Tag: UFC 275

UFC Confirms 8-Man Competition In ‘Road To UFC’

UFCThe UFC has revealed that they will be undertaking four 8-man tournaments spread across four divisions. The promotion confirmed the style of the tournament with the winners earning themselves contracts into the UFC. The series will feature Asian MMA prospects competing in the respective flyweight, bantamweight, featherweight, and lightweight divisions. The opening round is scheduled […]

UFC

The UFC has revealed that they will be undertaking four 8-man tournaments spread across four divisions.

The promotion confirmed the style of the tournament with the winners earning themselves contracts into the UFC. The series will feature Asian MMA prospects competing in the respective flyweight, bantamweight, featherweight, and lightweight divisions.

The opening round is scheduled to commence on June 9th and 10th at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, just a couple of days prior to UFC 275 taking place at the same venue on June 12th. Each day will see ten fights take place across the four weight classes, including two non-tournament bouts each. The semi-final and final of the tournament will take place later in the year.

Although no specific fighters have been confirmed for the tournament it is expected, fighters from the following countries are expected to try and contribute. India, Japan, Korea, China, Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia.

Road to UFC will be broadcasted throughout Asia, and on Fight Pass for the other regions of the world.

Singapore To Host Tournament And UFC 275

Following the announcement of the new 8-man tournament, it is important to remember UFC 275 which will be taking place in Singapore that weekend. The card sees the likes of Glover Teixeira return to defend his light-heavyweight title against the surging Jiri Prochazka in the main event. Flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko will look to add to her impressive resume as she is set to defend her strap.

Robert Whittaker was due to face Marvin Vettori in a high-end clash in the middleweight division however due to sustaining an injury in his training camp, ‘The Reaper’ has been forced to withdraw. Vettori has called for a replacement to be found and even suggested facing one of the two ‘smesh bros’ in Darren Till or Khamzat Chimaev.

How much are you looking forward to the UFC’s new tournament?

Costa Offers To Replace Whittaker For Vettori Rematch: Let’s Fight Moron

Having heard the rumors that Marvin Vettori is without an opponent for UFC 275, middleweight contender Paulo Costa has offered to run it back with the Italian in Singapore. Last month, it was announced that the previous two challengers to Israel Adesanya’s 185-pound throne, Vettori and Whittaker, would collide on June 11 in an effort…

Continue Reading Costa Offers To Replace Whittaker For Vettori Rematch: Let’s Fight Moron at MMA News.

Having heard the rumors that Marvin Vettori is without an opponent for UFC 275, middleweight contender Paulo Costa has offered to run it back with the Italian in Singapore.

Last month, it was announced that the previous two challengers to Israel Adesanya’s 185-pound throne, Vettori and Whittaker, would collide on June 11 in an effort to claw closer to a third crack at adding the first blemish to the champion’s middleweight record.

While nothing has been officially announced, a recent tweet from “The Italian Dream” appeared to reveal that his Australian counterpart has pulled out. The post, in which Vettori tagged matchmaker Mick Maynard, manager Ali Abdelaziz, and UFC President Dana White, saw the #3-ranked contender call out Khamzat Chimaev and Darren Till.

However, the first to respond to the potentially open slot at the Singapore-scheduled PPV was not a ‘Smesh Bro’ but a familiar foe. In a tweet of his own, Costa, the current joint-#4 middleweight, revealed his joy at the apparent collapse of Vettori’s bout.

“Borrachinha” then offered his services for this summer, encouraging ‘dumb’ Vettori to accept a rematch.

“Vettori needs a pair to fight? Oh really? Lol how funny is it? send me the location dumbest”

Costa later added another insult, along with the infamous image of “The Italian Dream” donning his fight shorts backwards.

“Let’s fight moron . Lol”

Vettori and Costa shared the cage in the main event of UFC Vegas 41 last October. While their five-round clash, won on the scorecards by the Italian, was a memorable war, it was somewhat overlooked due to the controversy surrounding the Brazilian’s weight.

Costa showed up to fight week around 30 pounds over the middleweight limit, forcing the bout to first be made a 195-pound catchweight, and eventually a light heavyweight headliner. The incident left Dana White claiming Costa would be made to fight at 205 pounds moving forward.

Nevertheless, it appears “Borrachinha” has convinced the promotion otherwise. He recently revealed that he’s been offered a bout with former champion Luke Rockhold, likely at middleweight. Having branded that a “worst-case scenario,” it’s perhaps unsurprising to see Costa calling his shot with ranked fighters on social media.

Would you like to see Paulo Costa face Marvin Vettori at UFC 275 if Robert Whittaker’s withdrawal is confirmed?

Continue Reading Costa Offers To Replace Whittaker For Vettori Rematch: Let’s Fight Moron at MMA News.

Report | Robert Whittaker Out Of UFC 275, Marvin Vettori Calls For Khamzat Chimaev Or Darren Till

Marvin VettoriFormer undisputed UFC middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker is reportedly out of his scheduled UFC 275 matchup with one-time title challenger, Marvin Vettori on June 11. in Singapore.  As per an initial report from MMA Island reporter, Chris De Santiago, Whittaker is out of his June fight against Trento native, Marvin Vettori – with reasons for […]

Marvin Vettori

Former undisputed UFC middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker is reportedly out of his scheduled UFC 275 matchup with one-time title challenger, Marvin Vettori on June 11. in Singapore. 

As per an initial report from MMA Island reporter, Chris De Santiago, Whittaker is out of his June fight against Trento native, Marvin Vettori – with reasons for his withdrawal from the bout currently undisclosed. 

“Robert Whittaker is OUT of his #UFC275 bout against Marvin Vettori, sources tell me,” De Santiago tweeted. “No reason has been listed for his withdrawal as of yet.” 

Marvin Vettori sets sights on either Khamzat Chimaev or Darren Till on short notice

Speculation began to mount that Vettori, the current #3 ranked middleweight contender was in need of a new opponent for his UFC 275 outing, after he posted on Twitter – calling out both undefeated welterweight contender, Khazmat Chimaev, as well as once-scheduled opponent, the #8 rated, Darren Till.

“We’re back at this,” Marvin Vettori tweeted. “I think I’m the on;y 185er that can say that has never pulled out of a fight but anyway smash boys I’ll get you back lets (sic) do it. I’m willing to die just show up. @KChimaev (Khamzat Chimaev) @darrentill2 @Mickmaynard2 @AliAbdelaziz00 @danawhite.” 

Scheduled to make a rather quickfire turnaround at the Singapore Indoor Stadium event this summer, Whittaker had featured most recently in the main event of UFC 271 back in February – suffering a unanimous decision loss in a championship rematch against common-foe, Israel Adesanya.

Italian contender, Vettori, a staple of Kings MMA in California most recently made the Octagon walk back in October of last year in the main event of UFC Vegas 41 – battling over the course of five rounds to land an impromptu light heavyweight judging win over Brazilian striker, Paulo Costa. 

For Chimaev, the undefeated welterweight made his UFC debut at the middleweight limit of 185lbs back in July 2020, however, has since enjoyed a perfect run a division lower, most recently defeating one-time title challenger, Gilbert Burns with a close, hard-fought unanimous decision success at UFC 273 earlier this month.

Liverpool kickboxing talent, Till, on the other hand, has been sidelined since September of last year where he suffered a third round rear-naked choke loss to Derek Brunson in the main event of UFC Vegas 36.

Till was scheduled to fight Vettori in the main event of UFC on ABC 2 back in April of last year, however, in the days leading up to the fight, the Team Kaobon mainstay was forced to withdraw from the headlining clash after he had suffered a broken collarbone.

Zhang Opens As Slight Favorite For J?drzejczyk Rematch At UFC 275

Zhang Weili has opened as a narrow favorite for her upcoming rematch with fellow former UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna J?drzejczyk. It’s safe to say that no fight could have sent fans out of an arena for the final time pre-COVID-19 more satisfied than the barnburner between Zhang and J?drzejczyk did. In the co-main event…

Continue Reading Zhang Opens As Slight Favorite For J?drzejczyk Rematch At UFC 275 at MMA News.

Zhang Weili has opened as a narrow favorite for her upcoming rematch with fellow former UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna J?drzejczyk.

It’s safe to say that no fight could have sent fans out of an arena for the final time pre-COVID-19 more satisfied than the barnburner between Zhang and J?drzejczyk did. In the co-main event of UFC 248, a pay-per-view held in March 2020, fans were treated to a Fight of the Year bout that arguably surpassed any title fight before it, and maybe even any fight, period.

Heading into the contest, then-champ Zhang was riding a title crowning against Jéssica Andrade and a 20-fight win streak. J?drzejczyk, meanwhile, was returning for the first time since her 2019 victory over Michelle Waterson.

Across five rounds, both women left everything in the Octagon. From the vicious exchanges to the brutal hematoma sustained by the Pole, the fight wasn’t short on memorable moments. In an extremely tight affair, it was “Magnum” who emerged victorious via split decision.

If you’d been left wanting more in March 2020 (let’s face it, who wasn’t?), then you’ve got your wish. The pair are set to run it back at UFC 275 on June 11. The pay-per-view is set to mark the promotion’s return to “The Garden City,” Singapore.

After the absolute war fans were treated to when the pair previously shared the Octagon, it’s perhaps no surprise that the opening odds aren’t as wide as prior to their 2020 bout.

Zhang/J?drzejczyk 2 Odds Tighter Than Pre-UFC 248

Ahead of UFC 248, Zhang, who’d looked unstoppable in the UFC since arriving in 2018, was set as a -235 betting favorite. J?drzejczyk, who was 2-3 in her previous three outings, entered the clash as a +195 underdog.

Having witnessed her performance against the Chinese star in 2020, as well as Zhang’s two defeats to Rose Namajunas since, J?drzejczyk has opened as a narrower underdog this time around.

Per BetOnline.ag, while the #1-ranked strawweight is favored at -150, the returning former champ is listed as a +130 underdog.

While it’ll certainly be hard for the pair of elite 115lbers to replicate their insane war this time around, the oddsmakers are certainly ready for a close affair after the way in which the UFC 248 co-main event went down.

As well as this blockbuster rematch, UFC 275 will feature two title fights at the top of the card, along with an intriguing clash of middleweight contenders.

Setting the stage for the main event will be a women’s flyweight championship fight between dominant 125-pound queen Valentina Shevchenko and Taila Santos. Soon after, veteran titleholder Glover Teixeira will look to halt the surge of the wild and unpredictable Ji?í Procházka in the event’s headliner.

Also joining Zhang vs. J?drzejczyk on the stacked main card will be a bout between former 185-pound champ Robert Whittaker and top-five contender Marvin Vettori.

Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC 248, Zhang Weili or Joanna J?drzejczyk?

Continue Reading Zhang Opens As Slight Favorite For J?drzejczyk Rematch At UFC 275 at MMA News.

Robert Whittaker vs. Marvin Vettori Targeted For UFC 275

A UFC middleweight showdown between former champion Robert Whittaker and former title challenger Marvin Vettori is in the works. MMA Fighting was the first to report the news of the targeted booking for UFC 275 on June 11. Whittaker hinted at a quick turnaround during a recent interview with MMA journalist Ariel Helwani on The…

Continue Reading Robert Whittaker vs. Marvin Vettori Targeted For UFC 275 at MMA News.

A UFC middleweight showdown between former champion Robert Whittaker and former title challenger Marvin Vettori is in the works.

MMA Fighting was the first to report the news of the targeted booking for UFC 275 on June 11.

Whittaker hinted at a quick turnaround during a recent interview with MMA journalist Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. He also recently teased a fight with Vettori as the fight to make, and it appears that the matchup will come to fruition.

Whittaker most recently fell to UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 271. It was a competitive fight from start to finish, but Adesanya earned the unanimous decision victory in their title rematch.

Whittaker had worked his way back to the title shot after getting knocked out by Adesanya at UFC 243. He earned dominant wins over Kelvin Gastelum, Jared Cannonier, and Darren Till before getting the second fight with Adesanya.

Vettori Adesanya
Marvin Vettori, Israel Adesanya

Vettori is one of the few top UFC middleweights who Whittaker hasn’t fought to date.

Vettori rebounded from a loss to Adesanya at UFC 263 with a win over Paulo Costa last October. The fight was originally supposed to take place at middleweight but took place at light heavyweight after Costa showed up on fight week overweight.

Before the loss to Adesanya, Vettori earned one-sided wins over the likes of Kevin Holland and Jack Hermansson.

Along with Whittaker vs. Vettori, Adesanya is expected to defend his title later this year against top contender Jared Cannonier. Sean Strickland is also closing in on a title shot after beating Hermansson earlier this year to make it six straight wins.

Whittaker and Vettori are both vying for another shot at Adesanya and a fight between them would certainly make sense. UFC 275 is set to be headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between Glover Teixeira and Ji?í Procházka.

What is your prediction for the planned Robert Whittaker vs. Marvin Vettori fight?

Continue Reading Robert Whittaker vs. Marvin Vettori Targeted For UFC 275 at MMA News.

Valentina Shevchenko Rumored To Defend Her Flyweight Title at UFC 275 Against Taila Santos

Valentina ShevchenkoFlyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko looks to be putting up her gold on the line once again at UFC 275 on June 11. Shevchenko will be facing off against the fifth ranked fighter in the division, Taila Santos. The title fight will most likely be the Co-Main Event to the light heavyweight championship fight between Glover […]

Valentina Shevchenko

Flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko looks to be putting up her gold on the line once again at UFC 275 on June 11.

Shevchenko will be facing off against the fifth ranked fighter in the division, Taila Santos. The title fight will most likely be the Co-Main Event to the light heavyweight championship fight between Glover Teixeira and Jiri Prochazka. According to MMAFighting, the contracts have yet to be signed, although it is booked for the event. The UFC is still looking for a venue for the event, but it is rumored to be in Singapore.

Valentina Shevchenko has held the flyweight belt since 2018 when she defeated Joanna J?drzejczyk at UFC 231

Shevchenko has successfully defended her flyweight title six straight times, with her most recent victory coming over “Lucky” Lauren Murphy. Shevchenko defeated Murphy via TKO in the fourth round of the fight this past September at UFC 266. Shevchenko has only lost two times in the UFC, both at bantamweight against Amanda Nunes.

Santos is a respectable 19-1 as a pro fighter inside the octagon. Her only professional loss came to Mara Romero Borella in a split decision fight in her first UFC bout. Since that loss Santos has won four straight fights over the likes of, Molly McCann, Gillian Robertson, Roxanne Modafferi, and Joanne Wood. Each win coming via unanimous decision with the exception of her win over Wood, which she won via Rear-Naked Choke.

Nunes who was known as the GOAT of her division, was recently dethroned by Julianna Pena who was a big favorite. Could MMA fans possibly see two living legends and the most dominant women fighters of al time go down in the span of a few months apart?

Do you think Shevchenko’s reign of terror will continue in the flyweight division?