MMA

UFC: Khabib Nurmagomedov Could Have Pick Of Final Opponent

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It appears that, according to his manager, Khabib Nurmagomedov is going to shoot for a record of 30-0 before retiring altogether. Manager Ali Abdelaziz told the news to UFC Arabia, but the final opponent for Nurmagomedov – assuming that he beats Justin Gaethje to advance to a record of 29-0 – is still an unknown.

The fight with Gaethje is set to unify the lightweight belt and determine the true champion, whether that’s the underdog Gaethje or the favorite, Khabib. However, it appears from the outside that the death of his father has impacted his motivation to defend the belt in the future even if he does unify it when the Gaethje fight finally happens.

Khabib will likely go for the 30-0 mark

Instead of aiming to defend the belt for as long as possible, Khabib’s plan is to take one more fight and achieve an undefeated 30-0 record before retirement. According to ESPN, that’s something that UFC boss Dana White is willing to accommodate.

On Monday, White told ESPN that he would support Nurmagomedov’s choice of a final opponent, including former welterweight and middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre.

White mentioned that one of the possible fights to make is the rematch against Conor McGregor, who pushed for the fight ever since the first match between the two happened. McGregor, however, is retired right now. At least allegedly.

Would a second fight with Khabib be enough to lure McGregor back into the sport? It’s possible, and many would say that it’s likely, but McGregor has a track record of not behaving how experts and fans expect.

We also don’t know yet if Khabib himself is after the rematch. Another fight mentioned by White is one between Khabib and Georges St-Pierre, who has been away from the sport for longer than McGregor has. However, St-Pierre was recently called out by Kamaru Usman, and responded by quickly denying talks about a return.

“I need to stay objective and smart about my decisions, and right now, to come back to fight for the welterweight title against Kamaru Usman and risk it all, there’s more cons than pros. It’s not worth it for me,” St-Pierre said on the matter.

White also said that he’s willing to do anything Khabib wants, when it comes to the matchmaking for his final fight.

Of course, all of this talk about a 30-0 record depends on Khabib winning one more fight against Justin Gaethje in September, and that’s no given. Especially with recent rough events in Khabib’s life, which have potentially played a role in his decision to retire early in the first place.

Once the title unification fight happens, things will truly get interesting for lightweight matchmaking.

UFC: Mike Perry Trains With Yoel Romero After Dropping Coaches

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UFC star Mike Perry is rather unconventional. He’s no stranger to controversy outside the Octagon, he has a ‘knockout or be knocked out’ fighting style, and he’s become famous for having his girlfriend in his corner at his fights. He also currently doesn’t belong to any team, believing he can do better on his own than under a head coach.

That’s raised some questions, of course, about how Perry intends to handle fight camps going forward. Most fighters hold camp with their teammates and the coaches at their gym, but in the current era of the sport, fighters are more connected than ever and training partners can be flown in from elsewhere.

While some fighters bring in outsiders to help add to their camp, Perry’s camp will by its nature be entirely made of outsiders. That doesn’t mean Perry will be without high level training partners, though.

Perry shows off training with Yoel Romero

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Yolo Romero ! Terrorizing workouts.

A post shared by Platinum Mike Perry (@platinummikeperry) on

Yoel Romero has had a rough year so far, having picked up his third loss in a row back in March against Israel Adesanya, but was recently seen again on Instagram training with Perry.

As a high level fighter in the welterweight division, it’s not hard to imagine that Perry will be able to train with some pretty good fighters in the buildup to his next fight, which likely won’t be for a while after his unanimous decision victory against Mickey Gall.

The victory brought him to a 2-2 record in his last four fights, which isn’t good enough to get into the top fifteen in a tough division like this one but should be enough to start launching Perry in that direction again. After all, there’s only so many players that bring the same kind of action to the octagon.

UFC: Khabib Nurmagomedov announced retirement timetable

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Khabib Nurmagomedov is officially retiring from the UFC and from the sport of MMA as a whole after his next two fights (Ali Abdelaziz). Nurmagomedov is set to fight UFC Interim Lightweight champion Justin Gaethje to unify the Lightweight belt sometime in the fall. So, this begs the question, who should Nurmagomedov fight in his last ever fight?

