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Noche UFC earned our booking, now it deserves our praise

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Something strange happened within the run-up to Noche UFC, the second annual celebration of Mexican Independence Day. For the primary time since I got into MMA through the McGregor era and fell in love with the game through the pandemic, I skipped all my UFC fight week traditions. I didn’t watch a single episode , didn’t watch the press conference on Thursday or the ceremonial weigh-ins on Friday. And I actually didn’t have my usual “one more sleep” nerves heading into Saturday. It’s clear to me now that my lack of enthusiasm was a product of uncertainty, which breeds reserve, not curiosity.

Almost all the pieces on Saturday night’s card had me and other fans scratching our heads, starting with its amalgamation of a reputation: UFC 306: Riyadh Season Noche UFC. And then there was the promotion’s star. No, not the homegrown, hype-machine-produced Sean O’Malley, and even Mexico’s Alex Grasso, but quite The Sphere (or just “The Sphere,” as it was referred to throughout the printed). The Mexican-inspired Fight Night, which had by some means change into a numbered pay-per-view presented by a series of festivals in Saudi Arabia, boasting an arena as its important attraction, left me with questions that the sights and sounds of a typical fight week couldn’t answer. Instead, those questions were answered by the usual brilliance of probably the most production-oriented combat sports promotion this side of WWE.

When it was first reported, the most affordable seat in the home would cost over $2,000, I wondered if the more passionate Mexican and Mexican-American fight fans would not find the money for to accept the regular fighters with high salaries and company bank cards. Those fears were put to rest once I heard the group cheer for Raúl Rosas Jr. as he walked toward the octagon before the primary preliminary fight of the night. I did my best Irish accent and asked once I discovered that 4 fighters I’d never heard of were opening the important card. And lo and behold, these were the 2 most entertaining fights of the night, with Esteban Ribovics and Daniel Zellhuber receiving Fight of the Night bonuses that would have just as easily gone to Ronaldo Rodriguez and Ode’ Osbourne. And, like Sean O’Malley he had an issue with himself At one point I noticed with interest that soon turned to ambivalence that the venue was being promoted greater than the then bantamweight champion at the highest of the bill. I don’t learn about him, but I understood why by the tip of the night, because the suspense surrounding what a sporting event at The Sphere might appear to be paid off greater than the one-sided thrashing most educated fans accurately predicted he would receive within the important event.

But greater than anything, the important query I had before last night was why did the UFC’s first and potentially only show at The Sphere happen on Mexican Independence Day? As Noche UFC approached, I assumed that perhaps an event featuring Conor McGregor or Jon Jones could be an even bigger popular culture spectacle, International Fight Week would result in easier branding, and UFC 300, which fans and pundits alike made a mistake of underestimatingwould allow for a deeper card. Again, the event itself convinced me of its merits in a way that no moment or press conference confrontation could have prepared me for.

No other alternative I had in mind, a more fitting Sphere card, would have produced the breathtaking story of Noche UFC. The six interludes, produced by Oscar-winning filmmaker Carlos López Estrada of Antigravity Academy, made excellent use of The Sphere’s capabilities, transporting viewers through Mexican history with images that were awe-inspiring even on a television screen. Ancient civilizations, heroic freedom fighters, spiritual traditions, iconic combat athletes, and the virtues of Mexican culture were honored with Lucasian light and magic. Eight first- and second-generation Mexicana Octagon girls paraded between rounds in stunning costumes inspired by their shared heritage.

Despite the important event, the fights themselves matched the spectacle of the evening in a way that only high-level MMA drama can, especially when it’s done to honor the fighting spirit of a culture. Minutes after a brief film told the story of the indigenous warriors, the primary people to fight for the land now often called Mexico, Mexican flyweight Ronaldo Rodriguez escaped two near-death submissions to carry out for a unanimous decision over Ode’ Osbourne. Right after that, Mexico City native Daniel Zellhuber fought Argentine Esteban Ribovics in a mad, button-mashing frenzy, losing on the cards but gaining fans like me who were watching him fight for the primary time. And despite a lackluster performance from former women’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso, I used to be on the sting of my seat, seemingly once per round, attempting to get Valentina Shevchenko to tap.

Much just like the 300 events that preceded them, UFC 306 has images which might be perpetually etched in my memory; exciting moments that I might have never predicted based on the names on the cardboard and the hype that preceded it.

I do not know if Noche UFC turned out to be “the greatest sporting event of all time,” as UFC CEO Dana White said promised in July. During his post-fight press availability, White admitted that it could be as much as the audience to choose whether the evening lived as much as those expectations. I’m generally a bit of allergic to creating such grandiose statements. But I’ll admit that Noche UFC was probably the most impressively produced televised sporting event I’ve ever seen—higher than any Super Bowl, NBA Finals, or WrestleMania I’ve ever watched.

It was a spectacle I couldn’t quite persuade myself to expect, but one I’ll always remember. If you’re still with me, scroll or click through the photos below to see what made the night so memorable.

This article was originally published on : kotaku.com
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The anime Scott Pilgrim on Netflix will not receive a second season

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Picture: : Netflix

series creator Bryan Lee O’Malley announced that Netflix adaptation of the favored series will not receive a second season, confirming what many fans already assumed.

Released on Netflix in November 2023, it’s an eight-episode animated series based on O’Malley’s best-selling graphic novels. The series does not directly follow the novel’s plot, but reunites the solid of the 2010 live-action adaptation to voice their film characters from the series. Kenneth Shepard called it “a hilarious combination of brilliant wit (franchise) and balanced pop culture references” Unfortunately, the series will not see a second season.

November 20on the one-year anniversary of the premiere, series creator O’Malley tweeted that it was an “honor” to “work with the entire cast and crew around the world” and called the series “a one-of-a-kind miracle.” ” The creator also confirmed that Netflix recently released the second season of the animated adaptation.

“In any case, we recently received information that the series will not return,” he added. O’Malley said. “As you know, we only planned one season and asked a lot of favors to make it happen, so doing more would be almost impossible. But I know some of you had no hope.”

“I’m sorry to all Matthew and Gideon fans, I know you will suffer the most.” O’Malley added later to the tweet confirming the knowledge that there will be no second season.

While some fans were upset concerning the Netflix series and the way far it strayed from the unique graphic novels, many others were joyful to see a recent story featuring these characters. For now, it looks like that is the tip of this chapter of the series, regardless that there was a post-credits scene in the ultimate episode of the series.

This article was originally published on : kotaku.com
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The new PS Portal update could be a game changer for Sony mobile devices

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The latest update for Sony surprisingly good PlayStation Portal adds a feature that individuals have been expecting since before the hand-held gaming device was released last yr. Starting today, PS Plus subscribers can now stream certain PS5 games via the cloud on their devices PS portal without console.

A yr ago, we got here across the PS portal and while it looked weird, it felt great and was a great device that allowed people to play PS5 games anywhere of their home via Wi-Fi. The $200 device works like a charm and is quietly among the finest things Sony has produced in a while. However, one big drawback to Portal was that for some reason it couldn’t stream games from the cloud. You needed to have a PS5 console, and when using the Portal, the PS5 console would activate and play the game remotely. This meant that PS Portal was more of an add-on than a console. But that is changing today.

On November 19, PlayStation released its latest update for PS Portal, and while it adds some nice quality of life improvements to audio settings, the true news is that starting today, players can play select PS5 games via the cloud and without a console. Theoretically, you’ll be able to now play PS5 games on the go, assuming you’ve gotten a Wi-Fi connection.

Sony says that with today’s update, you may be capable of stream over 120 PS5 games from the PS Plus games catalog on PS Portal. Games include and

How to stream cloud games on PS Portal

To start streaming PS5 games to your computer PS portal without a console, you’ll need an lively PS Plus Premium subscription, then you’ll need to download the update and follow these steps:

  1. Open the “Quick Menu” and go to “Settings” in your PS Portal.
  2. Select the “Cloud Streaming (Beta)” button.
  3. Enable the Cloud Streaming (Beta) switch (it’s going to be disabled by default).

Right now, Sony is looking it a beta test and never all features just like the capture button and group chat will be supported for games streamed on the Portal. Similarly, Sony doesn’t currently support PS2, PS3, PS4 games or games purchased on PSN.

Hopefully, after testing and more updates, Sony will expand support and switch PS Portal into a nice PlayStation streaming box where you’ll be able to play all of the classic games added to the catalog every month, in addition to games you own. This will make me rush out and buy it PS portal.

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This article was originally published on : kotaku.com
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Report: Sony will buy the owners of Elden Ring developer FromSoftware

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reports that Sony is in talks to buy Kadokawa Corporation, the company that owns FromSoftware, Spike Chunsoft and lots of other Japanese corporations. If successful, it will be an enormous move for Sony, gaining household names corresponding to , , and , in addition to a counterattack to Microsoft’s recent big purchases.

reports that “two sources familiar with the matter” have told them that Sony is in talks to buy Kadokawa, an organization that reported revenues of $1.7 billion in 2024. The news network adds: “Talks between the two sides are ongoing and if successful, sources say a deal could be signed in the coming weeks.”

Kadokawa is a Japanese media conglomerate that owns a wide selection of corporations spanning manga, anime, tourism, video streaming and a few of the most vital names in the Japanese game development industry. This includes Spike Chunsoft, creator of , and more recently , in addition to Acquire, co-creators and, intriguingly, creators of the just-released Nintendo exclusive game, .

It would even be one other conquest of territory in the anime space by corporations corresponding to Doga Kobo, ENGI, Glovision and lots of others, in addition to an enormous part of Japanese manga publishing houses. Since Sony already owns Crunchyroll and Funimation, there are obvious concerns about Sony’s dominance on this space.

Of course, the header name is FromSoftware, answerable for , , and . Having these names can be an enormous coup for Sony, and of course it will raise huge questions on whether some of the world’s hottest games will turn into PlayStation exclusives. One sec Microsoft is talking loudly about porting its games to competing platformsSony has shown no signs of returning the favor, as an alternative specializing in late PC-only ports.

The news sent Kadokawa’s shares up by almost 1 / 4, although each side declined to comment.

Of course, this might be small fry in comparison with Microsoft bought Activision for $69 billionhowever it stays a major retaliatory move that would do serious damage to Xbox if all these big names were removed.

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This article was originally published on : kotaku.com
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