27 Mar

Michael Chandler confirms ‘we have an agreement’ for fight against Conor McGregor this summer

For the first time in a long time, it feels like Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler is happening. Chandler confirmed McGregor’s timeline for a summer UFC return and said he’s received official confirmation.

“I’ve got the official announcement, it’s happening this summer,” Chandler told TMZ Sports on Friday. “I can’t tell you the actual date, but it’s happening this summer.

“The official status is we have an agreement. We are fighting this summer. We’ll let the court of public opinion speculate on what the date is but it’s definitely this summer. We’re giving you a window that we’re going to be fighting in. But yes, it’s always been Conor and I.”

McGregor and Chandler have been trying to keep the spark alive for a fight that has gotten stale. Both parties finally being on the same page about a timetable is the most promising sign fans have had since the fight was first proposed last year. UFC president Dana White teased the matchup in February 2023 while promoting “The Ultimate Fighter” season 31. McGregor claimed earlier this year the fight would take place at UFC International Fight Week on June 29, which would align with UFC 303. White subsequently denied that it would take place that weekend.

McGregor, while doing the media rounds for his new movie “Road House” this week, also said that the fight would take place this summer.

“The call has been made and we’re a go,” McGregor said on “The MMA Hour.”

“This means this summer, the Mac is back. So with I’m happy with my time I’ve got in the lead-up to it, I’m happy with where I’m at, and everything just works out in God’s name. And I’m ecstatic where I’m at. I’ve got great news the other day.”

Both fighters have had their careers on ice since the fight was first proposed. McGregor hasn’t been seen in the Octagon since suffering a leg injury in his trilogy loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. Chandler is also coming off a loss to Poirier at UFC 281 in November 2022.

27 Mar

Corey Anderson claims title, Patricio Pitbull scores vicious TKO

The third time proved to be a charm for Corey Anderson as he won the light heavyweight championship in the main event of Bellator Belfast on Friday night. Anderson outworked and out-grappled Karl Moore in his third chance to win Bellator gold.

Moore hurt Anderson in the first round with heavy left hands and a head kick. Anderson responded with a takedown to grind out the remaining time in the opening frame and regain his bearings.

Having found success with the takedown late in the first round, Anderson fully locked in on trying to wrestle his way to victory. When Moore was able to defend the takedowns, he was stuck with his back to the cage as Anderson held on to the clinch. In the third round, Anderson’s desire to fight on the floor was nearly his undoing as Moore locked in a deep armbar that left Anderson scrambling until he was able to slip out of the hold.

COREY ANDERSON ESCAPES THE ARMBAR! 👀#BellatorBelfast | LIVE NOW
➡️ https://t.co/Dpuq4Xv6Jh pic.twitter.com/ttc8Zr0dMz

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) March 22, 2024
When the fight was on the feet and at striking distance, Moore often did good work with his hands, connecting with many clean punches. Unfortunately for Moore, those moments were few and far between because he could not prevent Anderson from closing distance and turning the fight into a grappling contest.

After five rounds, Anderson took a unanimous decision by scores of 49-46, 49-46, 50-45.

Anderson had twice challenged Vadim Nemkov for the light heavyweight championship. In the first fight with Nemkov, Anderson was winning the fight but a clash of heads resulted in a no-contest just seconds before the end of the third round. The rematch saw Anderson come out flat and get outworked before losing a unanimous decision.

After Nemkov vacated the light heavyweight championship to move to heavyweight, Anderson made good in his third bid to win a major championship.

Patricio Pitbull returns to form, defends crown
In the co-main event, Patricio Pitbull showed there’s still some gas left in the tank. Entering his featherweight championship defense against Jeremy Kennedy, Pitbull had lost back-to-back fights for the first time in his career, dropping a decision against Sergio Pettis in a bid to win the bantamweight title and then getting knocked out by Chihiro Suzuki after taking the 154-pound fight on extremely short notice.

Back at featherweight, Pitbull flashed moments where he looked like his old self, battering Kennedy’s lead leg with heavy kicks while dealing with a steady diet of jabs coming from the challenger.

In the third round, Pitbull connected with some heavy punches that put Kennedy on unsteady legs. Once Kennedy was wobbled, Pitbull didn’t take his foot off the gas, continuing to flurry with punches, elbows and knees before Kennedy slumped to the canvas, forcing the referee to jump in at the 4:07 mark of the round.

WHAT A PERFORMANCE FROM THE BELLATOR GOAT! 👑

Patricio Pitbull stops Jeremy Kennedy in the third! 🔥#BellatorBelfast | LIVE NOW
➡️ https://t.co/Dpuq4Xv6Jh pic.twitter.com/0ftme4h9sa

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) March 22, 2024
The victory was Pitbull’s second defense of his third reign as Bellator featherweight champion and his first victory since December 2022.

27 Mar

Fight card, odds, start time, live stream

Rose Namajunas is looking to rejuvenate her career in a new division. She’ll have to pass a difficult grappling test if she wants to enter title contention at flyweight first when Namajunas battles Amanda Ribas on Saturday night from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Ribas (13-4) knows a thing or two about moving weight classes. She is ranked No. 7 and No. 8 in the women’s strawweight and flyweight divisions, respectively, one of the very few fighters ranked by the UFC in two divisions. Ribas has more experience than her opponent at 115 pounds and that’s a good thing. She’ll want every advantage she can find in her first UFC main event against her first former champion. Ribas has bounced between wins and losses over the last seven fights, but Saturday marks a chance to break the habit.

“It’s crazy because my fights are always like this,” Ribas told CBS Sports. “It’s good because I always make a war. It’s not just pitter-patter. It’s always fighting with emotions. I was trying to get better at that because sometimes I think with my heart. I need to fight smarter, to think with my brain and listen to my coaches.”

Check out the full interview with Amanda Ribas below.

Namajunas (12-6) fell short in her flyweight debut against Manon Fiorot in Paris last fall. It was a surprising move up considering Namajunas was coming off a split decision loss to Carla Esparza for the UFC women’s strawweight championship. It was an appalling performance from both fighters, but Namajunas was still very much near the top of the pecking order. Recent back-to-back wins against current champ Zhang Weili kept her at the top end of the 115-pound weight class. It seems, however, that her path forward is at flyweight. Namajunas admits she rushed the Fiorot but believes her frame and framework are now better tuned.

“I think I could have maybe taken a little more time,” Namajunas told CBS Sports. “Now I feel like my body is more filled in and a little more dense.

“Even stylistically, I’m a little more grounded with some of my footwork. I think there was a phase where I moved around a lot. I’m still going to do a lot of moving, but when it’s time to sit down on a punch, it will be more grounded. I think that helps more defensively too so I’m not just jumping into something or running into something.”

Check out the full interview with Rose Namajunas below.

Below is the rest of the fight card for Saturday with the latest odds before we get to a prediction and pick on the main event.

Amanda Ribas vs. Rose Namajunas: The biggest X factor in this fight is the absence of renowned coach Trevor Wittman in Namajunas’ corner. Namajunas did not have Wittman for her failed flyweight debut. She said it was circumstantial at that time, but Namajunas informed CBS Sports that she’ll fight once again without Wittman with no confirmation that they’d reunite. Wittman’s void was enough for people to reconsider betting on Namajunas. A vocal portion of the online blamed Namajunas’ fiancee and cornerman Pat Barry for her panned title loss against Esparza, crediting Wittman as the voice of reason among her coaches.

Even without Wittman, I think Namajunas is too steep a challenge for Ribas. Namajunas has been competing against the best strawweights in the world for a long time. Ribas hasn’t come close to that level of competition. Ribas won’t have the size advantage that other flyweights have on Namajunas, nor the elite wrestling required to overwhelm her. I expect Ribas to get picked apart at range. I need to see how Namajunas’ power translates up a weight class but the fact that Ribas has been stopped by strikes in 75% of her losses gives me some confidence in the finish. Namajunas via TKO3

27 Mar

UFC fighter disqualified for biting opponent’s arm, leaves teeth marks in skin and gets cut by promotion

Igor Severino took his dogfight with Andre Lima too literally. An exciting scrap at UFC Fight Night on Saturday came to a shocking end after Lima wound up with a terrible bite mark on his arm.

Lima and Severino were competing in the second fight on the early preliminary card. The flyweights had produced plenty of action between thumping strikes and exciting grappling tangles. A fight shaping up to be a banger was abruptly paused after a protest by Lima.

Referee Chris Tognoni called a timeout and separated the fighters during a takedown attempt by Severino. Lima accused his opponent of biting him, leading to further investigation from the referee. The original replay showed Severino’s face buried in Lima’s bicep but it was difficult for the viewer to gauge what happened.

Andre Lima picks up the win over Igor Severino due to a DQ from Severino, who bit Lima’s arm 😳 #UFCVegas89 pic.twitter.com/NQTJuSh9G3

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 23, 2024
A closeup visual of Lima’s arm, pictured below, left no doubt about. Lima sported a deep bite mark on his left arm that compelled the referee to swiftly disqualify Severino in Round 2.

Not something you see every night in the Octagon 👀 #UFCVegas89 pic.twitter.com/v46iqBf74J

— UFC (@ufc) March 23, 2024
The bizarre outcome not only cost Severino his UFC debut but also sabotaged his previously undefeated record moving him to 8-1. Lima improved to 8-0 on Saturday night. UFC CEO Dana White told reporter Kevin Iole that Severino would be cut for his actions in the fight.

“Those were two up-and-coming undefeated fighters,” White said. “If you get frustrated and want out of the fight, there are plenty of ways to do it, but the worst thing you can do is bite your opponent. Now, you get cut and lose the biggest opportunity of your life. Not to mention, he’s going to have real problems with the NSAC.”

27 Mar

Rose Namajunas notches first flyweight win against Amanda Ribas

Rose Namajunas had her back against the wall on Saturday. Namajunas entered her UFC Fight Night main event against Amanda Ribas hoping to avoid her first career losing streak. It wasn’t pretty and won’t be memorable, but the former champion’s second flyweight appearance was more successful than her first.

Namajunas returned to the 125-pound division after an unsuccessful debut against Manon Fiorot in September. The switch was surprising since the former strawweight champion was near the top of the division she once ruled. Namajunas mostly outclassed Ribas over five rounds but her performance won’t change the perception that she’s ill-fitted for flyweight.

Heading to the 5th round 👀 #UFCVegas89 pic.twitter.com/nXduAysfTV

— UFC (@ufc) March 24, 2024
“Thug” Rose chipped away Ribas with superior movement and technique but never seriously threatened her less experienced opponent. Ribas, a fighter ranked in both the UFC women’s strawweight and flyweight divisions, lasted 25 full minutes in her first UFC main event against her first former champ. The scorecards read 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47 in Namajunas’ favor.

“I’ll be watching that Manon [Fiorot] vs. Erin Blanchfield fight…” Namajunas told UFC commentator Paul Felder during her post-fight interview at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. “I know Maycee [Barber] looked incredible as well so maybe one of those girls.”

Namajunas improved to 12-6 on Saturday. Ribas dropped to 13-5 and has alternated wins and losses in her last eight appearances.

27 Mar

Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill, Erin Blanchfield vs. Manon Fiorot on tap

The UFC women’s flyweight title will find a new top contender on Saturday. Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko 3 is expected this year after they were announced as coaches on “The Ultimate Fighter” season 32, but Erin Blanchfield or Manon Fiorot will likely await the winner.

Blanchfield vs. Fiorot headlines UFC Fight Night in Atlantic City this weekend in a classic meeting of new blood ready to take the spotlight. They are two of the most impressive new contenders to emerge from any women’s division. Blanchfield vs. Fiorot is currently ranked No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, in the women’s 125-pound division. Other notable fights on the card include Vicente Luque vs. Joaquin Buckley and Chris Weidman vs. Bruno Silva.

The UFC will celebrate a milestone event on April 13. UFC 300 has a case for being the deepest card ever produced. Five former UFC champions are on the prelims: Jiri Prochazka, Aljamain Sterling, Holly Holm, Jessica Andrade and Deiveson Figueiredo, plus the debut of multi-time PFL queen Kayla Harrison. The main card features three title fights: UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill, women’s strawweight champ Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan and ceremonial BMF titleholder Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway.

Take a look below at the current UFC event schedule for 2024. Be sure to check back in on this page when we have more information on upcoming UFC events throughout the year.