MMA News

Tag: UFC 300

  • Justin Gaethje After First Rewatch Of UFC 300 Loss: ‘I Fought Really Well’

    Justin Gaethje After First Rewatch Of UFC 300 Loss: ‘I Fought Really Well’

    Though the night ended in the worst way possible for him, UFC lightweight contender Justin Gaethje saw plenty of positives to take from his most recent fight.

    Gaethje is slated to co-headline this weekend’s UFC 313 pay-per-view in a rematch against Rafael Fiziev, who’s stepped up on late notice to replace the injured Dan Hooker.

    For “The Highlight,” Saturday’s event will mark his first outing in 11 months, having not appeared since a crushing last-second knockout loss to Max Holloway at UFC 300 last April.

    Much has been made about the impact of that setback leading up to Gaethje’s return, and the man himself revealed during media day that he sat down and watched the full fight back for the first time just days out from UFC 313.

    “I just watched the Max fight today for the first time,” he said during media day. “I actually think I fought really well. It was just he was so great that night. … I just figured it was about time (to rewatch it). … To be fair, I did stop it with 10 seconds left (laughs). I’ve seen that part plenty of times.”

    Gaethje went on to address his previous comments about returning to a more aggressive style in 2025. That, coupled with a “refined” skillset, will make for a dangerous combination in the eyes of the ex-interim champ.

  • Shara Magomedov Claims His Spinning Backfist KO Was Better Than Max Holloway’s UFC 300 Buzzer-Beater

    Shara Magomedov Claims His Spinning Backfist KO Was Better Than Max Holloway’s UFC 300 Buzzer-Beater

    Rising UFC middleweight Shara Magomedov has explained why he believes his double spinning backfist finish last time out was superior to the consensus Knockout of the Year in 2024.

    Magomedov was in fine form inside the Octagon across the past 12 months, winning three straight fights to bring his UFC tally of victories to four and perfect professional record to 15-0.

    The best of those results came in the Dagestani’s most recent outing, which saw him stop Armen Petrosyan with an innovative and memorable double spinning backfist at UFC 308 last October.

    That finish perhaps could have been in contention for Knockout of the Year awards at the end of 2024 if it wasn’t for the work of one Max Holloway, whose offer to throw down with Justin Gaethje in the closing seconds of their BMF title fight at UFC 300 culminated in one of the sport’s all-time highlights.

    Magomedov, though, would still give his violent KO the edge.

    “Of course, I think mine is better because mine was really a work of art,” Magomedov told MMA Fighting via his translator. “The Max knockout, even though it was fun to watch, it was basically a brawl, and how many times have we seen a brawl in a UFC fight? There’s been tons of them. But the one that I’ve done has never been done or never has been performed before in the Octagon.”

    While most media outlets and fans would likely disagree given the way they went with Knockout of the Year awards, Magomedov is bestowing himself with a grander honor.

    “I guess they’re right, they really did have a Knockout of the Year,” Magomedov said. “But mine was a Knockout of the Century.”

    Magomedov will now look to raise the bar even further with a 13th career knockout this weekend. To do so, he’s tasked with sending Michael “Venom” Page to the first losing skid of his career in the co-main event of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

    Given “MVP’s” penchant for KOs, Magomedov may need to be wary, lest he find himself on the receiving end of such a finish inside anb Arena.

  • PFL CEO Says Battle Of The Giants Card Exceeds UFC 300 & UFC 306 As Biggest Event Of The Year

    PFL CEO Says Battle Of The Giants Card Exceeds UFC 300 & UFC 306 As Biggest Event Of The Year

    Undoubtedly the biggest MMA event of the weekend sees the PFL host the most significant night in the history of the promotion to date. Battle Of The Giants sees the promotion’s biggest ever signing, the former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, make his long awaited debut.

    His fight with Renan Ferreira is the real draw here because fans have waited a long time to see “The Predator” step back into MMA following his recent boxing contests. That being said, there’s other fights on this card that make it the PFL’s best event to date.

    The main card in particular features several homerun match-ups from the promotion that really shows the strength of the roster and how much it has improved since the Bellator acquisition.

    As they prepare for a massive night of fights in Riyadh, PFL CEO Peter Murray spoke about the card in a recent interview with MMA Junkie. In his opinion, Saturday’s event is the clear winner for the biggest and baddest event of 2024 in the MMA world.

    He specifically referenced how it stacks up when you compare this weekend’s card to the likes of UFC 300 and UFC 306 which would also be in the same conversation. There was criticism from some fans of both of those events for not having the kinds of cards that would live up to the high expectations on paper.

    In hindsight, it’s fair to say that both produced pretty special nights this year, even if some of the big fights at UFC 306 weren’t the most entertaining. Regardless, Murray believes that Battle Of The Giants stands tall not only next to any PFL event, but any MMA event that has taken place this year.

