Tag: UFC News

Report – The UFC Heads Back to Iowa for the First Time in 25 Years

Report - The UFC is Headed Back to Iowa for the First Time in 25 YearsFinally, the UFC is coming back to Iowa! As a lifelong native of the Hawkeye State, it is my…

Report - The UFC is Headed Back to Iowa for the First Time in 25 Years

Finally, the UFC is coming back to Iowa!

As a lifelong native of the Hawkeye State, it is my great pleasure to announce that the Ultimate Fighting Championship is eyeing a return to Iowa for the first time in 25 years. According to a report from Alex Behunin, the UFC is targeting a Fight Night event in Des Moines on May 3, 2025.

Once upon a time, Iowa was considered one of the central hubs for mixed martial arts. Specifically, Bettendorf, Iowa, the city I currently call home. Three minutes away from where I’m writing this very article is the site of the old Miletich Fighting Systems gym. There, some of the biggest names in MMA history cut their teeth, including former UFC champions Matt Hughes, Jens Pulver, Tim Sylvia, ‘Ruthless’ Robbie Lawler, and of course, proprietor Pat Miletich.

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Other names who trained at the legendary gym include current BKFC heavyweight champion ‘Big’ Ben Rothwell, Drew McFedries, Jeremy Horn, and Spencer Fisher.

To this day, MFS is still regarded as one of the most successful MMA camps of all time.

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UFC 26 was the promotion’s last event in Iowa

Despite that, the UFC only held two events in the state, UFC 21 on July 16, 1999, and UFC 26 on June 9, 2000, both of which were held at the Five Seasons Events Center in Cedar Rapids. Hopefully, that two-and-a-half decade-long drought will come to an end this May.

Just to give you an idea of how long it’s been since the UFC has stepped foot in the state, here is the full main card for the last time the promotion ran in Iowa.

  • Kevin Randleman def. Pedro Rizzo via unanimous decision to retain the UFC heavyweight championship
  • Tyrone Roberts def. David Dodd via unanimous decision
  • Pat Miletich def. John Alessio via submission (armbar) at 1:43 of Round 2 to retain the UFC welterweight championship
  • Amaury Bitetti def. Alex Andrade via DQ (kicking with shoes) at 0:43 of Round 2
  • Matt Hughes def. Marcelo Aguiar via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) at 4:34 of Round 1
  • Jens Pulver def. Joao Roque via unanimous decision
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Will Dricus Du Plessis Make Sean Strickland Cry Again? The Champ Answers ‘Put You in Your Place’

Will Dricus Du Plessis Make Sean Strickland Cry Again? The Champ Answers 'Put You in Your Place'Dricus Du Plessis will gladly put Sean Strickland in his place, if necessary. … Again. The last time around,…

Will Dricus Du Plessis Make Sean Strickland Cry Again? The Champ Answers 'Put You in Your Place'

Dricus Du Plessis will gladly put Sean Strickland in his place, if necessary. … Again.

The last time around, ‘DDP’ scored a closely contested split decision victory over Strickland to claim the UFC middleweight championship. More than a year later, they’ll run it back when the promotion heads back to Sydney, Australia for UFC 312 inside the Quodos Bank Arena.

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Perhaps even more memorable than their fight was an awkward moment during the UFC 297 press conference when Du Plessis had Strickland in tears after bringing the former titleholder’s traumatizing childhood into their intense back-and-forth.

Months later, Du Plessis would have tears streaming from the eyes of Israel Adesanya ahead of their UFC 307 headliner in August.

Dricus du Plessis refuses to be bullied

Despite his clear penchant for making his opponents emotional, Du Plessis revealed in a recent interview with Niko Pajarillo of Fox Sports Australia that it’s never his goal to be disrespectful or make things personal. But if his opponents decide to dish it out, they better be prepared to take it back 10-fold.

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“I just know my opponent inside and out,” Du Plessis said of Strickland. ‘Now, when it comes to me and fighting, this is my life. This is everything to me. I know everything there is to know.

“I don’t go to any press conference to say, ‘I’m going to say this, this is what I’m going to say to you to get under your skin.’ I give you the chance to be respectful, and if you try to bully me, try to be disrespectful, and try to be smart, I will put you in your place. And now, with Strickland this time around, maybe, you know, maybe that’s all he knows to do.”

Michael ‘Venom’ Page Predicts Shara Magomedov Will Shoot for a Takedown After Getting Dominated on the Feet

Michael 'Venom' Page Predicts Shara Magomedov Will Shoot for a Takedown After Getting Dominated on the FeetIt won’t be long before Shara Magomedov goes for a takedown in his co-main event clash with Michael Page…

Michael 'Venom' Page Predicts Shara Magomedov Will Shoot for a Takedown After Getting Dominated on the Feet

It won’t be long before Shara Magomedov goes for a takedown in his co-main event clash with Michael Page in Saudi Arabia.

