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Brian Ortega On Diego Lopes Fight: ‘I Either Put You On Your Shield Or You Put Me On Mine!’

When Brian Ortega was first announced to be taking on Diego Lopes in the co-main event of UFC 303, fans circled that one out as a fight that you can’t afford to miss. The two featherweight contenders have got two of the most exciting styles in the division and neither man is known for backing […]

Continue Reading Brian Ortega On Diego Lopes Fight: ‘I Either Put You On Your Shield Or You Put Me On Mine!’ at MMA News.

When Brian Ortega was first announced to be taking on Diego Lopes in the co-main event of UFC 303, fans circled that one out as a fight that you can’t afford to miss.

The two featherweight contenders have got two of the most exciting styles in the division and neither man is known for backing down from a scrap.

Unfortunately, Ortega was forced to pull out of the fight due to illness but after Lopes defeated Dan Ige on that night, the pair were rescheduled for UFC 306.

It’s a big fight for the former two-time title challenger to once again put himself in the mix at the top of the 145-pound weight class.

However, if you think that that’s going to make Ortega switch up his approach, you’re sorely mistaken.

Brian Ortega Says He’s Going To Go To War With Like-Minded Individual At UFC 306

In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Ortega told the fans what they can expect to see from his fight at the Sphere this weekend.

Rather than using his experience against the surging Lopes or looking to fight a bit more reserved, he’s excited to compete against another man that is always willing to wade into the fire to come away with the victory.

“It’s like I told everybody, I said that you have someone who refuses to lose on the feet and refuses to lose in the stand-up so when I say that, I bet you have no idea who I’m talking about. That’s why this is an exciting fight, you get to fight almost like a version of yourself. Tad bit different styles, same mentality.”

Ortega closed things out with one final message, promising that the judges aren’t going to be needed for this fight but he won’t be the one that requires any assistance.

“Someone is going to get finished, guaranteed. You know me, you’ve seen me. I either put you on your shield or you put me on mine. I’m not going out on my shield.”

Continue Reading Brian Ortega On Diego Lopes Fight: ‘I Either Put You On Your Shield Or You Put Me On Mine!’ at MMA News.

Noche UFC 306’s Diego Lopes Chooses Between Volkanovski, Holloway, & Topuria: ‘My Dream Fight…’

For a long time now, the faces at the top of the UFC’s featherweight division have remained the same cast of elite level competitors. Ilia Topuria breathed a lot of new life into the 145-pound title mix after he took the title off of the long-time champion, Alexander Volkanovski, earlier this year. At UFC 306 […]

Continue Reading Noche UFC 306’s Diego Lopes Chooses Between Volkanovski, Holloway, & Topuria: ‘My Dream Fight…’ at MMA News.

For a long time now, the faces at the top of the UFC’s featherweight division have remained the same cast of elite level competitors.

Ilia Topuria breathed a lot of new life into the 145-pound title mix after he took the title off of the long-time champion, Alexander Volkanovski, earlier this year.

At UFC 306 this weekend, Diego Lopes will look to enter that conversation by taking out another of the division’s stalwart contenders in Brian Ortega.

With Volkanovski watching closely as Topuria defends the belt for the first time against Max Holloway at UFC 308, there are some very exciting potential fights on the horizon for Lopes if he’s able to get past “T-City” on September 14.

Diego Lopes Says Max Holloway Is His Dream Fight Whether It’s For A Title Or Not

In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Lopes gave his thoughts on who he would rather face out of that trio of world class fighters.

With four consecutive wins under his belt since a defeat on his late notice debut, the Brazilian finds himself in a big opportunity to leap up the top 15 rankings if he can take out Ortega, who holds the #3 position right now.

None of these fights are that far away for him if he puts on a big performance at the Sphere on Saturday night and though he rates all three men highly, his preference is to fight Holloway.

Lopes sees a clash with “Blessed” as his ideal scenario because of the respect that he has for the BMF champion.

That being said, he did also mention inevitably facing the current champion Topuria down the line as two of the division’s most exciting additions in recent years are sure to meet at some stage.

“Bro, I’m big fans for the Max and the Volk but my dream fight is Max. My dream fight is Max, a lot of respect for Max. The guy stay in the UFC for so long time, the guy fight everybody, everybody in the rankings, everybody in the UFC. Max is my dream fight, title or no title. Max is my dream fight for so much respect for your career but for who you want to fight for the title, I don’t know bro. I think the division needs the new face you know, I think it’s me and Ilia is the big fight for everybody, for the new face.”

Continue Reading Noche UFC 306’s Diego Lopes Chooses Between Volkanovski, Holloway, & Topuria: ‘My Dream Fight…’ at MMA News.

Merab Dvalishvili On Sean O’Malley: ‘Can’t Even Defend His Jacket, How’s He Going To Defend His Belt?’

UFC bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili isn’t about to let Sean O’Malley forget about the time he donned the champion’s jacket. A matchup a long time in the making will go down this weekend, as O’Malley puts his gold on the line against Dvalishvili in the main event of the Noche UFC (UFC 306) pay-per-view event […]

Continue Reading Merab Dvalishvili On Sean O’Malley: ‘Can’t Even Defend His Jacket, How’s He Going To Defend His Belt?’ at MMA News.

UFC bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili isn’t about to let Sean O’Malley forget about the time he donned the champion’s jacket.

