UFC 324’s Jean Silva Makes Specific Prediction on His Upcoming Matchup

Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight Jean Silva is channeling his inner Babe Ruth.

Months after watching his 13-fight, over seven-year unbeaten streak fall to Diego Lopes, Silva (16-3) will return to the Octagon to open the UFC 324 main card in Las Vegas, where he faces Englishman Arnold Allen (20-3). Arriving to the “Fight Capital of the World” this past Saturday, Silva spoke with Brazilian outlet Ag.Fight and, as always, didn’t hide his goal.

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“My tactic has no secret,” Silva declared. “I’m going to control the distance, hit him without throwing strikes, and when he makes a mistake, I’m going to knock him out. He’ll probably want to take me down in desperation, but this time I’m not going to do the spinning takedown. My prediction is to knock him out in the second round.”Rematch or Bust The Fighting Nerd opened his heart, acknowledging that the defeat in his last fight made him seek psychological help. With a new lease on life, the 29-year-o…
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Justin Gaethje: ‚I’m Not Getting $1 More‘ Under New UFC-Paramount Deal

Justin Gaethje has been one of the UFC's most entertaining fighters during his tenure. | Getty/UFC

The UFC will get $7.7 billion dollars over seven years from its new broadcasting deal with Paramount. According to Justin Gaethje, none of the promotion’s financial windfall is reflected in his fight purse for UFC 324.

The 14-time Octagon veteran discussed fighter pay during his media day session ahead of Saturday’s event. “The Highlight” pointed out that he hasn’t hit $1 million in bonuses despite being a frequent winner, and he also disputed Daniel Cormier’s recent claim that salaries were increasing across the board due to the new media rights deal.

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“To have 14 bonuses and not equal up to $1 million is not right,” Gaethje said (video via MMAjunkie.com). “It’s not right. It should be a lot more than that and I should have had opportunities to do smarter things with my money but I don’t and I haven’t.

“I hear Daniel Cormier saying eve…

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Dana White Dismisses McGregor-Masvidal UFC White House Rumors as ‚Goofy S–t‘

UFC CEO Dana White says there is no truth to rumors of a clash between Conor McGregor and Jorge Masvidal being targeted for the White House.

Discussion around a fight between the two stars began to pick up steam on social media recently, and Masvidal only added fuel to the fire when he told MMAjunkie.com that he was “training for something big.”

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During a recent interview with TMZ Sports, White quickly dismissed the possibility when informed that McGregor vs. Masvidal had become a hot topic on social media.

“You know what’s funny? In my algorithm on Instagram, I have nothing MMA,” White said. “Literally nothing MMA pops up.

“I don’t listen to any of the goofy s--t. It’s goofy s--t. The MMA world, I don’t listen to any of that s--t. So literally none of that is on my algorithm. Almost everything you see on the internet about our sport is wrong. It’s all wrong.”

As far as putting together the card for the White House, the UFC boss says that matc…

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‚The Lazy King‘ Receives New Opponent at PFL Road to Dubai

"The Lazy King" is 3-0 under the PFL banner. | PFL MMA

Abdoul Abdouraguimov will not be squaring off against Magomed Umalatov at PFL Road to Dubai as originally anticipated.

The Professional Fighters League on Tuesday announced that Umalatov has withdrawn from the welterweight bout for undisclosed reasons. As a result, Kendly St. Louis will step in and face “The Lazy King” on Feb. 7 at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. PFL Road to Dubai is headlined by a lightweight championship clash between Usman Nurmagomedov and Alfie Davis and airs on the ESPN App in the United States.

A 35-year-old native of Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, St. Louis split a pair of bouts under the PFL banner last year. After scoring a third-round submission of Mukhamed Berkhamov at PFL Tournament 5 on June 12, “The Highlander” suffered a first-round TKO defeat against Chris Mixan at PFL Tournament 9 on Aug. 15. St. Louis has also earned victories on the PFL Challenger …

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UFC 324’s Arnold Allen on Lengthy Layoff: ‚For the Last Year I Lost My Mind‘

Arnold Allen hasn't fought since July 2024. | Getty/UFC

By the time Arnold Allen steps into the Octagon at UFC 324 on Saturday, more than a year and a half will have passed since his last fight.

The 31-year-old Englishman hasn’t competed since July 2024, when he defeated Giga Chikadze in a featherweight clash at UFC 304. That snapped a two-bout losing streak for Allen, who began his promotional tenure with 10 consecutive triumphs before dropping back-to-back outings against Max Holloway and Movsar Evloev.

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After besting Chikadze, “Almighty” was eager to resume his ascent toward title contention at 145 pounds, but progress was derailed by a lingering shoulder injury that took a significant amount of time to heal. He admits that the layoff took its toll on him mentally.

“For the last year, I lost my mind trying to focus on the things I can do,” Allen told UFC.com. “My life is very career-driven, and I love my career — I want to give it t…

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Justin Gaethje: Arman Tsarukyan to Blame for His Own UFC Troubles

Justin Gaethje holds Arman Tsarukyan responsible for his own situation. 

Despite Tsarukyan being the top lightweight contender, he has been sidelined from the title picture. As the champion, Ilia Topuria, takes a short hiatus, Gaethje (26-5) will fight Paddy Pimblett (23-3) for the interim lightweight title at UFC 324 on Saturday in Las Vegas.  Gaethje believes Tsarukyan is to blame for the situation that he is in. Gaethje notes that “Ahalkalakets” has irked the UFC multiple times by pulling out of a title fight and then headbutting his opponent before a fight.

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Multiple Mistakes “Tsarukyan is definitely probably more deserving,” Gaethje told New York Post Sports. “But the guy f’ed up multiple times, and this is something you can’t do. He was gonna fight for the belt, he pulled out the night before because he couldn’t make weight or… I don’t think any of us are actually privy to what happened that night… They put a lot of money, time, and re…
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Magomed Zayunkov Wants to Host Entire Village If Victorious in UFC Debut

Magomed Zaynukov isn’t one to forget his roots. 

Zaynukov is popularly known as “Chanco,” which is the name of his village in Dagestan, Russia. “Chanco” recently visited his village, where he is building a new house. Zaynukov revealed that he wants to host his entire village for a barbecue feast if he wins his UFC debut.

A Feast for All “This is the new house we’ve been building with my brother,” Zaynukov told Red Corner MMA. “The old house fell apart, so we decided to build a new one. Now we’re going to live here. We’ll come here with our families and kids and spend some time here. You should never forget your roots and where you come from. After the UFC debut – Inshallah, I hope it’ll be victorious for me — I’d love to have all my villagers here to grill some meat and celebrate my win.”

Zaynukov (8-0) shot to fame as a teammate of Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov even before he was in the UFC. While most of the team is made up of elite wrestlers, “Chanco”…

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Justin Gaethje Vows to Turn Paddy Pimblett Into Wrestler

Justin Gaethje doesn’t think Paddy Pimblett will stand up with him for five rounds. 

Gaethje (26-5) and Pimblett (23-3) are scheduled to fight for the interim lightweight title at UFC 324 on Saturday in Las Vegas. While Gaethje is primarily known for his striking, Pimblett is an ace grappler. However, Pimblett has promised to stand and trade on the feet with Gaethje.  But Gaethje vows to turn Pimblett into a wrestler. While Gaethje acknowledges Pimblett’s skills, he believes “The Baddy” will leave enough openings for him to exploit.

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‘He’s Gonna Make Mistakes'   “I’m definitely going to turn him into a wrestler, I promise you that,” Gaethje told New York Post Sports. “But we’ll see, he is super dangerous. He absolutely commits 100% of his power into his shots. But he does leave himself open. And I have to use my experience and my technical abilities to take advantage of those mistakes. He’s gonna make mistakes. And you cannot make mistak…
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UFC Prospect Magomed Zaynukov Remembers Late Father

Magomed Zaynukov misses the feeling of making his father proud. 

Zaynukov recently became emotional while remembering his late father. Zaynukov recalls that his father never praised him in person. However, Zaynukov’s father would proudly boast of his son’s achievements with relatives and friends. Zaynukov’s father passed away soon after he transitioned from kickboxing to MMA. Zaynukov misses his father even more now that he has made it to the UFC.

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‘I Miss Him’ "My father never really praised me personally, but he always praised me when he talked to his friends or relatives,” Zaynukov told Red Corner MMA. “He just never did that to me in person. Right when I transitioned to MMA, my father passed away. Of course, I miss him so much, even more so now that I’ve achieved so much and made it to the best league in the world — the UFC. I miss him… I miss the feeling of him being proud of me."

Fans initially knew Zaynukov (8-0) as a training partner of…

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Khamzat Chimaev: Kamaru Usman More Difficult Fight Than Gilbert Burns

Khamzat Chimaev found it difficult to train for his fight against Kamaru Usman. 

Chimaev has only gone the distance thrice in his career – against Usman, Gilbert Burns, and Dricus Du Plessis. While Chimaev dominated Du Plessis to win the middleweight title, Usman and Burns made him look human. Chimaev was cut open en route to his unanimous decision win over Burns in 2022. Meanwhile, “Borz” earned a majority decision win over Usman, which many believe could have gone the other way in a five-round fight. 

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Chimaev recently revealed that the Usman fight was harder than the Burns fight. While Chimaev doesn’t find the actual fight hard, it is the training camp that takes a toll. Chimaev had just shifted to Abu Dhabi from the Allstars Training Center in Sweden ahead of his clash against Usman. With only a few friends around and the lack of a proper team, training for the Usman matchup was hard for Chimaev.Unfamiliar Surroundings "Every fight is har…
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Dustin Poirier Explains Why He Didn’t Stand and Trade with Max Holloway

Dustin Poirier didn’t want to stand in the pocket with Max Holloway for more than 10 seconds. 

Holloway’s iconic gesture of pointing down to the ground to invite his opponent to a slugfest started with Justin Gaethje. After picking apart Gaethje for five rounds, Holloway invited him to stand and trade in the pocket in the final seconds and knocked him out in an iconic buzzer beater at UFC 300. 

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When Poirier (30-10) faced Holloway in his retirement fight at UFC 318 last year, “The Diamond” knew a similar invitation was coming. However, Poirier wanted to make sure he didn’t have to trade with Holloway for over 10 seconds. Poirier’s wife, Jolie, had also warned him not to get lured by Holloway’s pointing down gesture. Confident in his own striking in the pocket, Poirier eventually decided to exchange with Holloway. However, “Blessed” started picking Poirier apart, forcing him to clinch in the final seconds.Making a Business Decision “I knew it…
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Usman Nurmagomedov Believes Alfie Davis Has No Answer for His Wrestling

Usman Nurmagomedov considers Alfie Davis to be just another opponent in his way. 

Usman will look to defend his lightweight title against Davis at PFL Road to Dubai on Feb. 7 at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. While Usman trains with Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev, Davis doesn’t think his wrestling is of their level. However, Usman believes Davis will have no answer for his wrestling in Dubai. Usman doesn’t consider Davis an elite striker and thinks the Englishman only runs away from his opponents to avoid wrestling. However, Usman warns Davis that the cage in Dubai is not big enough to run around. 

Nowhere to Run “He's not a good striker,” Nurmagomedov told MMAjunkie.com. “Who said he has good striking? This guy beginning talking, but people don't know nothing about him because he just won one fight, lost three fights, began to win one, two fights with former champions or old guys…He only has striking… For example, I take him down, what is he going to d…
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