That’s the mentality ‘Venom’ is taking into the Octagon this Saturday when the UFC returns to Saudi Arabia with a stacked Fight Night card emanating from the ANB Arena in Riyadh. Page will be looking to break into the middleweight division’s top 15 when he takes on undefeated Russian knockout artist Shara Magomedov, currently the No. 14 ranked contender at 185.

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With both fighters possessing their own unique style of striking, fans should be in for a real treat. Just don’t expect the entire fight to take place on the feet.

During an interview with Inside Fighting ahead of his return to the Octagon, ‘Venom’ believes that he’ll be able to frustrate ‘Bullet’ enough on the feet, prompting him to switch things up and start shooting for takedowns.

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“I think it’s two strikers going at it. Like I said, I’ve been wrong many times, including against Ian Garry, where, again, you’d think that somebody with that level of striking talent would just stay in that realm,” Page said.

“But yeah, I think Shara will maybe do something similar if things are not going his way. Or, when things don’t go his way and I’m in there, and I’m frustrating him, I’m confusing him, you know — I’m landing shots, he’s missing shots — he may decide to go a different route.”

‘Venom’ seeks his second UFC win against the unbeaten ‘Bullet’

Page will look to land his second career win inside the Octagon. He previously earned a unanimous decision W over Kevin Holland in his promotional debut before coming up short against Ian Machado Garry at UFC 303 in June.

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Meanwhile, Shara Magomedov made his fifth promotional appearance boasting a 15-0 record, four of those wins coming under the UFC banner. His most recent outing saw him deliver a sensational double-spinning back fist knockout against Arman Petrosyan in Abu Dhabi.

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Former Champ Predicts Chaos: Shara Magomedov Could Land Another Double Spinning Back Fist Knockout

Former Champ Predicts Chaos: Shara Magomedov Could Land Another Double Spinning Back Fist KnockoutPaul Felder and former UFC champ Michael Bisping expect Shara Magomedov to bring the chaos once again when he…

Former Champ Predicts Chaos: Shara Magomedov Could Land Another Double Spinning Back Fist Knockout

Paul Felder and former UFC champ Michael Bisping expect Shara Magomedov to bring the chaos once again when he returns to the Octagon this Saturday.

Emanating from the ANB Arena in Riyadh, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will return to Saudi Arabia for the first time in 2025 for a loaded Fight Night card headlined by a clash between former two-time middleweight titleholder Israel Adesanya and rising contender Nassourdine Imavov.

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In the co-main event, former Bellator standout Michael ‘Venom’ Page will look to climb back into the win column when he meets undefeated Russian sensation Shara Magomedov.

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Thus far, ‘Bullet’ is a perfect 4-0 under the UFC banner, his most recent victory coming via an incredible double-spinning back fist in the second round of his October 2024 scrap with Armen Petrosyan.

Felder and Bisping expect another impressive showing from shara Magomedov

While appearing on Bisping’s Believe You Me podcast, Felder suggested that Magomedov may be primed to pull off another jaw-dropping knockout against ‘Venom’ in the Middle East.

“It’s one guy trying to do some crazy thing, and the next guy is going to try to match that,” Felder said. “We might see the double spinning back fist come up.”

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Adding his take on Magomedov’s highlight-reel knockout just a few months back, Bisping added:

“Well, let’s take a look at that. I mean, that spinning back fist from him was unbelievable. It was creative, it was unique — we’ve never seen that before. I’m sure it exists in Muay Thai or kickboxing, but this is the fight that I’m looking forward to. I think this is going to be the fight of the night.

“Look at this [expletive] here that he pulled off: sidekick, hold on, spin, and then back the other way. Unbelievable.
Everyone — I think it was… was it Saudi Arabia or Abu Dhabi? It was Abu Dhabi, I think. Yeah, that was Abu Dhabi. The world went mental.”

Israel Adesanya reflects on rivalry with Alex Pereira: ‘I always knew I could beat him’

Israel Adesanya reflects on rivalry with Alex Pereira: 'I always knew I could beat him'Ahead of his return this weekend, Israel Adesanya has fond memories on his four-fight series with foe, Alex Pereira…

Israel Adesanya reflects on rivalry with Alex Pereira: 'I always knew I could beat him'

Ahead of his return this weekend, Israel Adesanya has fond memories on his four-fight series with foe, Alex Pereira — claiming he always “knew” he could beat the Brazilian — despite dropping a trio of consecutive losses against the Brazilian megastar.

