Latest news with #middleweight
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Edwards reaches PFL middleweight final
Britain's Fabian Edwards reached the final of the PFL's middleweight tournament with a unanimous decision win against American Josh Silveira. Edwards landed the more damaging strikes and never looked in trouble in a confident victory at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Advertisement The 32-year-old will face American Dalton Rosta next and the chance to win £395,000 ($500,000) in prize money. He joins fellow Briton Alfie Davis in the PFL Finals after his win against Brent Primus last week in the lightweight tournament. In the light-heavyweight semi-finals, Britain's Simeon Powell suffered a unanimous decision defeat by Brazil's Antonio Carlos Jr. Edwards faces Rosta on 21 August at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Florida, while Davis fights Russian Gadzhi Rabadanov on 15 August at the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. Brendan Loughnane won the PFL featherweight title in 2022 and fellow Briton Dakota Ditcheva won women's flyweight gold last year. Advertisement Edwards is looking to bounce back and win the tournament having twice come up short in title fights against Johnny Eblen in 2023 and 2024. He returned to form, knocking out Impa Kasanganay in the second round in April, and brought that confidence into the contest with Silveira. The pair traded leg kicks in the early stages, with Silveira sweeping Edwards off his feet. Edwards responded, taking control of the stand-up, defending takedown attempts and hurting Silveira with a knee to the body. Roared on by his brother and former UFC welterweight champion Leon at cage-side, Edwards hurt Silveira with a straight left and secured two takedowns of his own. Advertisement As the fight entered the closing stages with Edwards controlling Silveira on the ground, he gave a thumbs-up to the television cameras, signalling his confidence in victory. Powell, 26, only made his MMA debut four years ago and had won 11 of his 12 professional bouts before facing the biggest test of his career in Carlos Jr. The 35-year-old is a former UFC fighter and won the PFL light-heavyweight tournament in 2021. Carlos Jr started on the front foot, connecting with straight rights and knees and Powell unable to generate much offence in response. Carlos Jr continued to control the action in the second round and, although Powell had a strong finish, landing a number of elbows to a grounded Carlos Jr, it was not enough to convince the judges of victory. More MMA from the BBC
BBC News
8 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Edwards reaches PFL middleweight final
Britain's Fabian Edwards reached the final of the PFL's middleweight tournament with a unanimous decision win against American Josh landed the more damaging strikes and never looked in trouble in a confident victory at the Wintrust Arena in 32-year-old will face American Dalton Rosta next and the chance to win £395,000 ($500,000) in prize joins fellow Briton Alfie Davis in the PFL Finals after his win against Brent Primus last week in the lightweight the light-heavyweight semi-finals, Britain's Simeon Powell suffered a unanimous decision defeat by Brazil's Antonio Carlos Jr. Edwards faces Rosta on 21 August at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Florida, while Davis fights Russian Gadzhi Rabadanov on 15 August at the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Loughnane won the PFL featherweight title in 2022 and fellow Briton Dakota Ditcheva won women's flyweight gold last year. Edwards is looking to bounce back and win the tournament having twice come up short in title fights against Johnny Eblen in 2023 and returned to form, knocking out Impa Kasanganay in the second round in April, and brought that confidence into the contest with pair traded leg kicks in the early stages, with Silveira sweeping Edwards off his responded, taking control of the stand-up, defending takedown attempts and hurting Silveira with a knee to the on by his brother and former UFC welterweight champion Leon at cage-side, Edwards hurt Silveira with a straight left and secured two takedowns of his the fight entered the closing stages with Edwards controlling Silveira on the ground, he gave a thumbs-up to the television cameras, signalling his confidence in victory. Powell, 26, only made his MMA debut four years ago and had won 11 of his 12 professional bouts before facing the biggest test of his career in Carlos 35-year-old is a former UFC fighter and won the PFL light-heavyweight tournament in Jr started on the front foot, connecting with straight rights and knees and Powell unable to generate much offence in Jr continued to control the action in the second round and, although Powell had a strong finish, landing a number of elbows to a grounded Carlos Jr, it was not enough to convince the judges of victory.
