Category Archives: Mmamania.com

After Professional Fighters League’s (PFL) stole the spotlight last weekend with its “Battle of the Giants” event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is once again taking center stage with its latest pay-per-view (PPV) offering. Indeed, UFC 308 is set to go down later TODAY (Sat., Oct. 26, 2024) inside Etihad Arena on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi, UAE on ESPN+, featuring a Featherweight title fight between division king, Ilia Topuria, defending his belt against former champion, Max Holloway. In the co-main event, former Middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker, will face off against Khamzat Chimaev.

What’s Hot:

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Ilia Topuria emphatically took the 145-pound title from Alexander Volkanovski via second-round knockout at UFC 298 earlier this year (see it again here), capping off a tremendous run so far in his immaculate mixed martial arts (MMA) career — improving to 15-0, 7-0 UFC. Now, “El Matador” begins his championship run with his first defense lined up against perhaps the most storied division champion in history, Max Holloway, who has been involved in a total of eight title fights at 145 pounds. The scary thing about Topuria is, while he is very well polished in the his all-around game, his confidence is frightening. And it’s not boisterous confidence like that of Conor McGregor’s — yes, he likes to talk — but it’s his cool demeanor in which he carries himself in and out of the cage. He knows he’s going to destroy you, and there’s not much you can do about it. That’s frightening for any opponent.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

But Holloway isn’t just any opponent. “Blessed” is one of the most respected fighters in the history of the game for his willingness to take on any and all comers — regardless of weight class — and he leaves it in the cage every time out. Take his last fight for example: he was up on the scorecards against Justin Gaethje as the clock is winding down on their “BMF” title fight, yet he challenges one of the most dangerous strikers in the game to go toe-to-toe in the final 10 seconds, risking himself getting clipped and losing the fight. Fortunately for him, it worked out in his favor as he delivered perhaps the best knockout of 2024 with one second remaining in the fight. And that’s just ONE of the MANY reasons Holloway is so beloved. Throughout his combat career he has delivered one highlight finish after another, and he is capable of doing it against Topuria.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

That said, many are classifying this title fight as “Old vs. New,” seeing as how Topuria is 27 to Holloway’s 32. While that’s not a huge difference, it’s the time spent fighting that matters. Holloway has been in the game since he was a teenager, turning pro at the age of 20, making his UFC debut just two years later. All told, he has been fighting hard battles inside the Octagon for 12 years now, and while he has delivered a lot of punishment, he has taken some, as well. Still, “Blessed” has never been knocked out, but if any man can be the first it’s Topuria, who has challenged the Hawaiian striker to stand in the middle of the cage in the first 10 seconds and go to war. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen, but one thing that is certain is that this has the makings of one of the best fights of the year. For Holloway, it could be his last chance at recapturing Featherweight gold. For Topuria, a win over Holloway further solidifies himself as the best 145-pound fighter on the planet, and his confidence and stock will only skyrocket.

What’s Not:

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Lerone Murphy is currently 14-0-1, 6-0-1 UFC and is ranked No. 12 at Featherweight. His opponent, Dan Ige, is coming off a loss to Diego Lopes — a fight he took last-second — and is 1-2 in his last three bouts, and is ranked behind him at No. 14. Why Murphy agreed to his fight is beyond me. It’s a dangerous fight for him against someone that ranked behind him and with not as good as track record as him over the last few years because Ige is 3-5 in his last eight UFC fights. I have an issue with the matchmaking here. Don’t get me wrong, it should be a banger, it’s just the statistics of it all.

Original Card vs. Actual Card:

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Justin Tafa withdrew from his Heavyweight fight against Kennedy Nzechukwu for unknown reasons and replaced by Chris Barnett, who will be making his long-awaited return to action after sitting on the sidelines for two years, as“Huggy Bear” was last seen knocking out Jake Collier at UFC 279 (see it again here). Also, Carlos Leal agreed to step in and make his UFC debut on short notice opposite Rinat Fakhretdinov after Nursulton Ruziboev had to bow out of the fight. During fight week, a fight between Said Nurmagomedov and Daniel Santos was cancelled after Santos was mysterious yanked from the event with no undisclosed reason by the promotion.

