Tag: UFC

VIDEO: UFC 311 Countdown Episode Ahead Of Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan 2 & Dvalishvili vs. Nurmagomedov

Fight week for the UFC 311 pay-per-view this Saturday has kicked off with the release of the promotion’s latest Countdown episode. Under the spotlight in this edition is the headline rematch between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan and the co-main event between Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov. Saturday’s UFC 311 lineup is topped by a championship clash, with lightweight […]

Fight week for the UFC 311 pay-per-view this Saturday has kicked off with the release of the promotion’s latest Countdown episode.

Under the spotlight in this edition is the headline rematch between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan and the co-main event between Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov.

Saturday’s UFC 311 lineup is topped by a championship clash, with lightweight kingpin Makhachev (26-1) looking to add a fourth successful defense to his reign, which got underway with a memorable victory over Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 in October 2022.

If the Dagestani is to continue his rule atop the 155-pound mountain, he must stall the title ambitions of a familiar foe in Tsarukyan (22-3). The Armenian fell to Makhachev by way of a narrow decision in his UFC debut almost six years ago. Having risen the ranks and most recently gotten the better of Oliveira himself, “Akhalkalakets” has the chance for redemption opposite the champ.

Before those two run it back in the main event at Inglewood’s Intuit Dome, another UFC title will be at stake.

The bantamweight gold will be contested by current champ Dvalishvili (18-4) and undefeated contender Nurmagomedov (18-0), as they settle a rivalry that has only intensified in recent months. While “The Machine” will return four months on from his capturing of the strap at the expense of Sean O’Malley, the “Young Eagle” is set to make the walk for the first time since a statement-making victory over Cory Sandhagen in Abu Dhabi last August.

Ahead of those two contests in LA, fans can catch previews in the full episode of UFC 311 Countdown on the promotion’s official YouTube channel.

UFC 311 Countdown: Full Episode

‘Hell Yeah, We Got Goku & Vegeta’ – Fans React As Israel Adesanya Teams Up With Two-Time Rival Ahead Of UFC Return

Israel Adesanya is pulling out all the stops for his next fight, even if it means joining forces with a former rival to sharpen his skills. Adesanya finds himself navigating the toughest stretch of his career to date, with just one win in his last four Octagon appearances. Currently on a two-fight losing streak, he […]

Israel Adesanya is pulling out all the stops for his next fight, even if it means joining forces with a former rival to sharpen his skills.

Adesanya finds himself navigating the toughest stretch of his career to date, with just one win in his last four Octagon appearances.

Currently on a two-fight losing streak, he first suffered a unanimous decision loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in September 2023, a fight where he also relinquished his middleweight crown. The downward trajectory continued at UFC 305 last August, where reigning champion Dricus Du Plessis handed him a submission defeat, deepening the slump for the once-dominant fighter.

“The Last Stylebender” is now gearing up to headline UFC Saudi Arabia, where he will face Nassourdine Imavov on Feb. 1 at the anb Arena in Riyadh. This highly anticipated showdown marks a notable change for the ex-champ, as it will be his first non-pay-per-view bout since July 2018.

With the fight just under a month away, Adesanya’s preparations are in full swing. In a surprising turn, he has brought in his former two-time adversary, Robert Whittaker, to assist with his training.

The 35-year-old Nigerian-born Kiwi recently shared several photos and videos from his sparring sessions with “The Reaper” on social media.

“‘New year, new friends,” Adesanya wrote on X.

MMA fans responded to Adesanya’s sparring session with Whittaker, with many humorously celebrating the unexpected collaboration between the two fighters.

Adesanya and Whittaker first squared off at UFC 243 in October 2019, where “The Last Stylebender” clinched a stunning second-round knockout to seize the undisputed middleweight title.

Meanwhile, their second encounter took place at UFC 271 in February 2022, where the matchup was far more competitive. Despite Whittaker’s resilience, though, Adesanya ultimately gritted through the challenge and earned a hard-fought unanimous decision victory to retain his championship.

Abdul Razak Alhassan Addresses Scary Knockout At UFC Vegas 101: ‘I Got Greedy…’

Abdul Razak Alhassan has made his first public remarks following a brutal defeat at this past weekend’s UFC Vegas 101 event. The promotion’s first card of 2025 wasn’t short on memorable moments and brutal finishes. Unfortunately for Alhassan, he was on the wrong end of arguably the top one. In his main card clash with […]

Abdul Razak Alhassan has made his first public remarks following a brutal defeat at this past weekend’s UFC Vegas 101 event.

The promotion’s first card of 2025 wasn’t short on memorable moments and brutal finishes. Unfortunately for Alhassan, he was on the wrong end of arguably the top one.

In his main card clash with César Almeida, the Ghanaian powerhouse got off to a strong start, dropping his Brazilian counterpart. But he got slightly too wild chasing the finish.

After backing Almeida up against the fence, Alhassan was struck with a vicious counterpunch that rendered him unconscious.

