The first UFC pay-per-view of 2025 features a Brazil vs. Argentina bantamweight clash when Karol Rosa takes on Ailin Perez on Jan. 18. Both fighters announced the matchup on social media following a report by Gaston Reyno.

UFC 311 is rumored for Los Angeles, but the company has yet to officially announce the exact location and its headlining attraction.

Rosa (18-6) has gone 1-1 since returning to her original weight class at 135 pounds, defeating Pannie Kianzad this past August to bounce back from a Fight of the Night loss against Irene Aldana.

The Brazilian, who turns 30 years old just weeks before the fight, holds wins over the likes of Yana Santos, Lina Lansberg and former title contender Bethe Correia throughout her 7-3 octagon career.

Perez (11-2) is looking to extend her winning streak to five after a perfect career so far as a UFC bantamweight. “Fiona” lost a 135-pound clash to Stephanie Egger in her octagon debut, but then cut back down to bantamweight to beat Ashlee Evans-Smith, Lucie Pudilova, Joselyne Edwards and Darya Zheleznyakova.

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Ben Askren knows what Francis Ngannou is going through.

Earlier this month, Ngannou made his PFL debut, knocking out Renan Ferreira at PFL Superfights: Battle of the Giants in his first MMA fight since leaving the UFC last year.

Ngannou’s return reignited discussion about his UFC exit, which in turn led UFC CEO Dana White to repeatedly bash his former heavyweight champion, saying Ngannou is “full of shit,” that left because he didn’t want to fight Jon Jones, and questioning Ngannou’s character. It was a full blown attack on Ngannou, one that Askren knows all too well.

“Dana spent years lying, saying I didn’t want to fight the best, I didn’t want challenges, I was running away, and that couldn’t have been further from the truth,” Askren said on his YouTube show with Daniel Cormier. “So, it sucked to have this guy – it’s essentially slander, saying things about me that I knew weren’t true. Dana has this part of his personality when he can’t get what he wants, and in that case, he didn’t offer me a contract, so he kind of got what he wanted.

“But then I think because I was continuing to have success and people were continuing to follow me, he wanted me off in a dark corner where everyone ignored me or something. But he’s done the same thing with [Cris] Cyborg, I believe Randy Couture had a similar experience, obviously now Francis. If I thought really hard I could probably think of some other ones. But there’s this weird part of Dana’s personality where, if he doesn’t get exactly what he wants, he just starts crapping on people. And because he has a big microphone and because he’s generally very truthful and generally correct, people just believe him.

“So I had to deal with many years of Dana telling lies about me that were very harmful to me, that he had no reason or basis for doing.”

Askren is a former Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight champion and widely considered to be one of the best fighters outside of the UFC during his title runs. He ultimately did join the promotion in 2019 when ONE Championship traded him for Demetrious Johnson, and had a newfound positive relationship with White, who lauded Askren’s willingness to fight and promote himself.

Unfortunately, Askren’s UFC career was short-lived as he struggled to find the same level of success in the UFC, going just 1-2 in the promotion before retiring at the end of the year due to injuries. And now that he’s retired, Askren says he simply has no relationship with White.

“I don’t see Dana, ever,” Askren said. “I haven’t seen Dana since I finished fighting. I’m not in that world anymore. I don’t train very many fighters … I kind of just do my own thing.”

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Michael Page is willing to bump up to middleweight to face one of the division’s surging up and comers in defense of his friend Israel Adesanya.

Shara “Bullet” Magomedov recently competed at UFC 308 this past Saturday where he delivered a bonus-winning double backfist knockout of Armen Petrosyan in the main card opener. After the win, Magomedov called for a fight with the former middleweight champion — which Adesanya didn’t take too kindly to — and since that fight is unlikely to happen, Page is more than willing to move up to 185 to face Magomedov.

“Actually, I just forgot his first name, which is terrible, Magomedov — he just fought, did the double spinning back [fist] knockout and then he called out my boy Izzy,” Page told MMA Fighting. “Mate, I’m at that weight right now. You don’t even have to wait too long. That one there, I’ll just take straight away just for the fun of it.”

Page is set to face former interim UFC welterweight champion Carlos Condit in a grappling match this Saturday at Polaris 30, which takes place in London and streams on UFC Fight Pass.

The match between “MVP” and Condit is taking place at 185 pounds, so for Page, he could just roll right into a camp in preparation for Magomedov.

“That’s what I’m grappling at right now,” Page said. “So, I’m in shape now, ready to go. So that’s a good fight for me, I think. Just a nice stand up fight for everybody, just to come back to the game. and like I said, leave my boy Izzy alone. He’s trying to get back to the belt, to the throne, so I’ll take his place.”

The longtime Bellator star signed with the UFC earlier this year and made two octagon appearances. In his UFC debut, Page earned a decision against Kevin Holland, before facing one of the division’s surging prospects in Ian Machado Garry at UFC 303 in June. Garry came out on top via unanimous decision, but Page made things very difficult for the young star.

Heading into his second year with the promotion, Page got a lot of his initial questions answered. Now, it’s about making a dent in things, and if that means competing frequently — even in multiple divisions — that’s exactly that he’ll do.

“I’d say [it’s been] a prosperous year,” Page explained. “I really have enjoyed the level up I have enjoyed, almost putting a stamp on where I knew I was. I know there is a big question mark over my head with regards to can I hang in the UFC? Is my talent level that of the UFC level? So it’s been nice to not only get signed, but also tick that box off, let everyone know that, oh yeah, now, he is competitive at this level, as well.

“The last one didn’t go my way, but it was close and there is only a few alterations. … And now I get to, again, express my martial arts skills in a different way, show the world, or keep shocking the world by doing a little something different. And then straight back to the next year, I want to be really, really aggressive in the cage. I’ve had a year when I have had five fights in one year. That’s the goal again, I want to be that kind of aggressive: Get a fight, put someone away, back at it, back at it, back at it, straight away.

“I want to make noise, man. I said that as soon as I came in here, if it’s a good fight, exciting fight, we can do it wherever. Let’s go.”

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Islam Makhachev. Alex Pereira. Ilia Topuria. Any one of these incredible fighters is worthy of being called the best in the world.

But who else belongs in the discussion?

With the men’s Pound-for-Pound top-3 comfortably set for now, the MMA Fighting Crew looks ahead to 2025 to figure out if UFC champions Belal Muhammad, Dricus du Plessis, Tom Aspinall, or perhaps a surging contender can enter the conversation for the No. 1 spot in the near future. Host Alexander K. Lee is joined by esteemed rankings panelists Damon Martin, Jed Meshew, and E. Casey Leydon as we attempt to figure out who has the best chance of shaking up the P4P list.

We also discuss the moves made in the wake of October’s two UFC events and PFL’s Battle of the Giants, including Khamzat Chimaev’s big jump, Kamaru Usman’s exit, and where the top of the heavyweight division stands with Francis Ngannou’s MMA return and Jon Jones about to fight Stipe Miocic this November.

Watch the latest episode of the MMA Fighting Rankings Show above or listen below and don’t forget to subscribe to the MMA Fighting feed on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and all your other favorite podcast platforms for the latest episodes from the team.

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Dricus du Plessis believes Khamzat Chimaev should be his next title defense.

This past Saturday, Chimaev scored the most impressive win of his career, literally breaking former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in the first round of their UFC 308 matchup. The performance was so impressive that du Plessis, the current middleweight champion, stood up and took notice of “Borz,” saying he wants to be the first man to defeat him. And now the champ says he wants to do that next.

Speaking with RadioRaps on Wednesday, du Plessis made the case for Chimaev as his next title challenger, instead of the presumed rematch with Sean Strickland that previously seemed to be in line.

“We always knew between Rob and Khamzat if there was going to be something exceptional that happens, there might be a change in the title fight,” du Plessis said. “We have no clarity on that, but as a fan of the sport and as the middleweight champion of the world, that’s a fight that gets me more excited, taking somebody’s 0. I’ve beaten Strickland before and I know I’ll beat him again. Getting that Khamzat fight, that gets me excited.”

Du Plessis won the title from Strickland back in January, taking a contentious split decision win at UFC 297. Since then, du Plessis defended his title with submission win over Israel Adesanya, while Strickland won a decision over Paulo Costa, leading UFC CEO Dana White to say Strickland is next in line for a title shot.

But that may have changed for White as well. In his UFC 308 post-fight press conference, White was less committed to Strickland than he previously was, saying who gets the next crack at du Plessis is “a good question.” And for du Plessis that question boils down to which fight is bigger for the fans?

“I think the whole world wants to see it,” du Plessis said. “The fans ultimately pay to watch the fights, so the fight the world thinks is the best next fight, that’s what I want. So I think the Khamzat fight is 100 percent what I want. The UFC is going to do what they’re going to do, but from a fan perspective and from a fighter’s perspective, I think Khamzat should get the next shot.”

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If Ilia Topuria is going to take some time off, Diego Lopes wants Alexander Volkanovski next.

This past Saturday, Topuria authored one of the most impressive wins of the year, knocking out Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 308. It was the first-time the iron-chinned Holloway has ever been knocked out, which even impressed Lopes, who was sitting cageside for the event.

“It was a good knockout,” Lopes told Ariel Helwani. “It was really impressive, but it was even more shocking just to see Max on the floor. It had never happened. I was really shocked by that…

“Max did a good job keeping the distance in the [beginning] of the fight, but I told my brother during the fight, if Ilia got in there he could have the chance to knock him out…

“Going into the fight I thought that Max was going to win. I never thought that Ilia would knock him out.”

Lopes served as the backup fighter for UFC 308 but his services were not needed as both Topuria and Holloway made weight for their featherweight title fight. And while sometimes being a backup fighter means you’re next in line for the title shot, that doesn’t appear to be the case for Lopes.

Following his Topuria’s big win, the UFC brought former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski into the cage for a faceoff, seemingly setting up a rematch between the two. That could leave Lopes waiting in the wings again.

All hope isn’t lost for Lopes though. For one, Topuria seems interested in taking some time off instead of making a quick turnaround to defend his title again, and for another, UFC CEO Dana White has already suggested the promotion wants to bring him to Spain for a debut event. If that means a prolonged hiatus to figure out, Lopes has the perfect plan.

“We were never promised a title shot going into this,” Lopes said. “We just agreed to be the backup but we will for sure try to find our way to that title shot…

“Ilia mentioned on Saturday night that he wanted to take some time off. Also, UFC mentioned they’re working on a date for Spain. While this is all going on, it would make the most sense for me to just fight ‘Volk’ in Sydney for the interim title. ‘Volk’ has already suggested this. I’ve already agreed to it. Let’s just do it.”

The UFC heads back to Sydney on Feb. 9 for UFC 312, and it would make sense for Volkanovski to be on the card. Moreover, the former featherweight champion has already shown some willingness for this scenario, depending on how long Topuria will be out. However, Volkanovski may ultimately choose to wait for his title shot, and if he does, then Lopes may wait as well — unless the UFC comes to him with a particularly good offer.

“Obviously, we feel that the fight with Volkanovski makes the most sense for us,” Lopes said. “It gets us on the title shot track, but if UFC wants to give us another offer in Mexico City, we have to talk as a team with the management and see what the options are here.

“I’m not really interested in fighting anybody but Volkanovksi. It makes the most sense. If the UFC says we have to wait around for a title shot, then we’ll wait. If we fight for the interim [title] or Volkanovski, that’s a conversation we’ll have to have with management.”

Ultimately, it may be quite a while before Lopes gets his crack at Topuria and the featherweight title, but when he does, he believes the fight will be worth the wait for fans.

“We know watching Ilia’s fights that he’s very forward [moving] and likes to create pressure,” Lopes said. “I also like to create pressure and we both have very heavy hands. It would be a really good fight and any one of us could drop at any moment because of that.”

TOP STORIES

Plea. Jon Jones reached an agreement to have charges dismissed in assault case.

FOTY. Matt Brown believes Ilia Topuria locked up Fighter of the Year for 2024.

185. Chael Sonnen revealed what Sean Strickland said to him after Khamzat Chimaev’s impressive win at UFC 308.

Shorts. Brandon Moreno got custom fight shorts for UFC Edmonton this weekend.

Retired. Carla Esparza didn’t like the decision, but insists she’s done with fighting.

Mailbag. Answering reader questions including how long can Ilia Topuria reign at featherweight?

VIDEO STEW

Carla Esparza.

The bogeyman of the UFC.

Brandon Moreno and Amir Albizi got a feature from ESPN.

Some free fights.

And Carlos Condit highlights.

FLAVOR IN YOUR EAR

Fighter vs. Writer

SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Statement.

Paulo Costa with harsh words.

Class for days.

Training.

Surgery.

Samesies.

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Mauricio Ruffy (10-1) vs. James Llontop (14-4); UFC 309, Nov. 16.

Sergei Pavlovich (18-3) vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (15-5); UFC Saudi Arabia, Feb. 1.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Some people won’t like it, but I think Volk vs. Lopes is the right idea. Let Topuria take some time off and get a venue in Spain for the summer where he fights the winner. Plus, Volk really should get a win before stepping back in there and getting clobbered again.

EXIT POLL

If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @AlexanderKlee or @JedKMeshew on Twitter and let us know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and like us on Facebook.

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Jon Jones reached a pre-adjudication agreement to dismiss the charges in his case involving a drug-testing agent who filed assault charges against the UFC heavyweight champion back in March.

On Tuesday, Judge Asra Elliott approved an agreement between the arresting officer and Jones that as long as he avoids any trouble for the next 90 days, and undergoes four hours of anger management that the two pending misdemeanor charges against him will be dismissed.

Jones appeared at the hearing via Zoom alongside his attorney Christopher Dodd.

The judge approved the agreement with Jones’ attorney agreeing to appear after 90 days to confirm his clearance from all charges.

“As long as Mr. Jones is compliant for the next 90 days, then I can dismiss this case,” Elliott said.

The two charges — assault, a petty misdemeanor, and interference with communications, a misdemeanor — were handed down after Jones allegedly got into an altercation with drug testing agents who arrived at his home to retrieve a urine sample under the UFC’s anti-doping program.

After arriving, an agent identified as Crystal Martinez claimed Jones “appeared agitated” after he was unable to provide a urine sample and was offered the opportunity for a blood test instead. Martinez claimed Jones then began asking them questions including “if they had money” because he was going to sue them. She also claimed that Jones allegedly grabbed her phone and “started recording them.”

Martinez told police she was “terrified” with Jones standing less than a foot away from her during the alleged incident and she was “afraid Jones might hit her” after she contemplated terminating the drug test and leaving his property.

Jones vehemently denied the allegations.

Now so long as Jones avoids any other issues with law enforcement over the next 90 days, the two misdemeanor charges will be dismissed to bring the entire ordeal to a close.

Following the hearing, Jones issued a statement addressing the resolution in his case.

“I would like to extend my thanks to the justice system for reaching a prompt resolution in this matter, which affirms my innocence and enables me to maintain my focus on the upcoming fight,” Jones wrote. “I am eagerly anticipating the opportunity to defend my heavyweight title on November 16th at Madison Square Garden.”

As Jones referenced, he is now just over two weeks away from his return to action as he prepares to face Stipe Miocic in the UFC 309 main event at Madison Square Garden in New York. The fight serves as Jones’ first defense of the heavyweight title after he dispatched Ciryl Gane inside the first round back in March 2023.

Jones was slated to face Miocic this past November but he suffered a torn pectoral muscle that kept him sidelined for several months. Now, he’ll return for the fight against Miocic on Nov. 16.

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The UFC has parted ways with seven athletes, including heavyweight Robelis Despaigne and top-ranked flyweight Matheus Nicolau.

A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to MMA Fighting that the UFC has also cut ties with Jessica Penne, Tamires Vidal, Vinicius Salvador, Charalampos Grigoriou and Jesse Butler.

Twitter user Roster Watch first reported the news.

Despaigne (5-2) joined the UFC after scoring four straight first-round knockouts, the last three in 19 seconds combined, and shocked Josh Parisian with an 18-second finish in his promotional debut. The 36-year-old kickboxer disappointed in his his following bouts, losing decisions to Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Austen Lane.

Nicolau (19-5-1) is still ranked among the 10 best flyweights in the UFC’s official list despite losing his past three to Brandon Royval, Alex Perez, and most recently to Asu Almabayev. The Brazilian 125-pounder holds wins over the likes of Manel Kape and Matt Schnell.

Penne (14-8) once challenged Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the UFC strawweight championship, losing via third-round stoppage. The 41-year-old veteran leaves the company with an octagon record of 3-6.

Butler (12-6) has success in the regional scene but came up short since joining the UFC in 2023, going winless against Jim Miller and Brad Katona. Vidal (7-4) completed her UFC deal with a 1-3 record, stopped twice in her most recent appearances versus Melissa Gatto and Joselyne Edwards.

Salvador (14-7) lost in all three occasions in the UFC, including a first-round knockout to Adrian Yanez this past May. Grigoriou (8-5) was let go following back-to-back defeats to Chad Anheliger and Toshiomi Kazama in 2024.

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James Llontop will step in and face Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 309 on Nov. 16, MMA Fighting has confirmed following a report by Te La Canté MMA. The pay-per-view show will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Llontop replaces Charlie Campbell, who withdrew from the card six days ago due to undisclosed reasons.

Ruffy (10-1) made waves in the lightweight division by knocking out Jamie Mullarkey in spectacular fashion in his octagon debut back in May, pocketing a performance bonus for his effort at UFC 301. The Brazilian talent joined the UFC after stopping Raimond Magomedaliev at Dana White’s Contender Series.

Llontop (14-4), a fellow DWCS alumni, has yet to win under the UFC banner. “Goku” came in a half pound overweight for his debut, tapping to a rear-naked choke versus Chris Padilla in April, before dropping a split decision to Viacheslav Borshchev four months later.

UFC 309 will feature Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight crown in the headlining attraction, with Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler serving as the co-main event.

• Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic
• Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler
• Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders
• Viviane Araujo vs. Karine Silva
• Paul Craig vs. Bo Nickal
• Mauricio Ruffy vs. James Llontop
• Nikita Krylov vs. Azamat Murzakanov
• Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura
• Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee
• Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Mickey Gall
• Damon Jackson vs. Jim Miller
• Bassil Haffez vs. Oban Elliot
• Lucas Almeida vs. David Onama

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Brandon Moreno may not be a UFC champion anymore, but he’s still getting the star treatment.

This Saturday, Moreno takes on Amir Albazi in the main event of UFC Edmonton, and when he does so, he’ll be wearing brand new custom fight shorts. Moreno’s custom shorts are black and red with green lettering, and show images of Quetzalcoatl, a feathered serpent deity in Aztec culture. Check out images of the shorts below, along with Moreno’s reaction.

“Let’s go! Gentlemen, for those who don’t know, Quetzalcoatl is the Aztec god of light, of wisdom, fertility too. [Laughs]. I have three daughters. We know what that means…

“This is so cool. I carry this in my heart. It’s beautiful, to be honest.”

A two-time flyweight champion, Moreno is currently riding a two-fight losing streak. Most recently he dropped a split decision to Brandon Royval at UFC Mexico City back in January.

Undefeated in his UFC tenure, Albazi is currently No. 6 in the MMA Fighting global flyweight rankings and was the original opponent for Moreno at UFC Mexico City until a neck injury forced him to withdraw from the bout. Albazi has not fought since winning a split decision over Kai Kara-France at UFC Vegas 74 in June of 2023.

UFC Edmonton takes place this Saturday at Rogers Arena, and also features a five-round co-main event matchup between Erin Blanchfield and Rose Namajunas.

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