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Daniel Cormier Believes Leon Edwards & Belal Muhammad Are Underestimating Each Other Ahead Of UFC 304: ‘Both Of These Guys Are Much Better…’

Daniel Cormier recently remarked that Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad’s assertions of downplaying each other’s abilities ahead of their rematch at UFC 304 are far more than mere wordplay. Edwards is set to put his title on the line against Muhammad in the main event of the upcoming UFC pay-per-view this Saturday in front of […]

Continue Reading Daniel Cormier Believes Leon Edwards & Belal Muhammad Are Underestimating Each Other Ahead Of UFC 304: ‘Both Of These Guys Are Much Better…’ at MMA News.

Daniel Cormier recently remarked that Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad’s assertions of downplaying each other’s abilities ahead of their rematch at UFC 304 are far more than mere wordplay.

Edwards is set to put his title on the line against Muhammad in the main event of the upcoming UFC pay-per-view this Saturday in front of his hometown crowd at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England.

The two fighters first collided in a short-notice bout during the main event of UFC Fight Night in March 2021. Regrettably, an accidental eye poke in the second round compelled “Remember the Name” to bow out, resulting in the bout being ruled a no-contest.

Since their rematch was announced this past May, both rivals have been relentlessly downplaying each other’s abilities through trash talk in interviews and social media posts. Muhammad, in particular, has gone so far as to label Edwards as the “easiest” opponent he could face in the division.

While the animosity between Edwards and Muhammad is palpable, the former UFC two-division champion believes their trash talk is merely a tactic to rile each other up and hype the fight…

Cormier Dismisses Edwards and Muhammad’s Verbal Jabs As ‘Gamesmanship’

During a recent appearance on the Anik & Florian Podcast, “DC” observed that both Edwards and Muhammad seem to be underestimating each other, each believing that their opponent hasn’t improved since their first fight three years ago.

“I think we’re in a situation where both of these guys are looking at the other, going, ‘Well, he ain’t what he’s supposed to be,’” Cormier said. “When I hear Leon Edwards talk about the competition, it feels like ‘Rocky’ expects the Belal that he kicked in the head in round one of the first fight, and then he was kind of beating, but it’s not the same Belal Muhammad.

“But I know Belal Muhammad needs to recognize that it’s not the same Leon Edwards. We saw Leon Edwards change from fight one to fight two against Kamaru Usman.”

The UFC Hall of Famer noted that both fighters are deliberately making provocative remarks to get under each other’s skin and boost their own confidence ahead of their upcoming clash.

“I truly believe that it is all gamesmanship. We’re getting to the point where the gamesmanship starts to show, where you insult the guy to make yourself feel more confident going into the competition.”

Following their initial bout, “Rocky” earned a title shot by defeating Nate Diaz at UFC 263 and ultimately dethroned Kamaru Usman to claim the welterweight gold at UFC 278 in August 2022.

Meanwhile, Muhammad had to embark on a five-fight winning streak to finally secure his first UFC title opportunity. Only time will reveal how much both fighters have evolved to counter each other’s game plans.

Read More: UFC Commentator Labels Belal Muhammad ‘Deluded’ For Pre-UFC 304 Comments About Leon Edwards

Continue Reading Daniel Cormier Believes Leon Edwards & Belal Muhammad Are Underestimating Each Other Ahead Of UFC 304: ‘Both Of These Guys Are Much Better…’ at MMA News.

‘Hunter Campbell Himself Called Netflix’ – Ciryl Gane’s Coach Dismisses Ducking Tom Aspinall Narrative

Despite the history between Curtis Blaydes and Tom Aspinall with the way their first fight ended, having this match-up for the interim heavyweight title was not the first choice for the co-main event of UFC 304. If the UFC was able to make it happen, Ciryl Gane was reportedly the frontrunner to face Aspinall in […]

Continue Reading ‘Hunter Campbell Himself Called Netflix’ – Ciryl Gane’s Coach Dismisses Ducking Tom Aspinall Narrative at MMA News.

If the UFC was able to make it happen, Ciryl Gane was reportedly the frontrunner to face Aspinall in Manchester this Saturday.

It was later revealed that Gane was unable to fight on July 27 due to previous commitments that he had made to working on a movie.

The French fighter received criticism for this as a result but as his coach recently explained, the decision wasn’t made as choosing one or the other.

