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Tom Aspinall Questions UFC’s ‘Unfair’ Decision Not To Renew Muhammad Mokaev’s Contract

Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall says “it’s a shame” that flyweight contender Muhammad Mokaev was recently let go. Mokaev made the walk late last month at the UFC 304 pay-per-view with his sights set on securing a first shot at gold on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage. Instead, he departed the cage without a […]

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Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall says “it’s a shame” that flyweight contender Muhammad Mokaev was recently let go.

Mokaev made the walk late last month at the UFC 304 pay-per-view with his sights set on securing a first shot at gold on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage. Instead, he departed the cage without a spot on the roster anymore.

While the exact reason for the promotion not re-signing him remains undisclosed, UFC CEO Dana White insisted it had nothing to do with his fighting style, which came into question again following a lackluster decision win over Manel Kape in Manchester.

With that, most have concluded that antics away from the cage were responsible for his release, and UFC 304 fight week certainly wasn’t short on them. “The Punisher” most notably admitted to sucker-punching his opponent at the fighter hotel.

If that was among the major reasons for the UFC not re-signing Mokaev, another victor from the July 27 PPV doesn’t think his fellow Brit has been treated fairly…

Aspinall On Mokaev’s UFC Exit: ‘It’s A Shame’

During a recent interview with former boxing champion Carl Froch, Aspinall was asked for his take on the situation surrounding Mokaev, whom he’s known since the flyweight was a youngster.

Like some in the MMA space, the interim heavyweight champ pointed to numerous big-name fighters who have had altercations and incidents outside the Octagon, suggesting it’s “unfair” for Mokaev to be punished while others got away scot-free.

“Muhammad Mokaev’s a lad I’ve known since he was 12 years old. … Him and his opponent (Kape) had a lot of beef beforehand; they were scrapping in the hotel before…and I heard some stories about kicking each other’s hotel rooms when they’re trying to sleep,” Aspinall said. “The UFC kicked him out. They don’t wanna re-sign him because of what’s gone on.

“I think it’s unfair. … This has happened before, all this beef in the hotel and at the weigh-ins, and all the rest of it,” Aspinall continued. “It’s not the first time, so I think it’s a bit unfair on him to kick him out indefinitely. But at the end of the day, I’m not the boss of the UFC, so it’s got nothing to do with me. … I think it’s a shame, but it’s not really my call.”

According to others, however, there’s likely more to the story. One of Muhammad’s flyweight peers, ex-title challenger Steve Erceg, also recently suggested that disrespectful behavior toward UFC staff likely played a part in the promotion’s decision.

The saga looks far from over, with Mokaev repeatedly pleading his case on social media and vowing to return to the Octagon. “The Punisher’s” most recent post regarding his status came while he attended this past weekend’s UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi.

Read More: 4 Positives & 3 Negatives From UFC Fight Night: Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov

Continue Reading Tom Aspinall Questions UFC’s ‘Unfair’ Decision Not To Renew Muhammad Mokaev’s Contract at MMA News.

‘You Messed It Up’: Dana White Called Out for Lackluster UFC 304

Two top MMA analysts aren’t buying what UFC CEO Dana White is selling when it comes to some of…

Two top MMA analysts aren’t buying what UFC CEO Dana White is selling when it comes to some of his post-fight remarks at UFC 304.

UFC 304 in Manchester last month featured two impressive title wins, capped off by Belal Muhammad’s upset victory over Leon Edwards in the main event. UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall retained his belt with a wild finish to Curtis Blaydes in the co-main event.

While the top of the card delivered plenty of storylines, UFC 304 featured seven consecutive decisions, a streak snapped by Paddy Pimblett’s submission of King Green on the main card. The UFC 304 fights began in the middle of the night in Manchester, leading to some low-output showings in the Octagon.

After UFC 304, White appeared to dismiss that the unideal fight times had an impact on the event quality. This was despite some fight fans in attendance falling asleep at the venue as the matchups played out.

Dana White Questioned For Scathing Post-UFC 304 Comments

During a recent episode of Weighing In, ‘Big’ John McCarthy picked apart White’s disgruntled post-UFC 304 comments.

