Latest news with #ChampionshipRounds
USA Today
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Arman Tsarukyan: Jack Della Maddalena 'harder' fight for Islam Makhachev than Ilia Topuria
Arman Tsarukyan: Jack Della Maddalena 'harder' fight for Islam Makhachev than Ilia Topuria Arman Tsarukyan dismisses the notion that former UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev moved to welterweight to avoid Ilia Topuria. Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) relinquished his 155-pound title in attempt to capture a second UFC belt. Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) did the same thing when he vacated his featherweight title for a move up to 155 pounds but won't get his desired fight with Makhachev. Now Makhachev will challenge newly crowned welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena (18-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) later in the year, whereas Topuria will battle Charles Oliveira for the vacant 155-pound belt June 28 in the UFC 317 headliner. Topuria is convinced that Makhachev ducked him, but Tsarukyan (23-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) thinks otherwise. "No, I don't agree," Tsarukyan said in a recent press conference (h/t Championship Rounds). "It's going to be a tough fight, too. With Della Maddalena, it would be harder for Islam than the Topuria fight." Tsarukyan, who withdrew from his title fight against Makhachev at UFC 311 due to a back injury, picks Makhachev to beat Della Maddalena. "I see Islam as the favorite because of wrestling, control, and chokes," Tsarukyan said. "Islam, I think he has a much better wrestling game and can easily take down (Della Maddalena). ... Topuria just hits harder and takes more punches, but Della Maddalena is technically better – exactly if speaking striking-wise."
Forbes
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
UFC 316: Merab Dvalishvili Reveals Injury, ‘I'm Gonna Cut It Off'
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - SEPTEMBER 14: Merab Dvalishvili of Georgia reacts after his victory against Sean ... More O'Malley in the UFC bantamweight championship fight during the UFC 306 at Riyadh Season Noche UFC event at Sphere on September 14, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) UFC men's bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili is headed into the biggest fight of his UFC career, and he may not be 100%. With less than two weeks to go before his rematch with Sean O'Malley at UFC 316 on June 7 in Newark, Dvalishvili revealed an injured toe that he believes is broken during a training session. Here is a look at the video, which was reposted by Championship Rounds. Dvalishvili joked that he was going to have his toe removed—at least I think he was joking. Dvalishvili has made a habit of sharing details about his injuries ahead of fights. He did it just before he dethroned O'Malley at Noche UFC in September 2024. Dvalishvili suffered a face laceration a week out from the fight and openly showed the injury on his social media account. It worked out that time, but it remains to be seen if he'll be able to shake off the effects of this injury or if O'Malley will find a way to use it against his rival. Here is a look at the complete card. Main Card (10:00 PM ET, ESPN+ PPV) Preliminary Card (8:00 PM ET, ESPN/ESPN+/Disney+) Early Prelims (6:00 PM ET, ESPN+/Disney+/UFC Fight Pass) If Dvalishvili's toe is as compromised as it looks in the video, expect O'Malley to attempt to stomp the champion's foot, force him to move laterally to his right, and to test if the former is able to generate explosiveness when he goes for a takedown. O'Malley is a highly cerebral fighter in the Octagon, and many will question Dvalishvili sharing his injury on social media. Ahead of their first meeting, UFC President Dana White harshly questioned Dvalishvili showing his injury. It would not be a surprise to see White share a similar message whenever he's asked about his bantamweight champion's actions. Dvalishvili has already created a legacy for himself with his win over O'Malley and his successful title defense against Umar Nurmagomedov in January. He's on a 12-fight win streak and hasn't lost since 2018. If Dvalishvili can battle through this injury and score a second win over O'Malley and a successful title defense, the champion will move closer to being considered one of the greatest bantamweights of all time. Aside from the main event, the UFC 316 card will feature a second world title bout. UFC women's bantamweight champion Julianna Peña will defend her title against Kayla Harrison. Fans will also see the promotional debut of former Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix. He will tangle with Mario Bautista on the main card. Bautista was originally set to face Marlon Vera, but the latter was forced to pull out. The recently signed Mix stepped up to take the fight. A win would put him in the mix—no pun intended—for the UFC's 135-pound crown. Stay tuned for more information as we get closer to the promotion's next PPV card.
USA Today
16-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Daniel Cormier to Jon Jones: 'I'm washed up,' focus on Tom Aspinall instead
Daniel Cormier to Jon Jones: 'I'm washed up,' focus on Tom Aspinall instead Daniel Cormier continues to takes issue with some of UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones' recent claims. Cormier said Jones was "out of his mind" for suggesting that a heavyweight matchup between them would have gone worse than their two light heavyweight title bouts. Jones defeated Cormier twice, with their 2017 rematch overturned to a no contest after Jones tested positive for a turinabol metabolite. Cormier decided to address Jones once again. "Talking about what you would have done to me seven years ago, five years ago when I retired," Cormier said on his YouTube channel. "How about this? I've got a novel idea for you. I'm retired, I'm done, I'm 46, I'm washed up, I'm a broadcaster, I'm a commentator, I am a talking head. How about this novel idea? Fight the dude that's actually wanting to fight. I don't want to fight Jon Jones. I have no desire to fight anyone. But how about fight the dude that's actually waiting to fight you – Tom Aspinall. "It's not about what may have happened back then. We want to know as the consumer what's going to happen today. Am I afraid of this man? Absolutely not. But I'm not here to fight no more. I'm a broadcaster, but there's a guy that's waiting. There's a guy that's up to his neck in frustrations because he's been waiting for so long. We want to know when's the fight with the guy that actually wants to fight you? It doesn't need to be a hypothetical. You guys can actually answer the question as to who's better between you and Tom." UFC CEO Dana White remains optimistic that the Jones vs. Tom Aspinall title-unification bout will happen. "I told you guys already we'll get Aspinall vs. Jones done," White told fans during an Instagram Live chat on Tuesday (h/t Championship Rounds). "The heavyweight fight will happen. Just relax, I'll announce that soon."
