Ilia’s weight cut secret
| BJPenn.com

Topuria drinks half a bottle of wine the night before weigh-ins because it helps him drop the pounds … and gets him ‘buzzed.’

Ilia Topuria steps on the scales this morning (Fri. Feb. 16th, 2024) for his UFC 298 featherweight title fight against Alexander Volkanovski. And if all went according to plan, the half liter of wine he drank last night will have helped him shed a few extra pounds.

Topuria is already a legit star in Europe, where he’s feted by soccer stars and celebrities wherever he goes. He also has a European sensibility towards the health benefits of wine … especially in the final hours of weight cutting. During a fight week interview, Michael Bisping asked him what was up with his habit of drinking a few glasses the night before weigh-in.

“We do it with a purpose, you know?” Topuria said. “I’ve always had phenomenal fights and it’s never affected me negatively.”

We can’t argue with that assessment: “El Matador” is 14-0 (6-0 UFC) and went five hard rounds against Josh Emmett in his last fight.

“Don’t do it without any recommendation,” he warned. “I did it the first time because my nutritionist, he told me ‘You have to drink half-liter of wine because it’s going to help you dehydrate.’ And I was like ‘Are you sure?’ ‘Yes, yes, drink it.’ And he was right. I drink the wine, wake up the next morning, and I’m two pounds less than I was.”

“I was like ‘Wow.’ I had such a great time, I drink wine the day you can’t have anything. You can’t eat. You can’t drink. And I sleep like a baby, and I get benefits.”

It doesn’t work for every fighter — Paulo Costa infamously tried the ‘wine trick’ before fighting Israel Adesanya, only for it to backfire spectacularly. But Topuria swears by his half-liter system, which gets him pleasantly ‘buzzed.’

“I get very buzzed, very buzzed, and I have such a great time with everyone,” he said. “It’s like we change the atmosphere, you know? We don’t think about the fighting, we just celebrate, and I go to sleep like a baby. I wake up at the next morning with two pounds less, because of the dehydration, so everything plays out really well for me.”

ESPN caught up with Team Topuria in Jacksonville as Ilia was hard at work putting down his wine for the Emmett fight.

“It’s something that always worked for me every time that I cut weight,” a tipsy Topuria explained at the time. It helps me feel good and I follow traditions. Tomorrow morning I’ll be back in the sauna. I’m almost at weight. I’ll cut a few grams and I’ll be ready. So we celebrate victory, the weight cut, we celebrate everything that God provides. I feel grateful for all these moments that I can enjoy.”

“I feel blessed, surrounded by good people. What else can I ask for? People are always chasing success. I chase happiness because for me success means to be happy with myself and I already have that, so I’m thankful.”

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Francis Ngannou is one of the hottest commodities in combat sports.

This upcoming May, it will have been one full year since the former UFC heavyweight champion signed with PFL in a surprise groundbreaking move. Ngannou’s deal includes a role as an equity owner as well as a fighter with the ability to compete freely in boxing matches. Ngannou has already done the latter but is yet to make his Smart Cage debut.

Although he lost his pro boxing debut to Tyson Fury via a split decision this past October, Ngannou outperformed all expectations and was a winner in the grand scheme of things. So much so that he’s already lined up his second match as he’ll battle Anthony Joshua next month on March 8 in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia. The more success “The Predator” finds in boxing, the more it’s made the MMA community assume he’ll never come back. PFL Founder Donn Davis remains unworried, however.

“I’m 100 percent confident that Francis fights MMA for PFL — not just once, but several times,” Davis told The Independent. “I’m confident that Francis will be our long-term business partner. I believe that he will ultimately prove himself to be the greatest athlete in combat sports — the Bo Jackson, if you will, of combat sports.

“I think Francis has an appetite to be a champion in boxing and to remain a champion in MMA. That’s so audacious that only someone of Francis’s character can set that goal, so I think you will see him continue to do both and continue to be successful at both.”

Ngannou’s last MMA fight saw him successfully defend his UFC title by unanimous decision against Ciryl Gane in January 2022. It was his first and only defense before parting ways with the promotion and one that led to an extended absence due to damages to several knee ligaments that required surgery.

Options in the PFL are undeniably limited for Ngannou at this stage and they were before he proved himself as a boxer. The promotion kicks off its 2024 campaign next weekend in Riyadh with a heavyweight champion vs. champion bout, though. It will be Bellator’s Ryan Bader vs. PFL’s Renan Ferreira, a battle of giants that Davis sees as more than enough to garner interest from Cameroon’s finest.

