List of All Articles with Tag 'ufc'

We've got a thrilling UFC card tonight and Caesars Sportsbook is celebrating with a fantastic promo exclusive to FanSided readers. Following an initial deposit, your first wager of up to $1,250 will be covered by Caesars and refunded in bonus bets if you lose.That means you can bet on ANY f...

The UFC is back in London this weekend, as heavyweights Tom Aspinall and Marcin Tybura clash in the main event at the O2 Arena. Aspinall is no stranger to a main event at the O2, having taken part in two in 2022. In the first, the Wigan fighter submitted Alexander Volkov in Round 1, but the latter saw Aspinall sustain a serious knee injury – just seconds into his clash with Curtis Blaydes. Aspinall, 30, has not fought since, but he returns to the Octagon on Saturday to face Poland’s Tybura, who is targeting a third straight win. In the co-main event, Liverpool’s Molly McCann takes on Julija Stoliarenko in a flyweight bout, as the British favourite aims to get back to winning ways. Here’s all you need to know. When is it? The prelims are set to begin at 5pm BST on Saturday 22 July (9am PT, 11am CT, 12pm ET), with the main card then due to begin at 8pm BST (12pm PT, 2pm CT, 3pm ET). How can I watch it? The card will air live on BT Sport in the UK, with the broadcaster’s app and website also streaming the fights. In the US, ESPN+ will stream the action live, as will the UFC’s Fight Pass. Where can I buy tickets? AXS is the official ticket provider for UFC London. At the time of writing (Monday 17 July), there are still numerous seats available in the vast majority of sections of the O2 Arena. At the time of writing, the cheapest remaining tickets cost £101.25, are situated in the upper tier, and must be bought in pairs. Meanwhile, the most expensive tickets are in the front row, cost £1607.66, and have very limited availability. Odds Aspinall – 1/5; Tybura – 7/2 McCann – 7/20; Stoliarenko – 43/20 Via Betway. Full card (subject to change) Main card Tom Aspinall vs Marcin Tybura (heavyweight) Molly McCann vs Julija Stoliarenko (women’s flyweight) Nathaniel Wood vs Andre Fili (featherweight) Paul Craig vs Andre Muniz (middleweight) Jai Herbert vs Fares Ziam (lightweight) Lerone Murphy vs Josh Culibao (featherweight) Prelims Davey Grant vs Daniel Marcos (bantamweight) Danny Roberts vs Jonny Parsons (welterweight) Marc Diakiese vs Joel Alvarez (lightweight) Mick Parkin vs Jamal Pogues (heavyweight) Makhmud Muradov vs Bryan Barberena (middleweight) Ketlen Vieira vs Pannie Kianzad (women’s bantamweight) Chris Duncan vs Yanal Ashmouz (lightweight) Shauna Bannon vs Bruna Brasil (women’s strawweight) Jafel Filho vs Daniel Barez (flyweight) Read More Why Fury vs Ngannou may tarnish the Gypsy King’s legacy forever UFC champion Jamahal Hill vacates title after suffering ankle injury UFC schedule 2023: Every major fight happening this year Tyson Fury seeks UFC star’s help ahead of Francis Ngannou fight Two major fights announced for UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi ‘The Rock’s shoes can go f*** themselves’: UFC fighter hits out at sponsors

Conor McGregor has said he is ‘interested’ in the prospect of tech titans Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk going head to head in a cage fight. Zuckerberg is the CEO of Meta, while Musk owns Twitter and runs Tesla and SpaceX, and the pair have gone back and forth on social media recently, expressing a desire to fight one another. Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn and UFC president Dana White have both admitted that they would happily stage such a bout, and McGregor has now weighed in on the matter. “I‘m interested,” the Irishman told the Daily Mail. “Are they gonna go ahead with it? Are they gonna make it happen? If it happens under the UFC banner, I’m with it. It has to happen under the UFC banner.” The former dual-weight UFC champion said, however, that he would not train either man for the fight. “I’m training for my own fight,” McGregor insisted, referencing his planned bout with Michael Chandler, which is still without a date, location or weight class. “I’m feeling really good, really good. I’m ready to fight,” added McGregor, 35, while his manager Audie Attar said of the Chandler fight: “Listen, you can’t rule this year out, but we’re definitely gearing up for a strong match-up with Michael Chandler.” McGregor last fought in July 2021, when he suffered a broken leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier. It is believed that McGregor vs Chandler will not take place in 2023, because the Irishman is still absent from the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s testing pool. In order to compete, athletes must have been in the pool for six months while returning zero positive test results and at least two negatives. However, it was suggested earlier this year that an exception could be made for McGregor. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More UFC London 2023 tickets: Where to buy ahead of Fight Night this weekend Why Fury vs Ngannou may tarnish the Gypsy King’s legacy forever UFC champion Jamahal Hill vacates title after suffering ankle injury UFC may help Conor McGregor by changing Ultimate Fighter format amid losing streak

