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Tom Aspinall Reveals UFC’s Original Plans for the Heavyweight Division After Jon Jones’ Potential Retirement

Tom Aspinall says his upcoming title shot was just what he expected, and the only surprise was its timing.

Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight contender Aspinall (13-3) recently received an early morning phone call from the promotion asking if he was ready to fight on two weeks’ notice. A day later Aspinall was booked to take on Sergei Pavlovich (18-1) for the interim title in the co-main event at UFC 295 on Nov. 11 in Madison Square Garden.

The card was originally scheduled to be headlined by Jon Jones defending his strap against heavyweight legend Stipe Miocic. However, the bout fell through as Miocic reportedly refused to accept a change in opponent after Jones was forced out due to a pectoral injury.

Two of the fastest-rising forces in the heavyweight division, Aspinall and Pavlovich have been on a collision course for a while now. Moreover, Aspinall recently revealed that a clash against the Russian, potentially for the vacant titl…

Tom Aspinall Reveals UFC’s Original Plans Ahead of Potential Jon Jones Retirement

Tom Aspinall says his upcoming title shot was just what he expected, and the only surprise was its timing.

Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight contender Aspinall (13-3) recently received an early morning phone call from the promotion asking if he was ready to fight on two weeks’ notice. A day later Aspinall was booked to take on Sergei Pavlovich (18-1) for the interim title in the co-main event at UFC 295 on Nov. 11 in Madison Square Garden.

The card was originally scheduled to be headlined by Jon Jones defending his strap against heavyweight legend Stipe Miocic. However, the bout fell through as Miocic reportedly refused to accept a change in opponent after Jones was forced out due to a pectoral injury.

Two of the fastest-rising forces in the heavyweight division, Aspinall and Pavlovich have been on a collision course for a while now. Moreover, Aspinall recently revealed that a clash against the Russian, potentially for the vacant titl…

Tyson Fury Didn’t Want to Announce Oleksandr Usyk Bout Before Fighting Francis Ngannou

Tyson Fury would have preferred to take things one step at a time, but he says his hand was forced in this case.

Fury (33-0) is set to take on former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight king Francis Ngannou in a crossover boxing superfight on Oct. 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Hardly a month ahead of the matchup Fury’s team announced that “The Gypsy King” will take on Oleksandr Usyk (21-0) in December or January to determine the undisputed heavyweight champ.

For many the Usyk bout announcement seemed dismissive of Fury’s upcoming clash against “The Predator.” Fury claims he was displeased when the news dropped and claims to have played no role in it whatsoever.

According to Fury, who appeared this week on “The MMA Hour,” it is the “paymaster” who is in control of such decisions.

“It wasn’t my choice. I would never in a million years do that. But the people who are putting these fights on, who are paying the money, they’re in contr…

Tyson Fury Did Not Want to Announce Oleksandr Usyk Bout Pre-Francis Ngannou

Tyson Fury would have preferred to take things one step at a time, but he says his hand was forced in this case.

Fury (33-0) is set to take on former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight king Francis Ngannou in a crossover boxing superfight on Oct. 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Hardly a month ahead of the matchup Fury’s team announced that “The Gypsy King” will take on Oleksandr Usyk (21-0) in December or January to determine the undisputed heavyweight champ.

For many the Usyk bout announcement seemed dismissive of Fury’s upcoming clash against “The Predator.” Fury claims he was displeased when the news dropped and claims to have played no role in it whatsoever.

According to Fury, who appeared this week on “The MMA Hour,” it is the “paymaster” who is in control of such decisions.

“It wasn’t my choice. I would never in a million years do that. But the people who are putting these fights on, who are paying the money, they’re in contr…

Rizin Landmark, Vol. 7 Scheduled for Nov. 4 in Azerbaijan

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Rizin Landmark, Vol. 7 truly earns its name, as it will mark the promotion’s first foray outside Japan.

The latest iteration of Rizin’s Landmark series is slated to go down at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan on Nov. 4. According to a press release from the promotion, the host country will be represented in five out of the 10 total fights, all set to take place after the intermission. The event will stream on pay-per-view through Fite.tv.

The five Azerbaijani fighters on the card include featherweight champ Vugar Karamov and former lightweight titleholder Tofiq Musayev, as well as Mehman Mammadov, Tural Ragimov and Nariman Abbasov, who will take on opponents from Japan, the USA, South Korea and Russia respectively. All fights will be contested under Rizin rules, which allow kicks and knees to the head of a grounded opponent.

