Tag: UFC 295

Tom Aspinall Describes Confidence Boost From Sergei Pavlovich Win Ahead Of UFC 304: ‘Took The Fight On Short Notice, Injured…’ 

Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall won’t be short on self-belief when he enters the cage for his first defense this weekend. Aspinall is set to co-headline the UFC 304 pay-per-view event in his home city of Manchester, England, on July 27. He’ll make the walk in the early hours in pursuit of a first […]

Continue Reading Tom Aspinall Describes Confidence Boost From Sergei Pavlovich Win Ahead Of UFC 304: ‘Took The Fight On Short Notice, Injured…’  at MMA News.

Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall won’t be short on self-belief when he enters the cage for his first defense this weekend.

Aspinall is set to co-headline the UFC 304 pay-per-view event in his home city of Manchester, England, on July 27. He’ll make the walk in the early hours in pursuit of a first title defense and redemption opposite the man against whom he suffered his sole Octagon setback to date.

The Brit briefly shared the cage with Curtis Blaydes in London two years ago, with their UFC Fight Night main event lasting just 15 seconds before Aspinall suffered a freak knee injury.

The 31-year-old has now been presented with the chance to right that wrong, and given the manner with which he captured UFC gold last November, he’s extremely confident in his chances of doing so…

Aspinall Full Of Self-Belief After Pulling Off UFC Title Win In ‘Worst Circumstances’

During a recent interview with Karyn Bryant, Rashad Evans, and Alan Jouban for ESPN MMA, Aspinall looked ahead to his upcoming defense of the interim title and second dance in the cage with Blaydes.

When it comes to his evolution as a fighter since their first clash in 2022, Aspinall believes the differences are night and day. That includes when it comes to confidence, in large part down to how the Brit was able to dispatch Sergei Pavlovich in less than ideal circumstances eight months ago.

“(I’ve improved) absolutely everywhere (since the first fight against Blaydes),” Aspinall said. “Every fight is different anyway, but I think now, everything is way different about me. Especially after my last performance; I took so much confidence from that. I took the fight on short notice, I took the fight injured, and I still managed to pull it off in the worst circumstances. Feeling pretty confident after that one, feeling pretty good.”

Aspinall will look to prove as much by having his hand raised on home soil this Saturday, avenging his unfortunate setback opposite “Razor” and maintaining his grip on the interim heavyweight gold in the process.

His defense will mark the first of two championship rematches set for UFC 304, with fellow UK titleholder Leon Edwards running it back with Belal Muhammad in defense of his welterweight strap.

Continue Reading Tom Aspinall Describes Confidence Boost From Sergei Pavlovich Win Ahead Of UFC 304: ‘Took The Fight On Short Notice, Injured…’  at MMA News.

Tom Aspinall Describes Confidence Boost From Sergei Pavlovich Win Ahead Of UFC 304: ‘Took The Fight On Short Notice, Injured…’ 

Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall won’t be short on self-belief when he enters the cage for his first defense this weekend. Aspinall is set to co-headline the UFC 304 pay-per-view event in his home city of Manchester, England, on July 27. He’ll make the walk in the early hours in pursuit of a first […]

Continue Reading Tom Aspinall Describes Confidence Boost From Sergei Pavlovich Win Ahead Of UFC 304: ‘Took The Fight On Short Notice, Injured…’  at MMA News.

Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall won’t be short on self-belief when he enters the cage for his first defense this weekend.

Aspinall is set to co-headline the UFC 304 pay-per-view event in his home city of Manchester, England, on July 27. He’ll make the walk in the early hours in pursuit of a first title defense and redemption opposite the man against whom he suffered his sole Octagon setback to date.

The Brit briefly shared the cage with Curtis Blaydes in London two years ago, with their UFC Fight Night main event lasting just 15 seconds before Aspinall suffered a freak knee injury.

The 31-year-old has now been presented with the chance to right that wrong, and given the manner with which he captured UFC gold last November, he’s extremely confident in his chances of doing so…

Aspinall Full Of Self-Belief After Pulling Off UFC Title Win In ‘Worst Circumstances’

During a recent interview with Karyn Bryant, Rashad Evans, and Alan Jouban for ESPN MMA, Aspinall looked ahead to his upcoming defense of the interim title and second dance in the cage with Blaydes.

When it comes to his evolution as a fighter since their first clash in 2022, Aspinall believes the differences are night and day. That includes when it comes to confidence, in large part down to how the Brit was able to dispatch Sergei Pavlovich in less than ideal circumstances eight months ago.

“(I’ve improved) absolutely everywhere (since the first fight against Blaydes),” Aspinall said. “Every fight is different anyway, but I think now, everything is way different about me. Especially after my last performance; I took so much confidence from that. I took the fight on short notice, I took the fight injured, and I still managed to pull it off in the worst circumstances. Feeling pretty confident after that one, feeling pretty good.”

Aspinall will look to prove as much by having his hand raised on home soil this Saturday, avenging his unfortunate setback opposite “Razor” and maintaining his grip on the interim heavyweight gold in the process.

