Latest news with #Flyweight
Express Tribune
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Brilliant boxer Waseem's world title celebrated
Pakistan's WBA bantamweight champion Muhammad Waseem (second from right) is seen with Consulate General of Japan in Karachi Mr Hattori Masura (first right) and other Consulate officials. PHOTO: MUHAMMAD WASEEM "I am very proud of Waseem, I am not a big fan of sports but I am very impressed with Waseem's achievements," The Consulate General of Japan in Karachi Hattori Masaru was brimming with joy and delight as he hosted the recently crowned World Boxing Association bantamweight champion Muhammad Waseem at the reception on June 3 at his residence. The meeting and dinner were held to celebrate the Pakistani ace boxer's feat, which he achieved on May 10 in Quetta, where he defeated Venezuela's Wiston Orono with a knockout in the ninth round. Waseem had fulfilled his lifelong dream to win a world title in his hometown of Quetta, and he managed to bring several international boxers and officials from around the world to his city despite the aerial war that was taking place between India and Pakistan at the time. Mr. Hattori was honouring Waseem on Tuesday, emphasising the role the 37-year-old pugilist is playing in bridging the gap between Japan and Pakistan. Waseem has spent years training in Japan since 2015 onwards. The training in Japan gave him the foundation as he switched to professional boxing from amateur in 2015. Waseem's reception by the Japanese Consulate General was a mix of tribute to both Japan and Waseem's deep-rooted connection to Karachi, which had been his home and grooming ground after his home Quetta. "It is my honour to welcome the champion," Hattori told this correspondent. "He knows Japan so well and he is also a world champion, as a Jqapanse I am very much happy that he got the champion belt." At the dinner, Mr. Hattori was also accompanied by Mr Nakagawa Yasushi and Kumagae Takahiro. Waseem also invited his friend Farid Khan and this correspondent to attend the reception. Nakagawa, who is also a friend of Waseem's added that he insisted that the former two-time World Boxing Council Silver Flyweight champion bring his friends along at the intimate meeting which was followed by a traditional Kaiseki menu. Waseem is also in the middle of planning his next bout and he will aim to consolidate his world championship titles, where he would want to not only retain his WBA belt, which he had brought in a silver briefcase to show Mr. Hattori and his friends at the dinner, but he would want the WBC, World Boxing Oraganisation and the International Boxing Federation titles too. He is hoping to fight with Japan's multi-weight world champion Junto Nakatani. Mr Hattori shared his experience of Karachi and Pakistan since he was appointed a year and a half ago. "Karachi is a very cosmopolitan city, and every night and weekend there are events. But when it comes to sports here in Pakistan, I watched the softball event that I enjoyed very much. It was held by the Pakistan Softball Federation," said Hattori, who is a baseball fan himself. "Pakistan is totally different from Japanese customs and culture," he said when asked about how he would describe Pakistan to the world. "It is also the home to Indus Valley Civilisation, Japanese people know it well and we teach our children about it in junior high school, so people know about it well. When it comes to having cultural exchange through sports Mr Hattori added: "There are so many Japanese-oriented sports that are taken up by Pakistanis like Jiu-jitsu and Karate, so Pakistani people know about Japanese culture and that helps." Meanwhile, Waseem added that he wanted to thank the consulate officials. "The Japanese always respect the sportspersons and especially boxing, I have always been welcomed and respected by Mye Nakagawa, who is a great friend of mine, and by the Japanese Consulate, they have always supported me. "I am also looking for a fight, hopefully with Nakatani, but nothing is confirmed yet, I might know about it by next week or so," said Waseem. Waseem, also known as Falcon, will be flying out to the United Kingdom for further training by the end of this month. Meanwhile, Nakagawa concluded with encouraging words, "I'm greatly honored to have such a great athlete and a pride of Pakistan as a friend. I wish all him best and more success. And go on further, go Falcon, go."
