Latest news with #UFC295
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Jiri Prochazka set as backup for UFC 320's Magomed Ankalaev vs. Alex Pereira 2
Jiri Prochazka already has a fight set for the main card of UFC 320, but will also serve as the backup fighter for the main event. On Oct. 4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, former light heavyweight champion Prochazka (31-5-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) has a matchup on the books against former title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr. The main event of the pay-per-view is a 205-pound title rematch between champ Magomed Ankalaev and former champ Alex Pereira. The UFC often labels a top contender as a backup fighter for a title fight in case something were to go wrong in the days ahead of the fight. Should the unthinkable happen, Prochazka will get the call. MMA Junkie confirmed the news following Prochazka's interview on "The Ariel Helwani Show." In this case, with Prochazka already being on the card, he will not make an unnecessary weight cut. However, he will have to make the championship weight of 205 pounds in order to be eligible to win the title. Through seven UFC fights, Prochazka has only needed to use the one-pound allowance for non-title fights once. Prochazka has history with one side of the main event, as he lost a vacant title fight to Pereira (12-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) at UFC 295, and failed to beat the Brazilian in a title rematch at UFC 303. The Czech Republic-born contender has not faced the current champion Ankalaev (21-1-1 MMA, 12-1-1 UFC). Should Prochazka not be needed as a backup, the fight against Rountree Jr. (14-6 MMA, 10-6 UFC) could produce the next No. 1 contender. In his last outing, Prochazka rebounded from the second loss to Pereira by stopping Jamahal Hill in the third round at UFC 311.
Forbes
6 days ago
- Sport
- Forbes
UFC 321 Main Event: Tom Aspinall Vs. Ciryl Gane Opening Betting Odds
Tom Aspinall becomes heavyweight champion after beating Curtis Blaydes during the Heavyweight bout ... More at the Co-op Live Arena, Manchester. Picture date: Sunday July 28, 2024. (Photo by Richard Sellers/PA Images via Getty Images) UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall gets his first official title defense on October 25 when he faces former interim champ Ciryl Gane in the main event of the UFC 321 pay-per-view fight card from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. We look at the opening betting odds for Aspinall vs. Gane UFC 321 Fight Card Main Event: Tom Aspinall Vs. Ciryl Gane Opening Betting Odds And Line Movement Not long after UFC CEO Dana White announced the UFC 321 main event, BetOnline came out with betting lines for the fight. Aspinall opened as the -350 betting favorite over Gane, who opened as the +285 betting underdog. Less than 24 hours since White announced the matchup, Aspinall has moved to -400, while Gane is now +300. UFC 321 Fight Card Main Event: Tom Aspinall Vs. Ciryl Gane MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JULY 27: Tom Aspinall of England reacts after his knockout victory against ... More Curtis Blaydes in the interim UFC heavyweight championship bout during the UFC 304 event at Co-op Live on July 27, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) Tom Aspinall (15-3) had a 7-2 professional MMA record when the UFC inked him to a deal in 2020. Aspinall made his promotional debut in July 2020 with a 45-second knockout win over Jake Collier. The win earned the then 27-year-old his first 'Performance of the Night' bonus. A knockout win over Alan Baudot followed in October of that year. Aspinall made it three stoppages in a row in February 2021 when he tapped Andrei Arlovski in the second round of their matchup, a card that was headlined by Curtis Blaydes losing to Derrick Lewis by second-round KO. Aspinall's win over Arlovski broke him into the rankings at No. 13. First-round stoppage wins over Serghei Spivac (TKO) and Alexander Volkov (submission) followed the Arlovski triumph. The Blaydes matchup was next on Aspinall's schedule. The injury he suffered in that contest kept him out of action until July 2023 when he stepped into the Octagon to face Marcin Tybura. Aspinall showed no hesitation or ill effects from his knee injury, as he dispatched Tybura in 73 seconds, winning the fight by TKO. Then, with UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones injured and out of his scheduled UFC 295 matchup against Stipe Miocic, the UFC tapped Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich to face off for the interim heavyweight title at UFC 295. Aspinall won the bout, and the title, with a 69-second knockout. Aspinall defended the interim crown once, defeating Curtis Blaydes via knockout at the 1:00 mark of Round 1 of their UFC 304 matchup. Now 32, Aspinall has seven first-round stoppage wins and one second-round stoppage victory under the UFC banner. He has never gone past 1:09 of the second round in UFC action. Aspinall has earned seven 'Performance of the Night' bonuses during his UFC run. The only win he has where he failed to pick up a post-fight bonus was his win over Baudot in 2020. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 07: Ciryl Gane of France looks on before a heavyweight bout against ... More Alexander Volkov of Russia during the UFC 310 event at T-Mobile Arena on December 07, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Ciryl Gane (13-2) is the No. 1 fighter in the official UFC heavyweight rankings. The 35-year-old French competitor has only lost in UFC title fights, falling to Francis Ngannou by decision in 2022 for the undisputed title, and losing to Jon Jones via submission in 2023 for the vacant belt. Gane did capture the interim heavyweight belt in 2021 with a knockout of Derrick Lewis. Gane debuted with the UFC in 2019 following a Muay Thai career. He was 3-0 in MMA when he first fought inside the Octagon. Gane went 7-0 to begin his UFC career. His first loss came in a title unification bout against Ngannou. Gane enters UFC 321 on a two-fight winning streak. He defeated Serghei Spivac by TKO in September 2023. In his most recent trip to the Octagon, Gane bested Alexander Volkov via decision at UFC 310. Tom Aspinall Named UFC Heavyweight Champ LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 08: UFC CEO Dana White holds a press conference after the UFC 313 event at ... More T-Mobile Arena on March 08, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) In June, then-UFC heavyweight champ Jon Jones retired. The UFC named Aspinall the undisputed champion at that time. "Jon Jones called us last night and retired. Jon Jones is officially retired. Tom Aspinall is the heavyweight champion of the UFC," White said during the post-fight press conference following the UFC Baku fight card. "I obviously feel bad for Tom that he lost all that time and money, but we'll make it up to him," White added. "Tom Aspinall is a good guy. He's been incredible through this whole process that we've gone through. He's been willing to do anything – fight him anywhere at any time and do this. Now he's like, 'I'll fight anybody. Tell me who and I'll fight him.' Aspinall has been great. He's going to be a great heavyweight champion for us and I'm excited to work with him." "International Fight Week starts Monday in Las Vegas," White continued. 'Tom will be in Vegas all week with us, so we'll get together with him and figure out what's next.' Tom Aspinall Was The Longest Serving UFC Interim Champion LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 13: UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall attends the UFC 300 ... More event at T-Mobile Arena on April 13, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) Aspinall won the interim UFC heavyweight crown in November 2023 with a knockout victory over Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295. Aspinall took that fight on short notice when the original main event for that card, Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic for Jones's heavyweight title was scrapped following an injury to Jones. Despite Aspinall winning the interim crown, UFC CEO Dana White remained steadfast in saying that Jones vs. Miocic was the fight to make. That fight did not take place until November 2024. Jones held on to his belt that night, beating Miocic by TKO in the third round. By that time, Aspinall had already defended his interim crown, scoring a first-round knockout win over Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 in July 2024. Aspinall, who has not fought since he defeated Blaydes, had been waiting for the title unification bout with Jones since Jones's win over Miocic in November. In late April, Aspinall became the longest-serving UFC interim champion, topping the 535-day reign of Renan Barao, who defended his interim title twice before being named undisputed champion. UFC 321 Official Fights Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane: For Aspinall's UFC heavyweight title Alexander Volkov vs. Jailton Almeida: Heavyweight Aleksander Rakic vs. Azamat Murzakanov: Light Heavyweight Hamdy Abdelwahab vs. Chris Barnett: Heavyweight Ikram Aliskerov vs. Junyong Park: Middleweight Azat Maksum vs. Mitch Raposo We will have more on UFC 321, including opening betting odds for the co-main event when that fight is made official.
