MMA News

Author: Kyle Dimond

  • Colby Covington’s Losing Run Blamed On American Top Team Exit: ‘Since He Left…’

    Colby Covington’s Losing Run Blamed On American Top Team Exit: ‘Since He Left…’

    For the first time in his pro career, Colby Covington is currently coming off of back-to-back losses. The former UFC interim welterweight champion returned this past weekend in Tampa where he was beaten by the surging Joaquin Buckley.

    “Chaos” has already spoken about the defeat where he outlined the significance of taking the fight on short notice and the cut that he suffered above his right eye which eventually led to the doctor waving the fight off in the third round. Covington stated that he was only just getting going at the time of the stoppage but up until that point, “New Mansa” was clearly and comfortably winning the fight.

    Many fans and fellow fighters were also very critical about Covington’s previous outing at UFC 296 last December where he was totally shut out by Leon Edwards in a welterweight title fight. Having been 15-1 heading into his first meeting with Kamaru Usman in 2019 to now being 17-5, some may simply put his decline in form down to his age.

    At 36-years old, it’s not surprising that Covington would begin to slow down especially as a fighter whose biggest weapon is his cardio and output. Josh Thomson, however, believes that the controversial welterweight might not be preparing as well as he could be.

    Covington’s nine years at American Top Team in Florida ended in 2020 following several altercations with some of his teammates who had made it very clear that they no longer wanted him on the team due to some of his comments about them. The likes of Jorge Masvidal and Dustin Poirier have remained at ATT whilst Covington has since moved to MMA Masters in Miami.

    Thomson, who is a former fighter turned commentator, said on the Weighing In Podcast that he believes this is taking away from the three-time title challenger.

    “I’m going to simply say that once you’ve trained at a prestigious gym like American Top Team [ATT], and then you find your way out of it, running your own camp in a smaller facility without many top-level people to train with, especially after leaving a gym with a plethora of world-class fighters…. it’s noticeable. You saw it tonight. I don’t know if it’s the age, because I know he’s older, but let’s be honest, within two fights, he doesn’t look like the same person since he left American Top Team.”

    Thomson believes that not having the kind of people that he needs to really push him has taken away what made Covington so effective in the first place. If he was going to beat Buckley on Saturday night, he needed to put the pace on him but if anything, it was the other way round.

    “Those are the rounds where you’re trying to catch your second, sometimes third, wind. But not having the talent that he needs to help push his pace in training is what I feel like I’m seeing right now. I’m seeing a fighter who is having a hard time setting a pace inside the cage against world-class fighters because he doesn’t have world-class fighters to train with anymore.”

  • VIDEO: Israel Adesanya Reacts To Inclusion In Manel Kape’s UFC Tampa Octagon Interview

    VIDEO: Israel Adesanya Reacts To Inclusion In Manel Kape’s UFC Tampa Octagon Interview

    One of the stand out performances from the final UFC event of 2024 came courtesy of Manel “Starboy” Kape. The flyweight contender returned to the win column with one of his best performances inside the Octagon to date against Bruno Silva.

    Kape looked incredibly fast and accurate in Tampa and though he can still be a divisive character, displays like this make it easy to remember why some fans were so excited for him to arrive in the UFC. It doesn’t seem like this win will be enough for him to get his first shot at the title but he won’t be far off following this victory.

    Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya was enjoying some food whilst watching the Portuguese stand out go to work during his YouTube reactions to the fights.

    Suddenly, out of nowhere, he heard his own name after Kape used his time on the mic to reignite an old feud. At UFC 293, Kape and Adesanya got into a heated exchange at the press conference due to the flyweight’s comments about one of Adesanya’s close teammates, Kai Kara-France.

    After getting his hand raised, Kape spent part of his post-fight interview calling out the likes of Kara-France, Adesanya and Brandon Moreno. Having just given “Starboy” lots of credit for his performance, “The Last Stylebender” was caught off guard but he did find the whole thing amusing rather than taking it to heart.

    “Why’d he say f*** me for? Man, I give this guy this credit like he’s looking nice and then he said ‘F*** you’. Hey, I still keep it real man, he f****** showed out. Hey man, this shows I been in his head this whole time, I didn’t even think it was like that but he did well, good job… little b**** a** n****.”

  • ONE Championship Announces Fight For Title Vacated After Demetrious Johnson’s Retirement

    ONE Championship Announces Fight For Title Vacated After Demetrious Johnson’s Retirement

    ONE Championship has announced that on March 23 at ONE 172, the promotion will crown a new flyweight champion in the co-main event of the evening. The title has been left vacant ever since Demetrious Johnson announced his retirement at the Ball Arena in Denver this past September at ONE 168.

    Following several high stakes contests at flyweight, the two top contenders that will battle for the gold have emerged. Brazil’s Adriano Moraes is a multiple time flyweight champion in ONE and was the inaugural holder of the title back in 2014. In his latest title reign, he ended his trilogy of fights with Geje Eustaquio before becoming the first man to finish Johnson in 2021 which kickstarted their trilogy of fights.

    Moraes recently returned to the win column in Johnson’s absence by beating Danny Kingad at ONE 169 in November via a submission in the second round. “Mikinho” is now set to face off with Japan’s Yuya Wakamatsu who is sure to receive an incredible amount of support at the Saitama Super Arena on March 23.

    Wakamatsu previously challenged Moraes for the flyweight title in 2022 at ONE: X where he was submitted in the third round. After suffering back-to-back defeats, “Little Pranha” has won three in a row including a dominant victory at the start of December over Gilbert Nakatani.

    This huge card is set to be headlined by arguably the biggest fight in the history of the promotion as Rodtang Jitmuangnon faces off with Takeru Segawa in a kickboxing super fight that has been building ever since their matchup at ONE 165 earlier this year fell through due to an injury to the Thai superstar. There is sure to be a lot more top Japanese talent on the card for what will be ONE’s biggest event to date.

