UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington has hit back at Jorge Masvidal after the latter accused him of an intentional eye poke at UFC 272.
Covington defeated Masvidal via a unanimous decision in their UFC 272 grudge match. The two former American Top Team teammates turned bitter rivals had been on each other’s nerves for years ahead of their eventual showdown.
Masvidal has stated that he wants revenge against Covington and shared the aftermath of an alleged eye poke that he suffered in their matchup. After getting word of Masvidal’s accusation of Covington being a “cheating f***” for the eye poke, Covington shared an image of Masvidal possibly attempting an eye poke of his own.
The banter between Covington and Masvidal has appeared to escalate since the fight. The two nearly brawled after the fight came to a close at UFC 272, and Masvidal has threatened to finish his beef with Covington on the streets of Miami.
Covington has called for a fight with another former ATT teammate, Dustin Poirier, although it’s unclear whether or not Poirier will make the move to 170. Covington is looking to potentially get a third matchup with UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman with another win streak.
Masvidal has lost three-straight bouts, with his last victory coming against Nate Diaz for the BMF title at UFC 244. Nevertheless, he’s squashed retirement speculation and appears ready to return to the Octagon later this year.
Do you believe Jorge Masvidal attempted to eye poke Colby Covington in retaliation?
UFC President Dana White knows lightweight Paddy Pimblett has a large following, but it may not matter without wins inside the Octagon.
Pimblett will make his return to the Octagon this weekend at UFC London against Kazula Vargas. The former Cage Warriors featherweight champion earned a first-round knockout over Luigi Vendramini in his UFC debut last September.
Pimblett has been known to up the ante when it comes to his trash talk and mental warfare. He’s also managed to get under the skin of fighters that aren’t his opponents, including most recently with Ilia Topuria.
“Yeah, he’s fun. He’s a fun guy. Smack talk’s fun, but you’ve gotta win,” White said of Pimblett. “So, you know, everybody keeps talking about the excitement of the walkout and all this stuff, you gotta win fights. Believe me, he comes in, has an incredible walkout and the crowd goes crazy, and he wins? Awesome… He’s one of those guys that has that thing and he has the potential to be a star. But, here, you gotta win fights. It’s not just about being popular (and) how many people like you. You’ve gotta get in there and win.”
Paddy Pimblett
Pimblett was one of the biggest signings by the UFC in 2021 following back-to-back wins in Cage Warriors over Davide Martinez and Decky Dalton. He’s been tabbed by some as the ‘people’s main event’ against Vargas at UFC London.
Pimblett has been tabbed by some as a potential future UFC box office star at the levels of Conor McGregor, Jorge Masvidal, and others. McGregor has recently called Pimblett a “great representation for the UK”.
Pimblett has never been short of confidence, as evident by his recent claim that he’ll never get knocked out in the UFC. However, a loss to Vargas could erase the momentum and star power that he has already accumulated.
Do you think Paddy Pimblett has what it takes to be a UFC champion?
UFC President Dana White is still wondering why Jake Paul is only challenging smaller fighters.
Dana White’s vow to never speak about Jake Paul ever again lasted all of two months. But even that time span is perhaps longer than what most would have anticipated. In 2021, hardly a week went by without some jab thrown by Paul toward White or vice versa.
According to White, however, that all ended after he felt Paul dodged his challenge of getting randomly steroid tested for two years with White agreeing to get cocaine tested for 10 years in return.
During White’s period of silence, Paul has continued to chirp away, including on a Dana White Diss Track and with continuous challenges to fighters on the UFC roster. Only now, Paul claims he isn’t just open to boxing them, but he has begun to lay down challenges for MMA fights.
The two specific names that Paul has challenged for a fight are Jorge Masvidal and Conor McGregor. In both cases, Paul made proposals directly to White to make the fights happen with high stakes at play, mostly connected to improving fighter pay and benefits.
But even when Paul’s challenges were restricted to the boxing ring, White wondered why Paul was only challenging—and fighting—smaller opponents. And now that Paul has extended his challenges to MMA fights, White is still wondering the same thing.
“Why isn’t he calling out Israel Adesanya? I know. I know, and you know, and everybody else knows, and he knows, too,” White said in an interview with ESPN.
Jake Paul last competed in December in a viral KO win over former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. He currently does not have a fight booked but has continued teasing a potential move to MMA.
Once Paul catches wind of these comments from White, perhaps he’ll extend his list of potential opponents for his potential MMA debut to “The Last Stylebender.” And if White’s rhetorical question also functions as a dare, perhaps White will decide to call Paul’s bluff.
Do you think Jake Paul would be willing to fight Israel Adesanya in an MMA fight?
The UFC London weigh-ins are complete, and all fighters successfully made weight.
The UFC returns to London tomorrow (March 19) for a full slate of exciting matchups. In the main event, Tom Aspinall will face the stiffest test of his UFC career when he takes on the #6-ranked Alexander Volkov. A win for Aspinall (#11) could see him storm into the division’s top 5.
In the co-main event, Dan Hooker will return to featherweight when he faces the #7-ranked Arnold Allen, who is currently riding a 10-fight winning streak. Also on the main card, Paddy Pimblett will face Kazula Vargas, Gunnar Nelson takes on Takashi Sato, and Jai Herbert faces Ilia Topuria.
UFC London comes to you from the O2 Arena Saturday, March 19, 2022. The entire card will be available on ESPN+ for US viewers and on UFC Fight Pass for viewers outside the United States. The preliminary card will begin at 1PM ET, with the main card kicking off at 4 PM ET.
You can view the full lineup and weigh-in results for UFC London below and the live weigh-in show here.
UFC LONDON MAIN CARD
Main Event – Heavyweight Bout: Alexander Volkov (253) vs Tom Aspinall (252)
Co-Main Event – Featherweight Bout: Arnold Allen (146) vs Dan Hooker (145)
Lightweight Bout: Paddy Pimblett (155) vs Kazula Vargas (155)
Welterweight Bout: Gunnar Nelson (171) vs Takashi Sato (170)
Women’s Flyweight Bout: Molly McCann (125) vs Luana Carolina (125)
Lightweight Bout: Jai Herbert (155) vs Ilia Topuria (156)
UFC LONDON PRELIMINARY CARD
Featherweight Bout: Mike Grundy (145) vs Makwan Amirkhani (146)
Heavyweight Bout: Shamil Abdurakhimov (258) vs Sergei Pavlovich (254)
Light Heavyweight Bout: Nikita Krylov (205) vs Paul Craig (206)
Bantamweight Bout: Jack Shore (135) vs Timur Valiev (136)
Women’s Strawweight: Cory McKenna (115) vs Elise Reed (115)
Flyweight Bout: Muhammad Mokaev (125) vs Cody Durden (126)
Be sure to keep it locked right here on MMANews.com for all the UFC London coverage tomorrow!
UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman has informed Colby Covington not to expect a title shot with a win over Dustin Poirier.
Following his win against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272, Covington took the chance to call out the former interim UFC lightweight champion in his post-fight interview, with ‘Chaos’ declaring that Poirier was next and that he will see him soon.
Poirier previously stated that he will never face the #1 ranked UFC welterweight contender inside the Octagon, as he’s against Covington making money off of his name. The 33-year-old even went as far as to say that if he was to fight Covington that they both would be going to jail, implying the fight would only materialize outside of professional practice.
Usman has now given his reaction to Covington’s callout of Poirier in an interview with Brett Okamoto of ESPN.
“I respect and I appreciate it in a different sense,” said Usman. “Yeah, he’s building himself. So, yes, of course, I understand that. And, of course, you’re making money. I understand and respect that.
“But, on the flip side, don’t expect to cut the line when guys like Vicente Luque are in the division holding off everybody else; when Gilbert Burns is in the division beating up everyone else. So don’t expect to just jump the line because you built yourself outside, fighting guys that are not in the top of this weight division.”
All in all, appears that Poirier being naturally lightweight would affect Covington’s merit for a title shot with a win in the eyes of the UFC welterweight champion.
“So, yeah, I respect it. get your money, of course. We can only do this for a short time, so go ahead and get your money. But at the same time, don’t expect to cut these guys in the line,” said Usman.
There are plenty waiting in line for a shot at Usman, with two of those expected to clash at UFC 273 in Gilbert Burns and Khamzat Chimaev. Burns himself declared he is expecting a title shot with a win over the undefeated Swede.
Meanwhile, other welterweight contenders including Vicente Luque and Belal Muhammad have mounted their own respected runs for a title shot in the division. Leon Edwards is expected to be next in line for a title shot; however, with Usman’s next defense of his belt set to go down this summer when he returns from injury.
Do you think Covington would be worthy of a third title shot with a win over Dustin Poirier?
Rising UFC lightweight prospect Paddy Pimblett says he’s being realistic about the speed with which he can rise up the ladder of a stacked 155-pound division.
Of the debutants who arrived on MMA’s biggest stage in 2021, not many made a splash as big Pimblett did. After a much-discussed signing with the UFC, which came after he’d experienced championship success in the renowned Cage Warriors organization, “The Baddy” entered the Octagon for the first time last September.
On the UFC Vegas 36 main card, Pimblett got off to a winning start by extending his overall MMA record to 17-3. He did so with a first-round knockout of Brazil’s Luigi Vendramini inside the UFC Apex.
Now set for his sophomore outing, Pimblett will be hoping to lift the roof off London’s O2 Arena when he clashes with Kazula Vargas in front of a home crowd at this weekend’s UFC London event.
The sophomore showing of @TheUFCBaddy goes down this Saturday – don't miss it 💢
But while his prominence and name value in the sport continue to increase way above the levels most achieve after one UFC appearance, Pimblett is under no illusions about the steady rise up the lightweight ranks he’s facing.
“I’m a realist lad. I’m not getting ahead of myself and thinking, ‘Ah, after this fight I’ll fight someone in the top 15,’ cause I won’t,” said Pimblett. “Lightweight is the most stacked division in the sport and the UFC. I know I’m gonna end up fighting another three or four non-ranked fighters, and I’m gonna have to get past them first. I’m taking everything one step at a time. But I’ll be back at least twice this year. I’m not doing two fights this year.”
His quest for contention will next need to go through Vargas. The pair will collide in the fight prior to a co-main event clash between Dan Hooker and Arnold Allen this Saturday.
If Pimblett’s potential and popularity weren’t already clear, his high placement on a stacked London-held card perhaps does it some justice.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CbLE7CHsydU/
Do you think Paddy Pimblett has what it takes to reach the top in the UFC?
Rising UFC heavyweight Tom Aspinall has suggested he has a lot more to offer inside the Octagon than he’s shown so far.
Since arriving on MMA’s biggest stage in 2020, Aspinall has not only established himself as one of the fastest up-and-coming British fighters in the UFC but one of the hottest prospects in the promotion, period.
In four fights, the Englishman has recorded three first-round TKOs, including against fellow ranked contender Sergey Spivak and a second-round submission of former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski.
While “Drago,” who’ll be appearing in a UFC headliner for the sixth time on Saturday, may think he knows what to expect when he shares the cage with Aspinall, the Manchester native begs to differ.
Aspinall Teases Wider Skillset
Despite earning his first main event spot and climbing the heavyweight ladder at a fast pace, Aspinall has accumulated just five minutes and 59 seconds inside the Octagon.
“A lot of these heavyweights and people who watch the sport, they think that I’m just good at certain things,” said Aspinall. “It’s not that I’m just good at certain things, I’ve just not had the opportunity to show what I am good at, because I’ve been in the Octagon for such a small amount of time… I’ve not had the opportunity to show—no wrestling, no grappling, no cardio, no kicks. I’ve not done any of this stuff just because I’ve not had the chance to.
“I’d like to keep myself a secret for as long as possible,” added Aspinall. “These heavyweights think they know some stuff about me, they don’t know shit about me. They don’t know nothing about me. They’ve seen this (small gesture) much of my game. So anybody out there who thinks they know what my game is, they don’t know nothing.”
With a victory over an established name like Volkov, Aspinall would certainly join the group of elites at heavyweight and add his name to the title conversation.
UFC heavyweight contender Alexander Volkov knows he’s the villain ahead of his fight with Tom Aspinall at UFC London, but he’s fully embracing it.
Volkov will look to earn his second straight win over Aspinall in the UFC London main event. Aspinall is regarded as one of the top MMA fighters competing out of the UK at the moment and will no doubt earn the energy of the crowd this weekend.
Volkov knows that he’ll have very few fans in attendance in London, but he isn’t worried about how it could potentially impact his performance. The 34-9 veteran is coming off of wins in three of his last four fights, with his lone defeat over that stretch coming against former interim champ Ciryl Gane.
During his UFC London pre-fight press conference, Volkov explained why he’s basking in the added attention and being seen as an enemy by the London faithful.
“There is always face and heel in this business and right now I am the heel,” Volkov said. “But I’m happy with it because if the fight has attention, a story, power behind it, I’m very happy. And it’s always great when fans are very interested in the fight. They want to see me losing, they want to see him winning. That’s always good for business. I’m happy with it.” (h/t SportsKeeda)
Image Credit: Getty Images
Leading into fight week, it was a bit unclear whether or not Volkov would be able to compete at UFC London amidst the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. UFC President Dana White had foreseen many potential problems for Russian fighters competing on the London card, but there have been only a limited number of cancelations leading up to the event.
Aspinall has been on a roll since winning his UFC debut over Jake Collier in July 2020. He’s won four straight with the promotion, including recent finishes over former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski and Sergey Spivak.
Volkov will face plenty of hostility from the London crowd when he makes his walk to the Octagon, but he appears ready and willing to deal with all of the extra potential chaos on fight night.
What is your prediction for Alexander Volkov vs. Tom Aspinall?
UFC lightweight Paddy Pimblett thinks if history has taught him anything, it’s that he’ll never get knocked out in the UFC Octagon.
Pimblett is coming off of a successful UFC debut against Luigi Vendramini last September and will face Kazula Vargas at UFC London this weekend. It’ll be his first fight in the UK since he left Cage Warriors to pursue stardom in the UFC.
Pimblett has never been one to lack confidence and he was among the biggest signings by the UFC in 2021. However, he may be the most confident he’s ever been ahead of his Octagon return.
During a recent interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Pimblett denied that any opponent will be able to knock him out in the UFC and addressed critics who say he leaves his chin exposed in his fights.
“Everyone said that about me,” Pimblett said. “I’ve had nine amateur fights and 20 pro fights. For years, everyone’s been ‘He’s got his chin up, he’s got his chin up’, but I’ve never been knocked out and I never will be. I’ve never been knocked when doing 19-pound fight cuts overnight and 17-pound weight cuts overnight. You think any shot now is going to phase me at all when I have 10 pounds to lose now? The ‘Scousers don’t get knocked out’ thing could get me turned into a proper meme over the years if I do get knocked out. But that’s the risk we’ve taken.”
Not everyone has been a fan of Pimblett’s antics, though. During UFC London fight week, he was involved in a near-brawl with Ilia Topuria at the fighter hotel.
Before signing with the UFC, he earned the Cage Warriors featherweight title over Julian Erosa and enjoyed moderate success at lightweight with the promotion. He has been compared to UFC star Conor McGregor with his brash personality and ability to promote a fight.
Pimblett will no doubt have the crowd on his side against Vargas this weekend, and he’ll look to take the next step in his development into potentially one of the UFC’s biggest stars.
What are your predictions for Paddy Pimblett’s UFC career?
Tom Aspinall believes that, on paper, his UFC London main event against Alexander Volkov is a terrible matchup for him.
Aspinall is set for his first UFC main event in just his fifth UFC fight while Volkov will be headlining his sixth event. It’s an intriguing matchup as Aspinall has run through all his competition, but Volkov is an experienced veteran and has fought the who’s who of the heavyweight division. With that, even the Brit believes that, on paper, this should be a fight he loses.
“I mean, I’ve trained for five rounds. Like you say, I’ve never gone past the second. So, new territory for me. I’m completely aware that if you look at the stats on paper, this is a complete mismatch in his favor,” Aspinall said at media day. “I’m aware of that. Like, he has got so much more experience than me, he’s fought far more higher-level guys than me, he’s been in the top 10 for I don’t know how many years at this point. I’m just an up-and-coming guy breaking (into) the top 10, on paper. But on paper doesn’t really mean nothing when it comes to actual fighting.”
Tom Aspinall
Although Tom Aspinall believes on paper this is a fight Alexander Volkov should win, the betting odds have the Brit as a -125 favorite with the Russian as a +105 underdog. With that, Vegas and the public have been backing the Brit in this one, thinking he will win. However, as Aspinall says, paper means nothing when it comes to an actual fight.
Tom Aspinall enters the fight riding a seven-fight win streak and coming off a first-round TKO over Serghei Spivac in September. Prior to that, he submitted Andrei Arlovski which is the biggest win of his career but should he beat Volkov, it will propel Aspinall into the top-5.
