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Rose Namajunas is set for her second shot at flyweight contention.

The former two-time UFC strawweight champion and her fellow UFC Vegas 89 headliner Amanda Ribas both tipped the scales at 125.5 pounds at Friday’s weigh-ins, rendering their main-event showdown official.

Namajunas (11-6) looks to snap a two-fight losing skid following her title setback against Carla Esparza and failed flyweight debut against Manon Fiorot, the latter of which took place this past September. Despite her recent losses, “Thug Rose” remains the No. 14 ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the world on MMA Fighting Global Rankings.

Ribas (13-4) has found her own success in multiple divisions, slotting in as MMA Fighting’s No. 10 ranked strawweight and No. 13 ranked female flyweight. The 30-year-old Brazilian has alternated wins and losses over her last seven fights, defeating the likes of Paige VanZant, Virna Jandiroba, Viviane Araujo, and Luana Pinheiro while losing to Marina Rodriguez, Katlyn Cerminara, and Maycee Barber.

In the co-main event, heavyweights Justin Tafa and Karl Williams also successfully made weight, with Tafa hitting the scale at 264.5 pounds and Williams weighing 246.5.

All 22 additional fighters competing at Saturday’s UFC APEX event successfully made weight as well. Check out UFC Vegas 89 official weigh-in results below.

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

Amanda Ribas (125.5) vs. Rose Namajunas (125.5)

Justin Tafa (264.5) vs. Karl Williams (246.5)

Edmen Shahbazyan (186) vs. AJ Dobson (185.5)

Payton Talbott (135.5) vs. Cameron Saaiman (135)

Billy Quarantillo (145.5) vs. Youssef Zalal (146)

Fernando Padilla (145) vs. Luis Pajuelo (145)

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

Kurt Holobaugh (155.5) vs. Trey Ogden (155.5)

Ricardo Ramos (145.5) vs. Julian Erosa (146)

Miles Johns (136) vs. Cody Gibson (135.5)

Jarno Errens (144.5) vs. Steven Nguyen (145)

Montserrat Rendon (135) vs. Darya Zheleznyakova (135.5)

Igor Severino (125) vs. Andre Lima (126)

Mohammed Usman (237) vs. Mick Parkin (262.5)

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For better or worse, remakes and reboots have become part of the ever-churning movie-making machine in Hollywood. Sadly, there are far fewer examples where they work — thank you Zack Snyder for the tremendous Dawn of the Dead remake from 2004 — than the long list of attempts that have failed miserably (here’s looking at you Oldboy, Psycho, Point Break, Ghostbusters, White Men Can’t Jump, etc).

Talks of a Road House remake have swirled for years, and at one point, UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey was signed to star in the reboot film. Then, it died in development.

The 1989 cult-classic starring Patrick Swayze wasn’t exactly a hit amongst critics, though Roger Ebert astutely recognized that “this is not a good movie … but viewed in the right frame of mind, it is not a boring one, either.” While it wasn’t a runaway smash hit at the box office, Road House became a fan favorite in subsequent years largely thanks to replays on cable. The film lives in the pop culture zeitgeist as an example of a movie that really does get better over time.

Unfortunately, there’s no reason to follow Swayze’s advice to “be nice” about the Road House remake just released on Prime Video — it’s tough to imagine anyone will race back to watch, quote, or experience this one again.

Directed by Doug Liman, who’s best known for films such as Edge of Tomorrow, Swingers, and The Bourne Identity, and starring Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead role, the Road House remake (or let’s say reimagining) fails to carry over any of the charm or testosterone-filled swagger that made the original one of the most watchable popcorn flicks of the past 40 years.

In this version, Gyllenhaal plays Elwood Dalton, a former UFC fighter with a dark past revealed through a series of flashbacks and taunts from his enemies. He isn’t a lifelong bar bouncer, but rather a guy who shows up at underground fight clubs and scares off the competition before a single punch is thrown. His intimidating presence leads a bar owner (played by Jessica Williams) to recruit him to clean up her seaside establishment, appropriately named, ‘The Road House.” Of course, the place is being tormented by a group Swayze would call troublemakers: 40-year-old adolescents, felons, power drinkers, and trustees of modern chemistry.

A reluctant Dalton eventually takes the job and soon discovers this one-horse town in the Florida Keys has a lot more going on than just some rowdy bar patrons. It’s not long before he gets mixed up in everybody’s business. There’s a run-in with a doctor at an emergency room that leads to a half-hearted attempt at romance, and he runs afoul of the local rich guy, who’s determined to buy The Road House to build a posh resort. The rich guy’s motivation? To stick his success in the face of his father, who’s rotting away in prison.

Pretty much everybody in this film feels out of place, especially Gyllenhaal, who’s trying to play a stoic tough guy with none of the charm or charisma that Swayze carried through the original film. The only time in the film Gyllenhaal’s character actually manages a somewhat enjoyable interaction is the opening of the film’s trailer, where he smacks around a bunch of bikers determined to smash up the bar he now calls home.

Outside of that lone brawl, Gyllenhaal’s Dalton feels like he’s half-asleep and sinking in quicksand in just about every other scene in the movie. Make no mistake, he is a great actor, and he’s done well in past action roles. But this one ain’t it.

The rest of the cast is largely forgettable, though Billy Magnussen does his best with limited material as the bad guy in the film. His smirking smugness is overshadowed by the inability to do much of anything right in this movie, which makes him seem like more of a buffoon than a foil for Dalton. That problem, like so many other issues with this film, is the responsibility of screenwriters Anthony Bagarozzi and Charles Mondry.

Truth be told, the only person in the entire production that could have fit into the original is UFC superstar Conor McGregor, who plays an over-exaggerated version of himself as a hired gun named Knox. He comes to the Florida Keys to clean up the mess that Magnusson’s character made, and his cocky Irish accent, brash physicality and wide-eyed mean-mugging really are the only fun parts about this movie.

No one is going to mistake McGregor as a seasoned actor, but he steals every scene he’s in. He attacks his role with an over-the-top exuberance that should trickle down to every other cast member in this film. Unfortunately, nobody follows his lead, and the movie pays for it.

What’s supposed to be a goofy, fun action film gets dragged into the muck through an overambitious and nonsensical plot that doesn’t really serve anybody in the remake. The fight scenes in this film will also drive you crazy, because there’s way too many digital effects at work, and the kinetic action is a poor attempt at making things look flashy and modern rather than gritty and real.

One of the most enjoyable parts of the original was the hilarious, yet addictively memorable dialogue that lives in your brain forever (who could forget lines like, ‘Pain don’t hurt,” or “You’re too stupid to have a good time!” And we won’t even talk about what Jimmy did to guys in prison). But this film offers nothing worth quoting outside of a few deliciously delivered lines from McGregor.

You’d think that Liman and the screenwriters would have purposefully injected at least some of the best parts from the original Road House into the remake. Instead, it feels like they took all of that out and replaced it with a poorly written script that forgets how to have a good time.

The runtime for this movie is also ridiculously long at more than two hours. This thing could have easily been edited down to 80 minutes without skipping a beat.

Even if this wasn’t a remake, Road House feels like a movie that started out with the best of intentions as a modern day action-comedy. But the finished product reminds you why Amazon dumped this directly to streaming rather than putting the film into theaters. There’s not much funny about this movie either, and it pretty much fails to live up to the original in every way possible.

Outside of a super cut to witness McGregor crank things up to 11, just revisit the original film and watch how Swayze and company did it right.

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Belal doesn’t buy it
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UFC

THUGS not DRUGS.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is just one day away from the upcoming UFC Vegas 89 mixed martial arts (MMA) event, which is set to go down tomorrow night (Sat., March 23, 2024) on ESPN and ESPN+ from inside the promotion’s APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada, featuring a 125-pound main event between Top 10 flyweight contender Amanda Ribas and former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas, a five-round headliner with major title implications for late 2024 and beyond.

Before we dive into the main and co-main event, which includes the 265-pound scrap between heavyweight hurters Karl Williams and Justin Tafa, checkout Patrick Stumberg’s breakdowns for the UFC Vegas 89 “Prelims” card by clicking here and here. Get all the latest “Ribas vs. Namajunas” odds and betting props courtesy of DraftKings right here. For the rest of tomorrow night’s UFC Vegas 89 main card predictions click here.

