Poirier is torn on who he believes would win the fight. “The Diamond,” coming off a fifth-round submission loss to Makhachev at UFC 302, questions whether the Spaniard has the necessary size to counter the Dagestani’s grappling.
“He definitely does have a shot,” Poirier told Sports Illustrated regarding Topuria vs. Makhachev. “I think from ’45 to 170, Topuria has the power and the skills to knock anybody out. His timing, his rhythm, his power is incredible, but the size difference is with Islam’s wrestling.
“I’ve never seen Topuria in person. Obviously, I fought Islam; he’s a big guy. Islam can’t make ’45. I know they say Topuria might walk around 190 (pounds) outside of fights and stuff, but I just think Islam is just too much. But I don’t know. Like I said, if Ilia does connect, he can put anybody out.”
🥊Dustin Poirier assessed Ilia Topuria's chances against Makhachev:
"If Topuria does connect, he can put anybody out."👀
Topuria’s most recent victory was a knockout of Max Holloway at UFC 308, which saw him successfully defend the featherweight title.
Meanwhile, Makhachev is fresh off a swift submission win over Renato Moicano at UFC 311. This victory marked his fourth successful title defense, setting a new record for the most in UFC lightweight history.
A clash between hard-hitting featherweight contenders is targeted for the main event of the UFC Fight Night event in Las Vegas on April 5.
Before heading to Miami to stage UFC 314 from the Kaseya Center, mixed martial arts’ leading promotion will kick off its schedule for April back at the Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada.
And the planned main event has now been revealed, with MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck reporting that an intriguing 145-pound battle between perennial contender Josh Emmett (19-4) and the surging Lerone Murphy (15-0-1) is in the works for the April 5 UFC Fight Night.
Josh Emmett vs. Lerone Murphy expected to headline April 5 UFC Fight Night event, multiple sources tell @DamonMartin and I. Story coming to @MMAFighting momentarily.
Emmett last appeared back in the cage in December 2023. Before sitting out the entirety of 2024, the #8-ranked featherweight rebounded from consecutive losses by producing one of the most violent knockouts in recent memory at the expense of Bryce Mitchell.
Looking to avoid falling to the same fate as “Thug Nasty” in a few months’ time will be Murphy, an undefeated Englishman who has risen the ranks with recent triumphs over Edson Barboza and Dan Ige.
With this addition, the current fights expected to take place at the UFC Fight Night on April 5 are as follows:
Josh Emmett vs. Lerone Murphy (featherweight main event)
Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Martin Buday (heavyweight)
Ode’ Osbourne vs. Luis Gurule (flyweight)
Rhys McKee vs. Daniel Frunza (welterweight)
Dione Barbosa vs. Diana Belbiţă (women’s flyweight)
Joanderson Brito vs. Pat Sabatini (featherweight)
Loma Lookboonmee vs. Ariane Carnelossi (women’s strawweight)
Robert Valentin vs. Torrez Finney (middleweight)
Vanessa Demopoulus vs. Talita Alencar (women’s strawweight)
Cortavious Romious vs. Chang Ho Lee (bantamweight)
The Chinese standout delivered one of the performances of her career to dominantly outpoint Suarez across five rounds, recording the third successful defense of her second title reign in the process.
Having established her superiority at 115 pounds, Zhang’s ambitions have begun to spread beyond that divisional realm and to the flyweight division, currently ruled by Valentina Shevchenko.
During an appearance on Monday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, “Magnum” further addressed that possibility, revealing the UFC’s stance on the matter.
“I always wanted to go up one weight class, but it’s never good timing,” Zhang said. “For very quite a long time, I was a little bit confused, like, ‘OK, who should I fight? Because they all have their own arrangements and matches. But eventually it will work out with UFC because I really want to get a fight.’
“There’s no concrete plan or ask from our side just yet. I’m willing to fight Valentina, but again, timing has to be right. Everything has to play in our favor, then it could happen,” Zhang continued. “Anything works. If we ended up in the flyweight (division), then I don’t have to go through so much pain to cut weight. Why not? … UFC kind of wants me to, if I actually go up to 125 (pounds), just kind of stay in there — don’t move (back down) again. But that’s something I need to consider myself.”
Should Zhang choose against a permanent switch to 125 pounds and continue to defend the gold currently in her possession, it remains to be seen who will get the next shot.
Usman Nurmagomedov isn’t fazed by UFC star Conor McGregor’s continued focus on his cousin and family as a whole.
McGregor has bashed Khabib Nurmagomedov and the region of Dagestan online and in interviews ever since his heated feud with “The Eagle” reached the cage in 2018.
While the Irishman was viciously submitted by the then-UFC lightweight champion, that hasn’t stopped him from repeatedly continuing the kind of controversial trash talk he dished out in the lead-up to UFC 229.
