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Lauren Murphy Thinks Title Shot Sends A Clear Message To Other Fighters

UFC women’s flyweight Lauren Murphy believes her upcoming championship opportunity proves that other fighters’ efforts will be rewarded. After over seven years in the UFC, Murphy will fight for gold for the first time at UFC 266 later this month. And “Lucky” certainly hasn’t found herself opposite the champ by way of luck. Since a […]

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UFC women’s flyweight Lauren Murphy believes her upcoming championship opportunity proves that other fighters’ efforts will be rewarded.

After over seven years in the UFC, Murphy will fight for gold for the first time at UFC 266 later this month. And “Lucky” certainly hasn’t found herself opposite the champ by way of luck.

Since a defeat to Sijara Eubanks in 2018, the 38-year-old veteran has won five straight. Victories over Mara Romero Borella, Andrea Lee, Roxanne Modafferi, and Liliya Shakirova brought her into title contention. But it was an impressive split decision victory over former top-five Joanna Calderwood that secured her title shot.

In her way of championship glory will be the dominant Valentina Shevchenko. Since capturing the vacant 125-pound title with a win over Joanna J?drzejczyk in 2018, ‘Bullet’ has defended the gold five times. Brutal performances over the likes of Jessica Eye and Jéssica Andrade showed the gulf in class between the champ and her challengers. Murphy will hope to challenge that narrative on September 25.

Ahead of the most important bout of her career to date, Lauren Murphy spoke with MMA News’ own James Lynch. Discussing her rise to the top, the Alaskan suggested her journey should act as motivation for other fighters in the UFC. She said it’s proof that hard work does pay off.

“Everyone that’s involved in the sport, they want to know that hard work pays off. Nobody that’s involved in the sport wants to see favorites get title shots. Nobody wants to see people that lose weight or miss fights get rewarded when they have other fighters who are making weight and winning fights,” Murphy told MMA News. “People want to know that hard work is gonna pay off. And I think I’m kind of an embodiment of that, that you can fall, pick yourself back up, keep working hard, try again, and that eventually, those efforts are gonna be rewarded. I think actually everybody in the world wants to see that. So I’m proud to represent that.”

Catch our full interview with Lauren Murphy ahead of UFC 266 below:

Murphy’s title challenge will be the first of two exciting championship fights set for UFC 266. In the main event, this year’s The Ultimate Fighter coaches Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega will collide. Having won his belt from Max Holloway and defended it against the Hawaiian immediately after, Volkanovski will be looking to successfully defend his belt for the second time opposite “T-City.”

The stacked event will also mark the return of fan favorite Nick Diaz. The Stockton native hasn’t entered the Octagon since 2015, and will be looking for his first win since 2011. Diaz will face Robbie Lawler, who he first met inside the cage back in 2004.

Do you think Lauren Murphy has what it takes to defeat Valentina Shevchenko?

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Volkanovski & Ortega Address The Holloway Elephant Prior To UFC 266

Both Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega have addressed the Max Holloway elephant prior to their UFC 266 main event this Saturday. UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski has not one but two victories over former titleholder Max Holloway. In fact, his back-to-back wins over Holloway are the two most recent victories on his résumé. Yet, Holloway […]

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Both Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega have addressed the Max Holloway elephant prior to their UFC 266 main event this Saturday.

UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski has not one but two victories over former titleholder Max Holloway. In fact, his back-to-back wins over Holloway are the two most recent victories on his résumé. Yet, Holloway continues to cast a shadow over his title reign after a very controversial split decision in their rematch at UFC 251.

Naturally, Volkanovski believes he was the rightful winner of the fight despite the majority of scorers feeling otherwise. Should Volkanovski and Holloway meet again in a trilogy fight, the reigning champion expects to remove all doubt on who the featherweight king is by completing a trifecta of victories over the Hawaiian (h/t BJPenn.com).

“The last fight that we did on Fight Island, you don’t want to make excuses, but I don’t think I turned up at all, and I was still able to get the job done,” Volkanovski said in a recent interview with MMA News’ James Lynch. “That just shows what level (I’m at), and again you have to give credit where credit’s due, because the way he showed up from the first to the second fight, mate, it was incredible.

Max Holloway & Alex Volkanovski (Photo: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa)

“But for me to be able to bring that fight back, I didn’t turn it up that day and I still got the job done. That just shows you that there are levels to this and that I’m no joke. I’m going to turn up the next fight 100 percent and I’m not going to give him any rounds just like the first fight. I’m going to start off stronger and I’m going to finish even stronger. But again, Max is a great fighter, hence why he is getting a third fight. He’s going out and taking out other guys and earning that No. 1 spot because he deserves to be right up there as well.

