Tag: UFC 305

Dricus Du Plessis To Israel Adesanya Ahead Of UFC 305: ‘Pull Out Of The Fight!’

Despite the previous tensions between Dricus Du Plessis and his first title challenger, Israel Adesanya, the champion has shown his opponent some respect ahead of August 17. “Stillknocks” does have a lot of appreciation for what the former champion has been able to accomplish in his career. For all of the plaudits that “The Last […]

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Despite the previous tensions between Dricus Du Plessis and his first title challenger, Israel Adesanya, the champion has shown his opponent some respect ahead of August 17.

“Stillknocks” does have a lot of appreciation for what the former champion has been able to accomplish in his career.

For all of the plaudits that “The Last Stylebender” has rightfully earned during his six-year run with the UFC, Du Plessis questions whether he can continue fighting at this level.

The champ believes that Adesanya’s time at the top may have run it’s course and has theorized whether he still has that same hunger inside of him at this stage.

Dricus Du Plessis Says He Would Try To Pull Out Of The Fight If He Was In Israel Adesanya’s Shoes

In a recent interview with New York Post Sports, Du Plessis was asked what he would do if he was in his opponent’s shoes if, like he says, Adesanya doesn’t have enough left in the tank to become middleweight champion again.

His response was a joke about avoiding the fight altogether at this stage, but he went on to explain more about what he sees as the key difference between them.

With him being just around the corner from his first title defense as Adesanya looks to become a three-time middleweight champion, he believes that the two men are just at very different points in their careers heading into UFC 305 in Perth.

“Well if I was in his shoes right now, I would find a way to pull out of this fight to be honest because I’m coming. I’m feeling great, I’m feeling the best I’ve ever felt and that’s the banter in me, getting ready for that but in all honesty, to go and say he doesn’t have the fire, I think the fire might be there. But, it’s just too small. My fire is just shadowing his fire, maybe that’s why I don’t see the fire in him because of the fire in me.”

Read also: PHOTOS: Dricus Du Plessis & Israel Adesanya’s Custom Shorts For UFC 305

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Dan Hooker Promises ‘Most Exciting Fight Gamrot’s Ever Been In’ At UFC 305 

UFC lightweight Dan Hooker sees no way criticism of Mateusz Gamrot being in ‘boring’ fights can continue once he’s added to the equation this weekend. Hooker spent plenty of time campaigning for a spot on the upcoming UFC 305 pay-per-view card, which takes place close to home for the New Zealander at the RAC Arena […]

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UFC lightweight Dan Hooker sees no way criticism of Mateusz Gamrot being in ‘boring’ fights can continue once he’s added to the equation this weekend.

Hooker spent plenty of time campaigning for a spot on the upcoming UFC 305 pay-per-view card, which takes place close to home for the New Zealander at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

His pleas were finally answered, and the matchup that’s put him at the event comes with it a major opportunity for “The Hangman” to climb the 155-pound ladder back toward title contention.

On August 17, Hooker will make the walk to share the cage with the man ranked six places above him, #5 contender Mateusz Gamrot.

While riding a three-right winning run and sitting inside the top five at lightweight, Gamrot remains out of the championship equation for the time being. Some have concluded that’s down to a less than fan-friendly fight style, with his recent wins over Jalin Turner and Rafael dos Anjos in particular receiving backlash.

Given his penchant for firefights and entertainment, though, Hooker expects to serve as the remedy for Gamrot’s control-heavy approach…

Hooker: Exciting UFC 305 Fight ‘Not Gonna Be Because Of’ Gamrot

During an interview with The AllStar, Hooker looked ahead to his home continent assignment and assessed the man across from whom he’ll stand inside the Octagon on Saturday night (Sunday morning local time).

Hooker has seemingly noted the views some in the community have of Gamrot and his usual route to victory. With him boasting the total opposite, “The Hangman” expects “Gamer” to be in for a totally new type of showdown come fight night.

“This is going to be the most exciting fight Gamrot’s ever been in. Let me just say that,” Hooker said. “That’s not gonna be because of him. That’s gonna be because they locked him in a cage with me.”

Gamrot has differed from those comments in terms of who will be responsible for the fireworks this weekend.

