NYFights

Undercard fighters in support of the farewell performance of Katie Taylor at Croke Park in Dublin used the opportunity to perform in front of a massive audience even short of its 80,000 person capacity. The co-main event came to a sudden and shocking halt as Thomas Carty flew through the ropes out of the ring just 90 seconds into the fight with Dave Allen. Irish fans cheered on their local fighters to mixed results, with wins for Paddy Donovan, Adam Olaniyan, and Paul Ryan.

Khamzat Chimaev returns to action Saturday, headlining RAF Moscow in a highly anticipated catchweight wrestling match against former UFC champion Tyron Woodley. This marks Chimaev’s first major competitive outing since losing his undisputed UFC middleweight title to Sean Strickland at UFC 328 back in May.

Mike Perry had a terrible week after dislocating his left shoulder at Duel Arena 1 in Orlando. Perry was supposed to fight Dillon Danis, but Danis pulled out just two days before the event. Brandon Jenkins stepped in as a late replacement. Because of the last-minute change, Perry took a 50 percent pay cut to stay on the card, leaving him little time to prepare for a new opponent. The fight ended with Perry suffering a severe injury.

Arman Tsarukyan is just one win away from a lightweight title shot, at least according to the fighter’s own camp. But UFC CEO Dana White isn’t rushing to confirm it. With UFC 331 set for September 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Tsarukyan’s co-main event clash with Mauricio Ruffy carries championship stakes that White himself won’t fully commit to.

What to Know Irish boxing legend Katie Taylor took part in the final weigh-in and faceoff of her boxing career in front of her devoted Irish fans Friday at Trinity College in Dublin. Taylor weighed in at 139.6 pounds. Her opponent, Flora Pili of France, weighed in at 139.9 pounds. Their showdown in Taylor’s farewell fight takes place Saturday, Sept. 5 at the iconic Irish stadium Croke Park in Dublin. The fight card airs on DAZN Boxing with the main card starting at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT.

Umar Nurmagomedov’s title hopes took a brutal hit at UFC Shanghai when Song Yadong knocked him out cold in the second round. The upset handed Umar his first finish in his MMA career and only his second professional defeat. Afterward, it reignited debate about how the UFC handles its most hyped prospects. Former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling weighed in on the finish, and he’s not pinning it on just bad luck.

Khamzat Chimaev has moved past his demands for an immediate rematch with Sean Strickland. Months after losing his middleweight championship by split decision at UFC 328, the Chechen fighter is looking ahead as the division moves on without him. Chimaev entered the main event as an undefeated favorite with a perfect 15-0 record, but left with the first loss of his career. While he initially campaigned for a rematch, the bout seems far from materializing.

Three of the super featherweight division titles will be on the line Saturday, October 24 in San Antonio, Texas as WBO/IBF World Super Featherweight champion Emanuel Navarrete of Mexico (40-2-1, 33 KOs) and WBC titleholder O’Shaquie Foster of Houston (25-3, 12 KOs) risk their titles in a three-belt unification fight on Saturday, Oct. 24, at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.

UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall remains sidelined, and the update his manager delivered this week is worse than most fans expected. Despite recent rumors of a promotion exit being publicly shut down, Aspinall’s return to the Octagon keeps getting delayed. Amid this, fans are finally getting a clear picture of what his recovery looks like behind the scenes. Promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed that Aspinall has undergone four eye surgeries since suffering a severe injury last October.

Justin Gaethje just won the UFC lightweight title by defeating Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250. Following the massive upset, he’s skipping past the usual rematch queue. Rather than targeting any of the division’s ranked contenders, “The Highlight” used his first post-championship media appearance to name Conor McGregor as the opponent he actually wants. And his explanation is as unfiltered as his fighting style.