Tag: UFC

UFC 309: Volkanovski Jokes That He Nearly Offered To Fight Amid Injury Rumor

About a week ago, some fake rumors started to circulate online that one of the big match-ups at UFC 309 could be at risk. Any claims that Charles Oliveira had suffered an injury ahead of his co-main event clash with Michael Chandler on November 16 were cleared up before fight week had begun for the […]

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About a week ago, some fake rumors started to circulate online that one of the big match-ups at UFC 309 could be at risk. Any claims that Charles Oliveira had suffered an injury ahead of his co-main event clash with Michael Chandler on November 16 were cleared up before fight week had begun for the promotion’s return to Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.

Chandler was even asked about this during his recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show where he stated that he wasn’t sure where the rumor started. For some fans, they may have assumed this to be true after seeing fighters like Renato Moicano posting on social media to say that they would be willing to step in on short notice.

“Do Bronx” has had two notable fights either cancelled or postponed in recent times with the most significant one being his rematch with Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 last year. The former lightweight champion suffered a cut above his eye less than two weeks out from the fight and the match-up wasn’t booked again once Oliveira was back in fighting shape.

Instead, the featherweight champion at the time, Alexander Volkanovski, stepped in to his place for a rematch with Makhachev that didn’t go his way. It’s become a consistent joke on social media ever since last October that whenever a fighter pulls out, Volkanovski is waiting by the phone with his gloves and luggage already in hand.

In his recent breakdown of the fights on his YouTube channel, “The Great” joked that after he heard the rumors that Oliveira was injured, he would offer to replace him once again.

“I did see things popping up where Charles was out maybe they needed a replacement, it must have just been okay that’s why you can never believe what you see on the internet. I almost put my hand up, almost, but I didn’t but yeah. Probably because we knew that wasn’t the case. If the UFC called, you never know right.”    

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Stipe Miocic Insists He Would Have Returned With Or Without Jon Jones

For many fight fans, a defining trait of the main event of UFC 309 this Saturday night is activity. Whilst the defending heavyweight champion Jon Jones has only has one fight in well over four years, Stipe Miocic hasn’t fought since March of 2021. Not to mention the fact that in that fight, following his […]

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For many fight fans, a defining trait of the main event of UFC 309 this Saturday night is activity. Whilst the defending heavyweight champion Jon Jones has only has one fight in well over four years, Stipe Miocic hasn’t fought since March of 2021.

Not to mention the fact that in that fight, following his testing trilogy with Daniel Cormier that took three years to complete, Miocic was knocked out in devastating fashion by Francis Ngannou in their rematch at UFC 260.

The former two-time heavyweight champion is ready to return after his match-up with Jones was pushed back a year from UFC 295 due to Jones’ injury which only added to the talk about whether this will be a major factor at Madison Square Garden. For Miocic, he’s confident that the time away hasn’t had a negative impact on his ability.

He believes that he’s been able to let his body heal during this period and though he wasn’t dead-set on stepping back inside the Octagon, it was always an option for him after the Ngannou defeat. Miocic has said before that he pushed for a trilogy with his last opponent but when that didn’t happen, things went quiet on his end for quite some time.

In a recent interview with Brett Okamoto for ESPN MMA, the returning challenger said that making a return after his most recent fight was always an option on the table even if it wasn’t an absolute must for him.

“No I was always gonna fight man, I love fighting. I love what I do but I mean, I’m also okay with if it didn’t happen, I was okay with walking away.”

Later on in the interview, Miocic was asked whether he would have made his way back to the Octagon eventually if it wasn’t for this fight. If there was ever a reason to come back after a tough loss followed by a long break, a legacy defining fight against Jones where Miocic could recapture the heavyweight belt and become the first man to beat “Bones” at the same time would surely be the one.

He cut straight to the point, simply stating that he would have come back regardless of whether it was for this fight with Jones or something else.

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UFC Invites Key Personnel To First ‘Brain Health Education Summit’ Amid Growing CTE Concerns

Mixed martial arts is a combat sport and when you’re training and competing in it, it’s impossible to avoid withstanding a degree of physical damage by it’s very nature. That being said, with more knowledge and technology at our disposal, there are a lot of ways that the sport can be made safer than ever […]

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Mixed martial arts is a combat sport and when you’re training and competing in it, it’s impossible to avoid withstanding a degree of physical damage by it’s very nature. That being said, with more knowledge and technology at our disposal, there are a lot of ways that the sport can be made safer than ever before.

One of the biggest health developments across sports as a whole is the greater understanding of CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy. CTE is one of the biggest concerns for combat sports athletes because of the constant risk of head injuries and concussions which can have a negative affect on the brain.

The awareness of this has grown massively in recent years which is especially important in a time where the health and future of former fighters has been a big talking point this year amidst the ongoing Le v. Zuffa lawsuit. In a recent development, the UFC are also taking matters into their own hands in order to provide greater education on how to prevent damage being done to the brain.

In a recent message that was sent out to key personnel in the MMA world, the UFC’s Performance Institute invited people to attend the MMA leader’s first “Brain Health Education Summit”, as seen below.

The invite was posted on social media by combat sports lawyer Eric Magraken.

“Hello UFC athletes, managers, and coaches, UFCPI is thrilled to announce it’s first-ever Brain Health Education Summit! Don’t miss this incredibly opportunity to hear directly from top researchers and the UFCPI team on the latest insights and practices to boost brain health, manage concussions and elevate performance.”

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Replacement Fighter Confirmed For UFC 309 Fight After Late Withdrawal

It was reported last week that UFC 309 this Saturday would be down a fight unless a replacement opponent could be found on short notice. David Onama was set to face Lucas Almeida on the prelims at Madison Square Garden. This would have been Almeida’s fifth appearance in the Octagon following a win last time […]

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It was reported last week that UFC 309 this Saturday would be down a fight unless a replacement opponent could be found on short notice. David Onama was set to face Lucas Almeida on the prelims at Madison Square Garden.

This would have been Almeida’s fifth appearance in the Octagon following a win last time out in June over Timmy Cuamba via a unanimous decision. Unfortunately, Almeida withdrew from the fight and the UFC started looking for someone else to face Onama.

Fans were getting concerned after not hearing anything for close to a week until it was announced, just days out from fight night, that Mexico’s Roberto Romero will be stepping in to make his UFC debut. Romero’s management Iridium Sports Agency made the new official via their social media channels.

At 24-years old, Romero has built a pro record of 8-3-1. His last eight fights all came under the Combate Global banner where he won six fights in a row, with one draw in between, before suffering a decision loss to Ireland’s Patrick Lehane last December. He went on to rebound with a first round submission win over Takahiro Ashida this past July.

He will now face Uganda’s Onama on November 16 as the 30-year old looks to build on his back-to-back wins inside the Octagon, including a bonus-winning knockout over Gabriel Santos last year. This now puts the card at a total of 13 fights for the promotion’s return to the world’s most famous arena following a few changes in opponents and a cancelled fight.

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The Only UFC Fighter To Beat Magomed Ankalaev Says What Could Cost Him In A Fight With Alex Pereira

At UFC 308, Magomed Ankalaev seemingly cemented his status as the next man to challenge Alex Pereira for the light heavyweight title. Aside from one draw and a no contest, the Russian contender has won eleven fights in a row inside the Octagon and has waited a long time for his opportunity. In his latest […]

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At UFC 308, Magomed Ankalaev seemingly cemented his status as the next man to challenge Alex Pereira for the light heavyweight title. Aside from one draw and a no contest, the Russian contender has won eleven fights in a row inside the Octagon and has waited a long time for his opportunity.

In his latest win in Abu Dhabi last month, he stuck to his word by standing and striking with Aleksandar Raki? for three rounds in order to prove a point about his well-rounded skill set. Ankalaev’s striking has certainly improved during his time in the UFC but there’s no denying that his grappling is still his strongest attribute, even if he doesn’t use it much.

Ankalaev’s one and only loss in the UFC came on his debut with the promotion where he faced Scotland’s Paul Craig in London. “Bearjew” was coming off of consecutive knockout losses at the time so needed a win in order to keep his UFC dream alive.

Despite being moments away from losing the fight, he incredibly pulled off a buzzer beater submission with just one second left on the clock, catching Ankalaev in a triangle choke. Ahead of his return at UFC 309 this weekend where he faces Bo Nickal at middleweight, Craig gave his thoughts on Ankalaev’s chances of becoming the champion in a recent interview with talkSPORT MMA.

Craig believes that his former foe is in a good position to dethrone “Poatan” but he cannot afford to go into this fight with the same stubbornness that will see him strike with the champion rather than utilizing his grappling.

“When you bring in someone like the Dagestanis who have incredible wrestling pressure and work ethic, it’s tough. Do I think Ankalaev can beat Pereira? I do believe he can. I believe he’s got all the credentials as long as he doesn’t go into this thing where he believes he’s a striker. You stand in front of someone with a kickboxing pedigree that Pereira has and I believe it can be a 50:50 lottery sometimes. Ankalaev, if he plays his skill set well and uses his wrestling and uses his striking to get in deep and out wrestle, I believe that’s how he can get that victory.”   

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‘Eye Poke Bones Will Be Back’ – Fans React As UFC 309 Fighters Revealed To Be Using Old Gloves

Eyebrows have been raised after the promotion announced that those competing at this weekend’s UFC 309 pay-per-view won’t be using the new gloves. The mixed martial arts leader has touched back down in New York City this week for its annual numbered event at the iconic Madison Square Garden, where UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones […]

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Eyebrows have been raised after the promotion announced that those competing at this weekend’s UFC 309 pay-per-view won’t be using the new gloves.

The mixed martial arts leader has touched back down in New York City this week for its annual numbered event at the iconic Madison Square Garden, where UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones will mark the main attraction.

While he defends his belt against the returning Stipe Miocic in the UFC 309 headliner, co-main eventing will be former lightweight titleholder Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler, who run it back three and a half years on from their first battle.

During fight week, those names and the rest of the lineup on Nov. 16 were told they wouldn’t be entering the Octagon sporting the new glove design that was introduced this past June.

The promotion announced the change back in April prior to UFC 300, outlining benefits such as additional padding to protect bone structure, a wristband locking system to prevent glove grabs, lighter weight and more flexibility.

A decrease in knockout percentages have kept the new gloves as a prominent talking point since, and the decision to revert back to the old gloves for UFC 309 got the MMA community talking online.

Many pointed to Jones’ history of eye pokes with the old design to share their conspiracy theories on the decision not to use the new gloves for his return fight.

It’s worth noting that the new design didn’t explicitly address the eye-poke issue, and that form of foul has far from been eradicated in the months since it was introduced.

Regardless, that didn’t stop fans from poking fun (pun intended) at Jones’ expense ahead of UFC 309.

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