Newsweek
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
How to Watch UFC 315: Live Stream Muhammad vs Della Maddalena, TV Channel
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. UFC 315 will take place on Saturday night at the Bell Centre. The main event will be a championship bout between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena, and you can catch all the action live with ESPN+. Belal Muhammad enters the Octagon before facing Jordan Mein in their welterweight bout duringduring the UFC 213 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 9, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Belal Muhammad enters the Octagon before facing Jordan Mein in their welterweight bout duringduring the UFC 213 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 9, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. ReyHow to Watch UFC 315 Muhammad vs Della Maddalena: Date: Saturday, May 10, 2025 Time: 10:00 PM ET Stream: ESPN+ (WATCH NOW) This stacked UFC card features two title fights in the Welterweight Division (Belal Muhammad versus Jack Della Maddalena) and the Women's Flyweight Division (Valentina Shevchenko versus Manon Fiorot). Muhammad is the current champion and is favored to defend his title. He has a 24-3 record in the UFC, with five wins by knockout and one by submission. Della Maddalena will attempt to pull off the upset, and since losing his first two career fights in the UFC, he has won 17 bouts in a row. On the women's side, Shevchenko will try to keep her belt in this matchup against Fiorot. Shevchenko (24-4-1) has the experience on her side, but Fiorot has won 12 straight fights and appears poised to show up with another great performance. Long-time staple of the UFC, José Aldo, makes his return to the octagon for his first fight since last October. Aldo is 32-9 during his career and will face Aiemann Zahabi, who brings in a 12-2 record. This is a great UFC Fight Night that will not disappoint; make sure to tune in and catch all the action. Live stream UFC 315 with ESPN+: Start your subscription now! This event can be purchased to live-stream nationally via pay-per-view with a one-month subscription to ESPN+. Regional restrictions may apply. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC 315 Start Time, Full Fight Card Details!
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is back in the pay-per-view (PPV) market as UFC 315 goes down later TONIGHT (Sat., May 10, 2025) inside Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Headlining the ESPN+-streamed event will be a Welterweight title fight as division king, Belal Muhammad, defends for the first time against Jack Della Maddalena. Co-headlining the event is UFC women's Flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko taking on Manon Fiorot. What's Hot: UFC 315: Muhammad vs. Della Maddalena - Weigh-In After defeating Leon Edwards in July 2024 to win the Welterweight belt, Belal Muhammad will finally get to defend his title for the first time. A foot injury prevented him from putting it up against Shavkat Rakhmonov, but he will have an equally-dangerous foe in the form of Della Maddalena. Muhammad traveled a long road to get his shot at the title, winning nine of 10 fights (the other being a no contest (NC) against Edwards), before he got his opportunity. Now that he's at the top he is the one who has the target on his back, though it seems people are still having a hard time remembering the name. I feel bad for Belal, in a way. He seems like an all-around good guy and he is a solid champion, but it seems he just can't get a big fan base behind him. Perhaps it's his lack of charisma on the mic, or the fact that he has only had two finishes in the last five years. Whatever it is, once you're in MMA popularity limbo, it's hard to get out of it. That said, a dominant win (and perhaps a finish) against 'JDM' may turn the tide in 'Remember The Name's' favor. UFC 315: Muhammad vs. Della Maddalena - Weigh-In As for Maddalena, it took him seven straight wins (five finishes) and an injury to 'Nomad' to punch his ticket to the big dance. 'JDM' is more than deserving of this opportunity since he has been nothing short of impressive since making his UFC debut a little over two years ago. That said, while he is undefeated at 7-0 inside the Octagon, he has yet to secure a win against a Top 5 opponent. But that is neither here nor there because he is going straight for the top guy in Muhammad, and should he be the one to dethrone him before his run gets any kind of momentum, none of his past level of competition matters. Maddalena has a good chance to pull off the upset here because to say he is well-rounded would be an understatement. Whether or not he can get through Muhammad's grapple-heavy attack is another story. What's Not: UFC 315: Muhammad vs. Della Maddalena - Weigh-In Jessica Andrade is once again back