Latest news with #UFC316
Newsweek
a day ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Joe Rogan Draws 'Line in the Sand' Against Donald Trump Over Epstein
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Podcaster Joe Rogan has said that he is drawing a "line in the sand," with President Donald Trump over Jeffrey Epstein. Rogan, who previously endorsed Trump in the 2024 presidential election has recently joined the cacophony of angry voices who have spoken out against Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Justice Department's handling of findings from the investigation into sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. "This one's a line in the sand," Rogan said during a recent episode of his podcast with former CIA Officer Mike Baker. "We thought Trump was going to come in and a lot of things are going to be resolved. We're going to drain the swamp, we're going to figure everything out." "And when you have this one hardcore line in the sand that everybody has been talking about forever, and then they're trying to gaslight you on that," Rogan said. Joe Rogan looks on during UFC 316 at the Prudential Center on June 07, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. Joe Rogan looks on during UFC 316 at the Prudential Center on June 07, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. Elsa/Getty Images Newsweek has reached out to a representative for Rogan outside of regular working hours via email for comment. This is a developing story and it will be updated.
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Sean O'Malley: Cory Sandhagen will be surprised how strong Merab Dvalishvili is at UFC 320
Sean O'Malley knows how stern of a test UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili is. Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) will look to notch his third title defense when he takes on Cory Sandhagen (18-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) in the UFC 320 co-main event on Oct. 4 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. O'Malley is coming off a submission loss to Dvalishvili at UFC 316 – his second-straight loss to the champion. He says he learned the hard way the Georgian champion is deceptive. "How do I see that fight playing out? It's interesting, a striker vs. wrestler matchup," O'Malley said on his YouTube channel. "I fought Merab twice, beat him once, lost to him once, just kidding. Cory's got really good wrestling scrambles. He did really good against Umar (Nurmagomedov). He kept his hips high. He was able to scramble very well. I wouldn't say he really gassed, but he definitely got a little bit tired, whereas Merab, he just doesn't get tired. He really just doesn't, and he's freakishly strong. Very curious to see how those scrambles go. If Cory's well versed in the 50-50 (position), the leg game. "So, I'm curious if he will cause scrambles that way, maybe threaten some submissions that way to where Merab gets uncomfortable and maybe shoots less. As a striker, Cory and I have very similar styles in a sense, hard to take down, good timing. Watching Merab on the screen, not having him in front of you, you think he looks kind of sloppy. He looks like you're going to be able to stuff his shots or not even be there when he shoots, but that little Georgian finds a way under your shots. Even if you don't throw punches, he finds a way, and he's got really sneaky timing and good entrances. When he gets a hold of you, I feel like he's gotten better at getting a hold of people and not letting them up and disengaging." O'Malley leans towards Dvalishvili, but won't count out Sandhagen, who he called one of the most skilled guys in the UFC. "It's hard for me to wrap my head, I think it's a f*cking coin flip," O'Malley added. "I think, if I had to guess, I feel like Merab. If Merab goes out there and grabs a hold of him, I think Cory's going to be surprised how strong that little Georgian feels. But also, I could be completely wrong. Cory could go out there and hit some beautiful scrambles and completely make Merab look silly."
