The highly-anticipated fight between reigning UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic is finally happening.

In a recent interview with Complex, UFC President Dana White confirmed that Jones and Miocic will face in the octagon at UFC 309, which is scheduled to take place on November 16 at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.

According to White, if Miocic wins, he is expected to retire from MMA. On the other hand, if Jones wins, he will likely want to face current Interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.

Jones made his heavyweight debut at UFC 285 in March 2023, defeating Ciryl Gane to take the belt. He previously reigned as UFC light heavyweight champion for more than a decade, defending the title eight consecutive times. He has a 27-1 career record, with his only loss coming from disqualification against Matt Hamill for an illegal move.

 Miocic has a career record of 20-4, all coming in heavyweight division. He won his first UFC heavyweight championship in 2016 and defended it three times, which is a UFC record. Miocic lost the belt at UFC 226 to Daniel Cormier but regained it in a rematch. He would later go on to lose it again against Francis Ngannou at UFC 260.

Jones and Miocic were previously set to face in November of last year at UFC 295. However, the fight was canceled as Jones underwent surgery on a torn pectoral muscle.

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Demetrious Johnson, considered one of the best mixed martial arts fighters in the history of the sport, is saying goodbye to MMA.

Johnson, flyweight champion with UFC and ONE Championship, announced his decision at the ONE 168 event in Denver, Colorado. It came more than a year after his last fight, a unanimous decision win over Adriano Moraes at ONE Fight Night 10 in May 2023.

“Like I said last time, when I came to Denver, Colorado, I told you guys that was potentially my last fight, and I was not lying,” Johnson said, alluding to the fact that his last year’s win over Moraes came in Denver. “I am done competing in mixed martial arts.”

Demetrious Johnson started off in bantamweight but made a switch to flyweight in 2012 while with the UFC. He won the inaugural UFC Flyweight Championship at UFC 152 and proceeded to defend it 11 times.

Johnson lost the UFC Flyweight Championship at UFC 227 in 2017 to Henry Cejundo in a highly controversial split decision. This marked his last fight with the promotion as Johnson switched to ONE Championship, where he managed to win the flyweight belt once again.

Johnson retires from MMA with a 25-4-1 record.

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Dricus Du Plessis successfully defended his UFC Middleweight Championship on Saturday at the UFC 305 main event in Perth Australia. The South African defeated Israel Adesanya in the fourth round of the fight, forcing him into submission with a rear-naked choke.

With the fight remaining close throughout the first three rounds, Du Plessis managed to resist a barrage of bodywork to counter with a trio of righthand into Adesanya, stunning the contender and enabling Du Plessis to secure the takedown and drawing out the submission at the 3:38 minute mark.

“I came in here to die for this belt or take a life,” Du Plessis stated following his victory. “Luckily, I didn’t have to do either.” He then went on to reconcile with Adesanya after the pair engaged in a feud disputing who actually is the first UFC champions from Africa. “I’m really sorry that it came across that I disrespected the fact that he’s from Africa,” Du Plessis stated after the fight. “That was never my intention. Africa would have won regardless, but tonight South Africa was the victor.” This is Du Plessis’ first title defence, having won it after beating Sean Strickland at UFC 297 in January this year.

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Jorge Masvidal knows that his current three-fight losing streak doesn’t look good. This is why he is thinking about calling it quits if it becomes a four-fight losing streak after UFC 287.

Masvidal, one of the fan favorites, is set to face Gilbert Burns at UFC 287 on Saturday’s co-headlining fight in Miami. During an appearance on UFC 287 Countdown earlier this week, the 38-year-old admitted that he might end his career if he doesn’t come out as a winner from the octagon.

“This could be the last one,” Masvidal said. “If I lose, I’m pretty much calling it quits. But a win against Gilbert means that things are headed in the right direction. So if I roll the dice and do everything right, I’m going for it all.”

Despite thinking about retirement, Masvidal believes he is still able to compete at a high level. 

“I think I’m at my best right now – my mental (game), my physical – and now I’ve got to go out there and prove it,” he added. “I’ve got my back up against the wall.”

Jorge Masvidal has a 35 -16 record in MMA, including 12-9 in UFC. His most recent fight came more than a year ago at UFC 272 when he lost to Colby Covington via unanimous decision. Prior to that, he lost two UFC Welterweight Championship fights against Kamaru Usman.

