MMA News

Author: Kyle Dimond

  • Former UFC Champion Explains How Tom Aspinall’s Short Fight Time Could Be His ‘Worst Enemy’ Against Jon Jones

    Former UFC Champion Explains How Tom Aspinall’s Short Fight Time Could Be His ‘Worst Enemy’ Against Jon Jones

    Tom Aspinall came into UFC 304 this past weekend already holding the UFC record for the fastest average fight time for an athlete that has stepped foot in the Octagon several times.

    This streak doesn’t appear to be going anywhere despite his want and expectation for the rematch with Curtis Blaydes to go past the opening rounds.

    All it took was one clean shot from the interim heavyweight champion to send Blaydes off balance, where a barrage of follow-up strikes closed the show in just one minute.

    In nine total appearances since signing with the UFC, Aspinall is still yet to clock in a full 15-minute bout duration – even with all of his fights combined.

    He got this one done even quicker than his average fight time of less than two minutes but a former champion questioned whether this will come back to bite him at a later stage.

    Henry Cejudo Says Tom Aspinall’s Lack Of Cage Time Could Hurt Him Against Jon Jones

    Even before this fight, despite Blaydes being a very tough opponent for Aspinall, the fight that many want to see the Brit in is the title unification clash with Jon Jones.

    This is even more so the case after he avenged his one defeat in the UFC, which was caused by an injury, and made it look relatively simple.

    During the UFC 304 recap episode of the Pound 4 Pound podcast, Henry Cejudo made the case for why this incredibly small amount of fight time could be a disadvantage for Aspinall if he were to fight Jones.

    We’re still yet to see so many elements of his game which an experienced foe like Jones is surely going to want to try and test, if they do ever meet.

    “Last four fights bro! 3 minutes and 37 seconds, Jesus Christ. But, that can also be his worst enemy too because you know a guy like Jones, a guy like Jones is smart bro. A guy like Jones, we cannot doubt the dude. The dude could wrestle and the dude will probably make this dude fight that beast side. But I will say this man, Tom Aspinall’s agility and the fact he’s a counter puncher, like he really did counter that jab very well with that overhand bro. like his IQ on his feet is good but we also have to see him in those other areas.”

    Read also: Kamaru Usman Reacts To Belal Muhammad Dominating Leon Edwards At UFC 304: ‘Leon Doesn’t Necessarily Know How To Fight There…’

  • King Green Breaks Silence After Being Put To Sleep By Paddy Pimblett At UFC 304: ‘Let The Ridicule Begin…’

    King Green Breaks Silence After Being Put To Sleep By Paddy Pimblett At UFC 304: ‘Let The Ridicule Begin…’

    It wasn’t to be King Green’s night at UFC 304 as he made the trip over to Manchester to take on a home crowd favorite.

    Liverpool’s Paddy Pimblett provided a much-needed boost to the fans inside the Co-op Live in the early hours of Sunday morning.

    The energy from his walk out carried into the fight itself, where after Green shot for a takedown and “The Baddy” was able to showcase his submission skills off his back.

    Locking up a slick triangle, Pimblett was able to choke his opponent unconscious whilst extending his arm at the same time, to secure a huge first-round finish against his first ranked opponent.

    King Green Reflects On First Round Loss At UFC 304: ‘Kill Or Be Killed’

    Green spoke for the first time since the fight via a video that he posted on his Instagram stories, where he prepared himself for fan backlash.

    The 50-fight veteran made no excuses for the defeat and said that he expects to receive negative messages and comments from the fans after being submitted.

    Green is no stranger to being on both sides of highlight reel finishes so this isn’t a new experience for him and as he said himself, it’s kill or be killed at his level.

    “What a day. Thank you guys for checking in on me, I’m okay I guess. You know, s*** happens. Felt like I slipped into some s*** and it just all went the perfect way, I had a bad night. No excuses, s*** happens. I live by a code, kill or be killed. Today I got killed. Let the ridicule begin, you know, I know what comes with this. You guys can talk your s***, I know what comes with this. Let’s go.”

    Watch Green’s Instagram story via MMA Crazy on YouTube below:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrI7FJv6-uM

    Read also: Molly McCann Speaks On ‘Sh*t Night At The Office’ At UFC 304: ‘Wasn’t Able To Recover After That Knee…’ 

  • Kamaru Usman Quashes Notion Of Early Stoppage In Tom Aspinall’s Win Over Curtis Blaydes: ‘The Best Heavyweight’

    Kamaru Usman Quashes Notion Of Early Stoppage In Tom Aspinall’s Win Over Curtis Blaydes: ‘The Best Heavyweight’

    Tom Aspinall continued his track record of finishing fights early on, in the co-main event of UFC 304 this past weekend.

    His interim title defense against Curtis Blaydes came to an end in just one minute of the very first round, when he dropped his opponent and landed some follow-up strikes on the floor to get the win.

    The speed and timing of Aspinall was on full display once again, despite taking a punch or two from Blaydes in that opening minute.

    By his own admission, the Brit was still taking some time to work out his opponent’s range and timing after being hit when he thought Blaydes would would miss.

    What makes him so dangerous is that this didn’t even matter in the grand scheme of things as once a shot of his own landed clean, he was able to get the finish.

    Kamaru Usman Says He Had No Issues With Blaydes Stoppage, Calls Aspinall The Best Heavyweight

    Given that it was the jab from Aspinall that tipped Blaydes off balance, some questioned whether it was an early stoppage because nothing appeared to really hurt the challenger.

    Kamaru Usman doesn’t believe this was a factor as he stated during the UFC 304 review episode of the Pound 4 Pound podcast.

    Usman said that similar to Aspinall’s own view of the finish, Blaydes had nowhere to go and was only going to take more damage if the referee didn’t step in.

    “Everyone is speculating, ‘Oh, was it an early stoppage.’ At first, I would think so but this is the thing with big boys though. Yes, the jab didn’t completely [drop him]…like it was just kind of momentum. He’s coming in, he ate the jab, okay he sat him down. But when he sat him down, Curtis was still there, Curtis saw him coming, Curtis tried to get back up but those are big boys.

    “He fell on Curtis, he jumped on Curtis and when you jumped on him I mean those boys don’t move as fast and then he starts wailing off and there was moments to where Curtis was there trying to get up, a shot lands on the side of the head, he goes back down, he tries to get up so it was just kind of this grey area. I don’t think it was an early stoppage I just think Curtis was kind of caught off guard and was unable to recover quickly enough before Tom Aspinall was able to pounce on him and completely finish the fight.”

    Usman was also very high in his praise for the interim champion, labelling him as the best in his weight class despite the presence of Jon Jones.

    “I just think it was a tremendous fight. I think the speed of Tom Aspinall sets him apart from every heavyweight now. His speed, his awareness, his fearlessness to go in there and know that, ‘Hey, my shots are going to get there before yours.’ I think you have to put him in there, you have to say that Tom Aspinall right now is the best heavyweight.”

    Read also: Kamaru Usman Reacts To Belal Muhammad Dominating Leon Edwards At UFC 304: ‘Leon Doesn’t Necessarily Know How To Fight There…’

  • MMA News Today: Belal Muhammad Fans Shut Down Busy Road In Manchester After UFC 304, LHW Says Muhammad Mokaev Being Released Had Nothing To Do With His Fighting Style, & More

    MMA News Today: Belal Muhammad Fans Shut Down Busy Road In Manchester After UFC 304, LHW Says Muhammad Mokaev Being Released Had Nothing To Do With His Fighting Style, & More

    Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 29, 2024, we’re taking a look at:

    • Muhammad gets his moment in Manchester
    • Mokaev’s conduct called into question
    • Blaydes admits he got carried away with his striking

    Belal Muhammad Throws Post-Fight Celebrations In Manchester

    Belal Muhammad may not have had nearly as much in-arena support in Manchester as Leon Edwards but his fans rallied around him in victory afterwards.

