Tag: Ilia Topuria

Bryce Mitchell vs. Ilia Topuria being finalized for UFC 282 in Las Vegas

Undefeated featherweights with a combined 27-0 pro record collide in Las Vegas.

[autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag] and [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] have struggled to find opponents – so now they’re matched up.

A fight between the two featherweights is being finalized for UFC 282 on Dec. 10 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

A person with knowledge of the matchup Monday confirmed the targeted booking to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Topuria also announced the matchup and date on Instagram live after an initial report by Fight Bananas.

Mitchell (15-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) called for a fight over the past few months since he recovered from an injury. Finally, he received Movsar Evloev in the UFC Fight Night 214 main event scheduled for Nov. 5. However, Evloev withdrew due to injury.

Topuria (12-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) has yet to lose as a professional. UFC wins to date include Jai Herbert, Ryan Hall, Damon Jackson, and Youssef Zalal. He most recently competed in March against Herbert in a fight he won by brutal second-round knockout. Topuria was scheduled to compete Oct. 29 but was removed from the card after opponent Edson Barboza withdrew.

With the addition, the UFC 282 lineup now includes:

  • Champ Jiri Prochazka vs. Glover Teixeira – for light heavyweight title
  • Robbie Lawler vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
  • Jan Blachowicz vs. Magomed Ankalaev
  • Jared Gordon vs. Paddy Pimblett
  • Alexander Gustafsson vs. Ovince Saint Preux
  • Dalcha Lungiambula vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
  • Dricus Du Plessis vs. Darren Till
  • Chris Daukaus vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
  • Alexander Hernandez vs. Billy Quarantillo
  • TJ Brown vs. Erik Silvav
  • Joaquin Buckley vs. Chris Curtis
  • Ronnie Lawrence vs. Cameron Saaiman
  • Daniel da Silva vs. Vinicius Salvador
  • Bryce Mitchell vs. Ilia Topuria

[vertical-gallery id=2590787]

Bryce Mitchell responds to Ilia Topuria’s callout, says he’s ready to go despite cookies

Bryce Mitchell still is in need of an opponent for his first UFC main event, and it sounds like he’d be just fine with one candidate.

[autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag] still is in need of an opponent for his first UFC main event, and it sounds like he’d be just fine with one candidate.

[autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] (12-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) lost his next opponent, too, and nearly two weeks ago, he predicted a matchup between him and Mitchell (15-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC).

Saturday, Mitchell responded with a video posted to his Twitter account.

“I see I’m getting called out by Ilia Topuria now to fight,” Mitchell said. “He wants to go on Twitter and post a picture of his abs, his little perfect 8-pack or whatever. Hey, buddy – you see (my stomach)? You see that, buddy? I’ve been eating peanut butter cookies for three weeks now and I’ll still get off the couch and whoop your ass, buddy. I don’t give a damn about them abs. Let’s go, buddy. I’m tired of you putting my name in your mouth. (You) shouldn’t have done it.

Mitchell was supposed to headline UFC Fight Night 214 against Movsar Evloev, but Evloev pulled out of the fight. The unbeaten Mitchell, from Arkansas, has three straight decision wins over Charles Rosa, Andre Fili and Edson Barboza, the latter of which came in March after a layoff of about 16 months.

Topuria was set to fight Barboza until the Brazilian was forced out with an injury in late September. Not long after that, was when Topuria learned Mitchell was going to need an opponent, too, and started his callout. He’s coming off a second-round knockout of Jai Herbert in March, which was his third straight finish in the UFC.

UFC Fight Night 214 takes place Nov. 5 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

The latest UFC Fight Night 214 lineup includes:

  • Bryce Mitchell vs. TBA
  • Neil Magny vs. Daniel Rodriguez
  • Darrick Minner vs. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke
  • Amanda Lemos vs. Marina Rodriguez
  • Mario Bautista vs. Benito Lopez
  • Nate Maness vs. Tagir Ulanbekov
  • Ramona Pascual vs. Tamires Vidal
  • Jinh Yu Frey vs. Polyana Viana
  • Carlos Candelario vs. Jake Hadley
  • Miranda Maverick vs. Shanna Young
  • Josh Parisian vs. Chase Sherman
  • Jailton Almeida vs. Maxim Grishin

Knee injury forces Edson Barboza out of UFC fight vs. Ilia Topuria on Oct. 29

Edson Barboza has been forced out of his upcoming UFC fight against Ilia Topuria.

[autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag] has been forced out of his upcoming fight against [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag].

Barboza (22-11 MMA, 16-11 UFC) was scheduled to meet Topuria (12-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) at UFC Fight Night on Oct. 29 at the UFC Apex, but he has withdrawn after suffering a knee injury that will require surgery. It is unknown if Topuria will remain on the card.

A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the news to MMA Junkie after an initial report by MMA Fighting.

Barboza, 36, was looking to snap a two-fight losing skid. After back-to-back wins over Makwan Amirkhani and a knockout of Shane Burgos at UFC 262, the Brazilian dropped two straight fights to Giga Chikadze and, most recently, Bryce Mitchell at UFC 272 in March.

Meanwhile, unbeaten Topuria is coming off his successful lightweight debut when he scored a bonus-winning knockout of Jai Herbert at UFC Fight Night 204 in March. He was returning to his original weight class before Barboza was forced out.

With the change, the Oct. 29 lineup includes:

  • Arnold Allen vs. Calvin Kattar
  • Ilia Topuria vs. TBA
  • Andrei Arlovski vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
  • Dustin Jacoby vs. Khalil Rountree
  • Roman Dolidze vs. Phil Hawes
  • Max Griffin vs. Tim Means
  • Steve Garcia vs. Chase Hooper
  • Joseph Holmes vs. Jun Yong Park
  • Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Jared Vanderaa
  • Garrett Armfield vs. Christian Rodriguez
  • Josh Fremd vs. Tresean Gore
  • Cody Durden vs. Kleydson Rodrigues

[vertical-gallery id=329266]

UFC books Edson Barboza vs. Ilia Topuria for Oct. 29 event

Ilia Topuria will return to 145 pounds and take on one of the division’s best strikers.

[autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] will return to 145 pounds and take on one of the division’s best strikers.

Topuria (12-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) faces [autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag] (22-11 MMA, 16-11 UFC) at a UFC Fight Night event on Oct. 29, which is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

A person with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie on Friday but asked to remain anonymous because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Eurosport Spain was first to report the news.

Topuria made his lightweight debut in his most recent outing in March, when he scored a bonus-winning second-round knockout of Jai Herbert at UFC Fight Night 204. The undefeated 25-year-old will return to his original weight class when he meets elite striker Barboza.

Barboza, 36, has split his past four appearances. After a dominant win over Makwan Amirkhani, followed by a knockout of Shane Burgos at UFC 262, Barboza has dropped two straight to Giga Chikadze and, most recently, Bryce Mitchell at UFC 272 in March.

The Barboza-Topuria booking is the first known fight for the Oct. 29 event.

[vertical-gallery id=2532703]

[vertical-gallery id=610954]

Paddy Pimblett, Ilia Topuria reignite rivalry in fiery back-and-forth on Twitter

Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria are back at it again.

[autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] and [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] are back at it again.

The two UFC fighters once again have reignited their feud, going after each other on Twitter as of Monday evening. Topuria and Pimblett have a long history of attacking each other both online and in person. Back in March at a UFC event in London, both competitors got into an altercation at the host hotel in the lead up to their respective bouts.

Since a lot has been said and list continues to grow with Monday’s back-and-forth. It all started after a fan tagged Pimblett in a tweet, saying he wouldn’t fight Topuria. To which the Englishman replied:

“Everybody says they want to fight me bro, called clickbait! What do u think he chatted shit for an cause a scene in London? So ppl actually knew who he was 🤣nobody even knew him until I bounced a bottle of his head the lil bum, I see him all week with no cameras an he do nothing!”

Topuria quickly hopped on the thread and had his say, calling Pimblett a “d*ck sucker” in Spanish.

“Pretty homophobic don’t ya think mate?,” Pimblett replied. “What if I actually did? What would u say then? Fucking weirdo u stop using my name for publicity u little bitch stick to being homophobic in ur own country.”

