Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” covering Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic, Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson, and more.
The time for overreacting is here!
Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” at noon ET/9 a.m. PT as host Simon Samano and MMA Junkie reporter Farah Hannoun debate these “overreactions” on the following topics in mixed martial arts:
[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] was a meaningless UFC heavyweight title fight.
UFC 309 proved Jon Jones would lose to [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag].
Things are about to get ugly between Jon Jones and [autotag]Dana White[/autotag].
[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] should stop acting so desperate to fight [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag].
[autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag]’s UFC 309 performance was a huge disappointment.
[autotag]Jake Paul [/autotag]vs. [autotag]Mike Tyson[/autotag]: What the hell was that?
The UFC totally redeemed itself with the UFC 310/UFC Tampa shakeup.
The official UFC rankings panelists continue to do themselves no favors whatsoever with Dana White.
The official UFC rankings panelists continue to do themselves no favors whatsoever with [autotag]Dana White[/autotag].
UFC 309 saw the return of heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag], who successfully returned from a 20-month layoff to defend his title with a third-round TKO of Stipe Miocic, who was coming off an even longer layoff of more than three-and-a-half years. The fight headlined the pay-per-view event at Madison Square Garden in New York.
For months, White has repeatedly fussed about Jones not being No. 1 in the official UFC pound-for-pound rankings, where he sat at No. 3 behind light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira and lightweight champ Islam Makhachev prior to UFC 309. Coming out of the event, Jones has jumped up one spot to leapfrog Pereira for the second spot, but he remains behind top-ranked Makhachev.
Unsurprisingly, White is perturbed by Jones still not claiming the top spot and made that clear Monday night on his Instagram Stories.
“I have to get rid of these CLOWNS!!” White wrote. “(Mark Zuckerberg), let’s get this AI deal done ASAP!!!!!”
White must’ve believed Jones’ easy win over Miocic would convince the UFC rankings panel to place him No. 1, but that’s not the case.
Last month, White said he was open to the UFC rankings being compiled, in part, by AI and consulted Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who’s a big UFC fan.
“I could go on and on and on, but I won’t,” White said. “We literally had meetings this week to work on it. I actually talked to Mark Zuckerberg, too, about AI, so yeah, I’m totally going to fix the rankings. We’re going to make a lot of strong moves here coming into 2025.”
Dana White thinks Bo Nickal needs to slow his roll after UFC 309.
NEW YORK – [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag] needs to slow his role after UFC 309.
Nickal (7-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) remained unbeaten when he outstruck Paul Craig (17-9-1 MMA, 9-9-1 UFC) on Saturday’s main card at Madison Square Garden – the first time he goes to the judges’ scorecards.
It was a lackluster fight for the most part, where Nickal landed the better shots than Craig, but didn’t attempt a single takedown.
“Well, you know, we’ve had these discussions with Bo, Bo needs work,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at UFC 309. “Bo is an up-and-coming guy. I know he has big aspirations and wants to move faster than he should, but tonight showed that – I mean, he still dominated, he won the whole fight, but he’s got work to do. It’s alright, we’ll move him. When you’re in a position like Bo is, there’s a lot of expectations.”
Prior to UFC 309, Nickal mapped out a plan where he saw himself five fights away from a title shot. Nickal received “overrated” chants from the crowd, but the standout wrestler was unbothered with the reaction. He called his performance “picture-perfect,” and was happy to log in experience of fighting three rounds after finishing his first six professional fights.
Dana White says Mike Tyson proved him wrong against Jake Paul.
NEW YORK – [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] says [autotag]Mike Tyson[/autotag] proved him wrong against [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag].
Although 58-year-old Tyson lost a unanimous decision to Paul in their boxing match Friday at AT&T Stadium, he looked competitive for the first couple of rounds before slowing down.
“Mike Tyson was right and I was wrong,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at UFC 309.
“I told him, ‘Mike, you’re basically 60 years old.’ He’s like, ‘You honestly think this f*cking kid is going to do anything to me? He’s not good, he’s not going to f*cking knock me out, he’s not going to do this.’ You saw him. He tripped when he was walking down the thing, he had a hard time walking up the stairs. He had a knee brace on, and Jake Paul couldn’t do anything to him.
“He made a ton of money, and I know people are mad if you stayed home on a Saturday night, but you didn’t pay for it. You know what I mean? When Mike Tyson shows up, everybody makes money. Jake Paul is f*cking – I don’t have to tell you guys. You guys know. Mike Tyson is the A+++ side of that thing, and he was right. Jake Paul couldn’t do sh*t to him.”
UFC CEO Dana White had only positive comments about Michael Chandler after his loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 309.
NEW YORK – [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] doesn’t care about [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag]’s record inside the octagon, because the entertainment factor is always there.
Chandler (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC) returned from a two-year layoff on Saturday and suffered a unanimous decision loss in his rematch with Charles Oliveira (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC) at UFC 309, which took place at Madison Square Garden. The lightweight contest was awarded Fight of the Night honors, but as a result the former Bellator champ saw his promotional record drop further below .500.
For Chandler, 38, the result hurts his push to challenge for the 155-pound title. But for White, the performance only further solidified what he already knew – that Chandler is a UFC lifer.
“He’s like an Arturo Gatti,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at UFC 309. “He’s one of those – win, lose or draw, you’re never bummed out at the end of a Michael Chandler fight. … He’s always exciting, he’s always fun. The last round of that fight, he kept getting taken down. He got on his back. So when he got on his back at the end, he just stood up and started slamming him.
“The kid always tries to win. He always comes to fight and Michael Chandler’s always going to have a home here. Until he decides to retire, Michael Chandler isn’t going anywhere.”
Chandler’s layoff from competition was the product of waiting for a fight against Conor McGregor that never materialized. White said McGregor is expected to make his own return to the cage in 2025, but it’s too soon to consider putting that fight back together.
“Will he fight Conor? I don’t know,” White said.
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.
Jon Jones may claim Tom Aspinall lacks notoriety, but UFC CEO Dana White clearly thinks otherwise.
NEW YORK – [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] may claim [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] lacks notoriety, but UFC CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] clearly thinks otherwise.
After Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) dispatched of Stipe Miocic (20-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) by third-round TKO on Saturday at UFC 309 to defend the heavyweight championship, White has a strong craving to see a unification bout with interim titleholder Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC), who has been campaigning hard to get a fight with “Bones.”
Unfortunately for Aspinall, though, Jones thinks he’s “an asshole” who is “annoying.” Jones said both before and after UFC 309 that he has no interest in fighting Aspinall and would rather vacate the belt than give the Brit an opportunity to compete against him.
The only thing that would open the door in Jones’ mind is if the UFC offered him “f*ck you money,” but did not share a specific number. White said Jones will be properly compensated, and displayed only confidence a deal will get done. And if it does, White thinks it will be an all-time event.
“It would be the biggest heavyweight fight in UFC history, by a long shot,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the UFC 309 post-fight press conference. “It’s going to be the biggest heavyweight fight ever. And it’ll probably be the biggest fight we’ve ever done.”
By which metric White defines for the “biggest fight” is unclear. He could be referring to live gate, pay-per-view sales, general global interest or another variable, but the assurance behind his comments was encouraging to those pining to see the fight.
Offshore opening odds for a potential Jones vs. Aspinall fight have Jones as a slight betting underdog. If that held, it would be the first time Jones would be an underdog in a fight since early 2009. He was an underdog in his first two UFC fights against Andre Gusmao and Stephan Bonnar, but never has been less than roughly at least a 2-1 favorite in every fight since then.
White said he loves Jones being pitted in a position of doubt. White has been Jones’ sternest supporter in recent years, touting him as the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter and best combat sports athlete in history.
The UFC boss was impressed with what he saw from Jones against Miocic, and White is highly intrigued about how Jones would approach a fight with Aspinall.
“He’s got the highest fight IQ – he’s like f*cking Elon Musk in the octagon,” White said. “This guy is brilliant in there, and the things he pulls off (are amazing). … I don’t know what he’ll do with Aspinall.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.
UFC CEO Dana White shares his thoughts on Jon Jones’ heavyweight title defense at Saturday’s UFC 309.
NEW YORK – After months of claiming [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] to be the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter on the planet, [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] finally feels his point was proven.
Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) defended his UFC heavyweight title against former champion [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) in the main event of UFC 309 in Madison Square Garden. It was a dominant showing that ended with Jones landing a spinning back kick to the body to put away Miocic in the third round of their contest.
With the win, Jones not only defended his heavyweight belt and cemented himself as arguably the greatest fighter in the sport’s history but also proved that he’s the best fighter today – at least according to White.
