Latest news with #WorldTournament
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
PFL announces three tournament finals headline Charlotte event
Three of the eight 2025 PFL World Tournament finals have a date and location. They are set to take place Aug. 15 at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, N.C. Atop the card will be three five-round fights, with each winner pocketing a $500,000 prize. Advertisement In the lightweight final, England's Alfie Davis (19-5-1) battles Khabib Nurmagomedov protege Gadzhi Rabadanov (26-4-2). The bout will serve as the main event. In the co-main event, the women's flyweight final features Jena Bishop (9-2) against former Bellator champion Liz Carmouche (24-8). The bantamweight final sits in the feature bout slot as Brazil's Marcirley Alves (14-4) fights former LFA standout Justin Wetzell (12-2). PFL World Tournament 9 will follow PFL World Tournament 8, which takes place Aug. 1 and features welterweight and featherweight finals. Below is the complete lineup for 2025 PFL World Tournament 9: Finals. Advertisement MAIN CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 9 Alfie Davis vs. Gadzhi Rabadanov – lightweight tournament final Jena Bishop vs. Liz Carmouche – women's flyweight final Marcirley Alves vs. Justin Wetzell – bantamweight final Mads Burnell vs. Robert Watley PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6:30 pm ET) Juliana Velasquez vs. Ekaterina Shakalova Biaggio Ali Walshvs. TBA Sabrina De Sousa vs. Saray Orosco Renat Khavalov vs. Vilson Ndregjoni Chelsea Hackettvs. Ashley Thiner This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: PFL announces three tournament finals locked for Charlotte
USA Today
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
What Derrick Lewis said to Trump after knockout win at UFC Nashville
(This story first appeared in the Nashville Tennessean.) The post-victory celebration has become a calling card for UFC all-time knockout leader Derrick Lewis. But despite a handful of now-legendary moments in the aftermath of his previous wins, none has topped what followed his highlight-reel first-round knockout over undefeated Tallison Teixeira in the main event of UFC's Fight Night from Nashville on July 12 at Bridgestone Arena. After his signature pound against the canvas and stripping of the shorts, Lewis hopped on the phone with President Donald Trump, thanks to some assistance from UFC CEO Dana White. "(It ranks) probably No. 1," Lewis said of the celebration. "Just because the president had called me. We started talking about business and I told him wait until I get to the White House and we'll really talk. It was pretty cool to have the president talk to me." Lewis (29-12) made his case to feature on a proposed summer 2026 UFC card that White and Trump are working to bring to the White House, an event virtually every fighter on the card expressed interest in being a part of. White said while Trump wasn't able to attend Nashville's event in person, he was tuned in, and when Lewis asked White to put him on the phone, he did his part. The celebration was in the aftermath of Lewis' record-extending 16th career UFC knockout, which came just 35 seconds into his bout against the 6-foot-7 Teixeira. Lewis had entered as an underdog after 14 months out of the octagon. Teixeira (8-1) had begun his career with eight first-round finishes, but it was Lewis who blitzed him out of the gate, landing a thunderous left hand to the chin that sent Teixeira tumbling to the ground, where Lewis would finish the show. "I was acting like something was in my eye and I was waiting for him to get a little closer," Lewis said in the post-fight news conference. "I was really trying to sell it . . . and that's what happened. I caught him." It had been nearly two years since the UFC's previous trip to Nashville, and more than 17,000 fans packed into Bridgestone Arena to see the action, generating $2.2 million at the gate, according to White. While Lewis hails from Houston, he believes the Nashville crowd rivals any he has fought in front of, including his hometown fans. "It's crazy. It was too loud," he said. "It got louder than the Houston crowd, so it was pretty cool." Nashville has emerged as a combat sports destination this summer, with the PFL's World Tournament in June before bare knuckle boxing debuted in Tennessee later that month. And White believes Nashville is a location the UFC will continually look to return to after another successful show. "We will get back to Nashville as much as possible . . . (the fans) don't play here, man. If you start grappling for 30 seconds they go crazy," White said. "They want to see knockdown, drag 'em out fights here and (it's) obviously a very educated crowd. Everything about Nashville is fun, including the crowd."
