Tag: Khabib Nurmagomedov

UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov names Conor McGregor win as top career moment

Khabib Nurmagomedov thinks his victory over Conor McGregor in their grudge match was the best moment of his legendary MMA career.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] thinks his victory over [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] in their anticipated grudge match was the best moment of his legendary MMA career.

Nurmagomedov (29-0 MMA, 13-0 UFC), who landed a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame as part of the 2022 class on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena, retired from the sport in October 2020 with a flawless career record, had a lot memorable high points.

However, to him, nothing was more monumental than when he submitted McGregor in the main event of UFC 229 in October 2018. The heated grudge match still stands as the highest-selling pay-per-view in company history, and Nurmagomedov said none of his 28 other wins compared

“It was here – this arena – Oct. 6, 2018,” Nurmagomedov told MMA Junkie and other reporters on the UFC Hall of Fame red carpet. “Biggest fight in MMA history. I’m very happy I win this fight. I can lose any of my fights. But no way this fight.”

The fight between Nurmagomedov and McGregor was one of the most anticipated in company history. McGregor made things extremely personal with his infamous bus attack that set up the bout, then committed verbal warfare on his rival at every turn.

Nurmagomedov ultimately got the last laugh with a fourth-round submission, which prompted a brawl in the octagon that led to suspensions for both athletes.

Even though there was a stain on the fight in the aftermath, Nurmagomedov still remembers it fondly.

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‘More fire’? Max Holloway has no idea what Khabib Nurmagomedov is talking about

Max Holloway isn’t sure why Khabib Nurmagomedov is doubting his desire to compete ahead of UFC 276.

[autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] isn’t sure why [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] is doubting his desire to compete.

When giving his prediction for Holloway’s trilogy fight with featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] in Saturday’s UFC 276 co-main event, Nurmagomedov said he thinks Volkanovski has “more fire” than Holloway (23-6 MMA, 19-6 UFC) and picked him to retain.

Since losing to Volkanovski (24-1 MMA, 11-0 UFC) in back-to-back title fights, Holloway has rebounded with striking clinics against top contenders Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez, so he’s surprised with Nurmagomedov’s opinion.

“Not at all, you know? I mean, he’s probably talking about Volkanovski having more fire because he has a cooking show or something,” Holloway told Yahoo! Sports. “Maybe the fire resemblance there, but other than that I don’t know, man. I don’t know. Khabib is Khabib. He’s gonna say what he’s gonna say, and I have no idea what he’s talking about, you know? I’m here, and I’m still doing it, so I can’t wait. There’s a lot of people saying stuff, and we get to figure out if everything is true, if I still have the fire come Saturday night.”

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Holloway’s two decision losses to Volkanovski were tightly contested, with “Blessed” adamant that he won the rematch. He will get an opportunity to reclaim his belt at UFC 276 and is brimming with confidence ahead of their trilogy.

“I’m excited for the challenge,” Holloway said. “I can’t wait to go out there. Tune in Saturday, you guys do not want to miss this. It’s gonna be amazing, it’s gonna be great, and I feel good. I can’t put into words, but when you got a feeling about something, you got a feeling, and I’m ready to show it.”

UFC 276 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC/ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov picks Alexander Volkanovski over Max Holloway at UFC 276 because he has ‘more fire’

Khabib Nurmagomedov sees Alexander Volkanovski sealing his trilogy with Max Holloway at UFC 276.

[autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] sees [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] sealing his trilogy with [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] at UFC 276.

UFC featherweight champion Volkanovski (24-1 MMA, 11-0 UFC) meets Holloway (23-6 MMA, 19-6 UFC) in a trilogy rematch to headline Saturday’s event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC/ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

Coming off a dominant finish of Chan Sung Jung at UFC 273 in April, Volkanovski will be making a relatively quick turnaround when he faces Holloway, and Nurmagomedov thinks that will play in his favor.

“About Holloway-Volkanovski, I must say I’m really impressed with Volkanovski about his last couple of performances,” Nurmagomedov told the UFC. “I like Max Holloway. I like him. This is nothing personal, but I think Volkanovski’s going to defend his title. It’s a question: how? Who knows. But I see he (stays busier), fights all the time, experience – maybe experience. Like a little bit more fire. I feel he has a little bit more fire than Max Holloway.”

Holloway almost faced Nurmagomedov for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 223 when Tony Ferguson was forced out of his title bout against “The Eagle.” Then-featherweight champ Holloway took the fight on six days’ notice, but was pulled by the New York State Athletic Commission doctors due to the severity of his weight cut.

Volkanovski dethroned Holloway to capture the featherweight title in December 2019. He has since defended his title three times, with his first title defense coming in a narrow split decision win over Holloway at UFC 251. Holloway was able to rebound from back-to-back losses to the champion by putting on striking clinics against top contenders Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez to set up the trilogy with Volkanovski.

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Ali Abdelaziz says Khabib Nurmagomedov would finish Israel Adesanya in three rounds: ‘He can’t stop his grappling’

“If Khabib comes tomorrow and cuts to 185, he would stop Israel Adesanya in three rounds.”

Ali Abdelaziz thinks [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] would take out UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag].

Nurmagomedov (29-0 MMA, 13-0 UFC), a former UFC lightweight champion, retired from MMA with an undefeated record. Since hanging up his gloves, Nurmagomedov has been busy running his promotion Eagle FC, as well as coaching several of his teammates.

Many, including former UFC middleweight champ Luke Rockhold, have had a hard time dealing with Nurmagomedov in grappling sessions in the gym and Abdelaziz is confident “The Eagle” could return now and dethrone Adesanya (22-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC).

“Khabib now weighs 200 pounds,” Abdelaziz told Sherdog. “If Khabib comes tomorrow and cuts to 185, he would stop Israel Adesanya in three rounds. I see it. He beats heavyweights, light heavyweights, welterweights, lightweights – he’s unstoppable now. He’s like a tractor trailer.

“But styles – if Khabib wants to come back and talks with Dana White and says, ‘Let me fight at middleweight,’ he will finish Israel in three rounds because the style of fights. Israel can’t stop his wrestling. He can’t stop his grappling. But striking, of course, Israel is the best striker on this planet.”

Nurmagomedov insists he’s done fighting after making a promise to his mother, but Abdelaziz has an inkling the competitive fire still burns in him.

“He can come back and fight middleweight and become a champion today,” Abdelaziz added. “He’s always in good shape, he’s always in good spirits and you never know. Honestly, he said, ‘I’m never going to fight again.’ But sometimes I feel like he wants (to).

“Because I said, ‘Hey, why do you go so hard with the guys?’ He said, ‘Oh, I have to show them who’s the boss.’ But in reality, you never know what happens. Maybe we do ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ with Tony Ferguson and they go crazy with each other and they end up fighting at the end of the season. You never know.”

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¿Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson? Dana White ‘por supuesto’ los consideraría como entrenadores en ‘TUF’

Mientras pareciera que hay probabilidades de cero por ciento de que se llegue a concretar la pelea Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson dentro de la jaula, la segunda mejor cosa después de eso podría estarse preparándose en la UFC. En las últimas …

Mientras pareciera que hay probabilidades de cero por ciento de que se llegue a concretar la pelea Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson dentro de la jaula, la segunda mejor cosa después de eso podría estarse preparándose en la UFC.

En las últimas semanas, los dos jugadores mostraron interés en ser entrenadores y preparar a otros luchadores para pelear uno contra otro para una próxima temporada de “The Ultimate Fighter.” Ahora, el presidente de la UFC, Dana White, ha dado su opinión sobre la posibilidad y suena como si estuviera igual de intrigado que todos nosotros con esta propuesta.

“Lo tomaré en cuenta”, le dijo White a Barstool Sports el martes. “… Por supuesto que consideraré esa idea”.

Después agregó entre risas, “Ojalá que se enojen tanto uno con el otro que realmente quieran pelear”.

Sin duda alguna, Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson se considera uno de los enfrentamientos más buscados en la historia de la MMA y nunca sucedió. Se programó en cinco ocasiones diferentes y, en cada una de ellas, se terminó cancelando. Mientras que Ferguson aún es luchador activo, Nurmagomedov se retiró en septiembre de 2020. Ferguson continúa invitando a Nurmagomedov a que salga de su retiro para un sexto intento de ese enfrentamiento, pero Nurmagomedov no ha mordido el anzuelo.

Actualmente, “The Ultimate Fighter” está transmitiendo su temporada 30 por ESPN+. A lo largo de los años, White ha comentado que el reality show tiene un lugar especial en su corazón pues le da el crédito por gran parte del aumento de popularidad de la marca.

Vean estas fotos de la conferencia de prensa antes de la UFC 249 donde pueden ver a Khabib Nurmagomedov, a Tony Ferguson y al presidente de la UFC Dana White en la T-Mobile Arena en Las Vegas. (Fotos tomadas por  Mike Bohn-MMA Junkie)

Artículo traducido por Ana Lucía Toledo

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Ex-UFC champ Renan Barao set to return vs. William Gomis at ARES FC 7 on June 25

Former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao will return to action this summer in Paris.

Once again, Renan Barao is scheduled to make his first appearance in since his departure from the UFC.

Barao (34-9) will face William Gomis (9-2) at ARES FC 7 on June 25 in Paris, the promotion announced via Instagram on Tuesday. The event airs on UFC Fight Pass and takes place at Le Dome de Paris – Palais des Sports in Paris.

