MMA News

Author: Kyle Dimond

  • New UFC Signing Details ONE Championship Exit: ‘I Think They’re Struggling’

    New UFC Signing Details ONE Championship Exit: ‘I Think They’re Struggling’

    In July, fight fans were shocked to see that Reinier de Ridder would be competing at UAE Warriors 51 despite reportedly still being under contract with ONE Championship. “The Dutch Knight” accomplished great things in ONE where he reigned as a two-weight world champion.

    Following his quick win on UAE Warriors, it was announced that de Ridder had signed to the UFC where he will make his Octagon debut at UFC Vegas 100 on November 9. The Dutch competitor is looking forward to locking horns with Gerald Meerschaert and beginning a new chapter in his career.

    De Ridder has said in interviews that he can’t go into details about his exit from ONE Championship but that doesn’t mean that he can’t reflect on his time there. He won seven fights in a row in the promotion to become the middleweight and light heavyweight champion, earning him comparisons to the other top fighters in his weight class that were competing in the UFC.

    Though things may not have ended on the best of terms, his time as a ONE Championship athlete is still a huge part of his career. The final few stages of his time in the promotion were defined by two things, losses to the undefeated Russian Anatoly Malykhin and periods of inactivity which he says weren’t his preference.

    In an interview with MMA Fighting to preview his Octagon debut, de Ridder spoke about how he looks back at his time in ONE and what he is grateful for and where he wishes it could have been different.

    “It’s been good for a long time and it’s been bad for a pretty long time now as well. I think they’re struggling in a sense and some stuff is just not being handled the way it should be but it is what it is. I’ve had a very good run in the beginning, they gave me a lot of fights. I really gave my career, the start of my career, in ONE I was really able to make it a full-time thing, fighting. So I’m very grateful for that part but the last couple of years weren’t that great.”

  • PFL Fighter’s Cornerman Leaves Riyadh For UFC Debut On 4 Days’ Notice

    PFL Fighter’s Cornerman Leaves Riyadh For UFC Debut On 4 Days’ Notice

    This weekend’s UFC Fight Night card has gone through a change to it’s main card that will see a highly regarded prospect step in for his Octagon debut. Former TUF finalist Brady Hiestand was set to return in a bantamweight contest with Jake Hadley.

    England’s Hadley made the move up to 135-pounds from flyweight after taking a short notice fight with Caolan Loughran at UFC 304 and securing the victory.

    However, with Hiestand out of the fight, Cameron Smotherman will now replace him in order to make his UFC debut on just a few days notice. The most noteworthy aspect of this is that Smotherman already had plans for this weekend. Plans that saw him travel to Riyadh.

    Following the announcement of the fight, reported by Alex Behunin, Raufeon Stots posted that the 27-year old was set to be in his corner at Battle Of The Giants on Saturday night. The former interim Bellator bantamweight champion will face Marcos Breno on the biggest night in the history of the PFL.

    Now he will try to get the win with one less cornerman due to the fact that Smotherman’s gone back to Las Vegas in order to try and capitalize on this opportunity.

    Smotherman previously fought for a UFC contract back on last year’s season of Dana White’s Contender Series where he was stopped in the opening round. Following three consecutive wins under the Fury FC banner, he’s back with a point to prove.

    Stots posted the following message in response to Behunin’s post about the new fight that will take place at the Apex this weekend.

    “i thought i was dreaming last night when he told me here in Riyadh Saudi Arabia. It was like 3:30 am. Lost a corner but Couldn’t be happier for one of my best training partners.”

  • PFL CEO Says Battle Of The Giants Card Exceeds UFC 300 & UFC 306 As Biggest Event Of The Year

    PFL CEO Says Battle Of The Giants Card Exceeds UFC 300 & UFC 306 As Biggest Event Of The Year

    Undoubtedly the biggest MMA event of the weekend sees the PFL host the most significant night in the history of the promotion to date. Battle Of The Giants sees the promotion’s biggest ever signing, the former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, make his long awaited debut.

    His fight with Renan Ferreira is the real draw here because fans have waited a long time to see “The Predator” step back into MMA following his recent boxing contests. That being said, there’s other fights on this card that make it the PFL’s best event to date.

    The main card in particular features several homerun match-ups from the promotion that really shows the strength of the roster and how much it has improved since the Bellator acquisition.

    As they prepare for a massive night of fights in Riyadh, PFL CEO Peter Murray spoke about the card in a recent interview with MMA Junkie. In his opinion, Saturday’s event is the clear winner for the biggest and baddest event of 2024 in the MMA world.

    He specifically referenced how it stacks up when you compare this weekend’s card to the likes of UFC 300 and UFC 306 which would also be in the same conversation. There was criticism from some fans of both of those events for not having the kinds of cards that would live up to the high expectations on paper.

    In hindsight, it’s fair to say that both produced pretty special nights this year, even if some of the big fights at UFC 306 weren’t the most entertaining. Regardless, Murray believes that Battle Of The Giants stands tall not only next to any PFL event, but any MMA event that has taken place this year.

    “This is the biggest event of absolutely the PFL company history and the biggest event of the year and, you know, I’m looking forward to stacking this up against, when you look at the cards from UFC 300, The Sphere, but like as it relates to the card, this fight, this event on October 19, biggest of the year, second to none.”

  • Concerning Health Update On Former UFC Champ Shane Carwin

    Concerning Health Update On Former UFC Champ Shane Carwin

    Former UFC interim heavyweight champion Shane Carwin became the topic of a lot of conversation online following the latest update in the UFC lawsuit.

    Le vs Zuffa received lots of declarations from former UFC fighters that are named in the case and Carwin’s was by far the most shocking as he detailed why he needs the settlement money urgently due to his health and financial concerns.

