UFC heavyweight Walt Harris will collide with Alistair Overeem in the main event of UFC Fight Night 172 in Jacksonville, Fla., on May 16. It’ll be the first time Harris competes since his 19-year-old stepdaughter, Aniah, was kipnapped and killed in Fall 2019. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal
In the main event of UFC Fight Night 171, Glover Teixeira stopped Anthony Smith in the fifth round to claim victory in the promotion’s second fight card to take place in Jacksonville in the past week. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
UFC light heavyweight fighter Anthony Smith, who lives in Nebraska, says he wouldn’t allow the “psychopath” who broke into his home to dictate his return to the promotion. Smith, who successfully fought off the home invader in April this year, will return to headline UFC Fight Night 175 against Glover Teixeira in Jacksonville on May 13. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
In the first sporting event to take place after shutdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic, UFC 249 saw a new interim champion crowned in the lightweight division in Justin Gaethje and in the co-main event, Henry Cejudo successfully defended his title against Dominick Cruz and then retired.
UFC fighters Justin Gaethje, Tony Ferguson and Donald Cerrone weigh in on how things are different in preparation for UFC 249 amid the coronavirus pandemic and what they think the atomesphere at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena will be like on May 9 in Jacksonville, Fla., without an audience. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Ahead of UFC 249, the promotion administered tests to all of the fighters competing at the event slated to take place at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla on May 9. This is a video of heavyweight Francis Ngannou receiving the test. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Video was released on Friday from an officer’s body cam of UFC champion Jon Jones going through a sobriety test and before being arrested. Jones was arrested early Thursday on charges of aggravated driving while intoxicated, possession of an open container and negligent use of a firearm.
Despite coronavirus canceling many other planned sporting events, UFC Brasilia went on as scheduled on Mar. 14, though no fans were permitted to attend. Charles Oliveira and Gilbert Burns took home performance bonuses for their wins in the main and co-main events, respectively. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
The Nevada Athletic Commission voted to suspend all combat sports licenses through March 25 in order to protect the health and safety of those working and competing in the events from coronavirus. Adam Hill and Heidi Fang discuss what this means for future events the UFC have on their schedule and more. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Israel Adesanya retained the UFC middleweight belt by defeating Yoel Romero via unanimous decision, but the fight came under criticism for there being a lack of action. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
At the post-fight press conference UFC president Dana White expressed his displeasure with UFC 248’s main event between Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
All but one fighter made weight for UFC 248. Emily Whitmire came in heavy for the strawweight limit by 1.5 pounds. All fighters involved in title fights hit the mark making Zhang Weili vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero official. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
UFC bantamweight Sean O’Malley explains what his two-year hiatus from competing in the octagon was like, what he missed most about fighting in his time away and what he thinks his strengths are against Jose Quinonez at UFC 248. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
All fighters on the UFC 248 main card faced off at media day at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, including Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk who will fight for the women’s strawweight title and middleweights Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero who will do battle for the division’s belt on March 7 at the T-Mobile Arena.
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya discusses how he’s prepared to handle the fame that comes with having a title belt by studying what others like Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor have done before him. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
UFC President Dana White explains how the promotion as a global brand with fight cards in all corners of the world is preparing to handle the coronavirus. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
UFC President Dana White explains how the promotion as a global brand with fight cards in all corners of the world is preparing to handle the coronavirus. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
UFC Strawweight Joanna Jedrzejczyk posted a meme of herself in a gas mask next to her Chinese opponent Zhang Weili and later deleted it from Instagram. At a media day, Jedrzejczyk explained what her intent was with that post and fired back at Weili who had said earlier in the day that she was still angry over the joke. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
UFC women’s strawweight champion Zhang Weili discusses how she fled her native China to train in Las Vegas due to the spread of the coronavirus and responds to jokes her opponent, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, made about the outbreak ahead of their UFC 248 title bout. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
After Conor McGregor’s first-round demolition of Donald Cerrone at UFC 246, UFC president Dana White said a rematch between “The Notorious” and UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is the fight to make next. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
The UFC 246 fight card, featuring a welterweight main event between Conor McGregor and Donald Cerrone, is official, minus one planned bout. In place of Claudia Gadelha vs. Alexa Grasso, a bantamweight bout between Brian Kelleher and Ode’ Osbourne will move up to the pay-per-view main card. All fighters competing on the card faced off during the ceremonial weigh-ins at The Park Theater.
Conor McGregor says he knows that other fighter’s eyes light up at the chance of facing him as it usually means a dramatic increase in pay. Welterweights Jorge Masvidal and Kamaru Usman spoke about why they’d face McGregor next and Donald Cerrone explained how he’s affected his payday for UFC 246. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
As 21-year-old Maycee Barber begins her quest to become the youngest champion in the UFC, she must first face a competitor in women’s flyweight Roxanne Modafferi – a veteran of the sport who is often regarded as one of the pioneers of women’s mixed martial arts. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
With UFC 246 fight week underway, fighters from five featured bouts, including the co-main event women’s bantamweight contest between Holly Holm and Raquel Pennington, faced off at media day in Las Vegas. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Ahead of their welterweight bout at UFC 246 on Jan. 18, Conor McGregor and Donald Cerrone were respectful of one another, despite having traded barbs close to four years ago at another press conference. Their bout will serve as the five-round main event at the T-Mobile Arena on Saturday. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Kamaru Usman retained the UFC welterweight title when he knocked out Colby Covington in the fifth round of their title bout at UFC 245. After a heated lead-up to their bout, Usman says sometimes love and unity wins. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Here are the staredowns from the ceremonial weigh-in featuring all fighters competing at the UFC 245 fight card on Dec. 14 at the T-Mobile Arena. There are three title fights on the main card with the main event featuring a middleweight title bout between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal).
Ahead of their welterweight title fight, division champion Kamaru Usman explains where the rivalry with his opponent, Colby Covington originated and discusses what he thinks about the challenger’s persona. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
UFC welterweight title challenger Colby Covington discusses his upcoming fight taking place on Dec. 14 at the T-Mobile Arena against Kamaru Usman and says he is fueled by those who boo him at events. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
