Reigning UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev braves the elements as he prepares for his upcoming title fight. Makhachev is set to defend his title for the first time on February 11, when featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will bump up a weight class in an attempt to earn double-champ status. While Makhachev will enjoy a healthy […]
Reigning UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev braves the elements as he prepares for his upcoming title fight.
Makhachev is set to defend his title for the first time on February 11, when featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will bump up a weight class in an attempt to earn double-champ status.
While Makhachev will enjoy a healthy size advantage and a fighting style that flourishes with such an edge, Volkanovski is one of the most skilled fighters on the planet and currently sits atop the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings.
Via his Instagram, Makhachev is taking his training camp to the extremes, seemingly taking it to Nepal, even posing for a photo at the Mount Everest base camp. With the country mainly being situated in the Himalayas, it makes it a perfect place to do high elevation training, captioning the photo- “need to stock up on oxygen for five rounds.”
The 31-year-old would also post a video of him testing the extreme climate, taking a dip in ice water before lying in the snow (shirtless), while others in the background can be seen in big snowsuits.
The pair will meet in the main event of UFC 284 in Perth, Australia. Yair Rodriguez ad Josh Emmett will square off in the co-main event for the interim featherweight championship, with the likes of Jack Della Maddalena, Tyson Pedro, and Jimmy Crute also featuring.
UK MMA stars Paddy Pimblett and Tom Aspinall have come out in defense of former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw’s decision to fight at UFC 280. At the Abu Dhabi-held pay-per-view event last October, Dillashaw looked to make history by becoming…
UK MMA stars Paddy Pimblett and Tom Aspinall have come out in defense of former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw’s decision to fight at UFC 280. At the Abu Dhabi-held pay-per-view event last October, Dillashaw looked to make history by becoming a three-time 135-pound titleholder inside the Octagon. Unfortunately for the veteran, the chances of that…
Islam Makhachev is trying to prove a point with his training footage ahead of his UFC 284 matchup with Alexander Volkanovski. There is a lot at stake in this February 11th main event, as featherweight champ Volkanovski looks to become just the fifth pe…
Islam Makhachev is trying to prove a point with his training footage ahead of his UFC 284 matchup with Alexander Volkanovski. There is a lot at stake in this February 11th main event, as featherweight champ Volkanovski looks to become just the fifth person in UFC history to earn champ-champ status, when he takes on…
José Johnson (15-7) is poised to make a statement as the newest Bantamweight on the UFC roster. After a challenging yet successful stint in the regional scene, Johnson competed on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020 in which he was defeated by Ronnie Lawrence via Unanimous Decision. After winning 3 out of his 4 next […]
After winning 3 out of his 4 next fights, Johnson landed another appearance this past August on DWCS to face the undefeated Jack Cartwright. In his second fight in front of Dana White, Johnson was dominant and earned a UFC contract following the victory.
UFC newcomer José Johnson recently took the time to sit down with Alex Lerman of LowKick MMA to reflect on his journey to the UFC, describe his skills and abilities, and offer up some potential opponents and venues for his debut.
Johnson took a minute to talk about what it means to officially be on the UFC roster:
“Everyone’s sending me messages on Instagram and Facebook about how motivational my story has been for them… At the end of the day, I like to fight, but I also like to teach. So, if I was given the opportunity to inspire people, that’s part of being a teacher. It’s a good feeling.”
Additionally, Johnson described his personal journey, to get to where he is today. Using some sobering words, Johnson stated:
“A lot of people say that martial arts changed their lives. No, martial arts saved my life. I was going down a really bad path hanging around some really bad people… For me, it was either I’d be in prison for the rest of my life or I’m dead. A buddy of mine was like hey they got sparring at this one gym, and I was like ‘I’m not going to sparring they can see me in the streets’. Being 17, my pride was up here, ‘somebody was gonna whoop my ass? No sir, I’m going’. Needless to say, I got my ass whooped and I really enjoyed it… and here we are now.”
José Johnson On Improvements as a Fighter
As previously mentioned, Johnson suffered a defeat in his first DWCS bout, but is now 4-1 since. Currently on a three-fight win streak, Johnson reflected on the improvements he’s made since tha loss in 2020:
“I had to improve as a person first. Nothing happens overnight, so little by little I start changing certain things in my life, certain people, certain habits. I became a totally different person. It’s really helped me become a better fighter changing myself as a person.”
Johnson enters an absolutely stacked Bantamweight division. There are dangerous fighters up and down the rankings, but Jose sees himself as different from these other competitors. Confidently, Johnson describes why no bantamweight should want to see him across from them in the octagon:
“They’ve seen good striking. But they haven’t seen the striking mixed with the power that I possess at 135. I finish 80% of my fights be knockout… Typically, if you let me get any type of combination off, I’m putting you to sleep… I think the power difference, the size difference, I’m only getting bigger.”
Continuing on with this topic, Johnson sounded off on Sean O’Malley expressing a strong desire to have a meeting with him in the future:
“Sean O’Malley, this clown, he swears he’s the biggest 135’er in the division and he’s not. He’s 5’11 I’m 6’0. I can’t wait to see him… You’re not the biggest 135’er in the division, I’m gonna show you that, and you don’t possess the same level of knockout power either. You’re kind of like a pop shop fighter.”
Johnson on Potential Debut Opponents
It was recently announced that Jose Johnson will be fighting against Garrett Armfield on February 25th at the UFC Apex for his debut fight. At the time of this interview, the news wasn’t official yet, and Johnson named a few matchups that he would be keen to:
“I like the Miles Johns matchup, I like the Fernie Garcia matchup. I really don’t study my division like that… I study style people. It’s just a fight so I don’t give a sh*t who I fight against.”
On which venues he would like to compete at Johnson goes on:
“Dream wise, two places. Madison Square Garden one, and two, Abu Dhabi. I’m tryna go ride a camel.”
Jose Johnson looks to get his debut victory in the UFC on February 25th vs. Garrett Armfield at the UFC Apex. Watch the full interview below for Johnson’s analysis of the upcoming Sandhagen vs. Vera fight, and a lot more interesting insight from the newest Bantamweight in the UFC.
Dustin Poirier has weighed in on the recent incident of Dana White getting into a domestic dispute with his wife. The MMA and wider sports worlds alike have been abuzz after video surfaced showing the UFC President in a public dispute with his wife, An…
Dustin Poirier has weighed in on the recent incident of Dana White getting into a domestic dispute with his wife. The MMA and wider sports worlds alike have been abuzz after video surfaced showing the UFC President in a public dispute with his wife, Anne. White was caught on video getting slapped by Anne, before…
Dustin Poirier doesn’t know how the UFC or its parent company Endeavor will handle Dana White’s domestic violence incident, but ‘The Diamond’ does believe that you should never put your hands on a woman. The UFC president has come under fire after a video obtained by TMZ showed White slapping his wife during an altercation […]
Dustin Poirier doesn’t know how the UFC or its parent company Endeavor will handle Dana White’s domestic violence incident, but ‘The Diamond’ does believe that you should never put your hands on a woman.
The UFC president has come under fire after a video obtained by TMZ showed White slapping his wife during an altercation at a Cabo San Lucas nightclub on New Year’s Eve. White quickly issued a lengthy apology for the incident but is yet to face any real consequences for his action. In an interview with Bloody Elbow, No. 2 ranked lightweight Dustin Poirier touched on the subject when asked about the repercussions White could potentially face for his actions.
“Dude. (long pause) I’m not sure,” said Poirier. “I have no clue. You should never put your hands on a woman. I don’t know the repercussions that come along with somebody of his stature, running these businesses and doing something like that. I have no clue. It’s not a good look for sure.“
“I’m staying out of it because I’d be talking out my ass. I don’t know what should happen. I don’t know what should happen.”
SHOCKING FOOTAGE!!! UFC President and Power Slap Fighting League owner Dana White slapping his wife up in a night club. pic.twitter.com/PBXagE3Fi4
— The World Famous MVO (Matt) (@izdatyofaceee) January 3, 2023
Dustin Poirier is Not a Fan of Dana White’s Power Slap League
Earlier this week, it appeared that Dana White would finally face some backlash for the altercation with his wife as TBS removed Power Slap from its lineup. Originally scheduled to air on Wednesday, January 11, the listing was nowhere to be found. However, TBS revealed that they were simply moving the debut episode back by one week to January 18.
Asked about his thoughts on the concept of Power Slap, Dustin Poirier revealed that he is very much not a fan of the concept and was even unwilling to call it a sport.
“It’s more of a toughman competition type thing, you know. And I’m just not educated on the techniques of slapping somebody, so.”
José Johnson (15-7) is poised to make a statement as the newest Bantamweight on the UFC roster. After a challenging yet successful stint in the regional scene, Johnson competed on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020 in which he was defeated by Ronnie Lawrence via Unanimous Decision. After winning 3 out of his 4 next […]
Dustin Poirier doesn’t know how the UFC or its parent company Endeavor will handle Dana White’s domestic violence incident, but ‘The Diamond’ does believe that you should never put your hands on a woman. The UFC president has come under fire after a video obtained by TMZ showed White slapping his wife during an altercation […]