Jamaican Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight Randy “Rude Boy” Brown in putting Jamaican Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) on the map, but he wants to take the scenic route to the top.

Born in Springfield, Massachusetts, to Jamaican parents before moving to Jamaica as a toddler with his mother and then returning to the States at 16, the 31-year-old Brown entered the UFC in 2014 and has a record 9-4 with the MMA superpower and 15-4 overall in his career, with his last loss coming in August 2020 against current number-6 ranked Welterweight Vicente Luque from Brazil.

He’s built up some momentum going 3-0 in his last three fights with a possible date with a top-15 opponent on the horizon, something Brown says is not a priority at the moment.

“Honestly, I am knocking on the door of the top 15 but I’m not particularly in a rush to fight anybody in the top 15 right now because I feel like in the top 15, everybody is really trying to guard their ranking so you don’t really fight as consistently as you would like to,” Brown told Sportsmax.TV.

“Personally, I would like to fight a couple more outside of the rankings to build up the streak a little bit more and, you know, let the money grow as well. When the money grows and gets where it needs to get to then we look at the rankings and be able to afford fighting once a year. As of right now, I just want to fight consistently,” he added.

An exciting fighter to watch, Brown cited legends of the sport when asked about who influenced his style of mixed martial arts.

“Anderson Silva 100 per cent. Growing up watching Anderson Silva was a huge inspiration for me and, if we’re speaking current fighters, other people that influence me a lot right now are Israel Adesanya and Jon Jones,” Brown said.

Charles Oliveira denied Justin Gaethje from claiming his vacated UFC lightweight championship, winning via submission in the first round at UFC 274 on Saturday.

Oliveira was stripped of the lightweight belt he held after missing weight, meaning only Gaethje could win the title on Saturday.

After a furious opening exchange, the 32-year-old secured an 11th consecutive victory, reaffirming his status as the most dominant fighter in the division.

Extending the UFC record for the most submission wins (16) and most finishes (19), the Brazilian made his status in the division clear despite the vacated title.

"There's something missing here. The champ has a name and his name is Charles Oliveira," he said post-fight.

"This is a message to the entire division. I'm a problem for the entire division, look at my team.

"Dana White, I don't care who you put in front of me. I will take them all on."

Gaethje came out the blocks quickly and landed some big shots but critically allowed his opponent to stand back up after he was knocked down.

Given that breathing room, Oliveira recovered immediately, planting a right-hand to get Gaethje down on the ground and then showed composure, not seeking ground-and-pound but a submission.

Gaethje gave up his back after wriggling out of an initial attempt at a triangle, and Oliveira took advantage from there with a rear-naked choke.

Esparza wins as Chandler makes vicious KO

In the co-main event, Carla Esparza claimed victory over Rose Namajunas in a controversial 47-48 49-46 48-47 split decision, to claim the UFC women's strawweight championship.

In what was a very tepid bout, Namajunas effectively left her fate and belt in the hands of the judges, allowing Esparza to make sporadic forays and takedowns.

It was very different to the other lightweight bout of the night, where Michael Chandler scored a breathtaking knockout win over Tony Ferguson in the second round.

After an exciting first round, Chandler ended the fight early with an explosive front kick, catching Ferguson on the chin.

Charles Oliveira has been stripped of his belt after failing to make weight for his lightweight title fight with Justin Gaethje at UFC 274. 

The Brazilian will still take on Gaethje in Nevada on Saturday but a victory would only see the lightweight belt remain vacant. Should Gaethje win, however, he would be crowned champion. 

Oliveira initially weighed in half a pound over the 155lb limit and was unable to shift it after being granted an extra hour. 

The UFC did not confirm what fine Oliveira would face for failing to make weight for the main event. 

Oliveira won the lightweight championship after it was vacated by Khabib Nurmagomedov by beating Michael Chandler at UFC 262 in May 2021. 

He then mounted a successful defence against Dustin Poirier at UFC 269 in December.

UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is "70 per cent" certain he will face boxing superstar Tyson Fury in a crossover fight next year.

