Charles Oliveira to Fight Michael Chandler in Five-Round Co-Main Event at UFC 309

Posted on September 13, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Charles Oliveira has locked in his next opponent.

The 34-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist (34-10) will fight Michael Chandler in a five-round co-main event at UFC 309 on November 16 at Madison Square Garden, UFC president Dana White told Barstool Sports on Friday night.

The UFC had not yet announced a main event for that card, but an announcement was expected soon.

Chandler (23-8) was originally slated to fight Conor McGregor.

The news does not necessarily mean Chandler will not fight McGregor (22-6), whom he coached against on “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2023. The two were supposed to fight in June, but McGregor was forced to pull out of the bout because of a toe injury. It was the first time McGregor had ever pulled out of a

McGregor has claimed on social media he wanted to fight in 2024, even posting video of him training recently, but the UFC has publicly stated he would not fight until 2025.

“Chandler saw that takedown getting stuffed and mauled [on social media] and officially dipped,” McGregor wrote on X on Friday night, adding that he was drug tested earlier in the day.

He went on to write: “Give me my f—ing date!”

Chandler, a former lightweight champion in Bellator MMA, has not fought since a submission loss to Dustin Poirier in 2022, mostly because he elected to wait on a fight with McGregor.

The bout at UFC 309 will be a rematch of a vacant championship bout that took place in 2021.

Chandler hurt Oliveira with punches in the opening round of the fight before suffering a TKO loss to Oliveira in the second round. Oliveira went on to defend the belt twice before losing it to current champion Islam Makhachev.

Alex Pereira Knocks Out Jirí Prochazka to Retain UFC Light Heavyweight Title

Posted on June 30, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Alex Pereira has struck again…

The 36-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and former kickboxer (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) scored a vicious second-round knockout of Jirí Prochazka (30-5-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC) with a devastating head kick and brutal follow-up strikes to retain his light heavyweight championship in the main event of UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena.

The rematch between the two, who met last November with Pereira winning by second-round TKO, happened a lot sooner than expected as both were called to action on two weeks’ notice after Conor McGregor was forced out of his main event showdown with Michael Chandler because of a broken toe.

Both fighters had competed at UFC 300 and pulled off impressive knockout victories in their respective fights, with Prochazka taking out Aleksandar Rakic and Pereira impressively dispatching Jamahal Hill in defense of his title.

Both left with little damage, but a pair of broken toes was the only thing in the way of Pereira accepting the fight.

As it turns out, those broken toes would connect on the head of Prochazka in the rematch and put an end to the rivalry.

“I didn’t know how I was going to win, but I knew I was going to leave this Octagon happy,” Pereira said through an interpreter.

The fight was a striker’s paradise in the opening round, with Pereira landing leg kicks and Prochazka finding success with the left hook and using his awkward movement to create openings. But Prochazka played too close to the sun and ran into Pereira’s trademark left hook, which sent him crashing to the canvas at the end of the round. Although he tried to show he was unharmed, Prochazka’s legs said otherwise as he stumbled to his corner.

Pereira smelled the blood in the water and wasted little time finishing the job. He opened the second round by uncorking a violent head kick that sent the Czech fighter to the canvas again. But this time there would be no bell to save him as Pereira’s follow-up strikes finished the job just 13 seconds into the round.

What Pereira has been able to accomplish in two short years is nothing short of outstanding. He captured the UFC middleweight championship in just over a year after his promotional debut by knocking out Israel Adesanya and added the light heavyweight title a year after that when he stopped Prochazka.

With another successful defense under his belt, could Pereira chase an unprecedented championship in a third weight class at heavyweight?

“I think that’s in my future,” Pereira said. “I say it a lot. I’m here, I’m available and I think that’s in my future.”

A fight with current heavyweight champion Jon Jones might be the biggest fight that can be made in the UFC at the moment, and it’s clear that Pereira wants to continue to do the unthinkable during his remarkable run. But with Jones slated to face Stipe Miocic later this year, a fight with Pereira might have to wait.

For now, the MMA world is in the palm of his hand.

Vicente Luque to Fight Ian Garry at UFC 296

Posted on September 25, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Vicente Luque is set to face an up-and-comer…

The 31-year-old Brazilian-Chilean American mixed martial artist will face rising UFC star Ian Garry at UFC 296 on December 16 in Las Vegas, UFC president Dana White announced early Sunday on social media.

Both fighters have been teammates at Kill Cliff FC, and each is trying to get into the welterweight title conversation.

Luque (22-9-1) beat former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos via unanimous decision on August 12. Training out of Florida, he has won five of his past seven fights. Luque has the second-most finishes in UFC welterweight history (13).

Garry (13-0) is 6-0 in UFC and coming off a dominant, unanimous decision win over Neil Magny at UFC 292 on August 19. The Ireland native is the former Cage Warriors welterweight champion. Garry, 25, is regarded as one of the best young fighters in the world and Ireland’s best chance at a UFC championship since Conor McGregor.

UFC 296 is shaping up to be one of the deepest cards of the year, headlined by a welterweight title fight between champion Leon Edwards and former interim titleholder Colby Covington. In the co-main event, Alexandre Pantoja defends his flyweight title against Brandon Royval.

Nate Diaz to Make Pro Boxing Debut Against Jake Paul This Summer

Posted on April 12, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Nate Diaz is preparing for his first-ever boxing match this summer…

The 37-year-old half-Mexican American professional mixed martial artist and ex-UFC bad boy will fight YouTuber-turned-prizefighter Jake Paul in a boxing match on August 5 at American Airlines Center in Dallas.

The bout will be contested at 185 pounds and is contracted for eight rounds with 10-ounce gloves. The pay-per-view bout will be distributed globally by DAZN.

The event will be a 50-50 collaboration between Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions and Diaz’s Real Fight Inc.

It will be the first time Diaz has ever promoted himself, the first time he’ll fight outside the UFC in 15 years and his first career pro boxing match. Diaz has competed in some of the biggest pay-per-view events in UFC history, and Paul has made a name for himself as a boxing draw despite his experience level.

Diaz and Paul have exchanged trash talk on social media and in interviews over the past 18 months. In October, during a boxing event headlined by Paul and UFC legend Anderson Silva, Diaz’s team and Paul’s team got into an altercation backstage. And Paul challenged Diaz in his post-fight interview after defeating Silva.

Diaz has typically fought in MMA at 155 pounds and more recently at 170 pounds. Paul has fought as heavy as 191.5 pounds as a pro. He weighed in at 183.6 pounds for Fury.

Paul (6-1) lost his first career boxing match in his last bout to Tommy Fury, the brother of heavyweight great Tyson, back in February via split decision. The Ohio native, who trains out of Puerto Rico, is undefeated against MMA fighters, including Silva, Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren; he beat the latter two by knockout. Paul, 26, has only been a pro since 2020.

“My last fight didn’t end the way I wanted, but the result was the best thing that could have happened to my professional boxing aspirations,” Paul said in a statement. “Now, the world thinks I am vulnerable, when all I am is more focused than ever. My team wanted me to take an easy fight like KSI next, but that’s not how I am built. Nate Diaz is considered one of the most bad-ass fighters of all time, but he and his team have been running their mouths for too long.”

Diaz (21-13) fought out his UFC contract with a submission win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 in September. The Stockton, California, native handed Conor McGregor his first UFC loss back in 2016. Diaz has headlined 10 UFC events and won The Ultimate Fighter 5 tournament in 2007. He’s one of the most popular fighters in MMA history and is a former sparring partner of top boxer Andre Ward.

“Besides Canelo, he’s the biggest thang in boxing,” Diaz said in a statement. “I’m here to conquer that. I’m the King of combat sports and then I’m headed back to get my UFC belts. I f—ed up Conor for acting out and now here I am again, like a Super Hero of the Real Fight game, the King of the Real Fight game.”

Diaz has made it known that he plans on returning to the UFC in the future with a McGregor trilogy fight still on the table down the road. Paul, meanwhile, had talked about a Tommy Fury rematch next or the aforementioned bout with fellow YouTube star KSI. But Paul vs. Diaz was too big of a matchup to pass up.

“Jake’s star power and popularity continue to command massive audiences worldwide,” Most Valuable Promotions co-founder Nakisa Bidarian said in a statement. “His most recent bout, Paul vs. Fury, surpassed more than 800,000 pay-per-view purchases and was a commercial success for all our partners. Jake remains one of the most avidly followed fighters in the sport and all eyes are on him, wondering what’s next. Well, what’s next is one of the most vicious men ever in the cage.”

