Connect with us

MMA

Taylor Lapilus vs. Mitch McKee to crown bantamweight champion in last PFL event

Published

on

Taylor Lapilus vs. Mitch McKee to crown bantamweight champion in last PFL event

PFL will crown its bantamweight champion on Dec. 19 in Lyon, France, when Taylor Lapilus faces off with Mitch McKee for the inaugural 135-pound belt in the main event of the last PFL card before merging with MVP in 2027, the promotion announced Wednesday.

Lapilus (25-4) won four in a row under the PFL banner after parting ways with the UFC on a two-fight winning streak, topping Jake Hadley in his most recent bout this past May. The 34-year-old French bantamweight was victorious in six of eight bouts over two stints in the UFC.

“My whole career has led to this moment,†Lapilus stated in a release. “I'm here to become champion, leave my mark on this sport, and cement my legacy. And when I look back, I want to know I was part of the moment everything changed for French MMA. This is more than a title fight. This is history in the making.â€

McKee (11-0) is a decorated wrestler and undefeated MMA prospect who earned a shot at the PFL gold after beating former Bellator titleholder Sergio Pettis via decision in April, his first appearance under the company's banner after a successful 8-0 run in LFA.

“Fighting for a PFL world title is exactly why I came here,†McKee said. “Taylor is a great fighter, he's experienced, and I know fighting him in France means I'm walking into his backyard. I wouldn't want it any other way. I've believed from day one that I'm the best bantamweight in the PFL, and in December I get the opportunity to prove it. I'm going to Lyon to bring that belt home.â€

The final four PFL shows before the transition under the MVP name are scheduled for Oct. 16 in Chicago, followed by a pair of November events before the last trip to Lyon.

“Lyon has become one of the great fight cities in the world, and the energy French fans bring for their athletes is palpable,†MVP CEO John Martin stated in a release. “On December 19, fans will have the opportunity to see one of their own fight for a world championship as Taylor Lapilus takes on the biggest test of his career in the undefeated Mitch McKee. … The night will also mark a major milestone for our company as the final event under the PFL banner before we move forward as MVP in 2027. I can't think of a better city or a better stage for it.â€

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

MMA

Morning Report | Chris Weidman, Dustin Poirier recall opponents’ dramatic change from weigh-in to fight night: ‘Who the f*ck is this guy?’

Published

on

Morning Report | Chris Weidman, Dustin Poirier recall opponents’ dramatic change from weigh-in to fight night: ‘Who the f*ck is this guy?’

What’s up best community in sports? Hope you’re having a great start to the week.

Tomorrow (later than usual), we’re going LIVE with a special Between the Links episode. I’ll be in Las Vegas, and joining me will be the great José Youngs to answer your questions about UFC 333, the two title fights, RAF 14, and much more.

Here’s your chance to get your questions in, early and often. Show will go live around 6-6:30-ish p.m. ET, depending on my fun day of travel. Fire away, and we’ll see you tomorrow.

Continue Reading

MMA

Alexander Volkanovski predicts wild finish of 20-0 Movsar Evloev

Published

on

Alexander Volkanovski predicts 'wild' finish of 20-0 Movsar Evloev
Alexander
Volkanovski is brimming with confidence ahead of his next title
defense.

Volkanovski (28-4) is scheduled to defend his
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title against
Movsar
Evloev (20-0) at
UFC 333 on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The Australian
champion believes he can deliver a career-best performance against
the undefeated Russian.

Alexander Volkanovski doubts Movsar Evloev can outgrapple him
for 25 minutes at UFC 333

Evloev has won all 10 of his UFC bouts by decision, but Volkanovski
doubts the challenger can outgrapple him for five rounds. “The
Great†believes Evloev would need to catch him with a decisive
strike to win.

“Trying to outgrapple me for 25 minutes, I can't see it,â€
Volkanovski told MMA Junkie. “I believe that the only chance that
any of these guys have is for them to catch me… If he thinks he can
beat me by decision or he thinks he can outgrapple me, I'm sure
he's gonna try, we'll see. I'm just very confident in my skills and
the fighter I still am… I think I can do it in pretty wild fashion.
I believe I can get a finish. I believe I can do it inside five… A
lot of people are going to go say after this fight, ‘Is that the
best Volk we’ve ever seen?'â€

Volkanovski first won the title against Max
Holloway in 2019 and defended it five times before losing to
Ilia
Topuria in 2024. He reclaimed the vacant championship against
Diego
Lopes last year after Topuria moved up to lightweight, then
defended it in their rematch in January.

Continue Reading

MMA

Joaquin Buckley vows to livestream UFC comeback after 3 straight losses

Published

on

Joaquin Buckley vows to livestream UFC comeback after 3 straight losses
Joaquin
Buckley remains undeterred after his third consecutive defeat
in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Buckley faced Mike Malott in the Canadian's home country at

UFC Edmonton on Saturday. Malott landed a knee in the second
round and followed with a punch before the referee stopped the
bout. Despite the setback, “New Mansa†remains optimistic about his
future.

Joaquin Buckley plans to document his rebuild after Mike
Malott’s UFC Edmonton knockout

Buckley won six straight fights before his current skid. He now
plans to livestream his efforts to rebuild, inviting fans to follow
the process.

“Right now, we rebuilding and I want y'all to see the process, not
just the results,†Buckley wrote in the caption of his postfight
Instagram post. “The highs, the lows, and everything it takes to
become who God called me to be.â€

In the accompanying video, Buckley said he wants to share his
training and introduce fans to his team.

“I realize that I want to document everything,†Buckley said. “I
want to document the process, I want to document the work, I want
to document the team. This is really just starting back over from
scratch; creating a new foundation and making something happen… I'm
not going to stop; I'm going to keep working. And I'll make sure
that everybody remembers that name.â€

Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe Us To Receive Our Latest News Directly In Your Inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Trending