During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Usman reflected on McGregor’s reaction to the niceties, explaining what he perceives to be the reason for the Dubliner’s ongoing hatred for all things Nurmagomedov.
“Maybe because Khabib kicked his ass,” Nurmagomedov said. “He wants a rematch but he has to live with this all his life and his kids have to live with this all his life. When his kids will grow up, when his kids are 18 (years old), people will say, ‘Hey, your father tried to do some crazy stuff but some guy from Dagestan came to America and kicked your father’s ass.’ That’s it. That’s why he cannot sleep even.
“He has to live with this and pass with this. All his family, all his legacy, all this, is around this. He lost to Khabib when (he) had to win. But it (did not) happen. Khabib smashed his face, his team and all for what he was working (for),” Nurmagomedov continued. “When Khabib beat him, he (did not) come back to fighting, even for life I think. He’s going to drink. He’s going to beat some women. He’s stupid.”
McGregor hasn’t been active as a fighter in recent years. He’s remained in the headlines by way of controversy after controversy, with the most notable coming late last year when he was found liable for the assault of a woman who accused him of rape in Ireland.
Former UFC lightweight title challenger Michael Chandler is eyeing his next fight — and he’s got both an opponent and date in mind.
Chandler last competed in November 2024, returning from an ultimately failed layoff awaiting a planned showdown with Conor McGregor. Instead, “Iron” ran it back with Charles Oliveira in the co-main event of UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden.
While he came close to defeating “Do Bronx” first time around to capture the title, he was soundly beaten in their rematch. And the result has left Chandler with a negative 2-4 record under the UFC banner.
The American will look to rectify that in 2025, potentially starting with a showdown opposite a rising name in the division this summer.
Pimblett most recently moved to 6-0 in the UFC with an emphatic first-round submission win over King Green last year, catapulting him into the rankings at #12.
“The Baddy” has since repeatedly teased a pursuit of Chandler next time out. And if the ex-Bellator champ’s post is any indication of the UFC’s plans, it looks as though he could be getting his wish in 2025.
The issue occurred early in the second round as Suarez attempted a takedown. In an unusual sequence, it appeared that her knee was sliced open against the base of the cage — an uncommon injury compared to those typically sustained through striking or grappling exchanges.
The severity of the wound became evident during the break between rounds, as cameras captured the deep gash. Adding to the concern, the challenger expressed her worries to her corner about the extent of the damage and even avoided looking at it directly.
Despite a strong start, winning the first round on all judges’ scorecards, the injury visibly affected Suarez’s performance. Weili took advantage, dominating the remaining rounds and securing a unanimous decision victory to retain her title.
This loss marked a pivotal moment in Suarez’s career, as it ended her previously undefeated professional MMA record. A graphic photo she later shared on social media highlighted the severity of the cut and the stitches required, serving as a lasting reminder of the fight.
The Professional Fighters League (PFL) has begun to roll out the rosters for eight “World Tournaments” set for 2025, with the latest being a featherweight lineup topped by former champion Movlid Khaybulaev.
Major change is coming to the PFL this year, with the promotion making the decision to eliminate the season and playoff format from its yearly structure. Replacing that and the $1 million prize money will be Grand Prix-style tournaments across eight divisions, with the winners of each collecting $500,000.
On Wednesday, it was the turn of the featherweights. And the inclusion of one “Killer” Khaybulaev has turned heads.
The unbeaten Dagestani has competed just twice since winning the 2021 PFL featherweight season. While he qualified for the playoffs two years later, an eye injury later led to his premature retirement.
Elsewhere, a pair of PFL regulars will enter the bracket in 2023 champ Jesus Pinedo and the man he beat to win the gold, Gabriel Braga. The tournament will also see Ireland’s Nathan Kelly look to make a splash on the global stage following consecutive wins at Bellator Champions Series events in 2024.
See below for the full eight-man roster for this year’s featherweight “World Tournament,” as confirmed by a press release this week.
Jesus Pinedo (23-6-1)
Gabriel Braga (15-2)
Adam Borics (19-2)
Movlid Khaybulaev (21-0-1, 1 NC)
Jeremy Kennedy (19-5)
Yves Landu (21-9)
Nathan Kelly (11-3)
Tae Kyun Kim (10-1)
One Shot to WIN. One Shot to ADVANCE. One Shot at a WORLD TITLE 🏆
Get to know the Featherweights set to compete in the 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣5️⃣ #PFLWorldTournament
Royval revealed that consecutive concussions forced him to prioritize his health and pull out of the fight, a decision he discussed on his YouTube channel.
“Maybe a couple months back, I had a concussion,” Royval said. “I was just playing it safe, playing it smart. A couple weeks later, when I was recovered, I accepted this fight, which was awesome. Fight Manel Kape. I respect his skills, I respect him as a striker and all that.
