UFC middleweight contender Paulo Costa is a fan of Russian president Vladimir Putin despite the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Many UFC fighters have voiced their thoughts on the ongoing crisis between Ukraine and Russia. Most have criticized Putin and Russia for their actions, but Costa sees it as a sign of strength.
In a recent tweet, Costa praised the Russian leader despite the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and hinted at a comparison to Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro.
“Vladimir Putin Putin is not a weak leader like Biden or Macron,” Costa said. “He’s a former military man who has already been stabbed in the belly and survived. He is another level of world leader. Do you know another Leader who has the same characteristics past?”
Costa isn’t the only UFC fighter who has made his thoughts known on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. Sean Strickland and Jan Blachowicz recently engaged in a Twitter debate about the topic, garnering attention from fans on social media.
Costa’s thoughts on Putin are in direct contrast to Ukrainian UFC fighter Maryna Moroz, who has used her platform to bring awareness to the crisis.
Costa is looking to get back in the win column following back-to-back losses to UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and top contender Marvin Vettori. He’s hinted at a return to the Octagon in 2022 but doesn’t have a fight lined up yet.
Do you agree with Paulo Costa’s take on Vladamir Putin?
Chael Sonnen liked what he saw from rising UFC star Khamzat Chimaev when he got a chance to watch him train in Las Vegas.
Chimaev and middleweight Darren Till have moved their training to Las Vegas ahead of their Octagon returns. Chimaev has been spotted training at the UFC Performance Institute and was also in attendance cageside at UFC 272.
Chimaev will face what is being considered the toughest test of his young UFC career against former title challenger Gilbert Burns at UFC 273. The two welterweights have gone back and forth on social media regarding a potential fight for months.
“Okay, so that’s gonna be the ninth of April, pay-per-view,” Sonnen said of Chimaev vs. Burns. “I love that match. Right now, I am leaning towards Chimaev. But I’m drunk on the excitement of Chimaev. No fighter’s got the wind on his back quite like Chimaev. There’s just something to be said for momentum. I got to watch him work out for the first time last week. All the rumors are true.” (h/t SportsKeeda)
A win over a former title challenger like Burns could earn Chimaev a title shot against welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. If Usman can get past Leon Edwards later this year in their planned matchup, Chimaev could get an opportunity to claim the welterweight throne.
What is your prediction for Khamzat Chimaev vs. Gilbert Burns?
Newly re-signed PFL women’s lightweight champion Kayla Harrison feels she can accomplish her goals in the PFL without joining another promotion.
After months of negotiating and hearing offers, Harrison elected to re-sign with the PFL after a lengthy free agency process. She signed a new multi-year deal with the league and is set to compete in the league’s upcoming 2022 season.
A big talking point of Harrison’s free agency was her level of competition so far during her 12-0 professional career. She had once been linked to potential matchups with Bellator featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Justino and former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Amanda Nunes.
But Harrison feels that the league is ready to take the next step and add more talent to the roster amidst her new contract.
“I think there were a lot of contract negotiations, there were a lot of offers, many of them very lucrative,” Harrison said. “Ultimately, the PFL had the right to match any contract offer I received and they stepped up in a big way, and now I’m going to be staying with the PFL. I’m excited.
Kayla Harrison (Image Credit: PFL MMA)
“I talked to [PFL founder and chairman] Donn Davis last night, and he made it very clear to me that the goals I have for myself, the ways I want to challenge myself are still going to be accomplished and the PFL supports me in that 100%. And they’re not afraid to pay big money to get big-name fighters to try to challenge me.”
Harrison’s re-signing with the PFL had reportedly hit a roadblock in recent weeks, but it appears the league turned things around after the brief ordeal. One of her American Top Team coaches, Mike Brown, has also said that he wants to see Harrison get a step up in competition going forward.
Bellator had allegedly offered Harrison the most lucrative deal before the PFL came forward and matched it, securing her re-signing.
Harrison won the 2021 PFL women’s lightweight championship in dismantling Taylor Guardado in the finals. She’s expected to face fierce competition in 2022, including former Bellator champion Julia Budd and potentially, up-and-coming MMA prospect Claressa Shields.
What is your reaction to Kayla Harrison re-signing with the PFL?
UFC heavyweight contender Tai Tuivasa wants a shot against former UFC champion Stipe Miocic for his next Octagon appearance.
Tuivasa is arguably the hottest name in the heavyweight division right now. He’s won five fights in a row, all of which ended in a knockout within the first two rounds.
Tuivasa surged into the top 5 of the UFC heavyweight rankings following a violent knockout of Derrick Lewis at UFC 271. After back-and-forth exchanges, he landed a heavy elbow that sent the UFC knockout leader Lewis collapsing to the canvas.
Tuivasa could be potentially one win away from a heavyweight title shot, which was unheard of at this point last year. But he wants bigger challenges to earn a shot at the belt in 2022.
“I just think that that’s the fight,” Tuivasa said. “He’s in front of me. That’s who I’d like to fight just because he’s been around, he’s older and I don’t think he’ll have many more left. I’d like to have a crack at him before he goes. He’s the best heavyweight of all time, so why wouldn’t I want a crack against him? Just like the knockout king [Derrick Lewis].”
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has also alluded to a matchup with Miocic for his heavyweight debut. However, it remains to be seen when Jones will return to the cage in 2022.
UFC President Dana White put Tuivasa into the heavyweight title picture following his latest win over Lewis. He has also earned big knockouts over the likes of Greg Hardy and Augusto Sakai.
Do you want to see Tai Tuivasa vs. Stipe Miocic next?
Alex Pereira thinks UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya doesn’t want to face off with him in the Octagon despite what he tells the public.
Pereira made his UFC debut last year following an impressive run in Glory Kickboxing. He’s also the only fighter in any sport to finish Adesanya, as he did at Glory of Heroes 7.
Pereira has previously said that he made Adesanya break into tears following the knockout. Now that Pereira has made the full-time move to MMA, the third fight between them could happen sooner rather than later.
Adesanya has expressed moderate intrigue in an eventual fight between him and Pereira in the UFC. He’s hinted that Pereira has some work to do before getting a middleweight title shot, at which point he would be more than happy to face Pereira inan MMA setting.
“Man, have you seen me laughing before? It’s hard, right?” Pereira said through chortles. “How does this guy say he’s anxious to fight me? If I were in his shoes and I was crazy to fight someone, anxious, like he’s saying he is … as soon as I heard ‘Alex Pereira has signed with the UFC,’ [I would’ve said] f***, [book it] right away. The respect he has [within the company], I’d say, ‘Ask him if he wants to fight me now. Forget about Robert Whittaker, cancel this fight, reschedule it. I make the calls. If Alex wants it, I want it.’
Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira
“F***, man, that’s what you do is you’re anxious to fight [someone]. ‘Oh, I can’t wait to fight Alex, but I’ll fight him [after] 15 fights.’ F***, How is he anxious to do it? What does he want? Look, I’ll tell you this — it’s harder for me to get to him than beating him. He knows that. He knows how I beat him. He fought me twice. He won’t admit how difficult I am. He’s not anxious to fight me. He wants me to slip tomorrow so he can say, ‘Is this the guy you want me to fight? Are you crazy? Go back to the end of the line.’ He’ll run from me.” (h/t MMA Fighting)
Pereira then went on to proclaim that the UFC middleweight champion may be intentionally avoiding him out of fear.
“Someone crazy for a fight will say, ‘I want this guy, I want to prove I’m better than him,’” Pereira continued. “He’s fooling his fan base. People should pressure him. The least he could do is say, ‘F*ck, I’ll show my fans that I’m the best and that’s why they follow me,’ but that’s not what he’s doing. He’s scared s***. Like Glover [Teixeira] says, he’s scared s***.”
Adesanya is coming off of his UFC 271 title rematch against Robert Whittaker, earning a unanimous decision win. He’s expected to face Jared Cannonier later this year for his next title defense.
If Pereira is able to put on another impressive performance against Silva, calls for a fight with Adesanya will start to ramp up. This could give Adesanya the chance to get vengeance after losing twice to Pereira in the kickboxing ring.
Do you think we’ll eventually see Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira in the UFC?
Makhachev was supposed to face Dariush in a potential No. 1 contender bout at UFC Vegas 49. This was before Dariush pulled out with an injury and Makhachev ended up facing the unranked Bobby Green, earning a quick TKO victory.
“Now, Dana say ‘Islam have to fight versus Dariush,’” Makhachev said. “I have no problem (fighting) him, but we have to fight for the title next. I don’t know who we have. Poirier? He lose many times. Chandler? Hooker? Tony Ferguson? RDA have four fights (with) two wins. And Gillespie, he (fought) one time (in) two years. Who (will) fight for the title?”
Makhachev has won 10 straight and seemed on the verge of a title shot before allegedly turning down a fight with dos Anjos on short notice at UFC 272. Despite White’s mandate that Makhachev has to face Dariush next before a potential title shot, Makhachev has no plans to comply.
“I’m gonna take this belt and fight (Dariush). No problem.”
Makhachev is still expecting to fight the winner of Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje in November in Abu Dhabi. White has hinted at the UFC’s potential return to Fight Island later this year.
Font is coming off of his first setback in a while during his UFC career, losing to former UFC champion José Aldo last December. Before that, he earned four straight victories over the likes of Marlon Moraes and Cody Garbrandt.
This will be Font’s third straight UFC main event after headlining Fight Nights in his win against Garbrandt and his unanimous decision loss to Aldo. Earlier in his career, he earned wins over current Bellator champion Sergio Pettis and Thomas Almeida in dominant performances.
Font will face a tough task in Vera, who will fight in his first career UFC main event. He rebounded from a tough loss to Aldo in late 2020 by earning back-to-back victories over Frankie Edgar and Davey Grant.
