Alexander Volkanovski is the reigning UFC featherweight champion and No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. | Photo by Paul Kane/Zuffa LLC
Chael Sonnen thinks an upset could be on the cards at UFC 284.
Chael Sonnen strongly disagrees with the idea that Alexander Volkanovski defeating Islam Makhachev at UFC 284 would somehow be considered “shocking news” or a massive upset in the world of MMA.
Volkanovski, who is ranked higher and has more experience as a champion, is moving up in weight to challenge Makhachev for the lightweight title. He aims to win a second world championship and secure his spot as the top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.
However, Sonnen argues that Volkanovski should not be considered the underdog given his superior ranking and record, saying he wouldn’t be shocked if “The Great” pulled off the win.
“No. Of course not. Alexander Volkanovski is No.1-ranked and Islam is No.5-ranked,” former three-time UFC title challenger Sonnen said on his YouTube channel (h/t Sportskeeda). “You have to turn to the P4P list. That’s the only list both guys are on… Volkanovski who’s never lost, Volkanovski who’s ranked higher… How would that be shocking news? If Volkanovski gets beat… any element of that fight that goes against Volk will be something that’s never happened before.”
UFC 284: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski is scheduled to take place on Feb. 12, 2023, at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.
The dictator’s MMA organization, Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA), is in talks to buy one of Russia’s established promotions, AMC Fight Nights.
Ramzan Kadyrov—the republic of Chechnya’s warlord accused of harrowing human rights abuses—is attempting to purchase one of Russia’s oldest fight promotions to expand his mixed martial arts empire.
BloodyElbow.com has confirmed that the Kadyrov-owned Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA) is currently in negotiations to purchase veteran Russian MMA organization AMC Fight Nights. The deal is yet to be finalized but is expected to conclude in the coming weeks.
If successful, the takeover would cement ACA as the biggest MMA organization in Russia, and elevate Kadyrov to one of the most influential figures in the sport.
During its 12-year existence, AMC Fight Nights (formerly known as Fight Night Global) operated as one of the most successful organizations in Russia alongside the now-defunct M-1 Global. During its heyday, AMC Fight Night held fights involving the likes of heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko and UFC talents such as Sergei Pavlovich.
For years, AMC Fight Nights was funded by Ziyavudin Magomedov, a Dagestani oligarch who was once one of the richest men in Russia with a net worth of $ 1.2 billion in 2018. He sponsored a wide range of local MMA fighters including former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Magomedov also founded the now defunct Eagles MMA fight team, which Nurmagomedov once served as president of.
However, Magomedov was arrested in 2018 on charges of embezzling state funds and organizing a criminal group. The 54-year-old was found guilty earlier this month and sentenced to 19 years in a maximum security prison.
Since Magomedov’s demise, AMC Fight Nights has been on a downward spiral. The organization no longer features any of the sport’s top talent, and instead spotlights the likes of neo-Nazi Grigoriy Ponomarev.
While the extent of the negotiations remains unclear, it is unlikely that ACA will continue to allow AMC Fight Nights to operate as a vassal organization. Instead, the Chechen-based fight promotion will likely absorb its rival’s assets and athletes to strengthen its own entity and grow Kadyrov’s influence on the sport in Russia.
Since his rise to power in 2007, Kadyrov has ruled the semi-autonomous republic of Chechnya like his personal fiefdom. He is routinely accused of orchestrating human rights abuses including assassinations, abductions, torture, extrajudicial killings, and purges targeting the local LGBTQ+ community.
Despite his harrowing human rights record, Kadyrov sphere of influence within the sport continues to grow. He founded his own MMA organization and gyms and has rubbed shoulders with some of the most well known figures in the sport, including former UFC champions such as Kamaru Usman, Justin Gaethje, Henry Cejudo, Frank Mir, Chris Weidman, Fabricio Werdum, Frankie Edgar, Kamaru Usman, and Nurmagomedov.
In December 2020, the U.S. Department of the Treasury prohibited people doing business in the United States from interacting with several businesses owned by Kadyrov, including his mixed martial arts gym, Akhmat MMA, and his fight organization, ACA.
Charles Oliveira fights off his back against Islam Makhachev at UFC 280. | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira opens up about his UFC 280 loss to Islam Makhachev.
Former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira was eager to reclaim the undisputed 155-pound title against Islam Makhachev at UFC 280. Things, of course, didn’t go as planned for him as “Do Bronx” endured his first loss in four years.
Oliveira recently spoke about his failed title bid in an interview with Super Lutas. He says there was no pressure on his part and simply gave credit where it was due.
Charles Oliveira reflects on the Makhachev fight. #UFC284 pic.twitter.com/241TtRuKUZ
— ♞ (@theMAK_MAFIA) December 22, 2022
“Against Makhachev, I didn’t feel any pressure,” he said (transcript by MMA Mania) “He was just better than me. I haven’t watched that fight back yet. It doesn’t make any difference to me.
“It wasn’t a bad night, it was just 15 bad minutes. Ten to 20 bad minutes. There’s nothing else to say. You know I always tell the truth. I already thought about it, but there’s no real explanation.”
Team Oliveira apparently turned down a rematch offer, which was supposedly for UFC 283. But if and when he does get another crack at the current champ, Oliveira says he wouldn’t change a thing.
“I wouldn’t change anything in a rematch. I know how much I trained. As far as the fight goes, what can I say other than that Islam was better than me. I wouldn’t change the camp nor the weight cut, I wouldn’t change absolutely anything.
“I don’t know exactly what happened, but Islam was better than me on that night.”
Taking Oliveira’s place as Makhachev’s first title challenger is featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. That fight will headline UFC 284 on February 12th in Perth, Australia.
Johnny Walker defeated Ion Cutelaba at UFC 279, | Photo by Amy Kaplan/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
UFC light heavyweight Johnny Walker believes his division deserves an exciting champion.
UFC light heavyweight Johnny Walker doesn’t mind that his division will remain without a champion until January. After Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev fought to a split draw back at UFC 282, the Brazilian believes it was the best outcome possible for the promotion and the fans.
In an interview with Ag Fight, Walker explained his reasoning by claiming that both men are far too boring to be a good champion for the UFC. In fact, the SBG Ireland fighter is even happier that the promotion has decided to give the next title fight to a pair of fresh contenders in former champion Glover Teixeira and DWCS alum Jamahal Hill.
“I think it’s really good that it all went down like that. The fight between Blachowicz and Ankalaev was kind of dull. Not only the UFC, but the fans were also happy about this draw. They don’t want a boring champion, a guy who only wins by decision. People like seeing knockouts and submissions,”
“People like seeing a guy giving his all to try and finish a fight in the last second,” Walker said. “I think it was good for the UFC and the fans that we now have a title fight between Glover and Jamahal. Those are thrilling fighters. Everybody wants to see them fight. People know they will give their best to finish a fight. That’s what people like to see.”
In his last outing, Walker (19-7) scored a submission win over Ion Cutelaba back in September. The victory snapped a two-fight losing skid for the 30-year-old, who had lost to the aforementioned Hill and to Thiago Santos.
Walker is currently expected to take on Paul Craig at UFC 283, on January 21, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The card is scheduled to be headlined by the fight for the vacant light heavyweight title, between Teixeira and Hill.
Marlon Vera at UFC Vegas 53 in April. | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Check out all the fights announced over the past week in the UFC, Bellator and other promotions.
Fights on Tap is a weekly roundup of all the fights booked in the UFC, Bellator and other promotions.
Hello, BE readers! Hope you all are enjoying the holiday break. For our final events of 2022, we have RIZIN 40: RIZIN FF vs. Bellator MMA and Cage Warriors 148: Team Europe vs. Team USA (I forgot to mention this one last week!), so enjoy some violence before we ring in the new year.
The UFC either announced or finalized ten fights this week, and a striker’s delight in the bantamweight division has been confirmed.
For an early Christmas gift, the UFC gave us Marlon Vera vs. Cory Sandhagen as the headliner for UFC Vegas 69, which is scheduled for Feb. 18, 2023, at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. How exciting!
‘Chito’ enters the fight on a four-fight win streak that includes ‘Performance of the Night’ awarded KOs of former champions Frankie Edgar and Dominick Cruz. As for the ’Sandman,’ he returned to the win column with a fourth-round TKO of Song Yadong at UFC Vegas 60 this past September.
UFC Vegas 67 — January 14
Priscila Cachoeira vs. Siara Eubanks — women’s bantamweight First rep. by Carlos Antunes of Canal Encarada
UFC 284 — February 11
Loma Lookboonmee vs. Elise Reed — women’s strawweight Lookboonmee vs. Reed was already finalized, but shifted from UFC Seoul to UFC 284, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport Nederland
UFC Vegas 68 — February 4
Marcin Tybura vs. Blagoy Ivanov — heavyweight First rep. by John Morgan of The Underground
UFC Vegas 69 — February 18
Ovince Saint Preux vs. Philipe Lins — light heavyweight Saint Preux vs. Lins was already finalized, but shifted from UFC 282 to UFC Vegas 69, per Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting Taila Santos vs. Erin Blanchfield — women’s flyweight First rep. by Blanchfield on Morning Kombat Marlon Vera vs. Cory Sandhagen — bantamweight
UFC 285 — March 4
Julian Marquez vs. Marc-André Barriault — middleweight First rep. by Iridium Sports Agency
UFC Vegas 71 — March 11
JJ Aldrich vs. Ariane Lipski — women’s flyweight First rep. by Meni Mayer
UFC 286 — March 18
Jake Hadley vs. Malcolm Gordon — flyweight First rep. by Aaron Bronsteter of TSN Sports
UFC San Antonio — March 25
Alex Perez vs. Manel Kape — flyweight First rep. by Damon Martin and Mike Heck of MMA Fighting
Announced Bellator fights:
Bellator 290 — February 4
Neiman Gracie vs. Michael Lombardo — welterweight First rep. by Damon Martin of MMA Fighting
Bellator 291 — February 25
Khasan Magomedsharipov vs. Bailey Gilbert — featherweight Steven Hill vs. Youcef Ouabas – welterweight Lucie Bertaud vs. Sabriye Sengul — women’s flyweight Asaël Adjoudj vs. Liam McCracken — featherweight
Announced Professional Fighters League (PFL) fights:
PFL Challenger Series Week 1 — January 27
Lucas Barbosa vs. Itso Babulaidze — welterweight Eric Alequin vs. Thad Jean — welterweight Quemuel Ottoni vs. Jozef Wittner — welterweight Nick Alley vs. Mostafa Rashed Neda — welterweight
PFL Challenger Series Week 2 — February 3
Amanda Leve vs. Naranjargal Tsend-Ayush — women’s featherweight Jeslen Mishelle vs. Evelyn Martins — women’s featherweight Karolina Sobek vs. Senna van de Veerdonk — women’s featherweight Michelle Montague vs. Shaquita Amador Woods — women’s featherweight
Announced Cage Warriors fights:
Cage Warriors 148 — December 31
Samuel Bark vs. Orlandon Wilson Prins — featherweight
Jared Cannonier is defeated by Israel Adesanya in an underwhelming middleweight title bout at UFC 276. | Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
Jared Cannonier admits to crying after his loss to Israel Adesanya at UFC 276.
Jared Cannonier suffered a unanimous decision loss to Israel Adesanya at UFC 276, missing out on his bid to become the middleweight champion.
After the fight, “Tha Killa Gorilla” said he got emotional, admitting to Ariel Helwani that he started crying backstage.
He pushed back against the taboo of men crying, stating that it is a natural and healthy way to release stress and tension, and that men should not be made to feel ashamed for expressing their emotions.
“Crying isn’t a weakness,” Cannonier said on The MMA Hour (h/t MMA Fighting). “Crying is a biological thing that we do to release stress, relieve tension. It’s not a weakness. So the fact that the world has led us to believe that our natural bodily functions are bad for us, it’s why I don’t listen to people. Now don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t back there sobbing and needing a shoulder to cry on, needing somebody to hold me and a t** to suck on or anything like that. It was just something I did to deal with it. It was a frustrating cry. I tensed up, it was frustrating. But I wouldn’t say it was a sad cry or anything like that. It was more frustrating.”
“But on the way home, I was fine,” he added. “I wasn’t like still bumming out about the fight or anything. It was over. So when I was on the way back to the hotel, I was fine. It sucked, yeah. But I wouldn’t say the sting was still there. It was just a moment in time. I don’t hang onto these moments like that and let them drag me down or weigh on me like that. So if it’s not going to help me, there’s no point in hanging onto these thoughts or emotions.”
Despite missing out on the middleweight title, Cannonier had an otherwise successful year, with standout wins over Derek Brunson and Sean Strickland. He hopes to fight Robert Whittaker at UFC 284, stepping in as a replacement for Paulo Costa.
UFC 284: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski takes place next year, Feb. 12, at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Cowboy looks massive now.
Cowboy has spent a lot of time in the weight room after his retirement.
Donald Cerrone just fought less than six months ago, but it looks like he won’t be able to make 155 or even 170 lbs anymore. The longtime UFC veteran recently posted a photo on social media of him back in MMA training and he is looking pretty jacked at 39-years-old.
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A post shared by Donald Cerrone (@cowboycerrone)
A lot of people took notice too, with the post getting some pretty hilarious reactions.
“What’s wrong with your arms?!? You having some kind of allergic reaction?” coach John Wood of Syndicate MMA commented.
“Jacked,” UFC welterweight Sean Brady reacted.
“Liver King OUT! ,” former UFC PR exec Dave Sholler commented.
“Swoleville,” NFL vet Derek Wolfe wrote.
After 15 years with the UFC and WEC, Cerrone decided to retire from MMA competition in July 2022. His final bout was a submission loss to Jim Miller, which extended a rough streak that saw him go winless in his seven fights.
Cowboy is tied with Charles Oliveira, as they currently share the record for most post-fight bonuses in UFC history with 18.
After retirement, Cerrone has been trying to break into the Hollywood acting scene, which could possibly explain the desire for a bigger physique.
The FBI is reportedly looking into the Darrick Minner vs. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke UFC fight from November 5 | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
The FBI is reportedly looking into the Shayilan Nuerdanbieke vs. Darrick Minner fight.
According to reports, another agency has been added to those looking into the betting irregularities surrounding the November 5 UFC fight between Shayilan Nuerdanbieke vs. Darrick Minner. The UFC, Nevada State Athletic Commission, and U.S. Integrity had previously launched investigations into that fight—along with investigations into MMA coach & gambling tout James Krause. On Friday, ESPN said that the FBI is now “collecting information and has spoken to people” about the bout as well, which took place on the UFC Vegas 64 main card.
Alongside the investigations into Krause and Minner, ESPN has also reported that UFC flyweight Jeff Molina, who has worked with Krause as a member of the Glory MMA team, has been suspended by the NSAC. That suspension is currently listed as “uncategorized” pending the next NSAC meeting.
Molina, who is the No. 13 ranked fighter in the official UFC flyweight rankings, was scheduled to compete at UFC Vegas 67 on January 14. However, he withdrew from that event in early December. Molina’s withdrawal came not long after the NSAC suspended Krause and the UFC notified fighters who chose to remain with Krause that they “will not be permitted to participate in UFC events pending the outcome of the aforementioned government investigations.”
According to the ESPN story, Molina has been “linked to the investigation” around the Nuerdanbieke vs. Minner fight.
The Nuerdanbieke vs. Minner contest is under investigation because of suspicious betting before the fight and a possible injury-reporting infraction.
U.S. Integrity, an organization that identifies “suspicious behavior by analyzing changes in betting data against a benchmark of normal betting activity,” alerted sportsbooks that in the hours before UFC Vegas 64, the line of the fight had moved from Nuerdanbieke being a -220 favorite to a -420 favorite. The organization also noticed that bets were coming in on Nuerdanbieke to win via first-round knockout, although he had zero KO wins during his three previous UFC outings.
Nuerdanbieke won the fight by knockout 67 seconds into the first round.
During the brief bout, Minner’s actions led many to believe he entered the fight sporting a previously undisclosed injury. The NSAC is investigating that aspect of the contest, while the UFC (via its integrity partner, Don Best Sports), U.S. Integrity and now, reportedly, the FBI are looking into the betting that surrounded the matchup.
*Bloody Elbow reached out to Jeff Molina for comment on his suspension. Bloody Elbow also reached out to the FBI and the UFC for comment on the report of an investigation into the Shayilan Nuerdanbieke vs. Darrick Minner fight. We did not receive any replies before publication of this story.
Former DAZN & ESPN executive John Skipper speaks at a 2019 conference. | Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images for Fast Company
According to the UFC president, a scandal involving an ESPN executive’s drug habit was the big opportunity the UFC needed to get a broadcast deal with the sports network.
The UFC’s jump over to ESPN from FOX has been nothing short of a dream pairing for the world’s largest mixed martial arts organization. Despite years of flagging ratings across the various FOX networks, the UFC was able to score a massively lucrative deal to be a cornerstone of ESPN’s new ESPN+ streaming service. In the years since that move, it looks like the promotion has only delivered above and beyond expectations.
“What we’re finding is that the UFC continues to grow on our platforms,” ESPN’s vice president of programming and acquisitions said in a 2020 interview. “There is always competition and we want to provide consumers the most choice and we want to serve as broad and diverse an audience as possible. The UFC is obviously a big part of that. We’re proud of how it’s performed and continues to perform throughout this pandemic.”
So what made this seemingly perfect marriage possible? In a recent interview with Grant Cardone, Dana White revealed that the key to getting the Endeavor owned promotion’s deal done was a shocking scandal that rocked the ESPN back in late 2017.
“I’ve always had good relationships with the guys we did business with,” White told Cordone, when asked how he chooses the people & companies the UFC works with. “Started with Spike, then we went to FOX; Eric Shanks, one of the greatest dudes in sports, who was at DirecTV at one time. That’s where we met. And then, now at ESPN, it’s just always worked out that way, man. Timing and—I’ll tell you a crazy story.
“You ever hear of John Skipper? John Skipper ran ESPN—now I think he runs DAZN, okay—ran ESPN, beloved. Looks like the squarest dude on the planet, older guy, you know? Hates UFC. Hates it. Hates UFC, big soccer guy—for whatever reason. Different people like different things. And I’m not shitting on John Skipper, but this is a fact. This happened and this is a true story.
“John Skipper, beloved at ESPN. ESPN’s at the top of their game, these guys are killing it in revenue. They’re making, like, $ 5 per subscriber—when cable was the biggest it’s ever been—to have ESPN and all this stuff, right?
“So, our FOX deal is up, and we’re probably not going to end up doing another deal with FOX. They’re selling off cable networks and restructuring. So, they’re not the same company that they were when we started with them. John Skipper’s never, ever gonna take the UFC. So, we’re in a real tough place.”
If it seemed as though all hope was lost, it turned out that Skipper had a serious secret that was about to go public.
“John Skipper’s cocaine dealer is gonna rat him out. WHAT!?” White exclaimed, recounting Skipper’s exit from ESPN. “So he has to tell Disney, ‘Yeah, my cocaine dealer is probably gonna go public,’ and whatever. So, he has to step down from ESPN. Right at the time that we’re trying to make our TV deal.
“Who do they put in as the new president? Jimmy Pitaro, who ran Yahoo! Sports for years. And I’ve known him for a long time and he’s a great dude. He loves the UFC… You’ve got him, a guy named Kevin Mayer—who is really close to [Endeavor CEO] Ari [Emanuel]—and we end up doing the ESPN deal when our deal is up.
“So, you wanna talk about timing and, you know, like, WHAT!? John Skipper does coke?
“John Skipper was very nice to us, always treated us with respect. But, while John Skipper was there, there was no way in hell the UFC was gonna be on ESPN.”
In 2018, Skipper sat down with the Hollywood Reporter, to tell his side of the tale.
“I had a substance abuse problem,” Skipper said of his cocaine use. “I grew up wanting to be countercultural. I worked at Rolling Stone for the first 10 years of my professional life. I had a point of view that recreational drugs were recreational, that they weren’t dangerous. That they could be used without repercussions.”
Unfortunately for him, it seems repercussions did come around. Not from the substances themselves, but from a dealer who threatened to extort him.
“They threatened me, and I understood immediately that threat put me and my family at risk, and this exposure would put my professional life at risk as well,” Skipper explained of his decision to resign from ESPN. “I foreclosed that possibility by disclosing the details to my family, and then when I discussed it with [Disney CEO] Bob [Iger]. He and I agreed that I had placed the company in an untenable position and as a result, I should resign.”
After several years of working with DAZN, Skipper left the Sports Entertainment streaming platform to start his own production studio, Meadowlark Media.
Rener Gracie details what Christmas festivities were like for as a child with grandfather, Helio playing the role of Santa Claus in the most unique way.
A few years ago, I interviewed Rener Gracie near the holidays and he told me the most amazing story about the Gracie family Christmas celebrations they had when he was growing up. Today, I’d like to share it with you guys.
Imagine being a small child on Christmas Eve, waiting for the arrival of a fat guy in a red suit, squeezing his big butt down your chimney. You kind of have to wonder how he managed to never catch fire or burn any of those wonderful toys. Then he gorges himself on all the cookies and milk you left for him, yet still manages to hoist himself back up the chimney, onto the roof, and into the sleigh, without ever making a sound, so when you woke up, all you saw was his handiwork.
This is how I always envisioned Christmas. Until I talked to Rener Gracie. He effectively took my traditional, if not boring, memories of Christmas, and blew them from my mind like a Mission Impossible explosion. The images he painted for me of a Gracie Christmas are like something out of a fairy tale.
“My dad goes all the way. He has a history that comes from the grandmaster. Grandmaster Helio, my grandfather, every Christmas in Brazil, would dress up in full Santa Clause regalia, and he would get on a black stallion, a black horse, in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve, would come galloping onto the property with a bag full of presents. He would get off the horse, and climb off the ladder, and go in to give out presents to all the kids in the Gracie compound, as we called it. My dad grew up with that whole thing so he tried to preserve that here.
My dad has gone to every extent necessary to preserve that situation for the little ones. He doesn’t come up in a black stallion in the middle of the street in Torrance, CA, but he’ll get all dressed up and go across the street in the middle of the night, where he gets on top of the neighbor’s house, so that when the kids look out the window, they’ll see Santa on top of the house. He comes down with all the presents and crosses the street like a little old man. Then he hands out the presents to all the kids. He goes all the way, 100%.
That worked for me until I was 8 years old. It’s so funny because I was sitting down to open my presents, and I reached up to grab his beard to look under it, because he was very good at making this disguise. When I lifted the beard, he slapped my hand away from it and he reprimanded me using a Portuguese reprimand that only he did, my whole life. Now my dad has me dress up as Santa, because there are always kids being born in our family, so it’s always necessary for a new Santa Clause.”
Happy Holidays from all of us here at Bloody Elbow.
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