MMA News

Author: Kyle Dimond

  • Alexander Volkanovski Names The One Trait He Would Take From Another Fighter

    Alexander Volkanovski Names The One Trait He Would Take From Another Fighter

    Throughout his long reign as the featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski proved himself to be one of the most well-rounded fighters that we have ever seen in the UFC. His striking has always been his strongest attribute, as seen in his three wins over a fellow all-time great in Max Holloway.

    His grappling has also been incredibly effective whether it was offensively against the likes of Brian Ortega and Yair Rodriguez or defensively like in his first meeting with Islam Makhachev at UFC 284. However, in a recent Q&A video on his YouTube channel, “The Great” was asked an interesting question.

    When debating what attribute he would take from another fighter to improve his own game, Volkanovski looked outside the box because he is already totally confident in his skills as a mixed martial artist and his athletic ability.

    “I was going to say just pick a young fighter and be 18 again.”

    Volkanovski ended up going with one key factor in combat sports that can’t be significantly improved no matter how much training you put in. In his fourth pro fight, the former champion suffered the first loss of his career as he was stopped by Corey Nelson back in 2013 at Australian FC 5.

    He would then go another 24 fights before he would be finished by another opponent. Now, with three knockout losses on his record, Volkanovski has been stopped in back-to-back fights following his defeats to Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria.

    The 36-year old seemingly took this into consideration when giving his answer, under the belief that this additional attribute would make it so much harder to opponents to come out on top against him.

    “I mean who’s got, I mean Max had the chin and I still think like that would still be a crazy chin. But I’d say yeah, chin, cuz that’s how I’ve always looked at it. This is how it’s always been for me going through my career. You always know that someone can catch you, that’s just the game. I’ve always said it’s going to be hard for somebody to actually beat me. I mean Islam had that very close fight, that first one. So there’s only very, very few, if any, that can take me to a decision and beat me that way. Obviously you could say Islam did, it was a very close fight but I’ve always said that anyone can catch you, right… If you could sit there and have the chin where you take away that only opportunity for someone to beat ya, you’re going to be pretty hard to beat, that’s for sure.”

  • Paddy Pimblett Teases Huge Fight Announcement: ‘See You At The Top’

    Paddy Pimblett Teases Huge Fight Announcement: ‘See You At The Top’

    Liverpool’s Paddy Pimblett is gearing up for a huge fight next time out after putting together six consecutive wins inside the Octagon. The 29-year old submitted King Green in his latest outing at UFC 304 in July to enter the lightweight rankings at the #13-spot.

    Many expect that “The Baddy” will be back in action when the UFC returns to home soil for the Brit with a Fight Night card set to take place at the O2 Arena in London on March 22. With some of the names around him already matched up, that creates some interesting discussion regarding who may be next for Pimblett.

    From the moment that he arrived in the UFC, the scouser has been one of the most talked about fighters in the promotion and that goes a long way when it comes to securing big fights. Pimblett isn’t ever going to be short on other contenders calling him out and that works to his advantage.

    One name that has already put himself in the mix is the #8-ranked Mateusz Gamrot who would be a solid step up for Pimblett given his stature in the division. However, in a recent YouTube video, he seemed to hint at an even bigger opportunity.

    Pimblett told fans via his channel that they can expect to see some news very soon with contracts hopefully being signed in the not too distant future. He ended the video with a phrase that has become specifically tied to one man.

    “I’m coming for that belt, so I’m looking for higher ranked fighters now,” Pimblett said. “I’m sure you will see a fight announcement soon enough. I’ve said yeah, the opponent said yeah, just need to get stuff signed. So, you know the score, everyone. Like, comment, subscribe, and I’ll see you at the top.”

    “See you at the top” has been a reoccurring saying of the former title challenger Michael Chandler during his time in the UFC. Chandler himself had mentioned Pimblett as a potential option following his loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 309 and the #7-ranked contender would be a huge matchup for him. Given the magnitude of this fight, it’s hard to imagine it taking place in England, especially if Leon Edwards was correct when he said that he would be headlining the card.

  • New Global Fight League Calls Out PFL Over Treatment Of Patrício Pitbull

    New Global Fight League Calls Out PFL Over Treatment Of Patrício Pitbull

    Patrício Pitbull has been very outspoken about his desire to leave the PFL after claiming that he has not been offered any fights in the second half of 2024. The Bellator champion states that during preparations for a recent return, the fight was cancelled and he was not given a new date or opponent.

    The Brazilian recently posted a series of messages on social media where he provided the latest update in his communications with the promotion. Pitbull started by saying that following a call between the PFL’s Pete Murray and his management, it was made clear that he will not be granted his release from the promotion with his contract running out in May.

    He criticized the promotion for claiming to be fighter first whilst planning to book him in April next year instead of allowing him to be active. In one of several posts, the champion wrote:

    “It’s really absurd and disappointing that I have to come on X to voice all this. Do the right thing and release me @PeteMurrayPFL @DonnDavisPFL. I was a @BellatorMMA fighter and it no longer exists. The promotion is gone and so should I.”

    There has been a lot of talk about the PFL, its format and its growth in recent years and the same is sure to be the case for the Global Fight League. The GFL is set to launch next year after announcing its huge roster and plans for the team-based season format.

    The GFL also claims to be putting the fighters first and has implemented systems like a revenue share and retirement fund in order to prove this stance. The new promotion on the block recently commented on the recent situation regarding Pitbull and his PFL contract by criticizing the way that he has been treated.

    “The GFL was designed, in part, to avoid these kinds of issues. ‘Fighters’ are athletes, and more importantly, people. They needn’t be treated merely as commodity. We hope there is a positive resolution to this issue for @PatricioPitbull.”

  • Ian Garry Responds To Kamaru Usman Sharing Old DMs: ‘I Had A Lot Of Respect For Him’

    Ian Garry Responds To Kamaru Usman Sharing Old DMs: ‘I Had A Lot Of Respect For Him’

    In the lead up to his scheduled fight with Joaquin Buckley at UFC Tampa, Ian Machado Garry was very vocal about some of the other top contenders in the welterweight division. The #7-ranked competitor specifically called out the likes of Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman for turning down fights with him which led him to accepting a fight against someone ranked lower than him.

    This didn’t end up playing out as Garry instead received the call to step into the co-main event of UFC 310 to face Shavkat Rakhmonov in a title eliminator. When Covington took his place to take on Buckley in the final UFC event of 2024, this only provided the Irishman with even more fuel.

    Following his comments, Usman responded during an episode of his Pound 4 Pound Podcast alongside Henry Cejudo. The former welterweight champion shared DMs that Garry had sent him during his title reign to show respect and admiration to “The Nigerian Nightmare”.

    Garry gave his thoughts on Usman revealing these messages during a recent interview with Spaceport Sweden. He says that at the time, he did go out of his way to praise the best welterweight in the world. However, his opinion of Usman has since changed now that he has become a competitor of his at 170-pounds.

    The 27-year old doesn’t take back what he once said but did state that he no longer has that same level of respect for Usman.

    ”I had a lot of respect for him, until he turned me down. That’s a fact. He turned the fight with me down and that’s it. I had a lot of respect for him.  I had a lot of respect for him and his career and everything that he did as the champion. And when I was a young kid watching the sport and I was an amateur and I’m watching him fight Gilbert Burns for the world title during COVID and I’m like ‘f**k, this guy’s one of the best we’ve seen’. That was the opinion the world had of him at that point. When that same guy turns down a fight against you, it changes the way you think about him. So I had respect for Kamaru, might be still a little bit, but not much after you turned me down, not much. And I don’t care what his excuses are. I don’t care what his excuses are. You put, you turn down the fight. In my mind, you’re a b***h.” 

  • Former Bellator Prospect With 9-1 Record Asks Dana White For UFC Shot In 2025: ‘I’m Unstoppable!’

    Former Bellator Prospect With 9-1 Record Asks Dana White For UFC Shot In 2025: ‘I’m Unstoppable!’

    The UFC is set to return to Seattle, Washington in the new year with a Fight Night event hosted at the Climate Pledge Arena in February 22. With multiple big fights already announced for the promotion’s first trip back to Seattle for the first time since 2013, there is one fighter who isn’t currently signed to the UFC who is attempting to call his shot.

    Lance Gibson Jr. is a 9-1 lightweight who was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. The 29-year old fought six times in Bellator and after departing the promotion last year, he has produced back-to-back first-round finishes on Muckleshoot Fight Night in 2024.

    As he goes on to mention in a social media video, Gibson is the son of a former UFC fighter and Canadian MMA pioneer. Lance Gibson Sr. competed twice inside the Octagon at UFC 24 and UFC 29 in 2000. “Fearless” now believes that this is his time to join the UFC roster and with the Octagon finally making its return to his local arena, the stars have fallen into place.

    Gibson Jr. posted the following caption alongside an Instagram video where he made the case for why he deserves to be signed to the UFC so that he can make his debut on this card.

    “What better time than now? Let’s make this happen together. Like, Share, and Comment tagging @ufc @danawhite @seanshelby and let them know who you want to see on UFC Fight Night Seattle Feb 22nd, 2025. Tag #FearlessForUFC Thank you all for your love and support I couldn’t do it without you.”

    The video itself sees Gibson Jr. stood outside the venue where he delivers this message alongside clips from his and his father’s highlight reels.

    “Dana, Sean, I’ve been on your radar for a while now. You’ve seen what my dad did 25 years ago at UFC 24, March 10th, year 2000. I was born 10 minutes from this arena and I was raised on the mats in Seattle, Washington. This city knows my name. I fought for the pacific northwest my entire career. Fight after fight, I’ve shown I’m fearless. I’m ferocious. I’m unstoppable but most importantly, I’m one of a kind. I’ve dreamt my entire life of being able to fight in the UFC Octagon. What better time than now.”

  • Former UFC Fighter Vows To Never Train Without A Cup Again After ‘Fracturing Penis’

    Former UFC Fighter Vows To Never Train Without A Cup Again After ‘Fracturing Penis’

    2024 has been a year that Mateus Mendonça will be glad to see the back off as we head into 2025. The Brazilian featherweight kicked off his year with a split decision loss to Jesus Aguilar in Mexico City that brought his current run in the UFC to an end.

    The 25-year old was cut from the promotion after suffering three consecutive losses off the back of earning his spot on the roster via the 2022 season of the Contender Series. However, he has already returned to the win column by producing a kneebar submission in just 20 seconds at CFC 23 in Rio de Janeiro this past October.

    Whilst Mendonça is clearly a very talented grappler, he has been forced to make some serious adjustments to the way he trains on the mats. In a recent interview with AgFight, he revealed how a grappling session without any protection led to an injury that is eye-watering through reading about it alone.

    The 14-fight pro revealed how an unintentional knee led to him fracturing his penis as if he didn’t already have enough on his plate this year.

    “I went to train jiu-jitsu at my teacher’s gym the day before I returned to Sao Paulo,” Mendonça told AgFight. “During the second roll, [my partner] hit my private parts with his knee when I was trying to pass the guard. I felt an incredible amount of pain and ran to the bathroom. It started to burn. But then the pain went away and I kept going.

    “A month later, training normally without pain, I started to notice some problems. I started to move and there was a lump. So I went to the hospital. When I got there, the doctor did an exam and immediately transferred me to another hospital for surgery.”

    For every setback both in life and in combat sports, there is always a valuable lesson to be learned. For Mendonça, he has come away from this experience with one clear message that he is using to warn others. If you don’t want this to happen to you, the solution is simple.

    “It’s a good idea to warn everyone. All the guys who train jiu-jitsu, grappling, MMA, anything that involves contact: wear a cup to avoid accidents. This had never happened to me. It was the first time and look what happened. I had to have surgery. I had to be out of action for two months.”

