Tag: leon edwards

MMA News Today: Tom Aspinall Comes Clean On Fake Pre-Fight Routine, Aljamain Sterling Wins Karate Combat Debut In The Final Seconds, & More

Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 26, 2024, we’re taking a look at: Tom Aspinall Finally Admits That Strange Pre-Fight Preparations Was A Joke Ahead of his interim heavyweight title defense at UFC 304, Tom Aspinall revealed a unique pre-fight process […]

Continue Reading MMA News Today: Tom Aspinall Comes Clean On Fake Pre-Fight Routine, Aljamain Sterling Wins Karate Combat Debut In The Final Seconds, & More at MMA News.

Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 26, 2024, we’re taking a look at:

  • Aspinall finally puts the petrol rumors to rest
  • Sterling got his hand raised after clutching the match in the final seconds
  • Holloway gives massive praise to UFC 304 fighter

Tom Aspinall Finally Admits That Strange Pre-Fight Preparations Was A Joke

Ahead of his interim heavyweight title defense at UFC 304, Tom Aspinall revealed a unique pre-fight process that he was putting himself through in preparation.

The Brit told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour that he was following the methods of classic bare knuckle boxers by shadow boxing around haybales and dipping his hands in petrol each night.

Some instantly called it out that Aspinall was in fact trying to trick Helwani but after he didn’t crack a smile at any point, others thought the champion might be telling the truth.

A video posted on fight week shows one half of this weekend’s co-main event calling Helwani in the middle of the night to provide evidence of his preparations.

After leading him on for a bit longer, Aspinall confessed that it was all a joke and that he’s having to tell the truth after people thought he was being serious about it.

Aljamain Sterling Pulls Off A Clutch Win In Karate Combat Grappling Debut

Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling made his Karate Combat debut on July 25, where he got his hand raised in the final seconds of the contest.

Competing in the Pit Submission Series, he secured the win over Jay Jay Wilson at Karate Combat 48 in Nashville.

The contest was nearly about to end in a points draw but with the clock ticking down to the final seconds, Sterling was able to pass guard and take his opponent’s back to score the winning point in the dying moments.

After the match, a fired-up Sterling said that his full focus is now on handing Movsar Evloev his first loss in a crucial featherweight match-up at UFC 307 in October.

Also of note for this grappling match is that Sterling weighed in at a staggering 171-pounds.

Sterling even received praise from his former opponent and the current UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley who phoned in during the match.

Max Holloway Praises The Fight IQ Of UFC 304 Fighter: ‘Super High, Super Smart’

Max Holloway believes that the main event of UFC 304 will be a battle between two tacticians that rarely stray from their gameplans.

Both the welterweight champion Leon Edwards and his challenger Belal Muhammad aren’t known for going out there and being involved in wars.

With a fight like this, it will come down to which man is able to implement their approach the best and with that in mind, Holloway is backing the champ to retain in Manchester.

He broke down the card during a recent YouTube video where “Blessed” spoke extremely high of Edwards’s ability to read and control a fight.

“Belal is a tactician. he’s a gameplanner. He does not stray away from his gameplan,” Holloway said. “But so does Leon, bro. Leon is a tactician. He’s a gameplanner. He sticks to his gameplan no matter what. … A lot of people were counting Leon out (ahead of the Covington fight) like he was gonna get grappled.

“Leon is one of the very few IQs in this game that I respect, man,” Holloway continued. “His fight IQ is super high, super smart. It’s just hard to go against the champ here, bro. I think Belal puts on a fight. Early in the fight, I think it’s a tough fight. But then when we get to the third and then the championship rounds, I think Leon is gonna take over.”

Read more on the story here.

For more MMA news, check out:

Continue Reading MMA News Today: Tom Aspinall Comes Clean On Fake Pre-Fight Routine, Aljamain Sterling Wins Karate Combat Debut In The Final Seconds, & More at MMA News.

UFC 304: Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 2 Weigh-In Live Stream & Results

UFC 304 takes place tomorrow night, and MMA News is here to bring you the official weigh-in results! For the first time in almost a decade, the Octagon is in the English city of Manchester, marking the promotion’s first visit to a UK destination other than London since the COVID-19 outbreak. And the mixed martial […]

Continue Reading UFC 304: Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 2 Weigh-In Live Stream & Results at MMA News.

UFC 304 takes place tomorrow night, and MMA News is here to bring you the official weigh-in results!

For the first time in almost a decade, the Octagon is in the English city of Manchester, marking the promotion’s first visit to a UK destination other than London since the COVID-19 outbreak.

And the mixed martial arts leader has brought a lineup worthy of the occasion with it across the pond, with two title fights and a host of major undercard bouts set to go down.

The championship bouts at the top of the card will see home favorites Leon Edwards and Tom Aspinall put their pieces of gold on the line in rematches, with Belal Muhammad challenging for the welterweight strap and Curtis Blaydes vying for the interim heavyweight belt.

Elsewhere on the card, Liverpool native Paddy Pimblett gets his first crack at the rankings opposite King Green, Arnold Allen looks to snap his losing skid at the expense of Giga Chikadze, and top flyweights Muhammad Mokaev and Manel Kape settle their bad blood in a potential title eliminator at 125 pounds.

UFC 304: Edwards vs. Muhammad 2 Weigh-In Results

UFC 304 takes place Saturday, July 27, at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England. The main card begins at 10 PM ET/7 PM PT, with the preliminary card starting at 6 PM ET/3 PM PT.

See above for a live stream of the UFC 304 Weigh-In Show, and check out the full results below!

Main Card:

  • Welterweight Championship Main Event: Leon Edwards (170lbs) vs. Belal Muhammad
  • Interim Heavyweight Championship Co-Main Event: Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes
  • Lightweight: King Green vs. Paddy Pimblett
  • Middleweight: Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Gregory Rodrigues
  • Featherweight: Arnold Allen vs. Giga Chikadze

Preliminary Card:

  • Featherweight: Nathaniel Wood vs. Daniel Pineda
  • Women’s Strawweight: Molly McCann vs. Bruna Brasil
  • Bantamweight: Caolán Loughran vs. Jake Hadley
  • Light Heavyweight: Modestas Bukauskas vs. Marcin Prachnio

Early Preliminary Card:

  • Welterweight: Oban Elliott vs. Preston Parsons
  • Flyweight: Muhammad Mokaev vs. Manel Kape
  • Welterweight: Sam Patterson vs. Kiefer Crosbie
  • Heavyweight: Mick Parkin vs. ?ukasz Brzeski
  • Women’s Strawweight: Shauna Bannon vs. Alice Ardelean

Continue Reading UFC 304: Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 2 Weigh-In Live Stream & Results at MMA News.

Belal Muhammad: ‘I don’t like Manchester’, turns back on UFC 304 audience

Belal Muhammad: 'I don't like Manchester', turns his back on UFC 304 audienceBelal Muhammad has made his feelings more than clear for the city of Manchester ahead of his title fight…

Belal Muhammad: 'I don't like Manchester', turns his back on UFC 304 audience

Belal Muhammad has made his feelings more than clear for the city of Manchester ahead of his title fight return at UFC 304 this weekend – claiming he is less than a fan of the ‘Rainy City’. 

Muhammad, the current number two ranked welterweight challenger, returns this weekend at UFC 304 – taking on soon-to-be two-time opponent, Leon Edwards, in a bid to become the welterweight crown.

belal ufc 304

First matching with the Birmingham native back in 2020, Muhammad took on Edwards the UFC Apex facility, the two fought to an eventual second round official ‘No Contest’ – with the latter landing a slew of inadvertent eye pokes, leaving Muhammad unable to continue. 

Since then, Muhammad has taken home notable wins over the trio of former title challengers, Stephen Thompson, Demian Maia, Gilbert Burns, as well as Vicente Luque, and landed an impressive knockout victory against Sean Brady.

leon

Belal Muhammad vetos his support for Manchester

Appearing on stage during yesterday’s pre-fight press conference in Manchester, Muhamamd was met with a chorus of boos and jeers each time he approached his microphone – and despite initially praising the city earlier this month, has done a complete one-eighty on that stance.

“Ok I don’t like Manchester anymore,” Belal Muhammad posted on his official X account.

Furthermore, at yesterday’s pre-fight press conference at the Co-Op Live Arena – Muhammad managed to get one over on Edwards – mocking the British fighter’s infamous ‘headshot, dead’ taunt during their staredown, before remaining still after the champion lunged at him – in an unsuccessful bid to psych him out. 

17863109386

After being corralled by UFC officials and security personnel, Muhammad began verbally fighting back-and-forth with members of Edwards’ entourage, with CEO, Dana White actually trying to play peacemaker between the duo. 

Who do you think wins at UFC 304: Leon Edwards or Belal Muhammad?

Belal Muhammad: ‘I don’t like Manchester’, turns back on UFC 304 audience

Belal Muhammad: 'I don't like Manchester', turns his back on UFC 304 audienceBelal Muhammad has made his feelings more than clear for the city of Manchester ahead of his title fight…

Belal Muhammad: 'I don't like Manchester', turns his back on UFC 304 audience

Belal Muhammad has made his feelings more than clear for the city of Manchester ahead of his title fight return at UFC 304 this weekend – claiming he is less than a fan of the ‘Rainy City’. 

Muhammad, the current number two ranked welterweight challenger, returns this weekend at UFC 304 – taking on soon-to-be two-time opponent, Leon Edwards, in a bid to become the welterweight crown.

belal ufc 304

First matching with the Birmingham native back in 2020, Muhammad took on Edwards the UFC Apex facility, the two fought to an eventual second round official ‘No Contest’ – with the latter landing a slew of inadvertent eye pokes, leaving Muhammad unable to continue. 