    In the main event of UFC 304, Muhammad capitalized on his long-awaited title shot to become the welterweight champion via unanimous decision.

    Before he made the trip back home, the newly crowned champion celebrated on the streets of Manchester, as he drove down the street with the title in hand.

    Fans showed up to support him and blocked the busy Wilmslow Road in Rusholme on Sunday night, with Palestinian flags being waved in the crowd that gathered.

    The videos posted on social media show a long backlog of cars waiting for the crowd to disperse in order to get through.

    Zac Pauga Says There Is More To Muhammad Mokaev Not Being Re-Signed Than His Fighting Style

    One of the most surprising stories to come out of UFC 304 was Muhammad Mokaev’s future in the UFC.

    Despite beating another top flyweight contender in Manel Kape and improving his record to 13-0 at just 23 years old, Dana White announced that the promotion will not be renewing his contract now that it has concluded.

    Mokaev had made comments after his fight about being told by a member of UFC staff that they didn’t want to see him realy on his heavy grappling style, if he was going to get a new deal.

    White later clarified in his post-fight press conference that the decision was made due to the issues he causes outside of the Octagon, like starting brawls, rather than what he does inside it.

    UFC light heavyweight contender Zac Pauga seconded this on social media, suggesting that there is more to Mokaev’s issues behind the scenes than White revealed.

    “Like I said in getting tired of being the ‘inside guy’. Just know that mokaev being released had nothing to do with his fighting style, the fact that he has all these accolades and they are willing to let him walk should tell you something”

    Curtis Blaydes Says He Got ‘Greedy’ At UFC 304 In Post-Fight Statement

    Curtis Blaydes posted his first statement after coming up short in his first UFC title fight this past weekend in Manchester.

    Blaydes looked to claim the interim heavyweight title from Tom Aspinall in a rematch that lasted just one minute, after Aspinall dropped his opponent and poured on the pressure to get the stoppage.

    In a message on his Instagram story, “Razor” thanked his supporters and said that he got overzealous with his striking early on.

    Blaydes was able to have success in the striking range early on but trading with the Brit didn’t appear to be the approach that he and his team had planned for.

    “Sorry guys, I got greedy when I touched him early and threw out the amazing gameplan that my coaches Vinnie Lopez (and) Cody Donovan came up with that would’ve worked I’m sure of it. No excuses Tom was on point tonight I know this isn’t the end of my journey but damnit, I know I’m better than tonight’s performance. I appreciate all the support truly it’s been an eye opening experience to have so many ppl rocking with me,” Blaydes wrote.

    Curtis Blaydes
    Image: @razorblaydes265/Instagram

    Read more on the story here.

    For more MMA news, check out:

  • Kamaru Usman Reacts To Belal Muhammad Dominating Leon Edwards At UFC 304: ‘Leon Doesn’t Necessarily Know How To Fight There…’

    The UK fans inside the Co-op Live in the early hours of Sunday morning left following a disappointing result for the home fighter.

    England’s Leon Edwards failed to make the third defense of his welterweight title after losing a unanimous decision to Belal Muhammad.

    Many expected that given Edwards’ recent run of results against top tier opposition, he would be able to deal with the heavy grappling game of his challenger and out strike him on the feet.

    This wasn’t to be the case as Muhammad regularly secured takedowns and even had success with his boxing when pressuring “Rocky” against the cage.

    The constant output from the challenger kept Edwards on the back foot where he was able to make a clever adjustment that a former opponent of the defending champion’s picked up on.

    Kamaru Usman Breaks Down The Adjustment Belal Muhammad Made And Where Leon Edwards Went Wrong

    Former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman knows Edwards better than most due to sharing the Octagon with him on three separate occasions.

    As an elite wrestler, Usman constantly tested the defense of “Rocky” which fans saw improve with each fight that he spent in there with “The Nigerian Nightmare”.

    He spoke on a recent episode of the Pound 4 Pound podcast where he broke down where Edwards’ style worked against him in this fight.

    “Now, I fought Leon three times. I would say for a majority of all those fights, Leon put his back up against the cage. Well, he didn’t put his back there, I put him there up against the cage. You pressure him, you pressure him, you pressure him, you take away his space and Leon just doesn’t necessarily know how to fight there when you take away his space. He wants to create the space so he backs up and when he backs up, next thing you know, he puts himself up against the cage.”

    Crucially, Usman broke down what Muhammad did differently to his three fights against Edwards, which meant he was able to regularly take down and control the Brit.

    “Now, when you fight a guy like myself and a guy like Belal Muhammad that can change levels on you, hey, this is what you’re going to get. We’re going to change levels, we’re going to wrap our arms around your legs and we’re going to take you down every time and that’s what I did in almost every one of my fights but Leon over the time got smart enough to know, ‘Hey, I can use the cage to my advantage to stand up or to keep myself upright and make it harder for people to keep me down,’ and that’s what he was doing.

    “But, it’s almost like he counters what I do which is put him up against the fence and take him down by using the fence to stand back up and stay upright but then here comes the counter, the counter-counter shall I say, in Belal Muhammad in understanding that, ‘Hey, he uses the fence very well to stand back up so when he does stand back up, you know what I’m going to do? I’m going to change levels back again and I’m going to dump him either on his head or I’m going to dump him on his back again,’ and this was textbook.”

    Read also: Israel Adesanya Reacts To Belal Muhammad’s Title Win Over Leon Edwards At UFC 304: ‘I’m A Fan Now!’

  • ‘No Reason Why Anyone Should Consider Jones The Champ’ – MMA Fighters & Fans React After Tom Aspinall Notches Up Another Impressive First-Round Finish At UFC 304

    ‘No Reason Why Anyone Should Consider Jones The Champ’ – MMA Fighters & Fans React After Tom Aspinall Notches Up Another Impressive First-Round Finish At UFC 304

    Tom Aspinall successfully defended his UFC interim heavyweight title in the co-main event of UFC 304 by stopping Curtis Blaydes in the first round.

    As fans have come to expect from the Brit, he closed the show early on after dropping Blaydes and getting the TKO finish in the opening minute.

    The challenger was able to have some success early on with his strikes but Aspinall only needed to pull off one well-timed entry to find the shot he was looking for.

    Aspinall, and the UFC commentary team, called for the title unification fight with Jon Jones who is expected to return later this year against Stipe Miocic.

    MMA World Reacts To Tom Aspinall’s Successful Homecoming In Manchester

    MMA fighters and fans reacted on social media as Aspinall finished yet another opponent without needing to go to a second round.

    Many, as expected, want to see him stand across the cage from “Bones” as was the case before this fight.

    https://twitter.com/TheAnswerMMA/status/1817412935192596831
    https://twitter.com/afeldMMA/status/1817413852163715177
    https://twitter.com/MerabDvalishvil/status/1817414086600372575

    Read also: UFC 304: Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 2 Live Results & Highlights

  • ‘McCann Has Heart…But Is Becoming The Chisora Of MMA’ – MMA Fans React After Molly McCann Gets Outclassed By Bruna Brasil At UFC 304

    ‘McCann Has Heart…But Is Becoming The Chisora Of MMA’ – MMA Fans React After Molly McCann Gets Outclassed By Bruna Brasil At UFC 304

    Molly McCann suffered the first defeat of any of the home fighters at UFC 304 as she lost a one-sided decision to Bruna Brasil.

