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Time of India
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
'It's time to strip him' - UFC veteran Daniel Cormier demands immediate action after Jon Jones' comments on Tom Aspinall and heavyweight title unification bout
Daniel Cormier (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) and Jon Jones (Photo by Jeff Botari/Zuffa LLC) Former rival and UFC veteran Daniel Cormier reacts to Jon Jones ' latest podcast statement, as the latter reveals his intentions and attitude towards having a fight at the moment. In a recent episode of the Full Send Podcast, Jones talks about his role as part of the UFC while reflecting on the current interim champion Tom Aspinall 's wish to face Bones in the heavyweight title unification bout . Jon Jones reveals his lack of interest in having a fight shortly, wishes for Tom Aspinall to have a great career ahead Tom Aspinall has become the longest-reigning interim champion in the UFC, with heavyweight champion Jon Jones showing no interest in a title unification bout. The last few months, during which fans called out the champion and even signed a petition to strip Jones of his belt, have also gone in vain, with no tangible outcome. Time and again, Jones, through his social media accounts, has showcased his disinterest in having a bout at the moment. In a recent episode of the Full Send Podcast, Jon Jones, upon being asked if he has retired from the world of combat sports, stated, 'I don't wanna say that I am retired. Because fighting is in my blood. Right now I could really care less about fighting. I have been doing it my whole life at a very high level. And when the itch comes back and if it comes back, I will do it with my whole heart.' Jon Jones Responds to Tom Aspinall and Speaks on His Relationship with Dana White! Jones further praised the interim champion while showing his reluctance to face him in a bout at the moment, saying, 'I think he is awesome, man. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Memperdagangkan CFD Emas dengan salah satu spread terendah? IC Markets Mendaftar Undo I think he should go on and have a wonderful career.' The fighter further added, 'I don't think he needs me. I think when you want something bad enough and you get it, it could be the worst thing that could ever happen to you.' These statements from the veteran fighter have not only garnered the attention of the fans but also veteran members of the MMA community, including his longtime rival and former heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier. In his segment of Instant Reaction, Cormier sent out a message to the UFC for an immediate stripping of the championship belt. 'Right now, it's time to strip him. He doesn't want to fight this guy [Aspinall].' Cormier stated, 'If he does not sound like he is going to fight, it's time to take the belt. It's time to move on. And hope that the itch he speaks about comes back and if it does, stick him in there with Tom Aspinall. Give him no other choice.' Also read: Former UFC champion Charles Oliveira makes it to big screens with his biopic in works at 405 films It is almost clear that Jones is least interested in facing the interim champion or having a fight at all at the moment. While veterans like Cormier, on several occasions, have supported stripping the fighter of his championship belt, the UFC executives are yet to take a stand on this callout. Game On Season 1 kicks off with Sakshi Malik's inspiring story. Watch Episode 1 here
Forbes
a day ago
- Sport
- Forbes
UFC 317 Loses Main Card Bout As Former Title Challenger Is Out
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - MAY 31: Paulo Costa of Brazil poses on the scale during the UFC 302 official ... More weigh-in at the Westin Jersey City Newport on May 31, 2024 in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) With a little more than a week to go before the next pay-per-view on the UFC schedule, the promotion has lost one of the fights that was scheduled for the main card of UFC 317. That fight is a middleweight matchup between former UFC middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa and Roman Kopylov. The news of Costa being off the card came from Robert Tellez on social media. The fight has been removed from the UFC 317 page on the promotion's website. Costa opened his MMA career at 13-0. Since losing a title fight to then-UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya via TKO in September 2020, Costa is 1-4. He is coming off a split-decision setback to former middleweight titleholder Sean Strickland at UFC 302 in June 2024. Costa has a history of pulling out of UFC fights. Since he joined the promotion in 2017 after a stint as the Jungle Fights middleweight titleholder, Costa has withdrawn from six fights under the UFC banner. Two of those withdrawals came after Costa said he had not signed a deal for the fights. Reports are the fight between Costa and Kopylov is being moved to UFC 318 as the reason for the Costa being unable to compete at UFC 317 is an illness. The official fight card for UFC 317 is slim. Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira - For vacant UFC lightweight title Alexandre Pantoja (c) vs. Kai Kara-France - For Pantoja's UFC flyweight title Beneil Dariush vs. Renato Moicano - Lightweight Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape - Flyweight Jack Hermansson vs. Gregory Rodriguez - Middleweight Payton Talbott Vs. Felipe Lima - Bantamweight Jhonata Diniz vs. Justin Tafa - Heavyweight Viviane Araújo vs. Tracy Cortez - Women's flyweight The following bouts have been announced for UFC 317, but not confirmed by the promotion Terrance McKinney vs. Viacheslav Borshchev - Lightweight Hyder Amil vs. Jose Delgado - Featherweight Niko Price vs. Jacobe Smith - Welterweight ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - OCTOBER 26:Ilia Topuria of Spain prepares to face Max Holloway in ... More the UFC featherweight championship fight during the UFC 308 event at Etihad Arena on October 26, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Ilia Topuria (16-0) is a former Cage Warriors champion. He joined the UFC in 2020 with a 9-0 record. It did not take him long to make a name for himself. He was ranked No. 14 in the featherweight division after three UFC bouts at 145 pounds and one contest in the 155-pound division. Three of those scraps ended with Topuria winning via knockout. In his first fight as a ranked featherweight, Topuria dispatched Bryce Mitchell via submission in the second round, earned his first 'Performance of the Night' bonus and moved to No. 9 in the rankings. A matchup with No. 5 ranked Josh Emmett followed the Mitchell win. Topuria picked up a decision in a 'Fight of the Night' scrap. Topuria's next fight, saw him face Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC featherweight title at UFC 298. Topuria entered that bout as the No. 3 ranked featherweight. He left as the champion after knocking out Volkanovski in the second stanza. In his first defense of the UFC featherweight crown, Topuria made history, becoming the first fighter to finish former 145-pound champion Max Holloway via strikes, knocking out the ex-champion in the third round of their UFC 308 meeting in October 2024. When Topuria decided to move to lightweight and give up his featherweight title, he vowed to sit until he got a 155-pound title shot. That fight takes place at UFC 317. Topuria has a 16-0 record with eight of those wins coming under the UFC banner. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 16: Charles Oliveira of Brazil prepares to face Michael Chandler ... More during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC) Charles Oliveira (35-10-0-1) has been fighting with the UFC since 2010. He won the vacant lightweight title with his win over Chandler and defended the title once, beating Dustin Poirier. He was booked to face Justin Gaethje in his second title defense, but Oliveira missed weight for that fight, which he won by submission, losing the title on the scale. Oliveira had a chance to regain the belt in October 2022, but Islam Makhachev submitted him and claimed the vacant belt. Since that loss, Oliveira is 1-1, beating Beneil Dariush by TKO in June 2023 and losing to Arman Tsarukyan via split decision in April of this year. Oliveira is coming off a November 2024 decision win over Michael Chandler. Oliveira is the No. 2 fighter in the official UFC lightweight rankings. Saturday, June 28, 2025 Main card: 10:00 p.m. ET Preliminary Card: 8:00 p.m. ET Early Preliminary Card: 6:00 p.m. ET T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV We will have more on the UFC 317 fight card as fight night approaches.