A matchup a long time in the making will go down this weekend, as O’Malley puts his gold on the line against Dvalishvili in the main event of the Noche UFC (UFC 306) pay-per-view event inside the Sphere.

To earn his long-awaited first shot at title glory at the promotion’s second annual celebration of Mexican Independence Day, the Georgian challenger has won 10 straight, most recently at the expense of Henry Cejudo this past February.

Both Dvalishvili and O’Malley were in attendance for Cejudo’s previous outing, which came against “The Machine’s” teammate Aljamain Sterling in Newark last year. After the then-champ defeated “Triple C,” he faced off with “Sugar” inside the Octagon.

While the attention was expected to be on those two, Dvalishvili stole headlines by putting O’Malley’s red jacket on and vaulting the Octagon wall.

If the Montana native’s “defense” of his jacket is anything to go by, Dvalishvili has no doubt about who will exit the Sphere with the bantamweight title in their possession this weekend…

Dvalishvili Recalls O’Malley Jacket Incident: ‘What Kind Of Man Is He?

During a recent interview for UFC.com, Dvalishvili looked ahead to his opportunity to unseat O’Malley from the throne and avenge his friend and training partner’s defeat in Boston 13 months ago.

The Georgian was quick to run with the jacket story soon after the May 2023 PPV event, even obtaining a replica and claiming to have stole O’Malley’s clothing item.

That trend has unsurprisingly continued during Noche UFC fight week, with the challenger linking his ability to don O’Malley’s jacket with his plan to have his championship belt wrapped around him next.

“I want to take his belt now,” Dvalishvili said. “I already took his jacket. I have a question for you. He can’t even defend his jacket, how’s he going to defend his belt?

“He give me jacket first, and then after he was crying. What kind of man he is? When you give somebody something, you should not cry and take back. Especially, he was crying in front of boss,” Dvalishvili added.

Given the pair’s previous in-person interactions, fans can perhaps expect some heat between the two when they take to the stage for Thursday’s press conference and Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins.

Read More: Dana White Responds To ‘Experts’ Criticizing Noche UFC: ‘Talked About That UFC 300 Wasn’t A Good Card!’

Continue Reading Merab Dvalishvili On Sean O’Malley: ‘Can’t Even Defend His Jacket, How’s He Going To Defend His Belt?’ at MMA News.

Dana White Responds To ‘Experts’ Criticizing Noche UFC: ‘Talked About That UFC 300 Wasn’t A Good Card!’

UFC CEO Dana White isn’t concerned about criticisms of the lineup for this weekend’s highly anticipate pay-per-view at the Sphere. Mixed martial arts’ leading promotion will stage its sophomore celebration of Mexican Independence Day this Saturday, Sept. 14. Las Vegas is once again the host location, but the Octagon will be in vastly different surroundings […]

Continue Reading Dana White Responds To ‘Experts’ Criticizing Noche UFC: ‘Talked About That UFC 300 Wasn’t A Good Card!’ at MMA News.

Dana White Responds To ‘Experts’ Criticizing Noche UFC: ‘Talked About That UFC 300 Wasn’t A Good Card!’

Continue Reading Dana White Responds To ‘Experts’ Criticizing Noche UFC: ‘Talked About That UFC 300 Wasn’t A Good Card!’ at MMA News.

What do Valentina Shevchenko’s Tattoos Mean? ‘Bullet’ Reveals Answers

Valentina Shevchenko’s Tattoos pack a ton of meaning into the life and fighting career of the former UFC champion…

Valentina Shevchenko’s Tattoos pack a ton of meaning into the life and fighting career of the former UFC champion ‘Bullet’ Valentina Shevchenko. From her early combat sports career in Muay Thai to her championship lifestyle in the UFC, let’s take a closer look at Valentina Shevchenko’s tattoos.

Valentina Shevchenko’s Tattoos

One of Shevchenko’s most notable tattoos is a Glock pistol on her lower abdomen. She got this tattoo because she believes guns are universal, much like MMA fighters. Shevchenko is known for her interest in shooting and often spends time at shooting ranges when she’s not training or competing in MMA. She loves shooting so much, ‘Bullet’ had a custom gun made for her:

“They made it for me … Brownells, they support me every time with guns and ammunition with everything, and I have this gun from them.”

On her flock tattoo, Shevchenko said:

“I very love to shoot with Glock. It’s very good gun because it can shoot everywhere. It’s very easy to carry. It can survive in different condition of weather or whatever, and that’s why I have tattoo on my body of a Glock 19. It is universal, just like an MMA fighter. That is why I got a tattoo on my lower abdomen several years ago. So, now I can always keep it near me.”

The Kyrgyz-Peruvian athlete also has Sak Yant Tattoos from Muay Thai. Valentina Shevchenko’s Tattoos hold significance in Muay Thai culture. She has the Hanuman tattoo. A Hanuman Sak Yant represents strength, power, loyalty, devotion, protection from harm, courage, and fearlessness in battle.

Sak Yant tattoos have several purposes for Muay Thai fighters as they bring protection, strength, power, and luck. While not all modern Muay Thai fighters choose to get Sak Yant tattoos, they remain an important part of the art’s cultural heritage and spiritual traditions for many practitioners.

Valentina Shevchenko’s Tattoos, the Sak Yant, come with a set of rules that recipients are expected to follow to maintain the power and blessings associated with the tattoo. The most common rules are based on Buddhist principles and include not killing, not stealing, not lying, not engaging in sexual misconduct, and avoiding intoxication.