The three fighters competing at UFC Vegas 98 all failed to make weight at Friday morning’s official weigh-ins, with Argueta (138.5) missing by 2.5 pounds, Fremd (186) by 3 pounds, and Gooden (172.5) by 1.5 pounds. Their respective opponents Cody Haddon, Abdul Razak Alhassan, and Chidi Njokuani all successfully made weight.
It is not yet known which of the bouts, if any, will proceed as catchweights and, if so, what percentage of the offending fighters’ purses will be forfeited as penalty.
The misses are a particularly bad look for Fremd and Gooden, both of whom have been tripped up by the scale in the past.
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For the second time in his UFC career, Fremd weighed in three pounds over the limit. He also came in at 189 pounds for a middleweight bout against Jamie Pickett at UFC Vegas 78 in August 2013, later going on to defeat Pickett by unanimous decision.
Gooden has now missed weight three times as a UFC fighter. Most recently, he came in six pounds over the limit for a fight with Carlston Harris in March 2023, though on that occasion he had accepted the bout on less than a week’s notice. He is 0-2 after failing to make weight.
In more positive news, flyweight headliners Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira successfully weighed in for Saturday’s main event, with both registering at 125.5 pounds. Royval is currently tied for the No. 2 spot in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, with the undefeated Taira at No. 8. Whoever leaves UFC Vegas 98 with a win might also put themselves in pole position for a shot at flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja.
The panel, however, agreed with VAR’s decision to upgrade Ianis Hagi’s yellow card to a red for the Rangers midfielder’s challenge on opposition forward Adama Sidibeh in the same match – and suggested that the onfield officials ought to have identified the seriousness of the challenge.
Meanwhile, the panel decided that two decisions during Celtic’s 2-1 win over Ross County had been overturned correctly following VAR intervention.
No penalty kick was initially awarded when the ball struck Liam Scales, but the panel agreed that the Celtic centre-half’s arm was high and outstretched, making his body unnaturally bigger.
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When Ronan Hale’s spot-kick was saved by Kasper Schmeichel, there was no signal from the assistant referee for the Celtic goalkeeper being off his line.
However, the panel supported the VAR’s decision to intervene and award a retake, from which the striker scored.
LAS VEGAS – The main event for the UFC’s latest home show is official after the headliners made weight Friday.
Ahead of UFC Fight Night 244 (ESPN+), which takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex, recent flyweight title challenger Brandon Royval (16-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC) and unbeaten contender Tatsuro Taira (16-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) stepped on the scale at the official weigh-ins.
Check out the video from their trips to the scale below.
The #UFCVegas98 main event is on weight and official.
In a main card middleweight contest, Dolidze came away with a first-round corner stoppage TKO victory after Holland suffered a rib injury during a grappling scramble. After the fight, UFC broadcast partner Sportsnet reported that Dolidze and Holland got into it in the back. Dolidze’s coach Eric Nicksick confirmed the information and provided additional insight.
“So I always bring an extra hat or some stuff in the bucket and to give it to a kid or somebody out in the crowd,” Nicksick told MMA Fighting. “So they went back to medicals, I went out with [Aljamain Sterling], and I was giving a hat away to some kid that I saw, and then when I walked back to medicals, I guess Kevin and Roman… like Kevin was chirping at Roman the whole time through the medical tent, and then it just escalated into Kevin saying some really not very classy things to Roman, and then Roman getting pretty pissed off and then that had to get separated.
“Emotions are firing at that moment, and it sucks, man, because no one wanted to fight to end that way. It wasn’t our choice either. Kevin made the decision to tell his corner about the rib, made Coach Bob Perez make a decision about keeping his fighter in the fight, so we didn’t do anything wrong. So to take it that route, I was pretty disappointed.”
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Nicksick and Holland have built a friendly relationship over the years, and considers Holland “a good friend of mine.” While it’s difficult to corner and coach against a fighter you have respect for, it’s even more difficult when the situation gets a bit out of hand.
The Xtreme Couture head man did say that Holland reached out after the incident.
“Kevin texted me and apologized,” Nicksick explained. “I told Kevin, you know, ‘I wish it didn’t go to that extent.’ I know that emotions are high in that moment but shit, man, it’s a fight and I wish it didn’t have to turn into saying things that he said.”
At the moment, Nicksick and Holland are in a better spot, but the situation between the latter and Dolidze will need to take a bit more time, it appears.
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“I wouldn’t say they’re cool, but hopefully cooler heads will prevail at the end of this, and we can move on,” Nicksick said.
MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom goes in-depth to break down the biggest fights in the UFC. Today, he takes a closer look at the UFC Fight Night 244 main event: Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira (ESPN+).
Supplemental info: + LFA flyweight title + Amateur MMA accolades + Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt + 4 KO victories + 9 submission wins + 10 first-round finishes + KO power + Aggressive pace and pressure + Active feints and footwork + Diverse shot selection ^ Coming forward or off the counter + Dangerous knees and elbows + Active and urgent scrambler ^ Good granby rolls + Excellent transitional grappler ^ Opportunistic submission threat +/- 3-2 inside the UFC Apex
Supplemental info: + Shooto flyweight title + Amateur MMA accolades + 5 knockout victories + 7 submission wins + 8 first-round finishes + Consistent pace and pressure + Good sense of range ^ Measures distance well + Steadily improving striking ^ Hard kicks from the left side + Strong inside the clinch + Solid takedown ability ^ Chains well against the fence + Excellent transitional grappler ^ Superb back-taker +/- 1-0 against UFC-level southpaws +/- 5-0 in the UFC Apex
Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira point of interest: Flyweight fisticuffs counters
Dec 16, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Alexandre Pantoja (red gloves) fights Brandon Royval (blue gloves) during UFC 296 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
The main event in Las Vegas features an important battle between top-ranked flyweights, Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira.
Royval, who is more of a free-flowing stylist, is at his best when seizing the striking initiative through his dynamic southpaw offerings.
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Akin to many Factory-X fighters, Royval utilizes some crafty feints and footwork that helps both setup and pull out offense. Once he gets a beat to his liking, Royval quickly responds with solid combinations which are often punctuated with dangerous kicks and knees.
When Royval’s feeling in stride, he will incorporate slick spinning assaults either coming forward or off the counter. That said, the former title challenger is not beyond being countered for his aggression.
Enter Taira.
Fighting his frame and stylistic sensibilities, Taira will typically look to play all the way in or all the way out when it comes to his operating range. At distance, Taira looks to set up long straight shots off his in-and-out movement. When feeling in stride, Taira will attach solid kicks to his combinations (particularly off of his lead side).
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Taira has also shown a solid ability to strike into collar ties, which could come in handy when it comes to corralling a sporadic and dynamic Royval.
Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira breakdown: Protect your neck
Jul 8, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Tatsuro Taira (red gloves) fights Edgar Chairez (blue gloves) during UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Considering both the stylistic dynamic and the fighting terrain, winning the wrestling will arguably be paramount for both parties this weekend.
A talented back-taker who is steadily rounding out his surrounding skill set, Taira appears to have no illusions as to where his bread is buttered. Not only is Taira patient when it comes to setting up his shots, but the Japanese fighter does not seem easily discouraged when failing on his first attempt.
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Akin to great MMA grapplers like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Taira looks to be perfectly content with using his first shot to drive his opposition toward the octagon walls. From there, Taira will chain to and from single-legs to trip takedowns that allow him to drag the fight into his world.
Nevertheless, Taira will still need to be mindful of his neck when committing to takedowns opposite a front-headlock threat like Royval.
A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, Royval is an opportunistic submission threat who isn’t afraid to play in the proverbial dirt.