His defense will mark the first of two championship rematches set for UFC 304, with fellow UK titleholder Leon Edwards running it back with Belal Muhammad in defense of his welterweight strap.

Continue Reading Tom Aspinall Describes Confidence Boost From Sergei Pavlovich Win Ahead Of UFC 304: ‘Took The Fight On Short Notice, Injured…’  at MMA News.

Video – New footage reveals Charles Oliveira turned down Islam Makhachev rematch at UFC 295 after injury

New footage reveals Charles Oliveira turned down Islam Makhachev rematch at UFC 295 due to injuryIn new previously unseen footage, former undisputed lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira saw the chance to rematch Islam Makhachev for…

New footage reveals Charles Oliveira turned down Islam Makhachev rematch at UFC 295 due to injury

In new previously unseen footage, former undisputed lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira saw the chance to rematch Islam Makhachev for divisional gold whisked away due to injury,  with the promotion hoping to fill a Jon Jones-shaped void last November in the main event of UFC 295 in Madison Square Garden.

Oliveira, the current number two ranked lightweight contender, most recently featured at UFC 300 back in April, suffering a controversial split decision defeat to streaking number one contender, Arman Tsarukyan in the pair’s championship eliminator.

Charles Oliveira believed he choked out Arman Tsarukyan with D'Arce at UFC 300 I thought he went out
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas – USA TODAY Sports

Ruled from a return back in October of last year in Abu Dhabi, Oliveira was set to headline UFC 294 in a rematch with pound-for-pound number one, Makhachev, until a nasty laceration over his right eyebrow ruled the Sao Paulo native from the re-run.

Charles Oliveira offers to serve as backup fighter to Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler at UFC 303
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas – USA TODAY Sports

Drafting in former featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski on short-notice, Oliveira’s dismissal from UFC 294 was delved into as part of the new Fight Inc. Inside the UFC series – with matchmaker, Sean Shelby claiming Oliveira’s withdrawal cost him a $2,000,000 payday.

“How about this – how about if they [Charles Oliveira’s team] call us and let us f*cking fix it and tell them what to do,” Dana White said. “Yeah, that’s f*cking – that is a nasty – what were they doing? Wrestling?”

“Sparring with no headgear, the week before he (Charles Oliveira) leaves for the fight [with Islam Makhachev] – no, the day, he’s supposed to leave [for Abu Dhabi] today,” Dana White continued. “The night before. He’s going [training] the night before, sparring with no f*cking headgear. That cost them big money.”

Charles Oliveira forced to turn down Islam Makhachev rematch at MSG

Furthermore, with the above-mentioned heavyweight champion, Jones ruled from his own UFC 295 return after suffering a pectoral tendon tear, Oliveira was offered a glimpse at a rematch with Makhachev in New York – ultimately to no avail.

Islam Makhachev accused of ducking rematch with Charles Oliveira there's nowhere to run UFC
Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC

“The other thing I could look at, is I could see if Islam (Makhachev) and (Charles) Oliveira wanna go [fight at UFC 295],” UFC Chief Business Officer, Hunter Campbell told CEO, Dana White. “Islam took no f*cking damage – I don’t think he took a single strike. And his (Charles Oliveira’s) cut will be ready by then, too. I think I can pull that off, to be honest with you. You like that? You love that?”

“This is you and Islam,” Campbell told Oliveira. “This would be for the title. I was just trying to rack my brain to see what the hell we could do. Oliveira cannot do it, ‘cause the cut still has not healed and he’s not training. And according to the doctors, he’s still ‘No Contact’ for 10 more days. The cut was so f*cking deep, he has two layers of stitches, interior. They’re like ‘There’s no way, I can’t even train.’

Would you like to see Charles Oliveira fight Islam Makhachev in the future again?

Exclusive – Jiri Prochazka looks back on his viral staredown with Alex Pereira at UFC 295

Jiri Prochazka and Alex PereiraJiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira delivered one of the most intense pre-fight moments in UFC history. On November 11,…

Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira

Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira delivered one of the most intense pre-fight moments in UFC history.

On November 11, 2023, ‘Denisa’ returned to the Octagon for the first time in nearly a year and a half determined to reclaim the light heavyweight title he never lost. Standing in his way was two-time GLORY Kickboxing world champion and former UFC middleweight king Alex Pereira.

It would be a battle between two of the most dangerous heavy hitters in all of MMA. As if fans weren’t hyped enough, the staredown between Prochazka and Pereira seconds before going toe-to-toe inside the cage sent shivers down the spines of every fan tuning in. The moment has since been reposted, retweeted, and meme’d millions of times.

Looking back at that viral staredown during a Lowkick MMA exclusive interview with Mike Owens, Prochazka offered some insight into the message he was trying to send ‘Poatan’ before they started slinging leather in front of 19,000 fans inside the world’s most famous arena — Madison Square Garden.

“Every moment before the fight is important because you’re showing your spirit,” Prochazka said. “You’re showing your strength before the world and I really like to watch my opponent. To see through him and show him that there is no place inside myself for anything other than pure focus and winning.”

In the end, it was Alex Pereira who saw his hand raised after scoring a brutal second-round knockout against Prochazka to claim the vacant 205-pound crown.

