Tag: UFC 273

Bryce Mitchell Willing To Be Backup For UFC 273 Main Event

UFC featherweight contender Bryce Mitchell is ready and willing to step up on short notice if needed to fill for the UFC 273 headliner. UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski will make his next title defense against Chan Sung Jung (otherwise known as ‘The Korean Zombie’) at UFC 273 on April 9. Mitchell recently defeated Edson…

Continue Reading Bryce Mitchell Willing To Be Backup For UFC 273 Main Event at MMA News.

UFC featherweight contender Bryce Mitchell is ready and willing to step up on short notice if needed to fill for the UFC 273 headliner.

UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski will make his next title defense against Chan Sung Jung (otherwise known as ‘The Korean Zombie’) at UFC 273 on April 9. Mitchell recently defeated Edson Barboza in an impressive performance on the UFC 272 main card.

Mitchell has been on a roll in the featherweight division and continues to climb up the rankings. If the UFC needs a backup plan should Volkanovski or Jung pull out, Mitchell appears ready to be on-weight if needed.

Mitchell offered his services in a recent tweet to the UFC.

“If Volkanovski or Zombie backs out – call me [UFC],” Mitchell said.

If Mitchell doesn’t end up being needed as a backup to UFC 273, he appears to have a ready opponent in Sodiq Yusuff. Following an impressive win over Alex Caceres at UFC Vegas 50 last weekend, Yusuff called out Mitchell for a fight between two rising featherweights.

Mitchell has won six straight fights since his time on The Ultimate Fighter Season 27. His win over Barboza came after a nearly two-year layoff due to various health issues.

Before his hiatus, Mitchell earned dominant wins over the likes of Charles Rosa and Andre Fili. Mitchell’s victory over Barboza proved that he’s a potential force in the featherweight division going forward.

Volkanovski most recently defended his title against Brian Ortega at UFC 266. He was originally supposed to face former champion, Max Holloway, in a trilogy this year before Holloway pulled out with an injury.

Mitchell has been the subject of conversation after speaking out on various political and societal issues. He also made an appearance on Fox News for an interview with commentator Tucker Carlson.

While Mitchell appears to be enjoying the limelight of speaking his mind on various issues, he’s looking forward to his next appearance in the Octagon. If anything happens with the UFC 273 headliner, Mitchell could have his next fight booked sooner rather than later.

Who do you want to see Bryce Mitchell fight next?

Continue Reading Bryce Mitchell Willing To Be Backup For UFC 273 Main Event at MMA News.

Khamzat Chimaev Hits Back at Critics, Compares Record to McGregor, Jones & Khabib

Khamzat ChimaevKhamzat Chimaev has hit back at the doubters who undermine his skills based on his resume ahead of his bout with Gilbert Burns at UFC 273 this April 9 in Jacksonville, Florida. Chimaev compared his record to the likes of Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, and Khabib Nurmagomedov. Every one of those fighters is likely to […]

Khamzat Chimaev

Khamzat Chimaev has hit back at the doubters who undermine his skills based on his resume ahead of his bout with Gilbert Burns at UFC 273 this April 9 in Jacksonville, Florida.

Chimaev compared his record to the likes of Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, and Khabib Nurmagomedov. Every one of those fighters is likely to go down as one of the greatest of all time with Nurmagomedov leading the way into the UFC Hall of Fame Class of 2022.

While the aforementioned fighters were dominant in their own right, Chimaev has shown something special with his fighting style. He’s become known for mauling the fighters across the octagon from him while taking little no damage in the process.

Bursting onto the mainstream during the pandemic, Khamzat Chimaev lit up the MMA community with a ferocious streak of four wins in the UFC, all coming by finishes. The Chechen-born Swede fought three times in two months and carved a reputation for completely dominating his opponents.

Talking to The Mac Life about his doubters, Chimaev went on to defend his resume as he compared it to the early careers of Jones, McGregor, and Nurmagomedov.

