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G-Shock's Affordable "CasiOak" Successor Is Here, and It Looks a Lot Like Another Bucket-List Sports Watch
G-Shock says the 2500 series takes after its original 1983 octagonal watch. Some excited fans are convinced about another horological icon.
Demetrious Johnson Calls the UFC ‘Hypocrites’ Over Recent Cuts
UFC Hall of Famer Demetrious Johnson called the world’s leading MMA promotion “hypocrites” over their recent roster cuts.In the past month, the UFC has let go of Michael Page, who was 5-1 in the UFC, and Farid Basharat, who was 7-0 inside the Octagon.UFC president Dana White briefly commented on Page’s release at the time, […] The post Demetrious Johnson Calls the UFC ‘Hypocrites’ Over Recent Cuts appeared first on HEAVY.
Kayla Harrison Shares Health Update Ahead of Return at UFC 334
UFC women’s bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison shared a health update ahead of her return to the Octagon at UFC 334.Harrison puts the UFC women’s bantamweight title on the line for the first time when she battles former champion and long-time rival Amanda Nunes in the co-main event of UFC 334.For Harrison, it’s her first fight […] The post Kayla Harrison Shares Health Update Ahead of Return at UFC 334 appeared first on HEAVY.
Surprising Short-Notice Welterweight Bout Added to UFC 332
A surprising short-notice welterweight bout has been added to UFC 332, which takes place next Saturday night.As first reported by MMAMania.com, welterweight prospect Jacobe Smith will return to the Octagon to face UFC newcomer Bruce Whitehead in a surprising booking that has MMA fans scratching their heads.Heavy’s Marcel Dorff further confirmed that Smith vs. Whitehead […] The post Surprising Short-Notice Welterweight Bout Added to UFC 332 appeared first on HEAVY.
Galo youngsters begin Mineiro U15 and U17 octagonal
Atlético traveled on the afternoon of this Friday (11) to Montes Claros, where they will face North in the first round of the Octagonal Stage of the Minas Gerais U-15 and U-17 Championship. The match...
Salahdine Parnasse Defeats Dan Hooker in Huge UFC Paris Debut
Salahdine Parnasse has officially arrived in the UFC. The French superstar defeated veteran lightweight Dan Hooker in the main event of UFC Paris on Saturday, giving Parnasse an impressive victory in his highly anticipated Octagon debut. The fight took place inside a packed Accor Arena, with Parnasse entering the bout as one of the most…
Caio Borralho Calls for Fight at UFC 334
UFC middleweight contender Caio Borralho called for a fight at the upcoming UFC 334 card in his return to the Octagon.Borralho, the No. 6-ranked middleweight in the Meta UFC Rankings, was supposed to fight Joe Pyfer at UFC 330 but was forced to pull out due to injury.He is now getting back to full health […] The post Caio Borralho Calls for Fight at UFC 334 appeared first on HEAVY.
Jiri Prochazka Teases UFC Fight News
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka is teasing fight news ahead of a potential return to the Octagon later this year.Prochazka last fought at UFC 327 in April, when he was knocked out by Carlos Ulberg in a failed bid to recapture the UFC light heavyweight title.The Czechia native has been linked to several […] The post Jiri Prochazka Teases UFC Fight News appeared first on HEAVY.
Dana White Provides Update on Tom Aspinall’s UFC Return
UFC president Dana White provided the latest update on UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall’s return to the Octagon.Aspinall has not fought since UFC 321 in October 2025, when he suffered an eye injury in a No Contest against Ciryl Gane.Now, nearly a year later, he still hasn’t been booked yet, which has fans wondering when […] The post Dana White Provides Update on Tom Aspinall’s UFC Return appeared first on HEAVY.
UFC fighters fined for climbing octagon fence after victories
UFC fighters Max Holloway, Paddy Pimblett and Gable Steveson were fined $2,500 each for scaling the octagon fence at UFC 329 on July 11 in Las Vegas.
Tresean Gore Reacts to Career-Best UFC 330 Victory
UFC middleweight Tresean Gore shared his reaction to defeating Vicente Luque via unanimous decision at UFC 330.Gore picked apart Luque on the feet for the majority of the 15 minutes and was able to avoid his opponent’s submission attempts to win his second straight fights inside the Octagon after finishing Azamat Bekoev in his last […] The post Tresean Gore Reacts to Career-Best UFC 330 Victory appeared first on HEAVY.
Kazutaka Kodaka on Danganronpa 2x2, Slayhem Mode, and… octagons?
We Interview: Kazutaka Kodaka and Shohei Sakakibara at Anime Expo
UFC Freedom 250 Fails to Knock Out The Ratings
(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) If UFC fans wanted one image to say, “Hey, Paramount+ is crushing it with their UFC rights deal,” I could provide that image. Here it is: (Reminder: this is my creation of the Nielsen Top 30, since Nielsen doesn’t combine the lists or include sports. I take all three lists and combine them. Some streaming TV shows probably have higher ratings than many of the films on this list.) Look at that! UFC Freedom 250 is number one! It topped the Nielsen “Top 30” list for shows and films that made the top ten the week of 15-June. So if you’re a UFC fan or supporter of Paramount+, that’s the good news for you this week. This program topped the ratings charts for one week. Everything else is bad news, or at least a huge caveat to that story, which I’ll explain today in the first part of this week’s Streaming Ratings Report—for the weeks of 8-June and 15-June—which is a double issue since I’ve been writing on a bunch of topics recently. UFC Freedom 250 is one of the biggest streaming events of the year, and super relevant to Paramount+’s strategy, so it merited its own article. Let’s dive in! (Reminder: The streaming ratings report focuses on the U.S. market and compiles data from Nielsen’s weekly top ten viewership ranks, Luminate’s Top Ten Data, JustWatch and Reelgood interest data, Samba TV household viewership, company datecdotes, Netflix hours viewed data, Google Trends, and IMDb to determine the most popular content. While most data points are current, Nielsen’s data covers the weeks of June 8th to June 21st 2026. You can find a link to my terminology here.) Subscribe Check Out My Interview on UFC 250 at MMA Draw After you read this article, if you want even more thoughts on UFC and Paramount-Skydance/Paramount+, I did a written interview with MMA Draw. They asked me to answer some questions about UFC Freedom 250, and I was happy to chat with them. Find it here: [ The MMA Draw Newsletter Did Paramount really overpay for the UFC? What the data tells us so far If you know the history of American television, you also know that combat sports is often a leading indicator of the future… Read more a day ago · 10 likes · 1 comment · Nate Wilcox and Zach Arnold ](https://www.themmadraw.com/p/did-paramount-really-overpay-for?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web) I never thought I’d need a combat sports newsletter in my life, but the good folks at MMA Draw publish an excellent one on UFC, MMA, pro wrestling, boxing and more, analyzing both the sports themselves and the politics, economics and antitrust issues that impact them. Check the article and their newsletter out! Paramount+ Has Its Best Sporting Event of All Time…But Was It Worth It? Before we look at the UFC Freedom 250 data in particular, let’s talk about what we can’t say. Namely, let’s start with the lack of comparisons. First off, I’d love to put a chart out comparing this fight to past UFC fights on Paramount+…but we don’t have the data. This is the first time we’ve gotten Nielsen data about a Paramount+ UFC fight. As far as I can tell, Paramount provided data for the first fight, but it was a proprietary datecdote (saying it had “an average minute audience” of 5 million “views”) and then, for two fights, we got the linear viewership numbers when they aired on CBS, but no streaming data. Everything else was crickets. We also can’t compare this fight to other fights/combat sports on streaming, in particular the MMA and boxing, because Netflix also didn’t use Nielsen to track those events, opting for TVision and VideoAmp, respectively. (This isn’t Paramount’s fault, but does still suck.) We also can’t compare to UFC’s fights that used to be on ESPN+, since we don’t have any data for that, plus Disney+ didn’t have marquee fights. The comparisons would not be apples-to-apples. Can we compare to past Pay-Per-View fights? Absolutely not. The comparisons would absolutely NOT be apples-to-apples. That didn’t stop Paramount+, though, who bragged that their UFC events have reached drastically more people than past PPV fights. Duh. Sorry, but I gotta make this point again. A basic tenet of economics is that the cheaper something becomes, the more people consume or buy it. That’s Econ 101. (Sometimes pundits call things “Econ 101” that are actually like Econ 210 or even PhD-level economics, but no, this is really like first or second class basic economics.) Yet I still see one analytics firm consistently say that more people watch films on streaming than PVOD proves streaming which means that the streaming window is more valuable than the PVOD window. No, it’s not! Same thing here. Pay-Per-View events back in the day could be really, really, really expensive! So whole groups of people pitched in to buy them. That increased the perceived value of, say, the Mike Tyson fight. Or a UFC numbered event. So yes, the fact that Paramount+ makes numbered UFC fights essentially “free” if you’re already a Paramount+ member means consumption will go up. Obviously. Same for Netflix and their boxing matches. They’re talking about fights that used to cost consumers, in some cases, $50 in 1996…which is over $100 in today’s dollars. Over 1.6 million people paid that to watch the Tyson-Holyfield fight! Again, streaming is essentially “free”. Or $10 to $20, depending on what streamer we’re talking about and what tier you’re on. No wonder more people are “watching”. (Plus, Nielsen’s out-of-home viewing also helps these numbers.) UFC Freedom 250 Did Well…But I Have A Lot of Worries So what can we compare the fights to? Well, the good news is Nielsen put out that the fight averaged 7.0 million viewers for UFC Freedom 250, which is a solid number for a fight. We also know the length, at roughly 4 and a half hours. (I saw different run times, but this seems to be the consensus considering it started at 8 pm, had a delay and then finished after midnight on the East Coast. If you assume a shorter run time, then yes, the total hours viewed would go down.) That means I have the two numbers needed to add this to my Nielsen database. And then…I can compare this viewership to the NFL: And, uh, not great. But also within striking distance, mainly because the runtime for this event was so long. I’d also add that this event had viewership equal to a regular season NFL game on streaming, but if anything, it was more comparable to an NFL playoff or Super Bowl-esque event. And you can compare viewership to the top football games on broadcast, cable and streaming, and it’s not impressive at all: We can also compare it to other sports that week, including the NBA Finals and start of the World Cup: Again, not great. The NBA generated roughly four times as many average viewers each game for its NBA Finals. The World Cup has similarly big numbers. Also, that’s just a tiny fraction of the 25 most watched sporting events each week. The NBA, NHL and FIFA World Cup had many, many more games racking up hours. We could also compare this to other streaming programs to get an idea of “is this a good investment?” and here is how it ranks compared to other top Paramount+ programs: The worry here? Well, unlike scripted programming, which has rewatchability, older fights/sporting events have very little library value. Very, very few people are rewatching these fights, especially years from now. Paramount has also released datecdotes bragging about their subscriber numbers. Earlier this year, they claimed that the first UFC fight on Paramount+ brought in 1 million subscribers. Then, in their quarterly earnings report, they only ended up with 700K subs. Not great! They claimed they dropped lower-value international subscribers, but that’s why I tend to discount subscriber additions when they’re leaked to the press.1 I expect we may see a bump again for UFC Freedom 250, but I’d caution using subscriber growth so soon after these events to judge the success, since new subs with high churn (see Peacock) aren’t great either. Also, analysts often want to attribute all subscriber growth to their favorite/pet show, and that just doesn’t make sense. The biggest caveat for UFC Freedom 250 and Paramount’s very first UFC marquee event is that these could be high watermarks for the sport. UFC Freedom 250 had an incredible amount of earned media coverage compared to most UFC fights. I mean, it had wall-to-wall national news coverage in the lead up to the event. (The first fight also had a lot of promotion from Paramount since it was first.) Other fights could reach this bar—say the Conor McGregor return to the Octagon—but they’ll be fewer and far between. Was This Deal Worth It? All to ask: is this Paramount deal worth it? In this case, I think the UFC Freedom 250 numbers are more distracting than helpful. This fight did well and compares well to other top sporting events. But we know that the first marquee event was at least a third smaller, if Paramount’s own data is to be believed. And it’s likely the other fights are much, much, much smaller. And then you get to the paycheck that Paramount-Skydance paid. FIFA’s World Cup cost about the same for Fox, but clearly generated multiples more total viewership. (Though it’s only every four years.) The NBA is much more expensive, but until the playoffs, they likely didn’t pay for itself. Even still, Disney, NBCUniversal and Amazon Prime Video likely overpaid. So, in that context, the NBA may be an overpay that makes the UFC look not so bad. But two overpays don’t make an underpay, to paraphrase the old cliché about wrongs and rights. And looking at UFC Freedom 250 as the likely ceiling of MMA on Paramount+, Paramount-Skydance likely paid too much. Share 1 I would love regular reports on subscriber additions by programs, but as is, it’s mostly leaked or rumored in haphazard ways.
Daniel Cormier Explains Why Brock Lesnar Fight Didn’t Happen
UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier explained why a fight against Brock Lesnar inside the Octagon never happened.Cormier and Lesnar came close to fighting back in 2019. After Cormier knocked out Stipe Miocic to win the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 226 in July 2018, Lesnar entered the Octagon and challenged Cormier for the heavyweight […] The post Daniel Cormier Explains Why Brock Lesnar Fight Didn’t Happen appeared first on HEAVY.
Israel Adesanya Plays Matchmaker for Conor McGregor’s Return
UFC Hall of Famer Israel Adesanya played matchmaker for Conor McGregor’s return fight when he recovers from his knee injury.McGregor’s comeback to the UFC after five years away from the Octagon lasted just 69 seconds when he lost via injury TKO due to a knee injury in his UFC 329 main event bout against Max […] The post Israel Adesanya Plays Matchmaker for Conor McGregor’s Return appeared first on HEAVY.
Dana White offers bizarre defense of Conor McGregor’s health status by citing social media views
UFC CEO Dana White got a bit defensive after accusations surfaced on Saturday night that star fighter Conor McGregor, who was making his return to the octagon after a five-year absence, had been injured prior to his fight with Max Holloway to headline UFC 329 in Las Vegas. McGregor lost to Holloway via TKO 69…
'Finished' & 'career over' - is this the end for McGregor?
Moments after Conor McGregor did his trademark strut around the octagon before facing Max Holloway at UFC 329, he was hobbling out of the T-Mobile Arena.
Is the ‘Drake curse’ real? Here’s what the data says…and what Drake says
The “Drake curse” is being put to the test on Saturday night when Conor McGregor returns to the octagon to fight Max Halloway at UFC 329. If you weren’t aware, rapper Drake is an avid gamble…
Conor McGregor’s return and the uncomfortable questions it poses for sport
The Irishman makes his return to the octagon 18 months after being found liable in a sexual assault case involving a woman in Dublin
Max Holloway predicts 'fireworks' against Conor McGregor
Thirteen years ago, at UFC Fight Night 26 in Boston, future legends Conor McGregor and Max Holloway fought in a featherweight bout on the preliminary card. McGregor defeated "Blessed" via unanimous decision. It was the Irishman's second octagon appearance. The two will rematch in the UFC 329 main ...
No corners cut for Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor is leaving no stone unturned in preparation for his Octagon return.
UFC Vegas 119: Kape vs. Horiguchi live results
The UFC octagon is back in Las Vegas for UFC Fight Night 279 at the Meta Apex. A flyweight rematch between former RIZIN Bantamweight Champion Manel Kape and former UFC flyweight championship challenger Kyoji Horiguchi headlines the fight card. Follow along for the live ...
Arman Tsarukyan urges UFC to cut former title challenger
Arman Tsarukyan is urging the UFC not to allow one of its former title challengers to step into the octagon again. As the dust settles on a historic night at the White House, several key talking points have surfaced. Most are directed toward fighters at the top of the bill, with questions being ...
Lights! Camera! Cage match! The White House lawn's Octagon is ready for Trump's 80th birthday bash
A massive UFC event is set to take over the White House's South Lawn. The temporary arena resembles a cross between a UFO and a claw game in a video
UFC Freedom 250 Live Results
The octagon is on the South Lawn of The White House for tonight's UFC Freedom 250 event. The fight is headlined by a lightweight title unification bout between champion Ilia Topuria and interim titleholder Justin Gaethje. In the co-main event, former two-division titleholder ...
Oval Office octagon: How Trump turned combat sports into a political weapon
MMA event reflects career deeply intertwined with professional fighting, but risks political fallout.
Oval Office octagon: How Trump turned combat sports into a political weapon
MMA event reflects career deeply intertwined with professional fighting, but risks political fallout.
UFC Freedom 250 Countdown: Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje
UFC Freedom 250 marks another historic moment for the UFC when the Octagon touches down at the White House, where lightweight king Ilia Topuria faces interim champ Justin Gaethje. Plus, Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane battle for interim heavyweight gold. UFC Freedom 250 Countdown previews the upcoming ...
