LAS VEGAS – Melissa Martinez beat Alice Ardelean with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 245 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Martinez, who returned after more than two years away to pick up her first UFC win.

Melissa Martinez def. Alice Ardelean

Melissa Martinez

Result: Melissa Martinez def. Alice Ardelean via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Updated records: Martinez (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC), Ardelean (9-7 MMA, 0-2 UFC)
Key stats: Ardelean outstruck Martinez 103-78 overall and 92-72 in significant strikes.

Martinez on the fight’s key moment

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 19: (L-R) Melissa Martinez of Mexico punches Alice Ardelean of Romania in a strawweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on October 19, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

“I was happy to actually to put it into practice, everything that I can do. I wasn’t able to do it in my first (UFC) fight because the nerves got in the way. … I knew she was a tough fighter. I think when you get to this level, every fighter is tough. This is an organization that whoever, her or anyone else, is going to be a tough fighter. I knew it was going to be a tough challenge and I think when you’re up here, you have to be ready to face everyone.”

Martinez on a phantom low blow

Melissa Martinez def. Alice Ardelean, UFC Fight Night 245 phantom low blow

“I felt that the shot was legal, and (the ref missed it), … but I didn’t let that distract me from the fight because the focus is actually to come out with the win. I would love for that to be a different result (and it was a TKO), but I think the referees are doing their job and I think that it was the correct procedure because they were not sure whether it was legal. The only thing was not to let myself get distracted and continue to fight.”

Martinez on what she wants next

Melissa Martinez def. Alice Ardelean, UFC Fight Night 245 (via UFC)

“I’m going to rest a little bit, but I’m going to go back into the gym – not with the same intensity as usual, but I’m going to be right there and continue to support all my my other teammates because they have their fights coming.”

To hear more from Martinez, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 245.

The UFC’s year-end pay-per-view event has taken its first significant hit just one week after the lineup was officially announced as Tatiana Suarez vs. Virna Jandiroba is no longer happening.

X user MMA Melotto reported Monday that Suarez suffered an injury that has forced her out of the UFC 310 matchup on Dec. 7 in Las Vegas. A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the news to MMA Junkie. It’s unclear if Jandiroba will remain on the card against a replacement opponent.

The fight between Suarez and Jandiroba, who are ranked No. 1 and No. 3 in the strawweight division, respectively, was widely viewed as a title eliminator to determine the next challenger for champion Zhang Weili.

Suarez (10-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC), who hasn’t lost as a professional, most recently competed in August 2023 when she submitted former champion Jessica Andrade. Her other notable UFC wins include former champions Carla Esparza and Alexa Grasso. Suarez’s career has been riddled with injuries, which kept her out of action for three-and-a-half years before she returned in February 2023.

Jandiroba (21-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC), a former Invicta FC champ, is on a four-fight winning streak after consecutive victories over Angela Hill, Marina Rodriguez, Loopy Godinez, and a Submission of the Year candidate armbar against Amanda Lemos in July.

With the change, the UFC 310 lineup includes:

• Belal Muhammad vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov – for welterweight title
• Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Asakura – for flyweight title
• Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov
• Nick Diaz vs. Vicente Luque
• Movsar Evloev vs. Aljamain Sterling
• Dominick Reyes vs. Anthony Smith
• Virna Jandiroba vs. opponent TBD
• Clay Guida vs. Chase Hooper
• Michael Chiesa vs. Max Griffin
• Cody Durden vs. Joshua Van

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.

Top ranked strawweight contender Tatiana Suarez will have to wait until 2025 to make her return after she was forced out of her upcoming fight against Virna Jandiroba, which was scheduled for UFC 310 on Dec. 7 in Las Vegas.

Sources told MMA Fighting on Monday that Suarez is dealing with a health issue that will prevent her from competing in December in what was expected to be a No. 1 contender’s bout at 115 pounds. MMA Melotto first reported the news.

It’s an unfortunate setback for Suarez, who has long been considered a popular pick as a future champion in the UFC but health problems have continued to plague her career. After she dispatched Nina Nunes back in 2019, Suarez appeared on the cusp of title contention but injuries kept her sidelined for more than three years.

When she finally returned to action, Suarez jumped right back into the deep end of the waters with a submission win over Montana De La Rosa at flyweight and then finishing former UFC champion Jessica Andrade to earn a Performance of the Night bonus back in August 2023.

Suarez was then scheduled to face Amanda Lemos in February but an injury knocked her out of that matchup before she was then set to clash with Jandiroba in December.

Sadly now that fight has also been cancelled.

There’s no word yet on how long Suarez is expected to be sidelined after falling out of her upcoming fight in December. It’s unclear if Jandiroba plans to remain on the UFC 310 card against a new opponent or potentially wait for a future date to compete again.

If LeBron James Sr. and his son, Bronny, make NBA history Tuesday night by playing in the same game for the Los Angeles Lakers, Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. will be there to witness it.

The first father-son duo to play together in Major League Baseball plans to be in attendance at the Lakers’ season opener in their downtown arena, where the entire crowd will be hoping the James family accomplishes the same rare sporting feat for the NBA.

“First father and son to play baseball, (and) now the first father and son to play basketball,” the younger Griffey told MLB Network Radio. “It’s a big deal for my dad and I to be there. We made history. Now we get to watch history, so that’s what’s going to be cool about it.”

Bronny James is already excited to make his official NBA debut, but the Griffeys’ presence adds an extra layer of anticipation for the Lakers’ second-round pick.

“Yeah, it’s gonna be insane,” the 20-year-old Bronny said after practice Monday at the Lakers’ training complex. “I mean, only two families to do it, so it’s going to be a crazy experience, especially (with) what they’ve done.”

Bronny made it clear that he doesn’t know if he’ll actually get to play against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Lakers coach JJ Redick said “nothing has been finalized or anything” about Los Angeles’ playing rotation.

Yet it seems unlikely the Lakers will wait to make the moment of history they’ve been planning ever since the franchise chose Bronny with the 55th overall pick this summer to play with LeBron, the 39-year-old top scorer in NBA history. The father and son already played together in the preseason, first taking the court together outside Palm Springs earlier this month.

A father and son play together roughly once in a generation in North American professional sports. The Griffeys accomplished the feat in 1990 and 1991, playing in 51 games for the Seattle Mariners — and even homering in the same game on Sept. 14, 1990.

Tim Raines and his namesake son also played four games together for the Baltimore Orioles at the end of the 2001 season. Before that, Gordie Howe suited up with his sons Mark and Marty in the WHA and the NHL and for Team Canada in the 1970s.

LeBron and Bronny share court for 1st time in preseason | The Facility

Bronny grew up in his father’s locker rooms and arenas in Cleveland, Miami and Los Angeles, so he’s more than ready to get beyond the historic moment and into the day-to-day grind of becoming a contributing NBA player. The Lakers begin the season with three home games in five days.

“I think it will be different,” Bronny said of the opener. “No different than me getting ready for any other game, but just a feeling of being in our home arena for the first time and playing a game will be a special experience. … I’m just trying to come in and get better every day, learn from the guys that have been here before me. Just take it all in and enjoy the experience.”

Bronny played in all six of the Lakers’ preseason games, but his 4.2 points per game average was boosted greatly by his 17-point performance in last week’s preseason finale in which the Lakers and Warriors both rested most of their key players.

Bronny hit 29.7% of his shots in the preseason while averaging 1.7 rebounds and 0.3 assists, playing 16.2 minutes per game. His defensive work was praised by Redick, who sees the 6-foot-2 guard becoming a solid perimeter player in the future.

“Had some bad games, some rough starts, so (I’ve been) just continuing to play my game and play hard,” Bronny said.

Bronny isn’t expected to be an immediate rotation player for the Lakers, who already have D’Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent and 2023 first-round pick Jalen Hood-Schifino ahead of him at point guard. There’s a good chance Bronny will begin the season with the Lakers before heading to the G League to get the consistent playing time he probably needs to improve.

But he’s still thrilled to reach this milestone moment — and he’s even pretty sure what he’ll call his father on the court after LeBron prohibited him from using “Dad.”

“Probably Bron,” Bronny said with a smile. “That will probably be the easiest one.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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Belal Muhammad isn’t opposed to chasing a second UFC title, but wants to ensure there’s no work left in his division first.

Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) became the new UFC welterweight champion in July by defeating Leon Edwards at UFC 304. He already has his first title defense lined up against the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 in December.

It’s a fast turnaround for a new champion. If Muhammad is able to get past the “boogeyman” of the division in Rakhmonov and keep up a similar pace, he would run out of worthy title challengers pretty quickly. But the champ isn’t exactly planning on a speed run, and knows the names in wait will have to challenge one another to be the next man up.

“In general, with any fighter, you have to cement yourself as the leader in the division and the guy that there’s nobody that can beat,” Muhammad said. “I think after Shavkat, you’ve got a couple of guys that are there. You got Ian Garry, you got JDM (Jack Della Maddalena) and you got Kamaru Usman. But some of those guys are going to have to fight each other now.

“There’s no just waiting on the sidelines saying, ‘I’m next. I got next, I earned it.’ I don’t think nobody’s really earned that next spot left, so there’s going to be guys that are going to be taking losses. The cream has to rise to the top.”

Becoming a UFC champion is one thing. It’s a career-long goal that Muhammad successfully achieved. But becoming a champ-champ is a whole different game that Muhammad doesn’t want to think about until he’s done clearing out welterweight challengers.

However, that time may be closer than many realize, considering Muhammad had to run the gauntlet before getting his first title shot against Edwards earlier this year.

“Maybe one or two more fights, I think then I could start talking about middleweight and could start talking about double champ status,” Muhammad said. “When you look at the guys I’ve fought – what do I have? Six or seven wins in the top 10, top 15 of my division right now, so I’ve already fought all these guys even before getting to the title.

“So now that I’m at the champion status, it’s like, well OK, now I probably only got a couple more left before I can start talking about the bums at 185.”

Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic have accomplished a lot in their UFC careers, which is a pivotal feature of the UFC 309 poster.

The UFC dropped the new poster on Monday, which features headliners Jones, the heavyweight champion, and former titleholder and challenger Stipe Miocic. The event takes place Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Check out the poster below.

The matchup was initially set for UFC 295 this past November, but Jones withdrew due to injury. “Bones” makes his first appearance in 20 months since capturing the heavyweight strap with a first-round submission of Ciryl Gane in the main event of UFC 285 in March 2023.

The layoff is even longer for Miocic, who returns to the octagon for the first time since losing the heavyweight title to Francis Ngannou at UFC 260 in March 2021. Miocic seeks his first win in over four years.

In the co-main event, Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler meet for the second time in a five-round lightweight contest.

Check out the current UFC 309 lineup below.

Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic – heavyweight title fight

Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler

Viviane Araujo vs. Karine Silva

Bo Nickal vs. Paul Craig

Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders

Nikita Krylov vs. Azamat Murzakanov

Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee

Jim Miller vs. Damon Jackson

Mickey Gall vs. Ramiz Brahimaj

Bassil Hafez vs. Oban Elliott

Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura

Charlie Campbell vs. Mauricio Ruffy

Lucas Almeida vs. David Onama