  • Ian Garry Believes He’s Winning The Fans Back Over: ‘Seeing The True Me’

    Ian Garry Believes He’s Winning The Fans Back Over: ‘Seeing The True Me’

    Ian Machado Garry has been a somewhat divisive character since he first arrived in the UFC in 2021. The Irishman has always been an incredibly self-confident fighter who believes that he is destined to be at the top.

    His ascent up the welterweight ladder rubbed some fans up the wrong way though, particularly in his fights with Geoff Neal and Neil Magny. Criticism from other fighters added to the aura surrounding Garry being one of a fighter with something to prove amidst a lot of doubts and negativity.

    It certainly seems like the #7-ranked welterweight has started to change his public perception following his performance at UFC 310. For a start, Garry put his money where his mouth is by stepping in to face Shavkat Rakhmonov on short notice in the co-main event.

    He went on to produce an impressive performance and proved to be Rakhmonov’s toughest test to date when many expected the undefeated “Nomad” to maintain his 100% finishing rate. There is also the fact that Garry’s relationship with the fans certainly hasn’t been hurt by his allegiance and friendship with one of the most beloved fighters in the sport, Charles Oliveira.

    In a recent interview with Spaceport Sweden, the 27-year old spoke about his changing perception and the reaction he got after he showered “Do Bronx” with praise in both English and Portuguese. He believes that though he’s always going to try and entertain, he wants people to be invested in his journey and story.

    ”I feel like the fans are just seeing the true me. We’ve started making this vlog on YouTube, which is doing really well. If you haven’t seen it, go check it out. It’s just showing me and my personality more and the fans are seeing it and understanding it. That’s always what I’ve wanted from my Instagram and we’re in a world where social media matters. I’m in the entertainment business, right? I’m a fighter. I’m a competitor. But I’m in the entertainment business. We want people to tune in. We want people to watch. We want people to see and connect. When I think about my Instagram and what I’m doing, I want people to understand and connect to me as a human, as a fighter, as a father, as a husband, whatever it is. It’s why my family matters to me so much. I want people to see that I love my wife. I love my kids. I love my team. I love the way we travel and I want people to see that be inspired by it.”

  • Francis Ngannou ‘Doesn’t Care’ About Jon Jones Anymore, Knows What Fight He ‘For Sure’ Wants

    Francis Ngannou ‘Doesn’t Care’ About Jon Jones Anymore, Knows What Fight He ‘For Sure’ Wants

    Francis Ngannou is tired of being asked questions about a potential fight with the UFC’s heavyweight champion, Jon Jones. The two of them colliding in the UFC was a huge talking point towards the end of 2022 until the saga ended with Ngannou leaving the promotion and vacating the title which was later won by Jones.

    With the two men now being at the top in different promotions, it seems unlikely that they will face off with another if the UFC and PFL don’t go into business with each other but Turki Alalshikh might be the only person that could make that happen. During an interview with Seconds Out during fight week for Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2 in Riyadh, Ngannou was asked about whether a meeting with the consensus greatest of all time is still of interest to him.

    From Ngannou’s point of view, he has always claimed that he is happy to compete against Jones, stating that he has never been the one that has stopped it from happening. The PFL star said that he is no longer giving this fight any of his energy because whether we ever see it or not isn’t a decision that rests on his shoulders.

    “It’s been four years that I’ve been saying it, I’m confused that people keep asking me this question,” Ngannou told Seconds Out. “It’s been four years! That’s not my problem, I don’t care about it anymore. If it happens, yes, if it doesn’t, f— it.”

    It’s not clear what Ngannou’s next fight will be right now although there may be some more clarity on that following his conversations with Alalshikh in Saudi Arabia this week. Ngannou has picked Usyk to beat “The Gypsy King” for a second time on Saturday night and this result could potentially lead to him getting a rematch with Fury following their closely contested fight in his boxing debut last year.

    “What I do know for sure is that I want a rematch with Fury,” he said.

    Ngannou isn’t interested in avenging his other boxing loss which came earlier this year against Anthony Joshua. Another name that has been spoken about is Deontay Wilder who would seemingly be a more enticing option for Ngannou than the MMA bouts that are out there for him right now.

    “The rematch with Joshua, honestly I felt very off and not very comfortable in that fight,” Ngannou said. “It’s definitely something that could happen, but … I’m not a conspiracy theorist but I didn’t like the Joshua fight. I think things wasn’t right. Nothing was right. And if it’s going to be the same scenario, I’m not interested.”

  • PFL Founder Rejects Bellator Fighter Complaints, Insists Promotion Did ‘Best They Could’ In 2024

    PFL Founder Rejects Bellator Fighter Complaints, Insists Promotion Did ‘Best They Could’ In 2024

    2024 has provided some problems for the PFL that they haven’t had to deal with in the past. Despite having the PFL debut of Francis Ngannou and some great performances on the 2024 World Championships card, a lot of the talk surrounding the promotion as of late has revolved around the fighters that haven’t been in action.

    Following the acquisition of Bellator last year, the PFL was always going to have to work out how to keep a huge amount of new fighters on the roster busy and happy. This has not been the case for some of the top names in the promotion including Bellator champions like Patrício Pitbull, Cris Cyborg and Patchy Mix who have all complained about not being as active as they would like.

    In a recent social media post, PFL founder Donn Davis hit back at some of the criticisms by stating that the promotion always has and always will offer each athlete the opportunity to compete twice per calendar year. It is also worth noting that the following post was edited with a slight change to the wording.

    The post originally read that the PFL did “a good job” before it was later changed to state that the promotion did the “best we could”.

    “PFL has ALWAYS provided all fighters 2 fights a year … When we acquired Bellator THEY had ZERO fight events scheduled for their Bellator 210 fighters in 2024. @PFLMMA stepped in and did best we could for them in 2024 … 2025 ALL fighters again 2 fights a year!”

    Cyborg, who is the Bellator featherweight champion, has been one of the most vocal about her issues with the PFL but this has quietened down since her fight with Larissa Pacheco in October. The Brazilian icon responded to Davis’ post and showed her support for the promotion.

    Pitbull, on the other hand, has made his mind up that he wishes to be released from the promotion so that he can go and fight elsewhere after going public with his complaints. He also responded and disputed some of the claims made by Davis.

  • VIDEO: Robelis Despaigne Records Fastest KO In Karate Combat History In First Fight Since UFC Release

    VIDEO: Robelis Despaigne Records Fastest KO In Karate Combat History In First Fight Since UFC Release

    Robelis Despaigne made his Karate Combat debut last night and instantly broke records by producing the fastest knockout in the history of the promotion. The towering Cuban took just four seconds to secure his first win by dropping Dominik Jędrzejczyk with a huge overhand right.

    Karate Combat 51 in Miami was Despaigne’s combat sports return following his UFC departure earlier this year. The devastating striker arrived in the Octagon with an MMA record of 4-0 with previous knockout wins in both four and three seconds.

    His career in the UFC was off to a flying start at UFC 299, which also took place in Miami, as he finished Josh Parisian in 18 seconds to earn a performance of the night bonus. Following that, he lost back-to-back fights to Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Austen Lane in outings that exposed some of the limits in his overall skillset for MMA.

    After being cut from the roster, it seemed obvious that Karate Combat would be the perfect home for the 36-year old who was always going to struggle in UFC bouts that featured a lot of grappling. The 6’7” heavyweight is once again off to an electric start in his new home following his show-stealing finish over Jędrzejczyk.

    Watch the knockout via Karate Combat on X with the promotion making the video their pinned post.

    https://twitter.com/KarateCombat/status/1869920466967703844
  • Conor McGregor Vows To KO ‘Sloppy Novice’ Logan Paul In UFC vs. WWE Battle

    Conor McGregor Vows To KO ‘Sloppy Novice’ Logan Paul In UFC vs. WWE Battle

    Conor McGregor appears to be all in on his potential boxing match with WWE superstar Logan Paul. “The Notorious” recently claimed on X that he is working towards a return to the ring to face off with Paul in India with his long awaited return to the UFC falling slightly down the priority pecking order.

    Paul recently made his WWE comeback at the Raw on Netflix Kickoff event where he announced that he will be stepping back into the pro wrestling world when Raw debuts on Netflix on January 6. During his speech, he even threw a reference to McGregor in there by stealing one of the Irishman’s most iconic lines.

    As for McGregor, the former UFC champ-champ has been incredibly active on social media over the past few days. It has been a massively significant month for him in general following the verdict of his civil court case where McGregor was found guilty of sexual assault.

    In his latest post regarding his combat sports return, he referenced Paul’s boxing ability and the fact that both men are under contract with TKO Group which some have suggested will make this fight easier to pull off. As for his potential opponent, Paul’s last outing inside the boxing ring was a disqualification victory over McGregor’s former teammate, Dillon Danis.

    Despite his lack of combat sports experience, the WWE athlete opened as the betting favorite for a contest with “The Notorious”. Accompanied by lots of hashtags, McGregor had this to say on the fight.

    “TKO Group! UFC vs WWE. There is levels to this, a big sloppy novice is going to find out! TKO KING TITLE #BiggestGenerator#KingofNumbers#Streams#PPV I hold every record and I am coming back to KO this novice and rack in more numbers for the company. #StockMarketIndia#MyHighestPayPacketYet#Thanksforthecheese“

  • Former Boxing World Champion Amir Khan Explains Why Francis Ngannou Would Beat Deontay Wilder

    Former Boxing World Champion Amir Khan Explains Why Francis Ngannou Would Beat Deontay Wilder

    Following his return to MMA at PFL’s Battle of the Giants in October, there has been a lot of conversation regarding what will be next for Francis Ngannou. His first-round finish over Renan Ferreira doesn’t leave a whole lot of interesting matchups for him in MMA but he does have the option of going back to boxing for his next contest.

    Ngannou has boxed twice since departing the UFC in January of 2023 and though he is without a win on his pro record, a lot of fans thought that he should have got his hand raised against Tyson Fury back in October last year. One name that has consistently been mentioned in connection with the former UFC heavyweight champion is Deontay Wilder.

    “The Bronze Bomber” is still one of the biggest names in the heavyweight division but following his recent form, he would seemingly be a better opponent for Ngannou than the likes of Fury and Anthony Joshua. Wilder has not looked the same in his latest outings and losses against Zhilei Zhang and Joseph Parker and though it looked like he might retire, the knockout artist appears to be gearing up for one more.

    In a recent interview with The Sports Daily, former world champion turned analyst Amir Khan said that he would pick Ngannou to win that fight if he does get booked to face Wilder next time out. Based on his back-to-back losses, Khan isn’t sure whether Wilder has the same hunger anymore and getting in the ring with Ngannou is a dangerous prospect to begin with.

    “Wilder’s last fight was really bad. You always look at the last fight and Wilder is done to be honest with you. I like Wilder but Ngannou has the power to hurt him.

    “Ngannou is not the best boxer but he put on a good fight against Fury and got knocked out against AJ. Ngannou is going to win that fight. Unless Wilder comes in as a different fighter with that fire in his belly.”

  • Colby Covington Responds To Jon Jones Mocking His Latest UFC Loss: ‘He’s Cheated His Whole Career’

    Colby Covington Responds To Jon Jones Mocking His Latest UFC Loss: ‘He’s Cheated His Whole Career’

    The former interim welterweight champion Colby Covington made his return to the Octagon this past weekend in Tampa where he suffered his second consecutive loss. “Chaos” was stopped in the third round after the doctor waved off his fight with Joaquin Buckley due to a cut above his right eye that he suffered early on in the fight.

    Covington has since disputed the loss despite Buckley producing an impressive performance to end 2024 going 4-0 in the welterweight division. Given his history of being extremely critical of other fighters, it’s not surprising that there were members of the UFC roster that were happy to see him suffer another defeat inside the Octagon.

    One of those fighters is the UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones who Covington has a long history with “Bones” expressed his enjoyment on social media via the following post.

    During a recent Twitch stream, Covington responded to Jones’ comments on X where he hit back at the champion by attacking him with many of the criticism that he has voiced in the past. The #9-ranked welterweight made reference to Jones’ controversial past and some of the issues that he has faced both in and out of the Octagon.

