Latest news with #bantamweight
The Sun
4 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
Ex-champ forced into major lifestyle change and ditches smoking cannabis to win title back at UFC 316
SEAN O'MALLEY has gone to extreme lengths to try to reclaim the UFC men's bantamweight title, including ditching two of his favourite pleasures. The fan favourite's reign as king of the 135-pounders came to a gruelling and energy-sapping end at the hands of Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306 last September. 4 4 4 The 30-year-old was forced to take stock of his training and daily habits in the aftermath of the dominant defeat. And he's since decided to forgo two of his favourite pleasures - MARIJUANA and SELF-LOVE. He said on his TimboSuga podcast with head coach Sean Welch: "I haven't j'd the peen (self-loved) once this year – not once in 2025. "Haven't j'd the peen, haven't been on social. I haven't gamed, either. I quit gaming. "I did a lot of gaming, two or three hours a day, and I need to fill it with something. "We've been playing a lot of Texas Hold 'Em poker with the fellas. "It's been too fun. It's like gaming. "You say, 'One more hand.' I quit smoking weed, too. I just stopped randomly. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 4 "I just didn't like the way it made me feel. I'm not overeating. My sleep's better." Despite feeling the benefits of a marijuana-free life, O'Malley admits he'll eventually start smoking the Mary Jane again. He continued: "I'm not done smoking forever, but just right now I don't feel the need to. "And I just don't have any desire to. I feel like it's been good.' O'Malley will look to exact his revenge on Dvalishvili in the main event of UFC 316 in Newark a week on Sunday morning. And he believes his wholesale lifestyle changes will bear fruit in the cage. He said: 'I feel like a lot of things that have changed in my life are going to attribute to my performance. "I haven't J'd the peen once this year – not once in 2025." Sean O'Malley, former UFC men's bantamweight champion "For example, not being on social media. I decided in 2025 [that] I'm done with social media. "I don't get on social media, and I feel like that's changed my life. "It's only been three months, but I literally feel like it's changed my life, and I feel like that's going to play a role in my performance. "All those little things –making decisions like that, sacrifices. "I don't believe [social media] is a sacrifice, but giving up something, I feel like that is going to help me perform in the future.'
Globe and Mail
5 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Cody Chovancek looks to defend Unified MMA bantamweight title, make UFC take notice
Cody Chovancek won the Unified MMA bantamweight championship in June 2024 with a particularly nasty calf slicer submission victory over previously unbeaten American Gage (The Gremlin) Gill. And there will likely be more pain Friday when the 26-year-old from Petrolia, Ont., defends his 135-pound title against American Jordan Howard in the Unified 62 main event at the Rebel Entertainment Complex in Toronto. Chovancek (7-0-0) hopes another win will open the door to the UFC. 'It's my time,' he said matter-of-factly. 'I'm going to go out there and do what I do. Give the fans an exciting fight. I've got knockout power in both hands. I can do it all. I want the UFC. I want [UFC president] Dana White, [matchmakers] Mick Maynard, Sean Shelby to let me fight in my 20s in the greatest promotion in the world, the UFC. 'I know they'll be watching [on UFC Fight Pass] and I'll earn my spot on [Friday].' Chovancek turned heads with the painful calf slicer submission in the fifth round against Gill. The move involves using your leg to hook an opponent's leg and then, using your other foot to brace that leg, pulling the opponent's limb back against the grain, so to speak. Done right, it can tear the calf and injure the knee joint. 'Normally when I do it to people in training, they tap very quickly,' Chovancek said. He trains at Niagara Top Team in St. Catharines, Ont., alongside (Proper) Mike Malott and Jasmine Jasudavicius, both of whom posted convincing wins at UFC 315 in Montreal last month. Chovancek was taking it all in fight week, also fitting in some training sessions at TriStar Gym. 'It's really cool to see behind the scenes, how everything works in the UFC because that's where I'm going to be – very shortly,' he said. 'And to see those guys go out there and perform the way they did, it just speaks to the training that we're doing. We're doing all the right things and it can take us to the highest level.' Chovancek has been involved with other UFC shows. In Edmonton in November, he was on standby in case a 135-pounder had to drop off the card. But in Montreal, he was involved in more of the fight week proceedings, including taking the stage with Jasudavicius for the ceremonial weigh-in. Fights have been hard to come by for Chovancek, who had two bouts in 2023 and just one last year. 'It's rough once you're at certain spot,' he said. He had been waiting, in case the UFC called with another short-notice opportunity. 'But I didn't feel like waiting any more,' he said. 