Israel Adesanya’s journey in the UFC has been marked by triumph and adversity. Now, he will look to get back on track when he fights Nassourdine Imavov in the main event of the second UFC Fight Night in Saudi Arabia. The bout is scheduled for Feb. 1 in Riyadh.
After dropping his first pro-MMA loss at UFC 259 against Jan Błachowicz in an attempt to claim the light heavyweight title, he rebounded by successfully defending his middleweight belt against Marvin Vettori, Robert Whittaker, and Jared Cannonier.
However, he was dethroned by Alex Pereira at UFC 281, only to win it back thanks to a knockout victory over Pereira at UFC 287. He would suffer a decision loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 and then a submission defeat to Dricus Du Plessis last August in his bid to reclaim the middleweight crown.
“Just because there’s not a belt on the line, I don’t want to diminish this fight like it’s not important,” Adesanya said during Wednesday’s media day. “This is still an important fight for me. Again, I’m saying I’m doing this for myself. I’m kind of being selfish.
“Like, I fight for myself, I fight for my team, my family, and my real fans, but this one I’m putting myself first. I’m trying to do this one for myself, so it’s really important to me.”
The MMA world is buzzing with speculation over UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones’ next fight. Fans are debating whether Jones should face interim heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall or light heavyweight kingpin Alex Pereira in his next appearance inside the Octagon.
While Jones has been dismissive of a potential unification bout with Aspinall, citing a desire for better pay, the prospect of a fight with Pereira has garnered significant attention. Pereira and Jones have maintained a respectful dynamic, with “Poatan” recently discussing the possibility of a matchup between the two champions.
In an interview with Ariel Helwani, Pereira revealed that he and Jones had previously spoken about fighting, though their conversation was casual.
“I’m the champ, I want to fight the champ. Let’s make the fight with Jon Jones … Before Jon’s last fight, we actually talked about fighting. More random talk, not too much about fighting. [He’s] not a friend or someone I talk with on the regular, but someone I respect. I know he respects me, and there’s mutual respect.”
Pereira believes a fight between him and Jones carries greater stakes and legacy value than a matchup with Aspinall.
“I think [Jon wants to fight me], because of the momentum and the risk. It’s a risk fighting Aspinall. There’s not a lot to gain there; it’s another title fight. But fighting Alex is a much bigger achievement… It’s a bigger fight. We saw the fight [with Miocic] later. It was an impressive win and impressive performance.”
"I'm the champ, I want to fight the champ. Let's make the fight with Jon Jones."
Alex Pereira also shares that he has spoke on the phone with Jon Jones about a possible fight. 👀 pic.twitter.com/uobvrEV7p8
As for Pereira, he’s currently focused on defending his light heavyweight title against former title challenger Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 on March 8.
However, a champion vs. champion showdown with Jon Jones remains an enticing possibility that could shape both fighters’ legacies.
Chris Weidman’s announcement that he has retired from the UFC was relatively low-key for a former champion. After competing 20 times in the Octagon, including three consecutive middleweight title defenses after he brought the legendary reign of Anderson Silva to an end, “The All-American” stated that he would no longer be fighting for the promotion during the weigh-in show ahead of UFC 311 earlier this month.
Weidman debuted for the UFC back in 2011 and whilst his recent run has lead to people calling for him to retire, including Dana White himself, many would have expected this to come in his loss to Eryk Anders at UFC 310 in December. Rather than getting some time on the mic at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to say goodbye to the fans, a social media post was the final parting moment before the 40-year old was announced to be fighting for the GFL during the promotion’s draft last Friday.
Weidman appeared on The Ariel Helwani show on January 28 to talk about his UFC departure and decision to sign with the GFL. He explained how he wanted to have a big send off in the cage but he didn’t want it to be on the prelims of the card which is where his rescheduled bout with Anders ended up taking place.
“I kind of was thinking I would announce that I’m retiring and put down my gloves and it would be pretty cool. But honestly, the UFC, they’re like, ‘Chris, we’re going to put you on the prelims again. We can’t put you on main cards’. It kind of sucks to see. A champion like that being put on the prelims all the time. Like, what am I doing?”
Despite having some regrets about the way that his UFC career came to an end, Weidman also stated that he understands why the main card slots would be offered to other fighters.
“All these up-and-comers, guys who were in my position like I was years and years ago coming up, they gotta make new stars out of these guys. And these former champions like myself that are not doing great, losing fights…you go from riches to rags basically inside the UFC and it’s a tough pill to swallow, but it’s just business.”
It doesn’t look like the PFL will be drawing a link between Paul Hughes and Conor McGregor going forward. In the build-up to Hughes’ title fight against Usman Nurmagomedov this past weekend, the promotion used the prior history between Dagestan and Ireland to promote the fight.
