Allen rebounds, Rousey returns, Hrgovic stays dangerous: combat sports May 11–18 recap + what's on this week

A big Saturday on May 16 served up three simultaneous fight nights — UFC Vegas 117, MVP MMA 1 on Netflix, and a stacked boxing card in England — while the announcement of UFC 329 gave the summer a headline act. Here's everything that happened and what to watch this week.

UFC Vegas 117: Allen vs. Costa (May 16 — Meta APEX, Las Vegas, Paramount+)

Arnold Allen needed a bounce-back, and he got one. The British featherweight had lost three of his last four, but on Saturday he walked into the APEX and ran through surging contender Melquizael Costa for five disciplined rounds, winning by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46) 1. Allen moves up to #9 in the featherweight rankings; Costa slides to #13 2.

The co-main event was the real crowd-pleaser. Doo Ho Choi (featherweight) stopped Daniel Santos by TKO at 4:29 of round two with a well-placed body shot that dropped Santos and ended the fight — good enough for Fight of the Night honours 3.

Juan Diaz, a Peruvian newcomer, made an immediate impression on his UFC debut by submitting Malcolm Wellmaker with a rear-naked choke at 4:08 of round two — Diaz earned Performance of the Night 3.

The other Performance of the Night went to Alice Ardelean (strawweight), who pulled off the first-ever capsule lock submission in UFC history to finish Polyana Viana — a novel finish that sent the MMA community into search mode 3.

Other notable finishes from the card:

Khaos Williams (welterweight) ended a two-fight skid by TKO'ing Nikolay Veretennikov in round one
Tommy Gantt (lightweight) TKO'd Artur Minev in round two on debut
Cody Brundage (middleweight) came from behind to stop Andre Petroski by TKO
Bernardo Sopaj (bantamweight) submitted Timothy Cuamba via rear-naked choke in round two
Nicolle Caliari submitted Shauna Bannon with an arm-triangle

$25,000 finish bonuses went to Sopaj, Williams, Gantt, Brundage, and Caliari 3.

MVP MMA 1 "Rousey vs. Carano" (May 16 — Intuit Dome, Los Angeles, Netflix)

The inaugural Most Valuable Promotions card delivered from the first fight to the last. Streaming live on Netflix from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, the event was built around Ronda Rousey's return to MMA competition for the first time since December 2016 4.

Rousey (now 12-2) did not waste anyone's time. She submitted Gina Carano with an armbar approximately 15–17 seconds into round one — vintage stuff, and about as clean a conclusion as you could write for that story. Carano (6-1 entering the fight) had no answer 4.

The rest of the main card:

Francis Ngannou def. Philipe Lins by KO (punch), round 1, 4:31 — Ngannou, who called out Jon Jones afterward, remains a heavyweight problem even outside the UFC 5
Salahdine Parnasse def. Kenneth Cross by TKO (punches), round 1, 4:18 5
Mike Perry def. Nate Diaz — Perry beat Diaz in a bloody fight; Diaz was stopped and sustained a significant cut 5
Jason Jackson KO'd Jeff Creighton in 22 seconds on the undercard 6

The BBC summarised the night's UFC angle well: McGregor's return fight was announced while Ngannou was calling out Jones from the Intuit Dome post-fight mic 7.

Boxing: Hrgovic dominant in Doncaster, Davis survives a rough rematch

Filip Hrgovic vs. Dave Allen (May 16 — Eco-Power Stadium, Doncaster):

Filip Hrgovic (now 20-1, 15 KOs) stopped "White Rhino" Dave Allen in round three to claim the vacant IBF Intercontinental heavyweight title 8. Allen, the Doncaster cult hero fighting in his home city, was never able to get Hrgovic uncomfortable; the Croatian was dominant from the opening bell. The stoppage came at 2:37 of round three. Allen drops to 25-9-2 9.

On the undercard, Michael Gomez Jr. stopped Lee McGregor by TKO in round six 8.

