Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Ahead of UFC 309, take a look at a chronological history of the UFC heavyweight belt.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
The heavyweight title is on the line Saturday in the UFC 309 main event when Jon Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) puts his belt up for the first time when he takes on former champ Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC).
Take a look at a chronological history of the UFC’s heavyweight title, which the promotion uses to claim its holder as “the baddest man on the planet.”
Take a look at a chronological history of the UFC welterweight belt.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
The 170-pound was up for grabs at UFC 304, and after years of waiting for a shot, Belal Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) dethroned champion Leon Edwards (22-4 MMA, 14-3 UFC).
The welterweight division in the UFC has had some lengthy title reigns. Take a look at a chronological history of the UFC’s 170-pound belt.
Kamaru Usman thinks he’s a better version of UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad.
[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] thinks he’s a better version of UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag].
The pair continue to chirp at each other ever since Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) claimed the welterweight title from Leon Edwards with a dominant performance at UFC 304. Edwards was coming off back-to-back title wins over Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC).
“My man, you’re kind of a not-so-good version of myself,” Usman said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Henry Cejudo. “You’re kind of a not so – everything he does, I do better. He’s like, ‘Oh, I did what you couldn’t do, I beat Leon Edwards.’ I have a win over Leon Edwards.
“And in the second fight, I dominated Leon Edwards until lightning struck and he landed the kick. Becoming the new champion, that goes to your head. It’s like having your first beer. All of a sudden now you talking reckless to everybody.”
Muhammad told MMA Junkie that he’d be open to making his first title defense against Usman – even though the former champion is coming off three straight losses. He does however acknowledge that undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov is likely next.
Muhammad responded to Usman’s comments on his “Remember the Show” podcast.
“He’s one of the best welterweights to ever do it – I mean, he lost to Leon twice, and I just dominated Leon,” Muhammad said. “I did it better than him. He can say, ‘Oh, I had this win in 2015,’ but bro, that was 2015. Like, why are you sitting there grasping at straws to back then when nobody even knew who Leon was? Nobody knew who you were. This new version of Leon, that’s the version I beat. The one that beat you, that’s the one I just dominated.”
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Paddy Pimblett plans on giving UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev something to be excited about.
[autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] plans on giving UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] something to be excited about.
Unbeaten in the octagon, Pimblett (22-3 MMA, 6-0 UFC) entered the top 15 lightweight rankings after a quick submission finish of King Green at UFC 304 in July.
Although Pimblett likely is a few fights away before entering title contention, Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) was asked about the popular Brit during a recent UFC Q&A in Abu Dhabi.
“When he deserve, why not?” Makhachev said. “If he won the next couple matches, when he’s going to be like top 10, why not? Because I don’t have some exciting fights in my division. We need some new names.
“I see how he finish King. It was a good performance, and now it’s the time that he has good opponents, when he’s at the top. Now he has to train more. Now it’s all guys who are so dangerous.”
Makhachev has found it hard to get up for a rematch with No. 1 contender Arman Tsarukyan since he already beat him in April 2019. Makhachev was looking forward to a move up to welterweight to chase dual-champion status, but his plans were put on hold after his friend Belal Muhammad claimed the title.
Pimblett reacted to Makhachev’s praise, and plans on seeing him in the near future.
“Did you see that where Islam was talking about me the other day? He said, ‘He’s an exciting fighter,’ and that ‘If he keeps winning, you never know,'” Pimblett said on his YouTube channel. “‘He could fight for the belt,’ and that. You know Islam, we’re coming. We’re coming brother, we’re coming.”
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Darren Till thinks Belal Muhammad’s title win won’t make the UFC brass too happy.
[autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag]’s title win won’t make the UFC brass too happy.
Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) upset Leon Edwards to claim the welterweight title at UFC 304 in July. Some accused Dana White of having a sour face while reacting to Muhammad becoming champion, but the UFC CEO vehemently dismissed those notions.
Former UFC title challenger Till thinks otherwise. He explains that Muhammad won’t be as appealing of a champion as some of the other fighters on the UFC roster – even though he likes him as a person.
“I think it’s good and bad,” Till told Title Sports Network on Muhammad becoming champion. “I think sometimes them guys are just them guys, aren’t they? Like, Paddy (Pimblett) is that guy, I was that guy, Conor (McGregor) and Israel Adesanya, and stuff like that. I love Belal. He knows I do.
