Latest news with #UltimateFightingChampionship
San Francisco Chronicle
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Mark Zuckerberg offered a spot in new UFC tournament
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has already conquered the tech world. Now, he's been invited to compete in an Ultimate Fighting Championship tournament. The billionaire, who is a trained martial artist, has been invited by UFC President and CEO Dana White to put his skills to the test and fight in the newly launched UFC Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu division. The two influential figures have previously partnered to integrate Meta's virtual reality and artificial intelligence products to stream fights and reach a wider audience. White also joined Meta's Board of Directors earlier this year. 'We talk a lot about fighting, obviously,' White told TMZ Sports of his relationship with Zuckerberg on Monday, June 23, just ahead of the first-ever UFC BJJ event on Wednesday, June 25. 'If Mark keeps training and competing, he could literally come here and fight in UFC BJJ. 100%.' Not only is Zuckerberg a known UFC fan, having been spotted at several recent events, he has also trained with renowned fighters such as former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and former champion Max Holloway. He competed in his first BJJ tournament at Woodside High School in Silicon Valley two years ago, winning gold and silver medals. The UFC's BJJ promotion follows a 10-point scoring system, composed of three five-minute rounds. White also hinted at several other public figures potentially competing in UFC BJJ events in the future. 'Tom Hardy, Mario Lopez, and many, many other actors that are really good jiu-jitsu guys that nobody knows about,' he said, adding that by involving celebrities in the mix, he hopes to elevate BJJ the way he has with Mixed Martial Arts. 'If you know anything about jiu-jitsu, there's tons of tournaments that go on all over the world. There's big ones, there's real money involved,' he said. 'You can come fight the best at the UFC and win a world title. You'll be a world champion, everybody will be ranked, and put some structure to it.'
Fox Sports
2 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
2025 UFC 317 Odds: Ilia Topuria Heavy Favorite Over Charles Oliveira
UFC 317 is almost here, and fans are diving into the betting action for the big event that caps off International Fight Week. The main card features Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira, who will be battling it out for UFC's vacant lightweight championship belt. Topuria is the former featherweight champion and Oliveira is the former lightweight titleholder. Being billed as the co-main event is the match between Alexandre Pantoja and Kai Kara-France for the flyweight title. Let's check out the odds for the main events and the undercards at BetMGM as of June 26. UFC 317 C. Oliveira: +380 (bet $10 to win $48 total) I. Topuira: -525 (bet $10 to win $11.90 total) A. Pantoja: -250 (bet $10 to win $14 total) K. Kara-France: +200 (bet $10 to win $30 total) B. Royval: -105 (bet $10 to win $19.52 total) J. Van: -115 (bet $10 to win $18.70 total) B. Dariush: -105 (bet $10 to win $19.52 total) R. Moicano: -115 (bet $10 to win $18.70 total) P. Talbott: +155 (bet $10 to win $25.50 total) F. Lima: -190 (bet $10 to win $15.26 total) J. Hermansson: +185 (bet $10 to win $28.50 total) G. Rodrigues: -255 (bet $10 to win $13.92 total) H. Amil: +135 (bet $10 to win $23.50 total) J. Delgado: -160 (bet $10 to win $16.25 total) V. Araujo: +200 (bet $10 to win $30 total) T. Corez: -250 (bet $10 to win $14 total) T. McKinney: -190 (bet $10 to win $15.26 total) V. Borshchev: +155 (bet $10 to win $25.50 total) N. Price: +1100 (bet $10 to win $120 total) J. Smith: -2500 (bet $10 to win $10.40 total) J. Diniz: -350 (bet $10 to win $12.86 total) A. Hines: +275 (bet $10 to win $37.50 total) Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! Get more from Ultimate Fighting Championship Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
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The Citizen
2 days ago
- Business
- The Citizen
‘That's insane!': Here's how much a ticket would cost if UFC was hosted in SA [VIDEO]
Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie said a ticket would cost R23 000 if a UFC event was hosted in the country. South Africa's Dricus du Plessis celebrates his victory over Sean Strickland of the US after their middleweight division fight at UFC312 in Sydney. Picture: Saeed Khan / AFP At a recent launch of Boktown in Sandton, Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie spoke about how much it would cost to attend an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event in South Africa. 'UFC is willing to come but we would have to sell a ticket at R23 000 for us to break even. That's insane. So, what we are doing is, we are engaging with more sponsors. 'We are now looking at other ways.' NOW READ: PICTURES: Highlights from the Basketball Africa League finals in Pretoria
Time of India
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Why Dana White dares Mark Zuckerberg to enter brutal UFC tournament
Why Dana White dares Mark Zuckerberg to enter brutal UFC tournament (Image Source: Getty Images) Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White has issued a bold challenge to Meta Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg, inviting the tech billionaire to compete in the organisation's latest combat sports venture. White's invitation comes as the UFC launches its Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu division, marking a significant expansion beyond traditional mixed martial arts. The UFC boss believes Mark Zuckerberg's documented grappling skills and competitive spirit make him an ideal candidate for the new tournament format, which promises to deliver intense ground-based combat without the striking elements of conventional MMA fighting. Mark Zuckerberg's martial arts journey attracts UFC attention In recent years, Mark Zuckerberg turned his coding genius into a bona fide martial arts practitioner. The Facebook founder has practised with high-level fighters like former Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, middleweight challenger Israel Adesanya, and former champion Max Holloway. It is not only just a sport that Zuckerberg takes seriously, because he has been involved in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitions. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025 Top Trending local enterprise accounting software [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo In April 2025, Dana White became a member of Meta's Board of Directors, strengthening even more his business relationship with Zuckerberg, which established a special union between combat sports and technology. As the President of the UFC says, Mark Zuckerberg is a true fan of martial arts, and he and the President have a lot to talk about when it comes to fighting, so the invitation is not such a surprise. Dana White pointed out that the experience of the tournament puts Mark Zuckerberg in the best position to compete in the UFC Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Dana White Says Mark Zuckerberg Has Open Invite to Compete in New BJJ Promotion | TMZ Sports UFC Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu creates new opportunities for celebrity competitors The first UFC Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was held on Wednesday as a part of International Fight Week in Las Vegas, with the bantamweight, lightweight, and welterweight divisions champions competing. The promotion follows a standard ten-point scoring system in mixed martial arts, utilising three five-minute rounds, and takes place in a specially designed dome that focuses on the action and movement. Dana White imagines that the platform should host not only high-level grapplers but also celebrities of notable status, and whose Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills are also legitimate. White disclosed that successful tournament professionals, Mario Lopez and Tom Hardy, would also be invited into UFC Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The idea of the promotion is to give the competitive grappling form and mainstream coverage like the UFC gave to mixed martial arts. The approach that White has been taking is making interesting match-ups between sporting legality and entertainment, so it is possible that Mark Zuckerberg would face other celebrity practitioners. Supporters follow the UFC Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu shows through the Fight Pass streaming system created by the organisation, and a few events on YouTube. The promotion will also be ongoing, with frequent tournaments anticipated in 2025. Also Read: How Episode 5 results flipped pressure on Daniel Cormier vs Chael Sonnen rivalry Dana White's invitation to Mark Zuckerberg represents the UFC's ambitious expansion into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, combining legitimate athletic competition with celebrity appeal to capture mainstream attention and establish dominance in the grappling world. Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
How the commentary lineup could shape fan buzz for the Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira main event
How the commentary lineup could shape fan buzz for the Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira main event (Image Source: Getty Images) Officials from the Ultimate Fighting Championship have finalised an upgraded broadcast team structure for UFC 317, featuring Ilia Topuria against Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas this Saturday. This is their most competitive commentary team that many believe they have seen in 2025, with Jon Anik serving as the lead on the play-by-play call alongside the greatest of all time, Joe Rogan and UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier. The team choosing this strategy of broadcasting also indicates the significance of the main event on International Fight Week, as Topuria will attempt to win his second divisional title after relinquishing the featherweight championship in February. Jon Anik and Joe Rogan lead the premium commentary configuration The choice of having Jon Anik, Joe Rogan, and Daniel Cormier in the same event is the Ultimate Fighting Championship's way of ensuring that the fight between Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira is presented with optimum production quality. The preparation and statistical expertise of Jon Anik set the perfect stage for Joe Rogan to deliver his technical analysis and Daniel Cormier to offer his championship-level analysis. This three-man team has made some of the most memorable calls in Ultimate Fighting Championship history, such as several title fights during 2024 and the beginning of 2025. Megan Olivi will be the in-house reporter during the evening, interviewing fighters and generally reporting behind the scenes. She has the experience of covering high-profile Ultimate Fighting Championship events, and this makes her invaluable in giving the emotional intensity behind the lightweight debut of Ilia Topuria and the championship redemption journey that Charles Oliveira seeks. The broadcast team is also composed of Brendan Fitzgerald at the analysis desk, aided by the former Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, and former title challengers Chael Sonnen and Anthony Smith. Ilia Topuria says Islam Makhachev ran away, predicts KO vs. Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 | ESPN MMA International Fight Week demands elevated broadcast standards The improvement of the broadcast team of Ultimate Fighting Championship is directly linked to the prestige of the International Fight Week, as well as the legacy of the possible two-division champion Ilia Topuria. It will also include a flyweight title defence by Alexandre Pantoja against Kai Kara-France in the co-main event, which would make the atmosphere a double-championship affair, and thus would require premium commentary coverage. Charles Oliveira is coming into the fight to reclaim his lightweight title in the wake of his prior title reign between 2021 and 2022, introducing elements of the story that can only be handled by experienced broadcast professionals. The primary card will start at 10:00 PM Eastern Time on ESPN+ pay-per-view, and the prelims will take place earlier in the evening. UFC has smartly placed this event as the main event of International Fight Week, which features Ultimate Fighting Championship BJJ series finals, Hall of Fame induction ceremony and official weigh-ins on Friday. Also Read: Could Tom Aspinall have been the reason behind Jon Jones' early retirement? The shakeup of the broadcast team to provide the coverage of UFC 317 highlights Ultimate Fighting Championship understanding that the match between Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira is potentially a watershed moment in the history of the lightweight division and that there is nothing that could be done to cover all the crucial moments of this title fight except their best commentating team. For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here . Game On Season 1 kicks off with Sakshi Malik's inspiring story. Watch Episode 1 here