“So again, you gotta give credit where credit’s too. It’s going to be a great fight, but I just think I’m going to be too much. By then, I’m going to be a whole different beast.”

Brian Ortega Feels He & Holloway Have Unfinished Business

Brian Ortega also knows what it’s like to share the cage with Max Holloway. Unlike Volkanovski, however, he is unfamiliar with the thrill of derailing The Blessed Express. Indeed, Ortega suffered a decisive loss to the former champion back at UFC 231 in what was one of Holloway’s finest performances. In the bout, the Hawaiian landed a blistering 290 total strikes, with the battle-worn Ortega’s face serving as evidence of Holloway’s handiwork.

Max Holloway hammers Brian Ortega en route to TKO at UFC 231 - Sportsnet.ca — Credit: Nathan Denette/CP

Three years later and we’ve already caught a glimpse of Brian Ortega 2.0. In T-City’s most recent outing, he styled on The Korean Zombie (Chan Sung Jung) with an exhilarating display of striking. If all goes his way, Ortega would look to put on another masterclass on champion Alexander Volkanovski and then show Holloway and the rest of the world just how much has changed since 2018 (h/t BJPenn.com).

“That would be ideal,” Ortega told TMZSports about the prospect of rematching Holloway following his upcoming fight with Volkanovski. “I’m not trying to speak ahead nor am I trying to get past Volkanovski, because he beat Max twice. So I’m not sitting here to say I’ve already started celebrating. But that would be ideal.

“I’m a better person and a better fighter than when I fought him, and watching his last fight, so is he. You always want that as a fighter, as a competitor, to make that sh*t square. Or to say, ‘Yo dog, you legitimately got the best of me, good sh*t.’”

Do you think Max Holloway will reclaim the UFC featherweight championship in 2022 by defeating the winner of Volkanovski/Ortega?

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Brian Ortega Wants To ‘Run That S–t Back’ With Holloway After Title Win

With a title fight at UFC 266 looming, Brian Ortega already knows who he wants his first title defense to be against. Ortega meets Alexander Volkanovski in the main event of UFC 266 for the featherweight championship. He does show on the back of an impressive performance against longtime contender Chan Sung Jung. However, in […]

With a title fight at UFC 266 looming, Brian Ortega already knows who he wants his first title defense to be against.

Ortega meets Alexander Volkanovski in the main event of UFC 266 for the featherweight championship. He does show on the back of an impressive performance against longtime contender Chan Sung Jung. However, in his fight prior to that, he hit a major roadblock in his first title opportunity opposite Max Holloway.

Holloway pieced up Ortega for the duration of the fight, landing 290 significant strikes before the bout was mercifully called to a halt between the fourth and fifth rounds. Ortega showed off a significantly improved stand-up game against ‘The Korean Zombie’, and he told TMZ Sports he believes that – combined with his incredible ground game – will be enough to pick up the victory over Volkanovski (h/t MMA Fighting).

“I see the game, I play the game,” Ortega said. “I’m climbing this technical mountain, to speak. These guys are already there. They’re far beyond me, I admit that, like some technical s–t. But when I get in there, I’m different. There’s some things you can’t teach through technique. On the spot, on the go, when I’m in your face, when I touch you, when I hit you, I make you feel different things. That’s always been my advantage, and now that I’m adding technique to it, I’m climbing, I’m climbing, I’m climbing, I’m learning. I’m only getting more dangerous.”

The loss to Holloway still stands as the only one in Ortega’s career, and he hopes that once he wrestles the belt away from Volkanoski, he will have the chance to redeem that blemish.

“That would be ideal,” Ortega said. “I’m not trying to speak ahead or get past Volkanovski because he beat Max twice, so I’m not here to already start celebrating but that would be ideal. I’m a better person, better fighter than I was when I fought him and watching his last fight, so is he. You always want that. As a fighter, as a competitor, you always want to make that s–t square or to say, ‘Yo dog, you know what? You legit got the best of me. Good s–t.”

While Ortega has certainly improved his striking game since their first meeting in 2018, it can be argued that so too has Holloway. The 290 significant strikes he landed against Ortega was a UFC record, but he since shattered his own watermark by landing 445 against Calvin Kattar. Still, Ortega is willing to see who has really improve the most since their first meeting, and it doesn’t matter to him how many times it takes to get that one back.

“I’m competitive,” Ortega said. “I want to make s–t even. It does bother me. You go in there and you go, ‘F–k!’ I look at my record and I go, ‘F–k, that one belongs to him. Oh you motherf–ker! Good s–t.’ I’m not a hater either. I’m not a hater so I’m like good s–t but I’m from the hood, let’s run that s–t back. (Laughs). Let’s run it back. Let’s always run it back. Let’s f–king get down. Even if he f–ks me up again, I’ll fight you 100 times. I’m gonna get one.”

