Latest news with #WorldTournament
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Thad Jean: Logan Storley's wrestling 'not a danger,' predicts early finish
Thad Jean speaks to MMA Junkie's Danny Segura ahead of his championship fight against Logan Storley at 2025 PFL World Tournament 8: Finals.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dalton Rosta GOES OFF on Fabian Edwards: 'I'm going to take his heart'
Dalton Rosta speaks to MMA Junkie's Danny Segura ahead of his 2025 PFL World Tournament Final against Fabian Edwards on Aug. 2 in Hollywood, Fla.
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