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Umar Nurmagomedov's coach excited to rematch a 'better' Merab Dvalishvili when time comes
ABU DHABI – Javier Mendez looks forward to game planning for an even more improved Merab Dvalishvili if Umar Nurmagomedov can rebound. Nurmagomedov (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) fell short in his title fight against bantamweight champion Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) at UFC 311 in January. After he revealed he broke his hand early in a fight where he won the first two rounds on two of the three judges' scorecards. During Wednesday's UFC on ABC 9 media day, Petr Yan said Nurmagomedov turned down a fight for the UFC on ABC 8 headliner in Baku, Azerbaijan this past June. Mendez addressed that claim, and gave an update on Nurmagomedov, who's manager Ali Abdelaziz teased has fight news soon. "I was told about that potential matchup, we didn't care who Umar was going to fight," Mendez told MMA Junkie. "We just know we needed a tough guy for us to potentially be back in the picture, but his hand wasn't healed enough to be cleared to go that early. So, we're expecting Umar to be fighting very soon and before the end of the year. I'm preparing to go to camp at the end of this month with Usman (Nurmagomedov). "Usman is defending his title at Coca Cola Arena here against an opponent to be named. I don't know who it is, but I'm sure it's going to be somebody really good. ... Within that training camp, it'll be Umar and Islam (Makhachev), and all the other guys will be in there too. I'll be with all the boys starting August, I'll be in Dagestan in Khabib (Nurmagomedov)'s new gym up in the mountains." Mendez has been super impressed with the improvement shown by Dvalishvili, who notched his second title defense when he submitted Sean O'Malley at UFC 316. "It was a great fight, it was super, super close," Mendez said on Dvalishvili vs. Nurmagomedov. "Unfortunately, things didn't end up going our way, and Merab did a fantastic job. Since then, Merab has gone on to do an unbelievable job. He's gotten better, and I love that. "I love that he's gotten better because if we get another opportunity, we got to get by whoever they give us next. But if we get another opportunity at Merab, I want a better Merab. I don't want an old Merab, I want a better Merab, and that's what we're getting. We're getting a better Merab. Last fight was so, so impressive. I'm looking forward to that challenge if we can get by our next opponent." Mendez broke down what he tactically thinks Nurmagomedov did wrong in his first-career defeat to Dvalishvili. "A big mistake was not telling Khabib and I that he broke his hand because we would have changed the game plan completely," Mendez said. "I keep going back thinking, and I go, God dammit, why didn't I ask him, 'Why did you go in for the takedown?' Because Merab was super strong. Why would you try to go for a takedown when that was not a good idea? "He wasn't in a weak position, but he went in to shoot for a takedown. It hit me. Why – and I still to this day haven't spoken to Umar – was it that when you broke your hand? I'm not sure. The hand broke, but it is what it is. Fighters break hands, they break toes, and they fight and they win."
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Aleksandar Rakic draws unbeaten Azamat Murzakanov at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi
Aleksandar Rakic will look to rebound when he draws an unbeaten rising contender at UFC 321. Rakic (14-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC) takes on Azamat Murzakanov (15-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) in a light heavyweight bout on Oct. 25 at Etihad Arena from Abu Dhabi, promotion officials announced Thursday morning. After winning six of his first seven UFC fights, Rakic has now lost three in a row. He is coming off a unanimous decision setback to current light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 308 this past October. Meanwhile, Russia's Murzakanov continued his rise up the 205-pound ladder after scoring back-to-back knockouts of Alonzo Menifield, and most recently Brendson Ribeiro in the first round at UFC 316 in June. With the addition, the UFC 321 lineup includes:
USA Today
19-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Kevin Holland vs. Daniel Rodriguez prediction, pick, start time for UFC 318
Kevin Holland and Daniel Rodriguez meet Saturday on the main card of UFC 318 at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. Last event: 4-2 UFC main cards, 2025: 68-50-1 Kevin Holland vs. Daniel Rodriguez UFC 318 preview Holland (28-13 MMA, 15-10 UFC) is building serious momentum as he continues his hyper-active 2025 campaign. After starting the year with a first-round submission loss to Reinier de Ridder in January, "Trailblazer" bounced back with a unanimous decision win over Gunnar Nelson in March, followed by a second-round submission of Vicente Luque last month at UFC 316. ... Rodriguez (19-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) also enters on the heels of back-to-back wins. Recently on a rough skid of three straight losses, "D-Rod" has rebounded with a split decision win over Alex Morono last October, followed by a third-round finish of Santiago Ponzinibbio in May. Kevin Holland vs. Daniel Rodriguez UFC 318 expert pick, prediction Filling out the main card is a welterweight fight between Kevin Holland and Daniel Rodriguez. I know these two have been booked to fight one another at multiple points in their career, but this booking kind of feels like a waste for the Holland side of things, if I'm being honest. Although I got a lot of respect for the gameness of Rodriguez, I believe that the Los Angeleno has been on a noticeable decline in recent years, seemingly losing some speed and smoothness to his game. Add in the fact that Holland traditionally does well opposite southpaws (officially standing at 10-3-1 opposite UFC-level lefties), and I suspect that the stage is set for "Trailblazer" to land one of his patented right hands down the pike given the open-stance dynamic at play. The pick is Holland by knockout in Round 1. Kevin Holland vs. Daniel Rodriguez UFC 318 odds The oddsmakers and the public heavily favor the younger fighter, listing Holland -600 and Rodriguez +425 via FanDuel. Kevin Holland vs. Daniel Rodriguez UFC 318 start time, how to watch Holland and Rodriguez are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 11:10 p.m. ET. The fight broadcasts live on ESPN and ESPN+.