125 lbs.: Amanda Ribas vs. Rose Namajunas

Amanda Ribas

Record: 12-4 | Age: 30 | Betting line: +180
Wins: 3 KO/TKO, 4 SUB, 5 DEC | Losses: 3 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 1 DEC
Height: 5’3“ | Reach: 66” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 4.92 | Striking accuracy: 42%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.33 | Striking Defense: 63%
Takedown Average: 1.99 (51% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 87%
Current Ranking: No. 8 | Last fight: Technical knockout win over Luana Pinheiro

“Thug” Rose Namajunas

Record: 11-6 | Age: 31 | Betting line: -220
Wins: 2 KO/TKO, 5 SUB, 4 DEC | Losses: 1 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 4 DEC
Height: 5’5“ | Reach: 65” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 3.68 | Striking accuracy: 40%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.53 | Striking Defense: 62%
Takedown Average: 1.49 (48% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 60%
Current Ranking: Unranked | Last fight: Unanimous decision loss to Manon Fiorot

Rose Namajunas has been competing under the UFC banner for nearly a decade and has somehow managed to remain an enigma. Every time “Thug” steps into the Octagon it’s like choosing a mystery chocolate from Whitman’s Sampler. Sometimes you get something amazing, other times you get complete garbage — and every now and again you get something in between. Her final fight at strawweight resulted in a decision loss to longtime rival Carla Esparza in what is widely considered the worst fight of 2022. Most of us expected “Thug” to stick around after Zhang Weili reclaimed the division crown, but Namajunas bailed on their trilogy in favor of greener (and heavier) pastures at 125 pounds. Her flyweight debut against Manon Fiorot was an underwhelming affair, hampered by a broken finger early in the fight, but that still doesn’t excuse her maddening inconsistency over the last several years.

“After the Manon fight, I had to heal my pinky and that happened, but as soon as the fight was over I was like, ‘Man, that was so close. I could’ve won that fight if it was a little different here and there,’” Namajunas said during the UFC Vegas 89 media day (watch it here). “Whatever. Would’ve, should’ve, could’ve. I just had that taste of, ‘Man,’ I usually get down on myself after a loss, but it just motivated me so much more.”

The end result was a unanimous decision loss at UFC Paris back in Sept. 2023.

“I knew after the fight I wanted to get right back in there, but I had to heal my pinky and I had some personal stuff to figure out,” Namajunas continued. “It took me a little bit to kind of get those things in order, but as soon as I was ready, I was looking for a fight. I got offered a little earlier for this fight, but I wasn’t ready, but then I got offered March 23, and I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s perfect.’”

Like her “Fight Night” opponent, Amanda Ribas has oscillated between world beater and lame duck, alternating wins and losses across her last six fights (3-3) dating back to summer 2020. The Brazilian is also a former strawweight who looked like the next big thing at 115 pounds after handing Mackenzie Dern her first loss inside the Octagon. Unfortunately, Dern failed to live up to the hype and similarly, those wins Ribas notched over Paige VanZant and Randa Markos have aged like cream cheese. Equally concerning is her 1-2 record at flyweight, which includes a technical knockout loss to Maycee Barber at UFC Jacksonville. What Ribas lacks in defense she makes up for in aggression, which is probably not the best style against a striker like Namajunas — assuming “Thug” can find second gear.

“I’m prepared for all, to do five rounds to the end or the beginning. I’m training to do a war and do a really good fight for the fans to enjoy and say this is worth being a main event,” Ribas said during the UFC Vegas 89 media day (watch it here). “I always put in my mind that I will fight the best Rose Namajunas ever. I’m training for the best in her. If something comes not like this, I’m prepared.”

She might be training for the best Rose Namajunas ever, but there’s no guarantee that’s who will step into the cage on fight night. “Thug” has battled demons throughout her career, will not be cornered by longtime coach Trevor Wittman — for the second straight fight — and has been led astray by her boyfriend Pat Barry.

Those are his words, not mine.

“Go back to any of Rose’s performances that didn’t seem quite right. It was me. I was the outside distraction,” Barry told The MMA Hour. “Any performance. I’m not talking about just fighting. Any interview that seemed off and weird, any post on social media, it was my f**king fault. So I said, I’m not doing that no more. She should ‘ve been world champ two years ago. It was me. I didn’t know it was me, but it was me.”

Yikes.

Based on the pre-fight interviews I’ve seen up until this point, Namajunas appears to be in a good place both physically and mentally. The loss of Wittman is unquestionably a red flag, but I do think she has enough tools to defeat Ribas, who probably should have stayed at strawweight. As I alluded to earlier, this all depends on the output of Namajunas. If she shows up ready to fight and looks to engage, don’t expect this contest to be decided by the judges.

Prediction: Namajunas def. Ribas by technical knockout

265 lbs.: Karl Williams vs. Justin Tafa

Karl Williams

Record: 9-1 | Age: 34 | Betting line: -185
Wins: 3 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 6 DEC | Losses: 0 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 0 DEC
Height: 6’3“ | Reach: 79” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 2.93 | Striking accuracy: 49%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 1.80 | Striking Defense: 62%
Takedown Average: 4.00 (46% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 100%
Current Ranking: Unranked | Last fight: Unanimous decision win over Chase Sherman

Justin “Bad Man” Tafa

Record: 7-3, 1 NC | Age: 30 | Betting line: +155
Wins: 7 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 0 DEC | Losses: 1 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 2 DEC
Height: 6’0“ | Reach: 74” | Stance: Southpaw
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 5.13 | Striking accuracy: 55%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 5.93 | Striking Defense: 49%
Takedown Average: 0.00 (0% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 100%
Current Ranking: Unranked | Last fight: Knockout win over Austen Lane

Justin Tafa is stepping in for his brother Junior Tafa at UFC Vegas 89, who stepped in for Justin at UFC 298. So basically they switched opponents (and events) and no doubt the Australian “Bad Man” will look to avoid his brother’s fate. “The Juggernaut” was stopped by Marcos Rogerio de Lima in the second round of the “Volkanovski vs. Topuria” his pay-per-view (PPV) contest just last month.

“It’s just like old times back at the playground,” Tafa said at the UFC Vegas 89 media day. “Sometimes I’m not ready to fight, so my brother goes and steps in and fights for me. We were really confident that my brother could have put de Lima away. I’ve seen my brother knock out Top 10 heavyweight boxers — after going out on a bender. He can knock anyone out on any given night. We weren’t planning on him not taking this fight. When we went back to Australia, we saw the severity of his injury and I told him I’ll go and check myself and if they say I’m ready, I could be ready by fight night. I’ll take the fight and do a solid for him.”

The elder Tafa does not have much to offer in terms of diversity and that’s reflected in his record. All seven wins have come by way of knockout, so don’t expect any flying armbars or gogoplatas. At just six feet tall with a 74-inch reach, Tafa is not particularly large for a heavyweight but he certainly hits like one, leading to three straight first-round finishes dating back to late 2021. I wish there was more to dissect here but let’s face it, Tafa is not far removed from the bar fight scene and just shows up, swings for the fences, and hopes for the best. It’s not the most technical gameplan but it certainly sits well with the audience.

Every self-respecting MMA fan loves a one-hitter quitter.

Karl Williams is also one dimensional and that’s being kind. The 34 year-old American Top Team (ATT) product captured a UFC contract by defeating Jimmy Lawson on Dana White’s “Contender Series” in late 2022, then scored consecutive decision victories over Lukasz Brzeski (UFC Las Vegas) and Chase Sherman (UFC Charlotte). I don’t remember either of those fights and I doubt anyone else does either (including Williams). According to his biography on Waged War, Williams is a former UFC lightweight champion and “one of the most accomplished MMA fighters in history.” I’m assuming that was written by AI but I still found it hilarious.

Anyway, Williams placed fourth in the state as a high school wrestler and at one point was seriously considering making a run at the U.S. Olympic team. Instead, the former collegiate football player gravitated toward fighting, getting his start back in 2018. It’s fair to say that Williams will be shooting in any potential matchup, which explains his above-average takedown percentage, but even more so against Tafa. Williams was able to get away with the standup against Sherman, a game he would be reckless to play with Tafa.

That’s pretty much what this fight boils down to. Williams will have to survive 15 minutes without taking anything significant to the dome. Certainly possible with his wrestling pedigree, but every fight starts on the feet. I just think the chin-checking “Bad Man” will have Williams spooked from the opening bell, which means sloppy, pat-a-cake defense followed by long-distance panic wrestling. This could get ugly — even for heavyweights.

Prediction: Tafa def. Williams by knockout

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the UFC Vegas 89 main card predictions RIGHT HERE.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 89 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN/ESPN+ main card start time at 10 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 89 news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archives here and here. For the updated and finalized “Ribas vs. Namajunas” fight card and ESPN/ESPN+ line up click here.

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Conor McGregor appreciated the support of an old rival in his pursuit of a UFC return.

This past Sunday, Nate Diaz extended a surprising St. Patrick’s Day olive branch to McGregor when he tweeted out a message of solidarity for the former two-division UFC champion. In response to McGregor’s mounting frustrations with the lack of news regarding his comeback fight, Diaz called upon the UFC to “free Conor” and expressed empathy for the Irishman’s plight. Considering that he and Diaz share one of the most storied rivalries in MMA history, McGregor didn’t expect to find his old foe in his corner, but he welcomed it.

“Nate is great. When you share back-to-back knocks — we had real, real fights. That’s a real fighting man, the two brothers are real fighting men,” McGregor said on The MMA Hour.

