MMA News

Author: Kyle Dimond

  • Dominick Cruz Doesn’t Stand For Ali Abdelaziz’s Disrespect: ‘You Chat Sh*t That You Cannot Back Up’

    Dominick Cruz Doesn’t Stand For Ali Abdelaziz’s Disrespect: ‘You Chat Sh*t That You Cannot Back Up’

    In a recent interview with TMZ, former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz stated that he wants to fight one last time before calling time on his career. Following a four-year break in activity, Cruz returned to the Octagon at UFC 249 in 2020 where he challenged Henry Cejudo for the 135-pound title.

    Since then, he has fought three more times, earning wins over Casey Kenney and Pedro Munhoz before being stopped by Marlon Vera in August of 2022. “I’ll tell you, I think I got a last dance, I want one last dance in me,” Cruz told TMZ. “Just go out there and have fun, and when I say fun, I mean fight to the bitter death and see what I have in me.”

    His fellow UFC commentator, Jon Anik, posting on X to suggest that a rematch with Cejudo four years down the line from their first meeting would be of interest. The post received a response from the often vocal Ali Abdelaziz who is Cejudo’s manager at Dominance MMA.

    When Cruz replied to Abdelaziz calling this fight “easy money” for his fighter, the two men went back-and-forth in a series of posts.

    Cruz continued to hit back at Abdelaziz and criticized him for trash talking other fighters when he doesn’t have to face any repurcusions because he still gets paid whether or not the clients that he manages win or lose.

    “It’s easy money for you-as you get a percentage paid by your fighter no matter what, while you chat sh** that you personally cannot back up. You have no skin in the game, that’s what makes you weak.”

    The argument continued with Cejudo also catching a few strays from Cruz who said that fighting him would be like “killing you two birds with one stone”.

    “Look at your big tough guy words on X .You’re now talking about paying someone the % of money that you usually would steal from him, just to fight me for you, solely because you yourself can’t cash the checks you write with your big mouth. That’s exactly my point-that’s why you are a weakling. Henry is about as tiny a man in stature as you are mentally. You two deserve each other. Killing you two birds with one stone sounds like a lovely day of humanitarian work.”

    As is often the case, Abdelaziz continued to reply until he had the last word, seemingly welcoming Cruz to do something about it physically the next time that they see each other in person.

  • Demetrious Johnson Breaks Down How Charles Oliveira Dominated Michael Chandler: ‘Almost A Checkmate’

    Demetrious Johnson Breaks Down How Charles Oliveira Dominated Michael Chandler: ‘Almost A Checkmate’

    After Michael Chandler’s attempt to pull a win out of the bag in the fifth round fell short, Charles Oliveira got his hand raised following a dominant performance in the co-main event at UFC 309. Prior to a chaotic end to the fight that had “Do Bronx” trying to survive, he won every round on all three scorecards.

    Just like in their first fight three years ago, the striking of Oliveira was very effective and at several points, it looked like he might finish Chandler for the second time. The difference this time around was that when the former lightweight champion had his opponent hurt or backed up to the fence, he implemented his grappling in order to avoid getting into a battle of wills with “Iron” Mike.

    According to UFC Stats, Oliveira was successful with 5 of 12 takedown attempts, accumulating a total of 14 minutes and 52 seconds of control time which tells the story of this fight. A lot of that time was spent in a position that the Brazilian is a true master of as he consistently was able to take and control Chandler’s back.

    In his post-fight breakdown on his YouTube channel, former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson gave his analysis of the lightweight contest that earned fight of the night honors. He specifically drew attention to the way that Oliveira was able to lock in a body triangle in order to dominate in these positions even if he was unable to find the submission.

    “This is pretty much like almost a checkmate but it’s like a check because checkmate means end the game but it’s a check because one wrong move from here, Chandler getting choked out… Just a bad position for Michael Chandler to be in, very, very bad. It’s very, very f****** hard to get out of it especially your legs aren’t longer than your opponents. Trust me, I’ve been there before boys with somebody who’s way longer than me and I hate it.”

  • Chael Sonnen Says UFC Won’t Struggle To Find Willing Opponents For Bo Nickal After Latest Performance

    Chael Sonnen Says UFC Won’t Struggle To Find Willing Opponents For Bo Nickal After Latest Performance

    With his fourth win inside the Octagon, Bo Nickal continued to climb up the middleweight ladder on Saturday night at UFC 309 whilst remaining undefeated. Despite this, his latest outing was the first to raise some concerns regarding his current level.

    The 28-year old rising star went the distance with Scotland’s Paul Craig in the first decision win of his career. Though he won all three rounds against his toughest opponent to date, it was the manner of the performance that many took issue with as the two grappling specialists engaged in a lacklustre striking bout for the entire duration.

    It’s not necessarily a bad thing that Nickal showed that he could win the fight without using his wrestling but with Craig not being known for his striking skills either, it wasn’t a particularly impressive display. Chael Sonnen believes that this performance will remove the fear factor and mystique surrounding Nickal during his time in the promotion.

    We see it happen time and time again where an exciting prospect comes up against their toughest test and is shown to not be an unbeatable phenom just quite yet. Though Sonnen admitted that Nickal needs time before making the next step up, he believes that the UFC will no longer have any problems matching him after he looked far more beatable than we’ve seen in the past.

    “Those days are done, for now, they’re put on hold. The conversation that nobody has called out Bo Nickal, that will change. Come Monday, people will be calling for him. The idea that Bo is the boogeyman in the closet that Dana and Hunter just cannot find opponents for because there is so much respect put on Bo’s name mixed with fear… that is gone. They will find opponents for Bo very quickly now and it doesn’t need to be that way.” 

