Latest news with #UFC279
USA Today
10 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Kevin Holland's crazy pace continues with Daniel Rodriguez booking at UFC 318
Kevin Holland said he wanted to stay busy this year, and he'll do just that. Holland (28-13 MMA, 15-10 UFC) has been booked for a welterweight fight against Daniel Rodriguez (19-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) next month at UFC 318, which takes place July 19 at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. The card features a trilogy bout between the retiring local Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway for the BMF title. MMA Junkie confirmed the matchup with a person with knowledge of the fight, and Holland confirmed the booking on social media. The UFC has not yet made a formal announcement of the bout, which first surfaced on social media. The two were booked to fight at UFC 279 nearly three years ago, but a weigh-in day abnormality pushed Holland into a new fight with Khamzat Chimaev, which he lost, and Rodriguez into a new fight with Jingliang Li, which he won. Holland has fought three times already this calendar year. In the UFC's first event of 2025, he was submitted by promotional newcomer Reinier de Ridder, a former two-division ONE Championship titleholder. But in March, he rebounded with a bonus-winning decision over Gunnar Nelson, and earlier this month he submitted Vicente Luque at UFC 316 for a second straight bonus. Rodriguez has bounced back from a rough patch of three straight losses to Neil Magny, Ian Machado Garry and Kelvin Gastelium with a decision win over Alex Morono this past fall and a third-round knockout of Santiago Ponzinibbio in May. That was his first stoppage win in nearly four years. With the addition, the UFC 318 lineup now includes:
USA Today
10-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC adds Fatima Kline vs. Melissa Martinez to July 12 event in Nashville
UFC strawweight prospects Fatima Kline and Melissa Martinez will square off in July. Kline takes on Martinez at a UFC Fight Night event on July 12, which is expected for Nashville, Tenn. Two people with knowledge of the booking recently informed MMA Junkie of the matchup but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Kline (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC), a former Cage Fury champion, faced a stern test in her octagon debut when she stepped in on short notice to face surging flyweight contender Jasmine Jasudavicius last July. She wound up suffering her first-career loss, but was able to rebound when she stopped Victoria Dudakova by Round 2 TKO at UFC Fight Night 249. Martinez (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has also split her first two octagon appearances. After losing to Elise Reed at UFC 279, the 27-year-old Mexican fighter returned from a two-year long layoff to defeat Alice Ardelean by unanimous decision this past October at UFC Fight Night 245. With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for July 12 includes:
USA Today
15-03-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Nate Diaz wants title to complete UFC legacy; roasts promotion's current lack of star power
Nate Diaz wants to give it one more run in the UFC to chase gold. Diaz (21-13 MMA, 16-11 UFC) walked away from the promotion after a submission victory over Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 in September 2022 to open himself to other opportunities away from the Las Vegas-based MMA promotion. After leaving the fight promotion he called home for nearly 15 years, Diaz produced mixed results in the boxing ring, losing a unanimous decision to YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in August 2023 and winning a majority nod against fellow UFC veteran Jorge Masvidal in July 2024. Now, Diaz wants to return to the UFC because he doesn't view his legacy with the promotion as complete, even though he believes very few can compare. 'The legacy – I don't think about it as done,' Diaz said in a video posted to the Full Violence YouTube channel. '… I think it's underrated, and I think there's like f*cking – I think I left more of an impact than a lot of these f*cking, anybody has, really. I mean, Conor (McGregor) has in a way, and then you get like, my brother did – but all that sh*t gets forgotten about too. It can go away because you ain't getting credit to begin with anyway. You might as well keep that sh*t going forever. That's why I plan on fighting forever.' Diaz has been a fan-favorite ever since Season 5 of 'The Ultimate Fighter' in 2007. His fight style and persona, along with his brother Nick, created a cult-like following in the MMA world. The Diaz Brothers were a different breed, and generated elevated of interest in their fights, no matter the results. That's something Diaz believes he would bring back to the table on one last chase for gold, if that opportunity comes. He believes the current roster is lacking transcendent star power. 'Well, everybody's boring right now, so I'm trying to do other sh*t for the moment,' Diaz said. 'But like, I want to go back and get a UFC title. I don't want to fight for nothing, you know? I want to fight for something. … It's about buzz and who's poppin' and who's doing something. Right now, there's nobody doing sh*t in the UFC.' If Diaz were to get a call to come back to the UFC, he knows he wants to return at welterweight, but isn't sure who he would match up against. 'Nobody,' Diaz said. 'That's why I'm not in there right now, you know what I'm saying? I'm watching. I'm hoping for something. … There's no buzz, nobody's doing sh*t. There's nobody to fight, everybody is wack. Every single body in boxing and MMA.'