Injuries:

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

A Heavyweight fight between Alexander Volkov and Ciryl Gane was set to go down on this card before the promotion moved it up UFC 310 at the end of the year as a result of Volkov suffering a knee injury. Also, Nursulton Ruziboev was forced out of his fight against Rinat Fakhretdinov with an undisclosed injury and replaced by UFC newcomer, Carlos Leal.

New Blood:

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Rafael Cerqueira will make his UFC debut opposite Ibo Aslan in a Light Heavyweight affair. Cerqueira is undefeated at 11-0 with 10 finishes — eight via knockout/technical knockout (TKO), two via submission — eight in the very first round. “The Lion” is all gas and no brakes, but he will be going up against an equally aggressive foe because “The Last Ottoman” has finished all 13 of the opponents he has finished to rack up an impressive 13-1 record.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Carlos Leal will make his Octagon debut when he takes on Rinat Fakhretdinov in a Welterweight showdown. Leal has vast experience having competed under the Professional Fighters League (PFL) banner and Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA), winning the 170-pound title in that promotion. One of his other biggest wins to date came against former PFL champion, Ray Cooper III, and now looks to shine in his first-ever UFC fight. It will be a tough battle to say the least because Fakhredtdinov is on fire, coming in on a 22-fight unbeaten streak, going 4-0-1 inside the Octagon.

How The ‘Prelims’ Look:

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Rafael dos Anjos and Geoff Neal have both seen better days inside the Octagon. “RDA” is currently riding a two-fight losing streak and has lost three of his last four fights. As for Neal, he has also lost two in a row at the hands of Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Machado Garry. Both men are in desperate need of wins here, though I highly doubt either one of them will get the pink slip with another loss.

An intriguing Bantamweight Featherweight fight between Farid Basharat and Victor Hugo could steal the undercard show. Hugo is coming in on a 14-fight win streak, and has racked up nine finishes along the way. He made a successful UFC debut by defeating Pedro Falcao via unanimous decision earlier this year. Basharat, meanwhile, is undefeated at 12-0 and is 3-0 so far in his UFC career. The drama intensified in this fight because Hugo missed weight by a whole weight class, though the fight was not cancelled and will now be contested at 145 pounds.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

In the Middleweight division, Abus Magomedov will attempt to secure his first back-to-back win inside the Octagon when he battles Brunno Ferreira. Magomedov is coming off a win over Warlley Alves this past summer, snapping his two-fight losing streak. As for Ferreira, he has won two straight via first-round knockout, including a spinning-back elbow knockout of Dustin Stoltzfus (see it again here), improving his overall UFC record to 3-1.

Mateusz Rebecki had his 16-fight win streak snapped by Diego Ferreira in his last outing, his first defeat in nearly a decade. He will now look to bounce back and start another streak when he meets Myktybek Orolbai in a Lightweight affair. Oralbai is currently on an eight-fight win streak and has passed his first two challenges under the the UFC banner.

Who Needs A Win Badly:

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Ismail Naurdiev will get another crack at making an impression inside the Octagon when he takes on Bruno Silva at Middleweight after going 2-2 in his first time around. He is coming off a first-round submission win under the Brave FC banner, and will look to hand Silva his fourth straight defeat. That said, Silva needs a win in the worst way because he has lost five of his last six fights, and one more defeat could earn him his walking papers.

Interest Level: 8/10

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

The co-main event fight is one of the most anticipated fights of 2024. And it’s in large part because it will feature the long-awaited return of Khamzat Chimaev, who hasn’t stepped foot inside the Octagon in over a year. After storming out of the gates, Chimaev was once thought of as a potential title contender. And while he still has that potential, his aura has somewhat dissipated because he simply hasn’t been very active. He was once a feared challenger that claimed many fighters turned him down. But that reputation, too, may have dwindled a bit because of the same reason. Furthermore, Kamaru Usman — who took the fight on short notice — took him to deep waters before losing a unanimous decision. In Robert Whittaker, however, he faces a true 185-pound fighter with championship pedigree and plenty of time to prepare.

