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Magomed Ankalaev was announced to be returning at UFC 308 in October but the opponent had some left scratching their chins.

The 32-year old contender is ranked as the #2 in the division behind the former champion and the last man to challenge Alex Pereira for the light heavyweight title, Jiří Procházka.

Though he does have a no contest from his first fight with Johnny Walker and a draw against Jan Błachowicz, Ankalaev is undefeated since his UFC debut and has won ten in a row (excluding the two previously mentioned blemishes).

Following his win in a rematch with Walker earlier this year, many expected that Ankalaev would be next the title challenger after Jamahal Hill’s failed attempt to reclaim the belt at UFC 300.

Though it makes sense why Pereira would then instead be booked for a rematch with Procházka on late notice at UFC 303, Ankalaev would surely then be the next one up.

However, he is now set to face Aleksandar Rakić, who is coming off of a loss to Procházka, in Abu Dhabi.

Robert Whittaker Jokes That Magomed Ankalaev May Simply Not Be In The UFC’s Good Books

In a recent episode of his MMArcade Podcast, former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker gave his reaction to this fight being put together.

Whittaker, who will also feature on UFC 308 in a co-main event clash with Khamzat Chimaev over five rounds, was also surprised to see Ankalaev back in action against someone other than Pereira.

He laid out how there are two thought processes behind this fight with one being that “Poatan” has earned a rest and his number one contender would rather be active in the mean time.

Whittaker also laid out how this decision may have been made due to the relationship that Ankalaev currently has with the UFC, which has been rocky to say the least in recent years.

“Pereira deserves a break, he took that second fight with what’s his name and won it in outstanding fashion and then his toe was broken so he deserves a break. I guess I can look at it like… UFC really don’t like Ankalaev. Like when he fought against Błachowicz to that draw, they were just like cross his name out. They’re like yeah, like he didn’t have great rapport after that fight right. So that or it’s exactly as you said, Pereira needs some time out, Ankalaev doesn’t want to sit out forever. Or, bear with me here, they’re prepping him to fight Aspinall.”

Read also: ‘Predator Is On The Hunt’ – MMA Fans React To Confirmation Of Francis Ngannou’s PFL Debut, Renan Ferreira Clash

Continue Reading Whittaker On Pereira’s Next Title Defense: ‘UFC Really Don’t Like Ankalaev…’ at MMA News.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Francis Ngannou is adding to his Hollywood credentials.

This past Friday, Netflix released the director’s cut of its 2023 sci-fi epic film, Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire. The brainchild of director Zach Snyder, Rebel Moon tells the story of a ragtag group of adventurers combating an evil space empire, and much of part one of the series shows the protagonists gathering their party.

One such scene was to involve Ngannou in a speaking part, but it apparently hit the cutting room floor before the original version’s release. In this new cut, Ngannou has a more significant role.

Watch Ngannou’s cameo below.

Ngannou is initially mistaken for a general the heroes are searching for, but he informs them that the man they want, Titus (played by Djimon Hounsou), has fallen on hard times. His space gladiator character then tells them where Titus can be found.

This isn’t the first major movie role for the PFL star. Ngannou made his movie debut in 2021’s F9 (a film that grossed over $ 700 million worldwide), getting in the mix as a heavy that opposes the Fast and Furious crew during the film’s climactic close.

He also appeared in 2022’s Jackass Forever, where his prodigious punching power was used to hilarious effect by the infamous prank squad.

Ngannou most recently fought this past March in a high-profile boxing bout with British heavyweight star Anthony Joshua. Joshua defeated Ngannou via second-round knockout.

The former UFC champion has been on hiatus as he and his family mourn the tragic passing of his young son, Kobe. On Wednesday, PFL announced Ngannou is set to fight 2023 heavyweight tournament champion Renan Ferreira on Oct. 19.

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UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall considers himself the best heavyweight in the world.  MMA legend Jon Jones holds the heavyweight title, but has been inactive due to injury.  While Jones has been on the mend, Aspinall has been defeating Top 5 ranked fighters.  

Jones tore a pectoral muscle my training to face former two-time heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 this past November.  He capture the heavyweight championship by defeating Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 in March 2023, but hasn’t defended the belt.  Aspinall defended his interim title at UFC 304, taking out Curtis Blaydes in 60 seconds.

Aspinall earned a ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus for his quick win over Blaydes and plans to wait for a title fight.  UFC CEO Dana White believes the winner of the Jones and Miocic fight ‘owes’ Aspinall a title fight.    

“There’s not enough credit being given for this, what he did to Curtis Blaydes, the way that he did and how fast that he did it, there’s no doubt.  This guy is a scary dude,” White said in an interview with Kevin Iole.  “He looks like the future of the heavyweight division.

“He looks great, and he looks like he’s going to be the guy.  You have Stipe and Jon, who have paid their dues; they’ve been here forever.  They fought everybody.  They fought all the fights you could possibly fight.  These guys deserve to fight each other.  Whoever wins that fight, I think that they owe it to Aspinall to fight him to give him the opportunity that they’ve been given,” White continued.

“When you look at Jones and Stipe, they’ve beaten all the guys.  Right?  You’re either going to be the guy that cement your legacy forever, or you’re going to hand the torch off the way the torch was handed off to you guys by all the guys that came before you.”    

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Sarah Hildebrandt has been one of the United States’ most consistent women’s wrestlers for the past decade, but on Wednesday she finally broke through to capture an Olympic gold medal.

Following a heartbreaking loss in the semifinals in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo that ultimately led to her winning a bronze medal, Hildebrandt returned in 2024 with a renewed motivation to make it to the top of the podium. She realized that dream following a shutout 3-0 win over Yusneylis Guzman Lopez from Cuba to win her gold medal.

“I love this sport,” Hildebrandt said after the win. “It’s so much fun. I’m going to smile as much as I can. I think I did a great job of that this week.”

Known for her signature smile after matches, Hildebrandt’s exuberance after her victory was undeniable as she became the second member of the United States wrestling team to win gold after 20-year-old Amit Elor was the first on Tuesday at 68kg.

The championship run was a bit of a whirlwind for Hildebrandt starting on Wednesday morning after she got word that her original opponent Vinesh Vinesh from India failed to make weight, which disqualified her from the tournament. Per Olympic rules, Lopez was pulled back into the gold medal match because she lost to Vinesh in the semifinals.

In 2023 at the Pan-Am Championships, Hildebrandt dominated Guzman with a 10-0 victory, winning by technical superiority in less than two minutes.

This time around, Hildebrandt didn’t get quite the same lopsided win, but she brimmed with confidence as she shut down Guzman and scored the only takedown of the match early in the opening period. Hildebrandt’s third point came from a passivity call on Guzman after she failed to engage and the referee put her on the clock to score or face a penalty.

In the end, Hildebrandt got the win 3-0 and immediately celebrated with a raucous group of supporters in the crowd, many of whom traveled from her home state of Indiana to be with her in Paris.

Already one of the most decorated women’s wrestlers from the United States, Hildebrandt now owns an Olympic gold to go along with her bronze from 2020 and four medals in the World Championships.

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| BJPenn.com

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is holding a special pre-fight media day this afternoon (Weds., Aug. 7, 2024) for the upcoming UFC Vegas 95: “Tybura vs. Spivac 2” mixed martial arts (MMA) event on ESPN and ESPN+, scheduled for this Sat. night (Aug. 10) inside the promotion’s APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The LIVE video stream gets underway promptly at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Fighters scheduled to appear include:

2:30 p.m.: Chepe Mariscal available
2:45 p.m.: Quang Le available
3:00 p.m.: Serghei Spivac available
3:30 p.m.: Chris Gutierrez available
3:45 p.m.: Marcin Tybura available
4:00 p.m.: Damon Jackson available
4:15 p.m.: Danny Barlow available
4:30 p.m.: Nikolay Veretennikov available

Note: Times and availability subject to change.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 95 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN/ESPN+ preliminary card matchups, which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining main card balance (also on ESPN/ESPN+) at 7 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 95 news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archives here and here. For the updated and finalized “Tybura vs. Spivac 2” fight card and ESPN/ESPN+ lineup click here.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Terence Crawford was the heavier fighter this past Saturday despite moving up in weight to challenge now-former WBA super welterweight champion Israil Madrimov.

The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) released the event’s fight night weight report to MMA Fighting, which tracks the gains athletes make prior to stepping in the cage.

Crawford weighed in at 169.8 pounds on fight night after initially stepping on the scale at 153.4 pounds for his super welterweight championship bout with Madrimov. Crawford ultimately won the bout via unanimous decision, giving him his fourth divisional title after previously capturing belts at welterweight, junior welterweight, and lightweight. Crawford’s 16.4 pound gain represented one of the largest increases among the 16 fighters who competed on the Aug. 3 card and even surpassed Madrimov, whose jump from 154 pounds at weigh-ins to 168.6 on fight night represented at 14.6 pound gain.

The biggest weight gain of the event belonged to Steve Nelson, who shot from 167.6 pounds to 193 — a 25.4 pound gain — for his super middleweight contest against Marcos Ramon Vazquez, which Nelson won via fifth-round knockout on the preliminary card.

The complete list of Crawford vs. Madrimov’s fight night weights can be seen below.

• Terence Crawford (153.4 to 169.8, 16.4 pound gain)
• Israil Madrimov (154 to 168.6, 14.6 pound gain)
• Jose Valenzuela (139.8 to 150.2, 10.4 pound gain)
• Isaac Cruz (140 to 156, 16 pound gain)
• Andy Ruiz (274.4 to 275.4, 1 pound gain)
• Jarrell Miller (305.6 to 312, 6.4 pound gain)
• Martin Bakole (284.4 to 288, 3.6 pound gain)
• Jared Anderson (252.4 to 252.4, 0 pound gain)
• David Morrell (174.8 to 190, 15.2 pound gain)
• Radivoje Kalajdzic (174.4 to 191.6, 17.2 pound gain)
• Andy Cruz (134 to 144.8, 10.8 pound gain)
• Antonio Moran (134.8 to 152.2, 17.4 pound gain)
• Steve Nelson (167.6 to 193, 25.4 pound gain)
• Marcos Ramon Vazquez (167.6 to 180.8, 13.2 pound gain)
• Ziyad Almaayouf (144 to 154.2, 10.2 pound gain)
• Michal Bulik (142.4 to 151.6, 9.2 pound gain)

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