  • Shara Magomedov vs. Michael ‘Venom’ Page To Co-Headline UFC Saudi Arabia

    Shara Magomedov vs. Michael ‘Venom’ Page To Co-Headline UFC Saudi Arabia

    The main event between Israel Adesanya and Nassourdine Imavov won’t be the only huge middleweight fight toward the top of the UFC Saudi Arabia lineup.

    The Octagon is set to touch down in Riyadh for the second time on Feb. 1, 2025. UFC CEO Dana White confirmed the headliner between Adesanya and Imavov in a social media video this week, alongside an intriguing co-main event that should excite striking fans.

    After Red Corner MMA first reported that Shara Magomedov had agreed to meet welterweight contender Michael “Venom” Page in a clash between two of MMA’s most dangerous and exciting standup fighters, White officially announced the UFC Saudi Arabia matchup. Page previously expressed interest in this bout following Magomedov’s latest win, stating that he’d be happy to compete at middleweight.

    This fight at UFC Saudi Arabia sees “MVP” move to 185 pounds after fighting twice inside the Octagon at welterweight. The former Bellator star has gone 1-1 since debuting in the UFC earlier this year. A decisive win over Kevin Holland in March was followed by a decision loss to Ian Garry at UFC 303, where the Irishman lent on his grappling ability to secure the victory.

    Magomedov, meanwhile, has been incredible value for money since his arrival in the promotion last year, winning four in a row to obtain a top 15 ranking next to his name at 185 pounds. In his toughest test to date, “Bullet” secured his third consecutive Performance of the Night bonus by knocking out Armen Petrosyan with a double spinning backfist at UFC 308 last month.

    With this addition, the current fights expected to take place at UFC Saudi Arabia are as follows:

    • Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov (middleweight main event)
    • Shara Magomedov vs. Michael Page (middleweight co-main event)
    • Ikram Aliskerov vs. Andre Muniz (middleweight)
    • Sergei Pavlovich vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (heavyweight)
    • Said Nurmagomedov vs. Vinicius Oliveira (bantamweight)
    • Hamdy Abdelwahab vs. Jamal Pogues (heavyweight)
    • Bogdan Grad vs. Lucas Alexander (featherweight)
    • Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady vs. Jordan Leavitt (lightweight)
    • Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Mayra Bueno Silva (women’s flywight)
    • Shamil Gaziev vs. Thomas Petersen (heavyweight)
    • Muhammad Naimov vs. Kaan Ofli (featherweight)
    • Terrance McKinney vs. Damir Hadžović (lightweight)
  • Paul Hughes Willing To Go To ‘Depths Of Hell’ To Knock Out Undefeated Usman Nurmagomedov

    Paul Hughes Willing To Go To ‘Depths Of Hell’ To Knock Out Undefeated Usman Nurmagomedov

    MMA fans, specifically those in the UK, have been hearing a lot about Paul Hughes and his potential for some time now. After he signed to the PFL earlier this year, he would now have the platform to really progress up the ladder and show what he is truly capable of.

    Hughes has always been incredibly confident in his own ability and he’s not afraid to put himself out there but even with that in mind, his last fight came as a shock. Many believed that taking on A.J. McKee in his second fight with the promotion would be an instance of too much, too soon for the Irishman.

    At PFL’s Battle of the Giants, he rose to the occasion by putting on a great performance to beat McKee in Riyadh and after defeating such a high-level opponent, there was only one logical next step for “Big News” and that’s the world championship. At the Road to Dubai Champions Series on January 25, Hughes will take on the undefeated Bellator lightweight champ, Usman Nurmagomedov.

    The 27-year old knows that this is a huge test for him but he believes that even the win over McKee was only scratching the surface of what he’s capable of. He expects Nurmagomedov to really push him in this fight but just like in October, that pressure will bring the best out of him.

    Hughes spoke about the fight in a recent interview with the Belfast Telegraph where he explained where he’s at mentally going into the biggest fight of his career.

    “I see a knockout, 100 per cent. I may have to go to the depths of hell to beat this guy, and I will be prepared for that but I trust in my fight IQ, instincts and killer ability to find a way to get Usman out of there. I said I would knock out AJ and came within millimetres of doing it.

    “I still beat him up, but I was close to knocking him out with the exact shot I called. I definitely see a knockout against Usman. There is a lot more to come from me. My last performance was a six out of ten, for many reasons. I have to be a ten out of ten to beat Usman, he is that good.”

  • Anthony Smith On Dominick Reyes During UFC 310 Fight: ‘Goddamn, You’re Not That Good’ 

    Anthony Smith On Dominick Reyes During UFC 310 Fight: ‘Goddamn, You’re Not That Good’ 

    UFC 310 was an incredibly difficult night for Anthony Smith who in the featured prelim, suffered a loss to Dominick Reyes. It was clear from the first few seconds of his walk out that this fight would be unlike any other for the former title challenger following the recent loss of his longtime friend and coach, Scott Morton.

    Smith was visibly struggling to keep it together on his walk to the cage which is completely understandable when you consider what he was going through. After being stopped in the second round, he told Joe Rogan in his post-fight interview that in the moment, he thought this would “probably” be the last fight of his career.

    In a recent interview with SiriusXM, Smith spoke openly about his mental state going into that fight and how he wasn’t able to control his emotions despite believing that he would be able to “power through it”. He also gave more context to one of the most alarming moments in the fight where it looked like he was allowing Reyes to repeatedly punch him without defending or throwing anything back.

    Reyes later came out and said that his opponent was asking to be hit and given what was on the line for him, he obliged. “Lionheart” explained why he did this and how he had a huge realization during the fight which could impact whether he decides to return to the Octagon or not.

    “I got impatient,” Smith said. “I just wanted something to f*cking happen. I just forced it. I just got impatient. Nothing was happening. He wasn’t engaging. I’d seen everything. That was the worst part, too. I was in there, and I was like, ‘Goddamn, you’re not that good.’ And then it hit me like, ‘F*ck, maybe I’m not either.’

    “Maybe I’m not either anymore. The left hand wasn’t nearly as fast as I expected it to be. I think I over-predicted how good he was going to be on his feet. He landed a shot here or there, and then at some point where I was like, ‘F*cking hit me or something. I need to f*cking feel something. Give me something here.’”

  • Arman Tsarukyan Trains With The Only Man To Beat Islam Makhachev Ahead Of UFC 311

    Arman Tsarukyan Trains With The Only Man To Beat Islam Makhachev Ahead Of UFC 311

    Islam Makhachev is the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world today for a reason. The UFC lightweight champion was already a dominant grappler but with the improvements that he has shown in his all-round skillset in recent years, he’s the total package.

    However, unlike his long-time training partner and the former 155-pound king, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev has had several tough fights and moments of serious adversity inside the Octagon. One of those difficult tests was against late notice replacement Arman Tsarukyan in 2019 where the Armenian was able to really push the man that many considered to be on his way to being a top contender.

    At UFC 311 in January, they will run it back for the lightweight gold in Los Angeles and in order to help him prepare, the challenger has brought in another man that caused Makhachev some serious problems. Through 27 pro fights, the current champion has only ever tasted defeat once.

    In his second fight with the promotion at UFC 192 in 2015, he was knocked out in the first round by Brazil’s Adriano Martins who at the time, had 22 more pro fights on his record. After Makhachev missed a big overhand left, Martins countered with his own and dropped the Russian with the referee immediately stepping in.

    Following back-to-back losses to Leonardo Santos and Kajan Johnson after this win, Martins was cut from the UFC, ending his run in the promotion with an overall record of 4-3. In March this year, he defeated Donovan Desmae to snap a run of six fights without a win that dated back to his final UFC fights.

    He’s now set to return to the cage later this month but before then, Tsarukyan looked to engage in a bit of mental warfare with his next opponent by sharing a gym photo of him and the only man to defeat Makhachev.

  • Ilia Topuria Issues Statement After Lightweight Talk Causes Debate: ‘I Will Not Leave The Title Vacant’

    Ilia Topuria Issues Statement After Lightweight Talk Causes Debate: ‘I Will Not Leave The Title Vacant’

    UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria recently sparked a lot of conversation by revealing that he plans to move up to lightweight much sooner than expected. “El Matador” told Spanish radio show El Partidazo de COPE that he would like to face Charles Oliveira next time out at 155-pounds, claiming that we’ve already likely seen his last fight at featherweight.

    Topuria’s coach, Jorge Climent, backed up this statement by providing more details about the difficult weight cut that the champion has to undergo in order to fight at featherweight. He claimed that the undefeated superstar is often 85 kilos which would make him over 40 pounds heavier than he needs to be on weigh-in day.

    Topuria has received some criticism in the past for comments that he made about not wanting to stay in this division for too long so that he can pursue a second belt. In a response to some of the feedback he has received off the back of his latest lightweight plan, the 145-pound titleholder attempted to provide more context on X.

    Following their respectful encounter inside the Octagon at UFC 308, it seemed clear that Topuria’s next title defense would be a rematch against the former champion Alexander Volkanovski. However, following the champion’s interview on Spanish radio, there was already talk about whether there should be a vacant title fight if he does leave the division.

    He posted a message on social media to make it clear that though he does see a move up coming in the very near future, he doesn’t intend on giving up his belt in order to make that happen. He also clarified that there aren’t any concrete plans in place for his next steps as of yet.

    “I will not leave the title vacant. The decision to move up to the next category is entirely mine. I haven’t had any conversations with the UFC yet, so everything is still to be decided. Stop celebrating because I’m not going anywhere. I have conquered my division and I will do the same in the next one.”

  • Muhammad Mokaev Vows To Become ‘Pound-For-Pound Best Fighter In The World’ Ahead Of Post-UFC Return

    Muhammad Mokaev Vows To Become ‘Pound-For-Pound Best Fighter In The World’ Ahead Of Post-UFC Return

    On December 13, Muhammad Mokaev is set to make his return to MMA following a very significant and unpredictable 12 months in 2024. “The Punisher” last fought at UFC 304 in July where he defeated Manel Kape to earn his seventh consecutive win inside the Octagon.

    At just 24-years old he has already shown that he isn’t just the future of the flyweight division but he was the present as well and off the back of another big win over a highly ranked opponent, it seemed clear that he would challenge for the UFC’s 125-pound title in the near future. Instead, in the post-fight press conference, Dana White announced that the promotion would be parting ways with Mokaev due to the issues and complications that he has caused outside of the cage with his behaviour.

    Mokaev had got into several fights with fellow fighters including one with his last UFC opponent, Portugal’s Kape who also returns this weekend at UFC Tampa. For now, he is set to put this behind him in order to continue with his incredibly promising career.

    It was announced shortly after his UFC departure that he had re-signed with his former home before he stepped inside the Octagon, BRAVE Combat Federation. His return at BRAVE CF 91 at the Khalifa Sports City Arena in Bahrain sees him take on a short notice replacement opponent in Filipino flyweight Joevincent So.

    In a recent interview with Fight Book MMA, Mokaev spoke about his mentality after what he has been through in the past few months and how it hasn’t derailed his dream of proving himself to be the best in the world.

    “I see a lot of people recognize that I’m one of the best Flyweights in the world. But I believe I’m still young, I’m still not in my prime,” Mokaev stated. “I’m winning because of my hard work. I think once I get in my physical prime, like around 26 or 27, I’ll be even stronger and that’s when you’ll see the difference. I will be the pound-for-pound number one fighter in the world! When you’re going against the best in the world, you have to sacrifice everything. That’s what separates a champion from a non-champion.”

  • Sean Strickland’s Coach Explains Picking Dricus Du Plessis As ‘Toughest Challenge’ Over Khamzat Chimaev

    Sean Strickland’s Coach Explains Picking Dricus Du Plessis As ‘Toughest Challenge’ Over Khamzat Chimaev

    Sean Strickland is set to challenge for the UFC middleweight title for the second time in his upcoming rematch with Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 312. The former champion stuck to the idea that he would wait for his shot at “Stillknocks” following his win over Paulo Costa in June and it paid off for him with the fight being announced this past weekend at UFC 310.

