Islam Makhachev set to defend belt against Charles Oliveira at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi
UFC president Dana White recently revealed some explosive matchups for UFC 294 in October in Abu Dhabi. He announced that an exciting lightweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira would headline the card. This would be the second time the two 155-pound juggernauts meet in the cage. The two world-class lightweights previously fought for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 280 last October. Makhachev put on a grappling clinic to submit the Brazilian in the second round to be crowned champion. In the aftermath of their fight, ‘do Bronx’ made it clear that he wanted a rematch, and Makhachev seemed keen to grant him one. In a recent video posted to his social media handles, Dana White stated: “I’m here to announce that the card everyone has been waiting for, we had it done. Abu Dhabi, UFC 294 on Saturday, October 21st, the main event – Islam Makhachev will defend his lightweight title in the rematch against Charles Oliveira.” After their last fight at UFC 280, Charles Oliveira redeemed his loss to Islam Makhachev with a stunning first-round TKO win over Beneil Dariush at UFC 289 last month. Meanwhile, Makhachev defended his belt against Alexander Volkanovski via unanimous decision in a closely contested match at UFC 284. What other fights have been announced for UFC 294 in October? UFC 294 is set to go down at the Etihad Arena on October 21 in Abu Dhabi. Apart from a rematch between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev, Dana White also announced two other blockbuster matchups. In the same video mentioned above, White also revealed that Paulo Costa will face Khamzat Chimaev in a middleweight battle. This news shed some much-needed light on ‘Borrachinha’s recent pulling out from his bout against Ikram Aliskerov next weekend. While several media reports had hinted at the Brazilian pulling out to fight ‘Borz’ in Abu Dhabi, White’s announcement confirmed the speculations. Considering their mutual dislike for each other, this fight is expected to bring fireworks to UFC 294. Khamzat Chimaev has a perfect 6-0 record as a professional fighter. He last blitzed Kevin Holland via first-round submission in September 2022. Meanwhile, Costa hasn’t competed since beating Luke Rockhold last August, which snapped his two-fight losing skid. Lastly, Dana White announced that Ikram Aliskerov has been re-scheduled to fight Nassourdine Imavov at UFC 294.
BREAKING: Israel Adesanya to potentially face Sean Strickland at UFC 293 with Dricus Du Plessis out
Fans will have to wait for longer to witness the highly anticipated middleweight grudge match between Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis. According to reports, the South African will not sign the contract to face Adesanya at UFC 293 in September in Sydney, Australia. The Nigerian-born Kiwi has named Sean Strickland as his first choice for a replacement opponent. Adesanya posted a video on his socials, slamming Du Plessis for backing out and calling on ‘Tarzan’ to do ‘The Man Dance’ with him in September. Claiming that ‘Stillknocks’ is backing out due to a foot issue, he said: “I don’t even know how to start this, but ‘Dricus du P****,’ you f****** b****… Your foot’s sore… I’m fighting in Sydney. I don’t give a f*** who… You’re out. Strickland, you’re in, let’s do the man dance, show you how to really dance.” MMA journalist Ariel Helwani later confirmed that Dricus Du Plessis might not be able to compete at UFC 293 with such a short turnaround. He tweeted: “It’s not quite official but pretty close at this point that Dricus Du Plessis will not be able to fight Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 on Sept. 9 in Sydney. He was banged up going into the Robert Whittaker fight, and that turnaround is just too soon, I’m told. If that ends up being the case, and Israel Adesanya stays on the card, which is his desire, it’ll be Adesanya x Sean Strickland for the middleweight title on 9/9.” Adesanya and Du Plessis shared a racially charged face-off in the aftermath of UFC 290, where the South African secured a second-round knockout over Robert Whittaker. They have been exchanging verbal shots for months following Du Plessis’ comments about Adesanya’s African heritage. Sean Strickland’s coach claims ‘Tarzan’ prepared to fight Israel Adesanya if Dricus Du Plessis fight falls through It seems Sean Strickland keeping himself ready for a potential middleweight title fight against Israel Adesanya at UFC 293. In the aftermath of his second-round TKO win over Abus Magomedov at UFC on ESPN 48, Strickland voiced his eagerness to fight Adesanya for the 185-pound title. However, Dricus Du Plessis cemented his title shot against the Nigerian-born Kiwi with a statement win at UFC 290. With the Du Plessis vs. Adesanya fight looking unlikely now, Strickland’s coach Eric Nicksick recently claimed that his fighter is ready for a backup role. In an interview with MMA Junkie, he said: “I think you have to [prepare for it]. That’s the thing with Sean. My main concern is not him being prepared. Just making sure his weight is within striking distance to make that championship, 185-pound limit… He does need to stay ready because that phone might ring at any moment… I want to be ready to go and get this taken care of.”
