UFC 281 Live Online | UFC 281 Stream Free

Sean O'Malley is neither sold nor out of the idea of a potential fight between tech titans Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk . The UFC bantamweight has mixed feelings about the much talked bout fight that recently became a thing in the MMA community after Zuckerberg and Musk went after each other on social media and both said they were down to fight in a “cage match.” Like many, O’Malley thinks it’ll be a terrible fight, but like others, he also thinks there’s something to it – especially given their pockets. “I would watch it, but I don’t really know,” O’Malley said on his YouTube channel . “I feel like it’s super hyped up, and it’s going to be pathetic. It’s going to be two f*cking white dudes that are not athletic at all. It’s going to be two math students at a high school throwing down. It’s cool because of how rich they are. I don’t know. I would definitely watch it, but I’m not super, super hyped for it.” Someone that has been super hyped bout it in the MMA community is no

LAS VEGAS – Brunno Ferreira aims to show debuting Nursulton Ruziboev that there are levels in mixed martial arts. Ferreira (10-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) welcomes newcomer Ruziboev (34-8-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) to the octagon on Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 47 main card opener at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+. Ferreira, a Dana White’s Contender Series alum, impressed in his UFC debut when he knocked out Gregory Rodrigues in the first round in January. Although Ruziboev has more than four times his experience, Ferreira said those fights didn’t come in the octagon. “Seeing some of his past fights, he also has a good kimura, which I’m aware of and I’ve looked at it,” Ferreira told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 47 media day. “But being new to the UFC means that you are not familiar with a UFC athlete. “You have not faced an athlete like myself. Fighting me is like a good welcome gift, so to speak,

Aljamain Sterling didn’t hold back on Henry Cejudo after his withdrawal from UFC 292. The UFC bantamweight champion took a shot at his former rival, as he found Cejudo’s criticism towards him hypocritical, given that Cejudo recently pulled out from a fight against Marlon Vera set to go down on the Aug. 19 UFC pay-per-view in Boston – the same card Sterling headlines against Sean O’Malley. Cejudo previously criticized Sterling’s unsure stance on a potential return for the Aug. 19 date. Sterling had concerns about not having the proper time to heal up and return to defend his title against O’Malley at UFC 292, given that he had fought and beat Cejudo at UFC 288 in May. Cejudo made light of the quick turnaround and offered to fight O’Malley for an interim belt. “Henry Cejudo is out of this fight,” Sterling said on his YouTube channel . “‘The savage, remember that? The savage? Texting Dana (White) saying, ‘If that little p*ssy doesn’t want to fight, I’ll take the fight?’ Isn’t it fun

Junior Dos Santos and Fabricio Werdum are running it back, but with a twist. The two former UFC heavyweight champions are set to battle a second time, but in this go with slightly different rules than their UFC 90 fight back in 2008. Dos Santos and Werdum will fight under bareknuckle MMA rules, rather than traditional MMA with gloves. This bout will go down in the main event of a Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 5, set to go down on Sept. 8 at the VySar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The news was first reported by Sherdog and later confirmed by MMA Junkie through sources. Related Arjan Bhullar: Francis Ngannou 'beat the machine' with PFL deal, proved 'UFC isn't the entire sport' Video: Should Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou faceoff inspire hope for future fight? Fabricio Werdum challenges Francis Ngannou to fight under PFL banner: 'You have a lot of holes in your game' Dos Santos, 39, hasn’t competed since suffering a shoulder injury tha

Check out these photos of the UFC on ESPN 46 official weigh-ins and faceoffs at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. (Photos by Ken Hathaway, MMA Junkie) from MMA Junkie https://ift.tt/pf5Au6F via IFTTT

Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here. On Episode 3,374, the guys welcome UFC bantamweight contender Rob Font to the show to discuss his August fight vs. Song Yadong. George also welcomes MMA media member Sean Sheehan for an enlightening conversation about scoring and judging in the sport. On top of that, the guys preview UFC on ESPN 47, recap the latest episode of “The Ultimate Fighter 31,” and more. Tune in! from MMA Junkie https://ift.tt/lYcokvR via IFTTT

