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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Umar Nurmagomedov hopes to have his next assignment soon.

The highly touted bantamweight contender is currently targeting June for his return to action, and he hopes to secure a fight with Cory Sandhagen. Both fighters have called for the matchup after they were originally scheduled to meet this past August and Nurmagomedov was forced off the card after suffering a shoulder injury.

Fresh off a dominant win over newcomer Bekzat Almakhan in March, Nurmagomedov revealed that his management team has already been in contact with the UFC to inquire about the Sandhagen fight, and he’s confident the matchup will happen.

“We’re just talking about this fight right now with UFC,” Nurmagomedov told MMA Fighting. “My manager is talking about this fight [with the UFC], and we’re just talking about the date. I think June, maybe [June] 8, maybe [June 29], maybe some different date, it doesn’t matter to me. Any time I can fight.

“It’s up to the UFC. I hope nothing is going to happen [to this fight]. I hope I will fight with Cory, and Cory talked about this, I talked about this, the UFC talked about this before my fight with the debut guy Bekzat Almakhan. Just waiting when they are going to stay in contact, when they’re going to choose date.”

There are multiple dates planned for the UFC in June, including UFC 302 expected on June 1, a UFC Fight Night card tentatively slotted in for June 8, a cardd in Saudi Arabia on June 22 and UFC 303 on June 29.

Sandhagen called for the fight to happen at UFC 303, which caps off the promotion’s annual International Fight week event in Las Vegas. Nurmagomedov said he’s more than happy to fight on that date. He floated the idea of sharing the card with his longtime teammate, UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, who is also rumored to compete.

Ideally, Nurmagomedov would like to get Sandhagen in a five-round fight, but he’s open to whatever the UFC has in mind.

“Of course, I want to share a card with Islam,” Nurmagomedov said. “He’s my big brother, and it’s going to be very good, the team is going to be close. Many guys are going to come, friends are going to come, brothers are going to come. It’s just going to be a question of how many rounds I’m going to fight.

“If it’s not main [event], I want to fight five rounds. Because if my next fight is going to be for the title, I have to check myself and fight for five rounds. But anything different, it doesn’t matter. I want to fight five rounds. We’re going to see. For me, it doesn’t matter.”

Thanks to his experience and the level of competition, Nurmagomedov sees Sandhagen as an ideal matchup as he continues his climb up the bantamweight ladder.

“I think [Sandhagen is] one of [most] technical fighters, one of the smartest fighters in the UFC,” Nurmagomedov said. “In his last fight, he showed good wrestling, he showed good top control with Rob Font. He was injured, too. We’re going to see.

“I’m respectful. I respect him. I think me and him, we’re going to show one of the best fights and a good performance, I hope.”

On paper, Nurmagomedov vs. Sandhagen appears to be the classic grappler versus striker matchup. But both fighters have shown plenty of different wrinkles in their games. That said, the 28-year-old Dagestan native knows he’d be foolish not to play to his strengths, dragging Sandhagen into deep waters on the ground and drowning him there.

“I think I can beat him in the striking, too, but you know I think why I have to give him some chance?” Nurmagomedov said. “Striking is always 50-50. Somebody can catch you. Everybody can give you a lucky punch.

“I think why give him a lucky punch when I can take him down and I can choke him and dominate and maul him. That’s why I’m always choosing to hold people and takedowns, and try to finish and try to smash [them].”

If he gets his desired fight, Nurmagomedov believes the winner of his matchup with Sandhagen should immediately become the No. 1 contender in the division. While he expects Merab Dvalishvili to get the next shot at champion Sean O’Malley later this year, he doesn’t see any other scenario that makes sense.

“Who else [is there]?” Nurmagomedov said. “Me and Cory, who else? Petr Yan lost his last three fights, and right now, he’s on a one [fight] winning streak. In the top five, Chito [Vera] lost, [Henry] Cejudo lost, just Cory has a winning streak. Who’s [else]?”

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Former undisputed welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman claims unbeaten middleweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev is “nothing special” in the aftermath of their UFC 294 clash back in October – insisting he would have beaten the Chechen if he tried a little more.

Usman, a former undisputed welterweight champion and prior pound-for-pound number one fighter under the promotion’s banner – has been sidelined from the Octagon since he co-headlined against the above-mentioned, Chimaev in October of last year, suffering his third consecutive loss. 

With his controversial majority decision win, Chimaev improved to 13-0 as a professional, and sees him currently hold the number 11 rank in the official middleweight pile.

And while staking his claim for an elusive first title fight under the promotion’s banner, Chimaev has seen a championship tilt at the limit against newly-minted gold holder, Dricus du Plessis likely denied by promotional brass – with an offer floated to Israel Adesanya to compete for spoils next. 

Kamaru Usman plays down Khamzat Chimaev’s ceiling

Backed by a slew of pundits and fans to eventually land Octagon gold, however, Chimaev’s skills and abilities have been called into question by Usman – who accused those who are “building” him up, are putting their backing behind a contender who is far from special.