    Brendan Schaub, who came up alongside Carwin as his main training partner, gave an incredibly emotional reaction to this on a recent episode of his podcast. Schaub spoke from an intensely personal point of view about the struggles that he knows the former fighter has gone through.

    “Because of the way that we trained, because we were meat heads, we didn’t know, even the coaches. We’d spar twice a week, sometimes three times a week, like all out wars and because of that, Shane, you know, he can’t even… he can’t even keep a job dude. Yeah, he went from being an engineer to he can’t be a bouncer at a f****** bar.”

    Schaub did say that the UFC attempted to help Carwin in the past after his health concerns were revealed to the likes of Dana White. The 49-year old retired from MMA back in 2013 due to several substantial injuries that prevented him from ever returning despite several attempts.

    “There’s nothing we can do, we tried to get him help. The UFC did fly him down to the Apex and they tried to do stuff. To Dana’s credit, as soon as Dana found out he, that’s who I call. I went through my contacts, I tried to get Shane some help and as soon as Dana heard that Shane was having some issues, he flew Shane down there.”

    Schaub got emotional when he spoke about how this money could benefit Carwin and how this should have never happened to such a brilliant mind in the first place.

    “There’s not enough money in the world if you ask Shane Carwin if he could do it again. If you gave him a billion dollars, Shane’s really bad.”

    Carwin’s fellow former heavyweight reflected about how his old training partner used to pay for his sessions when he couldn’t afford them. He told other emotional stories about how they would spar so intensely with one another that they’d joke on the car ride home that they couldn’t remember how to get back.

    His close personal connection to the ex-fighter in question made this a very difficult conversation for Schaub to approach.

    “Shane’s one of many, it just so happens that Shane’s story is f****** heart breaking. He wasn’t a dumba**, he’s not a meat head like me. I know he looks like it and you guys want to assume Shane’s this big dumb animal, he’s f****** not dude. When Shane was young before all this, he could’ve sat on JRE and ran circles around any guest that Rogan has had in that room… it just so happened he’s in this 6’3′, 280 pound shredded body… and you guys want to assume he’s a meat head and right him off? I get all that but I’m telling you you’re wrong. Now he can’t afford food and his kids.”

  • UFC Roster Update: Latest Round Of Cuts Following Fight Night: Royval-Taira

    UFC Roster Update: Latest Round Of Cuts Following Fight Night: Royval-Taira

    The weigh-ins for this past weekend’s UFC Vegas 98 event at the Apex were fairly dramatic with three fighters failing to hit the mark. Despite their misses, both Jared Gordon and Dan Argueta still competed at the event that was headlined by Brandon Royval’s win over Tatsuro Taira.

    Unfortunately for him and his opponent, the same couldn’t be said for Josh Fremd who was scheduled to meet Abdul Razak Alhassan at middleweight. Fremd hit the scales at 189, making him three pounds over the required limit of 186.

    The fight was cancelled and according to the UFC Roster Tracker account on X, will be the final chapter in Fremd’s UFC career for the time being.

    The Roster Tracker account has been incredibly active over the past few days with what appears to be a long string of releases from the UFC which isn’t necessarily anything new for the promotion.

    Fremd’s name was added to the list after his weight miss this past weekend, ending his UFC career with a record of 2-4.

    The 30-year old had missed weight by three pounds once before during his UFC tenure, coming in at 189 for his meeting with Jamie Pickett in August of last year where the fight went ahead.

    Wales’ Cory McKenna who did compete at UFC Vegas 98 was also revealed to no longer be on the roster following her second consecutive defeat, ending her run inside the Octagon at 3-3.

  • Max Holloway States Where Beating Ilia Topuria Would Rank Amongst His Biggest Achievements

    Max Holloway States Where Beating Ilia Topuria Would Rank Amongst His Biggest Achievements

    Max Holloway has already achieved some incredible things in his career by the age of 32. The former UFC featherweight champion and current BMF titleholder is certainly no stranger to being in the spotlight and that’s not going anywhere just yet.

    However, his next outing provides a new challenge as he looks to reclaim the 145-pound gold when returning to featherweight to face the new champion, Ilia Topuria. The undefeated “El Matador” has been unstoppable thus far inside the Octagon but that only makes Holloway more excited.

    He believes that a win at UFC 308 would rank pretty highly amongst his list of accomplishments, even if it doesn’t take the top spot.

    Max Holloway Says Beating Ilia Topuria Would Likely Rank Third On His Personal List

    In a recent interview with Stake, Holloway gave his thoughts on where being the first man to defeat Topuria, reclaiming the featherweight belt in the process, would fall in terms of his own viewpoint.

    He believes that two moments will probably still rank higher even with this being one of the biggest fights of the year. “Blessed” said that it will take something special to upset his two favourite moments from his career because of the impact and personal significance that surrounds them.

    “This victory would be in the top three of my career, for sure. Winning that first title will always be special. Beating Jose Aldo, the King of Rio and an idol of mine, nothing will ever beat that I don’t think. Secondly, the 300 moment has to be up there for me. All of the build-up and the lead up to it, there were so many things going on it felt bigger than the BMF title.

    “Unless I can do something crazy to top that UFC 300 moment, then it might be second. It will 100% be a top three moment in my career, not just because it is for the title but also because of who it is against. This new generation guy, with a variety of different skills, he’s so powerful and athletic – but beating him would make this a top three moment of my career for sure.”

  • Brandon Royval Names The Thing That Surprised Him About Tatsuro Taira The Most

    Brandon Royval Names The Thing That Surprised Him About Tatsuro Taira The Most

    Brandon Royval had no problem admitting that Tatsuro Taira had drastically surprised him in their main event at the Apex last weekend. “Raw Dawg” emerged victorious via a split decision where he needed to win the fifth round to secure the win.

    Having trained together several times in the past, Royval said in his post-fight interview that he expected to run straight through the rising Japanese contender.

