Tag: Tom Aspinal

UFC Rankings Report: Dvalishvili Lands Above Aspinall In P4P Top 10, Muhammad Jumps Du Plessis

As always, the latest action on offer inside the Octagon has seen some climb the ladder toward contention and others fall away. And in the aftermath of UFC 306 (Noche UFC), MMA News has you covered with this week’s updates to the official UFC rankings. Men’s Pound-For-Pound: Merab Dvalishvili closed out Saturday’s event with his long-awaited championship […]

Continue Reading UFC Rankings Report: Dvalishvili Lands Above Aspinall In P4P Top 10, Muhammad Jumps Du Plessis at MMA News.

As always, the latest action on offer inside the Octagon has seen some climb the ladder toward contention and others fall away.

And in the aftermath of UFC 306 (Noche UFC), MMA News has you covered with this week’s updates to the official UFC rankings.

Men’s Pound-For-Pound: Merab Dvalishvili closed out Saturday’s event with his long-awaited championship crowning. As a result, the bantamweight kingpin has debuted on the P4P list at #7, one position above interim heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall. Further up, welterweight champ Belal Muhammad (#5) has jumped his middleweight counterpart Dricus Du Plessis (#6).

The defeated O’Malley, meanwhile, has slid seven positions to #13. Dvalishvili’s friend and teammate Aljamain Sterling is out of the top 15 entirely following the Georgian’s arrival.

Women’s Pound-for-Pound: Valentina Shevchenko is once again the flyweight queen, and she’s also back on the P4P mountaintop. “Bullet” has climbed two places back to top spot, while previous #1 Alexa Grasso has fallen to #3 following her lopsided loss to Shevchenko in their trilogy.

Women’s Strawweight: No changes.

Women’s Flyweight: The sole change at 125 pounds has seen Grasso slip back to top contender status, swapping positions with now-champ Shevchenko.

Women’s Bantamweight: Norma Dumont secured the biggest win of her career in the Noche UFC featured prelim, outpointing a badly damaged Irene Aldana. The result has seen the Brazilian ascend by three positions to #5 at 135 pounds. The defeated Mexican, on the other hand, is down just one spot to #6.

Flyweight: In the male 125-pound weight class, Asu Almabayev has moved up one place to share #14 with the recently retired Matt Schnell.

Bantamweight: Like in the women’s flyweight division, the only change in the men’s 135-pound division came with the switch on the throne. With Dvalishvili now occupying it, O’Malley is the #1-ranked bantamweight.

Featherweight: The biggest climber this week is the charging Diego Lopes, who got the better of former two-time title challenger and longtime top-five contender Brian Ortega on Saturday night. The Mexico-residing Brazilian has risen by a mammoth 10 positions to #3. “T-City,” meanwhile, has been relegated to #5.

With Movsar Evloev staying put at #6, the changes have led to a two-place fall to #7 for Arnold Allen.

Lightweight: No changes.

Welterweight: No changes.

Middleweight: No changes.

Light Heavyweight: No changes.

Heavyweight: No changes.

You can view the full updated UFC rankings here.

Continue Reading UFC Rankings Report: Dvalishvili Lands Above Aspinall In P4P Top 10, Muhammad Jumps Du Plessis at MMA News.

UFC Rankings Report: Dvalishvili Lands Above Aspinall In P4P Top 10, Muhammad Jumps Du Plessis

As always, the latest action on offer inside the Octagon has seen some climb the ladder toward contention and others fall away. And in the aftermath of UFC 306 (Noche UFC), MMA News has you covered with this week’s updates to the official UFC rankings. Men’s Pound-For-Pound: Merab Dvalishvili closed out Saturday’s event with his long-awaited championship […]

Continue Reading UFC Rankings Report: Dvalishvili Lands Above Aspinall In P4P Top 10, Muhammad Jumps Du Plessis at MMA News.

As always, the latest action on offer inside the Octagon has seen some climb the ladder toward contention and others fall away.

And in the aftermath of UFC 306 (Noche UFC), MMA News has you covered with this week’s updates to the official UFC rankings.

Men’s Pound-For-Pound: Merab Dvalishvili closed out Saturday’s event with his long-awaited championship crowning. As a result, the bantamweight kingpin has debuted on the P4P list at #7, one position above interim heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall. Further up, welterweight champ Belal Muhammad (#5) has jumped his middleweight counterpart Dricus Du Plessis (#6).

The defeated O’Malley, meanwhile, has slid seven positions to #13. Dvalishvili’s friend and teammate Aljamain Sterling is out of the top 15 entirely following the Georgian’s arrival.

Women’s Pound-for-Pound: Valentina Shevchenko is once again the flyweight queen, and she’s also back on the P4P mountaintop. “Bullet” has climbed two places back to top spot, while previous #1 Alexa Grasso has fallen to #3 following her lopsided loss to Shevchenko in their trilogy.

Women’s Strawweight: No changes.

Women’s Flyweight: The sole change at 125 pounds has seen Grasso slip back to top contender status, swapping positions with now-champ Shevchenko.

Women’s Bantamweight: Norma Dumont secured the biggest win of her career in the Noche UFC featured prelim, outpointing a badly damaged Irene Aldana. The result has seen the Brazilian ascend by three positions to #5 at 135 pounds. The defeated Mexican, on the other hand, is down just one spot to #6.

Flyweight: In the male 125-pound weight class, Asu Almabayev has moved up one place to share #14 with the recently retired Matt Schnell.

Bantamweight: Like in the women’s flyweight division, the only change in the men’s 135-pound division came with the switch on the throne. With Dvalishvili now occupying it, O’Malley is the #1-ranked bantamweight.

Featherweight: The biggest climber this week is the charging Diego Lopes, who got the better of former two-time title challenger and longtime top-five contender Brian Ortega on Saturday night. The Mexico-residing Brazilian has risen by a mammoth 10 positions to #3. “T-City,” meanwhile, has been relegated to #5.

With Movsar Evloev staying put at #6, the changes have led to a two-place fall to #7 for Arnold Allen.

Lightweight: No changes.

Welterweight: No changes.

Middleweight: No changes.

Light Heavyweight: No changes.

Heavyweight: No changes.

You can view the full updated UFC rankings here.

Continue Reading UFC Rankings Report: Dvalishvili Lands Above Aspinall In P4P Top 10, Muhammad Jumps Du Plessis at MMA News.

Jon Jones Told He ‘Cannot Do Anything But Acknowledge That Victory’ If Tom Aspinall Defeats Curtis Blaydes At UFC 304

UFC commentator John Gooden recently said that Jon Jones should give due recognition to Tom Aspinall if he manages to overcome Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304. Last November, the undisputed heavyweight champion was slated to put his title on the line against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295. However, a torn pectoral muscle forced Jones out […]

Continue Reading Jon Jones Told He ‘Cannot Do Anything But Acknowledge That Victory’ If Tom Aspinall Defeats Curtis Blaydes At UFC 304 at MMA News.

UFC commentator John Gooden recently said that Jon Jones should give due recognition to Tom Aspinall if he manages to overcome Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304.

Last November, the undisputed heavyweight champion was slated to put his title on the line against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295. However, a torn pectoral muscle forced Jones out of action, postponing the highly anticipated fight.

As a result, Aspinall rose to the occasion on short notice to face the backup fighter, Sergei Pavlovich, for the interim heavyweight title. The Englishman delivered an electrifying performance, clinching a knockout triumph just over a minute into the first round.

Riding high on his victory, Aspinall called for a title unification bout with “Bones”. However, the American has persistently rebuffed the challenge and even downplayed Aspinall’s status as an interim champion. Instead, Jones has expressed his intention to reconvene his bout with Miocic, which is seemingly targeted for November.

Frustrated by the inactivity, Aspinall chose to defend his interim title in a rematch against former adversary Blaydes. The showdown is set as the co-main event at UFC 304, taking place on July 27 in his hometown of Manchester.

Gooden believes this is Aspinall’s golden opportunity to make a bold statement and compel Jones to acquiesce to his formidable presence in the heavyweight division…

Gooden Foresees Blaydes as Aspinall’s Stepping Stone to Jones Clash

During a recent interview with MiddleEasy, Gooden offered a preview of Aspinall’s upcoming title defense against Blaydes, suggesting that “Razor” constitutes a formidable threat for the Salford native if he relies on his wrestling and grappling prowess.

However, the English UFC commentator noted that Aspinall could surmount this challenge by applying relentless pressure with his precise striking.

“He [Blaydes] is a very, very dangerous guy, a legitimate perennial contender who has been there or thereabouts for the longest time,” Gooden said. “He’s also crossed those leaderboards with his style, obviously with the wrestling-heavy grappling style. But the man will open you up if he lands an elbow, and he will change the fight.”

Gooden also hinted that defeating Blaydes could catapult Aspinall to a status that would force “Bones” to recognize his legitimacy.

“If Tom Aspinall gets past Curtis Blaydes, and particularly in an impressive fashion, then I think that Jon Jones cannot do anything but acknowledge that victory and therefore surely must creep a little bit further into those two getting together, but of course, Tom’s got a big appointment ahead.”

Aspinall holds an Octagon record of seven victories since his promotional debut in July 2022, highlighted by six first-round finishes against formidable adversaries such as Sergei Pavlovich, Alexander Volkov, and Marcin Tybura.

The only blemish on his record during this UFC run has been a TKO loss resulting from an unforeseen knee injury just 15 seconds into his bout against Blaydes at UFC Fight Night London in July 2022.

Continue Reading Jon Jones Told He ‘Cannot Do Anything But Acknowledge That Victory’ If Tom Aspinall Defeats Curtis Blaydes At UFC 304 at MMA News.