MMA

Alex Pereira: Sean Strickland joining UFC 307 camp in Salt Lake City for Khalil Rountree fight

Published

4 hours ago

September 23, 2024

Alex Pereira: Sean Strickland joining UFC 307 camp in Salt Lake City for Khalil Rountree fight

Alex Pereira will have ex-opponent Sean Strickland in his camp for his UFC 307 title defense versus Khalil Rountree, he revealed Sunday on his YouTube channel.

“Poatan,” who knocked out Strickland back in 2022 to earn a shot at the middleweight belt before later becoming friends with the Las Vegas-based fighter, moved his camp to the altitude of Salt Lake City to prepare for UFC 307, which takes place in the capital of Utah on Oct. 5.

“The thing about the altitude is that it’s hard [to train],” Pereira said. “We did this once when I fought [Jan] Blachowicz. We did it for two weeks then, and three weeks now. I think it’s going to be much better.”

Pereira defeated Blachowicz via decision in his first light heavyweight bout inside the octagon, also at SLC’s Vivint Arena, and now returns as 205-pound champion to face Rountree. The challenger earned a shot at gold following five straight wins, including four knockouts.

“We have a great team here,” said Pereira, who usually trains at Glover Teixeira’s team in Danbury, Conn. “We have Glover, Plinio [Cruz], Yousri [Belgaroui], ‘Cesinha’ [Cesar Almeida]. Sean Strickland is also coming next week to train with us here. I’m very happy with this preparation.”

Pereira vs. Rountree serves as the main event for UFC 307, with bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington defending her throne versus Julianna Peña in the co-main event slot.

Meanwhile, Strickland is campaigning for a rematch with UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis next, but the company has yet to make an announcement on who will get the shot at 185 pounds.

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MMA

Watch Sean O’Malley continue to troll Merab Dvalishvili after UFC 306 loss

Published

3 mins ago

September 23, 2024

NewsAdmin

Watch Sean O’Malley continue to troll Merab Dvalishvili after UFC 306 loss

Sean O’Malley continues to troll Merab Dvalishvili.

At UFC 306, Dvalishvili earned a unanimous decision win over O’Malley, claiming the bantamweight title. In the immediate aftermath, O’Malley said he had “no excuses” however, “Suga” quickly changed his tune, later arguing that he should have won three rounds of the fight and arguing he was still the bantamweight champion. In response, Dvalishvili fired back at O’Malley with a video mocking the former champion as his “son.”

And now O’Malley has responded.

On Monday, O’Malley dropped another video on his social media, mocking Dvalishvili and their fight, saying he was working on things he learned in his last fight, before holding a heavy bag and lightly kneeing it, then feigning getting hurt to the body and head afterward.

“What’s up guys. I’ve got surgery on Oct. 3, [but that] doesn’t mean I’m not going to continue to improve and take away things I learned from my last fight and start implementing now.”

O’Malley is scheduled for surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip on Oct. 3, suffered before UFC 306, and hopes to return to action next summer. Meanwhile, Dvalishvili is likely to face Umar Nurmagomedov in the first defense of his bantamweight title.

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MMA

Alex Pereira ‘breaks game first and shoots on Khalil Rountree’

Published

45 mins ago

September 23, 2024

NewsAdmin

Alex Pereira ‘breaks game first and shoots on Khalil Rountree’

John Wood thinks Alex Pereira will resort to wrestling Khalil Rountree at some point during UFC 307.

Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) challenges light heavyweight champion Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in the Oct. 5 main event from Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

Rountree vowed not to wrestle the former two-division Glory Kickboxing champion to find success. His head coach Wood doubled down on that promise, and went as far as saying it’ll be Pereira needing to change up his game plan.

“I believe, honestly, my gut, I think Pereira shoots on Khalil,” Wood told ESPN. “I think he’s the one that breaks game first and shoots on Khalil to try to get that takedown, because that’s actually something he’s done. I mean, we ain’t shooting over here, I can tell you that.

“Khalil can – it’s not like we don’t train MMA, wrestling, wrestling defense, all these things. … I think Alex shoots first, but yes, I would be shocked if this fight goes five rounds. Someone is going out on their shield. It’s going to happen, and obviously I think I know who it is.”

According to DraftKings, Rountree is a +350 underdog against Pereira, who’s a -455 favorite to retain his title. Pereira is coming off knockouts of Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka in the past six months. Rountree made it five straight wins when he knocked out former title challenger Anthony Smith in his most recent appearance in December 2023.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.

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Football

Elland Road capacity to expand to 53,000

Published

46 mins ago

September 23, 2024

NewsAdmin

Elland Road capacity to expand to 53,000

Elland Road can currently hold 37,645 supporters

Nigel French/PA Wire Inside Elland Road stadium — Elland Road can currently hold 37,645 supporters

Leeds United Football Club has announced plans to increase the capacity of its stadium to accommodate 53,000 supporters.

The Elland Road ground can currently hold 37,645 fans and has been full for every home match played in the last six years.

There are also 26,000 supporters on the waiting list for season tickets.

The plans would also see the ground modernised to meet UEFA Category 4 regulations for “elite” European stadia.

Paraag Marathe, chairman of Leeds United and president of the club’s owners, 49ers Enterprises, said: “We recognise how important Elland Road is to the Leeds United fans and the wider community.

“The opportunity to refresh a century-old stadium, coupled with the legacy of Leeds United, is unprecedented.

“Our plans reinforce our commitment to the long-term success of the club and I am excited that we are going to be able to welcome thousands more supporters to every game, in a stadium that retains the unique atmosphere of Elland Road.

“We look forward to sharing our plans with supporters and the local community for their input.”

‘Enhanced atmosphere’

The capacity of the new Elland Road would be the seventh-largest of any club ground in the country.

The stadium has been the team’s home since Leeds United was formed in 1919.

Councillor James Lewis, leader of Leeds City Council, said: “Expanding and enhancing the existing ground will allow many more fans access to games while protecting the unique Elland Road atmosphere.

“This investment can also be a catalyst for wider regeneration plans for south Leeds, which represents an opportunity of national significance.

“Getting there will be easier with work to improve Leeds Station and the introduction of a White Rose rail station, along with the potential of a proposed mass transit route from the city centre close to the ground.

“We’ve had some very positive initial meetings with their team and look forward to working with them on this important vision, to ensure this project moves forward and unlocks significant benefits to the city and its communities.”

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.

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MMA

On To the Next One: How has Sean O’Malley handled UFC 306 loss?

Published

1 hour ago

September 23, 2024

NewsAdmin

On To the Next One: How has Sean O’Malley handled UFC 306 loss?

Sean O’Malley went from having “zero excuses” for his UFC 306 title loss to Merab Dvalishvili, to now telling the MMA world he believes he should’ve gotten the victory at Sphere. How has O’Malley been handling himself following the loss, and are you surprised by the flip-flop reaction?

On a special Q&A edition of On To the Next One, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee discuss the fallout from O’Malley’s loss, and the narrative that Dvalishvili is “ducking” Umar Nurmagomedov — and why that’s just ridiculous. Additionally, questions include Dana White being ready to enter the boxing space, the UFC’s next TV and broadcast deal, the A.J. McKee vs. Paul Hughes bout for the PFL PPV, who Movsar Evloev may end up fighting at UFC 307, Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall, Mike Perry’s new boxing promotion, and much more.

Watch the latest edition of On To the Next One in the video above. Audio-only versions of the podcast can be found below, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

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MMA

Photos: Dana White's Contender Series 73 weigh-ins and faceoffs

Published

1 hour ago

September 23, 2024

NewsAdmin

Photos: Dana White's Contender Series 73 weigh-ins and faceoffs

Check out these photos from the Dana White’s Contender Series 73 weigh-ins and faceoffs in Las Vegas. (Photos by Ken Hathaway, MMA Junkie)

DWCS 73 – Vadym Kutsyi weigh-in highlight

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DWCS 73 – Daniel Frunza weigh-in highlight

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DWCS 73 – Frunza vs Kutsyi

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DWCS 73 – Francesco Mazzeo weigh-in highlight

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DWCS 73 – Kevin Christian weigh-in highlight

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DWCS 73 – Christian vs Mazzeo

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DWCS 73 – Cam Teague weigh-in highlight

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DWCS 73 – Kevin Vallejos weigh-in highlight

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DWCS 73 – Vallejos vs Teague

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DWCS 73 – Rose Conceicao weigh-in highlight

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DWCS 73 – Alexia Thainara weigh-in highlight

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DWCS 73 – Thainara vs Conceicao

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DWCS 73 – Thainara vs Conceicao 1

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DWCS 73 – Thainara vs Conceicao 2

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DWCS 73 – Danylo Volevodkin weigh-in highlight

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DWCS 73 – Bailey Schoenfelder weigh-in highlight

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DWCS 73 – Schoenfelder vs Voievodkin

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MMA

Dana White’s Contender Series 73 faceoffs video, photo gallery

Published

2 hours ago

September 23, 2024

NewsAdmin

Dana White’s Contender Series 73 faceoffs video, photo gallery

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Ken Hathaway and Matt Erickson

September 23, 2024 1:20 pm ET

LAS VEGAS – The pre-fight activities are in the books for Dana White’s Contender Series 73 following Monday’s official weigh-ins and faceoffs.

For the seventh event of the season, 10 fighters will vie for UFC contracts in their fights, including unbeaten heavyweights Bailey Schoenfelder (5-0) and Danylo Voievodkin (6-0), who headline the show.

At the conclusion of the official weigh-ins, the fighters came face to face for staredowns. Check out the highlights in the video above and a photo gallery from the weigh-ins and faceoffs below.

Dana White’s Contender Series 73 takes place Tuesday and streams on ESPN+.