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It’s tiiiiiiime (Bruce Buffer voice) to venture back to the uninspiring APEX facility in Las Vegas this Saturday (August 12th) for UFC Fight Night: Luque vs. Dos Anjos. This card is being capped off in the welterweight division with former UFC lightweight champion, Rafael dos Anjos, welcoming back the promotion’s #10 ranked 170-pounder, Vicente Luque.

Luque has been sitting on the sidelines for the past year due to a medical suspension following a doctor’s diagnosis of a ‘brain bleed.’ That is pretty concerning considering his style of fighting revolves around brutal exchanges of give and take. Vicente has been medically cleared to fight, but I’m still kind of fearful for his safety. It should be noted that I’m the furthest thing from a doctor, and I know absolutely nothing about his true condition, but I really hope he’s not rushing back into things a bit too soon.

As for RDA, the former 155-pound champ moved back up to 170-pounds for his last outing, and successfully submitted Bryan Barberena in the second round. At 38-years-old, RDA has proved that he still has the tools to compete at a high level, and he’ll be going into this weekend as the UFC’s #9 ranked lightweight. With Luque ranked at #10 at welterweight, it’s time to find out if RDA’s still has it in him to hang with the top-10 at 170.

In this card’s co-main event we’ve got another aged veteran in a lighter division taking on an opponent in their prime. Longtime action fighter Cub Swanson will be throwing down will fellow striker Hakeem Dawodu. It’s really difficult for me to see this match being anything other than a standup war, but then again, I said the exact same thing about Cory Sandhagen vs. Rob Font. Fingers crossed!

Before that, the light heavyweight division is blessing us with Khalil Rountree vs. Chris Daukaus. This special treat includes a dangerous Rountree, who is coming off of a three-fight winning streak, and an equally lethal Daukaus, who has been knocked out in three straight appearances. Does this make sense? No. Do we care? Not if it’s violent.

Start time and date

UFC Fight Night: Luque vs. Dos Anjos takes place on August 12th from the APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event starts at 7 p.m. ET. The prelims begin at 4 p.m. ET.

How to watch

UFC Fight Night: Luque vs. Dos Anjos is available on ESPN+ for current subscribers, and can also be seen on ESPN. The event is scheduled to start live at 7:00pm ET, 4:00pm PT. For full streaming details, and compatible devices go here.

Full UFC Fight Night: Luque vs. Dos Anjos fight card

Main card

• Vicente Luque vs. Rafael dos Anjos: Welterweight
• Cub Swanson vs. Hakeem Dawodu: Featherweight
• Khalil Rountree vs. Chris Daukaus: Light Heavyweight
• Polyana Viana vs. Iasmin Lucindom: Strawweight
• Tafon Nchukwi vs. AJ Dobson: Middleweight

Prelims

• Josh Fremd vs. Jamie Pickett: Middleweight
• Marcus McGhee vs. JP Buys: Bantamweight
• Terrance McKinney vs. Mike Breeden: Lightweight
• Francis Marshall vs. Isaac Dulgarian: Featherweight
• Josh Parisian vs. Martin Buday: Heavyweight
• Montserrat Ruiz vs. Jaqueline Amorim: Strawweight
• Juliana Miller vs. Luana Santos: (W) Flyweight

What comes after UFC Fight Night: Luque vs. Dos Anjos

The next event after UFC Fight Night: Luque vs. Dos Anjos is UFC 292: Sterling vs. O’Malley, and that will go down at the TD Garden arena in Boston, Massachusetts. The headliner for this event will see Aljamain Sterling put his bantamweight belt on the line against Sean O’Malley. The UFC’s strawweight title will be up for grabs in the co-main event when the champ, Weili Zhang, takes on her challenger, Amanda Lemos.

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Jake and Nate scuffle at the final stare down

Things went Stockton style at the final pre-fight staredown with the two fighters hand-fighting, slapping, shoving and even throwing a kick for good measure.

Full Jake Paul vs Nate Diaz Event Preview

Join us tonight (August 5th) for the Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz: Ready 4 War boxing fight card, which is happening from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. At 6-1, Paul is on the rebound following his first career loss at the hands of Tommy Fury earlier this year. Diaz is making his move to boxing after exiting the UFC with a fourth round submission victory over Tony Ferguson last September. Jake is the biggest draw in celebrity boxing, and Nate is the perfect retired MMA fighter to fit his mold.

The co-main event tonight is actually super-legit, as Amanda Serrano puts her IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO featherweight titles on the line against Bellator veteran, Heather Hardy. The 42-2-1 undisputed boxing champ is looking to further her legacy, and pad her pockets, as a staggering -2000 betting favorite. With a boxing record of 24-2, and a little bit of time spent in the MMA cage for the Bellator promotion, Hardy is entering into this contest as a +1000 betting underdog. Nobody is really expecting her to win, but hey what a great opportunity!

Also on this Ready 4 War fight card is another longtime UFC veteran in Jeremy Stephens. His opponent for the evening will be Diaz brothers training partner, Chris Avila. This one might actually turn out to be a war, given how descent Stephens looked in his last boxing bout with Jose Aldo, and the fact that Avila clocked in a couple of pounds over the contracted super middleweight weight limit.

Like a typical boxing card, the majority of fans are tuning in for the main event. Paul vs. Diaz is that match, but luckily we get a cool high stakes co-main for any purists out there. Filthy casuals probably don’t know the explosive potential of Stephens vs. Avila, but the degenerate hardcores know the deal. Is this card worth the price of admission? I guess that really depends on the viewer. Either way, we got you covered with the results and highlights.

The first bout of the evening is scheduled to get underway at 8 p.m. ET. The main event ringwalks are forecasted for 11 p.m. ET. The PPV price is $59.99, and can be streamed on ESPN+ or DAZN.

Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz fight card results

Main card

• Jake Paul def. Nate Diaz by unanimous decision (97-92, 98-91 x2): Cruiserweight

• Amanda Serrano def. Heather Hardy by unanimous decision (99-91, 100-90 x2): IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO women’s featherweight titles

• Chris Avila def. Jeremy Stephens by unanimous decision (59-55 x2, 60-54): Super middleweight

• Ashton Sylve def. William Silva by KO (Body shot) at 2:59 of round 4: Lightweight

• Shadasia Green def. Olivia Curry by unanimous decision (99-91, 100-90, 100-89): Women’s super middleweight

• Alan Sanchez def. Angel Beltran by unanimous decision (77-75, 78-74, 79-73): Welterweight

Prelims

• Kevin Newman II def. Quillisto Madera by unanimous decision (80-71, 79-72×2)(80-71, 79-72 x2): Middleweight

• Jose Aguayo def. Noel Cavazos by majority decision (38-38, 39-37 x2): Welterweight
• Luciano Ramos def. CJ Hamilton by unanimous decision (40-36 x2, 39-37): Super lightweight

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Join us tonight (August 5th) as we cover UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Font, which is blasting off from The Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Violence should be running rampant tonight with a ton of action matchups booked for this card. That includes an explosive main event between the top-ranked bantamweights, Cory Sandhagen and Rob Font. With the UFC’s bantamweight belt being up for grabs on August 19th, an emphatic victory tonight could easily put either of these guys right there in the title shot conversation.

The UFC fight in the co-main event slot could very well have title shot implications when the UFC’s former strawweight champion, Jéssica Andrade, collides with the 9-0 undefeated Tatiana Suarez. Andrade is a UFC mainstay, at both flyweight and strawweight, but is in a bit of a slump right now. She has been finished in back to back outings, so she’ll be looking to avoid the heartache of three straight losses for the first time in her career. Suarez got back to work this year, and her trajectory is clearly up, up, and away.

UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Font kicks off live tonight with the prelims at 6:00 p.m. ET. From there, the main card will start at 9:00 p.m. ET. All of this can be seen on ESPN+.

Full UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Font fight card results

Main card

• Cory Sandhagen def. Rob Font by unanimous decision (50-45 x3): 140-pounds
• Tatiana Suarez def. Jéssica Andrade by submission (Guillotine) at 1:31 of round 2: Strawweight

• Dustin Jacoby def. Kennedy Nzechukwu by TKO at 1:22 of round 1: Light Heavyweight

• Diego Lopes def. Gavin Tucker by submission (Flying Triangle Armbar) at 1:38 of round 1: Featherweight

• Tanner Boser def. Aleksa Camur by unanimous decision (30-27 x3): Light Heavyweight
• Ľudovít Klein def. Ignacio Bahamondes by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2): Lightweight

Prelims

• Kyler Phillips def. Raoni Barcelos by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2): Bantamweight
• Carlston Harris def. Jeremiah Wells by technical submission (Anaconda) at 1:50 of round 3: Welterweight

• Billy Quarantillo def. Damon Jackson by unanimous decision (29-28 x3): Featherweight
• Cody Durden def. Jake Hadley by unanimous decision (30-27 x3): Flyweight
• Sean Woodson def. Dennis Buzukja by unanimous decision (30-27 x3): Featherweight
• Asu Almabaev def. Ode Osbourne by submission (RNC) at 3:11 of round 2: Flyweight

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When UFC legend Randy Couture isn’t acting on the big screen, the former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion can be seen talking turkey as a member of the PFL broadcasting team. ‘The Natural’ caught up with Bloody Elbow for an exclusive interview to discuss the circulating PFL/Bellator sale rumors.

Being so close to the PFL, we also asked him to weigh in on the upcoming Tyson Fury vs. Francis N’Gannou boxing match, Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz in boxing and MMA, and of course we brought up Randy Couture vs. James Toney. Before it’s all said and done, Randy also shares his thoughts on Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic.

Big thanks to Randy Couture for taking out the time to speak with us!

Randy Couture interview video

Cauliflower ear scene in The Expendables

• I remember watching you in The Expendables. There’s this scene where you go off on this tangent about your cauliflower ear, that nobody in the movie really wants to hear about. Was that written in the script, or was that like a Randy Couture ad lib? 

“You know, I got the call from my agent saying, ‘hey, Sylvester Stallone wants you to stop by his office. He’s got a project he wants to talk to you about.’ So I walked in, you know, of course you’re not passing up a meeting like that… And originally he brought me in for Hail Caesar, which was written for Wesley Snipes originally, and Wesley was having some issues. So they were going to readapt that role to fit me, and they wanted me to rant about my cauliflower ears…”

“So a couple weeks after our conversation, Sly ended up getting Terry Crews to play Hail Ceasar, which was an amazing fit and Terry’s an amazing guy. And so I was like, oh, man, I’m going to be out, and he went and sat down and wrote Toll Road in to the script based on that conversation we had about Hail Cesar. I was very honored that that, you know, he’s a big enough fan of me in fighting to work like that, to keep me in the film.” 

Next movie for Randy Couture

“It’s been an amazing experience, honestly. The biggest property I’ve been associated with in the 20 plus years I’ve been acting now and obviously that year Expendables One was the number one film in the country that summer, so we’re excited for Four. Four hits the theaters on September 22^nd. A lot of new cast mates in this one. Only four of us originals: Stallone, [Jason] Statham, [Dolph] Lundgren and myself.” 

PFL/Bellator sale rumors

• As a member of the PFL broadcast team, you’re pretty close to the promotion now. What are Randy Couture’s thoughts on the the PFL/Bellator sale rumors? 

“I think it’s interesting. I mean, at first glance, you’re like, well, I don’t know. I understand. It’s a completely different format, so why would you buy that brand? It doesn’t fit into your format, but, if you recognize how fast the PFL has grown over the last six years, and exactly what they’ve done, they just launched PFL Europe. I think next year you’re going to see PFL Middle East, and PFL Africa come online and start putting out some product and creating some opportunities for some fighters in those regions.”

