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Khalil Rountree says he won’t change his style for his upcoming title fight.

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Even Rountree likely did not expect his wish to be granted when he called for title shot against Alex Pereira after brutally knocking out Anthony Smith in December 2023. At the time, Pereira had just won the light heavyweight title with a knockout win over former champ Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 this past November. Two title defenses later, Pereira is now slated to defend his strap against Rountree in the main event at UFC 307 on Oct. 5 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

While initially making his case for a title shot against Pereira, Rountree had argued that it would stylistically be a fan-favorite matchup. Now amid severe criticism from higher-ranked contenders, Rountree continues to defend the matchup by citing the standup abilities of both athletes. And since he believes he was granted the matchup for the same reason, Rountree doesn’t plan on robbing fans of …

Tom Aspinall’s digs at Jon Jones continue to get harsher with time.

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Jones has been sidelined since pulling out of his scheduled heavyweight title defense against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 in November 2023. Aspinall captured the interim title with a short-notice knockout win over Sergei Pavlovich on the same card. “Honey Badger” has since been calling for a title unifier against Jones, who remains intent on fighting Miocic upon his return to action. Jones vs. Miocic has been rumored for UFC 309 in November, though it has not been formally announced by the promotion.

In the meantime, Aspinall also defended his interim strap with a KO win over Curtis Blaydes in front of his home fans at UFC 304 in Manchester last month. Meanwhile, Jones has hinted at retirement after fighting Miocic, potentially by the end of the year. Former UFC champ Michael Bisping recently revealed that the fellow Brit called Jones a “fanny” when talking about his retirement plans.…

Dan Hooker is hinting at a potential clash against Charles Oliveira next and it isn’t the first time he has done so.

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Hooker previously announced a fight with Oliveira before admitting that he was just fooling around when “do Bronx” dismissed the report. “The Hangman” instead went on to fight Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 305 which went down in Perth, Australia, last weekend. A +250 underdog going into the fight, Hooker eked out a split-decision win in his “Fight of the Night” war with the Pole.

"We got the hand raised, not bad for an off night,” Hooker recently told The Mac Life. “I feel like I had an off night, timing wasn't really there, and I said that the fight’s going to play out one or two ways; It's either I pick him off from distance and he can't cover that ground or I get taken down and we scramble and I just have to get up and pressure him and kind of wear through him. I feel like it was the second of the two options, it was more of a worst-case …

Last weekend was full of strong emotions for former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum.

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After being inducted into the ADCC Hall of Fame along with five other key figures — Xande Ribeiro, Jean Jacques Machado, Ronaldo Souza, Vinny Magalhaes and Orlando Sanchez — Werdum met backstage with the person mainly responsible for his arrival at the event in 2003: Mark Kerr.

“Not many people remember, but it was thanks to Kerr that I joined the ADCC,” Werdum said. “The year was 2003. I had gone to Los Angeles to compete in the Jiu-Jitsu Pan American Championship and as I was still starting out and couldn't afford a hotel, I slept in the dojo at the Beverly Hills JJ Club owned by my friend Marcus Vinicius de Lucia, where Kerr trained. When the Pan American ended and I was going back to Spain, Marcus arrived at the gym with Kerr and suggested that I stay in L.A. to help Kerr for the super fight he would have with Arona at the 2003 ADCC in Sao Paulo. I re…

Week 2 of Dana White's Contender Series is now official, as all 10 athletes slated to compete made weight without issue on Monday.

The Contender Series takes place on Tuesday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and features a welterweight showdown between Pat Pytlik (169) and Andreas Gustafsson (170.5). The card airs on ESPN+ beginning at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

A native of Ontario, Canada, Pytlik has been victorious in nine of his first 10 professional outings. The 35-year-old is coming off back-to-back first-round knockout wins under the Unified MMA banner.

Gustafsson, 33, has compiled a 10-2 career mark while competing for organizations such as Brave Combat Federation, KSW and Cage Warriors. He has won four of his last five outings, finishing each of his victories within two rounds.

Contender Series Weigh-in Results:Pat Pytlik (169) vs. Andreas Gustafsson (170.5)Rizvan Kuniev (263.5) vs. Hugo Cunha (259.5)Cortavious Romious (136) vs. Michael Imperato (135…

Tai Tuivasa will “live to fight another day” after his UFC 305 loss against Jairzinho Rozenstruik.

Tuivasa took on Rozenstruik in front of his home fans at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, on Saturday. “Bam Bam” was completely outclassed by the Surinamese heavyweight on the feet on the way to a split-decision loss. Howie Booth, the dissenting judge who bizarrely gave all three rounds to Tuivasa, was relieved of his duties for the rest of the card and faced widespread online backlash.

Tuivasa has now released a statement thanking his fans and addressing the loss. The Australian fan favorite says he couldn’t get his hand raised despite having put everything into his preparation for the fight. However, Tuivasa seems set on moving forward with his MMA career.

“F—k. What a sport. I put my all into this camp and didn’t come away with the win,” Tuisvasa wrote on Instagram. “Big love to all my fans. I put my all into this, didn’t get the treats. My bad. Love you…

Carlos Prates and Kalinn Williams are seemingly set on a collision course.

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Prates scored a vicious second-round knockout win over Jingliang Li to start off the UFC 305 main card in Perth, Australia, on Saturday. Despite earning his third consecutive knockout win in the UFC, Prates subsequently called for an “easy” fight against Williams before he takes on ranked opponents. Elaborating on his callout, Prates explained that he was looking for yet another $50,000 bonus in case he wasn’t awarded one at UFC 305.

“I don’t know, I think he is a good opponent, he is a striker,” Prates said at the post-fight press conference. “And to be honest, I almost buy my own house in Brazil. So if I don’t get bonus today, for sure if I fight him, maybe December I’ll get the bonus. Nothing personal against him, just business. And it is what it is.”

Prates ultimately did win a “Performance of the Night” bonus at UFC 305, again his third in as many UFC outings. How…

Strawweights Amanda Ribas (13-5) and Mackenzie Dern (14-5) will run it back at UFC Tampa near the end of the year.

Ribas will take on Dern at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, on Dec. 14. The matchup was first reported by Ag.Fight.

Dern will have the chance to avenge a unanimous decision loss against Ribas that occurred at UFC Fight Night 161 in October 2019. Dern bounced back from that loss with a four-fight winning streak that included three finishes. Currently 2-2 in her past four, Dern is fresh off a unanimous decision win over Lupita Godinez at UFC on ABC 7 on Aug. 3.

Meanwhile, Ribas’ initial win over Dern was part of a four-fight winning streak to start her UFC journey. The Brazilian has alternated wins and losses in her last eight outings, most recently suffering a unanimous decision defeat against Rose Namajunas in a flyweight bout this past March.

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Dricus Du Plessis coach Morne Visser recently weighed in on potential future matchups for the middleweight champ.

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Du Plessis defended his strap with a fourth-round submission win over Israel Adesanya in the main event of UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, on Saturday. While “Stillknocks” and Adesanya had long been beefing over their authenticity as “African champ,” they appeared to bury the hatchet after their fight on Saturday.

Visser says it’s a relief to have peace in Africa. Visser also revealed that he had already discussed a potential rematch with Adesanya when they crossed paths. According to Visser, Adesanya is the most suitable opponent for a potential UFC card in South Africa, which could happen during Du Plessis’ title reign.

“There’s peace in Africa now, which is a good feeling,” Visser told Submission Radio. “I did say to Izzy when I saw him earlier, I said to him that I believe there’s talks of doing [a UFC card in] …

Things appeared to be going fairly well for Israel Adesanya at UFC 305, but momentum shifted quickly in the championship rounds.

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About halfway through the fourth frame, Dricus Du Plessis clipped the Nigerian-born Kiwi with a series of right hands before powering him to the canvas. Shortly thereafter, the reigning champion elicited a tapout from Adesanya with a rear-naked choke at the 3:36 mark of the period.

“For me, I have to watch it again because I don’t think I was rocked. I think I slipped and I was like, ‘What the f—k was that?’ And then he was trying to catch me as I was exiting,” Adesanya said at the UFC 305 post-fight press conference. “I can’t remember how he took me down because everything in me is always a blur…

“I tried to fight the top hand, and I don’t know what mistake I made because I tried to turn into him, but then he got on my back because I was using the fence, maybe? He switched to a Gable grip, and then I wasn’t able to s…

Dricus Du Plessis is well aware of Alex Pereira’s callout, but he isn’t so certain it’s the best idea for the Brazilian to challenge him at 185 pounds.

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After Du Plessis defended his middleweight title with a fourth-round submission of Israel Adesanya in the UFC 305 headliner on Saturday night, “Poatan” hinted at a return to the middleweight division. Pereira initially claimed 185-pound gold with a stoppage of Adesanya in his fourth Octagon appearance at UFC 281. He moved to light heavyweight after falling to “The Last Stylebender” in their rematch, and the Brazilian has since become the promotion’s champion in his new weight class, authoring two successful title defenses thus far in 2024.

“I honestly don’t think Alex Pereira should drop down to 185. If he wants to, great, perfect. But then we’re going to hear the excuses,” Du Plessis said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I saw Izzy stiff that man in the first round. I felt Izzy’s punchin…

Dricus Du Plessis has multiple eyes on his him after his first successful middleweight title defense.

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Du Plessis and Adesanya went toe-to-toe in an entertaining championship bout at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, on Saturday night. While Du Plessis had some early success, Adesanya started finding momentum as the fight progressed, visibly edging past the champ on the feet. However, “Stillknocks” rocked Adesanya with a blistering flurry in the fourth round and almost immediately sunk in a rear-naked choke to earn the finish.

Sean Strickland, who lost his title to Du Plessis via split decision at UFC 297 this past January, has long been adamant on fighting only for the title next. Strickland called for a rematch against Du Plessis in the immediate aftermath of the UFC 305 main event.

“Time for war Dutch man,” Strickland wrote.

Time for war Dutch man......

— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) August 18, 2024

When a…

Valter Walker weighed in on his chaotic win over Junior Tafa at UFC 305 on Saturday.

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Walker took on Tafa in preliminary heavyweight matchup at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Walker controlled Tafa on the ground throughout the first round before locking in a heel hook that incited a scream from the New Zealander. While Walker did not tap, referee Steve Perceval called a stop to the contest at 4:52 of the opening frame.

Tafa seemed to only briefly protest the stoppage before squaring up to Walker and slapping his unsuspecting opponent while surrounded by security. Weighing in on the stoppage, Walker says he would have snapped Tafa’s foot if the referee hadn’t intervened.

“If referee not stop, I broke his foot,” Walker said during a post-fight media scrum. “I take his foot to home with me. My coach say, broke and I go to broke. I don’t go for tap, I go for him screaming.”

Walker said Tafa was not a man for cheap shotting him when he couldn’t lan…

CASEY O'NEILL'S CELEBRATION 😅 #UFC305 pic.twitter.com/1OXarBr2VT

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 18, 2024

Casey O'Neill celebrated her UFC 305 win with a mimicry of viral Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn’s Olympic performance.

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O’Neill bounced back from a two-fight slump with an emphatic unanimous decision victory over Luana Santos at the RAC Arena on Saturday night in Perth, Australia. “King” celebrated her victory with a mockery of Gunn’s Olympic breakdance performance, which has recently been in headlines.

Speaking of her celebration, O’Neill considers her performance better than the Australian academic-breakdancer known as “Raygun,” who has been dealing with serious online hate for her bizarre show at the Paris 2024 Olympics. O’Neill even joked about taking a hiatus from MMA for a detour into breakdance to represent Australia in the 2028 Olympics.

“I give that a 10. I think I did better than she did in the Oly…

Dan Hooker and Mateusz Gamrot went back-and-forth for three rounds at UFC 305.

While it was Hooker who emerged with a split-decision triumph, both lightweights went home with an additional $50,000 after the bout received “Fight of the Night” honors. Hooker blended effective striking with relatively stout takedown defense to earn the nod from two of the three cageside judges at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, on Saturday night.

Elsewhere, Kai Kara-France garnered a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for a statement-making victory against Steve Erceg in the flyweight co-main event. “Don’t Blink” initially floored his foe with a left hook before pressuring Erceg against the cage, where he dropped “Astro Boy” again — this time with a right cross. Follow-up punches brought an end to the contest at the 4:04 mark of the opening stanza as Kara-France ended a two-bout skid.

Finally, Carlos Prates received the card’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” awa…

No one responds to adversity any better the Dricus Du Plessis. In fact, the man seems to feed off of it.

The 30-year-old South African retained his undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight title in scintillating fashion and turned away Israel Adesanya with a rear-naked choke in the fourth round of their emotionally charged UFC 305 headliner on Saturday at RAC Arena in Perth Australia. Adesanya (24-4, 13-4 UFC), who had never before been submitted, raised the white flag of surrender 3:36 into Round 4.

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Du Plessis (22-2, 8-0 UFC) waded through considerable difficulty before he arrived at the finish line. Adesanya zeroed in on his body with hooks from both hands and well-timed kicks, attacked his legs when the mood arose and pieced together stirring combinations to the head. Du Plessis refused to go away. The Team CIT rep executed multiple takedowns—he threatened Adesanya’s neck in the first round in a harbinger of what was in store—and co…

Sherdog's live UFC 305 coverage will begin Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET.UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now! BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Nicoll (-230), Aguilar (+190)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Song (-192), Glenn (+160)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield sc…

Valter Walker dug into his bag of tricks and took a small but not insignificant step forward in the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight division.

The ex-Titan Fighting Championship titleholder disposed of Junior Tafa with a heel hook in the first round of their featured UFC 305 prelim on Saturday at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Tafa (5-3, 1-3 UFC) yelled in pain as his adversary isolated his leg and cranked, resulting in the verbal submission.

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UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now!

Walker (12-1, 1-1 UFC) withstood power punches from the Soma Fight Club product, secured two takedowns, established a dominant position and eventually targeted a lower extremity. Tafa went nose to nose with the Brazilian in the aftermath and delivered a slap to the side of his head before he was physically escorted to the other side of the cage.

Meanwhile, Ricardo Ramos rode an opportunistic takedown and a near-finish to a …

Brendan Allen punches Marvin Vettori post PFL playoffs @ufc #ufc pic.twitter.com/eU3BxIivxr

— himothy (@Im565097757086) August 17, 2024

Though they have yet to cross paths in the Octagon, that didn’t prevent Brendan Allen and Marvin Vettori from getting into a scuffle on Friday night.

The two UFC middleweights brawled on the casino floor at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida, following the PFL 8 playoff card at the same venue. Multiple videos of the altercation have surfaced on social media.

According to a report from MMA Mania, the fight began when Vettori threw a punch at UFC light heavyweight George Tokkos. That prompted Allen to enter the fray and throw punches at “The Italian Dream.”

Vettori appeared to be no worse for wear in a video posted to his Instagram stories.

“One arm Vettori is unbeaten,” he wrote. “Ain’t never missing s—t.”

Meanwhile, UFC CEO Dana White couldn’t resist taking a shot at the rival pro…

Kayla Harrison is willing to replace either Raquel Pennington or Julianna Pena in their UFC 307 title fight if needed.

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The promotion recently announced Pennington’s title defense against Pena as the co-main event at UFC 307 on Oct. 5 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Meanwhile, Harrison fights Ketlen Vieira on the same card, with the winner expected to get the next bantamweight title shot.

Harrison doesn’t necessarily agree with the matchups and considers herself deserving of a title shot already. However, she plans to put on a performance that will set her levels apart from not only her opponent, but also from the other two bantamweights fighting for the title.

“I don’t necessarily agree with the decision, but if they want me to smash another skull, I’ll smash another skull,” Harrison told MMAjunkie.com. “I think Ketlen’s good. I’m just at a different level. I’m at a different level from all of them. I’m gonna go out on Oct. 5 and…

Khalil Rountree Jr. receiving a title shot did not sit well with some other light heavyweight contenders.

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It was announced on Friday that Rountree will challenge Alex Pereira for the 205-pound crown at UFC 307 on Oct. 5 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Former champs Jan Blachowicz and Jamahal Hill immediately took issue with the announcement.

Blachowicz believes the Pereira is receiving “special protection” from the UFC, which the Brazilian doesn’t need.

“With all due respect to Khalil but there are at least two higher ranked contenders who are ready to fight Poatan,” Blachowicz wrote on X. “He doesn’t need special protection.”

With all due respect to Khalil but there are at least two higher ranked contenders who are ready to fight Poatan. He doesn’t need special protection.

— Jan Blachowicz (@JanBlachowicz) August 16, 2024

Meanwhile, Hill, who was scheduled to fight Rountree at UFC 303 in June, broug…

Danny Sabatello says he could be done fighting after a disappointing result in his Professional Fighters League debut.

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Sabatello faced fellow debutant Lazaro Dayron at PFL 8 on Friday, a fight which marked the launch of the promotion’s bantamweight division as well. It was a closely-contested affair, with Lazaro dropping Sabatello in the first round and “The Italian Gangster” answering back with dominant wrestling in the second frame.

While they went toe-to-toe in the final round, a point was deducted from Dayron for a blatant fence grab. However, the fight ended in a controversial majority draw, which has left Sabatello in shock. Without diving into the analysis of their performances, Sabatello believes the point deduction should have been enough to sway the scorecards in his favor.

“I have to go back and look but I don’t see any scenario how he would have won that fight, given they took the point away…And this is huge, this isn’t like a foo…

Daniel Cormier asks Dricus du Plessis how he's getting his opponents emotional:

"I think I might be the problem. Obviously because it's 2/2." 😭😭

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🎥 @ufc #UFC305 #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/fnjV5eJWsq — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) August 16, 2024

Dricus Du Plessis certainly has a knack for making his opponents emotional.

This initially surfaced prior to Du Plessis’ title win over Sean Strickland at UFC 297 this past January, when he touched a nerve with his opponent during a pre-fight press conference. “Stillknocks” broached the tender subject of Strickland’s abusive childhood, which led to the then champ threatening to stab Du Plessis.

Du Plessis is now scheduled to defend his title against former champ Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia. The two have long been feuding over the legitimacy of their status as real African champs. While Du Plessis, who lives and trains in South Africa, claims to be the …

[embedded content] The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Australia with a middleweight championship fight atop the card.

Both champion and challenger made weight for the main event grudge match. Middleweight titleholder Dricus Du Plessis came in at 185 pounds on the dot, while former champ Israel Adesanya weighed 184 pounds. All other fighters on the 12-fight card also made weight with the exception of would-be flyweight Jesus Santos Aguilar, who came in 1.5 pounds over the limit for his fight against Stewart Nicoll. Aguilar will be fined a percentage of his purse as a result.

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Du Plessis (21-2) is undefeated inside the Octagon. The South African fighter is on an impressive nine-fight win streak that includes his title win over Sean Strickland and a TKO shocker over Robert Whittaker. "Stillknocks" is looking to cement his title reign at the young age of 30.

Adesanya (24-3) is looking to bounce back after a lackluster decision defeat to Stric…