Tag: Social

Video: Damir Ismagulov moves to 2-0 since UFC split with a violent spinning kick KO

Damir Ismagulov raised questions about why he’s not longer in UFC with a spectacular spinning kick knockout Saturday in Kazakhstan.

[autotag]Damir Ismagulov[/autotag] showed why he’s one of the best lightweights in the world not signed to the UFC with a vicious highlight-reel knockout on Saturday at Alash Pride FC 100.

Ismagulov (26-3), who won five of seven fights under the UFC banner before departing the organization with back-to-back losses in July 2023, delivered a spectacular spinning wheel kick knockout on Oberdan Tenorio (36-16-1), who leaned directly into the fight-ending shot in the opening round of the headlining bout in Aktobe, Kazakhstan.

Check out the replay of the nasty knockout below (via X):

https://www.twitter.com/grabaka_hitman/status/1837564602357366931

With the victory, Ismagulov, 33, is now 2-0 since his exit from the UFC. His only losses in the past nine years have come against Grant Dawson and expected next UFC title challenger Arman Tsarukyan.

Jon Jones: UFC 309 title defense vs. Stipe Miocic ‘more than likely’ my retirement fight

Jon Jones is leaning hard toward retirement going into his UFC 309 heavyweight title defense against Stipe Miocic.

[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] is leaning hard toward retirement going into his UFC 309 heavyweight title defense against Stipe Miocic, which is now official.

Jones (27-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) will get in the octagon for the first time since he captured the vacant heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane in March 2023 when he takes on former champ Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) in the headliner of the Nov. 16 card, which takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+).

“Bones” has fought just once since February 2020 and has been teasing the idea of hanging up his gloves for some time. However, it appears he has a strong sense of his career objective if he manages to beat Miocic now that the fight is confirmed.

“This is going to be the last time,” Jones told “Clocked N’ Loaded” backstage at UFC 306 this past Saturday. “More than likely.”

UFC CEO Dana White recently stated he thinks Miocic will be retiring at UFC 309 regardless of the result against Jones. He felt Jones would continue competing, though, and give interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall his much-desired chance to unify belts.

It appears Aspinall may be left high and dry, though, because Jones doesn’t seem keen to stick around the sport beyond the fight with Miocic.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Alexa Grasso issues statement on UFC 306 title loss, promises to ‘be much better’

Alexa Grasso is sorting through the fallout of losing her title to Valentina Shevchenko in their UFC 306 trilogy bout.

[autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] is sorting through the fallout of losing her title to Valentina Shevchenko in their UFC 306 trilogy bout.

Grasso’s (16-4-1 MMA, 8-4-1 UFC) reign as women’s flyweight champion came to an end after 18 months Saturday when she was outworked by Shevchenko (24-4-1 MMA, 13-3-1 UFC) en route to a unanimous decision loss at Noche UFC at Sphere in Las Vegas.

The Mexican didn’t have many answers for Shevchenko’s wrestling in the first women’s trilogy fight in UFC history, and as a result the series between the rivals now is even at 1-1-1. This outcome was clear-cut, though, leaving questions about where Grasso now stands.

She doesn’t seem to have gotten that far in her thought process, but she made it clear that a return to training with focus on growth and improvement is the priority to ensure she doesn’t put on another repeat performance in the future (via Instagram):

https://www.instagram.com/p/C_9JYxvsF7A

I want to thank you for all your support 🤍
It wasn’t the night I wanted.
I’ll get back to training and I promise the next fight will be much better 🦾
I love them 🙏🏼❤️

Despite her loss, there is always the lingering possibility of a fourth fight between Grasso and Shevchenko in the future. Shevchenko said after UFC 306 that she would prefer to move on to new business, though, and ideally take on one of the “fresh faces” in the 125-pound division.

Manon Fiorot weighed in as the backup fighter at UFC 306 and could potentially be next in line, meaning Grasso will have to face another contender.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.