    For his head coach at Xtreme Couture, Eric Nicksick, the next few months will be all about looking at what they need to do differently in order to defeat Du Plessis in Sydney, Australia. Their first meeting at UFC 297 came down to a close split decision that saw the South African become the 185-pound champion.

    For several weeks following his submission win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 308, it looked like the promotion might be heading towards Khamzat Chimaev as the next title challenger for Du Plessis. Though they aren’t thinking about it right now, both teams will know that if they come out on top in February, Chimaev will likely be their next opponent.

    Nicksick spoke in a recent interview with Submission Radio about which opponent is a bigger threat to Strickland out of the current champion and the other top contender in the division. He explained why in his opinion, as of right now, Du Plessis is their biggest challenge.

    “I mean, you would have to say [Dricus du Plessis] because he won, he beat us. Right now you have to say that [he’s the tougher matchup] because that’s the task at hand. I think Khamzat presents tons of different variables to his style that we’re gonna have to look at how to break down once that challenge presents itself. But right now, DDP is the toughest challenge for us.”

  • Two More Ireland vs. Dagestan Fights Added To Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes PFL Card

    Two More Ireland vs. Dagestan Fights Added To Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes PFL Card

    On January 25, the PFL is set to host its first event in Dubai with the Road To Dubai Champions Series at the Coca-Cola Arena. In the main event, the undefeated Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov will face the rising star Paul Hughes in a highly anticipated title fight.

    Following Hughes’ win over A.J. McKee at Battle of the Giants, he called for this fight and immediately attached the perfect tagline to it. When the event was announced, it was promoted as Ireland vs Dagestan 2 in reference to the biggest fight in the history of the sport between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor.

    As the cousin of Khabib, we know that the defending champion will have his family involved for this fight though it seems unlikely that the same can be said for McGregor linking up with Hughes right now. However, PFL appears to be doubling down on this particular theme for the card following the announcement of two more matchups that pit Ireland against Dagestan.

    A fantastic featherweight clash will see the undefeated Khasan Magomedsharipov take on Nate Kelly. Khasan, who is the younger brother of the former UFC featherweight contender Zabit Magomedsharipov, has won five consecutive fights under the Bellator banner and was recently named in the top 10 of ESPN’s 25 under 25 list for 2024.

    Ireland’s Kelly trains out of the same gym as McGregor, SBG Dublin, and has gone 10-0 since losing the first two pro fights of his career, having fought in both Bellator and the PFL in recent years.

    A second bout sees another undefeated fighter with Dagestani origins facing one of the emerald isle’s finest. 20-year old Ibragim Ibragimov also represents the English flag having been born in Dagestan before moving at a young age. The 8-0 featherweight out of Manchester Top Team recently earned a decision win over Nacho Campos at Battle of the Giants. His opponent will be another SBG Ireland fighter, Kenny Mokhonoana.

    The 27-year old has amassed a 5-1 record with two first-round finishes already under his belt in Bellator. His last fight in September last year saw him suffer his first pro loss to the highly regarded undefeated Welsh fighter Josh O’Connor.

    A trilogy fight between Vadim Nemkov and Bellator light heavyweight champion Corey Anderson at heavyweight was also recently confirmed for the card.

  • Manel Kape: Referee Mike Beltran Should Have Been Fired For ‘B*tch Move’ In Muhammad Mokaev Fight

    Manel Kape: Referee Mike Beltran Should Have Been Fired For ‘B*tch Move’ In Muhammad Mokaev Fight

    UFC flyweight contender Manel Kape is set to return this weekend in Tampa where he closes out his 2024 campaign by facing off with the dangerous Bruno Silva at the Amelie Arena. This contest will be his first fight back since his controversial clash with Muhammad Mokaev at UFC 304 in Manchester this past July.

    There was a lot of tension between the two men throughout fight week that spilled over once they got inside the Octagon. However, once the fight itself had actually started, it wasn’t the most exciting contest. Mokaev’s win should’ve seen the undefeated contender solidify his status as the next in line for a flyweight title shot but instead, the UFC chose to not re-sign him after he had no fights left on his deal.

    Considering all of the drama between them in the lead up to their fight, it’s not surprising that Kape isn’t upset about his former opponent departing the promotion. During his media day interviews, “Starboy” labelled “The Punisher” as “dirty”, accusing him of committing multiple fouls in their fight that changed the outcome.

    Kape also places some of the blame for that fight on the third man inside the Octagon, referee Mike Beltran. He believes that he was having to do Beltran’s job for him after the official failed to spot and penalize Mokaev’s infringements and for that, he thinks Beltran should have also been forced to leave.

    “What is even worse is the referee. I don’t think he was a man; it was a b*tch move,” Kape said. “He was looking at him when he grabbed my shorts, and when I dropped my hands to lose the position, Mokaev still grabbed my shorts out of fear because it was one of my favorite submissions, the kneebar. I felt the victory in the moment. If I had gotten the victory, no one would have called the fight boring because I would have finished him.

    “The referee should have taken a point; he didn’t do his job. Mokaev got fired, and one of the other people that should have been fired was the referee, as he didn’t do his job…the referee was the main issue. Listen,” Kape continued. “There was also an issue when I punched Mokaev, and he put a finger in my eye, so I gave my back because it was bad, and the referee didn’t do anything…I felt in that fight that I was a fighter and referee because it was me who stopped the fight multiple times…there were multiple fouls, and I think the UFC should fire him as well. So, it was just Mokaev.”

    Watch Kape’s full media day interview via MMA Fighting below:

  • Teammate Says ‘Different Level’ Khabib Nurmagomedov Could Defeat Dricus Du Plessis At Middleweight

    Teammate Says ‘Different Level’ Khabib Nurmagomedov Could Defeat Dricus Du Plessis At Middleweight

    When Khabib Nurmagomedov announced that he would be retiring from MMA at UFC 254 in 2020, he did what very few athletes are able to do. “The Eagle” left the sport that he had dedicated his life to whilst being at the very top of the game.

    With an undefeated record of 29-0 and three title defenses under his belt, Nurmagomedov stuck to the promise that he had made his mother following the tragic loss of his father and coach, Abdulmanap. Who knows how much longer the champion could’ve stayed at the top but his final performance inside the Octagon against Justin Gaethje proved that he was still the best lightweight in the world by some distance.

    Since then, he has used his unbreakable mentality and elite experience to benefit the fighters around him by acting as a coach. His team recently had success at the 2024 PFL World Championships in Riyadh where Gadzhi Rabadanov brought even more lightweight gold to their trophy cabinet by stopping Brent Primus.

    In an interview with Bloody Elbow, Rabadanov spoke about the former UFC lightweight king and how he continues to be incredibly dedicated even after hanging up the gloves for good.

    “He trains like a professional fighter still, ever single day, he’s never going to stop. If he could he’d train while he’s flying or in the Arabian dessert.”

    Though he is still constantly training alongside his teammates, Nurmagomedov has put on a fair bit of size since stepping away which isn’t necessarily surprising given that lightweight was a difficult weight cut for him at several points in his career. With that in mind, though he doesn’t think Khabib will ever come back, Rabadanov believes that he could be a champion again in whatever weight class he ends up in.

    He believes that 185-pounds would probably be a better fit for “The Eagle” at this point in time but that doesn’t mean that Dricus Du Plessis would be able to stop from him getting his hands on UFC gold again if that’s what he really wanted.

    “He’s not lightweight any more. I think maybe middleweight is good. 100 per cent [he could beat Dricus Du Plessis]. Khabib is different level.”

  • ‘Washed Fighter Olympics’ – Fans React To Global Fight League Announcing Wanderlei Silva, Frank Mir, & More For 2025 Roster

    ‘Washed Fighter Olympics’ – Fans React To Global Fight League Announcing Wanderlei Silva, Frank Mir, & More For 2025 Roster

    The Global Fight League (GFL) dropped a major announcement ahead of the promotion’s launch in 2025. GFL founder Darren Owen revealed on The Ariel Helwani show on Wednesday that the promotion have signed a huge amount of fighters to their roster with many being former UFC veterans.

    GFL looks to stand out from other promotions by running 15 events next year that will see fighters being drafted to different teams before they compete in a season format. Many of the new signings announced by Owen will be familiar to fight fans with well-known names and former UFC champions like Luke Rockhold, Tyron Woodley, Fabricio Werdum, Anthony Pettis and Frank Mir among many, many others.

    The announcement has been met with mixed reactions thus far with some fans taking issue with the team-based format and some of the talent that has joined the promotion. Many of the noteworthy names are fighters towards the end of their careers or in some cases, former competitors that had already announced their retirements.

    Not to mention fighters like Wanderlei Silva and Fabricio Werdum who at 48 and 47-years old, recently revealed that they suffered from irreversible brain damage in the antitrust lawsuit against the UFC that has now been settled.

    Fight fans gave their response on social media to the catalogue of names that the GFL have signed with six teams drafting 20 fighters from a pool of 300 at the start of the season.

    “Bro please read all the names on this list. This is gonna be like the washed fighter Olympics”

    “Nice… But Greg Hardy though”

    “Rousimar Palhares??”

    “Is this real? I know many are older but that is still a pretty insane start to a promotion.”

    “Jake Paul will come knocking for his first mma bout with the average age on that roster. And Palhares? Who thought that’d be a good idea?”

    “I’m all for more competition but this is a stretch. A lot of older guys with not much left in the tank.”

    “*Grandpas Fight League”

    “Pretty much all fighters that i would prefer to see stay retired..”

    “Is that a retiring league for fighters? Like a home, or something?”

    https://twitter.com/Radagast1977/status/1866942235318817261
  • Joaquin Buckley Expects To Leapfrog Rakhmonov For Next Title Shot With KO Over Covington

    Joaquin Buckley Expects To Leapfrog Rakhmonov For Next Title Shot With KO Over Covington

    The final UFC events of 2024 come with some big stakes attached for the welterweight division. Last weekend at UFC 310 in Las Vegas, Shavkat Rakhmonov cemented his status as the number one contender.

    In the battle of the undefeated 170-pounds in the co-main event on December 7, “Nomad” earned his first decision win to defeat Ireland’s Ian Machado Garry. Having been set to face Belal Muhammad for the title on this date until the champion withdrew, the two men shared a face-off inside the Octagon after Rakhmonov got his hand raised.

    UFC Tampa is up next where in the main event of the Octagon’s final stop of the year, Joaquin Buckley will look to continue his career-best form when he takes on the former interim champion, Colby Covington. “New Mansa” was originally set to face Garry on this card but against a returning Covington, he believes he still has the opportunity to shake up the division by making a statement.

    With a five-fight winning streak and the #9-ranking next to his name, Buckley told UFC.com in a recent interview that he believes he could insert himself into the title picture if he becomes just the second man to knockout “Chaos” at the Amalie Arena on Saturday night.

    “We saw the performance that Ian Garry and Shavkat put on, it wasn’t that fun to watch right. I feel like for me, it’s just like the performance that I’m gonna put on Colby Covington, I can probably take the opportunity to fight for the belt one day. Even though Shavkat earned his spot, sometimes things happen, some things fall out so with that being said, once I get a good knockout over Colby Covington, I feel like I’m next to fight for that belt.”

  • Renato Moicano Admits Disappointment At Beneil Dariush Matchup: ‘I Don’t Think It’s What I Deserve’

    Renato Moicano Admits Disappointment At Beneil Dariush Matchup: ‘I Don’t Think It’s What I Deserve’

    At UFC 311, Renato Moicano will look to earn the biggest win of his career by extending his current winning streak to five. “Money” has been on a great run of form since beating Brad Riddell in 2022, stopping Benoit Saint Denis in Paris last September to make a real dent in the lightweight rankings.