    He didn’t believe that the 24-year old Taira would be close to his level so it would be a quick night at the office with a first or second round finish but the fight ended up being a great competitive clash.

    Though Royval had the clear advantage in the striking exchanges, it was the excellent grappling game of his opponent that cause him some issues.

    Royval is no stranger to facing top grapplers in the division and is usually able to cause them some issues with his own scrambling ability. He wasn’t able to do this consistently against Taira who is a master of taking the back and keeping it whilst he works to secure submissions from this dominant position.

    In an interview with former UFC champion Michael Bisping on his Believe You Me podcast, Royval spoke about how Taira’s back control and body triangle was another level to what he has experienced in the past, even compared to the likes of Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Moreno.

    “When he locked in that body triangle I immediately was like, oh that’s a different type of body triangle and I’ve never felt a body triangle where I was like oh that’s actually really, really tight… I really thought he’d be the least effective of the back riders and holy s*** that kid on my back was a whole different strength, a whole different feeling and really eye opening”

  • Paddy Pimblett Names The Two Fighters That Would Fast Track Him To The Title

    Paddy Pimblett Names The Two Fighters That Would Fast Track Him To The Title

    Following his undefeated winning streak inside the Octagon and big submission win over Bobby Green last time out, Paddy Pimblett finds himself in the mix at 155-pounds. The #14-ranked lightweight isn’t necessarily in a rush to get himself a title shot but it is something he’s thought about.

    “The Baddy” has already made it clear that Renato Moicano is his next target and the fight makes a lot of sense. Both men are great talkers, are ranked inside the top 15 and are on impressive winning streaks.

    In a recent YouTube video, Pimblett spoke about how he would need to leap up the division’s rankings in order to secure a title shot as fast as possible.

    2-Fight Plan That Would Land Him A Title Shot

    Following some sparring rounds, a big meal and signing some memorabilia, Pimblett answered some questions from the fans in a recent YouTube video on his channel.

    One fan asked what his quickest route to the title would be and “The Baddy” started at Moicano which is likely going to be his next fight. With “Money” ranked at #11, a win over the Brazilian would set Pimblett up for a huge fight next time out.

    He said that squaring off with someone like the former champion, Charles Oliveira, could put him into position for a title fight with just two more wins.

    “What’s the ideal run to a title fight? I’ve seen a lot of people saying I’m like two fights away from a title fight and that is nice but two fights from a title fight would have to be like Moicano, rank #10, and then do like an O’Malley. Fight like rank #2 straight away and that would be a Charles Oliveira. I’d do that. I’d fight Moicano, beat Moicano and then I’d fight Oliveira. That’s probably my quickest route to a title shot to be honest. I really like both of them. Really like watching them fight so it’d be a pleasure to, even more of a pleasure to get in there with Charles.”

  • Joaquin Buckley Open To Fighting Different Former Champ If Usman Rejects Callout

    Joaquin Buckley Open To Fighting Different Former Champ If Usman Rejects Callout

    Joaquin Buckley earned his biggest win to date at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City to extend his welterweight winning streak to five. “New Mansa” became just the second man to stop Stephen Thompson with strikes in the UFC after exploding forward in the third round.

    Buckley, who has been criticized for his post-fight call outs in the past, had one name in mind that seemed to go down well with the fans and media. He called to face former champion Kamaru Usman who has been inactive since his short notice bout with Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 last year.

    The #9-ranked contender hasn’t received the response that he would’ve wanted but fortunately for him, he has names other than Usman on his hit list.

    In a recent interview with Luke Thomas, Buckley gave his thoughts on the rest of the welterweight top ten where some big fights could be coming soon.

    After speaking about the upcoming title fight in his division at UFC 310, the former middleweight weighed in with his take on a potential fight between the undefeated Ian Machado Garry and the former interim champion Colby Covington.

    This is a fight that Garry was pushing for heavily at one stage but despite several replies from Covington, never got any closer to happen and as a result, “Chaos” hasn’t fought since his disappointing performance at UFC 296.

    Buckley said that due to the name and ranking that Covington still holds at 170-pounds, this is a fight that would interest him if the Usman match-up doesn’t happen. Thomas initially asked “New Mansa” whether in his opinion, Covington is “washed” at 26-years old considering his lack of activity.

    “That’s a question for him to answer to but my thing is, the last fight that he had was against Leon Edwards and that was about a year ago now, so time ain’t on nobody’s side. If you really want to show the world what you up to and what you’ve been doing and how you been working, you got to take a fight. I’m happy to find out myself too with Colby Covington if he ain’t got nothing lined up.”

  • Conor McGregor Sends Proposal To Sean O’Malley As They Squash Beef

    Conor McGregor Sends Proposal To Sean O’Malley As They Squash Beef

    Conor McGregor and Sean O’Malley have got a fairly complicated relationship with one another that has taken drastic turns. The two men appeared to be on the same page for a long time before several harsh comments back-and-forth on social media drew a clear line in the sand.

    It now appears that things have been brushed aside and bridges have been rebuilt following recent comments that were made by “Suga” on the Join The Lobby Podcast. The former UFC bantamweight champion spoke about how “The Notorious” will always be an influential figure on his own career and that he wishes him the best in whatever he is doing.

    “He played an important role in my career. It’s always will be inspiration to me at some point… Right now I wouldn’t say he necessarily is… He has a big family now, a bunch of kids, and I hope he’s doing well.”

    McGregor Extends Training Offer To Sean O’Malley & Tim Welch

    In a since deleted post on X, McGregor responded to the clip that was posted of O’Malley squashing the beef that he previously had with the Irishman. The former UFC champ-champ also chose to forgive and forget via the statement that he put out.

    McGregor referred to O’Malley as a “fighting legend” and “an incredible superstar” but spent most of his social media post speaking about something else.