“You get in those type of fights and those positions, where you build something up in your mind and in your head,” Kamaru Usman said on the Pound 4 Pound podcast. “And everyone’s now – especially in this machine of the UFC, and MMA, you build him (Khamzat Chimaev) up in your head. Then you get in [the Octagon], and – that wasn’t special.”

“That was nothing different than what I had seen [before],” Kamaru Usman explained. “Had I given it a little bit more, had I have given myself a little bit more credit, that would have turned out totally different.”

Claiming if he so wanted to he could very easily reclaim his welterweight title in the future, Auchi native, Usman also admitted he laments a failed middleweight title siege during the run of Sean Strickland – whom he already holds a decision win over. 

Who do you want to see UFC star, Kamaru Usman fight next?

LowKickMMA.com

Middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis captured the 185-pound championship by narrowly defeating Sean Strickland in the UFC 297 main event on Jan. 20.  The bout earned Fight of the Night honors.

The fight ended in a split decision but some didn’t agree with the judges, including UFC CEO Dana White.  

“I had it 2-2 going into the last round and I thought that Strickland won the last round. Guys who were sitting at the same table had it the other way. It was a close fight,” White said during the UFC 297 Post-Fight Press Conference.  

Strickland wants a rematch.  On Wednesday, “Tarzan” posted that he wanted to ‘run it back’ with the South African.  

“You know I don’t care about fight politics or a belt but it makes me laugh they give izzy a rematch to alex after getting slept.. I lost a close decision that dana himself thought I won. Everyone did.. The stats did. That needs to be run back,” Strickland wrote on X.  

You know I don't care about fight politics or a belt but it makes me laugh they give izzy a rematch to alex after getting slept..

I lost a close decision that dana himself thought I won. Everyone did.. The stats did.

That needs to be run back..

— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) March 13, 2024

There are some differences in Israel Adesanya getting a rematch with Alex Pereira compared to Strickland’s situation.  Prior to the Pereira loss, Adesanya had successfully defended the title five times.  He was on his way to winning until Pereira ended the fight in the final round.  The loss to Du Plessis at UFC 297 was Strickland’s first title defense.  

UFC matchmakers worked to book Adesanya and Du Plessis to headline UFC 300.  While the fight didn’t material for that fight card, it’s expected to take place next.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

UFC legend Mark Coleman is alert, responsive and breathing on his own after saving his parents from a house fire.

The former UFC heavyweight champion was intubated and sedated due to smoke inhalation that damaged his lungs but now Coleman is awake and even speaking to his family from his hospital bed in Toledo. Coleman’s family posted a video on Instagram showing him hugging his daughters and talking to them from his bed after doctors treated his lungs, which was the biggest concern after he was life flighted from the scene of the house fire.

“I’m the happiest man in the world,” Coleman said. “I swear to God I’m so lucky. I can’t believe my parents are alive. I had to make a decision. I got out of my room and went to the door and it was already horrible and I couldn’t breathe. I almost had to go outside and I went back in and got them. I can’t believe it. I got them and I couldn’t find Hammer.”

Coleman was brought to tears recounting the incident after he was woken up to find his parents’ home already engulfed in flames. He was able to rescue both of his parents from the burning building but he went back inside to try to find his dog, Hammer.

Sadly, Coleman’s dog did not survive the ordeal and the UFC Hall of Famer eventually succumbed to the smoke inhalation from the fire, which led to his hospitalization.

A day after he was first rushed to the hospital, doctors treated his lungs and wanted to see if Coleman could breathe on his own. Thankfully, Coleman is awake now and breathing on his own with a positive outlook on his recovery.

Coleman’s daughters, Morgan and Kenzie, started a GoFundMe on his behalf to help pay for medical costs as he continues to recover from the horrific ordeal.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Dustin Poirier took a super difficult fight against surging contender Benoit Saint Denis in the co-main event of UFC 299 and delivered an incredible highlight-reel knockout that sent the MMA community into a frenzy. With so much going on at lightweight, and champion Islam Makhachev needing an opponent for potentially as early as June, did “The Diamond” punch his ticket to one last opportunity at undisputed UFC gold?

On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck gives his thoughts on Poirier’s performance, whether he will be next for Makhachev, and his incredible run as a 155-pounder in the UFC. Additionally, listener questions include the booking of Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal in a boxing match June 1 and the pros and cons with the bout, Sean O’Malley’s big win over Marlon Vera, Colby Covington’s response to Ian Machado Garry, if Curtis Blaydes gets the fight with Tom Aspinall for the interim heavyweight title with his win over Jailton Almeida, and much more.

You can listen live to Heck of a Morning Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 10 a.m. ET on the MMA Fighting Twitter Spaces.

If you miss it live, audio-only versions of the podcast can be found below, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

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