    On his return at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, he will face UFC veteran and 155-pound staple, Beneil Dariush. The #9-ranked contender may be coming off of back-to-back first round knockout losses but suffering setbacks to Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan aren’t major red flags.

    This is especially true considering that his loss to Oliveira at UFC 289 broke his eight-fight winning streak which put him within reach of a title shot if he was able to get past “Do Bronx”. With Moicano being one spot behind him in the top 15, it seems that the Brazilian isn’t overjoyed about this particular matchup.

    Considering that he already has wins over two other ranked opponents, it wouldn’t have been surprising to see Moicano take on a much higher ranked contender next time out though that’s usually easier said than done when it comes to everything falling into place.

    Though he isn’t going to let it affect his preparations and mindset, he was very open and honest during his recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show. Moicano often jokes about wanting easy money instead of tough opponents and clearly he considers Dariush someone that falls into the latter category.

    “Dariush, he’s a tough fighter. That is not what I was expecting and I don’t think it’s what I deserve, but who gives a f***. It’s a fight. Anything can happen and I don’t care who I’m fighting. I just have to be competitive and keep showing up.”

  • Patrício Pitbull Wants PFL Release By Christmas After ‘Lack Of Transparency, Events, & Answers’ 

    Patrício Pitbull Wants PFL Release By Christmas After ‘Lack Of Transparency, Events, & Answers’ 

    Patrício Pitbull has spoken out once again about wanting to be released from his PFL contract so that he can go and fight elsewhere. The Bellator featherweight champion last fought in March where he stopped Jeremy Kennedy to defend his title in Belfast.

    He recently stated in an article from MMA Fighting that he has had several fights cancelled with no plans to reschedule them or find him a different opponent. The Brazilian claims that fights with Aaron Pico and a rematch with Chihiro Suzuki in RIZIN both fell by the wayside and as a result, he would like to leave the promotion if they don’t have any plans for him.

    Pitbull specifically mentioned wanting to use this opportunity to finally fight in the UFC before it is too late for him.

    “I have to fight in the UFC. I have to face those guys. I see myself doing a good job there. I don’t see anything very special there. I can fight anyone there, even the champion. [Ilia Topuria] has some holes we can take advantage of. I’m sure they think the same about me, but I have to trust myself. This is the time.”

    Dana White was asked to give his opinion on this during his post-fight press conference after UFC 310 this past weekend. In response to the UFC boss’ comments, Pitbull posted on X to vent his frustrations about the lack of communication and activity for some of the fighters on the PFL roster.

    He ended the post by giving the promotion a deadline that he wants answers by.

    “The lack of transparency, events and answers from @PFLMMA about its future and @BellatorMMA ‘s is making both promotions look bad. What do you all think about what’s going on? Christmas is coming up and I’d love to receive my release by then.”

  • Robert Whittaker Gives Strickland ‘Props’ For Sticking To His Guns, Predicts Du Plessis Rematch

    Robert Whittaker Gives Strickland ‘Props’ For Sticking To His Guns, Predicts Du Plessis Rematch

    Just over a year on from their first meeting, middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis and former titleholder Sean Strickland are set to meet in a rematch at UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia. Following his bounce back win over Paulo Costa in June, Strickland has remained confident that he deserved the opportunity to fight for the title again.

    His first encounter with “Stillknocks” at UFC 297 went the way of the South African via a split decision and though the fight was close, there weren’t a ton of people calling for the rematch to take place. This was especially true following Khamzat Chimaev’s recent win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 where Du Plessis said himself that a matchup with the undefeated contender would excite him more than running it back with Strickland.

    In a recent episode of his MMArcade Podcast, Whittaker gave his reaction to the fight announcement. The former champion took his hat off to Strickland for sticking to his guns and getting what he asked for even when it looked like it might slip away from him.

    “I’m surprised Sean just literally sat out. Like everyone was laughing at him when he said, ‘I’m going to sit out till I get my title shot.’ Dude straight up got a title shot, props for that. You got to give it him, guy like straight up stuck by what he said.”

    Despite this, Whittaker isn’t sure that Strickland will be able to make the adjustments needed to reclaim the middleweight title.

    “In my opinion, I don’t see the fight going any different. Du Plessis is such a dog in there, he’s going to come with the same aggressiveness and game plan. What could Sean do differently to change the outcome than last time? Okay because if we look at it, it doesn’t happen often but the challenger beats a champion by decision, okay. Du Plessis did that and now he’s a champion and that was a close first fight, you know what I mean. You see where I’m angling with this. I just don’t know what Sean can do differently to change the outcome from happening again.”

  • Molly McCann’s Return Announced For UFC London On March 22

    Molly McCann’s Return Announced For UFC London On March 22

    A series of official fight announcement’s for the UFC’s upcoming return to London, England have confirmed the Octagon return of Liverpool’s Molly McCann. “Meatball” is set to face Brazil’s Istela Nunes on March 22 at the O2 Arena in one of two strawweight bouts that are currently scheduled for the card.

    McCann fought twice in 2024 where she kicked off her year by recording the first submission win of her pro career against Diana Belbiţă in February. After breaking her two-fight skid, the 34-year old lost a unanimous decision to The Fighting Nerds’ Bruna Brasil at UFC 304 in July.

    This took her overall UFC record to 7-6 after being beaten by the better woman on the night. Her next opponent, Nunes, is in desperate need of a win if she’s going to keep her place on the strawweight roster.

    The former ONE Championship contender arrived in the UFC three years ago and in four outings, she is yet to get her hand raised inside the Octagon. Defeats to Ariane Carnelossi, Sam Hughes, Yazmin Jauregui and Victoria Dudakova have her coming into London with her back up against the wall.

    Her loss to Dudakova in July of 2023 ended in just over 30 seconds due to a dislocated elbow and Nunes hasn’t fought since. Several other fights were also confirmed for the card in this latest spree of announcements.

    Christian Leroy Duncan vs Andrey Pulyaev – middleweight

    Oumar Sy vs Alonzo Menifield – light heavyweight

    Shauna Bannon vs Puja Tomar – strawweight

  • Merab Dvalishvili Gets Support From UFC Veteran For Latest Fan Altercation: ‘Don’t F*ck With Pro Fighters!’

    Merab Dvalishvili Gets Support From UFC Veteran For Latest Fan Altercation: ‘Don’t F*ck With Pro Fighters!’

    UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili has been involved in several altercations with fans in recent times. The latest instance came this past weekend at UFC 310 where a video showed him being separated away from a member of the crowd when he was walking to the back with his teammate, Aljamain Sterling.

    Dvalishvili has since shared a video on social media which suggests that the fan was a friend of Umar Nurmagomedov, who he will face at UFC 311 in his first title defense. This additional footage shows how the person grabbed him which kicked off the series of events that led to UFC fighter Dennis Buzukja trading punches with the man.

    Buzukja later explained that the fan had also been trying to antagonize the 135-pound titleholder on their way to the Octagon for Sterling’s contest against Movsar Evloev. One former member of the roster is able to specifically relate to this kind of situation given his own interactions with fans in the past.

    During the walk out for his fight against Demian Maia in Brazil back in 2016, Matt Brown was grabbed and hit by several people in the audience which led to him hitting back.

    In a recent episode of MMA Fighting’s Fighter vs. Writer, Brown reflected on this experience and stood by Dvalishvili for his response to being provoked.

    “I still say these fans, keep to your f*cking self, bro. You don’t f*ck with professional fighters. Most of us are martial artists that are respectful and stuff, but we’re also human beings and we’ll rip your f*cking throat out. Don’t f*ck with us. It’s stupid.

    “You can’t grab a professional. Someone touches me, I’m f*cking them up.”

    Brown also said that in the aftermath of his incident in Brazil, he wasn’t penalized for the altercation and the UFC looked to make changes to stop this kind of thing from happening.

    “I remember Dana [White] changed things after that,” Brown said. “I don’t know what exactly the changes were but basically talking about separating the fans a little bit more, particularly in Brazil, maybe having a little bit better security when guys are walking out. I was right there in touching range, and they were hitting me and pulling my hat off.

    “I’m not just going to sit here and take this, plus I’m completely fired up ready to walk into a fight. You get hit, it’s a natural reaction — you hit someone back.”

  • Chase Hooper On Clay Guida After Dana White’s Retirement Plea Post-UFC 310: ‘Didn’t Feel Like He Was As Hungry…’

    Chase Hooper On Clay Guida After Dana White’s Retirement Plea Post-UFC 310: ‘Didn’t Feel Like He Was As Hungry…’

    At UFC 310, Chase Hooper earned his fourth consecutive win in the lightweight division by beating a veteran of the sport in Clay Guida. His armbar in the first round saw him continue to put together the best run of his career to date whilst collecting a performance of the night bonus in the process.

    As for his opponent, some people (including UFC boss Dana White) believe that it is time for Guida to hang up the gloves. “The Carpenter” has fought 37 times inside the Octagon since making his debut with the promotion all the way back at UFC 64 in 2006. At 43-years old, Guida has lost his last three and his submission loss to Hooper saw him break the promotion’s record for the most losses.

    His 19th defeat saw him clear past Jeremy Stephens and Andrei Arlovski who were previously all tied at 18. In a recent interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, Hooper recapped his second win of 2024.

    Hooper also gave his opinion on whether Guida needs to step away at this stage in his career and though he admitted that everyone is different, he did think that there was a certain level of intensity missing from his opponent on Saturday night.

    “It’s one of those things where I honestly didn’t feel like, when we were in there, I didn’t feel like he was as hungry for the competition as I was and I think that’s a big piece. I think, I don’t know, I didn’t feel like he was really in there as much as he could be but I think he’s a guy that needs to get pumped up for the fight. I’ll never tell anybody to retire right, I don’t think that’s my business but, you know, what 37 fights in the UFC? I mean I damn sure won’t be doing that when I’m 42. I’d sail off into the sunset but that’s just me.”

  • Aljamain Sterling’s Teammate On Trading Punches With Fan Who Antagonized Dvalishvili At UFC 310: ‘Hopefully No Charges Pressed…’

    Aljamain Sterling’s Teammate On Trading Punches With Fan Who Antagonized Dvalishvili At UFC 310: ‘Hopefully No Charges Pressed…’

    On his The Weekly Scraps Podcast, Aljamain Sterling looked to recap his recent fight at UFC 310 this past weekend. In his second fight at featherweight, the former bantamweight champion lost a close decision to Movsar Evloev who now occupies the #4-ranking at 145-pounds.

    Though his prelim bout with the undefeated Russian certainly delivered, there was another major talking point regarding Sterling’s team. His long-time training partner and coach, the bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili, got into a heated exchange with a member of the audience inside the T-Mobile Arena.

    A video posted on social media shows that as they were walking to the back after the fight, Dvalishvili had to be separated from this fan only for their other teammate and cornerman, Dennis Buzukja, to trade punches with him before security could break it up. Dvalishvili has since shared a video that claims that the fan is actually a close friend of the likes of Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov, who the champion faces at UFC 311 in January.

    Buzukja, who last fought in the UFC this past August, detailed his side of the story during the podcast.

    “I don’t know if he had touched Merab as we were walking in, but somehow he got Merab’s attention and then Merab went and tapped his shoulder and just gave him the finger and then the guy gave him the finger back or whatever, he got all jumpy.

    “Then as the fight finished and we’re walking back on the other side, this f****** guy comes across the whole crowd and then goes and, you’ve seen the video, he grabs Merab’s arm and then says something to him in, I guess Russian or whatever he said, and Merab started going crazy. Then we got into a little physical altercation, but that was really it. So hopefully no charges pressed and we move on.”

    Buzukja went on to say that he had first got involved in the confrontation to dry and diffuse the situation but that quickly changed once he was assaulted.

