Martial Arts News

Beneil Dariush recently revealed that Dustin Poirier was a potential opponent for his upcoming main-event assignment.

Advertisement

Dariush (22-5) is slated to take on up-and-coming contender Arman Tsarukyan (20-3) in the main event at UFC on ESPN 52 on Saturday in Austin, Texas. “Benny” claims Poirier’s name was also mentioned as an alternative opponent, but the booking never came to fruition. Dariush recently told Submission Radio:

“They called me for that and they said, ‘Hey, would you be willing?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, of course. My weight’s good, I’m obviously in camp right now, I can do a fight with Dustin Poirier.’ And they said, ‘Okay, we’ll get back to you.’ It didn’t materialize and then they called me again and they said, ‘Okay, what about Dustin Poirier for December 2?’ I said, ‘Okay.’ Then I just waited and it didn’t materialize.”

“Afterward they said they were going to stick with Arman and it’s gonna be five rounds. I never hear the other side. I’…

While Dana White guarantees that Conor McGregor will return next year, he also claims to have a blockbuster matchup in the works that does not involve the Irish superstar.

Advertisement

McGregor (22-6) hasn’t fought since suffering a broken leg in a trilogy clash against Dustin Poirier in July 2021. While “Notorious” has since featured as Michael Chandler’s (23-8) rival coach on “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 31, their clash which was expected to follow hangs in the balance. Following his re-entry into the United States Anti-Doping Agency drug testing pool, McGregor was targeting a return in April 2024. However, according to his coach, John Kavanagh, McGregor is unlikely to make a return before the summer.

Nevertheless, UFC CEO White recently assured fans of McGregor’s 2024 return without finalizing the name of an opponent in an appearance on the Full Send Podcast. White also took the opportunity to point out Chandler's ability to sit out without competing for a …

While Dana White guarantees that Conor McGregor will return next year, he also claims to have a blockbuster matchup in the works that does not involve the Irish superstar.

Advertisement

McGregor (22-6) hasn’t fought since suffering a broken leg in a trilogy clash against Dustin Poirier in July 2021. While “Notorious” has since featured as Michael Chandler’s (23-8) rival coach on “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 31, their clash which was expected to follow hangs in the balance. Following his re-entry into the United States Anti-Doping Agency drug testing pool, McGregor was targeting a return in April 2024. However, according to his coach, John Kavanagh, McGregor is unlikely to make a return before the summer.

Nevertheless, UFC CEO White recently assured fans of McGregor’s 2024 return without finalizing the name of an opponent in an appearance on the Full Send Podcast. White also took the opportunity to point out Chandler's ability to sit out without competing for a …

[embedded content]

Demetrious Johnson believes his accomplishments are more than enough to place him among mixed martial arts’ all-time elite.

“Mighty Mouse” ranked himself No. 2 on his own personal GOAT list, behind only current UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

“For my No. 1, I have Jon ‘Bones’ Jones. That is the only man that I’ll put ahead of me because this man, I feel like every single time he has been inside the cage he could just destroy his opponent however you want it,” Johnson said on his YouTube channel. “He also has wins by knockout, putting people to sleep, decisions, everything on the list.”

Meanwhile, Johnson ranked Georges St. Pierre at No. 3 and Anderson Silva at 4. The former UFC flyweight champion and ONE Championship 135-pound king explained his logic for ranking himself second.

“Nobody has been able to do what I’ve been able to do in the flyweight division or in any division,” Johnson said. “Eleven consecutive title defenses, created…

Dan Hooker recently went under the knife for the injury that led to his withdrawal from the UFC on ESPN 52 co-main event.

Advertisement

“The Hangman” broke his arm during sparring shortly ahead of his proposed lightweight showdown against Bobby Green. As a result, Jalin Turner stepped in to face Green on Saturday at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

“Surgery done and dusted this morning,” Hooker wrote Monday on Instagram. “Not my first and definitely won’t be my last time under the knife… Can see how this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I’m built for this game. Just a scratch baby, can’t wait to scrap again.”

Hooker has dealt with a series of setbacks in recent months. That includes his last outing at UFC 290, where he suffered a broken arm in a victory over Jalin Turner. According to the City Kickboxing representative, that injury never fully healed.

“My hunger to compete got the best of me. I was too eager to fight under the lights again and put …

[embedded content]

It appears to be all systems go for Alexander Volkanovski as he begins preparations to face Ilia Topuria in the UFC 298 main event on Feb. 17.

Advertisement

The UFC featherweight champion revealed in a post on his YouTube channel that he has begun sparring after clearing concussion protocols. Volkanovski suffered a head-kick knockout loss to Islam Makhachev in a lightweight title bout at UFC 294 on Oct. 21. The City Kickboxing standout lobbied for a quick turnaround in the aftermath of the defeat, which raised concerns that he might be coming back too quickly.

“Just had my first spar,” Volkanovski said. “So, obviously had to follow all the protocols, concussion, back to training. So, followed all the protocols to a tee, no symptoms, kept it rolling, kept it rolling. Felt real good. No knocks, no symptoms still. So, we’re rolling. We’re going to keep this baby rolling. Very, very happy with it.

