Climent Club coaches don’t advise Max Holloway to do his signature showdown against Ilia Topuria at UFC 308.
[autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag]’s head coaches don’t think it’s a good idea for [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] to try his signature showdown with the UFC featherweight champion.
Jorge and Agustin Climent, owners of Climent Club in Spain, are confident that not only will Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) get his hand raised at UFC 308, but that he can become the first man to knock out Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC), especially if the Hawaiian points to the ground and welcomes a brawl.
“If he’s going to have a showdown with Ilia, Max needs to put on a motorcycle helmet because Ilia cracks. His hands are dynamite,” Jorge told MMA Junkie in Spanish.
That confidence was also backed up by his brother.
“He has it tough, yeah. That poor guy needs to bring a helmet,” Agustin said. “Holloway hits hard, but Ilia hits very, very hard. He’d explode his head if he connects on him. His power is incredible, and he’s getting more and more dangerous.”
Holloway has fought many world-class power punchers, and yet, in 33 fights, he’s never been knocked out. Holloway has fought the likes of Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor, Jose Aldo, Yair Rodriguez, Charles Oliveira, and many other striking experts.
The Climent brothers are well aware of what Topuria is up against, and even then they have all the confidence their guy will get the stoppage win.
“Ilia can do the impossible, which is what he’s been doing up to now,” Agustin said.
Jorge added, “Normally people have their doubts, but us that know Ilia for 15 years, we know what he’s capable of, and we know what he’s going to do.”
Topuria is undefeated in his career, and has quickly become one of the best fighters today in just four years into his UFC career. Agustin believes Topuria, now 27, has entered a level that is unmatched today at 145 pounds.
“Ilia has been at a crazy level since before the Volkanovski fight, and he’s just maintaining that,” Agustin said. “But, yeah, he’s flying. He’s in his prime. If he were to fight Max Holloway when he fought Volkanovski, he would’ve beaten him up, and he beats him up now or the next month.”
UFC’s Daniel Barez challenges Ronaldo Rodriguez to see who’s got the best “Mexican boxing.”
[autotag]Daniel Barez[/autotag] wants to test himself against one of the hottest names in the UFC’s flyweight division today.
The Spanish fighter is hoping to get booked against Mexico’s [autotag]Ronaldo Rodriguez[/autotag], better known as “Lazy Boy,” for his next trip to the octagon. Barez (17-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC) thinks it is a fight that lends itself to be a fan-friendly affair and thinks it is a next step that makes sense for both parties.
“He’s a fighter that had to go through a lot to get in the UFC as well,” Barez told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “He went to Contender Series, lost, and then came back – which is very similar to my path.
“He’s a warrior, he’s Mexican, and I train in Mexico as well, and he has a warrior’s spirit. I think it would be a really good fight. He has really good boxing and good wrestling and jiu-jitsu. He has two UFC fights like me, so I don’t think I’m asking for anything crazy. I hope I get it.”
Barez is coming off a unanimous decision over Victor Altamirano at a UFC Fight Night in Paris last month. Meanwhile, “Lazy Boy” also comes off a decision win, as he outpointed Ode Osbourne at UFC 306 at Sphere.
Although he was already on his radar, Barez liked what he saw from Rodriguez (17-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC), which made him even more interested in calling him out.
“I thought it was a very tough fight, and yet he was able to pull off the comeback after getting knocked down by his opponent,” Barez said. “The truth is that that’s why I’d love to fight him. He’s a guy that fights till the very end, and I consider myself the same type of fighter. I fight till the end, and I don’t give up. That’s why I want to fight him.”
Barez was born and still lives in Spain, but he does a good chunk of his training camps at Entram Gym in Tijuana, Mexico. Throughout his years traveling to the Americas, Barez has picked up the world-famous Mexican boxing style – which he would like to put to the test against a native.
