Tag: Top Stories

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 […]

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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.

Shavkat Rakhmonov Trusts UFC’s Meritocracy To Prevent Conor McGregor Title Shot Hijack, Reveals Belal Muhammad Turned Down UFC 307 Date

Shavkat Rakhmonov hasn’t put a foot wrong during his ascent up the welterweight ladder towards a title shot. With a undefeated record and all of his wins coming via finish, the 170-pound contender appears to be set up to challenge Belal Muhammad for the belt next time out. unless something unexpected occurs. The UFC has […]

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Shavkat Rakhmonov hasn’t put a foot wrong during his ascent up the welterweight ladder towards a title shot.

With a undefeated record and all of his wins coming via finish, the 170-pound contender appears to be set up to challenge Belal Muhammad for the belt next time out. unless something unexpected occurs.

The UFC has been known to temporarily swerve the rankings if it means putting something big together and when you’re talking big in MMA, there’s no one larger than Conor McGregor.

Despite there being no rescheduled date for his welterweight return against Michael Chandler, “The Notorious” returning with a win could completely change the top of the weight class.

Rakhmonov spoke in a recent interview with MMA Fighting about how he believes the promotion will do right by him even in the instance that “The Mac” is back in the mix.

“He’s been getting ready to fight a long time but wasn’t able to do that yet so in my head, I don’t even think about him winning this one fight in three years is going to do something. I understand he’s a big star but in my head, I don’t see it being possible. I believe UFC is the best and the most fair organization so I believe they’re gonna do everything right.”

Shavkat Rakhmonov Reveals That Belal Muhammad Turned Down UFC 307 Title Fight

Though there has been some debate over whether Rakhmonov will definitely be the next title challenger for Muhammad, the contender answered this question all by himself.

He revealed during the same interview that he has already been offered the title shot but it didn’t come to fruition due to the champion not being able to make a 70-day turnaround to fight at elevation in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Alex Pereira will be headlining UFC 307 instead, which always seemed to be an optimistic target for Muhammad after he won the belt at the end of July.

“Yeah, actually I had already been offered to fight Belal and I accepted the fight against Belal but unfortunately, he declined to fight me due to the timing issues, he wasn’t ready to defend his belt on that time. So, we’ll see what’s gonna happen and when he’s gonna be ready so I will be able to fight him. Before he became a champion and after he won the belt, he said he’s gonna be an active champion and he will defend his belt more often but at the moment, he isn’t backing up what he said so let’s see what’s going to happen, when he’s going to be ready to fight me.”

Read also: Khalil Rountree Says He Would Fire His Coaches If They Insisted He Grapple Alex Pereira

Continue Reading Shavkat Rakhmonov Trusts UFC’s Meritocracy To Prevent Conor McGregor Title Shot Hijack, Reveals Belal Muhammad Turned Down UFC 307 Date at MMA News.

Khalil Rountree Says He Would Fire His Coaches If They Insisted He Grapple Alex Pereira

Khalil Rountree has made it pretty clear that if he’s going to leave UFC 307 on October 5 with the light heavyweight title, and he’s going to do it with his striking skills. The title challenger is a very skilled and dangerous stand-up fighter who has finished four of the five wins on his current […]

Continue Reading Khalil Rountree Says He Would Fire His Coaches If They Insisted He Grapple Alex Pereira at MMA News.

Khalil Rountree has made it pretty clear that if he’s going to leave UFC 307 on October 5 with the light heavyweight title, and he’s going to do it with his striking skills.

The title challenger is a very skilled and dangerous stand-up fighter who has finished four of the five wins on his current streak.

However, standing with most opponents and standing with Alex Pereira are two extremely different prospects.

The current 205-pound champion and former GLORY kickboxing legend is one of the best strikers that we have seen inside the Octagon, meaning that if there’s a best path to victory against him, it’s to avoid the striking range altogether.

Rountree wouldn’t even consider this as a potential backup plan because it’s not who he is as a fighter.

Khalil Rountree Says Coaches Asking Him To Grapple Would Show Lack Of Confidence

In a recent interview with former middleweight champion Michael Bisping on his YouTube channel, “The Count” posed a question to Rountree about his strategy for this fight.

Bisping asked what his thoughts would be if his coach were to come to the title challenger and suggest that for this fight, they implement a grappling-focused game plan because it’s the weaker part of Pereira’s game.

Rountree responded by saying that even just this idea would make him have serious doubts in his coaches because of how much time they have spent working on his striking.

Whilst he may be able to grapple when he needs to, this would mean completely going against what it is that he does best. which would show a lack of faith in his ability to get the job done.

“If it were my coach, I’d say maybe I need to look for another coach man. Yeah I mean, it doesn’t make sense, I’m not a wrestler. Yes, I’m a mixed martial artist, I’m able to do a lot of different things.

“My grappling’s good, my wrestling’s decent but that’s just not me, that’s not my instinct and so like why would I put myself in harm’s way to try to secure this victory when that’s just not me, that’s just not my style.

“So it would just show me that if my coach were telling me, ‘Hey this is the way’, I’d be like man, who are you coaching because this has never been the game plan so why at the height of my career would we switch everything that we’ve ever done to secure some victory? Like where is your belief in what I do? So it would make me question my coaches if anything.”

Read also: Khalil Rountree Receives Lighter Sentence After Self-Reporting PED Usage

Continue Reading Khalil Rountree Says He Would Fire His Coaches If They Insisted He Grapple Alex Pereira at MMA News.

Jake Paul Tries To Broker Multi-Million Dollar Payday For “Bones” To Fight Tom Aspinall: ‘Jon Jones Doesn’t Dodge Anyone’

Jake Paul recently attempted to broker a multi-million dollar deal to entice Jon Jones into a showdown with Tom Aspinall. Since capturing the interim heavyweight title with a knockout victory over Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 in November 2023—an opportunity that arose after “Bones” had to withdraw from his undisputed title clash with Stipe Miocic […]

Continue Reading Jake Paul Tries To Broker Multi-Million Dollar Payday For “Bones” To Fight Tom Aspinall: ‘Jon Jones Doesn’t Dodge Anyone’ at MMA News.

Jake Paul recently attempted to broker a multi-million dollar deal to entice Jon Jones into a showdown with Tom Aspinall.

Since capturing the interim heavyweight title with a knockout victory over Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 in November 2023—an opportunity that arose after “Bones” had to withdraw from his undisputed title clash with Stipe Miocic due to injury—Aspinall has been unabashedly outspoken about his desire to test himself against Jones in a title unification bout.

However, Jones has consistently dismissed the challenge, even going so far as to disparage Aspinall’s standing as the interim champion. Rather than entertain a clash with Aspinall, the reigning heavyweight titleholder has made it clear that his sights are set on rekindling his bout with Miocic, a showdown that is rumored to headline UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden this November.

“Bones” has frequently hinted at the prospect of retirement after defeating a legendary heavyweight champion like Miocic, thereby cementing his GOAT status. Many speculate that this might be why Jones is hesitant to risk his legacy against a formidable contender like Aspinall.

However, “The Problem Child” suggests that the real reason Jones is sidestepping the Brit’s challenge is the lack of a lucrative payday on the table…

Paul Claims Jones Would Accept Aspinall Bout If The Paycheck Fits

Paul, well-known for his frequent critiques of UFC fighter pay, recently took to X to refute the narrative that Jones is avoiding a fight with Aspinall. The YouTuber-turned-boxer argued that Jones isn’t one to shy away from any opponent but suggested that the real issue lies in the financial incentive.

He believes that if the right financial deal is presented, tapping into both the American and English pay-per-view (PPV) markets, Jones would be more than willing to step into the Octagon with Aspinall.

“Jon Jones doesn’t dodge anyone. He knows exactly what he’s doing,” Paul tweeted. “Show him the money – that real money. Not that spin the narrative money. Him versus Aspinal is massive as it hits two big PPV markets. A $25M guarantee plus PPV seems about right. @JonnyBones”

During a post-event press conference for DWCS, UFC CEO Dana White suggested that, despite Jones’s occasional talk of retirement, he is confident that “if the Aspinall thing is really flying out there,” Jones would rise to the occasion and accept the matchup.

Continue Reading Jake Paul Tries To Broker Multi-Million Dollar Payday For “Bones” To Fight Tom Aspinall: ‘Jon Jones Doesn’t Dodge Anyone’ at MMA News.

Former Champ Analyzes Topuria vs. Holloway Title Fight At UFC 308: ‘What Happens If You Could Set A Little Fatigue In Him?’

Aljamain Sterling recently offered his insights on the upcoming featherweight title clash between reigning champion Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway at UFC 308. “El Matador” is gearing up to put his title on the line for the first time against Holloway in the headlining bout of an eagerly awaited pay-per-view event set to take place […]

Continue Reading Former Champ Analyzes Topuria vs. Holloway Title Fight At UFC 308: ‘What Happens If You Could Set A Little Fatigue In Him?’ at MMA News.

Aljamain Sterling recently offered his insights on the upcoming featherweight title clash between reigning champion Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway at UFC 308.

“El Matador” is gearing up to put his title on the line for the first time against Holloway in the headlining bout of an eagerly awaited pay-per-view event set to take place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on October 26.

Topuria claimed the 145-pound championship with a stunning knockout of former titleholder Alexander Volkanovski in the second round at UFC 298 in February. He has secured five victories in under two rounds, dismantling formidable foes such as Bryce Mitchell, Jai Herbert, and Josh Emmett.

On the other hand, “Blessed” is preparing for his third bid to recapture the featherweight crown, which slipped from his grasp against Volkanovski back in December 2019. Despite two valiant rematch efforts that fell short, Holloway has roared back with a trio of victories. He is coming off a last-second knockout of Justin Gaethje in a lightweight showdown at UFC 300 in April, a victory that also crowned him the BMF champion.

Topuria has built his reputation on a combination of aggressive striking and powerful grappling. Meanwhile, Holloway’s extensive experience and resilience make him a daunting challenge for any opponent.

“Funk Master” suggests that if Holloway can expertly control the distance and fully capitalize on his reach advantage, he has a real shot at toppling Topuria.

Sterling Predicts Holloway Might Push Topuria To His Limits In Championship Rounds

During a recent appearance on Verse Us with Eric Nicksick, Sterling weighed in on the Topuria vs. Holloway clash at UFC 308. The former UFC bantamweight champion acknowledged “El Matador’s” knockout power, yet he pointed out several potential vulnerabilities.

Sterling believes that if Holloway can maintain the fight on the feet and execute his striking game with precision, it could spell trouble for the defending champion.

“Topuria is a savage; that guy can crack, but he struggled with Volkanovski in the first round,” Sterling said. “Enter Max Holloway: great footwork, high guard, long punches. He has shorter reach than Volkanovski, but his footwork is what helps him so much in his fights, and he’s great durability. So if he gets back to his kicking game and stays in his range—Topuria, I think, is 5’6″, maybe 5’7″. Max has a shorter reach for a guy at 145 pounds; I think it’s like 67″. So you look at that, you look at Topuria’s great grappling, but Max has great takedown defense. If Max could stay on his bike and touch him from the outside, it would be very interesting to see what happens in the later rounds.”

“Funk Master” went on to highlight that Topuria’s cardio remains relatively untested, and he suggested that if “Blessed” can extend the fight into the fourth and fifth rounds while maintaining a measured striking approach, it could pose yet another challenge for the undefeated Georgian-Spaniard.

