The UFC/MMA Thread

[BouncerGuy]

Fighting Murphy next is a no-brainer - Volkanovski

Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski says it would be a "no-brainer" to stage his next title defence being against Britain's Lerone Murphy.

Manchester's Murphy thrust himself into contention for a championship bout by knocking out Aaron Pico with a sensational spinning back elbow at UFC 319 on Saturday.

Murphy, who is sixth in the UFC's featherweight rankings and took the fight at three weeks' notice, extended the winning start to his career to 17.

It was the 34-year-old's ninth straight victory in the UFC since debuting in the promotion in 2019.

"You couldn't have scripted it any better. You get a guy who goes in and does a massive knockout like that on a big card, on a nine-fight win streak - I think it's a bit of a no-brainer," Volkanovski said on YouTube., external

"December is looking good, let's make it happen. Lerone Murphy, congratulations, see you soon."

Murphy replaced Russian Movsar Evloev for the bout against American Pico after he withdrew from the contest for undisclosed reasons.

Australian Volkanovski said Evloev, who is also undefeated in 19 fights, would have been the number one contender had be beaten Pico, but Murphy has now leapfrogged him.

Volkanovski, 36, is a two-time featherweight champion and regarded as one of the best of all time in that weight class.

He made five title defences before defeat by Ilia Topuria last year, but regained the belt by defeating Diego Lopes in April.

Despite his undefeated record, Murphy's reserved personality in comparison to some of his brash peers means he has sometimes failed to get due credit for his work in the octagon.

A lack of highlight reel moments, with Murphy earning five straight decision wins before facing Pico, also affected his star power but opinion has started to shift following his spinning elbow knockout.

BBC

 

[BouncerGuy]

Edwards channels brother's stunning head kick KO in win

Fabian Edwards won the Professional Fighters League middleweight tournament and $500,000 (£369,000) prize with a stunning head kick knockout of Dalton Rosta in Hollywood, Florida.

After a back-and-forth two rounds, Birmingham's Edwards unleashed a left high kick, sending the American crashing to the ground as the referee waved off the contest.

The move mirrored his older brother Leon, who stopped Kamaru Usman in 2022 with the same kick in stunning fashion to win the UFC welterweight title.

Leon was cage-side for 32-year-old Edwards' win and gleefully joined his brother in the post-fight celebrations.

"That is crazy. God's got a funny way of working," said Edwards, after being informed his brother's knockout happened almost three years ago to the day.

"I said to my brother, 'I'm going to try that shot'. I do that shot well in the gym, and it worked beautifully."

Edwards' is the second Briton to win a PFL tournament inside a week following Alfie Davis' lightweight tournament victory last week.

He is also the fourth Briton in total to triumph following Brendan Loughnane's featherweight win in 2022 and Dakota Ditcheva's women's flyweight success last year.

'I've worked so hard'

Edwards said pre-fight he was viewing the tournament final as a world championship bout after losing contests for the Bellator middleweight belt, now rebranded as the PFL title, to Johnny Eblen in 2023 and 2024.

Following his loss to American Eblen in October, Edwards built momentum again this year with wins over Impa Kasanganay and Josh Silveira to reach the final.

Edwards started well with leg kicks, before Rosta, 29, ended the first round on top after landing a couple of takedowns.

Rosta hurt Edwards at the start of the second round with a flurry of punches but the Briton recovered and the round played out with the pair grappling for position against the side of the cage.

Leon was heading for defeat on points when he stopped Usman in the final round three years ago, and although Edwards' victory was not as last-gasp and dramatic, it was every bit as rousing.

After delivering the final blow, Edwards was mobbed by his team-mates before he dropped to the ground in tears, saying: "I've worked so hard."

An emotional Edwards was announced as the tournament winner before facing off with PFL middleweight champion Costello van Steenis, who beat Eblen last month.

The PFL then announced Edwards and Spain's Van Steenis would compete for the belt in a fight which is to be announced at a date later this year.

BBC

 

[BouncerGuy]

Wales' Jones impresses in comeback stoppage

Wales' Mason Jones recovered from an early knockdown to stop Bolaji Oki in the second round of their lightweight contest at UFC Paris.

Jones, 30, took control of the bout after the early scare, dominating on the ground to eventually finish the contest with a number of unanswered strikes.

The victory continues a triumphant return to the UFC for Jones, who beat Jeremy Stephens in May after nearly three years away from the promotion.

"I don't think I was hurt, I started slow. It happens, but I put it on him. He slowed down and I didn't," said Jones.

"The wrestling was plan B. I like to cause damage - I would have liked to stay standing for a bit longer, but he wanted to wrestle so I showed him how to wrestle."

Jones lost two of his three fights during his first stint in the UFC, but after a spell in Cage Warriors, has returned more assured with two impressive victories.

Following the retirement of Jack Shore last year, Jones is now spearheading Welsh MMA in the UFC, in front of welterweight Oban Elliott and strawweight Cory McKenna.

After refusing to touch gloves with Belgian Oki at the start of the fight, Jones was on the receiving end of some huge punches, before finding himself defending on the ground.

He got back to his feet and avoided more damage, before taking control as Oki started to slow down.

Jones knocked the 29-year-old down before engaging on the canvas and almost finishing the contest with a kimura.

Oki survived, but he could not fend off Jones in the second round as he secured a takedown before ending the fight with a number of strikes on the ground.

In the main event, France's Nassourdine Imavov beat Brazil's Caio Borralho by unanimous decision, before calling for a title shot against Russian champion Khamzat Chimaev.

McKee loses but Patterson earns streak KO

Elsewhere on the main card, Ballymena's Rhys McKee lost to France's Axel Sola in the third round.

In a back-and-forth contest, Sola dropped McKee with a body shot, before the referee stopped the contest on the ground.

McKee protested the stoppage after seeming to recover quickly, but the defeat leaves the 29-year-old with five defeats from six UFC fights.

It was a bitter blow for the welterweight, whose momentum has been halted once more after earning his first UFC win against Daniel Frunza in April.

On the undercard, Britain's Sam Patterson continued the impressive start to his UFC career as a flurry of punches stopped American Trey Waters in the first round.

The victory was Patterson's fourth consecutive first-round finish which is the current longest streak in the UFC.

Fellow Briton Harry Hardwick suffered defeat, however, as a series of leg kicks from Kaue Fernandes left the 30-year-old unable to continue.

Hardwick, who is the Cage Warriors featherweight champion, was making his UFC debut and took the bout at only five days' notice.

There was also defeat for Ireland's Shauna Bannon as she submitted to a rear-naked choke by Sam Hughes in the second round of their strawweight contest

BBC

 

[BouncerGuy]

Ortega 'unconscious for 30 min' in UFC weight cut

Brian Ortega says he was unconscious for about 30 minutes before waking up in the hospital during his weight cut for his UFC Shanghai fight last month.

Ortega, 35, was scheduled to fight Aljamain Sterling in the co-main event but it emerged on Friday that Ortega was struggling to make the featherweight limit of 145lb (10st 5lb).

The American lost a decision to Sterling and was only able to make the 10lb heavier limit of lightweight, cutting a gaunt figure on the scales.

"We cut from midnight all the way until eight in the morning, cutting weight the entire time. I realised I had 1.7lb to go," Ortega said on Instagram, external on Tuesday, two weeks after the contest.

"We were confused on how my body wasn't really pouring out the water, why it was just holding it in, but no matter what we have to get this weight off so we did.

"We went downstairs at about eight, decided to cut more weight. Put the plastics on.

"I did 20 minutes on the bike. Once I went off, I went unconscious. I was unconscious for about 30 minutes.

"During that time, they were putting ice on me. They took all my clothes off and left me in boxers. Woke up in the ER [Emergency Room]."

When Ortega woke up in hospital, he and his team decided to continue with the fight and he returned to the hotel to weigh in.

Ortega even had a conversation with Sterling, who he shares a manager with, turning down the chance to be replaced by another fighter.

"I didn't feel good," Ortega cotninued.

"I wanted to call it off. I got up and just walking outside I almost passed out and fainted.

"Everything in my body is telling me not to fight.

"First and foremost, I decided to fight for my family.

"That's my job - to show up and do what I do for them. I fought for my family. Secondly, I fought for you guys [the fans].

"You guys have always shown me love, you guys have always supported me, no matter what.

"It would be unfair to not show up for you guys, regardless of excuses. You just show up and do what you've got to do."

Ortega is a seasoned featherweight and is a two-time UFC title contender.

The UFC has several weight-cutting guidelines, including how much a fighter can safely cut in fight week and have doctors in place to decide if a weight cut needs to be stopped.

There are several techniques banned in weight-cutting for UFC events including the use of intravenous (IV) drips.

BBC

 

[BouncerGuy]

White in fiery exchange with reporter in Vegas

UFC chief Dana White's fiery exchange with a reporter about his new role in boxing threatened to overshadow a news conference for the super-fight between Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and Terence Crawford.

Mexican Alvarez, 35, will put his WBA (Super), WBC, WBO and IBF super-middleweight titles on the line against Crawford at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Omaha-native Crawford, 37, is jumping up two weight classes in a bid to become the first male boxer to become undisputed champion in three divisions in the modern era.

In front of a fiercely pro-Alvarez crowd, the pair went through the usual news conference motions, a mixture of respect and declarations of victory.

But the mood turned sharper when focus turned towards White, who was chairing proceedings and promoting his first boxing event since announcing his Saudi Arabian-backed venture into the sport.

Questions raised about the Muhammad Ali Act - a 2000 US law designed to protect boxers' rights and combat potential monopolies - sparked a fiery response from White.

"This is obviously a long discussion. If you want to talk about that then set up an interview. This isn't about me," White said.

When the reporter, Sean Zittel, persisted, White cut him short: "You have a question for these two, no? Beat it."

White is spearheading a push to amend the act, which does not apply to MMA, allowing the UFC to make their own world titles.

Critics argue White's UFC model in boxing would restrict fighters with exclusive contracts, create a monopoly and leaves boxers earning a far smaller share of event revenue.

As the reporter pressed White, Canelo chanted "fight, fight, fight".

The stars talk, but the noise takes over

About 1,500 fans - including British rapper Stormzy and boxing legend Lennox Lewis - packed into the T-Mobile Arena, just a short walk from Saturday's venue.

A partisan crowd held up Mexican flags and chanted "Canelo" from the moment Alvarez walked on stage and he soaked up the adulation.

"This fight for me is big. One of the biggest fights in my career. It means a lot. It's going to be very top," he said.

Alvarez dismissed any suggestion of fighting Crawford a year ago, citing the size difference. But he agreed with an assessment of it being a 50-50 contest.

"I think they right. Two of the best fighting each other. They right," he said.

Crawford - who last fought 13 months ago when he beat Israil Madrimov to win a world title in a fourth division - was unmoved by the noise in the arena.

"I'm feeling great. I am ready to go shock the world," he said. He even riled up the crowd by shouting out to his "Latino fans", adding: "This fight is going to be stamped in the history books."

Crawford, with 41 wins and 31 knockouts, won his first world title in 2014 at lightweight against Scotsman Ricky Burns. He went on to unify the light-welterweight and welterweight divisions before moving up again.

Saturday's bout will be broadcast globally on Netflix, reaching a potential audience of more than 300 million subscribers.

It is the first major boxing event promoted by White alongside Saudi's Turki Alalshikh, signalling a new, if uncertain, era for the sport.

As organisers hyped up the new partnership as the saviour of the sport and suggested boxing has been suffering for years, one of its biggest stars - and highest earners with a reported $150m purse to collect on Saturday - Alvarez, chimed in.

"Hey, boxing was always bigger, bigger and big. Don't say boxing is not big enough. You know how big is boxing," he said.

Alvarez pushed Crawford as tempers flared at in New York in June, but the two shared a nod and handshake to end on a respectful note.

BBC