The Polish contender recently acknowledged the “politics” that go into deciding who fights for UFC gold, and so he’s intent on delivering a thrilling finish to get the better of Hooker and stake his claim for a first shot at title glory at UFC 305.

Continue Reading Dan Hooker Promises ‘Most Exciting Fight Gamrot’s Ever Been In’ At UFC 305  at MMA News.

UFC Commentator On People Underestimating Adesanya Ahead Of UFC 305: ‘Izzy’s Not The Type Of Beast I’d Want To Awaken…’

Jon Anik recently cautioned fans not to undervalue Israel Adesanya ahead of his upcoming title fight against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305. Adesanya is set to take on the reigning middleweight champion in the highly anticipated main event of the pay-per-view extravaganza, scheduled for August 17 at the RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia. […]

Continue Reading UFC Commentator On People Underestimating Adesanya Ahead Of UFC 305: ‘Izzy’s Not The Type Of Beast I’d Want To Awaken…’ at MMA News.

Jon Anik recently cautioned fans not to undervalue Israel Adesanya ahead of his upcoming title fight against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305.

Adesanya is set to take on the reigning middleweight champion in the highly anticipated main event of the pay-per-view extravaganza, scheduled for August 17 at the RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia.

“The Last Stylebender” is gearing up for his Octagon return after an 11-month hiatus—the longest of his UFC career. After his title defeat to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 last September, Adesanya took a voluntary break to concentrate on his mental well-being.

Adesanya is currently navigating the most challenging stretch of his career since his unsuccessful attempt to capture the light heavyweight title against then-champion Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259. Following that setback, he endured his first middleweight defeat—a fifth-round TKO loss to his longtime rival Alex Pereira at UFC 281.

In light of his recent performances, some MMA pundits have begun to question Adesanya’s ability to stand toe-to-toe with a formidable opponent like “Stillknocks”, with whom he’s shared a fierce rivalry for some time. However, Anik firmly believes that “The Last Stylebender’s” skills are beyond reproach and should not be doubted…

Anik Suggests Adesanya’s Success Depends On Tempering Aggression Against Du Plessis

During a recent interview with MMAFightingonSBN, Anik shared his excitement for the highly anticipated showdown between Du Plessis and Adesanya. The UFC play-by-play commentator emphasized that the simmering tension between the two fighters not only adds intrigue to the bout but also raises the stakes, making it a more challenging encounter for both competitors.

“I can’t wait, right? If I gotta go from South Florida to Perth, Western Australia, 37 hours from door to door if you really want to know—thankfully, it’s for a main event of this magnitude,” Anik said. “I mean, Izzy’s not the type of beast that I’d want to awaken or add sort of extra fuel to, but at this level, I feel like these guys competitively make for a fascinating stylistic matchup, and they’ll bury the hatchet. If there’s a knockout, you know, maybe there’s some extra friction here, but I think it’s just two guys who have a lot of pride in where they’re from and who they are, and two guys who just aren’t going to back down.”

Anik went on to say that although Adesanya is the premier striker in the middleweight division, he’ll need to rein in his assertive approach when facing “Stillknocks”, a dangerous power puncher. He added that the former UFC middleweight champion must be strategic in his offense to avoid getting caught by Du Plessis’ heavy hands.

“I’m curious to what extent Izzy is going to not throw caution to the wind but sort of manage risk and manage aggression because he is maybe the best striker that I have ever seen in there, and a lot of people like this matchup for him. He is the betting favorite right now, increasingly so in those latter rounds. You know, how is he going to manage risk if the bout continues to just come at him? You know, that’s a big question mark for me. I think Izzy is going to be in prime form. I just think that this is a guy you really have to separate from consciousness, and I think if anybody’s capable of doing that, it’s Izzy.”

Continue Reading UFC Commentator On People Underestimating Adesanya Ahead Of UFC 305: ‘Izzy’s Not The Type Of Beast I’d Want To Awaken…’ at MMA News.

