Category Archives: Mmamania.com

Sean Strickland is ready to move on from his Dricus Du Plessis rematch.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight champion has been going through a negotiation period with the promotion after his split decision title loss at UFC 297 in January 2024 (watch highlights). Perennial top contender, Paulo Costa, has been calling for a match up against “Tarzan” since his unanimous decision loss to Robert Whittaker at UFC 298 in February 2024.

Costa, 32, stated recently that Strickland turned down an offered bout. However, things have taken a positive turn, according to Strickland.

“Well had a meeting with the UFC and told them that I don’t want to be rich. I want to be able to support a family after my career is done,” Strickland tweeted. “They actually were pretty supportive, made it happen. Thank you fans! Alright @BorrachinhaMMA you got your wish… Let’s do some bleeding.”

Per MMA Fighting, verbal agreements are now in place for the potential fight to happen at UFC 302 in Newark, New Jersey on June 1, 2024.

Classically, the Brazilian wasted no time responding to his American counterpart with a meme-erific quote tweet that can be seen below.

This isn’t the first time Strickland and Costa have bantered back and forth with hopes of fighting. Ultimately, Costa’s been significantly more inactive than Strickland in recent years. After setbacks to Alex Pereira and Jared Cannonier, he went on the greatest run of his career thus far, which culminated with that masterclass effort over Israel Adesanya via unanimous decision (watch highlights) at UFC 293 in September 2023.

The current line up for UFC 302 can be seen below (bout order to be determined).

• 170lbs.: Niko Price vs. Jeremiah Wells
• 185lbs.: Roman Dolidze vs. Anthony Hernandez
• 170lbs.: Mickey Gall vs. Bassil Hafez
• 170lbs.: Philip Rowe vs. Jake Matthews
• 155lbs.: Grant Dawson vs. Joe Solecki
• 135lbs.: Joselyne Edwards vs. Ailín Pérez
• 125lbs.: Park Hyun-sung vs. André Lima
• 125lbs.: Su Mudaerji vs. Joshua Van
• 265lbs.: Jailton Almeida vs. Alexander Romanov
• 185lbs.: Roman Kopylov vs. César Almeida

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Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira and red-hot Russian bruiser Arman Tsarukyan will collide in a No. 1 contender fight (thanks to Justin Gaethje) on the UFC 300 pay-per-view main card on Sat. night (April 13, 2024) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

But Oliveira hasn’t done much in the way of pre-fight promotion.

That’s why Tsarukyan has been carrying the load, at least in terms of trash talk, but that doesn’t mean “Ahalkalakets” believes Oliveira is a “quitter.”

“Former champion can’t be like this,” Tsarukyan said during the UFC 300 media day. “He was former champion and he defend titles, quitter guys can’t be champion. I gotta talk about him because he doesn’t talk about me. I gotta talk about him. I wanna get more people to watch this fight. That’s why I gotta say something about him. I’m just trying to get more fans to watch this fight.”

Tsarukyan also cleared the air on the Kayla Harrison drama from last month’s fan Q&A.

“We talked to each other after that,” Tsarukyan said. “She understood what I meant and now we’re good.”

Tsarukyan (21-3) dropped a decision to Islam Makhachev in his UFC debut back in early 2019. In the years that followed, “Ahalkalakets” compiled an 8-1 record, which includes his first-round destruction of Beneil Dariush at UFC Austin. That performance was good enough to land Tsarukyan at No. 4 in the official lightweight rankings.

As for Oliveira (34-9, 1 NC), he coughed up the strap to Makhachev in the UFC 280 headliner back in late 2022. After disposing of the aforementioned Dariush at UFC 289 to get himself back into the lightweight title hunt, a late cut in training camp bounced “Do Bronx” from his Makhachev rematch at UFC 294.

One final hurdle to clear for the next 155-pound title shot.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 300 fight card right RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the UFC 300 PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 300: “Pereira vs. Hill” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive UFC 300 event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 300 fight card and PPV lineup click here.

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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women’s Bantamweight contenders Holly Holm and Kayla Harrison will duel this weekend (Sat., April 13, 2024) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, for UFC 300.

It’s been four years since Holm’s last title shot, a shocking statistic when you consider how often Holm used to fight for the belt. At 42 years of age, she might finally be slowing down, having effectively lost two of her last three … though Mayra Bueno Silva’s victory was overturned for a silly reason. Harrison, meanwhile, is the biggest new signee to the women’s roster in recent memory. The Judo Olympian and multiple-time Professional Fighters League (PFL) queen may face her steepest challenge prior to the actual fight, however, as she has yet to make 135 pounds successfully. If she can hit the Bantamweight mark, she definitely has championship potential.

