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MMA & Boxing Today: Dana White Raves About MSG Sphere, Crawford Wants Canelo, More

Get all of the latest news in combat sports for Monday, Aug. 5.

Zain Bando

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome back to MMAKO’s Monday dose of combat sports updates from the weekend, put together by none other than Sunday newswriter Zain Bando.

The UFC Abu Dhabi and PFL Nashville cards have come and gone, along with Terence Crawford (41-0) capturing another belt in the squared-circle. Without further ado, here are the biggest headlines in combat sports for Monday, Aug. 5

Dana White Gushes Over “On Par” UFC 306 Sphere Tickets 

Although UFC 306 tickets are officially on sale as of Monday, July 29, the vast majority of them could only be described as unaffordable for the average UFC fan.

Sunday saw the cheapest price listed on TicketMaster as $1,757, while the most expensive capped $16,000+. Despite the public numbers, White is adamant that, although both events are just miles from each other, fans should be able to buy tickets that aren’t a bargain while boxing features Canelo vs. Berlanga at T-Mobile Arena for under $500 upon purchasing the cheapest seat.

MMA & Boxing Today: Dana White Raves About MSG Sphere, Crawford Wants Canelo, More
Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; UFC CEO and president Dana White during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

“But this is on par with any massive event that happens on Cinco de Mayo or Mexican Independence Day, when Canelo fights,” White told MMA journalist Kevin Iole in an interview posted over the weekend.

White anticipates the MSG Sphere gate to be a significant milestone for the company, potentially surpassing the record set by UFC 205 in Nov. 2016 ($17.7 million), according to a July 11 story from MMAJunkie. The event saw now-former double champion Conor McGregor KO Eddie Alvarez in the night’s main event, becoming the first fighter in UFC history to hold two belts at the same time.

“We study this s*** like f***** scientists,” White said. “This is our business. This is what we do, and this is on par with the Canelo [Alverez vs. Edgar Berlanga] fight [which is at MGM Grand Arena on September 14] and obviously, this is a one-of-one event. I'm $20 million into this f***** thing, anywhere between $17 and $20 [million] right now, and the fight isn't until September 14.”

Sept. 14 will likely be one of the bigger Las Vegas sporting event nights within the last year, as UFC 306 will be the second major sporting event in venue history. The 2024 NHL Draft was hosted at the MSG Sphere in June.

Terence Crawford Edges Israil Madrimov In Los Angeles

Terence Crawford remained unblemished while handing Ukrainian star Israel Madrimov (10-1-1) his first professional loss in a hard-fought 12-round decision (116-112,115-113, 115-113). 

The fight was close throughout. Madrimov, the betting underdog at close, gave all Crawford could handle but couldn’t find the KO shot to close the upset. Crawford kept his distance in the latter part of the fight, not letting Madrimov get too close by making it a slugfest in the middle of the ring, as BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. looked onward.

MMA & Boxing Today: Dana White Raves About MSG Sphere, Crawford Wants Canelo, More
Apr 20, 2019; New York, NY, USA; Terence Crawford looks on after winning his fight against Amir Khan during the WBO welterweight title fight at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Sarah Stier-USA TODAY Sports / Sarah Stier-USA TODAY Sports

It was not a typical Crawford performance, but remaining perfect is exactly what needed to happen for the Nebraska native to keep the big fights headed his way.

The big question remains whether or not Crawford will fight Alvarez at some point down the line, as it would arguably be the biggest non-heavyweight fight since Mayweather-Pacquiao in May 2015.  

When posed the question in the ring post-fight, Crawford said he would take the fight, but on one condition.

“If the money is right, we fight,” Crawford said.

Whether or not the fight has legs remains to be seen, but only time will tell.

UFC 308 Gets Primetime Abu Dhabi Slot

Similar to the last few years, UFC 308 will get an afternoon start time on ESPN+ Pay-Per-View to accommodate the Abu Dhabi fanbase.

UFC executive David Shaw confirmed the news to assembled media after UFC Abu Dhabi concluded Saturday afternoon. Some of the key headlining bouts were announced just hours ahead of the ABC/ESPN2 event, which saw 13 fights take place and witness a rare non-appearance from White at cageside.

MMA & Boxing Today: Dana White Raves About MSG Sphere, Crawford Wants Canelo, More
Ilia Topuria will headlined UFC 308 against Max Holloway. / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Shaw cited the importance of off-prime events (meaning fights that air in territories to accommodate that nation’s audience versus the traditional pay-per-view start time of 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT stateside).

UFC 308 is one of those instances, as ESPN currently has the Pay-Per-View start time listed for 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT. Expect a non-linear ESPN broadcast for the prelims, as college football will be hitting its midway point and may take priority.

PFL Nashville Sees Four Fighters Advance To Championships

PFL Nashville saw 10 fights go down Friday night, and the PFL playoff picture is set for two divisions: women’s flyweight and heavyweight.

All four top seeds (1 and 2s) advanced. The main event saw Denis Goltsov (35-8 MMA, 13-3 PFL) run past Tim Johnson (18-10 MMA, 1-1 PFL) with a first-round TKO, while Oleg Popov (19-1 MMA, 3-0 PFL) won a clear unanimous decision against Bellator veteran Linton Vassell (25-10, 1-2 PFL).

The flyweight finals will see Dakota Ditcheva (13-0 MMA, 8-0 PFL) take on former UFC flyweight title challenger Taila Santos (22-3 MMA, 3-0 UFC). Ditcheva made quick work of Jena Bishop (7-2 MMA, 1-2 PFL) with a first-round KO win, while Santos knocked off Bellator Flyweight Champion and UFC veteran Liz Carmouche (22-8 MMA, 2-1 PFL, 7-0 Bellator) by unanimous decision. Carmouche missed weight ahead of the bout.

With the semifinals concluded, here is what the championship bracket looks like in both divisions.

PFL Heavyweight Final:

  • #1 Denis Goltsov vs. #2 Oleg Popov

PFL Women’s Flyweight Final:

  • #1 Dakota Ditcheva vs. #2 Taila Santos

 What’s Coming Up?

It’s a lighter week on the combat sports calendar as UFC Vegas 95 goes down from the UFC APEX, headlined by a heavyweight rematch between Marcin Tybura (25-8 MMA, 12-7 UFC) and Serghei Spivac (16-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC). Tybura won their first bout by unanimous decision in Feb. 2020.

The card gets underway from the APEX at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT, followed by the main card at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

MMAKO will provide live coverage of UFC Vegas 95 and all the latest news and analysis throughout the week. 

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Zain Bando
ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer for MMA Knockout, part of the Sports Illustrated/Minute Media umbrella. He has covered combat sports since 2019 for notable outlets BJPenn.com and FanSided MMA. He also co-hosts a podcast called "The MMA Outsiders," part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network, which airs Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. A Chicago suburban native, Bando has been enthralled with MMA since 2006 and has been fortunate to attend some of the most high-profile events in the sport's history, both as a fan and media member, including UFC 264, Bellator 297 and Kayla Harrison's PFL MMA debut. He is excited to take the next step in his combat sports writing journey and looks forward to continuing his following of the fight game for years to come. Bando can be reached via email at zainbando99@gmail.com or by social media @zainbando99

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