Author: admin

The UFC heavyweight contender is uninterested in changing his approach to getting fights. 

Chael Sonnen is a fan of Tom Aspinall but wants the No. 6 ranked UFC heavyweight contender to stop underselling and start promoting himself.

Sonnen spoke about Aspinall on his Beyond the Fight podcast, saying he considers the 29-year-old to be a ‘special talent’ and the future of the heavyweight division. However, the analyst took issue with his approach to getting fights because it lacks the element of self-promotion. Given his own experience with self-promotion throughout his professional career, Sonnen explained why it is detrimental for Aspinall to remain measured in his pursuit of a potential championship opportunity.

“He comes out and does an interview — I can’t remember what was said, I was disgusted, I ended up shutting the page — talking about, ‘Who wouldn’t want to see Francis Ngannou box? Ngannou’s just a great boxer,” said Sonnen. “It went on from there, put some other people over. He’s a legitimate fan. I do understand that in all fairness and he does come off as a very sweet guy. That is true. Tom actually is coming off like a really nice guy, I must tell the other side of the coin.

“I can’t put him back in a main event,” continued Sonnen. “I can’t put him in a title shot. I can’t put him in anything that he says he doesn’t belong in. Nobody can.”

Aspinall has addressed his approach before, telling Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour that he prefers to fight — not talk — his way into contention.

“I never thought that I was going to be talking about a title after five UFC fights, six UFC fights,” said Aspinall. “I feel like I’ve got more work to do. I’ve got a lot more work to do, more proving. I don’t want to be one of these people who gets here by talking. That is not me.”

Judging by his response to Sonnen, it appears as though he is not changing that.

“I’m more than happy being myself thanks and not selling myself out and acting like a [clown] for views and money,” wrote Aspinall on Instagram Stories. “I am not a WWE entertainer I’m one of the greatest heavyweights to walk on this [Earth] and it will be shown in my body of work from my UFC debut until I retire in 10 years. I don’t need to talk s—t. Happy to be myself.”

Aspinall emerged as a contender after five consecutive wins in the UFC. He recently submitted Alexander Volkov via first-round armbar at UFC London this past March.

The Englishman returns to London for his second headliner this year. Aspinall shares the Octagon with Curtis Blaydes in his next appearance.

Episode 175 discussion: Dana White throws in the towel on Zuffa Boxing, Sterling teases move to 145, Triller reportedly not paying fighters, Bendo ditches toothpick

Welcome to ‘The Level Change Podcast’, our combat sports themed variety show hosted by Stephie Haynes, Mookie Alexander and Victor Rodriguez. Featuring the news of the week, fight card breakdowns and analysis, a roundup of regional promotions’ cards and fights; and whatever else we decide is important enough or entertaining enough to bring to your ears. Here is a summary of the topics discussed, complete with the time stamps for when each interview or special segment begins. As always, we hope you enjoy listening to the show as much as we enjoyed recording it.

June M. Williams

EPISODE 175

Dana White throws in the towel on Zuffa Boxing – 3:08

Aljamain Sterling teases eventual move up to 145 – 15:25

Triller reportedly not paying its fighters, could face sanctions – 24:30

Benson Henderson explains why he ditched the toothpick – 33:35

STANDINGS – 44:54

Mookie: 52-34-2

Stephie: 49-37-2

Victor: 49-37-2

UFC VEGAS 56

Blanchfield-Aldrich – 45:11

Ige-Evloev – 49:32

Volkov-Rozenstruik – 53:51

Follow our Twitter accounts: Stephie Haynes, Mookie Alexander, Victor Rodriguez and our show account The Level Change Podcast. If you enjoy our shows, give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow, and give us a “like”, share & subscribe on your BE Presents Podcast platform of choice: SoundCloud, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, OverCast, Player FM, & Amazon Music – For previous episodes of the show, check out our playlists on any of our BE Presents channels.

Askar Mozharov has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons ahead of his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut this Saturday night (Sat., June 4, 2022) at UFC Vegas 56 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

According to a recent report, Mozharov’s professional mixed martial arts (MMA) record seems to have been a bit off, prompting the data gurus over at Sherdog to state that a record that was listed as 21-12 is actually 19-12. Per Mozharov’s recent interview, a lot of his fights took place in countries and promotions that didn’t care much for records and data-keeping, just the action.

Now, the Light Heavyweight standout is denying claims that he copied Conor McGregor’s infamous gorilla tattoo displayed across his chest, though he admits they are similar in style and he is, coincidentally enough, known as the “Ukrainian Conor McGregor.”

“No, this is not Conor McGregor’s [tattoo]. Guys, this is the same style, old school, but another picture,” said Mozharov via the Irish Mirror. “Actually, in my country, people know me as the Ukrainian Conor McGregor, but this is different, I like Conor, but I am Askar.”

You be the judge:

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

McGregor’s infamous ink plastered all over his body is a big part of the “Notorious” persona, and though some have tried to imitate it, nothing is as good as the original, according to these professionals.

Sorry, Tom.

Mozharov will attempt to pick up his third straight win when he battles Alonzo Menifield in his first-ever fight inside the Octagon. According to these stats, “No Mercy’s” last 12 wins have come via first-round stoppage.

We think?

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 56 fight card right here, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance (on ESPN+) at 4 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 56: “Volkov vs. Rozenstruik” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

Dodson is the latest fighter to jump into bare-knuckle boxing.

Welcome to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC), John Dodson.

BKFC announced on Friday that the former UFC fighter signed with and joined the roster of the bare-knuckle boxing promotion. Details of his signing were not provided.

Dodson competed as a bantamweight on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller more than a decade ago. The ‘Magician’ fought his way to the finale, where he finished T.J. Dillashaw via first-round knockout to earn a six-figure contract with the UFC. He returned to flyweight for his next appearances, defeating Tim Elliott and Jussier Formiga en route to his first championship opportunity against then-flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson at UFC on FOX 6. Johnson vs. Dodson was a ‘Fight of the Night’ awarded outing, but one that the latter fell short in. Dodson lost to Johnson by unanimous decision.

Wins over Darrell Montague, John Moraga and Zach Makovsky led to another opportunity against Johnson, whom Dodson lost to again at UFC 191. He then decided to move up to bantamweight, where he spent the rest of his UFC career alternating between wins and losses. In his final UFC fight, Dodson dropped a unanimous decision to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 252 and was subsequently released, ending a nearly decade-long run with the promotion.

The bantamweight and flyweight staple continued his career under the XMMA banner, going 1-1 so far. The JacksonWink MMA product suffered a unanimous decision loss to Cody Gibson at XMMA 3: Vice City, but rebounded with a decision over Francisco Rivera at XMMA 4: Black Magic this past April.

Dodson is the latest fighter to sign with BKFC, joining the likes of Ben Rothwell, Jimmie Rivera and Chad Mendes as recent signees. A date, weight class and opponent for the 37-year-old are unknown, but BKFC should reveal those details in the coming weeks.