Colby Thicknesse is vowing to show the difference in ability between Ilia Topuria and the featherweight kingpin’s UFC debuting brother this weekend.
The preliminary card of Saturday’s UFC 312 pay-per-view will see two prominent newcomers collide, with Thicknesse and Aleksandre Topuria getting their first taste of Octagon action against one another.
The Australian bantamweight, a teammate of Alexander Volkanovski’s, boasts an undefeated record and is coming off championship success under the HEX Fight Series banner. In “El Conquistador,” though, Thicknesse is facing the sibling of one of the most feared and dominant men in the UFC right now.
But challenging an opponent who trains alongside the current 145-pound champ and shares the same name doesn’t faze the local favorite, who is confident in rejecting any comparison between the two when it comes to skill level.
“He’s definitely got the same sort of style because they train together, but he’s not his brother, and I’m going to go out there on (Saturday) and show it,” Thicknesse said during UFC 312 media day. “He hasn’t really beaten anybody noticeable. His opponent’s combined records aren’t that great. Come (Saturday), I get to go out and show that against him.”
Dana White recently reviewed the bone-chilling mentality of Dricus Du Plessis that spread like wildfire in MMA circles. Unlike many fans who found the champion’s quotes cold and intimidating, the UFC President admitted that this mentality is exactly what makes fighters champions in the most competitive MMA organization in the world.
The UFC middleweight champion is all set to defend his title for the second time this Saturday night in a grudge-fueled rematch against former champ Sean Strickland. In an interview with Mark Bouris, the South African made a ruthless admission.
The 31-year-old not only claimed that he’ll be willing to die in the ring to emerge victorious like any other MMA fighter, but he took things further and also confessed to be fine with killing a man in front of his family if needed.
In another interview by Bouris, Dana White had this to say when the host reminded him about Du Plessis’ remarks:
“All of these guys, I mean if you go in and you’re going to stand toe-to-toe for five rounds. And remember, you can punch, kick, knee, elbow, take a shin to the head, all I mean, these people are wired differently than the rest of us. That’s what makes professional fighters and especially in MMA so different as far as humans go.”
White explained that the lack of this killer instinct is why there’s only a few MMA world champions out there. Considering he’s been dealing with such personalities for decades now, he definitely understands them more than an average human.
“There’s this many of them right here, that become world champions and have that type of mindset. They’re not wired like you and I. They’re different, they’re special human beings and yeah, I mean, I think that’s all of their mindset when they go in and fight.”
There is no doubt MMA fighters are modern-day gladiators and “Stillknocks” is clearly a fighter who’s embraced this mindset in the perfect way. He’s calm, composed, and collected outside the Octagon but only wreaks havoc as soon as the time to fight begins.
Unlike the previous outing against Strickland which ended in a razor-close split decision win, Du Plessis aims to resolve the rivalry with a KO victory this time around.
Sayif Saud, head coach at Fortis MMA, anticipates an all-out war between Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland in their UFC 312 rematch this Saturday.
The two middleweights will run it back less than a year after their closely contested fight at UFC 297, where Du Plessis captured the middleweight title by split decision. Their first encounter was action-packed, with both fighters believing they had done enough to win.
Now, they meet again in Sydney, with Strickland blaming his previous loss on an alleged illegal headbutt and questionable judging. Meanwhile, Du Plessis sees no controversy and aims for a decisive victory to silence any doubts.
“Sean Strickland is not a f*cking game,” Saud told MMA Junkie. “Sean Strickland is a guy that I think builds confidence with experience. He has experience in there with Dricus, going at Dricus. People are kind of counting him out a little bit more in this fight, saying, ‘Well, Dricus is going to finish, Dricus is getting better and better.’ That might be the case, but I still see this as a very close fight. I just think with the experience that Sean Strickland has, mentally, I feel like he’ll be more prepared. But again, the champion is 30 percent better every time.
“You become the champion, you’re literally 30 percent better. The confidence that comes with that. Dricus is a f*cking beast. He knows it doesn’t look great, but he don’t care. His whole thing is, ‘I’m going to out-will you.’ And that’s powerful, man. Fighting is about will, and he out-wills people. He really, really does. But that ain’t going to be easy to go do against Sean Strickland, because Sean Strickland is a five-round fighter.”
Saud believes Du Plessis will be ready if Strickland comes out aggressively looking for a finish. Because of this, he dismisses any predictions of a dull fight, expecting an even more intense battle than their first encounter.