No other fights have been announced for the event, though given the bad blood between the two teams it wouldn’t be surprising to see Paul and Diaz teammates on the undercard.

“Nate’s departure from the UFC made him the most sought-after free agent in combat sports history with all eyes looking to see what his next move would be,” Real Fight Inc. president Zach Rosenfield said in a statement. “In choosing to make his boxing debut against Jake Paul, Nate found an opponent where there is an organic, non-scripted backstory that motivates him and will clearly capture the excitement of audiences throughout the world.”

Jose Aldo to be Inducted Into UFC’s Hall of Fame

Posted on January 22, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Jose Aldo is head to the Hall…

The 36-year-old Brazilian retired professional mixed martial artist, the longest-reigning featherweight champion in UFC history, will be inducted into the promotion’s Hall of Fame later this year.

Aldo retired from the UFC in September, one month after losing to Merab Dvalishvili in a highly ranked bantamweight fight. Had Aldo won that fight, he might have moved on to fight for a UFC title one more time.

Although he officially retired from MMA and was removed from the UFC’s rankings, Aldo has left the door open to competing in a boxing match.

Born in Manaus, Brazil, Aldo rose to 145-pound superiority in the WEC, where he won his first major championship by knocking out Mike Brown in 2009. He defended the title twice before the UFC brought the division into its fold and crowned Aldo its first-ever featherweight champ.

Aldo (31-8) won 18 consecutive fights from 2006 to 2014 and defended the UFC featherweight title a record seven times. His championship run came to a close in 2015, when he suffered a stunning 13-second knockout to rival Conor McGregor. He reclaimed the title seven months later by defeating Frankie Edgar, but lost it a second time in his next fight to Max Holloway.

Still widely considered the greatest featherweight of all time, Aldo dropped to the 135-pound bantamweight division in 2019 to try to win a second belt. He challenged Petr Yan for the vacant belt in 2020 but lost via fifth-round TKO.

Aldo joins the UFC Hall of Fame’s “modern wing” of fighters that includes Forrest Griffin, BJ Penn, Urijah Faber, Ronda Rousey, Michael Bisping, Rashad Evans, Georges St-Pierre, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Daniel Cormier.

Ricky Bandejas to Fight Ray Borg in Eagle FC 46 Next Month

Posted on February 14, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Ricky Bandejas is readying for a fight…

The 30-year-old Latino mixed martial artist will be among the fighters set to take part in Eagle FC‘s return to the United States.

Bandejas will fight against former UFC title challenger Ray Borg in a bantamweight bout and Rizvan Kuniev will defend his heavyweight title against UFC veteran Anthony Hamilton at Eagle FC 46 on March 11 in Miami, according to promoter Khabib Nurmagomedov.

This will be the first time Kuniev will defend the Eagle title on United States soil.

Bandejas (15-6) has won two of his last three fights with Combate Global. The New Jersey native beat Conor McGregor protégé James Gallagher under the Bellator banner in 2018.

Borg (15-5), known as The Tazmexican Devil, has won two straight after departing the UFC. Most recently, the Mexico native defeated Cody Gibson via unanimous decision last month at Eagle FC 44.

Borg, still just 28 years old, challenged Demetrious Johnson for the UFC flyweight title at UFC 216 in October 2017. He struggled with personal issues, including a brain illness affecting his infant son Anthony, and weight-cutting difficulties in the UFC before being released in 2020.

Charles Oliveira Defeats Dustin Poirier via Submission to Retain UFC Lightweight Title

Posted on December 12, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Charles Oliveira won’t be underestimated anymore…

The 32-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist weathered an early storm and then finished Dustin Poirier via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1 minute, 2 seconds of the third round Saturday night in the main event of UFC 269 at T-Mobile Arena.

With the victory, Oliveira retained the UFC lightweight title.

“I’m the world champion,” Oliveira said in his postfight interview through an interpreter. “I’m the man. They talk. I do it.”

After back-to-back stoppage wins over Conor McGregor, many thought Poirier becoming UFC lightweight champion was a foregone conclusion.

