Tag: ufc 310

UFC Matchmaking Bulletin: Fights Added To Los Angeles-Held UFC 311

MMA News has you covered with this week’s UFC matchmaking bulletin, featuring all the additions to upcoming cards. With events being held most weekends, Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby have their matchmaking work cut out if they’re to fill them, meaning new bouts are confirmed each and every week. Between Monday, November 18, and Sunday, […]

MMA News has you covered with this week’s UFC matchmaking bulletin, featuring all the additions to upcoming cards.

With events being held most weekends, Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby have their matchmaking work cut out if they’re to fill them, meaning new bouts are confirmed each and every week.

Between Monday, November 18, and Sunday, November 24, a number of notable fights were made official by the UFC or reported as being in the works by reputable sources. For more information on those matchups, check out the links below:

Plenty of lower-profile matchups also came together. For those, check out this week’s quick hits:

But it wasn’t all positive, with two fights falling through or being adjusted. For those, see below:

Kai Asakura Reveals UFC’s Original Plan For Him Fell Through

Fight fans were very surprised to see that Kai Asakura would be fighting for the UFC flyweight title on his Octagon debut at UFC 310. The former RIZIN bantamweight champion is a big star in Japan so it would make sense why the UFC would want to showcase him. That being said, plenty of big […]

Fight fans were very surprised to see that Kai Asakura would be fighting for the UFC flyweight title on his Octagon debut at UFC 310. The former RIZIN bantamweight champion is a big star in Japan so it would make sense why the UFC would want to showcase him.

That being said, plenty of big signings have arrived in the promotion before and not gone straight into a title shot. Fighters like Michael Chandler, Ji?í Procházka, Kayla Harrison and Michael “Venom” Page all entered the UFC and went straight into a fight within the top 15 rankings of their divisions.

When it was announced that Asakura has signed with the MMA leader, it was reported that he would be jumping right into the top five of the flyweight division after deciding to move down from bantamweight which he plans on returning to in the future. In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, the title challenger was asked whether his discussions with the UFC always involved him facing Alexandre Pantoja for the gold.

He revealed that the original plan that was put in place was for him to face a top three guy in the division in his debut. Asakura said that once it became clear that this wasn’t happening, an offer he couldn’t refuse landed on his lap instead.

“We as a team had discussed with them about fighting somebody in the top three and they had agreed to provide a top three challenger for me and we had a fight. It unfortunately fell through and then after that fight fell through, I was given this opportunity to fight for the title and of course, we took it right away.”  

The proposed fight that Asakura may be referring to was a match-up with Brandon Royval that “Raw Dawg” said he was offered for UFC 305 this past August. Royval instead went on to face Asakura’s fellow Japanese standout, Tatsuro Taira, in October.

Laura Sanko Gets Chills from UFC Talent Shavkat Rakhmonov

Laura Sanko Gets Chills from UFC Talent Shavkat RakhmonovLaura Sanko’s admiration for undefeated finisher Shavkat Rakhmonov has been one of the more entertaining stories to come out…

Laura Sanko Gets Chills from UFC Talent Shavkat Rakhmonov

Laura Sanko’s admiration for undefeated finisher Shavkat Rakhmonov has been one of the more entertaining stories to come out of the UFC in recent years.

It all started during the UFC 279 weigh-in show when Sanko exclaimed that the ‘Nomad’ gave her chills. More than her words, it was the delivery of said declaration that got everyone’s attention.

Things really started to heat up a few months later ahead of UFC 285 when Sanko appeared on the weigh-in show sporting a Kazakh Hat similar to the one Rakhomov wears to the Octagon. As Sanko curiously stroked the tail of the headwear and sang Rakhmonov’s praises, fans online went crazy, and an entire country instantly followed Sanko on Instagram.

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Asked about Sanko’s comments during the UFC 285 media day, Rakhmonov acknowledged that he had seen the clip and found it quite humorous.

“Yes, of course. I saw that video,” Rakhmonov said through a translator when asked about the viral clip. “What can I say? As a man, you always like when a woman adores you. So…” 

Sanko eventually did attempt to quell the rumors of her manufactured courtship with the welterweight star.

“Can we please address this? I don’t have a crush on the man. I like his fighting style,” Sanko said as she felt forced to clear the air. “An entire country thinks I do and I need to correct the record. Still a fan, I just don’t have a crush. The entire country of Kazakhstan is very excited about it because I got like 20,000 new followers after that day. No, I have a husband.”

Of course, that did little to kill the narrative that was already sweeping across social media.

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Laura Sanko Admits She still gets chills from shavkat rakhmonov — and nothing else

Recently, Gabriel Gonzalez — the same MMA reporter who asked ‘Nomad’ about Sanko’s comments in March 2023 — caught up with the UFC color commentator and offered up an apology for his role in perpetuating the rumors.

“I almost forgot that you were responsible for that,” Sanko told Gonzalez. “You ask one question and the whole world lights on fire. I don’t know that you owe me an apology. You don’t owe me an apology. But it was certainly, um, it was really blown out of proportion. But that’s okay — I got quite a bit of Instagram following off of it.

“And I will say this: the Kazakh fans are absolutely amazing, and I’ve kind of fallen in love with this idea of Kazakhstan and its craziness for anything Shavkat-related.”

Though things may have gotten a little blown out of proportion — as Sanko stated — the former fighter admits to still getting chills when Rakhmonov puts his skills on display inside the Octagon, and she’s certainly not the only one.

“The internet — I’m not the only one that’s getting chills, guys. I’m not the only one that’s getting chills.”

Fortunately, Sanko and Rakhmonov’s home country won’t have to wait long to see ‘Nomad’ back in action. On Saturday, December 7, the 18-0 sensation returns to action for a potential welterweight title eliminator against fast-rising Irish star Ian Machado Garry at UFC 310 in Las Vegas.

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Vicente Luque On Second Nick Diaz Fight Cancellation: ‘I Hope He Seeks Help’

UFC welterweight contender Vicente Luque is concerned for Nick Diaz after their matchup once again hit a roadblock en route to the Octagon. Luque was originally set to welcome Diaz back to the cage at the UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi this past August. That fell through weeks beforehand, with travel issues being cited […]

UFC welterweight contender Vicente Luque is concerned for Nick Diaz after their matchup once again hit a roadblock en route to the Octagon.

Luque was originally set to welcome Diaz back to the cage at the UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi this past August. That fell through weeks beforehand, with travel issues being cited as the reason.

It was later rescheduled for the final pay-per-view of 2024, UFC 310 in Las Vegas next month. But doubts over that coming to fruition arose when a video emerged appearing to show the shirtless Stockton native attempting to light grass on fire in the street.

People’s fears were realized when the bout’s cancellation was confirmed, with rising prospect Themba Gorimbo taking Diaz’s place to face Luque inside T-Mobile Arena on Dec. 7.

During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, “The Silent Assassin” reacted to losing his planned opponent again, this time expressing more concern given the apparent circumstances.

“I don’t know exactly why (it was canceled),” Luque said, before commenting on the apparent video of Diaz. “I saw that video of him in the streets, and he didn’t look OK. And more than anything, I hope his family and he’s taking care of himself. I hope he recovers and goes back to his best state possible. … I didn’t know if it was a recent video or not, but I kept thinking, if it’s recent, I hope he really seeks help to get out of the situation he’s in because Nick is a fighter I follow since before I was in the UFC. He has inspired me a lot in the past. … You see his accomplishments, and see his state at 40 years of age, that’s not how I want to see any fighter.

“This sport is very tough and we dedicate so many years to be able to make a living off this, and to see him in that situation, at his age… We don’t know what he’s going to do from now on, if he’s going to recover, if he’s going to be able to fight again, maybe open a gym and teach, whatever, but we hope for the best,” Luque continued. “It’s very sad to see him at that stage, because I don’t want that for anyone, much less a man that has inspired so many.”

While fight fans wish the best for Diaz, a big opportunity has opened up for Gorimbo.

The Zimbabwean gained prominence when his inspirational story was noticed by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who subsequently bought the fighter a house in Miami.

