Ronda Rousey

What is it?

Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 299. The fight sees McGregor - aka 'The Notorious' - return to the Octagon after his defeat to Floyd Mayweather in the boxing ring in August 2017.

What date is the fight?

The latest fight night of UFC - UFC 299 - is on October 6, 2018. Ten fights will be taking place, including McGregor's.

What time does it start and when is McGregor vs Nurmagomedov?

It will be a middle-of-the-night fight for UFC fans, unfortunately. The fight card will be taking place from around midnight UK time, with the headline lightweight bout of McGregor vs Nurmagomedov due at around 3am BST. But if fights go the distance, it could be an even later start.

Which venue is hosting?

The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where McGregor was defeated by Mayweather last August.

What TV channel is it on?

You can watch UFC in the UK on BT Sport until the end of the year, when Eleven Sports takes over the rights. BT Sport is yet to announce full broadcast details, including channel and start time.

What are the fight records of McGregor and Nurmagomedov?

Khabib Nurmagomedov: 26 fights, 26 wins, eight by KO and eight by submission
Conor McGregor: 24 fights, 21 wins (18 KO), three defeats

Who else is on the fight card?

Along with McGregor vs Nurmagomedev, there are nine other fights to look forward to:

Lightweight: Gray Maynard vs Nik Lentz
Women's Bantamweight: Lina Lansberg vs Yana Kunitskaya
Welterweight: Ryan LaFlare vs Tony Martin
Lightweight: Scott Holtzman vs Alan Patrick
Flyweight: Sergio Pettis vs Jussier Formiga
Bantamweight: Sean O'Malley vs Jose Alberto Quinonez
Women's Strawweight: Michelle Waterson vs Felice Herrig
Heavyweight: Derrick Lewis vs Alexander Volkov
Light Heavyweight: Ovince Saint Preux vs Dominick Reyes
Lightweight: Tony Ferguson vs Anthony Pettis

What are they saying?

Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov - father of McGregor's opponent:

“I think Conor understands that he wasn’t the real champion at 155 [pounds]. He only fought against two lightweights and one of them choked him out. When he took the belt, there were about six lightweights who were stronger than him.
“There are a lot of fighters who deserve a title shot more than Conor. For example, Poirier. He can keep a high pace, he tries to finish opponents. Poirier is the real contender.”

What are the latest fight odds?

Khabib Nurmagomedov win - 4/7
Conor McGregor - 11/8

Conor McGregor says he will beat Khabib Nurmagomedov by "devastating knockout" in his comeback UFC fight in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Speaking on Ariel Helwani's MMA Show, Irishman McGregor added he would "never announce his retirement" from MMA.

McGregor will return to the octagon for the first time in almost two years when he fights Russia's undefeated UFC lightweight champion Nurmagomedov in UFC 229.

"I'm going to maul him," McGregor, 30, said.

"I will clatter him; he will crumble. I don't think he can take a smack. He reacts like a novice."

McGregor v Nurmagomedov: What to expect from UFC 229
McGregor launches tirade against Nurmagomedov in UFC 229 conference
McGregor's last appearance in UFC came in November 2016 when he beat Eddie Alvarez to add the lightweight belt to his featherweight title.

He was later stripped of both titles because of inactivity, with Nurmagomedov being installed as lightweight champion earlier this year - a decision that still grates with McGregor.

In an earlier interview with TheMacLife.com, he said he "fell out of love with the game" but was now "more hungry" as he returns to the octagon.

"I spent my entire life's work to win those two UFC titles," he said.

"I sacrificed so much to gain those world titles and then as soon as I win the second world title - I hadn't even been offered a featherweight contest - and the featherweight title was taken off me.

"Many things irritated me in the game and just watching it all unfold, I just became a lot more hungry to come back and show who the real king is.

"I fell out of love with the game for a bit, went off and did my own thing, had many things going on and now I'm back. I'm hungry to compete and we're here right on the cusp of it."

