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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Joaquin Buckley called out UFC megastar Conor McGregor after his win over Nursulton Ruziboev at UFC St. Louis, but then shifted to a more realistic name instead.

That name? Gilbert Burns.

Buckley defined the Burns clash as a “a beautiful matchup,” and it didn’t take long for “Durinho” to respond.

Burns, who co-hosts the Show Me The Money podcast alongside fellow Brazilian fighter Renato Moicano, reacted to the callout on a recent episode.

“Let’s do it,” Burns said. “The way I see it, like, I’m not in the situation to call anyone out or to pick and choose. OK, I’m No. 6 right now.

“If they send me [a contract for Buckley], I’ll say yes now. I never say no to a fight, I’m not planning [to] start doing [that now].”

Buckley (19-6) has four straight UFC bouts since moving back down to the welterweight division, including a second-round knockout of Burns’ close friend and teammate Vicente Luque in March.

Burns, a one-time welterweight title contender, looks to get back on track after losing two bouts in a row against Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena.

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Matchmaking
| BJPenn.com

The bigger they are… the harder they fall.

Being the ‘sumo guy’ in my social circle means that anytime something viral happens on the dohyo, my Whatsapp gets flooded with ‘OMG’ and ‘Did you see this?’ messages (like when Anthony Johnson and Curtis Blaydes threw down under sumo rules). And I’m not mad at that! I love it when friends notice sumo and provide me with an opening for telling them way more than they asked for.

This week I was inundated with a match that took place in the makushita (third division) during the ongoing natsu basho (summer tournament). Check it out in all its glory below (as shared by Al Zullino on X).

The bout features the 207 lbs Oyamada getting a win over the 556 lbs Dewanojo. Oyamada scored the win via an ashitori (leg pick), which to many of the MMA fans watching resembled a single leg takedown.

One of the many questions MMA observers had next was, “can you do single legs in sumo?”

Yes. Yes, you can. In sumo you lose if any part of your body, other than the soles of your feet touch the ground, or if you are forced out of the ring. Takedowns like what we saw from Oyamada are legal, but rare, since it’s hard to guarantee you won’t touch the ground before your opponent does.

The short list of illegal moves in sumo include: pulling hair, striking with a closed fist, choking, groin strikes and biting.

Another question this video raised was regarding weight classes in sumo, or lack thereof. In Grand Sumo (the most popular form of sumo, which is administered by the Japan Sumo Association), all rikishi compete in a tiered league system which has no weight classes. So bouts like the one above are common place.

You especially see matches like this in the makushita, which is the division directly below juryo and makuuchi. Those top two divisions are the only salaried divisions in the sport.

The makushita is stocked with 42 wrestlers hoping to gain promotion to juryo so they can start getting paid. Only a small percentage of these wrestlers will ever make it to the top two divisions. The majority of the makushita are men who either have a little bit of technique or a lot of size. Anyone who has both technique and size has a good shot of progressing to the salaried ranks.

Oyamada, who we saw win in the above clip, has OK technique, but he needs to either be elite in that department or add an ‘armor of fat’ if he hopes to make it to the top division (and join fellow small guy wrestlers Midorifuji and Tobizaru).

Above: The 250 lbs Midorifuji takes down the 330 lbs Shodai in this year’s Spring Tournament.

Oyamada is 24 and has competed in 13 tournaments. He trains out of the Naruto stable, which was established by Bulgarian sumo wrestler Kotooshu Katsunori in 2017. That stable is also home to current top division wrestler Oshoma.

Given his past performances, I give Oyamada a slim chance of making it to the salaried divisions. In the meantime, though, he will continue to be Naruto’s go-to guy for thirst trap vids.

Dewanojo is 30-years-old and a veteran of 73 tournaments. He’s never made it past makushita (and he likely never will). He trains at the Dewanoumi stable, alongside current top division wrestler Mitakeumi. He’s one of the heaviest men to ever compete in Grand Sumo.

I’ve been given the green-light to post sumo stories like this here at MMA Mania when they pop up. If you’re interested in more sumo content, including tournament updates and technical deep dives, you can check out my Substack Sumo Stomp!

And if you have any questions about sumo, throw them in the comments below and I’ll answer any that I can.

To close, check out this highlight reel of Enho (the most popular little guy ever) taking out giants.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Ian Machado Garry wants to close out 2024 with a bang.

“The Future” has already logged one important win this year, defeating top-ranked welterweight Geoff Neal via split decision this past February to improve to 7-0 in the UFC and 14-0 overall. He then angled for a fight with three-time title challenger Colby Covington in the hopes of earning his own championship shot, but that matchup appears to be dead in the water for now.

Instead, Garry has turned his sights on former Bellator star Michael Page. “Venom” made a successful promotional debut UFC 299, where he defeated Kevin Holland. According to Garry, he’s agreed to fight Page and is waiting for the English standout to respond.

“I’ve said yes,” Garry told talkSport when asked about the possibility of fighting Page. “I’ve said yes to that name. Him and his coaches are deciding because he seems a bit heavy to make weight in seven weeks time, but I’ve said yes.”

Though there’s a UFC pay-per-view in Manchester, England, taking place this July that would make geographical sense for Garry and Page, Garry’s preference is to fight at UFC 303 alongside fellow Irishman Conor McGregor. The former two-division champion headlines the June 29 card in Las Vegas opposite Michael Chandler.

Garry expressed disappointment over the Covington fight not happening as he believes that rivalry would secure him the co-main event spot, but at this point he has accepted that he may have to fight back in the rankings as he’s been unable to secure several matchups, a situation he claims is due to opponents declining to sign a contract.

