Tag: UFC 294

Grisly photo shows severity of Paulo Costa’s staph infection that forced UFC 294 withdrawal

Anyone who’s been critical of Paulo Costa having to withdraw from UFC 294 might want to reconsider their stance.

Anyone who’s been critical of Paulo Costa having to withdraw from UFC 294 might want to reconsider their stance.

Costa was forced out of his fight with Khamzat Chimaev, which was scheduled for Saturday’s pay-per-view event in Abu Dhabi, last week after he wasn’t medically cleared to compete due to a staph infection.

The beginning of October was when Costa, who traveled to Abu Dhabi, first revealed he had elbow surgery just weeks before UFC 294, but he remained optimistic that he’d be recovered on time to fight. Costa (14-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) later revealed that he needed a second surgery.

Now we know the extent of Costa’s infection after his manager and girlfriend, Tamara Alves, on Monday posted a grisly photo to her Instagram Stories of his elbow missing a chunk of skin caused by staph.

As a result of Costa’s withdrawal, Chimaev now meets former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in a middleweight bout Saturday at UFC 294. UFC CEO Dana White said the winner will get the next title shot against champ Sean Strickland.

Costa has struggled to make it to the cage this year. He was announced to fight former champ Robert Whittaker in February but disputed that he ever agreed to the fight. Costa’s scheduled fight vs. Ikram Aliskerov on July 29 was scrapped 10 days out.

Costa last competed in August 2022 when he defeated Luke Rockhold in the Fight of the Night at UFC 278.

UPDATE: Costa later posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, his “official speech” on the situation regarding his injury and withdrawal.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.

Alexander Volkanovski: If Kamaru Usman is in shape, his takedown defense will be hard for Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294

Alexander Volkanovski sees Khamzat Chimaev vs. Kamaru Usman playing out on the feet.

[autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] sees [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]vs. [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] playing out on the feet.

Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) takes on Usman (20-3 MMA, 15-2 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 294 co-main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view at a special time of 2 p.m. ET following prelims on ESPN+.

Former welterweight champion Usman will be stepping in on less than two weeks’ notice and compete at a weight class above. But despite the circumstances not being on his side, Volkanovski thinks Usman will be a stern test for undefeated Chimaev

“I think, again, credit to Chimaev because it ain’t an easy fight,” Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel. “We know Usman’s got very good takedown defense. Colby Covington had big problems with Usman, trying to take him down. I think Usman even got the takedowns on him, so we could expect a standup fight.”

According to the UFC’s stats, Usman boasts 97 percent takedown defense, making it a tough task for Chimaev to take him down. Volkanovski agrees – but only if Usman is in shape.

“Obviously, Chimaev is going to be in better condition,” Volkanovski said. “I don’t know how long Usman’s been training for and Chimaev is a very, very high-paced fighter. So does that come into play? Can Usman handle the shots? I think he can. Can he handle that pace that Chimaev is going to put? Everything’s going to be 100 percent. It’s a three-rounder. He goes in for the kill, even when he’s wrestling or he’s punching. He can’t leave openings in striking.

“I think the pace that Chimaev is going to set is going to be hard to deal with for someone on short notice … (Usman has) always been in a situation where he’s been pretty prepared, so he’s always in good condition. It’ll be interesting to see how that goes. But if his gas tank doesn’t hold up and it does go in the later rounds, with the pressure that Chimaev is going to do, I think it’s going to be a hard night for Usman. But if Usman’s fit, his takedown defense is going to be hard and I think we’re in for a cracking fight.”

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Darren Till: Khamzat Chimaev ‘is going to ragdoll’ Kamaru Usman at UFC 294

Darren Till expects Khamzat Chimaev to steamroll former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi.

[autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] expects [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] to steamroll [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag].

After Paulo Costa wasn’t cleared to fight, Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) will now face short-notice replacement Usman (20-3 MMA, 15-2 UFC) in a middleweight bout in Saturday’s UFC 294 co-main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view at a special time of 2 p.m. ET following prelims on ESPN+.

Till is a good friend and training partner of Chimaev’s, but bias aside, he sees the undefeated Chimaev dominating the former UFC welterweight champion.

