Latest news with #NocheUFC
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Kevin Holland targets seven fights in 2025, still trying to get Colby Covington
NEW ORLEANS – Kevin Holland is confident he can break the UFC record for most fights in a year. Holland (28-13 MMA, 15-10 UFC) competed and won five times in 2020, earning him MMA Junkie's Fighter of the Year. Just over halfway through this year, Holland enters his fourth fight when he takes on Daniel Rodriguez (19-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) on Saturday's UFC 318 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) main card at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. Despite now being at welterweight, Holland plans on distancing himself from the UFC record of five fights in a year, which he's tied for with multiple fighters. "I've got to do seven just to go ahead and top the record," Holland said during Wednesday's media day. "We're four down. I think we're getting Neil Magny after this one since I think he's one of the fellow guys that has five wins in a row in a year, right? So that'll be five, and then we'll go get the fifth win against somebody else. And then – I mean, I can fight a lot to be honest with you, and at 170 pounds I'm learning each time, it's just not that f*cking hard to get to." Holland mapped out how he'd like the rest of his year to look like. "I'd like to fight the week after Noche UFC or two weeks after Noche," Holland said. "I'd like to fight on Noche, but I could fight two weeks after or even a week before. I just want to fight around that time so I can make some money in the (state) of Texas just doing sponsorship stuff. After that, you can give me another one before Thanksgiving, and then give me another one right before Christmas, and that would be a good year." If Holland can cap off a historic year, will he be looking at a title run? "No, I think I'm going to do all that and still trying to be fighting Colby (Covington) next year," Holland said. "When he thought he could fight Paddy (Pimblett), and go down a weight class, he was 100 percent healthy. As soon as they said my name, (his) vaginal muscle tore. So you know how that goes. That sh*t takes him like 8-12 weeks to heal, so not an easy process."
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
With one fight left on contract, Eryk Anders maps out retirement plan after UFC on ESPN 72
Eryk Anders wants the final fight on his UFC contract to be a sendoff at home. Anders (17-7 MMA, 9-8 UFC) meets Christian Leroy Duncan (11-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) at UFC on ESPN 72 on Aug. 9 from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. He'll have one more fight left on his contract after that, and he wants it to be a special one. The 38-year-old plans on hanging up his gloves once his UFC contract is up and has two locations in mind – Noche UFC on Sept. 13 or the UFC's annual pay-per-view event in November. "They're going to San Antonio, that's my hometown, so that would be like a dream come true," Anders told MMA Junkie Radio. "That's the last fight on my contract and my 20th fight, and I'd be good retiring after that, and that's the plan anyway. "But if not there, then I was supposed to fight in Madison Square Garden last year against Weidman but got sick, couldn't fight, doctors pulled me from the fight, then we fought in Vegas. Madison Square is like the mecca for combat sports. Big boxing bouts, UFC fights have happened there, so I definitely want to fight there. If I can make that happen and that would be my last fight, then we're off to the sunset." Anders explains how his financial situation has allowed him not to feel obligated to stay very active. "I got a lot of other things going on, so I don't have to fight," Anders said. "I enjoy fighting, I love fighting, but I'm trying to move in other avenues. I used to like press the UFC to fight. 'I want to fight, I want to fight, I want to fight.' But now, I can take my time in between fights. I'm getting ready to open up a gym in September. I'm doing all this stuff now to get that going, so I have other things occupying my mind and time."
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Daniel Zellhuber has 'mixed feelings' about 2024 Fight of the Year vs. Esteban Ribovics
There are thousands of MMA fights a year, but only one can win the Fight of the Year award. Yet, despite the praise and honor, Daniel Zellhuber is not fully content with that achievement. Zellhuber won MMA Junkie's 2024 Fight of the Year – and won it across many other publications, too – for his war against Argentina's Esteban Ribovics in the main card of last year's Noche UFC (UFC 306) at the Sphere in Las Vegas. It was 15 minutes of non-stop striking, with both fighters badly rocking each other multiple times throughout the fight. In the end, Ribovics ended up winning a split decision. The two lightweight prospects took a $50,000 bonus each for Fight of the Night. "It's a bag of mixed feelings," Zellhuber told Hablemos MMA in Spanish, reflecting on his award ahead of his return. "In a way, of course, I'm happy and proud – up to a certain point – to be able to say at just 25 years old, I already have a Fight of the Year and under the best promotion in MMA. It's crazy to think that Esteban and I, out of all 700 and something fights that were in 2024, we were the best. Zellhuber (15-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) makes his first appearance since the war against Ribovics this Saturday at UFC 318 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) from Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. He takes on veteran Michael Johnson (23-19 MMA, 15-15 UFC) in the main card opener. The other side of that "bag of mixed feelings" for his 2024 Fight of the Year is obviously the fact that he fell short and saw a three-fight winning streak come to an end. The 25-year-old doesn't think he fought to his full capabilities, and that eats at him to this day. "However, then comes the competitive part," Zellhuber said. "I know I had a mediocre performance. I know I didn't do what I'm capable of doing due to a million excuses I could explain to you here, which I won't do because that's not who I am or the values that I have. I know I could've done it better. My intention now is to go out there this Saturday and knock out Michael Johnson like I know I can, and then look for that rematch at some point. Or, if not, I'd like to fight Nasrat Haqparast, who recently beat Esteban in another great fight. And yeah, just keep growing. "I've turned the page. I've learned from my mistakes. It's weird. I feel like any other fighter would be OK with what you just said. Yes, I have a Fight of the Year in UFC, and many people in the UFC have even told me that that fight could one day enter the UFC Hall of Fame because of what it represented, being in Noche UFC, the Sphere, and even with all that, I'm not happy. And that's because I lost. It's like a consolation prize. That's not how I work. All I can do now is get back in the win column with this fight and continue to grow."
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Diego Lopes hopes for future clash vs. Yair Rodriguez: 'I will ask for that fight again'
Diego Lopes wants to eventually get his hands on Yair Rodriguez. After their viral heated confrontation at the UFC 314 pre-fight press conference in April, the UFC tried to book the two for the headliner of this year's Noche UFC – the promotion's annual celebration of Mexican Independence Day. Lopes (27-6 MMA, 6-1 UFC) was coming off a decision loss to Alexander Volkanovski in a championship bout for the vacant UFC featherweight belt, and Rodriguez (20-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) off a decision win over former Bellator champion Patricio Freire at UFC 314. Advertisement Unfortunately, the fight wasn't able to materialize. Rodriguez said he couldn't accept the fight due to nagging injuries from the fight against "Pitbull," which didn't surprise Lopes. "I knew that the fight with Yair was going to be hard to get done, I don't need to say anything, we know his past record," Lopes told Hablemos MMA in Spanish. "We know how he sometimes sits out and wants things to fall on his lap like a gift. His past record speaks for itself. I don't need to name names, but he hasn't accepted many fights. I'm the opposite, I don't sit and wait for anything. If you want to fight, accept the fight, and let's go. So Jean Silva wants to fight, let's fight then." Lopes ended up getting booked against Silva, a fellow Brazilian, to headline Noche UFC – which goes down on Sept. 13 in San Antonio. It was quite the odyssey to get to this booking, as UFC offered him a plethora of names, including newcomer Aaron Pico. "I knew I was going to fight at Noche UFC no matter what happened in my last fight, I was going to fight there," Lopes explained. "After I lost the title fight and everything that happened with UFC changing the event to a Fight Night, they offered me, well before that, they had offered me a fight against Aaron Pico. I said no problem. Two days later, I get offered Jean Silva and I said no problem, we accepted. Two more weeks passed after they change the event to a Fight Night ad they said you vs. Yair in the main event of Noche UFC. Again, I accepted, no problem. Then UFC goes to work on the fight, and they come around again offering me Jean Silva. Jean Silva for Noche UFC? No problem. Advertisement "In the position that I'm in, I don't have options. My option is to fight against the guys below me, and what a better way to show I'm deserving of my position and I deserve being considered to fight again for the title by beating the guy who has the most hype right now. Exactly what I went through is what he's going through right now. I went up a lot in level, I exceeded expectations, beat a guy in the top 5 and went on to fight for the title. I think it's the same trajectory the UFC is doing for him. Unfortunately, he has to fight me and I want to prove my arrival was no strike of luck." Although the Rodriguez fight couldn't come together, Lopes does hope to get paired against him in the future. As seen in the UFC 314 pre-fight press conference, there's plenty of bad blood between the two and unsettled business that stems from an alleged altercation between Lopes and Rodriguez's friend, former UFC fighter Marco Beltran, at a regional Mexican event years ago. "I hope so, I hope that in the future the fight happens," Lopes said. "If I win on September 13 and the UFC does the winner of Movsar Evloev vs. Aaron Pico against Volkanovski, and he's there, then I will ask for that fight again." This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Diego Lopes hopes for future UFC clash vs. Yair Rodriguez
USA Today
09-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Noche UFC continues to fill: Jesus Aguilar vs. Luis Gurule added
Noche UFC is filling out quickly and it's no surprise there's already plenty of Mexican talent. Flyweight Jesus Aguilar will join his countrymen on the Sept. 13 event at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, as he battles Luis Gurule in a three-round bout. Two people with knowledge of the booking recently informed MMA Junkie of the matchup but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Aguilar (11-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) had a three-fight winning streak snapped in February when he lost a unanimous decision to Rafael Estevam. Gurule (10-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) was signed off a Dana White's Contender Series victory in 2024 and then debuted vs. Ode Osbourne in April. He lost by second-round TKO. The full Noche UFC lineup now includes:
