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I will not leave the title vacant. The decision to move up to the next category is entirely mine. I haven't had any conversations with the UFC yet, so everything is still to be decided. Stop celebrating because I’m not going anywhere. I have conquered my division and I will do…

— Ilia Topuria (@Topuriailia) December 12, 2024

Ilia Topuria is being cryptic about his plans to move up to lightweight.

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight king recently revealed that we might have seen the last of him at 145 due to a lack of fresh challengers. Topuria (16-0) said he plans to move up to lightweight and face Charles Oliveira, eventually win the title and retire before he turns 30. “El Matador” attracted the attention of lightweights like Dustin Poirier, Paddy Pimblett and Renato “Money” Moicano by announcing his plans to move up to 155. Meanwhile, Diego Lopes, who was originally rallying for a featherweight title sh…

💥💥💥 ANNOUNCEMENT 💥💥💥10th Anniversary ⚡️ #RIZIN_DECADE🥊 Announcement: Joint Public Training Session 🥊

📆 Date: Saturday, December 14th, starting at 10:00 PM CT📍 Location: Somewhere in Tokyo

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✅ Participating Fighters:👑 Chihiro / 👑Satoshi / Motoya / Akimoto… pic.twitter.com/b2Cyvk2uhN — RIZIN.tv (@RIZINTV_) December 11, 2024

Rizin Fighting Federation has put together an interesting card for New Year’s Eve.

Rizin 49 “Decade” goes down at Saitama Super Arena near Tokyo on Dec. 31. The card will be headlined by lightweight champ Roberto Satoshi de Souza (17-3) putting his belt on the line against former featherweight champ Vugar Karamov (20-5).

Souza is coming off back-to-back first round knockout wins and is 3-2 in his last five with both losses coming in promotional crossovers with Bellator stars A.J. McKee and Patricky Freire. Meanwhile, Karamov lost his featherweight title via a knockout against Chihiro Suzuki at …

🚨 Deiveson Figueiredo says he's willing to go back down to flyweight and fight Alexandre Pantoja for the belt 👀

"Since [Pantoja] is looking for someone, I think I'm the best option. I'm available man...

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In my entire career in the UFC, I only missed weight once... If I have… pic.twitter.com/SUJW8gJH2l — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) December 11, 2024

Alexandre Pantoja and Deiveson Figueiredo are teasing an Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight rematch.

Pantoja (29-5) has defended his flyweight strap thrice since winning it against Brandon Moreno at UFC 290 last year. “The Cannibal” most recently choked out two-time Rizin Fighting Federation champ Kai Asakura who received an immediate shot at UFC 310 earlier this month after signing with the UFC. This is mostly due to a lack of flyweight challenges for Pantoja, apart from running it back with Moreno or Royval.

However, a new contender has seemingly entered …

👀🤼Chase Hooper doubts Shavkat Rakhmonov’s grappling skills:

“We just never seen him fighting grappler… He’s undefeated for sure, but let’s see him against good wrestler… before giving him shot for the belt.”

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🎥 @Home_of_Fight ▫️ pic.twitter.com/TyAG1frW6t — Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) December 11, 2024

Chase Hooper thinks Shavkat Rakhmonov has yet to show he is ready for an Ultimate Fighting Championship title shot.

Rakhmonov (19-0) was originally offered a welterweight title shot against Belal Muhammad at UFC 310 earlier this month before “Remember the Name” pulled out due to a bone infection. Muhammad was replaced by Ian Garry in a potential title eliminator against the fellow undefeated contender.

While Rakhmonov was a massive -290 favourite going into the fight, +215 underdog Garry gave him a run for his money. Although “Nomad” roped in a unanimous decision, he struggled to take Garry down throughou…

Global Fight League regular season begins in April.#HelwaniShow pic.twitter.com/Dz28thyBvG

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) December 11, 2024

If it all comes to fruition, the Global Fight League could be an interesting new addition to the mixed martial arts landscape.

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On Wednesday, promotion founder Darren Owen announced plans to launch a team-based MMA league with a season format beginning in April 2025. According to a release, the league will feature six teams in “major global markets.” There will be a draft on Jan. 24 to select the fighters to represent each team. The launch of the league was initially announced on the Ariel Helwani Show.