    “This is the biggest event of absolutely the PFL company history and the biggest event of the year and, you know, I’m looking forward to stacking this up against, when you look at the cards from UFC 300, The Sphere, but like as it relates to the card, this fight, this event on October 19, biggest of the year, second to none.”

  • Cody Brundage Reflects On Bo Nickal Defeat At UFC 300 Ahead Of Denver Return: ‘I Didn’t Feel Outclassed’

    Cody Brundage Reflects On Bo Nickal Defeat At UFC 300 Ahead Of Denver Return: ‘I Didn’t Feel Outclassed’

    UFC middleweight Cody Brundage recently opened up about his loss to Bo Nickal at UFC 300. He expressed remorse over not fully capitalizing on the chance to perform at his best in one of the most crucial fights of his career to date.

    Brundage is poised for his comeback against Abdul Razak Alhassan on the main card of UFC Fight Night Denver, scheduled for this Saturday at the Ball Arena in Colorado.

    Over the past 18 months, the South Carolina native has maintained a highly active schedule, with this weekend’s bout against Alhassan marking his sixth appearance in the Octagon since April 2023.

    Brundage has had a challenging run, posting a 2-3 record during this period. His most recent outing was a second-round submission loss to Nickal at the UFC’s milestone event this past April.

    The former LOC two-division champion demonstrated remarkable resilience and forced the wrestling specialist to exert extra effort, becoming the first fighter to push his opponent into the second round.

    Despite being defeated, Brundage believes he was never completely outshone by Nickal. Instead, he attributes his loss to a few minute mistakes that proved costly…

    Brundage Laments Lost Opportunity Against Nickal, Asserts Minor Adjustments Could Have Changed Outcome

    During a recent interview with InsideFighting, Brundage pondered his defeat against Nickal and also expressed frustration at not securing a victory at UFC 300, recognizing the lost chance to shine on such a significant stage.

    “I mean, it definitely was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Brundage said. “It was cool; it was such a great opportunity. I wish I would have cashed in on it and taken advantage of it.”

    The 30-year-old went on to commend Nickal for his impressive performance, admitting that a few critical errors on his part ultimately precipitated his defeat.

    “I didn’t feel outclassed when I was in the fight. I just think I got little overzealous. I didn’t keep my composure as well as I probably should have and that led to him having some success, and props to him, you know, he was able to finish the fight.

    “I could have represented myself even a little bit better than I (did), but as far as the experience, it was awesome.”

    Brundage made his promotional debut at UFC 266 in September 2021, where he suffered a decision loss to Nick Maximov. To date, he has struggled to leave a lasting impression in the UFC, securing only four wins out of his nine fights.

  • Jalin Turner Attributes Hesitation To Finish Renato Moicano At UFC 300 To Late Stoppage In Bobby Green Fight: ‘My Conscience Kicked In…’

    Jalin Turner Attributes Hesitation To Finish Renato Moicano At UFC 300 To Late Stoppage In Bobby Green Fight: ‘My Conscience Kicked In…’

    Jalin Turner was on the verge of beginning an impressive win streak by defeating Renato Moicano at UFC 300 and reclaiming his position as a promising contender in the lightweight division. 

    However, this is not how things went and many believe it to be because of Turner walking off after knocking down Moicano toward the end of the first round.  Instead of getting on top and getting a likely TKO win, Turner turned away as if the fight was over.

    Moicano, on the other hand, was far from knocked out and quickly got back up on his feet. Despite being wobbly, Moicano survived the last 15 seconds and ended up winning the fight via TKO in the second round. 

    Turner’s decision to not follow up with ground and pound was widely criticized. Looking back at it, the fighter has finally revealed what was going through his mind in that moment…

    ‘Rampage’ Jackson Correctly Predicts Why Turner Didn’t Finish Moicano At UFC 300

    Turner recently appeared on the Jaxxon Podcast, hosted by former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson. “Rampage,” who was a devastating KO artist during his prime, was able to accurately make out how Turner’s controversial TKO win over Bobby Green affected his mentality. 

    “I’ve been thinking about this. I think I know why you walked off [against Moicano]. ‘Cause the last time the referee took his damn time stopping the fight and you such a good guy, you didn’t want to hurt nobody.”

    As it turns out, this is exactly what stopped Turner from going for the finish against Moicano.

    He recollected the backlash he received after the fight with Green as he landed several shots before the referee finally stepped in, even after it was apparent that Green wasn’t fighting back at all. 

    “That’s exactly what it is. My conscience just kind of kicked in a little bit, like mid-fight.

    “My conscience really kicked in the fight, like even before the fight, I didn’t, like, fully, like, get to that, ‘Oh, I gotta like kill this dude instinct.’ I was just like, it’s a fight. I’m just, ‘Go, do a like, you know, just go perform,’ and yeah, that’s what happened.”

  • Kayla Harrison: UFC Debut Against Holly Holm First Time In ‘A While’ I Was Excited To Fight

    Kayla Harrison: UFC Debut Against Holly Holm First Time In ‘A While’ I Was Excited To Fight

    Two-time PFL champion Kayla Harrison regained her joy for mixed martial arts competition when she entered the UFC Octagon for the first time.

    Harrison jumped into the deep end in 2024, committing to a weight drop that appeared unrealistic in the eyes of many in order to realize her dream of competing on MMA’s biggest stage.

    Having won a pair of gold medals in judo and found championship success inside the PFL SmartCage, Harrison set her sights on a long-discussed pursuit of UFC gold. And that got underway in the perfect way.

    At the milestone UFC 300 pay-per-view event in Las Vegas last month, the Ohio native made a splash on debut, dominating former bantamweight queen Holly Holm en route to a second-round submission.

    Harrison has since acknowledged her enjoyment throughout fight week and inside the Octagon. That feeling, as it turns out, was something she was missing during the latter part of her PFL stint.

    Kayla Harrison Relished UFC ‘Challenge’ After Unexciting Period 

    During a recent appearance on UFC Unfiltered, Harrison looked back on her first taste of the UFC experience, both outside the cage and opposite “The Preacher’s Daughter” on fight night.

    In addition to advancing her competitive goals by immediately breaking into the bantamweight rankings at #4, Harrison spoke about the positive impact the change of scenery has had on her.

    Put simply, she is enjoying fighting again.

    “It’s tough because, first of all, I f*cking love the UFC. I am a company girl now, through and through,” Harrison said. “The level of professionalism, the level of excitement, the energy, the employees’ enthusiasm, their kindness. I was just like, ‘Hell yeah!’ I was cutting a bunch of weight, so I was kind of riding that energy high all week.

    “It felt a lot like the Olympics. Not as big… but it felt very similar,” Harrison continued. “Like, ‘Oh sh*t, here I am. This is what I’ve been training my whole life for. Every single part of my story led me to this moment.’ And when I stepped in the cage, man, (I was) calm, cool, and collected… I enjoyed the whole process. I was super pumped to fight Holly. Listen, I’ve fought a lot of tough fighters, but I think it had been a while since I was excited to fight. I don’t really fight for money. I wanted a challenge.”

    While Harrison focuses on journey toward another piece of gold in combat sports, her former employer continues to take digs at her.

    During a recent appearance on the Weighing In podcast with John McCarthy and Josh Thomson, PFL founder and chairman Donn Davis branded Harrison a “follower who needs validation.”

  • VIDEO: Justin Gaethje Shares First Training Footage Since Brutal KO Loss To Max Holloway At UFC 300

    Former interim UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje is back in light training a month and a half on from a devastating defeat in Las Vegas.

    While it appeared last year that a memorable victory over Dustin Poirier had netted Gaethje a third shot at undisputed title glory, his subsequent assignment was instead a defense of the symbolic BMF belt.

    On the main card of last month’s milestone UFC 300 pay-per-view, “The Highlight” put the strap on the line in a highly anticipated clash with Max Holloway. While the featherweight legend’s previous venture to 155 pounds left many favoring Gaethje pre-fight, “Blessed” put on a masterclass.

    And after moving ahead on the scorecards, Holloway ultimately closed the show in emphatic fashion with a buzzer-beating knockout that left Gaethje face down on the Octagon canvas.

    Gaethje Back In Training 6 Weeks On From UFC 300 Defeat

    Given the brutal nature of the finish, fans aren’t expecting to see Gaethje back inside the cage anytime soon. The ex-interim champ has admitted that it would be ill-advised for him to return to sparring within six months of the UFC 300 loss.

    “The Highlight” has, however, been letting his fists fly again. In a recent video on social media, Gaethje shared footage of his return to light training. He donned the boxing gloves to hit the heavy bag, which you can watch here.

    “Trying to get back in the routine,” he wrote in the caption.

    The 35-year-old Arizona native has appeared to remain positive despite the setback, which stalled his plans to finally reach the lightweight throne at the expense of current kingpin Islam Makhachev.

    In the immediate aftermath, Gaethje reassured his fans that he was still in “great spirits” and offered his congratulations to Holloway, who became the third BMF champ on April 13.

    With his defeat, former two-time opponent Poirier will mark the next challenge for Makhachev to overcome. The pair will collide in the main event of this weekend’s UFC 302 event in Newark, New Jersey.

    Holloway, meanwhile, is in hot pursuit of Ilia Topuria’s featherweight gold.