Author: Dan Hiergesell

The great Canelo Alvarez will be back in action later tonight (Sat., May 8, 2021) live on DAZN from inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tex., as the WBA (Super), WBC, and The Ring super middleweight champion takes on undefeated WBO champion Billy Joe Saunders in a highly-anticipated main event.

Alvarez, who will be fighting for the third time since Dec. 2020, is coming off a masterful TKO performance over WBC title challenger Avni Yildirim (highlights HERE). Before that, Canelo knocked off Callum Smith via unanimous decision to claim the super middleweight titles he currently possesses. The Mexican champion has looked like an unstoppable force of nature of late and plans to keep things moving as he further cements is status as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport today, if not the best.

Saunders, 31, will be coming into this fight as a sizeable underdog, but has all the skills to give Canelo a real run for his money. The undefeated southpaw fighter captured his WBO super middleweight strap back in 2019 and has recorded two-straight defenses since then. Saunders is a serviceable champion who will possess a small height and reach advantage over Alvarez so maybe that will come into play.

While UFC Vegas 26 will be turning in some solid combat action later tonight on ESPN (follow the results HERE), ‘Canelo vs. Saunders’ will be a championship bout fight fans won’t want to miss. Check below for the full viewing details for ‘Canelo vs. Saunders’ which goes down later tonight live on DAZN:

Start Time

• Saturday, May 8, 2021, from inside the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas
• Main card begins at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT
• “Canelo vs. Saunders” main event begins around 11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT

Online Viewing

• “Canelo vs. Saunders” main card can be viewed through the DAZN network. Subscriptions run $19.99 per month.

Television Viewing

• For U.S. viewers, DAZN can be broadcast directly on your television via Chromecast, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, LG Smart TV, Samsung TV, Apple TV, PlayStation, or Xbox.

Mobile Viewing

• “Canelo vs. Smith” main card will be accessible through DAZN via Android, Amazon Fire, and Apple.

Main card

• Super Middleweight: Canelo Alvarez (55-1-2, 37 KO) vs. Billy Joe Saunders (30-0, 14 KO)
• Junior Flyweight: Elwin Soto (18-1, 12 KO) vs. Katsunari Takayama (32-8, 12 KO)
• Super Welterweight: Kieron Conway (16-1-1, 3 KO) vs. Souleymane Cissokho (12-0, 8 KO)
• Heavyweight: Frank Sanchez (17-0, 13 KO) vs. Nagy Aguilera (21-10, 14 KO)

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE coverage of tonight’s main event below. The DAZN-streamed broadcast (watch it here) kicks off at 8 p.m. ET, with Alvarez and Saunders likely to make the walk closer to 11 p.m. ET.

UFC Vegas 26 will proceed with one less bout later tonight (Sat., May 8, 2021) live on ESPN/ESPN+ from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, as a women’s strawweight clash between veteran Angela Hill and rising contender Amanda Ribas has been removed from the card.

According to MMA Fighting, Hill vs. Ribas was removed from the card after Ribas and a team member tested positive for COVID-19. It is unknown at this time if UFC officials are looking to re-book the 115-pound matchup right away.

Ribas, 27, is coming off a TKO loss to UFC Vegas 26 headliner, Marina Rodriguez, back at UFC 257 earlier this year. The talented Brazilian fighter was hoping to earn a big win over Hill on a ESPN main card to remind the division, and fans, that she’s a future title challenger. Ribas will have to wait a little longer to right the ship and improve on her 4-1 UFC record, which includes a key win over Mackenzie Dern.

Hill, 36, is coming off an impressive win over veteran fighter Ashley Yoder this past March and was hoping to use a victory over Ribas to springboard back into the division’s top 10. Hill was a betting underdog for her fight with Ribas, but had all the ingredients to pull off the upset and score one of her biggest UFC wins to date.

With the removal of Ribas vs. Hill, UFC Vegas 26 will proceed with the following lineup:

Main Card (ESPN/ESPN+)
8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT

Marina Rodriguez vs. Michelle Waterson
Donald Cerrone vs. Alex Morono
Neil Magny vs. Geoff Neal
Maurice Greene vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
Carlos Diego Ferreira vs. Gregor Gillespie
Phil Hawes vs. Kyle Daukaus
Amanda Ribas vs. Angela Hill CANCELED

‘Prelims’ Undercard (ESPN+)
6:15 p.m. ET / 3:15 p.m. PT

Ludovít Klein vs. Michael Trizano
Jun Yong Park vs. Tafon Nchukwi
Christian Aguilera vs. Carlston Harris

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 26 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 6:00 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN/ESPN+ main card start time at 8 p.m. ET.

