MMA News

Author: Kyle Dimond

  • Kai Asakura Doesn’t Lose Confidence After UFC 310 Debut Loss: I’ll ‘Definitely’ Become Champion

    Kai Asakura Doesn’t Lose Confidence After UFC 310 Debut Loss: I’ll ‘Definitely’ Become Champion

    Kai Asakura didn’t get the fairy tale UFC debut that he was hoping for this past weekend in Las Vegas. The former two-time RIZIN bantamweight champion was expecting to face top opposition right away after signing to the UFC but due to the current state of the flyweight division, he went straight into a title shot at the last PPV card of 2024.

    Though Asakura was calm and composed throughout fight week and showed why he is such an exciting addition in the main event of UFC 310, facing the champion, Alexandre Pantoja, proved to be a step too far for him right now. The Brazilian secured his third consecutive title defense after taking his challenger’s back and choking him out in the second round.

    The Japanese star may have come up short but losing to the champion on his debut is only the start of his career in the UFC. With a top 15 ranking now next to his name, the 31-year old can look to build himself back towards the 125-pound gold.

    He’s done this before in RIZIN where despite suffering some substantial defeats, Asakura was able to reclaim the bantamweight title in his final fight before signing to the UFC. The title challenger posted a message on Instagram where he thanked his fans and apologized to them.

    Despite this latest setback, he states that he isn’t discouraged from his dreams of becoming the champion one day.

    “Thank you for all your support. I’m sorry I couldn’t get back with results. Great champions and I was still weak. I didn’t get it this time though I’ll definitely rise up and become a champion. Always have and will keep doing it until I can. I will come back stronger.”

  • Daniel Cormier Reveals Injury Shavkat Rakhmonov Fought Through To Beat Ian Garry At UFC 310

    Daniel Cormier Reveals Injury Shavkat Rakhmonov Fought Through To Beat Ian Garry At UFC 310

    Ian Machado Garry came away from UFC 310 this past weekend with the opinion that even though he suffered his first loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov, it didn’t feel like a setback. The two undefeated welterweights met in the co-main event on Saturday night where at the end of five rounds, the number one contender got his hand raised via a unanimous decision.

    This result saw Rakhmonov’s 100% finishing rate come to an end as he went to the scorecards for the first time in his pro career. His output is largely what won him three of the five rounds on the scorecards as he landed some effective strikes and grappled with Garry without ever really putting him in serious danger.

    In fact, it was the Irishman that had the best moment of the fight after he took his opponent’s back in the fifth round and tried to lock up the rear-naked choke. Garry has received a lot of credit in the aftermath of the fight and rightfully so but new information also points to a reason why Rakhmonov may have looked far more beatable than in the past.

    Daniel Cormier posted his immediate reactions to the fights on his YouTube channel as he reflected on the night’s action whilst still being sat cage-side at the T-Mobile Arena. After saying that he didn’t think Rakhmonov looked at his best on December 7, “DC” states that the Kazakh fighter suffered an injury before the fight which he says may have been a torn MCL.

    Though Garry still deserves praise for his performance, this would also make his opponent’s display more impressive considering what he was potentially fighting through. The severity of the injury may also impact the time frame for his welterweight title fight with Belal Muhammad that was originally set to take place at UFC 310.

    “Shavkat Rakhmonov did not look like himself even though I learned after that he had an injury, I think he might have torn his MCL going into the fight. Granted, with a torn ligament in your knee, you’re not going to look like the killer that you looked like in fights prior.”

    There was also some speculation online that Rakhmonov addressed this during his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan but the translator did not relay that information though this isn’t confirmed.

  • ‘New Favorite Callout’ – Fans React As Dooho Choi Uses Earth Image To Pitch Bryce Mitchell Fight After UFC 310

    ‘New Favorite Callout’ – Fans React As Dooho Choi Uses Earth Image To Pitch Bryce Mitchell Fight After UFC 310

    One of the stand out performances from UFC 310 this past weekend came from Dooho Choi in the main card opener. “The Korean Superboy” produced his best performance to date inside the Octagon with a dominant victory against Nate Landwehr.

    His boxing was incredibly effective early on and after implementing his grappling, Choi was able to shut Landwehr out before capping off his performance with a TKO finish in the third round from the crucifix position. Having earned back-to-back wins inside the Octagon in 2024 for the first time since 2016, the Korean stand out is well and truly back in the mix at 145-pounds.

    In his post-fight interview, Choi called out a fellow featherweight who would be competing in the very next bout on the card. After Bryce Mitchell finished Kron Gracie to return to the win column, the 33-year old posted the following message on Instagram, making reference to Mitchell’s opinions on the earth being flat.

    Fight fans reacted on social media to this creative callout that went above and beyond the usual post-fight interview question that was poised by Joe Rogan at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

    “my new favourite ufc call out, Doo Hoo Choi calls out Bruce Mitchell”

    “Not gonna lie s*** kinda looking flat”

    “What a splendid callout….”

    “I hope they make this fight next.”

    “Should’ve posted a picture of a seat belt”

    “Doo Ho by whatever he wants”

  • Themba Gorimbo Recalls Waking Up After Being Choked Out By Vicente Luque At UFC 310: ‘Where Am I?!’

    Themba Gorimbo Recalls Waking Up After Being Choked Out By Vicente Luque At UFC 310: ‘Where Am I?!’

    Themba Gorimbo appears to be in good spirits following the second loss of his UFC career this past weekend in Las Vegas. After Nick Diaz withdrew from his fight with Vicente Luque at UFC 310, the Brazilian needed a new opponent for his second fight of 2024.

