Author: Dan Hiergesell

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

It all goes down later today (Sat., Nov. 9, 2019) at UFC Fight Night 163 live on ESPN+ from inside CSKA Arena in Moscow, Russia, as dangerous featherweight contender Zabit Magomedsharipov puts his unbeaten UFC streak on the line against knockout finisher Calvin Kattar in the main event.

In addition to Zabit’s homecoming, former NFL star Greg Hardy will step up on short notice to challenge Russian tower Alexander Volkov in the co-main event, welterweight prospect Zelim Imadaev makes his return to the cage against Danny “Hot Chocolate” Roberts, veteran light heavyweight Ed Herman will try to win his second in a row when he challenges young Russian Khadis Ibragimov, and Anthony Rocco Martin will aim to stop form M-1 Global middleweight champion Ramazan Emeev in a welterweight affair.

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

Main Card (ESPN+)
2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT

Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Calvin Kattar
Alexander Volkov vs. Greg Hardy
Zelim Imadaev vs. Danny Roberts
Khadis Ibragimov vs. Ed Herman
Ramazan Emeev vs. Anthony Rocco Martin
Shamil Gamzatov vs. Klidson Abreu

‘Prelims’ Undercard (ESPN+)
11:00 a.m. ET / 8:00 a.m. PT

Magomed Ankalaev vs. Dalcha Lungiambula
Rustam Khabilov vs. Sergey Khandozhko
Roman Kopylov vs. Karl Roberson
Abubakar Nurmagomedov vs. David Zawada
Alexander Yakovlev vs. Roosevelt Roberts
Pannie Kianzad vs. Jessica-Rose Clark
Grigorii Popov vs. Davey Grant

Here are all the ways to catch the action:

Online

• UFC Moscow: ‘Magomedsharipov vs. Kattar’ main card and preliminary card can be viewed via the ESPN+ streaming app.
• Subscriptions cost $4.99 per month.

Television

• UFC Moscow: ‘Magomedsharipov vs. Kattar’ is also accessible via Rokustick, AndroidTV, Amazon’s Kindle Fire, Apple TV, Google’s Chromecast, Playstation 4 and Xbox One.

Tablet/Mobile

• UFC Moscow: ‘Magomedsharipov vs. Kattar’ main card and preliminary 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 today’s fights CLICK HERE.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Fight Night 163 fight card below, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” undercard bouts at 11 a.m. ET, followed by the ESPN+ main card start time of 2 p.m. ET.

Photo by Hans Gutknecht/Digital First Media/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images

It looks like Dillon Danis’ date with Bellator MMA president Scott Coker will have to wait.

Danis, who is one of Conor McGregor’s main training partners and a current welterweight fighter on Bellator’s roster, has been banned from attending the highly-anticipated boxing rematch between YouTube sensations KSI and Logan Paul tomorrow night (Sat., Nov. 9, 2019) live on DAZN from inside Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., according to Las Vegas sports reporter Helen Yee.

Danis, who is 2-0 inside of the Bellator cage, was hoping to attend the massive boxing event this weekend and get a closer look at Logan Paul’s brother, Jake. The two men have sparked quite the rivalry over the past few months and have professed their willingness to fight inside of the boxing ring. Paul even took the bad blood to another level by revealing that he hooked up with Danis’ girlfriend.

While Danis would have been attending the event alongside Coker officials still deemed the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace a “high risk” and have banned him from the arena. Outside of his feud with Jake Paul, Danis is likely being excluded from the event due to his involvement in UFC 229’s post-fight brawl last year in Las Vegas (see it HERE), which saw UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov climb the Octagon to get his hands on Danis.

As you may have imagined, Danis did not agree with the ban from KSI vs. Logan Paul 2.

“I made this logan paul fight relevant, how are you gonna ban me from entering the arena @EddieHearn?” wrote Danis on Twitter.

It would have been interesting to see Danis sitting ringside and trying to mix it up with Jake Paul, who has zero fighting experience, but we’ll have to wait to see that encounter another day.

Stick with Mania for complete KSI vs. Logan Paul 2 results and coverage.

Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker is looking to step back inside of the Octagon against newly-minted division contender Darren Till.

Whittaker, who lost his UFC middleweight championship to undefeated sensation Israel Adesanya at UFC 243 this past October (highlights HERE), remains one of the most talented 185-pound fighters on the UFC roster. Before his loss to “Last Stylebender,” Whittaker had won his first eight fights in the middleweight division, including two title wins over Cuban powerhouse Yoel Romero. Many were expecting Whittaker to ride that momentum going forward and become one of the UFC’s most dominant champions.

Now, the man known as “Bobby Knuckles” is looking to rebound from his recent knockout loss to Adesanya by fighting Till on enemy territory in London.

“That’s the fight I’m currently interested in,” Whittaker told The Daily Telegraph. “Plus I’ve never been to Europe before, so what better reason to go?”

Till, who rocketed up the welterweight rankings before suffering a submission loss at UFC 228 to then champion Tyron Woodley and then a brutal knockout loss to Jorge Masvidal at UFC London, made a successful 185-pound debut earlier this month at UFC 244 when he defeated former title challenger Kelvin Gastelum. It wasn’t the greatest performances we’ve ever seen from “Gorilla,” but it was a nice introduction for Till into the weight class he naturally belongs in.

With a win over Gastelum by his side and struggling weight cuts behind him, Till figures to claw his way into title contention sometime in 2020. A victory over Whittaker would arguably be the only win Till needs to get there, but a loss to the former champion would send the Englishman back down the divisional ladder.

For Whittaker, a win over Till would likely land him in a No. 1 contender’s bout as he tries to land a rematch with Adesanya.

Whittaker vs. Till is matchmaking made in heaven given their fan-friendly fighting styles and UFC would be stupid not to book it.

Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports

Former NFL star Greg Hardy is stepping up on short notice this weekend at UFC Fight Night 163 live on ESPN+ in Moscow, Russia, to fight heavyweight contender Alexander Volkov. It will be the biggest fight of Hardy’s professional MMA career and a true opportunity to prove his UFC worth.

Hardy, who made his Octagon debut back in January, is coming off a controversial performance at UFC on ESPN 6 last month when his decision win over Ben Sosoli was overturned after it was discovered Hardy illegally used an inhaler in between rounds (see it HERE).

The aftermath was not good for Hardy, who has been trying to shed his “bad guy” persona since his UFC arrival. Not only did Hardy have to endure countless tweets from some of MMA’s most recognizable names, but he also found himself in a feud with heavyweight knockout artist Derrick “Black Beast” Lewis.

Lewis, who already doesn’t like Hardy due to his past domestic violence accusations, now believes the former NFL player needs to get his ass out of UFC.

Heading into his massive co-main event clash with Volkov, Hardy set some time aside to address Lewis’ comments and assure fight fans he isn’t listening to the haters.

“I think he’s like a felon,” Hardy said of Lewis during a recent interview with RT Sports. “He’s been to prison. I just don’t think somebody that’s been to prison is allowed to say what the standard is… We don’t listen to people that contradict themselves.”

With little support from his peers, Hardy with travel to enemy territory and take on one of the most physically imposing fighters on the UFC roster on short notice. It’s a very dangerous fight for Hardy, who has never lost a contest inside of the cage other than disqualification, but it’s the best chance for him to prove his fighting skills are worthy of top 10 consideration.

If Hardy is able to come out of UFC Moscow alive a grudge match opposite “Black Beast” seems like the next logical move. But with all this talk about “Baddest Motherf—ker” belts and superfights, Hardy may have his mind set on something else.

“I think it would 100 percent be the most active heavyweight in UFC history [points at himself], and hmmm . . . BMF,” said Hardy. “We could bring out Brock Lesnar, maybe? No, no, no. For sure it would probably have to be Stipe.”

We’ll find out one way or another this weekend at UFC Moscow if “Prince of War” is finally ready for the big leagues.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Fight Night 163 fight card below, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” undercard bouts at 11 a.m. ET, followed by the ESPN+ main card start time of 2 p.m. ET.

Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Kelvin Gastelum has been fined for his controversial actions during UFC 244’s official weigh ins last weekend in New York City, per a recent report by Newsday.

Gastelum, who lost his co-main event bout against Darren Till via split decision, was originally under fire for apparently leaning on his head coach, Rafael Cordeiro, during weigh ins in order to successfully make 186 pounds (see it again HERE). The former welterweight fighter eventually tipped the scales at 184 pounds, making fight fans wonder why he had to disrobe in order to make weight in the first place.

New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) promised they would pursue “disciplinary action” against Gastelum while allowing him to still compete at UFC 244, and it looks they’ve completed their investigation.

As a result of NYSAC’s findings, Gastelum will now be fined $1,000 for his actions at UFC 244’s weigh ins. Cordeiro, on the other hand, will be forced to pay $200 for helping Gastelum on the scale.

In addition to Gastelum, NYSAC also slapped a fine on light heavyweight contender Corey Anderson, who defeated fast-rising star Johnny Walker via first-round TKO (highlights HERE) during the UFC 244 “Prelims.” After his victory, Anderson began to taunt Walker and scream at him as the referee helped him back to his feet.

“Overtime” eventually apologized for his post-fight celebration, but NYSAC still deemed it “unsportsmanlike conduct” and felt it necessary to fine Anderson a whopping $10,000.

Are these fair punishments? Should Gastelum be fined more than Anderson?

Let us know, Maniacs!

For complete UFC 244 results and coverage click here.

Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images

The highly-anticipated boxing rematch between YouTube sensations KSI and Logan Paul will go down tomorrow night (Sat., Nov. 9, 2019) live on the DAZN network from inside Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., as the two Internet personalities run it back after fighting to a draw last year.

Unlike last year’s amateur affair, the rematch will be contested as a professional bout over the course of six three-minute rounds.

Leading into the DAZN main event, KSI and Paul needed to step on the scales and officially weigh in for their cruiserweight showdown (full replay HERE). After successfully making weight, both fighters came together for one final staredown. It was quite intense, but surprisingly did not turn physical.

Check it out above courtesy of DAZN.

Love it or hate it, this is going to be one of the most talked about events of the weekend. Even though Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Bellator MMA are both hosting events over the course of the next 48 hours, it is KSI vs. Paul 2 that is captivating most of the combat community.

After all, their initial bout produced over one million buys through YouTube, making it the biggest amateur boxing fight of all time.

Stick with Mania for complete KSI vs. Paul 2 results and coverage.