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When Leon Edwards knocked Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 in August to take the UFC welterweight title, many believed it was somewhat of a lucky shot. But there are likely not many doubters left after Edwards beat Usman again in the rematch at UFC 286 on Saturday.

In what proved a closely-contested fight that went for five rounds, Edwards showed to be a more prepared and hungry fighter. Two judges ruled the bout 48-46 in his favor, while the third judge viewed it as a draw.

Edwards had more strikes, delivering 123 compared to Usman’s 113, while also managing to dodge most of his opponent’s takedown attempts. Even when Usman successfully brought down Edwards on canvas, he failed to make it count.

“I knew I could go out there and take his shots,” Edwards said after the fight. “Even when he was pressuring, not much happened.”

This was an 11 straight win for Edwards, and he will soon have the opportunity to make it 12. UFC president Dana White already confirmed that Edwards would face former interim champion Colby Covington in his next title defense fight.

For Usman, this seems like a definite end of his reign in welterweight. He was the division champion since 2019, but it sure looks like he will have a hard time getting back on the top after two straight losses.

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Jon Jones has once again reminded the world why he’s considered the best mixed martial fighter in the history of the sport. After not having a single fight in more than three years, Jones walked into the octagon at UFC 285 on Saturday night and took care of the business against Ciryl Gane in the first round to take home UFC’s heavyweight title.

The fight against Gane was Jones’ heavyweight debut, but he sure didn’t seem like he was breaking new ground. He immediately started using his new size to put pressure on Gane and managed to get him in a guillotine. And just like that, the fight was over after two minutes and four seconds.

“I’m so excited,” Jones said after the fight. “I’ve been working for this for a long time. A lot of people thought I wasn’t coming back. I was reading that all the time. But I was faithful to the goal and faithful to the mission.”

Jones will now get some time to enjoy his heavyweight belt, but there will soon be other coming for it. Even before Jones versus Gane fight, the UFC boss Dana White said that whoever wins it would have to defend it against former champion and UFC legend Stipe Miocic.

Jon Jones has been the undisputed UFC Lightheavyweight champion for almost a decade. He won his first belt at UFC 128 in 2011 and never lost it in a fight. Jones vacated the title in 2020 in order to make a move to heavyweight. After Gane fight, Jones now has a 27-1 record and is on an 18-win streak.

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It will be a while before we see UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor back in the octagon. The UFC President Dana White recently told the media that McGregor wouldn’t fight for at least six more months.

McGregor has been out since July 2021, when he broke his leg in a fight against Dustin Poirier. And while the 34-year-old champion has fully recovered since then and is in fight shape, other circumstances are preventing him from returning to UFC.

According to White, the delay is a result of McGregor not being part of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) testing pool. He is required to be in the USADA program for at least six months before being able to fight in UFC.

After White’s announcement, McGregor went on Twitter to tell everyone he’s “feeling crazy confident.” He also promised he’ll have “multiple fights” before the remake of the action flick Road House, in which McGregor plays one of the roles, hits the theaters. The movie is currently set to be released at some point in 2023.

Conor McGregor claimed he was retired from MMA multiple times in the past several years but would quickly change his mind. His last two fights came in 2021, both losses to Poirier. McGregor is currently on a 22-6 record.

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As predicted, Henry Cejudo’s mixed martial arts retirement in 2020 didn’t hold up. The former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion is gearing up for a return to the octagon and has his eyes on UFC history, according to a recent interview with ESPN.

Cejudo told the media outlet that the main reason why he is ending his retirement is that he could fight Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC featherweight title. This would give him a shot to become the only UFC fighter to hold titles in three different divisions.

Unfortunately for Cejudo, the UFC has other plans, at least for the time being. They want the 35-year-old champion to fight in bantamweight before moving divisions. And the Olympic Gold medalist seems to be open to taking a long way.

“These dudes are not on my level—none of those dudes are at my level. And they all know it,” Cejudo told ESPN. “So if I have to go down to 135 pounds [and win back] my belt to challenge Alexander Volkanovski, that’s what I have to do.”

Cejudo had his last fight at UFC 240 in May 2020, when he defeated Dominick Cruz via TKO to retain UFC Bantamweight Championship. He retired immediately after the fight, leaving MMA with a 16-2 record at the time.

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The New York Yankees’ legend Alex Rodriguez is expanding his post-baseball business portfolio. Rodriguez’s new venture is the popular MMA promotion Professional Fighters League (PFL), in which he made a sizeable investment in recent days.

The PFL announced the news on Thursday and also shared that Rodriguez will join its board of directors.

