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Dan Ige Details Putting Corner Together for Short-Notice UFC 303 Fight

Dan Ige’s preparation in the lead up to his short-notice UFC 303 clash against Diego Lopes was like something straight out of a movie script.

Ige was getting a massage at his home in Las Vegas — with his phone on “do not disturb” mode — when his wife told him multiple people were trying to reach him. When Ige checked his phone, he had 10 missed calls combined from his mother, who had also been contacted by people trying to reach him, UFC execs and MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz.

Abdelaziz, who is not even Ige’s manager, offered to set up a short-notice clash on that very day to save the UFC 303 co-main event, which was jeopardized by Brian Ortega pulling out due to a fever. Ige gave the nod, and after a few hours Abdelaziz confirmed that the fight was on.

Ige was already in fighting shape, as he was preparing for a clash against Jose Mariscal on July 20. However, “Dynamite” had to put together a team to corner him after accepting the fight on four…

Amir Albazi Open to Tatsuro Taira Matchup Upon UFC Return

Amir Albazi believes Tatsuro Taira is one more win away from a title shot and is willing to be the Japanese prospect’s final test.

An injury-laden year has kept Albazi out of competition since a split-decision win over Kai Kara-France in his first UFC headliner in June 2023. After undergoing heart surgery in November 2023, Albazi was preparing for a clash against former champ Brandon Moreno at UFC Mexico this past February before being forced out due to a neck injury that required immediate surgery. Albazi was replaced on short notice by Brandon Royval, who avenged a 2020 loss to Moreno with a split-decision win.

Pantoja has successfully defended his title three times since Albazi’s last fight, most recently against Steve Erceg at UFC 301 this past May. It has been hard for Albazi to sit on the sidelines watching the rest of division.

“It’s been so hard to deal with this,” Albazi told MMAjunkie.com. “I had a heart surgery back in November actua…

Jean Silva Describes Altercation Between Manel Kape, Muhammad Mokaev at UFC PI

Jean Silva tells the story of how Manel Kape and Muhammad Mokaev got into a fight at the UFC Performance Institute 😳😳

"Bro, [Kape] caught Mokaev at the entrance to the PI. He headbutted and elbowed him. In the street. He opened Mokaev's head a week before his fight."

🎥… pic.twitter.com/1w0hZPmYO7 — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 3, 2024

Manel Kape and Muhammad Mokaev were allegedly involved in a physical altercation at the UFC Performance Institute.

Kape and Mokaev are slated to trade leather at UFC 304 on July 17 at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England. According UFC featherweight Jean Silva, Kape recently attacked Mokaev at the UFC PI in Las Vegas. The exact date of the incident is unclear.

According to Silva, he was supposed to spar Kape on the day but saw “Starboy” attacking Mokaev outside the entrance door to the PI when he arrived. Silva claims Kape headbutted and elbowed Mokaev. Silva also emp…

Julianna Pena Reveals Suggestion of ‘BFM’ Belt Dismissed as ‘Corny’ by UFC

Julianna Pena’s suggestion of a women’s version of the BMF belt failed to pique the interest of Ultimate Fighting Championship officials.

Pena is rumored to challenge Raquel Pennington for the women’s bantamweight title at UFC 307 on Oct. 5 in Salt Lake City, Utah. While Pena would have preferred to fight at UFC 306 at the Sphere like many other fighters, she was told her opponent wouldn’t be ready in September. Pena is now focused on being a two-time mom-champ, which she believes is the next best thing for her.

“I loved the idea of fighting in Las Vegas again, of course at the Sphere, would have been historic,” Pena told MMAjunkie.com. “But since that option is no longer available, my next best thing would be winning the title and becoming a second-time champion. And being someone who gave birth and was able to win the belt. I think that says a lot as far as being a badass mom.”

Pena previously laid claim to the status of first-ever mom-cha…

UFC 306 Update: Michel Pereira, Anthony Hernandez to Clash at The Sphere

A middleweight showdown pitting Michel Pereira against Anthony Hernandez is on tap for UFC 306.

Pereira initially announced the booking via social media on Tuesday. UFC 306 — also known as Noche UFC — takes place on Sept. 14 at The Sphere in Las Vegas. The card, which doesn’t yet have a headliner, is expected to be Mexican Independence Day-themed. UFC CEO Dana White has promised to provide a one-of-a-kind experience for the event.

One of the most flamboyant performers in the Las Vegas-based promotion, Pereira has won his last eight Octagon appearances. “Demolidor” is 2-0 thus far in 2024, with first-round submission victories against Michal Oleksiejczuk and Ihor Potieria to his credit.

