Latest news with #IsraelAdesanya
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nassourdine Imavov isn't waiting for a title shot, he's forcing the UFC's hand at UFC Paris
The post Nassourdine Imavov isn't waiting for a title shot, he's forcing the UFC's hand at UFC Paris appeared first on ClutchPoints. Nassourdine Imavov, the surging French middleweight and current No. 1 contender, has made his intentions crystal clear as the UFC returns to Paris on September 6. In a statement that signals both his ambition and readiness, Imavov declared: This mindset encapsulates Imavov's approach since breaking into the elite of the division. Not content to wait idly for opportunity, Imavov is set to serve as the official backup for the blockbuster UFC 319 main event between champion Dricus du Plessis and the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev on August 16 in Chicago. Should either fighter be forced to withdraw, Imavov will be ready to step in on a moment's notice for a shot at UFC gold. If not, he's already plotting his next move, headlining in front of a raucous Parisian crowd at the Accor Arena. The Road to No. 1: Imavov's Meteoric Rise Imavov's place atop the middleweight rankings is no accident. Over the past year, he has compiled a four-fight win streak, capped by a stunning second-round TKO of former champion Israel Adesanya in February, a performance that earned him his first UFC 'Performance of the Night' bonus. Prior to that, Imavov dispatched Brendan Allen, Jared Cannonier, and Roman Dolidze, notching two finishes over top-five opposition in the process. His resume now reads like a checklist of the division's most dangerous names, and his confidence is justified. 'I cleaned the weight class in one year, four fights, two wins against top ten competition, two finishes against top five competition,' Imavov asserted after his win over Adesanya. Advertisement Yet, the middleweight title picture remains crowded. With du Plessis and Chimaev set for a high-stakes showdown at UFC 319, Imavov must wait just a little longer for his crack at the belt, or seize it if fate intervenes in Chicago. UFC Paris: The Perfect Stage for 'The Sniper' The UFC's return to Paris on September 6 marks its fourth consecutive year in the French capital, a testament to the sport's explosive growth in France. Imavov, who emigrated from Dagestan to France as a child and developed his fighting skills in Paris, is now the country's top MMA export. The Accor Arena will be electric if he headlines, with French fans eager to see their homegrown contender in action. Imavov's plan is simple: if he doesn't fight for the title at UFC 319, he'll call out a top contender for UFC Paris. 'If no one pulls out, we'll call someone out for Paris. That's the deal with the UFC!' he said, underscoring his refusal to let his momentum stall. Advertisement With du Plessis and Chimaev battling for the title, the question becomes: who is the ideal opponent for Imavov to secure an undeniable claim to the next title shot? Sean Strickland, the former champion, sits at No. 2 in the rankings and remains a high-profile name, but he's coming off a loss to du Plessis and may not be immediately available. Robert Whittaker, another former champion, is also coming off a defeat to Chimaev and is scheduled to face Reinier de Ridder. Israel Adesanya, whom Imavov just finished, is unlikely to get a quick rematch. One name stands out: Caio Borralho. The Brazilian is riding a 14-fight win streak, is undefeated in the UFC, and recently called for a fight with Imavov, believing their styles would make for a compelling main event. Borralho has also just bested Jared Cannonier, another divisional stalwart, and is hungry for a signature win to cement his own title credentials. Another possibility, though less likely, is a rematch with Sean Strickland, who previously defeated Imavov by decision. However, given Strickland's recent loss and the UFC's penchant for fresh matchups, Borralho remains the most logical and marketable option. Advertisement For Imavov, the stakes could not be higher. Headlining UFC Paris would be a career-defining moment, but the real prize is ensuring he is next in line for the middleweight crown. A win over a streaking contender like Borralho in front of his home fans would make his case undeniable. Related: UFC 316: Can a fully healed O'Malley dethrone Dvalishvili or is the 'Suga Show' over? Related: Joe Pyfer fires back at critics: 'I Didn't Get Fraud Checked!', aims at Bo Nickal in fiery rant
RNZ News
7 days ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
Kai Kara-France on old nemesis Manel Kape: 'He's an entitled, insecure clown'
UFC flyweights Manel Kape and Kai Kara-France have been vocal about their distain for one another. Photo: Photosport It has all the elements for an explosion. Two bitter rivals, one stage, high stakes, and the world watching. Kiwi flyweight Kai Kara-France is set for the biggest fight of his career when he gets his second shot at undisputed gold on 29 June against champion Alexandre Pantoja. Undoubtedly by design, Kara-France will share the UFC 317 card with an old nemesis, Manel Kape. The animosity between the pair is palpable, and was on full display at the UFC media conference in 2023 in Sydney. Originally scheduled to fight each other, Kara -France was forced to pull out due to injury, a move which prompted Kape to call Kara-France a "p***y". As well as insults, Kape also threw a bottle at Kara-France, prompting intervention form City Kick Boxing teammate Israel Adesanya. Should they cross paths in Vegas, Kara-France does not intend to be civil. "If he does try anything on the stage at the weigh-ins or media day, if he tries to throw a bottle at me, it's not going to be the same reaction. This is definitely personal. I don't like the guy. I think he's a clown. I think he's very insecure and very entitled, and in the fight game, the circle's too small. Eventually we're going to run into each other." The 34-year old said karma will catch Kape. "All that talk you've been doing, eventually you're going to be humbled and he needs a bit of humble pie. I would love to do it, but I want to make sure I get paid to do it. So, that fight's always going to be in front of me, but right now all my eyes are set on Pantoja and being the first one to knock him out." Should Kara-France prevail against Pantoja, he said Kape would be an ideal first defence, and he said he would love to see it run in his own backyard. "He's got a tough fight in front of him, but if he does win, I can see the UFC setting that up. So, I would love to, obviously not looking past Pantoja, but I would love to defend my first title defence at home at Spark Arena, or Eden Park and stack the card with the best New Zealand and Australia talent," Kara-France said. "That's always been a dream of mine to win a world title and to defend back at home, defend the whenua."
