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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) held its 2024 Hall of Fame induction ceremony last night (Thurs., June 27, 2024) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, the same venue that hosts this weekend’s UFC 303: “Pereira vs. Prochazka 2” pay-per-view (PPV) card.

Among the inductees was former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, along with ex-strawweight titleholder Joanna Jedrzejczyk. The promotion recently released a video highlight package showcasing all the best moments from this year’s festivities.

“The people that have been in the Hall of Fame are the who’s who of this sport, and just to be mentioned among these people is … I guess it never was my mission to set out to be a Hall of Famer,” Edgar told UFC.com. “I just wanted to do this. I enjoyed it. Once I got into it, I knew I wanted to be a champion and I wanted to always win. And those accolades usually lead to the Hall of Fame. So I guess mission accomplished.”

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 303 fight card right RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the UFC 303 PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 303: “Pereira vs. Prochazka 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 303 fight card and PPV lineup click here.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Fighting is no easy work. It has gotten significantly harder for PFL featherweight Gabriel Braga since the death of his father and mentor Diego Braga in January.

Braga, who went from a PFL alternate to 145-pound finalist in 2023, fought for the first time without his father in the corner when he knocked out Justin Gonzales in the first round in April. He returns to action Friday against Bubba Jenkins at PFL 6 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and admits he’s still trying to get used to the idea his father is not around.

“It wasn’t easy [at PFL 3], and it’s not being easy now,” Braga told MMA Fighting. “I’d be lying if I told you it’s easy. But I try to stay positive, try to live life the best way possible, just the way he taught me. I try to bring with me the lessons and good memories. That’s what gives me the strength to keep going and continue to represent him.”

Diego trained some of Brazil’s best, including UFC legend Anderson Silva, and competed 32 times as a professional MMA fighter, retiring in 2019 on a 6-fight winning streak after beating veteran Jamil Silveira on the same night his son improved to 4-0 in the sport.

“Everything I do in fighting is for him,” Gabriel said. “If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be even fighting. I’m very grateful for the father I had, for the friend I had. I’ll always be grateful.”

Braga is close to clinching a playoff spot after securing six points for his first-round finish in April, but won’t enter the cage stressing over it. The 26-year-old prospect said he already expected to face Jenkins ever since he joined PFL, and “it’s time to beat him up now.”

“He’s a very experienced fighter who has fought for big promotions all over the world, but I’m ready,” Braga said. “I’m getting better every day, with a better mind and better body, and ready to beat anyone that steps in front of me. I go in there looking to win no matter what and beat everybody up.

“I don’t pay attention to points. I think it’s cool, but I won’t go in there too relaxed because I got six points already. I’ll go in there to break him and try to get another six points. That’s the mindset, brother. I want to go in there and put on a show and bring home another victory. My goal is to go in there and end this fight as fast as possible.”

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Conor McGregor is feeling a bit of vindication following a series of horrific terrorist attacks in Dagestan, the hometown of his longtime rival Khabib Nurmagomedov.

At least 21 people were killed, including 16 police officers, and another 25 were injured after armed men attacked a synagogue, churches, and police post in the city of Derbent and Dagestan’s capital Makhachkala on Sunday, June 23. Per a report from CNN, attackers “set the building on fire using Molotov cocktails” at the synagogue in Derbent while police and security guards were killed outside during the attack.

Sergey Melikov, head of the Dagestan Republic, said at least six “militants” were also killed following the attack, one of which has been identified as Gadzhimurad Kagirov, a former MMA fighter who was once affiliated with Khabib Nurmagomedov and the UFC Hall of Famer’s late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.

In the wake of the shocking news, Conor McGregor, considered to be Nurmagomedov’s greatest foe inside the Octagon, has stayed busy, tweeting and deleting his thoughts on the situation accompanied with the hashtag #ConorWasRight.

Recently, the Irish megastar once again posted the hashtag in response to a video from Aussie Cossack of Nurmagomedov’s Eagle MMA gym being raided by Russian security forces in Makhachkala.

Conor McGregor first accused Khabib of having ties to terrorism in 2018

McGregor first suggested that Nurmagomedov had ties to terrorism in 2018, accusing the former lightweight champion’s manager, Dominance MMA’s Ali Abdelaziz, of being a “lying terrorist snitch” ahead of his record-setting fight with ‘The Eagle’ at UFC 229.

The Washington Post‘s Des Bieler later wrote that McGregor’s comments appeared to be referring to a 2013 book titled Enemies Within: Inside the NYPD’s Secret Spying Unit and bin Laden’s Final Plot Against America. In it, the authors claim that Abdelaziz worked with the New York Police Department and the FBI before they grew concerned he had become a double agent and tried to deport him.

Abdelaziz, of course, is one of the more well-known managers in mixed martial arts, featuring an all-star client list that consists of Nurmagomedov, Kamaru Usman, Justin Gaethje, Henry Cejudo, and Kayla Harrison.

LowKickMMA.com

UFC 303 main event fighters, middleweight champion Alex Pereira and former titleholder Jiri Prochazka, officially weighed in on Friday ahead of the championship rematch.  The two first fought at UFC 295 last November with Pereira finishing Prochazka in the second round via technical knockout.

Pereira tipped the scales at 204.5 pounds.  Prochazka was one of the final fights to weigh-in.  He officially came in at the same weight, 204.5 pounds.  

UFC 303 Main Event Weigh-In Videos

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Ian Machado Garry and Michael Page will battle in the welterweight main card opener of UFC 303 on Saturday. While it’s in the spot that it’s in, outside of the main event, Garry vs. Page is likely the highest stakes matchup on the entire card. Where does the winner go in the 170-pound division, and how close to a title shot will he be?

On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck discusses that topic, the winner of Garry vs. Page being arguably one win away from a championship fight, and how the bout could play out. Additionally, listener topics include Jamahal Hill’s latest video about Demetrious Johnson and Alex Pereira, how Conor McGregor could fit into the remaining 2024 schedule, Alexandre Pantoja’s next fight, PFL’s struggles to get momentum, and much more.

You can listen live to Heck of a Morning Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 a.m. ET on the MMA Fighting Twitter Spaces.

If you miss it live, audio-only versions of the podcast can be found below, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

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