“And I think the pay-per-view model is going to launch next year in 2024, as well. Then, once you realize that they’re getting ready to launch a pay-per-view model, the Bellator acquisition makes a lot more sense. They have 250 fighters signed to that roster. There are many amazing fighters, marquee names and fighters. Volkanovski, Cyborg, Ryan Bader. The Patricky brothers.”

“I mean there’s a plethora of guys that are attached to that brand that they’ve spent a lot of time and money building the stars. So I get why and where the acquisition would come from, because those those guys would plug right into that pay-per-view model moving forward next year. We’ll see how it unfolds.”  

Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou

• The vibe I get is everyone’s tremendously proud of Francis for for standing up for himself, like you said, for getting the paydays, even if they might not be picking him in a boxing match against Fury. What’s Randy Couture’s take?

“Yeah, definitely. He’s absolutely stepping up against Tyson Fury. I mean, he’s at the top of his game and the best boxer in the world right now, the head movement, the long range of the footwork. I mean all of it. He’s just an amazing competitor, so Francis has definitely bit off a big chunk to step in to boxing at that level. Francis has got amazing athleticism. He’s got amazing work ethic, and we all know about the power. And a guy with that kind of power, you can never count out.”

Randy Couture boxing James Toney?

• Back in 2010 there was this former boxing champion that came over to the UFC and got absolutely pantsed by this guy Randy Couture.

“There was a rumor, and I think James started the rumor because I think he would have liked to have had me, you know, step into the boxing ring with him after that fight. But there was never any conversation, certainly no serious conversation. I heard that rumor that that he wanted me to box, and I’m like I’m not a boxer. I’m a wrestler. I’m a mixed martial artist. You’re not taking away my areas of strength and making me just go to boxing. As much as I love boxing, my boxing was adequate for MMA. Good enough to get you to have to grab a hold of me.”

• Oh dude, you dropped Tim Sylvia. No, everybody remembers that. You come out. What was it, the inside leg kick, over hand right. Right out of the gate. Come on now, we know you got hands Randy! 

“Yeah, it was purely proficient to force people to have to wrestle me in MMA. I mean, that was the goal.”

Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic

• Who is Randy Couture picking in the Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic matchup?

“Well, Stipe, he’s been out a little bit, but I know Stipe. He’s a diligent guy. He’s a very talented guy. I think he’s a great representation of the heavyweight division and I like that matchup. I think Jon may actually have to use some of his wrestling for a change, and not just rely on his striking ability and the long rangy levers that he has. I think Stipe’s going to challenge him a little bit and it’ll be interesting.”

“Obviously, there was some questions about Jon and how long Jon had been sitting out before he fought Cyril. And he looked great. He was right on track. He didn’t seem to be missing a beat at all. So I’m thinking that Stipe is not gonna have any ring rust. I think it’s been a little over a year since he’s competed. I think he’ll be ready to go. This is a huge opportunity for him. He’s going to take that seriously, and I think he’s got a great shot at winning that fight against John Jones.”

Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz

• How does Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz play out in Randy Couture’s mind?

“Jake is so much bigger than Nate, and obviously Nate and Nick’s boxing skills in in MMA are some of the best. That shoe shine and a lot of their skills in the boxing realm as well as obviously jiujitsu abilities that both of those young men have. I think you’re eliminating a huge strength for both of them by taking the grappling and the Jiujitsu part out of it, and just restricting them to just the striking and the boxing.”

“But they’re both great. And you know Nate’s a very good boxer. My question is, is he big enough. We’ve seen him as 155-pounder. He’s competed at 170. Where you know Jake Paul’s walking around at 190. Probably heavier than that. Contrary to popular belief, size doesn’t matter. It’s not so much the technical part of the fight, as that size difference and power difference? I think Jake has done his diligence.”  

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After the endless highs at UFC 291 last weekend, the world’s premiere MMA league will be returning to their usual middle of the road lineup for UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Font. The Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee will be the setting, and although relevancy is ultra-low on paper, the matchups should provide us with plenty of action to keep us entertained. The original main event for this card was Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov, but after Umar withdrew, the ever-fun Rob Font stepped up to take the fight.

It sucks losing Nurmagomedov, but Sandhagen vs. Font makes me happy, too. It’s no secret what either man is coming to do, so I fully expect these two lethal strikers to wage absolute war! After coming up short to Petr Yan in their UFC interim bantamweight title fight, the Sandman got back on track by stopping Yadong Song, and then earning a split nod over Marlon Chito Vera. As for Font, he rebounded from back-to-back decision losses to José Aldo and Chito Vera with a sensational knockout of Adrian Yanez back in April. Font is coming into this bout ranked #7, so a spectacular victory here over the #4 guy could easily catapult him into title contention.

The co-main event for this card is where you will find the most relevancy. Former strawweight champion, Jéssica Andrade, will go at it with the 9-0 undefeated Tatiana Suarez, with the winner being right there in line for a crack at the title. Filthy casuals probably won’t know most of the talent on this undercard, but if you happen to see one, make sure you tell them to watch Billy Quarantillo vs. Damon Jackson. This preliminary matchup has all the makings for Fight of the Night honors, so make sure you tune in for it.

Start time and date

UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Font takes place on August 5th at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The main event starts at 9 p.m. ET. The prelims begin at 6 p.m. ET.

How to watch

UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Font is available on ESPN+ for current subscribers, and can also be seen on ESPN. The event is scheduled to start live at 6:00pm ET, 3:00pm PT. For full streaming details, and compatible devices go here.

Full UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Font fight card

Main card

• Cory Sandhagen vs. Rob Font: Bantamweight
• Jéssica Andrade vs. Tatiana Suarez: Strawweight
• Dustin Jacoby vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu: Light Heavyweight
• Gavin Tucker vs. Diego Lopes: Featherweight
• Tanner Boser vs. Aleksa Camur: Light Heavyweight
• Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Ľudovít Klein: Lightweight

Prelims

• Raoni Barcelos vs. Kyler Phillips: Bantamweight
• Jeremiah Wells vs. Carlston Harris: Welterweight
• Billy Quarantillo vs. Damon Jackson: Featherweight
• Jake Hadley vs. Cody Durden: Flyweight
• Ode Osbourne vs. Asu Almabaev: Flyweight

What comes after UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Font

The next event after UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Font is UFC Fight Night: Luque vs. Dos Anjos, and that will go down at the dusty ass APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. The headliner for this event will be occur in the welterweight division when the #10 ranked, Vicente Luque, collides with the UFC’s former lightweight champion, Vicente Luque. The co-main event here should guarantee action when longtime MMA veteran Cub Swanson tangles with fellow striker Hakeem Dawodu.

You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality UFC coverage. Bloody Elbow is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site.

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Join us tonight as we cover the super-stacked UFC 291 fight card, which is going down up at over 4000 ft. of elevation at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. Atop the main card we have what could up being one of the most violent rematches in the history of the sport, when former interim lightweight champions, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje, go at it one more time. Eek! Oh, that’s for the BMF title. In the co-main event, two more dangerous strikers will go to war when the UFC’s former light heavyweight king, Jan Błachowicz, welcomes the former middleweight champion, Alex Pereira, up to 205-pounds.

The BMF title. Okay, so when it was first introduced at UFC 244 in 2019, it was more of a gimmick than anything. If you had asked a filthy casual, they would have told you all about how Nate Diaz was a bad mf for slapping people in a fight, and for beating Conor McGregor. Then, they would have brought up Jorge Masvidal’s street fights, and his flying knee on Ben Askren. Fair play.

Ask the same question to a degenerate hardcore at that time, and they would’ve likely given Nate and Jorge their flowers, but also brought up names like Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier as the true BMF’s of the UFC. Those two are much more known for their consistent violence, and at the elite level. The whole thing is still a gimmick, but this time around at UFC 291 it feels much more… proper.

UFC 291 Live Video Stream

Also on the UFC 291 PPV main card, there’s a much reduced Tony Ferguson competing against another longtime veteran, yet still competitive, Bobby Green. Before that, submission ace Michael Chiesa will get back to work against crafty knockout artist Kevin Holland. Stephen Thompson vs. Michel Pereira was also scheduled to thrill us tonight, but Michel underwent a horrific weight cut that lead to the fight being scrapped.

UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2 kicks off live tonight with the early prelims at 6:30 p.m. ET. From there, the regular prelims will begin at 8 p.m. ET, and the PPV main card will start at 10 p.m. ET. All of this can be seen on ESPN+.

Full UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2 fight card results

Main card

• Justin Gaethje def. Dustin Poirier by KO at 1:00 of round 2: BMF Title

• Alex Pereira def. Jan Błachowicz by split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29): Light Heavyweight
• Derrick Lewis def. Marcos Rogério de Lima by TKO at :33 of round 1: Heavyweight

• Bobby Green def. Tony Ferguson by technical submission (Arm Triangle) at 4:54 of round 3: Lightweight

• Kevin Holland def. Michael Chiesa by submission (D’arce) at 2:39 of round 1: Welterweight

Prelims

• Gabriel Bonfim def. Trevin Giles by submission(Guillotine) at 1:13 of round 1: Welterweight

• CJ Vergara def. Vinicius Salvador by unanimous decision (29-28 x3): Flyweight
• Roman Kopylov def. Claudio Ribeiro by KO (head kick) at :33 of round 2: Middleweight

• Jake Matthews def. Darrius Flowers by submission (RNC) at 2:37 of round 2: Welterweight

Early prelims

• Uros Medic def. Matthew Semelsberger by TKO at 2:36 of round 3: Welterweight

• Miranda Maverick def. Priscila Cachoeira by submission (Armbar) at 2:11 of round 3: (W) Flyweight

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STACKED! Tonight’s UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2 event is exactly the sort of fight card you would expect from the world’s premiere mma league. On Saturday (July 29th) the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah will play host to a sweltering night of fights, capped off with a rematch for the ages between the two most violent KO artists in the business, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje.

The dubious BMF belt will be up for grabs in the main event, but that will surely be an afterthought if the second instalment is anything like the first… and it will be. Their first first happened at UFC on FOX 29 in 2018, and that classic had everything on the feet that you could hope for. Body shots, hefty leg kicks, heavy leather boxing combos, and even a rolling thunder connected at one point. Tremendous heart and determination was showcased from both men, and the cherry on top was a definitive ending with Poirier pulling out a fourth round TKO. It was effing great, and the sequel should be, too!

Before that, the co-main of the evening will be the setting where former UFC middleweight champion, Alex Pereira, moves up to light heavyweight to challenge a former 205-pound champ, Jan Błachowicz. This has the potential to produce some major fireworks, but could also just as easily remain a slow burn. It really all depends on who can dictate where this fight takes place.

Sure, Jan put up a stinker in his last outing with Magomed Ankalaev, but that’s far from the norm. Seven of his last ten matches ended inside the distance, so typically his bouts are thoroughly entertaining. Alex is kill or be killed, so we know exactly what the former GLORY kickboxing champ is coming to do. However, let’s not forget what happened when Israel Adesanya tried to move up a weight class to test the ‘Polish Power.’ He got out-wrestled, and the same could very well happen to Pereira. Let’s just hope they stand and bang, though!

Also on the UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2 docket, there will be a Tony Ferguson sighting. Like it or not that he’s still competing, Ferguson will be facing fellow veteran Bobby Green. Earlier in the night, we’re getting a nifty clash of styles when Michael Chiesa tussles with Kevin Holland. This one’s cool because it will likely end in either a submission for Chiesa, or a knockout for Holland. As for the main card opener, this doozie promises to dazzle us as spinning striker Stephen Thompson scraps with the somersaulting Michel Pereira.