in the Flyweight division trying to make another run at a title shot, In her return bout to 125 pounds she came up short against Natalia Silva, and things won't get easier for her against Jasmine Jasudavicius because the Canadian is on an impressive four-fight win streak. I don't like the pairing one bit since Jasudavicius is on a hot streak while Andrade is coming off a loss. I get that she's a former champion and ranked two spots ahead of her, but something about a streaking fighter facing someone coming off a loss doesn't sit right with me, unless they are in the Top 5 they are not. Original Card vs. Actual Card: UFC Fight Night: Burns v Brady Gilbert Burns and Michael Morales were in line to compete against one another at this event before the promotion opted to make them headliners for an upcoming 'Fight Night' event next week in Las Vegas, Nevada. Injuries: UFC 310: Rakhmonov v Machado Garry The aforementioned injury to Rakhmonov enabled Della Maddalena to step in for his own title shot. That said, 'Nomad' should be in line to face the winner of this fight, regardless of what Ian Machado Garry has to say. Also, Jose Alvarez was forced out of his scheduled bout against Benoit Saint Denis with an unfortunate hand injury and was replaced by Kyle Prepolec, who is making his UFC return after going 0-2 in his first run back in 2019. As for 'God of War,' he is looking to snap his two fight losing streak after dropping back-to-back contests against Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano. New Blood: There are no newcomers at this event. How The 'Prelims' Look: UFC 315: Muhammad vs. Della Maddalena - Weigh-In Headlining the undercard is a Welterweight showdown between Mike Malott and Charles Radtke. Malott is coming off a win over Trevin Giles, and other than his loss to Neil Magny, 'Proper' has done pretty well for himself inside the Octagon, racking up a 4-1 record. As for Radtke, he is 3-1 under the UFC banner, with his lone defeat inside the eight-sided cage coming against Carlos Prates. Advertisement In a battle between two men who have WWE-like names, Navajo Stirling and Ivan Erslan will throw down in a Light Heavyweight affair. Sterling is undefeated at 6-0, 1-0 UFC, while Erslan came up short in his UFC debut against wild-man Ion Cutelaba, losing a split-decision in Sept. 2024. Speaking of Cutelaba, he will attempt to put together his first three-fight win streak ever inside the Octagon when he goes toe-to-toe against Modestas Bukauskas, who, ironically enough, is trying to complete that same mission at 205 pounds. Daniel Santos and Jeong Yeong Lee will throw down in a Featherweight affair. Santos turned things around for himself after he threw up a dud in his UFC debut by winning two straight, while Lee is 2-1 under the UFC banner and is coming off a loss to Hyder Amil. A Bantamweight fight between Bekzat Almakhan and Brad Katona will kick off the early action in Canada. Almakhan failed to produce a win in his UFC debut over a year ago against Umar Nurmagomedov, snapping his eight-fight winning streak. Now, he will face a man who just can't seem to get much going inside the Octagon, as Katona is now in his second run with the promotion going 2-2, moving his record to 4-4 overall inside the Octagon. Who Needs A Win Badly: UFC 315: Muhammad vs. Della Maddalena - Ceremonial Weigh-In Marc-Andre Barriault and Bruno Silva are both in desperate need of wins, so it makes sense that they were booked against one another in what should be a loser leaves town match. Barriault has lost three in a row, while Silva has had a bit worse luck having lost four in a row, dropping him to 1-6 in his last seven fights. The loser is definitely getting cut. Interest Level: 7/10 UFC 315: Muhammad vs. Della Maddalena - Weigh-In In the co-main event of the evening, Valentina Shevchenko returns after a lengthy layoff to attempt to defend her women's Flyweight title for the first time since winning it back from Alexa Grasso at 'Noche UFC' in Sept. 2024. 'Bullet' is still one of the best pound-for-pound female fighters on the planet (despite this comment), but has a stiff test against Manon Fiorot, who is the No. 2 ranked fighter in the division and is on a 12-fight win streak, seven inside the Octagon. Fiorot has as good a chance as anyone to dethrone Shevchenko with a well-rounded tool box that will give the champ trouble. 'Bullet' has faced Grasso three straight times since March 2023 so it will be a nice change for her to take on someone different. With a win, Shevchenko further elevates her stock and continues to make a case for the best UFC female champion of all time. How long that lasts, however, remains to be seen. Advertisement Speaking of Grasso, she will also be returning tonight to make her claim at another title shot when she goes up against Natalia Silva. Grasso's loss to Shevchenko eight months ago was her first defeat in five years if you can believe that, so the sting was elevated a bit more. The Mexican-born fighter is without a doubt one of the absolute best 125-pound fighters in the game, and a win over Silva could very well put her right back into a potential fourth title fight against 'Bullet.' But she has a stiff challenge against Silva, who is 6-0 under the UFC banner, which is good enough to put her at No. 5 in the division. Should she be the one with her hand raised at the end of the night, there is no reason why the next title shot shouldn't go to her. UFC 315: Muhammad vs. Della Maddalena - Ceremonial Weigh-In Jose Aldo is one of the best fighters in the history of the sport, yet UFC matchmakers continue to drop the ball when it comes to giving him worthy fights as his career continues to wind down. In his last two fights he faced Jonathan Martinez (a win) and Mario Bautista (a loss), and now he is being paired up against Aiemann Zahabi. I get that Aldo isn't the same killer fight fans fell in love with years ago, but this man gave everything he had to the promotion and the best the UFC can do is Zahabi? No disrespect, but 'Junior' deserves better. That said, he didn't do himself any favors by coming in heavy for the proposed Bantamweight contest, which will now be at Featherweight. Enjoy the fights! Full UFC 315 Fight Card: UFC 315 Main Event on ESPN+ PPV: 170 lbs.: UFC Welterweight champion Belal Muhammad vs. Jack Della Maddalena UFC 315 Main Card on ESPN+ PPV (10 p.m. ET): 125 lbs.: UFC women's Flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko vs. Manon Fiorot 145 lbs.: Jose Aldo vs. Aiemann Zahabi (changed from bantamweight) 155 lbs.: Benoit Saint-Denis vs. Kyle Prepolec (not Joel Alvarez) 125 lbs.: Alex Grasso vs. Natalia Silva UFC 315 Prelims Card on ESPN/ESPN+ (8 p.m. ET): 170 lbs.: Mike Malott vs. Charlie Radtke 125 lbs.: Jessica Andrade vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius 205 lbs.: Modestas Bukauskas vs. Ion Cutelaba 205 lbs.: Navajo Stirling vs. Ivan Erslan UFC 315 Early Prelims Card on ESPN+ (6:30 p.m. ET): 185 lbs.: Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Bruno Silva 145 lbs.: Daniel Santos vs. Jeong Yeong Lee 135 lbs.: Brad Katona vs. Bekzat Almakhan Advertisement *Fight card, bout order and number of fights remain subject to change.* will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 315 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ preliminary card matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the UFC 315 PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV. To check out the latest and greatest UFC 315: 'Muhammad vs. Della Maddalena' news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 315 fight card and PPV lineup click here. More from
The Sun
09-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
UFC 315 – Valentina Shevchenko vs Manon Fiorot: Start time, TV channel, live stream & undercard for huge Women's title fight
VALENTINA SHEVCHENKO returns to the octagon in a huge title fight against Manon Fiorot at UFC 315 THIS WEEKEND. The two women will face off in the co-main event at the Montreal Centre in Canada. 2 Fans are eagerly excited to watch the women's Flyweight GOAT back in the Octagon. After her incredible trilogy with Alexa Grasso, Shevchenko will face another huge test on Saturday night. 'The Bullet' dominated last September at UFC Sphere against Grasso, and now turns her attention to Manon Fiorot - a surging contender ranked number 2 in the Flyweight division. Fiorot, however, is no slouch - since joining the UFC in 2021, she has been an unstoppable force, winning all 7 of her fights in the promotion. Her two last fights have been her most impressive, with dominant victories over both Rose Namajunas and Erin Blanchfield. There's no doubt she's earned her shot at UFC gold. In the main event, Belal Muhammed makes the first defence of his welterweight title reign after the sensational victory against Leon Edwards. He faces Australian fighter Jack Della Maddalena who is ranked No. 5 in the divison and is riding a seven fight win streak in the UFC. SunSport brings you all the details for the stacked UFC 315 card this weekend. When is Valentina Shevchenko vs Manon Fiorot? UFC 315 takes place in Montreal, Canada, on Saturday, May 10. The event will be at the 20,000-seat Bell Centre in Montreal Canada. The early prelim action is expected at 23.30pm BST / 6.30pm ET. The prelims will be at around 1am BST (May 11) / 8pm ET. The main card is then expected to start at 3am BST / 10pm ET. What TV channel is UFC 315 on and can it be live streamed? UFC 315 will be aired on TNT Sports in the UK and ESPN in the US. Fans can also live stream the entire card - including the prelims and early prelims - with Discovery+ (UK) and ESPN+ (US). Those with UFC Fight Pass can also live stream all the action. Discovery+, ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass are available either on browser or as downloadable apps. UFC 315 FULL fight card Main Card Belal Muhammad vs Jack Della Maddalena - for welterweight title Valentina Shevchenko vs Manon Fiorot - for women's flyweight title Jose Aldo vs Aiemann Zahabi - bantamweight Alexa Grasso vs Natalia Silva - women's flyweight Benoit Saint-Denis vs Kyle Prepolec - lightweight Prelims Mike Malott vs Charles Radtke - welterweight Jessica Andrade vs Jasmie Jasudavicius - women's flyweight Modestas Bukauskas vs Ion Cutelaba - light-heavyweight Navajo Stirling vs Ivan Erslan - light-heavyweight Early Prelims Marc-Andre Barriault vs Bruno Silva - middleweight Daniel Santos vs Lee Jeong Yeong - featherweight Brad Katona vs Bekzat Almakhan - bantamweight
New York Times
09-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Prelims recap
Ankalaev impresses with precision, becoming the new UFC light heavyweight champion by unanimous decision The main card at UFC 313 from Las Vegas is about to get underway! As a reminder, here's how that card shakes out: Light heavyweight title: Alex Pereira vs. Magmomed Ankalaev Lightweight: Justin Gaethje vs. Ravael Fiziev Lightweight: Jalin Turner vs. Ignacio Bahamondes Women's strawweight: Amanda Lemos vs. Iasmin Lucindo Lightweight: King Green vs. Maurício Ruffy Getty Images Van wins by unanimous decision as all three judges score the fight 30-27 in his favor. He completely halted the wrestling advances of Tsuruya and landed basically all the significant strikes in the final prelim matchup. Impressive victory for the fighter from Myanmar. Van lands a nice elbow early in the round as Tsuruya remains steadfast in his desire to wrestle. The Japanese fighter has not been very successful on this front but it's clearly a point of emphasis. Tsuruya takes a shot to the groin with just over three minutes remaining, resulting in a brief timeout. After the break, Tsuruya goes for a takedown but Van holds him up and delivers several powerful punches to the ribs of his opponent. He has dominated in terms of significant strikes and Tsuruya looks uncomfortable on his feet. Van adds an exclamation in the final seconds, landing a powerful punch to the head of Tsuruya. Getty Images Tsuruya continues to aggressively go for takedowns to utilize his wrestling skills but Van has been able to consistently get back to his feet in this slow-paced battle. When Van is on his feet, he has walked down Tsuruya, even landing a couple of significant strikes including a powerful knee. This is likely a close fight on the cards at the moment. Getty Images Tsuruya attempts to establish his dominance via grappling early on in the first round but Van wards off his advances. Even when the fighter from Myanmar was taken down by Tsuruya, he quickly got back to his feet, even landing a few nice shots to the body. This final prelim fight has been a clash of styles thus far. We are moments away from the final fight of the prelims, a Flyweight battle between Joshua Van and Rei Tsuruya. Getty Images "Hello Las Vegas! I'm very very happy to go here," Ferreira says in English. "I am very blessed. Thank you so much." He continued in Spanish with the help of a translator: "I'm a black belt in judo. You saw that takedown. I'm a black belt in jujitsu. You saw that finish. That's it, the Bruno that you need to know. I've got the complete arsenal. I'm very happy about that finish." Getty Images Despite dealing with an apparent eye issue, Ferriera outduels Petrosyan in the second round and piledrives him into the fence to end the round — then locks Petrosyan's arm between his legs to force the Armenian to tap out and finish a very strong, decisive comeback for the win. Getty Images Both fighters spend the first minute and a half largely sizing each other up before Ferreira lands a solid roundhouse jab of Pentrosyan. However, Petrosyan's response is two quick groin strikes that force a timeout and draw the ire of the crowd as Ferreira grimaces. The referee tells Petrosyan he'll be disqualified on his next groin strike. Despite having to be more cautious with his kicking, Petrosyan lands some solid upper and lower body blows while Ferriera gets a few jabs as well before the two wrap each other up. Neither side is able to land a decisive blow by the time the round ends. Next up, in the middleweight division, Brunno Ferreira vs. Armen Petrosyan. Getty Images After taking time to thank God, Carlos Leal commented on the controversial decision that gave him the loss in his last fight "As far as I'm concerned, I'm 2-0," Leal told Joe Rogan through a translator. "I know this, you know this, my former opponent knows this. Right now, I'm 2-0 in the UFC." Leal also took a moment to celebrate international women's day and shout out his wife and mother. Getty Images Midway through the first round, Leal really got rolling, landing flurries on punches, elbows and backfists. Sensing Morono being in trouble, Leal applied pressure against his dazed opponent, who continued to battle with his back to the cage. The referee exhibited patience but eventually had to step in and call the fight as the Brazilian continued to tee off. Very impressive performance to get a first-round stoppage. Did Mairon Santos think he had done enough to defeat Francis Marshall in their bout? "Yes, yes," he told Joe Rogan. "He had a good first round, but second and third, he did take me down but he didn't do anything with it. His face was bleeding, I was doing a lot more damage with the jabs, and after the first round, he didn't do anything. Those takedowns that he landed were just to stop the fight, not to do real damage. So I think I won fair and square." We are now moments away from a battle between Alex Morono and Carlos Leal in the Welterweight division. Getty Images A bit of a surprise as Mairon Santos defeats Francis Marshall by split decision. Santos definitely had the advantage by quantity of strikes, but Marshall seemed to land the bigger blows. The crowd, on the American's side, doesn't like it and boos rain down as Marshall waves his hand and exits the ring. Santos narrowly avoids a significant upset in what would have been his first-ever UFC loss. Getty Images Santos ramps his aggression back up, and lands more strikes than Marshall, but it may not be enough as he is taken down by the American late for the third time in as many rounds. Santos had more strikes by the raw numbers, but Marshall had the tougher hits and bigger moments. We await the judges' decision... Getty Images Santos dialed back the aggressiveness in round two, especially with his kicks, in an effort to avoid another disaster. But he still lands enough to get Marshall's nose to start bleeding and again refuses to yield when Marshall goes for a takedown, refusing to let the American clinch another round. Marshall may have done enough to win regardless, however. We head to round three with Marshall putting up a fight but the favorite Santos still very much in it. Getty Images Santos lands a couple of early long jabs, but Marshall nearly ends this fight before it begins by sweeping Santos's leg and knocking him off his feet, though the Brazilian jumps right back up. Santos then quickly returns the favor with a quick knockdown of his own on another rangy jab. A very evenly fought first round suddenly swings toward Marshall as he knocks Santos down again thanks to a left hand to the jaw and then jumps on top of him. Marshall is unable to land a knockout blow but his decisive knockdown is plenty enough to win round one. Page 2 Ankalaev impresses with precision, becoming the new UFC light heavyweight champion by unanimous decision Here are the judges' scorecards for the unanimous decision in the UFC light heavyweight title bout between Alex Pereira and Magmomed Ankalaev. Two judges had Ankalaev winning the middle three rounds while Sal D'Amato had Ankalaev taking the fifth round as well. An extremely close fight, capped off by a very tight fifth round, goes to a judge's decision — and we have a new champion! By unanimous decision, Magomen Ankalaev is the new undisputed UFC light heavyweight champion, running his unbeaten streak in UFC fights up to 14. It's an incredible feat of endurance from the Russian, who outlasted the reigning champion and refused to let Pereira land anything close to a knockout blow throughout five rounds. Getty Images Ankalaev record the first notable strike of the final round but Pereira absorbs the hit to the head. Both fighters are remaining patient in what has certainly been the most competitive fight of the night. Excellent display of skill and poise. Halfway through the fifth round, Pereira begins to walk down Ankalaev with intentionality, stunning him with a high kick. This strike briefly halted Ankalaev's aggression. He shakes it off however and attempts to grapple with Pereira in the final minute. The champ holds his own but is unable to escape before the final bell dings and we head to the cards for the decision. Getty Images Ankalaev comes out Pereira against the fence in an attempt to get him down. He lands a couple nice shots on the current champion but nothing much else initially. Periera momentarily gets free but is immediately pinned back against the fence before he can do much damage. The two exchange some short jabs before the referee separates them, and Ankalaev immediately comes up swinging on Pereira again. The crowd boos as Ankalaev pins Pereira for a third time in the round and continues to slowly pummel him. Pereira, who's showing signs of physical exhaustion, is probably at the point where he needs one of his patented knockout blows to avoid what will be a close judge's decision if it goes that route. Getty Images After landing a powerful strike to end round two, Ankalaev begins round three as the aggressor. He continues to mix in leg kicks, hoping to wear down the lower half of Pereira. Pereira continues to close the gap but is being judicious with his strikes, presumably waiting for an opportunity to do legitimate damage. Ankalaev looks rather comfortable as he attempts several grapples but the champion continues to wiggle out of his grasp. Pereira has spent a good portion of this round moving backwards. The intensity is palpable. Getty Images Both fighters spend a solid minute sizing each other up before Ankalaev lands two nice body blows and kicks on Pereira. The reigning champion is very conservative, and Ankalaev refuses to be aggressive in his own right — until responding to a Pereira kick with four solid jabs. Ankalaev then unleashes another flurry of jabs as a counterattack on a Pereira strike. He then finishes with a solid left-handed swing right at Periera's face. Ankalaev ends up as by far the more active fighter in that round, and most importantly, his punches largely land. He also gets in several solid kicks that will likely weaken Pereira's legs. That should give the Russian a round two win on the judges' scorecards. Getty Images Pereira opens the festivities by connecting with five of his patented calf kicks in the first minute, though both fighters are displaying patience early on in this fight. Ankalaev has maintained distance but also retalitated with a couple calf kicks of his own. Pereira has increased his aggression later in the round, firing several head kicks but he's unable to land anything of significance. Ankalaev has displayed great poise thus far but he has taken consistent blows to the calf that could prove pivotal down the line. The fight we've been waiting all night for is just around the corner! Alex Pereira is about to defend his light heavyweight title against Magomed Ankalaev to cap off a rather entertaining card at UFC 313. Is the best yet to come? Let's find out. Here are Alex Pereira's incredible stats heading into his light heavyweight title defense fight. Getty Images Comeback complete for Justin Gaethje, both in terms of the fight itself and his response after getting knocked out by Max Holloway 11 months ago. He wins 29-28 by unanimous decision. Gaethje and Fiziev share a lot of respect afterwards and Gaethje also gives plenty of credit to his opponent, who entered this match on short notice, in his post-fight interview. "I don't give a s--t how far down you are, it's on you to get back on the f---ing horse," Gaethje said of his ability to rebound from his knockout loss. Getty Images Fiziev comes out aggressive after an early stalemate in the third round with several well-placed body blows before Gaethje connects with a solid uppercut. A wheel kick attempt nearly backfires on the American, however, and Gaethje has to retreat. He rallies with some more blows to the head and body of Fiziev, who reponds with a well-placed kick. Fiziev's energy wanes as the round goes on and Gaethje lands some more hard strikes — but still can't take his opponent down. Fiziev tries to respond, but Gaethje keeps up his attack. This is going to the judges, but Gaethje appears to have completed the comeback after looking surprisingly shaky in round one. Getty Images Despite likely winning round one, Fiziev appears to be battling some swelling near his eye as well as a toe injury. Gaethje gains momentum as the round goes on, landing some impressive upper body blows while Fiziev still focuses on doing his damage through kicks. Then, Gaethje fully seizes momentum by decking Fiziev with a well-placed uppercut to the jaw. Gaethje quickly jumps on Fiziev but is unable to finish him off. But the American wins round two handily to force a pivotal round three with the score likely 19-19. Getty Images Round 1 begins with some booming "U-S-A" and "Gaet-hje" chants but the crowd is instantly stunned by two impressive takedowns by Fiziev on Gaethje, and the underdog Fiziev lands some impressive blows and gets a brief chokehold in the process. Gaethje responds, however, with some strong jabs to the face but fails in a late takedown attempt of his own on Fiziev. Both Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev have made their way to the octagon with plenty of hype. This is Gaethje's first fight since his dramatic knockout loss to Max Holloway at UFC 300 in this very same building 11 months ago. Getty Images It's time — No. 3 ranked Lightweight Justin Gaethje vs. No. 11 Rafael Fiziev in a rematch of their epic 2023 bout, coming up shortly. Getty Images Is this the last we'll see of Turner in the Octagon? Turner appeared to tell Bahamondes something to the effect of "I'm done" when they embraced after the match. This was seen as a pivotal match for the next stage of the 29-year-old Turner's career, and it went about as poorly as possible for "The Tarantula." Page 3
