MMA News

Author: Kyle Dimond

  • ‘They’re Scared Of How Dana Will React’ – Fans React As Topuria Stays Below Jones On P4P List Despite UFC 308 KO

    ‘They’re Scared Of How Dana Will React’ – Fans React As Topuria Stays Below Jones On P4P List Despite UFC 308 KO

    The UFC’s pound-for-pound list continues to be a major talking point amongst fight fans following this past weekend’s big event in Abu Dhabi. In the main event, featherweight champion Ilia Topuria retained the title and kept his undefeated record intact when he stopped Max Holloway.

    Topuria’s current run has been one of the most impressive in recent years with dominant performances on his way up the ladder being capped off with knockout victories over two of the greatest champions in UFC history in Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski.

    Many believe that this win puts him at the forefront to win fighter of the year but to some people’s surprise, it hasn’t seen him move on the pound-for-pound list even though he became the first man to knockout another member of the top 15 rankings.

    “El Matador” remains in possession of the #4-ranking, sitting him behind Jon Jones, Alex Pereira and Islam Makhachev as the current Mount Rushmore of greatness in the UFC. Jones’ position on the list in particular has been heavily debated throughout the year.

    Though Dana White has passionately made the case for why Jones deserves the top spot because he’s the greatest to ever do it, many make the case for why Makhachev and Pereira are deservedly higher due to their recent activity and strength of schedule.

    MMA fans reacted on social media to the latest rankings update that saw Jones remain in his position.

    “They’re scared of how Dana will react if he overtakes jones”

    “The fact Jon Jones has only beat ONE PERSON this decade and it was for a VACANT title… Dricus should be higher than him

    “Ilia should be 2 and has a case for 1. They just protect their cash cows”

    https://twitter.com/tedjtgzek/status/1851130209053049120

    “Ilia is definitely P4P number 2, no disrespect to AP.”

    “Ilia KOd the 2 best fighters in his division almost flatlined them while Jon just submitted a striker in his division years ago”

    “Ilia Topuria should be 3. Since Alex Pereira has become champ in two weight classes in two years that gives him the edge for me when it comes to a P4P list. There’s no reason Jon Jones is in front, though.”

    “The 3 guys have to lose for him to move up”

    https://twitter.com/TheArtofCombatX/status/1851141567186162140
  • Current UFC Champion Reveals Interest In Post-UFC WWE Career: ‘Still Get The Thrill’

    Current UFC Champion Reveals Interest In Post-UFC WWE Career: ‘Still Get The Thrill’

    Interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has said in the past that he doesn’t intend on sticking around in the sport to achieve a long-lasting run and legacy. The Brit wants to make as much money possible in the fastest time before leaving with his health.

    This means that he’s going to need something to occupy his time once his fighting days are over and though he’s in no rush to walk away right now, an opportunity did recently arise. At the WWE’s recent live tour of the UK, one half of TKO Group Holdings collided with the other.

    Aspinall was brought into the ring in Manchester, in the same venue where he stopped Curtis Blaydes in July, to step through the ropes and stand side-by-side with WWE champions Cody Rhodes and Gunther.

    In a recent interview with SafestCasinoSites, Aspinall reflected on the experience and whether stepping inside a WWE ring would be something that appeals to him once he’s finishing with his fighting career.

    The champion started by talking about other areas that he would like to explore once he retires, including punditry and analyst work which he currently does for TNT Sports in the UK. However, pro wrestling helps to give him the same adrenaline rush that competing inside the Octagon satisfies.

    “Absolutely, mate. That’s what I want to do in my post-fighting career. I’ve got my show on TNT Sports now, so I like the punditry side as well. I’m very passionate about MMA, it’s been my life for as long as I can remember. I like to think that I know more about MMA than most and I can offer some kind of knowledge and breakdown to people who don’t understand MMA as well as I do. I think I’ve definitely got that to offer and I think I do that well, it’s something I enjoy and something that I want to continue to do.

    “But WWE is something new and exciting for me as well. I really enjoyed it, it’s a buzz. It’s another way to get out there in front of an audience and do something not quite as dangerous, but still get the thrill. I don’t know, I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. I’ve still got a lot that I want to do in my MMA career. I’m not saying that I want to hang up the gloves just yet, but I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t enjoy it. I enjoyed the whole thing.”

  • Tom Aspinall Names Undefeated UFC Bantamweight As His One To Watch

    Tom Aspinall Names Undefeated UFC Bantamweight As His One To Watch

    Interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has been one of the biggest success stories in recent years of the sport. The Brit arrived in the promotion with bags of potential but quickly rose up the rankings with many now seeing him as the best heavyweight in the division.

    In a recent interview with SafestCasinoSites, Aspinall was asked whether there is someone else on the roster that he points to as a one to watch. A rising prospect who like Aspinall, could continue to prove himself as an elite competitor with each step up in competition.

    The interim champion has made it clear on multiple occasions that the heavyweight division is his focus and though he sees it as nearly a different sport to the rest of MMA, Aspinall does like to try and learn things from other fighters in lower weight classes.

    This led him to giving the answer of the undefeated bantamweight contender, Payton Talbott, who debuted in the Octagon just under a year ago. In that time, the Contender Series alum has recorded three finishes at 135-pounds.

    His destructive display against Cameron Saaiman was incredibly impressive considering how highly people regard both men. Talbott then followed that up with a 19-second knockout against Yanis Ghemmouri at UFC 303.

    Aspinall hasn’t done a deep dive on the 26-year old but he likes what he has seen so far.

    “It’s difficult to say really. I only keep up with the heavyweights really, keep an eye on the heavyweights because obviously it’s my division. But there’s a guy, I believe he’s a featherweight, maybe a bantamweight called Payton Talbott. I’ve seen him, he looks incredible. I don’t know him personally at all, never met him or anything like that, so I’m not biassed on his side, but I’ve seen him a couple of times in the UFC and he looks like the real deal, relatively untested at this point, he’s only just got into the UFC. I don’t think he’s fought anyone ranked or anything like that, but he looks really good from what I’ve seen. One to watch.”

  • Alexandre Pantoja Predicts Moreno vs. Albazi Winner At UFC Edmonton

    Alexandre Pantoja Predicts Moreno vs. Albazi Winner At UFC Edmonton

    This weekend in Edmonton, top five flyweights meet in the main event as Amir Albazi looks for his biggest win to date when facing the former champion, Brandon Moreno. We already know who Alexander Pantoja’s next title challenger is but either man can put themselves in the mix with a win here.

    For Moreno, it’s going to be hard for him to earn a shot at Pantoja after losing to the Brazilian champion three times in his career. It’s still important for the Mexican star to bounce back here following his loss to Brandon Royval in February.

    Albazi is one of the few new contenders at the top of the rankings who would provide a new challenge for Pantoja, assuming that the champion is able to retain the title in his fight with Kai Asakura at UFC 310 in December. He’s riding a five-fight winning streak since signing with the UFC and adding Moreno to that list will put him within reach.

    In a recent interview with Sherdog, Pantoja gave his thoughts on how he sees this weekend’s main event playing out. He also spoke about how he sees a fight against the winner playing out if it does happen down the line.

    “I think Albazi has more chance to get the victory. He’s very close to fight for the belt, I think he not gonna miss the opportunity, you know. Moreno is an incredible fighter, former champ, but maybe Albazi want more in that moment. Albazi maybe want more and his grappling is very good. I don’t know if Moreno can defend the takedown shots. I don’t know if Moreno, his boxing, can work against Albazi because Albazi moves a lot, he has very good wrestling.

    “I think that fight is going to be a decision for Albazi and I don’t want to say like if you have an easy fight or something like that but I like to grapple. I think in that moment right now, a grappler for me, it’s a perfect fight. It’s a good challenge of course, all is different but I have very good jiu-jitsu and I’m very comfortable in the ground game.”

  • Ilia Topuria’s Coach Reveals Why He Expects A More Dangerous Volkanovski In The Rematch

    Ilia Topuria’s Coach Reveals Why He Expects A More Dangerous Volkanovski In The Rematch

    Despite the incredible run that Alexander Volkanovski went on as the featherweight champion, he’s going to be the underdog in his upcoming rematch with Ilia Topuria. When the two men exchanged pleasantries inside the Octagon this past weekend at UFC 308, it was clear that this fight would be next but there’s some big question marks hanging over it.

    After the way that Topuria stopped Volkanovski in February and then went on to finish Max Holloway in Abu Dhabi, “El Matador” is on his own iconic run right now and that’s going to be difficult for the former champion to stop.

    One of the major talking points of their first encounter does come back around for the rematch though and that’s how much Volkanovski was affected by his knockout loss to Islam Makhachev several months before. A lot of people who picked Topuria to win that fight did so with the belief that “The Great” had jumped back in too quickly, especially when facing someone with the kind of power that his opponent is known for.

    In a recent interview with Submission Radio, this is something that Topuria’s coach drew attention to as why they cannot afford to take this rematch lightly just because they’ve beaten their next opponent before.

    Jorge Climent, of Climent Club in Alicante, said that he expects a better version of the former champion meaning that this isn’t just a re-treading of steps for the featherweight king.

    “I think Volk in a rematch is going to be more dangerous than the first time because I think when he take the fight, is not the moment for fight with Ilia. If I’m his coach, I’m going to tell Volk in that moment, is not the right moment. You have a knockout, you have a fight, I don’t remember exactly, two months and you have a knockout. I think he have the time for recovery and to think and do a better strategy with Ilia.”

  • UFC Champion Gets Inspired By Khamzat Chimaev’s UFC 308 Win: ‘I Need To Learn More…’     

    UFC Champion Gets Inspired By Khamzat Chimaev’s UFC 308 Win: ‘I Need To Learn More…’     

    Khamzat Chimaev’s grappling has always been one of the most feared wrestling skillsets that we have seen inside the Octagon but he took it to whole new levels at UFC 308. In his biggest test to date, the undefeated contender submitted Robert Whittaker in the first round.

    Not only did “Borz” give his opponent little chance to defend the takedown by shooting right at him early on in the fight, he did significant and gruesome damage to the jaw of the former champion in just a few seconds of pressure.

    Fight fans have known for a long time now that any opponent of Chimaev’s was going to have to weather a rough storm early on because of his aggressive grappling threat. After Kamaru Usman was able to do that and make the fight competitive at UFC 294 last year, there were some doubts hanging over Chimaev’s potential.

    He was back to his best in Abu Dhabi and his grappling looked so dominant that it inspired a current UFC champion to keep working harder and learning more. Interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall gave his thoughts on the fights in a video on his YouTube channel.

    Having given his live reactions via a watch-along, Aspinall was massively impressed by Chimaev’s performance and as someone that tries to take lessons from other fighters, the Brit was certainly able to gain something from this display.

    “What he does for me as a fighter myself, me as an already established champion, I look at him and I feel like I need to learn more with the grappling. I need to learn more with the attacks. I need to learn more with how to control someone and not let him move and play the game like he does.”