Georges St-Pierre

Georges St-Pierre is the undisputed G.O.A.T. in the UFC. If Nurmagomedov wants to be known as the best of all time, he will have to beat the actual best of all time. This would most likely be the most technical UFC fight ever. St-Pierre has insane wrestling skills, and an amazing ground game; Nurmagomedov has the best sando skills the world has ever seen and an amazing ground game. This fight won’t happen for two reasons though, St-Pierre is unwilling to fight again, and St-Pierre is not cutting down to 155. St-Pierre is 40 years old now, and “wants to keep his dignity,” unlike BJ Penn. It would be a great fight, but it would never happen.

Justin Gaethje 2

Everyone is so quick to say that Nurmagomedov is going to beat Gaethje that no one has even thought of what happens if Gaethje wins. There would only be one fight left for Nurmagomedov if he losses, and that’s a rematch vs Gaethje. Nurmagomedov is looking to go out as the best, and have a 30-0 record. Gaethje can ruin all of his hopes and dreams, not once, but twice. I don’t know what to make of the newly improved Gaethje, but I know he hits harder than Yoel Romero. Gaethje sparked Tony Ferguson for the UFC Interim Lightweight championship. Gaethje vs Nurmagomedov would be a great series for all UFC fans.

Tony Ferguson

I feel like I shouldn’t even mention the possibility of another Ferguson vs Nurmagomedov fight. They’ve tried to fight each other four different times. The MMA gods just don’t want this fight to happen at all. Still, this is the fight every UFC fan wants to see. The boogeyman Tony Ferguson vs the eagle Khabib Nurmagomedov. This fight can go many ways, Nurmagomedov could neck crank Ferguson for the win, or Ferguson can ankle pick Nurmagomedov. I would love for this fight to happen, but the MMA gods don’t want to see it.

Conclusion

I don’t see Nurmagomedov fighting McGregor or Porier again, and he won’t move up or down a weight class for his last fight. Nurmagomedov has the opportunity to finish perfect, a feat that not many can say they’ve done. If it really is the end of the road and not a cheap ploy to get more money, thank you, Khabib.

UFC: Gilbert Burns Healthy And Back In Line For The Belt

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UFC 251 wasn’t a good time for current welterweight contender Gilbert Burns. He was supposed to be one of the headline fighters in the event, and in fact, it was originally going to be titled “UFC 251: Usman vs Burns.” That all changed, however, when Burns was diagnosed with a positive case of coronavirus and was pulled from the event only days before it happened.

The title shot against Kamaru Usman he’d been waiting for vanished into nothing, and Burns was once again back in the contender list as the fight was changed to one between Usman and Jorge Masvidal. We all know how that went. Just as Burns predicted, Usman controlled the fight and came away with the victory.

Now, Burns is healthy again and is once again in the running to fight Usman.

“I’m very happy with the results from the test after being quarantined for two weeks at home,” Burns said to MMAFighting. “I’m thankful and very happy I can go back to my regular routine.”

Elsewhere, Burns spoke about already talking to Dana White. According to him, White is on board with the plan for him to fight Usman, which was the fight that was originally scheduled before Burns’ diagnosis threw the plans off.

Despite the minor bump in the road, Burns does have the record to earn this title shot, with his last fight being a victory against former champion Tyron Woodley. He also entered the Woodley fight on a five fight winning streak that includes a victory over Demian Maia, who is recognized as one of the best jiu-jitsu practitioners in the world.

But can Burns handle a champion that was able to push Jorge Masvidal aside with ease? The answer to that question is still up in the air, and hopefully, there won’t be a surprising interruption this time to keep us from finding out.

Should UFC Legend Joseph Benavidez Retire?

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Joseph Benavidez, UFC

There comes a time in every professional’s life where they have to retire. UFC legend Joseph Benavidez is at the point in his career where retirement becomes a very real question. Benavidez recently lost to Deiveson Figueiredo in a fight for the vacant UFC Featherweight championship for the 2nd time in a row. With Benavidez coming up on 36 years old, is it time for him to finally hang up the gloves?

Why Benavidez Should Retire

Benavidez has nothing to prove to anyone; he’s been a nearly unstoppable force throughout his entire 12-year professional career. I say “nearly” for a reason, Benavidez has had four opportunities to win the title, he has failed on all four times. Benavidez lost those fights to legends like Dominick Cruz and twice to Demetrious Johnson. Plus, there is no one else left for him to fight in the Featherweight division.

The division as a whole is a failure, but that’s another story. Brandon Moreno is obviously fighting Figueiredo next, but who’s left for Benavidez? The matchmakers could possibly feed him Brandon Royval for an “easy win”, but I don’t see Benavidez winning that fight. It seems like the right time to finally call it quits, and most likely head to the hall of fame.

Why Benavidez Shouldn’t Retire

Benavidez could make a final run for the title. Maybe just maybe, he puts together 3-4 wins to finally get his final shot. Hypothetically, let’s say he beat Royval as his first opponent, then he beats Alex Perez, and finally, he beats Alexandre Pantoja and gets his last shot against Figueiredo. Win or lose, Benavidez can ride off into the sunset, knowing he gave it his all in his final run. The problem with this is that dreams aren’t realities. We all want to see UFC legends have a happy ending, but it doesn’t always happen.

Conclusion

I believe that Benavidez should retire. Winning the belt just isn’t in his cards, and it’s better to retire with dignity, or you’ll end up like BJ Penn. Benavidez will retire as a legend most definitely, but he will also retire as a gatekeeper. So close to winning the title, but never could string it together.

What’s Next for UFC Legend Jose Aldo?

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UFC legend Jose Aldo has been fighting for what seems like an eternity. Aldo was undoubtedly the best Featherweight for the span of 6 years, where he would win 15 straight fights. In the latter half of his career; Aldo would lose to the higher ranking fighters that he used to beat. McGregor knocked Aldo out in 13 seconds, Aldo lost to Max Holloway twice, Aldo lost to current UFC Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, as well as losing to current UFC Bantamweight champion Petr Yan, and Marlon Moraes. Aldo, who turns 34 in September, has some big decisions to make. But, what decision will the matchmakers make for him?

Dominick Cruz has been fighting for around the same amount of time that Aldo has. The matchmakers need to make Aldo vs Cruz. It’s the two greatest of all times in their divisions, respectfully. But, now these legends are in the same divisions. Cruz and Aldo are both coming off losses and looking for a quick rebound back to the top. Cruz’s amazing footwork and technical striking against Aldo’s heavy-hitting hands, legs, knees, and elbows would make for an instant classic. I can guarantee that this fight alone would get at least 1.5 million pay-per-view buys. This is a once in a lifetime matchup that needs to be made.

Aldo can also take on the retired Conor McGregor in a rematch that everyone wants. McGregor even said after the first fight that “we need to run it back”. 13 seconds was not enough to settle the almost 2-year hype between the two. Everything Aldo ever worked for, all 15 fights he won in a row, all the respect he gained throughout the years, were taken from him in 13 seconds. This fight has very little chance to happen, though. McGregor, as previously stated, is retired (for the 4th time). Also, when McGregor cut down to 145 pounds, he looked absolutely disgusting. If you look at the weigh-in, you can almost count all of his bones. McGregor would probably only want to fight a champion as well (ahem… Khabib).

The 3rd option for legend Jose Aldo would be to fight the retired Henry Cejudo. Cejudo has never fought anyone has brutal as Aldo. Cejudo also believes he’s the goat of the Bantamweight division, there’s no better way to prove you’re the best than to beat the best. Cejudo vs Aldo is a fight UFC fans have been longing for a very long time. This is a big money fight as well, wouldn’t be a bad way to retire either. Win or Lose the fans will still love Aldo.

What’s next for the ageless legend Jose Aldo? The fans are hoping to see him in the ring as quickly as possible. Despite being 33 years old, Aldo still has the cardio of an 18-year-old. Aldo can stand and brawl with the best of them, and despite the loss to Petr Yan, Aldo is still a top competitor in the UFC as a whole. When Aldo does decide to hang the gloves up, there will be a plack with his name on it in the UFC hall of fame.

UFC: Kamaru Usman Has Strong Words For Georges St-Pierre

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The situation at the top of the UFC’s welterweight division might have just gotten more interesting. Kamaru Usman recently defended his belt against Jorge Masvidal, and the champion hasn’t waited long before deciding which opponent he wants to face next. Usman picked a fighter with name value to challenge – except, it isn’t any of the current usual contenders at 170 lbs.

The fighter that Usman called out is Georges St-Pierre, the legendary former champion who was last seen almost three years ago winning the middleweight belt against Michael Bisping. The return had many fans excited to see what would happen next, after GSP exceeded expectations, but the fanbase would be left hanging as St-Pierre announced his retirement in 2019.

Usman doesn’t think that St-Pierre should remain retired.

What words did Usman have for GSP?

Calling out St-Pierre while speaking to TMZ, Usman challenged the former welterweight champion to another fight for the title.

“George can still do it. He proved it 2 years ago when he came back that he can still do it. I feel that he’s still able to do it, I feel like he’s still able to come in and be that opponent where people are unsure like, ‘You know what, we don’t know if Usman’s got this one.’ And I think Georges St-Pierre can be that guy,” Usman stated.

“I would love to test myself. I’m a martial artist just like he was a martial artist and if he still has some fire burning in that oven, let’s test it out!” Usman added.

But it’s been quite a while since we’ve seen GSP in the octagon, and there’s been no actual indication that GSP intends to come back. Some might consider it weak that Usman is targeting a fighter who has been out of action for a couple years and is currently 39 years old.

GSP’s legacy at welterweight already looks over, too. He hasn’t fought in the division since 2013 and when he once again won the belt, it was at middleweight and not welterweight.

With that being said, if the fight did ever happen, it could definitely have interesting outcomes – it would perhaps be one of the more interesting veteran against rising star bouts, as at the end of the day, GSP still has one of the best track records in UFC history despite age.

UFC: Diverging Paths For Rose Namajunas & Jessica Andrade After UFC 251 Slugfest

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UFC 251 was a notable event for having not one but three belts on the line, but the title fights weren’t the only ones that have a big impact. The card also had two fights featuring high level talents from the women’s side of the UFC, and one of these fights pitted Jessica Andrade against Rose Namajunas in a rematch of 2019’s title fight.

This time, Namajunas came out on top in a split decision – it won’t be a popular decision with every fan, as it’s not impossible to make an argument that Andrade was the winner, but at the end of the day it was higher volume striking that won ‘Thug Rose’ the fight.

The result has important implications for the division, which is currently ruled by Zhang Weili. Weili currently has one title defense, which came against former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk, leaving her in a situation where the rest of the division is looking up to her and waiting for their shot.

Where will tonight’s result take both fighters as well as the champion?

A step down for Jessica Andrade

Many would say that Jessica Andrade is one of the most exciting talents in the UFC. Despite fighting at a lower weight class, she has great power and an aggressive style. She’s fought bloody battles before against high level opponents, and her fights are anything but boring.

Perhaps that’s the reason why the UFC was willing to throw Andrade a bone and give her the Namajunas fight immediately after her loss of the belt to Weili. If she managed a win, there’s a chance she would get a rematch and a chance to take the belt back.

However, the loss means that Andrade has lost back to back fights. With a recent record like this, one can expect her next fight to be of a lower caliber than her last two.

Will the UFC match Andrade up with another contender, giving her a chance to get right back into the mix in the competition for the number one contender spot? Or will they instead use her recent lack of success as a chance to ‘put on’ a newer fighter with a matchup against the veteran who has fallen out of favor?

What are the possible fights?

If the league does decide to send Andrade down the rankings a bit to fight some of the others who are in the contender mix, a couple of names stand out. Tatiana Suarez is still undefeated in professional MMA and 4-0 in the UFC and could easily move into title contention with a win over a name like Andrade. Suarez is already a top three name in the division rankings, and has a chance to move up due to Andrade’s defeat.

Claudia Gadelha, on the other hand, was at number six in the rankings before UFC 251 but has a history of contention and already fought one bout against Andrade, which was Fight of the Night and had some exceptional action. Few would complain about a rematch, and Gadelha is on good form, having won her past two fights.

There’s also some decent names in the division to match with Andrade if the UFC wants to set up a former champion versus rising prospect fight, which would either put Andrade back on track or put a newer contender on the map. Yan Xiaonan is a possible opponent who was at 10 in the rankings going into UFC 251, with a 5-0 record in the UFC.

Amanda Ribas is more of a longshot but will likely move up from her spot at #14 thanks to her quick finish of Paige VanZant in the earlier fight at UFC 251.

The road to the belt for Rose Namajunas

It looks like Rose Namajunas is certainly going to fight for the title next.

Things are far more clear cut for Thug Rose than they are for Andrade. Andrade has been the opponent for the past two of her fights and she came out with a 1-1 record from those matchups, but in her previous fights, she had put together three straight wins including two against ex-champion Joanna Jedrzejcyzk.

With Andrade’s defeat, her and Tatiana Suarez are the last ones standing in the race to fight Weili. And with Suarez lacking the resume, it’s blatantly obvious that Weili and Namajunas are set for a fight where Namajunas will have a chance at getting her belt back.

