Tag: ufc 265

Derrick Lewis vs. Ciryl Gane Set for Interim Heavyweight Title Bout

Derrick Lewis Ciryl GaneDerrick Lewis will face Ciryl Gane, and not UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, for the interim heavyweight title at UFC 265 on August 7th, as first reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. The fight booking between Lewis and Gane comes just days after Gane’s win over Alexander Volkov at UFC Vegas 30, and just weeks after […]

Derrick Lewis Ciryl Gane

Derrick Lewis will face Ciryl Gane, and not UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, for the interim heavyweight title at UFC 265 on August 7th, as first reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.

The fight booking between Lewis and Gane comes just days after Gane’s win over Alexander Volkov at UFC Vegas 30, and just weeks after it appeared that Ngannou wouldn’t be able to defend his belt in August against Lewis. UFC president Dana White told Okamoto that the reason for the Lewis vs. Gane fight is the fact that Ngannou wasn’t able to fight in June or August.

The news shook up the MMA world on Monday and came as a big surprise to Ngannou’s camp, as it was anticipated that “The Predator” would fight Lewis for his first title defense later this summer or fall. Lewis rose as the top heavyweight contender amidst the stalled contract dispute between the UFC brass and former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones for him to move up in weight and with his big win over Curtis Blaydes earlier this year.

“This comes as a complete shock,” Ngannou’s agent Marquel Martin told Okamoto. “To make an interim title so soon, if you look at the history of this division, it comes as a surprise. We hope to get clarity and figure out something with the UFC soon.”

Ngannou finally realized UFC gold after earning the belt over Stipe Miocic by knockout at UFC 260. Ngannou was originally expected to fight Jones, then Lewis, and now will hold out and apparently face the winner of Lewis vs. Gane for his next fight.

This will be the first time that the UFC’s heavyweight division has had an interim champion since Fabricio Werdum held the interim belt following his win over Mark Hunt at UFC 180. He would go on to defeat then-champion Cain Velasquez to unify the title.

What is your reaction to the latest drama atop the UFC’s heavyweight division?

Pedro Munhoz Expects Win Over Aldo To Put Him In Title Conversation

UFC bantamweight Pedro Munhoz believes an impressive victory over Jose Aldo will give him “huge credibility for a title fight.” The two compatriots will square off in a three-round fight at UFC 265 on August 7. Having picked up a win over J…

UFC bantamweight Pedro Munhoz believes an impressive victory over Jose Aldo will give him “huge credibility for a title fight.” The two compatriots will square off in a three-round fight at UFC 265 on August 7. Having picked up a win over Jimmie Rivera earlier this year, Munhoz believes he’ll be in contention for a […]

Continue Reading Pedro Munhoz Expects Win Over Aldo To Put Him In Title Conversation at MMA News.

Amanda Nunes Knows How She’ll Finish Julianna Pena at UFC 265

Amanda Nunes poses with her two titles after UFC 259. Photo: Drake RiggsAmanda Nunes will look to make her sixth consecutive successful title defense at UFC 265, potentially tying Ronda Rousey’s record for the most title defenses by a women in a single division. UFC 265 will take place on August 7th. Atop of the card, Nunes will be challenged by UFC veteran Julianna Pena, who won […]

Amanda Nunes poses with her two titles after UFC 259. Photo: Drake Riggs

Amanda Nunes will look to make her sixth consecutive successful title defense at UFC 265, potentially tying Ronda Rousey’s record for the most title defenses by a women in a single division. UFC 265 will take place on August 7th.

Atop of the card, Nunes will be challenged by UFC veteran Julianna Pena, who won her last fight by rear-naked choke against Sara McMann at UFC 257. Pena, unlike most challengers facing one of the most preeminent women fighters to ever grace the octagon, has been exceptionally vocal ahead of her title fight against Nunes.

Ahead of UFC 265, Pena has welcomed any chance to voice her opinion on her upcoming fight, making some valiant claims in what she expects. She has touted her grappling as the deciding factor in this fight, stating she does not believe Nunes will be able to defend her takedowns. Nunes has been somewhat taken aback by these comments and has expressed her amusement.

“I will finish her on the floor.”

In an interview with MMA Junkie, Nunes said, “Those kind of girls bring the best of me in the cage. I love what she did. She got it. I’m happy for her, and we’re going to see each other soon. I know she don’t have nothing to lose, so I’m still ready. Nobody is going to take this from me. I’m going to become a lion inside the cage, and no one is going to take that belt from me.”