Do you think Tom Aspinall will beat Alexander Volkov at UFC London?
Israel Adesanya is a fan of Paddy Pimblett but wants to see him face harder competition.
UFC London is coming up this weekend and many UK UFC stars will be on display. Paddy Pimblett is not headlining this event, but he is definitely one of the biggest draws on the card.
Pimblett will be making his second appearance in the UFC Octagon, and the Liverpool native will be doing it in front of a near hometown crowd. The media and many fans have embraced Pimblett and have made him a quickly rising star. Even middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is a fan.
Adesanya spoke a bit about Pimblett on his YouTube channel and how he feels he should be approaching his UFC career. First, he brought up the fact that Pimblett is not a fan of extravagant walkouts but then hit a little closer to home.
“He should do that. I dare him to do a f–king whole entrance on the biggest fight of his life,” Adesanya said on his YouTube channel (via MMA Fighting). “I’m not talking this fight — this ain’t the biggest fight of his life. He’s fighting a motherf–ker that’s 1-2 [in the UFC]. He’s getting fed a bum. I dare him to try something like that, and then fight, and do what I did.”
Adesanya Compares His Rise To Pimblett’s
Israel Adesanya Faces Marvin Vettori In Second UFC Fight
Adesanya is referring to Pimblett’s opponent for his homecoming bout at UFC London, Kazula Vargas. Vargas is not a newcomer to MMA. He has been fighting professionally since 2011. However, he has had a tough go of it in the UFC so far in going 1-2 but is coming off a win his last time out. This, Adesanya says, pales in comparison to the competition he faced during his own rise up the UFC ranks.
“I like what he’s doing. I like the haircut, and I like how he’s owning everything and just telling it like it is. He’s speaking his truth,” Adesanya said of Pimblett. “They’re building him up. This is the thing: when I got to the UFC when I jumped in, I was ready to fight the [most] dangerous people of the division, and they threw me right in there against a grappler who was going to grapple me — at least, that’s what he tried to do. Second fight, I’m fighting blockhead [Marvin Vettori], third fight, I fight a top-ranked guy, top-10, f–k, third fight. Look, you can be a hype train but there’s levels.”
Adesanya did indeed jump right into the deep section of the UFC middleweight division when he joined the organization. He makes a good case for hurrying up the ladder, but the UFC has a tendency of slowly bringing new fighters into fighting ranked opponents, especially ones who could become stars such as Pimblett.
Adesanya fought Anderson Silva in his fifth UFC fight and fought for a title in his sixth. That may not be the right path for Pimblett, especially in such a stacked division at lightweight.
Do you agree with Israel Adesanya about Paddy Pimblett?
But MMA is more than likely one of the last things on Ortega’s mind at the moment. In a recent post to social media, he revealed that he was involved in some sort of undisclosed police incident this week and isn’t able to return to the U.S. after his license was taken by officers.
“Bitch ass corrupt cops wanted my money I told them fuck you so they took my license so I won’t be able to get back home,” Ortega shared on his Instagram story.
While Ortega’s activity in the UFC has been lacking in recent years, he remains one of the top featherweights in the promotion. Before the loss to Volkanovski, he earned big wins over the likes of ‘The Korean Zombie’ and Frankie Edgar in the cage.
There is no official update on Ortega’s whereabouts and status of returning stateside, but MMA News will keep you updated with the latest developments.
What is your reaction to Brian Ortega’s situation?
Ilia Topuria doesn’t expect tensions to have eased if he collides with lightweight prospect Paddy Pimblett again in London this week.
While they both have opponents of their own to focus on for this weekend, Kazula Vargas for the Englishman and Jai Herbert for the Georgian, Pimblett and Topuria have formed a more intense feud between themselves.
After Topuria approached Pimbett, objects and insults were exchanged, with the ranked UFC featherweight seemingly landing a punch to the Liverpudlian’s arm.
I warned you! This is what happens when you disrespect me and my country! You saw me and wanted to greet me because you shit your pants… and you should thank my team because of it wasn’t for them separating me, I would have taken your head off. @theufcbaddy 🖕 pic.twitter.com/PEdPRNGH5n
At media day, Pimblett gave his side of the story, accusing “El Matador,” who he branded “hand sanitizer boy,” of trying to “act hard” and doing “nothing” despite a clear number advantage.
During an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Topuria responded. He claimed Pimblett initially tried to act friendly. According to the Georgian, while he tries to be a “gangster” online, the Englishman was “quiet like a bitch” in person.
“He saw me and he was like, smiling at me, and he wanted me to shake his hand. I don’t know what he wanted for my part,” recalled Topuria. “And (when) I saw him, I threw a bottle to his face and then everything started. But he was quiet like a bitch. He didn’t say anything. Fuck him. He’s just a man on Twitter. This is not Twitter. This is real life. If you wanna play a gangster, be a gangster by the end. If not, just stay quiet, kid.”
When asked what would happen if he comes across Pimblett again prior to Saturday’s fight night, Topuria revealed he’s expecting a similar situation. However, if he were to find himself alone with “The Baddy,” he expects things to end very differently for the Brit.
“The same thing you saw in the video (will happen if I see him again). If I have the chance, I don’t know, if they give me the chance to be with him alone in a room, I’m gonna kill this motherfucker,” asserted Topuria.
Topuria: Pimblett Should Be Thankful After Hotel Clash
Ultimately, while footage of the incident has gone viral, the pair avoided a full-blown brawl, with members of Topuria’s entourage quickly separating their man from his fellow main-card competitor.
When recalling the incident, Pimblett suggested he escaped a six-on-one clash unscathed. But further into his conversation with Helwani, Topuria noted that the members of his team mostly played peacekeeping roles.
