UFC veteran Cub Swanson may have had many struggles in recent years, but he feels he still has a lot to prove in the Octagon ahead of UFC Vegas 45.
Swanson is slated to face Darren Elkins tomorrow night at UFC Vegas 45 and will look to get back in the win column after falling to Giga Chikadze earlier this year. While Swanson has been a mainstay in the featherweight division, he’s taken a lot of damage in losing five of his last seven bouts.
Despite the recent struggles and being arguably past his physical prime at 38 years old, Swanson still feels he provides challenges for many up-and-coming 145-pound prospects.
“It’s my decision, and it’s not like I’m washed up. It’s kind of annoying,” Swanson said when asked about people telling him to stop fighting. “I’m getting the feeling that people don’t want me to fight anymore. I take that into consideration because of my fans. So every fight, I’m trying to have the best performance to prove that I’m doing the right thing.
“I still feel like I’m getting better.”
Swanson made his UFC debut back in 2011 against Ricardo Lamas, losing via second-round submission. He would go on quite the run with six-straight wins before losing to top contenders Frankie Edgar and Max Holloway.
When Swanson has ended up on the losing side of things, it’s usually against a high level of competition. His most recent loss to Chikadze showed how the current generation of featherweight prospects is arguably passing the veterans in the division.
Swanson will have the opportunity to calm the critics this weekend at UFC Vegas 45 and prove that he’s still a force to be reckoned with in the promotion.
What are your thoughts on Cub Swanson’s UFC career?
Colby Covington won’t be paying any attention to Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley 2 this Saturday.
In the main event of a Showtime pay-per-view in Tampa at the Amalie Arena on Saturday, Paul and Woodley will be running it back. The two fought back in August where Paul won by split decision, but Woodley rocked the YouTuber-turned-boxer badly and nearly finished him. Now, ahead of the rematch, the tagline is “Leave No Doubt.”
Although the original fight was Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury, the Woodley rematch is as if not more intriguing. Yet, for Covington, he has no interest in seeing the fight again and has informed the YouTuber that his “son’ Woodley was not granted his permission to attend this event.
Photo via Instagram @showtimeboxing
“The thing about that, you know, is Snake Paul knows that I didn’t sign off on my son Tyron Woodley to go out there and fight, but he went out there and he should have won that first fight, but obviously he was paid off to not finish Jake Paul,” Covington said to Submission Radio. “I’m not signing off on the second fight, Jake Paul, to let my son Tyron Woodley come back. No one cares about it, the fight’s on a week’s notice ’cause Tyson Fury pulled out or, whatever, that boxer over in the UK.”
Colby Covington and Tyron Woodley have a documented history together. After a feud that ran for years, the two finally met in the Octagon last year, where Covington picked up the dominant victory.
Although Jake Paul has a massive following and does sell, Colby Covington certainly has a point that the rematch with Tyron Woodley is not as hyped. Part of that is due to the fact the fight was made on short notice.
Regardless, count Covington as one of many MMA fighters who won’t be tuning into Paul-Woodley 2 on Saturday night in Tampa on Showtime.
Will you be watching Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley 2 on Saturday?
Stephen Thompson believes Kamaru Usman needs to get past him in order to surpass Georges St-Pierre as being the greatest UFC welterweight of all time.
There has been a growing debate over who is the greatest welterweight of all time, Georges St-Pierre or Kamaru Usman? Thompson states GSP is the current GOAT but can think of one way that Usman can surpass him.
“I think he can. I think he’s there. I think if he keeps doing what he’s doing, and gets past me, he will definitely be there. He’s gotta get past me,” said Thompson in an interview with RT Sport.
Thompson, now 38 years old, is not losing hope for another title run and a chance to fight Usman. Thompson fought Tyron Woodley in back-to-back title fights in 2016 at UFC 205 and then four months later at UFC 209. Thompson fell short in both fights but was very close to touching gold the first time, as Woodley retained the belt with a majority draw.
Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Thompson was on the brink of a potential third title shot, but that slipped away as he lost to Gilbert Burns this past July at UFC 264. Prior to his loss, Thompson was on a two-fight win streak over Geoff Neal and Vicente Luque.
A win over the 10th-ranked welterweight in Belal Muhammad in this Saturday night’s co-main event could get Thompson a step closer to one final title shot. Usman has already beaten three out of the top five welterweights (Colby Covington twice, Gilbert Burns, Leon Edwards), so the only other fighters that he would need to beat are Vicente Luque, who lost to Thompson before, and Thompson.
Thompson believes a win this weekend can warrant enough for a title shot and that until Usman is able to be victorious over him, GSP is still the GOAT.
“He’s running out of guys,” Thompson said. “They’re running out of guys to put up against him, and I know if I go out there and do what I need to do against Belal Muhammad, then I’ll be able to get that shot very soon. But until then, GSP will always be number one, for sure.”
Georges St-Pierre currently has the most title wins in welterweight history with 12 compared to Usman’s 6. GSP also has the most wins in the division (19) while Usman has the record for most consecutive wins (15). Additionally, GSP has five finishes out of his 12 title-fight victories compared to Usman’s three finishes out of his six title-fight victories.
Do you think Kamaru Usman can surpass GSP as the welterweight GOAT?
It’s not a “Black Beast” fight week without some memorable quotes.
Derrick Lewis is known for his quick wit and vicious knockout power. Put a microphone in front of him, and the Houston native shines. So it’s no surprise that ahead of his main event bout with Chris Daukaus, a former police officer, that Lewis brought up his opponent’s past occupation at the press conference(h/t Sportskeeda).
“He’s gotta be a good guy because he is a police officer. I support the police department all over the world, specially in Houston. I appreciate most of you all for letting me slide with speeding ticket here, and that’s why I appreciate you all, back the blue all day long. Whenever you fighting a police officer, you don’t wanna get Rodney King’d on ESPN, so you gotta go out there and fight hard, man. Do it for the people.”
Derrick Lewis (Photo: Instagram @UFC)
For those who may not be in the know, Rodney King is a black man who was excessively beaten by police officers after a traffic chase in 1991. The four officers accused of excessive force were freed without punishment, causing the city of Los Angeles to erupt in riots and chaos.