Indeed, “The Reaper” was once the ruler of the Middleweight division before Israel Adesanya came in and took him out. Still, Whittaker hasn’t lost a step despite his two defeats two “The Last Stylebender” and one to Dricus du Plessis. He is currently on a two-fight win streak and is rejuvenated and motivated as ever following his first-round destruction of Ikram Aliskerov this past June, a fight that took place after Chimaev withdrew from his matchup against “Bobby Knuckles.” This is a big fight for both men but more-so for Chimaev — who barely made weight — because this is without a doubt his toughest test to date. With a win he can shoot up to the front of the championship line, which the same can be said for Whittaker.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Now that Alex Pereira has once again defended his Light Heavyweight title, Magomed Ankalaev has to do his part in order to get his much-desired shot at dethroning “Poatan.” Ankalaev wasn’t too thrilled when he was passed over in favor of Khalil Rountree, but he has to put that behind him and focus on the task at hand, which is Aleksandar Rakic. “Rocket” currently finds himself on a two-fight losing streak, so he needs to get this win just to simply stay afloat. He might not get a title shot with a win, but he will at least get a new lease on his combat life. For Ankalaev, a title shot is very likely based on Dana White’s recent comments, so both men have a lot of pressure coming in for different reasons.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Shara Magomedov will return for his third fight of 2024 to battle Armen Petrosyan to kick off the PPV main card on ESPN+. “Bullet” is undefeated at 14-0, 3-0 UFC, and defeated Antonio Trócoli via third-round technical knockout (TKO) earlier this year (see it here), and then followed it up with a unanimous decision win over Michał Oleksiejczuk two months later. As for Petrosyan, he is coming off a first-round submission loss at the hands of Rodolfo Vieira earlier this year (see it), so he is out to get back on track while becoming the first man to defeat the man who many feel could be a future title contender. Indeed, if Petrosyan can somehow pull off the upet, his stock will rise in more ways than one. For Magomedov, another win puts him in the Top 15.

Enjoy the fights!

Full UFC 308 Fight Card:

UFC 308 Main Event On ESPN+ PPV:

145 lbs.: UFC Featherweight Champion Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway

UFC 308 Main Card on ESPN+ PPV: 2:00 p.m. ET

185 lbs.: Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev
145 lbs.: Dan Ige vs. Lerone Murphy
205 lbs.: Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic
185 lbs.: Shara Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan

UFC 308 Prelims Card on ESPN/ESPN+: 10:00 a.m. ET

170 lbs.: Geoff Neal vs. Rafael dos Anjos
155 lbs.: Myktybek Orolbai vs. Mateusz Rębecki
185 lbs.: Abus Magomedov vs. Brunno Ferreira
135 lbs.: Said Nurmagomedov vs. Daniel Santos — CANCELED (details here)
205 lbs.: Chris Barnett vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu
135 lbs.: Farid Basharat vs. Victor Hugo
170 lbs.: Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Carlos Leal
205 lbs.: Ibo Aslan vs. Raffael Cerqueira
185 lbs.: Ismail Naurdiev vs. Bruno Silva

*Fight card, bout order and number of fights remain subject to change.*

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 308 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 10 a.m. ET, followed by the UFC 308 PPV main card start time at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 308: “Topuria vs. Holloway” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the complete UFC 308 fight card and PPV lineup click here.

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Mike Tyson is just three weeks away from getting his hands on social media influencer Jake Paul and the former heavyweight boxing champion is looking like an absolutely destroyer.

