Sadio Mane scores four in Al Nassr's 9-0 thrashing

Alex Volkanovski: 'I'm most proud of coming back from 2 knockout losses'
Alexander Volkanovski returns as two-time UFC featherweight champion after his win over Diego Lopes to break down what it meant to regain the belt, getting back on track after back-to-back knockout losses, a potential fight with Movsar Evloev, the state of his division, his relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo, wanting the Ilia rematch, Belal Muhammad vs. fellow Aussie Jack Della Maddalena, and more.
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Forbes

15 minutes ago

• Forbes

UFC 317 Main Card Gets Updated After Latest Fight Cancellation

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 17: Ilia Topuria of Germany celebrates after his knockout victory ... More against Alexander Volkanovski of Australia in the UFC featherweight championship fight during the UFC 298 event at Honda Center on February 17, 2024 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) The UFC has once again updated the fights on the UFC 317 main card. The latest change is a result of former middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa withdrawing from his bout opposite Roman Kopylov. With that fight dropping from the Saturday, June 28 card, only three of the five main card bouts the UFC had initially scheduled remain intact for the UFC 317 pay-per-view card. Thankfully, the two title fights at the top of the event are still in the headlining spots. UFC 317 Pay-Per-View Fight Card (Updated) Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira - For vacant UFC lightweight title Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France - For Pantoja's UFC flyweight title Brandon Royval vs. Joshua Van - Flyweight Beneil Dariush vs. Renato Moicano - Lightweight Payton Talbott vs. Felipe Lima - Bantamweight UFC 317 Main Card Updates NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - JUNE 07: Joshua Van of Myanmar enters the octagon before the flyweight bout ... More against Bruno Silva of Brazil during UFC 316 at the Prudential Center on June 07, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo) The first change to the UFC 317 pay-per-view card came in early June when Manel Kape was forced from his fight opposite Brandon Royval due to injury. The surging Joshua Van quickly agreed to step in to replace Kape. The most recent change came this week, when Costa fell ill and withdrew from his matchup with Kopylov. Reports are that the Costa vs. Kopylov contest will move to UFC 318 in July. Replacing the Costa vs. Kopylov fight is a short-notice matchup between Payton Talbott and Felipe Lima. The rest of the UFC 317 fight card is up in the air at this time. According to the UFC's 317 page, there are two official fights for the prelims and one official matchup for the early prelims. Another fight that has been scrapped from the UFC 317 card is the heavyweight matchup between Jhonata Diniz vs. Justin Tafa. Tafa pulled out of that fight. Diniz now faces Alvin Hines on the early prelims. UFC 317 Fight Card Main Event: Ilia Topuria Vs. Charles Oliveira ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - OCTOBER 26:Ilia Topuria of Spain prepares to face Max Holloway in ... More the UFC featherweight championship 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) Ilia Topuria (16-0) is a former Cage Warriors champion. He joined the UFC in 2020 with a 9-0 record. It did not take him long to make a name for himself. He was ranked No. 14 in the featherweight division after three UFC bouts at 145 pounds and one contest in the 155-pound division. Three of those scraps ended with Topuria winning via knockout. In his first fight as a ranked featherweight, Topuria dispatched Bryce Mitchell via submission in the second round, earned his first 'Performance of the Night' bonus and moved to No. 9 in the rankings. A matchup with No. 5 ranked Josh Emmett followed the Mitchell win. Topuria picked up a decision in a 'Fight of the Night' scrap. Topuria's next fight, saw him face Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC featherweight title at UFC 298. Topuria entered that bout as the No. 3 ranked featherweight. He left as the champion after knocking out Volkanovski in the second stanza. In his first defense of the UFC featherweight crown, Topuria made history, becoming the first fighter to finish former 145-pound champion Max Holloway via strikes, knocking out the ex-champion in the third round of their UFC 308 meeting in October 2024. When Topuria decided to move to lightweight and give up his featherweight title, he vowed to sit until he got a 155-pound title shot. That fight takes place at UFC 317. Topuria has a 16-0 record with eight of those wins coming under the UFC banner. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 16: Charles Oliveira of Brazil prepares to face Michael Chandler ... More during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC) Charles Oliveira (35-10-0-1) has been fighting with the UFC since 2010. He won the vacant lightweight title with his win over Chandler and defended the title once, beating Dustin Poirier. He was booked to face Justin Gaethje in his second title defense, but Oliveira missed weight for that fight, which he won by submission, losing the title on the scale. Oliveira had a chance to regain the belt in October 2022, but Islam Makhachev submitted him and claimed the vacant belt. Since that loss, Oliveira is 1-1, beating Beneil Dariush by TKO in June 2023 and losing to Arman Tsarukyan via split decision in April of this year. Oliveira is coming off a November 2024 decision win over Michael Chandler. Oliveira is the No. 2 fighter in the official UFC lightweight rankings. UFC 317 Fight Card Co-Main Event: Alexandre Pantoja Vs. Kai Kara-France LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 07: UFC CEO Dana White places a title belt on Alexandre Pantoja of ... More Brazil after Pantoja's win by technical submission in the second round against Kai Asakura of Japanduring UFC 310 at T-Mobile Arena on December 07, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by) Alexandre Pantoja (29-5) is on a seven-fight winning streak heading into UFC 317. The 35-year-old Brazilian made his UFC debut in July 2017 with a split-decision win over Eric Shelton. Pantoja's career had its ups and downs over the next three years, where he went 5-3, but he has not lost since he dropped a decision to Askar Askarov in July 2020. Pantoja won the UFC flyweight title in July 2023 on the heels of two 'Performance of the Night' submission wins. Pantoja secured the 125-pound title with a split decision win over Brandon Moreno. Since that victory, Pantoja has defended his three times, beating Brandon Royval in December 2023 and Steve Erceg in May 2024. Both fights ended in decision victories. Pantoja picked up his 19th career finish in his third title defense, submitting Kai Asakura at UFC 310 in December 2024. PERTH, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 18: Kai Kara-France of New Zealand reacts after his knockout victory ... More against Steve Erceg of Australia in a flyweight fight during the UFC 305 event at RAC Arena on August 18, 2024 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Kai Kara-France (25-11-0-1) was 17-7-0-1 when he got the call from the UFC in 2019. In his first fight with the promotion, the New Zealander faced a short-notice opponent in Elias Garcia. The two won 'Fight of the Night' honors for their efforts, with Kara-France picking up the decision win. Kara-France followed that victory with two more wins on the judge's scorecards. Then, in December 2019, he faced future champion Brandon Moreno on the early prelims of the UFC 245 pay-per-view card. Moreno won that bout by decision. Kara-France went 1-1 in his next two outings. He then tore off three straight wins between March 2021 and March 2022 and found himself as the No. 2 ranked fighter in the division. In his next outing, he faced Moreno, who was ranked No. 1, in the co-main event of UFC 277. At stake was the interim UFC flyweight title. Moreno won that contest by TKO in the third round. Kara-France followed that setback with a split-decision loss to Amir Albazi in June 2023. Kara-France was booked to face Manel Kape in September 2023, but a concussion during training camp prevented Kara-France from competing on that card, UFC 293. The 32-year-old would not return to action until August 2024, where he earned a first-round TKO win, and a 'Performance of the Night' bonus against Steve Erceg. Kara-France enters UFC 317 as the No. 4 fighter in the official UFC flyweight rankings. We will have more on the UFC 317 fight card as fight night approaches.

USA Today

an hour ago

• USA Today

Daniel Cormier: Jamahal Hill as underdog vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. is 'disrespectful'

Daniel Cormier is confused by the betting odds for Jamahal Hill vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC on ABC 8. Former UFC light heavyweight champion Hill (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) meets Rountree Jr. (13-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) in Saturday's main event (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+) at Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan. Hill is coming off back-to-back stoppage losses to Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka, whereas Rountree Jr. most recently suffered a TKO loss to Pereira in their title fight at UFC 307. With Hill's championship experience and names on his resume, Cormier doesn't think he should be a slight underdog against Rountree. "Little detail in this fight that I think a lot of people are overlooking: Khalil Rountree, for as well as he fought against Alex Pereira, that was the only guy he's ever fought inside the top 10," Cormier said on "Good Guy/Bad Guy" with Chael Sonnen. "But he opened as a betting favorite over Jamahal Hill this weekend. Is that disrespectful to Jamahal Hill?" Cormier says it is. He thinks the public's perception of Hill gets clouded by his actions. "He (Rountree) took a lot of damage while not being able to go the 25 minutes is very telling – especially when we've seen Jamahal do that," Cormier added. "I think it's disrespectful to Jamahal. Jamahal Hill has done some things social media wise and publicly that make people not like him. The fanbase, they just don't want to like him. Belal Muhammad struggles with that at times. He tries to be more engaging, it doesn't work. People go, 'I can't stand Belal Muhammad.' Same thing with Jamahal. Jamahal had a couple of hiccups, I can't remember exactly what he did last year, but the fanbase just turned on him, and I think it's because of that. "Their inability to like him that makes them not truly respect what he's capable of. You can almost be blinded by your dislike for someone, your hatred of someone, and not realize this dude is the real deal. Jamahal Hill can fight, and for him to be an underdog against a guy who's never fought anyone in the top 10 when you've beaten Glover Teixeira, you have fought Jiri Prochazka, you have fought Alex Pereira. You have beaten so many guys in the way that Jamahal Hill has beaten them, to be the underdog, makes no sense to me. And if I was making a favorite in that fight, I would have chosen Jamahal Hill over Khalil Rountree."

Yahoo

2 hours ago

• Yahoo

UFC Baku predictions, odds, full card picks: Will Jamahal Hill or Khalil Rountree Jr. shine in Azerbaijan?

