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A four-time foe of former two-time middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, undisputed light heavyweight best, Alex Pereira has suggested the former may have been carrying an injury into his return at UFC 305 earlier this month — pointing to his kick-light approach to his fight with Dricus du Plessis.

Adesanya, a former undisputed middleweight champion twice under the banner of the promotion, headlined UFC 305 in Perth, Australia against bitter-rival, du Plessis — dropping his second consecutive loss for the first time in his mixed martial arts career.

Struggling with the pressure and timing of Pretoria native, du Plessis, Adesanya was stunned in the fourth round before he was swept off his feet with a takedown, and wrapped in a taut rear-naked choke — forced to tap and give up a middleweight title fight for the second bout in a row.

Alex Pereira shares thoughts on Israel Adesanya’s loss at UFC 305

And sharing his thoughts on the City Kickboxing staple’s performance, Pereira speculated that the Nigerian-Kiwi may have been harboring an injury ahead of his UFC 305 title fight with du Plessis — pointing to his kick-light display ‘Downunder.

“Of course, I don’t know how (Israel) Adesanya was,” Alex Pereira said on his YouTube channel. “When we are there, we don’t talk about injuries, don’t talk about problems. We are there. We want to fight, want to win — no excuses. Maybe Adesanya had an injury. You could see he kicked very little.”

“That inside kick of Adesanya’s is very good,” Alex Pereira explained. “Not everyone can do that, but he can do it very well. It was a good weapon and he didn’t continue doing that inside kick. Even Dricus (du Plessis) said it bothered him; it also bothered me. He didn’t continue to do it. When he is only throwing hands, I think it’s easier for the opponent to protect themselves or get out.”

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Amid his sidelining from action, former undisputed light heavyweight champion, Jiri Prochazka has claimed a potential middleweight title run may be on the cards next — particularly after Dricus du Plessis retained his title at UFC 305 against former champion, Israel Adesanya.

Prochazka, who still retains the number one rank in the light heavyweight pile, most recently headlined UFC 303 at the end of June during International Fight Week.

Suffering his second defeat to champion, Alex Pereira in their heated title rematch, Czech Republic striker, Prochazka was stopped with a brutal high-kick knockout.

And in the immediate aftermath of his loss, the former Rizin FF star weighed up both a middleweight drop in chase of a second Octagon crown — or a title-eliminator against fellow former champion, Jamahal Hill.

In his most recent victory, devastating knockout ace, Prochazka rallied to best Aleksandar Rakic with a stunning second round stoppage at UFC 300 earlier this year to boot.

Jiri Prochazka weighs up Dricus du Plessis title charge

And still undecided on his future amid links to an impending return to action later this year, Prochazka has welcomed the chance to take on Pretoria favorite, du Plessis for the middleweight championship.

“I’ve been considering that if (Israel Adesanya) wins, I’ll stay in the light heavyweight division, but if (Dricus) du Plessis wins, I’ll follow him,” Jiri Prochazka said on his official YouTube channel.

“I’ll clear things up in a bit there and take the belt,” Jiri Prochazka explained. “It would certainly be a challenge for me to go for the belt in the [middleweight] division. And then move up [back to light heavyweight].”

Winning 205lbs gold back in the summer of 2022, Prochazka travelled to Singapore where he toppled then-champion, Glover Teixeira with a stunning fifth round finish — defeating the Brazilian with a rear-naked choke stoppage — sans hooks, with the challenger down on the scorecards heading into the final round.

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Sean O’Malley thinks Khabib Nurmagomedov’s presence could give his potential clash with Umar Nurmagomedov that big-fight feel.

The latter of the Dagestani MMA dynasty earned a big win inside the Octagon earlier this month, scoring a decisive decision victory over Cory Sandhagen. The victory pushed Umar Nurmagomedov into the No. 2 spot in the bantamweight rankings, setting him up to challenge the winner of next month’s title tilt between reigning 135-pound king Sean O’Malley and top-ranked contender Merab Dvalishvili.

O’Malley is not the kind of fighter to count his chickens before they hatch, but he can’t help but think about the big fight feel that would come with facing Umar Nurmagomedov. Especially if it means competing against the mind and coaching of Khabib Nurmagomedov who would undoubtedly be in his cousin’s corner.

“I never really thought about it but just kind of off the top of my head right now if I think about it, that would be cool. Khabib’s a legend, 29-0, and very disciplined, serious guy which would make it even more fun,” O’Malley told Red Corner MMA.

“It’d be hard to top that, like I guess beating Ilia or Max after that, like there’s guys you could top that with but it’d be hard to get too excited for. I don’t know, I’m thinking out loud right now. It would be cool” (h/t MMA News).

Sean O’Malley headlines once in a lifetime event at sphere in las vegas

Before O’Malley can even concern himself with the Dagestani wrestling attack of an undefeated Nurmagomedov, he’ll have to handle his toughest test yet when he meets streaking Georgian standout Merab Dvalishvili.

The two bantamweight warriors will square off on Saturday, September 14 when the promotion celebrates Mexican Independence Day inside Sphere in Las Vegas.

Dana White has promised an event unlike anything that’s ever been done before. Aside from the unique setting, UFC 306 will feature not one, but two exciting championship clashes. The first will feature a trilogy bout as Alexa Grasso returns to defend her flyweight title against Valentina Shevchenko.

Grasso shocked the world at UFC 285, scoring a fourth-round submission victory over ‘Bullet’ to kickstart her 125-pound reign. Later that year, Grasso and Shevchenko ran it back, but the bout was controversially ruled a split draw.

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Former welterweight title challenger, Gilbert Burns has claimed it’s “crazy” how his teammate, Michael Chandler remains sidelined from action for so long — particularly with a matchup opposite Conor McGregor failing to materialize so far this year.

Burns, the current number six ranked welterweight contender and former title challenger, most recently featured at UFC 299 back in March, suffering a third round knockout loss to surging Australian contender, Jack Della Maddalena in the pair’s high-stakes pairing.

For Chandler, the Kill Cliff FC staple has been out of action for the last two years, remaining sidelined since he suffered a third round rear-naked choke loss to former interim lightweight gold holder, Dustin Poirier at Madison Square Garden.

And chasing a grudge fight with McGregor in the time since to no avail, Chandler was booked to headline UFC 303 against the Dubliner earlier this summer, however, a toe injury ruled the ex-champion from a comeback to the Octagon.

Gilbert Burns urges Michael Chandler to move on from Conor McGregor

With Chandler still hoping to secure a fight with McGregor at the welterweight limit before the end of the year — potentially at UFC 310 in December, Chandler has been labelled as “crazy” by his training partner, Burns for chasing the bout still.

“I would never wait that long for any opponent,” Gilbert Burns told MMA Fighting during a recent interview. “I would never wait, especially (at) my age. He (Michael Chandler) just turned 38, too. I would never wait two years. That’s crazy. Even thought it’s Conor McGregor, I don’t care. I would never wait.”

He’s already waiting that long, like you said, I would wait until December,” Gilbert Burns explained. “If the guy shows up, good, we’re here. If not, I think it would have moved on a long time [ago] already.”

Slated to return later this year at UFC Vegas 97, Burns will tangle with fellow grappling talent, Sean Brady in a main event bout in September.

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A lot has changed for lightweight standout Chase Hooper over the years.

Hooper was just 18-years-old when he signed a development deal with the UFC and quickly became a social media sensation courtesy of his wiry frame and accompanying baby face. It certainly didn’t hurt that he had the skills to match as the accomplished BJJ wizard scored a big first-round finish in his promotional debut against Daniel Teymur at UFC 245.

Five years later, things are drastically different for Hooper both in and out of the Octagon, but ‘The Dream’ finally feels like he’s getting the hang of being an adult with a very unique career choice.

“It’s definitely been a difficult journey,” Hooper told RG.org of growing up in the bright lights of the UFC. “I was still figuring out everything, like how to buy a house, how to pay my bills, how to pay taxes. But I think I’m definitely starting to find my groove in and out of the cage. I’m starting to figure out how to live with this type of career.”

One of the biggest changes is that Hooper is no longer fighting for just himself. Every time he steps into the cage, it’s an opportunity for him to give his daughter a better life.

“Losing a fight, the worst thing was probably on the ego,” Hooper said. “But now, I need to provide. It’s for a purpose now. I’m not just fighting for myself. I’m fighting so that my daughter can be in a better position than I was growing up.”

Chase Hooper’s move to lightweight has proven to be a wise decision

As Hooper began to grow into his 6’1″ frame, the Enumclaw, Washington native made the move up the lightweight. It’s proven to be a wise decision as he’s since rattled off three straight wins, including back-to-back submission victories over Jordan Leavitt and Viacheslav Borshchev.

“Now, I’m not so scared of all these names,” Hooper said. “There are some scary names up there. There are some guys that are dangerous. But I know I can hang with these guys. Obviously, I don’t think I’m ready for Islam [Makhachev] next week. But I’m working my way up the division and I’m stacking that resume up.”

Going forward, Hooper believes his biggest asset inside the Octagon will be his unconventional style which will be difficult for his opponents to replicate while training.

“I have some of the best jiu-jitsu in the division,” he said. “That’s kind of a niche skill set; that’s not super common. So I think having a weird style, it’s hard to prepare for. I think I can catch a lot of these guys … there’s definitely some winnable fights in the outer edge of the top 15.”

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Tom Aspinall will be the backup for this fall’s undisputed heavyweight title scrap between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic.

Thus far, the UFC has not officially confirmed when or even if Jones vs. Miocic is going to happen, but all signs point toward the long-awaited legacy clash going down at UFC 309 when the promotion makes its annual pit spot at Madison Square Garden on November 9.

Expected to face the winner, or whichever one who doesn’t immediately retire, interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall revealed in a video on his YouTube channel that he has spoken to the UFC about being the official backup for ‘Bones’ vs. Miocic in case either one can’t make the walk come fight night.

“Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic, New York City. As I said, this fight hasn’t been confirmed. But after my last fight against Curtis Blaydes there was some talk about me being the back-up fighter. The UFC spoke to me directly about that, I said, ‘I’m in!’ Somebody pulls out, I’m in. One day notice, ten day notice, ten weeks notice, one hour notice, I’ll be prepared for that date” (h/t Sportskeeda).

Tom Aspinall Happy to send Jon Jones into retirement, one way or another

Originally, Jones and Miocic were scheduled to fight at UFC 295 last year, but a pectoral injury forced ‘Bones’ out of the bout. That prompted the promotion to introduce an interim belt at the event. Aspinall captured the temporary title with a quick-fire finish of Sergei Pavlovich in the co-main event.

He’s since become the first fighter in more than a decade to defend an interim title, dispatching Curtis Blaydes 60 seconds into their UFC 304 co-main event in Manchester.

Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee we’ll ever see Jones vs. Aspinall with ‘Bones’ continuously teasing retirement on social media. If Jones does decide to pack it in later this year, that’s perfectly fine with Aspinall. He’ll just go down as the fighter who retired Jon Jones without ever having to actually fight him.

“[Jones] was praying that I would lose that fight against Curtis Blaydes,” Aspinall said on the Believe You Me podcast with Michael Bisping. “Because there is nowhere that you can publicly find him saying he would fight me. It doesn’t exist… Since I won that fight, he’s gone completely quiet… I will retire Jon Jones without even fighting him.”

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More than a decade later, Ronda Rousey is apologizing for sharing a controversial conspiracy video claiming that the Sandy Hook massacre was staged.

The shooting incident occurred on December 14, 2012, when Adam Lanza entered Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, and opened fire, killing 20 children and six staff members. Following the incident, conspiracy theories about the shooting ran rampant, many of them perpetuated by disgraced political commentator and former InfoWars host Alex Jones.

A month after the shooting, Rousey shared a YouTube video on X (formerly Twitter) that perpetuated claims that the entire incident was a work of fiction. The post included a caption from Rousey: “Extremely interesting, and must-watch.”

Rousey was immediately hit with outrage prompting her to delete the video quickly. While mainstream media failed to pick up the story, the incident was addressed by UFC CEO Dana White at a press event in March 2013. White unsurprisingly came to Rousey’s defense saying that “everybody has an opinion” and suggesting that the bigger problem was that “people are f*cking p*ssies.”

The whole thing was seemingly forgotten until recently when Rousey engaged in a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything). The MMA icon was immediately inundated with scathing questions about her past comments related to the massacre.

Ronda Rousey Will Regret Sharing Sandy Hook video ‘Until the day i die’

Shortly after, Rousey took to X and issued a lengthy statement apologizing for the 11-year-old post.

“I didn’t even believe it, [the conspiracy video] but was so horrified at the truth that I was grasping for an alternative fiction to cling to instead. I quickly realized my mistake and took it down, but the damage was done.

“By some miracle it seemingly slipped under the media’s radar, I was never asked about it so I never spoke of it again, afraid that calling attention to it would have the opposite of the intended effect — it could increase the views of those conspiracy videos, and selfishly, inform even more people I was ignorant, self absorbed, and tone deaf enough to share one in the first place.”

Rousey added that she’ll regret the decision to share the video “until the day I die.”

“I deserve to be hated, labeled, detested, resented, and worse for it. I deserve to lose out on every opportunity, I should have been canceled, I would have deserved it. I still do. I apologize that this came 11 years too late, but to those affected by the Sandy Hook massacre, from the bottom of my heart and depth of my soul I am so so sorry for the hurt I caused.”

Rousey also revealed that she had drafted an apology to include in her latest memoir, but “my publisher begged me to take it out, saying it would overshadow everything else and do more harm than good.”

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JK Rowling has recently been involved in a controversy surrounding Algerian Olympic boxer Imane Khelif. Khelif was hounded on social media over a false story accusing her of being a man competing as a woman.

JK Rowling and Imane Khelif

This situation escalated after Rowling made comments on social media regarding Khelif’s gender, incorrectly identifying her as a man. Khelif, who won a gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, has faced scrutiny over her gender identity due to past disqualifications from the International Boxing Association (IBA). The IBA is largely not considered a reputable organization due to corruption. The IBA never specified what they tested for. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) supported her right to compete, affirming her eligibility as a female athlete.

Imane Khelif was born a woman and competes as a woman. No test had ever said that she was intersex, had XY chromosomes, or had increased testosterone. The IBA never claimed such things. It was misinformation aimed at a minority woman. Being LGBTQ in Algeria could land a citizen in prison.

Following these events, Khelif filed a cyberbullying lawsuit in France, naming JK Rowling, Elon Musk, and others, accusing them of promoting online harassment against her. The backlash spurred the lawsuit and misinformation spread about her gender identity, which Khelif claims has caused her significant distress.

In response to the lawsuit and the surrounding controversy, JK Rowling has reportedly deleted numerous tweets related to Khelif and has gone silent on her social media platform X, formerly Twitter. This silence is notable given Rowling’s typically very active presence on the platform, especially regarding issues related to gender and transgender people.

The legal proceedings are ongoing, and while it is uncertain if billionaires JK Rowling or Elon Musk will face prosecution due to jurisdictional issues, the lawsuit highlights the broader debate over gender identity in sports and the impact of public figures’ comments on social media. JK Rowling was never censored, she is facing the consequences of the thoughts she published publicly. Elon Musk also spread misinformation on a platform where he largely controls the spread of information.

Chael Sonnen explained the controversy:

The claim that the boxer submitted a genetic test that came back with an XY chromosome—indicating that she is biologically male—is simply not true. The IBA, which initiated this whole controversy, never said such a test was done. They only mentioned that they found something, which was then appealed.

The IOC, which sees the IBA as insignificant in the broader sports world, reviewed the appeal. The IBA is relatively unimportant in the grand scheme of sports, and they never claimed that the test involved genetics or chromosomes. Everything else—this entire narrative—was fabricated by outlets and spread across the internet.

He added:

Alleging that this Algerian boxer had a test showing she had the XY chromosome, which would indicate biological maleness. But this is simply not true. The test never happened. The IBA never claimed such a test was done.

But if you care about the truth and the reality, I’ve just laid it out for you.

Update from JK Rowling

Rowling just Tweeted moments ago mocking and smearing the Algerian athlete. Many people on social media were happy to admit they were wrong due to misinformation. Instead, Rowling continues personal attacks:

“It’s important to highlight that launching a PR campaign and applying layers of thick makeup requires far more time and effort than simply making DNA test results public.”

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Former undisputed heavyweight UFC champion, Francis Ngannou finally came face-to-face with incoming foe, Renan Ferreira ahead of his PFL (Professional Fighters League) debut against the Brazilian in Saudi Arabia later this annum, where he struggled to hold back tears whilst discussing the tragic passing of his son earlier this year.

Ngannou, a former undisputed heavyweight champion under the banner of the UFC, has yet to compete in mixed martial arts since he successfully unified the promotional titles against then-interim champion, Ciryl Gane back in 2022.

Handing the Frenchman his first professional loss, Cameroonian favorite, Ngannou landed a unanimous decision win over the former, before departing the promotion to sign with the PFL the following annum.

Francis Ngannou emotional discussing passing of late son, Kobe

And finally slated for his first venture to the SmartCage following a pair of professional boxing matches against former world championship winning duo, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, Ngannou featured at a pre-fight press conference today ahead of his clash with Ferreira in October.

“FIghting for me is a lifestyle,” Francis Ngannou told assembled media ahead of his PFL MMA debut. “I questioned myself if I should continue or retire, but I didn’t want my son to be the reason for me to do that.”

“It becomes a new purpose for me,” Francis Ngannou explained. “I decided to make a positive out of his 15 months of living. To find strength out of him, as a motivation, to keep going instead of quitting. I think this is the best way of honoring him.”

In his most recent appearance under the PFL banner, Ferreira won an inaugural Super Belt in a heavyweight title fight against Bellator MMA champion, Ryan Bader, laying waste to the former UFC light heavyweight contender with a blistering opening round knockout win in Riyadh, earning a fight against Batie knockout artist, Ngannou.

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Despite both fighters sharing immense skills in their respective Judo and Sambo practices, fans are sure to be surprised to learn that a United States Olympic coach had previously picked now UFC bantamweight contender, Kayla Harrison to beat former lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov in a grappling showdown.

Harrison, a former two-time Olympic gold medal winner in Judo, as well as a two-time PFL lightweight tournament winner, is set to make his sophomore outing under the banner of the UFC in October, taking on perennial Brazilian contender, Ketlen Vieira in a title eliminator in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Making his long-anticipated bow in the promotion on the preliminary card of the massive UFC 300 event back in April, Kayla Harrison landed in the organization with aplomb, courtesy of a dominant second round rear-naked choke win over former champion, Holly Holm in a bantamweight bow.

Coach picks Kayla Harrison to topple Khabib Nurmagomedov in grappling match

And given her expertise in grappling and wrestling, Ohio native, Kayla Harrison was once backed as a severe threat to the ability of the above-mentioned, Nurmagomedov — by a renowned Judo head coach.

“I’d put my money on Kayla (Harrison) unless he’s (Khabib Nurmagomedov) at a really high level of Judo,” Jimmy Pedro told Lex Fridman during a podcast appearance. “If he’s not at that level of JUdo, a brown belt or not a high-level Judo player, she will win.”

Nurmagomedov, a former undisputed lightweight champion in the promotion, also scooped an induction into the Fighter Wing of their Hall of Fame following his retirement back in 2021.

Scoring a perfect 29-0 professional record across mixed martial arts, Nurmagomedov would bow out of combat sports following a dominant second round triangle choke submission win over former interim gold holder, Justin Gaethje that same year.

The victory came as Dagestan native, Nurmagomedov’s third as undisputed champion, following prior submission wins over both former titleholders, Conor McGregor, and Dustin Poirier.

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