Ariana Grande, Celine Dion, and the UFC. What could they possibly have in common?
The funny folks at Saturday Night Live answered that question this weekend with a hilarious sketch in which Grande lampooned her fellow superstar singer’s recent promo for Sunday Night Football. This time, however, Grande’s version of Celine Dion employed her legendary vocals to honor another enduring American institution: The UFC.
Watch the sketch below, which also doubled as a sly advertisement for UFC 308 on Oct. 26.
Referencing Dion’s classic ballad It’s All Coming Back to Me Now (as Dion did in her NFL tribute), Grande paid homage to moments in UFC history that every fight fan would agree agree are unforgettable—for better or for worse.
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“There was breaking of bones and there were knees to the balls,” Grande sang, before also poking fun at Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Mike Perry.
Even cageside commentators Daniel Cormier, Joe Rogan, and Jon Anik weren’t safe, as Grande cracked, “Dozens of commentators. All bald and in the shiniest of shirts.”
The most biting line of all might have been Grande noting the damage that MMA fighters take, saying, “It’s all coming back to me, though maybe not to them because of the concussions, no?”
After this, you’ll never look at Keith Hackney repeatedly punching Joe Son in the groin the same way again, that’s for sure.
Brandon Royval had the utmost confidence he would end Tatsuro Taira’s undefeated run in the UFC Fight Night 244 main event, and he ended up doing just that.
Royval (17-7 MMA, 7-3 UFC) showed an unbreakable level of determination in going grappling exchange for grappling exchange with Taira (16-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) for all five rounds en route to a split decision victory at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
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After the fight, Royval called for a second crack at the flyweight championship and pointed to the strength of his resume, which includes several top names.
Will he get the shot at the winner of the newly-made title showdown between Alexandre Pantoja and Kai Asakura at UFC 310 on Dec. 7? Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on Royval’s future after his UFC Fight Night 244 main event triumph.
Harrison tried to get up after the second-quarter incompletion but appeared to stumble. He then headed into the injury tent on the sideline and eventually walked into the tunnel. Early in the second half, Arizona ruled him out of the game.
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Harrison has 17 catches for 279 yards and four touchdowns for the Cardinals, who selected him out of Ohio State with the fourth overall pick in this year’s draft.
In other injury news, New Orleans Saints starting receiver Chris Olave was ruled out to be evaluated for a concussion following a helmet-to-helmet hit as he lost a fumble that was returned for a Tampa Bay Buccaneers touchdown on Sunday.
Olave was in the process of being stripped from behind by Bucs defensive back Tykee Smith moments after catching a pass from Saints rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler when the receiver absorbed a heavy hit to the head from cornerback Zyon McCollum.
Olave sat on the field, apparently dazed, while Bucs safety Antoine Winfield Jr. scooped up the loose ball and ran it back 58 yards for a score that gave Tampa Bay a 14-0 first-quarter lead.
Blakemen then delivered his decision that the fumble — and resulting Bucs score — would stand to a Superdome crowd that also had seen replays and booed in apparent anger over the missed personal foul call that put the Saints’ No. 1 receiver into the concussion protocol and out of the game.
Olave, a 2022 first-round draft choice also out of Ohio State, entered the game with 22 catches for 275 yards and a touchdown through the season’s first five weeks.
Olave had been in the NFL’s concussion protocol twice before in the past three NFL seasons.
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Reporting by The Associated Press.
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Barnett steps in on two weeks’ notice to face Kennedy Nzechukwu at UFC 308, which takes place Oct. 26 at Etihad Arena. The news was announced during Saturday’s UFC Vegas 98 broadcast.
The fan-favorite Barnett replaces Justin Tafa, who has been removed from the bout for undisclosed reasons. Barnett was slated to fight on Saturday’s event at the UFC APEX but was unable to compete due to reasons associated with Hurricane Milton.
