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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

On the first episode of UFC 307 Embedded, UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira goes hiking with his team, former bantamweight champion Julianna Peña gets ready for fight week, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson trains his grappling, Roman Dolidze goes camping in the mountains, Khalil Rountree has a run-in with Big Foot, and more.

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Sean Strickland has daddy issues.

That may explain his disdain for “weird father roles” and paternal “cowards” … though it’s also possible that “Tarzan” just has a few screws loose. Either way, his personal “demons” and “violent thoughts” are no match for the jungle hardness of Alex Pereira.

“The problem with Alex is that he hits really f*cking hard, you guys — really f*cking hard. But let me tell you why,” Strickland told The Schmo (transcribed by MMA Junkie). “When you get raised in the jungles of Brazil where you don’t have running water and surviving off tapir and wildebeest as an infant, and then you get worked in a tire shop, that’s a hard man to fight. It’s hard, bro, and my daddy issues don’t make up for that level of hardness. So it was good work.”

One of the lasting side effects of that particular upbringing is “Jungle Brain.”

Strickland was brought in to help Pereira train for his light heavyweight title defense opposite No. 8-ranked contender Khalil Rountree Jr., who will try to replicate this stunning performance at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City and take home the 205-pound crown. “Poatan” stopped “Tarzan” when they went to war at UFC 276 back in summer 2022.

“I just can’t see Khalil pulling it off,” Strickland told Helen Yee. “I think I may have watched him fight Anthony Smith. I just can’t see it happening. I don’t think he has the tools in the toolbox to beat Alex. He’s not knocking him out. He’s not outstriking him. He’s not outwrestling him. I think Alex is going to make easy work of this fight.”

We’ll find out this weekend in “The Beehive State.”

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 307 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPNN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 307: “Pereira vs. Rountree Jr.” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 307 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Is Renato Moicano ready for the top of the lightweight division? More importantly, is the top of the lightweight division ready for “Money” after he ran through Benoit Saint Denis and then cut another lively promo in front of a rabid UFC Paris crowd?

On an all-new edition of On To the Next One, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee discuss what’s next for Moicano following an absolute drubbing of Saint Denis. Additionally, future matchups are discussed for Nassourdine Imavov who continued to roll by beating Brendan Allen, William Gomis after improving to 4-0 in the UFC on Saturday, plus is Bryan Battle the best-kept secret in the welterweight division? Also, what’s next for main card standouts Morgan Charriere, Fares Ziam, and more.

Audio-only versions of the podcast can be found below, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Islam Makhachev appears ready to return in the New Year.

That’s the word from Makhachev’s longtime teammate, friend and coach Khabib Nurmagomedov, who revealed plans for the UFC lightweight champion to next defend his title in January against a still unnamed opponent.

“UFC offered us a fight already, in January. We accepted it,” Nurmagomedov revealed during an appearance in Indonesia this past weekend (video provided by Ushatayka).

Nurmagomedov didn’t mention any names, although it’s almost certainly going to be a rematch against No. 1 contender Arman Tsarukyan.

Tsarukyan cemented himself as the next title challenger after he defeated former champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 to extend his winning streak to four in a row. In his octagon debut back in 2019, Tsarukyan actually faced Makhachev and earned a Fight of the Night bonus following a grueling three-round war that ended in Tsarukyan taking a unanimous decision loss.

Now Tsarukyan seeks revenge while attempting to become UFC champion for the first time in his career.

As far as that potential challenge or anybody else coming for Makhachev’s title, Nurmagomedov acknowledged that his 32-year-old prodigy is always going to bring the best out of any opponent because of what he represents.

“Islam is now not only champion but he is pound-for-pound the best fighter in the world today,” Nurmagomedov said.

Makhachev hasn’t tasted defeat since his second fight in the UFC — a stunning upset loss to Adriano Martins — and he’s now rattled off a remarkable 14 wins in a row including victories over three former UFC champions and four fighters currently ranked among the top 15 in the UFC’s lightweight division.

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