BREAKING: Paulo Costa vs. Khamzat Chimaev reportedly in the works for UFC 294
It seems Paulo Costa may have to brush up on his grappling skills. It was recently reported that ‘Borrachinha’ has pulled out of his fight against Ikram Aliskerov at UFC 291. The news originated from sources based in Aliskerov’s camp less than a fortnight before the bout. The stunning report by @judobetter995 also suggested that a matchup between Aliskerov and middleweight contender Roman Dolidze is in the works. It seems the Georgian has agreed to replace Costa on short notice. The news was later re-shared by the popular MMA-based Twitter handle @SpinninBackfist. In the latest twist in this story, Costa has seemingly signed a contract to fight Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294. According to a report by @MMAmelotto via @SpinninBackfist, the UFC is working on a middleweight contest between Costa and Chimaev for the October 21 card. True to his moniker of ‘Meme God, ’ the Brazilian fighter has also hinted at this exciting fight happening. Paulo Costa seemingly confirmed the matchup by communicating via cryptic replies, emojis, and memes. In one of his latest tweets, Costa posted a close-up of his face and referenced his nickname for Khamzat Chimaev in the caption that read: “They are feeding that guy with gourmet chenchen.” Khamzat Chimaev seemingly has a “better opponent” than Paulo Costa in mind Khamzat Chimaev has finally responded to the rumors of him fighting Paulo Costa at UFC 294. As mentioned above, Costa was slated to face Ikram Aliskerov at UFC 291 but has allegedly pulled out in order to be able to fight Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 in October. The Brazilian middleweight later spent a considerable amount of time on Twitter, strongly hinting at the same. However, ‘Borz’ isn’t interested in facing Costa anymore. In a recent tweet, the grappling phenom seemingly dismissed rumors of a Paulo Costa vs. Khamzat Chimaev bout and claimed he has a better opponent than ‘Borrachinha.’ He wrote: “@buratinacostaso you are a bum now, I have a better opponent.” While Chimaev insists that he has a stronger opponent than Costa, it appears that they will still face off against each other since they have been exchanging verbal jabs for a while now. However, it’s difficult to fully trust that Chimaev or Costa will be fighting soon until the contract is signed.
Jan Blachowicz says he’ll stand with Alex Pereira at UFC 291 – “I have to check my stand-up against someone like Pereira”
Jan Blachowicz intends to test his striking skills against Alex Pereira. The Polish fighter is set to welcome ‘Poatan’ to the light heavyweight division at UFC 291 on July 29. After losing the middleweight title to his longtime nemesis Israel Adesanya at UFC 287, Pereira decided to try his luck in the light heavyweight division. Given his success in the middleweight division, many believe a more natural weight class will only benefit the former Glory kickboxing champion’s fighting prowess. In a recent interview with Michael Bisping, Jan Blachowicz opened up about his upcoming fight against Alex Pereira. The former light heavyweight champion claimed he knew about ‘Poatan’s dangerous striking pedigree but wanted to test himself against him. He said: “I am a stand-up fighter. I like fighting stand-up. So, I have to check my stand-up against someone like Pereira. But if I don’t feel good, if I take some punches, for sure I’m gonna use wrestling and take him down. Also, I’m not stupid. I know what I have to do to win this fight. I use all my tools to do it.” With Jamahal Hill recently vacating the light heavyweight title, there was speculation about this explosive matchup becoming a title fight. However, there is no indication that Alex Pereira vs. Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291 will be a championship fight. Anthony Smith on Alex Pereira vs. Jan Blachowicz UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith recently weighed in on the upcoming Alex Pereira vs. Jan Blachowicz light heavyweight fight. While Smith predicts Pereira to flourish as a light heavyweight, he doesn’t see the Brazilian doing well against the top-ranked fighters. Pereira’s incredible power and striking skills make him a terrifying opponent for anyone in the middleweight division. However, ’Lionheart’ believes that the former Glory kickboxing champion will struggle to impose himself in a heavier weight class. In an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Anthony Smith weighed in on Alex Pereira vs. Jan Blachowicz fight and stated: “I think he can do well, for sure. He’s going to have a tough time with some of the top guys, just with his skill set… I think Jan Blachowicz is a pretty tough matchup if I’m being honest… Yeah, I do [think Pereira loses that].” Watch the full interview below:
REPORT: Paulo Costa pulls out of UFC 291, new opponent lined up for Ikram Aliskerov
