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Thanks to a fight against Nate Diaz back in 2019, Jorge Masvidal ushered in the “BMF” era after he became the first ever “baddest motherf*cker” champion in UFC history.

At the time, UFC CEO Dana White said the symbolic title that was wrapped around Masvidal’s waist by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was just something fun to heighten the stakes in the fight but he had no plans for the belt to stick around long term. That changed in 2023 when the UFC re-introduced the “BMF” title with Justin Gaethje claiming the belt following a stunning second-round knockout over Dustin Poirier.

Less than a year later, Max Holloway took that belt from Gaethje with arguably one of the greatest finishes in UFC history after he pointed to the canvas and invited the human wrecking machine to stand and trade with him. The final punch from Holloway that landed sent Gaethje crashing face first to the canvas and a new “BMF” champion was crowned.

“I’m the biggest Max fan also,” Masvidal said about Holloway when speaking to MMA Fighting. “I love this guy. I love how he fights. I love his style. I love how he carries himself outside of the ring. One of my favorite all-time fighters.”

While he’s still holding the “BMF” title, Holloway’s next assignment comes in October when he faces reigning featherweight champion Ilia Topuria in the UFC 308 main event.

Immediately after flattening Gaethje at UFC 300, Holloway called for the chance to reclaim the belt he previously held until coming up short in a trilogy of fights against Alexander Volkanovski.

The “BMF” title isn’t going up for grabs but no matter what happens in that matchup, Masvidal loves the idea of putting himself against Holloway in a fight for the ages.

“It would be an honor to get in there with Max,” Masvidal said. “It would be an honor and we could throw down. We’d put on a f*cking epic show. One of those fights for all the generations, all lifetime. I wouldn’t mind that.”

The promotional possibilities for a fight like that are nearly endless, especially considering Masvidal’s standing as the first ever “BMF” champion and Holloway now holding onto that same “BMF” title.

Masvidal isn’t necessarily calling for that fight but he has so much admiration for Holloway that he couldn’t at least entertain that idea if the UFC came calling.

“Me and Max could do some serious shit out there,” Masvidal said. “One of the greatest fights ever. One ‘BMF’ has the quickest knockout ever, the other ‘BMF’ has the latest knockout ever in a fight. It was at 4:59 in round five. So many interesting [parts] to me and Max fighting.

“We’re not going to grapple obviously, We’re just going to stand there and bite down on the mouthpiece and f*cking let the leather go. A f*cking dream match.”

Now if there was one major obstacle preventing that fight from happening it would be the weight class.

Holloway has spent most of his career fighting at 145 pounds but he has traveled up to lightweight a few times in his career including the fight against Gaethje in April.

Meanwhile, Masvidal started his career at 155 pounds but in recent years he’s been competing only at welterweight and he admits there’s very little chance he could ever go back down to his old division again.

That said, Masvidal understands the entire concept behind the “BMF” title is a willingness to throw down against anybody, at any time and doing it anywhere — and he has a feeling Holloway lives by that same code.

“It’s also a lot to ask of Max to come up to 155 or 170,” Masvidal said. “I can’t really fight at 155 anymore. I wouldn’t mind it one bit. Max is a legend and I’d love to get in there and mix it up with him.”

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Big Fight
| BJPenn.com

Ilia Topuria wants to make Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) history … by 2027?

UFC’s newly-minted Featherweight kingpin makes his highly-anticipated, first-ever title defense against Baddest Motherf—ker (BMF), Max Holloway, at UFC 308 this weekend (Sat., Oct. 26, 2024) from inside Etihad Arena on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

While Topuria focuses on this weekend’s incredibly tough 145-pound fight against “Blessed,” the undefeated fighter has his eyes set on UFC history. Indeed, UFC on TNT Sports asked Topuria earier today (Tues., Oct. 22, 2024) what he thinks he will achieve in three years’ time.

“Probably a three-weight champion,” Topuria said. “Yeah, that’s my goal. You’re not going to see me in the Welterweight division like this: skinny. You’re going to see my different.

“That’s the goal,” he added. “Move up to the Lightweight division, get that belt, and then move up to the Welterweight division.”

An endless amount of fighters have claimed that they will be the ones to win three belts, from Raul Rosas Jr. to Tresean Gore (remember him) to Israel Adesanya; however, none have done it … yet.

To be real, there is only one fighter who has a real chance of achieving it sooner rather than later: current Light Heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira, who has claimed the Middleweight title and is only missing the Heavyweight belt.

Of course, there are outliers like Islam Makhachev, who has all of the talent in the world and might only need an opportunity to obtain multiple belts. In addition, Conor McGregor — who seemingly might never fight again — is UFC’s golden goose and can get a title shot in a third division coming off 405,935 losses if need be.

That’s called “privilege.”

Nevertheless, who knows where Topuria falls into any or all of these buckets, but if he does decimate Holloway as he predicts, the path to UFC history could come soon.