Lewis and Daukaus will meet in the main event of UFC Vegas 45 this Saturday. Daukaus will be looking to make it five straight wins since joining the UFC in 2020. His last outing saw him TKO Shamil Abdurakhimov at UFC 266.
UFC welterweight contender Stephen Thompson is set for his second fight of 2021 this weekend, and he’s glad it’s coming against a “good person” like Belal Muhammad.
This time last year, Thompson was gearing up to face fellow top-10 welterweight Geoff Neal in the main event of UFC Vegas 17. In a vintage performance on the feet, “Wonderboy” pieced up “Handz of Steel” on his way to a comfortable unanimous decision win, a triumph that firmly placed Thompson into title contention.
In his way will be #10-ranked welterweight Belal Muhammad, who’s coming off a controlling victory over Demian Maia at UFC 263. “Remember The Name” will likely look to stifle Thompson’s incredible kickboxing skills in a similar way to Durinho’s approach.
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Thompson Was Over The Moon To Accept Muhammad Fight
In a sport where animosity and trash talk is prevalent, many find it refreshing to have a matchup fueled by respect and comradeship every now and then. Passionate back-and-forths can be entertaining, but some would argue it often goes too far, take the build-up to Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 3, for example.
One man who couldn’t be more opposite to McGregor in terms of conduct and pre-fight respect is Stephen Thompson. The reason behind his title of the UFC’s “NMF” was on full display while he discussed his upcoming fight during an appearance on Submission Radio. After admitting his relief at finding an opponent before the end of the year, “Wonderboy” didn’t have anything but nice words to say about Muhammad.
“The UFC came to us and was like, ‘Hey, how does Belal Muhammad sound?’ This was about several weeks back (from the start of November), and I was in shape. I’m like, ‘Dude, thank you Belal, thank you.’ That’s what was going through my head, ‘Let’s make this happen.’ I love Belal Muhammad. He’s been trying to have me on his dang podcast forever, and I feel bad… every time it happens, something always messes up on my end.
“I love the guy, man. I’m so happy that he wanted to take this fight because I wanted another fight in this year. I’ve been out the past few years with injuries, so it’s been fairly difficult for me to get in there… I’m just excited to face off against a guy like Belal Muhammad, and he’s funny, man. I think he’s great; good fighter, good person, good personality, and we’re gonna put on a show for the fans, for sure.”
While this clash represents a crucial step in Thompson’s desire to mount a final run for the title and can perhaps be described as a must-win bout in that sense, it also represents a huge opportunity for Muhammad.
After winning four straight, the 33-year-old had a similar chance to jump towards the top five in a March main event against Leon Edwards. After eye pokes led to a disappointing and painful no contest on that occasion, “Remember The Name” will aim to join the welterweight elite with a victory inside the Apex this Saturday.
Who do you think will have their hand raised in the UFC Vegas 45 co-main event, Stephen Thompson or Belal Muhammad?
UFC heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis is hoping to book an Octagon meeting with Stipe Miocic when he faces Chris Daukaus this weekend.
Despite his recent setback, Lewis is seemingly as eager as ever to throw down inside the cage. “The Black Beast” opened his year with one of the most brutal knockouts of 2021. In a February main event, he slept top contender Curtis Blaydes with a vicious uppercut. Given his prior wins against Aleksei Oleinik, Ilir Latifi, and Blagoy Ivanov, Lewis had set himself up for a title shot.
After Francis Ngannou’s inability to make the Houston-held UFC 265 pay-per-view in August, Lewis had to settle for an interim title fight against surging Frenchman Ciryl Gane. The hometown hero story didn’t play out that night, with the 36-year-old falling in the third round after failing to connect with “Bon Gamin” much during the contest.
Keen to re-enter the win column, Lewis will fit a third fight into a year for the first time since 2018 when he collides with rising heavyweight Chris Daukaus in Saturday’s UFC Vegas 45 main event.
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Lewis Targets “One Of The Best Of All Time”
While he’s certainly got a stiff test in front of him in Las Vegas this weekend, Lewis isn’t one to shy away from looking into the future. He did exactly that during UFC Vegas 45 media day on Wednesday.
Lewis discussed his aspirations for 2022 if he can secure a rebound victory against Daukaus. After stating he’d like to be back fighting for gold by the end of the year, “The Black Beast” suggested he can arrive there by facing and beating “one of the best of all time” in Stipe Miocic, who, despite their long tenures in the UFC, Lewis has never faced.
“I would like to fight for the title at the end of next year,” Lewis said. “That would be great. You know, get through Daukaus, God willing, I come out with the win, I would like to fight Stipe next. I believe he’s top five, so I believe that I should be fighting top-five guys in the division. Nothing against Stipe or nothing like that.
Stipe Miocic
“You know, I don’t feel like I have nothing to prove. It’s just a guy that I’ve never fought. I know he’s like one of the best of all time. You know, I ain’t shit, so I just want to just fight him just because. That’s all. No disrespect or anything like that.” (h/t MMA Junkie)
Of course, to build a path to Miocic, Lewis will have to get past Daukaus, who will be no easy task. The 32-year-old has gone 4-0 in the UFC since arriving in 2020. After first-round knockouts against Parker Porter, Rodrigo Nascimento, and Aleksei Oleinik, Daukaus jumped up the rankings with a mightily impressive second-round TKO against Shamil Abdurakhimov at UFC 266.
Nevertheless, Lewis’ power will be the dangerous threat it always is, and “The Black Beast” will be hoping to KO his way to the consensus heavyweight GOAT tomorrow night.
How do you think a fight between Derrick Lewis and Stipe Miocic would play out?
Regardless of Dana White’s claims, not everyone is afraid of Khamzat Chimaev.
Sans a brutal eye poke in a short-notice bout against Leon Edwards, Belal Muhammed has been on a tear since 2019. He’s dispatched Demian Maia, Dhiego Lima, and Lyman Good during his current run. Wins over unranked opponents and an aging Maia may not be enough to earn “The Bully” a crack at the title, but he feels a win over Stephen Thompson this weekend will be enough to shoot him into contention (h/t MMA Junkie).