USA Today
15-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ilia Topuria rips 'hypocrite' Islam Makhachev, claims he ran away from UFC title fight
Ilia Topuria rips 'hypocrite' Islam Makhachev, claims he ran away from UFC title fight Ilia Topuria went off on Islam Makhachev for moving up to welterweight instead of fighting him. Before Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) vacated his UFC lightweight title, he dismissed ex-featherweight champ Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) as his next title challenger. He wasn't interested in defending his belt against another 145-pounder coming up a weight class after two of his four lightweight title defenses coming over Alexander Volkanovski. Makhachev has always wanted to become a two-weight division UFC champion, but with his friend Belal Muhammad holding the welterweight title, he held off his aspirations. Now that Muhammad lost his welterweight belt to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315, Makhachev has relinquished his lightweight belt to challenge Della Maddalena. Topuria, who now meets Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title in the UFC 317 headliner on June 28, called out Makhachev for making the same move as him. "(Islam) is the biggest hypocrite I've ever seen," Topuria recently said in a translated press conference (h/t Marca, Championship Rounds). "He said he didn't want to give me the opportunity because I was the little guy, and now the little guy is the one looking for the same opportunity I was looking for. How are you going to criticize my decision when you're doing the same thing right now? I've never seen more hypocrisy in my life." Topuria thinks Makhachev never wanted any part of fighting him. "Ali (Abdelaziz) should thank me for not beating his star, and that today, he still has value and some credibility is thanks to me," Topuria said. "This was the fight everyone wanted to see, I was ready for it, I put everything I could on the table, and they ran away, and from the beginning, they never, ever accepted the fight." Abdelaziz told MMA Junkie that Makhachev vs. Topuria would have happened next had Muhammad retained his title against Della Maddalena at UFC 315, but Topuria doesn't believe him. "They're lying, they're liars," Topuria said. "That's a complete lie, that's not the truth. But, I understand that it's his job to clean up the mess his clients leave behind." Would Topuria consider moving up to welterweight to go after Makhachev? "But why chase him?," Topuria responded. "If someone runs away, you don't have to bully them. If he runs away, we have to let him get away. I don't want to fight people who don't want to fight me either."
Express Tribune
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Islam Makhachev: warns Jack Della Maddalena after UFC 315, vows to show 'different level' in potential welterweight title clash
UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev has issued a clear warning to newly crowned UFC welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena, saying he will 'show you a different level' if the two meet in the octagon. Della Maddalena secured a unanimous decision victory over Belal Muhammad in the main event of UFC 315 in Montreal, taking the welterweight title in what was Muhammad's first defence. The result opens the door for Makhachev, the reigning lightweight champion, to move up to 170lbs and pursue a second UFC belt. Makhachev, who has reigned over the lightweight division since 2022, had previously ruled out fighting Muhammad due to their close training history. However, with Muhammad out of the title picture, Makhachev is free to pursue his double-champion ambition. Reacting to Della Maddalena's post-fight remarks referencing Alexander Volkanovski, whom Makhachev has defeated twice, the Russian tweeted: 'You are not Volk. I will show you different level. Keep my belt clean.' He followed it up with: 'Time to become a double champion #inshaAllah. Let's go.' You are not Volk I will show you different level. Keep my belt clean — Makhachev Islam (@MAKHACHEVMMA) May 11, 2025 Despite Makhachev's intentions, UFC policy may prevent him from holding two titles simultaneously. The promotion has increasingly moved away from allowing champions to keep belts in multiple weight classes, citing delays in title defences and divisional backlog. If the UFC enforces that stance, Makhachev may be required to vacate the lightweight belt before challenging Della Maddalena. A similar move was recently made by Ilia Topuria, who gave up his featherweight title in order to contend at 155lbs. Topuria was also watching UFC 315 closely. Had Muhammad retained the belt, Makhachev would likely have stayed at lightweight to face Topuria. Now, Topuria is expected to face Charles Oliveira instead, though it remains unclear whether their bout will be for an interim or vacant lightweight title. Islam Makhachev sends a message of support to Belal Muhammad following his loss at #UFC315 "Today we're fighting for something bigger than UFC title." 🙏❤️ — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 11, 2025 UFC's legendary former champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who is Makhachev's trainer and coach now, had previously voiced support for Arman Tsarukyan as the next challenger for Islam Makhachev's lightweight title, stating that Tsarukyan's record and recent performances merit a title shot. He expressed less enthusiasm for Ilia Topuria, citing the featherweight champion's lack of experience in the 155-pound division. Ilia Topuria refuted Khabib Nurmagomedov's assertion declaring himself the rightful challenger for Islam Makhachev's UFC lightweight title. Khabib knows I'm the one to take the belt from Islam. Only reason he doesn't want Islam to fight me — Ilia Topuria (@Topuriailia) April 16, 2025
