Women's flyweight action kicked off UFC Houston at the Toyota Center on Saturday, as TUF champ Juliana Miller took on Carli Judice. Winner of The Ultimate Fighter 30, Miller still had under ten fights of pro experience, and entered off a win over Ivana Petrović. Judice was 2-1 under the UFC banner to start the night, in a match-up that was very much grappler versus striker.
"Thank God he's built me to overcome every obstacle I've faced and that will be the story once again," Finney wrote. "I tore my ACL and my both of my meniscus within my knee. Got me into surgery the next day. [Doctor] said it's insane I was able to fight tearing that 15 seconds into the fight."
The lone heavyweights on the UFC Vegas 113 card, Rizvan Kuniev and Jailton Almeida faced off in Las Vegas in what was a huge opportunity for Russia's Kuniev. With original opponent Ryan Spann out, Kuniev received a serious upgrade, going from the unranked Spann to #6-ranked Almeida. For a fighter who had struggled to stay active in the UFC, it was a major blessing for Kuniev, if he could capitalize.
Souza, the shorter fighter, took this one to the fence in the opening minute, one hand wrapped around Brasil's thigh. She couldn't land the takedown, and Brasil reversed, only to be reversed again. Several minutes ticked off the clock in this position, and when they did hit the mat, it was Brasil in control for just a moment before they popped back up.
Evloev was scheduled to welcome former Bellator MMA star Aaron Pico to the UFC last August at UFC 319. However, Evloev pulled out of the matchup with hardly over two weeks to go before fight night. Evloev recently revealed that he was forced out of the fight due to coronavirus, the same virus responsible for the worldwide lockdown in 2020-21. Evloev claims he was affected by the virus in Thailand and decided to pull out when even easy exercises made him feel terrible.
Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight Vinicius Oliveira has already passed one major test on Friday: successfully making weight. After four consecutive victories in the UFC, Brazil's "Lok Dog" Oliveira will have the chance to headline his first event on Saturday against Mario Bautista. He and Bautista will battle in the five-round main attraction of UFC Fight Night 266, also known as UFC Vegas 113, in Las Vegas' UFC Apex.
Per Marca, the settlement offer initially given by Topuria has been accepted, resulting in Uzcategui withdrawing her lawsuit against him. Recent rumors were dispelled by his post, including that he had been forced to sell his home in Madrid, Spain. Topuria ended any doubt by posting training videos in that house, a standalone gym that includes ample training gear and even a few recovery tanks like a hyperbaric chamber.
"I don't want to talk about the injury, I've never refused a fight, no matter who I fight, no matter what the situation, the preparation is at a good level, it's done, no matter how much you kick, I can't change it. "I still have five fights left in this [organization]. I've been extended for a new contract. There are still many interesting battles ahead."
Quillan Salkilld will make the walk at UFC 325 on Saturday night under unique circumstances, accepting a relatively short-notice bout against Jamie Mullarkey in a matchup that marks the first time he's faced a fellow Australian inside the octagon.
I know I make a lot of mistakes in the first fight with Volk. I tried to only finish him (with) one big hit, you know, one big punch. After the second round I dropped him I feel like okay I have the power for finishing him,
The UFC has announced a new post-fight bonus structure starting with UFC 324, with Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night bonuses now coming in at $100,000 U.S. That's double the previous standard of $50,000, which was occasionally boosted for major events like UFC 300. On UFC 324, the first card of the Paramount+ era, kicking off a broadcast deal that helped usher in those new bonuses? It was headliners Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett walking away with Fight of the Night.
