Tag: UFC Paris

Tai Tuivasa plans call out of ‘d*ckhead’ Jon Jones with UFC Paris win over Ciryl Gane

Tai TuivasaStreaking heavyweight knockout artist, Tai Tuivasa has a rather streamlined plan for his upcoming UFC Paris headliner this weekend; defeat hometown favorite, Ciryl Gane – before calling out former two-time light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones.  Tuivasa, the current #3 ranked heavyweight contender, headlines UFC Fight Night Paris this Saturday in the promotion’s first outing in […]

Tai Tuivasa

Streaking heavyweight knockout artist, Tai Tuivasa has a rather streamlined plan for his upcoming UFC Paris headliner this weekend; defeat hometown favorite, Ciryl Gane – before calling out former two-time light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones. 

Tuivasa, the current #3 ranked heavyweight contender, headlines UFC Fight Night Paris this Saturday in the promotion’s first outing in France in their antiquity – drawing the former interim heavyweight champion and French star, Gane.

The Syndey-born puncher most recently featured on the main card of UFC 271 in February, stopping heavyweight knockout king, and common-foe, Derrick Lewis with a stunning second round step-in elbow knockout of his own. 

Landing his fifth consecutive victory and fifth knockout win on the trot as part of a certain UFC tenure purple patch for Tuivasa, the Australian has earned himself a high-stakes headliner with Gane this weekend in the City of Light. 

Tai Tuivasa praises Jon Jones’ UFC tenure, however, dislikes his personality

With former two-time light heavyweight champion, Jones expected to make his long-awaited heavyweight division bow by the end of this year, potentially in an interim title fight against fellow former kingpin, Stipe Miocic – Tuivasa admits he would like to share the Octagon with the Rochester native in the future.

“I’ve said it many times before – and I still stand by what I said, I think Jon Jones is the best fighter to ever fight, that’s my personal opinion,” Tai Tuivasa told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. “Especially how he fights, you know what I mean – like how he fights, he’s probably the best fighter to ever step foot in the cage.”

“But, is he (Jon Jones) a d*ckhead? Yes. I think he’s a d*ckhead,” Tai Tuivasa explained. “Will I fight him? Yes. And will he fight me? I think he would, ‘cause he’s fought everyone and anyone, you know what I mean. He’s one of the greatest to ever do it. I’d love to fight him. … Win you lose I’ll get in there and have a scrap – and if I dink him, I sink him. Just like anyone else.”  

Out of action since February 2020, Jones headlined UFC 247 against former two-time title chaser, Dominick Reyes with a close, unanimous decision win in Houston, Texas before officially vacating the undisputed championship in August of that year. 

Robert Whittaker weighs up permanent 205 pound move: ‘It will be a more natural weight for me’

Robert WhittakerAhead of his UFC Paris return this weekend, former undisputed middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker has once again discussed the possibility of a permanent division climb to 205 pounds to end his career in professional mixed martial arts, despite the prospect of dealing with “tall guys” at the weight limit. Whittaker, the current #1 ranked middleweight […]

Robert Whittaker

Ahead of his UFC Paris return this weekend, former undisputed middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker has once again discussed the possibility of a permanent division climb to 205 pounds to end his career in professional mixed martial arts, despite the prospect of dealing with “tall guys” at the weight limit.

Whittaker, the current #1 ranked middleweight contender, is slated to feature for the second time this year as he looks to retain his status as number one contender, as he takes on Trento native and one-time title challenger, Marvin Vettori.

The Otahuhu-born technician headlined UFC 271 in February this year against two-time opponent and common-foe, Israel Adesanya in an undisputed title rematch, suffering his second career loss to the Kiwi-Nigerian in the form of a unanimous decision loss.

Robert Whittaker remains the #1 ranked contender at middleweight

Prior to his defeat to the City Kickboxing mainstay, Adesanya, Whittaker had managed to land a trio of consecutive victories against Darren Till, Jared Cannonier, and Kelvin Gastelum. 

However, ahead of his French feature against Vettori on Saturday, Robert Whittaker has once again weighed up the possibility of a move to the light heavyweight limit — as he eyes a more “natural weight” at this stage in his UFC stint.

“I’ve been thinking about 205 (pounds) a fair bit,” Robert Whittaker told Submission Radio during a recent interview. “The problem is, I wouldn’t go to 205 to come back down to 185, just because I don’t want to go to 205 as a fat 185, right? You see a lot of guys try that and they just get starched. And then they come back down. It doesn’t make sense.” 

“When I moved up to 185 the first time, there was no way I would never go back down to 170,” Robert Whittaker explained. “I could never. Got to put on muscle, you have to train at that weight. Got to do all of the bits and bobs, then and there. But I’ve been thinking about 205. I think it will be a more natural weight for me, personally, but the height disadvantage is annoying. I don’t know if I would want to deal with that.” 

Initially beginning his Octagon tenure at the welterweight limit, Whittaker experienced success in the division, beating Colton Smith, Mike Rhodes, and Brad Scott – while dropping defeats to both Court McGee, and Stephen Thompson.

Beyond two losses to Adesanya at middleweight, Whittaker has racked up a stunning 11 wins at 185lbs, including successes against Yoel Romero, Jacare Souza, Derek Brunson, Uriah Hall, and Brad Tavares.

