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Gerald Meerschaert vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk joins UFC 319 lineup in Chicago

Gerald Meerschaert vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk joins UFC 319 lineup in Chicago

USA Today19 hours ago

Gerald Meerschaert vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk joins UFC 319 lineup in Chicago
Styles will clash when two middleweight finishers square off at UFC 319.
Gerald Meerschaert takes on Michal Oleksiejczuk Aug. 16 at the United Center in Chicago. Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Meerschaert (37-19 MMA, 12-11 UFC), a submission specialist, has split his past four appearances. After back-to-back submission finishes over Bryan Barberena and Edmen Shahbazyan, the 37-year-old was finished by top contender Reinier de Ridder, then dropped a decision to veteran Brad Tavares in April.
Oleksiejczuk (20-9 MMA, 8-7 UFC) snapped a three-fight losing skid with a first-round TKO of Sedriques Dumas at UFC 314 in April. The Polish fighter has finished 16 of his 20 professional wins, with 15 of them coming by knockout.
The current UFC 319 lineup includes:

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Gilbert Burns: Logan Storley's win over Joaquin Buckley shows Kamaru Usman the way
Gilbert Burns: Logan Storley's win over Joaquin Buckley shows Kamaru Usman the way

USA Today

time2 hours ago

  • USA Today

Gilbert Burns: Logan Storley's win over Joaquin Buckley shows Kamaru Usman the way

Gilbert Burns: Logan Storley's win over Joaquin Buckley shows Kamaru Usman the way Gilbert Burns advises Kamaru Usman to follow a similar game plan against Joaquin Buckley as their Kill Cliff FC teammate. Former UFC welterweight champion Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) will look to snap a three-fight losing skid when he takes on Buckley (21-6 MMA, 11-4 UFC) in Saturday's UFC on ESPN 69 (ESPN, ESPN+) main event at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Buckley is unbeaten since dropping back down to welterweight in May 2023. The last time Buckley lost at 170 pounds was against Logan Storley in April 2018, which led to his move up to middleweight. Burns advises Usman to use a heavy grapple approach just like Storley did when he stifled Buckley on the ground. "I want Kamaru to win," Burns said on his "Show Me The Money" podcast. "The guy was at the gym – he was looking very good. At the gym, we had one of the guys that smashed Buckley back in the day. It was a long time ago at Bellator. Logan Storley just outwrestled him, ground-and-pounded him. It shows Kamaru the way. I think Kamaru has to mix it up. I think he was the best at the time when he was mixing it up. Not just striking. I kind of called that he was going to lose to Leon (Edwards). "At that time, he wasn't wrestling anymore. He just stood up with Leon, and I knew it was going to be hard. Whenever he mixes it up – sometimes he'll wrestle not just to wrestle, (but) wrestle just to make this guy think about it and then strike better, get loose. Take this guy down, make this guy tired. Buckley is very muscular, very strong. If Buckley starts putting pressure, Buckley is very, very dangerous. I think the way for Kamaru is to put pressure. I hope he wins, and I think he can." Burns fought Usman for the welterweight title in February 2021 in what was an emotional fight between teammates. After stunning Usman in Round 1, Burns was ultimately finished by TKO in Round 3 at UFC 258.

UFC Atlanta Fight Card: Odds, Lines, Prop Bets, Predictions And Picks
UFC Atlanta Fight Card: Odds, Lines, Prop Bets, Predictions And Picks