The resulting scene saw the 39-year-old Accra native on wobbly legs after coming to. Thankfully, he appears to have avoided any immediate health issues at UFC Vegas 101 and took to his Instagram Stories to address his supporters.

“I’m sorry fans,” Alhassan said. “I got greedy and I got caught. No excuses. I’m sorry to my fans, my true fans. I got greedy and went for it and got caught. There’s nothing I can do but cry myself to sleep.”

Alhassan is now without a win in his last three, having fallen to a submission at the hands of Joe Pyfer in 2023 and had the disappointment of a no contest after striking Cody Brundage to the back of the head last July.

Almeida, meanwhile, has won two on the bounce since suffering the first loss of his professional career against Roman Kopylov in June 2024.

Khabib Nurmagomedov Issues Statement After Being Kicked Off Flight Ahead Of UFC 311: ‘Did My Best To Stay Calm…’

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has spoken publicly after footage of his removal from a flight before takeoff went viral this weekend. Khabib will be in Los Angeles next week as two of his team’s star fighters compete with gold on the line at the UFC 311 pay-per-view. Inside the Intuit Dome, Islam Makhachev […]

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has spoken publicly after footage of his removal from a flight before takeoff went viral this weekend.

Khabib will be in Los Angeles next week as two of his team’s star fighters compete with gold on the line at the UFC 311 pay-per-view. Inside the Intuit Dome, Islam Makhachev will headline in defense of his lightweight crown, while Umar Nurmagomedov will first challenge for the bantamweight gold.

But while attention will soon be on their showdowns with Arman Tsarukyan and Merab Dvalishvili, respectively, the biggest talking point a day out from UFC 311 fight week has surrounded their coach.

A video emerged on Sunday showing Khabib being removed from a plane due to fly from Las Vegas to LA. Audio from the incident appeared to reveal a dispute with a flight attendant over the Dagestani’s seat on the emergency exit row.

After the video went viral and drew out plenty of reactions from the MMA community online, Khabib took to Instagram to give his side of the story and clarify which airline he was attempting to fly with.

“First of all, I need to clarify that it was @flyfrontier not AlaskaAir. Lady who comes to me with questions was very rude from the very beginning, even though I speak very decent English and can understand everything and agreed to assist, she still insists on removing me from my seat. What was the base for that, racial, national or other one, I’m not sure.

“But after 2 minutes of conversation, she called security and I was deplaned from this aircraft, after 1,5 hour I boarded another airline one and left to my destination. I did my best to stay calm and respectful as you can see on the video. But those crew members could do better next time and just be nice with clients.”

It remains to be seen what will come of the incident, which has spread across the Internet and resulted in some of the former UFC champion’s fans calling for a boycott of the airline in question.

“The Eagle” himself, meanwhile, will no doubt be looking to keep his focus on the task at hand next week, as he gears up for two crucial contests for his team at the UFC 311 PPV on Jan. 18.

Santiago Ponzinibbio Names Ranked Opponent He’s Targeting For UFC 314 In Miami

UFC welterweight veteran Santiago Ponzinibbio is looking to make a late-career surge up the ladder on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage. Ponzinibbio, who formerly had a number next to his name at 170 pounds, showed that he’s got plenty left in the tank at 38 years old in the co-main event of this past weekend’s […]

UFC welterweight veteran Santiago Ponzinibbio is looking to make a late-career surge up the ladder on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage.

Ponzinibbio, who formerly had a number next to his name at 170 pounds, showed that he’s got plenty left in the tank at 38 years old in the co-main event of this past weekend’s UFC Fight Night.

The card, which marked the UFC’s first of 2025, included plenty of memorable fights and finishes. Not many scraps were more entertaining than the “Argentine Dagger’s” with Carlston Harris.

The pair exchanged moments of success and knockdowns through the best part of 13 minutes before Ponzinibbio found the standing TKO finish with less than two minutes remaining in the third and final round.

While the result marked the La Plata native’s first win since 2022 and snapped a two-fight losing skid, he’s still hoping for an opportunity to break back into the welterweight top 15 next time out.

“There are so many good names,” Ponzinibbio said at the post-fight press conference after revealing his intent to fight at UFC 314 in Miami this coming April. “So many good guys come to mind (who) have a long time in the road like me. We can make a great fight. I need to think quickly.

“Maybe Vicente Luque is a name that comes into my mind because the guy has so many years in the sport like me. I have a lot of respect for him. He’s a gentleman. He’s coming off a really good victory,” Ponzinibbio continued. “We both have a lot of Latin people behind us and we can make a good fight. But there are so many good guys. We’ll see what the company says.”

The UFC is expected to head back to Miami’s Kaseya Center for its April pay-per-view.

A clash between Ponzinibbio and Vicente Luque could make sense, especially given that the latter’s teammate and friend Gilbert Burns is expected to battle Michael Morales at the event.