Vera’s knockout of Edgar at UFC 268 was arguably one of the most violent finishes in 2021.
Vera began his rise in the bantamweight division by handing Sean O’Malley his first loss at UFC 252. He also earned wins over the likes of Andre Ewell and Brian Kelleher since making his UFC debut back at UFC 180.
Font and Vera will compete for positioning in the stacked bantamweight division. Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan will finally fight in their title rematch at UFC 273, nearly a year after their first matchup ended in controversy.
What is your prediction for Rob Font vs. Marlon Vera?
Chandler vs. Ferguson had been hinted at by UFC President Dana White during a recent Q+A on ESPN+ with Laura Sanko. The fight will take place the same night as the lightweight title matchup between Justin Gaethje and Charles Oliveira.
Chandler last fought against Gaethje at UFC 268, losing via a unanimous decision in arguably the best fight of 2021. Before that, he had lost his first UFC title shot against Oliveira for the vacant belt at UFC 262. A win over Ferguson could get Chandler back into the lightweight title picture.
Ferguson is looking to snap a three-fight losing skid and hasn’t won since defeating Donald Cerrone via doctor’s stoppage at UFC 238. He lost to Beneil Dariush in a lopsided bout at UFC 262 after dropping fights to Gaethje and Oliveira in 2020.
Chandler made his UFC debut back at UFC 257 after a long, accomplished career in Bellator. He passed his first UFC test with flying colors, earning a first-round knockout of Dan Hooker.
Ferguson has been a mainstay of the lightweight division and earned the interim title over Kevin Lee at UFC 216. He was slated to face Khabib Nurmagomedov on five different occasions during his career but the fight was canceled due to various circumstances.
The Chandler vs. Ferguson winner will move one step closer to a title shot. UFC 274 takes place on May 7 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ.
What is your prediction for Michael Chandler vs. Tony Ferguson?
UFC stars Sean Strickland and Jan Blachowicz recently went at it on social media regarding their stances on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Strickland is coming off of arguably the biggest win of his UFC career against Jack Hermansson earlier this year. He’s won six straight fights and appears to be on the verge of a potential middleweight title shot.
Blachowicz is coming off his title loss to Glover Teixeira at UFC 267. He’s expected to face Aleksandar Rakic later this year.
The debate between the two fighters started when Strickland questioned Ukraine fighting back against Russia and encouraged the country to surrender.
Ukraine should just bend the knee and become Russian… I understand it sucks and yes you could win….. but do you really want to be the new Afghanistan for the next 30 years??? Not saying it's right but this hard pill to swallow will be better in the end.
“Ukraine should just bend the knee and become Russian,” Strickland said. “I understand it sucks and yes you could win….. but do you really want to be the new Afghanistan for the next 30 years??? Not saying it’s right but this hard pill to swallow will be better in the end.”
Strickland’s thoughts on the crisis created quite the stir on social media. This prompted a response from Blachowicz, a Polish UFC star, and former light heavyweight champion.
Would you? It is easy to give away someone else's independence… The history of the Eastern European region is full of struggle and suffering. Ukraine – as a country and as a people – has endured much. Their resistance is understandable and admirable. Freedom!
“Would you? It is easy to give away someone else’s independence,” Blachowicz said. “The history of the Eastern European region is full of struggle and suffering. Ukraine – as a country and as a people – has endured much. Their resistance is understandable and admirable. Freedom!”
That is the last thing I'll say on this subject. Mark my words, what I say will come true, tell people to struggle, tell people to fight. There children's children's will live in poverty and destruction under a Russian flag. This is the reality.. Hard truths I know.
“35 days for Germany to take control of Poland,” Strickland replied. “The only reason why there is a poland is ww2. Poland isn’t Ukraine. Their children’s children will be living in the rubble of Ukraine struggle under a Russian flag in 5 years. That is the cost. Russian sanctions are Ukraine sanctions.
“That is the last thing I’ll say on this subject. Mark my words, what I say will come true, tell people to struggle, tell people to fight. There children’s children’s will live in poverty and destruction under a Russian flag. This is the reality.. Hard truths I know.”
Strickland and Blachowicz aren’t the only notable UFC fighters to make their voices heard on the Ukraine-Russia crisis. UFC featherweight Bryce Mitchell made headlines in the leadup to UFC 272 when he gave his thoughts on the conflict and stated that he wouldn’t fight overseas if the U.S. government mandated it.
Additionally, Ukrainian fighter Maryna Moroz has shared how she has been personally impacted by the war, even losing some friends.
Strickland is never afraid to speak his mind on various topics, even when he’s questioned by one of the biggest names in the sport. The Russia-Ukraine crisis continues to be a hot-button issue among professional athletes.
