Tag: Top Stories

Sean O’Malley Promises To Reopen Merab Dvalishvili Cut At Noche UFC: ‘The Dude’s Just Not That Smart’

UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley has seemingly made a mental note of the cut Merab Dvalishvili suffered in training. O’Malley will put his gold on the line in the main event of Noche UFC/UFC 306 next weekend, topping the lineup alongside Dvalishvili for the promotion’s second Mexican Independence Day celebration. Their bout marks the main […]

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UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley has seemingly made a mental note of the cut Merab Dvalishvili suffered in training.

O’Malley will put his gold on the line in the main event of Noche UFC/UFC 306 next weekend, topping the lineup alongside Dvalishvili for the promotion’s second Mexican Independence Day celebration.

Their bout marks the main attraction of the highly anticipated event at the Sphere in Las Vegas. But the lead-up to the card was briefly struck by cancellation fears after Dvalishvili posted a cut from camp on social media a few weeks out.

While the Georgian challenger insists his title shot was never in jeopardy and has since returned to usual training, that didn’t stop UFC CEO Dana White from publicly slamming “The Machine.”

“The whole world knows about Merab’s cut. He posted it. Our guys are so dumb, it’s next-level unbelievable,” White said during a DWCS press conference. “All the stuff I talk about boxing, what I will give boxing, is when something happens in a camp, man, let me tell you what, it does not leak. Our guys can’t f*cking wait to throw it up on social media.

“It’s a small cut. It’s no big deal. But obviously, it needed to be posted,” White continued. “Why the f*ck would you want him to know that? It is next-level stupid. Some of these guys are so stupid it’s mind-boggling. It’s unbelievable.”

And we can seemingly count O’Malley among those who agree with White’s take…

O’Malley Puts Dvalishvili’s Cut In His Crosshairs

During a recent interview with Kevin Iole, O’Malley looked ahead to his sophomore bantamweight title defense, touching on one of the main topics that has arisen in the latter part of the Noche UFC build-up.

Many suggested Dvalishvili made a mistake by publicly displaying a cut for his opponent to target, and “Sugar” backed that up by insisting he will reopen the blemish at some point in the PPV main event on Sept. 14.

“I am 100 percent going to open up that cut, whether it’s healed or not,” O’Malley said. “I don’t know how much it can heal. I’ve never really had any bad cuts, so I’m not sure. But that’s the left side of his face. This right hand doesn’t miss.

“I’ll probably accidentally hit his nose before I hit that cut. That nose just kinda takes up like 85 percent of his face, so I’m gonna try to get around his face and get to that cut,” O’Malley continued. “Dana referring to him as one of the — I don’t remember what he said, one of the stupidest people or beyond stupid. Whatever he said was pretty accurate. I mean, the dude’s just not that smart of a guy.”

O’Malley will look to inflict that damage, as well as much more, en route to breaking Dvalishvili’s lengthy winning run, both stalling the Georgian’s title ambitions and retaining his place on the bantamweight throne in the process.

Continue Reading Sean O’Malley Promises To Reopen Merab Dvalishvili Cut At Noche UFC: ‘The Dude’s Just Not That Smart’ at MMA News.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 4 Highlights As 5 Prospects Secure Contracts

The latest season of Dana White’s Contender Series continued with some memorable highlights on Tuesday night in Las Vegas. DWCS, the inaugural season of which took place back in 2017, sees some of the top prospects in mixed martial arts enter the cage in front of White and the matchmakers, looking to put in a performance worthy […]

Continue Reading Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 4 Highlights As 5 Prospects Secure Contracts at MMA News.

The latest season of Dana White’s Contender Series continued with some memorable highlights on Tuesday night in Las Vegas.

DWCS, the inaugural season of which took place back in 2017, sees some of the top prospects in mixed martial arts enter the cage in front of White and the matchmakers, looking to put in a performance worthy of a place on the UFC roster.

