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Khabib Nurmagomedov Is Going to Be a Ball Of Nerves Come UFC 311: ‘He’s going to Be a Wreck’ Says Coach

UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov is going to have his work cut out for him on January 18. While ‘The…

UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov is going to have his work cut out for him on January 18.

While ‘The Eagle’ no longer competes inside the Octagon, fight fans can regularly find him cornering the likes of reigning lightweight world champion Islam Makhachev and his cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov, both of whom will be competing on the same night when the UFC returns to pay-per-view in 2025.

Emanating from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, the main event of the evening will see Makhachev put his 155-pound crown on the line against the division’s top-ranked contender, Arman Tsarukyan.

Just before Makhachev enters the cage for his fourth lightweight title defense, Umar Nurmagomedov will challenge bantamweight titleholder Merab Dvalishvili in the co-main event. It will be the Georgian’s first time defending the 135-pound belt since claiming it via a dominant decision win over ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley in September.

During a recent interview with The Schmo, longtime Khabib Nurmagomedov coach and American Kickboxing Academy founder Javier Mendez expects it to be a mentally draining weekend for ‘The Eagle’ as he looks to lead both his fighters to the biggest wins of their respective careers.

“It’s going to be really busy for him mentally because he has to deal with, you know, two of his brothers that he loves to death—one is his cousin, and one is Islam, who he’s been training with since childhood,” Mendez said. “So for him, it’s going to be a ball of nerves.

“For me, it’s not that bad at all because I’m used to it now. I can go right through it—no problem. He’s going to be a wreck, though.”

Mendez says everything is ‘on point’ ahead of makhachev and nurmagomedov’s big night

Offering some insight into Makhachev and Nurmagomedov’s training ahead of UFC 311, Mendez added:

“But things are great, things are fantastic. The training is fantastic. We’re on point, we’re on point. We have three more weeks of hard training, and then we’re off to Los Angeles. We’ll see what happens.”

While Makhachev is already acquainted with the bright lights of a five-round title fight, it will be an unfamiliar feeling for Umar Nurmagomedov. The undefeated star secured his first shot at UFC gold with an impressive showing against Cory Sandhagen over the summer. The win jumped him all the way up to the No. 2 spot in the rankings, setting the stage for his showdown with ‘The Machine.’

Combined, Makhachev and Nurmagomedov have won their last 32 fights.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov Is Going to Be a Ball Of Nerves Come UFC 311: ‘He’s going to Be a Wreck’ Says Coach

UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov is going to have his work cut out for him on January 18. While ‘The…

UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov is going to have his work cut out for him on January 18.

Emanating from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, the main event of the evening will see Makhachev put his 155-pound crown on the line against the division’s top-ranked contender, Arman Tsarukyan.

“It’s going to be really busy for him mentally because he has to deal with, you know, two of his brothers that he loves to death—one is his cousin, and one is Islam, who he’s been training with since childhood,” Mendez said. “So for him, it’s going to be a ball of nerves.

“For me, it’s not that bad at all because I’m used to it now. I can go right through it—no problem. He’s going to be a wreck, though.”

Mendez says everything is ‘on point’ ahead of makhachev and nurmagomedov’s big night

Offering some insight into Makhachev and Nurmagomedov’s training ahead of UFC 311, Mendez added:

“But things are great, things are fantastic. The training is fantastic. We’re on point, we’re on point. We have three more weeks of hard training, and then we’re off to Los Angeles. We’ll see what happens.”

Combined, Makhachev and Nurmagomedov have won their last 32 fights.

Exclusive – The Schmo Dubs Alex Pereira ‘One of the great stories of mixed martial arts’ in 2023

Renowned MMA journalist The Schmo believes Alex Pereira was one of the most exciting things about the sport in…

Renowned MMA journalist The Schmo believes Alex Pereira was one of the most exciting things about the sport in 2023.

The ‘Brazilian Boogeyman’ entered the year as the reigning UFC middleweight champion following a brutal fifth-round knockout of longtime rival Israel Adesanya at UFC 281. He would hand the title back to ‘The Last Stylebender’ five months later, suffering a KO in the second round that would become his first, and to this date, the only loss inside the Octagon.

Having already climbed to the top of the middleweight mountain in just four fights, Pereira was ready for a new challenge. ‘Poatan’ made the move to light heavyweight for a showdown with former world champion Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291. It was arguably the toughest test of Pereira’s career considering Blachowicz himself holds a victory over Adesanya.

After three closely contested rounds, Pereira walked away with a split decision win, immediately earning himself a shot at the 205-pound crown.

In November, Pereira closed out his year in spectacular fashion, besting ex-champ Jiri Prochazka at the promotion’s 30th-anniversary showcase to claim the vacant light heavyweight title and become a two-division champion less than two years removed from his UFC debut.

“There’s always going to be names that just shoot out of a cannon,” The Schmo told Mike Owens in an exclusive interview with Lowkick MMA. Think about how quickly Alex Pereira came up. I think that’s another story that we should talk about as one of the great stories of mixed martial arts and one of the great stories of 2023. The adversity he faced, losing to Izzy. Izzy finally got the win, he goes up to light heavyweight, he beats Jan Blachowicz, and then he gets the title shot and beats Jiri [Prochazka].

“I think he’s one of the best stories in MMA, Alex Pereira, and if you look at him and how quickly he rose… Obviously, he had the kickboxing accolades, but he still had to learn jiu-jitsu pretty quickly and credit to Glover Teixeira and all of those guys over there in Connecticut because they do a great job and you’re gonna see that and I think that’s a beautiful thing with this sport, especially as it continues to grow.

What comes next for Alex Pereira remains to be seen. All signs point toward an inevitable showdown with Jamahal Hill once ‘Sweet Dreams’ recovers from a ruptured Achilles he sustained over the summer. However, the former GLORY Kickboxing champion recently expressed interest in going for a third world title, potentially challenging interim UFC heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall at the promotion’s next big milestone event, UFC 300.

Do you want to see Alex Pereira go for a third piece of UFC hardware at the mega-sized event on April 13?

Watch the full exclusive interview below:

Exclusive – The Schmo Looks at Potential Opponents for Conor McGregor’s Rumored UFC 300 Return

The Schmo believes UFC 300 has to be the return date for Conor McGregor. It’s been well over two…

The Schmo believes UFC 300 has to be the return date for Conor McGregor.

It’s been well over two years since fight fans have seen the Irishman strap on the four-ounce gloves for a scrap inside the Octagon, but that hasn’t stopped rumors from dropping about his “greatest comeback in combat sport’s history” every single week.

Speaking with Mike Owens in a LowKick MMA exclusive interview, renowned mixed martial arts journalist The Schmo, shared his take on McGregor’s impact on the sport, even with his lengthy absence.

“When you think of combat sports, when you think of the UFC, you think of Conor McGregor,” The Schmo said. “He is the biggest star of the sport. He is the Michael Jordan and it’s not even close. In terms of star power. In terms of popularity. When people think of UFC, they think of Conor McGregor and he has not been active in the past couple of years, but every single time somebody wants to discuss big fights, his name gets brought up. He could find anyone and the arena would be sold out. That’s the brand that he’s built. He’s larger than life.”

UFC CEO Dana White has given his guarantee that Conor McGregor will return to the Octagon in 2024, though he has not provided any details beyond that. With the promotion’s next big milestone event right around the corner, everyone, including The Schmo, believes that there is only one event big enough to host the Irishman’s first fight since 2021.

“I think that, personally, UFC 300 has got to be the date for Conor McGregor [to return],” he said. “It just truly has to be. You can’t have UFC 300 and not have Conor McGregor. Especially when he didn’t fight in 2023.”

The Schmo (@TheSchmo312) joins @LowKick_MMA reporter, @MikeOwensMedia to recap a massive UFC schedule in 2023, breaking on the year behind and sharing his thoughts on Conor McGregor's (@TheNotoriousMMA) impending comeback.

Full Interview: https://t.co/RhB641O7DX pic.twitter.com/q1bdpUxbxI

— LowKickMMA.com (@LowKick_MMA) December 23, 2023

The former two-division titleholder was initially sidelined after suffering a brutal leg break in his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.

“His injury was gruesome,” The Schmo said. “Chris Weidman’s injury was gruesome. Anderson Silva’s injury was gruesome. These are very difficult things to overcome and it just took a little bit more time than people anticipated, plus the whole USADA situation. That plays a role in the whole thing.“

The Schmo Believes Michael Chandler will be Conor McGregor’s UFC 300 Opponent

Even if McGregor’s return at UFC 300 is a foregone conclusion at this point, there’s still the question of who he will fight. He has been long-linked to a clash with former Bellator lightweight world champion Michael Chandler, but some seem to believe that the UFC will go for something a bit bigger.

“I personally still believe Conor McGregor fights at UFC 300 and I lean toward Michael Chandler [being his opponent], but if somebody swoops in there, I’m not gonna be surprised if they make the Nate Diaz trilogy,” he added. I don’t think the fourth fight with Dustin Poirier is there right now. I think that fight’s always there, but not for UFC 300. I think it’s Chandler or it’s the trilogy.”

Watch the full exclusive interview below:

Exclusive: The Schmo believes Conor McGregor’s last fight could be trilogy bout with Nate Diaz at UFC 300

MMA journalist Dave Schmulenson, better known by fight fans as The Schmo believes Conor McGregor only has one fight left in him before walking away from mixed martial arts altogether. It’s been more than two years since the Irishman suffered a devastating leg break in the opening round of his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier […]

MMA journalist Dave Schmulenson, better known by fight fans as The Schmo believes Conor McGregor only has one fight left in him before walking away from mixed martial arts altogether.

It’s been more than two years since the Irishman suffered a devastating leg break in the opening round of his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. Since then, McGregor has managed to keep his name in the headlines by calling out practically every fighter on the roster whilst continually insisting that his return to the Octagon is imminent. Originally, fans expected to see the former two-division titleholder back in action in December at UFC 296, but after failing to re-enter the USADA testing pool for a required six months of pre-fight screening, his comeback was pushed back to sometime in 2024.

As for his opponent, many assume it will be former Bellator champion Michael Chandler, the man McGregor competed against during his stint as a coach on the 31st season of The Ultimate Fighter. However, that is certainly not the only option.

Speaking with Mike Owens in a LowKick MMA exclusive, The Schmo suggested that McGregor will likely return for one big final fight at UFC 300 next year which could very well be against Michael Chandler. But it’s also possible that the Irishman may book himself a long-awaited trilogy fight with Nate Diaz for his UFC swan song.

“Is Conor McGregor gonna fight Michael Chandler or is Conor McGregor going to come back and have the Nate Diaz trilogy? I truly feel like if Conor McGregor comes back to the UFC, he’s got one fight left and is it going to be [Michael Chandler] or is it going to be the trilogy with Nate Diaz, which he’s always promised?

“What’s going to be super interesting to watch is UFC 300 is around the corner and that is a huge deal. Going to fall in April, or March at the earliest, and what are they going to do there? Because if Conor McGregor is on the [UFC] 300 fight card, he’s the main event. What are they going to do? They’re not going to stack it with title fights. Or on the flip side, do they stake with title fights and they have three or four title fights for UFC 300? Then Conor McGregor wouldn’t be on that card.”

Diaz and McGregor first competed at UFC 296 in 2016 with the ‘Stockton Samurai’ scoring a second-round submission. Five months later, the pair would run it back at UFC 202 with ‘The Notorious’ earning a majority decision victory to even the series at 1-1.

If The Schmo’s words prove to be true and McGregor only has one fight left, would you rather it be against ‘Iron’ Michael Chandler or familiar foe Nate Diaz?

Exclusive: The Schmo praises Charles Oliveira’s ability to bounce back: ‘There’s something so special about him’

Renowned MMA journalist The Schmo would never bet against former UFC lightweight champ Charles Oliveira. On October 21, ‘Do Bronx’ will attempt to once again claim the 155-pound title as he challenges reigning champion Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC 294, emanating from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Their highly anticipated title rematch […]

Renowned MMA journalist The Schmo would never bet against former UFC lightweight champ Charles Oliveira.

On October 21, ‘Do Bronx’ will attempt to once again claim the 155-pound title as he challenges reigning champion Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC 294, emanating from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Their highly anticipated title rematch will come almost exactly one year removed from their first meeting. On that night, Oliveira suffered a disastrous second-round submission loss to the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ but has since bounced back with a convincing first-round TKO against top-10 contender Beneil Dariush.

Speaking with Mike Owens in a LowKick MMA exclusive interview, Dave Schmulenson, better known by MMA fans as The Schmo, spoke about Charles Oliveira’s impressive ability to come back from a devastating defeat, something that ‘Do Bronx’ has been doing throughout his entire career.

“If you look at Charles Oliveira, he’s the epitome of why combat sports are the greatest sports on the planet,” Schmulenson said. “He’s what makes the UFC brilliant. It’s that anyone can win on any given night and so many people… Look at all the dog fights. Look at the [Dustin] Poirier fight. Look at the [Justin] Gaethje fight. Look at the Michael Chandler fight. Everybody was writing off Charles Oliveira and he had moments in all those fights where you thought he’d get beat.

“For him to come, do what he does, finish fights, and do it in spectacular fashion. He’s got this aura about it. There’s something so special about him and even as I’ve interviewed him as The Schmo and we don’t speak the same language and there’s translators communicating, I’ve always felt an aura with him. A sense of confidence and this greater human achieving greater things and that’s why I say I would not doubt Charles Oliveira. I would not bet against Charles Oliveira because there’s just something so special about him.

“I’m very interested to see how this fight goes and I do know that Islam Makhachev is truly the real deal.”

Can Charles Oliveira Make Another Big Come Back at UFC 294?

Considered by many as the greatest lightweight in the history of the division, Charles Oliveira has seen his fair share of setbacks inside the Octagon. ‘Do Bronx’ has been finished eight times in his UFC career, but after dropping four out of six between 2015 and 2017, Oliveira saw a massive career resurgence, scoring 11 straight wins with only one of those victories coming by way of a decision.

During that run, Oliveira claimed the vacant lightweight title with a big win over Michael Chandler but tragically lost the belt on the scale after weighing in heavy for his UFC 274 scrap with Justin Gaethje. ‘Do Bronx’ went on to win the fight against Gaethje, but would come up short in his bid to reclaim the 155-pound crown against Makhachev at UFC 280.

Will Charles Oliveira solve the puzzle his second time around, or will the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ continue his reign of terror over the lightweight division?