Former UFC champion Conor McGregor is the latest fighter to put Joshua Fabia on blast for his training methods involving Diego Sanchez.

The unorthodox Fabia has launched himself into the public eye over the the past few weeks following Sanchez’s release from UFC. Not only did video footage surface of Fabia slamming UFC’s commentating team for comments he thought were “disrespectful” to Sanchez, but the MMA head coach was also heard badgering UFC officials for Sanchez’s medical records on a “smoking gun” phone call, which ultimately prompted Sanchez’s release.

On Friday, video footage surfaced of an old training session between Fabia and Sanchez. Fight fans have seen some wild techniques before, but Fabia had Sanchez hanging upside down like a bat and beat him about the head with short punches and kicks. It was quite odd even for a guy who often wields a knife inside of the cage for training purposes.

The recent footage is already receiving negative feedback within the MMA community and that includes some backlash dished out by McGregor. The Irish superstar has always paid significant respect to Sanchez and the path he helped blazed, which is why “Notorious” went in on Fabia during a recently-deleted Twitter outburst after witnessing the strange training video.

“This is just madness. I’ll break this things nose in half. This not the move Diego, my bro. I been with ye the whole way, and still am. But this is not on. It was unfair treatment by commentary and fans on your last performances imo, for sure. But not on this guy, 0-0. Ditch.”

“I’m actually on the side of body hardening work also. Working the body etc. But doing it hanging upside down, and getting the dome of the head struck repeatedly, while covering vision, is preposterous! Grab this guy by the ears and head butt him at his front door first thing.”

“I watched the engagement with the broadcast team with an open minded judgement and an understanding that there was disrespectful comments made against you. You were right to pull this up. But the other guy took over the convo. Made it all about him. This is not his story Diego.”

“Box his nose in and ditch him.”

Unsurprisingly, McGregor isn’t the first fighter to speak out about Fabia and his sometimes dangerous training methods. Other UFC fighters and MMA veterans have publicly come out urging “Nightmare” to get rid of Fabia and get back to things that made him such a great fighter to begin with.

This certainly isn’t the last time we’ve heard of Fabia or his wild training methods, but hopefully this is the last time it involves Sanchez. The former Ultimate Fighter winner is far from what he used to be and fellow fighters, like McGregor, believe some of that has to do with his head coach.

It all goes down later tonight (Sat., May 8, 2021) at UFC Vegas 26 live on ESPN/ESPN+ from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, as former Invicta FC champion Michelle Waterson takes on rising contender Marina Rodriguez in the main event. The two strawweights will be competing at 125 pounds due to the short-notice booking.

In addition to the headlining act, UFC legend Donald Cerrone will make his 37th walk to the Octagon in a co-main event tilt opposite dangerous veteran Alex Morono, welterweight knockout artist Geoff Neal will try to regain momentum in a crucial matchup with Neil Magny, and lightweight contender Gregor Gillespie will make his long-awaited return to action in a barn burner fight with Brazilian finisher Carlos Diego Ferreira.

Take a look below at UFC Vegas 26’s complete fight card line up and start times:

Main Card (ESPN/ESPN+)
8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT

Marina Rodriguez vs. Michelle Waterson
Donald Cerrone vs. Alex Morono
Neil Magny vs. Geoff Neal
Maurice Greene vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
Carlos Diego Ferreira vs. Gregor Gillespie
Phil Hawes vs. Kyle Daukaus
Amanda Ribas vs. Angela Hill CANCELED

‘Prelims’ Undercard (ESPN+)
6:15 p.m. ET / 3:15 p.m. PT

Ludovít Klein vs. Michael Trizano
Jun Yong Park vs. Tafon Nchukwi
Christian Aguilera vs. Carlston Harris

Here are all the ways to catch the action:

Online

• UFC Vegas 26: ‘Rodriguez vs. Waterson’ entire fight card can be viewed via the ESPN+ streaming app.
• Subscriptions cost $5.99 per month.

Television

• UFC Vegas 26: ‘Rodriguez vs. Waterson’ main card can be viewed via ESPN. Check your local providers or click for instant access to ESPN.
• UFC Vegas 26: ‘Rodriguez vs. Waterson’ entire fight card can also be streamed via Xbox One, Apple TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, and ChromeCast.

Tablet/Mobile

• UFC Vegas 26: ‘Rodriguez vs. Waterson’ 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 26 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN/ESPN+ main card start time at 8 p.m. ET.