“I think we’re going to see what we saw (in the first fight), but a little more aggressive version of that,” Saud said. “I think they’re going to add on a bit, they’re going to study the tape, and they’re going to come up with some more stuff. But Dricus’ coach is really, really good at game planning. This is going to be a real chess match between these two, and it’s going to be violent.”
The title clash at the top of the card will see Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland’s feud reach a second chapter 13 months on from the South African’s crowning in Canada. They’ll renew hostilities after both recording a victory apiece since their tight five-round headliner at UFC 297.
Beforehand, another champ will be in action as strawweight queen Zhang Weili gets her campaign for the new year underway. To extend her second reign beyond its third title defense, the Chinese standout is tasked with blemishing the currently perfect record of challenger Tatiana Suarez.
UFC 312: Du Plessis vs. Strickland 2 Weigh-In Results
UFC 312 takes place Saturday, February 8 (February 9 local time) at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. The main card begins at 10 PM ET/7 PM PT, with the preliminary card starting at 6 PM ET/3 PM PT.
See above for a replay of the UFC 312 Weigh-In Show, and check out the results below.
Main Card:
Middleweight Championship: Dricus Du Plessis (185lbs) vs. Sean Strickland (185lbs)
Women’s Strawweight Championship: Zhang Weili (115lbs) vs. Tatiana Suarez (114.5lbs)
Heavyweight: Justin Tafa (266lbs) vs. Tallison Teixeira (263lbs)
Light Heavyweight: Jimmy Crute (206lbs) vs. Rodolfo Bellato (205lbs)
Welterweight: Jake Matthews (170.5lbs) vs. Francisco Prado (170.5lbs)
Preliminary Card:
Featherweight: Jack Jenkins (146lbs) vs. Gabriel Santos (145.5lbs)
Lightweight: Tom Nolan (155.5lbs) vs. Viacheslav Borshchev (156lbs)
Women’s Flyweight: Wang Cong (125lbs) vs. Bruna Brasil (125.5lbs)
Bantamweight: Colby Thicknesse (135.5lbs) vs. Aleksandre Topuria (135.5lbs)
Early Preliminary Card:
Lightweight: Rongzhu (156lbs) vs. Kody Steele (156lbs)
Welterweight: Kevin Jousset (171lbs) vs. Jonathan Micallef (170lbs)
Lightweight: Quillan Salkilld (156lbs) vs. Anshul Jubli (155.5lbs)
Flyweight: HyunSung Park vs. Nyamjargal Tumendemberel*
*Due to weight management issues with Nyamjargal Tumendemberel, his flyweight bout with HyunSung Park has been canceled.
In one of his most popular interviews ever, Dricus Du Plessis claimed that the version of Conor McGregor who displayed a perfect clinical performance against the then-lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez, would’ve defeated Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The reigning UFC middleweight champion is a huge “Notorious” fan. Du Plessis has also frequently expressed his desire to move up a weight class to be a double champ, a feat first achieved by “The Mystic Mac” in the UFC.
Despite the gradually heating rivalry with Alex Pereira, “Stillknocks” believes in making at least three title defenses against rising contenders like Khamzat Chimaev and Nassourdine Imavov in the middlweight division. On the other hand, McGregor moved up to lightweight without ever defending his featherweight belt, a trend which fans call out quickly now a days.
In an interview with Shadow Banned back in April 2024 , Du Plessis had said:
“He deserved to go up there because he absolutely made That look easy against Alvarez. One of the best performances at the highest level, I’ve seen in my whole life.”
He had further added:
“His fight against Alvarez. I mean, I was already a professional long time then and I mean everybody, you look at that fight it was Flawless. He didn’t do anything wrong. He fought one of the greatest fighters in the world and he made him look like an amateur. Conor McGregor, as a favorite fighter, I said Gilbert Burns one of my favourite fighters, and so is Conor.”
When asked whether the 2016 version of McGregor who fought Alvarez woould’ve given Nurmagomedov more problems, the 31-year-old replied:
“I think he beats Khabib.”
It is safe to assume that Du Plessis still holds high regard for everything McGregor has achieved inside the Octagon. In his recent interviews with Mark Bouris, he yet again praised the former UFC double champ for introducing mental warfare to fighting and elevating the overall pay scale of mixed martial arts athletes worldwide.
As of now, the South African is all set for his upcoming rematch against Sean Strickland this Saturday night at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.
While looking back at Ronda Rousey’s loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193, Dana White pointed out a key difference in MMA fighters and boxers. He didn’t necessarily blame the fighters but stated the primary benefit boxers have during preparation because they represent a much older sport.