“When you’re pointing one finger forward, there’s three coming back at you Josh and you got to look at those and you gotta say well, we did put these fighters in a position where they were fighting at 3 o’clock in the morning, 4 o’clock in the morning, 5 o’clock in the morning,” McCarthy said of White. “No one works out at those times, no one fights at those times. It is an unusual situation and even if you try to prepare for it, it’s odd. It’s just an odd time for you, your body doesn’t feel the same, you don’t feel like you’re on top of things.” (h/t MMANews)

McCarthy’s co-host, former UFC standout Josh Thomson, didn’t hold back in his criticism of White’s post-event remarks.

“You kind of offset both parties by doing this,” Thomson said of White. “What happens is when you go to another country and they’re there five days before, some of them get there seven days before, some of the staff, and sometimes that’s not good. But, what I’m saying though is that now you’ve asked them to stay awake during the night so they can be awake during the night…

“So, the ones that come from the states that work for the UFC, their body clock is trying to change to get adjusted to the UK time when in fact they can’t because their show is at 5 in the morning,” Thomson continued on White. “Then, the fighters that are there, they’re getting all screwed up because they’re having to fight when they’re normally sleeping. So you really kind of messed up both sides of this equation. You messed it up for the people that work for the promotion and some of the fighters that came over having to fight.”

White has shown zero intentions of modifying future UK event start times after UFC 304. Aspinall and others pleaded with White and the UFC matchmakers to change the event schedule ahead of UFC 304, to no avail.

Arnold Allen Shuts Down Spying Allegations From Giga Chikadze At UFC 304: ‘I Know Exactly What You’re Gonna Do…’

Featherweight contender Arnold Allen returned to the win column at UFC 304, where winning rounds two and three against Giga Chikadze secured him a unanimous decision across all three scorecards. The fight was a high-level striking contest between the two men in Manchester where Allen was able to show that he can stand with the […]

Continue Reading Arnold Allen Shuts Down Spying Allegations From Giga Chikadze At UFC 304: ‘I Know Exactly What You’re Gonna Do…’ at MMA News.

Featherweight contender Arnold Allen returned to the win column at UFC 304, where winning rounds two and three against Giga Chikadze secured him a unanimous decision across all three scorecards.

The fight was a high-level striking contest between the two men in Manchester where Allen was able to show that he can stand with the best strikers at 145-pounds.

Despite everything appearing to be civil between them ahead of fight night, a social media post from Chikadze appeared to stir up some drama.

The Georgian fighter posted on X and accused his opponent of sending spies to his training room.

You can send as many spies as you want in my training room but tmrw night no one will help you in the octagon! #UFC304 @ufc

— GIGACHAD (@giga_chikadze) July 26, 2024

Arnold Allen Addresses ‘Weird’ Spying Allegations And Says He Wouldn’t Need Them

In a recent interview with InsideFighting, Allen spoke about Chikadze’s claims and explained how he believes that his opponent was paranoid.

“Yeah, I don’t know. That guy’s a strange guy man, paranoid I think, I don’t know. I ain’t got no spies and he was like saying there’s English people everywhere and I’m just like what the f*** do you mean there’s English people everywhere? Mate, you’re in Manchester. I was really, I was kind of taken aback. I was confused. I was just like I don’t know what you’re talking about, so yeah, weird. Weird, weird, weird but like, I ain’t got no spies.”

The #5-ranked contender did go on to explain that some fighters that he knew were, at one point, in the same room as Chikadze, as referenced in the social media post.

Allen broke down what actually played out and said that due to Chikadze’s signature style, he wouldn’t need spies to predict his approach because he is such a specialist striker.

“No one was coming and reporting things and telling me anything. A couple of my teammates were working out in the room, in their workout room, and he had someone from his team come and ask them to leave and they did and they didn’t tell me anything. They were just like, ‘Oh yeah he recognized us from like you train at this gym and then they asked us to leave,’ and they left and they didn’t tell me anything so, other than that they got asked to leave. Weird but also like, if I need spies for anyone, he’s the last guy I need spies for. You know what I mean? It’s like I know exactly what you’re going to do. Unless you’re in the back room drilling double legs, I’m not going to be surprised by anything.”

Continue Reading Arnold Allen Shuts Down Spying Allegations From Giga Chikadze At UFC 304: ‘I Know Exactly What You’re Gonna Do…’ at MMA News.

Dana White Told To Accept Blame For Uneventful UFC 304: ‘You Messed It Up For The People That Work For The Promotion & Some Of The Fighters…’

UK fight fans may have been treated to a title fight double header this past weekend in Manchester but UFC 304 didn’t hit expectations. There was a lot of disgruntlement from both fans and fighters when it was announced that the event would be taking place at US time, meaning that the night wouldn’t kick […]

Continue Reading Dana White Told To Accept Blame For Uneventful UFC 304: ‘You Messed It Up For The People That Work For The Promotion & Some Of The Fighters…’ at MMA News.

UK fight fans may have been treated to a title fight double header this past weekend in Manchester but UFC 304 didn’t hit expectations.

There was a lot of disgruntlement from both fans and fighters when it was announced that the event would be taking place at US time, meaning that the night wouldn’t kick off until 11 pm local time at the Co-Op Live arena.

It was clear to see how it affected the ticket-buyers on the night, with videos of the crowd being literally asleep in their seats during the event.

This strange schedule will have also impacted the fighters, with Leon Edwards stating inside the Octagon after losing his welterweight title that he felt low on energy all week after training in the middle of the night.

After Dana White slated the in-Octagon action, which had a run of seven consecutive judges’ decisions, the idea of how much the timings affected the night, was called into question.

‘Big’ John McCarthy & Josh Thomson Say UFC Need To Take Some Blame For Time-Related Issues At UFC 304

On a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast, “Big” John McCarthy and Josh Thomson discussed the impact of UFC 304 taking place at US time despite it being held in England.

McCarthy said that the UFC – namely Dana White- needs to take some of the blame for why the card didn’t end up delivering due to this decision.

“When you’re pointing one finger forward, there’s three coming back at you Josh and you got to look at those and you gotta say well, we did put these fighters in a position where they were fighting at 3 o’clock in the morning, 4 o’clock in the morning, 5 o’clock in the morning. No one works out at those times, no one fights at those times. It is an unusual situation and even if you try to prepare for it, it’s odd. It’s just an odd time for you, your body doesn’t feel the same, you don’t feel like you’re on top of things.”

Thomson went on to add how it wasn’t just the fighters from the UK that would have struggled with the difference in event scheduling.

He noted how fighters and staff coming from other countries would have also experienced difficulties because they would have needed to sleep throughout the day- even if the actual time wouldn’t be any different for them.

“You kind of offset both parties by doing this. What happens is when you go to another country and they’re there five days before, some of them get there seven days before, some of the staff, and sometimes that’s not good. But, what I’m saying though is that now you’ve asked them to stay awake during the night so they can be awake during the night.

“So, the ones that come from the states that work for the UFC, their body clock is trying to change to get adjusted to the UK time when in fact they can’t because their show is at 5 in the morning. Then, the fighters that are there, they’re getting all screwed up because they’re having to fight when they’re normally sleeping. So you really kind of messed up both sides of this equation. You messed it up for the people that work for the promotion and some of the fighters that came over having to fight.”

Continue Reading Dana White Told To Accept Blame For Uneventful UFC 304: ‘You Messed It Up For The People That Work For The Promotion & Some Of The Fighters…’ at MMA News.

Georges St-Pierre’s Coach Heaps Praise On Belal Muhammad’s Mentality For UFC 304 Win Over Leon Edwards: ‘Covington Couldn’t Take Him Down!’

Georges St-Pierre’s esteemed head coach, Firas Zahabi, recently showered accolades on Belal Muhammad for his tenacious performance against Leon Edwards at UFC 304. “Remember the Name” dethroned the defending UFC welterweight champion last weekend at the Co-Op Live arena in Manchester, United Kingdom. This highly anticipated bout was their second encounter, following their initial fight […]

Continue Reading Georges St-Pierre’s Coach Heaps Praise On Belal Muhammad’s Mentality For UFC 304 Win Over Leon Edwards: ‘Covington Couldn’t Take Him Down!’ at MMA News.

Georges St-Pierre’s esteemed head coach, Firas Zahabi, recently showered accolades on Belal Muhammad for his tenacious performance against Leon Edwards at UFC 304.

“Remember the Name” dethroned the defending UFC welterweight champion last weekend at the Co-Op Live arena in Manchester, United Kingdom. This highly anticipated bout was their second encounter, following their initial fight in March 2021, which concluded in a no-contest due to an accidental eye-poke that prevented Muhammad from continuing past the second round.

Muhammad opened the fight with vigor, swiftly executing a takedown that showcased his superior wrestling skills. His fluid blend of takedowns and sharp boxing set the pace early on. In the second round, the American ramped up his offense, slamming “Rocky” headfirst into the canvas and seizing control of the match.

Edwards mounted a fierce comeback in the fourth round, unleashing a flurry of potent strikes. However, Muhammad closed the distance and secured another takedown, maintaining dominant control for the majority of the round. The Englishman managed to reverse the position in the final round, raining down a torrent of elbows that inflicted significant damage on Muhammad’s nose, but his relentless assault wasn’t enough to sway the judges’ scorecards in his favor.

The official scores of the fight were 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46, decisively naming “Remember the Name” as the new UFC welterweight champion.

Zahabi believes that Muhammad deployed an impressive array of techniques against Edwards…

Zahabi Credits Muhammad’s Victory Over Edwards to His Self-Belief

In a recent video on the Tristar Gym YouTube channel, Zahabi analyzed the title fight between Edwards and Muhammad. The esteemed MMA coach lauded the challenger, noting that overcoming a fighter like “Rocky”, known for his exceptional takedown defense, was achievable only through Muhammad’s unwavering confidence in his grappling prowess.

“His boxing was excellent, and his double leg was even better,” Zahabi said. “The way he locked it up, the way he had his back straight, stunning performance. That’s no easy fight. Leon Edwards ain’t no easy fight. Colby Covington couldn’t take him down. Colby Covington, the guy who’s been wrestling his entire life, the guy who was supposed to be the top wrestler in the UFC, he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t do it. How come Belal was taking him down over and over again with such belief? Belal has so much belief in his takedowns.”

Zahabi went on to highlight how “Remember the Name” has improved his skillset to an entirely new level since his first fight against Edwards.

“That’s a very different Belal Muhammad. I think Leon Edwards really underestimated Belal Muhammad. I really think he underestimated him, which was a huge mistake because Belal has really improved in the last three years. He was a great fighter then; he’s a much better fighter now.”

With his recent victory, Muhammad extended his impressive unbeaten streak to 11 consecutive fights in the Octagon.

Although the Chicago native hasn’t yet named an opponent for his first title defense, Shavkat Rakhmonov stands out as the most likely contender.

Read More: Old Video Shows Belal Muhammad’s Eerily Accurately Prediction Of How He Would ‘Break’ Leon Edwards At UFC 304

Continue Reading Georges St-Pierre’s Coach Heaps Praise On Belal Muhammad’s Mentality For UFC 304 Win Over Leon Edwards: ‘Covington Couldn’t Take Him Down!’ at MMA News.

Dustin Poirier compliments surging Paddy Pimblett: ‘He’s on the right track’

Turning in one of the most high-profile victories of his UFC tenure over the course of last weekend in…

Turning in one of the most high-profile victories of his UFC tenure over the course of last weekend in Manchester, promotional contender, Paddy Pimblett has many a critic, however, don’t expect former interim champion, Dustin Poirier to be one of them.

Pimblett, who cracked the lightweight division top-15 rankings earlier this week, managed to land his sixth consecutive Octagon win at UFC 304, stopping common-foe, King Green with a stunning first round triangle choke in the ‘Rainy City’.

With the victory, Pimblett finally made his way to a ranking in the division, and immediately set out his intentions to take on Brazilian rival, Renato Moicano next – who is currently booked to take on Benoit Saint Denis in a five round bout at UFC Fight Night Paris next month.

As for Poirier, the Lafayette veteran revealed he would likely come to a decision on a mooted retirement from the sport at the beginning of September, having most recently dropped a fifth round D’Arce choke loss to Islam Makhachev in a title clash back in May at UFC 302.

Dustin Poirier heaps praise on Paddy Pimblett at UFC 304

Sharing his thoughts on the continued rise of Pimblett after he traversed past common-opponent, Green, Poirier maintained the outspoken Liverpool grappler was “on the right track”.

“He’s (Paddy Pimblett) another one of those guys whose trajectory is like if he keeps doing what he’s doing – he’s going to be – not that he’s not massive – but he’s on the right track,” Dustin Poirier told MMA Junkie. “Dude, when you talk like that and people like your personality, and you go out there and finish guys, you know, vets and legends like Bobby,”

“Of course, going into the fight, I knew he could win, but to finish Bobby Green like that, I was very surprised,” Poirier continued. “He’s talking the talk, walking the walk, man.”

What do you think is Paddy Pimblett’s ceiling?