Whether he’s operating off his back or seeking out fight-ending submissions in scrambles, Royval is constantly looking to capitalize in the chaos. That said, Royval does have the propensity to allow for back exposure in said scrambles given his love for tactics like granby rolls.
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Royval did show improved awareness for back exposure in his title attempt against the criminally disrespected Alexandre Pantoja, but the American still surrendered a ton of control time spamming unsuccessful submissions and strikes from the bottom.
I’ll be curious to see what getup options Royval will use this time around given that he’s facing another backpacking threat.
Taira may still be developing large parts of his game, but the 24-year-old’s back-taking abilities are potent beyond his years. Whether Taira is looking for rear-naked chokes or baiting escapes that lead to armlocks, the native of Japan will be extremely dangerous anytime he attaches himself to Royval.
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Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira odds
The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the Japanese fighter, listing Taira -290 and Royval +215 via FanDuel.
Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira prediction, pick
Tatsuro Taira
Between the oddsmakers loving undefeated fighters to MMA gamblers’ borderline-creepy age obsession, seeing the younger Taira get steamed with support on the betting lines comes as no shock here.
Although I’m happy to finally see an Asian fighter getting love from the fanbase and promotion alike, I’d suggest tempering expectations to anyone mimicking the unwarranted glazing that Michael Bisping was doing to the Japanese prospect last time out (in a fight where he was technically down on the cards before winning by injury over the continually disrespected Alex Perez, by the way).
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But gross celebrations over potentially career-altering injuries aside, Taira quietly showed a lot to like his last time out.
From his ability to play distance with interceptions in tow to his newfound collar ties and clinch connections, the foundation of Taira’s game is starting to resemble Islam Makhachev. And inside of the smaller octagon of the Apex, Taira’s game only becomes more potent.
Aside from being a fan of Royval’s style and his camp, I’m hoping that he can survive the early rounds and extend Taira so that we can see more of the 24-year-old as well. But between this fight being in the small cage to Royval’s propensity to get controlled by top grapplers, I have a feeling that “Raw Dawg” may end up having to rely more on deterrents like knees and front-choke threats than perhaps he’d like to.
Add in the fact that injury-style TKOs are always on the table when it comes to fighters like Royval or Sean O’Malley (as freak injuries historically seem to happen to long and lanky fighters who are large for the lower weight classes), and I can’t help but favor Taira in this spot.
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I’ll officially pick Taira to find a submission by the end of Round 2.
Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira start time, where to watch
As the main event in Las Vegas, Royval and Taira are expected to make their walks to the octagon at approximately 9:45 p.m. ET. The event streams on ESPN+.
Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder says he has been left “stunned and numb” by the death of George Baldock.
The England-born Greece international was found dead in the swimming pool of his house in Glyfada, southern Athens on Wednesday at the age of 31.
Baldock left Bramall Lane for Panathinaikos in the summer after making 219 appearances for the Blades, with the majority of them coming under the leadership of Wilder, who is in his second stint in charge of the club.
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A visibly emotional Wilder paid tribute to the right-back, who he described as a “huge personality” and key figure in the club’s promotions to the Premier League in 2019 and 2023.
“Obviously through your life you lose people that you love and you respect, but this just feels completely different to everybody. Everybody’s just absolutely stunned and numb really. It is just tragic,” Wilder said.
A fan favourite, Baldock was known as ‘Starman’ to Sheffield United supporters, who would often sing to the tune of the David Bowie song of the same name as the full-back raced down the right flank.
“He wasn’t one to grab the headlines but George was a huge personality, a huge driver, a huge culture carrier in everything we did,” Wilder added, in an interview released by the club., external
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“He was a humble person. We had rows, we had bust-ups, but we were all driving it forward and after the same outcome in everything that we did.
“Just even thinking about it now, families have lost a son, players have lost a brother. Those boys that went to battle with George, and he stood up to every challenge.
“He was an absolute pleasure to manage. He gave his maximum in everything he did and that’s what every Sheffield United fan wants.”
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