Topuria fired back saying that he knows that Pimblett is a “d*ck sucker,” but said there’s nothing wrong with it.

“I know that (you are a d*ck sucker) eres un come pinga, that’s why I said it. There is nothing wrong with it, I have never tried it so I don’t know if it’s good or bad but you can keep on enjoy it paddy the baddy, remember I’m your daddy.”

[lawrence-related id=2551340,2551296]

Topuria (12-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is coming off a successful debut at lightweight back in March at the UFC Fight Night in London where he knocked out Jai Herbert. He has yet to be booked again. The 25-year-old, who usually competes at featherweight, told MMA Junkie he plans to compete in both divisions.

Meanwhile, Pimblett (18-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC) recently received his first booking since his March win in London. Pimblett is scheduled to face Jordan Leavitt on July 23 at UFC Fight Night 210 in Loddon. Pimblett is on a four-fight winning streak.

[pickup_prop id=”22096″]

Ilia Topuria rips Movsar Evloev after UFC Fight Night 207: ‘You don’t have the balls to call me out’

Ilia Topuria was not impressed with Movsar Evloev’s performance at UFC Fight Night 207.

[autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] was not impressed with [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag]’s performance at UFC Fight Night 207.

Evloev (16-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) dominated Dan Ige in Saturday’s co-main event at the UFC Apex and proceeded to call out Arnold Allen.

Topuria (12-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) was surprised that Evloev didn’t mention his name or show desire to rebook their bout from UFC 270 in January, which was scrapped after Evloev tested positive for COVID-19.

“@MovsarUFC You fight shamefully! Another decision without any attempt to finish it. On top of that you don’t know how to speak. You don’t have the balls to call me out! Now everyone can really see how you run away! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣shamefully 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️”

Though Topuria’s last fight took place at lightweight when he scored a Performance of the Night knockout of Jai Herbert at UFC Fight Night 204 in London, it appears “El Matador” initially had his eye on the winner of the featherweight bout between Evloev vs. Ige by tweeting this prior to the fight.

“Movsar and Ige both suck. I hope to see something special that could motivate me to fight the winner. #UFCVegas56.”

“@MovsarUFC It was always the same with you guys when it comes to a 1 on 1, have never and will never dare against us. I know people from Ingushetia who are warriors and you are a dumbass who has no balls to confront me alone and you say you are the next champ?🤣🤣🤣”

After Evloev pulled out of their UFC 270 bout, Topuria drew Charles Jourdain instead. However, he didn’t end up competing on the night when weight-cutting issues forced him out of their featherweight bout. Following his win over Herbert, Topuria stated that he’s aiming to fight at both featherweight and lightweight to remain active.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqvpne7c1q486dvv player_id=none image=https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

UFC Fight Night 204 post-event facts: Molly McCann’s elbow, other finishes enter record books

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC Fight Night 204, which saw a record-setting nine bonuses issued on a historic card.

The UFC put on one of the most memorable events in its storied history on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 204, which went down at The 02 in London and featured a remarkable nine finishes out of 12 bouts.

The show closed with a swift and decisive performance from [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC), who submitted fellow heavyweight contender [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] (34-10 MMA, 8-4 UFC) in the first round of their fight to stay unbeaten inside the octagon.

For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for 53 post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 204.

UFC Fight Night 204 video: Ilia Topuria blasts Jai Herbert with massive right hand in KO win

Watch Ilia Topuria score a massive KO win in his lightweight debut at UFC Fight Night 204.

[autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] made a statement in his first fight at 155 pounds.

The rising UFC contender made his lightweight debut Saturday and knockedd out Jai Herbert in the opening bout of the UFC Fight Night 204 main card in London. The official stoppage came at the 1:07 mark of Round 2.

Topuria (12-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) had to fight back from adversity after he was dropped in the first round. The 25-year-old fought back and managed to recover by taking the fight to the ground. Topuria came out in the second and pressured Herbert, then connected with a right hand that sent Herbert straight to the canvas.

Watch Topuria’s KO win below.

[lawrence-related id=2532599,2532414]

Topuria remains undefeated in his professional MMA career. He debuted in the UFC in late 2020 and racked up three wins at 145 pounds before his move to 155. Topuria told MMA Junkie he plans to compete both at featherweight and lightweight in order to remain more active.

[vertical-gallery id=2532418]

Paddy Pimblett recounts UFC London fight week altercation with ‘little man’ Ilia Topuria

“He stood on the other side of the table because he knows what’s good for him.”

LONDON – [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag]’s second UFC fight week started with some … controversy, shall we say.

The former Cage Warriors champion and now UFC lightweight returns to the octagon Saturday in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 204 at O2 Arena where he takes on Mexico’s Rodrigo Vargas.

Just days away from his second UFC fight, Pimblett (17-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) got into a dust-up, but not with his opponent. The Englishman got into an altercation on Tuesday with [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag], who fights Jai Herbert on the same card.

“As soon as he came out the double doors, he snared me, so I looked at him and said, ‘What?'” Pimblett recalled when asked about the scuffle during Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 204 media day. “Then he walked towards me. I said, ‘What’s happening, lad?’ And as he got close to me, he swiped a slap at me, and obviously if you raise your hands at me, I’m going to do something.

“I wasn’t punching him because I’m not breaking my hand and then not be able to fight and not get my money on the weekend. So I stepped back, and I picked the hand sanitizer and bounced it off his head. And then he swung a big one, and I moved out of the way with ease. He’s got a little bit of small man syndrome. He’s only (5-foot-7), so I just tried to leave the little man to it.

“He wanted to come at me and act all that, and he got put in his place. I stood there on my own and there was about six of them, and he done nothing. If he wanted to do something, he would’ve come around the table and try and have a fight with me, but he didn’t. He stood on the other side of the table because he knows what’s good for him.”

[lawrence-related id=2531809,2531808]

 

Topuria and Pimblett have history. They’ve beefed online for about a year, which initially escalated when Pimblett targeted Georgian fighters in online attacks. Topuria was especially upset with Pimblett when the Englishman poked fun at the Russo-Georgian War that killed many Georgians, including Topuria’s family members. Pimblett later apologized for his comments.

Topuria told MMA Junkie he’d like to fight Pimblett. However, Pimblett doesn’t seem to be on board with the idea as he expects Topuria to lose to Herbert on Saturday.

“Who even is he? Seriously,” Pimblett said. “Who is Mr. Hand Sanitizer? He’s no one. He used my name for followers and to gain some publicity. He put a video of him and made himself look like a tool.

“He’s not going to win, I know full well. I know Jai, and Jai is going to knock him out on Saturday and throw him back down to the featherweight division.”

[vertical-gallery id=2531804]

Video: Punches fly as Ilia Topuria, Paddy Pimblett get into UFC Fight Night 204 fight week altercation in London

Watch Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett get into a scuffle with punches thrown in London during fight week for UFC Fight Night 204.

[autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] and [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] engaged in a scrap days earlier than expected during UFC Fight Night 204 fight week.

An altercation between the two fighters occurred at the host hotel Tuesday in London ahead of their respective fights Saturday, with punches and bottles thrown. Nothing too serious appeared to happen before teams and security split the two fighters up.

Below is a video of the short brawl posted by Topuria:

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

Topuria (11-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) and Pimblett (17-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) have history. They’ve beefed online for about a year, which initially escalated when Pimblett targeted Georgian fighters in online attacks. Topuria was especially upset with Pimblett when the Englishman poked fun at the Russo-Georgian War that killed many Georgians, including Topuria’s family members. Pimblett later apologized for his comments.

“My reaction to someone taking this like a joke when in that war many innocent people died – we’re talking about children and people who had nothing to do with that,” Topuria told MMA Junkie earlier this week. “So for someone to laugh at that, and it’s also a painful subject for me because family members of mine died in that war and many countrymen of mine. So it’s not something that pleases me and from there everything started.

“And what can I say about someone who pokes fun at that? He’s an idiot and immature. If he thinks I’m going to take a step back when I see him, then he’s badly mistaken. He needs to pray that we don’t cross paths because I’ll go crazy.”

Pimblett is set to compete against Mexico’s Rodrigo Vargas in the co-main event of the card, while Topuria is scheduled to compete in his first fight at 155 pounds against Jai Herbert.

[vertical-gallery id=631966]