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After capturing the bantamweight title at UFC 292 by stopping Aljamain Sterling, Sean O’Malley had revenge on his mind for his first title defense.  The lone blemish on O’Malley’s resume is a loss to Marlon “Chito” Vera in 2020.  O’Malley soundly defeated Vera in the rematch at UFC 299 in March winning every round on his way to a unanimous decision.  

Take a look back at O’Malley’s one-sided win over Vera ahead of his UFC 306 title defense.  O’Malley takes on top contender Merab Dvalishvili in the fight card’s main event on Sept. 14.

Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera 2 Full Fight Video  

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Watch the UFC 305 highlights video and recap from Saturday’s UFC 305 main event between Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya.

UFC 305 took place on Saturday, August 18th, at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia

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Amid the never-ending rumors, Ronda Rousey has shut down any chance of her returning to the UFC.

The former UFC women’s bantamweight queen suffered her first loss inside the octagon nine years ago. A year later, ‘Rowdy’ was knocked out by Amanda Nunes — which will likely serve as her final ever outing in the sport.

Despite reports suggesting otherwise, Ronda Rousey has confirmed that she will never return to the UFC. According to Rousey, her body will no longer hold up at the highest level of combat.

“Every couple of years or months, the same rumor comes out,” Rousey said while addressing her return. “It’s nice to feel missed, I guess.”

“But yeah, it’s not happening.im just not neurologically fit to compete anymore at the highest level. I just can’t.”

“You just get to a level where the neurological injuries you take accumulate over time, they don’t get better.”

Rousey attributes her inability to continue fighting to the damage she’s endured over the years.

“When I got into MMA, I had already had dozens of concussions that I trained through. Like, not even stopped for. So that was about a decade of having concussion symptoms more often than not.”

“So, when I got into MMA, it was really, I was playing a game of zero errors. It got to the point where I was fighting more often than anybody. I had more outside of fighting responsibilities than anybody.”

Related: Ronda Rousey apologizes to Sandy Hook victims 11 years after posting controversial video

“It just got to be that lighter and lighter hits were hurting me more and more and more. It got to a point where I couldn’t take a jab without getting dazed, without getting concussion symptoms.”

“It just got to a point where it just wasn’t safe for me to fight anymore. I just couldn’t continue to fight at that higher level.”

Ronda Rousey revealed that she wanted to retire much earlier, but felt she owed women’s MMA more.

“I wanted to retire undefeated, I was trying to find a way out already.”

“But, it was all dependent on me. What I learned from pro wrestling is that, retiring undefeated would have been such a selfish goal to be able to accomplish.”

“I would have taken all of that equity with me and no one would have respected the rest of the women that I left behind.”

Watch Ronda Rousey’s interview below.

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A women’s strawweight bout between ninth-ranked Angela Hill and eleventh-ranked Tabatha Ricco served as Saturday’s UFC Vegas 96 co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.  

Hill entered the fight on a two-fight winning streak and having won four of her last five bouts.  She scored a second-round submission win over Luana Pinheiro in her last fight in May earning a ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus.  

Ricci made the walk to the octagon coming off a split decision win over Tecia Pennington.  Heading into Saturday, she had won five of her last six fights.    

Ricci pressed forward with pressure and Hill landed a right hand.  Ricci continued to close the distance and clinched.  They worked for position along the fence before separating.  Ricci connected with a right hand and tied Hill up.  Ricci pressured Hill throughout the opening round.  

Ricci pushed her way to the inside behind punches.  The two exchanged knees to the body in the clinch before breaking free.  Hill clinched and tried to trip Ricci but Ricci remained standing.  They separated before the bell.  MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Ricci.  

