Category: MMA Junkie Radio

Anatoly Malykhin hilariously explains why he’s gradually paying off $50K bet with Merab Dvalishvili

ONE’s triple champ Anatoly Malykhin hilariously explains why he’s slowly paying off his $50K bet to Merab Dvalishvili.

ONE’s triple champion [autotag]Anatoly Malykhin[/autotag] has a debt to pay to UFC title contender [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag], and claims he’s taking care of it – slowly.

A couple of years ago, Malykhin and Dvalishvili made a $50K bet on the UFC 273 bantamweight title rematch between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan. Malykhin picked his fellow Russian countryman, Yan, while Dvalishvili believed his teammate Sterling would win.

Sterling won the fight, and ever since then, Dvalishvili has sporadically mentioned the bet during interviews or on social media because the debt has yet to be paid in full.

Dvalishvili vented his frustration about the bet during his media day interview last year before fighting Yan himself in the UFC Fight Night 221 headliner. The Georgian told reporters that he sent Malykhin multiple account numbers to transfer the money but had yet to receive anything. Aside from Yan telling his friend not to pay off the bet, Dvalishvili said he worked out a deal that money would start coming in after Malykhin fought for ONE again.

Well, according to Malykhin, he’s paying off the bet now, but little by little, to protect Dvalishvili from splurging or partying in Las Vegas.

“I lost a bet and every month I transfer $1-2,000 to cover it, let’s say like in installments,” Malykhin told MMA Junkie through an interpreter. “I don’t want to transfer the whole amount because what if he goes on a big spree, or he has like a huge party and gets wasted? Then his next performance would be jeopardized. So in reality, I’m just trying to show some care and love.”

“… What if he spends everything in one go? I want him to have a longer pleasure with it.”

You can check out the full interview with Malykhin in the video above.

MMA Junkie Radio #3448: Payton Talbott interview, UFC on ESPN 53, Bellator Champions Series: Belfast results, more

Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”

Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,448, the guys welcome in rising UFC star Payton Talbott. They also discuss the results of the weekend’s fights at UFC on ESPN 53 and Bellator Champions Series: Belfast. Tune in!

MMA Junkie Radio #3447: Reaction to UFC antitrust lawsuits settlement, guests Jonathan Martinez and John Dodson

Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”

Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,447, the guys welcome guests Jonathan Martinez and John Dodson to the program. The fellas also discussed the huge news of the $335 million settlement reached in the UFC antitrust lawsuits and more. Tune in!

MMA Junkie Radio #3446: UFC Fight Night 239 recap, Jose Aldo returns, Jeremy Kennedy interview

Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”

Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,446, the guys welcome guest [autotag]Jeremy Kennedy[/autotag], who returns to action at Bellator Champions Series: Belfast this weekend. The fellas also discussed the UFC Fight Night 239 event in Las Vegas and the big return of UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo in Brazil. Tune in!

Dan Henderson indifferent about not having spot in UFC Hall of Fame: ‘I don’t lose sleep over it’

Dan Henderson is not bothered by not having a spot in the ‘Pioneer Wing’ of the UFC’s Hall of Fame.

[autotag]Dan Henderson[/autotag] is considered by many a pioneer and a legend of MMA. Yet, he doesn’t have an individual spot in the UFC’s Hall of Fame.

Henderson is technically in the UFC’s HOF but under the “Fight Wing,” – which is a sector dedicated to recognizing the greatest fights in company history. His 2011 all-out war with Mauricio Rua got him inducted in 2018. However, Henderson alone is not in the UFC’s Hall of Fame.

With names like Anderson Silva, Rich Franklin, Antonio Nogueira, and most recently Wanderlei Silva in the “Pioneer Wing,” all guys who Henderson fought, many expected to see the former Pride FC champion join his former rivals.

Even though that has yet to come to fruition, eight years after his retirement from MMA, Henderson is completely unbothered by it.

“I don’t lose sleep over it,” Henderson told MMA Junkie Radio.

Henderson wouldn’t mind getting the recognition, but he’s also fine without it. Entering the HOF was never in his must-do for his MMA career.

“Everybody asks me that, but I never fought to one day be in the Hall of Fame,” Henderson explained. “I fought to try to challenge myself and set goals and try to achieve them and be the best fighter out there in the world, you know.

“It’s up to everybody else to feel if I did enough to be in the (UFC) Hall of Fame, and honestly, it doesn’t matter to me one way or the other. I don’t really think about it hardly ever. Even if Wanderlei got inducted, I think he should get inducted. He’s a great ambassador for MMA for a long time.”

Henderson, who represented the U.S. in two Olympic cycles in Greco-Roman wrestling, challenged for UFC titles in two different weight classes: middleweight and light heavyweight.

He also competed as early as UFC 17, where he fought twice in one night and won the UFC 17 middleweight tournament. He’s a former two-division Pride FC champion who fought and defeated tons of notable talent, including Silva, Nogueira, Franklin, Vitor Belfort, Renzo Grazie, Michael Bisping, Fedor Emelianenko, ‘Shogun,’ Hector Lombard, and many others.

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MMA Junkie Radio #3444: UFC 299 recap, guest Brandon Royval, more

Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”

Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,444, the guys welcome guest Brandon Royval to talk about his standing in the UFC flyweight division after his recent win over Brandon Moreno. Of course, there is also plenty to react to from UFC 299 in Miami and much more. Tune in!

Jorge Masvidal explains why he’s targeting a Nate Diaz rematch for return to combat sports

Some words Nate Diaz threw in Jorge Masvidal’s direction after their first fight never sat right. Now, “Gamebred” wants to fight about it.

[autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] has been called many things throughout his combat sports career, but there were a few particular comments from former foe Nate Diaz that have always stayed on his mind.

“Gamebred” has recently expressed a desire to return to combat sports, specifically for a scrap against Diaz, in the boxing ring or in an MMA cage. Although Masvidal has a dominant win over Diaz under his belt, business between the two is not quite finished.

“Nate, though he called me some f*cking names after the fight that I didn’t like, like ‘coward’ and f*cking ‘quitter,’ this and that, I still got a lot of respect for the dude,” Masvidal told MMA Junkie Radio. “I love his style and how he fights, and what he represents. But obviously, I didn’t like when he called me that.”

The pair first met in the headlining act of UFC 244, which was an event unique in several ways. Aside from then-current United States president Donald Trump sitting cageside with Hollywood and WWE superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson nearby, Masvidal competed against Diaz in the first-ever BMF title fight.

After three rounds, the cageside doctor called a stop to the fight due to cuts on Diaz’s right eye. It was a strong showing for Masvidal, one that would end up being the last victory of his UFC career. Diaz immediately stated he wanted to run the fight back, as he felt things would have been different if the fight continued.

“Him always saying that I got saved by the referee, that Round 4 and 5 were going to swing his way – which I know that was psychological play for him to get another rematch, which I was always down to do,” Masvidal said. “To me it’s like, you shouldn’t have said that, man, because it might just happen. I’m going to whoop your ass again. I’m going to show you what would happen in Round 4 and 5.”

Since exiting the UFC last April, Masvidal has put on the promoter hat, running Gamebred boxing and bareknuckle MMA events. Perhaps watching fights from a different perspective helped to get his competitive juices flowing again. He’s also never wanted to end his fighting career on a loss, so a combination of things has led him to revisit an old rivalry, and prove to Diaz again that the labels he mockingly used are inaccurate.

“I’ve never tapped in my career,” Masvidal said. “So him calling me a quitter is like crazy. I’ve got over 50 fights, I’ve never tapped. I’ve actually gone to sleep. … So, calling me a quitter, or I’ve never came out of my stool, or something like that, I’m up at that f*cking bell every time. Winning or losing, dying, whatever it is, I’m going to fight, man. Him calling me those things is p*ssy ass sh*t. That ain’t cool, motherf*cker. So, let’s scrap. Let’s fight about it.

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MMA Junkie Radio #3443: Guest Mike Perry, UFC 299 and Ngannou-Joshua previews, more

Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”


Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,443, the fellas bring on BKFC’s Mike Perry to talk about his next fight. They also preview UFC 299 in Miami, the big Francis Ngannou vs. Anthony Joshua boxing match in Saudi Arabaia, break down the latest news and much more. Tune in!

Renan Ferreira will wait for Francis Ngannou to prove current ‘greatest’ heavyweight in MMA

PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira wants to prove Francis Ngannou has “a big problem” on his hands in his return to MMA.

[autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] has a tough task ahead against Anthony Joshua in the boxing ring, but [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag] wants the former UFC heavyweight champion to know that “a big problem” awaits in the PFL cage too.

Ferreira (13-3) recently defeated Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader in the blink of an eye at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions in Saudi Arabia. The fight was billed as a sweepstakes of sorts, with the winner set to become the first to fight Ngannou (17-3) under the PFL banner in his expected future return to MMA.

While plans have been laid out, there is still uncertainty about how things will progress after March 8 when Ngannou faces Joshua. Much of it depends on Ngannou’s health following the fight. Beyond that, despite Ngannou assuring he will return to MMA, some believe a victory over Joshua will mark the end of his MMA career forever, while a loss would push him back to the cage.

Either way, Ferreira is willing to sit back, considering he punched his ticket to the most lucrative fight of his career with a guaranteed $2 million purse.

“I’m fine waiting,” Ferriera told MMA Junkie Radio through an interpreter. “I’m fine waiting towards the middle of the year, towards the end of 2024. It all works for me. I’m going to use this time to recover. I’ve been doing the PFL tournament for three straight years at this point, so I know my body could use the time off, as well as improving myself. I’m going to use this time to sharpen some of my tools, to learn new tricks, some new things to use when I face up against Francis.”

The rest is well deserved, too. Since 2021 when he joined the PFL, Ferreira has made 11 appearances due to the demanding schedule of the promotion’s season and playoff format. Despite the uncertainty of when the fight with Ngannou could take place, he won’t begrudge his potential foe, because what he has been able to create in his deal with the PFL that allows boxing is unique a such a high level.

“I think Francis is a pioneer when it comes to this way of doing business,” Ferreira said. “I have to give it to him. I have to applaud him for it. I am rooting for him. I just need him to know that once he comes back to MMA, he’s going to have a big problem here in me ready to face off against him.”

Ferreira has built a resume worthy of making a fight against Ngannou attractive to fight fans. Six of his seven PFL victories have come by stoppage. Stopping Bader in 21 seconds was a best-case scenario. Ferreria believes the fight with Ngannou has a much larger meaning than just a big payday. It’s a matchup that proves who is the best in the world, according to the 6-foot-8 Brazilian.

“That goes without saying,” Ferreira said. “I think fighting him, beating him, it puts me in a position to make that statement as I am the greatest heavyweight in the world currently standing.”

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MMA Junkie Radio #3442: Guest Dan Henderson, UFC Fight Night 238 recap, more

Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”

Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,442, the guys welcome legendary UFC Hall of Famer Dan Henderson to the show. They also look back at the results of UFC Fight Night 238 and the latest MMA headlines. Tune in!