UFC

Tom Aspinall’s first defence of his undisputed heavyweight title ended in bitter disappointment after an accidental eye poke from Ciryl Gane left the Briton unable to continue at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi.

At the end of a competitive first round, France’s Gane poked Aspinall in both eyes while attempting a punch, with the referee stopping the contest.

Aspinall, 32, could be seen telling the doctor “I can’t see” as he held a cloth to his eye, and with the Briton unable to fight on the referee deemed the bout a no-contest.

The result meant Aspinall retained his title – but not in the way he wanted to and he showed his frustration in his post-fight interview as the crowd booed the outcome.

“Guys, I just got poked knuckle deep in the eyeball. Why are you booing? I can’t see,” said a crestfallen Aspinall.

“The fight was just getting going. I can hardly open my eye. Look! It was a double eye poke.”

Aspinall was taken to hospital after the fight and did not appear for the post-fight news conference.

Calling the fight a no-contest means the referee deemed the foul accidental rather than intentional, which would have resulted in a disqualification.

A disqualification would have gone down as a win for Aspinall.

Gane was equally annoyed at the outcome and could be seen pacing around the edge of the octagon, shaking his head, as the result was announced.

“I feel sorry. I’m sorry for the crowd, for the fans, I’m sorry for Tom Aspinall and sorry for myself,” said Gane.

“We put a lot of energy in this fight so I’m disappointed, but this is the sport, this is life.

“I don’t know what is going to happen for the future, but we will see.”

Tom Aspinall retains heavyweight title after Ciryl Ganes accidently pokes him in both eyes at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi.

Champion Tom Aspinall and top-ranked Ciryl Gane could not make it through the opening round of their heavyweight main event at UFC 321 inside Etihad Arena before the match was ruled a no-contest.

Aspinall (15-3-0) and Gane (13-2-0) both came out with a lot of energy until an accidental double eye poke prompted an official timeout at the 4:35 mark of the first round.

Aspinall (15-3-0) could not see out of his right eye during the allotted five-minute break, and at 4:09 into the stoppage, the match was ruled a no-contest.

It was Aspinall’s first defence as the undisputed heavyweight champion.

“What am I supposed to do about it? I can’t see,” said a disappointed Aspinall, speaking in the ring in response to the chorus of boos throughout the arena. “This is [expletive]. The fight was just getting going.”

Gane dropped to his knees, also disappointed, as the ring announcer made the official announcement.

“I’m feeling sorry,” Gane said. “I’m very sorry about that.”

Aspinall was off to a fast start, as the champion wasted no time in throwing heavy shots at Gane.

Known for his elusive footwork, Gane showed no intimidation and stood toe-to-toe while taking command in the centre of the cage.

Gane used a sharp jab to bloody the champ. And when Aspinall took his shot for a takedown, Gane successfully defended it midway through the round. When Aspinall tried to cut off the cage, Gane did a good job of circling out of it while landing jabs and low kicks.

Inside the final minute of the round, Gane continued to out-strike Aspinall until his poke to the eye.

Dern downs Jandiroba

In an intense co-main event in which both women left the cage with battered right eyes, fifth-ranked contender Mackenzie Dern (16-5-0) won the vacant strawweight belt over top-ranked Virna Jandiroba (22-4-0) with a unanimous decision.

Though both fighters had impressive moments within some tightly contested rounds, Dern’s left hand was much more effective and damaging.

Upon hearing the ring announcer announce her name as the new champ and having the belt wrapped around her waist, the 32-year-old Brazilian fell to her knees in tears.

“It feels amazing,” Dern said. “I need to see Moa. This is for Moa.”

Dern was then joined in the cage by her six-year-old daughter, Moa, who draped the UFC belt over her shoulder.

In earlier bouts, No 2 Umar Nurmagomedov (19-1-0) earned a unanimous decision over No 8 Mario Bautista (16-3-0) in a battle of top-ranked bantamweights.

Second-ranked heavyweight contender Alexander Volkov (39-11-0) won by split decision over No 5 Jailton Almeida (22-4-0)

In the light heavyweight division, 10th-ranked Azamat Murzakanov (16-0-0) made quick work of No 7 Aleksandar Rakic (14-6-0).

Murzakanov’s first-round stoppage extended the second-longest active UFC win streak in the division to six consecutive wins.

De Ridder’s four-fight UFC winning streak was snapped after he was unable to continue against Brendan Allen.

Brendan Allen shook up the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight division in a big way, handing Reinier de Ridder his first promotional loss by securing a technical knockout (TKO) after the Dutchman’s corner deemed him unable to continue ahead of Round 5.

De Ridder was visibly exhausted in his neutral corner at UFC Fight Night in Vancouver on Saturday night, leading to the sudden ending in the main event of mixed martial arts (MMA).

Allen (26-7 MMA) avoided de Ridder’s (21-3 MMA) devastating kickboxing ability by utilising his wrestling and controlling de Ridder with strikes from the top position.

De Ridder had few answers for the American fighter, as Allen stepped in on short notice after replacing fellow contender Anthony Hernandez (15-2, 1 no-contest MMA).

“It feels good to do exactly what I said I would do,” Allen said. “This was me three and a half weeks off the couch. I told you I’m a different monster. When my head is clear and we’re on, I’m the best in the world.”

With the UFC’s middleweight logjam in full effect, Allen said post-fight he has done enough to earn a title shot opposite champion Khamzat Chimaev (15-0 MMA).

“Come get it, baby,” Allen said.

De Ridder had not lost in 19 months.

