Undefeated featherweight contender Ilia Topuria (14-0) headlines the UFC 298 pay-per-view against champion Alexander Volkanovski on Feb. 17. “El Matador” is confident heading into the title bout and has ‘no doubt’ that he’s going to put Volkanovski’s ‘lights out.’
Topuria is ranked third in the weight class and has six consecutive wins inside the octagon. He’s coming off a one-sided decision win over Josh Emmett in his last outing and submitted Bryce Mitchell in the previous bout.
“He’s very good and he brings always a different strategy with every opponent which makes the difference. But he’s going to face someone really, really smart and tough on Feb. 17th,” Topuria told The Schmo.
Volkanovski went up a weight class on 11 days notice to rematch lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in his last fight. The two first fought at UFC 284 in Feb. 2023 with Makhachev defeating the featherweight titleholder by unanimous decision. In the rematch at UFC 294, Makhachev knocked out Volkanovski in the first round. Topuria believes he’ll do the same.
“Of course I’m going to put his lights out,” Topuria said. “Without any doubt, I’m going to put him to sleep. He’s always like, ‘there are levels. Blah, blah, blah.’ Of course there are levels. There is me, so I’m going to show him levels. I’m going to him the new generation of mixed martial arts.”
“I’m going to dominate him everywhere. In the striking, in the wrestling, in the ground, every-f**king-where I’m going to beat him,” Topuria continued.
Dricus du Plessis may not headline UFC 300 after all.
The reigning UFC middleweight champion said this week that a date for his first title defense remains undetermined as he continues to deal with bumps and bruises suffered in his split decision victory over Sean Strickland this past January at UFC 297.
“I have no idea [when it’ll be],” Du Plessis told South African radio station Jacaranda FM. “For me, right now, we are still busy with some scans and seeing what we can do in terms of after the fight, some injuries, can we fight soon, is that a possibility and all that. So that’ll be great [to get that done], that’ll be great, but we have to make sure that the longevity of my career is also taken into consideration. We’ve had a very active last year, year and a half. And that’s what I said, we rushed to get to this belt, we had to take every opportunity given to us. Right now, we need to be smart and defend this belt when it suits us.”
Du Plessis, 30, is a perfect 7-0 in his UFC career since debuting with the promotion in 2020. His road to the title included a monster knockout of former champion Robert Whittaker, as well as stoppage wins over Derek Brunson and Darren Till. With his victory over Strickland, du Plessis became the first champion of South African descent in UFC history.
That final point is one of immense pride for du Plessis. “Stillknocks” received a raucous welcome home to South Africa following his title triumph, and he remains dedicated to his goal of being the person to bring a UFC event to Africa. To that, du Plessis told Jacaranda FM that UFC Africa is “100 percent” his primary focus now rather than headlining UFC 300.
“I think UFC 300 is obviously going to be a milestone event,” du Plessis said. “I think it’s going to be great. Every time you have the UFC 100, UFC 200, and now 300, all of are massive events and the pay-per-views are insane, it’s a massive hype, and I would love to be part of that, but not if it’s going to mean that I’m not going to be fully recovered. Defending my title is much more important to me than being on this milestone event.
“The real milestone event will be UFC in Africa, and more importantly, South Africa. I can’t even explain to you how long I’ll be willing to wait to make that happen and defend my belt on home soil. That’s history. UFC 300 is just a number. It’s not as massive as UFC Africa.”
UFC 300 is slated for April 13 in Las Vegas. The event remains without a headlining bout.
Du Plessis said his preferred opponent for his first title defense whenever he fights again is still Israel Adesanya, and he still believes “that’s probably going to be the next fight.” However, he also opened the door for a rematch against Strickland if the demand is there.
“I wouldn’t mind, if that’s what the UFC wants,” du Plessis said. “I always say, as a champion, you want to give the people the fight they want to see. For me, that’s the important thing. I want to be champion of the world so I don’t want to pick any fights because there’s going to be an easier fight. If you want to be the best in the world, you have to fight whoever is the next toughest guy in the division. So if the UFC decides they want to do Strickland two, I’m completely happy with that. If the fans say, no, that’s the fight they want, let’s do it. I honestly think the second fight will be a lot easier than the first one.”
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Conor McGregor is not fighting at UFC 300.
He’s also going to miss the June return he announced on social media, though “Notorious” is expected to remain booked against The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 31 coach Michael Chandler. That’s according to UFC CEO Dana White, who is hoping to lock down an exact date and location later this year.
“Eventually, yeah, this year,” White recently told Pat McAfee. “There is no date. I’m hoping for the fall — we get it done in the fall. When are you playing blackjack with me?”
Today’s update will no doubt come as disappointing news to those fans hoping to see McGregor atop the UFC 300 pay-per-view (PPV) card, which also lost this big middleweight title fight. In fact, the April 13 lineup in Las Vegas — which is certainly nothing to sneeze at — is looking less “insane” by the minute.
Hopefully White and Co. still have a “rabbit” to yank from their collective hats.
I am new to MMA, so I don't really get it. Everyone's saying the same thing. I am watching DDP vs Whittaker from UFC 297 on Youtube. The commentator is saying his movements are weird so he's hard to figure out. People on this sub say the same. What is it? What does he do different than other fighters?
Conor McGregor’s lon- awaited return to the UFC will have to wait a little longer.
