Blog

While he might have been viewed as an unlikely title challenger in just his fourth Octagon appearance, Steve Erceg proved that he belonged on that stage this past May.

Advertisement

The 29-year-old Australian gave Alexandre Pantoja all he could handle in the UFC 301 headliner, ultimately dropping a competitive unanimous decision to the reigning flyweight champion in Rio de Janeiro.

“Showed people that, despite the apparent pressure, I’m not going to wilt,” Erceg recently told the New York Post. “Although it looked too soon and all that nonsense, it probably wasn’t. I’m going to be a contender and then, eventually, champion one day.”

UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now! Erceg will return to action for the first time since then when he meets Kai Kara-France in the UFC 305 co-main event on Saturday at RAC Arena in Perth. A victory over another top contender could put “Astro Boy” right back into the middle of the title discussio…

[embedded content]

As a coach, Khabib Nurmagomedov is known for running a very tight ship. Belal Muhammad recently just learned firsthand how strict Nurmagomedov’s workouts can be.

Advertisement

Xtreme Couture head coach Eric Nicksick recently revealed details of one of Nurmagomedov’s “invite only” training sessions that he attended at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas. Nicksick said that Nurmagomedov’s training sessions are extremely strict, with everyone laser focused only on training throughout. Nicksick admits drawing valuable insights from those practices regarding changes he can implement at his own gym.

“It’s invite only… It’s very serious, but very regimented. There’s no music, there’s no bulls—ing. Like, they’re not there to talk s—t with one another and joke around,” Nicksick told Red Corner MMA. “You’re there and it’s work, from the moment you step on the mat until the moment you’re off the mat…It taught me a lot on how to improve some of our…

It’s a tough pick for Robert Whittaker to make between former foes Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya for their upcoming title fight.

Advertisement

Du Plessis looks to defend his middleweight title for the first time against Adesanya in the main event at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, this weekend. The South African knocked out Whittaker at UFC 290 last year to earn the title shot and dethroned then champ Sean Strickland via split decision at UFC 297 this past January.

Whittaker is finding it increasingly difficult to make a pick for the UFC 305 main event as the fight draws near. However, judging by Du Plessis’ performance against Strickland, Whittaker expects the champ to retain his title. Regardless of the outcome of the fight, “Bobby Knuckles” expects it to go the distance as both fighters are too skilled to be finished.

“If Dricus pushes the same plan, uses the same style he had against Strickland, he has to be my pick to win,” Whittaker told Fox Sport…

Dricus Du Plessis recently addressed the possibility of a future rematch against Sean Strickland.

Advertisement

Du Plessis dethroned Strickland at UFC 297 this past January via split decision in a middleweight title fight that could have easily been scored either way. Strickland later claimed to have been robbed due to the fight taking place in “liberal” Canada.

Strickland has since been calling for a rematch, strengthening his case with a decision win over Paulo Costa at UFC 302 in June. Meanwhile, Du Plessis is set for his first title defense against former champ Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 on Saturday in Perth, Australia.

When it comes to a potential rematch against Strickland, Du Plessis says he doesn’t owe the American anything. The South African claims to be surprised by the controversy surrounding the scorecards, which according to him, shouldn’t have been split in the first place. However, that doesn’t mean Du Plessis will shy away from a rematch agai…

🚨 New Opp 🚨@KingCaseyMMA will now take on Brazil’s Luana Santos at #UFC305! pic.twitter.com/h6DgbQoiM6

— UFC_AUSNZ (@UFC_AUSNZ) August 12, 2024

Luana Santos will step for Tereza Bleda and face Casey O'Neill at UFC 305 on Saturday.

Advertisement

The Las Vegas-based promotion recently confirmed the new flyweight booking after it was initially announced by All In Sports Management. UFC 305 takes place at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, and is headlined by a middleweight title tilt between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya.UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now! Santos will make a quick turnaround after appearing at UFC on ESPN 59 on July 13, when she defeated Mariya Agapova via first-round submission. The 24-year-old Brazilian has won five straight contests, including three in UFC competition.

O’Neill, meanwhile, began her professional tenure with nine consecutive triumphs. After winning her first…

[embedded content]

Alexander Volkanovski is expecting a return to form for Israel Adesanya at UFC 305.

Advertisement

“The Last Stylebender” will return to action on Saturday for the first time since relinquishing the middleweight strap to Sean Strickland in the UFC 293 headliner last September. It was perplexing effort from Adesanya, who was building a resume at 185 pounds that rivaled some of the best in the sport’s history.

Volkanovski, who has trained with Adesanya at City Kickboxing, believes his teammate is capable of putting on a highlight reel performance against current 185-pound champ Dricus Du Plessis.

“I’m expecting a performance from Israel Adesanya, like a proper performance like you’ve seen [in] the Paulo Costa [fight]. A fight like that where he goes out and just does it in impressive fashion,” Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel.UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now! “Because Dricus is very awkward, very un…

[embedded content]

Israel Adesanya has benefitted from a much-needed recharge since his upset loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 last September.

Advertisement

“I’ve definitely evolved,” Adesanya told TMZ Sports. “And just taking my time to heal myself: mind, body and spirit. Patience has been my friend throughout this whole thing. I’m a very patient man, so I’m just able to sit, watch and plot.”

When Adesanya relinquished the middleweight strap to Strickland, it ranked as one of the biggest upsets in the sport’s history. Shortly thereafter, he revealed that he wouldn't be fighting for “a long time.” In addition to mental healing, Adesanya revealed that he has been focused on eating healthier and getting the proper amount of sleep.

“Now I’m living like a proper athlete and it’s nice,” he said.UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now! Adesanya will return for the first time since that loss when he challenges Dricus Du Plessis for …

[embedded content]

The budding rivalry between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya reached a boiling point following the South African’s triumph over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 last summer.

Advertisement

In that moment, tensions flared when Adesanya entered the Octagon to confront Du Plessis, setting the stage for a future title bout between the two middleweights. Du Plessis had drawn Adesanya’s ire when he referred to himself as “the African fighter in the UFC” during a media day event in 2023, and that anger was reflected when the Nigerian-born Kiwi addressed Du Plessis in the cage that night.

The highly-anticipated showdown between Adesanya and Du Plessis took some time to materialize, but the two will finally meet more than a year later in the UFC 305 headliner on Saturday at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Now, however, their roles are reversed: Du Plessis is the champion and Adesanya is the challenger. In an interview with Fox Sports Australia, Du Plessis…

Eric Nicksick shares the story of how a thoughtful gesture from Francis Ngannou brought one of his coaches to tears 👏

🎥 @MMAFighting #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/9UR5dzj31g

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) August 10, 2024

Advertisement

Xtreme Couture head coach Eric Nicksick recently revealed how a gesture from Francis Ngannou moved one of his other coaches to tears.

Nicksick shared how fellow coach Nate Pettit is one of the hardest working guys in the gym, devoting his whole life to the Las Vegas-based camp. A couple of weeks ago, a teary-eyed Pettit walked up to Nicksick in the gym and said Ngannou had just handed him a check.

When Nicksick later thanked Ngannou for looking out for Pettit, “The Predator” said he didn’t want the coach’s efforts to go unreciprocated. Nicksick also credited Pettit for a significant role in preparing Ngannou for his knockout title win over Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 in 2021.

“Nate Pettit’s one …

Jose Mariscal was so embarrassed by missing weight for his clash against Damon Jackson on Saturday that he almost pulled out of the fight.

Advertisement

UFC on ESPN 61 allowed only one hour for fighters to weigh in instead of the usual two. Mariscal, who weighed in at 3.5 pounds over the featherweight limit, was one of three fighters who missed weight for the event. However, Mariscal doesn’t blame the short weigh-in window and instead takes responsibility for his weight miss.

A lifetime martial artist, Mariscal knows the importance of making weight. “Chepe” didn’t even want to be seen in the arena, but his coaches put his mind back on track. An undisclosed portion of Mariscal’s purse was offered to Jackson, who agreed to proceed with the fight. Mariscal went on to earn an impressive unanimous decision win over Jackson in a high-paced, entertaining affair.

“We kind of calculated the weight cut kind of wrong, especially with the Vegas heat and everything — …

[embedded content]

Dricus Du Plessis credits coach Morne Visser for the tip which helped him finish Robert Whittaker to earn a UFC middleweight title shot.

Advertisement

“Stillknocks” scored a second-round stoppage of Whittaker in their title eliminator matchup at UFC 290 in July 2023. The South African revealed that it was his coach’s plan to fight southpaw that earned him the finish.

While Du Plessis admits Whittaker is almost technically flawless, his team noticed “Bobby Knuckles” getting clipped against southpaws even when the Australian emerged victorious. Du Plessis listened to his coach’s advice to go southpaw and was rewarded perfectly.

UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now! “All credit to my coach for that fight,” Du Plessis said on the UFC 305 Countdown show. “There’s very very few holes in the game of Robert Whittaker. Fighting southpaws, he beat all of them but he got caught a few times coming in. And we went thro…

Impa Kasanganay won’t dwell on his initial meeting with Joshua Silveira going into their upcoming clash next weekend.

Advertisement

Kasanganay and Silveira will headline PFL 8 in a light heavyweight semifinal matchup on Aug. 16 at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida. The two previously met at last season’s final in November 2023, when Kasanganay earned a unanimous decision victory to win $1 million and rise to stardom as the promotion’s light heavyweight champion.

However, Kasanganay is considering their upcoming clash a “new hunt” rather than a rematch. Acknowledging his opponent’s skillset, “Tshilobo” says he expects Silveira to have put the previous loss behind him.

“I expect Josh to be the best version of himself. Josh is a solid fighter; he’s smart and coached well. To me, it’s not a rematch. It’s a whole new hunt. Last year is behind us. I always say burn the ships, so, what title?” Kasanganay told Sherdog.com.

“For me, I could care less …

Former bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz will be part of the broadcast table for UFC 305 while Joe Rogan takes his customary absence during an international event.

Advertisement

Cruz will join Daniel Cormier and Jon Anik for the pay-per-view event on Aug. 17. MMAFighting.com was first to report the news. Rogan will likely return to his usual role for UFC 306, which is scheduled for The Sphere in Las Vegas on Sept. 14.UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now! UFC 305 takes place at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, and is headlined by a middleweight championship clash between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya. In the co-main event Kai Kara France will square off against Steve Erceg in a matchup of flyweight contenders.

The UFC 305 main card airs on pay-per-view via ESPN+ beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Prelims will begin on ESPN+ at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT before shifting to ESPN and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Sergehi Spivac wasted little time exacting revenge on Marcin Tybura.

The Moldovan made short work of Tybura in the UFC on ESPN 61 headliner, submitting his Polish opponent in the opening stanza of their heavyweight encounter at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. An armbar from Spivac (17-4, 8-4 UFC) elicited a verbal tap from Tybura (25-9, 12-8) at the 1:44 mark of Round 1. “The Polar Bar” has finished 15 of his 17 career triumphs — including 11 inside a round. Tybura defeated Spivac via unanimous decision in their initial meeting at UFC Fight Night 169 in February 2020.

Advertisement

Spivac closed the distance quickly and made his way to Tybura’s back early in the fight. However, Tybura was able to reverse into top position shortly thereafter. That success proved to be short lived, as Spivac worked his guard up, flipped his opponent over and locked in the decisive hold.

Spivac has won four of his last five promotional appearances, while Tybura has dro…

Sherdog's live UFC on ESPN 61 coverage will begin Saturday at 5 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Luciano (-185), Alencar (+154)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:

Advertisement

Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Zalal (-395), Errens (+310)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Resul…

Getty Images/UFC

Sometimes, a fight comes down to the winning fighter having one elite technique, the moxie to use it, and an opponent who cannot or will not make adjustments.

Advertisement

In the final fight of the four-bout undercard of UFC on ESPN 61 on Saturday in Las Vegas, Karol Rosa (18-6) brutalized Pannie Kianzad (16-9) for three rounds with a barrage of calf kicks. From the opening seconds of the fight, Rosa went to work on the lead leg of Kianzad and those kicks defined the round, as Kianzad first ignored them, then began trying to pull the threatened limb out of danger, and finally, late in the round, had her leg buckle. The onslaught continued in Round 2, with Rosa pouring on the low kicks and meeting “Banzai” with punches and elbow strikes when she tried to close the distance. By the midpoint of the round, Kianzad was limping and bleeding badly from a cut opened by a Rosa elbow, but remained game, marching forward and throwing punches ev…

The three fighters who didn’t need to go to the judges — Serghei Spivac, Toshiomi Kazama and Youssef Zalal — all received $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonuses for their work on Saturday.

Spivac got his revenge on Marcin Tybura in the UFC on ESPN 61 main event, as he submitted the Pole in their heavyweight rematch at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. An armbar ended the contest at the 1:44 mark of Round 1.

Kazama, meanwhile, had to push through some serious adversity to earn his post-fight bonus. After being dropped by Charalampos Grigoriou early in the second stanza and then absorbing some heavy elbows on the canvas, Kazama rallied to secure a triangle choke submission at the 1:55 mark of the period.

Finally, Zalal continued his resurgence at the expense of Jarno Errens in a preliminary featherweight matchup. Zalal took Errens to the canvas and then transitioned to the back. When his opponent elected to stand, “The Moroccan Devil” was able to secure the fight-end…

Brendan Loughnane has been with the Professional Fighters League since 2019 and has grown with the company to a point where both parties are thriving in the present day.

Advertisement

Loughnane, who has only lost twice in the PFL, has figured out a method to the promotion’s regular season and playoff format, and five years later he’s prepared for business once again.

Loughnane will begin his bid to become a two-time PFL champion when he takes on UFC and Bellator MMA veteran Kai Kamaka III in the featherweight semifinals at PFL 9 on Aug. 23. During a recent media call, Loughnane discussed his veteran status with the promotion and how he feels this is the time for business with the playoffs having arrived.

“Yeah, this is the business end of the tournament now,” Loughnane said. “I’m feeling great. Another great camp, I’ve managed to stay healthy all year.”

When it comes to experience, it’s not just what he’s done in the PFL. Loughnane noted he has more car…

Caio Borralho expects that a title shot could be imminent if he finishes his upcoming opponent.

Advertisement

The next middleweight championship bout is already set, as Dricus Du Plessis will put his 185-pound strap on the line against Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia on Aug. 17. Borralho admits that while he has always mentally wagered against Du Plessis, the champ has proven him wrong time and again. And yet, Borralho predicts that “Stillknocks” will be dethroned by Adesanya due to a stylistic disadvantage.

“I always bet against Dricus you know, but I always lost,” Borralho told MMAjunkie.com. “Not money, but I always think that he was going to lose the fights that he got, but he did an amazing job and won the fights… But this time I think I’m gonna be again against him. I think Adesanya – stylistically I don’t see this fight match. I think Adesanya can manage the distance a lot, can kick him a little bit more. Because all of [his] previous oppon…

A matchup of light heavyweight veterans is in the works for UFC 310.

Advertisement

Former title challengers Anthony Smith and Dominick Reyes are expected to trade leather at UFC 310 on Dec. 14 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The matchup was first reported by MMA Mania.

Smith is 2-4 in the Octagon since 2022. He is coming off a unanimous decision loss against Roman Dolidze at UFC 303 this past June. Prior to that, “Lionheart” submitted Vitor Petrino in the first round of their bout at UFC 301 on May 4.

Meanwhile, Reyes suffered three straight knockout defeats against Jan Blachowicz, Jiri Prochazka and Ryan Spann following his controversial loss against Jon Jones in February 2020. While “The Devastator” was scheduled to return to action after a 19-month hiatus this past February, his return was delayed due to a deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a potentially life threatening situation. Reyes return to action in June with a first-round knockout win over Dustin …

UFC middleweight Bruno Silva has accepted a six-month suspension for a “likely unintentional” drug testing failure.

The UFC’s drug testing partner, Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD), announced on Friday that Silva tested positive for 3a-Hydroxy-2a-methyl-5a-androstan-17-one — a metabolite of drostanolone — in an out-of-competition sample he provided to Drug Free Sport International (DFSI) on April 11, 2024. “Blindado” also provided negative samples before being informed of the failure on March 30 (the date of his last fight), April 30 and June 14.

Silva’s positive sample also had extremely low levels of the banned substances, which led CSAD to conclude that the Brazilian did not inject drostanolone and was likely exposed to contamination. That combined with Silva’s co-operation during the entire process led to his anti-doping violation being deemed “likely unintentional.”

While this is Silva’s first drug violation under CSAD, he was suspended for two years…

"The guy needs to be Joe Biden'd, he's too old" 🤣

Tom Aspinall says Stipe Miocic should pull out of his fight with Jon Jones 🫣

Advertisement

Watch Tom Aspinall’s Fight Lab: #UFC305 edition, with @AspinallMMA, @ugomonye & @AdamCatterall on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+ on Sunday at 5:30PM 📺 pic.twitter.com/OA99wzZWMw — UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) August 9, 2024

While Tom Aspinall respects Stipe Miocic, he doesn’t want the veteran to stall his way to a title shot.

Miocic was originally scheduled to challenge Jon Jones for the heavyweight title at UFC 295 in November 2023 before an injury forced “Bones” out of the event. Aspinall stepped up for a short-notice interim title fight against Sergei Pavlovich on the same card, where he knocked out the Russian in the first round.

Aspinall initially called for Jones to be stripped off his title. “Honey Badger” later changed track and has been calling for a title unification mat…

Tomorrow's #UFCVegas95 main event is official 🚨@MarcinTybura weighs in at 252 pounds! pic.twitter.com/3tUO5lNkPR

— UFC (@ufc) August 9, 2024 Chelsea Chandler just cannot seem to find the bantamweight limit.

After back-to-back weeks overseas, the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Las Vegas for UFC on ESPN 61. The 10-fight card will be headlined by a heavyweight fight between Marcin Tybura and Serghei Spivac. Tybura will be the larger man inside the cage, weighing in 14 pounds heavier than Spivac.

Advertisement

While both heavyweights comfortably made weight, three other fighters on the card did not. Most notable was co-main event competitor Jose Mariscal, who came in 3.5 pounds over the featherweight limit for his bout against Damon Jackson. That wasn't even the biggest miss, though, as Chelsea Chandler came in five pounds over the bantamweight limit for her fight against Yana Santos, with this being her second time missing …

Utah, we're coming BACK 👊#UFC307 is headed to Salt Lake City!

For more info: https://t.co/FLA3QMZl6f@StateOfSport #StateOfSport | @DeltaCenter #DeltaCenter pic.twitter.com/6JbaXCjfcD

— UFC (@ufc) August 8, 2024 For the third year in a row, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is posting up a pay-per-view party in Salt Lake City.

In 2016, the promotion first took to the city once coined “The Crossroads of the West” with a Fight Night card featuring Yair Rodriguez and Alex Caceres. Six years later, the league staged UFC 278 in the same building, then named the Vivint Arena. The company came back for UFC 291 in 2023, and UFC 307 will be the next one in the line of consecutive yearly cards. This show will be held at the Delta Center, home of the National Basketball Association’s Utah Jazz, on Oct. 5, with this venue officially confirmed by the promotion on Thursday. There is currently no headliner on the books.

Several marquee matches …