Fury defeated Dillian Whyte via a sixth-round knockout at Wembley on Saturday to retain his WBC heavyweight title and reiterated afterwards he intends to retire from boxing.

However, the 33-year-old, who improved his career record to 32-0-1, has not ruled out competing under a different format – including another shot at WWE later this year.

And Ngannou, who joined Fury in the ring after this victory over compatriot Whyte, is hopeful that a hybrid fight can be agreed with the Englishman.

"We both want this fight, that's clear, and we respect each other," Ngannou told the MMA Hour. "Probably next year it will happen.

"I think it's going to happen, it's just a matter of our promotions, but we will sort this out at some point."

Ngannou added: "Make it a hybrid fight, something that makes it a little uncomfortable for him as a boxer.

"Ideas like MMA gloves or fighting barefoot. I don't know, we still have to figure this out.

"I would say there's a 70 per cent chance [my next opponent] is Tyson Fury. On his side I would say 90 per cent against me."

Ngannou underwent surgery to repair MCL and ACL injuries earlier this year and is not expected to return to action until November at the earliest.

The 35-year-old, who retained his heavyweight crown with victory over Ciryl Gane in January, is so determined to face Fury that he will make it part of any deal signed with UFC. 

"The Tyson Fury fight has to be part of the discussion [with the UFC] – there is no other option," he said.

"The UFC is a great promotion and I want to keep fighting. The Tyson Fury fight is not my last fight, there's still a lot of fights out there.

"There's Jon Jones, there's the Stipe Miocic trilogy, there's big fights I can do in the UFC and I'd really like that to happen."

Alexander Volkanovski retained his UFC featherweight championship by defeating Jung Chan-sung via TKO in the fourth round at UFC 273 on Saturday.

The 33-year-old's record in the UFC improved to 11-0 with the impressive title defence, and it is his third consecutive win since winning the featherweight title.

Volkanovski's fight IQ was on full display from the outset and he was in control from the first round, staying patient with his striking and mixing up his targets.

With regards to potential opponents, now, the featherweight champion is confident against anyone.

"Everyone in my division, I've been saying it for a while, now," Volkanovski said. "Get your s*** together, earn that number one spot and you get it."

The Korean Zombie was cleanly tagged on three separate occasions by Volkanovski's left hook and could not manage to impact the champion's ability to both act and react as he felt his way through the fight.

The second round went on a similar tangent, with Jung particularly rattled midway through from a big right. The Zombie's legs got heavier as Volkanovski maintained a relentless pace, staying precise and patient with his striking.

Despite Jung growing more assertive in the third, he only just survived after another massive right hand late from Volkanovski, with the clock saving the Korean from the consequent ground and pound.

After a check to assess Jung's state at the end of the third, some more big strikes in the fourth led to referee Herb Dean stopping the fight within 45 seconds.

"Before this fight, all week, I said I'm on another level right now. I can't be stopped and I just showed you," Volkanovski said post-fight.

"He actually took a lot more than I wanted him to. I thought they could have stopped it earlier, I started feeling bad in there but that's the sport we're in."

Sterling stays the distance against Yan

In the co-main event, Aljamain Sterling claimed victory over Petr Yan in a controversial 48-47 47-48 48-47 split decision, to also retain his UFC Bantamweight Championship.

Both exhibited unorthodox striking but it was an overall different fight to their previous meeting at UFC 259, which Sterling won via DQ following Yan's illegal knee to the face.

The tension was prevalent throughout the rematch, with Sterling even smiling after he took Yan down for a second consecutive round in the third.

Sensing the momentum shift in the fight, Yan went on the offensive and neither could ultimately finish, but by that point Sterling had done enough to win on points.

Conor McGregor could make his comeback to the Octagon later this year, UFC president Dana White has said.

McGregor has not competed since his TKO loss to Dustin Poirier last July, when he broke the tibia and fibula bones in his left leg.

The 33-year-old Irish fighter has an MMA record of 22-6-0, losing three of his past four bouts in UFC including two in a row to Poirier.