With the Bellator lightweight champion being cornered by his cousin, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Hughes had even mentioned having McGregor with him at one stage but any plans for this to happen quickly fell apart for multiple reasons, including the former UFC star’s civil assault case and his commitments with BKFC.
Following an incredible fight at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, video footage shows Hughes sharing a quick word with Khabib where there is a clear mutual respect between them. The challenger can be seen referencing “The Notorious” and how they are not the same person in a short clip from Will Harris’ “Anatomy Of A Fighter”.
“I’m not like this other guy, I’m my own man. I’m not like this other guy.”
🇮🇪🤔 Paul Hughes tells Khabib (referring to Conor Mcgregor):
Once the clip was posted on social media, it quickly caught the attention of McGregor who has exchanged compliments with Hughes on multiple occasions. That being said, the public opinion surrounding “The Mac” has changed a lot in recent times and his previous actions shouldn’t influence the way that “Big News” is perceived.
McGregor hit back at Hughes in a series of now deleted posts which took a swipe at the Irish pride of the 27-year old rising star.
Conor McGregor is not best pleased with Paul Hughes’ words about him following his #PFL fight with Usman Nurmagomedov 😬 pic.twitter.com/SbJXLlHHFV
Hughes posted a short response to some of the comments made by McGregor in reaction to the video footage. He makes it clear that he has always given his fellow Irishman respect for what he has achieved in the sport.
@TheNotoriousMMA always said u were the goat, payed homage at every opportunity.
But coming at my Irish identity just shows where your head is at.
Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland will have a familiar face in his corner in Australia early next month.
Strickland is set to headline the promotion’s second pay-per-view of the new year, UFC 312 at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on Feb. 8. There, he will look to exact revenge on Dricus Du Plessis and win back the 185-pound gold.
The polarizing American will be back at the venue inside of which he became champ in September 2023 by outpointing Israel Adesanya. He’ll hope to repeat that feat in a rematch with Du Plessis, who brought “Tarzan’s” reign to an end in its first defense 12 months ago.
And in his bid to reclaim the throne, Strickland is employing the help of a prominent former opponent-turned-occasional training partner.
“We will have Alex Pereira in the corner, so dropping the news right now,” coach Eric Nicksick said told The Schmo.. “He’s a good friend of Sean. He’s a great training partner. Obviously, these guys have fought, but after the fight, I think it takes a man to go and learn from the guy who caught you with something.”
Pereira and Strickland shared the cage in the summer of 2022, with “Poatan” violently stopping the latter in the first round to secure his title shot opposite Israel Adesanya later in the year.
The pair have since formed a friendship and have frequently been seen training together. The Brazilian has also cornered his ex-opponent in the past, assuming the role for Strickland’s narrow defeat to Du Plessis in Canada last January.
Conor McGregor has continued to tease his return to combat sports in recent years, with speculation surrounding potential matchups in various disciplines.
Along with rumors of a boxing bout against Logan Paul, McGregor has also been linked to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC), where he became a part-owner last year and has made appearances at multiple events.
At this past weekend’s BKFC KnuckleMania 5, McGregor intensified the buzz by facing off with Jeremy Stephens after the American’s victory over Eddie Alvarez. During the event, McGregor reiterated his interest in competing in bare-knuckle boxing, saying he wants to “take off the gloves and throw down.”
Former UFC welterweight Matt Brown, speaking on the latest episode of MMA Fighting’s The Fighter vs. The Writer, weighed in on the possibility of McGregor stepping into the BKFC ring.
“I would love to see him do it,” Brown said. “I think it would be amazing. Even though it’s probably not going to happen, I would love to see it. Him and Jeremy Stephens, I think there would be a lot of great hype for that, and I think it would be a good fight, too. I think it would be a really interesting fight, especially in a bare-knuckle style.”
While the prospect of McGregor fighting in BKFC is intriguing, it seems unlikely that the UFC would allow one of its biggest stars to compete in another promotion. Nonetheless, Brown believes that bare-knuckle boxing is the most exciting opportunity currently available to the former two-division champion.
“I think that’s a no-brainer. That’s by far the most exciting Conor McGregor fight out there right now,” Brown argued. “Does that happen? I guess it’s a little bit unlikely, but maybe the UFC gets behind it. He did the boxing match with Floyd Mayweather—maybe [the UFC] gets behind this, too. I think Conor would love to do it, primarily for the reason you don’t have to get in the same shape, right? You’ve only got to throw hands, and it’s five, two-minute rounds. He would love that. The conditioning is completely different.