    McCann’s signature toughness was on full display once again as she battled through a tough opening round to make it the distance.

    Brasil had a lot of success with her striking after hurting her opponent with a body kick in the opening round, that appeared to be the beginning of the end.

    Despite McCann’s best efforts to turn the tide late on, it wasn’t enough to get the nod on the scorecards in this prelim bout.

    MMA Fans React As Molly McCann Suffers A Defeat On Home Soil

    MMA fans reacted on social media as McCann battled against a strong showing from Brasil through all three rounds.

    The crowd was on her side but it wasn’t the Liverpool fighter’s night on this occasion.

    Read also: UFC 304: Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 2 Live Results & Highlights

  • Max Holloway Gives His Reaction To Not Headlining UFC 306 At The Sphere: ‘I Feel Damaged, Bro…’

    Max Holloway Gives His Reaction To Not Headlining UFC 306 At The Sphere: ‘I Feel Damaged, Bro…’

    The huge event that is planned for UFC 306 at the Sphere in Las Vegas has got its main event, with UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley taking on Merab Dvalishvili.

    Another contender to headline this card was the planned featherweight title fight.

    Ilia Topuria making his first title defense against Max Holloway may just be the best fight of the year but it appears that the two 145-pounders will be meeting at a later date.

    Despite being in the UFC’s good books following his emphatic performance at UFC 300, Holloway is disappointed to have missed out at The Sphere event.

    Max Holloway Reacts To Missing Out On Headlining The Sphere

    During a recent stream, Holloway reacted to the news of the official card announcement for UFC 306, which is set to celebrate Mexican Independence Day.

    “Blessed” was hoping to be a part of the first combat sports event to be hosted at the groundbreaking venue – and for good reason.

    Dana White has promised an event unlike any other, and whilst O’Malley vs Dvalishvili is a fitting main event, Topuria and Holloway might have been even better if online fan reaction is to be gauged.

    The BMF champ gave his thoughts on having to wait a little longer to get his shot at the title that formerly belonged to him.

    “This is how I feel though the about the Sphere card, this is how I feel right here, s*** sucks bro. I feel damaged bro, it should have been us brother. It’s Mexican Independence Day guys, you guys cannot have a Spaniard, who Mexicans got their independence back from, to headline the card on Mexican Independence Day bro. Come on. I was trying to tell you guys but everybody knew that I was fighting in the Sphere, except for me.”

    Read also: UFC 304: Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 2 Live Results & Highlights

  • UFC Commentator Feels Belal Muhammad’s Trash Talk Is Not Affecting Leon Edwards At All: ‘I Think He’s Laughing It All Off’

    UFC Commentator Feels Belal Muhammad’s Trash Talk Is Not Affecting Leon Edwards At All: ‘I Think He’s Laughing It All Off’

    UFC 304 appears to be a personal affair for welterweight title challenger Belal Muhammad, who has had to wait a long time to get his shot.

    Ever since the way that his first fight ended with Leon Edwards three years ago, Muhammad has been campaigning for this rematch and slandering the character of “Rocky.”

    “Remember the Name” has continued to speak about how winning the title is one thing but beating Edwards for it in particular makes this fight even more meaningful to him.

    The champion, on the other hand, believes that his opponent is coming up with this narrative and has referred to him as “deluded.”

    John Gooden Believes Leon Edwards Isn’t Bothered By Belal Muhammad’s Words Pre-UFC 304

    Muhammad’s trash talk at the press conference on fight week didn’t appear to bother Edwards, and UFC commentator John Gooden believes that this comes from experience.

    He spoke in an interview with InsideFighting about how he doesn’t think the champion is going to be bothered by anything that his next opponent can say about him.

    Having already gone through the experience of facing Colby Covington in his last outing, Edwards has been through the ringer when it comes to pre-fight comments.

    “Leon, I think, used to suffer from some of that and biting back and not really finding the right sort of quips and banter to answer back. I’m going back to like, Darren Till times, because before that, it didn’t really happen. But I feel like when he walked out and then he got the boos in London, I think he was a little bit p***** off.

    “But, he’s now gone through issues with Kamaru, Kamaru was still digging at home and it wasn’t egregious and really horrible and toxic like Colby was. But I think when you go through a little bit more and a little bit more, your skin gets thicker, and then you realize like, ‘What’s the use in me taking this on board?’ And I have to say, I’ve had a few interactions with Leon now and his team and I think he’s just laughing a lot of it off. Belal is really going in on Leon, really going in.”

  • Anthony Smith Feels Leon Edwards More Improved Than Belal Muhammad Ahead Of Rematch: ‘He Was So Good On His Feet That Colby Didn’t Even Want To Shoot’

    Anthony Smith Feels Leon Edwards More Improved Than Belal Muhammad Ahead Of Rematch: ‘He Was So Good On His Feet That Colby Didn’t Even Want To Shoot’

    Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad last met three years ago but with the fights and accomplishments of both men since that point, it’s hard to take that meeting into consideration ahead of the rematch.

    At UFC 304 this weekend, they will meet again in the main event as Edwards looks to defend his welterweight title for the third time.

    The one aspect of their first encounter that can be used as a measuring stick is to see which man has improved the most since that point in time.

    Many would point to Edwards’ recent fights against fellow top welterweights as the difference, if they were predicting “Rocky” to come out on top.

    Anthony Smith Believes Leon Edwards Is Improved Fighter Heading Into Belal Muhammad Rematch

    Anthony Smith believes that Edwards has improved more out of the two men because we’ve seen him have success against a higher level of opposition.

    Muhammad has beaten several top contenders since his first encounter with Edwards but the Brit’s recent wins over Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington stand out.

    Not only did he get his hand raised against both men, he was successful at fending off their heavy grappling approaches, which Muhammad is sure to use as his game plan in Manchester.

    Smith spoke during an event preview for ESPN MMA about how he gives the champion the edge because of what we’ve seen him do against two of the best wrestlers to ever grace the 170-pound division.

    “I would believe it’s probably Leon. I think that he’s been in harder fights versus better guys, that’s no disrespect to the guys that Belal has beaten but they’re not at the level of a Kamaru Usman. I think the Colby fight was a big deal for Leon, not because of the way that he won or what he was trying to prove, I think that style is impossible for people to deal with including Kamaru Usman, who a lot of people think is the welterweight greatest of all time.

    “I think the way that he made Colby look where he was so uncomfortable on his feet he couldn’t even shoot, we’ve never even heard of that. He didn’t even have to defend takedowns because he was so good on his feet that Colby didn’t want to shoot. I thought that was a big deal.”

    Read also: UFC 304: Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 2 Weigh-In Live Stream & Results

  • Tom Aspinall Speculates About Jon Jones’ Next Opponent After Stipe Miocic: ‘That’s Way More Likely That Jones Fighting Me’

    Tom Aspinall Speculates About Jon Jones’ Next Opponent After Stipe Miocic: ‘That’s Way More Likely That Jones Fighting Me’

    Tom Aspinall has made it perfectly clear that whilst fighting Jon Jones is still something he would love to do in his career, he doesn’t think it will happen.

    The UFC heavyweight champion has been teasing that he will make his return from injury later this year, where he will defend his title against Stipe Miocic.

    When the fight was removed from UFC 295 last year due to Jones’ injury, Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich stepped into the co-main event on short notice where the Brit became the interim champion.