“I believe the winner of ‘La Problema’ and Bader will interest Francis Ngannou,” Davis said. “I think whoever comes out of this [victorious] has proven themselves to truly be the No. 1 contender in heavyweight MMA — not just in our organization.

“Bader has ruled the roost in Bellator for five years; ‘La Problema’ is the toughest, most athletic opponent in the world. I don’t know who’s gonna win that, but I think whoever wins that can lay claim to challenge Francis — and I’m interested to see if Francis accepts that.

“I think outside of Francis Ngannou and [UFC heavyweight champion] Jon Jones, these are the two best heavyweights in the world,” he continued. “People don’t think that, because of the UFC brand, but the rest of the heavyweights in the UFC are not particularly interesting. Stipe [Miocic] was, but he’s 41, he’s got one fight left. Then there’s nobody else on the rise there that’s any better or any more interesting than this match-up of ‘La Problema’ and Bader.”

TOP STORIES

Rivals. Paulo Costa has no interest in revisiting Khamzat Chimaev fight after beating Robert Whittaker: ‘F*** him’

Odds. UFC 300: Betting line opens for Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad to headline event

Crossover. Sean Strickland claims UFC denied him permission to fight ‘embarrassment to the world’ Jake Paul

Officials. UFC 298: Referee, judges revealed for Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria

Contenders. Merab Dvalishvili slams Sean O’Malley claiming Henry Cejudo is broke and only fighting for money: ‘This is bulls***’

Movies. Rose Namajunas to serve as executive producer on UFC-inspired film starring Lupita Nyong’o, Chloe Grace Moretz

Promotion. Erin Blanchfield vs. Manon Fiorot promoted to UFC Atlantic City main event

Critique. Ilia Topuria: Alexander Volkanovski ‘doesn’t have knockout power’ and isn’t ‘a finisher’

Lineup. Max Holloway doesn’t care about placement on UFC 300 card, calls BMF title fight ‘the people’s main event’

Featherweight. Brian Ortega plans to ‘ruin every contender’ if Ilia Topuria becomes champion at UFC 298

VIDEO STEW

Between the Links.

UFC 298 pre-presser staredowns.

Full UFC 298 pre-fight presser.

Pros predict.

Embedded 4.

Scariest fighter at featherweight?

PFL vs. Bellator Fight Camp Confidential.

Hags vs. Lobo preview.

Fight Camps.

Aspinhall.

Wonderboy breaks down UFC 298.

Fancy UFC 298 preview.

LISTEN UP

Heck of a Morning. MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck discusses what’s next for Alexander Volkanovski if he beats Ilia Topuria at UFC 298.

MORNING MUSIC

SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Nasty.

Iron.

Dance, dance.

Kangaroos = champs.

Support.

Old man Volk is something else.

Keep it moving.

Lol.

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Kazumasa Mashima (16-4) vs. Masakazu Imanari (39-22-2); RIZIN Landmark 8, Feb. 24

Saori Oshima (12-4) vs. Claire Lopez (8-5); RIZIN Landmark 8, Feb. 24

Vicente Luque (22-9-1) vs. Joaquin Buckley (17-6); UFC Atlantic City, March 30

FINAL THOUGHTS

Donn Davis and the PFL are undefeated in comparisons. Especially with heavyweights.

Happy Friday, everyone. Have a good weekend! See you Monday. Thanks for reading!

EXIT POLL

If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @DrakeRiggs_ on Twitter and let him know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Instagram and like us on Facebook.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Nate Diaz used a homophonic slur to describe ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci.

Recently, the former UFC star spent some time sparring and training alongside controversial Rumble streamer Sneako. Their pairing came only a few short days removed from a viral sparring session that saw Sneako take an absolute beating from former middleweight titleholder Sean Strickland ahead of Super Bowl weekend.

Before mixing it up with Strickland and Diaz, Sneako drew the ire of Musumeci after the influencer suggested that “jiu-jitsu is for autistic people” and added that the five-time IBJJF world champion “shouldn’t be winning,” referring to Musumeci’s unassuming appearance.

Musumeci was quick to come to the defense of his sport, offering to face Sneako in an MMA fight.

Speaking of the situation while training with Sneako, Nate Diaz delivered his scathing take on Musumeci’s challenge and referred to the ONE Championship fighter in a most unsavory way.

That other little b*tch jiu-jitsu guy,” Diaz said. “F*ck that little f*ggot. I kind of forgot about him when I saw that, but I didn’t even give him no attention. F*ck that little b*tch.