Last year’s edition saw 46 fighters bag a deal with the sport’s premier promotion across 10 events, up on the 43 from 2022. Through three episodes of season eight, 12 prospects moved a step closer to their title dreams on MMA’s biggest stage.

And the fourth added another five talents to the UFC roster. That included Venezuela’s Yuneisy Duben, who delivered the highlight of the night in fight two by brutally knocking heavy favorite Shannon Clark out cold inside the very first round.

There was just one other finish on the lineup, with Austin Bashi locking in a tight rear-naked choke for the submission win over Dorian Ramos. While unable to stop their opponents inside the distance, Quilan Salkilld, Djorden Santos, and Seok Hyun Ko were also granted contracts to mark a perfect night for the victors.

With that in mind, see below for the moments that landed five athletes contracts with the UFC.

Quillan Salkilld Def. Gauge Young Via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Yuneisy Duben Def. Shannon Clark Via KO (punch): R1, 1:13

Austin Bashi Def. Dorian Ramos Via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) – R2, 3:15

Djorden Santos Def. Will Currie Via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Seok Hyun Ko Def. Igor Cavalcanti Via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Continue Reading Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 4 Highlights As 5 Prospects Secure Contracts at MMA News.

Belal Muhammad Chooses Shavkat Rakhmonov Over Kamaru Usman For Title Defense: ‘Looks Exactly Like The Leon Fight…’

There has been a lot of conversation over the past week about whether there will be a surprise next contender for the welterweight title. Shavkat Rakhmonov is the clear top pick to challenge Belal Muhammad next and according to him, he was already offered the fight but it didn’t come together. Some have debated whether […]

Continue Reading Belal Muhammad Chooses Shavkat Rakhmonov Over Kamaru Usman For Title Defense: ‘Looks Exactly Like The Leon Fight…’ at MMA News.

There has been a lot of conversation over the past week about whether there will be a surprise next contender for the welterweight title.

Shavkat Rakhmonov is the clear top pick to challenge Belal Muhammad next and according to him, he was already offered the fight but it didn’t come together.

Some have debated whether Kamaru Usman’s pedigree in the sport and strong relationship with the UFC could be enough for him to get the next shot despite the fact he is winless in his last three Octagon appearances.

The champion himself gave his thoughts on this where he clarified why in his opinion, Rakhmonov is next in line.

Belal Muhammad Says Kamaru Usman Misses Out Because Of Taking UFC 294 Opportunity

In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Muhammad gave his thoughts on who he believes he will be fighting next.

Along with one option being more credible because of their current form, the champion also believes that fans would look to detract from his achievements if he were to defeat Usman, which means he finds himself more motivated to go the opposite way.

“Remember The Name” went with the consensus opinion that Rakhmonov deserves the opportunity but rather than totally disregarding Usman, he explained why in his opinion, “The Nigerian Nightmare” isn’t the front-runner at this time.

“I think it would just be, for me, if Usman didn’t lose to Khamzat and take that fight, but people forget it was a short notice fight, that would be the fight because he only lost to Leon. But, now he lost three in a row, I think he would need another win. So for me now, it’s all right, Shavkat is the boogeyman that they all think is unbeatable and now I’m getting freaking a thousand comments on my Instagram page anytime I post anything, from the ‘Shavkatians’, so yeah I think for me, it would be another one of those tests to prove people wrong, to shut them up right.

“My last five or six fights, everybody thought I was gonna get killed, they thought I was gonna lose so he’s another guy that I go out there and I smash him, what’s your excuse gonna be? If I go out there and I beat Usman, it’s like, ‘Well he’s on a three-fight losing streak, he’s done, he has no knees, you just beat a bum.’ But if I go out there and I beat Shavkat, they’re gonna be like what? Nothing. He was undefeated, he has all finishes so now that’s the guy that I’m putting my sights on.”

Muhammad also broke down how he sees the fight against Rakhmonov playing out when they do eventually meet inside the Octagon.

He said that this fight will look similar to his title-winning display at UFC 304 and referenced his win over Sean Brady to explain why he believes he will be the one to hand the unbeaten contender his first loss.

“Honestly I think it looks exactly like the Leon fight. I think I dominate him everywhere. For me, I have a different style every single fight.

“Shavkat looks like he’s not uncomfortable now because he’s undefeated but these undefeated guys, like I dealt with with Sean Brady, I know how to make them uncomfortable and once I make them uncomfortable, I know how to break them.”

Read also: Belal Muhammad Claims Kamaru Usman Is A Harder Fight Than Shavkat Rakhmonov: ‘One Of The Best IQs In The Game’

Continue Reading Belal Muhammad Chooses Shavkat Rakhmonov Over Kamaru Usman For Title Defense: ‘Looks Exactly Like The Leon Fight…’ at MMA News.

Alex Pereira Reiterates Plan For Middleweight Return Post-UFC 307, Magomed Ankalaev Reacts With Anger

It would appear that UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira’s middleweight tease last month was not a spur-of-the-moment decision. Pereira’s first taste of title success on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage came at 185 pounds, where he unseated Israel Adesanya in late 2022. Having fallen short in his first defense, “Poatan” bid farewell to the […]

Continue Reading Alex Pereira Reiterates Plan For Middleweight Return Post-UFC 307, Magomed Ankalaev Reacts With Anger at MMA News.

It would appear that UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira’s middleweight tease last month was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Pereira’s first taste of title success on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage came at 185 pounds, where he unseated Israel Adesanya in late 2022. Having fallen short in his first defense, “Poatan” bid farewell to the division and ventured up to 205 pounds.

Since then, the Brazilian has tasted nothing but success, capturing the light heavyweight gold in his sophomore outing in the division last year and recording two successful defenses at the expense of Jamahal Hill and Ji?í Procházka this year.

Pereira’s next task will be dispatching the third challenger to his current reign, with the former Glory Kickboxing champion set to headline UFC 307 in Salt Lake City against Khalil Rountree early next month.

But defeating “The War Horse” isn’t the only thing on Pereira’s mind.

Prior to his next matchup being announced, “Poatan” teased a surprise return to middleweight, calling out champ Dricus Du Plessis in the immediate aftermath of his victory over Adesanya at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia in August.

Despite having business to attend to at light heavyweight for the time being, Pereira recently took to social media to reiterate that he has one eye on the South African, whom he plans on pursuing regardless of the result inside Delta Center on October 5.

“I’m focused on my next fight and I’m going prepared but you never know what can happen, so regardless of the result I want to go down one more time to the middleweight and go for the belt,” Pereira wrote. “Hey Dricus, bring your will to fight me so you can prove that you are better than me, with your public statement it is easy to make this happen, Chama ?”

Ankalaev Slams Pereira In Response To Fresh MW Ambitions: ‘You Are Weak!’

One man who was quick to take aim at Pereira for his callout of Du Plessis last month was Magomed Ankalaev, the current #2-ranked light heavyweight contender.

The Dagestani has been calling for his shot ever since the champ’s quick knockout of Hill at UFC 300. But after being passed up in favor of “BJP” this past July and the lower-ranked Rountree this fall, many have questioned the promotion’s apparent reluctance to grant Ankalaev a shot.

And although it appears that a victory over Aleksandar Raki? at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi late next month would make his claim undeniable, Pereira’s newfound ambitions of a second middleweight reign could present yet another hurdle.

That fact has unsurprisingly frustrated Ankalaev, who took to X shortly after Pereira’s post to brand him “weak” for continuing to avoid him.

“You are so weak @AlexPereiraUFC you only pick on the guys who are in lower division than you and you think you can beat them people are not stupid there is a reason why you are fighting Khalil and not me,” Ankalaev wrote.

For now, both Pereira and Ankalaev have opponents to deal with in October. Should the latter emerge victorious, calls for him to be placed opposite “Poatan” next time out will no doubt only increase.

Continue Reading Alex Pereira Reiterates Plan For Middleweight Return Post-UFC 307, Magomed Ankalaev Reacts With Anger at MMA News.

Jéssica Andrade Files Lawsuit Accusing Former Coach Of Embezzlement: ‘He Said I Was Shopping Too Much On Amazon…’

Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Jéssica Andrade has sued her ex-coach and manager Gilliard Parana for allegedly embezzling $2 million. Andrade is set for her next assignment inside the Octagon at this weekend’s UFC Fight Night, where she will feature in a flyweight co-headliner opposite her fellow countrywoman Natália Silva. But while she gears up […]

Continue Reading Jéssica Andrade Files Lawsuit Accusing Former Coach Of Embezzlement: ‘He Said I Was Shopping Too Much On Amazon…’ at MMA News.

Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Jéssica Andrade has sued her ex-coach and manager Gilliard Parana for allegedly embezzling $2 million.

Andrade is set for her next assignment inside the Octagon at this weekend’s UFC Fight Night, where she will feature in a flyweight co-headliner opposite her fellow countrywoman Natália Silva.

But while she gears up for her pursuit of a third straight win off the back of triumphs over Mackenzie Dern and Marina Rodriguez, it appears that Andrade also has a battle brewing away from the steel surroundings of the cage.

“Bate Estaca” currently trains alongside the likes of Karol Rosa and Denise Gomes under the guidance of Matheus Naccache, who has been at the helm for the Brazilian veteran’s last two fights.

Beforehand, Andrade had a longtime coach in Parana of Parana Vale Tudo. The pair’s split hasn’t come on good terms, with some serious accusations being leveled his way…

Andrade Sues Former Coach, Parana Responds

Speaking to MMA Fighting, Andrade detailed her allegations against Parana, who became the Brazilian fighter’s coach and manager when she was 21 years old.

“Bate Estaca” was coached by Parana for 12 years, during which enough trust accumulated for her to agree for him to handle her finances. Andrade claims she had no access to her accounts, and when she began to be short on money, she was told by Parana that excessive shopping was to blame.

Having since taken a closer look and identified suspicious money transfers, Andrade has accused the former trainer of embezzlement.

“We have a lawsuit going about TransferWise and the money that was transferred to other people I’ve never seen in my life,” Andrade said. “That happened when he was taking care of my finances, and I had no access to anything. At one point he said, ‘Jessica, look, let me handle this for you, you don’t have to worry about any of this.’ And as always, I trusted him. He removed my access to the account. He said, ‘You don’t need to look at your accounts, you’ll have a monthly salary.’ I was making good money in the beginning, but in the end I don’t know how [that money ran out].

“He said I was shopping too much on Amazon, but with the investigation and all that, [we saw that] I made $2 million and spent $10,000 on Amazon. Where did the rest of the money go? It makes no sense, and it’s being investigated now, and we’ll find out where every penny went,” Andrade continued. “I’ll just wait for now. I’m preparing for this fight [on Saturday], and as soon as it’s over, I’ll look at this lawsuit again and keep it moving. The lawsuit is moving in the United States and he’s in Brazil, so I don’t know how it’s going to work. He was quite smart, he left before things happened.”

Following his split with Andrade, Parana announced his retirement from MMA coaching and management and returned to Brazil.

Parana denied any wrongdoing in a statement to MMA Fighting, insisting that Andrade’s financial situation is entirely down to her expenses. He also dismissed any notion that he hid the true nature of the fighter’s accounts from her.

“Anyone who has a brain and knows how to do math will see that she really doesn’t spend her money on just a few purchases on Amazon,” Parana said. “She has a lot of expenses, and there are so many that she even gets lost in the calculations. Jéssica is not incapable. Jéssica is not a 15-year-old girl. And Jéssica is not illiterate. Jéssica was never forbidden from going to the bank, from calling the bank and from finding out how her accounts were.

“Jéssica always had full access to her things and was always intelligent enough to know everything that happened in her financial life. And I was never the guy who took care of her financial life. I was just her advisor when she needed it and asked for it. But all of this will be proven if there is a coherent investigation. May justice be served and may the wrongdoer pay, because lying to the authorities and lying to have a trial go your favor is also a crime. Let’s wait and see what happens.”

It would appear that this story is far from its conclusion.

For now, however, Andrade will need to have her focus elsewhere if she’s to keep her winning form inside the Octagon alive at the expense of the fast-charging Silva.

Continue Reading Jéssica Andrade Files Lawsuit Accusing Former Coach Of Embezzlement: ‘He Said I Was Shopping Too Much On Amazon…’ at MMA News.

Sean O’Malley’s Coach On Henry Cejudo: ‘Thinks He’s God’s Gift…’ 

Suffice to say, UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley and his team haven’t sought the aid of Henry Cejudo ahead of their upcoming showdown with Merab Dvalishvili… O’Malley is set to make his second defense of the title later this month inside the unique surroundings of the Sphere in Las Vegas, where he’ll headline the second […]

Continue Reading Sean O’Malley’s Coach On Henry Cejudo: ‘Thinks He’s God’s Gift…’  at MMA News.

Suffice to say, UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley and his team haven’t sought the aid of Henry Cejudo ahead of their upcoming showdown with Merab Dvalishvili…

O’Malley is set to make his second defense of the title later this month inside the unique surroundings of the Sphere in Las Vegas, where he’ll headline the second edition of Noche UFC six months on from his five-round beatdown of Marlon “Chito” Vera.

Next looking to unseat “Sugar” is Dvalishvili, an in-form Georgian who has won 10 straight to earn his long-awaited first opportunity at UFC gold.

“The Machine’s” path to the top has included memorable performances against the likes of Marlon Moraes and Petr Yan, but he perhaps saved his best for last when he squared off against a former simultaneous two-division champ at UFC 298 this past February. Dvalishvili collided with Cejudo on the main card in Anaheim, further stalling “Triple C’s” pursuit of regaining the belt with a comfortable victory on the scorecards.

While that left Cejudo with 15 minutes experience of what the Georgian contender brings to the Octagon, O’Malley’s team doesn’t believe he could offer them any advice of value in the lead-up to September 14.

O’Malley’s Coach Not Interested In Tips From Ex-Dvalishvili Opponent Cejudo

During a recent interview for Bodog Canada, coach Tim Welch looked ahead to his man’s second assignment of 2024, which is currently set to see O’Malley’s challenger make the walk as the favorite.

But while Welch and co. no doubt have plenty of ways in mind to combat Dvalishvili’s perceived edge in certain realms, picking the brain of an ex-bantamweight and flyweight titleholder, Fight Ready coach, and former opponent of the Georgian’s is not one of them.

“I don’t know if that (talking to Cejudo) would help,” Welch said. “Everyone I’ve talked to that tried to talk to Henry, even coaches, they have a tough time working with Henry because he thinks he’s god’s gift to this green Earth, and you can’t teach him nothing, and his way is the way. But clearly it’s not, because Merab ragdolled him. So that’s definitely not the guy we want tips from.”

O’Malley will look to do a better job at stifling Dvalishvili’s offense than Cejudo did come fight night at Las Vegas’ Sphere in less than two weeks’ time.

The pair’s bantamweight championship clash will top a lineup that also includes another title bout, with flyweight queen Alexa Grasso and all-time great Valentina Shevchenko set to complete their trilogy in the co-main event.

Continue Reading Sean O’Malley’s Coach On Henry Cejudo: ‘Thinks He’s God’s Gift…’  at MMA News.