Latest news with #DWCS
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Christopher Ewert botched weight cut scraps Jackson McVey fight at UFC 317, gets him cut
Ewert took fight on just a few days' notice when ankle monitor-wearing Sedriques Dumas was court-ordered to stay home. Certain curtain jerkers just aren't meant to be sometimes. The middleweight fight between Christopher Ewert and Jackson McVey that was set to open up UFC 317 on Saturday has been canceled. Ewert, who took the fight on just a few days' notice, was unable to get close enough to the weight and the bout was scrapped. Weigh-ins emcee Jon Anik announced the news at the start of the UFC 317 official weigh-ins session in Las Vegas – and also took the unusual additional step of announcing Ewert had been immediately cut from the UFC. Announcements of fight cancellations at weigh-ins don't typically come with news of the fighter at fault being released. Ewert (7-0), from Chile, had been on the UFC's radar for a while. He was supposed to fight on Dana White's Contender Series on Aug. 2 vs. Yuri Panferov, but took the UFC 317 spot instead when Dumas (10-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) pulled out earlier this week because he can't go 100 miles from his house while wearing a court-ordered GPS ankle monitor. In retrospect, that looks like a bad call for Ewert – who apparently may have lost his DWCS opportunity for now, too. McVey (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was set to make his promotional debut. He never has seen the second round with six first-round finishes training under Mike Rogers at St. Charles MMA in Missouri.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Big men headed to 'Big Easy': Lukasz Brzeski vs. Ryan Spann set for UFC 318 in New Orleans
The UFC's return to "The Big Easy" continues to build with a little lagniappe at heavyweight. A bout between big men Lukasz Brzeski (9-6-1 MMA, 1-5 UFC) and Ryan Spann (22-11 MMA, 8-6 UFC) has been added to UFC 318 next month. A person with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the fight to MMA Junkie, but asked to remain anonymous because the UFC has not yet made a formal announcement of the fight. UFC 318 takes place July 19 at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. The card features a trilogy bout between the retiring local Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway for the BMF title. Spann will try to bounce back from a second-round TKO loss to Waldo Cortes-Acosta in March. That setback was his fourth in five fights, but also his first at heavyweight after years at 205 pounds. His final bout at light heavyweight, though, was a bonus-winning submission of Ovince St. Preux at UFC 307. Brzeski has a recent TKO loss to Cortes-Acosta on his resume, too. But after that 2023 setback, he bounced back with a win over Valter Walker – which stands as his only win in the UFC. The 33-year-old Polish fighter got into the UFC through a DWCS win that was flipped to a no contest for a failed drug test, and once in, he's struggled with losses in five of six fights. With the addition, the UFC 318 lineup now includes:
The Hindu
18-06-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
I know what I'm capable of: Jamahal Hill eyes title shot with Rountree clash on June 22
Two and a half years ago, Jamahal Hill made UFC history. He became the first graduate of Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS) to win a championship, claiming a unanimous decision victory over veteran Glover Teixeira. Hill, who debuted in the UFC in 2020, quickly built a reputation as a knockout artist. Before earning his maiden title shot, he delivered four first-round knockouts in five fights, showcasing his raw power and ruthless finishing ability. 'The first time I won the title; it was like a dream come true. To be a part of the UFC in itself was a dream, but to go in and get the job done is a different feeling. It was the result of years of hard work I put in,' Hill tells Sportstar. 'The Dana White Contender Series is a good initiative. You get picked up if you're a top prospect based on your recent form. If you show up and perform, you get a platform to showcase what you're capable of,' he adds. But his reign was short-lived. In his first title defence, Hill faced Alex Pereira and suffered a brutal first-round knockout. Pereira needed just one perfectly-timed left hook to end the bout and strip Hill of the belt. Things didn't improve. A knee injury forced Hill to pull out of UFC 303, and on his return earlier this year, he was knocked out again — this time by Jiri Prochazka. Still, Hill remains unfazed. 'Everything is part and parcel of the game. You win some, you lose some. If a fight doesn't go my way, I keep my head down and train to get better. I know what I'm capable of achieving. You just have to learn from your mistakes and grow,' said Hill. Now, he has a clear target in mind: redemption. A dominant win over Khalil Rountree Jr. on June 22 could put him right back in the title mix. That's all he's focused on. 'Right now, my only assignment is to go there and defeat Rountree. I want to go and express myself, and I believe everything else will follow accordingly. I feel I've had a pretty good build-up to the fight, and I want to dominate,' concluded Hill. UFC Fight Night: Hill vs Rountree Jr. Fight card Main event: Jamahal Hill vs Khalil Rountree Jr. Main Cards: Rafael Fiziev vs Ignacio Bahamondes Curtis Blaydes vs Rizvan Kuniev Tofiq Musayev vs Myktybek Orolbai Nazim Sadykhov vs Nikolas Motta Muhammad Naimov vs Bogdan Grad Prelim Matches: SeokHyun Ko vs Oban Elliott Ismail Naurdiev vs JunYong Park Daria Zhelezniakova vs Melissa Mullins Irina Alekseeva vs Klaudia Sygula Tagir Ulanbekov vs Azat Maksum Hamdy Abdelwahab vs Mohammed Usman Streaming/telecast information Watch UFC- Fight Night - Hill vs. Rountree Jr. on 22nd June 2025 at 12:30 AM IST LIVE On Sony Sports Ten 1 SD & HD, Sony Sports Ten 3 SD & HD (Hindi), Sony Sports Ten 4 SD & HD (Tamil & Telugu) Related Topics MMA / UFC
USA Today
30-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
'Injury on the Trevin Giles side' scraps UFC on ESPN 68 short-notice save vs. Gustafsson
'Injury on the Trevin Giles side' scraps UFC on ESPN 68 short-notice save vs. Gustafsson Giles saved Gustafsson's fight on short notice, but suffered an injury leading into Friday's official weigh-ins Andreas Gustafsson had about a week to enjoy the fact his fight had been saved by Trevin Giles. But that's out the window. Gustafsson (11-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and Giles (16-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC) had been set to meet Saturday in an 180-pound fight at UFC on ESPN 68 May 31 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The fight was set at that weight instead of 170 because Giles stepped in on short notice for Jeremiah Wells, who pulled out. But Friday at the official weigh-ins for UFC on ESPN 68, it was announced the fight is off. Weigh-ins emcee Brendan Fitzgerald gave the official reason for the fight's cancellation as "an injury on the Trevin Giles side." Gustafsson, 34, was set to make his UFC debut after an impressive showing on DWCS in 2024. He sliced and diced Pat Pytlik en route to a second-round TKO and extended his winning streak to three. Giles, 32, may have had his back against the wall in the fight no matter what, but now he'll have the specter of this cancellation hanging over him. He has three straight losses, but in his seven total UFC setbacks, three came against current middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis and top contenders Carlos Prates and Michael Morales. With the cancellation, the UFC on ESPN 68 lineup, now with 10 fights, includes: MAIN CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 9 p.m. ET) Erin Blanchfield vs. Maycee Barber Mateusz Gamrot vs. Ludovit Klein Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Billy Ray Goff Dustin Jacoby vs. Bruno Lopes Macy Chiasson vs. Ketlen Vieira – 145-pound adjusted contract weight Dusko Todorovic vs. Zachary Reese PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)
The South African
26-04-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Cameron Saaiman returns to UFC octagon TONIGHT
South Africa's Cameron Saaiman will return to the UFC octagon on Saturday, 26 April at UFC Kansas City Fight Night. His bantamweight bout will be among the preliminary action on the night, with the bout likely to start somewhere between midnight and 01:00 (SA time). The bout will be screened live on SuperSport. Saaiman hasn't fought since losing to Payton Talbott in March 2024 which saw his record drop to 9-2. Saaiman will face undefeated American Malcolm Wellmaker (8-0) who will be making his UFC debut. Wellmaker, known as 'The Machine,' graduated to the UFC via Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS) last year. He boasts six finishes amongst his eight wins, with six by way of KO/TKO, and two submissions. Meanwhile, Saaiman had a hot start to his UFC career, winning a trio of fights following his own appearance on DWCS in 2022. However, he then ran into 'prospect killer' Christian Rodriguez, losing a decision, prior to the loss against Talbott. Result Record Opponent Method Loss 9-2 Payton Talbott TKO (punches) Loss 9-1 Christian Rodriguez Decision (unanimous) Win 9-0 Terrence Mitchell TKO (punches) Win 8-0 Leomana Martinez Decision (majority) Win 7-0 Steven Koslow TKO (knees and punches) Win 6-0 Josh Wang-Kim KO (punch) Win 5-0 Sindile Manengela Decision (unanimous) Win 4-0 Roevan De Beer TKO (punches) Win 3-0 Billy Oosthuizen Submission (rear-naked choke) Win 2-0 Zwelibanzi Ngema TKO (punches) Win 1-0 Corne Blom TKO (punches) UFC Kansas City takes place on Saturday, 26 April at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. MAIN CARD Ian Machado Garry vs Carlos Prates Anthony Smith vs Zhang Mingyang Giga Chikadze vs David Onama Michel Pereira vs Abusupiyan Magomedov Randy Brown vs Nicolas Dalby Ikram Aliskerov vs Andre Muniz Malcolm Wellmaker vs Cameron Saaiman Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
