Latest news with #UFC314
USA Today
15 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC on ABC 9: Bryce Mitchell explains why he moved down to bantamweight
UFC on ABC 9: Bryce Mitchell explains why he moved down to bantamweight Bryce Mitchell will compete at bantamweight for the first time in the UFC for his next fight. A perennial contender at featherweight throughout much of his UFC tenure, "Thug Nasty" came to a realization that he's perhaps a better fit at 135 pounds. That decision came immediately after his submission loss to Jean Silva at UFC 314 in April. "I pretty much made up my mind right after this last fight," Mitchell said in an interview with Home of Fight. "The guy was so much bigger than me, and I really felt it in the second round. In the first round, obviously I could tell he was bigger and stronger, but it was really in the second round where I felt it. I think that I'm a '35er. My weight's already come down quite a bit since I started dieting. I got this call two weeks ago, I think. So, I'm excited about it. Everything's going good." Mitchell (17-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) has been matched up with Said Nurmagomedov (18-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) for his return to bantamweight at UFC on ABC 9 (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+) on July 26 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. "I feel like I'm going to win the fight, and I feel like I can beat anybody," Mitchell said of Nurmagomedov. "Him specifically, he's good at a lot of stuff. I respect him, and I'm going to put on a great show. That's a good thing for the fans. No matter how it goes for me or for Said, it's going to go great for the fans. I guarantee you it's going to be a fun fight because I'm going to make it a fun fight."
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Bryce Mitchell to make UFC bantamweight debut vs. Said Nurmagomedov
Bryce Mitchell to make UFC bantamweight debut vs. Said Nurmagomedov Bryce Mitchell will return to the weight class in which he made his professional MMA debut this summer. Mitchell has been booked to face Said Nurmagomedov in a bantamweight bout at UFC on ABC 9 (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+) on July 26 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. UFC CEO Dana White announced the booking Wednesday morning. The fight was first reported by Red Corner MMA. Mitchell (17-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) will seek new life at 135 pounds after splitting his past six appearances and dropping two of his past three at featherweight. "Thug Nasty" is coming off a submission loss to Jean Silva at UFC 314 in April and will compete at bantamweight for the first time since January 2015. Nurmagomedov (18-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) has also lost two of his past three and will look to rebound. After a Performance of the Night submission of Muin Gafurov at UFC 294, Nurmagomedov lost a unanimous decision to Vinicius Oliveira in a Fight of the Night effort at UFC Fight Night 250. The current UFC on ABC 9 lineup includes:
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Paddy Pimblett: 'I get laughed at for it, but I know I beat Ilia Topuria'
Paddy Pimblett: 'I get laughed at for it, but I know I beat Ilia Topuria' Laugh all you want, but Paddy Pimblett is adamant he can beat Ilia Topuria. Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) sees a fight with fellow UFC star Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) as inevitable. What started as a scuffle in London in March 2022 has now led to potentially one of the biggest fights the UFC could make. Topuria recently went off on Pimblett and said he'd be open to fighting because he "hates" him. Pimblett is on the cusp of title contention after a dominant finish of Michael Chandler at UFC 314, and Topuria will battle Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight belt in the UFC 317 headliner on June 28. "If Ilia wins and says he wants to fight me, the UFC will make that fight," Pimblett said of Topuria on Aspinall's YouTube channel. "Because they know it's a money fight. That's one of them fights where they'll do a f*cking world press tour like McGregor-Aldo." Topuria has never lost in his professional MMA career. After starting out with seven consecutive submission wins, Topuria has leaned on his striking during his UFC featherweight title run. He is coming off back-to-back knockouts of Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway. "I know I'd beat him," Pimblett said of Topuria. "Funny because I get laughed at for it, but I know I'd beat him. We've already talked about game plans to beat him, and I know how to beat him. No one goes for his weaknesses when they fight. "Everyone just decides to have a boxing match with him. I'm not going to come out and have a boxing match with him. I am going to beat him with my all-around MMA game. As I said, I know I'd beat him, and I reckon I'd proper hurt him and just shut everyone up even more like I love to do."