"Our new league is a logical evolution for MMA," Owen said in a release. "Our mission is to embrace fighters as true equitable partners from inception and, together, create a format that can be understood by any sports fan. I've had hundreds of conversations with MMA legends and ri…

Jack Shore is calling it a career before he turns 30.

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The nine-time UFC competitor and former Cage Warriors champion announced his retirement via social media on Wednesday.

“As what may come as a surprise to a few I’ve decided to hang up the gloves on my professional fighting career,” Shore wrote on Instagram. “After fighting out my contract and taking some time to think about what’s next it’s clear to me that my time with professional fighting is done. Although I had the chance to re-sign with UFC, I’ve decided my time’s done. I want to thank the UFC for letting me live out my childhood dream of fighting for the worlds biggest organization and against some of the best in the world, I’ve enjoyed every minute!

“From what started as a kid with a dream, led me to amateur titles, world titles and living out my dream of fighting in the UFC. I can truly say for every single fight I gave the training and the fights my all, never said no, never ask…

𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙏𝙍𝙄𝙇𝙊𝙂𝙔 𝙂𝙊𝙀𝙎 𝘿𝙊𝙒𝙉 𝙄𝙉 𝘿𝙐𝘽𝘼𝙄! 🇷🇺🇺🇸 @VadimNemkov runs it back with Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion, @CoreyA_MMA at the Coca-Cola Arena on Saturday January 25!

Who gets their hand raised in this high stakes heavyweight co-main event? 🤔

BE THERE!… pic.twitter.com/JKepSPI1J5

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) December 11, 2024

Corey Anderson and Vadim Nemkov will square off for a third time early next year at Champions Series Dubai.

Anderson is a replacement for Ante Delija, who withdrew from the event. Champions Series Dubai takes place on Jan. 25 at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is headlined by a lightweight championship clash between Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes. Champion Series Dubai is the PFL’s rebranding of Bellator MMA, which it acquired at the end of 2023.

Anderson and Nemkov initially fought in the Bellator grand prix final in April 2022. Anderson appeared to be on his way to victo…

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Gregory Rodrigues will square off against Jared Cannonier in the UFC Fight Night 251 main event on Feb. 15.

MMA Mania was first to report the middleweight booking. UFC Fight Night 251 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and also includes a featherweight tilt pitting Edson Barboza against Steve Garcia. Read more about Gregory Rodrigues vs. Jared Cannonier to Headline UFC Fight Night 251 on Feb. 15

Former UFC star Nate Diaz is facing a misdemeanor battery charge for an alleged incident that occurred at a Las Vegas nightclub this past August.

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According to a report from TMZ Sports, Diaz was involved in an alleged altercation on Aug. 24 while waiting to get into the Omnia nightclub at Caesars Palace. Diaz and his friends were reportedly holding up the line when a security guard approached the group. According to court documents, Diaz shoved the security guard and the man pushed back before the fighter hit him in the face with “an open right hand.”

A video of the alleged incident surfaced on social media earlier this year. In that footage, Diaz can be seen shoving a man in the face during the scuffle before the two are separated. The UFC veteran had left the scene by the time police arrived, per court documents. A misdemeanor battery charge was filed against Diaz in October. He could face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted.<…

Renato "Money Moicano" Carneiro is aiming high if he wins his next fight.

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Moicano will take on Beneil Dariush at UFC 311 on Jan. 18 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. Dariush is coming off consecutive stoppage losses against Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan. While Carneiro doesn’t expect Dariush to be on his prime, the Brazilian will prepare for the best version of his opponent. Moicano plans on putting on a dominant display against the Assyrian-American at UFC 311.

“Even if I think he is not on his prime, I will train and prepare myself to the best version of Dariush,” Carneiro told Ariel Helwani. “Because I know he lost couple in a row and now it’s time to go for him. If he loses that one, he is going to be in a bad situation. I have something to say, ‘You will be in a bad situation because I’m not losing. I cannot afford to lose.’ Jan. 18 I’m going over there and finish, dominate and beat Beneil Dariush.”

