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The U.S. Presidential elections are underway, giving UFC legend Chael Sonnen a chance to discuss fighters who could make good presidential candidates. From Khabib Nurmagomedov to Daniel Cormier, he had several names in mind but ultimately chose Brian Stan.

Sonnen also talked about what he would change in the UFC if he were the President of the United States. The former UFC title challenger demanded stringent laws around fighters missing weight, though he clarified that his wish is unlikely to be fulfilled in the real world.

“The American Gangster” admitted that MMA is risky, and fighters are prone to injuries and other complications while training. When a UFC fighter misses weight, they are required to forfeit 20-30% of their purse to their opponent and are eligible for any bonuses, or the fight is canceled.

Sonnen wants to amend the current system to penalize fighters for pulling out of fights and suggests rankings should be affected by such developments. He remembered watching wrestlers get their hands raised in the absence of an opponent and expects the UFC to recognize a forfeit similarly.

The retired MMA fighter also drew parallels to other sports such as basketball, boxing, tennis, golf, and football where not showing up is considered a loss. He reiterated that this is a purely practical approach which would seem harsh for fighters compelled to pull out of upcoming bouts because of factors out of their control.

Here’s what Sonnen stated in a recent video on his official YouTube channel:

“Serena never did that, Mayweather never did that, Tiger Woods never did that. These guys are wimps, or they’re supposed to be, but they show up at an agreed-upon time and fighters don’t. And there should be a penalty, and you should pay for that. And it shouldn’t be done with heart. I understand we want to show people grace, and we want to lift them, right?” He continued, “A lot of times, these fights are missed due to illness or injury, that’s very tough stuff. In fact, there’s nothing more tough than that, that’s his health. It can’t be done that way, it can’t be done with heart. Because it is completely about who can get there on the agreed-upon date.”

Sonnen argued that athletes are expected to be at their best at a predetermined time and date. So, a forfeit should carry strict consequences. With Belal Muhammad unable to fight at UFC 310 due to a toe injury, the UFC Hall of Famer’s take on forfeits can certainly spark a debate among fans.

• Read More: Ilia Topuria Reveals The One Thing That Surprised him About Max Holloway Fight

Continue Reading Chael Sonnen Reveals UFC Rule He Would Change As U.S. President: ‘Mayweather Never Did That…’ at MMA News.

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The full UFC Tampa card is now official.

On Tuesday the UFC officially revealed the full lineup for the final show of 2024 which takes place on Dec. 14 at Amalie Arena.

In the main event, undefeated Irish superstar Ian Machado Garry takes on the surging Joaquin Buckley in a welterweight scrap that could determine the next title challenger at 170 pounds. Both Garry and Buckley threw their names in the hat to serve as replacement opponents against Shavkat Rakhmonov for UFC 310 the weekend prior to UFC Tampa, but instead were booked against each other in this main event.

The co-main event features a top-10 strawweight battle as multiple time BJJ world champion Mackenzie Dern faces off with Amanda Ribas in a rematch of their 2019 matchup that Ribas won via unanimous decision.

A ranked men’s flyweight matchup will also be on the card as Manel Kape takes on Bruno Silva as Kape looks to rebound from his July loss to Muhammad Mokaev, while Silva hopes to move up the rankings by adding on to his four fight win streak.

The complete UFC Tampa fight card can be seen below.

• Ian Machado Garry (15-0) vs. Joaquin Buckley (20-6)
• Mackenzie Dern (14-5) vs. Amanda Ribas (12-5)
• Cub Swanson (29-14) vs. Billy Quarantillo (18-6)
• Tracey Cortez (11-2) vs. Miranda Maverick (16-5)
• Michael Johnson (23-19) vs. Ottman Azaitar (13-2)
• Manel Kape (19-7) vs. Bruno Silva (14-5-2, 1 NC)
• Joel Alvarez (21-3) vs. Drakkar Klose (15-2-1)
• Adrian Yanez (17-5) vs. Daniel Marcos (16-0, 1 NC)
• Davey Grant (15-7) vs. Ramon Taveras (10-2)
• Josefine Knutsson (8-0) vs. Piera Rodriguez (9-2)
• Navajo Sterling (5-0) vs. Tuco Tokkos (10-4)
• Sean Woodson (12-1-1) vs. Fernando Padilla (16-5)

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RIZIN Fighting Federation will close the year with a highly anticipated featherweight title rematch between champion Chihiro Suzuki and former titleholder Kleber Koike, the company announced Tuesday.