    He’s now set to defend that title this weekend at UFC 304 in a rematch with Curtis Blaydes, in a fight that many are considering to be for the real undisputed world championship.

    Aspinall believes that even if both he and Jones are victorious in their next fights, there’s more chance of “Bones” taking another route instead.

    Tom Aspinall Says Alex Pereira Has A Better Chance Of Fighting Jon Jones Than He Does

    Jones has made it perfectly clear during his absence that fighting Aspinall isn’t something that he sees as adding anything to his legacy, which is already assured in the sport.

    “Bones” has however, floated the idea of a potential fight against the light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, which would be a massive contest.

    During UFC 304 fight week, Aspinall spoke in an interview with Michael Bisping where he said that in his opinion, there’s more chance of that fight happening than him unifying the titles against Jones.

    “Yeah, he might do. That’s way more likely than Jon Jones fighting me. Way more likely.”

    Aspinall added that he doesn’t believe it’s an issue of Jones not wanting to fight him specifically, as he can understand why that fight isn’t the best option for the champion right now.

    “Well, he’s going to get more money fighting Alex Pereira than he is me first of all and it’s an easier match-up. I’m not saying he doesn’t want to fight me, I’m saying that there’s more favorable match-ups. If the shoe was on the other foot, I would do the same.”

    Read also: Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Names Who Has The Best Chance To Beat Jon Jones Out Of Stipe Miocic, Tom Aspinall, & Alex Pereira

  • Undefeated UFC Featherweight Hyder Amil Claims He Would ‘Mess Up’ Champion Ilia Topuria (Exclusive)

    Undefeated UFC Featherweight Hyder Amil Claims He Would ‘Mess Up’ Champion Ilia Topuria (Exclusive)

    For the first time in a long time, there is a new champion at the top of the featherweight division who is going to have a target on his back.

    Ilia Topuria has made a huge impact since signing with the UFC and his knockout win over Alexander Volkanovski to claim the 145-pound gold was his best performance to date.

    If “El Matador” wants to stay at the top for a long time, he doesn’t just have to worry about the contenders that are currently in the mix like Max Holloway and Movsar Evloev.

    There are plenty of competitors coming through that all hope to square off with Topuria down the line and the champ is certainly someone that Hyder Amil has got in his sights.

    Hyder Amil Believes He Matches Up Well With Featherweight Champion Ilia Topuria

    Undefeated featherweight contender Amil maintained his perfect start to life in the UFC this past weekend, where he stopped Jeong Yeong Lee in the first round.

    As he continues to climb up the rankings, he has a potential path to the top already laid out in front of him in his mind.

    He spoke in a recent interview with MMA News about how once he makes it to title contention, after taking out England’s Arnold Allen along the way, he hopes that Topuria is still the champion.

    Amil said that alongside a fight with Holloway not being ideal, he believes that he has the ability to cause the current titleholder some serious problems if their paths were to cross inside the Octagon.

    “I need someone in top 30-20, then maybe another person or two, fight Arnold Allen, knock him out and then fight Ilia Topuria, Max Holloway. Ideally I fight Ilia Topuria. Max Holloway has kind of connections to my team, that would be a great fight also but stylistically, I would mess up Ilia Topuria. I don’t care what anyone says.”

    Read also: Beneil Dariush Brands Teammate Giga Chikadze The ‘Best In The World When He’s On’ Ahead Of UFC 304

  • ‘Please Delete This, I Don’t Want To Like Him’ – MMA Fans React To Emotional Video Of Belal Muhammad Taking Care Of A Child Saved From Gaza

    ‘Please Delete This, I Don’t Want To Like Him’ – MMA Fans React To Emotional Video Of Belal Muhammad Taking Care Of A Child Saved From Gaza

    Every episode of the UFC Countdown series before a big PPV card tends to follow a similar format of following the headlining fighters during their fight camps.

    In the case of UFC 304’s video, Belal Muhammad’s segment has the usual clips of him training, with parts about his team and journey to getting a shot at the welterweight title.

    One aspect gave fans a bit more of a glimpse into Muhammad as a person and how he tries to use what he has earned to benefit those that are less fortunate.

    The #2-ranked welterweight has made his feelings very clear about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine but he isn’t just trying to spread a message.

    Muhammad took actions into his own hands to try and help where possible when he flew a young boy out of Gaza to come and stay with him after his house was destroyed in the war.

    Two-year-old Jood Ahmad Damo has been living out in Chicago for around six months now, and walks with a limp after his knee cap was broken and he needed surgery.

    The boy is shown in the Countdown episode living a happy life away from conflict as Muhammad gets emotional speaking about how there are so many others that aren’t receiving this same kind of help and support.

    MMA Fans React To Belal Muhammad Getting Emotional In UFC 304 Countdown Episode

    Ahead of his clash with Leon Edwards at UFC 304 this weekend, this video shows a side to Muhammad that some fans may have not seen in the past.

    A shortened compilation video was put out on social media and was sure to grab some attention.

    Fans reacted to the video, which is impossible to watch without feeling something.

    “Please delete I don’t want to like him”

    “I’ve seen enough now. Muhammad gets in done inside two.”

    “Belal is a good guy man.”

    https://twitter.com/Malcolm_fleX48/status/1816602211658395989

    “Belal is a very likeable guy when he’s not talking about MMA, any fighters, himself and any of his opponents”

    “W BELAL!! most people don’t see this side of him”

    https://twitter.com/EMDBassam/status/1816604808641470845

    “I apologize for ever hating this guy. who is cutting onions?”

    Read also: UFC 304: Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 2 Weigh-In Live Stream & Results

  • MMA News Today: Tom Aspinall Comes Clean On Fake Pre-Fight Routine, Aljamain Sterling Wins Karate Combat Debut In The Final Seconds, & More

    MMA News Today: Tom Aspinall Comes Clean On Fake Pre-Fight Routine, Aljamain Sterling Wins Karate Combat Debut In The Final Seconds, & More

    Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 26, 2024, we’re taking a look at:

    • Aspinall finally puts the petrol rumors to rest
    • Sterling got his hand raised after clutching the match in the final seconds
    • Holloway gives massive praise to UFC 304 fighter

    Tom Aspinall Finally Admits That Strange Pre-Fight Preparations Was A Joke

    Ahead of his interim heavyweight title defense at UFC 304, Tom Aspinall revealed a unique pre-fight process that he was putting himself through in preparation.

    The Brit told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour that he was following the methods of classic bare knuckle boxers by shadow boxing around haybales and dipping his hands in petrol each night.

    Some instantly called it out that Aspinall was in fact trying to trick Helwani but after he didn’t crack a smile at any point, others thought the champion might be telling the truth.

    A video posted on fight week shows one half of this weekend’s co-main event calling Helwani in the middle of the night to provide evidence of his preparations.

    After leading him on for a bit longer, Aspinall confessed that it was all a joke and that he’s having to tell the truth after people thought he was being serious about it.

    Aljamain Sterling Pulls Off A Clutch Win In Karate Combat Grappling Debut

    Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling made his Karate Combat debut on July 25, where he got his hand raised in the final seconds of the contest.

    Competing in the Pit Submission Series, he secured the win over Jay Jay Wilson at Karate Combat 48 in Nashville.

    The contest was nearly about to end in a points draw but with the clock ticking down to the final seconds, Sterling was able to pass guard and take his opponent’s back to score the winning point in the dying moments.

