Din Thomas: UFC should 'retire' BMF belt if Dustin Poirier wins final fight
Din Thomas thinks Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier 3 at UFC 318 should be the final BMF title fight.
Reigning BMF champion Holloway (26-9 MMA, 22-8 UFC) will attempt to defend the belt in Poirier's (30-9 MMA, 22-8 UFC) retirement fight, which takes place July 19 at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).
It will be just the fourth matchup in UFC history with the BMF theme attached, starting with Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz at UFC 244 in November 2019. It went into hiatus until Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje at UFC 291 in July 2023, then Holloway vs. Gaethje at UFC 300 in April 2024. There is no official rhyme or reason for when BMF fights happen, but Thomas thinks the spirit in which it was created doesn't have much more legs.
"I think (this should be the last one), only because the BMF belt is so limited," Thomas told MMA Junkie. "Everybody wants to fight for it, but because it's kind of been in the hands of lightweights and welterweights, you really alienate a lot of people who should fight for it, who could fight for it. So it's like, 'What are we doing with this?' And to be honest with you, the game ain't really full of BMFs like it used to be. Now we've got a bunch of athletes lobbying for money and money fights. We don't got a lot of BMFs like we used to have, so I think they should just do away with it."
It's uncertain what the future of the BMF title could be if Holloway wins at UFC 318. The UFC might see further promotional use for it, but if Poirier emerges triumphant in his final career fight, Thomas thinks it would be a fitting end to the lineage.
"If they retire the BMF belt with Dustin, I'm OK with that," Thomas said. "It gives Dustin an opportunity to walk away with the BMF belt. This is something that will really encapsulate his entire career because Dustin was a BMF his entire career, and if he could walk away with that belt? Come on, man. This is storybook. This is unprecedented activity here, and I love every bit of it."
To hear more from Thomas, check out his complete appearance on "The Bohnfire" podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn in the video above.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Din Thomas wants UFC to 'retire' BMF belt after Holloway vs. Poirier
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
24 minutes ago
- USA Today
UFC bantamweight title history: Dominick Cruz, Aljamain Sterling, Merab Dvalishvili, more
UFC bantamweight title history: Dominick Cruz, Aljamain Sterling, Merab Dvalishvili, more (This story was updated to add new information.) The bantamweight title is on the line in the UFC 316 main event when champion Merab Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) takes on ex-champ Sean O'Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in a rematch. Take a look at a chronological history of the UFC's 135-pound title, which migrated over from the WEC in 2010 when the promotions merged. Dominick Cruz Date: Dec. 16, 2010 Dec. 16, 2010 Event: WEC 53 WEC 53 Opponent: Scott Jorgensen Scott Jorgensen Total reign: 1,117 days 1,117 days Title defenses: Urijah Faber, Demetrious Johnson Renan Barao (interim) Date: July 21, 2012 July 21, 2012 Event: UFC 149 UFC 149 Opponent: Urijah Faber Urijah Faber Total reign: 534 days as interim champ; 138 days after being promoted to champion (Jan. 6, 2014) 534 days as interim champ; 138 days after being promoted to champion (Jan. 6, 2014) Title defenses: Michael McDonald, Eddie Wineland, Urijah Faber T.J. Dillashaw Date: May 24, 2014 May 24, 2014 Event: UFC 173 UFC 173 Opponent: Renan Barao Renan Barao Total reign: 603 days 603 days Title defenses: Joe Soto, Renan Barao Dominick Cruz Date: Jan. 17, 2016 Jan. 17, 2016 Event: UFC Fight Night 81 UFC Fight Night 81 Opponent: T.J. Dillashaw T.J. Dillashaw Total reign: 348 days 348 days Title defenses: Urijah Faber Cody Garbrandt Date: Dec. 30, 2016 Dec. 30, 2016 Event: UFC 207 UFC 207 Opponent: Dominick Cruz Dominick Cruz Total reign: 309 days 309 days Title defenses: None T.J. Dillashaw