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Tag: UFC 318

  • Marvin Vettori Doesn’t Like Brendan Allen and Explains Precisely Why: “His Face”

    Marvin Vettori doesn’t like Brendan Allen.

    Last year, a run-in at a casino in Florida resulted in a full-fledge brawl between Vettori and Allen. Now, the two middleweight contenders will square off this Saturday night when the Ultimate Fighting Championship heads to New Orleans for a loaded UFC 318 card inside the Smoothie King Center.

    In the time since their viral encounter, Vettori has had plenty of negative things to say about Allen, but his hatred for the American boils down to Vettori simply not liking the cut of Allen’s jib.

    “It’s a long story. But I’m gonna tell you this, just by the look of his face, I don’t like him,” Vettori told TMZ Sports. “Doesn’t take much. F—k man, this guy, he’s just unlikable. But I mean there is reason but I don’t want to say it here… The way he carries himself, he’s just a whiny little guy.”

    Marvin Vettori Promises a Big Finish in ‘The Big Easy’

    With that said, ‘The Italian Dream’ is determined to deliver a highlight-reel finish in NOLA and climb his way back into the win column for the first time since 2023.

    “It’s not gonna go the distance, I’m just gonna tell you that,” he added. “I’m gonna go all out, it’s gonna be like now or never, it’s gonna be kill or die… I’m looking to run through him, completely f—ing dismantle this guy.”

    Vettori goes into the bout riding back-to-back losses, coming up short against Jared Cannonier and Roman Dolidze. Similarly, Allen has also lost his last in his two outings, falling to Nassourdine Imavov and Anthony Hernandez.

    With Vettori and Allen holding things down as the 10th and 11th-ranked fighters in the division, respectively, a win is unlikely to gain either one much momentum at middleweight. However, it will give the winner and opportunity to once again fight their way up the rankings rather than simply trying to maintain their position.

  • The Fight Fan’s Guide To July 19: Everything You Need To Know

    The Fight Fan’s Guide To July 19: Everything You Need To Know

    Next Saturday, July 19, is shaping up to be a memorable day filled with fights for combat sports fans everywhere.

    It sometimes can happen where fight cards will be stacked on top of one another on the same day, or even go head-to-head with each other. But only every so often do we get a day where fights will happen from one card to another throughout the day — and only every so often do we have a day of fights that are either heavily promoted, see titles on the line, or are all meaningful otherwise in some shape or way.

    We know for the obsessed fight fan that wants to see everything, a day like July 19 can be overwhelming in trying to figure out what’s going on, what’s important, and, more importantly, when and where to watch.

    Well, we here at MMA News are designing this guide here to help you put your feet up, grab your favorite foods and drinks, and watch all the action go down — from the first bell to the last!

    Everything Fight Fans Need To Know For July 19

    On July 19, the UFC and PFL will both be hosting heavily promoted cards, and the boxing world will feature a highly-anticipated title fight and the return of a legend.

    Here are — in order from the start of the day to the end — all the events going down on July 19, as well as when they start, where you can watch them, and what you need to know.

    PFL Cape Town

    Start Time: 10 am ET/7 am PT (Champions Series bouts will start at approx. 2 pm ET/11 am PT)

    Where To Watch: PFL App (PFL Africa 1) & ESPN+ (PFL Champions Series 2)

    After years of waiting, a major MMA player finally makes its way to the continent of Africa, as the PFL will host its first-ever event there with PFL Cape Town at the GrandWest Arena in Cape Town, South Africa.

    With the Bellator brand officially no more, Johnny Eblen — still considered one of the best talents in the sport outside of the UFC — will defend the newly-named PFL middleweight championship in the main event of the evening against Costello Van Steenis. Van Steenis comes into this title shot off a 2024 campaign that saw him submit Gregory Babene with a Von Flue choke at the Bellator Champions Series card in Paris and a 48-second head-kick knockout of Joao Vitor Dantas at the 2024 PFL World Championships.

