UFC 315 'Embedded,' No. 1: Belal Muhammad's fight week meals look like zero punishment
In the headliner, welterweight champion Belal Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) puts his title on the line for the first time when he takes on challenger Jack Della Maddalena (17-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC). In the co-feature, two-time women's flyweight champ Valentina Shevchenko (24-4-1 MMA, 13-3-1 UFC) puts the belt up against Manon Fiorot (12-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC), who is favored in the fight as the challenger.
Advertisement
The first episode of "Embedded" follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC's description of the episode from YouTube:
UFC 315 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Bell Centre in Montreal.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 315 Embedded video No. 1: Behind the scenes in Montreal
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Lowetide: What can Oilers fans expect of Stan Bowman's European signing pipeline?
Most Edmonton Oilers fans were aware of Stan Bowman's managerial track record on the day he arrived as the team's new general manager. He had a reputation for swinging impressive deals (starting with Nick Leddy), signing impact European free agents (notably Artemi Panarin) and winning Stanley Cups. Advertisement Bowman's ability to find free-agent talent from anywhere in the hockey world should be of high value for the Oilers, since most of the team's draft picks and prospects have been sent away by a series of 'runaway train' deadlines in pursuit of a championship. Don't expect anything close to Panarin from the group signed for the coming season — there was no one at that level available — but there is talent coming from overseas this fall. Bowman has had irons in the fire in the procurement department since his arrival. First, the Oilers acquired an NHL-ready (or close) scoring winger in Ike Howard, an acknowledgement that youth and a first-shot scorer were badly needed immediately. The deal was reminiscent of the Ryan McLeod for Matt Savoie deal one year ago, and moves up the talent timeline for the organization. Second, Bowman cast about all over the hockey world in an effort to increase the quality and depth of talent to be housed in the AHL this winter. The Bakersfield Condors will deploy several European free agents this fall, and some of those men could land in the NHL with the Oilers by spring. Since this is an area of strength for Bowman, it's a good idea to go back several months and see what experts were saying about the men who would eventually land on Edmonton's 50-man roster for the coming season. In February 2025, Corey Pronman at The Athletic ranked Finnish defenceman Atro Leppänen No. 2 among available free agents. Pronman noted his eye-popping statistics (20 goals by late February) while cautioning that his later-career spike in performance (age 26) couldn't be trusted as it might with a younger player. 'He's a good skater with decent hockey sense and a big point shot,' wrote Pronman. 'His defending and compete aren't massive selling points, though.' For the Oilers, a team focused on puck movement and employing skaters with real skill, Leppänen represents a quality addition. Advertisement Right after the club signed Swedish centre David Tomasek, Scott Wheeler at The Athletic commented on X: 'One of the better players in Europe over the last couple of years. Good-sized center who has produced at the top of the SHL but is also really reliable defensively. Excellent in the faceoff circle. Drove play. Competitive. Should add to the Oilers' depth down the middle.' Leppänen and Tomasek should be considered the strongest contenders for roster spots this fall with Edmonton. However, there's little room to grow from what these men will be at training camp, as both are in their late 20s. Based on Edmonton's roster and opportunities that could be available this fall, Tomasek has the better chance to stick. He'll battle Noah Philp, Curtis Lazar and others for playing time as a depth centre, unless he has an immediate offensive impact as a skill winger. Both men would be exceptional mentors in the AHL based on experience. If the first-blush signings by Bowman from Europe are going to have similar success to his Blackhawks signings (like Erik Gustafsson, Pius Suter and Dominik Kubalik), bet on Leppänen or Tomasek to make it happen. Josh Samanski is 23 and stands 6-foot-3, 189 pounds. He is a centre from Germany who (like Leppänen and Tomasek) led his team in points during the 2024-25 season. Samanski played in the German league, which is not considered as strong as the Swedish or Finnish leagues because it doesn't produce NHL players at the same rate. Samanski's youth is an attractive part of his resume. His skill development has probably reached its highest level at 23, but there's plenty that can be learned during an entry-level deal; he is signed for two seasons, then becomes a restricted free agent. AHL centres with size and skill are rare, so even if he falls shy of the NHL there's a role if he can thrive in Bakersfield. Reports on his skating are positive. Advertisement Probably the most obscure player secured by Bowman this signing season is Finnish forward Viljami Marjala. He is the youngest of the European signings at 22 and has an interesting resume. Marjala's passing ability is exceptional: he delivered 44 assists in the Liiga, the same league Leppänen dominated. Marjala's impressive season came at age 21, meaning he is the one player in Bowman's European group who could still develop his skills in the next couple of seasons. I ranked Marjala No. 13 in this summer's top 20 Oilers prospects article based on his impressive passing ability. (Samanski is No. 17.) NHL teams give fans an indication of how important new signings are based on salary, term and type of contract. Here's a look at each of the signings with clues about how the Oilers see each one: In the case of Tomasek, it's a one-year NHL deal (one-way) that holds opportunity and risk. If Tomasek has a big season, the pressure will be on the organization to sign him long-term. The window of opportunity is also short, so Bowman doesn't carry a lot of downside risk with Tomasek. If he struggles, the club can dispatch the player to Bakersfield with little cap impact. There are no bonuses in the deal. Leppänen's deal is a two-way contract, paying him $87,500 if he spends the season with the Condors. There is a $97,500 signing bonus, suggesting the number of teams in pursuit was shy of Tomasek's interest level. When Ken Holland signed Joakim