Hernandez, meanwhile, will carry a five-bout UFC winning streak into the matchup with Pereira. Most recently, “Fluffy” secured a second-rouns submission triumph over Roman Kopylov at UFC 298 on Feb. 17. The Dana White’s Contender Series alum was supposed to fac…

Carlos Barreto: Alex Pereira Would Have Speed Advantage vs. Magomed Ankalaev

After Alex Pereira’s knockout win against Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303, speculation quickly turned to the Brazilian’s next opponent — especially after the champion once again teased a move to heavyweight.

Oddsmakers recently released three possibilities: reigning heavyweight champ Jon Jones, interim heavyweight king Tom Aspinall and top light heavyweight contender Magomed Ankalaev. “Poatan” was initially listed as an underdog in all three potential fights.

UFC Fight Pass Brazil commentator Carlos Barreto recently gave his assessment on the Papo de Luta podcast.

"I have to agree with ‘Poatan’ being the underdog against Jones and Aspinall,” Barreto said. “In addition to being real threats to Poatan´s game, both are already scheduled to fight in their division. But concerning, Ankalaev I have to disagree.

“Definitely Ankalaev can be dangerous and bring different challenges to ‘Poatan’ with his grappling, but it's important to notice that…

Joe Pyfer Details Origin of Dislike for Paul Craig

Joe Pyfer wants to fight opponents he dislikes and claims to have found the perfect one.

Pyfer scored a brutal first-round knockout win over Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC 303 on Saturday. The win saw “Bodybagz” bounce back from his first UFC loss, which came via a unanimous decision against Jack Hermansson this past February.

Pyfer was left with a mixture of emotions after his UFC 303 win.

“I felt angry, I felt happy, I felt, ‘There you go motherf—-ers, here’s your salt bang motherf---ers. Here’s all you jerk-offs that sat there and talked s--t on me and f----ing harassed me for months. Thinking you’re harassing me for months while I just sat there and I kept quiet,” Pyfer said on "The MMA Hour.”

“I didn’t do one single interview for this fight. I didn’t do anything unless it was UFC mandatory. And I kept my mouth shut for the most part until I got to fight week, and I said I wouldn’t have much to say until I whooped his ass, and then I’ll talk…

If Brian Ortega is Unavailable, Diego Lopes Wants Alexander Volkanovski at The Sphere

While Diego Lopes is still interested in fighting Brian Ortega, he wants Alexander Volkanovski next if “T-City” is unavailable.

Lopes was originally scheduled to fight Ortega in a featherweight matchup in the co-main event at UFC 303 last weekend. However, Lopes agreed to a lightweight clash when it become clear that Ortega was going to be unable to cut to 145 pounds. The fight finally fell through when “T-City” fell ill on the day of the bout. Ortega was replaced on hours’ notice by Dan Ige, who suffered a hard-fought unanimous decision loss against Lopes.

Both Lopes and Ige subsequently called for a spot at UFC 306 on Sept. 14 at the Sphere in Las Vegas, a request to which Dana White has already agreed. While Lopes called for a rebooking against Ortega, the former title challenger’s future at featherweight currently hangs in the balance. Ortega was already targeting a move up to lightweight, potentially at UFC 306, when he accepted the short-noti…

Ian Garry ‘Done’ With Colby Covington, Focused on Shavkat Rakhmonov Next

Ian Garry has moved on from a potential matchup against Colby Covington and is eyeing Shavkat Rakhmonov next.

Garry scored a unanimous decision win over Michael Page at UFC 303 last weekend. UFC president Dana White disagreed with the result, saying the fight should have been scored a draw. Garry believes a better argument could be made for a clean sweep of the scorecards in his favor. “The Future” noted during an appearance on "The MMA Hour” that while Page had his moments in the second round, he clearly won the first and final rounds.

“There is more of a case to say I won all three rounds than there is to say it was a draw,” Garry said. “That’s the way I look at it. First round, dominated. There’s no argument in the world arguing that. Third round, it’s pretty obvious I won… So, the first and third are clearly mine. The second round is the one that you can debate. I will lean and give it towards ‘MVP’ as a competitor, as someone who was in the fi…

Coach Reveals Alex Pereira Cleared up ‘Witchcraft’ Allegations With Jiri Prochazka

Alex Pereira cleared the air with Jiri Prochazka regarding the alleged use of witchcraft after their UFC 303 title fight.