‘Denisa’ will return to the Octagon on April 13 for UFC 300 when he meets fellow top-five ranked contender Aleksandar Rakic. With a strong showing against ‘Rocket,’ Prochazka would likely put himself back in line for another shot at recapturing the light heavyweight strap.

As for Alex Pereira, there is no official date for his first title defense, but his next opponent is expected to be another former champion who was forced to vacate the belt due to injury — Jamahal Hill.

Watch the full exclusive interview with Jiri Prochazka below:

Jiri Prochazka sheds light on nasty staph infection ahead of Alex Pereira title fight: ‘I could only train for one week’

Jiri Prochazka reveals staph infection ahead of UFC 295 title fight I could only train for one weekFormer undisputed light heavyweight champion, Jiri Prochazka has revealed he suffered from a nasty staph infection his left leg…

Jiri Prochazka reveals staph infection ahead of UFC 295 title fight I could only train for one week

Former undisputed light heavyweight champion, Jiri Prochazka has revealed he suffered from a nasty staph infection his left leg ahead of his UFC 295 title fight with Alex Pereira back in November at Madison Square Garden, claiming he was only able to train for a maximum one week in the final month ahead of the bout.

Prochazka, the current number one ranked light heavyweight contender made his return to the Octagon in November at UFC 295, taking headlining honors against former middleweight champion, Pereira in the pair’s vacant light heavyweight title affair.

And suffering his first promotional loss, Czech Republic native, Prochazka was stopped in the second round by Sao Paulo knockout artist, Pereira in a TKO loss in New York City.

Already booked to make his comeback to the Octagon in April, Prochazka takes on Austrian contender, Aleksandar Rakic in a high-stakes pairing at UFC 300, landing against the returning Rakic in an all-European showdown.

Jiri Prochazka reveals staph infection ahead of UFC 295 return

Ahead of the bout, Prochazka has revealed that ahead of his fight with Brazilian favorite, Pereira, he was suffering from a rather nasty staph infection, which limited him to just one week of training in the final five weeks before their UFC 295 title headliner.

“I had a staph infection five weeks before the (Alex) Pereira match,” Jiri Prochazka told MMA Fighting. “It first started on my leg and spread to my ear. Due to this disease, I could only train properly for one week in five weeks.”

Winning undisputed light heavyweight gold back in the summer of 2022, former Rizin FF gold holder, Prochazka rallied to land a fifth round rear-naked choke submission win over Pereira’s close friend and former champion, Glover Teixeira in Singapore.

Who wins at UFC 300 in April: Jiri Prochazka or Aleksandar Rakic?

Alex Pereira backed to make stunning heavyweight move after second UFC title win: ‘He has the discipline for it’

Alex Pereira backed to make heavyweight move after second UFC title win he has the disciplineOff the back of his spectacular second championship victory back at UFC 295 back in November, Alex Pereira has…

Alex Pereira backed to make heavyweight move after second UFC title win he has the discipline

Off the back of his spectacular second championship victory back at UFC 295 back in November, Alex Pereira has been backed to be “disciplined” enough to land a third championship at the heavyweight limit by his training partner and close friend, Glover Texieira. 

Pereira, a former undisputed middleweight championship holder, turned in a spectacular second round KO win over former titleholder, Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 back in November, stopping the Czech Republic to add to his prior middleweight spoils, and become a two-weight champion inside just two years deep in his Octagon tenure.

And recently suggested as a potential candidate to fight Jon Jones in the future at the heavyweight limit by his compatriot, Fabricio Werdum, Pereira was tipped to even potentially stop the former pound-for-pound on the feet if they compete.

“I think ‘PoAtan’ (Alex Pereira) would do well at heavyweight, too,” Fabricio Werdum said “I don’t know if he would become the champion, but he has already won two titles. He has the skills to do it, but it wouldn’t be right off the bat. It would depend on who he woud have to face. I think it would be complicated if he faced Jon Jones.”

“Because he would take ‘PoAtan’ down, there’s no other way,” Werdum continued. “He could knock out Jon Jones, but you can’t compare them. ‘PoAtan’s striking technique is much better, but if the fight goes to the ground, it gets complicated. I don’t doubt him on anything, though.”

Alex Pereira tipped to make heavyweight move

And while he’s likely set for an extended stay at light heavyweight following his championship success, Pereira has, however, been touted as well enough disciplined to make good on a heavyweight leap.

“It’s all a process,” Glover Teixeira said of Alex Pereira fighting at heavyweight during an interview with MMA Fighting. “‘Poatan’ is a disciplined professional, and that’s why he managed to make 185 [pounds] in the first place. It’s not easy for anyone to do what he did. Few people can manage that.”

“I’m not saying few people can fight in the UFC, much less win the belt, but to do what he did, losing that much weight, not many can do,” Teixeira explained. “In the UFC, I’d say only 10 percent of the fighters can do that weight cut the way he did. It was very brutal, but ‘Poatan’ has the the discipline for it.” 

Would you like to see Alex Pereira make an eventual heavyweight leap?