MMA News

Author: Aakrit Sharma

  • Khalil Rountree’s Coach Breaks Down Alex Pereira’s ‘Ugly’ Striking

    Khalil Rountree’s Coach Breaks Down Alex Pereira’s ‘Ugly’ Striking

    With UFC Paris: Moicano vs. Saint Denis done and dusted, fans can look forward to witnessing the return of Alex Pereira at UFC 307. The light heavyweight champion will aim to defend his title for the third time this year against Khalil Rountree.

    Although Rountree wasn’t the ideal title contender based on rankings, many believe him to be an excellent matchup for “Poatan”. The Brazilian has been knocking people out with left hooks and kicks, and Rountree has been very successful since incorporating Muay Thai into his striking.

    Here’s what Rountree’s coach thinks of the champion’s striking and how he plans to do the unthinkable at UFC 307…

    Khalil Rountree’s Coach Explains How To Beat An ‘Unstoppable Striker’ Like Alex Pereira Or Sean O’Malley

    Wood is still exhilarated by his student Merab Dvalishvili beating Sean O’Malley at UFC 306. While discussing Rountree’s UFC 307 fight on the Inside Fighting YouTube channel, he remembered how “Suga” seemed like an unbeatable striker, but Dvalishvili exposed several holes in his game.

    “You know, just like, using O’Malley again. [Sean] Was this unstoppable striker and this and that. There’s always, there’s layers, there’s layers to the onion that you have to peel back for the game plan.”

    Although Rountree is unlikely to grapple like Dvalishvili to neutralize his opponent’s offense, his coach claims that there are several things to capitalize on. Wood acknowledged that Pereira’ striking can look ugly and unconventional but it works like a charm.

    For starters, Pereira has explosive knockout power which always keeps his opponents at bay. On top of that, Wood thinks that by performing rather unusual moves, the Brazilian lures his opponents to enter the pocket following which the fight usually ends.

    “One, the guy’s got hammers for hands. Two, I think he lulls people into that like, you know, ‘hey, I’m making mistakes’ and you know, ‘come and get me.’ And then, boop! You’re waking up on the canvas,” Wood continued,” No matter sometimes how ugly things might look or maybe unconventional but unconventional works just as well as conventional, if you know what you’re doing.”

    Without revealing a lot, Wood shared that Rountree’s game plan heading into UFC 307 is to avoid aggressing unnecessarily. The coach understands that the light heavyweight kingpin only needs one good shot, so he’ll ask his fighter to remain patient and look for real openings.

    “That’s my job to make sure that we don’t fall into any of those traps. You’re going to see this, and his hands are down and he’s leading with his face. He wants to get you, you know, no, there’s reasons he’s doing that.”

    Wood has a fair assessment of Pereira’s striking game. Will it help Rountree finally win UFC gold at UFC 307, though?

  • Chael Sonnen Compares Alex Pereira To Legendary Freestyle Wrestler John Smith: ‘Greats Think Differently’

    Chael Sonnen Compares Alex Pereira To Legendary Freestyle Wrestler John Smith: ‘Greats Think Differently’

    Chael Sonnen, like millions of others, is a huge fan of Alex Pereira, who has won two UFC belts and defeated five champs in just two years. His stoic persona matches his appalling fighting style amazingly well, and despite not speaking English, he has won the fans over with his flashy knockouts and consistency.

    “Poatan” has already headlined UFC 300 and UFC 303 in 2024. He’ll defend the light heavyweight championship again at UFC 307 against Khalil Rountree and walking away with an impressive win is bound to skyrocket his popularity even further.

    While the world keeps theorizing the reason behind Pereira’s unprecedented rise, Chael Sonnen believes that the secret could be quite simple…

    Chael Sonnen Believes Alex Pereira To Be A Genius With Simplicity Like John Smith, One Of The Greatest Freestylers Of All Time

    Sonnen invited Mike Soccio onto his YouTube channel for a podcast where they discussed all things combat sports, including Pereira. According to the writer, “Poatan” might be extremely clever in training with Sean Strickland ahead of UFC 307 because the latter absolutely despises Rountree.

    Unsurprisingly, Strickland has been going off on Rountree in recent interviews. From claiming that “The War Horse” is in a cult to calling him a beta male, the former UFC middleweight champion has left no stone unturned in explaining why he doesn’t like Pereira’s next opponent.

    “Turns out Pereira is legit. It turns out he’s an actual badass and when an actual badass. Right? Everybody’s a gangster until a gangster walks in the room. And it turns out, Pereira is actually the tough guy even though he didn’t have the sport and he doesn’t have a black belt in anything.”

    Soccio believes this could be Pereira’s way to get under Rountree’s skin without having to be the bad guy. He thinks that it’s a genius move, but Sonnen assumes things are a lot simpler for the UFC light heavyweight champion.

    “Clearly he’s a genius. But I agree with you. I don’t think it’s deeply thought out. I don’t think his book would have a whole bunch of chapters to it. I bet you it’s something really simple.”

    Sonnen looked back at the time when he asked John Smith about winning the Olympic Games gold in 1988 against all odds. Smith’s response that he just decided to be the world champion in 1988 made “The American Gangster” realize how a lot of greats hardly care about external factors.

    Sonnen puts Pereira in a similar category. He doesn’t think “Poatan” is trying to scare his opponents through mental warfare or trash talk. Instead, he’s deeply focused on improving himself and taking out any opponent put in front of him.

    “He had decided that he, it had nothing to do with that guy beat my brother or my family’s been to court. Or he’s the gold medalist or I’m still in college and has never been done. It had nothing to do, he had decided that he was going to be Olympic champion,” Sonnen continued, “These greats, though, right? These greats, they think differently and it’s not always more complex. Sometimes, it’s more basic and I just say that because I think that Pereira is probably the more basic.”

  • Legendary MMA Referee References Georges St-Pierre Fight To Explain Judges Having Wildly Different Scorecards

    Legendary MMA Referee References Georges St-Pierre Fight To Explain Judges Having Wildly Different Scorecards

    Scoring and controversy go hand in hand in MMA. The sport is still relatively new, and tons of decisions over the years have left the fans divided, enraged, and dissatisfied, among other things.

    From Dominick Reyes losing against Jon Jones to Paddy Pimblett getting the nod against Jared Gordon, there are countless examples of controversial MMA decisions. Such incidents can occur at an amateur event as well as during a UFC title fight, which explains why the MMA community expects the scoring system to get more objective.

    Georges St-Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks is easily one of the most questioned decisions ever, and Marc Goddard broke it down to explain how scorecards in MMA can vary greatly…

    Marc Goddard Reveals Unnoticed Factor That Made Georges St-Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks A Split Decision From Unanimous

    Goddard recently appeared on the talkSPORT MMA YouTube channel to deliver a masterclass on MMA scoring. When asked about judges having contradictory scorecards after a fight, the renowned referee brought up GSP’s last defense of the UFC welterweight title before leaving the sport temporarily.

    Goddard started by explaining that 15 scores had to be submitted by three judges across the five rounds between St-Pierre and Hendricks. Fourteen of these 15 scorecards were identical. One judge scored the first round for Hendricks, which turned the majority decision into a split one.

    “It’s perfectly understandable why he scored it that way because if you look at the fight and you’ll see there’s a certain point in the first round when Johny’s against the cage. He’s defending a double leg, George is in on a double with him and he throws a series of elbows and you know yourself, being elbowed in the head is not a nice experience and depending on what’s between your ears, that can make a hollow sound or a dull sound. But you look, it was a series of elbows, he was physically marked up by them. And if you look, go back and watch that fight, and as you see those elbows come in, who’s the judge that sat right underneath where they’re happening, Nelson ‘Doc’ Hamilton. And he saw something which was used in his. It was a close round, but at that point, it was enough to swing him.”

    Goddard pointed out that the judge who scored the first round for Hendricks (the ref says it’s Nelson Hamilton mistakenly, but it was Glenn Trowbridge) was seated right next to the fighters during the sequence when “Big Rig” landed some vicious elbows on GSP while defending a double leg. According to the referee, the impact of these elbows would’ve been obvious to one judge in a way it wasn’t for the other two.

