Day: 15. Mai 2025

The Professional Fighters League has officially put together the second phase of its Global tournament.

On Thursday, the PFL announced via press release all 11 fights that make up the 2025 PFL World Tournament 7 Semifinals event taking place on June 27 in Chicago. Middleweights, light heavyweights and heavyweights will all hold their semifinals in the Wintrust Arena in the Windy City, along with a trio of alternate bouts and pair of showcases including an exciting tilt at 135 pounds. Two former Bellator MMA champions and ex-training partners will toe the line, as Sergio Pettis (23-7) collides with Raufeon Stots (21-2) in what could be a title eliminator that could face the winner of the bantamweight bracket at year’s end.

Pettis surrendered his 135-pound crown in 2023 to Patrick Mix, who has since left the organization and reportedly signed with the UFC. A rematch with Kyoji Horiguchi, whom he won the belt from in 2021, did not go his way last year. This two-fight…

😧 Gilbert Burns tells how after Khamzat Chimaev fight he started making more money and gained fame which led him to lose focus.

"That took me slowly away of my path, that Durinho that trains really hard, that wants to become a champion."

🎥 @Home_of_Fight pic.twitter.com/TKlxSAkTty

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) May 14, 2025

Gilbert Burns’ celebrity status following his fight with Khamzat Chimaev may have robbed him of some hunger.

Burns (22-8) came up short in a welterweight championship bid against former teammate Kamaru Usman in 2021. After bouncing back with a win over Stephen Thompson, a still peaking Burns was matched up in a potential title eliminator against Khamzat Chimaev. “Durinho” put on arguably one of the greatest performances of his life in a barnburner, despite dropping a unanimous decision against the undefeated contender.

Burns recently revealed that the hype behind that matchup changed things for him…

Jiri Prochazka has his priorities sorted.

If anyone could turn down an Ultimate Fighting Championship matchup, probably for the title, it had to be Prochazka (31-5). The former light heavyweight champ famously lives by the Bushido code and has an unorthodox persona in general.

Magomedov Ankalaev was looking for an opponent to defend his title at UFC 317 on June 28. But the most logical contender, Alex Pereira, wasn’t ready to fight on such short notice. Prochazka’s manager, Tim Simpson, recently revealed that the UFC had asked if “BJP” could be ready on that date. The UFC considering another option even seemingly led to a slight falling out with “Poatan.”

However, Prochazka chose his upcoming university exams over what was a potential title shot.

“We had one offer for a match, but everything is being postponed because of school,” Prochazka’s coach Matin Karaivanov told Sportz.cz. “Once he finishes it, we will continue negotiations.”

Prochazka is…

😂Dricus Du Plessis reacted on Instagram to the news that Nassourdine Imavov will be the backup fighter for #UFC319

"Guess I’m fighting Nassourdine Imavov."▫️ pic.twitter.com/w85WgKRWqD

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) May 14, 2025

Dricus Du Plessis took a dig at Khamzat Chimaev’s history of pulling out after a backup was announced for their upcoming matchup.

Du Plessis (23-2) is scheduled to defend his middleweight title against Chimaev (14-0) in the UFC 319 main event on Aug. 16 at United Center in Chicago. Nassourdine Imavov was recently announced as the back-up fighter for the middleweight title clash, which means the French striker has to make weight for an opportunity to step in if either du Plessis or Chimaev pulls out.

Reacting to the announcement, du Plessis said he’s fighting Imavov, reminding Chimaev of his history of pulling out.

“Guess I’m fighting [Imavov,]” du Plessis wrote on his Instagram Stories.

<…

Wow! Real exciting times again in the UFC!

Oh Yes! 🙏☘️

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Bravo, Dana White! Never a doubt! @ufc @TKOGrp @bareknucklefc 💰💰💰@tidlsport @ForgedStout 💰💰💰💰@TheMacLife 💰💰💰💰💰 — Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) May 14, 2025

Conor McGregor is teasing an Ultimate Fighting Championship return for the umpteenth time.

McGregor (22-6) seemingly hasn’t given up on his UFC career. UFC CEO Dana White recently made a string of fight announcements that have McGregor excited. Islam Makhachev vacated the lightweight title and moved up to welterweight to challenge Jack Della Maddalena. Meanwhile, Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira will fight for the vacant 155-pound strap at UFC 317 on June 28.

Reacting to these announcements, McGregor teased a return, hinting at returning to the drug testing pool.

“Call that big bu** nurse,” McGregor wrote on his Instagram story. “Wow real exciting times ahead again in the UFC. Let’s get …

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Jake Paul plans to make Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. quit in their upcoming boxing clash.

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Paul and Chavez Jr., son of former three-division world champ Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., will trade leather in a Dazn pay-per-view card on June 28 at Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The two met at a press conference on Wednesday, where Paul promised to prove his doubters wrong and embarrass Chavez.

“I’m going to shock the world once again and prove how good I am, how powerful I am,” Paul said. “This is his toughest fight to date. And I’m going to embarrass him and make him quit like he always does.”

Initially a YouTuber-turned-boxer, Paul started gaining attention when he knocked out former One Championship king Ben Askren in a boxing match. “The Problem Child” has since made a successful business out of fighting and mostly beating legendary boxers and MMA fighters well past their prime. Paul has victories over the likes of Anderson Silva,…

Charles Oliveira has opened as a massive betting underdog against Ilia Topuria.

Islam Makhachev vacated his lightweight title and moved up to welterweight to challenge Jack Della Maddalena after the Australian dethroned his friend Belal Muhammad at UFC 315. Makhachev would have defended his lightweight title against Ilia Topuria had Muhammad retained his belt.

However, Topuria (16-0) will now fight former champ Charles Oliveira (35-10) for the vacant 155-pound title in the UFC 317 main event on June 28 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Topuria also recently vacated his featherweight crown in pursuit of a lightweight strap.

Oliveira has opened as a massive +250 underdog on most sportsbooks while Topuria is a -300 favorite. Despite this being Topuria’s debut against a former champ, the odds speak of how highly “La Leyenda” is regarded. The undefeated Georgian-Spaniard has finished 14 of his 16 pro wins, 8 of which came in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Topuria…