Start time and date

UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2 takes place on July 29th at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. The main event starts at 10 p.m. ET. The prelims begin at 8 p.m. ET and the early prelims go live at 6:30 p.m. ET.

PPV price and how to watch

UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2 is available on ESPN+ PPV for $79.99 for current subscribers. New subscribers can pay $124.98 for the UFC 291 pay-per-view and an ESPN+ annual subscription. The event is scheduled to start live at 6:30pm ET, 3:30pm PT, with the early prelims on the ESPN+ streaming platform in the US, as well as Fight Pass. The PPV main card is to kick off at 10:00pm ET, 7:00pm PT. For full streaming details, and compatible devices go here.

UFC 291 Live Stream Video

Full UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2 fight card

Main card

• Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje: BMF Title
• Jan Błachowicz vs. Alex Pereira: Light Heavyweight
• Tony Ferguson vs. Bobby Green: Lightweight
• Michael Chiesa vs. Kevin Holland: Welterweight
• Stephen Thompson vs. Michel Pereira: Welterweight

Prelims

• Derrick Lewis vs. Marcos Rogério de Lima: Heavyweight
• Trevin Giles vs. Gabriel Bonfim: Welterweight
• Roman Kopylov vs. Claudio Ribeiro: Middleweight
• Jake Matthews vs. Darrius Flowers: Welterweight

Early prelims

• CJ Vergara vs. Vinicius Salvador: Flyweight
• Matthew Semelsberger vs. Uros Medic: Welterweight
• Miranda Maverick vs. Priscila Cachoeira: (W) Flyweight

Stephen Thompson vs. Michel Pereira was cancelled after Pereira failed to make weight.

What comes after UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2

The next event after UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2 is UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Font, and this event will happen on August 5th from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Headlining the card will be the UFC’s #4 ranked bantamweight, Cory Sandhagen, taking on the promotion’s #7 ranked 135-pounder, Rob Font. The co-main here will occur in the strawweight division when former champion, Jéssica Andrade, tangles with the undefeated Tatiana Suarez.

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Legendary coach and founder of American Kickboxing Academy, Javier Mendez, sat down with Bloody Elbow to cover an array of topics from the fight realm. Under his watchful eye, Mendez has groomed several UFC champions—including Cain Velasquez, Daniel Cormier, Luke Rockhold, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, and BJ Penn. He even coached MMA pioneer Frank Shamrock way back in the early days of NHB fighting.

Mendez started AKA as a striking gym, but nowadays it’s probably better known for having some of the very best grapplers on the planet. Naturally, I had to inquire about the habits and life lessons that were gained through embracing the Dagestani culture, and training with the Nurmagomedovs.

Jav also weighed in on the upcoming UFC 291 rematch between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. He gives his prediction, plus the tiniest little bit of betting advise. After all, it was SafeBettingSites.com who made this interview possible. Our chat ended with a breakdown of possible next opponents for UFC lightweight king, Islam Makhachev, who had just recently called out UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards.

Javier Mendez interview video

Common denominator among AKA champions

• When you started American Kickboxing Academy, did you ever think that you would end up training some of the very best grapplers on the planet? 

“I never, no, never, never. And it all started with Frank Shamrock, you know… The one thing that I said that stood out about Frank was the mental, and I guess that’s what stands out with all the guys. They’re mentally super strong. They know what they want. And they’re willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to get that, so mental. Mental is what they all had. You know, they all had that attribute, strong mentality.”

Refining Khabib Nurmagomedov

• Khabib was always someone who was tremendously prepared for his opponents. Was that something he learned at AKA, or did he already have that when he arrived?

“He brought that with him; I just sharpened it. His father was his main tutor. I sharpened him. I look at like this, like a beautiful house. I came in and go oh, this house would look good with this color, or these color shades, or this chandelier here, or that chandelier. So I just made the house prettier, but his father made that house. I just went and decorated the house and made it more attractive.”

Biggest takeaway from Dagestani culture

• You spent a lot of time with Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, may he rest in peace, over in Dagestan. What would you say is the biggest takeaway from spending so much time in the Dagestani culture?

“Their dedication to each other, family, I mean, you know, after training, they’re all going to each other’s house to go eat one day. One day they’re here, one day they’re there. They’re all bonded together. It’s not hey, I’m coming over. They just show up unannounced. They’re just showing up and they’re there eating ,and they’re a family man. They are a bond that cannot be broken, you know. And that’s why I love those guys.”

Cain Velasquez back at AKA

• Have you talked to Cain Velasquez lately? Is he back in the gym?

“He’s in the gym all the time. He’s coaching with me, it’s beautiful to have him here. He’s got so much wealth, so much information, such a great heart. And a great caring person that he loves coaching and he loves giving back to the kids. He goes out of his way, you know, he’s here about four days a week. You know in the morning and then he comes here at night. He comes here at night and runs the bike training with the guys. He’s a huge inspiration for the guys. I’m so blessed to have him with me here. I’m so blessed.”

Betting on Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje 2 at UFC 291

• Let’s mention SafeBettingSites.com that’s who hooked up this interview here. Do you ever bet on UFC fights yourself? Is that a thing? 

“No, no. I never bet on fights. I’d get too nervous. I watch for fun.” 

• Well, let’s say you were betting. We got a BMF title on the line at UFC 291. It’s not a real title, but it’s fun for the audience I guess. Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje 2, who would you put your money on? 

“They’re both so, so skilled. They’re both great fighters. It’s one of those ones where if you’re not betting, you’re a winner because you’re gonna watch a great fight. If you are betting, yeah hold on to your seat because you may be winning, then all of a sudden you don’t… Roller coaster and you know, I mean, think about between those guys. How many Fight of the Nights have they had together? Quite a bit. It’s perfect Fight of the night material, for sure, and main event material, for sure.” 

Islam Makhachev’s next opponent

• UFC lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, needs an opponent. The winner of Gaethje/Poirier 2 is an option. Charles Oliveira just did his thing against Beneil Dariush, so that’s another possibility. But have you two discussed moving up to welterweight at all to face the 170-pound champ, Leon Edwards?

“No, I haven’t discussed it, but I did read about it today where Islam [Makhachev] said, ‘hey, you know Leon, let’s go.’ So, I did read on his Twitter that he is interested if nothing comes through. He’s interested in that fight, but I think Leon has Colby Covington, and you don’t know what’s going to happen from that. So, I don’t think that’s going happen. And then I heard Alex just had surgery. It’s minor elbow surgery, so who knows. Maybe he’ll come for that. That’d be great if he could, but you know I’m sure he’d want better camp preparation for Islam.”

“And then Charles well, let’s face it. Let’s look at Charles. I mean, Charles hasn’t said anything other than he wouldn’t be ready till what November, December, but he wants it in Brazil, right? But he doesn’t get to choose right, so maybe the UFC works it out with him. I don’t know exactly how that would play out, but and then the thing with Dustin and and Justin.”

“Are they going to be healthy enough to get ready Let’s see what happens with the winner of that, and I’m sure there’s going to be high interest in in the winner of that taking on Islam. And I don’t think, personally speaking, the UFC is going to make any decision until that fight takes place. That’s what I think.”

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This weekend’s premier mma fight card is UFC Fight Night: Aspinall vs. Tybura, and it’s happening this Saturday (July 22nd) from the storied O2 Arena in London, England. There are 11 UFC fighters on the docket who are native to the United Kingdom, so that should really boost up an already boisterous English crowd. With that, the two London fighters in the main and co-main events are being served up favorable matchups for their home games.

The marquee matchup of the evening is getting the return of a heavyweight prospect, Tom Aspinall, paired up with a streaking veteran in Marcin Tybura. The UFC’s #5 ranked heavyweight in Aspinall has been on the shelf since suffering that nasty knee injury against Curtis Blaydes almost a year ago to the day, and in the same exact venue he’ll be competing in on Saturday night.

Before blowing out his knee, Aspinall was terrorizing the division by finishing all-five of his UFC victories before the start of the 3rd round. That includes submissions over Andrei Arlovski and Alexander Volkov. It’ll be interesting to see how he rebounds from such a horrific injury, especially against the promotion’s #10 ranked, Tybura, who does not lose often at all. Since 2020, Marcin has posted up a highly respectable 7-1 run, and had the pleasure of handing out the first career loss to the previously undefeated Alexandr Romanov.

As for this UFC fight night’s co-main event, London’s own Molly McCann will go at it with Lithuania’s Julija Stoliarenko. The last two-times McCann made the walk in London, she managed to melt her opponents with marvelous spinning elbows. With Stoliarenko being much more of a ground fighter than a striker, Molly just might get the moments she needs to make some more magic happen in the O2 Arena. If this fight does hit the ground, though, Julija defintiely has the tools to sniff out a submission, and McCann does have a set of sub losses on her record.

Start time and date

UFC Fight Night: Aspinall vs. Tybura takes place on July 15th at the APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event starts at 3 p.m. ET. The prelims begin at 12 p.m. ET.

How to watch

UFC Fight Night: Aspinall vs. Tybura is available on ESPN+ for current subscribers, and can also be seen on ESPN. The event is scheduled to start live at 12:00pm ET, 9:00am PT. For full streaming details, and compatible devices go here.

Full UFC Fight Night: Aspinall vs. Tybura fight card

Main card

• Tom Aspinall vs. Marcin Tybura: Heavyweight
• Molly McCann vs. Julija Stoliarenko: (W) Flyweight
• Jai Herbert vs. Fares Ziam: Lightweight
• Lerone Murphy vs. Joshua Culibao: Featherweight
• Nathaniel Wood vs. Andre Fili: Featherweight
• André Muniz vs. Paul Craig: Middleweight

Prelims

• Michael Parkin vs. Jamal Pogues: Heavyweight
• Davey Grant vs. Daniel Marcos: Bantamweight
• Marc Diakiese vs. Joel Alvarez: Lightweight
• Chris Duncan vs. Yanal Ashmouz: Lightweight
• Danny Roberts vs. Jonny Parsons: Welterweight
• Ketlen Vieira vs. Pannie Kianzad: (W) Bantamweight
• Bryan Barberena vs. Makhmud Muradov: Welterweight
• Bruna Brasil vs. Shauna Bannon: Strawweight
• Jafel Filho vs. Daniel Barez: Flyweight

What comes after UFC Fight Night: Aspinall vs. Tybura

The next event after UFC Fight Night: Aspinall vs. Tybura is UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2, and that will go down at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. Capping off the event will be a rematch between a set of former interim lightweight champions, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje, with the winner being awarded the BMF title. Their first war was one for the ages, so there’s an excellent chance that the second installment will be just as fire. The co-main event for UFC 291 should also be a banger when the former light heavyweight champion, Jan Błachowicz, welcomes the former middleweight champ, Alex Pereira, to 205-pounds.

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Join us tonight (July 15th) as we cover the UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Bueno Silva card, which is transpiring from the over-used APEX facility in Las Vegas, USA. On paper, you might suspect that this must be some preliminary card that has gone rogue, that has forced out any of the juicy main card matchups. Unfortunately that is not the case, so the best we can do is hope and pray that the undercard action fighters make good on their typical violence, and this event pans out to be a great night of fights.

Hold on to the edge of your seat because the headlining UFC fight for the evening is Holly Holm vs. Mayra Bueno Silva. Moving on. The co-main event of the evening should actually deliver as surging knockout artist, Jack Della Maddalena, will baptize UFC newcomer, Bassil Hafez, on short notice. Jack was supposed to compete last week at UFC 290, but after two opponents dropped out, the promotion scrambled to get him re-booked for tonight.

That’s a great thing, too, because Della Maddalena is all-action, all the time. He’s finished all-four of his UFC fights in the very first round. His debut UFC fight was a quick counter KO of a 4-0 guy, but then nuked Ramazan Emeev with a wicked body shot. From there he sparked out Danny Roberts with some more slick boxing, and then showcased his submission skills with a speedy RNC of Randy Brown. Shoutout to Hafez (his opponent) for taking this fight, but yikes!

Tonight’s UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Bueno Silva fight card results

Main card

• Mayra Bueno Silva def. Holly Holm by submission (Ninja choke) at :38 of round 2: (W) Bantamweight

• Jack Della Maddalena def. Bassil Hafez by split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29): Welterweight
• Francisco Prado def. Ottman Azaitar by TKO at 4:05 of round 1: Lightweight

• Jun Yong Park def. Albert Duraev by submission (RNC) at 4:45 of round 2: Middleweight

• Norma Dumont def. Chelsea Chandler by unanimous decision (30-27 x3): (W) Featherweight
• Nazim Sadykhov def. Terrance McKinney by submission (RNC) at 1:07 of round 2: Lightweight

Prelims

• Melsik Baghdasaryan def. Tucker Lutz by unanimous decision (29-28 x3): Featherweight 
• Viktoriya Dudakova def. Istela Nunes by TKO at :34 of round 1: Strawweight 

• Melquizael Costa def. Austin Lingo by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27 x2): Featherweight
• Evan Elder def. Genaro Valdez by unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28): Lightweight
• Azat Maksum def. Tyson Nam by split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29): Flyweight
• Alex Munoz def. Carl Deaton by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-28): Lightweight

• Ailin Perez def. Ashlee Evans-Smith by unanimous decision (30-25 x2, 30-26): (W) Bantamweight

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After putting on one of the greatest MMA card’s in the history of the sport this past Saturday at UFC 290, the world’s premiere fight league will attempt to cover the entire quality spectrum by returning to the the dull and drab APEX facility this Saturday (July 15th) for one of the worst booked events (on paper) in recent memory. The good news is that going into an event like this with such low expectations, can easily result in a feeling of over-production. With that being said, let’s dig around and see what sort of meat can be found on this bone.

At 41-years-of-age, the UFC’s former bantamweight champion Holly Holm will be headlining this card with the promotion’s #10 ranked 135-pounder, Mayra Bueno Silva. Holm is a veteran that has been a class act forever, and should be revered as one of the greats in women’s MMA. Does that mean she is fun to watch? No.

Since 2015, Holly has competed in 14 UFC fights, and only four of them ended in exciting fashion. She kicked Ronda Rousey and Bethe Correia in the head, and then got strangled by Miesha Tate and head kicked by Amanda Nunes. Outside of that, though, the bulk of Holly’s matches have been riddled with underwhelming decisions full of empty volume, tons of kiais, and plenty stale clinching exchanges.

Not to be a total Debbie Downer, the bright side here is that Holm’s dance partner has plenty of finishes to her credit. Bueno Silva won a UFC contract on the strength of a Ninja Choke on Dana White’s Contender Series, and from there she finished four of her five promotional wins by way of submission. That includes a wicked kneebar of Lina Länsberg in her last outing. This doesn’t mean that she is going to go out there and sub Holly, who is actually a high-level grappler in her own right, but it does create a glimmer of hope for some potential excitement.

This UFC fight night co-main of this card will include a matchup between some unranked middleweights when the 16-4 Albert Duraev tangles with 16-5 Jun Yong Park. Before that, longtime UFC heavyweight Walt Harris will attempt to get back on track by facing Contender Series alumnus, Josh Parisian. Harris vs. Parisian has been scrapped due to a USADA issue. As for the rest of the card, you’ll find a few fun action fighters like Ottman Azaitar, Terrance McKinney, and Tyson Nam, but there’s also a bunch of names on deck that have yet to earn a UFC victory.

Start time and date

UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Bueno Silva takes place on July 15th at the APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event starts at 10 p.m. ET. The prelims begin at 7 p.m. ET.

How to watch

UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Bueno Silva is available on ESPN+ for current subscribers, and can also be seen on ESPN. The event is scheduled to start live at 7:00pm ET, 4:00pm PT. For full streaming details, and compatible devices go here.

Full UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Bueno Silva fight card

Main card

• Holly Holm vs. Mayra Bueno Silva: (W) Bantamweight
• Jack Della Maddalena vs. Bassil Hafez: Welterweight
• Ottman Azaitar vs. Francisco Prado: Lightweight
• Albert Duraev vs. Jun Yong Park: Middleweight
• Norma Dumont vs. Chelsea Chandler: (W) Featherweight
• Terrance McKinney vs. Nazim Sadykhov: Lightweight
• Walt Harris vs. Josh Parisian: Heavyweight

Prelims

• Tucker Lutz vs. Melsik Baghdasaryan: Featherweight 
• Istela Nunes vs.  Viktoriya Dudakova: Strawweight 
• Austin Lingo vs. Melquizael Costa: Featherweight
• Genaro Valdez vs. Evan Elder: Lightweight
• Tyson Nam vs. Azat Maksum: Flyweight
• Carl Deaton vs. Alex Munoz: Lightweight
• Ashlee Evans-Smith vs. Ailin Perez: (W) Bantamweight

What comes after UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Bueno Silva

The next event after UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Bueno Silva is UFC Fight Night: Aspinall vs. Tybura, and this card will happen on July 22nd across the pond at the O2 Arena in London, England. Headlining the card will be England’s own Tom Aspinall returning to competition following a gruesome knee injury to tangle with the winner of a 7-1 run, Marcin Tybura. The co-main event for this card will include another hometown fighter in Molly McCann, mixing things up with Julija Stoliarenko.

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Just when it seemed as though a super fight between Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones was inevitable, Dana White and the UFC fumbled the bag and let Francis get scooped up by the PFL in free agency. Well, now a new super fight is on the horizon, which has Ngannou trying his hand at boxing against the sport’s top dog, Tyson Fury. With this epic crossover bout reportedly being a done deal, we now have betting odds for such an occasion.

As expected, online gambling site Sportsbetting.ag has the boxer opening up as a sizable betting favorite over the mixed martial artist. Fury is opening up with a -500 moneyline, and throwing $100 at those odds would net you a meager profit of just $20. As for Francis, his opening betting line is nestled with a large underdog value of +300. Dropping a hundo on Ngannou potentially pays out $400 altogether.

Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury betting odds

Francis Ngannou is actually getting better odds against Fury than an actual boxer, Dillian Whyte, did in his 2022 bout with Tyson. Go figure. In my humble opinion, these odds should vastly wider than what they are now, considering the lack of actual boxing experience possessed by Ngannou. In Fury’s last match, his opponent Derek Chisora was a +1200 underdog. That seems more along the lines of what the odds for Fury vs. Francis should be. Does that mean that Tyson’s moneyline actually holds value? Yes, but I’m about to explain why you should hold off on placing any bets on this bout.

Why you should avoid betting on Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury

Before you start screaming ‘easy money’ and take out a second mortgage to lay it all on Fury, you might want to read the disclaimers. The betting site that released these odds also have a few stipulations surrounding this potential event, which is nothing new, but there is one specific caveat to be weary of. For action, Ngannou vs. Fury must take place in 2023, be boxing only, and can use any type of glove. All of that is pretty normal, but things get interesting when it states that a winner must be declared at ringside.

But wait. What’s so weird about that? The winner is always declared at ringside, right? Well normally that is true, however, with this deal not actually being inked, there’s still a high possibility that the match could be an exhibition, and not a professional bout. If that’s the case, then there will not be an official winner declared, thus all wagers would be voided. So basically whatever you bet on the match would just sit in the bookie’s account until it’s eventually returned, which is basically the same thing as giving the bookmaker an interest free loan. If you’re going to be a degenerate, at least be a smart one and avoid gambling on exhibitions.

*Do you or someone you know have a gambling addiction? Get help by contacting The National Council on Problem Gambling at 1-800-522-4700.

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Join us tonight (July 8th) as we cover the UFC 290: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez card, which is blasting off from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event of the evening will involve the UFC’s featherweight king, Alexander Volkanovski, in a title unification bout with the interim champion, Yair Rodriguez. Before that, the co-main event will see a high-stakes rematch between the current champ, Brandon Moreno, and a man that has already gotten the best of him, Alexandre Pantoja.

The main event tonight at UFC 290 might end up being a weird one, but in a good way. You have a systematic/fundamental Volkanovski who has defeated everyone thus far at 145-pounds, defending against an unorthodox yet highly lethal Rodriguez on a quest for his first undisputed UFC championship. This stylistic matchup makes it pretty difficult to envision how this one’s going to play out.

The UFC 290 co-main of the evening promises to deliver action as Moreno and Pantoja are quite familiar with one another. Alexandre caught Brandon in a rear-naked choke in an exhibition fight on The Ultimate Fighter Season 24 in 2016, and then beat him by decision at a UFC fight night in 2018. Since then, Moreno has climbed all the way to the status of champion, and he now gets a chance to avenge a set of losses.

Also on the UFC 290 PPV main card is a likely #1 contender fight for the UFC’s middleweight belt. The former champion, Robert Whittaker, will look to derail another surging contender when he meets a streaking Dricus Du Plessis. Outside of Israel Adesanya, Whittaker has aced the field, so it’ll be interesting to see how the blitzing Du Plessis will approach his toughest test to date.

Full UFC 290: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez fight card results

Main card

• Alexander Volkanovski def. Yair Rodriguez by TKO at 4:19 of round 3: Featherweight Title Unification
• Alexandre Pantoja def. Brandon Moreno by split decision (48-47 x2, 46-49,): Flyweight Title

• Dricus Du Plessis def. Robert Whittaker by TKO at 2:23 of round 2: Middleweight

• Dan Hooker def. Jalin Turner by split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29): Lightweight

• Bo Nickal def. Val Woodburn by TKO at :38 of round 1: Middleweight

Prelims

• Robbie Lawler def. Niko Price by KO at :38 of round 1: Welterweight

• Tatsuro Taira def. Edgar Cháirez by unanimous decision (29-27 x3): 130-pounds
• Denise Gomes def. Yazmin Jauregui by KO at :20 of round 1: Strawweight

• Alonzo Menifield def. Jimmy Crute by submission (guillotine) at 1:55 of round 2: Light Heavyweight

Early prelims

• Vitor Petrino def. Marcin Prachnio by submission (arm triangle) at 3:42 of round 3: Lightweight

• Cameron Saaiman def. Terrence Mitchell by TKO at 3:10 of round 1: Bantamweight

• Jesus Aguilar def. Shannon Ross by KO at :17 of round 1: Flyweight

• Esteban Ribovics def. Kamuela Kirk by unanimous decision (29-28 x3): Lightweight

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International fight week continues on with UFC 290: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez which is happening this Saturday (July 8th) from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. This event is quite stacked with a featherweight title unification bout in the main event, and a high stakes flyweight championship rematch in the co-main. Furthermore, the PPV main card features a 3X NCAA Div I national wrestling champ turned UFC middleweight prospect, a possible 185-pound title eliminator before that, and then kicks off with an action fight between two of the lengthiest lightweights in the UFC.

Capping off the main card will be the UFC’s 145-pound king, Alexander Volkanovski, looking defend his crown against the interim champion, Yair Rodriguez. Volkanovski has been shutting down the 145-pound division, so he bounced out of there for a lone match against the UFC’s 155-pound champ, Islam Makhachev. While he was away, Rodriguez was busy securing himself an interim title. Now, there can only be one king at featherweight.

In the UFC 290 co-main event, flyweight champion Brandon Moreno will attempt to avenge a past lost by defending his belt against a man that already holds a decision win over him, Alexandre Pantoja. Moreno has been battling ghosts from his past for over three years now. He had those million matches with Deiveson Figueiredo, plus had to run it back with Kai Kara-France before the Figgy saga was all said and done. Welp, here’s another rematch for him. Pantoja posted up three wins in a row to get here, including back-to-back first-round finishes of Brandon Royval and Alex Perez. I’m not sure if a challenger could possibly be any more motivated.

Also on the main card, 4-0 tier-1 prospect Bo Nickal is expected to trounce the 4-2 Tresean Gore, and then before that there’s an elite 185-pound matchup between the UFC’s former middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker, and surging contender Dricus Du Plessis. Not to get lost in the sauce, the main card features the 75.5” reach of Dan Hooker paired up with the 75.5” reach of Jalin Turner. Can I get a jab!? You know it’s a super stacked event when the prelims open up with surging welterweight title hopeful Jack Della Maddalena, and close out with former welterweight champ, UFC HOF’er, and total legend, Robbie Lawler.

Unfortunately, the snake-bitten Jack Della Maddalena has lost his second opponent for UFC 290. First, he lost a top-tier tilt against the UFC’s #8 ranked welterweight, Sean Brady, after Brady pulled out for undisclosed reasons. Then after getting re-booked against undefeated ‘Muscle Hamster’ Josiah Harrell, it looked as though Jack would be staying on the card. However, during pre-fight medicals, it was discovered that Josiah is suffering from an uncommon brain disease known as Moyamoya Syndrome, and will be needing surgery ASAP. This is surely some scary stuff, and our thoughts go out to Harrell and his family during this difficult time.

Start time and date

UFC 290: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez takes place on July 8th at the the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event starts at 10 p.m. ET. The prelims begin at 8 p.m. ET and the early prelims go live at 6 p.m. ET.

PPV price and how to watch

UFC 290 is available on ESPN+ PPV for $79.99 for current subscribers. New subscribers can pay $124.98 for the UFC 290 pay-per-view and an ESPN+ annual subscription. The event is scheduled to start live at 6:00pm ET, 3pm PT, with the early prelims on the ESPN+ streaming platform in the US, as well as Fight Pass. The PPV main card is to kick off at 10:00pm ET, 7:00pm PT. For full streaming details, and compatible devices go here.

Full UFC 290: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez fight card

Main card

• Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez: Featherweight Title Unification
• Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja: Flyweight Title
• Robert Whittaker vs. Dricus Du Plessis: Middleweight
• Dan Hooker vs. Jalin Turner: Lightweight
• Bo Nickal vs. Valentine Woodburn: Middleweight

Prelims

• Robbie Lawler vs. Niko Price: Welterweight
• Shannon Ross vs. Jesus Aguilar: Flyweight
• Yazmin Jauregui vs. Denise Gomes: Strawweight
• Jimmy Crute vs. Alonzo Menifield: Light Heavyweight

Early prelims

• Cameron Saaiman vs. Terrence Mitchell: Bantamweight
• Tatsuro Taira vs. Edgar Cháirez: 130-pounds
• Jack Della Maddalena vs. Josiah Harrell: Welterweight

What comes after UFC 290: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez

The next event after UFC 290: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez is UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Bueno Silva, and this card will happen on July 15th from the lifeless APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. Headlining the card will be the UFC’s former bantamweight champion, Holly Holm, taking on the promotion’s #10 ranked 135-pounder, Mayra Bueno Silva. The co-main here will occur in the middleweight division when 16-4 Albert Duraev tangles with 16-5 Jun Yong Park.

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Join us this evening (July 1st) as we cover the UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Magomedov fight card, which is kicking off from the fagged out APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event of the evening includes a middleweight matchup between the UFC’s #7 rated middleweight, Sean Strickland, and a streaking yet unranked, Abus Magomedov. The start time for the event is 4:00p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. ET.

Strickland has been proving his worth at 185-pounds for some time now, posting up a highly respectable run of 7-2 since October of 2018. His only losses were that brutal KO at the hands of Alex Pereira, and a razor thin split decision defeat to Jared Cannonier. I hate to say that Magomedov is a step down in competition for Sean, but he is. Abus has a ton of talent and potential, and has amassed a stellar 12-1-1 record since May of 2016. You could even say that loss in there was Magomedov’s Strickland vs. Pereira moment, but instead of Alex, it was Louis Taylor who brutally knocked him out with a left hook.

I feel like the burden of proof here lies with Magomedov. Strickland has already shown that he belongs in the top-10, and I’m not so sure that Abus is bringing anything to the table that Sean hasn’t seen before in a UFC fight. In terms of the betting odds, Strickland is the betting favorite at -175, with Magomedov playing the underdog role at +125. In my opinion, Magomedov hasn’t done anything yet that would warrant such a tight betting line here. Does Vegas know something that we don’t?

This UFC fight night card’s co-main event should be a doozy as the UFC’s #12 rated lightweight, Damir Ismagulov, will trade barbs with the #15 ranked, Grant Dawson. I’ll be there for the scrambles! Also at this event, former 155-pound interim title challenger, Kevin Lee, returns to the UFC for the first time in two-years to tangle with a two-fight UFC noob in Rinat Fakhretdinov.

UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Magomedov kicks off with the preliminary card at 4 p.m. ET. From there, the main event will start at 7 p.m. ET. All of this can be seen on ESPN+.

Full UFC Fight Night: Sean Strickland vs. Abus Magomedov fight card results

Main card

• Sean Strickland def. Abus Magomedov by TKO at 4:20 of round 2: Middleweight
• Grant Dawson def. Damir Ismagulov by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27 x2): Lightweight
• Michael Morales def. Max Griffin by unanimous decision (29-28 x3): Welterweight
• Ariane Lipski def. Melissa Gatto by split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29): (W) Flyweight
• Benoit Saint-Denis def. Ismael Bonfim by submission (RNC) at 4:48 of round 1: Lightweight

• Nursulton Ruziboev def. Brunno Ferreira by KO at 1:17 of round 1: Middleweight

Prelims

• Rinat Fakhretdinov def. Kevin Lee by technical submission (guillotine) at :55 of round 1: Welterweight

• Joanderson Brito def. Westin Wilson by KO at 2:54 of round 1: Featherweight

• Karol Rosa def. Yana Santos by split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29): (W) Featherweight
• Elves Brener def. Guram Kutateladze by TKO at 3:17 of round 3: Lightweight

• Luana Carolina def. Ivana Petrović by unanimous decision (29-28 x3): (W) Flyweight
• Alexandr Romanov def. Blagoy Ivanov by unanimous decision (30-27 x3): Heavyweight

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Wildly popular Spanish Twitch streamer ibai has the platform’s largest event of the year, La Velada Del Año 3, went down in Madrid, Spain tonight. With the success of their first-two renditions of content creators and online streamers lacing up the gloves, it’s time once again to entertain their followers with some good old fashioned celebrity boxing. I suppose ‘influencer’ boxing is the more proper nomenclature, but here at Bloody Elbow, same-same.

Here’s the fights:

Tonight’s main event includes the hyper-popular content creator Coscu throwing down with YouTube superstar Germán Garmendia. Before that, two of the most prominent female streamers on the planet will be featured on this card when the U.S. based Kaitlyn ‘Amouranth’ Siragusa faces off with Spain’s own Mayichi.

Other popular Spanish-speaking influencer matchups will be on deck, such as Ampeter taking on PapiGavi, Luzu colliding with Fernanfloo, and even a Joe Silva style pitting of Rivers vs. La Rivers, or Sammy Rivers vs. Marina Rivers. You can check back in with this post later on to find the results and highlights from the festivities.

The entire event goes down at the Civitas Metropolitano, and is assumed to begin at 12:00pm ET in the United States, which is 6:00pm in Madrid time.

UPDATE: Amouranth has sensationally pulled out of this event on four days warning. Ibai announced that her team told him that this was due to a medical issue and that, after following up with them, he has not received any further information.

La Velada Del Año 3 Full fight card

• Coscu vs. Germán Garmendia
• Amouranth vs. Mayichi
• Shelao vs. Viruzz
• Luzu vs. Fernanfloo
• Rivers vs. La Rivers
• Ampeter vs. Papi Gavi

How can I watch La Velada Del Año 3?

The event is scheduled to air live on the Twitch streaming platform for free. Specifically, on the ultra popular channel of ibai. Tickets for this actually sold out within an hour of going on sale. You can maybe find some scalpers that still have some tickets left, but streaming appears to be the only real way you can watch now.

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Tonight’s premiere mma card is UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Magomedov, and it’s happening this evening (July 1st) from repetitive APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. Don’t expect many ‘USA’ chants, though, as only 5 of the 24 scheduled athletes are from the United States. Out of those 24 fighters, 10 of them have 2 or fewer UFC appearances, so divisional relevancy isn’t exactly at an all-time high. Nonetheless, the main and co-main events will involve ranked fighters, with only one other bout on the undercard getting a top-15 matchup.

Capping off the main card will be the UFC’s #7 rated middleweight, Sean Strickland, scraping it out with the streaking yet unranked, Abus Magomedov. Strickland is fresh off of unanimous decision win over Nassourdine Imavov, which occurred back in January of this year, and is now hunting for back-to-back wins for the first time in two years. As for Magomedov, he made his UFC debut last September with a sensational front kick finish of Dustin Stoltzfus, and now he’s going straight to Sean Strickland.

This card’s co-main event should be a ton of fun when the UFC’s #12 rated lightweight, Damir Ismagulov, gets it in with the #15 ranked, Grant Dawson. Earlier in the night, former lightweight interim title challenger, Kevin Lee, returns to the promotion for the first time in two-years following that weird Diego Sanchez win over in Eagle FC 46. The 19-7 ‘Motown Phenom’ is slated to tangle with the 21-2 Rinat Fakhretdinov.

Start time and date

UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Magomedov takes place on tonight July 1st at the dusty ol’ Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event starts at 7 p.m. ET. The prelims begin at 4 p.m. ET.

How to watch

UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Magomedov is available on ESPN+ for current subscribers, and can also be seen on ESPN. The event is scheduled to start live tonight at 4:00pm ET, 1:00pm PT. For full streaming details, and compatible devices go here.

Full UFC Fight Night: Sean Strickland vs. Abus Magomedov fight card

Main card

• Sean Strickland vs. Abus Magomedov: MIddleweight
• Damir Ismagulov vs. Grant Dawson: Lightweight
• Max Griffin vs. Michael Morales: Welterweight
• Ariane Lipski vs. Melissa Gatto: (W) Flyweight
• Benoit Saint-Denis vs. Ismael Bonfim: Lightweight
• Nursulton Ruziboev vs. Brunno Ferreira: Middleweight

Prelims

• Kevin Lee vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov: Welterweight
• Yana Santos vs. Karol Rosa: (W) Featherweight
• Ivana Petrović vs. Luana Carolina: (W) Flyweight
• Joanderson Brito vs Westin Wilson: Featherweight
• Alexandr Romanov vs. Blagoy Ivanov: Heavyweight
• Guram Kutateladze vs. Elves Brener: Lightweight

What comes after UFC Fight Night: Sean Strickland vs. Abus Magomedov

The next event after UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Magomedov is UFC 290: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez, and will be going down at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The marquee matchup for the PPV will see a featherweight title unification bout between the champion, Alexander Volkanovski, and the interim champ, Yair Rodriguez. In the card’s co-main event, UFC flyweight champion, Brandon Moreno, will attempt to defend his crown in a high stakes rematch with a man who has already beat him once, Alexandre Pantoja.