In the co-main event, welterweight Mike Malott (13-2-1 MMA) dodged a bullet by avoiding a no-contest against Kevin Holland (28-15 MMA) after Holland’s protective shorts cup was compromised from a Malott leg kick gone wrong early in the fight.

A Malott arm-triangle choke attempt in the third round was not enough to secure the win either. Malott was eventually awarded the highly competitive five-round fight via decision: 29-28, 29-28, 29-28.

Aiemann Zahabi won his bantamweight bout by decision against former title challenger Marlon Vera (23-11-1 MMA). The final score had Zahabi victorious by a judges’ score of 29-28, 28-29, 29-28.

In women’s flyweight action, former title challenger Manon Fiorot (13-2 MMA) delivered a devastating TKO over Canada’s Jasmine Jasudavicius (14-4 MMA), set up by a flurry of punches to secure the stoppage win at 1:14 of the opening round.

THE SMASHING MACHINE

(15) 123 min

★★★☆☆

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WHEN big stars take parts that require them to alter their face with prosthetics it’s often a sign they want to be taken more seriously.

Think Steve Carell in Foxcatcher and Bradley Cooper in Maestro.

In The Smashing Machine — director Benny Safdie’s biopic of UFC heavyweight champion Mark Kerr — it’s Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s turn to sit in the make-up artist’s chair.

Signalling a departure from the typical action hero roles he is best known for, Johnson’s nose, lips, eyebrows and hairline are transformed to play the fighter.

He’s not totally unrecognisable, though.

A professional wrestler himself, The Rock already had the fighter’s hulking physique.

Acting muscles

And he’s in familiar territory being on screen with his trademark biceps on display.

But here he proves he absolutely can flex his acting muscles too.

American amateur wrestling champion Kerr became one of the pioneers of MMA at the turn of the millennium, well before the sport became the worldwide phenomenon it is today.

We meet him as an unbeaten man, skilled at then-permitted, wincingly violent moves like eye gouges, who lives to win, and who can’t comprehend the thought of losing.

But as painkiller addiction takes hold and Kerr succumbs to his first ever defeat, he returns home a human wrecking ball, tearing his house apart in sheer frustration.

Johnson depicts this rage-fuelled tantrum with real proficiency so we can understand it as a loss of control underpinned by a deep vulnerability.

Emily Blunt, excellent as his girlfriend Dawn, can only look on as the “big man who she loves” demolishes their kitchen with his bare hands.

The real Kerr eventually acknowledged and overcame his narcotic reliance, returning from rehab to the ring.

As a sporting tale, this is in familiar triumph-over-tragedy territory, with no surprises.

While the performances are gripping, the script lacks nuance.

Is this brutal watch a knockout? No, not completely.

But will the prosthetics pay off for Johnson come awards season?

They just might.

A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE

(15) 112mins

★★★★★

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KATHRYN BIGELOW has done it again, this time turning the camera on the nightmare we all pretend that we can ignore – a nuclear strike.

The director’s tense, claustrophobic, brilliantly staged film grips you from the very first frame.

The story is simple and terrifying – an 18-minute window between a rogue missile launch in the Pacific and its projected strike on Chicago, seen from multiple perspectives.

Every decision, every glance at a screen, every phone call carries huge weight. Uncertainty is the enemy here, and Bigelow wrings every ounce of drama from it.

The cast is flawless. Idris Elba is compelling as a President caught between disbelief and duty, while Rebecca Ferguson delivers a career best as security specialist Captain Olivia Walker.

Elsewhere, Jared Harris, Gabriel Basso, Jonah Hauer-King and Anthony Ramos bring depth as they try to hold a crumbling chain of command together.

It isn’t just a thriller, it’s a heart-stopping meditation on human fragility. If you want cinema that makes you feel the weight of the world in real time, this is the one.

LINDA MARRIC

HIM

(18) 96mins

★☆☆☆☆

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HORROR film Him feels like it has been stitched together from a dozen better movies, without ever finding a soul of its own.

In short, this is a mess.

The story follows Cameron (Tyriq Withers), a hotshot quarterback whose bright future is thrown off course after a brutal injury.

When retired legend Isaiah (Marlon Wayans) invites him to a secluded training camp, it feels like a chance to rebuild, stronger and faster than before.

But the deeper Cameron steps into Isaiah’s world, the more unsettling it becomes.

Produced by Get Out, Us and Nope director Jordan Peele, Him’s fatal flaw is its emptiness. For long stretches, nothing happens.

Characters drift around muttering ominous nonsense, occasionally raising their eyebrows at the weirdos around them, before going right back to ignoring the obvious.

Withers and Wayans put in respectable perform-ances but the dialogue is clunky, the pacing is dead on arrival and the supposedly shocking reveal is anything but. Even the stylistic additions feel less like art and more like padding for a story that never gets to the point.

Bleak, boring and painfully pretentious, Him isn’t just a bad horror film, it’s the kind of bad movie that thinks it’s being very clever.

LINDA MARRIC

Carlos Ulberg dropped Dominick Reyes in the opening round for his ninth straight win at UFC Fight Night in Australia.

New Zealand’s Carlos Ulberg made short work of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight title challenger Dominick Reyes on Saturday night with an effortless first-round stoppage at 4:27 at UFC Fight Night in Perth, Australia.

Ulberg (13-1 MMA) kept his messaging simple following his ninth consecutive UFC win, confirming his attendance for next Saturday’s UFC 320 title fight rematch in Las Vegas between Russian Magomed Ankalaev (21-1, 1 NC, or no contest) and ex-light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira (12-3) of Brazil.

“I’m coming [for the belt],” Ulberg said following the fight.

Ulberg dominated the main event bout from the outset, relentlessly coming forward and stifling Reyes’s punches.

Following a straight left punch that appeared to stun Reyes, Ulberg then seized his opportunity with less than a minute remaining in the opening round, unleashing a huge right hook that knocked the American to the ground, ending the fight.

Reyes’s (15-4 MMA) loss on Sunday snapped his three-fight winning streak, and it was his first knockout/technical knockout (KO/TKO) loss since November 2022 to Ryan Spann.

“My goal with Reyes was to box him, and he felt the power early, and I saw in his eyes that he didn’t want to feel that again, so the next opportunity I went with the two and dropped him,” Ulberg said.

 The co-headliner event at light heavyweight saw the home country’s Jimmy Crute (14-4-2) win back-to-back fights, this time beating Croatia’s Ivan Erslan (14-6) by rear-naked-choke at 3:19 of the first round.

Erslan is still without a UFC win through three appearances, last coming away with a victory in February 2024. Meanwhile, Crute’s submission was the sixth of his career.

Featherweight Jack Jenkins of Australia used his volume striking and forward movement to overcome the always durable Ramon Taveras of the United States by unanimous decision: 30-27, 30-27, 29-28.

Jenkins (14-4) has won five of his last seven, while Taveras (10-4) has lost three of his last five and has gone more than 20 months without a win.

For the second straight fight, UFC welterweight veteran Neil Magny of the US kept the submission trend rolling with a D’arce choke against Australian fan favourite Jake Matthews at 3:08 of the third round.

Magny (31-14) survived an early onslaught from Matthews (22-8) before rallying to secure his 24th UFC win and improve his winning streak to two.

Crawford, with 41 wins and 31 knockouts, won his first world title in 2014 at lightweight against Scotsman Ricky Burns. He went on to unify the light-welterweight and welterweight divisions before moving up again.

“This fight is going to be stamped in the history books,” he said, promising to “shock the world.”

Saturday’s bout will be broadcast globally on Netflix, reaching a potential audience of more than 300 million subscribers.

It is the first major boxing event promoted by White alongside Saudi’s Turki Alalshikh, signalling a new, if uncertain, era for the sport.

As organisers hyped up the new partnership as the saviour of the sport and suggested boxing has been suffering for years, one of its biggest stars – and highest earners with a reported $150m purse to collect on Saturday – Alvarez, chimed in.

“Hey, boxing was always bigger, bigger and big. Don’t say boxing is not big enough. You know how big is boxing,” he said.

Alvarez pushed Crawford as tempers flared at in New York in June, but the two shared a nod and handshake to end on a respectful note.

Nassourdine Imavov beats Caio Borralho in Paris, then issued a title challenge to UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev.

Nassourdine Imavov outlasted Caio Borralho in the main event of UFC Fight Night in France, earning a unanimous decision and consolidating his claim as a potential title challenger to middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev.

Imavov, fighting in front of his home crowd at Accor Arena in Paris, secured a fifth straight UFC victory, with the three judges delivering a clear win for the 84kg (185-pound) fighter: 50-45, 49-46, 49-46.

The Saturday night bout was one-sided, with Imavov (20-4 MMA) controlling the distance for the fight’s duration with clean boxing and pressure volume, not allowing Borralho (17-2 MMA) to find openings, as he entered the contest with an imposing 62 percent of his wins by either KO/TKO or submission.

Imanov, who laid claim to the UFC middleweight division’s No 2 ranking, was hard on himself about not finishing Borralho as he had planned.

Despite not earning a stoppage victory, he had one message for Chimaev (15-0 MMA).

“I am next,” Imavov said as the crowd erupted during his post-fight speech. “[Borralho] was unbeaten for 10 years. I just beat him, and beat him with style as well. I need to be the next one [to fight for the UFC middleweight title].”

The loss for the No 7-ranked Borralho marked his first inside the UFC. After the fight, he acknowledged Imavov as one of the toughest opponents of his career.

“Thank you, Nassourdine, for the respect,” Borralho said. “Thank you so much… I think Nassourdine was the better man today. He was very fast, as I was expecting. He did very good in the fight. I couldn’t really adapt [my strategy] that much. I wanted to make this fight entertaining for the fans and the UFC. So, I tried to strike with one of the best strikers in the world, and that’s what you guys saw: a great war.”

In the co-headline fight, lightweight Benoit Saint Denis secured a rear-naked choke over Mauricio Ruffy at 2:56 of the second round.

Saint Denis (15-3 MMA) got a large lift from the hometown crowd and became the first fighter to submit Ruffy (12-2 MMA) in his career.

Ruffy’s loss to Saint Denis snapped a seven-fight winning streak dating back to November 2019.

Saint-Denis, who was born in Nimes, southern France, formed part of the French Army Special Forces when he joined aged 18.

“Most of my work as a Special Force operator was in the sub-Saharan area. So Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger. I was mostly there against Boko Haram,” says Saint-Denis.

Boko Haram is a militant Islamist group, designated as a terrorist organisation by the United Kingdom, which operates in countries such as Nigeria, Niger and Mali.

Saint-Denis’ work largely involved working in counter-terrorism to combat the threat of groups like Boko Haram.

“When we are talking about counter-terrorism, it’s going to be the arrest or the destruction of terrorist threats. Or stopping terrorist extractions in cities like Timbuktu, for example,” Saint-Denis says.

His team were also tasked with protecting important members of the French government, like Hollande, during foreign visits.