Barao, 35, has not competed since his exit from the UFC in 2019, but it has not been for lack of trying. The former UFC bantamweight champion has been scheduled to fight on three other occasions, but each booking fell through due to various reasons. His most recent attempt to return was with [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag]’s promotion to face Horacio Gutierrez at Eagle FC 44 in January.

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Barao dropped five straight fights leading to being cut from the UFC in 2019. Prior to the bumps in the road that eventually led to the long skid, the Brazilian won 33-straight fights en route to claiming the interim title by defeating Urijah Faber at UFC 149. Barao was later promoted after Dominick Cruz vacated the title, and he would go on to defeat Faber again to record his only undisputed title defense at UFC 169.

Gomis, 24, hails from France and will enter the contest as a winner of his previous seven bouts. His two previous wins came by stoppage, submitting Baba Boundjou Nadjombe at Hexagone MMA 2 and scoring a TKO win over Arip Yakubov in March at UAE Warriors 28.

ARES FC 7 features two title fights at the top of the card. Abdoul Abdouraguimov will defend his welterweight title against Karl Amoussou in the main event and Akhmed Salamov will face Jose Galindo for the vacant middleweight title in the co-main bout.

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Spinning Back Clique: On Ketlen Vieira-Holly Holm outrage, Anderson Silva-Jake Paul?, more

“Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show, returns to discuss MMA judging fixes, Anderson Silva’s latest boxing venture, and more.

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

Our  panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Mike Bohn and Danny Segura discuss five topics with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

  • [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] suffered a critical loss to Ketlen Vieira at UFC Fight Night 206 with a split decision in a second-to-last fight on her UFC contract. How should the former UFC women’s bantamweight champ, who recently turned 40 years old, proceed from here?
  • The judging around Holm’s loss to Vieira has sparked controversy and conversation about the scoring criteria in MMA. Was Holm “robbed” of a win? Our panel weighs in on the outcome and potential judging fixes going forward.
  • [autotag]Anderson Silva[/autotag] returned to the boxing ring over the weekend and fought to a no decision with Bruno Machado in an exhibition bout. “The Spider” was targeted by Jake Paul in the aftermath of the fight, so do we want this showdown come to fruition?
  • Our panel gives its take on [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] looking for a co-promotion with Eagle FC and Bellator to book Junior Dos Santos vs. Fedor Emelianenko for Emelianenko’s retirement fight.
  • Reaction to the idea of Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson as coaches of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series, as well as Nurmagomedov’s comments about Charles Oliveira’s position among the lightweight greats.

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Tuesday on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch the full episode in the video above.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov confundido por la encarcelación de Caín Velásquez: “¿Y el otro tipo?”

Khabib Nurmagomedov no entiende porque sigue Caín Velasquez en prisión y por qué el hombre que presuntamente acosó a un miembro de la familia de Velásquez no. El excampeón ligero de la UFC considera que Caín debió salir bajo fianza después de su …

Khabib Nurmagomedov no entiende porque sigue Caín Velasquez en prisión y por qué el hombre que presuntamente acosó a un miembro de la familia de Velásquez no.

El excampeón ligero de la UFC considera que Caín debió salir bajo fianza después de su arresto presuntamente por dispararle a Paul Bender en marzo. La policía dice que Velásquez le disparó a Bender en el brazo mientras apuntaba al hijastro de Bender, Harry Goularte, cuando los perseguía en una camioneta en San José, California.

Nurmagomedov entiende la reacción de Velásquez, y a pesar de que fue imprudente y peligroso, Nurmagomedov no cree que eso signifique que Velásquez es un peligro a la sociedad.

“Todo el que se respete a sí mismo, que ame a su familia, va a hacer lo mismo, exactamente,” dijo Nurmagomedov TMZ. “O sea, nadie va a pensar en la ley o algo así cuando le hicieron algo a tu familia. Tienes que proteger a tu familia. Si los animales protegen a su familia, por supuesto los humanos van a proteger su familia.

“Hablan de los tribunales, hablan de cárcel, pero no creo que entiendan estas cosas. No es justo. Él está en la cárcel y el otro tipo afuera. “¿Y el otro tipo?” También métanlo a la cárcel. Es más peligroso para la sociedad que Caín Velásquez.

Nurmagomedov fue compañero de Velásquez cuando eran luchadores en activo. Ambos entrenaban en la American Kickboxing Academy en San Jose  bajo la tutela de Javier Méndez.

Teniendo años de conocer a Velásquez, Nurmagomedov dijo que el excampeón peso pesado de la antigua UFC era lo más lejano a una amenaza para alguien fuera del octágono.