Barnett returns to the octagon for the first time in over two years, a second-round TKO win over Jake Collier at UFC 279 in September 2022. “Beastboy” is 2-2 in his UFC run, including a memorable stoppage of Gian Villante at UFC 268 in November 2021 at Madison Square Garden.
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Nzechukwu looks to snap a two-fight losing streak as he competes at heavyweight for the first time in his UFC career.
LAS VEGAS – Grant Dawson wants to get back in the UFC official rankings, and he hopes to do so by beating someone on that list.
Dawson (13-2-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) was briefly ranked prior to his quick KO loss to Bobby Green in October 2023, but since has picked up two consecutive wins. Saturday, Dawson became the first to stop Rafa Garcia (16-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) and put him away in a violent TKO on the main card of UFC Fight Night 244.
The American Top Team product hopes to get a ranked opponent next or a bout against Drakkar Klose.
“In the top 15, I’m actually not sure because the guys that make sense are booked and the guys that don’t make sense are apparently fighting for a world title in other weight classes for some reason,” Dawson said at the UFC Fight Night 244 post-fight press conference. “You’ve got (Rafael Dos Anjos) in there – and nobody is a bigger fan of RDA than me, I’ve been watching that dude since I was a child. I’m a big fan of his. He should not be in the rankings at 155. He’s fighting at 170, he’s fought at 170, and he’s openly said he’s not fighting at 155 anymore. Get him out of there and put me in.
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“If I don’t get a top-15 fight next, the guy that makes most sense to me would be Drakkar Klose. I have two losses in my professional career, and he’s beaten both of them. That would be a fight that would really prove to people how much better I’ve gotten.”
As far as the performance on Saturday, Dawson was happy with what he was able to display. He thought he would have a much tougher time dealing with Garcia, but that wasn’t the case.
“That was the game plan, but through the entire fight camp everyone that had trained with him or seen him, I had people messaging me, ‘This guy has really good takedown defense. This guy is strong. This guy is so hard to take down. He is so difficult to get down,’” Dawson said. “Even the UFC was saying that this guy has really good takedown defense and Grant might get pushed here. I come in with the mindset that I might not be able to take this guy down. I think what separates me from the rest of the division is that I don’t get discouraged. I’m a problem solver.”
Former France captain Amandine Henry has retired from international football with immediate effect.
The 35-year-old midfielder won 109 caps, scoring 14 goals, and was recently in the France side who reached the quarter-finals at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
“After many years of passion, challenges and unforgettable memories, it is time for me to turn the page,” she said on a post on X., external
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Henry was France’s captain from 2017 to 2020 when she was dropped by then manager Corinne Diacre.
She was selected in France’s 2023 World Cup squad before withdrawing with a calf injury.
Henry finally returned to the France team in September 2023, after three years away, and often stood in for current Les Blues captain Wendie Renard.
Now with Mexican side Toluca, Henry won seven Champions League titles and 13 French league titles with Lyon, who she played for across two long spells between 2007 and 2023.
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“Wearing the colours of my country these past years has been the honour of my life and has allowed me to experience extraordinary emotions,” Henry said.
LAS VEGAS – Ramazonbek Temirov beat CJ Vergara with a first-round TKO Saturday to close out the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 244 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Temirov, who was dominant in his UFC debut – and put the flyweight division on notice that he’s coming for a title shot.
“If it’s five rounds, I prepare for the five rounds. If it’s three rounds, I always prepare for the three rounds. We never know when the fight is going to be done, when we might finish the fight. But today, it happened. I finished him in the first round, and we’re happy.”
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Temirov on title aspirations
“The UFC was my childhood dream, which just came true today. I’m so happy. After this, I will be only going forward and my goal is to be a champion of the flyweight division. I never thought I would be in the UFC, to be honest, but I was always dreaming to be in here and to be a champion. Today we’re here, and we’re chasing the dream.”
Temirov on what he wants next
“The next goal is, and the dream is definitely to become a flyweight champion. We will see how long it will take – maybe a year, maybe two years. Only God knows.”
To hear more from Temirov, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
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