    Dakota Ditcheva, the 2024 PFL women’s flyweight champion and 2023 PFL Europe women’s flyweight champion, returns in the co-main event, taking on Sumiko Inaba. The main card will also feature former Bellator light heavyweight champion Corey Anderson in action at heavyweight against 2024 PFL heavyweight champ Denis Goltsov, as well as former Bellator featherweight champion AJ McKee taking on Akhmed Magomedov.

    Before the five-fight Champions Series card, PFL Africa will host its first event, featuring first-round tournament matchups at heavyweight and bantamweight.

    KSW 108

    Start Time: 12pm ET/9am PT

    Where To Watch: KSWTV.com

    KSW gets a piece of the July 19 action, too, presenting KSW 108 from the Hala Urania in Olsztyn, Poland. Two noteworthy European featherweight up-and-comers do battle in the main event, as Adam Soldaev takes on Leo Brichta. Ibragim Chuzhigaev and Marcin Wójcik face off in the light heavyweight co-main event.

    Oleksandr Usyk vs. Daniel Dubois 2 — Undisputed Heavyweight Title Fight

    Start Time: 12:30pm ET/9:30am PT (Main event ring walks expected, per DAZN, approx. 4:50pm ET/1:50pm PT)

    Where To Watch: DAZN PPV

    For just the second time in the four-belt era of boxing, there will be an undisputed heavyweight champion, as WBA/WBC/WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk faces IBF champion Daniel Dubois.

    Having been an undisputed champion at both cruiserweight and heavyweight, Usyk is just one of three male boxers to win four-belt undisputed gold in two weight classes. He became the first four-belt heavyweight undisputed champion when he defeated Tyson Fury in their first encounter in May 2024 — also becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion overall since Lennox Lewis in 2000.

    With a win in this fight, Usyk would further cement his history by reclaiming the title of undisputed champion of heavyweight boxing; however, he’ll have to get past a familiar foe in Dubois.

    The two first met in August 2023, with Usyk winning by ninth-round knockout to retain the WBA, IBF, and WBO titles. The fight wasn’t without controversy, however, as Dubois and his team have disputed a fifth-round low blow call thrown by Dubois was a legal shot.

    Usyk’s reign as undisputed champion only lasted about a month, as the IBF stripped him of the title as he pursued a rematch with Fury, which Usyk went on to win this past December. That opened the door for Dubois to be promoted from interim to full-time IBF heavyweight champion.

    Dubois — also a former WBA (Regular) heavyweight champion — had won the interim IBF heavyweight belt in June 2024 with an eighth-round stoppage win over Filip Hrgović. He has since successfully defended the IBF world title once, scoring a fifth-round knockout of former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua this past September.

    UFC 318

    Start Time: Early Prelims start at 6pm ET/3pm PT. TV prelims start at 8pm ET/5pm PT. PPV Main Card begins at 10pm ET/7pm PT.

    Where To Watch: Early Prelims available on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass. TV Prelims available on ESPN and ESPN+. Main Card available on ESPN+ PPV.

    For the final time in his illustrious career, “The Diamond” will make his way to the Octagon — and he’ll do so in front of a hometown crowd.

    UFC 318’s main event will be a BMF title fight between defending champion Max Holloway and challenger Dustin Poirier, the latter of whom will be retiring following this event.

    This is the third encounter between the two men. They first met in February 2012 at UFC 143 — Holloway’s UFC debut and just his fifth professional MMA fight. Poirier scored a first-round submission of Holloway. The two would then go on to have lengthy, successful careers before they met a second time at UFC 236. This time, interim UFC lightweight gold would be on the line (it was first UFC fight at lightweight for Holloway, who was the reigning featherweight champion at the time), and Poirier won an entertaining battle by decision.

    Since then, Holloway has dropped the featherweight title but remained one of the UFC’s most entertaining and winning fighters. Poirier has fallen short three times of becoming undisputed lightweight champion, but he picked up career wins in 2021 by scoring a pair of finishes over rival Conor McGregor. Both men, in fact, come into this fight off unsuccessful title shots, with Poirier losing to Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 and Holloway losing to Ilia Topuria at UFC 308.

    The BMF belt was established for Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz at UFC 244 in November 2019 but has since gone on to be occasionally defended like UFC’s sanctioned titles. Justin Gaethje knocked out Poirier to win the belt at UFC 291 in July 2023 but was knocked out in highlight fashion by Holloway for the title at UFC 300.

    Mario Barrios vs. Manny Pacquiao — WBC Welterweight Championship

    Start Time: 8pm ET/5pm PT

    Where To Watch: Prelims available on Amazon Prime Video. Main Card available on PBC PPV on Amazon Prime Video & PPV providers

    Whereas we say goodbye to one combat legend in Poirier, another legend makes his return. Legendary boxing world champion Manny Pacquiao will return to the ring to challenge Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight title.

    This will be Pacquiao’s first fight since losing a WBA welterweight title fight with Yordenis Ugás in August 2021. Barrios won the WBC interim title by defeating Ugás in September 2023. He retained the interim gold against Fabian Maidana and was promoted to full-time champion not long after. He defended the title once this past November, battling Abel Ramos to a draw.

    The co-main event will feature Sebastian Fundora defend the WBC and WBO super welterweight titles against Tim Tszyu.

    The card will feature three prelims, topped by the return of Gary Russell Jr. against Hugo Castaneda.

    Bonuses For The Mega Fans!

    If you’re just that fight fan that wants to soak up every minute and all the action, we’ve got some bonus bones being thrown your way!

    In addition to all the pre-fight festivities surrounding the fight cards, action gets underway on Thursday, July 17, when UFC Fight Pass airs Tuff-N-Uff 146 at 10pm ET/7pm PT. The main event will see Jamie Siraj take on Marlon Gonzales in a featherweight matchup. The card will also see Leon Shahbazyan, a Dana White’s Contender Series alumnus and the brother of UFC fighter Edmen Shahzabyan, in action against Aaron Phillips.

    Combate Global will also hold on card on Thursday, July 17, in Miami. The main event will see Jaden Ortega in welterweight action against Ivan Castillo. The event will air starting at 8pm ET/5pm PT on Combate Global’s YouTube channel. Those in the US with Samsung TV Plus can watch the action there as well.

    A pair of regional promotions will also hold events on Friday, July 18, as CFFC 144 goes down in Tampa, Florida, and Fury FC 106 takes place in New Orleans. CFFC 144 will be headlined by Auttumn Norton defending the CFFC bantamweight title against Emily Martins and Sean Mora facing Mark Grey for the vacant bantamweight title. Fury FC, meanwhile, will be headlined by Junior Maranhão taking on Artur Minev. Both cards can be watched on UFC Fight Pass.

  • UFC 318 Undercard Shaken As Veteran Fighter Pulls Out Due To Injury

    UFC 318 Undercard Shaken As Veteran Fighter Pulls Out Due To Injury

    UFC 318 has taken a hit, with a key fight being scrapped just two weeks ahead of the event.

    UFC 318 is scheduled for July 19 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. The event will feature a high-profile lightweight headliner, with BMF titleholder Max Holloway taking on former interim champion Dustin Poirier.

    The eighth pay-per-view of 2025 is set to showcase Patricio Pitbull’s sophomore Octagon outing, as the former Bellator featherweight champion takes on Dan Ige in the co-main event. Also featured on the main card is a middleweight showdown between former title challenger Paulo Costa and the surging Roman Kopylov, along with a lightweight clash pitting Michael Johnson against Daniel Zellhuber.

    Image: @ufc/X

    Gunnar Nelson Withdraws From UFC 318 Clash With Neil Magny Due To Hamstring Injury

    On Friday, Gunnar Nelson took to Instagram to announce his withdrawal from his scheduled UFC 318 bout against Neil Magny, citing multiple hamstring injuries. “Gunni” revealed that the damage includes both a muscle tear and a tendon rupture, rendering him unable to train effectively. The Icelandic veteran added that he’ll need at least eight weeks of recovery before returning to normal.

