Joe Rogan has voiced his support for Khamzat Chimaev, stating that the top contender deserves the next UFC middleweight title shot.
Chimaev recently scored a decisive first-round victory over Robert Whittaker in the UFC 308 co-main event, sparking debate among fans about whether he or Sean Strickland should be next in line for the title. While UFC CEO Dana White had previously indicated that Strickland was set to challenge for the belt, Chimaev’s dominant performance has led many fans to speculate that plans might change.
Changing Plans
“Once he gets a hold of you, it’s so dangerous,” Rogan said during his Fight Companion podcast. “He gets a title shot. Not just that (how he beat Whittaker in the first round), but he ran through him. He didn’t get touched. He ran through him and strangled him in the first round. He might be the guy. Think about this at 185: So this guy was killing himself to get to 170. At 185, he’s the fcking man. That guy’s a scary-ass motherfcker – scary. That grappling is next level.”
Strickland, meanwhile, bounced back with a win over Paulo Costa at UFC 302 in June after losing the title to Du Plessis by split decision at UFC 297.
Continue Reading Joe Rogan: ‘Scary Motherf*cker’ Khamzat Chimaev Deserves UFC Title Shot at MMA News.
Michael Page is willing to bump up to middleweight to face one of the division’s surging up and comers in defense of his friend Israel Adesanya.
Shara “Bullet” Magomedov recently competed at UFC 308 this past Saturday where he delivered a bonus-winning double backfist knockout of Armen Petrosyan in the main card opener. After the win, Magomedov called for a fight with the former middleweight champion — which Adesanya didn’t take too kindly to — and since that fight is unlikely to happen, Page is more than willing to move up to 185 to face Magomedov.
“Actually, I just forgot his first name, which is terrible, Magomedov — he just fought, did the double spinning back [fist] knockout and then he called out my boy Izzy,” Page told MMA Fighting. “Mate, I’m at that weight right now. You don’t even have to wait too long. That one there, I’ll just take straight away just for the fun of it.”
.@michaelpage247 would absolutely move up to middleweight for a “nice stand up fight” against Shara Bullet:
“Leave my boy Izzy alone. He’s trying to get back to the throne. I’ll take his place.”
( : @MikeHeck_JR) pic.twitter.com/Yj6MMkWeee
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) October 30, 2024
Page is set to face former interim UFC welterweight champion Carlos Condit in a grappling match this Saturday at Polaris 30, which takes place in London and streams on UFC Fight Pass.
The match between “MVP” and Condit is taking place at 185 pounds, so for Page, he could just roll right into a camp in preparation for Magomedov.
“That’s what I’m grappling at right now,” Page said. “So, I’m in shape now, ready to go. So that’s a good fight for me, I think. Just a nice stand up fight for everybody, just to come back to the game. and like I said, leave my boy Izzy alone. He’s trying to get back to the belt, to the throne, so I’ll take his place.”
The longtime Bellator star signed with the UFC earlier this year and made two octagon appearances. In his UFC debut, Page earned a decision against Kevin Holland, before facing one of the division’s surging prospects in Ian Machado Garry at UFC 303 in June. Garry came out on top via unanimous decision, but Page made things very difficult for the young star.
Heading into his second year with the promotion, Page got a lot of his initial questions answered. Now, it’s about making a dent in things, and if that means competing frequently — even in multiple divisions — that’s exactly that he’ll do.
“I’d say [it’s been] a prosperous year,” Page explained. “I really have enjoyed the level up I have enjoyed, almost putting a stamp on where I knew I was. I know there is a big question mark over my head with regards to can I hang in the UFC? Is my talent level that of the UFC level? So it’s been nice to not only get signed, but also tick that box off, let everyone know that, oh yeah, now, he is competitive at this level, as well.
“The last one didn’t go my way, but it was close and there is only a few alterations. … And now I get to, again, express my martial arts skills in a different way, show the world, or keep shocking the world by doing a little something different. And then straight back to the next year, I want to be really, really aggressive in the cage. I’ve had a year when I have had five fights in one year. That’s the goal again, I want to be that kind of aggressive: Get a fight, put someone away, back at it, back at it, back at it, straight away.
“I want to make noise, man. I said that as soon as I came in here, if it’s a good fight, exciting fight, we can do it wherever. Let’s go.”
Islam Makhachev. Alex Pereira. Ilia Topuria. Any one of these incredible fighters is worthy of being called the best in the world.
But who else belongs in the discussion?
With the men’s Pound-for-Pound top-3 comfortably set for now, the MMA Fighting Crew looks ahead to 2025 to figure out if UFC champions Belal Muhammad, Dricus du Plessis, Tom Aspinall, or perhaps a surging contender can enter the conversation for the No. 1 spot in the near future. Host Alexander K. Lee is joined by esteemed rankings panelists Damon Martin, Jed Meshew, and E. Casey Leydon as we attempt to figure out who has the best chance of shaking up the P4P list.
We also discuss the moves made in the wake of October’s two UFC events and PFL’s Battle of the Giants, including Khamzat Chimaev’s big jump, Kamaru Usman’s exit, and where the top of the heavyweight division stands with Francis Ngannou’s MMA return and Jon Jones about to fight Stipe Miocic this November.
Watch the latest episode of the MMA Fighting Rankings Show above or listen below and don’t forget to subscribe to the MMA Fighting feed on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and all your other favorite podcast platforms for the latest episodes from the team.
Undefeated UFC middleweight sensation Shara Magomedov recently booked his next MMA fight and already began preparations, just a handful of days removed from his highlight-reel knockout victory over Armen Petrosyan as part of the UFC 308 pay-per-view (PPV) card in Abu Dhabi.
“Right now we’re all happy,” Magomedov’s coach, Gor Azizyan, told UDAR. “We already began preparation for February 1st. We don’t know who the opponent will be, but the date is set.”
“It’s going to be February 1st in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,” Azizyan continued. “It may be Israel Adesanya. There isn’t much more of a ‘wow’ out there.”
The promotion is expected to make its return to Kingdom Arena in Riyadh early next year and the Saudi Arabia fight card already has a heavyweight collision attached to the lineup. No word yet on who Magomedov will fight, but “Last Stylebender” doesn’t sound too interested.
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