He believes Pimblett should be thankful for that, because if they didn’t, he would’ve ended up in hospital.
“He saw me and he shit on his pants… I was trying to take his head off. He (posted) something like, ‘It was six versus me.’ You can see in the video, my coach was on his back making a coffee,” said Topuria. “(He was) calm. He didn’t even move.
“No one touched him. My brother was separating me. Can you imagine if everyone go against him? He was alone. We will kill him,” added Topuria. “He should be thankful (to) all my teammates because they separated me. If not, he will be, I don’t know, in the hospital right now.”
the reason why I threw the bottle and right hand 👊🏻@theufcbaddy I’m a man of my word. I told you what would happen if I saw you. The one who said that was going to do something was you and you didn’t do anything other than shit your pants. Stay quiet kid🤫 pic.twitter.com/wj7rEBIsMv
UFC fan favorite Dan Hooker is looking forward to taking Arnold Allen’s featherweight momentum this weekend at UFC London.
After falling to some of the top names at lightweight, leaving him 1-3 across his last four in the division, Hooker will return to 145 pounds for the first time since 2016 on Saturday.
In his way of a successful return to the weight class will be Arnold Allen. The #7-ranked contender is unbeaten in the UFC at 8-0, a record that includes victories over Nik Lentz and Sodiq Yusuff. The “Almighty” Englishman will be hoping to surge into the title picture by adding the established name of Hooker to his résumé next.
But while Allen’s goal is to take an unblemished 9-0 slate towards the top five, “The Hangman” is looking to nab that win streak from the 28-year-old’s grasp.
Hooker: “I’m Taking That Win Streak”
Despite recording wins over high-level names like Gilbert Burns, Al Iaquinta, and Paul Felder at lightweight, Hooker believes featherweight is the weight he can thrive at. He’s looking to show that, as well as a decade of hard work, when he shares the Octagon with Allen inside London’s O2 Arena on March 19.
And while leaving with a victory over the Ipswich native is the aim, the New Zealander believes a triumph on Saturday will see him exit the Octagon with a whole lot more than a sole success.
“Man, he’s on an eight-fight win streak. I saw one of those things (graphics) pop up, and there’s only Max Holloway ahead of him,” noted Hooker at UFC London media day on Wednesday. “I saw José Aldo’s win streak was only a six-fight win streak. So you have to say, an eight-fight win streak puts him up there. He’s the second-longest win streak in featherweight history. So, that is to be respected. He just hasn’t had that name. The guys that he’s beaten have obviously been world class and incredibly talented, but they just didn’t have that drawing power.
“It’s a win-win situation for the UFC. Either they get a guy on a win streak that beats someone with some name value, or they get a guy with some name value who—I’m taking that win streak. After this, I’m gonna be on a nine-fight win streak. So I’m excited to move on to the future on my nine-fight win streak,” Hooker jested.
UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns isn’t sure whether or not to 100% trust that a win over Khamzat Chimaev will earn him a title shot.
Burns will square off with the rising star Chimaev at UFC 273. He is coming off of an impressive win over Stephen Thompson at UFC 264 and is looking to get back into the welterweight title chase.
“Yeah, but Dana also said that women (are) never gonna fight MMA,” Burns said. “He said a lot of things that I respect that when you have one opinion, but later on, you change it. And it can change. We will see. I think everything is about performance. I gotta go there and get a finish, and then I can have a title shot. But it’s all about performance. If the fight (ends) up being boring or being not what people expect, for sure we gotta do one more fight.”
Burns’ thoughts on White aren’t exactly far-fetched. White has repeatedly pivoted on various UFC-related issues, including his once unmistakable enthusiasm about getting into boxing.
Burns is looking to earn another shot at the welterweight title after losing to Kamaru Usman at UFC 258. Before that, he earned dominant wins over the likes of Tyron Woodley and Demian Maia.
Chimaev has surged into the welterweight title picture following an undefeated run in the UFC. He most recently defeated Li Jingliang at UFC 267.
Burns will look to force White and the UFC’s hand with an impressive win and potentially another welterweight title shot next.
What is your prediction for Gilbert Burns vs. Khamzat Chimaev?
UFC lightweight Paddy Pimblett heard some criticisms of his performance early on in his UFC debut, and he used it to eventually earn a finish.
Pimblett made his long-awaited UFC debut against Luigi Vendramini last September. After suffering some heavy blows early on in the fight, he would go on to blitz Vendramini and earn a first-round knockout.
Pimblett was arguably the biggest signing by the UFC last year after a successful run in Cage Warriors, which included a featherweight title win over Julian Erosa. Some questioned if Pimblett was ready for the big stage in the UFC despite his recent successes.
“Yeah, they were just going against me to be honest,” Pimblett opined. “That’s why at one point I heard DC go like, ‘He’s losing this round’, and then I was like, ‘Am I yeah? I’m losing this round?’ and that’s when I bit down on me gummy and started going on him. I think it’s hard to take him down and then when we got straight back up, I went at him and started throwing punches. I knew I broke him, he hit me with his biggest shot and I stood there. And then I heard DC and Bisping and went forward and put it on him.”
Pimblett isn’t the only one to criticize Cormier for his commentary. Rising UFC bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley blasted Cormier for perceived biased commentary during his UFC 264 victory over Kris Moutinho.
The only time Pimblett has been finished in MMA came against Cameron Else via anaconda choke submission at Cage Warriors 60. After that, he would go on to win nine in a row including the featherweight title.
Pimblett will face a tough task in the form of Kazula Vargas at UFC London this weekend. While Vargas has had his fair share of ups and downs in the UFC, he’s an experienced fighter who could test Pimblett in a plethora of ways.
Pimblett is expected to receive quite the reception when he makes his walk to the Octagon on Saturday night. He’ll look to continue to silence his critics and continue his climb in the UFC.
What is your prediction for Paddy Pimblett’s UFC return?
UFC welterweight star Colby Covington believes he’s clearly done enough to earn a shot at Israel Adesanya’s middleweight title.
Since dropping a second championship shot against reigning 170-pound king Kamaru Usman at UFC 268 last November, Covington has mostly had three names on his lips: Adesanya, Jorge Masvidal, and Dustin Poirier.
But with “The Diamond” suggesting he’ll never share the Octagon with Covington, it’s appearing unlikely that the grudge match will come to fruition. Rounding out his list is “The Last Stylebender,” but the recent remarks of UFC President Dana White seem to suggest that’s also off the table.
“I mean, Colby would have to go up and beat [Jared] Cannonier or [Robert] Whittaker or somebody like that to even be in the discussion with a fight with Adesanya.” (h/t Sportskeeda)
Covington Disagrees With White’s Stance
During a recent appearance on Submission Radio, Covington, who’s targeting a summer return, discussed his options should Poirier maintain his current attitude towards a matchup with him.
“I think I could definitely go up to ’85 and fight Adesanya (in the summer),” said Covington. “But I don’t know if he’s gonna turn around like that. He doesn’t have a dance partner right now. I mean, some of the guys they’re trying to line him up with is unoriginal. Why could Usman fight him? All the fans want that…I beat Usman twice. Usman sucks, dude. Everybody knew, in Madison Square Garden, I won those last three rounds. It was an easy win for me. Easy decision victory, unanimous.
“So why can’t I fight Adesanya? That guy can’t stop my wrestling,” claimed Covington. “I’ll pick him up and drop him on his fucking head. He’s a cardio kickboxer. They’ve got enough cardio kickboxers in women’s classes around the US. I can go join one of those. I decided to pick up hard, grueling American wrestling. I don’t think Adesanya can stop my American wrestling and I don’t think he’s that good of a fighter.”
UFC welterweight contender Stephen Thompson wants to run it back with Jorge Masvidal as both fighters look to stay in the title chase.
Thompson and Masvidal are both on losing streaks in the UFC’s welterweight division, which would’ve surprised many back in 2019. Masvidal most recently fell to Colby Covington at UFC 272, while Thompson lost a lopsided unanimous decision to Belal Muhammad last December.
Thompson still has aspirations of another UFC welterweight title shot before he calls it a career. Now, he feels the time is right to fight Masvidal in a matchup between two welterweights in desperate need of a win.
Stephen Thompson, Jorge Masvidal
Thompson fought Masvidal at UFC 217, earning a unanimous decision victory. This was Masvidal’s last fight before his self-proclaimed “resurrection” in which he won three straight in 2019.
“I would like to fight in May, we will see though. I had some names thrown at me like Robbie Lawler and now Masvidal came off the loss so that would be a fun rematch,” Thompson said. “The NMF vs. the BMF, so yeah man those are the kind of the guys I’m looking at. Give me a striker for my next fight. Don’t give me a wrestler, and the wrestlers are just a different pedigree. I’ve fought wrestlers in the past but now they are on a different level.”
Masvidal has squashed speculation that he may retire after the loss to Covington and seems intent on a quick return to the Octagon later this year. The timing may make sense for a fight with Thompson on an upcoming pay-per-view card.
Masvidal is looking to potentially get another shot with his former friend turned rival Covington shortly. If he wants any chance at redemption, a win over Thompson could be a big step in the right direction.
Do you want to see Stephen Thompson vs. Jorge Masvidal 2?
Rising UFC lightweight prospect Paddy Pimblett believes former two-division champion Conor McGregor deserves more respect for what he’s achieved in the sport of MMA.
Pimblett is the latest fighter from across the Atlantic labeled the ‘next McGregor’. Through his entertaining fighting style, previous Cage Warriors championship success, and outspoken personality, many expect “The Baddy,” who made a successful UFC debut last September, to follow in the Irishman’s footsteps.
Ahead of his latest appearance inside the Octagon, Pimblett has returned the favor by speaking incredibly highly of the UFC’s first simultaneous double champ.
Pimblett Returns The Favor With McGregor Compliment
Despite his accomplishments in MMA’s premier promotion, which includes title glory at both featherweight and lightweight, and wins over names like Dustin Poirier, Nate Diaz, Chad Mendes, Max Holloway, and José Aldo, McGregor’s achievements are often pushed behind his famed trash talk, outside-the-cage antics, and current losing skid in discussions.
For Pimblett, that needs to change. During a recent interview with Combat Sports UK, “The Baddy” asserted that McGregor deserves more respect for changing the game in MMA, both in terms of ability and wealth.
“He changed the game, simple as that. He’s changed the game for when it comes to fighter pay and stuff like that,” claimed Pimblett. “I don’t understand how people can put him down. He’s the first double champ. People need to put more respect on his name. Man, it’s easy to kick someone when he’s down but when he was at his highest, he was taking the sport to levels we’ve never seen.” (h/t Sportskeeda)
To continue that pursuit, he’ll have to get past Rodrigo “Kazula” Vargas in his sophomore Octagon outing this weekend at UFC London.
If he manages to secure a win in front of his home crowd, he’ll certainly increase the attention around his name and perhaps even prove that an Anfield headliner isn’t too far away…
https://www.instagram.com/p/CbIRLrSuhE0/
Do you think Paddy Pimblett can get close to reaching the heights Conor McGregor has in the UFC?
Namajunas is coming off of back-to-back wins over Zhang Weili in 2021, including most recently in an immediate title rematch at UFC 268. She reclaimed UFC gold by knocking Weili out with a head kick at UFC 261.
Namajunas has won three straight fights since losing her strawweight title to Jéssica Andrade at UFC 237, before getting revenge against Andrade in a non-title bout at UFC 251.
Carla Esparza, Image Credit: Getty Images
Esparza makes her return to the strawweight title fight following five-straight wins. She most recently earned a dominant second-round submission of Yan Xiaonan last May after winning a close split decision over Marina Rodriguez.
Esparza won the then-vacant strawweight championship following a win over Namajunas on The Ultimate Fighter 20. She went on to lose to Joanna Jędrzejczyk in her first title defense at UFC 185.
Namajunas hasn’t had many stumbles since the loss to Esparza. She has earned dominant wins over Jędrzejczyk, Paige VanZant, and Michelle Waterson, to name a few.
UFC 274 will be headlined by a lightweight title bout between Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje. It’s expected that Namajunas vs. Esparza 2 will serve as the co-main event.
The Scotsman, who had a string of bad luck when it came to fights falling through late last year, cited his hopes to avoid unnecessary damage as the reason for his relatively early desired exit from the sport.
However, as Craig gets set for his first appearance of 2022 and since a brutal victory over Jamahal Hill last June, he’s provided a positive update for those hoping to see a lot more of him inside the Octagon.
(via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports)
Speaking to BT Sport’s Nick Peet ahead of this Saturday’s UFC London card, “Bearjew” agreed to extend his retirement plan by two years. He named the pursuit of light heavyweight gold as the reason for his change of heart.
“Let’s do it. Let’s add two years,” said Craig. “You know what changes people’s minds? There’s a few things in life that will change people’s minds. One of them is a sniff of gold, a gold rush. So I’ve got a gold fever and I’m here for the long haul. The other thing is women. If a woman decides you’re not retiring, then you’re working. So there’s two factors that stop people from retiring. One of them is definitely in my mind at the moment.”
Discussing the open landscape of the light heavyweight division, Craig suggested he’s got a newfound appetite for rising the ranks and joining the likes of Jan Blachowicz, Magomed Ankalaev, and Jiří Procházka in contention.
“It’s getting that gold. The light heavyweight division is moving so quickly,” noted Craig. “We’ve got guys like Jan, who just lost the belt to Glover (Teixeira). Glover’s 42. People believe they can beat him. Jiří Procházka believes he can beat him. So we’ve got that fight happening, we’ve got Ankalaev, who won at the weekend, he’s looking for that gold.
“This is one of the most exciting divisions because we’ve not got somebody like Kamaru Usman,” Craig continued. “You’ve got divisions where the champ stays there and it’s very, very hard to dethrone them. In this division, the champ can be there and he can be there for six months and he’s gone. I’m excited to be part of this.”
Paul Craig’s Path To Gold Starts At UFC London
Seemingly possessing a fresh motivation and sense of ambition, Craig’s targeted march towards Teixeira’s throne will begin this weekend at UFC London.
He further told BT Sport that in order to break through into the group of elite, he must beat “The Minor” convincingly.
“This fight with Krylov, I’m just outside the top 10, I believe I have put in my work, I believe I have done the hard work, I’ve done the unbeaten fighters, I’ve done the guys who the UFC expect to be pushed, like Jamahal Hill… I want to be that. I want to get that push. I want to get higher, into that top five. I want to beat Krylov convincingly.
“I want to be in that top five and I want to be in that mention of, ‘Ankalaev’s close to the title, Procházka’s close to the title, what about Paul Craig? I’m excited to see what a jiu-jitsu practitioner can do in that top five.’ That’s what I want,” Craig concluded.
Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC London this weekend, Paul Craig or Nikita Krylov?
UFC bantamweight titleholder Aljamain Sterling and former champ Petr Yan are back at it again on social media ahead of their rematch.
Sterling and Yan will finally meet in their highly-anticipated bantamweight title rematch at UFC 273. This comes nearly a year to the day of their first matchup when Sterling earned the belt via disqualification after Yan landed an illegal knee late in the fight.
In a recent tweet, Sterling roasted Yan for how he’s handled the loss in their first fight last year.
In order to grow you need to accept your losses like a man. The first step in the process of healing is accepting your short-comings. In other words, bro, you lost! 🤦🏾♂️ https://t.co/slWxoAKDNDpic.twitter.com/8pY0YJ3YAZ
“In order to grow you need to accept your losses like a man,” Sterling said. “The first step in the process of healing is accepting your short-comings. In other words, bro, you lost!”
If recent history was any indicator, it didn’t take Yan long to respond to Sterling’s banter. He responded by attacking how Sterling handled his controversial win over him at UFC 259.
“At least I didn’t (lose) my dignity like you,” Yan replied. “I can envision yourself crying after our next fight again. I will beat the living shit out of you dog. Looking forward to your healing process.”
While Yan fired back in a big way, it was Sterling that would get the final word for now, making a play on words on Yan’s first name.
The only tears I’ll be shedding are for your funeral, after I body bag you April 9th for the world to see.
“The only tears I’ll be shedding are for your funeral, after I body bag you April 9th for the world to see,” Sterling responded. “You “Betr” show up!”
The rematch between Sterling and Yan was supposed to take place on multiple occasions in 2021, but the fight was moved due to various circumstances. Sterling has been battling injuries over the last few months and appears fully recovered and ready for his rematch with Yan.
After Sterling pulled out of their originally scheduled bout at UFC 267, Yan would fight and defeat Cory Sandhagen for the interim bantamweight title. Before his controversial loss to Sterling, Yan earned the then-vacant title over José Aldo at UFC 251.
We are just weeks away from the Sterling/Yan rematch and fans can expect plenty of banter back-and-forth between these two top 135-pounders.
What is your prediction for Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan 2?
Vargas and Pimblett will square off on the UFC London main card in front of what should be a raucous crowd at The O2 Arena. This will be Pimblett’s second fight in the UFC, and first in the U.K. since his time in Cage Warriors.
Vargas is looking to steal the show and earn a big win over Pimblett. He’s coming off of a unanimous decision win over Zhu Rong at UFC 261 last year.
Pimblett earned the main card slot due to a massive following. But, Vargas isn’t sure if Pimblett is deserving of the added attention this early in his UFC tenure.
During his UFC London pre-fight press conference, Vargas questioned whether or not Pimblett’s accolades in MMA are worth the intense hype ahead of their fight.
“It’s normal for him to have all this hype, he’s from London and most of his fights have been here. But I actually think he’s a bit of a kid. He’s got good things, but he’s got a lot of bad things as well.
“He’s probably overrated.”
Vargas went on to explain why he feels Pimblett is overrated and what he’s taken from his past performances.
“I haven’t seen all of his fights, but I’ve seen about five or six. I think he’s got a lot of holes in his fights and we’ll try to take advantage of that. But like all UFC fighters, we’re here because we’re the best and we’ll try to take advantage of those holes.”
Pimblett was arguably the biggest signing by the UFC in 2021, following a decorated stint in Cage Warriors. His debut arguably lived up to the immense hype with a first-round knockout of Luigi Vendramini last September.
Vargas is looking to back up his claim that Pimblett is overrated this weekend at UFC London. If he’s able to earn a win over Pimblett, he may steal some of his hype in the process.
What is your prediction for Kazula Vargas vs. Paddy Pimblett?
Former UFC double champion Daniel Cormier has laughed off Alex Pereira’s callout of Jared Cannonier telling the fighter to be realistic.
Pereira took the opportunity in his post-fight press conference at UFC Vegas 50 to call out ‘The Killa Gorilla’ following his unanimous decision win over Bruno Silva.
The UFC middleweight is now 2-0 in the UFC having already defeated Andreas Michailidis in his spectacular UFC debut where he pulled off a flying knee knockout.
Since joining the UFC, it hasn’t taken long for Pereira to bring up his former foe Israel Adesanya with the Brazilian mentioning him often in the build-up to UFC Vegas 50.
Their rivalry goes far back to Pereira’s early days competing in Glory where he is widely known as the only man to defeat Adesanya having done so twice. Once via unanimous decision, with the second time coming in even more convincing fashion scoring a KO/TKO victory.
It now appears Pereira is looking for the quickest route possible to a title shot against the UFC middleweight champion. His latest callout of Cannonier seems ambitious in implying the former Glory kickboxing double-champion wants to fight Adesanya as soon as possible.
Alex Pereira
Yet Cannonier looks set for the next title shot himself meaning the Brazilian’s callout seems unrealistic at this stage. Especially considering Pereira has only had two fights in the organization and is yet to face a ranked opponent.
Cormier has now taken the opportunity to give his thoughts on Pereira’s callout on his ESPN show DC & RC. (h/t BJPenn.com)
“He goes and calls out a guy in Jared Cannonier who’s obviously fighting for the championship,” said Cormier. “Like what are we doing here? I mean, fight someone in the top 15 [first], fight someone in the top 10. Like, I get shooting for the stars, but the stars is anyone with a number next to their name at this point.
“Then again, it’s the wins over Izzy in kickboxing that gives him this sense of invincibility. He’s watching this guy that he knocked out run roughshod over the division, become a megastar and make tons of money. Ultimately, he’s trying to find the shortest path to get to where he feels he belongs. So, hats off to him. But, come on man! Let’s be realistic in the way that we approach our journey through the UFC’s rankings.”
It’s clear Cormier wants to see Pereira face a ranked opponent before he is even mentioned amongst the top contenders at middleweight. We may well see Pereira modify his preferred opponent should Cannonier be confirmed to face Adesanya next any time soon.
What do you make of Alex Pereira’s callout of Jared Cannonier?
Joanna Jędrzejczyk believes we will hear “And Still” when Rose Namajunas rematches Carla Esparza sometime later this year at a date TBD.
Namajunas and Esparza first fought back in 2014 for the inaugural strawweight title which Esparza won by third-round submission in the finale of TUF 20. After that, Jędrzejczyk went on to beat Esparza to win the belt and had it until Namajunas knocked her out in 2017.
With Namajunas reclaiming the belt in 2021, she now appears set to rematch Esparza sometime this year. It’s an intriguing matchup as Esparza has had a career turnaround of sorts but in the rematch, Jędrzejczyk believes it will be Namajunas getting her hand raised this time around.
“I think that Rose will defend her belt,” Jedrzejczyk told MMA Junkie. “Carla won back in the day in 2014, but both of them are totally different fighters, different athletes with different mentality, as well, but I think that Rose will win this fight. She’s very strong. She’s very, very fast. Her timing is just perfect with her footwork. Of course, Carla has a few wins streak, but Rose is a different level, I think.”
If Rosa Namajunas does defeat Carla Esparza as Joanna Jędrzejczyk thinks it’s likely Marina Rodriguez would be next for the champ. However, the Pole has made it known she still wants the third fight against ‘Thug’ even though she’s 0-2 to the champ.
The plan for Jędrzejczyk is to rematch Weili Zhang sometime this year and should she win, she could very well earn another title shot. She still remains a big name in the sport and she could help sell the fight against Namajunas, which could happen sometime in 2023 as she looks to reclaim her belt.
Who do you think will win the fight between Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza?
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/57470047/224_Stephen_Thompson_and_Jorge_Masvidal.0.jpg)
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23308959/1351758575.jpg)
