UFC 318: Brendan Allen media day interview
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USA Today
10 minutes ago
- USA Today
Arman Tsarukyan accuses Ilia Topuria of ducking: 'He knows I'm a big problem'
Arman Tsarukyan feels Ilia Topuria is avoiding him in fear of losing his UFC title. NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – Arman Tsarukyan isn't buying Ilia Topuria's reasoning for not wanting to defend his UFC lightweight title against him. Topuria claims he doesn't trust Tsarukyan on making it to the fight, and points out Tsarukyan's last-minute withdrawal from his UFC lightweight title fight against then-champion Islam Makhachev earlier this year at UFC 311. Despite that being the first time Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) has withdrawn from a booked fight in his six years with the promotion, Topuria went as far as saying that he's willing to vacate his belt, should the UFC give the title shot to the Armenian fighter. Tsarukyan thinks this is just a cover-up for the real reason, and feels Topuria is "for sure" ducking him. "He feels that he's going to lose that fight, and it's better to give the belt and then like go up or wait to see what happens with me because he knows I'm a big problem for him," Tsarukyan told MMA Junkie and other reporters during a media day scrum. "I'm going to get his title, he knows that, and he wants an easy fight with Paddy (Pimblett) or (Justin) Gaethje or someone, just make money and defend, but with me, it's going to be hard for him." Tsarukyan, who pulled out of the fight with Makhachev due to a back injury, assures that he's now healthy and ready to go. He'd be even willing to fight soon and then be ready again to fight Topuria at the end of the year should the UFC want one more fight out of him. "I already told them I'm ready September or October," Tsarukyan said. "I'm in shape and I train twice a day. I'm healthy now, so if they tell me October with somebody and December with Ilia, for sure."
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Nassourdine Imavov predicts Khamzat Chimaev finishes Dricus Du Plessis in first two rounds
Nassourdine Imavov sees Khamzat Chimaev's early onslaught getting to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319. Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) defends his middleweight title against undefeated Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in the Aug. 16 main event from United Center in Chicago (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+). Most observers have broken down the title fight in the same way: an early Chimaev finish or Du Plessis outlasting him. The experts have leaned toward the latter but not Imavov. "In my mind, Khamzat will finish the fight in the first two rounds," Imavov told MMA Junkie through an interpreter. "That's what I have in my mind, but of course I understand people thinking that the longer it goes, the more it can go in favor of DDP because of his cardio, but also his way of fighting that is very weird, very strange." Imavov (16-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC) takes on Caio Borralho (17-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) in the UFC Fight Night 258 main event on Sept. 6 from Accor Arena in Paris. Imavov thinks there's no doubt he should be next in line for a title shot if he notches his fifth win in a row and was even disrespected to be asked such a question. "You know what I've done. I've beat four top-10 in less than a year," Imavov said. "The fifth is coming. What's going on after? Do you imagine after I beat Caio, the fifth top-10 ranked fighter in 18 months, anyone deserves it more than me?"
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
Michael Page against 'politics' of welterweight, embraces middleweight before UFC 319
Michael Page has a sound reason for remaining in the UFC middleweight division. Prior to handing Shara Magomedov his first-career loss at UFC Fight Night 250 in February, Page told MMA Junkie that his middleweight appearance would be a one-off and that he planned on going back down to welterweight. However, Page (23-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) finds himself booked against former 185-pound title challenger Jared Cannonier (18-8 MMA, 11-8 UFC) at UFC 319 on Aug. 16 from United Center in Chicago. So how did he end up here? "It is what it is. It's kind of worked out how it's worked out," Page told MMA Junkie. "I would have preferred to get a fight in the welterweight division. As I've said before, it feels like there's a lot more politics going on in the welterweight division, and everyone's a bit more tentative about who they fight. I'm just not at that stage of my career to care enough. "I'm just like, 'Give me a good fight, and I'm in.' I expected after that last win I was going to get another good fight, and I was getting names that didn't really make any sense. So, middleweight it is. I'm happy to get such a high-level fighter, probably the highest-ranked fighter that I've had so far. So I'm excited. I'm happy with the fights that I've had." Page still hopes to get a U.K. vs. U.K. showdown against former UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards some day but doesn't see the current landscape at 170 pounds getting any less tangled. "Now having confirmed that Islam (Makhachev) is coming up to welterweight to fight Jack Della (Maddalena), again, it feels like welterweight is just going to be a bit of a holdup," Page said. "Middleweight right now definitely seems way more exciting. Obviously I got Jared to focus on at the moment, but I may be staying here for a while until things start moving again at welterweight."
