A jam-packed combat sports slate bursting at the seams with possibilities highlights the second full weekend of 2024, with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and UFC Fight Night 234 at the center of it all on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Magomed Ankalaev looks to close the book on his rivalry with Johnny Walker when they rematch one another in the five-round light heavyweight headliner. The action kicks off on Friday, with ONE Championship and ONE on Prime Video 18 at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, plus the Legacy Fighting Alliance and LFA 174 at the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake, Minnesota.
Ankalaev elected to do some of his pre-fight preparation for Walker by training alongside current middleweight champion Sean Strickland in sessions that were undoubtedly mutually beneficial. Strickland defends his 185-pound title against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 on Jan. 20.
Sean Strickland (185 lbs.) and Magomed Ankalaev (205 lbs.) getting in grappling rounds ahead of their main event bouts on Jan. 13 and Jan. 20. 🤼🔥
— Parry Punch (@ParryPunchNews) January 12, 2024
🎥 YouTube via ESPN MMA#UFCVegas84 #UFC297 pic.twitter.com/qK7MJdDA0k
Leave it to Walker to get creative with his purported 20-pound weight cut ahead of his rematch with Ankalaev. The Brazilian’s efforts were a success, as he tipped the scales at a ready 205.5 pounds.
This is how I cut 20 pounds pic.twitter.com/LceYxyJKGl
— Johnny Walker (@JohnnyWalker) January 12, 2024
Andrei Arlovski made his professional debut on April 9, 1999, nearly a quarter century ago. His latest opponent, Waldo Cortes-Acosta, was 7 years old at the time, and at least one of the men on the UFC Fight Night 234 bill was not even born yet. Talk about staying power.
https://twitter.com/Prodigy_MMA_/status/1745847202323272013
Blue-chip Australian prospect Tom Nolan enters the lightweight pool in his promotional debut, as the 6-foot-3 Dana White’s Contender Series graduate faces Nikolas Motta on the undercard. Nolan has finished his last four opponents, three of them inside one round, and figures to be a welcomed addition at 155 pounds.
Contender Series alum Tom Nolan looks to extend his 6-fight winning streak as he prepares for his UFC debut this weekend against Nikolas Motta.#UFCVegas84 pic.twitter.com/JOCs4lVYKL
— COMBAT SPORTS TODAY (@CSTodayNews) January 10, 2024