“There’s so many at this point, you kind of lose count,” Garry said. “I feel like I’ve gone through about eight or nine names. And it’s like, ‘No, don’t want that fight. Not interested.’ The UFC are saying they’re not interested. They’ve offered me Colby. I said yes to MVP. I said yes to Sean Brady. I said yes to, I don’t even know his name, the Uzbekistani guy [Nursulton Ruziboev] if he had won [against Joaquin Buckley].

“I said to yes to Joaquin Buckley. I’ve said yes to every single person that has come my way. That is what I do. Since I’ve entered the UFC, I’ve done nothing different. I say, ‘Yes.’ I say, ‘What date? Where? And when?’”

A bout with “MVP” may not vault Garry to a title shot, but Page’s exciting style and popularity would bring plenty of eyeballs to that matchup should it happen. As frustrated as Garry is with his inability to catch one of the bigger fish in the welterweight division, he believes it’s only a matter of time until they’re forced to make room for the next generation of contenders.

“I think there’s some older guys in the division, guys who are on their way out, on their way down, and they’re trying to maintain and hold their spot so they can have some sort of ego about it,” Garry said. “But the truth is there’s a new wave of talent coming through. When you look at it, you can see it quite clearly. There’s me. There’s Shavkat [Rakhmonov]. There’s Jack Della Maddalena. There’s three examples of younger guys coming in and tearing up the division.

“The champion’s doing his thing. The champ can only fight as much as the champ is able to fight the next best guy, but at the end of the day the champ himself, including the top contenders, they’re only fighting twice a year. I’m looking to do three and four a year. So when I become champion, when that happens, I’m going to continue this consistency. I’m going to take out the next best guy. I want to clear out the division. I want to do it the way Israel [Adesanya] did it, I want to do it better than the way [Kamaru] Usman did it, and by the time I get to the belt, I’ll have taken out six of the top 15 already so there won’t be a lot more to go.”

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Khabib Nurmagomedov’s team has denied reports that the UFC Hall of Famer owes Russia’s Federal Tax Service more than $ 3 million.

Earlier this week, it was reported that the former lightweight world champion had multiple accounts frozen, including those associated with the MMA promotion Eagle FC and a charitable organization, due to his allegedly owing 306 million rubles, or $ 3.3 million.

According to TASS, a Russian news agency, Nurmagomedov’s team has called the reports “inaccurate.”

“The information about tax debt is inaccurate,” the statement read. “Khabib continues to engage in business projects and develop them” (h/t Championship Rounds).

Khabib Nurmagomedov facing serious penalties if found guilty

According to Article 199 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, tax evasion in the country is “punishable by a fine in the amount of 100 thousand to 300 thousand roubles ($ 1,094 to $ 3,284) or in the amount of the wage or salary, or any other income of the convicted person for a period of one to two years, or by an arrest for a term of four to six months, or by deprivation of liberty for a term of up to two years with or without deprivation of the right to hold specified offices or to engage in specified activities for a term of up to three years.”

Khabib Nurmagomedov has not competed inside the Octagon since securing his third-straight lightweight title defense against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October 2020. He walked away from the sport with a perfect record of 29-0.

Since retiring, ‘The Eagle’ has kickstarted multiple businesses, including a cell phone network dubbed Eagle Mobile, a supplement and water company, an MMA club, and his own MMA promotion. According to the site Mash.ru, Russian authorities were upset that Nurmagomedov had taken the money earmarked for taxes and diverted it into business ventures outside the country.

Preliminary examinations of his many businesses reportedly “uncovered irregularities in documents,” leading to a full audit and the subsequent freezing of his accounts.

LowKickMMA.com

Undefeated welterweight Ian Machado Garry was hoping to face former three-time title challenger Colby Covington in the UFC 303 co-main event on June 29, but Covington will not be ready to fight until this fall.  With Covington off the table, Garry has shifted gears.  

According to Garry, he’s verbally agreed to fight Michael “Venom” Page but isn’t sure if Page will have enough time to cut the weight.

“Colby is officially out,” Garry said to talkSPORT MMA. “He sustained an injury in December and he medically won’t be cleared until September. I don’t believe a f**king second of it. I think he’s running. I don’t think he wants anything to do with me, and he’s running. But, that’s where I’m at.”

Garry has been offered other opponents but nothing has been finalized.  Garry believes they’re all ‘running’ from him.

“There’s been other people that have been offered, and they’re running, too,” he said. “They’re all coming up with excuses. At the end of the day, whoever wants to show up across for me in that Octagon on June 29th.

“I’m sick of this ranking stuff.  I’m in a position where everyone above me is injured and then Leon [Edwards] and Belal [Muhammad] are facing off against each other,” Garry continued. “I have no interest in fighting below me, but I’m kind of in a position where I have no choice other than to wait. And last thing I want do is wait. I want to be active. I want fight. I want to compete.  That’s what I love to do, so anyone that is willing to stand in that octagon across from me June 29th and get their ass kicked, that’s who I want.”   

“I’ve said, ‘Yes,;” to Michael “Venom” Page. “I’ve said ‘yes’ to that name. Him and his coaches are deciding because he feels a bit heavy. He’s a bit heavy to make to make weight in seven weeks’ time, but I’ve said ‘yes.’” 

“They’ve offered me Colby. I’ve said ‘yes’ to ‘MVP.’ I’ve said ‘yes’ to Sean Brady. I’ve said ‘yes’ to I don’t even know his name, the Uzbekistani guy, if he had won. I’ve said ‘yes’ to Joaquin [Buckley].  I’ve said yes to every single person that’s come my way.”  

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts