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News.com.au
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Liam Wilson was agonisingly close to landing blockbuster fight on Manny Pacquiao and Tim Tszyu's undercard in Las Vegas
Liam Wilson was agonisingly close to fighting on the same card as Tim Tszyu and Manny Pacquiao on July 19 in Las Vegas, before the deal fell through at the last minute. The Queenslander will instead fight on the same card as Liam Paro on June 25 on a non pay-per-view show in Cairns. But the 29-year-old was tantalisingly close to facing Brandon Figueroa on one of the biggest cards of the year at the MGM Grand. 'I was on it. I had a fight on that card, but it fell through and was cancelled,' Wilson tells Code Sports. 'The fight was confirmed, and then a day later it was cancelled. 'I got kinda excited about that. I always put my hand up when an opportunity arises, and that's what I did. 'I put my hand up, I'll always fight anybody, but unfortunately the fight fell through. 'I've got no idea why.' Former WBC super-bantamweight world champion Figueroa will now face Joet Gonzalez on the Pacquiao card, which also features Tszyu's rematch with Sebastian Fundora in the co-main event. That card was made official over the weekend, with Tszyu jetting to the US for a five-day media and promotional shoot whirlwind. Wilson also revealed he could barely spar, couldn't hit pads or work on the heavy bag in the lead-up to his fight of the year unanimous decision win over Youssef Dib in March. As first revealed by Code Sports, Wilson went into the fight with fractured L2 and L3 vertebrae and needed cortisone injections to get through camp. His team was close to pulling him out of the high stakes fight, and he was forced to train wearing a back brace after injuring his back seven weeks out from the fight. 'My trainer wanted me to pull out, but I just felt that if I could spar, I could fight,' Wilson told Code Sports. 'So, I fought. 'I had two fractured vertebrae in my back, so I had to manage camp and do the best I could to get through it. 'But I never thought about pulling out.' Wilson claimed a thrilling decision win, dropping Dib twice early on, before being deducted a point for a low blow in the ninth round. 'I couldn't do bag work in the lead-up, couldn't do pad work, I couldn't really even twist my body,' he said. 'Even my sparring was pretty restricted. I was just sticking to my jab and keeping my punches very light. 'I just fought with what I had and got the job done. 'Deep down, I'm just a fighter, and a little injury doesn't deter me. If there's a fight that's been put to me, I'll take it.' Three months on, Wilson is fully healed, has dropped from lightweight back to his natural super-featherweight division and is preparing to take on Ayrton Gimenez on June 25. A win will see 'Mr Damage' move within touching distance of another world title shot. Wilson was short-changed in his first world title tilt against Emanuel Navarrete in 2023, before being outgunned by Oscar Valdez last year. Wilson dropped Navarette in the fourth round, but the referee allowed the Mexican nearly half a minute to recover. Navarrete eventually stopped Wilson in the ninth, and the Aussie is hell bent on revenge. 'It's everything to me,' he says. 'I feel like I let it slip through my fingers. 'I'm not going to sit here and argue the decision. It is what it is. It's made me more hungry and it's made me the person I am today. 'It's made me realise how resilient I am. 'But that world title shot, that's the main objective. I'm holding onto the saying 'third time lucky'. 'I'm number four in the world now, and a win will move me up, and then I'm just a phone call away. 'Hopefully it's the rematch with Navarette that everyone's been wanting.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
MMA Junkie's Knockout of the Month for May: Barriault puts Silva on a stretcher
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from May 2025: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie's Knockout of the Month award for May. At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice. Nominee: Aleksandr Maslov def. Yuriy Fedorov at ACA 186 After facing some early adversity in their heavyweight bout, Alexandr Maslov got the last laugh against Yuriy Fedorov. Advertisement In a heated exchange early in the second round, Maslov (12-1) threw a multi-punch combination at Fedorov (10-7), one of which was a right hook that landed clean to the chin and immediately send him folded to the canvas unconscious. Nominee: Connor Hughes def. Sebastien Di Franco at 2025 PFL Europe 1 The devastating knockout power of Connor Hughes was felt by Sebastien Di Franco when the pair met in a lightweight showdown. At roughly the midway point of the fight, Hughes (11-2) took advantage of poor movement from Di Franco (10-4) with a clean punch that instantly knocked him out. No follow-up shots were needed with Di Franco's lifeless body falling and smacking his head off the canvas. Nominee: Mike Malott def. Charles Radtke at UFC 315 Mike Malott gave the Canadian crowd plenty to cheer about – especially after Charles Radtke talked trash on the country prior to their welterweight bout. Advertisement A "Proper" left hook from Malott (12-2-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) spelled the beginning of the end for Radtke (10-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC). Malott found the chin early in Round 2 with the cracking shot, leading to the finish seconds later after hard, accurate follow-up punches. Nominee: Jared Gordon def. Thiago Moises at UFC Fight Night 256 Jared Gordon scored the biggest highlight reel win of his octagon tenure so far when he knocked Thiago Moises out cold. After getting a takedown early in the lightweight bout, the action returned to its feet where Gordon (21-7 MMA, 9-6 UFC) landed a brutal right hand that floored Moises (19-9 MMA, 8-7 UFC). He followed up with a few shots on the ground to seal the deal. Nominee: Dustin Jacoby def. Bruno Lopes at UFC on ESPN 68 Dustin Jacoby prioritized violence over technique, and it paid off against Bruno Lopes. Advertisement Jacoby (21-9-1 MMA, 9-6-1 UFC) knocked out Bruno Lopes (14-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) with a swarming attack for a stoppage just minutes into the opening round of the light heavyweight bout. The winner: Marc-Andre Barriault def. Bruno Silva at UFC 315 Marc-Andre Barriault finished Bruno Silva in scary fashion at UFC 315. Barriault (17-9 MMA, 6-8 UFC) unleashed an array of elbows in the clinch to knock out Silva (23-13 MMA, 4-7 UFC) at the 1:27 mark of Round 1 in their middleweight bout. Silva was rendered unconscious after being finished by an emotional Barriault and had to be stretchered out. With the win, Canada's Barriault snapped a three-fight losing skid. Meanwhile, Silva has now lost five in a row, and seven of his past eight fights. Cast Your Vote! This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Knockout of the Month, May 2025: Barriault puts Silva on a stretcher
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
UFC Futures Bet: Odds-on favourites Merab Dvalishvili, Joaquin Buckley and Ilia Topuria all to win in June BOOSTED to 7/4
Mixed martial arts fans can look forward to a fantastic month of action in June as there are two pay-per-view events and a further two Fight Nights taking place. With that in mind let's take a look at a futures Price Boost on offer with Sky Bet for UFC 316 on June 8, UFC Fight Night on June 15, and UFC 317 on June 28 (BST). The UFC 316 main event is between Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O'Malley in a pivotal rematch. Dvalishvili cruised to a unanimous decision victory in their first match-up in September of last year. Meanwhile, former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman battles Joaquin Buckley in a mouthwatering Fight Night event a week later. Usman will be looking to return to the winner's circle after three straight losses, while Buckley is in a rich vein of form that includes six victories in a row. Lastly, the final card for the month of June is a highly-anticipated lightweight clash between Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira. This will be Topuria's first fight at 155lb after the former welterweight champion moved up from 145lb - a division in which he claimed huge wins over all-time greats Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway in his final two fights in the weight class. Conversely, a win over Topuria will see Oliveira put himself back into contention for a title shot in the near future. With the above match-ups in mind, the aforementioned Price Boost requires Dvalishvili, Buckley and Topuria all to win. The odds for that particular bet have been enhanced from 6/4 to 7/4 odds. All three fighters enter their respective match-ups as odds-on favourites, according to Sky Bet. Merab Dvalishvili, Joaquin Buckley and Ilia Topuria all to win WAS 6/4 NOW 7/4
Forbes
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
UFC Results: Main Event Canceled After Shocking Last-Minute Emergency
LAS VEGAS, NV - MAY 20: Dana White speaks with the press following the event at UFC Apex for UFC ... More Vegas 73 - Dern vs Hill event on May 20, 2023, in Las Vegas, NV. (Photo by Louis Grasse/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Dana White and the UFC brass probably aren't thrilled at this moment. Saturday night's UFC card was already one of the weakest events of the year on paper, and fans were let down even more when the main event was canceled just minutes before it was set to start. The UFC Vegas main event was supposed to have Erin Blanchfield taking on Maycee Barber at the Apex. There was an ominous cloud hanging over the fight after Barber missed weight on Friday morning, but officially the bout was still scheduled to happen. Minutes before the walkout was to happen for both fighters, UFC matchmaker Hunter Campbell came into Blanchfield's dressing room and told her the fight was off, as Barber had apparently had a medical emergency. According to Blanchfield, she was told her opponent had a seizure. Blanchfield seems to have no love lost for Barber, as she cold heartedly made reference to the condition in her post-fight interview. Here's a look at the interview: Perhaps there is some sentiment amongst those closer to the situation who believe Barber's situation wasn't legit. I doubt Blanchfield knows that for sure, but she was clearly miffed at the weight miss on Friday and even more dissatisfied with Barber being unavailable to fight on Saturday night. As it is, hopefully Barber is OK and can potentially return to fight. If she is no longer able to make 125 pounds healthily, this ordeal may be the last signal that she needs to move up to bantamweight if she hopes to continue her career. Thankfully, the UFC's women's bantamweight division could use an injection of talent below the likes of champion Julianna Peña, Kayla Harrison, and returning legend Amanda Nunes. Perhaps a rebuilt Barber could slide in there and make some noise. As for Blanchfield, she'll likely move on to the next challenge. She could look to face Natália Silva next. Silva is the No. 1 contender for Valentina Shevchenko's title, but there is a strong belief that UFC women's strawweight champion Weili Zhang is moving up to flyweight to challenge Shevchenko. Because of Weili's dominance, it's likely she gets a shot before Silva. The latter could wait it out or take a potential fight with Blanchfield. We'll see how it unfolds in the next few months. Here is a look at all of the results from the UFC action on Saturday night:
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
UFC on ESPN 68 live updates: Results, round-by-round coverage of every fight
UFC on ESPN 68 (ESPN, ESPN+) takes place Saturday, and you can join us for live round-by-round coverage and official results beginning at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT). UFC on ESPN 68 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. In the headliner, women's flyweight contender Erin Blanchfield (13-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) takes on Maycee Barber (14-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC), who missed weight for the fight by a half-pound. Mateusz Gamrot (24-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) meets Ludovit Klein (23-4-1 MMA, 7-2-1 UFC) in the lightweight co-feature. Advertisement Follow along with our round-by-round updates and official results beginning at approximately 7 p.m. ET for the prelims and 9 p.m. ET for main card on ESPN and ESPN+. Enjoy the fights, everyone. UFC on ESPN 68 lineup MAIN CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 9 p.m. ET) Erin Blanchfield vs. Maycee Barber Mateusz Gamrot vs. Ludovit Klein Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Billy Ray Goff Dustin Jacoby vs. Bruno Lopes Macy Chiasson vs. Ketlen Vieira – 145-pound contract weight Dusko Todorovic vs. Zachary Reese PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET) Jafel Filho vs. Allan Nascimento Kurt Holobaugh vs. Jordan Leavitt Michael Aswell vs. Bolaji Oki Alice Ardelean vs. Rayanne Dos Santos This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC on ESPN 68 live updates: Round-by-round coverage of every fight