Fight Your Fight: EA SPORTS™ UFC® 6 Arrives June 19, Delivering Next-Level Fighter Individuality and Gameplay Depth
Powered by Fighters, UFC ® 6 Features Alex Pereira and Max Holloway Stepping onto the Cover Watch the Reveal Trailer HERE Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) today unveiled EA SPORTS™ UFC® 6 , launching June 19, 2026 on PlayStation®5 and Xbox Series X|S. Powered by fighters, UFC 6 brings unparalleled fighter authenticity to players with true-to-life fighter movement and striking. Former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira and former UFC featherweight and BMF champion Max Holloway headline the Standard and Ultimate Edition covers, ushering in a new era of fighter individuality appearing in gameplay, allowing players to fight their fight like never before. UFC 6 Standard Edition EA SPORTS™ UFC® 6 delivers the most realistic and authentic fighting experience yet. Athletes move, strike, and react like their real-life counterparts thanks to Markerless Capture and the next generation of Sapien Technology, setting a new standard for authenticity in the Octagon and a
EA Sports UFC 6 Planned For June Release
To paraphrase Bruce Buffer, it's almost time to step back into the virtual octagon for the next EA Sports UFC game.
UFC Vegas 116 weigh-in results: All fights officially set
The UFC octagon is back in Las Vegas for Saturday's UFC Vegas 116: Sterling vs. Zalal fight card at the Meta Apex. The event is headlined by a featherweight bout between former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling and No. 7 ranked Youssef Zalal. On Friday, the athletes competing on the fight ...
Ilia Topuria goes off on 'dumb as f***' Arman Tsarukyan
Top UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan has made as many headlines for his antics outside of the cage as in it. The 29-year-old has stuck a fan on his walkout to the octagon, head butted an opponent during face-offs, engaged in a post-fight brawl at RAF 6, got thrown off an airplane and ...
Ronda Rousey steals the show with fiery Kayla Harrison rant
Ronda Rousey was at her very best during her time in the spotlight at the Palladium Times Square in New York, transforming the MVP MMA press conference into a war declaration on Kayla Harrison and the UFC. Despite being away from the octagon for almost a decade, Rousey remains atop the biggest ...
Preview: UFC Winnipeg Prelims
The UFC Winnipeg undercard features several debuting Canadian prospects—and the Octagon return of one well-remembered heavyweight character.
UFC Brings Cage-Match Bout to the White House, Home of a President Who Favors Cage-Match Politics
WASHINGTON (AP) — Cage-match fighting is coming to the White House to fete President Donald Trump, a proud proponent of cage-match politics. In the coming weeks, crews will erect a 6-foot wire-mesh fence shaped into an octagon on the lawn, where UFC fighters will use a combination of kickboxing,
UFC 326 post-fight press conference video
The UFC 326 post-fight press conference is the last piece of business to take care of after the action is over in the Octagon, and we have the live video above at MMAFighting.com. UFC officials will announce the winners of the “Fight of the Night” and the “Performance of the Night” bonuses, and winning fighters […]
UFC 325 Highlights! Micallef Sleeps Elliott With Comeback Choke
Jonathan Micallef pushed his Octagon record to 2-0 earlier tonight (Sat., Jan. 31, 2026) at UFC 325 LIVE on Paramount+ from inside Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia, stopping welterweight Oban Elliott with a comeback second-round submission (rear-naked choke). Elliott, who came into Saturday as a betting underdog, was out for blood from the opening […]
UFC 324 post-fight press conference video
The UFC 324 post-fight press conference is the last piece of business to take care of after the action is over in the Octagon, and we have the live video above at MMAFighting.com. UFC officials will announce the winners of the “Fight of the Night” and the “Performance of the Night” bonuses, and winning fighters […]
From insight to impact: How Octagon helps brands win in the sports and entertainment economy
Lou Kovacs, President of Marketing, North America at Octagon, shares how the agency’s insight-powered creative approach helps brands break through, shape culture, and unlock new markets around the world.
From insight to impact: How Octagon helps brands win in the sports and entertainment economy
Lou Kovacs, President of Marketing, North America at Octagon, shares how the agency’s insight-powered creative approach helps brands break through, shape culture, and unlock new markets around the world.