“Stylistically, I don’t think he has a terrible style for bare-knuckle. It would be interesting. You don’t really know until they get in there. Like, I would have never thought Ben Rothwell had a great style for bare-knuckle. Jeremy Stephens obviously has a great style for it, but he’s one of those guys I’d be concerned about breaking his hands. He throws for the fences every time, and I’m like, ‘Dude, you are definitely going to break your hands in bare-knuckle.’”
KNUCKLEMANIA V! My entry walk. This is just 2 fights into the card. I got there for 3rd fight onwards. Early prelims PACKED! Every fight delivered! I told you, BARE KNUCKLE FC IS THRILLING! Well done all my team! ❤️🙏 pic.twitter.com/TB6jovOQ9Z
Although a McGregor vs. Stephens bare-knuckle fight remains unlikely, the potential matchup continues to generate discussion and excitement within the combat sports community.
Dana White and co. will have their fingers crossed that there isn’t a repeat of the late withdrawal in Los Angeles earlier this month when the promotion heads Down Under for UFC 312.
Their middleweight championship rematch won’t be the only title fight on the UFC 312 card, with strawweight queen Zhang Weili also set to defend her throne opposite undefeated challenger Tatiana Suarez.
While anticipation is building for those contests, fans will be well aware that no matchup is certain to go down until the cage door closes behind the athletes.
That much was evident a few weeks back when Arman Tsarukyan pulled out of the UFC 311 main event, forcing the promotion to find a new foe for Islam Makhachev on just 24 hours’ notice. The Dagestani ultimately faced Renato Moicano, whom he steamrolled in minutes.
Disappointment was evident when the highly awaited second clash between Makhachev and Tsarukyan fell through, but that scenario hasn’t convinced the UFC to make additional arrangements for the second PPV of the year.
Per MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin, no fighters are currently expected to make the long-haul flight to Australia to serve as backup for the UFC 312 main or co-main events.
Unless something changes or there's a behind the scenes deal I'm not aware of, #UFC312 won't feature any backup fighters for the title bouts. #UFChttps://t.co/VCPABEXWSH
The organization has often paid contenders to hit the scale as alternative options should injury or illness strike late in the day. But that hasn’t been the case since Tom Aspinall did so back at UFC 309 in November.
Backups were neither present for Alexandre Pantoja’s title defense at UFC 310 against Kai Asakura nor the pair of championship clashes on Jan. 18. UFC 312 will now make it three PPVs on the bounce in that regard.
In his return to non-pay-per-view, non-championship assignments after consecutive defeats to Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis, “The Last Stylebender” is tasked with stalling the charge of a rising up-and-comer in Nassourdine Imavov.
While his opponent comes into the contest riding momentum from three straight wins, Adesanya plans on showing there’s life in the old dog yet. And former champ Michael Bisping, for one, expects him to do just that.
During a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, Bisping explained why he’s picking the Nigerian-New Zealander to emerge victorious inside anb Arena on Feb. 1.
“More than likely Israel Adesanya gets a decision,” Bisping said. “I think he uses the jab, I think he lowers his base, I think he’s probably pissed off and a little bit embarrassed. Israel Adesanya, when you’re the champion of the world, when you’re defending the belt so many times and you literally think your sh*t don’t stink and you can beat everybody, you do get a little bit embarrassed. Your pride takes a hit when you lose three out of the last four and you see the middleweight division moving along without you.
“Over five rounds, I do believe Israel Adesanya wins via decision,” Bisping continued. “I think he maintains range, keeps his distance, moves around, uses all of the space inside the Octagon, and in Saudi Arabia, Israel Adesanya will be the winner.”
“The Last Stylebender” will hope to prove Bisping’s assessment correct come fight night and taste the winning feeling for the first time since his memorable knockout of Alex Pereira to return to the middleweight throne in April 2023.
Having cemented his grip on the UFC bantamweight title, talk of where Merab Dvalishvili fits among the division’s all-time greats is picking up.
Dvalishvili recorded his first defense a few weeks back, following his crowning at the expense of Sean O’Malley four months prior with a successful halting of Umar Nurmagomedov’s championship ambitions.
That’s sparked plenty of debate over how the current champ would stack up against some of the division’s past elites, including former two-time titleholder TJ Dillashaw.
A recent post on X by @owen_swd posed the question of who would win between Dvalishvili and the retired American in their respective primes.
Both men had their fair share of backers in the comments section. One common theme involved the controversy surrounding Dillashaw’s use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Alex Pereira has laughed off Jiří Procházka’s accusations that he uses occult practices to win his fights.
Pereira and Procházka have squared off twice inside the Octagon, with their first encounter being a battle for the vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 295 in November 2023, where “Poatan” claimed a second-round TKO victory. The two crossed paths once more at UFC 303 last June, where the Brazilian secured another second-round finish, but with a much more dominant performance.
In his recent appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience, Procházka reiterated his accusations, insisting that Pereira’s use of black magic is the “biggest power” he wields over his opponents.