    After the match, a fired-up Sterling said that his full focus is now on handing Movsar Evloev his first loss in a crucial featherweight match-up at UFC 307 in October.

    Also of note for this grappling match is that Sterling weighed in at a staggering 171-pounds.

    Sterling even received praise from his former opponent and the current UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley who phoned in during the match.

    Max Holloway Praises The Fight IQ Of UFC 304 Fighter: ‘Super High, Super Smart’

    Max Holloway believes that the main event of UFC 304 will be a battle between two tacticians that rarely stray from their gameplans.

    Both the welterweight champion Leon Edwards and his challenger Belal Muhammad aren’t known for going out there and being involved in wars.

    With a fight like this, it will come down to which man is able to implement their approach the best and with that in mind, Holloway is backing the champ to retain in Manchester.

    He broke down the card during a recent YouTube video where “Blessed” spoke extremely high of Edwards’s ability to read and control a fight.

    “Belal is a tactician. he’s a gameplanner. He does not stray away from his gameplan,” Holloway said. “But so does Leon, bro. Leon is a tactician. He’s a gameplanner. He sticks to his gameplan no matter what. … A lot of people were counting Leon out (ahead of the Covington fight) like he was gonna get grappled.

    “Leon is one of the very few IQs in this game that I respect, man,” Holloway continued. “His fight IQ is super high, super smart. It’s just hard to go against the champ here, bro. I think Belal puts on a fight. Early in the fight, I think it’s a tough fight. But then when we get to the third and then the championship rounds, I think Leon is gonna take over.”

    Read more on the story here.

    For more MMA news, check out:

  • ‘This Is The Whole Anthony Smith Thing Again’ – MMA Fans Split After Curtis Blaydes Promises To Eviscerate Alex Pereira At Heavyweight

    ‘This Is The Whole Anthony Smith Thing Again’ – MMA Fans Split After Curtis Blaydes Promises To Eviscerate Alex Pereira At Heavyweight

    Alex Pereira carries an aura unlike any other fighter we have seen in the UFC, during his campaigns at both middleweight and light heavyweight.

    As the current champion at 205 pounds, “Poatan” has spoken about the potential of him moving up to heavyweight at some stage to try and become a champion in a third weight class before retiring.

    The prospect of seeing this has got the fans excited with a striker as dangerous and powerful, going up against the biggest men in the UFC.

    Curtis Blaydes said that should he win the interim title this weekend in a rematch with Tom Aspinall, he would more than welcome Pereira up to the division.

    He spoke at the UFC 304 media day about how he believes it would not end well for the light heavyweight champion if he did make the jump.

    “Bad idea. I’ll give you my premediated plan, I’m going to shoot. Immediately. Why would I give him any chance to knock me out on the feet when I know I can take him down at will and I’m sure, he has to know that. I think he’s looking for a specific heavyweight, not any heavyweight. He has match-ups against, I can see him beating guys like Tai, we watched him sparring Tai Tuivasa. Maybe some other guys like the bottom of the top 15 but you give him a top five guy with some real weight, he’s not winning.”

    Blaydes once again confirmed that if Pereira still wants to come up should “Razor” get the win in Manchester, he’d be happy to oblige.

    “Yes, I know that’s what everyone wants to hear. Yes, I would f****** love Alex Pereira. It’s not cause he’s not good, I’m heavier than he is. Just at heavyweight, gravity, weight matters. It’s not as skill-based, that’s just how it is.”

    MMA Fans React To Curtis Blaydes Labelling An Alex Pereira Heavyweight Move As A ‘Bad Idea’

    Pereira is always going to have an army of fans that back him but it’s probably fair to say that Blaydes would be the toughest match-up for him at heavyweight.

    Not only is he a natural heavyweight, as Blaydes said himself, he has no interest in wanting to strike with “Poatan” and would look to take him down as soon as possible.

    That being said, taking Pereira down is the best route to victory for nearly every opponent that he has faced inside the Octagon and no one has been able to keep him there.

    Fight fans responded to Blaydes’ comments on social media by questioning whether his assessment is correct.

    “I mean that’s a fair assessment, but you never know until the fight plays out. We are still yet to see Pereira’s ground game in full display, so no questions can be answered. I’m a fan of both but wouldn’t be surprised if Pereira got it done”

    “I disagree, let Alex put on 15 pounds and the whole division gets wiped out.”

    “Blaydes isn’t wrong here, but he also thought he’d take down Derrick Lewis”

    “Curtis has been one of my favorites for a long long while but he’ll make a bad decision and get in a situation I think”

    https://twitter.com/Chris_Topher_/status/1816225787546390977

    “This is the whole Anthony Smith thing again”

    “Fair and realistic take from Blaydes”

    “Honestly, if he puts on the weight well, I think it’s a pick’em. Would be a good but quick fight either way imo.”

    Read also: Former Opponent Of Jon Jones’ Believes Tom Aspinall Would Be ‘Too Much’ For Him: ‘He Has All The Weapons To Beat Jon’

  • ‘Conor Lost The Match But He Planning On Winning The War’ – MMA Fans React After McGregor DMs Khabib, Offers To Buy His House

    ‘Conor Lost The Match But He Planning On Winning The War’ – MMA Fans React After McGregor DMs Khabib, Offers To Buy His House

    Conor McGregor is not necessarily known for having a track record of burying the hatchet when it comes to people that he has had beef with.

    The tension has never risen as high as it did during the build to UFC 229, where his feud with Khabib Nurmagomedov became very personal.

    Though Dustin Poirier also regularly finds himself back in McGregor’s firing line, there is nobody that “The Notorious” likes to fire at more than his former lightweight rival.

    This is especially true at the moment given the current saga that is playing out between Nurmagomedov and the Russian government over unpaid tax.

    “The Eagle” reportedly owes a rough figure of $3.5 million and if you thought that McGregor would decide to keep quiet in this period, you don’t know the man.

    Fans React To Conor McGregor Posting Screenshots Of DMs Sent To Khabib Nurmagomedov

    McGregor’s latest jab that he fired at the former lightweight champion came in the form of a screenshot.

    Surprisingly, at least on this social media platform, the post shows McGregor sending a direct message to Nurmagomedov for the first time on Instagram.

    In reference to the former fighter’s current situation, “The Mac” sent him a message and jokingly offered to buy his house because he cannot afford it.

    Fight fans reacted to McGregor once again hoping to have the last laugh on social media.

    “Conor lost the match but he planning on winning the war”

    “doesn’t hit like it should knowing he got 10-7’d in the cage unfortunately”

    “Didn’t Khabib spit on this guy and utterly ruin his career Lmao”

    https://twitter.com/elephant_ring/status/1816263590489514357

    “My boy did a bump and chose a file”

    https://twitter.com/ChopDewey/status/1816264938404356564

    “Left on delivered and forcing the beef in 2024”

    https://twitter.com/Charltapper/status/1816250554382762112

    ““Brotha where is the toilet roll” i’m crying”

    Read more: Conor McGregor Takes Issue With ESPN’s List Of Top 10 Women’s MMA Fighters: ‘Cyborg Is A Convicted Steroid Cheat!’

  • Alexander Volkanovski Angling To Be Short-Notice Replacement For Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway: ‘I’ll Actually Be Ready This Time…’

    Alexander Volkanovski Angling To Be Short-Notice Replacement For Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway: ‘I’ll Actually Be Ready This Time…’

    Alexander Volkanovski was one of the most active champions on the roster during his UFC featherweight title reign but after losing the belt earlier this year, he’s finally taken some long overdue time off.

