Michael Chiesa vs. Court McGee added to UFC Atlanta
Michael Chiesa vs. Court McGee added to UFC Atlanta
A veteran welterweight fight has been added to the UFC's return to Atlanta.
Michael Chiesa and Court McGee are set to clash at UFC on ESPN 69, which goes down June 14 at State Farm Arena. Another welterweight bout between former champion Kamaru Usman and surging contender Joaquin Buckley headlines the card.
The Chiesa-McGee matchup was announced by the UFC on Tuesday afternoon.
Chiesa (17-7 MMA, 12-7 UFC), who's been angling for a fight with Colby Covington, is coming off a submission win over Max Griffin last December. The victory put Chiesa, 37, on a two-fight winning streak to bounce back from a three-fight losing skid, the worst run in his career.
McGee (23-13 MMA, 11-12 UFC) is also coming off a submission win. He last competed in October when he submitted fellow veteran Tim Means. It was his first stoppage win in 14 years. Prior to the win, McGee, 40, was on a three-fight losing streak.
Below is the updated UFC on ESPN 69 lineup:
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
23 minutes ago
- USA Today
Dustin Johnson returns to Oakmont, site of 2016 U.S. Open triumph, as game rounds into form
Dustin Johnson returns to Oakmont, site of 2016 U.S. Open triumph, as game rounds into form A lot has changed for Dustin Johnson since the last time he was at Oakmont Country Club nine years ago. He captured his second major title, winning the November Masters in 2020. He was one of the first players to leave the PGA Tour for LIV Golf in 2022, where he remains with one win in each of his first three seasons, though he hasn't collected a worldwide win since February 2024. This week, the 40-year-old is back in Western Pennsylvania looking to rekindle the DJ of old's flame at the 2025 U.S. Open. He has missed the cut in five of his past seven majors and sits 27th in the LIV Golf season standings after eight events with three top-10 finishes on the year, including last week at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. But he remains far from his form in 2016, when he entered the final round at Oakmont trailing by four but won by three, claiming his first major championship title a year removed from a disappointing finish at Chambers Bay, when he had an eagle putt from 12 feet to win on the 72nd hole and walked off the green with a par to miss a playoff by one shot. "The course is just as hard as I remember, if not harder. Yeah, I like coming back here. I love the golf course," Johnson said Monday at his pre-tournament news conference. "First time I played it, probably two weeks prior to the 2016 Open, so obviously a lot of good memories from that year. Coming back, I was back here one other time when I got my honorary membership here, for that ceremony, which was really nice. Proud member of Oakmont. I'm probably their favorite member because I never come." Johnson calls Oakmont the toughest course he has ever played, and he couldn't name a second off the top of his head. Even with softer conditions expected this week thanks to upwards of 13 inches of rain in the past 10 weeks, and more expected early on and possibly on the weekend, it could make the golf course a bit easier to hold the fairways and greens, but it could lead to it playing longer, too. That's how conditions were when Johnson won in 2016. "The conditions right now are similar," he said. "Hopefully it will be dry, we won't get any more rain, and it will dry out a little bit by Thursday." Johnson said his game has been trending in the right direction, even if the results don't show it. He's currently in the midst of one of his longest winless streaks (16 months) of his lengthy pro career. "Golf is a strange sport. I don't feel like I've slipped any. My scores haven't reflected, but it is a really fine line," Johnson said. "I remember a few years ago, I missed two cuts in a row. I think I shot 80-80, and then I won the next week. "For me it's always really close to being good, but just getting back there and keeping it consistent which over the last couple months I'm starting to see a lot of patterns and the game feels like it's coming back into good form." Before he won at Oakmont in 2016, Johnson went 15 months between victories. A lot has changed in nine years, but the competitive fire remains inside DJ, and he's hoping some good vibes at Oakmont can be the spark to another special week. "I have confidence in this golf course because I know I played well, but obviously this week puts a lot of pressure on the driver. I feel like I'm driving the ball really good right now," he said. "Even from there, though, it doesn't get much easier. You definitely have to hit it in the fairway if you want a chance to win around here. "I'm looking forward to playing in it this week and hopefully can contend."
Fox Sports
30 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Gearing Up: Will Two-Driver Grip on Victory Lane Loosen at WWTR?
INDYCAR The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is experiencing dominance in 2025 that most of the paddock isn't celebrating. Chip Ganassi Racing's Alex Palou and Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood have combined to win each of the season's first seven races. SEE: WWTR Event Details The combination of Palou (five wins) and Kirkwood (two) is as significant historically as it is presently. Since A.J. Foyt won the first seven races of the 1964 season – that was 61 years ago, by the way – only one season has had such a run by so few drivers. In 2006, Sebastien Bourdais won the first four races of the Champ Car World Series season, and AJ Allmendinger won the next three races. In terms of two-man dominance, that's the only comparison over the past half-century to what we're seeing this year. The modern era of this sport has exuded parity unlike few others. Since unification in 2008, there has only been one season – 2009 – when there weren't at least four drivers winning in the first seven races. On three occasions, there were seven winners among those seven races – most recently in 2021 when Palou, Colton Herta, Scott Dixon, Pato O'Ward, Rinus VeeKay, Helio Castroneves and Marcus Ericsson won races. This season's parity is rooted in second-place finishes. Six drivers have found themselves in the runner-up position, and Palou is one of them, part of why he holds a commanding 90-point lead over Arrow McLaren's O'Ward as the series nears its halfway point. Third-place Kirkwood trails Palou by 102 points. It's been two decades since a driver had that kind of an advantage at this point in the season. This season has featured three temporary street circuits, three permanent road courses and, of course, the most important oval track of them all (Indianapolis Motor Speedway, site of Palou's first Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge victory). Perhaps a different winner emerges with Sunday's Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline at World Wide Technology Raceway (8 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). Certainly, history suggests it will be someone other than Palou or Kirkwood since Palou's win at Indy is the only oval victory they have between them. Team Penske's Josef Newgarden has been the dominant series driver at this 1.25-mile short oval, capturing four of the past five victories and a track record five in all. O'Ward has regularly contended, as well, finishing second in three of the past five races. Meanwhile, neither Palou nor Kirkwood has posted even a top-three finish at the track located a few miles east of St. Louis. Palou has fared better than Kirkwood, finishing ninth, seventh and fourth in the past three races. Kirkwood's average finish in series races there is 18.0, and his race a year ago effectively ended on Lap 17 when he got collected in a chain reaction incident in Turn 2. This event spans two days. Saturday is packed with action, beginning with the first practice at 11:30 a.m. ET. Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award follows at 3 p.m., and the second practice will be at 5:30 p.m. All of this action airs live on FS1, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network. Sunday, it's racing under the lights for the first time this season. Twenty-five drivers will try to reach victory lane for the first time this season. The other two -- Palou and Kirkwood -- will try to keep the checkered flags all to themselves. recommended
Forbes
43 minutes ago
- Forbes
Merab Dvalishvili Vs. Cory Sandhagen Opening Betting Odds
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - JUNE 07: Merab Dvalishvili of Georgia celebrates after defeating Sean O'Malley ... More of the United States in the bantamweight title bout during UFC 316 at the Prudential Center on June 07, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo) On Saturday, Merab Dvalishvili easily defended his UFC bantamweight title with a third-round submission win over former UFC champion Sean O'Malley. Following his dismissal of O'Malley, the man Dvalishvili defeated to become the 135-pound champ, UFC CEO Dana White implied that Dvalishvili's next test will come in the form of former interim UFC title challenger Cory Sandhagen. No date or location has been set for the Dvalishvili vs. Sandhagen matchup, but with the champ saying he wants to defend his crown two more times in 2025, the fight could come sooner rather than later. NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - JUNE 07: Merab Dvalishvili of Georgia reacts after his submission victory ... More