Division: Women's Bantamweight

Records: Cris Cyborg (18-1), Holly Holm (11-3)

Women's MMA in the UFC has been flawed over its brief existence. The promotion has long viewed the bulk of its female roster as little more than cannon fodder for its favored fighters, frequently funneling green contenders into the sights of dominant champions while rarely affording up-and-coming talents the opportunity to mature.

Two of the fighters who bucked that trend are Cris "Cyborg" Justino and Holly Holm. Both were well-established before entering the UFC. Both women undermined the promotion's carefully constructed Ronda Rousey myth. Both received harsh backlash from UFC brass and fans for it. Both, ultimately, soldiered on and enjoyed inconvenient but unignorable success.

Now, after a remarkably strange series of circumstances, the promotion is forced to rely on them to headline one of the biggest events of the year. And though the company might not like it, fans almost certainly will.

It's an interesting bout between fighters with remarkably different styles. Cyborg, known for her lengthy highlight reel filled with savage knockouts, is a bruising in-fighter who lands hard combinations in phone-booth range. Holm, who became an overnight star for her performance at UFC 193, is a wily counter-striker who punishes offensive advances and slips away before foes can respond.

While Holm has the tools to outland Cyborg en route to a decision, the Brazilian's consistent dominance makes it impossible to pick against her. This will likely be a battle of inches, though, and if Holm can find her range before Cyborg, things could get very interesting.

Prediction: Cris Cyborg def. Holly Holm by TKO in Round 4

Holly Holm vs. Cris Cyborg title fight now confirmed for UFC 219

Just one week ago the fight was declared “dead” by Holm’s manager. However, it appears that talks were reignited recently and a deal came into place today.

Cyborg (20-1, 3-0 UFC) claimed the vacant title by stopping Tonya Evinger in the third round of their UFC 214 bout in July. Her other two wins in the promotion came at 140 pounds.

Holm (11-3, 4-3 UFC) ended a three-fight losing streak with a KO win over Bethe Correia in June. She has previously challenged for the 145-pound title, dropping a decision to Germaine de Randamie in February. De Randamie then vacated the title, allowing Cyborg to claim it.

The bout will likely serve as the headliner for the December 30th card in Las Vegas.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT SAM. NOV. 18 WERDUM VS TYBURA

Joanna Jedrzejczyk says UFC Have Granted her Rose Namajunas Title Rematch

According to former long-time UFC women’s strawweight titleholder Joanna Jedrzejczyk, the promotion have granted her the opportunity to get back into the Octagon with newly crowned champion Rose Namajunas in 2018.

Jedrzejczyk suffered a shock TKO loss to Namajunas in just over three minutes of fighting at UFC 217 earlier this month, shattering her unbeaten 14-0 record, and now she’s looking for revenge.

“I know what I want in life,” Jedrzejczyk told InTheCagePL. “Just like I’ve done for the last two years, the last 14 years of my career, it will be the same next year. I back up my words — I don’t just talk. I already spoke to the UFC, and my return is set. My next fight will be for the title belt. I don’t know if Rose is going to want to fight in a month, in January or in February. I’ll spend the next two months in Poland with my family.”

“I have a lot of media obligations, [and] I’ll be flying out to China in a few days and that’s that. This is my time away, my rest.

“Like I said, if Rose wants to fight in February or March with the first contender available, it doesn’t matter to me if she’ll be wearing the belt or if there will be a new champion. I’m going after what’s mine and that’s the belt.”

UFC champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk says RETIREMENT not far off

Appreciate Joanna Jedrzejczyk now – because the reigning UFC strawweight champion might not be active in the sport for much longer.

Jedrzejczyk (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) isn’t planning on retiring tomorrow, nor is she going to make an immediate exit from the sport following Saturday’s UFC 205 title defense against Karolina Kowalkiewicz (10-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC), which takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York City and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

What she is planning, though, is to go down as one of the greatest fighters in UFC history, and defending her 115-pound title several more times to complete her ambitious plan of retiring from MMA with the belt and an undefeated professional record.

If Jedrzejczyk can do that and remain healthy in the process, she said she’d be content with her MMA accomplishments, and then she could move on to the next stage of life, which she hopes includes marriage and children.

