jon jones

BREAKING: UFC planning on Israel Adesanya – Jan Blachowicz for light heavyweight title

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Some pretty massive news broke tonight after UFC Vegas 12. Dana White told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto that middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya (20-0), will be moving up to light heavyweight to challenge Jan Blachowicz (27-8) for the light heavyweight title.

This news comes on the heels of the UFC’s light heavyweight champion calling for a fight with Adesanya this week. There’s been some teasing from the Adesanya camp about a potential move to the light heavyweight division. Now, that teasing has been confirmed.

Blachowicz called for the fight to take place in March. However, there are no details around when the UFC will actually book this fight. Perhaps those two could be the next coaches of the Ultimate Fighter after it was announced tonight.

This will be a massive fight that could propel Adesanya to be the biggest star in the sport. However, it will not be an easy fight at all for the UFC‘s middleweight champion. Blachowicz possesses more power in his strikes than anyone Adesanya has fought so far.

The UFC’s next double champ

Adesanya will be trying to do something that only Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, and Amanda Nunes have done and that’s hold two UFC belts at the same time. I will say that the timing of the announcement from Adesanya is extremely interesting.

The UFC‘s middleweight champion had the opportunity to fight Jon Jones, however that fight never got made. Adesanya said he wanted to fight Jones at some point in the future, but he didn’t want to take the fight just yet.

After Jones vacated the light heavyweight title to move to heavyweight, Blachowicz won the UFC light heavyweight title. Now, Adesanya says he’s ready to move up and capture his second title. The fight is going to be massive for the UFC.

If Jones moves up and captures the heavyweight title, it could make the Adesanya fight even bigger. Imagine if Adesanya beats Blachowicz to become UFC light heavyweight champion and Jones becomes heavyweight champion. Never before would there have been a fight that involves champions of three combined weight classes.

UFC booking Dominick Reyes – Jiri Prochazka

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Dominick Reyes

The UFC just ended their second stint on Fight Island over the weekend. However, Dana White said that the promotion would waste no time in getting back to work once they landed in the US. He wasn’t kidding about that one.

Dana White told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto that the UFC is currently working to finalize a light heavyweight contest between Dominick Reyes (12-2) and Jiri Prochazka (27-3-1). The fight would headline a UFC fight night that will take place on February 27th.

This is a massive fight for a light heavyweight division that just crowned a new king. After reigning over the division for most of the past decade, Jon Jones decided to vacate the title and move to heavyweight. That opened the door for UFC 253.

At UFC 253, Reyes took on Jan Blachowicz for the vacant light heavyweight title. The underdog, Blachowicz, would go on to stop Reyes in the second round to become the first male Polish champion in the history of the UFC.

UFC Light Heavyweight Main Event

For Reyes, he will get a golden chance to bounce back. Prior to the loss at UFC 253, Reyes had lost a decision to Jon Jones. However, there were a lot of people who thought Reyes won that fight. Some considered him the uncrowned champion leading into UFC 253.

Reyes had been unbeaten and defeated fighters like Jared Cannonier, Chris Weidman, Vokan Oezdemir, and Ovince St. Preux. The Devastator will look to get right back into the title picture with a victory on February 27th.

There was a ton of hype surrounding the UFC debut of Jiri Prochazka. Prochazka made his debut on the UFC’s first stint on Fight Island. The charismatic fighter from the Czech Republic showed off his entertaining style in his fight with Volkan Oezdemir.

His unorthodox style caused Oezdemir to never get comfortable. In the second round, Prochazka turned the lights out with a sensational knockout. Prochazka hasn’t lost since 2015, and a victory over Reyes would likely earn him a shot at the light heavyweight title.

UFC: Khabib Nurmagomedov’s legacy after retiring 29-0

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This past weekend at UFC 254, one of the greatest to ever do it fought for the final time. Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0) successfully defended his lightweight crown against former interim champion, Justin Gaethje (22-3).

UFC 254 proved to be another dominant victory for Nurmagomedov. Facing the guy who many believed would be his toughest challenger, Nurmagomedov put on arguably the best performance of his career.

After an initial feeling out process, Nurmagomedov’s pressure slowly broke Justin Gaethje. In the second round, a takedown led to a triangle choke victory for the champion. When the fight was over, Nurmagomedov laid his gloves in the octagon and retired at UFC 254.

It’s a move that took many by surprise, however, it shouldn’t come as a surprise. Many wondered if Nurmagomedov would ever compete again after he lost his father earlier this year to COVID-19. Khabib’s father had been his lead trainer as well.

However, Nurmagomedov said he felt that he had to complete this final fight. He promised his mother that he would walk away from the UFC after this contest, and I believe him. I think we’ve seen the last of Khabib Nurmagomedov inside the octagon.

