Tag: Featured

UFC 270: Ngannou vs. Gane Official Weigh-In Results, Two Cancellations

The weigh-in results for UFC 270: Ngannou vs. Gane are complete, and we’ve got you covered with the intel below.

Tomorrow night, UFC 270 takes place from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The main event will see the UFC world heavyweight cha…

Francis Ngannou

The weigh-in results for UFC 270: Ngannou vs. Gane are complete, and we’ve got you covered with the intel below.

Tomorrow night, UFC 270 takes place from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The main event will see the UFC world heavyweight championship unified when champion Francis Ngannou takes on interim champion Ciryl Gane. The co-main event will feature a trilogy bout for the flyweight championship when Brandon Moreno defends against Deiveson Figueiredo.

You can check out our staff predictions for the main card right here.

UFC 269 Weigh-In Results

Before the weigh-ins even kicked off, there were two cancellations to the UFC 270 lineup, including one main card bout.

Eurosport España broke the news that Ilia Topuria was out of his fight against Charles Jourdain after not being medically cleared to compete. This comes after Jourdain was selected to replace Movsar Evloev after Evlowev contracted COVID-19. 

ESPN Deportes also reported that the main card bout between Rodolfo Vieira and Wellington Turman was canceled due to Vieira withdrawing due to undisclosed reasons.

Outside of those two cancellations, every fighter who took to the scales successfully made weight, including Deiveson Figueiredo, who was second up to the scales with weight issues of the past seeming to be in the rearview.

Prior to Figueiredo’s entrance, the first fighter up to the scales was the flyweight champion, Brandon Moreno.

Also of note is the champion Francis Ngannou coming in 10 pounds heavier than Ciryl Gane ahead of their unification bout. Check out how the main eventers looked on the scales down below.

The UFC hosted a live UFC 270 weigh-in show, which you can view right here. And you can catch the full card for UFC 270 as well as all the viewing information below, courtesy of UFC.com.

MAIN CARD (ESPN+ PPV, 10:00 PM ET)

Main Event – Heavyweight Title Bout: Francis Ngannou (257) vs Ciryl Gane (247)

Co-Main Event – Flyweight Title Bout: Brandon Moreno (124) vs Deiveson Figueiredo (124)

Welterweight Bout: Michel Pereira (170) vs Andre Fialho (169.5)

Bantamweight Bout: Cody Stamann (135.5) vs Said Nurmagomedov (136)

Welterweight Bout: Michael Morales (170) vs Trevin Giles (170)

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN 2/ESPN+, 8:00 PM ET)

Bantamweight Bout: Raoni Barcelos (135) vs Victor Henry (135.5) 

Welterweight Bout: Jack Della Maddalena (170.5) vs Pete Rodriguez (170.5)

Bantamweight Bout: Tony Gravely (135.5) vs Saimon Oliveira (136)

EARLY PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, UFC Fight Pass, 6:15 PM ET)

Women’s Strawweight Bout: Silvana Gomez Juarez (115.5) vs Vanessa Demopoulos (115.5)

Lightweight Bout: Matt Frevola (154.5) vs Genaro Valdez (155.5)

Women’s Flyweight Bout: Kay Hansen (125) vs Jasmine Jasudavicius (125)

Be sure to keep it locked on MMANews.com tomorrow for full coverage of tomorrow night’s UFC 270 event!

Continue Reading UFC 270: Ngannou vs. Gane Official Weigh-In Results, Two Cancellations at MMA News.

Tom Aspinall vs. Alexander Volkov To Headline UFC London

tom aspinallUFC heavyweights, Tom Aspinall and Alexander Volkov are set to headline the UFC’s Fight Night card in London on March 19. The UFC is finally set to make a return to the United Kingdom for the first time since 2019, in an event which is set to be held at the 02 Arena in London. […]

tom aspinall

UFC heavyweights, Tom Aspinall and Alexander Volkov are set to headline the UFC’s Fight Night card in London on March 19.

The UFC is finally set to make a return to the United Kingdom for the first time since 2019, in an event which is set to be held at the 02 Arena in London. The UFC was supposed to return in March of 2020 before the Covid-19 pandemic meant that card was scrapped.