Al Etihad
6 days ago
- Sport
- Al Etihad
It's Aspinally vs Gane finally for 'huge card' at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi
24 July 2025 22:02 KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)Tom Aspinall will make his first undisputed heavyweight title defence against France's Ciryl Gane in the headline bout of UFC 321, set to take place on October 25 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.'This is what I've worked for my entire life. To fight someone like Ciryl Gane, to be the undisputed champion, to defend my belt on a huge card in Abu Dhabi,' Aspinall told MMA Fighting after the announcement. According to Aspinall, this is a fight destined and finally happening after four rounds of stalling. The Manchester-born champion (15-3) returns to the Octagon riding a wave of momentum, which started when Gane avoided him at the start.'Me and Ciryl Gane finally signed on the dotted line. This is the fourth time we've been matched up together. He turned me down for a fight early on, before we were in the rankings,' Aspinall reminded that after he had called out the winner of Gane vs. Serghei Spivac in 2023, but 'Ciryl turned down the fight on a second occasion'.Aspinall claimed the interim title with a knockout win over Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 in November 2023, followed by a dominant defence against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 in July 2024. A unification bout with Jon Jones appeared inevitable, but the long-reigning champion chose to face Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, and then retired, prompting the UFC to elevate Aspinall to undisputed champion out of Paris, the former interim titleholder Gane (13-2) is revered for his movement, timing and high-level striking. With victories over Derrick Lewis, Tai Tuivasa, and Volkov on his résumé, the Frenchman now eyes a second shot at undisputed gold – and redemption – in his first bout for the 321, in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), underscores the emirate's growing status as an elite MMA destination. Previous events hosted in the city include Khabib Nurmagomedov's triumphant UFC 242 title defence and last year's memorable clash between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway at UFC 308. Tickets for UFC 321 will go on sale at 1pm local time on Friday via the website. Premium VIP Experience packages will also be available through UFC's official VIP partner, On Location, offering behind-the-scenes access, hospitality, and fighter meet-and-greets. Additional bouts on the card include: ● Aleksandar Rakic (14-5, fighting out of Vienna, Austria) will take on undefeated Azamat Murzakanov (15-0, fighting out of New Jersey, USA) in a light heavyweight matchup.● Two heavyweight contenders face off as Alexander Volkov (38-11, fighting out of Moscow, Russia) takes on Jailton Almeida (22-3, fighting out of Salvador, Brazil).● Azat Maksum (15-2, fighting out of Kaskelen, Kazakhstan) faces Mitch Raposo (9-3, fighting out of Massachusetts, USA), who looks to get back in the win column, in a flyweight fight.● Ikram Aliskerov (16-2, fighting out of Dagestan, Russia) takes on vs JunYong Park (19-6, fighting out of Seoul, South Korea) in what promises to be a thrilling middleweight fight.● Hamdy Abdelwahab (4-1, fighting out of New York, USA, by way of Egypt) faces off against Chris Barnett (23-9, fighting out of Florida, USA) in a heavyweight bout.