“Nunca en su vida, y tiene 40 años, nunca en su vida tuvo un problema social, con personas externas, en el gimnasio,” dijo 40. “Es el hombre más respetuoso que he visto en mi vida. Entrené con él por más de 10 años. Conozco a su familia. Todos quieren a Caín. Esto se trata de sus hijos. No entiendo. Ok, métanlo a la cárcel, pero y el otro tipo? Él es más peligroso para la sociedad que Caín Velásquez. Caín es peligroso para una mala persona, pero este tipo es peligroso para todos. No entiendo.”

 

Khabib Nurmagomedov puzzled by Cain Velasquez’s imprisonment: ‘What about other guy?’

Khabib Nurmagomedov doesn’t understand why Cain Velasquez is in prison and the alleged abuser isn’t.

[autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] doesn’t understand why Cain Velasquez is still in prison and why the man who allegedly molested a family member of Velasquez’s isn’t.

The former UFC lightweight champion thinks Velasquez should’ve been granted bail after his arrest for an alleged shooting of Paul Bender back in March. Police say Velasquez shot Bender in the arm while he targeted Bender’s stepson, Harry Goularte, as they were chased in a truck in San Jose, Calif.

Nurmagomedov is understanding of Velasquez’s reaction, and despite it being careless and dangerous, Nurmagomedov doesn’t think it means Velasquez is a danger to society.

“Anybody in the world who respects himself, who loves his family is going to do same thing, exactly,” Nurmagomedov told TMZ. “Come on, nobody is going to think of law or something when you have something about your family. You have to protect your family. If animals protect their family, of course, humans are going to protect their family.

“They talk about law court about jail, but I don’t understand these things. This is not fair. He sit in jail and other guy is outside. What about other guy? Put this guy in jail too. He’s more dangerous for people than Cain Velasquez.”

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Nurmagomedov was a teammate of Velasquez back when they were active fighters. Both fighters trained at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose under the tutelage of Javier Mendez.

From years of knowing Velasquez, Nurmagomedov said the former UFC heavyweight champion was far from a threat to anyone outside of the octagon.

“Never in his life, and he’s 40 years old, never in his life he had problem in social, outside with people, in gym,” Nurmagomedov said. “He’s the most respectful guy I’ve ever seen in my life. I trained with him for more than 10 years. I know his family. Everybody loves Cain. This is his kids. I don’t understand. Ok put him in jail, but what about other guy? He’s more dangerous than Cain. Cain is dangerous for only one guy, but this guy is dangerous for everybody. I don’t understand this.”

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Jailton Almeida may fight in two divisions, but ‘a lot happier’ not cutting weight for heavyweight

Moving from light heavyweight, Jailton Almeida enters his first heavyweight bout as a big favorite against Parker Porter in Las Vegas.

Dana White’s Contender Series veteran [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] turned a lot of heads in his UFC debut in February, and hopes to keep the train rolling in a different weight class this Saturday.

Entering his second fight under the UFC banner, Almeida (15-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) will be moving up from light heavyweight to meet heavyweight Parker Porter on the prelims at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. From a weight-cutting standpoint, Almeida is already enjoying the lead up to this fight against Porter (13-6 MMA, 3-1 UFC).

“Just not having to cut the weight and not even worry about weight is a big thing,” Almeida told reporters through an interpreter at UFC Fight Night 206 media day. “I’m a lot happier, my self-esteem is way up there, and I’m sleeping well. So, there’s a bunch of factors that are very good with not having to cut weight.

“I was talking to my team and it’s something that we could consider, but right now I think the plan is to fight light heavyweight,” Almeida said. “But I want to keep active, so if there’s opportunities that make sense at heavyweight we’re up for it.”

Bouncing between two divisions would be similar to how rising star [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] began in the UFC. Almeida has said in the past he has been inspired by the surging welterweight and hopes to emulate his career. Almeida also draws inspiration from former lightweight champion [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag]. However, if he ends up staying at welterweight, he may have to look to another champion to emulate.

“Everybody knows I’ve been very open about being such a fan of Khabib and of Chimaev,” Almeida said. “Maybe, you don’t know how our styles are going to develop. I might end up being like Francis Ngannou, you never know.”

Almeida’s opponent on Saturday said he expects the matchup to be a classic grappler vs. striker fight, but Almeida doesn’t believe it’s that simple. While he won’t know what Porter will present until the fight begins and he feels out what’s happening, Almeida believes he can take care of business on the feet too.

“I know that my grappling is probably way ahead of his, but I’ve been boxing since I was a kid,” Almeida said. “Boxing is where I came from. So I know that if I need to strike, I can strike with him on equal terms. … Don’t be surprised if we’re slugging it out by the end of the night.”

Check out the full pre-fight interview with Almeida in the video above.

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