The UFC returns to London’s O2 Arena this weekend, as Tom Aspinall fights Marcin Tybura in a heavyweight main event. Wigan’s Aspinall headlined back-to-back UFC London cards in 2022, winning the first of those but suffering a serious knee injury in the second. Aspinall, 30, has not fought since, but he will resume his bid for a title shot when he takes on Poland’s Tybura this weekend. While Aspinall’s record stands at 12-3, with all of his wins having come via finishes in the first two rounds, Tybura, 37, has a record of 24-7 and is seeking a third straight win. Here’s all you need to know. When is it? The prelims are set to begin at 5pm BST on Saturday 22 July (9am PT, 11am CT, 12pm ET), with the main card then due to begin at 8pm BST (12pm PT, 2pm CT, 3pm ET). How can I watch it? The card will air live on BT Sport in the UK, with the broadcaster’s app and website also streaming the fights. In the US, ESPN+ will stream the action live, as will the UFC’s Fight Pass. Where can I buy tickets? AXS is the official ticket provider for UFC London. At the time of writing (Monday 17 July), there are still numerous seats available in the vast majority of sections of the O2 Arena. At the time of writing, the cheapest remaining tickets cost £101.25, are situated in the upper tier, and must be bought in pairs. Meanwhile, the most expensive tickets are in the front row, cost £1607.66, and have very limited availability. Odds Aspinall – 1/5; Tybura – 7/2 McCann – 7/20; Stoliarenko – 43/20 Via Betway. Full card (subject to change) Main card Tom Aspinall vs Marcin Tybura (heavyweight) Molly McCann vs Julija Stoliarenko (women’s flyweight) Nathaniel Wood vs Andre Fili (featherweight) Paul Craig vs Andre Muniz (middleweight) Jai Herbert vs Fares Ziam (lightweight) Lerone Murphy vs Josh Culibao (featherweight) Prelims Davey Grant vs Daniel Marcos (bantamweight) Danny Roberts vs Jonny Parsons (welterweight) Marc Diakiese vs Joel Alvarez (lightweight) Mick Parkin vs Jamal Pogues (heavyweight) Makhmud Muradov vs Bryan Barberena (middleweight) Ketlen Vieira vs Pannie Kianzad (women’s bantamweight) Chris Duncan vs Yanal Ashmouz (lightweight) Shauna Bannon vs Bruna Brasil (women’s strawweight) Jafel Filho vs Daniel Barez (flyweight) Read More Why Fury vs Ngannou may tarnish the Gypsy King’s legacy forever UFC champion Jamahal Hill vacates title after suffering ankle injury UFC schedule 2023: Every major fight happening this year When is the next UFC event? UFC schedule 2023: Every fight happening this year UFC champion vacates title after suffering ankle injury

Jamahal Hill has vacated the UFC light-heavyweight title after suffering an injury, which reportedly occurred during a basketball game between fighters. Hill, 32, won the vacant gold in January, outpointing Glover Teixeira in the veteran’s native Brazil, but the American has decided to relinquish the belt without having made a single title defence. “I have unfortunately suffered an injury,” Hill said on his YouTube channel on Thursday (13 July). “I’ve ruptured my Achilles’ [tendon]. It’s just one of those things that happens. “It’s a tough injury. It’s one that will require surgery and will require time and rehab and things for me to be out for a while.” Per MMA Fighting, Hill suffered the injury while playing a basketball game with fellow fighters before UFC 290 in Las Vegas last week. Explaining his decision to vacate the title rather than allow the UFC to proceed with crowning an interim champion, Hill referenced his own route to the belt. In 2022, an injured Jiri Prochazka relinquished the title within several months of winning it. Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev fought to a draw while competing for the vacant belt in December, and another title fight was organised just one month later – with Hill beating former champion Teixeira. “I was given an opportunity,” Hill said. “I was given a blessing that came at the misfortune of someone else. Jiri Prochazka was the champion, he suffered an injury, as these things happen. He gave up the belt and allowed for others to not hold [up] the division – to keep the division moving forward, to keep entertaining, to make sure the people had a champion. I’ll do the same. “Right now, the biggest thing is focusing on my recovery, focusing on getting back to 100 per cent. I need to take some time to focus on my health and make sure that I’m 100 per cent and I’m the fighter that everybody knows who I am, and who I’ve been since I’ve stepped into this. In order to do that, I need to focus on healing and getting ready and rehabbing.” Former champion Blachowicz is scheduled to fight ex-middleweight title holder Alex Pereira on 29 July, with some fans suspecting that the bout will now become a contest for the vacant light-heavyweight strap. However, many have called for Prochazka to face Ankalaev for the vacant title. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Why Fury vs Ngannou may tarnish the Gypsy King’s legacy forever Mark Zuckerberg trains with UFC champions amid rumours of Elon Musk fight UFC’s Josiah Harrell reacts as pre-fight test reveals brain disease

Mark Zuckerberg showed off an impressive physique on Tuesday while training with two UFC champions, amid rumours that the Meta CEO will fight Twitter boss Elon Musk. Zuckerberg, 39, and Musk, 52, went back and forth on social media recently, agreeing to fight one another in a cage, with UFC president Dana White and boxing promoter Eddie Hearn among those to express an interest in making the contest. They are not the only personalities from the world of fighting who are keen to get involved, however. UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski were pictured with Zuckerberg at a fight gym on Tuesday (11 July), three days after Volkanovski retained his title in Las Vegas. Nigerian-New Zealander Adesanya was present at the T-Mobile Arena on Saturday (8 July) to watch his Australian teammate retain the featherweight belt, as Volkanovski beat Yair Rodriguez in the UFC 290 main event. “No fugazi [fake] with Mark,” Adesanya wrote in the caption to the photo with Zuckerberg and Volkanovski. “This is serious business!!” Zuckerberg commented: “It’s an honor to train with you guys!” Zuckerberg is a keen fan of mixed martial arts and has sparred with Volkanovski before, and the American recently won multiple medals at a jiu-jitsu competition. Meanwhile, Musk – who runs Twitter as well as Tesla and SpaceX – has some experience in jiu-jitsu. Former UFC champion Georges St-Pierre recently offered to train Musk for a potential fight with Zuckerberg, rumours of which have coincided with the launch of Threads, a new Meta app that is designed to rival Twitter. Read More Tyson Fury to box ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou in seismic crossover fight New UFC champion Alexandre Pantoja worked as Uber Eats driver just two years ago UFC’s Josiah Harrell reacts as pre-fight test reveals brain disease

Josiah Harrell has urged fans not to ‘feel sorry’ for him after a pre-fight scan revealed that the UFC athlete has a rare brain disease. The American, 24, was due to fight Jack Della Maddalena in a welterweight bout at UFC 290 on Saturday (8 July), serving as a replacement for the injured Sean Brady. However, Harrell was also forced to pull out of his planned clash with Della Maddalena, when a pre-fight scan revealed that Harrell has moyamoya – a rare brain disease. “Small [bump] in the road,” the unbeaten fighter wrote on Instagram. “We did everything on our side. Got all of our medicals redone this week. Check out on all of them except something came up in the MRI scan that they wanted me to make sure was nothing serious. “Turns out I have a brain disease that is treatable and [I’ll be] back up and running asap. Sorry to everyone I know, [who either] wanted to see me get my head beat in or [wanted] to see me with my hand raised. I have very little information on what’s going on but I do know I’ll be a lab Rat for a while, which is fitting. “A wild week, a wild life. I will get better, I’ll keep y’all updated on the process, thank you for all your prayers and love. We will heal up quickly.” In a later post, Harrell added: “Don’t feel sorry for me. Mom doesn’t work but people I love do, so until they don’t have to ima be at this for a long time. We will get more news out soon, have to do some testing. “You should be excited. [I don’t know] how much it has limited my ability to compete, but I’m guessing it would have to do with the oxygen levels to my brain, so ya boy might have even better cardio. I’m a hopeful person, so what fight card should [we] aim for? (4-12 months).” Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More UFC 290: Alexander Volkanovski stops Yair Rodriguez on wild night of fights Donald Trump high-fives fans at UFC 290 in Las Vegas UFC schedule 2023: Every major fight happening this year

Alexander Volkanovski continued his dominant run atop the UFC featherweight division on Saturday, stopping interim champion Yair Rodriguez to unify the titles. Volkanovski controlled the Mexican on the mat for most of the first two rounds, and just when Rodriguez began to flicker into life in the striking exchanges, Volkanovski fired back with a hard right hook to set up a ground-and-pound finish in Round 3. With the result at Las Vegas’s T-Mobile Arena, the Australian not only retained his featherweight title but bounced back from a narrow loss to Islam Makhachev – Volkanovski’s first defeat in 10 years, and one that occurred when the 34-year-old challenged for the lightweight belt in February. In the co-main event, Alexandre Pantoja won a thrilling, back-and-forth battle with Brandon Moreno, taking the flyweight title from the Mexican with a split-decision win. The victory also saw the Brazilian move to 3-0 against two-time champion Moreno, whom Pantoja also beat in 2016 and 2018. Earlier in the night, South Africa’s Dricus Du Plessis stunned Robert Whittaker, beating the ex-middleweight champion via TKO before facing off with reigning title holder Israel Adesanya in a heated exchange. All the while, ex-US president Donald Trump watched on from ringside. Also, former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler won his retirement fight by knocking out Niko Price inside the first minute, Dan Hooker outpointed Jalin Turner despite suffering a broken arm, and Bo Nickal knocked out Val Woodburn to move to 5-0 with a fifth first-round finish. Full UFC 290 results Main card Alexander Volkanovski def. Yair Rodriguez via third-round TKO (4:19) Alexandre Pantoja def. Brandon Moreno via split decision (46-49, 48-47, 48-47) Dricus Du Plessis def. Robert Whittaker via second-round TKO (punches, 2:23) Dan Hooker def. Jalin Turner via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) Bo Nickal def. Val Woodburn via first-round TKO (punches, 0:38) Prelims Robbie Lawler def. Niko Price via first-round KO (punches, 0:38) Tatsuro Taira def. Edgar Chairez via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27) Denise Gomes def. Yazmin Jauregui via first-round TKO (punches, 0:20) Alonzo Menifield def. Jimmy Crute via second-round submission (guillotine choke, 1:55) Early prelims Vitor Petrino def. Marcin Prachnio via third-round submission (arm triangle, 3:42) Cameron Saaiman def. Terrence Mitchell via first-round TKO (3:10) Jesus Aguilar def. Shannon Ross via first-round KO (0:17) Esteban Ribovics def. Kamuela Kirk via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Donald Trump high-fives fans at UFC 290 in Las Vegas Conor McGregor shoves Michael Chandler in the face amid coaching criticism UFC rankings: The Independent’s pound-for-pound fighters list Donald Trump high-fives fans at UFC 290 in Las Vegas Brandon Moreno, piñatas and the promise that inspired UFC supremacy UFC 290 LIVE: Volkanovski vs Yair Rodriguez updates and results

The UFC featherweight titles will be unified this weekend, as Alexander Volkanovski takes on interim champion Yair Rodriguez in a main-event clash. The pair headline UFC 290 in Las Vegas, where Volkanovski will try to maintain his dominance at 145lbs, following a brave but unsuccessful bid to win the lightweight title in February. FOLLOW LIVE: UFC 290 - Latest Volkanovski vs Rodriguez updates The Australian lost a narrow decision to 155lbs champion Islam Makhachev in Perth, at the same event where Rodriguez submitted Josh Emmett to win the interim featherweight belt. In the co-main event on Saturday, Brandon Moreno defends his flyweight title against a foe who has beaten him twice: Alexandre Pantoja. Moreno has improved significantly since those losses in 2016 and 2018, but this bout marks a difficult defence to kickstart the Mexican’s second reign as champion. Here’s all you need to know. When is it? UFC 290 will take place on Saturday 8 July, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The early prelims are set to begin at 11pm BST (3pm PT, 5pm CT, 6pm ET), with the regular prelims following at 1am BST on Sunday 9 July (5pm PT, 7pm CT, 8pm ET on Saturday). The main card is then due to begin at 3am BST on Sunday (7pm PT, 9pm CT, 10pm ET on Saturday). How can I watch it? The card will air live on BT Sport in the UK, with the broadcaster’s app and website also streaming the fights. In the US, ESPN+ will stream the action live, as will the UFC’s Fight Pass. Odds Volkanovski – 2/9; Rodriguez – 100/30 Moreno – 1/2; Pantoja – 13/8 Whittaker – 1/4; Du Plessis – 3/1 Full odds via Betway. Full card (subject to change) Main card Alexander Volkanovski (C) vs Yair Rodriguez (IC) (featherweight title) Brandon Moreno (C) vs Alexandre Pantoja (flyweight title) Robert Whittaker vs Dricus Du Plessis (middleweight) Jalin Turner vs Dan Hooker (lightweight) Bo Nickal vs Val Woodburn (middleweight) Prelims Robbie Lawler vs Niko Price (welterweight) Tatsuro Taira vs Edgar Chairez (catchweight) Yazmin Jauregui vs Denise Gomes (women’s strawweight) Jimmy Crute vs Alonzo Menifield (light-heavyweight) Early prelims Vitor Petrino vs Marcin Prachnio (light-heavyweight) Cameron Saaiman vs Terrence Mitchell (bantamweight) Shannon Ross vs Jesus Aguilar (flyweight) Kamuela Kirk vs Esteban Ribovics (lightweight) Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More UFC rankings: The Independent’s pound-for-pound fighters list UFC schedule 2023: Every major fight happening this year Sean Strickland makes passionate plea for Israel Adesanya fight after dominant win What time does UFC 290 start in UK and US tonight? How to watch UFC 290 online and on TV tonight Brandon Moreno, piñatas and the promise that inspired UFC supremacy

Alexander Volkanovski returns to featherweight this weekend, defending his title against interim champion Yair Rodriguez in the main event of UFC 290. In February, both men fought on the same night, with Rodriguez submitting Josh Emmett to win the interim belt, before Volkanovski lost a narrow decision to Islam Makhachev while challenging for the lightweight title. FOLLOW LIVE: UFC 290 - Latest Volkanovski vs Rodriguez updates The latter result marked just the second loss of Volkanovski’s career, and his first in 10 years. Neither defeat took place at featherweight, however, where the Australian has been imperious and earned the status of the UFC’s pound-for-pound No 1 in the eyes of many fans. In the co-main event on Saturday, Brandon Moreno defends his flyweight title against a foe who has beaten him twice: Alexandre Pantoja. Moreno has improved significantly since those losses in 2016 and 2018, but this bout marks a difficult defence to kickstart the Mexican’s second reign as champion. Here’s all you need to know. When is it? UFC 290 will take place on Saturday 8 July, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The early prelims are set to begin at 11pm BST (3pm PT, 5pm CT, 6pm ET), with the regular prelims following at 1am BST on Sunday 9 July (5pm PT, 7pm CT, 8pm ET on Saturday). The main card is then due to begin at 3am BST on Sunday (7pm PT, 9pm CT, 10pm ET on Saturday). How can I watch it? The card will air live on BT Sport in the UK, with the broadcaster’s app and website also streaming the fights. In the US, ESPN+ will stream the action live, as will the UFC’s Fight Pass. Odds Volkanovski – 2/9; Rodriguez – 100/30 Moreno – 1/2; Pantoja – 13/8 Whittaker – 1/4; Du Plessis – 3/1 Full odds via Betway. Full card (subject to change) Main card Alexander Volkanovski (C) vs Yair Rodriguez (IC) (featherweight title) Brandon Moreno (C) vs Alexandre Pantoja (flyweight title) Robert Whittaker vs Dricus Du Plessis (middleweight) Jalin Turner vs Dan Hooker (lightweight) Bo Nickal vs Val Woodburn (middleweight) Prelims Robbie Lawler vs Niko Price (welterweight) Tatsuro Taira vs Edgar Chairez (catchweight) Yazmin Jauregui vs Denise Gomes (women’s strawweight) Jimmy Crute vs Alonzo Menifield (light-heavyweight) Early prelims Vitor Petrino vs Marcin Prachnio (light-heavyweight) Cameron Saaiman vs Terrence Mitchell (bantamweight) Shannon Ross vs Jesus Aguilar (flyweight) Kamuela Kirk vs Esteban Ribovics (lightweight) Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More UFC rankings: The Independent’s pound-for-pound fighters list UFC schedule 2023: Every major fight happening this year Sean Strickland makes passionate plea for Israel Adesanya fight after dominant win Who is fighting on UFC 290 undercard tonight? How to watch UFC 290 online and on TV tonight Brandon Moreno, piñatas and the promise that inspired UFC supremacy

Two titles will be on the line at UFC 290 this weekend, as Alexander Volkanovski and Brandon Moreno defend their gold against formidable opponents. In the main event, Volkanovski defends his featherweight title against interim champion Yair Rodriguez, who will try to become the first fighter to beat the Australian at 145lbs. In February, Rodriguez submitted Josh Emmett to win the interim featherweight title, moments before Volkanovski challenged Islam Makhachev for the lightweight belt and came up narrowly short. That was just the second loss of Volkanovski’s career, with the 34-year-old’s only previous defeat having occurred 10 years ago – and at welterweight. FOLLOW LIVE: UFC 290 - Latest Volkanovski vs Rodriguez updates Meanwhile, Rodriguez’s victory over Emmett made him just the second Mexican champion in UFC history. His title win was followed by Alexa Grasso’s triumph in March, while Moreno preceded the pair as the first Mexican fighter to claim gold in the promotion. And Moreno will be in action again this weekend, defending his flyweight title against a foe who has beaten him twice: Alexandre Pantoja. Moreno has improved significantly since those losses in 2016 and 2018, but this co-main event marks a difficult defence to kickstart his second reign as champion. Here’s all you need to know. When is it? UFC 290 will take place on Saturday 8 July, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The early prelims are set to begin at 11pm BST (3pm PT, 5pm CT, 6pm ET), with the regular prelims following at 1am BST on Sunday 9 July (5pm PT, 7pm CT, 8pm ET on Saturday). The main card is then due to begin at 3am BST on Sunday (7pm PT, 9pm CT, 10pm ET on Saturday). How can I watch it? The card will air live on BT Sport in the UK, with the broadcaster’s app and website also streaming the fights. In the US, ESPN+ will stream the action live, as will the UFC’s Fight Pass. Odds Volkanovski – 2/9; Rodriguez – 100/30 Moreno – 1/2; Pantoja – 13/8 Whittaker – 1/4; Du Plessis – 3/1 Full odds via Betway. Full card (subject to change) Main card Alexander Volkanovski (C) vs Yair Rodriguez (IC) (featherweight title) Brandon Moreno (C) vs Alexandre Pantoja (flyweight title) Robert Whittaker vs Dricus Du Plessis (middleweight) Jalin Turner vs Dan Hooker (lightweight) Bo Nickal vs Val Woodburn (middleweight) Prelims Robbie Lawler vs Niko Price (welterweight) Tatsuro Taira vs Edgar Chairez (catchweight) Yazmin Jauregui vs Denise Gomes (women’s strawweight) Jimmy Crute vs Alonzo Menifield (light-heavyweight) Early prelims Vitor Petrino vs Marcin Prachnio (light-heavyweight) Cameron Saaiman vs Terrence Mitchell (bantamweight) Shannon Ross vs Jesus Aguilar (flyweight) Kamuela Kirk vs Esteban Ribovics (lightweight) Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More UFC rankings: The Independent’s pound-for-pound fighters list UFC schedule 2023: Every major fight happening this year Sean Strickland makes passionate plea for Israel Adesanya fight after dominant win Who is fighting on UFC 290 undercard tonight? What time does UFC 290 start in UK and US tonight? Brandon Moreno, piñatas and the promise that inspired UFC supremacy

UFC 290 will build towards two major title fights tonight, as Alexander Volkanovski defends the featherweight belt against Yair Rodriguez, and Brandon Moreno puts his flyweight gold on the line versus Alexandre Pantoja. Volkanovski and Rodriguez both fought on the same night in February, as “Alexander The Great” lost a controversial decision while challenging Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title, after Rodriguez submitted Josh Emmett to win the interim featherweight strap. The 145lbs titles will be unified tonight, as pound-for-pound great Volkanovski returns to his usual division to take on the Mexican – one of the most unique strikers in MMA. In the co-main event, Moreno looks to avenge two losses to Pantoja when he defends the title that he regained in January, when he stopped Deiveson Figueiredo in the Brazilian’s home country to win the pair’s four-fight series. Elsewhere on the card, ex-middleweight champion Robert Whittaker faces Dricus Du Plessis in a No 1 contender’s bout, and legend Robbie Lawler takes his final bow. There are plenty of other great match-ups tonight, too, which you can follow with our live blog below. Read More Brandon Moreno, piñatas and the promise that inspired UFC supremacy Conor McGregor shoves Michael Chandler in the face amid coaching criticism Sean Strickland makes passionate plea for Israel Adesanya fight after dominant win