While PFL didn’t disclose the size of Rodriguez’s investment, it did reveal that his contribution is part of a recent $30 million influx of funds. The promotion intends to use the money to expand its brand on the global level and challenge other MMA heavyweights like UFC and Bellator. Part of the windfall will also go to PFL’s efforts to land some notable fighters who are currently on the free-agent market.

This isn’t Rodriguez’s first investment in sports. He recently also became a part-owner of the NBA franchise Minnesota Timberwolves alongside businessman Marc Lore. His other ventures include holding company A-Rod Corp and Presidente beer.

The PFL saw a big increase in its profile in recent years. Part of it is heightened interest in mixed martial arts content, and part of it is the promotion’s unique approach to MMA that includes the regular season, post-season, and championship fights. The promotion recently made claims that it has 600 million fans around the world.

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Kayla Harrison, Olympic gold medalist and two-time MMA champion, confirmed her loyalty to the Professional Fighters League by inking a new multi-year deal with the promotion. PFL made the news official on their social media on Tuesday.

Harrison was one of the hottest free agents in MMA in recent memory, attracting interest from PFL, Bellator, and UFC. Reportedly, Bellator had the best offer on the table, and many believed they would end up adding the 31-year-old to their roster. However, PFL decided to exercise their option to match any offer and keep Harrison as part of the Professional Fighters League for years to come.

Sources from the industry say that UFC would have liked to add Harrison, but the price was too steep. It is believed that they pulled out early in the sweepstakes after realizing their offer was significantly weaker.

Kayla Harrison represented the United States between 2009 and 2016 in judo. She won two Olympic gold medals in the 78kg division and has one World Championship gold on her resume. Harrison officially retired in 2016 in order to focus on mixed martial arts.

Harrison made her MMA debut in 2018 with PFL, recording a win over Brittney Elkin via submission. Since then, she has recorded 11 more wins and remains undefeated. In addition, she won the PFL Women’s Lightweight Tournament in 2019 and 2021.

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The highly-anticipated fight between reigning UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic is finally happening.

In a recent interview with Complex, UFC President Dana White confirmed that Jones and Miocic will face in the octagon at UFC 309, which is scheduled to take place on November 16 at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.

According to White, if Miocic wins, he is expected to retire from MMA. On the other hand, if Jones wins, he will likely want to face current Interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.

Jones made his heavyweight debut at UFC 285 in March 2023, defeating Ciryl Gane to take the belt. He previously reigned as UFC light heavyweight champion for more than a decade, defending the title eight consecutive times. He has a 27-1 career record, with his only loss coming from disqualification against Matt Hamill for an illegal move.

 Miocic has a career record of 20-4, all coming in heavyweight division. He won his first UFC heavyweight championship in 2016 and defended it three times, which is a UFC record. Miocic lost the belt at UFC 226 to Daniel Cormier but regained it in a rematch. He would later go on to lose it again against Francis Ngannou at UFC 260.

Jones and Miocic were previously set to face in November of last year at UFC 295. However, the fight was canceled as Jones underwent surgery on a torn pectoral muscle.

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Demetrious Johnson, considered one of the best mixed martial arts fighters in the history of the sport, is saying goodbye to MMA.

Johnson, flyweight champion with UFC and ONE Championship, announced his decision at the ONE 168 event in Denver, Colorado. It came more than a year after his last fight, a unanimous decision win over Adriano Moraes at ONE Fight Night 10 in May 2023.

“Like I said last time, when I came to Denver, Colorado, I told you guys that was potentially my last fight, and I was not lying,” Johnson said, alluding to the fact that his last year’s win over Moraes came in Denver. “I am done competing in mixed martial arts.”

Demetrious Johnson started off in bantamweight but made a switch to flyweight in 2012 while with the UFC. He won the inaugural UFC Flyweight Championship at UFC 152 and proceeded to defend it 11 times.

Johnson lost the UFC Flyweight Championship at UFC 227 in 2017 to Henry Cejundo in a highly controversial split decision. This marked his last fight with the promotion as Johnson switched to ONE Championship, where he managed to win the flyweight belt once again.

Johnson retires from MMA with a 25-4-1 record.

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Dricus Du Plessis successfully defended his UFC Middleweight Championship on Saturday at the UFC 305 main event in Perth Australia. The South African defeated Israel Adesanya in the fourth round of the fight, forcing him into submission with a rear-naked choke.