White was speaking after the UFC Fight Night event at London's O2 Arena on Saturday, saying: "Conor's not cleared by the doctor yet.

"When he's cleared, some of these fights are going to happen this summer, we'll see what the landscape looks like, and we'll see where his head's at, at that time, and we'll pick a fight for him."

British heavyweight Tom Aspinall secured victory in the main event in London with a dominant showing against Alexander Volkov, while featherweight Arnold Allen knocked out Dan Hooker.

Liverpool pair and long-time friends Molly McCann and Paddy Pimblett both earned wins against Luana Carolina and Rodrigo Vargas respectively.

UFC star Conor McGregor has reiterated his desire to buy a football club, with Manchester United, Celtic and Chelsea all on his radar.

The 33-year-old said on social media this week that he would like to "explore" the prospect of purchasing Chelsea after Roman Abramovich confirmed his intention to sell up.

He has also previously signalled his interest in purchasing United from the Glazer family and the stake of fellow Irishman Dermot Desmond in Celtic.

McGregor's latest comments were met with scepticism given Abramovich's reported £3billion valuation of Chelsea, but he insisted he is serious about his interest.

"I do not speak in jest," he posted on his personal Twitter account on Sunday in tweets that were seemingly deleted soon after. "I am exploring this, as I said.

"Celtic from Dermot Desmond, Manchester United from the Glaziers [sic], and now the recently up for sale Chelsea football club. All being explored. 

"A football franchise purchase is in my future make no mistake about it."

McGregor has accumulated significant wealth through a number of high-profile bouts, including a crossover into boxing when taking on Floyd Mayweather in 2017.

He moved into the world of business when launching a whiskey brand in 2018 and the Irishman is determined to add a sports team to his profile.

"Everyday I ball," he added. "How wouldn't I lead a team of young, dedicated athletes to glory. I'm perfect for the job. Pray it's your team."

McGregor has been joined by several others in showing an interest in purchasing Chelsea, with Turkish businessman Muhsin Bayrak reportedly already in talks with Abramovich.

Long-serving owner Abramovich announced on Wednesday he had taken the "incredibly difficult" decision to put the club up for sale.

In a statement, he said the sale "will not be fast-tracked but will follow due process", adding he will not be asking for loans to be repaid by the club.

That decision came amid the threat of sanctions against further Russian businesses and high-profile individuals following the country's invasion of Ukraine last week.

Colby Covington dominated former friend Jorge Masvidal with a unanimous decision victory in UFC 272's welterweight main event before calling out Dustin Poirier on Sunday.

Covington totally outpointed Masvidal to clinch a 49-46, 50-44, 50-45 over his former teammate in a grudge match at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The 34-year-old American controlled the majority of the fight, although Masvidal dropped him in the fourth round with a right hand.

The polarizing Covington took out his mouthguard immediately after the final bell, sticking his tongue out in Masvidal's direction, before blowing him kisses.

Covington went on to call out former UFC lightweight champion and his ex-training partner Poirier for his next bout, with the win improving his record to 17-3.

"Louisiana swamp trash," Covington labelled Poirier, before adding: "I'll see you soon. You're next!"

The fight was billed as a grudge match rather than anything significant for titles or rankings with a lot of animosity between Covington and Masvidal given their history.

Covington spent long periods of the fight on Masvidal's back, with his superiority grappling, attempting to secure a rear-naked choke in the first round.

The American landed elbows in the third round as 37-year-old Masvidal's pace started to slow in the latter rounds, with his best moment being his fourth round hit which dropped Covington.

"I should have had more moments like that, but I was off today," Masvidal said. "I didn't have it."

Meanwhile, former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos won a bloody stand-up battle against Renato Moicano by unanimous decision.

Bryce Mitchell was dominant in his featherweight bout with Edson Barboza, claiming victory by unanimous decision. 

Kevin Holland and Sergey Spivak both won by TKO in the earlier welterweight and heavyweight bouts against Alex Oliveira and Greg Hardy respectively.

