Latest news with #ElMatador
USA Today
9 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Paul Felder criticizes Ilia Topuria for preferring vacating over fighting Arman Tsarukyan
Paul Felder is tired of UFC champions not fighting the rightful No. 1 contenders. Felder was particularly talking about UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC), who said he'd vacate the title before fighting Arman Tsarukyan (23-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC). Felder acknowledges it may be gamesmanship by Topuria, but can't help but be baffled by this mindset. "The guy's the No. 1 contender," Felder said of Tsarukyan on the "Believe You Me" podcast. "And to say that you would rather relinquish the belt than fight him is? Come on, man. We're getting a little carried away. We've talked about this before where these guys in this generation of fighters, when they get to this top position now, are so willing to jump around weight classes and and try to deny fighting guys. "It's like, that's not how it f*cking works, man! If the guy's No. 1 and the UFC says, 'This is the guy,' you're the champ. You're holding that belt. That's who you fight. If you're the best and he's not on your level and all this kind of stuff, then prove it! Just go out there and prove it. I hate that, and I'm not saying that I think that he doesn't think he could beat him." Granted, Tsarukyan will likely have to fight one more time after withdrawing from his title fight against Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 in January. Topuria recently said he thinks his first title defense will be against either Justin Gaethje or Paddy Pimblett, but Felder is irked by "El Matador" ruling Tsarukyan out of the equation. "I hate it. I was like, come on, man, here we go," Felder said. "Here we go again. Now you've got a champion who's just looking for the biggest thing. Look, the UFC is not going to try to put you in a position that's not going to be a big thing."
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Jorge Masvidal: Justin Gaethje would be 'slaughtered' by UFC champ Ilia Topuria
Jorge Masvidal thinks it would be a bad idea for Justin Gaethje to step in the octagon with UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria. Gaethje (26-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) is pushing hard to get the first crack at new 155-pound titleholder Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC), who captured the vacant belt at UFC 317 in June with a first-round knockout of Charles Oliveira. There are several fighters who have thrown their name in the hat to challenge Topuria, from Gaethje to Arman Tsarukyan to Paddy Pimblett to BMF champ Max Holloway. "El Matador" recently told Nelk Boys that he thinks the UFC brass will push for Gaethje, and Masvidal thinks that's a very, very ill-advised decision. 'Justin Gaethje, he gets mopped by Ilia," Masvidal told CasinoHawks, who offer the latest online casinos. "Don't do it, Gaethje. I know all the f*cking Bud Light-drinking Americans love Gaethje. But bro, you're gonna get this guy f*cking slaughtered and concussed worse than before. 'He's gonna leave there looking straight like Homer Simpson. I think that's a bad fight for Gaethje." Masvidal, the inaugural UFC BMF champion from 2019, had admittedly not had much love for Gaethje, who knocked out his teammate and friend Dustin Poirier at UFC 291 in July 2023 to become the second BMF champ. Any tension aside, though, Masvidal simply thinks that is not the more threatening matchup for Topuria. If he had his choice, it would be Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC), who has been beefing with Topuria online and in interviews over the past several weeks, who gets the next shot at gold. 'I train a lot with Arman Tsarukyan, and I know his style," Masvidal said. "I think he'll give Ilia the best fight probably, because of his adaptability. And he can wrestle. He can strike well. Naturally bigger than Ilia. And they're hovering around the same speed. 'They're close in speed, where Ilia has a fast-forward button and makes all these guys look in slow-mo. My boy can keep up in the speed department. But I lean towards Ilia now."
New Straits Times
22-07-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Atalanta's Retegui joins Saudi club Al-Qadsiah
PARIS: Last season's Serie A top goal-scorer Mateo Retegui has joined Al-Qadsiah from Atalanta, the Saudi club announced yesterday. According to Italian media Al-Qadsiah have paid more than 60 million euros (RM296 million) for the Italy attacker but the length of his deal has not been revealed. The 26-year-old scored 25 goals in the league last season having joined Atalanta in 2024. "El Matador. Al Qadsiah's new power," the club said on social media. Argentina-born Retegui replaces ex-Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has reportedly agreed a move back to Marseille. — AFP
USA Today
04-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC champ Ilia Topuria: Arman Tsarukyan 'much easier' fight than Paddy Pimblett
UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria completely downplayed Arman Tsarukyan as a challenge. Out of the top lightweight contenders, many pundits believe Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) is the sternest test to new champion Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC), who insists that's not the case, and sees Paddy Pimblett (22-4 MMA, 7-0 UFC) as a bigger challenge. Topuria took aim at Tsarukyan for withdrawing from his lightweight title fight against Islam Makhachev just one day before UFC 311 due to a back injury. "Tsarukyan is the easiest (fight) of them all, he's much easier than Paddy," Topuria said in a recent press conference (h/t Championship Rounds). "Much easier. I don't even know what to call him. Imagine having the opportunity to fight for the world title, and when the day comes, you pull out because your back hurts. I can't conceive it, I can't even understand it. I would have fought without an arm, I don't care. ... Clearly, mentally you aren't where you need to be." Tsarukyan put asterisks on Topuria's recent dominant run, which includes three-straight knockouts over Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and most recently Charles Oliveira at UFC 317. Although Tsarukyan, Justin Gaethje, and Pimblett were all in attendance for Topuria's title-winning performance, it was Pimblett who got to face off with "El Matador." "He's just had easy fights in his career," Tsarukyan told ESPN MMA of Topuria. "He beat legit fighters, but not in their prime. If he met Volkanovski five years ago, Volkanovski would just eat him, but now Volkanovski is old. His chin is not there anymore."
USA Today
04-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Coach says Paddy Pimblett will leave UFC champ Ilia Topuria a 'bloody mess'
Paul Rimmer thinks his star student, Paddy Pimblett, is a better fighter than UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria. Pimblett faced off with Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) immediately after "El Matador" knocked out Charles Oliveira (35-11 MMA, 23-11 UFC) to claim the lightweight title in Saturday's UFC 317 headliner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Rimmer, head coach at Next Generation MMA in Liverpool, warns everyone not to underestimate Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) against Topuria. "A bloody mess, that's what he's going to do (to Topuria)," Rimmer told Submission Radio of Pimblett. "He's going to make his face a bloody mess. That's what I know is going to happen." Pimblett is coming off an impressive finish of Michael Chandler at UFC 314. Rimmer says watching Oliveira face Chandler twice gave them a good gauge of what to expect, and they were able to gather even more info watching him against Topuria. "The best thing for us is watching him fight more against lightweights," Rimmer said. "Charles is a great one for us because he shows you kind of what not to do in a lot of fights. With the Chandler fight, we watched Charles fight Chandler, and then we used a load of stuff that Charles didn't do in that fight that he should have done, and we used that to make up the victory in the last one. So, we just watched Charles fight Ilia now and there's a lot of stuff you can see in the fight that you shouldn't do against Ilia. "So, like I say, we learn constantly. ...Everyone thinks Ilia is this like unbeatable bogeyman in the division and that you should fear him and all that sort of stuff. But, Paddy's also on a long win streak and I can tell you this right now, if you had to go and find a sparring partner that matches exactly what Paddy is and exactly what Ilia is, I'd be able to find a better Ilia than I can a Paddy. I can tell you that right now."
