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Jon Jones will be wearing custom fight trunks for UFC 309.

“Bones” defends his heavyweight strap against former 265-pound titleholder Stipe Miocic atop Sat. night’s (Nov. 16, 2024) pay-per-view (PPV) card inside Madison Square Garden in New York City, a five-round showdown that could lead the winner to this impatient opponent.

Or perhaps even retirement.

“I’m so excited about these,” Jones told UFC. “It’s got the lion and my favorite bible verse, the cross, my last name. Philippians 4:13, my mom used to recite it to me all the time, my late mother. ‘I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.’ I believe it, sincerely in my heart that with God, all things are possible. This is my superpower. My relationship, my faith, God has brought me through so many battles. Not only in the Octagon, but in life.”

God also chose Jones to be undefeated, which makes Steve Mazzagatti the Devil.

Jones, 37, is returning from a major pectoral injury, one that has kept him sidelined since defeating Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight title at UFC 285 back in early 2023. As for Miocic, 42, he’s been patiently waiting for his combat sports comeback since falling to Francis Ngannou in March 2021.

For the rest of the UFC 309 fight card and PPV lineup click here.

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As permissive as the Texas commission has been on licensing Paul vs. Tyson, there could still be issues if Tyson doesn’t pass his physical with flying colors.

We’re just four days away from the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul boxing match at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas (Fri. Nov. 15, 2024) and both men have made it to fight week healthy and ready to compete.

That was a big question for Tyson, who was forced to pull out of an earlier July date with Paul due to an ulcer that he admits almost killed him.

“When I came to, I was in the bathroom throwing up blood,” Tyson revealed in a recent interview. “I lost 25 pounds in eleven days and couldn’t eat. Only liquids. Every time I went to the bathroom, it smelled like tar. Didn’t even smell like s—t anymore. It was disgusting … I had like eight blood transfusions. The doctor said I lost half my blood. I almost died.”

There’s been no near-death experiences during this November camp, unless Tyson is still licking the toad on his days off training. But it certainly makes you wonder whether it’s smart to sanction this 58 year old man to fight. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation is notoriously loose when it comes to everything but marijuana, and according to ESPN they approved the fight after officials watched a Tyson sparring session.

In person? On Instagram? Tik Tok? It’s unclear.

“Our combative sports staff evaluate numerous factors to determine if an event can be held in a manner that is both safe for both contestants and in compliance with Department laws and rules,” said TDLR spokesperson Tela Mange. “[The commission] will conduct the usual prefight physicals the day before the fight.”

That will include but may not be limited to a mandatory EEG (electroencephalography) and EKG (electrocardiogram) — in other words, a brain and heart scan.

As for Tyson’s concerning comments about almost dying a few months ago? They’ll ask about it.

“Thorough pre-fight physicals will be conducted by TDLR-appointed physicians, who will discuss Mr. Tyson’s medical history with him,” Mange said.

Waiting until the day before the fight to do all of this is pretty crazy, but this whole fight is pretty crazy when you think about it. The age difference, the experience difference, the near death incident. Jesus. That’s why it’s happening in Texas and not somewhere like New York, where it would have been rejected outright by the no fun NYSAC.

But as chill as the TDLR is, there’s no coming back from an iffy EEG or EKG reading. We’ll let you know on Thursday how those go.

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Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Former UFC Flyweight champion Alexa Grasso is having a difficult 2024. Earlier on Monday, Grasso revealed in an Instagram post that she suffered a broken leg in training. She posted a picture in a cast, so it’s safe to say it will be a while before we see her back in the Octagon.

“I broke my leg training,” Grasso wrote in the caption (via Google Translate). “But I’m fine … everything heals … time by time. Send me a lot of love so that that bone sticks well please.”

Back in September, Grasso coughed up her golden title at UFC 306 to longtime 125-pound queen Valentina Shevchenko. After two highly competitive fights that resulted in a Grasso submission win and a draw, the rubber match was intended to definitively settle the rivalry. Unfortunately for Grasso, she ended up on the wrong side of a one-sided decision, leaving her with no clear path back to the title.

On the bright side, Grasso still has time to rebound from the injury and the defeat at 31 years of age. Hopefully, she’ll back in action next year, but it’s difficult to estimate a return timeline with specific injury details.

Insomnia

If Jimmy Crute somehow loses this fight, it’s officially over for the Australian prospect (still just 28!).

The Jan Blachowicz special!

“There is no meme, Neil Magny is dead.”

Somebody please save UFC 310 and fight Shavkat.

Deontay Wilder deserves some credit for coming up with creative excuses after defeat.

I wonder who Sean Strickland is taking a shot at …

Perspective is a funny thing.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Inside hip position and good grips win the day!

Can Kris Moutinho work his way back into the UFC? Maybe UFC will give him a shot on Contenders Series given his current streak.

I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a flying shin land quite like this.

Random Land

Mountain goats are renowned for their climbing ability, not their descending skills.

Midnight Music: Alternative, 2022

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

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“Big Boy” has a new home.

Two weeks ago, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight Robelis Despaigne was released after his loss to Austen Lane at UFC Vegas 99, which took place inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It was his second consecutive loss, and it was another stinker of a fight.

Today (Mon. Nov. 11, 2025), Karate Combat announced on its Instagram that Despaigne has signed with their promotion.

“We’ve signed Robelis Despaigne to our heavyweight division and he will be debuting at KC51.

Robelis has an insane track record with all his professional fights ending with a first round KO and with Robelis being a taekwondo Olympic Medalist winner he will surely bring something to the pit we havn’t seen before

Welcome Robelis, we’re excited to have you in KC”

Check out the announcement below:

While Despaigne was ultra disappointing inside the Octagon other than his UFC debut at UFC 299, there is still talent there. His signing with Karate Combat makes all the sense in the world, and he will thrive there, no doubt. Expect more viral knockouts (like this one).

“Big Boy” has no opponent yet but will debut at Karate Combat 51 in December.

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A couple of Silver Spoons.

Boxing promoters like to have fighters sit down and hold a quiet discussion before fighting.

That’s why Mike Tyson and Jake Paul came “Face 2 Face” ahead of their heavyweight boxing match on Fri. night (Nov. 15, 2024), which streams LIVE on Netflix from inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Co-headliners Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano also sat down with host Cam’ron, who is moderating the above Q&A for reasons not explained.

“This has been a long time coming,” Paul said at the kickoff press conference. “We’ve been calling each other out for years and we finally got to make it happen on Netflix, the biggest platform in the world, and things just keep on getting bigger and better. With the co-main event between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano it’s quite literally history that we’re looking at right here.”

“Mike wanted this,” Paul continued. “Mike wanted it to be a pro fight. He wants the war, and so I respect that. I respect him for taking this fight, for stepping up to try to put an end to me because that’s what all these fighters have been trying to do — end the YouTuber and if Mike can do that, then he’s a hero.”

If not, then at least he’s in good company.

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UFC Vegas 100 went down this past weekend (Sat., Nov. 9, 2024) inside the promotion’s APEX venue in Las Vegas, Nevada, leaving several fighters feeling the post-fight blues. Among the was Gerald Meerschaert, who was choked out by Reinier de Ridder — who was making his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut — in the first round (see it again here).

And Dusko Todorovic, who was also finished in the first round by Octagon debutant, Mansur Abdul-Malik, putting it on him early and often to secure an impressive technical knockout win halfway through the opening frame. But, which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now a few days removed from the show?

Neil Magny.

Coming into the event, Magny was hoping to erase the memory of his first round stoppage loss at the hands of Michael Morales just three months ago. Standing in his way, however, was another young up-and-comer in Carlos Prates, who had the reputation of starting early and going to work right away to secure brutal highlight-reel finishes.

Unfortunately for Magny, things got worse … much worse.

Indeed, it didn’t take long for Magny to go to his wrestling in an attempt to stifle Prates’ momentum from the jump, though the Brazilian defended very well. But, once Prates got distance, he started to work, dropping Magny early with a massive right, though he was unable to finish the fight at that moment, it didn’t take long after that for Prates to get the job done. With only 10 seconds remaining in the fight, Prates managed to clip his foe with a massive left hook that put him out for the count (replay here).

For Magny, that is now two straight knockout losses, and has dropped three of his last four. The loss will definitely take him out of the Top 15 — he was ranked No. 15 coming into the fight — and will put him at a crossroads in his career. He is 37 years of age, but he hasn’t given any indication that he’s going to call it a career despite his recent struggles.

To get back into the Top 15, he will have to work extra hard, and the competition at 170 pounds isn’t exactly light. As far as what could realistically be next for him, perhaps a showdown against Niko Price is in order. Like Magny, Price has been fighting for UFC for quite some time now, eight years to be exact. And like Magny, Price — who is coming off a loss to Themba Gorimbo last month — is 2-4 in his last six UFC fights.

It’s actually pretty amazing that these two long-time UFC veterans haven’t crossed paths yet, so perhaps now is as good a time as any. I highly doubt it would be a “Loser Leaves Town” match, but the victor will get a new lease on his combat life.

Book it?

For complete UFC Vegas 100 results, coverage and highlights click HERE.

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With the minor exception of UFC CEO Dana White, it feels like most people are tired of Jon Jones’ s—t.

Last year, “Bones” tore his pec and was forced to withdraw from an already unnecessary title fight versus Stipe Miocic. Injuries happen, even to the best, so there’s no shame there. Chasing a big money fight — in this case, framed as a “legacy fight,” a term which didn’t exist until now — is annoying, but it’s hardly new behavior from UFC champions. We roll our eyes at Michael Bisping chasing a Dan Henderson rematch or Colby Covington’s third undeserved title shot, but that’s part of the sports-entertainment business.

Blatant ducking is not, and it’s hard to describe what Jon Jones is doing in regards to Tom Aspinall as anything else. Aspinall is the most exciting Heavyweight contender since Francis Ngannou burst onto the scene (Jones kind of ducked him too, but it’s more complicated), and he’s proven himself great every step of the way. A well-rounded Heavyweight in his prime with real deal knockout power, Aspinall is EXACTLY the type of fighter that fans wanted to see Jones face once he finally left 205-pounds.

Aspinall has a strong argument as the best Heavyweight in the world right now. Certainly, he has a better argument that Jones. I’m not going to talk bad about Ciryl Gane, as that was a legitimately excellent victory for “Bones” and made him a worthy champion back in March 2023. You are not going to convince me that any single win, however, is greater than Aspinall’s impressive body of work, filled to the brim with brutal and quick stoppages.

Jones is utterly dismissive of Aspinall’s case, and it’s infuriating. It’s bold-faced ducking. Retiring at the top would totally be acceptable, but now Jones is talking about Alex Pereira instead of Aspinall? It’s genuinely gross.

Honestly, my original intent for this article was to write a full-on incendiary hit piece on Jon Jones. That’s far from my go-to style, but Jones is a bad person and ducking is a deadly sin in combat sports, so why not? The only thing holding me back is actually just how troll-like and unlikable Jones is acting in the recent Kevin Iole interview.

There are two possible conclusions watching the interview: Jones is delusional in his dismissal of what fans want and what Aspinall has achieved, or “Bones” is negotiating. He’s at the end of his career, and he wants a massive paycheck. If that’s the case, what better way to drive up demand than aggravate the entire fan base and get them barking for an Aspinall match up?

If that’s the plan, it’s a good one. Assuming Jones beats up the aged Miocic as most everyone expects, a brief retirement — or even just a hinted one — could really turn Jones vs. Aspinall from a highly anticipated title fight to one of the biggest pay-per-views (PPVs) headliners of the last half-decade.

That’s not to say the game Jones is (possibly) playing is without risk. Beyond all else, Jones is a man obsessed with his legacy. It is so clearly precious to him. The man is highly sensitive to perceived slights, real or usually imagined. Even after 14 years of dominance, he’s talking about doubters like there are any left. At no point did you ever hear Georges St. Pierre, Fedor Emelianenko, or Anderson Silva barking nonstop about the pound-for-pound rankings. Making his insecurity even more absurd is the simple fact that Jones probably does have the best argument for all-time greatest … assuming you’re willing to overlook some spicy drug tests, at least.

Regardless, it’s very clear that Jones’ legacy is of the utmost importance with him. If he continues to duck Aspinall while make outlandish statements about him then doesn’t actually fight him, that’s an absolute black mark on his legacy. It’s something people will remember, an easy counter argument to anyone who says Jon Jones is the best fighter of all the time.

If that’s the case, why was he scared of Tommy Aspinall?

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 309 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPNews at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 309: “Jones vs. Miocic” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

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The Nurmagomedov dynasty continues.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion, Eagle FC, held its first show since Nov. 2023 yesterday (Sat., Nov. 9, 2024) in Yakutia, Russia. On the main card of Eagle FC 55, Muhammad Ali Nurmagomedov, Khabib’s cousin, made his MMA pro debut against Shokhdzhakhon Akhunov, lasting less than two minutes.

Nurmagomedov dropped Akhunov with a looping right hand and then jumped on him, dropping ground and pound. After a few seconds, Nurmagomedov mounted Akhunov, took his back, locked up a rear-naked choke, and eventually forced a tap.

Watch the clip below:

Muhammad Ali is the last cousin from the Nurmagomedov clan to make a mark on MMA – joining Umar Nurmagomedov, Usman Nurmagomedov, and Abubakar Nurmagomedov. Sharing the name with an iconic boxer means he has much to live up to … just kidding.

Muhammad Ali is 23 years old and currently fights at Bantamweight. He went 2-0 as an amateur in 2018 before turning pro yesterday.

For more international MMA news and notes click here.

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Klaudia Sygula had a rough time during her UFC debut, losing to Melissa Mullins via second round TKO.

The UFC has a great show on Fight Pass called ‘The Thrill & The Agony’ which follows fighters backstage moments after winning and losing. It’s been going on for a decade and shows you just what a rollercoaster of emotions cage fighting can be.

Those are reserved for UFC pay-per-views, which means you’ll never get to see a lot of what went on behind the scenes of UFC Vegas 100. But debuting UFC fighter Klaudia Sygula shared her own heart-rending clip after losing to Melissa Mullins via TKO in the second round of their prelim fight (watch the finish here).

“Debuting is not my strong side,” she said through tears and ragged breathing. “I’m sorry for all the people who supported me and whom I disappointed … That’s how sports are.”

“I know this will be a success, I just need time. Once again I am very sorry to everyone. My heart aches, but I’ve experienced difficult moments in my career so I know I’m stronger.”

Sygula came into the UFC with a 6-1 pro record and three impressive finishes in a row — enough to have the UFC call her when Mullins’ original opponent Montserrat Rendon withdrew. But the Polish fighter seemed underpowered against Britain’s Mullins, who missed the bantamweight limit by a pound and certainly looked like the bigger stronger fighter through the round and a half affair.

Losing a percentage of her purse for missing weight didn’t seem to bother Mullins, who busted out some breakdance moves to celebrate her win.

While Sygula has fought up to 150 pounds in the regionals, she might want to consider moving down to flyweight if she doesn’t want to get hammered into the canvas in future bouts.

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UFC Vegas 100 went down last night (Sat., Nov. 9, 2024) inside the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, which featured a Welterweight bout that saw Carlos Prates starch Neil Magny in the very first round (see it again here). In the co-headlining act, Reinier de Ridder stopped Gerald Meerschaert via third-round submission (highlights).

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Biggest Winner: Carlos Prates

Another fight, another impressive stoppage win for Prates, who has quickly become a legit threat in the Welterweight division. He is now 4-0 inside the Octagon and improved his win streak to 11. What’s even more impressive is that he is on a 10-fight stoppage streak, which will be good enough to put him in the Top 15 next week. Big things are coming for Prates, who has proven to be a real “Nightmare” for the division in such short time.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Runner Up: Reinier de Ridder

Thanks to the co-main event getting scrapped not once, but twice, de Ridder got an opportunity of a lifetime to co-headline a UFC card in his promotional debut. And the former ONE double-champion made the most of it by securing a third-round submission win over Meerschaert (see it again here). With an explosive debut like that, de Ridder puts himself on the map right away. He didn’t secure a post-fight bonus award, but there will be plenty of time for that since his UFC journey is just getting started.

Biggest Loser: Matthew Semelsberger

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Coming into the event, Semelsberger was our pick for the fighter who needed a win the most seeing as how he had lost his last three bouts. But things got worse for “Semi the Jedi,” who was knocked out by Charles Radtke in just 51 seconds. With four straight losses, and losing five of his last six under the UFC banner, Semelsberger should feel very nervous because his time fighting inside the Octagon could be nearing its end since the promotion is looking for any reason to thin the herd.

For complete UFC Vegas 100 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.

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