Saint-Denis looks back on his time in the French military fondly.

“It was long and fatiguing and demanding, and after this I think I was a man – I was disciplined, and I knew how to work to get things done,” he says.

“It was very adventurous, and I loved it.”

Fighting terrorism and competing in the UFC are vastly different worlds with pressures of their own, but Saint-Denis does not have to dwell for long when deciding which is tougher.

“It depends on the occasion, but globally, I would say being a UFC fighter,” he adds.

CONOR MCGREGOR has drawn the ire of UFC fans with his latest training footage.

The promotion’s former poster boy is slowly but surely ramping up training ahead of his long-proposed return to the octagon.

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McGregor, 37, has been putting in the work on the Thai pads during his recent stay in Italy and has since started sparring.

Footage of the former two-division champion trading heavy leather with two young sparring partners started doing the rounds on social media last weekend.

McGregor didn’t take it lightly on his training partners for the day, throwing some full-pelt shots their way.

The Dubliner’s apparent refusal to take it easy on the youngsters annoyed several MMA fans, one of whom wrote on X: “Hmmm. Not a good look for McGregor.”

Another said: “Still an embarrassing show. He is such a shell of his former self.”

And another said: “Bullying young fighters.”

One remarked: “Embarrassing, TBH.”

Another chimed in: “McGregor beating up 12-year-old kids – what a downfall.”

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Several fight fans, however, believed McGregor was giving the youngsters some invaluable experience, with one saying: “He is doing them a favour.”

Another said: “He’s a great teacher ’cause nobody will take it easy in them in the octagon.”

And another said: “Great training opportunity!”

McGregor hasn’t set foot inside the octagon since breaking his left leg in his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier over four years ago.

He was set to make his grand cage comeback last June against Michael Chandler but withdrew from the Sin City showdown after breaking his left pinky toe.

McGregor took a major step towards returning to the cage late last month by re-entering the UFC‘s drug testing pool.

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He submitted random samples to drug testers earlier this month, both of which came back negative for any banned substances.

If McGregor fights again, his next outing will be his first since he was found civilly liable for having assaulted Nikita Hand at a Dublin hotel in December 2018.

McGregor appealed the verdict turned in at Dublin‘s High Court but lost his bid to overturn the civil verdict in July.

FABIAN EDWARDS sensationally replicated brother Leon’s famous head kick knockout – almost three years to the day.

Leon won the UFC welterweight title against Kamaru Usman in the dying embers on August 20, 2022.

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A left high kick KO’d Usman with just seconds to go – crowning Leon champion in one of the greatest come-from-behind victories in UFC history.

Fast forward three years and his younger brother Fabian challenged American Dalton Rosta in the Professional Fighters League middleweight final.

In round three – in what proved to be a remarkable dejavu moment – Edwards connected with the exact same left kick to the head.

Edwards – joined by his brother Leon in the cage – collapsed in celebration as he was crowned the 2025 PFL winner.

He also collected the $500,000 cash prize – having won the three-stage tournament with prior wins over Impa Kasanganay and Josh Silveira.

Flanked by ex-UFC champ brother Leon in the cage, Edwards, 32, said: “That is team head shot dead. That is crazy. God’s got a funny way of working.

“I’m so grateful. Last October, I lost a championship fight to Johnny (Eblen) less than 12 months on I’m PFL champ. It’s crazy.”

Rosta, 29, had built up a lead in the opening two rounds after a succession of takedowns.

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But the American tired heading into the third – allowing Edwards to land the trademark kick they had practised.

He said: “I said to my brother, he likes to paw, so I said to him I’m gonna try that shot.

“I do that shot good in the gym and look, it worked beautifully.”

Edwards’ mum Denise has a Caribbean restaurant called Sweet’s Kitchen in Birmingham town centre – where the family moved to from Jamaica.

And the newly-crowned champ plans to celebrate with a feast when he returns back on home soil.

DANA WHITE has all but ruled out the prospect of Jon Jones headlining the UFC’s White House card next year.

The former light-heavy and heavyweight champion ended his retirement after just TWO WEEKS in July after learning of the promotion’s plans to stage a fight card at Donald Trump‘s residence.

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White was initially open to having ‘Bones’ top the bill, but has since performed a public U-turn.

The veteran promoter claimed he couldn’t “trust” Jones enough to give him the honour of headlining the historic card after he pulled the plug on fighting Brit Tom Aspinall.

And he brutally doubled down on his claim during the UFC 319 post-fight press conference on Sunday morning.

He asked a reporter: “What do you think Jon would do in the next couple of months that would make me trust putting him on the White House card?”

“I already said I don’t trust him, and you’re asking me, ‘What could he do for me to trust him in the next three months?’

“You don’t trust him!

“I haven’t talked to him at all. I would not bet on it.

“If I have to make odds, it’s a BILLION TO ONE [that] I put Jon Jones on the White House card.”

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Jones, 38, was set to unify the heavyweight belts against interim titleholder Aspinall in a historic showdown at Madison Square Garden in November.

But despite the UFC brass meeting his demands to be paid “f**k you money“, he opted NOT to go through with the fight.

The former pound-for-pound king insisted a bout with Wigan warrior Aspinall did nothing for his legacy.

But he believes a fight at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue will add to it.

He said: “In a recent interview, I shared that the opportunity to fight at the White House gave me something deeper to fight for, a ‘why’ that goes beyond paychecks or belts.

If I have to make odds, it’s a billion to one I put Jon Jones on the White House card.”

