Javier Mendez thinks Merab Dvalishvili’s antics swayed the judges in his favor against Umar Nurmagomedov.
[autotag]Javier Mendez[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag]’s antics swayed the judges in his favor against [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag].
After winning the first two rounds on two of the three judges’ scorecards, Nurmagomedov was outlasted in a unanimous decision loss to bantamweight champion Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) in the UFC 311 co-main event in January.
Although Nurmagomedov (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) broke his hand in Round 1 of the fight, his head coach Mendez points to a different reason why he lost.
“I just said to him, ‘You know what, Umar? I felt, in my opinion, I felt you won three out of the five rounds,” Mendez said on his “Javier & Mo podcast.”
“Maybe I’m being biased, but I felt in the fifth round, the reason why you didn’t win is because he showboated his way to winning that. He acted like the victor while you were tired. That’s why I feel he basically took it from you because you let him. But I felt you won.’
“Because when you look at damage and this and that, but when it comes to presence, he definitely got that. The actual damage that he did was nothing compared to what Umar did. He did more. But again, (Dvalishvili) did show that, ‘I’m the winner, I’m the winner,’ and Umar couldn’t stop him from showing that. I can see how the judges would get swayed on that.”
Nurmagomedov is yet to be booked for another fight. Meanwhile, Dvalishvili will run things back with Sean O’Malley in the UFC 316 main event June 7 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
With two title fights atop the card, there was plenty of anticipation for UFC 311 in Southern California earlier this month.
With two title fights atop the card, there was plenty of anticipation for UFC 311 in Southern California earlier this month.
But when the proverbial fit hit the shan at the weigh-ins when original lightweight title challenger Arman Tsarukyan had to bow out, Reanto Moicano stepped in on a day’s notice for a shot at Islam Makhachev’s belt.
That made fight night a dramatic proposition knowing what was coming in the main event. The prelims were short of many finishes, but the main card caught fire with four stoppages in five fights.
Check out all the highlights in super-slow motion in the UFC 311 “Fight Motion” video highlights above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.
Ailin Perez is puzzled by the latest update in the UFC rankings, which has her below Karol Rosa – whom she defeated at UFC 311.
The UFC’s official rankings are sometimes unfairly criticized. But what transpired following UFC 311 earlier this month, is objectively bizarre and head-scratching.
Somehow, rising contender [autotag]Ailin Perez[/autotag] ended up ranked below [autotag]Karol Rosa[/autotag] despite defeating her in a clear, unanimous decision win in the preliminary portion of the card. But what perhaps is most bizarre, is that Rosa moved up in the rankings even in defeat.
Perez (12-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC), who’s on a five-fight winning streak, went from No. 13 to No. 11, while Rosa (18-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC), who’s 2-3 in her past five bouts, went from No. 9 to No. 8. It’s worth noting that the rankings were impacted by Holly Holm’s exit from the promotion this month.
“I laughed my ass off,” Perez told Hablemos MMA in Spanish when asked about her reaction to the rankings. “I laughed a lot, but I see it as a positive sign because look at the level of fame I’m having after all my fights, and I’m ranked 11th. I’m not even in the top 10.
“It doesn’t matter if I’m the one that’s deserving to move up in rankings and not Karol. If I get called to fight against a top five, I’m saying yes. I showed in the fight that I’m game for higher competition. I’m motivated, and I’m looking forward to getting a higher ranked rival than Karol. I don’t know if I can get someone that will kick harder than her, but definitely I can get someone with more techniques that challenge me.”
After losing in her UFC debut, which took place at 145 pounds, Perez dropped to bantamweight and has won five in a row. The in-cage success has accompanied high notoriety outside of it, given her bold comments and altercations with Joselyne Edwards and Tracy Cortez.
“I’m not really bothered that they didn’t put me in the top 10,” Perez explained. “People know who Ailin Perez is, and they know what I want – that’s all I care about.
“If they give me No. 6 or No. 10 or No. 1, I’m treating them all the same. I don’t care about numbers, I’m coming after everyone. I showed that I have striking in this fight, so watch out for Ailin ‘Nurmagomedov.'”
Aljamain Sterling is confident Merab Davalishvili can break his title defense record in the UFC’s bantamweight division.
MIAMI – [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] is confident his friend and teammate [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] will do big things with his reign as UFC bantamweight champion.
Sterling held the UFC belt at 135 pounds and defended it three times, setting the record for most title defenses in the division. He believes Dvalishvili has all the tools and runway to surpass him in the division, especially after his most recent performance. Earlier this month, Dvalishvili completed his first title defense, handing Umar Nurmagomedov his first professional defeat in a big upset win.
“One hundred percent, I told him in the back room after he won,” Sterling told MMA Junkie when asked about his confidence in Dvalishvili breaking his record. “I said, ‘Brother, I’m telling you right now, you just got your first defense against who they say is supposed to be the toughest guy, and look what you did, look how you made him look.’ I thought it was 4-1 easily.
