UFC full fight: Merab Dvalishvili upsets Umar Nurmagomedov in first title defense
Many thought Umar Nurmagomedov was bound to be champion, so much in fact that Merab Dvalishvili was labeled an underdog in their bout despite being the champion.
Back in January at UFC 311, Dvalishvili entered his first title defense against a very promising Nurmagomedov in the co-main event of the pay-per-view card. Dvalishvili had a tough fight in the first couple of rounds, but then went on to dominate and overwhelm Nurmagomedov to win a unanimous decision.
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You can re-watch Dvalishvili's first defense of his UFC bantamweight belt in the video above.
Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) returns to the octagon this Saturday for his second title defense. He takes on Sean O'Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC), who he beat to get the UFC bantamweight title in September, in the main event of UFC 316 (ESPN+ pay-per-view) at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC full fight: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov

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USA Today
44 minutes ago
- USA Today
UFC champ Jon Jones teases plan to not fight Tom Aspinall and 'give up the belt freely'
UFC champ Jon Jones teases plan to not fight Tom Aspinall and 'give up the belt freely' Overnight tweet storm may mean nothing, and may mean everything. Unfortunately, my boy is not as special as his fan base thinks he is right now. I've seen Tom get tapped out twice now by two different people. Time will show. Here today gone tomorrow. — Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) June 6, 2025 An overnight tweet storm from Jon Jones may have given the MMA world the best clue yet about his future in the cage. Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC), the UFC's heavyweight champion and a former longtime light heavyweight champ, leaned into the narrative from fans that he's ducking a title unification bout with interim champion Tom Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC). There has been growing discontent in the MMA community over Jones' apparent unwillingness to line up a fight with Aspinall, to the point there's a petition urging the UFC to strip him of his title. Aspinall tried to steer the story toward Jones being retired earlier this week, and in Jones' tweets, he did little to dispel that theory. When a fan asked Jones how he would beat Aspinall if they fought, Jones replied: "By not even giving him the chance." Moments earlier, he mocked the longtime idea that he's ducking Aspinall by calling himself "Duck boy" and announcing he was about to give "one big fat FU to the haters." Jones said, among other things: at 37, his body hurts everywhere; he hasn't trained since he beat Stipe Miocic in November 2024; it's in the UFC's best interest to keep him champion, not Aspinall; he can't have his title stripped because he'd vacate it freely. He also gave other fighters lessons in building their legacies by saying "your legacy isn't your last move." Jones, regarded by many as the best pound-for-pound fighter in history – particularly, of late, his boss, UFC CEO Dana White – has fought eight times in the past 10 years. One of those fight was overturned for a positive steroids test. He has four decision wins in that time. Since he arrived in the UFC five years ago, Aspinall is 8-1. The one loss was in 15 seconds when he blew out his knee against Curtis Blaydes in July 2022 and suffered a TKO without getting touched. He avenged that loss in 2024 in 60 seconds. All eight of his wins in the UFC have been finishes, and seven have been in the first round. He has seven post-fight bonuses. Check out Jones' tweets below. I remember like it was yesterday. three years since anyone saw me fight. The mass amount of critics ' Jones looks so old now, He's too slow now. Gane going to be too fast, Jones has never faced someone this big, he's never faced a kickboxer of this caliber.' The French and the… — Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) June 6, 2025 Once twice to me really makes no difference. My point is the kids not special. And he has no top lip which I also find annoying. lol — Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) June 6, 2025 It really has nothing to do with fear. The question I asked my close friends and family is how much higher can a person like me climbing this sport. The goal for athletes is to build a brand and then take that brand and become so much more than an athlete. A lot of the fans and… — Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) June 6, 2025 I spoke to the UFC a long time ago about what my future plans were. I haven't really worked out since my last fight in New York City. Honestly, I believe it's been in the UFC's best interest to keep presenting me as the company's champion—not Tom. I've just been playing the role… — Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) June 6, 2025 Duck boy over here winning, and sticking one big fat FU to the haters at the same time quack quack — Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) June 6, 2025 By not even giving him the chance — Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) June 6, 2025 There's an interesting take! Shit, I'm 37 years old now. My body hurts everywhere if I'm being honest. Funny how Tommy boy talks zero shit to the studs of his generation. Barely even mention their names. — Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) June 6, 2025 And remember, you can't strip a guy like me at this point I give the belt up freely. Veni, vidi, vici. 