The newest round of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) roster cuts might include some familiar names.

According to a report by TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter, UFC has decided to part ways with Luke Sanders, Anthony Birchak, Aalon Cruz, Jordan Griffin, Bartosz Fabinski, and KB Bhullar. This is part of UFC’s ongoing roster cuts as they get rid of talent no longer useful to the promotion.

Out of those mentioned above, Sanders is one of the names that stick out the most. The bantamweight veteran burst onto the UFC scene back in 2016 to submit Maximo Blanco and push his undefeated MMA record to 10-0. After that, the wheels began to fall off as Sanders encountered stiffer competition. Since his UFC debut over five years ago, “Cool Hand” has turned in a 2-5 record with submission losses to Iuri Alcantara, Rani Yahya, and Nate Maness. Sanders is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Felipe Colares earlier this month at UFC Vegas 25.

Another notable name in this recent round of cuts is Griffin, who is coming off a decision loss to Luis Saldana at UFC on ABC 2. The 31-year-old veteran earned a UFC contract after turning in an impressive submission win on Dana White’s “Contender Series” back in 2018. Unfortunately, “Native Psycho” struggled under the bright lights of the Octagon after going just 1-4 as a member of the featherweight division. Griffin was able to capture a Performance of the Night award with his submission win over T.J. Brown back in Feb. 2020.

Unfortunately, this will not be the last round of cuts for UFC fighters this year. The promotion has been dropping fighters like flies since a massive cut to end 2020 and have even parted ways with notable draws like Anderson Silva, Junior dos Santos, Alistair Overeem, and Diego Sanchez earlier this year.

Geoff Neal will be looking for answers when he challenges welterweight contender Neil Magny later tonight (Sat., May 8, 2021) at UFC Vegas 26 live on ESPN/ESPN+ from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Neal, who is currently ranked No. 10 in the division, is coming off his first UFC loss to date after Stephen Thompson defeated him via unanimous decision in a main event back in Dec. 2020. Before that, Neal ran through the competition at 170 pounds to turn in a 5-0 UFC record with four impressive finishes. His matchup with “Wonderboy” was a true learning experience and something that has made Neal a better fighter now, especially since he didn’t have his coach for the fight.

“I learned that I’m able to push through things; a lot of those issues would have made people nervous and scared. I walked into that fight still believing 100% that I was going to win,” Neal told UFC.com. “It would have been better if I would have had my coach there, but it never once did anything to cross my mind that I was going to lose that fight.”

Luckily, Neal will have another chance to test his growing fighting skills against a true veteran of the division when he meets Magny this weekend. Magny isn’t the most difficult puzzle to solve, but he’s a savvy fighter who is 17-7 since making his UFC debut back in 2013. He has all the tools to hand Neal his second-straight loss and send him back down the welterweight ladder.

“[Magny] is someone that I trained for already, so it was pretty easy to jump right back in camp and get ready for him. He’s a tough opponent and he’s a test for me,” said Neal. “If I can’t handle his grappling and his pace, I need to reassess myself and figure out some things because I’m not going to be champion if I can’t handle his pace and his grind.”

Neal has fought grapplers before but never someone that can control him like Magny. The veteran fighter brings unique length and years of experience into the cage, which is going to make it more difficult for Neal to stay off his back. However, Neal believes his matchup with Magny this weekend is a good measuring stick for the current UFC welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman.

“The pace, the grind, the wrestling. [Kamaru] Usman the champ, he’s like that. He’ll grind you, but now he can knock you out,” Neal laughs. “So you’ve got to deal with that now. He’s that type of fighter he will grind you out for five rounds and try to break you and Magny tries to do the same thing. If I can’t handle Magny doing that, there is no damn way I could handle Usman doing that.”

If Neal is able to defeat Magny on ESPN and get back into the win column he’ll reposition himself to fight deep into the top 10 heading into the second half of 2021. After all, he was one of the most exciting and promising names in the division before “Wonderboy” stole his momentum. A victory over Magny will help right the ship.

“I just got to win. Winning handles everything. If I’m continuously winning, I’m eventually going to get where I got to be, so I can’t really worry about who wants this or who wants that or who is getting matched up with this person,” said Neal. “As long as I’m winning, and bonus points if I’m knocking people out while I’m winning, I’m going to get to where I need to be.

“I’m still here. It’s going to be the same Geoff, the same aggressive fighter. I’ve got some new flair to my style but I’m just looking to show who I am.”

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 26 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN/ESPN+ main card start time at 8 p.m. ET.