Despite a massive age difference and a long layoff from professional boxing, “Iron Mike” is doing everything in his power to ready his body for a boxing match with Paul. Some will say it’s an obvious cash grab by “Problem Child” as he tries to pad his lackluster professional boxing record, but the way Tyson is looking in training this could be a massive upset and complete disaster for Paul.

In case you’re missing it, Tyson’s fight camp looks like he’s preparing to fight Muhammad Ali, not a 27-year-old YouTuber with limited boxing skills. The 58-year-old Tyson certainly has a large gap to close given his age and physical health, but if there’s anyone that can do it’s probably the former “Baddest Motherf—ker on the Planet.”

On Friday, Tyson released another set of training videos as he bulks up to put a hurting on Paul. This time around, Ali’s former manager, Gene Kilroy, joined Tyson’s workout session and took a close look at the former heavyweight king. Kilroy has known Tyson since he was 13 years old and claimed this is the strongest he’s ever seen him.

That’s terrifying for Paul and anyone expecting Tyson to get steamrolled on Nov. 15 live on Netflix from inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Check out the footage below:

“This is the strongest I’ve ever seen you. And I’ve known you since you were 13,” said Kilroy. “This impresses the shit out of me. Nothing impresses me.

“I’m going to tell you the truth. I don’t lie. I was worried about him traveling here, traveling there. I can sleep now at night. This is great.”

Here’s some additional footage below:

For much more on the upcoming Paul vs. Tyson boxing spectacle click here.

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Muhammad Mokaev takes on Rogerio Bontorin in a grappling match in Abu Dhabi. Join us for live results of ADXC 6 right here!

Abu Dhabi Extreme Championship 6 (ADXC 6) happens TODAY (Fri., Oct. 25, 2024), in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, with a grappling card filled with familiar names from both the mixed martial arts (MMA) and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) scenes.

The caged grappling event on “Fight Island” will feature both gi- and no-gi matches, streaming LIVE on TX7.com, with the main card starting at 11:50 am ET.

Headlining the card is Muhammad Mokaev, who will be taking on a late replacement and fellow Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) veteran, Rogerio Bontorin. He was originally slated to face Raul Rosas Jr., but Mokaev claims that UFC stepped in and blocked the match from pushing through.

Also on the card are two more no-gi grappling matches between MMA fighters, with Bellator Bantamweight champion, Patchy Mix, taking on former ONE champion, Kairat Akhmetov, and UFC veterans Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Jussier Formiga. Also among the featured bouts is BJJ world champion Jansen Gomes taking on Uanderson Ferreira in the gi.

Follow along below as we bring you live results and video highlights from the BJJ event below:

ADXC 6 Quick Results

Muhammad Mokaev vs Rogerio Bontorin (No gi)
Jansen Gomes vs Uanderson Ferreira (Gi)
Patchy Mix vs Kairat Akhmetov (No gi) — Patchy Mix def. Kairat Akhmetov by unanimous decision (49-46×2, 49-45)
Isaque Bahiense vs Bruno Lima (Gi) — Bruno Lima def. Isaque Bahiense by unanimous decision (49-46 x3)
Tagir Ulanbekov vs Jussier Formiga (No gi) — Jussier Formiga def. Tagir Ulanbekov by unanimous decision (48-47 x2, 49-46)
Jackson Sousa vs Pedro Machado (Gi) — Pedro Machado def. Jackson Sousa by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Catriel Rodrigues vs Moritz Kollensperger (No gi) — Catriel Rodrigues def. Moritz Kollensperger by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Lucas Protasio vs Rolando Samson (Gi) — Rolando Samson def. Lucas Protasio by split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29)
Joao Zeferino vs Yan Cabral (No gi) — Joao Zeferino def. Yan Cabral by submission (rear naked choke), R2
Emily Ferreira vs Ludmila Fiori (Gi) — Emily Ferreira def. Ludmila Fiori by submission (Kimura), R3
Luccas Lira vs Marat Kurbanov (No gi) — Luccas Lira def. Marat Kurbanov by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Yaroslav Rymashevkii vs Youness Bennouali (Gi) — Youness Bennouali def. Yaroslav Rymashevkii by split decision (29-28, 30-27, 28-29)
Riki Yoshinaga vs Valor Boyer (No gi) — Valor Boyer def. Riki Yoshinaga by submission (Aoki lock), R2
Dayane Bazzoni vs Carol Brunacio (Gi) — Carol Brunacio def. Dayane Bazzoni by unanimous decision (30-26 x2, 30-27)
Jaures Dea vs Hamza Hamry (No gi) — Jaures Dea def. Hamza Hamry by submission (armbar), R1

