Tag: UFC News

Holloway Still Open To 155lb, Might See Makhachev ‘In The Near Future

Max Holloway is not ruling out a return to the lightweight division.

Holloway is known for his championship-winning efforts at featherweight, being considered one of the greatest fighters in that division’s history. However, he did attempt to move …

Max Holloway Islam Makhachev

Max Holloway is not ruling out a return to the lightweight division.

Holloway is known for his championship-winning efforts at featherweight, being considered one of the greatest fighters in that division’s history. However, he did attempt to move to the 155lb division while still featherweight champ, ultimately losing a decision to Dustin Poirier for the interim title.

Another fight that he was expected to have, was a short notice title fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov when Tony Ferguson pulled out of their vacant title fight but was ruled ineligible to compete. When asked in a recent interview with RT Sport what his game plan would have been if he did fight Khabib, Max would not give an answer, because he says that he might return to 155lb at some point and could end up fighting Khabib’s protégé, Islam Makhachev.

“(I would) go out there and fight my fight, you know? Do what Max Holloway does, fight my pace, fight my fight, get in his face, get early, and just get it done. I can’t give away too much. Your boy still might go up to ’55, and there’s Islam over there, that trains with, that is Khabib’s protege that’s coming up. So at the end of the day, I can’t give away my secrets too much, ’cause we might see this guy in the near future,” Holloway said.

Max Holloway has long been flirting with an eventual move to lightweight, but if he is able to get past Yair Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 42 this weekend, he will likely be next for the title shot. That said, if he comes up short in a third fight against Alexander Volkanovski, a move to lightweight could make the most sense for his career.

You can check out the full interview with Max Holloway below:

Continue Reading Holloway Still Open To 155lb, Might See Makhachev ‘In The Near Future at MMA News.

Amanda Ribas Is Looking For a Fight With Yan Xiaonan

Amanda Ribas is playing matchmaker for herself.

Instead of waiting on the sideline, UFC strawweight contender Amanda Ribas is actively seeking her next opponent. Ribas is coming off a win just one week ago in Abu Dhabi and is looking for a quick t…

Yan Xiaonan Amanda Ribas

Amanda Ribas is playing matchmaker for herself.

Instead of waiting on the sideline, UFC strawweight contender Amanda Ribas is actively seeking her next opponent. Ribas is coming off a win just one week ago in Abu Dhabi and is looking for a quick turnaround. She was taken to Twitter to call out Yan Xiaonan.

“Heyy @yanxiaonan!!! I was thinking..almost all fighters in our
weight division have a scheduled fight or something,” Ribas wrote on Twitter. “How about schedule ours too?! think it would be a GREAAT fight.”

Ribas has a happy and bubbly personality and that even comes across in her call-outs. There isn’t going to be much drama involved if these two meet in the Octagon, but there could be some fireworks. Ribas is currently ranked number ten in the division but has shown that he is a force to be reckoned with at 115 pounds. She has won 5 of her six fights in the UFC.

This isn’t the first time Ribas has called for a bout with Xiaonan. She was looking for Xiaonan back in June before she was matched up with Virna Jandiroba in July. Xiaonan has been in the move up herself. She is coming off a loss to Carla Esparza who could be next for the title shot. Before that she six wins in a row, all decisions.

However, just because Ribas is asking doesn’t mean that Xiaonan has to accept. She is sitting in the number four spot and could be looking at higher-ranked opponents. The thing Ribas has going for her is star power. She is a fan favorite and is often in the spotlight and has been featured on three main cards, twice on pay-per-views.

Do you want to see Yan Xiaonan take on Amanda Ribas on a future UFC card?

Continue Reading Amanda Ribas Is Looking For a Fight With Yan Xiaonan at MMA News.

Conor McGregor Rips Jorge Masvidal For UFC 269 Withdrawal, ‘Gamebred’ Responds

Conor McGregorConor McGregor took aim at Jorge Masvidal for dropping out of his upcoming fight, and ‘Gamebred’ fired a few shots back. Masvidal was scheduled to fight Leon Edwards at UFC 269 but unfortunately had to drop out of the fight due to an undisclosed injury. McGregor was on one of his Twitter tangents talking about […]

Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor took aim at Jorge Masvidal for dropping out of his upcoming fight, and ‘Gamebred’ fired a few shots back.

Masvidal was scheduled to fight Leon Edwards at UFC 269 but unfortunately had to drop out of the fight due to an undisclosed injury. McGregor was on one of his Twitter tangents talking about his accomplishments when he decided to take aim at Masvidal as well. McGregor was describing how Nov. 12th was such a historic day in the UFC world.

Nov. 12th marks five years since Conor McGregor made history by being the first fighter to hold two belts at the same time. It also is the same day that the inaugural UFC event was held.

McGregor also pointed out that it is also Jorge Masvidal’s birthday, in a way not many would enjoy being told “happy birthday”.

“It’s also Jorge masvadal birthday but he a bitch for bottling the fight against Leon. Fuck your “injury” You sign to fight, you fight. Strip that belt from him that he never even won. Hoe in a housecoat. The fuck was that about as well? Last seasons Versace house coat hahaha wtf!” McGregor posted on his Twitter.

Jorge Masvidal Fired Back At Conor McGregor

“I guess you’re off your meds again barking up the wrong tree and don’t be upset your client was about to be blessed with the biggest pay day of his life and now you don’t get a dime off his whack ass. Too much man for you little guy go back to fighting old dudes in bars” Masvidal said in his reply back to McGregor.

McGregor has had a back and forth on Twitter with the entire roster at this point. Just in the past two weeks, he has had arguments with Nate Diaz, Tony Ferguson, Max Holloway and now Jorge Masvidal.

Masvidal doesn’t have a time frame for his return as of now, but it seems as if a fight with Edwards is in the rearview mirror. Edwards is already looking towards welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. Masvidal may have another grudge match to settle in his future with his former roommate, Colby Covington.

As for McGregor, he has a lot of options to choose from when he returns from his injury. Masvidal may be another fight he looks at in the future, as both of them have a very exciting style of fighting.

Would you want to see Conor McGregor and Jorge Masvidal square off in the octagon?

Justin Gaethje Slams Mike Beltran After UFC 268 Call

Justin Gaethje is not happy with Mike Beltran’s reffing at UFC 268. 

Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler had one of the most action-packed bouts in recent memory. There was rarely a lull through the three-round banger, but Gaethje thinks there…

Justin Gaethje is not happy with Mike Beltran’s reffing at UFC 268. 

Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler had one of the most action-packed bouts in recent memory. There was rarely a lull through the three-round banger, but Gaethje thinks there should’ve been. Near the end of the second round, Chandler inadvertently poked Gaethje in the eye. Beltran did call for a pause in the action but did not jump between the combatants.  

“I hate to critique the guy – he’s human, and we make mistakes,” Gaethje said on the Anik and Florian podcast. “I just think that … pretty much every ref that I step out there with has a look in their eyes, and it’s a look like they’re shook, like they’re intimidated by what just occurred.

“I understand that, but this is real life. I need them to be in game mode. We’re not dealing with seconds anymore. This is way less than seconds. if you’re going to break action, you’ve got to put your body in there. If you’re going to get hit, that needs to be OK.”

Justin Gaethje, Michael Chandler
Justin Gaethje, Michael Chandler, Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

What If The Punch Changed The Outcome?

Beltran made the time-out symbol with his hands after the poke, but a fired-up Chandler did not notice the mustachioed ref’s signal. Instead, Chandler blasted Gaethje with a heavy right hand. 

“That was a big punch,” he said. “What if that would have knocked me out? Those can change the whole direction of a fight. It’s just crazy to me that it wasn’t a big issue, because for me it was a huge issue. That’s $1 million, if I lose, that’s so much money off of my table.”

“The Highlight” was asked if he “was good” after the punch, to which he responded, “Yeah, I’m good.” When the referee told them to fight, Gaethje claimed that he was okay after the late blow but still needed some time to clear his vision after the poke. Yet, Beltran responded, “You said you were good, fight.”

The entire ordeal lasted only a few seconds but could’ve drastically affected Gaethje going into the final round of a back-and-forth fight. A loss in what many saw as a number one contender’s bout would’ve been a huge step backward for Gaethje.  Luckily for the former interim champion, it didn’t. He’d go on to win the bout via unanimous decision.

Continue Reading Justin Gaethje Slams Mike Beltran After UFC 268 Call at MMA News.

Aldo Puts Khabib’s Comments Down To Post-Retirement Attention Seeking

Following Khabib Nurmagomedov’s claim that he can’t get back to his best, José Aldo has suggested the Russian talks too much.

The former UFC Lightweight Champion’s comments came after Aldo recorded his second bantamweight victory in August this yea…

Following Khabib Nurmagomedov’s claim that he can’t get back to his best, José Aldo has suggested the Russian talks too much.

The former UFC Lightweight Champion’s comments came after Aldo recorded his second bantamweight victory in August this year. In the UFC 265 co-main event, “Junior” faced his compatriot Pedro Munhoz. An impressive performance across three rounds saw the 35-year-old defeat “The Young Punisher” by way of a unanimous decision.

Despite taking a step closer to earning a second championship opportunity at 135 pounds, not everyone was impressed. Khabib stated that the Brazilian can’t achieve a second peak in MMA, and suggested he’d be beaten by the top names in the weight class.

Aldo Hits Back At “The Eagle”

While Aldo may have lost three fights in a row prior to his win against Marlon Vera last December, two came against future champions in Alexander Volkanovski and Petr Yan. The other, which was opposite Marlon Moraes, was a controversial decision that most believe should have seen Aldo with his hand raised. With back-to-back wins in his new weight class, Aldo looks to be making a late surge back to the top.

With that in mind, the former featherweight kingpin doesn’t understand why Khabib decided to criticize his latest victory. During this week’s episode of MMA Fighting’s Portuguese-language podcast Trocação Franca, “Junior” claimed Glover Teixeira’s victory at UFC 267, which saw him become champion at the age of 42, proves the Dagestani’s assessment was wrong.

“He’s saying you can’t peak again, but we just saw an example with Glover [Teixeira], who got there, lost, and got there again at age 42 and won [the UFC title], completely dominated the champion, took him down and submitted him,” Aldo said. “[Israel] Adesanya himself fought [Jan Blachowicz] for five rounds, a pretty boring fight, two high-level athletes, and Glover, who’s older than me [won].” (h/t MMA Fighting)

Assessing why he believes Khabib doubted his abilities, Aldo suggested “The Eagle” was simply seeking some post-retirement attention.

“Sometimes Khabib talks too much. He’s not doing much these days, he’s retired, so he’s looking for [attention] that way.”

After dominant title defenses against Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje, Khabib retired from active MMA competition after UFC 254 last October. Having closed the book on his in-cage career with an unblemished 29-0 record, the Dagestani has since turned his attention to his business ventures, ownership of the Eagle Fighting Championship, and coaching his friends and teammates.

Aldo, meanwhile, is still on the hunt for more success in the UFC. Having built his first winning streak as a bantamweight, the 35-year-old will look to make it three straight when he next enters the Octagon. The Brazilian is set to main event the December 4 UFC Fight Night card against fellow top-five contender Rob Font.

Do you agree with José Aldo? Was Khabib Nurmagomedov seeking attention with his comments?

Continue Reading Aldo Puts Khabib’s Comments Down To Post-Retirement Attention Seeking at MMA News.

Michael Chandler Receives 22 Stitches After His Brawl With Justin Gaethje

Michael ChandlerMichael Chandler had to get 22 stitches after putting on a show with Justin Gaethje at UFC 268. Chandler and Gaethje put on an instant classic fight and went down as one of the best fights in the history of the promotion. Both men had to leave the building in an ambulance after their three […]

Michael Chandler

Michael Chandler had to get 22 stitches after putting on a show with Justin Gaethje at UFC 268.

Chandler and Gaethje put on an instant classic fight and went down as one of the best fights in the history of the promotion. Both men had to leave the building in an ambulance after their three round war. Chandler, visually took the worst of the strikes, but still landed some bombs of his own on Gaethje.

TMZ Sports shared a video of Chandler getting stitched up after the fight.

Chandler has been in good spirits since his loss against Gaethje. He went inside the octagon ready to put on a show, and he did not disappoint whatsoever. There were many times when it looked like Chandler was about to get knocked out, but he just kept coming forward. He even was getting hit with his hands down and yelling for Gaethje to hit him harder.

Chandler also put up a hilarious video of himself in an ice mask while talking to his son that MMA fans loved.

A future bout with Conor McGregor may be on the horizon for Michael Chandler

Chandler had a quick respectful back and forth with Conor McGregor on Twitter that hinted at the two possibly meeting inside the octagon. Conor McGregor didn’t seem to be as enthused about the matchup as Chandler is. Obviously a fight between himself and McGregor would be the biggest payday of Chandler’s career. It would also be a really good test for McGregor and would provide a great chess match between the two.

Chandler is known for his relentless pressure that he puts on opposing fighters, while McGregor is one of the greatest counter striker to ever step foot inside the octagon. MMA fans would undoubtedly be excited for that fight if it is booked in 2022.

Is the Gaethje vs Chandler fight a top 10 fight you’ve ever seen?