Tag: UFC 299

Dustin Poirier offered title fight with Islam Makhachev in June after huge UFC 299 win: ‘He took a huge risk’

Dustin Poirier offered title fight with Islam Makhachev in June after UFC 299 winFollowing his stunning knockout win over Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299 last night, former interim lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier…

Dustin Poirier offered title fight with Islam Makhachev in June after UFC 299 win

Following his stunning knockout win over Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299 last night, former interim lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier has been offered the chance to compete for undisputed spoils once more, in the form of a June title chase with Islam Makhachev, by the incumbent’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz.

Poirier, the current number three ranked lightweight contender, returned to the winner’s enclosure at UFC 299 last night against French contender, Saint-Denis – once more walking though the fire to prevail in a gruelling co-main event clash.

Rallying following an adversity-filled first round which contained a number of rear-naked choke attempts and vicious punches upstairs, Poirier eventually found the mark on the Nimes native, buckling his knees with a well-placed left uppercut in close.

And after missing out on yet another attempted guillotine choke in a guard pull, Poirier circled out and clipped Saint-Denis with a thunderous right hook – felling him and following up with ground strikes for a massive stoppage win in Miami.

Dustin Poirier lands stunning KO win over Benoit Saint Denis in rsllying performance UFC 299 Highlights
Mandatory Credit: Chris Unger – Zuffa LLC

Boasted to fight for the lightweight title in the near future amid reaching a new-level of stardom according to promotional boss, Dana White, Lafayette native, Poirier has been offered a clash with Makhachev by his manager Abdelaziz – who suggested a June championship affair.

Dustin Poirier offered title fight after UFC 299

“Dustin Poirier took a huge risk tonight and came out on top and looked amazing,” Ali Abdelaziz posted on his official X account. “Dustin vs. @MAKHACHEVMMA in June especially since everyone else has fights [at lightweight]. If the UFC is good with this, then Islam would be game.” 

Heralded by fans and fellow fighters for his stunning come-from-behind win over Saint-Denis, Poirier received plaudits from arch-rival and three-time foe, former two-weight champion, Conor McGregor last night – who also applauded French president, Emmanuel Macron for some reason to boot.

Dustin Poirier UFC 299 1
Mandatory Credit: Chris Unger – Zuffa LLC

“Great fight out of them French boys tonight! Toutes nos félicitations @DustinPoirier @BenoitSt_Denis @EmmanuelMacron” 

Would you like to see Dustin Poirier fight Islam Makhachev in June?

UFC CEO Dana White is not thrilled about the boxing fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul on July 20

Dana WhiteUFC CEO Dana White is not particularly thrilled with Mike Tyson’s return to the boxing ring this summer. Earlier…

Dana White

UFC CEO Dana White is not particularly thrilled with Mike Tyson’s return to the boxing ring this summer.

Earlier this week, it was announced that the legendary pugilist would step back inside the squared circle for a showdown with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul at a blockbuster event inside AT&T Stadium — home of the Dallas Cowboys — on July 20.

Dana White comments on Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson

By the time fight night rolls around, Tyson will be 58 years old, more than 30 years older than his opponent.

Asked for his thoughts on the news during the UFC 299 post-fight press event, White was reluctant to slam the matchmaking, taking his friendship with Tyson into consideration, but made it abundantly clear that he did not approve.

“He gets mad when I do this, but Mike is [57], man,” White said. “I love Mike Tyson personally, as a friend. He’s one of my favorite athletes of all time. Let’s see if he can go in there and put together a training camp, but I don’t like to see the guy fighting. There’s a 31-year age difference in that fight. You guys know what I think of that stuff.”

Dana White comments on Paul vs. Tyson airing live on Netflix this summer

In another interesting twist, the fight will take place on Netflix, becoming the streaming giant’s first foray into live combat sports.

“I think that Netflix should have gotten into live sports years ago,” White added. “I think they are late to the game, but they are a force, and when you look at the amount of homes that they’re in worldwide… You guys heard me talk about the show Reacher. I posted about it. I love that show. I hate TV. I don’t watch any f*cking TV show hardly ever. Don’t watch movies anymore, but I love the show Reach, right? I can watch Reacher whenever I want to. I can watch it when I get home. I can watch it next week.

“Live sports like [UFC 299] you have to watch tonight. As all these massive streaming companies start to get bigger and bigger, they have to be involved in live sports.”