ADXC 6 Results, Video Highlights

Muhammad Mokaev vs Rogerio Bontorin (No gi)

Final result:

Jansen Gomes vs Uanderson Ferreira (Gi)

Final result:

Patrick Mix vs Kairat Akhmetov (No gi)

Final result:

Tagir Ulanbekov vs Jussier Formiga (No gi)

Final result:

Isaque Bahiense vs Bruno Lima (Gi)

Final result:

For the latest Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) and grappling-related news click here.

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With the UFC 308 early (and official) weigh ins already in the books (get full results and video here), the cast and crew of tomorrow’s (Sat., Oct. 26, 2024) “Topuria vs. Holloway” pay-per-view (PPV) mixed martial arts (MMA) event will head to Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE, for the ceremonial weigh ins and corresponding staredowns, streaming LIVE at 10 a.m. ET (7 a.m. PT) in the embedded video above. UFC 308 will be headlined by the featherweight title fight between current 145-pound champion Ilia Topuria and former division kingpin Max Holloway. In the UFC 308 co-headliner, former 185-pound champion Robert Whittaker collides with undefeated middleweight phenom Khamzat Chimaev.

“He doesn’t even know what to say anymore,” Topuria said during the UFC 308 press conference. “Why doesn’t he talk about what we’re here to do? Which is the fight. That’s because he doesn’t see any flaws i me. He doesn’t know where to grab from. He knows I’m much better than him, and now he has to resort to other things, just like when Conor (McGregor) was saying I wasn’t Spanish. Because I don’t have any flaws as a fighter, and I’m much better than them, they go to that. But we’ll see on Saturday, he shows up, and I’m shutting his mouth.”

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 308 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 10 a.m. ET, followed by the UFC 308 PPV main card start time at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 308: “Topuria vs. Holloway” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the complete UFC 308 fight card and PPV lineup click here.

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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to the pay-per-view (PPV) market this Sat. (Oct. 26, 2024) for the “Topuria vs. Holloway” mixed martial arts (MMA) fight card, held inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE. UFC 308 will be headlined by the featherweight title fight between current 145-pound champion Ilia Topuria and former division kingpin Max Holloway. In the UFC 308 co-headliner, former UFC 185-pound champion Robert Whittaker battles undefeated middleweight sensation Khamzat Chimaev. Elsewhere on the card, light heavyweight “Rocket” Aleksandar Rakic tangles with Magomed Ankalaev for a spot in the 205-pound title chase.

But before they can fight, they must first weigh in.

The UFC 308 early (and official) weigh ins will stream LIVE from the promotion’s host hotel in the embedded video above starting promptly at 1 a.m. ET, which is late Thursday night at 10 p.m. PT for you folks operating on Pacific Time. The festivities are expected to last roughly two hours but could end much earlier depending on how quickly all 26 fighters get to the scale. Remember, the promotion will also stage the UFC 308 ceremonial weigh ins — complete with fighter staredowns — live from Etihad Arena at 10 a.m. ET on Friday morning.

Complete UFC 308 early weigh ins text results below:

UFC 308 Main Card on ESPN+ PPV:

145 lbs.: UFC Featherweight Champion Ilia Topuria (145) vs. Max Holloway (145)
185 lbs.: Robert Whittaker (185.5) vs. Khamzat Chimaev (186)
145 lbs.: Dan Ige (146) vs. Lerone Murphy (145.5)
205 lbs.: Magomed Ankalaev (204.5) vs. Aleksandar Rakic (206)
185 lbs.: Shara Magomedov (185) vs. Armen Petrosyan (186)

UFC 308 Prelims Card on ESPN/ESPN+:

170 lbs.: Geoff Neal (171) vs. Rafael dos Anjos (171)
155 lbs.: Myktybek Orolbai (159) vs. Mateusz Rębecki (160)
185 lbs.: Abus Magomedov (185) vs. Brunno Ferreira (185.5)
205 lbs.: Chris Barnett (264) vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu (241)
145* lbs.: Farid Basharat (137) vs. Victor Hugo (145.5)
170 lbs.: Rinat Fakhretdinov (171) vs. Carlos Leal (169)
205 lbs.: Ibo Aslan (205) vs. Raffael Cerqueira (203)
185 lbs.: Ismail Naurdiev (185) vs. Bruno Silva (186)

Backup: Diego Lopes (145)

Hugo came in 10 lbs heavy, and Basharat agreed to a Featherweight bout.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 308 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 10 a.m. ET, followed by the UFC 308 PPV main card start time at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 308: “Topuria vs. Holloway” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the complete UFC 308 fight card and PPV lineup click here.

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“Poatan” might star in a movie as a villain.

Today (Tues., Oct. 24, 2024), The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight champion Alex Pereira is in talks to join Onslaught, which will be directed by Adam Wingard.

Onslaught is described as a “gonzo action horror thriller,” and the only other details about the plot are that “a mother falls back on a particular set of skills in order to protect her loved ones after she runs afoul of a threat that has escaped a secret military base.”

Pereira, who would be making his acting debut, will play a “character called The Butcher, and bring his set of skills to the role — including anaconda chokes and roundhouse kicks,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

If Pereira does end up getting the role, he will join the solid list of UFC fighters who have decided to put the gloves down (for a few months) and pick up a script, such as Conor McGregor, Rampage Jackson, Khalil Rountree Jr., Kamaru Usman, and Michael Bisping.
Just this year, Sharaputdin Magomedov got the call from Hollywood to star in a movie as a villain.

UFC savior, superstar, two-division champion, actor – what more can “Poatan” do?

Anyway, if you don’t know who the director of his upcoming movie is, I highly advise you to go watch The Guest and You’re Next immediately. Godzilla vs. Kong was kind of enjoyable, but I definitely recommend staying away from Death Note and Blair Witch (remake).

To checkout UFC’s upcoming schedule of events click here.

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Power Slap Super Heavyweight champion “Da Crazy Hawaiian” took on the man who got UFC CEO Dana White into this crazy sporting event, “Russian Dumpling,” at Power Slap 9 today (Thurs. Oct. 24, 2024) from inside Space42 Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Da Crazy Hawaiian slapped first and seemed to wobble Dumpling. The Russian slapped second, but Da Crazy Hawaiian flinched, causing a point deduction, allowing Dumpling to slap again.

In the second round, both men ate their respective slaps. Another foul occurred in the third round, as Da Crazy Hawaiian flinched yet again, causing Dumpling to slap him twice.

Nothing significant happened in the fourth round, but in the final round, Da Crazy Hawaiian had his best shot of the fight and seemed to really hurt his Russian opponent. Dumpling slapped last in the bout but it was pretty weak.

While it seemed that Dumpling would become the new titleholder because of the champion’s two fouls, the judges saw it differently and scored the fight a majority draw (48-46, 47-47, 47-47).

After the fight, Dumpling simply told the post-fight interviewer, “this sucks.”

Watch highlights below:

For full results of Power Slap 9, including Paige VanZant’s second Power Slap outing, click HERE.

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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) held its official pre-fight press conference on Thursday for the upcoming UFC 308 pay-per-view (PPV) event, locked and loaded for this Sat. (Oct. 26, 2024) at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE. All 10 main card combatants were on hand this morning and came face-to-face at the conclusion of the UFC 308 press conference festivities.

