Denis Goltsov and Tim Johnson will headline PFL 7 on Friday night. | PFL
MMA Fighting has PFL 7 results for the Goltsov vs. Johnson fight card and more from the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn., on Friday night.
In the main event, Denis Goltsov and Tim Johnson will clash in a heavyweight contest.
Flyweights Dakota Ditcheva and Jena Bishop will square off in the co-main event.
Taila Santos feels Dakota Ditcheva was given an easier path to the PFL playoffs.
Santos, a one-time UFC title contender, and Ditcheva are both one win away from the 2024 PFL flyweight final. Santos, who has gone 2-0 since joining PFL this year, told MMA Fighting “it’s pretty clear” that Ditcheva was given favorable matchups during the regular season.
Ditcheva reached the playoffs by beating Lisa Mauldin and Chelsea Hackett, who were 6-3 and 4-2-1 at the time of their fights. The undefeated flyweight entered the season after winning 2023’s PFL Europe tournament, but the combined record of her three opponents in that bracket was 13-10.
“The fights they were giving her in the beginning, it’s pretty clear they were giving her an easy run so she could make it to the finals,” Santos said. “That’s why I said I want to show her what a real fight is all about, a tough fight. I fought tough fights since the beginning and I don’t care. That’s exactly what I want. I want to tough fights to show I’m the best.”
Santos choked out Ilara Joanne in her PFL debut and then won a split decision over Jena Bishop, who faces Ditcheva in her semifinal match Aug. 2 at PFL 7. Santos, who gave Valentina Shevchenko a tough five-round battle in the UFC, and has beaten the likes of Joanne Wood, Roxanne Modafferi, and Molly McCann in the octagon, faces Bellator flyweight champion Liz Carmouche for the other spot in the $ 1 million PFL final.
“It’s going to be really interested to have both of us getting to this final and fighting each other,” Santos said. “I just want to be in the final and face whoever, but it would be quite interesting to fight her. I would really like to fight Dakota because fans would like this one. People are talking about this fight, and I want to show her what a real fight is like. It would be exciting. I’m very excited to face her, really.”
Santos has to get past Carmouche first, and she’s confident she’ll get the job done.
“It’s an incredible fight. All respect to her, an incredible athlete as well, a veteran, and it’s an honor for me to fight her,” Santos said. “I’m very versatile as a fighter, although I grew up training Muay Thai before training jiu-jitsu and wrestling and everything else. I feel super comfortable in all areas today. I like it a lot, and I know she tries to grapple more, to back her opponents against the cage and impose her game. It’s going to be a very interesting game.”
As for the other semifinal, Santos isn’t confident in picking Ditcheva to beat Bishop.
“I think it’s going to be close,” Santos said. “It won’t be an easy fight for either one of them. If Jena can close the distance and take her down quickly and not give Dakota space on the feet — Dakota knows her to use her reach and she’s powerful. Jena surprised me, she’s really strong and I wasn’t expecting that. She’s very experienced, so she can win this if she can close the distance.”
“I came here to win this belt,” Santos added. “I’m ready to go to the final and win, no matter who I’m fighting there. I’m here to fight the best.”
Umar Nurmagomedov | Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov are set for a bout that could determine the next challenger for the UFC bantamweight title.
At Friday’s official morning weigh-ins for UFC Abu Dhabi, Sandhagen and Nurmagomedov both successfully weighed in for Saturday’s main event, with Sandhagen tipping the scales at 136 pounds (the maximum for a non-title bantamweight bout) and Nurmagomedov slightly lighter at 135 pounds.
With the headliners both currently occupying top-10 spots in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, it’s a possibility that the winner of the Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov bout earns the right to challenge the winner of the Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili title fight that takes place at UFC 306 on Sept. 14.
In the co-main event, undefeated middleweight Shara Magomedov takes on dangerous fight finisher Michal Oleksiejczuk. Magomedov was the last fighter to weigh in, but successfully made weight at 186 pounds, while Oleksiejczuk came in at 185 pounds.
