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UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Julianna Peña believes commentary “bias” has played a part in the negative reaction to her title win earlier this month.

Peña returned to the mountaintop at 135 pounds in the co-main event of the UFC 307 pay-per-view in Salt Lake City, outpointing longtime rival Raquel Pennington on two of the three judges’ scorecards.

The result, which came over two years on from “The Venezuelan Vixen’s” first reign being brought to an end by Amanda Nunes, caused considerable debate.

On MMA Decisions, 25 out of 27 media members scored the five-round contest in favor of Pennington. That sentiment was also shared by 78 percent of over 500 fan scorecards that were submitted.

The newly crowned queen has been left bemused by the post-fight ‘robbery’ narratives, and she seemingly placed blame on the commentary team during an appearance on the debut episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned.

Peña branded the commentary “garbage” while reiterating the reasons why she’s confident that four of the five rounds were won by her.

“When you throw less and land more, when you’re giving the other girl a bloody nose and a goose egg on her head, when you’re taking her down, when you’re frickin’ making her eyes get as big as plates because you’re hitting her so hard and rocking her sh*t…you can’t tell me that I lost the fight,” Peña said. “I won that fight, and I’m so sick of all these people trying to like, make me feel like I didn’t win.

“Rewatch the fight without all the commentary bias and you will see clearly that I won that fight,” Peña continued. “Obviously all of the frickin’ MMA media hates my guts. … Every single one of them scored it against me. They need to go rewatch it without all that frickin’ garbage commentary and look at the significant strikes. I threw less and I landed more and they were harder shots. Rewatch it, please!”

Alongside the controversy regarding the scoring, the other major topic to emerge from Peña’s title win is the next step in the bantamweight division.

While Kayla Harrison’s victory over Ketlen Vieira on the UFC 307 card has left her as the consensus number one contender, “The Venezuelan Vixen” seemingly has other plans, frequently looking to entice Amanda Nunes back to complete their trilogy instead.

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• Read More: Julianna Peña Targets UFC International Fight Week 2025 For First Title Defense

Continue Reading Julianna Peña Urges Fans To Rewatch UFC 307 Fight Without ‘Garbage’ Commentary at MMA News.

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Ray Longo, a longtime coach for UFC bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili, has hit back at some comments recently made by Dana White.

Dvalishvili is set to ride a 10-fight winning run into his first title challenge this weekend, which comes in the main event of the highly anticipated Noche UFC 306 pay-per-view at the Sphere.

While the overall card has had its critics, the headliner between the Georgian contender and reigning champion Sean O’Malley has created significant intrigue and drawn a variety of predictions.

There was a time a few weeks ago, however, when some feared for the matchup’s place on the card after Dvalishvili revealed a deep-looking cut sustained in training on social media.

“The Machine’s” decision to publicly display the cut caused debate, with the UFC CEO being among those unimpressed by Dvalishvili’s antics.

“The whole world knows about Merab’s cut. He posted it. Our guys are so dumb, it’s next-level unbelievable,” White said during a DWCS press conference. “All the stuff I talk about boxing, what I will give boxing, is when something happens in a camp, man, let me tell you what, it does not leak. Our guys can’t f*cking wait to throw it up on social media.

“It’s a small cut. It’s no big deal. But obviously, it needed to be posted,” White continued. “Why the f*ck would you want him to know that? It is next-level stupid. Some of these guys are so stupid it’s mind-boggling. It’s unbelievable.”

After Aljamain Sterling leapt to Dvalishvili’s defense and branded White’s reaction “over the top,” coach Longo has now shared a similar sentiment.

Longo On Dvalishvili’s Cut: ‘One Thing Dana Was Really Wrong On…’

During a recent interview with Kevin Iole, Longo looked ahead to Dvalishvili’s long-awaited first opportunity to reach the mountaintop in the UFC.

The veteran trainer was asked about the cut suffered by the Georgian in training, which became one of the hottest topics in the lead-up to Noche UFC 306.

Longo dismissed the importance of revealing such a blemish to an opponent like O’Malley, and he strongly pushed back on White’s reaction to “The Machine’s” social media activity.

“I’m not the social media guy, so I don’t get it. But you have to expect this sh*t with these kids today. They film everything. They film tying their shoelaces,” Longo said. “He’s been a camera guy since the second I met him. He’s crazy with the camera. But look, if it was a knee injury, I’d say that would be a problem. Now you’re gonna target something. (But) he’s gonna get cut in the fight. It is what it is. He’s gonna get punched in the face. … A cut’s a cut, and if it opens up, I don’t think it’ll have an impact on the fight.

“One thing Dana was really wrong on was he called him a dummy. He’s far from a dummy,” Longo continued. “(Dvalishvili’s) very intelligent. He’s a humble guy, got humble beginnings. He’s fighting for his country. There’s certain guys that that type of sh*t means a lot. He’s one of them. He’s (O’Malley’s) gonna have to beat this kid dead, that I guarantee you.”

Dvalishvili will look to display a different type of intelligence come fight night in Las Vegas on Saturday by using his fight IQ to secure a memorable title crowning inside the Sphere.

His opportunity to do so comes in the final fight of the 10-fight lineup, on which he’ll mark the second championship challenger to make the walk after Valentina Shevchenko’s attempt to achieve two-time status at Alexa Grasso’s expense.

While “The Machine” trains in Las Vegas with John Wood these days, he’s still expected to have the likes of coach Longo and teammate Sterling in his corner this weekend.

• Read More: Noche UFC 306: Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili Staff Predictions

Continue Reading Coach Ray Longo Pushes Back On Dana White’s Criticism Of Merab Dvalishvili: ‘He’s Far From A Dummy…’  at MMA News.

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When Brian Ortega was first announced to be taking on Diego Lopes in the co-main event of UFC 303, fans circled that one out as a fight that you can’t afford to miss.

The two featherweight contenders have got two of the most exciting styles in the division and neither man is known for backing down from a scrap.

Unfortunately, Ortega was forced to pull out of the fight due to illness but after Lopes defeated Dan Ige on that night, the pair were rescheduled for UFC 306.

It’s a big fight for the former two-time title challenger to once again put himself in the mix at the top of the 145-pound weight class.

However, if you think that that’s going to make Ortega switch up his approach, you’re sorely mistaken.

Brian Ortega Says He’s Going To Go To War With Like-Minded Individual At UFC 306

In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Ortega told the fans what they can expect to see from his fight at the Sphere this weekend.

Rather than using his experience against the surging Lopes or looking to fight a bit more reserved, he’s excited to compete against another man that is always willing to wade into the fire to come away with the victory.

“It’s like I told everybody, I said that you have someone who refuses to lose on the feet and refuses to lose in the stand-up so when I say that, I bet you have no idea who I’m talking about. That’s why this is an exciting fight, you get to fight almost like a version of yourself. Tad bit different styles, same mentality.”   

Ortega closed things out with one final message, promising that the judges aren’t going to be needed for this fight but he won’t be the one that requires any assistance.

“Someone is going to get finished, guaranteed. You know me, you’ve seen me. I either put you on your shield or you put me on mine. I’m not going out on my shield.”

Read also: Alexander Volkanovski Shocked By Brian Ortega’s Underdog Status At Noche UFC: ‘Lopes Is Very Good, But…’

Continue Reading Brian Ortega On Diego Lopes Fight: ‘I Either Put You On Your Shield Or You Put Me On Mine!’ at MMA News.

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Demetrious Johnson turned pro in 2009 and after 15 long years, he finally announced his retirement from MMA during ONE 168: Denver. The former UFC flyweight champ has 12 title fight wins and boasts one of the longest win streaks (13) in the promotion. During his illustrious UFC run, Johnson walked through the flyweight division […]

Continue Reading ‘I Didn’t Get To Learn Anything’ – Demetrious Johnson Reveals Primary Reason Behind Retiring From MMA at MMA News.

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The most expensive event in UFC history is right around the corner, and fans worldwide are gearing up for the celebration of Mexican Independence Day through it. In the last few days, Dana White has finally revealed how the event will feature several films showcasing Mexico’s contributions to combat sports. UFC 306 has already become […]

Continue Reading ‘Nobody’s Gonna Pay Anything’ – Mexican UFC Fighter To Dana White On High Ticket Prices For The Sphere Event at MMA News.

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Kayla Harrison recently opened up about her lingering rivalry with Amanda Nunes, voicing her wish for the Brazilian to come out of retirement. One of the MMA world’s most tantalizing “what if” matchups has long centered around a potential showdown between Harrison and Nunes. Harrison, a two-time Olympic judo gold medalist, spent the majority of […]

Continue Reading Kayla Harrison on Amanda Nunes Rift: ‘Don’t Play With My Homies!’ at MMA News.

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UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion Alexa Grasso wants to become a member of the two-division titleholders’ club, but not at the expense of her teammates and fellow countrywomen. Grasso’s next fight is one of the main attractions on offer at this weekend’s Noche UFC (UFC 306) pay-per-view event, set to go down inside the unique surroundings […]

Continue Reading Alexa Grasso Explains ‘Pausing’ Double-Champ Ambitions Ahead Of Noche UFC Title Defense at MMA News.

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Belal Muhammad ran through the UFC welterweight division to finally face Leon Edwards at UFC 304. Before becoming the champ, he already boasted nine consecutive impressive wins over Gilbert Burns, Sean Brady, Vicente Luque, Stephen Thompson, and many top contenders. Edwards dominated the striking exchanges in his first fight with Muhammad, but it was ruled […]

Continue Reading Belal Muhammad Shares Heartwarming Story Of His Parents Getting ‘Superstar Treatment’ Now That He’s A UFC Champ at MMA News.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov’s coach, Javier Mendez, recently expressed that Belal Muhammad has earned the right to dictate his own terms now that he has claimed the UFC welterweight championship. “Remember the Name” made waves by toppling 170-pound champion Leon Edwards with a commanding unanimous decision victory at UFC 304 this past July in Manchester. The highly […]

Continue Reading Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Coach: ‘King’ Belal Muhammad Turned The Tables On UFC at MMA News.

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Dana White recently claimed responsibility for the noticeable enhancements in WWE’s production quality. Last September, the UFC and WWE united to form a formidable force in the world of combat sports: TKO Group Holdings. Since their merger, the company has thrived, reaching new levels of success and redefining industry standards. WWE fans have experienced a […]

Continue Reading UFC CEO Dana White Takes Credit For WWE’s Production Improvements: ‘A Lot Of Influence…’ at MMA News.

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