Date: Nov. 4, 2017 Nov. 4, 2017 Event: UFC 217 UFC 217 Opponent: Cody Garbrandt Cody Garbrandt Total reign: 501 days 501 days Title defenses: Cody Garbrandt Henry Cejudo Date: June 8, 2019 June 8, 2019 Event: UFC 238 UFC 238 Opponent: Marlon Moraes Marlon Moraes Total reign: 352 days 352 days Title defenses: Dominick Cruz Petr Yan Date: July 12, 2020 July 12, 2020 Event: UFC 251 UFC 251 Opponent: Jose Aldo Jose Aldo Total reign: 237 days 237 days Title defenses: None Aljamain Sterling Date: March 6, 2021 March 6, 2021 Event: UFC 259 UFC 259 Opponent: Petr Yan Petr Yan Total reign: 896 days 896 days Title defenses: Petr Yan, T.J. Dillashaw, Henry Cejudo Petr Yan (interim) Date: Oct. 30, 2021 Oct. 30, 2021 Event: UFC 267 UFC 267 Opponent: Cory Sandhagen Cory Sandhagen Title defenses: None Sean O'Malley Date: Aug. 19, 2023 Aug. 19, 2023 Event: UFC 292 UFC 292 Opponent: Aljamain Sterling Aljamain Sterling Total reign: 393 days 393 days Title defenses: Marlon Vera Merab Dvalishvili
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
There may be a medical reason why Tyrese Haliburton's voice changes
Indiana Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton has continued his heroic postseason run, but if you listen to him talk about it, you may notice something. Haliburton, who represented Team USA during the Paris Olympics, occasionally sounds like he has two entirely different voices. Just press play on this clip of Haliburton talking about the improbable comeback that Indiana had against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game of the NBA Finals. Advertisement In the beginning of the interview on national TV, Haliburton is speaking with a slightly deeper voice. Then (ironically) right as he said the words "why would that change" later in the conversation, his voice suddenly had a much higher pitch. More: Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers keep pulling off the impossible It happened during his postgame press conference as well: This is something that some fans noticed when Haliburton appeared on The Young Man and the Three with JJ Redick. Then it happened against before the 2024 NBA All-Star Game hosted in Indiana as well: Haliburton has acknowledged that this is indeed something that happens to him. It is something he has talked about with ESPN's Pat McAfee. Advertisement Here is what what he says: "I do. People say that all the time ... I never catch it. I watch podcasts after and I'm like, 'Dang, my voice changed.' I didn't do that on purpose. It just happened. It just happens that way naturally sometimes." Haliburton added that he feels he has no control over it, and it's something that just happens to him. So why exactly does that happen? Brianna Williams reached out to Dr. Michael M. Johns from USC's Voice Center, and he provided a possible explanation (via ESPN): "Vocalization is a lot like athletics; people don't think of it that way because it happens naturally," Dr. Johns told ESPN. "It's like putting aluminum foil on a guitar string; the sound changes when the vibration is irregular." Regarding Haliburton's voice, Dr. Johns observed: "When you listen to Tyrese's voice, there's a rough quality to it, and that would likely be a change of what's happening at the vocal cords, like that 'tinfoil on the guitar string' analogy." He speculated that Haliburton might be compensating for vocal fatigue by changing his resonance, shifting the shape of his vocal tract or resonator. "Athletes are using their voice a lot, and they're using their voice loudly," Dr. Johns explained. "They're hollering across the court. There's a huge amount of noise around them. They've got to be heard over that noise. And so they, like other vocal athletes, can develop some injury to their vocal folds, vocal nodules, or vocal swelling that can cause some rough quality to the voice." This is fascinating and something that makes Haliburton very unique. This article originally appeared on For The Win: There may be a medical reason why Tyrese Haliburton's voice changes
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
UFC 316: The face of women's MMA is being debated again — but is that even a thing?
The first true face of women's MMA might've been its last. That was of course Ronda Rousey, who crashed the ol' boy's party a dozen years ago by rolling a red carpet straight into the Octagon. She brought sophisticated media outlets up close to the sport that wouldn't have touched it with tongs before her arrival. When she broke news of her fight with Holly Holm, she did so on Good Morning America. It was Holm, of course, who ruined it all by knocking out Rousey at UFC 193. And it was Amanda Nunes who made damn sure Rousey would never come back after UFC 207. Advertisement Cut forward nearly nine years to UFC 316 and it feels like we're still wondering who the next face of women's MMA will be. This weekend Kayla Harrison challenges Julianna Peña for the women's bantamweight title, that glam accessory that once-upon-a-time carried so much weight. The two have been arguing over who will become the next face of women's MMA, which feels like it should be a big deal. Problem is, they seem to be the only people arguing about it. Fans aren't. Media isn't. The broader national media doesn't even know it's happening. It's doubtful that Ring Magazine, the 'Bible of Boxing,' will put the winner on its next cover as it did Rousey, or that Clay Travis will insist Harrison, should she win, fight Gervonta Davis in her next bout, as he insisted that Rousey should fight Floyd Mayweather. Saturday's fight seems to be a kind of Amanda Nunes sweepstakes more than anything else, which these days is stakes enough. The winner will almost certainly get to fight the consensus women's GOAT, who has vowed to come back after retiring in 2023. Before that happens, Nunes will get inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in a ceremony that takes place during International Fight Week later this month. Advertisement It's a win-win for the UFC. Nunes' only loss in the past decade came against Peña at UFC 269, a defeat she avenged less than a year later. That trilogy seems to be circled in sacred blood on Peña's bucket list. She has been vying for that chance for a long, long time. And should Harrison win, you have perhaps one of the most anticipated women's title fights of the past 10 years, given that both Harrison and Nunes are tanks with an intwined backstory dating to their days training together at ATT. One way or another, there's a big fight hanging in the balance of UFC 316, even if it has nothing to do with unveiling the next face of women's MMA. Maybe the trouble is that we've set the bar too high on this concept in the first place. When Rousey came in, she made everything that followed possible. In that way, she began her UFC career as God, which, you have to admit, is a super tough act to follow. Her presence brought it all into being. Nobody can replicate that kind of flex. It helped that she treated whoever the UFC booked her against like crash test dummies, submitting most of them in the opening seconds with savage armbars. She came in and ruled what was traditionally a man's game from the start. That's why young girls were crying when they met her wherever she went. UFC is still searching for its next Ronda Rousey. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) (Jeff Bottari via Getty Images) She was a symbol of something far greater than her actual status — a testament of possibility. The way she left the sport turned people against her, but that initial boom holds on as an impossible standard. Advertisement We've seen a lot of great fighters come and go in her stead. There have been moments where, if you were to squint, it looked like we might be looking at the 'next' one. Rose Namajunas was designated the next Ronda Rousey as far back as her appearances on "The Ultimate Fighter" in 2014. She's had her moments. Big moments. So has Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Weili Zhang, Valentina Shevchenko, as well as Holly Holm, Miesha Tate and Nunes herself. They've all had great careers, and some of them are still going strong. Including Nunes. Thing is, as dominant as she's been, she never wanted to embrace being the face of the sport. She was happy to win titles in two weight classes and to beat the living hell out of people, but not all the rest that comes with it. When she abruptly retired after beating Irene Aldana at UFC 289, it came with a few sad trumpet noises from the peanut gallery, but next to no real fanfare, other than the requisite tributes. Yet if she can solidify her standing as the women's GOAT by coming back and beating either Peña or Harrison? She'll take that. Really, that's all that matters. The closest thing to a 'superstar' in the making right now in the women's ranks might be the young Dakota Ditcheva, who's blowing up everyone she faces in the PFL. She's the nearest thing to the 'R' word we've seen in a while, yet it would be unfair to launch her into the sun like that, either. Which is fine. On Saturday night, Peña's the champion, and Harrison is the two-time Olympic gold medalist coming to take her belt. Take all comparisons away, and there's nothing wrong with simply being the best in women's MMA. From there, the public will see what it wants to.