“He’s Mexican, and he trains his boxing with great pros,” Barez said. “I’m Spanish, but I’ve been training a long time in Mexico, so I’d love to box him. He boxes well, but so do I. I hit very hard and I can knock anyone out in the division, just like he can. So let’s see who has better Mexican boxing, let’s throw down.”
Joselyne Edwards says things aren’t fully settled with former rival Ailin Perez.
The beef wasn’t fully settled between [autotag]Joselyne Edwards[/autotag] and [autotag]Ailin Perez[/autotag].
Although Perez and Edwards hugged it out after their women’s bantamweight bout at UFC 302 in June, the two aren’t exactly seeing eye to eye. Edwards, who lost by unanimous decision, had a buildup with Perez that involved weeks of trash talk, which stemmed from an altercation at the UFC Performance Institute.
All that bad history can’t be put away by a simple hug, at least according to “La Pantera.”
“She’s the one that asked for the hug, she can say whatever she wants, but it’s on camera,” Edwards told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “She asked for it, and then told me that everything that she did was for show, that this was just for show, everything that happened outside the octagon, all the trash talk. So she said let’s be cool, and asked me if she could hug me, and I said OK.
“Look, this is the fight game, we have to hit each other, but I don’t think you have to be on bad terms outside the octagon. However, with her, things are different. To be honest, I can’t say never, but I don’t think things will ever be good between us. If I see her, I’ll say hi from afar, but I don’t want to have communication or a friendship with her. I think she has bad vibes, and I don’t like being around those people. She did beat me in a decision. I can’t change that, but that’s it. She’s got her life, I got mine, and I don’t want to know anything about that girl.”
Edwards (13-6 MMA, 4-4 UFC) returns to the octagon at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 245 against Tamires Vidal (7-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC). The fight was originally scheduled for bantamweight, but Edwards missed weight by three pounds Friday morning.
Edwards is focused on Vidal, but she wants to eventually run things back with Perez. She knows she has work to do, as Perez is on a streak and recently entered the UFC official rankings, but she’s confident she’ll eventually be back in a position where the fight makes sense.
“One hundred percent,” Edwards said about wanting a rematch with Perez. “Look, I’m focused on my things. I’m going to win my fight and then the next one. I see she’s doing well, and I’m glad she’s doing well because I want to fight with her again.
“It’s better for me that she wins all her fights, that she enters the rankings, that people have her as a title contender, because I’m coming for her. Out of all the people who I’ve lost to, the only one I want a rematch with, it’s her. I’m coming for her.”
Robelis Despaigne wants to show improvement in his wrestling for his return at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 245.
Wrestling. That’s what caused [autotag]Robelis Despaigne[/autotag] to suffer his first professional defeat in MMA.
The Olympic karate bronze medalist got his momentum halted in May when Waldo Cortes-Acosta handed him his first loss. Despaigne (5-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC), who entered the promotion earlier this year with a ton of hype, was beaten in a unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN 56 and was heavily criticized by many for his defensive wrestling or better yet, lack thereof.
Now, five months later, the Cuban knockout artist promises he addressed that deficiency ahead of his return at UFC Fight Night 245.
“Oh, we’ve put in so much work (in the wrestling),” Despaigne told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “We’ve dedicated a lot of time to it, almost 50-50. Wrestling involves a different distance, and different type of cardio. It’s completely different, so we’ve dedicated a lot of time to it. I’ve received a ton of support from the fighters at American Top Team. It’s almost a family, and they’ve helped me out a ton.”
Following his dominant defeat, Despaigne attended part of his training camp at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Fla., which he describes as very formative in his MMA journey.
“We’re in collaboration with American Top Team,” Despaigne explained. “I go and train there because I have more training partners my size. It’s been very satisfactory. I’ve learned a lot, and I’ve had many trainings and sparring with great athletes, and it’s benefited me a ton.”
Despaigne returns to the octagon this Saturday in the opening bout of UFC Fight Night 245. He takes on Austen Lane (12-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC) in an exciting heavyweight clash. Despaigne understands some of the criticism surrounding his potential, but he also feels a lot of it is not coming from the right place.