In January, it was announced that World Wrestling Entertainment would move its flagship show — Monday Night Raw — to Netflix in a blockbuster deal starting in 2025. It will be the first time the show airs exclusively on a streaming platform since debuting in 1993.

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The UFC and ESPN will head to the negotiating table to discuss a new broadcast rights deal in the near future. The promotion inked a lucrative seven-year agreement with the leader in sports in 2018 that was reportedly worth more than $1.5 billion.

With that deal set to expire next year, the UFC is planning to sit down with ESPN before fielding offers from other networks and streaming services looking to add the Las Vegas-based organization to their library.

Negotiations will be handled by the UFC’s parent company, TKO Group Holdings which is led by CEO Ari Emanuel.

Petr Yan planning to fight ‘Chito’ Vera and Sean O’Malley following his return to the win column at UFC 299

After snapping a three-fight losing skid, Petr Yan already has his next two fights planned out. Making his first…

After snapping a three-fight losing skid, Petr Yan already has his next two fights planned out.

Making his first appearance of 2024 inside the Octagon, ‘No Mercy’ delivered a solid showing against rising bantamweight contender Song Yadong in the UFC 299 main card opener. Though the bout was relatively close on the stat sheet, Yan delivered the more punishing blows throughout the second and third rounds, securing him the 29-28 decision on all three scorecards.

Petr Yan

Back in the win column, the former bantamweight champion already has some big aspirations, including a fight with one-time UFC title challenger Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera.

But he’s not stopping there…

“Chito, you are next,” Yan said backstage. “Sean after. I’ll smash these two guys.”

Petr Yan Wants Redemption for Controversial Loss to Sean O’Malley

A couple hours after Yan saw his hand raised inside the Octagon, ‘Chito’ Vera and Sean O’Malley stepped into the main event spotlight at UFC 299 for a rematch nearly four years in the making. O’Malley, who was determined to erase a bitter loss to Vera in August 2020, put on a striking clinic, battering Vera for 25 minutes en route to retaining his 135-pound crown decisively.

Sean O'Malley vs. Marlon Vera

With Yan locked in at No. 4 in the rankings and Vera still clinging to his No. 5 slot, a fight between the two would certainly make sense and could be exactly what ‘No Mercy’ needs to secure his own rematch with Sean O’Malley.

Before ‘Sugar’ claimed the bantamweight title with a brutal second-round KO of Aljamain Sterling last year, he had to go through Petr Yan at UFC 280. O’Malley walked away with a razor-close split decision. The result was met with significant skepticism from pundits believing Yan’s six takedowns and more than five minutes of control time were enough to win.

Islam Makhachev comments on Dustin Poirier’s brutal second-round knockout of Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299

Dustin PoirierUFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev was very impressed with Dustin Poirier’s latest performance inside the Octagon. Stepping into the…

Dustin Poirier

UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev was very impressed with Dustin Poirier’s latest performance inside the Octagon.

Stepping into the co-main event spotlight, ‘The Diamond’ was tasked with taking out surging division standout Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299 in Miami. Through the first seven minutes, things were not looking good for Poirier as the ‘God of War’ continued to smother the former interim titleholder with his world-class wrestling.

Poirier certainly wasn’t doing any favors for himself by attempting to go for the ever-enticing, but usually unsuccessful guillotine choke no less than four times.

However, Poirier turned the tables near the halfway point of the second round with a sneaky left uppercut that momentarily dropped Saint-Denis. That kickstarted a sequence of events allowing Poirier to land a monstrous right hook that immediately rendered BSD unconscious.

The ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ was quick to compliment his division rival on social media.

“Very impressive Dustin,” Makhachev wrote on X.

Dustin Poirier

Dustin Poirier Secures His Spot in the Lightweight Top Five

With his impressive victory over Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299, Dustin Poirier secured his spot as the division’s No. 3 ranked contender. Unfortunately, that won’t necessarily land him a shot at Makhachev’s 155-pound crown anytime soon. Currently, the protege of Khabib Nurmagomedov is expected to square off with BMF titleholder Justin Gaethje later this year — once ‘The Highlight’ takes care of some business at UFC 300 with Max Holloway.

Also going down at the promotion’s landmark event on April 13 is a title eliminator between former champion Charles Oliveira and rising contender Arman Tsarukyan.

Thus far, Makhachev has successfully defended his title twice in back-to-back bouts against former featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski — the most recent coming in October when the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ dispatched ‘The Great’ with a brutal head kick in the opening round.

Sean O’Malley calls for a fight with Ilia Topuria following dominant victory at UFC 299: ‘Get me a jet to Spain!’

Sean O'Malley calls for a fight with Ilia Topuria following dominant victory at UFC 299: 'Get me a jet to Spain'Sean O’Malley wants Ilia Topuria next. On Saturday night (March 9), ‘Sugar’ returned to the Octagon at UFC 299,…

Sean O'Malley calls for a fight with Ilia Topuria following dominant victory at UFC 299: 'Get me a jet to Spain'

Sean O’Malley wants Ilia Topuria next.

On Saturday night (March 9), ‘Sugar’ returned to the Octagon at UFC 299, putting his bantamweight title on the line for the first time against the only man to have handed him a loss in his mixed martial arts career, Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera.

Through five rounds, O’Malley dominated the action, putting his world-class boxing skills on display and retaining his gold with a decisive unanimous decision. Speaking with Joe Rogan immediately following the fight, O’Malley made it clear that the next man on his hit list is none other than the promotion’s new featherweight king, Ilia Topuria.

“Dana, get me a jet to Spain, baby! I’m coming for Ilia Topuria,” O’Malley said. “He’s a scary f*cking dude. That excites me. Going up a weight class excites me, but honestly, I’m here for whatever. If you guys want me to knock out Merab [Dvalishvili] I’ll do that too, but Ilia is the most exciting fight for the people.”

Last month, Ilia Topuria scored a shocking second-round knockout of P4P great Alexander Volkanovski to claim his first UFC title.

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(Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Sean O’Malley and Ilia Topuria have plenty of options in their own divisions

With both Sean O’Malley and Ilia Topuria staring down a backlog of viable contenders in their divisions, it’s hard to imagine that the UFC would book a fight between the two titleholders at such an early point in their individual runs. Particularly when it comes to the bantamweight division and its top-ranked contender, Merab Dvalishvili.

The Machine’ has won his last 10 fights in a row, including a win over former two-division champion Henry Cejudo at UFC 298, and is the clear-cut next man in line for a shot at the belt.

As for Topuria, ‘El Matador’ has a few different options for his first defense of the 145-pound crown — chief among them being a rematch with Alexander Volkanovski.

Depending on how things play out at UFC 300 next month, Max Holloway could find himself at the front of the line. And then of course there is Brian Ortega, who is fresh in the minds of fight fans after his memorable performance against Yair Rodriguez just a few short weeks ago.

Sean O’Malley batters Chito Vera in lopsided title fight rematch decision win – UFC 299 Highlights

Sean O'Malley batters Chito Vera in dominant title fight rematch win at UFC 299 HighlightsUndisputed bantamweight champion, Sean O’Malley remains just that come the conclusion of UFC 299 tonight — with the Montana…

Sean O'Malley batters Chito Vera in dominant title fight rematch win at UFC 299 Highlights

Undisputed bantamweight champion, Sean O’Malley remains just that come the conclusion of UFC 299 tonight — with the Montana native avenging his sole professional loss in a dominant and one-sided decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-44) win over title chaser, Marlon Vera in the pair’s championship rematch tonight in Miami, Florida.

Blisteringly outstriking Vera over the course of all five rounds tonight at UFC 299, Dana White’s Contender Series alum, O’Malley retains his bantamweight crown with tonight’s victory over the gutsy Chone native, Vera — bloodying and battering the Ecuadorian.

Sean OMalley UFC 299 2
Mandatory Credit: Chris Unger – Zuffa LLC

Avenging his 2020 loss to Vera in tonight’s main event clash, O’Malley claimed he was now once more undefeated as a result of his win over the former.

Sean OMalley UFC 299
Mandatory Credit: Chris Unger – Zuffa LLC

And despite surging number one contender, Merab Dvalishvili waiting firmly in the wings to fight O’Malley next — the bantamweight kingpin called for a championship rise to the featherweight limit against newly-minted gold holder, Ilia Topuria next, urging UFC CEO, Dana White to organize a super fight between the duo in Spain.

Below, catch the highlights from Sean O’Malley’s rematch win over Chito Vera