    “The Notorious” would very much like it if O’Malley and his coach would come over to Dublin to train with his head coach John Kavanagh at his home gym, SBG Dublin. He spoke about the potential gain that both “Suga” and Tim Welch could take from this experience before the try to reclaim the bantamweight throne following the events of UFC 306.

    “Sean is a fighting legend! UFC champion and an incredible superstar! I would love, love, love to see, and I can set it up fully, himself and his long time coach, Tim Welch, do a stint in Ireland. A 4 week run at SBG Ireland under Johns coaching and I am telling you he would regain his title. He has a shot at regaining it still for sure, but for himself, and also his coach to spend a good month, to begin with, not a long time, but a good solid month under coach Kav at SBG and they would take heaps of knowledge back with them and onward to regain the Gold. I would love to see it!”

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  • Top 10 Welterweight Says Belal Muhammad’s Mindset, Preparation Key To Beating Rakhmonov

    Top 10 Welterweight Says Belal Muhammad’s Mindset, Preparation Key To Beating Rakhmonov

    Belal Muhammad is set to return at UFC 310 where he will put his welterweight title on the line for the first time against Shavkat Rakhmonov. The undefeated contender comes into December 7 as the favorite despite the champion’s own impressive winning streak.

    Rakhmonov’s ability to finish opponents is simply remarkable, with all 18 of his pro wins coming inside the distance. This, in a lot of people’s eyes, makes it an uphill battle for Muhammad who is not known for closing the show early.

    Where the champion excels in his approach and relentless drive to break opponents with his constant pressure and gas tank. His preparation and strategy is where a top welterweight contender believes this fight becomes competitive.

    Joaquin Buckley Says That Belal Muhammad’s Approach Is What Makes Him Competitive With Shavkat Rakhmonov

    In a recent interview with Luke Thomas, Joaquin Buckley gave his thoughts on the upcoming title fight in his division. The #9-ranked welterweight contender is coming off of a devastating finish over Stephen Thompson and could find himself in title talks with one more big win.

    Buckley said in his opinion, this fight is interesting because you know that Muhammad is going to come into Las Vegas with extensive homework and adjustments. “New Mansa” believes that this is at odds with the confidence of Rakhmonov who is not going to have the same approach of analyzing every detail.

    Muhammad’s ability to adapt to different opponents and choose the best path to victory is where Buckley feels that the champion has an advantage.

    “I think it’s a good fight and it’s only going to be a good fight because the way that Belal comes. Every time when he sets himself to fight an opponent, he prepares himself in the right way. Shavkat, I believe that he’s just the type of fighter that he believes just his talents and his gifts is going to take him as far as it’s been taking him now where he’s been finishing everybody.

    I don’t believe that Shavkat, in my personal opinion, is doing any film study on Belal or how he gonna beat him. Shavkat believes just in his head that him stepping in the cage with Belal is going to be good enough but I don’t think it’s going to be the other way around with Belal.

    I believe Belal is going to try to see what is going to be his best opportunities to take the fight where he needs to in order to get the decision.”

  • Khalil Rountree Reacts To Jamahal Hill’s Yawn After Alex Pereira Fight

    Khalil Rountree Reacts To Jamahal Hill’s Yawn After Alex Pereira Fight

    When Khalil Rountree stepped into the main event slot at UFC 307 to face Alex Pereira for the light heavyweight title, he wanted to put on a show. Of course, leaving Salt Lake City with the belt was always the number one priority but Rountree always aims to entertain.

    He was unsuccessful in dethroning “Poatan” but that didn’t stop the fight from being an entertaining watch after the challenger was able to make it competitive in the opening rounds.

    This opinion seemingly wasn’t shared by former champion Jamahal Hill who later clarified his yawning response at the end of the main event.

    Hill stated on his YouTube channel that him yawning after the UFC 307 headliner wasn’t due to the fight not being an engaging watch for the four rounds that it lasted. “Sweet Dreams” claims that his reaction was more based on him not seeing anything surprising or impressive from either competitor, hence why he was bored.

    Rountree gave his take on this in a recent interview with MMA Junkie where he stated that he’s glad that Hill gave more context to this clip. The former title challenger was originally set to face Hill at UFC 303 earlier this year but when the fight didn’t materialize, Rountree went straight to the champion instead.

    He said that after seeing the video of Hill on social media after the fight, he was slightly puzzled by his reaction but isn’t too concerned by his explanation either.

    “It’s nice to hear the clarification because based off the crowd response and everything that I’ve seen, other articles and posts that I’ve seen, majority of people seemed to think it was an entertaining fight. So I was a bit confused to see why maybe he thought it was boring or worth a yawn but like I said, the clarification definitely helps and yeah, not everyone’s going to think the same. Not everyone’s going to be entertained. It’s good, if there’s nothing to be scared of, like cool.”  

  • Former UFC Champion Breaks Down Where Ilia Topuria May Have An Advantage Over Max Holloway

    Former UFC Champion Breaks Down Where Ilia Topuria May Have An Advantage Over Max Holloway

    The main event of UFC 308 on October 26 can’t come soon enough as one of the biggest fights of the year goes down in Abu Dhabi. One of the most exciting elements of the fight is that both the champion and challenger are known as two of the best boxers in the UFC.

    Ilia Topuria has got dynamite in his hands with the speed to back it up and as for Max Holloway, he’s a record breaker when it comes to significant strikes for a reason.

    Both men do their best work with their hands but one former UFC champion, who is also known for packing a mean punch, believes that Holloway’s reliance on this could cost him in the featherweight title fight headliner.

    Cody Garbrandt Says Ilia Topuria Is The More Diverse Striker And Mixed Martial Artist

    In a recent appearance on the Jaxxon Podcast, Cody Garbrandt gave his thoughts on the fight that everyone is going to be talking about over the next few weeks.