  • Key Name Rules Himself Out Of UFC 312 In Sydney: ‘We’ll Pump The Brakes’

    Key Name Rules Himself Out Of UFC 312 In Sydney: ‘We’ll Pump The Brakes’

    The UFC is set to return to the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia in February and though we have several match-ups confirmed, it isn’t yet known or rumoured what will be topping the card in the night’s big attractions. You’d imagine that UFC 312 will feature several key names from Australia and New Zealand but the names at the forefront of that list is getting smaller.

    It doesn’t look like former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker will make this turnaround following the injury he suffered against Khamzat Chimaev last month. Though Alexander Volkanovski was very keen to fight on home soil, if he wants his rematch with Ilia Topuria, he’ll likely have to take the fight on the featherweight champion’s terms.

    It seems likely that we could see a big middleweight presence on this card via the likes of the champion Dricus Du Plessis or his last opponent, the former two-time 185-pound king, Israel Adesanya. One name that has definitively ruled himself out is Adesanya’s long-time training partner at City Kickboxing in New Zealand, Dan Hooker.

    Following his win over Mateusz Gamrot at the Octagon’s last stop off down under, Hooker is set for a huge fight next time out and has expressed interest in facing Justin Gaethje for the first time. In a recent interview with Submission Radio, “The Hangman” said that he isn’t even sure what the plans are for February 8 right now.

    “Yeah, probably a bit after that. I think, I’m not sure, I don’t even know who’s fighting in February.”

    Hooker went on to say that though Gaethje is still his preferred opponent, it won’t be happening in Sydney. He explained that with a new addition to his family arriving right around the same time as the Octagon, it’s not a risk that he’s willing to take.

    “Yeah it seems like we usually tend to get like the middleweight title on the Australian cards. There was like what, Yoel and Rockhold, and like it always seems to be the middleweight title up for grabs down under in Australia but yeah, it’s gonna be a funny one. I’m not sure who’s headlining that but yeah, I’d say it’s not me my friend. February is not the best for me. I’ve got a baby dropping, it’s due just after the first week of February so I’ll be playing with fire there and I’m more scared of the missus than I am of the UFC. We’ll pump the brakes on that and yeah, probably after Feb.”      

  • ‘Based UFC Europe’ Account Plays Matchmaker For Jon Jones — Aspinall, Aspinall, Or Aspinall

    ‘Based UFC Europe’ Account Plays Matchmaker For Jon Jones — Aspinall, Aspinall, Or Aspinall

    The conversation surrounding Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall hasn’t disappeared in the aftermath of UFC 309 this past weekend. A lot of fans, media and fellow fighters were very vocal in the lead up to the event about the potential of seeing the heavyweight title unification fight.

    Whether it was people talking about Jones’ comments regarding not wanting to fight the interim heavyweight champion or fans arguing that it should have been Aspinall in the main event instead of a returning Stipe Miocic, the controversy regarding this huge match-up has dominated discussions both before and after the UFC’s return to Madison Square Garden.

    In his post-fight interview after stopping Miocic in the third round in what was a one-sided heavyweight title fight, Jones suggested that he will stick around for one more fight if he can come to terms with the UFC. Despite saying “maybe we’ll give you guys what you want to see”, “Bones” stated in his press conference that he isn’t interested in fighting Aspinall and only has eyes for the light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira.

    The UFC Europe account on social media weighed in on the topic via a fairly standard post that offered three options for a champion’s next challenge. However, columns A, B and C all featured one name and one name only.

    Like-minded fight fans gave their reactions to the post from the official account on X.

    “What the UFC Europe social media guy remembered before posting this”

    “Based UFC Europe”

    “UFC Europe banger”

    “I’m all for any of the three options. They all seem like perfect fights to make next for Jon Jones”

  • Jon Jones Touts ‘Scary’ Training Partner From UFC 309 Camp As A Future Champion

    Jon Jones Touts ‘Scary’ Training Partner From UFC 309 Camp As A Future Champion

    Jon Jones has always surrounded himself with some of the best of the best in their chosen fields to help him in his career. During the time that he has spent at heavyweight, this means bringing in big bodies that can really push him physically day-in and day-out.

    The heavyweight champion’s preparations in Albuquerque clearly paid off for him in his second fight in the weight class this past weekend. In the main event of UFC 309, he stopped the returning Stipe Miocic in the third round to defend his heavyweight title for the first time.

    As seen in social media videos or the fight week build-up, two elite grapplers joined Jones for this camp, along with some of the boxers that he trained with. Standing side-by-side on the mats with Jones and elite grappler Gordon Ryan was the former Olympic gold medallist wrestler, Gable Steveson.

    After becoming the youngest freestyle wrestler in his weight class to ever win Olympic gold having only recently turned 21-years old at the time, Steveson left Tokyo in 2021 with the world at his feet. There was a lot of talk as to whether he would move into MMA or professional wrestling and after brief stints in WWE and the NFL that didn’t work out, it looks like the Octagon could be in his future.

    Jones spoke in his post-fight press conference about how Steveson showed that he had the passion and mentality to learn after offering to step-in for one of Jones’ injured sparring partners during a training session. He also referenced a video that caught the attention of fans on social media where Steveson shot in for a takedown and was hit by a knee from “Bones”.

    “I kneed him in the face at one of his very first practices. He ate it, and he looked like a little kid who had just found a new toy.”

    Jones believes that his teammate for this recent fight camp has all the tools he needs to succeed in MMA if he chooses to stay the course and develop his overall game. At just 24-years old, Steveson still has a lot of time to develop into a serious threat in MMA.

    “He’s gonna be scary, he’s gonna be very scary when he decides to do MMA. He knows how to make men appear very weak, me being one of them. When he learns how to box and learns a little about jiu-jitsu, it’s a matter of if he’ll become a UFC champion, it’s when he’ll be a UFC champion. Whether he trains in Albuquerque with our family or finds a different team, whoever has him are going to be really blessed to have him.”

  • Chael Sonnen Blames Bo Nickal’s Team For Frustrating UFC 309 Performance: ‘Somebody Got A Hold Of Him!’

    Chael Sonnen Blames Bo Nickal’s Team For Frustrating UFC 309 Performance: ‘Somebody Got A Hold Of Him!’

    Bo Nickal remained undefeated at UFC 309 and earned his biggest win to date but these stats alone do not tell the full story of his performance at Madison Square Garden. The undefeated 185-pounder faced off with Scotland’s Paul Craig in a fight that many believed would be Nickal’s toughest test to date.

    The biggest talking point heading into this match-up was whether the wrestling specialist would attempt to play to his strengths against Scotland’s Craig who is an incredibly dangerous submission artist. In the end, we didn’t get to find out how they would have matched up in this area because fight fans instead got a fairly uneventful striking match over three rounds which Nickal won without landing too many significant shots.

    In a recent video on his YouTube channel in the aftermath of the UFC’s return to New York, Chael Sonnen voiced his frustrations about the fight and Nickal’s approach in particular. He believes that someone must have told the 28-year old to stay clear of Craig’s grappling and though he ended up winning the striking battle and therefore the fight, Sonnen took a lot of issue with this considering his wrestling credentials.

    “My problem with it and my gripe is that you have a four-time world champion… doesn’t do one damn bit of wrestling because somebody got a hold of him. One of his trainers or his training partners sat him down and said, ‘You’re not ready to go to the ground with the guy.’ Well how the F would we know? How in the F we would know that now?”

    Sonnen went on to reference Georges St-Pierre and how he would game plan for opponents in comparison. He said that the former welterweight and middleweight champion would look at his three best skill sets and rank them in order to strategize how he would approach the fight and what his back-up plans would be.

    “The Bad Guy” believes that Nickal gave Craig too much respect by not sticking to what he does best, stating that this isn’t something that the middleweight prospect did when he faced elite wrestlers so would he start doing it now.

    “That is nothing that Bo has ever done. He didn’t show Gabe Dean that respect, he didn’t show Miles Martin that respect, he did not show David Taylor that respect and he refuses to take down, a four-time world champion refuses to use one bit of wrestling against a guy that’s never had a wrestling match. That is because of somebody in his trusted inner circle.”

  • Eryk Anders Reveals Reason For Fight-Day Cancellation Of UFC 309 Matchup With Chris Weidman

    Eryk Anders Reveals Reason For Fight-Day Cancellation Of UFC 309 Matchup With Chris Weidman

    Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman looked to finally break his run of bad luck in New York in his scheduled bout against Eryk Anders on the UFC 309 prelims this past weekend. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be following an announcement that happened during the broadcast of the early prelims at Madison Square Garden.

    Jon Anik stated once the card went live that Anders had been forced out of the fight due to a medical issue. As a result, the card continued with 12-bouts with Weidman releasing a video on social media to give his reaction to the news shortly after the fans found out.

    The day after the promotion’s return to Madison Square Garden, Anders also posted a video on social media where he explained why he was forced to withdraw on such short notice. Anders states that he was suffering from food poisoning throughout Saturday so couldn’t make the walk on fight night.

    Weidman was obviously looking forward to fighting in New York for what could have been the last time in his career but Anders was also incredibly disappointed to miss out on a huge opportunity for his career also. He secured a decision win over Jamie Pickett in March to return to the win column but beating Weidman would have been a big scalp for him.

    “Status update- got food poisoning Friday night and there was no way I would have been able to go out there and compete,” Anders wrote. “Super upset I didn’t get to compete at MSG against a former champ. I seriously doubt that opportunity will come around again, but it is what it is. Hopefully we can get that matchup rebooked ASAP. Thank you all for the messages of concern.”

  • Former Fighter Blasts ‘Cheating Rat’ Jon Jones In UFC 309 Reaction: ‘Lance Armstrong Of MMA’

    Former Fighter Blasts ‘Cheating Rat’ Jon Jones In UFC 309 Reaction: ‘Lance Armstrong Of MMA’

    Jon Jones may be considered to be the greatest of all time in mixed martial arts but his incredible accomplishments inside the Octagon don’t come without come controversy along the way. For everything that “Bones” has done during his UFC tenure which is worth highlighting, there are plenty of other talking points that don’t color the heavyweight champion in the best light.

    Some of these examples from the past are unavoidable when reflecting on Jones’ career like his previous suspensions from the UFC whilst others, like his run-ins with the law, are more of a reflection of his public image rather than his professional achievements. Despite all of this, UFC 309 was built up as the return of the GOAT who would be defending his belt for the first and possibly last time.

    Jones was able to dominate Stipe Miocic in the main event at Madison Square Garden before going on to suggest that he will be sticking around for one more fight before calling time on one of the sport’s greatest careers. One former member of the roster that didn’t take the moment to celebrate another win on Jones’ record was Mark Hunt.

    Since departing the UFC, “The Super Samoan” has been incredibly critical of his former home, particularly when talking about athletes that have either been accused or found guilty of taking performance enhancing drugs. This stems from Hunt’s fight against the returning Brock Lesnar at UFC 200 where he later attempted to sue the promotion, claiming that they knew Lesnar had failed a pre-fight test but withheld the information until after the bout.

    He posted on social media and referenced Jones’ somewhat murky past with the UFC’s drug-testing procedures.

    “The ufc heavyweight champion of the world ladies and gentlemen there u have it a cheating steroid rat who runs into pregnant women and runs off a rat that hides under the octagon for 10 hours hiding from being tested for drugs this is your ufc heavyweight champion this is the rat u need to look upto this is the rat we promote please be upstanding and raise your glass to a company that has zero credibility worthless belt worthless champion and even more worthless rip off company any other sport this loser wouldn’t be here that’s why ufc have no credibility because they promote this garbage.”