Karamov will defend his strap in the main event of the night against Chihiro Suzuki…

Charles Oliveira Confident about Getting the Next Title Shot Against Islam Makhachev

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Despite the numerous potential challengers waiting for UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, Charles Oliveira sounds confident about his place at the front of the line.

Former champ Oliveira (34-9) was scheduled for a rematch against Makhachev (25-1), the man who dethroned him last year, at UFC 294 on Oct. 21. However, a cut suffered during sparring forced “do Bronx” out of the matchup 12 days before fight night. Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski stepped up on short notice for his own rematch against Makhachev, losing via first-round knockout.

In the wake of Makhachev’s dominant win over Volkanovski, it is an open question whether Oliveira will automatically step back into a title fight once he is fit to compete. While two-time former title challenger Justin Gaethje has made a strong case for himself with his “BMF Belt” win over Dustin Poirier earlier this year, former KSW two-division champ Mateusz Gamrot is also …

Justin Gaethje Willing to Wait for UFC Lightweight Title Shot

If Charles Oliveira is indeed next for reigning lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, Justin Gaethje is willing to sit on the sidelines.

Gaethje’s 2023 campaign has included victories over Rafael Fiziev and Dustin Poirier, so he believes he has done the necessary work to receive his third UFC lightweight title shot.

"Who do I fight?" Gaethje told ESPN. "There's no one. I did what I had to do. ... I don't know what else I need to do.”

Oliveira was supposed to face Makhachev at UFC 294 before a cut forced him out of the fight. Instead, the Dagestani lightweight retained his belt with a first-round knockout of Alexander Volkanovski in the short-notice main event. Afterward, UFC CEO Dana White indicated that Oliveira would get his promised rematch against Makhachev next.

If that means Gaethje won’t fight until late 2024, that’s fine by him.

"If they want to put Oliveira in there, then I fight him in September [or next October]," Gaet…

Dana White Calls Vince McMahon the ‘Michael Jordan of the Business World’

In the present day, Dana White and Vince McMahon are essentially part of the same team. That wasn’t always the case.

“My history with Vince isn’t a good one,” White told Sports Illustrated. “He tried to f---k me so many times for no reason whatsoever except just to f---k me. But that’s in the past. Now that Vince and I are allies, no one’s been a better partner than Vince.”

The UFC and World World Wrestling Entertainment officially merged under the parent company TKO Group Holdings in September. White became UFC CEO as a result, but his duties haven’t changed significantly, while McMahon remains executive chairman of WWE. What has changed is the relationship between the two company heads.

“Since Day 1 of the deal, it’s like I’m dealing with a different guy,” White said. “It goes to show that when you oppose him, or he thinks you are opposing him, the guy comes after you blindly. Once you are aligned, Vince is an incredible partner.

“We’ve pr…

ATT Coach Expects Nothing to Change with New UFC Anti-Doping Policy

Amazing night. 4-0. pic.twitter.com/HHiWF5EdbO

— Marcos DaMatta (@ParrumpaATT) April 15, 2023

American Top Team coach Marcos “Parrumpa” DaMatta will be a busy man in the coming months.

"Next week I’m going to Sao Paulo to corner Rodrigo Nascimento and Rinat Fakhretdinov; two weeks later I will corner Alexandr Shabliy against Patricky ‘Pitbull’ in the lightweight semifinal of Bellator; one week later I’ll corner Magomed Magomedkerimov in the final of PFL, an event where ATT will have three finalists plus Kayla [Harrison] doing a superfight against Julia Budd,” DaMatta said. “In the first week of December, I’ll be with [Arman] Tsarukyan for his fight against [Beneil] Dariush, and two weeks later with [Alexandre] Pantoja for his first title defense against Brandon Royval. No doubt the agenda is full just like I enjoy.”

“Parrumpa” revealed that Muhammad Mokaev, who is coming off a victory over Tim Elliott at UFC 294, decide…

Despite Loss at UFC 294, Volkanovski Still Plans on Fighting Topuria in January

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After his disappointing outing at UFC 294, Alexander Volkanovski is keen to get back into the cage as quickly as possible.

“The Great” recently stepped up on 10 days’ notice to make his second bid for lightweight gold against Islam Makhachev on Saturday in Abu Dhabi. Makhachev delivered a highlight-reel head kick knockout in the opening frame to defend his throne and simultaneously hand Volkanovski (26-3) his first stoppage loss in the UFC.