    “Yeah, of course he’s talking about me. He wishes he looked like me. He wishes he had these kinds of looks and was this beautiful and had this much respect. He has no respect. He lost all his respect when he started doing drugs and hitting pregnant ladies. There’s nothing to respect about Jon, he’s cheating his whole career. He’s cheated on his wife, he’s cheating on his taxes so he’s a terrible person. Of course he’s talking about a saint and someone who’s a law abiding citizen like myself. You know, someone that stands for law and order. Someone that stands for the military, the troops, the Trumps. So f*** Jon Jones, he’s nothing.”

    In the same clip, Covington once again spoke about the doctor’s decision to stop his fight with Buckley in the third round, claiming that it was a “cheat job” and a “fake stoppage”.

  • Jamahal Hill Downplays Alex Pereira Clash At UFC PI As Nothing But A ‘Fun Interaction’

    Jamahal Hill Downplays Alex Pereira Clash At UFC PI As Nothing But A ‘Fun Interaction’

    At UFC 300, Alex Pereira seemed to produce the definitive statement in his short-lived rivalry with Jamahal Hill after stopping the former light heavyweight champion in the first round and taunting him immediately after. “Sweet Dreams” unsurprisingly didn’t take to this too kindly and with his Octagon return taking place next month at UFC 311, Hill is going to want to run that fight back if he gets his hand raised against Jiří Procházka in California.

    It appeared that the two men nearly came to blows during a recent confrontation between them at the UFC PI in Las Vegas during fight week for UFC 310 this month. A video posted on social media showed that Hill approached “Poatan” who was getting some work in with his close team before they started trading words.

    Pereira even threw a pair of gloves at Hill at one point in the video and though nothing physical happened between them, it could have been a different story if the champion’s coach, Plinio Cruz, wasn’t there to diffuse the situation and tell his fighter to back up. Hill, however, doesn’t believe that it was a big deal in hindsight.

    Whilst he was quite casually walking over to his former opponent, it seemed from his reaction that Pereira did not appreciate Hill’s conduct or comments in the moment. The champion made it pretty clear that if Hill wanted to, they could go a couple rounds right then and there.

    He spoke in a recent interview with James Lynch for Bodog Canada where he tried to tell his version of events. Hill said that there was a bit of a breakdown in terms of the communication of what was being said back and forth after Cruz stopped relaying the messages back and forth. Despite this, Hill looks back at the exchange as a positive without it being anything too significant.

    ”After he [Pereira] said that last part he [translator] kind of stopped translating to me, he kind of stopped translating what he was saying to me. The situation ain’t even that serious bro, it’s a fun interaction, I mean seeing that competitive fire is there, he’s down to go, I’m ready to step up and fight him…as ready to go, to step up and fight.”

  • Logan Paul Adds To Boxing Talk By Using Classic Conor McGregor Quote While Announcing WWE Return

    Logan Paul Adds To Boxing Talk By Using Classic Conor McGregor Quote While Announcing WWE Return

    Though nothing has been confirmed as of yet, there has been a lot of talk over the past few days regarding a potential boxing match between Conor McGregor and Logan Paul. “The Notorious” sparked the conversation out of nowhere by claiming on X that he is already in preliminary talks over a clash with Paul in India before he turns his attention to a return to the UFC.

    After recently claiming that he was retired from the WWE, Paul appeared at the Raw on Netflix Kickoff event last night where he announced that he will be switching brands in order to appear on the first episode of Raw that will take place on Netflix on January 6. During his speech, he threw out a tease which made reference to McGregor and one of his most memorable moments on the mic.

    Paul has not competed in a boxing ring since his win over McGregor’s former teammate, Dillon Danis. That fight took place in October of 2023 where Paul won the fight via disqualification after convincingly beating the former MMA fighter from start to finish.

    He then returned to WWE where following his speech at last night’s event, it looks like he’ll be a big part of the promotion’s plans for 2025. Speaking about his intentions going forward and the reaction from the crowd, Paul used a particular saying that has long been associated with a certain Irishman.

    After stopping Diego Brandão in Dublin 10 years ago, McGregor delivered an instantly iconic phrase that galvanized the Irish fans inside the 3Arena. Paul used his time on the mic to seemingly pay homage to the man that could be his next opponent in the boxing ring.

    “If you have something I want, I’m gonna take it…’Logan Paul’s a bully’. Yeah! I am the bully! And the WWE is my playground!” Paul said. “So look, I’m not here to take part, I’m here to take over. Your approval means nothing to me. Whether you love me or hate me, I don’t care, because you’re still watching.”

  • Curtis Blaydes Explains Why He Envisions Former Opponent Tom Aspinall Stopping Jon Jones Early

    Curtis Blaydes Explains Why He Envisions Former Opponent Tom Aspinall Stopping Jon Jones Early

    Arguably the most anticipated fight in MMA right now is a potential UFC heavyweight title unification clash between Jon Jones and the interim titleholder, Tom Aspinall. It has been one of the main talking points that has dominated conversation throughout 2024 but after Jones’ recent win over Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, it still remains unclear whether it will happen or not.

    Jones has come under some criticism for the way that he has spoken about the fight and played down the significance of fighting a guy like Aspinall who he sees as just another name. A lot of fight fans however believe that the Brit is the toughest fight out there for the consensus greatest of all time right now and as the interim champion, he deserves this opportunity to challenge “Bones” before he hangs up the gloves.

    Curtis Blaydes is the only man to face Aspinall twice in his career and he’s also the only person to defeat the current interim champion in the UFC. After their first meeting back in 2022 ended in just 15 seconds when Aspinall suffered a devastating knee injury, they ran it back at UFC 304 this past July where on home turf, the interim titleholder defended his belt by stopping “Razor” in the first round.

    In a recent interview with James Lynch for Sportskeeda MMA, Blaydes gave his thoughts on how a Jones and Aspinall matchup would play out if we do ever get to see it. He believes that (aside from his controversial disqualification loss against Matt Hamill) Aspinall could be the first man to defeat Jones inside the Octagon.

    Blaydes says that though the fight is still an incredibly difficult one to predict, the speed and power of Aspinall could counter the range and distance striking of the current heavyweight champion.

    “I would pick him (Aspinall). Like, I would go 55 (percent) him. Obviously, it’s not going to be a landslide. Like, we’re going to get Jon Jones. He’s a legend. He’s got all the weapons. I think one area where Tom can win is just a presence inside. Like, Jon Jones gets away with being able to stand in front of his opponent and just paw and pick at him with the inside leg kicks and the teeps and the jabs.

    “(Aspinall) definitely has the speed. He doesn’t have the range that Jon has, but who does? But I think he knows that. I think he’ll get on the inside of that range, and I think he’ll be able to land a overhand. And it’ll probably be early because he likes to blitz. He doesn’t like to wait. So yeah, I think it’ll happen early.”

  • Brendan Schaub: Only Francis Ngannou Return Would Live Up To Dana White’s Tease For 2025

    Brendan Schaub: Only Francis Ngannou Return Would Live Up To Dana White’s Tease For 2025

    Dana White teased fight fans in his final UFC press conference of 2024 by claiming that there is something in the works for 2025 that will have fans losing their minds when it gets announced. Speaking after the promotion’s Fight Night event in Tampa, the UFC boss spoke about how they always manage to exceed the previous year after going all out.

    Without giving anything away, he said that alongside the big fights that have already been announced for next year’s schedule, there’s something fresh off the press that nobody will be able to predict ahead of time.

    “I anticipate a lot of big fights, I’ve got something in the works right now that’ll drive you [media] crazy. All you guys will be running around. I got something in the works that you will never f**ing see coming for 2025. It literally started to come together last night. Yeah, we got some fun stuff coming up.”

    In a response to White’s comments, former UFC fighter Brendan Schaub attempted to speculate what this mind-blowing fight announcement could possibly be. The return of the former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov would elicit that kind of reaction in Schaub’s opinion but he also knows that “The Eagle” has made it very clear that he will not go back on his decision to retire.

    One potential major shift in the MMA landscape that Schaub did pinpoint is the current status of Francis Ngannou. “The Predator” recently made his return to the cage in his PFL debut at Battle of the Giants where he stopped Renan Ferreira in the first round.

    After tearing right through his Brazilian foe, there were two big questions on everyone’s mind, who is out there for Ngannou to face next and is he still the best heavyweight on the planet considering that he never lost the UFC title having vacated it when he departed the promotion? Schaub believes that Ngannou stepping back inside the Octagon to mix it up with the likes of the division’s two titleholders, Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall, would come out of left field and set the bar extremely high for 2025.

    “With the internet today, and like the rumors and fake news, it’s damn near impossible to blow somebody. No matter what he [White] says, when I heard them like, ‘What could it be?’ The only thing that would blow me, like blow me hard, like b*st hard, would be if it’s Francis. He has one fight left on PFL contract. He’s going to finish that out fighting who, God knows what poor soul they’re going to find to get knocked out by him.

    “And then, he’ll be a free agent. If they’re like, ‘We got Francis back in the mix. Francis is going to fight the winner, guaranteed winner, of Aspinall-Jones.’ That would blow me. But that’s where I’m at. That’s very difficult to get done. Outside that, what else could it be?”

  • Conor McGregor Opens As Betting Underdog For Potential Logan Paul Boxing Match

    Conor McGregor Opens As Betting Underdog For Potential Logan Paul Boxing Match

    Conor McGregor has not fought in over three years but according to a recent social media post from “The Notorious”, that is set to change in the near future. In one of the most unexpected announcements of the year, the former UFC champ-champ claimed on X that he is already in preliminary talks for a boxing match with social media and WWE star, Logan Paul.

    The Octagon return of the Irishman has been a huge talking point throughout the year and at one point, we were just weeks away from seeing him compete in the UFC once again during International Fight Week. He made the decision to withdraw from his comeback fight against Michael Chandler due to a toe injury and since then, it has been nothing but pushback.

    This is especially true following the verdict from his recent civil sexual assault case where he was found guilty. Hearing any kind of fight news regarding the biggest star in the history of MMA seemed unlikely and though he’s not usually entirely truthful on social media, his word is that this boxing match will happen and after that, he will look to return to the UFC.

    McGregor has of course competed inside the ring once before when he boxed Floyd Mayweather in 2017 and was stopped in the tenth round. Paul has also stepped through the ropes for an exhibition with Mayweather, two fights against KSI and one against Dillon Danis which was his latest outing back in October last year, giving him a pro record of 1-1 after beating comfortably beating McGregor’s former teammate.

    Though the fight is yet to be confirmed, BetOnline are already offering betting odds on the contest and the current line is surprising to say the least. McGregor comes in as the underdog in the matchup at +120. Paul, on the other hand, comes in at a -150 favorite in odds that likely say more about the Irishman’s current public perception than the boxing ability of his opponent.

  • Colby Covington: The Doctor Beat Me At UFC Tampa, Not Joaquin Buckley

    Colby Covington: The Doctor Beat Me At UFC Tampa, Not Joaquin Buckley

    Colby Covington does not believe that he was beaten by the better man in the main event of the final UFC event of 2024 this past weekend. The former interim welterweight champion stepped in on several weeks notice to take on Joaquin Buckley at the Amalie Arena after Ian Machado Garry was moved into the co-main event of UFC 310.

    The fight ended in the third round after the doctor waved the fight off due to a cut above the right eye of Covington. “New Mansa” appeared to open up the cut with an uppercut early on in the fight which continued to get worse as Buckley dominated the contest.

    In between rounds, the doctor had even warned Covington ahead of time that if he didn’t do a better job or protecting the eye, she would be forced to stop the fight, claiming that he would lose the eyelid if he continued past the third round. The cut was significant but we have certainly seen fights continue with worse injuries and that sentiment was echoed by both Dana White and “Chaos” himself.