Nate Diaz positive about fighting in the UFC again
Nate Diaz recently confirmed that he will fight in the UFC again. The Stockton slugger chose not to re-sign with the promotion after his last fight against Tony Ferguson at UFC 279. Diaz beat Ferguson via fourth-round submission and used the post-fight octagon interview to say his goodbyes. The Stockton native is now booked to make his professional boxing debut against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul on August 5 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The card is billed as “Ready 4 War.” In a recent interview with fitness influencer Bradley Martin, Diaz was asked if he’d ever grace the octagon again. He replied: “Yeah. I’m gonna get this fight done with and then everything changes with every fight. People don’t understand that everything changes with every fight. Every fight that happens it’s like, how do you say it? It changes the whole bracket. When a fight happens, everything changes.” Nate Diaz is widely considered one of the UFC’s biggest superstars. The Stockton slugger garnered a massive cult during his time in the promotion and has fought several world-class fighters in blockbuster pay-per-view events. Nate Diaz addresses rumors about him taking a fall against Jake Paul Nate Diaz is nothing if not real. The Stockton slugger recently dismissed rumors of him getting paid to throw the Jake Paul fight and sounded off on those perpetuating them. Given Paul’s reputation of stat-padding his boxing resume by fighting retired MMA fighters like Anderson Silva, Tyron Woodley, and Ben Askren, many speculated that ‘The Problem Child’ wants another high-profile win against Diaz. After his shocking first-round knockout against Askren, Paul was also accused of paying his opponents to take a fall. Addressing the same rumors, Nate Diaz recently made it clear that he’s not up for sale. In the same interview with Bradley Martin, he said: “They’re telling me that too, they’re like, ‘Tell me you’re not gonna take a fall against Paul.’ Everybody says that to me. I’m like are you kidding me? You couldn’t pay me all the money in the world to take a fall on anybody… I wish there was, I would tell on him. I ain’t no snitch bro, but I would tell on that b*tch ass.” Watch the full interview below: Meanwhile, Jake Paul is coming off a loss against Tommy Fury. They fought earlier this year in February, with Tyson Fury’s half-brother getting his hand raised via split decision after a closely-contested fight.
