UFC: As Real As it Gets (2023 Save)

[maudlin career]

Looking Ahead: UFC Goes Primetime With Riyadh Season Event; Major Welterweight Title Fight to Headline Event

The Ultimate Fighting Championships returns to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with a Pay Per View level event airing free on primetime television with UFC on ABC: Rahkmonov vs. Muhammad. Airing live on the ABC network, Belal Muhammad makes his first UFC Welterweight Championship defense against the undefeated Shavkat Rahkmonov.

In the co-main event, Henry Cejudo faces the 18 and 0 Umar Nurmagomedov in a five round championship bout to crown an Interim Bantamweight Champion in the absence of champion Sean O’Malley.

Rounding out the ABC broadcast:

Former UFC Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland meets former UFC MIddleweight Championship challenger Marvin Vettori in a first time match up.

Edmen Shahbazyzan aims to shake up the middleweight rankings with an emphatic victory over former UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker.

Flyweights Muhammad Mokaev and Amir Albazi open the ABC broadcast in what is sure to be an exciting bout.

For the complete UFC on ABC: Rakhmonov vs. Muhammad card, see below

UFC on ABC: Rakhmonov vs. Muhammad (Saturday, March 8th 2025)

Main Card (ABC Network)


Preliminary Card (ESPN 2)


Preliminary Card (ESPN+)

[maudlin career]

Arnold Allen finishes Yair Rodriguez In Exciting Main Event; Randy Brown Makes Statement With KO Win

UFC on ESPN: Allen vs. Rodriguez lit up the Amalie Arena in Tampa Florida with a fantastic night of fights.

In the main event, Arnold Allen was able to put away Yair Rodriguez three minutes and forty-one seconds into the second round. Rodriguez and Allen chose to stand in the pocket and trade with each other throughout the duration of the fight, but Allen made space and caught Rodriguez with a roundhouse kick that saw him retreat against the cage as a result. Allen pasted Rodriguez with rights and lefts and this left Marc Goddard with no choice but to call the fight.

In the co-main event, Randy Brown caught Neil Magny just thirteen seconds in the second round with a
right hook that put Magny to sleep on impact. With this devastating KO win, Randy Brown extends his win streak to five fights.

On the undercard:

Joanderson Brito scored a first round TKO victory over Sodiq Yusuff

Josh Emmett earned a performance bonus with his knockout victory over Edson Barboza

Kelvin Gastelum earned a dominant three round decision victory over Lyman Good despite not making weight

Women’s strawweights Norika Ryu and Yazmin Jauregui tore the house down with a wild scrap that ultimately saw Ryu earn a Performance Bonus with a heel hook submission victory over Jauregui to open the ESPN broadcast.

For the complete UFC on ESPN: Allen vs. Rodriguez results, see below.

[maudlin career]

Fight Week: UFC 311

UFC 311 emanates live from the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia with a stacked five card Pay Per View event.

In the night’s main event, Israel Adesanya looks to claim the UFC Middleweight Championship for a record setting third time but to do that, he must defeat the boogeyman of the UFC Middleweight division, Khamzat Chimaev.

The UFC Flyweight Championship is on the line in the night’s co-main event when Alexandre Pantoja looks to extend his championship reign to three defenses by stepping in the octagon with challenger Kai Kara-France.

Joining the two championship fights on the PPV broadcast:

Kamaru Usman returns to the octagon with a welterweight tilt against Vincente Luque.

Women’s strawweights Tabatha Ricci and Jessica Andrade throwdown in a three round bout that could have title fight implications.

Former UFC Flyweight Championship challenger Steve Erceg returns to the cage against TUF winner Tim Elliott.

For the complete UFC 311: Adesanya vs. Chimaev card, see below

UFC 311: Adesanya vs. Chimaev (Saturday, February 15th 2025)

Main Card (PPV)


Preliminary Card (ESPN)


Preliminary Card (ESPN+)

[maudlin career]

Myktybek Orolbai Out of UFC on ABC

With two weeks until UFC on ABC, the Ultimate Fighting Championships have pulled Myktybek Orolbai from his ESPN 2 preliminary bout with Max Griffin. Myktybek will instead be headlining a future UFC APEX event against Khaos Williams.