All 28 fighters competing at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday successfully made weight.
See official UFC Abu Dhabi weigh-in results below.
Main Card (ABC, ESPN+ at 3 p.m. ET)
Cory Sandhagen (136) vs. Umar Nurmagomedov (135)
Shara Magomedov (186) vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk (185)
Marlon Vera (136) vs. Deiveson Figueiredo (135.5)
Tony Ferguson (170) vs. Michael Chiesa (170)
Mackenzie Dern (115) vs. Loopy Godinez (115.5)
Joel Alvarez (155.5) vs. Elves Brener (155)
Preliminary Card (ESPN2, ESPN+ at 12 p.m. ET)
Alonzo Menifield (204) vs. Azamat Murzakanov (205)
The PFL 7 weigh-in video features all 20 fighters set to compete on Friday’s card at Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn.
In the main event, heavyweights Denis Goltsov and Tim Johnson have to hit the 265-pound limit (plus a one-pound allowance) for a non-title fight.
In the co-main event, flyweights Dakota Ditcheva and Jena Bishop have to hit the 125-pound limit (plus a one-pound allowance) for a non-title fight.
Friday’s event determines the finalists for the 2024 heavyweight and flyweight tournaments.
The PFL 7 ceremonial weigh-ins kick off at 7 p.m. ET. Watch a live stream above.
Official PFL 7 weigh-ins took place Thursday morning.
See official results below.
Main Card (9 p.m. ET, ESPN and ESPN+)
Denis Goltsov (247.6) vs. Tim Johnson (265.8)
Dakota Ditcheva (125.2) vs. Jena Bishop (125.2)
Oleg Popov (247.2) vs. Linton Vassell (248)
Liz Carmouche (127)* vs. Taila Santos (125.2)
Preliminary Card (6 p.m. ET, ESPN+)
Tyrell Fortune (255.6) vs. Sergey Bilostenniy (249.6)
Alexei Pergande (146) vs. Daniel Boehle (145.2)
Cody Law (145.4) vs. Zachary Hicks (145.6)
Sergio Cossio (162.8 lbs)** vs. Dedrek Sanders (155.2 lbs)
Jaleel Willis (172.6 lbs)*** vs. Anthony Ivy (172.8 lbs)***
Kevin Pease (169.2) vs. Nick Meck (170.2)
*missed weight. Carmouche forfeits 20 percent of her purse as penalty and will be deducted one point on the scorecards for her fight with Taila Santos.
**Sergio Cossio missed weight. He will be fined 20 percent of his purse to his opponent and the fight will move forward at a catchweight of 163 pounds.
***Both Jaleel Willis and Anthony Ivy missed weight. Neither will have their purse deducted. The bout will move forward at a catchweight of 173 pounds.
Photo by Donald Miralle/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
It’s been more than 11 years since Ronda Rousey helped usher in a new era of women’s sport after she debuted in the UFC with a win over Liz Carmouche at UFC 157.
Until that night in Anaheim, Calif., women had never competed in the UFC, but Rousey’s magnetism and star power finally convinced Dana White to launch a division largely based around her presence. More than a decade later, women are cemented as superstars and equals on the UFC roster, but it all started with Rousey.
Sadly, her exit from the sport ended with a dramatic thud after Rousey suffered back-to-back knockout losses and effectively retired from the sport before eventually being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. Despite all her accolades, Rousey has admitted that she has a difficult relationship with MMA these days, and went as far as saying she’d expect a negative reaction if she ever walked into an arena for UFC event.
While she certainly can’t tell fans how they should feel, Carmouche — the other half of that historic 2013 fight — offered nothing but praise when addressing Rousey’s MMA legacy.
“I would hope with what she’s done in the history of this sport, whether it ended on a good note or it ended on a bad note, she accomplished so much and made women’s MMA what it is today, and we should show her the respect that she earned,” Carmouche told MMA Fighting. “Let her close it that way.