“We haven’t seen Topuria [get] exhausted or tired yet. In round five with Josh Emmett, he was in the driver’s seat the whole time, but what happens if you could set a little fatigue in him—him having some failed takedown attempts, or even if he gets the takedowns and Max can get back up—it makes the fight very interesting. He’s always in your face with those spinning back kicks. If Max gets back to the old-school Max, it’s a very intriguing fight.”

Continue Reading Former Champ Analyzes Topuria vs. Holloway Title Fight At UFC 308: ‘What Happens If You Could Set A Little Fatigue In Him?’ at MMA News.

Israel Adesanya’s Coach Says Du Plessis Defeat Better Than ‘Unexplainable’ Strickland Upset: ‘It Was A Good Loss…’

For the first time in his MMA career, Israel Adesanya finds himself coming off the back of consecutive defeats inside the Octagon. This doesn’t tell the story of both the fights that took place a year apart, because though he didn’t get his hand raised on either occasion, the story of the fights were completely […]

Continue Reading Israel Adesanya’s Coach Says Du Plessis Defeat Better Than ‘Unexplainable’ Strickland Upset: ‘It Was A Good Loss…’ at MMA News.

For the first time in his MMA career, Israel Adesanya finds himself coming off the back of consecutive defeats inside the Octagon.

This doesn’t tell the story of both the fights that took place a year apart, because though he didn’t get his hand raised on either occasion, the story of the fights were completely different.

“The Last Stylebender” didn’t look himself at UFC 293 where he was shockingly upset by Sean Strickland before taking a year off to return at UFC 305.

Despite not reclaiming the title against Dricus Du Plessis, Adesanya appeared somewhat back to where he was before and looked to be gaining momentum in the fight until Du Plessis was able to capitalize on a few mistakes to earn a submission win in the fourth round.

Adesanya’s head coach at City Kickboxing, Eugene Bareman, gave his thoughts on the fight during a recent interview with Combat TV.

He came away feeling a lot more positive after this loss compared to the one from last year because they were able to learn from clear and obvious mistakes that will only lead to improvements, unlike UFC 293 which left the team scratching their heads.

“He made some mistakes which you can only, in my opinion, put down to fatigue and the fatigue, you can put down to the work that Dricus was able to do so you can’t do nothing but applaud that. It was a loss but you know, it was a good loss. Me and Israel can walk away from that loss and it’s measurable, it’s tangible. You can put that down, this is why this happened, this is why that happened. The Strickland fight is just a bit unexplainable to us. That’s much harder to get over cuz it’s like well what happened there.”

Eugene Bareman Gives Credit To Dricus Du Plessis For An Aspect Of His Game That They ‘Didn’t Anticipate’

Bareman agrees with the common consensus that heading into the fourth round, it looked like the momentum was swinging towards Adesanya in the later rounds.

However, it was Du Plessis’ finishing ability that ended up deciding the fight after he was able to wobble the former champion on the feet and take his back for the rear-naked choke win.

As he previously stated above, Bareman puts these crucial mistakes down to Adesanya being fatigued and while this is something they worked on during his training camp, the City Kickboxing boss revealed that he was surprised by how effectively the champion is able to weaponize his conditioning.

He said that Du Plessis may not be a perfect fighter but he’s always making his opponents work hard to try and capitalize on his weaknesses.

“It looks like he has some holes in his defense, he also makes you work to take advantage of those holes, you know what I mean. It’s tough work out there. Yeah, the holes are there but it’s tough work to find them and it just fatigued Israel and fatigued Israel and fatigued Israel and it slowly, slowly got to Israel to the point where he was so fatigued, Dricus was able to take advantage of it. That was probably something I didn’t anticipate happening as much as it did and I just had an expectation that Israel would be able to push through that.”

Read also: Sean Strickland Responds To Machine Gun Kelly’s ‘Big Bro Advice’ As Rapper Wanted UFC Star To Not Talk About Him Anymore

Continue Reading Israel Adesanya’s Coach Says Du Plessis Defeat Better Than ‘Unexplainable’ Strickland Upset: ‘It Was A Good Loss…’ at MMA News.