Forbes

time2 hours ago

  • Forbes

UFC Atlanta Fight Card: Odds, Lines, Prop Bets, Predictions And Picks

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(Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC) Rose Namajunas (13-7) was 2-1 and had under two years of professional MMA experience when she fought Carla Esparza for the UFC women's strawweight title on the season finale of The Ultimate Fighter Season 20. Esparza won that December 2014 bout by submission, claiming the inaugural 115-pound title. Over the next few years, Namajunas was essentially learning on the job, and she learned well, running up a record of 4-1 between October 2015 and April 2017. In November 2017, Namajunas stepped into the Octagon to face then-UFC strawweight titleholder Joanna Jedrzejczyk. The champ was a -700 favorite on fight night, while the challenger checked in at +500. Namajunas stunned the MMA world that night, scoring an upset first-round knockout win to become the champ. Proving her victory was not a fluke, Namajunas defeated Jedrzejczyk by decision in their rematch in April 2018. 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Since those back-to-back setbacks, Maverick has gone 6-1 with her only loss being a June 2023 decision to Jasmine Jasudavicius. She is 4-0 in her most recent bouts, and coming off a unanimous decision win over Jamey-Lyn Horth in December. Maverick is ranked 11th in the UFC's 125-pound division. When the betting opened for the UFC Atlanta co-main event, Namajunas was a -275 favorite over Maverick, who came in at +220. Those odds have shifted slightly. Today, Namajunas is listed at -250, while Maverick is the +200 betting underdog. Bettors have placed most of their wagers on Maverick (75 percent), while most of the money is on Namajunas (85 percent). The betting pick is for Namajunas to beat Maverick by decision. ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 13: Andre Petroski poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night weigh-in on ... More June 13, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC) Here we have a middleweight matchup between Edmen Shahbazyan and Andre Petroski. When the betting odds opened Shahbazyan was the -200 favorite over the +165 Petroski. The odds have shifted slightly, yet Shahbazyan remains the favorite at -185, while Petroski is the +150 betting underdog. Petroski is the favorite for the bettors, who have placed 91 percent of the bets on him, while throwing 80 percent of the money his way. The betting pick is to go with the underdog, Petroski via decision. ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 13: Raoni Barcelos of Brazil poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night ... More weigh-in on June 13, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC) Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt fights for the first time in over a year when he meets Raoni Barcelos in a 135-pound bout in Atlanta. When the betting opened for this one, Garbrandt was a +125 underdog to Barcelos's -150. Today, Barcelos is a -200 favorite, while Garbrandt is the +165 betting underdog. Garbrandt has a slight edge in bets at 52 percent, but the overwhelming money is on Barcelos at 86 percent. Garbrandt is the better striker, and he could ride that striking to a win here, but if he gets reckless and chases the knockout, Barcelos could use his wrestling to grind out a win. The pick is Barcelos via decision. ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 13: Mansur Abdul-Malik poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night ... More weigh-in on June 13, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC) The first middleweight bout on Saturday's card is Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Cody Brundage. Abdul-Malik was a -55o betting favorite over the +400 Brundage when odds opened. Today, Abdul-Malik is listed as a prohibitive -800 over the +550 Brundage. With the lopsided odds, Brundage has picked up 70 percent of the bets. However, bettors seem inclined to wager bigger on Abdul-Malik, who has 78 percent of the handle. The pick is for Abdul-Malik to use his striking to score a knockout of Brundage. ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 13: Oumar Sy of France poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night ... More weigh-in on June 13, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC) Opening the UFC Atlanta card is a light heavyweight matchup between Alonzo Menifield and Oumar Sy. The opening odds for this contest saw Sy as a -500 favorite over Menifield, who was +260. Sy has moved to a -700 favorite, while Menifield has dropped to a +500 underdog. Most of the bets are on Menifield (59 percent), while most of the wagers are on Sy (80 percent). The betting pick is for Sy to win via knockout. *Odds via BetMGM Buckley to beat Usman via KO/TKO: +140 Namajunas to beat Maverick via decision: -185 Maverick to beat Namajunas via decision: +300 Shahbazyan to beat Petroski via KO/TKO in Round 1: +245 Petroski to beat Shahbazyan via decision: +375 Garbrandt to beat Barcelos via KO/TKO: +285 Abdul-Malik to beat Brundage by KO/TKO: -325 Abdul-Malik to beat Brundage in Round 1: -105 Abdul-Malik to beat Brundage in Round 2: +275 Menifield to beat Sy: +500 *All bets and odds via BetOnline We will have more on the UFC Atlanta fight card, inclduing ight night results and reactions on Saturday.