“The only guys who have beaten (Thompson) in the last whatever years is either the champion or Gilbert Burns, who’s fought for the title,” Muhammad told MMA Junkie at UFC Vegas 45 media day. “(Thompson has) fought for the title twice so if he fought for the title twice, I just beat (Demian) Maia who fought for the title twice– ‘Bully B’ needs to fight for the title once.”
Who’s Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf?
Khamzat Chimaev (Photo: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa)
Thompson did fight for the title twice, but that was years ago. Currently, Thompson is 2-3 in his last five bouts. This means Muhammed may need to put in some more work before he’s summoned to fight for a belt. If that’s the case, the Chicagoan has no problem facing one of the promotion’s fastest rising stars in Khamzat Chimaev.
“He’s the biggest name right now, the biggest star, has the most momentum, the biggest hype,” Muhammad said. “He has Conor McGregor hype where it’s like you beat him, you gain more from beating him than anybody else in the division—where he has this stigma of him being the boogeyman of how he just dominated everybody. So you beat somebody like that, you’re the next star. You steal all of his hype, you steal all of his momentum. So it’s like, why not?”
Chimaev looked nearly unstoppable since he joined the UFC last year. He has the fastest turnaround in the organization’s history and most recently ran through Li Jingliang at UFC 267 in October. Belal Muhammad’s upcoming bout against Stephen Thompson takes place tomorrow (Dec. 18) at UFC Vegas 45.
How do you think a fight between Belal Muhammed and Khamzat Chimaev would play out?
It seems that Jake Paul is leaving the door wide open for a potential move to MMA.
Love him or hate him, it is hard to deny the impact that the younger Paul brother has had on the world of combat sports, particularly in boxing. Although, by taking on and beating former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and relentlessly attacking UFC President Dana White, he has also had his hands into the world of MMA, at least to some degree. This has led some to wonder if we might see Jake Paul switch from the ring to the cage at some point down the line.
Speaking at the press conference for his upcoming rematch with Woodley, Paul explained that he not only plans on competing in MMA, but he’ll be getting leadership from American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez as well as former UFC lightweight champ turned budding trainer, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
“I’m gonna go get coached up by [Javier] Mendez, Team Khabib,” Paul said (h/t LowKickMMA). “That’s that. They’re down — 100 percent. I don’t see why if I can do boxing at this high of a level that I couldn’t do MMA at this high of a level.”
“I’ve gotta go 10-0, 12-0 in boxing first, and then I’ll hit that MMA fight.”
If he does decide to transition to MMA, it will be interesting to see where Paul ends up fighting, as White has made it clear that he has no interest in working with the YouTuber, co-promoting or otherwise. On the other hand, the UFC bossman has also expressed doubts in all kinds of other situations, which ultimately end up changing.
First things first, Paul will have to get through Tyron Woodley a second time, on December 18th. Nevertheless, people will certainly be watching out for a potential move to MMA at some point down the line.
UFC welterweight contender Stephen Thompson doesn’t expect upcoming opponent Belal Muhammad to approach their fight in the same way Gilbert Burns did at UFC 264 earlier this year.
Thompson saw his immediate title hopes heavily dented when he met “Durinho” in the co-main event of 2021’s second Conor McGregor-headlined pay-per-view. Heading into the contest, “Wonderboy” rode a two-fight win streak that featured unanimous decision triumphs over Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal.
Given that he remains one of the few names Kamaru Usman is yet to face at the top of the division, a victory over Burns would seemingly have led to another shot at UFC gold for Thompson. Unfortunately for him, that’s not how things played out inside Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.
Instead, Thompson’s success for the limited time the fight stayed on the feet was stifled by Burns’ desire to keep the contest on the mat. After controlling “Wonderboy” for much of the fight, the Brazilian was awarded a unanimous decision victory.
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Thompson Hopes To Showcase His Takedown Defense This Time Around
Thompson’s wish to secure a chance to bounce back fast with another fight before the close of the year was granted when Muhammad accepted the clash for the last event of 2021. The pair will collide in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 45 this Saturday night.
Despite facing an opponent with a similar style to Burns’, albeit perhaps less imposing, Thompson is raring to showcase the wrestling and takedown defense he knows he possesses.
During a recent interview with RT Sport MMA, “Wonderboy” suggested “Remember The Name” won’t employ the same gameplan as Burns did in July. According to the 38-year-old, Muhammad is too “honorable” to want to win like that.
“Number one, what really excites me is Belal Muhammad is very similar to my last opponent, Gilbert Burns, with the wrestling, with the jiu-jitsu. Now, I failed to do what I know I can do out in the Octagon against Gilbert Burns. It’s kinda hard to fight somebody, number one, who doesn’t really wanna fight, they just wanna hold you down, but knowing that Belal Muhammad is more of a fighter; I feel like he’s an honorable man, he really doesn’t want to win a fight that way. He’s fairly good everywhere, Belal Muhammad.
“Not only that, it will allow me to showcase the talent that I have, especially when it comes to the takedown defense, the wrestling. I wasn’t able to do that in my last fight. So going out there against somebody who’s similar to Gilbert Burns, go out there and beat this guy, will make it all worth it, for sure.”
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Despite his setback earlier this year, Thompson isn’t giving up hope of mounting another title run. Given that he’s yet to face Usman, and because of the unique threat he poses to any welterweight, including “The Nigerian Nightmare,” a win this weekend and a victory over a top contender in 2022 could set the veteran up for his third championship fight in the UFC.
Despite many perceiving it to be the biggest upset in UFC history, Bellator champion Cris Cyborg wasn’t surprised to see Julianna Peña beat Amanda Nunes at UFC 269.
Closing the year in style at 2021’s final pay-per-view, Peña shocked the world inside Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena by dethroning the “Lioness.” Ahead of the clash, not many were giving “The Venezuelan Vixen,” who entered the contest off the back of two wins and two losses in her previous four fights, much of a chance.
The general consensus was that Nunes, a dominant two-division champion who hadn’t lost since 2014, was on a 12-fight win streak and had beaten the likes of Valentina Shevchenko, Miesha Tate, Ronda Rousey, and Holly Holm, would shut Peña’s confidence down in emphatic fashion.
Instead, the underdog took the fight to Nunes on the feet before taking the Brazilian down and submitting her in the second round. The debate over whether it’s surpassed upsets like Matt Serra’s win against Georges St-Pierre and Holm’s victory over Rousey will rage on, but it’s certainly up there with the most shocking moments in UFC history.
But one person who was not at all surprised was former UFC Women’s Featherweight Champion Cris Cyborg. The Brazilian, who now competes under the promotional banner of Bellator MMA, knew Peña had what it takes and predicted an upset last weekend.
Speaking about the result in an interview with Combat Sports on Fanatics View, Cyborg explained why she expected “The Venezuelan Vixen” to get the job done on December 11, a feat that Cyborg failed to accomplish herself in 2018.
“You know, I was not surprised. I (picked) Julianna Peña because the five losses for Amanda Nunes, four were the same style as Julianna Peña. And before, we knew Amanda Nunes danger is in the beginning, in the first round. If you pass the first round with her, you can get in the fight. We knew this. Of course, when you fight her, you go fire to fire and that happens, you know, what happened.
Image Credit: Christian Petersen/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
“We knew that when she goes past the first round, she sees she cannot finish you, so she’s either gonna run away or quit on the floor or something, and this is what happened for Julianna Peña.”
Despite praising the newly-crowned champ’s ability to bring the fight to Nunes and force her into a position she hadn’t been in since 2014, Cyborg also questioned the fight-ending sequence. According to the 36-year-old, Peña didn’t have a submission locked in when the “Lioness” tapped out. Echoing the thoughts of many, the Bellator featherweight titleholder believes Nunes “quit.”
“I don’t feel like Julianna did any sort of submission because she didn’t have a submission the way she finished the fight. I feel like Amanda Nunes, at one point, she sees she cannot finish, and Julianna Peña continued going forward and she tapped, but (Peña) didn’t have any submission… I don’t know what was passing through her mind in the second round ’cause when you’re gonna fight for the title, you’re ready for seven rounds, and that was the second.
“I feel like Julianna did very good jabs. In the second round, Amanda wanted to finish the fight, to KO her as fast as she can, but Julianna was keeping her on the jab. The jab really opened a lot of doors for Julianna. The reality is when they stopped the fight, I didn’t think they’d finished the fight because she didn’t have a submission there, and I didn’t see the tap, too… I believe Amanda, I don’t know what passed through her mind there, but I believe she quit at that time.”
With Nunes’ reign atop the bantamweight mountain now over, the debate over who is the greatest female mixed martial artist of all time has now been re-ignited.
While the consensus had been that Nunes’ form and prior victory over Cyborg had her ahead, a portion of the MMA community believes the elder Brazilian, whose setback against the “Lioness” is the only blemish on her record since her MMA debut loss in 2005, holds the GOAT title.
Do you agree with Cris Cyborg? Did Amanda Nunes quit at UFC 269?
Derrick Lewis came up short in his fight for the interim heavyweight belt in his loss to Ciryl Gane via 3rd-round TKO, partly because of the magnitude of the moment.
In 2018, Derrick Lewis faced an enormous amount of pressure as he was preparing to challenge for the heavyweight title against Daniel Cormier at UFC 230. In that bout, Lewis got submitted in the second round and lost his chance at becoming champion.
His last fight against Gane was different, as he was getting ready to fight in his hometown of Houston in front of thousands of Lewis fans. This put a lot of overwhelming pressure on the Black Beast.
“Man, it was just overwhelming fighting in my hometown, all that pressure I had on me,” Lewis told MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s media day at the UFC Apex. “I put all that pressure on myself, you know? It would have been 13 years since the day I got out of prison, and winning the title for the UFC heavyweight champion, it would have just – I put so much pressure on myself. It was just very nerve-racking.”
Despite feeling the nerves and unlike himself leading up to the fight, Lewis welcomes the idea of fighting in his hometown again in the future.
“I would like to keep fighting in Houston,” Lewis said. “I love fighting in Houston. It was just that day. I just put so much pressure on myself, you know, so it is what it is.”
Lewis has fought in his hometown two other times in his UFC career: UFC 247 against Ilir Latifi and UFC 192 against Viktor Pesta. Lewis was victorious in both fights.
Ahead of his fight this weekend against Chris Daukaus, Lewis has the experience advantage between the two fighters. Lewis has fought a total of 34 times professionally to Daukaus’ 15 pro fights. Lewis has been fighting with the UFC for over seven years dating back to 2014, while Daukaus made his debut in the promotion just 16 months ago.
“Experience don’t mean anything,” Lewis said. “Most fighters go into a fight really just focused on one thing: just winning. So all the outside and noise really doesn’t matter. We’re heavyweights, so anything can happen. Anything, any slip-up or anything can happen.”
Who do you think will win between Derrick Lewis and Chris Daukaus at UFC Vegas 45?
UFC welterweight contender Khamzat Chimaev isn’t sure why he doesn’t have an opponent for his next fight but is willing to take on all challengers.
Chimaev has remained active on social media since dismantling Li Jingliang at UFC 267. He’s called for fights with some of the biggest names in the sport, including Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor.
“If I say I want to fight everybody it means everybody,” Chimaev said. “I don’t have to call every single fighter by their names. BMF belt is mine, UFC belt is mine too. I’ve heard there is gonna be [an event on March 5] in Vegas. And I don’t understand why I still don’t have an opponent.”
Khamzat Chimaev Has Sights Set On Welterweight Title
Khamzat Chimaev (Photo: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa)
Khamzat Chimaev has taken the UFC by storm since joining the promotion in 2020. He remains undefeated in his professional career, with all 10 of his wins coming by way of knockout or submission.
Chimaev has made it clear that he wants a shot at welterweight champion Kamaru Usman sooner rather than later. Luque is also vying for a title shot after four straight wins over the likes of Tyron Woodley and Michael Chiesa.
A fight between Chimaev and Luque could make sense in the meantime, but it’s unclear what the promotion has planned for both welterweights. There were previous reports of Chimaev being paired with Burns, but those talks may have fizzled out.
Chimaev and Luque both likely need at least one more strong performance to make a valid case for a title shot. If they want to impress the champion, a highlight win against the other could do the trick.
Who would you like to see Khamzat Chimaev fight next?
UFC light heavyweight Aleksandar Rakić has a pretty stern message for fellow contender and former opponent Anthony Smith.
Rakić, who currently sits at #3 in the 205-pound rankings, defeated Smith in a UFC Fight Night main event last August. After following that win with a victory over Thiago Santos at UFC 259 earlier this year, “Rocket” firmly entered the title conversation.
Following the announcement, Rakić spoke to MMA News’ James Lynch to discuss his upcoming fight with the Polish behemoth, his rivalry with Czech knockout artist Jiří Procházka, his experience training with Khamzat Chimaev, and his feud with former opponent Smith.
Since falling to Rakić last year, Smith has been back to his best, collecting submission victories over Devin Clark and Ryan Spann, and a TKO over Jimmy Crute. Following his triumph over “Superman” Spann in a September main event, “Lionheart” made it clear he wanted to run it back with Rakić.
After the European star accepted the challenge in minutes, it appeared the pair could be set for a second Octagon meeting this month. Given his already-longer-than-desired layoff, it was no surprise to see “Rocket” eager to fit a second fight into 2021. But Rakić’s wish to be booked opposite Smith in the December 18 main event wasn’t granted.
The matchup collapsed after a knee injury ruled Smith out for the rest of the year. Despite that, “Lionheart” hasn’t shied away from giving his two cents on the current light heavyweight landscape. From expressing his worry over getting “left in the cold” at 205 pounds to suggesting it “would suck” to see Rakić given the Blachowicz fight, the former title challenger isn’t letting his time on the sidelines be a quiet period.
That’s seemingly infuriating for Rakić, who appears to be sick of hearing the sound of his light heavyweight peer’s voice. The Austrian addressed Smith’s comments in his interview with MMA News, and in much harsher terms, asked him to zip it.
“I mean, he was challenging me after his last fight. I immediately said yes for December, and this guy couldn’t make it. He’s injured, you know, and he’s now talking behind screens and behind the phones, and talking and talking, and saying, ‘This (is) hurting my feelings, that I can see that Rakić is gonna fight Blachowicz.’ I don’t care about him and his feelings.
“Why weren’t you ready? Shut the fuck up, get healthy, win another fight, and then we’re gonna talk. That’s it. I have nothing to say about him… I respect this guy. I think he won three after our fight. I respect him as a martial artist. But he is talking too much and I don’t like that,” Rakić told MMA News.
UFC Fight Night: Rakić vs. Blachowicz
Rakić will look to put Smith to the back of his mind in the coming weeks as he prepares for perhaps the most important fight of his career. In his second UFC main event, the 29-year-old will be looking to stake his claim for a shot at gold, which is currently held by veteran Glover Teixeira.
But in his way will be a tough man with a point to prove. Blachowicz held the light heavyweight title for over a year until dropping it to Teixeira in the UFC 267 main event a couple of months ago. Prior to his upset defeat to the Brazilian, the Pole defended the strap by handing middleweight king Israel Adesanya his first setback in professional MMA.
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While Blachowicz will be looking to rebound and make his way back towards the belt, possibly for redemption against Teixeira should he defend the gold against Procházka, Rakić will aim to scale the 205-pound mountain for the first time in 2022, a journey that must go through Blachowicz on March 26.
Who do you think will emerge victorious in the March 26 main event, Aleksandar Rakić or Jan Blachowicz?
Nate Diaz blasted Jorge Masvidal with a subtle, albeit savage tweet after Masvidal called him out for dissing Dustin Poirier.
Diaz and Poirier have gone back and forth on social media for months, especially after Poirier’s loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 269. Masvidal, an American Top Team teammate of Poirier, wasn’t happy with Diaz’s latest jabs at the two-time lightweight title challenger.
Masvidal aimed at Diaz’s inability to defend kicks, which he has been criticized for throughout his career. After getting word of Masvidal’s tweet, Diaz took the time to hit back with an image from Masvidal’s knockout loss to Kamaru Usman at UFC 261.
“I just came across this,” Diaz tweeted along with the image.
Nate Diaz & Jorge Masvidal Have Had Beef Since Their BMF Bout
Image Credit: Michael Owens/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
At one point, there appeared to be a large amount of mutual respect between Diaz and Masvidal heading into their BMF matchup at UFC 244. After Masvidal earned the win via doctor’s stoppage and an immediate rematch wasn’t granted, Diaz has grown hostile towards Masvidal.
Diaz is coming off his UFC 263 loss to Leon Edwards earlier this year, a fellow rival of Masvidal’s. Both men are awaiting their next opponents in the Octagon as the UFC turns its attention to 2022.
Diaz had been recently linked to a possible matchup with Khamzat Chimaev, although Diaz emphatically rejected that pairing. Diaz and Conor McGregor have also gone back-and-forth on social media, and a trilogy between them could also be imminent.
Gillian Robertson says the referee for UFC 269 fight against Priscila Cachoeira didn’t give her opponent a warning for eye gouges.
Late in the first round, Robertson took Cachoeira’s back, got ahold of her neck, and was sinking in a choke. However, as she was putting on a squeeze, Cachoeira was gouging her fingers into the eyes of Robertson. It happened two times, which Joe Rogan and the rest of the UFC commentary team said was a very dirty move. However, according to Robertson, the ref never gave the Brazilian a warning.
“I’m definitely just hoping that the referee stops the fight at that point. Like, I don’t even think he gave her a warning because there was two that were pretty clear that I felt decent that was like thumb straight in my eye,” Robertson said after UFC 269. “But I was just trying to squeeze, squeeze. Before the first one, I actually felt her body go limp a little bit, so I thought she was out, and then I felt the thumb go straight in my eye. I was like, ‘Oh, she’s not out! OK!’”
Although Priscila Cachoeira was gouging her fingers into Gillian Robertson’s eye, the Canadian ended up pulling off the submission as the Brazilian tapped with just one second left in the first round. With the win, she now has the most finishes in the flyweight division in the UFC.
However, the fight will be more known for the controversy from Cachoeira missing weight and eye-gouging. Yet, Robertson says she holds no ill-will towards the Brazilian.
