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Khamzat Chimaev is waiting for his second fight as an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight contender.

2024 kicked off with the 185-pound division occupying the spotlight at UFC 297 last month (Jan. 20, 2024). Now-former Middleweight champion, Sean Strickland, came up short in his first title defense against Dricus Du Plessis, who won via a split decision (watch highlights).

Originally, the undefeated 13-0 Chimaev looked like the most likely next challenger after he was promised his title shot with a win over former Welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman, at UFC 294 in October 2023. “Borz” still hopes to get his title shot next, but there are still some questions after his majority decision win over Usman. Former divisional champion, Michael Bisping, has a suggestion for the contender’s next match up.

“I would like to see him against a Jared Cannonier because if he can’t take him down and he can’t fix this problem with the cardio then he’s gonna have a real long-term problem going forward,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “Who knows, maybe there’s a reason why he was running out of gas, okay? Probably because he doesn’t pace himself.

“He goes forward straight away, wrestles,” he continued. “When you try to take someone down, that is the most cardio-taxing element of mixed martial arts. Trying to wrestle someone, trying to grab hold of another grown man and force them to the floor. Using technique, of course, but a lot of power goes into it. I can tell you from experience, that is absolutely exhausting. Especially when you have another world-class opponent who knows how to stop takedowns fighting against you.”

As always, Chimaev was as dominant as ever in the opening round against Usman, wrestling him and avoiding strikes for the whole frame. Chimaev visibly slowed down, he didn’t fully gas, but wasn’t the same by the end of the fight and Usman was able to rally and arguably win in some people’s minds.

Cannonier, on the other hand, will attempt to get back in the mix when he returns after he last defeated Marvin Vettori by unanimous decision in June 2023.

“Jared Cannonier, in my humble opinion, is the perfect opponent,” Bisping said. “There’s others out there. There’s Sean Strickland. They had a little moment in the gym as well. Take my money, love to see that one, but Khamzat-Jared Cannonier, that would be great.”

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Fights come together fast these days, and if you blink, you can easily miss them. In Fight Roundup, we bring you the latest reported matchups to keep you up to date with what’s on the horizon.

All bouts featured have been officially announced or confirmed with MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz, Mike Heck, and Damon Martin via sources with knowledge of the matchups.

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Cynthia Calvillo vs. Piera Rodriguez

Cynthia Calvillo has her back to the wall.

The UFC veteran looks to snap a five-fight losing streak when she takes on Piera Rodriguez (9-1) in a strawweight bout at an April 6 APEX event in Las Vegas. Eurosport was first to report the matchup.

It’s been a brutal stretch for Calvillo (9-6-1), who showed flashes of being a contender at both 125 and 115 pounds. However, since a unanimous decision main event win over Jessica Eye in June 2020, Calvillo has yet to see her hand raised. Her past two losses have both come via split decision, to Loopy Godinez and Nina Nunes.

Rodriguez also looks to bounce back after an impressive UFC start, which saw her earn decisions over Sam Hughes and Kay Hansen. In her most recent outing, she lost by second-round submission to Gillian Robertson.

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Drakkar Klose vs. Joaquim Silva

Lightweight veterans Drakkar Klose and Joaquim Silva square off at UFC 301 on May 4 in Rio de Janeiro. The bout was first announced by Silva’s management.

This will be UFC appearance No. 11 for both Klose (14-2-1) and Silva (13-4) and both are coming off of victories at this past December’s UFC Austin event. Klose scored an amazing slam knockout of Joe Solecki to improve his UFC record to 8-2, while Silva earned a unanimous decision over Clay Guida to stay above .500 in the promotion at 6-4.

Klose is currently on a three-fight win streak with six wins in his past seven fights and an impressive showing against Silva could earn him a high-ranked opponent in his next outing.

Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Ariane Lipski vs. Karine Silva

Ariane Lipski is on a roll.

The former KSW champion could make it four straight wins when she takes on Karine Silva (17-4) in a flyweight bout on April 27 at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. MMA Hoje was first to report the matchup.

After seeing mixed results in her start with the UFC, Lipski (17-8) has now won three straight fights and four of her past five. The “Queen of Violence” kept her hot streak going with a second-round submission of Casey O’Neill at UFC 296.

Silva has been on her own run of brilliance, with an eight-fight win streak that dates back to 2019. That stretch includes Silva’s first three UFC opponents, Maryna Moroz, Ketlen Souza, and Poliana Botelho, none of whom made it out of the first round against the dangerous Brazilian without tapping out.

Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images

Yazmin Jauregui vs. Sam Hughes

Yazmin Jauregui has herself a home date.

The native of Tijuana, Mexico, will have plenty of support in the crowd when she fights Sam Hughes (8-5) in a strawweight bout at UFC Mexico City on Feb. 24. ESPN Deportes was first to report the matchup.

Jauregui (10-1) suffered the first loss of her pro career at UFC 290 this past July, losing by TKO in just 20 seconds to Denise Gomes. Prior to that setback, the 24-year-old prospect had won her first two UFC fights and was previously a tournament champion with Combate Global.

Hughes defeated Jaqueline Amorim via unanimous decision in her most recent outing to pick up her third win in her past four fights. The always game “Sampage” has kept a busy schedule since making her UFC debut in December 2020 and UFC Mexico City will mark her eighth walk to the octagon.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Bryan Battle vs. Ange Loosa

Bryan Battle continues to be one to watch in 2024.

The Ultimate Fighter 29 middleweight winner seeks a third straight win when he fights Ange Loosa (10-3) in a welterweight bout at a UFC APEX event on March 16. Battle’s management was first to announce the bout.

This clash pits two up-and-coming 170-pound fighters against one another as Loosa is also riding a two-fight win streak. After dropping his UFC debut to Mounir Lazzez, Loosa bounced back with decision wins over Rhys McKee and A.J. Fletcher.

Battle (10-2) has hit some obstacles since moving down to welterweight, losing via unanimous decision to Rinat Fakhretdinov and missing weight for a bout with Gabe Green (Battle went on to knock Green out in 14 seconds). In his most recent outing, he submitted Fletcher in Round 2 to improve his UFC record to 5-1.

Also added to the March 16 card, Christian Rodriguez (10-1) moves up to the featherweight division to fight Isaac Dulgarian (6-0). The matchup was first reported by Eurosport.

Despite currently being on a three-fight win streak, Rodriguez struggled to hit the bantamweight mark, missing weight for his past two fights. He now returns to the 145-pound division to face the undefeated Dulgarian, who made a successful UFC debut this past August with a first-round TKO of Francis Marshall.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Davey Grant vs. Cody Gibson

Davey Grant could have another Fight Night bonus ahead of him.

Grant’s management announced that the British veteran is set to fight The Ultimate Fighter 31 runner-up Cody Gibson in a bantamweight bout at a UFC APEX event in Las Vegas on March 23.

No stranger to Fight Night bonuses, Grant (15-7) seeks his first since November 2021. Grant was previously on a hot streak having won four consecutive $ 50,000 bonuses at one point, but is in need of a win now after losing a split decision to Daniel Marcos last July. His UFC mark currently sits at 6-6.

Gibson (19-9) recently returned to the UFC after falling to Brad Katona in the TUF 31 finals. He and Katona were awarded with the Fight of the Night award for their spirited effort and now Gibson has a chance to earn his first UFC win in 10 years.

Photo by Louis Grasse/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

UFC Atlantic City

Three bouts have been added to the UFC’s upcoming return to Atlantic City, N.J., with veterans Julio Arce, Herbert Burns, and Chidi Njokuani in action.

Arce (18-6) makes his 10th UFC appearance and looks to improve on his 5-4 mark when he takes on Burns (11-4) in a featherweight bout (first reported by Eurosport) at the March 30 event. For Burns, he makes his return from injury in a loss to Bill Algeo and aims for his first win since a submission of Evan Dunham in June 2020.

Njokuani (22-10) also faces Rhys McKee (13-5-1) in a middleweight bout (first announced by Njokuani’s management).

Njokuani has lost three straight fights, most recently finding himself on the wrong end of a first-round TKO courtesy of Michal Oleksiejczuk. The former Bellator standout won his first two UFC fights after earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series before hitting his current skid.

McKee recently returned to the UFC this past September, when he lost a decision to Ange Loosa. “Skeletor” seeks his first UFC win in his second stint with the promotion after going 0-3 in his first three tries.

Also added to the Atlantic City card, Caolan Loughran (8-1) gets a second chance to make a first impression when he fights recent Contender Series signing Angel Pacheco (7-2). Loughran made waves ahead of his UFC debut with his lively fight week comments, but fell short on fight night against French veteran Taylor Lapilus.

Pacheco makes his UFC debut coming off of a loss on the Contender Series. Though the 32-year-old lost a unanimous decision to Danny Silva, both fighters were rewarded a contract after putting on a three-round thriller. MMA Junkie was first to report Loughran vs. Pacheco.

UFC 299

The UFC’s third pay-per-view of 2024 is just around the corner.

Heavyweight contenders Curtis Blaydes and Jailton Almeida headline the event, which features numerous ranked fighters in action including Gilbert Burns, Jack Della Maddalena, Kevin Holland, Katlyn Chookagian, Maycee Barber, Mateusz Gamrot, Rafael dos Anjos, Petr Yan, Song Yadong, and Pedro Munhoz.

Plus, former Bellator star Michael “Venom” Page and undefeated heavyweight knockout artist Robelis Despaigne make their UFC debuts.

Check out the updated lineup for the March 9 card, which takes place at Kaseya Center in Miami.

• Curtis Blaydes vs. Jailton Almeida
• Gilbert Burns vs. Jack Della Maddalena
• Kevin Holland vs. Michael Page
• Katlyn Chookagian vs. Maycee Barber
• Mateusz Gamrot vs. Rafael dos Anjos
• Petr Yan vs. Song Yadong
• Pedro Munhoz vs. Kyler Phillips
• Michel Pereira vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
• CJ Vergara vs. Assu Almabayev
• Robelis Despaigne vs. Josh Parisian

MMA Fighting – All Posts

First, Dustin Poirier was fighting at UFC 299. Then he wasn’t. Now he is. It’s been a busy Thursday afternoon for ‘The Diamond’ on social media.

Last month, Dana White announced that Poirier would square off with rising lightweight contender Benoit Saint-Denis on March 9 when the promotion returns to Miami one month before its massive landmark event in Las Vegas. Fight fans were genuinely amped up for the scrap as it represented a fresh matchup in a division that has seen the top fighters round-robin each other for the last few years. However, disaster seemingly struck when Poirier took to social media writing, “My fights off but still working.”

Ariel Helwani, host of The MMA Hour, reportedly spoke to Poirier who revealed that “there was no contractual agreement before the fight was announced and we couldn’t come to terms.”

The immediate question that arose was, why is the UFC announcing fights they have yet to sign? Truth be told, it is a fairly common practice within the promotion, but it appears that in this instance, it came back to bite them on the a**.

As the events continued to unfold, Dana White saw another opportunity to slam the MMA media by accusing outlets of producing clickbait despite the fact that Poirier himself was the one who revealed that the fight was off. He also shared a conversation with Saint-Denis’ fight team confirming details of the bout.

Saint-Denis’ acceptance of the fight was never in question, so why White chose to share this particular screenshot is nothing short of baffling.

Dustin Poirier Reverses Stance, Says Fight with Saint-Denis is Back On After ‘Misunderstanding’ with his manager

In yet another twist to the story, Dustin Poirier reversed his position shortly after announcing that the fight was off.

“Sorry folks, I jumped the gun, I couldn’t get a hold of my manager for a few days,” Poirier wrote on X. “I just spoke with him and Hunter. Misunderstanding on my part. Fight is on! See you March 9th Miami!!!”

It didn’t take long for everyone to read between the lines and see that Poirier was simply “playing the game” by going public to get the deal that he wanted out of the stingy UFC back office.

“Dustin finally going public got him what he wanted,” Helwani reported on social media. “That’s the biz. Good on him. Doesn’t change the fact that up until an hour ago he didn’t agree – remember he broke this story, no one else – and when this was announced almost a month ago he hadn’t agreed. No one is denying that BSD agreed, which his team has confirmed.”

So it appears that all of this was nothing more than a game of cat and mouse between Poirier and the promotion with the MMA media being used as bait.

Well played, Mr. Poirier. Well played.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Roman Dolidze is noticing a trend among his fellow UFC contenders.

“All of these guys, or most of them — I don’t want to be disrespectful, but I will say in general — [are] acting like kids, talking like kids,” Dolidze said at UFC Vegas 85 media day. “Talking a lot. And where I’m from, where I’m raised, we think twice before we say something, because your words need to have something [behind them].

“If you just say so many words, nobody will [put] worth [on] your words. That’s why, for me, I’m just looking at them like they’re kids. Not everybody, but most of them.”

Dolidze’s remarks come on the heels of back-to-back months marred by ugly exchanges around UFC pay-per-views, first between Colby Covington and UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards at UFC 296, and then again ahead of Sean Strickland’s middleweight title defense against now-champion Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297. Both situations heaped fuel onto the fire of an already growing level of toxicity within the MMA community, both among fighters and their fan bases, the latter of which was pointed out by UFC play-by-play man Jon Anik before the veteran broadcaster issued an apology for his statements.

Dolidze, 35, returns this Saturday against Nassourdine Imavov in the main event of UFC Vegas 85, and the native Georgian can’t relate to where some of his peers are coming from.

“If you look how they’re talking with each other, I’m very respectful [with] what I’m talking [about] and how I’m saying this,” Dolidze said.

“But these guys are ready to say anything just for attention. And sometimes when I see them and if I didn’t like something they said before, then I’m saying, ‘Listen, now you see me. I’m in front of your face. Why you were talking like that? What’s wrong? On Twitter or somewhere else.’ Some of them don’t even remember that they said or commented anything, or [they reply] something, ‘Oh, this is just [promotion].’ I understand that their word doesn’t have worth, and I can’t ask from them [what] I ask myself.”

A winner of four of his past five bouts, Dolidze has been sidelined since his hot streak ended at the hands of Marvin Vettori this past March. The UFC’s middleweight division has changed dramatically since that loss, with the belt changing hands three different times between Israel Adesanya, Strickland, and now du Plessis. Multiple bouts of Dolidze’s own have fallen apart over that stretch, whether due to injury or bad luck, however he remains within striking distance of the title conversation. A win over Imavov could propel him back into that mix, but Dolidze would rather let his performance do his talking for him.

“What do you want me to say? Big words and to say, ‘Yes, it’s No. 1 contender fight?’ No, I’m not that guy,” Dolidze said. “I’m sure there will be somebody who will start talking like that, but it’s a good, interesting fight. And I think after this fight we can get a top-five opponent. Definitely, we deserve [that]. And [then] let’s see what will happen. No one knows.”

MMA Fighting – All Posts

The UFC 299 co-main event between Dustin Poirier and Benoit Saint-Denis has been scrapped due to Poirier failing to come to contractual terms.  The bout was never contractually signed.  

Poirier made the announcement on Thursday via X.  “My fights off but still working,” Poirier posted.  

My fights off but still working 👊 pic.twitter.com/DRG61CJySA

— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) February 1, 2024

UFC President Dana White announced the bout a few weeks ago although the fight was never signed.  

“There was no contractual agreement before the fight was announced and we couldn’t come to terms,” Poirier told Ariel Helwani.  

I reached out to @DustinPoirier about his tweet that the BSD fight at 299 is off.

His response:

“There was no contractual agreement before the fight was announced and we couldn't come to terms.”

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 1, 2024

Poirier (29-8, 1 NC), the former interim lightweight champion, was knocked out by Justin Gaethje in their rematch in his last outing at UFC 291.  Saint-Denis (13-1, 1 NC) is riding a five-fight winning streak and coming off a head-kick knockout win over Matt Frevola in his last fight at UFC 295.  It’s unclear whether UFC matchmakers will try to rebook the matchup for a later event.    

The fight promotion has yet to make a statement about the fight falling apart.  UFC 299 takes place on March 9 at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.  The event is headlined by a bantamweight title bout between champion Sean O’Malley and Marlon “Chito” Vera.  

The main event is a rematch.  Vera handed O’Malley his only career loss at UFC 252 in August 2020.  The stakes will be much higher on March 9.  

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts