On Episode 5 of UFC 245 Embedded, welterweight champion Kamaru Usman receives support from heavyweight Francis Ngannou. Featherweight champion Max Holloway gets a haircut from his longtime barber, and opponent Alexander Volkanovski does an outdoor photo shoot. Bantamweight Hall of Famer Urijah Faber feels fresh ahead of a bout in which he’s the underdog. The stars of the night’s three title fights attend Ultimate Media Day for interviews and faceoffs. Bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes and Germaine de Randamie have kind words for one another ahead of their championship bout, but the opposite is true for Usman and Colby Covington. UFC 245 Embedded is an all-access, behind-the-scenes video blog leading up to the three title fights taking place Saturday December 14. Order the Pay-Per-View at ESPNPlus.com/PPV
On Episode 4 of UFC 245 Embedded, UFC Performance Institute hosts a series of athletes getting ready for Saturday: featherweight title challenger Alexander Volkanovski, bantamweight Marlon Moraes and welterweight title challenger Colby Covington. “The Great,” “Chaos” and bantamweight Germaine de Randamie answer fan questions at a UFC 245 athlete panel, followed by the event’s three beltholders: welterweight Kamaru Usman, featherweight Max Holloway and double champ Amanda Nunes. UFC 245 Embedded is an all-access, behind-the-scenes video blog leading up to the three title fights taking place Saturday December 14. Order the Pay-Per-View at ESPNPlus.com/PPV
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Kamaru Usman sent a bloodied, bleary Colby Covington spiraling to the ground for the second time. Usman then leaped on him and went to work on Covington’s badly injured face, battering his dazed opponent with hammer fists until the referee mercifully intervened.
Although he had to wait until the final minute, Usman settled his very personal feud with his sharply divisive challenger in perhaps the most satisfying way possible.
“This one is not just for me,” Usman said. “This is for the whole entire world right now.”
Usman brutally stopped Covington with 50 seconds left in their bout at UFC 245 on Saturday night, retaining his UFC welterweight belt with a spectacular finish to their grudge match.
Alexander Volkanovski also took the UFC featherweight title from Max Holloway and became the second Australian champion in the promotion’s history with a tactical unanimous-decision victory, and Amanda Nunes defended her bantamweight title with a grinding unanimous-decision victory over Germaine De Randamie at T-Mobile Arena.
Usman (16-1) closed out an occasionally slow fight with Covington (15-2) in thrilling fashion, knocking down the challenger twice with right hands and then decisively finishing him on the ground. Although he didn’t break his jaw as he feared, Covington couldn’t withstand the pressure of Usman, who drew strength from the personal animus he took into the cage.
“He talked a lot going into this, so this was a respect thing,” said Usman, who won his 11th straight fight. “I had a responsibility to go in there and teach him a lesson.”
The Nigeria-born, Texas-raised Usman made good on his vow to derail the career of Covington, whose grating personality and eager embrace of President Donald Trump have made him a polarizing, widely reviled figure in mixed martial arts.
Covington recently claimed he is only playing a character in the tradition of a classic wrestling heel. UFC President Dana White and a long list of his onetime teammates — including UFC stars Jon Jones, Jorge Masvidal and Tyron Woodley — all say Covington is just a difficult, unlikable person.
Usman was thrilled to beat up a bully.
“Everyone was like, ‘Oh, Colby is in his head!’” Usman said. “‘He’s going to gas out, fight emotional!’ I’m telling you guys right now, the reason I’m the best in the world is because my mind is stronger than everyone in the division.”
Covington and Usman started with two busy rounds of striking in which Covington appeared to be landing more blows, but Covington poked Usman in the eye during the third. Usman responded by bloodying Covington in an impressive third-round flurry, and Covington subsequently told his corner that he thought his jaw was broken — but it wasn’t, according to the UFC’s physicians.
Usman took control from there, gradually finishing Covington in his first defense of the belt he took from Woodley earlier this year.
Covington sprinted from the cage after the decision, declining to congratulate Usman.
“I made a lot of mistakes, but I know I hit harder than him,” Usman said.
Volkanovski (21-1) picked apart Holloway (21-5) with leg kicks and movement for five frenetic rounds, controlling the bout with style and persistence. The 31-year-old challenger born in a tiny coastal town in New South Wales joins New Zealand-born middleweight Robert Whittaker as UFC’s only Aussie champs.
The judges favored Volkanovski 48-47, 48-47 and 50-45. Holloway struggled to land consistent strikes while dodging Volkanovski’s barrage of leg kicks, but the long-reigning champ still appeared surprised and disappointed by the judges’ verdict in just his second loss since 2013.
“It means the world,” Volkanovski said. “I have two kids at home. Everything is about my family. Spending time away from them kills me, but this is for them, a little early Christmas present for them.”
Volkanovski became just the fourth featherweight champion in UFC history, joining Jose Aldo, Conor McGregor and Holloway, who had reigned since 2016.
Volkanovski earned his title shot with 17 straight victories, including seven since joining the UFC, capped by a win over Aldo in May.
“Featherweight has always had great, respectful champions who always fight the next contenders in line, and I appreciate that,” Volkanovski said. “There’s a lot of people who have earned their shot and aren’t given it, so I’m going to make sure everyone who earns it, gets it.”
Holloway said he hasn’t decided whether he will resume his career at featherweight or lightweight, but the 28-year-old vowed to come back strong.
“I don’t want to sound like a sore loser,” said Holloway, who thought he won the final three rounds. “I didn’t watch tape, (but) I thought I was doing enough.”
Nunes (19-4) earned her 10th straight win and fifth bantamweight title defense over a half-decade of UFC dominance, but the two-division champion had to rely on her wrestling skills to dominate her 135-pound rematch with De Randamie (9-4), the former 145-pound UFC champion.
“My game plan was to go five rounds and work the takedown,” Nunes said. “I almost got two submissions, but I made some mistakes and I have to fix that. Just a little bit of the technique was off, but I will fix it and next time I will get it.”
After Nunes nearly finished in a one-sided first round, De Randamie surprised Nunes with several effective strikes in the second. Nunes wisely landed multiple takedowns to control the rest of the bout, keeping De Randamie on the mat and unable to land a home-run strike.
“Honestly, I was a little bit off tonight,” Nunes said. “But I’m the champ. I always have Plan A, B, C and more.”
Nunes added the featherweight belt last December with her 51-second thrashing of Cris “Cyborg” Justino, cementing her place among the sport’s greats. Still only 31 years old, Nunes has said she will defend that 145-pound belt in her next fight, which would make her the first UFC fighter to defend two titles simultaneously.
Earlier on the pay-per-view portion of the show, Aldo (28-6) lost a split decision to fellow Brazilian contender Marlon Moraes (23-6-1).
Russian bantamweight contender Petr Yan stopped Urijah Faber with a single head kick in the third round. Yan (14-1) battered and bloodied the 40-year-old veteran with two knockdowns in the second before finishing Faber and then calling out two-division champ Henry Cejudo afterward.
On Episode 3 of UFC 245 Embedded, welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has harsh words for both modern art and his opponent, Colby Covington, who experiences Vegas with a mall massage. Featherweight title challenger Alexander Volkanovski and champion Max Holloway cross paths at fight week checkin. Double champ Amanda Nunes and fiancé Nina Ansaroff get festive for a holiday photo. UFC 245 Embedded is an all-access, behind-the-scenes video blog leading up to the three title fights taking place Saturday December 14. Order the Pay-Per-View at ESPNPlus.com/PPV
Posted by ChasinDatPaper on December 10, 2019 at 12:48pm
Video After The Jump
On Episode 2 of UFC 245 Embedded, welterweight title challenger Colby Covington enjoys the familiar faces and fond memories at a Las Vegas wrestling tournament. Featherweight title challenger Alexander Volkanovski cruises through his workout but struggles with a hotel mini-fridge. Featherweight king Max Holloway leads his team on a hike at Red Rock Canyon and demonstrates his questionable tracking skills. Double champ Amanda Nunes does media hits and sightsees in LA. UFC 245 Embedded is an all-access, behind-the-scenes video blog leading up to the three title fights taking place Saturday December 14. Order the Pay-Per-View at ESPNPlus.com/PPV
On Episode 1 of UFC 244 Embedded, welterweight champion Kamaru Usman goes from “scruffy” to polished at home and then hits the gym for more finishing touches. Rival Colby Covington arrives in Las Vegas and dedicates his upcoming success to a famous family. Featherweight title challenger Alexander Volkanovski makes the long trip from New Zealand with teammate and UFC 245 flyweight Kai Kara France. Featherweight champion Max Holloway works out and horses around with his team at UFC Performance Institute. UFC 245 Embedded is an all-access, behind-the-scenes video blog leading up to the three title fights taking place Saturday December 14. Order the Pay-Per-View at ESPNPlus.com/PPV
On Episode 6 of UFC 245 Embedded, featherweight contender Alexander Volkanovski trains at the UFC Performance Institute accompanied by middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Everyone on Friday morning makes weight at the UFC 245: Official weigh-ins. Afterwards featherweight champion Max Holloway retreats to his room to eat a meal, and get “cupcake wasted.” Then it’s a final flex-and-faceoff for the crowd at the ceremonial weigh-ins. UFC 245 Embedded is an all-access, behind-the-scenes video blog leading up to the three title fights taking place Saturday December 14. Order the Pay-Per-View at ESPNPlus.com/PPV
The last Pay Per View of the decade features 3 title fights at UFC 245. Kamaru Usman defends against Colby Covington, Max Holloway meets Alexander Volkanovski, and Amanda Nunes faces Germaine de Randamie. See these athletes prepare for their bouts.
Kamaru Usman became the welterweight champion and improved his UFC win-streak to 10 at UFC 235 when he dethroned Tyron Woodley. Usman defends his belt at UFC 245 on December 14 where he faces Colby Covington in the main event.
Posted by ChasinDatPaper on September 26, 2019 at 10:22am
Video After The Jump
On today's edition of MMA Talk they present news of Conor McGregor training for his long-awaited return to the octagon, the Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington title fight being close to completion for UFC 245 and more.
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — A deadly fire swept through a crowded nightclub in southern Brazil early Sunday, killing at least 245 people attending a university party and leaving at least 200 injured, police and firefighters said. It appeared to be the deadliest nightclub fire in more than a decade.
Witnesses said that a flare or firework lit by band members may have started the fire.
Police Maj. Cleberson Braida told local news media that the 245 bodies were brought for identification to a gymnasium in the city of Santa Maria, at the southern tip of Brazil near the borders with Argentina and Uruguay.
Television images showed smoke pouring out of the Kiss nightclub as shirtless, young male partygoers joined firefighters in wielding axes and sledgehammers, pounding at windows and walls to break through to those trapped inside. Teenagers sprinted from the scene desperately trying to find help — others carried injured and burned friends away in their arms.
"There was so much smoke and fire, it was complete panic and it took a long time for people to get out, there were so many dead," survivor Luana Santos Silva told the Globo TV network.
Silva added that firefighters and ambulances responded quickly after the fire broke out, but that it spread too fast inside the packed club for them to help.
The death toll is rising in the Brazilian nightclub fire as firefighters search the charred remains of the establishment.(Photo: Agencia RBS, AFP/Getty Images)
Michele Pereira, another survivor, told the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper that she was near the stage and that the fire broke out after band members lit flares.
"The band that was onstage began to use flares and, suddenly, they stopped the show and pointed them upward. At that point the ceiling caught fire. It was really weak but in a matter of seconds it spread," Pereira said.
Civil Police and regional government spokesman Marcelo Arigoni told Radio Gaucha earlier that the total number of victims is still unclear and there may be hundreds injured. Officials earlier said 180 were killed.
Rodrigo Moura, identified by the newspaper Diario de Santa Maria as a security guard at the club, said it was at its maximum capacity of between 1,000 and 2,000, and partygoers were pushing and shoving to escape.
Ezekiel Corte Real, 23, was quoted by the paper as saying that he helped people to escape. "I just got out because I'm very strong," he said.
Relatives of victims react to news of the fire at a nightclub in Santa Maria, Brazil on Sunday.(Photo: Lauro Alves, AFP/Getty Images)
The fire led President Dilma Roussef to cancel a series of meetings she had scheduled at a summit of Latin American and European leaders in Chile's capital of Santiago, and was headed to Santa Maria, according to the Brazilian foreign ministry.
"It is a tragedy for all of us. I am not going to continue in the meeting (in Chile) for very clear reasons," she said.
"Sad Sunday", tweeted Tarso Genro, the governor of the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. He said all possible action was being taken and that he would be in the city later in the day.
Santa Maria is a major university city with a population of around a quarter of a million.
A welding accident reportedly set off a Dec. 25, 2000, fire at a club in Luoyang, China, killing 309.
At least 194 people died at an overcrowded working-class nightclub in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2004. Seven members the band were sentenced to prison for setting off the blaze.
A blaze at the Lame Horse nightclub in Perm, Russia, broke out on Dec. 5, 2009, when an indoor fireworks display ignited a plastic ceiling decorated with branches, killing 152
A nightclub fire in the U.S. state of Rhode Island in 2003 killed 100 people after pyrotechnics used as a stage prop by the 1980s rock band Great White set ablaze cheap soundproofing foam on the walls and ceiling.
}