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Urijah Faber stopped by to discuss a revolutionary college MMA program that he and others will spearhead. During his time with us, he was also kind enough to share his reaction to Jose Aldo’s magnificent UFC 301 victory and Aldo’s desire to “cut the line” and fight Sean O’Malley for UFC bantamweight gold.

Faber and Aldo go way back, having shared the cage together during their title match at WEC 48 way back in 2010. Since then, the two have always been very amicable towards each other, and ‘The California Kid’ is overjoyed to see Aldo’s success at 135lbs in the UFC.

Aldo’s last outing saw him defeat a young up-and-comer named Jonathan Martinez at UFC 301. After the fight, Aldo spoke about his title ambitions and his desire to make one last run at things. Unsurprisingly, this left MMA fans very excited to see a final Jose Aldo run, and Urijah Faber didn’t falter in giving his opinion on the matter.

Urijah Faber speaks on Jose Aldo’s success at 135lbs, would love to see a final title run

When asked about Aldo skipping the line and facing Sean O’Malley for bantamweight gold, Urijah Faber was excited. “I would love to see that,” he said, speaking to Lowkick MMA reporter Makoa Goble. “I think this is one of the best (conditions) that I’ve seen Aldo (in). I think the acclimation to the weight class is big. He was always a big guy. When I fought him at 145lbs, I felt like he was a big guy.”

“I think it really took a while for his body to adjust to being a 135lber, but I thought he looked amazing. We don’t speak the same language, so when I see Aldo, it’s mostly some basic exchanges of greetings and sharing love. We’ve always had a great energy. Before we fought, after we fought, and the years after retirement for me.”

Who do you think that Sean O’Malley will defend his title against next?

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After revealing a planned title fight with Jon Jones has missed a targeted July landing pad, former two-time heavyweight champion, Stipe Miocic has sights on a UFC 309 fight with the Rochester native in November at Madison Square Garden.

Miocic, a former two-time undisputed heavyweight champion under the banner of the promotion, has been sidelined for over three years, most recently dropping his title in a stunning second round one-punch KO loss to Francis Ngannou in the pair’s rematch.

As for Jones, the former pound-for-pound number one headlined UFC 285 back in March of last year in his own hiatus-snapping comeback, submitting former interim gold holder, Ciryl Gane with a stunning first round guillotine choke submission win to claim the vacant championship. 

And confirming over the course of the weekend how he has struck a verbal agreement with the UFC to make his return in a title fight against Miocic, Jones – according to the Ohio veteran, was initially targeted to defend that crown as soon as July.

Stipe Miocic confirms plans for UFC 309 fight with Jon Jones

Revealing his plans to continue his sidelining until he stands opposite Jones, Miocic confirmed a pairing with the former light heavyweight kingpin is now in the works for UFC 309 in November – for the promotion’s annual card at Madison Square Garden.

“That’s what I want,” Stipe Miocic told Quinton Jackson on the JAXXON Podcast. “I’m gonna wait. I don’t care, I want that fight.”

“They [the UFC] were talking about July, that passed on,” Stipe Miocic explained. “I’m thinking more – maybe November again in New York. 

Without a victory since 2020, Miocic headlined UFC 252 in August of that year in a title trilogy rubber match against common-foe, Daniel Cormier, landing a unanimous decision win over the former duel-weight champion to successfully retain the heavyweight crown.

Who wins in a UFC 309 title fight: Jon Jones or Stipe Miocic?

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Rivalries in the world of hip hop are nothing new.

Ever since the genre exploded during the 1980s, diss tracks have been an integral part of the industry for rappers looking to bounce Sucker MCs out of the rap game. Some of the most iconic rivalries in hip hop history include Ice Cube vs. his former group, N.W.A.

Nas and Jay-Z went toe-to-toe in the 90s while Eminem’s protege 50 Cent took his two-decade-long feud with Ja Rule public after both hit it big in the 2000s with a series of hit singles.

Of course, you can’t talk about hip hop rivalries without mentioning the beef between Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace aka The Notorious B.I.G. East Coast vs. West Coast was a defining moment in hip hop history. Sadly, both artists lost their lives as a result, each being gunned down in separate drive-by shootings between September 1996 and March 1997.

Oddsmakers weigh in on Hip Hop’s Latest Conflict Drake vs. k-Dot

Today, we have a new beef lighting up social media. Drake and Kendrick Lamar have been dominating headlines and playlists with a series of back-and-forth diss tracks — the most recent being Lamar’s commercially released and critically acclaimed Not Like Us.

If you want to dive deep into where all of the drama began, The New York Times has got you covered, but just know that things are getting pretty serious between the two modern-day rap gods. So much so that BetOnline.ag is offering odds for a potential boxing match between the Canadian actor-turned-rapper and the Compton, California native.

As it stands, Drake and Lamar are sitting at an even -120, meaning a $ 100 bet on either fighter could net you $ 120 in a hypothetical fight.

They’ve also been offered the opportunity to settle things in the wrestling ring, courtesy of an invite from ‘The Heartbreak Kid’ himself.

“A little Sweet Chin Music goes a long way,” former WWE champion Shawn Michaels wrote on X. “Kendrick Lamar, you and Drake are formally invited to WWE NXT to settle this thing. I’m even offering my services to mediate.”

If they were to compete under the WWE banner, Drake would be a -200 favorite while Lamar sits as a +150 underdog.

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Urijah Faber recently spoke with us here at Lowkick MMA and gave his thoughts on how the current bantamweight champion, Sean O’Malley, would fare against what many consider to be his toughest challenger yet: Merab Dvalishvili.

It seems almost fated that O’Malley and Dvalishvili will fight for the title. ‘Suga’ keeps icing everybody the UFC puts in his way, and Dvalishvili has been a seemingly unstoppable force in the 135lbs division for a long time now. ‘The Machine’ is currently riding an astonishing 10-fight win streak inside the UFC, and it’s getting virtually impossible to deny him a title shot now.

The debate of Sean O’Malley vs Merab Dvalishvili is an intriguing one. Some don’t see how O’Malley will be able to contain the near nonstop pressure of ‘The Machine’, while others believe ‘Suga’ will rise to the occasion. Urijah Faber was kind enough to weigh in on this matter and provide his opinion as a UFC hall-of-famer and elite MMA coach.

Urijah Faber weighs in on the matchup between Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili

“I think it’s going to be hard to say,” Urijah Faber told LowKick MMA reporter Makoa Goble when asked how O’Malley might handle the offensive wrestling pressure that ‘The Machine’ can bring to the table. “You would think so, but nobody else has been able to (stop the wrestling), even Henry Cejudo.”

Merab Dvalishvili’s smothering wrestling pressure has been unstoppable so far. Many have accurately described ‘The Machine’ as a ‘grinder’, and it is true. For the most part, he simply gives his opponents no quarter and no room to breathe.

“Honestly, that’s a bad matchup for O’Malley,” Faber continued. “Because Merab is so durable. That dude is durable. He’s gone against some killers, and just kind of walked through their best offense. The only time he’s really been hurt is when he knocked himself out, slamming himself, ya know.”

“But, O’Malley has got that It factor. He’s got a finesse about him, he’s got like a matador type of style. Merab is definitely a bull, and If O’Malley can have his perfect fight, he’ll just be tagging him with clean shots and staying on the outside. O’Malley’s grappling is really good. I’ve trained with some of his training partners, and they are really high-level training partners… It could go either way.”

Who do you think will win between Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili?

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Former undisputed bantamweight champion, Aljamain Sterling has hit out at past foe, current division titleholder, Sean O’Malley – claiming the Montana native is cherrypicking his fights, as he struggles to land a date for a rumored clash with Merab Dvalishvili.

Sterling, a former undisputed bantamweight champion, made his featherweight divisional debut with aplomb last month at UFC 300 – turning in a dominant unanimous decision win over perennial contender, Calvin Kattar.

The outing came as Uniondale native, Sterling’s first since he dropped bantamweight spoils against O’Malley back in August of last year, courtesy of a second round KO defeat.

And fresh from a similarly one-sided decision win of his own against Marlon Vera at UFC 299 back in March, O’Malley has been heavily linked with a pairing against the surging number one contender, Dvalishvili – a close friend and training partner of Sterling.

Replying to Dvalishvili’s claims that he would beat O’Malley and then his head coach, Tim Welch – the champion warned him that he would beat the Georgian’s best friend, in a sneering jibe at Sterling.

Aljamain Sterling rips arch-rival, Sean O’Malley

Drawing a fiery response from Serra-Longo MMA staple, Sterling – the ex-champion urged O’Malley to actually fight a top contender next, before labelling a “sorry” titleholder.

“You’re a sorry champion,” Aljamain Sterling posted on his official X account in response to Sean O’Malley. “Keep bragging about a handicapped fight to give you the best odds to win. You’re not a real man, my guy. ‘Don’t try to duck the number one contender again to fight number 15 this time or some other pointless lame fight.” 

As for a return to the Octagon, Sterling has been linked with a main event clash against the surging Russian grappler, Movsar Evloev in what would come as his sophomore outing at the featherweight limit.

What are your thoughts on Aljamain Sterling’s take on Sean O’Malley?

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Now poster-official for UFC 303 at the end of June, former undisputed duel-weight champion, Conor McGregor is set to fight Michael Chandler over the course of five rounds at the welterweight limit of 170 pounds this summer, however, the promotion’s artwork expertise have once more been called into question.

McGregor, a former undisputed lightweight and featherweight champion under the banner of the organization, has been sidelined for almost three years, most recently fracturing his left tibia and fibula in a first round doctor’s stoppage TKO loss to Dustin Poirier.

As for Chandler, It’s been over two year since we’ve last seen the ex-Bellator MMA champion compete inside the Octagon, with the above-mentioned, Poirier submitting him atop UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden in their grudge match.

Conor McGregor sees Michael Chandler fight at UFC 303 become poster-official

And finally booking a summer showdown at the end of International Fight Week – McGregor versus Chandler became poster-official tonight across social media, with the organization releasing the official UFC 303 poster.

“June 29th. Conor vs. Chandler. 5 rounds. 170lbs,” UFC posted on their official X account, accompanied by the event’s official poster. 

Stoking the flames on their intense rivalry over the course of the week, McGregor, who faced off with Chandler on last year’s Ultimate Fighter 31 as opposing coaches, claimed the former lightweight title challenger was nowhere near his level ahead of their showdown.

“There is (sic) levels and in 7 weeks and 5 days you are gonna see the very, very top level,” Conor McGregor posted on his official X account after UFC alum, Dan Hardy picked him to beat Michael Chandler. “This next run is for the Clan! #BeenReady”

As for Chandler, however, the Kill Cliff FC staple has claimed the condition he plans on leaving McGregor in come the culmination of UFC 303, would likely leave the Crumlin striker with no resort other than to call the curtain on his illustrious mixed martial arts career.

Who wins at UFC 303 this summer: Conor McGregor or Michael Chandler?

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Sean O’Malley tripled his fighter payout through various social media channels in 2023. Unfortunately, that also means he paid a hell of a lot more in taxes.

During a recent appearance on Bradley Martyn’s Raw Talk, the reigning UFC bantamweight world champion revealed that while he has made “a lot of money” in the UFC, a majority of his income comes through a series of side hustles, such as his TimboSugarShow podcast with longtime coach Tim Welch.

As it turns out, those extra gigs far exceed the money he makes from getting punched in the face for a living.

“My goal is always to become a multi-multi-multi-multi-multi-multi-millionaire,” O’Malley said. “I wanted to become — make a lot of money. You can make a lot of money in the UFC not talking sh*t, not really being on social media, doing all that thing. But you’re not — it’s gonna be harder when you have to win 5000 fights in a row.

“I paid more in taxes than I made last year in my fight [with Sterling],” he continued. “I made a lot of money fighting, but I made triple that from social media. From Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and all these different social medias. I made triple the amount I made fighting. I made a lot of money fighting” (h/t MMA Mania).

O’Malley’s only fight in 2023 was his bantamweight title-winning performance against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292. The bout took place in Boston, Mass where the athletic commission discloses fighter payouts. Per the released information, ‘Sugar’ banked a flat $ 500,000 for his victory.

Sean O’Malley gearing up for a fight with top-ranked Merab Dvalishvili

Next on the docket for Sean O’Malley is a clash with the division’s top-ranked contender, Merab Dvalishvili. Riding a 10-fight win streak, ‘The Machine’ has long been considered the next man in line.

“Merab’s on like a 10-fight winning streak,” O’Malley said. “One of the most boring guys in UFC history and he’s finally kind of changing it up a bit and kind of getting some attention now. I think Merab’s doing a good job. I think people are finding out they gotta be — I think Merab genuinely is kind of a goofball and I think he’s being like himself and that’s why it’s working. I don’t think he’s forcing it.”

No official date has been announced, but ‘Sugar’ has expressed interest in headlining UFC 306 in September when the promotion debuts inside The Sphere in Las Vegas.

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The longstanding rivalry between Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington has delivered yet another unexpected twist.

Though they only met once inside the Octagon, Masvidal’s feud with his former friend turned bitter enemy is among the most notable in UFC history, and it appears to be far from over.

During a recent interview with Vlad TV, ‘Gamebred’ was asked about accusations that Covington had levied against him, suggesting that his retirement at UFC 287 was nothing more than a ploy to avoid PED testing.

“It’s a fake retirement,” Covington said in an interview with Inside Fighting. “We all know people in the UFC that don’t retire, they’ll get out of the USADA pool, probably go do some steroids, and come back because he doesn’t know how to make money in any other way than fighting.”

Snapping back, Masvidal suggested that Covington would say anything to try and keep himself relevant — by no means an unreasonable statement for anyone familiar with the three-time UFC title challenger’s work. However, it was what came out of Masvidal’s mouth next that had everyone scratching their heads.

“That guy will say anything,” Masvidal said. “That guy wears skirts and he doesn’t tell the whole world and he goes to sleep wearing thongs. Maybe he should be more open about himself. There actually is no more PED testing because USADA’s been disbanded, so there goes your other f*cking theory.

“Colby will just say anything to get people talking about his silly-ass name, but ever since I ‘allegedly’ took his soul outside of Papi’s Steakhouse, he doesn’t post, he doesn’t talk about me. He doesn’t say sh*t about me.”

Is Colby Covington a Crossdresser?

For the record, the UFC still conducts no-notice testing for banned substances, but instead of it going through the United States Anti-Doping Agency, the testing is now done through Drug Free Sport International.

Just ask Jon Jones.

As far as his comments about Colby Covington, is ‘Gamebred’ taking a page out of his former friend’s playbook and just saying some outlandish sh*t to snag a few headlines? Or is ‘Chaos’ regularly packing a G-string under his fight trunks?

We may never know. And to be honest, we probably don’t want to.

But if there’s one woman who knows the truth…

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Former interim lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier claims if fierce rival, Conor McGregor returns in similar fettle as prior to his leg fracture at UFC 303 this summer, the Dubliner will finish Michael Chandler inside just two rounds.

Poirier, a former interim lightweight champion, is slated to headline UFC 302 himself next month, taking on undisputed titleholder, Islam Makhachev – in his third attempt to land undisputed gold inside the organization.

And holding multiple triumphs over both Conor McGregor and the previously mentioned, Michael Chandler, Lafayette striker, Poirier fought the former when he suffered a fractured tibia and fibula back in 2021 in their rubber match trilogy bout. 

Conor McGregor backed to finish Michael Chandler at UFC 303

And sharing his thoughts on the ex-two-weight champion’s welterweight return at UFC 303 during International Fight Week, Poirier claims McGregor has the ability to finish Chandler within two rounds, if he returns in decent form later this summer.

“I think that if Conor (McGregor) comes back anything [the way] he was with his timing and rhythm – but with the injury that he had and this long of a layoff – and we are not getting any younger, either,” Dustin Poirier told MMA Fighting. “If he (McGregor) comes back similar to who he was before he left, I think he stops Michael Chandler. If Conor is who he was before the injury and stuff, I think two rounds. I think the fight is over in two rounds.”

Poirier’s prediction come off the back of claims overnight from McGregor that former three-time Bellator MMA lightweight champion, Chandler is nowhere near his “level”. 

Without a victory since 2020, McGregor’s most recent win came at the welterweight limit, in the form of a first round high-kick and strikes knockout win over Hall of Fame inductee, Donald Cerrone in just 40-seconds.

Who do you think wins at UFC 303: Conor McGregor or Dustin Poirier?

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Dustin Poirier believes that reigning UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev is better both on the ground and on the feet than his mentor, Khabib Numragomedov.

On Saturday, June 1, ‘The Diamond’ will return to the Octagon for what could very well be the final fight of his illustrious combat sports career. Headlining the promotion’s return to the Prudential Cente in Newark, New Jersey, ‘The Diamond’ will challenge Makhachev for the 155-pound crown in the UFC 302 main event.

With their highly anticipated scrap a few short weeks away, Poirier joined Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour to break down his fight with the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ and the differences he sees between Makhachev and former lightweight titleholder Khabib Nurmagomedov.

“I think [Islam’s] submission game, jiu-jitsu wise, is a little more versatile than Khabib,” Poirier said. “Khabib had some chokes that he did really well, but Islam’s putting himself in, you could say bad positions, going for armbars. Maybe he loses a position but he trusts his wrestling to get it back.

“I think [Islam] is a little bit more of a threat jiu-jitsu wise and scrambles, but I think his striking’s better than Khabib’s.”

Dustin Poirier knows a thing or two about what it’s like being inside the Octagon with Nurmagomedov. The two went toe-to-toe for the lightweight title nearly five years ago at UFC 242. While ‘The Diamond’ hung in there longer than most, he would eventually submit to ‘The Eagle’ via a third-round rear-naked choke.

Dustin Poirier reacts to Islam makhachev calling him an ‘easy fight’

Going 2-2 in his last four fights, Dustin Poirier’s journey to a third lightweight title opportunity was more a matter of circumstance than anything else. Still, it would be foolish to count out ‘The Diamond’ inside the Octagon. Unfortunately, that appears to be exactly what Islam Makhachev has already done.

During a recent interview with TMZ, Makhachev said: “I have the key for the easy fight. And if I follow the plan, I can beat him easy.”

Reacting to the notion that he’s an “easy fight” for the Dagestani, Poirier warned Makhachev of what happens when you underestimate one of the UFC’s most explosive strikers.

“I hadn’t been keeping up a whole lot but when I was at the gym, Mike Brown, he said ‘Man, this guy might be underestimating your jiu-jitsu and underestimating how dangerous you are.’ I think what he is referring to is an interview of Islam saying this is an easy fight for me,” Poirier said. “I was tagged in a bunch of stuff on Instagram and Twitter, that is where I see a lot of the info of him saying that.

“I don’t know, maybe he goes about all fights like this. But, I can finish and beat anybody at 155 lbs in the world, I really believe that. He doesn’t have to believe it, I am the one who has to believe it and I’m the one who has to go out there and beat his ass, and I can do that” (h/t BJPenn.com).

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