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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Kevin Holland wasn’t trying to hurt Michal Oleksiejczuk.

On Saturday evening, Holland secured another big win in his UFC career, earning a technical submission stoppage over Oleksiejczuk by gruesomely snapping his arm with an armbar in just 94 seconds. And speaking with reporters afterward at his post-fight scrum, Holland blamed referee Herb Dean for forcing his hand.

“Herb Dean’s fault,” Holland joked. “I asked him to stop it a little earlier, but Herb Dean as like, ‘You’ve got to go a little bit longer.’ Alright, cool, cool.

“When I first put him in the armbar, I heard the pop. After that, it wasn’t popping again and I was like, I’m going to have to do a full-blown break. So I kept trying to do a little chihuahua scoot, get myself underneath there and then hit a good pull after that. But the guy is tough as nails. He hit me with a good shot. Tough guy. I had a feeling he’d be like — I fought John Phillips for my first UFC win, and I had a feeling he would be like John Phillips but better.

“I told my coaches, if he hits me with a good shot, this fight’s going to the ground. He hit me with a good shot and the fight got to the ground. Good job.”

Oleksiejczuk did land a good shot on Holland, flooring him early in the round. But as he followed Holland to the mat, that’s where “Trailblazer” was able to lock up the armbar from his back. But Holland clarified that he wasn’t hurt from the punch; he just fell over, which was a good thing in the long run.

“I wasn’t hurt at all,” Holland said. “He simply hit me with a good shot and I was moving at the same time, so it was like — I’m 6-foot-2 but my arms are long like I’m seven-feet tall, so I’m a bit clumsy sometimes. … So I fall over, they come on top, they get subbed. It’s good for me.”

After the stoppage, Oleksiejczuk immediately protested to Herb Dean as he never tapped and “Hussar” claimed his arm was fine. And for his part, Holland hopes that’s true, because he has no ill will towards Oleksiejczuk and doesn’t want him to be facing a serious injury.

“That guy didn’t do anything wrong to me, so I don’t want anything wrong to happen to him,” Holland said. “I definitely want to win the fight because I like both of my checks, but no harm I wish done to him. So I hope he’s OK and I hope it’s truly not broken because he seemed to be a cool guy.”

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UFC

Islam Makhachev is No. 1 in the UFC’s official pound for pound rankings, but not in Dana White’s heart. Here’s what the Mak had to say about that at the UFC 302 presser.

Islam Makhachev isn’t too concerned about UFC CEO Dana White’s comments denying he’s the pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter in the world. But he’s still looking for the biggest fights possible that will elevate him to that level.

Makhachev put on a strong performance against a very game Dustin Poirier at UFC 302, bringing the fight to “Diamond” on the feet and submitting him halfway through the fifth round (highlights here). It wasn’t pure domination like we’re used to from his friend and mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov, but it was a reminder that Islam will be very hard to dethrone at 155 pounds.

But is he P4P No. 1 in the UFC right now? Not according to White, who vehemently declared Jon Jones to be over Makhachev, no questions asked. That’s despite Makhachev holding the No.1 position in the official UFC rankings since last year.

When it was the Dagestani fighter’s turn to speak at the UFC 302 post-fight press conference, he shrugged off White’s statements.

“I don’t know, maybe it’s his opinion,” he said. “But I think I saved this card today, because all these fights boring, and all the arena almost sleep. And we show with Dustin [a] great performance. Dana gave me two bonuses. Before I remember when I had first contract, I [was] happy when I got bonuses. But now it’s okay.”

Makhachev’s mission now is to get a second belt at welterweight.

“Who don’t want to be double champion?” he said when asked about his future. “This is history, how many double champs we have? This is a dream for all fighters to get second belt. This is my dream, and I want to be in the history so people know me as double champ. If I have chance, small chance, I will get [it], and it’s [this] thing that makes me wake up in the every morning and train very hard.”

The win over Poirier marks Makhachev’s third successful lightweight title defense. No one has defended that belt four times, but Islam seemed uninterested in stepping out ahead of the pack at 155 in that way.

“I don’t follow the records, beat some record or something like this,” he said. “If you want great legacy, you have to get second belt. It’s my opinion.”

A second belt is definitely flashier on the resume, but right now it looks like the UFC is going to have Makhachev defend the lightweight title against Arman Tsarukyan next.

“I’m ready,” Islam said regarding that fight. “Dana have my number. Just call me and put some new challenge. It not make sense [why] we’d have rematch, but if Dana wants it, let’s do it. No problem.”

The only ask Makhachev has is to compete in New York City instead of Abu Dhabi.

“Honestly, it’s my dream fighting Madison Square Garden,” he explained. “And now I think the US fans like me because we show good fight tonight. If they give me a chance to come back in Madison Square Garden, this is my dream, fight in this arena.”

Unfortunately for Makhachev, the UFC’s Madison Square Garden card in November is already earmarked for the Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic heavyweight title fight. So once again Jones is messing Islam’s biz up, making Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan much more likely for October in Abu Dhabi.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Sean Strickland has one goal in mind: Becoming UFC champion again.

In the co-main event of UFC 302 on Saturday, Strickland put on a clinical performance to earn a decision nod over fellow top-10 contender Paulo Costa. It was an important win for Strickland, who lost the UFC middleweight title to Dricus du Plessis via a split call this past January.

Strickland is now in good position to challenge for the belt again, and he doesn’t plan to entertain any other options at the moment.

“I’m going to wait,” Strickland said at the evening’s post-fight press conference. “I f*cking paid my f*cking dues. I paid my dues. I got f*cking robbed [at UFC 297] … we all know I got f*cking robbed, at least Dricus doesn’t back up. So I’m going to sit my f*cking ass in the gym and I’m going to be a team player and I’m going to f*cking wait, and I’m going to f*cking wait until they say, ‘Sean, go beat this man.’”

Strickland has been on impressive run since making a permanent move to 185 pounds in 2020. He has lost just three times in his past 14 fights, during which time he ended the second title reign of middleweight star Israel Adesanya and sent “The Last Stylebender” into a temporary hiatus.

Adesanya is expected to be booked for du Plessis’ first title defense, so considering Strickland’s history with the two men, he believes he deserves to fight the winner of their yet-to-be-made official clash.

“As long as it takes,” Strickland said when asked how long he’s willing to wait to fight for the title. “I want the gold. When you’re fighting these top-10 motherf*ckers, you’re only one slip and dodge away from being knocked out. I paid my penance, I did what we did, I went and fought Costa. I didn’t want to, I did it. Give me the f*cking title shot. I beat Izzy and that motherf*cker gets a title shot.”

One notable obstacle in Strickland’s way is the looming Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev fight, which takes place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 22. Whittaker is a former UFC champion and Khamzat Chimaev carries an undefeated record, so either man could cement themselves as No. 1 contender at 185 pounds with an impressive performance.

Strickland insists that he will be patient no matter what the matchmakers decide, but he doesn’t understand why he should have to wait too long.

“If that’s what the UFC wants, I’ll f*cking wait,” Strickland said. “The problem with these f*cking c*nts, besides Whittaker, they get a fight and they take, like, eight months off. What the f*ck? What are you guys doing with those eight months? What are you guys doing for eight months? Say yes to the fight, go f*cking fight. I don’t understand why these assh*les take so much time off.”

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UFC CEO, Dana White appears to have no reservations regarding footage of Conor McGregor partying into the early hours in his Dublin pub just four weeks from his return against Michael Chandler at welterweight, claiming the ex-champion isn’t “dumb” when it comes to preperation.

McGregor, a former undisputed lightweight and featherweight champion under the banner of the promotion, is set to snap an-almost three year hiatus from he Octagon at UFC 303 at the end of this month during International Fight Week, taking on Chandler in the pair’s long-anticipated grudge match. 

Sidelined since UFC 264, McGregor suffered a fractured left tibia and fibula in an opening round doctor’s stoppage TKO defeat to common-foe, Dustin Poirier – who headlined UFC 302 overnight in a D’Arce choke submission loss to undisputed gold holder, Islam Makhachev. 

However, just weeks out from his return in Las Vegas later this month, McGregor has posted several video on his official social media of him partying at his Black Forge Inn public house in Walkinstown – as recently as this weekend. 

Dana White unconcerned for Conor McGregor ahead of UFC 303

And amid concerns over the Dubliner’s preparation for his UFC 303 comeback – which compatriot Caolan Loughran has claimed is showing a level of disrespect for the sport of mixed martial arts, White, who is set to meet with the former for tomorrow’s press conference in the Irish capital, appears less than concerned.

“Well, again – you and I, here we are, we were talking about Jon Jones – Jon Jones was doing a lot of that stuff, too, bad in the day,” Dana White told assembled media at the UFC 302 press conference when asked for his opinion on footage of Conor McGregor partying in Dublin. “I don’t know what’s real on the internet and what’s not real on the internet.”

“I don’t know – timing-wise, in one of them [videos] he (Conor McGregor) has a beard and in another one, he doesn’t have a beard,” White continued. “I have no idea, I don’t know if any of that is true, or whatever. You know, Conor’s not a dumb guy. You know, this obviously a big fight for him – he’s calling it the biggest comeback in the history of sports, so we’ll see what happens. I’ll actually be with him tomorrow, so – I’m flying there (Dublin) right now.”

Who are you picking to win at UFC 303 later this month: Conor McGregor or Michael Chandler?

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts