Martial Arts News

Jon Jones clarifies that the heavyweight title would not necessarily have to be at stake if he were to fight Alex Pereira and he has another belt in mind.

Full interview with the 🐐 coming soon... pic.twitter.com/R43YlfB9Ze

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) November 11, 2024

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Jon Jones remains more interested in a future fight against Alex Pereira than a heavyweight title unification bout with Tom Aspinall.

Jones was originally supposed to defend his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 in November 2023 before he was forced out with an injury. Tom Aspinall went on to knockout Sergei Pavlovich in a short-notice interim title fight on the same card.

Despite Aspinall having defended his title since then, Jones has insisted on defending his strap against Miocic at UFC 309 on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. And “Bones” seemingly won’t grant Aspinall a title unifier even after UFC 309. Whil…

🚨 First bout drop for Sydney 🚨

Who else do you want to see on the card!?

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✈️🎟️ #UFC312 | #FeelNewSydney | Feb 9 | Details at https://t.co/u5jz4l3fxF pic.twitter.com/kGmCzdBsrh — UFC_AUSNZ (@UFC_AUSNZ) November 11, 2024

Three new fights — each featuring an Australian — have been added to the UFC 312 card scheduled for February.

Jimmy Crute (12-4) will take on Marcin Prachnio (17-8) at light heavyweight in front of home fans at UFC 312 on Feb. 8 at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. “The Brute” hasn’t won a fight since 2020, squeezing in a majority draw between three losses. Meanwhile, Poland’s Prachnio has alternated wins and losses since June 2021, most recently suffering a submission loss against Modestas Bukauskas at UFC 304 this past July.

Australian debutant Quillan Salkilld (7-1) will take on India’s Anshul Jubli (7-1) in a lightweight matchup on the same card. Salkilld earned his contract with…

Mike Tyson's trainer, two-time mixed martial arts coach of the year nominee Rafael Cordeiro, shares an amazing story involving @JonnyBones and @FabricioWerdum having a late-night grappling match in a Brazilian hotel room approximately 10 years ago. Via @alonsopvt #UFC309 pic.twitter.com/FNfcTTNMve

— Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom) November 11, 2024

Jon Jones and Fabricio Werdum never crossed paths in the Octagon, but they did have a memorable late-night grappling session in a Brazilian hotel room many years ago.

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Both Jones and Werdum were in Goiania, the largest city in the Brazilian state of Goias, for an event in the area. Kings MMA trainer Rafael Cordeiro recalls inviting Jones to train with them earlier in the day, but “Bones” politely declined, saying he was there only to support his team.

Things apparently changed that evening after Cordeiro, Jones, Werdum and Wanderlei Silva went to dinner. After the meal, the group…

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[ #PFLWorldChampionship | Friday, Nov 29th | 3PM ET | ESPN+] pic.twitter.com/XW8SCCXZzc — PFL (@PFLMMA) November 11, 2024

The card for the upcoming PFL MENA Championships is now complete.

The Professional Fighters League on Monday unveiled the full lineup for the event, which in addition to four previously-announced title bouts, features a full slate of showcase fights.

Those showcase bouts are as follows: Mansour Barnaoui vs. Alfie Davis at lightweight; Slim Trabelsi vs. Abraham Bably at heavyweight; Jesus Pinedo vs. Jeremy Kennedy at featherweight; Asael Adjoudj vs. Jose Perez at featherweight and Costello van Steenis vs. Joao Dantas at middleweight.

PFL MENA takes place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Nov. 29 and will serve as a lead-in to the PFL World Championships at t…

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Daniel Cormier doesn’t think former foe Jon Jones is afraid of Tom Aspinall — or anyone else, for that matter.

Jones defends his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic in the main event at UFC 309 on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. Meanwhile, interim champ Aspinall will be the backup for the fight.

Aspinall might never get a title unification bout, with both Jones and Miocic having hinted at retirement after UFC 309. In case Jones chooses to continue, he has already dismissed a potential title unifier against Aspinall in favor of a matchup against light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira. According to Jones, “Honey Badger” is yet to earn his dues to fight a legend like him. Cormier doesn’t agree with Jones saying the interim champ is yet to earn his dues for a title fight.

“For Jon to say he’s a nobody — but is he really? He’s the world champ,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “Honestly, that’s who he is. He is the No. 2 heavywei…

Carlos Prates tells Kamaru Usman what the UFC has planned for him 😂

Kamaru: “News to me!” 😭

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(h/t @MMAPROSPICK) #UFC #MMA

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— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 10, 2024 Carlos Prates is aiming high after his victory over Neil Magny.

Prates took on Magny in his first main event at UFC Vegas 100 — also known as UFC Fight Night 247 — at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday. “The Nightmare” made quick work of the veteran, dispatching him with a glancing left hand at the 4:50 mark of the opening frame.

Prates subsequently called out Jack Della Maddalena for a matchup at UFC 312, which goes down on Feb. 8 at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. While Australia is home ground for Maddalena, Prates also loves the country because his daughter lives there. If that matchup doesn’t materialize yet, the Brazilian has his eyes set on another gatekeeper, Geoff Neal.