Henry Cejudo will not be competing in August. Thursday, the former two-division UFC champion Cejudo (16-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) announced his withdrawal from his scheduled UFC 292 bout against Marlon Vera (22-8-1 MMA, 14-7 UFC). The event featuring two title fights takes place at TD Garden in Boston on Aug. 19. “Unfortunately due to my right shoulder, I won’t be able to fight,” Cejudo said in a video posted to Instagram . “Guys, I’ve already torn my left shoulder, where I was out for about a year. I don’t want it to tear further than what it already is. … There’s a tear in there guys. The cat’s out of the bag. It is actually a 50 percent tear.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Henry Cejudo (@henry_cejudo) Cejudo says he’s looking at six to eight weeks of rehab, and will look to continue his quest towards reclaiming the bantamweight title. After recovering, “Triple C” says he’s eyeing a matchup against the No. 1 contender Merab Dv

Another UFC-ranked contender bout has been added to the promotion’s Mexican Independence Day card in Las Vegas. Rising flyweights Tracy Cortez and Jasmine Jasudavicius are aligned for a three-round bout Sept. 16. The UFC Fight Night event headlined by Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko 2 takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and streams on ESPN+. Two people with knowledge of the booking recently informed MMA Junkie of the matchup but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Cortez (10-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) will step into the cage for the first time since May 2022 when she looks to extend her winning streak to 11. She was most recently scheduled to compete in December against Amanda Ribas, but withdrew from the bout due to a medical issue during fight week. Jasudavicius (9-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) rides into the fight on a two-fight winning streak comprised of unanimous decision wins over Gabriella Fernandes and Miranda Maverick. With the addi

UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill doesn’t see Alex Pereira ’s power having the same impact at 205 pounds. Former middleweight champion Pereira (7-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) makes his 205-pound debut against Jan Blachowicz (29-9-1 MMA, 12-6 UFC) in the UFC 291 co-main event July 29 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Pereira was able to knock out top contender Sean Strickland then dethrone Israel Adesanya with a fifth-round TKO to capture the middleweight title. But after losing to Adesanya in the rematch, “Poatan” has elected to move up a division, and Hill expects 205 pounders to absorb his punches better. “His power is not going to count for as much as it was at the middleweight division,” Hill said in an interview with Middle Easy . “At the middleweight division, whenever he hit them, they had to really, really address it. They couldn’t really roll it off. It made it harder to counter just because of the kind of power that he carried at middleweight. I don’t think that’ll be the

LAS VEGAS – For Melissa Gatto , the forced time off was more of a mental battle. Gatto (8-1-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) will return from a more than year-long layoff to face Ariane Lipski (15-8 MMA, 4-5 UFC) on Saturday at UFC on ESPN 47 from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+. After suffering her first-career loss to Tracy Cortez last May at UFC 274, an injury forced Gatto out of action. “I’m so happy,” Gatto told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 47 media day. “So excited to be back. Of course, it’s been a year with the surgery and the medical leave that comes after that. I’m happy to be back. I’ll be able to show how much I evolved, that I took that time to actually become better and to become a better fighter.” Gatto explains that, while she’s made improvements in her skills, being out of action made her grow even more on the mental side. “Anytime you have a high-performance athlete that

LAS VEGAS – Abus Magomedov hears the noise and criticism around him getting a UFC on ESPN 47 headlining spot despite just one fight with the promotion. However, he’s not bothered. “I can understand the guys who said (I shouldn’t be here),” Magomedov told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 47 media day. “But after the fight, they all will be quiet.” After scoring a 19-second knockout win in his octagon debut, Magomedov (25-4-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) got a big push into a middleweight main event with divisional contender Strickland (26-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC), which takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex and airs on ESPN/streams on ESPN+. Magomedov knows it’s a significant step up in competition and will be revealing about where he stands in the 185-pound hierarchy. However, he sees Strickland as a beatable opponent. “He’s tough guy,” Magomedov said. “Tough opponent. He have a lot of experience with five-round fights. He fought already against really tough guys. But Saturday

Shavkat Rakhmonov may soon have a sibling fighting along with him in the UFC. Rakhmonov’s younger sister, Sora Rakhmonova , has been booked to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series on Sept. 26 in Las Vegas. She takes on Ernesta Kareckaite in a women’s flyweight bout, with both women hoping to secure a UFC contract. MMA Junkie confirmed the news following an initial report Thursday by Vestnik MMA . The UFC has yet to make an official announcement of the matchup. Related Dana White's Contender Series, Season 7 roster filling up for summer 2023 launch Rakhmonova, 25, sports an MMA record of 4-1. Her lone defeat was a unanimous decision in mid-2021, and she has since racked up three consecutive wins, with the most recent a second-round TKO of Valeria Karygina back in May. Rakhmonova has been fighting professionally since 2021 and has done all of her bouts for Naiza FC in her native Kazakhstan. Her opponent, Kareckaite, is undefeated in her MMA career. She has four wins an

LAS VEGAS – Ismael Bonfim delivered a highlight for the ages in his octagon debut in January, and he wants to produce something even better at UFC on ESPN 47 . Bonfim (19-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) stopped Terrance McKinney in spectacular fashion at UFC 283, which was deemed MMA Junkie’s Knockout of the Month . Now he moves on to his sophomore promotional appearance against Benoit Saint-Denis (10-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC), which takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex and airs on ESPN/streams on ESPN+. The lightweight bout has potential for serious fireworks, and Bonfim knows the world expects him to produce a strong encore from his first appearance in a UFC cage. “There’s a bit of a pressure because more people see that, they expect you to do that and better,” Bonfim told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 47 media day. “The pressure’s on me to go back and there and go inside and do it even better.” Bonfim said he expects a “tough fight” against Saint-Deni

LAS VEGAS – Max Griffin is not exactly happy with his matchup against Michael Morales . The 37-year-old welterweight veteran is set to take on Michael Morales on the main card of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 47 at the UFC Apex. This booking made Griffin (19-9 MMA, 7-7 UFC) feel like he’s been set up to be a stepping stone for Morales (14-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC), who’s unbeaten and just 24 years old – and that has Griffin fuming. “I have a thing for these new guys: I get offended,” Griffin told reporters at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 47 media day. “So it’s another guy, 14-0, fought Trevin Giles. That was a terrible fight from Trevin Giles. He beat him in the beginning but burned his arms out, getting sloppy, and got knocked out. … He (Morales) ain’t fought nobody. It’s not even about who y’all fought, but I am me. I am him. I’m not the guy you want to fight when you’re that raw, that new.” Although there’s something to be said about Morales’s promise and rise, Griffin is not getting caught in a ba

LAS VEGAS – Sean Strickland alleges to have no clue who he’s fighting, yet he’s still fighting. The UFC middleweight contender takes on Abus Magomedov in the main event of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 47 at the UFC Apex. Just days away from fighting Magomedov (25-4-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Strickland (26-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) claims to not know much of what he’s getting himself into. “I’m happy with Abus, but I don’t really know much about the guy,” Strickland told reporters at the UFC on ESPN 47 media day on Wednesday. “Do you have any pointers for me?” Amid his now-typical vulgar rants, Strickland explained how the fight came together and why he accepted someone that wasn’t on his radar despite wanting a bigger name. “I had no idea who the f*ck he was,” Strickland said. “So I’ve been hounding the UFC to fight, I even offered to do 205, but Mick (Maynard) didn’t want me to f*ck up the rankings because there are a lot of 205ers I’d f*ck up. So I had a conversation with Mick, and he pretty much of

LAS VEGAS – Kevin Lee will return to the octagon at UFC on ESPN 47 with one main thought on his mind. “I’m excited to test my skills, come out here and perform against the best in the world,” Lee told reporters, including MMA Junkie, during Wednesday’s media day at the UFC Apex. “That’s the only thing that I’m interested in. I love this sport. That was the ultimate decider in me coming back.” For his first scene in the sequel to his UFC career, Lee (19-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC) is moving up to welterweight to fight unranked Rinat Fakhretdinov (21-2 MMA, 2-0) in the featured prelim. It’s a sort of humbling restart considering where Lee has ventured before in the UFC. But then again, the promotion didn’t just release him for no reason. Lee, 30, was rising star on a five-fight winning streak when he fought Tony Ferguson for the interim UFC lightweight title in October 2017. After losing by third-round submission , Lee went 2-4 in his next six fights before the UFC released him after an Augus

