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Dana White’s Contender Series: Finney v Rowston
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

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

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Last week (Tues., Aug. 20, 2024), 25-year-old Torrez Finney picked up his second victory under the Contenders Series banner to improve to 9-0 as a professional. Unfortunately for “The Punisher,” he didn’t impress UFC CEO Dana White enough to earn a UFC contract. In fact, he was the subject of a negative tirade from White, who claimed Finney would “get absolutely decimated in the UFC.” He also blasted Finney for fighting just once in the year between Contenders Series appearances.

The point of the show may be to judge fighters, but it felt a bit harsh. Finney has a bit of hype online, and he seems like a reasonably talented Middleweight prospect. Now, Finney has revealed there’s even more to it than White claimed, as he explained that a potential spot on The Ultimate Fighter sidelined him for the first quarter of 2024.

“You know, I don’t think a lot of people know this, but I was selected to be on The Ultimate Fighter this year,” Finney explained to MMA on Sirius XM (via Forbes). “Whenever you sign The Ultimate Fighter contract, you are restricted from fighting during that time span. So during that time span in January, I couldn’t fight for January, February, March.

“So right when I was selected,” Finney continued. “Well, right when they made the selection, the day before they were about to take your phones — the head producer comes up to my room and says, ‘Hey, we’re going a different route. We’re doing the, um, country thingy, you know, everybody from a different country.’ They selected somebody else. I said, ‘Okay, boom. All right. It is what it is.’ They did that to me, and they did it to Yusuf Zalal. Yusuf Zalal turned around two weeks later and went out and fought on the UFC Fight Night against Billy Quarantillo. And with me, I had to turn around and go find a fight. Two weeks later, we found a fight. I fought in May, but the problem is, four weeks before that May fight, I got offered to be on the Contender Series.”

Finney accepted and won the May bout despite already having the Contenders Series offer in hand. It was a risk to gain experience as had been requested after his first win on the show, yet Finney doesn’t feel he’s being given credit for taking that chance. According to “The Punisher,” these circumstances make the logic behind White’s critique flawed.

“So a lot of that stuff that was said — like when he said, ‘I told you to go back and get more fights, and then you come on here with one fight’ — I feel like some of that stuff is a little bit flawed because, one, I don’t make the decision to be on the Contender Series,” Finney explained. “And then, two, I would have had more fights if it wasn’t for The Ultimate Fighter. And then again, I feel like there’s a disconnect because Dana has so much on his plate. I don’t think he knows everything that goes on within the UFC, so I don’t expect him to know that type of thing. But to say some of the things that he went out there and said without having the knowledge of it — I feel like some of that stuff is a little bit inconsistent.”

Hopefully, this bit of controversy doesn’t hold back Finney from a productive relationship with the UFC. Of course, he could alternatively attempt to follow the footsteps of Brendan Loughnane, who was dissed by White on Contenders Series and then went on to win a million dollars in Professional Fighter’s League.

Insomnia

Possibly the most exciting kickboxing alive is fed up with One Championship.

This was the exact moment I knew “The Leech” was going to get knocked cold. So slick!

There’s a reason most wrestling practices begin with cartwheels in the warm up!

Michael Bisping’s takedown defense was underrated for a long time. I’ll always remember his clinch defense surprising a Chael Sonnen at the height of his powers.

Robert Valentin gives Ryan Loder his props, and hopefully, we’ll see him receive a second shot inside the Octagon.

Some variation of this happens every week in Russia yet doesn’t stop being funny. The table throw!

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Switching up angles on the power hand:

An absolutely nasty KO and great demonstration of hitting an opponent as they move to stand.

Eduardo “Chapolin” Henrique is 13-2 with 10 finishes opposite quality competition. It’s time for the call up!

Random Land

There Will, indeed, Be Blood.

Midnight Music: Alternative, 1997

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

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‘I Just Tried To Bite His Heart’

by Site Admin ~ August 26th, 2024

UFC 229: Khabib v McGregor
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Khabib Nurmagomedov doesn’t like to give his biggest career fight too much thought in 2024.

The Nurmagomedov-Conor McGregor rivalry was — and from McGregor’s side still is — the most volatile in mixed martial arts (MMA) history. Unfortunately for “The Notorious,” it was a rough night in and out of the office.

Nurmagomedov successfully made his first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight title defense at UFC 229 against McGregor in October 2018. However, the fourth round neck crank was only the beginning of the real madness as a chaotic brawl broke out between the teams afterward when Nurmagomedov attacked the Irishman’s corner.

“It was a very emotional time, but at the same time, it was my feeling — I really wanted to bite someone’s heart,” Nurmagomedov said on the Inspire Me podcast (h/t MMA Fighting). “Do you have that feeling in your life? I just tried to bite his heart.

“Maybe you can feel this,” he concluded. “I am ‘The Eagle,’ and when the eagle is hungry, it’s not good. He has to hunt. That’s why.”

The end of UFC 229 was where things left off in Nurmagomedov’s book. McGregor has thrown several verbal jabs back at the Russian since to no response. While the commission and promotion didn’t enjoy the chaos that ensued, Nurmagomedov knew it was a possibility from the start.

“When the promotion promotes this fight, they have to expect something,” Nurmagomedov said. “When they know me, when they know all my team, when they know we don’t play. We compete, we don’t play. You cannot play MMA. You can play soccer. You can play American football, you can play hockey. But you cannot play MMA. You have to fight. This is a fighting game.

“A lot of people said it was a very strange or weird or something like this, but it was my decision,” he concluded.

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UFC 300: Oliveira v Tsarukyan
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

The consequences of Islam Makhachev’s hand injury are far-reaching.

The Lightweight kingpin was expected to defend his strap at UFC 308 on October 26 in Abu Dhabi opposite surging contender Arman Tsarukyan, but his injury delayed that contest and left the card without a main event. Instead, Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway was shipped from UFC 307 to Abu Dhabi, leaving an opening for Alex Pereira to save the day (again) in the now-vacant UFC 307 headliner.

Of course, the No.1-ranked Lightweight contender Tsarukyan was affected himself as well. In a recent interview with Red Corner MMA, Tsarukyan revealed that expects a December title fight, either opposite Makhachev or for an interim title.

Tsarukyan explained, “[Fight was Islam] was supposed to take place in October, but they have put it off. Now, it’s being negotiated for December … It depends on when Islam is coming back. If he needs a surgery and returns next spring, then they will put the interim belt on the line.”

In addition, the changing date means that Tsarukyan no longer has to record an anti-bully video for the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), which was a prerequisite for Tsarukyan to return in October after punching a fan. According to Tsarukyan, Makhachev’s likely delay to December means that he will no longer be suspended at that time and doesn’t need to shorten his sentence with the optional anti-bully PSA. He continued, “If my fight is scheduled for December, there’s no point.”

It’s a shame, because watching the hot-headed wrestler advise viewers to keep their hands to themselves sounds hilarious.

As for a possible interim title, the question becomes who would be Tsarukyan’s opponent? A Charles Oliveira rematch is always possible given the competitive nature of their 15-minute scrap, but that’s a pretty short turnaround to rebook the duo. Actually, the only man in the Lightweight Top Five currently riding a win streak besides Tsarukyan is Dan Hooker, which would certainly be a surprising and unexpected match up.

We’ll just have to wait and see how the 155-pound division shakes out in the coming months.

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‘If You Don’t Kill DDP, He’s Going To Win’

by Site Admin ~ August 26th, 2024

UFC 290: Whittaker v Du Plessis
Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Whittaker is giving credit where credit is due to Du Plessis, whose fight style may not be pretty but certainly seems to work.

185 pound champion Dricus Du Plessis continues to shock and amaze fighters and fans with his unlikely wins, largely due to his unorthodox style that seems like it shouldn’t work but keeps earning him wins against the best middleweights in the world.

At UFC 305, he defeated Israel Adesanya to cement his position at the top of the division. And in July 2023 he took out Robert Whittaker, earning a TKO win in the second round. During a new interview with Submission Radio, “The Reaper” discussed “DDP” and his unlikely success.

“I thought Adesanya looked spectacular,” he said of the UFC 305 showdown. “I thought this was probably the best version we saw of him. He was very effective. He looked in his groove. He was landing big shots. But man, DDP is one of those guys that if you don’t kill him, he’s going to win the fight. You got to really take the fight to him for 25 minutes. And if you if you give him any space, if you give him any opportunity to crawl back in, he just keeps coming.”

“You cannot sit on your laurels. You need to be wired on, locked in for 25 minutes.”

“I’d like to think that I never underestimate my opponents, but I probably did him,” Whittaker admitted regarding Du Plessis. “Maybe. It’s hard to say. You know, the prep wasn’t ideal. And everybody says it: you look at him fight, and the guy looks like a pub fighter, right? But he just keeps smashing people. In that first fight with him, I saw the punches coming. I moved out of the way. I felt good in there. I was like, I got this. And then I got punched in the face, right?”

“It’s not a pretty style, but it’s effective. Super effective. And I think the biggest thing is the mentality behind his shots. If you’re not at that level, like, if you’re not on the same plane of offering as he is, then he’s going to run away with it.”

At this point, Whittaker doesn’t see any of the current big names beating Du Plessis. Not Sean Strickland, who the UFC has tapped for the next title shot, or Alex Pereira, who says he wants to move back down to middleweight to face the South African champion.

“He’s been fighting up there [at 205] for a while now,” Whittaker said of Pereira. “So it’s it would be it would take a lot out of him to get down. And Dricus is so strong there … Dricus hits hard. You saw that in the fight against Adesanya. Adesanya has a really good chin, and Dricus was still hurting him enough to make him uncomfortable.”

“Dricus is a hard fight. He just has that insane pressure and willingness to get hit to to land hits. And he wins that fight [against Strickland] a lot of the time. I think he’s going to be he’s a hard fight for a lot of people.”

Next up for Robert Whittaker is a long-awaited showdown with Khamzat Chimaev in Abu Dhabi at UFC 208 on October 26th. It’s a pivotal fight for the Australian’s career, and “Bobby Knuckles” believes his gameplan is no big secret.

“It’s quite simple, you know,” he said. “You’ve got to worry about how hard he’s going to push the wrestling envelope in the first few rounds. And then what I’m going to do after that, after I stop the takedowns, after I get back up or whatever, and just taking the fight to him? Everyone can see how this fight’s going to play out. Everyone can make a rough plan on how to approach it. So what you’re thinking is probably what I’m doing.”

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White Fixes Cong Snub, Pays Out 50k Bonus

by Site Admin ~ August 26th, 2024

UFC Fight Night: Wang v Leonardo
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

White wasn’t at the Apex to watch Cong knock out her opponent in just over a minute, but he made sure she got paid when he returned to Las Vegas.

Wang Cong will get a $ 50,000 performance bonus after all for her 62 second knockout of Victoria Leonardo at this weekend’s UFC on ESPN: Cannonier vs. Borralho event.

After winning a Road to UFC fight in May via first round submission, Cong made her official debut in the UFC with a blistering knockout on the early prelims of Saturday’s card. It was one of the biggest highlights of the night, but somehow got overlooked for a performance bonus: matchmakers handed those to Michael Morales for his KO of Neil Magny and Gerald Meerschaert for his come-from-behind submission of Edmen Shahbazyan.

As we’re quickly learning, Cong is pretty outspoken and took to social media to complain about the lack of a bonus.

“Wake up and find out there is no POTN,” she wrote with an angry face emoji. “Next fight you will see more spectacular finish UFC, Don’t play with Joker again!”

In Chinese, she added “I’m so angry that there is no bonus.”

Well, she doesn’t have to be angry any more, because Dana White is fixing the situation for her.

“I was out of town and watch the fight at Mystique Boston on TV,” White wrote on her Instagram. “You looked AMAZING. I’m adding another PON bonus for u. Congrats u get 50k.”

“I love you Dana,” Cong wrote in response.

Considering her opponent was a +700 dog and 1-3 in UFC, it’s a bit early to know whether Cong is legit. She has some serious swagger and striking power, though, and she also has an interesting backstory: she holds a victory over Valentina Shevchenko in kickboxing from 2015.

While her UFC journey is just beginning, she’s already gunning for “Bullet.”

“My striking is better than her,” Cong said at the post-fight press conference. “If she takes a fight with me, I’ll fight her anytime.”

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Nigerian Support Fans Izzy’s Flame

by Site Admin ~ August 25th, 2024

Adesanya is drawing big crowds wherever he goes in Nigeria, Africa even without a UFC belt around his waist.

Israel Adesanya didn’t get to bring his former UFC middleweight belt back to Nigeria, but the fans there don’t seem to mind.

Adesanya dropped a fourth round submission loss to Dricus Du Plessis in the main event of UFC 305 on August 17th, ending his title contention for the immediate future. Despite the loss, he didn’t cancel plans to return home to his home country of Nigeria, where we’re seeing lots of great social media posts featuring the African UFC star.

There’s one video from Lagos where “The Last Stylebender” visited a grocery store and is crowded by fans who followed him through the building. Another shows Izzy and his family singing at a church service. Both times, the area was reportedly swamped with fans the moment people found out Adesanya was nearby.

He also met up with fellow UFC fighter Sodiq Yusuff to attend a local boxing event. The crowd gave Adesanya a big round of approval as he talked up the up and coming talent from the region.

“Energy never dies, it can be passed on and amplified,” Adesanya wrote in a post featuring pictures and videos from the event. “Bless the future, bless my people, their flame inspired me!”

He also shared some new information regarding his fight against Du Plessis, seeming to confirm something his former rival Alex Pereira guessed at in a recent video.

“We don’t talk about injuries, we don’t talk about problems,” Pereira said on his YouTube channel. “We are there, we want to fight, we want to win. No excuses. Maybe Adesanya had an injury, I don’t know. You could see he kicked very little. That inside leg kick of Adesanya is very good … he didn’t continue to do it … he is only throwing hands.”

“It’s weird how this guy knows me,” Adesanya wrote above a retweet of Pereira’s comments. “It’s like we’ve spent hours studying each other’s moves and fought multiple times or sumn’. I mean that.”

As of now there’s no hint as to what could be next for Israel Adesanya. Following the fight he confirmed he had no plans to retire, but also said he wasn’t planning on rushing back for another fight any time soon. But with his hometown crowd gassing him up so much, maybe we’ll hear something soon about the next time we can expect to see “The Last Stylebender” in the cage.

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Video: ‘Poatan’ Pulls Rim Job At Old Tire Shop

by Site Admin ~ August 25th, 2024

JAY-Z’s Iconic The 40/40 Club Opens Reimagined Lounge Experience With Fanatics Sportsbook At Fanatics Fest NYC
Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Fanatics

Pereira knows how to fight, and he knows how to swap a tire off a rim with nothing more than a hammer and metal rod.

Alex Pereira has had a wild ride to the top of the UFC, but he hasn’t forgotten his roots.

As a youth he dropped out of school at 12 to work in a tire repair shop in Brazil and spent years of his life doing back breaking auto work and slipping into alcoholism. Kickboxing led him away from drinking and poverty — he went pro in 2013 and was a Glory champion by 2017. In 2020 he put his full efforts towards MMA, and by 2022 he’d won his first UFC title.

Now he’s the UFC light heavyweight champion … but the dude still knows how to wrangle a quick rim job.

In a new video shared through his Instagram stories, “Poatan” returned to Villa Nova Borracharia in Sao Paulo where he used to work. He didn’t hesitate to step in and get his hands dirty, swapping some tires off their rims with the less than optimal tools at hand.

Alex Pereira’s next task in the cage will be a light heavyweight title defense against Khalil Rountree Jr. in the main event of UFC 307 this October 5th in Salt Lake City, Utah. It’s a bit of an odd opponent given Rountree is ranked No. 8 at 205, and No. 2 ranked Magomed Ankalaev is still waiting for his shot. In a recent interview on his YouTube channel, Pereira put the blame for that solely on Ankalaev.

“I’ve always wanted to fight against Ankalaev and I’ve made it clear,” he said “But Ankalaev didn’t want to fight me. I don’t know the reason, if it was the location, if he didn’t want to fight.”

“He isn’t the champion, he can’t pick anything,” Pereira continued. “[UFC 307] is the opportunity that showed up and he didn’t want it. He has his reasoning, I don’t know what it is. But I came here to tell you I’m not scared of anyone.”

“Everyone knows my history and everything I’ve done, not only in MMA, but in kickboxing as well. It’s obvious that I want to fight this guy. I think he has made things difficult, but we’ll meet eventually.”

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‘Adesanya Didn’t Do What I Did To Him’

by Site Admin ~ August 25th, 2024

UFC Fight Night: Cannonier v Borralho
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA- “The Natural” wants his shot.

Caio Borralho scored a massive win in the main event of UFC Vegas 96 last night (Sat., Aug. 24, 2024) when he ran through former UFC Middleweight title challenger Jared Cannonier, defeating him via unanimous decision from inside the Apex in Las Vegas.

During his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping, Borralho made a bonehead callout (again) by calling out Middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis.

Watch it:

Once the dust settled, Borralho spoke with Ag.Fight after his win to break down his callout.

“It was as tough as I expected. I knew Jared was a very tough guy. I knew he had champion-level skills, he’s fought for the title before. Adesanya didn’t do what I did to him,” Borralho said. “I knew he was someone who would demand the best from me, and he really did. It was exactly as I imagined, and the victory came as I imagined.”

For the third time, I challenged [Du Plessis]. UFC is listening. The other times, I won by decision. Tonight, I won by decision, but I almost finished Jared, and I won Fight of the Night. I think Dana [White] liked it; Hunter [Campbell] said he loved it, and the crowd enjoyed it. If my title shot is not next..Whenever there’s talk about the next contender, my name will be in the mix.”

Borralho makes a great point that he dismantled Cannonier over five rounds while Israel Adesanya outpointed him in a horrendous fight at UFC 276.

The top of the UFC Middleweight division is completely crowded at the moment, with multiple fighters who deserve a crack at the title, and unfortunately, Borralho is probably fourth in line.

Nevertheless, Borralho is undefeated in UFC, sitting pretty at 7-0, and will be ranked No. 5 in the Middleweight division on Tuesday.

What about a fight with Adesanya?


For complete UFC Vegas 96 results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.

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Sooo … About Last Night

by Site Admin ~ August 25th, 2024

UFC Fight Night: Cannonier v Borralho
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Last night (Sat., Aug. 24, 2024), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returned home to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada for UFC Vegas 96. This was a fully standard Apex card. The main event was an interesting and relevant match up, a potential changing of the guard battle between veteran contender Jared Cannonier and rising threat Caio Borralho. The rest of the card was the usual mix of Contenders Series prospects and unranked veterans accompanied by a pair of Ultimate Fighter (TUF) finale matches.

Let’s take a look back over at UFC Vegas 96’s best performances and techniques:

UFC Fight Night: Cannonier v Borralho Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

A New Title Threat Emerges

Borralho seriously impressed in his five-round victory over Cannonier.

Did anyone expect the grappling ace to willingly stand with the knockout artist for 25 minutes? Borralho didn’t shoot a single takedown until a minute into the fifth, and that was a half-hearted effort. He didn’t need to, because his jab and kicking game were pinning Cannonier at range and forcing big movements from “Killa Gorilla.”

Against his most dangerous opponent yet, Borralho’s stand up has never looked better. His jab was downright snappy, his kicks did a ton of damage, and his counters were still on point. In previous fights, Borralho has shown solid fundamentals but often been hesitant to engage fully — that was no problem here.

After this win, Borralho looks like the complete package as a Middleweight contender. Not only does he have plus skills everywhere, but the Brazilian is huge for the division and has a great gas tank. Since his physical gifts match up with Dricus Du Plessis’ own athletic tools better than most, perhaps Borralho could be the man to actually take advantage of Du Plessis’ wonky fundamentals?

Suddenly, it’s a very interesting match up.

UFC Fight Night: Valentin v Loder Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Two TUF Champions Crowned

The Middleweight finale between Ryan Loder and Robert Valentin took place almost entirely on the canvas, but it was still plenty fun.

Loder scored a big takedown right off the bat, but the All-American wrestler lost top position while cranking away on a scarf hold armlock. Valentin found his way to the back in the ensuing scramble and put Loder in a threatening choke, but the wrestler eventually fought his way back into top position. He finished the round there throwing elbows, but both men had their moments.

The second round started off with another wild scramble, and Loder landed in top position once more. This time, he advanced passed the guard more patiently and pinned Valentin’s arm again. Rather that attack the submission, he secured the crucifix and kept chipping away with elbows. That weren’t huge strikes, but he was landing hard and making it clear that Valentin wasn’t able to escape the position.

The referee was forced to intervene.

Marion Santos vs. Kaan Olfi decided the Featherweight division finale, and it proved to be a very one-sided clash. Almost immediately, Santos answered Olfi’s forward pressure with a crisp overhand right that was just thrown perfectly, snappy and off-the-center line. With a single shot, Santos set the tone and demonstrated himself the sharper striker.

Santos controlled range really well throughout the first, keeping his feet beneath him while moving laterally and planting with power shots. Olfi was getting touched up, and credit to the Aussie, he know he had to make something happen. He tried to press Santos into the fence and get his wrestling going, but a simultaneous trade of right hands saw Olfi creamed by the follow-up left hook of Santos.

Olfi looks to be a decent, UFC-level Featherweight. The 24-year-old Brazilian, however, very much appears to be a genuine blue chip prospect and worthy TUF winner.

UFC Fight Night: Magny v Morales Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Michael Morales Makes A Statement

About a minute into Morales vs. Neil Magny, I said out loud to nobody in particular, “Magny is going to do it again, huh?” On his first takedown attempt of the night — with an already damaged lead leg, somehow — Magny had managed to work behind Morales in the clinch and lock his hands. That’s Magny’s best position, the type of wrestling achievement that normally takes him way longer and way more punishment to score.

It was a bad omen for Morales, yet it didn’t turn out to matter at all. Magny couldn’t drag the incredibly strong Ecuadorian to the floor no matter what he tried. Eventually, Magny’s grip began to break, and Morales capitalized with a wild spinning elbow that sent the veteran flying into the canvas. Cool as could be, Morales took top position, advanced into mount and back mount, then pounded his opponent into dust. He didn’t give Magny a chance to recover and forced the referee’s hand with a barrage of strikes. Just like that, the hyper athletic young talent breaks into the Top 15.

He looks like a hard man to beat.

UFC Fight Night: Shahbazyan v Meerschaert Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

GM3 Does It Again

Edmen Shahbazyan was fighting really well.

For the first five minutes, “Golden Boy” took advantage of his speed and youth to remain in the driver’s seat. He shucked off a couple takedown attempts with absolute ease and was sticking Gerald Meerschaert with hard long distance strikes. The pace was very manageable, and Meerschaert was taking a lot of damage.

Alas, Shahbazyan made a critical mistake: he tried to finish “GM3.” A slick body shot counter floored Meerschaert, and Shahbazyan threw probably 100 ground strikes trying to convince the referee to finish. The problem is that Meerschaert is a veteran, kept his hands high, and was sure to move anytime the referee warned him.

After a couple minutes, Shahbazyan’s fatal flaw of fatigue rose its head. Back on his feet, Meerschaert swarmed his younger foe with power punches then ducked into a takedown. Almost immediately, he was on top and attacking an arm triangle choke. In the process, he secured his 11th UFC tapout win and 12th stoppage overall, which sets the Middleweight record.

Not too shabby!

UFC Fight Night: Wang v Leonardo Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Additional Thoughts

  • Wang Cong defeats Victoria Leonardo via first-round knockout (HIGHLIGHTS): Talk about an impressive debut! Cong’s first trip to the UFC Octagon lasted just about 60 seconds before a cracking 1-2 floored her opponent for good. That’s too short to learn much, but the primary lesson is clear: Cong has POWER! The decorated Sanda fighter and amateur boxer is absolutely one to watch at 125-pounds. At 32 years of age, there’s no time to waste, and Cong appropriately demanded a main card slot for her next appearance.

For complete UFC Vegas 96: “Cannonier vs. Borralho” results and play-by-play, click HERE!

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LIVE! UFC Vegas 96 Results, Streaming Updates

by Site Admin ~ August 24th, 2024

UFC Vegas 96 headliner Jared Cannonier, when he fought Marvin Vettori.
UFC Vegas 96 headliner Jared Cannonier, when he fought Marvin Vettori. | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

UFC Vegas 96 comes to us LIVE on ESPN+/ESPN tonight (Sat., Aug. 24, 2024) with Jared Cannonier vs. Caio Borralho in the main event. Watch what happens here!

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is back in Las Vegas, Nevada, TONIGHT (August, 24, 2024) with UFC Vegas 96. The mixed martial arts (MMA) event was streamed LIVE on ESPN and ESPN+. The main event has former Middleweight title challenger Jared Cannonier facing the rising, and undefeated in UFC, Caio Borralho. The co-main sees Strawweight mainstay Angela Hill facing off with ‘Baby Shark’ Tabatha Ricci. The main card also featues Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Gerald Meerschaert and Michael Morales vs. Neil Magny.

The “Prelims” card is headlined by Dennis Buzukja vs. Francis Marshall. The undercard also has Zach Reese vs. Jose Medina, Viacheslav Borschev vs. James Llontop and Cong Wang vs. Victoria Leonardo.

This event also has the finale bouts for the current season of The Ultimate Fighter. Ryan Loder takes on Robert Valentin to conclude the Middleweight bracket and Kaan Ofli will fight Mairon Santos in the finale of the Featherweight bracket. Those fights take place on the main card.

UFC VEGAS 96 START TIME, DATE

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 96 card below, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which begin at 7 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card (also on ESPN/ESPN+) at 10 p.m. ET.

Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps, and post-fight analysis following “Cannonier vs. Borralho” Without further delay, see below for the updated UFC Vegas 96 results. (Note: This will go from the top down; therefore, look to the top of the stream for the newest update).

UFC Fight Night: Vettori v Cannonier Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Jared Cannonier headlines tonight’s UFC Vegas 96.

UFC VEGAS 96 QUICK RESULTS

185 lbs.: Jared Cannonier vs. Caio Borralho
115 lbs.: Angela Hill vs. Tabatha Ricci
185 lbs.: Ryan Loder vs. Robert Valentin
145 lbs.: Kaan Ofli vs. Mairon Santos
170 lbs.: Michael Morales vs. Neil Magny
185 lbs.: Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Gerald Meerschaert
145 lbs.: Dennis Buzukja vs. Francis Marshall
185 lbs.: Jose Medina vs. Zach Reese — Reese def. Medina via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
155 lbs.: Viacheslav Borshchev vs. James Llontop — Borschev def. Llontop via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
135 lbs.: Josiane Nunes vs. Jacqueline Cavalcanti — Cavalcanti def. Nunes via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
145 lbs.: Zygimantas Ramaska vs. Nathan Fletcher — Fight cancelled due to medical issue on the part of Fletcher (details HERE)
125 lbs.: Wang Cong vs. Victoria Leonardo — Wang def. Leonardo via KO (punch), round 1 (1:02) — HIGHLIGHTS!

UFC VEGAS 96 ‘Cannonier vs. Borralho’ PLAY-BY-PLAY



To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 96 news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

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