Latest news with #UFC315
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Chael Sonnen suggests Kamaru Usman fight welterweight 'alpha male' to earn UFC title shot
Chael Sonnen suggests Kamaru Usman fight welterweight 'alpha male' to earn UFC title shot Chael Sonnen would like to see Kamaru Usman earn his title shot by facing the original No. 1 contender at welterweight. After rebounding against Joaquin Buckley in Saturday's UFC on ESPN 69 headliner, Usman (21-4 MMA, 16-3 UFC) called out the winner of welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev, which is expected to take place later in the year. While Sonnen isn't totally against the idea of Usman being next in line, he suggests the former champ take on Shavkat Rakhmonov (19-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC), who was meant to fight for the title at UFC 315 before withdrawing due to injury. "I think one strategy, because I do believe Shavkat to be the true No. 1 contender," Sonnen said on "Good Guy/Bad Guy" with Daniel Cormier. "I do believe when Shavkat comes back, he's probably going to walk right into a title fight, and I do believe between Islam and Jack, I think Shavkat is the alpha male in that room. I just think he's the right size, and I think he matches up really well. I offer you that, because I think that Kamaru could come out publicly and start going after Shavkat, saying let me fight him. 'Let me fight him for a No. 1 contendership,' of which if he won, I think he would be granted. "But even absent of getting that fight, should Shavkat walk right into a title fight, Usman's now still aligning himself with one of the top two guys. I think strategy-wise, if he could align himself properly with Shavkat, and nobody's going to ask for that job. Nobody out there's going to ask to fight Shavkat. If he could come in and somehow get some business with him, it could pay off big." Rakhmonov emerged as No. 1 contender after defeating Ian Machado Garry by unanimous decision last December at UFC 310. He was unable to make UFC 315 to challenge then-champion Belal Muhammad and was replaced by Della Maddalena, who defeated Muhammad to claim the belt.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
'Another three fights' - Coach Javier Mendez makes shocking revelation on Islam Makhachev's retirement plans ahead of welterweight title bout
Islam Makhachev and Javier Mendez. Image via Javier Mendez/Instagram Former lightweight champion Islam Makhachev's coach, Javier Mendez , revealed some shocking facts about the fighter's retirement plans . The Russian fighter recently vacated his title and moved up to the welterweight division , aiming for a two-weight championship status. Even though it is almost confirmed that Makhachev will be facing the newly crowned Jack Della Maddalena for the belt, the date and venue for the bout have not been announced yet. Javier Mendez analyses the current state of welterweight division, explains the timeline of Islam Makhachev's bouts after facing Jack Della Maddalena In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Islam Makhachev's coach, Javier Mendez, reflected upon the latest win secured by Kamaru Usman at UFC Atlanta against Joaquin Buckley. The Nigerian fighter is on a mission to reclaim his lost belt and wants to face the winner of the bout between Makhachev and Jack Della Maddalena. Pondering on the probability of Usman getting a title shot next, Mendez stated, 'Possible. Depends on what the UFC thinks.I mean, I think Shavkat needs to be considered. Also Ian Garry. You know Belal Muhammad also too.' The coach continued, 'The welterweight division has become the hotbed for the UFC at the present time.' Javier Mendez REACTS to Usman Wanting Islam Title Shot, Says Makhachev not afraid to stand with JDM! While analysing the future prospects within the division, Mendez also reflected upon the future of Makhachev in the world of combat sports. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Your Brain's Favorite Workout Play Classic Chess Install Now Undo The 33-year-old fighter throughout his career has suffered only one loss and that was in the early stages of his UFC career against Adriano Martins. His pro-MMA record stands at 27-1-0, with his latest win against Renato Moicano in a lightweight title bout. The fighter won the championship belt in his bout against Charles Oliveira and has defended the belt for four straight times since then. Even though the fighter announced his move up to the welterweight division, fans might not get to see him in action for a very long time now. Talking about Makhachev's retirement plans, coach Mendez stated, 'I'm anticipating we'll see Islam hopefully for maybe another three fights total. Let's see who's in the works on that, if we get by JDM.' Also read: 'No one even knew who they were' - Jake Paul sparks outrage with bold self-comparison involving Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson With an exciting bout coming up, it might not be a very good news for UFC fans, owing to the possible short tenure of the Russian fighter within the division. It was UFC 315 that was the deciding factor for Makhachev regarding his recent move up to the welterweight division.
