Tag: Alexander Volkanovski

Spinning Back Clique (REPLAY): 90-minute show with UFC 296 recap and early 2024 previews

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel discusses UFC 296 and all its fallout, plus the first big UFC events of 2024.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week, panelists Brian “Goze” Garcia, Mike Bohn and Danny Segura have a special 90-minute show with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at 11:30 a.m. ET (8:30 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate:

  • [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] made relatively easy work of [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] to defend the welterweight title in the UFC 296 main event. What now for the champ? And is he on the way to becoming an all-time great, a la Georges St-Pierre – heights he aspires to reach?
  • Covington thought he was going to have a title put around his waist by an embattled former president. Instead, his third shot at a welterweight title came up short yet again. At 35, and with his track record of long periods of inactivity, was that his last shot? Plus, we’ll examine his fight-week and general antics and schtick.
  • [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] returned and outworked [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag]. Ferguson didn’t get finished this time, but he’s now lost seven straight. The UFC almost certainly will cut him loose, particularly after [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] said he wants Ferguson to retire … right? But should he stick around longer? And what about Pimblett? Did he show us anything new?
  • UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] jumped over some cageside seats at UFC 296 to attack his January opponent, [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag], after Du Plessis apparently baited him a bit. Things were far from cordial between them earlier in fight week, too. The matchup has some serious heat on it now, but is either side going too far?
  • New UFC bantamweight champ [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] may have one downfall, and that’s a perceived lack of talent when it comes to selling himself and the fight at a press conference. Is that fair play?
  • There were a slew of big fight announcements for UFC 299 in Miami to accompany O’Malley’s title defense against Marlon Vera. The UFC seems to be stacking that card even though UFC 300 follows it.
  • We’ll take an early look at UFC 300, which we know will be in April. But where, and just how massive will it be?
  • … and much more.

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Alexander Volkanovski picks ‘awkward’ Stephen Thompson to upset Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 296

Alexander Volkanovski sees Stephen Thompson being too tough of a puzzle for Shavkat Rakhmonov.

[autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] sees [autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag] being too tough of a puzzle for [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag].

Former title challenger Thompson (17-6-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) meets Rakhmonov (17-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) in a welterweight bout on Saturday’s UFC 296 main card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and early prelims on ESPN+.

Although the undefeated Rakhmonov is a proven furious finisher, featherweight champion Volkanovski thinks Thompson’s movement will prove too tricky for him.

“Shavkat Rakhmonov is undefeated, great fighter – both great fighters,” Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel. “But stylistically, I’m always going to find – especially in situations like this against a young, hungry guy like Shavkat – (Thompson’s) always going to be a half-decent bet.

“Stephen Thompson, yeah he is a little bit older. But you’ve got to remember that movement. You’ve got to remember that distance management. You’ve got to remember the defense that he has. He is pretty incredible there. We know Shavkat likes to walk forward. He likes to press forward. He puts himself in danger.”

According to BetMGM, Thompson is a whopping +450 underdog, meaning a $100 bet on “Wonderboy” would net a $450 profit. Rakhmonov is a -650 favorite, meaning a $650 bet would be needed on “Nomad” to return $100 profit.

Volkanovski thinks there’s definitely money to be made on “Wonderboy.”

“When we’re talking underdog, Stephen Thompson, I’m always happy to bet on Stephen Thompson because I know he can be an awkward matchup for anybody – that footwork, that stance, that range,” Volkanovski said. “He throws things from different angles. He’s hard to hit.

“Even to take him down, it’s not easy to just grab a hold of him. I’m leaning toward Stephen Thompson on this one. People are going to think I’m mad. I just think, stylistically, this could be a very awkward matchup for Shavkat.”

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

UFC 298 video: Ilia Topuria tries to grab Alexander Volkanovski’s title after faceoff

Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria came face-to-face for the first time since their UFC 298 bout was announced.

LAS VEGAS – UFC 298 is a little over two months away, but its main event competitors squared off for the first time Friday at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Two of six participants in the promotion’s seasonal press conference, UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (26-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) and next challenger [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] (14-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) went face-to-face ahead of their Feb. 17 bout at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

After exchanging words during their first staredown, Topuria tried to grab the featherweight title off Volkanovski’s shoulder.

Check out the faceoff between Volkanovski and Topuria above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

Video replay: UFC seasonal press conference live stream with Strickland-Du Plessis, O’Malley-Vera, more

After a multi-year absence, the UFC is bringing back its seasonal press conference format on Friday, and you can watch it on MMA Junkie.

After a multi-year absence, the UFC is bringing back its seasonal press conference format on Friday spotlighting its championship bouts for the first quarter of 2024, beginning at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

With the promotional closing out its 2023 campaign on Saturday with UFC 296 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, attention is beginning to shift to the turn of the calendar, where several title bouts are on the doctor.

UFC 297, which takes place Jan. 20 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, is headlined by a middleweight title clash between [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (28-5 MMA, 15-5 UFC) and [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] (20-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC).