“Very thankful for the team behind me … and a…

One of MMA’s most intriguing free agents is weighing his options in the wake of his former promotion’s recent high-profile merger.

Advertisement

Michael Page (21-2), former Bellator MMA welterweight title challenger and longtime star, announced free agency earlier this year after parting ways with his former organization. Known for a plethora of highlight-reel knockouts, Paige was immediately courted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. However, Page claims things haven’t moved beyond courtship with the UFC, though he recently had his first in-person interaction with its CEO, Dana White. “MVP” said on ‘The MMA Fan Show’:

“I wish I could say for certain that we have or we haven’t. Honestly speaking, we’re not there yet. There’s still a few hurdles we need to jump over, but like I said, we’re flirting.”

Page’s former promotion was recently acquired by the Professional Fighters League, with some of its biggest stars on hand at last week’s PFL World Champi…

Joseph Pyfer foresees a changing of the guard in his upcoming clash with Jack Hermansson.

Advertisement

Rising middleweight prospect Pyfer (12-2) is brimming with confidence going into the first main event assignment of his UFC career against promotional veteran Hermansson (23-8) on Feb. 10. Pyfer, who broke his arm during a Dana White's Contender Series appearance in 2020, claims that most of his confidence stems from staying injury-free. “Bodybagz” recently said on The MMA Hour:

“A lot of my issues are injuries man. F***ing since 24 years old I’ve just been injury prone. And sometimes things get to my head or they affect my training and preparation. It doesn’t stop me, I’ll just bite through the pain sometimes but it’s like man, at a certain point I’m gonna hurt myself again real bad. So you know, I’ve been trying to take care of my body, take care of my health.”

That aside, Pyfer also doesn’t think his upcoming opponent is great in any particular aspec…

Paddy Pimblett views his upcoming fight against Tony Ferguson as a lose-lose situation, regardless of the outcome of the bout.

Advertisement

Pimblett will bring a six-fight winning streak into his matchup with Ferguson — who is on a six-bout skid — at UFC 296 on Dec. 16 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Despite their starkly contrasting records in recent times, some fans expect “El Cucuy” to defeat Pimblett, especially after the Liverpudlian’s controversial decision win over Jared Gordon in his last outing back in December 2022.

Pimblett believes he’s going to receive flak from fans regardless of the outcome of his clash against Ferguson. “The Baddy” noted that despite Ferguson having lost only to elite opponents in his recent skid, the former interim lightweight champ is being viewed as well past his prime. Hence, Pimblett would be slammed for losing to a washed-up Ferguson if he lost, and a win would also be dismissed on similar grounds.

“I don’t even…

Michael Morales doesn’t like anything about fellow welterweight contender Ian Garry.

Advertisement

Morales previously called out Garry after his unanimous decision win over Max Griffin at UFC on ESPN 48 in July. Reiterating his callout in a recent interview, Morales shared that he wants to fight Garry due of his dislike for the Irishman.

“Ian Garry, Ian Garry. If I get the opportunity to fight him, I’ll welcome that,” Morales told MMAjunkie.com. “He’s someone I want to fight. If I get the opportunity to fight him, that would be great. I really dislike that guy. There’s nothing I like about him, but it’s not whatever I like or dislike, it’s whatever the UFC wants for me next. So if I get the chance to fight him, then thank you very much, but if it’s not him, I also welcome it. Whoever is next can get it.”

In addition to his personal dislike for Garry, Morales also remembers “The Future” mentioning him as a potential opponent in the past.

“He said some…

It appears that Larissa Pacheco, not Kayla Harrison, will be Cristiane Justino’s first opponent on the heels of Professional Fighters League’s acquisition of Bellator MMA.

Advertisement

Pacheco became the first two-division champion in PFL history when she defeated Marina Mokhnatkina in their featherweight final on Friday night in Washington, D.C. “Cyborg,” meanwhile, is coming off a first-round stoppage of Cat Zingano in a 145-pound title defense at Bellator 300.

Although Harrison has long been mentioned as an opponent for “Cyborg,” PFL founder Donn Davis believes it makes more sense for Pacheco to face Justino first. While Bellator will continue to run separately in 2024, it was announced that there will also be a champions vs. champions event featuring both promotions. That could be the ideal time to book Pacheco vs. Justino. In the meantime, Harrison vs. “Cyborg” isn’t off the table — it will just be planned for a later date.

“It’s champ vs. champ,” D…

Further details regarding ONE Championship’s plans for its 2024 schedule have come to light.

Advertisement

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong revealed that the Singapore organization will return its focus to mixed martial arts following a 2023 that saw a heavy emphasis on muay thai and other combat sports.

“You’re going to see MMA back in full force,” Sityodtong said. “We have our U.S. stadium shows, we have Qatar, Japan. In the Philippines we have one or two shows.

“ONE Friday Fights and the muay thai product are very much on a firm footing now. We’ve laid the groundwork and feel very comfortable it’s running on autopilot, and now we’re able to scale up. We’ve firmly established we have the No. 1 striking property on the planet. The focus will be sharply back onto mixed martial arts.”

If all goes as planned, ONE will have a busy itinerary in the coming year. Sityodtong revealed that Christian Lee will return to a…