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Max Holloway is officially taking his talents to UFC’s stacked lightweight division.

The former UFC featherweight champion announced his move to 155 pounds on Saturday following a knockout loss to UFC’s 145-pound champion, Ilia Topuria, at UFC 308 last weekend. It was the first time “Blessed” has ever been finished by way of strikes and it marked his fourth-straight loss in UFC title fights (unless you’re counting his “BMF” scrap with Justin Gaethje back at UFC 300).

Now that Topuria has solidified himself as the best featherweight in the world and just stopped Holloway with an epic knockout, it would be very hard for “Blessed” to work his way back towards a 145-pound title shot in 2025. Add in a crappy weight cut down to featherweight and Holloway’s decision to move up to lightweight seems like an easy one.

“This is like my phoenix moment, from the ashes we’re reborn,” said Holloway via his YouTube channel (transcription via MMA Junkie). “We’re on to bigger, better stuff and walking through a new door and starting a new chapter. I’m a big believer in never say never, and the big question now is, ‘Was that your last fight at 145?’ You guys saw me touch upon it in the press conference, and I can honestly say I think I’m done with 145. Your boy is only getting older. I turn 33. This cut – no excuses. This cut was easy, bro. Shout out to my wife. They helped make this cut really easy, but it takes a tole cutting weight, period. No matter what weight you are.

“I had to give up ramen for my ’45 camps. So I’m done with that. I don’t ever want to give up ramen again. 155, here we come and 155 is where I want to stay. This is a new chapter. This is where we start. This is where we begin. I cannot wait. Like I said, never say never. But I can honestly look you guys in the eye and tell you guys I’m probably not ever going back to ’45. I love what I did. I did what I did. I did what I had to do there. I worked my way back, I clawed my back to the championship fight multiple times there. I was a champion. I defended at that weight. Now it’s time to move on to the next chapter, and 155 there’s a bunch of fun fights that I cannot wait to take.”

Holloway, who has dabbled at 155 pounds in the past, is excited to make a permanent move up and finally pack on the necessary weight and muscle he needs. “Blessed” wasn’t able to go all-in in the past because he was always going to move back down to featherweight, but with 145 pounds no longer in the equation “Blessed” could be even better at his new home.

“When I do make the return it’s going to be at 155 and we’re there to stay,” said Holloway. “Even the version of myself you saw at 155 against Gaethje is not the full version. We had the idea of going back to ’45 because I wanted that world title. I can’t wait for the future. If you thought that version of myself against Gaethje at 300 was good – I can’t wait to get in the lab with my coaches and put some size on.”

As for a potential timeline for his long-awaited move to lightweight, Holloway is aiming to return sometime next July for UFC’s International Fight Week in Las Vegas. The former UFC featherweight king is hoping to land an opponent ranked higher than him in order to fight towards a 155-pound title.

“If I got to choose a timeline, International Fight Week,” he said. “I would love to be back on the Ninth Island in Las Vegas. Huge card is International Fight Week. I don’t know who is going to be available at that time. With me being ranked at ’55 is great. Hopefully I can fight somebody in front of me, get a big win and who knows? Might be knocking on the door of a title fight at 155.”

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Belal Muhammad doesn’t believe an interim title fight makes sense for Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 following the welterweight champ’s withdrawal, but he’d be OK with it if the UFC goes in that direction.

“Remember the Name” was set to defend his title for the first time against the undefeated Rakhmonov in the main event of the Dec. 7 pay-per-view event, but a bone infection on his toe scratched Muhammad from the bout. Muhammad was asked on his podcast with Jason Anik what he thinks the promotion will do to fill that empty slot, and whether it could be a fight between Rakhmonov and former champion Kamaru Usman.

“I can see them trying to do something with Shavkat,” Muhammad said on his podcast. “He’s calling for an interim title fight. Interim title fight, bro? It’s six weeks, not six months that I’m off. But even for myself, if they just want to do that just to make it a main event, I don’t really care about it if they want to make an interim title fight, regardless because they know who has the real belt.

“So for me, I know who my next opponent is going to be. If he wants to wait, it’s going to be us. If it’s going to end up being him, the only person that makes sense now would be Kamaru since Buckley and Garry are out… and I think [Jack Della Maddalena] is injured, so there’s really nobody else out there. … It really doesn’t [make sense], but it’s one of those — when you’re in the middle of camp, it’s hard, and when you’re like six weeks left, you’re locked in. So I can understand it for him that he’s like, ‘Bro, I want to fight.’”

Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed to MMA Fighting that the UFC is actively searching for a new main event, but as of now, nothing is set and “negotiations are ongoing.”

The news of Muhammad’s injury was a tough one for the new champ, and the MMA community as the fight between Muhammad and Rakhmonov was an anticipated one. Rakhmonov has finished all 18 of his opponents, while Muhammad is unbeaten in 11 fights, culminating with a championship win over Leon Edwards at UFC 304 in July.

Muhammad also revealed more details about why the infection spread the way that it did.

“They open it up and he’s like, ‘Bro, you had a broken toe, that’s what caused the infection to hit the bone much faster,’” Muhammad said. “He was able to fix the toe but the infection is still in there and [I] have to be on antibiotics for the next six weeks. And I’m shocked, I’m like, ‘Bro, are you kidding me right now?’ It was heartbreaking.”

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Rinat Fakhredinov recently criticized the UFC 308 commentary team for their work during his fight against Carlos Leal. The bout ended in a controversial unanimous decision win for Fakhredinov, which commentator Daniel Cormier openly disagreed with.

Following the fight, Fakhredinov spoke out during a post-fight press conference, saying the commentators were biased and that he felt he had clearly won the second and third rounds.

Daniel Cormier Responds

While doing a Q&A session before UFC Fight Night 246, Cormier was asked about Fakhredinov’s remarks.

“I don’t know what this dude was talking about,” Cormier said. “Listen, bro, he lost. I don’t care how many times he complains – that’s the thing. These fighters, they go and fight, and it was so clear that the guy lost the fight. He gets a microphone and goes and sticks his foot in his mouth. That’s the problem. He’s a moron, and he just needs to recognize he lost.”

Cormier continued, “Take it. Just take it. You got gifted a win. Take it, keep your head tucked down until you fight somebody next time.”

Continue Reading Daniel Cormier Fires Back At ‘Moron’ Rinat Fakhretdinov Over Commentary Criticism at MMA News.

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Pedro Munhoz has shared the octagon with former and future champions, Hall of Famers and rising prospects, and he isn’t bothered by a potential role as the bantamweight’s gatekeeper just weeks away from his 38th birthday.

“The Young Punisher” will make his 22nd walk to the UFC cage this weekend to face Aiemann Zahabi at UFC Edmonton, looking to snap the Canadian’s four-fight winning streak in enemy territory, and said that being put in a position as the one to separate unranked from the elite “does not bother me because this is my work and I love doing this.”

“I know my last five fights had the no-contest with Sean O’Malley, one win and three losses, but this is the UFC,” Munhoz said in an interview with MMA Fighting. “The UFC isn’t an organization where an athlete… I won’t say [protect], but some athletes and even their managers try to promote and find the right fights, and that’s something that’s never happened with me. I always went there inside the shark tank. The UFC likes the way I perform. I still feel the fire to continue competing, and this is something I think about every single day as I felt for my first fight.”

Munhoz entered the UFC in 2014, facing top-ranked Raphael Assuncao in his debut, and has beaten the likes of Cody Garbrandt, Rob Font, Bryan Caraway and Jimmie Rivera throughout his career, and six of his nine UFC losses came against men that have held or competed for UFC titles across three divisions. Munhoz signed a new UFC deal after losing to Marlon Vera, and looks to rebound from a recent decision defeat to Kyler Phillips.

“The goal is always to finish the fight, especially the way I fight, but knowing how experienced I am, I’m always ready for a three-round war,” Munhoz said. “I fought Chris Gutierrez when he was on an eight-fight [unbeaten] streak, a knockout over Frankie Edgar, and I beat him. The fact that my opponent is on a roll doesn’t bother me because I have the experience. I know I’m on the final run of my career but I was never one to pick and choose fights.”

Munhoz admitted, however, he would much rather face big-name opponents than athletes like Zahabi, who would present higher risk with low reward.

“I wanted to rematch with Dominick [Cruz],” Munhoz said. “I almost knocked him out twice in the first round — he said himself he had no recollection of the fight for days —, so I think we could do that rematch. Or even Henry Cejudo, a fellow veteran of the UFC, but the UFC offered me this fight [against Zahabi]. I was training every day in the gym and I love showing I can compete at the highest level against up-and-comers or legends, so I have no problem fighting anyone. I’m game.”

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Erin Blanchfield never wants to lose but she did manage to find some perspective after her first setback in the UFC when she fell to Manon Fiorot by decision back in March.

While a win would have almost certainly cemented her as the No. 1 contender in the division, the 25-year-old flyweight prefers that she got her bad night at the office out of the way before she became a champion. Nothing is ideal about losing but Blanchfield learned a lot from that experience and now believes she’s a better fighter because of it.

“It’s something I actually talked to my dad about,” Blanchfield explained when speaking to MMA Fighting. “I was thinking about that after that fight. It sucks to lose but you can always get better and there’s perspective on it. Like I’m so happy I was able to lose then and not lose my title to her. Let’s say I fought for a title and won it and then had lost my title to her or somebody else, that would have sucked more.

“Taking that lesson now while I’m still on the journey to get to the title, I think it’s going to be a lot better than losing a title in that way. I’d rather learn the lessons now so I can be prepared when I’m a champ.”

As far as what went wrong in the Fiorot fight, Blanchfield points to a couple of key issues that led to her struggles during the five-round battle.

In particular, Blanchfield was impressed with how effectively Fiorot used her size and reach advantage, which then led to problems with her grappling after going 0-for-3 on takedowns.

“I think my distance definitely wasn’t gauged great,” Blanchfield said. “I feel like she did a really good job sticking to her plan. She was very disciplined with it and I feel like maybe I didn’t have all the answers at that time. Those are things I’ve really tried to focus on and fix leading up to this fight. I feel like it was a really good experience for me and you’re never going to have the best nights every single time. I feel like it was a bad night, some bad timing, some bad distances. I think those are the things that kind of led to the loss.

“I knew she was a good fighter. I knew she used her length well. She knows how to fight for her body type and her style. She just utilized it well.”

Coming off that loss, Blanchfield moves right back into another huge matchup when she faces Rose Namajunas in a five-round co-main event at the UFC Edmonton card on Saturday. Meanwhile, Fiorot is expected to get a title shot against new champion Valentina Shevchenko sometime in 2025.

Blanchfield expects that Fiorot could potentially give Shevchenko the same kinds of problems she faced against a taller, longer fighter at 125 pounds. Of course, Shevchenko is the champion for a reason but Blanchfield doesn’t count Fiorot out from getting the job done and taking the title.

“I think Manon will do very well,” Blanchfield said. “I think she’s going to be a lot bigger fighter than Valentina. I don’t think Valentina cuts a lot to make [125] and Manon’s a big girl. I think she can definitely use that to her advantage, her height and her length.

“I do think Valentina is the more dynamic fighter. She has more tools than Manon. So I think it’s almost who can utilize what better. Can Manon use her size and her reach and her length to her advantage over Valentina’s more dynamic style.”

Since first arriving in the UFC, Blanchfield always dreamed about facing Shevchenko as one of the fighters she most admired coming up as a prospect in the sport. With hopes of getting back into title contention with a win over Namajunas on Saturday, the New Jersey native knows that fight could definitely still happen.

On the flipside if Fiorot gets the job done against Shevchenko and becomes champion, Blanchfield has just as much motivation to earn her way back to a rematch, perhaps this time with gold on the line.

“I’ve always wanted to fight Valentina,” Blanchfield said. “I’ve been watching her forever. She still has that aura being a great champ even with the whole Alexa [Grasso] trilogy. So I’d love to fight her and then obviously I’d love to fight Manon to get that win back.”

Before any of that can happen, Blanchfield has to get through Namajunas but she couldn’t have envisioned a better scenario to get back to where she wants than landing this particular matchup.

Namajunas is a former UFC champion currently riding a two-fight win streak at flyweight and Blanchfield recognizes that a win should put her right back in title contention again.

“It sucked losing my last fight and that always kind of hurts,” Blanchfield said. “So you always want to get back out there and get that win under your belt. Kind of get yourself feeling the way you’re used to. I’m really grateful I’m still in position to have these very high level fights and high profile fights like another five round fight against Rose.

“I set myself up in that position because of the performances I’ve had in the past. So I really want to continue that and really show out in this one.”

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Ian Machado Garry never imagined fighting Joaquin Buckley, but the two are now booked to main event UFC Tampa this coming December. “The Future” claims the matchup came together after every other top-ranked welterweight declined to fight him or was already booked.

Back in 2023, Garry and Buckley crossed paths at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas and “New Mansa” tried lobbying for a fight with the undefeated Irish contender. Garry, who was doing his best to crack the division’s top 10 rankings at that time, had no interest in sharing the Octagon with Buckley. Garry didn’t want to fight anyone below him in the division and claimed to only be looking up.

Buckley, who had returned to welterweight right around the same time the two fighters discussed a potential matchup, was simply trying to shoot his shot. It was hard to blame him since Garry was (and still is) one of the most talked about young fighters in the sport and someone fight fans want to see either win very badly or lose very badly. However, “New Mansa” was denied his chance to give Garry his first pro loss and had to work his way up to the opportunity.

Now that Buckley is 5-0 as a UFC welterweight and coming off a spectacular knockout win over UFC mainstay Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, Garry has officially changed his mind. Buckley’s ability to get Garry to agree to a fight was also made possible by other top contenders like Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington turning down a matchup with “Future,” per Garry.

On Saturday, Garry took to social media to discuss his newly booked main event with Buckley and explain why he denied him to his face just one year ago. Check it out below:

“Back in 2023 after my fight with DRod, me and @newmansa94 had this conversation… Since then he’s climbed up the rankings with some good knockouts. Still not done enough to be above me, but as Colby has said no, and Usman said no and everyone else above me is matched or injured I’ll give Buckley this opportunity – I don’t wait. I don’t play games. I fight.”

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