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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Bellator champion Usman Nurmagomedov continues to stake his own claim as one of MMA’s best lightweights, but even he touts teammate Islam Makhachev as the king of the division.

Ahead of his return at Bellator San Diego on Saturday, Nurmagomedov actually put himself No. 2 when asked where he sits among the best 155-pound fighters on the planet. The undefeated 26-year-old knows he still has work to do when it comes to defining his own title reign, which continues with his looming defense against Alexandr Shabliy.

Makhachev—No. 1 on MMA Fighting’s Pound-for-Pound list—has been running roughshod over his UFC competition, rattling off 14 straight wins and three consecutive title defenses, so Nurmagomedov has no problem deferring to his longtime friend and training partner.

“Because Islam is No. 1,” Nurmagomedov told MMA Fighting when asked why he puts Makhachev ahead of himself. “Just look at him. This is pound-for-pound No. 1 king. It’s true.”

That final statement about Makhachev’s standing as the top pound-for-pound fighter shouldn’t come as a surprise given the run he’s on lately, but it’s safe to say UFC CEO Dana White would disagree.

White has spent months touting Jon Jones as MMA’s best pound-for-pound fighter and even went as far as releasing a promo video on Tuesday specifically to praise the long list of accomplishments that belong to the reigning UFC heavyweight champion.

For his part, Nurmagomedov certainly isn’t going to dispute Jones’ greatness but he still feels like Makhachev deserves recognition in the pound-for-pound rankings right now.

“For this time, now, Islam is No. 1 for sure,” Nurmagomedov said. “But of course Jon Jones, this is a legend. Nobody is saying he’s not a legend. Jon Jones is a legend. I grew up watching his fights. I love his style. I love his mentality. This guy is tough. But of course you’re talking about this time, you’re not talking about the past.

“We’re talking about now, and for me, people have different opinions. Dana White has his opinion, you have your opinion. This is good. This is not something bad.”

Makhachev has been a huge part of Nurmagomedov’s own evolution as a fighter, which has served as a tremendous help as he readies for Shabliy this weekend.

While he doesn’t discount the danger that Shabliy represents, Nurmagomedov can’t imagine he’s going to face anything like he does going up against Makhachev in the gym.

“Islam is a different level,” Nurmagomedov said. “He’s very tough. When you work with Islam and when you feel how you work with him, what you can do, what you cannot do, you understand in your mind this guy is No. 1 in the world. Nobody can beat him. No one.

“You give him good rounds, sometimes good, I think this makes me and other guys that train with Islam mentally strong. I don’t think Shabliy can give me some rounds better than Islam gives me. I don’t think he can push me like Islam pushes me.”

If Makhachev’s presence wasn’t enough to swing the pendulum in his favor, Nurmagomedov landed another bonus with his cousin and UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov also returning to coach him full-time after taking a brief break from MMA to focus on his family and other businesses.

Usman confirmed Khabib will corner him against Shabliy on Saturday, and that his return has been a welcome addition to the team, not just for Usman, but also for Makhachev, his brother Umar Nurmagomedov, and everybody else associated with them.

“I would say that Khabib is the greatest person in MMA in general,” Nurmagomedov said. “When you’re talking about whether it’s being an athlete himself as a fighter, because he had the best opponents out there, he’s done an amazing defending his title. Also, he trained with Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, that’s his father, who was an amazing trainer. He trained a lot of guys, including myself, and obviously Khabib was doing the training. So now he’s staying as a trainer himself.

“Combining all of his experience together as a coach, as a fighter, working with his father, and just the amount of experience that he gathered is just tremendous. Nobody has it in the MMA world in general. There are coaches, there are fighters, but he combines everything. Having him in the corner, that’s a big support, and you feel that influence and overall he’s very valuable and most important member of our team.”

It all adds up to Nurmagomedov expecting another shutout performance and he doesn’t give Shabliy much chance to pull off the upset.

“I’m ready,” Nurmagomedov said. “This is only what I can say. Sometimes a lucky punch [can happen], but if not, these things, this guy never can beat me. Not only him, nobody can beat me.”

MMA Fighting – All Posts

ONE Championship is back for its second event in the United States this week, and MMA News has you covered with all the action! In May 2023, the organization presented ONE Fight Night 10 from the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. The event marked its on-site debut in the United States, and ONE Championship brought a stacked card […]

Continue Reading ONE 168: Jonathan Haggerty vs. Superlek Results & Highlights (8 PM ET) at MMA News.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Better fighter
| BJPenn.com

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

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Decorated jiu-jitsu fighter and Heavyweight MMA prospect Marcus Almeida (4-1) has a problem with One Championship.

Better known as “Buchecha,” is a multiple-time world champion in Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) and the gi worlds. He’s one of the most accomplished Heavyweight grapplers of the last 20 years, and there was a fair amount of hype behind him when he signed with One Championship to begin his MMA career. Almeida won his first four bouts before coming up short to Senegalese wrestler Reug Reug in a hilarious fight.

The battle with Reug Reug went down August 2023, and Almeida hasn’t fought since then. Earlier on Thursday, Almeida posted to social media to complain about the unwanted layoff. According to “Buchecha,” he’s been asking for a fight but has been sidelined so long that people are asking if he’s retired.

“A lot of people are asking me lately if I retired,” he began. “The answer is of course not, the reason I’m not fighting it’s not my choice, I’ve been out waiting for a fight for almost one year but I don’t have luck getting a fight, that’s the reason I’m away from cage or the mats. The right question you should ask me is when I’m fighting again? But right now I’m asking to some people the same thing, to be more precise 13 months. It’s been 13 months of waiting, to be in a situation like that it’s sucks, I don’t wish this to anybody! So if you want this answer, you know who to ask and tag! [One Championship]”

Unfortunately, Buchecha is not alone in having problems with One. The promotion has shifted away from MMA, holding more and more Muay Thai fights. Many theorize that it’s an attempt to keep costs down to improve financial numbers for their next round of fundraising. It’s not just cage fighters either. Pound-for-pound kickboxing king, Chingiz Allazov, is actively feuding with the promotion online and recently announced his intent to fight elsewhere despite his contract with One.

At 34 years of age, Buchecha doesn’t have time to sit around forever. Hopefully, he’s booked sooner than later.

Insomnia

Nate Diaz finding himself in his quarterly street altercation. Stockton, 209, what?!?

Every Jessica Andrade fight is like 20% cool technique and 80% left hook-overhand-left hook combinations.

The next Fight Circus event in September 13, and Matt Brown will be doing … something?

Petr Yan calls out Deiveson Figureiredo, which is the most obvious must-watch fight-to-make in recent memory.

Francis Ngannou — who hired Mike Tyson to be his boxing coach for the Tyson Fury fight — believes Jake Paul is getting knocked out in November.

Yesterday’s cancelled bout between Ovince Saint Preux and Ryan Spann will be delayed by just a month.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

The referee watched Debana getting beaten lifeless without blinking or considering stopping the fight for quite a while.

Established the right straight then switched it up with an uppercut:

A classic bit of bare knuckle brutality.

Random Land

I don’t know who’s in the right or wrong here, but the jump-and-chop maneuver is a win.

Midnight Music: Imaginal Disk by Magdalena Bay is a new experimental pop record that’s taking the internet by storm, so I gave it a listen tonight. Some catchy songs!

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

MMAmania.com – All Posts

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Jeremy Stephens has a sordid history with Conor McGregor dating back to their infamous exchange ahead of UFC 205 in 2016, but they may get to settle their beef with no gloves on.

The incident that sparked the rivalry took place during a pre-fight press conference after McGregor was asked about the hardest fight available to him of the many athletes seated on the dais. Stephens immediately piped up and promised he was the toughest challenge as the hardest-hitting featherweight whose punches produced knockouts where “people don’t f*cking move.”

Always quick on the microphone, McGregor answered back, “Who the f*ck is that guy?” which was followed by a loud roar from the New York audience. Now almost eight years later, Stephens is about to make his second appearance as a bare-knuckle fighter at BKFC 65 on Friday, and McGregor is a co-owner after making a significant financial investment in the promotion.

It’s almost as if fate brought them back together again.

“I got a boss now in Conor McGregor, who is writing my checks,” Stephens told MMA Fighting. “I could potentially be fighting my own boss! There’s a lot of people out there who want that Conor fight, but if he was ever to come over to bare-knuckle, I’m on a hot streak, get the ball f*cking rolling. I would love to be that f*cking guy to welcome him to bare-knuckle.

“I don’t get tired. I can take a f*cking shot. I’ve been in the f*cking game. I would love to max out that opportunity and put myself into those opportunities. Day by day, brick by brick, it will come.”

As much as he enjoyed the war of words he shared with McGregor, which eventually escalated into some viral social media posts as well, Stephens actually gives credit to the former two-division UFC champion for believing in bare-knuckle boxing.

Since he became a co-owner in BKFC, McGregor has spread the word with social media posts sent out to his millions of followers and he’s even attended live events, which always brings more eyeballs because of his immeasurable influence and star power.

Rivalry aside, Stephens is happy McGregor got involved with BKFC at that level.

“Honestly, [I’m] grateful,” Stephens said. “Anything Conor touches turns to gold. A lot of eyes on Conor. Conor is the type of guy that would get into bare-knuckle. I believe it. He’s from the streets as well and I’m sure he’s been in some bare-knuckle [fights] before getting there. He believes in it. It takes a lot of psychotic skills. If we can sign up more guys like me, him, and I think bare-knuckle is big, big business.”

Of course, McGregor has often touted his interest in eventually competing in a bare-knuckle fight before his career is over. Right now, McGregor sits with two bout left on his current UFC contract and he’s still planning on an eventual showdown against Michael Chandler when he finally returns to action.

Whether it’s now or later, Stephens would love the chance to throw down with McGregor in the bare-knuckle ring to finally settle their unfinished business from 2016.

“Perfect story, but honestly credit to Conor and all that, but if he ever got in there with me, I’d break his f*cking neck,” Stephens said. “I’d get a big f*cking fat check that would just relieve all my anxiety that I get to go in there and plaster someone like him. In due time.

“My performances speak for themselves. I continue to get better. This is what f*cking 38 looks like. I’m not on f*cking drugs. I’m not out here breaking my bones or this and that. I’ve continued to stay healthy. I’ve continued to put myself into position. If that ever came, I’d break his f*cking neck and I’d put him out. Bare-knuckle would be the spot to do it.”

For his part, McGregor definitely seems open to the idea after touting the upcoming BKFC 65 card on Instagram, along with a friendly reminder about that press conference he shared with Stephens back in the day.

“In our co-main event also we have ‘who the f*ck is that guy’ facing off again against Bobby Taylor,” McGregor wrote. “Me and “who the f*ck” is an exciting bare knuckle fight down the line 100 percent.”

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Dricus Du Plessis became the first fighter to submit Israel Adesanya at UFC 305. Soon after, former kingpin Alex Pereira teased his return to the middleweight division. For any of this to become reality, “Poatan” naturally needs to beat Khalil Rountree at UFC 307 first. Fans and Dana White have acknowledged Pereira’s plans to move […]

Continue Reading Chael Sonnen Exposes Alex Pereira’s ‘Condescending Big Brother Play’ Against Israel Adesanya By Calling Out Dricus Du Plessis at MMA News.

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