The event will showcase British talent including Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblet, Jack Shore, Jake Hadley and Molly McCann all expected to compete on the undercard.

No. 10 ranked Aspinall was originally set to take on Shamil Adurakhimov on the undercard but the UFC instead chose to pair the Wigan-based prospect with the much more experienced and higher ranked Volkov in the main event of the evening.

The Background of Tom Aspinall v Alexander Volkov

Aspinall has impressed many with both his attitude and performances inside the cage since his debut with the promotion in mid-2020. Aspinall’s fast hands and the technical game has seen him gain finishes in all of his UFC fights (3 KO, 1 Sub) with his most notable name on his record being Andrei Arlovski but he also scored an impressive first-round KO over the ranked Sergey Spivak.

Former UFC champion and UK MMA legend, Michael Bisping had high praise for the young heavyweight “He’s such a big guy, but he moves like a middleweight. He’s fast on his feet and very agile. He has the speed, which is important. Speed kills power and on top of that he has the power. He’s a big dude, he can wrestle, has heavy hands, is agile. He’s potentially a champion.” (Transcribed by talkSPORT)

Standing opposite Aspinall will stand the towering No.5 ranked Volkov. The former Bellator heavyweight champion will hold a sizeable experience advantage over the Brit, having nearly 45 professional fights.

The Russian quickly became in the discussion as a potential title contender and consistently been in around the top five for years. Volkov holds impressive wins over Fabricio Werdum, Roy Nelson Stefan Struve and Alistair Overeem. However, recent losses to Curtis Blaydes and Ciryl Gane have derailed his title charge.

What do you think? How will Tom Aspinall V Alexander Volkov go?

Dana White: You Will Never Hear Me Talk About Jake Paul Again

Dana White is chucking up the deuces to his lengthy feud with YouTuber turned boxing star, Jake Paul.

Over the past year, UFC President Dana White has been involved in a war of words with Jake Paul. After it was announced that Floyd Mayweather woul…

Jake Paul, Dana White

Dana White is chucking up the deuces to his lengthy feud with YouTuber turned boxing star, Jake Paul.

Over the past year, UFC President Dana White has been involved in a war of words with Jake Paul. After it was announced that Floyd Mayweather would be fighting Logan Paul, White trashed all the fans who had any interest in watching either of the Paul brothers compete in legitimate sports. It was at this time that White also stated Amanda Nunes would leave Jake Paul comatose.

The feud didn’t really kick-off, however, until Paul vs. Askren was announced last year. In an appearance on the “Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson” podcast leading up to the April fight, White said he would be willing to bet $1 million on Askren. Paul then challenged White to double up the bet and make it $2 million.

White claims he never actually bet any money on Askren, but that did not stop “The Problem Child” from rubbing his KO win over Askren in White’s face.

Ben Askren's reaction post-match goes viral after getting knocked out by Jake Paul | Fox News

Of course, this was only the beginning of this odd feud. White would again figuratively bet against Paul by predicting that his former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley would knock Paul out.

Instead, it was Paul who would knock Woodley out last month after defeating him via split decision in August. Paul would then talk much more trash than he did after his Askren KO, telling White that he had just embarrassed his entire promotion.

But of course, the biggest theme of the White/Paul feud has been the topic of UFC fighter pay. Paul has continued to criticize White and the UFC for the way the promotion compensates its fighters, and he hasn’t stopped at just talking. The YouTuber even took money out of his own pocket to help UFC women’s flyweight Sarah Alpar pay for her training-camp expenses.

White/Paul Drama Reaches Its Climax

Another subject that has risen multiple times during the White/Paul feud is Paul’s claim that White is a “cokehead.” In fact, the former Disney actor opted to dress up as a “coked-up Dana White” for Halloween accompanied by “his hookers.”

After Paul made this accusation one time too many, the UFC boss decided to make Paul a little offer. He would allow Jake Paul to drug test him for cocaine for the next 10 years if he, in turn, could drug test Paul for performance-enhancing drugs for two. Paul would respond by agreeing to be tested by USADA in a UFC fight if White agreed to a list of terms regarding improving the pay and benefits of the UFC roster.

White considers Paul’s counterproposal to be a non-response. And not only did it terminate his original offer, but it also killed any desire the UFC president had to address Paul ever again.

During an appearance on The Full Send Podcast, White was asked what Paul would have to do to earn his respect. It was at this point White broke some news about his feud with the outspoken YouTuber.

“It’s not that he doesn’t have my respect. I don’t even know the kid, at the end of the day,” White said. “I don’t even know the kid. And you know what? To be honest with you, I’ll tell you right here right now: This is the last time you’ll hear me talk about him. I’m done.

“I put out the challenge, he said, ‘You do coke,’ I said, ‘I think you use performance-enhancing drugs. Let’s do it.’ He never responded to it, so fire away, kid. Do your thing.”

White went on to say that his decision was made after he realized that his feud with Paul, with whom he has no professional ties with whatsoever, is going nowhere.

“I’m sitting here, I’m arguing with this kid that doesn’t fight for me and is never gonna fight for me, so what’s the point of he and I going back and forth with each other?” White asked.

White may be done addressing Paul, but it’s highly unlikely Paul is done talking about White, UFC fighters, or the subject of fighter pay. Therefore, it would seem inevitable that reporters will continue to ask White to chime in on Paul’s latest antics and statements. Therefore, White may become very well-acquainted with the phrase “no comment” heading into the future.

On the other hand, he might get worked into breaking this promise by inquiring media members or directly by the king troll himself, “The Problem Child” Jake Paul.

Do you believe Dana White when he says he will never talk about Jake Paul ever again?

Continue Reading Dana White: You Will Never Hear Me Talk About Jake Paul Again at MMA News.

UFC 270: Ngannou vs. Gane Pre-Fight Press Conference Highlights

The UFC 270 pre-fight press conference took place earlier tonight, and we’ve got the highlights for you right here!

UFC 270 takes place this Saturday, January 22, from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. In the main event, Francis Ngannou wil…

UFC 270

The UFC 270 pre-fight press conference took place earlier tonight, and we’ve got the highlights for you right here!

UFC 270 takes place this Saturday, January 22, from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. In the main event, Francis Ngannou will face Ciryl Gane in a heavyweight title unification showdown. The co-main event will see the trilogy bout between flyweight champion Brandon Moreno and his opponent, Deiveson “Deus Da Guerra” Figueiredo.

Each of the above fighters was present during Thursday’s pre-fight press conference. Here were some of the most memorable moments and exchanges from the event.

The Arrivals

Memorable Moments

Extended Highlights & Face-Offs

You can find the extended highlights from the UFC 270 pre-fight press conference below along with the face-offs!

Full Replay

Finally, if you’d like to experience the full UFC 270 pre-fight press conference uncut, you can do so right below!

Be sure to stick with MMA News for all your UFC 269 coverage leading up to, during, and after the event!

Continue Reading UFC 270: Ngannou vs. Gane Pre-Fight Press Conference Highlights at MMA News.

Report: Tom Aspinall vs. Alexander Volkov To Headline UFC London

Rising heavyweight Tom Aspinall and divisional veteran Alexander Volkov are expected to headline UFC’s return to London, England later this year, per a report.

Volkov and Aspinall are set to serve as the main event for a March 19th UFC “Fight Night…

Tom Aspinall, Alexander Volkov

Rising heavyweight Tom Aspinall and divisional veteran Alexander Volkov are expected to headline UFC’s return to London, England later this year, per a report.

Volkov and Aspinall are set to serve as the main event for a March 19th UFC “Fight Night” event from the O2 Arena, per a report from Brett Okamoto of ESPN.

The matchup gives Aspinall a chance to compete in his first UFC main event fight. His short run with the promotion has been explosive thus far, stopping all four of his opponents in the cage. This includes two wins from last year, which came against Andrei Arlovski and Serghei Spivac.

Aspinall was first initially booked to face Shamil Abdurakhimov in a non-headlining fight on this card. It is not known what the plan is for Abdurakhimov now that this matchup has been booked.

Volkov Returns To Familiar Headlining Position

Alexander Volkov, Alistair Overeem
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Volkov has fought some of the top names at heavyweight for most of his 11-fight UFC career. He is no stranger to headlining cards, as the new booking is scheduled to be his sixth time in the main event spot.

Volkov is coming off a win, as his last fight was a unanimous decision victory over Marcin Tybura in October at UFC 267. His last main event fight was in June 2021, when he lost to now-interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Ciryl Gane.

Aspinall is just one of the many England-based fighters that are expected for the show. Earlier today, it was reported that Paddy Pimblett will also return on the card against Kazula Vargas.

The event marks UFC’s first time in London in over three years, as the COVID-19 pandemic has limited the number of locations they can travel to.

With this main event announced, here is the updated lineup for UFC London:

Heavyweight Bout: Alexander Volkov vs. Tom Aspinall

Lightweight Bout: Paddy Pimblett vs. Kazula Vargas

Featherweight Bout: Mike Grundy vs. Makwan Amirkhani

Bantamweight Bout: Jack Shore vs. Timur Valiev

Flyweight Bout: Molly McCann vs. Luana Carolina

Flyweight Bout: Muhammad Mokaev vs. Cody Durden

Strawweight Bout: Elise Reed vs. Cory McKenna

Flyweight Bout: Jake Hadley vs. Allan Nascimento

How do you think Tom Aspinall will do in his very first UFC main event fight?

Continue Reading Report: Tom Aspinall vs. Alexander Volkov To Headline UFC London at MMA News.

Report: Tom Aspinall vs. Alexander Volkov To Headline UFC London

Rising heavyweight Tom Aspinall and divisional veteran Alexander Volkov are expected to headline UFC’s return to London, England later this year, per a report.

Volkov and Aspinall are set to serve as the main event for a March 19th UFC “Fight Night…

Tom Aspinall, Alexander Volkov

Rising heavyweight Tom Aspinall and divisional veteran Alexander Volkov are expected to headline UFC’s return to London, England later this year, per a report.

Volkov and Aspinall are set to serve as the main event for a March 19th UFC “Fight Night” event from the O2 Arena, per a report from Brett Okamoto of ESPN.

The matchup gives Aspinall a chance to compete in his first UFC main event fight. His short run with the promotion has been explosive thus far, stopping all four of his opponents in the cage. This includes two wins from last year, which came against Andrei Arlovski and Serghei Spivac.

Aspinall was first initially booked to face Shamil Abdurakhimov in a non-headlining fight on this card. It is not known what the plan is for Abdurakhimov now that this matchup has been booked.

Volkov Returns To Familiar Headlining Position

Alexander Volkov, Alistair Overeem
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Volkov has fought some of the top names at heavyweight for most of his 11-fight UFC career. He is no stranger to headlining cards, as the new booking is scheduled to be his sixth time in the main event spot.

Volkov is coming off a win, as his last fight was a unanimous decision victory over Marcin Tybura in October at UFC 267. His last main event fight was in June 2021, when he lost to now-interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Ciryl Gane.

Aspinall is just one of the many England-based fighters that are expected for the show. Earlier today, it was reported that Paddy Pimblett will also return on the card against Kazula Vargas.

The event marks UFC’s first time in London in over three years, as the COVID-19 pandemic has limited the number of locations they can travel to.

With this main event announced, here is the updated lineup for UFC London:

Heavyweight Bout: Alexander Volkov vs. Tom Aspinall

Lightweight Bout: Paddy Pimblett vs. Kazula Vargas

Featherweight Bout: Mike Grundy vs. Makwan Amirkhani

Bantamweight Bout: Jack Shore vs. Timur Valiev

Flyweight Bout: Molly McCann vs. Luana Carolina

Flyweight Bout: Muhammad Mokaev vs. Cody Durden

Strawweight Bout: Elise Reed vs. Cory McKenna

Flyweight Bout: Jake Hadley vs. Allan Nascimento

How do you think Tom Aspinall will do in his very first UFC main event fight?

Continue Reading Report: Tom Aspinall vs. Alexander Volkov To Headline UFC London at MMA News.