Tag: 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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