“I was training hard for this fight, and being a little reckless and being kind of in the zone for camp, I got another concussion. This one was severely worse,” Royval continued. “It’s been over a week at this point, and I’m still dealing with the repercussions of it and the symptoms of a bad concussion. And because of that reason — adding a weight cut, Manel Kape being a good striker, and this being a predominantly striking match — we felt this would be the safest move. Take some time, recover, recover the right way this time, and fight at a later date. Fight when I can fully train, fully take a punch, and give you guys the best of my ability.”
Assessing the situation, Pimblett remarked that despite Topuria’s recent victories over Alexander Volkanovski and Holloway, he doesn’t believe the Spaniard has done enough to earn a shot at Makhachev’s lightweight belt. While “El Matador” has stated he’s open to a rematch with Volkanovski, his preference is to move up and challenge Makhachev.
“I can’t see Ilia fighting Islam,” Pimblett said on the Blood Red podcast. “He’s only defended the belt once. Normally, you need to defend the belt like three times, and he’s not that big of a star to jump. He’s not (Conor) McGregor to just jump right up and fight for the other belt.
“So I can’t personally see that happening, but we’ll see what happens. I heard Ilia’s headlining the UFC 314 event against Volk, but you don’t know anything until it’s finalized with the UFC. I have been told this and that the last few weeks, last few months, but we’ll just see what happens.”
Pimblett and Topuria have a history of animosity, dating back to an altercation in London in March 2022. Their feud escalated further during the UFC 282 pre-fight press conference in December 2022, where security had to intervene due to their heated exchanges.
As for Pimblett, he is targeting a return to the Octagon at UFC 314, with rumors suggesting a potential matchup against Michael Chandler.
Like him or not, Dana White helping sell the UFC at over $4 billion and making it a part of TKO Group Holdings alongside WWE is one of the most remarkable business feats ever. He, along with his friends Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, purchased the UFC for $2 million in 2001.
The early 2000s were when when the company’s reputation was at an all-time low, and there were heavy losses due to it being banned from pay-per-view and TV networks.
However, White’s vision regarding this product, which was a far-fetched dream back then, now needs no introduction. UFC is the biggest MMA promotion in the world by far with a valuation of $11.3 billion in 2025. This has come after it survived several highs and lows for more than three decades.
In an interview with TodayShowAustralia ahead of UFC 312 in Sydney, White looked back at the time when he was close to folding the UFC for good.
“Oh, yeah, in the early days when we were just getting started, there’s no doubt about it, and then when you run a business and stuff happens every day that you don’t see coming and that you got to deal with. Even when we were strong, I mean we were sold in 16 and I want to say that it was probably 14, where like we had a whole year, every main event fell off with an injury and we had to deal with that. But the more bad c**p that gets thrown at you, the better you become.”
In another interview with Forbes, White and Lorenzo Fertitta shared the exact details of the day they nearly sold the UFC. As per Lorenzo, $30 million was sunk into running the business and because there were no returns, they weren’t left with many options.
Talking about it, Lorenzo says:
“Now people look back and they say, Oh! the UFC was overnight success and no, it wasn’t. Like, there were at least five years there, that were very difficult. We got to the point where we were just losing money, year after year, every event we were losing money and at the same time, fighters wanted to make more money, managers wanted more money. Everybody wanted wanted wanted.”
White, who was running the business as the CEO, describes this time similarly:
“So, one day, I was at the office and Lorenzo called me and he’s like, ‘I can’t keep doing this. Me and my brother can’t keep funding this thing. It’s getting bad so I need you to go out and see what you could sell this thing for’. I started making phone calls that day and at the end of the day I called him back and I said, ‘seven or eight million, could probably get seven or eight million for this thing in my opinion’.”
Luckily, for the UFC owners, selling the promotion didn’t feel like the best move at the time and they decided to keep running things for some time. For Lorenzo, it was as simple as this:
“So, literally went home, woke up the next morning, and just felt like it’s not the right thing to do.”
White explained his anxiety at the time as well:
“I thought it was over. And the next day, I’m driving to work and Lorenzo calls me and this is literally quote what he said, ‘f**k it, let’s keep going’.”
The UFC, as we know it, wasn’t sold during its dark ages and thanks to TUF Season 1, the boom finally happened and MMA is now one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Although the promotion’s monopoly in MMA is often criticized, it’s rise to the top is still inspirational for countless people.
Chael Sonnen recently discussed how the UFC and WWE might be valued at $50 billion together at the moment. He came to the conclusion by pointing out that TKO’s stock price has doubled in the last year and also stated that he should’ve invested in the company’s stocks on time.
Under the banner of TKO, UFC and WWE went public on the New York Stock Exchange in September 2023. This was after Endeavor initiated the process of combining the world’s biggest sports entertainment organization, WWE, with the world’s premier MMA promotion to form a sports and entertainment company called TKO Group Holdings.
Valued at $21 billion at the time of merger, TKO marked the beginning of new chapter for both the UFC and the WWE and in no time, it’s stock price has doubled.
Discussing this exponential growth of both companies since they went public, the former UFC title contender regretted not taking his friend’s advice who wanted him to invest in TKO back in 2023.
“TKO is the publicly traded company that owns WWE and UFC. Now, don’t hold me to these numbers and dates perfectly, but a year ago, TKO was valued at $70. I remember getting a call from Jesse on Fire when it hit $70. Jesse on Fire calls me and he’s telling me to load up, and I did not. I did not load up. I bought, but I did not load up.”
While “The American Gangster” was still processing if TKO was really a good investment opportunity as his friend had already made money on it, the stock grew by another 10%.
“And like that, it was at $77. It jumps 10% while I am processing what Jesse told me. So I don’t get in until it hit $90. That’s when I finally go load up. But I want you to think about this, okay, the UFC sold for what was a higher valuation for a franchise than the evaluation at current time of the New York Yankees’. And the New York Yankees were said to be the most valuable franchise in the world, and the UFC sold for more than the Yankees’ valuation.”
TKO also owns the WWE, and here’s how Sonnen came to the conclusion that both the brands, together, might be valued at $50 billion now:
“You then have WWE, which sold—I’m going to round numbers here—but for over twice what the UFC sold for. You had a statement by TKO where they said they valued the entire company, so having both entities, at $22 billion. Now, the UFC had sold for $4.2 billion, WWE had sold for $11 billion, and now, because they are together, just go ahead and add 30% to that number to get us to $22 billion. But the stock is still hovering around $90 at the time of this story.”
He further theorized:
“Now, fast forward one year, and the stock, as we speak, is $153. So let’s just call that double. That’s double what it was when Jesse on Fire calls and tells me. If I look at the stock price—and this isn’t a perfect way to do an evaluation, I’m just sharing for you, loose terms—if I look at the stock price, it’s valued at $22 billion when it’s at $77. Now that it’s worth twice that, are we saying that together, they’re worth $50 billion. Is that what we’re saying?”
Sonnen’s friend, Jesse Merl, undoubtedly gave him solid advice regarding loading up on TKO stocks as he himself is now enjoying a 100% profit on his investment in just a year. The YouTuber posted about the same on X and is pretty confident that this is just the beginning for the UFC, Dana White, and TKO.
Former UFC double champ Henry Cejudo has been so impressed with Dricus Du Plessis’s performance against Sean Strickland at UFC 312 that he went on to pick him against potential future opponents Khamzat Chimaev and Alex Pereira.
The UFC middleweight kingpin was as dominant as he could be in his second outing against Strickland, skyrocketing his brand even further. The challenger left with a broken nose at UFC 312, and before that, DDP showcased his grappling prowess by becoming the first fighter to submit Israel Adesanya.
Now, fans are excited to see “Stillknocks” get tested against Chimaev and Pereira. While “”Borz” is coming off an impressive first-round submission victory over Robert Whittaker, “Poatan” has looked invincible at light heavyweight.
In a recent episode of Pound 4 Pound with Kamaru & Henry, Cejudo heavily praised DDP for his cardio and explained why he could hand defeats to both Chimaev and Pereira:
“If you’re asking me now Kumaru, who is it if we do see a match between DDP and Alex Pereira. Even though I do believe that Pereira is going to beat Magomed Ankalaev, I’ll definitely put my money with DDP. I think DDP, stylistically, is a problem dude. And I know DDP is gonna go in there and f****g wrestle. And I think with the grappling, I think that could be very problematic, but there’s one thing that I will say is he will need to be careful because Alex Pereira does a really good job of cornering and there’s a lot of little sloppy things that DDP does but I think I put my strengths and his mixing of the fighting against a guy like Alex Pereira.”
While discussing a potential match-up with Chimaev, “Triple C” again picked the South African despite knowing that the Emirati fighter is on an iconic undefeated run. The latter’s ability to out grapple and finish elite fighters like Whittaker and Usman definitely makes him a threat to anyone at middleweight.
“I personally think he beats up Khamzat Chimaev. I don’t think it’s going to be easy to submit, I think DDP is scrambly and I think his conditioning, bro, I mean I want to put him up there. Even like this particularly, this last fight, you want to kind of, you know, maybe the top three, maybe greatest right now cardio in the UFC. Obviously, Merab is one and then you can go two three but whatever it is, he looked freaking good and he looked so good that fifth round where he was like hey, I was able to go another five more rounds. I mean this guy’s ready and this guy’s gonna be a problem for anybody at 185 lbs and I am excited to see this dude fight Khamzat and if he beats a guy like Khamzat Chimaev, I would love for him to go up and then fight the winner of Alex Pereira and Ankalaev.”
Ankalaev is the no.1 ranked UFC light heavyweight contender set to fight the champion at UFC 313 in T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada on March 8, 2025. The outcome of this fight will naturally impact the futures of the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions.
