Latest news with #GLORYKickboxing
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rui Hachimura nails it from behind the arc
Cain Velasquez reaction, Raul Rosas Jr, Steve Erceg, David Taylor, Artem Vakhitov, more | The Ariel Helwani Show | March 25, 2025 Join Ariel Helwani and the Boys In The Back for the latest edition of The Ariel Helwani Show. Tuesday's lineup can be seen below: 1 p.m. ET: Ariel and the gang kick off the show with the latest news on Cain Velasquez. 1:30 p.m. ET: Raul Rosas Jr. previews his UFC Mexico City fight against Vince Morales. 2 p.m. ET: Steve Erceg stops by ahead of his UFC Mexico City headliner against Brandon Moreno. 2:30 p.m. ET: Former two-time GLORY Kickboxing champion and Contender Series alum Artem Vakhitov joins the program to break some news. 3 p.m. ET: Olympic champion and head coach of the Oklahoma State wrestling program David Taylor looks back at Wyatt Hendrickson's monster upset of Gable Steveson. 2:34:35 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Alex Pereira rival Artem Vakhitov spurns UFC starter contract, returns to GLORY for Rico Verhoeven fight
Artem Vakhitov is heading back to the kickboxing world. The Russian striking sensation and two-time GLORY Kickboxing champion turned his attention to MMA in 2023, fighting four times from the middle of the year to the end of 2024. In his final fight, Vakhitov scored an impressive first-round knockout on the UFC's Contender Series, earning a UFC contract to further his pursuit for a multi-sport trilogy bout against former kickboxing rival Alex Pereira. However, Vakhitov revealed Tuesday on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show" that he and the promotion ultimately failed to come to terms on an agreeable deal. As a result, Vakhitov now returns to GLORY Kickboxing and is set to move up in weight to challenge heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven at GLORY 100 on June 14. 'It's kind of a big fight, which we wanted from 2017,' Vakhitov said through a translator. 'Unfortunately, we couldn't reach an agreement with UFC because they have their own protocol, but we still have good relations with them, so that's it. 'Now we're announcing a big fight against Rico Verhoeven. I think Rico doesn't need to be [explained as an opponent] because he's well known and, for sure, we wanted this fight a long time ago. For me, it's a good opportunity to become a double champion, and it was in my mind a very long time ago.' As a two-time GLORY Kickboxing light heavyweight champion, Vakhitov, 33, instantly became one of the most prominent recent names to compete on Contender Series. When the Russian transitioned to MMA, many drew immediate parallels to his old rival, former two-division UFC champion Pereira. Unlike Vakhitov, however, Pereira was signed directly to the UFC rather than being forced to make it through the promotion's feeder league. For Vakhitov, the decision to turn down his MMA future with the global leader ultimately came down to money. Yet despite the soured negotiations, Vakhitov hasn't fully closed the door on an MMA career. 'UFC always works off a standard contract after Dana White's Contender Series,' Vakhitov said. 'Unfortunately, we could not reach an agreement, or [there were] some things couldn't agree [on]. When we got an offer [from GLORY Kickboxing] and we saw the news that all the Russian fighters are coming back to GLORY, we got an offer to fight against Rico and probably the possibility to become a double champion, we agreed very easily. And for sure, for good money, why not? "[I'm] not so disappointed [about the UFC], but we are not out on it. Why not in the future? Now we are mostly focused on the upcoming fight, so it's more important for us for now. I just got to have some satisfaction from the MMA classes [during the transition] — from wrestling, from grappling, from all this stuff — but it was also a good [experience for] me [trying MMA], so we see how it's going now. "[MMA] will be dependent on offers. That's part of the job of my team, and also we will see what is happening. I'm mostly focusing on my upcoming fight." 'I do not wish to appear arrogant regarding this [UFC] contract,' Vakhitov additionally told MMA Junkie. 'I understand they have their rules, and I respect that, but I am a prizefighter. I have daughters to provide for and a short window of opportunity. It would have been a great dream to enter the UFC, but I could not justify the loss of earnings this contract would represent. And so we had to respectfully decline. But all of our dealings were pleasant, and perhaps in the future we will talk again.' Vakhitov's most recent kickboxing fight saw him end a two-year hiatus when he won a unanimous decision against France's Pascal Touré in 2023. The win followed his two-fight series of bouts with the aforementioned Pereira, whom he defeated via a majority decision in their 2021 rematch. The timing of Verhoeven vs. Vakhitov couldn't be better for kickboxing and the fighters involved. Their bout aligns with the promotion's "Last Man Standing" heavyweight tournament, which will determine the No. 1 contender to challenge the champion. Although Vakhitov is no stranger to the heavyweight division, he's expected to be at a decent size disadvantage against the reigning kingpin Verhoeven. Regardless, Vakhitov isn't expecting any issues in that department. "I was always sparring with and fighting big guys," Vakhitov said. "I even beat some fighters who were fighting with Rico. They had very close fights. It's not so big difference when [fighters] even in my weight division could deliver a punch. It doesn't matter which [weight]. So we have a good team, and it's not wrestling where you have some advantages in your weight, because when in wrestling, you are [against] bigger [opposition], it could be an issue. It will be a good and technical job [preparing for Verhoeven] with my team, so we are ready."
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cain Velasquez reaction, Carlos Ulberg, Raul Rosas Jr., David Taylor, Steve Erceg, Artem Vakhitov and more
Join Ariel Helwani and the Boys In The Back live on Uncrowned and YouTube at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT/6 p.m. UK time for the latest edition of "The Ariel Helwani Show." Tuesday's lineup can be seen below. 1 p.m. ET: Ariel and the gang kick off the show with the latest news on Cain Velasquez. 1:10 p.m. ET: Carlos Ulberg checks in following his big win over Jan Blachowicz at UFC London. 1:30 p.m. ET: Raul Rosas Jr. previews his UFC Mexico City fight against Vince Morales. 2 p.m. ET: Steve Erceg stops by ahead of his UFC Mexico City headliner against Brandon Moreno. 2:30 p.m. ET: Former two-time GLORY Kickboxing champion and Contender Series alum Artem Vakhitov joins the program to break some news. 3 p.m. ET: Olympic champion and head coach of the Oklahoma State wrestling program David Taylor looks back at Wyatt Hendrickson's monster upset of Gable Steveson. Catch all new episodes of "The Ariel Helwani Show" live every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET on Uncrowned and The Ariel Helwani Show's YouTube page. To listen to every episode, subscribe on Spotify or iTunes.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
GLORY Kickboxing signs with DAZN for multi-territory broadcasting deal, including the U.S.
GLORY Kickboxing is here to stay. (REUTERS/Piroschka Van De Wouw) (REUTERS / Reuters) GLORY Kickboxing is moving to a new broadcasting home. The company's CEO Marshall Zelaznik revealed Wednesday on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show" that GLORY Kickboxing has agreed to a new multi-territory broadcast deal with DAZN. The platform has become a hub for various combat sports over the years, including boxing, MMA with the now now-defunct Bellator promotion, and bare-knuckle boxing with BKFC. GLORY Kickboxing currently airs pay-per-view events on Triller TV and free shows on its YouTube channel. Advertisement "We've now partnered with DAZN in many regions around the world, including the U.S.," Zelaznik said. "For us, our ambition is to become more relevant worldwide. DAZN, being the leader, frankly, of marquee combat sports events, it was a natural fit for us. We had done a smaller deal with them in France and Belgium, which was very successful. So we ended up doing a multi-territory deal around our 'Last Heavyweight Standing,' which is our multi-event tournament, which kicks off in April. "For us, there's this notion of the company you keep, so we're excited to announce that we're going to with DAZN and that it will be available to many people around the world." Advertisement Along with the broadcast news, GLORY Kickboxing announced it will return to the U.S. for a show in Miami on May 1 as part of a new deal with Jake Paul's betting service, Betr. The event will be held in the Betr headquarters, featuring a welterweight title rematch between champions Chico Kwasi and Tyjani Beztati headlining the event. Kwasi vs. Beztati 1 ended via a split draw when they first met at GLORY 96 this past October. "GLORY is redefining fight sports by delivering what fans want," Zelaznik stated in a press release. "By partnering with Betr and their family of creators, we will bring the most compelling and exciting bouts directly to the fans. Fans today are engaging and discovering content through outlets other than traditional networks. These social, interactive, and influencer communities reach at the core of the combat sports fanbase. We're proud to be the first globally recognized sports brand to deliver our core product through this model — we will meet our fans where they live and engage through the voices they trust. This is the first time a brand as big as GLORY will work in this way with this new form of media, and we are proud to kick this strategy off with an innovative and forward-thinking group like Betr."
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC 313 live updates: Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev results, round-by-round analysis and highlights
Uncrowned has UFC 313 results, live round-by-round updates, start time and highlights for the Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev fight card on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC light heavyweight champion Pereira seeks the fourth consecutive defense of his title against the man long believed to be his potential kryptonite, top-ranked 205-pound contender Ankalaev. Pereira (12-2) is Uncrowned's No. 3 ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the world, while Ankalaev (19-1-1, 1 NC) is unbeaten over his past 13 straight UFC bouts — the second-best mark in the division's history. Pereira, 37, is also a former UFC middleweight champion as well as a former two-division champion in GLORY Kickboxing. "Poatan" nearly captured 2024's Fighter of the Year award with a flawless 3-0 campaign that saw him notch a trio of successful title defenses over Jamahal Hill, Jiri Prochazka and Khalil Rountree Jr., all of which ended in vicious knockouts. In total, Pereira is 9-1 over 10 UFC appearances since 2021, though he faces perhaps his toughest test against Dagestan's Ankalaev. Ankalaev, 32, has long been considered to be one of the most talented light heavyweights in the world, however his road back to a shot at undisputed gold has been a struggle. He's been forced to compete three times since a late 2022 opportunity at the then-vacant title against Jan Blachowicz ended in a controversial split draw. He finally punched that ticket back to the top in 2024 with back-to-back wins over Johnny Walker and Aleksandar Rakic. With a strong wrestling base in his skill set, Ankalaev presents a far different challenge to the champion than Pereira faced against the strikers of his recent defenses. In the co-main event, former UFC interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje (25-5) rematches short-notice replacement opponent Rafael Fiziev (12-3) in a hard-hitting lightweight bout. UFC 313's start time for the preliminary card is at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+. The main card begins live at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ pay-per-view. Follow along with Uncrowned's live UFC 313: Pereira vs. Ankalaev results and live blog below. UFC light heavyweight title: Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev Lightweight: Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev Lightweight: Jalin Turner vs. Ignacio Bahamondes Strawweight: Amanda Lemos vs. Iasmin Lucindo Lightweight: King Green vs. Mauricio Ruffy Heavyweight: Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev Flyweight: Joshua Van vs. Rei Tsuruya Middleweight: Brunno Ferreira vs. Armen Petrosyan Welterweight: Alex Morono vs. Carlos Leal Featherweight: Mairon Santos vs. Francis Marshall Featherweight: Chris Gutierrez vs. John Castaneda Middleweight: Djorden Santos vs. Ozzy Diaz