UFC 298, which goes down Feb. 17 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., has a featherweight championship bout between [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (26-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) and [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] (13-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) set as the main event.

And, in the final announced headliner of Q1 at UFC 299 on March 9, an anticipated bantamweight rematch between [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) and [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] (21-8-1 MMA, 15-7 UFC).

All four title fights will be in attendance at the press conference and are expected to face off afterward.

For more on UFC’s 2024 schedule, check out the MMA Schedule section of the site.

Ilia Topuria ahead of UFC 298: Alexander Volkanovski ‘will be one of the easier fights of my career’

Ilia Topuria is oozing confidence ahead of UFC 298.

[autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] is oozing confidence ahead of UFC 298.

Topuria (14-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) challenges featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (26-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) in the Feb. 17 headliner at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Despite losing twice to lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, Volkanovski has been unstoppable during his featherweight title reign. However, Topuria plans on walking him down and bringing the fight to him.

“He doesn’t stand a chance. He has zero opportunity,” Topuria told ESPN Deportes. “I don’t see any holes, but I can tell how he attacks. The only attack I see is that he is going to kick my legs. That’s the only thing that he can do.

“He has good cardio, but everyone has good cardio when they’re not under pressure. When you’re walking forward, you’ll have good cardio. But when you’re in trouble, cardio tends to fade away, and this will be the case. He will have someone in front of him that never goes back.”

Undefeated Topuria has been on a roll himself, earning bonuses in his past three showings against Jai Herbert, Bryce Mitchell and Josh Emmett.

“I think it’s going to be perfect,” Topuria said. “It’s going to be a masterpiece, to hit and don’t get hit. That’s what you will see in this combat. You’ll see an authentic mixed martial artist.”

Not only is Topuria predicting dominance, he’s making a bold prediction.

“I don’t have any doubt that the finish will come, and it will be one of the easier fights of my career so far,” Topuria said.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

Alexander Volkanovski motivated to ‘shut these people up,’ embarrass Ilia Topuria at UFC 298

Alexander Volkanovski believes Ilia Topuria could use a little humbling at UFC 298. And if the champ does that, he’ll silence any doubters.

Featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] aims to silence any doubters at UFC 298.

Volkanovski (26-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) defends his title against unbeaten [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] (14-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) on Feb. 17 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Topuria has predicted a first-round finish of Volkanovski, who warn of being overconfident.

“This guy thinks he’s the man,” Volkanovski said on the “Who The Fook Are These Guys” podcast. “It’s funny. For me, I’ve always wanted to earn my stripes, earn these positions, put myself in there, and earn that respect. This guy’s just getting things given to him and probably not even that much, but he thinks he’s the man. The beautiful thing about it is I get to teach a kid a lesson. Ready to go out there, I want to teach him a lesson, humble him a little bit, and still let him wake up to himself and then he can bounce back when my time’s done.

“He needs a bit of humbling. Twenty-six, perfect age. He needs the world to see, a little humbling experience for him. He maybe needs a bit of embarrassment and snap things into gear and then maybe he can one day be a great champion. Right now he wants to act like how he’s acting, I’m just going to teach him a lesson. I’m going to embarrass him. He’s young enough to bounce back in a positive way. I’ll play teacher the next few months.”

Looking to rebound from his knockout loss to lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 294, Volkanovski is aware of the doubt surrounding him. He appeared vulnerable and emotional in his post-fight speech, but Volkanovski vows he’s more than ready to continue defending his featherweight throne.

“If people are going to see weakness, if my opponents think that’s weakness – the beautiful thing is I had mixed emotions about people seeing me like that. Then I’m like, ‘You know what? I’m glad I did because it was a positive, I believe,'” Volkanovski said. “There’s a lot of people that needed to see that. Not just that, people get to see what happens next. I hope these people are seeing it as weakness. Watch me walk through my next opponents. Watch me do what I’m going to do and shut these people up.

“Then all of the sudden, I can literally look at these people and be like, ‘Shut your mouth. That’s right, I am still that guy.’ You might see me vulnerable, but don’t forget I’m the – hey, one day I might be a little vulnerable, you might see me there covering my face at that one point, but the next week I’m the baddest man on the planet. You remember that. And some people need to be reminded. The beautiful thing about it is I get to remind them not too far away.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

UFC champ Alexander Volkanovski gives positive update after first spar under concussion protocols

Alexander Volkanovski says “no knocks, no symptoms” as training for his UFC 298 title fight with Ilia Topuria gets underway.

[anyclip-media thumbnail=”undefined” playlistId=”undefined” content=”dW5kZWZpbmVk”][/anyclip-media][autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] has had his first sparring session ahead of UFC 298 and, at least according to him, all went well.

Featherweight champion Volkanovski (26-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) defends his title against unbeaten Ilia Topuria (14-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) on Feb. 17 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Volkanovski is coming off a knockout loss to lightweight champion Islam Makhachev this past October at UFC 294, causing many to be concerned over his relatively quick turnaround. But Volkanovski assures that he’s undergoing all the necessary health protocols and provided a positive update ahead of his first spar.

“Just had my first spar,” Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel. “So, obviously had to follow all the protocols, concussion, back to training. So, followed all the protocols to a tee, no symptoms, kept it rolling, kept it rolling. Felt real good. No knocks, no symptoms still. So, we’re rolling. We’re going to keep this baby rolling. Very, very happy with it.

“Very thankful for the team behind me, obviously Joe (Lopez) and all my training partners … my doctors, as well, they’ve literally dealt with thousands of concussions, so they made sure I followed (protocols) to a tee. Mate, I feel great, was able to train the whole way through, so I haven’t lost too much fitness, which is good. We’ve still got plenty of time before we even get into camp. Now I get to ease back into a full training schedule.”

Volkanovski will look to notch his sixth title defense after wins over Max Holloway twice, Brian Ortega, Chan Sung Jung, and Yair Rodriguez during his featherweight championship reign.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

30 greatest UFC fighters of all time: Who benefitted most from recency bias?

Francis Ngannou even making our list of the 30 greatest UFC fighters of all time might’ve been a prime example of recency bias.

The UFC’s 30th anniversary date has come and gone, and in the build-up to the milestone date, MMA Junkie counted down its 30 greatest fighters of all time to compete for the promotion.

There was plenty of debate about the entire list from top to bottom, and one point of contention was recency bias and specifically which fighters on our list benefitted the most from it.

The final list was tabulated through a points system after voting from MMA Junkie’s 12-person staff. Fighters that might’ve raised eye brows with their placement and discussed as benefitting from recency bias were [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (No. 9), [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] (No. 17) and [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] (No. 28).

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On a special edition of “Spinning Back Clique,” the majority of our staff members came together to discuss and debate the finer points of the list. Did these fighters benefit the most from recency bias?

Check out the discussion in the video above, or watch the entire 30 greatest UFC fighters of all time podcast below.

UFC 298 official for Anaheim on Feb. 17 with Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria headliner

The UFC will travel to Anaheim, Calif., for the 10th time in its history for UFC 298 on Feb. 17.

Featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]’s title fight vs. [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] at UFC 298 has a date and location.

Volkanovski (26-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) will look to notch his sixth title defense when he takes on unbeaten Topuria (14-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) on Feb. 17 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., UFC CEO Dana White announced Thursday on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C0AC2SKPUSb/

Volkanovski will return to featherweight after falling short against lightweight champion Islam Makhachev a second time at UFC 294. With a full training camp, Volkanovski took Makhachev to the brink in their first fight at UFC 284, but he stepped in on less than two weeks’ notice for a second opportunity last month in Abu Dhabi. Volkanovski lost the rematch by first-round knockout.

In between his lightweight title fights against Makhachev, Volkanovski finished Yair Rodriguez by third-round TKO to retain his 145-pound title at UFC 290 this past July.

Topuria has looked dominant since joining the UFC roster in 2020. After four straight finishes over Damon Jackson, Ryan Hall, Jai Herbert, and Bryce Mitchell, the Georgian fighter dominated Josh Emmett in the UFC on ABC 5 main event to earn his third bonus in a row.

The latest UFC 298 lineup now includes:

  • Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria – for featherweight title
  • Danny Barlow vs. Yusaku Kinoshita
  • Zhang Mingyang vs. Brendson Ribeiro

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

Ilia Topuria identifies where he’s ‘going to make a difference’ vs. Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298

“I’m pretty sure I’m going to get that win,” Ilia Topuria said of his UFC 298 title fight vs. Alexander Volkanovski.

[autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] sees his ground game posing problems for UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag].

Topuria (14-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) challenges Volkanovski (26-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) for the 145-pound title in the UFC 298 headliner on Feb. 17.

Topuria started his career with seven consecutive submission wins but has relied more on his striking in recent octagon bouts. But against Volkanovski, he sees the ground as his path to victory.

“That’s where I really think I have the advantage with him because he’s a good striker, but he’s not a natural wrestler. or he’s not good on the ground,” Topuria said on the Overdogs Podcast. “That’s where I’m going to make a difference.”

Volkanovski will make less than a four-month turnaround after suffering a first-round knockout to lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 294. However, Topuria isn’t putting too much stock into that.

“For me, what happened in his last fight doesn’t change anything,” Topuria said. “I know the result will be the same, training is the same, the focus is the same. I’m going to train for the best in the world, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to get that win.”

Undefeated Topuria actually thinks the knockout loss takes the weight off Volkanovski’s shoulders.

“He has really nothing to lose. He already lost,” Topuria said through an interpreter. “He already knows how that feels, I don’t know how that feels, and I better never taste how that’s going to feel.”

If victorious, Topuria has already mapped out a plan where he makes his first title defense against another featherweight great.

“So, that’s what I think is going to happen that I’m going to beat Volk on Feb. 17 and then I’m going to fight Max Holloway here in Spain,” Topuria said. “That’s my goal right now, and I think it’s going to happen.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.