Tag: TA block

UFC CEO Dana White: Khamzat Chimaev’s consistent health issues ‘tough to deal with’

UFC CEO Dana White admits it’s been a challenge to manage the career of undefeated sensation Khamzat Chimaev.

UFC CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] admits it’s been a challenge to manage the career of [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag].

White has arguably never been higher on a fighter than he was on Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) when the undefeated fighter arrived on the UFC scene in 2020 and earn a record-setting three victories in the span of 66 days. He’s fought just four times in the 45 months since then, however, and his progress was once again stinted this past week.

Chimaev, 30, was forced to withdraw from Saturday’s UFC on ABC 6 main event vs. Robert Whittaker in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after he was hospitalized with a health issue.

The specifics of Chimaev’s issues remain unconfirmed, though his management told MMA Junkie on Monday that rumors the latest setback could lead to retirement are “absolutely not true.” Despite that, White struggled to offer more hope about Chimaev’s future during an interview Monday on “The Jim Rome Show,” mainly because he’s somewhat in the dark.

“The problem is that we really don’t know (what’s going on),” White said. “Every time this guy gets close to a fight – I saw video footage of him violently ill on the ground, and he was hospitalized again. He hadn’t trained for like three or four days, or five days, I can’t remember what the number was. But we could not put him into a fight next weekend.

“Lately it’s been hard to get him into the octagon. Every time he gets close to fighting, he gets really sick. I don’t know what to say. It’s not like he’s over here in this country and we’ve had doctors look at him or anything like that. He’s sort of out of touch, so, it’s tough to deal with.”

In the statement to MMA Junkie, Chimaev’s manager Majdi Shammas expressed optimism about the fighter’s recovery and vowed “he will be back.”

Chimaev, No. 9 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie middleweight rankings, last competed at UFC 294 in October where he earned a majority decision victory over former UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman.

[lawrence-related id=2748995,2748953,2748233]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 6.

Dana White reiterates uncertainty around Conor McGregor’s UFC future after injury

Dana White said “maybe he’ll fight again, maybe he won’t” when asked about Conor McGregor’s future after his UFC 303 withdrawal.

Ever since [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] ran into life-changing fortune with his 2016 boxing match against Floyd Mayweather, UFC CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] has offered a consistent answer about the Irishman’s fighting future.

That hasn’t changed much in the aftermath of McGregor’s withdrawal from his anticipated octagon return against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29 in Las Vegas.

White likely possesses as much knowledge about the life of McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) behind the scenes as anyone. Because of that, he’s said time and time again he it’s hard to set expectations. That was repeated often during McGregor’s nearly three-year layoff leading up to the scheduled fight with Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC), and now that there’s been a setback, White can’t give a firm answer on what the future holds.

“Conor’s going to be 36 in July,” White said Monday on “The Jim Rome Show” on X. “He’s got plenty of money and I don’t ever think that guys like that – Jon Jones, who knows? Maybe he’ll fight again. Maybe he won’t. Conor McGregor – maybe he’ll fight again, maybe he won’t. You never know with some of the guys that get to that level. You never know when you’re going to see them again.”

[lawrence-related id=2749026,2748931,2748536,2748526]

McGregor has competed just four times in MMA since he claimed his second UFC championship with a dazzling second-round TKO of Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in November 2016. He’s 1-3 in those bouts, and in the most recent of those against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021, he suffered a broken leg.

The details of the injury that forced McGregor out of UFC 303 have no been disclosed. It’s been reported the fight could be rescheduled for August or September, but White was not asked about a new timeline for a rebooking.

White did note that injuries for athletes like McGregor, who is already coming back from a catastrophic bone break, only get more difficult to recover from as time goes on.

It remains to be seen if McGregor can overcome those obstacles.

“The other thing about getting old, like race horses, is you get injured a lot easier,” White said. “You get hurt a lot easier, more injuries happen than it did when you were young, and you’re less willing to step in there with an injury than you did when you were young and hungry and broke.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.

Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya title grudge match headlines UFC 305 in Perth

Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya will have their long-awaited title fight in the main event of UFC 305 on Aug. 17 in Australia.

The highly anticipated title clash between [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] and [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] will serve as the main event for the UFC’s first show in Australia this year.

Du Plessis (21-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) will attempt to make his first middleweight title defense when he takes on two-time divisional champion Adesanya (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) in the UFC 305 headliner on Aug. 17 at RAC Arena in Perth (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).

After both fighters indicated it was a done deal on social media, UFC CEO Dana White said the main event was set on “The Jim Rome Show” on Monday.

First expected to take place at UFC 293 this past September, then again in the UFC 300 main event in April, the timing finally aligned for Du Plessis, No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie middleweight rankings, to step into the octagon with No. 3 Adesanya.

[lawrence-related id=2730117,2721499,2730094]

Du Plessis, 30, charged up the 185-pound division with multiple notable wins, including against Robert Whittaker, and was expected to challenge then-champ Adesanya this past fall. He didn’t take the fight at UFC 293 due to injury, though, which allowed Sean Strickland to step in and pull off a massive upset.

Strickland would go on to lose the belt to Du Plessis in a debated split decision at UFC 297 in January, and there was hope Du Plessis would make a quick turnaround for the monumental UFC 300 card. Injury once again prevented him from accepting, though, despite Adesanya claiming he was ready and willing to go.

Now there’s a date that worked for all sides, and Adesanya, 34, will attempt to once again reclaim the belt and join Randy Couture as the only fighters in UFC history with three separate title reigns in a single division.

Additionally, Du Plessis and Adesanya will get the chance to settle their feud, which truly began when Du Plessis made a polarizing remark about his pride in being the first fighter who lives and trains in Africa to hold a UFC belt.

The friction stemming from that comment has rippled through time, including when Du Plessis and Adesanya engaged in a heated in-cage staredown following Du Plessis’ win over Whittaker at UFC 290 in July 2023.

The latest UFC 305 lineup now includes:

  • Champ Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya – for middleweight title
  • Steve Erceg vs. Kai Kara-France
  • Tom Nolan vs. Alex Reyes
  • Tereza Bleda vs. Casey O’Neill

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=420030788]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 305.

Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: Conor McGregor injured, Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka headlines UFC 303, more

On “Spinning Back Clique,” our panel discusses Conor McGregor’s withdrawal from UFC 303, the booking of Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka, more.

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’s panel of Farah Hannoun, Brian “Goze” Garcia and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • The UFC 303 and [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] saga has finally come to an end. Unfortunately, the Irish superstar has been ruled out of his return at UFC 303 on June 29 due to injury. This is devastating news for McGregor, but what exactly does this mean for his career? Where does this leave his opponent [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag]? We break it all down.
  • McGregor’s injury did not affect Chandler alone. This forced the UFC to strengthen the International Fight Week event by adding new bouts, including a light heavyweight title fight between [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] and [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] for the main event, and a pivotal featherweight bout between [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] and [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] in the co-main. Additionally, [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] suffered an injury and was replaced by [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] for his fight against [autotag]Carlos Ulberg[/autotag]. We chat about the latest updates for UFC 303.
  • This past Saturday, young, Japanese rising contender [autotag]Tatsuro Taira[/autotag] got past his toughest test – former UFC title challenger [autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag]. In a competitive bout, Perez suffered a knee injury while Taira had his back, thus losing by TKO. What’s Taira’s potential? Where does he go next? We discuss.
  • The UFC’s debut event in Saudi Arabia this Saturday has a new main event. [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] pulled out due to illness, and now [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] will take on undefeated [autotag]Ikram Aliskerov[/autotag]. We break down the new main event, along with the rest of the card.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030788]

Khamzat Chimaev reacts to UFC on ABC 6 withdrawal; manager denies retirement rumors

Khamzat Chimaev gave his first reaction to his withdrawal from UFC on ABC 6.

[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] gave his first reaction to his withdrawal from UFC on ABC 6.

Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) was forced out of Saturday’s headliner vs. Robert Whittaker (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia due to illness. Replacing him will be rising middleweight contender Ikram Aliskerov (15-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC).

Chimaev, who was hospitalized from the illness, broke his silence on social media.

“We always plan something but Allah has his own plans for us!
Alhamdulilah.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/C8UO3OouALD/

Despite the frustrating run for 30-year-old Chimaev, who’s fought just once in the past two years, his manager Majdi Shammas denied any retirement rumors.

“It’s absolutely not true,” Shammas told MMA Junkie on Monday. “We’re planning on getting to the bottom of this situation, the problems. He will be back.”

Chimaev hasn’t competed since a majority decision win over former champion Kamaru Usman this past October at UFC 294. His bout vs. Whittaker was being dubbed as a No. 1 contender before he was forced to withdraw.

[lawrence-related id=2748239,2741586]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 6.

UFC 2024 post-fight bonus winners: Inside the numbers

Check out a running tally of UFC bonus-related stats for the 2024 calendar year.

The UFC handed out more than $9 million in disclosed $50,000 post-fight bonus checks in 2023. What will the totals be this year?

Here’s a running tally of all kinds of interesting UFC bonus-related stats that will update throughout the year after each event.

(Story updated following UFC on ESPN 58 on June 15.)

UFC on ESPN 58 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC on ESPN 58 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.

LAS VEGAS – UFC on ESPN 58 took place Saturday with 11 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

You can hear from all the UFC on ESPN 58 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 58.

Video: Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen fight to draw in bizarre boxing exhibition

Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen had no intention of hurting each other over five uneventful rounds of exhibition boxing in Brazil.

[autotag]Anderson Silva[/autotag] and [autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] had no intention of hurting each other when they stepped in the ring for a boxing match Saturday in Brazil.

In a combat sports trilogy bout between the pair, Silva and Sonnen lightly sparred for five, two-minute rounds of exhibition boxing in front of a private audience at Spaten Fight Night in Sao Paulo.

Both men did land some clean head shots, with Silva bloodying the nose of Sonnen toward the end of the fight, but there was never threat of a knockdown or knockout.

With no finish and no judges in place, the bout between UFC Hall of Famer and former longtime UFC middleweight champion Silva and Sonnen ended in a draw.

[lawrence-related id=2748830,2748785]

Check out some of the fight footage below:

FULL FIGHT VIDEO

HIGHLIGHTS

The final encounter between the storied rivals is now likely in the books.

Silva defeated Sonnen by fifth-round submission at UFC 117 in August 2010 to defend his UFC middleweight title in a bout that will be inducted to the UFC Hall of Fame fight wing later this month.

They would have a rematch at UFC 148 in July 2012, which Silva won by second-round TKO.

Despite the heated nature of their UFC feud, Silva, 48, and Sonnen, 47, went on to form a friendly relationship in the years since. That was on display in the aftermath of their boxing match as the pair embraced each other.

Video: Bellator champ Cris Cyborg scores KO in latest boxing match

Cris Cyborg continued to thrive in her transition to boxing Saturday with another big finish in England.

[autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] continued to blitz through opponents in her transition to boxing Saturday with another big finish.

The former UFC and current Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cyborg (27-2 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) took on the unheralded and seemingly overmatched Aria Wild in London, and the power that been a cornerstone of her career was once again on display.

Cyborg, 38, landed a clean shot in the second round of the contest, and Wild crashed to the canvas.

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

Prior to her victory, Cyborg told MMA Junkie Radio she intended to return to MMA this year for either a super fight with two-time PFL champion Larissa Pacheco, or a potential Bellator title defense against top contender Leah McCourt.

A potential boxing match with Claressa Shields has also been a constant subject of discussion, too, and Cyborg once again sent a message to the undefeated Olympic gold medalist (via X):

[lawrence-related id=2686259,323714,2541321]

UFC on ESPN 58 video: Westin Wilson taps Jeka Saragih with 12th triangle-armbar in UFC history

Westin Wilson scored just the 12th triangle-armbar submission in UFC history against Jeka Saragih at UFC on ESPN 58.

[autotag]Westin Wilson[/autotag]’s grappling prowess was on full display against [autotag]Jeka Saragih[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 58, and it resulted in his hand being raised within two minutes.

Saragih (14-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) charged at his opponent in the opening moments of the featherweight bout at the UFC Apex, but that led to his demise. Wilson (17-9 MMA, 1-2 UFC) tangled him up on the mat and locked in a triangle choke, which he transitioned into a triangle-armbar combination after a slam attempt and got the tap at the 1:49 mark of Round 1.

It was just the 12th finish of its kind in UFC history with a triangle armbar, according to the UFC on ESPN 58 broadcast. Check out the replay of it below (via X)

After the win, an elated Wilson unsuccessfully tried to jump into the arms of in-cage interviewer Michael Bisping. Then he laid out his next fight plans.

“It feels fantastic,” Wilson said in his post-fight interview with Bisping. “I want a Topps rookie card and a fight at UFC Salt Lake City, baby. That’s what I want. Let’s go.”

[lawrence-related id=2748542,2748539]

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 58 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 58.