'I want to get out there and give the fans what they want to see. I truly believe this will be my last fight on the regional scene.' He sees Friday as a chance for one more show in front of friends and family, hopefully followed later this year by an invitation to showcase his skills on 'Dana White's Contender Series' – the road Malott and Jasudavicius travelled to the promotion. Chovancek applied unsuccessfully for a spot on a cast of Season 32 of 'The Ultimate Fighter,' where he would have competed up a division at featherweight. 'I believe everything happens for a reason and it's just given me more time to hone my skills before the big show,' he said. The five-foot-nine Chovancek, who normally walks around at 160 pounds, fought as a featherweight (145 pounds) in his first three pro fights. He is in 3-0-0 in Unified MMA action and has gone the distance just twice as a pro. Four of his bouts did not make it past the second round. Howard (12-5-5) went 2-2-0 in Bellator. 'I don't think he's fought anyone with this much experience thus far,' Howard speaking in a social media post, said of Chovancek. 'And not just experience but experience at a high level, under the big lights.' Chovancek agrees the 35-year-old Howard is a step up in class but is not fazed. 'He's probably the best fighter I've fought,' said Chovancek. 'It's just going to bring out a better performance in me. The better the opposition, the better I perform.' Chovancek, who is half-Thai, grew up in southwestern Ontario, some 25 kilometres southeast of Sarnia. 'There wasn't a whole lot to do there (other) than fight and fish,' he said. Chovancek started wrestling in high school then added kick-boxing at 16. He had just turned 18 when he had his first amateur MMA fight in August 2016. A year later, he went to Thailand to train. Chovancek has spent five years training at Niagara Top Team where he teaches Muay Thai classes, putting aside his job as a steel framer.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Manager: Julianna Peña's PED accusations ahead of UFC 316 fuel Kayla Harrison
Ali Abdelaziz believes UFC bantamweight champion Julianna Peña is making things worse for herself by accusing Kayla Harrison of using steroids. At UFC 316, Peña (11-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) faces Abdelaziz's client Harrison (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) in the co-feature bout for the 135-pound title. The event takes place June 7 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Recently, Peña stated that she believes Harrison has used PEDs at some point in her career. Harrison, who has a muscular build, has never failed a drug test. According to the UFC's anti-doping testing website, Harrison has been tested three times so far in 2025. In her debut year, 2024, Harrison was tested 13 times. Abdelaziz isn't angry with Peña for the accusations, because he believes it's just more bulletin board material for Harrison to use as motivation when the cage door closes at UFC 316. "Let me clear something up: Kayla's the most tested athlete in UFC history," Abdelaziz told MMA Junkie. "She's been in WADA, Olympics for like 15 years, USADA, UFC program – there's nobody got tested more. Anyone who claims – I'm sorry you don't have this kind of physique, or muscle, or strong – this is God. You should talk to God about this, but to accuse someone of something who got more testing than you – I'm cool with Julianna. She's cool, but more she talk, more punishment she will get. I promise you. "Kayla's a very petty human being. She's very petty. The more she talk, more it's gonna fuel Kayla and more she's gonna smash her face. And I believe she will smash her face – not in a bad way. I believe its gonna be a very bad night for Julianna. I truly believe it. Kayla's just built different. She's getting comfortable with the weight. She's figured it out. It's getting easier for her. She's getting in that right moment. When you line things up, in the right moment at the right time, it's very hard to beat certain people, and Kayla's definitely one of the hardest people to beat." After just two fights in the UFC, Harrison has earned a title shot. Should she be successful against Peña, Abdelaziz hopes winning the title will bring former two-division champion Amanda Nunes out of retirement for a potentially massive fight. "She's going to smash Julianna, and after that, Amanda Nunes hopefully can come out (of retirement), and she can beat her too." This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Manager: Kayla Harrison fueled by Julianna Peña's PED accusations
Forbes
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
UFC 316: Merab Dvalishvili Reveals Injury, ‘I'm Gonna Cut It Off'
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - SEPTEMBER 14: Merab Dvalishvili of Georgia reacts after his victory against Sean ... More O'Malley in the UFC bantamweight championship fight during the UFC 306 at Riyadh Season Noche UFC event at Sphere on September 14, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) UFC men's bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili is headed into the biggest fight of his UFC career, and he may not be 100%. With less than two weeks to go before his rematch with Sean O'Malley at UFC 316 on June 7 in Newark, Dvalishvili revealed an injured toe that he believes is broken during a training session. Here is a look at the video, which was reposted by Championship Rounds. Dvalishvili joked that he was going to have his toe removed—at least I think he was joking. Dvalishvili has made a habit of sharing details about his injuries ahead of fights. He did it just before he dethroned O'Malley at Noche UFC in September 2024. Dvalishvili suffered a face laceration a week out from the fight and openly showed the injury on his social media account. It worked out that time, but it remains to be seen if he'll be able to shake off the effects of this injury or if O'Malley will find a way to use it against his rival. Here is a look at the complete card. Main Card (10:00 PM ET, ESPN+ PPV) Preliminary Card (8:00 PM ET, ESPN/ESPN+/Disney+) Early Prelims (6:00 PM ET, ESPN+/Disney+/UFC Fight Pass) If Dvalishvili's toe is as compromised as it looks in the video, expect O'Malley to attempt to stomp the champion's foot, force him to move laterally to his right, and to test if the former is able to generate explosiveness when he goes for a takedown. O'Malley is a highly cerebral fighter in the Octagon, and many will question Dvalishvili sharing his injury on social media. Ahead of their first meeting, UFC President Dana White harshly questioned Dvalishvili showing his injury. It would not be a surprise to see White share a similar message whenever he's asked about his bantamweight champion's actions. Dvalishvili has already created a legacy for himself with his win over O'Malley and his successful title defense against Umar Nurmagomedov in January. He's on a 12-fight win streak and hasn't lost since 2018. If Dvalishvili can battle through this injury and score a second win over O'Malley and a successful title defense, the champion will move closer to being considered one of the greatest bantamweights of all time. Aside from the main event, the UFC 316 card will feature a second world title bout. UFC women's bantamweight champion Julianna Peña will defend her title against Kayla Harrison. Fans will also see the promotional debut of former Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix. He will tangle with Mario Bautista on the main card. Bautista was originally set to face Marlon Vera, but the latter was forced to pull out. The recently signed Mix stepped up to take the fight. A win would put him in the mix—no pun intended—for the UFC's 135-pound crown. Stay tuned for more information as we get closer to the promotion's next PPV card.
Forbes
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
UFC 316 Fight Card: Main Card Set With New Fight Added
The UFC 316 fight card lost one of its main card bouts last week when Marlon Vera withdrew from his scrap opposite Mario Bautista. On Saturday, the UFC announced that former Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix would replace Vera and face Bautista on the UFC 316 PPV fight card. The main event of UFC 316 sees UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili against the man he took the title from, Sean O'Malley. Meanwhile, in the fight card's co-main event, two-time women's bantamweight champ Julianna Pena looks to do what she could not in her first title run, make a successful defense of her crown. Pena faces former two-time PFL lightweight tournament winner Kayla Harrison. UFC 316 takes place Saturday, June 7, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O'Malley - Men's bantamweight title fight Julianna Peña vs. Kayla Harrison - Women's bantamweight title fight Kelvin Gastelum vs. Joe Pyfer - Middleweight Mario Bautista vs. Patchy Mix - Bantamweight Vicente Luque vs. Kevin Holland - Welterweight Patchy Mix (20-1) comes too the UFC following his release by PFL. The 31-year-old Mix is riding a seven-fight undefeated streak. He won the interim Bellator bantamweight title in April 2023 with a knockout victory over Raufeon Stots. Then, in November 2023, Mix unified the Bellator 135-pound titles with a submission victory over Sergio Pettis. In his most recent outing, Mix defended his crown with a split decision win over Magomed Magomedov in May 2024. Mix's only professional defeat came in September 2020 when Juan Archuleta defeated him via unanimous decision in a contest for the vacant Bellator bantamweight crown. Mario Bautista (15-2) has been with the UFC since 2019. The 31-year-old opened his UFC run with a 2-2 record, but he is unbeaten since early 2022, with a run of seven straight wins. In his most recent outing, Bautista defeated Jose Aldo via split decision at UFC 307 in October 2024. Saturday, June 7, 2025 Prudential Center in Newark, NJ Available from Ticketmaster - Prices from $380.90 (single seats - standard admission) to $3,9005.10 (Official Platinum - Row 3, Floor) Merab Dvalishvili (19-4), a long-time training partner of former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling stepped into the spotlight of the promotion's 135-pound division in September 2014 when he scored a unanimous decision win over then-champion Sean O'Malley in the main event of UFC 306. The 33-year-old Dvalishvili joined the UFC in 2017 as much-hyped prospect. At the time, Dvalishvili was 7-2 and had won and defended the Ring of Combat bantamweight crown. Dvalishvili did not have a smooth start to his UFC run, losing his first two fights. Falling to Frankie Saenz by decision, and the