Cageside Press

Rarely has mesmerizing, style-bending champion Israel Adesanya been doubted since ascending to the top of the UFC's middleweight mountain. And that, perhaps, was the key difference in the build-up to UFC 281 on Saturday, where Adesanya put his 185lb title...

Strawweight champion Carla Esparza attempted to successfully defend her belt for the first time in her two title reigns at UFC 281 against the former champion Zhang Weili. Carla also seemed to want to right the wrongs of her title...

Nearly every UFC Pay-Per-View card these days winds up with a fight fans refer to as the "people's main event," and UFC 281 was no different in that respect. It certainly begs the question, why not hold back these hotly...

The man, the myth, the legend: Frankie Edgar announced earlier this year that his last fight would take place on the UFC 281 card at Madison Square Garden. Edgar's retirement comes after a storied career where he captured gold at...

Perhaps flying a little under the radar, the clash of styles that was Dan Hooker vs. Claudio Puelles was nonetheless a promising match-up at Saturday's UFC 281. Hooker may have been 1-4 in his last five to start the night,...

Capping off the preliminary card at UFC 281 was a potential Fight of the Night, at least on paper, between fan faves Brad Riddell and Renato Moicano. Despite taking a loss, Moicano had picked up a legion of new fans...

Dominick Reyes made his long awaited return against Ryan Spann at UFC 281, after losing to Jiří Procházka in 2021 and taking a year off to recover and reassess. The man who pushed Jon Jones to the limit in...

UFC 281 saw Israel Adesanya face off with an old foe in Alex Pereiera, while strawweight champ Carla Esparza attempted to fend off a former title holder in Weili Zhang. Then you had the "people's main event" between popular lightweights...

Budding star Molly McCann entered Saturday's UFC 281 off three straight post-fight bonuses, but "Meatball" would have her hands full with dangerous Invicta FC vet Erin Blanchfield. Blanchfield had won six straight to start the night, including all three of...

Middleweight action kicked off the televised preliminary card at Saturday's UFC 281 in New York City, as Andre Petroski faced off with Brazil's Wellington Turman. To a backdrop of U.S.A. chants inside Madison Square Garden, Turman held center, firing kicks...