Tag: UFC

UFC 311: Arman Tsarukyan ‘Just Going To Think About Money’, Not Legacy After Title Win

UFC lightweight title challenger Arman Tsarukyan knows what he wants, and it’s not the kind of accolades many others are chasing. Tsarukyan is days out from his first title challenge on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage. The Armenian is set to run it back with current champion Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC […]

UFC lightweight title challenger Arman Tsarukyan knows what he wants, and it’s not the kind of accolades many others are chasing.

Tsarukyan is days out from his first title challenge on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage. The Armenian is set to run it back with current champion Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC 311 this weekend.

While he fell short against the Dagestani in his debut back in 2019, Tsarukyan is confident of avenging that defeat and securing his place atop the lightweight mountain on Jan. 18.

And when he does so, there will seemingly be a sizable focus shift for “Akhalkalakets.”

During a recent interview with Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman on their Pound 4 Pound podcast, Tsarukyan outlined his intention to pursue nothing but “money fights” once he becomes champ, dismissing any notion of chasing two-division glory or a record-breaking run of title defenses.

“After this fight, when I’m champion, I’m just gonna think about money, not about being two-time champion or (defending the title) 10 times. I’m just gonna think about money fights,” Tsarukyan said. “I’m not thinking what happens after this fight, I’m just (thinking) after this fight. Maybe my father says, ‘You know what, you’re done with this sport. You won the title, come and work, make money with me.’ So, you never know.”

Before looking to bring that to fruition, though, Tsarukyan must first unseat Makhachev.

In contrast to the challenger’s plans, Makhachev has been chasing greatness with his run as titleholder. Following successful retentions against Alexander Volkanovski (twice) and Dustin Poirier, a victory this Saturday at the Intuit Dome would see the Dagestani surpass BJ Penn and Khabib Nurmagomedov for lightweight title fight wins and conseuctive defenses.

‘Tired’ Khabib Nurmagomedov Hopes He Can Retire From Coaching Soon Ahead Of UFC 311 Assignments

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov returned to cornering fighters last year following a brief break, but it seems he’s already wanting to give up coaching in its entirety. Khabib is set for a busy week in Los Angeles, where two of his team’s most prominent fighters will take up headline spots for the UFC […]

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov returned to cornering fighters last year following a brief break, but it seems he’s already wanting to give up coaching in its entirety.

Khabib is set for a busy week in Los Angeles, where two of his team’s most prominent fighters will take up headline spots for the UFC 311 pay-per-view on Jan. 18.

Before 155-pound kingpin Islam Makhachev defends his crown in the main event, “The Eagle’s” cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov, will challenge for Merab Dvalishvili’s bantamweight throne in the co-headliner.

The retired legend will be cageside calling the shots for both — a position he took up following his retirement from active competition in 2020. But it doesn’t seem like he plans on staying there longer than necessary.

During a recent interview uploaded to ESPN MMA’s YouTube channel, Khabib discussed how long he plans to be in the coaching game for, revealing that he doesn’t intend on occupying the role beyond the careers of his current crop of fighters.

“When the guys finish, I’m going to finish,” Khabib said. “I hope it’s going to be very fast, I’m tired of all this. We’ve been on top of this game for like, seven, eight years, since I became a champion. All these guys were with me, they were with my father when I was starting.

“There are still six, eight (fighters competing) at a very high level. When they finish, I will finish too,” Khabib added.

The immediate lead-up to UFC 311 didn’t get off to the smoothest of starts for Khabib, who was the subject of a viral video that showed him being removed from a plane ahead of a flight from Los Vegas to California this past weekend.

While “The Eagle” eventually boarded a different flight and made his way to the state, the fallout from the incident has continued this week, with Frontier Airlines most recently releasing a statement in defense of the flight attendant who had the exchange with the former UFC fighter.

Former UFC Champion Holly Holm Enters Free Agency, Open To MMA Or Boxing

Holly Holm is on the lookout for her next career move in combat sports. 2024 marked Holm’s 10th year competing in the UFC, where she made a splash early on by defeating the previously unstoppable Ronda Rousey to capture the women’s bantamweight crown. Change is coming for “The Preacher’s Daughter” in 2025, though. Uncrowned’s Ariel […]

Holly Holm is on the lookout for her next career move in combat sports.

2024 marked Holm’s 10th year competing in the UFC, where she made a splash early on by defeating the previously unstoppable Ronda Rousey to capture the women’s bantamweight crown.

Change is coming for “The Preacher’s Daughter” in 2025, though.

Uncrowned’s Ariel Helwani revealed this week that Holm and the MMA leader have mutually agreed to part ways, with the promotion allowing the ex-champ to pursue other opportunities with two fights remaining on her contract.

It’s unclear what lies ahead for the 43-year-old, who is part of the Boxing International Hall of Fame, but Helwani did note that she’s open to options in both the cage and ring.

After her shock upset of Rousey in 2015, Holm struggled to find consistency inside the Octagon, going 5-7-1 across her subsequent 13 bouts.

The veteran’s most recent win came over Yana Santos in 2023, the same year in which she had a submission loss to Mayra Bueno Silva overturned to a no contest owing to a failed drug test from the Brazilian.

Holm’s final outing came last April at UFC 300, where she was asked with welcoming two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison to the promotion. “The Preacher’s Daughter” was comfortably beaten, submitting to a rear-naked choke in round two.

Holly Holm Ends 10-Year Run with the UFC, Expected to Explore Free Agency

Holly Holm Ends 10-Year Run with the UFC, Expected to Explore Free AgencyHolly Holm’s decade-long run in the UFC has come to an end. On Monday, Holm’s agent Lenny Fresquez confirmed…

Holly Holm Ends 10-Year Run with the UFC, Expected to Explore Free Agency

Holly Holm’s decade-long run in the UFC has come to an end.

On Monday, Holm’s agent Lenny Fresquez confirmed with MMA Junkie that ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ would explore free agency for the first time since 2015 following an initial report from Ariel Helwani. According to Fresquez, Holm still had fights left on her contract but requested her outright release, which the UFC granted.

Holm, 43, burst into the Octagon in 2015 and picked up a couple of big wins over Raquel Pennington and Marion Reneu before securing her first shot at UFC gold. In November of that same year, Holm scored one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, scoring a brutal second-round knockout against ex-titleholder Ronda Rousey at UFC 193.

Holm’s knockout of Rousey earned her a double bonus on the night and Knockout of the Year honors.

Holly Holm’s Run as bantamweight champion ended earlier than expected

Unfortunately, Holm’s run with the 135-pound crown would get cut short courtesy of Miesha Tate. ‘Cupcake’ submitted Holm in the fifth round of their UFC 196 headliner, bringing an end to Holm’s brief run with the belt.

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Holm went on to face some of the biggest names in women’s MMA history, including Valentina Shevchenko, Amanda Nunes, and Cris Cyborg but was never able to duplicate the success she had in her first three appearances with the promotion.

Her final fight inside the Octagon came in April when she was matched up with two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison at UFC 300. Harrison made relatively easy work of Holm, submitting her in the second round.

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Following the loss, UFC CEO Dana White strongly encouraged Holm to retire.

Aside from her work in mixed martial arts, Holm is a multi-time boxing world champion, defending her titles 18 times across three different weight classes. She is a two-time Ring Magazine fighter of the year and BoxRec lists her as the 12th greatest P4P female boxer of all time. She was inducted into the International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame in 2017 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame five years later.

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Justin Gaethje Confirms Opponent He’s Preparing To Face In First Fight Since UFC 300 Knockout

Former interim UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje expects to be back in action before quarter one of 2025 comes to a close. Gaethje, who currently occupies the #3 ranking at 155 pounds, hasn’t competed since his BMF title defense at UFC 300 last April. “The Highlight” was on the receiving end of the year’s consensus […]

Former interim UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje expects to be back in action before quarter one of 2025 comes to a close.

Gaethje, who currently occupies the #3 ranking at 155 pounds, hasn’t competed since his BMF title defense at UFC 300 last April. “The Highlight” was on the receiving end of the year’s consensus best knockout — a buzzer-beating finish for Max Holloway.

The result stalled plans for another championship opportunity for the Arizona native. And given the severity of the KO, Gaethje was sent to the sidelines for a period of rest and recovery.

