Tag: UFC 274

Sean O’Malley Hopes To Return At UFC 274, Names Top-10 Opponent

UFC bantamweight Sean O’Malley has revealed an event and opponent he’s targeting for his first Octagon appearance of 2022. After suffering his first defeat in 2020, O’Malley made a splash last year, finishing all three of his opponents and collecting a trio of $50,000 bonuses along the way. Having secured a place in the rankings…

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UFC bantamweight Sean O’Malley has revealed an event and opponent he’s targeting for his first Octagon appearance of 2022.

After suffering his first defeat in 2020, O’Malley made a splash last year, finishing all three of his opponents and collecting a trio of $50,000 bonuses along the way. Having secured a place in the rankings with his first-round victory over Raulian Paiva in December, it appeared 2022 was set to be a big one for “Sugar.”

But while he’d hoped to continue his form and surge up the 135-pound ladder this year, a thumb injury, coupled with a desire to fight at a Las Vegas-held pay-per-view, led fans to believe O’Malley wouldn’t be sighted inside the Octagon until the summer.

Now, during a Monday stream on his Twitch channel, O’Malley has provided an update on his return timeline, and it’s perhaps earlier than most would’ve expected.

Potentially giving up his nine-fight Las Vegas streak, the 26-year-old hinted that his first bout of 2022 could come at UFC 274, which is set to be held on May 7 in Phoenix, Arizona.

Interestingly, the last time O’Malley fought outside of Nevada was five years ago in Phoenix. On that night, he knocked out David Luzzo at LFA 11. He’ll be hoping for a similar result on his return to the city, but if his hopes come to fruition, he’ll be facing his toughest opponent to date, by far.

When asked if he has a name in mind for the event, O’Malley revealed he’s targeting a clash with veteran Brazilian Pedro Munhoz, who is currently ranked three places above the Montana native at #9.

“I’m thinking Pedro (Munhoz) but we will see. I’m going to make sure I can f*****g train full time and my f*****g s**t feels good,” said O’Malley. (h/t BJPenn.com)

UFC 274 Set To Be Headlined By LW Title Fight

If a bout between O’Malley and Munhoz is added to the May 7 event, the card will grow in strength.

After a light heavyweight title matchup between Glover Teixeira and Ji?í Procházka was pushed back to headline UFC 275, a blockbuster lightweight championship fight between reigning 155-pound king Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje is now set to main event in Arizona.

Elsewhere, UFC mainstays Shogun Rua, Ovince Saint Preux, and Donald Cerrone are expected to be in action, along with exciting names like Brandon Royval, Khaos Williams, and Michael Johnson.

While more fights will undoubtedly be announced over the coming weeks and months, fans will certainly now be keeping an eye out for the addition of “Sugar” Sean O’Malley to the PPV.

Would you like to see Sean O’Malley vs. Pedro Munhoz added to the UFC 274 card?

Continue Reading Sean O’Malley Hopes To Return At UFC 274, Names Top-10 Opponent at MMA News.

Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje Official For UFC 274 Headliner

UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira will make his next title defense against former interim champion Justin Gaethje at UFC 274. The UFC confirmed the booking during the UFC 272 broadcast. Oliveira is coming off of his first successful title defense against Dustin Poirier at UFC 269. After withstanding an early barrage from Poirier, Oliveira was…

Continue Reading Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje Official For UFC 274 Headliner at MMA News.

UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira will make his next title defense against former interim champion Justin Gaethje at UFC 274.

The UFC confirmed the booking during the UFC 272 broadcast.

Oliveira is coming off of his first successful title defense against Dustin Poirier at UFC 269. After withstanding an early barrage from Poirier, Oliveira was able to impose his will with his signature grappling and submit Poirier in Round 3.

Oliveira earned the then-vacant lightweight title over Michael Chandler at UFC 262 following dominant wins over Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee.

Gaethje will get his second shot at the UFC lightweight title after losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 254. He had earned the interim belt by defeating Ferguson at UFC 249 via fifth-round TKO.

Before getting the shot against Oliveira, Gaethje won a barnburner against Chandler at UFC 268. He won the fight via a unanimous decision in arguably one of the most exciting fights in UFC history.