Forbes
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
UFC Announces First Nine Fights For UFC 319 PPV Fight Car
TORONTO, ONTARIO - JANUARY 20: Dricus Du Plessis of South Africa reacts after his victory against ... More Sean Strickland in a UFC middleweight championship bout during the UFC 297 event at Scotiabank Arena on January 20, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) The next defense of the UFC middleweight title headlines the UFC 319 pay-per-view fight card. In that matchup, Dricus du Plessis looks to defend his title against the No. 3 ranked UFC middleweight contender Khamzat Chimaev. UFC 319 takes place on August 16 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The UFC has not held a Chicago fight card since 2019. In addition to the main event, the UFC has confirmed several other fights for the ESPN+ streaming PPV card. Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev - For Du Plessis's UFC middleweight title Jared Cannonier vs. Michael Page - Middleweight Gerald Meerschaert vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk - Middleweight Edson Barboza vs. Drakkar Klose - Lightweight King Green vs. Diego Ferreira - Lightweight Karine Silva vs. JJ Aldrich - Women's Flyweight Bryan Battle vs. Nursulton Ruziboev - Middleweight Chase Hooper vs. Alexander Hernandez - Lightweight Jessica Andrade vs. Loopy Godinez - Women's Strawweight Saturday, August 16, 2025 United Center in Chicago, IL On Sale on Friday, June 20 Main Card: 10:00 p.m. ET Preliminary Card: 8:00 p.m. ET Early Prelims: 6:00 p.m. ET South Africa's Dricus du Plessis celebrates his victory over Sean Strickland of the US after their ... More men's middleweight division event of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 312 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on February 9, 2025. (Photo by Saeed KHAN / AFP) / — IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE — (Photo by SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty Images) Dricus du Plessis (23-2) joined the UFC in October 2020 as a 26-year-old with a 14-2 record. Before he joined the UFC, Du Plessis had won titles with KSW and EFC. He made his debut against Markus Perez on the main card of a UFC Fight Night event in Abu Dhabi. Du Plessis knocked out Perez in the first round. He followed that win with a July 2021 'Performance of the Night' KO win of Trevin Giles. Those two wins earned him a shot against the ranked veteran Brad Tavares. Du Plessis won that scrap via decision. The victory put him in the top 15 of the division. A December 2022 submission win over Darren Till moved Du Plessis to No. 10 in the division. A TKO win over the No. 5 ranked Derek Brunson followed. Du Plessis, who was working his way up the rankings, faced a tough test in his next outing when he met the No. 2 ranked Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. Du Plessis continued his rise, knocking out the former UFC champion in the UFC middleweight title eliminator and earning another 'Performance of the Night' bonus. More important than the bonus was the title shot Du Plessis received for that win. He faced then-champion Sean Strickland in January, taking the title from Strickland in a 'Fight of the Night' bonus-winning scrap. In his first title defense Du Plessis picked up an August 2024 submission win over former UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya. Du Plessis most recently faced Strickland in a rematch at UFC 312 in early February of this year. Du Plessis won that contest via unanimous decision. I wrote of the champ after that fight, "Dricus du Plessis looked much more controlled and less reckless at UFC 312 than in many of his previous battles. He mixed up his striking techniques and targets against Sean Strickland, landed the more powerful blows, and didn't put himself in too many awkward positions. "Du Plessis did a much better job in his UFC 312 rematch against Strickland in shutting down his foe's offense. In the first fight, Strickland landed 173 of 408 significant strikes. While in the rematch, Strickland was held to 128 landed strikes on 263 attempts. Meanwhile, Du Plessis increased his landed strikes and landing percentage from the first fight to the second. In the first battle, Du Plessis landed 137 of 354 attempts for a landing rate of 38 percent. At UFC 312, the champ landed 147 of 314 attempts for a striking rate of 46 percent. 'Du Plessis has defended the UFC middleweight crown twice while going 9-0 in the UFC. Despite his winning ways, the champ remains a bit of an enigma because his style shouldn't work — but it does.' ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - OCTOBER 26: Khamzat Chimaev of Russia reacts after a submission ... More victory against Robert Whittaker of New Zealand in a middleweight fight during the UFC 308 event at Etihad Arena on October 26, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Chimaev (14-0) is the No. 3 fighter in the official UFC middleweight rankings. The 30-year-old made his UFC debut in July 2020 with a second-round submission win over John Phillips. He followed that victory with a first-round TKO over Rhys McKee 10 days later, breaking the UFC record for the quickest turnaround between UFC wins in the modern era. Then, in September, Chimaev knocked out Gerald Meerschaert. Things slowed down for Chimaev after that. He was booked to face Leon Edwards in December 2020, but that matchup never came to be despite multiple attempts to make the fight happen. The reason behind the numerous cancellations of Edwards vs. Chimaev was COVID-19. When Chimaev finally returned to the Octagon in October 2021, he made short work of Li Jingliang, scoring a submission at 3:16 of Round 1. In his next bout, Chimaev went the distance for the first time in his career, picking up a victory over Gilbert Burns. He followed that with a submission over Kevin Holland. A break of more than a year followed that victory. Chimaev's next outing was an October 2023 matchup against Kamaru Usman, a fight that Chimaev won via decision. A year after that, Chimaev made short work of Robert Whittaker, defeating the ex-UFC middleweight champ via submission (face crank) in the first round of their UFC 308 scrap. We will have more on Du Plessis vs. Chimaev and the UFC 319 fight card as fight night approaches.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nassourdine Imavov isn't waiting for a title shot, he's forcing the UFC's hand at UFC Paris
The post Nassourdine Imavov isn't waiting for a title shot, he's forcing the UFC's hand at UFC Paris appeared first on ClutchPoints. Nassourdine Imavov, the surging French middleweight and current No. 1 contender, has made his intentions crystal clear as the UFC returns to Paris on September 6. In a statement that signals both his ambition and readiness, Imavov declared: This mindset encapsulates Imavov's approach since breaking into the elite of the division. Not content to wait idly for opportunity, Imavov is set to serve as the official backup for the blockbuster UFC 319 main event between champion Dricus du Plessis and the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev on August 16 in Chicago. Should either fighter be forced to withdraw, Imavov will be ready to step in on a moment's notice for a shot at UFC gold. If not, he's already plotting his next move, headlining in front of a raucous Parisian crowd at the Accor Arena. The Road to No. 1: Imavov's Meteoric Rise Imavov's place atop the middleweight rankings is no accident. Over the past year, he has compiled a four-fight win streak, capped by a stunning second-round TKO of former champion Israel Adesanya in February, a performance that earned him his first UFC 'Performance of the Night' bonus. Prior to that, Imavov dispatched Brendan Allen, Jared Cannonier, and Roman Dolidze, notching two finishes over top-five opposition in the process. His resume now reads like a checklist of the division's most dangerous names, and his confidence is justified. 'I cleaned the weight class in one year, four fights, two wins against top ten competition, two finishes against top five competition,' Imavov asserted after his win over Adesanya. Advertisement Yet, the middleweight title picture remains crowded. With du Plessis and Chimaev set for a high-stakes showdown at UFC 319, Imavov must wait just a little longer for his crack at the belt, or seize it if fate intervenes in Chicago. UFC Paris: The Perfect Stage for 'The Sniper' The UFC's return to Paris on September 6 marks its fourth consecutive year in the French capital, a testament to the sport's explosive growth in France. Imavov, who emigrated from Dagestan to France as a child and developed his fighting skills in Paris, is now the country's top MMA export. The Accor Arena will be electric if he headlines, with French fans eager to see their homegrown contender in action. Imavov's plan is simple: if he doesn't fight for the title at UFC 319, he'll call out a top contender for UFC Paris. 'If no one pulls out, we'll call someone out for Paris. That's the deal with the UFC!' he said, underscoring his refusal to let his momentum stall. Advertisement With du Plessis and Chimaev battling for the title, the question becomes: who is the ideal opponent for Imavov to secure an undeniable claim to the next title shot? Sean Strickland, the former champion, sits at No. 2 in the rankings and remains a high-profile name, but he's coming off a loss to du Plessis and may not be immediately available. Robert Whittaker, another former champion, is also coming off a defeat to Chimaev and is scheduled to face Reinier de Ridder. Israel Adesanya, whom Imavov just finished, is unlikely to get a quick rematch. One name stands out: Caio Borralho. The Brazilian is riding a 14-fight win streak, is undefeated in the UFC, and recently called for a fight with Imavov, believing their styles would make for a compelling main event. Borralho has also just bested Jared Cannonier, another divisional stalwart, and is hungry for a signature win to cement his own title credentials. Another possibility, though less likely, is a rematch with Sean Strickland, who previously defeated Imavov by decision. However, given Strickland's recent loss and the UFC's penchant for fresh matchups, Borralho remains the most logical and marketable option. Advertisement For Imavov, the stakes could not be higher. Headlining UFC Paris would be a career-defining moment, but the real prize is ensuring he is next in line for the middleweight crown. A win over a streaking contender like Borralho in front of his home fans would make his case undeniable. Related: UFC 316: Can a fully healed O'Malley dethrone Dvalishvili or is the 'Suga Show' over? Related: Joe Pyfer fires back at critics: 'I Didn't Get Fraud Checked!', aims at Bo Nickal in fiery rant
The Sun
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Olympic bronze medalist Lewis Richardson, 28, set for professional boxing debut at stadium where he used to sell pies
LEWIS RICHARDSON flogged Pukka Pies as a schoolboy in the same Ipswich stadium he'll earn his first real crust in on Saturday. The 2024 Olympic bronze winner helped put himself through his GCSEs and A-levels by serving up grub to hungry Tractor Boys at Portman Road over a decade ago. 3 3 3 And the Colchester southpaw will break into the paid ranks by filling in Dmitri Protkunas, just down the road from his family home in a dream debut. He told SunSport: 'Despite it being so close, this is probably the first time I have been in Ipswich for a year. 'I came for one night out here when I was younger but I quickly realised that I had to stay true to my roots back in Colchester. 'I did do some matchday shifts here, though, serving up the Pukka Pies. 'I did the same job at Colchester when I was around 16 and when Ipswich were short staffed a few times, we got the call to come over - and now I am boxing here, it's crazy. 'I thought a London debut at York Hall or Wembley Arena was going to be a perfect start but Ipswich football stadium is unreal. 'All the friends and family who have talked about attending my first pro fight would have had to book trains or hotels. 'But we don't even need to arrange minibuses for anyone, it's a 29 minute drive from my front door, so everyone is happy sharing taxis for a great night.' Richardson turned 28 on Wednesday but had to bin his birthday plans to make the middleweight limit for this weekend. The spicy celebrations have been pushed back but the silky southpaw plans to put in a curry order worthy of a Gavin and Stacey special, to make up for the diet. 'The birthday is postponed for four days,' he revealed to us. 'The party is pushed back to Sunday. 'I have a curry house booked in Colchester for 15 of us and my mouth is watering just talking to you about it now. 'I can't even think about my order now. "But I can say for sure that I will sound like Smithy with the number of bhunas and naans and rice types I am going to order.'
