Latest news with #FightoftheYear
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Manny Pacquiao stages inspiring performance in ring. Follow his lead.
You're not too old! It's not too late! Now's the time! Sorry, folks, still feeling inspired by Manny Pacquiao's performance Saturday night. The 46-year-old Filipino boxing legend returned to the ring and astonished the sports world. Victory escaped him. The moment did not. Fighting for the first time in almost four years, Pacquiao battled 30-year-old Mario Barrios, the reigning WBC welterweight champion, to a majority draw. The judges scored it 115-113 (for Barrios), 114-114, 114-114. But the scorecards failed to reflect Pacquiao's performance. The swelling on Barrios' forehead, however, was proof Pacquiao can still punch. Hard. Even more impressive, for much of the 12-round welterweight fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Pacquiao stayed on the move. He darted toward Barrios and landed combinations. He retreated when necessary. He bounced on his feet. Over 12 rounds, 36 minutes of boxing. "It was crazy," Barrios said. "His stamina." So how does a 46-year-old man do it? What's the secret? "Oh, just work hard," Pacquiao told broadcaster Jim Gray in the ring after the fight. "Hard work and then discipline." Mike Tyson likes to say, "Discipline is doing what you hate to do, but doing it like you love it." Of course, Tyson looked every bit 58 when he lost to Jake Paul by unanimous decision Nov. 15. That accounted for some of the trepidation as Pacquiao climbed back into the ring. But much to our delight, Pacquiao looked like you'd want to look at 46. Was it a candidate for Fight of the Year? Not even close. Was Barrios in top form? Nope. But that wasn't the point as Pacquiao battled a man 16 years younger than he is. During the fight, and after the fight, fans showered him with chants of "Manny, Manny, Manny!" Perhaps the better way to honor Pacquiao, is to follow his lead. Don't give up. Dig deep. Work hard. Show discipline. Then get in the proverbial ring and, despite any self-doubt, fight Father Time.
USA Today
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Max Holloway, Dustin Poirier can't believe UFC 318 Fight of the Night bonus wasn't theirs
Congratulations to Brendan Allen and Marvin Vettori, but there's no way the UFC 318 Fight of the Night bonus should've gone to them. At least that's how Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier feel about it. Holloway and Poirier put on a Fight of the Year candidate in Saturday night's main event at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. Holloway beat Poirier by unanimous decision in their trilogy, which also served as "The Diamond's" retirement fight. While Holloway vs. Poirier 3 was full of action and big moments, including each man knocking the other down in the second round, an extra $50,000 went to Allen and Vettori instead. Allen came away with a three-round unanimous decision win over Vettori. Backstage after UFC 318 concluded, Holloway and Poirier found out together that they were snubbed for the bonus. Their reaction was caught on video (via X), with Holloway calling the UFC's decision "bullsh*t" and Poirier highlighting that "we knocked each other out in the same round." The moment Dustin and Max find out they didn't got FOTN bonus#UFC318 Holloway reiterated his disbelief to reporters during the UFC 318 post-fight news conference. "I hope you guys give sh*t to (Dana White)," Holloway said. "How the hell did we not get Fight of the Night, bro? What is he thinking, bro? C'mon, Dana." Holloway and Poirier concluded their rivalry with Poirier up 2-1 after "The Diamond" won the first two encounters in 2012 and 2019 before Holloway's victory Saturday night.
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC 318 results: Michael Johnson upsets Daniel Zellhuber as big underdog on card
LEFT HAND SITS HIM DOWN 😮💨[ #UFC318 | @Menace155 ] Michael Johnson's still got it after all these years. A big underdog on UFC 318, Johnson (24-19 MMA, 16-14 UFC) swept the scorecards for the upset unanimous decision win over Daniel Zellhuber. The lightweight bout kicked off Saturday's main card at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. Johnson was a +425 underdog according to BetMGM. Johnson relied on his signature boxing abilities and veteran savvy to frustrate and confuse Zellhuber (15-3 MMA< 3-3 UFC), who vocalized his surprise between rounds at the speed that was coming at him. Johnson's biggest moment came in Round 2 as he dropped Zellhuber with his signature left hand. Zellhuber clutched on to weather the attack and he survived. Zellhuber's strongest round was the third, which he won on all three judges' scorecards. However, it was too little too late, as Johnson swept the first two. Johnson, 39, has won three fights in a row and four of his most recent five. Zellhuber has now lost in back-to-back appearances after his Fight of the Year candidate loss to Esteban Ribovics. Up-to-the-minute UFC 318 results include:
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC 318 live updates: Time, stream, predictions for Holloway vs Poirier card tonight
Dustin Poirier will enter the Octagon for the final time Saturday night when he main events UFC 318 against Max Holloway. The two future UFC Hall of Famers have a history with each other that spans beyond a decade. The two fighters originally met in 2012. Each of the two previous fights has gone in Poirier's favor. The first fight was one of the early bouts in Holloway's career, while the second fight earned Fight of the Night honors and was a candidate for Fight of the Year in 2019. Both fighters will enter the fight seeking success after suffering a loss in their most recent bouts. Poirier is coming off a loss to Islam Makhachev by submission in the fifth round of a lightweight championship match. Ilia Topuria got the best of Holloway in a featherweight title bout by knockout in the third round. Paul Costa and Roman Kopylov will be featured in the co-main event on the card. USA TODAY Sports has everything you need to enjoy UFC 318, including updates, highlights and analysis: UFC 318: Time, PPV, streaming for Holloway vs Poirier The highly anticipated clash between Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier will take place on Saturday, June 28 and can be purchased on ESPN+ PPV. Catch UFC action with an ESPN+ subscription
USA Today
7 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Undisputed or not, Israel Adesanya says Dustin Poirier 'a champion no matter what'
Israel Adesanya thinks Dustin Poirier's legacy shouldn't be discredited for never winning an undisputed UFC title. Poirier (30-9 MMA, 22-8 UFC), a former interim lightweight champion, will make his final walk to the octagon when he challenges Max Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) for the BMF title in Saturday's UFC 318 headliner at Smoothie King Center (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+). On the same night Poirier claimed the interim title in an all-out war vs. Holloway at UFC 236, Adesanya outlasted Kelvin Gastelum in a Fight of the Year to capture the interim middleweight belt. Adesanya says Poirier's resume speaks for itself. "Dustin's been the guy in the UFC that's always a company man," Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. "Whenever it's time to toe the line in battle, he's a guy that's always ready to go. (He's a) hard worker – represents his people of Lafayette, La. He's always represented his people. He's always represented himself well, carries himself as a champion, and I've always said this, as well, because people try and try to discredit his win as a champion. "He is a champion no matter what. He's got a belt at his house, at his gym, sitting there to represent him as a champion at one point. So people who are trying to say, 'Oh, you never really became the undisputed.' No, when you're the interim champion, you're the f*cking champion. He's had a career in the UFC that's second to none. You'd be blessed to have the career, even half the career that Dustin's had in the UFC." Despite the high praise, Adesanya initially picked Holloway to win. "He still tends to, when he gets tired, he reverts back to his old habits, which is flat-footedness and plodding forward and throwing without setting things up," Adesanya said of Poirier. "Sometimes – but he's changed that. But again, when he gets tired, (he does that). "Max doesn't really get tired. Dustin was able to outwork him in that second fight when they fought for the belt. Dustin hurt Max, rocked him. (It was the) first time I've seen Max rocked, and Dustin was able to keep going. ... For him to get this done and retire on top, beating Max three times, that will be a feather in his cap, a good way to ride off into the sunset. But Max is going to try and spoil the party with the Blessed Express. I'm going with Max in this fight." Adesanya eventually retracted his prediction and said he won't pick a winner. He doesn't see Holloway's first-career knockout loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 308 having a negative impact on his approach. "After the last fight, Max will be more defensively sound because he's never been knocked out before," Adesanya said. "Max is not going to get gun shy, but he'll be smarter now with the weight because Max has taken a lot of shots. Your chin only holds up for so long. Lightweight Max, I still think can knock out Dustin Poirier, and Dustin has taken Max's best shots in the past and keep going forward. "This time could be different. I wouldn't advise that for Dustin. Max, however: Fight smart. Fight at range. Fight on the edge of Dustin's range. Be in his face, but don't let him just walk forward without paying, don't let him just walk forward without eating something. Dustin just has to mix up the takedowns or even threaten the takedowns to keep Max guessing."