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC Fight Night coming to Nashville in July
The UFC makes its return to Nashville this summer, with two heavyweights leading the bill. Fan-favorite Derrick Lewis is expected to headline a UFC Fight Night from Bridgestone Arena on July 12 against Tallison Teixeira, per a report from MMA Junkie. Advertisement Nashville last hosted Dana White and the UFC in August 2023 at Bridgestone Arena, when Cory Sandhagen defeated Rob Font in the main event of UFC on ESPN 50. The UFC joins rival combat sports organization PFL in Music City this summer, with the latter hosting its World Tournament semifinals on June 12 at the Municipal Auditorium. Lewis (28-12 MMA, 19-10 UFC), perhaps best known for his post-fight antics, returns to the octagon for his first fight since May 2024, when he scored a third-round TKO against Rodrigo Nascimento before mooning the crowd. Lewis was previously slated to return last November on UFC Fight Night 246 before medical issues forced him to withdraw. The 6-foot-7 Teixeira (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) made his debut at UFC 312 in February, continuing his 100% finishing rate with a TKO win over Justin Tafa 35 seconds into the fight. Harrison Campbell covers combat sports for The Tennessean and high school sports for The Daily Herald. Email him at hcampbell@ and follow him on Twitter @hccamp. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Dana White, UFC Fight Night coming to Nashville in July
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Main event announced for PFL World Tournament in Nashville
MMA returns to Nashville this summer as PFL hosts its World Tournament semifinals on June 12 at Municipal Auditorium. Headlining this summer's card is former Bellator world champion Jason Jackson (18-5) taking on the unbeaten Thad Jean (9-0) in a welterweight semifinal, PFL confirmed on Wednesday. Jackson, who was formerly featured on The Ultimate Fighter, won the Bellator welterweight world championship in 2023 and joined the PFL Welterweight World Tournament earlier this year, picking up a second-round technical submission win over Andrey Koreshkov on April 3. Jean also picked up a victory on the same card, knocking out Mukhamed Berkhamov in the first round. More: Next Caleb Plant fight on same card as Jermall Charlo in May | Report The co-main event will see a rubber match between Peru's Jesus Pinedo (24-6), the 2023 PFL featherweight champion, and Gabriel Braga (16-2) in a featherweight semifinal. Pinedo made his PFL debut against Braga in 2023, suffering a split decision loss, before rematching him later that year in the PFL Featherweight Championship and scoring a third-round stoppage to win the belt. The remainder of the card sees former Bellator champion Logan Storley (17-3) in a welterweight semifinal bout against Masayuki Kikuiri (11-2-1) of Japan, as well as unbeaten 2021 PFL Featherweight Champion Movlid Khaybulaev (22-0-1) returning to face Taekyun Kim (11-1). Tickets for the 2025 PFL World Tournament 5: Semifinals in Nashville begin at $35 are available through Ticketmaster. The PFL World Tournament will stream live on ESPN platforms in the United States. This summer's fight card comes after Nashville previously hosted PFL 7 last August, with the success of the event leading the organization to return to Music City. The PFL World Tournament is an annual single-elimination tournament held across seven weight classes: heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight and bantamweight. The tournament spans over five months with fighters looking to win three straight fights to become PFL Tournament Champion. Each winner will receive a $500,000 bonus while a total of $20 million will be paid out during the tournament. Ahead of Nashville's semifinals, PFL will host three first-round events at Universal Studios in Orlando. Harrison Campbell covers combat sports for The Tennessean and high school sports for The Daily Herald. Email him at hcampbell@ and follow him on Twitter @hccamp. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: PFL World Tournament main event announced for Nashville fight card
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Next Caleb Plant fight on same card as Jermall Charlo in May
Caleb Plant is reportedly set to return to the ring in May, keeping one eye on a highly anticipated showdown against former middleweight champion Jermall Charlo. Plant (23-2) will face Jose Armando Resendiz (15-2) in the main event of a Premier Boxing Champions card from Las Vegas on May 31, The Ring's Mike Coppinger reported on Tuesday. The co-feature will see Charlo (33-0) fight Thomas LaManna (39-5-1), with the aim being to match Plant and Charlo against each other if both prevail in May, per the report. Plant, a former super middleweight champion and Ashland City native, last fought in September on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga when he picked up a ninth-round stoppage against the previously unbeaten Trevor McCumby. More: MMA returns to Nashville this summer as PFL hosts its World Tournament semifinals It was Plant's first fight in 18 months following a decision defeat to David Benavidez. With the win he claimed the interim WBA super middleweight title, taking a step closer to his goal of becoming a two-time world champion. Plant and Charlo have been linked to a fight ever since an incident backstage during Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence fight week in 2023, where Plant slapped Charlo after he touched the Tennessee native's beard while exchanging words. "Obviously, that's something I want," Plant told The Tennessean last year, in regard to facing Charlo. "That's something I want to do and I think it'd be a big fight for boxing. Obviously, anyone who follows boxing is asking for that fight, for good reason ..." Charlo has fought just once since 2021 and will end an 18-month layoff when he faces LaManna. He last fought in November 2023, earning a convincing unanimous decision victory over Jose Benavidez Jr., after missing weight by over three pounds. More: Why boxer Caleb Plant's love of muscle cars came from growing up in Ashland City LaManna enters the bout on a nine-fight win streak since being knocked out by current middleweight champion Erislandy Lara. Plant's opponent Resendiz has already picked up a knockout win this year against a non-descript opponent in his native Mexico. That fight ended a 17-month layoff for Resendiz after he was stopped in the eighth round by Phoenix native Elijah Garcia in 2023. The event will be a non-PPV broadcast on Prime Video, per The Ring's report, with further details on the undercard to come. Harrison Campbell covers boxing for The Tennessean and high school sports for The Daily Herald. Email him at hcampbell@ and follow him on Twitter @hccamp. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Caleb Plant's next fight on Jermall Charlo card in May | Report