Prior to the booking of his short notice clash against Makhachev, “The Great” had been confirmed to defend his featherweight title against Ilia Topuria at UFC 297 in January. Many, including former UFC double champ Henry Cejudo, have advised Volkanovski against keeping that date. However, Volkanovski plans on fighting the undefeated Georgian contender two months removed from his first UFC KO loss. The 35-year-old also confirmed that he hasn’t suffered any concussions, which Cejudo thought he d…

Johnny Walker Compares Confusing UFC 294 Stoppage to Sterling’s DQ Title Victory

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Johnny Walker is extremely disappointed with the sudden stoppage of his UFC 294 clash against Magomed Ankalaev.

A highly anticipated showdown between the two on the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s marquee card on Saturday in Abu Dhabi met with an anticlimactic end. The fighters had barely felt each other out before Ankalaev (17-1) kneed a grounded Walker (21-7) right on the chin. Following a conversation with the Brazilian, the cage-side doctor deemed him unable to continue, bringing the fight to a close while a confused Walker stomped around in protest.

Walker shared his side of things during a recent appearance on “The MMA Hour.” According to the 31-year-old, the confusion was mainly due to a language barrier. Walker said:

“He asked me if I wanted to continue fighting. I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘Where are you?’ I didn’t want to say the wrong answer because I was excited when he was doing the test and I wanted to say the ri…

Tyson Fury Not Hesitant to ‘Stand and Trade’ With Francis Ngannou

[embedded content] Tyson Fury doesn’t give much credence to the proverbial “puncher’s chance,” even from one of the hardest punchers in combat sports.

“The Gypsy King” (33-0-1) is all set for a boxing clash against former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou (0-0 boxing; 17-3 MMA) on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Ngannou currently holds the world record for the hardest punch after recording 129,161 units on a PowerKube to surpass the previous mark, set by kickboxing legend Tyrone Spong. Given the fact that Ngannou has secured 12 of his 17 career wins via knockout, even Fury’s own promoter Bob Arum believes it might not be a good idea to stand and trade with “The Predator.” However, Fury is supremely confident about engaging in a slugfest against absolutely anybody. Referring to Arum’s comments, Fury said during a recent presser (h/t MMA Junkie):

“Behave yourself, I can stand and trade with anybody. I stood and traded…

Paulo Costa Details Altercation with Fans at UFC 294

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Paulo Costa was not able to make his scheduled bout with Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294, but he managed to get in a few punches on Saturday, nonetheless.

Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight contender Costa (14-2) got into a scuffle with more than one attendee during the promotion’s marquee event in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 21. “Borrachinha” was originally supposed to co-headline opposite the undefeated Chimaev, but was forced to withdraw the week before the event due to a staph infection in his elbow. Nevertheless, Costa was present cageside in Etihad Arena as his replacement, former welterweight king Kamaru Usman, lost a majority decision to Chimaev.

Well before the co-main event, during the undercard, Costa was involved in the altercation in question, which was caught on video by onlookers. He gave his account of the incident during an appearance on “The MMA Hour” on Tuesday.

“Almost, in the corner, to go to my seat, a guy …

Jon Jones Injured; Pavlovich to Face Aspinall for Interim Heavyweight Title at UFC 295

BREAKING NEWS…………… Sergei Pavlovich vs Tom Aspinall for the Interim Heavyweight Championship. Main Event is Jiri Prochazka vs Alex Pereira. #UFC295 is LIVE at MSG on ESPN+ PPV pic.twitter.com/SaPAwpyHi2

— danawhite (@danawhite) October 25, 2023

There has been a significant change atop the UFC 295 lineup.

Sergei Pavlovich will now square off against Tom Aspinall for the interim heavyweight crown in the new UFC 295 co-main event after reigning champion Jon Jones was forced to withdraw from the card after suffering an injury in training. Jones was supposed to face Stipe Miocic in the original UFC 295 headliner, but it’s currently unclear if Miocic was offered a fight against either Aspinall or Pavlovich.

Meanwhile, the light heavyweight championship clash pitting Jiri Prochazka against Alex Pereira has been elevated to the evening’s new headliner.

The news was announced by UFC CEO Dana White late Tuesday night.

“Jon…

Anthony Pettis, Benson Henderson Booked for Third Meeting at Karate Combat 43

Anthony Pettis and Benson Henderson will have their trilogy in a slightly different combat sports arena.

The former UFC champions will meet at 170 pounds in the headliner of Karate Combat 43 on Dec. 15 at the Expo at World Trade Market in Las Vegas. The promotion confirmed the pairing following an initial report from MMAFighting.com.