Islam Makhachev claps back at Alexander Volkanovski for claiming he’s “running” from him
Islam Makhachev has made it clear that he wants to fight Alexander Volkanovski again. Volkanovski recently took a shot at Makhachev and suggested that the Dagestani fighter was ducking a rematch against him. The two champions faced off at UFC 284, with Makhachev ultimately getting his hand raised via a controversial unanimous decision. The Australian strongly rallied for a rematch in the aftermath of their closely-contested fight. While Islam Makhachev was keen on the rematch, the lightweight king recently expressed interest in becoming a two-division champion. He called out welterweight champion Leon Edwards on Twitter, claiming he’s down to fight the Englishman at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi. Alexander Volkanovski wasn’t pleased about this development and responded to Makhachev’s tweet, stating: “You running brotha, you don’t want this smoke.” Not one to take a jibe sitting down, Islam Makhachev fired back, stating: “Take the fight then.” Volkanovski last defeated Yair Rodriguez via third-round TKO in a featherweight title unification fight at UFC 290. Meanwhile, Makhachev has yet to compete since his fight against Volkanovski. It’s unclear whether the UFC would book Edwards to defend his title against Makhachev next or against top welterweight contender Colby Covington instead. Alexander Volkanovski confident about dethroning Islam Makhachev in rematch Alexander Volkanovski is optimistic about his chances against Islam Makhachev in their rematch. The Australian has made no secret of his dream to become a two-division champion and is eager to see it through. After his fight against Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290, Volkanovski voiced his intentions to correct his errors and make UFC history if given the opportunity to face Makhachev again. In a post-fight press conference, ‘The Great’ stated: “I’d be lying to say I’ll just walk through him and do this and do that… It’s going to be another highly contested battle, but I guarantee I get my hand raised… It is two tough guys going at it. They’ve done five rounds, and there’s a good chance you might see another five rounds of it. I’d love to get a finish. We’re both so good that it might be another tougher fight. But I’m looking forward again.” Watch the full presser below: UFC president Dana White was supportive of the featherweight champion’s aspirations. In an interview after Volkanovski’s fifth consecutive title defense, he stated that the promotion would back the Australian in whichever fight he wanted to pursue. It’s unclear when or against whom Alexander Volkanovski will return to action. He revealed that he needs surgery and will spend some time recovering. Meanwhile, Islam Makhachev is expected to headline UFC 294 in October in Abu Dhabi.
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 revisits Jon Jones encounter – “It was divine intervention”
Israel Adesanya believes a higher power made his recent chance encounter with Jon Jones possible. It’s no secret that there was no love lost between ‘The Last Stylebender’ and ‘Bones.’ The two eminent champions have a history of bad-mouthing each other, exchanging brutal verbal shots on social media that often involved personal insults. Despite their weight-class difference, Adesanya and Jones even contemplated fighting each other in the octagon. However, their rivalry seems to have thawed over the past few months. After unexpectedly showing each other respect in interviews and podcast appearances, Israel Adesanya shocked the world by posting a video of himself and Jon Jones hanging out like old friends at a famous casino in Las Vegas. While many thought their meeting was a publicity stunt, the Nigerian-born Kiwi insists that it wasn’t. In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Israel Adesanya described his meeting with Jones and credited the supernatural for making it happen. He said: “I said it’s no one’s business. When I posted about it, I was like, it’s between me and him. That’s it. But it definitely wasn’t a fake encounter. I think it was divine intervention. I honestly do because I feel like there are so many timelines that could have ended up just differently… We just sat down and chopped it up.” Upon being asked if the hatchet had been buried, Adesanya replied: “Yeah. We have understanding and common ground.” Catch Adesanya’s comments here (10:37): Israel Adesanya addresses his emotionally-charged face-off with Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290 Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis shared an intense face-off after the South African’s shocking win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. The Nigerian-born Kiwi sounded off on Du Plessis in a racially charged rant, calling ‘Stillknocks’ the N-word multiple times while getting in his face. For context, Du Plessis irked the UFC’s ‘Three African Kings’ with his libelous comments about their African roots and heritage. The South African claimed that Kamaru Usman, Francis Ngannou, and Israel Adesanya left the African continent for plushy lives in developed countries and that he was a more “authentic” African than them. As a result, Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis exchanged heated words on social media building up to their recent face-off. In the same video mentioned above, Adesanya discussed his language during their confrontation and said: “He worked hard. I manifest for myself, and I make sure I do the work to get that manifestation right… Even at the prep time, I was giving him energy, like positive affirmations. When it happened, I just lost my sh*t… I could feel myself turning.” [4:05-7:00] Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis are expected to fight in a middleweight title bout at UFC 293 in Sydney on September 10.