Fernand Lopez Explains Why Ciryl Gane Couldn’t Fight At UFC 304 After Scheduling Issues

In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Gane’s coach Fernand Lopez explained how this whole process came together and why they were unable to take the interim title fight.

This movie project has been something that “Bon Gamin” was set to work on since much earlier in the year but the plans were changed once the UFC came to him and his team with the idea of fighting Sergei Pavlovich.

Lopez states that Pavlovich was unable to take the fight in March so they made an arrangement to push back the filming so that Gane could fight the Russian powerhouse at UFC 300 in April.

This meant that when the fight didn’t happen, they were unable to change the plans, hence why Gane is now reported to return in October to face Alexander Volkov after almost a full year of inactivity.

Lopez referenced how in trying to make the dates work for all parties, the UFC was in communication with Netflix to try and reschedule the movie’s filming schedule to allow for Gane to compete at UFC 304.

Unfortunately, they were unable to push the dates back even further which led to Aspinall defending the interim title in a rematch with Blaydes instead.

“When we went back with Netflix, signed the deal with Netflix, we couldn’t stop it. The UFC couldn’t stop it. Matter of fact, I give the contact of Netflix and I give the contact of the producer of the movie that was very kind, I give that contact to the UFC and try to talk with them. UFC have very good relationship with Netflix, with the global Netflix, and they was trying to reschedule thing and change thing I say okay, if you can make it to move things, to remove the movie and push it a little bit back, then we are good to go.

“We will do that, we will wait and we will do the fight and then wait for the movie and they tried with the UFC. Hunter Campbell himself call Netflix to try to push back the filming but that was too much money to spend. That was too much thing to move around and again, this is something that is not a problem. We don’t have any beef with the UFC talking about this movie.”

Read More: Curtis Blaydes Defends UFC 304 Opponent Tom Aspinall Against Overconfident Claims: ‘Can You Really Blame Him?’

Continue Reading ‘Hunter Campbell Himself Called Netflix’ – Ciryl Gane’s Coach Dismisses Ducking Tom Aspinall Narrative at MMA News.

VIDEO: UFC 304 Co-Headliner Tom Aspinall’s Brutal Finishes Inside The Octagon

In four years competing on the sports’ biggest stage, UFC 304 co-headliner Tom Aspinall has added to his mixed martial arts highlight reel in a big way. The interim heavyweight champion will return in the co-main event of this weekend’s pay-per-view card at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England, where he’s tasked with defending his belt […]

Continue Reading VIDEO: UFC 304 Co-Headliner Tom Aspinall’s Brutal Finishes Inside The Octagon at MMA News.

In four years competing on the sports’ biggest stage, UFC 304 co-headliner Tom Aspinall has added to his mixed martial arts highlight reel in a big way.

The interim heavyweight champion will return in the co-main event of this weekend’s pay-per-view card at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England, where he’s tasked with defending his belt in a rematch against Curtis Blaydes.

Aspinall captured the title with a thunderous knockout of Sergei Pavlovich in their short-notice championship bout on the Madison Square Garden-held UFC 295 card last November.

While perhaps the most destructive of his UFC finishes, it was just the latest in a string of stoppage victories for the Mancunian behemoth, who is yet to require the scorecards inside the Octagon.

To put himself in position to receive the late-notice call eight months ago, Aspinall returned from injury with a bang by knocking out Marcin Tybura just 73 seconds into their London headliner last July.

That marked Aspinall’s second finish in a main event staged in England’s capital. His headline debut came the previous year opposite veteran contender Alexander Volkov, whom the Brit put away with a gruesome Americana lock.

And prior to entering title contention, Jake Collier, Alan Baudot, Andrei Arlovski, and Serghei Spivac all fell to either Aspinall’s strikes or submission prowess.

Ahead of Saturday’s event, the promotion has uploaded a video showcasing Aspinall’s brutal finishes inside the Octagon to its official YouTube channel.

Aspinall will hope to further add to his highlight reel this weekend at UFC 304, where he’ll no doubt get a raucous reception as he walks out in front of fans in his home city for the first time since his professional debut back in 2014.

Read More: Curtis Blaydes Defends UFC 304 Opponent Tom Aspinall Against Overconfident Claims: ‘Can You Really Blame Him?’

Continue Reading VIDEO: UFC 304 Co-Headliner Tom Aspinall’s Brutal Finishes Inside The Octagon at MMA News.

Exclusive | ‘Just so it’s another f*ck you to Cormier’ Paddy Pimblett Talks Jon Jones at heavyweight

Paddy Pimblett thinks Jon Jones‘ insistence on fighting Stipe Miocic is nothing but a big “f*ck you” to his…

Paddy Pimblett thinks Jon Jones‘ insistence on fighting Stipe Miocic is nothing but a big “f*ck you” to his greatest rival.

Stepping back inside the Octagon for the first time since scoring a win over Tony Ferguson in December, ‘The Baddy’ will meet No. 15 ranked lightweight contender King Green when the UFC descends upon Co-op Live in Manchester for its latest pay-per-view offering.

Ahead of his sixth promotional appearance, Pimblett spoke with Tim Wheaton in an exclusive interview to discuss all things UFC — including the chaotic state of the heavyweight division and its undisputed champion, Jon Jones.

During their conversation, Pimblett praised ‘Bones’ legacy and recalled watching the two-division titleholder’s domination as a 15-year-old boy in Liverpool dreaming of one day walking that same path.

“He’s the greatest of all time. He’s never lost a fight. I’ll never forget, I watched when he beat Matt Hamill, and it got classed as a DQ,” Pimblett said. “I watched that fight live when I was 15. I watched that live and I’ve been watching Jon Jones my whole career.

“He’s had a couple of close fights that people thought he lost, but he’s the greatest of all time. No one comes near his resume.

After dispatching a slew of MMA legends at 205, Jon Jones made the move heavyweight following a three-year-long layoff and quickly submitted the division’s top contender, Ciryl Gane, at UFC 285 in May 2023 to take home the vacant heavyweight title.

Paddy Pimblett believes Jones beating Miocic is just another way for ‘Bones’ to torment Daniel Cormier

Immediately following the fight, Jones set his sights on Stipe Miocic, the only two-time heavyweight champion in UFC history and the man considered by many to be the division’s undisputed GOAT.

With Jones and Miocic touted as the best light heavyweight and heavyweight fighters of all time, a superfight between the two certainly makes sense — particularly for ‘Bones’ who is hellbent on solidifying his legacy as the best to ever do it.

However, Pimblett believes Jones’ desire to fight Miocic is a bit deeper and much more petty than that.

“I know why he wants to fight Stipe, because Stipe beat Cormier, twice and his hatred for Cormier,” Pimblett said. “He wants to have that win over Stipe who’s beaten Cormier twice, just so it’s another f*ck you to Cormier. That’s how his brain works. I don’t think he’s scared to fight Tom. I don’t think he is at all. I think to be honest, it’s crazy that Tom’s defending an interim title. Most of the champs would have been stripped, but we’re talking about Jon Jones here, the greatest fighter of all time.

“I don’t think he’s scared to fight anyone. Tom could be his biggest test out there. I think Tom’s going to win at UFC 304 against Blaydes. I’d love Tom to win. Then I’d love Jones to beat Stipe and then to fight each other early next year. That’s the scenario that I think every UFC fan wants.”

Before losing his last two UFC fights against Stipe Miocic in a trio of entertaining heavyweight title scraps, Daniel Cormier came up short on two separate occasions against Jon Jones — though one was later overturned to a no-contest.

The rivalry between Cormier and Jones was one of the most fierce in UFC history with ‘DC’ taking exception to Jones’ brash attitude and continuous run-ins with the law. Even today, the animosity is ever present despite their best efforts to remain cordial in front of the camera.

Could that be Jones’ real reason for wanting to fight Miocic? Probably not, but even ‘Bones’ can’t deny that defeating the man who beat Cormier twice would be a pretty big middle finger to ‘DC.’

Tom Aspinall is ‘too good’ for Jon Jones says Alexander Volkanovski

Former featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski believes that if anyone is going to beat Jon Jones, it’ll be Tom Aspinall….

Former featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski believes that if anyone is going to beat Jon Jones, it’ll be Tom Aspinall.

After scoring a 69-second knockout of Sergei Pavlovich to take home the interim heavyweight title last year, Aspinall set his sights on a unification clash with Jones, the undisputed heavyweight world champion. Unfortunately, ‘Bones’ has been nothing but dismissive of the challenge, instead opting to stick to his original plan — a heavyweight superfight with two-time titleholder Stipe Miocic.

With Jones seemingly out of the picture, Aspinall will move on to become the first fighter in more than a decade to defend an interim belt when he meets Curtis Blaydes in the UFC 304 co-main event this Saturday night.

If Aspinall comes out on top against ‘Razor’ in Manchester, a showdown with Jon Jones is the only fight that makes sense — and one that Volkanovski truly believes Aspinall can win.

“I think Tom Aspinall is too good,” Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel. “But what I mean is compared to other fighters, which I’m always going to pick Tom Aspinall. Because I believe he’s that good Jon Jones, I want to see that fight. Jon Jones is that good, and he can maybe handle a heavyweight Tom Aspinall.

“But if anyone’s ever going to beat Jon Jones, it’s someone like Tom Aspinall. He can really mix it up still fast; he’s going to be just as fast as Jon Jones you get what I mean it’s he’s that good” (h/t MMA News).

Is the risk of fighting Tom Aspinall worth the reward for Jon Jones?

As it stands, Jon Jones is widely considered to be the undisputed GOAT of mixed martial arts with title reigns in two different divisions and an unbeaten record, though that last bit is up for some debate — unless you’re Dana White.

A win over Miocic, regarded as the best heavyweight in UFC history, would undoubtedly solidify Jones’ legacy as the greatest of all time, leaving many to speculate that ‘Bones’ would simply walk away at that point, having nothing to gain and everything to lose in a potential fight with Tom Aspinall.

Fueling the speculation, the former light heavyweight champ has routinely teased retirement since revealing Miocic as his next target, but he recently left the door open, noting that there are a lot of “crazy” options should he decide to stick around and add to his already established status as a living legend.

Coach Claims Belal Muhammad ‘Has Hands Like’ Canelo Álvarez Ahead Of UFC 304: ‘Leon Better Be Ready!’

According to Belal Muhammad’s coach, UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards should be ready for some elite Mexican-style boxing this weekend. Edwards is set to headline a pay-per-view event on home soil for the second straight year, as he tops the UFC 304 lineup at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England, on Saturday night. In […]

Continue Reading Coach Claims Belal Muhammad ‘Has Hands Like’ Canelo Álvarez Ahead Of UFC 304: ‘Leon Better Be Ready!’ at MMA News.

According to Belal Muhammad’s coach, UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards should be ready for some elite Mexican-style boxing this weekend.

Edwards is set to headline a pay-per-view event on home soil for the second straight year, as he tops the UFC 304 lineup at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England, on Saturday night.

In addition to familiar surroundings, it’ll be a familiar foe for “Rocky,” who will share the Octagon with 2021 opponent Muhammad. The pair’s first bout ended in a no contest after an accidental eye poke rendered “Remember the Name” unable to continue.

Given the success renowned striker Edwards had on the feet in the first fight, many are backing him to overwhelm Muhammad with kicks and punches in their upcoming rematch.

But according to his coach, the challenger is bringing a new and improved standup arsenal with him across the pond…

Muhammad’s Coach Praises ‘Fast & Sharp’ Striking Ahead Of Second Edwards Showdown

During episode one of the UFC 304 Embedded: Vlog Series, Muhammad can be seen putting in the striking work with his coach, Horacio Gutierrez.

While speaking to the camera, the trainer touted his man’s standup skills highly, even suggesting that he’s adopted a “Mexican style” of boxing akin to the great Canelo Álvarez.

“We have been waiting for this opportunity for a couple of years already. There’s a little unfinished business with Leon,” Gutierrez said. “His hands are really, really good right now; they’re sharp, they’re fast. We’ve got him the Mexican boxing style. If you guys watch Canelo…all those guys, Belal has hands like that right now. So Leon better be ready for that.”

Muhammad previously impressed with his ever-improving striking when he shared the Octagon with Brady at UFC 280 in 2022, stopping the grappling specialist on the feet in round two.

However, Edwards no doubt marks a much tougher test in the striking realm, something the Jamaican-born Brit will look to prove come fight night in Manchester this weekend.

Read More: Leon Edwards Expects Layoff To Affect 36-Year-Old Belal Muhammad At UFC 304: ‘He Was Slow Anyway!’

Continue Reading Coach Claims Belal Muhammad ‘Has Hands Like’ Canelo Álvarez Ahead Of UFC 304: ‘Leon Better Be Ready!’ at MMA News.