Instead, Oliveira, the greatest submission artist in UFC history, cashed as a +115 underdog, according to Caesars Sportsbook.

He won the belt with a second-round TKO win over Michael Chandler at UFC 262 in May. That was Oliveira’s 28th UFC fight, the longest journey for any fighter to a UFC title in history. Yet, he remained unheralded with more popular names like Poirier near the top of the division. It’ll be hard to doubt “Do Bronx” any longer.

Coming in, ESPN had Poirier ranked No. 5 and Oliveira ranked No. 6 in the world on its pound-for-pound MMA list. At lightweight, ESPN had Poirier at No. 1 and Oliveira at No. 2.

On Saturday, Poirier rocked Oliveira several times in the first round, dropping him once with a wicked left hook. But Oliveira survived the barrage and gained momentum late in the round with a big left hook.

“They can hit me a lot,” Oliveira said. “I’m gonna walk forward.”

Oliveira took Poirier down early in the second round and remained in top position, landing hard elbows, for most of the round. In the third, Oliveira swooped into a clinch against the cage and immediately took Poirier’s back with Poirier standing up. Oliveira, who has one of the most dangerous back games in MMA, looked for the choke and found it despite Poirier trying to fight his hands.

“I don’t let opportunities get away,” Oliveira said in the postfight news conference. “I always say I have opportunistic jiu-jitsu. When I saw it, I couldn’t pass it up and I had to do it.”

Oliveira (32-8, 1 NC), 32, has won 10 in a row, tied for the second-longest active streak in the UFC behind Kamaru Usman‘s 15 straight. He took home the vacant title with the victory over Chandler following former champion Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s retirement and vacating of the title last year.

A native of Brazil, Oliveira has the most finishes (18) and most submission wins (15) in UFC history. He has a 20-8 (1 NC) record in the UFC going back to his debut in 2010 and is one of only nine fighters in history to win 20 UFC fights.

Poirier (28-7, 1 NC), a former UFC interim lightweight champ, beat McGregor twice this year, the latter a doctor’s stoppage TKO of McGregor at UFC 264 in July when McGregor broke his leg. Poirier, a Louisiana native fighting out of Florida, had won three straight coming in and had just one loss in his past 10 fights, to Nurmagomedov in a title fight at UFC 242 in September 2019. Poirier, 32, has the most KO/TKO victories in UFC lightweight history (8).

“I landed some good, clean shots on him,” Poirier said. “I thought I was gonna get him away in the first round. He’s a champ, man. The game plan was to take my time. I brawled again.”

Poirier said in the postfight news conference that he knows he can work his way back to another title fight, but he’s not sure if that’s what he wants to do yet.

UFC president Dana White said former interim champion Justin Gaethje “makes sense” as Oliveira’s next challenger. Gaethje beat Chandler last month at UFC 268.

Gaethje has made some disparaging remarks about Oliveira, questioning his heart. Oliveira brushed that off Saturday night.

“Look at what they’ve been saying about me,” Oliveira said. “They’re saying I can’t take hits — look at what I’ve been doing. They say I quit — look at what I’ve been doing. I’m just going to keep doing what I do.”

Oliveira also took aim at Nurmagomedov, the legendary former champ who said he was rooting for Poirier in this fight but tweeted his congratulations to Oliveira late Saturday.

Oliveira said this was his era of the lightweight division.

“History and legacy have a new name,” he said, “and that’s Charles Oliveira.”

Cris Cyborg Knocks Out Sinead Kavanagh to Retain Bellator’s Women’s Featherweight Title

Posted on November 13, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Less than two minutes… That’s the time it took Cris Cyborg to roll past her latest opponent.

The 36-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist, Bellator’s women’s featherweight champion, was as dominant as ever in defending her belt for the third time, knocking out Sinead Kavanagh in the first round of the Bellator 271 main event on Friday night in Hollywood, Florida.

This fight looked like most of the fights during Cyborg’s 16-year pro career. She came out blitzing Kavanagh, trapping her against the cage and unleashing punches that within the first minute had bloodied her face.

Kavanagh (7-5), a 35-year-old from Ireland who trains in the same SBG Dublin gym as Conor McGregor, did manage to get her back off the cage and, relying on her background as an amateur boxer, she began trading punches with Cyborg, which wasn’t the best idea.

