Latest news with #UFCFightNight250
USA Today
10-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Fares Ziam gets home fight vs. Kaue Fernandes at UFC Paris on Sept. 6
Fares Ziam won't get the top 15-ranked UFC lightweight he was looking for. Instead, Ziam (17-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) draws rising contender Kaue Fernandes (10-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) on Sept. 6 at Accor Arena in Paris, promotion officials announced Thursday. Winner of seven of his past eight fights, Ziam extended his winning streak to five when he defeated Mike Davis by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 250 in February. Prior to that, he scored a Knockout of the Year contender over Matt Frevola when he flattened him with a knee to earn his first bonus at UFC Fight Night 243. After dropping his UFC debut to Marc Diakiese, Fernandes stopped Mohammad Yahya by first-round TKO at UFC on ABC 7, followed by a unanimous decision win over Guram Kutateladze at UFC Fight Night 255 in March. With the addition, the current UFC Paris lineup includes:
USA Today
09-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC announces Qatar will host Fight Night event this November
The UFC is breaking new ground in the Middle East. Promotion officials announced Wednesday that the UFC is heading to Doha, Qatar for a Fight Night event on Nov. 22. No bouts were included in the announcement. Qatar will mark the third country in the Middle East that the UFC visits. Abu Dhabi has played host to some of the biggest events in company history, including the historic "Fight Island" cards during COVID-19. Two UFC Fight Night events have been held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – most recently this past February when Nassourdine Imavov knocked out Israel Adesanya in the UFC Fight Night 250 main event. The UFC's next stop in the Middle East comes later this month when Robert Whittaker meets Reinier de Ridder in the UFC on ABC 9 headliner July 26 from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
USA Today
08-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC's Caio Borralho would expect Sean Strickland-Israel Adesanya rematch to look same
Caio Borralho doesn't see a rematch between former UFC middleweight champions Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya going too differently. After three straight losses, Adesanya (24-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) wants to run things back with Strickland, who dethroned him in a stunning upset title win at UFC 293. Strickland (29-7 MMA, 16-7 UFC) was able to hurt Adesanya early en route to a unanimous decision win. If Adesanya does get his wish, top contender Borralho doesn't see him avenging that loss. "To be honest, I see it the same way, because Strickland – styles make fights, and Strickland is a guy that pressures a lot, and Izzy doesn't like to get pressured too much," Borralho told Submission Radio. "He moves a lot, moves very good in the octagon, but he needs the guy to throw with everything if the guy is pressuring him. But Sean Strickland doesn't throw everything. He touches. Maybe it could be different, but I think it's going to be the same thing. "Strickland is going to be marching forward, Izzy is going to try to guess which punch is coming with power, and then there will be no power, and then he's going to be a little bit confused. He's going to get touched a lot, and I think Strickland wins again. Not the Strickland that showed up against Dricus (Du Plessis), because that Strickland was not the Strickland that I know. So if Strickland really shows up to fight like he did the first time with Izzy, he wins this fight." Adesanya went on to drop two more fights to UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305, followed by a TKO loss to Nassourdine Imavov in the UFC Fight Night 250 headliner in February.
USA Today
07-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Caio Borralho: 'Emotional' Nassourdine Imavov doesn't like getting punched, I will KO him
Caio Borralho doesn't think Nassourdine Imavov can handle his pressure. Borralho (17-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) takes on Imavov (16-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC) in a pivotal middleweight clash, which headlines the UFC Fight Night event on Sept. 6 from Accor Arena in Paris, France. Borralho is convinced that Imavov only does well when he's the hammer, not the nail. "I'm going to pressure this guy, he's going to get tired, and I'm going to knock him out," Borralho told Submission Radio. "That's what I'm going to do. He's going to be too emotional in this fight, and I'm going to knock him out with his own emotions. I'm going to be honest with you, this is a fight where I'm going to get punched in the face. He's going to get punched in the face, but everybody already saw who is comfortable in this position of getting punched in the face, and it's not him. "He doesn't like to get punched. Even in training, I heard a lot about him. I've been training with guys who already trained with him. He gets mad when he gets touched in his face, and that's exactly what's going to happen in the fight. I'm going to touch him a lot, I'm going to pressure him, I'm going to defend his speed and then in the right time, I'm going to knock him out." Borralho also downplayed Imavov's resume, which includes a win over common opponent Jared Cannonier, and most recently a knockout of former champion Israel Adesanya at UFC Fight Night 250 in February. "You beat old Izzy, you had an early stoppage with Cannonier that you were losing the fight, you almost didn't beat Brendan Allen," Borralho said of Imavov. "He did an awful fight where he got tired with Brendan Allen, and I've been dominating all my opponents. "Cannonier, Paul Craig, Abus (Magomedov), Michal (Oleksiejczuk), and all these guys. I've been dominating all of them. I think the only competitive fight that I had was against Cannonier, but I still dominated this fight. So, I'm the guy who's supposed to be going into this run for the belt because I'm undefeated in the UFC."
USA Today
03-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Israel Adesanya says Sean Strickland rematch not happening next, eyes October return
Sean Strickland vs. Israel Adesanya 2 not happening anytime soon. LAS VEGAS – Don't hold your breath for a Sean Strickland vs. Israel Adesanya rematch. It doesn't look like that fight will try to get worked on, at least not any time soon. Adesanya (24-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) was angling for the Strickland rematch just a few months ago and was very vocal in calling for that bout. However, speaking to reporters at the 2025 UFC Hall of Fame ceremony last Thursday, Adesanya had a very different tone and didn't give much hope of the rematch being next. "I want to, but he's busy at the moment with other stuff, so that's him," Adesanya told reporters. "But we'll see. I'll pick a fight this weekend." Adesanya last fought in February, losing by TKO to top contender Nassourdine Imavov in the main event of UFC Fight Night 250 in Saudi Arabia. The former UFC middleweight champion would like to fight again in that part of the world and thinks the Oct. 25 UFC pay-per-view in Abu Dhabi "sounds nice." "The Last Stylebender" also reveled that there's not a big interest in rematching champion Dricus du Plessis in hopes of getting his belt back. He does see him staying champion and getting past his next title defense – a main event booking for UFC 319 on Aug. 16 against Khamzat Chimaev. "I got DDP because he's stubborn," Adesanya said. "Khamzat is a beast, but DDP is just weird and stubborn, and he's got real power."