“I’m fairly easy-going, I guess, so it is what it is. Making weight, I feel like that is a big thing. Literally, as a fighter, you have two jobs: You have to make weight, and you have to show up. So it’s like she failed at doing one of those jobs. So I definitely don’t think that’s an ‘OK’ thing, but it is what it is, and I still got the win. I still did what I needed to do, so nothing I can complain about,” Robertson concluded.
What did you make of Priscila Cachoeira eye-gouging Gillian Robertson?
Khabib Nurmagomedov has used Julianna Peña’s UFC 269 upset over Amanda Nunes to help explain why his Eagle FC promotion will not yet add female fighters.
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Eagle FC promotion has been making big waves since the Dagestan native took over the helm last year. In addition to landing a deal with UFC Fight Pass, the promotion will now venture beyond Russia and into the United States, and it has also added a 165lb weight class, which has been long requested by many fighters, including Nate Diaz and new Eagle FC signee Kevin Lee.
One change that will not be made anytime soon is the addition of any women’s divisions. When asked about the prospect of women joining Eagle FC, Khabib used Julianna Peña’s victory over Amanda Nunes as an example of why WMMA is not quite caught up to the male competition level (h/t Sportskeeda).
“I am like, we can watch what Julianna Peña did with Amanda Nunes [at UFC 269 last weekend]. But Julianna Peña, she is not like the greatest or something like that. She just beat Amanda Nunes like [on the day]. We can watch not many good [female] fighters all around the world. There are only like five or six of them. And we will wait and see [if we can do anything about it],” said Khabib.
Khabib did leave the door open to adding women to the Eagle FC roster in the future, so his reasoning does not appear to be tied to any cultural beliefs based on the above remarks. Khabib’s frankness in answering this question should not come as much of a surprise to anyone who remembers his ring-girl remarks from earlier this year that caused quite the stir.
One of the people who took issue with Khabib saying ring girls are “useless” is UFC women’s flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko. And if Shevchenko was not a fan of those comments, it’s safe to say she won’t be digging these remarks from Khabib all too much, either. And the same can almost assuredly be said for the new UFC women’s bantamweight champion, Julianna Peña.
You can view Khabib’s comments for yourself in the video below.
Although Harrison has not signed yet, she was asked about a potential fight against Peña after her comments. To no surprise, the two-time Olympic gold medalist believes she would beat Peña with ease.
“I think that Julianna, you know, congrats to her for her victory, I know she must be on cloud nine right now, and I would just caution her to be careful. You don’t say stuff like that to people like me unless you mean it,” Harrison said to TMZ Sports. “This isn’t like a ‘Conor McGregor, let’s just talk a little sh*t.’ Don’t bite off more than you can chew. And I have a lot of respect for her as well. She went out there and she executed a great game plan, and she did what she had to do. But I’m not the lesser of anything or anyone or anybody. When I come to fight, you’re gonna know you’re in a fight. Be careful what you say.
Photo by Dave Mandel/Invicta FC
“I think it’s just dumb, too. She fights at 135, I fight at, right now, 155, so unless you’re willing to back it up, then don’t say stuff like that, you know, just don’t open that can of worms,” Harrison continued. “Don’t go there… Honestly, I’d probably have to chop off my arm to make 135. ’45, I can make, but I’d have to chop off an arm to make 135, and I think that it only would take me one arm to beat her.”
Even though Kayla Harrison and Julianna Peña are taking shots at one another, it’s unlikely they will ever fight each other. Harrison is not in the UFC yet, and she competes at featherweight and lightweight while Peña is a bantamweight and has even expressed interest in going to 125lbs.
What do you make of Kayla Harrison claiming she could beat Julianna Peña with one arm?
Dan Hooker wants one of the featherweight division’s biggest challenges for his return to the weight class.
Hooker recently revealed that he asked UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby to face Brian Ortega for his first featherweight fight since 2016. This conversation took place at UFC 269, where Hooker was cornering teammate Kai Kara-France.
Hooker, a regular at lightweight, recently had a successful practice weight cut at featherweight. He posted his successful attempt on Instagram, showing that he was able to meet the 146-pound limit.
Hooker claimed he wanted to join the division with a fight againstThe Korean Zombie. However, after he was informed that Zombie is injured, he shifted his focus to the two-time title challenger.
“After Kai’s win, [I saw] Sean Shelby on the way out, and that’s the first time I’ve heard from him since the featherweight [post online],” said Hooker in an interview with The Mac Life. “He’s obviously seen it, and he was like, ‘Well, what are you going to do? 55, 45?’ I said yeah, 45. I can make 45 quite comfortably if I get something good. He goes, ‘Who do you want?’ I said ‘Korean Zombie,’ but he’s injured. What about Ortega? He goes, ‘Oh, I’ll have a look. I’ll send you a list.’ I was amped up.” (h/t MMA Junkie)
Potential Fight Gives Hooker & Ortega A Chance To Rebound
Dan Hooker (Image Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Dan Hooker’s UFC run initially started at featherweight, competing six times in the weight class from 2014 to 2016. He later shifted to lightweight, where he has competed for his last 12 appearances.
Hooker is planning to drop down a weight class after fighting against some of the top names at lightweight. Over the past year, he has faced former Bellator Champion Michael Chandler and rising lightweight contender Islam Makhachev.
A potential bout against Ortega gives both fighters a chance to bounce back after recently facing defeat. Ortega notably lost a title fight earlier this year, dropping a decision to divisional champ Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 266.
Who do you want Dan Hooker to face in his featherweight debut?
Sean Strickland has absolutely unloaded on Israel Adesanya.
Sean Strickland has spent 2021 making waves. The UFC middleweight is on a five-fight win streak and has been slowly moving his way up the rankings over the last few years. But his in-cage prowess isn’t what’s been getting him attention.
In a recent MMA Junkie interview, Strickland set his sights on the champion of his division, Israel Adesanya. Strickland believes the champ is using steroids and showing signs of gynecomastia (enlarged breasts in men) as a result (h/t MMA Junkie).