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Kamaru Usman no-sells Belal Muhammad callout after UFC on ESPN 59, wants next title shot
Kamaru Usman no-sells Belal Muhammad callout after UFC on ESPN 59, wants next title shot Show Caption Hide Caption UFC on ESPN 69: Kamaru Usman post-fight interview UFC on ESPN 69 winner Kamaru Usman talks to MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight after his decision victory over Joaquin Buckley in Atlanta. ATLANTA – Kamaru Usman did not remember the name Belal Muhammad, or at least he pretended. Usman (21-4 MMA, 16-3 UFC) turned back the clock in a dominant display against Joaquin Buckley in the UFC on ESPN 69 main event at State Farm Arena. It was the first win for the former welterweight champion since November 2021. After looking like the unstoppable force on the ground for most of the fight against Buckley (21-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC), he drew the attention of another former titleholder, Belal Muhammad. "See you soon," Muhammad wrote on X after the fight. In his first attempt at defending, Muhammad (24-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) dropped the welterweight title to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315, ending a 10-fight unbeaten run. The former champ called his shot for Usman, but it was a name and a shout that "The Nigerian Nightmare" completely dismissed. "Who is it?" Usman responded when asked at a post-fight news conference about Muhammad's callout. "Who is that? Next." Usman has his sights set on the winner of a potential title fight between Della Maddalena and former lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. It's a fight that has not been officially announced, but one that has been rumored to be the direction the promotion intends to go after Makhachev vacated the 155-pound title. "Let's be honest, I'm the biggest in the division," Usman said. "This is about entertainment. The UFC is an entertainment company. You want to make the biggest fight. It's going to be the winner of JDM and Islam. If Islam pulls that one out, former pound-for-pound, current pound-for-pound – who doesn't pay for that?" Usman, 38, admits that he's in the twilight of his career, but he still has some gas left in the tank for one more title push. After ending a three-fight skid, which included a pair of title losses to Leon Edwards, and a narrow short-notice loss to Khamzat Chimaev at middleweight, Usman struggled to hold back the emotions of a big win. However, he is confident that the next time he steps in the cage, he should be fighting for gold, whether it be against Della Maddalena or Makhachev. "JDM's no slouch," Usman said. "I've said that in his last fight, and he went out there and showed you guys, don't look past him. He's very, very talented. Islam is extremely talented. I love Islam. I think him coming in makes the division a lot more interesting. If he's able to get in there and wrestle that belt away from JDM, former pound-for-pound, current pound-for-pound, I mean, I think everyone wants to watch that."