    Aspinall was left stunned by what Chimaev did against an opponent like “The Reaper” who he believed would be able to overcome the early adversity and get his hand raised.

    “That was an unbelievable performance and I think, to top it all off, he did it to Robert Whittaker. He went out there and schooled Robert Whittaker which is unbelievable.”

  • ‘We Said Goodbye Years Ago Bro’ – Fans React To Conor McGregor’s Latest Retirement Claim

    ‘We Said Goodbye Years Ago Bro’ – Fans React To Conor McGregor’s Latest Retirement Claim

    It’s not uncommon for Conor McGregor to be extremely active on social media during a big UFC card and though he was seemingly present during UFC 308, he wasn’t quite as prominent throughout the night.

    Following this past weekend’s action in Abu Dhabi, one post actively targeted him by referencing the injury that Robert Whittaker suffered in his loss to Khamzat Chimaev in the co-main event of the evening.

    The post reflected on how McGregor has already achieved so much and gotten out of the sport without taking too much damage so he doesn’t need to risk returning when he’s already achieved success both inside and outside of the Octagon.

    https://twitter.com/successfailure0/status/1850832350227095699

    This part-tribute and part-caution to “The Notorious” did catch his eye which isn’t surprising given the graphic nature of Whittaker’s injury. McGregor responded to the post and though it’s unclear whether he’s serious or not, he once again flirted with the idea of riding off into the sunset and hanging the gloves up for good.

    It’s certainly not the first or last time that the Irishman has told fans that he’s ready to call it a day but with his long awaited UFC return still up in the air, who knows whether we will ever see him back in action.

    “Ya know what, you’re right, good bye.”

    https://twitter.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/1850834388507832341

    Fans reacted to the post with somewhat mixed emotions underneath McGregor’s reply.

    “we said goodbye years ago bro”

    “‘I’m willing to wait for that fight’ – probably Michael Chandler”

    “Bro acting like we didn’t say bye after the Khabib fight. Nothing wrong with being done. You did more for the UFC than any fighter and became one of the best there ever was, while sorting generations of Mcgregors for years. You won life. move on and enjoy what you worked for.”

    “blud saw topuria knock out holloway and retired”

    “I guess we won’t see Chandler at the top. Bro wasted 3 years of his life for this bro.”

    https://twitter.com/UnisquityMma/status/1850835373573968318

    “Please be a joke”

    “No one expected you back anyway”

    “We need the comeback”

    “be back in two weeks Like Ozzy tours”

    https://twitter.com/KnobTwirler/status/1850900933074399307

    “Delete this”

  • Daniel Cormier Reacts To Rinat Fakhretdinov’s UFC 308 Commentary Criticism: ‘I Don’t Care, That Dude Lost’

    Daniel Cormier Reacts To Rinat Fakhretdinov’s UFC 308 Commentary Criticism: ‘I Don’t Care, That Dude Lost’

    UFC 308 featured one of the most controversial decision outcomes in some time as Rinat Fakhretdinov beat Carlos Leal via unanimous decision. Had this fight not opened up the card in Abu Dhabi, there would likely be more discussion around it right now.

    The decisions throughout the remainder of the night appeared to follow the consensus opinion but the opener certainly raised alarm bells that we might be in for a bumpy ride.

    All three judges had different scorecards with one of them, Hade Mohamed Ali, scoring all three rounds for Fakhretdinov which seemed incredibly unlikely when the final bell sounded. Leal, who stepped in on late notice, put up a very good fight and looked like he may have secured a big upset on his UFC debut.

    When the scorecards were announced, there was a surprised reaction from fans online and from the UFC staff inside the Etihad Arena on Saturday night. The decision was heavily criticised by the commentary booth of Jon Anik, Paul Felder and Daniel Cormier who discussed the scoring when the cards were shown on the broadcast.

    Fakhretdinov responded to this in his post-fight press conference, labelling them as “really bad commentators” who would give across the impression of biased judging.

    In his immediate reactions video posted on his YouTube channel once the main event came to a close, Cormier responded to Fakhretdinov’s comments. “DC” doubled down on Leal winning the fight when he gave shout-outs to the winners of each fight on the prelims.

    “Congratulations to… and Rinat Fakhretdinov, who did not win that fight. Rinat Fakhretdinov, I don’t care if he goes on any press conference and complains about our commentary, that dude lost! But still, congratulations, even though I think it was one of the worst decisions I’ve seen in a really long time.”

  • Rafael dos Anjos Speaks On UFC 308 Injury: ‘Not How I Wanted To Spend My 40th Birthday…’

    Rafael dos Anjos Speaks On UFC 308 Injury: ‘Not How I Wanted To Spend My 40th Birthday…’

    The welterweight return and 40th birthday of UFC veteran Rafael Dos Anjos did no go to plan at UFC 308 this past Saturday night. His bout with the #10-ranked Geoff Neal came to an end in just 90 seconds after “RDA” suffered a knee injury that he couldn’t continue from.

    Neal started the fight incredibly well and was able to drop Dos Anjos early on in the fight. Unfortunately, the second time that the former lightweight champion went down, it was the end of the fight due to an injury which isn’t how anyone would’ve wanted the fight to go.

    Despite this, Dos Anjos appears to be in good spirits as evident from his first social media post after the injury. Following consecutive losses to Vicente Luque and Mateusz Gamrot, the Brazilian was hoping to kick off another run at 170-pounds in this fight.

    He’ll now be resting up before returning to the drawing board but given everything that he has been through in his career, the 49-fight warrior promises to be back once again.