A right hand wobbled the challenger and another right sent her crashing to the canvas, flat on her back. Referee Jason Herzog immediately jumped in to wave off the fight as a knockout at 1 minute, 32 seconds of Round 1.

For Cyborg (25-2, 1 NC), a former 145-pound champion in the UFC, Strikeforce and Invicta FC promotions, it was her fifth straight win and the 11th first-round knockout of her career.

Cyborg, who lives and trains in Southern California, has just one loss in her past 27 fights, a run of success that extends back to her pro MMA debut in 2005.

In an interview afterward inside the cage, Cyborg, who was a 25-1 betting favorite, smiled as she apologized to her coaches.

“I’m sorry, my team,” she said. “I didn’t do anything that we planned.”

Then Cyborg put this virtuosic performance behind her and shifted her focus to her next title defense. She mentioned that she had called for a fight with former UFC title challenger Cat Zingano, who has won two fights since signing with Bellator two years ago.

“But I leave it to Scott Coker,” Cyborg said, referring to the Bellator president. “I don’t choose fights.”

However, a fight might end up choosing her. Cyborg was reminded that among those in the crowd at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino was two-time PFL lightweight champion Kayla Harrison, who is a free agent and has been checking out her options. She was at UFC 268 last Saturday. On Friday night, she was at Bellator 271.

“Kayla, thanks for coming to the fights. I really appreciate you’re here,” Cyborg said to Harrison, a 2012 and 2016 Olympic gold medalist in judo. “I’m here. If you want to fight me one day, it’s gonna be a great fight.”

Charles Oliveira to Face Off Against Dustin Poirier for Lightweight Championship at UFC 269

Posted on October 6, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Charles Oliveira has a new opponent…

The 31-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist (31-8) will face off against Dustin Poirier for the lightweight championship at UFC 269 on Dec. 11.

The matchup had been in talks for weeks, and Poirier told ESPN late last month there was “a good chance” it would happen. The 32-year-old lightweight mixed martial artist wrote on social media that the bout is now official.

“Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” Poirier wrote on Twitter.

Representatives for Poirier confirmed to ESPN he has officially agreed to the December title fight.

A win against Oliveira would cap off an amazing year for Poirier, who has been fighting professionally since 2009. The Louisiana native kicked off 2021 by knocking out Conor McGregor in January at UFC 257. He followed that up with another TKO win against McGregor at UFC 264 in July, a fight that ended when McGregor suffered a serious leg injury at the end of the opening round.

UFC 269 will mark Poirier’s second attempt at an undisputed UFC championship. He challenged former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in September 2019, and lost via submission. Poirier is a former interim UFC champion, but has never held the undisputed title.

Oliveira, 31, captured the vacant UFC title by knocking out Michael Chandler in May. Fighting out of Brazil, Oliveira is riding a nine-fight win streak that includes eight finishes.

Ryan Garcia Agrees to Terms with Javier Fortuna on a Fight This Summer

Posted on April 2, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Ryan Garcia is sealing the deal…

The 22-year-old Mexican American budding lightweight contender has agreed to terms with former champion Javier Fortuna on a fight this summer, according to ESPN.

In March, the WBC ordered Garcia to fight Fortuna in a defense of the WBC’s interim lightweight title. The winner will likely be in contention to face Devin Haney, who holds the sanctioning body’s top belt in the 135-pound division.

The location and date is yet to be determined, but sources confirmed to ESPN it likely won’t occur on July 10, which is the same date as UFC 264 featuring the trilogy fight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier.

Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs) is coming off a January win over Luke Campbell, which was the toughest bout of the 22-year-old’s young career. Fortuna (36-2-1, 25 KOs), who was once the junior lightweight champion, has won three straight fights since a no-contest against Adrian Granados in 2018.

Friday’s development comes exactly two weeks before a scheduled purse bid if Garcia and Fortuna’s promoters couldn’t come to an agreement.

Garcia, who has one of the biggest social media followings in boxing, has long viewed as one of Golden Boy Promotions‘ top prospects. Garcia defeated Campbell with a 7th-round technical knockout via a big body shot, Garcia’s fifth consecutive stoppage victory.

News of the Garcia-Fortuna bout was first reported by The Athletic.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

Tag Archives: Conor McGregor