Shawne Merriman calls for a fight with former NFL star James Harrison

Will Movsar Evlovev ever get a title shot? UFC Vegas 107 preview, voicemails, more | The Boys in the Back | May 29, 2025
The Boys in the Back kick off with a look at Movsar Evloev's tough road to getting a UFC title shot, before previewing UFC Vegas 107. Plus, the Boys make picks, give their P4P MMA haircuts, listen to your voicemails, and answer Super Chats.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

USA Today

30 minutes ago

• USA Today

Video: UFC on ABC 8 ceremonial weigh-in faceoffs with Jamahal Hill vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.

UFC on ABC 8 ceremonial weigh-ins took place Friday, and the fighters came face-to-face one final time before Saturday's promotional debut in Azerbaijan. The weigh-ins took place at Baku Crystal Hall, which hosts the event (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+) headlined by a significant light heavyweight matchup between former champion Jamahal Hill (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) and recent title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr. (13-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC). Check out the video above to see the final faceoffs for the 12 scheduled matchups at UFC on ABC 8 from ceremonial weigh-ins.

USA Today

2 hours ago

• USA Today

Jon Jones: Dana White gets things done, Francis Ngannou 'could very easily be back in UFC'

Jon Jones: Dana White gets things done, Francis Ngannou 'could very easily be back in UFC' Jon Jones isn't ruling out the possibility of a Francis Ngannou return to the UFC. Ngannou's departure from the UFC was far from amicable. He signed with PFL after failing to come to terms on a new deal with the UFC, departing as the reigning heavyweight champion. UFC CEO Dana White was recently asked about the possibility of Ngannou coming back, where he simply responded, "Probably not." With current UFC heavyweight champion Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) continuously stating a title-unification bout with interim champ Tom Aspinall doesn't interest him, a potential fight with Ngannou, however, does. But is there a world where White re-signs "The Predator?" "I think Dana gets things done," Jones said on the "Full Send Podcast." "I think business speaks before emotions. If Francis presents himself in a humble way, I think that he could very easily be back in the UFC." Despite White and Ngannou's public rift in the past, Jones insists White wouldn't pass up on the opportunity if it was presented correctly. "Absolutely," Jones said on the possibility of Ngannou returning to the UFC. "Dana White is one of the best sports minds in recent history for a reason, and money talks. Francis brings eyes, and I'm sure Dana will be interested. He can be stubborn. I think I'm an example. People, they grow and mature, and time changes things, and time heals all. There was moments in my career where I felt like Dana absolutely hated me. Now I feel he's a big advocator for me."

Yahoo

3 hours ago

• Yahoo

Kamaru Usman fights back tears after beating Joaquin Buckley to earn first UFC win since 2021

Kamaru Usman fought back tears on Saturday after overcoming Joaquin Buckley in Atlanta, a result that marked his first UFC win since 2021. Usman, who retained the welterweight title five times during a three-year reign, used his wrestling prowess to dominate Buckley for four rounds, before surviving a fifth-round scare to earn a unanimous-decision win. Advertisement The scorecards read 49-46, 49-46, 48-47 in Usman's favour, as the Nigerian-American snapped a three-fight losing streak. In doing so, he also broke Buckley's six-fight winning run. Usman had last scored a victory in November 2021, outpointing old rival Colby Covington in his final successful title defence. Then, in August 2022, he was en route to a comfortable decision win over Leon Edwards before succumbing to a dramatic, late knockout. Usman, who previously outpointed Edwards in 2015, lost their trilogy bout on points in 2023, failing to regain the 170lb title. Then, in October 2023, he stepped in to face the unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev on short notice. In what was Usman's middleweight debut, he performed admirably but lost via decision. Usman, 38, returned to welterweight to face the in-form Buckley on Saturday (14 June), where he defied his doubters with an impressive performance, which gave way to an emotional post-fight interview. Advertisement 'It feels good,' he said in the cage. 'It's been a while, I needed to get that monkey off my back. I know I'm still able to do this at the highest level. Sometimes when you're going up against a young, hungry guy like that – very talented, very aggressive – you've got to pull out the skills and use the experience. Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman (Getty Images) 'That's what I did tonight. I expected him to be really, really tough, which he was. I know what it takes to work and get up in here. Thank you to him for bringing everything that he brought. 'I know it's a running joke, everybody wants to get on the internet and talk s***: 'Oh, his knees, his knees [are done]!' Well, shut the f*** up. I can still do what I do. The rest of the welterweight division, listen: I have been and always will be the f*****g boogeyman.' Advertisement 'I can do that to anybody, any one of them. Those knockouts will come, I just needed this monkey off my back. Next one, whoever it is for that title, I'll see about you.' An emotional Usman also referenced his daughter's absence from the Fight Night, saying: 'Before I go, I just wanted to say that I have a lot of emotions coming into this one [...] a lot of things that I had to battle back from. I'm holding back all the emotions. 'Unfortunately, my daughter can't be here with me tonight. That's another long story. But man, I just want to say thank you to everybody – thank you to my family, my coaches who kept me going, Buckley for bringing the challenge.' Jaoquin Buckley must go back to the drawing board (Getty) Jack Della Maddalena, the reigning welterweight champion, is due to defend the belt later this year against Islam Makhachev, who recently vacated the lightweight strap. 'JDM' won the belt in May by outpointing Belal Muhammad, who is now calling for a fight with Usman, but the 'Nigerian Nightmare' has insisted he only wants a title shot next.