against Sean O'Malley in the UFC bantamweight championship bout during the UFC 316 event at Prudential Center on June 07, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC) When BetOnline offered the opening betting lines for Dvalishvili vs. Sandhagen, the defending champ was listed as a -260 betting favorite over the challenger, who opened at +220. Those odds have shifted significantly since they were published in the hours after Dvalishvili's victory over O'Malley at UFC 316. Today, Dvalishvili is a -400 favorite over Sandhagen, who is the +330 betting underdog. NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - JUNE 07: Merab Dvalishvili of Georgia enters the octagon before the ... More bantamweight title bout against Sean O'Malley of the United States during UFC 316 at the Prudential Center on June 07, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo) Merab Dvalishvili (20-4), a long-time training partner of former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling stepped into the spotlight of the promotion's 135-pound division in September 2014 when he scored a unanimous decision win over then-champion Sean O'Malley in the main event of UFC 306. The 33-year-old Dvalishvili joined the UFC in 2017 as much-hyped prospect. At the time, Dvalishvili was 7-2 and had won and defended the Ring of Combat bantamweight crown. Dvalishvili did not have a smooth start to his UFC run, losing his first two fights. Falling to Frankie Saenz by decision, and the second, to Ricky Simon, via submission. In September 2018, things clicked in place for the Serra-Longo Fight Team product, and he has not lost since. Heading into UFC 306, Dvalishvili was on a 10-fight winning streak. Prior to his matchup against O'Malley, Dvalishvili had defeated Marlon Moraes, Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, and Henry Cejudo. The win over O'Malley stretched his winning streak to 11 straight. Dvalishvili extended that streak to 12 when he defended his title with a unanimous decision win over the previously unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311. Dvalishvili faced O'Malley in a rematch at UFC 316. O'Malley had not fought since he lost his title to Dvalishvili at UFC 306. Despite making wholesale changes to his life and training heading into UFC 316, Dvalishvili easily dispatched O'Malley in their second meeting, ending the fight in the third round via submission. DES MOINES, IOWA - MAY 03: Cory Sandhagen reacts after his TKO victory over Deiveson Figueiredo of ... More Brazil in their bantamweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Wells Fargo Arena on May 03, 2025 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC) Cory Sandhagen (18-5) joined the UFC in 2018 with a 7-1 record. He went unbeaten in his first five fights with the promotion. That run, culminating with decision wins over John Lineker and Raphael Assuncao, earned the then 28-year-old the No. 4 ranking in the UFC's 135 weight class and a matchup against the No. 2 ranked Aljamain Sterling. The slick Sterling submitted Sandhagen in the first round, earning himself a shot at the UFC bantamweight title, a belt he won in his next outing. As for Sandhagen, the submission setback did not hurt him in the rankings, as he remained at No. 4. Following his first UFC loss, the UFC booked Sandhagen against the No. 1 ranked Marlon Moraes. Sandhagen won that fight and a 'Performance of the Night' bonus with a highlight-reel spinning wheel kick KO. That stunning stoppage earned Sandhagen the No. 2 ranking in the division and a fight against former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. Sandhagen dispatched Edgar with a vicious flying knee 28 seconds into that bout. He again earned a 'Performance of the Night' bonus for his effort. A decision loss to former UFC bantamweight champ T.J. Dillashaw followed Sandhagen's win over Edgar. He then faced ex-135-pound champ Petr Yan for the interim UFC bantamweight belt in October 2021. The scrap was 'Fight of the Night' on the UFC 267 pay-per-view card, but Yan picked up the victory and the belt via unanimous decision. Following that setback, Sandhagen, who is now 33, was on a three-fight winning streak with victories over Song Yadong, Marlon 'Chito' Vera, and Rob Font. Sandhagen saw that run come to a halt in August 2024 when he dropped a decision to Umar Nurmagomedov in a bantamweight title eliminator. In May, Sandhagen rebounded from his loss to Nurmagomedov with a TKO win over former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo. Sandhagen is the No. 4 fighter in the official UFC bantamweight rankings. We will have more on the Merab Dvalishvili vs. Cory Sandhagen UFC bantamweight title fight as news breaks.
