Day: 17. Februar 2025

Nine-time Octagon veteran Joe Solecki is calling it a career. The UFC lightweight announced his retirement in an post via Instagram on Monday. The 31-year-old exits the sport with a 13-6 career mark. The Wenonah, New Jersey, native went 5-4 during his tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion.

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“Today, after chasing this dream for 10 years, I am officially retiring from the sport of MMA,” Solecki wrote.

“I started this endeavor as a kid with a dream of making it to the UFC. It then grew into so many more goals and dreams, some of which I achieved and others where I fell short. In a way, despite falling short at times (especially this past year), I ‘lived my movie.’ Competing at the highest level in the UFC and grinding it out on the regional circuit to make it to the top have taught me more life lessons and things about myself, hard work, and determination than I ever could’ve imagined. This avenue in life has helped me grow in so many ways as a ma…

Miesha Tate will return to action in a bantamweight bout against Yana Santos on May 3.

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Tate initially revealed the pairing in a post on Instagram, and it was subsequently confirmed by Santos. The UFC has not formally announced the fight. The UFC Fight Night event is expected to take place in Des Moines, Iowa.

“I’ve still got what it takes and if you doubt me, please stick around. Mark your calendars,” Tate wrote.

A former Strikeforce and UFC bantamweight queen, Tate hasn’t competed since defeating the recently-retired Julia Avila via third-round submission at UFC on ESPN 52 in December 2023. “Cupcake” initially retired following a loss to Raquel Pennington at UFC 205 in November 2016, but she returned to action in 2021. Tate has fought sporadically since then, posting a 2-2 mark within the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Santos, meanwhile, snapped a three-bout skid in her last outing, when she outpointed Chelsea Chandler at UFC on ESPN 61 t…

Conor McGregor is living up to his vow to challenge the ruling that went against him in a civil lawsuit late last year.

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According to a report from BBC, McGregor filed an appeal of the verdict that found him civilly liable for sexual assault against Nikita Hand in Irish courts this past Friday.

In November, the Dublin High Court found that McGregor sexually assaulted Hand in 2018 and ordered the former two-division UFC champion to pay more than $250,000 in damages. Because it was a civil trial, McGregor did not face criminal charges in the case. He denied the sexual assault accusations during the trial and after the verdict, claiming that it was a consensual encounter.

“People want to hear from me, I needed time. I know I made mistakes,” McGregor wrote in a since-deleted post on social media. “Six years ago, I should have never responded to her outreaches. I should have shut the party down. I should never have stepped out on the woman I love…

[embedded content] The Professional Fighters League has business to conduct beyond the introduction of its new World Tournament format in 2025. Francis Ngannou, the most important fighter on the company’s roster, could take his combat sports career in a variety of directions, with a host of options available to him.

Ngannou ranks as the top attraction for the PFL and also serves as the chairman of PFL Africa, enhancing his long-term importance to the organization. With the PFL looking to find success and build new stars through its international leagues across the globe, Ngannou will have a significant impact—inside and outside the cage. “The Predator” made his long-awaited promotional debut at PFL “Battle of the Giants,” where he punched out Renan Ferreira in the first round of their Oct. 19 pay-per-view headliner. It afforded Ferreira, a rising star within the company, the opportunity to challenge one of the biggest names in the sport and drew plenty of attention.

A…

It was a big deal for Youssef Zalal to share the Octagon with Calvin Kattar.

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So much so that Zalal even needed a little reminder from his coach that he belonged in the cage with the accomplished featherweight before their fight in the UFC Vegas 102 co-main event in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

“I don’t think people realize how much pressure I put on myself in every single fight. I remember coach telling me before I walked out: ‘He’s just a face, remove the name.’ I’m still learning that,” Zalal said at the post-fight press conference. “I’m a fan of this sport, No. 1. Also, sometimes I go in there and forgot that I am that good. I am that exciting, I am that guy.”

Zalal relied on speed and mobility to cruise to a unanimous decision triumph over Kattar in their clash, earning his fourth consecutive UFC triumph — and seventh victory in a row overall. An accurate jab and solid leg kicks were the weapons of choice for “The Moroccan Devil” as he rac…

Belal Muhammad says he would never fight Islam Makhachev, and would rather move up to 185 and let Islam fight for the 170 title

“I think 185 is probably the easiest weight class, besides Khamzat. Bro, Strickland and Du Plessis suck.”

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🎥 @barstoolchicagopic.twitter.com/uwAKNSVHtk — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 16, 2025

Belal Muhammad would rather move up in weight than fight Islam Makhachev.

Like many UFC champs, Muhammad and Makhachev have recently expressed double-champ aspirations. However, Makhachev’s primary hindrance is Muhammad, as he is a good friend and training partner of the welterweight champ.

Muhammad also recently clarified that he isn’t willing to welcome Makhachev to welterweight under any circumstance. Muhammad would rather move up to middleweight and let the lightweight champ climb to 170 pounds. While Makhachev has defended his lightweight strap four times, Muhammad is yet to defend h…

A matchup of women’s bantamweights has been added to UFC 315.

Nora Cornolle (8-2) and Hailey Cowan (7-3) will trade leather at UFC 315 on May 10 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The matchup was first reported by MMAjunkie.com.

Both Cornolle and Cowan will attempt to return to the win column after losses in their previous outings. Cornolle looked to avenge a loss in her pro debut against Jacqueline Cavalcanti when they met in a rematch at UFC Paris in September 2024. However, the Frenchwoman dropped a split decision against Cavalcanti, the only opponent to beat her. That snapped an eight-fight winning streak for Cornolle, who had been victorious in her first two UFC outings.

Meanwhile, Cowan earned her UFC contract with a split-decision win over Claudia Leite on Dana White's Contender Series in 2022. “All Hail” suffered a unanimous decision loss against Jamey-Lyn Horth in her UFC debut in 2023. She has since seen bookings against Zarah Fai…