Tag: Top Stories

Max Holloway Hits Back At Ilia Topuria Blaming Him For Fight Delay: ‘Guy Is Just Making Things Up At This Stage’

If someone is to blame for the lack of a date for their fight, Max Holloway has told UFC Featherweight Champion Ilia Topuria that it does not lie at his door. Holloway, a former titleholder at 145 pounds, appeared to secure his position as number one contender in the division with his exploits up at […]

Continue Reading Max Holloway Hits Back At Ilia Topuria Blaming Him For Fight Delay: ‘Guy Is Just Making Things Up At This Stage’ at MMA News.

If someone is to blame for the lack of a date for their fight, Max Holloway has told UFC Featherweight Champion Ilia Topuria that it does not lie at his door.

Holloway, a former titleholder at 145 pounds, appeared to secure his position as number one contender in the division with his exploits up at lightweight this year.

Following back-to-back wins over Arnold Allen and “The Korean Zombie” in 2023, “Blessed” returned to 155 pounds to challenge for Justin Gaethje’s symbolic BMF strap at the milestone UFC 300 pay-per-view event this past April.

After delivering a highlight that is being discussed among the most memorable in UFC history, Holloway outlined his intention to regain the featherweight gold. While Topuria appeared to favor other options, even naming Brian Ortega as a more logical opponent, he’s since vowed to be the first to knock the Hawaiian out.

That bout is still awaiting official confirmation, however, and “El Matador” claims that personal matters and weight difficulties on the side of Holloway are the cause.

“It’s not because of me,” Topuria said when asked why the UFC hasn’t announced his first title defense yet. “They called me to say Max Holloway was having family issues, that he was having trouble cutting weight, and that he wanted to fight at a higher weight class. Honestly, I don’t know. I have no idea.”

It didn’t take long for Holloway to call those remarks out as false…

Holloway Drops Sphere Event As Preferred Date After Rejecting Topuria Claims

Following Topuria’s comments while attending the El Matador film presentation in Madrid, “Blessed” quickly took to social media to accuse the champ of “making thing up” regarding why their fight is yet to come to fruition.

“Guy is just making things up at this stage,” Holloway wrote. “I been ready.”

When Topuria responded by inviting Holloway to drop a desired date, the former champ pointed to the upcoming pay-per-view at Las Vegas’ Sphere on September 14.

“Been talking to them brother. You need to check your numbers. Since you said it the Sphere by toe hold. See you soon.”

Continue Reading Max Holloway Hits Back At Ilia Topuria Blaming Him For Fight Delay: ‘Guy Is Just Making Things Up At This Stage’ at MMA News.

Robert Whittaker Has Sympathy For Referees In MMA Despite Bad High-Profile Calls: ‘Nobody Talks About A Ref Doing A Good Job…’ (Exclusive)

June was a big month for the UFC’s middleweight division with several top contenders in action as the upcoming title fight between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya draws closer. Former champion Robert Whittaker could have announced himself as the number one contender had Khamzat Chimaev not withdrawn from their main event in Saudi Arabia. […]

Continue Reading Robert Whittaker Has Sympathy For Referees In MMA Despite Bad High-Profile Calls: ‘Nobody Talks About A Ref Doing A Good Job…’ (Exclusive) at MMA News.

June was a big month for the UFC’s middleweight division with several top contenders in action as the upcoming title fight between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya draws closer.

Former champion Robert Whittaker could have announced himself as the number one contender had Khamzat Chimaev not withdrawn from their main event in Saudi Arabia.

Whittaker ended up facing Ikram Aliskerov where he produced a dominant display to earn a first-round finish.

Earlier in the month, there was controversy in the division after Nassourdine Imavov stopped Jared Cannonier in a call that many believe was made too soon.

Referee Jason Herzog waved the fight off in the fourth round with fans believing that he stopped the fight too early despite some worrying signs from Cannonier.

Robert Whittaker Does Not Envy The Thankless Role Of Being A MMA Referee

In an exclusive interview with MMA News, Whittaker said that he feels some sympathy towards MMA officials for the thankless jobs that they do.

“The Reaper” didn’t agree with the stoppage of that fight but he also didn’t want to be too negative about the call that Herzog made in this instance.

He stated that he understands the frustration of being on the wrong end of an early stoppage and having faced Cannonier in the past, knows that there is no quit in him.

However, Whittaker said that he does not envy the role of the referees, specifically referencing how they never get credit but will always get criticized when a mistake is made.

“Mate, being a ref’s hard. It’s a hard gig and it’s easy to point the finger at a ref for being trigger happy or pulling a fight too late or pulling a fight too short but man, the reality is their job is so hard. So hard. Nobody talks about a ref doing a good job, they only get hammered when they make a mistake or when it’s not to the liking of the fans. It’s a hard gig and I don’t have an opinion on it.”

Here are the some of the other topics Whittaker discussed in the exclusive interview that you can watch in the video above:

  • Being upset with the media for misrepresenting his injury issue heading into the Aliskerov fight
  • Reacting to his first KO finish in seven years
  • On refereeing and how he would change judging in MMA
  • Explaining his decision not to weigh in at UFC 305 as the backup fighter
  • Discussing Sean Strickland, Bo Nickal, and Conor McGregor
  • Predicting how a rematch goes against Dricus Du Plessis

Read More: VIDEO: Israel Adesanya Reacts To Longtime Rival Alex Pereira’s Knockout Of Ji?í Procházka At UFC 303

Continue Reading Robert Whittaker Has Sympathy For Referees In MMA Despite Bad High-Profile Calls: ‘Nobody Talks About A Ref Doing A Good Job…’ (Exclusive) at MMA News.

Colby Covington Reacts To Ian Garry’s Latest Victory At UFC 303: ‘Anybody Could Be 15-0 Fighting 15 Bums’

UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington unsurprisingly had a firm take on rival Ian Garry’s recent success inside the Octagon. Garry emerged victorious from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas this past weekend, where he opened the UFC 303 pay-per-view card alongside striking specialist Michael “Venom” Page. The pair didn’t set the cage alight as some were expecting, […]

Continue Reading Colby Covington Reacts To Ian Garry’s Latest Victory At UFC 303: ‘Anybody Could Be 15-0 Fighting 15 Bums’ at MMA News.

UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington unsurprisingly had a firm take on rival Ian Garry’s recent success inside the Octagon.

Garry emerged victorious from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas this past weekend, where he opened the UFC 303 pay-per-view card alongside striking specialist Michael “Venom” Page.

The pair didn’t set the cage alight as some were expecting, with the Irishman instead utilizing his grappling to get the better of “MVP” in rounds one and three to secure a unanimous decision triumph on the scorecards.

In the lead-up, the former Cage Warriors champion expressed absolutely no interest in squaring off with Page at UFC 303, an event at which he’d initially hoped to face Covington as the co-headlining act for Conor McGregor’s return.

“Chaos” publicly dismissed that matchup, branding Garry a “nobody.” And he believes that stance has been vindicated having seen the Dubliner’s efforts on Saturday night…

Covington On Garry’s UFC 303 Performance: ‘That Was Pathetic!’

During a recent appearance on Submission Radio, Covington provided his thoughts on Garry’s decision win over Page on June 29, which extended his perfect professional record to 15-0.

“Chaos” laughed off mention of that unblemished slate, suggesting that Garry has built it by fighting “bums.” And while insisting that “The Future’s” performance was well below requirement, Covington mentioned UFC CEO Dana White’s take on the UFC 303 main card opener to support his point.

“Fighting cans from the Indian Casinos league, oh, big deal,” Covington said. “Anybody could be 15-0 fighting a bunch of 15 bums. Even Dana White himself said what he thought of the performance. He thought it was a draw. He doesn’t think there should have been a winner.

“I feel bad for the fans. The fans got robbed of a pay-per-view opener. That was pathetic. That guy’s fighting the number 14 guy in the world and barely scraping by,” Covington continued. “I think he lost the fight. I feel bad for the fans. They got robbed. But it just shows how much of a bum he is. … He was willing too do whatever he wanted to get on the Conor McGregor card because his name’s ‘Corner McGregor,’ the Conor McGregor wannabe. He pulled all these strings to get on the Conor card and then Conor left him on the alter. … The guy’s an absolute nobody and he’s a bum.”

Although much of Garry’s focus following his win over Geoff Neal in February was on Covington, it would appear that he’s accepted the sailing of that ship.

Rather than reiterating a desire to face “Chaos” post-UFC 303, the Irishman instead mentioned Shavkat Rakhmonov and Kamaru Usman as desirable next foes. It remains to be seen who Garry will share the cage with next, but after a third straight decision, he’ll no doubt be looking to finish whoever it is inside the distance. 

Continue Reading Colby Covington Reacts To Ian Garry’s Latest Victory At UFC 303: ‘Anybody Could Be 15-0 Fighting 15 Bums’ at MMA News.

Covington Explains Why He Deserves Adesanya Title Fight

UFC welterweight star Colby Covington believes he’s clearly done enough to earn a shot at Israel Adesanya’s middleweight title. Since dropping a second championship shot against reigning 170-pound king Kamaru Usman at UFC 268 last November, Covington has mostly had three names on his lips: Adesanya, Jorge Masvidal, and Dustin Poirier. At UFC 272 earlier…

Continue Reading Covington Explains Why He Deserves Adesanya Title Fight at MMA News.

UFC welterweight star Colby Covington believes he’s clearly done enough to earn a shot at Israel Adesanya’s middleweight title.

Since dropping a second championship shot against reigning 170-pound king Kamaru Usman at UFC 268 last November, Covington has mostly had three names on his lips: Adesanya, Jorge Masvidal, and Dustin Poirier.

At UFC 272 earlier this month, “Chaos” dispatched Masvidal with relative ease, scoring a unanimous decision victory following five rounds of main event action. In his post-fight interview, Covington turned his attention to one of his remaining two targets, unloading his usual insults on former ATT teammate Poirier.

But with “The Diamond” suggesting he’ll never share the Octagon with Covington, it’s appearing unlikely that the grudge match will come to fruition. Rounding out his list is “The Last Stylebender,” but the recent remarks of UFC President Dana White seem to suggest that’s also off the table.

During an interview with TMZ Sports, White suggested Covington would have to record wins over a top middleweight contender in order to book a date in the cage with Adesanya.

“I mean, Colby would have to go up and beat [Jared] Cannonier or [Robert] Whittaker or somebody like that to even be in the discussion with a fight with Adesanya.” (h/t Sportskeeda)

Covington Disagrees With White’s Stance

During a recent appearance on Submission Radio, Covington, who’s targeting a summer return, discussed his options should Poirier maintain his current attitude towards a matchup with him.

He re-affirmed that a championship clash with Adesanya makes sense. Noting the calls for Usman and the middleweight kingpin to forego their personal relationship to meet in a superfight, Covington claimed he’d be more deserving than “The Nigerian Nightmare” having ‘beaten Usman’ twice.

“I think I could definitely go up to ’85 and fight Adesanya (in the summer),” said Covington. “But I don’t know if he’s gonna turn around like that. He doesn’t have a dance partner right now. I mean, some of the guys they’re trying to line him up with is unoriginal. Why could Usman fight him? All the fans want that…I beat Usman twice. Usman sucks, dude. Everybody knew, in Madison Square Garden, I won those last three rounds. It was an easy win for me. Easy decision victory, unanimous.

“So why can’t I fight Adesanya? That guy can’t stop my wrestling,” claimed Covington. “I’ll pick him up and drop him on his fucking head. He’s a cardio kickboxer. They’ve got enough cardio kickboxers in women’s classes around the US. I can go join one of those. I decided to pick up hard, grueling American wrestling. I don’t think Adesanya can stop my American wrestling and I don’t think he’s that good of a fighter.”

At middleweight, Adesanya is currently unbeaten in professional MMA and has defended the 185-pound UFC gold four times. His one blemish in the sport came in an effort to dethrone then-light heavyweight titleholder Jan Blachowicz last March. The Pole utilized a heavy wrestling approach to grind out a decision.

Given his own wrestling credentials, “Chaos” believes he’d have no trouble dispatching Adesanya and securing his place on the middleweight throne.

But with Jared Cannonier seemingly next in line following his brutal win against Derek Brunson last month, it seems unlikely the UFC will cave to Covington’s higher-weight ambitions anytime soon.

Do you think Colby Covington has earned a shot at Israel Adesanya’s middleweight throne?

Continue Reading Covington Explains Why He Deserves Adesanya Title Fight at MMA News.

Is Paddy Pimblett The UFC’s Next Cash Cow?

Paddy Pimblett is set to grace the famous Octagon at UFC London with an intention to ramp up his value with another win. Ever since his victory at UFC Vegas 36, interest in ‘The Baddy’ has skyrocketed. Not only has his fighting ability caught the attention of fans worldwide, but also his unique personality. His…

Continue Reading Is Paddy Pimblett The UFC’s Next Cash Cow? at MMA News.

Paddy Pimblett is set to grace the famous Octagon at UFC London with an intention to ramp up his value with another win.

Ever since his victory at UFC Vegas 36, interest in ‘The Baddy’ has skyrocketed. Not only has his fighting ability caught the attention of fans worldwide, but also his unique personality.

His post-fight interview that night caused waves across social media with audiences who are not even remotely interested in the sport finding appreciation for Pimblett’s extraordinary personality.

Meanwhile, his own personal social media platforms’ followings went through the roof with fans purchasing a one-way ticket on the hype train. Pimblett’s Instagram rose from 28,000 followers to 700,000 on fight week alone.

He blitzed his way through Luigi Vendramini that night, in the 1st round, just how he predicted it. The Scouser even declared “I’m the new cash cow” in his post-fight UFC octagon interview.

All was not perfect in Vegas, however, as Pimblett had to deal with his fair share of adversity in the fight as Vendramini tested the chin of the former Cage Warriors champion early on. However, Pimblett did survive to score a memorable knockout victory in his UFC debut.

One loss early on in his UFC career could damage all momentum and see UFC fans question whether he has what it takes to go far in the organization. At the age of 27, Pimblett is still young in comparison to the age of his peers.

That said, ‘The Baddy’ has already had the experience of going through setbacks having lost three times in his career. Those could well be seen as learning curves for Pimblett to sharpen his tools, making him a more dangerous well-rounded prospect in the UFC.

The UFC lightweight tends to also have the knack of getting himself into heat on social media however which may well damage his reputation. While Pimblett may well see any PR as good PR, he will need to be vigilant that he keeps the fans on his side if he is to build a fanbase that will profit him into the UFC’s next cash cow.

Paddy Pimblett
Paddy Pimblett

The 27-year-old has already seen accounts of his banned on both Instagram and Twitter resulting in enormous amounts of followers lost in the process. Pimblett has since created new accounts, yet has struggled to gain the remarkable figures that were previously rolled in.

Pimblett is expecting an iconic UFC walkout when he makes his entrance to the octagon on Saturday as he takes on Rodrigo Vargas on the main card of UFC London. It appears that the Scouser could follow in the footsteps of Darren Till in doing so, who has previously built his legacy off of his beloved British fanbase’s support.

A successful first UFC appearance in front of fans could see Pimblett cause havoc. That will certainly be what ‘The Baddy’ is expecting to happen as he looks to steal the limelight once more with the hype train of Pimblett set to take center stage at UFC London.

Do you think Paddy Pimblett could become the UFC’s next cash cow?

Continue Reading Is Paddy Pimblett The UFC’s Next Cash Cow? at MMA News.

Dana White Says We’re In ‘Scary Times’ After YouTube Censors Trump

UFC President Dana White isn’t happy with YouTube’s decision to take down a recent podcast appearance by former US President Donald Trump. White and Trump have been friends for years, stemming from Trump’s previous involvement with the UFC in the early Zuffa years when the promotion struggled to find venues for events. The UFC held…

Continue Reading Dana White Says We’re In ‘Scary Times’ After YouTube Censors Trump at MMA News.

UFC President Dana White isn’t happy with YouTube’s decision to take down a recent podcast appearance by former US President Donald Trump.

White and Trump have been friends for years, stemming from Trump’s previous involvement with the UFC in the early Zuffa years when the promotion struggled to find venues for events. The UFC held events at Trump’s Taj Mahal hotel in Atlantic City, NJ for UFC 28, UFC 30, and UFC 31.

White has also been a proud supporter of Trump’s recent U.S. presidential campaigns in 2016 and 2020. He was a speaker at various rallies and conferences in support of Trump’s political aspirations.

Controversy ensued during Trump’s recent appearance on the FULL SEND podcast, and White has a strong relationship with the hosts of the show. Trump used part of his appearance to claim that the 2020 US Presidential election was stolen from him in favor of Joe Biden.

Just days after the full podcast episode was posted to YouTube, the website took it down allegedly because of Trump’s controversial remarks about the election.

In a recent appearance on Logan Paul’s IMPAULSIVE podcast, White ripped YouTube for their decision to censor Trump.

“Total crock of shit. Total crock of shit, White said. “But you saw in the podcast, Trump told them, ‘This podcast will be taken down.’ He told them that. He knew it. It’s crazy…

How the UFC became the sports arm of Donald Trump's Maga regime | UFC | The Guardian
Dana White, Donald Trump

“The fact that Trump’s podcast with FULL SEND got taken down is fuckin’ disgusting and, more importantly, it’s scary. Very fuckin’ scary.”

The topic of cancel culture has been a hot topic in recent years. Social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook have taken controversial stances to silence people with different viewpoints, like Trump.

White went on to elaborate on why YouTube’s decision could create a bad precedent.

“First of all, you have to start looking at alternative social media platforms that don’t censor. And it’s easy (when) you got a guy that you don’t like, like Trump. ‘Oh, fuck him,’ you know what I mean? ‘Good. We don’t have to see his tweets and we don’t have to do this and that.’ Till you say something they don’t like or until somebody else says something they don’t like. This country was built on free speech, man. It’s our god-given right…

“When you have a company, or corporation, or government that can come in and fuckin’ tell you what you can and can’t say, we’re in a scary place.”

Trump has hinted at a third run for president in 2024, although it hasn’t been formally announced that he intends to run again.

As for White, he’s expected to be in attendance for the UFC’s return across the pond at the UFC London event this weekend, headlined by a heavyweight matchup between Tom Aspinall and Alexander Volkov.

Do you agree with Dana White?

Continue Reading Dana White Says We’re In ‘Scary Times’ After YouTube Censors Trump at MMA News.