Strickland said. “He made his legacy. If you want to continue to fight, continue to fight. But you’ve done what you wanted to do. You don’t really have to prove anything. You’re a lasting name in the sport. You’ve chiseled your name in it, no shame. Getting older, it happens, you know?”

Strickland’s words of encouragement come as a surprise considering how personal and heated his feud with Adesanya was leading to their UFC 293 title fight in September 2023. On that night, Strickland claimed the middleweight championship with a lopsided unanimous decision win over Adesanya.

For Adesanya, that was the start of his current three-fight skid, which includes a loss to Du Plessis and this past Saturday to Imavov.

Overreaction Time: Israel Adesnya’s downfall, Dana White vs. Jon Jones builds, UFC 312, more!

Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” examining Israel Adesanya’s skid, Bryce Mitchell’s repulsive remarks, and more.

The time for overreacting is here!

Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” at noon ET/9 a.m. PT as host Simon Samano and MMA Junkie Radio reporter Nolan King debate these “overreactions” on the following topics in mixed martial arts:

  • After UFC Saudia Arabia, [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] is cooked as a middleweight title contender.
  • [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] condemning [autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag]’s pro-Hitler rant without action was NOT ENOUGH.
  • Newsflash: We’re not getting [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] this year.
  • [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] actually is the most compelling option for [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag]’s next fight.
  • UFC 312: [autotag]Tatiana Suarez[/autotag] is more likely than [autotag]Sean Strickland [/autotag]to be crowned “And New.”

Watch the full episode in the video above.

Overreaction Time: Conor McGregor vs. Dana White, BKFC on the rise, GFL draft farce, more!

Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” coming out of KnuckleMania 5, the GFL draft, Conor McGregor’s rejection, and more.

The time for overreacting is here!

Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” at noon ET/9 a.m. PT as host Simon Samano and MMA Junkie Radio host Brian “Goze” Garcia debate these “overreactions” on the following topics in mixed martial arts:

  • KnuckleMania 5 proved BKFC is the No. 2 combat sports promotion behind UFC.
  • The GFL can’t be taken seriously and is destined to fail.
  • [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] was spot on with his takedown of Kamaru Usman.
  • [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] for the BMF title is BRILLIANT.
  • [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] was right to block [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] from boxing Logan Paul.
  • UFC Saudi Arabia is a MUST-WIN for [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag].

Watch the full episode in the video above.

Saudi Arabia announces new date for inaugural UFC event in Riyadh

The inaugural UFC Fight Night in Saudi Arabia has a new date “to ensure the best caliber of talent will be available to participate.”

The UFC will still head to Saudi Arabia in 2024, just a few months later than originally expected.

Wednesday, Saudia Arabia’s chairman of general authority for entertainment Turki Alalshikh announced the UFC Fight Night event in Riyadh initially scheduled for March 2 has been officially postponed until June 22.

“A decision to reschedule was taken to ensure the best caliber of talent will be available to participate,” Alalshikh wrote.

News of the decision to postpone the event first surfaced Jan. 15 through a report by veteran journalist Ariel Helwani.

Following UFC 297 on Saturday, White denied the portion of Helwani’s report that indicated Saudi Arabia pushed back against the proposed fight card. However, White confirmed the change occurred due to an inability to stack the card, one Saudi Arabia paid a $20 million site fee for, according to TKO chief operating officer Mark Shapiro.

“Total bullsh*t,” White said at Saturday a UFC 297 post-fight news conference in Toronto. “That’s a straight-out f*cking lie. I don’t know who started it or how it started, but not one fight was announced to Saudi. I called and asked to push the card back. We had a couple of guys we wanted on the card and they weren’t ready. You know how we are. We wanted to deliver. If we’re going to Saudi Arabia and the level these guys do things… and it’s a Fight Night. We want to make it the best Fight Night we’ve ever done. So Anybody who came out and said it was because the card wasn’t good is a f*cking liar.”

At the time of the report, fighters, coaches, nor teams booked for the card had been notified of a location shift. The March 2 event now takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas with the same fights originally booked for the event (pending any potential travel issues among fighters).

No fights have been announced for the June 22 fight card at this time.