Latest news with #HablemosMMA
Yahoo
04-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Coach Javier Mendez: Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria 'the No. 1 fight to make' in UFC
The building blocks for a potential super fight between Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria are being put in place. There's no doubt a clash between the two current pound-for-pound bests would be big for the sport, but how big exactly? Makhachev's long-time coach, Javier Mendez, thinks a championship bout between Makhachev and Topuria is the biggest fight the UFC could make today. This wasn't the case a few months ago, as Mendez told MMA Junkie last year that Topuria had ways to go to be at the level of his student. However, since those comments, Topuria defended the UFC featherweight title, by becoming the first to knockout Max Holloway, and then moved up to lightweight to knock out Charles Oliveira and claim the belt, which was vacated by Makhachev himself. "I think every fan wants to watch this fight," Mendez told Hablemos MMA in Spanish. "It's the No. 1 fight, No. 1. The other one was Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall – that was No. 1. But right now, if Islam wins, the No. 1 fight to make is Topuria vs. Islam." Makhachev vacated his UFC lightweight title earlier this year, and is expected to challenge UFC welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena in the coming months. No official date or location has been announced by the UFC. Should Makhachev become a two-division UFC champion, just like Topuria did in June, Mendez would love to see a clash between the two – whether it's at 155 or 170 pounds. "La Leyenda" has been very vocal about wanting to fight Makhachev and has chased him for some time now. He's also made some bold claims, saying he could submit Makhachev, who's one of the most dominant grappler's MMA has ever seen. Some would be bothered by Topuria's comments, but Mendez very much likes what's going on. "I like what he's been doing," Mendez said. "He's doing a good job at getting people to want to watch the fight. The more Ilia does, the more people want to see this fight. I like everything he's doing as a fighter. He's very strong and doesn't care about the weight. I think now it's a great fight for us. The first thing Islam wanted was a legacy fight – he wanted the welterweight title. Now if we win the welterweight title, we can go down or he can come up. That's what I say, but if the UFC doesn't like it, it's not happening. But first we need to win." This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Coach: Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria 'No. 1 fight to make' in UFC
USA Today
04-08-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Coach Javier Mendez: Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria 'the No. 1 fight to make' in UFC
A potential fight between Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria would certainly be big. The building blocks for a potential super fight between Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria are being put in place. There's no doubt a clash between the two current pound-for-pound bests would be big for the sport, but how big exactly? Makhachev's long-time coach, Javier Mendez, thinks a championship bout between Makhachev and Topuria is the biggest fight the UFC could make today. This wasn't the case a few months ago, as Mendez told MMA Junkie last year that Topuria had ways to go to be at the level of his student. However, since those comments, Topuria defended the UFC featherweight title, by becoming the first to knockout Max Holloway, and then moved up to lightweight to knock out Charles Oliveira and claim the belt, which was vacated by Makhachev himself. "I think every fan wants to watch this fight," Mendez told Hablemos MMA in Spanish. "It's the No. 1 fight, No. 1. The other one was Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall – that was No. 1. But right now, if Islam wins, the No. 1 fight to make is Topuria vs. Islam." Makhachev vacated his UFC lightweight title earlier this year, and is expected to challenge UFC welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena in the coming months. No official date or location has been announced by the UFC. Should Makhachev become a two-division UFC champion, just like Topuria did in June, Mendez would love to see a clash between the two – whether it's at 155 or 170 pounds. "La Leyenda" has been very vocal about wanting to fight Makhachev and has chased him for some time now. He's also made some bold claims, saying he could submit Makhachev, who's one of the most dominant grappler's MMA has ever seen. Some would be bothered by Topuria's comments, but Mendez very much likes what's going on. "I like what he's been doing," Mendez said. "He's doing a good job at getting people to want to watch the fight. The more Ilia does, the more people want to see this fight. I like everything he's doing as a fighter. He's very strong and doesn't care about the weight. I think now it's a great fight for us. The first thing Islam wanted was a legacy fight – he wanted the welterweight title. Now if we win the welterweight title, we can go down or he can come up. That's what I say, but if the UFC doesn't like it, it's not happening. But first we need to win."
USA Today
02-08-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC on ESPN 71's Kevin Vallejos confident he'll be the first to KO Danny Silva
Kevin Vallejos wants to be the first to put the lights out on Danny Silva. Danny Silva has never been knocked out in his pro MMA career, and Kevin Vallejos has every intention of changing that. Vallejos (15-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and Silva (10-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) meet in a featherweight bout at UFC on ESPN 71 (ESPN, ESPN+), which takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It's a matchup many fans have circled on the card, given both fighters' styles. Vallejos, who's developing into a fan favorite knockout artist in the UFC, can't wait to test his power on Silva's chin. "I know that I can knock him out, and I will do it on Saturday," Vallejos told Hablemos MMA in Spanish. "I know I can knock him out, like I have with other people, who at the time had never been knocked out. This won't be an exception." To some, Vallejos' confidence in getting the knockout may seem like he's overlooking Silva, but that's not the case. "It's a tough fight," Vallejos explained. "I feel like this is a new experience. He's got good boxing, good kicks, good clinch, and wrestling. I think he's going to test me and put me in a spot where I have to show my talent." Despite getting a brutal, first-round KO in his UFC debut this past March, "El Chino" was left without a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus. He's hoping to get his this time around with the type of knockout he plans on delivering. "This time it's not getting away," Vallejos said when asked about the bonus. "Last time, we had seven finishes in one night. I don't think I can have that bad luck again and be in a card with that many finishes. This time it will be mine."