    Gorimbo stepped up and looked to earn the biggest win of his career whilst extending his current winning streak inside the Octagon to five. Instead, the welterweight staple was able to produce the fastest finish on the card where after dropping his opponent, Luque locked up an anaconda choke to get the submission victory inside the opening minute of their prelim bout.

    The 33-year old contender from Zimbabwe has since posted his reaction to the fight on social media where he has been able to take the positives from this latest setback. Alongside a video on Instagram, he wrote the following caption:

    “My little dream story, it’s crazy life sometimes you the nail man. 2024 was and a good year for my career 3-1 in ufc in 10 months that was something to be thankful for. Busiest year of my career. Learn and grow from this.”

    In the video, Gorimbo details what the experience was like of being choked out and waking up inside the Octagon with no recollection of what had just happened.

    “One of the craziest things that happen in my career was Yesterday man. Woke up from like a little dream land, boom, open my eyes, see a black guy and a white guy. I’m like, ‘Damn! Where am I?’ and they were like, ‘The fight is over Themba’, the black guy said. The white guy said ‘Stay down’, I guess he was the doctor. I’m like, ‘Hold up, let me up, where am I?’ and then I’m like ‘Oh coach, is the fight done? Damn!’. Yeah man, one of the craziest moments of my career. It’s funny what happened, it happens man. Honestly like, I worked hard. My entire career I’ve always worked hard. For this fight camp, I worked hard. There’s things that I can fix, there’s things definitely that needs to be adjusted. Some healing need to be done… No excuse. Luque caught me with a good one. That was so cool man, still in dream land now.”

  • Shavkat Rakhmonov Reacts To Losing 100 Percent Finish Rate At UFC 310: ‘Ian Had Great Preparation’

    Shavkat Rakhmonov Reacts To Losing 100 Percent Finish Rate At UFC 310: ‘Ian Had Great Preparation’

    In the co-main event of UFC 310, Shavkat Rakhmonov remained undefeated as he became the first man to defeat Ian Machado Garry in a welterweight title eliminator. The five-round contest was also the first time that “Nomad” has been to the scorecards in his pro career.

    Coming into December 7 off of a six-fight win streak inside the Octagon, Rakhmonov has earned five submissions and one knockout during his time in the promotion. Despite him still winning three of the five rounds on all three scorecards, Garry was able to keep himself out of danger for the majority of the 25-minutes to make it competitive.

    The Irishman may not have come away with the win but in his toughest fight to date on short notice, he proved that he belongs at the elite level and to some, he showed that the boogeyman of the division isn’t unbeatable. In his post-fight press conference, Rakhmonov said that though he’s disappointed to have not got the finish for the first time, he gave credit to his opponent for this.

    “Who doesn’t want to finish fights? I did everything in my power to do so, but Ian had a great preparation, but I believe next fight I will continue my finishing streak.”

    Rakhmonov also agreed with Garry’s sentiment that this won’t be the last time that the two former training partners at Kill Cliff FC will meet inside the Octagon. For now, they will go their separate ways as the 19-0 contender moves on to his title fight with Belal Muhammad which was set to take place this past weekend until the champion withdrew several weeks ago.

    “We’re going to keep winning and if he keeps winning, we’re going to meet again.”

  • Cris Cyborg Sends Message To Dana White Amid Growing Discontent Among PFL Fighters

    Cris Cyborg Sends Message To Dana White Amid Growing Discontent Among PFL Fighters

    Since acquiring Bellator and the majority of the promotion’s roster towards the end of 2023, it has been a difficult year for the PFL in some ways. Throughout 2024, several big names and champions have publicly voiced their issues with not being offered fights for various reasons.

    As a result, we’ve seen big names like Gegard Mousasi leave the promotion whilst other top stars like Patricio Pitbull and Patchy Mix have recently started to air their issues over fights being cancelled and not rescheduled with little communication. Pitbull in particular stated that if he isn’t going to be offered any fights, he would like to be released so that he can go and fight elsewhere with an opportunity to finally compete in the UFC being a big attraction for him.

    In his post-fight press conference for UFC 310 this past Saturday, Dana White gave his thoughts on the fighters that are becoming frustrated with how they have been treated in the PFL.

    “Listen, the last couple of months, we’ve been talking a lot about the PFL. They’re cancelling a lot of shows, I know that a lot of guys that are supposed to fight aren’t fighting and… I mean, you guys know what the f*** is going on. When you see that start to happen, you’re running out of money, things aren’t looking good and you’re gonna have people that want to jump ship. These guys want to fight. You have a very limited time of opportunity when you’re a professional athlete and even less when you’re a fighter. So I’m sure you’re gonna see a lot of that and we’ll see how this plays out over the next several months going into 25.”

    Arguably the most outspoken major name regarding being unsatisfied with their treatment in the PFL has been Cris Cyborg. After beating Cat Zingano at the second to last Bellator event before the promotion was sold, she had to wait just over a year to get her next fight booked.

    Despite getting the fight that she wanted against Larissa Pacheco at Battle of the Giants where she won the inaugural PFL Super Fights title in the women’s featherweight division, this hasn’t completely mended the bridge between Cyborg and the PFL.

    Following her win over Felicia Spencer back in 2019, White stated that the UFC would not be re-signing the former champion after Cyborg’s contract had expired following a less than stellar relationship between the two parties. However, in a social media post reacting to the UFC boss’ recent comments at the press conference, it appears that the Brazilian isn’t opposed to stepping back inside the Octagon, especially if it means settling a score once and for all.