Now cleared to return, Gaethje is looking ahead to his first assignment of the new year. And while discussing that during a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, the 36-year-old confirmed reports of a showdown with Dan Hooker.

Talk of that matchup first arose last month via journalist Alex Behunin, who described it as being in the works for UFC 313 in Las Vegas on March 8.

While it remains unofficial, Gaethje revealed that he is indeed preparing for that exact task.

“So there’s no official fight signed, but I told the UFC maybe two, three months ago that March was, you know, the date I was looking for,” Gaethje said. “I know there’s a fight March 8th in Las Vegas, so that’s the one I told them I wanted to be on. I think they’re figuring out fights right now, but I’m certainly mentally preparing, physically preparing to fight on that date.

“When you take a loss like that and you’re as competitive as we are, then it lights a fire under your ass,” Gaethje continued. “So we’re back to it, back to, you know, back in the swing of things and back getting ready for a specific day, a specific opponent. I think it’s going to be Dan Hooker. But you know, with the UFC, things can always change.”

Prior to his setback against “Blessed,” Gaethje was coming off consecutive wins over Rafael Fiziev and Dustin Poirier in 2023.

While he’ll be looking to bounce back in 2025, Hooker will hope to continue his momentum from a massive result Down Under last August. At UFC 305 in Perth, he made it three wins in a row by outpointing Mateusz Gamrot to upset the odds and return to title contention.

Frontier Airlines Releases Statement Defending Flight Attendant Who Kicked Khabib Nurmagomedov Off Plane

Frontier Airlines is standing by its flight attendant who removed Khabib Nurmagomedov from a plane. On Sunday, a now-viral clip captured “The Eagle” in a tense exchange with a flight attendant aboard a Las Vegas to San Francisco flight. The footage showed Nurmagomedov being asked to switch seats, allegedly due to concerns about his ability […]

Frontier Airlines is standing by its flight attendant who removed Khabib Nurmagomedov from a plane.

On Sunday, a now-viral clip captured “The Eagle” in a tense exchange with a flight attendant aboard a Las Vegas to San Francisco flight. The footage showed Nurmagomedov being asked to switch seats, allegedly due to concerns about his ability to communicate in English during a potential emergency.

Despite the request, he resolutely refused to comply, prompting the flight attendant to suggest that a supervisor could intervene and have him escorted off the plane. Ultimately, the UFC Hall of Famer chose to deboard the aircraft voluntarily.

Initially, reports suggested the flight was with Alaska Airlines, but Nurmagomedov took to social media to clarify that it was operated by Frontier Airlines. The undefeated Dagestani expressed that, while he believed he handled the conversation with respect, the flight attendant was “very rude.”

He also raised concerns about whether the incident was influenced by “racial” prejudice.

Frontier Airlines has now issued a statement to MMA Fighting, addressing the incident involving Nurmagomedov and the exit row situation.

The airline categorically rejected claims that the former UFC lightweight champion was targeted because of his ethnicity. Instead, they cited concerns over his alleged English proficiency, which aligns with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations requiring passengers in exit rows to be fluent in English on U.S. departures.

Below is the full statement:

“On Jan. 11, 2025, as flight 4401 from Las Vegas to San Francisco was preparing for departure, a flight attendant initiated the customary briefing for exit row passengers. Customer Khabib Nurmagomedov, who was seated in an exit row, was asked multiple times if he was willing and able to assist in the event of an emergency. According to the flight attendant, Mr. Nurmagomedov did not respond, despite repeated attempts, which placed him in non-compliance with FAA requirements. The flight attendant informed Mr. Nurmagomedov that he could be moved to a different upgraded seat or exit the plane.

“Videos circulating on social media platforms do not capture this interaction, and instead show a subsequent interaction after a gate agent entered the plane and reiterated the option to be reseated. As a result of the customer’s initial unresponsiveness and repeated declinations of a seat change, he was asked to deplane per airline and FAA policy. The decision to deplane the customer was in no way related to his ethnicity and we have refunded him and his traveling companions for their flights.”

“The Eagle” will corner his teammates, Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov, in their respective title bouts at UFC 311 this weekend at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

Makhachev will defend his Lightweight crown against Arman Tsarukyan in the main event, while Umar will challenge Merab Dvalishvili for the Bantamweight championship in the co-main event.