Category: Radio Highlight

Kayla Harrison unfazed by opponent switch for 2023 PFL Championship: ‘Any time, any place, anywhere, anyone’

Kayla Harrison is excited to return regardless of her opponent.

[autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] is excited to return regardless of her opponent.

Harrison (15-1 MMA, 14-1 PFL) was originally scheduled to face Julia Budd at 2023 PFL Championship on Nov. 24 at The Anthem in Washington, but will now face former UFC fighter Aspen Ladd (11-4 MMA, 2-1 PFL) instead. Budd was removed from the bout after she “refused to fulfill her contractual obligation.”

The opponent switch comes just over two weeks away from her fight, but two-time Olympic gold medalist Harrison isn’t too concerned with who she fights.

“It don’t matter: Any time, any place, anywhere, anyone,” Harrison told MMA Junkie Radio. “I’m in the zone. I just don’t care.”

Ladd holds a recent win over former Bellator champion Budd. Harrison, who look to rebound from her first-career loss to Larissa Pacheco in November 2022, sees Ladd and Budd as two completely different styles.

“It’s just a really different matchup,” Harrison said. “You look at stylistically, Julia Budd is much different. They have two different styles Julia, and Aspen. Julia is a former champ, Aspen was kind of a rising star. Julia is a little bit older, maybe on her way out. Aspen’s trying to build up and make a name and a future for herself. One’s a grappler, and one’s a striker. They’re just super different.”

While Harrison has enjoyed the time off with her family, she’s hungry to return.

“I’m super grateful to have a fight because at the end of the day, it’s what I love to do,” Harrison said. “It’s what makes me tick. It’s the burning desire I have in my heart. All is well and it’s good. Life is good.”

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For more on the matchup, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2023 PFL Championship.

Mark Madsen thrilled to have ‘genius’ Firas Zahabi in his corner for UFC 295

Mark Madsen will have a famed coach in his corner at UFC 295.

[autotag]Mark Madsen[/autotag] will have a famed coach in his corner at UFC 295.

Madsen (12-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) takes on Jared Gordon (19-6 MMA, 7-5 UFC) in Saturday’s prelims at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

Madsen, who recently moved back to his home country of Denmark, spent over three weeks training with Tristar Gym head coach [autotag]Firas Zahabi[/autotag], who has coached the likes of former two-division UFC champion Georges St-Pierre, Rory MacDonald, and Olivier Aubin-Mercier.

“I also had the chance to work with Firas Zahabi,” Madsen told MMA Junkie Radio. “(It was a) huge honor and very interesting working with a coach of that level. It actually turned out to be better than I expected moving back home to Denmark.”

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Madsen is confident his preparation with Zahabi will allow him to rebound from his first professional loss, which came to Grant Dawson a year ago.

“(He has) a very unique mind when it comes to MMA,” Madsen said. “He showed me some stuff that played right into my game, my Greco-Roman (wrestling) background. He showed me some of the stuff that him and GSP used in his fights. In my opinion, he’s kind of a genius when it comes to developing a unique style for a fighter.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Clay Collard calls Nate Diaz’s boxing ‘dog sh*t,’ would love to enter ring again if money is right

Clay Collard would love to box Nate Diaz.

[autotag]Clay Collard[/autotag] would love to box [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag].

Collard has boxed 18 times as a professional, amassing a 9-6-3 record. He hasn’t entered the ring since December 2021 but would be open to it with the right opportunity. Collard ripped Diaz for his performance against Jake Paul, where the Stockton superstar lost a unanimous decision this past August in what was his boxing debut. Collard is open to boxing Diaz, then meeting him in the cage.

“If the money is right, I would love to box again,” Collard told MMA Junkie Radio. “I’ve been talking a little bit of sh*t on Jake Paul on Twitter and stuff like that hoping to beat him up. Nate Diaz’s boxing looked like dog sh*t in my opinion. So yeah, I’d like to box. I like boxing. I’m good at boxing. … F*ck Nate Diaz.

“He might have a little bit bigger name than me, but his boxing is f*cking dog sh*t. So I’ll fight him in boxing, turn around and fight in the smart cage. I’ll get to put on a little weight. He’s a little bit bigger than me, so I’ll lift a little bit, get to eat going on the scale, but yeah, I would love that. Line it up. I’m hoping to tell enough people they start talking enough they’ll just do it.”