“I had the thought in my head a year ago, two years ago I was like, ‘I want to fight two more years,’ and then this year I was like, ‘Maybe I’ll fight to next year or next few years and be done with that,'” Jedrzejczyk told MMAjunkie. “I like to be healthy person. I like to be focused on my things. Now I’m trying to be the best athlete ever. I left my family, my fiance, my friends. I left my everything in Poland, but I’m trying to be the best in the world, and I’m proving that every single day for myself. There are no excuses.

“When (I retire) I’m going to be the perfect wife or perfect mother. I want to be the same, (giving) 100 percent,” she continued. ” I know I’m not retiring in two months or beginning of the next year because then I will want to come back and have a fight with someone who is important. My goal is to make my dreams come true, my goals come true, and be undefeated. Fight for the next few fights and then see what’s going to happen. That’s my goal.”

Jedrzejczyk, No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA women’s strawweight rankings, wouldn’t put an exact timeline or number of fights she wants to complete before retiring. However, before she parts ways with the sport, she said she wants to do enough to establish a legacy as one of the best ever. With a 12-fight winning streak to her credit, including six straight under the UFC banner and three title defenses, Jedrzejczyk is already in the running for being on of the most successful female fighters in MMA history.

A victory over No. 4-ranked Kowalkiewicz at UFC 205 would mark a fourth consecutive title defense, bringing Jedrzejczyk closer to former bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey’s title-defense record for a female champion at six.

Jedrzejczyk said she’d be proud to top Rousey’s record. Then, if she’s still eager enough, she could look ahead to Anderson Silva’s all-time company record of 10 consecutive defenses. Jedrzejczyk said her focus is not so much on records, but instead producing quality performances every time she steps in the octagon, something she said will happen so long as she stays healthy.

The biggest problem that has plagued Jedrzejczyk to this point in her career, she said, is the grueling weight cut down to 115 pounds. Jedrzejczyk competed at 125 pounds prior to joining the UFC, but the fact the promotion only offers strawweight and bantamweight divisions forced her down a weight class.

Jedrzejczyk said she has likely caused irreparable physical harm by cutting so much weight earlier in her UFC career. She admitted to fearing the longterm consequences of putting her body through so much agony, but prior to her most recent fight, a unanimous-decision win over Claudia Gadelha at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale in July, Jedrzejczyk enlisted a new nutrition team at Perfecting Athletes. She said the difference was significant.

“My first five fights in the UFC, the weight cut – and I don’t complain about the weight cut because it’s my job – I’m enjoying this, but I broke my hand once; the second time I broke it, and I think it was because of the weight cut,” Jedrzejczyk said. “What if I break my shin like Anderson Silva did? I don’t want this. I want to be healthy. But now since I’ve been working with Perfecting Athletes, it’s been amazing. I feel great, the weight cuts are easy, and I’m healthy.

“It’s amazing how good I felt before the last fight with Claudia Gadelha. We’re all figuring out how to cut the weight in the right way. We cannot think about just a single fight. We have to think about the future. I want to be a wife, and I want to be a mother for my kids. I want to be an athlete for the next few years. I want to be a healthy person in the future. We cannot think just about now. We must stay healthy. There is a way to cut weight very easy and feel great. Before I broke my hand twice ,and it was probably because of the wrong weight cut. Last time I felt amazing.”

For whatever time she has left in the sport, Jedrzejczyk said she’s determined to make the most of it. That’s why ahead of UFC 205, she opted to leave her lifelong training camp in her native Poland to relocate to Florida to train with American Top Team. Jedrzejczyk said the sacrifice is all worth it, though, because when the time to walk away does finally arrive, she wants to know she gave herself the best chance at victory in each fight and left no stone unturned.

“It’s going to be difficult to retire undefeated because MMA is a difficult sport,” Jedrzejczyk said. “But every fight someone must win, and someone must lose the fight. I’m trying to be focused, calm, humble. I’m trying to be hard on myself, challenge myself and learn new stuff every day. I want to make my dreams into a life.”