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Sean Strickland and Chris Curtis are known for going hard in their shared sparring sessions, but that wasn’t the case during the build-up to Curtis’ short-notice clash against Brendan Allen.

‘The Action Man’ wasn’t interested in taking any fights as he was hoping to spend time with his family following the recent birth of his second child. But when the UFC came calling for him to step in for the injured Marvin Vettori to face Allen, he jumped at the opportunity.

Chris Curtis had just three weeks to prepare for a five-round main event slot against ‘All In’. According to Sean Strickland, his friend and training partner wasn’t in the best shape heading into his fight this past Saturday, which led to Strickland using unconventional ideas to build Curtis’ confidence.

“UFC filmed Curt, I did one round of sparring with him and let him win,” Strickland said. “The camera crew [were] confused because they know me.”

“I said, ‘If I spar him remotely hard, he will lose all confidence going into this fight, he’s so out of shape. No excuses but [Brendan Allen should] take zero pride in this victory.”

UFC filmed Curt, I did one round of sparring with him and let him win

The camera crew was confused because they know me

I said "if I spar him remotely hard he will lose all confidence going into this fight he's so out of shape.

No excuses but take zero pride in this victory.

— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) April 7, 2024

Despite admitting to asking Curtis to decline the short-notice affair, Strickland stated that fighters don’t have the freedom to refuse offers brought to them by the UFC.

“He was so out of shape and under-prepared this fight and still won. You don’t say no to the UFC lol, every UFC fighter knows that.”

“They say jump, you say how high. Shoulda finished high school.”

He was so out of shape and under prepared for this fight.. and still won..

You don't say no to the UFC lol every UFC fighter knows that.. They say jump you say how high lmao

Shoulda finished high school lmao! https://t.co/FO3EJhTdi3

— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) April 7, 2024

Related: Brendan Allen narrowly defeats Chris Curtis in UFC Vegas 90 main event

Stopping himself from ranting on any longer, Strickland ended by insisting Chris Curtis and Brendan Allen have an instant rematch. The pair remain 1-1 at present and a third fight could potentially take place in the future.

“Alright, I’m done b*tching. We’re all grown a** men and we all make our own decisions. Just run it back on a full camp, Curt deserves that.”

Alright I'm done bitching lol we're all grown ass men and we all make our own decisions..

Just run it back on a full camp, curt deserves that.

Goodnight yall!

— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) April 7, 2024

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UFC

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

On paper, Dustin Poirier probably shouldn’t be considered the No. 1 contender in the lightweight division. Logic, however, might go out the door for a potential fight with Islam Makhachev.

Ever since he flattened Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299, the one-time interim lightweight champion shifted gears to push for a fight with Makhachev, who currently doesn’t have an opponent or a set date for his return. At UFC 300, Justin Gaethje — the man who knocked out Poirier this past July — faces Max Holloway, while former champion Charles Oliveira clashes with Arman Tsarukyan.

The winners from either of those fights could argue for a title shot over Poirier. But UFC welterweight Matt Brown says the Louisiana native has built up enough goodwill and a résumé plastered with enough legendary performances that no one would really complain if he faced off with Makhachev in the summer.

“Why not? Give him a shot,” Brown said on The Fighter vs. The Writer. “That’s all I’ve got to say about it. Why not? Let’s go. Dustin deserves everything. Anything he wants, he should get.”

Deserving or not, Poirier also has time on his side.

With the two key lightweight matchups at UFC 300 in April, it seems unlikely anybody from that card will be able to turn around as early as June 1 at UFC 302 – or even UFC 303 on June 29.

Makhachev has also expressed interest in the fight, so it seems like the matchmakers have an easy job when determining the next person to get a title shot.

Poirier hasn’t rattled off numerous wins in a row, and he’s not sitting at the absolute top of the division, but Brown believes none of that really matters.

“You can’t complain any time Dustin Poirier gets a title shot,” Brown said. “He’s the man. He deserves anything they give him … anything good. Any title shot. Just give it to him. It’s f****** Dustin Poirier.

“Has he ever put on a bad fight? He’s been beat, right? If you want to call that a bad fight, call that a bad fight, but he goes out there and goes to war every time and does his thing, does it with respect and honor, carries himself well, speaks well. Just a f****** great guy.”

Even if Poirier isn’t technically the top contender at 155 pounds, he remains one of the biggest draws in the sport. That could help Makhachev decide, and the champ also seeks to define his legacy as a dominant titleholder in arguably the UFC’s deepest division.

Beating Poirier not only adds an A-list name to Makhachev’s résumé, it potentially sets him up for a run of title defenses.