Wear a helmet.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 308 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 10 a.m. ET, followed by the UFC 308 PPV main card start time at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

To checkout the complete UFC 308 fight card and PPV lineup click here.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

A settlement agreement in the first UFC antitrust lawsuit was approved in Nevada, which brings to an end litigation that’s been ongoing for the past decade.

On Tuesday, Judge Richard Boulware issued a preliminary approval of the new terms of settlement after the UFC reached an agreement with the plaintiffs to pay $ 375 million to settle the antitrust lawsuit. The actual payout to fighters won’t be figured until after fees for the case are collected.

The lawsuit in question was first filed by fighters such as Cung Le, Nate Quarry and others back in 2014, which argued that the UFC engaged “in a scheme to acquire and maintain monopsony power in the market for elite professional MMA fighter services.” The fighters claimed UFC achieved that goal through three key elements: Exclusive contracts, coercion, and acquisitions that eliminated potential competitors.

That initial lawsuit covered fighters from 2010 to 2017.

An original settlement agreement was reached back in March for $ 335 million. That figure was supposed to settle both this antitrust lawsuits and a second suit that covered fighters from 2017 to present day; however, the judge denied that settlement agreement after previously stating in court that the agreed upon payout seemed low and that the fighters represented in the second lawsuit could object to arbitration and class-action waiver clauses in existing contracts.

A trial date for this lawsuit was set but both the plaintiffs and defendants in the case continued to work towards a potential settlement before reaching an agreement on the $ 375 million payout to settle the original case.

Attorneys for the fighters submitted a brief with a financial breakdown detailing how much the athletes would be receiving from the settlement.

“The $ 375 million all cash recovery provides a swift and significant payment to the Class against the delay, costs, and risks of a trial and appeals. As discussed above, Plaintiffs had initially proposed to allocate 75% of the Prior Settlement to the Le Class (75% of $ 335 million is $ 251.25 million), and thus this Settlement would increase the amount going to the Le Class by $ 123.75 million. Plaintiffs subsequently proposed to allocate 90% of the Prior Settlement to the Le Class (90% of $ 335 million is $ 301.5 million), and in that light, this Settlement involves $ 73.5 million more for the Le Class.

“Under the Settlement, Le Class members would recover (on average), after all fees and costs are deducted, $ 250,000. Thirty-five Class members would net over $ 1 million; nearly 100 fighters would net over $ 500,000; more than 200 fighters would recover over $ 250,000; over 500 fighters would net in excess of $ 100,000; and nearly 800 would recover over $ 50,000. By any reasonable measure, the Settlement, if approved, would put “life changing” cash into the hands of the families of several hundred fighters now.”

A total of more than 150 statements provided by fighters who competed in the UFC also submitted letters of support for approval of the settlement with hopes of receiving financial relief sooner rather than later. Numerous athletes including some former UFC champions detailed severe physical ailments and financial hardships in statements provided to the court.

Now with the judge handing down his decision, the next phase turns to the UFC making payment and then the attorneys setting up disbursement to the fighters after all fees have been settled.

Eric Cramer, lead attorney for the plaintiffs, issued a statement to MMA Fighting regarding the decision.

“We are extremely pleased that Judge Boulware granted preliminary approval of the $ 375 million settlement of the Le v. Zuffa case. It is a monumental achievement that will get significant relief to hundreds of deserving MMA fighters. We honor our brave representative plaintiffs who fought for this result for ten years. And we look forward to pursuing significant business changes and more damages in our second antitrust case against the UFC.”

Similarly, a UFC spokesperson also issued a statement to MMA Fighting about Judge Boulware’s decision.

“Today’s decision is welcome news for both parties. We are pleased to be another step closer to bringing the Le case to a close.”

As for the second antitrust lawsuit for fighters from 2017 to the present, that is still playing out in court but it’s possible that a separate settlement agreement is reached before a trial would begin. Most recently, attorneys representing the UFC filed a motion to dismiss the case on Oct. 7 but the judge hasn’t ruled on that yet.

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Muhammad Mokaev has found a new opponent for his upcoming grappling matchup after the unfortunate cancellation of his fight with Raul Rosas Jr.

Mokaev was originally slated to headline ADXC 6 against the rising UFC bantamweight contender Rosas Jr. next weekend at the Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. However, earlier this week, the promotion had to cancel the October 25 matchup due to unexpected developments.

“The Punisher” will now take on former UFC fighter Rogerio Bontorin in the main event of the grappling card, as recently confirmed by the Brazilian’s manager, Stefano Sartori, on social media.

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Mokaev boasts an undefeated record of 12-0 as a professional, and despite maintaining a 7-0 streak in the UFC, the 24-year-old Russian was released from the promotion in August. UFC CEO Dana White explained the decision to part ways, citing a series of out-of-competition issues that caused matchmakers to hesitate in offering him a new contract.

In a post on X, “The Punisher” appeared to assert that the UFC is still holding him back by preventing Rosas Jr. from facing him.

Meanwhile, Bontorin was part of the UFC from 2019 to 2022. He fought a total of six times, securing victories over Magomed Bibulatov and Raulian Paiva before enduring a challenging four-fight losing skid that included defeats against Ray Borg, Kai Kara-France, and Brandon Royval.

Bontorin’s latest fight took place at a RIZIN event in October 2023, and he currently boasts a professional record of 17-5, with 11 of those victories achieved via submission.

• Read More: Muhammad Mokaev Claims UFC Has Blocked Raul Rosas Jr. From Grappling Him

Continue Reading Muhammad Mokaev Lines Up Ex-UFC Fighter After Rosas Jr. Grappling Clash Fizzled at MMA News.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

The UFC 308 fight card, start time is for the UFC pay-per-view Saturday afternoon from the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

In the main event, Ilia Topuria will put his UFC featherweight title on the line against former UFC champion Max Holloway. Topuria has won all seven of his UFC fights en route to a 15-0 career record, while Holloway (26-7) has won four of his past five fights.

Former UFC champion Robert Whittaker will square off against Khamzat Chimaev in the co-main event.

Check out the UFC 308 fight card below.

Main card (ESPN+ PPV at 2 p.m. ET)

Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway

Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev

Lerone Murphy vs. Dan Ige

Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic

Shara Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan

Prelims (ESPN+ at 10 a.m. ET)

Geoff Neal vs. Rafael dos Anjos

Mateusz Rebecki vs. Myktybek Orolbai

Abus Magomedov vs. Brunno Ferreira

Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Chris Barnett

Farid Basharat vs. Victor Hugo

Ismail Naurdiev vs. Bruno Silva

Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Carlos Leal

Ibo Aslan vs. Raffael Cerqueira

MMA Fighting – All Posts

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

There aren’t many things that Dana White has defended in the UFC more vehemently lately than his passionate declaration that Jon Jones is the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.

While it’s tough to deny Jones’ status among the greatest of all-time, his inactivity over the past few years has pushed him further down those rankings while other athletes like Islam Makhachev have continued to take out contender after contender. Right now it’s Makhachev sitting atop the mythical pound-for-pound list both in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings and the UFC’s official rankings, surely to White’s dismay.

For all the ways White has continued to pound the desk when it comes to his belief that Jones should be No. 1, Makhachev’s manager believes he knows why the UFC boss is taking such a strong stance on the subject.

“Listen, it’s the reason why Dana White is the pound-for-pound greatest promoter on this planet,” Ali Abdelaziz explained when speaking to MMA Fighting. “Jon Jones is fighting next month. He’s fighting a guy [in Stipe Miocic], he’s probably going to be -800 against. [This is] the best way to promote this fight, to promote Jon Jones.

“Dana never promoted Jon Jones for some reason. But now he’s on Jon Jones’ wagon. Guess what? This promotes Jon Jones, too. He can say he’s the greatest of all time. Islam Makhachev right now currently is the pound-for-pound greatest fighter in the world by far. It’s not even second place. But Dana’s Dana. People think he’s talking gospel.”

Abdelaziz might have a point based on the odds surrounding Jones’ upcoming fight booked against Miocic on Nov. 16 in the main event at UFC 309 in New York.

While it’s impossible to negate Miocic as one of the greatest heavyweights in MMA history, he hasn’t fought since 2021 and his last appearance was a knockout loss to Francis Ngannou. Add to that, Miocic just recently turned 42 and most oddsmakers have him around a 6-to-1 underdog going into the fight with Jones.

There’s also been a lot of blowback that Jones should be fighting interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall next rather than Miocic coming back from a three-plus year long layoff.

That’s why Abdelaziz can’t fault White for pumping up Jones any way he can, especially with a pay-per-vieiw to sell in November.

“In reality, it is what it is,” Abdelaziz said. “Dana is going to be Dana, Islam has just got to keep going and prove to everyone he’s the pound-for-pound king. I’m not worried about it. Islam is not worried about it. But Dana’s supposed to promote Jon Jones and he’s doing it and he’s doing a great job at it.”

As far as what comes next for Makhachev, the reigning UFC lightweight champion is expected to return in early 2025 after dealing with a thumb injury following his submission win over Dustin Poirier in June.

Makhachev’s coach and longtime friend Khabib Nurmagomedov recently stated that a fight was offered and accepted for January, although no further details were revealed.

Abdelaziz says that timeline is definitely possible now that Makhachev has been cleared to compete again.

“I think January, February,” Abdelaziz said. “He’s ready. I gave the UFC the green light and they’re going to book him against someone, it doesn’t matter who. It can be anybody. Islam is going to fight whoever they give [to him], it doesn’t really matter who.

“Good to go. Firing on all cylinders. Anybody, any time, anywhere.”

Makhachev’s opponent is almost certainly going to be Arman Tsarukyan, who is riding a four-fight win streak in the division and he’s been viewed as the No. 1 contender for the title.

That’s the matchup that makes the most sense but Abdelaziz says ultimately it doesn’t matter who they throw at Makhachev, which is why he doesn’t really call out opponents as the champion.

“I think Arman, he deserves it more than anyone,” Abdelaziz said. “It can be Arman, it can be [Renato] Moicano. It can be [Dan] Hooker … no, Hooker doesn’t deserve nothing.”

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