While there isn’t any notable bad blood between Oliveira and Gaethje, there has been some verbal banter between the two sides. Gaethje has recently said that he plans to make Oliveira quit in their matchup, while Oliveira has called Gaethje a “phony” following their post-UFC 269 run-in.

The booking comes amidst an interesting lightweight title picture. Islam Makhachev is expected to face Beneil Dariush in a re-scheduled bout later this year, while Conor McGregor is looking to return in the summer.

UFC 274 is scheduled to take place at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ on May 7.

What is your prediction for Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje?

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Poirier: Oliveira Has More Ways To Win Than Gaethje

Former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier has given his thoughts on the upcoming title fight between reigning 155-pound king Charles Oliveira and challenger Justin Gaethje. In a year full of memorable crownings, including Glover Teixeira at light heavyweight and Brandon Moreno at flyweight, it was perhaps the triumph of Oliveira that represented the greatest…

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Former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier has given his thoughts on the upcoming title fight between reigning 155-pound king Charles Oliveira and challenger Justin Gaethje.

In a year full of memorable crownings, including Glover Teixeira at light heavyweight and Brandon Moreno at flyweight, it was perhaps the triumph of Oliveira that represented the greatest resurgence. From 10-8-1 in his first 19 Octagon outings, “Do Bronx” has built a 10-fight win streak, culminating in championship glory and a successful defense.

Despite coming back from extreme adversity against Michael Chandler at UFC 262 to secure his place on the throne, Oliveira was still doubted by many, with his toughness coming into question.

He proved his naysayers wrong at the final pay-per-view of 2021 by retaining the gold with a third-round submission victory over Poirier, who was coming off consecutive wins against former two-division champ Conor McGregor.

Having further legitimized his reign, Oliveira’s first test of 2022 will come against a contender who’s previously been vocal about the Brazilian’s apparent “quit.”

At UFC 274, Gaethje, who previously failed to reach the undisputed mountaintop against Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2019, will have his second chance to mount the throne. “The Highlight” secured the shot with victory in a FOTY-worthy clash against Chandler last November.

Poirier: “It’s An Interesting Fight”

Having defeated Gaethje in 2018 and gone 11 minutes with Oliveira just two months ago, Poirier is in a unique position to analyze and predict this year’s first lightweight title clash.

During an interview with Robby Clark for InsideFighting, “The Diamond” discussed the may pay-per-view showdown. He suggested that while Gaethje has the power and striking prowess to finish anyone, that will be his sole way to leave the Octagon with the belt on May 7.

In comparison, Poirier believes Oliveira has multiple ways to emerge victorious and defend his title for a second time.

“You know, Charles has more ways to wins. Justin has to knock him out. I think Charles can knock Justin out, Charles can submit him, Charles can win a decision; he has more ways to win,” said Poirier. That’s not saying that Gaethje won’t knock him out.

“Charles is a guy who gets hit a lot. In his last two fights, he’s touched the canvas in both fights,” added Poirier. “And Gaethje’s a guy that if he gets you hurt, he usually puts you away, and he has big power. So, if you’re able to get touched, you might not recover. It’s an interesting fight. But Charles has more ways to win.”

In his last two outings, Oliveira has recovered from knockdowns to find a finish. Whether or not he can do that against an instinctive killer like “The Highlight” remains to be seen.

While Oliveira will hope to prove he can withstand his opponent’s power later this year, Gaethje will be looking to prove his theory on the Brazilian champion’s grit to be true.

Who do you think will leave UFC 274 with the lightweight title, Charles Oliveira or Justin Gaethje?

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Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje Booked For UFC 274 In May

Charles Oliveira’s next lightweight title defense is set, as the Brazilian is set to take on Justin Gaethje at UFC 274 on May 7.

ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was the first to report Oliveira and Gaethje’s upcoming clash. This fight will be joining Glover T…

Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje

Charles Oliveira’s next lightweight title defense is set, as the Brazilian is set to take on Justin Gaethje at UFC 274 on May 7.

ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was the first to report Oliveira and Gaethje’s upcoming clash. This fight will be joining Glover Teixeira and Ji?í Procházka’s light heavyweight title bout slated for the same card. There is currently no word on which fight will serve as the main event. According to the ESPN report, this card is expected to take place in the United States after originally being targeted for Brazil.