    Garbrandt believes that though both men are excellent boxers, Topuria is the more varied striker and overall mixed martial artist. “No Love” pointed to Holloway’s trilogy of fights against Alexander Volkanovski where despite “Blessed” having success, his boxing wasn’t enough to seal a victory.

    “I don’t think Max, and I love Max to death, I don’t think he mixes it enough for mixed martial arts. He’s boxing heavy, doesn’t throw too many kicks. You look at the Volkanovski fights, he didn’t really mix it together, the MMA together. I thought those fights were super close, he won some of them, they gave them to Volk but with Ilia, he wrestles, he grapples, he does it all, he kicks. But I’m excited to see it like Max is so long, so rangy. Super tough, got a granite chin.”   

  • Bisping: Alex Pereira Convincing UFC To Sign His Former Rival Speaks Volumes

    Bisping: Alex Pereira Convincing UFC To Sign His Former Rival Speaks Volumes

    Usually it’s up the UFC matchmakers or Dana White himself to decide which talent they want to bring into the promotion. At the Apex this past Tuesday night on another episode of Contender Series, it was the promotion’s light heavyweight champion that helped make this call.

    Alex Pereira told White why he should sign his former kickboxing rival Artem Vakhitov despite the fact that he delivered a performance that wasn’t overly impressive. The elite striker did get the first round finish but he didn’t exactly blow the roof off the place either.

    “Poatan” jokingly remarked to his former opponent in a video that was posted on social media that Vakhitov now owes him one.

    Michael Bisping Gives Credit To Alex Pereira For Pushing UFC To Sign Artem Vakhitov

    Michael Bisping, who was on commentary for this episode of Contender Series, gave his thoughts on the situation in a recent YouTube video. He said that what Pereira did at the Apex shows exactly the kind of competitor that he is.

    Though Vakhitov is a long way away from getting a shot at the light heavyweight title, his history with Pereira as the last man to beat the Brazilian star in kickboxing is exactly why he’s there in the first place.

    Bisping said it should be commended how Pereira could have easily dismissed his previous opponent, knowing that he could be a threat to him at some stage. The former UFC middleweight champion also pointed out that this could be Pereira being motivated by revenge.

    “The fact that Dana asked him, ‘Hey, this guys who’s the last person to beat you,’ that might get kind of fast tracked a little bit, that might possibly get decent favorable match-ups to meet you because there’s a big storyline and he was the last person to beat you and if he stands and trades with you and plays you at your own game, he might take the title off you. Pereira could have said, ‘well it wasn’t that good was it really, I expected more.’ He could have played down the performance but no, he said he absolutely deserves a shot, gibe him a shot. I’m telling you right, that not only speaks about the type of man that he is but it also speaks about the type of competitor that he is.”

  • Cody Garbrandt Reveals The Secret Behind His Win Over Dominick Cruz

    Cody Garbrandt Reveals The Secret Behind His Win Over Dominick Cruz

    What Cody Garbrandt accomplished back at UFC 207 in 2016 will go down in the UFC history books as one of the greatest performances from a title challenger that we have ever seen. The 10-0 knockout artist was a significant underdog for good reason against, arguably the greatest 135-pounder of all time, Dominick Cruz.

    Garbrandt had put together an impressive run of finishes and had a good narrative with Cruz due to the champion’s history with defeating fighters from Team Alpha Male. However, “No Love” was able to beat the champion at his own game, putting on the kind of performance that no one could have expected.

    He broke down how he was able to secure the biggest win of his career and make it look easy during a recent appearance on the Jaxxon Podcast.

    Garbrandt’s Keys to Beating Dominick Cruz

    Garbrandt said that he already knew a lot about Cruz heading into the fight and that removed the need for him to try and pick apart the unorthodox style that “The Dominator” used to stay a step ahead of his opponents at all times.

    His incredibly unique footwork, timing and angles was something that the challenger was well prepared for due to several factors.

    For a start, he was surrounded by several fighters that had already faced Cruz inside the Octagon and were able to pass what they had learned on to him. Garbrandt also came through the early stages of his career whilst watching Cruz rise through the WEC and into the UFC so he had been studying his game for many years.

    Finally, as he stated on the podcast, Garbrandt also believes that his training from a young age helped him to deal with an opponent like the champion who would be constantly moving. This, he states, was the missing piece of the puzzle that so many others didn’t have.

    “Like I said, watching him, I knew his rhythm and his footwork, just watching him over and over again and then just my style. For sure, my uncle was there since the beginning so he groomed me for this kind of fights. A lot of movement, staying tight, staying high guard, little angles, moving with him.

    That’s one thing, I think a lot of people get in there with Dominick and they’re like, ‘Ah, his footwork, he’s unorthodox, he moves differently,’ and they just kind of like sit there and wait for him to get his rhythm. You got to dance with that guy, you can’t let him do the dance.”

  • Trailer For ‘LA Cage’ Netflix MMA Series feat. Jon Jones & GSP

    Trailer For ‘LA Cage’ Netflix MMA Series feat. Jon Jones & GSP

    A new upcoming MMA TV series is coming to Netflix on November 8 with the French release, “LA CAGE”, arriving on the streaming service. The show follows Melvin Boomer’s lead character who is a young fighter that dreams of making it to the top.

    In this Rocky-like rise, he’s given an opportunity to take that next big step in his career which will lead to bigger and better things.

    All five episodes of the series are directed by Franck Gastambide who also stars in the series, appearing to play the role of Boomer’s coach.

    However, the real element that is going to get MMA fans talking is the inclusion of some of the biggest names in the sport today.

    The trailer that has been released for La Cage shows that no expense has been spared to make this a major release for fight fans. It features three major promotions in the UFC, KSW and French promotion ARES, all with fight scenes that take place at live events.

