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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

While Paddy Pimblett revealed he’s about to compete in the final fight of his UFC deal, lead play-by-play commentator Jon Anik is quite confident Pimblett’s long-term fighting future is inside the octagon.

Pimblett will face King Green in the featured bout of UFC 304 this Saturday in Manchester, England. “The Baddy” entering free agency with a win against a top-15 fighter in the sport’s toughest division would give him some leverage. Anik sees Pimblett re-signing with the organization, and wouldn’t be surprised if he does so before making the walk this weekend.

“I don’t know if it’s something we should lean all that heavily into,” Anik told MMA Fighting. “I think the business that Patty Pimblett is trying to accomplish as a mixed martial arts athlete is going to happen in the UFC.

“So I’m pretty confident that they can strike a deal, and maybe they would even do something before the fight with King Green on July 27.”

Pimblett is 5-0 competing for the UFC, but Green — who dominated Jim Miller via unanimous decision at UFC 300 in April — will certainly be the toughest test of his career to date.

While Pimblett has a lot of detractors, Anik certainly isn’t one of them, as he has seen Pimblett’s hunger for knowledge, and overall improvement.

“I just believe in him — maybe more than some of the MMA masses do — I believe in his appetite for improvement,” Anik explained. “I do think as he gets older, I think there will be a greater commitment and maturity that’s only going to unleash an even greater beast. He’s got a lot of athletic gifts, he’s got a lot of power, he is a very good grappler, and he’s a big game player.

“I think that the Jared Gordon fight and other appearances maybe have him in an underrated capacity right now relative to his skills because the style points haven’t always been there, relative to the hype. But I can’t wait to see what he does against King Green — who looked so fast against Jim Miller. Take it from my broadcast partners: We were wowed at UFC 300. So I think it’s going to be an interesting matchup, and I hope Paddy Pimblett’s future, long term, is in the UFC.”

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Last fight
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Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Manel Kape vs. Muhammad Mokaev is one of the most important fights on the UFC 304 card. Outside of the two title fights that top the event, it might be the most relevant bout to its division’s title picture. Ranked at No. 8 and No. 6 in the world respectively, the winner may receive the next shot at divisional kingpin Alexandre Pantoja.

So what’s it doing on the earliest portion of the preliminary card?

Kape vs. Mokaev wasn’t always located on the “Prelims.” Just a week ago, it was expected to be part of the main pay-per-view (PPV) showcase. Then, it was announced during the UFC Vegas 94 broadcast that the bout was moved to the “Prelim” headliner spot, a position that still draws a lot of eyes. Now, it’s fallen down all the way to the early “Prelims” per UFC and ESPN websites.

Why?

Fans online are trying to figure that out, and there’s a lot of theories and reactions going about. Most of them revolve around Kape, who has missed weight and been forced to withdraw due to injury in the last year. If something is wrong with “Starboy” and he’s iffy for Saturday night, maybe that explains the bout relocation. The alternative theory is maybe the bout’s location was affected by the wonky time slot, which will punish local fans and athletes alike by forcing them to endure an extremely late Saturday night until early Sunday morning event

Either way, check out some of the online reaction below:

This is the most important non-title fight on the entire card. Something is going on here

People still think Kape is gonna make weight? He’s way too big for flyweight

They know that Kape is gonna pull out, and Mokaev is gonna end up facing some unknown guy on like 2 days’ notice

Exactly this is insane. There has to be something going on

Makes sense to move it to a watchable time for UK people I guess. No need for it to be at like 5am.

Has to have something to do with ratings. They probably wanna bring more eyes to the early prelim card.

They’re trying to pump up the early card. Remember this is going to be after midnight in Manchester.

[Manel Kape] on the early prelims? Wtf how is that possible that’s the best fight on the card I’m sick

At the moment, Christian Leeroy Duncan vs. Gregory Rodrigues — certainly a fun fight in its own right — is listed as the replacement bout on the main PPV card. Stay tuned for any further updates!

Insomnia

Nursulton Ruziboev just got outwrestled by Joaquin Buckley so they’re putting him against Rinat Fakhretdinov? Tough one.

I don’t really believe it happens this weekend, but I would love to see what happens if Aspinall is forced into the third round.

UFC 304 gets a bit of the magical treatment.

Canelo better watch out, because quick hands Belal is on the rise.

Paddy Pimblett and Leon Edwards aren’t the only fighters getting special shorts this weekend.

This is a good way to avoid getting kicked.

Heartbreaking words from Francis Ngannou.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Taking the 2 to the body from an open stance engagement:

This is a textbook cross counter (overhand over the jab). It reminds me of Korean Zombie vs. Renato Moicano!

Kano got caught ducking into the lead hand uppercut.

Random Land

I’ve seen a bunch of cool Olympics clips in the last few days, and this is as impressive as any of ‘em.

Midnight Music: Alt. rock, 1994

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

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

A frustrating foul that cost Jon Jones the only loss on his record and the definition surrounding a “downed fighter” have been changed following a vote by the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC).

On Tuesday, the ABC approved a couple of key rules changes that will go into effect starting Nov. 1, although each individual athletic commission still needs to adopt the rules before fighters see the difference in the cage or ring.

ABC president Mike Mazzulli confirmed the changes when speaking to MMA Fighting on Tuesday following an initial report from Ariel Helwani on Twitter.

The first rule change involved the 12-to-6 elbow, which basically means a fighter bringing their arm up straight and straight down to land an elbow on an opponent. In the past that exact move was illegal, which is what led to Jones’ fight against Matt Hamill being stopped back in 2009 after he landed several of those elbows in succession.

When Hamill couldn’t continue because of the damage done, the referee disqualified Jones for the illegal blows, which still stands as the only loss on his otherwise unblemished resume.

A huge part of the confusion surrounding the 12-to-6 elbow was that throwing that same strike at any angle other than directly up and down was considered legal. Many times it was effectively a judgment call by the referee on whether or not a fighter threw a 12-to-6 elbow or the strike was thrown at an angle other than directly up and down.

Now that problem won’t exist.

It wasn’t long after the rule changes were announced that Jones took to Instagram to react to the news.

“Undefeated then, undefeated now,” Jones wrote. “Dana White, we gotta get that loss out of the history books.”

Meanwhile, the definition for a “downed fighter” has also been changed when it comes to kicks or knees being thrown to the head of an opponent. The new rule specifically states:

“A fighter shall be considered grounded and may not be legally kneed or kicked to the head when any part of their body other than their hands or feet is in contact with the canvas (ground).”

Under the old version of the rule, a fighter had to have at least one hand down and then any other body part must also be touching the floor — so technically it could be two hands touching the canvas — and then that was considered a downed opponent so no kicks or knees could be thrown to the head.

Based on the new rule, a fighter must have some body part on the canvas other than their hands or feet — a knee, elbow, etc — to be considered downed. Otherwise, knees and kicks to the head are legal.

The rules changes were voted on and approved by a committee that includes California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster, Nevada Athletic Commission executive director Jeff Mullen and officials such as Marc Goddard, Herb Dean and John McCarthy.

While the rules were approved on Tuesday, the actual changes won’t go into effect until Nov. 1 so fighters and referees have a chance to adopt to the new standard along with proper training for officials. As previously stated, the various athletic commissions also have to vote to adopt the new rules before any changes happen during the fights.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Paddy Pimblett thinks Jon Jones’ insistence on fighting Stipe Miocic is nothing but a big “f*ck you” to his greatest rival.

Stepping back inside the Octagon for the first time since scoring a win over Tony Ferguson in December, ‘The Baddy’ will meet No. 15 ranked lightweight contender King Green when the UFC descends upon Co-op Live in Manchester for its latest pay-per-view offering on July 27.

It will be Pimblett’s first time competing as an underdog under the UFC banner, sitting at +160 on DraftKings, meaning that a $ 100 bet on Pimblett could net you a $ 160 payout, should ‘The Baddy’ defy the odds and earn another big win on MMA’s biggest stage. Maximize your payout and take advantage of some sweet bonus bet offers by heading over to AceOdds.com ahead of the festivities on Saturday night.

Ahead of his sixth promotional appearance, Pimblett spoke with Tim Wheaton in an exclusive interview to discuss all things UFC — including the chaotic state of the heavyweight division and its undisputed champion, Jon Jones. Interview conducted on behalf of AceOdds.

During their conversation, Pimblett praised ‘Bones’ legacy and recalled watching the two-division titleholder’s domination as a 15-year-old boy in Liverpool dreaming of one day walking that same path.

“He’s the greatest of all time. He’s never lost a fight. I’ll never forget, I watched when he beat Matt Hamill, and it got classed as a DQ,” Pimblett said. “I watched that fight live when I was 15. I watched that live and I’ve been watching Jon Jones my whole career.

“He’s had a couple of close fights that people thought he lost, but he’s the greatest of all time. No one comes near his resume.

After dispatching a slew of MMA legends at 205, Jon Jones made the move heavyweight following a three-year-long layoff and quickly submitted the division’s top contender, Ciryl Gane, at UFC 285 in May 2023 to take home the vacant heavyweight title.

Paddy Pimblett believes Jones beating Miocic is just another way for ‘Bones’ to torment Daniel Cormier

Immediately following the fight, Jones set his sights on Stipe Miocic, the only two-time heavyweight champion in UFC history and the man considered by many to be the division’s undisputed GOAT.

With Jones and Miocic touted as the best light heavyweight and heavyweight fighters of all time, a superfight between the two certainly makes sense — particularly for ‘Bones’ who is hellbent on solidifying his legacy as the best to ever do it.

However, Pimblett believes Jones’ desire to fight Miocic is a bit deeper and much more petty than that.

“I know why he wants to fight Stipe, because Stipe beat Cormier, twice and his hatred for Cormier,” Pimblett said. “He wants to have that win over Stipe who’s beaten Cormier twice, just so it’s another f*ck you to Cormier. That’s how his brain works. I don’t think he’s scared to fight Tom. I don’t think he is at all. I think to be honest, it’s crazy that Tom’s defending an interim title. Most of the champs would have been stripped, but we’re talking about Jon Jones here, the greatest fighter of all time.

“I don’t think he’s scared to fight anyone. Tom could be his biggest test out there. I think Tom’s going to win at UFC 304 against Blaydes. I’d love Tom to win. Then I’d love Jones to beat Stipe and then to fight each other early next year. That’s the scenario that I think every UFC fan wants.”

Before losing his last two UFC fights against Stipe Miocic in a trio of entertaining heavyweight title scraps, Daniel Cormier came up short on two separate occasions against Jon Jones — though one was later overturned to a no-contest.

The rivalry between Cormier and Jones was one of the most fierce in UFC history with ‘DC’ taking exception to Jones’ brash attitude and continuous run-ins with the law. Even today, the animosity is ever present despite their best efforts to remain cordial in front of the camera.

Could that be Jones’ real reason for wanting to fight Miocic? Probably not, but even ‘Bones’ can’t deny that defeating the man who beat Cormier twice would be a pretty big middle finger to ‘DC.’

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

On the second episode of UFC 304 Embedded, Belal Muhammad travels to England from Chicago, Leon Edwards does media, Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann get in a training session, Tom Aspinall gives the ideal post-fight cheat day, King Green explores the Manchester cuisine, and more.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts