Tag: ufc 310

UFC Vet Pushes Back On Shavkat Rakhmonov’s Interim Talk: ‘Belal Has The F*cking Title’

Shavkat Rakhmonov is campaigning for an interim title fight after Belal Muhammad withdrew from their scheduled UFC 310 clash, but a UFC veteran has a contrasting viewpoint. Rakhmonov was slated to challenge reigning welterweight champion Muhammad in the headline fight of the final UFC pay-per-view event of 2024, set for Dec. 7 at the T-Mobile […]

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Shavkat Rakhmonov is campaigning for an interim title fight after Belal Muhammad withdrew from their scheduled UFC 310 clash, but a UFC veteran has a contrasting viewpoint.

Rakhmonov was slated to challenge reigning welterweight champion Muhammad in the headline fight of the final UFC pay-per-view event of 2024, set for Dec. 7 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

However, just last week, “Remember the Name” revealed that he had been forced to withdraw from the bout due to a bone infection in his foot.

In light of this regrettable circumstance, Rakhmonov recently turned to social media to advocate for an interim title fight, proposing former champion Kamaru Usman as the ideal opponent to rescue the UFC 310 main event.

While the prospect of an interim title fight has sparked considerable intrigue within a significant portion of the MMA community, Muhammad was quick to dismiss the idea. Having only claimed the welterweight title four months ago, he believes an interim title would be premature — and Matt Brown shares the same sentiment.

During a recent episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer podcast (via MMA Fighting), “The Immortal” recognized the necessity of addressing the void created by Muhammad’s absence but firmly expressed that, from his perspective, an interim title is unnecessary at this juncture.

“I think we all know at least it’s not a title,” Brown said. “Belal has the f**king title. He’ll be back soon. He’s going to fight the winner. This is a title contender match. Great. It’s a great fight. I’m stoked to see the fight. I’m just as stoked to see Shavkat and Usman as I would be for Shavkat and Belal, except it would be for the actual title with Belal.

“They usually do that because they need to sell the pay-per-view and put a title on it, right? I feel Usman would be selling PPVs. We all know who Usman is. We all want to watch Usman fight. I don’t think putting a title in front of that fight really changes the dynamic of that fight,” Brown continued. “I get why they would do it, and I understand the logic behind it and maybe it makes it a bigger fight, but I don’t see why you can’t keep it five rounds and just say it’s not for the title. … Unfortunately, it kind of diminishes what an interim title is.”

“Remember the Name” secured the welterweight title with a commanding unanimous decision victory over Leon Edwards at UFC 304 in July. Muhammad is now riding an impressive 11-fight unbeaten streak.

Meanwhile, Rakhmonov is fresh off a second-round submission victory over Stephen Thompson at UFC 296 in December 2023. “Nomad” has yet to taste defeat in his professional career, boasting a flawless 6-0 record inside the Octagon.

Continue Reading UFC Vet Pushes Back On Shavkat Rakhmonov’s Interim Talk: ‘Belal Has The F*cking Title’ at MMA News.

Michael Chiesa Offers Advice To Struggling Fighters After Nearly Retiring Before Recent Bounce Back Win

Before his last fight inside the Octagon in August, Michael Chiesa found himself in the worst patch of form of his career. The former winner of The Ultimate Fighter has overcome losses in the past and did suffer back-to-back defeats to Kevin Lee and Anthony Pettis once before. However, in three consecutive outings, he was […]

Continue Reading Michael Chiesa Offers Advice To Struggling Fighters After Nearly Retiring Before Recent Bounce Back Win at MMA News.

Before his last fight inside the Octagon in August, Michael Chiesa found himself in the worst patch of form of his career. The former winner of The Ultimate Fighter has overcome losses in the past and did suffer back-to-back defeats to Kevin Lee and Anthony Pettis once before.

However, in three consecutive outings, he was without a win after being submitted by Vicente Luque and Kevin Holland with a decision loss to Sean Brady in between. Chiesa was able to get back in the win column in Abu Dhabi when he submitted Tony Ferguson in the first round.

He’s now set to return at UFC 310 in search of a second win when he faces Max Griffin to keep his momentum pushing forward. In the build up to this fight, the commentator and desk analyst revealed that he seriously contemplated retirement during his losing streak.

If he wasn’t able to compete at the highest level anymore, he would hang up the gloves and look to continue pursuing the avenues that he’s already started to go down in recent years. In an interview with Shakiel Mahjouri, Chiesa spoke about working with a sport psychologist and what his biggest takeaways from that were.

When asked what advice he would pass on to struggling fighters that may find themselves in a similar position to the one that he was in, he spoke about the importance of having goals but focusing on the present rather than looking too far ahead.

“I think the biggest thing that I would say is focus on being in the present moment. That is something that I struggled with. Looking too far ahead like I’m looking too far ahead at the title or I’m looking too far ahead at the fight and worrying about getting hurt or like just looking too far ahead and not being present. It’s very important to be present in the moment every single day with your training. It’s good to have goals but you don’t have to dwell on the future and what’s yet to come or what you want to happen. You set the goals and then you put them aside and just focus on being in the moment.”

Continue Reading Michael Chiesa Offers Advice To Struggling Fighters After Nearly Retiring Before Recent Bounce Back Win at MMA News.

Michael Chiesa Offers Advice To Struggling Fighters After Nearly Retiring Before Recent Bounce Back Win

Before his last fight inside the Octagon in August, Michael Chiesa found himself in the worst patch of form of his career. The former winner of The Ultimate Fighter has overcome losses in the past and did suffer back-to-back defeats to Kevin Lee and Anthony Pettis once before. However, in three consecutive outings, he was […]

Continue Reading Michael Chiesa Offers Advice To Struggling Fighters After Nearly Retiring Before Recent Bounce Back Win at MMA News.

Before his last fight inside the Octagon in August, Michael Chiesa found himself in the worst patch of form of his career. The former winner of The Ultimate Fighter has overcome losses in the past and did suffer back-to-back defeats to Kevin Lee and Anthony Pettis once before.

However, in three consecutive outings, he was without a win after being submitted by Vicente Luque and Kevin Holland with a decision loss to Sean Brady in between. Chiesa was able to get back in the win column in Abu Dhabi when he submitted Tony Ferguson in the first round.

He’s now set to return at UFC 310 in search of a second win when he faces Max Griffin to keep his momentum pushing forward. In the build up to this fight, the commentator and desk analyst revealed that he seriously contemplated retirement during his losing streak.

If he wasn’t able to compete at the highest level anymore, he would hang up the gloves and look to continue pursuing the avenues that he’s already started to go down in recent years. In an interview with Shakiel Mahjouri, Chiesa spoke about working with a sport psychologist and what his biggest takeaways from that were.

When asked what advice he would pass on to struggling fighters that may find themselves in a similar position to the one that he was in, he spoke about the importance of having goals but focusing on the present rather than looking too far ahead.

“I think the biggest thing that I would say is focus on being in the present moment. That is something that I struggled with. Looking too far ahead like I’m looking too far ahead at the title or I’m looking too far ahead at the fight and worrying about getting hurt or like just looking too far ahead and not being present. It’s very important to be present in the moment every single day with your training. It’s good to have goals but you don’t have to dwell on the future and what’s yet to come or what you want to happen. You set the goals and then you put them aside and just focus on being in the moment.”

Continue Reading Michael Chiesa Offers Advice To Struggling Fighters After Nearly Retiring Before Recent Bounce Back Win at MMA News.

Alexandre Pantoja Jokes That He’s Ready To Start Trash Talking Kai Asakura To Secure UFC 310 Main Event

It currently isn’t known whether a new fight will be scheduled for UFC 310 in December following the cancellation of the original main event. Belal Muhammad was set to make the first defense of his welterweight title against the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov in Las Vegas. With Muhammad withdrawing due to an injury, Rakhmonov is hoping […]

Continue Reading Alexandre Pantoja Jokes That He’s Ready To Start Trash Talking Kai Asakura To Secure UFC 310 Main Event at MMA News.

It currently isn’t known whether a new fight will be scheduled for UFC 310 in December following the cancellation of the original main event. Belal Muhammad was set to make the first defense of his welterweight title against the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov in Las Vegas.

With Muhammad withdrawing due to an injury, Rakhmonov is hoping to stay on the card in an interim title fight against the former champion, Kamaru Usman. There was also talk of whether the UFC would try to pull together a totally different main event but this doesn’t look to be an option following the update surrounding Alex Pereira.

The promotion does of course already have a title fight booked for the card with flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja facing off with new arrival, Kai Asakura. The issue from the UFC’s perspective is likely that Asakura will be making his debut so will be a relatively unknown fighter to a lot of fans in the US and there’s a language barrier there also.

With Pantoja not being the kind of champion who is going to sell the fight all by himself, it seems unlikely that they will be elevated into the main event. In a recent interview with Shakiel Mahjouri, Pantoja said that he’s ready to be the headliner if that’s what the UFC wants.

He even jokingly remarked that he’s prepared to start calling out Asakura and going against who he is in order to start hyping up the card and generating headlines.

“I’m ready for that, I’m ready to make my trash talk with Asakura and say he come from Japan, he don’t know, whatever you know. Whatever I need to say to him to make this show like everybody enjoy, you know. But you know about me, I’m not that guy. I’m not going to say anything. I say with my fists in the Octagon. I talking about that before, I’m another part of the coin. You have UFC is entertainment, of course, but I’m the good fighter. I’m fighter and I go for that.”

Continue Reading Alexandre Pantoja Jokes That He’s Ready To Start Trash Talking Kai Asakura To Secure UFC 310 Main Event at MMA News.

Shavkat Rakhmonov Doubts Belal Muhammad Had To Withdraw From UFC 310: ‘I Think He Was Able’ 

Top UFC welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov believes champion Belal Muhammad could have made their planned fight date if he really wanted to. Rakhmonov entered November with a first shot at title glory on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage in the calendar. The undefeated “Nomad” was booked in as the first challenger in the reign of […]

Continue Reading Shavkat Rakhmonov Doubts Belal Muhammad Had To Withdraw From UFC 310: ‘I Think He Was Able’  at MMA News.

Top UFC welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov believes champion Belal Muhammad could have made their planned fight date if he really wanted to.

Rakhmonov entered November with a first shot at title glory on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage in the calendar. The undefeated “Nomad” was booked in as the first challenger in the reign of Muhammad, which got underway with a dominant display opposite Leon Edwards this past July.

But their UFC 310 main event is no more following an injury to the champ, who revealed this past weekend that he had been hospitalized with a gruesome bone infection that will prevent him from training for the next six weeks.

With that, the Dec. 7 headline spot is in limbo, as is Rakhmonov’s place on the lineup for the promotion’s final pay-per-view of the year.

But the Kazakh contender evidently doesn’t believe this difficult scenario had to come to fruition.

During Monday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, Rakhmonov addressed the current situation, questioning if Muhammad really did have to withdraw.

“I think he was able to fight on Dec. 7, but he wasn’t sure and is being extra careful,” Rakhmonov said. “I was just envisioning myself getting the win and it doesn’t matter how or which way. Belal is a good opponent, but I believe I can work with him in any field. I can counter him, I can pressure him, I just only see my (hand) getting raised in a fight against him.

“I don’t believe it’s going to be six weeks (to recover), to be honest. I believe Jack Della (had) the same problem with infection and he’s still not back. It can take a while,” Rakhmonov continued. “Belal doesn’t need to be greedy. If I become interim champ, he’s still going to have a belt too.”

Nevertheless, should he capture an interim title in Muhammad’s absence, Rakhmonov believes that will only make his eventual showdown with “Remember the Name” even bigger in 2025.

“It’s good for Belal, too. It’s only going to make the fight bigger,” Rakhmonov stated. “Champ vs. champ whenever Belal is ready. Obviously, after I secure the interim title, I’m going to fight him. First quarter of next year I believe is already scheduled and taken so he cannot come back soon, anyway.”

“Nomad” appeared more sympathetic toward his division’s champ soon after news of his injury emerged, taking to social media to wish Muhammad well in his recovery.

The Kazakh fighter can likely now expect some backlash from Muhammad after questioning the serious nature of his bone infection.

Continue Reading Shavkat Rakhmonov Doubts Belal Muhammad Had To Withdraw From UFC 310: ‘I Think He Was Able’  at MMA News.

Magomed Ankalaev Continues To Berate Alex Pereira: ‘Willing To Fight Everyone Short Notice But Me’

When Belal Muhammad was announced to have withdrawn from his upcoming welterweight title defense at UFC 310, everyone had the same thought. If the UFC needed someone to step in and save the main event, there was only one name they could call. The biggest argument for Alex Pereira being the 2024 fighter of the […]

Continue Reading Magomed Ankalaev Continues To Berate Alex Pereira: ‘Willing To Fight Everyone Short Notice But Me’ at MMA News.

When Belal Muhammad was announced to have withdrawn from his upcoming welterweight title defense at UFC 310, everyone had the same thought. If the UFC needed someone to step in and save the main event, there was only one name they could call.

The biggest argument for Alex Pereira being the 2024 fighter of the year is that he has stepped up and delivered for the UFC when they needed him most on several occasions. “Poatan” has already saved two big cards in UFC 300 and UFC 303 but doing it again would have been unthinkable.

It also appeared from his social media that his likely challenger, Magomed Ankalaev, was down to make a quick turnaround from UFC 308 to fight on December 7 in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, it now looks like Pereira’s last fight against Khalil Rountree in October will stop him from doing that.

During a recent appearance on the Podpah podcast, Pereira revealed that he’s dealing with a hand injury after Rountree was able to withstand a lot of damage before being stopped in the fourth round.

“In that 4th round, I was throwing jabs and it was hurting my hand man, I swear. I was thinking ‘my hand must be broken’. It still hurts today. It’s not that bad, but if I touch right here it hurts.”

Though Pereira has fought through injuries in the past, “Poatan” faces a tough test in Ankalaev who he’ll surely want to be at his best for. This was echoed in Ankalaev’s response to the video on social media.

The top light heavyweight contender replied to Pereira’s comments and claimed that the champion knows that he can’t risk it this time around unlike some of his previous fights.

“Willing to fight everyone short notice but with me, he knows he have to be ready he’s not stupid”

Continue Reading Magomed Ankalaev Continues To Berate Alex Pereira: ‘Willing To Fight Everyone Short Notice But Me’ at MMA News.