    Also, the likes of Jon Jones, Ciryl Gane and Georges St-Pierre are all playing themselves. St-Pierre would appear to be the most relevant of the three as the former two-weight UFC champion ends up becoming a part of the team as a huge inspiration to the young fighter.

    La Cage’s IMDB page also lists several other notable names from the French MMA scene as cast members, including the UFC’s Taylor Lapilus and Morgan Charriere, PFL’s Abdoul Abdouraguimov, KSW’s Salahdine Parnasse and ONE Championship’s Anissa Meksen.

    Gane’s involvement in the series would appear to be the reason that he declined fighting Tom Aspinall for the interim heavyweight title at UFC 304 in July.

  • Bisping Sees UFC Championship Potential In Artem Vakhitov

    Bisping Sees UFC Championship Potential In Artem Vakhitov

    Artem Vakhitov wouldn’t be signed to the UFC right now if it wasn’t for the light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira. The former GLORY kickboxer, who was the last man to beat “Poatan” in the sport, earned a contract on this week’s episode of Dana White’s Contender Series.

    Let alone getting this opportunity if it wasn’t for the history that he has with Pereira, the champion himself convinced Dana White to give his former foe a contract after the UFC boss wasn’t overly impressed by his performance at the Apex.

    Vakhitov is still very early on in his MMA career but of course, a third fight between them taking place in MMA would be a big deal but that’s still a long way in the distance right now.

    Bisping on Artem Vakhitov’s Potential

    Vakhitov is sure to get some special treatment once he arrives into the UFC, even if he just moves through the ranks a little faster than most.

    The issue with that is that he’s not ready to compete against top contenders at light heavyweight however, a striking match between him and Pereira would suit him a lot better.

    Former UFC champion Michael Bisping gave his reaction to how this all played out during a recent YouTube video.

    “The Count” was on commentary for this episode and though he also wasn’t overwhelmed by what he saw from Vakhitov on his UFC job interview, he believes that Pereira’s former rival could make it to the top in the years to come. Acknowledging it’s going to be a long road to the top, Bisping sees the greatness.

    “ I think he could do it, I think he’s got the potential. He’s got to work on the takedown defense. he’s got to get used to the little gloves. he’s got to get used to people with offbeat rhythms, because MMA strikers are a bit different to polished kickboxers but if he can do that.

    if he can do the work and apply himself, I think he could have a very bright future and we could see that fight at some point down the line.” 

    – Michael Bisping on Vakhitov’s potential
  • Khalil Rountree Reveals Post-Fight Advice From Conor McGregor

    Khalil Rountree Reveals Post-Fight Advice From Conor McGregor

    Anyone who was watching along during UFC 307 this past weekend will have noticed one thing on social media.

    Conor McGregor is well known, or “Notorious” you could say, for being very vocal about his opinions on fights and people’s performances. This was the case during the PPV card in Salt Lake City where he weighed in on several fights that place on the main card, from Kevin Holland’s injury to Mario Bautista’s controversial win.

    Like every fight fan, McGregor came away from the event with two strong feelings following an entertaining main event. He was both impressed by the performance that Alex Pereira delivered and the toughness and will displayed by Khalil Rountree.

    McGregor’s Advice

    Having posted on social media via his own X account and in comment sections underneath Instagram posts, McGregor has already made his feelings on the main event clear.

    However, he did also personally reach out to Rountree as the title challenger recently revealed during an appearance on the Pound 4 Pound podcast.

    The #8-ranked contender was able to surprise a lot of people by starting the first few rounds with a decent amount of success but ultimately, wasn’t able to maintain this.

    He recapped his performance with Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo, stating what he could have done better to push Pereira even further.

    Rountree said that one key point regarding him not pressuring “Poatan” enough was made to him by McGregor in a serious of messages that he received once UFC 307 was behind him.

    “A couple days after the fight I got some messages from Conor and it was really cool to get some messages from him, but one thing he pointed out was that I could’ve put more pressure.

    Just like you were saying, when he was going up against the cage, yeah, he has that left hook, but if I would have just been a little bit more relentless with my pressure and not backed off so much and retook the centre of the cage, I think I would’ve been able to apply a little more damage to him”

    – Khalil Roundtree
  • UK Politician To Compete At Page vs. Condit-Headlined Polaris Event

    UK Politician To Compete At Page vs. Condit-Headlined Polaris Event

    Polaris 30 has already made some headlines in the MMA world for the marquee match-up that will headline the grappling event in London on November 2.

    At the top of the card, UFC star Michael “Venom” Page will face a former icon of his weight class when he competes against former interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit.

    Polaris has been known to attract big names from the MMA world for special one-off attractions and this event is set to be no different. However, where the promotion is breaking new ground is by getting coverage outside of the sporting world.

    That’s thanks to Will Stone who will also be in action at the event despite being an active politician in the English town of Swindon.

    UK MP Will Stone Books Polaris Contest Against MMA Veteran

    Stone was elected as the MP, or Member of Parliament, for Swindon North in July but prior to this, was a dedicated Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. He’s spent 17 years learning the art and even ran his own 10th Planet school in his local area before having to hand it over when he became an MP.

    Stone will be taking on a veteran of the UK MMA scene in SBG Manchester’s Matt Inman who previously fought 12 times in Cage Warriors. The politician hopes that by doing this, he can help to raise the profile of the sport.

    “I’m not trying to be the best in the world, I’m not even trying to be the best at my club anymore. I’m going there because it’s a fun thing to do and I love the sport,” he told ITV West Country.

    When I started 17 years ago very few people knew what Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was….but if it wasn’t for me doing this, 90% of the people in parliament wouldn’t know what it is.”

    – Will Stone
  • Yaroslav Amosov Planned To Join The UFC While Still Being In Bellator

    Yaroslav Amosov Planned To Join The UFC While Still Being In Bellator

    Last month, former Bellator welterweight champion Yaroslav Amosov announced that he is now a free agent.