“Now, if she’s back here talking, ‘I hate MMA fans, I hate MMA,’ that’s a little bit different, but I think we need to give her credit where credit is due.”
Rousey blamed a long history with concussions as the major contributing factor to her UFC exit. She dated her first concussion all the way back to childhood swimming, but the problems only multiplied after years spent competing in judo and then doing MMA.
Rousey believes without a doubt that her concussions struggles played a part in her final two knockout losses at the hands of Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes in consecutive fights.
Of course, many believe Rousey addressing her issues now sounds like an excuse for her losses, but Carmouche understands just how debilitating a concussion can be for a fighter.
“I certainly know how much concussions can truly change a person,” Carmouche said. “It changes their chemistry, everything. So if she has proof of that and that’s what’s been happening, then I wish she would have gotten the help she needed from the beginning to hopefully change how she went out from her MMA career, to be able to go to a different chapter.”
Nonetheless, Carmouche says Rousey’s contributions to the sport are undeniable. In fact, Carmouche admits that as much as she wanted to win back in 2013, she’s not sure women’s MMA would’ve ever reached the heights it did unless Rousey was the face of it all.
“Women’s MMA wouldn’t be where it is [without Rousey],” Carmouche said. “As much as I can look back and be like, ‘I wish it had been a different outcome and I won the belt,’ I don’t think it would have played out the way it did if Ronda hadn’t been the one who won the belt.”
While Rousey hasn’t competed since 2016, Carmouche hasn’t slowed down one bit.
On Friday, Carmouche competes in the semifinals of the ongoing 2024 PFL flyweight tournament, when she faces Taila Santos with a chance to move into the championship round, where the winner earns a title belt and a $ 1 million prize.
Carmouche knows she’s traveled a tough road to get here — including a pair of rematches she had to endure just to make it to the PFL playoff format — but she expects being battle-tested to help her in ways that cruising to the playoffs may hurt some other fighters.
“You can’t really argue when it comes to the results that I’m getting,” Carmouche said. “With my wins, I truly deserve to be where I’m at, whereas you can’t always say that about other people.”
At the UFC Abu Dhabi official weigh-ins, all 28 fighters on Saturday’s fight card step on the scale early Friday morning in Manchester, England. A live stream of the official weigh-ins will be made available to watch above as soon as possible.
In the main event, top bantamweight contenders Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov face off. Sandhagen is currently No. 4 at 135 pounds in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, while Nurmagomedov sits at No. 8.
The headliners can weigh no more than 136 pounds, the maximum limit for a non-title bantamweight bout.
In the co-main event, middleweights Shara Magomedov and Michal Oleksiejczuk can weigh no more than 186 pounds, the maximum limit for a non-title middleweight bout.
UFC Abu Dhabi official weigh-ins are set to begin at 1 a.m. ET.
Terence Crawford and Israel Madrimov were all about business during a pre-fight press conference just days away from their boxing match in Los Angeles.
The fighters shared an intense and stoic faceoff ahead of their fight, although both athletes remained respectful during the customary stare down. While Crawford is the smaller fighter on paper, he actually looked just as big if not bigger than his opponent when they came face-to-face.
While it is Crawford who is moving up in weight to challenge for Madrimov’s WBA super welterweight title, it’s “Bud” who sits as the overwhelming favorite to win. Odds on Crawford are at 7-to-1 that he’ll accomplish his goal to win a title in another weight class after already conquering championships across multiple divisions.
Many rank Crawford as the top pound-for-pound boxer in the world with a perfect 40-0 record, which includes his one sided drubbing of Errol Spence Jr. in his last outing back in July 2023. Now over a year later, Crawford returns with hopes to add another belt to his growing collection.
As for Madrimov, the 29-year-old fighter comes into the matchup with far less experience than Crawford with only a 10-0-1 record in his career. Back in March, Madrimov claimed the WBA title with a fifth round knockout over Magomed Kurbanov.