Read more about Renato Carneiro Expects to Dominate Beneil Dariush, Call for Title Shot at UFC 311

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Arman Tsarukyan is excited to have his idol Khabib Nurmagomedov in the opposite corner at UFC 311.

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Tsarukyan challenges Nurmagomedov’s teammate, Islam Makhachev, for the lightweight title in the main event at UFC 311 on Jan. 18 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. “Ahalkalkets” previously suffered a hard-fought unanimous decision loss against Makhachev in his UFC debut back in 2019.

While Nurmagomedov was in attendance for the fight, he wasn’t cornering Makhachev back then. However, the lightweight GOAT contender will be in Makhachev’s corner for his upcoming defense against Tsarukyan at UFC 311. “The Eagle” will also be cornering his cousin Umar Nurmagomedov, who challenges Merab Dvalishvili for the bantamweight title in the co-main event of the night.

Tsarukyan was recently asked to choose between Nurmagomedov and Makhachev with both being at their peak. Having grown up being inspired by Nurmagomedov, Tsarukyan p…

Colby Covington says he’s going to “break” and “drown” Joaquin Buckley 😳

“He’s never been in a 5 round fight with an elite fighter like me… Saturday night I’m gonna drown this guy.”

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🎥 @ufc #UFC #MMA #UFCTampapic.twitter.com/AEus9Gs3Zf — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) December 11, 2024

Colby Covington plans to take the soul out of Joaquin Buckley at UFC Tampa.

Covington and Buckley will headline UFC on ESPN 63 at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida on Saturday. While Buckley is on an impressive winning streak, Covington believes “New Mansa” hasn’t fought anyone of his caliber in a five-round affair. “Chaos” claims to be in his prime, unlike the opponents Buckley has faced in the recent past.

Covington plans on taking Buckley into deep waters and drowning him on Saturday night.

“The fight just looks like me just completely breaking him,” Covington said in an interview with the UFC. “Taking him down, tak…

Ilia Topuria has attracted a lot of eyeballs at lightweight after announcing his plans to move up.

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Topuria won the featherweight title with a vicious knockout win over Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 this past February. The Spaniard then defended his throne by knocking out Max Holloway for the first time in his career at UFC 308 in October. While Diego Lopes was expecting the next title shot against Topuria, “El Matador” recently announced that we might have seen the last of him 145 pounds. The 27-year-old featherweight king, who is also the youngest champion in the promotion, plans to move up to lightweight and retire by 30. With lightweight champ Islam Makhachev already booked to defend his throne against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311 on Jan. 18, Topuria is plotting a matchup against former champ Charles Oliveira in April or May.

Topuria’s lightweight plans have garnered a lot of attention from elite lightweight contenders. Perennially ranked Dust…

Your first bouts for #UFCLondon are signed!

🇵🇱 Jan Blachowicz vs Carlos Ulberg 🇳🇿🇵🇱 Marcin Tybura vs Mick Parkin 🇬🇧

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🎟️ Get early access to tickets: https://t.co/slZM2gosSA pic.twitter.com/aYyqHyYs2e — UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) December 10, 2024

Former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz will return to action against the streaking Carlos Ulberg at UFC London on March 22.

Additionally, Marcin Tybura will lock horns with Mick Parkin in a heavyweight clash on the same card. The promotion announced both bouts on Tuesday. A main event has not been confirmed for UFC London, which takes place at the O2 Arena.

Blachowicz will be competing for the first time since July 2023, when he fell to Alex -Pereira-224511">Alex Pereira via split decision at UFC 291. The Polish veteran was slated to face Aleksandar Rakic in a rematch at UFC 297 in January, but a shoulder injury that required two separate surgeries forced him t…

If Dricus Du Plessis had gotten his way, he would have been defending his middleweight crown against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 312.

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Over the weekend, it was announced that Du Plessis would face Sean Strickland in a championship rematch on Feb. 8 in Sydney, Australia. Du Plessis claimed the 185-pound belt with a split-decision triumph over Strickland at UFC 297 this past January.

