Latest news with #UFC299
Time of India
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Donald Trump eyes White House lawn as potential UFC battleground for nation's 250th anniversary
The Dana White– connection continues to thrive. And now it's heading straight to the White House lawn. President Donald Trump made a bombshell announcement during the 'America 250' event on the eve of July 4 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds: the UFC will organize a mixed martial arts fight on the grounds of the White House to celebrate America's 250th birthday in 2026. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The event is expected to draw nearly 25,000 spectators to the historic venue. 'Does anybody watch UFC? The great Dana White? We're going to have a UFC fight. We're going to have a UFC fight, think of this on the grounds of the White House,' Trump told the crowd. He continued, 'We have a lot of land there, we're going to build a little. We're not, Dana is going to do it. Dana is great, one of a kind, going to be UFC fight, championship fight, full fight, like 20,000 to 25,000 people, and we're going to do that as part of '250'.' Trump further emphasized the scale of the celebration, adding, 'We're going to have some incredible events, some professional events, some amateur events. But the UFC fight is going to be a big deal, too.' The White House press secretary later confirmed Trump's intentions, calling them 'dead serious.' A UFC official also told CNN that plans are actively being discussed to bring the event to life. The UFC and Donald Trump has a long history It is no secret that Trump and White have been close allies since the early days of the UFC when the sport was banned in nearly all of the states in the US. Moreover, it was termed as 'human cockfighting' owing to the violent and unorganised nature of the promotion when it kicked off in 1993, and in the later years, popularly known as 'The Dark Ages'. Moreover, Trump even offered his illustrious 'Trump Taj Mahal' in Atlantic City way back in 2001 when the UFC was struggling to find venues for its events. And in recent times, this bond has only grown stronger with the POTUS attending multiple UFC PPVs since 2019, including UFC 244, UFC 299, UFC 309, UFC 314, and UFC 316. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Apart from this, Dana White was also part of Trump's presidential campaign and, alongside Joe Rogan, was a big part in getting Trump back into office. It will be interesting to see how the UFC brings its fighting DNA to the culture of the White House. Also Read:
Time of India
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Why Sean O'Malley is relieved Ilia Topuria ignored his callout after UFC 317 knockout
Why Sean O'Malley is relieved Ilia Topuria ignored his callout after UFC 317 knockout (Image Source: Getty Images) Sean O Malley was in awe and sincerity as he responded to Ilia Topuria knocking out Charles Oliveira in the first round of UFC 317. The former Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight champion went to his YouTube channel to express his uncut feelings after watching Topuria be crowned as the new lightweight champion. Sean O' malley was honest in his answer as he appreciated the level of performance of Topuria at the same level as the elite, but he was thankful that the superfight they previously talked about did not take place. Sean O'Malley praises Ilia Topuria's championship-calibre performance Sean O' Malley was seen in shock following the dominance of Ilia Topuria in the main event of UFC 317. The 30-year-old combatant was truly astonished that Topuria managed to stop another legendary fighter in the style of a highlight. Malley went as far as complimenting Topuria on his resume, citing his knockout wins over previous featherweight champions Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and now Charles Oliveira, being on that exclusive list. In his live reaction, Malley said that Topuria is up there with Jon Jones, which is an indication of his superstar potential as far as the sport is concerned. The former bantamweight champion recognised the fact that Topuria is quickly climbing the ladder between weight divisions, and he is a true superstar in the Ultimate Fighting Championship environment. Topuria became one of the few fighters who have won titles in two divisions at the same time, which is what O Malley assesses. Sugar Sean O'Malley also hinted that an Ilia Topuria vs Islam Makhachev fight would be the best thing to ever happen to the lightweight division, but since Makhachev has had plans to make his debut at welterweight against Jack Della Maddalena, this may not be possible in the immediate future. Former champion expresses gratitude for avoiding superfight disaster The most telling words, however, were spoken by Sean O Malley, who last year called out Ilia Topuria after defeating Marlon Vera at UFC 299 in March 2024. Helena, Montana native had already issued a challenge to the then-featherweight champion Topuria to a cross-divisional superfight, stating his desire to travel to Spain to fight him. Nevertheless, having seen the merciless finishing skills of Topuria in his fight against Charles Oliveira, Malley openly stated that he is happy that the fight did not take place. Sean O' Malley replied with an emphatic, "Thank God he didn't take my callout," as he might have lost his championship hopes when confronting Topuria. The previous champion made a joke that Topuria ran and hid behind 155, then added that he was glad that the Ultimate Fighting Championship did not make the fight. This blunt realism is the harsh truth of mixed martial arts, where a single crushing defeat can completely change the career path of the fighter. The fact that his present condition shows that he has lost his bantamweight title to Merab Dvalishvili and lost the rematch also shows how fast fortunes can turn in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The ex-champion was thrilled to approve of a possible fight between Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett, after their scorched fight in the octagon at UFC 317. Fans should expect these hot matchups in future Ultimate Fighting Championship events as the lightweight division keeps changing. Also Read: Why Dana White dares Mark Zuckerberg to enter brutal UFC tournament Sean O'Malley's refreshingly honest reaction to Ilia Topuria's performance demonstrates the respect elite fighters have for true championship-calibre talent, even when acknowledging their limitations against such devastating competition. Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
USA Today
29-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Sean O'Malley praises 'superstar' Ilia Topuria, glad UFC 'didn't make that fight'
Sean O'Malley admits he dodged a bullet against Ilia Topuria after a past callout never materialized. O'Malley (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC, the then-bantamweight champion, called for a matchup with then-featherweight titleholder, Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) following a win at UFC 299 in March 2024. It didn't happen, however, and after what O'Malley witness Saturday, he's grateful. In the UFC 317 main event, Topuria knocked out Charles Oliveira in the first round to capture the lightweight belt. It was a star-making performance from "El Matador," and O'Malley could only offer praise. "Thank God he didn't accept my callout," O'Malley said on his YouTube channel. "Ilia's a f*cking superstar. ... Thank God the UFC didn't make that fight." O'Malley expressed interest in seeing Topuria face Islam Makhachev in a super fight next, but with Makhachev slated to challenge welterweight champ Jack Della Maddalena later this year, it's still in the distant future. After Paddy Pimblett entered the octagon for a staredown with Topuria at the conclusion of UFC 317, however, O'Malley said that's a fight that would have his attention. "Islam's already fighting JDM, so it's kind of pointless to even fantasize about that fight until that fight happens," O'Malley said. "Ilia vs. Paddy is the fight to make. Simple as that. 100 percent, that's the next fight if it's not going to be Ilia and Islam."
USA Today
13-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Jared Cannonier vs. Michael Page added to UFC 319 in Chicago
Jared Cannonier vs. Michael Page added to UFC 319 in Chicago The lineup for the UFC's return to the "Windy City" continues to build with the addition of a former title challenger to the lineup. Jared Cannonier (18-8 MMA, 11-8 UFC) is set to take on Michael Page (23-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) at UFC 319, which takes place Aug. 16 at United Center in Chicago. UFC officials announced the middleweight booking Friday. Although a card placement wasn't announced, the matchup almost certainly will be part of the pay-per-view main card. UFC 319 is headlined by a middleweight title fight between champion Dricus Du Plessis and challenger Khamzat Chimaev. Page had a high-profile UFC debut at UFC 299 15 months ago and outworked Kevin Holland for a unanimous decision at welterweight. He dropped his follow-up to Ian Machado Garry, but in February threw a wrench into the middleweight division with an upset of Shara Magomedov. Now the longtime Bellator standout will look for a second straight at 185 pounds in the UFC. Cannonier fought for the middleweight title in mid-2022, but dropped a decision to then-champ Israel ADesanya. He had back-to-back wins over former title challengers Sean Strickland and Marvin Vettori after that, but fell back in to the pack when he dropped bouts to Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho in 2024. Earlier this year, though, the "Killa Gorilla" got back on track with a fourth-round knockout of Gregory Rodrigues in a bonus-winning performance in his latest UFC main event. A win over Page would be another high-profile one to add to his resume and keep him in contention at 185. With the addition, the latest UFC 319 lineup now includes:
USA Today
06-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC full fight video: Sean O'Malley dominates Marlon Vera to avenge first pro loss
UFC full fight video: Sean O'Malley dominates Marlon Vera to avenge first pro loss Sean O'Malley made sure to leave no doubt in his rematch against "Chito" Vera. Sean O'Malley's first and only UFC title defense was an impressive one. In March 2024, O'Malley faced the only man who had defeated him at the time: Marlon Vera. The two headlined UFC 299, and that night O'Malley put on one of his best career performances, styling and outstriking "Chito" to win two 50-45 scorecards and one 50-44. It was one of the most dominant championship performances in UFC history. You can rewatch O'Malley avenging his first professional loss in the video above. O'Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) returns to the octagon this Saturday looking to avenge another defeat. He takes on Merab Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC), who took his UFC bantamweight title in September, in the main event of UFC 316 (ESPN+ pay-per-view) at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