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Alexander Volkanovski pressures Jon Jones to 'just retire' amid Tom Aspinall hesitancy
Alexander Volkanovski pressures Jon Jones to 'just retire' amid Tom Aspinall hesitancy Alexander Volkanovski says fellow UFC champion Jon Jones needs to make a decision on his fighting future. Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) is yet to unify his heavyweight title with interim champ Tom Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC), and with his continuously uncertain answers, many are wondering if he'll ever fight again. UFC CEO Dana White said Jones agreed to fight Aspinall, but with the fight still not official, Aspinall insists he's ready to move on. UFC featherweight champion Volkanovski (27-5 MMA, 14-4 UFC) doesn't like the idea of Jones getting to hold onto the belt while he decides what's next. Jones hasn't competed since finishing Stipe Miocic last November at UFC 309. "If you're the champ, you defend your belt. It's a responsibility," Volkanovski said on the Overdogs Podcast. "You can't just sit out. You need to be reasonably active. You need to fight whoever's there. If you've got an interim champ, it's a no-brainer. So, I don't want to throw heaps of shade, but look, I know he's proved himself. "Everyone's like, 'Look what he's done, it's fine.' No, not really. Don't hold up the division just because. I know your resume is incredible. You're considered the greatest of all time, we get that. So, if you don't want to fight, just retire, you're done. Or if you want big fights, you're going to have to vacate the title." During his first UFC featherweight title reign, Volkanovski remained active. He competed in six title fights from April 2022 to February 2024, before opting to take a break after back-to-back knockout losses. After losing his belt to Ilia Topuria at UFC 298, he reclaimed his featherweight title by defeating Diego Lopes for the vacant belt at UFC 314.
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Ilia Topuria sounds off on rival: 'Who the f*ck is Paddy Pimblett right now?'
Ilia Topuria sounds off on rival: 'Who the f*ck is Paddy Pimblett right now?' Ilia Topuria wants to put his rivalry with Paddy Pimblett to rest by meeting in the octagon. It's clear that the two parties don't like each other, but their paths have never aligned to meet inside the cage to exchange more than insults behind a microphone. Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) recently vacated the UFC featherweight title to move up to the lightweight division, where Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) resides. Even though they will both be in the same division, a few things will likely need to happen for the promotion to feel like the fight makes sense. Topuria will challenge former champion Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 317, while Pimblett, ranked No. 8 by the promotion, is coming off a win over former title challenger Michael Chandler at UFC 314 and does not yet have another fight scheduled. Topuria recalls Pimblett comparing their careers at the UFC 282 pre-fight press conference, when they shared a pay-per-view card. Pimblett fought in the co-main event against Jared Gordon while Topuria fought in the main card opener against Bryce Mitchell. "He's a hypocrite," Topuria told ESPN Deportes in Spanish. "I'll tell you, I remember we shared a press conference once, and he said something like, 'I'm fighting in the main card, and you're on the prelims,' some kind of nonsense. And now I'm thinking, I have two belts. Where are you? Who the f*ck is Paddy Pimblett right now and why would he deserve to fight me right now?" Since sharing the stage at that press conference, Topuria captured the 145-pound title two fights later, while Pimblett has continued his steady ascent at 155 pounds. The two have continued to take shots at each other in various interviews over the years, but Topuria is now eager to just settle things once and for all when it counts. So much so that Topuria says he'd pick Pimblett if he could choose his next opponent – to not only put their rivalry to rest, but to also add another finish to his record. "Honestly, if I could choose a fight, I would fight him because I hate him," Topuria said. "He's a pain in the ass. I'd love to give that fight to the fans, because for a long time, I believe that in the UFC, you haven't seen a real fight. Two people who really want to fight each other, and what better way than to fight in front of everyone and put on a show? I know what's going to happen, and it won't be good for him."