“There’s some real killers in that division,” Brown said. “Islam’s got his work cut out for him. Islam’s a killer. I wouldn’t pick him to lose against anybody, but a murderer’s row like that, he gets through those guys, no matter how this plays out, he gets four or five title defenses, what a f****** run.”

As much as popularity and hype shouldn’t necessarily determine who gets a title shot in the UFC, almost every athlete on the roster knows differently. To add to that, Poirier just stomped a highly touted prospect in Saint Denis, and he certainly seems ready to face Makhachev.

“I want to see nothing but good things in the world for Dustin Poirier for the rest of his life,” Brown said. “Give him the f****** title shot. Let’s go.”

Listen to new episodes of The Fighter vs. The Writer every Tuesday with audio only versions of the podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeartRadio

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Following tonight’s UFC Vegas 90 fights, the big winners will field questions from the media at the event’s post-fight press conference.  

UFC Vegas 90 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.  The event was headlined by a middleweight bout between sixth-ranked Brendan Allen and 14th-ranked Chris Curtis.

UFC Vegas 90 Post-Fight Press Conference

MMAWeekly.com | UFC and MMA News, Results, Rumors, and Videos

Bonus Report
| BJPenn.com

UFC

Welcome to the first night of World Wrestling Entertainment’s biggest event of the year, starring The Rock, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley, Becky Lynch, Gunther, Rey Mysterio and more!

Hello, everybody, and welcome to the first half of World Wrestling Entertainment’s (WWE) biggest annual event. That’s right, it’s night one of WrestleMania 40, headlined by The Rock/Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes/Seth Rollins. It all starts TONIGHT (Sat., April 6, 2024) live from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa., starting at 7 p.m. ET.

All those desiring to watch the show have two places to watch: if you’re in the United States, it’s streaming exclusively on Peacock. If you’re anywhere else on this globe, it’s on WWE network. Come join some fellow Maniacs in the comments section for the biggest night of the year in professional wrestling. Make predictions in the DraftKings free pool.

We’ve already touched on the main event — the first match that The Rock will actively participate in since 2016 — but it’s also worth mentioning that there’s some other high-profile bouts taking place beneath the headliner. The co-main event features two of the most popular women in the business, World Championship belt holder Rhea Ripley vs. Becky Lynch. The Intercontinental Title and the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship straps are also up for grabs tonight.

WWE WrestleMania 2024 Quick Results:

-The Rock & Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins
-Women’s World Championship: Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch — Ripley def. Lynch to retain WWC.
-Intercontinental Championship: Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn — Zayn def. Gunther to become new IC
-Six-Pack ladder match for Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships: Judgment Day (Damian Priest & Finn Bálor) vs. Awesome Truth (The Miz & R-Truth) vs. DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) vs. New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate) vs. A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory & Grayson Waller) — Awesome Truth win the Raw titles, A-Town Down Under win the Smackdown titles.
-Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso — Jey def. Jimmy
-Bianca Belair, Naomi & Jade Cargill vs. Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai, Asuka & Kairi Sane) — Belair, Naomi and Cargill def. Damage CTRL
-Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee Andrade vs. Santos Escobar & Dominik Mysterio — Rey and Andrade def. Dominik and Escobar with help from Philadelphia Eagles Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson

WWE WrestleMania 2024 Full Results:

The Rock/Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes/Seth Rollins

Women’s World Championship: Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch

Exchange of slaps to start. Suplex into a bridge pinfall attempt early by Ripley. Inside cradle by Lynch countered into a vertical suplex and another pin attempt. Ripley up to the top rope, countered by an arm drag from up high. Lynch tornado DDT, two-count only.

Ripley hung across the ropes and Lynch leg drops her. Another one inside the ring and a nearfall. Ripley catches her midair, slams her down and knees her as she tries to stand. Lynch counters the finisher attempt and goes for an armbar to the “injured” arm of Ripley. Ripley counters with a trio of powerbombs and a pin attempt.

Ripley tries for a spear to the corner, but Lynch dodges and Ripley goes head/shoulder first into the ring post. Lynch with a leg drop off the top rope, gets countered with a leg lock submission hold. Lynch rolls out. Finishing “Manhandle” slam by Lynch, can’t get the pin. Now Ripley gets her “Riptide” finisher, but Lynch kicks out.

Lynch with a suplex off the top rope and flows through into an arm lock. Ripley powers out and gets out to the floor. Electric chair onto Lynch. Frog splash, but another kick out. Lynch on the apron, Ripley tries to suplex her back in, gets countered. Ripley counters back, hits her finisher slam onto the turnbuckle and another one mid-ring and gets the pin.