Dana White on Jon Jones fighting at the White House

“Fighting for my country gives me a greater purpose!

“The silver lining in all this is knowing the fans see my heart.

“They see, I am ready and willing to take on anyone, to represent my country on a historic stage.

“For me, it’s never been just about the opponent. I’m chasing legacy, something timeless, something bigger than the moment.

“So for now, I’ll keep grinding, stay patient, and stay faithful. I’m ready to fight on July 4th.”

Khamzat Chimaev overpowers title holder Dricus Du Plessis in a lopsided UFC title bout in the Octagon.

Khamzat Chimaev is the new undisputed UFC middleweight champion after a dominant display against title holder Dricus Du Plessis at the United Center in Chicago.

Billed as a battle between the undefeated UFC middleweights, Du Plessis put his belt on the line for the third time on Saturday against Chimaev, the No 3-ranked contender and considered one of the most feared pound-for-pound fighters on the UFC roster.

But Chimaev was in control of the bout from the beginning until the end in one of the most one-sided title fights in UFC history; all three judges scored the bout 50-44 for the Chechen fighter, who holds dual Russian and United Arab Emirates citizenship.

“I am happy, always,” Chimaev said post-fight. “I never have a game plan, just go in and work like I do in the gym. That guy [Du Plessis] is strong. I couldn’t finish. I respect that guy. He is the only champion that would say my name. This guy has big heart.”

The victory extends Chimaev’s unbeaten UFC win streak to 15. Du Plessis experienced his first UFC loss and drops to 23-3 for his mixed martial arts (MMA) career.

Chimaev, who first entered UFC in 2020 and has previously defeated former champions Kamaru Usman and Robert Whittaker, was rarely threatened against Du Plessis, and despite being denied a finish by the South African he relentlessly took down the defending champion in the opening minute of every round.

The 31-year-old converted 12 of 17 takedown attempts in the bout and spent 84% of the 25-minute fight in control of Du Plessis, according to official UFC match data.

Du Plessis’s only moment to stage a come-from-behind victory came in the final round when he spun his way on top of his tiring opponent and executed a guillotine. Unfortunately for the reigning champion, the choke only lasted a couple of seconds as Chimaev methodically fought his way out and again resumed his control of the fight until the final bell.

“The man has incredible control on top,” Du Plessis said. “It wasn’t a matter of strength; it wasn’t physical; it was almost like he knew what your next move was. I could almost taste that victory [with the guillotine choke hold], but he beat me fair and square. He was the better man tonight. I’ll be coming to get my belt back, but for now, it’s his. He deserves it.”

KHAMZAT CHIMAEV is the UFC’s new middleweight champion following a BLOWOUT victory over Dricus Du Plessis.

But MMA fans weren’t happy with his wrestling-dominant display and showered him with BOOS after UFC 319’s main event judges turned in their 50-44 scorecards

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Fan favourite Chimaev, 31, went into his maiden title fight as a HUGE favourite over the dominant champ.

And he ripped the 185lbs strap from DDP’s clutches with a wide unanimous decision victory, a little over five years after his incredible debut in MMA‘s top promotion.

An elated Chimaev said: “I’m happy, happy as always to get my money. Dana [White] send me my money, brother.”

He added: “That guy is strong, I couldn’t finish him. Respect to that guy.

“The only champion was saying my name. This guy has big heart.

“He’s a real lion, an African real lion. Thank you, brother.”

A slew of fight fans flocked to X after Chimaev’s post-fight interview to lambast his style.

One wrote: “I will never watch another Chimaev fight for as long as I live.

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“The absolute most boring, overrated, bulls**t fighter to ever watch.

“I don’t give a f**k if you disagree, you’re wrong.”

Another said: ” Bro, Chimaev is such a boring fighter. Fighters like him are ruining UFC.”

And another said: “I have never seen a more boring fighter than Khamzat Chimaev. Dominant but boring as hell.”

Chimaev, unsurprisingly, immediately shot for a takedown after pawing out some range-guaging strikes and was successful in grounding the South African in the first.

DDP accepted the takedown but remained calm under the relentless top pressure.

But he must have started to panic when he got put into a mounted crucifix.

Du Plessis managed to get out of the precarious possession with just over two minutes of the round remaining, but he remained under the challenger.

That guy is strong, I couldn’t finish him. Respect to that guy.”

Khamzat Chimaev on Dricus Du Plessis

Du Plessis briefly managed to force a scramble with 30 seconds to go, but found himself grounded again just before the horn went.

Chimaev was at his suffocating best once again after the restart, taking down the champion with a double leg after they traded body kicks.

He chipped away at DDP with knees to the body as he looked for the champion to make a mistake.

But DDP didn’t panic as he rode out the round with Chimaev on his back.

DDP looked visibly fatigued ahead of the third round, and his depleted gas tank no doubt played a part in Chimaev securing the easiest takedown of the fight seconds after the restart.

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Chimaev managed to secure a mounted crucifix again, but Du Plessis once again did a good job protecting his head in the body of the challenger.

Chimaev managed to bloody the champion with a few short elbows in the crucifix position.

Du Plessis managed to stuff a takedown for the first time at the start of the fourth, but he was eventually grounded again by a relentless Chimaev.

Du Plessis was given some brief respite with a minute to go when referee Marc Goddard bizarrely separated the pair.

But Chimaev quickly got him to the canvas after eating a body shot.

Du Plessis came out swinging in the fifth, letting his hands go after throwing a flying knee.

But it took Chimaev a mere 30 seconds to take him down for the umpteenth time.