Keyshawn Davis vs. Nahir Albright 2 (May 16 — Norfolk, Virginia):

The rematch was not as clean as Davis (15-0, 10 KOs) wanted, but he got the job done. Three judges scored 118-108, 118-108, and 117-109 in his favour — wide cards in what was reportedly a rougher fight than the numbers suggest 10. Albright falls to 17-3-1. In the co-main, Brian Norman Jr. scored a second-round TKO 11.

UFC 329 confirmed: McGregor vs. Holloway 2, July 11

The week's biggest announcement came when UFC confirmed the full UFC 329 card 12. Conor McGregor (former two-division champion) and Max Holloway (former featherweight champion) rematch at welterweight on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 329 main card (T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas — July 11):

Bout	Weight class
Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway 2	Welterweight
Benoit Saint Denis vs. Paddy Pimblett	Lightweight
Cory Sandhagen vs. Mario Bautista	Bantamweight
Brandon Royval vs. Lone'er Kavanaugh	Flyweight
Gable Steveson vs. Elisha Ellison	Heavyweight

Preliminary card: Robert Whittaker vs. Nikita Krylov, Cody Garbrandt vs. Adrian Yanez, Tracy Cortez vs. Wang Cong, and others 12.

The 329 card has no shortage of names, but the headline fight will generate the most attention. McGregor has been out of competition for years; Holloway is coming off his own stretch of high-activity success. The rematch is at 170 lbs — not the featherweight weight class where their first fight happened.

Looking ahead: this week's fight cards

Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven — "Glory in Giza" (May 23 — Giza, Egypt, DAZN PPV, 11 am ET / 6 pm BST)

Usyk (undisputed heavyweight champion, also holding the WBC belt specifically on the line here) faces Rico Verhoeven — the most decorated kickboxer alive — in what the promoters are calling "Glory in Giza," staged near the Pyramids 13. The WBA title will count as a defense for Usyk; the IBF would vacate their strap if Usyk loses. Verhoeven has one professional boxing fight on his record — from 12 years ago, against a last-minute substitute — so managing expectations here is important. DAZN PPV is $59.99 standalone 14.

"Glory in Giza" undercard:

Bout	Division / Stakes
Hamzah Sheeraz vs. Alem Begic	Vacant WBO super-middleweight title
Jack Catterall vs. Shakhram Giyasov	Welterweight eliminator
Frank Sanchez vs. Richard Torrez	Heavyweight eliminator

Sheeraz vs. Begic is the legitimate title fight on the card — Sheeraz (British, unbeaten at super-middleweight) takes on Begic, a 39-year-old German undefeated pro who has never fought outside Central Europe. Catterall vs. Giyasov (former Olympic silver medalist) is the fight worth watching if you want a competitive welterweight contest 13.

Amari Jones vs. Vincenzo Gualtieri (May 22 — San Jose, DAZN, 8 pm ET)

Undefeated 24-year-old middleweight prospect Amari Jones faces Vincenzo Gualtieri — the former IBF middleweight champion who was stopped in six rounds by Janibek in their 2023 unification. Gualtieri hasn't had a meaningful fight since; Jones is building his résumé 13.

PFL Brussels: Habirora vs. Henderson (May 23 — ING Arena, Brussels)

The week's MMA main event outside the UFC. Belgium's Patrick Habirora (8-0, welterweight) steps up to meet former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson (30-12) in the PFL Brussels headliner 15. Henderson won the UFC lightweight belt in 2012 and defended it four times; at 32+ years old and 30-12, he's hardly unbeatable anymore. Habirora is the betting-favourite home prospect. Also on the card: Taylor Lapilus (24-4) vs. Jake Hadley (12-5) at bantamweight 15.

Next UFC event

The next UFC event is UFC Fight Night: Song Yadong vs. Deiveson Figueiredo on May 30 — a 13-day gap after Vegas 117 16. No UFC show this week.