Mikey Musumeci Responds to Nate Diaz’s Vile Comments

Getting wind of Diaz’s comments, Mikey Musumeci delivered a dignified response to the ‘Stockton Samurai,’ suggesting that they step on the mats for a friendly contest between two accomplished BJJ black belts.

“Wow, so I just learned from my video that Nate Diaz called me out, and in no way am I calling him out right now, this is just me responding to that video,” Musumeci said in a video posted on his Instagram. “The first thing I’ll say is I’ve always been a huge fan of watching Nick and Nate Diaz in MMA, they’re absolute legends. Amazing grappling, amazing striking, and they’re about that life.

“Obviously, I can’t fight Nate in an MMA fight. He would kill me, but I would absolutely accept a grappling match with him since we’re both black belts in jiu-jitsu. It would be an absolute honor to have the opportunity to face such a legend like Nate. A once in a lifetime opportunity, right? I don’t care about weight class or anything, I would be a hundred percent down to grapple with him” (h/t Sportskeeda).

LowKickMMA.com

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

UFC 300 is expected to deliver a loaded lineup for the promotion’s historic April event.

Following one of the most chaotic years in recent memory, the UFC will bring UFC 300 to its home base of Las Vegas on April 13. UFC CEO Dana White has promised one of the most stacked, and perhaps, unpredictable lineups in company history.

With four title fights already on the books for the first quarter of the year, including Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis for the middleweight title, and Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Raquel Pennington for the vacant women’s bantamweight title at UFC 297, Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria for the featherweight title at UFC 298, and Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera for the bantamweight title at UFC 299, there’s a number of directions the UFC could go in terms of booking potential blockbuster fights.

Will UFC 300 mark the long awaited return of the sport’s biggest star in Conor McGregor? Time will tell as the countdown to UFC 300 is officially on.

For now, keep this page bookmarked: We’ll have a rundown of every fight announced, rumors, athletes raising their hands and calling their shots, and more.

Current UFC 300 fight card:

Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan

Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway — BMF title fight

Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan

Kayla Harrison vs. Holly Holm

Aljamain Sterling vs. Calvin Kattar

Jiri Prochazka vs. Aleksandar Rakic

Cody Garbrandt vs. Deiveson Figueiredo

Jim Miller vs. Bobby Green

Bo Nickal vs. Cody Brundage

Sodiq Yusuff vs. Diego Lopes

Jessica Andrade vs. Marina Rodriguez

Feb. 15: Place your wager on UFC 300 headliner

Degenerate gamblers everywhere, rejoice. You can now place a wager on who will headline UFC 300.

Bovada on Thursday released one set of odds on who will win the main event sweepstakes for the April 13 pay-per-view card, and the wager is on Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad.

The welterweight title fight has been mentioned several times in connection with UFC 300, but the promotion has not confirmed whether it will land on the card, much less headline the blockbuster event.

Perhaps aware of the sentiment around the fight’s headliner-worthiness, Bovada set the fight as an underdog to top the fight card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with +165 odds for yes and -220 odds for no.

Feb. 14: Alexander Volkanovski to the rescue?

Alexander Volkanovski throws his hat into the ring.

With UFC 300 still lacking a main event, on Wednesday, at UFC 298 Media Day, the featherweight champion offered to step in and save the day just like he did at UFC 294 when he came in on short notice to rematch Islam Makhachev.

“I think they’re struggling still — maybe, it seems like they could be, I don’t know, wherever they are — with UFC 300. I know a guy!” Volkanovski said. “There’s plenty of time. Just so you know that. Just in case there’s anything happening. Dana, Hunter, you know a guy. I’m going to go do business, ruin someone’s party — or a few people’s party — and then I can come save the day, like I always do.”

Volkanovski faces Ilia Topuria in the main event of UFC 298 this Saturday.

Feb. 13: Main event reveal at UFC 298?

The winner of the UFC 300 main event sweepstakes could be announced on Saturday, according to UFC CEO Dana White.

White told longtime MMA columnist Kevin Iole that the headliner of the April 13 pay-per-view could “probably” be announced at the post-fight presser for UFC 298 on Saturday at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

“Maybe I’ll announce it this weekend at the press conference,” White told Iole.

Fans, media and fighters have anxiously awaited the main event announcement for UFC 300. Many fumed when White didn’t announce the fight during the Super Bowl and speculated that a filming obligation he said would take him away from the game in the first quarter was linked to the headliner.

UFC heavyweight champ Jon Jones recently told Submission Radio he was offered the main event but turned it down because he wanted more time to recover from a pec injury that took him out of a title defense against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295.