    By using this example, Goddard wanted to point out how real-time scoring is very different from what the fans see. Based on their sitting position, all judges get a different viewing angle and hear differently which naturally affects their decisions.

    The acclaimed MMA figure further explained that in contrast to popular understanding, a split decision signifies a close fight. However, because fans have usually placed bets and they’re very passionate about their favorites, split decisions are often instantly seen as robberies.

    “There’s so many factors that come into play when you’re looking at MMA, not just on the highest level. This is regardless of level. There’s so many factors, line of site, your view, how you hear things, how you see things, etc,” Goddard continued, “You know, obviously, if you’re cut or swollen during the fight, the judges can see it. All these factors mate and it’s so like, like I said when the public jump on something because of it’s something they heard and obviously all their misunderstanding on top of that, it just snowballs and exasperates it. And it’s mindblowing!”

    By bringing up several minor factors that MMA fans ignore as viewers, Goddard aimed to highlight how likely it is for scorecards to be different, especially in close fights. However, the popular sentiment is that scorecards should be unanimous in most cases and a split decision means that at least one judge got it wrong.

  • Sean O’Malley’s Coach Reveals UFC Rules He Would Change: ‘Aljo Does It…’

    Sean O’Malley’s Coach Reveals UFC Rules He Would Change: ‘Aljo Does It…’

    Many rules have been a bone of contention in MMA circles as they can vary across promotions. For instance, the UFC doesn’t allow knees to grounded opponents or 12-6 elbows, unlike ONE Championship. On the flip side, moves like eye pokes, groin strikes, and headbutts are banned across all major promotions for obvious safety reasons.

    Obeying the rules of the promotion and the commission you’re fighting under is very important for fighters. Jon Jones lost to Matt Hamill via DQ because he landed multiple 12-6 elbows and similarly, Petr Yan lost his UFC bantamweight championship for landing an illegal knee on Aljamain Sterling.

    Sean O’Malley’s coach Tim Welch believes a couple of rules in MMA should change to stop fighters from exploiting them…

    Sean O’Malley’s Coach Reveals How Aljamain Sterling Exploits A UFC Rule And Wishes To Get It Changed

    Welch was asked about the MMA rules he would change on his official YouTube podcast, recently. Right away, he mentioned that fighters should be able to upkick opponents on top of them.

    It is worth noting that upkicks from the ground to a standing opponent aren’t illegal in the UFC. In fact, Niko Price and Jon Fitch finished their opponents via upkicks in the promotion.

    However, it is illegal to upkick an opponent while their knees are down. Back in May 2021, Randa Markos was disqualified for kicking Luana Pinheiro from the ground while the latter’s was sitting on the ground.

    Charles Oliveira is notorious for landing upkicks too. He threw one at Islam Makhachev that could’ve knocked the Dagestani fighter out. Even against Tsarukyan, he landed an illegal upkick as the opponent’s knees were grounded following which the referee warned “Do Bronxs” and stopped the action temporarily.

    Welch, though, believes that the upkicks to a grounded opponent should be legal in the UFC. Another tactic he dislikes is fighters staying in a safe front headlock position to rest up as they cannot be kneed during the time.

    Welch called out Sterling for exploiting the grounded fighter rule sometimes and a great example of this is when “Funkmaster” took on Henry Cejudo. During multiple exchanges when Aljo would shoot for a takedown and fail, he would immediately bend his knees, leaving Cejudo with no viable moves.

    “The upkicks. If some f*****g guy’s on top of you, on his knees, whatever, you should be able to upkick him to his f*****g lips. I think that front headlock one too. People shoot into a front headlock and they can hang out there without getting damage and almost rest there. I mean, Aljo does it sometimes but to be able to knee the top of their head, boom, boom, boom, so they can’t rest there. So if you shoot in a front headlock, you fail on a shot, you got to pull the half guard and get to your back or you got to make a move. Not just sit in that frontlock thinking I’m safe.”

  • Alexander Volkanovski Picks ‘Very Exciting’ Conor McGregor Fight Over Ilia Topuria Rematch

    Alexander Volkanovski Picks ‘Very Exciting’ Conor McGregor Fight Over Ilia Topuria Rematch

    Since losing his UFC featherweight title in February 2024, Alexander Volkanovski has been out of action and fans are happy to see him getting the well-deserved time off. However, the former champ is now back to training and is already talking about potential matchups.

    Volkanovski was the featherweight kingpin for five years, defending the belt as frequently as possible. He also fought the UFC lightweight champ Islam Makhachev twice and for all these memorable moments, no one’s complaining about his expectation to get an immediate title rematch.

    Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway is still a month away, though. In the meantime, Volkanovski would be happy to take a big money fight with Conor McGregor and then try to reclaim the UFC featherweight title…

    Alexander Volkanovski Thinks It’s Feasible To Fight Conor McGregor Before Rematching Ilia Topuria or Max Holloway For The Title

    From Topuria and Holloway to Diego Lopes and McGregor, Volkanovski discussed several potential opponents for his return on the Submission Radio YouTube channel recently.

    “The Great” is open to fighting McGregor before he gets the rematch with the winner of Topuria vs. Holloway. Both fighters have had dominant winning streaks in the featherweight division and have beaten big names like Holloway and José Aldo.

    With McGregor eager to book his UFC return as well, Volkanovski stated that he could fight “The Notorious” in late December or early 2025. He can focus on fighting the UFC featherweight champion later in 2025.

    “It’s like title fights, exciting fights, and maybe, short notice fights, that’s the things that excite me, you know what I mean? So, now, I’m, you know obviously doing good now, back in training. Training hard in that as well, but yeah just what excites me. It’s just doing a contender fight in featherweight division, that doesn’t really get me out of bed. It would have to be a build on the line to get me excited and obviously, the Conor Mcgregor fight is very exciting.”

    Volkanovski admitted to only wanting title fights, exciting fights, or short-notice fights for his return. Although he has no plans to be in a title eliminator against Lopes, the McGregor fight is definitely exciting for him and it wouldn’t impact his imminent rematch for the title as well.

    The former UFC P4P No. 1 fighter also explained why he would choose to fight McGregor over Ilia Topuria at the moment.

    “That’s a tricky one. I mean, obviously, I want that, I want that match back with Ilia, right, yeah? But I mean, right now, well, I don’t know exactly what’s happening in February. If Ilia wins, I don’t even know where he would want to fight. I don’t think, you know, I think they might be talking about maybe Sydney or something. I don’t think Ilia is going to want to fight there. So, who knows how long it is going to be. Is he gonna wait another six to seven months? So, I’ll say Conor McGregor right now, because then I could still do Ilia straight after that.”

  • Alexander Volkanovski Agrees To Fight Diego Lopes Over Winner Of Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway On One Condition

    Alexander Volkanovski Agrees To Fight Diego Lopes Over Winner Of Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway On One Condition

    Before anyone could say Jack Robinson, Diego Lopes has become the No. 3 ranked UFC featherweight contender in the world. He lost his Dana White’s Contender Series fight in September 2021 and racked up two wins in Lux Fight League and Fury FC before making his UFC debut against Movsar Evloev on short notice in May 2023.

    Although Lopes lost the Evloev fight, his impressive performance solidified his position in the promotion. Since then, he’s won five fights in a row and following the latest victory over Brian Ortega, he’s eyeing a title fight or a title eliminator with Alexander Volkanovski.

    The former UFC featherweight kingpin has finally revealed what would compel him to take on Lopes instead of the winner of Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway…

    Alexander Volkanovski Reveals The Only Scenario Where Fighting Diego Lopes Would Make Sense For Him

    Volkanovski appeared on the Submission Radio YouTube channel to clear the air around his next fight. When asked about Lopes, “The Great” stuck to what he’s been saying ever since losing the title. He’ll return to fight for the undisputed UFC featherweight championship and he’ll share the Octagon with Lopes if a title is involved.

    Volk presented a scenario where either Holloway or Topuria might need time off after their UFC 308 showdown. He remembered that Holloway also has the BMF belt and can move up weight classes which might incentivize the UFC to make an interim title fight.