Ricci continued to pressure Hill in the second frame.  She connected with a right hand and tossed Hill to the canvas.  Hill threw up kicks before scrambling to her feet.  After s brief clinch battle, the two separated.  Ricci switched stances and delivered a combination.  Ricci closed this distance and clinched.  Hill landed to the body with kicks as they separated.  Hill connected with a clean right hand.  Ricci responded with a combination.  She changed levels and took Hill down.  In the closing seconds, Hill kicked Ricci off and rose to her feet.  They clinched and exchanged punches at the bell.  MMAWeekly scored the round d10-9 for Ricci.  

Ricci came out in the third pressuring Hill.  Hill spun and landed a spinning back fist.  Ricci took it and continued to press forward.  Hill caught a leg kick and took Ricci down.  Ricci got to her feet and took Hill down.  Hill kicked her off and they were back standing.  Ricci closed the distance with a combination and clinched.  They disengaged and began exchanging in the middle of the octagon.  

Ricci again to the clinch.  Hill pushed her away and landed a combination.  Hill picked up the output and starting delivering front kicks to the body.  Ricci landed a right hand and Hill responded with a big right hook.  Ricci clinched with 10 second remaining.  Hill circled free and the round ended.  MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Hill.  

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A middleweight bout between fifth-ranked contender Jared Cannonier and twelfth-ranked Caio Borralho headlined Saturdays UFC Vegas 96 event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.  

Cannonier entered the fight coming off a loss to Nassourdine Imavov and looking to get back in the win column.  Borralho was riding an impressive 13-fight winning streak.  He last tasted defeat nearly a decade ago in July 2015.

They touched gloves and Borralho landed first with a stiff jab.  Cannonier responded with a kick to the body.  Not a lot happened through the first minute of the fight.  Borralho accidentally poked Cannonier in the eye and Cannonier was given time to recover.  45 seconds later, the fight was restarted.  

Cannonier stepped in the pocket with a right hand.  Cannonier connected with a counter right hand.  Borralho answered with a hard leg kick.  He delivered another calf kick that briefly sat Cannonier down.  Cannonier quickly got to his feet.  Borralho began pressuring Cannonier in the final 90 seconds of the stanza.  Cannonier walked him down and connected with a combination.  They exchanged leg kicks and Cannonier pressed forward.  He landed a counter combination.  MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Borralho but it was competitive.

Cannonier came out in the second round pressuring Borralho.  He connected with a combination.  Borralho changed stances and delivered a leg kick.  Cannonier closed the distance with punches and landed on the inside.  Cannonier connected with a hard counter right hand.  Cannonier connected with another right hand.  Midway through the round, Cannonier was building momentum.  Cannonier was the more active fighter in the second frame.  Borralho continued to employ legs.  Cannonier connected with a combination.  MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Cannonier.  

Borralho connected with a hard right hand early in the third.  Cannonier landed a right hand followed by another.  Borralho responded with a leg kick.  Borralho found a home with his jab.  Cannonier was uncorking heavy shots but wasn’t landing.  Borralho stepped in the pocket with a combination.  He picked up the pace and Cannonier answered with a right hand.  Borralho connected with a combination that hurt Cannonier.  Cannonier retreated and Borralho kept the pressure on.  They exchanged as the bell sounded.  MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Borralho.  

Borralho landed his jab followed by a leg kick in the early going of the fourth.  He pressured Cannonier and continued to deliver leg kicks.  Cannonier landed a right hand and circled.  Cannonier worked to get on the inside.  Borralho landed a combination and Cannonier fired back with a big right hand.  Borralho was cut below his right eye.  Cannonier inched forward and landed a right hand.  Borralho connected with a left hand.  MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Cannonier in another competitive round.  

Borralho briefly looked for a takedown early in the final frame.  He pressured Cannonier and landed his jab.  Cannonier stepped in the pocked with a combination and Borralho reacted with a combination.  Cannonier missed with a right hand and Borralho countered with a right.  Borralho landed a left hand followed by a right that crumbled Cannonier.  Borralho followed Cannonier to the canvas and delivered punches from side control.  Borralho applied an arm-triangle choke but was on the wrong side.  Cannonier defended the submission attempt and got to his feet at the bell.  MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Borralho.  