second, to Ricky Simon, via submission. In September 2018, things clicked in place for the Serra-Longo Fight Team product, and he has not lost since. Heading into UFC 306, Dvalishvili was on a 10-fight winning streak. Prior to his matchup against O'Malley, Dvalishvili had defeated Marlon Moraes, Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, and Henry Cejudo. The win over O'Malley stretched his winning streak to 11 straight. Dvalishvili extended that streak to 12 when he defended his title with a unanimous decision win over the previously unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311. Sean O'Malley (18-2-0-1) was 7-0 with six finishes when he got the chance to fight for a UFC contract on the first season of Dana White's Contender Series back in 2017. O'Malley, scored a first-round knockout, and a UFC contract that night. He went 4-0 in his first bouts with the promotion, picking up three fight-night bonus awards for his efforts, including a brutal one-punch KO win over UFC veteran Eddie Wineland at UFC 250. The win over Wineland put O'Malley at No. 14 in the UFC bantamweight rankings and got him a fight against Marlon 'Chito' Vera. Vera won that fight by TKO, handing O'Malley the only defeat on his record. The loss to Vera knocked O'Malley out of the rankings, but he bounced back in his next fight, knocking out Thomas Almeida and earning another fight-night bonus in the process. He followed that win with a TKO win over Kris Moutinho. Despite those back-to-back wins, O'Malley remained unranked when he next stepped into the Octagon for a December 2021 matchup against Raulian Paiva. O'Malley wrapped that fight up with a knockout at the 4:42 mark of the first round. That victory put O'Malley back in the rankings. O'Malley's next bout ended in a no contest, when an eye poke in the second round left Pedro Munhoz unable to continue. Then, in October 2022, O'Malley was matched up with former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan. He entered that contest as the +230 underdog to the -275 ex-champ. The pair went the three-round distance, with O'Malley getting the split decision nod. That victory set up O'Malley to face Sterling in August 2023. O'Malley has not fought since his loss to Dvalishvili. He is the No. 1 fighter in the official UFC bantamweight rankings. Julianna Pena (12-5) earned her UFC contract by winning Season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter. A member of Team Tate, Pena knocked out Jessica Rakoczy in the first round of their November 2013 matchup. The win moved Pena's record to 5-2. Pena ran off three victories after that, beating Milana Dudieva, Jessica Eye and Cat Zingano before Valentina Shevchenko ended her winning streak with a January 2017 armbar submission. In October 2017 Pena announced her pregnancy. When she returned to action in July 2019, Pena defeated Nicco Montano by decision. A submission loss to De Randamie in October 2020 followed. In January 2021, Pena submitted Sara McMann. Pena, sitting at No. 3 in the women's bantamweight rankings, earned a shot at Amanda Nunes and her bantamweight title in December 2021. She entered that contest as a -650 underdog to the champ, who was the -1000 betting favorite. In one of the more shocking upsets in UFC title fight history, Pena submitted Nunes in the second round, ending the Brazilian's title reign. Pena's time at the top of the division was short, as Nunes won their July 2022 rematch by decision. Pena was set to face Nunes in a trilogy bout at UFC 289, but an injury knocked the former champ from that scrap. Nunes defeated Pena's replacement, Irene Aldana, on that card and then retired. When Pena returned to action it was at UFC 307 where she defeated then-champion Raquel Pennington via split decision. She makes her first defense of that belt at UFC 316. A two-time Olympic gold medal winner in judo (2012 and 2016), Kayla Harrison (18-1) made her MMA debut in the 155-pound division with PFL in 2018. Harrison ran over her first six opponents, picking up three submissions, two knockouts, and a decision before winning the women's lightweight title by defeating Larissa Pacheco by decision. In November 2020, Harrison defeated Courtney King by TKO in a 145-pound scrap. Shen then moved back to 155 pounds. In 2021, Harrison won the PFL 155-pound tournament with a submission win over Taylor Guardado. By 2022, Harrison had amassed a 15-0 record. However, her unbeaten ended in the finals of the 2022 PFL lightweight tourney when Pacheco scored a unanimous decision win over Harrison. The ex-champ fought once more for the PFL, beating former UFC fighter Aspen Ladd via decision in November 2023 in a 150-pound catchweight fight. In January 2024, the UFC announced it had signed Harrison and that her promotional debut would take place in the 135-pound weight class. Harrison impressed in that performance, submitting former UFC women's bantamweight champion Holly Holm by submission in the second round at UFC 400. In her next, and most recent, outing, Harrison defeated Ketlen Vieira via unanimous decision. Harrison is the No. 2 ranked fighter in the official UFC women's 135-pound rankings. We will have more on this upcoming UFC PPV as fight night approaches, including previews, odds, and predictions for the UFC 316 fight card.