  • Merab Dvalishvili Gives His Side Of Fan Altercation At UFC 310: ‘Deliberate Provocation From Umar’s Team!’

    Merab Dvalishvili Gives His Side Of Fan Altercation At UFC 310: ‘Deliberate Provocation From Umar’s Team!’

    At UFC 310, Merab Dvalishvili appeared to get into a heated confrontation with a fan in the audience whilst he was walking out with his teammate, Aljamain Sterling. The video posted on social media sees the UFC bantamweight champion getting pulled away by security as another member of the corner traded punches with the fan.

    Dana White said in his post-fight press conference that he tried his best to keep Dvalishvili separate from Umar Nurmagomedov and his team but he can’t help “The Machine” fighting with fans. In a recent post on his X account, the champion looked to give his account of what happened.

    Dvalishvili shared a video of the encounter with a voiceover that claims that the fan wasn’t just a regular ticket buyer who insulted him but is in fact a friend of the likes of Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev. The video shows what started the whole thing with the fan tapping Merab as he walks past him, talking to him whilst recording on his phone.

    The video also shows several Instagram posts from Nurmagomedov, who will face Dvalishvili for the 135-pound title at UFC 311, from later that day of him and Makhachev being with and seemingly eating dinner with the fan. The same clip also shows older photos of the “fan” alongside Khabib Nurmagomedov and the rest of the team, disputing the idea that Merab got into it with a member of the public who claims that Dvalishvili said something disrespectful about Shavkat Rakhmonov.

    The Georgian has had several encounters with fans who provoked him in the past and at the press conference for the UFC’s upcoming PPV card in January, it was clear that the champion felt disrespected by Nurmagomedov and his team.

    “More lies, disrespect, and deliberate provocations from Umar’s team. Here’s the real story …”

  • McGregor, Muhammad, & Others React As Shavkat Rakhmonov Defends Top Contender Status With Win Over Ian Garry At UFC 310

    McGregor, Muhammad, & Others React As Shavkat Rakhmonov Defends Top Contender Status With Win Over Ian Garry At UFC 310

    In the co-main event of UFC 310, Shavkat Rakhmonov defeated Ian Garry to earn his biggest win to date via unanimous decision.

    The two undefeated contenders fought an incredibly tactical contest. In multiple rounds, there was very little to separate them.

    Throughout the early frames, in particular, the number one contender was able to stay just in front of the Irishman by being more active and landing the more impactful strikes. Though he wasn’t able to threaten with his grappling, “Nomad” did use it effectively to take away the movement and speed of his opponent.

    Garry was able to pick things up at points, especially in the fifth round, which was his best of the fight. After taking Rakhmonov’s back, “The Future” searched for the rear-naked choke but, despite several attempts, he wasn’t able to get fully under the neck.

    In his post-fight interview, Rakhmonov was joined in the cage by welterweight champ Belal Muhammad, whom he was set to fight at this event until the titleholder withdrew due to an injury. They shared a respectful exchange, during which “Remember the Name” congratulated Rakhmonov.

    Fans and fighters reacted on social media as the Kazakh star moved to 19-0 and, for the first time in his career, got his hand raised via the scorecards.

    https://twitter.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/1865632236453724293
    https://twitter.com/aydubya5/status/1865634205008318595

  • VIDEO: Kron Gracie Pulls Guard, Gets Elbow’d Out Cold By Bryce Mitchell At UFC 310

    VIDEO: Kron Gracie Pulls Guard, Gets Elbow’d Out Cold By Bryce Mitchell At UFC 310

    Bryce Mitchell returned to the win column at UFC 310 by becoming the first man to finish Kron Gracie in MMA.

    There was a fair amount of criticism for this fight and its main card placement. For the most part, it was as strange as expected.

    Similar to his last Octagon appearance in 2023, in which he was convincingly beaten by Charles Jourdain, Gracie’s strategy appeared to be pulling guard in order to work off of his back. Aside from one submission attempt, he wasn’t able to offer any offense. And without a backup plan, the fight was one-way traffic with Mitchell remaining in control throughout.

    In the third round, “Thug Nasty” put a stamp on his performance by capitalizing on his opponent’s gameplan. As Gracie looked to pull guard, Mitchell went with him and slammed him into the canvas, landing multiple devastating elbows to get the stoppage and handing his opponent a third consecutive loss inside the Octagon.

    In his post-fight interview, Mitchell showed respect to Gracie for the impact that his family had on the sport in the early days, as well as apologizing to Joe Rogan for calling him stupid in the past.

    Watch the highlight reel finish that closed the show below:

    https://twitter.com/Haduuuucken/status/1865609606271250555
  • ‘Should’ve Pulled Him Out’ – Fans React To Anthony Smith’s One-Sided Loss To Dominick Reyes, Retirement Admission At UFC 310

    ‘Should’ve Pulled Him Out’ – Fans React To Anthony Smith’s One-Sided Loss To Dominick Reyes, Retirement Admission At UFC 310

    UFC 310 was always going to be a difficult moment for Anthony Smith, but it now looks like it might have been the last time fans see him compete inside the Octagon.

    In the featured prelim at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, former light heavyweight title challengers met for the first time as “Lionheart” took on Dominick Reyes.

    The entire fight week has been a particularly emotional one for Smith following the loss of his best friend and longtime cornerman, Scott Morton, last month. He chose to compete in order to channel his energy into something positive, but it was clear as he made his walkout that the moment was affecting him.

    Daniel Cormier and Joe Rogan questioned on commentary whether Smith should have been stepping inside the Octagon in that state, and that conversation only continued after he appeared to fight recklessly at points in the opening round. In the second, Reyes took full control of the contest, and after landing lots of ground-and-pound with his opponent seemingly reluctant to change the position, “The Devastator” secured back-to-back wins.

    In his post-fight interview, Smith admitted that he was wrong about believing he could suppress his emotions in order to make the walk, telling Rogan that it will probably mark the last bout of his 58-fight career — though he will take some time before making the final decision.

    Fans reacted to Smith’s emotional loss and interview via social media.

    https://twitter.com/deadeditors_/status/1865591945315119434
  • ‘Food For Ilia Topuria’ – Fans React As Movsar Evloev Stays Undefeated With Win Over Aljamain Sterling At UFC 310

    ‘Food For Ilia Topuria’ – Fans React As Movsar Evloev Stays Undefeated With Win Over Aljamain Sterling At UFC 310

    Movsar Evloev remained undefeated at UFC 310 by defeating former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling via unanimous decision. All three judges gave him the second and third rounds to bounce back from a strong start to the fight for “Funk Master.”

    Both men have not always been known for putting on the most exciting fights, but with the high stakes attached to this one, a lot of fans campaigned for it to receive a higher spot on the card. In the end, this crucial preliminary clash at featherweight ended up being an entertaining watch from start to finish, with a lot of incredibly high-level grappling exchanges between Evloev and Sterling.

    At 19-0 with the #5 ranking next to his name, this could finally be the win that secures Evloev a title shot at 145 pounds. In his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, the Russian joked that he gets asked this same question after all of his wins, so who knows what will be next for him at this point.

    Fight fans reacted on social media to a great fight and another victory for one of the UFC’s undefeated contenders.

    https://twitter.com/Yo71676416/status/1865578936991973813
  • Clay Guida Breaks Unwanted UFC Record After Tapping To Chase Hooper Armbar At UFC 310

    Clay Guida Breaks Unwanted UFC Record After Tapping To Chase Hooper Armbar At UFC 310

    Clay Guida broke an unfortunate UFC record in his first and final Octagon outing of 2024.

    The 43-year-old made his debut with the promotion all the way back in 2006 and has gone on to rack up 37 appearances, the most recent of which came against Chase Hooper on Saturday night at UFC 310.

    The last pay-per-view card of the year got off to a strong start with back-to-back first round finishes to kick off what should be a great night of action at the T-Mobile Arena.

    In Guida’s first-round loss to Chase Hooper in the second fight of the night at UFC 310, there were several excellent grappling exchanges between them in the opening few minutes. But after the younger lightweight was able to take his opponent’s back, he switched to a gruesome armbar and quickly secured the tap.

    Hooper previously submitted Guida with a calf slicer two years ago in a Fury Pro Grappling contest.

    In his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, “The Dream” gave credit to Mikey Musumeci, who recently made his UFC Fight Pass Invitational debut.

    As pointed out by MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn on X, this third consecutive loss in his career sees Guida record one more defeat than former featherweight powerhouse Jeremy Stephens and heavyweight staple Andrei Arlovski, leaving him top of the pile for most losses.

    “The Carpenter” has already got his name listed in the UFC’s history books, but he probably won’t be too pleased about this particular statistic…

  • Chael Sonnen ‘Nominates’ Opponent For Jorge Masvidal’s UFC Return

    Chael Sonnen ‘Nominates’ Opponent For Jorge Masvidal’s UFC Return

    One of the more unexpected MMA beefs in recent times has taken place between Chael Sonnen and Jorge Masvidal after both men criticized and called each out during appearances on The MMA Hour. At one stage, “Gamebred” was defending Ariel Helwani who had a heated exchange with Sonnen live on air and unsurprisingly, “The Bad Guy” has continued to get the last word in.

    There was even talk of them fighting although there was never anything set in stone even if they could have come face-to-face during a UFC event at one stage. In a recent post on X, Sonnen reignited the feud by coming up with a new idea.

    At 47-years old, the former UFC title challenger doesn’t intend on making any kind of serious combat sports return though he did box Anderson Silva in an exhibition bout this past June. Masvidal, on the other hand, has recently stated that he will return to the UFC in April next year for a Miami event after initially retiring in 2023.

    Sonnen suggested that rather than him stepping inside the Octagon with the former BMF champion, he would nominate a champion to be his tribute. That man who could welcome Masvidal back to the UFC would be none other than “The Welsh Gangster” Oban Elliott who has a great relationship with Sonnen.

    Elliott has gone 3-0 inside the Octagon this year after earning his spot on the rankings via 2023’s season of the Contender Series. Wins at UFC 298, UFC 304 and UFC 309 have proved that the 26-year old doesn’t just walk the walk and talk the talk like his greatest inspiration, he can perform inside the Octagon as well.

    After earning his first stoppage win in the promotion last time out, the welterweight contender answered Sonnen’s request.

  • Tatsuro Taira Tops ESPN’s ’25 Under 25′ MMA list, Muhammad Mokaev Takes Tenth

    Tatsuro Taira Tops ESPN’s ’25 Under 25′ MMA list, Muhammad Mokaev Takes Tenth

    ESPN has published it’s MMA 25 under 25 list for 2024 which highlights the top young and rising talent in the sport today. As the list itself states, it isn’t always a perfect predictor of who will go on to achieve success at the highest level but it does group together the young competitors that are showing the most promise right now.

    For example, in 2019, the top two picks in A.J. McKee and Sean O’Malley have certainly gone on to deliver on their potential whilst the following three names in Edmen Shahbazyan, Nasrat Haqparast and Aspen Ladd have all had varying degrees of success.

    Topping the list this time around is Japan’s Tatsuro Taira who is the #5-ranked contender in the UFC’s flyweight division. Even in his last fight where he suffered the first loss of his 17-fight pro career against Brandon Royval, it was clear that Taira belongs at the top of the 125-pound division following six wins inside the Octagon.

    His fellow countryman Rei Tsuruya has also scored high (#4) and at 22-years old, he will look to earn his second consecutive win in the UFC when he returns against Stewart Nicoll at UFC 312 in February. The second spot belongs to Raul Rosas Jr. who is likely to be a fixture of these lists for a few more years given that he’s still only 20-years old despite having five UFC appearances already under his belt.

    Coming in at number three is the highest ranked woman on the list with Iasmin Lucindo currently occupying the #7-ranking in the UFC’s strawweight division. One of this year’s winners of The Ultimate Fighter, Mairon Santos, rounds out the top five.

    Across the top 10, there are two names that don’t currently compete in the UFC and they land at #9 and #10. The younger brother of Zabit Magomedsharipov, Khasan Magomedsharipov, is undefeated at 10-0 with his latest Bellator win coming in June.

    Former UFC flyweight contender Muhammad Mokaev is set to make his BRAVE CF return on December 13 after he parted ways with the UFC following his seventh consecutive win in the promotion over Manel Kape. The #10-pick was placed at #2 in 2023’s list and though he might not be in the UFC right now, he’s clearly still one of the best flyweights in the world at 24-years old. Interestingly, five of the top 10 are men’s flyweights.

    Check out the full list below:

    1. Tatsuro Taira
    2. Raul Rosas Jr.
    3. Iasmin Lucindo
    4. Rei Tsuruya
    5. Mairon Santos
    6. Denise Gomes
    7. Felipe dos Santos
    8. Joshua Van
    9. Khasan Magomedsharipov
    10. Muhammad Mokaev
    11. Stephanie Luciano
    12. Tom Nolan
    13. Luana Santos
    14. Cameron Saaiman
    15. Austin Bashi
    16. Lucas Brennan
    17. Kevin Vallejos
    18. Francisco Prado
    19. Fatima Kline
    20. Shanelle Dyer
    21. Nurullo Aliev
    22. Rongzhu
    23. Tereza Bleda
    24. Makoto Takahashi
    25. Kade Ruotolo
  • Tommy Fury Cancels Darren Till Boxing Match After Former UFC Fighter’s ‘Kicking’ Threats

    Tommy Fury Cancels Darren Till Boxing Match After Former UFC Fighter’s ‘Kicking’ Threats

    Tommy Fury has withdrawn from his upcoming boxing match with former UFC title challenger Darren Till due to his concerns about the fight. The two men were set to meet in a main event bout at Manchester’s Co-Op Live Arena on a Misfits and DAZN card.

    During their recent press conference to promote the fight, Till made remarks that if he was losing the contest, he would get himself disqualified by choosing to kick Fury instead. In a post on social media, Fury claimed that for this reason, he isn’t going ahead with the fight.

    “I can’t believe I’m writing this but I am now not fighting Darren Till on January 18th 2025. For the one simple reason being that Darren has stated over and over that he does not want to abide by professional boxing rules and that if he is loosing the fight he will resort to kicking and other stupid MMA tactics. I am a professional boxer, I have been out of the ring for over a year and I wanted to be a great BOXING fight for the fans. I have wasted weeks in training camp. We are working hard to get a new opponent and date. I promise to get a better opponent and fight for you guys. Good news around the corner.”

    Till has since responded via several social media posts and videos where he heavily criticized Fury for withdrawing from the fight for this reason when he was simply trying to sell the fight and hasn’t said anything similar since. He also called out Jake Paul, claimed that Fury was never going to fight on that date in the first place and said that he will be staying on the January 18 card in Manchester with a new opponent currently being searched for.

  • Alex Pereira Gives 4-Word Reaction To Jamahal Hill Altercation

    Alex Pereira Gives 4-Word Reaction To Jamahal Hill Altercation

    December 5 was a busy day for the UFC’s light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira in the fight capital of the world. “Poatan” was in attendance for the 16th annual World MMA Awards where he picked up the Fighter of the Year Award for the four wins that he achieved in the space of one calendar year.

    Before the ceremony got underway, a training session of his at the UFC Performance Institute nearly ended in him and his former opponent, Jamahal Hill, coming to blows. A video of the interaction was posted by Full Send MMA, showing Hill walking over to Pereira and his coach, Plinio Cruz.

    After the two men start talking, the Brazilian throws a pair of gloves towards Hill, seemingly beckoning him to engage in a rematch of their meeting at UFC 300 in April which Pereira won via a knockout in the first round. With Cruz doing his best to diffuse the situation, the two men never actually touch each other but it was clear from the video that the 205-pound champion wasn’t going to back down.

    “Poatan” and “Sweet Dreams” have had a rocky relationship both before and after their main event clash in Las Vegas. The way that Hill acted on fight week clearly bothered the current titleholder as after stopping the former champion, he taunted him with an instantly iconic post-fight celebration.

    Hill’s complaints about referee Herb Dean’s calls in that fight have only prolonged the feud between them and with him returning at UFC 311 to face Jiří Procházka in Los Angeles, we may see the two men meet again inside the Octagon in the near future.

