Tag: UFC 298

Henry Cejudo: Brandon Moreno struggles to make flyweight, should fight me at bantamweight

Henry Cejudo doesn’t see why Brandon Moreno shouldn’t fight him at bantamweight.

[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] doesn’t see why [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] shouldn’t fight him at bantamweight.

Moreno (21-8-2 MMA, 9-5-2 UFC) called out Cejudo for a bantamweight bout last May, and Cejudo is willing to fight him at UFC 306 at the Sphere in Las Vegas – also known as “Noche UFC.”

Moreno is coming off a split decision loss to Brandon Royval in the UFC Fight Night 237 main event Saturday at Mexico City Arena. Cejudo (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) says he’s merely responding to Moreno’s prior callout.

“This was Brandon’s idea – I’m just accepting his challenge,” Cejudo told MMA Junkie in an interview to promote his new “Pound for Pound” podcast with Kamaru Usman. “Once I lost to Aljamain Sterling, he says, ‘Henry, don’t retire yet. F the belts, F everything, this isn’t about that, let’s me and you fight.’ And after this fight, just like, ‘All right man.’ I was contemplating retirement, but I just couldn’t – once I watched the fight, I knew the errors, I knew everything pretty much that happened, you know?”

In a recent interview with The Schmo, Cejudo’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, suggested there’s reluctance to make Cejudo vs. Moreno because the UFC thinks “The Assassin Baby” is too small. Cejudo dismissed that notion.

“That’s the stupidest sh*t ever,” Cejudo said. “I know Brandon. The dude struggles to make 125 pounds. He’s too f*cking big. It’s time for him to move up. I’m short. It sucks to make 125 pounds. This is the same reason why I went up (to bantamweight). I think he’ll become more successful, and I personally think he’ll feel better.”

Cejudo contemplated retirement after getting outlasted by Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 298, but quickly changed his tune.

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MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month for February: Middleweight contenders net another bonus

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from February 2024.

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from February 2024: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for February.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.

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Nominees

Aljamain Sterling honest in assessment of new UFC champ Ilia Topuria: ‘It’s a tough matchup for anybody’

Aljamain Sterling sees Ilia Topuria posing problems for everyone in the division – including himself.

[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] sees [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] posing problems for everyone in the division – including himself.

Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) knocked out Alexander Volkanovski to claim the featherweight title this past Saturday at UFC 298.

Topuria has primarily used his boxing in his impressive UFC run, but his first seven professional wins all came by submission, making him a well-rounded threat.

“I think (Topuria) could be champ for quite some time if he really wants to,” Sterling said on his YouTube channel. “That’s a hard style of fight. I mean, what do you do?”

Sterling (23-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC), a former bantamweight champion, seeks new life at featherweight when he meets Calvin Kattar at UFC 300 on April 13. With Topuria dismissing the current perennial contenders, Sterling could present fresh blood for the champion with a win.

But he knows it wouldn’t be easy.

“It’s a tough matchup for anybody – even for me, if I had the opportunity to fight him,” Sterling said. “Say I finish Calvin Kattar, make a big statement. They want something new, something fresh. Bhe Brian Ortega-Yair (Rodriguez featherweight) fight (at UFC Mexico) isn’t that great, maybe they throw me in there.

“I’m looking at it like, I’ve got my work cut out for me. That’s not an easy fight. That’s just being as honest as it is. I know I can punch, but it’s not how hard you can hit, sometimes you’ve got to be able to take that back.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

Video: Any reason Merab Dvalishvili shouldn’t be the next UFC bantamweight title challenger?

How can Merab Dvalishvili be denied after the week he had at UFC 298 culminated with his 10th win in a row?

[autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] might’ve made the biggest overall splash last week at UFC 298.

Yes, Ilia Topuria claimed gold, but Dvalishvili won over the crowd leading up to his fight and then proceeded to defeat Henry Cejudo by unanimous decision for his 10th win in a row to stake his claim as the next bantamweight title challenger.

Afterward, Dvalishvili even went so far as to say he could serve as the backup for the UFC 299 headliner between champ Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera on March 9 in Miami.

Is there any reason Dvalishvili shouldn’t be the next challenger at 135 pounds? Our “Spinning Back Clique” or Mike Bohn, Matthew Wells and Brian “Goze” Garcia answered that with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

Watch the conversation in the video above, and check out this week’s full episode on YouTube below.

Video: Has former UFC champ Robert Whittaker earned another middleweight title shot?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” debates former champion Robert Whittaker’s current standing in the UFC’s middleweight division.

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] has been among the top names in the UFC’s middleweight division for quite some time.

In the co-main event of UFC 298, the former champ picked up a big unanimous decision win over Paulo Costa. It was an incredible battle between two top names in the division, but the question now becomes: Where does Whittaker go from here?

Is it time for another crack at the title, which is currently held by the man who handed him his last loss, Dricus Du Plessis? Or does Whittaker need another win over another top contender, such as former champ Sean Strickland?

That’s what our “Spinning Back Clique” panel Mike Bohn, Matthew Wells and Brian “Goze” Garcia discussed along with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

Check out the conversation in the video above, and check out this week’s full episode below.

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MMA Junkie Radio #3439: Eric Nicksick joins the show, Jamahal Hill addresses concerns, more

Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”

Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,439, the fellas welcome in Xtreme Couture head coach Eric Nicksick, discuss Jamahal Hill’s recent statements about his return at UFC 300, and touch on the latest news in the MMA world. Tune in!

Video: Is UFC champ Ilia Topuria the sport’s next breakout superstar?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” debates the star power of Ilia Topuria after winning the UFC featherweight title.

Few fighters have broken through the MMA bubble to become true crossover stars, and [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] could be the next one to do it.

Stars such as [autotag]Ronda Rousey[/autotag] and [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] capitalized on their success inside the octagon to become big stars in other avenues such as movies, advertising, professional wrestling, and more.

Topuria, who just became champion by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski in the UFC 298 main event, could very well be on his way to be the next fighter to do such things.

So far, he’s checked all the boxes. He has an undefeated record, dresses the part, has the look, and gets fans excited with his fighting style and what he says on the microphone. Perhaps most importantly, he has the full support of two countries, Spain and Georgia.

Can he go on a run to become that next big star?

That’s what our “Spinning Back Clique” panel Mike Bohn, Matthew Wells and Brian “Goze” Garcia discussed along with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

Check out the conversation in the video above, and check out this week’s full episode below.

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Ray Longo proud that Merab Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling put friendship first, didn’t ‘sell out for $100,000’

Dana White thought it was a mistake when Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili wouldn’t fight each other, but Ray Longo is glad they didn’t.

Ray Longo praised his star students, [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] and [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag], for never fighting each other.

When Sterling was bantamweight champion, streaking contender Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) refused to fight his teammate for the title, which UFC CEO Dana White heavily criticized.

But after Sterling lost his bantamweight title and moved up to featherweight, the door opened for Dvalishvili, who was declared No. 1 contender for his impressive win over Henry Cejudo this past Saturday at UFC 298.

“To me, this is going to go down as one of the greatest human interest stories in MMA,” Longo said in a recent episode of the “Anik & Florian” podcast. “How these two guys formed a brotherhood and they didn’t succumb to all the bullsh*t. They didn’t sell out for $100,000.

“They put their friendship first and now everything’s working out, and they had to take a lot of sh*t for it. Aljo got tortured over it. Merab got tortured. Whether they want to say it or not, actions speak louder than words. We don’t have to hear it. We could see it. Aljo held to his word. He didn’t have to move up. He wanted to move up. He wants to see Merab get that shot.”

Sterling makes his 145-pound debut against perennial contender Calvin Kattar at UFC 300 on April 13. Meanwhile, Dvalishvili awaits the winner of the bantamweight title fight between champion Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera, which headlines UFC 299 on March 9 in Miami.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

Chael Sonnen’s advice for Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa after UFC 298: ‘No more breaks’

Chael Sonnen says activity is key for both Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa after UFC 298.