Since then, Muhammad has taken home notable wins over the trio of former title challengers, Stephen Thompson, Demian Maia, Gilbert Burns, as well as Vicente Luque, and landed an impressive knockout victory against Sean Brady.

leon

Belal Muhammad vetos his support for Manchester

Appearing on stage during yesterday’s pre-fight press conference in Manchester, Muhamamd was met with a chorus of boos and jeers each time he approached his microphone – and despite initially praising the city earlier this month, has done a complete one-eighty on that stance.

“Ok I don’t like Manchester anymore,” Belal Muhammad posted on his official X account.

Furthermore, at yesterday’s pre-fight press conference at the Co-Op Live Arena – Muhammad managed to get one over on Edwards – mocking the British fighter’s infamous ‘headshot, dead’ taunt during their staredown, before remaining still after the champion lunged at him – in an unsuccessful bid to psych him out. 

17863109386

After being corralled by UFC officials and security personnel, Muhammad began verbally fighting back-and-forth with members of Edwards’ entourage, with CEO, Dana White actually trying to play peacemaker between the duo. 

Who do you think wins at UFC 304: Leon Edwards or Belal Muhammad?

UFC Commentator Feels The Delayed Start Time Of UFC 304 Will Not Affect Fighters Or Fans

UFC commentator Laura Sanko recently assured that the postponed start time for UFC 304 would have minimal impact on both the fighters and the fans in the United Kingdom. The eighth numbered UFC pay-per-view event of 2024 is just around the corner, set to unfold this Saturday at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester. The […]

Continue Reading UFC Commentator Feels The Delayed Start Time Of UFC 304 Will Not Affect Fighters Or Fans at MMA News.

UFC commentator Laura Sanko recently assured that the postponed start time for UFC 304 would have minimal impact on both the fighters and the fans in the United Kingdom.

The eighth numbered UFC pay-per-view event of 2024 is just around the corner, set to unfold this Saturday at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester. The card will feature two headline title fights, both of which are eagerly anticipated rematches.

In the main event, UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards will defend his title against Belal Muhammad. Meanwhile, the co-main event will see interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall clash with Curtis Blaydes.

Since the announcement of the UFC 304 schedule, a storm of controversy and fan uproar has erupted over the decision to start the fight card at typical United States times, even though the event is taking place in the United Kingdom.

The event broadcast is set to begin at 11 PM BST on Saturday, July 27. Consequently, the headlining fighters are expected to make their Octagon walkouts between 5:00 and 5:15 AM the following morning. Meanwhile, in the U.S., the fight card will kick off at approximately 6 PM ET / 3 PM PT on Saturday afternoon, with the main card slated to start around 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT.

However, UFC’s first female color commentator believes that the late-night and early-morning schedule will neither hinder the fighters nor deter the viewers…

Sanko Believes UFC 304 Excitement Will Keep Fans Hooked

During a recent interview with MMAFightingonSBN, Sanko, who will be fulfilling her role as a desk analyst for UFC 304, offered her insights on the pay-per-view broadcast schedule. She acknowledged that while the schedule is less than ideal for the fans, it ultimately won’t matter much on fight night, given the high anticipation surrounding the card.

“It’s unfortunate for the fans, but I think when that day comes, it’s not gonna matter for the fans or for the athletes,” Sanko said. “I think the energy is going to be so off-the-charts it’s not going to matter if you’re a fan and trust me; you’re going to be able to soldier through because the action from these fights is going to be enough to keep you going, hopefully.”

The UFC broadcaster further noted that the last PPV event in Manchester, UFC 204 in October 2016, also followed a similar schedule. She emphasized that the real challenge for fighters lies in preparing for the late-night bouts rather than the timing of the event itself.

“Here’s my one tip: just don’t start drinking too early. That’s going to be the downfall of at least a certain proportion of this fan base. But I think for the fighters, you know, Leon Edwards actually had this exact same situation when he fought on Michael Bisping’s card, where he had his huge win over Dan Henderson in Manchester. So he’s familiar with it, and he said the same thing.

He said, ‘Listen, it didn’t matter. The moment I walked out to that arena, it could have been 2 o’clock in the afternoon, it could have been 2 o’clock in the morning, I wouldn’t have known the difference. I was headed into a fight.’ So I think it sucks probably more in the lead-up, the preparation, stressing about it, stressing about how it might affect you. But I think when the time comes, these guys are just going to do their job.”

Both Aspinall and Blaydes have voiced their grievances about the absurd fight timings, but the MMA promotion remains steadfast in its decision. Meanwhile, “Rocky” has reportedly gone so far as to hire a sleep specialist to help him adjust to the unconventional schedule.

Continue Reading UFC Commentator Feels The Delayed Start Time Of UFC 304 Will Not Affect Fighters Or Fans at MMA News.