    He posted on Instagram to share the news and reflect on his time in Bellator where he spent the best part of six years with the promotion. In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Amosov provided more in details about the decision to leave Bellator and what his next steps will be.

    Having teased a potential move over to the UFC in his initial post, whether we will see him step inside the Octagon was always going to be the question that everyone had on their minds.

    Yaroslav Amosov Says The UFC Has Been On His Mind For Quite Some Time

    Amosov detailed to Nolan King how he had been waiting to for his Bellator contract to expire after not being offered any fights by the promotion. However, leaving them to pursue his dreams of fighting in the UFC was already something that he had made clear, which he thinks may be why there was a longer period of waiting.

    “Maybe 2023, one maybe two years ago, we said to Bellator that we had a plan, we don’t want to continue on, we don’t want to sign new contract and after finishing contract, we go outside and I think that’s why continue my contract in one year. Maybe that’s why but yeah, we have plan, we will go to UFC.”

    – Yaroslav Amosov

    The plan that Amosov speaks about is fairly simple, he wants to sign a one-fight deal elsewhere, potentially looking at January as an ideal time frame, and then move into the UFC.

    This is somewhat similar to the path that former ONE Championship fighter Reinier de Ridder took recently where after getting one win on UAE Warriors, he was announced to have signed with the UFC shortly after. Amosov has clearly had his sights set on the MMA leader for some time but now he can put his plan into action.

    “Now we have plan. We sign contract to just one fight and after one fight, we want go to UFC.”

    – Yaroslav Amosov
  • Brandon Royval Labels Next Opponent Tatsuro Taira ‘Overrated’

    Brandon Royval Labels Next Opponent Tatsuro Taira ‘Overrated’

    Brandon Royval attempts to continue making the case for why he deserves another flyweight title shot this weekend.

    The #1-ranked contender seemingly has less to gain than his opponent in their upcoming main event clash at the UFC Apex.

    Tatsuro Taira will be difficult to deny if he’s able to extend his undefeated streak in the UFC to seven by taking out his toughest test in “Raw Dawg”.

    Royval knows that there’s a lot of hype around his next opponent and that gives him the opportunity to steal some of the momentum so that he can force his way into another rematch with the champion, Alexandre Pantoja.

    The excitement around the 24-year old Taira is seemingly reflected in the betting odds for this fight that have the Japanese contender as the favorite.

    Brandon Royval Believes That The Odds Makers Are Way Off On His Next Match-Up

    In an interview with Mike Heck for MMA Fighting, Royval gave his reaction to being the underdog in this fight despite his experience at the top level.

    The former title challenger has trained with his upcoming opponent in the past, stating in a different interview that they last worked together around a year ago.

    Despite being impressed by Taira’s winning streak inside the Octagon, he did say that he was somewhat surprised to be fighting him this soon.

    Royval told MMA Fighting that when he looks at the betting odds, he’s convinced that hype has led to things being the wrong way round, suggesting that Taira isn’t as good as this line suggests.

    “When I saw that I’m like, am I seeing something wrong or whatever. I’m one of the most underrated dudes in the flyweight division, I’ve been thinking that for years and I also think Taira might be one of the most overrated guys in this division right now, and no disrespect on him. I’ve trained with him, he seems like a very nice kid and I’m not trying to be disrespectful. I do believe he’ll be a champion one day but I think he’s overrated and I think I’m underrated.”

  • Curtis Blaydes Reflects On UFC 304 Loss: ‘I Tossed Out the Game Plan’

    Curtis Blaydes Reflects On UFC 304 Loss: ‘I Tossed Out the Game Plan’

    Curtis Blaydes returned to England at UFC 304 where there was still a score to settle with fellow top heavyweight Tom Aspinall.

    The two men first met back in 2022 where the fight only lasted 15 seconds following an unfortunate injury to the Brit.

    With Aspinall holding the interim heavyweight title and being keen to run this one back, the stage was set for Manchester on July 27.

    In the short time that their initial encounter lasted, Blaydes had some success with his striking even if it was only a few quick exchanges.

    He wasn’t able to show any of his grappling skills that would surely be a pivotal factor in the rematch.

    Curtis Blaydes Reflects On What Went Wrong At UFC 304

    Once again at UFC 304, Blaydes wasn’t able to really test Aspinall’s wrestling which is where “Razor” holds the clearest advantage.

    He stood with his opponent which is always a dangerous game considering the timing, speed and power that the interim champ brings to the table.

    As the opening minute came to a close, Blaydes became the latest man to fall to Aspinall within the first round.

    He recently reflected on the fight and what went wrong for him in an interview with James Lynch for Inside Fighting.

    The former title challenger said that after landing some strikes of his own early on, his original game plan went out the window in that moment.

    “He starts fast, that’s the biggest thing, that’s what we knew heading into it and I kinda tossed out the game plan. We had a game plan that I was going to engage with the wrestling and engage with the clinch but I touched him early on and adrenaline kicked in and I just tossed out the game plan.

    There’s no excuse, he was the better man that night, all the praise goes to him. He landed the shot, he pounced, he got the TKO and I mean, if I gotta lose, it’s not like he’s a bum so.”

    Read also: Michael Bisping: Alex Pereira Is UFC’s No. 1 Pound-for-Pound Fighter

  • Curtis Blaydes Questions Stipe Miocic’s Readiness Ahead Of UFC 309 Clash With Jon Jones

    Curtis Blaydes Questions Stipe Miocic’s Readiness Ahead Of UFC 309 Clash With Jon Jones

    UFC 309 is a big return for Jon Jones following the injury that he suffered ahead of UFC 295 in November of last year. However, it’s an even bigger comeback for the former champion Stipe Miocic who hasn’t fought in well over three years at this point.

    The last time that we saw him compete inside the Octagon was when he lost the title to Francis Ngannou at UFC 260 in March of 2021. Though Jones’ injury couldn’t be helped, it added even more time to Miocic’s layoff that many think will be too much for him to overcome at Madison Square Garden on November 16.

    In a recent interview with James Lynch for Inside Fighting, heavyweight contender and former interim title challenger Curtis Blaydes gave his thoughts on the fight. Blaydes said the fight is so difficult to predict because we don’t know how Miocic is going to look after being gone for such a long time.

    He is likely seen by many as the best heavyweight in UFC history but three years is a long-time for anyone to be inactive, let alone someone that is going to be fighting Jones for the title.

    “Razor” did express some concerns about the health of the former champion based on second-hand comments that he has heard. Blaydes said that he has been hearing that Miocic didn’t appear to look at his best during his public appearances in recent times.

    “I mean, who knows like Stipe has been gone for so long. Rust, it might be a factor, that’s something you gotta think about and like, I’ve been hearing that like whenever Stipe shows up at like an event or a press conference or a meet and greet or anything like that.

    people have been saying that he’s got like a limp, he doesn’t look healthy, he looks smaller. I don’t know, right now, based on all that, I go Jon.”

    Read also: Michael Bisping: Alex Pereira Is UFC’s No. 1 Pound-for-Pound Fighter

  • Mario Bautista Blames Betting For Post-UFC 307 Backlash

    Mario Bautista Blames Betting For Post-UFC 307 Backlash

    Mario Bautista has taken a lot of criticism following the biggest win of his career at UFC 307 this past weekend.

    He knew that it was always going to be tough for him to get support from the majority of the fan base when you’re going up against a legend of the game like José Aldo. However, it wasn’t just that he defeated a beloved fighter, it was the way that the contest ended up playing out.

    Bautista was able to nullify a lot of Aldo’s striking by clinching with him against the cage and when the Brazilian seemed fine with settling there at points in the fight, this is where it stayed.

    He got his hand-raised via a controversial split decision where many believed that his opponent should have got the win after landing the more effective strikes and defending takedowns.

    Mario Bautista Believes He’s Getting Hate From The Fans For Ruining Their Bets

    In a recent interview with James Lynch for Sportskeeda, Bautista spoke about some of the intense messages that he has received from fans that are annoyed about his win. Though the conversation about the scorecards and his method of victory hasn’t helped proceedings, he also believes that there is another factor.

    Bautista said that many of the messages he has been recieving reference the fact that a lot of people lost money on this fight because they bet on Aldo and felt like he should have won. “The King of Rio” closed the fight as the underdog, meaning that he will have been a staple of many parlays, especially considering his performance earlier this year.

    “I would get hate no matter what, win or lose so and I do think that’s a big part too because I was a favorite coming into that and I know people are just going to put their money on Aldo for sure so I know people lost a lot of money, quite a bit of people it seems like. Even like in the messages and stuff, they say that. ‘You made me lose my parley,’ and this and that and they say a bunch of other stuff too but I think the main thing behind it is losing those bets.”

    Read also: Khalil Rountree Earned Anderson Silva’s Respect At UFC 307

  • Inside UFC 303: Coach’s Perspective On Dan Ige’s Pivotal Fight

    Inside UFC 303: Coach’s Perspective On Dan Ige’s Pivotal Fight

    On June 30, Eric Nicksick knew that he would be heading to the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas but he didn’t realize that Dan Ige would be coming with him.

    UFC 303 produced one of the most remarkable stories in the history of the promotion as Ige agreed to step in and face Diego Lopes in the co-main event all within the space of a few hours.

    After receiving the call from his fighter, Nicksick (who was already cornering on the card), immediately got to work in order to make this happen.

    He picked up his fighter’s cup from Xtreme Couture and under Ige’s instructions, assembled a corner on short notice.

    Nicksick quickly arranged to meet with both Kai Kamaka III and Sean Strickland who he knew were in Vegas, breaking up the former middleweight champion’s lunch date with his girlfriend.

    All of these details and more recently came out when he gave his side to this incredible story.

    Eric Nicksick Says Dan Ige Is Always Looking And Staying Ready For Opportunities Like This

    During his appearance on the Jaxxon Podcast, Nicksick detailed what the crazy turnaround of UFC 303 looked like from his perspective.

    He also revealed that taking fights on short notice to try and save the card is something that Ige regularly has his eye on in case something exactly like this happens.

    With him being in shape and training out of Las Vegas, he was the perfect fighter to step in for Brian Ortega who withdrew due to illness.

    “Here’s the thing about Dan. Every card, he’ll look at the landscape of the division or the card, for example, and be like, ‘hey this dude at 55, there’s these two fights at 45, whatever. Take a peek at it, let me know if something comes up short notice, I’m always down to take these types of fights, especially if the juice is worth the squeeze’ and in this particular situation, it was and he jumped on it man.”

    Nicksick also said that though they didn’t get the win, he’s glad that Ige was able to pull this off because it shows what’s possible if you’re prepared.

    He went from any old Saturday to fighting in the co-main event of International Fight Week all because he was ready to stick his hand up when the UFC called and said they needed a guy.

    “That’s what makes me the most proud about the situation is that anytime there’s an opportunity like that, our team can pick up the phone and answer the call. Chris Curtis, Sean Strickland, Roman Dolidze, Dan Ige, you know, and I think it sets a precedence amongst the rest of the team to know what is possible if you’re f****** prepared and you’re ready to go and you’re doing all the right things day in and day out, even if you’re outside of camp. Those opportunities come once in a lifetime and are you willing to open the door when that door knocks.”        

    Read also: MMA Analyst Dismisses Ilia Topuria’s Champ-Champ Aspirations