Tag: UFC News

Amid links to a big-name fight in his return to action next year, promotional perfect contender, Paddy Pimblett claims he fancies his chances of defeating former interim lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier in a future clash — believing he would even submit the UFC star.

Pimblett, who currently boasts the number thirteen rank in the official lightweight pile, has been sidelined since recording his sixth Octagon win back in July, featuring at UFC 304 in a dominant opening round triangle win over common-foe, King Green.

As for Poirier, the Lafayette native confirmed earlier this month how he plans to fight just once more in the UFC, before hanging up his storied gloves from combat sports competition.

Paddy Pimblett claims he has what it takes to stop Dustin Poirier

Confirming news of his fight return is set to be revealed soon — with fans pointing to a potential pairing with former championship challenger, Michael Chandler, Pimblett boldly broke down the above-mentioned, Poirier — claiming if he ever fought the Louisianan, he would submit him akin to Islam Makhachev.

Obviously Islam’s (Makhachev) sub [against Dustin Poirier] was good, but it’s just a D’Arce choke,” Paddy Pimblett said on his YouTube channel. “I transitioned from a guillotine to a triangle to an armbar, from the feet. Still think Khamzat’s (Chimaev) sub was better. Khamzat against Robert Whittaker was a better submission. No one’s done that to Robert Whittaker. (Dustin) Poirier’s been submitted multiple times before. I’d submit Dustin Poirier. No one submitted Bobby [King] Green in like f*cking 12 years or whatever it was.”

As well as a potential return against former title chaser, Chandler, Liverpool star, Paddy Pimblett has also been lined up to fight with Benoit Saint-Denis next, according to Renato Moicano — who stopped the Nimes native in the main event of UFC Fight Night Paris back in September of this year.

Dominick Cruz had a rather hilarious response to news of an unfortunate training incident involving former UFC fighter Mateus Mendonca.

After going 0-3 under the UFC banner, Mendonca was handed his release earlier this year. However, that turned out to be the least of his concerns. During a recent interview, the featherweight out of Maranhao, Brazil revealed that he fractured his penis during a fairly routine jiu-jitsu training session.

“I went to train jiu-jitsu at my teacher’s gym the day before I returned to Sao Paulo,” Mendonca told AgFight. “During the second roll, [my partner] hit my private parts with his knee when I was trying to pass the guard. I felt an incredible amount of pain and ran to the bathroom. It started to burn. But then the pain went away and I kept going.

“A month later, training normally without pain, I started to notice some problems. I started to move and there was a lump. So I went to the hospital. When I got there, the doctor did an exam and immediately transferred me to another hospital for surgery.

Dominick Cruz chimes in on Mendonca’s trauma below the belt

While most guys were sympathetic to Mendonca’s injury — if not downright horrified — it was former two-time bantamweight titleholder Dominick Cruz who decided to find the humor in the situation by quoting ex-Navy SEAL and ultramarathon runner David Goggins.

“Goggins says: stay hard,” Cruz wrote in response to the news.

Though most BJJ athletes don’t wear protective gear while training as it often restricts their movement, Mendonca highly encourages every athlete to take the necessary precautions.

After all, you never know when someone is going to lift a knee and inadvertently break your penis.

“It’s a good idea to warn everyone,” Mendonca said. “All the guys who train jiu-jitsu, grappling, MMA, anything that involves contact: wear a cup to avoid accidents. This had never happened to me. It was the first time and look what happened. I had to have surgery. I had to be out of action for two months.”

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Guilherme Cruz (@guicruz.mma)

As a teenager with just a few fights under his belt, Arman Tsarukyan was more concerned with getting his checkmark on Instagram than becoming a champion.

Almost a decade later, ‘Akhalkalakets’ is one big win away from capturing his first bit of UFC gold. Standing in his way is reigning and defending lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev who puts his belt on the line against Tsarukyan at UFC 311.

It’s been a long road for Tsarukyan to land his first title opportunity, but once upon a time, the Armenian wasn’t even thinking about sitting atop the lightweight throne. All he really wanted was to get verified on social media and score some slick swag.

“When I was 19 years old, I already had three or four fights. I told my friend, ‘I just want to get to the UFC, get my Instagram verification, and the uniform.’ That’s all I wanted from the UFC,” Tsarukyan told ESPN MMA. “But then I started winning fights, and people began telling me I was a good fighter and could make it to the UFC.

“Even my manager said so. That’s when I started believing in myself, training harder, and winning more fights, which eventually got me into the UFC.”

Tsarukyan got his Instagram verified… and a lot more

You’ll be happy to know that Tsarukyan eventually got the blue checkmark on Insta. He’s even amassed a pretty impressive fanbase with 1.5 million followers.

Now it’s just a matter of etching his name in the history books when the UFC heads to The City of Angels on January 18.

As a teenager with just a few fights under his belt, Arman Tsarukyan was more concerned with getting his checkmark on Instagram than becoming a champion.

Almost a decade later, ‘Akhalkalakets’ is one big win away from capturing his first bit of UFC gold. Standing in his way is reigning and defending lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev who puts his belt on the line against Tsarukyan at UFC 311.

It’s been a long road for Tsarukyan to land his first title opportunity, but once upon a time, the Armenian wasn’t even thinking about sitting atop the lightweight throne. All he really wanted was to get verified on social media and score some slick swag.

“When I was 19 years old, I already had three or four fights. I told my friend, ‘I just want to get to the UFC, get my Instagram verification, and the uniform.’ That’s all I wanted from the UFC,” Tsarukyan told ESPN MMA. “But then I started winning fights, and people began telling me I was a good fighter and could make it to the UFC.

“Even my manager said so. That’s when I started believing in myself, training harder, and winning more fights, which eventually got me into the UFC.”

Tsarukyan got his Instagram verified… and a lot more

You’ll be happy to know that Tsarukyan eventually got the blue checkmark on Insta. He’s even amassed a pretty impressive fanbase with 1.5 million followers.

Now it’s just a matter of etching his name in the history books when the UFC heads to The City of Angels on January 18.