    “If it was going to be him next, you know, something would have to happen to one of the guys, you know, from the fight where they get injured or move divisions or whatnot, you know. And there’s an interim title or something like that, obviously I’m not scared of nobody but I’ll fight for the title and that’s that. So that’s the only way that sort of happens, but you know you never know what happens right? Like the boys, the guys are fighting. Max has got a BMF belt. What’s he going to do if, you know? If Max wins, what’s his next fight? Is he defending the featherweight belt straight away or is he going BMF so that could open the door for maybe a, you know, an interim or something.”

    So, an interim title fight is the only thing that would motivate Volkanovski to fight Lopes. Volk being Volk, he didn’t entirely rule out the possibility of a non-title fight with the Brazilian prospect. However, he seems adamant about returning to only fight for the featherweight belt for now.

  • Fellow UFC Welterweight Claims Shavkat Rakhmonov Will Be ‘Exposed’ By Belal Muhammad

    Fellow UFC Welterweight Claims Shavkat Rakhmonov Will Be ‘Exposed’ By Belal Muhammad

    Joaquin Buckley is fighting in the UFC 307 prelims against Stephen Thompson. The welterweight matchup is expected to be a back-and-forth striking brawl, leaving many disappointed it didn’t make it to the main card.

    With four straight wins in the welterweight division, Buckley is aiming to secure a title shot as quickly as possible. A win over “Wonderboy” would undoubtedly boost and place him in the top 10.

    The current title challenger at welterweight is most likely Shavkat Rakhmonov, though. As per Buckley, the undefeated prospect with a 100% finish rate is not as skilled as fans believe and will be soundly beaten by Belal Muhammad…

    Joaquin Buckley Claims His Wins Over Shavkat Rakhmonov’s Teammates Are Why “Nomad” Ducked Him

    Buckley appeared in an interview on the Inside Fighting YouTube channel and discussed his next fight alongside the state of the UFC welterweight division.

    “New Mansa” gave the new welterweight kingpin his props, appreciating his work ethic and long road to the title. However, he’s not a fan of Rakhmonov, who’s potentially Muhammad’s first defense.

    Buckley revealed he offered to fight “Nomad” when Jack Della Maddalena had to pull out, but the offer was declined. He also boasts wins over members of the Kill Cliff FC team, where Rakhmonov trains.

    The welterweight compared Rakhmonov’s durability to early Vicente Luque but expects the hype to fade once the Kazakh fighter faces elite competition like Muhammad.

    “Because he knew there was a risk that I beat the majority of his teammates that he trains with. That yes, that we got the number on the whole Kill Cliff can over there. So, I just don’t think Shavkat is as good as people claim. But you know, I feel like he definitely going to get exposed eventually, you know. If that’s not by me, that’s definitely going to be by Belal.”

    For now, Buckley’s focus is on getting past a tough veteran in “Wonderboy”, a nightmare for most fighters on the feet.

  • Renato Moicano Claims Popularity Matters More Than Rankings In The UFC: ‘Even McGregor…’

    Renato Moicano Claims Popularity Matters More Than Rankings In The UFC: ‘Even McGregor…’

    Renato Moicano will look forward to extending his three-fight win streak as he takes on Benoit Saint-Denis this weekend at UFC Paris. He’ll be headlining an event after four long years and has made tons of new fans lately through his podcast and the ‘Money Moicano’ gimmick.

    Although Saint-Denis is one of the toughest fighters in the lightweight division, Moicano has been fighting elite competition since 2017. He’s spent nine years in the UFC, and a win over BSD would bring him closer to a title shot than ever before.

    As a UFC veteran at this point, Moicano believes that a fighter’s popularity matters more than their ranking and he had quite a few examples to back this claim…

    Renato Moicano Aims To Boost His Popularity Instead Of Rankings For A Successful UFC Run Like Dan Hooker and Conor McGregor

    While talking to the media recently, Moicano was asked about the impact on his rank after beating an opponent like Saint-Denis who’s ranked just below him.

    The Brazilian outright stated that rankings don’t matter as much in the UFC. Of course, the level of competition you face is directly related to your rank but popularity can help the fighters skip past these aspects and get the biggest fights.

    “I think the rankings, they don’t matter. You know, if the rankings matter, things will be easier but no, we saw like last month, Dan Hooker beating Mateusz and they were pretty far on the rankings. So, we see some guys like, even McGregor, back in the day, he was like, I don’t know, how many years without fighting and he was in the rankings. I think this sport, we have to try to see like the popularity, you know, the momentum. And even though Benoit Saint-Denis is ranked behind me, I think he has a lot of momentum. I think he has a lot of popularity, especially in Europe and I think that could catapult me, not to the rankings, but to popularity and I could get even better fights.”

    Moicano used Dan Hooker as an example as he was below Mateusz Gamrot before their fight. Thanks to a split decision victory, “The Hangman” is now a top-five ranked lightweight and will most likely get a title shot after another win.

    Similarly, Conor McGregor was in the UFC rankings for a very long time even when he wasn’t fighting anyone. So, understanding that BSD is quite popular in Europe, Moicano’s goal is to boost his following among European fans even if his rank doesn’t improve much.

    The American Top Team fighter thinks he can ask for the biggest fights in the lightweight division regardless of his rank if he’s a big draw. Either way, he needs to get past “God of War” first.

  • ‘No Guarantees’ – UFC HOFer Worries Diego Lopes Will Surpass Alexander Volkanovski In Featherweight Title Shot Race

    ‘No Guarantees’ – UFC HOFer Worries Diego Lopes Will Surpass Alexander Volkanovski In Featherweight Title Shot Race

    The UFC featherweight division has changed a lot in the last twelve months. Alexander Volkanovski, who looked unbeatable in the weight class, lost via knockout to a rising undefeated prospect Ilia Topuria in February 2024.

    Max Holloway, after clearing out most of the top contenders in the division, moved up to lightweight and knocked out Justin Gaethje at UFC 300. While the former champion has been resting and hoping to fight for the title upon his return, Diego Lopes has become an undeniable contender as well, following his dominant win over Brian Ortega.

    With Lopes eyeing a fight in December, UFC legend Chael Sonnen is concerned about its impact on Volkanovski’s title shot…

    Chael Sonnen Shares The Implications Of Diego Lopes Calling Out Alexander Volkanovski

    Sonnen recently discussed the current state of the UFC featherweight division on his YouTube channel. He looked back at how quickly “The Great” went from being P4P No. 1 to waiting for a title shot in a division he reigned over for five years.

    Things seemed straightforward with Holloway fighting Topuria, as Volkanovski would be next while getting the much-needed rest after two straight KO losses. However, Sonnen claims that Lopes agreeing to be the backup for Topuria vs. Holloway at UFC 308 could be a problem for the former kingpin.

    “The American Gangster” remembered that backup fighters for UFC title fights have often ended up getting the title shot next. Although Volkanovski’s legacy cannot be questioned, Sonnen reminded viewers that there are no guarantees in the fight business.

    “Diego Lopes is ready to fight right now, and to back that up, will fly to a different continent and sit in the front row should he need to which is the exact process that Volkanovski did in the exact arena to get his opportunity against Islam. I don’t know how this is going to play out and I don’t have a horse in the race. Diego Lopes has done nothing, I’ve been as impressed as you guys are. Volkanovski, one of the all-time greats, one of my absolute favorite fighters. I don’t have a horse in this race, but make no mistake, there is a race.”

    The former UFC title challenger also pointed out that Lopes is targeting a fight with “The Great” if he doesn’t step in for anyone in November. Yet again, it would be hard for Volkanovski to decline this fight and then ask for a title shot over Lopes.

    “Whether Diego Lopes meant to do this cause secretly, he’s strategically very good at this or Volkanovski doesn’t know what’s happening. He’s going to sit one out because he thinks he has a guarantee. There are no guarantees. There’s one bout agreement, it goes to one guy. There is officially a call out by Lopes, Volkanovski, the ball is yours.”

    All in all, Sonnen worries that Volkanovski’s path to reclaiming the UFC featherweight title is no longer uncomplicated.

  • Stephen Thompson Reacts To Being On UFC 307 Prelims After Fighting On Main Cards For A Decade Straight

    Stephen Thompson Reacts To Being On UFC 307 Prelims After Fighting On Main Cards For A Decade Straight

    Stephen Thompson was hoping to take on Joaquin Buckley in a five-rounder at UFC 307. He is the second-oldest member of the UFC roster behind Stipe Miocic but was expecting to have the edge in cardio against Buckley, who is 30.