With the fight remaining close throughout the first three rounds, Du Plessis managed to resist a barrage of bodywork to counter with a trio of righthand into Adesanya, stunning the contender and enabling Du Plessis to secure the takedown and drawing out the submission at the 3:38 minute mark.

“I came in here to die for this belt or take a life,” Du Plessis stated following his victory. “Luckily, I didn’t have to do either.” He then went on to reconcile with Adesanya after the pair engaged in a feud disputing who actually is the first UFC champions from Africa. “I’m really sorry that it came across that I disrespected the fact that he’s from Africa,” Du Plessis stated after the fight. “That was never my intention. Africa would have won regardless, but tonight South Africa was the victor.” This is Du Plessis’ first title defence, having won it after beating Sean Strickland at UFC 297 in January this year.

The post Dricus Du Plessis Retains UFC Middleweight Title appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Jorge Masvidal knows that his current three-fight losing streak doesn’t look good. This is why he is thinking about calling it quits if it becomes a four-fight losing streak after UFC 287.

Masvidal, one of the fan favorites, is set to face Gilbert Burns at UFC 287 on Saturday’s co-headlining fight in Miami. During an appearance on UFC 287 Countdown earlier this week, the 38-year-old admitted that he might end his career if he doesn’t come out as a winner from the octagon.

“This could be the last one,” Masvidal said. “If I lose, I’m pretty much calling it quits. But a win against Gilbert means that things are headed in the right direction. So if I roll the dice and do everything right, I’m going for it all.”

Despite thinking about retirement, Masvidal believes he is still able to compete at a high level. 

“I think I’m at my best right now – my mental (game), my physical – and now I’ve got to go out there and prove it,” he added. “I’ve got my back up against the wall.”

Jorge Masvidal has a 35 -16 record in MMA, including 12-9 in UFC. His most recent fight came more than a year ago at UFC 272 when he lost to Colby Covington via unanimous decision. Prior to that, he lost two UFC Welterweight Championship fights against Kamaru Usman.

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When Leon Edwards knocked Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 in August to take the UFC welterweight title, many believed it was somewhat of a lucky shot. But there are likely not many doubters left after Edwards beat Usman again in the rematch at UFC 286 on Saturday.

In what proved a closely-contested fight that went for five rounds, Edwards showed to be a more prepared and hungry fighter. Two judges ruled the bout 48-46 in his favor, while the third judge viewed it as a draw.

Edwards had more strikes, delivering 123 compared to Usman’s 113, while also managing to dodge most of his opponent’s takedown attempts. Even when Usman successfully brought down Edwards on canvas, he failed to make it count.

“I knew I could go out there and take his shots,” Edwards said after the fight. “Even when he was pressuring, not much happened.”

This was an 11 straight win for Edwards, and he will soon have the opportunity to make it 12. UFC president Dana White already confirmed that Edwards would face former interim champion Colby Covington in his next title defense fight.

For Usman, this seems like a definite end of his reign in welterweight. He was the division champion since 2019, but it sure looks like he will have a hard time getting back on the top after two straight losses.

The post Leon Edwards Beats Kamaru Usman Again to Retain UFC Welterweight Belt appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Jon Jones has once again reminded the world why he’s considered the best mixed martial fighter in the history of the sport. After not having a single fight in more than three years, Jones walked into the octagon at UFC 285 on Saturday night and took care of the business against Ciryl Gane in the first round to take home UFC’s heavyweight title.

The fight against Gane was Jones’ heavyweight debut, but he sure didn’t seem like he was breaking new ground. He immediately started using his new size to put pressure on Gane and managed to get him in a guillotine. And just like that, the fight was over after two minutes and four seconds.

“I’m so excited,” Jones said after the fight. “I’ve been working for this for a long time. A lot of people thought I wasn’t coming back. I was reading that all the time. But I was faithful to the goal and faithful to the mission.”

Jones will now get some time to enjoy his heavyweight belt, but there will soon be other coming for it. Even before Jones versus Gane fight, the UFC boss Dana White said that whoever wins it would have to defend it against former champion and UFC legend Stipe Miocic.

Jon Jones has been the undisputed UFC Lightheavyweight champion for almost a decade. He won his first belt at UFC 128 in 2011 and never lost it in a fight. Jones vacated the title in 2020 in order to make a move to heavyweight. After Gane fight, Jones now has a 27-1 record and is on an 18-win streak.

The post Jon Jones Wins Heavyweight Title Against Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

It will be a while before we see UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor back in the octagon. The UFC President Dana White recently told the media that McGregor wouldn’t fight for at least six more months.

