UFC 304 co-headliner Curtis Blaydes’ latest triumph inside the Octagon came in memorable fashion four months ago. The #4-ranked heavyweight contender is set to feature in the co-main event of this weekend’s pay-per-view at the Co-op Live in Manchester, England, where he’ll challenge for the division’s interim title against Tom Aspinall. To earn that opportunity, which […]
To earn that opportunity, which marks his first shot at UFC gold, “Razor” stalled the charge of the highly touted Jailton Almeida in violent fashion at UFC 299 in Miami this past April.
Off the back of a grappling-heavy decision win over Derrick Lewis in Brazil last November, “Malhadinho” picked up where he left off by attempting early takedowns on Blaydes. But after a round of control, Almeida’s grappling entry seconds into the second round was met with hammerfist after hammerfist from the American for the TKO stoppage.
Ahead of Saturday’s event, the promotion has released the full Blaydes vs. Almeida fight from UFC 299 on its official YouTube channel.
Blaydes will hope to deliver a similarly emphatic finish at the expense of Aspinall this weekend.
Should he accomplish that feat, “Razor” will not only head back to the United States with gold in his possession for the very first time, but he will also add a more definitive victory over the Brit to his record following the unfortunate ending to their 2022 bout.
UFC commentator John Gooden recently said that Jon Jones should give due recognition to Tom Aspinall if he manages to overcome Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304. Last November, the undisputed heavyweight champion was slated to put his title on the line against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295. However, a torn pectoral muscle forced Jones out […]
UFC commentator John Gooden recently said that Jon Jones should give due recognition to Tom Aspinall if he manages to overcome Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304.
Last November, the undisputed heavyweight champion was slated to put his title on the line against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295. However, a torn pectoral muscle forced Jones out of action, postponing the highly anticipated fight.
As a result, Aspinall rose to the occasion on short notice to face the backup fighter, Sergei Pavlovich, for the interim heavyweight title. The Englishman delivered an electrifying performance, clinching a knockout triumph just over a minute into the first round.
Riding high on his victory, Aspinall called for a title unification bout with “Bones”. However, the American has persistently rebuffed the challenge and even downplayed Aspinall’s status as an interim champion. Instead, Jones has expressed his intention to reconvene his bout with Miocic, which is seemingly targeted for November.
Frustrated by the inactivity, Aspinall chose to defend his interim title in a rematch against former adversary Blaydes. The showdown is set as the co-main event at UFC 304, taking place on July 27 in his hometown of Manchester.
Gooden Foresees Blaydes as Aspinall’s Stepping Stone to Jones Clash
During a recent interview with MiddleEasy, Gooden offered a preview of Aspinall’s upcoming title defense against Blaydes, suggesting that “Razor” constitutes a formidable threat for the Salford native if he relies on his wrestling and grappling prowess.
However, the English UFC commentator noted that Aspinall could surmount this challenge by applying relentless pressure with his precise striking.
“He [Blaydes] is a very, very dangerous guy, a legitimate perennial contender who has been there or thereabouts for the longest time,” Gooden said. “He’s also crossed those leaderboards with his style, obviously with the wrestling-heavy grappling style. But the man will open you up if he lands an elbow, and he will change the fight.”
Gooden also hinted that defeating Blaydes could catapult Aspinall to a status that would force “Bones” to recognize his legitimacy.
“If Tom Aspinall gets past Curtis Blaydes, and particularly in an impressive fashion, then I think that Jon Jones cannot do anything but acknowledge that victory and therefore surely must creep a little bit further into those two getting together, but of course, Tom’s got a big appointment ahead.”
Aspinall holds an Octagon record of seven victories since his promotional debut in July 2022, highlighted by six first-round finishes against formidable adversaries such as Sergei Pavlovich, Alexander Volkov, and Marcin Tybura.
The only blemish on his record during this UFC run has been a TKO loss resulting from an unforeseen knee injury just 15 seconds into his bout against Blaydes at UFC Fight Night London in July 2022.
UFC lightweight Paddy Pimblett believes fans are focusing more on his controversial decision victory over Jared Gordon than some actual “robberies.” Pimblett is set to return to action for his first assignment of 2024 at this weekend’s UFC 304 pay-per-view event, where the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England, will play host to his first […]
UFC lightweight Paddy Pimblett believes fans are focusing more on his controversial decision victory over Jared Gordon than some actual “robberies.”
