Author: Dan Hiergesell

Featherweight prospect Pat Sabatini kept things rolling earlier tonight (Sat., Aug. 28, 2021) at UFC Vegas 35 live on ESPN/ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, when he finished Jamall Emmers via first-round submission (heel hook).

Sabatini was in trouble early as Emmers caught him with a short upper cut and gained full mount. Luckily, Sabatini is extremely good on the ground and it allowed him to recover and reverse position. The featherweight prospect was able to get a hold of Emmers’ leg and start cranking for a submission finish. Emmers grabbed Sabatini’s ankle to get his own submission, but it was too late. Sabatini was in position to put the finishing touches on a painful stoppage.

Check out the video highlights above courtesy of UFC/ESPN.

Sabatini, 30, is now 2-0 in UFC and has won his last four fights overall. The featherweight prospect has improved his striking over the years but seems to always end up taking control of fights on the mat. Hopefully we get to see a little more from Sabatini next time around, but this was an impressive performance nonetheless.

For complete UFC Vegas 35 results and coverage click here.

Jake Paul and Tyron Woodley will finally square off tomorrow night (Sun., Aug. 29, 2021) in an anticipated boxing main event live on FITE pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio.

For Paul, this is his chance to fight a legit combat striker with knockout experience. The social media influencer is coming off a blistering finish over former UFC fighter Ben Askren, but Woodley is a completely different animal and someone who is going to test Paul from the opening bell. Paul believes he will finish “Chosen One” within two rounds so he should come out fairly aggressive.

For Woodley, this is his opportunity to regain some sort of momentum after leaving UFC earlier this year in the midst of a four-fight losing streak. The former UFC welterweight champion has all the tools to sleep Paul and end the hype train, but we’ve seen Woodley choke in big spots before. It will be interesting to see what transpires when he makes his official boxing debut on Sunday night.

After successfully weighing in for their 190-pound catchweight bout (official weigh-ins replay HERE) Paul and Woodley stepped on stage for their official staredown earlier tonight. Check it out above and let us know who won the final faceoff.

The other main card staredowns can be seen below:

For the complete Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley fight card click here. For more news and notes on their upcoming grudge match click here.

We are just over 24 hours away from Jake Paul’s anticipated boxing showdown with former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley tomorrow night (Sun., Aug. 29, 2021) live on FITE pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio.

While this matchup is unorthodox on paper and a bit of a cash grab the bad blood between Paul and Woodley has become real. Paul has been predicting a quick finish over the former UFC champion wile Woodley has been guaranteeing to inflict violence on the social media star. Add in the fact that Woodley nearly brawled with Team Paul earlier this week when his mother was brought into the mix and this is turning into one of the more intriguing matchups of the year.

Paul and Woodley officially weighed in for their matchup earlier today and hit the 190-pound mark (results HERE). They will also hit the stage for the ceremonial weigh-ins later today at 5:00 p.m. ET, which can been seen in the above video player courtesy of Showtime Sports.

For the complete Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley fight card click here. For more news and notes on their upcoming grudge match click here.

Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and social media influencer Jake Paul are becoming true enemies ahead of their boxing match tomorrow night (Sun., Aug. 29, 2021) live on FITE pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio.

The two fighters will collide in a massive main event that will pit a former combat champion against a former Disney star. It’s something that would have been inconceivable just a few years ago, but it’s proof that the combat sports landscape is changing before our very own eyes. The interest to see this fight is certainly there, but that doesn’t take away from the circus-like feel surrounding the event.

In advance to Sunday’s match up, Paul and Woodley joined MMA journalist Ariel Helwani for a final face-to-face interview courtesy of Showtime Sports (shown above). The two fighters have mixed it up before, but this was a truly unscripted exchange between Paul and Woodley that produced moments of hilarity, confusion, intensity, and some good old-fashioned cringe.

Only time will tell which fighter has the chops to pull out a win this Sunday, but both men look ready to fire on all cylinders. Woodley has the knockout power to end Paul’s meteoric rise in the world of boxing and Paul has the length and speed to give “Chosen One” a reason to regret his decision to fight.

For the complete Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley fight card click here. For more news and notes on their upcoming grudge match click here.

Former UFC lightweight title challenger Kevin Lee will return to action later tonight (Sat., Aug. 28, 2021) when he takes on welterweight striker Daniel Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 35 live on ESPN/ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Lee, who was last seen getting choked out by Charles Oliveira in Mar. 2020 (see it HERE), will be making his first appearance at 170 pounds since a submission loss to Rafael dos Anjos back in May 2019. That is a long time to be away from the division, but “Motown Phenom” did score a blistering head kick knockout over Gregor Gillespie in his recent return to lightweight so the switch wasn’t all for nothing.

At just 28 years of age Lee is hoping to finally turn the page and become an active member of the UFC roster. Recent knee injuries have forced him to sit on the sidelines for quite some time. This weekend will be a coming-out party of sorts and one that could land Lee right back in the mix in a crowded welterweight division.

“There’s been a growing process, for sure,” Lee told reporters earlier this week (h/t MMA Junkie). “There’s one thing in just kind of sitting out and not taking (fights) a couple of times, but there’s another in not being able to do it. So, going through my knee surgeries and barely even being able to walk, and run, and jump, it took a while for me to really get that itch again and really be able to scratch it.”

Lee, who is just 2-3 in his last five trips to the Octagon, was originally expected to fight undefeated welterweight contender Sean Brady at UFC 264 but “Motown Phenom” was forced to withdraw due to injury. The bout was rescheduled for this weekend before Brady had to bow out and was replaced by Rodriguez.

While “D-Rod” isn’t the biggest name at 170 pounds he’s an ultra-tough fighter with some of the best boxing in the division. It will be a good test for Lee in his first UFC action in 17 months.

“He’s solid,” Lee said. “He’s a good Mexican southpaw boxer, and that style has given me trouble in the past, so it’s gonna answer a lot of questions for me.”

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 35 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN/ESPN+ main card start time at 10 p.m. ET.

The Octagon action will return to the limelight later tonight (Sat., Aug. 28, 2021) as UFC Vegas 35 goes down live on ESPN/ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the main event, veteran striker Edson Barboza will lock horns with rising featherweight contender Giga Chikadze.

In addition to the headliner, Ultimate Fighter winners will be crowned as Bryan Battle takes on Gilbert Urbina in middleweight action and Ricky Turcios battles Brady Hiestand at bantamweight. The main card will also feature the return of former UFC lightweight title challenger Kevin Lee as he moves back up to welterweight to challenge dangerous striker Daniel Rodriguez.

Take a look below at UFC Vegas 35’s complete fight card line up and start times:

Main Card (ESPN/ESPN+)
10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT

Edson Barboza vs. Giga Chikadze
Bryan Battle vs. Gilbert Urbina
Ricky Turcios vs. Brady Hiestand
Kevin Lee vs. Daniel Rodriguez
Andre Petroski vs. Micheal Gillmore
Makhmud Muradov vs. Gerald Meerschaert

‘Prelims’ Undercard (ESPN+)
7:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 p.m. PT

Alessio Di Chirico vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan
Sam Alvey vs. Wellington Turman
Dustin Jacoby vs. Darren Stewart
JJ Aldrich vs. Vanessa Demopoulos
Jamall Emmers vs. Pat Sabatini
Mana Martinez vs. Guido Cannetti

Here are all the ways to catch the action:

Online

• UFC Vegas 35: ‘Barboza vs. Chikadze’ entire fight card can be viewed via the ESPN+ streaming app.
• Subscriptions cost $5.99 per month.

Television

• UFC Vegas 35: ‘Barboza vs. Chikadze’ main card can be viewed via ESPN. Check with your local providers or click for instant access to ESPN.
• UFC Vegas 35: ‘Barboza vs. Chikadze’ entire fight card can also be streamed via Xbox One, Apple TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, and ChromeCast.

Tablet/Mobile

• UFC Vegas 35: ‘Barboza vs. Chikadze’ entire fight card can be viewed via ESPN+ streaming app through Google Play and iTunes stores.

Bars

• Check out a list of sports bars and pubs near you that will most likely be showing tonight’s fights CLICK HERE.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 35 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN/ESPN+ main card start time at 10 p.m. ET.