Despite McGregor announcing plans to face Michael Chandler on June 29 at the annual International Fight Week card in Las Vegas, UFC CEO Dana White revealed that no date has actually been set for the highly anticipated matchup. In fact, White says he’s now targeting late 2024 for the matchup after McGregor and Chandler first clashed as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter in early 2023.
“Eventually,” White told The Pat McAfee Show when asked about McGregor vs. Chandler. “Hopefully this year. There is no date. I’m hoping for the fall. [Hopefully] we get it done in the fall.”
This is the latest delay to the fight that was initially expected sometime this past year after McGregor was announced as a coach on the reality show, which aired during summer 2023. At the time, McGregor hadn’t returned to the UFC’s anti-doping program after he suffered a devastating broken leg in his last outing against Dustin Poirier in 2021.
McGregor finally returned to the anti-doping program this past October but he’s required to undergo six months of testing before returning to the octagon.
That timeline cleared the way for a potential return at UFC 300 in April but McGregor threw cold water on that idea after announcing that he would face Chandler on June 29.
Now it seems that date is no longer in play either.
As for Chandler, he’s remained steadfast that he will wait for McGregor because that’s the fight he’s been promised ever since he coached the reality show opposite the former two-division UFC champion.
“I’m not going to lie to you and say there weren’t moments of frustration,” Chandler told MMA Fighting in January. “Moments of, ‘Screw it, fight somebody else!’ That’s what everybody was saying I should do for months now.
“But I signed my name to this contract, made this commitment. I want to fight Conor. He wants to fight me. It’s just not on everybody’s timeline.”
Chandler last fought at UFC 281 in November 2022, which means he’ll likely end up spending nearly two years out of action before clashing with McGregor — and that’s assuming a date gets made in the fall.
For now, the McGregor vs. Chandler booking saga continues with no end in sight.
Paul Butlin, a British former boxing standout who competed against the likes of Anthony Joshua and Derek Chisora, is going viral after engaging in a heated confrontation while working as a bailiff.
In a video clip shared by Michael Benson of talkSport, the angry cameraman rages at Butlin for doing his job by delivering a letter to him regarding an outstanding fine that he refuses to pay. Unaware of who he is talking to, the man threatens to “punch the f*ck” out of Butlin and tells him “I’ll absolutely f*cking annihilate you.”
Butlin remained calm for the majority of the clip and even replied to the repeated verbal threats saying, “I’m not here to fight you, I’m not a fighter mate.”
Former heavyweight boxer Paul Butlin (who fought Anthony Joshua) is now working as a bailiff and has gone viral in this heated confrontation… pic.twitter.com/pDrfhpwwsj
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) February 7, 2024
The clip has amassed more than a million views on YouTube and has since been re-uploaded on TikTok where it has been viewed thousands more times.
Paul Butlin Sustained ‘One of the worst cuts’ Eddie Hearn has ever seen against Anthony Joshua
When Paul Butlin fought Anthony Joshua in 2013, it was only the second pro fight of Joshua’s career. Still, it only took Joshua 50 seconds into round two to finish the fight, leaving Butlin with one of the worst cuts British boxing promoter Eddie Hearn had ever seen from a punch.
Butlin also went the distance with Derek Chisora on two separate occasions. Chisora came out on top in both bouts but was later fined and suspended following their second meeting in 2009 after instant replay revealed that he had bit Butlin on the ear during a clinch in the fifth round.
Butlin retired from the sport in 2016 after going 14-24 with three wins by way of knockout. Two years before his retirement, he defeated Shane McPhilbin via disqualification to win the vacant Midlands Area heavyweight title.
A middleweight clash between former champion Robert Whittaker and sixth-ranked Paulo Costa serves as the UFC 298 co-main event on Feb. 17 in Anaheim, California. The matchup has monumental implications in the division, but former two-division champion Henry Cejudo questioned whether the fight will actually happen.
Costa has pulled out of five fights in the last four years. He last fought at UFC 278 in August 2022 defeating former titleholder Luke Rockhold.
“I’m still surprised Paulo is (ranked) number six. I mean, this dude fights once every two years,” Cejudo said on his YouTube channel.
Costa has had a long history of pulling out of fights. He was scheduled to face Uriah Hall at UFC Fight Night 128 in April 2018 but withdrew due to an arm injury. He was slated to take on Yoel Romero at UFC 230 in November 2028 but was removed from the fight card for undisclosed reasons.
He was suspended for six months in 2018 for for receiving prohibited intravenous injections after the weigh-ins for two fights.
In April 2021, Costa and matched up against Whittaker at UFC on ESPN 22 but backed out of the fight due to illness. In August 2021, he was slated to face Jared Cannonier at UFC on ESPN 28 but pulled out due to unknown reasons. He later claimed the bout agreement was never signed.
He was again matched up against Whittaker at UFC 284 but again said the bout agreement was never signed. A bout between Costa and Khamzat Chimaev was scheduled for UFC 294 but Costa withdrew due to injury.
Related: Alexander Volkanovski talks struggles with alcohol ahead of recent Islam Makhachev loss
On Feb. 17, he’s expected to finally face Whittaker in the UFC 298 co-main event. Whether he’ll show up is anyone’s guess.
“Sometimes you don’t know if he’s going to show up or not,” said Cejudo. “I don’t even know if he’s going to show up, honestly, at UFC 298. I really don’t.
“I’m surprised at the UFC. I thought we (Cejudo vs. Merab Dvalishvili), but I’m surprise they made them the co-main event because with Paul you just don’t know. Staph, something. Of course things always happen but it’s just too much.”
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