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UFC Louisville went down last night (Sat., June 8, 2024), featuring a Middleweight bout that saw Nassourdine Imavov score a fourth round technical knockout win over Jared Cannonier (see it again here). In the co-main event, Dominick Reyes returned to the win column, defeating Dustin Jacoby via strikes in the first round (his first win in five years), while Raul Rosas Jr. submitted Ricky Turcios in the second round (watch highlights).

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Winner: Nassourdine Imavov
Who He Should Face Next: Run it back with Cannonier

Some may disagree, but a rematch is in order following that horrible stoppage. While it may be a tall task to convince Imavov to sign on the dotted line since he is the one who had his hand raised in victory, it makes sense. Cannonier is ranked fourth, Imavov is seventh, so if he wants to make his case for the Top 5, get a more convincing win over “Killa Gorilla.”

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Winner: Dominick Reyes
Who He Should Face Next: Alonzo Menifield

For the first time in five years, Reyes had his hand raised in victory after destroying Jacoby. Still ranked No. 15 in the division, Reyes could be staring at a showdown against Menifield, who was last seen coming up short against Carlos Ulberg a few weeks ago. Prior to the defeat, Menifield was 4-0-1 and is currently ranked No. 13 in the division.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Winner: Raul Rosas Jr.
Who He Should Face Next: Brad Katona

Rosas Jr. is now 3-1 inside the Octagon, proving that he isn’t just hype. Still, slow and steady is the name of the game for the young contender, and a showdown against Katona seems fitting. Katona was also victorious last night, defeating Jesse Butler via unanimous decision. Since returning to the Octagon, the former two-time The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winner is 2-1 after going 2-2 in his first run. Katona has the experience to test Rosas Jr., and it would be a great measuring stick.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Winner: Brunno Ferreira
Who He Should Face Next: Edmen Shahbazyan

Ferreira improved to 3-1 under the UFC banner following his impressive first round knockout win over Dustin Stoltzfus, his second straight inside the Octagon. Up next for the Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace, a showdown against Shahbazyan seems fitting. “The Golden Boy” recently got back into the win column himself with his own impressive knockout win over A.J. Dobson two months ago.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Winner: Zachary Reese
Who He Should Face Next: Abus Magomedov

It didn’t take long for Reese to make quick work of Julian Marquez, knocking him out in the first round — in 20 seconds to be exact — to earn his first win inside the Octagon after losing his UFC debut. As for Magomedov, he recently snapped his two-fight skid, defeating Warlley Alves just last month, dropping his UFC record to an even 2-2.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Winner: Punahele Soriano
Who He Should Face Next: Jake Matthews

Soriano made a successful transition to Welterweight, defeating Miguel Baeza via unanimous decision after dropping two in a row at Middleweight. In five years with the promotion, Soriano is an even 4-4, so he needs to start racking up wins in more consecutive fashion if he wants to get some shine. Up next for him should be a fight against the likes of Matthews who — like Soriano — hasn’t been so consistent with earning wins, going just 3-3 in his last six fights. He is coming off a win over Philip Rowe at UFC 302, so their turnaround times could sync up.

For complete UFC Louisville results, coverage and highlights click HERE.

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Israel Adesanya suffered a tough loss to Sean Strickland in September of 2023. New footage shows how ‘Stylebender’ dealt with the adversity behind closed doors.

We’ve got new footage of Israel Adesanya following his championship loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293, and “The Last Stylebender” dealt with the devastating defeat with a lot of class and composure.

Adesanya was a heavy favorite coming into Sydney, Australia against Strickland but was never able to get out of first gear against the stylistically tricky Strickland. He’d end up losing their fight via unanimous decision with 49–46 scores on all three judges’ cards.

The first episode of Roku’s Fight Inc. Inside The UFC included some behind the scenes moments following the fight, including Adesanya in his locker room being consoled by his family.

“You are still the champ,” his mother Taiwo Adesanya said, giving her son a hug. “If you put your gloves down today, you are set for life. So don’t let anything bother you, okay?”

“It’s a good story for [Strickland], I’m proud of him,” Adesanya told his father Oluwafemi. “But I’m gonna get him. We’ll get him back, okay? I promise.”

“We had an off night,” Izzy’s head coach Eugene Bareman said, consoling his fighter. “Couldn’t find what we wanted but we will find it again.”

As Adesanya left the arena, cameras captured Dana White checking in with the former middleweight champion, asking if he was okay. Adesanya sighed before asking for the cameras surrounding him to pause for a moment.

“Thank you for the opportunity,” he told White in a shot taken later. “Thanks for making that fight happen. Again, it doesn’t matter. Even if it’s his night, it doesn’t matter, it’s still history. It’s a good story for him, it’s a good story for America. It is what it is, that’s the game.”

Israel Adesanya hasn’t fought since that fateful night in September 2023. “The Last Stylebender” declared he was taking some time off to re-center and refocus, and while he’s back in the gym and training we still don’t know when his next fight will be.

The UFC returns to Australia with a UFC 305 show in Perth on August 18th. Will this be when he faces Dricus Du Plessis, the current 185 pound champion who defeated Sean Strickland at the start of 2024? Nothing is for certain, but that’s reportedly when the UFC has Israel penciled in. We’ll keep you updated as that date approaches.

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Watch out, Mike Tyson, you aren’t the only old boxer trying to box fighters in their 20s.

During the RIZIN 47 broadcast last night (Sat., June 8, 2024), boxing legend Manny Pacquiao announced that he will be returning to competition against RIZIN Featherweight champion Chihiro Suzuki in a boxing match at Super RIZIN 3. The fight will go down on July 28 from inside the iconic Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Check out his announcement below!

Pacquiao isn’t the only boxing legend to fight in RIZIN. Floyd Mayweather already checked that box in 2018.

Pacquiao, 45, has been retired from professional boxing since his unanimous decision loss to Yordenis Ugas in 2021. However, he took part in two exhibition boxing matches in 2022, winning both. He teased a rematch with Mayweather in January, but nothing has come of that.

A few hours before the big announcement, ESPN reported that Pacquiao is exploring a fall title bout vs. Mario Barrios.

Suzuki, 25, has been on an absolute roll as of late, knocking out everyone in sight, including Patricio Pitbull (watch highlights). He is currently the RIZIN Featherweight champion and is riding an eight-fight win streak, with a no-contest thrown in there.
The Japanese fighter is currently booked to box mixed martial arts legend Takanori Gomi at Knock Out 2024 Super Bout: Blaze in Toyko, Japan.

On top of this wacky boxing match, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) will start its partnership with RIZIN at Super RIZIN 3.

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Kai Asakura is a Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter.

Late Saturday night (June 8, 2024), during the RIZIN 47 broadcast, former PRIDE head honcho and current RIZIN President Nobuyuki Sakakibara announced that his Bantamweight champion, Asakura, has relinquished his title and will be departing for UFC.

MMAMania.com can confirm that UFC is looking for a top-five matchup for the Japanese fighter.

Asakura, 30, had an incredible career in RIZIN, going 13-3 and winning the Bantamweight championship twice. The Japanese fighter has a 76% finish rate with 13 knockouts. He has knockout wins over Bellator fighters Kyoji Horiguchi and Juan Archuleta. He holds a victory over current UFC Flyweight title contender Manel Kape.

His three RIZIN losses were to Horiguchi, Kape, and Hiromasa Ougikubo.

Asakura’s addition to UFC’s Bantamweight division is huge and opens up many fun matchups.

UFC has lacked Japanese fighters in its promotion for several years (except for Tatsuro Taira, who will headline UFC Vegas 93 next week), so Asakura is much needed.

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UFC Louisville goes down on ESPN tonight with Jared Cannonier vs. Nassourdine Imavov in the main event. Checkout what will happen this evening right here!

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heads to the KFC YUM! Center in Louisville, Kentucky this weekend (Sat., June 8, 2024) with UFC Louisville mixed martial arts (MMA) event. The event will be streamed LIVE on ESPN and ESPN+. The main event sees Jared Cannonier taking on Nassourdine Imavov in the Middleweight division. Both Cannonier and Imavov will be hoping to prove themselves as potential contenders for Dricus Du Plessis’ belt. The co-main is former Light Heavyweight title challenger Dominick Reyes facing Dustin Jacoby. Reyes will be trying to avoid losing his fifth straight fight on Saturday night.

The bumper “Prelims” card will be headlined by Lightweights Thiago Moises and Ludovit Klein. This section of the card also has Brad Katona vs. Jesse Butler and Andrea Lee vs. Montana De La Rosa.

UFC LOUISVILLE TIME AND DATE

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Louisville card below, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance (also on ESPN+) at 8 p.m. ET. Bet on all the UFC Louisville action with our friends at DraftKings Sportsbook right here.

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

UFC LOUISVILLE QUICK RESULTS

185 lbs.: Jared Cannonier vs. Nassourdine Imavov
205 lbs.: Dominick Reyes vs. Dustin Jacoby
135 lbs.: Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Ricky Turcios — Rosas Jr. def. Turcios via submission (rear naked choke), round 2 (2:22).
185 lbs.: Brunno Ferreira vs. Dustin Stoltzfus — Ferreira def. Stoltzfus via KO (spinning back elbow), round 1 (4:51) — HIGHLIGHTS!
185 lbs.: Julian Marquez vs. Zachary Reese — Reese def. Marquez via TKO (uppercut and ground strikes), round 1 (0:20) — HIGHLIGHTS!
170 lbs.: Punahele Soriano vs. Miguel Baeza — Soriano def. Baeza via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-27)
155 lbs.: Thiago Moises vs. Ludovit Klein — Klein def. Moises via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
170 lbs.: Charles Radtke vs. Carlos Prates — Prates def. Radkte via KO (knee to the body), round 1 (4:47) — HIGHLIGHTS!
135 lbs.: Brad Katona vs. Jesse Butler — Katona def. Butler via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
125 lbs.: Andrea Lee vs. Montana De La Rosa — De La Rosa def. Lee via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
135 lbs.: Daniel Marcos vs. John Castaneda — Marcos def. Castaneda vis unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
115 lbs.: Eduarda Moura vs. Denise Gomes — Gomes def. Moura (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
135 lbs.: Cody Stamann vs. Taylor Lapilus — Lapilus def. Stamann via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
115 lb.: Puja Tomar vs. Rayanne Dos Santos — Tomar def. Dos Santos via split decision (30-27, 27-30, 29-28)

UFC LOUISVILLE ‘Cannonier vs. Imavov’ PLAY-BY-PLAY

Photo by Lance King/Getty Images

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

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Professional Fighters League (PFL) is set to stage its next European Series event later TODAY (Sat., June 8, 2024) from inside Utilita Arena in Newcastle, England, which will be headlined by world boxing champion, Savannah Marshall, making her mixed martial arts (MMA) debut against Mirela Vargas. In the Lightweight co-main event, Kane Mousah battles Dylan Tuke.

Many readers check in before, during and after the fights to share their thoughts on all of the action, which will begin at 12 p.m. ET with the early “Prelims,” and then transition to the main card at 2 p.m. ET. Feel free to leave a comment (or several) about the bouts and chat with all the other Maniacs during the show — it’s always a lot of fun!

PFL NEWCASTLE QUICK RESULTS:

155 lbs.: Savannah Marshall vs. Mirela Vargas
155 lbs.: Kane Mousah vs. Dylan Tuke
170 lbs.: Jack Grant vs. Charlie Leary
135 lbs.: Lewis McGrillen vs. Matiss Zaharovs
125 lbs.: Shanelle Dyer vs. Mariam Torchinava
145 lbs.: Ibragim Ibragimov vs. Josh Reed — Ibragimov def. Reed via first-round submission (arm-triangle choke)
135 lbs.: Dom Wooding vs. Julien Lopez — Lopez def. Wooding via first-round submission (guillotine choke)
125 lbs.: Lizzy Gevers vs. Karolina Wojcik — Wojcik def. Gevers via Unanimous Decision
155 lbs.: Mark Ewen vs. Claudio Pacella — Pacella def. Ewen via Unanimous Decision
135 lbs.: Khurshed Kakhorov vs. Tuomas Gronvall — Kakhorov def. Gronvall via third-round KO (punch)
125 lbs.: Valentina Scatizzi vs. Marie Loiseau — Scatizzi def. Loiseau via Unanimous Decision
145 lbs.: Ben Woolliss vs. Nikola Ivanovic — Woolliss def. Ivanovic via first-round TKO (knee and punches)
135 lbs.: Alexander Luster vs. Alperen Karabulut — Luster def. Karabulut via first-round submission (rear-naked choke)
125 lbs.: Dee Begley vs. Paulina Wisniewska — Wisniewska def. Begley via second-round TKO (punches)

PFL NEWCASTLE HIGHLIGHTS!

Ibragim Ibragimov vs. Josh Reed

Julien Lopez vs. Dom Wooding

Khurshed Kakhorov vs. Tuomas Gronvall

Ben Woolliss vs. Nikola Ivanovic

Alexander Luster vs. Alperen Karabulut

Paulina Wisniewska vs. Dee Begley

For all the latest PFL news and notes click here.

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The official promo for Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler was released by the promotion on Friday night, indicating that the highly-anticipated matchup will in fact still take place at UFC 303 later this month in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In case you missed it, McGregor’s return hit a speedbump earlier this week when a pre-fight press conference in Dublin, Ireland was canceled (details HERE). Rumors began to swirl about a possible injury to “Notorious” and whether or not he could compete at UFC 303 as planned. McGregor has never pulled out of a fight before, but he hasn’t fought in nearly three years and needs to make his return fight count.

Luckily, things took a turn for the better just a few days ago as McGregor appeared to be in good spirits. The former UFC double champion even posted some new training footage ahead of his return. Chandler, who has been waiting forever to get his hands on McGregor, confirmed that the “fight is on” during a recent interview.

On Friday, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) took to YouTube to release the official promo video for UFC 303. This would indicate that the fight between McGregor and Chandler is in fact still good to go. If not, it would be pretty silly for the UFC marketing machine to pump out a trailer and continue to promote McGregor’s return.

The official UFC 303 promo can be seen in the above video player.

For more UFC 303 fight card news click here HERE.

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

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

UFC 303 is still a few weeks away, but it’s already been a serious rollercoaster for main event athletes Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler.

Just a few days ago, McGregor canceled all upcoming media obligations at the lsat minute, abruptly undoing a sold-out presser in Dublin, Ireland. “Obstacles outside of our control” were the official (and vague) excuse from “The Notorious,” but other rumors quickly surfaced of an alleged a minor injury. A day later, UFC “feelers” were sent out in search of a possible new main event options, and full blown panic initiated. Chandler didn’t help matters by abandoning his fight camp in Florida to return home to Nashville, and UFC CEO Dana White refused to address the issue directly.

Nobody was happy about the lack of clarity.

Just as all signs were pointing towards cancellation, veteran MMA reporter Ariel Helwani announced “great positivity” that the fight would happen as scheduled. A wide-smiling McGregor posted a flexing photo on Instagram, generating a bit more optimism. Now, the ball is really rolling, and Chandler himself is confirming the fight will go on as planned.

“The fight is happening,” Chander said on The Pivot Podcast. “Where we are right now, yeah, there’s a lot of speculation but the fight is on. June 29th, it’s happening.”

Max Holloway can rest easy.

It’s been the better part of three years since McGregor was last seen in the Octagon, the result of a brutal leg break suffered in his last bout versus Dustin Poirier. Chandler’s last appearance also resulted in a loss to “The Diamond,” who choked out Chandler in the third round of a wild brawl about 19 months ago.

Insomnia

I make no guess as to who wins, but a knockout feels promised.

Movsar Evloev wants to fight anyone, and Diego Lopes wants a second shot at Evloev. I see no problem here?

A UFC veteran since October 2016, Marc Diakiese ends his UFC career with an 8-7 record.

According to Muay Thai legend Liam Harrison, One Championship screwed him over on weigh-in day and has refused to admit its mistake.

I haven’t seen the end result, but Alex Pereira would appear to be a man of many talents.

Shavkat Rakhmonov only posts like once a month and always from the most majestic locale you’ve ever seen.

Cory Sandhagen with a bit of motivation.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Incredible power of this hook, but what a shocking reaction!

The most unique head kick KO I can remember posting.

Mike Perry really has built up a fun bare knuckle highlight reel in a short time.

Random Land

Nature in art, art in nature.

Midnight Music: Punk, 1981

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

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The boxing superfight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson officially has a new date, but that doesn’t mean fight fans are any more excited to see the awkward matchup unfold.

This includes UFC CEO, Dana White, who has been outspoken about his disapproval of the booking. While White is a close friend of Tyson’s and believes Tyson will always be a threat inside of the ring, the UFC frontman still can’t understand how “Iron Mike” is fighting someone half his age and in their athletic prime.

Just one week ago, the boxing superfight was put on ice due to Tyson’s current medical health. His ulcer began to act up and he literally had to be wheeled off an airplane. It didn’t look good for the former heavyweight champion of the world, which created more disgust for Paul’s cash grab against a fighter pushing 60 years of age. With the matchup back on, fight fans will still have to witness this ridiculous fight play out.

Earlier this week, White was asked about his role in booking Tyson’s boxing return against Paul. White immediately denied any involvement and once again voiced his concerns about the fight.

“God no [I didn’t help pull that match off],” White said during a recent appearance on FLAGRANT. “When this fight happens, Tyson will be 58 f—king years old. A f—king almost 60-year-old man shouldn’t be fighting a 27-year-old guy. Under any circumstances. Even if it’s Mike Tyson. It’s just f—king ridiculous.

“My biggest problem with the Jake Paul thing and how this plays out is, when he actually fought somebody who was a boxer, who had the same type of record he has, who was his age, who is his size, he f—king lost. So, they’re never gonna go that f—king route again, right?”

While White applauds Paul’s ability to continue to sell fights and make fans pay to watch he just doesn’t want it coming at the expense of older boxers like Tyson. That’s why the UFC CEO is completely against November’s matchup LIVE on Netflix.

“If you can keep getting paid, right? One hundred percent [do it],” White said. “If you got people that are f—king dumb enough to pay for that s—t then f—king, you know, good for you. Brilliant move [going to Netflix], too, because you don’t have to go pay. Everybody has f—king Netflix. Just turn it on. Ah, f—k it. I’ll turn it on and see what happens.

“I’m not against it. I love Mike Tyson. He’s f—king almost 60 years old, you know what I mean? My f—king back is killing me today. Killing me. I have no idea why. I guess it’s because I’m fifty-f—king-four. This guy (Paul) is 27, he’s in his prime as a human, and it’s f—king ridiculous. I love Mike and nobody wants to see Mike get beat by this f—king jerk-off.”

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Former UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas will look to win her second straight and break into the flyweight Top 5 when she collides with No. 4-ranked title contender Maycee Barber atop the promotion’s long-awaited return to “Mile High City” for UFC Denver on July 13, streaming live on both ESPN and ESPN+!

Event: UFC Denver: “Barber vs. Namajunas”
Date: Sat., July 13, 2024
Location: Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado
Start times: ESPN/ESPN+ Prelims at 7 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+ Main Card at 10 p.m. ET

UFC Denver Main Event On ESPN/ESPN+:

125 lbs.: Maycee Barber vs. Rose Namajunas

UFC Denver Main Card on ESPN/ESPN+ (10 p.m. ET):

170 lbs.: Mike Malott vs. Gilbert Urbina
155 lbs.: Drew Dober vs. Mike Davis
170 lbs.: Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Muslim Salikhov
170 lbs.: Gabriel Bonfim vs. Ange Loosa

UFC Denver Prelims Card on ESPN/ESPN+ (7 p.m. ET):

145 lbs.: Christian Rodriguez vs. Julian Erosa
185 lbs.: Cody Brundage vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan
125 lbs.: Viviane Araujo vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius
125 lbs.: Luana Santos vs. Mariya Agapova
185 lbs.: Josh Fremd vs. Andre Petroski

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

For more upcoming UFC events click here.

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