First Collard (24-10-1) will look to win his first $1 million lightweight title when he meets Olivier Aubin-Mercier (20-5) at 2023 PFL Championship on Nov. 24 at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. The event streams live on ESPN+ PPV.

Collard is coming off a barnburner against ex-UFC fighter Shane Burgos and dubbed himself as the most exciting fighter in the PFL.

“I’m for sure the most exciting fighter in the PFL,” Collard said. “I think that’s a given. I think I’m one of the most exciting fighters in the world, so it’s something I am proud of.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2023 PFL Championship.

Olivier Aubin-Mercier contemplating retirement after 2023 PFL Championship

Olivier Aubin-Mercier could be making the walk for the final time at 2023 PFL Championship.

[autotag]Olivier Aubin-Mercier[/autotag] could be making the walk for the final time at the 2023 PFL Championship.

Aubin-Mercier (20-5) will look to claim his second straight $1 million lightweight season win when he meets Clay Collard (24-10-1) on Nov. 24 at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. The event streams live on ESPN+ PPV.

Aubin-Mercier almost didn’t take part in the 2023 season due to the hectic nature of the format. When asked if he’d rather just compete in superfights, “The Canadian Gangster” hinted he may be nearing the end.

“(I think I’m tired of) fighting in general,” Aubin-Mercier told MMA Junkie Radio. “I love PFL, I love the format of PFL, but to fight eight times in two years is a lot, and it’s really demanding. At least, I need some vacation. I’ve never been as good as right now, and maybe it’s one of the reasons why I feel a little bit bad going away, but I need at least year (off).

“I don’t know if in a year if the motivation is going to be there and if I’m going to be as good as right now. If I don’t feel I’m the best version of myself, I won’t bother coming back. So let’s wait a little bit and let’s see what PFL says. I would like to fight in Montreal, that’s for sure, and I think that could be the only reason why I would maybe think to fight one more time.”

While Aubin-Mercier didn’t 100 percent make up his mind on his fighting future, the odds are currently swaying more towards him hanging up his gloves.

“I think there’s more of a chance that I’m done after this fight than I’m not done,” Aubin-Mercier said.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2023 PFL Championship.

Jason Jackson before Bellator 301: Yaroslav Amosov ‘one of the best welterweights on this planet’

For Jason Jackson, his Bellator welterweight title shot was earned not given, and he’s amped for the test in front of him.

For [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag], his Bellator welterweight title shot was earned not given.

Jackson (16-4 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) challenges 170-pound champion [autotag]Yaroslav Amosov[/autotag] (27-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) in the main event of Bellator 301 on Nov. 17 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

Jackson has won six straight fights en route to a title shot, including victories over Benson Henderson, Neiman Gracie, Paul Daley, and former champion Douglas Lima. Jackson takes confidence in knowing that he had to fight his way to the top.

“I had to work and earn my title shot and when I go out there, a man who earned his way here is not just going to give it all up,” Jackson told MMA Junkie Radio. “You have to kill me to get it from me because it wasn’t given to me, and I’m not going to take it for granted.

“So, if they think I’m just going to come lay down, I’m definitely getting my hand raised and I’m going to put every single thing into it that I have. I’m dedicated, I’m motivated. I have beaten champions, former champions, former UFC guys, so it just tells you that I belong here. I have earned my way here.”

Jackson knows dethroning Amosov will be a tall order considering the Ukranian fighter has never lost. He rates Amosov amongst the best 170-pounders regardless of promotion.

“Yaroslav is one of the best welterweights on this planet, if not the best welterweight on the planet,” Jackson said. “The record he brings to the table and the skillset, he knows how to win fights. He’s been fighting for a while. He fought a lot of tough guys. So, I will say he’s up there in the rankings.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 301.

Bellator 301’s Patchy Mix: Sergio Pettis ‘most dangerous opponent I’ve ever fought’

Patchy Mix is taking Sergio Pettis very seriously ahead of their bantamweight title unification bout at Bellator 301 in Chicago.

[autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] is taking [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] very seriously.

