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Hundreds of fighters have taken short-notice fights. For some, short-notice means a few weeks. For others, it means a few days.
For Dan Ige, it meant a couple of hours.
At UFC 303, Ige accepted a co-main event matchup against rising star Diego Lopes without any training camp or preparation, much less any time to actually put together a strategy.
On the other side, Lopes had to endure a roller-coaster ride of his own. After accepting a featherweight bout against Brian Ortega just two weeks prior, Lopes found out less than 48 hours before fight night that the two-time title challenger couldn’t make the 145-pound limit. The fighters agreed to compete at lightweight instead, but by Saturday afternoon, Lopes lost Ortega as an opponent.
How exactly did all this come together, culminating in the shortest-notice fight in UFC history? This particular story actually starts one day earlier.
Friday, June 28: 3:30 a.m. PT
Fast asleep and already on weight at 146 pounds, Lopes, his coaches, and his manager start receiving a flurry of calls to inform them that Ortega can’t make the featherweight limit. Weigh-ins are scheduled to start at 9 a.m. local time.
Upon learning the news, Lopes’ coaches try to get in touch with his manager Jason House, who resides in Las Vegas, but due to the late hour, they get no reply. So the team actually travels to his house to inform him what was happening.
“I had already made weight at 11 p.m. the night before,” Lopes said on The MMA Hour. “So by that time when Jason woke me up, I was already on weight. I never doubted fighting. It was like, ‘OK, I’ll fight at whatever weight.’
“It was just a process of changing my diet and working with my nutritionist because I had already gone down to [145 pounds]. Kind of getting me back up to [155 pounds].”
Lopes already has a bad feeling something like this might happen after sharing a few moments with Ortega on stage during the pre-fight press conference.
“It’s funny. I had talked to my nutritionist and I had said I really feel like he wasn’t going to make weight,” Lopes revealed. “I feel like I’m seeing him in a different head space. We kind of had that feeling that he was going to miss the weight.”
After the fight is changed to a lightweight bout, Lopes faces off with Ortega at the ceremonial weigh-ins a few hours later, and once again, there’s a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.
“I had seen him and he just look different, he looks off,” Lopes said. “Obviously we didn’t know what happened was going to happen, but I definitely felt something was off. That was it. I felt like something was off.”
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Saturday, June 29, approximately 3:45 p.m. PT
With a few hours to go until his fight, Lopes is chilling out and watching the early prelims at UFC 303 when he gets another call from the promoters. They inform him that Ortega fell ill and is unable to compete. Before Lopes can digest the shocking news, UFC brass mention the possibility of securing an extremely late-notice replacement.
“I was at the house watching the second fight of the night and I got the call,” Lopes said. “That’s when they really just decided this is what our plan is, this is what we’re going to do and that’s it.”
Saturday, June 29: 4 p.m. PT
A day earlier, Dan Ige is training like usual with a hard strength and conditioning workout in the morning followed by a grappling session. On Saturday, he goes through another workout as part of his training camp routine as he gets closer to his scheduled fight with Chepe Mariscal on July 20.
Ige then goes home to spend time with his family and connects with his massage therapist to help him recover from a hard week of work.
“I’m preparing for my fight July 20, and after that, I basically go home and it’s all recovery for Monday,” Ige told MMA Fighting. “I call my massage therapist, she works on my whole family. Me, my wife, my kids, so working on my kids first and then I hop on the table. She asks me out how long I wanted. We did like 90 minutes, an hour and a half deep tissue massage. I’m on the table, I’m listening to spa music, I’m all zenned out. Literally getting a deep tissue [massage], which I would never do before a fight, but I’m recovering. I’m getting ready for Monday.
“My wife comes up, it’s towards the tail end of the massage and she’s like, ‘Ali [Abdelaziz] is calling me.’ Ali doesn’t manage me, I manage myself, and I look at my phone and I had missed calls from Hunter [Campbell], Ali. This was right around 4 p.m. As she’s telling me this, he calls my phone again, so I answer. He’s like, ‘Brother, did you talk to anyone?’ I’m like, ‘No, what are you talking about?’ He’s like, ‘Brother, Ortega’s out.’”
At that moment, Ige thinks perhaps UFC will shift Lopes to the July 20 card and that will be his new opponent. Ige was originally scheduled to face Joanderson Brito, but Brito suffered an injury and was replaced by Mariscal.
As it turns out, Abdelaziz isn’t calling to offer Ige a fight with Lopes on July 20.
“He’s like, ‘Tonight,’” Ige said. “‘Can you fight tonight?’
“I was like, ‘Yeah,’ I didn’t even think. Like, ‘Yeah, I didn’t even think it was possible. Can this even be done? The weigh-ins were yesterday.’ He’s like, ‘Brother, I’m dead serious, this fight can happen, I can get it done. I’ll get it done.’ I’m like, ‘Alright, get it done.’ He’s like, ‘I’ll call you back.’
“He calls me back and he’s like, ‘Brother, start packing your bags, 80, 90 percent it’s going to happen.’ I’m like, ‘Oh shit. It’s going to happen!’ He’s like, ‘What’s your weight?’ I said, ‘164 this morning, 165 about.’”
Within a few minutes, Abdelaziz closes the deal with UFC and a bout agreement is sent over for Ige’s approval and signature.
“Boom, I get a contract in my email. I got paid, so I was happy,” Ige said. “I didn’t read the weight class but it says 165[-pound] catchweight. I’m not reading it and Ali’s like, ‘We’ve got to go, we’ve got to go to the venue.’”
At the same time, Lopes gets the offer to fight Ige and doesn’t blink either.
“When they called, Dan was immediately the option,” Lopes said. “So we knew that we were going to fight. The real thing that we just had to worry about was that Dan had to be approved by the commission, but he was already preparing for a fight in two weeks and had everything ready. It was a really easy option for us, pending the commission.”
Saturday, June 29: 4:22 p.m. PT
With no time to spare, Ige immediately calls his head coach Eric Nicksick from Xtreme Couture and informs him that he is fighting Lopes in just a few hours at UFC 303.
There’s no time to discuss whether or not this is a good idea because Ige already accepted and Nicksick isn’t about to question what is happening. Luckily for Ige, Nicksick is already coaching at UFC 303 with plans to corner teammate Roman Dolidze in his fight against Anthony Smith.
“[Dan] goes, ‘Hey, we’re fighting in a few hours.’ I was like ‘OK.’” Nicksick said. “I didn’t even ask who, I didn’t say anything. I was like, ‘You got it.’ I hang up the phone.
“[Nevada Athletic Commission executive director] Jeff Mullen calls me literally a minute after and says, ‘Hey, bro, I need your honest to God opinion on this — is your fighter ready to fight? Is this even realistically possible?’ I said, ‘Jeff, I say this wholeheartedly, Dan Ige is like a son to me. I would never put him in a situation where I feel like he is in danger.’ I said, ‘This kid — and this isn’t me just hyping him up — he trains like this daily. He fantasizes about moments like this opportunity.’ Like, he’ll come to me, ‘There’s four featherweight fights on this card’ — he’ll write me this — ‘just in case, look at these four guys in case somebody falls out.’ He does this all the time. I’m not joking. He’s on the cutting edge of always being ready so when that phone rings, he’s able to answer that call.”
After hanging up the phone with Mullen and assuring him that Ige is ready to go, Nicksick turns to his wife and says, ‘This is what f*cking legends are made of — moments like this.’”
Nicksick then reaches out to one of his other coaches to do some rapid-fire research on Lopes to send him notes as he prepares to meet up with Ige to head to T-Mobile Arena.
A few minutes later, Nicksick jumps in a car with Ige and they start calling around to find some cornermen. Nicksick first reaches out to PFL fighter Kai Kamaka, who he just cornered on Friday night in Sioux Falls, S.D., and who frequently works with Ige in the gym.
When another of Ige’s coaches doesn’t answer the phone, Nicksick knows exactly who to call.
“Called Kai Kamaka and I go, ‘Yo, meet me on the corner of Silverado Ranch and Las Vegas boulevard in 30 minutes.’” Nicksick said. “He didn’t ask a question, he goes, ‘What do I need to bring?’ I said, ‘Bring your gear, and he goes, ‘No problem.’ Hangs up the phone and then shoots me a text, ‘What’s going on?’ I go, ‘Can’t talk, see you in 30, meet me at the Shell station on the corner.’ That’s how it went down.
“Picked up the phone, called Sean Strickland, I go, ‘Where you at?’ He goes, ‘At lunch.’ I go, ‘Meet me at the arena in an hour, Dan’s fighting.’ He goes, ‘I’ll be on my motorbike, make sure they let me in through security.’ I said bet, hung up the phone. That’s how it went down. I f*cking live for this shit.”
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Saturday, June 29: 5:00 p.m. PT
By this time, UFC 303 is underway and Ige still didn’t know for certain if the fight against Lopes is actually going to happen. Despite getting a bout agreement, Ige still has to get cleared by the commission — and apparently Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo has to get involved to approve the unusual request.
That’s when Ige sends a message to UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell promising he’s more than ready to not only take this fight on a couple hours’ notice, but also prepared to win.
A few minutes later, Ige and his team arrive at T-Mobile Arena. There’s no time for UFC to express gratitude for taking the fight because Ige is immediately rushed backstage to weigh in.
“I walk in, they take me right to the scale,” Ige said. “The whole commission’s there. I heard this had to get approved by the governor too. That’s why you see the text that they posted. I was texting Hunter that I was in great shape because I could be a liability, right? I wasn’t lying. I was in great shape. I’m ready to rock.
“So they take me to the scale and I’m like, ‘Oh, this is a real weigh-in?’ They said, ‘Yeah, strip down.’ I’m like, ‘Hold on, let me use the bathroom.’ I go and use the bathroom, come in, boom I’m 164.5. I’m like thank God! I didn’t know I actually had to weigh-in.”
Once Ige hits the mark, and Lopes does the same, the fight is finally official.
“Made weight and it became official right then and there,” Ige said. “I fought two hours later. It was wild. By the time I got the call, I was in the venue and weighed in and wrapping my hands two hours later.”
Saturday, June 29: Approximately 8:50 p.m. PT
Ige and Lopes make their way to the octagon and put on a three-round battle at UFC 303. Neither fighter actually has a full training camp to prepare for this fight.
Lopes comes storming out of the gates just like usual, but Ige refuses to back down an inch.
“I knew that Dan would be ready,” Lopes said. “I wasn’t surprised by him at all. He was already in camp and just preparing for the moment. I actually ran into him at the [UFC Performance Institute] before this and said it kind of felt like sparring. I wasn’t surprised, I knew that Dan was a game athlete.”
No matter how ready he is physically, Ige knows he is still at a disadvantage — he didn’t even know he was fighting until just a few hours earlier. Still, Ige feels like he gives Lopes everything he could handle, especially when he takes over with a dominant performance in the third and final round.
“Round three, I think I hit him with something and I saw him look up at the clock,” Ige described. “Something changed in his face, in his demeanor, in his spirit, and I felt it diminish. At that moment, I was like, ‘I got him.’ I got this, not burst of energy, just confidence. I’m going to get this guy out of this fight right now.
“I landed some nasty ground and pound but he was able to survive the rest of the round and get through the fight. Hey, if that had been a five-round fight, I believe I finish that fight.”
Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images Despite getting the win, Lopes isn’t satisfied with his performance and gives Ige credit for making it such a tough fight.
“I wasn’t really happy with my overall performance, but considering everything that happened, it ate up a lot of energy,” Lopes said. “I’m somebody that likes good energy around me. I think a lot of that just consumed me in the moment, but other than that, it was the result that we wanted. It’s all part of the journey.”