“I’ve beefed him a lot on Twitter. If I was Dana (White), he probably wouldn’t be the champion I’d want. But you know what? He stayed true to himself. He’s carrying a big weight on his shoulders now with the belt, and obviously he’s a good guy. So I’m not hating, but he’s probably not the most exciting champion you’d want.”
Despite jokingly taking numerous shots at him on social media, Till did credit Muhammad for his title win on “X.”
Thanks bro let’s be friends
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) August 3, 2024
Muhammad has already won fans over with his willingness to be an active champion and take on all comers. He welcomes undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov for his first title defense.
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Renato Moicano has issues his response to Paddy Pimblett.
Ask and you shall receive. [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] called out [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] and now he’s got a response.
The English star requested the winner of “Money” Moicano and Benoit Saint-Denis, which is set to headline the UFC’s return to Paris on Sept. 28, following his quick submission win over King Green this past Saturday at UFC 304. Although he called for the winner, he said he’d preferably like to face Moicano.
“Let me tell you something, Paddy Pimblett: If you want the smoke, my brother, be prepared, because I’m going to f*ck you up – 100 percent,” Moicano said on the ‘Show Me the Money’ podcast. “But I have to take my hat off: huge performance. I don’t want to be a hater and say, ‘Oh, he don’t deserve.’ No, you know what? Motherf*cker deserves to be in the top 15. That’s the truth.”
Apart from the callout, Pimblett (22-3 MMA, 6-0 UFC) also suggested that him and Moicano (19-5-1 MMA, 11-5 UFC) be opposing coaches for the next season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Moicano is all in on the idea, but thinks some extra editing will have to be done if it comes to fruition.
“Respect to him because he not only called me out, but he said we need to do ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ and I agree with that,” Moicano said. “It’s going to be the first ‘Ultimate Fighter’ with subtitles, my brother, because I cannot understand this motherf*cker. Maybe his English is worse than mine.”
Moicano also revealed he’s entering the fight against Saint-Denis on the final bout of his current UFC contract. He’d like to stay with the UFC and get a bigger bag.
“Let me talk serious about that, Paddy Pimblett: I’m planning on beating Benoit Saint-Denis in France, and then we talk business,” Moicano said. “Let me tell you something, UFC. Let me tell you something: Show me the money and let’s do it.”
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Belal Muhammad’s boxing coach, Horacio Gutierrez, responds to critics from viral pre-fight claims on UFC 304 Embedded video.
[autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] is the new UFC welterweight champion, something the oddsmakers didn’t see coming. But perhaps what’s most surprising is how he got it done.
Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) pulled off the upset by taking the UFC welterweight belt from Leon Edwards this past Saturday in the main event of UFC 304 in Manchester, England. He did so by out grappling Edwards (22-4 MMA, 14-3 UFC), but also out striking him – which left many in awe.
Before the event, Muhammad and specifically his boxing coach [autotag]Horacio Gutierrez[/autotag] got a lot of heat for some bold claims. In the first UFC Embedded episode for UFC 304, Gutierrez said they had improved Muhammad’s boxing and gotten him a Mexican style similar to the legendary Canelo Alvarez and Juan Manuel Marquez.
“We went viral,” Gutierrez told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “The moment that clip came out on UFC’s Embedded, we went viral for that comment. Like you said, nobody believed us that Belal could beat Leon Edwards with his hands. Leon Edwards is one of the best, if not the best striker in the division, and yet I said that with all the confidence.
“I was sure of what I was saying because of the work we put in. I saw Belal’s hands and how he worked on them every single day, how he was landing, and how he was sparring. I didn’t say that just to talk, and we showed that in the cage. Belal connected with way more shots, and his jab was incredible. His hands literally were key in getting us this victory.
“Leon Edwards prepared to defend the takedowns because he knew that was coming, but he never imagined that Belal was going to get him in trouble on the feet, and then the takedown would come easy. It was very satisfying. Now I’m getting memes from people comparing Canelo and Belal, but in a positive manner. Now they believe. We’re going to keep working, there’s a lot to improve, but we’re happy with our work.”