    Rather than jumping right back into a rematch with Ilia Topuria following their first encounter at UFC 298, he made the decision to wait and see how things play out.

    In his absence, Topuria is expected to face BMF titleholder Max Holloway in the coming months with a recent social media post from the champion suggesting that an announcement isn’t far away.

    Though Volkanovski is going to be ready and waiting for the winner, he may also be keeping his phone by his side during fight week for the featherweight title bout.

    Alexander Volkanovski Says He Will Be Fight-Ready Just In Case He’s Needed

    It has become a regular joke amongst MMA fans that Volkanovski will answer the call to step in for absolutely anybody after what went down at UFC 294 last year.

    The 145-pound champion, at the time, stepped in on two weeks notice to face lightweight king Islam Makhachev in a rematch and ultimately regretted his decision after the fight didn’t go his way.

    Despite his coaches believing that this was the wrong decision to make at the time, it doesn’t appear to have deterred Volkanovski.

    He openly admitted that he wasn’t in fighting shape when agreeing to face Makhachev but he’s now ready to ensure that if the UFC come calling, he’s good to go.

    During UFC 304 fight week, he told The Mac Life in an interview that though he’s happy to wait to face Topuria or Holloway, he will be just one call away if either man is unfit to compete.

    “It’s a situation obviously, again, I’m going to be getting antsy but you know, we’ve got plenty of good content coming. I’m going to, you know, I will stay ready and Ash [manager] ain’t going to like this one. I’ll be training really hard and fight fit cuz if there is a late notice, cuz that s*** excites me man, it gets me going but I’ll actually be ready for it this time. I’ll make sure I’m in good nick all year round because I want, so even me having that in my head that if you have to save the day here or there, it’s going to help in training, keep things exciting.”

    Read also: Beneil Dariush Brands Teammate Giga Chikadze The ‘Best In The World When He’s On’ Ahead Of UFC 304

  • MMA News Today: Teammate Feels Belal Muhammad Will ‘Surprise’ Leon Edwards On The Feet At UFC 304, Video Emerges Of Paddy Pimblett Struggling To Handle Tony Ferguson’s Straight Punches, & More

    MMA News Today: Teammate Feels Belal Muhammad Will ‘Surprise’ Leon Edwards On The Feet At UFC 304, Video Emerges Of Paddy Pimblett Struggling To Handle Tony Ferguson’s Straight Punches, & More

    Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 25, 2024, we’re taking a look at:

    • Gordon believes Muhammad can catch Edwards off guard
    • Video shows Ferguson’s boxing success against Pimblett
    • Former Jones rival backs Aspinall to beat him

    Jared Gordon Says Belal Muhammad Can Surprise Leon Edwards On The Feet

    Belal Muhammad comes into his first UFC title fight with tons of confidence that he is the best welterweight in the world.

    His winning streak has been very impressive but in the champion Leon Edwards, he faces a very tough test at UFC 304 this weekend.

    It doesn’t take an expert analyst to break down why the challenger’s wrestling will be crucial in this fight if he is able to take Edwards’ striking game away from him.

    During a fight week interview with InsideFighting, his teammate Jared Gordon broke down how he sees the fight playing out.

    Whilst he expects Muhammad to really come into his own in the second half of the fight, he also predicted that he might be able to catch “Rocky” off guard when it comes to the stand-up battle.

    “I see Belal surprising him on the feet and I think his pressure and the later rounds is what’s going to separate them and Belal always does better in the later rounds where Leon tends to fade, you know. So I think Belal’s going to have to get through that first round, second round, and then he’s going to cook him.”

    Social Media Video Shows Tony Ferguson Repeatedly Landing Straight Punches Against Paddy Pimblett

    Paddy Pimblett will face the toughest test of his UFC run to date this weekend when he takes on King Green in Manchester.

    Whilst “The Baddy” has had a lot of success inside the Octagon, his striking defense has been called into question a few times.

    This is something he’s been working on extensively in recent times and against the boxing skills of Green, it’s sure to be a major factor at UFC 304.

    A recent highlights compilation posted on X showed how Tony Ferguson was able to have success against Pimblett at UFC 296 by utilizing his straight punches.

    “El Cucuy” didn’t deal a whole lot of damage in the fight but he was able to consistently land these shots.

    With Green being known for his speed and combinations, not taking too many jabs or straights may have been a significant part of the Brit’s training camp for this next outing.

    Alexander Gustafsson Says He Can See Tom Aspinall Beating Jon Jones If They Ever Fight

    There aren’t many fighters that know Jon Jones better than his former light heavyweight rival, Alexander Gustaffson.

    “The Mauler” fought tooth and nail with “Bones” 11 years ago in one of the best title fights we’ve ever seen and met him for a second time in a rematch.

    Despite interim champion Tom Aspinall returning to defend his title this weekend against Curtis Blaydes, the match-up that many have been speaking about is the Brit taking on Jones at some stage.

    Gustaffson spoke in a recent interview with Crypto Sports Betting (h/t FightBook MMA) where he said that if the fight happens, he believes England’s Aspinall has what it takes to be the first man to beat the consensus greatest of all time.

    “Yes, I think Tom will be too much for Jon. He has all the weapons to beat Jon. Jon hasn’t been that active, but he’s still the GOAT. You can never count this guy out, he’s so freaking good at what he does. He’s handled every opponent and everybody knows how good he is, but Aspinall right now, I see him as very dangerous for Jon,” Gustafsson continued. “He’s dangerous on his feet, he’s fast, he has great footwork, and he’s a smart fighter. He has the tools to do good against Jon and even beat him. If they will fight, now is the time for Aspinall. He could go down as one of the best heavyweights ever.”

    Read more on the story here.

    For more MMA news, check out:

  • Belal Muhammad Suggests UK Fans Only Support Leon Edwards Because He’s A British Champion: ‘How Can You Be A Fan Of The Guy?’

    Belal Muhammad Suggests UK Fans Only Support Leon Edwards Because He’s A British Champion: ‘How Can You Be A Fan Of The Guy?’

    Since winning the UFC welterweight title in stunning fashion at UFC 278, Leon Edwards has become the face of UK MMA.

    “Rocky” has become a star in this past of the world but his next title challenger doesn’t believe that his supporters are really fans of him.

    Belal Muhammad will look to spoil the night at UFC 304 in Manchester by dethroning Edwards in the main event which will take place in the early hours of Sunday morning.

    Whilst the fans in attendance are sure to leave the Co-op Live Arena disappointed if the final bout of the evening doesn’t go the way of the Brit, Muhammad believes that they were only backing Edwards in the first place because he holds the gold.

    Belal Muhammad Doesn’t Think UK Fans Actually Care About Leon Edwards

    In a fight week interview with Kaz Crossley for Title Sports Network, Muhammad doubled down on his theory that Edwards doesn’t have real ride or die fans.

    He questioned why people back “Rocky” when he doesn’t go out of his way to build his profile and brand by putting himself out there more.

    “Yeah I don’t think Leon has any fans if I’m being honest. Like how can you be a fan of the guy? He’s not loud, he doesn’t talk, he doesn’t tweet, he doesn’t promote himself, he just has the belt.”

    Muhammad then spoke about why he believes Edwards only gets support from the UK fans because he is the welterweight champion.

    The #2-ranked contender at 170-pounds made reference to Edwards’ fight with Gunnar Nelson in 2019 where he was booed in London due to his beef with one half of the main event on that night, Liverpool’s Darren Till.

    “100%. Yeah, I don’t think they’re, you weren’t even riding for Leon before he got the belt. They were booing him. Like before that, they didn’t care about him, they wanted Darren Till to win the belt before him so I don’t think they really care about Leon Edwards. They’re just like, ‘Ah man, Leon got it, all right well let’s go cheer for him right now since it’s going to be at our house anyway, we’ll go watch him.’”

    Read also: Daniel Cormier Believes Leon Edwards & Belal Muhammad Are Underestimating Each Other Ahead Of UFC 304: ‘Both Of These Guys Are Much Better…’

  • Former UFC Fighter Jokes About King Green vs. Paddy Pimblett At UFC 304: ‘Biggest Thing He Needs To Worry About Is The Name Change…’

    Former UFC Fighter Jokes About King Green vs. Paddy Pimblett At UFC 304: ‘Biggest Thing He Needs To Worry About Is The Name Change…’

    Two of the boldest characters on the UFC roster will clash at UFC 304 when Paddy Pimblett takes on King Green in Manchester this weekend.

    Both men are true one of a kind personalities that don’t allow what others think of them to affect who they are.

    “The Baddy” has proven to be a love or hate fighter ever since he first stepped foot inside the Octagon.

    He now looks to remain undefeated since signing with the UFC by beating his first ranked opponent, who recently legally changed his first name from Bobby to King.

    A former member of the roster recently jokingly remarked that this name change could be the secret weapon for Green as he looks to pull off the win in enemy territory.

    Tyson Pedro Jokes That King Green’s Name Change Will Give Him Even More Confidence Than Before

    Fox Sports previewed all the action that is set to take place on July 27 via mainevent where they were joined by several of the stars of UFC 304.

    Before Pimblett joined the show, the panel gave their thoughts on the fight with featherweight contender Josh Culibao and former UFC light heavyweight Tyson Pedro breaking down the match-up.

    Pedro, who fought 11 times in the UFC before retiring in March, believes that Pimblett’s ground game will be crucial to him winning this fight.

    During his analysis on where “The Baddy” poses the biggest challenge to his opponent, Pedro mixed up Green’s names for a split second before correcting himself.

    He joked how the #15-ranked lightweight is going to come into this fight with even more confidence than normal after changing his name to King.

    “I would say that’s where he would be leaning towards beating Bobby, King I should say. King Green. That’s probably the biggest thing that he needs to worry about, the name change. The confidence that he’s going to have from the name change is going to be big. But yeah, I would say that that’s where he’s going to try and beat him right, on the ground, but it’s a hard fight.”

    Read also: Fans React As Belal Muhammad Says UFC 304 Win Puts Him Right Below GSP: ‘People Who Believe The Moon Is Made Of Cheese Are Less Wrong’

  • Tom Aspinall Invites Grappling-Heavy Approach From Curtis Blaydes At UFC 304: ‘Not A Very Comfortable Guy To Train For…’

    Tom Aspinall Invites Grappling-Heavy Approach From Curtis Blaydes At UFC 304: ‘Not A Very Comfortable Guy To Train For…’

    Despite wanting to get his own back after the way their first fight ended, Tom Aspinall has not had an enjoyable training camp to prepare for his rematch with Curtis Blaydes.

    The interim UFC heavyweight champion has called this contest his dream fight because he gets the opportunity to get revenge in front of his home fans in Manchester at UFC 304.

    But, with the wrestling heavy style that Blaydes brings to the table, this has been a training camp which Aspinall won’t be wanting to relive quite so soon.

    The champion came into martial arts through jiu-jitsu with his father being a coach and whilst we’ve seen glimpses of his grappling inside the Octagon, we are still yet to see how he fares against a top wrestler.

    Aspinall has been leaving no stone unturned and that means putting himself through the ringer each day in training, to make sure that he is ready for what could be a very physically exhausting and draining fight.

    Tom Aspinall Has Put In The Tough Grappling Rounds To Prepare For Curtis Blaydes Rematch

    Aspinall reflected on his training camp just a few days out from fight night during a recent interview with New York Post Sports.

    Training in the north of England, the Brit has surrounded himself with other big fighters and athletes to ensure that they all get the best and most suitable training possible.

    That being said, whilst he’s excited to step back inside the Octagon on July 27, this camp has been gruelling to say the least.

    He spoke about how in preparing for Blaydes’ wrestling, he has been constantly putting himself in bad positions against big bodies which will be incredibly valuable for him once the cage door closes but it hasn’t been a fun cycle at the same time.

    “That’s probably where I spent the most of this camp is on my back with guys on top of me. It’s not been a very, Curtis Blaydes is not a very comfortable guy to train for. Do you know what I mean, you’re getting up off your back. See the way I work it is I work it with multiple training partners so I’ll be starting on bottom, I get them off, the energy that it takes to get a big guy off is, you know, you expend a lot of energy. Then I restart on my back with a fresh partner, like it’s exhausting man, it’s just exhausting training for this guy and I’ve done everything I can so we’ll see on Saturday how it goes.”

    Read also: Curtis Blaydes Dismisses Notion He’s Planning To Target Knee Tom Aspinall Injured: ‘I Can’t Even Tell You Which One It Is’

  • Conor McGregor Is Enjoying Every Second As Authorities Seize Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Luxury Car Collection

    Conor McGregor Is Enjoying Every Second As Authorities Seize Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Luxury Car Collection

    The feud between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov will never come to an end, especially as far as the Irishman is concerned.

    You never have to wait too long for “The Notorious” to make more comments about “The Eagle” retiring or being scared of having a real fight.

    However, in recent times, McGregor hasn’t needed much additional ammunition because of the news regarding Nurmagomedov’s on-going issues with the Federal Tax Service.

    Mash.ru initially reported that the former UFC lightweight champion owed roughly $3.5 million in unpaid taxes to the Russian government.

    The issues seem to stem from what was described as “uncovered irregularities in documents” regarding businesses that Nurmagomedov is invested in.

    In the latest update as this case still unfolds, Mash.ru have now stated that he has had his car collection seized to a total of around $900,000, after his bank accounts were already frozen.

    Conor McGregor Reposts Explains His Thoughts On Latest Khabib Nurmagomedov Update

    McGregor has already commented on Nurmagomedov’s financial issues several times but he’s never going to miss an opportunity to take a free shot at his former foe.

    Whilst he didn’t respond directly on this occasion, “The Mac” let his presence be known via reposting a video that was targeted at him.

    Underneath the above post which details what vehicles have been seized, a fan responded with a video of McGregor driving his own boat to the soundtrack of “Still D.R.E”.

    McGregor reposted the video without adding any additional context, not that it was necessary to get his point across successfully.

    https://twitter.com/Lizard69Talking/status/1815860630986821933

    Read also: Former UFC Champion Feels Alex Pereira vs. Jake Paul Not A Foregone Conclusion: ‘I Don’t Think It’s An Unwinnable Fight For Jake’

  • MMA News Today: Emotional Francis Ngannou Opens Up About The Passing Of His Son, Paddy Pimblett Shares Warm Encounter With Former Foe At UFC 304 Fighter Hotel, & More

    MMA News Today: Emotional Francis Ngannou Opens Up About The Passing Of His Son, Paddy Pimblett Shares Warm Encounter With Former Foe At UFC 304 Fighter Hotel, & More

    Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 24, 2024, we’re taking a look at:

    • Ngannou bravely opens up following a tough year
    • Pimblett jokes with Gordon during shared elevator ride
    • Muhammad ranks welterweights, puts Edwards fourth

    Francis Ngannou Shares Heartbreak Following Family Tragedy

    The combat sports world rallied around the former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou after he suffered a family tragedy.

    His 15-month-old son, Kobe, sadly passed away in April and after taking time to have privacy, Ngannou spoke about this recently.

    The PFL fighter is hoping to resume his fighting career in the near future but after what he has been through as of late, his outlook on life has changed to some degree.

    He bravely spoke on the JRE MMA Show about what this was like to go through and how he now sees things differently.

    Despite always being grateful for what he has right now, Ngannou said that he looks forward to being reunited with his son in another life.

    “You have a lot of things to be grateful about but in your heart, you feel like you’re broke, you have nothing. I mean, I always love life and know that I have everything but at least for once, I’m like at least whenever I die, I’m going to go see my kid. I’m going to see him. I’m not afraid of it. I still want to live but at least whenever, you get to that point, to think like that. So someway you’re looking for what, for whenever that happen.”

    Paddy Pimblett And Jared Gordon Cross Paths And Exchange Pleasantries During UFC 304 Fight Week

    Ahead of his UFC 304 encounter with King Green this weekend in Manchester, Paddy Pimblett crossed paths with a former opponent of his when stepping into the fighter hotel lift.

    “The Baddy” earned a controversial split decision win against Jared Gordon back at UFC 282 but the two lightweights have always been friendly towards one another.

    After coming across one another, the two men embraced and Pimblett told him that he thought Gordon should have won his last fight which went the way of Nasrat Haqparast via another split decision.

    Gordon jokingly remarked, “I f****** did, again”, which both the lightweight contenders had a laugh about.

    “Flash” gave his prediction for the fight before they parted ways, stating that he thinks Pimblett will stay undefeated in the UFC this weekend by finishing Green who he faced in March last year.

    Belal Muhammad Says Leon Edwards Is The Fourth Best Active Welterweight

    Belal Muhammad believes that whilst his opponent this weekend at UFC 304 is the welterweight champion, he isn’t the best fighter in the weight class.

    Leon Edwards is set to make his third title defense in Manchester but Muhammad isn’t so sure that he’s worthy of being called the champion.

    In a recent interview with Kaz Crossley for Title Sports Network, the challenger was asked to give his own version of the top five rankings at 170-pounds.

    He, of course, put himself at the top spot with Edwards sitting below both Kamaru Usman (who Edwards beat twice) and Shavkat Rakhmonov with Jack Della Maddalena rounding out the top five.

    Muhammad will look to back up his claims on July 27 when he faces the man that, in his opinion, isn’t the top dog in the division.

    “I would be one. Then I would put Kamaru two, Shavkat (Rakhmonov) three. I would put Leon four. And then number five, I would put Jack Della (Maddalena),” Muhammad said. “Man, you’re gonna lose the last couple fans you have left once I take the belt away from you. sorry bro. … I don’t like Leon. My other opponents, I didn’t wanna fake it (trash talk) with like, a ‘Wonderboy’ or a Maia. … It’s easier to bully him (Edwards).”

    Read more on the story here.

    For more MMA news, check out:

  • ‘Hunter Campbell Himself Called Netflix’ – Ciryl Gane’s Coach Dismisses Ducking Tom Aspinall Narrative

    ‘Hunter Campbell Himself Called Netflix’ – Ciryl Gane’s Coach Dismisses Ducking Tom Aspinall Narrative

    Despite the history between Curtis Blaydes and Tom Aspinall with the way their first fight ended, having this match-up for the interim heavyweight title was not the first choice for the co-main event of UFC 304.

    If the UFC was able to make it happen, Ciryl Gane was reportedly the frontrunner to face Aspinall in Manchester this Saturday.

    It was later revealed that Gane was unable to fight on July 27 due to previous commitments that he had made to working on a movie.

    The French fighter received criticism for this as a result but as his coach recently explained, the decision wasn’t made as choosing one or the other.

    Fernand Lopez Explains Why Ciryl Gane Couldn’t Fight At UFC 304 After Scheduling Issues

    In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Gane’s coach Fernand Lopez explained how this whole process came together and why they were unable to take the interim title fight.

    This movie project has been something that “Bon Gamin” was set to work on since much earlier in the year but the plans were changed once the UFC came to him and his team with the idea of fighting Sergei Pavlovich.

    Lopez states that Pavlovich was unable to take the fight in March so they made an arrangement to push back the filming so that Gane could fight the Russian powerhouse at UFC 300 in April.

    This meant that when the fight didn’t happen, they were unable to change the plans, hence why Gane is now reported to return in October to face Alexander Volkov after almost a full year of inactivity.

    Lopez referenced how in trying to make the dates work for all parties, the UFC was in communication with Netflix to try and reschedule the movie’s filming schedule to allow for Gane to compete at UFC 304.

    Unfortunately, they were unable to push the dates back even further which led to Aspinall defending the interim title in a rematch with Blaydes instead.

    “When we went back with Netflix, signed the deal with Netflix, we couldn’t stop it. The UFC couldn’t stop it. Matter of fact, I give the contact of Netflix and I give the contact of the producer of the movie that was very kind, I give that contact to the UFC and try to talk with them. UFC have very good relationship with Netflix, with the global Netflix, and they was trying to reschedule thing and change thing I say okay, if you can make it to move things, to remove the movie and push it a little bit back, then we are good to go.

    “We will do that, we will wait and we will do the fight and then wait for the movie and they tried with the UFC. Hunter Campbell himself call Netflix to try to push back the filming but that was too much money to spend. That was too much thing to move around and again, this is something that is not a problem. We don’t have any beef with the UFC talking about this movie.”

  • Sean O’Malley Thinks That Mike Perry Beats Jake Paul In Bare-Knuckle Boxing: ‘He’s The King Of That Sport’

    Sean O’Malley Thinks That Mike Perry Beats Jake Paul In Bare-Knuckle Boxing: ‘He’s The King Of That Sport’

    UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley wasn’t impressed by what he saw from Mike Perry this past weekend in his boxing clash with Jake Paul.

    Many expected that “Platinum” could prove to be a tough night for Paul because of his unwavering toughness and mentality but this wasn’t to be the case as he was stopped in the sixth round.

    BKFC’s “King of Violence” certainly showed grit on Saturday night but his ability to take damage and keep on coming only got him so far.

    Despite feeling like Perry looked somewhat of place in the ring with Paul, O’Malley did reaffirm that there’s a good reason for that.

    Sean O’Malley Says That Mike Perry Was Fighting Out Of His Comfort Zone Against Jake Paul

    Perry may have been different to Paul’s previous opponents in that he’s an active fighter that isn’t past his prime, but his lack of boxing experience, combined with a size difference between the two men, was simply too much for “Platinum” to overcome.

    O’Malley did say that for how the fight ended up going for Perry, you can’t be too surprised given that he was out of his comfort zone in this fight to some degree.

    The former UFC fighter has been incredibly successful in BKFC but removing the gloves changes everything specifically in regards to defense and shot selection.

    O’Malley spoke on a recent episode of the TimboSugarShow about how just because Perry was outmatched on Saturday night, it doesn’t mean he couldn’t beat Paul if they were to fight in his more natural environment.

    “The thing is Mike Perry would probably beat Jake Paul in bare knuckle boxing, that’s where Mike Perry is the f****** man, that’s where he is the champ. He’s the king of that sport so for him to come over into boxing, I didn’t expect too much. I’ve never seen Mike Perry hands up, throw a beautiful 1-2, slip, like that’s not really his style. He definitely didn’t look great.”