Christos Giagos Slices Pinky On Broken Toilet, Out Of UFC Paris

UFC lightweight Christos Giagos suffered an all-time freak injury that has forced him out of his upcoming fight at UFC Paris. Giagos was supposed to face Benoît Saint-Denis on the UFC’s first Paris card on Sept. 3. Unfortunately, that bout has be…

UFC lightweight Christos Giagos suffered an all-time freak injury that has forced him out of his upcoming fight at UFC Paris. Giagos was supposed to face Benoît Saint-Denis on the UFC’s first Paris card on Sept. 3. Unfortunately, that bout has been canceled after a recent accident while Giagos was at his home. Injuries are…

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Cédric Doumbé, Former Glory Champion, Booked For UFC Debut

Former Glory Kickboxing champion Cédric Doumbé will look to become the latest former kickboxing standout to make the successful move to the UFC. Doumbé will face Darian Weeks in a welterweight bout on the upcoming UFC Paris card on Sept. 3. Doumbé, mos…

Former Glory Kickboxing champion Cédric Doumbé will look to become the latest former kickboxing standout to make the successful move to the UFC. Doumbé will face Darian Weeks in a welterweight bout on the upcoming UFC Paris card on Sept. 3. Doumbé, mostly known for his success in kickboxing, has a 2-0 professional record in…

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UFC Matchmaking Bulletin (4/7-9/7): Chikadze & Imavov Set To Return

MMA News has you covered with this week’s UFC matchmaking bulletin, featuring fights for top-10 featherweight Giga Chikadze, promising middleweight Nassourdine Imavov, DWCS alum Bill Algeo, and Fortis MMA’s in-form strawweight Sam Hughe…

MMA News has you covered with this week’s UFC matchmaking bulletin, featuring fights for top-10 featherweight Giga Chikadze, promising middleweight Nassourdine Imavov, DWCS alum Bill Algeo, and Fortis MMA’s in-form strawweight Sam Hughes. With UFC cards being held most weekends, Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby have their matchmaking work cut out if they’re to fill them, meaning new bouts…

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Vettori Reveals He Asked For Five-Round Fight Versus Robert Whittaker

UFC middleweight contender Marvin Vettori has revealed that he asked for his upcoming fight with Robert Whittaker to be contested over five rounds. The MMA leader is set to arrive on French soil for the first time in September, and it’s bringing with it some blockbuster names and matchups. While hometown heavyweight Ciryl Gane will…

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UFC middleweight contender Marvin Vettori has revealed that he asked for his upcoming fight with Robert Whittaker to be contested over five rounds.

The MMA leader is set to arrive on French soil for the first time in September, and it’s bringing with it some blockbuster names and matchups. While hometown heavyweight Ciryl Gane will be attracting much of the shine from his fellow Parisians come fight night as he takes on the always-entertaining Tai Tuivasa, the co-main event is set to be just as, if not more, exciting.

Following the postponement of their originally-scheduled fight at UFC 275 in Singapore, top-five middleweights Vettori and Whittaker have had their boarding passes adjusted to a different continent, with the pair set to collide in Paris on September 3.

The co-main event slot will be a rare occasion for both men. While the Italian has featured in main events across his last four appearances, all of which went the five-round distance, the Australian has fought 25 minutes three times in his last four bouts, the outlier being a three-round victory over Jared Cannonier.

And although the pair are set to go for three rounds at UFC Paris, Vettori seemingly attempted to change that.

During a recent interview with MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn, “The Italian Dream” revealed his preference for five-round contests and noted that he’d asked to have his crucial clash with Whittaker extended.

“I was asking for five rounds. I was asking for five rounds even though it’s a co-main event,” Vettori said. “I didn’t hear anything back, but I wanted a five-rounder, just because I feel like in five-round (fights), the skill comes out more. There’s more time to study, there’s more time to get a feel of your opponent.

“With three rounds, it’s more like — in three rounds, you can get away with way more mistakes, and maybe like, still make it to the end. So, it is what it is. (I’m a) great fighter no matter the circumstances, no matter the ruleset,” Vettori added. “You need to be able to adjust. So, I’ll be adjusting and coming out victorious.”

Vettori Sees Himself As The UFC Paris Main Event

Vettori’s attempts to secure another 25-minute showcase is perhaps unsurprising given how he’s viewing his matchup with former champ Whittaker, who is widely regarded as the clear second-best in the division.

Given Italy’s close proximity to France, as well as the fact that Vettori will be making his first appearance in Europe under the UFC banner, it’s understandable that the #3-ranked contender will enjoy sizable support come September 3.

With that in mind, the 28-year-old admitted that he’s entering the contest with a main-event mindset.

“It’s my first time (fighting on a European UFC card),” Vettori said. “Just myself, people almost bought a thousand tickets, people that I know that bought tickets, so just my people, people that I’m bringing, is probably about a thousand people. And then all the other supporters from all over the world, they text me every day.

“I really feel like I am the main event. I wanted to be the main event,” Vettori continued. “I think I am the main event. But, you know, Tuivasa and Ciryl Gane is a great fight, too.”

Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC Paris, Marvin Vettori or Robert Whittaker?

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