That includes event headliners Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway. “El Matador” makes this first defense of his 145-pound title against “Blessed,” who is certainly no stranger to championship titles. In addition, ex-middleweight kingpin Robert Whittaker returns to battle local hero Khamzat Chimaev, not long after Magomed Ankalaev and Aleksandar Rakic hook ‘em up at 205 pounds.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 308 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 10 a.m. ET, followed by the UFC 308 PPV main card start time at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 308: “Topuria vs. Holloway” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the complete UFC 308 fight card and PPV lineup click here.

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Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

The Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing spectacle is less than a month away, scheduled to stream live on Netflix on Fri., Nov. 15, 2024 from inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. There are serious concerns about the health of the 58-year-old long retired boxing champion, but like it or not, it’s likely to be the most-watched boxing match of the year.

Paul enters as the favorite, but the latest clip from Mike Tyson’s training camp for “The Problem Child” may change some hearts and minds. Tyson looks fast firing live combinations against his training partner, and a big left hook at the end sits his opponent down. “I got a lot in me,” a fired up Tyson exclaims. “I’m just getting started.”

The video garnered a strong reaction online and many sound confident that Jake Paul is due for an unplanned nap. It’s a good vote of confidence in “Iron” Mike, who revealed back in September that he was having difficulty walking ahead of his training camp. The match will be his first professionally sanctioned bout since June 2005.

As for Paul, he was last seen pummeling undersized bare knuckle star Mike Perry back in July. This match up remains in the usual Paul playbook of fighting an older athlete, but at least this time he won’t have a huge size advantage.

Insomnia

This is absolutely Tony Ferguson 101.

I like the creativity in these pillow exchanges.

All the best to the Fury family, this is awful.

Sam Alvey and not understanding things feels like an iconic duo.

How hard is this to accomplish?

I am continually impressed by Ilia Topuria’s boxing, but Nick Diaz may not be.

Cameron Smotherman had to pull a “veteran move” to make his UFC debut happen, but it paid off!

I get that Dana White hates the idea of an open air venue in South Africa for exactly this reason, but could you imagine how funny a Dricus Du Plessis fight would be in similar circumstance?!?

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Amirzhanov would appear to have the perfect build for hitting ninja chokes.

A lovely 1-1-2.

I don’t know what the rules were, but it’s nice to see Sumo get a win in combat sports.

Random Land

I pray for the chance to write a final sentence like this.

Midnight Music: Hip-hop, 1991

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

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Knock on wood?

Khamzat Chimaev finally makes his highly-anticipated return to active competition in UFC 308’s pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event this weekend (Sat., Oct. 26, 2024) against No. 3-ranked Middleweight, Robert Whittaker, from inside Etihad Arena on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Ever since this Middleweight mega-fight was announced earlier this year, there have been legitimate concerns about whether Chimaev will make the walk to the Octagon — he has a rich history of withdrawing from important fights. Plus, “Borz” and Whittaker were supposed to clash in Saudi Arabia this past summer, but health issues torpedoed it.

Well, there is (more) good news because ESPN MMA posted a clip of Chimaev looking, “strong and healthy.” Check it out below:

Unfortunately, the mixed martial arts (MMA) world will not know if Chimaev will make it to fight until the cage locks behind him on Saturday, mainly because the hardest part of the process is still to come: the dreaded weight cut. So, let’s knock on wood and hope Chimaev doesn’t walk under any ladders.

For what it’s worth, Chimaev is coming off a ho-hum decision win over former Welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman, at UFC 294 back in Oct. 2023 and has been perfect inside the Octagon thus far (7-0).

Whittaker, meanwhile, has been on a roll since losing to now-champion Dricus Du Plessis … and he is hunting for Chimaev to secure another coveted 185-pound title shot.

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 308 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. ET (simulcast on ESPNews at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 2 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 308: “Topuria vs. Holloway” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

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