Welcome back to MMAKO’s Monday dose of combat sports updates from the weekend, put together by none other than Sunday newswriter Zain Bando.

The UFC Abu Dhabi and PFL Nashville cards have come and gone, along with Terence Crawford (41-0) capturing another belt in the squared-circle. Without further ado, here are the biggest headlines in combat sports for Monday, Aug. 5

Although UFC 306 tickets are officially on sale as of Monday, July 29, the vast majority of them could only be described as unaffordable for the average UFC fan.

Sunday saw the cheapest price listed on TicketMaster as $1,757, while the most expensive capped $16,000+. Despite the public numbers, White is adamant that, although both events are just miles from each other, fans should be able to buy tickets that aren’t a bargain while boxing features Canelo vs. Berlanga at T-Mobile Arena for under $500 upon purchasing the cheapest seat.

“But this is on par with any massive event that happens on Cinco de Mayo or Mexican Independence Day, when Canelo fights,” White told MMA journalist Kevin Iole in an interview posted over the weekend.

White anticipates the MSG Sphere gate to be a significant milestone for the company, potentially surpassing the record set by UFC 205 in Nov. 2016 ($17.7 million), according to a July 11 story from MMAJunkie. The event saw now-former double champion Conor McGregor KO Eddie Alvarez in the night’s main event, becoming the first fighter in UFC history to hold two belts at the same time.

““We study this s*** like f***** scientists,” White said. “This is our business. This is what we do, and this is on par with the Canelo (Alverez vs. Edgar Berlanga) fight (which is at MGM Grand Arena on September 14) and obviously, this is a one-of-one event. I’m $20 million into this f***** thing, anywhere between $17 and $20 (million) right now, and the fight isn’t until September 14.”

Sept. 14 will likely be one of the bigger Las Vegas sporting event nights within the last year, as UFC 306 will be the second major sporting event in venue history. The 2024 NHL Draft was hosted at the MSG Sphere in June.

Terence Crawford remained unblemished while handling Ukrainian star Israel Madrimov (10-1-1) his first professional loss in a hard-fought 12-round decision (116-112,115-113, 115-113).

The fight was close throughout. Madrimov, the betting underdog at close, gave all Crawford could handle but couldn’t find the KO shot to close the upset. Crawford kept his distance in the latter part of the fight, not letting Madrimov get too close by making it a slugfest in the middle of the ring, as BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. looked forward.

It was not a typical Crawford performance, but the remaining perfect is exactly what needed to happen for the Nebraska native to keep the big fights headed his way.

The big question remains whether or not Crawford will fight Alvarez at some point down the line, as it would arguably be the biggest non-heavyweight fight since Mayweather-Pacquiao in May 2015.

When posed the question in the ring post-fight, Crawford said he would take the fight, but on one condition.

“If the money is right, we fight,” Crawford said.

Whether or not the fight has legs remains to be seen, but only time will tell.

Similar to the last few years, UFC 308 will get an afternoon start time on ESPN+ Pay-Per-View to accommodate the Abu Dhabi fanbase.

UFC executive David Shaw confirmed the news to assembled media after UFC Abu Dhabi concluded Saturday afternoon. Some of the key headlining bouts were announced just hours ahead of the ABC/ESPN2 event, which saw 13 fights take place and witness a rare non-appearance from White at cageside.

Shaw cited the importance of off-prime events (meaning fights that air in territories to accommodate that nation’s audience versus the traditional pay-per-view start time of 10 pm ET/7 pm PT stateside).

UFC 308 is one of those instances, as ESPN currently has the Pay-Per-View start time listed for 2 pm ET/11 am PT. Expect a non-linear ESPN broadcast for the prelims, as college football will be hitting its midway point and may take priority.

PFL Nashville saw 10 fights go down Friday night, and the PFL playoff picture is set for two divisions: women’s flyweight and heavyweight.

All four top seeds (1 and 2s) advanced. The main event saw Denis Goltsov (35-8 MMA, 13-3 PFL) run past Tim Johnson (18-10 MMA, 1-1 PFL) with a first-round TKO, while Oleg Popov (19-1 MMA, 3- 0 PFL) won a clear unanimous decision against Bellator veteran Linton Vassell (25-10, 1-2 PFL).

The flyweight finals will see Dakota Ditcheva (13-0 MMA, 8-0 PFL) take on former UFC flyweight title challenger Taila Santos (22-3 MMA, 3-0 UFC). Ditcheva made quick work of Jena Bishop (7-2 MMA, 1-2 PFL) with a first-round KO win, while Santos knocked off Bellator Flyweight Champion and UFC veteran Liz Carmouche (22-8 MMA, 2-1 PFL, 7 -0 Bellator) by unanimous decision. Carmouche missed weight ahead of the bout.

With the semifinals concluded, here is what the championship bracket looks like in both divisions.

PFL Heavyweight Finals:

PFL Women’s Flyweight Final:

It’s a lighter week on the combat sports calendar as UFC Vegas 95 goes down from the UFC APEX, headlined by a heavyweight rematch between Marcin Tybura (25-8 MMA, 12-7 UFC) and Serghei Spivac (16-4 MMA, 7- 4 UFC). Tybura won their first bout by unanimous decision in Feb. 2020.

The card gets underway from the APEX at 4 pm ET/1 pm PT, followed by the main card at 7 pm ET/4 pm PT.

MMAKO will provide live coverage of UFC Vegas 95 and all the latest news and analysis throughout the week.

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