UFC star Conor McGregor has expressed an interest in buying Chelsea amid reports Roman Abramovich wants to sell the Premier League club.

Abramovich bought the European champions back in 2003, but is said to looking for a new owner.

The 55-year-old gave "stewardship and care" of the London club to its foundation trustees following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss says he was among those to be offered Chelsea.

McGregor on Wednesday suggested he would be keen to lodge an offer of £3billion.

The Irishman tweeted: "I wish to explore this @ChelseaFC."

McGregor previously declared on social media that he would do "big things" with Manchester United if he were to buy the club.

Wyss told Swiss newspaper Blick he will only be willing to make the purchase if he can put together a consortium of investors.

"Like all other oligarchs, he is in a panic," the 86-year-old said. "Abramovich is trying to sell all his villas in England. He also wants to get rid of Chelsea quickly. I and three other people received an offer on Tuesday to buy Chelsea from Abramovich.

"I have to wait four to five days now. Abramovich is currently asking far too much. You know, Chelsea owe him £2billion.

"But Chelsea has no money. It means, those who buy Chelsea must compensate Abramovich [for the debts].

"As of today, we don't know the exact selling price. I can well imagine starting at Chelsea with partners, but I have to examine the general conditions first.

"But what I can already say, I'm definitely not doing something like this alone. If I buy Chelsea, then [I'd buy] with a consortium consisting of six to seven investors."

Israel Adesanya has retained his UFC middleweight title after defeating Australian Robert Whittaker by unanimous decision in their re-match at UFC 271 on Saturday.

The Nigerian, who boasts an imposing 23-1 record, triumphed 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 to remain undefeated in the middleweight decision which he has dominated.

Adesanya had defeated Whittaker in a second-round knockout at UFC 243 in 2019 but the Australian put up a much better fight this time around with new tactics.

Whittaker took down Adesanya several times throughout the bout, also the champion found an edge by landing punches and kicks to his opponents' face, legs and ribs.

Adesanya started the better, before Whittaker took him down in the second round, landing several punches to the face, but the champion managed to escape his hold and respond with a few blows.

Whittaker again took down Adesanya in the fourth round, attempting to lock in a choke as he rode his back, but he managed to break free.

The Australian continued to try take down Adesanya whose ability to escape was critical to holding his victory, along with his attacking punches and kicks.

"I knew he was going to bring everything because last time I took everything away from him," Adesanya said after the bout. "I'm the big dog in this yard so he couldn’t take me down at all."

Whittaker felt like he had done enough to claim victory and admitted he was surprised by the judges' decision yet gracious in defeat.

"I was surprised with the decision," Whittaker said. "I started off rocky in that first round. I felt like I had it after that. It is what it is.

"I'm happy I fought my heart out. I'm gutted, I thought I did enough, I thought I took that."

Adesanya's next opponent may be third-ranked Jared Cannonier (15-5) who knocked out Derek Brunson in the second round of their middleweight bout earlier on Saturday. Cannonier said after the fight that he wants a chance against Adesanya.

Tuivasa knocks out KO king Lewis

In the co-main event, Tai Tuivasa claimed victory over Derrick Lewis with a second-round knockout in the heavyweight division.

Tuivasa extended his run of wins by knockout to five, responding after being taken down twice in the first round by landing a decisive elbow to Lewis' face.

“That’s the king of knockouts,” Tuivasa said afte the bout. “But like I said, I’m young... and I’m taking over now.”

The Australian moves into contention for a title shot against Francis Ngannou.

UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou will require surgery to repair MCL and ACL injuries, his manager has confirmed.

Ngannou retained his heavyweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Ciryl Gane in Anaheim on Saturday.

The 35-year-old got the better of his former training partner Gane for the first victory by decision of his 17-3-0 UFC career.

Ngannou then revealed he had actually torn his MCL and damaged his ACL while sparring in preparation for the fight.

His manager, Marquel Martin, told ESPN on Wednesday that Ngannou will spend some time resting back home in his native Cameroon and that the "plan" is to have surgery once he returns to the United States.

It is estimated Ngannou will be out for nine months recovering from the injuries.

"I continue to be amazed and inspired by Francis' heart and resilience," Martin said.

"Fighting on one leg to overcome all odds and remind the world he is the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. I think we can all agree he deserves some time to go back home and be with his family and countrymen.

"Upon his return, we plan on getting surgery and starting the recovery process so we can get him back to 100 percent as soon as possible.

"In the meantime, we hope we can find a peaceful resolution in these contract talks [with the UFC]. We'd like to thank all the fans for their continued support and belief in Francis."

UFC boss Dana White is hopeful Conor McGregor's latest comeback is on the horizon.

The Irish superstar fractured the fibula and tibia of his left leg in a first-round defeat to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 last July.

McGregor, who claimed he started that fight in Las Vegas with multiple leg fractures, has been recovering after undergoing surgery.

White told TMZ he is optimistic the 33-year-old will be back in the Octagon before too long.

He stated: "I think so, yeah. He's doing all the right things with his leg. I'm hoping he can come back this summer."

McGregor has been beaten in three of his past four bouts, with Poirier consigning him to back-to-back losses.

He revealed a plan for his return back in November.

"I will be full mixed martial arts sparring by April. Easily! By then a return will be imminent. But I must be patient. I will beat this!" McGregor tweeted.

Tyson Fury urged UFC champion Francis Ngannou to "make some real money" by meeting him in the ring. 

Ngannou on Saturday defeated Ciryl Gane by unanimous decision to unify the UFC heavyweight division, a feat he achieved despite tearing his MCL in the build-up to the fight. 

The UFC 270 loss was the first of Gane's career, while Ngannou improved to 17-3 by extending his victorious streak to six fights. 

The Cameroonian is widely regarded as the hardest puncher in UFC and, with contract negotiations with the organisation dragging on due to a pay dispute, he has been heavily linked with a switch to boxing. 

WBC heavyweight champion Fury would relish the chance to take on Ngannou, suggesting it could put his financial concerns to bed. 

"Congratulations Francis Ngannou but if you want to make some real money, come see the Gypsy King," Fury posted on Twitter. 

Ngannou trained as a boxer in the early stages of his career in combat sports and expressed he remains keen to return to the discipline following his victory over Gane. 

"As I always say, boxing is always in the back of my pocket. It's something that I must do before the end of my career," he said. 

"And right now, I'm really looking towards any opportunity to get that because it's not like I had a lifetime here so I better start thinking about it." 

Current champion Francis Ngannou retained his UFC heavyweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Ciryl Gane in Anaheim on Saturday.

The Cameroon-born 35-year-old got the better of his former training partner Gane for the first victory by decision of his 17-3-0 UFC career.

Ngannou triumphed 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47, relying on grappling rather than his power to claim the win in his first title defence.

Gane utilised his movement and skill in the first two rounds to subdue Ngannou, who revealed after the bout he had torn his MCL and injured his ACL in training, limiting his agility.

Ngannou adopted a different strategy in the third round, taking down the surprised Gane to assume control. He utilised the same tactics to good effect in the fourth too.

Gane took down Ngannou in the fifth round but the current champion was able to sweep out and re-gain control.

“Three weeks ago I hurt my knee, tore my MCL completely," Ngannou said after the fight. "I wanted to call off the fight but couldn’t see myself retreating from this fight."

The victory may mark the end of Ngannou's time in the sport with his UFC contract due to expire and he admitted the lure of boxing remained.

“Boxing is always in the back of my pocket, it’s something I must do before the end of my career,” Ngannou said.

Figueiredo re-claims flyweight title

In the men's flyweight championship, the UFC's first Mexico-born champion Deiveson Figueiredo defeated Brandon Moreno by unanimous decision.

Figueiredo re-claimed the title he had lost to Moreno six months ago in the co-headline event with all three judges ruling 48-47 in his favour.

Michel Pereira beat Andre Fialho by unanimous decision in the welterweight division, while Said Nurmagomedov triumphed over Cody Stamann by first-round submission in the men's bantamweight.

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