    Covington spoke in a behind the scenes video posted on his YouTube channel about the outcome of the fight and how badly he was impacted by the cut. Despite this, he still believes that it shouldn’t have been stopped and that in his opinion, the fight was starting to turn in his favor. At the time of the stoppage, all three judges had Buckley winning both of the first two rounds.

    “We came in close contact, and I felt like there was a headbutt, and as soon as it cut in the first round, I couldn’t see,” Covington said. “I had blurred vision, I was seeing three different people, I was like, ‘F**k, which one do I punch?’ I didn’t know what to do. I was kind of confused, but I knew I had to keep fighting. I had to give the UFC and the fans a show. That’s what they pay their hard-earned money to come for and I’m a warrior. We’re gladiators. I’m not going to stop.

    “I’ve had way worse in fights than a little cut over my eye, so it’s unfortunate that the doctor stopped the fight like that because if we’re in Vegas, I know the fight gets to keep going. I feel like I was really just starting to gain momentum. Like I was starting to wear him out, I could see him breathing out of his mouth. There wasn’t as much volume at that point, so I feel like it was going to be my fight in the championship rounds, so it was an unfortunate stop and I feel like the doctor is the one that beat me tonight. I didn’t feel like I lost to another opponent.”

  • Top-10 UFC Lightweight Down To Fight Paddy Pimblett In London: ‘Sounds Great’

    Top-10 UFC Lightweight Down To Fight Paddy Pimblett In London: ‘Sounds Great’

    The UFC is set to return to London, England on March 22 where it’s expected that Paddy Pimblett will make his seventh appearance inside the Octagon. “The Baddy” has gone 6-0 in the promotion with his last win, a first round submission finish over King Green at UFC 304, seeing him earn the #13-spot in the rankings.

    Though the former UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards has recently claimed that he will be one half of the main event at the O2 Arena, Pimblett has become a staple of the UK cards and he always draws lots of attention to them. Given that his next fight will be a big matchup at 155-pounds, if he’s going to get a spot in London, it should make for a pretty significant Fight Night event with multiple high stakes clashes.

    Both Beneil Dariush and Renato Moicano could have been potential opponents for the scouse contender but with them being booked against each other for UFC 311 in January, there aren’t too many names that make sense for Pimblett right now. Ranked one spot above Dariush at #8 is a potential opponent that has put his hand up to be the away fighter in London.

    Poland’s Mateusz Gamrot is looking to bounce back from his loss to Dan Hooker at UFC 305 this past August which snapped his three-fight win streak against top names in Jalin Turner, Rafael Fiziev and Rafael dos Anjos. Having recently claimed that a report which matched him and Fiziev for a rematch was false, Gamrot followed that up with a post on X that called for a fight with “The Baddy”.

    Given Gamrot’s list of wins and opponents since he joined the UFC back in 2020, this would definitely be the biggest test of Pimblett’s career to date and an opportunity for him to make some serious headway into the lightweight top 10.

  • Ilia Topuria On Conor McGregor Dismissing Fight Rumors: ‘I Don’t Fight Nor Am I Interested In Fighting With A Rapist’

    Ilia Topuria On Conor McGregor Dismissing Fight Rumors: ‘I Don’t Fight Nor Am I Interested In Fighting With A Rapist’

    In a recent social media post, Conor McGregor outlined plans for the future of his career in combat sports. “The Notorious” claims that he is in “preliminary agreements” for a return to the boxing ring against Logan Paul in India. Once that is settled, he will turn his attention back towards making a long awaited return to the UFC.

    McGregor also stated in the post that there is no truth to any rumors of him coming back to face off with the promotion’s current featherweight champion, Ilia Topuria.

    “El Matador” is a huge star, but while the fight might make sense in terms of how big it would be following the comments exchanged by the two men, it doesn’t appear to be a realistic option for either right now.

    Following the clarification from the often cryptic McGregor on X, Topuria has provided his own response to “The Notorious.”

    Posting several hours later on his own X account, the 145-pound king posted a scathing message aimed at the Dublin native, which suggests that even if the fight was on the table, he wouldn’t be interested in it.

    Topuria’s post makes reference to the recent verdict of McGregor’s civil case, where he was found liable of assault after being accused of raping Nikita Hand.

    “The rumors of bout with mchicken are false. I don’t fight nor am I interested in fighting with a rapist,” Topuria wrote.

    https://twitter.com/Topuriailia/status/1869010107994194407

    Topuria has recently declared that he intends on moving up to lightweight in the near future but doesn’t plan on vacating the featherweight title in order to do so.

    McGregor, meanwhile, recently posted the following statement on X after being threatened with contempt of court over the comments he shared on social media relating to the verdict of the case.

    https://twitter.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/1868939287657619621
  • Michael Chandler Lays Down Ultimatum To Conor McGregor Regarding UFC Fight In 2025

    Michael Chandler Lays Down Ultimatum To Conor McGregor Regarding UFC Fight In 2025

    Michael Chandler has spent a long time waiting for the Octagon return of Conor McGregor but it appears that now, he has drawn a line in the sand. “Iron” Mike has already had to go past the deadline that he set for “The Notorious” once before which led to him returning at UFC 309.

    When the UFC offered him the opportunity to rematch Charles Oliveira at Madison Square Garden last month, he knew that it was the right time to put the McGregor fight on hold and step back inside the Octagon. The fight didn’t go his way but that doesn’t seem to have impacted whether he will get the opportunity to face off with the Irishman if he ever does come back.

    McGregor recently claimed, after being found guilty of sexual assault in a civil case, that he’s currently working on a boxing match against Logan Paul and will turn his attention towards the UFC after that. With the former champ-champ being impossible to predict or decipher at times, Chandler is smartly making his own calls so that his career won’t be dictated by a potential opponent.

    Speaking in a recent interview with Lucky Block, he revealed that he has a new timeframe in mind for the long awaited clash with McGregor. Chandler was happy to have some time off before he came back to face Oliveira but after returning in November, he wants to get back to regular activity with or without his long awaited dance partner.