Adesanya, a former two-time undisputed middleweight champion, returns to action this weekend in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia, making the trip to Riyadh to take on the streaking Russian-French contender, Nassourdine Imavov over the course of five rounds in a pivotal pairing.

Israel Adesanya closing as betting favorite to beat Nassourdine Imavov in UFC Saudi Arabia showdown

Entering the matchup off the back of a two-fight losing skid, City Kickboxing star, Israel Adesanya dropped a recent submission loss to Dricus du Plessis back in August, having suffered a shutout unanimous decision defeat to common-foe, Sean Strickland the summer prior in a championship fight upset.

Israel Adesanya fires back at Shara Magomedov’s UFC 308 callout: 'Keep my name out your mouth'

Israel Adesanya claims he always knew he could stop Alex Pereira

Adesanya would enter that pairing with the polarizing North American striker off the back of his first-ever career win over former duel-weight champion, Pereira — snapping a winless run spanning three-fights against the ex-GLORY Kickboxing favorite, and has fond memories of their lengthy rivalry in combat sports.

Israel Adesanya, Alex Pereira
Image via: Getty

“I feel the same way,” Israel Adesanya said during an interview with Ariel Helwani for Uncrowned. “I think God blessed me with a great opponent like Alex Pereira. He blessed me with a great challenge like that. And it’s easy to say that now on this side, but f*ck, you know, it takes a lot to take on that man. And I always knew that it would have history and I always knew I could best him. And I’m glad God blessed me with that challenge, to be able to rise to the occasion.

“And I’m glad we can kind of share even the way we ran to each other at the airport,” Israel Adesanya explained. “Um, like what, two years ago? Three years ago, we were still kind of like beefing, but there was a little we had — this was before he fought Jan (Blachowicz). We had a little conversation after the TSA at LAX or whatever. And then, um, went our own ways. And it was — it was a cordial civil conversation with, uh, limited language barrier, I guess. But, uh, yeah, I respect the guy, and I want the best for him. I like what he’s doing. I like the fact that he’s running through everyone because, again, it just shows how good he is.”

Israel Adesanya reflects on rivalry with Alex Pereira: ‘I always knew I could beat him’

Israel Adesanya reflects on rivalry with Alex Pereira: 'I always knew I could beat him'Ahead of his return this weekend, Israel Adesanya has fond memories on his four-fight series with foe, Alex Pereira…

Israel Adesanya reflects on rivalry with Alex Pereira: 'I always knew I could beat him'

Ahead of his return this weekend, Israel Adesanya has fond memories on his four-fight series with foe, Alex Pereira — claiming he always “knew” he could beat the Brazilian — despite dropping a trio of consecutive losses against the Brazilian megastar.

Adesanya, a former two-time undisputed middleweight champion, returns to action this weekend in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia, making the trip to Riyadh to take on the streaking Russian-French contender, Nassourdine Imavov over the course of five rounds in a pivotal pairing.

Israel Adesanya closing as betting favorite to beat Nassourdine Imavov in UFC Saudi Arabia showdown

Entering the matchup off the back of a two-fight losing skid, City Kickboxing star, Israel Adesanya dropped a recent submission loss to Dricus du Plessis back in August, having suffered a shutout unanimous decision defeat to common-foe, Sean Strickland the summer prior in a championship fight upset.

Israel Adesanya fires back at Shara Magomedov’s UFC 308 callout: 'Keep my name out your mouth'

Israel Adesanya claims he always knew he could stop Alex Pereira

Adesanya would enter that pairing with the polarizing North American striker off the back of his first-ever career win over former duel-weight champion, Pereira — snapping a winless run spanning three-fights against the ex-GLORY Kickboxing favorite, and has fond memories of their lengthy rivalry in combat sports.

Israel Adesanya, Alex Pereira
Image via: Getty

“I feel the same way,” Israel Adesanya said during an interview with Ariel Helwani for Uncrowned. “I think God blessed me with a great opponent like Alex Pereira. He blessed me with a great challenge like that. And it’s easy to say that now on this side, but f*ck, you know, it takes a lot to take on that man. And I always knew that it would have history and I always knew I could best him. And I’m glad God blessed me with that challenge, to be able to rise to the occasion.

“And I’m glad we can kind of share even the way we ran to each other at the airport,” Israel Adesanya explained. “Um, like what, two years ago? Three years ago, we were still kind of like beefing, but there was a little we had — this was before he fought Jan (Blachowicz). We had a little conversation after the TSA at LAX or whatever. And then, um, went our own ways. And it was — it was a cordial civil conversation with, uh, limited language barrier, I guess. But, uh, yeah, I respect the guy, and I want the best for him. I like what he’s doing. I like the fact that he’s running through everyone because, again, it just shows how good he is.”