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USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Curtis Blaydes: UFC Baku fight vs. newcomer Rizvan Kuniev 'doesn't help me at all'
Curtis Blaydes: UFC Baku fight vs. newcomer Rizvan Kuniev 'doesn't help me at all' Curtis Blaydes believes he's stuck in neutral ahead of UFC on ABC 8. In his first appearance since challenging for the interim heavyweight title last year, Blaydes (18-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) will welcome newcomer Rizvan Kuniev to the promotion. UFC on ABC 8 (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan. "My expectations for the fight this weekend are same as always: I expect to win," Blaydes told reporters at media day. While Blaydes aims to get back into the win column after losing an interim title bid against Tom Aspinall at UFC 304, the heavyweight wrestler doesn't see the matchup against Kuniev (13-2-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) as one that will get him closer to title contention. "This fight doesn't help me at all," Blaydes said. "This guy is unranked. So, I could knock him out with a flying knee – it doesn't matter." It's rare that a promotionally ranked top-five fighter would face an unranked fighter, but circumstances made it necessary for Blaydes. While Kuniev may not be a name that will help him move back up the ladder, it will help his bank account. Since his pay is the same whether or not there's a number next to his opponent's name, Blaydes decided it was time to collect a paycheck. "If you look at the availability of guys, there wasn't anyone available," Blaydes said. "Who wants to wait? I haven't had a fight since last July. I'd like to make some money this year." Blaydes recognizes that Kuniev is a threat inside the cage, but he views all heavyweights as such due to one-punch knockout power. If he's able to avoid that big shot and find a finish of his own, "Razor" Blaydes would love to get back into position to fight for the title soon, but he knows he'll have more work to do. "I would love to fight for the title," Blaydes said. "That would be another $800 grand in my pocket, but it's not gonna happen, so I'm not even gonna put that in my mind. Having that expectation would just lead to me being disappointed, and I don't want to be disappointed. So, I'll be realistic: I'll probably need another fight."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Curtis Blaydes: UFC Baku fight vs. newcomer Rizvan Kuniev 'doesn't help me at all'
Curtis Blaydes believes he's stuck in neutral ahead of UFC on ABC 8. In his first appearance since challenging for the interim heavyweight title last year, Blaydes (18-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) will welcome newcomer Rizvan Kuniev to the promotion. UFC on ABC 8 (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan. Advertisement "My expectations for the fight this weekend are same as always: I expect to win," Blaydes told reporters at media day. While Blaydes aims to get back into the win column after losing an interim title bid against Tom Aspinall at UFC 304, the heavyweight wrestler doesn't see the matchup against Kuniev (13-2-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) as one that will get him closer to title contention. "This fight doesn't help me at all," Blaydes said. "This guy is unranked. So, I could knock him out with a flying knee – it doesn't matter." It's rare that a promotionally ranked top-five fighter would face an unranked fighter, but circumstances made it necessary for Blaydes. While Kuniev may not be a name that will help him move back up the ladder, it will help his bank account. Since his pay is the same whether or not there's a number next to his opponent's name, Blaydes decided it was time to collect a paycheck. Advertisement "If you look at the availability of guys, there wasn't anyone available," Blaydes said. "Who wants to wait? I haven't had a fight since last July. I'd like to make some money this year." Blaydes recognizes that Kuniev is a threat inside the cage, but he views all heavyweights as such due to one-punch knockout power. If he's able to avoid that big shot and find a finish of his own, "Razor" Blaydes would love to get back into position to fight for the title soon, but he knows he'll have more work to do. "I would love to fight for the title," Blaydes said. "That would be another $800 grand in my pocket, but it's not gonna happen, so I'm not even gonna put that in my mind. Having that expectation would just lead to me being disappointed, and I don't want to be disappointed. So, I'll be realistic: I'll probably need another fight." This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Curtis Blaydes fighting at UFC Baku for paycheck, not rankings boost
USA Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Dana White gives Jon Jones deadline to lock in Tom Aspinall title unification
Dana White gives Jon Jones deadline to lock in Tom Aspinall title unification Dana White's patience with Jon Jones is running thin. The UFC CEO has always acknowledged that the current UFC heavyweight champion has always been tough to deal with in negotiations, but White is now reaching the point of moving on from a potential title unification bout between Jones and interim champion Tom Aspinall. "Jon Jones has been an interesting human being to deal with since the day he got here," White said on "The Jim Rome Show." "But I will say this about him: you would never hear me out talking about he's the GOAT, he's the this and he's the that, if Jon Jones didn't want to fight people." White recently told reporters that Jones agreed to fight Aspinall, but was also unaware of his recent social media posts that indicated he would be willing to vacate the title. The UFC boss said he looked forward to meeting with Jones to sort things out. According to White, the delay has nothing to do with Jones being scared to fight Aspinall. "Jon Jones has never, ever said, 'I'm afraid to fight this guy,' or 'I don't like this fight for me,' or any of that stuff," White said. "One time, his coach at the time, back in the day – I don't know if he's still with him or whatever. I think it's the only fight we've ever canceled. I had to cancel a show because he wouldn't fight Chael Sonnen, because his coach thought it was a bad idea to take that fight on late notice, but it had nothing to do with Jon Jones. "Jon Jones has never turned down an opponent here or been afraid to fight anybody." Jones has publicly dismissed Aspinall as an opponent on multiple occasions. It's unclear if Jones was simply trolling Aspinall on social media, posturing for better terms while negotiating with the UFC, or perhaps both. Meanwhile, Aspinall has made it clear he has been hungry to unify the title at any given opportunity, and that the situation is more about building his legacy as a champion than fighting Jones. White is now running out of patience with Jones as he decides what to do next in his fighting career. The UFC boss has given a rough deadline for the fight to be finalized in his strongest public stance to date. "We'll see how this thing plays out over the next couple of weeks," White said. "If we can't get this fight done, we'll move on quickly. ... We'll have answers in the next couple weeks." Jones has not fought since UFC 309 in November, where he stopped Stipe Miocic to record his first heavyweight title defense. "Bones" won the vacant heavyweight crown by submitting Ciryl Gane at UFC 265 in March 2023. Aspinall won the interim title by knocking out Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 in November 2023, and then recorded a rarely-seen interim title defense by finishing Curtis Blaydes in the opening round at UFC 304 last July.
Scottish Sun
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Jon Jones breaks silence after Dana White claims he AGREED to Tom Aspinall fight to deliver message to ‘haters'
The MMA legend has hinted that he'll soon vacate his belt 'NEVER CLAIMED' Jon Jones breaks silence after Dana White claims he AGREED to Tom Aspinall fight to deliver message to 'haters' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) JON JONES has issued a message to his "haters" after Dana White's claim that he AGREED to fight Tom Aspinall. The UFC have been hard at work trying to finalise the mammoth heavyweight title unification fight, which has been on the cards since last November, between the pair. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Jon Jones made his first defence of the UFC heavyweight title last November Credit: GETTY 5 The UFC have been trying to finalise a massive unification bout between Jones and Tom Aspinall for the last few months Credit: YOUTUBE@TOMASASPINALL 5 UFC supremo Dana White recently claimed the MMA icon - who is flirting with retirement - agreed to the unification bout Credit: GETTY 5 Jones has broken his silence following the claim in a message to his 'haters' Credit: GETTY White and Co. agreed to Jones' demands to be paid "f**k you money" for the fight but the former pound-for-pound king is now seriously leaning towards vacating his belt and retiring. Jones' recent hints came as a surprise to White, who said last weekend: "Jon Jones agreed to do the fight. "Jon Jones was offered the deal and accepted the deal. Jon agreed to fight Tom, yes." White's revelation has led to a barrage of MMA fans accusing Jones of trolling everyone with his social media activity. READ MORE ON JONES VS ASPINALL WHITE ON THE MONEY White and UFC's mammoth Jones offer 'leaked' after big Aspinall U-turn And he issued a message to his detractors after being branded the "best troll the sport has ever seen". He said: "I've never claimed to be the best but somehow, I keep ending up with my hand raised. "Jones haters [are] frustrated these days." UFC supremo White has been bullish about booking the biggest heavyweight fight in the promotion's near 32-year history. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 5 But like fight fans worldwide, the veteran promoter's confidence in the fight coming to fruition is seemingly starting to fade. During the UFC 316 post-fight press conference, he admitted: "Listen, you can't make people fight. Jon Jones Blasts UFC Rival Tom Aspinall In X-Rated Rant "If Jon doesn't want to fight, you can't make him fight. "We can try to make him fight, we can throw things at him that inspire him to want to fight. "But we'll figure it out." Jones hasn't fought since making his sole defence of the heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 last November. Aspinall, meanwhile, has been on the sidelines waiting for his crack at the former 205lbs king since his 60-second demolition job of Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 last July.
The Hindu
07-06-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
‘Bones' of contention: The criticism surrounding Jon Jones and the UFC heavyweight title explained
Over 1,80,000 people have signed a petition demanding that the UFC strip reigning heavyweight champion Jon 'Bones' Jones of his title. For newcomers to MMA, Jones' dominance can be likened to that of Ricky Ponting in cricket — a serial winner. With 13 title defences to his name, the American wrestler is one of the sport's all-time greats. But growing frustration among fans and analysts has reached a tipping point. The accusation? That Jones is leveraging his superstar status to delay fights. While most UFC fighters step into the octagon two or three times a year, Jones has managed that just once in the last 11 years — in 2019, when he defended his belt against Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos. Since moving up to heavyweight from light heavyweight in 2023, he's fought just twice. His most recent victory came via a third-round knockout of Stipe Miocic — a win that sent Miocic into retirement. However, three of Jones' last five wins have gone to decision, including a controversial split verdict over Santos in 2019. So what's holding him back? Age might be one factor — Jones is now 37. The heavyweight division demands an enormous level of endurance, and recovery takes longer. But injuries have played a more immediate role. A torn pectoral tendon forced him out of his 2023 clash with Miocic at UFC 295. That was followed by elbow surgery, delaying his return further. Then there's the off-cage chaos. Jones' career has been repeatedly derailed by legal troubles and out-of-competition controversies — DUIs, hit-and-run incidents, domestic violence allegations, and multiple failed drug tests. These missteps have led to suspensions, vacated titles, and long stretches of inactivity. What now for Bones? While the UFC hasn't officially announced his next opponent, the obvious challenger is Tom Aspinall. Aspinall made an emphatic statement by knocking out Sergei Pavlovich in just over a minute to claim the interim title after Jones pulled out of their scheduled bout. He followed that with another first-round finish, this time against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304. Despite his momentum, Aspinall remains stuck with the 'interim' tag — a placeholder while Jones stays inactive. Aspinall recently claimed he's 'moving on' and believes Jones is 'retired.' But Jones responded with a cryptic message: 'A lot of stuff is happening behind the scenes,' adding that legal constraints are stopping him from sharing details. So will Aspinall finally get his shot? Or will the title — and the division — remain in limbo?