During an interview with Ariel Helwani on Monday, “Poatan” responded to the Czech fighter’s allegations, underscoring that he places his trust in his faith and a genuine passion for fair competition, rather than any supernatural influence.
“All respect to him, but no man,” Pereira said through a translator. “I’m a god-fearing man. I have God in my heart… He’s just saying these things; I’ve never participated in any of those things. I’m a regular person. If he really believed that, take a doll, tie my hands and feet, and then fight me, like that’s going to work?”
Alex Pereira on Jiří Procházka's claims that he fights with voodoo or dark energy:
"All respect to him, but I'm a god-fearing man. I have god in my heart…
If we go and fight again… if he will put all of this to the side and just focus on fighting each other, I think we'll… pic.twitter.com/0WbSOv3V6s
Pereira, who is preparing for his fourth title defense against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 on March 8, further shared that if his two-time adversary can move past his allegations, they could potentially deliver fans an electrifying trilogy bout in the future.
“With all respect to him, and honestly speaking, if we went and fought again a third time and if he put all this [allegations] aside and just fought, I think we would be able to give a much better fight…I don’t want to fight guys who are cheating, no, I want to fight them at their best…at their prime. A guy that’s ready, gets the fire in him and thinks ‘I want to beat this guy’. And if they’re at their best, there’s no reason to talk about this kind of stuff.”
“Poatan” is fresh off a hard-fought knockout victory over Khalil Rountree at UFC 307 in October, successfully defending his title.
Michael “Venom” Page is confident of recording yet another violent stoppage in mixed martial arts, this time at the expense of undefeated Dagestani Shara Magomedov.
While “MVP” still boasts aspirations of title glory at the lower weight, he’ll look to bounce back from a narrow decision loss to Ian Garry during International Fight Week last year before resuming his pursuit of gold at 170 pounds.
And to do so, Page isn’t expecting to require the scorecards.
During a recent interview with The Independent, “MVP” looked ahead to his impending showdown with “Bullet” in Riyadh and predicted that fans will witness the 15th knockout of his career.
“Honestly speaking, I believe he’s tailor-made for me to get that (knockout) shot early,” he said. “By early, I just mean before the time is up. But he’s equally dangerous, to where if I make those mistakes, that could happen to me. You have to consider both sides. I just really believe in what I can do, and that my style fits perfectly against him.”
Whichever way the fight goes, many MMA enthusiasts are expecting the result to come by way of a stoppage.
While Page’s exploits are well known, Magomedov is far from a slouch in the KO department. 12 of the Russian’s 15 professional wins have come via knockout, including two in the UFC.
Israel Adesanya is preparing for his next challenge as he faces Nassourdine Imavov in the main event of the second UFC Fight Night in Saudi Arabia. The bout is scheduled for Feb. 1 at the anb Arena in Riyadh.
Adesanya’s journey in the UFC has been marked by both triumph and adversity. His first professional loss came at UFC 259 against Jan Błachowicz in an ambitious attempt to claim the light heavyweight title. Despite the setback, he rebounded by successfully defending his middleweight belt against Marvin Vettori, Robert Whittaker, and Jared Cannonier.
However, his reign faltered at UFC 281 when Alex Pereira dethroned him. Adesanya later regained the title in spectacular fashion with a knockout victory over Pereira at UFC 287. More recently, his momentum stalled again, first with a decision loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 and then with a submission defeat to Dricus Du Plessis last August in his bid to reclaim the middleweight crown.
Ahead of this crucial fight, Robert Whittaker, a former champion and two-time opponent of Adesanya’s, has been working with the Nigerian-New Zealander to prepare. On his MMArcade Podcast, Whittaker offered insight into his former rival’s next matchup and Imavov’s strategy.
“Imavov’s grappling is very good,” Whittaker explained. “He gets the back of just about every opponent he fights. That’s kind of where the fight wins for him. He doesn’t beat Izzy in a five-round striking contest. He takes him down, tries to get his back, and then it’s about whether Izzy defends that position and escapes. Obviously, Adesanya’s game plan will focus on not giving up his back at all costs.
“Granted, it’s such a clear-cut direction for Imavov to try to achieve,” Whittaker continued. “Just about every fight he’s had, he gets the back, locks in that body triangle, and works from there. I think that’s the fight we’re going to see: Adesanya trying to keep his distance and outstrike him, while Imavov looks to close the distance, push him up against the fence, take him down, and get his back.”
Saturday’s main event is here! 👋@StyleBender vs @Imavov1 goes down in just a few days!
This highly anticipated bout will test Adesanya’s resilience and ability to adapt as he looks to regain momentum against a dangerous grappler in Imavov.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiří Procházka is still pondering a future drop to 185 pounds — but on one condition.
