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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Tom Aspinall is doing everything he can to get Jon Jones to fight him.

For nearly a year, Aspinall has been chasing a fight with the UFC heavyweight champion that, thus far, Jones has been unwilling to grant him. Instead, Jones appears set to defend his title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in November, while Aspinall, the interim champion, is left waiting. Add in that Miocic has not competed since 2021 while Aspinall recently defended his interim title, and it’s a frustrating situation for the English heavyweight, and speaking on TNT Sports recently, Aspinall admits his recent uptick in trash talk is a direct result of that.

“I’m just trying to get a fight, mate,” Aspinall said when asked about his recent uptick in social media callouts. “I just want to have my chance to fight for the undisputed title, of course. That’s the next natural progression. And also it’s a dream fight for me, so I’m going to push for it.”

Aspinall started pushing for a fight with Jones after winning the interim title at UFC 295 and when he began, was extremely respectful of the future Hall of Famer. However, as Jones continues to dismiss Aspinall, the interim champion changed his tune a bit, becoming more aggressive in calling out Jones for refusing to fight him. In turn, Jones has become increasingly more antagonistic towards Aspinall. And for Aspinall, that’s just what he wants.

“Because he wants the easy fight, Stipe. For now,” Aspinall said when asked why Jones won’t fight him. “But I have the faith. I think Jon’s getting a bit ticked off with me at the minute, which is my intention. I’m trying to test his ego to see if he’ll be like, ‘Right, actually, I’m the man at heavyweight. I’m going to show you.’ So that’s what I’m working on at the moment. It seems that Jon is getting a little bit fuming at me, so that will be nice if he continues that.”

Whether or not his plan will work remains to be seen, but all Aspinall can do at this point is wait and see. Well, that and get ready. Because though the fight isn’t actually official yet, Aspinall says he’s preparing to serve as the backup fighter for the Jones vs. Miocic matchup at UFC 309, and one way or another get what’s rightfully his.

“I’m training with that in mind,” Aspinall said. “As far as I’m concerned, I’m training to fight potentially in November. So no matter what happens, I’ll be fit and ready to go in November. No confirmation on the fight yet, no confirmation on if I’m the backup yet. They did tell me that after my fight, but the heavyweight title fight between Stipe and Jones is not official yet so I’m still waiting on that.”

UFC 309 takes place on Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

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Let’s go!
| BJPenn.com

UFC CEO Dana White wants to be recognized for his films, worlds, and acts at The Sphere.

The Las Vegas venue will host the UFC 306 pay-per-view (PPV) event this Sat. night (Sept. 14, 2024), topped by the bantamweight title fight pitting champion Sean O’Malley against top contender Merab Dvalishvili. But with a production price tag of nearly $ 20 million, the promotion will need a big night at the box office to break even.

Which could prove challenging after slashing ticket prices.

“You know me, I love to break records,” White told reporters at this week’s “Contender Series” press gathering (video here). “This is going to be the biggest gate we’ve ever done in the history of the company, and the most pre-buys on PPV ever, too. People have been buying the event the week before the week before the event. My goal with this thing is to be nominated for an Oscar, an Emmy, and a Grammy. So yes, there will be a documentary.”

Hopefully it’s a step above this widely-panned effort.

Some of the names helping White and Co. craft the UFC 306 cinematic “worlds” include filmmaker and musician Carlos Lopez Estrada, along with 14-time Emmy award winner Glenn Weiss. This weekend’s “Noche UFC” fight card (see it here) was crafted as a “love letter” to Mexican fight fans, including crosstown rival Canelo Alvarez.

Not surprisingly, UFC at The Sphere will be “one and done.”

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 306 fight card right RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPNN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the UFC 306 PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 306: “O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 306 fight card and PPV lineup click here.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Sean O’Malley has become one of the biggest superstars on the entire roster with his next fight headlining the first, and perhaps only, UFC card that will ever happen at Sphere in Las Vegas.

Since first arriving from the Contender Series, the always colorful bantamweight champion has drawn a crowd with his appeal growing bigger and bigger with each performance. At a time when Conor McGregor has been out of action for over three years, O’Malley and a few others have become massive attractions, but does that mean the UFC actually roots for him to win?

As much as that narrative gets pushed at times, recently retired UFC veteran Matt Brown doesn’t buy that the organization as a whole wants O’Malley to win and Merab Dvalishvili to lose just because it’s better for the company’s bottom line. Truth be told, Brown knows after spending 16 years with the promotion that no one fighter is bigger than the UFC itself.

“The UFC’s having a record year,” Brown said on The Fighter vs. The Writer. “Whether they’re quietly rooting or actually rooting for someone, I don’t know because they’re having a record year. They don’t need a single person. They’ve got the brand. They’re pretty set. They’re f*cking cool.

“Still setting records. The UFC is a monster f*cking brand. They are an absolute monster. They don’t need any specific star.”

It’s tough to argue with that logic considering the UFC has continued to post record earnings year after year without many of the sport’s biggest stars competing right now.

While O’Malley’s appeal and drawing power are undeniable, Brown argues that if the UFC really wanted to give him the best opportunity to remain champion he would be facing lesser competition rather than a potentially difficult stylistic matchup with somebody like Dvalishvili.

“Ultimately the one thing you’ve got to love and respect about the UFC is you do eat what you kill,” Brown explained. “You might have to do more killing than the other guy but you do get to eat it. Whether they’re quietly rooting or not, I can’t even speculate on that because I just have no real clue.

“If I’m Dana White, I’m quietly rooting for Sean O’Malley, too, but the fact is they put the fight together. If they were really rooting for Sean O’Malley, they wouldn’t have put the fight together.”

Brown says the biggest advantage somebody like O’Malley has with his star power is that he probably got a few more opportunities handed to him. Dvalishvili would almost certainly agree after he had to put together a 10-fight undefeated streak including wins over three former UFC champion to finally earn a title shot while O’Malley only has four fights against ranked opponents in his career.

“It’s very clear Sean has had an easier path,” Brown said. “I think that’s really what you get from having that stardom, but you still have to fight the toughest guys. Merab just had a harder path. That’s the only difference, right? Or Belal [Muhammad], he had a harder path. Leon [Edwards] had a harder path then the vast majority of guys. I think that’s where it really comes into play.”

Even if O’Malley didn’t have to jump over as many hurdles as Dvalishvili to get where he’s at, the self-proclaimed “Suga Show” can’t stay at the top if he’s not winning in his biggest fights.

Brown knows eventually everybody in the UFC has to face a daunting test and so far O’Malley has passed every single one with flying colors.

“We go on all the time talking about how there’s not really ‘deserving’ in this world,” Brown said. “A lot of times funny things happen, different fights get put together that shouldn’t get put together, all these kinds of things but ultimately if you stay on the path, you’re going to come across the f*cking baddest dudes in the f*cking world and that’s all there is to it.”

Of course, Brown also appreciates that Dvalishvili didn’t falter in his quest to become champion even if it’s taking him a lot longer to get there.

In fact, Dvalishvili’s win streak was so impressive that fans pushed for him to finally get his title shot while denying O’Malley’s ultimate wish to move up to 145 pounds to battle for a second UFC title.

“Merab, you’ve got to give him credit, he earned the matchup,” Brown said. “He basically put the UFC in a position where they’re like Merab or bust. After you have a [10-fight] win streak beating the guys he’s beaten, you just can’t deny the guy anymore.”

Listen to new episodes of The Fighter vs. The Writer every Tuesday with audio only versions of the podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeartRadio

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Stylebender is out
| BJPenn.com

Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

UFC 306 anticipation is high.

In a bubble, the card is already quite good. It’s hard to argue with two title fights, particularly when one features one of the sport’s bigger stars and a perfect stylistic foil. Furthermore, Diego Lopes vs. Brian Ortega promises to be one of the year’s best fights between all-action contenders, and the rest of the card is stacked with fun fighters from the first “Prelim” onward.

Adding to the excitement is THE SPHERE! The unique Las Vegas structure has never hosted a live sporting event and certainly not cage fights. UFC CEO Dana White is burning through millions to make this a show to remember, but nobody really knows what a UFC event in the Sphere will look like. Even as details start to trickle out ahead of Saturday night, it’s hard to grasp fully what the promotion intends.

In the latest Contenders Series post-fight press conference, White revealed at least a couple more details en route to a major announcement. The prize is not yet fully confirmed, but White explained that the broadcast will feature many hidden Easter eggs, and that he would like to award an eagle-eyed fight fan able to spot them all a cool $ 25k.

White explained, “The fight will live inside this world, and the world will evolve while the fights are going on, but it will be very subtle. Clouds will move, fires will burn, birds will fly, whatever the hell is going on in that world at that time — it will slowly evolve during the fight. There are also going to be Easter eggs in each one of these films. We’re working it out with legal right now, but what I want do: if somebody can find all the Easter eggs, we’ll give you $ 25,000.”

Expect more details and further confirmation (or not) in the coming days.

Insomnia

Merab Dvalishvili is a statistical anomaly … and a general anomaly too.

Gregory Rodrigues is calling for a fight versus Paulo Costa, and I’m all for it! He deserves a step up, and Costa needs a step back.

Bantamweight scrambles are heading to UFC Vegas 100.

What’s the opening betting line for Bo Nickal vs. a chimpanzee?

Khamzat Chimaev trash talk will continue to ring hollow until he’s able to fight consistently.

Recruiting basketball players is one way to prepare for Alexander Volkov!

Jiri Prochazka perhaps keeping his hands a touch higher? I’m looking forward to the return of “BJP!”

Slips, rips, and KO clips

This is a pure Leon Edwards-style clinch elbow.

Body work sets up the overhand, a story as old as MMA.

The best time to spin remains immediately after a failed kick/while regaining stance.

Random Land

This breaks down to 462 pull ups per hour and just under eight per minute. Insane!

Midnight Music: Folk, 1972

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

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