Bruno Silva plans to take a break from fighting after coming up short at UFC 308.

“Blindado” revealed on a long video posted on his social media, hours after the loss in Abu Dhabi, that he has dealt with severe anxiety for over four years. The Brazilian middleweight won his first three UFC fights before going on a 1-6 slump inside the octagon.

“I’m a man that always dedicates hard to his professional and personal life,” Silva said in Portuguese. “I’m very happy in my personal life and fulfilled as a man, but there’s been a few years that I have dealt with strong anxiety crisis inside the octagon. Those who don’t know, you feel like drowning. You’re tired and powerless, and all you want is not to be in that octagon. When the first round ended [at UFC 308], the crisis came, and I was very tired. It felt like my heart would come out of my mouth, and I feel bad. I lost my focus entirely. In my mind, I just want to get out of there, you know?”

Silva said he began experiencing these oppressive thoughts four years ago, and they became worse when he fought Gerald Meerschaert. Silva was coming off his first UFC defeat, a decision to future champion Alex Pereira, when he tapped in just 99 seconds against Meerschaert. He bounced back with a first-round knockout over Brad Tavares eight months later, but then lots his next four to Brendan Allen, Shara Magomedov, Chris Weidman and Naurdiev.

“I went to a psychiatrist and started taking medication, did heart exams and there was nothing,” Silva said. “And now, I was doing great. I did all the work, did yoga to calm down and everything, but there are fights that are hard. Some fights are harder than those in the octagon. Fights with our body, our mind, our heart.”

Silva said he will now focus on taking care of himself as a person, leave the fighter aside for a bit, and put his career on pause.

“I have a life ahead of me and won’t fight again like this,” Silva said. “I don’t know how my situation will be in the UFC, if I’m going to be released or not. In case I’m not, I’ll ask for a break. I need some time. I need to check on my body, I need time for myself. I had 10 fights [in three years], I’m one of the most active fighters in the UFC, so I need to take care of myself.”

“To those who like me, and those who are embarrassed, ask for help,” he continued. “Don’t be embarrassed. People will criticize no matter what, so get help. This is my message to you that is going through problems. Ask for help, talk about it. Thank God I don’t have depression, but this is affecting my career, my work, and I’ll only fight again, you’ll only see me in the octagon again, when I’m healed, when I’m well. Fighting like this is too much, it makes me feel bad as a man. I’m devastated to go back home like this. But this is part of life, right?

“I’ve had a victorious career, and now I’m going through a delicate moment. I think I need patience and faith to move forward because life isn’t only about fighting. I have a life as a person, I’m a family man and I need to be well to go back home and put food on the table for my family and people I love. You may think all you want, that I need to change teams and everything, it’s your right. The work was done, but I am the problem. I can go anywhere in the world, the problem is inside me, so I need to get help now. It’s God, myself and a professional to help me now.”

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Super Fight?
| BJPenn.com

More bad news for Sean Strickland.

Reigning UFC middleweight champion, Dricus Du Plessis, is expected to make his next 185-pound title defense at some point in early 2025. Prior to the UFC 308 pay-per-view (PPV) card, it was expected that former champion, Sean Strickland, would rematch “Stillknocks” after their close decision at UFC 297 back in January.

Then Khamzat Chimaev went and destroyed Robert Whittaker at UFC 308.

During the UFC 308 post-fight press conference, UFC CEO Dana White would not commit to the next opponent for Du Plessis, suggesting that his final decision would be worked out when matchmakers gathered on Tuesday to map out the next moves for all the competitors who went to war last weekend at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Du Plessis, however, appears to favor Chimaev over Strickland.

“Feel really sorry for Rob [Whittaker] he looked super ready but this is the fight game,” the champ posted on Twitter, while also reposting a tweet that called for the “Borz” fight as soon as possible. “Well done on a good performance, Khamzat. That being said, I can’t wait to take your 0.”

Chimaev is undefeated at 14-0 with 12 finishes.

Even if the promotion opts to move forward with Chimaev, questions remain about his ability to answer the call. Strickland, despite his own issues, never has a problem making his fight dates and would likely be ready to compete at a moment’s notice. How much that influences White’s decision remains to be seen.

Stay tuned.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Ilia Topuria and Khamzat Chimaev both accomplished something that had never been done before at UFC 308 as the rising stars capped off a wild pay-per-view event in Abu Dhabi. Now that the dust has settled, what comes next for both guys?

On an all-new edition of On To the Next One, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee discuss what could for Topuria after he became the first man ever to knock out Max Holloway in the main event to retain the UFC featherweight title. Additionally, future matchups are discussed for Holloway, Chimaev — after being the first UFC fighter to submit Robert Whittaker in the co-main event — Magomed Ankalaev following his decision win over Aleksandar Rakic, Lerone Murphy after earning a hard fought decision against Dan Ige, Shara Magomedov following his wild knockout win over Armen Petrosyan, and more.

Watch the UFC 308 edition of On To the Next One in the video above. Audio-only versions of the podcast can be found below, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

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Magomed Ankalaev is confident that Alex Pereira is actively avoiding a showdown, and he’s eager to step into the Octagon with him.

Fresh off a decisive victory over Aleksandar Rakic on the main card of UFC 308, Ankalaev believes he’s earned a title shot. His decision win at UFC 308 showcased his skill, positioning him as a top contender. Speaking to the media after the fight, Ankalaev voiced his suspicions, suggesting that the promotion may be shielding Pereira from the matchup.

No More Running

“Let’s do it: Alex, stop running away from me. … I’ve heard he wants to fight during Ramadan. We’re not fighting in Ramadan. But after Ramadan or before, if he agrees, we’ll fight.”

Ankalaev added, “I think he’s being protected. I’m not sure why the UFC is doing it, but it seems they’re shielding him. He’s an exciting fighter and a strong striker, so maybe they’re just trying to save him.”

Undefeated since 2018, Ankalaev’s fighting style has drawn some criticism, with some detractors labeling it “boring.” However, he remains a formidable contender in the light heavyweight division, eager for his chance to face Pereira.

Continue Reading Magomed Ankalae To Alex Pereira: “Stop Running Away From Me” at MMA News.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Welcome to the latest update to the MMA Fighting pound-for-pound rankings, where every month our esteemed panel sort through the noise to answer one question: Who are the best overall male and female MMA fighters in the world?

Ilia Topuria and Khamzat Chimaev defeated a pair of legendary opponents in unexpected ways at UFC 308, plus Bellator champion Cris Cyborg shined in her PFL debut, so let’s take a look at how the charts were shaken up at the end of October.

MEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Ilia Topuria just turned the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world debate into a three-horse race.

For much of the past year, Islam Makhachev has been the man to beat with the ever-active Alex Pereira breathing down his neck. Few expected Topuria to put on such a commanding performance against Max Holloway that he would have to be mentioned alongside those names. When Topuria blew the doors off at UFC 308, becoming the first fighter ever to score a knockout of Holloway, it’s now inconceivable to have the discussion without him.

Topuria leaps over Pereira to claim the No. 2 spot on the list, with one panelist going as far as to mark him down at No. 1. The case for Topuria? How about an undefeated record with finishes of two of the greatest fighters of all time? He was the first to defeat Alexander Volkanovski in a 145-pound bout and, as mentioned, the only fighter to put Holloway away with strikes.

Keep in mind, Holloway has been in there with Conor McGregor, Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, Yair Rodriguez, Jose Aldo, Anthony Pettis, and Jeremy Stephens, a list of opponents who have authored some of the most devastating knockouts in MMA history. None of them could do what Topuria did.

Add in featherweight being an absurdly deep division and you can see how Topuria’s resounding title defense has him leading Fighter of the Year talk—and possibly the Pound-for-Pound list next year.

Also of note, you may have noticed the return of one Mr. Khamzat Chimaev to our rankings. Not only does Chimaev have a number next to his name again, he flies in at No. 13 ahead of former UFC champions Sean Strickland, Sean O’Malley, and Charles Oliveira. Chimaev is still yet to even book a title shot, but when you force a frantic tap from Robert Whittaker—who had only been submitted once before—you’re going to get people’s attention again.

And let’s not forget Francis Ngannou is also back, though his knockout of PFL heavyweight tournament champion Renan Ferreira didn’t convince everyone he deserves to be back on the pound-for-pound list. We were all over the place here, with one panelist having “The Predator” as high as No. 6 and two others leaving him off completely. It might not be fair, but if he can’t work with PFL to bring in at least a couple of big-name opponents to face him, we might not see Ngannou get close to the top of the charts again.

Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 4 Ilia Topuria vs. No. 9 (tied) Max Holloway

Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 4 Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Asakura (UFC 310, Dec. 7), No. 5 Belal Muhammad vs. No. 18 Shavkat Rakhmonov (UFC 310, Dec. 7), No. 17 Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler (UFC, 309, Nov. 16), No. 19 (tied) Aljamain Sterling vs. Movsar Evloev (UFC 310, Dec. 7)

Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Israel Adesanya (4), Anatoly Malykhin (3), Kyoji Horiguchi (2), Patricio Pitbull (2), Robert Whittaker (2), Magomed Ankalaev (1), Johnny Eblen (1), Usman Nurmagomedov (1), Kamaru Usman (1)

Falling out of the rankings (previous ranking shown): No. 19 Israel Adesanya, No. 20 Patricio Pitbull (20)

WOMEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND

Jose Peñuela, PFL

Cris Cyborg has nothing left to prove to anyone. That didn’t stop her from reminding everyone she’s still as good as any woman alive when it comes to cagefighting.

In her PFL debut, Cyborg went five hard rounds with league darling Larissa Pacheco and came out on top with a convincing decision win, putting to rest the notion it was time for her to pass the torch. There may come a day when Cyborg and Pacheco square off again with Pacheco getting the upper hand next time, but that day is yet to arrive.

Cyborg snapped Pacheco’s three-year, 10-fight win streak, and improved her own ridiculous record to 28-2 (1 NC). One of her losses was to Amanda Nunes, and even if Cyborg never surpasses Nunes on the all-time list, the fact she’s still racking up wins and claiming a top-5 Pound-for-Pound spot well after Nunes’ retirement is a unique accomplishment on its own.

When people talk about an athlete being one of one, they’re talking about Cyborg.

Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 7 Cris Cyborg def. No. 6 Larissa Pacheco

Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 8 Erin Blanchfield vs. No. 10 Rose Namajunas (UFC Edmonton, Nov. 2), No. 11 Yan Xiaonan vs. Tabatha Ricci (UFC Macau, Nov. 23), No. 15 (tied) Taila Santos vs. Dakota Ditcheva (PFL 2024 Championships, Nov. 29)

Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Maycee Barber (2), Irene Aldana (1), Macy Chiasson (1), Dakota Ditcheva (1), Norma Dumont (1), Amanda Lemos (1), Marina Rodriguez (1), Mayra Bueno Silva (1), Ketlen Vieira (1)

Lastly, a refresher on some ground rules:

• The six-person voting panel consists of MMA Fighting staffers Alexander K. Lee, Guilherme Cruz, Mike Heck, E. Casey Leydon, Damon Martin and Jed Meshew.
• Updates to the rankings will be completed following every UFC pay-per-view. Fighters will be removed from the rankings if they do not compete within 18 months of their most recent bout.
• Should a fighter announce their retirement, our panel will decide whether that fighter should immediately be removed from the rankings or maintain their position until further notice (let’s put it this way: we’d have taken Khabib Nurmagomedov out of our rankings a lot quicker than the UFC did).

As a reminder, the notion of pound-for-pound supremacy is always going to inherently be subjective. When you’re debating whether someone like Sean Strickland should be ranked above someone like Charles Oliveira, there is no true right answer. In other words: It’s not serious business, folks.

Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Make your voice heard in the comments below.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Conor McGregor continues to play games with the fans in regards to comeback talk.

Replying to a comment on social media suggesting that his wealth and success have made it unnecessary for him to fight again, the former two-division UFC champion replied, “Ya know what, you’re right, good bye.”

The brief response shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to anyone that has followed McGregor’s career as he has teased retirement in the past on multiple occasions, only to walk back his statement (and sometimes delete the comment). As it stands, the 36-year-old has not fought since UFC 264 in July 2021, when he broke his leg in a loss to longtime rival Dustin Poirier.

After taking time off to deal with the injury, McGregor coached a season of The Ultimate Fighter opposite Michael Chandler and was supposed to fight Chandler at UFC 303 this past June. However, McGregor withdrew from the bout due to injury and Chandler has since moved on to a rematch with Charles Oliveira set for UFC 309.

McGregor has also expressed an interest in competing for BKFC, the bare-knuckle boxing organization of which he is currently a part owner.

No firm timetable has been given for McGregor’s next fight, with UFC CEO Dana White most recently stating he expects “The Notorious” to return sometime in 2025.

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