It looks like an entertaining title fight – one where Weili’s 21 fight win streak will be challenged by a contender who has experience against the best. And thanks to the way things panned out, it seems certain that we’ll get this fight as the next title bout in the strawweight division.

UFC: Gilbert Burns Predicts Boring Victory For Kamaru Usman At UFC 251

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It’s one day out from UFC 251, notable for being the UFC’s first numbered event at Fight Island, and the predictions are starting to roll in for the headline fight of Kamaru Usman versus Jorge Masvidal.

The fight is for the welterweight belt and was originally set to involve Usman and challenger Gilbert Burns. But things changed when Burns came down with coronavirus. At first, it looked like no welterweight title fight was going to happen at all. Then, it was switched to Masvidal versus Usman, which is the matchup that we have coming up right now.

Despite being out of the fight, though, Burns has his own ideas about who will win.

Did Burns pick Usman or Masvidal in the main event?

Burns spoke to TMZ and in his prediction, he had Usman winning and defending his belt.

“I see Kamaru dominating, that’s what I see. I think a lot of people get a big expectation in this matchup, but it can only go two ways, or Masvidal can catch him and knock him out inside two rounds. But the way I see the fight going is Kamaru dominating,” he stated.

Before his TKO victory against Colby Covington for his first title defense, Usman’s last four victories came by unanimous decision. He’s no strangers to fights that have been accused of being boring, and that’s the kind of fight that Burns believes this one will be.

“Even a boring fight, I’d say, Kamaru takes him down and smashes him on the cage. I don’t want that as a fan, but I believe it’s gonna be a boring fight, Kamaru controlling every aspect of the fight,” Burns stated.

Burns is currently the number one contender, so it will sting a bit more than normal for him to miss out on this fight because of pulling out late. He’s still, however, in a position to fight for the title in the future – one can hope that by then, the UFC is returning to normal operations and no longer has to fear the effects of a pandemic.

UFC: Max Holloway Questions Volkanovski’s Pre-Fight Talk

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Dustin Poirier, UFC

There’s much anticipation for the UFC’s next numbered event, this one being held at Fight Island, and one fight that stands out from the rest of the card is Max Holloway versus Alexander Volkanovski.

There’s always a debate surrounding it when a champion loses and receives an immediate rematch, rather than other contenders getting a shot to take the belt, but few will contest that Holloway deserves this title shot – Holloway’s own run as featherweight champion was dominant, and his track record warrants the second shot at beating Volkanovski.

But if seeing if the former champion can get his belt back or not isn’t a good enough reason to pay attention to this fight, the potential rivalry between fighters may be. It looks like such a rivalry could be emerging based on the talk between Holloway and Volkanovski during the buildup to this matchup.

What have the fighters been saying?

“Did any of you guys interview him here? How’s he talking? Is he talking like a champion? At the end of the day, I feel like he’s attacking me. He called me out to fight. That (sounds like) something a challenger does, doesn’t it?” Holloway told MMA Junkie on Tuesday.

“He’s the one who’s been saying he’s got a chip on his shoulder about something. He’s ready to prove something,” Holloway continued.

Volkanovski is the current champion and undefeated in the UFC, but to say he has something to prove isn’t necessarily a stretch. Unlike Holloway, Volkanovski only entered the UFC in 2016. He has less total fights, and he has yet to defend the belt. In the eyes of many fans, Holloway is likely still the better fighter at featherweight.

There’s also an argument to be made that Volkanovski’s statements are pretty light, in UFC terms. In the same sport where brawls have happened due to pre-fight trash talk, and where it’s often considered a normal part of selling the fight, Volkanovski gave his opponent due respect despite showing confidence in his own skills.

“He’s a great fighter. I’ve got a lot of respect for him as a fighter – so does my team,” Volkanovski said. But also claimed that his chances of finishing Holloway are a hundred percent.

Holloway had his own remarks

Holloway had his own opinions about Volkanovski’s remarks. According to him, the champion doesn’t have to make statements like these.

“If you believe you’re the champ, who are you trying to prove anything to? I’m not trying to prove anything to (anyone). I knew I was the champ. There are certain things, like the belt, that is for people to understand where I was coming from. At the end of the day, his interviews speak for themselves. You can go look and tell me any different,” Holloway said on Tuesday.

But at the end of the day, Holloway claims it’s just another fight. “I got five of those titles at home. They’re all in my closet… At the end of the day, it’s just another fight. The belt is the belt, like I said.”