Now Madrimov seeks the biggest win of his career while also pulling off a massive upset when he faces Crawford on Saturday night from the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles with the card airing on DAZN pay-per-view as well as PPV.com and other outlets where pay-per-view is available.
Liz Carmouche made a mistake she’d never made before at the official weigh-ins for PFL 7.
The 29-fight veteran came in one pound over the limit for her flyweight tournament semifinal bout against Taila Santos, which takes place at PFL 7 on Friday in Nashville, Tenn. Fighters are allowed an extra pound for a non-title bout, but Carmouche officially weighed in at 127 pounds.
Watch video of Carmouche’s official Thursday morning weigh-in below.
⚖️ #PFLNashville Weigh In Result
Liz Carmouche: 127 lbs* Taila Santos: 125.8 lbs
•Carmouche will be deducted 1 point for league purposes pic.twitter.com/miKq4Q4DaJ
— PFL (@PFLMMA) August 1, 2024
The gaffe comes with a hefty penalty as Carmouche forfeits an undisclosed percentage of her purse and enters Friday’s main card opener with a 1-pound penalty on the scorecards. Carmouche vs. Santos is to determine one half of the finals, with a tournament crown and a $ 1,000,000 prize on the line.
This marks the first time that Carmouche has ever missed weight. “Girl-Rilla” has competed at 135 and 125 pounds, memorably challenging Ronda Rousey for a bantamweight title in the first women’s fight in UFC history, and capturing Bellator’s flyweight championship in 2022.
Santos successfully made weight at 125.2 pounds.
In Friday’s other flyweight semifinal, undefeated Dakota Ditcheva fights Jena Bishop. Both fighters made weight for the co-main event encounter.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. and John Gotti III face off | Jose Youngs
Floyd Mayweather and John Gotti III kept things respectful this time around.
Mayweather and Gotti face off in an exhibition boxing on Aug. 24 in Mexico City. It’s a rematch of a 2023 exhibition bout between the two that descended into chaos when referee Kenny Bayless halted the fight due to excessive trash talk between the two, causing a near brawl in the ring afterward.
Now the two are set to run things back. Ata press event in New York City on Thursday, both men remained chill before engaging in their first faceoff for the rematch.
Gotti is the 31-year-old grandson of infamous mob boss John Gotti, but made a name for himself as an MMA fighter before transitioning into boxing where he is currently 2-0 as a professional.
The 47-year-old Mayweather is widely considered to be one of the best boxers of his generation and an all-time great. Sporting a perfect 50-0 professional record, Mayweather retired from boxing in 2017 but has since engaged in a number of exhibition bouts like this one, including matchups with Logan Paul and Aaron Chalmers.
Check out the faceoff between Mayweather and Gotti above.
Before their anticipated rematch next month, Floyd Mayweather and John Gotti III will discuss their upcoming showdown and much more in a press conference Thursday afternoon in New York City.
In their first exhibition fight, Mayweather and Gotti III were caught up in a massive brawl after the fight was over.
Complete chaos after the Floyd Mayweather-John Gotti III fight was stopped
(via @The_ZeusNetwork)pic.twitter.com/SLys8fI4as
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 12, 2023
Mayweather and Gotti will clash on pay-per-view on Aug. 24 in Mexico City.
The 31-year-old grandson of the infamous mob boss John Gotti is 5-1 as a pro MMA fighter, but made the switch over the boxing following his first MMA loss to Nick Alley in a massive upset at CES 61 in October 2020. Gotti is 2-0 in his pro boxing career, including a first-round knockout victory in January 2023.
Mayweather, 47, has kept himself busy with exhibition bouts against the likes of Logan Paul, Deji, and even Tenshin Nasukawa since defeating Conor McGregor in his final pro boxing bout in August 2017.
The Mayweather vs. Gotti III press conference is expected to begin at 2 p.m. ET.
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