    “If Conor doesn’t come back in the first half of 2025, I will be fighting someone else,” Chandler said. “There are other fights I’m interested in. I didn’t fight for two years but that wasn’t all waiting, I wanted to take some time and give my body a break after my first five fights in the promotion which included a title fight and fight of the nights and the fight of the year.

    “My body needed a little bit of a break and I was happy to. Part of me was hanging onto this Conor thing but also kind of a little bit of gamesmanship, enjoying the time off, letting my body heal up a little bit,” Chandler continued. ” It was all supposed to come to fruition with a really great performance, getting my hand raised against Charles, becoming the number one contender, fighting for the title. Obviously that didn’t work out, but we continue to press on no matter what.”

  • Dana White Gives Short Reaction To Host Of UFC Veterans Returning For Global Fight League Launch

    Dana White Gives Short Reaction To Host Of UFC Veterans Returning For Global Fight League Launch

    The Global Fight League (GFL) recently announced a huge number of additions to its roster ahead of the promotion’s full launch in 2025. Many of the names are familiar to fight fans as a whole host of former UFC fighters, veterans and champions are available to be drafted before the GFL’s team-based season format gets underway.

    Despite this being a major announcement in the MMA landscape, the reaction from a lot of fans wasn’t overly positive because many of the top names that have come to terms with the GFL are fighters that are either in the final years of their careers or seen to be past their primes. Given his previous comments on other promotions that have looked to change the MMA landscape, it’s not surprising that UFC boss Dana White was sceptical to say the least.

    Rather than criticizing the GFL, White welcomed them to come and try their hand at mixed martial arts during his post-fight press conference in Tampa this past weekend. With a smirk on his face, he is happy to see how other promotions will attempt to compete and do things differently.

    “I actually don’t know anything about it. I saw this all the time, I welcome everybody. Listen, there’s no barrier to get into this sport. I hear a lot of people saying that we ‘don’t do this right’ or we ‘don’t do that right’. Come on in everybody, dive in.”

    Though White said that he wasn’t familiar with the promotion’s recent announcement, after having a list of some of the top signings read out to him, he gave his response to hearing some of the names that GFL has acquired. There was a particular emphasis places on the inclusion of Wanderlei Silva who at 48-years old, hasn’t fought since he departed the UFC in 2013 and returned to fight twice in Bellator in 2017 and 2018.

    “Fascinating. I’ll believe it when I see it.”

  • Undefeated Bellator Champion Calls Jake Paul Out For MMA Fight With ‘Modified Rules’

    Undefeated Bellator Champion Calls Jake Paul Out For MMA Fight With ‘Modified Rules’

    It isn’t yet known who Jake Paul will face in his combat sports return following his huge contest with Mike Tyson last month. Given that he’s coming off of a record breaking event, it appears that all bets are off for “The Problem Child” in terms of the opponents that he is capable of drawing in.

    Though he has signed to the PFL, there hasn’t been any news in some time regarding Paul’s MMA debut but there has been one name that has been mentioned time and time again. In August last year, he defeated Nate Diaz in a boxing match and has since been trying to get the former UFC fighter to face him in a rematch that would take place in MMA.

    Diaz hasn’t showed any interest in doing that because he would prefer to do it in boxing and he doesn’t want to fight in the PFL after being a big part of the UFC for so long. Paul once again called Diaz out at a recent press conference.

    “It’s funny that Nate Diaz is actually scared to fight me in MMA, actually. The biggest payday of his life would be me and him in MMA. Yeah, so I’m ready.”

    Underneath the clip posted by MMA Fighting on Instagram, one of the top names on the PFL roster called for a modified rules fight with Paul seeing that he can’t get Diaz to step in there with him. Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen has won back-to-back fights this year, improving his overall record to 16-0.

    In October, he defeated Fabian Edwards for a second time at Battle of the Giants to successfully defend the 185-pound title for a third time. As seen in this rematch, Eblen’s greatest strength is his wrestling but clearly he would be open to meeting Paul in the middle in terms of the ruleset if that’s something he would be interested in.

  • Jan Błachowicz: Magomed Ankalaev Must ‘Change’ To Have A Chance Of Beating Alex Pereira

    Jan Błachowicz: Magomed Ankalaev Must ‘Change’ To Have A Chance Of Beating Alex Pereira

    Following his win over Aleksandar Rakić at UFC 308 in October, it looks like the next time that we see Magomed Ankalaev, he will finally get his long awaited title shot against Alex Pereira. Many expected that this would be the next test for “Poatan” following his wins over Jamahal Hill and Jiří Procházka earlier this year but instead, he defended the title at UFC 307 by finishing Khalil Rountree Jr.

    In Abu Dhabi, Ankalaev got his hand raised once again after sticking to his word and beating Rakić over three rounds by only striking with him. The Russian has continued to push the idea that when he eventually faced Pereira, he will do the same and will knockout the kickboxing specialist to win the 205-pound gold.

    One fellow top contender who doesn’t think this that applying the same approach is the best idea is the former champion, Jan Błachowicz. In his last outing at UFC 291, “Polish Power” became the closest of anyone to beating Pereira at light heavyweight when he welcomed the former middleweight champion to his new weight class.

    Błachowicz came out on the wrong side of a split decision and though he wasn’t able to land a lot of offense, he did have some success with his grappling and once he became tired, he was able to avoid eating anything too damaging from the Brazilian. Błachowicz gave his thoughts on that potential title fight in a recent interview with James Lynch for Home of Fight.

    He believes that in order for Ankalaev to leave with the title, he needs to take more risks to really put a stamp on the fight instead of simply trying to win each round without taking damage.

    “If Ankalaev will fight like last fight with [Aleksandar] Rakic, he’s going to lose the fight. He needs to do something more. He needs to be like, I don’t know, but – he is good fighter, but it’s not enough for Pereira in this kind of style. He needs to change.

    “He needs to be more – he has to believe in that which he’s doing. I think he doesn’t believe. He just wants to win the fight, but don’t take too much punches. He is very careful in this what he’s doing and I think this kind of way, fighting with Pereira, will not work.”