UFC Baku has arrived with the potential to deliver some bangers. Saturday afternoon's main event serves as the lone light heavyweight contest of the 12-fight lineup, with former champion Jamahal Hill returning after his chaotic clash against Jiri Prochazka this past January. Standing in the way of "Sweet Dreams" is recent title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr., who hasn't fought since coming up short opposite the former two-division champion Alex Pereira in October. Advertisement The matched was initially booked to headline April's UFC Kansas City show until Hill suffered an injury. Now, Azerbaijan's first-ever UFC event gets treated to an expectedly thrilling five-round firefight. Lightweights occupy the co-main event slot, as Rafael Fiziev looks to snap his three-fight skid by halting a surging contender on the rise, Ignacio Bahomondes. This weekend's lineup certainly plays to its location, lacking a wide range of broader star power but featuring a cast of characters sure to get the Azerbaijan crowd hyped, especially if RIZIN's 2023 event in Baku is anything to go by. 👑 UFC Baku's lineup Crown grade: C+. 👑 Betting odds courtesy of BetMGM. Khalil Rountree Jr. hopes his first title fight wasn't his last. (Jeff Bottari via Getty Images) 205 pounds: Jamahal Hill (+100) vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. (-120) Stylistically, we really are in for a treat with UFC Baku's main event. This is one of those good old-fashioned kickboxing matches disguised as an MMA fight. Advertisement Rountree is currently in that spot that a fighter very rarely falls into, where it can be argued that his best career performance was in a loss. I still think the masterclass against Eryk Anders is one of the single greatest performances ever seen in this sport, but what Rountree did against Pereira was undeniably impressive. The point is, Rountree gave one of the greatest strikers of all time all he could handle, and won rounds, putting the then-champion in trouble. He seems to have finally put things together, regarding keeping momentum and showing up in fights, despite some lackluster outputs in previous losses, or even the split-decision win over Dustin Jacoby. I know we shouldn't give in to MMA math, but consider that Hill fell short to "Poatan" in just over three minutes, with nothing resembling Rountree's success up until that point. Hill is in another one of those unique positions, where he seems to see his talent discredited because of his personality. Think similarly to Colby Covington in his prime. In reality, Hill is a dangerous and capable striker with solid boxing. He reacts well to situations in tight, sneaking in uppercuts or knees on the break. Advertisement Rountree is the more versatile and lethal striker overall, possessing nasty Muay Thai chops. Both men pack solid power that can shut out either's lights, but honestly, Hill's wear and tear might be catching up to him. The former champion is 0-2 after his Achilles tear and hasn't appeared to have the same mobility since then. In the Prochazka loss, he even sported the double kneepad look. That's never a good sign, especially for a 34-year-old light heavyweight who's up against a man who will most certainly attack those legs. (Modestas Bukauskas says hello.) Hill's best-case scenario will be to take Rountree down and utilize his underrated top control. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening unless it comes after he gets touched up first. Rountree gets back in the win column in Baku. Pick: Rountree 155 pounds: Rafael Fiziev (+105) vs. Ignacio Bahomondes (-125) This is a moment of truth fight for Bahomondes. Advertisement The Chilean sensation has certainly leveled up in his last three fights, finishing all three opponents impressively. Still just 27, Bahomondes can launch himself into that upper echelon of huge lightweight fights with a win over the perennial contender Fiziev. That's going to be much easier said than done, though. Yes, Fiziev is on a three-fight skid, but it's incredibly deceiving on paper. Two of the losses were hard-fought battles with Justin Gaethje, with an injury TKO loss to Mateusz Gamrot between them. Oh, and the Gaethje rematch was also on short notice. This guy is no slouch, and the oddsmakers are setting up "Attaman" for a "Y'all must have forgot" moment. Bahomondes has become supremely dynamic, and that should go without saying. He has more ways to win than Fiziev, as he displayed with that gorgeous triangle choke on Jalin Turner in his last time out. Ultimately, there are just levels to this game, and Fiziev is as talented and technical as a striker can get atop the lightweight ranks. It's hard to say how much size will play a factor in this matchup, but in terms of competition level, Fiziev has the edge and has still performed valiantly in his recent losses. Bahomondes has shown all the signs of being the future at lightweight, I'm just not sure he's there yet. More so, I don't think Fiziev is "done" as a contender just yet. Advertisement Pick: Fiziev 265 pounds: Curtis Blaydes (-275) vs. Rizvan Kuniev (+220) The UFC was not going to let this fight get away from either man, having landed on this third (and hopefully final) booking. Curtis Blaydes has unfortunately fallen into the ultimate heavyweight gatekeeper role, and you can see it here with the promotion sending a debutant his