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Join us today (June 24th) as we cover Karate Combat 40 live and on location from Miami, Florida. There’s a welterweight title unification bout headlining the card, as the returning 170-pound king, Josh Quayhagen, squares off with the interim champ, Rafael Aghayev. Quayhagen is known for his stellar gas tank, so it’ll be interesting to see if his time away will play a factor in any way. As for the 2020 silver medalist Olympian for Azerbaijan, and five-time world champion, Aghayev has a ton of momentum coming off of his decision win over fellow great Raymond Daniels.

In the card’s co-main event, former KC lightweight king, Edgars Skrivers, is going up against former GLORY/Bellator kickboxing champion, Gabriel Varga. This should be a gritty war with the aggressive style of Skrivers matching up with technical fundamentals of Varga. To sweeten the deal, the winner of this bout will get a crack at KC’s lightweight champion, Luiz Rocha. All of the matches this evening will be commentated by former UFC champions Luke Rockhold and Bas Rutten, and the live stream is available at the bottom of this page.

Full Karate Combat 40 fight card

Main card

• Rafael Aghayev def. Josh Quayhagen by unanimous decision: Welterweight Title

• Edgars Skrivers def. Gabriel Varga by split decision: Lightweight
• Alexandre Bouderbane def. Samuel Ericsson by unanimous decision: Welterweight
• Kenji Grillon def. Shahin Atamov by unanimous decision: Welterweight

Prelims

• Jesus Lopez def. Ilies Mardhi by TKO in round 1: Bantamweight

• Kai Calaway vs. Marcel Ritter is a no contest: Middleweight

• Jeremy Payet def. Fernando Paz by TKO in round 2: Lightweight

• Mitchell Thorpe def. Deivis Ferreras by unanimous decision: Lightweight

• Jo Miyahara def. Leo Valdivia by unanimous decision: Lightweight
• Maximo Nunez def. Damian Villa by TKO in round 2: Bantamweight

Free KC 40 live stream

Disclosure: Karate Combat is covering the author’s travel expenses to this event.

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Former UFC middleweight champion, Luke Rockhold, is commentating Karate Combat 40 this Saturday (June 24th) from Miami, Florida and Bloody Elbow had a chance to catch up with the not-so-retired prize fighter. Time was limited, so I was only able to ask a few questions, so it was only natural for me to ask about him possibly stepping into the Pit to compete. Rockhold seemed a little more than interested.

Video

Luke Rockhold getting back to his kicks

“It would be good to get back to my kicks. I think that’s more me,” Rockhold told Bloody Elbow about trying out Karate Combat. “Bare knuckle was, you know, I’m in an exploration time right now and just doing things that are fun, that excite me. Being a part of a promotion like this [KC] and it’s just intriguing. I like it, so you never know.”

Lyoto Machida vs. Luke Rockhold 2?

Having retired from MMA at UFC 278, Rockhold tried his hand at bare knuckle boxing, coming up short to Mike Perry just two months ago. Funny enough, Rockhold’s previous opponent, Lyoto Machida, actually helped Perry prepare for Luke, so I had to ask him about a possible rematch with ‘The Dragon’ in a sans submission Karate Combat format.

Luke responded, “I didn’t really need a submission the last time I fought Machida, haha. I think that was the ground and pound. To my understand, you still have ground and pound. Five-seconds? that’s all I need… I’m not opposed to it.”

Rockhold went on about the idea of a Machida rematch, “That’s a pretty good one right there. That’s a pretty good one, but you never know. I got to see the lay of the land, but he was helping out Mike Perry, wasn’t he. Might have to settle that one.”

Will this match actually happen?

All things considered, this matchup could actually come top fruition. It actually makes sense. Both fighters are in the twilight of their respective careers, and Rockhold appears to be game. Karate Combat is a no brainer for Machida. He was the guy that won a UFC title with a Karate base in the modern era. Everything about this seems like a no brainer, but it does sound like an awfully expensive endeavor for such a young a promotion. If KC can pull it off, it would hands down be their largest draw to date.

Full Karate Combat 40 fight card

Main card

• Josh Quayhagen vs. Rafael Aghayev: Welterweight Title
• Edgars Skrivers vs. Gabriel Varga: Lightweight
• Samuel Ericsson vs. Alexandre Bouderbane: Welterweight
• Kenji Grillon vs. Shahin Atamov: Welterweight
• Jesus Lopez vs. Ilies Mardhi: Bantamweight
• Marcel Ritter vs. Kai Calaway: Middleweight
• Fernando Paz vs. Jeremy Payet: Lightweight
• Deivis Ferreras vs. Mitchell Thorpe: Lightweight
• Jo Miyahara vs. Leo Valdivia: Lightweight
• Maximo Nunez vs. Damian Villa: Bantamweight

Free KC 40 live stream

Disclosure: Karate Combat is covering the author’s travel expenses to this event.

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UFC Fight Night: Josh Emmett vs. Ilia Topuria, also known as UFC on ABC 5, takes place this Saturday (June 24th) from the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. Top ranked featherweights will rock the main event when the UFC’s #5 rated, Josh Emmett, gets it in with the #9 rated, Ilia Topuria. Bloody Elbow is here to provide you with the betting odds.

The bookies are not concerned with the UFC rankings here, and heavily favor Topuria to get the best of Emmett. Ilia is currently listed with a stiff favored line -350, with $100 gamble on him only seeing a total profit of $28.57. That’s not exactly the biggest come up of all-time. On the other hand, you have Josh posted up with a beefy underdog value of +260. Risking $100 at those odds stands to see a total return of $360, if successful.

Check out the UFC Fight Night: Josh Emmett vs. Ilia Topuria betting odds

Courtesy of BestFightOdds

Proposition bets

The oddsmakers seem fairly confident that the judges will not be necessary to determine a winner here. The prop bet ‘Fight doesn’t go to decision’ is situated with a hefty favored line of -549, with a +350 comeback on the ‘Fight goes to decision’ option. The over/under for this UFC fight night main event has been set at 2.5 rounds. The ‘Under 2½ rounds’ is actually favored with a -225 moneyline, with the ‘Over 2½ rounds’ prop bet trending at +163.

Who wins the UFC fight night main event?

I bet mostly everyone is picking Topuria to remain undefeated, but hear me out. Aside from Max Holloway, who has the next best hands in the UFC’s heavyweight division? A strong argument could be made for Josh Emmett, who has already proven himself among his fellow contenders. He also has a wrestling base, but he chooses to stand, so it’s hard for me to see anyone at 145-pounds having an easy time getting him down. If you think that Topuria is going to run right through Emmett to the point of laying the chalk, then you might have another thing coming.

Just two-fights ago for Topuria, he viciously slept Jai Herbert. But if you remember correctly, not only did he lose that first round, but he almost got knocked out, too. Ilia loves to punch his way into the pocket, and is often open for extended exchanges there. That’s exactly where Emmett wants to be, too, so we might just end up getting repeated car crashes on the feet. The odds are much wider than I think they should be, which makes Emmett a live dog at +260, in my opinion. In fact, I’m picking Josh to upset here.

Full UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs. Topuria fight card

Main card

• Josh Emmett vs. Ilia Topuria: Featherweight
• Amanda Ribas vs. Maycee Barber: (W) Flyweight
• Cody Brundage vs. Sedriques Dumas: Middleweight
• David Onama vs. Gabriel Santos: Featherweight
• Brendan Allen vs. Bruno Silva: Middleweight

Prelims

• Neil Magny vs. Philip Rowe: Welterweight
• Zhalgas Zhumagulov vs. Joshua Van: Flyweight
• Justin Tafa vs. Austen Lane: Heavyweight
• Randy Brown vs. Wellington Turman: Welterweight
• Mateusz Rębecki vs. Loik Radzhabov: Lightweight
• Tabatha Ricci vs. Gillian Robertson: Strawweight
• Trevor Peek vs. Chepe Mariscal: Lightweight
• Jamall Emmers vs. Jack Jenkins: Featherweight
• Tatsuro Taira vs. Kleydson Rodrigues: Flyweight

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Celebrity boxing just might be reaching its apex. Tech billionaires Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg appear to have agreed to compete against one another in an mma cage fight. Could you imagine the sights? Every promoter in town has been taking to social media offering to host the billionaire bash, even UFC President Dana White. This matchup still seems highly unlikely to ever manifest, but nonetheless, betting odds have surfaced.

Online gambling site SportsBetting.ag has Zuckerberg opening up as a heavy betting favorite over his rival Musk. The main man at Meta is being offered up at a sizable -500 moneyline, and a successful $100 gamble at those odds would only bring back $20 worth of profit. As for the Twitter/Tesla CEO, he is on deck with a sizable +300 underdog tag. That means throwing down a hundred bucks on Elon could see a potential payout of $400. The website has a caveat in there stipulating that this match must happen in 2023 for action, and an official winner must be declared.

Check out the Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg betting odds

Who wins Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg?

The wideness of this line could be due to the recent footage of Zuck competing in local BJJ tournaments, as well as training under the watchful eye of Jiu-Jitsu savant Mikey Musumeci. Elon on the other hand, is cool with Joe Rogan, but that might be as far as his martial arts experience goes. I don’t want to have to pick either in a fist fight, but if I must, then I have to go with the guy that has that white belt gusto.

I would even go as far as favoring Zuckerberg to win by submission… probably due to exhaustion, panic, or other. But hold on, there’s also the possibility that both of these guys are either aliens, or robots. Probably robots, in which case I’ll take Zuck via Sufferin’ Succotash.

Oh, and for the record, I would absolutely watch this with great pleasure. Uber-rich guys fighting for the entertainment of others? Historically speaking, it’s typically the wealthy guys paying the poor folk to scrap, but this is the opposite of that. Maybe ‘probability’ really is broken and this match actually gets booked. Team chaos!

*Do you or someone you know have a gambling addiction? Get help by contacting The National Council on Problem Gambling at 1-800-522-4700.

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Karate Combat 40 is on the books for this Saturday (June 24th) and is blasting off from Miami, Florida with world class Karatekas showcasing their talents in a full contact format. Knockouts are encouraged.

Before we get to the action, we’re going to run down the top-3 reasons to watch KC 40. On the docket is a welterweight title unification bout between an Olympic silver medalist and a returning champion, as well as a former GLORY/Bellator kickboxing champion going heads up with an ex-Karate Combat king. To top everything off, former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold will be making his Karate Combat commentating debut. Let’s get right into it!

Champion vs. Champion

The Josh Quayhagen vs. Rafael Aghayev matchup will be the promotion’s very first title unification bout, and it’s a doozy. You’ve got the heart-for-days welterweight champion in Quayhagen, returning to action to take on the 2020 silver medalist Olympian for Azerbaijan/newly minted interim champ, Rafael Aghayev. Expect fireworks!

Considered to be the G.O.A.T. by many, five-time world champion and eleven-time European champion Aghayev has the opportunity to unify the belts and add to his legacy. Quayhagen, who is also a pastor outside of the Pit, has a 9-5 record’s worth of mma experience that he’s bringing with him. That includes a quality win over UFC veteran Anthony Njokuani. Josh can push a pace late in a fight that is quite difficult to keep up with, but luckily for the fans, Aghayev is someone who can maintain his explosiveness throughout the championship rounds. That means five hard rounds of the highest level full contact Karate out there… if it makes it that far.