RIZIN DECADE will take place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on Dec. 31, and air live through its own pay-per-view platform. Suzuki vs. Koike will serve as the main event.

Koike (33-7-1, 1 no contest) was the 145-pound champion when he first scheduled to face Suzuki inside the ring in June of 2023, but lost the title on the scale after missing weight. Per RIZIN rules, an overweight fighter can’t win a bout, so his first-round submission victory over Suzuki was automatically overturned to a no-contest.

The Brazilian veteran, a former KSW champion as well, won his past two with first-round finishes over Yutaka Saito and Juan Archuleta to earn a crack at the belt that now belongs to Suzuki.

Suzuki (13-3, 1 no contest) won three in a row since his match with Koike, scoring a huge upset against Bellator champion Patricio Pitbull before claiming RIZIN gold with a quick knockout over Vugar Karamov. Suzuki last defended his belt with a first-round knockout against veteran Masanori Kanehara.

The 25-year-old Japanese was expected to face Manny Pacquiao in a three-round boxing exhibition, but was later replaced by kickboxing veteran Rukiya Anpo. The bout ended in a draw.

RIZIN has yet to announce other match-ups for the card, but MMA Fighting has learned that undefeated welterweight Igor Tanabe is expected to be part of the card. The 5-0 grappler was scheduled to face Marcos Yoshio de Souza at RIZIN Landmark 10 on Nov. 17, but Souza was forced of the match due to an injury.

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“Kung Fu Kid” has a message for “Tarzan.”

We all know by now that Sean Strickland does not have a filter when he speaks and makes off-the-wall comments, usually every week, about race, religion, politics, or the world in general.

A couple of months ago, Strickland made some remarks about Chinese people while being interviewed by reporter Helen Yee, and just recently, top Chinese Bantamweight contender Song Yadong took umbrage at Strickland’s comment.

“Last time I saw your interview with Sean, I heard him say a lot of negativity about Chinese people,” Yadong told Yee. “However, I don’t think he’s ever been to China before, yet he believes Chinese people are a certain way. Since he’s talking his way, he’s no different than toxic fans. I believe this is discrimination towards Chinese people. I really respect him as a fighter but, what he’s saying is not good. If he’s willing to, I can show him around China because there’s good and bad in every country.”

This wasn’t the first time the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight had criticized Strickland. He pushed back about his thoughts about “China’s biggest exports being plastic and COVID.”

“Hey champ, I respect your skills as a fighter, but we should be talking facts, not baseless stereotypes. As athletes, we ought to focus on what we know best and avoid making unfounded comments. Let’s set a good example, alright?”

Both were very classy responses from a classy fighter in Yadong. Maybe “Tarzan” should take Yadong’s offer of going to China seriously.

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Maybe the third time could be the charm for Tracy Cortez and Miranda Maverick.

Just over a month away from the upcoming UFC Tampa card on Dec. 14, Cortez has been forced out of her scheduled fight against Maverick. It’s the second time the fight was scheduled and then scrapped with Cortez being pulled from the previous matchup when she got a short notice opportunity to face Rose Namajunas at the UFC Denver card in July.

This time around Cortez pulled out of the fight with an undisclosed injury with multiple people close to the situation confirming the news to MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck on Tuesday. MMA Junkie initially reported the change to the fight.

With Cortez out, the search is underway to find an opponent for Maverick but a new fight hasn’t been determined yet.

Maverick is looking to build on a three-fight win streak after scoring victories over Dione Barbosa, Andrea Lee and Priscila Cachoeira in consecutive appearances.

Unfortunately she’ll now have to shift her attention to a new opponent with Cortez unable to compete at the upcoming card in Tampa, which serves as the final UFC event for 2024.

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