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We’ve purchased the ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) and with it our dynamic tag team trio, Matt Ryan, Brendan Sokler and Shakiel Mahjouri, will deliver the best possible ‘radio style’ play-by-play broadcast imaginable throughout UFC 266’s main card, starting at 9:45 p.m. ET in the video player below!

As I’m sitting here with a pipe full of things that both Nick Diaz and Nate Diaz would approve of as a way to deal with crippling anxiety, I tend to think of the reason they both always seem so pissed off. Since the advent of the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) — heck, since the advent of two humans beating the piss out of each other for sport, cash or fabulous prizes — it has lived and died off of over the top personalities.

For Nick and Nate, cage fighting was always about getting paid and being themselves. It’s the reason they told the entire industry go f—k themselves a few times over the past decade. It’s the reason Nate openly smokes joints during open workouts and weigh-ins and it’s also probably the reason Nick looked like he was about to enter a Street Beefs video with his most recent shadowboxing video (watch it here).

In other words, the Diaz Bros play the sport … and not the other way around.

When you look at either Diaz brother, you see what could (and should) have been. However, with UFC fighters earning less than 20 percent total of the promotion’s gross revenue each year — and Dana White and Co. playing games with the livelihoods, and the opportunity to make better money off their names and not risk getting hurt — Nick and Nate have put the idea of stepping into a cage on the pay-no-mind list.

So, why I’m dedicating so much of this piece to the third fight from the top on a pay-per-view (PPV) card, which happens to feature two title fights?

First off, Lauren Murphy has the same chance of beating Valentina Shevchenko as I do winning the New York Marathon in the midst of a winter storm. And for Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega … it’s going be a fun fight. And, in the end, Volkanovski will continue to prove the reason he is a next-level athlete and should not be slept on as Featherweight champion

Why I am writing about this? First, search engine optimization (SEO)! Just kidding … partly. Second, and more honestly, it’s because I want the Diaz Bros to do what Conor McGregor and Jon Jones will never do — subvert the system!

Jones and McGregor are two dudes who thrived off the system and have used it to become either a magnate with Mr. Burns-esque tendencies (you can’t look me in the eyes and say that this man won’t steal candy from a baby or buy a machine that blocks out the sun) and the other being the emotionally withholding man in our lives who treats us like crap, but we can’t leave because when he does show up, it makes us feel a certain type of way.

So tonight (Sat., Sept. 25, 2021) as Brendan and I call the fights alongside Shak and Steph, I’m hoping that Nick Diaz gets the win and then walks away again.

Because that’s what UFC deserves!

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 266 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPNEWS/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 266: “Volkanovski vs. Ortega” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will defend his 145-pound title against top division contender Brian Ortega in the UFC 266 pay-per-view (PPV) main event, scheduled for five rounds TONIGHT (Sat., Sept. 25, 2021) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Volkanovski (22-1) captured the featherweight crown from Max Holloway at UFC 245 back in late 2019, then defended it against “Blessed” in a closely-contested rematch at UFC 251 the following summer. Ortega (15-1, 1 NC) suffered the first defeat of his professional career in a lopsided loss to Holloway at UFC 231, but showed massive improvement against Chan Sung Jung at UFC Fight Island 6 to score another shot at the 145-pound title.

Check out their fight video preview embedded above.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 266 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPNN and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 266: “Volkanovski vs. Ortega” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the entire UFC 266 fight card and PPV line up click here.

This weekend sees a two-day BJJ event featuring five eight-person brackets to crown Who’s Number One.

Streaming on FloGappling today and tomorrow is the Who’s Number One Championship. The event features five different eight-person no-gi tournaments, each in a different weigh-class (women’s 115 lbs, men’s 155 lbs, men’s 185 lbs, men’s heavyweight and women’s heavyweight).

Each tournament awards the winner $30,000. The runner-up gets $16,000 and the third place competitors $7,500. These figures make this one of the more lucrative events on the BJJ calendar. The event will also crown WNO’s inaugural champions in these weight classes.

Women’s 115 lbs

The story of this bracket is Mayssa Bastos and whether anyone can stop her claiming first place. She’s never lost a no-gi match at blackbelt. Her field of competitors include Grace Gundrum, Jessa Khan, Danielle Kelley, Amanda Aluquin, Tammi Musumeci, Jessie Crane and Alex Nguyen.

Bastos, Gundrum and Khan are the only grapplers with pro experience in this bracket. Bastos is a multi-time IBBJF World Champion. Gundrum, a blackbelt under Eddie Bravo, won the F2W strawweight championship last year, as an 18-year-old. Khan was third place at this year’s IBJJF Pan Championship NOGI.

Men’s 155 lbs

Mikey Musumeci, who is unbeaten at 135 lbs in WNO, is jumping up to 155 lbs and will hope to keep his streak alive. He’ll have stiff competition for first place here, though, with the experienced Gabriel Souza and Diego ‘Pato’ Oliveira in his field. Souza has a pro record of 97-24. Pato is in rare form having already come first place in this year’s IBJJF Pan Championships, IBJJF Pan Championships NOGI and AJP Abu Dhabi World Pro.

Rounding out the bracket are Geo Martinez, Damine Anderson, Josh Cisneros, Cole Abate and teenage wunderkind Kade Ruotolo.

Men’s 185 lbs

An intriguing entrant in this bracket is the newly promoted black belt Mica Galvao, who is just 17 years old. He’s 8-2 in his young pro career and on a four-match winning streak. Earlier this year he took home first place in the IBJJF Pan Championships NOGI and AJP World Pros brown belt brackets.

It won’t be easy making an impact at this tournament, against a field headlines by former IBBJF champs Dante Leon and Johnny Tama. Other top middleweights in the bracket include William Tackett and Roberto Jimenez. Also included are Jan Blank, Jacob Couch, and Tye Ruotolo.

Women’s Heavyweight

This bracket is all about Gabi Garcia, whose pro record stands at an unassailable 70-6. She’s a four time ADCC champion and six time IBJJF champion. Hoping to thwart Garcia from adding another accolade to her collection will be Amanda Loewen, Elisabeth Clay, Ana Carolina Vieira, Rafaela Guedes, Erin Harpe, Amanda Leve and Kendall Reusing.

Men’s Heavyweight

The men’s heavyweight bracket, like the women’s, also features a dominant figure who the field will be hoping has an off day. Kaynan Duarte is on a 12 fight winning streak and has been training no gi exclusively in the past year. Duarte has a 100-13 record and first place wins at most of the world’s premier events.

Trying to block his path to the WNO heavyweight title are Haisam Rida, Aaron Johnson, Mason Fowler, Tim Spriggs, Kyle Boehm, Luiz Panza and Sean Strickland’s favourite grappler Orlando Sanchez.