UFC

Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler will fight at UFC 281 on Nov. 12.

UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell confirmed to Brett Okamoto of ESPN that Poirier and Chandler will cross paths inside Madison Square Garden. According to Okamoto, Chandler has also signed a new contract with UFC that locks him in for multiple fights.

UFC 281 will be headlined by Israel Adesanya's middleweight title defense against Alex Pereira.

The stakes won't be as high for Chandler vs. Poirier, but their bout will help to establish the hierarchy near the top of the lightweight division. Poirier and Chandler sit second and fifth, respectively, in UFC's divisional rankings.

Chandler fought Charles Oliveira at UFC 262 in May 2021 to determine a lightweight champion following the retirement of Khabib Nurmagomedov. Oliveira won with a second-round TKO and went on to successfully defend the title against Poirier at UFC 269 in December, winning via a rear-naked choke in the third round.

The lightweight division was subsequently thrown into flux this May when Oliveira failed to make weight ahead of a clash with Justin Gaethje. The Brazilian was stripped of the title but became the No. 1 contender for the vacant belt by submitting Gaethje in the first round.

Poirier hasn't competed in the Octagon since his loss to Oliveira, while Chandler rebounded from his defeat with a vicious second-round knockout of Tony Ferguson at UFC 274 in May.

One of the two can make a major statement in the Big Apple this fall.

Tony Ferguson will have the chance to end his four-fight losing streak in September.

UFC President Dana White told reporters Saturday that Ferguson will face Li Jingliang at UFC 279 in Las Vegas on Sept. 10 in a welterweight bout.

Dating back to May 2020, the 38-year-old Ferguson (25-7) has lost to Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, Beneil Dariush and Michael Chandler. That followed a 12-fight winning streak that included beating Kevin Lee in 2017 to win the interim lightweight title.

Ferguson was later stripped of the title because of injury. Only Khabib Nurmagomedov has matched that winning streak in UFC history.

Ferguson and Nurmagomedov had been scheduled to face on several occasions during Ferguson's lengthy win streak, only for the matchups to be canned for various reasons, including complications presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before his recent struggles, Ferguson had been 15-1 in the UFC and emerged as one of the promotion's most popular and respected fighters. He last fought in the welterweight division back in 2011.

The 34-year-old Li (19-7) is 11-5 in the UFC and has alternated between wins and losses in his last five fights. He most recently defeated Muslim Salikhov by TKO in July.

UFC 279 is set to be a major draw, with Nate Diaz and Khamzat Chimaev headlining the event. Johnny Walker is also set to take on Ion Cutelaba, while Irene Aldana will fight Macy Chiasson, among other matchups.+

It's safe to say Paulo Costa wasn't a fan of Luke Rockhold smearing blood on his face near the end of their UFC 278 fight Saturday.

"I didn't see it in the moment of the fight," Costa told reporters. "I just felt something on my face, but I was so worried about blocking his arms to not get elbowed in the face and punched. But I felt something. ... Now, when I saw, it's a very disgusting scene. It's a very weird moment."

Despite the "weird moment," Costa earned the victory by unanimous decision by scores of 30-27.

"I don't know why Luke did that," he added. "Maybe he was so frustrated and angry because he was losing the fight. But I took a very long shower after the fight."

Costa is 14-2 in his career, and Saturday represented a solid bounce-back effort after he lost to Marvin Vettori and Israel Adesanya in his previous two fights.

While he was in control throughout the matchup with Rockhold, his performance will likely be overshadowed by the bloody antics of his opponent.

UFC President Dana White is looking for a big audience in a third bout between Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman.

White told reporters after Edwards' stunning win Saturday at UFC 278 that he wants the trilogy matchup to take place in England, with Wembley Stadium considered a possibility, per Mike Bohn of USA Today.

Edwards is just the second English fighter to win a UFC belt and said Saturday he wants his title defense in his home country:

The 30-year-old lost his first match against Usman in 2015 but earned the rematch win Saturday with a knockout in the final minute of the fifth round.

Edwards has been on a tear since his first loss to Usman, winning 10 of 11 bouts with one no-contest.

Usman was even better with 15 straight wins entering Saturday, ranked the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC. He had six successful title defenses after winning the welterweight belt in 2019.

It makes another bout between the two a no-brainer, with Usman looking to redeem himself after his second career loss and first in the UFC.

Wembley Stadium would certainly represent a memorable venue with 90,000 seats, although the weather could be a factor in an outside event.

"I’m scared to go outside, and I’m definitely scared to go outside in England," White said.

Regardless of the location, the third battle will undoubtedly be one of the most highly anticipated UFC matchups in years.

Leon Edwards stunned the MMA world on Saturday night, knocking out Kamaru Usman in the fifth round of their welterweight title fight at UFC 278.

But as he told reporters after the bout, he didn't feel as though he performed particularly well:

"Going into it, I knew it was going to be a tough fight. I said it all week. But I believe I was the better man—but even though it was one my worst performances, it is what it is, I got a clean finish. ... My body just wasn't reacting the way it was meant to react. I don't know if it was the altitude or not, but when I was backstage watching the other guys fight on TV, everyone was getting tired and gassing out. I was like, 'Why is everyone getting tired?' When I went out there after the first round I felt it. My body just wasn't reacting.

"It wasn't a cardio issue, it was just like my body wasn't reacting. But I stayed focused, my coaches spurred me on and kept reminding me, 'You're still in the fight, you are the best, and fight until the end.' That combination I was drilling with my coaches, that left-cross head kick, and it landed perfectly."

It appeared as though Usman was heading for a straightforward decision after winning the fight's middle three rounds. He was in control in the final frame as well, until an Edwards kick caught him with just 56 seconds remaining and knocked out the UFC's top-ranked pound-for-pound fighter.

It was a result that left fighters around the sport in amazement:

It seems likely that a rematch will follow and put a cap on the trilogy, with Usman winning their first fight back in 2015. And if Edwards' body is reacting better in that fight, Usman might be in trouble again.

Kamaru Usman looked well on his way to defending his welterweight title for the sixth time.

Until he wasn't.

Leon Edwards landed a shocking head kick in the final round to stun Usman in the UFC 278 main event. All the momentum was in the other corner before the kick after the champion scored multiple takedowns and was in full control.

UFC President Dana White went as far as to tell reporters Usman fought "the perfect fight" until everything changed.

"You think of everything that was on the line for Usman tonight, and Usman fought with absolute and total confidence all night," White said. "He fought the perfect fight. It might not be the most fan-friendly style, but he was landing big shots to the body, big shots to the head, elbows. Couldn't have fought a more perfect fight until the last minute."

White also suggested the third fight of a trilogy is on the way since Usman defeated Edwards in 2015 and seemed to be the better fighter Saturday before the kick.

But until then, Edwards is the champion.

After a stunning upset over Kamaru Usman, Leon Edwards unsurprisingly earned a $50,000 bonus for Performance of the Night at UFC 278, per Jed Meshew of MMA Fighting.

Usman entered Saturday as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC rankings, but it was Edwards who left with the welterweight title after a knockout in the final minute of the fifth round.

It gave Edwards the biggest win of his career as well as an added bonus from the pay-per-view.

Victor Altamirano earned the other Performance of the Night bonus from UFC 278 after a first-round knockout over Daniel Lacerda in the preliminary card. The 31-year-old was competing in just his second UFC bout after losing to Carlos Hernandez in his February debut, but he showed his talent Saturday.

Paulo Costa and Luke Rockhold each took home Fight of the Night bonuses after their three-round battle that Costa won by unanimous decision. Costa earned the same bonus after his hard-fought win over Yoel Romero in 2019.