The veteran heavyweight’s return after close to four years away went as many had predicted, with Jones finding a finish in the third round of their championship clash.
During a recent interview with The Schmo, Miocic was asked to pick between the UFC champ and PFL Super Fights titleholder.
“I mean, I’d go Francis (over Jones), just ’cause he is tearing it up, he’s doing great with his boxing,” Miocic said. “I go Francis.”
Ngannou secured a devastating knockout of Miocic to capture the UFC crown in 2021, exacting revenge on the American for the decision defeat he inflicted on him three years prior.
The interview question did eliminate current interim UFC heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall from the equation. The Brit, who has long been campaigning to face Jones, would no doubt put his name into the mix.
Unfortunately, talk of Jones and Ngannou’s competing greatness will likely never be settle in the cage, with the UFC not entertaining talk of a cross-promotion deal with the PFL to stage the highly desired heavyweight showdown.
The Professional Fighters League (PFL) has begun to roll out the rosters for eight “World Tournaments” set for 2025, starting with a welterweight lineup topped by former Bellator champion Jason Jackson.
Major change is coming to the PFL this year, with the promotion making the decision to eliminate the season and playoff format from its yearly structure.
Replacing that and the $1 million prize money will be Grand Prix-style tournaments across eight divisions, with the winners of each collecting $500,000.
The standout name set for the single-elimination welterweight tournament is Jackson, who memorably knocked out Yaroslav Amosov in 2023 to win Bellator’s 170-pound title. After defeating Ray Cooper III last February, “The Ass-Kicking Machine” had his reign ended by Ramazan Kuramagomedov at the Bellator Champions Series event in Dublin.
The 34-year-old Jamaican will now look to return to winning ways as part of the organization’s new format.
The 𝘼🤬 𝗞𝗜𝗖𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗠𝗔𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗘
Former @BellatorMMA World Champion @TAKM_MMA has eyes for one thing in 2⃣0⃣2⃣5⃣…add more gold to the resume 🏆🏆
Jackson won’t be the only former Bellator titleholder in the mix. After a 1-1 season record failed to put him into the playoffs last year, Andrey Koreshkov will look to emerge victorious in his second year under the PFL banner.
Also of note is the arrival of Florim Zendeli on to the global stage. The Albanian, who is undefeated since 2021, won the 2024 PFL Europe welterweight season by choking out Daniele Miceli at last December’s championship event. He’ll now look to follow in the footsteps of Dakota Ditcheva by making the step up from the regional expansion.
See below for the full eight-man roster for this year’s welterweight “World Tournament.”
Jason Jackson (18-5)
Florim Zendeli (10-1)
Andrey Koreshkov (28-5)
Magomed Umalatov (17-1)
Mukhamed Berkhamov (17-2, 1 NC)
Giannis Bachar (9-2)
Logan Storley (16-3)
Masayuki Kikuiri (10-2-1)
One Shot to WIN. One Shot to ADVANCE. One Shot at a WORLD TITLE 🏆
Get to know the Welterweights set to compete in the 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣5️⃣ #PFLWorldTournament
Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland has been receiving plenty of flak for his defeat this past weekend, and it’s clear that even his own team is under no illusion about their man’s underperformance.
Strickland vowed to put on a war in pursuit of redemption against Dricus Du Plessis — the man who took the 185-pound gold from him early last year — in the UFC 312 main event on Feb. 8.
But in his return to the site where he shockingly dethroned Israel Adesanya in 2023, the polarizing American was unable to repeat the feat. Instead, the South African once again got the better of him on the scorecards, this time much more definitively.
During an appearance on Tuesday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, Nicksick described his frustrations as he watched Strickland’s lackluster display from the corner inside Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena.
“I think (Strickland) needs to evaluate what he wants to do in the sport,” Nicksick said. “If it’s just to make money, then that’s great. Let us know. I wanna coach world champions. My motivations are different. Just to kind of show up and do that and not really back it up, to me, was just kind of uninspiring.
“It was just uninspired fighting to me. It just seemed like (Strickland) was sleepwalking. It was tough, man,” Nicksick continued. “To travel all the way (to Australia) — and let’s not forget, this is a title fight…I take these title fights very seriously. I was just disappointed, man.”
It remains to be seen how Strickland will react to Nicksick’s stance, and what kind of conversations the two have had behind closed doors in the aftermath of Saturday’s pay-per-view event Down Under.
UFC star Dricus Du Plessis has gained popularity for not just his unorthodox fighting style in the Octagon, but also for his ability to chug beers at a surprisingly fast rate.
Athletes aren’t generally known for their drinking prowess, but the South African frequently beats influencers and his friends in competitions that revolve around gulping cans or glasses of beers.
At UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia, “Stillknocks” defended his UFC middleweight title for the second time against Sean Strickland. The champion looked way more dominant this time around, even breaking the challenger’s nose in the fourth.
Despite being undefeated in the UFC, Du Plessis suffered a cheeky loss against Jackson O’Doherty when he stepped into a beer chugging competition with the influencer.
O’Doherty announced that he’s already 0-3 against the UFC middleweight kingpin, but the fourth time around, he was clever enough to empty the entire glass under his shirt. Du Plessis, who still very impressively chugged his glass in a couple of seconds, seemed too buzzed to care about the result.
The creator announced ahead of his fourth try at beating the UFC champ:
“Alright, guys, I’m currently 0 and 3 against the champion in the beer race, and today that changes.”
Considering that “Stillknocks” is just coming off another five-round hard-fought battle against Strickland, most fans were amused to see him celebrating his second title defense.
The loss in the chugging contest barely impacted Du Plessis who seemed to be having a time of his life drinking beer and puffing a cigar. He simply said this to acknowledge O’ Doherty’s feat, which, to be fair, would’ve been very rare if genuine:
“He finally got it done.”
Time and again, Du Plessis has highlighted the importance of maintaining a healthy balance between training and having light moments like the one described above. As someone who cuts around 40 lbs. ahead of his fights at middleweight, he undoubtedly deserves to treat himself after a tiring bout.
Fans from around the world could easily make out that Du Plessis was not having his fourth beer with O’ Doherty, and because of his usual comfort with alcohol, he must’ve had quite a few drinks to be evidently drunk.
If you’re unaware of how quickly DDP can empty a glass of beer, this footage of him celebrating his iconic win over Israel Adesanya should definitely give you the idea:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iIfXnI_y6o
For now, the UFC middleweight champion could make the most of every bit of rest and enjoyment as he’s most likely to return against the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev, one of the most hyped and explosive fighters in the UFC. Based on his callout, a superfight against Alex Pereira could be possible too.
Having long been tipped for championship success as she overcame adversity after adversity, the undefeated Suarez entered the Octagon in Sydney, Australia as favorite to emerge with the gold in her possession.
But her plans to reach the top on Feb. 8 were scuppered by Zhang, who delivered one of the performances of her career to dominantly outpoint her latest challenger across five rounds.
Following on from her first professional defeat and the disappointing setback to her title ambitions, Suarez issued her first statement days on from UFC 312 in an Instagram post this week.
“‘Champions don’t show up to get everything they want; they show up to give everything they have.’ And that’s what I’ll do every single time,” Suarez wrote. “No matter what! I love it all. Win, lose or draw, I’m right where I want to be. Doing what I love to do every single day of my life. I have the best people around me that love me for me. Living the dream! It’s all about the right mindset and life has taught me time and time again. I’ve experienced it all thrill, agony, happiness, heartbreak. That’s what life is all about. I’m blessed to have this life. And I’ll share these experiences with my children and the future generations to come. 🙏🏻❤️ Thank you to my friends, family, teammates, coaches and fiancé for being there every single time no matter what. Love you guys! On to the next!
While Suarez goes back to the drawing board, Zhang will keep a keen eye on her division’s happenings across the upcoming months.
And that’s far from the only major shift in strategy entering 2025. The PFL will also be abandoning its season and playoff format after many had questioned its sustainability. Instead of that, Grand Prix-style tournaments will take place across eight divisions, with $500,000 prize money going to each winner.
The full list of fighters in each weight category is yet to be finalized, but this the week the organization has revealed the dates and venue for the opening events.
In a press release on Tuesday, the PFL announced that the “World Tournament” will begin with first-round bouts across four events on the backlot of Universal Studios Florida in Orlando, Florida on April 3, April 11, April 18 and May 1.
𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗢‼️ 𝗪𝗘 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞
All 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣5️⃣ #PFLWorldTournament First Round Events will take place in Orlando!
The annual single-elimination format will feature brackets at heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight and women’s flyweight.
The tournament, which will air on ESPN in the United States and DAZN in Canada and across Europe, will span five months, with fighters requiring three wins to be crowned victor.
In another change, elbows will be permitted in all bouts.
While the South African followed up his submission of Israel Adesanya with a dominant display this past weekend in Sydney, “Remember the Name” evidently wasn’t too impressed, claiming that his crowning up a weight class would be comfortable.
And the 170-pound kingpin reiterated that sentiment on X recently by breaking down exactly how he’d defeat Du Plessis inside the Octagon. Should all go to plan for Muhammad, the bout would end with “Stillknocks” rendered unconscious.
I’d come out him with a 1-2 then he’d wing an overhand I’ll duck it change levels and take him down then he’d shrimp and get the underhook to get out but he’ll be to weak to get up so then I’ll hit him with ground and pound for the rest of round 1. Round 2 starts and I come out… https://t.co/vL07RWaPKT
“I’d come out him with a 1-2 then he’d wing an overhand I’ll duck it change levels and take him down then he’d shrimp and get the underhook to get out but he’ll be to weak to get up so then I’ll hit him with ground and pound for the rest of round 1. Round 2 starts and I come out with a flying knee he shells up then I hit him with the zabit back trip then point and laugh at him (this makes him mad) he gets up and charges foward winging punches at me I slide out of the way with ease then hit him with a 1-2 then he gets frustrated shoots for a takedown I defend with ease but now he’s tired and stays on his knees I kick him to the body while he’s on the ground. End of round 2. .. round 3 starts and he’s distraught he can’t hit me he can’t take me down so then he tries spinning stuff I back up at the right time and end up taking his back he lets me under chin out of frustration then I put him to sleep … and new double champ”
Before having the chance to bring such a scenario to fruition, Muhammad has work to do in his current division.
“Remember the Name” is yet to defend the belt since wrestling it away from Leon Edwards in Manchester last July. That’s courtesy of a bone infection that canceled his planned showdown with undefeated contender Shavkat Rakhmonov two months ago.
While Muhammad likely prepares for a second shot at stalling “Nomad’s” championship aspirations, Du Plessis is also expected to face an undefeated challenger next in the form of Khamzat Chimaev.
Daniel Cormier was cageside as Dricus Du Plessis successfully defended his middleweight title for the second time, earning a dominant unanimous decision victory over Sean Strickland in their rematch at UFC 312 in Sydney.
Following the fight, Du Plessis shifted his focus to light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, who was in Strickland’s corner. While he expressed interest in a future showdown with “Poatan,” he made it clear that his immediate priority is Khamzat Chimaev.
And Cormier supports that, believing the South African has more work to do at 185 pounds.
“Dricus Du Plessis is the man,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “In the Octagon, he called out Pereira. I told Pereira after the fight, I go, ‘He wants you, Pereira.’ Pereira goes, ‘He’s just too small.’ Seriously. Pereira goes, ‘This man is just too small.’ Alex is huge, though. I mean, he looked massive compared to Dricus.
“I love that Dricus has these big goals. I just think he still has work at middleweight before he thinks about going up — Khamzat Chimaev being problem No. 1.”
Cormier admitted that he was once skeptical of Du Plessis, but after UFC 312, he has no doubts about the South African’s legitimacy.
“Watching Dricus today, I don’t know that Chimaev just drives across the mat and takes him down,” Cormier said. “He’s so good at what he does. He’s the man. Dricus Du Plessis is the man, and once again, he proved that it’s going to be very difficult to take the belt off him.
“I know Chimaev has a massive following, and people like him. He’s been dominant, but I just don’t know that he has ever seen anyone like Du Plessis.”
Cormier concluded by acknowledging Du Plessis’ ability to dictate fights on his own terms.
“I’m done questioning him,” Cormier said. “I’m done ever saying that what he does isn’t what’s done by the best fighter in the world, because he is proving over and over again that he is just that.
“The way Du Plessis fights makes you fight him the way that he wants to fight. He makes you stop, he makes you wait, because when you try to attack him, he’s so good at changing speed, changing direction, and hitting you from odd angles that you can’t really get a bead on him.”
UFC color commentator Joe Rogan knows what he wants to see next from featherweight kingpin Ilia Topuria — and it’s not a second dance with Alexander Volkanovski.
Topuria remains without a date in the calendar for his first fight of 2025, following on from a 2024 in which he dethroned Volkanovski and became the first man to knock out Max Holloway.
A rematch with “Alexander the Great” was quickly tipped as the Spaniard’s next assignment after he defended the belt against “Blessed” last October. But frequent comments from Topuria and his team regarding a lightweight switch have led to some uncertainty.
“As crazy as it sounds, I hope Ilia goes up to (155 pounds). I really do,” Rogan said during his JRE Fight Companion episode for Saturday’s UFC 312 pay-per-view. “Volkanovski-Diego Lopes (at) 145, Ilia goes up to ’55. I don’t care if he only defended the title one time or didn’t, who cares. Let’s go. Let’s f*cking go.
“It’d be nice [to see him fight some of the other contenders at (featherweight), but also, who cares? Let’s go. Let’s f*cking go,” Rogan added.
Plenty is evidently left to be decided at 145 pounds, with various reports flying about Topuria vs. Volkanovski 2 and other potential bouts such as Volkanovski against the charging Diego Lopes.
Makhachev, meanwhile, remains without a next challenger to his throne after top contender Arman Tsarukyan ruled himself out by withdrawing from UFC 311 on 24 hours’ notice.
The promotion is promising something huge for the Dagestani next time out, though, perhaps boosting Topuria’s chances of securing the matchup.
Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland continues to be the recipient of criticism for his latest performance.
Strickland fell to a 1-2 record since winning the gold in August 2023 this past weekend. His memorable title win over Israel Adesanya was quickly followed by the end of his reign courtesy of Dricus Du Plessis 13 months ago, and the South African once again got the better of the polarizing American on Saturday.
The pair ran it back Down Under in Sydney, Australia, headlining the UFC 312 pay-per-view. Strickland didn’t come close to redemption, instead suffering a lopsided decision defeat at the hands of “Stillknocks,” whose punches even resulted in a badly broken nose for the challenger.
During an appearance on Monday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, another ex-UFC middleweight champ in Luke Rockhold gave his assessment of Strickland’s display.
Like many in the MMA community, the 40-year-old was not impressed — to say the least…
“If someone breaks your nose, you gotta fight like a f*cking man and sack up,” Rockhold said. “This motherf*cker talks such a big game and then he b*tches out and basically quits in a fight after he breaks his nose.
“When does (Strickland) ever f*cking put his ass on the line and f*cking bite down and really go for it through a whole process of a fight, not just the last 10 seconds of a round? Look at him out there,” Rockhold added.
Strickland has long faced heavy flak for his fight style, which sees a low-aggression approach follow fight weeks that usually involve proclamations of an impending bloody “war.”
BKFC founder David Feldman isn’t holding much hope of the PFL allowing heavyweight star Francis Ngannou to answer Ben Rothwell’s recent callout.
Rothwell has enjoyed a fruitful stint in bare-knuckle boxing since his lengthy tenure in the UFC reached its conclusion after 17 fights back in 2021. “Big Ben” has amassed a 4-0 record under the BKFC banner with nothing but knockouts.
His latest victory was at last month’s KnuckleMania V event in Philadelphia, where the veteran heavyweight delivered an early Knockout of the Year candidate. A violent 36-second finish of Mick Terrill secured Rothwell the BKFC heavyweight title, and all eyes will certainly now be on the 43-year-old’s next outing.
The American set his sights high during his post-fight press conference, dropping the name of former UFC champion and current PFL Super Fights titleholder Francis Ngannou as a desired opponent.
During a recent interview with MMA Knockout, the BKFC president addressed that suggestion, explaining why he doesn’t see it as a possibility despite his promotion’s willingness to do business with rival organizations like the PFL.
“That would be a fantastic payday for Ben Rothwell, and I wouldn’t be opposed to something like that happening,” Feldman said. “But I just don’t think the PFL are gonna do it.
“UFC doesn’t need us, and all the rest of the promotions really don’t want to help us out because it’s just gonna help us get bigger and bigger. So, they don’t wanna do that,” Feldman continued. “They don’t wanna partner with us because they feel it’s gonna help us and not help them as much as it could because Francis Ngannou is a big name.”
Heavyweight fan favorite Tai Tuivasa may not have been able to bring out his patented celebration at UFC 312 this past weekend, but the city of Sydney still got a shoey.
Saturday’s pay-per-view event Down Under certainly wasn’t among the most memorable in recent times, but the card did still provide some eyebrow-raising finishes — and quick ones, at that.
Among the notable victors was undefeated heavyweight prospect Tallison Teixeira, who moved to 8-0 as a professional with a 35-second knockout win over Justin Tafa, who was floored by a crushing elbow against the fence.
“Xicão’s” celebrations following a successful debut at UFC 312 extended beyond the Qudos Bank Arena, spilling on to the streets of Sydney. The Brazilian paid homage to one of Australia’s own by completing a Tuivasa-esque shoey and posting the footage on his Instagram account.
Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman envisions one particular contender posing a real threat to the reign of middleweight kingpin Dricus Du Plessis.
13 months on from his crowning at the polarizing American’s defense, the South African recorded a much more definitive victory over Strickland second time around, smashing his nose en route to a lopsided decision.
Moving forward, “Stillknocks” is widely expected to face a test from Khamzat Chimaev next. Usman, however, sees a different top contender being a problem for Du Plessis down the line.
During a recent episode of his Pound 4 Pound podcast alongside fellow former UFC champion Henry Cejudo, “The Nigerian Nightmare” highlighted the talents of Nassourdine Imavov.
“A guy like Nassourdine Imavov, the way that he (Du Plessis) fought Sean Strickland last night, I don’t like that fight for DDP,” Usman said. “I don’t like it really.
“We saw how the standup was with Israel. When you primarily just stand up with Imavov, man, he might be the sharper guy besides Israel Adesanya right now with the striking in that division. Sharp hands,” Usman continued, throwing another name into the mix. “I would have to go also with Brendan Allen’s got really, really good hands.”
Imavov is fresh off a victory over a former adversary of Du Plessis’, ex-two-time champ Israel Adesanya, whom the Frenchman knocked out in Saudi Arabia earlier this month.
![BKFC President On Potential Ben Rothwell vs. Francis Ngannou Fight: ‘[PFL] Don’t Want To Partner With Us’](https://media.mmanews.com/uploads/2025/02/Francis-Ngannou-Ben-Rothwell.jpg)
