Author: Dan Hiergesell

Sean O’Malley is expected to draw fellow bantamweight Raulian Paiva in his next trip to the Octagon at UFC 269 on Dec. 11, per a recent report by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.

This isn’t the most likely matchup for O’Malley as the young contender tries to push his way towards the title, but then again O’Malley is the one who said he doesn’t want to fight ranked opponents because he gets paid the same. Fans thought UFC would ante up to see O’Malley continue his rise up the division ranks, but O’Malley will end up facing a 25-year-old prospect in Paiva.

O’Malley, 26, is coming off a beatdown of late replacement Kris Moutinho and a knockout victory over Thomas Almeida. Those performances have helped mask his disappointing TKO loss to Marlon Vera back at UFC 252, which remains the only loss on O’Malley’s record. If “Sugar” is able to make easy work out of Paiva then there’s simply no way he can continue to fight unranked opponents. Or is there?

Paiva, 25, has won his last three trips to the Octagon, including his recent decision win over touted bantamweight prospect Kyler Phillips. He may not be a top-flight finisher, but Paiva is well-rounded and durable, which is a big reason why is overall MMA record currently stands at 21-3. Paiva will have to make up for a size and reach disadvantage opposite O’Malley so there’s a chance he leans more on his grappling than his striking.

For more UFC 269 fight card news click here and here.

Every fight seems to be a potential breakout for UFC light heavyweight contender Johnny Walker so this weekend’s clash with Thiago Santos at UFC Vegas 38 shouldn’t be any different.

Walker, who will meet Santos in the main event live on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, is one of the more physically-gifted fighters on the UFC roster today. The Brazilian fighter has been projected to be a future title challenger since his meteoric rise from 2018-2019, but Walker hasn’t exactly cashed in when it mattered most.

Walker, 29, hasn’t fought since his knockout win over Ryan Spann back in Sept. 2020 (see it HERE). That was over one year ago and easily the biggest layoff of his UFC career. Still, the knockout finisher is stepping back into the limelight 12 months later and facing off with one of the most dangerous strikers in the light heavyweight division.

“It’s been so long, right?” Walker asked reporters earlier this week. “A little bit more than one year. My last fight was in Vegas against Ryan Spann. It’s a long journey. I learned so much through this.”

Luckily, Walker hasn’t squandered his time away from the Octagon. Instead, the rising contender used his layoff as a means of putting his career in perspective and changing the things outside of the cage that needed changing.

“It was difficult, but it was really good for my personal life because I realized so much stuff that I have to do to become what I want to be,” Walker said. “I think I’m more mature now, right? I’ve got more experience, and I’ve learned how my body works, what I have to do to become a champion, and I’ve learned from all of the mistakes, right? Now I’m committed to myself. I’m responsible for my life, for my family.

“I have so much to fight for, and I just realized, like what I’m doing with my life, and then I committed to myself, like I’m going to commit 100 percent of my time, so I spend all of my time – I just train, eat, sleep, repeat every day. Focus on my diet. Injury prevention. Improve all of my skills, technique, and you’re going to see Saturday night the big results of 100 percent focus. You know, I’m living like a champion now.”

Walker, who despite losing two out of his last three trips to the Octagon, still holds a reasonable 5-2 UFC record. Given the lack of readily available title challengers at 205 pounds a win this Saturday over Santos could land Walker one win away from his first UFC title shot.

“I’m here to take over,” Walker said. “I’m going to smash this division. I’m going to own this. This is my division now. I’m hungry. I’m ready

“If before, like the young guy with no experience, I did so much messing up, imagine now, focused the way that I am now with more experience. I’m a man now. I am not a boy, and I’m going to take over.”

For complete UFC Vegas 38 fight card news click here.

Sean Strickland may be one of the more difficult fighters to spar in all of MMA. That’s because the UFC middleweight holds nothing back in training.

Just ask the many noses he has broken throughout fight camp.

Strickland, who is 4-0 since making his move to middleweight in 2020, is currently scheduled to welcome former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold back to the division at UFC 268 this November. It’s easily the biggest fight of Strickland’s MMA career and one that could launch him into the top five at 185 pounds.

With a big fight on the horizon Strickland has once again turned up the heat in training. Remember, Strickland landed himself in a little bit of hot water back in June when he landed a spinning back fist during a sparring session after his partner tried a “dirty submission.”

In the above video (via Instagram), Strickland can been seen sparring 2019 PFL light heavyweight champion Emiliano Sordi. Strickland is known to go a little hard in sparring, but this session was particularly damaging. The UFC middleweight can be heard screaming obscenities at Sordi while winging wild punches in hopes of a connection.

“Some days you want to make people bleed, some days you want to bleed,” wrote Strickland. “That day was a little bit of both for me… lol GREAT scrap with the million dollar man, thanks for indulging my therapy sessions…”

That old “iron sharpens iron” saying applies to many situations in the world of professional fighting, but Strickland’s actions seem a little unwarranted. Maybe he’s doing absolutely everything he can to become the best middleweight in the world, whether or not that comes at the expense of his training partners.

What say you, Maniacs? Is Strickland’s recent sparring video a bit excessive?

Sound off!

Petr Yan will miss his chance to fight Aljamain Sterling in a rematch, but at least the former Russian champion will still get his shot at UFC bantamweight gold.

Yan, who was originally scheduled to fight Sterling at UFC 267 next month, will have to wait even longer to get his hands on “Funk Master” again. That’s because UFC officials couldn’t clear Sterling to compete due to a nagging neck injury. Sterling has since been replaced with Cory Sandhagen, who will step in to fight Yan for the interim strap at UFC 267.

While Yan will still get the opportunity to fight for the interim title against “Sandman” it’s a bit of a let down that we won’t see the rematch with Sterling. Remember, their first fight at UFC 259 back in March ended in controversy when Yan landed an illegal knee and Sterling was crowned champion after being unable to continue in the fight. Yan has been waiting for the rematch ever since, but injuries to Sterling have prevented that from happening.

“I wasn’t surprised, you could see it coming for a while. This guy doesn’t want to fight me again,” Yan told BJPENN.com regarding Sterling’s UFC 267 withdrawal. “I don’t care about Sterling, my goal is to get the belt back. I’m not gonna wait for someone who doesn’t want to fight me.”

Yan, who is 7-1 since making his UFC debut in 2018, captured the undisputed UFC bantamweight title with a TKO win over Jose Aldo at UFC 251. The Russian was expected to reign over the division for years to come, but his matchup with Sterling earlier this year threw his plans for a loop.

“No Mercy” now has his shot to regain momentum at 135 pounds and put another UFC belt around his waist in a matchup with Sandhagen at UFC 267. But even if Yan wins and lines himself up for another fight with Sterling sometime in 2022 that doesn’t mean the awaited rematch will actually happen.

“I’m not thinking about him until he grows the balls to enter the Octagon with me again,” said Yan.

Alexander Volkanovski captured another UFC featherweight title defense last night (Sat., Sept. 25, 2021) at UFC 266 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, when he battered Brian Ortega to the tune of a unanimous decision win (highlights HERE)

In addition to the main event madness, a collection of PPV bouts and “Prelims” appetizers delivered memorable action inside of the Octagon. Check them out below and let us know your favorite:

• Valentina Shevchenko successfully defended her women’s flyweight title with a TKO victory over Lauren Murphy in the co-main event (highlights HERE)
• Bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili scored a second-round TKO stoppage over former title challenger Marlon Moraes in one of the craziest fights of 2021
• Former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler spoiled the return of Nick Diaz with a third-round TKO win

• Chris Daukaus kept the train rolling with a second-round TKO stoppage over veteran heavyweight contender Shamil Abdurakhimov, extending his current UFC win streak to 4-0
• Matthew Semelsberger banked a ridiculous 15-second knockout finish over welterweight prospect Martin Sano Jr. (see it HERE)
• Lightweight contender Jalin Turner secured his third-straight finish with a submission over previously undefeated striker Uros Medic

In order to sift through the action and see which fighters took home an extra $50,000, we take a closer look at the official UFC 266 bonus winners below:

Fight of the Night: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega

Performance of the Night: Merab Dvalishvili

Performance of the Night: Chris Daukaus

For complete UFC 266 results and coverage click here.

As soon as UFC 266 wraps up later tonight (Sat., Sept. 25, 2021) live on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, fight fans can check out an eight-minute post-fight press conference highlights video compilation above for all the best reaction and official bonus winners. Continue below for the entire live stream replay courtesy of the UFC’s official YouTube channel.

On a massive PPV card featuring a main event clash between UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and top contender Brian Ortega, a co-headliner pitting reigning UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko against Lauren Murphy, and the long-awaited return of MMA legend Nick Diaz, there will be a lot to discuss when the action winds down.

The post-fight press conference video is scheduled to go live at 1:15 a.m. ET with the biggest winners and stars from the card.

For complete UFC 266 results and coverage click here.