That was fast: Tickets for UFC 261 in Jacksonville sell out ‘in minutes’
FILE - In this Sept. 19, 2019, file photo, UFC President Dana White speaks at a news conference in New York. UFC 249 has been canceled after ESPN and parent company Disney stopped White's plan to keep fighting amid the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan, File)JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Tickets for the Ultimate Fighting Championship event in Jacksonville came and went in a hurry on Friday morning. UFC president Dana White said in a post on Twitter that tickets for UFC 261 “sold out in minutes,” and was “one of the fastest sell outs in UFC history.” Only resale tickets were left on Ticketmaster at noon Friday. AdThank you UFC fans!!!
Slap in the face: Da Crazy Hawaiian, rising slap fight star
Slap fighting, the art of striking another fighter with an open hand for sport, is the latest head-turning spectacular. Slap fighting, yes the art of striking another fighter with an open hand for sport, is the latest head-turning spectacular. Trying to poke fun at the slap-until-you're-knocked out-sport would be, yes, a slap in the face to the Da Crazy Hawaiian. He has has dished out the fiercest open-hand smacks in the United States in his bid to be the most punishing slapper in slap fighting. Da Crazy Hawaiian and Hillbilly Hippie got to lay the slap down round after round that led to a few punch-drunk stumbles but no decision.
They’re back: Blockbuster UFC card coming to Jacksonville next month, with fans
(AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Ultimate Fighting Championship is headed back to Jacksonville with a blockbuster card and one very important addition: fans. The UFC held three events in Jacksonville last May, including UFC 249, in the first live sporting event held during the pandemic. Welcome back to Jacksonville 👊🏻 @ufc . There are three championship fights on the card. Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman will have a rematch with Florida’s Jorge Masvidal in the main event of UFC 261.
Conventions highlight aggressive fact-check efforts
Both Maddow and CNN's Daniel Dale aired lightning-round fact-checks following President Donald Trump's acceptance speech on Thursday night. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)NEW YORK Rachel Maddow ended her fact-check mission with a lightning round after President Donald Trump's nomination acceptance speech 12 corrections in about a minute. You can't win.Some of the efforts also stretch the definition of fact-checking, like when MSNBC interviewed Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan after a convention speech where South Dakota Gov. There he goes, lying again, anchor Sean Hannity said in cutting off a speech by former President Bill Clinton. Maddow's anchor colleague, Joy Reid, said as the convention's third night was coming to a close that she saw why it was necessary.
WHAT TO WATCH: Trump's moment, Ivanka and Rudy Giuliani
What to watch on the fourth and final night of the Republican National Convention:TRUMPTrump is scheduled to accept his partys renomination in an address from the White House South Lawn. IVANKAThe president will be introduced by his daughter Ivanka Trump, the fourth of his five children to speak during the convention. RUDYDonald Trumps personal attorney Rudy Giuliani is scheduled to help close out the convention. BIDENThe Democrat has laid low this week but he's scheduled to appear at a virtual fundraiser Thursday. ET (a half-hour earlier than the Democratic convention last week) and runs through 11 p.m.
UFC legacies on line for Miocic-Cormier trilogy title fight
FILE - In this July 7, 2018, file photo, Daniel Cormier, right, fights Stipe Miocic during a heavyweight title mixed martial arts bout at UFC 226 in Las Vegas. The trilogy fight between Daniel Cormier and champ Stipe Miocic will crown the greatest heavyweight of all time. UFC 252 Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020, in Las Vegas could be Cormier's last fight ever. It is billed as the super fight to end all super fights -- well, until the next one -- with good reason. Theyll settle the score Saturday when Miocic defends the championship against Cormier in the main event of UFC 252 at the UFC APEX complex in Las Vegas.
No longer Dana White's dream, UFC's Fight Island is real
A few months later, the project that came to be known as Fight Island is real and ready for competition. And while Fight Island is not exactly the idyllic scene evoked by its name, the octagon inside an air-conditioned arena on Abu Dhabi's Yas Island also sits inside a bubble that seems highly unlikely to burst. Rather than a deserted tropical paradise, Yas Island is a modern tourist destination with amusement parks, malls and a Formula One racetrack. Fight Island will host four UFC events in 14 days, starting with three championship fights at UFC 251 this weekend. I dont know, White said.
One Championship making deliberate plans for return to cage
Sityodtong still plans to be a bit more measured on his own path to get One Championship back in the cage during this unprecedented public health crisis. One Championship definitely will return to action this summer, Sityodtong told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Sityodtong is working with government officials and health experts on the fastest path back in China, Thailand and Singapore, One Championship's hometown. Once he finalizes his plans, Sityodtong plans to speed up One's calendar to hold as many events as prudently possible in 2020. But One Championship, which held its most recent show Feb. 28, is proceeding down this difficult path more deliberately than the UFC.
UFC 'Fight Island' revealed in Abu Dhabi, will host 4 shows
The UFC's mysterious Fight Island is actually Yas Island, a popular tourist destination in Abu Dhabi where the mixed martial arts promotion will hold four shows in July. The UFC revealed the location Tuesday and announced a series of fan-free shows at Fight Island, starting with a card tentatively featuring three title fights at UFC 251 on July 11. The UFC has staged past fight cards most recently in September on the leisure island in the United Arab Emirates. The UFC will hold subsequent shows on Yas Island on July 15, July 18 and July 25. White told ESPN, his promotion's broadcast partner, that Fight Island will encompass a hotel and restaurants along with an octagon.
Conor McGregor makes 3rd retirement announcement in 4 years
Conor McGregor has announced his retirement for the third time in four years. McGregor abruptly made his latest dubious declaration Sunday morning on his Twitter account, where the former two-division UFC champion also announced his retirement in 2016 and 2019. Hey guys Ive decided to retire from fighting, McGregor wrote in a caption below a photo of him and his mother. If Conor McGregor feels he wants to retire, you know my feelings about retirement, White said. McGregor made his first Twitter retirement announcement in April 2016 during a spat with the UFC over promotion of his rematch with Nate Diaz.