UFC

McGregor v Poirier 2: Irishman shocked in UFC rematch at Fight Island

McGregor came out of retirement for a third time to face fellow 32-year-old Poirier at Abu Dhabi's Fight Island.

And although the Irishman edged the first round, Poirier unleashed a flurry of punches to seal a technical knockout two minutes 32 seconds into round two.

"I'm gutted, it's a tough one to swallow," said McGregor.

"I felt stronger than him, but his leg kicks were good. I didn't adjust. My leg was badly compromised, I've never experienced those low calf kicks, and I wasn't as comfortable as I needed to be.

Sister, manager of jailed UFC fighter Irwin Rivera speak out day after stabbings

Rivera's sisters, Lezlye and Kelly, remain hospitalized but in stable condition, the fighter's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, told ESPN.

Earlier Friday, in a Facebook post, Lezlye wrote that Rivera hadn't been sleeping, was not talking the way he normally would and completely had lost interest in MMA training, which is what "he lives to do." Lezlye said she flew to visit Rivera in Florida because of his bizarre behavior.

"Unfortunately his mental stage was worse then we could [have] imagined and before we could help him he completely broke," Lezlye wrote.

Date confirmed for McGregor's UFC return

McGregor will fight Dustin Poirier in the headline event of UFC 257 on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi on January 23rd.

McGregor who has a 22 win 4 loss UFC record and previously beat Poirier in a featherweight bout six years ago.

The rematch will be a non-title lightweight fight, and will mark McGregor's first fight since January.

McGregor has fought only twice in the UFC since 2016.

Poirier beat New Zealand's Dan Hooker by unanimous decision in June.

     

Parker, Fa adamant they're fighting fit

Originally scheduled for December 12 in Auckland, the fight had been postponed until February 27 after Fa needed surgery for an undisclosed medical issue.

In addition to that, Parker revealed on Tuesday he had undergone surgery on both elbows for the second time earlier this month.

While admitting he was still recovering from the procedures, the former WBO world champion was adamant he had made a good decision.

"They should have taken me on [on the original date] because I was training with injuries," Parker said.

UFC 256: Deiveson Figueiredo retains title after fight with Brandon Moreno ruled majority draw

Brazil's Figueiredo, 32, and Mexico's Moreno, 27, engaged in a wild, back-and-forth battle as the two 125lb fighters fought all the way to the judges' scorecards after five breathless rounds at the UFC Apex.

Figueiredo was bidding to complete his second title defence in the space of 21 days after his first-round finish of Alex Perez at UFC 255 in November.

UFC boss excited to sign Ulberg

Also out of Auckland gym City Kickboxing, which already had five Kiwi UFC fighters, light heavyweight prospect Carlos Ulberg earned a contract with the organisation after a first round knockout win over Brazilian Bruno Oliveira in Las Vegas on Thursday.

The victory came as part of the Contender Series, in which UFC boss Dana White hands out contracts to those who produces impressive performances on the night.

In Ulberg's corner for the fight were two of his City Kickboxing team-mates, UFC middleweight world champion Israel Adesanya and rising UFC lightweight Brad Riddell.

McGregor says he's retiring again

"Hey guys I've decided to retire from fighting. Thank you all for the amazing memories! What a ride it's been!" the 31-year-old Irishman said, adding a picture of him and his mother and promising to buy her a dream home.

"The game just does not excite me, and that's that," McGregor told ESPN on Sunday.

"All this waiting around. There's nothing happening. I'm going through opponent options, and there's nothing really there at the minute. There's nothing that's exciting me."

Fury hits out at UFC chief White

Fury – who is expected to return to the ring in February to face Deontay Wilder in a rematch – has been taking on different sports over recent months.

Having appeared in WWE to wrestle Braun Strowman, Fury has also trained alongside UFC middleweight Darren Till.

The 31-year-old claimed to have spoken with Conor McGregor about training together, though White stated his belief Fury should stick to boxing.

"If Tyson Fury wants to fight in MMA, I've got a tonne of guys that would love to fight him," White told TMZ Sports.

Arrests after Nurmagomedov beats McGregor

The Russian ended McGregor's attempt to win back the title when he sealed a brutal submission victory with a rear naked choke hold in the fourth round, which then sparked a mass brawl.

Fights broke out in and around the cage, with a red-shirted fan landing several blows on McGregor before security intervened. Both fighters were escorted from the arena by police and security.

UFC boss Dana White later told Fox Sports that three members of Nurmagomedov's team were arrested.

Why Joseph Parker won't fight UFC star Mark Hunt

Parker's former promoter Dean Lonergan told RadioLIVE last week that fighting Hunt would be the perfect comeback fight for the former WBO heavyweight champion - who has lost his previous two bouts.

The 26-year-old lost to Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte respectively

Hunt - who has one fight remaining on his UFC contract - has lost three of his last four fights inside the Octagon, but more importantly has never fought a professional boxing fight in a 19-year combat sports career.