Pereira put his light heavyweight title on the line against Prochazka on 11 days’ notice at UFC 303 after Conor McGregor pulled out of his scheduled main event against Michael Chandler due to a toe injury. Leading up to the bout, Prochazka accused Pereira of using shamanic rituals and spiritual help to win fights.

“Poatan,” who sports his indigenous tribal war paint during face offs, didn’t clearly deny the allegations stating, “Everybody has their own spirits.” However, the Brazilian, who represents the Pataxó tribe, promised to not use any magic during his title fight against Prochazka. Pereira almost shut the lights on Prochazka at the end of the first round before sleeping him with a head kick and follow-up punches at the very beginning of Round 2.

Pereira’s longtime coach Plinio Cruz insists that despite the warpaint …

Macy Chiasson Believes Extended Layoff Was Key for Growth as a Fighter

A little bit of adversity and uncertainty helped Macy Chiasson get to her current position as one of the top contenders in the UFC women’s bantamweight division.

Chiasson secured her second victory of 2024 on Saturday, when she earned a doctor stoppage vwin over Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC 303. The current level of activity is a welcome change after she didn’t compete at all the previous year, but “The Ultimate Fighter 28” winner believes that extended layoff was necessary for her overall progression.

“I had a year and a half off, but I didn’t stop training,” Chiasson said in a backstage interview with the UFC on Saturday. “I didn’t know when I was gonna fight again, if I was gonna fight again. I think that changed me because I didn’t have an end goal. I just kind of trained day in and day out without any clue of what was next. That’s something I feel like I needed and it helped me grow.”

While the conclusion of her fight with Bueno Silva wasn’t c…

Ex-Champ Andrei Arlovski, UFC to Part Ways After 42-Bout Tenure

It’s the end of an era in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s heavyweight division.

Former champion Andrei Arlovski will not return to the Las Vegas-based promotion following his split-decision defeat against Martin Buday at UFC 303 on Saturday night. Arlovski confirmed the news via social media following an initial report from Ariel Helwani. The 45-year-old Arlovski completed his UFC deal on Saturday and is expected to sign elsewhere. He lost his last four Octagon appearances.

UFC CEO Dana White also stated that it was Arlovski’s last fight with the organization during the UFC 303 post-fight press conference.

“My chapter in the UFC is closed, but my book is not finished yet,” Arlovski wrote on Instagram.

Arlovski initially rose to prominence during his first UFC stint from 2000 to 2008, when he captured heavyweight gold and had a memorable trilogy with Tim Sylvia. “The Pit Bull” claimed the title with a 47-second submission of Sylvia…

Lineup Official for Week 1 of Dana White’s Contender Series on Aug. 13

The latest season of Dana White's Contender Series is just around the corner.

The five-bout lineup for Week 1 of the Contender Series was announced during the UFC 303 broadcast on Saturday night. The card will be headlined by a middleweight clash between Mansur Abdul-Malik and Wesley Schultz and takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Aug. 13. The Contender Series airs on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

The other four bouts confirmed the the event are as follows: Meng Ding vs. Islam Dulatov at welterweight; Mikheil Sazhiniani vs. Bruno Lopes at light heavyweight; Icaro Brito vs. Ernie Juarez at featherweight and Lone'er Kavanagh vs. An Tuan Ho at flyweight.

The Contender Series debuted in 2017 and rewards fighters who impress Dana White with UFC contracts. The format has been popular and has become a talent pipeline for the promotion, with more contracts being awarded with each passing season.

Abdul-Malik is undefeated in five profe…

Multiple Bouts Confirmed for UFC 305 in Perth on Aug. 17

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship recently confirmed several bouts for its upcoming pay-per-view event in Perth, Australia, on Aug. 17.

The following contests, some of which were previously reported, are now official for UFC 305: Kai Kara-France vs. Steve Erceg at flyweight; Tai Tuivasa vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik at heavyweight; Casey O'Neill vs. Tereza Bleda at flyweight; Junior Tafa vs. Valt…

Kayla Harrison Threatens to Take Henry Cejudo’s Combat Sports GOAT Title

Kayla Harrison is threatening to take Henry Cejudo’s self-proclaimed title of the greatest combat sports athlete ever.

Harrison made her promotional debut with a second-round submission win over former bantamweight champ Holly Holm at UFC 300 this past April. While Harrison subsequently called out Raquel Pennington, “Rocky” has been rumoured to be booked for a title fight against Julianna Pena at UFC 307 on Oct. 5 at Salt Lake City, Utah.

Harrison, who recently admitted that she is at least one more fight removed from a title shot, hopes to fight at UFC 307, as well. The former PFL lightweight champ’s eventual target remains Amanda Nunes, although she wants to win a title first to lure “The Lioness” out of retirement.

“In my perfect world I’d like to fight for the belt, then tell Amanda to get her ass off the couch and we’ll fight for the BMF belt,” Harrison recently told The Schmo. “And I’ll put my bantamweight title on the line at the same…

Colby Covington: ‘Corner McGregor’ Ian Garry Lost to Michael Page at UFC 303

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Colby Covington recently went off on Ian Garry’s performance against Michael Page at UFC 303 on Saturday.

Garry and Page started off the UFC 303 main card action at the T-Mobile Arena with what turned out to be a lukewarm affair. While Page had his moments on the feet, Garry controlled “MVP” on the ground to rope in a unanimous decision win.

Covington believes Garry lost the fight. Garry had long rallied to share a card with Conor McGregor, who was originally scheduled to headline UFC 303 before pulling out due to a broken toe. Covington labeled Garry “Corner McGregor,” poking fun at “The Future” for being “left at the altar” by McGregor.

“I feel bad for the fans. The fans got robbed of a pay-per-view opener,” Covington told Submission Radio. “That’s supposed to be the opener [on] pay-per-view. So, that was pathetic. That guy [Garry] was fighting the No. 14 ranked guy [Page] in the world and barely scraping by. I think he lost…

Kai Kara-France Believes Steve Erceg Beat Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301

Kai Kara-France believes upcoming opponent Steve Erceg did enough to dethrone Alexandre Pantoja in their UFC 301 title fight.

Kara-France is set to return to action against Erceg at UFC 305 on Aug. 17 in Perth, Australia. Erceg made his UFC debut in June 2023 and racked up a three-fight winning streak to earn a title shot against Pantoja within less than a year. The Australian dropped a hard-fought unanimous decision against “The Cannibal” in the main event at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this past May.

Kara-France is not only impressed by Erceg’s rapid rise up the rankings but also believes “Astro Boy” did enough to get his hand raised against Pantoja.

“I’m excited for Steve. He’s done a really great job while he’s been in the division,” Kara France told the New Zealand Herald. “It hasn’t been a long time, four fights, and he already had a title fight. It’s pretty impressive, and I thought he did enough to win that fight. It just goes to…

Magomed Ankalaev Vows To Knock Out Alex Pereira: ‘His Chin is Gone’

Magomed Ankalaev claims he doesn’t need wrestling to dethrone UFC light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira.

Pereira stepped up on 11 days’ notice to save the UFC 303 card, putting his title on the line against Jiri Prochazka in the main event at the T-Mobile Arena on Saturday. “Poatan” almost knocked Prochazka out cold at the end of the first round before finishing him with a head kick at the beginning of the second round.

Ankalaev, who is the next expected title contender at 205 pounds, called out the champ immediately afterwards. An ace grappler, Ankalaev believes he doesn’t need his ground game to beat the former Glory Kickboxing champion.

“Congratulations champ, I’m very impressed but the boss [Dana White] always says this is the sport of opportunities and all I want is an opportunity,” Ankalaev wrote on social media. “And I don’t need wrestling, I have enough striking to test your chin. I believe I will knock you out.”

…

Alex Pereira Saw Opening for Head Kick While Watching Video of Prochazka’s Warmup

Alex Pereira is a champion who pays attention to the little things.

“Poatan” made his second successful light heavyweight title defense at UFC 303 on Saturday, when he dropped Jiri Prochazka with a head kick and sealed his victory with follow-up punches 13 seconds into Round 2 of their rematch at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. As it turns out, Pereira saw an opening for the fight-ending maneuver while watching his footage of his opponent’s warmup.

“I was in the locker room talking to Plinio, one my coaches, and he showed me the video of Jiri warming up. I saw he was trying to counter attack the calf kick, defend and counter,” Pereira said through a translator at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I told Plinio he was doing the wrong timing, the timing was not good. So I saw that he was too focused on not taking that kick and he was keeping his hands down and leaving the head exposed. So I told him, I’m going to explore the high kick.”

C…

Jiri Prochazka: ‘I Need to Evolve to the Next Level, or Don’t Fight Again’

Jiri Prochazka’s second opportunity against Alex Pereira didn’t bring many encouraging returns.

After being dropped at the end of the opening stanza, Prochazka was vanquished by a head kick and follow-up punches from Pereira just 13 seconds into Round 2 of their UFC 303 headlining bout at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. While Prochazka was also finished in their first meeting at UFC 295, he performed fairly well in the opening stanza and also had a legitimate gripe that the bout might have been stopped prematurely by referee Marc Goddard in the second period.

There were no such questions on Saturday night, and now it appears that “BJP has to do some soul searching before his next Octagon appearance.

“Hello everyone, thank you for all your support. Thanks to you Alex for the fight. You [were] better,” Prochazka said in a video on social media. “And only one thing goes on my mind: that I need to evolve to the next level — or …

Payton Talbott: Skateboarding is Harder on the Body Than Fighting

Payton Talbott claims skateboarding takes even more of a toll on the body than fighting.

MMA and skateboarding appear to have a sort of connection, with fighters like Luke Rockhold, Kron Gracie, Andre Fili and several others having dabbled in the sport. Skateboarding is also one of Talbott’s talents.

UFC lightweight Jalin Turner, who is another skateboarding enthusiast, previously said that the sport takes a bigger toll on the body than fighting. Talbott agreed with that claim, explaining that a fall on concrete hits harder than any shot in a fight. Talbott also claimed to know of several MMA fighters’ careers jeopardized by skateboarding.

“Skateboarding [hurts the body more], for sure,” Talbott said during a post-fight media scrum following UFC 303. “Nobody hits harder than concrete. Skateboarding has derailed so many fighters’ careers.”

Talbott knocked out opponent Yanis Ghemmouri in 19 seconds at UFC 303 on Saturday to score his third con…

Vinicius Oliveira Accuses Umar Nurmagomedov of Ducking Him After UFC 303 Win

Vinicius Oliveira reignited his feud with Umar Nurmagomedov after a victory over Ricky Simon at UFC 303.

Oliveira earned a unanimous decision win over Simon to start off the UFC 303 action at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday. “Lok Dog” subsequently called for a fight against Nurmagomedov, though he doesn’t expect the Dagestani to accept it.

Oliveira and Nurmagomedov have previously traded barbs on Instagram DMs following the Brazilian’s UFC debut back in March. Both fighters had claimed they would best each other in a street fight and expressed interest in a potential clash. However, Oliveira believes Nurmagomedov will be scared to fight him after watching his latest performance against Simon. Oliveira displayed excellent takedown defense against Simon, who is a seasoned grappler. Expecting Nurmagomedov to dodge him, Oliveira called for a clash against Dominick Cruz.

“I would like to fight so much against Umar Nurmagomedov. He was [u…

NSAC’s Jeff Mullen Details Last-Minute Change in UFC 303 Co-Headliner

The commission explains how Ige/Lopes was put together.pic.twitter.com/N2OiP4iAtu

A lot went into the making of the eventual matchup for the co-main event at UFC 303.

Khalil Rountree and Jamahal Hill were the originally scheduled co-main event for UFC 303 at the T-Mobile Arena on Saturday before Rountree was forced out due to a failed drug test. Carlos Ulberg stepped in to replace Rountree but that matchup was eventually scrapped entirely when both Hill and Ulberg withdrew from the card. Eventually, Diego Lopes vs. Brian Ortega was booked as the featherweight co-main event. However, Lopes agreed to lightweight matchup against Ortega when he learned that “T-City” wouldn’t be able make the weight cut.

However, it was announced during the UFC 303 broadcast that the card was to have a new co-main event, as a fever forced Ortega out of the fight. Dan Ige, who trains in Las Vega…

Six Fighters Receive Post-Fight Bonuses at UFC 303

Alex Pereira’s bonus request was granted — and deservedly so.

The reigning light heavyweight champion received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for his second-round technical knockout of Jiri Prochazka in the UFC 303 headliner at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. “Poatan” dropped his foe with a head kick early in Round 2 and then sealed his triumph with follow-up punches 13 seconds into the frame.

Pereira was one of four “Performance of the Night” winners from UFC 303. In addition to the Brazilian champion, Macy Chiasson, Joe Pyfer and Payton Talbott all received $50,000 awards for their work in the Octagon.

Chiasson ended Mayra Bueno Silva’s night by gashing her with an elbow from top position, forcing a doctor stoppage at the 1:58 mark of Round 2 in the bantamweight pairing. Pyfer, meanwhile, rebounded from his first career defeat to score a knockout of Marc-Andre Barriault 85 seconds into the opening stanza of their middleweight show…

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