Tag: UFC 308

Aljamain Sterling: I Have The Style To ‘Neutralize’ Ilia Topuria’s Offense

Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is confident he could hand featherweight kingpin Ilia Topuria his first defeat in mixed martial arts. Topuria continued to pave a violent path toward greatness on MMA’s biggest stage this past weekend when he headlined the UFC 308 pay-per-view in Abu Dhabi alongside fan favorite Max Holloway. Eight months […]

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Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is confident he could hand featherweight kingpin Ilia Topuria his first defeat in mixed martial arts.

Topuria continued to pave a violent path toward greatness on MMA’s biggest stage this past weekend when he headlined the UFC 308 pay-per-view in Abu Dhabi alongside fan favorite Max Holloway.

Eight months on from his crowning at the expense of Alexander Volkanovski, “El Matador” added a successful defense to his résumé by becoming the first to knock the previously indestructible Holloway out.

Having gotten past two of the division’s best this year, many are wondering who at 145 pounds could unseat the Spaniard. During a recent podcast episode uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sterling put his name in the hat.

‘Funk Master,” who won his featherweight debut against Calvin Kattar at UFC 300 this past April, explained how his style could pose problems for Topuria that both Volkanovski and Holloway’s did not.

“I ain’t standing with that guy. I would never stand and trade with that guy! I saw comments from the reaction, ‘You should change weight classes.’ I thought that was so funny… I made a joke, ‘I want to go back to 135,’” Sterling joked. “I’ll point to the ground but I’ll do my running man dance instead.

“If I were to fight him, god willing, I beat Movsar and I do get the crack, I do think I have a great style to neutralize his offense,” Sterling continued. “Most of these guys are striking with him. I ain’t doing that, bro! I ain’t doing that. We’re sitting there looking for a takedown. I have to make it a grappling match. I’m trying to the the W, I’m not trying to get my brain and my head sent to the next dimension again. I’m cool on that.”

When fans reacted to those remarks on social media by taking aim at his striking, Sterling hit back and defended his boxing.

Before looking ahead to a potential chance to prove that against the champ down the line, Sterling must first blemish a different undefeated record.

After their clash fell off the UFC 307 card earlier this month, the #9-ranked Sterling is set to share the cage with top-five contender Movsar Evloev at the UFC 310 PPV in Las Vegas on Dec. 7.

Should “Funk Master” remain unbeaten at featherweight, perhaps a shot at Topuria’s gold and two-division glory will await him in 2025.

Continue Reading Aljamain Sterling: I Have The Style To ‘Neutralize’ Ilia Topuria’s Offense at MMA News.

UFC Rankings Report: Charles Oliveira Off P4P List, Shara Magomedov Gets MW Number After UFC 308 Knockout

As always, the latest action on offer inside the Octagon has seen some climb the ladder toward contention and others fall away. And in the aftermath of UFC 308, MMA News has you covered with this week’s updates to the official UFC rankings. Men’s Pound-For-Pound: For the first time since his May 2021 title crowning, Charles Oliveira is […]

Continue Reading UFC Rankings Report: Charles Oliveira Off P4P List, Shara Magomedov Gets MW Number After UFC 308 Knockout at MMA News.

As always, the latest action on offer inside the Octagon has seen some climb the ladder toward contention and others fall away.

And in the aftermath of UFC 308, MMA News has you covered with this week’s updates to the official UFC rankings.

Men’s Pound-For-Pound: For the first time since his May 2021 title crowning, Charles Oliveira is off the P4P list. The Brazilian lightweight has exited the top 15 to make way for ex-middleweight kingpin Israel Adesanya’s return (#15). Further up, meanwhile, Max Holloway has fallen one place below Alexandre Pantoja (#11) to #12 after his defeat to Ilia Topuria at UFC 308.

Women’s Pound-for-Pound: No changes.

Women’s Strawweight: No changes.

Women’s Flyweight: No changes.

Women’s Bantamweight: No changes.

Flyweight: No changes.

Bantamweight: No changes.

