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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Tom Aspinall is set to be a backup fighter at UFC 309, but he might also put in some work as a pitch man while he’s there.

When Jon Jones returns to defend his heavyweight title against fellow legend Stipe Miocic in the Nov. 16 main event at Madison Square Garden, Aspinall will be on hand to step in should either fighter be unable to make to the cage on fight night. Regardless of the result, Aspinall—the interim heavyweight champion—would like to face the winner, assuming that this doesn’t prove to be the final fight for both headliners.

Aspinall plans to do his part to convince either Jones or Miocic to put off their retirement plans and make the walk at least one more time.

“What’s the plan?” Aspinall said on his YouTube channel. “Turn up, do some media, cause a few scenes here and there, and try and make the winner stick around and fight me, hopefully.”

Since Jones’ most recent fight, a dominant win over Ciryl Gane in March 2023 to capture a vacant belt, Aspinall has claimed an interim title and successfully defended it once. Despite his success, the No. 1 heavyweight in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings enters UFC 309 with no assurance he’ll get the chance to face the undisputed champion.

Aspinall is excited to see his potential opponents in action, at the very least. Having made his UFC debut in July 2020, Aspinall hasn’t had many opportunities to see Jones or Miocic from a cageside seat with the pair having fought a combined three times since then.

“Just see what happens, really,” Aspinall said. “I’m really interested how both guys look in the fight, that’s really interesting for me, up close. Especially up close because it’s a little bit different than on the TV. I want to go up close and see what these guys look like in live action, do you know what I mean?

“How are they moving? What are they doing? You can see little differences in real life than you can on the TV and I’m looking forward to that.”

TOP STORIES

Out. A bone infection in his foot has forced Belal Muhammad off of UFC 310.

Happy Trails. Former UFC featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie announced her retirement after 25 years of fighting.

Thanks. Derrick Lewis signed a new UFC deal, one that may have been boosted by PFL’s interest in him for a Francis Ngannou rematch.

Intervention. Brendan Schaub looks back at the moment Joe Rogan changed his life forever.

Still Beefing? Derrick Lewis had strong words for Daniel Cormier… even if it’s unclear exactly what the issue is.

VIDEO STEW

Between the Links.

Derrick Lewis and Mike Heck.

Alexander Volkanovski in Abu Dhabi.

Just bleed, obviously.

SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Who wants some?

Ian Machado Garry, that’s who.

And maybe Kamaru Usman.

And definitely Joaquin Buckley.

I chuckled.

Real talk: Coyote -2000

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Payton Talbott (9-0) vs. Raoni Barcelos (18-5); UFC 311, Jan. 18

FINAL THOUGHTS

The UFC is back in Canada for the first time since January, and in Edmonton for the first time since July 2019. Let’s hope for the country’s sake that it’s more like UFC 289 in Vancouver (all the Canadians won!) and less like UFC 297 (Jasmine Jasudavicius and Gillian Robertson delivered, all the Canadian men lost!).

There are NINE fighters representing Canada on Saturday. Surely, they’ll come out with a better than .500 record, right?

Right, eh?

EXIT POLL

If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @AlexanderKlee or @JedKMeshew on Twitter and let us know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and like us on Facebook.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

The Return
| BJPenn.com

Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

If the post above doesn’t make a lot of sense upon first glance, you’re not alone.

BJ Penn, a two-division champion and one of the most decorated UFC fighters in history, has been no stranger to controversy since retiring back in 2019. There have been multiple bar fights and an ill-fated political campaign for Hawaiian governor, as well as accusations of sexual assault and violence from the mother of his children.

Sadly, the issues are continuing for “The Prodigy.” A recent report revealed Penn is currently facing a lawsuit for domestic abuse, as well as a restraining order from one or more unnamed parties.

In this context, Penn’s post can be better understood. Penn seems to be saying that his accuser was bribed to file the temporary restraining order by some sort of “sabotage squad” of Penn enemies with the goal of destroying his reputation. Per Penn, the sabotage squad believed he “would start some fake Hawaiian revolution so they started attacking me for no reason.”

I’m not a lawyer, but the repeated statement of “I love confrontation” doesn’t appear likely to help his case. The image above indicates a November update to both cases, so hopefully more information will come to light sooner than later.

Insomnia

Happy Halloween!

Slips, rips, and KO clips

I don’t think it happens to Khamzat, but it’s only appropriate that Dricus Du Plessis’ guillotine is hilarious.

PRIDE Wanderlei Silva was a different animal.

Shouldn’t the guy rolling solo be way bigger or way better at fighting than the duo? Execution indeed.

Random Land

I definitely posted the original fish picture once, but the additional pics are worth a revisit.

Midnight Music: Alternative, 1994

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

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Beneil Dariush was originally hoping for a return before the end of the year but with the UFC schedule already looking secured for the remainder of 2024, he’s looking at an early outing in the new year. Though this kind of break isn’t necessarily anything new for fighters, especially if they’ve got injuries to attend to, it is for him.

Since turning pro back in 2009, Dariush has fought at least once in each consecutive year. Whether he’s fighting twice a year like in 2023 or four times in his debut year with the promotion, the 35-year old has been a consistently active member of the roster.

Alongside some setbacks outside of the cage to deal with, another issue for him is finding the right fights at this stage in his career. Dariush isn’t opposed to fighting rising contenders but at the #8-ranked lightweight, he can’t be giving his spot away for free either.

One of the reasons that he’s now targeting January for his Octagon return is that it takes him a bit more time to prepare for competing at 155-pounds at this stage in his career. In a recent interview with Inside Fighting, he said that moving up a weight class so that he could fight more often and open up new opportunities was even a thought at one point because he wants to be as active as possible.

“It’s been challenging and it’s just weird, you know. I understand you’ll have your ups and downs so I had my ups for a while and now I’m kinda down but like, just not to be able to fight has been weird. I enjoy it so much. I even considered going to 170 just so I can fight more often but I don’t think I’m done with 55 yet so I’ve been trying to really focus on recovery as far as the brain injuries and stuff like that. I want to make sure when I get back into the Octagon, I don’t have to worry about any of that stuff.”

Continue Reading Beneil Dariush Contemplated Moving Divisions After Missing A Full Year For The First Time In His Career at MMA News.

MMA News

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Belal Muhammad’s first title defense will have to wait.

The UFC welterweight champion announced Thursday that he is out of his UFC 310 main event matchup with challenger Shavkat Rakhmonov due to a bone infection in his foot. Al Zullino first reported Muhammad’s withdrawal on Twitter.

Muhammad shared the news in a social media post.

“Caught a bone infection in my foot,” Muhammad wrote. “Had to put a PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) line in my arm for IV antibiotics the next six weeks with no physical activity.

“Allah’s plan is the best plan. I’m sorry to everyone that were coming to see me. I’ll be back soon. Inshallah.”

As of now, the UFC is seeking out a replacement for Rakhmonov, but a person with knowledge of the situation told MMA Fighting it’s unknown whether or not the undefeated fighter will compete on the Dec. 7 fight card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas or if the matchup will be moved to a later date and location.

Muhammad captured the title with a unanimous decision victory over Leon Edwards at UFC 304 in July. “Remember the Name” is unbeaten in his past 11 bouts, and hasn’t tasted defeat in nearly six years.

Rakhmonov earned his first UFC championship opportunity with a second-round submission of Stephen Thompson at UFC 296 this past December. “Nomad” has finished all 18 of the opponents he’s faced as a pro.

Following the news, Rakhmonov wished Muhammad well and suggested he is willing to fight anyone at UFC 310 for an interim welterweight title.

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