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Ilia Topuria’s brother, Aleksandre Topuria, had some elite corner advice for him in his UFC featherweight title win.

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Ilia defeated Alexander Volkanovski via second-round knockout at UFC 298 this past February to be crowned the featherweight champ. The Georgian-Spaniard is set to defend his title for the first time against Max Holloway in the main event at UFC 308 on Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Leading up to the fight, Topuria revealed how his brother helped him in his win over “The Great.”

Once Ilia returned to his corner after the first round, Aleksandre pointed out that Volkanovski’s left arm doesn’t stay on guard. Aleksandre also advised Ilia to add pressure when Volkanovski moved toward him once the second round started.

“His left arm is set quite low. He puts his left arm here. Once you start, cut his distance a bit if it is possible,” Ilia said via translation in the UFC 308 Countdown video. “Continue w…

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Kamaru Usman believes Khamzat Chimaev will beat Robert Whittaker at UFC 308.

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Chimaev and Whittaker will clash in a high-caliber middleweight bout in the co-main event at UFC 308 on Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. While Chimaev has opened as a betting favorite, many consider it a pick ‘em matchup.

Usman, who has previously shared the Octagon with Chimaev, favous the Chechen-born Swede over Whittaker. Whittaker and Chimaev were originally scheduled to fight at UFC Saudi Arabia in June, but “Borz” was forced to pull out due to illness. Whittaker went on to score a first-round finish over highly-touted debutant Ikram Aliskerov, whose only other career loss came against Chimaev on the regional circuit. While Usman acknowledged Whittaker’s elite skillset, “The Nigerian Nightmare” feels Chimaev is just gifted. Although Whittaker boasts strong anti-grappling abilities at middleweight, Usman believes Chimaev will be able to imp…

Ilia Topuria shows respect to Khabib, but goes IN on his cousins/teammates 😳

"One thing I respect about Khabib, the guy is super respectful... I mentioned Islam, and all the cousins come out.

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They've never knocked anyone out, they get caught using steroids, they're super… pic.twitter.com/Bxmm77AEG0 — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 21, 2024

Ilia Topuria doesn’t have the same respect for Khabib Nurmagomedov’s teammates as he does for “The Eagle.”

Topuria is slated to defend his featherweight title against Max Holloway in the main event at UFC 308 this Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. If he defends his strap successfully, “El Matador” has expressed interest in challenging lightweight champ Islam Makhachev, leading to a war of words with the Dagestani contingent.

Umar Nurmagomedov, Usman Nurmagomedov, Tagir Ulanbekov and Abubakar Nurmagomedov all teamed up to throw online barbs at Topuria. The beef …

Muhammad Mokaev’s strained relationship with the Ultimate Fighting Championship isn’t getting any better.

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Mokaev and Raul Rosas Jr. were scheduled to meet in a catchweight submission grappling bout in the main event at ADXC 6 on Friday at the Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi. However, the fight was canceled soon after it was announced, which the promotion blamed on “unforeseen circumstances.”

“Due to unforeseen circumstances, [Muhammad Mokaev] vs [Raul Rosas Jr.]has been cancelled as the ADXC6 main event! The show must go on,” ADXC wrote in a statement. “Stay tuned for a new grappling main event to be announced soon!.”

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Muhammad Mokaev vs Raul Rosas Jr has been cancelled as the #ADXC6 Main Event! The show must go ON 🔥 Stay tuned for a new Grappling Main Event to be announced soon! 👀#ADXC6 #JiuJitsu #Grappling #AbuDhabi #MubadalaArena pic.twitter.com/4KXq3aTaK6

— ADXC_official (@adxc_o…

Tatiana Suarez’s path to Ultimate Fighting Championship gold has hit another roadblock.

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The strawweight contender has reportedly suffered an undisclosed injury and has been forced to withdraw from a proposed clash against Virna Jandiroba at UFC 310 on Dec. 7. Multiple outlets confirmed the news following an initial report from MMA Melotto. It is currently unknown if Jandiroba will remain on the card against a replacement opponent.

Suarez and Janiroba were previously booked to square off in August 2023 before the Brazilian suffered a knee injury and pulled out of the fight. Suarez would remain on the UFC on ESPN 50 card, where she submitted ex-strawweight queen Jessica Andrade in the second round of their encounter. The 33-year-old Milennia MMA representative was supposed to return to action against Amanda Lemos at UFC 298 in February, but Suarez withdrew from that contest due to what she described as a “minor setback.”

When healthy, Suarez i…

The BMF title will not be on the line at UFC 308, but Ilia Topuria believes he can have a negative impact on its relevance.

