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According to former two-division champion, Daniel Cormier, a fan “uprising” by the end of this month could force the UFC’s hand into a long-awaited fight between heavyweight stars, Jon Jones, and Tom Aspinall.

Later this month in Manchester, interim heavyweight champion, Aspinall returns to co-headline UFC 304, taking on perennial contender, Curtis Blaydes in a defense of his interim crown as the duo lock horns for a second time. 

And long-linked with a title unification fight against the previously mentioned, Jones, Atherton native, Aspinall will lay in wait for his chance to unify the belts, with the former expected to headline UFC 309 in November against the returning, Stipe Miocic in a rescheduled showdown at Madison Square Garden.

Tom Aspinall offered potential route to Jon Jones fight

Despite the fact the duo are on separate collision courses with altering foes, the above-mentioned, Cormier claims if Aspinall manages to land a stunning victory over Blaydes at UFC 304, an uprising from fans could force the hand of the UFC to book him against Jones.

“Could you imagine if Tom Aspinall just washes out Curtis Blaydes,” Daniel Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “Then the firestorm that would start to gather for him to fight [Jon] Jones? For there to truly be an uprising, it would have to be Aspinall destroying Blaydes. Only because of this: You’ve see Curtis Blaydes lose before, so people would think, ‘Oh, he beat Tom Aspinall, but we’ve seen him get beat by Francis (Ngannou) and lose to other guys.’”

“…There may be such a fan uprising that the UFC may have to be forced to make Jones vs. Aspinall,” Cormier explained. “I don’t know what that would mean for my man Stipe (Miocic), but it sounds like if it does happen, he’s okay with it.”

Who do you think wins in a future fight: Jon Jones or Tom Aspinall?

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Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier still sees a way for Tom Aspinall to stake his claim for the next shot at Jon Jones.

Aspinall appeared to put himself in line for an inevitable dream showdown with Jones after capturing the interim heavyweight gold at UFC 295 last November. He did so by knocking out Sergei Pavlovich in a matchup that replaced the original title fight between “Bones” and Stipe Miocic.

Despite the need for a unification fight, both Jones and the powers that be have been insistent on the Miocic bout being kept together for the back end of 2024.

The Englishman and a large portion of the MMA community have frequently bemoaned that decision. With minds seemingly made up, Aspinall is focusing his energy elsewhere as he gears up to defend his interim belt in a rematch against Curtis Blaydes on home soil at UFC 304 this month.

But when it comes to pipping Miocic to the post and sharing the Octagon with Jones next, “DC” says hope is not completely lost…

Cormier: Demolition Of Blaydes Could Force UFC Into Jones vs. Aspinall

During a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, Cormier gave his latest thoughts on the state of the title picture in the division he formerly ruled over.

While both Jones and the UFC have remained steadfast on rearranging the Miocic fight for the promotion’s next visit to Madison Square Garden in November, “DC” doesn’t believe everything is set in stone just yet.

For that to happen. Cormier thinks UFC 304 will have to pass by without an emphatic and dominant display from the interim titleholder.

“I can’t wait to get to Manchester. Dude, could you imagine if Tom Aspinall just washes out Curtis Blaydes? Then the firestorm that will start to gather for him to fight Jones — or if Curtis Blaydes just demolishes Tom Aspinall? It would be crazy,” Cormier said. “Here’s the difference, though: for there to truly be an uprising, it would have to be Aspinall destroying Blaydes.

“You’ve seen Curtis Blaydes lose before. So people would think, ‘Oh, he beat Tom Aspinall, but we’ve seen him get beat by Francis and lose to other guys.’ … But if Aspinall goes through Blaydes in the way he did Sergei, and he’s only lost because of that injury default, people would lose their minds almost insisting that he and Jones fight,” Cormier continued. “If Tom Aspinall can get through this fight and he’s clean and he looks dominant, there may be such a fan uprising that the UFC may be forced to make Jones vs. Aspinall. I don’t know what that would do for my man Stipe.”

Judging by his recent remarks, Jones evidently doesn’t see much chance of a demolition job in Manchester.

In addition to backing Blaydes to get the job done on July 27, the Rochester native suggested “Razor” was piecing Aspinall up in their 2022 UFC Fight Night headliner. That’s despite the bout lasting just 15 seconds.

Jones has also pointed to reigning light heavyweight kingpin Alex Pereira as a more intriguing option than Aspinall, claiming only UK fans would rather see him fight the interim champ.

• Read More: Henry Cejudo Still Unconvinced By Alex Pereira Despite UFC 303 KO Win: ‘He’s Not Mentioning Jon Jones Because I Think He Knows…’

Continue Reading Daniel Cormier: Tom Aspinall Can Create ‘Fan Uprising’ Against Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic At UFC 304 at MMA News.

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Ilia Topuria put on one of the year’s best performances when he smoked Alexander Volkanovski earlier this year, becoming UFC Featherweight king in emphatic fashion. Since then, however, there’s been a bit of Topuria backlash. The Spanish talent is quite in love with his own abilities, which is a frustrating quality when he remains unbooked against obvious contender Max Holloway.

Ultra confident and riding high himself, UFC Bantamweight kingpin Sean O’Malley can probably relate to Topuria more than most. However, “Suga” drew criticism recently for a complaint about the official pound-for-pound rankings, which currently have “El Matador” a spot above O’Malley.

On a recent episode of his podcast, O’Malley gave mixed messages about Topuria, wondering if he’ll be next to suffer a fall like Cody Garbrandt before ultimately complimenting his skills.