McGregor has been out since July 2021, when he broke his leg in a fight against Dustin Poirier. And while the 34-year-old champion has fully recovered since then and is in fight shape, other circumstances are preventing him from returning to UFC.

According to White, the delay is a result of McGregor not being part of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) testing pool. He is required to be in the USADA program for at least six months before being able to fight in UFC.

After White’s announcement, McGregor went on Twitter to tell everyone he’s “feeling crazy confident.” He also promised he’ll have “multiple fights” before the remake of the action flick Road House, in which McGregor plays one of the roles, hits the theaters. The movie is currently set to be released at some point in 2023.

Conor McGregor claimed he was retired from MMA multiple times in the past several years but would quickly change his mind. His last two fights came in 2021, both losses to Poirier. McGregor is currently on a 22-6 record.

The post Conor McGregor Won’t Fight in the UFC for at Least 6 More Months appeared first on SportzBonanza.

As predicted, Henry Cejudo’s mixed martial arts retirement in 2020 didn’t hold up. The former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion is gearing up for a return to the octagon and has his eyes on UFC history, according to a recent interview with ESPN.

Cejudo told the media outlet that the main reason why he is ending his retirement is that he could fight Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC featherweight title. This would give him a shot to become the only UFC fighter to hold titles in three different divisions.

Unfortunately for Cejudo, the UFC has other plans, at least for the time being. They want the 35-year-old champion to fight in bantamweight before moving divisions. And the Olympic Gold medalist seems to be open to taking a long way.

“These dudes are not on my level—none of those dudes are at my level. And they all know it,” Cejudo told ESPN. “So if I have to go down to 135 pounds [and win back] my belt to challenge Alexander Volkanovski, that’s what I have to do.”

Cejudo had his last fight at UFC 240 in May 2020, when he defeated Dominick Cruz via TKO to retain UFC Bantamweight Championship. He retired immediately after the fight, leaving MMA with a 16-2 record at the time.

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The New York Yankees’ legend Alex Rodriguez is expanding his post-baseball business portfolio. Rodriguez’s new venture is the popular MMA promotion Professional Fighters League (PFL), in which he made a sizeable investment in recent days.

The PFL announced the news on Thursday and also shared that Rodriguez will join its board of directors.

While PFL didn’t disclose the size of Rodriguez’s investment, it did reveal that his contribution is part of a recent $30 million influx of funds. The promotion intends to use the money to expand its brand on the global level and challenge other MMA heavyweights like UFC and Bellator. Part of the windfall will also go to PFL’s efforts to land some notable fighters who are currently on the free-agent market.

This isn’t Rodriguez’s first investment in sports. He recently also became a part-owner of the NBA franchise Minnesota Timberwolves alongside businessman Marc Lore. His other ventures include holding company A-Rod Corp and Presidente beer.

The PFL saw a big increase in its profile in recent years. Part of it is heightened interest in mixed martial arts content, and part of it is the promotion’s unique approach to MMA that includes the regular season, post-season, and championship fights. The promotion recently made claims that it has 600 million fans around the world.

The post Alex Rodriguez Invests in PFL, Joins its Board of Directors appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Kayla Harrison, Olympic gold medalist and two-time MMA champion, confirmed her loyalty to the Professional Fighters League by inking a new multi-year deal with the promotion. PFL made the news official on their social media on Tuesday.

Harrison was one of the hottest free agents in MMA in recent memory, attracting interest from PFL, Bellator, and UFC. Reportedly, Bellator had the best offer on the table, and many believed they would end up adding the 31-year-old to their roster. However, PFL decided to exercise their option to match any offer and keep Harrison as part of the Professional Fighters League for years to come.

Sources from the industry say that UFC would have liked to add Harrison, but the price was too steep. It is believed that they pulled out early in the sweepstakes after realizing their offer was significantly weaker.

Kayla Harrison represented the United States between 2009 and 2016 in judo. She won two Olympic gold medals in the 78kg division and has one World Championship gold on her resume. Harrison officially retired in 2016 in order to focus on mixed martial arts.

Harrison made her MMA debut in 2018 with PFL, recording a win over Brittney Elkin via submission. Since then, she has recorded 11 more wins and remains undefeated. In addition, she won the PFL Women’s Lightweight Tournament in 2019 and 2021.

The post Kayla Harrison Commits to Professional Fighters League with a Multi-Year Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.