Charlotte McKinley

2 days ago | spokesman.com | Charlotte McKinley

Defending her UFC women’s bantamweight belt for the second time, Spokane native Julianna Peña faces off against two-time Olympic judo champion Kayla Harrison on Saturday. Following her split decision win against Raquel Pennington last October, Peña (13-5) called on former UFC featherweight and bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes (23-5) to come out of retirement. When she refused, the “Venezuelan Vixen” had to settle for UFC newcomer Harrison (18-1).

1 month ago | spokesman.com | Charlotte McKinley

The pressure is on Juliana Miller. Miller (4-3) returns to the UFC cage in a must-win fight against Germany-born Ivana Petrović (7-2) in the opening bout of UFC Des Moines. Miller’s last fight was Aug. 12, 2023, when she sustained a severe labrum tear that led to surgery. Finally healed, the Spokane fighter (4-3) will face off against Petrović (7-2) on Saturday. “Her job’s on the line right now,” Miller’s strength and conditioning coach Dr. Dylan Lemery said.

2 months ago | spokesman.com | Charlotte McKinley

From the mountains to the desert, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship featherweight champion Kai Stewart has relentlessly chased after growth in the bare knuckle boxing world. Originally from Great Falls, Mont., Stewart (7-0) – who lives and trains in Spokane – will defend his title against South Africa’s Tommy Strydom (4-0) on the main card of a two-night BKFC event at the Dubai Tennis Center. ”At first, it didn’t set in,” Stewart said about receiving the call he would fight in Dubai.

Dec 5, 2024 | spokesman.com | Charlotte McKinley

Happy birthday, Michael Chiesa. Time to fight. The Shadle Park graduate, who turns 37 on Saturday, gets to do what he loves on his birthday: scrap. Chiesa (19-7) is set to fight Max Griffin (20-10) tomorrow in Las Vegas. This fight comes after Chiesa retired IFC veteran Tony Ferguson back in August— a fight that had been in the works since 2016. “I was happy with the way the fight went,” Chiesa said.

Nov 14, 2024 | spokesman.com | Charlotte McKinley

On the surface, it’s a fight between young and old when 27-year-old Jake Paul climbs in the ring against 58-year-old Mike Tyson on Friday. But for a few ex-fighters with local ties, it’s more like unserious vs. serious. “I’d like to see (Tyson) take care of this so these celebrities don’t keep trying to come back and do stuff like this,” said retired light heavyweight Frank Vassar, a Spokane native.