UFC Insider: LA Wildfires Create Concern Over UFC 311 Venue, Vegas In Play

With UFC 311 just a week away, uncertainty looms over the events venue as reports suggest the ongoing crisis in Los Angeles has thrown the event’s location into uncertainty. The UFC is set to open its 2025 pay-per-view slate with an action-packed fight lineup. Scheduled for Jan. 18 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, […]

With UFC 311 just a week away, uncertainty looms over the events venue as reports suggest the ongoing crisis in Los Angeles has thrown the event’s location into uncertainty.

The UFC is set to open its 2025 pay-per-view slate with an action-packed fight lineup. Scheduled for Jan. 18 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, the card is topped by two high-profile title clashes.

In the main event, UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev will defend his belt against Arman Tsarukyan, while the co-main event features Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili defending his title against Umar Nurmagomedov.

However, one pressing challenge facing Dana White and Co. is the raging wildfires ravaging Los Angeles, which have sparked uncertainty within the MMA community about whether UFC 311 will proceed as planned at the Intuit Dome. The natural calamity has already claimed over 10,000 homes and taken at least 11 lives. The once-thriving Pacific Palisades area has been almost completely destroyed, and the fires have now spread to the iconic Hollywood Hills, just a mere 20 miles from the UFC 311 venue.

According to veteran MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, the UFC has been assessing the situation regarding UFC 311 next Saturday. As of now, the highly anticipated event is set to proceed at the Intuit Dome. However, the promotion is keeping a vigilant eye on the unfolding crisis and stands prepared to relocate the event if necessary.

Helwani revealed that talks about postponing the card have not taken place. If a venue change is required, T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, is reportedly the leading contingency option, though the UFC has yet to issue an official statement on the matter.

Numerous public events across Los Angeles County have already been called off for the weekend, as local resources are overwhelmed in an effort to control the growing damage. An official statement from the Intuit Dome confirmed that the two events slated for the arena have either been canceled or rescheduled.

UFC Fight Night Results & Highlights: Mackenzie Dern Submits Amanda Ribas

UFC Fight Night took place tonight from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and MMA News has you covered with all the results and highlights!  In the main event, top-ten strawweights (#6) Mackenzie Dern and (#8) Amanda Ribas clashed. While in the co-main event, Santiago Ponzinibbio faced Carlston Harris in a welterweight matchup.  UFC Fight Night Results: […]

UFC Fight Night took place tonight from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and MMA News has you covered with all the results and highlights! 

In the main event, top-ten strawweights (#6) Mackenzie Dern and (#8) Amanda Ribas clashed. While in the co-main event, Santiago Ponzinibbio faced Carlston Harris in a welterweight matchup. 

UFC Fight Night Results: Main Card

  • Women’s Strawweight: Mackenzie Dern def. Amanda Ribas via submission: R3, 4.56 
  • Welterweight: Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Carlston Harris via TKO: R3, 3.13
  • Middleweight: César Almeida def. Abdul Razak Alhassan via KO: R1, 4.16  
  • Middleweight: Roman Kopylov def. Chris Curtis via TKO: R3. 4.59
  • Featherweight: Christian Rodriguez def. Austin Bashi via unanimous decision (29-28×3) 
  • Welterweight: Punahele Soriano def. Uroš Medi? via KO: R1, 0.31  

Preliminary Card

  • Flyweight: Felipe Bunes def. Jose Johnson via submission: R1, 2.04
  • Middleweight: Marco Tulio def. Ihor Potieria via TKO: R1, 3.04
  • Lightweight: Thiago Moisés def. Trey Ogden via unanimous decision (29-28×3)
  • Welterweight: Jacobe Smith def. Preston Parsons via KO: R1, 1.13
  • Women’s Flyweight: Ernesta Kareckaite def. Nicolle Caliari via split decision: (29-28×2, 28-29)  
  • Light Heavyweight: Bruno Lopes def. Magomed Gadzhiyasulov (29-28×3)
  • Women’s Strawweight: Fatima Kline def. Victoria Dudakova via TKO: R2, 4.27

Lightweight: Nurullo Aliev def. Joe Solecki via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28×2)

Preliminary Card Highlights

Fatima Kline def. Victoria Dudakova

In this strawweight matchup, Fatima Kline stopped Victoria Dudakova late in the second round.

Jacobe Smith def. Preston Parsons

Jacobe Smith earned a first-round KO of Preston Parsons in their welterweight fight.

Marco Tulio def. Ihor Potieria

Marco Tulio got it done in the first round with a TKO of Ihor Potieria.

Felipe Bunes def. Jose Johnson

In this flyweight bout, Felipe Bunes earned a first-round armbar submission of Jose Johnson.

Main Card Highlights

Punahele Soriano def. Uroš Medi?

Punahele Soriano took just 31 seconds to KO Uroš Medi? in their welterweight bout.

Christian Rodriguez def. Austin Bashi

In this featherweight matchup, Christian Rodriguez earned a decision against Austin Bashi.

Roman Kopylov def. Chris Curtis

In this middleweight bout, Roman Kopylov TKO’d Chris Curtis with a head kick in the final second of round three.

César Almeida def. Abdul Razak Alhassan

César Almeida knocked Abdul Razak Alhassan out cold in the first round of their middleweight matchup.

Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Carlston Harris

Santiago Ponzinibbio got it done with a TKO of Carlston Harris in round three.

Mackenzie Dern def. Amanda Ribas

In the main event, Mackenzie Dern submitted Amanda Ribas with an armbar at the end of round three.

UFC Fight Night: Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas 2 Weigh-In Results: Two Miss Weight

UFC Fight Night: Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas 2 takes place on Saturday, and MMA News is here to bring you the official weigh-in results! Before heading to Los Angeles to stage its first pay-per-view of 2025 next weekend, the mixed martial arts leader has Fight Night business to attend to at the Apex to kick […]

UFC Fight Night: Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas 2 takes place on Saturday, and MMA News is here to bring you the official weigh-in results!

Before heading to Los Angeles to stage its first pay-per-view of 2025 next weekend, the mixed martial arts leader has Fight Night business to attend to at the Apex to kick off the new year.

The main event presents an opportunity for strawweight Mackenzie Dern to avenge the first loss of her professional career from back in 2019. She’s set to open her year against a former opponent and fellow top 10 contender in Amanda Ribas.

Before that, the likes of welterweight veteran Santiago Ponzinibbio, ranked middleweight Chris Curtis, and knockout artist Abdul Razak Alhassan will all be in action.

UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Ribas 2 Weigh-In Results

UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Ribas takes place on Saturday, January 11, at the Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card begins at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, with the preliminary card starting at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.

See above for a replay of the weigh-ins via MMA Junkie, and check out the full results below!

Main Card:

  • Women’s Strawweight: Mackenzie Dern (116lbs) vs. Amanda Ribas (116lbs)
  • Welterweight: Santiago Ponzinibbio (171lbs) vs. Carlston Harris (170lbs)
  • Middleweight: César Almeida (185.5lbs) vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan (185.5lbs)
  • Middleweight: Chris Curtis (185.5lbs) vs. Roman Kopylov (185.5lbs)
  • Featherweight: Christian Rodriguez (145lbs) vs. Austin Bashi (145.5lbs)
  • Welterweight: Punahele Soriano (171lbs) vs. Uroš Medi? (171lbs)

Preliminary Card:

  • Flyweight: Jose Johnson (128.5lbs)* vs. Felipe Bunes
  • Middleweight: Marco Tulio (185.5lbs) vs. Ihor Potieria (188lbs)**
  • Lightweight: Thiago Moisés (155.5lbs) vs. Trey Ogden (155.5lbs)
  • Welterweight: Preston Parsons (171lbs) vs. Jacobe Smith (170.5lbs)
  • Women’s Flyweight: Ernesta Kareckaite (126lbs) vs. Nicolle Caliari (125.5lbs)
  • Light Heavyweight: Magomed Gadzhiyasulov (205lbs) vs. Bruno Lopes (205.5lbs)
  • Women’s Strawweight: Fatima Kline (116lbs) vs. Victoria Dudakova (116lbs)
  • Lightweight: Nurullo Aliev (155.5lbs) vs. Joe Solecki (155lbs)

*Jose Johnson missed the flyweight limit by 2.5 pounds, fight status TBC

**Ihor Potieria missed the middleweight limit by 2 pounds, fight status TBC

Gamebred Fighter On Jorge Masvidal’s Approach To Promotion: He’s Like ‘I’m Not UFC, Where We’re Going To Cut You’

Jorge Masvidal may be seemingly on the cusp of a UFC return but he is one of the fighters who has dipped his toes into several other pursuits away from being an athlete towards the end of his career. One of the most obvious ventures for a veteran of the fight game is to start […]

Jorge Masvidal may be seemingly on the cusp of a UFC return but he is one of the fighters who has dipped his toes into several other pursuits away from being an athlete towards the end of his career. One of the most obvious ventures for a veteran of the fight game is to start putting on your own shows and “Gamebred” has certainly got the experience, knowledge and credibility to have success in this field.

The 52-fight veteran has attempted to carve out a niche for himself in combat sports via his Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA promotion which first launched in 2021. They hosted two events in 2024 with the most recent one taking place on November 15 at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum.

Former UFC fighter Jesse Ronson, who competed six times inside the Octagon, fought on that card where he earned his second consecutive first-round submission win in the promotion. In a recent interview on Bare Knuckle Bowker, Ronson told Dylan Bowker about what it is like to fight for Masvidal.

The Canadian spoke about how “Gamebred” is looking for entertaining fights and if you can deliver on that, than you’re in his good books and it’s that simple.

“He [Masvidal] just flat out says it straight up. He’s like I just want fireworks guys. I’ll pay you, I’ll do whatever, just give me good fights. He’s like I don’t care how old you are, if you lose, or whatever it is. He’s like I’m not UFC where we’re going to cut you after two fights or three fights. If you’re making people scream and getting views.”

Ronson continued, adding that Masvidal’s first-hand experience is what separates him from the other promoters. He made it clear that he wasn’t trying to discredit others as much as he was praising the former BMF title challenger.

“You are always welcome back and he’s like I’ll take care of you. He’s like I’ll try to meet everything you need. He’s a great promoter and you’re right because he’s fought he understands what it’s like… Again I’m not gonna sh*t on Dana White or Scott Coker or whoever runs the PFL, because if they fought and they went through it they would know what it’s like.”