LAS VEGAS – Rinat Fakhretdinov had to do a double take when he was offered a matchup with Kevin Lee at UFC on ESPN 47 . Fakhretdinov (20-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) admits he was caught off guard when the promotion came to him with a fight against Lee (19-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC), who is set to make his return to the octagon Saturday at the UFC Apex after nearly two years away. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+. “The first thought I had was, ‘Is this a prank? No way. Kevin Lee?'” Fakhretdinov told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 47 media day. “I thought they were going to call me and say, ‘No, you get a different opponent.’ Then I realized it was for real and I really was happy about it. He’s got a big name, he’s a former title challenger, he’s got a lot of media following, and he’s an important fighter. So, I was really happy to fight with him, and I’m excited to stand and bang with him.” Since Lee made his UFC debut more than nine years

Ilia Topuria has gotten the attention of legendary boxing analyst Teddy Atlas. Topuria (14-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC)  battered Josh Emmett for five rounds in this past Saturday’s UFC on ABC 5 headliner at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The fight marked the first time Topuria has gone 25 minutes. Topuria put a heavy pace on Emmett and never let his foot off the gas pedal, which impressed Atlas, who sees a resemblance between the striking style of Topuria and UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski . “Topuria, he reminds me with his striking a little of Volkanovski, where he’s so solid technically, he’s so buttoned-up with his approach, his overall approach, that it just reminded me of him a little bit,” Atlas said on his show, “THE FIGHT with Teddy Atlas.” Atlas lauded Topuria for his composure. The unbeaten 26-year-old never got overzealous when seeking the finish against Emmett. “Topuria was always in control,” Atlas added. “Never ahead of himself, never g

Luke Rockhold may be finding a new home soon. Rockhold, who commentated at Karate Combat 40 alongside UFC Hall of Famer Bas Rutten this past Saturday in Miami, has enjoyed the perks of life outside the UFC. The former Strikeforce and UFC middleweight champion parted ways with the UFC in 2022 after asking for his release, and he most recently competed in April when he suffered a second-round TKO loss to Mike Perry at BKFC 41. After the fight, Rockhold confirmed that he wasn’t done fighting , although what would come next remained uncertain. Now Rockhold has a better idea. “It’s the best,” Rockhold told Cageside Press of free agency. “You get the best of all worlds. I can fight wherever I want, and whatever appeals to me the most is where I’m gonna go. The opponent, the stage, the situation, and of course, the payday. But this is looking good.” When asked about potentially signing with Karate Combat, 38-year-old Rockhold said there have been some discussions. “We talked. You neve

UFC on ABC 5 took place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. and featured 13 fights. There were back-and-forth battles, knockouts, an eye gouge, and a submission. Through these fights, the athletes involved sustained injuries that will put them on the shelf for some time, unless cleared by a doctor. Tuesday, MMA Junkie acquired a list of athlete medical suspensions from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (FDBPR), the sanctioning body that oversaw the event. The FDBPR does not disclose injury specifics, but does show the durations of the suspension. Atop the card, Ilia Topuria proved he’s a premiere contender when he dominated Josh Emmett en route to a unanimous decision , including a rare 10-7 scorecard . The two headliners were suspended indefinitely by FDBPR afterward. Seven fighters total were handed indefinite suspensions, while two were handed terms of specific durations and the rest of the card was cleared on fight n

A pivotal women’s flyweight bout is headed to Singapore. Surging contender Erin Blanchfield is expected to meet former title challenger Taila Santos at a UFC Fight Night event Aug. 26 in Singapore. Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. The news was first reported by Freak MMA on Instagram. Blanchfield (11-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) and Santos (19-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) were previously expected to fight Feb. 18 in the UFC Fight Night 219 main event. However, Santos withdrew from the bout after one of her corners was unable to get into the United States. Former UFC strawweight champion Jessica Andrade replaced Santos in the bout. Blanchfield submitted Andrade at 1:39 of Round 2 with a rear-naked choke. The win extended Blanchfield’s streak to eight that also included UFC victories over Molly McCann, JJ Aldrich, Miranda Maverick, and Sarah Alpar. For Santos, t

Since the early days when the sport was anything but a mainstream endeavor, the MMA industry has thrived and survived through various websites, forums, and – perhaps most importantly – social-media platforms. Fighters interact with fans, each other and many more through the likes of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, which helps outsiders get a deeper look into the minds of the athletes. Following Saturday’s UFC on ABC 5 in Jacksonville, Fla., several of the winning and losing fighters, along with their coaches, training partners or family members, took to social media to react to the event or share a message with supporters. Check out some of those reactions. The defeated from MMA Junkie https://ift.tt/QLz4t1w via IFTTT

UFC heavyweight Braxton Smith failed in his attempt to capture his first promotional win – and now he’s failed a drug test, too. On Tuesday, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency publicly announced a two-year suspension for Smith after a urine sample he submitted tested positive for exogenous administration of testosterone and its precursors in two out-of-competition tests on April 19 and May 4, and one in-competition test May 6. “Smith’s urine sample was analyzed using a specialized test, known as Carbon Isotope Ratio (CIR) testing, that differentiates between anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) naturally produced by the body and prohibited anabolic agents of external origin,” USADA said in a statement. “The CIR test confirmed the presence of testosterone and/or its metabolites of external origin in Smith’s urine sample. All AAS are non-Specified Substances in the class of Anabolic Agents and prohibited at all times under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy and UFC Prohibited List.” Since Smith was

Tatsuro Taira encountered bad luck when his recent fight was canceled on weigh-in day, but he won’t face too much of a delay in competition. Japan’s Taira (13-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has accepted a short-notice fight against promotional newcomer Edgar Chairez (10-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC), a Mexican fighter who was originally scheduled to compete on “ Dana White’s Contender Series ” this summer. The two flyweights will square off in a 130-pound catchweight bout July 8 at UFC 290 . The event takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Two people with knowledge of the matchup Tuesday informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Eurosport NL first reported the bout. Related Alexandre Pantoja 'never fought against the best Brandon Moreno,' UFC champ says Dana White's Contender Series, Season 7 roster filling up for summer 2023 launch Last Friday, Taira made weight for a UFC on ABC 5 bout in Jacksonville,

Cub Swanson is set for his 23rd appearance in the UFC. At a UFC Fight Night event Aug. 12 at the UFC Apex, Swanson (28-13 MMA, 13-9 UFC) will return to featherweight to take on Hakeem Dawodu (13-3-1 MMA, 6-3 UFC). A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie after an initial Instagram post by Swanson. The person asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Swanson, 39, is 3-2 over his most past five fights. He most recently competed in October when he made his bantamweight debut vs. Jonathan Martinez, which he lost by TKO due to leg kicks . Swanson recently told MMA Junkie he planned on a move back to featherweight, though he’d love to prove his doubters wrong by staying at bantamweight. Dawodu, 31, has not competed since a September loss to Julian Erosa by unanimous decision. He was scheduled to compete June 10 at UFC 289 but withdrew due to injury. Dawodu is 1-2 in his most recent three fights after

It appears UFC heavyweight Justin Tafa dodged a bullet. Tafa was the victim of a brutal eye poke this past Saturday at UFC on ABC 5 in Jacksonville, Fla., resulting in a no contest with Austen Lane just 29 seconds into the fight. Lane’s fingers inadvertently jammed into both of Tafa’s eyes for one of the most egregious eye pokes in UFC history . When the foul happened, referee Dan Miragliotta stepped in and called timeout. Lane was warned, and Tafa was allotted five minutes to recover, but there was no way given the severity of the damage in the moment. Roughly 48 hours later, Tafa provided an update on social media, and it appears he avoided a worst-case scenario. “Cleared of any major damage to both eyes but both eyes did suffer some damage,” Tafa tweeted . “Right eye still in some pain, sensitive to light and blurred vision on the (left) but I thank God nothing that was going to end my career or cause serious damage to my eye.” Cleared of any major damage to both eyes but bot

As far as gimmick fights go, they don’t get any more gimmicky than two ultra-famous billionaires with zero professional fighting experience duking it out in the octagon. And yet, that possibility has UFC president Dana White all hyped up. The two aforementioned “ultra-famous billionaires,” of course, are Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, whose social media spat over … does it matter what it was over? … last week ended with the Twitter and Tesla CEO challenging the CEO of Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta to a “cage match” – and Zuckerberg accepting it . That was all White needed to see. The next day, White said he spoke to Musk and Zuckerberg on the phone about making the fight happen in the UFC and that both men were “dead serious” about doing it. White was so excited about the possibility that he said he would build an entire pay-per-view card around the headliner. This is the part where we remind you that just last month White had this to say about the possibility of a