    “I won’t get into any crazy details about the injury but I’ll tell you it’s a two-part injury, so there is a tear in one of the muscles in the hamstring, which is a Grade 2b injury,” Nelson said. “It’s not too bad, so it’s possibly something that we could have worked with. However, the second injury is on the tendon inside the muscle, which is a full thickness tear, so a Grade 4c injury and that’s a more serious one. Basically, I’m absolutely useless when it comes to any type of grappling scenarios. I’m not able to wrestle or grapple or kick and apparently it will be another eight weeks at least until I can comfortably have any type of grappling training at full speed.”

    Nelson last competed at UFC London in March, where he dropped a unanimous decision to Kevin Holland, bringing an end to his two-fight win streak. “Gunni” has fought just 12 times over the past 11 years, during which he has compiled an even 6–6 record in the Ocatgon.

    As for Magny, it remains unclear whether a replacement opponent will be secured for UFC 318 or if his bout with Nelson will be rescheduled for a later date. “The Haitian Sensation” is currently riding a two-fight skid, both losses coming by knockout, with the most recent setback suffered at the hands of rising contender Carlos Prates in November 2024.

  • What’s Next After UFC 317? Full Confirmed UFC 318 Main Card For New Orleans On July 19

    What’s Next After UFC 317? Full Confirmed UFC 318 Main Card For New Orleans On July 19

    UFC 317 is in the books, meaning attention will soon turn to the mixed martial arts leader’s next pay-per-view offering, UFC 318 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

    The promotion was in Las Vegas last week, where the T-Mobile Arena played host to a number of intriguing matchups for its sixth numbered event of the year. Of note were headline wins for Ilia Topuria and Alexandre Pantoja, as well as important victories for Joshua Van, Beneil Dariush and Payton Talbott.

    While the aftermath of the June 28 card is currently the talk of the town, it won’t be long until focus sways to the next PPV, and from the lightweight and flyweight championship title pictures to conversation around two BMFs — one of whom steps into the Octagon for the final time.

    In front of his native hometown crowd at UFC 318, set for the Smoothie King Arena on July 19, Dustin Poirier will take to the Octagon one last time, as he faces off with Max Holloway for the BMF belt. It will be the third encounter these two have had, with Poirier up 2-0 in the series and going for the clean sweep. A 4-0, 20-year-old Max Holloway made his UFC debut against Poirier at UFC 143, with Poirier winning via first-round submission. They would rematch seven years later at UFC 236, with Poirier scoring a clean decision to win the interim UFC lightweight championship.

    Poirier, who had been teasing retirement for some time now, will be competing for the first time in over a year, after getting submitted by Islam Makhachev in a lightweight title bout that headlined UFC 302. Poirier is 2-3 since winning his trilogy bout with Conor McGregor, including another failed lightweight title bid against Charles Oliveira at UFC 269. Poirier has fought for the BMF title once before, getting knocked out by Justin Gaethje at UFC 291.

    Holloway, the legendary former featherweight champion, will be competing in his first fight since failing to reclaim the title, getting knocked out by new lightweight champion Ilia Topuria in the main event of UFC 308. While Holloway began his MMA career at lightweight, he dropped to featherweight upon arriving to the UFC. Holloway’s other lightweight bout outside of facing Poirier for the second time came at UFC 300, when Holloway had his legendary knockout of Gaethje to win the BMF title.

    The co-main event will see Patricio Pitbull’s second UFC bout, as he takes on Dan Ige. Pitbull, the legendary former two-division Bellator champion, made his UFC debut at UFC 314 in April, losing a decision against Yair Rodriguez. Ige has lost three of his last five but will enter this fight off a third-round finish of Sean Woodson at UFC 314.

    Gautier, Costa, Johnson Set The Stage For BMF Title Headliner At UFC 318

    Before Poirier and Holloway make their way out for the BMF title fight, several names will look to make their own statements on the main card for UFC 318.