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Topuria will defend his featherweight crown against former champ Max Holloway in Saturday’s headliner at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. After going 0-3 in 145-pound title bouts against Alexander Volkanovski, Holloway was on the outside looking in when it came to the featherweight title picture. However, that changed when Topuria defeated Volkanovski to become the new featherweight king at UFC 298.

Meanwhile, Holloway moved up to 155 pounds at UFC 300, where he captured the BMF belt with an iconic fifth-round knockout of Justin Gaethje. Topuria has since stated that Holloway was reluctant to accept a championship fight at 145 pounds, and he reiterated that claim in a recent interview with CBS Sports.

"After he knocked out Justin Gaethje, I asked about Max Holloway," Topuria said. "Before that fight, I thought of giving the rema…

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Khamzat Chimaev has taken some heat for his lack of activity in recent years.

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After emerging as one of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s hottest prospects in 2020, Chimaev’s ascent has slowed somewhat. He fought just once in 2023 and will make his first appearance this year when he meets Robert Whittaker in the UFC 308 co-headliner on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

“Borz” was supposed to face Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia on June 22, but the Chechen-born Swede was forced to pull out of the event after become “violently ill” a little more than a week before the fight. According to Chimaev, his exit occurred due to circumstances beyond his control.

“We were in training camp. The first month was very good,” Chimaev said on the UFC Countdown show. “The last three weeks, my immunity goes down. I don’t know what happened. All the guys ate the same food, [but] only [I] got sick.UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway Saturday at 2…

While Ilia Topuria might very well be the next big thing at 145 pounds, Max Holloway has been there before.

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The former featherweight king has faced the best the sport has to offer over the course of an Ultimate Fighting Championship tenure that began in 2012. While “Blessed” can see some parallels betwen his and Topuria’s rise to the top, at this point in his career, the mind games that accompany pre-fight promotion don’t have much of an effect on the 32-year-old Hawaiian.

Holloway will square off against Topuria in the UFC 308 main event on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view via ESPN+ at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. ET, while prelims begin on ESPN+ at 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT.

“I got my first belt against former champions…Your idols become your rivals. Ilia said he’s a big fan. So I guess he did what I did, and I respect that,” Holloway said in an interview with UFC.com. “At the end of the day, all these mental games…

🇪🇸 Ilia Topuria’s custom shorts for #UFC308 are 🔥🔥🔥

🎥 @ClubDeLasMMA #UFC #MMA

pic.twitter.com/v528bQC5o7

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 19, 2024

Ilia Topuria will have some special, customized fight shorts for his first featherweight title defense.

Spanish outlet Marca recently revealed the shorts, which are red and yellow with bulls on the sides, that Topuria will wear for his UFC 308 main event showdown with Max Holloway on Saturday. UFC 308 takes place Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi and airs via pay-per-view on ESPN+ at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT.

UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway Saturday at 2 PM ET on ESPN+. Order Now!

Topuria claimed the featherweight belt with a second-round knockout of Alexander Volkanovski in the UFC 298 headliner on Feb. 17. “El Matador” has kicked off his professional tenure with 15 straight triumphs, a run that includes seven victories in UFC competition.

A former featherweight champ, Hollo…

Featherweight fighter Daiane Silva is still hospitalized after a bad weight cut led to her becoming seriously ill ahead of a proposed fight at Bellator Champions Series London on Sept. 14.

Silva was slated to face Eman Almudhaf at the event but was hospitalized due to severe dehydration as a result of her cut to the featherweight limit of 146 pounds. According to multiple reports, Silva was induced into a coma for several weeks after suffering kidney failure. More recently, she has displayed some positive signs of consciousness while remaining hospitalized.

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“As Daiane made weight for her debut in Bellator, she suffered an accident due to dehydration,” Silva’s manager, Alex Davis said in a statement released to MMAFighting.com. “She was promptly seen by the doctor, was rushed to the hospital in delicate condition, was admitted to intensive care. Her condition was serious, but since, she has been improving steadily and our hope is that she recovers fu…

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Professional Fighters League will hold a championship twin bill of sorts in Saudia Arabia next month.

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The promotion announced on Saturday that both the PFL Championships and the PFL MENA finals will take place on Nov. 29 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The evening’s main card will feature title bouts in six PFL weight classes, topped by a featherweight championship clash between Brendan Loughnane and Timur Khizriev.

Meanwhile, the undercard will feature PFL MENA title bouts at welterweight, lightweight, featherweight and bantamweight. All told, the PFL World Championships event will showcase 10 five-round bouts.

“The Championships are the culmination of our sports-season format, where PFL athletes have beaten the odds to reach this point in the toughest test in all of sports,” PFL CEO Peter Murray said in a release. “There are multiple athletes competing who I am excited to see take that next step in their careers, while there are also returning c…

😮‍💨💥Robert Whittaker is fired up for the fight with Khamzat Chimaev

“I'm going to go in there and hunt [Khamzat] down, I'm gonna take the fight to him. I don't think he'll be able to stand up to that…

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I hope he's ready, because I am."

🎥 @KevinI ▫️ pic.twitter.com/umG7we7fpb

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) October 19, 2024 Robert Whittaker (26-7) plans to take the fight to Khamzat Chimaev (13-0) in their upcoming matchup at UFC 308.

Whittaker and Chimaev will clash in the co-main event at UFC 308 on Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. They were originally scheduled to meet at UFC Saudi Arabia this past June, but Chimaev pulled out due to severe illness. Whittaker went on beat short-notice replacement Ikram Aliskerov via knockout in the first round. Aliskerov’s only other pro loss dates back to 2019 against Chimaev, who called him the toughest matchup of his life so far.

Although Dana White has promise…

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Francis Ngannou challenged Renan Ferreira for the Super Fight heavyweight title in the main event at "Battle of the Giants: Brace for Impact" on Saturday at the Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

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“The Predator” displayed a well-rounded skillset, taking Ferreira to the ground early and surviving a triangle attempt before earning a victory via ground-and-pound in the first round. The former UFC champ then broke down in tears inside the cage while dedicating his win to his late son Kobe, who died earlier this year at 15 months old.

“I can’t think of anything than my son Kobe. I wanted to fight for him… I hope they can remember his name, because without Kobe we wouldn’t be here tonight. I wouldn’t have fight,” Ngannou said.

“In combat sports all depends on me, how I feel. How I deal with life right now. But otherwise… I always thought I still have a lot to give to combat sports. And I hope I keep thinking that way, I keep that…

Daniel Pineda put on a memorable performance at UFC Vegas 99 before retiring from MMA.

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Pineda opened the main card against fellow veteran Darren Elkins at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday. The featherweights left everything inside the Octagon in a “Fight of the Night”-winning performance, setting the bar high for the rest of the card.

Elkins survived multiple guillotine attempts from Pineda to eventually earn a unanimous decision win. Pineda laid down his gloves inside the Octagon after the result was announced, prompting UFC commentator Paul Felder to allow him to have a say on the mic. “The Pit” announced his retirement after a career spanning more than a decade and a half.

“Guys that was my last one man… We were some dogs in here,” Pineda said. “It’s my third one straight. F—k it dude, I’m done. I’m done guys. Thank you Elkins for this bad ass fight.”

Pineda retires from the sport with a 28-17 professional record and a 5-8 reco…

FIRST. ROUND. FINISH!

[ #PFLSuperFights | #BraceForImpact | BUY NOW | https://t.co/kWyJTEGRvW | https://t.co/2BtPH3wso4 ] pic.twitter.com/Zuyv8eN81H

— PFL (@PFLMMA) October 19, 2024

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Francis Ngannou emphatically returned to the world of mixed martial arts on Saturday with a first-round technical knockout (3:22) over 2023 Professional Fighters League Tournament winner Renan Ferreira in the “Super Fights: Battle of the Giants” main event at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Ngannou showed no rust from his over two-year hiatus from mixed martial arts. After two high-profile boxing matches against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, many wondered if Ngannou would stand and bang with the 6-foot-8 giant, but the former lineal heavyweight kingpin was too smart. Ngannou took Ferreira down with a smooth double leg and dragged him to the fence where he patiently waited to strike. Ferreira sacrificed his butterfly guard to thro…

Anthony Hernandez weathered an early storm of offense and ultimately cruised to a lopsided fifth-round TKO victory over Michel Pereira on Saturday at UFC Vegas 99 in Las Vegas. The rising middleweight contender finished Pereira with elbows at the 2:22 mark of the fifth round in a fight that could have been stopped much earlier as Pereira ran out of gas after the opening frame.

Seconds into the UFC Vegas 99 main event, Pereira hurt Hernandez with a front kick to the liver and followed up with a series of punches and knees as a wounded Hernandez covered up against the cage. Hernandez recovered and set the tone for the rest of the fight with a takedown into side control and some strong ground strikes. Pereira was poked in the eye early in the second round and he trapped Hernandez in a guillotine choke after action resumed. Hernandez escaped and scored with elbows and punches from the top, then threatened with an arm-triangle choke. Pereira managed to work his way out of Hernan…

Coverage of Saturday’s Professional Fighters League “Battle of the Giants” card will begin at 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:J.L. …

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to its home base of Las Vegas Saturday at 4 p.m. ET with UFC Vegas 99. The event is also known as UFC Fight Night 245. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Despaigne (-440), Lane (+340)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Martinez (-135), Ardelean (+114)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:The …

In the end, a matchup between two of the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division’s most grizzled veterans delivered exactly the kind of action fans and matchmakers hoped to see.

At UFC Fight Night 245 on Saturday at the Apex in Las Vegas, 40-year-old Darren Elkins and 39-year-old Daniel Pineda combined to produce a bloody, back-and-forth battle that netted them “Fight of the Night” honors and a bonus of $50,000 each. The fight hinged on the clash of Elkins’ rugged and reliable wrestling against Pineda’s venomous grappling game. Pineda fought through punishment that had his face swollen and bleeding within minutes, and the fight was tied at a round apiece going into the final frame, but Elkins’ legendary durability and pace finally proved to be too much, and “The Damage” won the third round on all three judges’ scorecards. Pineda, who announced his retirement in the Octagon after the decision was read, walks away with a career finish rate of 100% in his 28 care…

Paul Felder will be the third man on the broadcast team for UFC 308 next weekend.

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The retired UFC lightweight steps in for Joe Rogan, who doesn’t travel to cover the promotion’s international pay-per-view events. Felder will join veteran play-by-play man Jon Anik and UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier on the call for UFC 308. Meanwhile, UFC commentator John Gooden will serve as the on-site reporter for the event. MMAFighting.com was first to report the broadcast team duties.UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway Saturday at 2 PM ET on ESPN+. Order Now!

UFC 308 takes place on Oct. 26 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi and is headlined by a featherweight championship clash between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway. In the co-main event, Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev will square off in a potential middleweight title eliminator.

The main card is available on pay-per-view via ESPN+ at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT. Meanwhile, the preliminary draw streams on ESPN+ begi…

Max Holloway thinks that Alex Pereira has got the 2024 Fighter of the Year award "in the bag already"

"I don't know if I could [win fighter of the year]. The way Alex took fights, the fastest guy to get three title defenses.

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That's a hard man to beat... I think Alex Pereira got… pic.twitter.com/PHEXHCxlz7 — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 18, 2024

Despite having an upcoming title shot, Max Holloway believes Alex Pereira has already beaten him in the race for the UFC “Fighter of the Year.”

Holloway was removed from the featherweight title picture despite having beaten Arnold Allen and Chan Sung Jung in 2023. However, the former featherweight champ abruptly changed his trajectory with an iconic BMF title win over Justin Gaethje at lightweight at UFC 300 this past April. Holloway is now set to challenge Ilia Topuria for the featherweight title at UFC 308 on Oct. 26 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

If …

Matheus Nicolau is mourning the demise of UFC and Bellator MMA veteran Guilherme Vasconcelos along with the rest of the MMA community.

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Having been born and raised in Belo Horizonte just like Vasconcelos, Nicolau was deeply affected by the death of “Bomba.”

Nicolau takes on upcoming flyweight prospect Asu Almabaev at UFC Vegas 99 at the Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday. The Brazilian plans to get his hand raised and dedicate his victory to Vasconcelos.

“He’s not someone I talked to regularly every day or every week, but I liked him very much,” Nicolau told MMAFighting.com. “He’s a bit older than me and got his [jiu-jitsu] black belt before I did, but we had our roads in MMA at the same time. He was always so nice to me. We have so many friends in common — everybody knows each other in the jiu-jitsu community in Belo Horizonte, and I saw him a month ago at the Worlds Master.

“The news hit me and I was crushed, man. I liked him very much, you kno…

⚖️Battle Of The Giants Official Weigh In Results

PFL Super Fights Heavyweight World Title Bout

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Francis Ngannou: 256.8 lbsRenan Ferreira: 261.5 lbs

Buy Battle Of The Giants now on https://t.co/2BtPH3wso4

[ #PFLSuperFights | #BraceForImpact | Sat, Oct 19th | 4PM ET | BUY… pic.twitter.com/NHxU1MBVEY — PFL (@PFLMMA) October 18, 2024 The Professional Fighters League's return to Saudi Arabia is now set following the PFL "Battle of the Giants" weigh-ins.

The pay-per-view card is stacked with three superfight championship bouts, with the mixed martial arts return of Francis Ngannou headlining the event. Renan Ferreira will look to ruin the superstar's PFL debut, and both men came in under the 265-pound limit. All fighters on the card made weight, including the four other title fight participants as Cris Cyborg and Larissa Pacheco will square off for featherweight gold, while Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards clash for m…