Pimblett is set to return to action for his first assignment of 2024 at this weekend’s UFC 304 pay-per-view event, where the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England, will play host to his first opportunity to crack the rankings at 155 pounds.
To do so, “The Baddy” must extend his perfect Octagon record at the expense of King Green. The Liverpudlian will enter the contest as an underdog and with significant portions of the MMA community doubting his chances.
That trend has been evident ever since a narrow victory over Jared Gordon at UFC 282 in December 2022. Having boosted his stock to an all-time high with back-to-back highlight reel submission in London that year, a controversial decision going in his favor appeared to turn a strong chunk of the fanbase against Pimblett.
And the fact that his win over Gordon is still used as a way to detract from his UFC career thus far remains a point of frustration for the ex-Cage Warriors champion…
Pimblett: Gordon Fight Was ‘Close’, Not A ‘Robbery’
While he’s another fight on from the widely debated decision against Gordon, Pimblett noted that he still gets plenty of comments about it. “The Baddy” bemoaned that fact, pointing to what sees as legitimate robberies that don’t get the level of scrutiny as his “close” bout with Gordon does 19 months later.
“It was a close decision. I do regret saying in the cage after, ‘No way, that wasn’t close!’ But lad, I just fought for 15 minutes,” Pimblett said. “I still get comments on my YouTube to this day, ‘It seems like Paddy’s got more humble now since he fought Jared Gordon.’ Like, what? I’m still the same person. … The fact I said, ‘I think I won that fight,’ people turned on me. I found that absolutely crazy.
“I ended up watching the fight back and was like, ‘Yeah, that was a close fight.’ … But I think if you watch it with commentary, that sways you a lot more towards Jared,” Pimblett continued. “It was a close fight, but I don’t get to this day why it still gets brought up and people still say that it’s a robbery. If that’s a robbery, people need to go watch Khabib vs. Gleison Tibau! Even Jared’s last fight, that’s more of a robbery.”
The pair are tasked with setting the stage for two championship headliners, as Pimblett’s fellow countrymen Leon Edwards and Tom Aspinall put their titles on the line.
Manchester, are you ready??#UFC304 fight week is HERE
A win in the main event of UFC 304 will earn Leon Edwards the third ruby on his welterweight title. Since stunning the MMA world with his head kick knockout of Kamaru Usman, the Brit has defended his title on two occasions heading into this rematch with Belal Muhammad on July 27 in Manchester. Edwards […]
Edwards has made it clear that he has big goals in mind for his title reign at 170-pounds where he hopes to break the great Georges St-Pierre’s records.
Though he has no plans to permanently leave welterweight at any point soon, “Rocky” also hopes to challenge himself at middleweight at some stage.
With several top names sitting at the top of the division, it could be a very different landscape at 185-pounds by the time Edwards makes his move.
Dave Lovell Picks Out Sean Strickland & Dricus Du Plessis As Potential Middleweight Fights For Leon Edwards
In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Edwards’ head coach Dave Lovell was asked to give his opinion on who the middleweight champion will be when his fighter attempts to become a two-weight world champion.
Israel Adesanya is set to challenge for the title that he has held twice before when he faces Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305 next month but Lovell doesn’t believe that “The Last Stylebender” will be around for much longer.
Edwards’ friendship with Adesanya makes a fight between them incredibly unlikely anyway but the Team Renegade captain doesn’t see this coming to pass.
He believes that either the current holder or the man he won the title from, could be Edwards’ middleweight opponent.
“I don’t think Israel [Adesanya] because in all fairness, I love him and Israel is my brother but I think he’s coming to the twilight of his career now. and if I was him, if he fights Dricus, maybe win the title, defend it once or even just win that title and retire because he’s earned enough, he’s got nothing more to prove. I wouldn’t like to see Leon fight Israel because we’re all close that way, we’re all friends so I wouldn’t like to see that.
“Dricus maybe if Dricus is still hanging around. I think the easiest, well I take that back, one of the fights that I think would be a good fight for Leon to showcase his skills against a man, Mr Strickland, who’s a kind of come forward kind of style fighter which would suit Leon.
Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 22, 2024, we’re taking a look at: Caolan Loughran Says Jake Hadley Is A Perfect Replacement Opponent At UFC 304 Just one week out from UFC 304 this Saturday, Ireland’s Caolan Loughran had his fight […]
Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 22, 2024, we’re taking a look at:
Loughran is happy to be fighting Hadley instead
Paul taunts Perry with shot-by-shot comparison
Durden shares gruesome post-fight medical procedure
Caolan Loughran Says Jake Hadley Is A Perfect Replacement Opponent At UFC 304
Just one week out from UFC 304 this Saturday, Ireland’s Caolan Loughran had his fight and opponent switched around on short notice.
Loughran was announced to be fighting UFC flyweight contender Jake Hadley after his previous opponent Ramon Taveras was declared injured and unable to make July 27.
Though having a chance of opponents one week out from fight night is never ideal, “The Don” is very happy with his new fight.
As well as the fact that he had been preparing to fight a southpaw which both Hadley and Taveras are, this England vs Ireland fight between two former Cage Warriors champions is sure to get the Manchester fans excited.
Loughran spoke in an interview with Violent Money TV about how this fight ended up working out pretty well in his favour after all.
“I was like f*** me, unbelievable. That’s a bigger fight domestically, going to have more buzz. He’s also a southpaw as we were preparing for. F****** let’s go, let’s do it, that’s what I was thinking.
I actually get on alright with Hadley. Fair f****** respect to him for taking the fight, I didn’t have a fight there for like a day and I don’t know what the f*** was going on. I wanted to be on this card so fighters fight innit, fair f****** play to him but like I say, I half get on with the guy but I don’t need beef this time. This fight is going to be big anyway.”
Jake Paul Shares Comparison Photo Of Mike Perry’s Custom Chain After Stopping Him
Jake Paul added to his current winning streak this past weekend when he stopped Mike Perry in the sixth round where his size and power was simply too much for the ‘King of Violence’.
After the fight, “Platinum” tipped his hat to his opponent, putting out the following message on social media to show his appreciation to the fans for their support.
“Congrats @jakepaul , shout out to @NateDiaz209 who went 10 rounds with him. Thanks to everyone who came out.”
Congrats @jakepaul , shout out to @NateDiaz209 who went 10 rounds with him. Thanks to everyone who came out.
— Platinum Mike Perry (@PlatinumPerry) July 21, 2024
Paul, on the other hand, was not so humble in victory as he chose to readdress a certain aspect of the build to the fight.
Perry had worn a custom chain of Paul’s head with blood and bruises all over his face which “The Problem Child” shared after the bout next to a photo of Perry’s face being in a similar position.
VIDEO: Cody Durden Shows Himself Getting Substantial Stitches After Ruthless Loss To Bruno Silva
Cody Durden gave fight fans a glimpse into what happens once a fighter exits the Octagon following his loss this past weekend at the Apex.
Durden was stopped in the second round following a devastating uppercut from Bruno Silva which was followed up on until referee Chris Tognoni waved the fight off.
The flyweight contender was left wearing some significant damage on his face as a result and decided to shine a spotlight on a side to the game that many don’t see.
Posting on X, Durden shared a video of himself getting stitches from medical personnel during his post-fight medical.
UFC 304 co-headliner Tom Aspinall achieved his title ambitions on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage in emphatic fashion last November. 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. […]
The pair first collided at a London-held UFC Fight Night back in the summer of 2021. The bout lasted just 15 seconds, with a devastating knee injury suffered by Aspinall bringing it to a premature end and handing the Brit his first Octagon setback.
Aspinall has since rebounded in a major way, first by getting the better of Marcin Tybura last July and then by capturing interim UFC gold in a short-notice clash with Sergei Pavlovich four months later.
After an injury to Jon Jones saw his planned heavyweight defense against Stipe Miocic off the UFC 295 card, Aspinall stepped up to meet the original backup fighter at Madison Square Garden.
Despite a lack of preparation and not being at full fitness, the Englishman closed the show in just over a minute, stopping his Russian counterpart by way of knockout to have a UFC title wrapped around his waist.
Ahead of Saturday’s event, the promotion has released the full Aspinall vs. Pavlovich fight from UFC 295 on its official YouTube channel.
Aspinall will hope to repeat that performance at the expense of Blaydes this weekend.
