Latest news with #UFC318
USA Today
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Dustin Poirier didn't win the BMF belt, but he got something even better from his daughter
Dustin Poirier fell short as he tried to claim the BMF title from Max Holloway in his retirement fight at UFC 318, and if he was salty at all about the result, those feelings certainly went away once he returned home. On Monday's episode of "The Ariel Helwani Show," Poirier showed us what he received from his 8-year-old daughter, Parker, when he walked through the door, and it's sure to make your heart melt. 'She hates curse words and stuff like that, so she doesn't like the BMF belt. But she gave me this. She made me this for me," Poirier said. "I don't have the BMF, but I got the BDE. … Where the BMF belt was gonna go, I got this bad boy. "This is a one of one right here: Best Dad Ever belt.' Poirier, 36, retired after fighting professionally since 2009, including more than 14 years in the UFC. While he claimed the interim lightweight title in 2019, Poirier went on to come up short in three attempts at winning the undisputed title – against Khabib Nurmagomedov (September 2019), Charles Oliveira (December 2021), and Islam Makhachev (June 2024). But does any of that matter anymore? He's got a homemade belt from his little girl that he can proudly display. Nothing tops that!
USA Today
7 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Robert Whittaker looks forward to stern test in Reinier de Ridder at UFC on ABC 9
The UFC is in the midst of a month-long middleweight division showcase, and Robert Whittaker is well aware of it. "The middleweight division over the next few is just moving now," Whittaker told MMA Junkie on Tuesday. "I feel like it was all kind of still for a little bit, but now everything's moving. There are some big fights on the way." Next in a line of big fights involves the former 185-pound champion, Whittaker, on Saturday when he takes on Reinier de Ridder in the UFC on ABC 9 main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Whittaker (26-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC) vs. de Ridder (20-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is happening on the heels of UFC 318 where Paulo Costa defeated Roman Kopylov and Brendan Allen beat Marvin Vettori in battles of ranked middleweights. The Aug. 9 UFC on ESPN 72 event is headlined by Roman Dolidze vs. Anthony Hernandez, which all leads to the biggest one the following week when Dricus Du Plessis puts his title on the line against Khamzat Chimaev in the UFC 319 headliner Aug. 16. With so much focus on the middleweight division, the onus is on Whittaker, who's No. 5 in the official UFC rankings, to make a statement against No. 12 de Ridder after getting quickly submitted by Chimaev in his most recent fight last October. "I want to bounce back," said Whittaker, who hasn't lost two fights in a row since his welterweight days in 2013-2014. "After losing, I've always gotten better and come back with a win. It's important for me to do that again to move toward the direction I want to go, which is that title." Whittaker said the biggest thing he learned from the Chimaev fight, in which he suffered a jaw injury from a vicious neck crank that forced him to submit, is that he "can't be complacent." Whittaker didn't elaborate on what he meant but specified there were things about his last training camp that he didn't like. "It's hard to explain, going to take forever to go through," Whittaker said. "It's hard. It's a bigger thing to unpack. I don't know. It is what it is. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose." In de Ridder, Whittaker is up against a fighter who's been on a roll since making his UFC debut last November. While Whittaker's taken his time to get back in the cage, de Ridder, a former ONE Championship two-division title holder, has rattled off three wins in a row – all finishes – against Gerald Meerschaert, Kevin Holland and Bo Nickal to immediately establish himself as a contender. For Whittaker, the matchup makes sense, and he knows what he's facing. "He's very good at taking the fight where you're uncomfortable," Whittaker said. "He's got a particular set of skills and a particular game plan that, if he executes well, he gives you a lot of problems. Bo found that out the hard way. I'm looking to be first and take the game where I'm strong. ... "I love being aggressive. I'm a striker by heart, so I want to try and get my mitts on him."
USA Today
11 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Carli Judice predicted the knee would be key at UFC 318 – and she was right
NEW ORLEANS – The knee was the key. During her UFC 318 preparation, Carli Judice identified it'd be the strike that would likely be the X-factor for her. Boy, was she right. Judice (5-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) topped off a brilliant performance with a crushing knee to the body that put Nicolle Caliari (8-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) away late. "We knew she was going to come in for that takedown and crouch down and that's perfect to land the knee," Judice told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. "Obviously like I said earlier, it's risky to throw the knee because so many wrestlers can catch it and you fall with the knee when you're throwing it. But if you time it perfectly, you can land it. You land the point of that knee and they fall. That's what happens. So I'm glad that I was able to execute it and not let the situation and the pressure (get to me), or I'm glad I didn't rush it. I'm glad I waited for the opportunity and found it." Judice, 26, extended her winning streak to two and got to live out the dream of fighting in her home state. Despite her relative inexperience and greenness when she entered the UFC, Judice has proven she's capable of embracing the proper learning curve. "I think my career is going just how it was supposed to be, just how it was destined to be," Judice said. "I came off of two losses after having all wins and mostly knockouts, so I felt unstoppable as an amateur and early pro. Then, I got stopped and I realized the holes that I had to fix and I'm still working on fixing them. I think it's coming along nicely. So I'm going to continue to fix all the holes that I have, find holes, fix them, and hopefully be in the rankings one day. But I'm not rushing it. I'm taking my time. I know I have a long career, so I'm going to do whatever it takes to get where I want to be." As for what's next, Judice is only willing to play fighter – not matchmaker. "I'd like to fight again this year, but no one specific, just whoever the UFC has for me and whatever opportunity comes next, I'm going to be ready for it," Judice said.
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Ryan Spann says first heavyweight win at UFC 318 'almost surreal'
NEW ORLEANS – Ryan Spann rebounded emphatically for his first heavyweight win. Spann (23-11 MMA, 9-6 UFC) submitted Lukasz Brzeski (9-7-1 MMA, 1-6 UFC) with a guillotine choke in the first round of Saturday's UFC 318 prelims at Smoothie King Center. Spann is relieved after his heavyweight debut didn't go his way, where he was knocked out by Waldo Cortes-Acosta in March. "I guess it's almost surreal because coach T.J., Charles, and coach Sayif, they basically walk me through the whole thing," Spann told reporters during his post-fight news conference. "That was 100 percent the coach's call (on heavyweight move). I just show up. I'm the bullet. I just do whatever. I'm going to be ready whatever weight." So does that mean Spann would consider a move back down to light heavyweight? "I have the blueprint for both so, it doesn't really matter," Spann said. "I'm not saying that (heavyweight being a permanent move). We'll see." The 33-year-old explained how adjustments resulted in a much more successful outcome in his second appearance at heavyweight. "Honestly I felt like the heavyweight debut was just me getting on the scale, thinking that I didn't have to weigh in," Spann said. "So, the last three weeks of that was atrocious. I wanted to make sure we finished, we executed. Big part of the game plan, we wanted to finish and execute. Tonight was the final preparation."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC 318 ceremonial weigh-in faceoff: Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier
Dustin Poirier had the final faceoff of his career vs. BMF champ Max Holloway ahead of Saturday's UFC 318 trilogy bout in New Orleans.