“The critics are normal, it’s a normal thing,” Despaigne said. “Sometimes I win, and I even get criticism, so that’s a part of the sport. You just have to take the constructive criticism, and everything else, the ones that are aimed to destroy, those I don’t pay attention to.”
Despaigne is looking to pick up a first-round finish in his return to the octagon. He sees Lane as a dangerous opponent, given they’re both in must-win situations.
“We’re coming out with everything,” Despaine said. “I’m coming from a loss, he’s coming from a loss, and we’re going to try to win at all costs. I’m going to give it my all, and I’m ready for it.”
Ex-UFC title challenger Irene Aldana reacts to suffering arguably the worst cut in UFC history in her bout against Norma Dumont.
[autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag] had a rough night at the office at UFC 306, and although a lot was unpreventable, some other things were not, at least according to the former UFC title challenger.
Unfortunately for Aldana (15-8 MMA, 8-6 UFC), she suffered arguably the worst cut in UFC history during her decision loss to Norma Dumont in her women’s bantamweight bout at Sphere in Las Vegas last month. It was a gruesome gash that went from the bottom of her eyebrow all the way to her hairline and appeared to be half an inch wide. This nasty cut stemmed from an accidental, but illegal, headbutt towards the end of Round 2.
Although these things happen in the chaotic nature of the fight game, Aldana claims she was hit more than once with headbutts.
“It wasn’t just the only one headbutt, there were multiple in that fight,” Aldana told MMA Junkie in Spanish in an exclusive interview. “I’ve seen that in other similar cases, the referee calls the fighter’s attention. ‘Watch the headbutts, watch the headbutts.’ I think in this situation, there was no warning from the referee.”
But apart from claiming the headbutts were a repeating offense that went unnoticed by referee Herb Dean, Aldana left with several questions about the handling by officials after the clash of heads that caused the massive cut.
“I’ve seen fights stopped for smaller cuts, at least for the doctor to get called to check the cut to see if the fighter should continue,” Aldana said. “Honestly, I thought the approach from the cutman and the commission in the corner was very strange.
“I don’t remember the doctor checking on the cut, and I didn’t get Vaseline. The cutman was putting his weight onto the cut, and I feel like that opened it more. I remember having to posture firmly so I wouldn’t go back because his body weight was on me. I do think it would’ve been best to check the replay and have the doctor check on the cut. On that aspect, I do think it was poorly managed.”
Upon checking the fight replay, it does appear that Aldana didn’t get Vaseline on her cut to stop or reduce the bleeding and help further punches slide off the face easier, thus preventing the cut from worsening. Aldana got a swab and towel pressed on the cut for the entirety of the 60 seconds awarded in between rounds.
Once Round 3 started, the full five minutes ran continuously. Despite having a downpour of blood on her face and body, a doctor was never brought in to check on Aldana, which she found surprising.
“It was risky to continue after seeing he cut and the videos, I mean you could basically see my skull,” Aldana said. “It was a risk, I could’ve gotten a facial paralysis or had big consequences of it, but that’s how things played out, and fortunately, I’m OK. I do hang on to the fact that I got a small chance to go finish the fight. I’m happy with that. But on the way things were handled by the commission, I do have my doubts.”
Aldana has mixed feelings about how things were handled. She knows there was a health risk, but at the same time, the fighter in her was happy she got to display her heart and toughness to the MMA world.
“It was very risky, my health was on the line, but the fighter in me is happy it wasn’t stopped because after seeing the fight, even though my vision was limited, I still connected and came after her,” Aldana explained. “So, I can say I pushed myself as far as I could as a human and a fighter – which is my objective in this sport, to see how far I can push my limits.
“I think that was an achievement from me in that aspect. But of course, I do think, ‘Man, what if something bad would’ve happened? I would’ve had something bad stem from this.’ On the commission side, I don’t know, wipe the blood away, just put Vaseline in. With that, I likely wouldn’t have had as much blood on my face or maybe the cut wouldn’t have opened up as bad as the fight went on. On that aspect, I’m not too happy. But as a fighter, I did get the chance to continue.”
Today, Aldana is back to training strength and conditioning, and understandably so, taking some time away from sparring and contact training.
Although a scary incident, the Lobo Gym product is eager to return to action when her injuries heal.
“I’m more motivated than ever,” Aldana said. “I’ve gone through a lot in this sport – very high highs and very low lows. It’s been an interesting and turbulent journey and after going through so much, I can’t just stop here. Things can’t get worse, I’ve been through a lot. I also find a ton of motivation in getting so much love and support from the community.
“The goal is still the same: winning the UFC title. I’m just going to take some time off and not rush back. I need time to recover and address old injuries. So I’m going in the shop, and then getting back in the gym slowly. As long as my body permits it, I’m going to continue.”
Diego Lopes may or may not fight for the title next week, and he shares his preference for opponent should his services be needed at UFC 308.
[autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] may or may not find himself in a UFC championship fight later this month.
The fan-favorite Brazilian will serve as the official backup for the UFC featherweight title fight between champion [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] and former champ [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] on Oct. 26 at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi. This means Lopes (26-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) has been training and will weigh in for the bout, just in case either headliner is forced to withdraw from the bout.
So who would Lopes rather face in an ideal scenario: Topuria or Holloway?
“I definitely would rather fight with Ilia for the undisputed title. That would be amazing,” Lopes told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “We’ve also really analyzed everything. We’ve sat down to analyze both fighters. People might take this the wrong way and say, ‘No, I don’t believe him,’ but I think for me, a fight against Topuria would be a better matchup for my style.
“It’s a fight that suits me. Against Max, it’s a fight where we have to mount a more complex strategy with no errors. With Topuria, as well, I’m not saying no, but I think against him things would be more favorable because I like to exchange and clash, and I hit hard. I’m capable of knocking out people. And since Ilia throws with everything and I throw with everything, we can say it’s a shootout and let’s see who falls first. So the fight against Ilia definitely suits more my style.”
Lopes previously told MMA Junkie that his dream fight would be against Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC). However, under this scenario, if he were to fight Holloway it would likely be for an interim title, given that Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) is the champion. This makes a potential fight with Topuria a better choice.
Lopes’ services won’t be needed if both fighters make weight and stay on course. If the fight does go down, Lopes sides with the former champion.
“I’m still giving an edge to Holloway due to all the experience he has in that octagon and all the fighters he’s faced,” Lopes said. “He’s also never been knocked out, but we know anything can happen, and Ilia has power in his hands. However, I’m still giving the advantage to Max.”
Rising UFC star Diego Lopes discusses his backup for Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway at UFC 308.
Just a little over a year into his UFC career, [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] has experienced a run matched by few.
Lopes (26-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) finds himself sitting at No. 3 on the UFC official rankings, one of the most popular fighters on the roster, and serving as the official backup for the upcoming main event featherweight title fight pitting [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] at UFC 308. This opportunity has Lopes over the moon, and he can’t help but be in awe of how things have played out in his career.
“It excites me a ton, it really does,” Lopes told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “If something comes up, and I fight for the belt and win, my life would be a movie. It would be insane.
“Just four years ago, I went to Abu Dhabi in October because Irene was fighting Holly Holm, and I remember Jason House came up to me and said he wanted to work with me. ‘Hey, I want to help you. I want to work with you. I have faith in you that you can be champion one day.’ I said, ‘No, I don’t want to work with anyone.’ He kept insisting and insisting until I said yes. And now, four years later, after signing with him, after telling me he believed I could be champion, four years later and I’m going to Abu Dhabi in October to be the backup for a title fight. It’s just something incredible.”
Getting the backup for UFC 308 was an easy ask for Lopes, who’s on a five-fight winning streak. His most recent victory came last month against former title challenger Brian Ortega.