Steve Erceg Ahead Of UFC 305: ‘I Wanted To Avoid Kai Kara-France If I Could’

When the UFC was announced to be returning to Australia on August 17, two top flyweights were sure to be in action at UFC 305. The #4-ranked Kai Kara-France has had the opportunity to fight close to home several times during his UFC career but not since February of 2020. #7-ranked Steve Erceg, on the […]

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When the UFC was announced to be returning to Australia on August 17, two top flyweights were sure to be in action at UFC 305.

The #4-ranked Kai Kara-France has had the opportunity to fight close to home several times during his UFC career but not since February of 2020.

#7-ranked Steve Erceg, on the other hand, has travelled with the Octagon to Canada, the United States and Brazil but this will be his first time fighting under the UFC banner with home fans backing him.

Unfortunately for those fans, there may be a bit of a divide caused by this Australia versus New Zealand clash that Erceg would have rather skipped over if that had been an option.

Steve Erceg Says His Respect For Kai Kara-France Makes Fighting Someone Else More Desirable

In a recent interview on Just Scrap Radio for BJPenn.com, Erceg revealed how this match-up wasn’t desirable for him at first.

There was no way he was going to miss out on the opportunity to fight in his hometown of Perth and given that his last fight was for the title, it was always going to be a highly-ranked opponent.

With both he and Kara-France pushing for this card, pairing them together makes a lot of sense. But the two men have been aware of one another for a long time during their climbs up the regional scenes.

Erceg spoke about how his opponent has always been someone he admired so fighting another name at the top of the rankings would have been his chosen route.

“I mean I’m excited I’m getting to fight a good guy. I would have preferred it to be someone not from this region just cuz yeah, somebody I’ve looked up to for a while. I was an amateur when he was a pro in like the top of the Australian-New Zealand MMA scene so I wanted to avoid him if I could but he got offered and I’m not going to turn people down. He’s in the same boat that I am, we’re both looking for the same thing so if it has to be, it will be and we’ll find out who the better guy is.”

Read also: Brendan Allen Highlights What ‘Insanely Lucky’ Dricus Du Plessis’ UFC 305 Defense Against Israel Adesanya Will Come Down To (Exclusive)

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Alexander Volkanovski Warns Mateusz Gamrot: ‘Dan Hooker Is No Joke When It Comes To Wrestling Defense’

Former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has insisted Mateusz Gamrot won’t have it all his own way in the grappling department against Dan Hooker this weekend. Hooker will mark one of many Oceanic natives taking to the Octagon close to home at the upcoming UFC 305 pay-per-view event, which goes down inside the RAC Arena […]

Continue Reading Alexander Volkanovski Warns Mateusz Gamrot: ‘Dan Hooker Is No Joke When It Comes To Wrestling Defense’ at MMA News.

Former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has insisted Mateusz Gamrot won’t have it all his own way in the grappling department against Dan Hooker this weekend.

Hooker will mark one of many Oceanic natives taking to the Octagon close to home at the upcoming UFC 305 pay-per-view event, which goes down inside the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

The lightweight fan favorite had long been calling for a spot on the high-profile card, and he got his wish alongside a major opportunity to climb back up the ranks.

“The Hangman” is set to fight six places up the ladder against Gamrot, the #5-ranked contender at 155 pounds. The Polish fighter has been on a charge in the division, using his smothering wrestling game to get the better of names like Arman Tsarukyan, Jalin Turner, and Rafael dos Anjos in recent years.

In Hooker, though, Volkanovski thinks Gamrot will run into a hurdle too tall…

Volkanovski Backs Hooker To Withstand Gamrot’s Wrestling, Find A Finish At UFC 305

During a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, Volkanovski broke down and provided his picks for the major matchups set to play out at UFC 305 in Perth this Saturday (Sunday morning local time).

Among a number of Volkanovski’s frequent training partners over at City Kickboxing set to compete at the event is Hooker, who will enter his matchup with Gamrot as the underdog.

The brawling striker has long had wrestling pointed to as a deficiency in his game, with champion Islam Makhachev being the last to expose it back in 2021. But while “Gamer” has shown a strong ground game, Volkanovski believes it takes more than what he can offer to get past Hooker’s defenses.

“Gamrot is obviously gonna be coming for them takedowns. He’s a very, very, heavy wrestler, grappler,” Volkanovski said. “Look, Dan Hooker is hard to take down. Dan Hooker is no joke when it comes to wrestling defense and then submissions as you’re trying to take him down. You’ve seen the work Dan Hooker can do.

“I swear, even the last times I’ve been training with him, he’s still got it. 10 years in the UFC and I think he looks better probably now than he did before. The last time I trained with him, he was looking good,” Volkanovski continued. “Last time Dan Hooker faced someone like (Gamrot), it was Islam Makhachev. Remember, short notice, and I feel Islam’s a little more trickier with takedowns. … Gamrot’s gonna be more aggressive with the wrestling … I just feel like Hooker can do enough to make that hard. … Hooker has got incredible timing for the takedown defense. … Hooker might find the finish here.”

Hooker will look to prove Volkanovski’s prediction correct come fight night Down Under. And should he accomplish that feat, a return to the lightweight top five and title contention should be on the cards for the veteran New Zealander.

Continue Reading Alexander Volkanovski Warns Mateusz Gamrot: ‘Dan Hooker Is No Joke When It Comes To Wrestling Defense’ at MMA News.

Mateusz Gamrot Promises More Entertainment In UFC 305 Return Against Dan Hooker: ‘I Know How Is Politics In The UFC…’ 

While his opponent may be the one known for putting on barnburners, UFC lightweight contender Mateusz Gamrot has vowed to be the one thrilling the masses this weekend. Gamrot is set to feature in one of the most notable matchups on the lineup for Saturday’s UFC 305 pay-per-view event in Perth, Australia. Inside the RAC […]

Continue Reading Mateusz Gamrot Promises More Entertainment In UFC 305 Return Against Dan Hooker: ‘I Know How Is Politics In The UFC…’  at MMA News.

While his opponent may be the one known for putting on barnburners, UFC lightweight contender Mateusz Gamrot has vowed to be the one thrilling the masses this weekend.

Gamrot is set to feature in one of the most notable matchups on the lineup for Saturday’s UFC 305 pay-per-view event in Perth, Australia. Inside the RAC Arena, “Gamer” will face off against one of Oceania’s fan favorites, Dan “The Hangman” Hooker.

The bout sees the #5-ranked Gamrot fighting six places down the ladder despite winning three straight to secure a spot in the title picture. Nevertheless, the Polish 33-year-old sees Hooker’s name value as worthy of a championship opportunity should he emerge victorious.

For that to be the case, however, Gamrot knows more than a win will be required on August 17. And having had his grappling-heavy wins over Jalin Turner and Rafael dos Anjos criticized by some in recent times, “Gamer” is planning fireworks Down Under…

Gamrot On UFC 305 Goals: ‘I Need New Highlights’

During a recent interview with Home of Fight, Gamrot looked ahead to his second Octagon assignment of 2024 and described his goals for the UFC 305 showdown.

More than just exiting Perth with another triumph added to his streak, “Gamer” is looking to do away with criticisms of how his recent fights have been won by putting an entertaining exclamation mark on his performance opposite Hooker.

“I know that I can beat him only with my wrestling. But I know this time I need to give a more entertaining fight. I want to finish him on the ground,” Gamrot said. “But of course, this is mixed martial arts. In the beginning, you fight on the feet. I need to put my hands to him. I want to give a really good fight. I know I am number five in the rankings. If I want to fight for the belt in the future, I need to finish him.

“I need new highlights,” Gamrot continued. “Of course, this is for myself. For me, the most important is winning. A win is a win. But I know how is politics in the UFC, and the people love when you go to the cage and you finish the opponent. If this is three rounds, I will be also happy, you know? But I would like for myself to do something special. I know if I finish him, my way to the top will be really closer.”

By all accounts, Arman Tsarukyan is next in line for a shot at Makhachev’s lightweight gold upon his recovery from injury.

With Gamrot boasting a main event victory over the Russian-Armenian contender on his record, another victory this weekend to cement his spot in the top five would no doubt go a long way to securing him his first shot at gold on MMA’s biggest stage.

Continue Reading Mateusz Gamrot Promises More Entertainment In UFC 305 Return Against Dan Hooker: ‘I Know How Is Politics In The UFC…’  at MMA News.