Featherweight: Lerone Murphy has received a small UFC rankings boost following his win over Dan Ige in Abu Dhabi. He’s risen by one place to #11 at 145 pounds, jumping Giga Chikadze (#12) in the process.

Lightweight: Renato Moicano made his frustrations with the rankings known in the aftermath of his dominant win over Benoît Saint Denis last month. It’s taken a while, but the Brazilian has finally been pushed into the top 10. He’s now sharing the #10 spot with Rafael Fiziev.

Welterweight: No changes.

Middleweight: The biggest mover this week was unsurprisingly the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev, who achieved his biggest win to date by brutally submitting Robert Whittaker with a face crank at UFC 308. Days on, “Borz” has climbed a mammoth 10 places to #3. The defeated “Reaper” is now ranked #4.

Further down, Shara Magomedov’s double spinning backfist knockout of Armen Petrosyan to open Saturday’s PPV card has earned him a number next to his name. The Dagestani has entered the UFC rankings at #14, one place above Michel Pereira. His entry has been facilitated by the removal of Chris Curtis.

Light Heavyweight: Magomed Ankalaev couldn’t rise as a result of his victory over Aleksandar Raki? at UFC 308, but he does now have less company. The Russian no longer shares the #1 spot, with former champ Ji?í Procházka slipping back to #2.

Heavyweight: No changes.

You can view the full updated UFC rankings here.

Continue Reading UFC Rankings Report: Charles Oliveira Off P4P List, Shara Magomedov Gets MW Number After UFC 308 Knockout at MMA News.

UFC Rankings Report: Charles Oliveira Off P4P List, Shara Magomedov Gets MW Number After UFC 308 Knockout

As always, the latest action on offer inside the Octagon has seen some climb the ladder toward contention and others fall away. And in the aftermath of UFC 308, MMA News has you covered with this week’s updates to the official UFC rankings. Men’s Pound-For-Pound: For the first time since his May 2021 title crowning, Charles Oliveira is […]

Continue Reading UFC Rankings Report: Charles Oliveira Off P4P List, Shara Magomedov Gets MW Number After UFC 308 Knockout at MMA News.

As always, the latest action on offer inside the Octagon has seen some climb the ladder toward contention and others fall away.

And in the aftermath of UFC 308, MMA News has you covered with this week’s updates to the official UFC rankings.

Men’s Pound-For-Pound: For the first time since his May 2021 title crowning, Charles Oliveira is off the P4P list. The Brazilian lightweight has exited the top 15 to make way for ex-middleweight kingpin Israel Adesanya’s return (#15). Further up, meanwhile, Max Holloway has fallen one place below Alexandre Pantoja (#11) to #12 after his defeat to Ilia Topuria at UFC 308.

Women’s Pound-for-Pound: No changes.

Women’s Strawweight: No changes.

Women’s Flyweight: No changes.

Women’s Bantamweight: No changes.

Flyweight: No changes.

Bantamweight: No changes.

Featherweight: Lerone Murphy has received a small UFC rankings boost following his win over Dan Ige in Abu Dhabi. He’s risen by one place to #11 at 145 pounds, jumping Giga Chikadze (#12) in the process.

Lightweight: Renato Moicano made his frustrations with the rankings known in the aftermath of his dominant win over Benoît Saint Denis last month. It’s taken a while, but the Brazilian has finally been pushed into the top 10. He’s now sharing the #10 spot with Rafael Fiziev.

Welterweight: No changes.

Middleweight: The biggest mover this week was unsurprisingly the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev, who achieved his biggest win to date by brutally submitting Robert Whittaker with a face crank at UFC 308. Days on, “Borz” has climbed a mammoth 10 places to #3. The defeated “Reaper” is now ranked #4.

Further down, Shara Magomedov’s double spinning backfist knockout of Armen Petrosyan to open Saturday’s PPV card has earned him a number next to his name. The Dagestani has entered the UFC rankings at #14, one place above Michel Pereira. His entry has been facilitated by the removal of Chris Curtis.

Light Heavyweight: Magomed Ankalaev couldn’t rise as a result of his victory over Aleksandar Raki? at UFC 308, but he does now have less company. The Russian no longer shares the #1 spot, with former champ Ji?í Procházka slipping back to #2.

Heavyweight: No changes.

You can view the full updated UFC rankings here.

Continue Reading UFC Rankings Report: Charles Oliveira Off P4P List, Shara Magomedov Gets MW Number After UFC 308 Knockout at MMA News.

Paddy Pimblett Insists He’d Beat Ilia Topuria Even After UFC 308 Victory: “Hand Sanitizer Boy”

Paddy Pimblett Insists He’d Beat Ilia Topuria Even After UFC 308 Victory: "Hand Sanitizer Boy"Paddy Pimblett still thinks he can beat Ilia Topuria. Defending his featherweight title for the first time since scoring…

Paddy Pimblett Insists He’d Beat Ilia Topuria Even After UFC 308 Victory: "Hand Sanitizer Boy"

Paddy Pimblett still thinks he can beat Ilia Topuria.

Defending his featherweight title for the first time since scoring a second-round knockout against Alexander Volkanovski in February, ‘El Matador’ delivered on his word at UFC 308, becoming the first man to ever KO ex-champion Max Holloway inside the cage.

Paddy Pimblett

It was a shocking turn of events and a star-making moment for ‘El Matador,’ but not everyone was impressed.

Reacting to Topuria’s 14th career finish and 16th straight career win, lightweight standout Paddy Pimblett was mostly dismissive of the performance and suggested that if Alexander Volkanovski doesn’t take the title back in 2025, he’ll be willing and waiting.

“Heavy. Hand sanitizer boy with the win,” Pimblett said on his YouTube channel. “Heavy. Well done, Ilia. Give you your due, lad. 16-0. Hand sanitizer boy. Can’t wait for him to come back up to lightweight. Still think I’d beat him. I really do. I still think I’d beat him, lad. Whether he’s just beat Max Holloway or not. I still think I’d beat him lad, by kicking him on the feet or taking him down and submitting him. I genuinely think I’d beat him. But, congrats Ilia Topuria, well done son, congratulations lad…

“Obviously, hand sanitizer knocked Holloway out. Didn’t see that coming, but give him his due, good finish. Max was the better boxer, but Ilia’s the better swinger, isn’t he? He ended up catching him with them big shots on the button, so congrats fella. Can’t wait for Volk to come back and beat you up. If he doesn’t, I’m willing to any time” (h/t Sportskeeda).

Paddy Pimblett and Ilia topuria’s rivalry goes back to 2022

Pimblett and Topuria have had a tense relationship with one another ever since the latter made some disparaging comments about Georgia, Topuria’s home country.

That sparked an altercation between the two at a 2022 event in London that both fighters were competing on. While crossing paths, Pimblett and Topuria needed to be separated by their camps. At one point during the incident, ‘The Baddy’ was spotted launching a bottle of hand sanitizer at Topuria, hence the nickname “hand sanitizer boy.”

Paddy Pimblett

In the time since, Pimblett has barely nudged his way into the lightweight top 15 while Topuria is sitting firmly on the 145-pound throne.

The chances of seeing them scrap anytime soon is pretty unlikely, but as they say in MMA, anything is possible.

Paddy Pimblett

Sean Strickland Puts Khamzat Chimaev on Notice After Dominant UFC 308 Win

Sean Strickland Puts Khamzat Chimaev on Notice After Dominant UFC 308 WinSean Strickland had a pretty strong message for Khamzat Chimaev after the Chechen’s dominant showing at UFC 308. Borz’…

Sean Strickland Puts Khamzat Chimaev on Notice After Dominant UFC 308 Win

Sean Strickland had a pretty strong message for Khamzat Chimaev after the Chechen’s dominant showing at UFC 308.

Borz’ returned to the Octagon on Saturday night and, much to the surprise of everyone, made relatively quick work of Robert Whittaker in their high-stakes co-main event. Chimaev submitted Whittaker just past the three-and-a-half minute mark of the opening round via a neck crank that left ‘The Reaper’ with a dislocated jaw and some broken teeth.

Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland

Chimaev’s eighth-straight win inside the Octagon and 14th overall had many pundits, including longtime play-by-play man Jon Anik, wondering if ‘Borz’ may have unseated Sean Strickland as the next man in line to face reigning middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis.

There’s certainly an argument to be made, but Strickland sure isn’t interested in listening to it. Following UFC 308, ‘Tarzan’ took to social and made it clear that nobody would be cutting in line, including Chimaev.

Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland

“Understand one thing…. I am next in line….. Its been said, its been written… January/February me and
@dricusduplessis are scrapping,” Strickland wrote on X. “Go back to Chechnya and wait a few months….. wait.. sorry UAE… you’re not allowed in Chechnya…But hey crypto scams while you wait.”

Could Khamzat Chimaev Takes a title opportunity at welterweight instead of middleweight?

After coming up short on two of the three judges’ scorecards in his middleweight title clash against ‘DDP’ in January, Strickland has been chomping at the bit to get another crack at the South African. By all accounts, he earned his shot with a win over Paulo Costa at UFC 302 over the summer.

Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland

However, the UFC may opt to strike while the iron is hot and give Khamzat Chimaev his long-awaited title opportunity. Or perhaps the promotion will attempt to satiate ‘Borz’ with a shot at the welterweight title, once Belal Muhammad settles some business with unbeaten finisher Shavkat Rakhmonov.

Did Chimaev do enough to take the spot Strickland has already been promised?

Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland

Sean O’Malley On Ilia Topuria After UFC 308: ‘Like A Little F**king Alex Pereira’

Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley watched on this past weekend as Ilia Topuria, a man whom he’s discussed fighting down the line, continued his violent undefeated run. Topuria returned to headline Saturday’s UFC 308 pay-per-view eight months on from his featherweight title crowning in Anaheim. After getting the better of one divisional legend in […]

Continue Reading Sean O’Malley On Ilia Topuria After UFC 308: ‘Like A Little F**king Alex Pereira’ at MMA News.

Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley watched on this past weekend as Ilia Topuria, a man whom he’s discussed fighting down the line, continued his violent undefeated run.

Topuria returned to headline Saturday’s UFC 308 pay-per-view eight months on from his featherweight title crowning in Anaheim. After getting the better of one divisional legend in Alexander Volkanovski, “El Matador” repeated the feat in Abu Dhabi.

This time, it was fan favorite Max Holloway on the receiving end of a violent ending. “Blessed,” who holds the symbolic BMF title, was knocked out for the first time in his career after being caught with a vicious left hook in round three.

During a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, O’Malley reacted to the main event at Etihad Arena, which saw Topuria further enhance his legacy on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage.

“God, Ilia’s a f*cking finisher, huh? He’ll jump on you,” O’Malley said. “Ilia’s so dangerous until the last bell. … Ilia landed a beautiful left hook. … This is exciting times. Great time to be alive. great time to be a UFC fan.

“Ilia just hurt Max bad…Ilia lands a bomb. Max is still stunned. Oh! Left hook! Ilia finishes Max Holloway with a left hook in round three. Holy sh*t, Ilia is that guy,” O’Malley continued. “Who at 145 wants to fight Ilia right now? Ilia’s just so dangerous the whole fight. He’s a like a little f*cking Alex Pereira. You can’t tell me Islam (Makhachev) vs. f*cking Ilia isn’t a fight you’d want to see.”

Talk of a super fight involving Topuria previously centered around O’Malley looking to move up to 145 pounds to challenge “El Matador.” But while that might have been on the menu should he have turned away Merab Dvalishvili’s challenge, O’Malley was unseated from the bantamweight throne inside the Sphere last month.

With that, it appears Topuria is entertaining thoughts of a champ-champ pursuit himself, having gone back and forth with lightweight kingpin Islam Makhachev in recent times.

For now, though, the Spaniard will seemingly need to further cement his grip on the crown at 145 pounds by adding a second win over Volkanovski to his UFC résumé.

Continue Reading Sean O’Malley On Ilia Topuria After UFC 308: ‘Like A Little F**king Alex Pereira’ at MMA News.