DDP managed to get back to his feet with just over two minutes of the round remaining and wound up on top of the challenger.

And after landing on his back, he went for a Hail Mary guillotine. Chimaev, however, was able to pop his head out.

Chaos ensued after referee Marc Goddard separated the pair on the ground, with Chimaev getting caught by two hard shots.

He then shot for a takedown but saw his attempt to re-ground the fight stuffed.

Du Plessis looked for a rear-naked choke, but Chimaev was wise to it and defended it before ending the round, and the fight, in top position.

THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY..

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LERONE MURPHY demanded a title shot from Dana White following his sensational first-round spinning elbow KO of Aaron Pico.

The Manchester ‘Miracle’ locked horns with the former Bellator standout early this morning in the co-main event of UFC 319 in Chicago.

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Murphy put his eight-fight win streak on the line in his clash with the former uber-prospect, which he had just THREE WEEKS to prepare for.

The Manchester Top Team standout was hoping a dominant victory over the American would earn him the next crack at featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski.

And he staked his claim to be champion Alexander Volkanovski’s next outing with viral KO of Californian clubber Pico, which saw him move to 9-0 in MMA‘s top promotion.

“I’m next in line,” he roared in his post-fight interview wth Joe Rogan. “Let’s go, Volkanovski!”

Pico immediately took the centre of the octagon and put Murphy on the back foot before going to work with vicious body shots against the cage.

Murphy remained composed and landed a nasty short elbow in tight before briefly being taken down.

He looked to establish distance with a long teep and strikes from distance but was taken down again just before the two-minute mark.

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But he managed to return to his feet again and landed a beautiful knee to the body, which echoed throughout the arena just before the midway point of the round.

Pico continued to pressure and look for clinches across the fence.

And Murphy beautifully timed his entry with a sensational spinning elbow KO to punch his ticket to a title shot.

Pico was out cold before he even hit the canvas and Muprhy landed an academic hammerfist, which he pulled back on.

THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY..

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ICONIC UFC octagon girl Brittney Palmer is no stranger to setting pulses racing on social media.

But her recent Instagram photo dump sent her followers into an absolute tizzy.

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Palmer strutted her stuff around the UFC octagon for nearly TWO DECADES and built a massive following on social media on the back of it.

And she recently wowed her 1.1million Instagram followers with selfies in her underwear and an extremely revealing top in a car.

The 38-year-old stunned as she struck a variety of poses for the camera.

Palmer’s accompanying caption for the post read: “Buckle up. #IYKYK.”

Scores of the artist and model’s followers flooded the comments section, with one saying: “Hey sexy mama.”

Another said: “Glowing.”

And another said: “Stunning.”

One remarked: “Just beautiful.”

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Another chimed in: “OMG, Brittney, very beautiful.”

Palmer began her octagon girl career all the way back in 2007 and was truly part of the UFC furniture.

But she announced her retirement from the role in December 2023 after scooping yet another Ring Girl of the Year award.

She said: “Thank you, everyone. I truly am honoured to accept this award.

“Thank you to the UFC. Fighters Only, and all the fans who voted for me.

“Well, there’s no better time to say it. But after 16 years with UFC, I’ve decided to retire.

“This weekend will be my last event, and I’m so absolutely grateful for this unforgettable experience.”

A mixed martial arts fight card to be held next summer at the White House is “absolutely going to happen,” Ultimate Fight Championship Chief Executive Dana White said Tuesday.

White said the UFC will stage the event July 4 to celebrate America’s 250th birthday. He added that he spoke to President Trump on Monday and is scheduled to meet with him and his daughter Ivanka in two weeks to solidify the plan.

Trump mentioned last July 4 during a kickoff of events centered on the country’s 2026 birthday celebration that he wanted to stage a UFC match on the White House South Lawn with 20,000 spectators.

“We have a lot of land there,” said Trump, who has attended several UFC matches and considers White a friend.

Now it has gone from a notion into the planning stages, which is the second thrill of the week for White. On Monday he announced that the UFC has finalized a seven-year streaming agreement with Paramount worth an average of $1.1 billion a year. The deal represents a departure from UFC’s traditional pay-per-view model.

Thirteen marquee UFC events and 30 fight nights will be televised on the Paramount+ streaming platform, with some events also planned to simulcast on CBS. Plans for UFC events in other countries are also on the table, according to Paramount.

“You have the NFL, the NBA, the UFC and soccer globally,” White told the Associated Press. “We’re coming. We’re coming for all of them.”

White, 56, has been the driving force behind the enormous growth of the UFC, which he purchased in 2001 for $2 million. He negotiated broadcast-rights deals with Fox and ESPN, then spearheaded a $4-billion sale in 2016 to TKO Group Holdings, a group led by the Hollywood talent agency WME-IMG. White remained as president and retained a stake in the new company.

The Paramount-UFC deal came on the heels of Skydance and Paramount closing their $8-billion merger — a complicated negotiation that resulted in the creation of an entertainment giant. White said he was impressed with Skydance Chief Executive David Ellison’s vision for UFC and how the plans could be activated now that Ellison is chairman and chief executive of Paramount.

“Live sports continue to be a cornerstone of our broader strategy — driving engagement, subscriber growth, and long-term loyalty,” Ellison said in a statement. “The addition of UFC’s year-round must-watch events to our platforms is a major win.”

The debut Paramount fight card is in the planning stages, with UFC officials meeting this week to arrange bouts. White said it is too early to discuss a main event for the White House card.

