UFC

Enjoy the fights, everyone. Jimmy Flick vs. Charles Johnson. Round 1 – Alright, here we go with the first fight of 2023. Both fighters very cautious here ...

Vieira closes the distance and pins her against the cage. Alhassan closes the distance and pins Ribeiro against the cage. Rebecki closes the distance and punishes Fiore against the cage. Mendonca pushes Basharat against the fence. And Nascimento sinks in the rear-naked choke! And Argueta out-grapples Aguirre until the final bell. Argueta now presses and takes down Aguirre against the cage. And Aguirre loses the back and ends on bottom. Now Argueta presses Aguirre against the cage. Once again, Argueta presses Aguirre against the cage. And he gets the takedown and transitions to the back of Johnson. The card streams on ESPN+.

The ad referred to the Jones-Gane bout as for the "world heavyweight championship," and there is no reference to interim.

A graphic has been displayed in Las Vegas that shows a heavyweight title fight between Jones and Ciryl Gane that is scheduled for UFC 285 on March 4.

The former pound-for-pound No.1, who recently hinted at his return by tweeting: "Champion 2023", hasn't fought since defending the UFC light-heavyweight title for the last time against Dominick Reyes in February 2020. Gane missed out on his chance to win the heavyweight title when he was outpointed by Ngannou at UFC 270. Ngannou, 36, has been caught up in a contract crisis with the UFC since defending his title against former training partner Gane last January.

The long-awaited heavyweight debut of UFC star Jon Jones appears to be on the horizon, and it will be for a title. Jones confirmed to MMA content creator...

The graphic was later taken down, and MMA Fighting's [Steven Marrocco](https://twitter.com/MMAFightingSM/status/1614379795995045893) reported that it was a "behind-the-scenes mistake." [Ariel Helwani](https://twitter.com/arielhelwani/status/1614400996834414597) reported that heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is likely to be stripped of his title. The fight against Gane was the last one remaining on his UFC deal. The 35-year-old had other run-ins with the law throughout his career, as he'd previously been arrested for a hit-and-run, driving under the influence, and negligent use of a firearm, among other charges. He vacated the title a few months later before announcing his intentions to move up to heavyweight, taking some time to #UFC285 pic.twitter.com/3ItpnKY4ni

The UFC is finalizing a lightweight bout between Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev to its UFC 286 lineup in London in March, and the 155-pound contest is ...

[Rafael dos Anjos](http://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/2335687/rafael-dos-anjos) in the final round of his first main event appearance in July. Usman and Gaethje are teammates, fighting out of Denver. [Leon Edwards](https://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/3152929/leon-edwards) and [Kamaru Usman](http://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/3088812/kamaru-usman). The former interim champ 5-2 in his past seven appearances, and his only losses have come against two of the best lightweights of all time in Oliveira and Khabib Nurmagomedov. He's also picked up wins over the likes of [Brad Riddell](http://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/4575873/brad-riddell), [Bobby Green](http://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/2502364/bobby-green) and [Renato Moicano](http://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/3028863/renato-moicano). Contracts have not been signed, but the 155-pound contest is expected to be shored up shortly, multiple sources told ESPN on Saturday.

UFC superstar Jon Jones has sensationally revealed that he will be fighting Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight title - as leaked photos of stadium sign also ...

The Frenchman would make an interesting opponent for 'Bones'. It's just been great, it's been a really great trip so far,' Jones said. Henry is just so intelligent, and such a great leader and tactician.

After opening the year with a split-decision victory over Jack Hermansson in February, Strickland was knocked out by Alex Pereira in July and edged by Jared ...

Nurmagomedov missed with a knee to the body but instinctually threw and connected on a slick left hand that put Barcelos flat on his back. Kopylov rushed in with some punches until the ref stepped in and brought the action to a halt. The winner will inch herself closer to a bantamweight world championship shot. As a bloody Jackson was stalking, Ige stepped back and absolutely sat on a vicious left hook that blasted Jackson across the jaw and crumpled him backwards against the canvas. ET, for the launch of the UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. The card will take place live from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Umar Nurmagomedov maintains the undefeated streak shared by him, former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Bellator lightweight champion Usman ...

Nurmagomedov improved to 16-0 with the first KO of his UFC career and second KO overall. Nurmagomedov stepped in with a failed knee to the head and immediately followed with a sneaky left hand that put Barcelos to sleep. Umar Nurmagomedov kicked off the UFC Fight Night main card with an emphatic knockout in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

Current UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has been out with a knee injury since defeating Gane at UFC 270. Ngannou, 36, has been in contract talks ...

- UFC. [UFC ](https://www.marca.com/en/ufc.html?intcmp=MENUPROD&s_kw=en-ufc)for the past year, but no side has been willing to budge, leading to speculation that "The Predator" is done with the company. [Dana White: My punishment for slapping my wife is that I have to live with it my whole life](https://www.marca.com/en/ufc/2023/01/12/63c0635b268e3eca518b45ca.html)

The original main event for this card was supposed to be Kelvin Gastelum vs. Nassourdine Imavov, however, Kelvin had to pull out of the match. The ever-ready ...

He worked the way to the back and threatened with a rear-naked choke, but Aguirre hung tough and found a way out. The jab of Nurmagomedov was finding a home, and was the most landed strike of the round. It was then Argueta’s turn to take the back, and although he went for an RNC, he wasn’t able to land it. Ribeiro went right back to the calf kick to start the round, but went to the well too many times. They started to grapple from there, with Mendonça working for the takedown and Basharat refusing to be on his back. A glove to the eye resulted in a timeout, and the referee was brought in to check on Jackson. Nurmagomedov was also throwing a lot of teep kicks to try and keep Barcelos on the outside.Behind that teep, Nurmagomedov connected with a clean left hand that briefly stunned Barcelos. They broke apart and exchanged more punches in the middle of the Octagon, and then it was Rocky’s turn to press Vieira against the cage. Vieira reversed the position, and after eating a knee to the midsection, she landed a big cross of her own. A big punch from Ige opened up a cut on the forehead of Jackson, and to make things worse, it was dripping into the eye that was gloved in the previous round. She was connecting with her hands, and then used the moment to enter into the clinch. The fighters started to trade in the pocket at the start of the third frame.

The undisputed heavyweight championship will be on the line live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The fight against Gane will mark Jones's highly-anticipated heavyweight debut. Gane fight for the heavyweight title, according to White. "Ciryl Gane is a heavyweight who moves like a middleweight.

Heavyweight Gold Will Be On The Line In Las Vegas When Jon Jones Faces Ciryl Gane Inside T-Mobile Arena On March 4. Tickets Go On Sale Friday, January 20.

](https://www.axs.com/events/460337/ufc-285-tickets?skin=tmobile) [Click here to buy tickets! Interviews

Jon Jones' long-awaited return will come March 4 for the heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane, a bout that comes after the UFC failed to reach terms with ...

[Derrick Lewis](https://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/2560713/derrick-lewis) in August 2021. In his most recent appearance, he knocked out [Tai Tuivasa](http://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/3722422/tai-tuivasa) in the main event of a UFC Fight Night in September. White said Jones was "ready, willing and able" to fight any heavyweight, including Ngannou. He went on to hold the light heavyweight championship off and on from 2011 to 2020. He became the youngest UFC champion of all time in 2011 at age 23. White said the highest-paid heavyweight in UFC history remains

Jon Jones finally has a date and opponent for his heavyweight debut — and the best heavyweight in the world is no longer a UFC fighter.

2 ranked heavyweight in the world](https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/12/15/23508903/mma-rankings-december-2022-is-sergei-pavlovich-destined-to-become-ufc-heavyweight-champion). The 32-year-old Frenchman has won eight of his nine UFC appearances, including a wild third-round knockout over [Tai Tuivasa](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/4270/tai-tuivasa) in his most recent outing this past September. Ngannou captured his title in 2021 with a knockout of [Stipe Miocic](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/775/stipe-miocic) and defended it in January 2022 with a hard-fought decision over Gane. “Bones” has been sidelined since vacating his 205-pound belt title in early 2020 in advance of an eventual move up to heavyweight. Jones (26-1, 1 NC) is widely considered one of the greatest fighters to ever compete. [Francis Ngannou](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/3362/francis-ngannou) has vacated his title and is now a free agent, White said.

Dana White said the UFC offered Ngannou a contract that would have made him the highest-paid heavyweight in UFC history, but that Ngannou had turned it ...

UFC welterweight champ Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman will run it back for a third time at UFC 286 on March 18 in London.

The Nigerian-born fighter, who lives in Florida and trains out of Colorado, had five successful welterweight title defenses, tying him for second-most ever in the UFC 170-pound division with [Matt Hughes](http://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/4425995/matt-hughes). Edwards (20-3, 1 NC) is unbeaten in 11 straight fights dating back to that loss to Usman eight years ago. Usman had beaten Edwards previously in a nontitle fight in 2015.