    This includes “The Silent Assassin” Ateba Gautier, who will be facing Robert Valentin. Gautier earned a UFC contract with a second-round finish of Yura Naito on Dana White’s Contender Series in September and scored a first-round knockout of Jose Medina in his UFC debut in March. Gautier will be taking on Robert Valentin, who fell short to Ryan Loder in The Ultimate Fighter season 32 finale and dropped a controversial split decision to Torrez Finney in April.

    Former middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa will also be in action, taking on Roman Kopylov. This fight was scheduled for UFC 317 but was pushed back to this card. Costa has lost four of his last five and has only fought four times since unsuccessfully challenging Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight championship at UFC 253. He most recently fought at UFC 302 last year, losing to Sean Strickland. Kopylov has won six of seven, most recently scoring a knockout of Chris Curtis in January.

    The main card is scheduled to open with veteran Michael Johnson taking on Daniel Zellhuber. Johnson has won two straight and four of his last six, most recently scoring a highlight knockout of Ottman Azaitar at UFC Tampa in December. This fight will mark Zellhuber’s first fight since losing to Esteban Ribovics at Noche UFC 2 (UFC 306) in what many people consider to be the best MMA fight of 2024.

    Those pairings have currently gotten the nod to feature on the main card over the likes of a long-awaited middleweight clash between bitter rivals Marvin Vettori and Brendan Allen, as well as Kevin Holland vs. Daniel Rodriguez, Ikram Aliskerov vs. Brunno Ferreira, and Neil Magny vs. Gunnar Nelson, all of whom are expected to be featured players on the event’s preliminary card.

    See below for the UFC 318 lineup, as it stands.

    Main Card:

    • BMF Championship: Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier
    • Featherweight: Dan Ige vs. Patricio Pitbull
    • Middleweight: Ateba Gautier vs. Robert Valentin
    • Middleweight: Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov
    • Lightweight: Michael Johnson vs. Daniel Zellhuber

    Preliminary Card (full card and bout order TBA):

    • Middleweight: Marvin Vettori vs. Brendan Allen
    • Welterweight: Kevin Holland vs. Daniel Rodriguez
    • Bantamweight: Kyler Phillips vs. Vinicius Oliveira
    • Middleweight: Ikram Aliskerov vs. Brunno Ferreira
    • Welterweight: Neil Magny vs. Gunnar Nelson
    • Heavyweight: Ryan Spann vs. Lukasz Brzeski
    • Light Heavyweight: Jimmy Crute vs. Marcin Prachnio
    • Welterweight: Adam Fugitt vs. Islam Dulatov
    • Women’s Flyweight: Carli Judice vs. Nicolle Caliari
    • Welterweight: Francisco Prado vs. Nikolay Veretennikov
  • Dustin Poirier Set To Challenge For A Title In His Retirement Fight At UFC 318

    Dustin Poirier Set To Challenge For A Title In His Retirement Fight At UFC 318

    UFC legend Dustin Poirier has his final fight in the calendar — and it comes against a familiar adversary.

    Poirier will be making his farewell as an active mixed martial artist in 2025. He committed to one more walk to the Octagon soon after his latest failed shot at the undisputed lightweight title last June in Newark, where he was submitted in round five of the UFC 302 main event by Islam Makhachev.

    “The Diamond” outlined that he was targeting fellow “legends” of the sport for a showdown close to home in New Orleans this summer when discussing his search for an opponent.

    And when it comes to that description, the promotion certainly obliged.

    The UFC officially announced this week that Poirier will run it back with Max Holloway in competition for the symbolic BMF title at UFC 318 in New Orleans on July 19.

    While Poirier is coming off a submission defeat to the lightweight kingpin last time out, Holloway fell short opposite Ilia Topuria, the now-former featherweight titleholder. “Blessed” was knocked out for the first time in his career by “El Matador” in Abu Dhabi last October.

    The Hawaiian will now return to lightweight to defend the BMF belt for the first time since capturing it from Justin Gaethje, who earned the symbolic strap with a KO of Poirier in 2023.

    Holloway is currently 0-2 against “The Diamond,” having been submitted by the Louisianan in 2012 before being outpointed in their 2019 rematch for the interim UFC lightweight title.