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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Magomed Ankalaev isn’t known for his trash talk but he had plenty to say when addressing Alex Pereira on Thursday during the UFC 313 pre-fight press conference.

The usually soft-spoken Russian was almost uncharacteristically vocal on stage while dealing with a raucous crowd that was mostly backing his opponent. None of it seemed to bother Ankalaev much as he smiled through the boos and vowed to change the chants by the time Saturday night’s main event is over.

“I’d like to say that I see in this fight everyone is against me,” Ankalaev said. “Everyone is saying ‘Chama! Chama! Chama!’ But guess what? Chama time is over. After this Saturday night, after the fight, you will all love me.

“The same people that are saying Chama now are going to be saying No Chama! It’s Ankalaev time.”

Of course, ‘Chama’ is a word that Pereira has made famous during his stunning run through the UFC where he’s been a two-division champion with three title defenses already under his belt in the light heavyweight division.

But despite his dominance, Pereira is barely favored to win in his latest fight with many believing he’s facing his biggest obstacle yet in Ankalaev.

With a 19-1 record with one no contest including 10 knockouts and a background in combat sambo, Ankalaev seemingly has the size and power to give Pereira problems no matter where this fight goes. That’s one of the reasons why he’s been championed as the true No. 1 contender in the division for quite some time after he came up short in his previous bid at becoming champion following a split draw with Jan Blachowicz back in 2022.

That setback forced Ankalaev to work a little harder to get back to another title shot and he believes Pereira should be grateful for that fact.

“I wasn’t upset about the last [title] fight,” Ankalaev said. “I have nobody to blame, it’s just myself. We saw the fight. The whole world saw the fight but it happened the way it happened. Now it’s a whole different ballgame. It’s a different fight, it’s a different opponent.

“You know what? Honestly, [Pereira] should say thank you to Dana White for protecting him this whole time. Now it’s going to be a whole different thing.”

While the partisan crowd rarely quieted down much to allow Ankalaev to speak, he did get a few questions from the Russian media assembled — including one question about beating Pereira so bad that he’s forced to give up his fight career and go back to his old job working at a tire shop in Brazil.

Ankalaev couldn’t help but laugh at that one before responding.

“We’re planning on absolutely dominating him on Saturday,” Ankalaev said. “We’re going to make sure that Chama has no chances on Saturday. Whether or not he stays in the sport or decides to go back to the tire shop, that’s going to be up to him. He’s going to be the one that has to make that decision.”

For all the ways Ankalaev expects to win and walk out of UFC 313 as champion, he’s not even contemplating what comes next until he gets through Pereira.

Because Pereira has been such a dominant champion, he could potentially warrant an immediate rematch no matter how the fight plays out but Ankalaev prefers getting the job done first before he starts thinking about that.

“For now we’re not concentrating on what’s going to happen afterwards,” Ankalaev said. “Right now, we’ve got a fight in front of us. Let’s go out there, let’s win and then afterwards we’ll think about who’s going to get the rematch or what.”

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A former MMA fighter who once competed under Jorge Masvidal’s promotion tragically lost his life after an alleged home invasion turned deadly.

According to a report from News4JAX, a 31-year-old man was shot and killed on Tuesday night in what authorities are calling an act of self-defense. The fatal incident occurred on SW Leslie Glen in Lake City, Florida, after the man allegedly attempted to break into the residence of his ex-wife.

The individual was later identified as professional mixed martial artist Langston Sykes. Reports indicate that Sykes forcibly entered the home, where he was met with gunfire. Authorities revealed that an adult inside the residence had an active protection order against him.

UFC bantamweight fighter Ramon Taveras took to Facebook on Thursday to mourn the untimely passing of Sykes.

“Didn’t really know Lanko Sykes but we shared the mats together a few times. Sad to see this happen man, cause this could have been me last year. I just want to say this, to anybody who’s chasing a dream don’t lose it over something or somebody. IT IS NOT WORTH IT!! The UFC has shown me things I thought I’d never see, brought me to places I never been, introduced me to some of the best people I have ever met!! It is so much more out there to life for you to explore than what you see on the daily basis,” Tavares wrote.

Sykes last stepped into the cage at Island Fights 84 last August, where he secured a first-round knockout victory over Anson Swindle.

Sykes began his professional MMA journey at Jorge Masvidal’s iKON FC 4 in August 2022, but his debut was far from ideal, as he suffered a first-round knockout loss to Malcolm Wellmaker. He struggled to find consistency in the cage and held a 1-4 record.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Victor Hugo scored a fabulous finish to cap off UFC Fight Pass Invitational 10 in Las Vegas on Thursday night.

Hugo headlined the grappling show in the fourth clash with CJI champion and two-time ADCC silver medalist Nicky Rodriguez, who entered the mat with a 7-1 record under the FPI banner. Rodriguez was looking for payback after going 0-3 against the Brazilian in previous years, but Hugo had the last laugh in the end.

A 4-time IBJJF world champion and black belt under the legend Alexandre Ribeiro, Hugo had weight on his side as made his best to stop every attempt from Rodriguez in regulation. Referee Vitor Ribeiro brought them back up after it reached a stalemate, but neither could advance anywhere near a successful attack.

Overtime began and Hugo pulled guard to avoid takedown points for Rodriguez, again locking themselves in a position in which the Craig Jones protege couldn’t advance. The referee again stood them back up, and this time Hugo surprised by countering a takedown attempt to throw Rodriguez to the mat and immediately take the back to sink in a rear-naked choke for the tap.

Hugo called for a clash with Gordon Ryan following his FPI 10 victory, a rematch of their ADCC 2022 clash that had Ryan win by points (8-0).

“I think there’s only one guy that beat Nicky Rod on this stage,” Hugo said. “He’s not active, but whenever he is, it would be a pleasure, if he’s up to it, to face Gordon Ryan. I think, after getting through Nicky, that’s probably the name that makes the most sense. … I know he’s not healthy, I wasn’t healthy either, so I believe he’s gonna get through that and whenever he’s ready, if he wants to take the challenge, I’ll be here and let’s do it.”

The co-main event had Oliver Taza looking for redemption against Renato Canuto, trying to avenge a 2-0 points loss at the 2019 edition of the ADCC, but came up short one more time. The duo engaged in a very technical and close match, but Canuto scored two points with under 20 seconds left in overtime to secure the win and improve to 4-0 under the FPI banner.

The IBJJF world champion announced after the match that he has signed a four-fight deal with Tuff-N-Uff to make his MMA debut later this year.

The third-to-last match of the night ended with a highlight as Brianna Ste-Marie worked on top and passed the guard in what looked like an arm-triangle choke attempt. With Elisabeth Clay struggling with her arm trapped, however, Ste-Marie pressed for the tap with a Von Flue choke.

Former teammates and roommates Andy Murasaki and Daniel Sathler engaged in a heated clash with more slaps and kicks than submission attempts in regulation, but it all changed in overtime as FPI debutant Murasaki locked a nasty heel hook early for the tap.

The early portion of the FPI card had the new generation of veteran families compete.

Cassia Moura, daughter of Bruno Bastos, took on Andre Galvao’s daughter Sarah Galvao and has her in trouble with a standing rear-naked choke in overtime. Galvao eventually escaped, but the attack secured the four points necessary to guarantee Moura’s victory by points (4-2). Achilles Rocha, son of UFC veteran and jiu-jitsu great Vagner Rocha, went to a draw in points (2-2) with Nathan Haddad after an exciting back and forth battle, and had the judges’ decision go in his favor.

Alex Enriquez and Carlos Henrique did not need judges as they opened the card with slick submissions, forcing Julia Alves and Victor Delibero to tap to a rear-naked choke and armbar.

Watch the finishes below, and click here for complete UFC Fight Pass Invitational 10 results.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Helena Crevar continues to impress on the grappling scene.

The jiu-jitsu phenom took on Maggie Grindatti Lira in the early portion of UFC Fight Pass Invitational 10, which went down Thursday night in Las Vegas, and made short work of her opponent, locking in a rare calf slicer and attacking the rear-naked choke to force the verbal submission.

Watch the finish below.

Promoted to brown belt by coach John Danaher in December 2024 after major accomplishments in tournaments such as ADCC, IBJJF and Polaris, Crevar has now won three times under the UFC Fight Pass Invitational banner, two of those via submission. Craver now hopes to earn a shot at a Fight Pass Invitational belt at either 145 or 155 pounds.

“I was definitely looking for a submission,” Craver said after the victory. “I’ve been working on my calf slicer, not just focusing on heel hooks and ankle locks, so I’m really glad to have finished it.”

Click here for complete UFC Fight Pass Invitational 10 results.

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