Latest news with #UFC288
USA Today
17 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Aljamain Sterling would love to show Sean O'Malley a healthy version of himself in rematch
Aljamain Sterling would love to show Sean O'Malley a healthy version of himself in rematch Let the former champ rest. But I would absolutely LOVE to show him what a healthy version of myself would do. He's got great skills but I still know that was 50% version of myself. — Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) June 8, 2025 Aljamain Sterling is open to running things back with Sean O'Malley – at featherweight. O'Malley (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) lost to bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) for a second time when he was submitted in Saturday's UFC 316 headliner at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Sterling (24-5 MMA, 16-5 UFC), who lost his bantamweight title to O'Malley by knockout at UFC 292, is adamant that had he been 100 percent healthy, the fight would have gone a different way. Sterling faced O'Malley just three months after retaining his belt against Henry Cejudo in a five-round battle at UFC 288. "Let the former champ rest. But I would absolutely LOVE to show him what a healthy version of myself would do. He's got great skills but I still know that was 50% version of myself." Sterling just wants his fair shake. O'Malley entered his first fight against Dvalishvili at UFC 306 with a torn labrum in his hip, which required surgery. He was awarded an immediate rematch at UFC 316, but fell short once again. Sterling, who has since moved up to featherweight, thinks he was unjustly criticized when he spoke out about his injuries. "Weird, right? Somehow Sean gets a rematch after saying he wasn't 100%. Him and the company knew I wasn't 100% and I STILL gave him the opportunity to become champ. But it's 'coping' when I say it. Ppl are weird and bias. But if he doesn't plan to come up, then he can retire with the win, and I'm fine with that." Weird, right? Somehow Sean gets a rematch after saying he wasn't 100%. Him and the company knew I wasn't 100% and I STILL gave him the opportunity to become champ. But it's 'coping' when I say it. Ppl are weird and bias. But if he doesn't plan to come up, then he can retire with… — Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) June 8, 2025 Prior to UFC 316, O'Malley's head coach Tim Welch said that a potential move up to featherweight is "definitely possible" down the line. However, it is unknown what O'Malley's next move will be after losing to Dvalishvili in a title fight for the second-straight time.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Aljamain Sterling doesn't get Sean O'Malley's stardom: 'His personality is a little dry'
Aljamain Sterling doesn't get Sean O'Malley's stardom: 'His personality is a little dry' Aljamain Sterling is confused by UFC 316 headliner Sean O'Malley's star power. O'Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) runs things back with Merab Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) in Saturday's main event (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Sterling lost his bantamweight title to O'Malley at UFC 292, before his teammate Dvalishvili dethroned O'Malley to become champion at UFC 306. "The Funkmaster" previously said his fight with O'Malley didn't deliver the pay-per-view buys he expected, and that the idea of him being a big star may be a myth. "I don't really know his personality outside of when he's asking me constantly about my weight, or asking other fighters how much they weigh in person," Sterling told Home of Fight. "That's always been my interaction with him: 'How much do you weigh right now?' So I don't really have much to go of off. "I've always said his personality was a little dry, in my opinion, and I didn't really understand the stardom other than his fight skills. He's a very good fighter. He had a lot of good knockouts and highlights. That's usually good when you're fighting not-so-good people." O'Malley revealed that he went into his first fight with Dvalishvili with a torn labrum in his hip, which he underwent surgery for after the fight. When Sterling fought O'Malley, it was just three months after he had retained his belt against Henry Cejudo in a five-round battle at UFC 288. "Isn't that funny? Isn't that funny that he's all of a sudden healthy, but for some reason I was making excuses when we fought, had to turn around (fast) after just going 25 minutes with a former two-division champion?" Sterling said. "You could say whatever you want. I had to take a whole month off just to let my legs heal, and somehow that had no bearing on the fight in his fanbase's mind. "But anyone, as a combat sports athlete, understands the game. You have to be mentally ready and physically prepared in order to step in there, so I think it's perfect timing with the irony. Karma has a way of playing funny games, and now he sees how it feels. Even if he had two good hips, I really don't think on that day he was beating Merab."