Justin Gaethje reveals ‘list’ of desired next UFC opponents; Dustin Poirier responds

Justin Gaethje isn’t ruling out one more run at the UFC lightweight title, and he sees four realistic opponents to make the first step.

[autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] isn’t ruling out one more run at the UFC lightweight title, and he sees four realistic opponents to make the first step.

Despite suffering the worst loss of his career with a highlight-reel knockout against Max Holloway in their BMF title fight at UFC 300 in April, Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) is looking at the landscape of the 155-pound division and still sees some openings.

Champ Islam Makhachev is expected to defend against Arman Tsarukyan in early 2025 once he recovers from injury, but after that, there is no clear No. 1 contender. Gaethje thinks he could start rebuilding his resume if he gets one of four possible matchups.

“I think Dustin Poirier, I beat him, he fought for a belt (and) there’s always those certain set of circumstances that can happen which will lead to (a title shot),” Gaethje told MMA Junkie and other reporters during a recent media scrum. “I think this fight with (Makhachev) and Tsarukyan is the next fight, then there’s kind of another opportunity for somebody like how Dustin Poirier stepped in. There’s not a clear contender.

“I have to fight and win then I’m right back in there. I have a list. I think (Dan) Hooker, (Charles) Oliveira, Poirier and (Alexander) Volkanovski is a list of four people that I think any of those would do for me what I need to do to get back in the picture.”

The idea of another fight with Poirier (30-9 MMA, 22-8 UFC) to settle their trilogy has been compelling to many MMA fans since Gaethje evened the series with a head kick knockout finish at UFC 291 in July 2023. “The Diamond” won the first meeting by fourth-round TKO at UFC on FOX 29 in April 2018.

Gaethje said the prospect of a rubber match with Poirier isn’t that compelling and would likely be at the bottom of his four-name list.

“No (I wouldn’t be bummed if we can’t settle the trilogy),” Gaethje said. “I walked out of there after we were 1-1, I said, ‘Let’s not do it again.’ I’m not saying I don’t want to or whatever, but that was the conversation we had that night because we’re 1-1 and we’re taking years from each other’s lives. So we can fight some of these young kids, but we’ll see what happens.”

Poirier caught wind of Gaethje’s comments and appeared to have a different opinion, welcoming the matchup on social media for his seemingly planned retirement fight.

https://www.twitter.com/DustinPoirier/status/1834614502798549323

With Gaethje, 35, having some opponent possibilities in mind, it’s now about determining the timeline. The former interim UFC champ vowed to take a legitimate break from sparring after the devastating knockout vs. Holloway at UFC 300, and although he’s stuck to his guns so far, he admits it’s getting more difficult to stay out of the gym.

“I said I was going to take six months before I sparred – it’s been four,” Gaethje said. “I’m going to have a difficult time making it six months because I’m itching, but I think I’m going to give it another month before I spar and then get back into camp. We’ll see. My coach, manager – they’ll decide (when the next fight is).”

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Former Bellator champ Yaroslav Amosov announces end of contract, hints at UFC move

Yaroslav Amosov, who is a former Bellator champ and ranked top 15 in the world, is a free agent and could be headed to the UFC.

One of the top welterweights in the world is making an exit from Bellator and looking to start a new chapter in his career.

[autotag]Yaroslav Amosov[/autotag], who saw his remarkable undefeated run come to an end in November 2023 when he lost the Bellator welterweight title to Jason Jackson, revealed Friday his contract with the promotion has concluded.

As a result, Amosov, No. 13 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie welterweight rankings, is seeking “a new beginning” elsewhere.

Check out Amosov’s full statement below (translated by Instagram):

https://www.instagram.com/p/C_2LCXZoRra

Friends, my contract with @bellatormma has ended.

It was an unforgettable 6 years. A time that will be etched in my heart forever. Thank you all 🙏 soon I will announce my next actions! Unforgettable emotions during winning the title, even greater while defending it, the first defeat in 11 years, the war in the homeland… but I’m sure it’s only made me stronger 👊🏼 it’s all a small part of a big story. This is not the finish line, this is a new beginning.

I’m ready for a new phase. New horizons and peaks are ahead. My journey continues, I appreciate everyone who’s been there, those who supported and those who doubted.

The story doesn’t end, it just changes direction.

See you in the octagon 😎

The closing words of Amosov’s statement alludes that a move to the UFC could be on the horizon for the Ukrainian, who has fought just twice since June 2021 due to a hiatus to help fight for his country against Russian invasion.

With focus seemingly back on his fighting career, perhaps Amosov is on the verge of taking his talents to the biggest stage.

In the comments of his Instagram post, American Top Team head coach Mike Brown, Bellator champ Johnny Eblen, as well as the likes of Mateusz Gamrot, Grant Dawson and more posted excitement about Amosov potentially joining the UFC roster.

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UFC Fight Night 242 video: Cody Durden sends Matt Schnell into retirement with slick finish on four days’ notice

Cody Durden sent Matt Schnell into retirement after scoring an impressive submission on four days’ notice at UFC Fight Night 242.

[autotag]Cody Durden[/autotag] picked up one of the biggest wins of his octagon tenure Saturday when he tapped out Matt Schnell in highlight-reel fashion at UFC Fight Night 242.

After taking the fight as a replacement on just four days’ notice, Durden (17-6-1 MMA, 6-4-1 UFC) went toe-to-toe with Schnell (16-9 MMA, 6-7 UFC) from the very first bell. The pair traded hard shots for several minutes with some grappling exchanges mixed in, and then it went to a second round.

That’s where Durden turned the tables on a Schnell takedown attempt and impressively rolled into a slick anaconda choke. After a brief struggle, Schnell tapped at the 0:29 mark of Round 2 in the bantamweight bout at the UFC Apex.

Check out the replay of the final sequence below (via X):

 

After the fight, the UFC broadcast team announced Schnell has retired from MMA competition and left his gloves in the center of the octagon.

Matt Schnell, UFC Fight Night 242

Durden reveled in his big moment.

“Without risk there’s no reward,” Durden said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “Four days’ notice. Me and my wife went out Sunday night and I had a little bit too much to drink. But I backed it up. I came out here and I backed it up.”

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 242 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 242.

UFC Fight Night 242 video: Isaac Dulgarian wins as biggest favorite in company history

Isaac Dulgarian entered the cage as a record-setting -2400 betting favorite at UFC Fight Night 242, and his performance lived up to it.

[autotag]Isaac Dulgarian[/autotag] had an extra layer of pressure entering his UFC Fight Night 242 matchup with [autotag]Brendon Marotte[/autotag], because he built up to being the biggest betting favorite in UFC history.

When cage announcer Joe Martinez read Dulgarian’s (7-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) name for his introduction, the pre-fight graphic listed him as a record-setting -2400 betting favorite over Marotte (8-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) for the featherweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Dulgarian came out instantly and scored an easy takedown in the first 10 seconds, then delivered a mauling on the mat. Marotte displayed his toughness in eating numerous heavy shots, as well as surviving repeat bad positions and submission attempts.

The fight entered a second round to the surprise of many, but it didn’t make it out of it. Dulgarian got the fight back to the ground in short order and punished Marotte until he secured an arm-triangle choke for the tap at the 4:19 mark of Round 2.

Check out the replay of the finish below (via X):

https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1832546575593181218

https://twitter.com/espnmma/status/1832547025709097163

 

It was a strong rebound performance from Dulgarian after suffering his first career defeat in his previous bout, and he preached a more methodical win to getting the job done.

“We were focused on being patient this fight,” Dulgarian said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “Last fight I was pushing a little too hard. We were just patient.”

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 242 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 242.

Petr Yan targets spot at UFC 310 in December, wants Deiveson Figueiredo

With just one fight to his name in the past 17 months, former UFC champion Petr Yan is eager to return to the octagon this year.

With just one fight to his name in the past 17 months, former UFC champion [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] is eager to return to the octagon before the year is over.

Yan (17-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) snapped his three-fight losing skid in March with a unanimous decision victory over Song Yadong at UFC 299 in March, but he sustained a torn ACL and meniscus that required surgery and prevented a quick return to competition.

Now healthy and prepared to enter a training camp, Yan has called for a place on the final numbered event of 2024, which is UFC 310 on Dec. 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (via X):

I want to fight on the last ppv card of the year 👊🏼

If Yan, No. 5 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie bantamweight rankings, had his choice of opponent, he thinks a showdown with No. 11-ranked Deiveson Figueiredo, a former multitime flyweight champion and 3-0 since moving up to 135 pounds, would be the best fit (via X):

With the majority of the names between Yan and Figueiredo (24-3-1 MMA, 13-3-1 UFC) either booked, coming off a loss or on a different trajectory, the matchup would seemingly be a well-timed fit for both ends.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.

UFC on ESPN 61 video: Toshiomi Kazama stages wild comeback for triangle choke finish

Just when Toshiomi Kazama appeared to be in the most danger of a loss at UFC on ESPN 61, he turned things around in stunning fashion.

Just when [autotag]Toshiomi Kazama[/autotag] appeared to be in the most danger of a loss against [autotag]Charalampos Grigoriou[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 61, he turned things around in stunning fashion to put himself in the winner’s circle.

After Grigoriou scored a big knockdown in the second round of the bantamweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, he pounced on a downed Kazama (11-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) and flurried with punches and elbow for the finish.

Referee Jason Herzog was taking a close look, but then Kazama controlled the posture of his opponent, slid his legs over the shoulders and locked in a triangle choke that forced Grigoriou (8-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC) to tap out without much struggle at the 1:55 mark of Round 2.

Check out the replay of the finish below (via X):

After the stoppage, and elevated but beaten up Kazama admitted that although things looked bad for him, he felt Grigoriou would slip up and give him the chance to secure his first UFC win.

“When I was on the bottom, I knew an opportunity would come by,” Kazama said through an interpreter during his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “I waited for that chance and used my BJJ skills to finish the fight.”

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Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 61 results

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 61.

UFC books Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robert Whittaker again for UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi

UFC has once again booked unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev against former champ Robert Whittaker, this time at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi.

The UFC will make another attempt at running the matchup between [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] and [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag], this time at UFC 308 in October.

After their first booking for the UFC Saudi Arabia main event in June fell apart on short notice due to health issues for Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC), the promotion will again try to pit the unbeaten sensation against former champion Whittaker (26-7 MMA, 17-5 UFC) in a five-round bout on the Oct. 26 card at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

UFC CEO Dana White announced the news on Saturday (via X):

After making an unforgettable entry into the UFC in 2020 with a record two victories in 10 days, Chimaev has struggled badly to keep active inside the octagon. His health has played a major role in that, as was the case once again in his fizzled bout with Whittaker earlier this year. The No. 9 fighter in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie middleweight rankings outpointed Kamaru Usman in his most recent bout at UFC 294 in October, and will now try to get some momentum going.

No. 4-ranked Whittaker, meanwhile, once again steps up to the challenge of taking on the lesser-ranked foe. He destroyed Chimaev’s replacement Ikram Aliskerov by first-round knockout at UFC on ABC 6, then said he would welcome a rescheduling with Chimaev if that’s what the promotion wanted. That was indeed the case, and now Whittaker will attempt to add Chimaev’s name to his winning streak alongside Aliskerov and Paulo Costa to prove he’s worthy of a chance to regain the 185-pound belt.

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The latest UFC 308 lineup now includes:

  • Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway – for featherweight title
  • Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robert Whittaker
  • Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov
  • Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic
  • Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Nursulton Ruziboev
  • Dan Ige vs. Lerone Murphy
  • Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Marcos Rogerio

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.