Do you think Brian Ortega is overlooking Alexander Volkanovski? Who wins the rematch between him and Holloway?

The Countdown To UFC 266 Has Officially Begun

The countdown to UFC 266 has officially begun. This Saturday, UFC 266 will take place from The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. There will be three five-round bouts on the card, including two world title fights and the return of the enigmatic Nick Diaz. In the main event, Brian Ortega will have his second […]

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The countdown to UFC 266 has officially begun.

This Saturday, UFC 266 will take place from The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. There will be three five-round bouts on the card, including two world title fights and the return of the enigmatic Nick Diaz.

In the main event, Brian Ortega will have his second career opportunity at UFC featherweight gold when he challenges #4-ranked pound-for-pound fighter, Alexander Volkanovski. Ortega truly shined in his most recent performance against The Korean Zombie, but now he must put his best foot forward once again, this time against the best of the best at 145.

The co-main event will feature Valentina Shevchenko looking to make her sixth successful flyweight title defense when she locks up with veteran Lauren Murphy. Will Murphy be able to defy the massive odds placed against her and be the one to dethrone the seemingly unstoppable Bullet?

And in the third five-round showcase, Nick Diaz will return after six years away from competition when he duels with familiar foe Robbie Lawler. Way back in 2004, Diaz defeated Lawler via KO. Does Diaz still pack the same wallop nearly two decades later? And how well prepared is Diaz ahead of his big comeback fight?

To help answer that final question, you can check out the official UFC 266 Countdown video at the bottom of this article. But first, let’s look at the fully stacked lineup on hand this Saturday night!

UFC 266 MAIN CARD (10:00 PM ET, ESPN+ PPV)

UFC Featherweight Championship Bout: Alexander Volkanovski(c) vs. Brain Ortega

UFC Flyweight Championship Bout: Valentina Shevchenko vs. Lauren Murphy

Five-Round Feature Bout: Nick Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler

Curtis Blaydes vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik

Jéssica Andrade vs. Cynthia Calvillo

UFC 266 PRELIMINARY CARD (8:00 PM ET, ESPNEWS/ESPN+)

Marlon Moraes vs. Merab Dvalishvili

Dan Hooker vs. Nasrat Haqparast

Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Chris Daukaus

Roxanne Modafferi vs. Taila Santos

UFC 266 EARLY PRELIMINARY CARD (6:00 PM, ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass)

Jalin Turner vs. Uros Medic

Manon Fiorot vs. Mayra Bueno Silva

Karl Roberson vs. Nick Maximov

Martin Sano vs. Matthew Semelsberger

Jonathan Pearce vs. Omar Morales

Finally, here is the full UFC 266 Countdown video:

Continue Reading The Countdown To UFC 266 Has Officially Begun at MMA News.

Robbie Lawler Not Thinking About Retirement: ‘I’m Enjoying What I’m Doing’

Robbie Lawler is not thinking about retirement whatsoever. The former welterweight champion returns to action next week at UFC 266 when he takes on the returning Nick Diaz in a five-round welterweight contest. Some observers have suggested it could be the last time we see Lawler in the Octagon, especially as he is currently on […]

Robbie Lawler is not thinking about retirement whatsoever.

The former welterweight champion returns to action next week at UFC 266 when he takes on the returning Nick Diaz in a five-round welterweight contest.

Some observers have suggested it could be the last time we see Lawler in the Octagon, especially as he is currently on a four-fight losing streak.

However, that’s not the case for “Ruthless” who ruled out that this was his final farewell.

“Nah, it’s not possible,” Lawler told TMZ (via BJ Penn). “I’ve been doing this a long time, my body feels good. It’s just waiting for good fights that get me excited, and this is one of those fights.

“”Nick Diaz is a big name and this is going to be a big event.””

For that matter, Lawler is not thinking about retirement at all either as he still feels good competing — even as former rival Carlos Condit called time on his career just a few days ago.

“I have no idea (when I will retire). As long as my body feels good and I’m still loving what I’m doing and I can still get in there and train with these guys and hold my own, and I’m enjoying what I’m doing,” he added. “If all those things are clicking, then I’m going to be doing it.

“But you never know, things change fast. But I feel good. My body feels good, my mind’s good, so I’m going to keep going.”

UFC Vegas 37 & Bellator 266 Weigh-In Results & Final Cards

We are all set for our MMA double-header tomorrow night, with UFC Vegas 37 & Bellator 266 both set to take place on Saturday, September 18. We’ve got the full scoop for you below. UFC Vegas 37: Smith vs. Spann Weigh-In Results Tomorrow night, UFC Vegas 37 takes place from the UFC APEX in Las […]

Continue Reading UFC Vegas 37 & Bellator 266 Weigh-In Results & Final Cards at MMA News.