“After the fight, we expressed our desire to be the backup, but we ever demanded it, we simply just told them, ‘Hey, if you guys are in need of a backup, I’m available, and ready,” Lopes explained. “If not, I’d like to fight in December against Volka (Alexander Volkanovski), if he’s available. So that was it. A few weeks went by, and the UFC sent us an e-mail saying we’ll be the backup and that’s it. It was a lot easier than I expected.”
Lopes is taking his backup role seriously, especially after what he went through at UFC 303 in June. The Brazilian filled in the card on short notice to fight Ortega. However, due to health complications, Ortega withdrew from the card just a few hours before their scheduled bout. In just hours’ notice, Dan Ige filled in and fought Lopes.
With that experience in hand, Lopes will remain ready to fight Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) or Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) until he sees them both step into the octagon on Oct. 26.
“I’m doing everything as if I were fighting on the card,” Lopes said. “I spoke to my nutritionist, and I told him, I don’t know how other backups do it, but I’m not just planning to make the weight, and that’s it. I’m really doing everything as if I were fighting. I’m going to Abu Dhabi next week, and I’m taking six people with me. I’m paying them everything, and I’m doing the adequate preparation as if I were fighting that night. I plan on making the weight well and being in shape. I’m not just going to weigh in to pocket a paycheck. No, I’m doing everything as if I were fighting.
“Even the day of the fight, until I see both guys inside the octagon, that’s when I’m tuning off the switch. Something that had never happened, which was a fight falling through two hours before it happened with me. So after that, I can expect just anything, so I’ll be ready.”
Mexico’s Ronaldo Rodriguez looks back at his wild comeback win over Ode Osbourne at last month’s UFC 306 at Sphere in Las Vegas.
[autotag]Ronaldo Rodriguez[/autotag] went through hell and back to leave UFC 306 with his hand raised.
The Mexican flyweight prospect was basically knocked out in the opening seconds of his fight with Ode Osbourne last month at Noche UFC at Sphere. Rodriguez (17-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) was hit with a counter right hand and fell flat on his back and his arms away from his face. From there, “Lazy Boy” took some extra shots and was put in a tight triangle choke for a good minute, all while badly rocked.
“I remember the hospital, that, I remember well,” Rodriguez told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “Brother, I was fighting on automatic pilot. That Mexican heart, that Aztec blood that runs through my veins, that was what gave me the victory. It was God’s power and faith in God. The Holy Spirit went in my body and got me back up. It got me back up, and it didn’t allow me to give up because I can’t find any other explanation when I was knocked out on that octagon, when I was about to get submitted. I can’t find an explanation. That was God.”
Rodriguez not only survived the sequence, but went on to win the remaining two rounds to win a decision on the judges’ scorecards. It was easily one of the best comeback wins of 2024. The 25-year-old flyweight vaguely remembers the fight, and thanks his corner for keeping him locked in.
“I do remember, but it’s a bit of a blur, like flashes,” Rodriguez said. “What I do remember well is my coach bringing me back. I told my corner after the first round, ‘Hey, I’m knocked out.’ I told them as soon as I got back from that first round that I was out. That’s what I saw in the replay and that’s when my coach Mike Gonzalez told me, ‘Brother, you need to come out with everything. We now know he’s got nothing on you on the ground. He can’t stop you there. You’re better than him.’ Thanks to my coach’s advice, we got the win.”
Rodriguez, who joined the UFC with a ton of hype and a big following from Mexico, is now 2-0 in the promotion. As far as what’s next, Rodriguez is down to fight wherever, whenever and against whoever.
“I’d fight against the best right now, but you know that decision doesn’t fall on me,” Rodriguez said. “I’m ready. I’m a hardworking man. I’m someone who’s like, ‘Oh, you want me to fight this guy? Where do I sign?’ I’m not someone who ponders on that and thinks if this is a good matchup or not, or anything like that. No. Beyond being an athlete, I’m a fighter.”
Who wins at UFC 307 in Raquel Pennington vs. Julianna Peña, Kayla Harrison vs. Ketlen Vieira? Ailin Perez gives her predictions.
The next UFC pay-per-view is closing in, and it’s a card that will heavily impact the landscape of the women’s bantamweight division.
UFC 307, which goes down Oct. 5 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, hosts two key female bouts at 135 pounds: a women’s championship bout between [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] and [autotag]Julianna Pena[/autotag], and a top contender contest pitting [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] against [autotag]Ketlen Vieira[/autotag].
Ahead of the event, rising women’s bantamweight [autotag]Ailin Perez[/autotag] gave her picks when speaking with MMA Junkie. Perez (10-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC), who returns this Saturday at UFC Fight Night 243 against Darya Zheleznyakova (9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), sees the belt staying in the hands of the champion.
“Raquel Pennington is going to keep her title that night,” Perez said in Spanish. “Julianna Peña has been very inactive, and I just don’t think she has the resources to surprise that night.”
The 35-year-old Pennington enters UFC 307 on a six-fight winning streak. She won the vacant title by defeating Mayra Bueno Silva in January. Meanwhile, Peña hasn’t fought since losing the belt in the rematch with Amanda Nunes back in July 2022.
As far as the other bout, Perez expects Harrison (17-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) to keep her undefeated UFC record. She respects the body of work that Vieira (14-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) has built, but doesn’t think she’ll be able to hold off the former PFL champion.
“Kayla Harrison will be able to take her down, and she’s going to win the fight there,” Perez said. “She’s going to control her. I don’t think she’ll get the finish, but maybe she will. That’s not totally unexpected, but I don’t think she’ll get the finish. I’m picking Kayla to win. I don’t think Ketlen has the gas tank to deal with her.”
Ailin Perez wants a big name next if she’s victorious over Darya Zheleznyakova at UFC Fight Night 243 in Paris.
[autotag]Ailin Perez[/autotag] is very confident entering UFC Fight Night 243 – so confident that she already has a few names in mind for her next fight.
Perez (10-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC), a rising women’s bantamweight, doesn’t think she’ll have much difficulty getting her hand raised Saturday in Paris against [autotag]Darya Zheleznyakova[/autotag] despite it likely feeling like enemy territory. Although originally from Russia, Zheleznyakova (9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) trains out of France and is expected to have the crowd support this weekend.
Perez is unfazed fighting in France and feels very good about her chances.
“Being 100 percent honest, I feel like this is an easy fight, my friend,” Perez told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “I don’t know how else I can put it. She’s a very green fighter. Her base is boxing, and she is a good boxer, but in MMA she’s not up to my level.
“She’s underestimating me and has been saying my striking is zero, so I welcome exchanging with her, I’ll be the one that starts the striking, and we’ll see how good she is.”
Perez claims Zheleznyakova has been trashing her skills in the buildup to the fight. These comments have not bothered Perez but motivated her.
“It didn’t bother me, but it did tough my ovaries,” Perez said. “Fighters who talk badly about me end up paying for it in the cage. You can ask Joselyne Edwards. I know I didn’t knock her out, but I hit her quite badly in the striking. Darya is completely wrong, and I’m going to show it in the cage. The more she underestimates me the more dangerous I get.”
If victorious, Perez would be on a four-fight winning streak. She believes that would set her up for a big opportunity whether it be a big name, a main event slot, or both.
“After finishing Darya, I’m going to ask my friend Dana White for a main event fight, preferably against Kayla Harrison,” Perez said. “We’re still insisting on that fight because that’s the fight I need to prove I’m worthy of fighting for a belt. And if not, Norma (Dumont) if she stops running from me. She only wants to fight with people above her in the rankings, and that’s OK, but part of the reason why she’s in the rankings is that she hasn’t fought and lost to me. So Dumont or Julianna Peña, who’s a punching bag.”