Pettis owns a 2-0 mark against Henderson under MMA rules. The two lightweights closed out the World Extreme Cagefighting era in December 2010, when Pettis took a five-round verdict over Henderson in a bout that saw him unveil his “Showtime Kick.” They squared off again at UFC 164 in August 2013, when Pettis claimed the lightweight belt with a first-round submission victory.

More recently, Pettis went 1-4 under the Professional Fighters League banner from 2021 to 2022. He then tried his hand at the Sweet Science, earning a majority decision victory against Roy Jones Jr. at Gamebred Boxing 4 this past April.

After Emotional Post-Fight Presser, Volkanovski Says He’s in Good Place Mentally

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Following an emotional session at the UFC 294 press-conference, there was plenty of concern for Alexander Volkanovski’s mental well-being.

With his first-round knockout loss to Islam Makhachev a few more days in the rearview mirror, Volkanovski addressed his mindset in a video on his YouTube channel. The UFC’s reigning featherweight champion admitted that the defeat weighed heavily on him, but he also made it clear that he’s in a good place mentally overall.

“So straight after the fight, I did the post-fight press conference and I want people to understand that, yeah, there was a raw emotion seen, but I want everyone to know that I’m OK,” Volkanovski said. “I think that people have to remember that I did just come off getting tagged, knocked out. I lost. I knew that legacy wise and all that, all those things start coming into play, so that was obviously hurting me.”

In the immediate aftermath of the loss, Volkanovski lobbied …

Bud Light Returns as Official Beer of UFC with Record Sponsorship Deal

.@UFC and Anheuser-Busch (@AnheuserBusch) announce multiyear partnership.

More information on the new partnership ➡️: https://t.co/UskNcHo80d

— UFC News (@UFCNews) October 24, 2023

After a bit of a hiatus, the Bud Light logo will once again grace the Octagon for Ultimate Fighting Championship events.

According to broadcast partner ESPN, the UFC has signed a new partnership with Anheuser-Busch to make Bud Light the official beer of the promotion. While it is reportedly the biggest sponsorship deal in UFC history, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The multi-year contract begins on Jan. 1. The UFC and Anheuser-Busch were previously partners until 2017, when the company switched to Modelo as its official beer.

"Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light were UFC's original beer sponsors more than fifteen years ago," UFC CEO Dana White said in a release. "I'm proud to announce we are back in business together. There …

Fighters Only World MMA Awards Set for Dec. 14 in Las Vegas

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The best and brightest of the mixed martial arts world will be recognized at the Fighters Only World MMA Awards on Dec. 14.

The 15th iteration of the event will take place at the SAHARA Las Vegas with a host of fighters, industry executives, personalities and other notables on hand. The World MMA Awards will recognize the achievements and performances of people in the sport during the period beginning July 2022 and ending June 2023.

Categories include Fighter of the Year, Breakthrough Fighter of the Year, Upset of the Year, Knockout of the Year, Submission of the Year, Gym of the Year, Promotion of the Year and many more. Sherdog.com is among the candidates for MMA Media Source of the Year, which is “awarded to the leading source of news, fight reviews and features.”

“This year the awards celebrate a special 15-year anniversary,” said host Rob Hewitt in a release. “The sport has come a long way during that time and this is r…

Dana White: Makhachev Has Potential to Go on Record-Breaking Title Defense Run

Islam Makhachev is only one successful title defense from tying the UFC’s all-time record at lightweight.

The American Kickboxing Academy product authored his second successful defense at UFC 294 with a first-round knockout of Alexander Volkanovski at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. The lightweight record of three championship defenses is currently held by Khabib Nurmagomedov, B.J. Penn, Frankie Edgar and Benson Henderson.

With an upcoming itinerary that likely includes fights against Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje, Makhachev could suprass that record as early as 2024 if all goes well.

“He keeps doing what he’s doing, you’ve just got to keep grinding, knocking them down one by one and it will eventually happen,” UFC CEO Dana White said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference.

“The truth is when you look at Khabib — and nothing against Khabib, Khabib came in and won the title and defended it — but this kid could go on a defense r…

Victor Henry Gives Update After UFC 294 Groin Shot, Has ‘No Permanent Damage’

This bout has been called to a stop.

Victor Henry is unable to continue after an unintentional foul and the fight has been ruled a no contest #UFC294 pic.twitter.com/UWhaeyzMFu

— UFC (@ufc) October 21, 2023

While the cageside doctor may have been skeptical, Victor Henry was in agony after absorbing an inadvertent low blow from Javid Basharat at UFC 294.

Ultimately, Henry was unable to continue following the foul, and the bantamweight bout was ruled a no contest 15 seconds into Round 2. Henry, who was reportedly vomiting back stage and went to the hospital after the fight, gave a positive update on his condition via social media on Monday.

“A little update for you guys: doctors said no permanent damage to my pills but I’m gonna walk a little funny for a couple days,” Henry wrote. “Swelling has gone down a significant amount after sleeping with ice on my smooth criminals, which isn’t very easy to do.

“For th…

Jake Paul’s Team Claims He Has Agreed to PFL Fight Against Nate Diaz

Jake Paul won’t be rematching Nate Diaz in the squared circle, but according to his team, the YouTube personality has agreed to face the Stockton, Calif., native under the Professional Fighters League banner.

Diaz recently hinted that a boxing rematch with Paul was in the works by sharing a fight poster on social media. While Paul recently announced his next fight is set for Dec. 15, an opponent has not been confirmed.

“For the record: Jake Paul will not be boxing Nate Diaz again,” read a statement from Most Valuable Promotions. “Nate Diaz and Jake Paul have received an offer from [the PFL] to rematch in MMA in the SmartCage. Jake Paul has accepted the offer.”

For the record: Jake Paul will not be boxing Nate Diaz again.

Nate Diaz and Jake Paul have received an offer from @PFLMMA to rematch in MMA in the SmartCage. Jake Paul has accepted the offer.

— Most Valuable Promotions (@MostVpromotions) October 23, 2023…

Makhachev Willing to Face Oliveira or Gaethje, But Not Excited About Another Rematch

Islam Makhachev was proud to showcase another element to his game in the UFC 294 headliner.

The reigning lightweight champion retained his title with a first-round knockout of Alexander Volkanovski in their rematch at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Makhachev hurt his foe with a head kick and finished the job with follow-up punches at the 3:06 mark of Round 1. It was a far cry from their first meeting: a hard-fought unanimous decision win for Makhachev at UFC 294 in February.

“My coaches have told me I have a good head kick. I always try to land the kick when I fight,” Makhachev said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “For an opponent like Volkanovski, who’s a little bit shorter, it’s the best plan to land some kicks. When you have short opponent, it’s easy to land. I show him low kick, body kick and show him head kick. This is the plan.

“(I was) really happy to finish him (in the ) first round,” he added. “If it happened in cha…

Jared Cannonier Reveals Knee Injury Forced Him to Turn Down Chimaev Fight

Before Kamaru Usman stepped up, the opportunity was supposed to belong to Jared Cannonier.

In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Cannonier revealed that he was offered the fight against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294, but an injury suffered shortly thereafter prevented him from accepting the bout. Ultimately, Chimaev defeated Usman via majority decision in Saturday’s co-main event in Abu Dhabi.

“I got the call to step in to fight Chimaev,” Cannonier said. “But unfortunately, before I could tell my manager to tell the UFC yes, I had injured myself. So I wasn’t able to take that fight on 10 days. They called me on the 10th. They called me, offered me that fight – before they offered it to Usman, they offered it to me. So it would have been me. It could have easily been me.”

Cannonier has won four of his last five UFC appearances, a run that includes a split-decision triumph over current middleweight champion Sean Strickland. That would have m…

Sean Strickland: Khamzat Chimaev ‘Doesn’t F—-ing Deserve’ Middleweight Title Shot

Well, it looks like @SStricklandMMA is ready for a matchup with Khamzat! #UFC294

Didn’t hold back and we wouldn’t expect him to. #ExtraRounds from the @PBR Teams Championship. pic.twitter.com/uuQPRVkOzD

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) October 22, 2023

As one might expect, Sean Strickland is quite outspoken on the subject of the UFC middleweight division’s new No. 1 contender.

Khamzat Chimaev made his 185-pound debut at UFC 294, where he defeated ex-welterweight king Kamaru Usman in Saturday’s co-main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Even though he hasn’t beaten anyone in the middleweight rankings, the victory was presumably enough to assure Chimaev of a title shot. At least, that’s what UFC CEO Dana White promised ahead of the fight.

In an interview on the UFC Fight Pass “Extra Rounds” show, Strickland questioned Chimaev’s credentials as a No. 1 contender in his new weight class. Of course, that doesn’t mean…