way. Sure, Rizvan Kuniev has been on a solid run, going undefeated in 12 straight. But for Blaydes, the man who last challenged for Tom Aspinall's interim crown, it's a wild shift in matchmaking. Outside of Derrick Lewis, Blaydes has legitimately only lost against the elite at heavyweight, all of whom have been thunderous knockout artists. (That was primarily the case with that Lewis loss.) Kuniev isn't exactly that. He has power, but to say it will be enough is hard to assess, and you almost have to assume the damage has just caught up to the 34-year-old Blaydes. Advertisement A win for Kuniev theoretically would launch him directly into title contention. Ultimately, the often superior wrestling of "Razor" Blaydes should be too much. Pick: Blaydes UFC fans are about to be treated to one of lightweight's most exciting talents in Tofiq Musayev. (Photo by) (Masashi Hara via Getty Images) 155 pounds: Tofiq Musayev (+145) vs. Myktybek Orolbai (-175) It would have been an absolute travesty for the UFC to debut in Azerbaijan without the country's all-time best fighter, Tofiq Musayev. The addition of the former RIZIN lightweight grand prix champion to the roster is wildly exciting for those aware of his talent. Musayev has been an absolute destroyer and son of the violence gods since he found his stride in 2015 and went on an 11-fight knockout string that bled into his RIZIN run. Advertisement Musayev has only been stopped twice, dating back to 2015, when he fought the likes of reigning RIZIN lightweight champion Roberto "Satoshi" de Souza and former top Bellator contender Alexandr Shabliy. Musayev rebounded in 2023 when he returned to the RIZIN ring, taking out Akira Okada and Koji Takeda in style. The latter, which was in the first major MMA event in his home country, blew the roof off the building. The all-action, aggressive nature of Musayev will be met with an insanely tough Myktybek Orolbai. Against Mateusz Rebecki in his last fight, Orolbai left bits and pieces of himself in the Octagon, losing a split-decision in one of 2024's best bouts. Orolbai has no quit in him and probably edges out Musayev in the grappling department, but competition-wise, Musayev has fought the superior opposition. The former RIZIN star is coming off that two-year layoff, though. So there are many intriguing layers to this fight, and it will surely deliver chaos, considering its environment. It's just now-or-never for Musayev, and he'll test if Orolbai is even the same fighter after the Rebecki war. Pick: Musayev 155 pounds: Nazim Sadykhov (-450) vs. Nikolas Motta (+350) It feels like we get at least one showcase fight per main card for every UFC Fight Night in 2025, doesn't it? At least, that's how the matchmakers plan it out, anyway. Advertisement Nazim Sadykhov vs. Nikolas Motta isn't quite on that scale, but this is a highly favorable bout for the surging Sadykhov, who is undefeated since his MMA debut in 2018. Another Azerbaijani receiving a big homecoming, Sadykhov has been knocking out opponents left and right. Outside of his first loss, Motta has exclusively lost by knockout, and the in-your-face fury of Sadykhov doesn't bode well for him unless he can counter attacks with well-timed takedowns. Simply put, it's Sadykhov's fight to lose. Pick: Sadykhov 145 pounds: Muhammad Naimov (-275) vs. Bogdan Grad (+220) The opening main card bout of UFC Baku has a broader spread in the odds than I'd have expected. There's still plenty left to learn about Muhammad Naimov and Bogdan Grad. But this matchup should be about who controls the chaos better, and for Grad, his recklessness could be his downfall. Advertisement Outside of a tough loss to the also super-talented Felipe Lima last year, Naimov has been on a good run with that as his lone loss in eight fights. On the other side, Grad will ride a four-fight win streak into the bout, consisting of three knockouts and one split-decision. Naimov's game is just more refined than his counterpart's. Most importantly, he's not as wild, which should allow him to take advantage of the various openings he's presented with. (Just ask Jamie Mullarkey.) Pick: Naimov It's "Iron Turtle" time for Jun Yong Park. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) (Chris Unger via Getty Images) Preliminary Notes Oban Elliott and the "Iron Turtle" Jun Yong Park? I don't know what more you could ask for to close out a slate of prelims. Advertisement Seriously, the final two lead-in bouts should deliver and set the table for the second half of the evening. For Elliott, in particular, you'd have to think he'll get a decent step up in competition with a win. I'm also curious to see how Tagir Ulanbeko vs. Azat Maksum plays out, but the other three fights are just kind of there. I had high hopes for Irina Alekseeva upon her arrival in not just the UFC, but the U.S. in general, as she debuted in Bellator in 2021 before moving over to her current fighting home. Despite being 1-1, Alekseeva's kneebar win over Stephanie Egger came after she missed weight by five pounds and then looked awful against Melissa Mullins, who fights right after her at UFC Baku. I suppose the oddsmakers themselves are going full MMA math with this one, favoring Alekseeva so drastically because Mullins finished Klaudia Sygala in her UFC debut last November. Man, I did not expect to backhandedly praise Mullins this much in this preview. Quick picks: