CombatSports.org

Even Better
| BJPenn.com

UFC

With the minor exception of UFC CEO Dana White, it feels like most people are tired of Jon Jones’ s—t.

Last year, “Bones” tore his pec and was forced to withdraw from an already unnecessary title fight versus Stipe Miocic. Injuries happen, even to the best, so there’s no shame there. Chasing a big money fight — in this case, framed as a “legacy fight,” a term which didn’t exist until now — is annoying, but it’s hardly new behavior from UFC champions. We roll our eyes at Michael Bisping chasing a Dan Henderson rematch or Colby Covington’s third undeserved title shot, but that’s part of the sports-entertainment business.

Blatant ducking is not, and it’s hard to describe what Jon Jones is doing in regards to Tom Aspinall as anything else. Aspinall is the most exciting Heavyweight contender since Francis Ngannou burst onto the scene (Jones kind of ducked him too, but it’s more complicated), and he’s proven himself great every step of the way. A well-rounded Heavyweight in his prime with real deal knockout power, Aspinall is EXACTLY the type of fighter that fans wanted to see Jones face once he finally left 205-pounds.

Aspinall has a strong argument as the best Heavyweight in the world right now. Certainly, he has a better argument that Jones. I’m not going to talk bad about Ciryl Gane, as that was a legitimately excellent victory for “Bones” and made him a worthy champion back in March 2023. You are not going to convince me that any single win, however, is greater than Aspinall’s impressive body of work, filled to the brim with brutal and quick stoppages.

Jones is utterly dismissive of Aspinall’s case, and it’s infuriating. It’s bold-faced ducking. Retiring at the top would totally be acceptable, but now Jones is talking about Alex Pereira instead of Aspinall? It’s genuinely gross.

Honestly, my original intent for this article was to write a full-on incendiary hit piece on Jon Jones. That’s far from my go-to style, but Jones is a bad person and ducking is a deadly sin in combat sports, so why not? The only thing holding me back is actually just how troll-like and unlikable Jones is acting in the recent Kevin Iole interview.

There are two possible conclusions watching the interview: Jones is delusional in his dismissal of what fans want and what Aspinall has achieved, or “Bones” is negotiating. He’s at the end of his career, and he wants a massive paycheck. If that’s the case, what better way to drive up demand than aggravate the entire fan base and get them barking for an Aspinall match up?

If that’s the plan, it’s a good one. Assuming Jones beats up the aged Miocic as most everyone expects, a brief retirement — or even just a hinted one — could really turn Jones vs. Aspinall from a highly anticipated title fight to one of the biggest pay-per-views (PPVs) headliners of the last half-decade.

That’s not to say the game Jones is (possibly) playing is without risk. Beyond all else, Jones is a man obsessed with his legacy. It is so clearly precious to him. The man is highly sensitive to perceived slights, real or usually imagined. Even after 14 years of dominance, he’s talking about doubters like there are any left. At no point did you ever hear Georges St. Pierre, Fedor Emelianenko, or Anderson Silva barking nonstop about the pound-for-pound rankings. Making his insecurity even more absurd is the simple fact that Jones probably does have the best argument for all-time greatest … assuming you’re willing to overlook some spicy drug tests, at least.

Regardless, it’s very clear that Jones’ legacy is of the utmost importance with him. If he continues to duck Aspinall while make outlandish statements about him then doesn’t actually fight him, that’s an absolute black mark on his legacy. It’s something people will remember, an easy counter argument to anyone who says Jon Jones is the best fighter of all the time.

If that’s the case, why was he scared of Tommy Aspinall?

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 309 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPNews at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 309: “Jones vs. Miocic” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

MMAmania.com – All Posts

submitted by /u/dom242324 [link] [comments]

MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

submitted by /u/rmma
[link] [comments]
MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

submitted by /u/dom242324 [link] [comments]

MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

It’s safe to say Reinier de Ridder is happier now that he’s found a home in the UFC.

Despite claiming titles in two different weight classes in ONE Championship, “The Dutch Knight” endured a contentious split with his former employers and he doesn’t have much nice to say about them now. While he’s largely avoided the subject since leaving ONE and signing with the UFC, de Ridder finally addressed the Singapore based promotion by sending a harsh warning to any fighters who are considering going there.

“This is something I feel I have to do for other fighters — if you’re thinking of signing with ONE Championship, don’t,” de Ridder said at the UFC Vegas 100 post-fight press conference. “It’s that simple. You should not. There’s nothing there. There’s no fights. You’re just wrong if you do this, if you sign there, this is a bad mistake.”

The former light heavyweight and middleweight champion didn’t get into many details about his disdain towards ONE but at least one major problem came down to activity.

Following three fights in 2022, de Ridder didn’t compete at all during 2023 outside of a grappling match against Tye Ruotolo. He finally returned to action in early 2024 but a loss to Anatoly Malykhin marked the end of his run with ONE Championship before de Ridder competed a single time in UAE Warriors prior to signing with the UFC.

“It’s been a bad couple of years,” de Ridder said. “The stress I’ve been put through. The stress my family’s been put through. To even just get fights, it hasn’t been nice. It’s hard for me to talk bad because I had a couple of good years at ONE as well. In the beginning, they treated me well. Over the past couple of years, it’s been really bad.”

If there was one aspect about ONE Championship that he missed, de Ridder admitted the post-fight celebrations where glitter falls from the ceiling to end a show was a nice touch but that sounds like the only thing he’s not getting compared to his new home in the UFC.

“[I miss it] a bit yeah,” de Ridder said about the colorful post-fight celebrations. “It would have been nice, it looks cool. But everything else [in ONE Championship] is shit.”

While the ill feelings towards ONE clearly still exist, de Ridder has moved on with his career, especially after he tapped out all-time submissions leader Gerald Meerschart in the third round at UFC Vegas 100.

Taking on another grappler and a fighter he’s trained with in the past gave de Ridder some new obstacles to overcome but the end result is what matters most.

“On the floor, I made a few mistakes, especially in the second round,” de Ridder explained. “I shouldn’t have went for those [D’arce chokes], I thought I had them but they weren’t there. There’s a few little tweaks I should make there.

“But I’m happy it happened this way, the fight happened this way. Because normally he’s the guy who lasts longer, he takes some shots and he’s still there and he finishes guys at the end of the second or in the third round. So it’s cool I was that guy this time.”

With the win, de Ridder immediately becomes a name to watch in the middleweight division but he’s obviously not trying to take things slow and easy now that he’s in the UFC.

When asked about potential opponents, de Ridder didn’t blink when calling for a showdown against arguably the 185-pound boogeyman.

“Why not Khamzat [Chimaev]?” de Ridder said. “That would be a nice matchup, grappling wise, it would be cool.”’

Whether it’s Khamzat Chimaev or somebody else, de Ridder is just happy to keep his calendar full thanks to the UFC.

“Whatever the UFC wants of me, I’ll do it,” de Ridder said. “Just give me a call. I’m ready.”

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Belong
| BJPenn.com

The Nurmagomedov dynasty continues.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion, Eagle FC, held its first show since Nov. 2023 yesterday (Sat., Nov. 9, 2024) in Yakutia, Russia. On the main card of Eagle FC 55, Muhammad Ali Nurmagomedov, Khabib’s cousin, made his MMA pro debut against Shokhdzhakhon Akhunov, lasting less than two minutes.

Nurmagomedov dropped Akhunov with a looping right hand and then jumped on him, dropping ground and pound. After a few seconds, Nurmagomedov mounted Akhunov, took his back, locked up a rear-naked choke, and eventually forced a tap.

Watch the clip below:

Muhammad Ali is the last cousin from the Nurmagomedov clan to make a mark on MMA – joining Umar Nurmagomedov, Usman Nurmagomedov, and Abubakar Nurmagomedov. Sharing the name with an iconic boxer means he has much to live up to … just kidding.

Muhammad Ali is 23 years old and currently fights at Bantamweight. He went 2-0 as an amateur in 2018 before turning pro yesterday.

For more international MMA news and notes click here.

MMAmania.com – All Posts

submitted by /u/dom242324 [link] [comments]

MMA: Mixed Martial Arts