Tag: UFC 309

Michael Chandler explains decision to move on from Conor McGregor fight

After nearly two years of waiting for Conor McGregor, Michael Chandler explains why he’s now fighting Charles Oliveira at UFC 309.

It’s been over 22 months since [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] fought in the UFC, largely due to waiting for [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] to compete.

Time’s up, and Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) has officially moved on.

Friday, the former lightweight title challenger confirmed his next fight will take place at UFC 309 against former champion Charles Oliveira. It will be a rematch of their bout at UFC 262 in 2021, where Oliveira (34-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC) claimed the vacant lightweight title by finishing Chandler in the second round.

Chandler knows the risk of challenging Oliveira again but calls the decision “the ultimate bet on yourself.” In a pair of videos posted online, Chandler explained his reasoning.

“I think you guys have forgotten over the last year or so who Michael Chandler is,” Chandler said in a YouTube video. “From October of 2020, I signed with the organization in September, from October of 2020 to November of 2022, in a 25-month span, I did six training camps, one backup fight for the world title fight. Five fights in 25 months. Four Fight of the Night or Performance of the Night bonuses. Two Fight of the Year candidates, one Fight of the Year against Justin Gaethje, one KO of the Year against Tony Ferguson, one Debut of the Year against Dan Hooker.

“… That is why I’m taking the Charles Oliveira fight. Why? Because I took a quick little detour to chase this thing. The opportunity of ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’ … I got more promo, more eyeballs, more of everything in the last year and a half than I would have gotten with three fights, and now I get the opportunity to take a title run.”

When news of Chandler’s decision to take another fight reached McGregor, the Irishman issued a fiery tweet in response.

“Chander saw that takedown getting stuffed and mauled and officially dipped,” McGregor wrote on X (formerly Twitter).” Little Fat P*ssy.” I’m at the hard rock hotel Florida for the bare knuckle tonight. Got tested earlier today by DFSI. Give me my f*cking date!”

Undeterred by McGregor’s words but inspired to elaborate, Chandler posted another video on Instagram to issue a dismissive reply and further detail why he wants to keep fighting rather than wait for a fight that may never come.

“I’m not even going to respond to Conor’s stupid little tweet, acting like I dipped,” Chandler said in an Instagram video. “The simple fact of the matter is, you are the most unreliable human being that has ever graced mixed martial arts.

“So, what am I going to do? I’m going to fight Charles Oliveira. Why am I going to fight Charles Oliveira? Number one, it’s a badass fight. Number two, it’s a rematch. It’s a redemption story for me. The dude who already stole from me – rightfully so, in a fair fight – he stole my dreams, shattered my dreams of becoming UFC champion.”

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_4SlUhPXBi/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

A victory over Oliveira would keep his name on the shortlist of UFC lightweight title challengers. Essentially, Chandler is confident the world would be his oyster if he gets his hand raised.

“Now I get the opportunity to fight Charles Oliviera, become the No. 1 contender, and then I’ve got options,” Chandler said. “If Conor can finally get his house in order, if he can finally string together a couple of sober days, string together a couple of days where he’s actually training and actually feeling good, and he can actually finally, finally make good on his promise of the greatest comeback in combat sports history, if he can finally pony up, then I will fight Conor after I dispatch of Charles Oliveira.

“Or, Islam Makhachev, you are next in 2025, and I will be the champion by the end of 2025.”

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UFC 309: Michael Chandler to rematch Charles Oliveira in return; may fight Conor McGregor later

Frustrated with waiting for Conor McGregor, Michael Chandler will now face former UFC champion Charles Oliveira for the second time.

[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] has moved on from a long-awaited showdown against [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag].

At UFC 309, which takes place Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York, Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) will now rematch former lightweight champ [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] in a five-round bout. Chandler discussed the news in a YouTube video following a first report from Robbie Fox of Barstool Sports. MMA Junkie also confirmed the matchup with a source. The Chandler vs. McGregor matchup may still come later down the road.

Friday, UFC CEO Dana White told Barstool Sports Chandler was “done waiting” for McGregor, and wanted to book another fight. Chandler’s matchup is now known, and he’ll look to avenge a UFC 262 loss to Oliveira (34-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC), who won the vacant lightweight title by second-round stoppage.

Chandler has waited nearly two years for a matchup against McGregor to come to fruition. After a submission loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 281 on Nov. 12, 2022, Chandler coached opposite McGregor on “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series early in 2023. He was set to fight McGregor at UFC 303 in June, but the fight fell through when the Irishman broke his toe.

Since their first meeting, Oliveira defended his title against Poirier, and defeated Justin Gaethje, but lost his belt on the scale. He then lost by submission to Islam Makhachev in an attempt to claim the vacant title.

Oliviera then rebounded by stopping Beneil Dariush in the first round at UFC 289, but then dropped a split decision against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300, which was his most recent appearance.

The current UFC 309 lineup includes:

  • Michael Chandler vs. Charles Oliveira
  • Eryk Anders vs. Chris Weidman
  • Viviane Araujo vs. Karine Silva
  • Nikita Krylov vs. Azamat Murzakanov
  • Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura
  • Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee
  • Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Mickey Gall

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Demetrious Johnson: Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic ‘would still sell as many pay-per-views’ without UFC title

Regardless of the stakes, Demetrious Johnson sees Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic as a massive fight.

Regardless of the stakes, [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] sees [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] as a massive fight.

Many have criticized UFC heavyweight champion Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) for opting to defend his title against Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) over interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.

Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) has competed six times since Miocic last stepped into the cage, which was a knockout loss to Francis Ngannou in March 2021.

“Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic doesn’t even need to be for a belt,” Johnson said on the “JAXXON PODCAST.” “Like, that’s a legend fight, those two fighting. It would still sell as many pay-per-views. I’m sure Jon Jones is going to get the exact same f*cking pay whether he’s champion or not, but I can’t dictate Jon Jones’ career.

“I’m not going to dictate what he should or he can’t do. Me as a fan, I would love to see Jon Jones fight Tom Aspinall. But if he doesn’t and he goes, ‘I’m going to just fight Stipe, he’s a household name,’ go ahead, do your thing, Jon.”

Jones was scheduled to face Miocic at UFC 295 before Aspinall entered the title picture, but withdrew due to injury. Former two-time UFC champion Miocic is considered the consensus greatest heavyweight of all time, but Johnson worries how the inactivity will impact him.

“When I look at Stipe, he hasn’t fought in four years. The last time he fought, he got knocked out. How’s his body feeling? It’s hard being away from the fight game for four years. He’s doing amazing things. He’s a firefighter, but it’s going to be very, very hard.”

Jones’ first title defense vs. Miocic is targeted for UFC 309 on Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

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Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee joins UFC 309 lineup in New York

A bantamweight bout between Jonathan Martinez and Marcus McGhee is the latest addition to November’s UFC 309 lineup.

A bantamweight bout between [autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag] and [autotag]Marcus McGhee[/autotag] is the latest addition to November’s UFC 309 lineup.

Iridium Sports Agency, which manages both Martinez (19-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) and McGhee (9-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC), announced the matchup Monday on social media.

UFC 309 takes place Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

Martinez, an honorable mention in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie bantamweight rankings, recently had his six-fight winning streak snapped by UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo at UFC 301 in May. The 30-year-old told MMA Junkie he was “starstruck” in the fight, but plans to rebound in strong fashion.

He will have to do so against the surging McGee, 34, who has impressed with three consecutive stoppage wins to begin his octagon tenure.

The latest UFC 309 lineup now includes:

  • Eryk Anders vs. Chris Weidman
  • Viviane Araujo vs. Karine Silva
  • Nikita Krylov vs. Azamat Murzakanov
  • Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura
  • Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

UFC 309 adds Nikita Krylov vs. Azamat Murzakanov to New York lineup

The UFC’s annual Madison Square Garden show is up to four fights.

A UFC-ranked light heavyweight battle is headed to Madison Square Garden.

[autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag] and [autotag]Azamat Murzakanov[/autotag] will collide Nov. 16 at UFC 309 in New York.

Two people with knowledge of the situation recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. The news was first reported by Russian news outlet Match TV.

Krylov (30-9 MMA, 11-7 UFC) rides into the matchup on a three-fight winning streak that includes victories over Alexander Gustafsson, Volkan Oezdemir and Ryan Spann.

Murzakanov (14-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) has slowly risen up the UFC ranks. He has yet to lose through four UFC appearances, with wins over Tafon Nchukwi, Devin Clark, Dustin Jacoby, and most recently Alonzo Menifield.

With the addition, the UFC 309 lineup includes:

  • Eryk Anders vs. Chris Weidman
  • Viviane Araujo vs. Karine Silva
  • Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Video: Dana White debates reporters over UFC pound-for-pound, Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic

Dana White and reporters debated the pound-for-pound No. 1 and Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic for over 12 minutes.

LAS VEGAS – UFC CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] has vehemently defended two topics perhaps more than any others over the past year. The first, is who the pound-for-pound best fighter is right now. The second is that his answer to that question, [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag], who he thinks should rightfully fight [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] next.

Following Dana White’s Contender Series 69 on Tuesday at the UFC Apex, White engaged with reporters in a lengthy, back-and-forth discussion.

The debate was respectful but passionate, as White verbally traded with media members, mainly veteran reporters Kevin Iole and John Morgan.

PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 09: TUF Coach, Jon Jones (L) and Dana White, UFC President/UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, of the television show “The Ultimate Fighter” speak during the FX Networks portion of the 2013 Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour at the Langham Hotel and Spa on January 9, 2013 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

Jones as pound-for-pound No. 1

The 12-plus-minute exchange began as White was about to wrap his post-event news conference. He was jokingly asked about Jones’ status as the “pound-for-pound GOAT.”

The argument is one that White has repeated his stance on increasingly in recent weeks. The frequency and enthusiasm has amused online commenters and meme-creators.

Iole asked, “Does he have pictures of you?” to which laughs came.

“Are you guys that f*cking stupid?” White laughed back. “You can’t be that f*cking stupid to think that Jon Jones is not the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world and the GOAT… but maybe you are?”

White stood up to leave but then sat back down to engage. Eleven more minutes of discussion took place thereafter.

“Question me,” White said. “Who’s better than Jon Jones? Who’s pound-for pound better than Jon Jones?”

Morgan jumped in and answered, “At what point does inactivity come into play, right? We all agree there is nobody better than Jon Jones. He is the greatest of all time. There’s no question about it. But at some point, when you’re looking at rankings, they do have to represent what’s happening in the organization at that moment, right at that time, and in the past three years, he’s had one fight.”

White’s answer to that question revolved around the inactivity not being a choice, but rather an injury, which Jones (27-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) suffered weeks before an initial booking with Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) scheduled for November 2023. Jones was out of action for three years when he returned to win heavyweight gold vs. Ciryl Gane in March 2023, and he hasn’t fought since. Meanwhile, [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) has become interim heavyweight champion, even scoring a rare defense of that interim belt against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 in July.

“You talk about inactivity and that he’s only fought one time. Jon Jones was supposed to fight,” White said. “If Jon Jones was sitting on the couch saying, ‘I don’t know when I’m going to fight again,’ then he’s definitely not in the pound-for-pound discussion right now. He was scheduled to fight and he got injured. He’s an active fighter.”

White then brought up Islam Makhachev, the fighter many media members and fans think deserves the pound-for-pound designation. Makhachev (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) has defended the UFC lightweight title three times, though two of those were against then-featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, and one was a highly-debated decision. He is currently ranked No. 1 in the UFC’s official pound-for-pound rankings.

“Islam, many people believe, lost to the guy (Volkanovski) who’s a weight class below him,” White said. “Is that how pound-for-pound works?”

Jones vs. Stipe

White and Iole then went back-and-forth about the definition of “active” before the conversation pivoted to the booking between Jones and Miocic.

“Everyone in this room thinks Aspinall is more highly-rated than Stipe, at this point,” Iole said. “Stipe’s reputation is fantastic but he has not won a fight since he beat (Daniel Cormier) – in four years. That also plays into it as partially a factor when you have a guy like Aspinall knocking out Serghei Pavlovich in less than a minute, Curtis Blaydes in less than a minute, etc., etc.”

White said he didn’t disagree, but offered up a different stance and laid out an argument that’s crux was not wanting to disrespect Miocic, who missed out on the Jones fight in late 2023 not because of his own doing.

“Here’s the flip side to that,” White said. “What do I do? The guy who’s looked at as the greatest heavyweight in the UFC, right? This fight’s set up. Jon Jones gets hurt. It’s not his fault. He has to wait and go back into training camp again. He was training. So do I just yank it away from Stipe and say, ‘Hey, go f*ck yourself and sit on the sidelines for two more years’? If I did that you guys would be like, ‘Oh, you f*cking disrespected the greatest heavyweight ever,’ so would the f*cking fans. So I should just sh*t on Stipe because Jon got hurt, and not make the fight that he was already supposed to fight?'”

Iole rebutted that Miocic should’ve fought Aspinall in Jones’ absence, rather than sit and wait for the champion.

“This is the fight (Jones and Miocic) both want,” White said. “What do you do? You don’t show the guys their respect. I guarantee you this, if Stipe wins, Stipe is going to retire. This will be Stipe’s last fight. Are you the media telling me I should just tell Stipe to f*ck off and (say), ‘Good luck to you Stipe. Go ride off into the sunset and fight some fires and that’s a wrap for you, buddy,” because Jon got hurt?  Or do I show this guy the respect that I should show him and give them both the fight that they want? That’s the position I’m in.”

Unsurprisingly, no agreement was reached. White, with a smile, declared Jones’ status as the pound-for-pound best fighter once last time before he departed the table and was replaced by beaming UFC contract-earner Malcolm Wellmaker.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 04: Jon Jones looks on during the UFC heavyweight championship fight against Ciryl Gane of France during the UFC 285 event at T-Mobile Arena on March 04, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

What’s next

Jones and Miocic are “targeted” to fight at UFC 309, an event Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York, White confirmed Tuesday. White said the lack of formal announcement by the promotion is due to its calendar not being filled out until that point.

Aspinall, the promotion’s interim titleholder, defended that championship at UFC 304 in July when he knocked out Curtis Blaydes. It’s unclear what his next competitive move is, though he’s upped his callouts of Jones in recent weeks, even creating skit videos in an attempt to angle for the fight.

UFC 309 adds Karine Silva vs. Viviane Arajuo to New York lineup

A women’s flyweight contender fight is the newest addition to UFC 309.

A women’s flyweight fight with top-10 implications is on the docket for Madison Square Garden.

[autotag]Karine Silva[/autotag] and [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] will collide Nov. 16 at UFC 309 in New York.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the matchup but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Silva (18-4 MMA, 4-0 UFC) has shot up the UFC women’s flyweight ladder since her promotional debut in 2022. Thus far, she holds wins over Poliana Botelho, Ketlen Souza, Maryna Moroz, and most recently Ariane Lipski.

Araujo (12-6 MMA, 6-5 UFC) has positioned herself as a ranked fighter in the promotion. She looks to bounce back from a unanimous decision loss to Natalia Silva in February. The defeat was his third in four fights.

With the addition, the UFC 309 lineup now includes:

  • Eryk Anders vs. Chris Weidman
  • Viviane Araujo vs. Karine Silva

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

UFC on ESPN 61 winner Jhonata Diniz calls for ‘most dangerous guy’ in division at UFC 309

Now 8-0 after his UFC on ESPN 61 win, Jhonata Diniz is determined to show he’s “ready to fight against the big names” at heavyweight.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Jhonata Diniz[/autotag] wants matchmakers to find his equal in the heavyweight division after UFC on ESPN 61.

Diniz (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) added to his unblemished record Saturday when he earned a unanimous decision victory over Karl Williams (10-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) at the UFC Apex. It was the first time in his career that he’d gone to the scorecards, and with that is valuable experience for the Brazilian.

“I’m so happy because I proved to everybody that I’m ready to fight against grappler, against striker,” Diniz told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at UFC on ESPN 61. “I don’t care against who I fight. If you find someone tough enough to fight me for three rounds, I will hurt them for three rounds. It doesn’t matter.”

Diniz, 33, has proven to have heavy hands inside the cage, and now he knows he can throw them for 15 minutes. In his mind that warrants a step up in competition, and he thinks he’s ready for the some serious names in his weight class.

With two wins already under his belt in 2024, Diniz is looking for the hat trick. He would like to return at UFC 309, which is targeted to take place Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York. It’s expected that heavyweight champ Jon Jones will defend against Stipe Miocic in the headliner of that card, and Diniz sees it as a prime opportunity to fight a contender-tier name and show where he stands.

“I think November will be a very good time for me to come back and fight,” Diniz said. “I know they have a big event with Jones and Miocic, and why not? I am ready to fight in New York. Against who? I don’t know. Who is the most dangerous guy in my division? Just bring this name for me. I want to prove to everybody that I’m ready to fight against the big names.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 61.

Tom Aspinall calls for Stipe Miocic to be ‘Joe Biden’d’ from Jon Jones title fight

President Joe Biden caught a stray from Tom Aspinall as he continued to lobby for himself to replace Stipe Miocic against Jon Jones.

If President Joe Biden could effectively be removed from this year’s election, so too can [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] from his upcoming UFC title fight.

At least that’s how [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] sees it.

While nothing is official, UFC CEO Dana White has made it abundantly clear that Miocic will challenge heavyweight champion Jon Jones, and the expectation is that the fight will headline UFC 309 in November at Madison Square Garden. However, many UFC fans and pundits believe that Aspinall should get the shot at Jones. The sentiment gained even more traction after Aspinall dispatched Curtis Blaydes in Round 1 to defend his interim heavyweight title last month at UFC 304.

The quick and dominant victory from Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) was a statement that he deserves to unify the title with Jones rather than former champ Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC), who turns 42 on Aug. 19, receiving a title shot off a loss to Francis Ngannou in March 2021.

“Get Stipe out of there,” Aspinall said in an interview with TNT Sports. “Let’s be honest. Like, the guy is (almost 42) years old, he’s had a four-year layoff, and his last fight was a knockout loss. Granted, he’s an absolute legend in this sport. He’s the best heavyweight ever statistically. But the guy needs to be pulled out of the race.”

For Aspinall, the comparison that really drives his point home is Biden, whose mental fitness was called into question after the 81-year-old’s disastrous debate with Donald Trump in late June. Biden’s performance caused high-profile Democrats to pressure Biden to drop out of the presidential race, which he did.

Aspinall would like to see a similar situation play out with Miocic.

“The guy needs to be Joe Biden’d, mate,” Aspinall said. “He’s too old. No one’s that interested anymore. I respect Stipe a lot. Pull him out, stick me in. It’s right, though, isn’t it? It is right. Get Joe Biden out of there, stick me in.”

As much sense as Aspinall’s suggestion might make, it seems unlikely to happen given White’s steadfast opinion that a fight between Jones and Miocic has to happen because of legacy. A fight with Miocic is also what Jones has wanted all along.

Jones and Miocic were slated to headline UFC 295 last November, but Jones tore his pectoral muscle with under a month until fight night. That prompted the UFC to create an interim title on short notice, which Aspinall won at UFC 295 by knocking out Sergei Pavlovich.

While Aspinall appears unlikely to outright get a shot at Jones, White said he could serve as the UFC 309 backup and step in should anything happen to either Jones or Miocic.

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