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USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Belal Muhammad changes tune on Kamaru Usman after UFC on ESPN 69 performance
Belal Muhammad changes tune on Kamaru Usman after UFC on ESPN 69 performance Coming out of UFC on ESPN 69, Belal Muhammad thinks it's the perfect time to settle his grudge match with Kamaru Usman. Usman (21-4 MMA, 16-3 UFC) snapped his three-fight losing skid by defeating rising welterweight contender Joaquin Buckley (21-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC) in Saturday's headliner at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Muhammad (24-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) praised the fellow former UFC champion for his game plan against the explosive Buckley. "He went out there, and he proved that he does still have it," Muhammad said of Usman on his YouTube channel. "He still belongs in the top of the division with the best guys in the world, and he looked good. He came out very smart, got the takedown early. He must have listened to my video giving him his keys to victory. You wanted to slow Buckley down early. You wanted to wear on him early." Usman is targeting the winner of the expected welterweight title fight between champion Jack Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev and dismissed Muhammad's callout. Muhammad admits he's disappointed that his name wasn't in the mix, especially after the pair traded barbs for months and even got involved in a scuffle when Usman hosted him on his "Pound 4 Pound" podcast. "I wanted him to get on mic and call me out," Muhammad said. "I think that's the next one that makes sense. That's the only fight that makes sense. If you're talking about the division, we have a history. We've been going back-and-forth. It's a clear No. 1 contender fight. "He's calling for the belt at 185, 170, but I'm No. 1. I'm still the guy at the top. So let's do it. I think you could pick the date, pick the time, the place, and I'll be ready for it. Watching this fight, you're not going to take me down like that."
USA Today
10-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Henry Cejudo high on UFC champ Merab Dvalishvili but thinks loss to Cory Sandhagen coming
Henry Cejudo high on UFC champ Merab Dvalishvili but thinks loss to Cory Sandhagen coming Henry Cejudo sees Cory Sandhagen as the one to dethrone UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili. Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) notched his second title defense when he submitted Sean O'Malley in Saturday's UFC 316 main event. He has already been touted by the likes of Jon Anik as the greatest bantamweight of all time. Cejudo thinks Dvalishvili can reach that territory if he can get past Sandhagen (18-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC), who is expected to be next in line. "If he beats Cory Sandhagen in this fight, yes, I'm going to put him at pound-for-pound the best fighter in the world," Cejudo said of Dvalishvili on his "Pound 4 Pound" podcast with Kamaru Usman. "One hundred percent." However, Cejudo isn't sure if Dvalishvili is capable of beating Sandhagen, who's coming off a stoppage win over Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC on ESPN 67 last month. "But that being said, check this out: As much as I complimented Merab, I don't think he beats Cory Sandhagen," Cejudo said. "I've been really good with my picks in the bantamweight division. The only reason why I feel the person that could give, that's the most problematic for a guy like Merab Dvalishvili, it is Cory Sandhagen because Cory Sandhagen brings a lot more thump than a guy like Sean O'Malley, and he is a submission threat a lot more than O'Malley. And he's big. The other thing, too, Cory Sandhagen can get up to his feet. "He's shown that against a guy like Umar Nurmagomedov. He throws knees up the middle, the one that he caught Frankie Edgar with, the dude is freaking dangerous all around. And I do believe or I have a feeling that the person to potentially get the job done with a guy like Merab – and again, I've got to compliment Merab. You have to, he's the bantamweight GOAT, but if there's a guy in that division right now with all the tools and the fact that he can get up, and he's young, and he's younger than him, it is Cory Sandhagen."
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Heavyweight Drama: Jones vs. Ngannou 'Biggest Fight in UFC History'
Heavyweight Drama: Jones vs. Ngannou 'Biggest Fight in UFC History' originally appeared on Athlon Sports. While heavyweight MMA legend Francis Ngannou left the UFC on bad terms, there have been rumblings of his potential return to the organization. Recently, his coach Eric Nicksick even hinted that he might be interested in coming back to fight for Dana White, given the UFC heavyweight division's stagnancy towards the top of the rankings. With Jon Jones hinting at retirement rather than face Tom Aspinall, the heavyweight division has been a mess, and the anticipation for a Ngannou return could revitalize a tired narrative of Jones ducking Aspinall. Advertisement The MMA world is again buzzing over a potential superfight between Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou, with UFC veterans Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo declaring it the "biggest fight in UFC history" on a recent episode of the Pound 4 Pound podcast. Feb 15, 2020; Rio Rancho, New Mexico, USA; UFC fighter Jon Jones attends the light heavyweight bout between Jan Blachowicz (blue) and Corey Anderson (red) during UFC Fight Night at Santa Ana Star Arena.© Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports Usman, a former welterweight champion, didn't hold back in his excitement, stating, "I'm telling you right now, the biggest fight in UFC history will be Jon Jones versus Francis Ngannou. I think this is the biggest fight that you can make right now." However, UFC CEO Dana White has shut down the idea, insisting that interim champion Tom Aspinall is next in line for Jones. Advertisement "It's Aspinall's fight," White declared, dismissing Ngannou's return as unlikely. "I don't have Ngannou under contract, and Aspinall is the guy." This stance is the polar opposite of PFL founder Donn Davis, who proposed a "winner takes all" co-promotion in a post on X (formerly Twitter), offering to let the victorious fighter's promotion claim all event profits. Meanwhile, Aspinall remains in limbo, waiting for Jones to commit to their unification bout. With Jones seemingly more interested in Ngannou, the UFC faces a dilemma of forcing Jones to face Aspinall or risk losing the biggest money fight in MMA to a rival promotion. For Jones, it's a chance to cement his legacy against a fellow all-time great. For Ngannou, it's an opportunity to prove he never needed the UFC to dominate. And for fans, it's the dream matchup that's been five years in the making. As Usman put it, this isn't just another fight—it's history. Advertisement Related: Dana White Adds Fuel to Jon Jones Retirement Rumors 'If He Wants to Retire, There's Nothing I Can Do" Related: Jon Jones Doesn't Care If UFC Strips Him of Heavyweight Belt, Says Head UFC Commentator This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
05-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Henry Cejudo questions quality of Sean O'Malley's camp for UFC 316: 'Maybe he's cheap'
Henry Cejudo questions quality of Sean O'Malley's camp for UFC 316: 'Maybe he's cheap' The rumblings Henry Cejudo heard about Sean O'Malley's UFC 316 training camp is making him confidently pick against him. After losing his bantamweight title to Merab Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) at UFC 306, O'Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) will get an opportunity to reclaim his belt when the pair run things back in Saturday's main event (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. O'Malley entered his first fight against Dvalishvili with a hip injury which later required surgery. Despite the lifestyle changes O'Malley has made ahead of the rematch, Cejudo doesn't like what he's heard about his training camp. "I think the biggest thing with O'Malley is, did he formulate his camp correctly?" Cejudo said on his "Pound 4 Pound" podcast with Kamaru Usman. "There's a lot of birdies out there. I'm going to say it here on Pound 4 Pound: He's just working jiu-jitsu. He's not working his get-ups, his stand-ups. He's not investing in his camp. He's not bringing in guys for money. In Arizona, they have big mouths. "It's true, it's 100 percent true. It (money) shouldn't be (an issue), but to him, he just wants to keep everything – I don't know, maybe he's cheap. He just wants to keep everything in house. When you do that, sh*t gets out there. That's the only reason why I know some of these things. People, listen to me: Bet the house, Merab Dvalishvili via damn decision, 50-45." Dvalishvili won the first fight by unanimous decision, where he took O'Malley down six times and controlled him for more than 10 minutes. He is a sizable favorite to retain his title.
Daily Mirror
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
UFC icon raises Sean O'Malley concerns ahead of Merab Dvalishvili rematch
O'Malley is just days away from his rematch with Dvalishvili, but UFC legend Henry Cejudo has made a worrying admission about the former bantamweight champion Former dual-weight UFC champion Henry Cejudo has dropped a bombshell about Sean O'Malley's training camp ahead of his rematch with Merab Dvalishvili. The pair are scheduled to go head-to-head at UFC 316 - set to take place at the Prudential Center in Newark - on Saturday night. 'Suga' is gearing up for his second clash against Dvalishvili after suffering a defeat in their initial meeting last September. The ex-bantamweight champ, who claimed the undisputed title from Aljamain Sterling in 2023 and successfully defended it a year later against Marlon Vera, finds himself in the challenger's position for the first time in two years. With the fight just around the corner, Cejudo has voiced his concerns on the Pound 4 Pound podcast, revealing that he has heard O'Malley is focusing solely on his jiu-jitsu and neglecting his get-ups. In the first encounter, Dvalishvili scored six takedowns and had 10 minutes of control time on 'Suga' and was able to control O'Malley for large chunks of the fight. Speaking about the upcoming fight, Cejudo said: 'The biggest thing with O'Malley is, did he formulate his camp correctly? There's a lot of birdies out there. I'm gonna say it, here on Pound 4 Pound. 'He's just working jiu-jitsu. He's not working his get-ups, his stand-ups. He's not investing in his camp. He's not bringing in guys for money…it's true, it's one hundred percent true. [Money] shouldn't be [an issue]. But to him, he just wants to keep everything — I don't know, maybe he's cheap. He just wants to keep everything in house,' Cejudo added. 'When you do that, Kamaru, s**t gets out there. That's the only reason why I know. People, listen to me, bet the house [on] Merab Dvalishvili.' UFC commentator Joe Rogan also discussed the fight on The Joe Rogan Experience and believes O'Malley may struggle again in the grappling exchanges. "That's an interesting fight. Very interesting fight. I do not know how 'Suga' Sean keeps that guy off of him... He's a f****** animal," Rogan said of Dvalishvili. Rogan added: "That guy's superhuman. There's no one like him. The cardio that guy has is off the charts. It's just off the charts. I've never seen anything like it. He doesn't get tired. He's full gas, no brakes the entire fight. It's just smothering, overwhelming people. Even [Umar] Nurmagomedov, who's also an animal. He couldn't keep [Dvalishvili] off of him. This m*********** crazy." O'Malley hasn't stepped into the octagon since their first face-off, but Dvalishvili has. The 135lb champ defended his title earlier this year against Umar Nurmagomedov. Saturday night will also see Julianna Pena back in action as she defends her women's bantamweight title against Kayla Harrison, while a thrilling welterweight clash between Vicente Luque and Kevin Holland is also on the main card.