“With that said, who’s his next toughest challenger? He 50-45’d Petr Yan, who’s a tough dude. Obviously, he’s looked incredible in his last few fights, but I just think the gas tank is such a weapon. I told him, ‘If you want to be the champ for a while, you will break my record. It’s up to you. The only person who can beat you, it’s yourself.’ I truly do believe that.”
Dvalishvili’s win in the co-main event of UFC 311 opened the eyes of many skeptics. For Sterling, he expected Dvalishvili to dominate and was very proud of his showing.
“Overall, I thought it was a great fight,” Sterling said. “He fought exactly how we thought he would do. We know Umar is good, but we just didn’t think he was tested. We knew this was going to be the real test, fighting one of the best guys, if not the best guy, obviously the champ, who was beating champion after champion. I mean, what’s better than that in terms of test value? There was nothing too crazy that he brought to his game.
“The main thing was not getting controlled on bottom, and if we could keep the fight standing we thought he could do really well mixing in the takedowns, and he did exactly that.”
Islam Makhachev wants multi-division championship glory, but one UFC analyst would prefer to see him stick in his own lane.
[autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] wants multi-division UFC championship glory, but analyst [autotag]Alan Jouban[/autotag] would prefer to see him stick in his own lane.
After setting the record for consecutive lightweight title defenses with a first-round submission of Renato Moicano at UFC 311 this month, Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) reiterated that he’s not going to leave the sport without a second title.
What that second weight class would be remains to be seen, but with a lack of desire to face current welterweight champ Belal Muhammad, Makhachev said he would accept a chance to face middleweight kingpin Dricus Du Plessis if it was offered.
Over the past decade, reigning champions pursuing additional divisional titles has become commonplace. Some have successfully pulled it off, while others have failed. There seems to be a perception that capturing belts in multiple weight classes is the ultimate legacy-enhancer, but for UFC and ESPN analyst Jouban, it doesn’t exceed the value of being a dominant and long-reigning titleholder.
“I don’t need to see it,” Jouban told MMA Junkie of Makhachev competing at middleweight. “I like to see guys at their weight do dominant things and set records. That’s when we talk about greatness. Do I take it seriously? Yeah. I take it seriously. I think he actually feels that’s what he wants to do. Has he earned it? Yeah. He set the record with four title defenses.
“Obviously if Islam goes up to 185, he wants to win, but if he doesn’t win he can say, ‘So what? I’m still the lightweight champion. I still have the belt so I’ve got nothing to lose.’ That’s why I don’t like these double champs. It’s one thing if he goes up to 170, but to go up two weight classes is unreasonable. He’s got nothing to lose. I need to have something at stake in these fights. And there’s nothing at stake if he goes and loses and comes back down and defends his belt and is putting the division on hold.”
Although Makhachev, No. 3 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie pound-for-pound rankings, has separated himself as the most decorated champ in 155-pound history, Jouban doesn’t feel he’s cleared the list of contenders to the point where moving up in weight is the only option.
Makhachev was supposed to rematch Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311 before the challenger pulled out on weigh-in day due to a back issue. UFC CEO Dana White said in the aftermath of the event that Tsarukyan will have to win at least one more fight to re-earn the opportunity for a crack at gold, but if Jouban was able to make the call, he thinks that fight remains as the biggest threat to Makhachev’s historic reign.
“Arman is the guy, in my case, that sets him apart from Khabib (as the lightweight GOAT),” Jouban said. “That’s what sets the record. That’s the one guy in the division where there’s the question mark of, ‘Can you beat this guy? Can you beat a guy that’s equivalent to you in the grappling?’ That can change things.”
“I think he’s going to be champion for a while. The toughest test that the division has against him I believe, as much as I love Charles Oliveira, I just don’t think his grappling is as strong as Islam’s. I hope he stays in the division, though. I hope he stays in the division and sets record. We’re talking about him going up, what’s he going to do? He’s not going to fight Belal (Muhammad at welterweight), so he’s going to skip to 185? I don’t want to see that.”
Check out the video above as Jouban and MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn discuss Makhachev’s place among the greatest lightweight champs in history on “The Bohnfire” podcast.
Ray Longo thinks Merab Dvalishvili’s long road to UFC gold turned him into an unstoppable force.
[autotag]Ray Longo[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag]’s long road to UFC gold turned him into an unstoppable force.
Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) had to win 10-straight fights – including wins over former champions Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, and Henry Cejudo before earning his title shot. He dethroned Sean O’Malley to become UFC bantamweight champion this past September, but didn’t get too much time to enjoy his accomplishment.
Instead, Dvalishvili felt pressured to make a relatively quick turnaround to defend his belt against undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov four months later at UFC 311. But the Georgian prevailed once again when he outlasted Nurmagomedov (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) by unanimous decision this past Saturday at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.
“First off, he’s still getting better,” Longo told MMA on SiriusXM. “Merab was always a work in progress. Even any time he lost before he got to the UFC, he always made the corrections. His two losses, which I didn’t think were losses, he made corrections in those fights. He just kept getting better and better. I said it the other day, what they did to him to get to the title, putting a who’s-who in front of him to beat, I think they just created a monster.
“His confidence just kept getting better and better – everything. We had to walk through fire to get to that title and it’s that thing: Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I think he’s a perfect example of that because they put five to six guys in front of him that I’m sure they thought were going to beat him and they didn’t, and this is what you see.”
“He and I have had kind of a goofy relationship,” White said. “So he was just saying, ‘Listen, I love the UFC. Thank you for everything.’ He was going crazy. I said talk to Joe (Rogan), you and I will talk later. It’s been pretty public how goofy our relationship is. He’s done some things that I didn’t love. I don’t dislike him at all, it’s just we’ve just had some moments. That’s typical, I have moments with everybody. No biggie.”
Jiri, sometimes it’s best to just leave things up to the imagination of the audience.
[autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag], sometimes, it’s best to just leave things up to the collective imagination of the audience.
Under most circumstances, we’d use TBC to be snarky and spunky. It’s the one space we give ourselves the leeway to feed ya a load, so to speak – the less-serious stuff. Not this time.
So in this case, we’ll present, without comment (OK, without MUCH comment), an interview moment (H/T @mmamarcuss on social media) with UFC light heavyweight Jiri Prochazka and “The Schmo.”
The hard-hitting chat went down after UFC 311 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles.
Jiri Prochazka having to clarify that he wasn’t having gay sex in his hotel room is hilarious pic.twitter.com/P3rev6fSTY
OK. Draw your own interpretations, of course. But like Jiri says, “Everybody’s parties … look like … something … we are really … again … it sounds like … weird … so … it doesn’t matter for me.”
Really, could he be more right – regardless of what he felt the need to try to awkwardly explain away?
All we know is, he and his two childhood friends from back home in Czech Republic totally were … well … ya know … again … everybody’s parties look like something, right?
Reinier de Ridder continues to climb the UFC ladder and wonders who’s next. Khamzat Chimaev? Robert Whittaker? Israel Adesanya?
[autotag]Reinier de Ridder[/autotag] sees options. They’re all tough, but they all interest him.
Fresh off his UFC 311 win over Kevin Holland last Saturday, de Ridder (19-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) feels good and healthy. Mentally, he’s ready for the next challenge, which will, regardless of opponent, be his third time competing in the UFC cage.
“I think I can hang with those guys, and that’s what I’m hoping for rather sooner than later,” de Ridder told MMA Junkie Radio. There’s always a lot of stuff to work on, of course. I’m going to keep growing, keep evolving. But that’s what I’m here for. I want to be part of the top five. I want to see if I can get my hands on the belt.”
There isn’t just one path to the title as de Ridder sees it. Looking at the lay of the land in front of him in the rankings, four names come to mind.
“There are multiple ways to get to Rome. I think there are a lot of options to get there. All of them would be amazing. All of the ones you mentioned would be amazing. Khamzat (Chimaev) would be a great fight. I don’t think he has anything booked, so why not? But also (Robert) Whittaker would great. (Israel) Adesanya-(Nassourdine) Imavov winner. I’m ready for whatever. If I can land a big fight like that, finish it like I did this one, then I think there’s no denying me.”
“… It doesn’t really matter. Like a Khamzat fight would be great to see the best grapplers match up. A striker matchup with Adesanya would be amazing, as well. He’s a guy I’ve looked up to for a very long time. I’m ready to show it up.”
De Ridder, 34, held both the ONE light heavyweight and heavyweight titles prior to his UFC signing in 2024. He’s finished both of his UFC appearances by submission.
“I commented on one of the posts you guys put out there about him not caring about being a champion, ‘There’s too much politics in it.’ All right, dude. That’s just an excuse, because you’ll never be a champion,” Dillashaw said on the “JAXXON PODCAST.” “He’s a very entertaining fighter. He talks a lot. But he will never be a champion. I promise you that. It’s the truth. He’s got some holes in his game, and we see it here.”
Dillashaw also takes issue with Holland’s attitude. He doesn’t think “Trailblazer” cares enough to become UFC champion.
“Are you going to be a champion if you don’t care? No. You need to obsess about it every day of your life,” Dillashaw said. “You need to be OCD about training, about being the best and not losing one practice.
“He’s talking about bringing training partners in and going home and smoking weed. Just sitting here and listening to him talk and then watching his skills on TV, he doesn’t have the mindset for it. He’s just happy being on TV.”
Holland himself has acknowledged that his recent performances haven’t been up to par.
Islam Makhachev said his career won’t be complete until he wins a second UFC title. Why not go for it now?
How’s this for an “overreaction”? Now is the PERFECT time for [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] to leave the UFC lightweight division.
Makhachev became the UFC record holder for lightweight title defenses this past weekend at UFC 311 after he submitted Renato Moicano in the first round. It was an unexpected last-minute matchup after original opponent Arman Tsarukyan withdrew on weigh-ins day because of a back injury.
After UFC 311, Makhachev said his career won’t be done until he claims a second division title. And since nothing but rematches await him at lightweight, would now be the right time to leave?
MMA Junkie’s Simon Samano and Farah Hannoun debate that topic on the latest edition of “Overreaction Time.”
Check out their discussion in the video above, and watch the complete episode of “Overreaction Time” below on YouTube.
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