Tag: UFC News

Veteran UFC color-commentator, Joe Rogan has revealed he pleaded with Endeavor CEO, Ari Emanuel to abolish the practice of weigh cutting when he penned a deal to purchase the promotion back in 2016, claiming the act of shedding weight before competition should be “eliminated.

Rogan, a long-time color-commentator during his lengthy tenure with the UFC, called the action earlier this month during UFC 311 — with a pair of championship fights closing the bill in California.

Joe Rogan lays out plea to stop UFC fighters cutting weight

And taking prime example from the weight cut of undisputed lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev en route to his dominant submission win over Renato Moicano via D’Arce choke, Rogan claimed the practice should be “eliminated” — and natural weight of combatants should be taken into consideration.

“I think weight-cutting should be eliminated,” Joe Rogan said during an interview with Jiri Prochazka on his podcast this week. “I said this to Ari Emanuel when they first bought the UFC. I said, ‘Listen man, you know what you should do? Get rid of weight-cutting, just stop it. Look, If you can randomly test people for drugs, you can randomly test their weight. Show up with a scale, say. ‘Hey, buddy. Step on the scale, you’re 190 pounds, how the f*ck are you making 145?’ Do something like that.

“And come up with more weight classes,” Joe Rogan explained. There should be a weight class every 10 pounds. This idea of these giant gaps like 185 to 205, that’s a 20-pound gap, that’s huge, that doesn’t exist in boxing. They should have every 10 pounds, 85, 95, 205, 225 and then unlimited… Find out what does Islam Makhachev weigh. Islam Makhachev is a UFC champion, the best pound-for-pound fighter on Earth. Find out what he weighs. What do you weigh if you were healthy? If weight cutting didn’t exist? Would it be 185, 190? Whatever that is. That’s how you fight now and we’re not going to weigh you in the day before and let you rehydrate. That’s crazy talk. Fight people your size,”

Former undisputed UFC bantamweight titleholder. Cody Garbrandt has been branded the biggest threat to the title reign of current kingpin, Merab Dvalishvili — by former two-fight rival and fellow ex-champion, T.J. Dillashaw.

Garbrandt, who has been sidelined since UFC 300 last year, most recently saw his impressive two-fight winning run halted in a one-sided, eventual second round rear-naked choke submission loss against former flyweight titleholder, Deiveson Figueiredo.

Prior to that, Ohio veteran, Cody Garbrandt had turned in a pair of back-to-back wins over both Trevin Jones, and then Brian Kelleher — finishing the latter with a thunderous first round knockout win at UFC 296.

As for Dvalishvili, the Georgian fan-favorite successfully defended the bantamweight crown for the first time at UFC 311 earlier this month, handing the streaking, Umar Nurmagomedov his first-ever professional loss in a hard-fought unanimous decision win in the night’s co-main event.

Cody Garbrandt backed as massive threat to Merab Dvalishvili

And himself linked with a stunning comeback from retirement to take on champion, Dvalishvili in a return to competition, Angels Camp veteran, Dillashaw has actually claimed former training partner turned bitter enemy, Cody Garbrandt is the champion’s current toughest test.

“I’d like to see (Cody) Garbrandt fight him (Merab Dvalishvili) eventually,” T.J. Dillashaw said during an interview on the JAXXON Podcast. “once Garbrandt gets a couple of wins back under his belt. Like Garbrandt can wrestle, dude. Like I train with Garbrandt a lot. He’s so f*cking fast. He’s like a cat on his feet.

“He’s hard to take down. And as soon as he gets his confidence back, he hits like a truck,” T.J. Dillashaw explained. “He’s faster than I think. He could do really good if he can get a run going and get believing in himself and like he could be a threat.”

During his promotional run, Garbrandt scooped the undisputed bantamweight title with a stunning upset win over Dominick Cruz back in 2016, and has turned in other notable wins over the likes of Raphael Assuncao, Marcus Brimage, Thomas Almeida, and Takeya Mizugaki.

Booked for his return at UFC 313, Alex Pereira admits he has one keen eye on expected proceedings between Jon Jones and current interim heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall — claiming he is open to a super fight with the British favorite for gold as soon as this annum.

Pereira, the current undisputed light heavyweight champion and a former middleweight titleholder during his gold laden run with the promotion, is set to headline UFC 313 in March, looking to settle his lengthy grudge with surging number one contender, Magomed Ankalaev.

Most recently landing his third successful defense of the 205lbs championship back in October of last year in the main event of UFC 307, Pereira stopped surging contender, Khalil Rountree in a bloody barrage at the Octagon fence in the fourth round.

Alex Pereira open to super fight with Tom Aspinall this year

And long-rumored to be considering a major heavyweight divisional leap in pursuit of a staggering third championship reign in the organization, Sao Paulo star, Pereira claimed he would be open to fighting the streaking interim force, Aspinall if afforded the chance.

“I’ll fight anybody at heavyweight,” Alex Pereira said on told Ariel Helwani for Uncrowned when asked if he was interested in fighting Tom Aspinall. “”But I’m the champion, and Jon Jones is the champion. If Aspinall was the champion, I’d want to fight him.”

As mentioned, Pereira has sights also fixed on a monstrous pairing with fellow former two-weight champion, Jones, insisting he would relish the opportunity to stand opposite the former pound-for-pound number one.

Jon Jones,” Alex Pereira said when asked if he would rather fight Jones or the above-mentioned, Israel Adesanya. ” Because already four years or four times [I fought Adesanya]. And talk about Jon Jones is a new challenge. And he’s the champ.”

Linked in recent weeks with a massive super fight, Dricus du Plessis has claimed a potential defense of his middleweight crown against Islam Makhachev following his UFC 312 return would represent a rather “easy payday” for him if they were to battle in the Octagon.

du Plessis, the current undisputed middleweight champion, has been sidelined since he featured at UFC 305 back in August of last year in Australia, successfully defending his 185lbs title for the first time.

And returning next month in a comeback to Sydney, Dricus du Plessis takes on former champion and prior-foe, Sean Strickland in a rematch of their first pairing back in January of last year — where the South African nabbed the title in a close, split decision victory.

However, off the back of the above-mentioned, Makhachev’s title fight win over short-notice opponent. Renato Moicano with a dominant D’Arce choke submission at UFC 311 earlier this month, the Russian has been heavily linked with a super fight as high as middleweight against du Plessis.

Dricus du Plessis claims Islam Makhachev is an “easy payday” for him

And discussing his chances of ever fighting the pound-for-pound number one, Pretoria champion, du Plessis claimed a showdown with Makhachev would represent an “easy payday” for him.

“It makes a massive difference,” Dricus du Plessis said during a recent interview with Main Event. “He’s (Islam Makhachev) a big lightweight, but I’m a big middleweight. There’s a big difference between a big lightweight and a big middleweight. But if there’s ever the situation where there’s no fight for me, no fight for him that makes sense, I’ll be more than happy to do that. Easy payday.”

Defending the middleweight title last summer, du Plessis ended his fierce rivalry with former two-time champion, Israel Adesanya with an eventual fourth round face crack submission win ‘Downunder.