That came after Gorimbo’s first UFC win, and “The Answer” has since had his hand raised in three straight fights this year to put him on the brink of a number next to his name at 170 pounds.

UFC 310 Loses Two More Fights Following Main Event Switch-Up

The year-ending UFC 310 pay-per-view has already taken plenty of damage to its lineup, and the withdrawals don’t appear to be slowing down. Things haven’t been easy going for the MMA leader’s final numbered card of 2024, which has already undergone some notable changes. The original co-headliner between UFC Flyweight Champion Alexandre Pantoja and newcomer […]

The year-ending UFC 310 pay-per-view has already taken plenty of damage to its lineup, and the withdrawals don’t appear to be slowing down.

Things haven’t been easy going for the MMA leader’s final numbered card of 2024, which has already undergone some notable changes. The original co-headliner between UFC Flyweight Champion Alexandre Pantoja and newcomer Kai Asakura is now in the main event spotlight.

That’s following the cancellation of Belal Muhammad’s title defense against Shavkat Rakhmonov after an injury to the champ. “Nomad” has remained on the card and will instead do battle with a fellow undefeated contender in Ian Garry.

Further down the UFC 310 lineup, a crucial strawweight clash between Tatiana Suarez and Virna Jandiroba was scrapped under mysterious circumstances, while Nick Diaz’s planned return against Vicente Luque fell through for the second time this year.

And this week, the preliminary card took a pair of blows with the cancellation of two heavyweight bouts.

News of the first came by way of Eurosport Nederland’s Marcel Dorff, who revealed that Slovakia’s Martin Buday is out of his UFC 310 matchup with former Eagle FC and PFL fighter Rizvan Kuniev.

Minutes later, MMA Junkie’s Nolan King emerged with news of another bout for the scrap heap, posting that recent Dana White’s Contender Series alum Tallison Teixeira has been forced out of his planned debut against “The Bull” ?ukasz Brzeski.

It remains to be seen whether Kuniev and Brzeski will remain on the card. Given that they both compete in the same weight class, perhaps the promotion will simply pair them together for UFC 310.

As it stands, the Dec. 7 card does still boasts 13 fights, partially thanks to the rescheduling of Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders after that bout’s fight-day cancellation last weekend in New York City.

UFC Analyst References Training Footage To Break Down Rakhmonov vs. Garry

The co-main event of UFC 310 next month may be a replacement match-up but as far as a stand-in fights go, they don’t get much better than this one. One undefeated streak will come to an end in Las Vegas as Shavkat Rakhmonov faces Ian Machado Garry over five rounds. Though there isn’t an interim […]

The co-main event of UFC 310 next month may be a replacement match-up but as far as a stand-in fights go, they don’t get much better than this one. One undefeated streak will come to an end in Las Vegas as Shavkat Rakhmonov faces Ian Machado Garry over five rounds.

Though there isn’t an interim title on the line following Belal Muhammad’s withdrawal from the card like many expected there would be, both men know what is at stake in this top level clash in the welterweight division. In fact, the two competitors also know a bit about each other already due to the period of time where they were both training out of Kill Cliff FC in Florida.

Following the fight announcement, a video of the opponents sparring some light rounds with one another went out on social media and though there wasn’t much to gain from this footage, it did show that both men have squared off in the past.

As a result, UFC analyst and fellow welterweight contender Michael Chiesa believes that this familiarity will show in the fight. He spoke in a recent interview with Sportskeeda about his thoughts on the bout that will take place the same night as his return against Max Griffin.

Chiesa believes that the element of surprise could decide this fight because of how skilled both fighters are as well as the element of already experiencing each other’s games first-hand.

“I’ll keep it short. There’s some sparring footage that came out of Ian Garry and Shavkat. I think that they’re both gonna be very familiar with each other and I will go out on a limb and say I think this fight goes to a decision. I think these guys are familiar with each other enough to where they’re going to negate a few of the attacks and it’s going to be a matter of who can come in there and throw a new wrinkle into their game to throw off the opponent.”