Following a second knockout loss to reigning titleholder Alex Pereira last summer, Procházka assessed his options and seemed to point toward a divisional switch.
The Czech star ultimately decided against an immediate pursuit of two-division glory and got his aspirations of a second championship rule at 205 pounds back on track with a victory over Jamahal Hill at UFC 311 earlier this month.
With that, “BJP” is staying put for the time being. But that doesn’t mean the door is shut on a middleweight venture.
During a recent appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience, Procházka revealed what must happen for him to test the 185-pound waters on MMA’s biggest stage down the line.
“I’ve thought about that (middleweight). But the main thing for me is, right now I see the way in light hevayweight. I’m one of the strongest guys in this division. I still feel like there is a way in light heavyweight.
“I said to myself, ‘Okay, you can go to the middleweight (division), but first show consistency in light heavyweight, take the belt, then you can fight for the belt in middleweight.”
For now, the ex-champ will be looking toward his next step back to the light heavyweight belt following a standout performance against “Sweet Dreams” in Los Angeles.
Dricus Du Plessis seems inclined to entertain a potential champ vs. champ showdown with Islam Makhachev, though he isn’t fully sold on the proposition just yet.
Even before his dominant fourth title defense at UFC 311 against Renato Moicano, reigning lightweight champion Makhachev made no secret of his ambitions to claim gold in a second weight class.
However, a key obstacle stands in his way — Makhachev finds himself in a bit of a dilemma, as his strong relationship with current welterweight champion Belal Muhammad makes pursuing that matchup a tricky situation.
Consequently, Makhachev has put forth an audacious idea, expressing that he has the frame and tools necessary to ascend two weight classes and challenge Du Plessis for the middleweight title.
Islam Makhachev talks a move to 185:
“My height allows it, I think my physical data allows it too…
I’m not saying that I can 100% finish Du Plessis. But watching his fights, watching his style, I think I have the keys to victory.” 👀
During a recent interview with mainevent, “Stillknocks” weighed in on Makhachev’s bold ambitions, offering a nod of respect for his exceptional talent.
However, Du Plessis made it clear that the Dagestani champion might be aiming a bit too high, suggesting that while Makhachev is undeniably skilled, he’s simply not on the level required to face a true 185-pound powerhouse like himself.
“It’s hard to really think and take it seriously right now,” Du Plessis said. “I’ve got a big fight coming up, so I didn’t make anything of it. If we get to a situation where we are not at right now — he’s an incredible fighter, make no mistake. He was so incredibly good against Moicano. He proved once again why he is the pound-for-pound best in the world.
“[But] I don’t care how good you are — he obviously trains with 185 [pound]ers in his gym, so he knows. He doesn’t train against me. Believe me, it’s not the same thing. Even on a technical level, the standup. His wrestling and grappling is phenomenal. I’d just overpower him, that’s what I think.
However, Du Plessis made it clear that if the UFC comes calling or special circumstances arise, he would be more than willing to shatter Makhachev’s dream of becoming a two-division titleholder.
“It makes a massive difference. He’s a big lightweight, but I’m a big middleweight. There’s a big difference between a big lightweight and a big middleweight. But if there’s ever the situation where there’s no fight for me, no fight for him that makes sense, I’ll be more than happy to do that. Easy payday.”
The 31-year-old South African was last in action at UFC 305 this past August, where he triumphed over former champion Israel Adesanya, submitting him to successfully defend his title for the first time.
UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns doesn’t think Khabib Nurmagomedov handled things perfectly in the corner of his cousin, Umar, earlier this month.
The previously undefeated bantamweight challenged for Merab Dvalishvili’s title in the co-main event of UFC 311, staged inside the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
After a strong start, Nurmagomedov was unable to continue his momentum into the latter rounds, with the Georgian champion’s renowned pace and cardio once again proving to be the difference and setting up a decision victory.
Though he noted his immense respect for Khabib, “Durinho” saw some holes in the coaching game of the former UFC lightweight champion.
“I have so much respect for the Dagestani guys and Khabib, but I just gotta say this — Khabib Nurmagomedov as a main coach, people gonna hate on this, still got to improve a lot,” Burns said. “When Umar started getting tired, he came to the corner with those question eyes, like, he didn’t know what to do. And when I looked at Khabib and his corner, they had the same eyes — like, ‘Oh my God.’
“Guys like ‘Parrumpa’ and Henry (Hooft), they calm you down and tell you exactly what to do — ‘You lost that round, now do this and this.’ They’ve been in so many corners, you can’t even count,” Burns continued. “I have a lot of respect for him (Khabib), but coaching takes time and repetition.”