Do you agree with Jan Blachowicz or Sean Strickland?
dos Santos was supposed to face Kubrat Pulev in a boxing match at Triller Triad Combat before the fight was called off on short notice. dos Santos hasn’t competed in MMA since four-straight losses to end his UFC tenure.
dos Santos’ last MMA win came against Derrick Lewis in March 2019. After winning three in a row, a knockout loss to Francis Ngannou would prove to be the beginning of the end to dos Santos’ time in the Octagon.
dos Santos is tentatively scheduled to make his Eagle FC debut against another UFC veteran, Yorgan De Castro in May. De Castro won his promotional debut against Shaun Asher in January.
dos Santos will be joined by Lombard and Silva in his next MMA venture. Lombard has competed in bare-knuckle boxing over his past four fights in BKFC and last competed in MMA in September 2018.
Lombard is also looking to bounce back after six-straight losses to wrap up his time in the UFC. Lombard will compete in the Eagle FC light heavyweight division.
Joining Lombard at 205 pounds will be Silva, who has competed in brief stints in KSW and ACB. He’s won five of his last nine MMA fights, with his most recent win coming against former The Ultimate Fighter standout James McSweeney.
Eagle FC continues to make gains in the MMA landscape. The promotion landed former UFC interim title challenger Kevin Lee along with UFC pioneer Diego Sanchez, who will compete in the Eagle FC 46 main event this weekend.
What are your thoughts on these additions, including Junior Dos Santos, by Eagle FC?
UFC featherweight contender Bryce Mitchell says his political and societal views may be threatening his life.
Mitchell is coming off arguably the biggest win of his MMA career at UFC 272, earning a unanimous decision over Edson Barboza. He dominated with his grappling and overwhelmed Barboza on the ground.
In addition to his UFC successes, Mitchell has also been in the headlines for some of his controversial remarks on a variety of issues. Mitchell’s recently questioned the cause of mass shootings in the United States and has shared his opposition to COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
“I’m just not wanting to go waste my life fighting for some of these battles that I don’t even believe in,” Mitchell said. “I believe our leaders, a lot of these elites are guilty of treason. What they’ve done is just treasonous.
“That’s how worried people are about the state of their country. My friends think my life could be at risk because I’m coming out here and speaking truth. I have people saying, ‘Hey, load your guns up, be ready.’ They are worried about my health because I’m coming out and speaking the truth. That’s the type of suppression and oppression that we’re living in, brother.”
Not all of Mitchell’s views have caused controversy though. He’s also shared his plans to make a difference in his local community in Arkansas by donating a portion of each of his fight purses to help underprivileged youth and those with medical conditions.
Mitchell is expected to return to the Octagon later this year as he looks to continue to climb the featherweight division. In the meantime, Mitchell appears unafraid to make his views known on various issues, whether you agree with him or not.
What are your thoughts on Bryce Mitchell and his recent Fox News appearance?
UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington isn’t afraid to rub it in against Jorge Masvidal after their grudge match at UFC 272.
Covington used his superior wrestling combined with his activity on the feet to defeat Masvidal at UFC 272. Except for a few brief moments from Masvidal, Covington was able to out-work and out-pace Masvidal over five rounds of action.
Covington and Masvidal shared quite the heated buildup to their fight. The former American Top Team teammates and friends turned bitter rivals got personal with their pre-fight trash talk.
The pre-fight banter included a post-fight headline prediction that Masvidal made leading up to the event. He predicted that Covington would be in “critical condition, might not fully make it” after squaring off in the Octagon.
“Street Judas’ career in critical condition, might not make it,” Covington said in a post.
Jorge Masvidal Squashes Retirement Talk Following Loss To Colby Covington
As Covington alluded to, some fans opined that it may be time for Masvidal to begin to think about retiring from MMA altogether after his third-straight defeat. But in a recent Instagram post, he squashed the notion that he’s done competing inside the Octagon.
Before the loss to Covington, Masvidal had lost back-to-back welterweight title shots against Kamaru Usman. His second matchup with Usman resulted in a vicious knockout defeat.
Masvidal is hoping to work his way back to the welterweight title picture and another potential fight with Covington down the line. He’ll look to earn his first win since 2019 later this year.
Who do you want to see Colby Covington fight next?
UFC lightweight contender Islam Makhachev is not a fan of Tim Elliott’s “dirty” approach to his fight against Tagir Ulanbekov at UFC 272.
Makhachev is arguably the best active Dagestan fighter following the retirement of Khabib Nurmagomedov. He’s on the verge of a lightweight title shot with a win later this year against potential opponent Beneil Dariush.
Makhachev sat cageside to watch most of the UFC 272 event but also helped corner a few of his teammates. One of them was Ulanbekov, who faced a tough flyweight matchup against the veteran Elliott.
Elliott put on arguably one of the best performances of his career against Ulanbekov, but not without controversy. He appeared to grab Elliott’s glove on multiple occasions during the fight and arguably landed an illegal knee as well on Ulanbekov.
Elliott would win the fight via a unanimous decision.