She goes on to tell MMA Junkie, “All my opponents, it’s the same thing. Since I get this belt, they say the same thing. None of them has been able to stop me. She’s going to be the next. She’s not going to stop me with her wrestling. I promise you. We’re going to do interview again like, ‘I told you. She’s not stopping me.’ I will defend, and I will take her down, and I will finish her on the floor. She’s good with her wrestling, but also she has a lot of holes. The girls that I finish submit her. Valentina and Germaine – two strikers – submitted her. So she has a lot of holes. I will do the same.”

Nunes has not lost since 2014 and has rattled off 12 consecutive wins, winning over half of them by stoppage. Pena has a tall task at hand against the double-champion, but seems to be welcoming all pessimists.

Will Amanda Nunes continue her dominance over mixed martial arts or will Julianna Pena be the one to halt the supremacy?

Jose Aldo vs. Pedro Munhoz Targeted for UFC 265 on August 7th

Jose Aldo Pedro MunhozA massive UFC bantamweight scrap between Jose Aldo and Pedro Munhoz is looking to be added to the UFC 265 card on August 7th, as first reported by Combate’s Ana Hissa and Raphael Marinho. The UFC hasn’t formally announced the matchup just yet, but the initial discussions of the bout are sure to excite fans […]

Jose Aldo Pedro Munhoz

A massive UFC bantamweight scrap between Jose Aldo and Pedro Munhoz is looking to be added to the UFC 265 card on August 7th, as first reported by Combate’s Ana Hissa and Raphael Marinho.

The UFC hasn’t formally announced the matchup just yet, but the initial discussions of the bout are sure to excite fans of the stacked bantamweight division.

Right now, the only fight confirmed for UFC 265 is the highly-anticipated women’s bantamweight title fight between Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena. The promotion is also looking at booking the heavyweight title fight between champion Francis Ngannou and top contender Derrick Lewis for later this summer and could potentially add their rematch to the August pay-per-view.

Aldo has had an up-and-down run in the UFC’s bantamweight division since making the cut in weight following a long tenure at featherweight, which included seven title defenses as the champion. He has lost three of his four bouts at bantamweight including a controversial split-decision loss to Marlon Moraes, a fight in which many around the MMA community felt that Aldo won. Since then, he has got back in the win column with a dominant victory over Marlon Vera at UFC Vegas 17, calling out Dominick Cruz and T.J. Dillashaw following the fight.

For Munhoz, he’s looking to get back into title contention. After his Fight of the Night performance against former champion Cody Garbrandt at UFC 235, Munhoz went on to lose back-to-back fights before getting back on track with a win against Jimmie Rivera at UFC Vegas 20.

The matchup between Aldo and Munhoz would add to a series of big fights in the bantamweight division slated for this summer. Garbrandt and Rob Font are slated to compete in the main event at UFC Vegas 27 this Saturday, while Dillashaw and Cory Sandhagen will reportedly compete in a UFC Fight Night on July 24th.

This also doesn’t count out the impending rematch between current titleholder Aljamain Sterling and former champion Petr Yan. While the fight hasn’t been booked just yet, Sterling and Yan are expected to be the next bantamweight title fight after their controversial finish at UFC 259.

Aldo and Munhoz each have a chance to get back in the title picture with a win. Aldo has looked pretty impressive despite making a tough weight cut late in his career, while Munhoz is looking to get back to his winning ways.

What are your thoughts on the targeted bout between Jose Aldo and Pedro Munhoz for UFC 265?

Report: Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena Set For UFC 265

Nunes PenaAmanda Nunes has her next title defense set. The two-weight champion is coming off a relatively easy first-round submission win over Megan Anderson to defend her women’s featherweight title at UFC 259 last month. She will now defend her bantamweight title for the first time since December 2019 as she is set to face Julianna […]

Nunes Pena

Amanda Nunes has her next title defense set.

The two-weight champion is coming off a relatively easy first-round submission win over Megan Anderson to defend her women’s featherweight title at UFC 259 last month.

She will now defend her bantamweight title for the first time since December 2019 as she is set to face Julianna Pena at the upcoming UFC 265 pay-per-view event taking place in August. That’s as per ESPN’s Brett Okamoto who was quoting UFC president Dana White.

“The Lioness will make her return to the bantamweight division in August. Per Dana White (@danawhite), Amanda Nunes (@Amanda_Leoa) will defend her 135-pound title against Julianna Peña (@VenezuelanVixen) at UFC 265.”

Nunes’ last title defense at 135 pounds was a unanimous decision win over Germaine de Randamie. She has since defended her featherweight crown successfully twice.

Pena, meanwhile, has won two of her last three since returning to action in 2019 and is coming off a third-round submission win over Sara McMann in January.

She was set to face Holly Holm next only for the latter to pull out which led to Pena aggressively calling out Nunes as she believed the champ was ducking her.

Pena has certainly got what she asked for now.