“Who did like, go in the cage, ten fights, ten finishes?” Chimaev asked. “The guys tell like, ‘Oh, he didn’t fight this guy. He didn’t fight that guy.’ But the guys who’s the best guys, Jon Jones. His first four fights in UFC, he get the punch. I didn’t get the punch.”

“We don’t say his first fights, he didn’t get the best ones; the guys, you know, like, super good guys. Nobody. Conor [McGregor] didn’t get that, crazy good guys in their first fights. Nobody. Khabib didn’t get crazy good guys. I just need the time.” (via MMA Mania)

Will Khamzat Chimaev live up to the hype against Gilbert Burns?

The hype that Khamzat Chimaev has been able to generate is a phenomenon in itself given the short time he’s been in the UFC. He has his fair share of doubters like the welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, who highlighted the lack of high-level competition in his record.

The undefeated Chimaev is gearing up to face his biggest challenge in second-ranked welterweight Gilbert Burns at UFC 273. Many have been quick to dismiss his legitimacy for the UFC title contention including UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya who said he did not consider Chimaev a threat just yet.

Based on the level of competition that Jones, McGregor, and Nurmagomedov had faced in their fifth fight, Chimaev ranks higher with a serious threat in Burns coming as his fifth bout. Although Chimaev has less fighting experience overall before his fifth fight (compared to McGregor’s 19 and Khabib’s 21 fights), Dana White confirmed the possibility of a title shot against Usman.

Do you think a win against Gilbert Burns warrants a title shot for Khamzat Chimaev?

Petr Yan Trolls Aljamain Sterling Without Mercy With Edited Fight Poster

UFC interim bantamweight champion Petr Yan is ramping up the mental warfare ahead of his rematch with official titleholder Aljamain Sterling. Yan and Sterling will unify the UFC bantamweight title at UFC 273 in Jacksonville, FL, nearly a year after the two top bantamweights squared off at UFC 259. Sterling won the bout via disqualification…

Continue Reading Petr Yan Trolls Aljamain Sterling Without Mercy With Edited Fight Poster at MMA News.

UFC interim bantamweight champion Petr Yan is ramping up the mental warfare ahead of his rematch with official titleholder Aljamain Sterling.

Yan and Sterling will unify the UFC bantamweight title at UFC 273 in Jacksonville, FL, nearly a year after the two top bantamweights squared off at UFC 259. Sterling won the bout via disqualification following an illegal knee from Yan in the fourth round.

Tensions have continued to build between Sterling and Yan ahead of their highly-anticipated rematch. They were supposed to fight back at UFC 267, but Sterling pulled out with a lingering injury on short notice. Yan would go on to beat Cory Sandhagen for the interim title.

In a recent tweet, Yan had a bit of fun at Sterling’s expense and showed that there’s still no love lost between the two 135 pounders.

Check out Yan’s edited fight poster below.

After seeing Yan’s tweet just hours later, Sterling issued a response of his own.

“Bro, you lost!” Sterling tweeted.

Sterling has yet to defend his bantamweight title since earning the belt controversially in his first matchup with Yan. The two fighters have accused each other of delaying the rematch and have gone back and forth on numerous occasions on social media.

Despite Sterling being the current bantamweight titleholder, it’s Yan who holds a spot in the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings. Sterling will look to rewrite the script at UFC 273.

What is your prediction for Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan 2?

Continue Reading Petr Yan Trolls Aljamain Sterling Without Mercy With Edited Fight Poster at MMA News.

Khamzat Chimaev Vs. Gilbert Burns In The Works For UFC 273

Khamzat Chimaev, Gilbert BurnsA welterweight showdown between contenders Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns is reportedly in the works for UFC 273 next month. UFC 273 is slated to take place at the Vystar Veteran’s Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, FL on April 9. UFC president Dana White made the announcement in a talk with TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter. Chimaev and […]

Khamzat Chimaev, Gilbert Burns

A welterweight showdown between contenders Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns is reportedly in the works for UFC 273 next month.