  • Dan Hooker Criticizes Michael Chandler Calling For BMF Fight: ‘It’s Not Our Title’

    Dan Hooker Criticizes Michael Chandler Calling For BMF Fight: ‘It’s Not Our Title’

    Following his loss to Charles Oliveira in the co-main event of UFC 309, Michael Chandler called for two potential fights in the near future. “Iron” Mike admitted that he planned to push for the winner of the upcoming lightweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan which is expected to take place early next year.

    After losing the first four rounds in his rematch with “Do Bronx”, which he nearly produced an all-time great comeback in during the fifth round, Chandler pivoted towards two huge match-ups that are still out there for him in the lightweight division. The most obvious of those two options is his long-awaited fight with Conor McGregor that somehow seems less likely than his other call out.

    Chandler said that with Max Holloway committing to lightweight following his UFC 308 loss, he’d love the opportunity to fight for the BMF title that currently belongs to “Blessed”. Another name that is also in the mix for huge bouts at 155-pounds is Dan Hooker who commented on his former opponent’s BMF desires during a recent interview with Submission Radio.

    “The Hangman” believes that contenders need to stop trying to decide who should fight for the BMF title because it’s a belt that is purely for the fans. He’s likely to be in that conversation as someone who always puts on great fights but Hooker isn’t going to start saying that this is what he wants next.

    “I don’t see like Chandler calling for the BMF like why does everyone keep throwing their hands up for the BMF, it’s not up to us. It’s not our title, the BMF title is for the fans. It’s for the fans to kind of get the steam and get it together. People need to stop calling out for the BMF title brother. That’s the fans’ title, it’s their fun.”

  • ‘McGregor Probably Laughing’ – Fans React As Charles Oliveira Survives Late Michael Chandler Rally For Lopsided UFC 309 Decision

    ‘McGregor Probably Laughing’ – Fans React As Charles Oliveira Survives Late Michael Chandler Rally For Lopsided UFC 309 Decision

    Charles Oliveira secured his second win over Michael Chandler in the co-main event of UFC 309, but just like their first encounter in 2021, the fight wasn’t without high drama.

    “Do Bronx” dominated the first four rounds and looked one shot away from finishing the fight at multiple points, as proven by the unanimous scorecards of 49-46, 49-46, and 49-45.

    Oliveira looked to grapple a lot more in this fight than in his recent outings, securing consistent takedowns and taking Chandler’s back multiple times. However, in the fifth round, “Iron” nearly turned the tide in what would have been an all-time great comeback.

    The former three-time Bellator champion needed a finish, and after hurting the former champion on the feet, just like in their first fight, he was seemingly one shot away from the referee stepping in. That would have been controversial due to many of the strikes seemingly hitting the back of Oliveira’s head in just one example of fouls going unnoticed by referee Keith Peterson.

    Oliveira was able to protect himself off his back once again, take time to recover, and get back to his feet. After surviving a few more strikes, he secured yet another takedown to close out the round and get his hand raised.

    In one of the highlight reel moments of the night, the Madison Square Garden crowd nearly blew the roof off of the iconic venue when Chandler ended the fight by back-slamming Oliveira, who had taken his back not once but twice in another similarity to UFC 262.

    In his post-fight interview, Oliveira said that he will be ready to face the winner of Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan, while Chandler called out Conor McGregor — again. Fans reacted on social media to the dominant performance from Oliveira, which ended in chaotic fashion.

    Oliveira himself posted an immediate reaction to the fight on X.

    https://twitter.com/CharlesDoBronxs/status/1858026388814520341
  • VIDEO: Watch Mauricio Ruffy Drop James Llontop With No-Look Uppercut En Route To UFC 309 Decision

    VIDEO: Watch Mauricio Ruffy Drop James Llontop With No-Look Uppercut En Route To UFC 309 Decision

    Mauricio Ruffy earned his second consecutive win inside the Octagon in the main card opener of UFC 309, defeating James Llontop via unanimous decision.

    The highly touted Brazilian still produced some highlight-reel moments but wasn’t able to secure another show-stealing finish as a huge favorite against his late-notice replacement opponent.

    Llontop missed weight ahead of the fight despite both men agreeing to a catchweight, but it didn’t have the impact that many assumed it would. In the end, it was the Peruvian who got better as the fight went on, winning the third round with his constant pressure as Ruffy appeared to significantly slow down.

    However, it was the toughness of Llontop that earned him the most plaudits after he ate some huge shots, including a devastating look-away uppercut that dropped him in the second round.

    Ruffy never looked like losing the fight after landing significant damage in the first two frames en route scorecards of 29-28 across the board, but it was certainly a tougher outing than many expected following his incredible debut win over Jamie Mullarkey at UFC 301 this past May.

    The Fighting Nerds standout called out Benoît Saint Denis as both Ruffy and his teammates continue to have massive campaigns in 2024.

    Check out the moment that nearly closed the show in the second round below:

  • ‘Retired Someone 5 Years Younger’ – Dustin Poirier & Others React As Jim Miller Successfully ‘Jumps The Gilly’ At UFC 309

    ‘Retired Someone 5 Years Younger’ – Dustin Poirier & Others React As Jim Miller Successfully ‘Jumps The Gilly’ At UFC 309

    The ageless wonder that is Jim Miller earned his 27th win inside the Octagon at UFC 309, where he submitted Damon Jackson on the preliminary card.

    The record holder for the most fights and victories in UFC history extended both stats after he caught his opponent in a vintage Miller guillotine choke for the first-round finish.

    The 21st submission win of his career saw him bounce back from a one-sided loss to Bobby Green at UFC 300 this past April, and it doesn’t look like he is going anywhere just yet. He told Joe Rogan in his post-fight interview that at 41 years old, he’s still got a few more left in him while also pointing out his incredible record for finishing fights at the highest level.

    Jon Anik did bring attention on the broadcast to Jackson laying his gloves down inside the Octagon in retirement but declining a post-fight interview. He moved up to lightweight for this fight after a decision loss to Chepe Mariscal last time out, seemingly ending his UFC career with a record of 6-6, in addition to one no contest and one draw.

    MMA fans reacted to Miller’s slick submission win at the world’s most famous arena via social media. Miller even got a tip of the hat from a man that will always show respect for any fighter that jumps for the guillotine choke, Dustin Poirier.

  • VIDEO: ‘Welsh Gangster’ Oban Elliott Flattens Bassil Hafez In Brutal KO At UFC 309

    VIDEO: ‘Welsh Gangster’ Oban Elliott Flattens Bassil Hafez In Brutal KO At UFC 309

    Oban Elliott secured his first finish inside the Octagon in the second fight of the night at UFC 309 when he squared off with Bassil Hafez at welterweight.

    “The Welsh Gangster” came into the fight off back-to-back wins since signing via Dana White’s Contender Series last year but wanted to produce a statement this time around.

    His displays against Val Woodburn and Preston Parsons showed a lot of sides to his game, but with both wins coming via decision, a finish is what he wanted at UFC 309. That’s exactly what he delivered at the world’s most famous arena.

    The opening two rounds weren’t particularly action-packed, with Elliott seemingly winning the fight convincingly with his striking from the outside, utilizing his speed and a variety of kicks to stop Hafez from closing the distance. Despite the favorite appearing in control up until the finish, two judges had the fight even going into the third whilst one had Hafez up two.

    At the start of the third frame, a huge right overhand from the Welshman sent his opponent crashing to the canvas.

    Several follow-up strikes on the ground forced Marc Goddard to step in and wave the fight off, producing the first finish of the night back in the old gloves.

    Watch the highlight reel finish below:

  • UFC 309 Fighter Recalls ‘Traumatizing’ Weight Cut In Her Last Fight That Won’t Prevent Her From Trying Again

    UFC 309 Fighter Recalls ‘Traumatizing’ Weight Cut In Her Last Fight That Won’t Prevent Her From Trying Again

    Brazil’s Eduarda Moura returns for her third outing inside the Octagon this weekend at UFC 309 where unlike in her previous UFC bouts, she isn’t expecting to battle with the scales before fight night comes around. Having signed to the promotion last year via the Contender Series, the 30-year old failed to hit the strawweight limit in both of her previous fights.

    Her return at Madison Square Garden on November 16 sees her move up a weight class to flyweight where she will open the card in a bout with Veronica Hardy. Though she has gone 1-1 thus far in the UFC, her attempt to make strawweight last June was a clear indicaton that something needed to change.

    In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, she spoke in detail about the brutal 17-pound weight cut that she went through in order to face Denise Gomes in Louisville, Kentucky. Despite everything that she went through only to lose a split decision, Moura says competing at 115-pounds isn’t out of the question if she can do it right but for the time being, her focus is on staying active and that makes flyweight a better fit.

    “My body rejected it and I felt so many cramps I basically didn’t sleep during fight week. I’m traumatized, but I’ll go back to 115—but not right now [laughs]. I think we can change a few things and study more. Truth is, I just want to fight. I think I’ll have more fights at 125 and I need to work.”

    Moura believes that along with it negatively impacting her performance against Gomes physically, she thinks her struggles gave her opponent a mental advantage after she handed Moura a bucket to throw up in before they stood face-to-face after the weigh-ins.

    “I kept remembering that scene, her getting me a bucket. That was the first time I felt like crying before a fight. I was so frustrated I couldn’t make weight. I was so nervous, and I kept trying to disguise. I was singing as I walked out to play cool, and I never do that. I was completely lost. I felt in my heart something was wrong.”

    Like many fighters, Moura believes that she has more advantages at strawweight because of the size difference between her and her opponents. She’s not ready to fully commit to flyweight but that could all change with a big win on Saturday.

    “I want to be champion and I believe I have great advantage at strawweight. I’m tall and have good reach, and the power, too, but I’m still traumatized [laughs]. We will think about it. It depends on the opportunity.”

  • Ngannou’s Coach Highlights Jon Jones & Stipe Miocic’s Best Attributes Ahead Of UFC 309

    Ngannou’s Coach Highlights Jon Jones & Stipe Miocic’s Best Attributes Ahead Of UFC 309

    Both Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic are not the kind of fighters that have too many questions surrounding their fighting styles and key attributes. There may be questions ahead of UFC 309 this weekend regarding how Jones looks at heavyweight and whether Miocic will be able to roll back the years but we know a lot of the other variables.

    In a recent piece for UFC.com, E. Spencer Kyte sat down with Eric Nicksick, who knows a thing about heavyweight title fights as the coach of Francis Ngannou, to break down this Saturday’s headline bout at Madison Square Garden. Starting with “Bones”, the Xtreme Couture head coach gave his opinion on what the consensus greatest of all time does better than the rest.

    “For Jon, obviously, I think it’s his Fight IQ — that’s definitely gonna be No. 1, but the way that he’s able to apply different arts to the game plan; I think that’s what makes him the most intriguing fighter ever. He can beat you in any facet of the game and do it very, very well. He has an ego about him too, where if you watch the Cormier fight, ‘Oh, you’re the best wrestler? Okay, I’ll take your a** down. Gustafsson, you’re the best striker? I’m gonna out-strike you.’ There is an edge and an aura to him where he likes to beat his opponent at their best attribute, and that’s what makes him freakin’ amazing.”

    Nicksick continued, adding what side of Jones’ game he believes will be the most important for this fight in particular.

    “I think the attribute for him is his length — keeping this fight long and at a pace that favors him. I think he’s the ultimate puppet master in the way that he fights — he gets you into his style of fight, he controls that pace, and that’s where I think a lot of guys have problems with him because they get snake-charmed.”

    Ngannou’s coach also highlighted Jones’ offense which has seen him showcase a wide array of weapons, many of which have become adopted by other fighters.

    “It’s in his creativity too that you see how good he is because you don’t get to train a lot of that. You don’t get to prepare for a spinning back elbow off a right cross. That’s natural instinct like Saquon Barkley jumping over a guy; you look at it and go, ‘That’s the level of creativity in his mind that he’s doing that,’ and you can’t train for that, you can’t prepare for that.”

    Nicksick then turned his attention to the challenger in this Saturday’s main event. Having trained Ngannou to fight the former two-time heavyweight champion twice before, analyzing Miocic’s game is something that he has plenty of experience doing already.

    “His best traits are his boxing, his toughness, his durability and his heart, all those things, but as someone that had to game-plan for the guy — when you and I were talking about this fight last week, I was looking at some stuff, and it brought back an anxiety like I was going back and preparing for Stipe again. If you look at the trilogy with Cormier, Stipe looked better in every fight and got better in every fight. He was winning the first fight until he wasn’t, he was losing the second fight until he wasn’t, and then the third fight was a complete wash, but in that third fight, I saw so many different technical evolutions from him in that time.”

    Nicksick believes that based on Miocic’s ability to adapt in the past, we could see even more developments in his game after he’s spent over three years outside of the Octagon.

    “A lot of switch stances, a lot of lateral movement, a lot of shake steps — things that I think are more predicated to lighter weight fighters, and he was implementing these things and very much confused Cormier. So I also think it’s his evolution, and that’s a big question: how has he evolved these last three years? What has he been doing? I have to assume that he’s only gotten better. With the type of personality and champion that he is, (I have to assume) that he’s been working, doing new things.”

  • Cub Swanson Reveals Motivation After Signing New UFC Deal At 41

    Cub Swanson Reveals Motivation After Signing New UFC Deal At 41

    On December 14 in Tampa, Cub Swanson will look to make his 25th appearance inside the Octagon after debuting with the promotion all the way back in 2011. Having alternated wins and losses for the past few years, he’s looking to bounce back against Billy Quarantillo in a very fan-friendly match-up.

    Swanson spoke in a recent interview with MMA Junkie about how he’s taking each fight one at a time at 41-years old. He announced that this bout will be the first of a newly-signed four-fight deal that he believes will take him up to the end of his career.

    “It’s fight by fight but this would have been my last one so I told them I didn’t intend on fighting out of my contract and going to other places, I want to stay here. I think it’s fitting and so yeah, we did a new deal.”

    When asked about his motivation to continue competing at this stage, Swanson said that though he now has to balance being a fighter with his other work commitments and family life, it’s his kids that inspire him to keep going. “Killer” Cub is focused on supporting his family but he also wants them to have memories that wouldn’t exist if he’d already hung up his gloves.

    This motivation comes from a deep and emotional place for Swanson based on the experiences he had in regards to his late father. He opened up about this during the interview and explained how this has shaped the later stages of his UFC run.

    “My father passed away when I was a baby so I grew up people telling me stories about my dad and I was always like, ‘Okay, thank you,’ but it’s like somebody I never met so it was a little strange. So I did all these cool things and then towards the end of my career I had kids and then they were babies and I’m like man, I don’t want them to hear stories about me and not remember it so then it became a motivation for me to want to do it long enough so they would remember and say, ‘Yeah, I remember my dad doing that, that’s pretty cool.’ So that became my motivation so it was really important for me.”   

  • Former ONE World Champion Signs Exclusive Deal With The UFC

    Former ONE World Champion Signs Exclusive Deal With The UFC

    UFC president Dana White took to social media last night to announce some ground-breaking news for the promotion. In recent years, the UFC Fight Pass Invitational has started to become a major fixture in the submission grappling world and it appears that the UFC is going to double down on this in the next few months.

    White broke the news that former ONE Championship star Mikey Musumeci has signed to become the UFC’s first-ever exclusive grappling competitor. He is set to make his FPI debut on December 5 at the Apex in Las Vegas where he faces Felipe Machado in the main event.

    White’s social media video hyped up Musumeci’s arrival along with the statement that this big signing is set to be the first of many that are coming in the near future.

    “Over the course of the last year, I’ve been working on developing the best Brazilian jiu-jitsu program in the world. I am excited to announce that we’ve signed Mikey Musumeci to the first-ever exclusive BJJ promotional agreement in the company’s history. If you don’t know, Mikey is considered by many to be the best BJJ player in the world and he is a multiple-time world champion and unbeaten over the past eight years at 135-pounds. This will be the first of many we will sign over the coming months.”

    ONE Championship has also looked to capitalize on the growing interest in submission grappling over the past few years by signing some of the top athletes in the sport like Musumeci and the Ruotolo brothers. Musumeci became the promotion’s inaugural flyweight submission grappling world champion and defended the belt several times before announcing his departure from the promotion last week.

    He was recently stripped of the flyweight title after failing to make weight and pass his hydration test after agreeing to a late notice title defense at ONE 168 this past September. A video of Musumeci being sat at the Apex alongside the UFC boss prompted some speculation that this could be his next destination.

  • Cory Sandhagen Believes Overestimating Umar Nurmagomedov’s Wrestling Cost Him

    Cory Sandhagen Believes Overestimating Umar Nurmagomedov’s Wrestling Cost Him

    In his return to action in Abu Dhabi this past August, Cory Sandhagen’s three-fight winning streak came to an end. “The Sandman” has been one of the top contenders at bantamweight for a long time but in his latest outing, a new major threat emerged with his biggest win to date.

    The undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov was able to skyrocket up the 135-pound rankings by decisively beating Sandhagen in the main event on August 3. The cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov showed that he isn’t just a threat on the ground by standing and striking with his opponent for long stretches in the fight.

    During a recent appearance on the JAXXON Podcast, he recapped the fight and where he believes he went wrong in his preparations. Sandhagen was able to compete with Nurmagomedov in the grappling exchanges after putting a lot of time into his wrestling throughout his training camp.

    However, as a result, he encountered a problem that many fighters have when going up against a wrestling specialist. In his opinion, he became so focused on this aspect of the fight that it negatively impacted his striking which is where you’d imagine him to hold an advantage in this match-up.

    He found that grappling with his opponent wasn’t the issue that he had, taking advantage of the time they spent standing was. Sandhagen was happy to learn from this fight but admitted that the narrative surrounding his opponent’s dominant grappling played a major factor inside the Octagon.

    “I grappled a ton, I was wrestling a lot. Just the normal s*** man like I really thought that I would have a little bit more of a edge in the striking but should have done a little bit more striking and a little bit less wrestling because the wrestling, I kind of overestimated him big time on that. Everyone talks about how strong the Dagestani guys are and stuff and I had a little bit of that swirling around in my head so I overdid that I think a little bit.” 

  • Former UFC Title Challenger ‘Doesn’t See’ Jon Jones Destroying Miocic: ‘Going To Be Really Close’

    Former UFC Title Challenger ‘Doesn’t See’ Jon Jones Destroying Miocic: ‘Going To Be Really Close’

    When the fight was scheduled to take place last year at UFC 295, a lot of people were quick to write off Stipe Miocic’s chances of dethroning the heavyweight champion, Jon Jones. Miocic has accomplished a lot a former two-time champion but his years away from the Octagon and last fight meant that a lot of people didn’t think that he would be at his best.

    This same narrative has only increased since that fight was postponed due to Jones’ injury and rescheduled for UFC 309 this weekend, over one year on from their previously scheduled encounter. However, there are some fellow fighters that believe that this fight will end up being far more competitive than many are expecting.

    Miocic was knocked out by Francis Ngannou the last time that we saw him in action but “The Predator” might be the most devastating puncher in the sport and Jones is not known for his heavy hands. In his trilogy with Daniel Cormier, Miocic was able to showcase his wrestling, boxing and fight IQ in order to win their second and third clashes.

    Former UFC title challenger Steve Erceg is one member of the roster who believes that Miocic will prove to be a tough test for “Bones”. The Aussie flyweight recently gave his thoughts on the fight in an interview with Fox Sports Australia.

    “I’ve been thinking about this fight and believe it’s going to be a really close. Even though everyone is saying Jon Jones will destroy Stipe, I don’t see it because I just can’t see Jon taking Miocic down consistently. I think people are overlooking that.

    “Jon Jones also isn’t known for his ridiculous knockout power, so to win he’ll have to beat Stipe through five rounds and I can’t see him (Miocic) being picked apart for five rounds, either. When it comes to Stipe Miocic, I think most people know – or should know – that he isn’t someone to be trifled with. That’s why I think it’s going to be a barn burner. So while I’m probably still leaning towards Jon, if I was having a punt I’d go Stipe because in what I believe will be a close fight, he’s great value.”

  • Cédric Doumbé Gets Dana White-esque Role For PFL Europe Championship Event

    Cédric Doumbé Gets Dana White-esque Role For PFL Europe Championship Event

    PFL superstar Cédric Doumbé is set to be in attendance for the PFL Europe’s final show of the year that is coming up in Lyon, France on December 14. The promotion will crown it’s second set of champions at the LDLC arena with four final-round match-ups set for the card.

    Doumbé isn’t set to be in action on the card despite not fighting since May and you’d imagine, he will be saved for a big PPV card from the PFL early next year now that the full card for the World Championships has been announced.

    Instead, the French striker will take on a different role later this year as he looks to give some emerging French talent his seal of approval. Fight fans are used to tuning into Dana White’s Contender Series each year where UFC hopefuls fight it out to try and impress the promotion’s bosses in order to secure a contract.

    Eight French fighters will now get the opportunity to do something similar but rather than fighting at the Apex in front of White and the matchmakers, they will need to impress one of the biggest names in Europe. “Doumbé decides” will feature four fights on the PFL Europe 4 card where at the end, the striking specialist will have the final say on who did enough to earn themselves a spot on the PFL roster.

    “The Lazy King” Abdoul Abdouraguimov is set to return in the main event of the evening where he takes on Argentina’s Laureano Staropoli with more fights set to be announced.

  • Kamaru Usman Eliminates Himself As An Option For Shavkat Rakhmonov At UFC 310

    Kamaru Usman Eliminates Himself As An Option For Shavkat Rakhmonov At UFC 310

    When Belal Muhammed announced that he had withdrawn from the first defense of his welterweight title at UFC 310, a lot of fight fans quickly came to the same conclusion. In the hopes of keeping Shavkat Rakhmonov on the card, a replacement opponent would need to be found for what would likely be an interim title fight.

    Rakhmonov pushed for this and like many people online, he wanted to face the former champion of the division in Kamaru Usman. “The Nigerian Nightmare” may be winless in his last three but his reign as the welterweight champion still gives him lots of pedigree at 170-pounds.

    The fight got everyone excited for December 7 but it unfortunately doesn’t look like we will get to see this match-up take place in Las Vegas. Usman spoke about the fight during a recent episode of his Pound 4 Pound podcast alongside Henry Cejudo.

    He said that fighting the undefeated Rakhmonov is something that greatly interests him but without giving away any clear reason why, he said that stepping inside the Octagon in just a few weeks doesn’t look like it’ll be an option for him. This leaves very few options for potential replacements meaning that the UFC’s final PPV card of 2024 could be down to one title fight as Alexandre Pantoja defends his flyweight belt against the debuting Kai Asakura.

    “To be honest, it’s a fight that I’ve looked at and it’s definitely a very, very winnable fight and I know that I can, of all people, go out there and expose what hasn’t been exposed in a young, hungry, streaky guy in Shavkat Rakhmonov. He’s very talented, he’s very good but I do see the holes and I think that I can exploit that when that time is right but December 7 might be a little too early for that time.”

  • VIDEO: Jon Jones Walks Out Of UFC 309 Interview With UK Broadcaster To Avoid ‘Aspinall Fest’

    VIDEO: Jon Jones Walks Out Of UFC 309 Interview With UK Broadcaster To Avoid ‘Aspinall Fest’

    The main event of UFC 309 features the consensus greatest of all time facing the best heavyweight we have seen inside the Octagon for the title in a bout that is over a year in the making. Yet, a lot of the talk during fight week has been about a third man in the picture.

    Though the challenger, Stipe Miocic, has been his usual self all throughout the build up and is only focused on his upcoming clash with Jon Jones after their fight was rescheduled from UFC 295 last year, the narrative surrounding Jones and interim champion Tom Aspinall has dominated the headlines and key talking points.

    Jones has faced some criticism over claims he is ducking Aspinall, whom many believe to be the toughest test out there right now and the rightful next opponent for “Bones.” The Rochester native has responded with some criticism of his own that has only led to more drama and discussion.

    A video that was posted on social media by TNT Sports, which is the UK broadcaster of the UFC, showed how the Jones and Aspinall tension seemingly isn’t just for the cameras. Jones was carrying out his usual run of media duties as he walked into a room ready to be interviewed by the broadcaster’s team.

    With the fight being shown on TNT Sports PPV and the return of the GOAT being the key draw, it’s not surprising that they would want to get some time with the champion ahead of Saturday night.

    The clip shows that before Jones sat down, he declined to take part in the interview, telling his team that he didn’t want to do it because of the potential questions that he would be asked.

    “Hey, I’m not going to do this interview, you know, because it’s going to be an Aspinall fest. I’m not doing it.”

    The video also shows a quick interaction between Jones and the interviewer, TNT Sports’ Adam Catterall. Jones explained that his connection to Aspinall is why he refused to sit down and chat.

    “Hey bro, nothing personal. I see how close you guys are, common sense tells me what type of questions I’m going to get asked.”

    Catterall responded before the short clip cuts off with Jones walking down the hallway.

    “You’re entitled to speak to speak to who you want to speak to.”

    Where things get slightly more confusing is that TNT Sports did in fact put up an interview with Jones. At the start of the video, this footage is shown, and after his brief interaction with Catterall, he walks right into another interview with the broadcaster’s other presenter, Nick Peet.

    Peet is also close with Aspinall but the two sit down for a full interview, which has led to some pondering if this was a social media bit rather than a legitimate interaction. That isn’t 100 percent clear at this time.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHcYwuBTKqk

  • Jon Jones Recalls ‘Humbling’ Experience Training With Top Heavyweight Boxer In His UFC 309 Camp

    Jon Jones Recalls ‘Humbling’ Experience Training With Top Heavyweight Boxer In His UFC 309 Camp

    It has been a reoccurring theme throughout Jon Jones’ career that he always looks to bring in some of the best specialists in their fields to train with him. This has been no different ahead of his long awaited return at UFC 309 this Saturday night.

    Fans have already seen how “Bones” has been working alongside one of the best jiu-jitsu competitors and wrestlers around right now by added Gable Steveson and Gordon Ryan to his close knit team. Over a month out from his first heavyweight title defense, Jones was also seen getting some training in one of the top heavyweight boxers around right now.

    New Zealand’s Joseph Parker is coming off of his two most impressive wins to date with victories over Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang. Jones was incredibly impressed by the in-form competitor, as he spoke about during a recent interview with Fox Sports New Zealand.

    “He’s so disciplined and so dedicated. Literally every day he was here, he was just trying to figure out ways to get better, his diet, his worth ethic. He’s just so humble like he was willing to learn from anyone around and you would imagine a person that’s fought at the level he’s fought would have a little bit of pride and a little bit of ego and man, he was just abnormally kind and I’m really grateful to call him a friend.”

    Given that his upcoming opponent, Stipe Miocic, is known for his boxing skills, working alongside someone as high level as Parker is sure to have been a great experience for Jones heading into Madison Square Garden on November 16. He reflected on what he was able to gain from the time they spent together.

    “Well it was very humbling to try to box with him. He’s just so powerful and so tight in his position and his technique. He gave me some great pointers. I don’t want to get into it in depth because a lot that he taught me, I’ll be trying to implement in my next fight but we both have many years of training experience and to collaborate and to learn different training methods from him was really nice, him and his coach [George] Lockhart.”

  • UFC 309: Volkanovski Jokes That He Nearly Offered To Fight Amid Injury Rumor

    UFC 309: Volkanovski Jokes That He Nearly Offered To Fight Amid Injury Rumor

    About a week ago, some fake rumors started to circulate online that one of the big match-ups at UFC 309 could be at risk. Any claims that Charles Oliveira had suffered an injury ahead of his co-main event clash with Michael Chandler on November 16 were cleared up before fight week had begun for the promotion’s return to Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.

    Chandler was even asked about this during his recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show where he stated that he wasn’t sure where the rumor started. For some fans, they may have assumed this to be true after seeing fighters like Renato Moicano posting on social media to say that they would be willing to step in on short notice.

    “Do Bronx” has had two notable fights either cancelled or postponed in recent times with the most significant one being his rematch with Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 last year. The former lightweight champion suffered a cut above his eye less than two weeks out from the fight and the match-up wasn’t booked again once Oliveira was back in fighting shape.

    Instead, the featherweight champion at the time, Alexander Volkanovski, stepped in to his place for a rematch with Makhachev that didn’t go his way. It’s become a consistent joke on social media ever since last October that whenever a fighter pulls out, Volkanovski is waiting by the phone with his gloves and luggage already in hand.

    In his recent breakdown of the fights on his YouTube channel, “The Great” joked that after he heard the rumors that Oliveira was injured, he would offer to replace him once again.

    “I did see things popping up where Charles was out maybe they needed a replacement, it must have just been okay that’s why you can never believe what you see on the internet. I almost put my hand up, almost, but I didn’t but yeah. Probably because we knew that wasn’t the case. If the UFC called, you never know right.”