Tag: Val Woodburn

UFC 290 video: Full pre-fight press conference faceoffs

Check out the full UFC 290 pre-fight press conference faceoffs from Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – Stars of UFC 290 came face-to-face for the first time on fight week Thursday following the pre-fight press conference.

With the 11th annual International Fight Week festivities ramping into high gear, fighters took the stage to answer questions from the media and then faced off for the first time ahead of the event which takes place at T-Mobile Arena and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+.

Featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag], interim featherweight champion [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag], flyweight champion [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag], [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag], [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag], [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag], [autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag], [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag], [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag], [autotag]Val Woodburn[/autotag], [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] and [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag] participated in the press conference, and then faced off with their opponent.

Watch the video above to see the full faceoffs ahead of UFC 290.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.

Historic UFC 290 underdog Val Woodburn says he’ll be ‘the bad apple,’ derail Bo Nickal’s hype train

Val Woodburn “didn’t think twice” when he received a call to fight Bo Nickal at UFC 290 on just five days’ notice.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Val Woodburn[/autotag] “didn’t think twice” when he received a call to fight Bo Nickal at UFC 290 on just five days’ notice.

Woodburn (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who was scheduled to compete on the upcoming season of Dana White’s Contender Series, was asked to fill in for injured Tresean Gore against highly touted prospect Nickal (4-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The middleweight bout opens the pay-per-view main card, which follows prelims on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+.

According to Woodburn, his weight was between 206 and 211 pounds when the UFC offered him the fight. He ran the situation past his team, and they collectively agreed to accept. One day later, he was in Las Vegas in the thick of fight week.

“It’s crazy,” Woodburn told MMA Junkie and other reporters at UFC 290 media day. “I think I’m in a dream right now. But at the same time I work for it, and this is why I put in all the hard work. So at the same time I’m excited, too. But it’s a dream.”

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It’s a major opportunity for Woodburn, 29, but also a risk. He secured a UFC contract by stepping up, but he’s being given almost no chance of beating former three-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion Nickal, who has finished all four of his career wins inside the first round.

After the new fight was made, the opening odds pitted Nickal as the biggest favorite in UFC history at -2500. It’s a staggering line but not one that flusters Woodburn.

“I’m going to be the bad apple Saturday night,” Woodburn said. “I’m definitely going to be that guy. I’m known for ruining these guys’ records and stuff. I’m known for the upset, and I love being the underdog, because I thrive off of that. … I’m coming out there to show I’m a dog. You’ll see.”

Many fighters in Woodburn’s position would simply be happy just to be here. But he’s not that type of guy. He is thoroughly confident he can shock fight fans, and anything less than getting his hand raised would be deemed a disappointment.

“Winning this fight is mandatory for me,” Woodburn said. “There’s no slack or nothing like that. This is not just a fight because it’s on short notice. I’m coming to fight. I’m coming to put on a show, I’m coming to take an opportunity and maximize it to the fullest.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.

Bo Nickal gets newcomer Val Woodburn at UFC 290 as late replacement

Val Woodburn will look to shock the world on a UFC pay-per-view as he steps in on five days’ notice opposite Bo Nickal.

[autotag]Val Woodburn[/autotag] will step directly into the spotlight when he makes his UFC debut Saturday.

On one of the promotion’s biggest cards of the year, Woodburn (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will replace injured Tresean Gore on five days’ notice to fight rising star [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag] (4-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC). The middleweight bout will be on the UFC 290 main card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. The fight was first reported by Eurosport NL.

Nickal also confirmed the news with a tweet indicating he would continue on the card after Gore’s sudden withdrawal.

Woodburn, 29, was originally slated to fight Aug. 29 on “Dana White’s Contender Series” against Marco Tulio. Instead, he won’t have to compete for a UFC contract. Woodburn is the middleweight titleholder for Combat Night, a Florida regional promotion. In seven professional bouts, Woodburn has five TKO stoppages to his name.

Nickal, 27, exploded onto the MMA spotlight in 2022 when he won two consecutive fights on the same season of Dana White’s Contender Series. In March, Nickal made his promotional debut at UFC 285 when he submitted Jamie Pickett in just under three minutes.

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With the change, the UFC 290 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez – for featherweight title
  • Champ Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja – for flyweight title
  • Dricus Du Plessis vs. Robert Whittaker
  • Dan Hooker vs. Jalin Turner
  • Bo Nickal vs. Val Woodburn

PRELIMINARY CARD (ABC/ESPN/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Robbie Lawler vs. Niko Price
  • Jack Della Maddalena vs. Josiah Harrell
  • Denise Gomes vs. Yazmin Jauregui
  • Jimmy Crute vs. Alonzo Menifield

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)

  • Edgar Chairez vs. Tatsuro Taira
  • Vitor Petrino vs. Marcin Prachnio
  • Terrence Mitchell vs. Cameron Saaiman
  • Jesus Aguilar vs. Shannon Ross
  • Kamuela Kirk vs. Esteban Ribovics

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.