It’s been a dramatic couple of weeks in the wide world of sports rights, as media companies locked down a slew of deals that remake the way that fans watch their favorite athletic competitions.

On Monday came a big one: David Ellison, the new owner of Paramount, came into the ring punching hard with a $7.7-billion deal for the streaming and TV rights to UFC matches. In the seven-year pact with UFC owner TKO Group Holdings, the Ellison-led Paramount will pay an average of $1.1 billion annually — about twice what Walt Disney Co. was paying to air the mixed martial arts league on ESPN.

It’s a signal that Ellison is willing to spend big bucks on content that he and his fresh executive team think will make Paramount+ a more formidable competitor to Netflix, Amazon’s Prime Video, HBO Max and others. Paramount+ will have the rights to stream 13 marquee “numbered” UFC events and 30 fight nights, while certain numbered events will be simulcast on the company’s broadcast network, CBS.

Now those sightings of the tech scion-turned Hollywood mogul speaking with President Trump at UFC fights make even more sense, as do Ellison and Paramount’s recent peripheral dealings with superagent Ari Emanuel, TKO’s executive chair. In a key part of the deal, UFC will move away from showcasing fights through its pay-per-view model, which should dramatically increase the reach of a sport with strong appeal among young men.

The deal is also the latest sign that the streaming wars are far from over, at least when it comes to sports broadcasts. Last week, the NFL inked a deal to take a 10% stake in ESPN as part of a complex arrangement that will give Bob Iger-led Disney control of the NFL cable properties, including the NFL Network and the linear RedZone channel. The ESPN stake is estimated to be worth more than $2 billion.

This highly anticipated blockbuster deal further aligns the financial interests of the most powerful TV sports brand with what is by far the nation’s most popular sports league, which accounts for the vast majority of most-watched programs every year. The agreement is part of Iger and ESPN chair Jimmy Pitaro’s strategy to bulk up the content offering available through the network’s upcoming stand-alone streaming service, which will cost $30 a month when it launches later this month.

Separately, ESPN is staying in business with TKO, having agreed to pay $1.6 billion over five years to stream WWE events including WrestleMania, Royal Rumble and SummerSlam. Analysts say that should ease some of the pain of losing UFC to Ellison and Paramount. The WWE events are moving to ESPN’s service from their current streaming home, NBCUniversal’s Peacock. Disney’s fees will be nearly twice those of NBCUniversal.

Disney will use the new ESPN service to make its wider streaming offering more attractive, bundling it with Disney+ and Hulu.

All this is happening amid a broader overhauling of the sports media landscape in the streaming age that has made life more confusing for fans as fewer people subscribe to all-in-one cable and satellite TV bundles.

NFL games, for example, run on a broad array of streaming services, including Paramount+, Prime Video (for Thursday night games), and, in the case of Christmas Day matchups, Netflix. The league, which has significant leverage, is widely expected to exercise its option to renegotiate media rights deals starting in 2029.

Apple is expected to win the rights to Formula One racing telecasts, adding to its sports portfolio that includes MLB games and Major League Soccer. The NBA last year got itself a big pay bump, securing media rights deals with NBCUniversal, Amazon and Disney worth $77 billion over 11 years.

As these shifts take place, the media industry is about to go through a major test: How many people are willing to pay for a lot of — but not all — the sports content they want to watch, and what will they be willing to fork over?

The entertainment and media companies say they are aiming these services at cord-cutters and cord-nevers, people who don’t pay for a more-or-less traditional package of TV channels but still want to watch sports.

The question is whether such people actually exist.

Despite its branding power and its significant share of sports rights, ESPN’s direct-to-consumer app will have limited appeal. Many analysts estimate that the offering will attract 2 million subscribers in the short term.

For most of the kind of dedicated sports fans who might be interested in streaming ESPN, a digital bundle such as YouTube TV ($83 a month) probably makes more sense than cobbling together individual brands.

Recognizing the limitations, the media companies are taking another stab at consolidating their sports streaming offerings at a discount. On Monday, Disney and Fox Corp. said they would offer a bundle of the ESPN streamer and the new Fox One — which includes live sports, news and entertainment — for $40 a month. On its own, Fox One will be priced at $20 a month.

A previous attempt at a more inclusive offering — a proposed joint venture called Venu Sports from Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery — was abandoned after a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction against the media giants in an antitrust lawsuit from FuboTV. The saga ended up with Disney making a deal to take a 70% stake in Fubo and merge it with its Hulu Live TV service.

But the question for all services and mini-bundles remains the same: Who are they really for?

Stuff we wrote

Number of the week

Filmmaker Zach Cregger won the weekend with his acclaimed new horror movie “Weapons,” which topped expectations with $43.5 million in ticket sales through Sunday in the U.S. and Canada.

Cregger’s follow-up to his surprise hit “Barbarian” is the latest win for Warner Bros., marking six successful openings in a row (after “A Minecraft Movie,” “Sinners,” “Final Destination Bloodlines,” “F1 the Movie” and “Superman”). Not bad, considering the studio’s leaders were rumored to be on the chopping block earlier this year.

Doing solid business was Disney’s “Freakier Friday,” a body-swap comedy sequel reuniting Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan more than 20 years after the first one, itself a remake of a 1976 movie. The new installment opened with $28.6 million domestically.

After this and “The Naked Gun,” I’m certainly not going to declare that Hollywood big-screen comedies are back, but the genre is not completely lost either, as long as there’s intellectual property attached.

Finally …

Watch: Marc Maron has a new HBO stand-up special, “Panicked.” As always, it’s funny, acerbic, insightful and sometimes deep.