Rhea Ripley defeats Becky Lynch

Intercontinental Championship: Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn

Zayn with a series of chops. For those unaware, Gunther is moderately famous for a stiff style including huge chops. Every match involving the big Austrian involves red chests, usually from all participants. Gunther hangs Zayn over the top rope and stands on the underside of his chin. Half-nelson suplex on Gunther and another.

Clothesline spins Zayn about 540 degrees, but he kicks out of the pin. Zayn blocks a piledriver, hits a tornado DDT, runs into a sleeper hold. Zayn gets lose, runs into a big dropkick and powerbomb. Gunther with a pin, but nope. They exchange slings into the ring ropes followed by boots to the head. Double powerbomb by Gunther, no 3-count.

Another powerbomb and a frog splash. Another splash. Zain hulks up and hits a brainbuster on the top rope. Two big kicks by Zain and there’s a cover – Zain gets the pin and finally ends Gunther’s nearly two-year reign as Intercontinental Champ.

Zain defeats Gunther

Six-Pack ladder match for Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships: Judgment Day (Damian Priest/Finn Balor) vs. Awesome Truth (The Miz/R-Truth) vs. DIY (Johnny Gargano/Tommaso Ciampa) vs. New Day (Kofi Kingston/Xavier Woods) vs. New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne/Tyler Bate) vs. A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory/Grayson Waller)

12 men in the ring to start… and it quickly empties to the floor immediately. ATDU immediately gets ladders up and starts climbing, which puts a target on their back. A third ladder comes in from ND, and they push everyone on the other two ladders over. JD smashes everyone with the ladders.

Bate from NCR picks up Balor and the ladder he’s holding and airplanes spin him for a good 30 seconds. NCR double moonsaults off a ladder onto everyone else. Priest throws NCR into each other. AT comes in to combat JD. Truth does a comedy bit where he waits for the hot tag from Miz. Gets it, clears out JD with John Cena’s moves. Truth pins Balor, which doesn’t matter in a ladder match. They throw Priest around into a bunch of peoples’ finishers.

AT and DIY team up and each of them go to get a set of belts. Now ATDU clears house and gets the Smackdown belts. Waller gets thrown out of the ring onto a ladder. DIY takes out ATDU. Dudley Boys tribute as they yell, “GET THE TABLES!” ND comes into the ring and starts going to work on DIY. Woods goes up top and elbow drops Gargano while he’s lying on a ladder. Kingston clears house on everyone with a backwards trust fall. Austin Theory stops Woods and tries to climb. ATDU takes him out.

Springboard DDT by one half of ATDU, but a huge slam on the other half means everyone is down. In comes R Truth, and we expect comedy. He’s climbing, but outside interference by JD McDonough ends that. He helps Balor climb up, but gets caught by Woods. Kingston goes to town on them both with a chair. ND dumps McDonough out through tables outside.

Kingston climbs, Priest comes in and wipes out Woods with an RVD-style kick to the chair Woods is holding and a Racor’s Edge on Kingston onto the chair. Miz tries to stop Priest, no dice. Priest gets tossed out by Truth, who climbs up and snags the Raw belts.

Awesome Truth are the new Raw tag-team champions and A-Town Down Under are the Smackdown champs.

For more WWE WrestleMania 40-related coverage click HERE.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Chris Curtis left the UFC APEX on a stretcher after suffering a leg injury in the closing seconds of his fight against Brendan Allen in the UFC Vegas 90 main event.

The veteran middleweight clutched his leg and fell to the ground just after the fight ended. He needed help from head coach Eric Nicksick to stand as the decision was read, with Allen earning the victory by split decision.

Afterwards, Curtis hobbled out of the octagon before laying down on the stretcher where he was taken out of the building to awaiting medical personnel who will likely transport him to a local hospital for treatment. During the post-fight show, UFC reporter Heidi Androl revealed that Nicksick told her Curtis likely suffered a torn hamstring, which was also checked out by the UFC’s staff doctor at the arena.

The exact diagnosis won’t be available until he undergoes an MRI next week.

“They believe it was a torn hamstring that happened in the last shot of the fight,” Androl reported. “He does believe, and I spoke to Dr. [Jeff Davidson] that this is a torn hamstring. Dr. D calling it a biceps femoris is the belly of the hamstring.

“He said in fact if it is a tear, that’s a four-month recovery. They’ve ordered the MRI to happen on Monday.”

It was an unfortunate ending to Curtis’ night after he came within one round on one scorecard from earning the victory on Saturday. Despite accepting the fight on short notice, Curtis gave Allen everything he could handle throughout the 25-minute battle.

Replays from the final exchange appeared to show a pop in the back of Curtis’ leg as Allen pursued him across the octagon. He still managed to stay standing until the fight was over and that’s when Curtis finally fell to the ground in agony from the injury.

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