Discussing the preparation of both fighters leading up to the fight in an interview with Mark Bouris, White said:
“Well, I ran, listen Sean Strickland, for all of his, you know, the talking that he does, when he gets into the Octagon, you know he’s got a very very good style, nice jab, always stays composed. I ran into Du Plessis in the elevator at the hotel and his coach and they were telling me, I mean, these guys do everything right. They’re actually really smart in how they approach everything. He got here, I’ll give you an example, he got here over two weeks ago to acclimate to the time and all the other things.”
White claimed that boxers at the pinnacle of the sport are able to invest a lot more resources into their training camps before fights. From dedicated training partners to relocating their entire teams, they leave no stone unturned to be fully prepared.
In contrast, UFC fighters, according to White, are often burdened by small yet significant factors like time zones and weather changes during their careers.
“I think that’s one of the things that boxing has over us. Because we had such humble beginnings and we’re only like 30 years old as a sport, these guys don’t do the things that that boxers do. Like, when you were a boxer at that level making that kind of money and you were the main event, the camp was all built around you. You had your own Camp, your own training Partners. You would get into a place early, you know like I said,to acclimate whether it’s to altitude or time differences or temperature or humidity, all these different things play a factor in the fight and I think Du Plesis’ Camp did a great job of getting here early.”
Giving the example of UFC Hall of Famer, Ronda Rousey, White explained the importance of preparation for combat sports athletes. While not taking away anything from Holm, he highlighted that Rousey had a hectic schedule ahead of her title defense and the lack of a more intensive training camp might’ve led to the massive upset.
“Ronda Rousey, when she flew over here to Australia and lost to Holly Holm, she came straight from filming a movie. Got here three days before the fight, had a hard time making weight because of it, and obviously the time difference and you saw how that fight ended for Ronda”
Having said that, White was delighted to see Du Plessis’ camp doing all the right things ahead of UFC 312. Getting used to Australian conditions might end up giving the champ an edge over Strickland, who, according to White, also boasts a very composed and safe fighting style.
Fans won’t be seeing legendary former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz back in the Octagon.
Cruz, who held gold under the WEC banner before becoming a two-time titleholder on MMA’s biggest stage, last competed in the main event of a UFC Fight Night in San Diego back in August 2022.
Following a knockout loss to Marlon Vera halting his charge back up the ladder, “The Dominator” set his sights on one final farewell. But after a familiar foe in physical issues away from the cage prevented that being booked until 2025, disaster struck once again this week.
Having sustained another serious injury, revealed to be a second dislocated shoulder in a matter of months, the 39-year-old confirmed his decision to call time on his active career in a heartfelt social media post on Thursday.
To the fans worldwide,
I have poured every ounce of myself into this sport for the last 25 years. I was really hopeful for one final fight but unfortunately, two shoulder dislocations in 8 months calls an end to this guy’s career.
“I have poured every ounce of myself into this sport for the last 25 years. I was really hopeful for one final fight but unfortunately, two shoulder dislocations in 8 months calls an end to this guy’s career.
“I gave everything I had and put it into preparation and training for this fight —focusing on my cardio and my body for the past year. But sometimes, the body just doesn’t cooperate.
“The pain isn’t as bad now that my shoulder is back in place, but the second dislocation was far more complicated than the first.
“This sport has been everything to me—it’s helped to shape who I am.
“Thank you to the @ufc for building this platform and paving the way for fighters like myself and so many others. The UFC broke barriers to set the stage not just for us as fighters. Also for every mma sports organization that followed them across the bridge created throughout politics in order to allow our sport to take place LEGALLY in the United States and now the world.
“I am incredibly grateful to everyone who booked tickets, hotels, and flights to support me. Thank you all for being there through every moment, every victory, and every challenge. You’ve made this journey unforgettable. Thank you for the love and support. I will carry it with me always.”
Cruz finishes his career with a 24-4 professional record and multiple stints as champion under his belt. Widely regarded as among the greatest bantamweights of all time, the frequent color commentator no doubt has a UFC Hall of Fame spot in his future.
On Thursday, Rozenstruik took to social media to address the UFC’s decision and reflect on his underwhelming performance. Interestingly, he partially attributed his struggles to the locker room’s paint fumes, claiming they left him feeling dizzy before the fight.
“I came to Riyadh to win and pull off the upset. After a strong fight week, I felt dizzy on Saturday due to the paint fumes. Then, just 70 seconds into the fight, I injured my left foot. The moment my switch kick landed on his elbow, I felt it instantly and knew the fight would play out differently than planned.