Once the fight is over, Ige knows he lost a decision, but doesn’t allow himself to get too down in the dumps, especially given how the fight came together.
“I remember right after Round 3, I was like, ‘I probably lost,’ and I had a moment in my head — I could be bummed about this, and I had made the decision to smile and embrace the moment,” Ige said. “Because it’s never been done and this is awesome.
“I got a standing ovation. Not that I care about a moral victory or want that, but it was a victory. I can’t even put into words. He’s a killer. To do what I did only instills confidence in me. Knowing that I can trust in my ability at any time, against anyone, anywhere, any place. We’ll see what happens from here. I feel like this is just going to boost the trajectory of my career.”
Nicksick, who raced out of the octagon after cornering Dolidze and then switched shirts to walk out with Ige just a few minutes later, can’t be any prouder of his fighter’s effort.
“He made it freaking close,” Nicksick said. “So it gives us something to build off of, but really the momentum of understanding if we ever fight again, here’s some things we know we can implement and how we can be better.”
Monday, July 1: 12:30 p.m. PT
Less that two days after the epic encounter that was never supposed to happen, Ige and Lopes actually run into each other at the UFC Performance Institute.
First things first, Ige pays homage to Lopes for accepting the fight when he had nothing to gain and everything to lose given the bizarre chain of events surrounding his week in Las Vegas.
“We’re at the [Performance Institute] and I was just talking to him and telling him how much I respect him because of what he went through,” Ige said. “Having to cut weight, having to switch his weight classes, facing off, getting ready, it’s fight day, your opponent’s out. If your opponent pulls out fight day, you’re not fighting. Mentally, you’re not fighting. Then they’re like, ‘We’ve got something else, we’ve got Dan Ige.’ I’m probably a high-risk, low-reward fight in a lot of people’s eyes, prior to this. He’s a fighter. He took the fight.”
Lopes has nothing but glowing remarks where Ige is concerned as well.
“Dan Ige is a good guy,” Lopes said. “I watch Dan everyday in the P.I. He’s a good person.”
After sharing the cage together for 15 minutes under unprecedented circumstances, the fighters embrace and Ige realizes they just created a fraternity that perhaps no one will ever get the chance to join.
“It’s never been done before and I don’t know if it will ever be done again,” Ige said. “That was why I did it. To cement my legacy and do something great. I’ve always visualized and dreamed of doing something above and beyond. A knockout at the APEX is cool, but people forget about that. There’s knockouts every weekend. You go watch Power Slap if you want to see a knockout.
“To do something like that, show up, save the co-main event on what was a Conor [McGregor] card and just to walk out — it was so cool. Despite the loss, I feel like I won. I got a standing ovation from 19,000 fans after the fight. I feel like I’ve definitely gained a new fan base.”
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Amid continued links to a massive heavyweight move and subsequent fight against current champion, Jon Jones in the future, off the back of UFC 303, Alex Pereira has skipped past the Rochester native in the pound-for-pound rankings, into second position.
Pereira, a former undisputed middleweight champion and the current light heavyweight gold holder, headlined UFC 303 over the course of last weekend against former titleholder, Jiri Prochazka – stopping the Czech Republic native with a thunderous second round high-kick knockout win.
And staking his claim immediately for a heavyweight divisional leap following his win over Prochazka, former two-weight champion, Pereira has direct sights on a historic third championship win in the process.
“I think that’s in my future,” Alex Pereira told Joe Rogan of a heavyweight move following his devastating win at UFC 303. “You know, I said that the last time I was here [inside the Octagon]. There didn’t seem to be a lot of interest in the organization, but I’m here, and I’m available and I do think that’s in my future.”
Alex Pereira skips past Jon Jones in UFC pound-for-pound rankings to number two
Drawing immediate links to a super fight with former two-weight champion, Jones – who is steadfast on his own return at UFC 309 in November against veteran ex-heavyweight champion, Stipe Miocic, Pereira has already chalked up a score against the former, surpassing him in the pound-for-pound rankings.
“Dana White may lose his mind on vacation,” John Morgan posted on X. “Islam Makhachev remains number one in the latest pound-for-pound rankings, while Alex Pereira ascends to number two following his #UFC 303 win. That means Jon Jones falls to number three.”
Admitting fans and pundits alike are clamoring for Pereira to make a heavyweight climb, the above-mentioned, White defended Jones’ status at the best fighter pound-for-pound in the promotion currently – all this despite his actual representation in the pile.
Would you like to see Alex Pereira challenge Jon Jones at heavyweight in the future?
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MMA legend Nick Diaz is set to return to the Octagon on August 3 when he faces Vicente Luque in Abu Dhabi.
It has been three years since the Stockton original last competed in the UFC and that, in turn, was a comeback from a six-year hiatus.
Before his fight with Robbie Lawler at UFC 266, Diaz was reportedly offered several opponents before the decision was made to run back his first clash with Lawler.
Colby Covington revealed in a recent interview with Submission Radio that he was one of the names in contention for a fight with Diaz – which would have surely been chaotic to say the least.
Colby Covington Says Nick Diaz ‘Ducked’ The Fight But He Has Nothing Bad To Say About Him
During the interview, Covington spoke about how there were talks of him facing off with Diaz back in 2021, with Madison Square Garden as a potential destination.
The former three-time UFC welterweight title challenger said that he understands why the UFC hasn’t attempted to revisit this fight after Diaz turned this option down.
“Unfortunately, he hasn’t been offered to me in about three years. The last time Hunter had called me with Nick Diaz’s name across my desk was when they offered me to him in Madison Square Garden about three years ago so, he turned down the fight, he didn’t want the fight so I think the UFC just knows that they can’t match that up.
“I mean, that’s the biggest mismatch in UFC history to give me a guy like Nick Diaz so it wouldn’t be doing the company any justice to put some guy that’s over the hill and past his prime versus the guy that’s in his prime and the best welterweight on earth right now, Colby Covington.
Covington also said that despite this and some comments that the Diaz brothers have made over the years, he has no hard feelings towards them after this fight didn’t come together.
He said that he even shared a moment with the elder Diaz following one of his fights where the leader of the “Nick Diaz Army” was very complimentary of his skills and career.
Covington states that despite Diaz being “scared” to fight him, he has nothing negative to say about one of MMA’s most iconic siblings.
“He knew at that time that I was the best welterweight on earth. He came up to me one time when I fought, after UFC Sacramento, and he’s like, ‘Yeah you’re the future of this division’ and showed me a lot of respect so I’m not going to put down the Diaz brothers and talk s*** about them.
“They’ve said some things about me but they’ve done great things in this sport and I’m not going to sit down and say anything bad about them but he did dodge the fight. He was scared to fight me and that’s facts, that’s truth.”
Read also: Colby Covington Reacts To Ian Garry’s Latest Victory At UFC 303: ‘Anybody Could Be 15-0 Fighting 15 Bums’
Continue Reading Colby Covington Reveals Nick Diaz Ducked Him But Will Not ‘Put Down The Diaz Brothers & Talk S**t About Them’ at MMA News.
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Michael Chandler has already been waiting nearly two years for a fight against Conor McGregor but late Monday night, he dropped a bombshell that no one saw coming.
“I’ve been offered Islam Makhachev in October,” Chandler claimed on Twitter. “But if Conor McGregor’s little pinky toe is ready by September, let’s do Sphere. Biggest sporting event in history of sports.”
I’ve been offered @MAKHACHEVMMA in October – but if @TheNotoriousMMA little pinky toe is ready by Sept, let’s do sphere. Biggest sporting event in history of sports!!!! @RiyadhSeason #ufc306 pic.twitter.com/STUUFns2Hp
— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) July 2, 2024
The UFC hasn’t addressed Chandler’s declaration about the fight offer but October is the proposed date in Abu Dhabi when Makhachev is next expected to compete. All signs pointed to Arman Tsarukyan getting that title opportunity but now perhaps Chandler is going to jump the line — if he forgoes the fight against McGregor.
After Chandler continued to tweet about Makhachev, the lightweight champion seemingly dismissed his would-be challenger, calling Chandler “unreliable.”
For what it’s worth, UFC legend Matt Brown says Chandler would be crazy not to take the title shot if it becomes available.
“Why you wouldn’t jump on that, take it right now, sign the dotted line today, makes zero sense to me,” Brown said on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer. “I can’t think of any reason not to do it.
“Assuming Conor does come back – let’s just assume he is going to come back – do you think he wouldn’t love to fight you for the title? You could absolutely set that fight for the title, assuming that you win the title and now not only is it a Conor McGregor fight but it’s a Conor McGregor fight for the title. Does it get any better?”
Brown has long doubted that McGregor ever fights again, but even with the Irish superstar plotting a comeback from a broken pinky toe that forced him to drop out of UFC 303 this past weekend, there’s no exact timeline when he might actually compete.
UFC CEO Dana White has been adamant that he’s not even going to discuss another date for McGregor’s next fight until he’s fully healthy again.
Add to that, McGregor remains the biggest draw in the sport so he could fight anybody in his return to action after three years away and sell a ton of tickets and pay-per-views. As for Chandler, he has been waiting for the chance to face McGregor and earn the hefty payday that goes along with that fight, but a lightweight championship opportunity could be even bigger in some regards.
“Michael Chandler needed Conor. Now he’s got a title shot,” Brown said. “Now he doesn’t need Conor. Get the f*cking title shot. F*ck Conor. Go!
“Take the fight. Let’s say worst-case scenario, you go out there Islam destroys you, wrecks you in one round, you think Conor’s still not going to want to fight you? You’re already coming off a loss. Conor wants a tune-up fight – I would never call Chandler a tune-up fight – but that’s what Conor’s saying. He’s like, ‘This is a fight to get me back, it’s a good matchup for me.’ That’s what he’s thinking. Whatever Islam does to you isn’t going to change Conor’s mind on that. I don’t think.”
Chandler’s emphatic message addressed to McGregor might be his last attempt to force the former two-division UFC champion to decide on a return date, which at this time is still unknown.
Even if McGregor announces he’s ready by September, Brown just doesn’t see how Chandler can pass up on a title shot that would almost certainly elude him otherwise.
“The only thing I can think is maybe Michael Chandler is kind of just putting it out there for us and hoping to bait Conor in real quick,” Brown explained. “This sport moves too quick. He’s just got to take it. It’s insane.
“What if Conor does say ‘I’m good for September’ and he turns down the Islam fight, fights Conor and say he goes out there and starches Conor real quick and easy, Islam may have moved on by then. Beating Conor isn’t necessarily going to get you a title shot next. Now you’ve got to work your way against another couple of guys? You got a big payday, now you’ve got to go fight another few guys to try to get a title shot? Unless the UFC promises him a title shot if he beats Conor. Who knows. It doesn’t add up at all to not jump on this opportunity straight away.”
Considering the way Chandler posed the question on social media makes it appear that he’s still contemplating whether to fight Makhachev or wait for a response from McGregor.
Brown truly hopes that’s not the case. In fact, he believes Chandler is just getting one last jab in at McGregor before announcing that he’s fighting Makhachev in October with the UFC lightweight title on the line.
“I’m betting Chandler’s already made up his mind and he’s doing the Islam fight and he’s just talking shit to Conor now,” Brown said. “Just kind of poking Conor a little bit, just letting him know. Something like that. It wouldn’t make any sense not to do this.
“You got what you wanted this whole time. You got the championship fight. You got a chance to get your dream. Now if your dream is to make a few more bucks, I don’t know all the contract details but how much money are you realistically going to make versus Conor versus Islam anyway? Maybe it’s a few million but you can’t go make a few million? Chandler’s going to take that fight. Maybe he was just trolling Conor, poking and prodding him a little bit or whatever. Unless there’s gigantic thing that we’re missing here, he’s got to be taking the title fight.”
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Conor McGregor is still on the comeback trail.
This past Saturday, McGregor was supposed to fight Michael Chandler in the main event of UFC 303, but the bout was removed from the card due to McGregor suffering a toe injury. Since then, both fighters have been active on social media discussing their future plans and McGregor provided an update Monday, hinting at a “new date.”
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“Real recognize real,” McGregor wrote. “Excited to secure my new date.”
In his comment, McGregor gave credit to light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, who stepped up on short notice alongside Jiri Prochazka and went on to defeat Prochazka with an incredible head kick knockout in the new UFC 303 main event. During fight week, Pereira defended McGregor’s decision to pull out of the bout.
When McGregor announced the reason for his withdrawal from the June 29 pay-per-view, he did not give a timetable for his return, later commenting that he will never fight again unless he is 100 percent healthy. Chandler has said on multiple occasions that he will wait for the McGregor fight, a bout that he has been pursuing for years and has been closely tied to since at least mid-2023 when he and McGregor served as opposing coaches on The Ultimate Fighter 31.
Prior to McGregor’s most recent tweets, Chandler claimed that he had been offered a bout with lightweight champion Islam Makhachev for October, but would be willing to face McGregor at UFC 306 on Sept. 14 at Sphere in Las Vegas.
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Makhachev shut down Chandler’s claim in brutal fashion, calling the three-time Bellator champion “unreliable” and adding that if the McGregor matchup comes around again “you’ll run away.”
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Chandler also caught a shot from Dustin Poirier when he tried to make light of Makhachev passing on a rematch with “The Diamond.” Makhachev defeated Poirier at UFC 302 and Poirier has made it unclear whether he plans to fight again.
He had fighting words for Chandler though.
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“Choked your ass out, and you haven’t fought since,” Poirier wrote.
Poirier is the most recent opponent for both Chandler and McGregor. He submitted Chandler at UFC 281 in November 2022, and beat McGregor at UFC 264 in July 2021 when McGregor suffered a broken leg in their fight. That injury has played a major part in McGregor being sidelined for the past three years.
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Light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has stated the he’d like to move up to the heavyweight division after his last two fights. A former middleweight champion, Pereira could be the first fighter in UFC history to win championships in three different weight classes.
“I think that’s (a move to heavyweight) in my future. I said that last time I was here. I said it a lot but there didn’t seem to be too much interest in the organization, but I’m here. I’m available, and I do think that’s in my future” Pereira said following his second-round knockout win over Jiri Prochazka in the UFC 303 main event on Saturday.
While the fight promotion may not want Pereira to make the move to heavyweight, UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley does. In his UFC 303 reaction video, O’Malley pondered the potential matchups for “Poatan” in the heavyweight division.
“Imagine Alex Pereira versus Jon Jones. Yeah. Alex Pereira verus Stipe [Miocic]. Yeah. Imagine Alex versus Francis [Ngannou] at the Apex. That would be crazy,” O’Malley said. “He’s knocking these dudes out with ease it looks like. It literally looks like he’s doing it with ease. I would love to see him go up to heavyweight.”
“He possesses an unreal KO power in that left hook. The left head kick. He has a beautiful switch kick. His leg kicks are really good. I mean, he’s mastered his style,” O’Malley continued. “He’s as good as it gets.”
Pereira holds knockout wins over former middleweight champions Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya. Since moving to the 205-pound weight class, Pereira has knocked out former titleholders Jamahal Hill, and Jiri Prochazka twice. He also has a split decision win over former champion Jan Blachowicz. He’s stopped six of his nine UFC opponents.
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