Time of India
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Jon Jones Doubles Down on Intentions to Fight on Historic UFC White House Card
Images via Imagn: Donald Trump and Jon Jones At the UFC Baku post-fight presser, Dana White confirmed that Jon Jones was finally hanging up his gloves after an illustrious career. This announcement came amid the long wait for Jones to unify the heavyweight title against Tom Aspinall, who held the interim gold since UFC 295. However, 'Bones' didn't see the merit in fighting a young and hungry Englishman and announced his retirement a day after the UFC head honcho made it official. However, it seems that Jones is once again eager to come back and resume his hunt to be the best. This change of heart has arisen due to Donald Trump 's announcement of the UFC holding a card on the lawns of the White House on America's 250th birthday in 2026. Moreover, even White confirmed that the event will go down on 4th July next year. Jon Jones Is Confident of Main Eventing the UFC White House Card Next Year Just 13 days after announcing his retirement, Jones declared that he has re-entered the drug testing pool to appear on the historic card. And in a conversation with TMZ earlier this week, 'Bones' reaffirmed his intention of fighting for the pride of America. 'That's the goal. We haven't had a conversation about it, but I have a very strong feeling that I'll be fighting that night, for sure.' This isn't the first time this week that the former heavyweight champion has expressed his intention to return to the Octagon. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Many Are Watching Tariffs - Few Are Watching What Nvidia Just Launched Seeking Alpha Read More Undo Jon Jones Confident He'll Fight At Trump's White House UFC Event, 'Strong Feeling' | TMZ Sports In a conversation with Joy of Everything's Joe Andaloro, Jones said that he would be ready to take on the reigning heavyweight king by the time the UFC White House card rolls around. He even teased a showdown with Aspinall if he held the strap at the time of the event. And finally, Jones once again doubled down on returning at the ESPY's red carpet event. However, it seems that the UFC President is not keen on watching his crown jewel return to the cage. Dana White Is Not on Board for Jon Jones to Return to the UFC White House Event UFC 318 proved to be the final fight of Dustin Poirier's career. However, the post-fight presser saw the conversation shift to Jones fighting at UFC White House, slated to take place on 4th July 2026. When asked about the prospect of the former heavyweight champion appearing on the card, White said something surprising. 'It's not even about him winning the belt. You know how I felt about him. You know I can't risk putting him in big positions in a big spot and have something go wrong – especially the White House card." This hesitancy stems from the fact that Jones was responsible for ruining perhaps the biggest heavyweight fight in UFC history when he didn't fight Aspinall. Moreover, he has a history of pulling out of major cards like the UFC 200 showdown with Daniel Cormier just days before the event. White is currently focused on discussing the logistics and arrangements for the card rather than the actual fights on it. Also read: UFC 318 Main Match Card Highlights and Results: Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier, Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov and More Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
Scottish Sun
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Donald Trump plots shock UFC title fight at the White House as Dana White ‘confirms' plan for 2026 card
Dana White has broken his silence on the President's grand plans OCTA WOW Donald Trump plots shock UFC title fight at the White House as Dana White 'confirms' plan for 2026 card DONALD TRUMP has revealed sensational plans to host a UFC event at the White House next year. Trump, 79, has been a regular attendee of events staged by mixed martial arts' premier promotion over the years and is good pals with UFC headhoncho Dana White. 4 Donald Trump is a long-time fan of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Credit: REUTRS 4 The President plans to have UFC supremo Dana White stage a fight card at the White House Credit: AFP 4 Trump revealed his shock plans during a rally in Iowa Credit: MEGA And the President plans to host an epic fight night, which will include a title fight, on the grounds surrounding 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Speaking at an event in Iowa ahead of the 250th anniversary of America's independence, Trump said: "All of our national park battlefields and historic sites are going to have special events in honour of America 250. "And I even think we're going to have a UFC fight. 'Does anybody watch UFC [and] the great Dana White? READ MORE UFC NEWS TOP'S OFF Paddy Pimblett breaks silence on 'leaked' next fight after Ilia Topuria face off "We're going to have a UFC fight, think of this, on the grounds of the White House. We have a lot of land there.' He added: "A championship fight, full fight, like 20, 25,000 people.' According to the Hollywood Reporter, a UFC official has confirmed Trump and White's plans to host a fight card on the White House grounds. White seemingly did so himself by sharing a post of Trump announcing his plans on his Instagram story early on Friday morning. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 4 Donald Trump has been attending UFC events for over two decades Credit: AP Trump has been attending UFC events for the best of 25 years and even hosted a card - UFC 30 at the Trump Taj Mahal - in February 2001. Reflecting on his relationship with the President in an interview with Tucker Carlson, White said: "This guy has been so good to me it's unexplainable. Donald Trump arrives at UFC 295 to insane chorus of cheers as long-time pal of Dana White takes in historic card "He's been a very good friend to me since the day I met him. "When we bought this company it had such a bad stigma attached to it and the sport that we couldn't even get into venues, they didn't want us. "Donald Trump saw that this thing could possibly be big. "Plus he's a sports guy who loves sports, and he offered us to come do the event at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. "He cut us a very fair deal and we went down there and did two events with him where he showed up for the first fight and stayed until the last fight. "Imagine back then; Trump brand is way up, UFC brand is way down, but he took us in and he was great."