“This guy’s fight IQ is off the charts,” White told reporters at the UFC 309 post-fight press conference. “Everybody going to admit now he’s the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world?
“And let me tell you, this thing had upset written all over it, too. All the talk about Jon Jones, Stipe seemed pissed, focused, and he came here to win. He looked good, he was physically in great shape, and the list goes on. Jon picked him apart. … He looked incredible. I just don’t know how any of you guys don’t see how he’s the greatest fighter in the history of f*cking people fighting.”
As far as what’s next, Jones didn’t lean towards any direction in terms of opponent, but he definitely didn’t retire and mentioned he’d like to re-negotiate his contract with the UFC brass.
White, who believes Jones vs. Tom Aspinall would be the greatest heavyweight fight in MMA history, is not worried about the potential negotiation with Jones, and is confident he can get a title unification done.
“I got Tom waiting outside for me right now,” White said. “You let Jon do Jon. Jon is going to disappear. Not only won’t you hear about him, and neither will I, but then he’ll resurface, he’ll call, and we’ll get it done.”
NEW YORK – Donald Trump lived up to his word to appear at UFC 309 after winning the 2024 presidential election.
Just weeks after becoming president-elect in the U.S. for the second time, Trump appeared cageside for Saturday’s event at Madison Square Garden, walking out prior to the pay-per-view main card alongside UFC CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] to a raucous applause from the crowd.
It has become commonplace for Trump to appear at UFC events, and he did it again to the sounds of Kid Rock’s “American Badass.”
President-Elect Donald Trump enters at #UFC309 and greets Joe Rogan, Daniel Cormier and Jon Anik cageside. pic.twitter.com/ivc6iFH7Xd
Dana White hopes Khamzat Chimaev can make his U.S. return in 2025.
[autotag]Dana White[/autotag] hopes [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] can make his U.S. return in 2025.
Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) positioned himself in title contention when he ran through former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker for a first-round submission at UFC 308 in October.
The UFC CEO was very impressed with Chimaev’s return, and anticipates him fighting for the middleweight title next year – preferably in the U.S.
“He looked incredible,” White said of Chimaev on “The Jim Rome Show.” “His manager was telling me before the fight that mentally, physically and emotionally he’s the best he’s ever been. He said, ‘I’m telling you, wait until you see him on Saturday,’ and he was right. He was dead on.
“This guy’s never looked better, especially against the competition that he had. I’m looking forward to him getting a title fight in ’25. We’ll see how this plays out here, but I want him to fight in the United States. I want him to fight for a title here in the U.S.”
Chimaev hasn’t competed in the U.S. since submitting Kevin Holland at UFC 279 in Las Vegas. Chimaev’s quick finish of Whittaker got the attention of UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC), who said he’d rather defend his title against the unbeaten sensation over a rematch with Sean Strickland.
The promotion is yet to announce Du Plessis’ next title fight, but his head coach Morne Visser said the plan is to compete at UFC 312 Feb. 8 in Sydney.
It appears Conor McGregor’s return will be pushed back even longer than expected.
It appears [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]’s return will be pushed back even longer than expected.
McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) was expected to make his highly anticipated comeback against Michael Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) at UFC 303 in June, but a broken pinky toe forced him out of the bout.
Chandler, who had already exercised plenty of patience waiting for McGregor after they filmed Season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” finally decided to move on. He rematches Charles Oliveira (34-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 309 (pay-per-view, ESPNews/Hulu/FX, ESPN+) co-main event at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Chandler may have moved on, but he still has McGregor in his sights. [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] doesn’t rule out the possibility of a McGregor vs. Chandler rebooking, but not anytime soon.
“That’s a fun fight,” White said on “The Jim Rome Show.”. “I think Conor and Chandler both like that fight. When Conor comes back, which I see being sometime the later part of next year, we’ll see where everybody’s at and what’s going on and we’ll figure out who faces Conor. That’s why everybody was so excited about it. Chandler and Conor McGregor is a fun fight.”
With McGregor’s return continuing to be delayed, many question if he’ll ever fight again. Based on his conversations with McGregor, The UFC CEO confirms that “The Notorious” still has the desire to compete – even though it’s been over three years.
“It’s a fact that he does (want to fight next year),” White said. “He and I probably talk four or five times a month. He definitely wants to come back. We’ll just see. Every time I’m on here I tell you: Money – money messes everything up. So we’ll see.”