Nygaard out of Finland in 2020, there were more clubs interested and the player got a one-year NHL deal with a high AHL salary. This suggests Bakersfield is likely, especially at the start of the season. He could be an injury recall, or force the issue with impact play in the AHL. For Samanski, his two-way deal has some interesting wrinkles. He receives a $97,500 signing bonus in both years of the contract, and a $1 million performance bonus achievable in year two of the deal. The Oilers see him as an AHL option for 2025-26, but do see potential here. Finally, Marjala gets a lower cap but $102,500 in performance bonuses for each of his two seasons. He also receives $97,500 in signing bonuses both years, as is the case with Samanski. Back to the original question: what should the fans expect? In the future, expectations should be even higher, owing in part to innovations by the Oilers that are being spearheaded by Kalle Larsson. Daniel Nugent-Bowman wrote about Larsson and the Oilers' development vision recently here at The Athletic, and some of their work could see NHL ice this fall. Advertisement Expect Tomasek to make the Oilers (or close) out of camp. Leppänen should impress in Bakersfield and eventually see a recall to Edmonton. The younger players will establish their level of ability with the Condors and push for NHL work in the seasons to come. Larsson's work, as described by Nugent-Bowman, appears to be a real innovation designed to overcome a lack of draft picks and a prospect pool that is not strong at this time. In the meantime, Bowman's European signings will be interesting to track in the year to come. It could be the beginning of a productive prospect pipeline. (Photo of Atro Leppänen : Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP via Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
‘Weapons' Gives Warner Bros. Another Outstanding No. 1 Opening
Warner Bros. found its sixth breakout hit in a row over the weekend, adding to one of the most remarkable studio turnarounds in Hollywood memory. 'Weapons,' an original horror movie from Warner's New Line Cinema division, sold an estimated $42.5 million in tickets in the United States and Canada from Thursday night through Sunday, easily enough for the No. 1 spot, according to Comscore, which compiles box office data. 'Weapons' cost at least $38 million to make, not including tens of millions of dollars in marketing costs — on the high side for an original, R-rated horror movie. New Line won a bidding war for the project in 2023. The film took in an additional $27.5 million overseas, for a spectacular debut total of about $70 million. After one of the worst box office runs in its history, Warner Bros. flickered to life in April with 'A Minecraft Movie,' which has been followed by 'Sinners,' 'Final Destination: Bloodlines,' 'F1: The Movie,' 'Superman' and now 'Weapons.' Directed and written by Zach Cregger, a fast-rising horror auteur, 'Weapons' is about 17 children from the same third-grade class who mysteriously vanish into the night, leaving one classmate behind. 'Weapons' received mostly exceptional reviews. Ticket buyers gave it an A-minus grade in CinemaScore exit polls. Horror is one of the few reliable box office draws that Hollywood has left, but the genre is also susceptible to fast-moving trends: The young people who drive horror ticket sales can tire unexpectedly of a subgenre (gore, for instance) and quickly hop to another. Auteur horror is the flavor of the moment, as shown by hits like 'Weapons,' Ryan Coogler's 'Sinners,' Osgood Perkins's 'Longlegs,' Coralie Fargeat's 'The Substance' and Robert Eggers's 'Nosferatu.' In contrast, glossier horror movies, including some sequels and remakes, have sputtered in recent months. 'M3GAN 2.0,' which explored the science-fiction end of the horror genre, was a failure at the box office earlier this summer, and 'Wolf Man' flatlined in January. (Both came from Blumhouse, the once-unstoppable horror specialty studio.) Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ex-Guardians Cy Young Award winner nearing MLB return with Blue Jays
Ex-Guardians Cy Young Award winner nearing MLB return with Blue Jays originally appeared on The Sporting News This year's trade deadline provided the Cleveland Guardians the opportunity to offload three of their star players: outfielder Steven Kwan, closer Emmanuel Clase and starting pitcher Shane Bieber. Only one of them made a move elsewhere. Kwan (because the Guardians couldn't find an offer to their liking) and Clase (because he was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave on July 28 and is actively being investigated by MLB for his role in a gambling probe) both remain with the team, but Bieber was dealt to the Toronto Blue Jays, the squad with the best record in the American League (68-48). Bieber's last MLB start came on April 2, 2024, and he has since been on the shelf recovering from Tommy John surgery. He made his first rehab start on May 31 of this year and has excelled in the minor leagues, allowing four runs on 12 hits and earning 27 strikeouts to just two walks across 16.1 innings pitched. The Blue Jays will remain cautious with Bieber's arm as they ramp up his pitch count, but his early success indicates that his return to the big leagues could be around the corner. "The former Cy Young Award winner's return is approaching," ESPN's Alden Gonzalez wrote. "The right-hander made his fifth rehab start — and first since being acquired by the Blue Jays — on Sunday, striking out six batters across five innings. He'll make another start on Saturday, then perhaps one more after that. Then the Blue Jays will see if they can get the front-line starter they envisioned when they unloaded promising pitching prospect Khal Stephen to pry Bieber from the Cleveland Guardians last week." Upon being called up to the Blue Jays' active roster, Bieber will provide an immediate jolt to a team with championship aspirations — so long as he remains healthy. "If he's close to what he was even after winning the AL Cy Young Award in 2020 — a guy who put up a 3.13 ERA and struck out 459 batters in 436.2 innings from 2021 to 2024 — he can join Kevin Gausman and José Berríos to form a really solid rotation trio in October," Gonzalez wrote. "But the initial returns from Tommy John surgery can be tricky. Just ask Sandy Alcántara." The Guardians, despite losing Bieber, remain firmly in the hunt for a playoff spot. With a 59-55 record in tow, the club is six games behind the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central but just 1.5 games behind the New York Yankees for the league's third wild card spot.