“Of course I w…

👀Tom Aspinall breaks down Jon Jones’ fighting style.

“You can’t deny that Jon Jones is one of the best MMA fighters ever.”

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🎥 @ufcontnt ▫️ pic.twitter.com/p8U8Xf8e6R — Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) November 10, 2024

Tom Aspinall gave Jon Jones his due respect while recently breaking down his fighting style.

Jones puts his heavyweight title on the line against Stipe Miocic in the main event at UFC 309 on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. They were originally scheduled to fight at UFC 295 in November 2023, but Jones was forced out with an injury. Aspinall went on defeat Sergei Pavlovich in a short-notice interim title fight on the same card.

Despite Aspinall having defended his title against Curtis Blaydes since then, Jones remains adamant on facing Miocic, who hasn’t fought since a brutal knockout loss against Francis Ngannou in 2021. Aspinall might never get the chance to unify the title, as both Jone…

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It will be a familiar trio at the broadcast table for UFC 309 on Saturday.

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Jon Anik will handle play-by-play, while Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier will join him to provide color commentary for the event. Rogan returns to his role after taking his typical hiatus from the promotion’s international events. UFC 308, the Las Vegas-based organization’s most recent pay-per-view, was held in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 26.UFC 309: Jones vs Miocic. Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now!

Meanwhile, Megan Olivi will be the roving reporter, giving pre- and post-fighting interviews as well as providing breaking news updates. MMAjunkie.com was first to report the UFC 309 broadcast assignments.

UFC 309 takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York and is headlined by a heavyweight championship showdown between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic. The main card airs on pay-per-view via ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. The prelims begin on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET/3…

Shara Bullet says he’d be down to fight Michael ‘Venom’ Page, and promises not to wrestle him 👀🔥

“I’m not going to wrestle him. I’ll always stick to my fighting style.”

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🎥 @RedCorner_MMA #UFC #MMApic.twitter.com/CKNbwffzxH — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 9, 2024

Sharabutdin Magomedov believes Michael Page is more reliable than Paulo Costa.

Magomedov was recently asked about Costa and “MVP” as potential opponents for his next fight. While “Shara Bullet” would like to fight both, he doesn’t think Costa is very reliable considering the Brazilian’s history of pulling out of fights. Magomedov would prefer Page, who is also a dynamic striker.

Despite being from Dagestan, which is home to some of the best wrestlers in the world, Magomedov is primarily a striker who has competed in muay thai and Lethwei for much of his career. And Magomedov doesn’t plan on turning into a wrestler in a potential clash against a f…

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Charles Oliveira (34-10) wants to be fearless in his UFC 309 clash against Michael Chandler (23-8).

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Oliveira and Chandler will clash in a five-round co-main event at UFC 309 on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. Having previously shared the Octagon with Chandler, “do Bronx” respects his opponent but also promises not to back down.

“I think he’s a tough guy,” Oliveira told Shakiel Mahjouri. “A guy who always pushes forward like myself. I don’t want to walk back. I want to push forward as well. I want to go for the win, and I want to go for the win soon.”

Oliveira and Chandler previously fought at UFC 262 in 2021, when the Brazilian scored a spectacular come-from-behind technical knockout in the second round. However, Chandler had Oliveira in serious trouble in the first stanza, which is evident from two judges scoring it 10-8 in favor of the American.UFC 309: Jones vs Miocic. Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now! <…

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Michael Chandler promises to bring a different version of himself at UFC 309.

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Chandler faces Charles Oliveira in a five-round co-headliner on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. The two will be running it back from their initial encounter at UFC 262 in 2021, when Chandler suffered a second-round technical knockout loss.

Chandler and Oliveira clashed for the vacant lightweight title in the main event at UFC 262. “Iron” hurt Oliveira multiple times in the opening stanza, even threatening the jiu-jitsu specialist with a guillotine. However, “do Bronx” turned the tables early in Round 2 by clipping Chandler with a left hook and raining a barrage of punches to get the stoppage.

Chandler claims he will right some wrongs from that fight in their rematch at UFC 309. The former Bellator champ plans to gradually break his opponent down instead of rushing for the finish like he did in their first matchup. Chandler believes he …

Carlos Prates blew open the gate to the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight elite.

The burgeoning Vale Top Team and Fighting Nerds star punched out “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 16 semifinalist Neil Magny in the first round of their UFC Vegas 100 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Magny (29-13, 22-12 UFC) checked out 4:50 into Round 1, victimized by one of the sport’s fastest-rising talents at 170 pounds.

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Prates (21-6, 4-0 UFC) stayed patient against an experienced, cagy adversary. Magny made passes at a variety of takedowns, none of them successful. He found himself nullified in the clinch, too. Late in the first round, Prates denied a takedown, pursued the Elevation Fight Team mainstay across the Octagon, pinned him to the fence and cracked him with a slashing left hand to the temple. Magny crashed face first to the canvas. No follow-up shots were required.

The 31-year-old Prates has won 11 fights in a row, 10 of them f…