USA Today
13-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Justin Gaethje: 'I'm done doing sh*t' for UFC without appropriate appreciation, pay
Justin Gaethje: 'I'm done doing sh*t' for UFC without appropriate appreciation, pay Justin Gaethje does not appreciate the UFC leaving him out of the lightweight title picture. Gaethje (26-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) did the UFC a solid by defending his BMF title against Max Holloway on their historic 300th pay-per-view event. He wound up getting knocked out by Holloway at UFC 300, but rebounded with a win over Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313. Prior to Islam Makhachev vacating his UFC lightweight title, he was open to a fresh matchup against Gaethje over former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria. However, when Belal Muhammad lost his welterweight title to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315, Makhachev opted to relinquish his belt for a move up to 170 pounds. With the UFC lightweight title now vacant, Gaethje expected to be one half of the title fight. Instead, the promotion opted to match up Topuria against Charles Oliveira in the UFC 317 headliner on June 28. "They owe me a championship fight," Gaethje said on "The Makeshift Podcast." "I'm 3-1 in my last four. They came to my house begging me to fight Max Holloway at UFC 300. I consider that an exhibition fight. I don't mean that the loss is not on my record. I mean it had nothing to do with rankings. In the time that I did that, Dustin Poirier, who I just beat, got a good win over (Benoit) Saint Denis and then fought for the belt "Since I've won (vs. Fiziev), the champion has been saying he wants to fight me. So they could have easily set that up, but they didn't. Then he vacates, and then Oliveira is 2-2 in his last fights, already has a loss to Makhachev, and they bring a brand-new guy in, and I get f*cked again. So I'm not going to fight any of these motherf*ckers for fun unless they pay me so much more money." Ali Abdelaziz revealed that Gaethje will consider retirement if he doesn't get the next title shot. "The Highlight" continued to vent his frustration towards the UFC. "I'm the most consistent guy," Gaethje said. "I think anybody that's ever performed for their company and been as consistent as an employee for their company gets a Christmas bonus, gets a thank you, get a 'Good f*cking job.' Nah – I'm done doing sh*t here. I love fighting for the UFC and I'd never want to fight somewhere else, but I'm not just going to throw my legacy away for anybody." For Gaethje, it's title shot or bust. "I'm waiting for them to announce it," Gaethje said of a presumed title shot. "(Oliveira is) 2-2, I'm 3-1. What do you want me to do? Not my fault (Dan) Hooker dropped out. (Arman) Tsarukyan should have got it, but he f*cked himself. That's his fault."
Time of India
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
'Put him to sleep in the first round' - Ilia Topuria issues a brutal warning for Charles Oliveira ahead of UFC 317 vacant lightweight title bout
Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira. Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC UFC 317 has everyone's eyes fixated, as fans will see their favourite fighters in action once again after a long hiatus involving weight class moves and multiple rounds of back-and-forth negotiations to finalise the bout. Former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria will now be facing former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title . While Oliveira is on a mission to reclaim the championship belt, Topuria has his sights set on achieving two-weight championship status and issues a brutal warning for the former lightweight. Ilia Topuria acknowledges Charles Oliveira's fighting abilities while being confident about his own set of skills, aims for a finish in first round itself After winning the featherweight championship belt against Alexander Volkanovski, Ilia Topuria's last bout was against Max Holloway, in which the Georgian fighter retained his title. Having defended his title, the fighter announced his move up to the lightweight division in February 2025, and since then, Topuria started calling out Islam Makhachev, the then-lightweight champion, for a title bout, but was met with no response. Makhachev seemingly was not much interested in facing Topuria and instead wanted to move up the weight category. Post UFC 315, where Belal Muhammad lost his title to Jack Della Maddalena, Makhachev, too, vacated his title and shifted to the welterweight division for a direct title shot. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trading CFD dengan Teknologi dan Kecepatan Lebih Baik IC Markets Mendaftar Undo Even though the shakeup across the division killed the expectations for a highly anticipated bout between Topuria and Makhachev, El Matador has now been placed against another strong lightweight contender and former champion of the division, Charles Oliveira. Oliveira won three out of his last five bouts, one of which was a title loss to Makhachev. Despite this, he is known for his striking abilities and submission techniques. Trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the fighter has even knocked out some of the greatest contenders of the division, including Michael Chandler and Beneil Dariush. While both fighters are preparing for the upcoming bout with their respective aims set, Topuria acknowledges the abilities of the former lightweight champion, while also believing that a guaranteed win awaits the former featherweight. In a recent interview, the fighter stated, 'Charles is a great fighter. I'd say he's a legendary fighter, one of the few still active in the UFC.' He further continued, 'But the truth is that his style fits perfectly with mine, to put him to sleep in the first round because he has no mobility, he doesn't move.' Also read: Kamaru Usman stuns audience with a brutal take on former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad ahead of the former's UFC Atlanta showdown Ever since losing the title to Makhachev, Oliveira did not get a title shot despite the fact that he had defended it twice after winning it against Michael Chandler at UFC 262. This makes the upcoming bout crucial for the fighter to establish his prominence once again within the division.