Listen: On Aug. 14, the estate of Woody Guthrie will release a collection of home recordings, including a version of “This Land Is Your Land” and his take on “Deportee.” Absolutely fascinating.

Undefeated UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria once again expressed his desire to cross over to professional boxing and face the winner of the upcoming fight between Mexican superstar Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez and Terence Crawford.

Topuria said his goal is to face Álvarez, whom he has considered a role model and idol for years. The Spanish-Georgian fighter hopes the UFC will allow him to follow in the footsteps of Conor McGregor, who fought and lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in August 2017 while under contract with the mixed martial arts promoter.

Topuria said he feels ready to compete in the boxing ring and that this is the ideal opportunity to do so.

“Why not me? I would love to box against the winner of Canelo and Crawford. But if I could choose, I want Canelo. He was my idol for many years and I feel I can do it,” Topuria told reporters. “Let’s do it, now is the best time.”

Topuria, who knocked out Charles Oliveira in June to win his second UFC belt, is enjoying the best moment of his career. He has knocked out figures such as Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski, establishing himself as one of the biggest stars in mixed martial arts. However, he is now turning his attention to boxing and wants to prove that he can also excel in the ring.

His prediction for the fight between Álvarez and Crawford, which will take place on Sept. 13 in Las Vegas, is that the Mexican will win.

“Canelo, obviously. He’s a role model for me. I want my chance against him,” Topuria said. “I feel like I can beat him. If I get the chance to fight him, why not? Come on, [Saudi Arabian promoter] Turki [Alalshikh], give me the chance to win the title.”

For his part, Canelo responded respectfully when asked about Topuria but did not commit to a fight.

“I haven’t seen him fight a full fight, but I like him a lot, I respect him, and I admire him. We’ll see. First things first, right now I’m focused on what’s in front of me,”

This article first appeared in Spanish via L.A. Times en Español.

In a major early move under new ownership, Paramount acquired the media rights to UFC’s mixed martial arts events in the U.S., the company said Monday.

Paramount signed a seven-year deal with TKO Group Holdings that will put 13 marquee events and 30 fight nights on streaming platform Paramount+. Some of the matches will air on broadcast TV network CBS.

Paramount is paying an average of $1.1 billion a year, totaling $7.7 billion, more than double the amount under TKO’s current pact with ESPN, which expires at the end of 2025.

The deal is a signal that Paramount intends to be aggressive in its pursuit of properties that will make its streaming platform attractive to consumers as it battles with Netflix, Amazon and other competitors.

David Ellison, who became chief executive of Paramount last week after his company Skydance completed an $8-billion merger with the media company, has been seen at recent UFC fights speaking with President Trump. Ellison had been awaiting regulatory approval of the Paramount-Skydance merger.

The major promotions presented throughout the year by TKO and WWE are seen as powerful tools to keep streaming subscribers signed up.

Under the new pact, UFC will no longer use pay-per-view to distribute its offerings, in a significant shift. All fights will be available with a Paramount + subscription. TKO produces 43 live events a year, providing 350 hours of live programming.

“This is a milestone moment and trademark deal for UFC, solidifying its position as a preeminent sports asset,” said Ari Emanuel, executive chair of TKO.

The Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN will remain in business with TKO, having recently signed a new five-year $1.6-billion deal to carry its WWE events. ESPN will offer WWE events such as WrestleMania and SummerSlam to subscribers of its direct-to-consumer platform, which launches later this month.

KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV has put aside his near decade-old feud with Conor McGregor to wish his former rival well for the future.

Nurmagomedov and McGregor, 36 and 37, respectively, took part in the biggest grudge match and PPV fight in UFC history back in October 2018.

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The blood feud didn’t end when ‘The Notorious’ was submitted in the fourth round of their UFC 229 showdown in Las Vegas.

McGregor has fired several shots the Russian’s way over the years and has often accused him of running away from a rematch with his retirement.

Nurmagomedov has seldom spoken about his old rival but is aware of all the legal troubles he’s had in recent years.

And the Dagestani recently revealed he hopes McGregor can get on the straight and narrow, albeit without mentioning his name.

During a recent Q&A event in New York, Nurmagomedov said: ““I don’t wanna mention his name.

“This is punishment… The most beautiful part of this is Allah always give the chance to come back.

“We always have in this world the chance to come back, and this is the most beautiful thing.

“It doesn’t matter how you’ve been, Allah is gonna give you a chance always to come back. I think he has a chance.”

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Nurmagomedov believes McGregor turning his life around would be a story which could inspire people across the globe.

The former undefeated and long-reigning lightweight champion said: “He has to change how he is living.

“Why am I talking about this? If he’s gonna change, he can change with him so many other lives too.

“That’s why I wish him to change himself. If he’s not gonna change, it will be punishment all his life.”

McGregor has only fought three times since losing the biggest fight in UFC history.

The Irishman got back in the win column against Donald Cerrone in January 2020 before suffering back-to-back stoppage losses to Dustin Poirier the following year.

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McGregor hasn’t set foot inside the octagon since breaking his leg in his trilogy fight with Poirier four years ago as injury scuppered his comeback clash with Michael Chandler last July.

The UFC’s first simultaneous two-weight world champion is hellbent on returning to the octagon and recently re-entered the promotion’s testing pool.

If McGregor fights again, his next outing will be his first since he was found civilly liable for having assaulted Nikita Hand at a Dublin hotel in December 2018.

McGregor appealed the verdict turned in at Dublin’s High Court but lost his bid to overturn the civil verdict late last month.