Stepping in on short notice to take Orolbai’s place is Wellington Turman who is coming off a TKO victory over Gabriel Bonfim at UFC APEX: Orolbai vs. Nelson.

For the updated UFC on ABC: Rakhmonov vs. Muhammad card, see below

UPDATE: UFC on ABC: Rakhmonov vs. Muhammad (Saturday, March 8th 2025)

Main Card (ABC Network)


Preliminary Card (ESPN 2)


Preliminary Card (ESPN+)

[maudlin career]

Chimaev Dominates Izzy; Pantoja Earns Second Round Submission Over Kara-France

UFC 311 is in the books and Khamzat Chimaev made an emphatic statement in the main event. Simply put, Israel Adesanya had no answer for the UFC Middleweight Champion as Khamzat was able to wrestle him to the canvas at will. Adesanya showed his mental tenacity and he survived a couple of barrages early in the fight, but by the time the fourth round came around, the physical toll was starting to show on the challenger. Chimaev was able to slam Adesanya to the canvas in the fourth round and from a mounted position began to rain down on Izzy with hard punches that left Jason Herzog with no choice but to put a stop to the bout.

In the co-main event, Kai Kara-France looked very confident in his striking but Pantoja would rock the challenger in the ribs with a pair of knees that altered the pace of the fight. Heading into the second round, Kara-France was noticeably slower and Pantoja took full advantage of that, utilizing a jab to keep pressure on his challenger. Pantoja then initiated a grapple, wrestling Kara-France to the canvas. After a momentary scramble, Pantoja was able to secure an armbar submission three minutes into the second round, to pick up the victory.

On the undercard of the Pay Per View broadcast:

Kamaru Usman returns to the win column with a dominant and exciting performance over Vincente Luque. Usman caught Luque flush with a right hook and then continued to rain down on his opponent until Jason Herzog put a hurt to the fight.

Tabatha Ricci extends her winning streak to 3 and 0 with a huge submission victory over former UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Jessica Andrade.

And TUF Winner Tim Elliott scored a split decision victory over UFC Flyweight Championship challenger Steve Erceg in the opening fight of the broadcast.

For the complete UFC 311: Adesanya vs. Chimaev results, see below

[maudlin career]

Doo Ho Choi and Dan Ige Headline February 22nd Apex Event

The Ultimate Fighting Championships return to the UFC Apex Performance Center with UFC APEX: Choi vs. Ige live on ESPN+.

In the main event, featherweights Doo Ho Choi and Dan Ige will compete in a first-time ever five round match up.

Joining them in the co-main event is another featherweight tilt between Charles Jourdain and Nate Landwehr.

On the undercard:

Heavyweight’s Martin Buday and Nyle Bartling look to extend their respective winning streaks.

Michael Trizano and Kurban Taygibov duke it out in a featherweight clash.

Marc-Andre Barriault faces Gregory Rodrigues in middleweight action

And Paul Craig and Marco Tulio Silva open the main card portion of the broadcast with an exciting middleweight bout.

For the complete UFC APEX: Choi vs. Ige card, see below

UFC APEX: Choi vs. Ige (Saturday, February 22nd 2025)

Main Card (ESPN+)


Preliminary Card (ESPN+)

[maudlin career]

Jailton Almeida Sustains Broken Arm; Out of Action for Twelve Months

Jailton Almeida sustained a broken arm during his fight camp for the upcoming UFC 312 bout against Tom Aspinall. The estimated timetable for Almeida’s return has him out for about a year. As a result, his bout with Tom Aspinall has been called off.

With Almeida out, a major change shakes up the UFC 312 main card. Valter Ignacio who was originally slated to fight Alexander Volkov on this exact card will now be fighting Tom Aspinall. Meanwhile Sergey Pavlovich steps in on short notice Alexander Volkov.