“At the end of 2018, I signed my first contract with the @ufc, embarking on an incredible journey. I’ve been honored to compete on the biggest stage, and I want to express my deepest gratitude to the UFC staff for their professionalism and support over the years. Thank you.
“From being Rookie of the Year to becoming an MMA veteran, this has been an unforgettable adventure. While this chapter closes, my story is far from over. I will continue to fight, take on new challenges, and settle unfinished business in the cage. I’m ready for whatever comes next!” Rozenstruik wrote on X.
I came to Riyadh to win and pull off the upset. After a strong fight week, I felt dizzy on Saturday due to the paint fumes. Then, just 70 seconds into the fight, I injured my left foot. The moment my switch kick landed on his elbow, I felt it… pic.twitter.com/fMdVDMPPNB
— Jairzinho 'BIGI BOY' Rozenstruik (@JairRozenstruik) February 6, 2025
“Bigi Boy” made his Octagon debut in in February 2019 with a third-round knockout victory over Junior Albini, eventually amassing a promotional record of 9-6, with eight of those wins coming by knockout.
However, Rozenstruik struggled to find his rhythm in the later stages of his tenure, falling short of his true potential as he went 5-6 in his last 11 outings.
According to a recent report from Sportilinet, Kape is now set to battle Asu Almabayev on March 1. The update was also confirmed by MMA journalist Marcel Dorff on X.
Almabayev had been lined up to face Allan Nascimento on the same card but stepped up on short notice for the main event opportunity. Meanwhile, it remains uncertain whether Nascimento will stay on the lineup.
Obviously that means the Almabayev vs. Nascimento fight for the same card is off. No idea if Nascimento remains on the card atm. pic.twitter.com/nQdsOWF7PN
“Starboy” is fresh off a third-round knockout win over Bruno Silva at UFC Tampa this past December. His momentum, however, was briefly derailed last July at UFC 304 when Muhammad Mokaev snapped his four-fight winning streak. Kape currently boasts a 6-3 record in the UFC, with five of those victories coming by way of knockout.
On the other hand, “Zulfikar” last entered the Octagon at a Fight Night event in October, where he earned a unanimous decision win over Matheus Nicolau. Since making his UFC debut in August 2023, he has remained undefeated across four appearances.
Ahead of his middleweight title rematch against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 312 this Saturday in Sydney, Sean Strickland has reassured fans that there is nothing to worry about following speculation that he might have a staph infection.
Concern arose after Strickland’s pre-fight photoshoot was released, with some observers noting a mark on his arm that resembled a staph infection. Even Du Plessis alluded to it in a post on his Instagram Story, fueling speculation.
However, Strickland addressed the rumors during the UFC 312 pre-fight press conference, dismissing any health concerns.
“Listen, motherf*ckers, I’m immune to staph,” Strickland said. “You see this f*cking mustache? I give staph — I don’t f*cking get staph. Calm the f*ck down.
“I don’t get sick, I don’t get f*cking injured, I don’t get f*cking staph. So, relax. I’m going to be out there on Sunday, and I’m going to come out f*cking hard and strong. The hardest and strongest you’ve ever f*cking seen. To the f*cking death, Dutch man.”
Daniel Cormier has cautioned UFC lightweight kingpin Islam Makhachev against a potential move to middleweight despite a fight against welterweight champion Belal Muhammad likely being off the table.
Makhachev has expressed interest in skipping the welterweight division entirely and jumping straight to middleweight in pursuit of becoming a two-division UFC champ. However, Cormier believes that current middleweight titleholder Dricus Du Plessis is often underestimated, despite recent wins over top-tier opponents in Robert Whittaker, Sean Strickland, and Israel Adesanya.
“I know it may not look as appealing to some as they want their world champions to look, but we just watched him submit Israel Adesanya,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “We just watched him break him down over the course of three rounds and get him to a point where Izzy got submitted by him — something we’d never seen before. We have seen him beat Sean Strickland, we have seen him finish Robert Whittaker. At some point, we have to respect Dricus Du Plessis.
“I think Islam respects him. I don’t know that Islam would understand how hard it would be to fight a guy of that size. I think this guy might weigh 220 when he’s not making weight. Many people talk about the amount of weight that the Russians cut, and Islam cuts weight to make 155, but I don’t know even on his heaviest days if he weighs 185. Now, I’m not saying that he can’t do it — I just think that it’s much harder than anyone understands to go up two weight classes.”
Din Thomas isn’t surprised to see Israel Adesanya on a losing skid at this stage of his career.
The former fighter-turned-analyst recently weighed in on Adesanya’s latest defeat, when he was knocked out by Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Fight Night Saudi Arabia. The loss marked Adesanya’s third consecutive setback and has fueled widespread speculation about his future in the sport.
Thomas pointed out that many UFC legends have experienced similar declines toward the end of their careers, and “The Last Stylebender” is no exception.
“Well, that’s just the thing. You know when you make it to the top, and he (Adesanya) is done right? In my opinion at the top-top,” Thomas said during MMA Today on Sirius XM. “But it happens to everybody. No one escapes that except for Jon Jones. It’s a handful, and they’re all on Mount Rushmore. Even Anderson Silva fell off. It happens to everybody. This might be a bad message to send to fighters, but if you make it to the top, it comes crashing down hard. Harder than if you don’t make it to the top, and you kind of teeter around the UFC for a while.
“When you make it to the top top, your losses are always magnified,” Thomas added. “Everybody’s watching them and it looks like a hard fall. It happened to Chuck Liddell, it happened to B.J. Penn, it happened to all the greats, and that’s just what’s happening to Izzy right now.”
"This might be a bad message to send to fighters, but if you make it to the top, it comes crashing down."@DinThomas & @AlanJouban discuss the future for Israel Adesanya after his loss at #UFCSaudiArabia
After losing its first pay-per-view main event of the new year on just 24 hours’ notice last month in Los Angeles, the opening week of February has seen the mixed martial arts dealt two hits to its Q1 calendar in the form of canceled main and co-main events.
Just hours on, the UFC’s event in Seattle on Feb. 22 has reportedly lost its bantamweight co-headliner between the legendary Dominick Cruz and perennial contender Rob Font.
With no timeframe attached to Cruz’s recovery as of writing, it remains to be seen whether the promotion plans to seek a replacement opponent for Font or reschedule his matchup with the former champ for a later date.
With this cancellation, the current fights expected to take place at the UFC Fight Night in Seattle on Feb. 22 are as follows:
UFC flyweight contender Manel Kape is wasting little time searching for a new foe after losing his planned opponent early next month.
Following a return to winning ways via a knockout of Bruno Silva in Tampa last December, Kape was booked for a potential title eliminator against Brandon Royval in the UFC Vegas 103 main event on March 1.
After unsurprisingly firing shots at his stricken rival on social media, “Starboy” quickly turned his attention to securing a different opponent for that date.
But should that be the case, the former Rizin champion still won’t be without options. He’s already agreed to one alternative, giving the green light to a clash with the in-form Charles Johnson.
Having won four straight in the division, many were surprised to see the #12-ranked Johnson booked against a name outside the top 15 in Ramazon Temirov next time out.
With that bout set for the same March 1 event that Kape was scheduled to headline, perhaps “InnerG” will get his wish for a more prominent booking and be elevated to headline status versus “Starboy.”
UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis recently assessed former rival Israel Adesanya’s legacy following a third straight defeat inside the Octagon.
After consecutive losses to Sean Strickland and Du Plessis in title fights, Adesanya returned to non-championship, non-pay-per-view competition this past weekend in Saudi Arabia.
With that sentiment, Adesanya evidently has the support of a former opponent.
“For Izzy, I don’t think there’s another title run,” Du Plessis said during UFC 312 media day on Wednesday. “With all due respect. I think his legacy is cemented and will always be there, and whatever he feels like doing, he can do. I put him in the same category as Anderson Silva at this stage of, lose as many fights as you want. You’ll always have your legacy.
“Anderson Silva, after his reign ended, I don’t care how many times he lost. He was still my GOAT. He was still the greatest middleweight of all time,” Du Plessis continued. “And I feel like Izzy is in that area, where whatever you decided to do – take super fights here or there if you want to, if you still have the passion for it.”
The Nigerian-New Zealander, meanwhile, is planning on taking some time away from the cage to rest and recuperate, before assessing his next step on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage.
The reigning featherweight champ has set his sights on the top spot as the sport’s best, putting him at odds with Makhachev. Topuria has repeatedly expressed his desire to move up in weight for a superfight, a sentiment he reiterated in a recent interview with Fox Sports Australia.
“Me, personally, what I want to do is move up to 155 because I know that I can become a two-weight world champion,” Topuria said. “Islam, he’s a great fighter, he’s the No. 1 pound-for-pound for the people. For me, it’s me, myself — I’m the best fighter in the world. I know that I can do with him whatever I want to do because I know that I am much better than him.”
Topuria has built a strong case for being the best fighter in the world, topping multiple Fighter of the Year lists at the end of 2024, surpassing names like Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway.
“This is something that I want to do,” Topuria said. “The UFC knows that. But at the end of the day, this is something that the UFC decides because they know how to run the business. They know how to do it, they have a lot of experience. So if they tell me that they want me to keep defending the belt in the 145 division, maybe I will do that. But if they let me go up to 155, I will do that also.”
If “El Matador” remains at featherweight, potential challengers include Diego Lopes and Movsar Evloev, as well as a rumored rematch with Alexander Volkanovski.
“I think Diego deserves it more because Movsar has more fights in the UFC, but he has eight fights, eight decisions, [one] by split decision. You need to finish someone,” Topuria said. “Do something, do something relevant, put yourself in that spot, and why not? We can do it.
“But if you don’t finish anyone, I fight for the fans. I fight to entertain the fans, and I need someone inside the cage to be entertained. I don’t need someone who is only looking for the win and grabs you and this and that. Which, by the way, he wouldn’t be able to do that with me—I would knock him out in the first round. But I need someone to hype up the fight.”
“Bones” received plenty of flak for facing the veteran over his division’s interim titleholder, Tom Aspinall. And despite the division still having two champs, there remains no confirmation that they will face one another in 2025.
But could that change in less than 24 hours’ time?
Jones took to X on Wednesday to announce an announcement.
In 24 hours I’ll be making a huge announcement! #Andstill
UFC bantamweight prospect Vinicius Oliveira is continuing to taunt recent title challenger Umar Nurmagomedov, as his push for a showdown with the Dagestani goes on.
Oliveira has made a sizable splash since arriving in the Octagon by way of Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023. “Lok Dog” has gone 3-0 on MMA’s biggest stage, most recently outpointing Said Nurmagomedov at the UFC Fight Night in Saudi Arabia this past weekend.
Now, the Brazilian has his sights on a different Nurmagomedov.
Oliveira has long expressed confidence when it comes to a future clash with Umar, who fell short of the title against Merab Dvalishvili last month in Los Angeles.
Post-fight on Feb. 1, Oliveira again targeted the Russian. And he doubled down on his statements during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned this week, suggesting that Nurmagomedov is afraid of facing “the Russian hunter.”
“(Nurmagomedov) is scared of me because he knows that I’m taller than him, I’m stronger than him, and I am an unpredictable fighter,” Oliveira said. “I’m a dangerous fight because I am good at stand up. I’m good on the ground. I’m good in all situations inside the fight.
“I don’t fear nobody,” Oliveira continued. “When he looks at my eyes he can see the demons inside. … I’m the Russian hunter.”
After the UFC 311 lost its main event on late notice last month, Saturday’s challenger may have given the promotion a scare with his recent motorcycle mishap during the filming of UFC 312 Embedded. In the footage, Strickland attempted to show off for the cameras but ended up taking a spill.
The incident brings to mind other fighters who have suffered serious motorcycle accidents before major UFC events, including Jose Aldo and Frank Mir, some of whom faced nearly career-ending injuries. Strickland’s fall occurred while attempting a wheelie, resulting in him losing control and falling off the back of the bike.
“Gotta let it warm up, like a woman—gotta ease her into it, get her right,” Strickland said. “Motorcycles are fun because they’re f*cking scary. Every time you get on one, your butthole puckers a little bit and you’re like, ‘Oh, this is real scary, but it’s real fun.’”
Another UFC headliner has fallen through just weeks on from the promotion’s late scramble to find a new main event for its first pay-per-view this year.
The opening numbered event of 2025, UFC 311, received a major change late in the day when Arman Tsarukyan withdrew from his title challenge against lightweight kingpin Islam Makhachev on just 24 hours’ notice.
Renato Moicano subsequently stepped in, but that didn’t stop the disappointment of those excited to witness the Dagestani and Armenian rivals run it back.
No event is ever safe from cancellations, but the organization might be cursing its luck after losing another headliner in the first quarter of this year.
Former flyweight title challenger Brandon Royval took to Instagram Wednesday to reveal he’s been forced to pull out of his UFC Fight Night main event against Manel Kape at the Apex on March 1 due to injury.
“Unfortunately I’m going to have to pull out of my fight, I’m sorry to Manel Kape and my fans,” Royval wrote. “I’m facing an injury that has me questioning when I’ll be able to train again. This is absolutely a fight I think needs to happen for the flyweight division but as of right now competing month has been ill advised. Love y’all and I apologize from the bottom of my heart. I’ll have more details on my YouTube this week.”
It remains to be seen whether the promotion will seek a replacement opponent for Kape or reschedule that bout for a later date.
In terms of a new headline matchup, the event’s current lineup is devoid of options. With a middleweight clash between Cody Brundage and Julian Marquez set for the co-main event, the promotion will likely need to put together a new high-profile bout to close the show in Las Vegas on March 1.
Yoel Romero recently made a surprising claim about the lasting impact of his fight against Lyoto Machida.
Once a top contender who faced many of MMA’s elite, Romero suggested that his 2015 knockout victory over Machida had severe consequences for “The Dragon.”
Speaking on Mike Perry’s OverDogs Podcast, Romero alleged that Machida “wasn’t the same” after their fight, claiming the former UFC champion suffered “brutal damage” and even went into a coma. Romero said he was so concerned that he reached out to Machida’s management team for updates on his condition. He used the alleged incident to highlight the extreme risks fighters take inside the cage.
However, Machida quickly refuted Romero’s claims, telling MMA Fighting that the story was entirely inaccurate.
“I heard about [Romero’s comments], but I didn’t watch [the video],” Machida said. “But that’s not true at all. What happened was I broke my nose in that fight and had surgery. But there was no coma or anything like that. That never happened.”
Machida dismissed the idea that he suffered serious long-term damage, pointing to his extensive fighting career after the Romero bout.
“It makes no sense that a fighter would get in a coma and then fight like 20 times after that,” Machida laughed. “I had nose surgery because I broke my nose. I had to stay in Miami for a week — because I lived in Los Angeles and couldn’t fly with the nasal packing. That’s basically what happened. It’s normal stuff for us that fight, right?”
After his loss to Romero, Machida competed nine more times as a professional, winning four of those bouts. He eventually retired from MMA in 2022 after a knockout loss to Fabian Edwards in Bellator.
Alex Pereira has extra incentive to support Sean Strickland in his upcoming fight at UFC 312, where Strickland will challenge Dricus Du Plessis for the middleweight title in a rematch.
Leading up to the fight, Strickland has revealed that Pereira harbors a strong dislike for Du Plessis. This tension comes after both fighters previously expressed interest in facing each other, with each willing to change weight classes to make the bout happen.
Although Du Plessis has recently spoken positively about Pereira and his accomplishments, he has also expressed his own ambitions of becoming a two-division champion like “Poatan.” However, according to Strickland, Pereira’s feelings toward Du Plessis are far from neutral.
“I think Alex is an angry motherf*cker,” Strickland said in an interview with the UFC. “Like, Alex is angry, and for some reason, dude, he hates Dricus. Like, I don’t know what you did to him, but he f*cking hates you, dude.
“So, it’s like, the way he looks at Dricus sometimes, I’m like, ‘Dude, I’m fighting him, dawg. Like, it’s me, dude.’ But yeah, no, Alex, he just has that hate in his heart, and he’s a good dude, so he’s out there, and I was like, ‘Let’s come on, let’s get it in.’”
“I wouldn't want to f****** fight me either.”
Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) hopes to put on a show for fans as he looks to settle his score with Dricus Du Plessis and get the belt back. #UFC312
Former fighter-turned-analyst Chael Sonnen thinks the UFC has a big decision to make regarding lightweight kingpin Islam Makhachev’s future.
Makhachev started his year on the right foot last month, becoming the first champion at 155 pounds to record four consecutive defenses. The Dagestani did so at the expense of late-notice replacement opponent Renato Moicano, whom he submitted in the first round at UFC 311.
Moving forward, the 33-year-old has expressed his desire to achieve two-division glory. And it would appear that the timeframe on that coming to fruition could be short, with Makhachev’s coach suggesting late last year that the Russian could look to depart the sport on top soon enough.
In the eyes of Sonnen, such an event would only be brought about if the UFC forces the champ to remain at 155 pounds — a factor he also saw as the leading cause of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s retirement as titleholder back in 2020.
“Khabib did not retire because he didn’t want to fight Conor (McGregor) a second time. The UFC showed him the wrong numbers,” Sonnen said in an interview with MMA Junkie. “Every time they had a meeting, they showed more commas and more zeros, but it was the wrong number. If they had made the weight class 170 (pounds), they would have caught Khabib for one more fight.