Ex-GLORY champ vs. former KC champ

In the card’s co-main event, former GLORY/Bellator kickboxing champion, Gabriel Varga, is mixing it up with Karate Combat’s former lightweight champion, Edgars Skrivers. Varga has already reached the pinnacle of kickboxing by utilizing a high Figh-Q coupled with a polished and highly technical nuts-and-bolts sort of style. He also has a little mma experience, and isn’t afraid to use it. Go watch his last KC fight where he landed several takedowns and deployed some thudding ground and pound.

Skrivers, who was KC’s inaugural lightweight champion, is as hard-nosed as it gets. He’s won the European Champion, Shotokan World Champion, and is a many time Latvian and Baltic champion. He’s also a mad man, so expect him to go right after Gabriel, looking to get him out of there early. Varga has the solid defensive fundamentals necessary to weather the storms, and is proficient at responding to aggression with counters to make this a stylistic dream. This should be a war, and to up the stakes, the victor will be next in line to compete for KC’s lightweight crown!

Luke Rockhold on the mic

Former UFC 185-pound champ Luke Rockhold will be in attendance at KC 40, but he won’t be competing in the Pit. Instead, Rockhold will be following in the footsteps of fellow former middleweight champion, Georges St. Pierre, by picking up a microphone to commentate the bouts. Luke isn’t exactly known for his words, and seems to be stepping out of his comfort zone here. Kudos to him for that, because according to the National Institutes of Mental Health, 75% of people rank ‘glossophobia,’ or fear of public speaking, as their number one fear. 

Regardless of how Rockhold’s commentary goes, what if this culminates into more than that? Imagine if Rockhold gets the itch to compete again, and does so in the KC Pit! Maybe even in a rematch against another former UFC champion like, oh I don’t know, say Lyoto Machida? They first fought at UFC on FOX 15 back in 2015, with Rockhold snagging an RNC in the second round.

Fast forward to present day, and Machida has been lurking around behind the scenes of KC, with his protege Bruno Souza routinely fighting for the promotion. This fight actually makes sense, so even if the commentating thing doesn’t go so well for Luke, it at least opens the door for a potential Rockhold vs. Machida 2 matchup in a Karate Combat format.

Full Karate Combat 40 fight card

• Josh Quayhagen vs. Rafael Aghayev: Welterweight Title
• Edgars Skrivers vs. Gabriel Varga: Lightweight
• Samuel Ericsson vs. Alexandre Bouderbane: Welterweight
• Kenji Grillon vs. Shahin Atamov: Welterweight
• Jesus Lopez vs. Ilies Mardhi: Bantamweight
• Marcel Ritter vs. Kai Calaway: Middleweight
• Fernando Paz vs. Jeremy Payet: Lightweight
• Deivis Ferreras vs. Mitchell Thorpe: Lightweight
• Jo Miyahara vs. Leo Valdivia: Lightweight
• Maximo Nunez vs. Damian Villa: Bantamweight

Disclosure: Karate Combat is covering the author’s travel expenses to this event.

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With Triple-C Henry Cejudo not retiring from the sport of MMA, he will now compete again at UFC 292 on August 19th from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. UFC President Dana White just disclosed to ESPN that Cejudo will be facing the promotion’s #6 ranked bantamweight, Marlon Vera, who just so happens to also be coming off of a split decision loss. Betting odds quickly surfaced for this future matchup.

The bookies over at SportsBetting.ag have the betting odds for this one pretty wide. The UFC’s former 135-pound/125-pound champion is available with a hefty favored line of -325. That means betting $100 on Henry could potentially payout $130.77. As for Vera, he is on deck with a thick underdog position of +257. Throwing down a hundo on ‘Chito’ would get back $357 altogether if the upset is to happen.

It makes sense for Cejudo to be strongly favored here. He has already proven how elite he is, while Vera is still trying to create a legacy for himself. It’ll probably be close on the feet, so long as Marlon doesn’t get too far behind on the strike count, and Triple-C can avoid the big ones.Unfortunately for Chito, this could likely be a blowout if and when the fight hits the mat.

Aljamain Sterling was able to offer up a wrestling/anti-wrestling answer to beat Henry, which is something that most, including Vera, aren’t able to do. Cory Sandhagen bested Chito with volume, and that is actually something Cejudo is capable of. I’m not trying to be the mma math guy, I’m simply saying that Henry’s grappling prowess is enough cause for his line to be juiced to the gills.

UFC 292: Henry Cejudo vs. Marlon Vera betting odds

UFC 292 will be headlined by a bantamweight title fight between the defending champion, Aljamain Sterling, and the undefeated in his mind, Sean O’Malley. The co-main event of the evening will be for the UFC’s women’s strawweight crown when the champ, Weili Zhang, defends against her heavy-handed challenger, Amanda Lemos. Also on the UFC 292 card, former middleweight champion Chris Weidman returns after his nasty leg break to take on Brad Tavares.

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Karate Combat 40 is kicking of this Saturday (June 24th) from Miami, Florida with their unique professional full contact Karate league continuing to build stream. If MMA is the middle ground for martial arts, and bare knuckle boxing goes one way, well then this KC sport goes entirely in the other direction. Don’t get me wrong, radical knockouts are routine, but there is an undeniable elegance to the Karate Combat events.

The marquee matchup of the night has a welterweight title unification tilt transpiring when the returning 170-pound champion, Josh Quayhagen, squares off the interim champ, Rafael Aghayev. While Quayhagen was on the sideline, the 2020 silver medalist Olympian for Azerbaijan went and defeated the great Raymond Daniels at KC 37 to become the promotion’s interim welterweight champion. With Josh now back in the picture, it’s time to unify the titles. Expect both fighters to romp on the accelerator here the entire time.

In the card’s co-main event, former GLORY/Bellator kickboxing champion, Gabriel Varga, will clash with former KC lightweight king, Edgars Skrivers. Varga has won multiple kickboxing titles, and is now looking to add a world championship belt in Karate to his mantle. He will first have to get through a hungry Skrivers, who was KC’s inaugural lightweight champion, and who badly wants his belt back. I’m expecting a gritty war between these two.

Start time and date

Karate Combat 40 is happening on Saturday June 24th in Miami, Florida. The event starts at 7 p.m. ET. That’s 4 p.m. PT.

How to watch

Karate Combat 40 is free to all and available globally on their YouTube channel. You can also catch the free live stream below on this page (once available). If you happen to be in the Miami area, then you can attend the event live and in person by clicking HERE. The event is scheduled to start live at 7:00pm ET, 4pm PT.

Full Karate Combat 40 fight card

Main card

• Josh Quayhagen vs. Rafael Aghayev: Welterweight Title
• Edgars Skrivers vs. Gabriel Varga: Lightweight
• Samuel Ericsson vs. Alexandre Bouderbane: Welterweight
• Kenji Grillon vs. Shahin Atamov: Welterweight
• Jesus Lopez vs. Ilies Mardhi: Bantamweight
• Marcel Ritter vs. Kai Calaway: Middleweight
• Fernando Paz vs. Jeremy Payet: Lightweight
• Deivis Ferreras vs. Mitchell Thorpe: Lightweight
• Jo Miyahara vs. Leo Valdivia: Lightweight
• Maximo Nunez vs. Damian Villa: Bantamweight

What comes after Karate Combat 40

The next event after Karate Combat 40 is, you guessed it, KC 41! That part is obvious, however the details surrounding that card have yet to be released. Stay tuned!

Free KC 40 live stream

Disclosure: Karate Combat is covering the author’s travel expenses to this event.

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Karate Combat 40 is kicking off this Saturday (June 24th) from Miami, Florida but before we get there, let’s take a look at our list of top-5 KC KO’s. Of course the order of these knockouts is debatable, but the fact that they’re all amazeballs is not. With a Karate KO list, of course we have kick and punch finishes, but what might surprise people is a good old fashioned slam making the cut. You’ll also see some one-punch walkoffs, and even a face plant to boot. Point fighting has its place, but it’s not in The Pit. Now let’s get to the brutality, including a couple of honorable mentions.

Top-5 Karate Combat KO highlight videos

• #5: Ross Levine – one-punch walkoff in Igor De Castañeda rematch at KC 38

Ross Levine pulled off a ridiculous one-punch walkoff knockout on Igor De Castañeda in their rematch at KC 38. ‘Turbo’ Levine had Igor backing up, and then uncorked a bodacious left hook that sent him falling to the embankment. De Castañeda was clearly sauced, so Ross walked away like a boss, middleweight title intact!

• #4: Nikos Gidakos – One-punch face plant KO of Gilmarcos Debastos at KC Season 3 Event 5

This one’s brutal! After a scrappy back and forth battle at KC Season 3 Event 5, the fighters came together to unload their respective haymakers. They both connected, but Gidakos brought his head off of the center line, and Debastos left his chin up in the air to be clobbered. Gilmarcos went out on impact, face planting as he hit the deck. Oof!

• #3: Daniel Viveros – body lock slam KO of Stefanos Roupakas at KC Season 2 Event 4

Here’s a fun one! When you think of Karate, you mostly think of punches and kicks, but Karate Combat also includes takedowns. Because of that, we were treated to a brilliant display of grappling when Daniel Viveros ferociously slammed Stefanos Roupakas into unconsciousness with a body lock takedown. This is extra refreshing for me, especially after the recent Carlos Hernandez slamming KO was overturned to a majority decision at UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs. Cannonier.

• #2: Fabiola Esquivel – head kick KO on Ana Villanueva at KC Season 3 Event 8

This one is so cold that you can legitimately see a fighter regain consciousness due to a followup punch being landed. Fabiola Esquivel added to her highlight reel when she clipped an advancing Ana Villanueva with a head kick in the final minute of their match at KC Season 3 Event 8. Villanueva was asleep when she hit the floor, but then Esquivel landed a followup ground strike that woke her back up. Bananas!

• #1: Ross Levine – Spinning axe kick on Igor De Castañeda against The Pit wall at KC Season 4 Event 1

If you’re leaning up against the embankment of The Pit, then you’re not considered to be a downed fighter, and all standing strikes remain legal. Igor De Castañeda had to learn that the hard way thanks to Ross Levine at KC Season 4 Event 1. Levine countered an overhand with an stinging uppercut, and then Igor dropped back onto the embankment to avoid a head kick. That’s when the spinning axe kick came crashing into the face of De Castañeda, prompting the ref to stop the fight. A wobbly Igor stood up in protest right away, which would ultimately lead what became our #5 Karate Combat KO.

Karate Combat honorable mentions

• Elijah Everill – Mortal Kombat style finish of Rahul Bhowmick

• Vasilii Antokhii – Near decapitation of Reda Messaoudi

• Igor De Catañeda – Ridge hand KO of Jorge Perez

• Arthur Gasanov – spinning back kick KO of Tommy Azouz

• Luiz Rocha – spinning back kick KO of Dimitris Triantafyllis

Full Karate Combat 40 fight card

• Josh Quayhagen vs. Rafael Aghayev: Welterweight Title
• Edgars Skrivers vs. Gabriel Varga: Lightweight
• Samuel Ericsson vs. Alexandre Bouderbane: Welterweight
• Kenji Grillon vs. Shahin Atamov: Welterweight
• Jesus Lopez vs. Ilies Mardhi: Bantamweight
• Marcel Ritter vs. Kai Calaway: Middleweight
• Fernando Paz vs. Jeremy Payet: Lightweight
• Deivis Ferreras vs. Mitchell Thorpe: Lightweight
• Jo Miyahara vs. Leo Valdivia: Lightweight
• Maximo Nunez vs. Damian Villa: Bantamweight

Disclosure: Karate Combat is covering the author’s travel expenses to this event.

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Singapore will be playing host to a UFC Fight Night card on August 26th, and the event will be headlined by the promotion’s former featherweight champion, Max Holloway, throwing down with longtime MMA veteran, ‘The Korean Zombie’ Chan Sung Jung. Opening betting odds have just surfaced for this likely swan song for Jung, as well as the moneylines for some other upcoming main events.

Online gambling site SportsBetting.ag has Max Holloway opening up with a staggering favored position of -1000. That means a successful $100 bet at those odds would only win you $10 worth of profit. As for Zombie, he is starting out his betting life here with a huge underdog tag of +700. So, if you throw a hundred bucks on Jung, then you stand to see a complete payout of $800, if he pulls off the major upset. I mean I get it, Max is a G.O.A.T. but this is still a fight, right?

Other betting odds recently released include the main event for an August 5th fight night in Nashville between Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov. Despite being the UFC’s #4 ranked bantamweight, Sandhagen is clocking in with a sizable underdog value of +280. As for the UFC’s #11 ranked 135-pounder, Nurmagomedov is opening up with a moderately favored line of -340. Umar has been great, but he’s still untested at the elite level, where as Sandhagen has already proven that he’s top-5 material.

The final moneyline released is for the UFC Paris main event on September 2nd between ranked heavyweights Ciryl Gane and Sergey Spivak. The former interim heavyweight champion is posted up with strongly favored odds of -200 for his return to home soil. Every game for Spivak is pretty much an away game, so facing someone in their backyard won’t be anything new for him. The Ukrainian born Sergey is starting out with underdog odds of +170..

Upcoming UFC fight night betting odds

Max Holloway vs. ‘The Korean Zombie’ Chan Sung Jung

Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov

Ciryl Gane vs. Sergey Spivak

*Do you or someone you know have a gambling addiction? Get help by contacting The National Council on Problem Gambling at 1-800-522-4700.

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UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs. Topuria, also known as UFC on ABC 5, is cooking up from Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday (June 24th), and top-5 featherweights will throw down in the main event. The UFC’s #5 rated, Josh Emmett, will attempt to return to his winning ways, but will first have to get through the undefeated #9 rated, Ilia Topuria.

The last time we saw the 18-3 Emmett in the Octagon he was coming up short to Yair Rodriguez in a vacant interim featherweight title at UFC 284 back in February. Before that though, Josh posted up an impressive five-fight winning streak that earned him his crack at the belt. Ilia is no easy bounce back fight, though.

The 13-0 Topuria has steadily become a menace to the UFC’s 145-pounders. He debuted with a unanimous decision over Youssef Zalal, and then made quick work of Damon Jackson, Ryan Hall, Jai Herbert, and Bryce Mitchell all before the third round. Ilia has all the momentum in the world behind him, and will look to keep that going in his first step up to top-5 fighters.

Start time and date

UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs. Topuria takes place on Saturday June 24th at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. The main event starts at 3 p.m. ET. The prelims begin at 12 p.m. ET.

How to watch

UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs. Topuria is available on ESPN+ for current subscribers, and can also be seen on ABC. The event is scheduled to start live at 7:00pm ET, 4pm PT. For full streaming details, and compatible devices go here.

Full UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs. Topuria fight card

Main card

• Josh Emmett vs. Ilia Topuria: Featherweight
• Amanda Ribas vs. Maycee Barber: (W) Flyweight
• Cody Brundage vs. Sedriques Dumas: Middleweight
• David Onama vs. Gabriel Santos: Featherweight
• Brendan Allen vs. Bruno Silva: Middleweight

Prelims

• Neil Magny vs. Philip Rowe: Welterweight
• Zhalgas Zhumagulov vs. Joshua Van: Flyweight
• Justin Tafa vs. Austen Lane: Heavyweight
• Randy Brown vs. Wellington Turman: Welterweight
• Mateusz Rębecki vs. Loik Radzhabov: Lightweight
• Tabatha Ricci vs. Gillian Robertson: Strawweight
• Trevor Peek vs. Chepe Mariscal: Lightweight
• Jamall Emmers vs. Jack Jenkins: Featherweight
• Tatsuro Taira vs. Kleydson Rodrigues: Flyweight

What comes after UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs. Topuria

The next event after UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs. Topuria is UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Magomedov. This event will be going down at the played out APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. The marquee matchup for the evening will see the UFC’s #7 ranked middleweight, Sean Strickland, takes on the unranked, Abus Magomedov. Ranked lightweights are headed for the co-main event when the #12 rated, Damir Ismagulov, tangles with the #15 rated, Grant Dawson.

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UFC fight night: Vettori vs. Cannonier just concluded from the APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada and the top of the billing witnessed the promotion’s #4 ranked middleweight, Jared Cannonier, set the record for most significant strikes in middleweight history in a decision win over the #3 ranked, Marvin Vettori.

The victory did not come without some hiccups, as Vettori had Cannonier badly wobbled in the first round. Jared found a way to gut out the early adversity, and then rallied back to push the pace for the next four rounds. At 185-pounds there’s the champion Israel Adesanya, the former champ Robert Whittaker, and now in the #3 spot there’s Jared Cannonier.

Our UFC fight night description of Marvin Vettori vs. Jared Cannonier

Cannonier got right to work with a stinging leg kick, but Vettori responded with a massive left hand that wobbled him. After weathering a brief storm, Jared regained his composure, but it wasn’t long before Vettori stung him again. Again Cannonier recovered, and actually started to piece together his offense at the end of the round.

The surge of Cannonier continued into the second stanza, as he was walking down Marvin behind some haymakers. Cannonier then hit a takedown and landed some quality ground and pound before Vettori got back to his feet. The punishment continued on the feet. Jared was unloading a ton of strikes, and Vettori was stumbling all over the place. Eek!

Vettori started to push back in the third round. He was sneaking in his counter left hand, but Cannonier was still peppering him. Whenever Marvin started to have some success, Jared would find a way to take it away.

The fourth frame is where Cannonier mixed things up and went to his takedown, forcing Vettori to work to get back up. Once back in open space, the back and forth standup continued. Cannonier was still leading the dance, but Marvin was hanging with him. Despite the output from Cannonier, he pushed the same sort of pace well into the fifth. You have to respect the gusto of Vettori. Despite getting blasted over and over again, he refused to give up.

UFC fight night highlights

Full UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs. Cannonier fight card results

Main card

• Marvin Vettori vs. Jared Cannonier: Middleweight
• Arman Tsarukyan vs. Joaquim Silva: Lightweight
• Armen Petrosyan def. Christian Leroy Duncan by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2): Middleweight
• Pat Sabatini def. Lucas Almeida by submission (Arm Triangle) at 1:48 of round 2: Featherweight
• Manuel Torres def. Nikolas Motta by KO at 1:50 of round 1: Lightweight
• Nicolas Dalby def. Muslim Salikhov by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28): Welterweight

Prelims

• Alessandro Costa def. Jimmy Flick by TKO at 1:03 of round 2: Flyweight
• Kyung Ho Kang def. Cristian Quiñonez by submission (RNC) at 2:25 of round 1: Bantamweight
• Carlos Hernandez def. Denys Bondar by technical decision (30-27 x2, 29-28) at 4:59 of round 3: Flyweight
• Tereza Bledá def. Gabriella Fernandes by unanimous decision (30-27 x3): Flyweight
• Daniel Argueta vs. Ronnie Lawrence has been ruled a no decision (referee error) at 2:20 of round 1: Bantamweight
• Modestas Bukauskas def. Zac Pauga by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2): Light Heavyweight

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Tonight the Gold Coast Convention Centre in Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia was treated to one of boxing’s fastest rising stars, Tim Tszyu (23-0-0, 17 KOs), headlining a Showtime card with a speedy knockout of Carlos Ocampo. The brilliant display of violence only took Tim 77-seconds. Talk about a short-night at the office. Tszyu retains his Interim WBO light middleweight title, as well as his spotless record.

What happened in the fight?

Round 1: Sounds like a good atmosphere in the building, big pop for Tszyu. He starts aggressively, snapping Ocampo’s head back with repeated 1-2s. And he has Ocampo all over the place! The Mexican wobbling to the ropes! Tszyu misses with some wild shots, but then he drops Ocampo with a sharp right! Massive start! He gets up, but a left hook drops him and it’s done! HUGE statement!

Highlights

Tim Tszyu vs. Carlos Ocampo fight card results

Main card

• Tim Tszyu def. Carlos Ocampo by KO at 1:17 of round 1: Interim WBO light middleweight title
• Sam Goodman def. Ra’eese Aleem by split decision: Super-bantamweight
• Justin Frost def. Hassan Hamdan by unanimous decision: Super lightweight Australian title
• Vegas Larfield def. Jhunrille Castino by unanimous decision: Super-bantamweight
• Rocky Ogeden def. Mark Schleibs by KO in round 1: 126lb Catchweight
• Troy Pilcher def Hasely Hepi by KO in round 1: Heavyweight Australian title
• Liam Talivaa def Isaac Liki by KO in round 1: Heavyweight

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Join us this evening (June 17th) as we cover the UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs. Cannonier fight card, which will transpire from the limited APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event tonight involves the UFC’s #3 ranked 185-pounder, Marvin Vettori, mixing it up with the #4 ranked, Jared Cannonier. The start time for the event is 7:00p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. ET.

Both Cannonier and Vettori are coming off of quality wins. Jared took a close split decision over Sean Strickland this past December, and then Marvin made out with a unanimous nod over Roman Dolidze back in March. With both men really only falling short to Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker, this gatekeeper vs. gatekeeper matchup will determine who is the best current UFC middleweight that hasn’t won the title.

There’s a likely banger going on in tonight’s co-main event when the UFC’s #8 ranked 155-pounder, Arman Tsarukyan, mixes it up with the unranked yet highly dangerous, Joaquim Silva. Tsarukyan has won six of his last seven UFC fights, and Silva is looking to piggyback off of his brilliant flying knee KO in his last outing. Expect fireworks here, for however long it lasts!

UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs. Cannonier kicks off with the preliminary card at 7 p.m. ET. From there, the main event will start at 10 p.m. ET. All of this can be seen on ESPN+, as well as on ESPN.

Full UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs. Cannonier fight card results

Main card

• Jared Cannonier def. Marvin Vettori by unanimous decision (49-45 x2, 48-46): Middleweight
• Arman Tsarukyan def. Joaquim Silva by TKO at 3:25 of round 3: Lightweight

• Armen Petrosyan def. Christian Leroy Duncan by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2): Middleweight
• Pat Sabatini def. Lucas Almeida by submission (Arm Triangle) at 1:48 of round 2: Featherweight

• Manuel Torres def. Nikolas Motta by KO at 1:50 of round 1: Lightweight

• Nicolas Dalby def. Muslim Salikhov by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28): Welterweight

Prelims

• Alessandro Costa def. Jimmy Flick by TKO at 1:03 of round 2: Flyweight

• Kyung Ho Kang def. Cristian Quiñonez by submission (RNC) at 2:25 of round 1: Bantamweight

• Carlos Hernandez def. Denys Bondar by technical decision (30-27 x2, 29-28) at 4:59 of round 3: Flyweight

• Tereza Bledá def. Gabriella Fernandes by unanimous decision (30-27 x3): Flyweight
• Daniel Argueta vs. Ronnie Lawrence has been ruled a no decision (referee error) at 2:20 of round 1: Bantamweight

• Modestas Bukauskas def. Zac Pauga by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2): Light Heavyweight

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