[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] says activity is key for both [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] and [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag].

Whittaker (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) outlasted Costa (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) in a thrilling battle in this past Saturday’s UFC 298 co-main event at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Whittaker fought once in 2023, suffering a TKO loss to current middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290. Costa has been far less active, not fighting in 2023, and logging in just one fight a year since 2018. Sonnen would like to see both fighters compete more often.

“Robert Whittaker is as true and pure of a fighter as I’ve ever seen,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “He is an absolute lock to go into the Hall of Fame. And when I look at Whittaker and where he needs to go from now, it’s the same analysis that I will look at Paulo Costa and where Paulo needs to go from now, which is quite simply no more breaks. No more year delays. No more talking about talking, and meeting about meetings, and thinking about thinking. You got to compete.

“Got to go in there, get that contract signed, get back in that training camp, and turn over as many performances as you can. It’s the one thing that brings pause when you’re talking about Robert Whittaker’s career. Where should we go with him now? Well, I need to know that he’s active. I need to know that he can take on three fights a year. The same thing goes for Paulo Costa.”

Costa, 32, is now 1-3 in his past four fights. The former title challenger’s lone victory in that stretch came over Luke Rockhold in a Fight of the Night war at UFC 278.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

Why Sean O’Malley is seeking fight vs. ‘scary’ fellow UFC champ Ilia Topuria over Merab Dvalishvili

Fighting Ilia Topuria gets Sean O’Malley a lot more excited than facing Merab Dvalishvili.

Fighting [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] gets [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] a lot more excited than facing [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag].

O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) has been calling to fight Topuria, who claimed the featherweight title by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298. On the same night, Dvalishvili outlasted former dual champion Henry Cejudo in an impressive showing.

But bantamweight champion O’Malley sees Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) as the much bigger and dangerous fight.

“He knocked out the featherweight GOAT in Round 2. I knocked out Aljo (Sterling), the bantamweight GOAT, in Round 2,” O’Malley said of Topuria on “The MMA Hour.” “I’ve kind of pushed that fight a little bit. I’ve been getting a lot of hate for it, a little pushback saying that I’m ducking Merab. I’m like, Merab just barely – not barely, he whooped Henry, but Henry is like 42 or something. He looked horrible. I would’ve knocked Henry out four times that fight. And then Ilia goes out there and knocks out Volk, the greatest featherweight of all time in Round 2 in a beautiful performance.

“And I’m calling him out, and I’m getting sh*t from the MMA fans, saying, ‘Oh, you’re ducking Merab.’ I’m trying to call out a fight that I feel is exciting, that’s like holy sh*t, but I got a lot of pushback on it. I don’t know if people actually want me to fight Merab as much as they just hate the confidence that I have that I would go out there and knock out Ilia. But I decided, I’ve said what I needed to say, I’ve sent my message to Ilia. If Merab is next, Merab is next. I can get Ilia whenever, whenever the time comes.”

O’Malley makes his first title defense in a rematch against Marlon Vera in the UFC 299 main event March 9 at Kaseya Center in Miami.

UFC CEO Dana White declared Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) as the No. 1 contender, and O’Malley is willing to fight him if he gets past Vera. He just sees Topuria as a fight that gets him up at night.

“Merab is very beatable,” O’Malley said. “Henry about knocked him out, Marlon Moraes about knocked him out. Merab’s got a crazy good gas tank, he’s got good wrestling, and he’s a dangerous opponent. When I think of a scary opponent, like what makes me (shiver), that’s Ilia. Ilia gives me that – he could put your f*cking lights out and change your life. That’s a scary opponent.

“Merab is a dangerous opponent, he’s just got that good cardio and he could eventually put your lights out after you gas out, but he’s not like – he didn’t finish Henry. So, we’ll see. I like big, big fights. Merab, I’m not saying that wouldn’t be up there, but what it comes down to is, what do the people really, truly want to see? If they want to see Merab, that’s what’s next. But again, I hate even talking about that, I’ve got ‘Chito’ in front of me.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.