Latest news with #UFC
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili reveals his next possible opponent after facing former champ Sean O'Malley at UFC 316
As the day of UFC 316 is nearing, it is not just the fighters who are gearing up for their respective bouts, but also the fans who will be witnessing two title fights in the main card. While the hype surrounding the event is already high, ahead of the headline event between Bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O'Malley, the Georgian fighter has recently named some of the greatest fighters with good cardio, both past and present. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In the same interview, the fighter also reveals the next opponent he would like to face after UFC 316. Merab Dvalishvili lists out fighters with good cardio, claims George St-Pierre as his favorite fighter Merab Dvalishvili won the bantamweight belt at UFC 306 after defeating Sean O'Malley via a unanimous decision. It was Sean's second title defense after winning it against Aljamain Sterling and defending it once against Marlon Vera. Even though UFC 316 would be Suga's first appearance since losing the belt to Merab in September 2024, The Machine has defended his belt once against Umar Nurmagomedov. Merab and Sean are facing each other for the second time, and this has increased the hype of the headlining event. During a recent interview, the Georgian fighter revealed his plans within the Octagon after UFC 316, as well as ranked some of his favorite fighters who have good cardio. While speaking to Helen Yee, a sports reporter, the fighter claimed Georges St-Pierre as his favorite fighter, 'GSP is one of my favorite fighters, he has good cardio. Khabib has good cardio. Ilia Topuria has good cardio. Petr Yan, too.' The statement came after Merab was made aware of the fact that MMA fans have ranked him number one in the said category. Merab Dvalishvili REVEALS CRAZY Sparring Before First Sean O'Malley Fight, Looking For A Wife.. While the list was just a part of the interview, the fighter also revealed his next plans within the Octagon and the opponent he was looking out for after UFC 316, 'I think right now, Sandhagen is ready. We never fought each other… Maybe, I'm not sure. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Whatever the UFC will decide. Whatever UFC thinks the fresh guy and the most deserving guy is, I will fight.' Also read: Cory Sandhagen is ranked 4th in the bantamweight division with a pro-MMA record of 18-5-0. The fighter has won four of his last five bouts and is known for his knockout wins. Merab believes that after retaining the title, the Georgian fighter might be defending the belt against Sandhagen since Petr Yan will now be facing Marcus McGhee at UFC Abu Dhabi.
USA Today
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Video Q&A: 'The Ultimate Fighter' 20-year celebration with Daniel Cormier, Chael Sonnen
Video Q&A: 'The Ultimate Fighter' 20-year celebration with Daniel Cormier, Chael Sonnen Show Caption Hide Caption Relive the "The Ultimate Fighter" 20-Year Celebration & Season 33 Q&A A special 20-Year Celebration of The Ultimate Fighter as key figures from show's history sit down for a powerful panel discussion and Season 33 Q&A LAS VEGAS – "The Ultimate Fighter" continues to rage on. The UFC's long-running reality TV series is a staple of the promotion. To kick off Season 33, coaches Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen joined TUF 1 winner Forrest Griffin and co-creater Craig Piligian for a Q&A panel with host Karyn Bryant. The panel discussed the evolution of TUF over the years, personal stories from past experiences on the show and memorable moments over the show's 20-year run. Check out the full Q&A panel in the video above.
USA Today
5 hours ago
- Business
- USA Today
New UFC antitrust lawsuit alleges all fighters harmed by 'UFC's scheme' to control MMA
New UFC antitrust lawsuit alleges all fighters harmed by 'UFC's scheme' to control MMA Phil Davis, the plaintiff in the lawsuit, said he's "proud to stand up for professional MMA fighters to unlock the UFC's stranglehold on the entire sport." The UFC is facing a new antitrust class-action lawsuit that argues the promotion's monosopsony powers financially harm all professional MMA fighters – not just those under contract with the UFC – and calls for an end to "the UFC's scheme." Berger Montague, the lawfirm that secured a $375 million settlement against the UFC in February, filed the lawsuit Thursday in the U.S. District Court of Nevada, with former UFC and current PFL fighter Phil Davis named as the plaintiff. Zuffa LLC, TKO Group Holdings, which owns the UFC, and Endeavor Group Holdings are listed as the defendants. Unlike the Le v. Zuffa lawsuit that was settled in February, the Davis lawsuit seeks to be certified with all-non UFC fighters represented and does not seek monetary damages. In a written statement, Berger Montague said it seeks an injunction to prevent the UFC "from continuing its allegedly illegal scheme" and aims to "create conditions for free and fair competition among professional MMA promotions which, in turn, would bolster their careers and pay of professional MMA fighters across the sport." "I am proud to stand up for professional MMA fighters to unlock the UFC's stranglehold on the entire sport," Davis said in a statement. According to the lawsuit, "the UFC's scheme impairs professional MMA promotions like PFL in their ability to attract a critical mass of top-level MMA fighters necessary to compete with the UFC at the top tier of the sport of professional MMA, and otherwise substanstially forecloses competition in the markets relevant to this case. The UFC's scheme further restrains top-level fighters such as Mr. Davis from applying their trade by preventing these fighters from competing for titles in a free and unfettered market. As a result of the UFC's scheme, rival MMA promotions have been foreclosed and, as a result, would-be top-level MMA fighters at PFL and other non-UFC MMA promotions have had their careers impaired and their pay suppressed below the compensation that would prevail in a more competitive market." The lawsuit seeks to eliminate an array of restrictive clauses from UFC contracts and requests that fighters have the ability to terminate their contracts without penalty after one year. "The suit alleges that the UFC impairs the ability of would-be UFC competitors to attract a critical mass of top-level MMA fighters necessary to compete with the UFC at the top tier of the sport," Eric Cramer, lead attorney for Berger Montague, said in a statement. "We intend to prove that the UFC engaged in a predatory scheme to undermine would-be competitors to the UFC, which the suit claims had the effect of maintaining and enhancing the UFC's dominance, and thereby impairing the careers and pay not just of the UFC's own fighters, but also of professional MMA fighters like Mr. Davis competing for MMA promotions across the MMA industry." The Le v. Zuffa case covered UFC fighters who competed between 2010 to 2017. While that was still unfolding another lawsuit, Johnson v. Zuffa, representing fighters from 2017 to present day was filed and is still ongoing. The Davis lawsuit comes on the heels of another filed by former UFC light heavyweight Misha Cirkunov to represent fighters who have signed the most recent and restrictive UFC contracts.
USA Today
6 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Israel Adesanya: Alex Pereira 'exponentially getting better,' can beat Magomed Ankalaev
Israel Adesanya: Alex Pereira 'exponentially getting better,' can beat Magomed Ankalaev Israel Adesanya has faith that Alex Pereira can bounce back in a title-fight rematch against Magomed Ankalaev. After three light heavyweight title defenses, Pereira (12-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) was dethroned by Ankalaev (21-1-1 MMA, 12-1-1 UFC) in the UFC 313 main event in March. Although he stuffed all 12 of Ankalaev's takedowns in the fight, he was ultimately outstruck in a unanimous decision loss. The expectation was for Ankalaev and Pereira to run things back, but according to Ankalaev, "Poatan" isn't ready for a rematch just yet. If Ankalaev vs. Pereira 2 is indeed next, Adesanya thinks his former foe can avenge the loss. "I'm so proud of the guy, what he's done," Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. "It's like I created a monster. He showed why he is who he is across two weight classes. I can't wait to see the next fight with him and Ankalaev again. I think it'll be another hard one, but I think he can get it done, because it wasn't a complete washout for that fight. He's exponentially getting better, as well." Adesanya knows a thing or two about avenging losses. Pereira was the one to put a stop to his first middleweight title reign when he knocked him out at UFC 281, but Adesanya was able to exact his revenge by scoring a knockout of his own in their rematch at UFC 287. Two kickboxing matches, and two MMA fights later, Adesanya and Pereira have since buried the hatchet.
USA Today
7 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Julianna Peña: Kayla Harrison PED use possible with UFC drug testing 'more lax than ever'
Julianna Peña: Kayla Harrison PED use possible with UFC drug testing 'more lax than ever' No matter what Kayla Harrison or her team says to the contrary, nothing will convince Julianna Peña that her UFC 316 title challenger is bending the system. Since the stars aligned for Harrison (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) to challenge for gold on the June 7 card at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. (ESPN+ pay-per-view), reigning champion Peña (11-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) has not been shy with accusations of performance-enhancing drug use. Peña is convinced that two-time Olympic gold medalist Harrison has been cheating since well before she found success in MMA competition, and even though there are no positive results for banned substances throughout more than a decade of documented testing, that doesn't change the champion's mind. "They act like there's never been an Olympian who has busted for steroids," Peña told MMA Junkie on Friday. "Then you look at that Icarus documentary and you see the lengths these Russians and other teams would go to pass these drug tests because they know they would piss hot if they took a real drug test. People that do these kinds of things are so smart that they know it down to a science, how to get off, when to cycle off, when to go on and when not to. " After Peña's latest comments, Harrison's head coach, Mike Brown of American Top Team, told MMA Fighting that all accusations are entirely unfounded and that his student is a one-of-a-kind athlete. Peña admits she would probably back off the topic if she were alone in perspective. However, she said she looks around at the opinions of fight fans and others in the MMA community and has a hard time being convinced that she's wrong. "In the history of my entire career since 2013 in the UFC, never has PED use or steroids ever been a hot topic or something that's ever been discussed about any opponent that I've ever had," Peña said. "This is the first and only time. So it's not just me. Make her answer, because I think that everybody is seeing the same thing that I'm seeing and I'm the one saying it out loud, but you guys are bringing the questions to me. You should be bringing the questions to her. And I don't care how much she says she's been tested and how clean she is, that's what Lance Armstrong said too, and you would've believed him every freaking time he said it. He wasn't. It's one of those things where people are smart. They know how to cheat the system and it's a question she needs to answer, not me." Peña, 35, is clear that unless Harrison, 34, is taken out of UFC 316 by outside forces, they will be fighting for the belt regardless of her opinion. That said, she admits she could enter the first defense of her second 135-pound title reign with more confidence in competing on an even playing field. That comes down to the oversight of the contest, which Peña doesn't think is at the standard it should be. From June 2016 to the end of 2024, the UFC's drug-testing program was regulated by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), which has also had Olympic oversight for decades. At the start of 2025, however, the UFC switched its testing program to Drug Free Sport International, which Peña thinks is a lesser system. "I feel like it's not that great," Peña said. "I felt more comfortable actually with this Icarus bottles, peeing into those Icarus bottles than I do now. Honestly. It's just this little plastic cup that you just barely flip the tab on, and it would be so easy (to cheat). I can only focus on myself, and I can only speak in 'I' statements, and I only know what I'm doing. But I don't like the way that the testing system is now. I think that it is a lot more lax than ever before." Regardless of whether Harrison is at an advantage or not, Peña said she is going to successfully defend her title. She thinks Harrison doesn't present much danger, and as long as she gets past the early pressure, it will be smooth sailing. "She's going to try to lay on top of me for 25 minutes," Peña said. "She might try to throw me one time, but after that is where she is going to have a lot of contention with me. She's not going to be able to hold me down for 25 minutes. The longer this fight goes, the better it is for me."