Economic Times
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Economic Times
UFC 315 Belal Muhammad vs Jack Della Maddalena predictions revealed; know their previous records
AP FILE - Belal Muhammad, left, kicks Brazil's Gilbert Burns during the first round of a welterweight bout at the UFC 288 mixed martial arts event, May 6, 2023, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File) Belal Muhammad vs Jack Della Maddalena UFC 315 is the most happening fighting event this weekend, as UFC returns to Montreal for the first time after 2015. Muhammad will enter the Octagon on Saturday, May 10, to defend his UFC welterweight title. The duo will face off in the main event, which is slated to take place at the Bell Centre in the Canadian city. Muhammad is heading to the bout with a record of 24 wins and three defeats. His welterweight championship is the prize that he earned by defeating Leon Edwards via a unanimous decision in July last year. Muhammad hasn't faced a loss in his last 11 fights. His last defeat was way back in January 2019, which saw Geoff Neal earn victory through unanimous decision. Maddalena will walk into the Octagon with an impressive 17-0 record. The Aussie has not faced a single defeat under the UFC banner, having piled up 7 back-to-back victories since debuting for the apex MMA promotion. Maddalena's last defeat of his MMA career was almost a decade ago in May 2016. He has been unbeaten in his last 17 the figure, he is widely being seen as an underdog for the upcoming welterweight contest. Maddalena was not originally supposed to face Muhammad for the welterweight belt. In fact, it was Shavkat Rakhmonov who was about to challenge the title holder. However, since Rakhmonov suffered an injury that prevented him from doing so, Maddalena will now lay claim to the 170-pound UFC honour.A majority of MMA experts weighing in on the main event of UFC 315 have seemingly picked Muhammad as their favourite for the upcoming bout. Zain Bando from Sports Illustrated's MMA Knockout has predicted a "fading" Maddalena against Muhammad by the time the fight enters the championship rounds. Drew Beaupre, another expert at MMA Knockout, has also picked the title defender as his favourite. On the other hand, Mathew Riddle has dissented to the prevailing opinion, asserting that Maddalena is being "underrated". Citing his "better boxing" and "exceptionally underappreciated submission" tactics, the expert asserted that the Aussie would need just seconds to turn the tables on are excited to know who ends up winning the UFC 315 clash, with the event scheduled to start at 10 pm ET on May 10. Where will UFC 315 Belal Muhammad vs Jack Della Maddalena take place? UFC 315's main event between Belal Muhammad and Australian MMA sensation Jack Della Maddalena is slated to take place at Montreal's Bell Centre. When will the UFC 315 Belal Muhammad vs Jack Della Maddalena main card kick off? The main event of UFC 315, which will be held on May 10, is scheduled to commence at 10pm ET. Disclaimer Statement: This content is authored by a 3rd party. The views expressed here are that of the respective authors/ entities and do not represent the views of Economic Times (ET). ET does not guarantee, vouch for or endorse any of its contents nor is responsible for them in any manner whatsoever. Please take all steps necessary to ascertain that any information and content provided is correct, updated, and verified. ET hereby disclaims any and all warranties, express or implied, relating to the report and any content therein.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC 314 fight card: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes date, time, TV, live stream
Alexander Volkanovski of Australia and Diego Lopes of Brazil will headline UFC 314 in a featherweight title bout at the Kaseya Center, home of the NBA's Heat, in Miami. It will be the first fight between the two competitors. The title is currently vacant following Ilia Topuria's decision to move on from the featherweight division and compete in the lightweight division permanently. Advertisement Volkanovski previously held the featherweight championship and had five successful title defenses, which was the second most title victories in the division. He held the title for 1,526 total days. Volkanovski lost the title to Topuria at UFC 298 by knockout in the second round in Feb. 2024. Diego Lopes, shown during weigh-ins for UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on June 28, 2024. Lopes has won five straight fights in the UFC after suffering a loss to Movsar Evloev at UFC 288 on May 6, 2023. Lopes has built a strong case to be in the title match following his victory over Brian Ortega on Sept. 14, 2024. Here's what to know about the UFC 314 main event, how to watch and the rest of the card: What day is UFC 314? UFC 314 is scheduled for Saturday, April 12, 2025, at the Kaseya Center in Miami. What time does the UFC 314 main fight card begin? The UFC 314 main card is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 12. The fights will be available after ordering the event on ESPN+ Pay-Per-View. What time do the UFC 314 preliminaries begin? The UFC 314 preliminary fights are scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+. What time does the UFC 314 early preliminary card begin? The early prelim fights will be available to watch on UFC Fight Pass at 6 p.m. ET. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UFC 314: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes date, time, stream, TV
USA Today
08-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC 314 fight card: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes date, time, TV, live stream
Alexander Volkanovski of Australia and Diego Lopes of Brazil will headline UFC 314 in a featherweight title bout at the Kaseya Center, home of the NBA's Heat, in Miami. It will be the first fight between the two competitors. The title is currently vacant following Ilia Topuria's decision to move on from the featherweight division and compete in the lightweight division permanently. Volkanovski previously held the featherweight championship and had five successful title defenses, which was the second most title victories in the division. He held the title for 1,526 total days. Volkanovski lost the title to Topuria at UFC 298 by knockout in the second round in Feb. 2024. Lopes has won five straight fights in the UFC after suffering a loss to Movsar Evloev at UFC 288 on May 6, 2023. Lopes has built a strong case to be in the title match following his victory over Brian Ortega on Sept. 14, 2024. Here's what to know about the UFC 314 main event, how to watch and the rest of the card: What day is UFC 314? UFC 314 is scheduled for Saturday, April 12, 2025, at the Kaseya Center in Miami. What time does the UFC 314 main fight card begin? The UFC 314 main card is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 12. The fights will be available after ordering the event on ESPN+ Pay-Per-View. What time do the UFC 314 preliminaries begin? The UFC 314 preliminary fights are scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+. What time does the UFC 314 early preliminary card begin? The early prelim fights will be available to watch on UFC Fight Pass at 6 p.m. ET.