Francis Ngannou was released from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), president Dana White confirmed during UFC Vegas 67's post-fight press conference on ...

Francis Ngannou was released from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), president Dana White confirmed during UFC Vegas 67’s post-fight press conference on Sunday. Ngannou had grabbed the heavyweight title after securing a knockout win over Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 in 2021. “We are going to release (Francis Ngannou) from his contract.

Former lightweight champion, who hasn't competed in more than three years, will meet Frenchman Ciryl Gane for the vacant crown at UFC 285 in Las Vegas.

A former interim-heavyweight champion, he lost a [unification bout against Ngannou at UFC 270](https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/ufc/2022/01/23/francis-ngannou-retains-heavyweight-title-after-points-win-over-ciryl-gane-at-ufc-270/) in January last year. I think Francis is at a place right now, where he doesn’t want to take a risk. And he turned the deal down. On Ngannou, who has not competed since knee surgery early last year, White told reporters: “We’ve been negotiating with him for more than two years. Gane, 11-1 as a professional, will form his opponent at T-Mobile Arena following the UFC’s decision to cut ties with Ngannou. It marked his 13th title fight win at light heavyweight.

'Would've been the highest paid ever': UFC HW champ stripped, controversial star to fight for belt.

“I think Francis is in a place right now where he doesn’t want to take a lot of risk. White said the deal offered to Ngannou would’ve made the 36-year-old the “highest-paid heavyweight in the history of the company”. Jon Jones will return to the Octagon for the first time in three years, while now-former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has become a free agent, UFC president Dana White has announced.

UFC president Dana White has announced Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman 3 for the welterweight title is a done deal for UFC 286 in London.

Jon Jones is set to make his return to the octagon in a UFC heavyweight title fight with Cyril Gane at UFC 285.

In January last year, Francis Ngannou mounted his first and only defence of the UFC heavyweight title against Gane. This is for the official heavyweight title." The only snag was that the bout hadn't been announced yet.

The UFC handed out four post-fight bonuses after Saturday's card, including one to a man whose nickname predicts the bonus amount.

But late in the second round, he faked a right and threw a left that drilled Jackson right in the chin and put him on the canvas. Dan Ige (16-6 MMA, 8-5 UFC) lived up to his “50K” nickname when he took out Damon Jackson (22-5-1 MMA, 5-3-1 UFC) with a one-punch knockout in the second round of the co-main event. Ige had Jackson cut and regularly on the defensive. Kopylov worked his jab regularly against Soriano, then started attacking the body. Nascimento worked to Hernandez’s back and dragged him to the canvas. Nurmagomedov was by far the biggest betting favorite on the card.

Is Nassourdine Imavov set to make a big jump in the rankings or will Sean Strickland's short-notice gamble pay off?

If he doesn’t outwork Barcelos on the feet, he still has that wrestling in his back pocket to throw Barcelos off of his game. Dropping decisions to the likes of [Movsar Evloev](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/4892/movsar-evloev), [Josh Emmett](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/3686/josh-emmett), [Chan Sung Jung](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/14/chan-sung-jung), and [Calvin Kattar](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/4139/calvin-kattar) is nothing to be ashamed of, but they’re losses all the same. That will comprise much of his game plan on Saturday as well, which makes sense given how dangerous it is to stand in the pocket and trade shots with Soriano. This being a three-round fight makes it a little dicey as it’s much easier to steal two rounds than it is three, but on the flipside Vieira might be more willing to go for broke with only 15 minutes to work through. Maybe it’s because he hasn’t finished a fight in a few years, but the oddsmakers are definitely overlooking Barcelos’ chances of handing Nurmagomedov his first loss. 1 contender at bantamweight with a win over [Raquel Pennington](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/1789/raquel-pennington), and bantamweight blue-chipper [Umar Nurmagomedov](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5039/umar-nurmagomedov) opens the show against [Raoni Barcelos](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/4232/raoni-barcelos). That said, the competition he’s faced isn’t near the level of Ige’s, which is a big reason why I’m leaning towards the Hawaiian to snap his skid. [Jared Cannonier](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/3047/jared-cannonier) in the main event of [UFC Vegas 66](https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1352/ufc-vegas-66-cannonier-vs-strickland) to close out 2022, and now he’s set to fight [Nassourdine Imavov](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5457/nassourdine-imavov) in the light heavyweight main event of [UFC Vegas 67](https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1356/ufc-vegas-67-imavov-vs-strickland) to open 2023 (up from both man’s usual class of middleweight due to Strickland replacing [Kelvin Gastelum](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2077/kelvin-gastelum) on less than a week’s notice). [Edson Barboza](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/56/edson-barboza) and [Mirsad Bektic](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/1738/mirsad-bektic). Ige has been in plenty of standup fights, but his bread and butter has always been his jiu-jitsu, so he can out-grapple Jackson or at least battle him to a standstill down there. Imavov has put together a three-fight win streak on the strength of his crafty striking and a confidence that can’t be taught. The only other fighter to come close to matching this achievement is [Deiveson Figueiredo](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/4188/deiveson-figueiredo), who headlined consecutive pay-per-views with flyweight title defenses at [UFC 255](https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1145/ufc-255) and [UFC 256](https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1151/ufc-256) to close out 2020, but there were a pair of Fight Night events in between.

Sean Strickland stepped up on short notice and won a unanimous decision over Nassourdine Imavov in the main event of UFC Fight Night 217.

Ngannou will depart the UFC after being embroiled in a contract feud with the promotion, which will see him vacate his heavyweight title.

[YouTube channel.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLgjkiMp1S4) "And the reason I tell you it's disrespectful. And UFC legend Chael Sonnen suggested that his contract demands were unfair and were also unlikely to be agreed to along the stretch. The heavyweight champion wants to fight in the boxing ring and r "And he turned the deal down. It was expected that the Cameroon star would return to the octagon against undefeated superstar Jon Jones if he was able to agree a fresh deal with the promotion. UFC kingpin Dana White has now confirmed the news at yesterday's press conference, where he suggested Ngannou was offered a new mega-money deal but turned it down.

Jon Jones will face France's Cyril Gane for the UFC heavyweight title at the T-Mobile Arena on March 8 after champion Francis Ngannou vacated the belt to ...

His replacement as champion will be crowned when American Jones, a former light heavyweight champion who has previously been banned for doping, meets Gane, who held the interim heavyweight championship until he was beaten by Ngannou for the undisputed title in January 2022. Jan 15 (Reuters) - Jon Jones will face France's Cyril Gane for the UFC heavyweight title at the T-Mobile Arena on March 8 after champion Francis Ngannou vacated the belt to enter free agency, UFC president Dana White told a news conference. "We offered Francis a deal that would have made him the highest-paid heavyweight in the history of the company, more than (former champion Brock) Lesnar, more than anybody, and he turned the deal down," White said.

Dana White announced that heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou will be released from his contract after turning down an offer that would have made him the ...

He has only ever been knocked down once, by Aussie Tai Tuivasa, and has a record of 9-1 - his only loss coming to Ngannou last January. Ngannou is arguably the biggest free agent in MMA history and may now pursue his longstanding boxing ambitions. 'We offered Ngannou a deal that would make him the highest-paid heavyweight of all time,' said White.

It's official, Leon Edwards will fight Kamaru Usman at UFC 286.On Saturday night, UFC president Dana White confirmed that 'Rocky' will make his.

Rafael Fiziev vs. Leon Edwards vs. [Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson](https://talksport.com/sport/mma/1275899/stephen-thompson-leon-edwards-jorge-masvidal-ufc-286/) recently cast doubt on Edwards vs Usman 3 when he revealed the former welterweight champion had undergone hand surgery and would not be ready to compete at UFC 286.

Edwards and Usman will clash in a trilogy fight with the welterweight title up for grabs, UFC President Dana White announced at the UFC Vegas 67 press ...

There was speculation a hand surgery and injury could delay the fight for Usman, but the originally targeted timeframe stayed intact. Then Edwards managed to pull off one of the greatest comebacks in history when he connected with a devastating head-kick knockout with just seconds remaining in the fight. The event airs on ESPN+ pay-per-view.

UFC president Dana White confirmed Jon Jones will face Frances Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight title at the T-Mobile Arena in March after champion Francis ...

He feels like he's in a position where he could fight lesser opponents and make more money, so we're going to let him do that and release him from our contract. "Francis is in a place now where he doesn't want to take a lot of risk. "We've been negotiating with [Ngannou] for more than two years," White said.

Francis Ngannou will be released from his contract and is no longer the UFC heavyweight champion after he turned down a contract that would have made him ...

“We did everything we could to make the fight happen and give him the fight. He can go wherever he wants and do whatever he wants.” Ngannou had been in negotiations for a new agreement for two years, White said, and plans were in place for the 36-year-old to fight Jones.

UFC president Dana White confirmed Jon Jones will face Frances Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight title at the T-Mobile Arena in March after champion Francis ...

He feels like he's in a position where he could fight lesser opponents and make more money, so we're going to let him do that and release him from our contract. "Francis is in a place now where he doesn't want to take a lot of risk. "We've been negotiating with [Ngannou] for more than two years," White said.

Results As They Happen, Winner Interviews And More From UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs Imavov, Live From The UFC APEX In Las Vegas.

[Official Scorecards ](https://www.ufc.com/news/official-judges-scorecards-ufc-fight-night-strickland-vs-imavov-ufc-vegas-67) [Watch on ESPN+](https://plus.espn.com/ufc?ex_cid=DSS-OFF-UFC-INARTICLE-EN) [UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs Imavov](/event/ufc-fight-night-january-14-2023), live from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 14, 2023. [Sean Strickland](/athlete/sean-strickland)(25-5, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) looks to break into the middleweight Top 5 for the first time in his career. by way of Oahu, Hawaii) takes on [Roman Kopylov](http://www.ufc.com/athlete/Roman-Kopylov)(9-2, fighting out of Bachatsky, Kemerovo, Russia) [Watch on ESPN+](https://plus.espn.com/ufc?ex_cid=DSS-OFF-UFC-INARTICLE-EN) [Dan Ige](/athlete/dan-ige)(15-6, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev. [Damon Jackson](/athlete/damon-jackson)(22-4-1 1NC, fighting out of Dallas, Texas) looks to make the most of his first UFC co-main event opportunity. [Ketlen Vieira](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/ketlen-vieira)(13-2, fighting out of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil) looks to stake her claim for a title shot when she takes on former title challenger and current No. by way of Accra, Ghana) in an intriguing middleweight bout [Watch on ESPN+](https://plus.espn.com/ufc?ex_cid=DSS-OFF-UFC-INARTICLE-EN) 13 ranked featherweight contender [Dan Ige](/athlete/dan-ige) squares off with streaking [Damon Jackson](/athlete/damon-jackson). [Carlos Hernandez](/athlete/carlos-hernandez), the Chute Boxe Diego Lima representative landed a front kick up the middle that caused Hernandez to pause and gave Nascimento the space he needed to get around to a back body lock. 12 ranked [Nassourdine Imavov](/athlete/nassourdine-imavov).

Sean Strickland may have gotten a little extra motivation to beat Nassourdine Imavov at the UFC Vegas 67 weigh-ins.

But one of the greatest feelings in the f****** world is when you take another f****** human being, and you break them. But one of the greatest feelings in the world is to take another human being and break their f****** soul.” But when you look at me like that, I would f****** cartel you and your family, you look at me like that, you m***********.” “When you look at a m*********** in the eyes like that, what are you trying to say? As you start smelling the blood on your gloves, and you start feeling the f****** brain damage and the pain, you guys don’t know this, but when you hit a m*********** in the face, you can like see inside their f****** soul. You can see what the f*** they’re made of. As the rounds progress, you could see what a m*********** is made of. “You see how that m*********** looked at me in the weigh-ins?” Strickland asked. “I hate it when motherf****** do the staredown, and they look at me like that,” Strickland told reporters after his unanimous decision over Imavov in the main event of UFC Vegas 67. If I was in the streets, and a motherf***** looked at me like that, I would probably f****** shoot them. Imavov was a betting favorite and carried the benefit of a full training camp into the fight. What Imavov didn’t bargain for was the relentless attack of Strickland, who walked him down over five rounds, winning striking exchanges and mixing in grappling and takedowns.

Many great fighters have competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship - but not everyone is able to get off to the perfect start.

During his Pride days, especially, he was a one-of-a-kind fighter who so often went to war until the bitter end. The buzz surrounding Hector Lombard when he first signed for the UFC was insane. Still, everyone is human, and everyone can have an off night when they first jump up to the big leagues. James Toney was a genuine heavyweight sensation in the world of boxing. The judo star was resoundingly beaten by Alexis Davis in a unanimous decision defeat. The youngster wanted to make an impact in a short notice showdown with Austin Hubbard.

UFC star Jon Jones will make his return to the Octagon in the UFC 285 main event on March 4 in Las Vegas.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News.

[Gulf](/News/gulf) [World News](/News/world) Gane, a 32-year-old Frenchman, is 11-1-0 and ranked as the No. Jones boasts a career record of 26-1-0 with one no contest. [Sports](/sports) [AlArabiya](/)

Jon Jones will return to the octagon for the first time in three years, while Francis Ngannou has vacated the heavyweight belt to become a free agent.

“I think Francis is in a place right now where he doesn’t want to take a lot of risk. “Jon Jones has been ready, willing and able to fight anybody. Jones (26-1) will make his first appearance since February 2020 when he beat Dominick Reyes to defend his light heavyweight championship.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic has largely remained silent on his fighting future, but that changed Sunday.

All the best, most interesting, and unquestionably coolest fights the UFC needs to book following their latest event in Las Vegas, NV.

He put the pressure on Hernandez from the jump, kept in his face, and even before he could get a takedown, found his way to the back to start putting Hernandez in danger. Flyweight is a tough place to be a grappler, in a division full of lightening quick scramblers, but Nascimento has proven that he’s always a dangerous man on the mats. Simon’s the only guy on that list coming off a win, but I can’t pretend that the fight I want isn’t Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Which means that Umar Nurmagomedov knocking him out for the first time in his career, inside the first round, is a hell of a defining win. Then he got to the UFC and found that opposition was tough enough to stay with him and could land big enough shots to dissuade him from throwing in bunches. Before the fight, Pennington made it clear that she wanted a title fight if she won this one. Nassourdine Imavov ran up the middleweight ranks with a style that was crafty and varied, but without a lot of the depth and pace that tends to be necessary to really compete at the highest levels. Jackson started to find some of his flow in round 2, but the more comfortable he got, the more chances he started taking—eventually walking him onto a huge counter left hook. Or, considering that it sounds like the UFC splashed him some serious extra cash to fight Imavov, would he be better off waiting a while for just the right bout to come his way. The question now becomes, would it be better for Strickland to launch into a top 5 booking ASAP and use this new momentum to get a higher profile fight? That may have meant that he was more tired than usual over the back half of the fight, but it did the job of forcing Imavov to have to try and recover the momentum and pace of the bout—something the Frenchman isn’t used to doing. Surprisingly, to me at least, he came charging out of the gate early against Imavov and took the bout over from the jump.

With a slew of controversies, including a gambling investigation and a domestic violence incident involving Dana White, the UFC faces a challenging 2023.

The judges scored it 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47 for Strickland. According to UFC Stats, Strickland outlanded Imavov 150-148 in total strikes, but he dictated the ...

[Nassourdine Imavov](http://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/4690539/nassourdine-imavov) (12-4) by unanimous decision in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday. He forced Imavov to fight him at a boxing range and kept up a steady repertoire of jabs and front kicks to the body. He suffered a decision loss to [Jared Cannonier](http://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/3154860/jared-cannonier) four weeks ago at a UFC Fight Night inside the Apex. Strickland snapped a two-fight skid with the win. Despite the lack of notice, Strickland led the dance for the most part on Saturday. Almost the entire 25-minute fight took place on the feet.

Jan. 15—The UFC's heavyweight division has been relatively quiet of late but all of that changed this past weekend — especially when former champion Stipe ...

Jones' last fight was a close decision victory over Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 in which he defended his light heavyweight belt. After his requests for more pay ...

However, fans may see a bout between Jones and Stipe Miocic soon with the two-time UFC heavyweight champ calling for the winner in March. After two years of negotiations, White commented that Ngannou declined a deal that would have made him the highest-paid heavyweight of all time. After his requests for more pay were denied by the promotion, Jones chose to step away from the sport, vacating his title.

Jon Jones will return to the octagon for the first time in over three years and will make his heavyweight debut against one of the toughest opponents in the ...

It's been a huge week of news for the UFC, with White also confirming two huge fights for the London card, UFC 286. After spending time getting his body ready for the 50lb jump up in weight, Jones will face arguably the most dangerous fighter in the heavyweight division, Ciryl Gane, for the title on March 4 at UFC 285. One of the greatest UFC fighters of all-time is now set for his return to the sport after three years away from the octagon.

Teixeira (33-8) will have the chance to reclaim the light heavyweight championship when he faces Jamahal Hill (11-1, 1 NC) in the main event; while the co-main ...

However, the Czech pulled out of the fight and honourably vacated the title due to a serious shoulder injury. [They’re the] Ali-Frazier of the flyweight division.” If you want to leave a legacy in this sport, you need that dance partner,” said House. You need that dance partner. for the fourth time! I’m very excited.