The UFC’s debut event on ABC will see a former featherweight champion look to re-establish his championship credentials against an in-form contender hoping to secure a shot at the 145-pound title.

The main event of UFC on ABC 1 will see former champ Max Holloway take on Calvin Kattar in a pivotal bout for the UFC’s 145-pound division, with Holloway (21-6 MMA, 17-6 UFC) keen to return to winning ways after losing out to current champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 251 via an agonizing split-decision last July.

Kattar (22-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC), meanwhile, has strengthened his case for a shot at the gold by putting together an impressive run of form. “The Boston Finisher” has won four of his last five, including finishes of Chris Fishgold, Ricardo Lamas and Jeremy Stephens. Most recently, he halted the six-fight winning streak of fellow contender Dan Ige at UFC on ESPN 13 in July 2020.

Ahead of their bout, former UFC welterweight title challenger and UFC analyst Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy invites us into “The War Room,” as he takes a deep dive into the matchup and offers his technical pointers ahead of the fight. Check out his pre-fight assessment via the video above.

UFC on ABC 1 takes place Saturday, Jan. 16 at Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The event airs on ABC.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/ufc-video-dan-hardy-breaks-down-max-holloway-vs-calvin-kattar-ufc-on-abc-1

With just two weeks until UFC 257, it means Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier have wrapped up – or all but wrapped up – vigorous training camps for their highly anticipated rematch.

Their first meeting, back in September 2014 at UFC 178, was a featherweight bout won by McGregor after he finished Poirier inside of two minutes. This time, McGregor and Poirier will do battle at lightweight with much higher stakes, as the winner very well could secure a title shot at 155 pounds.

There’s no question that both men have improved drastically since their first fight. A mental edge might tilt toward McGregor given the result. But what about physically? Will ring rust affect McGregor after a more than year-long layoff? Will the 10 pounds make a difference in the rematch for either man?

We’ll find out Jan. 23 on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi. In the meantime, check below to look back at McGregor and Poirier’s physical transformations over the course of roughly the past two months of training.

Nov. 16: Dustin Poirier

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Nov. 20: Conor McGregor

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Nov. 27: Dustin Poirier

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Nov. 28: Conor McGregor

A post shared by Conor McGregor Official (@thenotoriousmma)

Dec. 4: Dustin Poirier

A post shared by Dustin Poirier (@dustinpoirier)

Dec. 9: Conor McGregor

A post shared by Conor McGregor Official (@thenotoriousmma)

Dec. 10: Dustin Poirier

A post shared by Dustin Poirier (@dustinpoirier)

Dec. 15: Conor McGregor

A post shared by Conor McGregor Official (@thenotoriousmma)

Dec. 23: Dustin Poirier

A post shared by Dustin Poirier (@dustinpoirier)

Dec. 30: Conor McGregor

A post shared by Conor McGregor Official (@thenotoriousmma)

Jan. 7: Dustin Poirier

A post shared by Dustin Poirier (@dustinpoirier)

Jan. 8: Conor McGregor

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Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ufc-257-conor-mcgregor-dustin-poirier-physical-transformation-progress

Two undefeated contenders will go head to head in Lodz, Poland as KSW kicks off its 2021 calendar.

KSW 58 will see the promotional debut of former Bellator and “The Ultimate Fighter” athlete Uros Jurisic, who is set to take on Shamil Musaev in a welterweight clash in Lodz, Poland.

Jurisic (11-0) featured in Season 21 of “The Ultimate Fighter” as part of American Top Team’s lineup, but lost out to The Blackzilians’ Luiz Firmino on the show. But, with TUF matchups run as exhibition bouts, the Slovenian’s professional record remained unblemished.

Since his appearance on TUF, Jurisic has gone on to win six in a row, with five coming via first-round finish. Most recently, Jurisic submitted England’s Walter Gahadza via first-round rear-naked choke at Bellator 247, but became a free agent in 2020 and signed for KSW in early-January 2021.

He’ll take on a fellow undefeated talent when he faces Russia’s Shamil Musaev, who is moving up to 170 pounds after registering back-to-back first-round knockouts in his previous two KSW appearances.

Musaev (14-0) finished Hubert Szymajda via first-round TKO at KSW 48 in April 2019, then followed up with a spinning back first knockout of Grzegorz Szulakowski at KSW 52 in December 2019. Now, after a year away from the cage, Musaev is moving up to welterweight to face Jurisic, with both men putting their unbeaten records on the line.

The main event will feature Olympic weightlifting gold medalist Szymon Kolecki (8-1) take on German veteran Martin Zawada (29-15-1), while the KSW featherweight title is on the line in the co-main event, as French champion Salahdine Parnasse (14-0-1) looks to defend his title against Brazilian Daniel Torres (11-4).

KSW 58 takes place Saturday, Jan. 30 at an undisclosed location in Lodz, Poland. The event streams live on KSWTV.com

Confirmed fights for KSW 58 include:

• Szymon Kolecki vs. Martin Zawada
• Salahdine Parnasse vs. Daniel Torres – for featherweight title
• Uros Jurisic vs. Shamil Musaev
• Francisco Albano Barrio vs. Bartlomiej Kopera

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/ksw-58-undefeated-contenders-collide-as-uros-jurisic-takes-on-shamil-musaev-in-lodz

Conor McGregor got the attention of UFC matchmakers with a run in Cage Warriors in 2011 and 2012 that saw him claim the promotion’s featherweight and lightweight titles.

McGregor returns to the Octagon on Jan. 24 in the UFC 257 main event. “The Notorious” faces Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier in a rematch. The two first fought at UFC 178 in September 2014 with McGregor finishing Poirier in the first round.

(Courtesy of UFC)

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Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/relive-conor-mcgregors-ufc-rise

Conor McGregor became the first person to hold two belts simultaneously after he defeated lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in 2016.

On January 23, McGregor returns to face Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 in their main event rematch.

(Courtesy of UFC)

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Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/watch-conor-mcgregor-destroy-eddie-alvarez-ahead-of-ufc-257