Makhachev took to Instagram to highlight some of the alleged missed fouls that Elliott committed during the fight against Ulanbekov.
“This fight clear example of so called. “dirty fighter,” Makhachev said. “To make so many intentional fouls in one fight, you don’t see that often.
Clearly intentional eye poke in the clinch. (That affected the whole fight after)
Twice knee to the grounded opponent
Grabbing a glove multiple times during exchanges
Very clearly Grabbing the glove during grappling (you can’t stick your fingers into opponent’s glove, it’s illegal)
But I’m more surprised with the referee that let him do everything he wanted to. Still I’m very proud with my brother Tagir’s performance and he accepted this unfair L.”
Makhachev wasn’t the only one who was upset with how the fight played out. Nurmagomedov was animated and furious while in Ulanbekov’s corner during the controversial moments.
Referee Chris Tognoni did briefly stop the fight to address an eye poke from Elliott but missed the alleged penalties that Makhachev discussed above.
A UFC showdown between Jorge Masvidal and Conor McGregor may not be far-fetched after all, according to Masvidal’s manager Malki Kawa.
Masvidal most recently fell to Colby Covington in the UFC 272 main event. Except for a few big moments in the fight such as a round 4 knockdown, Masvidal was outgunned on the feet and the ground against Covington.
Masvidal is looking to get back in the thick of things in the welterweight division with his next fight, while McGregor is anticipating a return to the cage later this year. A bout between the two pay-per-view superstars may make sense from a timing perspective.
McGregor has also gained quite a bit of muscle mass, as he’s showed off in recent social media posts. This may deter the possibility of McGregor returning to lightweight and may force him to move up to welterweight to potentially face Masvidal.
Masvidal’s management has previously claimed that a fight with the Irishman was offered at lightweight.
“I saw McGregor in Dublin,” Kawa said. “He’s not small. He looked like he walks around 195-200lbs jacked.”
McGregor was recently spotted in attendance at Bellator 275 in Dublin.
If McGregor opts to move to welterweight for his UFC return, a fight with Masvidal may make sense for both sides. In contrast to White’s past comments on the matchup, it seems that Masvidal’s team sees a fight with McGregor as a legitimate possibility.
Do you want to see Jorge Masvidal vs. Conor McGregor?
One of the judges working on the Cain Velasquez attempted murder case has requested extra security in light of recent alleged threats.
The former UFC heavyweight champion Velasquez was arrested last week after allegedly attempting to murder a suspected child predator, Harry Eugene Goularte, who allegedly molested one of Velasquez’s young relatives. Velasquez ended up allegedly shooting Goularte’s stepfather instead of Goularte during a high-speed chase near San Jose, CA.
Velasquez faces a minimum of 20 years in prison if convicted on the charges. He is being held at a Bay Area jail after a judge denied bail to Velasquez, prompting quite the response from Velasquez’s legal team.
In a recent interview with NBC Bay Area, former sheriff’s lieutenant Mark Garcia addressed the reasoning behind one of the judges being concerned for their safety.
“No, I’m not surprised at all,” Garcia said. “You look at each and every case and you also do a threat assessment. And you come up with an idea and the tools necessary to provide them safety.”
The identity of the judge hasn’t been disclosed and extra patrols are expected to be utilized around the judge’s home in the coming weeks during the Velasquez investigation.
Velasquez last competed in the UFC back in 2019, suffering a first-round knockout to Francis Ngannou. Many current and former UFC fighters, including Ronda Rousey and Derek Brunson, have spoken out in favor of Velasquez and his alleged actions.
What are your thoughts on the Cain Velasquez situation?
Takashi Sato will fill in for the injured Claudio Silva on 11 days’ notice against Nelson. Sato hasn’t fought in the Octagon since his submission loss to Miguel Baeza in November 2020.
Nelson has also spent a considerable amount of time away from MMA competition. He’s slated to make his first walk to the Octagon since his loss to former title challenger Gilbert Burns in September 2019. He’s lost back-to-back fights to Burns and Leon Edwards.
Nelson’s last win came against Alex Oliveira at UFC 231, submitting Oliveira in the second round. He’s also picked up wins over Albert Tumenov and Alan Jouban over his recent stretch of fights.
Nelson will get a tough assignment against the short-notice replacement Sato. While Sato has lost two of his last three UFC fights, he’s an accomplished striker and could give Nelson plenty of headaches on the feet.
Nelson is mostly known for his grappling, as he’s demonstrated in past wins over Omari Akhmedov and DaMarques Johnson. Sato has earned gruesome knockouts over the likes of Jason Witt and Ben Saunders in the UFC.
Jorge Masvidal feels he missed a big opportunity to turn the tide in his grudge match against Colby Covington at UFC 272.
Masvidal fell via a unanimous decision to his former friend turned rival Covington. It was a war that lived up to the hype, but Covington got the better of a majority of the exchanges on the feet and ground.
Masvidal nearly rallied in Round 4 after landing a massive right hook to Covington’s chin midway through the round. The punch dropped Covington immediately, and he appeared badly wobbled by the blow.
However, instead of pushing forward with pressure and attempting to finish the fight, Masvidal appeared hesitant to pull the trigger and follow up the big punch.
During his UFC 272 post-fight press conference, Masvidal talked about that moment and his regrets about not capitalizing on the opportunity.
“Shit, and then I didn’t pounce on him after I dropped him,” Masvidal lamented. “I wasn’t surprised that he bounced up. I was surprised that I didn’t go and take his head off. I thought he was gonna shoot immediately on me, so I just (was) thinking of the wrong shit instead of just go and take his head off. I was tired; he was tired and hurt.
“That was my chance right there. That was that window of five, six seconds to give it all I got, and make a sprint, and make a big change. Maybe I could’ve made that round 10-8, 10-7, who knows? But I didn’t take that opening.”
Masvidal has now lost three fights in a row, including back-to-back defeats to welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. His last win came against Nate Diaz in their BMF title matchup at UFC 244.
Masvidal signed a new deal with the UFC leading up to the fight with Covington and remains one of the promotion’s biggest stars. But he’ll need to get back in the win column in his next UFC outing to potentially earn a rematch against Covington down the line.
What were your thoughts on Colby Covington vs. Jorge Masvidal?
UFC interim bantamweight champion Petr Yan is ramping up the mental warfare ahead of his rematch with official titleholder Aljamain Sterling.
Yan and Sterling will unify the UFC bantamweight title at UFC 273 in Jacksonville, FL, nearly a year after the two top bantamweights squared off at UFC 259. Sterling won the bout via disqualification following an illegal knee from Yan in the fourth round.
Tensions have continued to build between Sterling and Yan ahead of their highly-anticipated rematch. They were supposed to fight back at UFC 267, but Sterling pulled out with a lingering injury on short notice. Yan would go on to beat Cory Sandhagen for the interim title.
In a recent tweet, Yan had a bit of fun at Sterling’s expense and showed that there’s still no love lost between the two 135 pounders.
Sterling has yet to defend his bantamweight title since earning the belt controversially in his first matchup with Yan. The two fighters have accused each other of delaying the rematch and have gone back and forth on numerous occasions on social media.
Despite Sterling being the current bantamweight titleholder, it’s Yan who holds a spot in the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings. Sterling will look to rewrite the script at UFC 273.
What is your prediction for Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan 2?
UFC middleweight contender Sean Strickland shocked some in the MMA community when he apologized after joking about overweight women.
Strickland has been known for his out-of-the-Octagon endeavors arguably more than some of his successes inside of it. He is coming off an impressive main event victory over Jack Hermansson in his last fight.
Strickland has been known to cross the line on separate occasions in the opinions of some fans, especially when it comes to giving his thoughts on topics like homosexuality and, in this case, overweight women.
I shouldn't of made fun of the over weight woman.. not cool, moment of weakness sponsor ads just piss me off.. heart disease is real and fucked up. We shouldn't joke about it, i have fat family members. I'm sorry, I'll be better from now on.
“I shouldn’t have made fun of the over weight woman.. not cool,” Strickland said. “Moment of weakness sponsor ads just piss me off.. heart disease is real and fucked up. We shouldn’t joke about it, I have fat family members. I’m sorry, I’ll be better from now on.”
Strickland has been known to communicate without much of a filter in media interviews and on his various social media platforms. He has previously said that if he had a gay son, he would’ve felt he failed as a man.
Strickland has also said that he would take pleasure in murdering someone inside of an Octagon. This was met with critics around the UFC, including Belal Muhammad.
Strickland has never been afraid to speak his mind, which isn’t surprising to most UFC fans. But the fact that he’s still able to admit when he feels he did something wrong could be seen as a surprise to many.
What is your reaction to Sean Strickland apologizing?
Colby Covington wants to get paid more than his rival Jorge Masvidal following their grudge match at UFC 272.
Covington put on arguably one of the best performances of his career against Masvidal in the main event. He outstruck Masvidal on the feet statistically and smothered him on the ground to control the fight and earn a unanimous decision victory.
Before the grudge match, Masvidal and the UFC came to terms on a new deal that made him among the highest-paid fighters in the promotion. Now, Covington wants a bigger piece of the pie following his recent performances inside the Octagon.
During his UFC 272 post-fight press conference, Covington stated that he feels he deserves more money from the promotion after his dominant win over Masvidal
“I’d love it, I think I deserve it,” Covington said. “Jorge just signed his contract right before the right because he knew he was going to get his ass whooped. He wasn’t going to have any leverage or power to negotiate after I whoop his ass on Monday morning, so I want to be paid more than Jorge Masvidal now. He likes to rub that in this face that ‘oh I make more money, and this and that’. First off, no he doesn’t because he pays half of it to Maritza his ex-wife. So he doesn’t make more money than me. But secondly, I need to make more money than Jorge. He’s a flash in the pan, two-pump chump like his ex-wife Maritza said.
Colby Covington
“He’s 37 years old, I just turned 34 years old just before this fight. I’m in my prime, getting better every single day, and you haven’t seen the best of me. So I still got a long career ahead of me.”
Covington called out another former American Top Team teammate, Dustin Poirier following his win over Masvidal. Poirier has said in the past that he intends to move up to 170 pounds for his next fights, but it’s unclear if that’ll come to fruition.
Covington is expecting to return to the cage later this year and wants to be paid adequately for his efforts. This could potentially set up negotiations on a new deal between Covington and the UFC as soon as this week.
Who do you want to see Colby Covington fight next?
Bellator middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi wants a shot at the promotion’s light heavyweight title by the end of 2022.
Mousasi is fresh off his dominant win over Austin Vanderford at Bellator 275. After a flurry of strikes from both men in the opening minute, Mousasi got the fight to the ground and finished Vanderford with a ground-and-pound barrage in the first round.
Mousasi has now won four straight since falling to Rafael Lovato Jr. at Bellator 223. He earned the Bellator middleweight title by defeating Douglas Lima at Bellator 250.
Mousasi went on to defend his title against John Salter at Bellator 264 before his recent dismantling of Vanderford. The former UFC standout has become a household name in Bellator despite being in the latter stages of his career.
“I’m going to do a weight up in Bellator,” “Even heavyweight maybe. If I win the light heavyweight belt, maybe it’s nice also to fight for the heavyweight belt. Let me get the light heavyweight belt first, and dream even bigger. At the end of the year is what my manager thinks [for light heavyweight]. To achieve something no one else [has].”
Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov will face off with former UFC contender Corey Anderson at Bellator 277. The fight will conclude the promotion’s Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix.
Mousasi has previously competed at 205 pounds but hasn’t fought at light heavyweight since beating Ilir Latifi at a UFC Fight Night in 2013. He earned a light heavyweight title in Dream by defeating Tatsuya Mizuno at Dream 16.
Mousasi has previously hinted at retirement after a few more MMA fights. Before he calls it quits, he plans on attempting to mark a few goals off his MMA bucket list and cement his legacy as arguably an all-time great.
Do you think Gegard Mousasi could beat Bellator light heavyweight champ Vadim Nemkov?
UFC featherweight contender Bryce Mitchell has a couple of notable fans in the political world in Donald Trump Jr. and Candace Owens.
Mitchell put on arguably a career-best performance against Edson Barboza at UFC 272. He smothered Barboza on the ground with his wrestling and was able to eliminate Barboza’s advances on the feet.
In the leadup to UFC 272, Mitchell made his voice heard on a variety of issues. He even gave an elaborate take on the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
During his UFC 272 pre-fight press conference, Mitchell said that he hopes the conflict doesn’t escalate into a global war and that he doesn’t intend to fight overseas if the U.S. government were to ever require it. After getting word of Mitchell’s comments, Trump Jr. endorsed Mitchell’s views on the issue.
Trump Jr. wasn’t the only political figure who liked what Mitchell had to say. Owens, a well-known conservative political commentator, gave a glowing review of Mitchell’s stance.
Didn’t think I could love the UFC more but here we are— Finally, a foreign policy perspective that is infinitely more comprehensive than those presented by our war-mongering politicians, propagandist journals, and criminal Biden & Clinton families combined. https://t.co/V1jXWhjhWU
“Didn’t think I could love the UFC more but here we are— Finally, a foreign policy perspective that is infinitely more comprehensive than those presented by our war-mongering politicians, propagandist journals, and criminal Biden & Clinton families combined,” Owens said.
While Mitchell’s views on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have been praised by many, some of his other views haven’t come without controversy. In a recent interview with MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, he said that recent mass shootings around the United States were an inside job.
Nevertheless, Mitchell has also been praised for his intentions to donate half of his UFC 272 purse to youth in his native Arkansas. UFC President Dana White has since said that he intends to cover the amount that Mitchell previously intended on giving away to his local community.
As Mitchell’s star power continues to rise, so will the audience he’ll garner to hear his views on societal issues. For now, he already appears to have two willing endorsers in Owens and Trump Jr.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and his legal team are not happy after being denied bail by a San Jose, CA judge.
Velasquez was arrested last week after reportedly attempting to murder an alleged molester of one of his young relatives. In a high-speed chase, Velasquez shot at Harry Eugene Goularte but instead hit and wounded Goularte’s stepfather.
On Monday, Judge Shelyna Brown denied Velasquez bail due to the “reckless” nature of the crimes. He has been charged with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, assault with a firearm, shooting at a motor vehicle, and discharging a firearm from a vehicle with intent.
Velasquez is scheduled to return to the courtroom on April 12.
Following the judge’s decision, Velasquez’s attorney Mark Geragos spoke with the media and reacted to the bail denial.
“If you believe what the DA says the motivation is — is there anybody out there who would say to a father, that this is not what you should do?” Geragos said. “A father who was not consulted when they released a perpetrator back into the public with $0 bail, yet they are holding Cain on no bail?
“This is why people are disgusted, and rightfully so, with the criminal justice system.” (h/t Fox 40)
A group of supporters of Velasquez made their voices heard outside of the San Jose courthouse. UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya and former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey are among a slew of MMA personalities who have spoken out in defense of Velasquez and his actions.
Velasquez faces a minimum of 20 years in prison if found guilty of the charges.
What is your reaction to the latest in the Cain Velasquez court case?
UFC lightweight contender Islam Makhachev is more convinced than ever to eventually move to welterweight after watching the UFC 272 main event.
Makhachev has been on a roll as of late with 10 straight victories. He most recently dismantled short-notice replacement Bobby Green in his second-career UFC main event at UFC Vegas 49.
Before the win over Green, Makhachev made quick work of top contenders such as Thiago Moisés and Dan Hooker.
Makhachev will more than likely have to face Beneil Dariush next, as UFC President Dana White recently hinted. However, he’s already got his eyes set not just on the lightweight title but also a chance to add his name to UFC lore.
“I’m gonna take this belt, defend like three, five times, and I’m gonna come to welterweight division,” Makhachev proclaimed.
UFC 272 featured a welterweight grudge match between top contenders Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal. Makhachev sat cageside to watch Covington earn a unanimous decision win over his former American Top Teammate and friend Masvidal.
Despite Covington’s impressive performance, Makhachev garnered more motivation to eventually challenge the top welterweights in the UFC after watching the UFC 272 main event.
Jorge Masvidal, Colby Covington
“I saw this fight, I witnessed front row, when Masvidal fight versus Colby. Honestly, I really believe I can beat these guys one night, both these guys.
“Because Colby, he have just wrestling. I can beat him easy….his striking is very (slow) and other guy, Masvidal, I think he’s so old now, he just makes some money, he have maybe couple more fights and he gonna retire.”
Makhachev Doesn’t Expect Relationship With Usman To Be An Issue
Following his latest win over Green at UFC Vegas 49, Makhachev hinted at a move up to welterweight, a division in which Kamaru Usman currently reigns as champion.
While Makhachev and Usman have the same manager and seem to have a solid friendship, that hasn’t deterred Makhachev from pursuing multiple UFC belts. This is because Makhachev doesn’t expect Usman to still be competing if he gets the fight against Canelo Álvarez he’s been pushing for.
Makhachev revealed a recent conversation with Usman and the welterweight champion’s future as the titleholder.
“I told Usman. I told him, ‘Man, now you gonna beat Leon Edwards,” Makhachev said. “‘And after, you wanna fight vs. Canelo, make $100 million, and that’s it. Your motivation is finish.’ He say, ‘No, no, no, I’m gonna still compete.’
“But I don’t believe when somebody have $100 million, it’s not possible (to) wake up early morning (and stay hungry). It’s not possible.”
Usman recently underwent hand surgery and is expected to return later this year. He’s more than likely set to face Leon Edwards for his next title defense.
Makhachev was reportedly the UFC’s top target to replace Rafael Fiziev against Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 272. However, according to Dana White, he turned down the fight and White says Makhachev will now have to face Dariush before earning a title shot.
Makhachev has been referred to by many UFC fans as the heir apparent to Khabib Nurmagomedov, who is a mentor and coach of his. If Makhachev can earn the lightweight title, he could potentially accomplish something Nurmagomedov never did in earning multiple world titles after moving up a division.
How do you think Islam Makhachev would do at welterweight?
Former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler wants to see fighters earn more money during and after their careers.
Lawler is back in the win column after earning a TKO win over Nick Diaz at UFC 266. Entering the highly-anticipated rematch with Diaz, Lawler had lost four straight and hadn’t earned a win since 2017.
Lawler is one of the OGs of the fight game. Going back to his UFC debut at UFC 37, he has been arguably one of the biggest fan favorites in the sport.
Lawler is still intent on performing at a high level, even in the latter stages of his professional career. But during a recent interview with Bloody Elbow, he admitted there’s still one change he wants to see be made in MMA.
“I would obviously like the fighters to get paid more,” Lawler said. “But, I’d also like them to have something like a pension after the fact, so that they’re getting paid—those types of things. Obviously, everyone’s not going to make it to the highest level and make a whole bunch of money winning world titles, but once you get to the UFC, Bellator – these bigger organizations – I think there needs to be some sort of—kind of like the NFL does. I mean they take care of their guys after—at least try to. And the NBA does a great job, and baseball probably does the same thing, where guys are still continuing to get something after they’re done with the sport. So if there’s a way that we could get this for the fighters it’d be awesome.”
Lawler has been around the fight game for years, and he believes that it’s time for fighters to be treated fairly and compensated correctly for their efforts.