    “I went and approached him and I just put his hand down, I was trying to deescalate and tell him, ‘Yo, calm down, bro. Relax.’ Merab was going away, I just wanted to tell him to relax, have some respect. Then he cracked me first, actually, he cracked me with a nice little left hook and then it was just instinct to hit him back. Then security came in, but part of me is like, ‘Should I just drop the bucket and just jump over and start swinging?’ Just go full, f****** degenerate, but I’m glad it didn’t happen that way.”

  • Kamaru Usman Assesses Shavkat Rakhmonov, Ian Garry After UFC 310: ‘There’s Holes In Both Of Their Games’

    Kamaru Usman Assesses Shavkat Rakhmonov, Ian Garry After UFC 310: ‘There’s Holes In Both Of Their Games’

    Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman was watching closely as two undefeated contenders at 170-pounds met in the co-main event of UFC 310 this past Saturday. Cementing his status as the next title challenger, Shavkat Rakhmonov beat Ian Machado Garry in his first pro win via the scorecards.

    Despite taking the fight on a few weeks notice after Belal Muhammad withdrew from his scheduled title defense against Rakhmonov, Garry was able to test the man that many believe to be the boogeyman of the division, so much so that he doesn’t feel like he lost. Later updates on Rakhmonov’s physical health, along with the Irishman’s performance, could be reasons why he didn’t look at his best despite getting the win.

    Usman was one of the names that many wanted to see step in to face Rakhmonov on December 7 and Garry has publicly criticized “The Nigerian Nightmare” for not taking fights on multiple occasions. During the latest episode of his Pound 4 Pound podcast, Usman gave his thoughts on the fight.

    Though he said that he doesn’t want to give too much away in case he ends up fighting either man at some point, Usman believes that Rakhmonov and Garry exposed each others weaknesses at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

    “I am a wrestler. Once Ian got taken down a few times, then the fight kinda got away from him. Shavkat, as far as standing and putting the combinations together, he couldn’t really do that well with Ian Garry. There’s holes in both of their games.”

    Despite this, Usman went on to give both men credit for the mentality that they showed in the fight.

    “It shows how Shavkat is a dog. He’s willing to just do whatever it takes to get in there and get that win, and so is Ian. It’s just that Shavkat was a little bit more of a dog than Ian Garry.”

  • Former MMA Fighter Accused Of ‘Brutally’ Assaulting & Attempting To Bite Irish Police Officers

    Former MMA Fighter Accused Of ‘Brutally’ Assaulting & Attempting To Bite Irish Police Officers

    A former MMA fighter assaulted two Irish police officers as they attempted to deal with a collision on Dublin’s M50 motorway on Thursday evening. The martial artist in his late 20s is currently unnamed and has spent time in hospital for minor injuries that they suffered as officers attempted to subdue him.

    He is alleged to have punched one of the officers whilst attempting to bite them all whilst being in the middle of busy traffic. The female office tried to calm down and reason with the man who threatened to attack her. After her male colleague got involved, the former fighter repeatedly punched him in the head.

    The Garda Representative Association’s Mark Ferris gave a statement on the assault after speaking to both of the officers who have since been discharged from hospital.

    “While actively patrolling the M50 they came across a single vehicle road traffic accident. In an effort to prevent the male occupant of the car running into oncoming traffic, the female Garda bravely tried to confront the highly-agitated man in the midst of heavy motorway traffic.

    “Even under the threat of serious assault, the female officer tried to reason with the agitated driver when he suddenly began to attack her. Her male colleague then tried to assist her, and he also received multiple punches to the head, and had part of his personal protective gear ripped from his body.

    “He told me that he didn’t know which was more dangerous; the vicious assault or the prospect of being hit by a passing car. As the confrontation escalated, the driver even made attempts to bite both officers. It was only with considerable difficulty that he was eventually subdued and a greater disaster averted.”

    Ferris went on to talk about the increasing amount of assaults on the Irish police, calling for greater attention from the government. He claimed that the police currently have “less of a voice” than other public service fields despite the growing risk that they face. No arrests have been made at this time and an investigation is currently underway.

  • Maycee Barber Provides Update On UFC Return Plans After Serious Health Scare

    Maycee Barber Provides Update On UFC Return Plans After Serious Health Scare

    2024 has been an incredibly difficult year for UFC flyweight contender Maycee Barber. At UFC 299 in March, the #4-ranked contender earned her sixth consecutive win by defeating Katlyn Cerminara via a unanimous decision.

    Shortly after, she was hospitalized for nine days due to an illness that doctors couldn’t correctly identify. She later spoke in an interview on The MMA Hour about how at one point, she didn’t think she would be able to overcome this illness, going as far as to call her loved ones because she didn’t think she had much longer to live.

    Over time, her energy started to slowly come back but a scheduled return in a main event against Rose Namajunas would come around too quick for her. Barber withdrew from the fight and was replaced by Tracy Cortez, writing on Instagram that after being told that she would be able to compete by July, she didn’t feel like her body was “even close” to being ready for a fight, let alone a five-rounder against a former champion.

    In a recent interview with Morning Kombat, Barber gave a positive update on her progress and what it was like to miss out on the fight with Namajunas earlier this year.

    “Everything’s going great now. It has been a long journey. I was so bummed when, well first of all, I was so excited to fight Rose because not only was I fighting Rose but I was also fighting in Denver where I made my UFC debut. So for me, it was my first main event, it was a very huge opportunity for me and I was so excited and then I was devastated when I was told, ‘Hey look, you’re not going to fight on this card’. Obviously the health is more important so I was devastated but I have made a lot of progress coming forward and I can’t wait to be back.”

    She also gave a planned timeframe for her return and though it still seems far away, especially considering that she was originally booked to face Namajunas this past July, she’s ahead of her previous estimations.

    “Yeah, actually I was just messaging with Mick (Maynard) and Hunter (Campbell) called me as well. I’m hoping for April honestly. I mean I know it still is a little ways out but for me, that’s the timeline that I was given and so originally, I thought I was gonna be until July, August of next year but it’s looking more like April.”