Interim bantamweight champion Mix (18-1 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) faces undisputed champ Pettis (23-5 MMA, 9-5 BMMA) in a title unification bout that co-headlines Bellator 301 on Nov. 17 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

This will mark Mix’s second undisputed title opportunity after falling short to Juan Archuleta in 2020. Mix has since won five straight en route to winning the bantamweight grand prix with a knockout of Raufeon Stots. Although his streak includes wins over Kyoji Horiguchi, Magomed Magomedov, and Stots, he views Pettis as his toughest test to date.

“I fought for this belt before. I lost it against Juan Archuleta (on) Sept. 12, 2020, and I’m here with vengeance,” Mix told MMA Junkie Radio. “I’m here fully prepared this time. It’s my fourth 25-minute fight in a row and I’m going to make it count.

“I’m fighting the most dangerous opponent I’ve ever fought in Sergio Pettis. He’s coming off a win over Patricio ”Pitbull’ (Freire), the guy that knocked out Michael Chandler. He’s dangerous as hell right now. He’s just entering in his prime, just turned 30 years old – it’s such a dangerous fight.”

Pettis has also racked up an impressive resume with wins over Archuleta, a knockout of Horiguchi, and most recently a title defense against arguably the promotion’s best fighter Patricio Freire. Mix has finished four of his past five opponents, and hopes he can add Pettis to that list.

“I’m searching for that high,” Mix said. “I really want to finish this guy and I really want to feel what it feels like to take out someone the calibre of Sergio Pettis.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 301.

Tyson Chartier talks perks of UFC Performance Institute, cross training with Eric Nicksick in Las Vegas

Tyson Chartier’s frequent visits to Las Vegas have benefitted the New England Cartel.

Tyson Chartier’s frequent visits to Las Vegas have benefitted his team.

The head honcho of the New England Cartel, Chartier and his squad have traveled to Vegas on numerous occasions, most recently for Connor Matthews’ Dana White’s Contender Series win earlier this month.

While in Vegas, Chartier and his team, which includes the likes of top contenders Calvin Kattar and Rob Font, also stop by Xtreme Couture to train with head coach Eric Nicksick and his fighters.

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“It’s good for cross training,” Chartier told MMA Junkie Radio. “Then you got guys like Nicksick who are so welcoming like, ‘Yeah, come into our gym, use it however you want.’ So, it’s been good because the gyms out here are flourishing. You have a lot of guys that get to the UFC then move out here to train either at Syndicate or Xtreme Couture, so it’s good for the gyms out here.

“But then it’s good for the people like us that come out and want to train with the gyms out here. So, we get the benefit of the PI which you basically pay for your plane ticket and get a hotel or an Air BnB, and you get to train at the PI all week. The fighters don’t have to pay for that, they get free food, free supplements, free physical therapy, and you get to cross train with some of the best fighters in the world.”

You can watch Chartier’s full interview in the video above.

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Coach Eric Nicksick: Francis Ngannou proved it’s possible MMA fighters can compete against high-level boxers

Coach Eric Nicksick said Francis Ngannou proved MMA fighters can compete in high-level boxing with his Saturday showing against Tyson Fury.

The history is not great for MMA fighters transitioning to professional boxing.

There have been a few here and there who have been able to notch wins, but at a high level, it’s a rare scene. But Saturday in Saudi Arabia, former UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] crossed over to the boxing world and gave WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury one of his toughest career fights. Ngannou was defeated in a close, split decision, but many think he did enough to beat Fury.

[autotag]Eric Nicksick[/autotag], one of Ngannou’s main coaches, believes Ngannou proved to the MMA world that it is possible to compete against high-level boxers.

“I think it’s huge,” Nicksick told MMA Junkie Radio on Sunday. “It’s that 4-minute mile mentality where the guy that breaks the 4-minute mile does the impossible feat and then when somebody does, everyone knows they have an opportunity to do the same thing. I think more and more MMA guys look for this opportunity as well.

Eric Nicksick

“The first thing I wrote Sean Strickland: ‘Ready to move to boxing?’ And he’s like, ‘Damn right. That’s all I do (is) spar boxers, anyway.’ I think that Francis paved that way and showed we are capable of competing, and not only competing, winning and putting it together at a high level. I’m proud of him, he kind of laid that groundwork.”

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Ngannou’s showing Saturday was a big shock for the combat sports world. Few expected Ngannou to go the distance with Fury, let alone be competitive. For Nicksick, this is just one of the many things Ngannou has overcome in his career.

“Nothing surprises me anymore when it comes to Francis and the level of expectation he carries,” Nicksick said. “We love that – the doubt and everything that we’re told we can’t do. It does motivate us, and I know it motivates him. This is something that he’s had in his mind for such a long time now. For it to come to fruition, there’s a moment in the ring where Tyson was walking in, and I’m just taking it all in, looking at the event itself, and Francis looks over at me and just has this big-ass smile on his face. I’m like, ‘Dude, you did this.’ Literally, before he fought, like, ‘You did this. This is on you.’ I couldn’t be more proud of him.”

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For more on the matchup, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Fury vs. Ngannou.

Chris Gutierrez: UFC champ Sean O’Malley smart, but ‘there’s no Superman to him’

Chris Gutierrez thinks UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley is beatable.

[autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag] thinks UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] is beatable.

O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) captured the 135-pound title by knocking out Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 in August. O’Malley has one loss on his record – a TKO setback to Marlon Vera in August 2020.

Gutierrez (20-4-2 MMA, 8-2-1 UFC) lauded O’Malley, but is confident he could beat him now.

“I believe I could beat Sean O’Malley,” Gutierrez told MMA Junkie Radio. “I think he’s a good fighter. I’d be lying if I said, ‘Oh he sucks, he’s garbage.’ No, I think he’s very smart and calculated on how he approaches the game, but other than that, anyone can be beat. We can all be beat. There’s no Superman to him. I don’t give that power to people like that.”

Gutierrez has quietly climbed up the bantamweight ranks, losing just one fight in his past 10. He’s already had a taste of the division’s elite, scoring a knockout of Frankie Edgar, then losing a decision to Pedro Munhoz.

He rebounded with a win over Alateng Heili earlier this month, and hopes to draw another top-ranked bantamweight next.

“I take it one day at a time, one fight at a time,” Gutierrez said. “But, with that being said, I think I did enough to be in the mix now and to be talked about. I’m excited for what 2024 holds.”

After beating Heili, Gutierrez set his sights on the winner of the Rob Font vs. Deiveson Figueiredo matchup on Dec. 2. There’s also another key matchup he’s keeping his eye on.

“Maybe the winner of (Mario) Bautista and (Ricky) Simon, those are two other guys,” Gutierrez said. “We’re all going to face each other at some point, so might as well get it done now.”

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Cody Durden unsure why he was bumped out of top 15: ‘I don’t think I’ve lost a round in the past four fights’

Cody Durden is confused why he’s no longer a ranked UFC flyweight.

[autotag]Cody Durden[/autotag] is confused why he’s no longer a ranked UFC flyweight.

Winner of four in a row, Durden (16-4-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC) meets Tagir Ulanbekov (14-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) at UFC 296 on Dec. 16 in Las Vegas.

Durden says he was ranked in the UFC’s flyweight division at one point, but was replaced by David Dvorak. Considering Dvorak currently is on a losing skid, Durden finds that decision strange. Either way, Durden still has his sights set on the top.

“It gets me one step closer to my goal, and my goal is top five now,” Durden told MMA Junkie Radio. “I’ve reached the top 15, even though I got bumped out by David Dvorak – which, he’s on a three-fight losing streak and he’s 3-3 in the UFC. I just believe that should be my spot, personally. But I think it gets me closer to my goal, which is top five.”

Durden’s past three unanimous decision wins have been pretty dominant, and a win over Ulanbekov likely will lead to a number next to his name.

“I don’t think I’ve lost a round in the last four fights,” Durden said. “It’s been good, man, taking it one fight at a time, one day at a time, one week at a time, and just being the best person I can be every day.”

Durden, who trains at American Top Team, recently has been spending time on the mats with top contenders Calvin Kattar and Rob Font. He thinks his high-level training will help him reach his goal of facing the upper echelon of the division.

“I do have a goal in mind and that’s to get in the top five and fight one of the top five guys: Kai Kara-France, Amir Albazi, Brandon Royval,” Durden said.  “There’s some studs out there.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.