UFC 273 is slated to take place at the Vystar Veteran’s Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, FL on April 9.

UFC president Dana White made the announcement in a talk with TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter.

Chimaev and Burns have called for a fight with one another for months, as both look to earn a title shot in the welterweight division. Chimaev has allegedly been impatient regarding his next fight in the octagon and Burns was one of the few who publically stated he was interested in a fight.

Chimaev is coming off another dominant win over Li Jingliang at UFC 267, earning a first-round submission. He is undefeated in his UFC tenure since signing with the promotion back in 2020.

Chimaev raised eyebrows when he won his UFC debut against John Phillips with a nasty brabo choke. He went on to earn a first-round knockout of Rhys McKee just 10 days later. Chimaev has mostly competed as a welterweight but also took a fight at middleweight against Gerald Meerschaert.

Khamzat Chimaev Vs. Gilbert Burns Is Being Finalized

Burns is coming off of a unanimous decision win over Stephen Thompson last summer at UFC 264. He has been in a holding pattern ever since as he looks to earn another shot against Kamaru Usman.

Before losing to Usman at UFC 258, Burns earned dominant wins at welterweight over the likes of Tyron Woodley and Demian Maia. He began his UFC tenure at lightweight with mixed results.

UFC 273 will be headlined by a featherweight title bout between Alexander Volkanovski and The Korean Zombie. Welterweight contenders Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal will also vy for positioning this weekend at UFC 272.

If Chimaev can get past Burns, he would most certainly be one of the frontrunners for the next title shot. It could only be a matter of time until the rising star gets his coveted shot at a UFC belt.

What is your prediction for Khamzat Chimaev vs. Gilbert Burns?

EXCLUSIVE | Nassourdine Imavov ‘Unimpressed’ By Adesanya-Whittaker 2, Picks Jared Cannonier To Win Title

Nassourdine ImavovStreaking MMA Factory standout, Nassourdine Imavov has claimed that he was somewhat “unimpressed” viewing a cautious middleweight title rematch of Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker at UFC 271. And believes Jared Cannonier has the skillset to become a future titleholder.  Nassourdine Imavov, who is currently riding a two-fight winning run, most recently grounded out the […]

Nassourdine Imavov

Streaking MMA Factory standout, Nassourdine Imavov has claimed that he was somewhat “unimpressed” viewing a cautious middleweight title rematch of Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker at UFC 271. And believes Jared Cannonier has the skillset to become a future titleholder. 

Nassourdine Imavov, who is currently riding a two-fight winning run, most recently grounded out the highly-touted, Edmen Shahbazyan at UFC 268 back in November, stopping the Glendale Fight Club trainee with a series of third round ground strikes from mounted crucifix.

In the time since, Imavov has booked a middleweight outing against the #10 ranked, Kelvin Gastelum for UFC 273 on April 9. – attempting to improve on his #12 rank in the division. 

The Dagestan native turned in an impressive TKO win over Ian Heinisch back in July of last year before his stoppage success against Shahbazyan, and given his swift climb to the top-15 in the official middleweight rankings, has been touted to eventually contend for undisputed division gold in the future.

Nassourdine Imavov boasts a 3-1 promotional record heading into his UFC 273 clash with Kelvin Gastelum

Tuning in to UFC 271 last weekend last week, Imavov revealed that he was disappointed with the display from both Adesanya and Whittaker, detailing how he wished the two had turned in a less cautious approach to the title rematch.

“I thought that it was – I was a little bit disappointed,” Nassourdine Imavov told LowKick MMA reporter, Jordan Ellis, through his interpreter and head coach, Fernand Lopez. “I wasn’t that impressed. That was a good fight, don’t get me wrong, but I thought that was a little bit cautious from them (Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker). And I thought Adesanya went to some part that would cause him the victory in the next fight.”

“I think, because he (Israel Adesanya) run through all the division already, he feels like you don’t have any challenge anymore,” Nassourdine Imavov said. “I don’t know but, I was a little bit frustrated to do now have more than one assault (sic).”

On the same card as Adesanya’s title rematch win over Whittaker, middleweight contender, Jared Cannonier appeared to punch his ticket to a title shot, courtesy of a series of elbows to ground out Derek Brunson.

And with the promotion likely to field Adesanya a bout against the Texan next, Imavov believes Cannonier could present the contender to dethrone the Nigerian-Kiwi, should Adesanya become too comfortable in his reign over the division.

“I think that (Jared) Cannonier can be a future champion,” Nassourdine Imavov said. “I think his style is not easy to deal with. And also, like I was saying, if Adesanya becomes comfortable and does not find the motivation to work his ass off on the wrestling department, Cannonier can just work on him, and go there, and, you know, shock the world.” 

Korean Zombie: Max Holloway’s Recovery “Doesn’t Make Sense”

UFC featherweight contender “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung has questioned Max Holloway’s fast recovery from injury, which has seen the former champion pursue backup status for UFC 273. In the pay-per-view’s main event, reigning 145-pound king Alexander Volkanovski will hope to successfully defend his gold for the third time. In his way of doing…

Continue Reading Korean Zombie: Max Holloway’s Recovery “Doesn’t Make Sense” at MMA News.

UFC featherweight contender “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung has questioned Max Holloway’s fast recovery from injury, which has seen the former champion pursue backup status for UFC 273.

In the pay-per-view’s main event, reigning 145-pound king Alexander Volkanovski will hope to successfully defend his gold for the third time. In his way of doing so will be a UFC veteran renowned for his exciting style and thrilling performances throughout over a decade in the promotion.

Volkanovski was initially slated to share the Octagon with Holloway, who’d earned another shot at reclaiming the belt with 2021 victories over Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez, for a third time at next month’s UFC 272 event.

When “Blessed” withdrew after aggravating a previous injury, the hunt for a replacement was on. Despite the pitches from Giga Chikadze, Henry Cejudo, Josh Emmett, and Rodriguez, it was “The Korean Zombie” who was granted the chance to dethrone “The Great” Volkanovski at the April 9 event.

Despite withdrawing from his scheduled trilogy bout with Volkanovski, it was recently revealed that Holloway has returned to training and is even open to serving as a backup fighter for the UFC 273 headliner.

Korean Zombie Joins The Sceptical Side

While Volkanovski made his feelings about the fast recovery crystal clear in a post on Twitter, accusing his rival of faking an injury in order to avoid a potential third defeat to the Aussie, others, including former opponent Kattar, have suggested it’s wrong to question Holloway’s withdrawal.

Now, with opinion largely split, the new next challenger for the featherweight strap has given his take on the latest revelations. During an interview with The Schmo, “The Korean Zombie” suggested Holloway’s ability to make the UFC 273 event “doesn’t make sense.”

Nevertheless, Jung claimed that while he won’t be pulling out himself, he’s open to an interim title clash with “Blessed” should Volkanovski be forced out of the PPV for whatever reason.

“It doesn’t make sense that he’s gonna be ready to go in a month,” Jung said via Coach Eddie Cha. “It’s pretty crazy. (I) won’t be getting injured. (I’ll) be making April 9th. So, if Volkanovski gets injured, (I’m) down to fight Holloway.”

If Holloway is not required on April 9, it’s likely the UFC 273 main event victor will be standing opposite him in the cage later this year for what will either be Volkanovski’s third clash with “Blessed” and fourth title defense, or Zombie’s first defense and first meeting with Holloway.

What do you make of Alexander Volkanovski and “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung’s comments about Max Holloway’s fast recovery?

Continue Reading Korean Zombie: Max Holloway’s Recovery “Doesn’t Make Sense” at MMA News.