Max Holloway plans to 'spoil' Dustin Poirier's retirement, fight Topuria-Oliveira winner
Max Holloway plans to 'spoil' Dustin Poirier's retirement, fight Topuria-Oliveira winner

USA Today

time2 hours ago

  • USA Today

Max Holloway plans to 'spoil' Dustin Poirier's retirement, fight Topuria-Oliveira winner

Max Holloway plans to 'spoil' Dustin Poirier's retirement, fight Topuria-Oliveira winner Show Caption Hide Caption Dustin Poirier discusses UFC 318 retirement fight vs. Max Holloway Dustin Poirier talks to MMA Junkie's Mike Bohn about his retirement fight against Max Holloway at UFC 318 on July 19, retiring with the BMF title. Max Holloway won't have mercy on anyone as he enters the next chapter of his career with a clear mindset: "Taking it serious, coming back and looking to make a statement." Holloway hasn't seen action since October, when he suffered the first knockout loss of his career against Ilia Topuria at UFC 308. The defeat in the featherweight title bout prompted the former titleholder to finally make a full-time move up to lightweight, where he will look for a fresh start against a familiar foe. The UFC 318 main event on July 19 at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) will see Holloway enter enemy territory to take on Louisiana's own Dustin Poirier in what will conclude the longest-spanning trilogy in UFC history and also a retirement fight for "The Diamond." Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) has lost both of his previous meetings with Poirier (30-9 MMA, 22-8 UFC). The first was in his octagon debut at UFC 143 in February 2012 when he was just 19 years old, and "Blessed" suffered a first-round submission defeat. The rematch happened in April 2019 at UFC 236, where Poirier earned a unanimous decision win in a Fight of the Year contender for the interim lightweight belt. Poirier told MMA Junkie in April that he was honored to have Holloway be his final dance partner, and there is a strong element of mutual respect. However, Holloway needs his get-back and said he's not letting Poirier walk away from the sport with a 3-0 series sweep. "I respect Dustin," Holloway said in a new UFC 318 training camp video on his YouTube channel. "He's fought a who's who, and he did everything you could ask for someone to do in this sport. But at the end of the day, it's not even about fighting. It's about respecting Dustin as a man. He's a great guy. He's a good guy. I've got nothing but respect for him, and I can't wait to share the octagon yet again with him. "I know this is Dustin's retirement fight, and he's trying to ride into the sunset, but he can go and do that, and it might be a little bit sad, because I'm going to go out there and get my hand raised. ... Hell of guy, great guy, awesome that it's his retirement fight, but I'm here to spoil his plans and get my hand raised because I'm still going to be here when he's riding off in the sunset. I'm still going to be here. I want to still go get an undisputed title, so I've got to go out and make a statement." Although the UFC 318 headliner will be contested for Holloway's BMF title, the Hawaiian made it clear this is not a belt he's content with. Holloway has the desire to add the 155-pound title to his mantel alongside the 145-pound and BMF belts, and to get there he must win this fight. With Islam Makhachev vacating for welterweight, Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) and Charles Oliveira (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC) will fight for vacant gold on June 28 in the UFC 317 main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Holloway has the recent loss to Topuria and a past win over Oliveira on his resume, and he said he will be chasing whomever comes out of that fight as the new champ. "The only message that I'm trying to send is I'm still here," Holloway said. "I know this is Dustin's retirement fight, but his last fight was for a title. I still have title contentions in my mind. Couple weeks before us, there's a title fight at 155 and I've got history with both men. At the end of the day, I go out there and do my thing, I make a statement, I get a statement win, who's to say your boy not fighting for the 155 undisputed title at the end of the year? First things first is Dustin Poirier. I'm not overlooking him. This is his retirement fight. He is taking it serious. Everybody keeps reminding me that he's 2-0. The internet and everywhere all around is saying, 'Why?' I'm going to show you why. I'm going to show you why I got this fight, and I'm going to show the fans why you want to see this fight."

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