Tag: UFC 294

Khamzat Chimaev credits Sean Strickland for title win but issues him a warning: ‘I’m coming for you’

Khamzat Chimaev lauded Sean Strickland for his big upset win over Israel Adesanya.

[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] lauded [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] for his big upset win over Israel Adesanya.

Strickland (28-5 MMA, 15-5 UFC) dethroned Adesanya to become middleweight champion at UFC 293 earlier this month, sweeping the judges’ scorecards for a unanimous decision win.

Having trained with Strickland before at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) was happy to see him become champion after putting the work in.

“He works hard, deserves it,” Chimaev said on his YouTube channel. “The guy is always in the gym. Now he’s got the belt. He has a good team, good coach. I have been there, training with that guy. They deserve that belt. He has been active, fights with everybody.”

Chimaev returns to middleweight when he faces Paulo Costa (14-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in the UFC 294 co-main event on Oct. 21 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

He will look to emerge as the next title contender with a win over former title challenger Costa, and warns Strickland that he’s coming for him.

“Now it’s my time,” Chimaev said. “Smash that guy (Costa), then it doesn’t matter if it will be Izzy or Strickland or somebody else, we coming for them. Strickland! Coming for him. If you stay there, man, I’m coming for you, too.”

Undefeated Chimaev’s most recent appearance at 185 pounds came in September 2020 when he needed just 17 seconds to knock Gerald Meerschaert out.

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Gilbert Burns on Paulo Costa’s chances vs. Khamzat Chimaev: ‘He doesn’t have the heart that I have’

Gilbert Burns doesn’t think Paulo Costa poses as much of a threat to Khamzat Chimaev as he did.

[autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] doesn’t think [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] poses as much of a threat to [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] as he did.

Costa (14-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) meets Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in the UFC 294 co-main event on Oct. 21 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Burns gave undefeated Chimaev his toughest test to date when he pushed him to the brink in their barnburner at UFC 273 last year. Although Costa is a lot bigger than Burns, “Durinho” says he doesn’t possess some of the necessary attributes that he has.

“He’s a big guy, but I don’t think he has the heart that I have,” Burns told Middle Easy. “I don’t think he has the jiu-jitsu that I have. He doesn’t have the get-ups that I have. He doesn’t have the submission threat that I have that makes Khamzat not want to grapple.

“He’s a very strong and big guy, but if I had to guess – and I don’t like both of these guys, a double knockout would be the best result – but it’s a 50-50 fight. If Khamzat is able to take him down, it’ll be a hard night for Costa. If Costa is able to defend the takedown, it’ll be a hard night for Khamzat.”

According to BetMGM, Costa is a +260 underdog, meaning a $100 bet on “Borrachinha” would win $260 profit. Chimaev is a -350 favorite, meaning a $350 bet would be needed on the unbeaten fighter to return $100 profit.

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Nathaniel Wood to fight Muhammad Naimov at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi

Nathaniel Wood will look to make it four wins in a row at UFC 294.

[autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag] has his next UFC assignment.

Wood (19-5 MMA, 7-2 UFC) will look to push his winning streak to four when he meets [autotag]Muhammad Naimov[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) in a featherweight bout Oct. 21 at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi. Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the booking Saturday but asked to remain anonymous since the UFC hasn’t made an announcement.

Wood, 30, a former Cage Warriors champion, is coming off a unanimous decision win against Andre Fili in a brawl this past July. Prior to that, Wood also won decisions against Charles Jourdain and Charles Rosa.

Naimov, 29, is on a four-fight winning streak, which includes most recently a second-round submission of Jamie Mullarkey in his UFC debut this past June.

With the addition, the UFC 294 lineup includes:

  • Champ Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira – for lightweight title
  • Khamzat Chimaev vs. Paulo Costa
  • Ikram Aliskerov vs. Nassourdine Imavov
  • Magomed Ankalaev vs. Johnny Walker
  • Tim Elliott vs. Muhammad Mokaev
  • Abu Azaitar vs. Sedriques Dumas
  • Sharabutdin Magomedov vs. Bruno Silva
  • Viktoriia Dudakova vs. Jinh Yu Frey
  • Trevor Peek vs. Mohammad Yahya
  • Javid Basharat vs. Victor Henry
  • Muhammad Naimov vs. Nathaniel Wood

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Nassourdine Imavov predicts Sean Strickland loses ‘complicated fight’ to Israel Adesanya, welcomes future rematch

Nassourdine Imavov is ready to rematch Sean Strickland if Israel Adesanya wins at UFC 293.

[autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag] is ready to rematch [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] if [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] beats him.

Strickland (27-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC), who defeated Imavov in a five-round main event in January, challenges middleweight champion Adesanya (24-2 MMA, 13-2 UFC) in the UFC 293 headliner on Sept. 9 in Sydney.

Not many are giving Strickland a chance, but after going 25 minutes with him, Imavov (12-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) isn’t counting him out entirely. However, he still sees Adesanya prevailing. Imavov hopes if Strickland loses, he gets his chance to run things back.

“I don’t think it’s going to be very easy for him,” Imavov said through an interpreter during Q&A on Friday in Paris ahead of UFC Fight Night 226. “I think it’s going to be a really complicated fight. What I will say is that Strickland is a really annoying guy to fight against.

“And the longer the fight goes, if it goes five rounds, it could actually work to Strickland’s favor. However, I don’t think he’s going to win. I think he’s going to come back down the rankings, and I think I’m going to get my shot at a rematch in the future.”

After amassing a three-fight winning streak, Imavov lost to Strickland. The defeat was followed by an unfortunate no contest against Chris Curtis at UFC 289 in June. He will look to rebound when he faces Ikram Aliskerov at UFC 294 on Oct. 21 in Abu Dhabi – a challenge he’s taking very seriously.

“Ikram is an excellent fighter,” Imavov said. “If I’m not mistaken, his record is 14-1. A lot of people consider him to be the future going forwards. It’s a massive challenge for me but you know what? That’s what I want, challenges. So, I’m really pleased and that’s what I look forward to in the future of my career.”

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Gilbert Burns: It’ll be a long night for Khamzat Chimaev if Paulo Costa defends his takedowns

Gilbert Burns expects Khamzat Chimaev to have a hard time against Paulo Costa if he can’t get him down.

[autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] expects [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] to have a hard time against [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] if he can’t get him down.

Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) returns for his first fight since September 2022 when he takes on Costa (14-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) at UFC 294 on Oct. 21 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Burns gave Chimaev the toughest test of his career, when he pushed him to the brink in a war at UFC 273. Burns ended up losing by unanimous decision, but had unbeaten Chimaev in trouble during the fight.

“That is a good one,” Burns said during a Q&A in Singapore. “I’m even going to make a big breakdown of that on my YouTube channel, but it’s a very close fight. I think it’s going to be decided in the clinch.

“I think Khamzat will come with a lot of pressure, try to take Costa down. If he’s able, it’s going to be a big problem for Costa. But if Costa defends and can get away and use the striking, it’s going to be a long night for Khamzat.”

If the fight stays on the feet, Burns sees Costa getting the best of Chimaev.

“I think it’s a very close fight and it will be decided in the clinch,” Burns said. “If Khamzat can take him down, Khamzat wins. But if Costa can defend it and use the striking, then Costa wins – very close fight.”

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Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady hopes to fulfill big dream of fighting at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi

Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady already made one dream a reality by earning a UFC contract. Now he wants to realize another.

[autotag]Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady[/autotag] already made one dream a reality. Now he wants to realize another.

A big underdog against Cage Warriors champion George Hardwick at Dana White’s Contender Series 58 last Tuesday, Al-Selwady (15-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) impressed when he defeated the highly touted Brit by unanimous decision to earn a UFC contract.

It’s been a longtime coming for the 28-year-old Fortis MMA fighter, who never gave up on his UFC hope. Now, Palestine’s Al-Selwady would love to make his octagon debut in front of his home fans in the Middle East by competing at UFC 294 on Oct. 21 in Abu Dhabi.

“If the UFC calls me any day now or any week now for Abu Dhabi, I will take that call,” Al-Selwady told MMA Junkie. “I will accept it because UFC Abu Dhabi is the biggest event of the year. It’s my dream. My dream is to get into the UFC, win my first fight in the UFC, eventually fight at UFC Abu Dhabi. So, if I could get all of those dreams right away, why not? Why would I have to wait until October next year if I could just do it now?”

Al-Selwady, a former BRAVE CF lightweight champion, has competed in various countries in the Middle East such as Jordan, Abu Dhabi, and Bahrain.

If he was to get the opportunity to fight in Abu Dhabi for the UFC, “The Pride of Palestine” expects plenty of support.

“I fought in Abu Dhabi before, and I’ve fought in the Middle East in other shows, so just imagine if I fought for the UFC in Abu Dhabi,” Al-Selwady said. “I forgot to mention this to Dana, but I have people that bought their tickets to Abu Dhabi from June. Literally, like they were telling me, ‘Hey, Abdul, no pressure, but I bought my tickets to UFC Abu Dhabi because you’re going to be on that card after you win on the Contender Series and they sign you to the UFC.’

“I was like, ‘Yo, leave me alone, I’m not focused on that right now. I just have to focus on the next fight.’ So, it’s not just one or two friends. I have multiple people that already bought their tickets to Abu Dhabi for those dates. Not that that’s my priority for them, but there’s already a lot of people that believe in me to book their tickets before I even got in. So just imagine now with me being in, what them booking me a fight in Abu Dhabi, if that’s going to happen. I just can’t imagine what kind of support there would be, and I’d love to do that.”

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Bo Nickal calls Khamzat Chimaev’s wrestling ‘trash’: ‘I wouldn’t even say mid’

Bo Nickal does not rate Khamzat Chimaev’s wrestling very highly.

[autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag] does not rate [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]’s wrestling very highly.

Although Chimaev has looked unstoppable with his grappling throughout his MMA career, multiple-time NCAA Division-I wrestling champion Nickal was rather critical of his skills.

“It’s trash,” Nickal said in an interview with Clash of Combat. “I wouldn’t even say mid-(level).”

Nickal (5-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has called Chimaev out on multiple occasions, and thinks a future showdown is inevitable. An unbeaten rising star himself, Nickal continued his tear through the middleweight division when he needed just 38 seconds to knock Val Woodburn out at UFC 290.

“At the end of the day, I feel like I can say whatever about his wrestling skills, his fighting skills, this and that, we’re going to fight at some point and people will realize there’s levels,” Nickal said. “It’s just so funny, you go into a world of MMA where there’s no other sport where people know less and think they know more.”

Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) returns to middleweight to take on former title challenger Paulo Costa (14-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) at UFC 294 on Oct. 21 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Nickal picks Chimaev to win, but wonders how he will deal with Costa’s size.

“I think it’s going to be a good fight,” Nickal said. “Probably – I think he probably will. It’s definitely a different ball game when you go from 170 to 185. We’re talking about a different size human being.”

Because Chimaev has made 170 pounds on numerous occasions, Nickal thinks he’d be too much for Chimaev.

“We’ll see how he does,” Nickal continued. “He’s obviously a big ’70, but it’s a different size human, and to me, anybody who can make 170, none of those dudes are going to be competitive with me. Costa is a different story, I’m going to watch the fight, so we’ll see how he does.”

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‘Shara Bullet’ Sharabutdin Magomedov set to debut at UFC 294 vs. Bruno Silva

Sharabutdin Magomedov has already created quite the buzz – and he’s not even in the UFC yet.

Highly touted prospect “Shara Bullet” has his first UFC assignment – and it’s no layup.

At UFC 294, [autotag]Sharabutin Magomedov[/autotag] will make his promotional debut against [autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]. The middleweight bout takes place Oct. 21 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. MMA reporter Laerte Viana first reported the matchup Tuesday.

Magomedov (11-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) enters the UFC with 10 career knockouts, only having gone the decision one time. Known for his flashy yet effective style and explosive striking, Magomedov trains under coach Gor Azizyan, at GOR MMA in Moscow. The gym also has recently elevated Valter Walker and Bogdan Guskov to the UFC.

Silva (23-9 MMA, 4-3 UFC) looks to get on track after a submission loss to Brendan Allen in June. Through seven UFC outings, Silva has only gone the distance one time. Wins in the promotion include Wellington Turman, Andrew Sanchez, and Jordan Wright.

With the addition, the UFC 294 lineup includes:

  • Champion Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira
  • Khamzat Chimaev vs. Paulo Costa
  • Ikram Aliskerov vs. Nassourdine Imavov
  • Magomed Ankalaev vs. Johnny Walker
  • Tim Elliott vs. Muhammad Mokaev
  • Abu Azaitar vs. Sedriques Dumas
  • Sharabutdin Magomedov vs. Bruno Silva

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

Paul Craig: Khamzat Chimaev should impose will on Paulo Costa at UFC 294, finish him under three rounds

Paul Craig think Khamzat Chimaev will be too much for Paulo Costa.

[autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag] think [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] will be too much for [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag].

Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) returns to middleweight to take on former title challenger Costa (14-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) at UFC 294 on Oct. 21 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Craig, who made his successful 185-pound debut when he scored a Round 2 TKO of Andre Muniz at UFC Fight Night 224, is high on Chimaev and expects his grappling to overwhelm Costa.

Chimaev’s most recent appearance at middleweight came in September 2020 when he needed just 17 seconds to knock out Gerald Meerschaert.

“I’ve always rated Chimaev,” Craig told Middle Easy. “He’s (got) that scary Russian grappling mode, you know, that those guys have got. So, I reckon he should be able to impose his will on Costa. But Costa’s this big, powerful 185er, so it’s going to be interesting to see. That’s why the UFC has made this.

“But if I was a betting man, then I would go for Chimaev to finish him, probably under three rounds. I don’t see that going the distance. I feel that Chimaev will just out-grapple him and wear him down, and as I say, it’ll be that dotted jiu-jitsu that will help him seal that victory. But as I say, Costa, especially on that secret juice, who knows how he’ll do against him.”

Craig (17-6-1 MMA, 9-6-1 UFC) expressed interest in fighting Chimaev after stopping Muniz. At light heavyweight, Craig has finished the likes of former UFC champion Jamahal Hill, former title challenger Magomed Ankalaev, and top contender Nikita Krylov.

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Islam Makhachev’s coach prefers Alexander Volkanovski rematch over Justin Gaethje after UFC 294

Javier Mendez wants Islam Makhachev to rematch Alexander Volkanovski after UFC 294.

Javier Mendez wants [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] to rematch [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] after UFC 294.

UFC lightweight champion Makhachev (24-1 MMA, 13-1 UFC) runs things back with Charles Oliveira in the Oct. 21 main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Makhachev ran through Oliveira in their first fight, submitting him in Round 2 at UFC 280.

If successful, Mendez would rather Makhachev face Volkanovski (26-2 MMA, 13-1 UFC) again over “BMF” champion [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] (25-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC), who emerged as a top contender after knocking Dustin Poirier out this past Saturday at UFC 291.

“What I would want? I’d want Alex,” Mendez told Submission Radio. “My personal pick, I’d want Alex. And then after Alex, if we’re successful, I’d want the welterweight title.”

Featherweight champion Volkanovski took Makhachev to the brink in their lightweight title fight at UFC 284 in February – a fight Volkanovski thought he won. Mendez explains that he wants Makhachev to erase any doubt by beating him in more convincing fashion in a rematch.

“Well, because there’s still unfinished business with Alex in my mind,” Mendez said. “There’s still unfinished business. There’s no clarity. And in our eyes, it was clear that there’s just too much uncertainty. And on top of that, I hate to say it, but that fight delivered, that fight delivered.

“It was supposed to be, you know, one of the great fights between two greats, and it turned out to be exactly that. Two champions got in there and it was a championship-quality caliber fight. But there’s still undecidedness on the other side. And I want to prove that we are the better fighters. So, I myself personally would want that fight for that reason. It’s a challenge. Because Alex is a huge challenge. And I like that.”

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