A look at back at the weekend's women's MMA action, including the impressive wins for Alexa Grasso and Polyana Viana at UFC 258, which took place Feb. 13.
Kamaru Usman made his third successful welterweight title defense against Gilbert Burns at UFC 258 earlier this year and earned a Performance of the Night bonus
Did UFC Fighter's Valentine's Day Invitation To Miley Cyrus Actually Pay Off? Julian Marquez says he and Miley Cyrus have become friends Photo: Getty Images, UFC.com
KEY POINTS
People believe Marquez blew his chance with Cyrus after an odd request
Marquez claims that he and Cyrus have actually become friends
Did Julian Marquez really blow his chance to get with Miley Cyrus? Maybe, maybe not.
Following his thrilling submission win at UFC 258 last weekend, Marquez used his post-fight interview to take a chance and invite Cyrus to be his Valentine.
Much to the surprise of basically everyone in the mixed martial arts (MMA) community, the "Hannah Montana" actress actually acknowledged Marquez’s invitation and responded.
MMA Community Reacts To UFC Fighter Blowing Chance With Miley Cyrus
02/15/21 AT 10:24 PM Miley Cyrus, who is pictured performing at the MTV Video Music Awards in Inglewood, California, on Aug. 27, 2017, will be hitting the stage at the iHeartRadio Festival this weekend. Photo: Getty Images
KEY POINTS
Cyrus responded with a request, and Marquez issued a counteroffer
Many believe Marquez blew his chance with the international pop star
Middleweight contender Julian “The Cuban Missle Crisis” Marquez made headlines over the weekend after winning his fight at UFC 258 and then proceeding to “shoot his shot” at singer-actress Miley Cyrus.
After rallying back to submit Maki Pitolo in the final round of their main card-opening bout, Marquez asked Cyrus to be his Valentine.
Punch Newspapers
Sections
Kelvin Ekerete
Nigerians have hailed Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman, after his impressive third round knockout win over former teammate, Gilbert Burns, at the UFC 258 in Las Vegas on Sunday.
Usman overcame a first round scare to pull off one of the performances of the night to dispatch off Burns in the third round after dropping the Brazilian with a strong right hand jab before raining several punches on his helpless challenger.
The win was the third defence of his welterweight title after previously seeing off Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
Reacting to the win, Nigerians took to social media to congratulate the UFC star who is unbeaten in 13 fights in the franchise, the longest winning streak in the welterweight division.
Miley Cyrus Responds To UFC Fighter's Valentine's Day Invitation: "I Am Yours!"
02/15/21 AT 12:00 AM LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - SEPTEMBER 21: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Miley Cyrus performs onstage during the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 21, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for iHeartMedia) Photo: Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for iHeartMedia
KEY POINTS
Marquez submitted Maki Pitolo in the third round of their UFC 258 bout
Cyrus responded with an interesting request
Middleweight contender Julian Marquez turned his Saturday evening to a night to remember when he walked out of the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada with the victory.
It’s been nearly a year since an arena full of fans were in attendance for a UFC event. The last time a full capacity crowd witnessed live fights inside the Octagon was UFC 248 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on March 7, 2020.
COVID-19 restrictions and precautions have prevented fans from attending live events. The UFC was the first major sports league to return to action, hosting three events in eight days at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida last May… sans fans. And they haven’t stopped.
Since those three events in Florida, all other UFC events have taken place in either in Abu Dhabi or the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. UFC president Dana White is optimistic that full-capacity crowds will be back by the summer.
UFC 258: Kamaru Usman Knocks Out Gilbert Burns to Retain Welterweight Title
✖
UFC 258 ended with a bang as Kamaru Usman knocked out Gibert Burns in the main event. The fight had been hyped as the meeting of former teammates before the fists started flying. However, from the moment weigh-in occurred, it was clear that there was no love lost between two men who helped improve their craft against each other. Usman got loose in Round 2 and there was no turning back. His impressive record gave fans some feeling that he would carry the day as the current UFC welterweight champion. Burns had earned this shot and made it clear that he would do anything to get his chance at gold. Unfortunately for the challenger, this marks 13 straight victories for Usman. It’s interesting to weigh all the different fights that could be lined up for the “Nigerian Nightmare.” Before the fight, there was some skepticism about his chances.