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC
“Izzy’s a great fighter – he comes from kickboxing – have you ever seen a fighter with gyno for any other reason than that?” Strickland said. “Besides him, have you ever seen a fighter in the UFC that smokes weed that gets gyno? Ever? You can’t, because it doesn’t f*cking happen unless you cycle wrong. That’s a fact. We all know it. But regardless of the fact, Izzy’s a f*cking great fighter. We know that. That’s the fight I want.
“Izzy, I’ll come over dude. We can f*cking watch anime and you can put some f*cking testosterone in my ass. I’ll do it with you. Let’s f*cking go. With a needle, I think you guys do the stomach, right? Is that where you guys do, the stomach? You’re the expert on f*cking steroids. How’s it done?”
Last year, a photo of Adesanya’s pectoral went viral and lead to people claiming his flabby chest muscle was a result of steroid use. Adesanya addressed the drama, saying he had everything checked out, including a mammogram, but believes his condition may be due to “unhealthy living” and “smoking weed.”
When Sean Strickland isn’t being an absolute madman on the web, he can be found in the cage. The American’s last trip to the Octagon saw him take a unanimous decision over Uriah Hall in July. He is next scheduled to face Jack Hermansson on February 5.
Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier believes Amanda Nunes “took her ball and went home” against Julianna Peña at UFC 269.
At the final pay-per-view of 2021, fans were treated to one of the greatest upsets in UFC history. In the co-main event, Peña challenged what looked to be an unstoppable reign atop the bantamweight division for double champ Nunes. The narrative for many leading into the fight was that the immense confidence “The Venezuelan Vixen” had would be shut down by the “Lioness,” who branded her foe as “delusional.”
What transpired instead was nothing short of incredible. After a strong opening round for Nunes, Peña turned the heat up in the second, keeping the Brazilian at bay with her jab and standing toe-to-toe with her on the feet. After Nunes’ body language and facial expression changed, the underdog dragged her to the mat and submitted her.
The finish resembled a parody of a nature show, with the zebra turning the tables and actually hunting down and tearing apart the lioness themselves.
Like a portion of fans and pundits in the combat sports community, Cormier, who was calling the fight Octagon-side, believes Nunes was mentally defeated during the fight and perhaps chose to end it before she should have.
“It was crazy, because for as crazy as it seems, she beat Amanda to the point that she made Amanda Nunes take her football and went home,” Cormier said on the latest episode of DC & RC. “It’s like the kid that gets beaten and is like, ‘I’m going home.’
“It’s hard to say Amanda Nunes quit. But, when you look at her body language and you look at the way the choke was put in, you question whether or not that unfamiliar thought crept back into her mind… We speak about her in such legendary terms. We speak about the company that she keeps in terms of female sports. To tap like that after being in that choke, it almost feels like she should’ve just went to sleep… If you’re gonna lose, your place amongst the greats, even if it’s temporary, she can go back and beat Julianna Peña, but it felt like she should go out on her shield more.”
Peña: “She Had No Choice But To Tap”
Unsurprisingly, the newly-crowned UFC women’s bantamweight champion sees it a lot differently. During an appearance on The MMA Hour just days out from her title crowning, Peña claimed the choke was something she’d been working ahead of the fight, and suggested Nunes had no choice but tap.
“Yeah, Rick [Little] and I have been working this choke for a while, and it was the same pretty much variation choke that I got with Sara McMann. It was absolutely tight, and she had no choice but to tap. People want to say that she quit. She didn’t quit. She was getting choked, you know? She had no choice but to tap. I would have broke her neck. So she tapped because she had no choice.”
Whether Nunes tapped prematurely, knew she was beaten, or genuinely had no choice, it certainly doesn’t matter for Peña. “The Venezuelan Vixen” did what no woman had done in Nunes’ previous 12 fights: She broke her inside the Octagon.
Who do you agree with, Julianna Peña or Daniel Cormier?
Henry Cejudo is still giving the bantamweight division a hard time, even from retirement.
The self-proclaimed “King of Cringe” Henry Cejudo is no longer active in the UFC, but that hasn’t stopped him from actively calling out fighters. Cejudo decided to retire from MMA after winning two UFC titles. Now, even though he is on the sidelines, he is still bashing current fighters. His latest target is Dominick Cruz.
“Dude, Dominic Cruz, man, take it in the chin just how my knee hit your damn chin,” Cejudo said. (h/t MMA Junkie. “Jesus, man, you absolutely make me sick. This is why we need referees. It’s not like, ‘Oh, let me get beat up, but let me see if these referees, you know, give me the benefit of the doubt.’ Like, no. You put yourself there, you put your face on my knee, and I made you bend the knee. There was 13 unanswered shots. Re-watch it, dude. I literally woke you up.”
Since the loss to Cejudo, Cruz has won two in a row and is now ranked #7 at bantamweight. As a former champion at 135 pounds, Cruz still holds some clout in the division. He is a legend of the sport and someone fans love to watch.
Cejudo also took aim at Cruz again on social media recently. He targeted the fact that Cruz’s last two fights were featured on the preliminary portion of the card.
.@DominickCruz, Mr. King of the Prelims– Ya snooze, ya lose. You had your chance, and you bent those surgically repaired knees. 🧎🏻 If I decide to come back, I'm fighting @alexvolkanovski first. Triple C ain't fighting on no damn prelims. 🏆🏆🏆
“Mr. King of the Prelims– Ya snooze, ya lose,” Cejudo wrote. “You had your chance, and you bent those surgically repaired knees. ?? If I decide to come back, I’m fighting @alexvolkanovski first. Triple C ain’t fighting on no damn prelims.”
Former UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Zhang Weili agrees with the judges’ verdict at UFC 268, which saw Rose Namajunas retain her title by way of a split decision.
In 2021, Zhang has seen the 115-pound gold taken from her possession, her 21-fight win streak snapped, and has fallen to consecutive losses for the first time in her career. Her kryptonite has been the only woman in UFC history to regain a belt, “Thug Rose.”
After a shocking first-round knockout at UFC 261 in April dethroned “Magnum” and ascended Namajunas back to the top of the strawweight mountain, the stage was set for a blockbuster rematch inside Madison Square Garden on November 6.
Across a competitive five rounds, both women had moments of success on the feet and periods of control on the ground. The first half of the contest went well for the challenger, but Namajunas came on strong in the championship rounds. After 25 minutes of action, the result went to the scorecards, where the champ saw two tallies of 49-46 and 48-47 fall in her favor.