Gutierrez, a former UFC fighter who shifted his focus to coaching, was delighted to see Muhammad finally achieve his dream of becoming a UFC champion. Gutierrez, along with the team at Valle Flow Striking in Chicago, couldn’t be happier for Muhammad.
“I’ve fought in the UFC, but this is a different feeling,” Gutierrez said. “When someone you care about a ton is fighting, someone you’ve spent so much time with, you get even more nerves because you can’t do anything. You’re not the one fighting in that cage. All you can do is keep your mind clear, so you can help get the win.
“It was incredible. There was a different kind of nerves because we were fighting for a world time, and it was my first UFC championship fight that I cornered. It was different, but we handled it very well. I knew he had won once the fight was over. I thought he won four rounds, at worst three, so we were just waiting for the decision. When they lifted his hand and said, ‘And new,’ it was an incredible feeling I can’t explain.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.
Is Paddy Pimblett now a serious contender after his UFC 304 win? We discuss on “Spinning Back Clique.”
[autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] impressed many in his most recent trip to the octagon – enough to have people reassessing his potential in the stacked UFC lightweight division.
This past Saturday, Pimblett (22-3 MMA, 6-0 UFC) submitted [autotag]King Green[/autotag] in brutal fashion on the main card of UFC 304 in Manchester, England. This was the first time that Pimblett faced and beat someone in the UFC’s official rankings.
The result leff questions in the MMA community: Who should be next for the British star, and how far can he go at 155 pounds?
MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King, Danny Segura and host “Gorgeous” George Garcia discuss Pimblett’s big win over Green, along with a few other key results from UFC 304.
Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode below on YouTube or in podcast form.
https://www.youtube.com/live/9k7Kg6cunT4
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Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC 304 in Manchester, England.
Following UFC 304, the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings required updating.
In the main event at the Co-op Live in Manchester, England, [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] had his crowning moment by dominating [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] to become the new UFC welterweight champion.
Entering the week at No. 3 in the welterweight rankings, Muhammad’s title win places him at No. 1, knocking Edwards down one spot.
The co-feature produced an unprecedented move in the heavyweight rankings.
[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] successfully defended his interim heavyweight title by knocking out [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] in just one minute. Aspinall is an active and dominant force in the heavyweight division, and he has overtaken [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] for the No. 1 spot.
Jones, the current champion, has not fought in over 16 months, and his next fight in the works will not be a title unification bout. Aspinall has appeared three times since Jones’ heavyweight debut and has finished each opponent in the first round.
Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.
Jake Hadley pulled off a short-notice upset to get back to .500 in the UFC when he outworked Caolan Loughran at UFC 304.
MANCHESTER, England – [autotag]Jake Hadley[/autotag] beat Caolan Loughran with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 304 at Co-op Live in Manchester, England.
Take a look inside the fight with Hadley, who pulled off a short-notice upset to get back to .500 in the UFC.
Result: Jake Hadley def. Caolan Loughran via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Updated records: Hadley (11-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC), Loughran (9-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC)
Key stats: Hadley stuffed seven of Loughran’s eight takedown attempts and outstruck him 107-68.
“I feel like my career was potentially on the line. I took a big risk stepping up on one week notice – no training camp or anything. Funny enough, actually, when I got the call, I was just about to eat my dessert. Then I get this call and it kind of made me a bit nervous. I’m like, ‘Bro, this guy’s is a big bantamweight. I’ve seen him kill guys. I’m actually a fan of his.’ When I felt them nerves, I knew: Yo, this is my time to go. You get me like this, first time I felt any sort of jitters since I was younger, and I knew it was time to fight.”
“I thought he was boring. He’s an idiot. He’s just trying to fight everyone in the back. He sucker punched Manel Kape and all these geezers. He’s a clown. He tried to start on me in the on the bus yesterday, but I’ll smash his head in, that idiot. If he wants to come up to 135 – I’d even go down back down to 125 just to smash his head in. He’s never wanted that fight in his life, but he’s higher up the ranking, so I can understand. But when we were both on the same ranking level, he never wanted the fight. He don’t want the fight – and I’d kill him.”
“I stepped up on short notice, took this on a week’s notice. (I did) it for the UFC. I’ve had a bit of not a great run the last two, but I took this on short notice. All I ask for now is that they get me a fight again before the end of September.”
To hear more from Hadley, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.
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