“I tweeted, ‘How the f—k is Ilia above me on the pound-for-pound? He’s five inches shorter and has less title defenses.’ Those are just facts, I wasn’t trying to be funny. I got a lot of hate for it … Buddy, I really could give a f—k less where I’m at on the pound-for-pound.

“Ilia is going to be the next Cody Garbrandt. He won his nice little fight, he had his little Dominick Cruz, but he’s about to get pieced up by Max Holloway and then go downhill from there. Not really, I feel like Ilia is one of the most skilled guys actually in the UFC. But f—k Ilia.”

Topuria and O’Malley have jawed at one another previously, so perhaps “Suga” is just continuing to angle for an eventual shot at double champion status. In the interim, both remain unbooked, though O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili and Topuria vs. Holloway are obvious match ups for both champions.

Insomnia

Fight Circus is the future of combat sports.

I definitely don’t want Alex Pereira to cross over into the boxing ring … but I’d watch it!

I appreciate this insight into Marc Goddard’s thought process.

Dricus Du Plessis seems like one of the UFC fighters less likely to get in a street fight over some nonsense trash talk.

Forget it Donny, you’re out of your element.

Nasty hematoma and general damage from low kicks:

Slips, rips, and KO clips

It really doesn’t get much more brutal than a fully loaded uppercut to a KO’d opponent.

Even ignoring the crazy context of it all, just the knockout punch itself — a switch lead hand uppercut — is wild.

Nasty combos, spinning kicks, and jump knees all from close quarters.

Random Land

You’ve seen mud wrestling, but how about mud boxing?

Midnight Music: Alternative, 1992

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

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Looking to rebound to the winning circle at UFC 305 next month in a title clash with arch-rival, Dricus du Plessis in Perth, former two-time middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya has vowed to lay waste to each and every one of his opponents in “fantastic fashion” before it’s all said and done.

Adesanya, a former two-time undisputed middlweight champion, is set to headline next month’s pay-per-view return ‘Dowunder’ – attempting to return to Australia in winning form this time around.

Sidelined since September of last year, City Kickboxing star, Adesanya most recently dropped his middleweight crown for the second time in the space of a calendar year, in the form of a one-sided unanimous decision loss to Sean Strickland.

Israel Adesanya vows to beat fighters in “fantastic fashion”

And drawing promotional-perfect Pretoria native, du Plessis at UFC 305 next month in a bid to become the first three-time champion in the history of the organization, Adesanya has vowed to beat each and every one of the last foes on his run in eye-catching fashion.

“I fought the largest middleweight, Alex Pereira, and i knocked him out,” Israel Adesanya said on the Sias du Plessis Show. “How am I gonna deal with Dricus’ uniqueness? It’s just be unique myself. Be unique to who I am.”

“Never again will I ever stray away from my style or my flow just because I wanna do something different or pander or anything like that,” Israel Adesanya explained. “I’m always gonna stick to my style and stick to what I do best, which is beating people up in fantastic fashion. And, yeah, I’ve done that my whole career, and I wanna get back to that. I’m not really worried about the outcome. It’s more about the journey.”

Who wins next month at UFC 305: Dricus du Plessis or Israel Adesanya?

LowKickMMA.com

Michael Chandler was expected to fight Conor McGregor at UFC 303 but the Irishman pulled out due to a broken toe. “Iron” has been out of the Octagon for almost two years now, and he has mostly been adamant about fighting McGregor in his return.

However, Chandler recently surprised fans by announcing on X that he’s been offered to fight Islam Makhachev at the Sphere in Las Vegas. The UFC lightweight champion called him an unreliable opponent but never rejected the claim about the offer.

Unlike many fans, Chael Sonnen believes that Chandler can actually get a title shot despite being out of action since November 2022. He has crucial advice for the former Bellator lightweight champion, though…

Chael Sonnen Tells Michael Chandler Not To Miss A Fight With Islam Makhachev For Conor McGregor

On his official YouTube channel, “The American Gangster” discussed Chandler’s future now that the McGregor fight has been postponed. He reiterated his theory that the Dubliner might not ever return after pulling out of UFC 303.

In the mind of Sonnen, offering Makhachev could be the UFC’s way to indirectly tell Chandler that he won’t ever get to fight the former two-division champion.

On these grounds, Sonnen thinks Chandler should now consider alternatives. Fighting Makhachev for the UFC lightweight title is certainly an exciting opportunity, and it could be more fruitful than waiting for “The Notorious.”

“If Michael Chandler is offered Islam Makhachev, there is a message being delivered to him, that he has got to be able to hear,” Sonnen said. “The words, ‘We cannot get you Conor McGregor. We are not going to get you Conor McGregor.’”

The retired UFC middleweight warned “Iron” not to overestimate his current options. He pointed out that fighting Makhachev won’t decrease Chandler’s chances of fighting McGregor in the future.

“Don’t make that mistake. You’ve got to get the matches you can get when you can get them. You’ve got to win the matches you can win when you can win them. You’ve got to sign the matches you can sign when you can sign them. In front of everything else, get the fight and get it into the ring.”

Arman Tsarukyan, seemingly the only UFC lightweight with a solid case for a title shot, is out until October at least after being handed a suspension for the punch he threw at a fan during his UFC 300 walkout.

• Read More: Ian Garry Doesn’t Expect Kamaru Usman To Be An Option Post-UFC 303: ‘I Believe He’s Going To Run Scared’

Continue Reading Chael Sonnen Has Advice For Michael Chandler On Rumored Islam Makhachev Fight Offer: ‘Don’t Make That Mistake…’ at MMA News.

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