After their first contest ended with a brutal head kick and a flurry of punches on the ground, Zhang strongly protested referee Keith Peterson’s decision to step in. While she may have seen some controversy in that result, “Magnum” knows there was none the second time around.
Discussing the rematch in an interview with Migu, the Chinese star admitted she agreed with the decision to award Namajunas the win, citing her fading cardio in the fifth round as the reason she couldn’t regain her title.
“I think yes, I agree with (the decision). Because I did have cardio issues in the last round. It came down to the last round to determine a winner. This was very important.” (h/t South Morning China Post)
Zhang’s next step is uncertain. While she’s targeting a clash with the surging former champ Carla Esparza, most, including Namajunas, believe “Cookie Monster” has done enough to earn a title shot.
If Namajunas and Esparza do run it back, “Magnum” could feature in a rematch of her own with Joanna Jędrzejczyk. The Polish star has set her sights on a return to the Octagon in March or April 2022, and while she’s keen to fight for gold, recently said she won’t wait for the champion if she isn’t ready.
How did you score Rose Namajunas vs. Zhang Weili 2 at UFC 268?
Francis Ngannou is not worried about Ciryl Gane’s undefeated status.
Francis Ngannou is getting ready to face possibly the toughest challenge of his career so far. The UFC heavyweight championship will be unified in January when Ngannou looks to defend his undisputed title against the undefeated interim champion, Ciryl Gane.
“Undefeated opponent doesn’t mean anything,” Ngannou said. “For me, I think undefeated just means he has a lack of experience because it’s not the full experience. Losing a fight is a learning process, as well, so if you haven’t (been) there, you can’t understand something. I think that’s the thing. I have fought undefeated fighters before, so it’s not my first time. I know how it is. You can be undefeated, but when you get in that cage it’s just you and your opponent, and nothing matters at that point.”
Gane burst onto the UFC scene back in 2019 when he was just 3-0 as a professional MMA fighter. He had experience in Muay Thai before making the move to mixed martial arts. In fact, he was undefeated in Muay Thai as well. With seven straight wins in the UFC, Gane is now ready for his undisputed heavyweight title shot. He seems confident in himself and his skills coming into this fight.
Ngannou was on the same track as Gane is now when he first began rising up the UFC heavyweight ranks. He came to the UFC and blazed a trail through every opponent he faced until he fought for the title in 2018. He lost his very first title shot to Stipe Miocic and then followed that up with a loss to Derrick Lewis. Since those two losses, Ngannou picked himself back up and strung together five wins in a row, including a rematch win over Miocic to win the belt at UFC 260.
Now, these two will have the chance to settle the score and see who will be crowned the “Baddest Man on the Planet” at UFC 270 on Jan. 22.
Who do you think will walk away with the heavyweight belt at UFC 270, Francis Ngannou or Ciryl Gane?
Stephen Thompson reveals he and former rival Tyron Woodley have been involved in some way with the Netflix smash hit Cobra Kai.
Cobra Kai is crushing the views. The sequel to the 1980s The Karate Kid filmsis hailed as a solid mix of drama, martial-arts action, and a heavy dose of nostalgia for some older viewers.
It’s no surprise that a series so entrenched in martial arts is reaching out to actual martial artists. And there may have been no better choice for a cameo than real-life karateka, Stephen Thompson.
The former title challenger revealed that not only is he involved with the show, but so is a former MMA champion turned boxer in Tyron Woodley. The revelation came when “Wonderboy” was asked about the upcoming Woodley vs. Jake Paul rematch on a recent episode of The MMA Hour (h/t MiddleEasy).
“I think so, he’s got to (win). I think Tyron gets it,” Thompson said before letting slip that they are both to feature in Cobra Kai. “I chatted with him not too long doing some Cobra Kai stuff. I can’t really give too much away but we were there hanging out [on set], and yeah, the beef has been squashed. Since then, he’s awesome and fun to hang out with while we were there. I didn’t get to hang out with him a ton but while we were there on set.”
Cobra Kai Never Die
Stephen Thompson and Tyron Woodley face off ahead of their world title fight.
Thompson wouldn’t divulge their role but did say they would not be in the forthcoming season that releases later this month.
It may be some time before we see the fighters on the small screen in an acting capacity, but both men will be active this weekend in very different roles. Stephen Thompson is set to take on Belal Muhammed in the co-main event of UFV Vegas 45 on Saturday. On the same night, Woodley looks for revenge against Jake Paul in a rematch of their October bout.
Will you be tuning in if Stephen Thompson and Tyron Woodley are announced to appear on an episode of Cobra Kai?
Your Skyrim journeys can now include former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker.
If you know anything about Whittaker, other than the fact that he is one of the best fighters in the world today, it is that he loves playing video games. While he is sometimes hard to pin down for interviews, he is constantly seen doing live streams, getting to the point that he is even a brand ambassador for the Australia and New Zealand branch of Bethesda Game Studios. This has led to a pretty big moment for Whittaker.
According to a recent report. Bethesda ANZ commissioned an NPC companion character of the former champ to be added as a companion character in Skyrim, which is the studio’s most popular RPG and one of the highest-selling video games of all time.
There are plenty of celebrity mods that have been created for Skyrim over the years since its initial 2011 introduction to the world and many subsequent re-releases. However, what makes this mod of Robert Whittaker special is the fact that it is fully voiced by the top middleweight contender, himself.
This is surely a massive honor for Whittaker, who has been a big fan of Skyrim for a long time and has been playing it for years. Now, fans can have him join them on missions as they traverse the wilderness, face dragons, and cast spells, all with the Oceanic accent of the former champ cheering them on.
As a companion, Whittaker will have “scripted combat behaviour,” unique abilities, and a “unique fighting style” once fans complete a recruitment quest to acquire him as a companion. This unique fighting style will involve plenty of punching, namely a massive overhand right.
Going alongside this announcement, Robert Whittaker announced that he’d be live-streaming a session of Skyrim Anniversary Edition at 10 AM AEDT today in support of the charity Game On Cancer. The free mod will be available for download soon.