    The veteran is known for his Karate-inspired stance and crisp striking that often produces exciting matches. Many predict that Buckley won’t try to grapple with “Wonderboy” to a decision unlike past opponents, generating a ton of hype for the welterweight matchup.

    However, Thompson’s wish for a five-rounder has become a far-fetched dream because his fight has been demoted to the UFC 307 prelims. While the rising prospect expects this to be his last free fight for the fans, Thompson is rather disappointed…

    Stephen Thompson Believes His UFC 307 Bout Against Joaquin Buckley Could Have Replaced Other Fights On The Main Card

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RDauugAV1A&t=592s

    Thompson recently appeared in an interview on the Bodog Canada YouTube channel to discuss his upcoming bout and other UFC-related matters. He believes that his next fight should be a banger because Buckley’s been keen to stand and trade with him.

    The likes of Belal Muhammad, Shavkat Rakhmonov, and Gilbert Burns used their superior grappling to dominate “Wonderboy” which helped them gain ranks but didn’t please the fans. On the other hand, Kevin Holland and Thompson delivered an instant classic as the former didn’t take the fight to the ground despite getting pieced up on the feet.

    “A little weird at this point, knowing what kind of a fight this is going to be. You’d figure that they’d want to have all eyes on it. Now I’m not sure if it was because, you know, the last time I was supposed to fight in Salt Lake City my opponent didn’t make weight. But, Joaquin Buckely is notorious for making weight so I know he’s going to be a professional and we’re going to go out there and have fun but yeah, it was a little disappointing like what’s going on.”

    “Wonderboy” was reminded in the interview that he last fought on the prelims on September 22, 2013, against Chris Clements. After eleven long years, he’s back to fighting on the prelims which is unsurprisingly a bummer for the veteran who never backs down to face young challengers looking to climb the welterweight rankings.

    The American kickboxer, being the NMF, didn’t name names but stated that his fight could’ve been picked over some fights on the UFC 307 main card. Regardless, he and Buckley have promised to give fans a thrilling battle and prove why they deserved to be on the main card.

    “It’s wild. I don’t know why they put that on the card. I mean, there’s some fights on the main card that I think should be on the prelims but you know, it is what it is.”

  • Khalil Rountree’s Coach Talked Him Out Of Retirement A Decade Before His UFC 307 Title Fight Against Alex Pereira

    Khalil Rountree’s Coach Talked Him Out Of Retirement A Decade Before His UFC 307 Title Fight Against Alex Pereira

    Khalil Rountree reached The Ultimate Fighter 23’s final but lost to Andrew Sanchez who controlled him for the majority of the fight. He then lost to Tyson Pedro via submission and needed to urgently rack up some wins to secure his place in the promotion.

    From having such a rocky start in the UFC to challenging Alex Pereira for light heavyweight gold, Rountree has naturally come a long way. He’s riding a five-fight win streak including four knockouts and many believe his bout against “Poatan” will be fireworks as well.

    John Wood recently shared an inspiring story of him convincing Rountree to not retire at the outset of his career…

    Khalil Rountree Might’ve Never Challenged Alex Pereira At UFC 307 If His Coach Didn’t Stop Him From Retiring

    Wood appeared on Daniel Cormier’s official YouTube channel recently to talk about one of his oldest students finally fighting for a UFC title. The coach remembered “The War Horse” wanted to retire from MMA after his third or fourth fight.

    “I think, it was you know, third or fourth fight, he was talking to me about wanting to retire and going to construction. He’s like, yeah, I think I got this good construction job it’s gonna pay money. I said whoa, whoa, bro, no no no, I was like, just give me a year. Give me a year and I promise you do whatever I’ll support you after that. just give me a hard year. And you know, through that process, The Ultimate Fighter came.”

    The Syndicate MMA head coach naturally asked Rountree to hold his horses and train with him seriously for at least a year. It is safe to say that the American fighter made the right choice as he would enter The Ultimate Fighter 23 and reach the finals.

    Although Wood was initially upset by the decision, he claims that Rountree matured while training in Thailand and learned how to digest the hype and responsibility he received as a talented and exciting prospect.

    “We had some ups, had some downs and then you know, he moved to Thailand after the Gokhan Saki fight. And kind of, you know, found himself as a person, as a man. You know, I think he was gone for a couple of years and ended up hitting me back up,” Wood continued. “It’s been nothing but great since he’s been back and we’ve had nothing but success. He’s really matured as a fighter.”

    The coach admitted to having the same excitement regardless of which of his fighters is fighting. However, the UFC 307 main event might be one of his most memorable moments because he’s helped Rountree and stuck by him from the very beginning.

  • ‘He’s Got Russian Blood’ – Brendan Allen Unsure About UFC Paris Crowd Supporting Nassourdine Imavov

    ‘He’s Got Russian Blood’ – Brendan Allen Unsure About UFC Paris Crowd Supporting Nassourdine Imavov

    Just days after Merab Dvalishvili explained why the Nurmagomedov clan shouldn’t represent Russia, Brendan Allen has questioned the support Nassourdine Imavov would get at UFC Paris this weekend because of his Russian heritage.

    Allen is heading into the fight with one of the longest win streaks in the UFC middleweight division. On the flip side, Imavov is coming off a controversial TKO win over Jared Cannonier.

    Here’s how Allen feels about fighting in Paris against an opponent who might benefit a ton from being local…

    From Judges To Rounds, Brendan Allen Lists Things in Nassourdine Imavov’s Favor Ahead Of UFC Paris

    While talking to MMA Junkie recently, Allen opened up on Imavov not agreeing to a five-round fight with him. When asked whether it’s helpful to know that he was ready for a five-round fight while his opponent wasn’t, he laid down the more obvious advantages “The Sniper’ boasts as the local fighter.

    “Not really. I can see that point but I don’t think so. Like, end of the day, he got his way, and it’s still in his favor in his hometown, in front of his people, with probably his judges, and everything else. So, it is what it is.”

    Allen’s boldest claim was that the officials could favor Imavov if the fight goes to a decision. Before his latest split decision win against Chris Curtis, Allen submitted four opponents in a row and he might be looking to get another finish this weekend amidst the mistrust of judges.

    Allen acknowledged that he isn’t aware of Imavov’s story but pointed out that the latter was born in Russia which is indeed true. The French middleweight hails from Dagestan but moved to France at an early age. He’s been training in Paris since 19, so it makes perfect sense for him to represent France.

    “I haven’t fought on, obviously, like a crowd that’s probably going to be against me. Even though, I don’t know how they view Imavov. You know, I don’t know if they view him as a real Frenchman because obviously he’s got Russian blood I think. I don’t know his story so I don’t know exactly what he is or how they view him. But either way, they boo me, like whatever.”

    However, the American middleweight couldn’t help but question if the local crowd would support Imavov as much because of his Dagestani roots. Regardless, he doesn’t seem too bothered by finally fighting in front of a crowd after headlining multiple cards in the UFC Apex.

  • ‘Every Time!’ – Sean O’Malley Reveals How Often He’s Fought With Injuries

    ‘Every Time!’ – Sean O’Malley Reveals How Often He’s Fought With Injuries

    Sean O’Malley, regardless of the outcome of his fight against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306, would’ve taken time off to get hip surgery. The injury had been bothering the former bantamweight kingpin for quite some time, and he’s unlikely to make his UFC return for at least a year now.

    MMA fighters dealing with injuries isn’t a surprise at all. Injuries mostly occur because of rigorous training or during sparring and often lead to fights getting postponed or canceled. However, unless things are too severe, most fighters admit to competing with injuries.

    O’Malley recently opened up about his upcoming hip surgery and how frequently he fights with injuries…

    Sean O’Malley Claims To Have ‘Mentally Accepted’ Surgery But Not The Merab Dvalishvili Loss

    O’Malley, on his official YouTube channel, revealed that he’s scheduled to undergo surgery for his left labrum in his hip on October 3, 2024. When asked how often he fights with undisclosed injuries, here’ what “Suga” said:

    “I mean, every time. Every time. I have surgery October 3rd. I’m excited about the whole, I just kind of mentally accepted it unlike the defeat. I just mentally accepted, alright, we’re going to f****g go through surgery. Go through recovery and just get her done.”