“Just for clarification I preferred the Khamzat fight but the rematch is a fight most wanted before Khamzat vs Whittaker,” Du Plessis wrote on social media. “I’m not unhappy with the UFC’s decision. Like I said, I’ll fight the man fans think is the next best guy. He was promised the fight, so Strickland it is.”

Just for clarification I preferred the Khamzat fight but the rematch is a fight most wanted before Khamzat vs Withaker. I’m not unhappy with the UFC’s decision like I said I’ll fight the man fans think is the next best guy he was promised the …

If Dricus Du Plessis had gotten his way, he would have been defending his middleweight crown against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 312.

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Over the weekend, it was announced that Du Plessis would face Sean Strickland in a championship rematch on Feb. 8 in Sydney, Australia. Du Plessis claimed the 185-pound belt with a split-decision triumph over Strickland at UFC 297 this past January.

“Just for clarification I preferred the Khamzat fight but the rematch is a fight most wanted before Khamzat vs Whittaker,” Du Plessis wrote on social media. “I’m not unhappy with the UFC’s decision. Like I said, I’ll fight the man fans think is the next best guy. He was promised the fight, so Strickland it is.”

Just for clarification I preferred the Khamzat fight but the rematch is a fight most wanted before Khamzat vs Withaker. I’m not unhappy with the UFC’s decision like I said I’ll fight the man fans think is the next best guy he was promised the …

A heavyweight tilt pitting Justin Tafa against Tallison Teixeira has been added to the UFC 312 lineup.

The Las Vegas-based promotion recently announced the booking. UFC 312 takes place on Feb. 8 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia, and is headlined by a middleweight title rematch between Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland.

Tafa fought just once in 2024, dropping a unanimous decision to Karl Williams at UFC on ESPN 53 in March. That ended a four-bout unbeaten streak for the 30-year-old Aussie, who scored knockout wins over Austen Lane, Parker Porter and Harry Hunsucker during that run.

Teixeira was supposed to make his Octagon debut against Lukasz Brzeseki at UFC 310 but was forced to withdraw from the event due to injury. The 6-foot-7 Brazilian owns a 7-0 mark as a professional, including a first-round knockout of Arthur Lopes on Dana White's Contender Series this past September.

Robert Whittaker believes Dricus du Plessis will beat Sean Strickland in their rematch at #UFC312

He also favors Khamzat Chimaev in a fight against either of them:

“Stopping that first takedown is so crazy… how do you stop that?”

🎥 @MMArcadePodcastpic.twitter.com/aBPpEHlvNE

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) December 9, 2024

Robert Whittaker doesn’t see anyone stopping Khamzat Chimaev’s takedowns.

Chimaev submitted “Bobby Knuckles” in the first round of their UFC 308 co-main event clash at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi this past October. While the matchup was expected to be a title eliminator, former champ Sean Strickland received the next title shot against Dricus Du Plessis, as was promised by UFC CEO Dana White.

Strickland lost his title via controversial split decision against Du Plessis at UFC 297 this past January in Canada. “Tarzan” bounced back with a split-decision win over Paulo Costa at UFC 302 in June and has …

Alex Pereira just threw a pair of gloves at Jamahal Hill and wanted to fight him 😳😳😳

🎥 @full_send_mma #UFC #MMA

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pic.twitter.com/creDmXLPWS — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) December 5, 2024

Gilbert Burns recently had an interesting conversation with Jamahal Hill.

After the confrontation between Hill and Alex Pereira made the rounds on social media, Burns was helping teammate Vicente Luque with his weight cut at the UFC Performance Institute when “Sweet Dreams” made an appearance. On his YouTube channel, Burns revealed what Hill told him.

"When the food has been in the pan for a long time and it will become hard, you have to add water to cook it. That's what I did,” Burns said, relaying Hill’s words. “I’m going to beat Jiri [Prochazka] and get my revenge before [Magomed] Ankalaev, who will be [observing] Ramadan. I don't care what people think, everyone's talking about me after that.

Burns also praised the wa…

Ian Garry has a changed opinion of Shavkat Rakhmonov after their fight at UFC 310.

