UFC 25th Anniversary Press Conference Provides Huge Fight Dates, McGregor Vs. Khabib & Israel Vs. Brunson
The UFC 25th Anniversary Press Conference aired live on YouTube on Friday afternoon from The Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles. As expected, Dana White hosted the UFC 25th Anniversary Press Conference, and he was joined on stage by a litany of MMA fighters, including Tyron Woodley, Darren Till, Nicco Montano, Valentina Shevchenko, Derek Brunson, and Israel Adesanya. The MMA company has two pay-per-views on the horizon, UFC 229 and 230, and Dana White booked two big matches for the respective events.
As seen in the video below, and as MMA Fighting reported, Israel Adesanya will face Derek Brunson at UFC 230. These two have a heated rivalry, and that feud will be settled on November 3, 2018, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Derek Brunson did most of the trash-talking during the UFC press conference, and he repeatedly called his opponent skinny and claimed that it wouldn’t take him long to knock Israel out.
Israel Adesanya didn’t seem phased by Brunson’s attempt of body shaming, and the up-and-comer has impressed UFC fans with his last three fights, which brought him victories over Rob Wilkinson, Marvin Vettori, and Brad Tavares. Derek Brunson had some momentum going for him in the UFC after claiming a two-fight win streak, but that momentum was stopped when he was knocked out in the first round by Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza last January. These two talented fighters have no love loss between them, and fans are anxious for the bout.
Get your popcorn ready for this one.@DerekBrunson looks to hand @Stylebender his first loss at #UFC230. pic.twitter.com/FPlBl633IB
— UFC (@ufc) August 3, 2018
Nate Diaz and Dustin Poirier were also in attendance at the UFC 25th Anniversary Press Conference, and as previously announced, the two will fight at UFC 230. Below are all the matches booked thus far for the event, as documented by MMAJunkie.
UFC 230 Fight Card
- Nate Diaz vs. Dustin Poirier
- David Branch vs. Ronaldo Souza
- Luke Rockhold vs. Chris Weidman
- Sultan Aliev vs. Lyman Good
- Paulo Costa vs. Yoel Romero
- Israel Adesanya vs. Derek Brunson
Warning: The video below contains strong language.
Rumors of a couple of different dates have been circulating for the would-be fight between Conor McGregor and his rival, Khabib Nurmagomedov. During the press conference, Dana White was asked if he had a main event booked for UFC 229, and White said that he didn’t. At the end of the UFC 25th Anniversary Press Conference, Dana White admitted that he lied earlier when asked that question, and he played a promo video announcing that the main event would be McGregor facing off against Khabib (neither fighter was in attendance at the press conference).
These two have a rich history with one another, and the undefeated Khabib (26-0) is the biggest challenge that McGregor (21-3) has ever faced. Between the impressive skills that these two possess and their passionate feud, this is one of the biggest main events that the UFC has ever booked.
THE FIGHT IS ON!@TeamKhabib vs @TheNotoriousMMA Oct. 6 in Las Vegas at #UFC229! pic.twitter.com/GHNzmj4eWY
— UFC (@ufc) August 3, 2018
More fights for the event are expected to be announced in the near future. UFC 229 airs on October 6, 2018, from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, where fans can finally see Conor McGregor fight Khabib Nurmagomedov.
