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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

After a dominant win over Gabriel Benitez, Jim Miller had his eyes on the future and called for a fight with Paul Felder or Matt Brown at UFC 300.

Jim Miller is a legend of the sport, and in the twilight of his career, he’s been utterly dominating the competition and is 5-1 in his last six fights. At UFC Vegas 84 he continued his winning ways, and let fans everywhere know that he’s not ready to call a quits on fighting just yet,

In the cage after his victory, he primarily called out Paul Felder, who is a retired fighter who now works full-time for the UFC as a broadcaster. Felder was working cage side when the callout was delivered, and seemed very willing to come back for one more fight, for a battle between legends.

Jim Miller Admits at Post Fight Press Conference that he leans more towards a fight with Matt Brown at UFC 300

At the post-fight press conference, Miller made his intentions more clear. While he isn’t opposed to the idea of a fight with Paul Felder, he actually would prefer a bout with Matt Brown.

“Paul and I almost fought in 2015,” Miller said of Felder at the post-fight press conference (H/T MMA Fighting). “I think that fight would be brutal. I think that is a brutal fight, me and him locked in a cage for 15 minutes. I also think that Matt Brown fight is amazing as well.”

“I think it’s awesome because one, I don’t have to cut weight. Two, he’s the guy with the most finishes at welterweight, I’m the guy with the most finishes at lightweight. That’s a fight for [UFC] 300. Let’s put on a show, let’s go out and entertain.”

“I’m willing to move up in weight for that type of event,” Jim Miller continued. “It’s not like I’m trying get my rankings up or anything like that. Particularly at 300, I would hop in at any moment if Sean [Shelby] called me for those types of fights — Sean, if you’re watching. I want to put on an epic show with two badass dudes who have been around for a bit, and I think Matt might be that guy.”

On social media, Matt Brown gave the idea a green light. “I love Jim Miller, would be an honor,” he said. A fight between the two men would indeed be epic. It would be a clash of styles, as Brown is more of a striker, and Miller a grappler. Sometimes those fights can end very one-sidedly, but sometimes they also make for an insane back-and-forth war.

Jim Miller also spoke about his nickname (Which is ‘A10’) and explained how he’d like there to be an alteration to it at UFC 300.

“I don’t know if Bruce [Buffer] will introduce me as Jim ‘F******’ Miller,” Miller said. “I don’t know if he swears when he’s working. He definitely swears when he’s not. I think it would be cool. I think it would be cool to maybe open the pay-per-view with that. I think doing that in front of the T-Mobile full of fans would be awesome. I think that would get me super fired up.”

How do you feel about Jim Miller preferring a fight with Matt Brown now?

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Jon Jones may be struggling to win over the court of public opinion in his ongoing feud with Tom Aspinall, but Chael Sonnen believes there’s any easy way this could be solved.

“Jon does not enjoy that side of [MMA], he doesn’t understand it,” Sonnen said on his You’re Welcome podcast. “He thinks the most money, the most accolades should go to whoever can beat up the most people. So Jon could end it. He could end something that he doesn’t want to keep continuing by saying one word, which is yes. But you want to know something? Jon could also end this by saying one word, which is no. ‘No, I’m planning to do one more. My plans have not changed for you. I plan to fight Stipe Miocic, who’s great. Stipe might be the one to bring me down. We’ll find out that night, but he might not. That’d be another notch and it will be enough. My plans don’t involve you.’ He could do that.

“Daniel Cormier dismissed effectively Curtis Blaydes. I was there the night that he did it, he did it on the ESPN desk. He’d just got done fighting, Curtis had called him out and Daniel was a gentleman. He said, ‘Hey, that guy’s good. He’s got reach, his striking’s improved, a national champion wrestler, he’s younger, he’s got a great career in front of him. But he and I will never share the octagon.’ And Daniel didn’t say it’s because it’s not a competitive fight. He didn’t say he was better than him. He didn’t even say he could beat him. He said, ‘I’m a champion, I get [pay-per-view] points. I fight people that have big names. You don’t.’

“He leveled with him straight up,” Sonnen continued. “Never got into who’s better, whose legacy, who should remembered more. Daniel told the actual truth, which, ‘I can’t make any money fighting you. You’re a dangerous fight that doesn’t bring money. Winning fights doesn’t get you to me, just so you know. I know they’ve told you that, but it’s not true. I know the magazines tell you that getting a high ranking brings you to me — I’m letting you know now, it doesn’t. Win over the crowd that’s willing to stop what they’re doing, part with their money and time to watch you, and that’s how you get to me. And you didn’t do that.’

“It was so effective, it was never discussed again. Curtis Blaydes versus Daniel Cormier, when Daniel was champion, was never discussed again. So Jon Jones could come out and say, ‘You’re young and you’re good and I’m not looking for that. No.’ Or he could say, ‘You suck. No,’ but it would still be a definitive and he could end this. Or he could say, ‘Yes. Let’s stick with the plan. I have Stipe first and then I will come see you.’”

The feud between Jones, 36, and Aspinall, 30, has overtaken the UFC heavyweight division.

On one side is the debate is Jones, the reigning champion who won his belt in March 2023 with a first-round submission of Ciryl Gane and was supposed to fight Stipe Miocic this past November before injuries removed him from the bout. With Jones sidelined, Aspinall stepped into UFC 295’s main event and demolished Sergei Pavlovich with a 69-second knockout to capture the interim UFC heavyweight championship. Aspinall has since campaigned relentlessly for a fight against either Jones or Miocic, while Jones has held firm in his refusal to pivot from the Miocic bout whenever he is able to return later this year.

Sonnen believes Jones is only making the situation worse for himself with the way in which he continues to communicate his message.

“One thing about it is, Jon hasn’t said yes and he hasn’t said no. He’s let it be very clear that this irritates him,” Sonnen said.

“It’s kind of like, why does he not get himself a driver? Why would he not part [with] some money? If you’re giving a stripper $ 10,000 that you’re never going to see again, why would you not hire a writer for $ 10,000? He’ll work, he’ll be there the whole year. That’s about what it would cost for somebody to manage your Twitter page — about $ 10,000 for the whole year for a real top guy, a WWE guy, a guy who has worked in Hollywood. A real top professional writer, that’s about what it would cost. And you know Jon doesn’t have a driver, that’s how he’s got DUIs, and you know he doesn’t have a writer, that’s why he’s got typos.”

“What is it that we’re doing? What is it we’re trying to do?” Sonnen continued. “Jon could end this by saying yes or no. Jon has the power either way. His reasons don’t matter, at all.

“There’s a way to get some clarity, there’s a way to muddy these waters, and there’s a way to do what Daniel did and say, ‘You’re just not popular.’ Whatever the reason is, you’ve got to give a guy an answer, yes or no, or we just keep doing this. Generally I would be OK [if this feud continued]. Like if this was Conor [McGregor] or somebody entertaining or fun, I would hope that it would continue. [But] you guys aren’t fun. This is boring.”

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

UFC welterweight Ian Machado Garry recently wrote his hit list for the world to see. Geoff Neal, Colby Covington and Sean Strickland are on it – in that order.

On The MMA Hour, Garry explained the logic around his matchup choices and why this particular sequence is the one he feels makes the most sense for his career. Sidelined from UFC 296 by a bout of pneumonia, he is already scheduled to return to the cage at UFC 298 against Neal, whom he was scheduled to fight at UFC 292.

The first booking, of course, is the easiest for Garry to explain, and it’s mostly for competitive reasons that he wants to take out Neal.

“Geoff Neal is a very, a very good body for me to showcase to the world just how elite I am and how good I am at what I do,” Garry said.

The next two, Covington and Strickland, are more personal than anything else. The trash-talking welterweight and middleweight champ have both taken aim at Garry and his wife Layla Machado Garry, parroting unsubstantiated rumors about their relationship.

“He’s talked about me,” Garry said of Covington. “He’s mentioned my wife. He obviously lost the fight against [Edwards]. Colby is someone who wants those big fights, someone who’s gonna chat s***, someone who’s gonna entertain the fans, someone who’s gonna bring a lot of hype to the event.

“I am going to box the ears off Colby Covington for the things he’s said, and there isn’t gonna be anybody in that world or in this octagon who’s going to be able to save, save him. I promise you now, I’ll finish him, and I’ll do it in three rounds. I don’t need five rounds to finish it. I’ll do it in two, I’ll do it in one. Colby Covington is going to be slapped, and I hope I hit him so hard that he’s never able to speak again. And I feel like a lot of people on this planet would be very happy that he never gets to speak on a mic again. So that’s what I’d like with Colby.”

On paper, Covington is the more logical example considering he fights in the welterweight division. Strickland is the titleholder at 185 pounds, and, in theory, is obligated to fight the most logical contenders. But Garry is convinced that will change soon.

“I’d love Sean Strickland, because any man, or any person who ever talks or mentions me, my wife and my family in that way, I’m gonna get my hands on them,” Garry said. “And in an ideal world, toward the end of the year, I don’t think Sean’s going to be world champion any more, and I believe there’s absolutely an opportunity for me to step up to middleweight and give him a hiding, and maybe I’ll beat him so bad that he’ll forget all that trauma from his childhood and he can thank me.”

Garry fired back at Strickland after the champ’s emotional interview about childhood abuse, calling him out on the hypocrisy of drawing a line at trash talk while attacking others’ families.

Assuming Garry gets close to fulfilling his list, there’s the question of his main goal: the UFC welterweight title. On that, he has a few more scenarios in his head.

“I think this year [UFC welterweight champ] Leon [Edwards] will probably fight twice,” he said. “I don’t believe I’ll get a title shot toward the end of the year. I have work to be done right now. I think there’s guys above me still. I think there’s Belal who should be next, and then there’s someone like Shavkhat knocking at the door. How can they not be the next two contenders that deserve a shot the title?

“So it’s from a point of view of … I do believe I’ll get Colby. If I don’t get a Sean Strickland vibe, I wouldn’t mind taking out Kamaru Usman as well. I wouldn’t mind taking out two of the baddest men on the planet in this division for so long, and then earning my title shot for next year.”

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Here’s what you may have missed!

Jim Miller set a new handful of UFC records last night (Sat. Jan. 13, 2023) by defeating Gabriel Benitez in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 84. Of course, he was breaking his own statistics, but Miller still managed to increase his lead on the all-time wins records and most UFC fights. He also advanced into fifth place for overall time in the Octagon.

Not a bad night at the office.

40 year old UFC fighters are not common, but neither are they unheard of. Randy Couture set the tone way back in the day, proving that special fighters could still compete at a high-level into their 40s. Earlier on the main card, Andrei Arlovski didn’t win, but the 44-year-old “Pitbull” still competed well enough against a young prospect.

There’s a handful of important differences between Miller and those men, however. First and foremost, Miller is a Lightweight, one of the smaller divisions that does not forgive the loss of speed quite like Heavyweight. Another difference between Miller and most older veterans is that “A-10” is still fighting quite well in all three facets of MMA.

Against Benitez, Miller made great use of a high guard to hold his own in the pocket and land big counter shots — unusual reaction time for a man with 55 professional fights. He also managed to out-kick the kicker! A good portion of the fight took place on the feet, and Miller landed the harder shots and beat up his opponent in that realm.

Often, kickboxing alone is the best option for older fighters. There’s a reason wrestlers like Daniel Cormier and Dan Henderson spent the latter portions of their careers striking. At a certain age, the knees and spine become unwilling to participate. Subsequently, older athletes stop practicing live wrestling in the training room, and their fights reflect their training.

Not Jim Miller! Last night, Miller went two-for-two on his takedown attempts, running Benitez right off his feet. Once in top position, Miller smashed Benitez with solid punches and elbows, convincing him to give up his back. Before long, the submission opened up late in the third round.

Most older fighters don’t have cardio either, partially because of simple aging and partially because wonky knees don’t much like running either. For whatever reason, Miller is still able to fight hard for three rounds, something he struggled with just a few years ago while dealing with his Lymes disease.

In short, Miller has bucked numerous trends. He’s achieved ironman status in the UFC, and his entire career has been a ton of fun. He may not be an elite contender anymore, but Miller remains among the most respected men on the roster, and he more than deserves his spot at UFC 300.

For complete UFC Vegas 84: “Ankalaev vs. Walker 2” results and play-by-play, click HERE!

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Former Bellator fighter Ryan Curtis has suffered a devastating training injury.

Featherweight contender Leah McCourt, a close friend of Curtis’, announced on social media that Curtis injured his back, neck, and spine during a training session Thursday. McCourt also shared a GoFundMe page seeking donations to provide support to Curtis and his family.

See McCourt’s post below.

“As an athlete and human the unimaginable has happened to our beloved Ryan,” McCourt wrote. “He was involved in a life-altering incident during a training session on Thursday 11th January.

“Ryan has suffered a broken back, broken neck, and dislocated spine. During this injury, trauma was also caused to Ryan’s spinal cord. The damage is classified as the most severe that can happen to a spinal cord. He was rushed to the Royal in Belfast and underwent emergency surgery.

“Currently Ryan has no movement in his legs or his left arm. The road ahead is unknown and will involve at least five months of him in hospital, followed by a further period of time with a specialist spine team. There is no exact end date to when this treatment will be complete.”

Curtis, a professional MMA fighter since 2015 who holds a 6-4 record, most recently fought this past April at a Cage Warriors event in Dublin, Ireland, where he lost to Nicolas Leblond via first-round submission. He also previously competed for Brave CF and was victorious in his lone Bellator appearance in February 2019.

“Ryan will never be able to do what he loves, and fight or train in MMA again,” McCourt wrote. “A sport he has dedicated his life to from the age of 11.

“Ryan will be out of work for the foreseeable future and we are trying to take any additional load or stress off Ryan’s family and daughter by creating a page to raise some funds to help towards rehabilitation, vital treatment, recovery, and supporting his family.”

UFC superstar Conor McGregor also sent out a message of support for Curtis after learning about his injuries.

“Sending my support and well wishes to Dublin MMA fighter Ryan Curtis after suffering life changing injury in practice,” McGregor wrote on Twitter. “Here is a link to his go fund me , he has a young daughter and the family needs our support.”

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