😘 — Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) June 6, 2025 Honestly, I'm jetlagged. Been traveling all day and bored so yes, I have time to tweet. Figured I'd give my haters some ammunition I got money to make. — Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) June 6, 2025 Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised. I see things like this happen all the time. Fighter allows me to become their whole identity. They're so focused on being the man meanwhile, the competition is lurking. The big mouth gets bit in the ass. — Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) June 6, 2025 No, honestly, I wish Tommy no ill will. He is no threat to me whatsoever, he should start with just trying to be the best heavyweight of all time, that goal would be plenty. My career is on a completely different planet if we're being honest. I really don't hate on other… — Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) June 6, 2025


USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Ranking Oregon Ducks' 2025 opponents from easiest to toughest, per ESPN FPI
Ranking Oregon Ducks' 2025 opponents from easiest to toughest, per ESPN FPI The Oregon Ducks have a lot to prove entering the 2025 college football season, looking to show that their Big Ten Championship a year ago was far from a fluke while also establishing themselves as national championship contenders once again under Dan Lanning in his fourth year at the helm. It won't be easy to do, with a new-look roster taking over in Eugene and a lot of young and talented players stepping into bigger roles. Fortunately, the Ducks won't have a grueling schedule to deal with. In our most recent ranking of the toughest schedules in the conference, Oregon finds itself in the middle of the pack at No. 11 out of 18 teams. Trips to Penn State, Iowa, and Washington could prove tough, but the Ducks do get the benefit of hosting the likes of Indiana, USC, and Wisconsin. Which of those games will prove to be the toughest, though? While we may have an idea, a tool that was released this week — ESPN's Football Power Index — can help us. For those unfamiliar with ESPN's FPI, it is an index that 'relies on past performance on offense and defense, returning and transfer production and past recruiting data for players on the roster to form a rating.' In essence, it's ESPN's way of declaring the top teams in the nation, looking at their roster, their schedule, their percentage to win each game, and where that ultimately lands them after the season comes to an end. Here's how the FPI see's Oregon's schedule broken down, from the easiest game on the docket to the toughest: No. 12 — Week 1 vs. Montana State Bobcats National FPI Rank: None As an FCS team, Montana State doesn't get an FPI score from ESPN, but don't let that allow you to look past the Bobcats. Last season, they lost to the North Dakota State Bison in the FCS National Championship Game, which was their second loss in the title game since 2021. This is a talented and well-coached team that could surprise someone in Week 1. No. 11 — Week 4 vs. Oregon State Beavers National FPI Rank: No. 80 (-4.5) This may be a great rivalry, but it likely won't be a very great product on the field for quite a while. The two programs appear to be going in different directions thanks to conference realignment. As long as this game continues, we will have traditions staying alive, but as for interesting football, we may be out of luck for a while. No. 10 — Week 3 at Northwestern Wildcats National FPI Rank: No. 74 (-3.6) Northwestern might be a bit better this year than they were in 2024 thanks to a new QB in Preston Stone, but it's hard to imagine that they're going to be giving Oregon a major test this early in the season. No. 9 — Week 2 vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys National FPI Rank: No. 67 (0.3) As far as name brands go, this matchup between Oregon and Oklahoma State is a pretty solid non-conference clash, but based on where the Cowboys stand going into this year and their recent history, it likely won't be too interesting of a game when all is said and done. No. 8 — Week 8 at Rutgers Scarlet Knights National FPI Rank: No. 55 (3.5) Greg Schiano may be able to win some games in the Big Ten this year with a decent roster, but I don't think Rutgers is going to be good enough to give the Ducks any trouble, even across the country on a long road trip. No. 7 — Week 12 vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers National FPI Rank: No. 43 (5.2) I'm interested to see what PJ Fleck can do with the Minnesota roster this year, but with Drake Lindsey under center, they probably won't be among the top teams in the conference, and should be a big underdog on the road at Autzen. No. 6 — Week 11 at Iowa Hawkeyes National FPI Rank: No. 39 (6.3) Iowa will go as far as transfer QB Mark Gronowski can take them this year. He has the talent to be really good for Iowa, coming over from South Dakota State as a high-level FCS QB, but whether or not that's good enough to make the Hawkeyes dangerous in the Big Ten is a different question. Fortunately for Oregon, this game comes later in the season, so there shouldn't be any surprises. For more Iowa news and analysis, check out Hawkeyes Wire! No. 5 — Week 9 vs. Wisconsin Badgers National FPI Rank: No. 38 (6.3) Will Wisconsin be the home that Billy Edwards Jr. needs to reach his ceiling? That's the central question for the Badgers this year. If the answer is yes, then this game late in the season in Eugene might be interesting. If not, I don't think the Ducks will have any trouble with getting a win here. For more Wisconsin news and analysis, check out Badgers Wire! No. 4 — Week 7 vs. Indiana Hoosiers National FPI Rank: No. 31 (8.3) Indiana was the story of the year in the Big Ten last year, and if they can find the same magic in Fernando Mendoza as they did in Kurtis Rourke, then they could once again be a formidable foe. I wouldn't bet against them at this point, but I still think Oregon's talent wins out in this game. It also helps that the Ducks get Curt Cignetti and his squad at home in Eugene. No. 3 — Week 14 at Washington Huskies National FPI Rank: No. 27 (8.8) The Huskies had a down year in 2024 with Jedd Fisch taking over, but don't be surprised to see them bounce back in 2025, with Demond Williams under center and a solid roster around him. I think this game against Washington could be tougher than many Oregon fans want to admit, especially since it will take place up in Seattle, a tough place to play. It should be a fun year in the rivalry, regardless of the outcome. For more Washington news and analysis, check out Huskies Wire! No. 2 — Week 13 vs. USC Trojans National FPI Rank: No. 19 (13.0) Can USC live up to the hype and put together a solid season, or will they once again hover around .500 and have Lincoln Riley's name in hot-seat conversations? That's something that we have to wait and see, but regardless of how good they are, the rivalry with Oregon will be fun to watch late in the year with likely College Football Playoff spots on the line. For more USC news and analysis, check out Trojans Wire! No. 1 — Week 5 at Penn State Nittany Lions National FPI Rank: No. 5 (21.5) This is the game of the year for Oregon and undoubtedly the hardest one on the schedule. A neutral-site game against Penn State would be difficult, but having to travel to Happy Valley and be part of a whiteout game is going to be difficult. The winner of this early-season matchup will be in a great spot to get to the playoff and have an inside track on a spot in the Big Ten Championship. For more Penn State news and analysis, check out Nittany Lions Wire! Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
UFC's most active fighter Kevin Holland: ‘So many fights I don't remember'
The UFC's most active fighter Kevin Holland has admitted that he 'doesn't remember' some of his fights as he prepares to once again return to the Octagon next month. Holland faces Vicente Luque on June 7, his 21st fight for the UFC since 2020, which makes him the promotion's most regular competitor over the past five years. Advertisement A fan favourite due to his activity and charismatic personality, Holland equalled the record for most UFC wins in a calendar year back in 2020 - managing five fights and winning all of them. "My whole career I've always been pretty active,' he told BBC Sport. 'You're an athlete, you can't be an athlete for 40 years, you can only be it for so long. So take advantage and wish for the best. "Between super matches in jiu jitsu, Muay Thai, MMA, I'd fight seven to eight times a year. I've always fought a lot, never really sit on my butt too much. "I've had so many fights I don't remember none of them." Advertisement Holland last fought at UFC London back in March, beating Gunnar Nelson by decision to return to winning ways, two months after being finished in the first round by Reinier de Ridder. Bouncing back from defeat is seemingly what Holland is best at, saying he barely needs any time to rest and recuperate before returning to the cage. "As soon as I was healthy to go it's straight back in the gym,' he added. 'It's simple, I like to stay in there and stay active. Kevin Holland last competed in March, when he beat Gunnar Nelson (Getty Images) "I don't really need much time in between fights, two days is typically all a man needs." Luque, ranked 14th at welterweight, will be his third bout of 2025, with Holland eyeing a potential return to the top 15 with a win. Advertisement However, Holland does not look too far into the future when it comes to his fighting career, taking things one bout at a time. "I'm just focused on one thing only, and that's the fight coming up," he said. "Treat MMA like a real job. Respect and appreciate it, listen to your coaches, and put the grind in. Don't listen to the critics, listen to the coaches."