    He posted on Instagram to thank people for their support and tell them that he’s doing okay and is focused on making a return once he’s healthy again.

    “Thank you all fight fans for the support, sorry I let you guys down. Definitely it was not how I want to celebrate my 40th birthday, it was a tough loss. During my whole UFC career it’s my second time been hospitalized after a fight, it make me feel blessed, it could been worse, it’s a tough game. Time to heal up, enjoy the family. I’m not done yet, I’ll be back soon. God bless you all. I’ll keep you guys updated on my stories.”

  • MMA Analyst Says Khamzat Chimaev Doesn’t Deserve A Middleweight Title Shot After Whittaker Win

    MMA Analyst Says Khamzat Chimaev Doesn’t Deserve A Middleweight Title Shot After Whittaker Win

    For a lot of people, Khamzat Chimaev reminded them why he was once the talk of the MMA world with his performance this past weekend at UFC 308. The undefeated contender was able to submit Robert Whittaker in the first round in Abu Dhabi.

    Not only has the former middleweight champion only lost to the absolute best at 185-pounds, no one has been able to tear right through him like that. After Chimaev secured an early takedown, he maintained control of the fight until applying a submission that instantly forced his opponent to tap after the damage that was done to his jaw.

    The question then became whether this was enough for him to leapfrog over Sean Strickland and be the next man to challenge Dricus Du Plessis for the title. Strickland has been very clear that he’s the next in line after his split decision loss to Du Plessis in January and bounce back win over Paulo Costa.

    Though most appear to be leaning towards Chimaev after that incredibly impressive performance, Josh Thomson doesn’t think that “Borz” deserves the next shot.

    The former UFC fighter said during a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast that in his opinion, Chimaev hasn’t beaten enough legitimate middleweights to justify this. His last win over Kamaru Usman did take place at middleweight despite Usman moving up to the weight class on short notice.

    Chimaev’s only other middleweight wins are over John Phillips on his UFC debut and Gerald Meerschaert who he stopped in under 20 seconds.

    “He’s literally beat a bunch of 70 pounders but was supposed to be fighting at 85 and now, he’s not getting a title shot at 170, he’s getting a title shot at 185, it doesn’t make sense to me. Like I’m not saying that he’s not skilled and I’m also saying that in that fight with Gilbert Burns, he was exhausted and he was also exhausted in the Kamaru Usman fight, who is a 170 pounder. So look, I’m not taking away what he did today because what he did today spoke for itself, absolutely fantastic performance but we’ve seen this before where he’s dominated round one like this.”

  • ‘Du Plessis Losing That Belt’ – Fans React As Khamzat Chimaev Crushes Robert Whittaker In 1 Round At UFC 308

    ‘Du Plessis Losing That Belt’ – Fans React As Khamzat Chimaev Crushes Robert Whittaker In 1 Round At UFC 308

    UFC 308 presented the biggest test of Khamzat Chimaev’s career to date, and he passed it with flying colors.

    The undefeated contender shot for a takedown early against former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and got it, looking for the rear-naked choke throughout the first round.

    Despite Whittaker’s experience showing in his composure, once Chimaev was able to apply some real pressure in the choke attempt, “The Reaper” quickly tapped.

    The commentators said that it appeared Whittaker communicated to his team that he dislocated his jaw, It appeared clear that there was some kind of injury after how quick the tap came when the face crank was applied.

    Chimaev seconded this in in his post-fight interview, saying he felt something click before calling for a shot at Dricus Du Plessis’ middleweight belt.

    We still don’t know how “Borz” will fair against elite competition later on into the fight, but when he can finish opponents like Whittaker that quickly, we may never need to find out.

    Fans reacted to this absolutely ruthless performance from Chimaev, which reminded them why there was so much hype around him in the first place.

    https://twitter.com/sgtt101/status/1850270032431083825
    https://twitter.com/Yasinator5000M/status/1850269858560352589
  • ‘Future Champion’ – Fans React As Lerone Murphy Recovers From Early Knockdown To Beat Dan Ige At UFC 308

    ‘Future Champion’ – Fans React As Lerone Murphy Recovers From Early Knockdown To Beat Dan Ige At UFC 308

    Lerone Murphy earned his seventh consecutive win inside the Octagon at UFC 308 by defeating Dan Ige via unanimous decision.

    The Manchester fighter had to weather some heavy adversity in the opening round after he was dropped, with Ige pouring on the pressure to put him away.

    Murphy survived and was able to turn the fight on it’s head by producing a much better second round, striking off the back foot and outworking his opponent.

    Despite some grappling success from Ige in the third, it was the effective strikes that just about saw him take the final frame in order to earn the victory.

    It was another great display of resilience from the unbeaten fighter, who builds on his headline victory over Edson Barboza by adding another ranked opponent to his current streak.

    In his post-fight interview, Murphy called to face the #8-ranked Josh Emmett in what would be another great test for the rising contender.

    Fans reacted to his performance in a close fight via social media.

  • ‘GIVE THEM 100K EACH’ – Fans React To Rębecki & Orolbai’s Bloody Brawl At UFC 308

    ‘GIVE THEM 100K EACH’ – Fans React To Rębecki & Orolbai’s Bloody Brawl At UFC 308

    The undoubted highlight of the UFC 308 prelims came from the incredible catchweight war between Mateusz Rębecki and Myktybek Orolbai.

    In the end, Rębecki secured the win via split decision after taking the first and third rounds on two of the scorecards, but this wasn’t the biggest story of the fight.

    The real talking point here was the incredible toughness displayed by both men, especially Orolbai. Both men looked like zombies by the end of this one.

    Following the first round, the fight looked like it could have been stopped due to Orolbai’s eye appearing to be nearly totally swollen shut, but it continued into the second.

    Rębecki came close to ending it in the third round, but somehow his opponent stayed in the fight and came back into it despite the commentators saying that it could have been stopped.

    UFC 308 may have it’s fight of the night already because if something is going to beat that to the bonus, we’re in for a historic fight at some stages.

    Fans reacted on social media to an instant classic war between the two warriors.

    https://twitter.com/mad_scientistt_/status/1850223400729399330
  • ‘One Of The Worst Robberies’ – Fans Fume As Rinat Fakhretdinov Gets Controversial Decision To Kick Off UFC 308

    ‘One Of The Worst Robberies’ – Fans Fume As Rinat Fakhretdinov Gets Controversial Decision To Kick Off UFC 308

    UFC 308 got off to a controversial start following the opener between Rinat Fakhretdinov and his late replacement opponent, Carlos Leal.

    Leal stepped in for Nursulton Ruziboev after being set to compete at a UAE Warriors event earlier this week, where his coach ended up stepping in for him.

    In what was shaping up to be a big upset, the Brazilian was looking good in the fight, defending takedowns and getting the better of the striking exchnages.

    There was a lot of confusion from the commentary team, however, when the official decision was announced, giving Fakhretdinov the win at UFC 308 via unanimous decision.

    The scorecards were even shown on the broadcast shortly after the decision was read so that they could be broken down even further. All three were different from the next with Mike Bell giving rounds one and three to Fakhretdinov, Hadi Mohamed Ali giving him all three, and David Lethaby seeing rounds two and three for the fighter whohasn’t lost since 2014.

    MMA fans reacted to a clear sign that we could be in for some debatable judging at UFC 308 following that decision.

    It seemed that even in the case that Fakhretdinov was competitive in the fight, Leal had done enough to win at least one of the rounds, let alone losing all three.

    Fans weighed in with their thoughts on social media:

    https://twitter.com/damer67/status/1850188314663330271
    https://twitter.com/SandeepRaj65/status/1850188212162994447
    https://twitter.com/davefretz/status/1850187730522636684
  • PFL’s Donn Davis Explains Silence On Fighter Put In Coma After Botched Weight Cut: ‘Not Our Place’

    PFL’s Donn Davis Explains Silence On Fighter Put In Coma After Botched Weight Cut: ‘Not Our Place’

    During a recent Q&A session hosted by MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck, PFL founder Donn Davis took questions from the fans in the live chat. One question asked whether Davis and the promotion would be releasing an official statement regarding Daiane Silva.

    The Brazilian fighter was set to make her debut for the promotion at the Bellator Champions Series event in London back in September. Following a failed attempt to hit the featherweight limit, having previously competed at lightweight in her career, Silva was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at Northwick Park Hospital in London.

    After suffering from kidney failure, she was placed into an induced coma with MMA Fighting reporting that she is still currently sedated. Nacao Cyborg, an MMA promotion belonging to Cris Cyborg, posted about the current situation this past weekend which alerted a lot of people to what was going on after there was no statement or update from the PFL.

    Davis explained why that was the case by speaking publicly on Silva’s health concerns for the first time.

    “Yes, I’ll tell you it’s specifically not been addressed for the fighter privacy. Everything you just said fully explains the situation. She was a first time fighter for us, she experienced a very difficult weight loss which resulted in a medical emergency which was dealt with seriously and appropriately and she’s been in long-term hospitalization and we’ve done everything possible to support her recovery. To say anything other than that is not our place. This is her business and her privacy but everything I just said is the news and that’s the news that is well known and that’s the news that, we wouldn’t want to say anything other than that news.”

    Davis was also asked why there was no response from the promotion when they were asked for updates by the media.

    “Yeah look, I understand why a lot of times, people in the media want to know stuff. I totally understand that but I would hope people appreciate over the last five or six years, given how we’ve handled our business partners, our fighters, our relationships with everybody associated with the company, we always try to do the right thing, which doesn’t always mean the easy thing. In this case, I think respecting her privacy at a very sensitive time instead of giving constant updates to anyone who wants to know is the right thing. It might not appear to be the easy thing.”

  • Israel Adesanya Predicts A Big Win For Robert Whittaker Over Khamzat Chimaev: ‘People Remember Who He Is Now’

    Israel Adesanya Predicts A Big Win For Robert Whittaker Over Khamzat Chimaev: ‘People Remember Who He Is Now’

    At 33-years old, former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has accumulated a lifetime’s worth of experience inside the Octagon. This accumulation of fights at the highest level is one of his strongest attributes and it will be key to his next outing this Saturday.

    In the co-main event of UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi, Whittaker faces the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev after the pairing were initially matched up earlier this year. Chimaev withdraw from their planned main event in Saudi Arabia but Whittaker chose to stay on the card.

    With his most destructive performance in quite some time, “The Reaper” stopped replacement opponent Ikram Aliskerov in under two minutes. Chimaev presents a very different threat but it’s one that a former rival of his believes that Whittaker can come through.

    Many expect that the veteran will have the advantage in the later rounds due to the differences in styles between the two men. We haven’t seen Chimaev get tested over five rounds whereas Whittaker has been the full 25-minute distance plenty of times.

    In his breakdowns and picks for the fights this weekend, former champ Israel Adesanya sided with Whittaker to get the win by overcoming a tough start to the fight against the aggressive and explosive Chimaev.

    Adesanya has shared the Octagon with Whittaker on two previous occasions and believes that with his win over Aliskerov, he reminded people just how good he is.