Justin Gaethje was adamant about his place as the #1 contender after defeating Michael Chandler in a Fight of the Year candidate at UFC 268. Dana White agreed with Gaethje’s self-assessment and has now put the idea into action by making the fight plans public.

UFC 268: Justin Gaethje, Michael Chandler put on epic battle
Image Credit: Zuffa LLC

Earlier this week, Gaethje put MMA journalists on blast for even suggesting Conor McGregor could skip the title-shot queue and receive a title shot upon return. Should Gaethje defeat Oliveira at UFC 274, he will put himself into a powerful enough position to hold the highest cards of the lightweight title picture.

This will be Gaethje’s second opportunity at becoming lightweight champion after coming up short against then-champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2020.

This bout will mark Charles Oliveira’s second lightweight title defense. Last month, he defeated Dustin Poirier at UFC 269 via third-round submission to cement himself as the king of the 155 division.

UFC: UFC 269: Oliveira makes Poirier tap out to successfully defend his title | Marca

Oliveira has not lost a bout since a 2017 defeat to Paul Felder. Since then, he has turned an incredible 10-fight winning streak, with an astonishing 9 of those 10 wins being by way of finish. Come May 7, Oliveira will look to add Justin Gaethje to his highlight reel.

With the addition of this title bout, the updated UFC 274 card is as follows:

UFC Light Heavyweight Championship Bout: Glover Teixeira © vs. Ji?í Procházka

UFC Lightweight Championship: Charles Oliveira © vs. Justin Gaethje

Macy Chiasson vs. Norma Dumont

Who do you think will win this lightweight championship bout between Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje?

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REPORT | Glover Teixeira Defends Title Against Jiri Prochazka At UFC 274 On May 7.

Glover TeixeiraA UFC light heavyweight championship bout between reigning titleholder, Glover Teixeira, and the surging #1 ranked contender, Jiri Prochakza has been booked for UFC 274 on May 7. – with the event expected to take place from the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Attempting his first defense of the light heavyweight crown, Minas […]

Glover Teixeira

A UFC light heavyweight championship bout between reigning titleholder, Glover Teixeira, and the surging #1 ranked contender, Jiri Prochakza has been booked for UFC 274 on May 7. – with the event expected to take place from the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Attempting his first defense of the light heavyweight crown, Minas Gerais veteran, Glover Texeira managed to scoop the undisputed title at the second time of trying back in October in the main event of UFC 268 – stopping defending champion, Jan Blachowicz with a one-sided second round rear-naked choke in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Glover Teixeira finally clinched UFC gold following a prior title challenge loss to Jon Jones

2-0 in the UFC since his July 2021 debut, former Rizin FF light heavyweight champion, Prochazka most recently headlined UFC Vegas 25 in May – stopping two-time light heavyweight title chaser, Dominick Reyes with a Knockout of the Year contender courtesy of a stunning spinning-back elbow. ESPN MMA reporter, Brett Okamoto was first to report the news of Teixeira vs. Prochazka. 

In the midst of a stunning six-fight winning spree, Connecticut resident, Glover Teixeira will make a Brazil homecoming for the first time since a November 2015 knockout win over Patrick Cummins. 

The veteran 42-year-old earned his second promotional title tilt with a third round rear-naked choke win over compatriot, Thiago Santos back in November 2020, which followed a one-sided bludgeoning of Anthony Smith in May of that year. To go with those finishes, Teixeira also bested Nikita Krylov, Ion Cutelaba, and Karl Roberson on his run to the title.

28-3-1 as a professional, Czech Republic-born wrecker, Prochazka made his much-anticipated UFC bow back in July of last 2020 at UFC 251 on ‘Fight Island’ – stopping one-time title challenger, Volkan Oezdemir with a spectacular one punch knockout in the second round. 

The knockout win came as Prochazka’s whopping twenty fifth professionally. And the 29-year-old is undefeated since April 2016, embarking on a run of 12 consecutive wins over the likes of Karl Albrektsson, Brandon Halsey, Muhammad Lawal, Fabio Maldonado, and C.B. Dollaway – prior to his wins against both Oezdemir and Reyes.