Feb. 12: Four fluid options for main event

The main event has not been announced, and according to Ariel Helwani, things “couldn’t be more fluid” for what could close the show for UFC 300. Still, some options are being discussed.

On Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, Helwani discussed what he’s been hearing about what may take the coveted main event spot. He reiterated multiple times that the options do not constitute an official report.

Two of the options have already been at play at certain points for the card — Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya, and Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad. But the latter is believed to be the last resort in terms of what the promotion would like to put together, Helwani said.

The other options on the table include Khamzat Chimaev potentially challenging for either the welterweight title against Edwards or the middleweight title against du Plessis.

Again, to make it crystal clear, Helwani said nothing is done, nothing is agreed to, or in the works, or targeted at the moment. But it appears as if all four of those fights could be on the table.

UPDATE: Khamzat Chimaev looks forward to fighting again soon, but it doesn’t appear he’ll be returning at UFC 300.

The undefeated Chechen addressed his future when speaking to MMA Uncensored on Monday. It turns out bad timing will likely prevent his involvement with UFC 300 from happening, as Chimaev observes Ramadan, which starts on March 10 and ends on April 9. Ramadan requires fasting, including no food or water whatsoever, during daytime hours.

With UFC 300 taking place just four days after Ramadan ends, Chimaev says he’s just not interested in that particular date.

“I will fight everybody,” Chimaev said. “Leon [Edwards], [Dricus] du Plessis, anyone, but not [during] Ramadan. I think Ramadan [is during] UFC 300. Not fighting in Ramadan anymore.”

Feb. 11: Conor McGregor changes course again

A new day and a different Conor McGregor tweet.

After putting out on social media that the Super Bowl would feature some sort of UFC 300 announcement just 24 hours prior, McGregor said his return date would be this upcoming summer instead of April 13 for the milestone event. McGregor has repeatedly targeted June 29 for International Fight Week for his next trip to the Octagon, but Dana White said the star’s return would likely be “in the fall.”

Feb. 10: Conor McGregor planting more seeds for Super Bowl Sunday announcement?

With the UFC 300 main event spot currently remains empty and unknown, Conor McGregor is certainly doing his part to keep people guessing.

McGregor, who announced on New Year’s Eve that his expected fight with Michael Chandler would take place June 29 during International Fight Week, took a moment on Saturday to tease that an announcement about the headliner for the highly anticipated April event could come as early as this Sunday at the Super Bowl. McGregor’s hint came on his Instagram stories with a video of Dana White announcing the sport’s biggest star during one of the press conferences ahead of his boxing match with Floyd Mayweather.

Earlier this week, White told Pat McAfee that there’s no date locked down for McGregor’s return to the octagon against Chandler, and that it hopefully happens “in the fall.”

Feb. 10: Dana White teases two more fights still to be announced

The UFC 300 card is nearly finalized, but the most important fight hasn’t been announced as the main event remains a mystery.

UFC CEO Dana White promised that his team is hard at work getting that fight booked, along with one other marquee matchup that he hopes to finalize as soon as possible.

“Who knows who’s going to be the UFC 300 headliner,” White said after Friday’s Power Slap event in Las Vegas. “We’ve been working on it. It’s been interesting, I can tell you that. Because obviously we want to deliver. I keep saying this [Deiveson] Figueiredo vs. Cody Garbrandt is literally the first fight of the night. So if you look at the card where it sits today, every single fight could be a main event on a Fight Night or a pay-per-view.

“We’ve got two more fights that we’ve got to put together. We’re working on it.”

White admits that booking the main event hasn’t been easy, and if the fight was already done, he wouldn’t be keeping it a secret. As it stands, White can’t announce anything because a deal hasn’t been struck for the headliner, but he hopes to get that done soon.

“I’d announce it now if we had it,” White said. “We’ve gone through a lot of crazy s*** trying to put this fight together. It’s been interesting. No date [to announce it]. ASAP is the date.”

Feb. 8: Dana White announces event’s opening bout

UFC CEO Dana White is still trying to put together the main event for UFC 300, but he announced what fight will kick off the massive April pay-per-view card, and it’s a battle between former UFC champs.

While doing a slew of interviews on Radio Row during Super Bowl week, White revealed that the bantamweight bout between Deiveson Figueiredo and Cody Garbrandt will start the show at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“Every fight on the card could be either the main event of a Fight Night or a pay-per-view,” White told the Las Vegas Review Journal on Wednesday. “We are opening the card… the first prelim of the night is Garbrandt vs. Figueiredo, what does that tell you?”

Figueiredo, the former flyweight titleholder, makes his second bantamweight appearance. In his first bout since moving up to 135, Figueiredo delivered a fantastic performance in a unanimous decision victory over Rob Font.

After losing five of six, Garbrandt has won two straight, including a first-round knockout victory against Brian Kelleher at UFC 296 in December. A win will likely put the former bantamweight champion back in the top-10 of the division.

Feb. 1: Israel Adesanya teases return at UFC 300 with social media post

Whether or not Israel Adesanya is going to fight at UFC 300 or not, he has certainly caused a bit of a stir on social media.

The former two-time UFC middleweight champion posted to his Instagram story a graphic with a poster from the movie “300,” saying simply, “The gods must be crazy.”

Check out an image of the post below.

After Dricus du Plessis captured the middleweight title at UFC 297 with a split decision win over Sean Strickland, speculation has been running rampant that the long-awaited du Plessis vs. Adesanya matchup was right there to headline UFC 300. As of now, no main event has been announced for the card, but UFC CEO Dana White has been teasing a “crazy” announcement for the past week.

Jan. 30: Dana White poses in front of UFC 300 matchmaker board

As of Jan. 29, there is no UFC 300 main event. But the event’s bout order appears to be shaping up.

During a video shot by UFC influencer Nina Drama, UFC CEO Dana White posed in front of the matchmaking board for the April 13 pay-per-view event – and it’s still TBD vs. TBD at the top of the card.

According to the bout order posted, it appears Kayla Harrison’s bantamweight UFC debut will headline the event’s preliminary card. The main card is as follows:

TBD vs. TBD

Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan

Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway — BMF title fight

Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan

Jiri Prochazka vs. Aleksandar Rakic

Drama turned the mystery into a social media play, with White reportedly promising to get dosed by Crisco vegetable oil if the post got 10,000 comments and he didn’t announce the main event this week.

Jan. 29: Georges St-Pierre shoots down rumors

Strike another legend off the potential list of surprises that could take place at UFC 300.

Former welterweight champion and all-time pound-for-pound great Georges St-Pierre addressed rumors of a comeback at a recent Q&A Thailand, shutting down the possibility of making a return to the octagon on April 13. Or ever.

“It’s a rumor, I’ve never been offered for a fight,” St-Pierre said (h/t Bloody Elbow). “I’ve made that clear that I have no desire of coming back to fight in mixed martial arts.”

It’s unclear where the chatter came from that “GSP” would consider competing for the UFC after retiring in 2017, but St-Pierre flatly denied the rumor, noting that he’s focusing now on the occasional grappling match. St-Pierre was supposed to hit the mats with old rival Nick Diaz at a UFC Fight Pass Invitational event this past December, but was forced to withdraw due to injury.

Suffice to say, the door is firmly closed on ever seeing a GSP MMA fight again.

“I’m 42 years old,” St-Pierre said. “I’m not the same person I used to be when I was competing. There was a time I had an incredible drive, I wanted to become champion. Nothing in the world could stop me. Like mentally, I was unstoppable. I had a crazy, crazy drive. If a door was closed, I was going to open another door. If two doors were closed, I was going to get in by force. I was ready to do almost anything to achieve my goal, but I’m not that person anymore.

“That hunger is gone. When that hunger is gone, I think it’s a sign that you need to retire. Unfortunately a lot of fighters, they don’t follow that sign and they retire too late. I didn’t—I never wanted to be one of those guys.”

Jan. 28: Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler are at it again

Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler are set for a summertime showdown… right?

Fans may be glued to social media for the next little while as McGregor tweeted his interest in UFC 300, with Chandler answering the call shortly after.

There’s no way to tell what McGregor and the UFC actually have planned as the former two-division champion recently announced himself that he would be fighting Chandler in a middleweight bout on June 29 (the UFC is yet to announce anything officially for McGregor).

Chandler is locked into the matchup, but could McGregor shock the world with a surprise fight at UFC 300 against someone else entirely?

Jan. 26: Dana White promises jaw-dropping main event announcement

Dana White has promised fans that UFC 300 will be as loaded as it can possibly be, and while fans seem to believe the main event could see the rivalry between new champ Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya be settled, perhaps things could trend in a different direction.

Earlier this week on an Instagram live, White said that when it’s announced, fans won’t be ready for it.

“You guys can’t handle the main event,” White said. “We’re working on a couple of different options. Trust me, the UFC 300 main event is going to be crazy.”

Jan. 26: Strawweights take center stage

Another fight has been added to the April 13 lineup as the promotion revealed that former champion Jessica Andrade will remain at strawweight to face Marina Rodriguez.

After both women put vicious beatings on their most recent opponents, both Andrade and Rodriguez will look to get back into title contention in one of the most consistent divisions in the sport.

Jan. 24: Big moves

In a stunning announcement, two-time Olympic champion and two-time PFL champion Kayla Harrison has jumped ship from PFL to face Holly Holm at UFC 300. Harrison, 33, is expected to make her bantamweight debut after fighting her entire MMA career at lightweight and featherweight. Holm, 42, is a former UFC bantamweight champion.

Also joining the card is a battle between featherweight veteran Sodiq Yusuff and MMA Fighting’s 2023 Rookie of the Year Diego Lopes.

Jan. 16: BMF title back up for grabs

In a surprise move, UFC CEO Dana White announced Tuesday that Justin Gaethje is set to defend his BMF title against Max Holloway in a lightweight matchup at UFC 300.

White also announced that Jim Miller will get his wish following his third-round submission of Gabriel Benitez at UFC Vegas 84. The current record-holder for the most bouts and wins in UFC history, Miller faces fellow longtime veteran Bobby Veteran in a lightweight bout on the card, per White. Miller is shooting to become the only fighter to compete at UFC 100, UFC 200, and UFC 300.

Jan. 12: Cody Garbrandt gets his wish

UFC CEO Dana White announced Friday a long-awaited matchup between former champions Cody Garbrandt and Deiveson Figueiredo is the latest addition to UFC 300.

Garbrandt called for a matchup against Figueiredo following his latest knockout win over Brian Kelleher at UFC 296. The two former champions were previously booked to meet in August 2020 with Garbrandt moving down in weight and challenging for Figueiredo’s then-held flyweight title, however Garbrandt was forced to pull out of the contest due to illness.

Now they’ll get a chance to settle their business on one of the biggest cards of the year.

Jan. 13: Jim Miller calls out Paul Felder and Matt Brown following UFC Vegas 84 win

Jim Miller has been linked to UFC 300 for years, and there was another hurdle he needed to leap over, and that was his UFC Vegas 84 bout with Gabriel Benitez. Miller extended his UFC win record with a third-round submission victory, and then turned his attention to the April pay-per-view event.

Following the win, “A-10” showed interest in fighting Paul Felder, who was doing commentary for the event, as well as Matt Brown for a potential shootout on the historic card — along with a hilarious callout of Brock Lesnar.

Miller has to be on the card, and at the end of the day, the opponent doesn’t really matter, but either Felder or Brown would be excellent opponents for the veteran lightweight that competed at both UFC 100 and UFC 200.

Jan. 11: Nate Diaz wants to headline UFC 300 after missing out on UFC 200

Nate Diaz might be interested in coming home again.

After he was originally scheduled to headline UFC 200 against Conor McGregor back in 2016, Diaz now likes the idea of returning to his old stomping grounds to potentially serve as the UFC 300 main event instead.

Diaz took to Twitter on Thursday to tease the possible reunion after hitting free agency following his last fight in the octagon — a win over Tony Ferguson in 2022.

“I was supposed to headline UFC 200,” Diaz wrote. “Headline UFC 300 would be better.”

The original plan for UFC 200 was to set with McGregor and Diaz squaring off in a rematch but the bout was ultimately delayed until UFC 202 two months later.

Diaz remains on good terms with the promotion with UFC CEO Dana White often saying that he would welcome the Stockton, Calif. native back if he ever wanted to return. As UFC 300 continues to wait on a headliner, Diaz has at least made an offer that his former bosses might have to consider.

Jan. 9: Alex Pereira says he’s ‘back,’ but will it be at UFC 300?

Light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has been attached to this card already with his math equation that led to remarkable speculation.

Pereira posted to Instagram on Tuesday a photo of himself with the championship wrapped around his waist with a caption of “DE VOLTA,” which translated says “BACK.”

While an announcement hasn’t been made in regards to Pereira’s timeline, UFC 300 is currently without a main event, and with Pereira ending 2023 which incredible momentum, the UFC could certainly put “Poatan” in a spot to capitalize on it.

Jan. 7: Dana White announces Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan for UFC 300, confirms Dustin Poirier will be at UFC 299

One former lightweight titleholder has been booked for UFC 300, while another is now set to compete a month earlier.

UFC CEO Dana White officially announced that Charles Oliveira is set to fight Arman Tsarukyan in a bout that is expected to determine the next challenger for lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. In his announcement, White said that he expects Makhachev to return to competition sometime this summer.

White also confirmed that former interim champion Dustin Poirier will not be competing at UFC 300. Poirier had previously shot down the possibility of a fight with Nate Diaz at UFC 300, and he instead fights fast-rising contender Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299 on March 9. The bout is set for five rounds and is scheduled to be the co-main event, with bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley defending his title against rival Marlon “Chito” Vera in the headliner.

Jan. 4: Dana White says more matchups to be announced soon

During an IG live on Wednesday, UFC CEO Dana White was asked about what else could be on the UFC 300 card.

White, who has been traveling, said that he returns to Las Vegas in the next few days, and that he will be announcing more matchups “on Tuesday.” White didn’t say anything about whether or not the main event, or any of the top-of-the-bill bouts would be announced, but it appears as if the current three-fight slate will be expanding.

Jan. 3: Dustin Poirier rules out Nate Diaz rematch

If Dustin Poirier competes at UFC 300, it won’t be against Conor McGregor or Nate Diaz.

Poirier ruled out a clash with Diaz overnight with “it ain’t happening.” Poirier has been linked to a showdown with Diaz for years now, but for whatever reason, the two fighters have never met in the Octagon.

Dec. 31: Conor McGregor could be out for UFC 300

Conor McGregor, arguably the UFC’s most popular star, likely won’t compete at the massive event. The former two-division UFC champion has plans to finally fight Michael Chandler during International Fight Week on June 29.

The UFC has yet to announce the fight.

Dec. 31: Leon Edwards puts belt on line at UFC 300

Leon Edwards believes he will compete at UFC 300. The UFC welterweight champion made the announcement during a soccer match and thinks he will return for a summer event in Birmingham, England, as well.

Dec. 23: Nate Diaz comeback?

Nate Diaz’s UFC days might not be done.

In a brief social media post, Diaz teased having interest in returning to the promotion he called home for 15 years, writing, “UFC 300 would be tight but there’s nobody to fight.”

Diaz parted ways with the UFC following a win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 in September 2022, with the bout marking the expiration of his contract. The split appeared to be an amicable one, despite Diaz occasionally having a contentious relationship with the promotion and UFC CEO Dana White, and the octagon doors have remained open for a Diaz return.

Since parting ways with the UFC, Diaz was able to book a lucrative boxing match against Jake Paul, who defeated Diaz by unanimous decision this past August.

It’s too early to say for sure if Diaz has genuine interest in fighting at UFC 300, but a pair of lightweight contenders have already volunteered their services should he come back. Dustin Poirier not-so-subtly called Diaz out to potentially put the bow on a matchup that was once set to be resolved at UFC 230 before Poirier withdrew due to an injury, and Michael Chandler also mentioned Diaz as an option as he continues his interminable wait for a fight with Conor McGregor.

Dec. 23: Izzy vs. Khamzat?

Israel Adesanya could fight before 2027 after all. The former UFC middleweight king might also have a dance partner in the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev.

Chimaev, who recently defeated Kamaru Usman at UFC 294, put his hat into the ring for Adesanya with a pair of Instagram slides on Saturday.

Dec. 23: Tom Aspinall fans the flames

With Jon Jones on the shelf for the near future, Tom Aspinall doesn’t want to wait until the end of 2024 for his return to the Octagon. He responded to UFC light heavyweight Alex Pereira’s recent math equation with his own graphic on his IG story.

Dec. 21: Dana White announces first three fights for UFC 300

On Thursday night, UFC CEO Dana White announced the event’s first three fights. Although he didn’t announce the main event, White did reveal that former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling will officially make the move up to featherweight to face the dangerous Calvin Kattar.

Additionally, former light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka will return for the second time in five months following recovery from a shoulder injury and will face Aleksandar Rakic, and super prospect Bo Nickal will make his third octagon appearance against Cody Brundage. White also said he plans to announce more bouts for the card after the new year.

Dec. 21: Alex Pereira’s combat algebra problem, and a possible heavyweight move?

Alex Pereira has already broken the sport (and the way rankings are done) forever. Pereira began 2023 on the receiving end of the probable Knockout of the Year when he lost the middleweight title to Israel Adesanya at UFC 287 in April, only to move up to 205 pounds, beat a former champion, and then capture the vacant title by knocking out Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295. In just seven UFC fights — and 11 pro MMA bouts total — Pereira is a two-division UFC champion. But is that enough?

On Thursday, Pereira went to his Instagram stories and posted a math problem with a thinking emoji that read 30 + 300 = 3. I’m certainly no math expert, but I do know that the answer doesn’t fit in the equation — so what is Pereira trying to say?

Many people believe that Pereira is teasing a move to heavyweight: Gain 30 pounds, fight at UFC 300, win a third divisional title. If that’s what he means, would he fight heavyweight Jon Jones or 30-year-old (!) interim champ Tom Aspinall? Considering what the UFC has been telling us, and just using logic, this doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense. But maybe that’s the beauty of it — a swerve, if you will — to throw people off for this mega card.

Another way you can look at the problem is that Pereira has 30 knockouts in his combat sports career, wants to fight at UFC 300, and maybe the “3” means an MMA trilogy fight with Adesanya. Whatever Pereira is trying to say, it may soon be revealed.

Dec. 17: Dustin Poirier calls out Nate Diaz for UFC 300?

The day after the UFC’s final pay-per-view of the year, Poirier continued to tease competing at UFC 300, before throwing out a name on social media — his longtime rival Nate Diaz.

Diaz fought out his UFC contract at UFC 279 in September, where he stopped Tony Ferguson in the main event. Since then, the superstar fighter lost a unanimous decision to Jake Paul in a boxing match in August, and has yet to reveal his next move.

Personally speaking, and with so many factors in play, I doubt Diaz returns for UFC 300, and based on the lay of the land, I’m quite confident Diaz will fight in the first half of 2024 but it won’t be in the UFC. The most notable factor is that Diaz is not on the roster, or a part of the organization in any way. Diaz is a star, and he can make a ton of money competing outside of the octagon, scratching any and all itches in combat sports. While I’ll never say never, given the current lay of the land, I would be shocked if it happens.

Poirier certainly will have other options, including surging contender Arman Tsarukyan, who is fresh off of a 64-second knockout of Beneil Dariush at UFC Austin.

Nov. 7: Dustin Poirier eyes return at UFC 300

In an interview with MMA Fighting, Poirier said that he’s hoping for a fight that excites him, which would include the opportunity to fight at UFC 300.

“My current mindset, I’d fight in six weeks, I’d fight in eight weeks if the fight made sense and I was excited about it,” Poirier told MMA Fighting. “But other than that, I think a chance to fight on UFC 300 is a big deal.

“I’ve been in the UFC since UFC 125 and I missed 200. Know I’m not gonna be around for 400, so it’s kind of a cool opportunity if it comes together, but I honestly have no clue of my my return date or time frame, but UFC 300 is enticing.”

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanvoski has a tough test in his upcoming UFC 298 title defense against unbeaten Ilia Topuria.  

Volkanovski (26-3) is coming off a knockout loss to lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in his last outing.  He accepted the fight on 11-days notice and went up a division to challenge for the 155-pound championship.  

Topuria (14-0) is confident headlining into the title bout.  He’s predicted a first-round finish and said things like Volkanovksi ‘doesn’t have a chance.’  

“Good on him in the sense that you have to be confident.  You have to back yourself.  The only thing is, we’ll see how confident he is.  I plan on doing what I do in February.  You might see a bit of change change in his tone after that,” Volkanovski told ESPN.  

“He hasn’t had somebody to do that to him yet.  That’s why I believe he’ll get taught a lesson, maybe a bit of humbling.  Maybe he’s a good kid but he’s definitely confident.  Cocky I would say.  Some people may say it’s a little bit delusional.  I’ve said that myself, but again sometimes you need to be delusional.”  

“It definitely can be a positive to be that confident, but at the same time if he’s just used to being the hammer he’s going to crumble.  And you could see him crumble pretty easily in February and that’s what I plan on doing,” continued Volkanovski.  

“I plan on showing him that I am the king of this division and have been for a long time and that’s for a good reason.  I plan on reminding everyone of that on February 17th.  

Related: Jake Paul proposes $ 1 million bet, Sean Strickland responds with death threat

Topuria is coming off a one-sided unanimous decision win over Josh Emmett in his last fight.  Prior to that, he submitted Bryce Mitchell.  Volkanovski doesn’t think Topuria’s resume justifies the confidence.  

“He’s fought some alright competition but the resume doesn’t back his confidence,” Volkanovski said.  “If he starts getting more Top 5s or champions that list, alright.  Now there’s some credibility behind your cockiness, or whatever it is.  But he hasn’t proved that yet.  Look, he can try and prove it on February.  I don’t think he’ll be proving his point.  I think I’ll prove mine and he’ll be humbled and you won’t hear him talk like that after that anyway.”  

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