Tag: UFC 306

Belal Muhammad Predicts Big Things For Teammate At Noche UFC 306: ‘People Are Going To Be Surprised…’

UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad has arrived at the fight capital of the world to help support a teammate of his. Iron sharpens iron is a clichéd saying in combat sports, but it’s a commonly used phrase because it is largely true. At UFC 306 this weekend, Muhammad believes that fight fans are going to […]

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UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad has arrived at the fight capital of the world to help support a teammate of his.

Iron sharpens iron is a clichéd saying in combat sports, but it’s a commonly used phrase because it is largely true.

At UFC 306 this weekend, Muhammad believes that fight fans are going to see the evolution of one of his close training partners, who has helped him reach the top of the 170-pound weight class.

Lightweight contender Ignacio Bahamondes has been incredibly entertaining during his UFC tenure, and “Remember The Name” is expecting big things from him on September 14…

Belal Muhammad Says Ignacio Bahamondes Will ‘Show Out’ At The Sphere

Bahamondes has been in the UFC for four years now, winning his contract via Dana White’s Contender Series on the same episode as light heavyweight contender Carlos Ulberg.

With some incredibly flashy finishes on his highlight reel, he’s always worth keeping an eye out for, and his clash with Manuel Torres this weekend is no different.

The 27-year old knockout artist is looking to secure back-to-back victories at the Sphere and his teammate only has positive things to say about him.

Speaking on an episode of UFC 306 Embedded, Muhammad spoke about the relationship they have built and the hard work Bahamondes has been putting in for this fight.

“Biggest show of the year so far, the Sphere. Excited for it, here with my brother Ignacio Bahamondes. Literally my right hand man for all my camps, so to be able to come here, support him, and watch him make history, it’s going to be an epic week.

“Honestly, that’s my brother so I would do anything for him and he’s helped me and he’s helped me grow so much in all my fight camps, and especially more recently, everything that we’ve done together, I’ve seen him come in and grow as a fighter. To see where he is now, people are going to be surprised when he shows out on Saturday at the Sphere.”

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Chael Sonnen Brands Noche UFC 306 Fight The ‘Most Under-Promoted’ Of 2024

Former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen wants to know why more people aren’t being “hyped up” for one important Sphere showdown this weekend. Mixed martial arts’ leading promotion will stage its second annual celebration of Mexican Independence Day on Saturday, Sept. 14. Rather than the T-Mobile Arena, this year’s edition of Noche UFC will take […]

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Former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen wants to know why more people aren’t being “hyped up” for one important Sphere showdown this weekend.

Mixed martial arts’ leading promotion will stage its second annual celebration of Mexican Independence Day on Saturday, Sept. 14. Rather than the T-Mobile Arena, this year’s edition of Noche UFC will take place within the unique surroundings of the Sphere.

Tasked with topping the lineup are two champions in bantamweight kingpin Sean O’Malley and flyweight queen Alexa Grasso. Before “Sugar” defends against Merab Dvalishvili in the main event, the Mexican will complete her trilogy with Valentina Shevchenko.

The rest of the card isn’t the deepest and has been criticized by some. But the non-title fights on offer does include one blockbuster rearranged collision between featherweight veteran Brian Ortega and the fast-rising Diego Lopes.

Different predictions are flying for the contest, which comes a few months after their UFC 303 co-headliner fell through on the day of the event due to sickness suffered by “T-City.”

After that debacle, Sonnen sees the fight as one of the most highly anticipated of the year. But the ex-middleweight and light heavyweight contender doesn’t believe the promotion has done justice to that…

Sonnen: There Is A ‘Very Bizarre Feel’ Around Ortega vs. Lopes

During a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sonnen looked ahead to this weekend’s major PPV event in Las Vegas, specifically the most marquee bout on the undercard.

While Lopes has established himself as one of this year’s leading fan favorites and will face a former two-time title challenger and longtime contender in Ortega, Sonnen doesn’t think the bout is being promoted nearly enough.

That has baffled “The American Gangster,” who went as far as to describe the fight as one of the most “sought-after” of 2024 thus far.

“Brian Ortega, Diego Lopes — this thing is so wildly interesting,” Sonnen said. “Talk about a backstory, by the way. You know how helpful that is? … When you promised the world a fight and then all of a sudden you take it away. But it’s not being promoted, guys. Why is that? I’m just asking a question, making an observation. Why is it not being promoted?

“This is one of the most sought-after fights in a period of time. Can I say all of 2024? Short-term memory with a little bit of exaggeration, yeah, it’s one of them. Absolutely it is,” Sonnen continued. “There is a very bizarre feel around this contest. There is a bizarre feel because nobody’s covering the contest! people are not talking about it. People are not getting you hyped up about it. That’s very peculiar. … This is one of the great fights of 2024. This is the most under-promoted fight of 2024.”

While it may not be getting spoken about to the extent it should be in the build-up, both Ortega and Lopes will look to ensure that the leading headlines surround their winning performance on Sunday and the days that follow Noche UFC 306.

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Sean O’Malley Baffled By Merab Dvalishvili’s Confidence: ‘He’s Sloppy, He’s Slow…’

UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley doesn’t know where upcoming opponent Merab Dvalishvili is getting his self-belief from. O’Malley is just days away from his second defense of the 135-pound title. And just over a year on from hi…

UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley doesn’t know where upcoming opponent Merab Dvalishvili is getting his self-belief from. O’Malley is just days away from his second defense of the 135-pound title. And just over a year on from his crowning at the expense of the previously long-reigning Aljamain Sterling, “Sugar” is tasked with dispatching of “Funk […]

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PFL Champion: Only One Active UFC Fighter Bigger Star Than Sean O’Malley

Sean O’Malley had clear star potential from the moment that he impressed Dana White with his Contender Series debut that earned him a UFC contract. Having been the main event in his last two outings where he won the bantamweight title and defended it, “Suga” is back to headline his biggest event to date. At […]

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Sean O’Malley had clear star potential from the moment that he impressed Dana White with his Contender Series debut that earned him a UFC contract.

Having been the main event in his last two outings where he won the bantamweight title and defended it, “Suga” is back to headline his biggest event to date.

At UFC 306 this weekend, he will be the last man to walk out at a historic event hosted inside the Sphere for Noche UFC.

Given the demographic that O’Malley is able to connect with and his polarizing qualities, there’s no denying that he’s one of the biggest names in the sport right now.

However, a former PFL winner recently made the case for why there is another fighter on the roster that is currently the brightest active star that the promotion has.

Brendan Loughnane Says Ilia Topuria Is A Bigger Star Than Sean O’Malley Right Now

Ilia Topuria put in some incredible performances during his path to becoming featherweight champion.

After capping that off by stopping Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298, “El Matador” really cemented himself as one of the top names in the UFC right now.

What some fans may not have realized at the time is the amount of support he has in Europe from both his Spanish and Georgian fans.

This was proven in front of our very eyes when he took the belt back home to Spain and walked out, as the champion, in front of the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, the home of Real Madrid.

Looking at social media numbers alone, Topuria has a bigger following on Instagram with 4.5 million to O’Malley’s 4.3 million, despite the fact that “Suga” has been a notable name in the UFC for longer.

On a recent episode of Uncaged by talkSPORT MMA, 2022 PFL featherweight champion and 2024 finalist Brendan Loughnane made the case for why Topuria takes the top spot right now.

“Do you know what? There’s one man that we’re missing out on here that’s totally missed the conversation. Ilia Topuria, I’d put above him [O’Malley] right now, I really would. He’s walking out at the Bernabéu! Ilia Topuria has just knocked out our guy Volk who is pound-for-pound, wherever you put him, he’s in that conversation. He’s doing the same thing that Sean’s doing. I’ve never seen anyone captivate an audience quite like, well obviously bar Conor McGregor, let’s take Conor McGregor out of this, I would put Ilia above Sean O’Malley right now. Just due to the fact of the way he finished Volk.

“Sean’s got great finishes along the way, he’s obviously finished Sterling and all that but I’m talking personally. I just, this Ilia Topuria thing and the train that’s moving at the minute, again I don’t want to keep going on about this Bernabéu thing but do you know how big, well I know you know, but that is humongous and I just know what’s going on because I have the same manager as this guy. I know the type of deals he’s getting, I know the type of circles he’s moving in, he’s had less fights than Sean in the UFC I believe and I just feel like his train is moving a little bit faster at the minute, maybe I’m completely wrong.”

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

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Alexander Volkanovski Shocked By Brian Ortega’s Underdog Status At Noche UFC: ‘Lopes Is Very Good, But…’

Former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is surprised at how wide the odds are for Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes’ upcoming Sphere showdown. Below two championship headliners that will see Sean O’Malley and Alexa Grasso put the…

Former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is surprised at how wide the odds are for Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes’ upcoming Sphere showdown. Below two championship headliners that will see Sean O’Malley and Alexa Grasso put their titles on the line, there’s little doubt over which undercard bout carries with it the most intrigue and […]

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Coach Vows: ‘No Way’ Merab Dvalishvili Suffers Ben Askren-Like Knockout At UFC 306

Heading into the biggest fight of his career, Merab Dvalishvili is preparing for a high-stakes chess match in the main event of UFC 306. Many will point to the grappling skills as the clear advantage that Dvalishvili has over the bantamweight champion,…

Heading into the biggest fight of his career, Merab Dvalishvili is preparing for a high-stakes chess match in the main event of UFC 306. Many will point to the grappling skills as the clear advantage that Dvalishvili has over the bantamweight champion, Sean O’Malley. The issue is getting to “Suga” without taking significant damage requires […]

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