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Garry took on Rakhmonov in a clash of undefeated welterweight contenders in the co-headliner at UFC 310 on Dec. 7 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. While Rakhmonov was a -400 favorite on some sportsbooks going into the fight, he faced the toughest test of his career against “The Future.” While the Kazakh roped in a unanimous decision win, he had to go the distance for the first time in 19 career outings.

Rakhmonov was originally scheduled to challenge Belal Muhammad for the title at UFC 310 before the champ was forced out with an injury. “Nomad” is now most likely to get a title shot next after his win over Garry. Garry initially thought Rakhmonov would get the better of Muhammad in a potential fight before trading leather with the Kazakh. However, the Irishman now believes Muhammad can beat Rakhmonov provided “Remember the Name” doesn’t compromise his defense.

…

Ilia Topuria doesn’t want to drag out his MMA career.

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Topuria recently shared some significant career plans during an interview on the Spanish radio show El Partidazo de COPE. The UFC featherweight champ firstly revealed that he is most likely done with the 145-pound division. Topuria also confirmed that he plans to move up to lightweight.

Ilia Topuria says he's moving up to lightweight 😳

Interviewer: "Is it possible that we have already seen your last featherweight fight?"

Ilia: "Yes, for sure."

Interviewer: "You are moving to lightweight"

*Ilia nods*

(via. @partidazocope)pic.twitter.com/1i5V4PIb79

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) December 9, 2024

Lightweight champ Islam Makhachev puts his belt on the line against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311 on Jan. 18 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. The winner of that fight is unlikely to return by April or May, which is Topuria’s preferred timel…

Dana White exited #UFC310 with RIZIN president Nobiyuki Sakakibara pic.twitter.com/GFvOvfiDsT

— Nolan King (@mma_kings) December 8, 2024

Though UFC 310 wasn’t a cross-promoted event, there were some elements that gave Saturday’s card a little bit of a different feel.

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That started with the main event, where former Rizin Fighting Federation bantamweight champion Kai Asakura was given a flyweight title shot against Alexandre Pantoja in his Octagon debut. Though Asakura had his moments in the early going, he ultimately succumbed to a rear-naked choke from his Brazilian opponent at the 2:05 mark of the second round. There’s no shame in coming up short against Pantoja, who is one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport today. UFC CEO Dana White came away impressed with what he saw from Japan Top Team representative in limited action.

“There are two sides to this story. You take a guy like Asakura, who came into the…

Ciryl Gane shows an X-ray of his foot injury after the Alexander Volkov fight 😳

“It wasn't just my toe, but also both metatarsals that gave way at the start of the first round. Needless to say, there was no foot left, but we didn't give up and fought with them.”

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📸 @ciryl_gane… pic.twitter.com/wpqatZ9b0K — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) December 9, 2024

As he indicated after the bout, Ciryl Gane was hindered early on in his rematch against Alexander Volkov at UFC 310.

Gane revealed in a social media post on Monday the extent of the injuries he suffered on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In addition to a broken toe, “Bon Gamin” also apparently injured two metatarsals in his foot. The Frenchman told Joe Rogan in his post-fight interview that the toes were broken in the opening stanza.

“It wasn’t only the big toe but also the two metatarsals that gave out on me at the beginning of the first round,”…

👀Alex Pereira believes Jon Jones will beat Tom Aspinall if they fight:

“Some people say Aspinall this, Aspinall that but it comes down to experience. Jon Jones is a seasoned guy, he’s been there so I think he wins”

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🎥@tntsports 🔹 pic.twitter.com/r9Um4slfvt — Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) December 8, 2024

Alex Pereira believes Jon Jones can get the better of Tom Aspinall.

Jones returned to action after a three-year hiatus and made quick work of Ciryl Gane to win the vacant heavyweight title at UFC 285 in March 2023. He was then scheduled to defend his throne against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 in November 2023 but was forced out with an injury.

Aspinall went to beat Sergei Pavlovich via knockout in a short-notice interim title fight on the same card. However, Jones remained adamant on preserving his matchup against Miocic, whom he beat via a spinning back kick knockout at UFC 309 last month. Meanwhile, Aspinall d…