    After reiterating that he could’ve won three rounds against Dvalishvili, O’Malley discussed the implications of his hip injury. From feeling uncomfortable doing day-to-day movements to not being able to try out new tactics in training, there are many ways it bothered him. He admitted that things are worse if a fighter is dealing with a knee, hip, or ankle injury.

    The former champ also pointed out that he hasn’t been able to lift weights because of being concerned about the injury.

    This explains why “Suga” aims to fully recover ahead of his UFC return. He’ll be 30 by then and considers 30-35 to be his physical prime. So, his plan for the next 12 months mostly involves eating, sleeping, and resting properly.

    With his return date several months away, O’Malley doesn’t want to think of a comeback fight yet. He knows that the UFC bantamweight division is stacked with the likes of Umar Nurmagomedov, Dvalishvili, Petr Yan, Cory Sandhagen, and Deiveson Figueiredo, so finding an exciting fight for his return shouldn’t be a problem.

  • UFC Legends Lay Down ‘Heel’ Gameplan For Islam Makhachev To Be As Popular As Jon Jones & Alex Pereira

    UFC Legends Lay Down ‘Heel’ Gameplan For Islam Makhachev To Be As Popular As Jon Jones & Alex Pereira

    Islam Makhachev became the UFC lightweight champion in October 2022 by defeating Charles Oliveira. His second-round submission win was commanding, and many rightly predicted that he would keep the belt for quite some time.

    Makhachev beat P4P No. 1 Alexander Volkanovski via decision in his first title defense and knocked him out with a head kick in the rematch. He then submitted Dustin Poirier in the fifth but also proved that his striking prowess is second to none in the lightweight division.

    Arman Tsarukyan, who Makhachev beat via unanimous decision in 2019, is likely to be the next title challenger. According to Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen, the lightweight kingpin needs to turn ‘heel’ to make the most of his outstanding run in the UFC…

    Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen Explain How Islam Makhachev Can Become UFC’s Biggest Star By Pursuing Floyd Mayweather’s Approach

    In a recent episode of Good Guy / Bad Guy on the ESPN MMA YouTube channel, Sonnen and Cormier expressed concern over the current state of UFC champions. Because most of the champions have only recently won their belts, the company doesn’t boast a lot of stars.

    After calling Jon Jones and Alex Pereira the two most popular fighters on the roster, Cormier advocated that Makhachev has the potential to replace them once they’ve retired or lost. However, he would have to tone down the politeness.

    Sonnen agreed with the former UFC heavyweight kingpin. According to the veterans, a heel turn would benefit Makhachev greatly as he already drops cold statements but in a rather respectful manner. For readers unaware of the term, a heel in pro wrestling is the person who plays the villain.

    Here’s Sonnen appreciating Makhachev for his personality that just needs to be marketed in MMA circles the right way:

    “Okay, that guy is so charismatic, and he is so secretly funny. If he was to do a heel turn, I mean, come on, he said one of the great heel lines ever. He said a whole bunch of professors should be taking their black belts back from guys. Like that angle and that is blasphemy in this sport and nobody even knows got it. It was like this G-rated line, he didn’t use profanity, he didn’t yell. When he said it, he said it nicely.”

    Over the years, Sonnen himself, Michael Bisping, and Colby Covington have proved that a heel personality can sell amazingly well in the UFC as well. According to Cormier, Makhachev can boast about his superior skills and diss all the lightweights. He could follow in the footsteps of Floyd Mayweather and aim to reach a stage where people tune in to watch him lose.

    “I think that’s the move for Islam. He needs to get you and I to write him promos. We should write him promos. We write promos telling how much better he is than everyone. I would make him tell everybody that they don’t deserve to be in there with him and he’s just going to lord over this division until he decides to retire.”

  • Daniel Cormier Believes Only Two Current UFC Champs Can Sell Pay-Per-Views: ‘Void Of That Big Star?’

    Daniel Cormier Believes Only Two Current UFC Champs Can Sell Pay-Per-Views: ‘Void Of That Big Star?’

    A lot has changed in the last couple of years for the UFC. The roster features many new exciting talents, but dominant champs like Israel Adesanya, Alexander Volkanovski, and Kamaru Usman also lost their belts.

    In its different eras, the UFC has benefited heavily from megastars like Chuck Liddell, Conor McGregor, and Ronda Rousey. However, it looks like the company now wants its brand to reign supreme. If people trust the UFC to be the premier MMA organization in the world, they won’t evaluate the quality of the card based on the stars it has.

    Having said that, popular fighters are still a boon, if not a necessity, for the UFC. According to Daniel Cormier, the promotion currently lacks champions that can sell pay-per-views like their predecessors…

    Daniel Cormier Explains Why Islam Makhachev, Belal Muhammad, Ilia Topuria, Merab Dvalishvili, And Other UFC Champs Aren’t Stars Yet

    On the latest episode of Good Guy / Bad Guy on the ESPN MMA YouTube channel, Cormier and Sonnen discussed the current UFC champs. According to the former UFC heavyweight kingpin, only Jon Jones and Alex Pereira are proven draws for the UFC.

    “Is there a void of that big star? Because right now, it feels like only Jon Jones and Pereira, Pereira and Jon Jones might be the only two Champions right now that are completely moving the needle.”

    All the other champs in the promotion have either just reached the top or don’t have the most exciting fighting style and mic skills. The iconic duo also talked about how MMA has evolved drastically in recent years, making it unlikely for new champions to beat title defense records set by Jones, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, Demetrious Johnson, and other greats.

    “Jon Jones right now is a proven draw. He will sell pay-per-views. Alex Pereira, under right circumstances, will sell pay-per-views. But then when I list these other names to you, Chael, Zhang Weili, the 25 pound champion is the Brazilian, Pantoja, Merab Dvalishvili, Ilia Topuria, Islam Makhachev, Belal Muhammad. Let’s keep going.”

    DC backed his claims by mentioning the not-so-great numbers generated by Makhachev vs. Poirier at UFC 302. He also revealed that Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya did decent, but the number was much lower than what “The Last Stylebender” was bringing in at his peak.

    “The problem is the game has gotten so hard now. Anderson had what? 11 title defenses. Jones had like 13. Who’s doing that anymore?”

    “Poatan” is 37 and “Bones” might consider retirement after fighting Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. Cormier believes that the UFC has yet to find proper replacements for its biggest stars at the moment which could be detrimental.

  • ‘If Sean O’Malley Had Won…’ – Jon Anik’s Unique Argument To Defend Jon Jones In Pound-For-Pound Rankings

    ‘If Sean O’Malley Had Won…’ – Jon Anik’s Unique Argument To Defend Jon Jones In Pound-For-Pound Rankings

    Jon Jones last fought in the UFC in March 2023, when he submitted Ciryl Gane to win the promotion’s heavyweight title. Stipe Miocic was supposed to be his first title defense but a shoulder injury compelled the champion to take time off from training.

    While Jones has been inactive, Islam Makhachev has defended his UFC lightweight title twice and sits comfortably at the top of the company’s pound-for-pound rankings. The community is divided on the matter though, especially after Dana White bluntly dismissed the rankings and called Jones the undisputed pound-for-pound best fighter.

    Although Jon Anik believes Makhachev to be the P4P best, he might not be in favor of Jones being excluded from the rankings because of inactivity…

    Jon Anik Imagines How Sean O’Malley’s Pound-For-Pound Rank Would’ve Changed Due To Injury Like Jon Jones

    Anik recently appeared on the official MMAFightingonSBN YouTube channel to discuss all things UFC. When asked for his two cents on the endless P4P debate, the UFC commentator made a clear distinction between Jones being the greatest fighter of all time and Makhachev being the best skill-to-skill fighter in the world right now.

    “jon Jones is the greatest mixed martial arts athlete for me. Pound-for-pound in the world, today, I think it’s pretty consensus that Islam Makhachev is the guy. But yeah, when Jonny Jones is in an active competition cycle and given body of work, yeah, he’s the guy. But right now, Islam for me, is you know, skill-for-skill, and given activity, number one.”

    Anik was then informed about MMA Fighting’s criteria for removing fighters who haven’t competed in over 18 months from the P4P list. As a result, Jones is not even in their top 20 men’s pound-for-pound fighters, let alone fighting for the top spots.

    This is when one of UFC’s most familiar play-by-play voices brought up Sean O’Malley, who’ll be out of action because of requiring hip surgery. While not targeting MMA Fighting specifically, he suggested that it would’ve been interesting how MMA media would’ve handled O’Malley’s pound-for-pound rank had he beaten Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306 and then taken a year or more to recover from the hip injury as the active champ.

    Anik also pointed out that the UFC bantamweight division is stacked with talented contenders, which would’ve made O’Malley’s case even more intriguing.

    “It really would’ve been interesting if Sean O’Malley had won and had to get his hip prepared, you know. And you don’t see him for a year, you know, because there’s so many 35ers but there’s a new world order and it’s Merab Dvalishvili. You know, and, exciting times buddy.”

  • Merab Dvalishvili Explains Why He Questioned Islam Makhachev, Umar Nurmagomedov & Other Fighters Representing Russia

    Merab Dvalishvili Explains Why He Questioned Islam Makhachev, Umar Nurmagomedov & Other Fighters Representing Russia

    Merab Dvalishvili has won tons of fans with his unhinged social media personality. Ahead of his fight with Sean O’Malley, “The Machine” released several skits mocking the champ and they’ve aged like fine wine now that he’s champion.

    Similarly, Dvalishvili has repeatedly spoken his mind on Umar Nurmagomedov getting a title shot after just one win over a ranked UFC bantamweight. His rivalry with the undefeated prospect has taken a new turn since he questioned the latter representing Russia.

    Dvalishvili recently explained the history of Georgia in detail and why he’s not a big fan of many fighters representing Russia.

    Merab Dvalishvili Reveals Why He Doesn’t Consider Umar Nurmagomedov, Khabib, Islam Makhachev, And Other ‘Caucasian’ Fighters Russian

    In a recent episode of the Fight Back podcast hosted by Jake Shields on YouTube, Dvalishvili discussed the history of Georgia. He told Shields about Russia still occupying 20% of Georgia and looked back at the terrors of the 2008 Russo-Georgian war.

    Dvalishvili didn’t hide his understandable animosity toward the Russian government as he witnessed several war crimes as a teenager. However, he admitted to not having the same feelings for Russian citizens who’ve always appreciated Georgia’s hospitality as well.

    The UFC bantamweight kingpin then reiterated that the following UFC fighters represent Russia but they technically belong to different independent nations:

    • Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Umar Nurmagomedov come from Dagestan.
    • Khamzat Chimaev belongs to Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.
    • Movsar Evloev hails from Ingushetia.

    “They are all on, I mean, it’s not independent country but all different countries. They are Muslim people, they have own culture, own tradition. That people, we call them Caucasian people, like because we have Caucas mountains. So, we are this side, they are other side. And then, but now, so like, I’m not going to say occupied but yeah somehow the Russia take over those countries and they have to ‘represent’ Russia. So, and I say, when somebody asked me Umar is from Russia, that’s why you don’t…I said, no, Umar not from Russia. He’s from Dagestan.”

    Dvalishvili made sure to point out that he understands the aforementioned fighters choosing to represent Russia for political, personal, or any other reasons. It’ll be interesting to see whether these remarks will add to the intensity of his rivalry with Nurmagomedov, though.

  • Dan Hooker Lays Down Beer-Related Stipulation To Fight Conor McGregor As Michael Chandler Matchup ‘Stopped Making Sense’

    Dan Hooker Lays Down Beer-Related Stipulation To Fight Conor McGregor As Michael Chandler Matchup ‘Stopped Making Sense’

    Michael Chandler finally moving past the Conor McGregor fight to take on Charles Oliveira at UFC 309 is bound to shake up the UFC lightweight division. Ahead of the return of the former title challenger, Dan Hooker has also emerged as a new contender with three straight wins.

    Hooker has returned to the top five lightweight rankings and claims to be more serious than ever about earning a title shot. He wouldn’t risk going into fights injured or without proper training. “The Hangman” is open to money fights with the likes of McGregor as well.

    Here’s why Hooker thinks it makes more sense for McGregor to fight him than Chandler but the Dubliner must fulfill a unique condition…

    Dan Hooker Expects Him And Conor McGregor To Drink Beers Every Day During Their Fight Camps

    Hooker opened up on the current state of the UFC lightweight division in an interview on the Submission Radio YouTube channel recently. He explained that after a nearly two-year-long layoff, the Chandler matchup wasn’t intriguing enough for McGregor.

    Beating Chandler wouldn’t have helped the Irishman claim a title shot or even enter the top five UFC lightweight rankings. So, Hooker suggests that fighting a top ranked and active lightweight like himself is a more sensible option for “The Notorious” at this point.

    “He’s without a fight. I know Conor’s hungry to fight, um, and fight someone that he can get something from and make a lot of sense. That’s why I feel like Chandler kind of sitting there and waiting, he, and not staying active, you kind of lose. Like what does he get out of Chandler. He doesn’t even get in the… he knocks out Michael Chandler in the first round, Conor McGregor doesn’t even get in the top five off of that performance. So, therefore, like, it doesn’t. It stopped making sense for Conor McGregor to fight Michael Chandler.”

    Hooker also admitted he’d be more than happy to fight McGregor. He remembered that there’s no bad blood between the two and stylistically, their bout would be quite entertaining for fans of striking and violence.

    “The Hangman” joked (or maybe not) about the stipulation he’ll lay down for fighting McGregor. Both fighters must prove that they’ve been drinking beers every day of fight camp or they show failed breathalyzer tests daily.

    “That’s a stipulation of the fight, we have to send each other drinking beers every single day of fight camp. We have to, we have to both agree to both agree. We maybe, we can get a breathalyzer, we can send each other a failed breathalyzer test every day of fight camp and we’ll get this thing squared away.”

  • UFC Veteran Expects ‘Great Champion’ Sean O’Malley To Get Immediate Title Rematch Like Israel Adesanya After Loss

    UFC Veteran Expects ‘Great Champion’ Sean O’Malley To Get Immediate Title Rematch Like Israel Adesanya After Loss

    At the culmination of UFC 306, the consensus was that Merab Dvalishvili had dominated Sean O’Malley to win the bantamweight title. However, the former champion has tried to flip the narrative by claiming he won three rounds and the fight.

    As per O’Malley, he got the better of Dvalishvili in rounds one, three, and five. An immediate rematch seems to be off the table, though. “Suga” requires hip surgery which will keep him out of action for almost a year. In the meantime, “The Machine” can take on contenders such as Umar Nurmagomedov or Deiveson Figueiredo.

    Former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen is not a huge fan of the UFC’s reaction to O’Malley losing the title. He believes that the former champ deserves an immediate rematch upon his return and here’s why…

    Chael Sonnen Justifies Sean O’Malley Getting Immediate Title Rematch Because He Could ‘ Move The Needle’ Like Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey & Israel Adesanya

    He might be in the minority here, but Sonnen strongly opposed the UFC’s decision to not consider giving O’Malley an immediate rematch on his YouTube channel recently. He backed the claim by calling “Suga” one of the biggest draws in the promotion currently and remembering that he’s headlined events with massive gates (UFC 299 and UFC 306).

    “The American Gangster” then compared O’Malley to Israel Adesanya. He stated that the latter chose his opponents strategically and compensated for it by promoting himself brilliantly. Despite being a good promoter, O’Malley never got this trade-off according to Sonnen. He was bringing in fans, but at the same time, was fighting everyone that the UFC put in front of him.

    “The very first option is the champion that drops the belt gets a rematch for his belt. It was a respect that was shown to every single great champion. And by great champion, I’m talking about champions that could also move the needle. All of them were offered rematches. From Conor on down. More recently, Israel Adesanya. Right into it, I’m sharing with you, all the greats except Sean.”

    Sonnen looked back at O’Malley’s UFC run which included a major bump in competition as Petr Yan. He then fought Sterling to grab the title and defended it against Marlon Vera. Even if he had beaten Dvalishvili, the next contender was already ready for him as Nurmagomedov or Figueiredo.

    All the history, combined with the fact that rounds one, three, and five could’ve potentially gone to O’Malley, is enough for him to get an immediate rematch according to the UFC veteran.

    “Motivation could largely be based upon opportunities. Of which I didn’t see any add, I only saw him taken away. I’m just sharing, that is what I saw. But now you’ve got Merab, you’ve got Nurmagomedov, and you got Figueiredo, and they can’t seem to quite figure it out. Well, there’s also a final option that should’ve come in front of all of them which is if there’s controversy, we look at a rematch. There’s controversy, go see rounds 1, 3, and 5. Watch that without commentating. Come back and tell me you don’t see controversy.”

    O’Malley will be out of action because of injury so it’s safe to assume that at least one UFC bantamweight title fight will happen before his return. With contrasting opinions surrounding his loss, it’ll be interesting to see who “Suga” returns against, though.

  • Dan Hooker Theorizes Why UFC Booked Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler: ‘Bidding War’

    Dan Hooker Theorizes Why UFC Booked Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler: ‘Bidding War’

    Michael Chandler had been sitting out to fight Conor McGregor for nearly two years. However, with uncertainty still surrounding that matchup, he’s moved on to face Charles Oliveira at UFC 309 in a five-round co-main event.

    Chandler and Oliveira previously fought at UFC 262 for lightweight gold, which was the former’s second fight in the UFC. “Do Bronxs” almost got knocked out in the first but bounced back by finishing “Iron” early in the second.

    Top five UFC lightweight Dan Hooker is also close to a title shot following his win over Mateusz Gamrot. The fan-favorite brawler has an interesting theory on why the UFC has booked Oliveira and Chandler and how it benefits the promotion to have multiple contenders…

    Dan Hooker Calls Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler A Weird Fight But Understands Why The UFC Booked It

    Hooker discussed the highly anticipated lightweight matchup between Chandler and Oliveira during an interview on the Submission Radio YouTube channel recently. He didn’t initially seem too excited about the booking but also revealed why it makes sense for the UFC.

    According to “The Hangman”, the UFC wouldn’t want Arman Tsarukyan to be the only title contender at lightweight for financial reasons. Negotiating with a fighter is harder if they’re the only obvious choice to fight for any division’s title, not just lightweight.

    So, by booking Oliveira and Chandler for UFC 309, the UFC is looking to get another potential lightweight title contender. Meanwhile, Hooker can solidify a title shot too after winning his next fight. This way, the UFC will have three contenders for the belt and instead of rigid negotiations, the promotion can initiate a bidding war between the three.

    “Yeah, I still think it’s Arman next and then, I feel like it’s such a. I can see why the UFC’s kind of matching the fights that they’re matching these fights is because they want options, right? Because if there’s just, if there’s just one guy that’s like head and shoulders next in line for the title and it’s set in stone, then, obviously, negotiating becomes very difficult for them because they’re like everyone expects this fight, the pressure’s on the UFC to make this fight so obviously, the bloke can ask for a s**t ton more money.”

    “The Hangman” then explained how the situation mentioned above can be neutralized by having multiple contenders:

    “If the UFC matches a bunch of fights and gets like three or four contenders and no one’s really sure about who’s next. Then, like, it becomes like just a bit of a bidding war between the fighters. So, I get why the UFC is doing it the way they’re doing it is because they want as many guys that make sense for the title as they possibly can. So, yeah, Chandler gets by him, you know, I win my next fight, then you got three guys that have like justification for getting a title shot.”

    Despite it being obvious to most fans, the UFC hasn’t booked Islam Makhachev against Tsarukyan because of the champion’s injury. The lightweight kingpin is expected to return by the end of 2024 or early 2025, and getting a couple more contenders by then seems like the best-case scenario for the promotion, according to Hooker’s theory.

  • ‘Pereira Shoots On Khalil’ – Rountree’s Coach Makes Bold Prediction Ahead Of UFC 307 Title Fight

    ‘Pereira Shoots On Khalil’ – Rountree’s Coach Makes Bold Prediction Ahead Of UFC 307 Title Fight

    With UFC 306 done and dusted, fans look forward to witnessing the return of Alex Pereira. The UFC light heavyweight kingpin bagged the title in November 2023 and has already defended it twice against Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 and Jiří Procházka at UFC 303.

    Although the consensus was that Magomed Ankalaev should be next in line for the light heavyweight belt, the UFC has handed Khalil Rountree a shot at “Poatan”. Ankalaev, on the other hand, will look to solidify his claim to the title by beating Aleksandar Rakić at UFC 308.

    Rountree and Pereira are known for their striking prowess, but the former’s coach believes that the champion may resort to wrestling at UFC 307…

    Khalil Rountree’s Coach Explains Why Alex Pereira Is More Likely To Shoot For A Takedown At UFC 307

    John Wood, Syndicate MMA’s head coach, recently discussed Rountree’s title fight on the official ESPN MMA YouTube channel. Like “The War Horse”, he admitted that shooting takedowns is not part of their strategy.

    Wood agreed with interviewer Brett Okamoto that the UFC 307 main event will most likely be a stand-up battle, with both fighters focusing on landing knockout blows rather than combinations. However, he also revealed his gut feeling that Pereira will shoot a takedown on Rountree.

    “In a nutshell, yes. I believe, honestly, my gut, I think Pereira shoots on Khalil. I think he’s the one that breaks game first and shoots on Khalil to try to get that takedown. Um, because that’s actually something he’s done. I mean we ain’t shooting over here I can tell you that.”

    While Rountree has yet to shoot for a takedown in his entire UFC career, Pereira once relied on wrestling when he took down Israel Adesanya at UFC 281. Based on this, Wood predicts that “Poatan” might try to take Rountree down if he feels threatened on the feet.

    Another point that the coach emphasized is that the fight is unlikely to last five rounds. The light heavyweights possess dangerous knockout power and only need one shot to end the bout.

    It is worth noting that Wood also coaches Merab Dvalishvili who just won the UFC bantamweight title against Sean O’Malley at UFC 306. The Syndicate MMA team must be high on confidence which could benefit Rountree before arguably the biggest fight of his career.

  • Former Champ Skeptical Of Michael Chandler Beating ‘Meaningful Favorite’ Charles Oliveira At UFC 309

    Former Champ Skeptical Of Michael Chandler Beating ‘Meaningful Favorite’ Charles Oliveira At UFC 309

    Michael Chandler last fought in November 2022 and lost via third-round submission to Dustin Poirier. Because the fight was a back-and-forth brawl like his usual bouts, he didn’t lose his appeal and was soon booked to welcome back Conor McGregor to the UFC.

    McGregor and Chandler shot The Ultimate Fighter 31, but it never translated into a fight as the Irishman was first busy shooting Roadhouse and then pulled out of UFC 303 because of a toe injury. Chandler had been waiting on the sidelines but he’s now snapped out of it to fight Charles Oliveira at UFC 309.

    Both Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen believe that fighting “Do Bronxs” is not at all optimal for Chandler…

    Daniel Cormier & Chael Sonnen Explain Why Charles Oliveira Is A Worse Matchup For Michael Chandler Than Conor McGregor

    Sonnen and Cormier discussed the UFC 309 co-main event on a recent episode of Good Guy / Bad Guy on the ESPN MMA YouTube channel. Both UFC greats appreciated “Iron” for moving on from the Dubliner as the latter has shown no real proof of returning to the Octagon lately.

    Having said that, both Sonnen and DC are concerned about Chandler facing Oliveira after a nearly two-year-long layoff. While he’s been sitting out, “Do Bronxs” has knocked out Beneil Dariush and given Arman Tsarkuyan one of his toughest fights yet.

    Here are Cormier’s two cents on Chandler’s UFC 309 return:

    “Chandler will never get a bigger fight, but he did get a tougher fight. Charles Oliveira is still fighting at the top of the game. Charles Oliveira was scheduled to fight for the world championship and then got hurt with the big cut. Charles Oliveira fought Tsarukyan and fought him competitively who is now fighting for the world championship. These guys are as good as they come. Michael Chandler, though, has sat, and that’s the problem.”

    Chandler nearly knocked out Oliveira early during their first outing. However, according to Cormier, he might not be equally effective or explosive after not being inside the Octagon for almost 24 months.

    “The American Gangster” also remembered that the McGregor fight was supposed to happen at 170 pounds. On the other hand, Chandler will have to weigh in at 155 pounds for Oliveira which is an additional mental and physical burden, to say the least.

    Here’s what Sonnen thinks about the UFC 309 co-main event:

    “Charles Oliveira is a rough night out. Not to mention, it’s a match they’ve already done. You don’t get better at a sport by not doing it. Chandler’s been on the side lines waiting to do it, I got to think that Oliveira is a meaningful favorite here. I would think the line’s only about two to one and a half but I think those people are going to be very confident. I like that he’s back. It’s a very tough night out.”

  • Daniel Cormier Explains Why Jon Jones & Stipe Miocic Won’t Fight Tom Aspinall: ‘Risk vs. Reward’

    Daniel Cormier Explains Why Jon Jones & Stipe Miocic Won’t Fight Tom Aspinall: ‘Risk vs. Reward’

    Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic is officially scheduled for November 17, 2024, at UFC 309. The fight was originally booked to headline Madison Square Garden in 2023 but was called off because of Jones’ injury.

    This time, Aspinall will be the backup fighter for the undisputed UFC heavyweight title fight. Considering he’s been the interim champ for almost a year and has defended the belt once, many fans want him to get at least a shot at earning undisputed gold.

    In contrast to Chael Sonnen, Daniel Cormier believes that if Jones vs. Miocic doesn’t happen, none of the UFC veterans will risk fighting Tom Aspinall.

    Daniel Cormier Compares Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic To Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira To Claim Back-Up Fighters Are Irrelevant

    Sonnen and Cormier discussed the UFC 309 main event on the latest episode of Good Guy / Bad Guy on the official ESPN MMA YouTube channel. “The American Gangster” stated that if Aspinall is officially the backup fighter, it is only after both “Bones” and Miocic have agreed to it.

    Cormier asked Sonnen to hold his horses, reminding him that Sergei Pavlovich was the backup fighter for Jones vs. Miocic in 2023. Similarly, Mateusz Gamrot was the backup fighter for Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev in 2023. While Pavlovich never got to fight any of the legends, Alexander Volkanovski hopped past Gamrot to fight Makhachev.

    After proving that the concept of a backup fighter is not as concrete as it sounds, Cormier also claimed that Jones and Miocic are unlikely to fight Aspinall as a backup. He admitted that none of the UFC greats are scared, but they can’t risk losing to him at the final stages of their careers.

    “It’s not even about being scared. It’s not even, it’s about risk management Chael. Whoever, if someone gets hurt in this fight, the reward versus the risk of fighting Tom Aspinall is so great, I don’t believe that either of them will do it. Love that it’s a part of the story now. We all love the story, we love a great story but I don’t know that plays.

    This applies greatly to Jones, who’s been technically undefeated his whole career. If he wants to go out with a perfect record, he’d prefer fighting an old but popular Miocic over Aspinall who’s knocking heavyweights out cold at a gallop.

    “I don’t think he’s scared Chael. But again, it’s risk vs. reward. Jon Jones, I will tell you this right now, Jon Jones. To his credit, a win over Tom Aspinall does nothing more for Jon Jones than a win over me or Vitor Belfort or Rashad Evans or Shogun Rua or Alexander Gustaffson and all these list of great fighters that he’s already beat.” Cormier added, “But losing to Tom Aspinall, losing to Tom Aspinall does do something because now you see him lose. He’s never lost. That matters to him now.”

  • ‘His Corner Work Was S**t’ – Former UFC Champ Goes Off On Sean O’Malley’s Coach For Merab Dvalishvili Loss

    ‘His Corner Work Was S**t’ – Former UFC Champ Goes Off On Sean O’Malley’s Coach For Merab Dvalishvili Loss

    Many believed Sean O’Malley’s ability to land a knockout shot would favor him against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306. To everyone’s surprise, the challenger was never close to being finished in the fight and won via a unanimous decision.

    A memorable moment from the fight arrived in the first round when Dvalishvili called out Tim Welch for yelling his name. Herb Dean had to step in and give the coach a warning regarding excessive coaching.

    While the MMA community is divided over Welch’s unique corner antics, Matt Serra heavily criticized him for his work at UFC 306…

    Matt Serra Believes Tim Welch Got Exposed During Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili At UFC 306

    During an interview with the new UFC bantamweight champion on the official UFC YouTube channel, Jim Norton and Matt Serra asked him about the first-round drama. Dvalishvili explained the incident to which Serra outright claimed Welch’s move to be shady.

    The former UFC champ then stated that the UFC 306 main event exposed Welch as a coach. O’Malley had been winning and mostly knocking out his opponents effortlessly until now. Like the Petr Yan fight, this was one of those rare times when “Suga” was having trouble finding a way to win.

    “This fight exposed him as a coach because when your guy is winning and knocking people out, sure, you look like a f*****g hero. When your fighter is obviously losing the fight and he starts losing rounds, Tim Welch was like not wanting to hurt his feelings. Okay, good round. No! it was you’re losing f*****g three rounds. You got to get in his a**. You got to say, you got to this. He was afraid that he did not know how to handle his guy on that many rounds. And I thought his f****g corner work was s**t. So, he exposed himself.”

    Instead of keeping it real, Welch kept on appreciating O’Malley which, according to Serra, wasn’t the right thing to do. The UFC Hall of Famer expected the coach to fire up his fighter by telling him that he’s down three rounds and needs to work more to win.

    It is safe to assume that Serra isn’t a big fan of Welch’s coaching style. Having said that, one can’t predict whether more aggressive coaching would’ve helped O’Malley emerge victorious at UFC 306.

  • Georges St-Pierre’s Coach Questions Merab Dvalishvili’s ‘Abysmal’ Finishing Rate: ‘Fans Will Get Sick Of Him’

    Georges St-Pierre’s Coach Questions Merab Dvalishvili’s ‘Abysmal’ Finishing Rate: ‘Fans Will Get Sick Of Him’

    Merab Dvalishvili comfortably beat Sean O’Malley on the scorecards to win the UFC bantamweight championship at UFC 306. He secured six takedowns, ten minutes of ground control, and outstruck the champion to silence all the doubters.

    “The Machine” had to wait a long time to get his first UFC title shot. After losing his first two fights in the promotion, he won ten in a row and fired through top tier competition like Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan, and Jose Aldo to become the undeniable contender.

    Many believe that Dvalishvili’s fighting style is one reason why the UFC didn’t push him as much as other stars like Sean O’Malley, Umar Nurmagomedov, or Ilia Topuria. Here’s what Georges St-Pierre’s coach thinks on the matter…

    GSP’s Coach Criticzes Merab Dvalishvili For Rarely Threatening To Finish Sean O’Malley Or Past Opponents

    Firas Zahabi discussed the UFC 306 main event on the Tristar Gym YouTube channel recently. The coach admitted to loving Dvalishvili’s unhinged personality and smartness inside the Octagon but couldn’t help but notice the lack of finishes on his record.

    “His finishing record is abysmal guys. I gotta be honest. I’m telling you guys I love the guy he’s the new world champion I think he’s awesome. However, his finishing rate. Imagine you could take down almost everybody you’ve ever fought and you literally only have one submission. That doesn’t make any sense. It doesn’t make any sense. You’re literally taking everyone down, how come you never finish?”

    Zahabi highlighted that Dvalishvili has had the potential to take down all his opponents (except Jose Aldo). Still, he only has one submission win in his pro MMA record which is as baffling as it sounds.

    According to GSP’s coach, Dvalishvili must prioritize finishing his fights as a champ. His title victory already has MMA circles divided and a couple of similar performances might stop him from reaping all the benefits of being a UFC champion.

    “If he doesn’t do it. I’ll tell you something. The fans will get sick of him. They’ll get sick of him running around the ring and just taking people down. Running around the ring and taking people down, like, they’re going to get sick of that. He has to entertain the crowd, he has to show finishing ability. If he doesn’t, can be disastrous to his career.”