    “I just think, again, Rob is just a guy not to be f***** with. I mean, look at his last fight. So hopefully people remember who he is now so I think Rob will do it again, maybe not as early, definitely not as early. I don’t think so, I just think he’ll catch him later on but he has to weather the storm man. He has to survive. He has to survive till he can’t and let me see, I’m gonna go Rob with this one with a late finish, round four.”

  • Reinier de Ridder’s Opponent For Upcoming Debut Says UFC Wins Either Way: ‘See, Our Guys Are Better!’

    Reinier de Ridder’s Opponent For Upcoming Debut Says UFC Wins Either Way: ‘See, Our Guys Are Better!’

    On November 9 at the UFC Apex, Gerald Meerschaert draws the task of welcoming Reinier de Ridder to the Octagon. The former two-weight titleholder in ONE Championship was recently announced to have signed with the promotion, making this one of the more highly anticipated debuts of the year.

    For the veteran Meerschaert, coming up against opponents that have got hype behind them and playing the role of the underdog or party spoiler is nothing new. The 36-year old submission specialist is no stranger to taking on guys that are on the rise and he doesn’t mind that.

    The result may not have gone his way but he was the third UFC opponent of Khamzat Chimaev during the absolute peak of the massive amounts of excitement around him. When looking at this fight, rather than him being set up to lose to “The Dutch Knight”, he believes that the UFC benefits from either outcome.

    Unlike the Chimaev fight where a loss would have derailed an incredibly exciting addition to the roster, Meerschaert told James Lynch in a recent interview for Inside Fighting that if he goes out there and beats de Ridder, it’s a great look for the promotion.

    If he loses to his fellow grappling ace, then the UFC has a new contender that it can push towards big things in the middleweight division. Putting this fight together means that the promotion can’t lose regardless of the outcome.

    “I can see both sides of that because if he wins and they want to invest in him, there’s someone there that you get fresh into the mix but on the same hand, I could see them giving him to me just on the, I do like to derail hype trains. Obviously I didn’t with Chimaev but how great for them to have their guy who’s a submission guy beat ONE FC’s double champ so they can be like, ‘See, our guys are better!’ They can play off either way of that, I don’t know if that’s the reason why. There’s certainly tougher match-ups they could have given him to your point but either way, I’m here.”

  • Joaquin Buckley Says Only Three Welterweights Ranked Above Him Would Accept A Fight

    Joaquin Buckley Says Only Three Welterweights Ranked Above Him Would Accept A Fight

    With a five-fight win streak since returning to the welterweight division, Joaquin Buckley now finds himself ranked inside the top 10 at 170-pounds. His latest win was also his biggest, stopping Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson at UFC 307 to climb to the #9-spot.

    Now, Buckley is looking for another opponent that can put him into the title picture after beating the likes of Thompson, Nursulton Ruziboev and Vicente Luque. The issue he’s encountering is that many of the big names ahead of him are not interested in taking the fight.

    In order for Buckley to get within reach of a title shot, he will need another big name on his resume but that’s not possible if he can’t make this line up for him. In a recent interview with Inside Fighting, Buckley was asked who he thinks would accept a fight with him that’s currently above him in the rankings.

    He struggled to think of too many examples, picking out three names in the end with one of them being the current champion.

    “Accept a fight? That’s a hard one. I believe the ones that are true fighters and true martial artists who would love to step into the cage with me are JDM (Jack Della Maddalena), is one of them… Damn, that’s kinda crazy, when I really start to think about it. Ian Garry probably… Belal Muhammad, that’s it bro. That’s it. When you talk about really wanna step in the cage with me, I don’t think there’s a lot of dudes that went to step in there with me.”

    Buckley then proceeded to list several names that he doesn’t think would agree to fight him, including Kamaru Usman who he called out after his most recent win.

    “Gilbert don’t want to step in there with me, Leon Edwards wouldn’t want to step in there with me, Colby Covington wouldn’t want to step in there with me. We see Usman didn’t want that work. Sean Brady blocked me from Instagram so he definitely don’t want to get the work. There’s not a lot of guys that’s willing to step in that cage with me, I’ll tell you that.”

  • Top Lightweight Contender Predicts ‘Easy Money’ For Charles Oliveira In Michael Chandler Rematch

    Top Lightweight Contender Predicts ‘Easy Money’ For Charles Oliveira In Michael Chandler Rematch

    At UFC 309 in New York, Michael Chandler will make his long awaited return to the Octagon where he’s in search of revenge. After waiting for his fight with Conor McGregor to materialize for so long, he’s happy with how things worked out even though he’s not fighting “The Mac”.

    Instead, “Iron” Mike has the opportunity to put himself right back in the title picture by beating Charles Oliveira in a rematch of their first meeting over three years ago.

    After Chandler’s big win over Dan Hooker on his UFC debut, he and “Do Bronx” put on a crazy fight at UFC 262 which saw the Brazilian stop him in the second round to win the lightweight title that was left behind by Khabib Nurmagomedov in retirement.

    One contender at 155-pounds that has been very critical of Chandler’s all-action fighting style is Arman Tsarukyan, who appears to be gearing up for a rematch with the champion, Islam Makhachev, early next year. He’s made it clear that he’s not the biggest fan of the former Bellator star and doesn’t respect him as a top fighter in the division.

    Tsarukyan is coming off of a hard fought win over Oliveira last time out at UFC 300 to solidify his status as the number one contender in the division. When looking at the upcoming co-main event at Madison Square Garden in an interview with MMA Junkie, it’s no surprise that he’s picking his former opponent to win in convincing fashion and earn the next shot at the belt.

    “Michael Chandler going to lose for sure. He’s number one easy fight for Charles Oliveira, he’s going to choke him out or knock him out. Easy money for Oliveira so so happy for him and after the fight, Oliveira is going to be the next after me so I’m going to fight with Islam and after that fight, for sure he’s going to fight for the title because he has a big name, he was the champion and the UFC loves him.” 

  • Muhammad Mokaev Mocks Apparent UFC Release Of Longtime Rival

    Muhammad Mokaev Mocks Apparent UFC Release Of Longtime Rival

    The UFC roster tracking accounts reported that following this weekend’s UFC Fight Night at the Apex in Las Vegas, Jake Hadley has been cut from the roster. The Brit was looking to make it back-to-back wins at bantamweight but came up short.

    His original opponent, Brady Hiestand, withdrew from the bout on fight week and was replaced by Cameron Smotherman who came in for his UFC debut. “White Kong” ended his run in the promotion with a record of 3-4 and this news wasn’t going to slip past a former rival of his.

    Despite some pleasant exchanges between them on social media in more recent times, the feud between UK flyweights Hadley and Muhammad Mokaev has gone on for a long time at this stage. This came to ahead in the UFC when they shared the card with one another at UFC 286 in March of last year.

    Both men are no longer with the promotion after Mokaev’s contract wasn’t re-signed, leading him to return to his former promotion of Brave CF. After seeing the news of Hadley’s UFC departure, Mokaev looked to get the last laugh.

    Hadley responded, telling his long-time rival to finally set the fight up between them by getting Brave CF to reach out to him now that he is no longer under contract with the UFC.

    “Tell brave ring me how much they saying lil man”

    This followed a previous exchange where Hadley offered to step in and replace Raul Rosas Jr. who was set to grapple Mokaev at ADXC 6 this Friday. “The Punisher” will now face Brazil’s Rogerio Bontorin at the event instead.

    If Brave CF are able to get Hadley to sign so they can make the fight, this would be a great bout for them to put together that would generate some serious interest. Hadley also shared the following post on social media after the PFL’s Dan Hardy commented on the news of his recent release.

  • UFC 308 Backup Diego Lopes Hopes He Isn’t Needed For Main Event Between Topuria & Holloway

    UFC 308 Backup Diego Lopes Hopes He Isn’t Needed For Main Event Between Topuria & Holloway

    Following his decisive win over Brian Ortega at UFC 306, Diego Lopes called to be the backup fighter in Abu Dhabi this weekend. In the main event, Ilia Topuria puts his featherweight title on the line for the first time at UFC 308 when he takes on the former champion, Max Holloway.

    It’s undoubtedly one of the biggest fights of the year so having another top contender on location and ready to make weight just in case is always a great plan B to have in the back pocket. This is especially true when you have someone like Lopes who as we saw earlier this year at UFC 303, is always down to step in there and fight whatever the circumstances are.

    The Brazilian is currently riding a five-fight win streak so is seemingly just one win away from earning his title shot but in the case that something unfortunate happens, that could come as soon as just three days time.

    However, despite calling for and receiving this opportunity, Lopes doesn’t have his fingers crossed that one man has to withdraw so that he can fight for the title on October 26. Just like all the fight fans around the world, the #3-ranked contender is stoked to watch this incredible match-up take place at the Etihad Arena.

    He spoke in an interview with MMA Junkie that though he’s taking all the steps that he needs to take during fight week, he’s excited to watch it go down on Saturday night even if he isn’t involved.

    “I’m waiting for everything bro but I’m so excited too to watch the fight. I hope on Friday morning, everything is okay, the guys stay healthy for the fight on Saturday night. I’m so excited for this fight.”

    Lopes followed up, stating that though he wants to watch that fight take place this weekend, that will not get in the way of him taking the fight if the UFC pick up the phone.

    “Yeah, I hope it is. I hope it is but if UFC need me, I’m waiting.”

  • Tom Aspinall Predicts Fight Between Potential Next Opponents Ciryl Gane & Alexander Volkov

    Tom Aspinall Predicts Fight Between Potential Next Opponents Ciryl Gane & Alexander Volkov

    It’s safe to say that interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is not too confident that the winner of Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic will face him to unify the belts following UFC 309. The two veterans are set to collide at Madison Square Garden where it’s expected that both men will retire after the fight.

    That leaves Aspinall likely looking at an upcoming clash between top contenders as his next opponent once he’s promoted to being the full champion. At UFC 310 on December 7, former interim champion Ciryl Gane will make his return to the Octagon to face off with Alexander Volkov in a rematch.

    Gane was dominant in their first meeting back in 2021 but a lot has changed since then, especially when you look at both men’s activity. The Frenchman hasn’t fought since September of last year where he stopped Serghei Spivac in Paris to bounce back from his loss to Jones earlier that year.

    As for Aspinall’s former opponent in Volkov, he’s won four in a row since losing to the Brit with his latest victory over Sergei Pavlovich coming this past June. In a recent interview with CasinoHawks, Aspinall previewed the fight.

    He believes that the recent form and activity of the Russian will make this fight far more competitive than their initial meeting at the Apex three years ago.

    “I think it’s a 50-50 fight. I know they fought before, and it was an absolute stinker—the first one was terrible. Since I fought Volkov, he’s improved a lot. He’s changed his training situation, and Gane has been inactive. Gane seems to fight once a year against opponents who suit him quite well. It’s hard to say; Volkov has been very active. I think he fought four or five times since we fought a couple of years ago, which is a lot for an elite heavyweight. I still think it’s a close fight, though, because I believe Gane is very good and smart, but I think it’ll be a lot closer than the last one, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Volkov pulled it off.”

  • Yair Rodríguez Says Two Potential Names Have Been Mentioned Ahead Of Targeted February Return In Mexico City

    Yair Rodríguez Says Two Potential Names Have Been Mentioned Ahead Of Targeted February Return In Mexico City

    Yair Rodríguez revealed in a recent interview with MMA Junkie that despite his hopes of returning before the end of the year, it looks like the UFC has plans for him in the first quarter of 2025. “El Pantera” last competed in February where he was submitted by Brian Ortega in Mexico City.

    According to Rodríguez, there could be plans for the Octagon to go back to the same place one year later which opens up discussions about who he could possibly face in and around February. UFC 312 is set for the same month in Sydney, Australia which Alexander Volkanovski hopes to be a part of so it could end up being a big month for the featherweight division.

    The former interim champion currently occupies the #4-ranking at 145-pounds which puts him in a good place for a big fight that could get him right back into the title picture. At the top of the division, you obviously have Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway fighting for the title this weekend at UFC 308.

    We also have Aljamain Sterling and Movsar Evloev being rescheduled for UFC 310 and that leaves a couple names that Rodríguez is yet to meet inside the Octagon who could make sense for this time frame.

    Whilst in attendance in Abu Dhabi for UFC fight week, the Mexican star named two potential options that have come up in previous conversations.

    “I always look to be fighting somebody that is in front of me or somebody that push me to fight for the title again. Names that have been mentioned to me in the past is Diego Lopes, who’s attending the event as well, and Arnold Allen and we’ll see how that goes. I’m just waiting to hear back from the UFC and whatever they want, I’m here to fight.”   

  • Rafael dos Anjos Happy With Welterweight Return At UFC 308 After Mammoth 30-Pound Fight Week Cut

    Rafael dos Anjos Happy With Welterweight Return At UFC 308 After Mammoth 30-Pound Fight Week Cut

    Former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos is back up at welterweight this weekend when he faces Geoff Neal at UFC 308. After initially making the move up to 170-pounds back in 2017, “RDA” has returned to 155 on several occasions but that appears to have come to an end.

    At UFC 299 earlier this year, Dos Anjos faced Mateusz Gamrot in a fight that could have propelled him up the lightweight rankings with a win. Considering the stakes that were hanging in the balance, the Brazilian said in a recent interview with Home of Fight that it made sense to take.

    After coming up short against Gamrot, Dos Anjos intends on spending the rest of his days in the UFC as a certified welterweight. When he first went up a weight class, it was due to the brutal weight cuts that he was having to go through in order to hit 155-pounds.

    During the interview, the former champ revealed that he was having to cut nearly 30 pounds earlier this year in Miami in order to fight in his former division once again.

    Securing a win over the #10-ranked Neal in Abu Dhabi this weekend will be the justification that Dos Anjos needs in order to remain at welterweight.

    “Just try to make weight is hell man. I’m 195 right now three weeks away from the fight and I’m in good shape, you know. I’m not in a bad shape and I’m not fat, I’m in a good shape and it’s just too hard man. My last lightweight camp, the whole camp like even on the fight week, I was 185, I couldn’t get below that. The lightest that I got during the fight camp was 184 and man, I’m 39-years old, I have the title before and that’s not what I want for my life.”

  • Alexander Volkanovski Says Max Holloway Win At UFC 308 Could Lead To Interim Title Fight

    Alexander Volkanovski Says Max Holloway Win At UFC 308 Could Lead To Interim Title Fight

    Fight fans all around the world will be eagerly waiting the main event of UFC 308 this Saturday when Ilia Topuria looks to defend the featherweight belt against Max Holloway. One man that will be paying especially close attention is Alexander Volkanovski who will be in attendance at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

    The former champion chose to take some time off instead of going into a rematch with Topuria after he lost the title in February. Having faced both men in the past, he’s now looking to fight for the belt once again following the result of the headliner on October 26.

    However, along with only wanting to fight for gold next time out, Volkanovski has a specific date and location in mind for his return. The UFC recently announced that on February 9, the Octagon will return to Sydney, Australia.

    Wanting a title fight on his home turf could be impacted by who comes out on top in the 145-pound title fight this weekend. In a recent YouTube video, Volkanovski said that Holloway reclaiming the gold may lead to an interim title fight due to the BMF belt that “Blessed” already holds.

    The prospect of a fight between “The Great” and the backup fighter this weekend, Diego Lopes, has been spoken about in the past and would seemingly fit this card well based on Lopes’ previous statements.

    “Obviously, I wanted Sydney right, I want to fight in Sydney. If Max wins, does he fight in Sydney? I think he does, I think he would fight in Sydney but is he going to do BMF? Is he going to do lightweight? I doubt he’s going to want to do a featherweight straight away. I reckon he’s going to want to do lightweight, I’m just trying to be realistic with this one. So does that open doors for an interim? Yeah, I think so because I want to fight in Sydney and obviously I did that when I was doing the lightweight thing. I let them boys, Josh Emmett and Yair do their interim fight so I’m sure that’s something we could do and while he does his thing and then we just fight whenever we can.”

    Volkanovski also stated that his hopes of fighting in Sydney will likely go out the window if Topuria retains this weekend with bringing the belt back to Spain being a key priority for the UFC right now.

    “If Ilia wins, does he fight in Sydney? No, let’s be real. He’s not going to fight in Sydney.”