USA Today
25-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Michael Morales' coach targets November return vs. Leon Edwards, Joaquin Buckley
Raul Arvizu lays out what he wants next for his pupil Michael Morales. Raul Arvizu has a clear idea in mind for the next career step of one of his brightest students. A big name and a November return are what Arvizu is looking to push for Michael Morales – a rising, undefeated welterweight contender. Morales' run through the UFC has been impressive, and Arvizu thinks they can take it a step further before the year's end. The head coach of Entram Gym in Tijuana has several names of interest, including a former champion. "I feel like there's a lot of contenders right now, and I think Michael just entered into those contender talks," Arvizu told Hablemos MMA in Spanish. "A few of them are booked already, and we're also a fight or two away from fighters like the Belals, but I like Geoff Neal and Leon Edwards. Those are the fights I like for Michael. "Because of Michael's age, we're very patient, we're in no rush. We want him to fight, and keep improving. Sometimes in the UFC, these prospects get moved quickly, and we know those stories. A guy wins three or four fights, gets a top guy, and then they go back down. I don't want that for Michael, but it is true we're in a position where there are not many options. We can't turn down fights, so we'll fight whoever the UFC wants us to fight." Leon Edwards, a former UFC welterweight champion, last fought in March when he was submitted by Sean Brady. He's yet to be booked for a second fight this 2025. Meanwhile, Geoff Neal is scheduled to take on Brazil's Carlos Prates at UFC 319 next month. With Neal looking like a tougher option, schedule-wise, there is a third name that Arvizu sees as appropriate. "The other option, which is very feasible, is Buckley," Arvizu said. "I think it's going to be Buckley or Edwards. I also told Michael to stay ready and to be smart because a high-profile fight can fall through, and we can get subbed in. But I want Edwards or Buckley to tell you the truth." After handling personal and business matters, and also taking a break to visit his home country of Ecuador, Morales returned to Tijuana last week and resumed his training. Arvizu expected to see a rusty version of Morales, common among fighters coming off a break, but instead saw the opposite. "He trained all last week and did sparring, and I was very surprised with what I saw," Arvizu said. "What happens often is that you go through a camp, you fight, you rest and when you come back, then you see the improvements. That's what happened this time. Certain things that we trained that he didn't do against Burns, he was doing them in sparring now without me telling him. So he's training and we want a fight for November. I have certain ideas that I like, and I'm trying to get them through to the people above. As you know, we don't call the shots, we can only give our opinion and wait to see what the UFC says."
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Francisco Prado aims to salvage UFC career by earning quick knockout at UFC 318
Francisco Prado knows the importance of a win at UFC 318. The Argentinian faces a two-fight losing streak and 1-3 run in the promotion ahead of Saturday's bout against Nikolay Veretennikov at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. A third consecutive defeat could mean the end of his UFC run, something Prado is trying to avoid at all cost. "Of course I've thought about it," Prado told Hablemos MMA in Spanish, reflecting on his career standing. "It is very important for me to get the result this weekend, and that's why I worked so hard in this camp – which I will show. I feel great, well prepared, and the result is coming." Prado (12-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) likes the matchup with Veretennikov (12-6 MMA, 0-2 UFC), who's also a striker. The 23-year-old is not afraid to call his shot and said he expects a quick finish on fight night. "This weekend, I'm going to give it my all," Prado said. "I know that this guy is a striker, and we'll see if he wants to come strike. I'm going after him, and I expect to knock him out in the first round." Prado fought the bulk of his career at 155 pounds. However, in his last fight against Jake Matthews, Prado moved up to welterweight. Prado doesn't expect to drop anytime soon and believes welterweight will be his home despite starting his run at 170 pounds on a loss. "Goodbye, 155," Prado said. "I feel great at this weight class, and I think I'll be staying here for a long time. "The truth is that it's way healthier for me. What affected me the most was in my health. Going down to 155 and having done that for a long time, I don't know, I still have like 10 years of career left. I didn't think that would be good for me, and that's I switched. Here at American top Team there's all kind of training partners, all kinds of sizes and styles, so I have no problem with that. I've been training with welterweights and what I like is that I don't get injured as easily. My body is well-fed and strong, and I feel great." This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 318: Francisco Prado expects quick knockout to salvage UFC career