For the updated UFC 312: Prochazka vs. Pereira II card, see below

UFC 312: Prochazka vs. Pereira II (Saturday, March 29th 2025)

Main Card (PPV)


Preliminary Card (ESPN)


Preliminary Card (ESPN+)

[maudlin career]

Ige Stops Choi in First Round TKO; Jourdain Scores KO Victory Over Landwehr

UFC APEX: Choi vs. Ige is in the books and Dan Ige picked up his third consecutive victory with a first round stoppage over ‘The Korean Superboy’ Doo Ho Choi. From the onset of the first round, Ige battered Choi with beautiful boxing and after a hard right hook, a shell shocked Choi found himself trapped against the cage where Ige continued to lay into him until referee Keith Patterson stepped in to call off the fight.

Charles Jourdain earned a Performance Bonus with his knockout victory over Nate Landwehr in the co-main event of the broadcast. Three minutes into the first round, Jourdain caught Landwehr flush with a left high kick that put Landwehr on rubbery legs. Jourdain then followed up the kick with a left hand that instantly put Landwehr to sleep.

On the undercard:

Martin Buday earned a unanimous decision victory over Nyle Bartling.

Featherweight standout Kurban Taygibov made a successful debut in the UFC with a knockout victory over Michael Trizano.

Marc-Andre Barriault scored a unanimous decision victory over Gregory Rodrigues.

And in the opening bout of the evening, Marco Tulio Silva finished Paul Craig with a TKO victory with just six seconds remaining in the first round.

For the complete UFC APEX: Choi vs. Ige results, see below.

[maudlin career]

Fight Week - UFC on ABC: Rakhmonov vs. Muhammad

UFC is live from Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with UFC on ABC: Rakhmonov vs. Muhammad.

A Pay Per View quality event is free on primetime television when UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad looks to make his first championship defense against the boogeyman of the welterweight division, Shavkaht Rakhmonov.

In the co-main event, the undefeated Umar Normagomedov faces olympian Henry Cejudo in a five round fight to determine the new UFC Interim Bantamweight Champion in the absence of champion Sean O’Malley.

Joining the two title fights on the undercard:

Marvin Vettori faces the former two time UFC Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland.

Edmen Shahbazyan faces his biggest challenge to date when he steps in the cage with former UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker.

And flyweights Muhammad Moakev and Amir Albazi open the event in a three round tilt.

For the complete UFC on ABC: Rakhmonov vs. Muhammad card, see below

UFC on ABC: Rakhmonov vs. Muhammad (Saturday, March 8th 2025)

Main Card (ABC Network)


Preliminary Card (ESPN 2)


Preliminary Card (ESPN+)

[maudlin career]

Two Championship Bouts Set for UFC 314 in May

During the UFC on ABC media scrum, Dana White has confirmed two championship fights for their Pay Per View debut in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Khamzat Chimaev returns to the octagon for his second championship defense. Standing opposite of him in the octagon is the #2 ranked middleweight in the world, Brendan Allen who has finished 7 of his past 8 opponents.

In the co-main event, Ilia Topuria returns after his devastating TKO finish over Max Holloway defending the UFC Featherweight Championship against world class wrestler, Movsar Evloev who is riding high after his dominant performance against Alexander Volkanovski.

UFC 314: Allen vs. Chimaev will take place in the Greensboro Coliseum May 10th, live on Pay Per View!

UFC 314: Allen vs. Chimaev (Saturday, May 10th 2025)

[maudlin career]

The Rakhmonov Era Begins; Umar Claims Interim Title in Wild Bout

UFC’s championship clash on primetime television did not disappoint as UFC on ABC: Rakhmonov vs. Muhammad goes down as an early event of the year contender.

Shavkat Rakhmonov was absolutely relentless in the main event. Giving Muhammad no room to breathe, Shavkat showcased his world class grappling ability by taking Muhammad down at will and battering him with punches. Muhammad displayed unparalleled heart and resiliency, taking Rakhmonov’s punishment for the better part of two rounds. In the third round, however, Rakhmonov managed to trap Belal’s arms in a crucifix, rocking him over and over with punch after punch until Herb Dean had finally seen enough and called off the fight.

Henry Cejudo and Umar Nurmagomedov went to war in the co-main event. Nurmagomedov took Cejudo down early in the first round and dictated the grappling for the duration of the first five minutes.

