Day: 12. April 2025

Alexander Volkanovski once again sits at the head of the table.

The City Kickboxing Star called upon a piercing jab and astute lateral movement, as he earned a unanimous decision over Diego Lopes and captured the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight crown for a second time in the UFC 314 headliner on Saturday at the Kasey Center in Miami. Volkanovski (27-4, 14-3 UFC) swept the scorecards with 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46 marks from the cageside judges.

Advertisement

Lopes (26-7, 5-2 UFC) struggled to find an offensive flow but nevertheless had his moments. He knocked down Volkanovski with a chopping overhand right in the second round and later opened a pair of cuts near the Australian’s right eye. Lopes pushed a steady pace, doing everything he could to keep his shifty counterpart in his line of sight. The Volkanovski jab was the separator. He sent it crashing into Lopes’ face over and over again, using it as both a damaging weapon and as a means to …

Sherdog's live UFC 314 coverage will begin Saturday at 6 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Cornolle (-192), Cowan (+160)Round 1 After dragging through a number of less-than-spectacular events, many of them holed up at the UFC’s headquarters warehouse of the Apex, the final fight card on this long stretch will receive the royal treatment of sorts. Inside of the Kaseya Center in Miami, some 19,000-ish ravenous fans will be practically frothing at the mouth for consensual physical combat. That action commences in the lone catchweight contest of the evening, as France’s Cornolle (8-2, 2-1 UFC) clocked in a pound and a half over the bantamweight limit. Glad to be back in the cage for the first time in nearly two years, Cowan (7-3, 0-1 UFC) accepted the 20% fine assessed to Cornolle to allow the fight to happen. The ladies will be joined in the Octagon by referee Kerry Hatley, and a glove touch kicks off the evening’s hostilities. Cornolle gets right to business w…

Dan Ige passed another difficult test in the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division.

The Xtreme Couture mainstay rebounded from back-to-back losses to Diego Lopes and Lerone Murphy, as he turned away Sean Woodson with punches in the third round of their featured UFC 314 prelim on Saturday at the Kaseya Center in Miami. Ige (19-9, 11-8 UFC) brought it to a close 1:12 into Round 3, though it was not without controversy.

Advertisement

Woodson (13-2-1, 7-2-1 UFC) leaned on his seven-inch reach advantage and managed to keep the Hawaiian at bay with a persistent jab, unorthodox hand movements and evasive footwork through much of the first half of the bout. Ige staggered the Wolves Den Training Center product with a counter left hook at close range in the third round and gave chase with brutal body blows. Woodson ducked into a desperation single-leg, at which point he absorbed a series of short hammerfists that drew enough attention from referee Andrew G…

The moment Amanda Nunes found out she was being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame 🥹 #UFC314 pic.twitter.com/XtONrzrjLR

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 13, 2025

Amanda Nunes, who is widely regarded as the greatest female fighter of all-time, will be enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.

Advertisement

The promotion announced the news during the UFC 314 broadcast on Saturday. Nunes, who was in attendance at the Kaseya Center in Miami, teared up as a video tribute played on the big screen at the venue. Nunes will be enshrined as the 15th member of the Modern Wing during a ceremony on June 26 as part of International Fight Week.

“Amanda Nunes is the greatest female fighter of all-time,” UFC CEO Dana White said in a release. “Amanda was a great champion who had one of the most legendary careers in combat sports history. She is an incredible person, and it will be an honor to induct her into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.”

…

𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟: Your updated #PFLWorldTournament 3️⃣Fight Card

•Alexander Shabliy is out•Vinicius Cenci steps in and replaces Shabliy in the tournament•𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗟𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝘂𝗽: Brent Primus vs. Vinicius Cenci

Advertisement

•Jordan Newman is out•Nick Maximov… pic.twitter.com/adEzAkrkAb — PFL (@PFLMMA) April 12, 2025

One of the lightweight favorites is out of the Professional Fighters League 2025 world tournament.

The promotion announced on Saturday that Alexandr Shabliy has withdrawn from the bracket for undisclosed reasons. As a result, Vinicius Sacchelli Cenci will step in and face Brent Primus in a first-round matchup at 155 pounds. Additionally, Nick Maximov will replace Jordan Newman in a middleweight alternate bout against Khalid Murtazaliev.

PFL World Tournament 3 takes place on Friday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, and features middleweight and lightweight pairings. The main card is headlined by a 185-pound tilt …

👀🥊Aaron Pico said he has better boxing than Ilia Topuria:

“I think I can be a champion within a year."

Advertisement

🎥 @ufc ▫️pic.twitter.com/ICfSkZd891 — Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) April 11, 2025

Aaron Pico thinks he can be a UFC champion within a year.

Pico recently confirmed his UFC signing after parting ways with Professional Fighters League. Pico was initially rumored to be matched up against top featherweight UFC contender Movsar Evloev. However, Evloev refuted the rumors right before Pico officially announced his UFC signing.

Pico also made some lofty claims about his immediate career plans, as the former Bellator MMA star believes he can be a UFC champ within a year. Pico also considers himself better than former champ Ilia Topuria, who recently vacated the strap for his lightweight goals.

“I think I can be champion within a year. I know that’s a bold prediction but I truly feel it. Ask Freddie Roach, …

Ilia Topuria says he’ll ask Islam Makhachev what his favourite submission is, and submit him with it in front of Khabib 😳

“D’Arce choke? I’m gonna submit you with that… I’ll take him close to Khabib. I will submit him close to Khabib.”

Advertisement

🎥 @PBDsPodcastpic.twitter.com/3PzFSsLtTD — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 11, 2025

Ilia Topuria continues to exude confidence as he prepares to debut in a new division.

Topuria has always been supremely confident and never failed to live up to his words during his rise to UFC featherweight championship. However, “La Leyenda” is now set to face greater challenges after vacating his belt to move up to lightweight — often considered the toughest division in the UFC.

At the top of the lightweight division stands No.1 pound-for-pound fighter Islam Makhachev. While Topuria is rallying for an immediate title shot at lightweight, Makhachev isn’t willing to fight the undefeated…

🥺 🇧🇷 Diego Lopes tears up when his family in Brazil whom he haven't seen for 11 years wished him good luck in his title fight this weekend:

"I left them 11 years ago, when I left home. I remember I was very clear with my mother and my father, and with my brothers that I will… pic.twitter.com/AgCu5HPayC

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) April 11, 2025

Advertisement

Diego Lopes was recently overwhelmed with emotions while speaking of his family.

Lopes challenges Alexander Volkanovski for the vacant featherweight title in the main event at UFC 314 on Saturday at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. The Brazilian recently received a compilation video of his family members wishing him luck going into his first UFC title fight. Lopes was clearly overwhelmed by the video and shed some tears while discussing his family. The UFC star left home more than a decade ago, promising to return only when he could afford a better life for his family. A…