    Pereira himself posted the video of their exchange on X, adding a four-word caption which when translated from Portuguese to English, comes out as “the atmosphere became tense”.

  • Conor McGregor Threatened With ‘Contempt Of Court’ Ruling For Post-Civil Court Case Social Media Activity

    Conor McGregor Threatened With ‘Contempt Of Court’ Ruling For Post-Civil Court Case Social Media Activity

    Though Nikita Hand has already won her sexual assault civil court case against Conor McGregor, the process still has several steps left to complete. In the latest update, it was ruled that the UFC star would have to pay some of Hand’s legal costs which are expected to be around €1.5 million.

    On Thursday afternoon, High Court judge Mr Justice Alexander Owens ruled that McGregor will have to pay the full cost of his side of the case though Ms Hand will have to pay for her costs for the civil case against James Lawrence who was not found guilty of assaulting her in December 2018. The judge also threatened that there could be a ruling of contempt of court filed against “The Notorious” due to some of the comments he has made on social media.

    McGregor posted once the verdict was made official where he threw several accusations towards the court and ruling which have since been deleted. He also claimed that he would be appealing the decision. “The social media post was constructed to be an attack on the jury and cannot be tolerated,” said Mr Justice Owens.

    “I haven’t decided on that, but I can if I want to instigate a proceeding against Mr McGregor for contempt of court which could result in a fine. He is a very rich man who could well afford to pay a fine.”

    John Gordon SC argued on behalf of Ms Hand that due to McGregor’s conduct throughout the case, the Irishman would have to pay costs at the highest level though he did not make the same statement regarding Mr Lawrence.

    “This is precisely what it intended to do. Mr McGregor said he didn’t believe Ms Hand and described the court as a ‘kangaroo court’ and it is a direct insult to the jury and I believe the court should not let this go.”

    He believes that Ms Hand should get the full extent of her costs paid for by McGregor with no order for costs on the Lawrence side of the case.

  • MMA-Trained Pastor Fights Off Axe-Wielding Burglar In California Church

    MMA-Trained Pastor Fights Off Axe-Wielding Burglar In California Church

    An axe-wielding burglar picked the wrong church to mess with on Thanksgiving after he attempted to break in by smashing a window. After hearing the security alarm go off, Pastor Nick Neves went to investigate and the two men got into a confrontation in Antioch.

    Though Neves would’ve preferred to have helped the man rather than having to confront him, he did just that and with a background of training in martial arts, he was able to deal with the burglar without needing to injure him.

    “I shouted at him to stop, and that the police were on their way, and he ran and I grabbed a hold of him and we ended up wrestling in the parking lot of the church,” Neves told NBC News. “I was able to pin him to the ground and he got up and try to get away several times, but basically just trying to wear him out because I knew I could outlast him.”

    It reportedly look between 12-15 minutes of wrestling before the burglar exhausted himself and the police arrived. Neves told NBC that he likes to keep fit and has previously trained in multiple martial arts like kickboxing and jiu-jitsu. He described his experience as being “very helpful” so that he could “grapple with this gentleman without having to do much harm to him.”

    The thief has not yet been publicly identified despite the images that have been released on social media.

    Antioch Police Department on Facebook

    (Antioch Police Department on Facebook)

    Neves is proud of the service that his church is able to provide for those in need having recently provided groceries for 130 families. He described the confrontation as “ironic”.

    “If he had come a couple of days earlier, he would have been blessed and get some food and be cared for but he decided instead to smash windows and desecrate property and do something that’s going to hurt the ministries.”

    A long-time member of Neves’ Family First Church remarked that he was incredibly happy to find out that their “very tough” pastor wasn’t injured in the incident and that “we’re very grateful to God that he’s our pastor and not our enemy.”

  • UFC 310: Vicente Luque Explains How Joaquin Buckley ‘Woke’ Him Up With Knockout

    UFC 310: Vicente Luque Explains How Joaquin Buckley ‘Woke’ Him Up With Knockout

    At UFC 310 this weekend, welterweight staple Vicente Luque will look to return to the win column by halting the winning streak of Themba Gorimbo. For the 33-fight veteran, defending his position in the rankings isn’t something that he’s used to but he was forced into this role in his last fight.

    In Atlantic City this past March, Luque came up against Joaquin Buckley who was looking to build on his back-to-back wins by earning his biggest victory to date. “New Mansa” did exactly that by stopping the Brazilian in the second round for the first of three breakout wins for him in 2024.

    During a recent interview with UFC.com ahead of his return in Las Vegas, Luque spoke about what he was able to learn and take from this fight and how that will benefit him against Gorimbo who has won his last four since losing his UFC debut.

    “Against Buckley, that was the first time I was in that position, and it was a fight for me to understand that it’s different. It was good for me to face Buckley and live that before I fight Themba because now I know what kind of energy I have to have in there.”

    He believes that unlike some of his recent matchups against the likes of Rafael dos Anjos, Geoff Neal and Belal Muhammad, he needed to bring a different mentality with him into the Buckley fight. In his opinion, in order to beat the rising and hungry contenders in his division, he needs to match the fire that they bring into the Octagon.

    “Now when we’re fighting up-and-comers, I remember all the tenacity I brought into fights, and I’ve got to bring that back. Buckley woke me up to that.

    “I’ve got to go in there and really want it more than them; not just come in here and think my technique and my experience is gonna be enough.”

  • Jiří Procházka Gives Latest Update On Postponed Middleweight Plans

    Jiří Procházka Gives Latest Update On Postponed Middleweight Plans

    Jiří Procházka has recently spoken about a potential move to middleweight in the future which caught a lot of fans by surprise given his size. The former light heavyweight champion is still one of the top contenders at 205-pounds with his only losses in the UFC coming to Alex Pereira.

    With his next outing being confirmed for UFC 311 in January where he will face Jamahal Hill in a clash of former titleholders that has been a long time coming, it looks like 185-pounds is on the backburner for now. Given the amount of contenders that are currently at middleweight, it only makes sense for him to continue campaigning in his natural weight class.

    In a recent interview with James Lynch for Sportskeeda, Procházka spoke about his future at the weight class below and why he has chosen to stay at light heavyweight for the time being. He says that he wanted to make a significant change following his loss to “Poatan” at UFC 303 but he has found ways to do that which don’t mean that he has to leave the division entirely.

    Ahead of his return to take on “Sweet Dreams”, he believes that he still has unfinished business to attend to at 205 before he thinks about cutting a bit more weight.

    “I thought about that a lot but it was like decision to change something, to make a big change because I know my body is working really, really well when I don’t eat a lot so I’m keeping that but still. I’ve got the power, I got the strength and I have the endurance and all the abilities and everything to beat the guys in the light heavyweight so for me, this is the best. Maybe I will jump to the middleweight, maybe or I will jump to middleweight, but first, I said to myself I want to win the light heavyweight title. That’s all what’s on my mind right now and win the next fight especially.”

  • Bellator Champs Patrício Pitbull, Patchy Mix Request PFL Release: ‘They Don’t Know How To Act’

    Bellator Champs Patrício Pitbull, Patchy Mix Request PFL Release: ‘They Don’t Know How To Act’

    Two of the biggest names that the PFL acquired in the Bellator deal have recently voiced their frustrations with not being offered fights. Both Patrício Pitbull and Patchy Mix are reigning Bellator champions who have recently had upcoming bouts cancelled and they don’t seem happy with the communication that has taken place.

    Pitbull hasn’t fought since March where after finishing Jeremy Kennedy, he says he was told that he would be able to return to RIZIN for a rematch with Chihiro Suzuki to try and get his revenge. He also claims that he was then told he would be fighting Aaron Pico instead but this has also not materialized for him.

    As for the bantamweight champion Mix, he defended his title in May and was recently preparing for another title defence against Leandro Higo in November but since that event was postponed, he says that he hasn’t received word on when he will receive his next outing. Posting on X, Mix vented his frustrations and said that similarly to what has happened with other big names like Gegard Mousasi, he would like to be released if they don’t have any plans for him in the near future.

    “My manager told me to hold off but haven’t heard anything from PFLMMA DonnDavisPFL If you are not gonna have me fight then just please release me from contract. This is not what I want but if I’m not important to the company being a multi time champ. Then let me go respectfully”

    Pitbull made similar statements in a recent interview with MMA Fighting where he criticized the way that the promotion has handled the Bellator fighters since the acquisition last year.

    “PFL guys seem a bit lost there. Looks like Bellator is a bit too big for them, and they don’t know how to act properly.”

    Pitbull, like Mix, just wants to be active and he believes that leaving the PFL is the best way for him to do that at this stage in his career.

    “We were left with only promises. We lost rhythm, we lost part of our careers waiting for something that never came. It’s bad for me as a champion. I need to stay active. We know I’m not getting any younger, too. So I spoke with my managers and since my contract is not that long, it’s close to the end, we’ll ask to leave. I need to work.

    “Basically, Douglas Lima and my brother [Patricky Pitbull], the high-caliber guys of the organization, they either re-signed with their purse cut in half or they would be cut. That was basically forced, you know? Donn Davis said early in the merge that that would not happen, but it happened. We know the organization has valued semi-retired fighters and internet celebrities more than actual fighters that put on a show.”

  • Dana White Cancels Trip To Watch Fighter From UFC 308 Presser After Martial Law Declared In South Korea

    Dana White Cancels Trip To Watch Fighter From UFC 308 Presser After Martial Law Declared In South Korea

    At the UFC 308 press conference in October, undefeated fighter Dorobshokh Nabotov stole headlines when he made the most of his time on the mic. Speaking directly to UFC President Dana White, he called for an opportunity to prove himself inside the Octagon and after listing his accomplishments, he was called down from the crowd and onto the stage where he shook hands with the boss.

    It was later announced that Nabotov would be offered the chance to fight on Z-Fight Night, the South Korean MMA promotion which is owned by MMA legend, Chan Sung Jung, AKA “The Korean Zombie”. The promotion is set to host it’s second event on December 14 in Goyang on the same night as the UFC’s final event of 2024 in Tampa.

    White said that they would be attending the card in order to record a new episode of “Looking For A Fight”, a UFC series where White often travels alongside Matt Serra and Din Thomas to visit some tourist attractions, dine on some local delicacies and most importantly, head to a fight card that features a few interesting fighters. If Nabotov had looked impressive in his fight against Brazil’s Matheus Camilo, it’s likely that he would have been offered another big opportunity right there on the night.

    However, travel plans have been changed as a result of what is happening in South Korea right now. On Tuesday, South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, sending heavily armed forces into the streets which has led to significant protesting and unrest. Though opposing parties were able to cancel Yoon’s declaration just six hours after it began by voting against it, this difficult situation is still far from over.

    In a post put up on the promotion’s Instagram, Z-Fight Night announced that White will no longer be attending their event as a result.

    “Due to the declaration of martial law in South Korea on December 3, Dana White, who was scheduled to attend ZFN 02 on December 14, will unfortunately no longer be able to attend the event. We sincerely apologize to everyone who was looking forward to his visit. ZFN will do its best to invite Dana White to a future event. Thank you for your understanding.”

    It appears that the event will be streamed live on UFC Fight Pass so Nabotov will still have a big opportunity to impress people from the UFC that will be tuning in to see how he performs.

  • Tom Aspinall Breaks Down Crucial Aspect Of Ciryl Gane & Alexander Volkov’s Rematch

    Tom Aspinall Breaks Down Crucial Aspect Of Ciryl Gane & Alexander Volkov’s Rematch

    A big heavyweight rematch is set to take place in Las Vegas this weekend as Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov meet again at UFC 310. As two of the top three ranked contenders in the division, both men could set themselves up for a title fight in the near future with a win here.

    If interim champion Tom Aspinall doesn’t end up getting his desired title unification bout with Jon Jones, the Brit could be targeting a clash with Gane or a rematch with Volkov, giving him a specific interest in this matchup. He has been spoken about as a potential opponent for Gane multiple times and the Brit has already beaten Volkov when they faced off in London two years ago.

    If that didn’t provide the interim champion with enough to work off, there’s also the five rounds that Gane and Volkov have already spent with each other inside the Octagon back in 2021 where “Gon Gamin” won a one-sided unanimous decision. In a recent episode of Tom Aspinall’s Fight Lab on TNT Sports, he broke down the fight.

    Aspinall specifically drew attention to one aspect of the contest which he thinks will be crucial on Saturday night. With the height and reach advantage that he brings to the table, Volkov is very effective at walking opponents down but the speed and footwork of Gane are his best attributes.

    Whoever is able to win this battle will be able to dictate where the fight takes place and therefore, will likely get their hand raised in Aspinall’s opinion.

    “The feet are very important in this fight in my opinion. When I say the feet, I’m not talking about the kicking as such, I’m talking about the positioning of their feet. If Volkov can get him going backwards and keep him against the fence, he can just use that length and tee off on him with the kicks and the punches like we’re seeing there. On the contrary to that, Cyril Gane is really good moving backwards, that’s his strength is he lures his opponents in and moves off on them angles so it’s just an interesting matchup of styles and we love heavyweight fights.”   

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3gGqrhbfng
  • Ian Garry Names Former Opponent As His Toughest Style Matchup At Welterweight

    Ian Garry Names Former Opponent As His Toughest Style Matchup At Welterweight

    Ian Machado Garry put his money where his mouth is in the lead up to UFC 310. The undefeated welterweight has been calling out all the names that are ranked ahead of him but when none of them would take the fight, he agreed to face Joaquin Buckley on December 14.

    His decision to take this matchup came with one other promise to the UFC, that he would be ready to step in if either of the men involved in the UFC 310 main event were forced to withdraw. With the welterweight champion Belal Muhammad out of the fight, Garry proved to be a man of his word and he will now face Shavkat Rakhmonov in the co-main event this weekend.

    Calling opponents out for avoiding him is one thing but agreeing to face the man that everyone sees as the boogeyman of the division really shows that Garry backs himself against any and all of his fellow welterweights. In fact, he already believes that he’s overcome the toughest style clash for him.

    In a recent video on his YouTube channel, the 27-year old answered some questions from the fans. One of which asked him who he believes is the toughest style matchup for him in the division.

    Though many would assume that a grappling-heavy fighter might be his biggest challenge as an excellent striker, he responded by naming an opponent that he has already beaten. In February, he won 30-27 on two of the judges scorecards at UFC 298 to earn his seventh consecutive win inside the Octagon.

    “I believe I’ve already fought him, his name is Geoff Neal. Someone who hits like a truck, has clean striking, very hard to take down. So I believe that he was one of the dark horses in the division and I went out there and I beat him clean, so for me that’s it.” 

  • Islam Makhachev On Potentially Fighting Ilia Topuria: ‘Everybody Will Once Again Say I Beat A Featherweight’

    Islam Makhachev On Potentially Fighting Ilia Topuria: ‘Everybody Will Once Again Say I Beat A Featherweight’

    Following the year that Ilia Topuria has had, some fans are coming around to the idea of seeing him move up a weight class in the future. Many are growing tired of the want for every fighter to become a two-division champion rather than achieving total dominance in their own weight class and this was the case with “El Matador” at first.

    However, after he did exactly what he said he would do and stopped Max Holloway at UFC 308, it’s becoming hard to deny him what he wants. With his back-to-back wins over “Blessed” and Alexander Volkanovski, Topuria has proved that he’s one of the best in the world right now.

    It just so happens that the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC is the champion in the weight class above him. In a recent interview via matchtv, lightweight king Islam Makhachev gave his thoughts on Topuria calling him out.

    “We’ll have to talk. It will happen 100 percent. He’s been talking about me non stop, he probably wants to let us know something but I have no idea what. Well, we will talk and find out… We will fight if we have to.”

    Despite saying that they can make the fight happen if it’s called for, Makhachev went on to say that he isn’t particularly excited about the idea. The 155-pound champion had his own plans to move up a weight class until his training partner Belal Muhammad became the welterweight champion in July.

    Having defeated Volkanovski twice whilst “The Great” was the featherweight champion, it makes sense why he wouldn’t want to fight another titleholder from the division below just yet.

    “In terms of my fighting career, I have no interest in fighting Ilia Topuria. He represents another weight class so what if we fight and I beat him, what’s there for me? I won’t win another belt and everybody will once again say that I beat a featherweight and that’s it. But, if people really want to see him lose, well, we can do it.”