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Max Holloway is officially taking his talents to UFC’s stacked lightweight division.

The former UFC featherweight champion announced his move to 155 pounds on Saturday following a knockout loss to UFC’s 145-pound champion, Ilia Topuria, at UFC 308 last weekend. It was the first time “Blessed” has ever been finished by way of strikes and it marked his fourth-straight loss in UFC title fights (unless you’re counting his “BMF” scrap with Justin Gaethje back at UFC 300).

Now that Topuria has solidified himself as the best featherweight in the world and just stopped Holloway with an epic knockout, it would be very hard for “Blessed” to work his way back towards a 145-pound title shot in 2025. Add in a crappy weight cut down to featherweight and Holloway’s decision to move up to lightweight seems like an easy one.

“This is like my phoenix moment, from the ashes we’re reborn,” said Holloway via his YouTube channel (transcription via MMA Junkie). “We’re on to bigger, better stuff and walking through a new door and starting a new chapter. I’m a big believer in never say never, and the big question now is, ‘Was that your last fight at 145?’ You guys saw me touch upon it in the press conference, and I can honestly say I think I’m done with 145. Your boy is only getting older. I turn 33. This cut – no excuses. This cut was easy, bro. Shout out to my wife. They helped make this cut really easy, but it takes a tole cutting weight, period. No matter what weight you are.

“I had to give up ramen for my ’45 camps. So I’m done with that. I don’t ever want to give up ramen again. 155, here we come and 155 is where I want to stay. This is a new chapter. This is where we start. This is where we begin. I cannot wait. Like I said, never say never. But I can honestly look you guys in the eye and tell you guys I’m probably not ever going back to ’45. I love what I did. I did what I did. I did what I had to do there. I worked my way back, I clawed my back to the championship fight multiple times there. I was a champion. I defended at that weight. Now it’s time to move on to the next chapter, and 155 there’s a bunch of fun fights that I cannot wait to take.”

Holloway, who has dabbled at 155 pounds in the past, is excited to make a permanent move up and finally pack on the necessary weight and muscle he needs. “Blessed” wasn’t able to go all-in in the past because he was always going to move back down to featherweight, but with 145 pounds no longer in the equation “Blessed” could be even better at his new home.

“When I do make the return it’s going to be at 155 and we’re there to stay,” said Holloway. “Even the version of myself you saw at 155 against Gaethje is not the full version. We had the idea of going back to ’45 because I wanted that world title. I can’t wait for the future. If you thought that version of myself against Gaethje at 300 was good – I can’t wait to get in the lab with my coaches and put some size on.”

As for a potential timeline for his long-awaited move to lightweight, Holloway is aiming to return sometime next July for UFC’s International Fight Week in Las Vegas. The former UFC featherweight king is hoping to land an opponent ranked higher than him in order to fight towards a 155-pound title.

“If I got to choose a timeline, International Fight Week,” he said. “I would love to be back on the Ninth Island in Las Vegas. Huge card is International Fight Week. I don’t know who is going to be available at that time. With me being ranked at ’55 is great. Hopefully I can fight somebody in front of me, get a big win and who knows? Might be knocking on the door of a title fight at 155.”

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Ian Machado Garry never imagined fighting Joaquin Buckley, but the two are now booked to main event UFC Tampa this coming December. “The Future” claims the matchup came together after every other top-ranked welterweight declined to fight him or was already booked.

Back in 2023, Garry and Buckley crossed paths at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas and “New Mansa” tried lobbying for a fight with the undefeated Irish contender. Garry, who was doing his best to crack the division’s top 10 rankings at that time, had no interest in sharing the Octagon with Buckley. Garry didn’t want to fight anyone below him in the division and claimed to only be looking up.

Buckley, who had returned to welterweight right around the same time the two fighters discussed a potential matchup, was simply trying to shoot his shot. It was hard to blame him since Garry was (and still is) one of the most talked about young fighters in the sport and someone fight fans want to see either win very badly or lose very badly. However, “New Mansa” was denied his chance to give Garry his first pro loss and had to work his way up to the opportunity.

Now that Buckley is 5-0 as a UFC welterweight and coming off a spectacular knockout win over UFC mainstay Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, Garry has officially changed his mind. Buckley’s ability to get Garry to agree to a fight was also made possible by other top contenders like Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington turning down a matchup with “Future,” per Garry.

On Saturday, Garry took to social media to discuss his newly booked main event with Buckley and explain why he denied him to his face just one year ago. Check it out below:

“Back in 2023 after my fight with DRod, me and @newmansa94 had this conversation… Since then he’s climbed up the rankings with some good knockouts. Still not done enough to be above me, but as Colby has said no, and Usman said no and everyone else above me is matched or injured I’ll give Buckley this opportunity – I don’t wait. I don’t play games. I fight.”

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Derrick Lewis has been forced to withdraw from his heavyweight bout again Jhonata Diniz this Saturday (Nov. 2, 2024) at UFC Edmonton live on ESPN+ from inside Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, per a UFC announcement late Friday night.

According to the statement, “Black Beast” was removed from his main card fight due to a “non weight-cut related” medical issue.

Lewis, who made headlines this week after launching an explicit rant about Daniel Cormier, successfully hit the scales on Friday morning to make his heavyweight clash with Diniz official. However, things turned odd when Lewis failed to appear during Friday night’s ceremonial weigh ins (watch HERE). UFC officials assured fight fans that Lewis’ bout with Diniz was still on, but that ended up being a lie.

Out of nowhere UFC officials announced that Lewis would no longer be fighting at UFC Edmonton. It’s unknown at this time what the promotion has planned for Diniz, who was taking a big step up in competition.

It’s a shame considering Lewis was looking to clean up his act and get back into the title hunt, but he’ll have to wait a little longer to prove he’s still a top threat. Lewis has had some back issues in the past and a few other injuries so it’s unknown at this time exactly what prompted the late-notice withdrawal.

Stick with Mania for ongoing updates and more UFC Edmonton coverage.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Edmonton fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ preliminary card matchups which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining main card balance on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Edmonton news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive here. For the updated and finalized “Moreno vs. Albazi” fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.

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Derrick Lewis unexpectedly attacked former UFC champion and current color commentator Daniel Cormier with an explicit rant earlier this week and fight fans didn’t know what to think. Even “DC” seems to be confused by “Black Beast’s” verbal beatdown.

Lewis, who returns to action this weekend at UFC Edmonton against rising heavyweight prospect Jhonata Diniz, is looking to turn a new page in his UFC career. This includes a more professional approach during his post-fight interviews and an overall clean act when it comes to his brand and how he’s viewed by fight fans. “Black Beast” explained these changes earlier this week during UFC Edmonton’s pre-fight media day.

In addition, Lewis absolutely unloaded a rant about Cormier and how the former UFC champion is a “piece of s—t scumbag.” Cormier’s name was brought up during questioning and Lewis simply couldn’t hold his tongue. The reasoning behind the “beef” is truly unknown at this time and Lewis remained vague while explaining it, but it could have something to do with the way “DC” has been calling his fights.

“Probably DC,” said Lewis when asked which loss in his career he’d like to get back. “Because that one still doesn’t sit right with me, man. Do people really like DC like that? C’mon, man. I told DC to his face that he’s a piece of s—t. He’s a piece of s—t scumbag, man. F—k DC.”

Of course, Cormier was going to respond at some point. After all, the two will likely cross paths this weekend as UFC travels back to Canada for UFC Edmonton. Cormier reacted to Lewis’ comments earlier this week and still doesn’t understand exactly what’s going on, but intends to find out over the next few days.

“I haven’t seen him for a while, but I was pretty hard on him about retiring because he had lost a couple of fights and I was kind of telling the truth and he seemed mad at me, but I haven’t seen him,” said Cormier during a recent episode of The Ariel Helwani Show. “I’m going to see him this weekend and I’m going to kind of ask him, ‘Yo, are you mad at me?’”

“It sounds like it may be a little underlying, he might be a little pissed at me because of the way I talked about him,” added Cormier. “I don’t know what fight it was where it he didn’t look great, but then he knocked the last guy out and I was like, ‘I’m glad he’s back.’ So I don’t know. My opinions go with their performances and I think maybe that’s what it is, but in terms of anything else, Derrick and I don’t really have many things that we do together outside of the Popeyes thing and then our fight.

“But we can’t be mad at each other, we already fought. It’s settled.”

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Edmonton fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ preliminary card matchups which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining main card balance on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Edmonton news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive here. For the updated and finalized “Moreno vs. Albazi” fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.

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The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) is back, for some reason.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) today announced Season 33 of the long-running combat sports reality show, expected to air at some point in early-to-mid 2025 on ESPN. Aspiring fighters competing in the flyweight (125 lbs.) and welterweight (170 lbs.) divisions are invited to apply during the open casting call that runs from Nov. 4 through Dec. 18.

Applications will available at the UFC website (beginning Nov. 4) right HERE.

The process will be handled remotely, unlike the old days of physical tryouts, with finalists being selected in January. Applicants must be between the ages of 21 and 34 and hold a winning record with a minimum of three professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fights. Unfortunately, female fighters are not expected to be a part of TUF 33.

Opposing coaches have yet to be determined.

After the pointless season featuring Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler, who never ended up fighting, TUF 32 returned with Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso at the helm. They eventually fought with Grasso surrendering her flyweight title to “Bullet” at UFC 306 as part of the “Noche” card inside Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will once again venture away from the familiarity of its APEX facility and ship its cast and crew across the continent for the upcoming UFC Edmonton fight card, locked and loaded for tomorrow night (Sat., Nov. 2, 2024) from inside Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, featuring a 125-pound headliner between former flyweight champion Brandon Moreno and longtime division contender Amir Albazi.

Like most “Fight Night” cards, you’ll need a subscription to ESPN+ to stream this weekend’s event (sign up here).

Before we dive into the main and co-main event, which includes the women’s flyweight showdown between Top 5 title contenders Rose Namajunas and Erin Blanchfield, check out Andrew Richardson’s “X-Factor” breakdown for the rest of the UFC Edmonton main card by clicking here. Get all the latest “Moreno vs. Albazi” odds and betting props courtesy of FanDuel right here. For UFC Edmonton live results and play-by-play click here.

Let’s get down to business.

125 lbs.: Brandon Moreno vs. Amir Albazi

Brandon “Assassin Baby” Moreno
Record: 21-8-2 | Age: 30 | Betting line: -175
Wins: 5 KO/TKO, 11 SUB, 5 DEC | Losses: 0 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 8 DEC
Height: 5’7” | Reach: 70” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 3.87 | Striking accuracy: 44%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.63 | Striking Defense: 59%
Takedown Average: 1.74 (46% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 63%
Current Ranking: No. 2 | Last fight: Split decision loss to Brandon Royval

Amir “The Prince” Albazi
Record: 17-1 | Age: 31 | Betting line: +145
Wins: 5 KO/TKO, 9 SUB, 3 DEC | Losses: 0 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 1 DEC
Height: 5’5“ | Reach: 68” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 2.80 | Striking accuracy: 39%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.07 | Striking Defense: 63%
Takedown Average: 1.71 (33% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 40%
Current Ranking: No. 3 | Last fight: Split decision win over Kai Kara-France

Brandon Moreno returns to competition looking to snap just the second two-fight losing streak of his illustrious combat sports career, which includes a flyweight championship and multiple UFC main events. His comeback timeline is a bit surprising considering the fuss he made about stepping away from the sport back in late March, which left him out of action for roughly six months. To put that absence into perspective, UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria was gone even longer, for no particular reason, so this next fight for the “Assassin Baby” feels right on schedule — even though Moreno claims to have greatly benefited from the absence.

It also helps that he’s no longer charged with being the face of the division.

“My energy right now feels amazing,” Moreno told reporters at the UFC Edmonton media day (watch it here). “I feel so hype. It’s crazy how my last two training camps I didn’t feel like this. I feel all the stress, all the responsibilities. At some point that exploded my mind and I wasn’t really enjoying these kind of moments. Now I feel like before when you start your career with the UFC. I tried to recover my body, recovery my mind, heal some injuries that were bothering me in my last training camps. Now I feel perfect.”

“I feel very frustrated because even when I lost my last two fights, I feel in my prime,” Moreno continued. “I feel very strong. I feel stronger. I feel with better technique. I feel with more knowledge about the fight game. Just the result isn’t what I’ve been having in my last couple of fights. Now my goal is to show that to the world. To show all my hard work at the gym, and that’s it.”

Amir Albazi knows a thing or two about taking time off, having missed more than a year of competition due to health issues. In fact, the situation was precarious enough to warrant heart surgery, sending “The Prince” to the injured reserves in mid-2023. That was a tough pill to swallow, from a matchmaking perspective, considering his place in the Top 5 of a division already into reruns. Now fully recovered, Albazi hopes to pick up where he left off, having already captured six in a row with four nasty finishes. The last time we saw the Iraqi bruiser, he was slipping past perennial contender Kai Kara-France atop UFC Vegas 75 at APEX.

Then it all fell apart.

“Before my Kai Kara-Fance fight, I was struggling with some health issues,” Albazi told reporters at the UFC Edmonton media day (watch it here). “I didn’t really know what it was, but after my fight it showed that I had something called supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). That’s the medical name for it. It’s basically irregular heart beat. My heart rate would go up to 239, so I had to do a heart surgery.”

“After the heart surgery, I kept training for the fight against Brandon Moreno in Mexico City, and then my left arm literally stopped,” Albazi continued. “I couldn’t lift my arm up, I couldn’t jab, I couldn’t do anything, but I still kept training. After I got my first MRI, the first doctor said, ‘You shouldn’t be fighting anymore. Find a 9-to-5.’ I kept going to different doctors and when the UFC doctors found out, they literally pulled me out of the fight and I had to go straight into surgery. They told me (I was) one punch away from getting paralyzed. So after that surgery, here I am. It’s the longest break of my career.”

Whether or not you think Albazi has a clear path to victory may depend on how much stock you put into his win over Kara-France. Keep in mind that 19 of 21 media outlets scored the bout for the Kiwi and outside of that performance, “The Prince” does not hold a single victory over anyone ranked in the Top 15. As for Moreno, his resume is beyond reproach, having faced a murderer’s row of flyweight killers over the last five years. His size is likely to stonewall any ground attack from Albazi and Moreno remains the harder puncher. Unless the “Assassin Baby” self destructs, this figures to be a clean sweep on the judges’ scorecards for the returning ex-champ.

Prediction: Moreno def. Albazi by decision

125 lbs.: Rose Namajunas vs. Erin Blanchfield

“Thug” Rose Namajunas
Record: 13-6 | Age: 32 | Betting line: +115
Wins: 2 KO/TKO, 5 SUB, 6 DEC | Losses: 1 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 4 DEC
Height: 5’5“ | Reach: 65” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 3.70 | Striking accuracy: 42%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.38 | Striking Defense: 64%
Takedown Average: 1.55 (53% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 59%
Current Ranking: No. 5 | Last fight: Unanimous decision win over Tracy Cortez

Erin “Cold Blooded” Blanchfield
Record: 12-2 | Age: 25 | Betting line: -135
Wins: 2 KO/TKO, 4 SUB, 6 DEC | Losses: 0 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 2 DEC
Height: 5’4“ | Reach: 66” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 5.47 | Striking accuracy: 45%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 4.34 | Striking Defense: 58%
Takedown Average: 2.05 (33% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 81%
Current Ranking: No. 3 | Last fight: Unanimous decision loss to Manon Fiorot

Rose Namajunas appears to have settled into her new home at flyweight after a decorated run at 115 pounds. It’s unfortunate that her lame-duck performance against Carla Esparza at UFC 274 was the catalyst for a trip north, considering there was unfinished business against current strawweight champion Zhang Weili. I doubt it would have taken more than one or two wins from “Thug” to get that rubber match rebooked; but alas, Namajunas prefers to bang it out against bigger women. After stumbling out of the gate against French phenom Manon Fiorot, the former Ultimate Fighter finalist proved she’s just as formidable at flyweight, though you could argue that her blue-collar performances against Amanda Ribas and Tracy Cortez — two fighters seated far down the division rankings — were unspectacular, but effective. I would expect more of the same this weekend in Edmonton, even with a potential title shot hanging in the balance.

“Anything’s possible and, yeah, that’s my intentions, to really put on a good performance, enough to where there’s no doubt that I could be next,” Namajunas told reporters at the UFC Edmonton media day (watch it here). “I just kind of feel as if Manon deserves it next anyway, regardless of what I do. She technically has a (win) over me. I do feel like, if that was a five-round fight, I think I could’ve found a way to win. I was finding it toward the end, but it is what it is.”

“If [Fiorot] wins the belt, then that would be great to fight her again or even have that dream matchup with Valentina [Shevchenko] one day,” Namajunas continued. “I’d be excited to see them fight, but if the UFC wanted to put me ahead of that with a very spectacular performance, I’d be open to that, as well.”

Erin Blanchfield, like Namajunas before her, suffered her first loss at flyweight after running into Fiorot atop the UFC Atlantic City card back in March. From an observer’s perspective, it appeared as though Blanchfield was flummoxed when her usual bag of tricks failed to yield the results she was accustomed to and as such, had no Plan B against the 125-pound “Beast.” Prior to that performance, Blanchfield was making it look easy, racking up six straight wins with three nasty finishes, beating an ex-champ and a former title challenger along the way. Despite her tenure at 125 pounds, she’ll bring no physical advantages into her contest against Namajunas, who also has years of championship experience.

“Losing always sucks and it takes a little getting over,” Blanchfield told reporters at the UFC Edmonton media day (watch it here). “I didn’t harp on it for too long. I just let my body heal from the fight and then I was back to training. Yeah, I feel like me and my coaches watched over it. We found things we wanted to improve on, my distance management and my striking and my wrestling and everything as I always do. So I kind of focused on that.”

“Honestly, it’s just a sport at the end of the day and you have to treat it like kids would,” Blanchfield continued. “You just get up and get back to training and focus on the things you need to improve on. I think I had a lot of time after that fight to do that and time to just train, not have a fight, and then finally have a fight and have a camp and feel really good. I think Manon is definitely getting the title next and I think having a really good performance Saturday, like getting a finish over Rose definitely puts me in that title picture next.”

Namajunas is the better striker and far more effective at controlling the distance inside the cage. It will be interesting to see how she deals with Blanchfield’s wrestling, especially considering “Thug’s” history with Esparza. This might be the fight where Namajunas needs to resurrect her dynamic offense from the strawweight days, as the paint-by-numbers approach against Blanchfield may sink her on the scorecards. “Cold Blooded” is still just 25 years old and not yet fighting in her competitive prime, facing a former champion who’s seen and done it all. Assuming Namajunas doesn’t take a mental coffee break, I would expect her to capture four of the five frames and coast comfortably to a decision.

Prediction: Namajunas def. Blanchfield by decision

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the UFC Edmonton main card predictions RIGHT HERE.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Edmonton fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ preliminary card matchups which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining main card balance on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Edmonton news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive here. For the updated and finalized “Moreno vs. Albazi” fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.

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

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

If the post above doesn’t make a lot of sense upon first glance, you’re not alone.

BJ Penn, a two-division champion and one of the most decorated UFC fighters in history, has been no stranger to controversy since retiring back in 2019. There have been multiple bar fights and an ill-fated political campaign for Hawaiian governor, as well as accusations of sexual assault and violence from the mother of his children.

Sadly, the issues are continuing for “The Prodigy.” A recent report revealed Penn is currently facing a lawsuit for domestic abuse, as well as a restraining order from one or more unnamed parties.

In this context, Penn’s post can be better understood. Penn seems to be saying that his accuser was bribed to file the temporary restraining order by some sort of “sabotage squad” of Penn enemies with the goal of destroying his reputation. Per Penn, the sabotage squad believed he “would start some fake Hawaiian revolution so they started attacking me for no reason.”

I’m not a lawyer, but the repeated statement of “I love confrontation” doesn’t appear likely to help his case. The image above indicates a November update to both cases, so hopefully more information will come to light sooner than later.

Insomnia

Happy Halloween!

Slips, rips, and KO clips

I don’t think it happens to Khamzat, but it’s only appropriate that Dricus Du Plessis’ guillotine is hilarious.

PRIDE Wanderlei Silva was a different animal.

Shouldn’t the guy rolling solo be way bigger or way better at fighting than the duo? Execution indeed.

Random Land

I definitely posted the original fish picture once, but the additional pics are worth a revisit.

Midnight Music: Alternative, 1994

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

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“Blessed” was blessed with a cool experience.

It has been almost a week (Sat., Oct. 26, 2024) since Ilia Topuria became the first man to knockout Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) legend Max Holloway at UFC 308 to notch his first Featherweight title defense from inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE (watch highlights).

Holloway shared a video of him surfing in Abu Dhabi two days after the fight.

“Monday was for the pool!” Holloway wrote. “Shout out to the goat Kelly Slater for taking care of me and the team over at @surfabudhabi. The whole team got shacked!”

Watch Holloway surf below:

Holloway was surfing at Surf Abu Dhabi, the’ biggest man-made wave’ salt water pool in the world. The pool is 612 yards long and 93 yards wide, generating up to 8 to 10-foot waves. The pool can accommodate 30 surfers at a time.

Surf Abu Dhabi was created by surfing megastar Kelly Slater, who is also a huge mixed martial arts (MMA) fan. It makes sense that he would jump at the chance to let Holloway shred waves after his big fight.

Holloway intends to return to the octagon next Summer for International Fight Week and will most likely become a permanent Lightweight.

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Jon Jones is the UFC heavyweight champion — but is starting to feel like a 205-pounder without the weight cut, thanks to a new-and-improved training regimen that has “Bones” hovering around the 240-pound mark.

“240 pounds, fast and strong,” Jones wrote on Instagram. “I used to walk around at 235 pounds as a light heavyweight. This almost feels like a light heavyweight fight without the weight cut.”

Glad to see those skinny-fat days are behind him.

Jones will defend the 265-pound title against former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic atop the UFC 309 pay-per-view (PPV) event, locked and loaded for Sat., Nov. 16, 2024 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Assuming we don’t encounter another injury setback.

Whether or not the 37 year-old Jones retires from competition — or moves on to face impatient interim champion Tom Aspinall — all depends on his championship performance next month inside “The World’s Most Famous Arena.”

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Namajunas may not be next in line for a title shot, but she plans to leave no questions as to her worth as a contender with a win over Erin Blanchfield in Edmonton.

Rose Namajunas returns to the cage for the third time in 2024 this Saturday (Nov. 2, 2024) at UFC Edmonton. And she hopes a solid performance against Erin Blanchfield in the ESPN+-streamed co-main event will earn her a women’s Flyweight title shot.

Namajunas is ranked No. 5 and is coming into this bout against the No. 3-seeded Blanchfield on a two-fight win streak. Add in the star power of “Thug Rose” and you’d almost expect her to get next off a win.

The only problem? A decision loss to No. 2-ranked Manon Fiorot, who is undefeated (7-0) in UFC.

“I guess anything’s possible,” Namajunas said of a title shot (video via MMA Junkie). “And yeah, that’s my intention to put on a good performance enough to where there’s no doubt that I could be next.

“But, I still just kinda feel like Manon deserves it next anyways, regardless of what I do,” she added. “You know what I mean? She technically has a [win] over me. I do feel like if that was a five round fight, I think I could have found a way to win. I was finding it towards the end. But it is what it is. If she wins the belt, then it would be great to fight her again. Or have that dream match up with Valentina one day.”

In the end, it’s not Namajunas that makes the call, and if the call came, she’d answer it.

“If the UFC wanted to put me ahead of [Fiorot] with a very spectacular performance, I’d be open to that as well,” she clariefied.

Fighting current champion, Valentina Shevchenko, would be a dream for Namajunas … and possibly the highest profile women’s fight UFC could make in the division.

“She’s definitely always been my favorite female fighter,” Namajunas said of Shevchenko. “She’s somebody that I admire a lot and trained with a lot. It’d be hard for me to not just be fanning out like while I’m fighting her, it’d be kind of weird. But, as a martial artist, it’d be the ultimate dream just to test myself against one of the cherished martial artists in the game right now.”

One thing Namajunas has over Fiorot is activity.

Indeed, the French “Beast” has competed just once per-year for the past two years. Namajunas used to fight sporadically and then disappear for stretches. Since losing to Fiorot in her Flyweight debut (and dislocating her finger in the process), “Thug Rose” has had the most active year since coming off The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) in 2014-2015.

Then there’s also her popularity, which goes a long way in today’s UFC. She’s a two-time champion with wins over some of the most fearsome women at Strawweight. That’s earned her a lot of cred, which could cash in off one more big win.

As good and deserving as Fiorot is of a title shot, Namajunas absolutely could steal next at 125 pounds if she puts a beating on Blanchfield in Edmonton this weekend.

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Edmonton fight card right here, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. ET, before the main card start time at 8 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

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

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