Forbes
4 days ago
- Sport
- Forbes
Holloway Plans To Spoil Poirier's Retirement Then Fight For UFC Title
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - OCTOBER 26: Max Holloway prepares to face Ilia Topuria of Spain in ... More the UFC featherweight championship fight during the UFC 308 event at Etihad Arena on October 26, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Max Holloway faces Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 318. Most of the focus on the trilogy bout between the two has been on the fact that the contest is being billed as Poirier's retirement fight. While Holloway understands that, he sees the matchup as his route to another title fight, this one in the UFC lightweight division. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 11: Max Holloway is seen on stage during the UFC 300 press conference at ... More MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) "I respect Dustin," Holloway said on his YouTube channel (via MMA Junkie) . "He's fought a who's who, and he did everything you could ask for someone to do in this sport. But at the end of the day, it's not even about fighting. It's about respecting Dustin as a man. He's a great guy. He's a good guy. I've got nothing but respect for him, and I can't wait to share the octagon yet again with him. "I know this is Dustin's retirement fight, and he's trying to ride into the sunset, but he can go and do that, and it might be a little bit sad, because I'm going to go out there and get my hand raised. ... Hell of guy, great guy, awesome that it's his retirement fight, but I'm here to spoil his plans and get my hand raised because I'm still going to be here when he's riding off in the sunset. I'm still going to be here. I want to still go get an undisputed title, so I've got to go out and make a statement." "The only message that I'm trying to send is I'm still here," Holloway added. "I know this is Dustin's retirement fight, but his last fight was for a title. I still have title contentions in my mind. Couple weeks before us, there's a title fight at 155 and I've got history with both men. At the end of the day, I go out there and do my thing, I make a statement, I get a statement win, who's to say your boy not fighting for the 155 undisputed title at the end of the year? First things first is Dustin Poirier. I'm not overlooking him. This is his retirement fight. He is taking it serious. Everybody keeps reminding me that he's 2-0. The internet and everywhere all around is saying, 'Why?' I'm going to show you why. I'm going to show you why I got this fight, and I'm going to show the fans why you want to see this fight." The UFC 155-pound title that will be decided a 'couple weeks before' UFC 318 is the UFC 317 matchup between former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria and ex-lightweight champ Charles Oliveira for the title that Islam Makhachev left vacant when he decided to more to welterweight. Topuria knocked out Holloway at UFC 308 in October 2024 in his second and final defense of his UFC featherweight crown. Holloway defeated Oliveira in a UFC Fight Night main event in 2015, winning the featherweight fight by TKO (injury) in the first round. NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - JUNE 01: Dustin Poirier is introduced before in his lightweight bout against ... More Islam Makhachev of Russia during UFC 302 at Prudential Center on June 01, 2024 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by) Poirier (30-9-0-1) has been a UFC fighter since 2011. At the time he had a 7-1 record. Between 2011 and 2018, Poirier went 16-4-0-1, picking up notable wins over Max Holloway, Bobby Green, Jim Miller, Anthony Pettis, Justin Gaethje, and Eddie Alvarez. His losses during that stretch came to The Korean Zombie, Cub Swanson, Conor McGregor, and Michael Johnson. Poirier's wins over Miller, Pettis, Gaethje, and Alvarez set him up to fight for the interim UFC lightweight title against then-UFC featherweight titleholder Max Holloway. Poirier was the No. 3 ranked fighter in the UFC 155-pound division at the time, April 2019. Poirier claimed the interim crown with a decision win. In September 2019, Poirier faced Khabib Nurmagomedov in a title unification bout. Nurmagomedov won that contest by third-round submission. Three wins after that, including two TKO victories over Conor McGregor, put Poirier in another lightweight title fight. He lost that battle to Charles Oliveira, falling to a rear-naked choke in the third round of their December 2021 matchup. The 36-year-old Poirier is 2-2 since that setback with wins over Michael Chandler and Benoit Saint Denis. Poirier's losses during that run came against Justin Gaethje for the BMF title and, most recently, opposite Islam Makhachev for the UFC lightweight title at UFC 302 in June 2024. Poirier has 15 fight-night bonus awards, which ties him for fourth all-time in that category. Poirier is the No. 5 ranked UFC lightweight. ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - OCTOBER 26: Max Holloway prepares to face Ilia Topuria of Spain in ... More the UFC featherweight championship fight during the UFC 308 event at Etihad Arena on October 26, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Max Holloway (26-8) has been with the UFC since 2012. If there's a stat that the UFC tracks, chances are Holloway is among the leaders. He holds the UFC featherweight record for wins (20), finishes (11), knockouts (nine), win streak (13 straight), total fight time (6:58:57), significant strikes landed (2,971), and total strikes landed (3,180). Holloway's overall UFC records include significant strikes landed (3,457) and total strikes landed (3,706). Holloway's run as UFC featherweight champ began in June 2017 when he knocked out Jose Aldo. Holloway entered that contest as the interim champ, a belt he won by knocking out Anthony Pettis in December 2016. He defended his title against Aldo (TKO), Brian Ortega (TKO), and Frankie Edgar (decision). He also attempted to win the interim UFC lightweight belt during that run, but he fell short, dropping a decision to Dustin Poirier. Holloway's championship run ended in December 2019 when Alexander Volkanovski beat him by decision. Volkanovski retained the title in an immediate rematch. Wins over Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez earned Holloway another shot at Volkanovski and his title in July 2022, but the champ retained his belt with a decision win. Holloway followed that setback with wins over Arnold Allen, the Korean Zombie, and Justin Gaethje. The Gaethje victory, a fight that many voted 'Fight of the Year' and 'Knockout of the Year,' earned Holloway the BMF title. That fight took place at 155 pounds. Holloway followed his BMF title win with the first knockout loss of his career, falling to Ilia Topuria in a UFC featherweight title fight in October 2024. Holloway is the No. 1 fighter in the official UFC featherweight rankings. He is also ranked at No. 4 at 155 pounds and sits at No. 12 in the pound-for-pound rankings. ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 13: (R-L) Dustin Poirier reacts after defeating Max Holloway in their interim ... More lightweight championship bout during the UFC 236 event at State Farm Arena on April 13, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) Poirier is 2-0 against Holloway. They first met in a featherweight scrap at UFC 143 in February 2012. The bout was Holloway's fifth pro fight and first as a member of the UFC. He was 4-0 heading into the contest. Meanwhile, Poirier had been with the WEC/UFC for two years by then with a 11-1 pro record. Poirier won that fight, and earned Submission of the Night, for his first-round triangle armbar stoppage. The two faced off for the second time in April 2019 at UFC 236. That matchup was for the interim UFC lightweight title. Poirier won that 'Fight of the Night' bonus-winning scrap. Poirier failed to unify the title, losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov by submission at UFC 242 in September 2019. We will have more on UFC 318: Holloway vs. Poirier 3 as fight night nears.
New York Post
6 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Kamaru Usman gets back on track with UFC Fight Night win
Kamaru Usman returned to the win column Saturday night in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Atlanta, Ga., securing a unanimous decision over Joaquin Buckley 49-46, 49-46, 48-47. 'Those knockouts will come,' Usman said after the win. 'I just needed to get that monkey off my back.' The first two rounds of the headline welterweight attraction saw Usman (21-4 MMA) pitch the equivalent of a shutout, effortlessly taking Buckley (21-7 MMA) down and utilizing his ground-and-pound to out-strike the St. Louis native 16-0 in the significant strikes category. Round 3 started strong for Buckley as he found his striking range before Usman found his third takedown in four tries. The former champion kept Buckley there for the final two minutes, briefly securing the mount position as the seconds ticked down. Round 4 was primarily on the feet, as Buckley found his best combinations of the fight but couldn't find a comeback finish. Usman took Buckley down again, securing the back mount position as the round ended. Round 5 saw both men trade blows, but it was too little, too late for Buckley, who had a six-fight unbeaten streak snapped. It was Usman's first win since he held the title in Nov. 2021. Buckley was gracious in defeat, suffering his first loss at welterweight. 3 Kamaru Usman (above) punches Joaquin Buckley during his win at UFC Night on June 14, 2025. Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC 'We're just getting started, baby,' Buckley said. 'We'll be back.' The co-main event also needed the cards, as former two-time strawweight champion Rose Namajunas earned a highly competitive unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 over Miranda Maverick. Namajunas (15-7 MMA) overcame adversity, nearly getting submitted by arm-triangle in Round 2. Namajunas has won three of her last four. She still seeks a belt in a second division, this time at flyweight. Maverick (17-6 MMA) had a four-fight winning streak snapped, dating to July 2023. 3 Kamaru Usman celebrates after beating Joaquin Buckley at UFC Fight Night. Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC A recurring theme continued: middleweight Edmen Shahbazyan nearly finished TUF alumnus Andre Petroski with a would-be third-round TKO before walking away with a unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27, 29-28. The win marked Shahbazyan's first stretch of back-to-back wins since 2019, his first decision win since 2018. Shahbazyan (15-5 MMA) had little trouble controlling the Pennsylvania native in Petroski (13-5 MMA) in all aspects, who has lost two of his last three fights. Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt fell short against Raoni Barcelos in a lackluster affair by unanimous decision, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28. Barcelos (20-5 MMA) has won three in a row, as Garbrandt (14-7 MMA), who won the title in December 2016, has won just three of his last 20 appearances. 3 Middleweight Edmen Shahbazyan (left) takes down Andre Petroski in his win on UFC Fight NIght. Brett Davis-Imagn Images Barcelos nearly secured a late third-round rear-naked choke, but Garbrandt was able to fend it off before landing a few strikes to close the fight. In middleweight action, Mansur Abdul-Malik earned a technical decision over Cody Brundage 30-27, 29-28, 29-28. Abdul-Malik nearly had a third-round TKO 36 seconds in, but an accidental clash of heads changed the direction of the fight, thus needing the judges to intervene. Abdul-Malik (9-0 MMA) moved to 3-0 in the promotion, whereas Brundage (11-7 MMA) dropped below .500 in the UFC and still seeks his first string of back-to-back wins in nearly three years. The UFC Atlanta main card began with Alonzo Menifield earning a unanimous decision over Oumar Sy in a light heavyweight bout, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28. Menifield (17-5-1 MMA) handed Sy (11-1 MMA) his first MMA loss, which snapped a two-fight UFC stint since making his debut last May. Menifield, meanwhile, has won two straight. The UFC's schedule goes international with a Fight Night installment a week from Saturday in Azerbaijan, headlined by a light heavyweight non-championship five-rounder between former champion Jamahal Hill (12-3 MMA) and ex-title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr. (14-6 MMA).
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC Atlanta live updates: Kamaru Usman vs. Joaquin Buckley results, round-by-round analysis and highlights
Kamaru Usman and Joaquin Buckley headline UFC Atlanta at the State Farm Arena on Saturday night. (Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC) Uncrowned has UFC Atlanta live results, round-by-round updates, start time and highlights for the Kamaru Usman vs. Joaquin Buckley fight card on Saturday night at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Former UFC welterweight champion Usman faces off against red-hot contender Buckley in the night's five-round main event, while former two-time UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas continues her climb up the flyweight ranks against Miranda Maverick in the co-headliner. Usman (20-4) was once considered the unanimous No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, however he enters Saturday struggling through the longest losing streak of his professional career. Usman's historic title reign ended in historic fashion when Leon Edwards authored a legendary fifth-round comeback in 2022 to steal away the title. Usman then lost a trilogy bout against Edwards followed by his short-notice middleweight debut against Khamzat Chimaev, both of which occurred in 2023. Advertisement One more loss in a row for "The Nigerian Nightmare" could spell the end of his time as a contender. While his foe appears to be on the downslide of his career, Buckley (21-6) is very much ascendent. "New Mansa" has won six consecutive bouts since moving back to the welterweight division in 2023, with four of those contests ending in vicious stoppages. Included in that run are knockouts of longtime contenders Vicente Luque, Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson, and most recently three-time UFC title challenger Colby Covington. In the evening's co-main event, Namajunas (13-7) looks to fend off the streaking Maverick (15-5). Advertisement The UFC Atlanta start time for the preliminary card is at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+. The main card begins live at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+. Follow along with Uncrowned's live UFC Atlanta: Usman vs. Buckley results, highlights and live blog below, including round-by-round play-by-play for the main card. Main Card (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET) Welterweight: Kamaru Usman vs. Joaquin Buckley Women's flyweight: Rose Namajunas vs. Miranda Maverick Middleweight: Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Andre Petroski Bantamweight: Cody Garbrandt vs. Raoni Barcelos Middleweight: Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Cody Brundage Light heavyweight: Alonzo Menifield vs. Oumar Sy Prelims (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET) Light heavyweight: Paul Craig vs. Rodolfo Bellato Advertisement Welterweight: Michael Chiesa vs. Court McGee Bantamweight: Malcolm Wellmaker def. Kris Moutinho via knockout (punch) at 2:37 of R1. | Watch finish Flyweight: Jose Ochoa def. Cody Durden via knockout (punches) at 0:11 of R2. | Watch finish Bantamweight: Ricky Simon def. Cameron Smotherman via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) Welterweight: Phil Rowe def. Ange Loosa via TKO (punches) at 4:03 of R3. | Watch finish Women's flyweight: Jamey-Lyn Horth def. Vanessa Demopoulos via unanimous decision (30-27 All)