“The number one reason any combat athlete retires is that they don’t want to make that weight anymore. Sooner or later, it bites everybody in the ass,” Sonnen continued. “Islam can either retire like Khabib did. Khabib didn’t want to tell anybody he didn’t want to make the weight, and no combat athlete will ever admit that. … So, they can either eventually part ways with Islam and watch him retire and talk about what could have been, or they can move him out of the goddamn weight class. That’s the truth.”
It remains to be seen what lies in the future of Makhachev, but in Sonnen’s eyes, a continued stay at lightweight will soon signal the end of the champ’s career.
Former UFC lightweight Kevin Lee’s preparation for his return to action this year recently took a painful turn in the form of a full-power right hand from a sparring partner.
Lee, who unsuccessfully challenged for interim gold in the UFC back in 2017, has struggled in recent years. He’s won just two fights since 2019, both of which came away from the Octagon.
As a result, Lee has sought a different opportunity, and that landed him in the inaugural Global Fight League draft last month. The 32-year-old was picked by New York City, joining Sidney Outlaw as the team’s two lightweights.
With that, “The Motown Phenom” is putting the work in at Kill Cliff FC in Florida ahead of his new venture. But it would seem that not everything has been going to plan for the veteran fighter on the mats.
Footage emerged this week showing Lee suffer a bad knockdown in training. After throwing a flying knee, the ex-UFC fighter’s sparring partner landed a full-strength right hand that briefly put the Michigan native down.
Overseeing the session was former UFC champion Robbie Lawler, who sported a concerned face as he helped an unsteady Lee back to his feet.
The video was recorded and posted to Instagram by undefeated Azerbaijani fighter Maggeram Gasanzade.
It’s believed the punch was thrown by Mirali Huseynov, another Azerbaijani athlete who has a 9-3 record as a professional. His last two wins have come under the banner of Urijah Faber’s A1 Combat. Huseynov appeared in the comments section of a repost to request the video be taken down.
The clip drew plenty of reactions online, with the community surprisingly split on who was to blame. While many slammed Huseynov for throwing at full capacity, others criticized Lee for the flying knee attempt.
Homie didn’t have to hit him like that lol but keep those hands up on the flying knee and that doesn’t happen https://t.co/Dzptlw3iuG
That shit is stupid all around. Lee is stupid for throwing that flying knee, and the other brother is stupid for putting that much behind a punch when y'all are just sparring. This is really where these mfs be takin all the damage in their careers from and for no reason lol 😂 https://t.co/T3O4rDX4a5
Self-proclaimed hardcore American Sean Strickland is not new to controversies. As much as he is known for his uniquely defensive and puzzling fighting style, he is also notorious for his tendency to walk into trouble by making outrageous and unfiltered claims on almost any topic.
This time around, the former UFC middleweight champion captured the media’s attention with his bold take on UFC’s relationship with Saudi Arabia.
During the UFC 312 Media Day in Australia, Strickland could not hold back when asked about Dana White comparing the UFC championship to a master key that opens a lot of doors. Here’s what the 32-year-old had to say on the importance of being a UFC champ:
“You know what it is. If you’re a f****g shill. If you’re not, if you’re a f****g c***, like my boy Izzy and you want to go suck off the China government and you don’t have one ounce of freedom of speech or dignity, it opens up a lot of f****g doors.”
The controversial rant did not stop there as he went on to say:
“I mean, hell, like, you know how many uh, what, like the UFC’s buddy buddy with Saudi Arabia now. I shouldn’t say this dude, but I mean, look at my boy Vivic. How many, like, I could be wrong when I say this, weren’t like a significant amount of like the 9/11 guys Saudi, do they have Saudi passports is that what it was?”
Unsurprisingly, Strickland flipped the script in no time and also praised the Saudi people for their wealth as fighters get handsome paychecks when UFC returns to the region with a couple of events each year.
“That is, that are you backing them up? I think that’s what it was, and then the crazy thing about that Saudi Arabia. You know they seem like a real great people, and you gave us a lot of money, so thank you. I’m sure you lined my paycheck, and I appreciate that, but they get off a plane, and they go, and they randomly run into a guy from, like, the intelligence agency, and they go and stay with him.”
This is not the first time Strickland has had Saudi Arabia on his radar. Earlier, when his potential matchup with Khamzat Chimaev was making headlines, he dismissed the idea of traveling to Saudi Arabia and taking on the fight due to apparent cultural differences.