UFC middleweight star Paulo Costa has reportedly pulled out of his fight against Ikram Aliskerov at UFC 291. According to sources based in Aliskerov’s camp, ‘Borrachinha’ has withdrawn from the matchup less than a fortnight before the event in Salt Lake City, Utah. According to a report by @judobetter995 via @SpinninBackfist on Twitter, Aliskerov will still compete at UFC 291, albeit against a different opponent. It seems Georgian middleweight contender Roman Dolidze has replaced Costa and will be stepping up on a 12-day notice for the high-altitude fight at The Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Iterating that nothing is official as yet, @judobetter995 wrote: “My inside source just told me that Costa vs. Ikram is not going to happen, and UFC is looking to book… Dolidze Vs Aliskerov… Nothing official, but info comes from Ikram’s camp, so I’m sure it’s true.” If the news is indeed accurate, it would be Paulo Costa’s second canceled fight this year. He was scheduled to face Robert Whittaker in February, but the Brazilian disputed the announcement, and the fight never materialized. Costa last beat Luke Rockhold at UFC 278 via unanimous decision. The win stopped a two-fight losing skid against Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori. Paulo Costa hints at accepting a super fight against Khamzat Chimaev after reported UFC 291 pullout Paulo Costa recently sent fans into a frenzy by hinting at a potential matchup against grappling sensation Khamzat Chimaev. MMA-based Twitter handle @MMAPauli recently claimed Paulo Costa pulled out of UFC 291 to fight Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294. While the tweet sent MMA fans into a frenzy, the Brazilian added fuel to the confusion with a cryptic message. He wrote a one-word comment under the tweet, stating: “Smart.” Costa and Chimaev aren’t on good terms. The two men were involved in an altercation at the UFC PI last year. In the following months, ‘Borz’ and ‘Borrachinha’ traded insults online and in interviews, fueling speculation of a future fight. While fans are undoubtedly excited about the prospect of witnessing Paulo Costa fight Khamzat Chimaev, the Brazilian is known to be a notorious troll online. It remains to be seen if his comments meant anything real.
Paddy Pimblett hopes to be ranked by next year, opens up on weight issues and discipline
Paddy Pimblett recently opened up about his future career moves and claimed he is seriously trying to be more disciplined about his eating habits. It’s no secret that Paddy Pimblett is a foodie through and through. ‘The Baddy’ is known for ballooning in size between training camps due to his extremely high-calorie food intake. However, Pimblett has realized that his incredible transformation wreaks havoc on his long-term health and aims to eat better going forward. Given that the lightweight contender is recovering from ankle surgery, his weight has decreased as he goes through physical rehabilitation. In hopes of keeping it that way at this pivotal point of his career, the 28-year-old Liverpudlian recently told SLOTHBOXX in an interview: “I’m hoping to have another three fights in the bag, another three wins by the end of next year, and be ranked. After a fight, I’ve got a bad eating disorder. At the minute, I’m not too bad because, obviously, I had surgery. I went to America and got fat again, then came back and had surgery. And after the surgery, my weight has just gradually come down.” He continued: “Now I’m just walking around at about (185 pounds) and not really watching what I’m eating… After every fight, I’ve just ballooned up and started eating 8,000 calories a day. Now I probably won’t do that… Injury permitting, I’ll fight before the end of the year. But I’m not going into another fight, not 100 percent again.” Watch the full interview below: Paddy Pimblett on the Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury heavyweight boxing match Paddy Pimblett recently weighed in on the highly anticipated Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury boxing match. The Liverpudlian is confident that his compatriot will emerge victorious and outlined how he thinks the fight will go. ‘The Predator’ is set to face ‘The Gypsy King’ in the squared circle on October 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Considering the months of speculation about Ngannou’s boxing debut, fans are already hyped to see the former UFC heavyweight champion go up against the WBC heavyweight champion. Interestingly, both heavy hitters have promised to engage in a slugfest that ends with a “devastating knockout.” In the same interview mentioned above, Paddy Pimblett was asked for his thoughts on the matchup, to which he replied: “I think Tyson Fury will keep him in range and jab him. To be honest. Jab his head off. It’s a completely different sport… Ngannou’s got that one-punch knockout power, just like Wilder… But I can’t see him beating Fury. I can’t see anyone beating Fury. Can’t even see Usyk beating Fury.”
Conor McGregor wants Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg in the UFC
Conor McGregor recently shared his two cents on the highly anticipated Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg super fight. Given that ‘The Notorious’ is undoubtedly the biggest superstar in mixed martial arts, thanks to the UFC, it’s unsurprising that the Irishman wants the two tech billionaires to brawl in the famed promotion. While the Tesla and Meta Platforms CEOs were always considered rivals within the tech industry, they are keen to take their competitiveness to the MMA cage. After engaging in some light banter on social media last month, Musk and Zuckerberg agreed to fight each other and seemingly roped UFC president Dana White in to make it happen. White later confirmed that the fight was “very real.” While fight fans are undeniably hyped to see the Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg fight, Conor McGregor recently claimed that the event must take place under the UFC banner. In an exclusive Daily Mail news-byte, the Irishman said: “I’m interested. Are they gonna go ahead with it? Are they gonna make it happen? If it happens under the UFC banner, I’m with it. It has to happen under the UFC banner.” He further added: “I’d do a bit of work with them. I hope they go ahead with it. Their pockets might be large, but is the talk cheap? They said it. Are they gonna do it now? I’m excited to see how it unfolds.” Jake Paul sees Nate Diaz fight as a stepping stone toward Conor McGregor clash While Conor McGregor has rebuffed every fight callout by Jake Paul, ‘The Problem Child’ is unwilling to give up. It’s no secret that McGregor and Paul share an extremely contentious relationship and have traded barbs on several occasions. Jake Paul is set to face McGregor’s former rival Nate Diaz in the boxing ring on August 5 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. While the 26-year-old is undoubtedly looking forward to settling his differences with the Stockton slugger, he’s already looking ahead to a potential Conor McGregor fight. In an interview with talkSPORT, Paul outlined his plans to get McGregor to fight him next and claimed: “When I knock out Nate Diaz, I think Conor McGregor’s going to see me, want a payday, and come and get knocked out… I told everybody that I would fight Conor in any form of fight because he, in my opinion, is that sh*t. I’ll do MMA, I’m not afraid to step in there.” Meanwhile, Conor McGregor is expected to face Michael Chandler in the octagon sometime later this year. The two are currently featured on The Ultimate Fighter as coaches, with Chandler 7-0 up so far.
Israel Adesanya on Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury, reveals he’s going to Saudi Arabia for super-fight
Israel Adesanya recently weighed in on the highly anticipated Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury boxing match. ‘The Last Stylebender’ described how happy he was for his “big brother” and revealed that he will be traveling to Saudi Arabia to witness the heavyweight super fight live. ‘The Predator’ shockingly quit the UFC earlier this year after months of contract renewal negotiations failed to bear fruit. Upon becoming a free agent, Ngannou made no secret about his intentions to pursue his dream of boxing and was linked to several world-class pugilists like Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua. After months of speculation, he is booked to fight WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia on October 28. In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Israel Adesanya discussed the Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury fight. The Nigerian-born Kiwi revealed that he texted the Cameroonian as soon as he heard about the announcement and said: “As soon as I heard the news recently, I was the first person to text him. I was like, ‘I’m gonna be there to witness history.” Adesanya further added: “I think he’ll be back in the UFC. He has to make his bag elsewhere first… Dana and him have beef, but I feel like he’ll do what he has to do and be back in the UFC… That’s big bro… I’m going to Saudi Arabia. I’m witnessing that sh*t live.” Georges St-Pierre on Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury Widely considered among the greatest MMA fighters ever, Georges St-Pierre is a former two-division UFC champion, and few can rival his influence on the sport. The Canadian legend recently weighed in on the highly awaited Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury boxing match. Francis Ngannou proved many of his doubters wrong by securing an incredible big-money fight against arguably one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. The two combat sports superstars are slated to go ten rounds against each other under official professional boxing rules. However, it has been reported that Fury’s WBC belt will not be on the line. In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, ‘Rush’ took a neutral stance on the fight. He iterated that while he’s rooting for Francis Ngannou to beat Tyson Fury, it won’t be easy for the Cameroonian to take on the perennial heavyweight champion in the boxing ring. He said: “Well, I’m glad for Francis because he’s going to make a lot of money. Probably a lot more than all his fights in the UFC. On the other hand, my heart is with Francis, but he’s going to take on the champion. The best boxer in his sport. So he’s the one going into another sport and the odds will not favor him… But we never know.”
Former UFC champion apologizes to Dricus du Plessis for underestimating him going into UFC 290 – “Shame on me”
Henry Cejudo recently heaped praise on Dricus du Plessis for his masterful performance against Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. The former two-division champion also apologized to the South African star for underestimating his skills and shared some advice for his next fight. ‘The Reaper’ has long been considered the second-best middleweight in the UFC after Israel Adesanya. When the promotion announced du Plessis vs. Whittaker in a title eliminator last weekend, many dismissed the South African’s chances against the Australian. However, Dricus du Plessis put on an incredible performance against Robert Whittaker and secured a sensational second-round TKO victory. In a recent video uploaded to Twitter, Henry Cejudo apologized to ‘Stillknocks’ for being one of the doubters. ‘Triple C’ stated: “First of all, I want to apologize to you, du Plessis. I did not believe that you could beat Robert Whittaker… Shame on me… The fact that you were able to stop this dude in a round and a half. Kudos to you.” Cejudo then shared some advice with du Plessis for his inevitable title fight against Israel Adesanya: “I think you need to have a good game plan. I think the biggest thing with du Plessis is, he cannot stay in kicking range with Israel Adesanya. If I was in your position du Plessis, I would create positions to get ‘Stylebender’ to throw hands… I do believe Israel’s greatest weapon is his kicks.” Bo Nickal opens up about a potential fight against Dricus du Plessis Bo Nickal recently weighed in on a potential fight against Dricus du Plessis and the fast-rising middleweight contender is confident of beating the South African. Nickal and du Plessis are undoubtedly two of the most exciting fighters to watch in the UFC’s middleweight division. While ‘The Allen Assassin’ is an exceptional grappling phenom with thunderous striking at his disposal, ‘Stillknocks’ recently silenced his haters with a statement second-round TKO victory against former champion Robert Whittaker. While a Bo Nickal vs. Dricus du Plessis matchup promises to get combat sports fans excited, the three-time NCAA D1 wrestling champion doesn’t think it’s a major challenge for him. In a recent interview with Full Send MMA, Nickal opined that he’d breeze past du Plessis and stated: “Hats off to him. I feel like I respect Whittaker a lot. He’s such a tough dude. But, yeah, he [du Plessis] got it done. That’s a fight that I’ll have eventually, I’m sure. I don’t know that he beats the champion, but, you know, I’m sure we’ll fight, and I think that’s easy money for me.”
Sean O’Malley praises Bo Nickal for his UFC 290 performance – “He’s at that level”
Sean O’Malley has nothing but nice things to say about Bo Nickal. The three-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion and the 2019 Dan Hodge trophy recipient is undeniably the fastest-rising star in the UFC’s middleweight division. ‘The Allen Assassin’ recently faced Val Woodburn at UFC 290. He dispatched ‘The Animal’ via TKO just 38 seconds into the first round. His incredible performance was lauded by fans and fighters alike, with many touting him to be the next big thing in MMA. In a recent episode of the BROMalley Show, Sean O’Malley heaped praise on the 27-year-old grappling phenom. ‘Suga’ reflected upon Nickal’s impressive performance against Woodburn last weekend and stated: “We didn’t even talk about Nickal. Came out and knocked that dude out. That dude looked short. But for Bo to go out there and knock him out in that fashion, he reminds me of a young me… The dude is at that level. He can compete with these guys at the highest level. He’s got hands, he can wrestle like a motherf**ker, and lives a championship lifestyle at an early age.” Meanwhile, Sean O’Malley is slated to face Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 for the UFC bantamweight championship on August 19 at the TD Garden in Boston. ‘Suga’ last beat Petr Yan at UFC 280 via a controversial split decision. Sean O’Malley predicts a knockout win over Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 Sean O’Malley is confident of taking the UFC bantamweight belt away from Aljamain Sterling after their fight at UFC 292 in August. O’Malley is currently on an impressive five-fight undefeated run, and last tasted defeat against Marlon Vera at UFC 252 in August 2020. After three consecutive knockout wins, O’Malley secured a razor-sharp split decision against former bantamweight champion Petr Yan at UFC 280 to secure a title shot. Meanwhile, Sterling is on a nine-fight win streak, last beating former two-division champion Henry Cejudo via split decision at UFC 288. Despite ‘The Funk Master’s incredible run as the 135-pound champion, Sean O’Malley is sure about securing a knockout victory. At the UFC 290 media day last weekend, ‘Suga’ outlined his strategy for the upcoming title fight. He said: “I’m going to do what I do. It’s no secret, this is a striker vs. grappler matchup… I’m going to go out there and try to put his lights out. I do that every time I fight… I built a career off knocking people out in the first round… It can take one shot right on the chin to put him down and I know I’m capable of that, so that’s how I see it going down.”
BREAKING: UFC Champion suffers long-term injury, hints at vacating title
The UFC light heavyweight title is back up for grabs! Jamahal Hill recently dropped a bombshell on the MMA community by announcing that he has relinquished his light heavyweight championship due to suffering a brutal Achilles injury that will require surgery and extensive rehabilitation. Hill won the 205-pound strap against Glover Teixeira at UFC 283 in January, securing a dominant unanimous decision win over the Brazilian veteran. While he was expected to face top-ranked contender and former champion Jiri Prochazka for his first title defense later this year, it seems ‘Sweet Dreams’ has suffered a similar fate to ‘Denisa.’ In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Jamahal Hill stated: “Everyone knows that I’ve been waiting for months now to face Jiri Prochazka and defend my belt and my title – unfortunately we’re going to have to wait a little bit. I’ve ruptured my Achilles… It’s one that will require surgery and time and rehab and things to be out for a while.” Like Prochazka vacated the light heavyweight title after his shoulder injury last year, Hill announced that he would also relinquish the strap to ensure the division progresses. “Jiri Prochazka was the champion. He suffered an injury… He gave up the belt and allowed for others to not hold the division up, to keep the division moving forward to make sure the people had a champion. I’ll do the same.” Hill thanked the UFC for their support and said he’d been promised a title shot on his return. Now that the Jamahal Hill vs. Jiri Prochazka title fight is undeniably off the table, the light heavyweight division will see a new champion being crowned soon. It’s worth noting that Alex Pereira is scheduled to face former 205-pound champion Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291. Given that fans are already hyped about the two former champions trading blows in the octagon, it would be unsurprising to see the UFC turn that bout into a title fight. Watch Jamahal Hill’s announcement below:
Georges St-Pierre on Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou boxing match – “My heart is with him”
Georges St-Pierre is widely considered to be one of the greatest mixed martial artists ever. The former two-division UFC champion recently weighed in on the highly anticipated Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury boxing match. ‘The Predator’ will finally see his dream of boxing a world-class pugilist come true. Earlier this week, it was reported that Ngannou will face Fury in the boxing ring on October 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 10-round fight is slated to take place under official professional boxing rules, including three ringside judges using the 10-point must system. Undoubtedly a massive development in combat sports, fans are hyped to see the former UFC heavyweight champion go head-to-head against the reigning WBC heavyweight champion. In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Georges St-Pierre was asked for his thoughts on the Ngannou vs. Fury matchup. ‘Rush’ stated: “Well, I’m glad for Francis because he’s going to make a lot of money. Probably a lot more than all his fights in the UFC. On the other hand, my heart is with Francis, but he’s going to take on the champion. The best boxer in his sport. So he’s the one going into another sport and the odds will not favor him… But we never know.” “I think he’s the best right now” – Georges St-Pierre names Alexander Volkanovski as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world The MMA world continues to give Alexander Volkanovski his flowers. After several legends of the sport showered praise on the Australian for his masterful performance against Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290, Georges St-Pierre has now shared his opinion on ‘The Great.’ Volkanovski put his arsenal of fighting skills on full display against ‘El Pantera’ in their featherweight title fight last weekend. The Australian secured an incredible third-round TKO, proving why he’s the undisputed featherweight champion. In the same interview with Ariel Helwani, Georges St-Pierre agreed with Helwani when asked if he saw a bit of himself in Volkanovski. St-Pierre compared the Australian’s ability to adapt to his opponent’s weaknesses and stated: “The way I see Alexander Volkanovski, he’s not a specialist… He’s very good everywhere. For me, when I was fighting, that was my strength… He’s one of my favorite fighters to watch. I love watching him, I think he’s the best right now. Probably the best active fighter, the best pound-for-pound right now.” Meanwhile, Georges St. Pierre is set to compete in a grappling-only event at the UFC Fight Pass Invitational event in December. While St-Pierre’s next opponent isn’t fixed yet, he has expressed an interest in fighting notable names like Kamaru Usman, Anderson Silva, and Khabib Nurmagomedov.