Let’s take a closer look at the betting odds and strategic keys for each athlete:

Holm vs. Harrison Betting Odds

• Holly Holm victory: +300
• Holly Holm via TKO/KO/DQ: +1000
• Holly Holm via submission: +3500
• Holly Holm via decision: +550
• Kayla Harrison victory: -425
• Kayla Harrison via TKO/KO/DQ: +350
• Kayla Harrison via submission: +250
• Kayla Harrison via decision: +120
• Draw: +5000
• Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

How Holm Wins

Holm is probably the most credentialed boxer in UFC, which is very funny because she hasn’t won a mixed martial arts (MMA) fight because of her boxing in years. In the cage, Holm is very much and kicks-and-clinch fighter who avoids trading in the pocket. She greatly prefers long range battle of kicks, but is willing to wrestle reactively when pressed.

It’s cliche and reductive to compare Harrison to Ronda Rousey, but like … that’s the gameplan here. Holm wins this fight by utilizing lateral movement, countering her opponent’s attempts to close distance, and framing at the waist when her foe does manage to clinch — exactly like she did perfectly to Rousey nearly a decade ago.

Stylistically, it’s very much the same fight. Harrison doesn’t jump off top position chasing armbars, but the overall goal of avoiding the takedown and kicking her opponent in the face remains. Holm will live or die by her clinch defense and footwork, as well as the simple fact that every minute the bout goes on increases the odds of Harrison fatiguing from her monster weight cut.

How Harrison Wins

Harrison is a two-time gold medalist in Judo who has adapted her skill set well in the cage. Her kickboxing is thoroughly okay, but more important, Harrison has added clinch double legs and shooting below the waist into her game quite well.

I have to say, the primary way Harrison wins this fight is by having functioning kidneys on fight day. I don’t know what team of nutritionists is overseeing Harrison’s weight cut, but I hope they have Ivy League qualifications. From the outside looking in, it would appear to be a monumental challenge to get Harrison on weight and able to perform in the cage.

Assuming — a big assumption — that all goes well, however, Harrison should be able to dominate this fight on the floor. She’s bigger, stronger, and much more skilled in the clinch, which is usually a safe zone for Holm. Provided she doesn’t sprint at the boxer face-first, there’s no reason that Harrison cannot implement her usual gameplan to great effect.

Holm vs. Harrison Prediction

I guess it would be a cop-out to write, “Harrison doesn’t make weight and the fight is canceled.” Wonder if DraftKings will post those odds anytime soon?

If we ignore the weight cut aspect — the biggest narrative of this whole match up — then everything lines up in Harrison’s favor. She’s a decade younger and has the skill and team behind her to practically guarantee a dominant performance. Holm is reasonably tough to take down, but part of that is because of a usual physicality advantage that absolutely will not exist here.

I would wait until after weigh-in day to bet on this bout, but …

Prediction: Kayla Harrison via decision (+120)

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 300 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPN 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 300: “Pereira vs. Hill” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

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

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight king Islam Makhachev isn’t impressed with the Lightweight booking between Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway at UFC 300. Makhachev labeled the bout useless on social media, and his team has also questioned the promotion’s decision, which is holding up a possible title contender in Gaethje.

Makhachev has struggled to get a title defense booked in 2024. He wants to fight three times this year, but nothing has materialized. As a result of top contenders Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, and Arman Tsarukyan all being booked at UFC 300, he’s turned to Dustin Poirier as a possible option for his planned June return to action. Maybe if Gaethje had passed on the “Blessed” showdown, it would be him fighting the Russian in June?

It’s certainly a risk fighting Holloway.

For his part, however, the Hawaiian takes issue with Makhachev’s critique. According to Holloway, there’s been ample time for Makhachev to return to action since his knockout win over Alexander Volkanovski in October 2023. Holloway points out that the Australian managed to get back in the cage in February, and he’s the guy who got knocked out!

“I saw Islam talk about, ‘oh, this fight makes no sense and blah, blah, blah’. I’m like brother, you should’ve fought Justin in February,” Holloway said on the MIGHTYcast with Demetrious Johnson (via Sports Keeda). “Why did the guy you knocked out turn around so fast and fight in February? I mean, you were healthy. You should’ve turned around and came [back in] February. Everybody knows you can’t fight in Ramadan and that’s why they couldn’t do the fight on 300 with Leon [Edwards] or he couldn’t get another fight, but he’s complaining like ‘I can’t get fights’.”

He continued, “I’m like it’s because you’re only fighting around the times you want to fight. It’s not you can’t get fights. You’re just not taking the fights that are offered because of certain things that are going on. If he really wanted to fight, I thought he would’ve turned around and fought in February. It made no sense to make the guy who just got a brutal knockout to turn around and fight in February.”

Given Holloway’s propensity for fighting often and Lightweight title goals, perhaps it could be Holloway filling in two months from now if he’s victorious at UFC 300.

Insomnia

What are your favorite of the special UFC 300 fight shorts?

21 gun salute to “The Pleasure Man,” whose UFC fights were certainly amusing at the very least.

Cesar Almeida is getting a big step up in competition after his recent knockout win (watch here), but it’s a good style match up for the pro kickboxer!

Ominous words from UFC Flyweight Cody Durden …

There is only one Jiri Prochazka.

A look into the Islam Makhachev training camp:

In case you needed further convincing that Jim Miller is a legend!

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Anything can happen late in a fight when both guys are feeling it!

Kayla Harrison has to win this weekend to redeem Judo from this display.

A rather violent KO from the Brazilian regional scene:

Random Land

Some photos from yesterday’s eclipse!

Midnight Music: Indie, 2007

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

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Wishes of all kinds are getting granted at UFC 300.

The upcoming Baddest Motherf—ker (BMF) title fight between the champion, Justin Gaethje, and former Featherweight champion, Max Holloway, is truly a match up of epic proportions that fans only dream about. That’s what we all did until the historic event started to take shape, going down this weekend (Sat., April 13, 2024) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Gaethje vs. Holloway is essentially guaranteed entertainment for as long as it lasts. To add to the festivity, the fighters atop the bill will get to sport some customized fight attire. Holloway has expressed in recent months his desire to wear floral printed shorts and he now gets his wish. He isn’t alone, however, as his opponent got something special, too. Throw in Light Heavyweight and Strawweight champions, Alex Pereira, and Zhang Weili, and UFC is letting the personalities show.

The other featured fighters in the three title fights will presumably get their own designs as well. We’ll provide an update when they get released.

Pereira and Zhang will close the show with their main and co-main event bouts. Before Pereira makes his first title defense as the 205-pound kingpin against former champion, Jamahal Hill, Zhang looks to turn back her fellow countrywoman, Yan Xiaonan.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 300 fight card right RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the UFC 300 PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 300: “Pereira vs. Hill” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive UFC 300 event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 300 fight card and PPV lineup click here.

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Bo Nickal is used to being the hammer.

But how will the former collegiate wrestling champion respond when he’s the nail? Middleweight opponent Cody Brundage aims to find out when they open the UFC 300 pay-per-view (PPV) card this Sat. night (April 13, 2024) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“Man, this is gonna sound probably like a tool, but I feel like I’m one of, if not the, strongest dudes in the division. I really feel that,” Brundage told MMA News. “I work really hard on my strength and conditioning, and just explosive power and strength. I don’t really ever feel out-strengthened in there.”

“Physically, I feel really strong. I always feel really good in that aspect,” Brundage continued. “Experience is a big deal and I’ve been in the fire. I’ve been the hammer, I’ve been the nail. I know how to react to those situations. Bo hasn’t been there… It’s my job to put him there.”

Five other opponents have tried … and failed miserably.

The 28 year-old Nickal is 5-0 with five first-round finishes and continues to open as a monster betting favorite in each of his UFC fights. As for Brundage, 29, he improved to 10-5 after demolishing Zachary Reese at UFC Austin late last year.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 300 fight card right RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the UFC 300 PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 300: “Pereira vs. Hill” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive UFC 300 event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 300 fight card and PPV lineup click here.

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UFC 300 boasts so many big names in so many different divisions, the outcome of this Sat. night’s (April 13, 2024) fight card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas is going to have a major impact on the promotion’s official rankings, which may (or may not) include multiple title changes. The promotion released its final update this week to account for the action that took place at UFC Vegas 90 last weekend at APEX but don’t expect it to hold for very long.

UFC 300 is topped by the light heavyweight title fight between reigning division kingpin Alex Pereira and former 205-pound titleholder Jamahal Hill. In addition, UFC strawweight champion Weili Zhang battles rough-and-tumble countrywoman Xiaonan Yan, while Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway hook ‘em up at lightweight for the “BMF” belt. Elsewhere on the card, Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan collide for the next 155-pound title shot.

Here’s how UFC compiles its official rankings:

Rankings were generated by a voting panel made up of media members. The media members were asked to vote for who they feel are the top fighters in the UFC by weight-class and pound-for-pound. A fighter is only eligible to be voted on if they are in active status in the UFC. A fighter can appear in more than one weight division at a time. The champion and interim champion are considered to be in the top positions of their respective divisions and therefore are not eligible for voting by weight-class. However, the champions can be voted on for the pound-for-pound rankings.

Take a look at what the latest rankings field looks like courtesy of UFC.com. Note: (+/- = movement in rankings, T = tie, *NR = Not previously ranked).

MEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND

1. Islam Makhachev
2. Jon Jones
3. Leon Edwards
4. Alex Pereira
5. Ilia Topuria
6. Sean O’Malley
7. Charles Oliveira
8. Alexander Volkanovski
9. Dricus Du Plessis
10. Alexandre Pantoja
11. Israel Adesanya
12. Tom Aspinall
13. Sean Strickland
14. Max Holloway
15. Aljamain Sterling

FLYWEIGHT

Champion: Alexandre Pantoja

1. Brandon Royval
2. Brandon Moreno
3. Amir Albazi
4. Kai Kara France
5. Matheus Nicolau
6. Manel Kape
7. Muhammad Mokaev
8. Alex Perez
9. Tim Elliott
10. Steve Erceg
11. Matt Schnell
12. Tagir Ulanbekov
13. Tatsuro Taira
14. David Dvorak
15. Su Mudaerji

BANTAMWEIGHT

Champion: Sean O’Malley

1. Merab Dvalishvili
2. Aljamain Sterling
3. Cory Sandhagen
4. Petr Yan
5. Marlon Vera
6. Henry Cejudo
7. Song Yadong
8. Deiveson Figueiredo
9. Rob Font
10. Umar Nurmagomedov
11. Kyler Phillips
12. Dominick Cruz
13. Mario Bautista
14. Jonathan Martinez
15. Pedro Munhoz

FEATHERWEIGHT

Champion: Ilia Topuria

1. Alexander Volkanovski
2. Max Holloway
3. Brian Ortega
4. Yair Rodriguez
5. Movsar Evloev
6. Arnold Allen
7. Josh Emmett
8. Calvin Kattar
9. Giga Chikadze
10. Bryce Mitchell
11. Edson Barboza
12. Dan Ige
13. Sodiq Yusuff
14. Lerone Murphy
15. Alex Caceres

LIGHTWEIGHT

Champion: Islam Makhachev

1. Charles Oliveira
2. Justin Gaethje
3. Dustin Poirier
4. Arman Tsarukyan
5. Mateusz Gamrot
6. Michael Chandler
7. Beneil Dariush
8. Rafael Fiziev
9. Dan Hooker
10. Jalin Turner
11. Benoit Saint-Denis
12. Rafael dos Anjos
13. Renato Moicano
14. Bobby Green
15. Drew Dober

WELTERWEIGHT

Champion: Leon Edwards

1. Kamaru Usman
2. Belal Muhammed
3. Shavkat Rakhmonov
4. Colby Covington
5. Jack Della Maddalena
6. Gilbert Burns
7. Ian Machado Garry
8. Sean Brady
9. Stephen Thompson
10. Geoff Neal
11. Joaquin Buckley
12. Neil Magny -1
13. Michael Page
14. Vicente Luque
15. Kevin Holland

MIDDLEWEIGHT

Champion: Dricus Du Plessis

1. Sean Strickland
2. Israel Adesanya
3. Robert Whittaker
4. Jared Cannonier
5. Marvin Vettori
6. Paulo Costa
7. Brendan Allen
8. Nassourdine Imavov
9. Roman Dolidze
10. Jack Hermansson -1
11. Khamzat Chimaev
12. Anthony Hernandez
13. Paul Craig
14. Chris Curtis
15. Caio Borralho

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

Champion: Alex Pereira

1. Jamahal Hill
2. Jiri Prochazka
3. Magomed Ankalaev
4. Jan Blachowicz
5. Aleksandar Rakic
6. Nikita Krylov
7. Johnny Walker
8. Khalil Rountree
9. Volkan Oezdemir
10. Anthony Smith
11. Ryan Spann
12. Alonzo Menifield
13. Azamat Murzakanov
14. Dominick Reyes
15. Dustin Jacoby

HEAVYWEIGHT

Champion: Jon Jones

1. Tom Aspinall
2. Ciryl Gane
3. Sergei Pavlovich
4. Stipe Miocic
5. Curtis Blaydes
6. Alexander Volkov
7. Jailton Almeida
8. Marcin Tybura
9. Serghei Spivac
10. Tai Tuivasa
11. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
12. Derrick Lewis
13. Alexandr Romanov
14. Marcos Rogerio De Lima
15. Rodrigo Nascimento

WOMEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND

1. Alexa Grasso
2. Zhang Weili
3. Valentina Shevchenko
4. Manon Fiorot
5. Julianna Pena
6. Raquel Pennington
7. Rose Namajunas +1
8. Erin Blanchfield -2
9. Tatiana Suarez
10. Yan Xiaonan
11. Jessica Andrade
12. Amanda Lemos
13. Ketlen Vieira
14. Maycee Barber
15. Irene Aldana

WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT

Champion: Zhang Weili

1. Yan Xiaonan
2. Tatiana Suarez
3. Amanda Lemos
4. Jessica Andrade
5. Virna Jandiroba
6. Marina Rodriguez
7. Mackenzie Dern
8. Amanda Ribas
9. Luana Pinheiro
10. Loopy Godinez
11. Tabatha Ricci
12. Angela Hill
13. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
14. Michelle Waterson-Gomez
15. Gillian Robertson

WOMEN’S FLYWEIGHT

Champion: Alexa Grasso

1. Valentina Shevchenko
2. Manon Fiorot
3. Erin Blanchfield
4. Maycee Barber
5. Jessica Andrade
6. Rose Namajunas
7. Katlyn Cerminara
8. Natalia Silva
9. Amanda Ribas
10. Viviane Araújo
11. Tracy Cortez
12. Ariane Lipski
13. Karine Silva
14. Casey O’Neill
15. Miranda Maverick

WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT

Champion: Raquel Pennington

1. Julianna Pena
2. (T) Mayra Bueno Silva
2. (T) Ketlen Vieira
4. Irene Aldana
5. Holly Holm
6. Macy Chiasson
7. Miesha Tate
8. Karol Rosa
9. Norma Dumont +2
10. Pannie Kianzad -1
11. Yana Santos -1
12. Julia Avila
13. Chelsea Chandler
14. Germaine De Randamie *NR
15. Josiane Nunes -1

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 300 fight card right RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the UFC 300 PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 300: “Pereira vs. Hill” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive UFC 300 event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 300 fight card and PPV 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!

Something new is coming this Friday (April 12, 2024) at the UFC 300 weigh-ins, which are scheduled to go down inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. In recently released press information, the promotion teased a special “New UFC Equipment Announcement and Presentation” after the official weigh-ins conclude.

The announcement made its way to Twitter, and speculation began immediately. Almost universally, the same conclusion was drawn: UFC has to finally be fixing the gloves, right? It’s hard to think of an equipment alternative that would be worthy of a UFC 300 announcement.

The demand for fixed gloves has never been higher. 2024 has featured an abundance of eye pokes and eye poke-related controversies, including the recent bout between Chris Weidman and Bruno Silva. In that Middleweight contest, former champion Weidman managed to poke his opponent in the eye three separate times, and the final exchange controversially ended the fight.

Some have argued the solution is simple: CLOSE YOUR HANDS! Others blame the UFC gloves, which extend the fingers outward when they’re loose and relaxed. Different models of gloves — even all the way back to PRIDE FC! — curl inward a bit, meaning that relaxed fingers aren’t so extended.

Stay tuned.

Insomnia

Ladies and gentleman, I am pleased to announce: WE ARE SO F—KING BACK!

In all the chaos, I forgot about Valentina Shevchenko’s quest to get all the rubies in her belt. Does anyone else have a chance of racking up eight title defenses?!?

Ciryl Gane is one of the most talented fighters on the roster, but the ducking accusations are definitely adding up.

Here’s hoping Chris Curtis has a smooth recovery from his hamstring injury.

I’m convinced the sun will explode before Andrei Arlovski stops decisioning random unranked Heavyweights on UFC undercards. Get that money “Pitbull!”

Have you been priced out of live UFC events? Here’s an alternative!

Jon Jones’ latest incident brought this old Daniel Cormier quote back on the feed, and it feels evergreen.

Is bald Islam Makhachev going to be even more unstoppable?

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Referees are supposed to know when a fight is a squash match. Why let this random lady take a bunch of extra punches from an actual kickboxer?

An elbow in the clinch begins a barrage of strikes:

Well … that’s unfortunate.

Random Land

A couple ideas for the bucket list.

Midnight Music: Pop, 1967

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

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Tom Aspinall is onto Jon Jones.

The Heavyweight title fight the world is waiting for, unfortunately, doesn’t look like it will happen anytime soon, if ever. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) currently has two titleholders between the undisputed and interim straps, held by Jones and Aspinall.

Typically, the two would fight next under normal circumstances. However, the promotion has maintained the stance that Jones will defend against former champion, Stipe Miocic, once Jones is fully healed from his recent injuries. Aspinall has been vocal about wanting to do the logical thing and face Jones to unify the titles. Coincidentally, the pair of Heavyweights had an impromptu meeting while doing meet-and-greets in Birmingham, England.

“I wanted to face off,” Aspinall said on The MMA Hour. “Jon’s smart, you know? … Jon will not say anywhere — you can’t find it, it’s not out there — that he will fight me. He won’t say it anywhere publicly. He won’t say it. You can’t find a clip, a quote, nothing, anywhere, of Jon Jones saying, ‘One day I’m going to fight Tom Aspinall, and I’m going to freaking beat the brakes off him. That’s what I’m going to do.’ That doesn’t exist. He doesn’t want any evidence, anywhere, of him agreeing to any kind of fight with me, because he doesn’t want to go back on that.

“He doesn’t want to do a faceoff because that promotes a potential fight,” he continued. “When I ask him, ‘Jon are we going to do this?’ He doesn’t say, ‘Absolutely. Let me get Stipe out of the way and we’ll do it.’ He’ll instead say, ‘Oh, maybe one day.’ Because he doesn’t want that quote of, ‘We’re going to fight one day.’ It’s super smart.”

Jones, 36, has expressed more openness to fighting Aspinall in recent months. Ultimately, the Brit doesn’t want to and won’t wait around forever, as he’s recently turned his attention towards a Curtis Blaydes rematch while Jones and Miocic handle their (potential) business.

“Honestly, I don’t spend my days thinking about Jon Jones,” Aspinall said. “On the contrary to what people think, I’m not desperate for it. That fight doesn’t define my career. It would be great, it would be nice, but I’ve got other ways to prove myself. I’m going to be around this sport for at least another five years. At least. Minimum. So it would be great. If I get the fight, fantastic. But I’m not like, ‘Oh, look at what Jon’s done again! It’s never going to happen! Oh my God!’ That’s Jon’s business. Jon can do his thing. If we fight, great. If we don’t, great as well. All respect to Jon Jones, one of the GOATs of the sport.”

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UFC featherweight “Super” Sodiq Yusuff stars as Sunday Adelekan in the Disney+ series Iwájú.

UFC fighters are no stranger to television shows — just ask Officer Weidman.

But those combat sports athletes who do land a network gig are usually one-and-done after a single episode. That’s not the case for UFC featherweight Sodiq Yusuff, who locked up a “Super” role on Iwájú, which Disney describes as an “original animated series set in a futuristic Lagos, Nigeria.”

“In Yoruba [Yusuff’s native language], Iwájú means ‘in the future,’” Yusuff told The MMA Hour. “It’s about a futuristic Nigeria, and I play a character [Sunday Adelekan].”

Here’s a sample of what to expect from Iwájú:

Yusuff landed the six-episode role after chatting with one of the show’s animators on social media.

“He was a Nigerian UFC fan, so I checked off all the boxes,” Yusuff said. “I was like, I’ve always been a big nerd, and I would love to be a part of your project, no matter how small the role is. Now I’m in a Disney show. My DMs are full of me shooting my shot at a million different things. And yes, I get no’s all the time. But it doesn’t matter how many no’s you get – you just need a yes every once in a while.”

Yusuff, 30, is hoping to get a “yes” from the judges when he fights Diego Lopes at UFC 300 on Sat. night (April 13, 2024) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas — unless the “Super” featherweight can lock up a finish and find his way back into the win column.

“As long as you sign a paycheck at the end, I could care less,” Yusuff said about landing a coveted spot in the historic UFC 300 lineup. “I haven’t fought in front of a crowd since the pandemic. It’s always dope. I’m sure when it’s over I’ll be able to see the bigger picture.”

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 300 fight card right RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the UFC 300 PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 300: “Pereira vs. Hill” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive UFC 300 event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 300 fight card and PPV lineup click here.

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