https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjSx2y4gTq8
the latest FN schedule is Ankalaev vs. Walker 2. they deserved this since the first ended to somewhat very questionable. the referee just stop the fight when Walker answers in the desert when questioned where he was. this time they are in the UFC Apex at least.
I didn't know Strickland vs Du Plessis is happening this month. Their viral brawl was a great way to market this event and I cannot wait for their pre-fight conference ;D I think Du Plessis is the better all-around fighter but I'm still rooting for Strickland. Sean earned a lot of respect because of how he dismantled Adesanya and I think it's better for the division if he holds on to the belt longer.
the latest FN schedule is Ankalaev vs. Walker 2. they deserved this since the first ended to somewhat very questionable. the referee just stop the fight when Walker answers in the desert when questioned where he was. this time they are in the UFC Apex at least.
To me it looked like Walker was fit to fight, but was hoping for an easy win by disqualification. That didn't happen and the fight was declared as no contest instead.
I think Ankalaev will run him over this time. The bookies agree. Although I'm not a big fan of neither of them.
he would have won if the timing was right like Aljamain did to Petre Yan. but before that knee he tried to tease Ankalaev so the guy did his full throttle.
Michael Chandler interview with ESPN MMA about his fight with Conor McGregor on Middleweight.
he waited this long for this, he didn't fight for a long time but he is sure off their fight to happen on June 29.
Thanks for sharing. Chandler sounds very confident as expected. He played it nicely saying that he's 100% that the fight will happen on 29th June because Conor always sticks to his word. Now if McGregor pulls out or tries to push it back, it'll make him look bad and dishonourable.Would you please give us some real fights UFC? ::)
Would you please give us some real fights UFC? ::)
McGregor in 2024 is old overrated guy and he should better get a new job of official UFC mascot, that is the only reason Dana White is keeping him in roster ;D
I dont think he has a chance against Chandler, but maybe he is going to create another incident or promotion for his other business, he is good in doing that.
I think so too, McGregor has had that "retired" vibe for quite some time now. He's not yet that old, but he changed a lot. Even listening to his interviews, he seemed to have lost his biggest asset - trash talk abilities.McGregor is 35 years now, that is not anymore young and hungry fighter like he was once upon a time.
But as long as there's demand, UFC will be milking that cow, and I don't really mind it.
I think so too, McGregor has had that "retired" vibe for quite some time now. He's not yet that old, but he changed a lot. Even listening to his interviews, he seemed to have lost his biggest asset - trash talk abilities.McGregor is 35 years now, that is not anymore young and hungry fighter like he was once upon a time.
But as long as there's demand, UFC will be milking that cow, and I don't really mind it.
Dana and UFC can milk him for few more fights, and I am sure they are going to offer him some other job in company maybe as commentator.
He lost all my respect after his poor performance and bad behavior against Khabib.
~I'm tempted to say he's also on crack ;D He looks so different now maybe because of the stuffs he snorts or injects (whatever the case may be).
35yo can still fight but Conor however has cracked leg. one cracked leg couldn't stand half his body weight.
35yo can still fight but Conor however has cracked leg. one cracked leg couldn't stand half his body weight. he will keep his guard on this leg preventing him to carry out offense. when Anderson Silva had this situation, he wasn't the same. his come back fight failed though out the end of his career.
Few days to go before the Ankalaev vs. Walker 2. I also think Ankalaev would win this but let's see if he approaches the fight cautiously this time. Hopefully, the illegal knee won't affect how he fights. Is there other fighter we should look out for in this card?
Ankalaev was seriously pissed off at Walker for not wanting to continue the last time around. So he'll probably want to rip his head off. I expect him to be aggressive from the start.I cant see any other outcome other than Ankalaev winning this fight in dominant way.
I cant see any other outcome other than Ankalaev winning this fight in dominant way.
This card dont have many big name fighters and I looked at calendar for next few events, it is the same situation.
UFC 300 event is something I really want to watch but that is few months away in April :P
They've just added 2 fights to the UFC 300 main card: Cody Garbrandt Vs. Deiveson Figueiredo and Weili Zhang Vs. YanXiaonan. But I think I'm looking forward more to UFC 297 Sean Strickland Vs. Dricus Du Plessis or UFC 298 Alexander Volkanovski Vs. IliaTopuria.I think it is a bad decision to make this main event of the card, but Dana White is slowly making UFC into Titanic sinking ship :P
There will surely be a lot of good fights before the UFC 300.
Ankalaev won as we expected but I'm disappointed with how Walker went out after all that showing at the end of the first round. He kept circling to the left and then as if he walked right into Analaev's right hand. I guess his last name Walker is there for good reason ;D
Next up is UFC 297 with main even Strickland vs Du Plessis.
This is fight for Middleweight Championship and I think small things will decide winner in this fight.
Strickland is favorite but I expected lower odds on him after he defeated Adesanya few months ago.
This is not easy one to predict and rest of the fights on this card are similar.
Next up is UFC 297 with main even Strickland vs Du Plessis.
This is fight for Middleweight Championship and I think small things will decide winner in this fight.
Strickland is favorite but I expected lower odds on him after he defeated Adesanya few months ago.
This is not easy one to predict and rest of the fights on this card are similar.
I have a feeling Du Plessis will be taking the belt from Sean. But from more logical approach, Sean's defence is pretty solid when he stays focussed and has a better cardio, so that's a slight advantage. The problem is both like to be the aggressive ones who keep pressing forward. If that happens, the risk of brawl increases, which benefits Du Plessis more. So the question is: will Sean be able to stay on the outside and play the long game?
It's pretty much a 50/50 fight, that's what makes it interesting. I can't wait.
when it comes to boxing, Sean is superior against Du Plessis. they fight for 5 rounds standing and Sean will still have the stamina to carry out his strikes. he could do the same approach with Izzy to defend his title.I didnt watch Du Plessis fighting so far, and I think he is going to have harder time adapting to Canadian weather and different time zone from South Africa.
when it comes to boxing, Sean is superior against Du Plessis. they fight for 5 rounds standing and Sean will still have the stamina to carry out his strikes. he could do the same approach with Izzy to defend his title.
what could go wrong however is that Du Plessis can take him down which Du Plessis could dominate in the end. he was the first to have hyped to fight Izzy until Sean put himself in the picture. that was the time they both start trash talking then.
when it comes to boxing, Sean is superior against Du Plessis. they fight for 5 rounds standing and Sean will still have the stamina to carry out his strikes. he could do the same approach with Izzy to defend his title.
what could go wrong however is that Du Plessis can take him down which Du Plessis could dominate in the end. he was the first to have hyped to fight Izzy until Sean put himself in the picture. that was the time they both start trash talking then.
Du Plessis is known to be a very awkward guy to fight against. He might not seem like a great striker as he moves a bit unconventionally, but he has been very effective in his striking so far.
I remember him knocking out Roberto Soldic back in his KSW days, when he was in his early 20s. Soldic was a phenomenal striker and was undefeated, but yet, DDP managed to KO him (he lost the rematch though).
As for the ground game - I don't know. Strickland has a wrestling background and allegedly has a very good takedown defence and both seem to prefer striking, so we might not see any ground action at all.
DDP brings out the worse of Sean with his crying about daddy issues. Sean will make mistakes in the cage, he loses his control recently just want to attack DDP anywhere. if he wins, his celebration though will quickly end once he learns his next fight is Pereira.
I just watched a live pre-fight conference. Strickland said it was never personal and they both shook hands on the agreement to fight to the death or something. It was nice and respectful ;DIt is going to be hot MMA night in cold Toronto ;D
It is going to be hot MMA night in cold Toronto ;D
I hear that winter this year is colder and maybe that wont be ideal condition for Dricus Du Plessis, that is my main reason to go with Strickland winning this fight.
It is much harder to defend the title than to win it for the first time, so I am giving Strickland only a small advantage.
Odds are good I think.
So there's a new middleweight champ as Du Plessis defeated Strickland via split decision. How did you see the fight? Looking at the official scorecard, it was the third round that made the difference or it could have been unanimous (2 judges - DDP, 1 judge - SS). Honestly, I didn't think it was going to be a decision but this is a perfect setup for a rematch. What do you think?
Yeah, it was a cautious and calculated fight.So there's a new middleweight champ as Du Plessis defeated Strickland via split decision. How did you see the fight? Looking at the official scorecard, it was the third round that made the difference or it could have been unanimous (2 judges - DDP, 1 judge - SS). Honestly, I didn't think it was going to be a decision but this is a perfect setup for a rematch. What do you think?
with the way they fight, i would not give them the chance to fight again if i were Dana. they excite people with their trash talks as if they are about to bite each others ears and then the result was like two kids tickling each other. but now that Dana was also showing some doubts that it was Sean who won then maybe there is a chance.
but i think Dana will bring back Adesanya to fight Sean and then DDP after it to which UFC 300 will have a golden canvass. ;D
So there's a new middleweight champ as Du Plessis defeated Strickland via split decision. How did you see the fight? Looking at the official scorecard, it was the third round that made the difference or it could have been unanimous (2 judges - DDP, 1 judge - SS). Honestly, I didn't think it was going to be a decision but this is a perfect setup for a rematch. What do you think?
but i think Dana will bring back Adesanya to fight Sean and then DDP after it to which UFC 300 will have a golden canvass. ;D
I'm sure they have heating in the arena and the hotel so Dricus should be fine ;DYes, he was hot and won the fight with split decision, but I think that he wont hold the belt for much longer.
UFC middleweight division needs some fresh blood and new fighters to make it more interesting.
Middleweight is currently one of the most exciting divisions in the UFC, second only to the lightweight. Both Strickland and Du Plessis are quite new to top so not quite the "old blood" yet. Plus, with the possible return of Adesanya and Chimaev on the horizon, things can get really interesting.Not for me it isnt, and I was not impressed with last main event at all.
"While we are talking about Stipe Miocic, my manager was contacted by the UFC asking if I’d like to fight him on April 13th," Aspinall tweeted. "I, of course, accepted. A little while later we were told that Stipe doesn’t want to fight me, and he is only interested in fighting Jones.
OK, so apparently, according to Tom Aspinall, the UFC had plans to match him and Stipe for the UFC 300 in April, but Stipe turned it down.They promised him Jon Jones, so I would not accept replacement in his place.
Shame, because it would be an interesting fight, but we all know who will win it and so does Stipe.
They promised him Jon Jones, so I would not accept replacement in his place.
~Yeah, he's in a complicated situation right now. I think it was a mistake on the part of Dana and the UFC to offer the interim belt during the Aspinall fight. It should be these two fighters that should be unifying the belt but then there's also the promise to Stipe. Dana can't just strip Jones if his recovery takes longer and he cannot force Stipe either.
But again, I understand why Miocic doesn't want to fight Aspinall. It's just unfair to Tom who did everything right and is still uncertain if he'll ever get the fight to unify interim and undisputed belts.
Yeah, he's in a complicated situation right now. I think it was a mistake on the part of Dana and the UFC to offer the interim belt during the Aspinall fight. It should be these two fighters that should be unifying the belt but then there's also the promise to Stipe. Dana can't just strip Jones if his recovery takes longer and he cannot force Stipe either.
Yeah, he's in a complicated situation right now. I think it was a mistake on the part of Dana and the UFC to offer the interim belt during the Aspinall fight. It should be these two fighters that should be unifying the belt but then there's also the promise to Stipe. Dana can't just strip Jones if his recovery takes longer and he cannot force Stipe either.
But no one has broken a promise to Stipe. He was contracted to fight Jones in November, but Jones dropped out due to injury, those things just happen sometimes, it's part of the sport. This does not mean that Stipe was promised to fight Jones in any later date.
The entire purpose of interim belts is to fill a void for when the undisputed champ is out due to injury, with the notion that he will be fighting interim champ straight after the recovery. But this won't be the case here.
So what happens if Stipe somehow manages to beat Jones, will he get the belt? This creates a weird situation when one weight class has two parallel belts in existence.
The fair solution would be to make Jon fight Tom and if Jon refuses, he should be stripped of his belt.
There are some rumours about McGregor Vs Chandler fighting at the UFC 300 in April, all seem to be stemmed from McGregor's tweetI saw they are now saying it is not going to be UFC300 but UFC302 event, but nothing is officially confirmed yet.
Posting the results from yesterday's UFC FIGHT NIGHT: DOLIDZE VS. IMAVOV:
(https://www.talkimg.com/images/2024/02/04/vnwd2.png)
In the main event, Imanov, who was ranked 11th in the Middleweight before that fight got a win by decision over Roman Dolidze (ranked 8th).
despite the point deduction Imavov won. its a crazy fight and lots of pounding, i never thought it would end in a decision. Imavov i think is ready to fight the top 5 in the MW.
there are two better fights that end in what was expected like the Radtke and Brown's win.
Radtke doesn't have a nice record but after knocking Urbina is such perfect left, i could say he will be my next bet whoever is his next opponent.
I think UFC fight making stuff has become much worse than before.
We have many average or boring events, they cant agree on future fight cards, they announce fights before signing contracts and they do all type of shit.
Just look what they are doing with UFC300 and with UFC299 changing it, removing fights and making a mess.
I am looking at next event for this weekend and it must be one of the more boring MMA events I saw in a long time :P
despite the point deduction Imavov won. its a crazy fight and lots of pounding, i never thought it would end in a decision. Imavov i think is ready to fight the top 5 in the MW.
there are two better fights that end in what was expected like the Radtke and Brown's win.
Radtke doesn't have a nice record but after knocking Urbina is such perfect left, i could say he will be my next bet whoever is his next opponent.
Haven't seen those yet, but just watched Moicano Vs Dober.
That was a truly great fight, both of them put on a good show and did not disappoint.
Drew looked better in the stand-up but he also has a solid wrestling background, so wasn't too afraid of them. Unluckily for him, Moicano turned out to be even better on the ground and snatched the victory by decision.
Both are unlucky to be fighting in the Lightweight, which is currently the best weight-class packed with stars. If not for that, they would be ranked much higher than they are right now. I hope Dober doesn't lose his 15th spot in the ranking.
(...) some are saying the main event would be Pereira vs Aspinall. Dana already confuse to the suggestions.
But the UFC 298 is less than 2 weeks from now. Volkanovski Vs Topuria is guaranteed to be a good fight.I am not so sure about it.
Does anybody have any recent news re UFC 300?Yes.
I am not so sure about it.
Volkanovski is not the same fighter after he lost from Makhachev two times, and he is much older than Topuria.
This is going to be more mental fight for both and my prediction is another average fight with five rounds.
For Topuria this is the first big fight and I am not sure he is ready yet, but I would like to be wrong about this.
Depends on how you look at things. I don't see anything wrong in fights going to distance.I think they are both good fighters but Volk is doing some good mental games and I think he has advantage this time.
Nothing is guaranteed in this world, but Ilia is very aggressive and has a great early-finish rate and Alex has will be super motivated as he's got something to prove. Volk is still undefeated in the UFC's featherweight and he only lost to a bigger and stronger guy who happens to be considered a pound-for-pound champion.
In the main events, Hermansson defeated Pyfer and Ige defeated Fili.Give me some real fights please ;D
Give me some real fights please ;D
After series of boring events there is finally one that I am interested to watch with Volkanovski vs Topuria.
There is a story behind main event, old vs young, and there are other interesting fights on that same card, Whittaker vs Cost is one of them.
Whittaker
Dvalishvili
Topuria
Kopylov
Middleweight: Anthony Hernandez vs. Roman Kopylov - looks like an easy win for Kopylov (...)
(...)but i'm gonna add Dvalishvili in a $2 multibet.QuoteWhittaker
Dvalishvili
Topuria
Kopylov
could i win this?
i was just looking at Kopylov's fights on youtube and his records which he has high KO rate. as long as he isn't caught up in a ground fight, he has good TD defense and so he can hurt Hernandez. he probably can do this by KO or decision. if the later, its a bit worrisome since by wearing him out, Hernandez could take the fight to the ground.
The UFC 298 recent presser was one of the most interesting one to me. Volk sure knows how to play the mind games and I think he won the verbal exchange. Topuria's trash talks looks forced. I think Volk will be successful in humbling the younger fighter.
Costa waking up the old Volk was also funny.
Well, I didn't see that one coming. It's a good thing that the new champ was able to back it up and KO the old Volk.
Yup, Topuria delivered, big time. Volk is asking for a rematch and is happy to fight in Spain, Dana is happy with Spain as well so I think it has a big chance of happening. Some could say Alex doesn't deserve a rematch, but given his achievements and the fact there aren't that many big names in the featherweight, I think it's the fight that makes sense.Yes but rematch after relative easy KO win for Topuria this doesnt make much sense for him.
Well, I didn't see that one coming. It's a good thing that the new champ was able to back it up and KO the old Volk.
Yup, Topuria delivered, big time. Volk is asking for a rematch and is happy to fight in Spain, Dana is happy with Spain as well so I think it has a big chance of happening. Some could say Alex doesn't deserve a rematch, but given his achievements and the fact there aren't that many big names in the featherweight, I think it's the fight that makes sense.
All main card results:
(https://www.talkimg.com/images/2024/02/18/YQ0Wb.png)
Dana have lots of fave fighters and i think Volk is one so yes he may approve a rematch for him. Volk had done so much rematch to fighters he beaten but if Dana considers fairness, Volk will have to do a lot of wins to deserve it. he was knock cold, i'm not sure if UFC can do that but probably now is the time he should fight Josh Emmett.
Tuporia proved he is a bad ass. but they already know this since Bryce Michell fight. he showed how scared Bryce's face was when his fist was about to land.
It was a long wait but the main event for the UFC 300 is finally announced. Alex Pereira will be fighting Jamahal Hill (returning from an injury).UFC 300 is a mess of a fight card :P
Lets get back to upcoming UFC event Moreno vs. Royval 2.
I think this one is going to be super exciting, it is happening in Mexico City so Brandon Moreno and Yair Rodriguez will have big support from the home crowd.
I counted nine fighters with Mexican origin in this card but there are few more with Mexican blood.
Lets get back to upcoming UFC event Moreno vs. Royval 2.
I think this one is going to be super exciting, it is happening in Mexico City so Brandon Moreno and Yair Rodriguez will have big support from the home crowd.
I counted nine fighters with Mexican origin in this card but there are few more with Mexican blood.
That's what the UFC tends to do when they organise events outside of the US. They'd try to pack it with as many local fighters as possible to please the crowd and to increase UFC's popularity.
Those two fights are looking pretty good. Moreno has already beat Royval back in 2020 by TKO.
Yair Rodriguez has also won against Ortega but that was due to Ortega's shoulder injury.
Dana have lots of fave fighters and i think Volk is one so yes he may approve a rematch for him. Volk had done so much rematch to fighters he beaten but if Dana considers fairness, Volk will have to do a lot of wins to deserve it. he was knock cold, i'm not sure if UFC can do that but probably now is the time he should fight Josh Emmett.
Tuporia proved he is a bad ass. but they already know this since Bryce Michell fight. he showed how scared Bryce's face was when his fist was about to land.
It would make sense for Volk to face another opponent and get a rematch only if he wins, but I think the rematch is still likely to happen, as there are no real alternatives and fitting Volk again will probably be most profitable for Topuria + all parties agree to fight in Spain.
Plus - Volk is not getting any younger, so if the UFC want to honour his past achievements and grant him the rematch, they'd have to do it rather sooner than later.
The real question is whether Volk really wants to fight Ilia again, or if it's just an automatic reaction after a loss.
That's what the UFC tends to do when they organise events outside of the US. They'd try to pack it with as many local fighters as possible to please the crowd and to increase UFC's popularity.I know they are doing that, and they are reducing costs for tickets and transportation for all local fighters ;)
Those two fights are looking pretty good. Moreno has already beat Royval back in 2020 by TKO.
Yair Rodriguez has also won against Ortega but that was due to Ortega's shoulder injury.
Yair might really KO Ortega, Yair did look good the first time they fight.
Holloway wants to challenge Tuporia but also added that Volk may be given an opportunity to reclaim. not sure how he came to that but because fans love Volk, the question could be a gauge for Dana to approve.
~ Saudi is welcoming Jon Jones! is it possible they are already in the negotiation to have UFC in the desert for Jones vs Francis?Let's see if oil money could buy Dana's policy ;D As it stands, Jon Jones has to be out of the UFC contract for this fight to happen but he reportedly signed an eight-fight deal. Both fighters will be too old when this happens ;D
~ Saudi is welcoming Jon Jones! is it possible they are already in the negotiation to have UFC in the desert for Jones vs Francis?Let's see if oil money could buy Dana's policy ;D As it stands, Jon Jones has to be out of the UFC contract for this fight to happen but he reportedly signed an eight-fight deal. Both fighters will be too old when this happens ;D
I know Dana White will never allow Jon Jones to fight against Francis Ngannou, but I secretly hope Jones will leave UFC at some point before he ends MMA carrier.
It's going to be tough one, as Jones was said to sign an 8-fight contract with the UFC at the beginning of 2023, so he still has 7 fights left. At the current pace of less than a fight a year, he will retire before the contract comes to an end.That is a lot of fights and we know he had only one fight since 2020, or two since 2019 :o
If Connor could box and be in UFC why Dana is not allowing other fighters to do that? >:(
Back to Connor McGregor, he is serious about his acting carrier ;D
https://www.gamesradar.com/conor-mcgregor-road-house-remake-rejected-movies-exclusive/
UFC Fight Night 238 is up. anyone sharing their picks?
Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Shamil Gaziev
Vitor Petrino vs. Tyson Pedro
Alex Perez vs. Muhammad Mokaev
Eryk Anders vs. Jamie Pickett
Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Bekzat Almakhan
Matt Schnell vs. Steve Erceg
i just learned YuginKadoya is not around anymore.
I haven't seen the full fight (yet) only the highlights, but I wasn't impress with Rozenstruik at all. Gaziev dominated the fight at the beginning but wasn't the best in managing his energy and gassed out in later rounds. No idea what actually happened to his eye in the 4th (or earlier?), but if he said he couldn't see on one eye, it's a good thing he didn't carry on and surrendered. Although he must be very disappointed right now to finish his 14-long winning streak like this.What's not to like? Were you expecting him to go all out from the beginning? It's probably Rozenstruik's strategy to take it easy in the first two rounds and increase the tempo in the third until the final round. The heavyweight is not all about one or two powerful shots that would KO the opponent in an instant. I thought Rozenstruik fought smart in a five round bout and a lot of his jabs were snapping Gaziev's head back.
UFC 299 should be fun event to watch in this week, and it is coming after Ngnanou vs Joshua boxing fight.
O'Malley is a big favorite to win but it is always harder to defend title than to win it, and Marlon Vera is not without chances.
Mai card have other interesting fights, it wont be an easy night for Dustin Poirier.
https://sportsbet.io/sports/event/mma/ufc/ufc-299-o-malley-vs-vera-2/o-malley-sean-vs-vera-marlon-657abe0c26cfeb00011ae5a6
(https://images2.imgbox.com/75/f4/dnLg9hS7_o.jpg)
http://www.ufc.com/
Dustin still one of the legit old guards in the game after delivering a KO win. Benoit lost a good chance to catapult himself into the title contention but he still has time. I thought he was not respecting his opponent's power walking straight into the Porier's power punches.
It was a dominant win for Sean O'Malley against Marlon Vera and we are entering the O'Malley era in UFC Bantamweight Championship.
I don't like O'Malley as a human being and I don't like what he represents, but I have to give him credit when it's due - he's a solid and consistent fighter. That being said I don't think he's too enthusiastic about building his legacy in the Bantamweight. He's probably not looking forward to a fight against Dvalishvili, that's why he called out Ilia instead, which is a very good move. Losing to Topuria would bring him no shame at all, he would earn tonnes of money and by calling him out makes him look brave and confident in the eyes of the fans.I first thought he was a clown because of his haircut and crazy behavior but I think he is doing all this just a show, he is much better person in real life.
I first thought he was a clown because of his haircut and crazy behavior but I think he is doing all this just a show, he is much better person in real life.
He is a great fighter and I think he is just getting started in UFC, I would like to see him fight in different weight class and division, maybe Featherweigh.
Topuria vs O'Malley sounds great to me.
I don't dislike him because of his appearance, but more of what kind of person he is in his life. I had some sympathy for him when he was emerging, as I liked his style, but when I heard him publically disrespecting his wife by saying he cheats on her + pretending to be some sort of superstar - that's when I stop caring.I didnt listen to him speak outside octagon much.
(...)
Anyway, O'Malley is now medically suspended indefinitely because of injuries after his last fight.
One month left until UFC 300 and Tsarukyan vs Oliveira fight, and Charles recently posted in Instagram, that he has got a cut.
(...)
I hope that does not interfere and wont influence on his performance, or the fight got cancelled (previously, Olivera got eye cut in 2 weeks before fight against Makhachev and the fight got cancelled). Btw, he is an underdog in a fight against Tsarukyan.
Some disturbing news emerged about Oliveira getting cut againThis looks like a serious cut and I would not risk getting this thing opened early, it is better for it to fully heal.
Full results of the last night's fight night main card:
(https://www.talkimg.com/images/2024/03/17/JNkbd.png)
The main event fight was short and intense, for a moment it looked like Tuivasa was about to KO Tybura, but Marcin used his reach advantage to keep him away and then went for that takedown which resulted in some nice ground-and-pound from a back-mount position and later in a clumsy but effective rear naked choke.
I don't think either of them could go for the full five rounds, so early finish was more than certain.
Big win for Tybura. I don't think he'll ever get a chance for a title shot at this stage of his career, but he proved to belong in the top 10.
i couldn't resist betting for Tuivasa since he is younger and i though he would do his best for he already have 3 consecutive loss. it should be a wake up call for him.Personally I would avoid betting on fighters that are desperate for a win. Some of them would get healthy motivation from that but, for most, it's a factor that has a rather detrimental effect on performance (i.e. makes it harder to stay calm and composed etc).
(...)
What do you think about upcoming fight card?
Rose Namajunas is coming back after two loses in a row, but I think this is a great chance for her to come back with a win against Amanda Ribas.
i couldn't resist betting for Tuivasa since he is younger and i though he would do his best for he already have 3 consecutive loss. it should be a wake up call for him.Personally I would avoid betting on fighters that are desperate for a win. Some of them would get healthy motivation from that but, for most, it's a factor that has a rather detrimental effect on performance (i.e. makes it harder to stay calm and composed etc).
(...)What do you think about upcoming fight card?
Rose Namajunas is coming back after two loses in a row, but I think this is a great chance for her to come back with a win against Amanda Ribas.
I'm not a big fan of female MMA and I'm not familiar with Ribas at all. But Rose has a history of inconsistent fights and was mixing phenomenal performances with really poor ones.
I was expecting her to move down back to the strawweight but looks like they are fighting in the flyweight. Funnily enough, Rose is not listed in rankings for any of those weight classes but is showing as No. 8 in pound-for-pound ranking for active fighters as per the UFC website:
https://www.ufc.com/rankings
McGregor Vs Chandler is finally set according to many news sites, quoting Mcregor's announcement from yesterday's interview.
He confirmed that the fight will happen in the summer and confirmed Chandler as the opponent. He did not state the exact date or the weight class, saying he will leave the details to be officially announced by the UFC.
Link:
https://www.mmafighting.com/2024/3/20/24107171/conor-mcgregor-says-ufc-return-is-finally-set-this-summer-the-mac-is-back
so Dana finally booked Conor finally, he wishes not to sign a new contract for he wants to fight in boxing with Pacquiao but it seem like Dana doesn't want to release Conor thats why this fight took to long to materialize that's what rumors were saying which Dana wants him to sign a new contract before they can give a go for Chandler vs Conor fight.Good for him, but I am prediction he is going to lose that fight.
so Dana finally booked Conor finally, he wishes not to sign a new contract for he wants to fight in boxing with Pacquiao but it seem like Dana doesn't want to release Conor thats why this fight took to long to materialize that's what rumors were saying which Dana wants him to sign a new contract before they can give a go for Chandler vs Conor fight.Good for him, but I am prediction he is going to lose that fight.
Dana and his UFC fight policy is sometimes very stupid, and he only allows Conor to play with boxing :P
I watched the new movie Road House and it is garbage, but Conor was decent as actor with negative role.
Rose Namajunas got the job done, but it was not an easy fight for her. Ribas was ranked 8th in the Flyweight, so it's not a massive win for Rose, a former Strawweight champion.She is done with strawweight category.
She wasn't looking bad, landed few really nice strikes, but didn't look as hungry and sharp as in her prime years. Not quite sure why is she sticking to the Flyweight rather than going down to where she had the most success. Maybe cutting weight to 115 pounds is too much strain on her body.
At least she'll jump back into the top 15 rank, I'm imagining she'll jump at least to 8th place of the Flyweight.
I'm going to ignore the upcoming two fight nights and go straight to UFC 300 (Pereira vs. Hill). The whole card looks stacked! I cannot believe that the Jiří Procházka and Aljamain Sterling respective
fights have been demoted to prelims.
The early prelims (Bantamweight Bout - Deiveson Figueiredo vs Cody Garbrandt) is a banger as well. I would be surprised if this doesn't end in a KO/TKO.
Looks like good old Weidman still has it in him. Despite being 39 he looked really motivated and hungry for a fight. They both pulled off a nice show for the fans.He won, but many people are saying that it was a dirty controversial win because of eye poking.
You don't always get a TKO granted from a double-eye poke, but a win is a win. And it opens a possibility for a rematch.
Even without the controversial ending Chris looked better than Silva and won the first two rounds (at least that's what I got from the fight highlights I've just watched).
Yeah, it wasn't a clean victory for Weidman but I don't think Dana would care that much about the fight. Silva is planning to appeal the decision to a no contest but I doubt it will end in his favor.
The discussion now is if the UFC would make policy changes to reduce eye pokes. Intentional or not, it still affects the outcome of the fight. Maybe it's time to change gloves?
He won, but many people are saying that it was a dirty controversial win because of eye poking.;D
I never liked him and his fighting skills, but reach advantage was crucial advantage in this fight, and his long fingers ;D
What do you guys think about Bo Nickal? He's rarely discussed in this thread.I heard about from his wrestling history but he is still fresh in MMA.
I heard about from his wrestling history but he is still fresh in MMA.
He started in DW Contender Series few years ago, and I think he only had two fights in UFC, so it is to early to say.
Maybe I can comment more after I see him fighting with other top fighters, but I think he is going to struggle in stand up.
He's a top-level wrestler who went into MMA after failing Olympic trials. Currently, his mma record is 5-0 but yeah, he has not yet faced any top opponent. Dana White is a big believer in him, as he put him on the main card of the UFC 300 despite much more recognisable fighters being placed in prelims or early prelims.Olympians are great athletes but coming to MMA and UFC is a completely different story.
His next opponent is Cody Brundage, a 10-5 unranked fighter who is hardly a top fighter. But Brundage has a good finish ratio, so maybe he'll be able to test Bo more than his previous opponents.
He's a top-level wrestler who went into MMA after failing Olympic trials. Currently, his mma record is 5-0 but yeah, he has not yet faced any top opponent. Dana White is a big believer in him, as he put him on the main card of the UFC 300 despite much more recognisable fighters being placed in prelims or early prelims.Olympians are great athletes but coming to MMA and UFC is a completely different story.
His next opponent is Cody Brundage, a 10-5 unranked fighter who is hardly a top fighter. But Brundage has a good finish ratio, so maybe he'll be able to test Bo more than his previous opponents.
Wrestling is important but he needs to have other skills, and he needs more training and experience with boxing, kicking and standup.
Brundage coming from Muay Thai will be a challenge for Nickal, but Nickal has reach advantage.
UFC made a mess with UFC 300 but it should be interesting event to watch.
(...) The fight could have gone either way but I still find it crazy that one judge scored it 49-46. (...)
I'm taking the following on single:
Charles Oliveira @2.80 (vs. Arman Tsarukyan)
Max Holloway @2.50 (vs. Justin Gaethje)
At least one of them is going to win their fight.
Odds are decent for both.Odds are not always giving us the correct picture of upcoming fights.
It's a well known fact that oddsmakers have strong preference to younger fighters, that's why you can get a good value bets betting on guys like Oliveira, who's not really that old at 34. He could still be in his prime. But since he hasn't fought in almost a year, I wouldn't bet on him personally.
(...)
I was shocked when I saw how low odds on Bo Nickal are to win against Cody Brundage, I would never put anything on his win, and I am considering taking a small bet against him.
(...)
(...)
I was shocked when I saw how low odds on Bo Nickal are to win against Cody Brundage, I would never put anything on his win, and I am considering taking a small bet against him.
(...)
I was thinking of that too.
Generally speaking, I don't think it makes sense to bet on anything below x1.10 on an mma fight (or even boxing), doesn't matter how good the fighter is. We've seen some weird injuries out of nowhere (e.g. Aspinall, Fiziev, Rakic), plus, there are lucky punches, disqualifications etc, there are too many things that could go wrong for such low pay-out bets to be worth it.
(...)
what is more interesting is Tsarukyan about to defeat Charles. they said whoever will win will have the chance to fight Islam again.
As for Tsarukyan Vs Oliveira, I think Arman is a favorite but only a slight one. If Charles is still in his peak, he has what it takes to win, be it by KO or by submission.I would not write off Oliveira so easy, he is amazing fighter but I didnt watch Tsarukyan in many fights so maybe I cant judge correctly.
I would not write off Oliveira so easy, he is amazing fighter but I didnt watch Tsarukyan in many fights so maybe I cant judge correctly.
(...)
Tsarukyan trains a lot in a wrestling style similar to the Dagestani one, so probably could dominate Oliveira in grappling if he chooses to. But I think he prefers fighting in a stand-up, where he could get punished by Charles.From what I read about him he has more background in Muay Thai than in wrestling, and most of the fights he won was in stand up with KO or TKO punches or kicks.
What a card, UFC lived up to expectations! So many highlights and so many things to talk about but my favorite moment is when Max telling Justin to trade blows in the middle of the octagon with just seconds remaining. That was a BMF moment right there because he could easily dance around until the time expires and wait for his name to be announced as the winner. Yet, he didn't care and took the risk to slug it out.
~Max and Jiri got the performance of the night bonuses.
I'm yet to check who received performance bonuses, but Max has to be one of them.
Here are the highlights of the fight for those who haven't seen it:Video must have been taken down or set to private.
Max is an absolute savage.Gaethje made a big mistake of entering in such exchange with Max.
Alex Pereira proved to be a king of Light Heavyweight division after win against Jamahal Hill.
They way he did it was dominating in first round so there is no doubt who was a better fighter.
I think his next fight is going to be against Prochazka who won his fight against Rakic in the same fight card.Max is an absolute savage.Gaethje made a big mistake of entering in such exchange with Max.
Max and Jiri got the performance of the night bonuses.
Max vs Justin was the fight of the night.
All in all, Max got $600K in bonuses only.
(...)
Video must have been taken down or set to private.It's still up in the UK. MAybe it's just not available in your location.
Gaethje made a big mistake of entering in such exchange with Max.
(...) gaethje i think lost all 4 rounds and that broken nose had affected his fight plan.
i rarely win a parlay but glad i didn't add the fights that i'm unsure like max vs gaethje. even hill vs alex is risky but i did add them anyway in my parlay. i didn't bet a big amount though.
He had no choice. He knew he would lose by decision so had to take the risk. It was actually a strategically a bad decision by Max, but sometimes bad decisions can pay off big time.This was a desperate move from him, but he didnt give up until the end, I will give him that.
Odds are in for the 1st June, UFC 302 event:
Islam Makhachev x1.25 Vs Dustin Poirier x3.80
Sean Strickland x1.41 Vs Paolo Costa x2.80
And for the 22nd June, UFC 303:
Conor McGregor x1.85 Vs Michael Chandler x1.96
I think the payout rate for Chandler is very generous. Thoughts?
Man, it's impressive how Dustin has climbed back after his title fight losses but I don't think he has what it takes to win against top grapplers and submission specialists. He's had a long career but just couldn't get over that wall. Since odds are low, I'll probably take Islam winning by submission and I'm thinking if it will be within 2 rounds.
Man, it's impressive how Dustin has climbed back after his title fight losses but I don't think he has what it takes to win against top grapplers and submission specialists. He's had a long career but just couldn't get over that wall. Since odds are low, I'll probably take Islam winning by submission and I'm thinking if it will be within 2 rounds.
Everyone is writing Dustin off in this fight, but he has proven to be mentally super strong by accepting and winning the fight with St Denis.
Of course Islam wrestling is superior to Dustin's (or any other fighter) but Poirier has loads of experience and he has really good sparring partners (i.e. Gamrot) to know what to do and to find the right strategy - which will likely be keep the fight in the stand up and hunt for a KO.
Everyone knows he has loads of experience. He certainly had more fight experience by the time he fought Khabib and when he faced Oliveira but still got submitted. I'm sure he also prepared some strategy before he fought those two but we already know what happened. The whole point is that it's just a bad match up for him.Man, it's impressive how Dustin has climbed back after his title fight losses but I don't think he has what it takes to win against top grapplers and submission specialists. He's had a long career but just couldn't get over that wall. Since odds are low, I'll probably take Islam winning by submission and I'm thinking if it will be within 2 rounds.Everyone is writing Dustin off in this fight, but he has proven to be mentally super strong by accepting and winning the fight with St Denis.
Of course Islam wrestling is superior to Dustin's (or any other fighter) but Poirier has loads of experience and he has really good sparring partners (i.e. Gamrot) to know what to do and to find the right strategy - which will likely be keep the fight in the stand up and hunt for a KO.
Everyone is writing Dustin off in this fight, but he has proven to be mentally super strong by accepting and winning the fight with St Denis.I am not writing Dustin off but Makhachev is something like Khabib 2 and I dont think he is going to lose this fight.
Of course Islam wrestling is superior to Dustin's (or any other fighter) but Poirier has loads of experience and he has really good sparring partners (i.e. Gamrot) to know what to do and to find the right strategy - which will likely be keep the fight in the stand up and hunt for a KO.
Islam is like Khabib, Dustin will not see him fight on foot. Dustin just attempting to throw a punch, Islam will duck to grab him. but we have seen Islam knocked down before who knows what could happen.
I forgot to say after UFC 300 that UFC fighter Renato Moicano in post fight interview asked to be paid in Bitcoin and he called fans to study Bitcoin more!
He is one of the top MMA fighters in Lightweight category and he has very interesting nickname Money Moicano ;D
I dont know if Dana will accept his request but UFC is working with some crypto companies, so it is not impossible to happen.
https://decrypt.co/226622/ufc-fighter-moicano-mises-bitcoin
The main card for the upcoming UFC fight night (Sat/Sun 27th/28th April)I am not interested in most of the fights in this fight card, and it looks to boring to me.
The main card for the upcoming UFC fight night (Sat/Sun 27th/28th April)I am not interested in most of the fights in this fight card, and it looks to boring to me.
There are two or three fights I might watched later as recording, but nothing that would make me stay up to watch the entire event.
This happens sometimes after big fight cards like it was with UFC 300.
UFC presented great fight cards since 298 but after the 300 i guess its over. we are back to fight nights that are just a filler episode in an action series. even the 301 is not so much exciting.
i think its time to pay huge to those fighters like Islam to move up to welterweight when they see no one is challenging them anymore in their division. incentivizing those fighters who moves up will make the divisions exciting.
UFC presented great fight cards since 298 but after the 300 i guess its over. we are back to fight nights that are just a filler episode in an action series. even the 301 is not so much exciting.
It's impossible to have high-profile events every week or two, so those fight nights act, as you said, as "fillers" just to give something to watch to MMA connoisseurs and it's a good opportunity for lesser fighters to build their name and get experience in fighting on a 5-rounds distance.i think its time to pay huge to those fighters like Islam to move up to welterweight when they see no one is challenging them anymore in their division. incentivizing those fighters who moves up will make the divisions exciting.
Islam can't complain about lack of worthy opponents. He's fighting Dustin soon, then (assuming he wins) most likely will face Tsarukyan, after that he'll fight whoever emerges to the top, I'm hoping for Gamrot, but there's also Max Holloway or even Conor as possible options. Or maybe, if Topuria doesn't disappoint, they could do a super-fight between them.
Anyhow, Islam said he wants to fight 3 times a year and it looks like the UFC is keen on that too, so we might see him fighting quite often.
UFC presented great fight cards since 298 but after the 300 i guess its over. we are back to fight nights that are just a filler episode in an action series. even the 301 is not so much exciting.UFC 301 is much fight card better, this is no brainer.
interesting to know there are still few fights left for Aldo in UFC contract. maybe if Conor will be knocked out by Chandler, Conor and Aldo will have their rematch. i think people will still want to see them fight for once. they used to be the biggest in UFC. they got old of course but having the fight in Netflix i think will unite all fans to watch on TV from Ireland to Brazil.This is Aldo last fight in UFC contract, and he said he was going to retired in 2022, and went into boxing fights with very good results.
I kind of understand him, we're all humans, if you're flipping a middle finger to the other guy and disrespect him, you should expect some violence. On the other hand, when he publicly announced that he will keep responding like that to fans' provocations, he's guaranteed to have more of them in his next fights.I think this is stupid from him :o
interesting to know there are still few fights left for Aldo in UFC contract. maybe if Conor will be knocked out by Chandler, Conor and Aldo will have their rematch. i think people will still want to see them fight for once. they used to be the biggest in UFC. they got old of course but having the fight in Netflix i think will unite all fans to watch on TV from Ireland to Brazil.This is Aldo last fight in UFC contract, and he said he was going to retired in 2022, and went into boxing fights with very good results.
He is getting older and I dont think we can see him with Conor in UFC, maybe they can make some boxing fight instead.
Main card's results of the last night's event:
(https://www.talkimg.com/images/2024/05/12/1ZgFG.png)
Derrick Lewis delivered big time. Despite his age and self-admitted poor cardio, he managed to pace himself well enough to make it to round 3 when he KO'd Nascimento.
It wasn't a masterclass performance by either of them but fairly entertaining. A much-needed win for Lewis, who, before that fight, had lost 4 out of the last 5 fights. Now he's back in the game, although I don't think he'll be moved up in the ranks.
To me, the biggest upset was Mateusz Rebecki's loss to Ferreira. Rebecki was a big favourite and it was his chance to break into the top 15 in the most entertaining weight-class in the UFC, but he lost by TKO in rd 3. Hope he'll bounce back as he has potential.
You never really know what you'll get with Lewis that's why I try to avoid betting on him. Every fighter probably knows his weakness and has a way to beat him but everyone also knows they could get knockdown by his power (Nascimento found that out the hard way). I think he'll still be a gatekeeper for a couple of years. I don't think he'll win a belt but he's still a fan favorite.
The UFC 304 has finally been announced. It will take place in Machester UK on July 27th.
The main card so far:
(https://www.talkimg.com/images/2024/05/16/1sFMJ.png)
I don't think Tom's injury in their first fight warranted any rematch, but Blaydes was simply the best option available. Obviously Cyril Gane was ranked higher, but according to Tom's video:he was not interested in fighting in Manchester on that date as allegedly it collided with his acting commitments. So Curtis it is.
I'm really glad to see that Aspinall wants to stay active and is not avoiding fights with fighters ranked below him. And having the chance to avenge his only loss (if you can call it that) is always a plus.
Tom doesn't have much choice as Jones is inactive. and though its unusual that an interim contender has to defend high position, i think this is to maintain his position ready to fight whenever Jones comes back.
Dana will probably keep him fighting someone else maybe Stipe and then Gane or even Lewis until Dana gets the desired outcome. Curtis is never easy to begin with.
Tom doesn't have much choice as Jones is inactive. and though its unusual that an interim contender has to defend high position, i think this is to maintain his position ready to fight whenever Jones comes back.
Dana will probably keep him fighting someone else maybe Stipe and then Gane or even Lewis until Dana gets the desired outcome. Curtis is never easy to begin with.
Yeah, the first choice for Tom was Cyril, but he couldn't make it as he'll be shooting some film or something, so Curtis stepped in instead.
Dana has already confirmed that Jones will be fighting Stipe next, which is an odd situation as the undisputed champ should be fighting the interim champ immediately after his return from an absence.
So, depending on when the Jones Vs Stipe fight will take place, Tom's next opponent would either be Jones (assuming both of them win their fights) or probably Gane.
If Jones refuses to fight the interim champ after the Stipe fight, he would almost certainly be stripped of the title.
(...) this is base on PM leaked by someone that he talked with in twitter https://twitter.com/SpinninBackfist/status/1791709220854812952 (...)
(...) this is base on PM leaked by someone that he talked with in twitter https://twitter.com/SpinninBackfist/status/1791709220854812952 (...)
No way this is real ;D
If it is, it's not really a leaked convo, he just dm'd a guy who hated on him, so he was probably trolling. Or maybe I'm giving him too much credit... I don't know.
Anyhow, here's Paolo Costa with a piece of financial advice:
https://x.com/BorrachinhaMMA/status/1791263736453628089
and he only wants to fight Stipe who in his last fight was brutally KOd and then retired. probably not wanting to fight anymore but because the offer is huge to refuse, Stipe might just bite. Dana will not likely make him fight Tom.
In your view, what will be Costa's plan when he faces Strickland in 302? I'd like to bet on him because of the attractive odds but I'm not sure how he'll approach it. The guy is a black belt jiu-jitsu but he also loves to brawl. Do you think he'll fight smart with takedowns and submission or he'll mostly trade punches?
In your view, what will be Costa's plan when he faces Strickland in 302? I'd like to bet on him because of the attractive odds but I'm not sure how he'll approach it. The guy is a black belt jiu-jitsu but he also loves to brawl. Do you think he'll fight smart with takedowns and submission or he'll mostly trade punches?
I caught a glimpse of the face off of Costa and Strickland from the ceremonial weigh-in. Based on what they said that time, it's going to be a stand-up fight. I doubt anybody is going to take the other guy down and it's going to be an exciting brawl.
Dustin looked intense showing he really wants that belt while Islam is just calm and just wants to do all the talking in the Octagon.
I caught a glimpse of the face off of Costa and Strickland from the ceremonial weigh-in. Based on what they said that time, it's going to be a stand-up fight. I doubt anybody is going to take the other guy down and it's going to be an exciting brawl.
Dustin looked intense showing he really wants that belt while Islam is just calm and just wants to do all the talking in the Octagon.
I don't expect anything else other than stand up from Strickland and Costa, that's unless one of them gets outstriked so badly that has no other option but to search for the win on the ground, but I doubt that would happen.
Islam has a lot of confidence in his skills and knows Dustin doesn't have many options other than looking for a KO. Plus, he was the one asking for this fight to happen, so there's no reason for him to get overly emotional, it's Poirier who needs to hype himself up, but it could've been an attempt to intimidate Makhachev.
Fighter Profiles
Islam Makhachev
Weight Class: Lightweight (155 lbs)
Record: 24-1
Striking
Striking Accuracy: 60
Striking Defense: 68
Power: 65
Striking Diversity: 70
Grappling
Takedown Accuracy: 88
Takedown Defense: 90
Submission Skills: 85
Physical Traits
Reach: 70.5 inches
Height: 5'10"
Cardio: 92
Durability: 85
Gym Quality: Elite (American Kickboxing Academy)
Training Partners: Khabib Nurmagomedov, Daniel Cormier
Dustin Poirier
Weight Class: Lightweight (155 lbs)
Record: 29-7 (1 NC)
Striking
Striking Accuracy: 55
Striking Defense: 56
Power: 65
Striking Diversity: 70
Grappling
Takedown Accuracy: 65
Takedown Defense: 65
Submission Skills: 70
Physical Traits
Reach: 72 inches
Height: 5'9"
Cardio: 90
Durability: 90
Gym Quality: Elite (American Top Team)
Training Partners: Jorge Masvidal, Colby Covington
Scoring Metrics
Striking
Islam Makhachev: 60 (accuracy) + 68 (defense) + 65 (power) + 70 (diversity) = 263
Dustin Poirier: 55 (accuracy) + 56 (defense) + 65 (power) + 70 (diversity) = 246
Grappling
Islam Makhachev: 88 (accuracy) + 90 (defense) + 85 (submission) = 263
Dustin Poirier: 65 (accuracy) + 65 (defense) + 70 (submission) = 200
Physical Traits
Islam Makhachev: 70.5 (reach) + 92 (cardio) + 85 (durability) = 247.5
Dustin Poirier: 72 (reach) + 90 (cardio) + 90 (durability) = 252
Gym Quality and Training Partners
Islam Makhachev: 95 (gym quality) + 95 (training partners) = 190
Dustin Poirier: 95 (gym quality) + 90 (training partners) = 185
Total Scores
Islam Makhachev: 263 (striking) + 263 (grappling) + 247.5 (physical) + 190 (gym and partners) = 963.5
Dustin Poirier: 246 (striking) + 200 (grappling) + 252 (physical) + 185 (gym and partners) = 883
Analysis and Prediction
Islam Makhachev has the edge in grappling, striking defense, and cardio. Poirier’s strengths in striking power and experience in elite competition are notable but are outweighed by Makhachev’s superior grappling and conditioning. Makhachev’s ability to control the fight on the ground, combined with his training environment and partners, gives him a significant advantage.
Prediction
Predicted Winner: Islam Makhachev
Confidence Percentage: 70%
Round: 4
Method of Victory: Submission
Summary
Islam Makhachev’s grappling expertise and cardio will likely be the deciding factors in this bout. While Poirier has solid striking and durability, Makhachev's ability to control the pace and utilize his superior ground game should lead to a submission victory in the fourth round.
why were they not matched earlier in their career by the way, this seem to be a better fight before Dustin lost his BMF belt. it would have been bigger fight promotion.
For outright winner? If so, this is really good. I'm guessing there must be some maximum wager or other limitation?
i like the Duelbit oddboost making Islam's odds to be 3.50
i tried the MMA fight Picker GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-a4l5RVxni-fight-analyst-advancedlol, I didn't know they made such a tool, looks interesting. I've entered a couple of matches that have already happened in the past and the predictions were surprisingly good.
Fight went longer than my expectation but Islam won as expected. Kudos to Dustin and his team for putting a great effort and giving the champ a hard time but someone with an excellent grappling/wrestling is really a bad match up for him.
Strickland vs. Costa was also not the kind of fight I was looking forward too but the score took all the talking points there. It was probably the most contrasting judging I saw recently. The one judge that gave 4 rounds to Costa must be looking for other criteria ;D
i tried the MMA fight Picker GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-a4l5RVxni-fight-analyst-advancedlol, I didn't know they made such a tool, looks interesting. I've entered a couple of matches that have already happened in the past and the predictions were surprisingly good.
saw that link in the betting forum. it predicts well for those guys. this time it just predicted 4th round to where the fight ends. but clearly its a useful tool even for a bettor who isn't a fan of UFC.
saw that link in the betting forum. it predicts well for those guys. this time it just predicted 4th round to where the fight ends. but clearly its a useful tool even for a bettor who isn't a fan of UFC.
Yeah, it wasn't far off. I actually made a small bet on Islam winning in 4th, it didn't happen, but I'll probably keep using that tool and see where it takes me. Thanks for sharing.
Quick thoughts on 2 main event fights:
Strickland Vs Costa wasn't as much of a dog fight as expected but was still OK. Costa had a good tactic of getting out of Sean's way and chopping him with those calf kicks, but he needed to take a risk and go all in in the last rounds, but that just didn't happen as he was just too gassed out.
Despite a loss, Dustin has nothing to be ashamed of after that fight and probably has gained a lot in the eyes of the fans and the UFC. Both gave a really good show. But situation in the lightweight gets a bit complicated. Islam wants to move up to face the winner of Leon/Belal, is not looking to fight Tsarukyan, but says he will if that's what the UFC wants him to do.
Poirier has announced his "half-retirement", meaning he probably won't be looking any regular fights, unless there's something on the line there. Since he's not getting a title fight anytime soon, this probably leaves only a fight for the BMF belt with Holloway, which would make sense as both had a great fight the first time around. But I believe Holloway was set for a title shot against Topuria, so this might not happen. The other option I see for Dustin, is to get another high-profile win against someone from the top 5, and hoping that Islam will lose to Arman (if they'll fight at all) and then he could get his final fight for the 155 belt against Arman.
Dustin fought hard like his life depends on it. that last round tap is the last option already as Islam got it too tight. idk why something snap in Jahamal's brain that he wants Dustin to be nailed by the crowd because Dustin also lost. twitter beef is all ;D
Arman did some comments about Porier vs Islam too, twitter has tons of beef to follow as everyone wants to get a high profile fight. but Arman is very young. he hasn't been there yet how hard it will be for him at age 35 fighting a prime Islam.
Holloway vs Topuria would be good to watch if its happening. the Spaniard has the hardest chin, its going to be a fair fight.
Dustin fought hard like his life depends on it. that last round tap is the last option already as Islam got it too tight. idk why something snap in Jahamal's brain that he wants Dustin to be nailed by the crowd because Dustin also lost. twitter beef is all ;D
Arman did some comments about Porier vs Islam too, twitter has tons of beef to follow as everyone wants to get a high profile fight. but Arman is very young. he hasn't been there yet how hard it will be for him at age 35 fighting a prime Islam.
Holloway vs Topuria would be good to watch if its happening. the Spaniard has the hardest chin, its going to be a fair fight.
I took a little break from social media so must've missed all the drama.
Topuria Vs Holloway is not yet confirmed as far as I know, but Holloway is definitely the best option for Topuria right now and it's a fight that makes the most sense.
In other news, there's a lot of speculation going on on whether McGregor will be ready to fight Chandler at the UFC 303 on 30th June. Conor didn't show up to the latest promo press conference in Dublin, which is not a good sign.
a lot of users were disappointed about Conor not appearing in the prescon and then its speculated the fight may not materialized and rumors coming out he was injured during a sparring.
just yesterday he posted a new photo in his account though. no injury seem to be serious in him. some say that him not going to the presscon is because he wants to play Chandler. Chandler flew to Florida thinking the fight is cancel and then Conor posted another photo and a sparring video killing he rumor. Must be frustrating for Chandler, its like Conor owned him.
I do understand the logic behind referees caring about fighters and stopping fights when they see they're just about to get badly KO'd but announcing Cannonier's loss was pre-mature. Yes, he got rocked, but he was successfully defending himself (including escaping) and looked like he was recovering and the worst was behind him when the ref waived his arms to stop it.
Big win by Reyes. He was an underdog, due to his 4-losses streak and over 1.5 year inactivity caused by health problems, but he managed to surprise Jacoby with a left knee and finished the job with punches. He's not yet that old at 34, so might still be able to climb back at the top of the light heavyweight.
Full results:
(https://www.talkimg.com/images/2024/06/09/cIeGW.png)
The comments after Dom got back to the winning column is crazy ;D After the amount of losses he's got, they still bring up how they though he was robbed before. I think some people are trying to stir the pot for a fight with Jones but that's not gonna happen anytime soon.
The comments after Dom got back to the winning column is crazy ;D After the amount of losses he's got, they still bring up how they though he was robbed before. I think some people are trying to stir the pot for a fight with Jones but that's not gonna happen anytime soon.
they're happy to see Doms break the losing streak in his career. i don't think he'd get another chance to Jones. besides the Jones has been ready to retire after Stipe fight. its not going to change Jones decision to retire afaik.
Reyes ranked so low in the LH, i think he'd be staying in this division for good and maybe 5 fights more he'd be ready to retire too. ranking up to the 5th is likely an uphill climb for him again.
The comments after Dom got back to the winning column is crazy ;D After the amount of losses he's got, they still bring up how they though he was robbed before. I think some people are trying to stir the pot for a fight with Jones but that's not gonna happen anytime soon.
they're happy to see Doms break the losing streak in his career. i don't think he'd get another chance to Jones. besides the Jones has been ready to retire after Stipe fight. its not going to change Jones decision to retire afaik.
Reyes ranked so low in the LH, i think he'd be staying in this division for good and maybe 5 fights more he'd be ready to retire too. ranking up to the 5th is likely an uphill climb for him again.
Yeah, the chance we'll ever see Jones Vs Reyes 2 is zero. Whether or not Jones will retire after the Stipe fight - I don't know, but he's definitely not going back to the light heavyweight.
Reyes was down on his luck in the previous fights. It's not just that he had lost 4 in a row, in fact, the loss to Jones was more of a win and boosted his popularity, but he suffered bad KOs in the last 3 losses, which made it look like his career was about to end. And then he got injured and suffered from deep vein thrombosis, a potentially life-threatening blood clot in the leg.
So no wonder people are happy to see him winning again, myself included.
Breaking news:Chimaev is for me a very good fighter but seems he is not in a good shape and condition right now. Actually I am a fan of this guy and of course Khabib as well since they are more smart good striker and having awesome grappling skills
Conor McGregor Vs Michael Chandler fight is officially canceled (or postponed).
The main event of the UFC 303 is now Alex Pereira Vs Jiri Prochazka 2, the co-main event will be Brian Ortega Vs Diego Lopes.
Jamahal Hill also pulled out and will be replaced by Anthony Smith in the fight against Carlos Ulberg.
But there's more bad news. Khamzat Chimaev also won't be fighting against Robert Whittaker in the 22nd June event and will be replaced by Ikram Aliskerov
Chimaev is for me a very good fighter but seems he is not in a good shape and condition right now. Actually I am a fan of this guy and of course Khabib as well since they are more smart good striker and having awesome grappling skills
Chandler is the only fighter that lost in this card, no replacement lol i thought Max will be called. Smith seem a tough guy to have accepted this but i think they know the cancellation already weeks ago. the first time Conor did not appear on the presscon.
I believe Max will be matched against Topuria for his next fight, as there are no other worthy opponents for Topuria. So pairing Max against Chandler would be super inconvenient for the UFC. Plus, Max is at his peak hype right now, so might not have been happy with a "fill a gap" role.
From Chandler's perspective, he's probably still hoping that the McGregor fight will happen. McGregor is a perfect match for him: a huge payday + Chandler is a favourite to win (some bookies disagree, but we all know the truth), and he's desperate for a win right now.
Chandler wasted years for this fight and then just cancelled. 2 years taken from him without making money out of it. He still rank in the LW despite not fighting for 2 years though. UFC has nothing for him anymore which i think he might retire along with this dream fight.
Ikram Aliskerov they say will replace Khamzat by the way. UFC already is introducing the new gen in every division to stir those fighters who kept refusing to fight.
~As they should. So many fighters are trying to follow the path that Connor started but 99% of them couldn't not generate the numbers that he draws every time he fights. Really, gone are the days when most champs just fight whoever is in offered in front of them.
UFC already is introducing the new gen in every division to stir those fighters who kept refusing to fight.
Really, gone are the days when most champs just fight whoever is in offered in front of them.
Really, gone are the days when most champs just fight whoever is in offered in front of them.
I think Islam Makhachev might be an exemption from this rule. Maybe not to a degree when he would agree to fight a total no-name, but he did pressure UFC to let he fight 3 times a year and because of him the fight with Dustin have happened.
But most of the fighters get an absolute peanuts on their way to the top, so when they finally get there, they want to squeeze as much out of it as possible.
this is why the Saudi is saving boxing and most probably UFC is the sport gain more followers in the region. they slowly taking over actually, as they gradually moving away from oil dependence. there are fights that don't happen in boxing unless there is a huge pay.
this is why the Saudi is saving boxing and most probably UFC is the sport gain more followers in the region. they slowly taking over actually, as they gradually moving away from oil dependence. there are fights that don't happen in boxing unless there is a huge pay.
You can't compete with Saudis.
While the UFC/Dana White are profit-driven, Saudis can pocket out huge amounts of money without caring whether or not they make any return on investment.
Will that approach make them less dependent on oil? I don't think so. But I appreciate they make great things happen.
As for the Aliskerov Vs. Whittaker this aturday, who do you guys would be betting on? Whittaker is bookies favourite but I disagree. Aliskerov is not even ranked in the top 15 yet, accepted the fight on a short notice, but defeating Robert will be a fast-track to the top, so I'm sure he'll take it seriously. In terms of skills, he seems very well-rounded. But maybe I'm overrating him just because he's from Dagestan.
Big respect to Rob for accepting the replacement fight but I personally think he shouldn't have to because he has more to lose in this. If he was offered more purse than the Chimaev fight, then all good. If not, then I hope he still wins and my bet is still on him
Maybe it's time Walker should call it quits already after another loss via knockout. It will probably save him from more brain damage. It doesn't look like he has the chin to withstand punches from a true LHW. He will be remembered as someone with both highlight KOs and KOed ;D
Easy work for Robert.
I wouldn't be retiring Walker just yet, he got badly KO'd and should take at least 6 months break, but he's only 32.
It wasn't his best fight, I'm not sure why he/his team decided not to utilise jabs at all, given his reach advantage, I think that would've been a good idea.
I think he's just not good enough to be matched up with the top fighters, but could act as a "gatekeeper", someone who prospective fighters have to defeat to be considered worthy to be in the top.
I think matching him up against Dominic Reyes next would be a good idea.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFC_303
Light Heavyweight Alex Pereira (c) vs. Jiří Procházka
Featherweight Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes
Light Heavyweight Anthony Smith vs. Roman Dolidze
Women's Bantamweight Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Macy Chiasson
Welterweight Ian Machado Garry vs. Michael Page
I think matching him up against Dominic Reyes next would be a good idea.I think Diminic Reyes is not the same after he lost against Jon Jones in 2020.
I never thought of this match up before but I like the idea because both fighters can be considered in their decline. I doubt either of them could be fighting for the title for the rest of their career in the UFC but they can be the gatekeepers in the division.I think matching him up against Dominic Reyes next would be a good idea.I think Diminic Reyes is not the same after he lost against Jon Jones in 2020.
He won the last fight against Dustin Jacoby but I dont think he can repeat that performance again.
I am happy to see main event in UFC 303 is going to be Alex Pereira vs Jiri Prochazka.
This has the potential to be one of the best UFC fights this year, both fighters have chances to win but it is always harder to defend the title than to win it.
I think Diminic Reyes is not the same after he lost against Jon Jones in 2020.
He won the last fight against Dustin Jacoby but I dont think he can repeat that performance again.
As a Russian speaker, I will try to shed light on the situation between Volkov and Pavlovich. Your social media probably dont air that so much, but Russian buzz on it a lot lately.
1. They once agreed to never fight against each other, to never fight against other Russian. Or try maximum to avoid that. They also trained in each other camp and exchanged experience.
2. Pavlovich did not want to fight Volkov, because he was lower on top and victory wont give him anything.
3. Now interesting part: turns out there is a little number of tries, when you can skip your opponent, turns out that Volkov has run out of such tries and he was forced to accept any next opponent.
4. The manager told Volkov, that Pavlovich picked him, so he was forced to sign contract and fight.
5. Pavlovich was given several opponents (Volkov was among them), but he hasnt decided who to fight next.
6. Both fighter managers did not understand each other. One told that Pavlovich selected Volkov, even though he was on the list of opponents also. Other told that he cant cancel any opponent.
That is why during weight-ins, they had a talk why you pick me? Why you accepted to fight? And etc.
About that push after the fight. Pavlovich should not be excused for that, but he was disappointed he has lost, his nose was broken, he was tired, he did not wanted that fight, he has lost in rating, second loss in a row. Long story short, he wanted to spend time on his own, alone, but his opponent comes and bothers... Volkov said it right - Pavlovich needs to get more experience of loosing.
Long story short, it was managers misunderstanding, or they clashed Russians on purpose. Btw, Pavlovichs manager is Ali Abdelaziz, who has a controversial reputation.
I am happy to see main event in UFC 303 is going to be Alex Pereira vs Jiri Prochazka.
This has the potential to be one of the best UFC fights this year, both fighters have chances to win but it is always harder to defend the title than to win it.
I like watching Prochazka, as he's very entertaining, but his style of keeping his hands down and holding no guard could get him in real trouble against Pereira, again.
If anyone is interested in what the Volkov Vs Pavlovich drama (discussion during the weight ins and the push after the fight), TopTort777 provided a nice breakdown of the situation:As a Russian speaker, I will try to shed light on the situation between Volkov and Pavlovich. Your social media probably dont air that so much, but Russian buzz on it a lot lately.
1. They once agreed to never fight against each other, to never fight against other Russian. Or try maximum to avoid that. They also trained in each other camp and exchanged experience.
2. Pavlovich did not want to fight Volkov, because he was lower on top and victory wont give him anything.
3. Now interesting part: turns out there is a little number of tries, when you can skip your opponent, turns out that Volkov has run out of such tries and he was forced to accept any next opponent.
4. The manager told Volkov, that Pavlovich picked him, so he was forced to sign contract and fight.
5. Pavlovich was given several opponents (Volkov was among them), but he hasnt decided who to fight next.
6. Both fighter managers did not understand each other. One told that Pavlovich selected Volkov, even though he was on the list of opponents also. Other told that he cant cancel any opponent.
That is why during weight-ins, they had a talk why you pick me? Why you accepted to fight? And etc.
About that push after the fight. Pavlovich should not be excused for that, but he was disappointed he has lost, his nose was broken, he was tired, he did not wanted that fight, he has lost in rating, second loss in a row. Long story short, he wanted to spend time on his own, alone, but his opponent comes and bothers... Volkov said it right - Pavlovich needs to get more experience of loosing.
Long story short, it was managers misunderstanding, or they clashed Russians on purpose. Btw, Pavlovichs manager is Ali Abdelaziz, who has a controversial reputation.
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5139347.msg64253421#msg64253421
I agree, but he deserves a chance to work his way back to the top. He suffered some bad KOs and had health issues, but he's finally back.He deserves it, but I am not confident he can handle the new hard defeat mentally and physically.
He has won his last fight, so deserves to fight someone above him, and, on the contrary, Walker suffered a loss, so might have to fight somebody ranked lower than him, so I think those 2 would be a good match-up.
If anyone is interested in what the Volkov Vs Pavlovich drama (discussion during the weight ins and the push after the fight), TopTort777 provided a nice breakdown of the situationThis is going to be interesting fight between two big heavyweights.
I am happy to see main event in UFC 303 is going to be Alex Pereira vs Jiri Prochazka.I believe that their first fight was stopped way too early in favor of Pereira, so this is kind of a revenge fight for Prochazka.
This has the potential to be one of the best UFC fights this year, both fighters have chances to win but it is always harder to defend the title than to win it.
I am happy to see main event in UFC 303 is going to be Alex Pereira vs Jiri Prochazka.I believe that their first fight was stopped way too early in favor of Pereira, so this is kind of a revenge fight for Prochazka.
This has the potential to be one of the best UFC fights this year, both fighters have chances to win but it is always harder to defend the title than to win it.
Aside from the Holloway-Gaethje and Makachev-Poirier fight, this might also be a candidate for fight of the year. I mean both are very good boxers, and you don't see this match as a one-sided fight. Anything can happen, and one punch can change everything - like what Pereira did to Hill. :D
I like watching Prochazka, as he's very entertaining, but his style of keeping his hands down and holding no guard could get him in real trouble against Pereira, again.Yeah, he is playing a risky game with that, but h is trying to set a trap for his opponents.
Yeah, he is playing a risky game with that, but h is trying to set a trap for his opponents.
I don't think this trick will work with Pereira that is more complete fighter in my opinion.
I checked the odds and Pereira to win is not bad at all.
(https://i.ibb.co/19Cvvzf/imga0b8a0640ea2604a7e2d95e2bcb8ebdf.jpg)
https://sportsbet.io/sports/event/mma/ufc/ufc-303-mc-gregor-vs-chandler/pereira-alex-vs-prochazka-jiri-666c15fdb14b9900015b480a
The main event looks promising but, as mentioned previously, I don't expect Jiri to win the belt back. But this is MMA, so anything is possible.Prochazka has wild fighting style and you cant prepare for him like for most other fighters, that is why I think he has a decent chance in this fight.
I find Garry insufferable so wouldn't mind seeing him getting KO'd. Page is probably technically better, but we already know oddsmakers tend to favour younger fighters.
The main event looks promising but, as mentioned previously, I don't expect Jiri to win the belt back. But this is MMA, so anything is possible.Prochazka has wild fighting style and you cant prepare for him like for most other fighters, that is why I think he has a decent chance in this fight.
I find Garry insufferable so wouldn't mind seeing him getting KO'd. Page is probably technically better, but we already know oddsmakers tend to favour younger fighters.
If Pereira survives first few rounds and damages calf and legs of Prochazka than he is going to win.
I watched Prochazka against Rakic and he was losing most of that fight until Rakic fall into his trap.
I called it, didn't I?
I knew Jiri's low hands would get him in big trouble in this one. There are fighters you can fight against with your hands low, and there are fighters you can't. Pereira is in the 2nd category.
I feel sorry for Jiri and don't want to be too harsh to him, but he was not properly prepared. He looked chaotic and there was no sign of any game plan. Even when it comes to that knock-out kick, he did see it coming but tried to block it in a very odd way, as in he fought it was a body kick and tried to catch Pereira's leg. That's a rookie mistake, but it's possible he was still dazed after that knock-down at the end of round one.
I called it, didn't I?Hands high would not save Prochazka from this situation, if Pereira landed this kick on his hand he would probably break it or make serious damage.
I knew Jiri's low hands would get him in big trouble in this one.
Jiris team been telling him about his hands. but even so Jiri would still have the better chance of winning if take down Pereira. (..)Except Jiri is not the best in takedowns and Pereira is pretty good in avoiding them. But who knows, maybe it was his plan for later rounds, when Alex feels too comfortable and gets a bit reckless.
Hands high would not save Prochazka from this situation, if Pereira landed this kick on his hand he would probably break it or make serious damage.
I dont think trilogy is needed between this two fighters, Pereira proved he is better and now UFC needs to find next fighter for him.
Potentially next fighters for Pereira could be Ankalaev, Hill, Błachowicz, Rakic or maybe they create another super fight with Dricus De Plessis.
I think so because I believe that the left hook that he absorbed at the final seconds of the 1st round still affected him at the start of the 2nd round causing him to drop immediately by just a single kick. Even though he blocked it with his hands, he might still get affected and drop down.I called it, didn't I?Hands high would not save Prochazka from this situation, if Pereira landed this kick on his hand he would probably break it or make serious damage.
I knew Jiri's low hands would get him in big trouble in this one.
I dont think trilogy is needed between this two fighters, Pereira proved he is better and now UFC needs to find next fighter for him.
Potentially next fighters for Pereira could be Ankalaev, Hill, Błachowicz, Rakic or maybe they create another super fight with Dricus De Plessis.
On the speculation of a Pereira vs. Adesanya trilogy at MW, I don't think that's going to happen. After he lost at their second UFC bout, Pereira said he's unlikely to go back to MW because it has taken a toll on his body. It's up to Adesanya if he wants to settle it at LHW.
(...)
Just look at him after the stoppage. He's still wobbling even though Herb Dean stopped it for more than 30 seconds already. (...)
Nah, if he blocked it properly he would be fine.You can see what happens with legs and calves when they are kicked by fighter and arms are not as strong as legs ;D
I think Ankalaev is next, 99%. Pereira said he's willing to fight him, and Dana seemed to be OK with that.
Nah, if he blocked it properly he would be fine.You can see what happens with legs and calves when they are kicked by fighter and arms are not as strong as legs ;D
I think Ankalaev is next, 99%. Pereira said he's willing to fight him, and Dana seemed to be OK with that.
But that fight is now finished and Prochzka hype is over, now Dana needs to find someone else.
I think Ankalaev fighting style can be a problem for Pereira but maybe he is not that attractive for UFC and Dana White money machine.
(...)
I think Ankalaev fighting style can be a problem for Pereira but maybe he is not that attractive for UFC and Dana White money machine.
^
That's not good. I thought Khabib had good relations with Putin, so I'm a bit surprised to see that happening.
Who knows, if the situation causes him to run into financial trouble, he might be forced to come back out of retirement and have at least one more fight that would set him up for life.
Meanwhile there are rumours about Chandler getting an offer to fight Islam in October.
It's all starting to look like we might see McGregor Vs Khabib 2 at the end of this year ;D
Who knows, if the situation causes him to run into financial trouble, he might be forced to come back out of retirement and have at least one more fight that would set him up for life.Khabib would beat McGregor again without a doubt, but this fight will never happen ;D
Meanwhile there are rumours about Chandler getting an offer to fight Islam in October.
It's all starting to look like we might see McGregor Vs Khabib 2 at the end of this year ;D
I also think that Khabib will just choke the shit out of Conor "AGAIN".Who knows, if the situation causes him to run into financial trouble, he might be forced to come back out of retirement and have at least one more fight that would set him up for life.Khabib would beat McGregor again without a doubt, but this fight will never happen ;D
Meanwhile there are rumours about Chandler getting an offer to fight Islam in October.
It's all starting to look like we might see McGregor Vs Khabib 2 at the end of this year ;D
I am sure that Khabib didnt keep all his money in Russian bank accounts and local real estates, but this is great example why Bitcoin is important.
I think that whole situation is connected with some terrorist attacks, but Khabib just learned that he doesnt own his bank account and money that was in there.
~It looks like everyone wants to fight Poatan now and I don't blame them. He's probably less of a draw when Conor was still at top form and at the peak of his popularity but he surely generates more money now after those knockout wins.
anyway, Aspinall is fighting in UFC 304 by the way. he is fighting Blaydes again. poor Tom never get to have the title shot even when he has the interim HW belt. in his recent interview he is also eyeing to fight Poatan if Poatan goes to HW. this should be big it it happens.
Yeah, I don't buy the story it's all only due to some unpaid tax. There must be more to that and it indeed could be due to terrorist attacks. Perhaps Khabib's gym was linked to separatist movements, which is something Putin would not take lightly.Thats it.
In fact, some media report that:
"Reports state that one of the terrorists killed in the attack was MMA fighter Gadzhimurad Kagirov, a pupil of the school, which may have prompted the investigation."
https://www.si.com/fannation/mma/news/ufc-drama-police-raid-khabib-nurmagomedovs-gym-conor-mcgregor-reacts
Anyway, like what you said, I don't see this happening as well, (...)
Guys dont forget to watch Diaz vs Masvidal boxing fight that is starting today.
This is not MMA fight but both of them are UFC fighters and I am expecting to see interesting fight.
We have to wait next week for UFC to get back but this should be very interesting main event Namajunas vs Cortez.
according to some news, they didn't like Khabib stance in Ukraine war. they say Khabib isn't supportive to the Russian government when it comes to the war in Ukraine. something they can't believe when they are united with this one.It has nothing to do with that, and nobody has to support war when both sides are killing each other for someone else.
according to some news, they didn't like Khabib stance in Ukraine war. they say Khabib isn't supportive to the Russian government when it comes to the war in Ukraine. something they can't believe when they are united with this one.It has nothing to do with that, and nobody has to support war when both sides are killing each other for someone else.
Khabib should finally come up in public and tell the truth, otherwise it is all speculation.
UFC is finally back this weekend so we can move on to that.
Main event Namajunas vs Cortez is great but I am not that excited about other fights on this fight card.
(https://i.ibb.co/xG5sMyr/img856e31427d22121d3bd7b50fe36fa6ba.jpg)
~Both of them won with their purse and neither of them probably spent a lot during their preparation for this match.
they are earning more in boxing https://x.com/MMAJunkie/status/1809624226195800165
i think in one match in UFC, is less than $60k but them fighting in boxing Nate gets $500k while George gets $300k. Masvidal is a finisher.
UFC is finally back this weekend so we can move on to that.
Main event Namajunas vs Cortez is great but I am not that excited about other fights on this fight card.
Not the most exciting card ever, but better than nothing.You are right about this, but some people are pushing for strong woman and other strange things.
I'm strongly against females in combat sports, so going to ignore the main event, but Dober Vs Silva looks promising.
Not the most exciting card ever, but better than nothing.You are right about this, but some people are pushing for strong woman and other strange things.
I'm strongly against females in combat sports, so going to ignore the main event, but Dober Vs Silva looks promising.
If you look who the real owners of UFC are you will understand why this is happening.
Next UFC event is even worse, again two females as main event Amanda Lemos vs Virna Jandiroba.
All that being said, I think there are few amazing female fighters I like and Rose Namajunas is one of them.
she isn't really tough like Nunes but she can KO and submit opponent. i don't usually watch women in ufc but after beating one of the baddest in the women's division Weili Zhang, it made me watch her fights.I dont like Nunes and what she is representing in UFC, but she is a good fighter and different Bantamweight category from Rose Namajunas that is in Flyweight.
More interesting news coming from Alex Pereira who released a video about his comeback that is planned for this year in November or December.
This could be fight against Magomed Ankalaev or anyone else that UFC offers to him.
He already defeated Prochazka, Hill, and Blachowicz, so Ankalaev and Rakic are only two top fighters left.
Ankalaev surely deserves a title shot and if he doesn't get one, it would be a dent on the UFC's reputation, meaning they no longer have any regards to rankings or the sport element of the business (focussing only on the showbusiness part of it).Ankalaev should be next for Pereira if they are both healthy and ready for fight but UFC only cares about numbers and how much money that fight can bring.
I'll be glad to see Pereira moving up to fight Aspinall in the heavyweight, but, in such case he should vacate the light heavyweight belt and let Ankalaev fight for it against someone else.
Ankalaev surely deserves a title shot and if he doesn't get one, it would be a dent on the UFC's reputation, meaning they no longer have any regards to rankings or the sport element of the business (focussing only on the showbusiness part of it).Ankalaev should be next for Pereira if they are both healthy and ready for fight but UFC only cares about numbers and how much money that fight can bring.
I'll be glad to see Pereira moving up to fight Aspinall in the heavyweight, but, in such case he should vacate the light heavyweight belt and let Ankalaev fight for it against someone else.
If I was in Periera place I would not go to heavyweight category, difference in size and everything else is huge, but they can always bring down someone to light heavyweight for him.
Rose Namajunas is back with another win against Tracy Cortez, but this fight card wont be remembered for anything special.Trump attending this after getting shot, as posted in social media by some personalities, would have been the highlight of the event.
UFC is preparing for bigger events in future, and while everyone is wondering when are we going to see Jon Jones back in octagon, he just earned two new charges for misdemeanor because of drug test.;D We'll probably see the video of the incident soon. His ego was probably hurt but I can understand also why someone would be agitated if suddenly asked to do something after taking a nap.
Rose Namajunas is back with another win against Tracy Cortez, but this fight card wont be remembered for anything special.Trump attending this after getting shot, as posted in social media by some personalities, would have been the highlight of the event.UFC is preparing for bigger events in future, and while everyone is wondering when are we going to see Jon Jones back in octagon, he just earned two new charges for misdemeanor because of drug test.;D We'll probably see the video of the incident soon. His ego was probably hurt but I can understand also why someone would be agitated if suddenly asked to do something after taking a nap.
(...) and while everyone is wondering when are we going to see Jon Jones back in octagon, he just earned two new charges for misdemeanor because of drug test.
Jones vs Miocic is planned for UFC 309 in New York during November.
(...) and while everyone is wondering when are we going to see Jon Jones back in octagon, he just earned two new charges for misdemeanor because of drug test.
Jones vs Miocic is planned for UFC 309 in New York during November.
Thanks for the update. I was worried it might be something big, that could get him suspended again, but according to the video he only got charged with "minor" misdemeanour, so probably that's nothing serious.
November seems pretty far away from now, but at least we have a date and some indication of when we can expect the fight to happen.
Meanwhile, we're less than 2 weeks away from Tom Aspinall defending his interim heavyweight belt, something that shouldn't really be happening but hey.
~I also saw in one of the Facebook posts (legit FB page) that he doesn't care who he will be fighting with.
More interesting news coming from Alex Pereira who released a video about his comeback that is planned for this year in November or December.
This could be fight against Magomed Ankalaev or anyone else that UFC offers to him.
He already defeated Prochazka, Hill, and Blachowicz, so Ankalaev and Rakic are only two top fighters left.
Jones vs Miocic is planned for UFC 309 in New York during November.If this happens, then exclude Jon Jones to the list of possible fighters that Pereira might face in his next match then. Aspinall might be, or if there will be a rematch between him and Hill since he wants a rematch.
~I also saw in one of the Facebook posts (legit FB page) that he doesn't care who he will be fighting with.
More interesting news coming from Alex Pereira who released a video about his comeback that is planned for this year in November or December.
This could be fight against Magomed Ankalaev or anyone else that UFC offers to him.
He already defeated Prochazka, Hill, and Blachowicz, so Ankalaev and Rakic are only two top fighters left.
His main priority is the belt, and he doesn't care who the opponent will be. Maybe let's add Aspinall and Jon Jones to the list as well because who knows. We might see him going to Heavyweight and try to make history as the first UFC fighter to win in 3 divisions. If I remember correctly, he doesn't want to down on weight anymore and face Adesanya (or it's the other way around). Anyway, whoever he will be fighting with, it willa always be an interesting fight.Jones vs Miocic is planned for UFC 309 in New York during November.If this happens, then exclude Jon Jones to the list of possible fighters that Pereira might face in his next match then. Aspinall might be, or if there will be a rematch between him and Hill since he wants a rematch.
Thanks for the update. I was worried it might be something big, that could get him suspended again, but according to the video he only got charged with "minor" misdemeanour, so probably that's nothing serious.Main problem in this incident was woman who works with UFC for testing samples.
November seems pretty far away from now, but at least we have a date and some indication of when we can expect the fight to happen.
Meanwhile, we're less than 2 weeks away from Tom Aspinall defending his interim heavyweight belt, something that shouldn't really be happening but hey.
UFC isn't making Tommy vs Curtis 2 a grander event. (...)
Blaydes is a solid fighter but he's nowhere near the superstar level. Tom is also not that much of a showman, but he lets his performance speak for itself.Compared with boring UFC fight card scheduled for this weekend, Aspinall vs Blaydes sounds like a heavyweight title fight, oh wait it is but Interim title fight ;D
Plus, the event is probably aimed primarily at the UK fans, although the time of the event is far too late for any British fan's liking. It's scheduled to start at 11pm and the main events are expected to take place around 3am. I think this and the high ticket prices are the reasons it's not yet fully sold out (I'm assuming it's not as there are still tickets available for sale from the official site).
UFC isn't making Tommy vs Curtis 2 a grander event. (...)
Blaydes is a solid fighter but he's nowhere near the superstar level. Tom is also not that much of a showman, but he lets his performance speak for itself.
Plus, the event is probably aimed primarily at the UK fans, although the time of the event is far too late for any British fan's liking. It's scheduled to start at 11pm and the main events are expected to take place around 3am. I think this and the high ticket prices are the reasons it's not yet fully sold out (I'm assuming it's not as there are still tickets available for sale from the official site).
Yeah, Paddy wasn't a draw as organizers expect and at some point, he was also compared to Conor ;Dtoo early to say but it could be because these fighters are not saleable even when they add Paddy the baddy. Belal is the most boring fighter and then matches to an also boring Edwards. Blaydes vs Aspinall is like a consolation fight for those who expects a big KO.UFC isn't making Tommy vs Curtis 2 a grander event. (...)Blaydes is a solid fighter but he's nowhere near the superstar level. Tom is also not that much of a showman, but he lets his performance speak for itself.
Plus, the event is probably aimed primarily at the UK fans, although the time of the event is far too late for any British fan's liking. It's scheduled to start at 11pm and the main events are expected to take place around 3am. I think this and the high ticket prices are the reasons it's not yet fully sold out (I'm assuming it's not as there are still tickets available for sale from the official site).
Compared with boring UFC fight card scheduled for this weekend, Aspinall vs Blaydes sounds like a heavyweight title fight, oh wait it is but Interim title fight ;D
Aspinall will be motivated to win after losing from Blades in 2022 and I think he has a chance in front of home crowd in Manchester.
Blaydes has a slight reach advantage and he has a chance to win again, I am just waiting to see odds on this fight to make my decision.
this is also the reason why Pereira wasn't interested to fight Aspinall all for the interim belt. he wants to directly fight for the HW champ belt Jones. people will doubt whether he could take Jones but being so inactive, i think he could actually. i don't think Pereira will mind losing, he lost several times and recovered quickly.
A list of opponents that Poirier said he'd be happy to fight: Nate Diaz, Conor McGregor, Alexander Volkanovski, Justin Gaethje, Max Holloway, Charles Oliveira, and Colby CovingtonDustin already lost from Gaethje and Oliveira so it would be interesting to see another fight between them.
Dustin already lost from Gaethje and Oliveira so it would be interesting to see another fight between them.
I said that Islam Makhachev will be Lightweight champion and I was right, but competition is very strong between all other fighters.
Arman Tsarukyan is another candidate but I think he is going against Makhachev next, after losing from him in 2019.
Yes, Tsarukyan Vs Makhachev 2 is not yet announced (as far as I know) but everyone expects it to happen. Tsarukyan was banned for 9 months (till Jan 2025), but he could get this reduced to six months if he produces an anti-bullying public service announcement. This means he could be available for late October.This could be interesting fight for the end of 2024 but I still see Makhachev as the clear winner against Tsarukyan.
Yeah, Paddy wasn't a draw as organizers expect and at some point, he was also compared to Conor ;D
I still think the main card is decent but I don't expect a record breaking PPV and gate sales. If Tom wins by KO here, it will be much easier to sell his fights.
Dustin already lost from Gaethje and Oliveira so it would be interesting to see another fight between them.
I said that Islam Makhachev will be Lightweight champion and I was right, but competition is very strong between all other fighters.
Arman Tsarukyan is another candidate but I think he is going against Makhachev next, after losing from him in 2019.
I think Holloway would be the best opponent for Dustin, but Max is rumoured to fight Ilia Topuria for the featherweight belt, so I don't think that's likely to happen.
Yes, Tsarukyan Vs Makhachev 2 is not yet announced (as far as I know) but everyone expects it to happen. Tsarukyan was banned for 9 months (till Jan 2025), but he could get this reduced to six months if he produces an anti-bullying public service announcement. This means he could be available for late October.
I never heard of Mokaev and had to watch yt for highlights. He looks like a hybrid Dagestani fighter that's good on the feet and on the ground. If no serious injuries, he'll most likely get to the top in two to three years. If he's also good at talking or selling fights, his journey will be shorter ;DYeah, Paddy wasn't a draw as organizers expect and at some point, he was also compared to Conor ;Dmaybe it will sell in UK. and there's Mokaev however who soon to be the baddest in the flyweight. though he wasn't hyped much by Dana, he is undefeated and 6-0 in UFC, besides Taira, this is the Dagestan that will wipe the ranked fighters.
I still think the main card is decent but I don't expect a record breaking PPV and gate sales. If Tom wins by KO here, it will be much easier to sell his fights.
I never heard of Mokaev and had to watch yt for highlights. He looks like a hybrid Dagestani fighter that's good on the feet and on the ground. If no serious injuries, he'll most likely get to the top in two to three years. If he's also good at talking or selling fights, his journey will be shorter ;DYeah, Paddy wasn't a draw as organizers expect and at some point, he was also compared to Conor ;Dmaybe it will sell in UK. and there's Mokaev however who soon to be the baddest in the flyweight. though he wasn't hyped much by Dana, he is undefeated and 6-0 in UFC, besides Taira, this is the Dagestan that will wipe the ranked fighters.
I still think the main card is decent but I don't expect a record breaking PPV and gate sales. If Tom wins by KO here, it will be much easier to sell his fights.
paddy was compared to conor, we know he isn't though. (...)
paddy was compared to conor, we know he isn't though. (...)
I think the only person comparing him to McGregor was Paddy himself. He has lost a lot of hype due to his attacks on Helwani, which made him look like Dana's lap dog, and due to unconvincing performances in which he nearly got KOed or won by a controversial decision (i.e. against Jared Gordon).
I don't think he manages his public image to well. He's not very consistent and seems like he can't decide whether he wants to play the role of a good or a bad guy.
But to be fair to him, he did redeem himself a bit in the fight with Ferguson, and he still has pretty impressive recognition for a guy that's not even ranked.
you think its true that Dana will release him from UFC? i read this is paddy's last fight in his UFC contract and if this contract isn't renewed i guess its the end of his UFC career. the predictions off top pickers was that Bob Green may actually win against paddy. he won't be retiring i suppose since he is qualified enough to join some other MMA promotions but there is nothing like UFC.
UFC 304 has some good match ups especially the co-main event and several familiar names like Giga. he is underdog against Allen which is kinda odd.
you think its true that Dana will release him from UFC? i read this is paddy's last fight in his UFC contract and if this contract isn't renewed i guess its the end of his UFC career. the predictions off top pickers was that Bob Green may actually win against paddy. he won't be retiring i suppose since he is qualified enough to join some other MMA promotions but there is nothing like UFC.
UFC 304 has some good match ups especially the co-main event and several familiar names like Giga. he is underdog against Allen which is kinda odd.
It'd be very unlikely for the UFC to tell Paddy off and not offer him any contract. They may not offer him as much as he wants but I'd imagine he will get an offer.
Like him or not, he's undefeated 5-0 in the UFC, so him leaving for another organisation would cause a dent to the UFC's reputation as the place that every fighter wants to be in.
(...) tom by KO you think?
(...) tom by KO you think?
Statistically, that's the most likely scenario, but Blaydes probably will be focused on surviving round 1, which would be a small victory and could put more mental pressure on Tom. From the vids on youtube it looks like both are preparing for some ground action. So I wouldn't be surprised if this fight goes differently than Tom's previous fights, but I don't think it'd go to the distance.
Here are the odds for all of the main card fights:
Leon Edwards x1.44 vs. Belal Muhammad x2.80
Tom Aspinall x1.27 vs. Curtis Blaydes x3.80
Bobby Green x1.86 vs. Paddy Pimblett x1.94
Christian Leroy Duncan x1.70 vs. Gregory Rodrigues x2.15
Arnold Allen x1.38 vs. Giga Chikadze x3.05
Not the main card, but Mokaev has decent odds at 1.68 against Kape (x2.18).
Tom winning by KO does mean Jones will finally fight him or Jones will still be inactive after fighting Stipe? these two are fighting over an interim belt but hope this time it won't be meaningless.
but it would mess up the situation also if Tom loses by KO against Blaydes.
they would really need a bigger star like Poatan to come in HW to make things happen. they would need another bogeyman for Jones when if Tom loses, the only down side is Jones getting inactive again.
The style doesn't matter, whoever wins will either face the winner of Jones/Stipe or Jones (or Stipe) will be stripped of the HW belt. The current situation is already ridiculous as it is, and having two permanent HW belts existing in parallel would be an absolute joke.If that fight ever happens :o
The style doesn't matter, whoever wins will either face the winner of Jones/Stipe or Jones (or Stipe) will be stripped of the HW belt. The current situation is already ridiculous as it is, and having two permanent HW belts existing in parallel would be an absolute joke.If that fight ever happens :o
Both Jones and Stipe are not getting any younger, Jones is now 37 year old and he only had one fight since 2020, that is with Gane last year.
Stipe is older than Jones, he is now 41 year old, his last fight in UFC was back in 2021, and it not likely he will fight this year.
I would love to see this fight, but Francis NGannou comeback in MMA is also going to be interesting.
Both Jones and Stipe are not getting any younger, Jones is now 37 year old and he only had one fight since 2020, that is with Gane last year.
Stipe is older than Jones, he is now 41 year old, his last fight in UFC was back in 2021, and it not likely he will fight this year.
Nah, I think it'll happen, unless one of them gets any major injury, then it could be called off.I think Jones have signed a contract to have more fights in UFC, but I would like him to finish with Dana White and became a free agent.
The real question is, will this be Jon's last fight, or will he want to keep going.
If Aspinall defeats Blaydes, it would be a real shame if he's not matched up with Jones. There simply aren't any other worthy and exciting opponents in the heavyweight right now.I don't think any of this guys can really challenge Jones and be a real threat to him.
If Aspinall defeats Blaydes, it would be a real shame if he's not matched up with Jones. There simply aren't any other worthy and exciting opponents in the heavyweight right now.I don't think any of this guys can really challenge Jones and be a real threat to him.
Whoever wins in that fight wont be that much motivating for him, and I am still looking at Stipe Miocic as better fighter from other heayvweights, despite being 6th place in UFC rankings.
I don't think any of this guys can really challenge Jones and be a real threat to him.
Whoever wins in that fight wont be that much motivating for him, and I am still looking at Stipe Miocic as better fighter from other heayvweights, despite being 6th place in UFC rankings.
I couldn't disagree more. If Jones Vs Aspinall was to happen next, the odds would probably be even or maybe slightly in favour of Tom. He's got youth, energy and drive on his side, has been training various aspects of mma all his life and is natural heavyweight.If this fight was happening this year I would be ready to place a bet on Jones to win and I am sure he would do it.
I don't think any of this guys can really challenge Jones and be a real threat to him.
Whoever wins in that fight wont be that much motivating for him, and I am still looking at Stipe Miocic as better fighter from other heayvweights, despite being 6th place in UFC rankings.
I couldn't disagree more. If Jones Vs Aspinall was to happen next, the odds would probably be even or maybe slightly in favour of Tom. He's got youth, energy and drive on his side, has been training various aspects of mma all his life and is natural heavyweight.
Jon Jones is past his prime (I think he himself admitted this some time ago), he gave a great fight against Gane, but his last fights in the light heavyweight were far from dominant (including the Reyes one). And that's not to mention he had only 1 fight in over 2 years and is recovering from an injury.
If Jon's intention was to defeat Stipe and announce his retirement, he's in an ugly place right now. If he does that, absolutely everyone will think he's running away from Tom.
But if he takes on the challenge and wins win Tom, that would solidify his position as the greatest mma fighter ever.
This fight just has to happen.
That being said, everyone writes Stipe off, but if he managed to stay in shape and if he takes that fight seriously, it might not be a walk in the park for Jon.
@electroniccash, I read that UFC released Mokaev after winning his last fight. Any idea why his contract wasn't renewed? From the social media comments, his fights were boring that's why Dana had to cut him off.
Khabib Nurmagomedov is back in UFC, but only in corner of his cousin Umar Nurmagomedov at next UFC event in Abu Dhabi.
I cant see Umar losing this fight, he has a perfect 17-0 MMA record and Khabib in corner will motivate him to perform at his best.
This is very good fight card to watch for other fights, we have Deiveson Figueiredo and TonyFerguson in the same event.
If this fight was happening this year I would be ready to place a bet on Jones to win and I am sure he would do it.
I think you forgot how good Jon Jones really is, and I dont underestimate Aspinall when I say this but he would not survive five rounds with Jones in octagon.
I like betting on underdogs but I would never support Aspinall against Jones, unless Jones is fighting with one arm or big injury.
If this fight was happening this year I would be ready to place a bet on Jones to win and I am sure he would do it.
I think you forgot how good Jon Jones really is, and I dont underestimate Aspinall when I say this but he would not survive five rounds with Jones in octagon.
I like betting on underdogs but I would never support Aspinall against Jones, unless Jones is fighting with one arm or big injury.
Jones is only a human, he ages just like anybody else and has his weak sides. He fought only once in the heavyweight against Gane who has zero ground game. His biggest successes were in light heavyweight where he usually had a significant height/reach advantage.
I'm not saying Jones is not good, he's one of the best, but he's beatable and is past his prime.
If he wins unconvincingly against Stipe, he might end up as an underdog against Tom.
Jones is only a human, he ages just like anybody else and has his weak sides. He fought only once in the heavyweight against Gane who has zero ground game. His biggest successes were in light heavyweight where he usually had a significant height/reach advantage.No way, bookmakers will never make Jon Jones underdog against Aspinal you can bet on that,
I'm not saying Jones is not good, he's one of the best, but he's beatable and is past his prime.
If he wins unconvincingly against Stipe, he might end up as an underdog against Tom.
No way, bookmakers will never make Jon Jones underdog against Aspinal you can bet on that,
Anyone can be beaten in MMA but I didnt see complete fighter in heavyweight division that can beat him.
Aspinal already lost from Blaydes and he has two more defeats in MMA carrier.
Jones lost only one time in 2009 and never in UFC ;D
Jones maybe feels it himself that he could lose the fight against Tom and for this reason he isn't fighting or its just Dana's decision not to let him fight yet. because there is just no one else who would replace him as one of the biggest HW star in UFC if he loses.I think there would be less shame in taking up that fight and losing that running away just to keep his clean (well, sort of) record. But then again, if he was to announce his retirement after the Stipe fight, that's his right, no one should be pressured to keep fighting.
(...)
Jones is only a human, he ages just like anybody else and has his weak sides. He fought only once in the heavyweight against Gane who has zero ground game. His biggest successes were in light heavyweight where he usually had a significant height/reach advantage.No way, bookmakers will never make Jon Jones underdog against Aspinal you can bet on that,
I'm not saying Jones is not good, he's one of the best, but he's beatable and is past his prime.
If he wins unconvincingly against Stipe, he might end up as an underdog against Tom.
Anyone can be beaten in MMA but I didnt see complete fighter in heavyweight division that can beat him.
Aspinal already lost from Blaydes and he has two more defeats in MMA carrier.
Jones lost only one time in 2009 and never in UFC ;D
No way, bookmakers will never make Jon Jones underdog against Aspinal you can bet on that,
Anyone can be beaten in MMA but I didnt see complete fighter in heavyweight division that can beat him.
Aspinal already lost from Blaydes and he has two more defeats in MMA carrier.
Jones lost only one time in 2009 and never in UFC ;D
I've been watching some YT video claiming that there already was one UK bookie that offered odds for the fight and Aspinall was the favourite, but don't have time to dig it up so take this at face value.
Aspinal legitimately lost one MMA fight (he got caught by a heel hook at a very early stage of his career), the other losses were knee injury and disqualification (exact same thing as for Jones).Jones maybe feels it himself that he could lose the fight against Tom and for this reason he isn't fighting or its just Dana's decision not to let him fight yet. because there is just no one else who would replace him as one of the biggest HW star in UFC if he loses.I think there would be less shame in taking up that fight and losing that running away just to keep his clean (well, sort of) record. But then again, if he was to announce his retirement after the Stipe fight, that's his right, no one should be pressured to keep fighting.
(...)
I do agree, even if Jones is away from the Octagon for many years, many fans still consider him the GOAT. Even Dana himself says that Jones is a absolute killer and if there will be fighters that he wants to be the room with him, it will be Jones.
No doubt that Aspinal is a rising star, lots of hype around this kid. And even if he is knocking people out easy, I doubt that the can do that to Jon Jones even at this point. So maybe Aspinal is good, but he hasn't seen the kind of animal like Jones in the octagon.
(...)
there were rumors about Dana considers Jones' record of Disqualification to be erased because of the new rules about grounded opponents and 126 elbow is already changed. i'm not sure how true this is but this is hilarious to think of.
I do agree, even if Jones is away from the Octagon for many years, many fans still consider him the GOAT. Even Dana himself says that Jones is a absolute killer and if there will be fighters that he wants to be the room with him, it will be Jones.
Dana wasn't that keen on praising Jon when Francis became a champ. He even publicly hinted that Jon is scared of Francis. He made a 180 degrees turn when Ngannou decided to leave the UFC. It was not a good look to have the best heavyweight on the planet to be fighting in a competing organisation, so he started to peddle Jon as the best of all time. The reality is Jon has only one fight in the heavyweigh againt a guy who was never a champion.No doubt that Aspinal is a rising star, lots of hype around this kid. And even if he is knocking people out easy, I doubt that the can do that to Jon Jones even at this point. So maybe Aspinal is good, but he hasn't seen the kind of animal like Jones in the octagon.
I'm not sure if it's really fair to keep calling him a rising star when he has already won the belt and managed to defend it. He has already risen to the highest position. The only step left is to defeat the original champion, and Tom is not the one avoiding that fight.(...)
there were rumors about Dana considers Jones' record of Disqualification to be erased because of the new rules about grounded opponents and 126 elbow is already changed. i'm not sure how true this is but this is hilarious to think of.
Yeah, I vaguely recall Dana mentioning that, but does he have a power to do that?
It doesn't make sense to me tbh. However stupid the rule was, it was an effective rule at that time, so breaking it was a legit disqualification. Law and rules should not work backwards.
I do agree, even if Jones is away from the Octagon for many years, many fans still consider him the GOAT. Even Dana himself says that Jones is a absolute killer and if there will be fighters that he wants to be the room with him, it will be Jones.
Dana wasn't that keen on praising Jon when Francis became a champ. He even publicly hinted that Jon is scared of Francis. He made a 180 degrees turn when Ngannou decided to leave the UFC. It was not a good look to have the best heavyweight on the planet to be fighting in a competing organisation, so he started to peddle Jon as the best of all time. The reality is Jon has only one fight in the heavyweigh againt a guy who was never a champion.No doubt that Aspinal is a rising star, lots of hype around this kid. And even if he is knocking people out easy, I doubt that the can do that to Jon Jones even at this point. So maybe Aspinal is good, but he hasn't seen the kind of animal like Jones in the octagon.
I'm not sure if it's really fair to keep calling him a rising star when he has already won the belt and managed to defend it. He has already risen to the highest position. The only step left is to defeat the original champion, and Tom is not the one avoiding that fight.(...)
there were rumors about Dana considers Jones' record of Disqualification to be erased because of the new rules about grounded opponents and 126 elbow is already changed. i'm not sure how true this is but this is hilarious to think of.
Yeah, I vaguely recall Dana mentioning that, but does he have a power to do that?
It doesn't make sense to me tbh. However stupid the rule was, it was an effective rule at that time, so breaking it was a legit disqualification. Law and rules should not work backwards.
Dana wasn't that keen on praising Jon when Francis became a champ. He even publicly hinted that Jon is scared of Francis. He made a 180 degrees turn when Ngannou decided to leave the UFC. It was not a good look to have the best heavyweight on the planet to be fighting in a competing organisation, so he started to peddle Jon as the best of all time. The reality is Jon has only one fight in the heavyweigh againt a guy who was never a champion.Main problem here is the UFC and Dana White, not the fighters.
I haven't heard that Dana says that, although he might have said that, but I have heard this interview of Dana,
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9HqIMZAkbHU (https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9HqIMZAkbHU)
As for Aspinal, for me though I will call him a hype job, he might have the interim belt and on a winning streak, but he can't keep Jones out of his out and that will be a real challenge for him to call Jones and see how he does and maybe he if wins then there's no question that he is no longer a hype job.
Dana wasn't that keen on praising Jon when Francis became a champ. He even publicly hinted that Jon is scared of Francis. He made a 180 degrees turn when Ngannou decided to leave the UFC. It was not a good look to have the best heavyweight on the planet to be fighting in a competing organisation, so he started to peddle Jon as the best of all time. The reality is Jon has only one fight in the heavyweigh againt a guy who was never a champion.Main problem here is the UFC and Dana White, not the fighters.
They are the main reason why Ngannou and Jon Jones did not fight for a very long time.
Fighters are like gladiators to them, they need to own them as slaves with their contracts, and they keep lion share of earnings.
Tony Ferguson just announced retirement after losing against Chiesa, he didnt have to wait for so long, 8 losat fights in a row.
As for Aspinal, for me though I will call him a hype job, he might have the interim belt and on a winning streak, but he can't keep Jones out of his out and that will be a real challenge for him to call Jones and see how he does and maybe he if wins then there's no question that he is no longer a hype job.
Tony Ferguson just announced retirement after losing against Chiesa, he didnt have to wait for so long, 8 losat fights in a row.
As for Aspinal, for me though I will call him a hype job, he might have the interim belt and on a winning streak, but he can't keep Jones out of his out and that will be a real challenge for him to call Jones and see how he does and maybe he if wins then there's no question that he is no longer a hype job.
Aspinall did everything that he possibly could to earn the title of the HW champ.
He's not the one avoiding Jones and he puts a lot of effort to make it happen.
How will he do against Jones? I have no clue, but I just hope that fight will happen.Tony Ferguson just announced retirement after losing against Chiesa, he didnt have to wait for so long, 8 losat fights in a row.
Are you referring to the post-fight interview? If so, he did not quite announced his retirement there. He explictly said he does not want to retire, but can't imagine fighting outside of the UFC (which is pressuring him to retire), so he said something about putting one glove away but keeping the other ;D
I sense we'll see him fighting for a different organisation soon.
there is no promotion that will take Tony, he lost 9 consecutive times in UFC. maybe Karate Combat where the oldies are there like Luke Rockhold who Tony haven't fought yet. it must be a sight to have two veterans in a box kicking each other.
so Dana was right after all. he sure should not have release the guy and just let him fight up to 15 losing streak. Dana was already devastated when UFC fighters lost against Jake Paul.
The UFC 305 card looks underwhelming or maybe I was just expecting more because it's Adesanya's return. Have you placed your bet already? I know Adesanya is the huge favorite but I want Du Plessis to win just for the sake of seeing memes about Dana being disappointed for losing another cash cow ;D Out of all the current champions, I think only Sean and Alex are really marketable.
(...) and there is an event this weekend which is the UFC on ESPN: Tybura vs. Spivac 2. these two are rivals at some point. there could be an unexpected result for this fight, they are explosiver fighters, its interesting that their first encounter was a decision. (...)
(...) and there is an event this weekend which is the UFC on ESPN: Tybura vs. Spivac 2. these two are rivals at some point. there could be an unexpected result for this fight, they are explosiver fighters, its interesting that their first encounter was a decision. (...)
That fight didn't last very long, Spivac won by submission in 1:44 of the round 1.
I guess you could say the result was somewhat unexpected, I haven't checked the odds before the fight, but I imagine Tybura must've been the favourite, as he won their previous fight by decission back in 2020. Also, that was Tybura's first loss by submission in his career.
Then again, Serghei is known for his submission wins, so that was not a huge surprise.
(...)
I think the next fight is DDP vs Adesanya already. maybe a hard KO will happen in this fight.
(...)
I think the next fight is DDP vs Adesanya already. maybe a hard KO will happen in this fight.
Yup, the UFC 305 is taking place this weekend and it's looking good.
Adesanya is a favourite in this one, but I'm rooting for DuPlesis. KO is always possible, but I'm expecting it to go the full distance. Adesanya has only one KO win in his last seven fights, DPP's record is a bit better in this regard, but KOing Adesanya won't be an easy task.
Gamrot Vs Hooker also looks interesting. Gamrot is ranked 5th and is taking a gamble again by fighting a guy that is ranked 11th and Hooker will have a big home crowd advantage.
Izzy is actually triggered when DDP once again strike his trolling mouth. he really can make a person go nuts that Izzy said "he is not been this motivated to kill a person" in an interview. i haven't seen the video but some articles were saying so. i don't know this happen but quickly Adesanya become suddenly sound like a villain in UFC.
Izzy is actually triggered when DDP once again strike his trolling mouth. he really can make a person go nuts that Izzy said "he is not been this motivated to kill a person" in an interview. i haven't seen the video but some articles were saying so. i don't know this happen but quickly Adesanya become suddenly sound like a villain in UFC.
Yup, Dricus is really good at mind games, he stays calm and composed but knows what to say at the right time to get his opponents triggered and heated up.
What hurts the most is the truth. Exposing Adesanya for what he is - a privileged kid of wealthy parents, who loves to tap to his Nigerian roots but the last thing he wants is to live among "his own" people. This ruins the image Izzy would like to maintain.
Nah, I don't buy Izzy's reaction as genuine. He's not someone that's easily triggered and thrown out of his element because he knows the mind games all too well. I think it's just him following the narrative to sell the fight to the audience. Anyway, I'm still hoping for an upset just because it will piss off Dana ;D Kidding aside, DDP could actually pull it off. He looks huge for the division but will he be fast enough?
As for Conor, he's as good as retired. Don't expect him to fight anyone except when the numbers are right.
(...) meanwhile the latest news i read was that Dana says conor will not fight this year. killing chandler vs conor (...)
(...) meanwhile the latest news i read was that Dana says conor will not fight this year. killing chandler vs conor (...)
Is anyone really surprised by this?
Allegedly McGregor responded to this suggesting it could happen in December, but he's a low credibility source, so if Dana says it won't happen - it probably won't.
Meanwhile, the biggest loser of the whole situation, Michael Chadler, has expressed his will to fight Max Holloway should Max lose his title fight against Topuria. Not a bad shout, but that would also mean that we won't see Chandler fighting at all this year.
I was able to tune in a couple of minutes before their last verbal exchange and I was laughing at it. It's like Izzy gets into character and then back to normal again. As for DDP, I think he'll have more success in selling if he could emulate Conor even just for a bit.
this Adesanya vs Dricus press con is the funniest. and Dricus has once again made his opponent cry
Huge win for Dricus. He has proven that he's not a champ by accident. He served Adesanya his first submission loss, but he has also shown that he can fight in a stand-up with him like an equals.
Some are now questioning if Izzy is the same as before, pointing out that after that first TKO by Alex Pereira, his style changed and it looks like he's a bit more afraid of getting punched and he's not engaging in counter-striking as much as he used to, but would rather move back or start running away. To me, it seems like he lost a lot of motivation.
I hope Izzy will stay around, otherwise the middleweight division could get a bit boring. I guess he could fight Whittaker next to see if he can still defeat him for the 3rd time, that would be a good test for him.
I understand DPP is fighting Sean next, but after that, there aren't many potential big fights for him, unless Khamzat is back in shape and manages to score a win on one of the top guys to earn his right to a title shot.
(...) lost my KO bet.
(...) lost my KO bet.
I can't blame you tbh.
I rooted for Dricus but still thought that Adesanya was a deserved favorite. No one could expect that DDP would score so many takedowns with such ease and submit Izzy, which is something that nobody has ever done before.
(...)
i think a lot of people lost in this fight card knowing that the favorite fighters lost their fight particularly Gamroot who his fans have been expecting him to win. but then again its also Dan hooker who is also an experienced fighter.
(...)
i think a lot of people lost in this fight card knowing that the favorite fighters lost their fight particularly Gamroot who his fans have been expecting him to win. but then again its also Dan hooker who is also an experienced fighter.
Yeah, Gamrot was a big favourite but he failed to deliver. He took a gamble accepting a fight with a much lower-ranked Hooker, in enemy's territory at a short notice, and it didn't pay off. It's a shame because he started the fight really well and it was going well until he got caught in the last minute of round one, and I don't think he fully recovered from that. He was also not effective with his grappling. He would take Dan down but wasn't able to do much on the ground. He could've gone for a ground and pound as he did in round one, but instead, he was overly focussed on trying to control Dan, which led to nothing.
Somewhat controversial decision, but Mateusz has himself to blame.
So, apparently, Khalil Rountree confirmed in a recent interview that he isn't planning to shoot for a takedown when fighting Pereira in October:
https://www.bjpenn.com/mma-news/khalil-rountree/khalil-rountree-reveals-he-isnt-planning-on-shooting-takedowns-against-alex-pereira/
Quick glance at Rountree's record and Wikipedia page: he has a background in Muay Thai and zero submission wins in his career. So at least we know why the UFC was so keen on matching him up against Alex.
^ Jumping straight to UFC 307? ;D
For UFC 306, early odds shows that Sean O'Malley is the slight underdog against Merab Dvalishvili. I didn't understand why at first because I don't watch Merab fights but it looks like his main weapon is his offensive grappling. Since that's like a bad match up for a striker like Sean, the odds makes more sense now.
^ Jumping straight to UFC 307? ;D
For UFC 306, early odds shows that Sean O'Malley is the slight underdog against Merab Dvalishvili. I didn't understand why at first because I don't watch Merab fights but it looks like his main weapon is his offensive grappling. Since that's like a bad match up for a striker like Sean, the odds makes more sense now.
(...)
I haven't watched any of those fights yet, but judging by the damage on the faces of both fighters in the post-fight interview, the main event could've been an interesting fight. I can't find any highlights videos (or a full fight) of it atm though.
(...)
its insane to see Borralho claiming to be the face of MW already after just this fight when he is just in the 12th in the rank. he would likely fold if matched to Whittaker in his next fight.
(...)
its insane to see Borralho claiming to be the face of MW already after just this fight when he is just in the 12th in the rank. he would likely fold if matched to Whittaker in his next fight.
The rankings are yet to be updated, should take a day or two. Given Jared is (or was) ranked No. 5, it's possible Borralho will jump in his place and Jared will drop by a few places.
And ever since McGregor's self-promoting strategy turned out to be super-successful we have a lot of fighters talking big things about themselves hoping to copy his success even only to a small degree.
Yup, nothing going on this weekend in the UFC and there's Burns Vs Brady the week after, on 7th/8th.
Gilbert's fights tend to be entertaining and Brady has an impressive 16-1 record, losing only to Belal (by TKO), so it should be interesting.
Brady is a x1.58 favourite, odds for Burns are x2.38. I'm not sure if it was due to injury (or injuries) but Brady only had 3 fights since Nov 2021, with his last fight being in Dec 2023.
Gilbert should be extra motivated to defend the family's name after his younger brother's, Herbert, poor performance (and 4th loss in a row) during the UFC 305.
Burns is in 2 consecutive loss though. the fight would likely be a good match if Burns is in his prime but he is not and Brady is capable of destroying him at his stage. Its a 2nd chance for Brady to go up again.
As President I hold the power to summon the Dáil as well as dissolve it. So as i said before, I would have all the answers the people of Ireland seek from these thieves of the working man, these disrupters of the family unit, these destructors of small businesses, and on and on and on! These charlatans in their positions of power would be summoned to answer to the people of Ireland and I would have it done by day end. Or I would be left with no choice but to dissolve the Dáil entirely. Stop the train until. The people of Ireland deserve the answers they seek. Point blank. This would be my power as President. I know very well. Ireland needs an active President employed wholly by the people of Ireland. It is me. I am the only logical choice. 2025 is upcoming…
^ Nah the guy must be trolling. We've seen him clown a lot in interviews and press conferences but maybe some people in a bar (holding beers) would take that seriously ;D I would believe that opening campaign speech if he was only running for a position in a school organization ;D
^ Nah the guy must be trolling. We've seen him clown a lot in interviews and press conferences but maybe some people in a bar (holding beers) would take that seriously ;D I would believe that opening campaign speech if he was only running for a position in a school organization ;D
There's a lot of tension in Ireland over uncontrolled immigration, and big chunk of society is utterly disappointed in the political class. So if he was to run, he could harvets the votes of all those who just want to say "F-you" to the current government, and he would not be without a chance.
But that's just theory. In practice, you can't do much without political structures, even if you're super famous. He would probably struggle to even register as a candidate.
i remember he was marked among the far right in the country
i remember he was marked among the far right in the country
It doesn't take much to earn you a label of far-right nowadays. Any views that were considered normal 10 or 20 years ago are now deemed ultra far-right by certain groups.
Anyhow, here are the odds for the UFC 306 main card fights:
Sean O'Malley x1.82 vs. Merab Dvalishvili x1.98
Alexa Grasso x1.80 vs. Valentina Shevchenko x2.02
Brian Ortega x2.50 vs. Diego Lopes x1.53
Daniel Zellhuber x1.42 vs. Esteban Ribovics x2.88
Ronaldo Rodríguez x1.76 vs. Ode' Osbourne x2.07
I imagined O'Malley would be more of a favourite, but I think the odds look quite fair.
~Don't they always? ;D
O'Malley is the fave. idk why it was Dvalish was the fave weeks ago. bookmakers seem to be playing tricks.
Don't they always? ;D
Anyway, I might be betting on Merab. I like how Sean fights but I still think Merab will be able to grab him and finish on the ground. In a way, this match up is similar to the Sean vs. Aljo's fight but I'm expecting a different result.
I'm just going to drop it here:
Israel Adesanya Drops Out Of UFC Pound-For-Pound Rankings For First Time Since 2019
https://www.sportscasting.com/uk/news/israel-adesanya-drops-out-of-ufc-pound-for-pound-rankings-for-first-time-since-2019/
So they dropped Izzy out of the pound-for-pound ranking in favour of Aljamain Sterling. I've no idea what are the criteria for getting to that ranking, but I'd say Izzy is still more deserving to be there than Aljo. But that's just my opinion.
He's still ranked number 2 contender in the Middleweight ranking, no changes here.
~I guess we can assume that Sean's team had the wrong game plan. I think they were expecting Merab to go for take downs immediately as the fight started and prepared to counter. That didn't happen and that might have threw Sean of his game. If he had been the aggressor from the early rounds, the result would have been different.
I have to say, I did not expect Merab to be this dominating, I honestly thought Sean was the favourite, but he just didn't deliver with his striking.
See the stats in the fight card, O/Malley only landed 49 strikes, while Merab 214, that's over 4 times more. I expected to see the opposite.
~I guess we can assume that Sean's team had the wrong game plan. I think they were expecting Merab to go for take downs immediately as the fight started and prepared to counter. That didn't happen and that might have threw Sean of his game. If he had been the aggressor from the early rounds, the result would have been different.
I have to say, I did not expect Merab to be this dominating, I honestly thought Sean was the favourite, but he just didn't deliver with his striking.
See the stats in the fight card, O/Malley only landed 49 strikes, while Merab 214, that's over 4 times more. I expected to see the opposite.
It's a smart fight by Merab. I thought he was going to win by submission but he did enough to frustrate Sean early and win by points. I read some comments/reactions bashing the judges who scored it 48-47 but I think that score is also fair. Sean adjusted from the middle to the last round but it was a bit late.
I guess we can assume that Sean's team had the wrong game plan. I think they were expecting Merab to go for take downs immediately as the fight started and prepared to counter. That didn't happen and that might have threw Sean of his game. If he had been the aggressor from the early rounds, the result would have been different.
I guess we can assume that Sean's team had the wrong game plan. I think they were expecting Merab to go for take downs immediately as the fight started and prepared to counter. That didn't happen and that might have threw Sean of his game. If he had been the aggressor from the early rounds, the result would have been different.
I don't know. To me it looked like Sean wasn't quite himself.
That could be due to him just failing to prepare at 100% or to Merab being successful in neutralising Sean's strengths.
I don't think Dvalishvili surprised anyone with his tactic, he fought the way he always does.
(...)
Merab however seem like ducking Umar according to some articles in my feed. funny how these guys change almost instantly right when they become a champ. Merab suddenly was uninterested in fighting Umar. too bad to see himself couldn't defend a title at least once.
Still over a week to go, but what are your picks for the next UFC Gight Night main event, Moicano Vs Saint Denis?
They're ranked 11th and 12th respectively, Saint Denis is coming off a loss to Poirier, while Moicano is on a 3-win streak. But it's Saint Denis who's a big favourite here, with odds of x1.36.
French man's record looks pretty impressive with 1 loss and 13 wins (9 by submission and 4 by KO) but he doesn't have any big names in his portfolio. The only one, Dustin, knocked him out cold.
Do you guys think Renato has what it takes to defeat the French boogeyman?
i'm sure Sean was surprised that Merab keeping the distance but at the same time get closer to take him down. if Merab can do this to Suga and dominates the fight, he can do this to all strikers he could fight and will still have the same success.I guess we can assume that Sean's team had the wrong game plan. I think they were expecting Merab to go for take downs immediately as the fight started and prepared to counter. That didn't happen and that might have threw Sean of his game. If he had been the aggressor from the early rounds, the result would have been different.I don't know. To me it looked like Sean wasn't quite himself.
That could be due to him just failing to prepare at 100% or to Merab being successful in neutralising Sean's strengths.
I don't think Dvalishvili surprised anyone with his tactic, he fought the way he always does.
Merab however seem like ducking Umar according to some articles in my feed. funny how these guys change almost instantly right when they become a champ. Merab suddenly was uninterested in fighting Umar. too bad to see himself couldn't defend a title at least once.This is not just the fight game anymore. Everybody wants to leverage their belt to gain more favor/advantage and, more importantly, money. They want to reap the benefits because they also understand that they wouldn't stay as champion for long.
This is not just the fight game anymore. Everybody wants to leverage their belt to gain more favor/advantage and, more importantly, money. They want to reap the benefits because they also understand that they wouldn't stay as champion for long.
This is not just the fight game anymore. Everybody wants to leverage their belt to gain more favor/advantage and, more importantly, money. They want to reap the benefits because they also understand that they wouldn't stay as champion for long.
Can't really blame them, there are thousands of aspiring MMA fighters but only a handful makes it to the top. So those who do want to make the best out of it and make sure to earn enough to live comfortably in the future.
In other news, Sean O'Malley re-watched the fight and declared himself a winner, saying he had won rounds 1, 3 and 5.
Somehow I missed the UFC 309 announcement.
Everything has been said about Jones Vs Stipe, so nothing to add here, bur Oliveira Vs Chandler looks like a decent match-up and has a lot of entertainment potential.
Odds: Oliveira: x1.38, Chandler: x3.05, pretty much what I would expect. I don't give Chandler much chance, even in his prime he wouldn't be on Chales' level, but he's 38 now and last fought two years ago. He should still be able to put up a good show.
Bo Nickal got paired up with Paul Craig. It doesn't look like a massive challenge for Bo, Paul has lost 4 out of his last 5 fights, but at least he knows his ground game, 76% of his wins were by submission (he's 17-8). Bookies don't have much faith in Paul though. He's x6.75 and Bo is x1.11.
would Jones fight Tom if in the last minute Stipe is not available to fight? the question came up during the interview with Smith by Bisping. Smith said no. ;D
Full set of results of last night's Fight Night in Paris:
(https://www.talkimg.com/images/2024/09/29/iuSpG.png)
Fantastic performance by Moicano - despite being a big underdog, he beat up Saint Denis (in front of French audience) in the first 2 rounds so badly that the doctor had to stop it. Then he lectured everyone about why Macron and French government sucks and why democracy is flawed to top it up by calling out "easy money fights" with Paddy Pimblett and Dan Hooker. This is a textbook example of how to hype yourself up properly—well done to him.would Jones fight Tom if in the last minute Stipe is not available to fight? the question came up during the interview with Smith by Bisping. Smith said no. ;D
That's a good question. Jones sure as hell doesn't want to fight Tom, and he mentioned that he needs a lot of time to prepare for each opponent, but what would he do in such scenario? Fake an injury? Straight up refuse to fight? I'm sure the back-up fight with Tom is included in the contract.
So Moicanno called out Paddy Pimblett, who publicly agreed to fight him:
https://x.com/PaddyTheBaddy/status/1788929833877057968
That, of course, doesn't mean much, as matchmaking will be done by the UFC, but that's a fight I wouldn't mind watching and I think it makes sense. Both of them have a lot of other options right now though.
Moicano was the one complaining UFC been suppressing his rank down despite him winning lots of fights before Saint Denise. where does it put him if he loses against Paddy who is in the 15th position in the rank while Moicano is in the 11th?
Yeah, if he thinks it's easy money, then forget about the rankings for now. The video acceptance was already months old and I guess it's the right time for UFC to act. Dana might actually favor this too because he's been trying to build up Paddy as well.Moicano was the one complaining UFC been suppressing his rank down despite him winning lots of fights before Saint Denise. where does it put him if he loses against Paddy who is in the 15th position in the rank while Moicano is in the 11th?He would still be in the top 15 but his wallet would be much thicker ;D
Participating in heavily hyped-up fight and getting more fame could be worth dropping few places in the ranks. It's not like he has a shot for the belt from where he is right now.
Moicano was the one complaining UFC been suppressing his rank down despite him winning lots of fights before Saint Denise. where does it put him if he loses against Paddy who is in the 15th position in the rank while Moicano is in the 11th?
He would still be in the top 15 but his wallet would be much thicker ;D
Participating in heavily hyped-up fight and getting more fame could be worth dropping few places in the ranks. It's not like he has a shot for the belt from where he is right now.
Here are the current odds for each fight of the UFC 307 (as per Duelbits):
Alex Pereira x1.20 Vs Khalil Rountree x4.50
Raquel Pennington x1.60 Vs Juliana Peña x2.33
Jose Aldo x2.16 Vs Mario Bautista x1.69
Ketlen Vieira x7.50 Vs Kayla Harrison x1.08
Roman Dolidze x2.22 Vs Kevin Holland x1.66
Stephen Thompson x2.75 Vs Joaquin Buckley x1.45
Marina Rodriguez x2.54 Vs Jasmin Lucindo x1.52
Austin Hubbard x2.33 Vs Alexander Hernandez x1.61
Cesar Almeida x1.26 Vs Igor Potieria x3.80
Ryan Spann x1.37 Vs Ovince Saint Preux x3.10
Carla Esparza x2.42 Vs Tecia Torres x1.57
Court McGee x2.62 Vs Tim Means x1.50
I think the odds for Rountree look pretty good, but maybe I'm overestimating his striking skills. I haven't seen that many of his fights and know him mostly from fight highlights, which can give a distorted picture.
Yeah, if he thinks it's easy money, then forget about the rankings for now. The video acceptance was already months old and I guess it's the right time for UFC to act. Dana might actually favor this too because he's been trying to build up Paddy as well.
hes the underdog. if he won you sure can get a big payday for it. Rountree has a long winning streak, its possible still despite the size and the odds. if izzy did it, he could do something like that as well. but its somewhat david and goliath fight. i couldn't see him winning in a striker vs striker.
no one explained why they match Rountree against Pereira when he is really much of an underdog but also ranks behind the top fighters who he haven't fought. but one reason they see is that Pereira could be defeated if a top fighter will try taking him down.
Pereira got the obvious Dana privilege where he isn't matched to a wrestler yet of if he is, there is a clause there will be no taking down. of course this is just rumors they are saying, it could be true or not. but if Roundtree tries to take Pereira down this time, i'm sure Pereira will have hard time.
no one explained why they match Rountree against Pereira when he is really much of an underdog but also ranks behind the top fighters who he haven't fought. but one reason they see is that Pereira could be defeated if a top fighter will try taking him down.
Pereira got the obvious Dana privilege where he isn't matched to a wrestler yet of if he is, there is a clause there will be no taking down. of course this is just rumors they are saying, it could be true or not. but if Roundtree tries to take Pereira down this time, i'm sure Pereira will have hard time.
A possible argument for that fight is that Rountree is on 5-long winning streak, 4 of which were by TKO, and he's ranked in the top 10 (currently 8th) so it's not that unusual, we've seen similar things happening previously.
But we all know that Pereira should be fighting Ankalaev instead, but there's a big risk that Ankalaev could derail Pereira's hype train, so the UFC is delaying that fight.
I don't recall Ankalaev publicly complaining about it too much, so it's possible he got a good money to fight Rakic and was promised the fight for the title next.
Rountree gassing up in round three? He won the first two rounds on all judges scorecards but I guess he could not sustain it. He was just swinging for the fences in round four. Credit also to Pereira's toughness because he ate some really big shots. I don't know how he's still able to remain standing after the head kick.
Rountree gassing up in round three? He won the first two rounds on all judges scorecards but I guess he could not sustain it. He was just swinging for the fences in round four. Credit also to Pereira's toughness because he ate some really big shots. I don't know how he's still able to remain standing after the head kick.A huge respect for Rountree for lasting 4 rounds against that big of a guy.
Odds for all fights of tonight's event (from DuelBits):
Clayton Carpenter x1.44 Vs Lucas Rocha x2.80
Daniel Argueta x2.42 Vs Cody Haddon x1.57
Junior Tafa x1.30 Vs Sean Sharaf x3.60
Julia Polastri x1.77 Vs Cory Mckenna x2.05
Themba Gorimbo x1.27 Vs Niko Price x3.75
Jonathan Pearce x1.53 Vs Pat Sabatini x2.50
Carlos Vergara x3.60 Vs Ramazan Temirov x1.30
Daniel Rodriguez x1.46 Vs Alex Morono x2.75
Grant Dawson x1.25 Vs Rafa Garcia x4.00
Chidi Njokuani x1.58 Vs Jared Gooden x2.37
Brad Tavares x2.60 Vs Jung Yong Park x1.50
Brandon Royval x3.33 Vs Tatsuro Taira x1.33
Not going to lie, I don't have a clue who most of those guys are.
Odds for Royval looked kind of attractive, Taira is very young (only 24) and is 16-0 with most wins by submission, but he hasn't fought that many guys from the top yet, and Royval won't be easy to submit. In fact, Royval has a similar submission rate and overall, has more submission wins than Taira (9 Vs 7).
The main event was a decent fight, both of them had their moments but the judges decided in Royval's favour with a split decision. That's a first loss in Taira's record, but it shouldn't impact his position in the ranking.
I think the days of pinning someone down but doing too little to damage or attempt to submit are long gone. Those were pretty much an effective method in the earlier days but it became boring to watch. Anyway, this is why fighters are told not to put the result in the judges' hands because it's still unpredictable.The main event was a decent fight, both of them had their moments but the judges decided in Royval's favour with a split decision. That's a first loss in Taira's record, but it shouldn't impact his position in the ranking.not sure how they scored the fight. takedowns use to be a big score since the fighter has the control over the opponent and Taira did it all i think up to 4th rounds. it could have been a decision in favor of Taira but they gave it to Royval.
i have seen grapplers do it easily when on the back of another fighter just trying rare naked choke and do another when its not possible. Taira isn't doing it either which it felt like its a fix match or Royval is really that hard to submit despite easily being taken down.
The UFC 310 has been announced and it's looking good:UFC 310 fight card looks great led by Belal Muhammad vs Shavkat Rakhmonov for championship title. Rakhmonov deserves this chance after beating his previous opponents easily. I think he will be favored to win because of his excellent wrestling skills and constant attacks. Next biggest fight Pantoja vs Asakura features talented fighters. Other exciting matchups like Gane vs Volkov and Evloev vs Sterling make event even better.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianmazique/2024/10/12/dana-white-announces-huge-ufc-310-ppv-card-with-2-championship-fights/
Main event: Belal Muhammad Vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov
Co-main: Alexandre Pantoja Vs. Kai Asakura (this will be his UFC debut)
The rest of the main card:
Ciryl Gane Vs. Alexander Volkov
Movsar Evloev Vs. Aljamain Sterling
Anthony Smith Vs. Dominick Reyes
Nick Diaz Vs. Vicente Luque
So looks like Shavkat is finally getting his title shot and won't be fighting Leon Edwards as some expected. The odds are not yet in but I'm sure he'll be the favourite.
Honestly, I didn't expect Belal to defend his title this soon. After all, it took him like forever to get a shot at it and he's willing to risk losing it just after a few months. Almost every fighter in the division is probably afraid of facing Shavkat and he has a record to prove why.
OK guys, are we seriously not going to talk about the proposed 4-man BMF tournament? I don't think so.
Long story short, Dustin Poirier, who is looking for something spectacular before announcing his retirement, suggested a 4-man tournament for the BMF belt on the line, consisting of himself, Justn Gaethje, Max Holloway and Dan Hooker. That means the winner will have to fight 2 fights in one night.
When asked by a reporter, Dana said the idea "sounds fun". Whether he actually will go with it - I don't know, but I think there's a chance as people are craving for something new and exciting.
The concept of fighting tournaments where fighters fight multiple times in one night is not new, it was a popular format used e.g. by K1/Pride FC back in the day.
https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2024/10/dana-white-reacts-dustin-poirier-bmf-tournament-idea
Thoughts? Is this something you would like to see?
Dana may have said that but he doesn't really mean it. he is still thinking of how he could make money out of it. putting all these 4 BMF in one cage and rumble together would be fun but seem very unfair i think.
Dana may have said that but he doesn't really mean it. he is still thinking of how he could make money out of it. putting all these 4 BMF in one cage and rumble together would be fun but seem very unfair i think.
I think he will probably give it a fair consideration, especially if Poirier refuses any other fight (which he might). The major thing that would get in the way is that Max Holloway is too hot and precious for the UFC to risk him in the tournament. And he's holding the BMF belt, so it can't be done without him.
But maybe if Max loses to Topuria, and if the money is right, he could go for it.
I would really like to see it happening.
The UFC 312 is confirmed to take place in Sydney in February. The cards are not yet known but Alex Volkanovski said he will likely be there and that he was promised a title shot, or even an interim title fight if the winner of Topuria/Holloway decides to move up.
https://bloodyelbow.com/2024/10/17/alexander-volkanovski-confirms-plan-to-fight-on-newly-announced-ufc-312-card-in-australia-suggests-interim-title-clash-with-diego-lopes/
We might also see Whittaker going against Du Plessis again, provided he wins with Khamzat, which he won't.
hard to see Whittaker win against Khamzat.(...)
Maybe there are times where Khamzat Chimaev will fade in the later rounds or might not be prepared for a five round fight, but as much as he brings that energy from the start it solidifies he has great striking and grappling skills. Khamzat is not going to back down and lay and brawl which has been seen even though his fights do not always last the distance. His bout with Gilbert Burns undoubtedly proved his resilience on his right and left as an offense. Even though Robert Whittaker is an experienced fighter with superior technique, that fight will be a challenge to both of them. If Whittaker wins, he may become a two-time champion and a stronger contender for the title Regardless, a loss would almost definitely make it harder for him to get another shot at the championship.hard to see Whittaker win against Khamzat.(...)
There are many opinions that Khamzat will gas out quickly and is not prepared for the 5 round and that he has never fought anyone at the level of Whittaker. I disagree, I think Khamzat is better in every aspect, be it striking or grappling. Probably he's cardio is better too, he was just going all out and wasn't saving any energy (i.e. in the Gilbert Burns fight).
If Whittaker loses, he'll probably still get a spot in the UFC 312 but obviously won't be fighting for the belt.
Maybe there are times where Khamzat Chimaev will fade in the later rounds or might not be prepared for a five round fight, but as much as he brings that energy from the start it solidifies he has great striking and grappling skills. Khamzat is not going to back down and lay and brawl which has been seen even though his fights do not always last the distance. His bout with Gilbert Burns undoubtedly proved his resilience on his right and left as an offense. Even though Robert Whittaker is an experienced fighter with superior technique, that fight will be a challenge to both of them. If Whittaker wins, he may become a two-time champion and a stronger contender for the title Regardless, a loss would almost definitely make it harder for him to get another shot at the championship.hard to see Whittaker win against Khamzat.(...)
There are many opinions that Khamzat will gas out quickly and is not prepared for the 5 round and that he has never fought anyone at the level of Whittaker. I disagree, I think Khamzat is better in every aspect, be it striking or grappling. Probably he's cardio is better too, he was just going all out and wasn't saving any energy (i.e. in the Gilbert Burns fight).
If Whittaker loses, he'll probably still get a spot in the UFC 312 but obviously won't be fighting for the belt.
OK guys, are we seriously not going to talk about the proposed 4-man BMF tournament? I don't think so.Multiple fight in one night was also the format in the early days of the UFC when there were no rules and no weight division.
Long story short, Dustin Poirier, who is looking for something spectacular before announcing his retirement, suggested a 4-man tournament for the BMF belt on the line, consisting of himself, Justn Gaethje, Max Holloway and Dan Hooker. That means the winner will have to fight 2 fights in one night.
When asked by a reporter, Dana said the idea "sounds fun". Whether he actually will go with it - I don't know, but I think there's a chance as people are craving for something new and exciting.
The concept of fighting tournaments where fighters fight multiple times in one night is not new, it was a popular format used e.g. by K1/Pride FC back in the day.
OK guys, are we seriously not going to talk about the proposed 4-man BMF tournament? I don't think so.Multiple fight in one night was also the format in the early days of the UFC when there were no rules and no weight division.
Long story short, Dustin Poirier, who is looking for something spectacular before announcing his retirement, suggested a 4-man tournament for the BMF belt on the line, consisting of himself, Justn Gaethje, Max Holloway and Dan Hooker. That means the winner will have to fight 2 fights in one night.
When asked by a reporter, Dana said the idea "sounds fun". Whether he actually will go with it - I don't know, but I think there's a chance as people are craving for something new and exciting.
The concept of fighting tournaments where fighters fight multiple times in one night is not new, it was a popular format used e.g. by K1/Pride FC back in the day.
As to the BMF, it does look fun but I think this is more advantageous to Max. It might also need it's own Fight Night because the draw is more than enough to be the main event.
~Dana has to add interesting undercards if he wants to maximize the profit from the main card or maybe just add two to four fighters in the BMF tournament. I have no names in mind right now but someone who is controversial that could actually fight and knows how to run his mouth could be part of it.
but yep its an exciting tournament to see. all BMFs just proving to be mudafvkers within a day. i wonder how much should the ticket be as this is gonna be one of the most extreme day.
Full UFC 308 odds:
Fakhretdinov x1.40 vs Miranda x3.00
Naurdiev x1.60 vs Silva x2.33
Basharat x1.15 vs Hugo Silva x5.50
Nzechukwu x1.14 vs Barnett x5.66
Magomedov x1.70 vs Ferreira x2.16
Rebecki x3.50 vs Orolbay Uulu x1.32
Neal x1.32 vs Dos Anjos x3.40
Aslan x1.96 vs Cerqueira x1.84
Magomedov x1.60 vs Petrosyan x2.36
Murphy x1.37 vs Ige x3.00
Ankalaev x1.27 vs Rakic x3.75
Whittaker x3.10 vs Chimaev x1.40
Topuria x1.37 vs Holloway x3.10
The odds for Holloway are more than decent. But I wouldn't put my money on him in that fight. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Max has ever faced a really good grappler before.
There's no doubt Max is a better striker and if Topuria gets dragged into a striking match, he'll most likely lose. But Max hasn't really faced anyone with solid wrestling skills. I suppose Volk would be the closest thing to a wrestler he's encountered. In the UFC 251 Volk managed to shift the win in his favour by taking Max down multiple times quite easily.
Regarding Oliveira and Ortega - both are good in jiu-jitsu and submissions but that style does not emphasise on takedowns like the wrestling does. Plus, Max fought Oliveira in 2015, so that was the weak part of Charles' career when he was losing a lot of fights.
No surprises at all in the UFC 308. What an entertaining event it was. The main card results are as follow:
(https://www.talkimg.com/images/2024/10/27/KYIlf.png)
I expected Topuria to win but thought it would be by decision or on the ground (submission/ground and pound TKO etc), but he has proven again that his striking skills are of the highest level as he did to Max what Max did to Gaethje.
Khamzat - flawless performance. Robert was not even a match for him. I don't think there's anyone in the middleweight who could stop him from reaching for the belt.
Ankalaev - a win by decision, but as Dan Cormier pointed out, he doesn't tend to go for takedowns at all in his fights. Despite his wrestling/sambo background, he might not be as good a wrestler as many of us thought. If he's matched with Pereira for the title shot (as he should) I think he'd get his ass kicked by Alex.
Shara - never fails to entertain. This might be the first time we've seen a KO by a double backfist.
the damage on Whittakers teeth is gruesome if you have seen the photo. Khamzat did it even when his arms wasn't really positioned to choke Whittaker but it did the job forcing the tap as quick as possible. if it took longer that that, can;t imagine what will happen to Whittakers face.
Shavkat and his team are calling for an interim belt at the UFC 310 and suggesting Kamaru as a potential opponent.
I don't see how Shavkat fighting for the interim belt would be unfair to Belal, who opposes the idea. After all, it's Belal who is unable to fight. If anything, it would be unfair to make Shavkat wait for his next payday for ~2 more months if not more. And it's not like Belal will be stripped of his belt or anything.
I like the idea of Shavkat fighting Usman, provided Usman agrees and will be ready by then. Some say Kamaru is not deserving because he lost his last 3 fights, but he only lost to Edwards, once by KO and the second time by decision (in an even fight), and to Chimaev, who now is one of the most feared fighters in the UFC. In that last fight, he fought on very short notice and moved up to a higher weight class and still did surprisingly well, so it'd be fair to give him a chance.
does Shavkat has the mandatory card to call Usman? Belal chickens out. not a good thing for a champ to do that and its the main event which is embarrassing.
if i were Usman i would surely take that challenge, its not everyday you get another chance to prove yourself. beating that Genghis Khan descendant will make him an interim champ which Belal vs Usman will finally be happening.
does Shavkat has the mandatory card to call Usman? Belal chickens out. not a good thing for a champ to do that and its the main event which is embarrassing.
if i were Usman i would surely take that challenge, its not everyday you get another chance to prove yourself. beating that Genghis Khan descendant will make him an interim champ which Belal vs Usman will finally be happening.
Yeah, but if Usman takes up the challenge and loses, that would put him in a tough spot as that would make him look like he was on a massive decline, which wouldn't necessarily be true. Whereas if he were to fight (and win) 1-2 more fights with lower-ranked guys just to break the losing streak and build his confidence back - that would be a different story.
But looks like he's not afraid the risk and expressed his willingness to accept such fight:
https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2024/11/ufc-310-kamaru-usman-breaks-silence-shavkat-rakhmonov-fight-possibility
I respect him for that.
Usman is already in decline though. he is used to accepting short notice fights, he might as well just take the risk at least he can justify why he keeps the rank still even after losing 3 times. there's time to prepare at least not just 6 days.
~Yeah, the heavyweight situation is quite complicated. Perhaps Dana made a contract with both John and Stipe that they will settle their score first before giving Tom a real title fight. If this was any other champion, the belt would have been stripped of him and give to Tom already.
UFC didn;t make it easy for Tom. since he become part of UFC he been fighting toughest fighters in the beginning and giving the belt to Englishman might not be what in Dana's mind.
~Yeah, the heavyweight situation is quite complicated. Perhaps Dana made a contract with both John and Stipe that they will settle their score first before giving Tom a real title fight. If this was any other champion, the belt would have been stripped of him and give to Tom already.
UFC didn;t make it easy for Tom. since he become part of UFC he been fighting toughest fighters in the beginning and giving the belt to Englishman might not be what in Dana's mind.
Now that Jones already announcing retirement after beating Stipe, it makes it even more complicated for Dana. I think that's Jon Jones asking for more money if he fights Tom.
I don't know if it's rust or if he got scared after receiving all the heavy elbows in round 1, but Stipe looked flat. He's still tough after surviving the first round but I think it was only right that he retired after that. He's not beating Tom with a performance like that.
Kudos to Jon for consistently attacking the body that eventually sealed the fight. This is probably one of his most intelligent fights in recent years.
One of the best that came out of this is that he's probably planning one more fight before he hangs up. I'm looking forward to their (Dana/Jon) next announcement.
Yeah, his celebratory MAGA/Trump dance was also funny.
Jones Vs Stipe - as expected. Some say Jones looked a bit slowish but I think he did really good. You could tell he wasn't rushing and wanted the fight to last for at least few rounds, if he was to step on the gas pedal early, he would've finished Stipe in rd 1. As for Stipe, to nobody's surprise, he isn't the guy he used to be. His age and long break took their toll. He had a great career and it was a dream last fight.
No official announcement as of yet, but from what Dana, Tom, and partially Jon all said post-fight, we will almost definitely see Jones Vs Aspinall next (unless Jones wants too much or decides to retire). And that's good news.
Assuming Jon will stick to his word and not retire, he has only 2 options: fight Tom, as he should, or move back down to the light heavyweight to try to win his old belt back from Pereira. I don't think Pereira moving up to the heavyweight is a viable option, as Jones would have to vacate the belt which would make him look really bad and would reduce the prestige of such fight.
I hope they'll get things moving quickly and that we won't have to wait till the summer or later to see them in action. Tom is in his prime and should be fighting at least 2-3 times a year if his goal is to build a solid legacy. He has last fought in July and a year in between the fights is a long time.
Pereira and Jones doesn't have time either. anytime of the year the doctor could pronounce both they have chronic traumatic encepathopathy they got to be making the fight as soon as possible. it would be a big pay for Jones and Pereira if they can make the fight. jones wouldn't care fighting Tom anymore. he'd accepted that he is duck. we all see that twitter picture on his profile he been posting.
Everyone was focussed on Jones Vs Stipe, but what about Oliveira Vs Chandler?
It was a decent fight to watch and it kind of went as expected.
Chandler is a great example that the showmanship and an entertaining factor can take you further in the UFC than actual results. Many of his fights are what I call victorious losses, despite the negative outcome, he's remembered in a positive light. i.e. most fans will only remember Chandler slamming Oliveira twice at the end of the fight forgetting about his loss.
He now lost 4 out of his last 5 fights (only winning a total of 2 in the UFC) but even after the last loss he will still be highly valued. He's ranked 7th at the moment and I don't think they will match him up with anyone ranked below him. I'll be guessing he'll be fighting again with either Dan Hooker or Justin Gaethje. Chandler Vs either of them would guarantee a good show.
(...) but obviously Chandler is not going to make it. Dana still has plans for him i guess.
(...) but obviously Chandler is not going to make it. Dana still has plans for him i guess.
Chandler is 38 and will be 39 in April next year. So realistically he has maybe like 2-3 fights left in him before retiring or going the Tony Ferguson way. That's why I think they could match him up either against Hooker or Gaethje, none of whom has a shot at the belt, both prefer striking which would guarantee a good show and likely a KO, and Chandler would have a chance of winning against any of them which could keep him staying high in the ranks for his final fights.
he'd still be among the top dog even being inactive for years and defeated by Charles. Dana set him up for Conor fight and because Conor is not ready to embarrass himself, Dana gave Oliveira thinking Chand will win this time. Hooker is likely.
Petr vs Figgy was 5 round of entertainment. Figgy successfully knock down Yan but it wasn't doing any damage at all.
nothing exciting after this fight anymore even the ufc 310 has lost its hype when Belal made n excuse.
Clay Guida deserve a Hall of Fame award for being active since he has over 50 fights all in all. and he did fight last year.I remember him from the way back as he was pretty wild and always put up a good show (win or lose), but I haven't seen any of his recent fights.
(...) we shall see it Gary will ever survive if Rakhmonov get a hold of him. but either way Rakhmonov do know how to box too so but this is probably what is in Gary's mind too which he will be technical. i'm almost sure Dana doesn't like him that's why he is matched to Rakhmonov ;D
Clay Guida deserve a Hall of Fame award for being active since he has over 50 fights all in all. and he did fight last year.I remember him from the way back as he was pretty wild and always put up a good show (win or lose), but I haven't seen any of his recent fights.(...) we shall see it Gary will ever survive if Rakhmonov get a hold of him. but either way Rakhmonov do know how to box too so but this is probably what is in Gary's mind too which he will be technical. i'm almost sure Dana doesn't like him that's why he is matched to Rakhmonov ;D
Both know each other as, I think, they trained in the same club at some point (there is some footage of their sparring out there), so it might go to distance if they know each other strengths and weaknesses.
Garry is not very popular, but negative interest is still an interest and he brings the views. I don't think Dana necessarily wanted that match, it's just he had to save the show after Belal pulled out.
It is indeed Kai Asakura's UFC debut and he's getting a title shot straight away. I think it's justified, as Asakura was Rizin's bantamweight champion until he vacated the belt in June 2024. I think the other reason behind the UFC giving him a shot is that they want to attract more fans from Japan, who are always very supportive of their fellow countrymen performing well in martial arts. Plus, the flyweight is the least popular among all weight classes, so there's no harm in propping it up by acquiring new fighters and making it more interesting. I think it has the potential as fights there are usually pretty entertaining and fast-paced. It's just the fighters in that division are less known to the public (and the UFC can be blamed for this to some degree).
i'm looking to parlay Pantoja, Rakhmonov, Gane, Mitchell, Sterling, and Reyes. any chance?
With a small wager? Why not.
But with 6 fights, it's almost guaranteed that at least one of them won't hit.
I'm starting to think that placing established fighters in prelims is some sort of punishment and a signal that the UFC does not intend to invest in promoting them anymore.
It reminds me of putting Mokaev in the prelims at the UFC 304 in Manchester, which is (or was) his hometown and he was pretty popular back then. I thought it was a tactical move to make sure the UK fans would watch the whole thing, despite unusual hours, but we all know what happened to him later.
Aljo is not holding back and openly expresses his disappointment about not being on the main card:
https://www.lowkickmma.com/aljamain-sterling-insulted-ufc-310-prelims/
Evloev celebrated his win well eating something on his post press conference. But the win isn't as spectacular against Sterling though.
Now, given the hard time Shavkat had trying to take Ian down, the question arises whether or not he has what it takes to take the belt of Belal. I'm sure he won't be as strong of a favourite as he was initially.
meanwhile, its a bloody fight n the UFC on ESPN 63 as Buckley win over Covington by Doc stoppage. even if Covington's eye lid wasn't cut, i think the result will still be a loss for Colby.
meanwhile, its a bloody fight n the UFC on ESPN 63 as Buckley win over Covington by Doc stoppage. even if Covington's eye lid wasn't cut, i think the result will still be a loss for Colby.
Yup, he was compromised from early on, and he could use that as an excuse, but it's not like the cut was accidental or a result of an illegal move. It was the result of Colby getting beaten up by Buckley.
I think Colby just lost a desire to fight, possibly quite a long time ago, he fights sporadically, and in this one, just as in the Edwards fight, he was lacking the edge, looked bit sluggish and was ineffective in his takedown attempts.
After his loss to Leon, he called out Stephen Thompson, who was ripe for retirement and ranked much lower than him, so, to me, it was a sign he didn't have much confidence in his abilities anymore and wasn't aiming very high. After the last night's fight, I think Covington Vs Thompson would be a decent match up, after which, the defeated one could announce his retirement.
it didn't stop him from dissing everyone during his press con. even Lebron was wrecked by his loud mouth. he wasn't very pissed anyway when the doc decide to end the fight, so he surely agreed to be stopped. everyone got worried about him losing more blood. career is over for him i think.
it didn't stop him from dissing everyone during his press con. even Lebron was wrecked by his loud mouth. he wasn't very pissed anyway when the doc decide to end the fight, so he surely agreed to be stopped. everyone got worried about him losing more blood. career is over for him i think.
Lebron is an insufferable cunt, so no surprise here lol
But yeah, I think Colby wanted that stoppage, he didn't have much going for him in that fight, so that's the most "honorable" way of losing for him. A one that he can blame the doctor for and fans could keep speculating on what the fight could look like if not for that cut.
Given how rarely he has been fighting in recent years, I think Colby lost his desire to fight quite some time ago and it has been all about the money for him and nothing else.
Colbye is getting old. After trying hard to get a title for the third time, Colby could be losing hope to get a title again. He was a great wrestler but he is older now.His body may be failing him now but his mouth could still fight at a high level ;D
When he saw Shavkat wasn't able to win vs Gary by way of submission the idea came back that he could win vs Shavkat and Belal for a title.
Once his contract is up, I think him and Dana will have a serious discussion about the renewal. I'm sure Colby won't have the same leverage as he used to when negotiating but he can still be a gatekeeper in his division.
Once his contract is up, I think him and Dana will have a serious discussion about the renewal. I'm sure Colby won't have the same leverage as he used to when negotiating but he can still be a gatekeeper in his division.
Is his contract expiring soon? How many fights has he got left on the current one?
He would be a good gatekeeper for the top of the welterweight but only if he was willing to fight more often. I think his current average is something around 1 fight a year and given he's on the decline and is not getting any younger, so, at this pace, he could have maybe 2 more fights while still being on a decent level before retiring.
The Fight Night on 1 Feb in Saudi Arabia looks really decent.
It will be a big test for Adesanya, after which we should know whether he still "got it" or has he lost it for good. He has lost 3 out of his last 4 fights, some say his decline started after that loss to Alex Pereira, but he took a successful revenge and knocked Alex out, which didn't seem like a big thing back then, but now, when Alex is dominating the light heavyweight, maybe we should give Izzy more credit for that.
Shara Vs Page is guaranteed good entertainment, those two do not hold back. Shara is a x1.66 favourite, but anything can happen in that fight. Both are ranked 14th and 15th respectively, so the winner probably won't move up the ranking too much.
Pavlovich Vs Rozenstruik is also interesting, both have a good finishes ratio, including first-round finishes, so I don't expect it to go for more than one round.
nice. izzy now a 2nd class fighter, no PPV after just losing just 3 times. if izzy still loses to Imanov, his going to plunge his rank further. he should win this time because one way he could go back to PPV is fighting Pereira. he needs to move to light heavyweight.
nice. izzy now a 2nd class fighter, no PPV after just losing just 3 times. if izzy still loses to Imanov, his going to plunge his rank further. he should win this time because one way he could go back to PPV is fighting Pereira. he needs to move to light heavyweight.
It might be all or nothing for Izzy. I wouldn't be surprised if he was to announce his retirement if he was to lose to Imanov.
In other news, Paddy Pimblett is rumoured to face Michael Chandler as his next opponent, which could happen on March 22nd when the event is scheduled to take place in London.
https://bloodyelbow.com/2024/12/23/paddy-pimblett-drops-major-hint-regarding-next-potential-ufc-opponent-as-fight-announcement-looms/
This is only a speculation at this point, but I think it's a good match-up. Pimblett has earned his right to fight a top guy and Chandler, given his only win in the last 5 fights was over Tony Ferguson, should be fighting down against someone ranked below him, and Paddy is a perfect guy for him, as, despite being only ranked 13th, is still a big enough name.
~It could be because Topuria leapfrog him suddenly. I remember these two fighters having war of words on their pre and post fight interviews. Paddy was the more popular and higher ranked fighter back then but Ilia is the champ now so...
Paddy has somehow mature
~It could be because Topuria leapfrog him suddenly. I remember these two fighters having war of words on their pre and post fight interviews. Paddy was the more popular and higher ranked fighter back then but Ilia is the champ now so...
Paddy has somehow mature
~It could be because Topuria leapfrog him suddenly. I remember these two fighters having war of words on their pre and post fight interviews. Paddy was the more popular and higher ranked fighter back then but Ilia is the champ now so...
Paddy has somehow mature
So apparently Conor McGregor will be returning after all, but it won't be MMA but boxing.
Media are reporting the fight between Logan Paul and Conor is due to be finalised, it will take place in India, and the purse is either $250 million, or £400 million ($500m):
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/32539878/conor-mcgregor-logan-paul-fight-annoucement-teased/
https://www.gbnews.com/sport/boxing/conor-gallagher-logan-paul-fight-2670697324
Is there actually anyone interested in such fight to pay (anything) for a PPV? I'm not even sure if I'll be bothered watching highlights of it. How on earth can they afford to pay such amounts? It's either more of a hot air or they got some huge grant from India to promote their country.
But if there's indeed half a billion $ on the line for those two, it's almost like money is hardly worth anything anymore.
The recent news/rumour is that Jon Jones is asking for $30 millions to fight Tom.
I think he's in a good position to ask for that much, especially if this is the price he is asking to start the negotiations with. He might end up with a bit less but probably will get a cut from the PPV on top, so won't be at a loss.
Whether or not it will be his last fight largely depends on the outcome. If he were to defeat Tom, then why would he retire rather than go for another super-fight against Alex Pereira, which would be much easier for Jones (he would just need to take it to the ground).
From the UFC perspective, it's a bit tricky. Having Jones beat up Aspinall and retire straight after would be a bit of a disaster. They would be left without any dominant champ. Defeated Aspinall would not be half as exciting as he is now. But I think it's pretty clear we'll see that fight happening this year.
i watched that rogan episode which joe really thinks jones will fight aspinall and he;d receive $30 Millions for it win or lose. that's a lot of money, when the fighter gets older that's when they realize they should have been paid more. if jones was just in boxing he would be paid millions like 10M every fight. now he has to please Dana which Dana will also not let this slide. Dana is going to make an opportunity in this deal, make it to his advantage.
but then hope the fights happen without Alalkish and fight to be held in Saudi.
i watched that rogan episode which joe really thinks jones will fight aspinall and he;d receive $30 Millions for it win or lose. that's a lot of money, when the fighter gets older that's when they realize they should have been paid more. if jones was just in boxing he would be paid millions like 10M every fight. now he has to please Dana which Dana will also not let this slide. Dana is going to make an opportunity in this deal, make it to his advantage.
but then hope the fights happen without Alalkish and fight to be held in Saudi.
I'm 99% sure the fight will happen. Not making it would make no sense and it will be a lose-lose situation.
There might be some harsh times during contract negotiations especially between Jones and the UFC (I don't think Tom will make any super high demands, but maybe he should), but they will come to an agreement eventually.
I think $30 million is not an unreasonable ask but I've no idea how much money the UFC is making on each event.
the UFC will focus more on earning much more on several fight nights to UFC 400 before Jones vs Aspinall finally materializes. money will be the biggest issue because while Jones is determined to get $30 million, Mr White is also determined to profit by paying less to his fighters.
the UFC will focus more on earning much more on several fight nights to UFC 400 before Jones vs Aspinall finally materializes. money will be the biggest issue because while Jones is determined to get $30 million, Mr White is also determined to profit by paying less to his fighters.
Yeah, with the high demands from Jones, and possibly Aspinall (although I think he'll be much more modest) despite the big hype, it might not be the most profitable event for the UFC if they end up sharing most of the revenue with the fighters.
But they have to go with it anyway, as letting that fight fall through would be a big dent in their reputation.
Tom will demand how much he is worth to fight Jones. this should be big fight that they'd be force to give go. Mr White is rich he could really pay these guys with how much they want but doing so will make every fighter try to do the same. to keep them in line, Mr White will rather be negotiating as low as possible.
i think he did it to Conor so the guy thinks he could keep asking. its why Conor's fight re cancelled because Mr White refuses to pay. would you really believe a pinky toe is reason? not everyone would.
I was already expecting higher than their usual fight purse amounts when Jon hinted of fighting again after Stipe. I think the $30M price tag is just testing the waters. If that already includes PPV, it's probably a fair amount considering his past contributions to the organization. If not, then maybe he'll end up around $5M (exclusive of PPV). If Tom gets $2M - $3M + PPV from that fight, he'll be lucky.
Tom will demand how much he is worth to fight Jones. this should be big fight that they'd be force to give go. Mr White is rich he could really pay these guys with how much they want but doing so will make every fighter try to do the same. to keep them in line, Mr White will rather be negotiating as low as possible.
i think he did it to Conor so the guy thinks he could keep asking. its why Conor's fight re cancelled because Mr White refuses to pay. would you really believe a pinky toe is reason? not everyone would.
I kind of assumed Tom will be much easier to please in terms of fight contract negotiations, as he could make a big name for himself by beating Jon, but on second thought, this would be the biggest fight in his career and there's literally no one else on the horizon that could even come close to Jones (maybe if Alex Pereira decided to move up, but that's a big maybe). So, for Tom, this might be the fight of his life, so it's fair for him also to expect decent pay out. So if all 3 parties: Jones, Aspinall, and the UFC want to see record profits, that could be a problem.
Anyhow, here are results from the last night main card. Only one fight went to the distance:
(https://www.talkimg.com/images/2025/01/12/Og23c.png)
I was already expecting higher than their usual fight purse amounts when Jon hinted of fighting again after Stipe. I think the $30M price tag is just testing the waters. If that already includes PPV, it's probably a fair amount considering his past contributions to the organization. If not, then maybe he'll end up around $5M (exclusive of PPV). If Tom gets $2M - $3M + PPV from that fight, he'll be lucky.
Jamal is going downwards already, he is still unprepared.No shouting for self-motivation could help this guy win eh? I can already see this guy as a gatekeeper or a stepping stone for up and coming fighters ;D
(...)
since Dana and this is also base from what i have heard, he hate Merab lol K guess by 6 months we'll see them fight again.
(...)
since Dana and this is also base from what i have heard, he hate Merab lol K guess by 6 months we'll see them fight again.
This is the first time I hear this. Why would he hate him? He turned out to be more entertaining than O'Malley, people love him. He's a bit unhinged though, so maybe this is causing some issues.
Merab Vs Umar 2 is pretty likely IMO, but there's also a possibility for a rematch against O'Malley. Anyhow, bantamweight got pretty interesting.
idk about the champs taking back their belts, like the old champs in the past they still think they can get it back. but when they face an opponent more motivated because they haven't been on top, these champs just lose their desire.
and affer all they have been there. adesanya been there on top for a number ko years. Palvovich is there in that card, i think be is up to win as well.
with Bullet's eye against the fast MVP, its such a wonder why he is a favorite. Bullet will not see it coming so when Bisping says he can be a champ one day, he s just being respectful but i doubt this is happening. it would have been funny if they both wear pirate shirt.
Adesanya vs Imanov has the acceptable odds. Izzy just have to put extra careful with Imanov, no more bending and showboating. its time you show the world you still can win.
with Bullet's eye against the fast MVP, its such a wonder why he is a favorite. Bullet will not see it coming so when Bisping says he can be a champ one day, he s just being respectful but i doubt this is happening. it would have been funny if they both wear pirate shirt.
Adesanya vs Imanov has the acceptable odds. Izzy just have to put extra careful with Imanov, no more bending and showboating. its time you show the world you still can win.
Well, turned out both of the favourites lost. Adesanya's loss was much more painful.
We had some shakedown in the official rankings after the last event:
https://www.ufc.com/rankings
Izzy got dropped down by 2 places and is now a number 4 contender, while Imanov jumped up by 3 places. Shara dropped out of the top 15 entirely, it's a shame, but he'll probably be back.
MVP is still at the very bottom of the top 15 in the welterweight, so the win over Shara in the middleweight did not have any impact on his rating.
Apparently Rozenstruik is no longer in the UFC following his loss to Pavlovich:
https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2025/02/ufc-news-jairiznho-rozenstruik-released-heavyweight
I guess his contract expired and the UFC either wasn't interested in making him a new offer or they couldn't find an agreement.
He's 36 and has won 2 out of his last 3 fights, so probably has a few fights left in him before retiring.
Izzy wasnt happy with the referees decision to stop the fight too early. he thought he didn't look bad after Imanov catches him with an uppercut while falling. i think is he done already. its been said that when a fighter takes a heavy KO loss, its hard to get back the way they used to be.
Izzy wasnt happy with the referees decision to stop the fight too early. he thought he didn't look bad after Imanov catches him with an uppercut while falling. i think is he done already. its been said that when a fighter takes a heavy KO loss, its hard to get back the way they used to be.
Well, he hasn't really suffered a really heavy KO in the UFC, i.e. he was never completely out cold, so maybe that's not his main problem.
As for the last fight, I think it was a good stoppage. Maybe he would have escaped into a better position if the referee had given him more time, but he suffered two big blows and was lying flat on his belly, protecting his head and not really doing much, so the referee did what he had to do. But it's always good to have something to blame.
I think we'll see him again, I don't think he'd be satisfied to retire this way.
maybe we will see him again. in another fight night. this is a decline of his skill due to age i believe. we may never see him again going for the belt anymore.
Odds for the main card:
Jake Matthews x1.40 Vs Francisco Prado x3.00
Jim Crute x2.28 Vs Rodolfo Bellato x1.63
Justin Tafa x2.30 Vs Talisson Teixeira x1.62
Weili Zhang x2.00 Vs Tatiana Suarez x1.81
Dricus Du Plessis x1.45 Vs Sean Strickland x2.75
I think x1.45 for Du Plessis is quite fair, he's obviously the favorite, and odds in this range are what I expected.
We're going to have a UFC debut of Alexandre Topuria, Ilia's one-year older brother, who is 5-1. He's on the prelim card and fighting in bantamweight. Obviously, relation to Ilia must've helped him get the contract, but I wonder how that will pan out for him.
I've seen a comment on X by one of Sean's fans saying that Sean doesn't fight, he spars. I think there's a lot of truth to that. Strickland is known for sparring very often and that's not necessarily a good thing. In sparring, you don't go full power, you don't explode and not trying to actually hurt your opponents. By doing that almost every day, he might have conditioned himself to transfer the same approach to real fights.
But it's not the end of the world for Sean. At least he didn't get finished like most of the previous DDP's opponents, and he could use that broken nose as an excuse to some degree.
As for Du Plessis, I see that in the post-fight conference he said Khamzat is next and that he wants to fight the best to leave no doubt that he's a true champ. That man really deserves all the respect.
(...)
if dricus is going to fight khamzat, it might just be his last title defense fight as well. khamzat will rag doll dricus like how khamzat did to his opponents. khamzat can do better what dricus could do.
In the main fight of this weekend's event, Jared Cannonier defeated Gregory Rodrigues by TKO in rd 4.
It was a big win by Jared. The fight was the opposite of what I expected to happen. I thought, due to his age, Jared would press hard in round 1 and gas out in later rounds, but it was him who almost got finished in round 1 but bounced back nicely and finished Rodrigues in round 4. I don't think it would make any impact on his rating, as Rodrigues was unranked, but he made a statement that he still has what it takes to compete on the highest level and he can give a good show.
(...)
should you also expect an upset? odd is 3.40 for Cejudo. the most possible to happen for me is Yadong By Decision 2.20
(...)
should you also expect an upset? odd is 3.40 for Cejudo. the most possible to happen for me is Yadong By Decision 2.20
I don't know about that. Bookies tend to favor younger fighters, perhaps a little bit too much, so you can often get a really good odds being on more experienced underdog.
But I wouldn't be putting my money on this one. Cejudo already announced his retirement, but came back only to lose to Aljo and Merab. I'm not convinced he still has a drive to compete and it could be that he just wants to earn a bit of extra money before it's too late.
Yadong is 11 years younger than Henry but actually has more fights on his record. He has 8 losses though, so it's not like he's some up-and-coming prodigy.
It's a fight that anything can happen, but it going to the distance is the most likely outcome.
^ I think the odds are just fair. Cejudo is already on a decline and a gatekeeper for the younger fighters to 'step on'. I don't know about the match up though because it seems a battle between two countries that 'hate' each other ;D Maybe something is arranged here so as not to embarrass the great murica?
(https://www.talkimg.com/images/2025/02/21/qIgF9.png)
Belal posted this earlier today and looks like it's all confirmed. Maddalena will get his title shot on 10th May in Montreal.
Maddalena is currently ranked 4th so he's good enough to get a chance. I was surprised by that as I thought Shavkat is next in line, but now I read Shavkat is injured and won't be ready for May:
https://x.com/Rakhmonov1994/status/1892424493433573562
He says he'll face the winner later this year. If so, this sounds good to me.
the last time they were suppose to fight in UFC10 Belal wasn't able to make it because of his foot injury so instead Shavkat fought against Ian Gary Machado. this time around its Shavkat who isn't available because of an injury so Belal has to fight Maddalena.
(...)In case of failure, he could always go back to featherweight, but lightweight has the best paydays.
Tuporia losing against Islam means Tuporia could fight Poirier, Gaethje and Oliveira.
UFC Fight Night: Kape vs. Almabayev
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFC_Fight_Night:_Kape_vs._Almabayev
Flyweight Manel Kape vs. Asu Almabayev
Middleweight Cody Brundage vs. Julian Marquez
Lightweight Nasrat Haqparast vs. Esteban Ribovics
Featherweight Hyder Amil vs. William Gomis
Welterweight Danny Barlow vs. Sam Patterson
Preliminary card (ESPN+)
Heavyweight Austen Lane vs. Mário Pinto
Featherweight Ricardo Ramos vs. Chepe Mariscal
Bantamweight Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. John Castañeda
Featherweight Danny Silva vs. Lucas Almeida
Women's Flyweight Andrea Lee vs. JJ Aldrich
Flyweight Charles Johnson vs. Ramazan Temirov
Women's Flyweight Montana De La Rosa vs. Luana Carolina
Dan Hooker pulled out of the UFC 313 due to injury and now the UFC is looking for a new opponent for Gaethje.
Some are suggesting Arman Tsarukyan, and I think it would be a good fight, but I'm not sure if Arman: a) would take such fight at all on such short notice; b) would be able to make the weight after he (allegedly) failed to do that the last time.
Some fighters already posted on social media offering themselves as replacements: Moicano, Fiziev and Gamrot. I'd be happy with either of them, as long as the fight doesn't get cancelled.
its on the news its Rafael Fiziev to replace Hooker. Fiziev isn't a very experienced than Gaethje and they fought before which Gaethje won. but who knows what could happen, i'm sure that last KO of Gaethje has traumatized him that every time someone throw a fist at him he'd be ducking his head.
i could bet on an upset which Gaethje might feel like he is being the target in a whackamole.
Curtis Blaydes x1.30 Vs Rizvan Kuniev x3.60
To my surprise, Ankalaev announced in an interview that he will not strictly obey the ramadan rules and will make the exception for the UFC 313:
https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2025/03/ufc-313-magomed-ankalaev-ramadan-fasting-fight-week
If someone was going to bet on Pereira on the assumption that Ankalaev would be weakened and disadvantaged by fasting, it's time to reconsider.
I still think Alex should be a favourite as Ankalaev wrestling might be vastly overrated.
That 'glitch' gave me a good laugh ;D Respect to him for developing his ground game mainly utilized for defense but Alex winning by submission against Ankalev would be like the unexpected of all the unexpected. Everybody would go crazy if that actually happens in their fight.
That 'glitch' gave me a good laugh ;D Respect to him for developing his ground game mainly utilized for defense but Alex winning by submission against Ankalev would be like the unexpected of all the unexpected. Everybody would go crazy if that actually happens in their fight.
People like to pigeon-hole fighters as strikers, grapplers etc, but the truth is, at this level, Pereira is no stranger to the ground game and submissions. Everybody knew that was his weakness when he joined the UFC, so he surely was putting a lot of focus in his training to work on that.
Plus, I think Ankalaev's grappling skills are overrated. If Alex could deal enough damage in the stand-up, he could've as well finish him off by a simple submission like a rear-naked choke etc.
But lets not bet our money on that :)
That 'glitch' gave me a good laugh ;D Respect to him for developing his ground game mainly utilized for defense but Alex winning by submission against Ankalev would be like the unexpected of all the unexpected. Everybody would go crazy if that actually happens in their fight.Yeah since he is a knockout artist not on submission techniques though both of them has striking capabilities but I am wondering who's who here the nonchalant guy Pereira or the energetic striker Ankalaev? This fight is exciting and surely intense.
Allegedly, Dana White said that he's looking to organise the Jones Vs Aspinall sometime in the summer:
https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/ufc/jon-jones-tom-aspinall-date-dana-white-b2710014.html
I'm still interested to see Jones fighting Tom, but time does not work in his favour. He hinted that he might retire too many times, and he only had tow fights in over 5 years, so people started perceiving him as a semi-retiree. He's not really doing his part in keeping the hype alive.
But if it doesn't happen this summer and if they again drag things for too long, the interest could die off, and none of the parties will be seeing the profits they are expecting.
Blacho is already old, i don't think he still can handle a fight at least not for an active fighter like Alex. Jiri also lost twice in a worse way. I don't think he will have a rematch with Alex as so is Jahamal. But these guys are younger and if ever Alex is already at his decline, UFC might try young ones to fight Alex again.
Blacho is already old, i don't think he still can handle a fight at least not for an active fighter like Alex. Jiri also lost twice in a worse way. I don't think he will have a rematch with Alex as so is Jahamal. But these guys are younger and if ever Alex is already at his decline, UFC might try young ones to fight Alex again.
Yup, Jan is way past his prime, but that was also true when he fought Ankalaev and Alex, but he did much better against them than all the other fighters.
He's an underdog against Ulberg, but if he were to win in a convincing fashion he could be considered to fight for the belt for the last time. I think Glover was of a similar age when he won the belt back in 2021.
considering how big Jan is, he dwarf Adesanya despite moving up. depends on UFC on what to do with these guys. they say Ankalaev winning as the champ in the LH has messed up Dana's plan so now the division will need to find someone younger and as sturdy as Pereira.
Ankalaev id not easy to defeat and he might just stay as a champ for a long time while not easy to sell his name to hype a match.
considering how big Jan is, he dwarf Adesanya despite moving up. depends on UFC on what to do with these guys. they say Ankalaev winning as the champ in the LH has messed up Dana's plan so now the division will need to find someone younger and as sturdy as Pereira.
Ankalaev id not easy to defeat and he might just stay as a champ for a long time while not easy to sell his name to hype a match.
Yeah, Pereira is (I think) 37 already, so he has maybe like 2 years left to perform on the highest level, so they do need to find a few younger and interesting fighters to keep the division going. I think Prochazka could be a good replacement if he improves his style a little bit. He's entertaining and has a great finish ratio: out of his 31 wins, only one was by decision, which is rare at this level.
what i think UFC would do is promote Ankalaev, make him look good to the fans as if he manages to win by all his might and struggle amidst the fight while stomack is empty and won. Ankalaev being a hero in Dagenstans like Islam or Kabib will be a good promotion.
its all just a game for Dana. it may look as if he was furious of the result but sooner a strategy comes up and everything better again. he knows Ankalaev is hard to defeat. but yes a rematch with Pereira would be nice.
or give Jiri a tune up fight against the entertainer Johnny Walker and i think Jiri will be ready for a title fight against Ankalaev.
Jiri calls for 3rd match to Pereira after his last fight where he won. now that Pereira isn't the champ i think Dana will allow it unless he prefers to Jiri to fight Ankalaev
Jiri calls for 3rd match to Pereira after his last fight where he won. now that Pereira isn't the champ i think Dana will allow it unless he prefers to Jiri to fight Ankalaev
That's an odd call. I think he Jiri would have a better chance of getting a fight against Ankalaev, unless he doesn't want to fight him and prefer Alex, which could be more profitable despite no belt being on the line.
In other news, there are some mentions between the UFC and the ESPN. The situation is explained here in a bit more detail:
https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/ufc/ufc-espn-netflix-ppv-tko-b2716497.html
Essentially it's not just the UFC being displeased with the ESPN, but the ESPN is also not happy with the PPV results. If both parties are not happy with what they're getting, I think it's more likely than not that they will part ways.
But if the UFC moves to Netflix, they'll likely have to change their business model and ditch PPV, as I can't imagine Netflix would implement that just for them.
(...) if Dana just listen t the request about Jones vs Aspinall, it might save the partnership.(...)
Hollands fight was the most entertaining among them. even down the ground, he still throw hammer fist upwards.
Jiri I think will defeat Ankalaev if they ever fight. it will short lived Ankalaev champ status.
Jiri I think will defeat Ankalaev if they ever fight. it will short lived Ankalaev champ status.
I think so too. Ankalaev would most likely be a favourite against Jiri, but my money would go on Jiri. I think Ankalaev's grappling game is probably much overrated and Prochazka did pretty well against Teixeira who had a solid ground game (a former member of the Brazilian National Wrestling Team).
But I think Alex will get a remath. It's pretty evident that he's aiming to have at least 3 fights a year to milk his popularity while he can. It seems like all 3 parties (Pereira, Ankalaev and the UFC) want the rematch to happen.
Merab Dvalishvili Vs Sean O'Malley 2 has been confirmed for the UFC 316 on 7th June.
I don't know what changes will Sean make to his gameplan, but I don't expect the outcome will be much different than the last time. He will be looking for a KO, but Merab has never been KO'd in his professional career.
It will be a fun one to watch.
they scheduled this too far ahead, they really are conditioning Sean to win though. according to some articles Sean's surgery was successful and so he may be in his best when he fight again.
they scheduled this too far ahead, they really are conditioning Sean to win though. according to some articles Sean's surgery was successful and so he may be in his best when he fight again.
I think the timing is what you'd expect. It's scheduled for 7th June, so only 2 months from now. Merab fought Umar less than 3 months ago, so it will be less than 5 months between those 2 fights. And O'Malley needed (or still needs) some time to recover from the surgery and to reinvent himself.
Odds are clearly in favor of Merab though: x1.33 Vs x3.33 for Sean.
its not yet on Stake. well bookmakers don't usually make mistakes on their odds. if its Merab going to win still, too bad for Suga. can't see Suga going to be make it to the top again. he won't even be winning against Umar too.
Dana must have felt bad that his dog only defended his title once and lost it because he risk Suga against Merab. i would risk a few USD for Suga to win though. maybe this time he knows what to do.
its not yet on Stake. well bookmakers don't usually make mistakes on their odds. if its Merab going to win still, too bad for Suga. can't see Suga going to be make it to the top again. he won't even be winning against Umar too.
The odds I quoted were from DuelBits. Sometimes it pays to bet early, as bookies who set the odds earlier than others could potentially misplace them. But I don't think that's the case here as these two have already fought against each other, so we know, more or less, what to expect.Dana must have felt bad that his dog only defended his title once and lost it because he risk Suga against Merab. i would risk a few USD for Suga to win though. maybe this time he knows what to do.
Dana had no choice, he had to match Sean against one of the good grapplers/wrestlers. After he KO'd Aljo, matching him up against Merab might not have sound that risky at the time and, if I remember correctly, Sean was a favourite. But we all know how that ended.
rumor was that Dana also hated Aljo for not fighting Merab so he matched Suga vs Aljo. he undermined Merab too much that it only hurt his money makers. no one even ask for this rematch except Suga but because Dana is desperate to have a popular champ that everybody will cheer, he had to make this fight again hoping Suga will win.
(...)
Chandler losing 3 in a row would be tragic for his career. its over and its very possible now because Paddy isn't the kind of a kid anymore. He is well rounded nowadays.
In UFC 314 there were fighters that came from other promotions, and there they were either champions or really top rank fighters. To bad all of them lost, and fighters that were champions are not as good as average UFC fighters. I have noticed that you discuss Michael Chandler and he is an example of a fighter that was «on top» in other promotion and shows «weak results» in UFC. I make me think that only those who start young in UFC have chances to become champions, but those who were fighting in other promotions and after years of being in prime moved to UFC, have chance only to show average results.
^ Chandler was completely dominated by Paddy. He probably landed just one good punch and that's about it. I think he should follow Dustin's footstep of having a retirement fight before every young guy knocks him out and further tarnish his career.
For Paddy, looks like he's just one fight away of a title shot. It would have been nice if he and Ilia slugs it out in the octagon.
^ Chandler was completely dominated by Paddy. He probably landed just one good punch and that's about it. I think he should follow Dustin's footstep of having a retirement fight before every young guy knocks him out and further tarnish his career.
For Paddy, looks like he's just one fight away of a title shot. It would have been nice if he and Ilia slugs it out in the octagon.
I expected the fight to be more even, and it looked like that in the first round. But later, Paddy absolutely demolished Chandler and now he's in a great position to be calling out everyone from the top 5, except for Islam, as he's not ready for him yet. After another win, he might get a title fight, but I'm not sure if he really wants to fight Islam, he's probably better of to have a couple of easier fights before that against guys like Dustin, Justin or Charles.
^ Yeah, those are definitely tough fights for Paddy but who else is in line on his rise to the title? I think anything less than those three would be a downgrade unless all of them were injured or already have scheduled fights. Maybe Tsarukyan? Anyway, he already named Oliveira as his preferred opponent next.
Thinking of what's next for Volkanovski - the rankings haven't yet been updated, but it looks like Max Holloway would be a top contender. I don't expect the UFC to be very keen on letting them fight each other for the 4th time. Quick research tells me that the only "tetralogy" in the UFC's history was between Moreno and Figuiredo, but the story was quite different, as the first fight was a draw and then they had one win each before they matched them up again. Here, we have Alex winning 3 times already, so I would take Max out of the picture.
That probably boils it down to either Yair Rodriguez (already defeated by Alex by TKO) or Movsar Evloev. I think Alex would be happy to take on either of them and probably would be the favourite. Rodriguez is far more entertaining and would bring in more views than "boring" Evloev, who is undefeated but has never finished anyone in the UFC.
The thought of Evloev becoming a champ must be horrifying to Dana White, but, if he has enough confidence in Alex, he could make that fight happen in hopes Volk would ruin Evloev's undefeated record and send him down the ranks so he wouldn't be a problem anymore.
The UFC rankings (https://www.ufc.com/rankings) have been updated.
Michael Chandler dropped down by five places, from 7th to 12th place. Paddy moved up by 4, to 8th place, pushing up Gamrot to 7th.
I'm not sure why Topuria is not showing in the lightweight ranking, since he officially moved up the weight class. He's still ranked as a featherweight and dropped to number 3 contender.
Dominic Reyes made it to the top 10 of the light heavyweight. If he gets a fight with someone ranked above him and wins, he might be in a position for a shot at the belt. Pretty good considering many have written him off. I predict he could be matched for a rematch with Blachowicz.
(...)
Paddy ranking on the 8th place makes him a considerable contender that can rise above because he still is young.
Ilia Topuria was on Joe Rogan's podcast recently. I've watched some of it. He said that he's not going to accept any fight other than a title fight against Islam. He said he could make 2 exceptions though: one would be fighting Conor first, the other - a fight with Paddy in Spain at Real Madrid's stadium (80,000 seats).
I think the second option is a really good idea. Spain is not far for Paddy's fans to travel, so they would probably sell the venue out.
Ilia Topuria was on Joe Rogan's podcast recently. I've watched some of it. He said that he's not going to accept any fight other than a title fight against Islam. He said he could make 2 exceptions though: one would be fighting Conor first, the other - a fight with Paddy in Spain at Real Madrid's stadium (80,000 seats).
I think the second option is a really good idea. Spain is not far for Paddy's fans to travel, so they would probably sell the venue out.
(...)
Islam vs Topuria will be okay. It will be ironed to make big bucks Topuria's fame is already too big in his head. As long as islam is in his prime, he will not win against Islam.
If fighters have contract with promotion and their job is to fight, why do they choose who they will fight instead of fighting the opponent which promotion has chosen? As an employee, I dont select which tasks I will do and do not, from the list my employer gave me. I dont understand why a champion has a right to be selective, to decide who deserves a fight against him and who not. I though that a person can call himself a champion, when he is ready to fight anyone and anytime, to prove his championship.
If fighters have contract with promotion and their job is to fight, why do they choose who they will fight instead of fighting the opponent which promotion has chosen? As an employee, I dont select which tasks I will do and do not, from the list my employer gave me. I dont understand why a champion has a right to be selective, to decide who deserves a fight against him and who not. I though that a person can call himself a champion, when he is ready to fight anyone and anytime, to prove his championship.
seem to the usual thing the champs do anymore. just look at Jon Jones should be fighting the interim champ but he fought someone old and wasted.
Ilia has a different situation because he left the belt which means he isn't the champion anymore and yet he requested to fight straight away the champion on the higher weight class. its a bit risky but if Dana approves it, he must have hated the fact that Islam is staying up there on the top for a long time already while there is no one left to challenge him.
he allowed volkanovski to fight for the belt too in the LW. and here they are again in same situation where Islam has to fight someone new in the LW.
If fighters have contract with promotion and their job is to fight, why do they choose who they will fight instead of fighting the opponent which promotion has chosen? As an employee, I dont select which tasks I will do and do not, from the list my employer gave me. I dont understand why a champion has a right to be selective, to decide who deserves a fight against him and who not. I though that a person can call himself a champion, when he is ready to fight anyone and anytime, to prove his championship.
seem to the usual thing the champs do anymore. just look at Jon Jones should be fighting the interim champ but he fought someone old and wasted.
Ilia has a different situation because he left the belt which means he isn't the champion anymore and yet he requested to fight straight away the champion on the higher weight class. its a bit risky but if Dana approves it, he must have hated the fact that Islam is staying up there on the top for a long time already while there is no one left to challenge him.
he allowed volkanovski to fight for the belt too in the LW. and here they are again in same situation where Islam has to fight someone new in the LW.
I took a look on Ilia Topuria career. He has left his belt and moved to next division. Imo he should fight some fighters from that division before requesting a champions fight because he was a champion in other division. I under it like this - if you a new in division, you cant have a fight against champion from the start, no matter what your achievements were before. That is why they have different division, weight. A bigger guy hits harder. That is other level of competition and risks.
But I would like to speak more about why champions allow themselves to select opponents. They should be either ready for everyone, or dont call themselves champion.
Letting fans to decide who to fight just by level of popularity isnt correct either. Ilia Topuria behavior is indescribable. He demands a fight only aganist lightweight division Islam Makhachev, because he was a champion of a featherweight division. If we close eyes on his past achievements, then in my eyes he is insolent person who cut in line without permission. Below Islam Makhachev, there are 15 ranked fighters, and dozen unranked. I think they have right of a first hand to challenge champion.
Letting fans to decide who to fight just by level of popularity isnt correct either. Ilia Topuria behavior is indescribable. He demands a fight only aganist lightweight division Islam Makhachev, because he was a champion of a featherweight division. If we close eyes on his past achievements, then in my eyes he is insolent person who cut in line without permission. Below Islam Makhachev, there are 15 ranked fighters, and dozen unranked. I think they have right of a first hand to challenge champion.Blame Dana for that because he still allowed such practice before. Although I agree that he should fight at least one top lightweight but at the end of the day, it's what most fans wants that will move this fight organization forward.
Letting fans to decide who to fight just by level of popularity isnt correct either. Ilia Topuria behavior is indescribable. He demands a fight only aganist lightweight division Islam Makhachev, because he was a champion of a featherweight division. If we close eyes on his past achievements, then in my eyes he is insolent person who cut in line without permission. Below Islam Makhachev, there are 15 ranked fighters, and dozen unranked. I think they have right of a first hand to challenge champion.
those top guys in the division are already defeated by Islam by wide margin. they can't even request a rematch. if Ilia lost fighting in his first try in this new division, he won't have any other chance to get a title shot unless he fights 3 to 5 guys in the LW. he is up to reach there on top while in his prime and move to WW.
and i think Dana wants Islam out already because this division gets boring until Islam is out.
Letting fans to decide who to fight just by level of popularity isnt correct either. Ilia Topuria behavior is indescribable. He demands a fight only aganist lightweight division Islam Makhachev, because he was a champion of a featherweight division. If we close eyes on his past achievements, then in my eyes he is insolent person who cut in line without permission. Below Islam Makhachev, there are 15 ranked fighters, and dozen unranked. I think they have right of a first hand to challenge champion.
those top guys in the division are already defeated by Islam by wide margin. they can't even request a rematch. if Ilia lost fighting in his first try in this new division, he won't have any other chance to get a title shot unless he fights 3 to 5 guys in the LW. he is up to reach there on top while in his prime and move to WW.
and i think Dana wants Islam out already because this division gets boring until Islam is out.
Islam Makhachev defeated most of lightweight division guys, but that does not cancel possibility for a rematch or trilogy. Fighters meet each other for several times. Even if a guy is defeated, he continues to fight, to train, to improve. History has number of example when loser wins in rematch. That is why idea of immediate title fight for Ilia Topuria looks unreal. I think Topuria needs to be tested by lightweight fighter to check if he is ready to bigger guys. That would be fair. That would be good for Topuria also, as it might be that he has overestimated his skills, abilities and strength.
There have been some news circulating recently about DDP pulling out of the Khamzat fight due to an injury.
Fortunately these were false and DDP made an announcement:
“I found it all very entertaining, unfortunately none of it is true myself and [UFC] already discussed a fight date and opponent, the June fight was never signed I did not pull out of any fight, I am the champion I know when I fight you as a contender just show up when we tell you to. Fight announcement coming soon stay tuned.”
https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/24/24415487/dricus-du-plessis-releases-statement-on-injury-rumors-fight-announcement
Last chance to place bets on tonight's event.
Odds for the main card are as follows:
Aliskerov, Ikrom x1.2 Vs Muniz, Andre x4.2
Elder, Evan x1.47 Vs Young, Gauge x2.55
Schnell, Matt x1.6 Vs Flick, Jimmy x2.25
Brown, Randy x1.33 Vs Dalby, Nicolas x3.1
Pereiro, Michel x1.67 Vs Magomedov, Abusupiyan x2.1
Chikadze, Giga x2.4 Vs Onama, David x1.52
Smith, Anthony x3.85 Vs Zhang, Mingyang x1.23
Garry, Ian x1.65 Vs Prates, Carlos x2.15
Garry is taking a gamble by fighting Prates, who is ranked 13th. He doesn't have much to win and a lot to lose.
Prates may have 6 losses in his record, but he's undefeated since 2019. He's on an 11 win streak and has 10 straight KO/TKO finishes, which is pretty impressive.
Why didn't anybody tell me that Max Holloway is fighting Dustin Poirier at UFC 318 in July? I just noticed that in the events, but I don't recall hearing about that before.
They fought twice before, and Poirier came up victorious both times. In their first fight, Dustin served Max his only submission loss in his career; the second time around, Dustin won by decision.
Despite losing to Topuria, Max still holds the BMF belt, so there's something on the line there, so that's some motivation for Dustin and winning it would be a perfect ending to his career (I believe this is supposed to be his last fight). However, I wouldn't be very surprised if Dustin decides to keep fighting for a little bit longer if he were to defeat Max effortlessly.
It will be a good show.
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another rematch, why not? i like this two because they can really make people sit on the edge to wait for whats going to happen in the middle when they clash. the last best fight we have seen from Max is with Gaethje.
Max pointing the floor with Dustin might just be one of the biggest fight as well. i'm sure dana would love to see a big KO happening between the two, whoever it is, the fight will be appreciated by fans.