In the second round, Cejudo stunned Umar with a front kick and Umar had to create space from Cejudo to recover from the kick. Cejudo sensed a finish and fired away at Umar with a pair of punches. Nurmagomedov, however, was able to close the space between himself and Cejudo by clinching the former multi-divisional champion, surviving the round by smothering Cejudo against the cage.

Cejudo would kick off round three by utilizing a double leg to power Umar to the canvas and Cejudo once again looked poised to win, hitting Umar with a hard right hand from top control. Umar was able to work the underhooks and after a brief scramble, Umar was able to turn the tide of the fight by muscling Cejudo against the cage, working the body and head before eventually separating. The two would then finish the round with a kickboxing exchange that saw both men connect with some clean punches.

Umar would finally find his victory in the fourth round, this time powering Cejudo against the cage where he was able to lift the former Olympian up and bring him to the canvas. From there, Umar was able to secure a body triangle and it looked like a rear naked choke was coming. Cejudo valiantly defended the submission attempt and while trying to roll away from Umar to escape, it instead led with Umar in a top position with the body lock still applied. With Umar backpacking on Cejudo, he was able to rain down on Henry with several big rights and lefts that left Marc Goddard with no choice but to stop the fight.

On the undercard…

Middleweights Marvin Vettori and Sean Strickland had a highly entertaining scrap that saw Marvin Vettori edge out a split decision victory.

Edmen Shahbazyan made a case for being a middleweight to watch out for but despite that, it still wasn’t enough as Robert Whittaker gained a split decision victory in their three round tilt.

Muhammad Mokaev adds a win over Amir Albazi on his already impressive flyweight resume in the opening fight of the ABC broadcast.

For the full UFC on ABC: Rakhmonov vs. Muhammad, see below

[maudlin career]

Fight Week - UFC APEX: Bueno Silva vs. Tate

The Ultimate Fighting Championships returns to the UFC Apex just one week after a blockbuster in Riyadh with UFC APEX: Bueno Silva vs. Tate.

Former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Challenger Mayra Bueno Silva and Women’s Bantamweight Champion Miesha Tate will compete in a five round tilt that will show whether or not Miesha Tate still has what it takes to compete in the upper echelon of the 135lb division.

Riding a five fight win streak, Drakkar Klose competes with lightweight prospect Grant Dawson in the night’s co-main event.

Rounding out the main card portion of the broadcast:

Women’s flyweight competitors Lucie Pudilova and Tainar Lisboa compete in a three round bout.

Kevin Joussett faces Preston Parsons in welterweight action.

Welterweights Trey Waters and Themba Gorimbo look to continue their winning streaks.

And middleweights Virgil Augen and Rodolfo Vieira open the main card

For the complete UFC APEX: Bueno Silva vs. Tate card, see below

UFC APEX: Bueno Silva vs. Tate (March 15th, 2025)

Main Card (ESPN+)


Preliminary Card (ESPN+)

[maudlin career]

Tate Proves She Can Still Hang With the Elite; Dawson Earns Performance Bonus With Submission Victory

UFC APEX: Bueno Silva vs. Tate has wrapped up and Miesha Tate proved in a fairly dominant five round performance, that she still has what it takes to compete at an elite level. In the main event, Miesha Tate displayed better boxing and superb takedown defense to shut Mayra Bueno Silva down with a unanimous decision victory.

In the only finish of the main card portion of the broadcast, Grant Dawson earned a Performance Bonus for his north south choke submission victory over opponent Drakkar Klose. When interviewed by Paul Felder after the fight, Grant Dawson expressed interest in avenging his prior knockout loss at the hands of Bobby Green.

On the undercard:

Lucie Pudilova added another win to her fight resume with a unanimous decision victory over Tainara Lisboa in what many pundits widely considered the most exciting fight of the night.

French welterweight standout Kevin Jousset extended his UFC record to 4 and 0 with a unanimous decision nod over Preston Parsons.

Trey Waters now boasts an 11 and 1 record after he earned a unanimous decision victory over Themba Gorimbo

And former ARES FC competitor Virgil Augen found a successful debut in the opening fight of the night with a unanimous decision win against Rodolfo Vieira

For the complete UFC APEX: Bueno Silva vs. Tate results, see below

[maudlin career]

Fight Week - UFC APEX: Oezdemir vs. Murzakanov

The Ultimate Fighting Championships return to the UFC APEX for the second week in a row with March 22nd’s UFC APEX: Oezedemir vs. Murzakanov!

Volkan Oezdemir, the current #7 ranked light heavyweight in the UFC competes with the undefeated Azamat Murzakanov in a five round tilt that is almost guaranteed to end before the fifth round.

Bantamweights Mario Bautista and Vinicius de Olieveira collide in a co-main event that will undoubtedly shake up the bantamweight rankings.

Joining the two headlining fights on the main card:

Alex Perez will face the Japanese phenom Yuto Uda in what is sure to be an exciting flyweight clash.

Alex Munoz meets Ignacio Bahamondes in a lightweight tilt.

Middleweights Christian Leroy Duncan and Aliaskhab Khizriev duke it out in the octagon.

And welterweights Charles Radke and Jonny Parsons will open the main card portion of the broadcast.

For the complete UFC APEX: Oezdemir vs. Murzakanov card, see below

UFC APEX: Oezdemir vs. Murzakanov (Saturday, March 22nd 2025)

Main Card (ESPN+)


Preliminary Card (ESPN+)

[maudlin career]

Oezedimir Finishes Murzakanov With First Round KO; Oliveira Lands TKO Victory Over Bautista

Another UFC APEX reaches its conclusion and in the main event, Volkan Oezdemir was able to land a picture perfect uppercut on the undefeated Azamat Murzakanov for a knock out victory. With this devastating victory, Oezdemir is now standing at #4 within the light heavyweight rankings and could be possibly eyeing a title eliminator fight with former light heavyweight champion, Jan Blachowicz.

In bantamweight action, Vinicius de Oliveira extended his UFC winning streak to 3 and 0 with a first round TKO victory over Mario Bautista. Two minutes into the first round, Oliveira was able to catch Bautista with a right hook that sent him stumbling. Oliveira pounced on the opportunity, battering the body and head with a series of punches that Bautista had no answer for leading to referee Mark Smith to call the fight.

On the UFC APEX undercard

Alex Perez earned a split decision nod over Yuto Uda

Ignacio Bahamondes finished Alex Munoz in the third round with a TKO victory.

Christian Leroy Duncan put Aliaskhab Khizriev with a roundhouse kick to score a first round knockout victory.

Charles Radke earned a three round unanimous decision victory over Jonny Parsons to open the main card broadcast.

For the complete UFC APEX: Oezdemir vs. Murzakanov results, see below

[maudlin career]

Fight Week - UFC 312: Prochazka vs. Pereira II

The Ultimate Fighting Championships head to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this Saturday for UFC 312: Prochazka vs. Pereira II!

The combatants in Saturday night’s main event battled it out for the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship back at UFC 295 when Alex Pereira defeated Jiri Prochazka in the second round with a TKO stoppage.

Now, sixteen months later, Prochazka looks to right that past wrong, but to do that he has to fight in enemy territory, where 20,000 of Perieira’s countrymen will be rooting him on as he attempts to make his second defense of the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.

In the co-main event, Benoit Saint-Denis who is just one fight removed from his championship tilt against UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev returns to the cage to take on former UFC Lightweight Champion ‘Do Bronx’ Charles Oliveira.

Rounding out the PPV card:

Valter Ignacio fills in for an injured Jailton Almeida and faces his toughest test to date in the former UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall.

Sergey Pavlovich takes a short notice assignment, replacing Valter Ignacio in a heavyweight tilt against fellow countrymen Alexander Volkov.

Bruno Gustavo da Silva looks to make a case for UFC Flyweight Championship contention by stepping in the octagon with the polarizing Manel Kape.

For the complete UFC 312: Prochazka vs. Pereira II card, see below.

UFC 312: Prochazka vs. Pereira II (Saturday, March 29th 2025)

Main Card (PPV)


Preliminary Card (ESPN)


Preliminary Card (ESPN+)

[maudlin career]

Looking Ahead: UFC 313

During the UFC 312: Prochazka vs. Pereira II media scrum, Dana White revealed that the complete card for UFC 313 has been finalized.

The UFC Lightweight Championship is on the line in the main event when 26 - 1 UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev defends the title against the #3 ranked Michael Chandler who is coming off back to back TKO victories over Bobby Green and Conor McGregor.

Ronda Rousey makes her long awaited return to the UFC in the co-main event and standing opposite of perhaps the greatest female mixed martial artist of all time is the first woman who shocked the MMA world with her devastating knockout victory over Rousey in 2016, Holly Holm.

On the undercard:

Kevin Holland steps in the octagon once more and his opponent, the former UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards.

In Light Heavyweight action, Ryan Spann faces Russian knockout artist Magomed Ankalaev.

Kayla Harrison returns to the octagon after her loss to former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Juliana Pena and her opponent in a three round tilt is former Women’s Bantamweight Championship challenger Irene Aldana.

For the complete UFC 313: Chandler vs. Makhachev card, see below

UFC 313: Chandler vs. Makhachev (Saturday, April 19th 2025)

Main Card (PPV)


Preliminary Card (ESPN)


Preliminary Card (ESPN+)

[maudlin career]

Prochazka KOs Pereira in Brazil; Do Bronx With a Successful Return

UFC 312: Prochazka vs. Pereira II is in the books and in Rio de Janeiro a NEW UFC Light Heavyweight Champion was crowned when Jiri Prochazka avenged his prior second round at the hands of Alex Pereira at UFC 295 back in November of 2023.

At UFC 312, Prochazka showed pinpoint accuracy and displayed just how vicious his striking can be when he cut Pereira open with a slicing elbow across the forehead. Pereira kept it competitive, but twenty seconds into the second round, Prochazka wobbled Pereira with another elbow and then dealt the fatal blow with a left hand that connected on Pereira’s jaw.

After an eleven month layoff from a pectoral tear, Charles Oliveira returned to Brazil with a hero’s welcome. Benoit Saint-Denis was a game competitor and opened the first round by powering Oliveira to the canvas with a double leg takedown. This decision proved to be a fatal mistake as Oliveira displayed his world class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu prowess and before Saint-Denis could even offer a defense, he was caught deep in a triangle choke that left him no choice but to tap.

In a heavyweight clash, Tom Aspinall caught Valter Ignacio with an uppercut to the body that folded the Brazilian fighter causing Marc Goddard to call the fight three minutes and fifty-eight seconds into the first round.

Sergey Pavlovich finished fellow countryman Alexander Volkov with a series of strikes to earn a TKO stoppage in the first round.

And in the opening bout of the evening, Manel Kape made a serious case for a future UFC Flyweight Championship bout by finishing Bruno Gustavo da Silva in the third round by landing a high kick that would lead to Kape finishing da Silva with a series of strikes against the cage, causing Herb Dean to call the fight.

For the complete UFC 312: Prochazka vs. Pereira II results, see below





*Andrei Arlovski announced his retirement after his bout

[maudlin career]

Fight Week - UFC on ESPN: Costa vs. Hernandez

The Ultimate Fighting Championships returns to Atlanta, Georgia for the first time since 2019 with a UFC on ESPN televised broadcast.

In the main event, Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez continues his climb up the middleweight ladder with his toughest opponent to date, former UFC Middleweight Championship contender, Paulo Costa.

In the co-main event, Women’s Flyweight competitors Dakota Ditcheva and Erin Blanchfield compete in a bout that could potentially have Women’s Flyweight Championship implications.

Former LFA Bantamweight Champion John Sweeney returns to the octagon after his impressive knockout debut over former UFC champ Cody Garbrandt and in Atlanta, he steps back in the octagon with another former UFC Bantamweight Champion in the form of Dominick Cruz.

Middleweights Ikram Aliskerov and Andre Muniz compete in a three round tilt that will inevitably shake up the middleweight ladder

Jalin Turner looks for a big win after his TKO victory over Drew Dober when he competes against Thiago Moises

Bo Nickal looks to recover from his prior loss to Nursulton Ruziboev with a victory over #23 ranked Jun Yong Park.

For the complete UFC on ESPN: Costa vs. Hernandez card, see below

UFC on ESPN: Costa vs. Hernandez (Saturday, April 5th 2025)

Main Card (ESPN)


Preliminary Card (ESPN+)

 

[maudlin career]

Fluffy “In the Mix” With Submission Win Over Costa; Blanchfield Earns Flyweight Contention

Atlanta was treated to a night of exciting fights with the Ultimate Fighting Championships’ latest outing, UFC on ESPN: Costa vs. Hernandez.

Anthony Hernandez made his official entrance into the top five middleweight rankings after an impressive performance against former UFC Middleweight Champion contender Paulo Costa. “Fluffy” Hernandez had Paulo Costa hurt in several instances in the fight, but a fifth round takedown from Hernandez would lead to “Fluffy” securing a rear naked choke to earn a submission victory. With the win, Dana White has described Hernandez as being “in the mix” for a future UFC Middleweight Championship bout.

Joining Hernandez with a rare naked choke submission victory of her own was Erin Blanchfield with her third round victory over Dakota Ditcheva. While Ditcheva tagged Blanchfield with some hard punches, she had no answer for Blanchfield’s wrestling. In the third round, Blanchfield was able to take Ditcheva’s back to earn a rear naked choke victory. With the win, Dana White has confirmed that Blanchfield will be next in line for Alexa Grasso's UFC Women's Flyweight Championship.

In the night’s undercard…

Dominick Cruz weathered a third round blitz from John Sweeney to earn a 29 - 28 decision victory.

Middleweight standout Ikram Aliskerov found himself victim to a second round armbar from Andre Muniz

Thiago Moises earned a 30 - 27 unanimous decision victory over Jalin Turner.

Bo Nickal made a successful return to the octagon, beating the #23 ranked Jun Boung Park with a third round submission victory.

For the complete UFC on ESPN: Costa vs. Hernandez card, see below

[maudlin career]

Fight Week - UFC APEX: Alves vs. Burns

Long term UFC vets Gilbert Burns and Warlley Alves headline the upcoming UFC APEX card taking place on April 12th, live for ESPN+ subscribers.

Warlley Alves and Gilbert Burns have a combined forty fights in the octagon with both men’s UFC careers spanning over a decade. On April 12th, both men will show to the combat sports world and to each other who still has what it takes to compete among the elite in the UFC.

Twenty year old phenom Raul Rosas Jr looks to bounce back from his loss to TUF winner Ricky Turcios by taking on WEC vet Rani Yahya in the co main event of the evening.

Rounding out the main card:

Heavyweights class in a three round bout when Ali Isaev faces Caio Machado.

Molly McCann returns to the APEX Center in a Women’s Flyweight tilt against Maryna Moroz.

It’s champion vs. champion when RCC Welterweight Champion Boris Medvedev and LFA Welterweight Champion Shamidkhan Magomedov make their UFC debuts

Flyweights open the main card when Rei Tsuruya competes against Eduardo Henrique

For the complete UFC APEX: Alves vs. Burns card, see below

UFC APEX: Alves vs. Burns (Saturday, April 12th 2025)

Main Card (ESPN+)


Preliminary Card (ESPN+)

[maudlin career]

Burns Wins Five Round War; Yahya Wins Close Fight Against Rosas

The APEX played host to another night of exciting fights with UFC APEX: Alves vs. Burns!

In the night’s main event, Warlley Alves and Gilbert Burns went to war and earned UFC Performance Bonuses as a result. For the better part of five rounds, these welterweight vets battered each other with some of their best shots. In the fifth round, Burns floored Alves with an overhand that led to a scramble on the canvas. Burns was able to take Alves’ back during the scramble and secured a rear naked choke for the victory.

In co-main event action, despite losing, Raul Rosas Jr showcased that at only 20 years old, he has what it takes to stand toe to toe with the elite in the bantamweight division. Rosas and long-term WEC and UFC vet Rani Yahya engaged in a fifteen minute tilt where both men showcased their striking, wrestling, and grappling, and when the final bell sounded, two of the three judges scored the fight in favor of Rani Yahya, giving him a split decision victory.

In other main card action, Caio Machado earned a split decision victory over the debuting Ali Isaev.

In the sole women’s bout on the main card, Maryna Moroz scored a first round TKO victory over Molly McCann.

RCC Light Heavyweight Champion Boris Medvedev had a successful debut against LFA Light Heavyweight Champion Shamidkhan Magomedov with a second round TKO stoppage.

And Eduardo Henrique earned a unanimous decision victory over Rei Tsuruya.

For the complete UFC APEX: Alves vs. Burns results, see below.

[maudlin career]

UFC News & Rumor Round-Up

-Confirmed: The main card has been made official for May 17th’s UFC 314: Allen vs. Chimaev PPV event. As previously reported, two title fights headline the North Carolina PPV with Khamzat Chimaev defending his Middleweight Championship against Brendan Allen and Ilia Topuria defending the UFC Featherweight Championship against Movsar Evloev.

Rounding out the two title fights is a middleweight tilt with Nursulton Ruziboev facing former UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis, Tecia Torres squaring off with former UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship challenger Xiaonan Yan, and a featherweight tilt between Aljamain Sterling and Brian Ortega.

-Confirmed: Song Yadong and Cody Garbrandt have signed on to a five round main event bout for May 24th’s UFC APEX event. Joining them in the co-main event is #14 ranked women’s bantamweight Karol Rosa taking on #7 ranked Montserrat Rendon.

-Confirmed: Ronda Rousey’s upcoming UFC 313 bout with rival Holly Holm is not a one off fight. Rousey has signed a multi-year contract with the UFC with a reported four more fights guaranteed on her contract.

-The much talked about rematch between Jon Jones and Derrick Lewis is rumored to go down sometime this summer, possibly sometime in August.

-The next UFC on ABC broadcast is scheduled for July 5th. Expect a major card to celebrate the 4th of July weekend with multiple title fights slated to take place on the broadcast

-UFC has been in talks with Bellator Heavyweight Champion Ryan Bader. While the nature of these conversations cannot be verified, Bader did confirm on the MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani that his contract with Bellator did expire sometime after his February defense against Daniel James and that he was keeping his options open.

-McGregor’s next fight is slated for June and that an official announcement could happen as soon as UFC 313.

-Israel Adesanya is eyeing a return to light heavyweight.

-There has reportedly been heavy interest from both sides in bringing Demetrious Johnson back to the UFC for “one last run”

[maudlin career]

Fight Week - UFC 313: Chandler vs. Makhachev

Disclaimer: So instead of doing synopses for events, I want to incorporate what I used in an earlier diary and do a pre and post fight presser to add just a little bit of immersion to the diary. So here’s to something different.

So this new presser format will replace the summar stuff that I used to do. APEX cards won't have pressers so I might do a small blurb for those shows still.

Notes & Highlights from UFC 313 Pre-Fight Presser

-When asked about interest in a Welterweight Championship superfight, Islam Makhachev did express that it was something he had interest in and elaborated by saying that he misses the feeling of chasing for that #1 spot.

-Michael Chandler doesn’t feel slighted about Makhachev’s welterweight aspirations at all and believes that Islam’s distracted and that he’ll pay the price because of that.

-Rounda Rousey described her return to the UFC as a “last hurrah” and that she wants her daughter to see how badass her mom was as she gets older.

-Kevin Holland believes he should be in the title fight conversation with a win over Leon Edwards

-Dana White did confirm that Raquelle Pennington’s next challenger would be Nora Cornolle but that women’s bantamweights Kayla Harrison and Irene Aldana could be in the mix for future consideration with a good performance Saturday night.

-Dana White was very cryptic when addressing the rumored return of Conor McGregor simply telling media pundits to “stay tuned”

For the full UFC 313: Chandler vs. Makhachev card, see below

UFC 313: Chandler vs. Makhachev (Saturday, April 19th 2025)

Main Card (PPV)


Preliminary Card (ESPN)


Preliminary Card (ESPN+)

 

[maudlin career]

HYPE ALERT

UFC 315

During the Pay Per View of UFC 313 broadcast, a video package airs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foSCUT-wfj8

DUSTIN PORIER. CONOR MCGREGOR. THE FINAL FIGHT. UFC 315. LIVE ON PAY PER VIEW. JUNE 7TH

UFC 315: Poirier vs. McGregor IV (Saturday, June 7th 2025)