Author: mmafighting
Alexander Volkanovski is amused by Ilia Topuria’s confidence ahead of their huge matchup at UFC 298. That’s according to Volkanovski’s famed jiu-jitsu coach, Craig Jones, who appeared on The MMA Hour ahead of Volkanovski’s featherweight title defense against Topuria on Saturday in Anaheim, Calif. Topuria recently changed the information atop his social media accounts to indicate he is 15-0 and a world champion, seemingly calling a win in his upcoming fight to be a foregone conclusion. At times, Topuria has spoken as if he’s already looking past “The Great.” Jones can only have a chuckle at that thinking. “Ilia, I…
Matt Brown considers Henry Cejudo one of the best combat sports athletes of all-time, but he doesn’t like what he’s hearing out of the former two-division champ ahead of UFC 298. After previously stating that his upcoming fight against Merab Dvalishvili was do-or-die for his career, Cejudo then very publicly fired his head coach Eric Albarracin on UFC Countdown. It was an odd way to split with someone who’s been by his side for more than a decade, but Cejudo told Albarracin that he was “getting rid of specific coaches … and that’s you included.” Maybe it was all for…
UFC middleweight Sedriques Dumas was arrested early Tuesday morning in Florida. According to Escambia County jail records, Dumas was booked at 6:13 a.m. local time on felony battery charges, although further details were not revealed. TMZ was first to report Dumas’ arrest. Dumas is currently being held without bond. Dumas went live on his Facebook page Tuesday morning as he was having a conversation with members of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, asking questions about their investigation into a call received that Dumas was causing a “disturbance,” although the pro fighter claims he was just walking down the street “to…
UFC 300 is still without a main event as we’re officially two months away from the historic fight card, and while there may be some options being discussed, the mystery remains as strong as ever. Will the UFC 300 headliner be announced this week before tickets go on sale? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck discusses the glaring open spot for April’s pay-per-view event, his prediction for what will end up getting the slot, and how the conversation has taken on a life of its own. Additionally, listener questions include UFC 298, the…
Chael Sonnen once again cannot understand what Jon Jones is doing. Jones revealed last week in an interview with Submission Radio that he was offered — and turned down — an opportunity to headline UFC 300. The reigning UFC heavyweight champion said he did not feel comfortable jumping onto the April 13 mega-event while still working his way back from the torn pectoral muscle he suffered in October 2023. For Sonnen, a three-time UFC title challenger who famously fought Jones in 2013, the revelation was a baffling admission for “Bones” to bring into the public eye — and one Sonnen…
Alexander Volkanovski has heard it before. They said he couldn’t beat Max Holloway. He did it three times. They said he can’t surpass the legacies of Holloway and Aldo, and while that may be true, he’s comfortably earned a place next to those names on the list of all-time great featherweights. They said he couldn’t beat lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. He didn’t, but he came darn close the first time they fought. (The less said about the rematch, the better.) Now, they’re saying he’s too old, and given the recent history of title fight competitors 170 pounds and under, you…
Sean Strickland doesn’t get along with other human beings very well. It was a rather eventful weekend for the former UFC middleweight champion Strickland and everyone who was in Las Vegas for the jam-packed lineup of sporting festivities. The entertainment capital hosted Super Bowl LVIII, UFC Vegas 86, Dana White’s PowerSlap, and your typical Sin City shenanigans. “Tarzan” decided to get out to the PowerSlap show on Friday night, which turned out to be a confrontational experience. Who would have thought? Strickland and musician Machine Gun Kelly had a brief encounter that saw “MGK” get called a vampire and insulted…
Yair Rodriguez is not a fan of Ilia Topuria. On Saturday, Topuria challenges Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title in the main event of UFC 298 in Anaheim, Calif. It’s Volkanovski’s first fight back since getting knocked out by Islam Makhachev in October, and the quick turnaround has many concerned for the long-reigning featherweight champion. Even though Rodriguez believes it’s not ideal, he still believes in Volkanovski. “I was surprised about him taking another fight after the KO, so soon against Topuria,” Rodriguez told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. “So I think he did a little bit of a…
Khamzat Chimaev anxiously awaits the chance to fight again, but it doesn’t appear as if he’ll be part of the UFC 300 main event. Rumors about Chimaev’s potential involvement picked on Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour, when MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani revealed that the undefeated Chechen has been floated as a possible opponent by the UFC for either middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis or welterweight champion Leon Edwards in two of the matchups the promotion has looked to book as a main event. Unfortunately, with the holy month of Ramadan ending just days before UFC 300 begins on April…
UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall would accept a fight with either Jon Jones or Stipe Miocic “instantaneously,” he said Monday on The MMA Hour. Campaigning publicly for such an opportunity is a different story. After trying and failing to get the current and former champs’ interest, he plans to forge his own path, wherever that leads. Left in the lurch by a rescheduled title fight between Jones and Miocic, Aspinall believes it’s pretty obvious why he isn’t fighting either at the moment. “I’m too dangerous, man,” he said. “Simple. I’m too risky for these guys. Who knows, one day…