“I always had the highest respect for the two lads, and f***, I was a fan of the lad. I was a fan of them, and then I got to share the octagon with them — we had wars, we boxed each other around. And I appreciate it, appreciate [the support]. I wish him well, always. I’ll always wish to see past opponents and future opponents — potential future opponents again — to see them do well. And what a monumental moment that will be, when we get that [trilogy fight] done. So I’m excited for it.”

McGregor, 35, and Diaz, 38, infamously fought twice in 2016, with Diaz winning the first bout via rear-naked choke as a short-notice replacement and McGregor claiming the rematch by majority decision. Eight years later, both fights — at UFC 196 and UFC 202 respectively — remain two of the highest-selling pay-per-views in MMA history.

Diaz’s message on St. Patrick’s Day echoed McGregor’s recent frustrations over his inability to get a date officially on the books for his UFC return. Diaz found himself in a similar situation at the end of his own UFC run — with only one fight remaining on his contract, Diaz ultimately had to publicly go to war with the promotion in order to land his UFC 279 swan song and become a free agent. McGregor currently has two fights left on his UFC deal, and Diaz couldn’t help but notice the similarities in the two situations between rivals.

“This was me for years before Conor even got here. They want [you] to die before [you] get out these contracts. It’s up to you to make something pop. No one gonna help you but you.

“Free Conor, it’s [St.] Patty’s Day in this b****.”

McGregor’s fortunes appear to have changed in recent days, however. “The Notorious” told MMA Fighting’s The MMA Hour on Wednesday that he finally has a summer date set for his UFC return against Michael Chandler. McGregor said the fight is just step one of a two-step plan that he hopes will allow him to compete twice in 2024, with the second bout targeted for the UFC’s debut trip to The Sphere in Las Vegas on Sept. 14 for UFC 306.

McGregor previously suggested that the long-awaited trilogy match between he and Diaz serve as the headliner for UFC 306, however UFC CEO Dana White quickly nixed that idea.

McGregor isn’t quite sure why.

“The cold water, [White threw] cold water it instantly,” McGregor said. “That’s huge. That, to me, has The Sphere written all over it. Mexican Independence Day. Nate Diaz is an American Mexican and a beloved fighter and a real fighter. Now, he’s hard to deal with with the lads [UFC executives], and I don’t know all the ins and outs, to be honest — and I know the lads are hard to deal with also. So I think it’d be amazing and it would suit me lovely — the date in summer and into September, I believe I get my two fights in this year.”

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Jake Paul didn’t appreciate Conor McGregor’s take on his upcoming clash with ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson.

On Saturday, July 20, ‘The Problem Child’ will look to score his 10th career win in the boxing ring when he meets former unified heavyweight world champion and “the baddest man on the planet” inside the 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. With the bout scheduled to be broadcast live on Netflix to over 260 million active subscribers, Paul is confident that the fight will be among the most watched in combat sports history.

However, not everyone feels that way. During an interview at SXSW, the Irishman said: ”It’s a bit strange, you know. My interest is low. I don’t know. I don’t understand it.”

Reacting to McGregor’s lack of interest during a recent episode of his BS w/ Jake Paul podcast, the YouTuber-turned-boxer slammed the UFC megastar with some flimsy numbers comparing interest in his fight with Tyson versus McGregor’s last fight against Dustin Poirier in July 2021.

“So, Conor, you’re saying that interest’s low for the fight but the last fight you announced, there was a thousand articles written in a multiple-day span . . . you know people talking about your last fight. In that same multiple-day span, there was ten thousand articles written about this (Tyson vs. Paul). So this is in my mind, this is the biggest fight the world will ever see.

“There’s no reason to be jealous. I get that people are jealous, but when the old-heads like Conor are still trying to hate… Why are you trying to pull people [down]? Your ego is that [big]?”

Jake Paul Confident His Fight with Tyson will outdo McGregor’s clash with ‘Money’

Jake Paul was also adamant that his fight with ‘Iron’ would be significantly more viewed than McGregor’s iconic clash with Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather in 2017.

“It’ll be more viewed, 1000%. Obviously, it’ll be free so we can’t compare pay-per-view numbers, but a lot of people in this sport are b*tches. That’s what I’ve come to find out. They don’t actually want to fight.

Considering Paul vs. Tyson will be available to every Netflix subscriber in the world for no additional charge, July’s fight will likely earn far more views than McGregor’s lone appearance in the squared circle. Unfortunately, we’ll likely never know the true numbers as Netflix rarely releases its streaming data.

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