We are all set for our MMA double-header tomorrow night, with UFC Vegas 37 & Bellator 266 both set to take place on Saturday, September 18. We’ve got the full scoop for you below.

UFC Vegas 37: Smith vs. Spann Weigh-In Results

Tomorrow night, UFC Vegas 37 takes place from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the man event, Anthony Smith (#6) will face Ryan Spann (#11). Both fighters successfully made weight, as did the co-main eventers Devin Clark and Ion Cutelaba.

Also competing on the card will be the #14-ranked lightweight Arman Tsarukyan. Tsarukyan said that he would be willing to give unranked fighters an opportunity, and he will do just that when he faces Christos Giagos. Will Tsarukyan continue to build on his hype and potentially put himself in line for the grudge match against Dan Hooker he’s been actively pursuing?

Only one fighter missed weight, that being lightweight Rong Zhu, who came in two pounds over the lightweight limit ahead of his preliminary card bout against Brandon Jenkins.

The main card begins at 7:00 PM ET, with the preliminary card starting at 4 PM. The entire card will be available on ESPN+. You can find the official weigh-in results below, courtesy of UFC.com:

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

Main Event – Light Heavyweight Bout: Anthony Smith (205.5) vs Ryan Spann (206)

Co-Main Event – Light Heavyweight Bout: Ion Cutelaba (205) vs Devin Clark (206)

Women’s Flyweight Bout: Ariane Lipski (126) vs Mandy Bohm (125.5)

Lightweight Bout: Arman Tsarukyan (155.5) vs Christos Giagos (155.5)

Bantamweight Bout: Nate Maness (135) vs Tony Gravely (135.5)

Middleweight Bout: Joaquin Buckley (184.5) vs Antonio Arroyo (186)

PRELIMS (10:00 PM ET, ESPN+)

Light Heavyweight Bout: Mike Rodriguez (202) vs Tafon Nchukwi (204.5)

Women’s Bantamweight Bout: Pannie Kianzad (136) vs Raquel Pennington (135.5)

Lightweight Bout: Rongzhu (158*) vs Brandon Jenkins (155.5)

Bantamweight Bout: Montel Jackson (136) vs JP Buys (136)

Women’s Flyweight Bout: Erin Blanchfield (125) vs Sarah Alpar (126)

Welterweight Bout: Impa Kasanganay (170.5) vs Carlston Harris (170)

Bantamweight Bout: Gustavo Lopez (135) vs Alatengheili (136)

Women’s Strawweight Bout: Emily Whitmire (125) vs Hannah Goldy (125)

Bellator 266 Weigh-In Results

Latest Bellator 266 fight card, rumors for 'Davis vs Romero' in San Jose - MMAmania.com

San Jose’s SAP Center will play host to Saturday night’s Bellator 266 event. The headline feature for the card will be Yoel Romero making his Bellator debut against “Mr. Wonderful” Phil Davis.

Yoel Romero has said that he plans on fighting into his 50s, so this debut could be a fresh start as opposed to a career’s winding down. How will he fare against the #3-ranked light heavyweight? We will find out tomorrow night! In the co-main event, the #4-ranked welterweight Neiman Gracie will be in action when he takes on Mark Lemminger.

All four of the above fighters successfully made weight. There was one fight cancellation, however. With Eddie Abasolo unable to make it to the scales, his main card bout against Art Hernandez has been canceled.

The main card for Bellator 266 will begin at 10 PM ET on Showtime, with the preliminary card starting at 7 PM on YouTube.

You can view the weigh-in results and final card for Bellator 266 below.

MAIN CARD (10:00 PM ET, SHOWTIME)

Phil Davis (206) vs. Yoel Romero (205.4)

Neiman Gracie (170.6) vs. Mark Lemminger (169.9)

DeAnna Bennett (129.2)* vs. Alejandra Lara (125.2)

Georgi Karakhanyan (155.6) vs. Saul Rogers (155.7)

Christian Edwards (204.3) vs. Ben Parrish (205.6)

PRELIMINARY CARD (7:00 PM ET, YouTube)

Grant Neal (204.1) vs. Alex Polizzi (204.9)

Anthony Adams (185.3) vs. Khalid Murtazaliev (185.3)

Albert Gonzales (175) vs. Abraham Vaesau (175)

Socrates Hernandez (135.9) vs. Bobby Seronio III (135.4)

Rhalan Gracie (171) vs. Shane Keefe (169.1)

Jon Adams (125.4) vs. Edwin De Los Santos (125.3)

Jesse Delgado (129.5) vs. Joshua Dillon (130)

You can expect full results and highlights from both UFC Vegas 37 and Bellator 266 right here tomorrow night on MMANews.com!

Which card are you more excited about? UFC Vegas 37 or Bellator 266?

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