“I love Khamzat – God bless him,” Till told The Schmo. “Usman’s got balls, but I just think Khamzat is going to run over him – I do. As much as I’m his friend, I’m his biggest fan, Khamzat. I think he’s going to run over Usman. All respect to him. He is a GOAT, but yeah – I think Khamzat is going to ragdoll him. I do, sorry to say.”

Usman will look to rebound after back-to-back title losses to Leon Edwards. Chimaev will return for the first time since he scored a quick submission of Kevin Holland in September 2022. Chimaev vs. Holland was a 180-pound catchweight bout after Chimaev missed weight by nine pounds in his originally scheduled welterweight bout against Nate Diaz at UFC 279.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.

Robert Whittaker: Alexander Volkanovski’s head space on short notice could be better than first Islam Makhachev fight

Robert Whittaker sees the short-notice UFC 294 headliner potentially playing in Alexander Volkanovski’s favor.

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] sees the short-notice UFC 294 headliner potentially playing in [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]’s favor.

Featherweight champion Volkanovski (26-2 MMA, 13-1 UFC) will step in on less than two weeks’ notice to challenge [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (24-1 MMA, 13-1 UFC) for the lightweight title in Saturday’s headliner at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view at a special time of 2 p.m. ET following prelims on ESPN+.

Volkanovski wanted to immediately run things back after falling short to Makhachev in their first fight at UFC 284 in February. Volkanovski pushed Makhachev to the brink in a unanimous decision loss, but will have much less time to prepare for the rematch.

“I’m interested for this fight for sure, just to see how the dynamic between Makhachev and Volk changes from the first fight,” Whittaker said on his MMArcade Podcast. “Him going in maybe 12 days with nothing to lose, making a ton of money, last minute, late notice, nothing to lose, everything to gain – I think that sort of head space gets him in there almost better than the first time they fought because it frees him up.”

Just like the short-notice nature benefit Nate Diaz against Conor McGregor and Michael Bisping against Luke Rockhold, Whittaker thinks Volkanovski could pull the upset with the odds stacked against him.

“He’s got nothing to lose, everything to gain,” Whittaker said. “I can see that being a bit of a problem for Makhachev. I look at it and I wonder, ‘What does Makhachev do from the first fight to beat Volk? What can Makhachev do differently so that it’s not as close of a fight?’ Because arguably, Volk won (the first fight).”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.

UFC 294 ‘Embedded,’ No. 1: ‘Until we die or somebody dies’

The “Embedded” fight-week video series is back to document what’s happening behind the scenes at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi.

The UFC is back for its regular fall trip to Abu Dhabi, and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 294 takes place Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view at a special time of 2 p.m. ET following prelims on ESPN+.

In the main event, lightweight champion Islam Makhachev (24-1 MMA, 13-1 UFC) takes on featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski (26-2 MMA, 13-1 UFC), who once again will try to become a two-division titleholder. Volkanovski stepped up on short notice when Charles Oliveira pulled out. He lost to Makhachev in the UFC 284 main event earlier this year in Australia.

In the co-feature, Khamzat Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) is at middleweight after he badly missed weight a little more than a year ago at 170 pounds. He takes on former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman (20-3 MMA, 15-2 UFC), who will make the move up to 185 for the first time – and on short notice after Paulo Costa pulled out.

The first episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Khamzat Chimaev and foe Kamaru Usman are all systems go – as usual. Champ Alexander Volkanovski reacts to a surprise second chance. Johnny Walker looks to make a statement; Usman packs like a pro. Champ Islam Makhachev trains with legend Khabib.

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Daniel Cormier: Islam Makhachev overlooked Alexander Volkanovski in first fight, but won’t at UFC 294

Daniel Cormier thinks Islam Makhachev underestimated Alexander Volkanovski in their first fight.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] underestimated [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] in their first fight.

Featherweight champion Volkanovski gave lightweight champion Makhachev arguably the toughest test of his career in their title fight at UFC 284 in February. Makhachev defeated Volkanovski by unanimous decision after a competitive five rounds.

Makhachev (24-1 MMA, 13-1 UFC) was scheduled to rematch Charles Oliveira next, but Oliveira was forced out due to a cut. Stepping in on less than two weeks’ notice will be Volkanovski (26-2 MMA, 13-1 UFC), who will get his desired rematch in Saturday’s UFC 294 headliner at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view at a special time of 2 p.m. ET following prelims on ESPN+.

“If there’s anybody who’s going to be in shape and ready to fight a five-round title fight in 10 days, it’s going to be Alexander Volkanovski,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “He’s the pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter in the world. He has shown guys time and time again the guys at 145 cannot compete with him. He has been as dominant of a champion as we’ve seen in a really long time, and in the first fight with Islam, he had a lot of moments of success. Anytime you hear a fight like that get announced, you wonder the thoughts of the teams. Obviously, Volkanovski is very confident after what he did in the first one.

“But when you hear Islam talk or you look at his posts on Instagram, Islam immediately says, ‘Thank you for taking the fight. Don’t use it as an excuse.’ I believe that in Fight 1, Islam might have overlooked the guy a little bit. I think he took him a little bit light because he expected to be able to finish him. I felt Makhachev fought a little bit too aggressively early. If you know Islam, you know that’s not the way that he fights. I thought he had this idea that he was going to finish him because he was smaller and he was surprised by how good Volkanovski is. I don’t imagine that’ll happen again this time.”

Cormier is even more excited about the UFC 294 headliner now. Volkanovski immediately called for a rematch in Abu Dhabi after falling short against Makhachev in Perth, and will get his wish – even though the circumstances aren’t ideal.

“I believe that the pay-per-view actually got bigger because there is so much interest in Islam vs. Volkanovski,” Cormier said. “If people would have called for it, the rematch could have happened right now. The UFC has always been open to it. Volkanovski already has gone on and beaten somebody else.

“He always said he would be in Abu Dhabi. He always said he would keep himself readily available in case something happened. This is a very rare case though, because you don’t generally get the backup guy or the guy that’s not scheduled to fight in the fight. That’s happening for Volk.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.

Kamaru Usman ahead of UFC 294: Khamzat Chimaev ‘has everything – but so do I’

Kamaru Usman sees himself as just as big of a threat as Khamzat Chimaev ahead of their middleweight co-main event at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi.

[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] sees himself as big of a threat as [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag].

Usman (20-3 MMA, 15-2 UFC) will step in on less than two weeks’ notice in a middleweight bout against Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 294 co-main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view at a special time of 2 p.m. ET following prelims on ESPN+.

Chimaev has yet to lose in his professional MMA career, but former UFC welterweight champion Usman intends on matching him wherever the fight goes.

“He’s very skilled,” Usman told TMZ. “He’s strong, he’s big, he’s fast, he can wrestle, he can grapple, he can strike. He has everything – but so do I. At the end of the day, we’re all human beings. Everybody feels invincible until someone comes in and pokes that balloon.”

Usman holds a win over current UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland in 2017. UFC CEO Dana White said the winner of Usman vs. Chimaev is next in line for a title shot, and Usman thinks it’s a no-brainer.

Although his win over Strickland came over six years ago at welterweight, Usman thinks their history would make things that much more compelling.

“It’s a built-in,” Usman said. “Sean Strickland’s the champion. I’ve already taken care of him. Not to say he’s not better – he is. But I’ve got a mountain in front of me that I need to scale and climb, so we’ll get through that first and then we’ll worry about what’s next.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.

Spinning Back Clique LIVE with guest panelist Cub Swanson: UFC vs. USADA, UFC 294, Paul-Danis, more

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel discusses the UFC-USADA situation, UFC 294’s new headliners, Logan Paul vs. Dillon Danis and much 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 special guest and UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag], Brian “Goze” Garcia, and Nolan King will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate:

  • The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency pulled a stunner when it announced it no longer would be the UFC’s drug-testing partner starting in 2024. The organization specifically singled out Conor McGregor and a presumption that the UFC will try to skirt the rules and let him fight without being in the testing pool for six months with two clean tests. The UFC said USADA is dirty. There is all kinds of stuff to unpack here – including the part we’ve all wondered about for months, which is what will happen when McGregor is ready to return sooner than the USADA standard?
  • UFC 294 got a new main event when former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira pulled out of his rematch with champ Islam Makhachev. Instead, featherweight titleholder Alexander Volkanovski will take one more crack at becoming a two-division champ. He lost to Makhachev in February going after the 155-pound belt, and he jumped at the chance for a rematch sooner than he expected.
  • To go with that new headliner in Abu Dhabi, the co-main event changed when Paulo Costa pulled out of his fight against the unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev. So ex-welterweight champ Kamaru Usman will move up to middleweight for the first time in the UFC and will try to snap his two-fight skid in perhaps the toughest way possible. We’ll look at the stakes for everyone involved.
  • The Logan Paul vs. Dillon Danis boxing match was about what most people expected. It also appears to have drawn a lot of attention. We’ll look at that fight, plus Derrick Lewis’ short-notice shot in Brazil, the UFC’s bonus decisions, the new Sphere in Las Vegas, and much more …

Video: UFC 294 ‘Countdown’ for Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski 2

Did you miss the debut of UFC 294 “Countdown” or just want to watch it again? Check out the main event preview now.

Did you miss the debut of UFC 294 “Countdown” or just want to watch it again? Check out the main event preview now.

The segment takes a special look at the lightweight title rematch between champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (24-1 MMA, 13-1 UFC) and short-notice challenger [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (26-2 MMA, 13-1 UFC), the UFC’s featherweight champ.

Volkanovski will attempt to become a two-division champ for the second time. He lost to Makhachev in February. Given Volkanovski took the fight on just 10 days’ notice when Charles Oliveira pulled out, the “Countdown” segment focuses primarily on Makhachev’s preparation for UFC 294.

UFC 294 takes place Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view at a special time of 2 p.m. ET following prelims on ESPN+.

“Countdown” goes behind the scenes, and you can watch the full segment above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.

Craig Jones says Alexander Volkanovski will end a martial art vs. Islam Makhachev: ‘Sambo is a myth. It doesn’t exist’

Craig Jones thinks Alexander Volkanovski puts an end to Sambo at UFC 294.

[autotag]Craig Jones[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] puts an end to Sambo at UFC 294.

Volkanovski (26-2 MMA, 13-1 UFC) will step in on less than two weeks’ notice to rematch lightweight champion Islam Makhachev (24-1 MMA, 13-1 UFC) next Saturday, Oct. 21 in Abu Dhabi.

Jones, a multiple-time IBJJF world championship medalist and 2019 ADCC runner up, isn’t sold on Sambo as a martial art, and hopes Volkanovski proves how ineffective it is by beating Makhachev.

“It makes him a man that disproved Sambo, and that will trump his legacy in the sport because we’ve wasted another martial art,” Jones told Submission Radio. “Most martial arts were killed in 1993. Somehow, Sambo has limped and lingered on to 2023. So Volkanovski kills Sambo, and we get to stop hearing about this Russian dancer.”

Jones received criticism for claiming that Makhachev doesn’t have good submissions, and thinks their first fight proved it. Makhachev had more than seven minutes of control time on Volkanovski at UFC 284, but wasn’t able to submit him. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

“The last fight, we spent a ton of time on submission defense,” Jones said. “Obviously, that’s a waste of time because as we learned, Islam doesn’t know any submissions. He just holds on to the back for 20 minutes. This time, we’ll probably get out of the body triangle. There was no submission threat at all, so Volk was just chilling, getting energy back, punching him in the head. This time, we’ll get out of that.”

Makhachev’s mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov once infamously sported a t-shirt which read, “If Sambo was easy, it would be called jiu-jitsu,” but Jones explains why he doesn’t think Sambo really exists.

“We’ve heard about catch wrestling. We’ve heard about Sambo. We’ve never seen it work,” Jones said. “If Islam gets a submission, that’s a jiu-jitsu submission. If he gets a takedown, that’s a judo takedown. If he shoots a double-leg, that’s a wrestling move. So for me, where’s Sambo? Sambo is a myth. It doesn’t exist.”

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