The judges scored the fight for Borralho by unanimous decision.  The scorecards read 49-45, 49-45, and 48-46.

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The octagon was back at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday.  A middleweight bout between fifth-ranked contender Jared Cannonier and twelfth-ranked Caio Borralho headlined the UFC Vegas 96 fight card.  

The two went the distance with Borralho defeating Cannonier via unanimous decision.  Borralho had Cannonier badly hurt in the final two rounds but wasn’t able to put “Tha Killa Gorilla” away.  

UFC Vegas 96 Post-Fight Press Conference

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The Sphere in Las Vegas hosts UFC 306 on Sept 14, and the fight promotion has promised the one-off event will be a must-see production.  The UFC 306 fight card is headlined by a bantamweight title bout between champion Sean O’Malley and top contender Merab Dvalishvili.  

Earlier this week, on Tuesday, Dvalishvili revealed on social media that he suffered a cut above his left eye during training that required stitches.  The cut reveal angered UFC CEO Dana White who called Dvalishvili’s decision to disclose his cut ‘next-level stupid.’  

O’Malley reacted to Dvalishvili’s cut on Friday evening and doesn’t think it’s that big of a deal.  

“I don’t think it’s that big of a deal,” O’Malley told The Schmo.  “I think people are making a more big deal about it.  I said, ‘You better not pull out,’ more so just to poke at him, but that thing’s going to heal.”

O’Malley is confident that Dvalishvili will make the walk to the octagon inside the Sphere on Sept. 14.  In fact, he has no doubt about it.  

“That dude would show up with a broken arm,” O’Malley said.  “I’m not worried about him pulling out.  It’s more of a commission kind of thing.”

O’Malley won the 135-pound championship by defeating Dvalishvili’s teammate, Aljamain Sterling, at UFC 292 last August.  He successfully defended the belt at UFC 299 in March, avenging a previous loss to Marlon Vera in one-sided fashion.  Dvalishvili is riding a 10-fight winning streak and hasn’t lost since 2018.  

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The UFC octagon is back stateside for this weekend’s UFC Vegas 96 event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.  The fight card is headlined by middleweight bout between fifth-ranked Jared Cannonier and twelfth-ranked Caio Borralho. On Friday, the fighters competing on Saturday officially weighed in.

Cannonier (17-7) enters the fight coming off a loss to Nassourdine Imavov in June. He had won his two previous bouts. “Tha Killa Gorilla” holds wins over former middleweight champion Sean Strickland, former title challenger Marvin Vettoriand middleweight GOAT Anderson Silva, among others.

Borralho (16-1, 1 NC) last lost a fight nearly a decade ago in 2015. He’s on an incredible winning streak and undefeated inside the octagon. “The Natural” is coming off a knockout win over Paul Craig at UFC 301 in May.

UFC Vegas 96 Start Times: 

• Main Card begins at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+
• Preliminary Card begins at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+

UFC Vegas 96 Live Results and Analytics

UFC Vegas 96 Official Results

Main Card (ESPN/ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET)

• Jared Cannonier vs. Caio Borralho
• Angela Hill vs. Tabatha Ricci
• Robert Valentin vs. Ryan Loder — (TUF 32 middleweight final)
• Kaan Ofli vs. Mairon Santos Alves — (TUF 32 featherweight final)
• Neil Magny vs. Michael Morales
• Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Gerald Meerschaert

Preliminary Card (ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET)

• Dennis Buzukja vs. Francis Marshall
• Zach Reese vs. Jose Medina
• Viacheslav Borshchev vs. James Llontop
• Jacqueline Cavalcanti vs. Josiane Nunes
• Zygimantas Ramaska vs. Nathan Fletcher
• Wang Cong vs. Victoria Leonard

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11 years after re-posting and quickly deleting a controversial Sandy Hook video, Ronda Rousey believes now is the right time to apologize to those hurt by the tragedy.

Back in 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza opened fire in an elementary school, taking 26 innocent lives — with 20 of those being children aged between six and seven. After the shooting, conspiracies began surfacing claiming that the horrific events were a hoax and the grieving parents were merely paid actors.

Ronda Rousey was one of those who agreed with the conspiracy theory, though she later had a change of heart.

The former UFC ace poured her emotions out in a statement shared to social media.

“I can’t say how many times I’ve redrafted this apology over the last 11 years,” Rousey said. “How many times I’ve convinced myself it wasn’t the right time or that I’d be causing even more damage by giving it.”

“But eleven years ago I made he single most regrettable decision of my life. I watched a Sandy Hook conspiracy video and reposted it on twitter.”

“I didn’t even believe it, but was so horrified at the truth that I was grasping for an alternative fiction to cling to instead.”

“I quickly realized my mistake and took it down, but the damage was done.”

An emotional Ronda Rousey continued.

“I convinced myself that apologizing would just reopen the wound for no other reason than me selfishly trying to make myself feel better.”

“That I would hurt those suffering even more and possibly lead more people down the black hole of conspiracy bullsh*t by it being brought up again just so I could try to shake the label of being a ‘Sandy Hook truther’.”

Related: Ronda Rousey launches kickstarter campaign for graphic novel debut

Rousey pushed ahead with her sincere apology to those damaged by the Sandy Hook massacre.

“I apologize that this came 11 years too late, but those affected by the Sandy Hook massacre, from the bottom of my heart and depth of my soul I am so so sorry for the hurt I caused.”

“I can’t even begin to imagine the pain you’ve endured and words annot describe how thoroughly remorseful and ashamed j am of myself for contributing to it.”

“I’ve regretted it every day of my life since and will continue to do so until the day I die.”

She later pleaded with others to not fall into the same trap as she did by listening to conspiracy theories.

“To anyone else that’s fallen down the black hole of bullsh*t. It doesn’t make you edgy, or an independent thinker, you’re not doing your due diligence entertaining every possibility by digesting these conspiracies.”

“They will only make you feel powerless, afraid, miserable, and isolated. You’re doing nothing but hurting others and yourself.”

pic.twitter.com/JpBZ0R0VKr

— Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) August 23, 2024

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The UFC Apex in Las Vegas hosts Saturday’s UFC event.  UFC Vegas 96 is headlined by middleweight bout between fifth-ranked Jared Cannonier and twelfth-ranked Caio Borralho.  On Friday, the fighters competing on Saturday officially weighed in.   

Cannonier (17-7) enters the fight coming off a loss to Nassourdine Imavov in June.  He had won his two previous bouts.  “Tha Killa Gorilla” holds wins over former middleweight champion Sean Strickland, former title challenger Marvin Vettori and middleweight GOAT Anderson Silva, among others.

Borralho (16-1, 1 NC) last lost a fight nearly a decade ago in 2015.  He’s on an incredible winning streak and undefeated inside the octagon.  “The Natural” is coming off a knockout win over Paul Craig at UFC 301 in May.     

UFC Vegas 96 Official Weigh-In Results

Main card

• Jared Cannonier (184) vs. Caio Borralho (186)
• Angela Hill (115.5) vs. Tabatha Ricci (115)
• Robert Valentin (185) vs. Ryan Loder (186)
• Kaan Ofli (145) vs. Mairon Santos (146)
• Neil Magny (170) vs. Michael Morales (171)
• Edmen Shahbazyan (184.5) vs. Gerald Meerschaert (185)

Preliminary Card

• Dennis Buzukja (155.5) vs. Francis Marshall (156)
• Zachary Reese (184.5) vs. Jose Medina (186)
• Viacheslav Borshchev (155.5) vs. James Llontop (154.5)
• Jacqueline Cavalcanti (135) vs. Josiane Nunes (136)
• Zygimantas Ramaska (146) vs. Nathan Fletcher (145.5)
• Wang Cong (125) vs. Victoria Leonardo (125)

UFC Vegas 96 Weigh-in Video

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