Khabib’s UFC Legacy

Simply put, Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of the greatest to ever do it. He has a very strong argument as the greatest fighter to ever step foot inside the UFC‘s octagon. He leaves undefeated with no asterisks on his record.

Jon Jones is the GOAT in the eyes of many, however, you can’t say his record is nearly as clean. When it comes to longevity and resume of wins, you’d have to lean towards Jones, however, the USADA issues can’t be ignored when examining his overall legacy.

With Nurmagomedov, you have a clean resume. The most dominant lightweight to ever compete in the UFC. He defeated every top challenger in the division outside of Tony Ferguson. That fight was attempted to be made five times, however, it never came together.

At the end of the day, as a fight fan, I’m sad that we won’t see Nurmagomedov compete anymore. However, I’m glad I got to witness his prime and see his dominance. Nurmagomedov went out on top, and 29-0 is something we may never see again in the UFC.

Should the UFC book Adesanya – Whittaker 2?

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After Israel Adesanya defeated Paulo Costa at UFC 253, he made it clear on who he had his eyes on. In the middleweight division, he openly told Jared Cannonier that if he destroyed Robert Whittaker, he would get the next UFC title shot.

Those two men faced off yesterday at UFC 254. The former champion, Whittaker, was trying to get back to the title after losing it to Adesanya last year. Cannonier had been a destroyer at middleweight and he was also looking to challenge Adesanya.

Cannonier did have moments yesterday, but in the end, it was all Robert Whittaker. To me, Robert Whittaker proved he was the class of the division yesterday outside of Israel Adesanya. Whittaker clearly won the fight from the opening bell to the closing bell at UFC 254.

Cannonier did have his moments, but Whittaker’s speed and accuracy flustered him all night. Whittaker even was seconds away from finishing the fight in the third round. With the win yesterday, Whittaker cemented himself as the top contender in the middleweight division.

Adesanya hasn’t seemed interested in a rematch with Whittaker. This year he had his eyes on new blood like Darren Till and Jared Cannonier. However, Whittaker has taken both of those contenders out to show the world he’s ready for another UFC title shot.

What should the UFC do?

I still think that the UFC should try to make the fight between Adesanya and Jon Jones. It’s the biggest fight they could make at the moment, however, it appears that the promotion is heading in a different direction as of right now.

Dana White said yesterday after UFC 254 that Whittaker would be getting the next shot. Outside of the loss to Adesanya, Whittaker has never lost in the middleweight division. In fact, before Adesanya took over, many thought Whittaker would control the division for years to come.

Whittaker didn’t seem to fight like himself when the two fought at UFC 243. He fought to Adesanya’s strengths and got picked apart for it. The Whittaker we’ve seen in 2020 looks like a guy who could give Adesanya a real challenge.

Adesanya said he wanted to get back into the cage quickly while Whittaker wants to take some time given the fact that his wife is about to have a baby. Maybe the UFC tries to get a fight for Adesanya at light heavyweight in the mean time. However, Whittaker is clearly next for the middleweight crown.

UFC: Francis Ngannou growing frustrated with another lengthy layoff

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Francis Ngannou

Back in May, Francis Ngannou (15-3) made a massive statement at UFC 249. Taking on the undefeated Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Ngannou won by knockout in a mere 20 seconds to solidify is top contender status in the heavyweight division.

For Ngannou, it was his fourth straight victory. Not just that, it was his forth straight first round knockout none of which have gone more than 71 seconds. Simply put, Ngannou is the most terrifying force in the UFC right now.

However, he hasn’t been able to get back in the cage since then. Ngannou tried to lobby for a fight with the UFC‘s pound for pound best, Jon Jones, however, that fight fell apart due to financial negotiations between Jones and the UFC. 

UFC 252 rolled around in August and Stipe Miocic defeated Daniel Cormier to retain his heavyweight title. However, Miocic is said to be out until March of next year with some injuries that he sustained the matchup against Cormier. This isn’t sitting well with the top contender.

The UFC’s heavyweight issue

The UFC has a problem on their hands in the heavyweight division. It all stems back to when Daniel Cormier won the heavyweight title. After Cormier won, it appeared that the UFC would make Cormier fight Brock Lesnar in a super fight for the heavyweight title.

However, that fight never materialized. Then a year after Cormier fought Miocic the first time, the two rematched where Miocic retained the title. Due to injuries in the rematch, it took another year for the trilogy fight to happen at UFC 252.

While all of this was going on, Ngannou was running through contenders like Cain Velasquez, Curtis Blaydes, Junior Dos Santos, and Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Ngannou pointed out that he’s only fought for 20 seconds in the last 16 months.

The UFC needs to get the heavyweight division moving again. If Miocic can’t go in March, I think the UFC needs to create an interim title and let Ngannou face either the winner of the Lewis – Blaydes fight or perhaps they can make the Jon Jones fight happen.

 

UFC: Israel Adesanya’s next fight could come at light heavyweight

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The UFC‘s middleweight king could be jumping up in weight for his next contest. Israel Adesanya (20-0) has been talking to his coaches about a potential move up to light heavyweight this year. The middleweight champion is coming off of a dominant win at UFC 253.

Of course, fans would immediately jump to the conclusion that he would be fighting Jon Jones (26-1, 1 NC). Jones and Adesanya have been going back and forth for a while over social media. Dana White recently said that it’s the fight to make.

However, Adesanya has always been a fighter that has followed the lead and instructions of his coaches. Adesanya’s head coach, Eugene Bareman, was recently interviewed on Submission Radio discussing what is next for the UFC‘s middleweight champion.

The first choice for his next fight is top middleweight contender Jared Cannonier. “If Cannonier didn’t want to turn around and fight, then Israel would definitely fight at 205,” Bareman said. “We’ve already had a little chat about that. He would be perfectly willing to do that. So much is just dependent on those results in the middleweight division”

What’s next in the UFC for Adesanya?

Adesanya has been very vocal about his timeline to fight Jon Jones. He wants to fight the UFC‘s pound for pound king, but he wants to do it on his own time. The UFC‘s middleweight champion and his team seem to be more interested in defending the UFC middleweight title next.

As Bareman, said, if Adesanya can’t defend the title soon, he would move up. However, I’m not convinced that moving up would translate to a Jon Jones fight. Perhaps Adesanya would move up just to test the waters the way Anderson Silva did at light heavyweight.

As Dana White said, the fight to make is Israel Adesanya – Jon Jones. However, I just don’t know if that’s what we are going to get next. Many people have pointed to the fact that the UFC should try to make this the new headliner for UFC 256. 

However, given how Adesanya and his team treats his career, my guess is that they’d want more time to prepare for the challenge that is Jon Jones. While Adesanya mocks Jones constantly, you have to believe he understands the threat of a Jon Jones fight. Adesanya might fight at light heavyweight next, but it still might not be Jon Jones.

UFC: Dana White comments on Jones/Adesanya, McGregor/Poirier, and Khamzat Chimaev

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UFC, Dana White

A lot has been happening in the world of the UFC over the last week. We’ve had Israel Adesanya and Jon Jones continuously going back and forth over social media. We’ve seen Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier agree to a charity MMA fight.

All of this has created a lot for the UFC and Dana White. Today, White was asked about a number of things in an interview with UFC Arabia. One of the first things White was asked about was the ongoing beef between Jon Jones (26-1, 1 NC) and Israel Adesanya (20-0).

White said, “Yeah that’s the fight to make. One hundred percent. I think a fight between those two is massive.” The current UFC middleweight champion is coming off of the performance of his career at UFC 253 last weekend.

Adesanya and Jones have long teased a fight between the two. However, Adesanya has always said he wanted to fight the UFC‘s pound for pound king in 2021. However, White seems to be interested in making it sooner.

Other UFC Fights in the Works

On another front is the situation between Conor McGregor (22-4) and Dustin Poirier (26-6, 1 NC). Over the past week, McGregor has said that he was planning on boxing Manny Pacquiao. Then he went on to challenge Poirier to a charity MMA match outside the UFC.

The UFC responded by offering the fight to both men. Poirier has accepted the fight, and the promotion is currently waiting to hear back from McGregor. They are expecting to hear back from McGregor by the end of the day. The fight would be a headliner in January.

Also, White was asked about Khamzat Chimaev (9-0). The budding UFC superstar is expected to headline a fight soon, but the date and opponent are unknown. White provided an update saying it shouldn’t be long before it’s announced.

“Hopefully we will have something to announce today. It is not Demian Maia. Main event in November,” White said. Chimaev has exploded over the last couple of months and the promotion had thought about pairing him with Maia, but that is no longer in the cards.

It appears that there will be a lot of news coming out soon involving some of the biggest names in the sport. Exciting times if you are a fan of the UFC.

UFC: Israel Adesanya wants a quick turnaround

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Coming off his domination at UFC 253, you would think Israel Adesanya (20-0) would want to just relax and soak in the victory. However, the middleweight champion already has his eyes set on the next challenge, and he doesn’t want to wait.

The UFC’s middleweight king is ready to fight. He doesn’t want to wait and his team is already talking to the UFC about his next potential fight. Adesanya went into detail on the talks with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani yesterday.

At first, Helwani suggested March or April for Adesanya’s next fight which was met with raised eyebrows from the UFC champ. Adesanya responded saying, “I’m fresh. I want to fight fast. I want to fight this year. We talked about it and I want to fight again this year. I ain’t f–ckin’ around Ariel.”

Next UFC opponent for Adesanya

The next logical step for Adesanya would be defending his UFC title against the winner of Jared Cannonier – Robert Whittaker. Those two fight at UFC 254 and the winner of that fight will be looked at as the clear number one contender in the middleweight division.

Adesanya said that he wanted to fight Cannonier after his victory at UFC 253. Of course, Cannonier has a tough test in front of him in the former UFC middleweight champion, Whittaker. Adesanya knocked Whittaker out in the second round when they fought to capture the title.

If Whittaker were to beat Cannonier, I wonder if Adesanya would want to do the rematch. His first victory over Whittaker at UFC 243 was very dominant. He might not be as interested in a rematch considering the way the first fight went.

Of course, there’s always the potential for the Jon Jones fight. However, I don’t see that fight materializing before the end of the year. In my opinion, the potential Jones – Adesanya fight would probably take place sometime in the middle of 2021.

There are a number of exciting options for the UFC‘s middleweight champion. He could also pull an Anderson Silva and move up to light heavyweight just to try it out. Either way, the last stylebender is planning on another fight in 2020.

UFC: Jon Jones opens as sizable favorite over Israel Adesanya

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UFC, Jon Jones

This past weekend at UFC 253, Israel Adesanya (20-0) put on the performance of his career when he successfully defended his title against Paulo Costa (13-1). One of the more active voices on Twitter during the fight was pound for pound great, Jon Jones (26-1, 1 NC).

Jones and Adesanya have gone back and forth through the media for sometime now. The two UFC champions do not like each other and have long talked about a potential fight between the two. I personally think it’s the fight for the UFC to make.

While the fight is the fight that UFC fans want to see, Adesanya has cautioned that he wanted to clean out the middleweight division first. Of course, Jones has pointed this out saying that Adesanya didn’t have the courage to step into the cage with him.

The former UFC light heavyweight champion is currently preparing for his move to heavyweight. However, he would of course drop back down to light heavyweight to take on the UFC‘s middleweight champion, Adesanya. Jones said that he would literally tear one of Adesanya’s arms off.

Betting odds for the potential UFC super fight

Yesterday, Bovada released betting odds on the potential matchup between the two fighters. The former UFC light heavyweight champion opened as a massive favorite over Israel Adesanya. Jones was a -375 favorite. The odds give Jones about a 79% chance of defeating Adesanya.

It would be a fascinating fight to watch for UFC fans. Adesanya is probably the best pure striker in the UFC, however, he’s never fought someone with the range of Jon Jones. Jones also probably has the best striking defense out of anyone Adesanya has faced in the UFC.

Despite these things, I don’t think Jones would entertain standing with Adesanya. Jones said in an interview with Ariel Helwani that he would fully plan on taking Adesanya to the ground and beating him up.

It’s hard to predict the fight without it actually being booked, but I tend to agree with the odds the way they are currently. I do think Jones would be able to get Adesanya down, and if he did that, it would be a nightmare for Adesanya to get up. However, if it stays standing, Jones could have his hands full especially with leg kicks.

UFC: Jon Jones – Israel Adesanya needs to happen in 2021

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UFC, Jon Jones

This past Saturday at UFC 253, Israel Adesanya (20-0) put on arguably the best performance of his career against Paulo Costa (13-1). Costa was looked at as Adesanya’s most dangerous challenger, and the champion made it look easy.

It was Adesanya’s second successful defense of his UFC middleweight crown. Of course, one of the more active voices on Twitter during UFC 253 was former UFC light heavyweight champion and current pound for pound #1, Jon Jones (26-1, 1 NC).

It is no secret that Jones and Adesanya do not like each other. Both men have gone back in forth over the past year, and a potential fight between the two men has been something that’s been discussed for a while.

With the way that things currently stand, the UFC needs to attempt to book this fight in 2021. Adesanya will likely defend his title one more time in early 2021 against the winner of Robert Whittaker – Jared Cannonier, but after that, the Jones fight is what needs to be made.

A rare chance for the UFC

In the UFC, opportunities like this don’t come along very often. It’s very rare that you have two dominant champions who might be the two best pound for pound fighters in the world and have the opportunity to fight each other.

Not too long ago, Anderson Silva was considered to be the GOAT in the UFC. He held the position that Jon Jones is currently in. For years, fans called for the UFC to book Silva against Georges St. Pierre and/or Jon Jones during Silva’s title reign.

Both fights would have given us as fans the chance to see who really was the best. However, the UFC was never able to make it happen before Silva lost his title. Still to this day, I wish we could have seen one of those fights happen.

However, this fight would be much different for the UFC. While it would let us really see who’s the best, it’s a fight that would have a ton of heat behind it. All of the factors that go into making a massive fight are there with Adesanya and Jones.

Two essentially undefeated and dominant champions who can’t stand the other. There would be no bigger fight that the UFC could put together in 2021. Of course, Jones has said he’s moving to heavyweight and Adesanya’s still got business to attend to, but the promotion should do what they can to make it happen next year.