Khabib seemingly won’t be sticking around as long as the trainers named by Burns, however, having outlined his plans to hang up his coaching gloves when his current crop of fighters depart the sport.
Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is determined to reclaim gold as he prepares for his next fight.
Sterling recently suffered a setback at UFC 310, where he fell to Movsar Evloev in a closely contested bout, temporarily halting his pursuit of two-division success.
Sterling’s journey took a positive turn earlier in 2024 when he defeated Calvin Kattar at UFC 300 in April, a victory that revived his momentum after losing the bantamweight title to Sean O’Malley at UFC 292 in 2023.
Now, the former champion is eyeing a return to the Octagon in April and has named Arnold Allen or Brian Ortega as potential opponents.
“A lot of fans don’t think I lost that fight,” Sterling told MMA Junkie, referring to his loss against Evloev. “I watched it back a couple times now, and I still don’t think I lost the fight. Obviously, the judges are the judge, so whatever they say is going to stay in the history books. I would love to run it back with him. If not, maybe fight Arnold Allen [or] Brian Ortega.”
Sterling also shared his thoughts on the path to another title shot.
“I’d say [I’m] maybe one or two fights away,” he explained. “It just really depends on the landscape, how I look in the fight, [and] what Topuria’s going to do. If he’s going to vacate, then that puts two new challengers to fight for a vacated belt. So, it really depends.”
Looking ahead, Sterling hopes to fight in April, potentially followed by another bout in August or September.
“I don’t really know what’s going to happen in the future, but I’m patiently waiting. Hopefully, I can make my return in April.”
King Green is set to make his first Octagon appearance of 2025 at UFC 313.
According to a recent report by MMA Mania’s Alex Behunin, the formerly ranked veteran is slated to face rising prospect Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 313, which is set to take place on March 8 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Fighting Nerds member enters UFC 313 riding the momentum of two consecutive victories in 2024. His first triumph came in May at UFC 301, where he delivered a stunning first-round knockout against Jamie Mullarkey. He followed up this performance with a commanding unanimous decision win over James Llontop at UFC 309 in November.
Ruffy earned his UFC contract in spectacular fashion on Dana White’s Contender Series, delivering a third-round finish against Raimond Magomedaliev in October 2023. He is on a six-fight win streak, boasting a professional record of 11-1, with 10 of those victories coming by way of knockout.
On the other hand, Green is looking to bounce back from a first-round submission defeat to Paddy Pimblett at UFC 304 this past July, a setback that followed his unanimous decision victory over Jim Miller at UFC 300 in April. The 38-year-old American continues to search for consistency in the division, having secured just three wins in his last six outings.
Charles Oliveira was stripped of the UFC lightweight title in 2022 before his scheduled title defense against Justin Gaethje at UFC 274. The controversy arose when Oliveira weighed in 0.5 pounds over the championship limit at the official weigh-ins.
While “do Bronx” went on to submit Gaethje in the first round, he was unable to walk away with the belt and the incident left a lasting impression on him.
In a recent appearance on the JAXXON Podcast, Oliveira expressed his frustration with how the situation was handled, insisting that he had made weight the night before.
“What the UFC did was straight up disrespectful,” Oliveira said through an interpreter. “I always like to make weight on Thursday, the night before. I already had the confidence, I already checked the weight, I was already on weight. But I was hearing rumors — not just me, but other fighters too — that the scale wasn’t calibrated properly.”
Oliveira claimed the test scale fighters used during fight week was inaccurate until it was recalibrated on Friday morning. After coming in 0.5 pounds over the 155-pound championship limit, he was given one hour to cut the remaining weight.
Despite his efforts during that hour, Oliveira weighed in at 155.5 pounds again, resulting in him being stripped of the title.
“I felt like I should have been the first person to know if the scale was messed up or not,” Oliveira said. “I felt disrespected by them not doing that. So, when they told me to lose the 0.5 pounds, I went back to the hotel room to try to sweat it out. I had to do one of the things I hate the most — soaking in the hot tub. When I went back to weigh in, my underwear was wet, and they told me to take it off because it could affect the weight. Even without the underwear, I was still 0.2 pounds over. That’s when I knew something was wrong with the scale.”
Several fighters at UFC 274 reportedly experienced similar issues with the test scale, further fueling Oliveira’s frustration.
“I just thought the UFC did an injustice to me, and I wish I had a fair chance,” he said.
Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has been burying some hatchets in order to streamline all of his “negative energy” toward one individual — Nassourdine Imavov.
Adesanya returns in the main event of this weekend’s UFC Fight Night in Saudi Arabia, where his first assignment of the new year will come off the back of consecutive defeats in title fights to Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland.
And “The Reaper” seemingly isn’t the only former foe whom Adesanya has been conversing with.
Since following their two-fight kickboxing series with a pair of MMA contests, Adesanya and Alex Pereira have shared a mutual respect for one another. And during an interview with Stake, the ex-champ revealed he’s spoken to “Poatan” in private as he looks to ensure that any and all negative energy that doesn’t focus on his opponent this weekend dissipates.
“Making peace helps,” Adesanya said. “I’ve been talking a little bit with Alex Pereira (as well as Whittaker). I’ve learnt that whatever doesn’t serve me anymore I can’t hold onto. All the negative energy I have will go to Nassourdine Imavov.
“I really can’t wait,” he continued. “I’m patiently waiting for the day for the cage door to close and then we can just get it on.”
Adesanya will hope his newfound approach to dismissing past animosity makes a difference when he enters the cage in Riyadh this Saturday.
After splitting his first two outings in 2023 — defeating Chad Mendes before a corner stoppage gave Mike Perry victory at his expense — “The Underground King” headlined the fifth installment of KnuckleMania opposite fellow former UFC fighter Jeremy Stephens.
After three rounds, Alvarez was deemed unable to continued by his corner, who chose to wave off the contest. That decision was widely supported, and anyone who questioned it likely won’t be anymore after seeing the damage “Lil Heathen” dealt his opponent’s way.
In a recent post on Instagram, the defeated 41-year-old displayed an X-ray image showing the gruesome jaw break he suffered at the hands of Stephens.
“Got hit with a kill shot in the first or second … I did my best to keep a Gameface and ignore it,” Alvarez wrote. “By the 3rd round the damage was too much. Please understand how bad I wanted this and what I sacrificed in order to Win, it wasn’t my night. Bare Knuckle is as real as it gets. Unpredictable, Fast Pace and violent …. Congrats to all the new Up and coming Philly stand outs @cody__fights@teamgarbarino@theanimalbkfc@hevweightbrady on their wins. You Men are the Future and made Philadelphia Proud, I’m soo Happy for our City and the future of our Combat Athletes.
“Whether I win or lose is not as important as Philadelphia/Pennsylvania slowly becoming the most dominate Area in the country for Combat Sports. @bareknucklefc is the fastest Growing and will be the Greatest Show on Earth .. Mark my words 👊🏼👊🏼👊🏼👊🏼🙏🏼 Thank you Philadelphia for showing out … 👊🏼👊🏼”
Alvarez didn’t provide an update on his fighting future in the caption of the post.
Prior to a 13-month layoff, “The Underground King” had suffered two orbital fractures during his defeat to “Platinum” Perry in Salt Lake City.
Alexandr Romanov, a former UFC heavyweight contender inside the top 15, has seemingly put pen to paper on a deal with the Professional Fighters League (PFL).
Romanov was not re-signed by the mixed martial arts leader after fighting out his contract at UFC Edmonton last November, where he outpointed Rodrigo Nascimento to bounce back from a first-round submission loss to Jailton Almeida earlier in the year.
That result to “Malhadinho” marked the latest setback in the Moldovan’s plan to rise into title contention. He’d also previously fallen to both Marcin Tybura and Alexander Volkov.
Romanov will now look to pursue gold in different surroundings, and he appeared to reveal where by way of an Instagram bio change this week.
The @MMA_Matchmaker account on X first noted the addition of the PFL to the heavyweight’s bio, with Combat Sports Today later verifying the news with the Moldovan fighter himself.
Just confirmed with Alex that he has joined the PFL and will compete in April. https://t.co/45rbsIFCbp
It remains to be seen what the future will hold in the PFL for Romanov, who went 6-4 in the UFC. With reports of a debut in April, it would seem he’s likely to enter this year’s heavyweight tournament.
While Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes showed nothing but respect for one another in the aftermath of their battle at Saturday’s PFL event, a former fighter wasn’t impressed with one aspect of the Bellator lightweight champion’s post-fight approach.
Like other results on the night, the win went to the former region, with the reigning Bellator titleholder emerging with the gold still in his possession by narrow margins.
Nurmagomedov had been largely dismissive of Hughes throughout the buildup, but he got a rude awakening when “Big News” gave him about all he could handle across five rounds in the Middle East.
The champ, however, isn’t keen. And he went as far as to claim that the Irishman will need to beat three or four other opponents to earn a second opportunity.
During an episode of his Weighing In podcast alongside former referee John McCarthy, ex-UFC fighter Josh Thomson reacted to that suggestion.
“I didn’t like hearing Usman Nurmagomedov in the back saying, ‘No, he’s got to fight three or four more other fighters.’ That was weird,” Nurmagomedov said. “There’s not even three or four more other fighters in your guys’ weight class.”
Though Usman has made his stance clear, that hasn’t stopped Hughes from making his case. He recently responded to an invitation to visit Dagestan from Khabib Nurmagomedov by insisting a rematch with his cousin must come first.
The PFL, meanwhile, hasn’t divulged its plans for either man moving forward.
The upcoming bout marks a highly anticipated rematch between the two rivals, who first collided at UFC 297 in January 2024. On that night, “Stillknocks” edged out a grueling split decision to claim the 185-pound title, dethroning Strickland in the process.
In a promotional video released earlier this month, Strickland called on Du Plessis to “be a f**king man” and maintain the striking war for their second showdown.
🚨 Sean Strickland wants to make a stand and bang pact with DDP. No takedowns. No grappling. Just striking.
During a recent interview with FOX Sports Australia, Du Plessis fired back at Strickland’s challenge, emphasizing that he’s far from one-dimensional. He pointed out that he thrives on versatility, adapting his style to the situation at hand, and isn’t afraid to mix things up inside the Octagon.
“Look, it’s a ridiculous thing to ask,” Du Plessis said.” If you want to make pacts about us just standing up, go do boxing. I don’t go into fights thinking I have to stand up or take the guy down. I do what the situation tells me to do. That’s what MMA fighters do. I’m comfortable everywhere.”
However, the 31-year-old South African champion went on to say that he anticipates the rematch will be another striking battle, and he’s thoroughly ready to dominate the striking exchanges.
“100 percent, I think we are most likely going to keep it standing. I know I have the cardio, I know I can push him back and I know I have the power to knock him out. So for me, that’s great. Then, if the opportunity comes to get a takedown, it’s a decision you have to make immediately. If you see the moment, you take it.”
“Stillknocks” is riding high after securing a fourth-round submission victory over former longtime champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 this past August, successfully retaining his title. With that impressive win, Du Plessis extended his perfect UFC record to an undefeated 8-0.
Meanwhile, Meanwhile, Strickland has stepped into the Octagon just once since losing his title, securing a hard-fought split decision victory over Paulo Costa at UFC 302 in June 2024. He currently boasts a 16-6 record in the UFC.
According to one UFC fighter, the second dance between featherweight champion Ilia Topuria and Alexander Volkanovski is officially in the calendar.
The two standouts at 145 pounds collided almost 12 months ago in Anaheim, where Topuria secured his crowning moment as an undefeated fighter with a thunderous knockout of “Alexander the Great.”
After a break from competition, Volkanovski outlined his plans to return straight into another title fight, be it a rematch with the Spaniard or Max Holloway, who challenged the champ in Abu Dhabi last October.
With “El Matador” keeping possession of the gold, his Australian rival has been expected to receive the next shot. And while talk of a lightweight move briefly put doubt over that, it would appear that all signs are pointing to a rematch.
During the latest episode of the Nickals and Dimes podcast on his YouTube channel, Bo Nickal stoked that flame by going as far as to state that the bout is “official” for UFC 314 in Miami on April 12.
“April, 314. … It’s official, I know for a fact,” Nickal said. “I don’t know that it was announced as a fact, but I know that (Topuria vs. Volkanovski 2) is happening.”
Nickal, who has gone 4-0 in the UFC to date and most recently defeated Paul Craig, went on to outline his own plans to compete on that card.
It’s rare and heartening to see fierce rivals put their animosities aside and unite, and that’s exactly what happened with Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker.
Adesanya is set to square off against Nassourdine Imavov in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia on Feb. 1, to be held at the anb Arena in Riyadh. The upcoming Fight Night event marks a significant shift for the former UFC middleweight champion, as it will be his first non-pay-per-view appearance since July 2018.
The Nigerian-born Kiwi found it a pleasant at the unexpected addition of Whittaker to the camp, noting how refreshing it was to join forces with a former rival rather than remaining adversaries.
“Having a guy with his skill set, his experience, a new body, new energy at this stage of your career, it’s always nice,” Adesanya said. “Like he said as well, not many people can understand what we’ve done to get to the point that we had. I was really excited to have him pull up and just share energy with me with the whole team.”
Adesanya went on to say that while preparing to face another skilled striker like Imavov, he found Whittaker’s contributions, even in the brief time he spent at the camp, to be incredibly valuable.
“Of course, even if he didn’t train with me, having him around would have been beneficial to this camp. Because of the energy he brings… But training with him, hanging out with him, moving with him, definitely picked his brain and we just shared a few ideas, but I can’t wait because I’ll go over there and do the same thing and over the next few years, we’ll be linking up a few more times.”
“The Last Stylebender” is experiencing the first two-fight losing streak of his career. The slide started with a unanimous decision defeat to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in September 2023, a bout in which he also lost his middleweight title.
Adesanya’s downturn continued at UFC 305 last August, where reigning champion Dricus Du Plessis delivered a crushing submission victory.