RNZ News
20-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
President of NZ's Boxing Coaches Association calls out Dan Hooker's fighting event
The president of New Zealand's Boxing Coaches Association has called an event where 32 amateur fighters box each other to try and win $50,000 "straight-out thuggery." The tournament, called "king of the streets", is being promoted by professional mixed martial arts fighter Dan "Hangman" Hooker and was endorsed by UFC fighter Israel Adesanya. The event is being promoted as having no professionals and no weight limits, with competitors taking part in one minute "scraps" wearing MMA gloves. Association president Billy Meehan told Checkpoint it's not boxing, as it's being billed as, and fears someone could be seriously hurt. The tournament appears to be linked to a social media influencer and links to an online gambling site. On May 14th, Hooker posted a video to social media with MMA fighter and former UFC middle weight champion Israel Adesanya endorsing the event and encouraging people to bring the whanau. "Bring the family, bring the whanau, bring everyone, come watch, you'll get knocked out or knock someone the f*** out," Adesanya said. In another video posted on the 17th of May, Hooker said too many fighters had registered, "so if everyone wants to drop their nuts that would be f****** great, hit me up." President of the NZ Boxing Coaches Association Billy Meehan told Checkpoint the event is a street scrap and should not be classified as boxing. "The rules are a lot different, for starters we don't do one-minute rounds. You're saying to the guy in the corner get out and start smashing the other guy as best you can. Boxing is an art form; it's a sport and this is straight-out thuggery." In professional Olympic-style boxing, athletes use 10- or 12-ounce gloves, "nobody wears four-ounce MMA gloves," he said. "What you've got there is just thugs getting in there and going out and they're just like absolutely smashing each other and we're going to see somebody get seriously hurt, if not killed." President of the NZ Boxing Coaches Association Billy Meehan. Photo: Supplied/ NZ Boxing To promote a boxing tournament, organisers must have a police permit, he said. "It's got to be sanctioned by a sanctioning body. They're not even advertising where they're holding this so the police obviously don't even know." He said there is a list of regulations on the Boxing and Wrestling Act. "Other rules and regulations [are] around weights, weigh ins, full medicals, blood tests and it just goes on and on. "People who can hold boxing tournaments are actually listed on the Wrestling and Boxing Act. Dan Hooker's not on the Wrestling and Boxing Act." The implications of the fight having no weight restrictions is that someone could be seriously hurt, he said. "[If] you've got a 70kg boxer or fighter getting in and fighting a 120kg fighter. You've got a little bit of difference here. Somebody's going to get hurt. "They're actually saying to both sides to go just go out there and smash." In a sanctioned Olympic style boxing tournament, every fighter must have a full medical check beforehand and there are doctors on site, he said. "We have a registration book; everything is recorded in there. Your weight, your record, your experience, so when you're matching, you're matching against similar experience, we have weight divisions." He said he has been seeing similar fights pop up around New Zealand. "There's a lot of it starting to happen. Other ones that I know are involved, it's quick buck for them. We've got one setting up at the moment, it's called Semi-pro. There's no such thing. "It's just barbaric, the biggest issue is the people getting in the ring half the time aren't conditioned enough to be there, they aren't matched correctly." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
The Independent
08-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Dricus Du Plessis says ‘two dates' agreed for blockbuster Khamzat Chimaev showdown
Dricus Du Plessis has said he expects to fight Khamzat Chimaev 'in the next couple of months', claiming he has agreed to two dates for a UFC title defence. Du Plessis won the middleweight belt with a decision victory over Sean Strickland in January 2024, before retaining the gold by submitting Israel Adesanya in August and outpointing Strickland again this February. He has since been linked to a defence against the unbeaten Chimaev, who recently bought into rumours that Du Plessis was injured and unable to fight him this summer. However, South Africa's Du Plessis took to social media to dismiss those rumours. And now the 31-year-old has sought to provide more clarity on a fight with Chimaev, saying on The Sias du Plessis Show on Wednesday (7 May): 'So, we have a date, but we have potential of two dates. I already agreed to both. 'A lot of people are saying: 'Is it this year?' Yes, 100 per cent. It's not far away. It's not that far away. The announcement will be made soon. 'Me and the UFC, we've known. All these rumours that came out with injuries, I don't know where it came from. It was ridiculous. I was like, 'Okay,' and I just left it for like a week and then I was like, 'Okay, everybody had their fun, now you're all going to look stupid.' 'We've already agreed on a date. That's been a while ago, so I'm just waiting for the contract, but that's the fight that's happening. It's going to be happening in the next couple of months, maximum four months. 'It's going to happen one of these days. Nothing is signed, but I've already agreed to any date. Any date that they gave me, I said: 'Cool, ready. Let's do it.'' Some fans expect Du Plessis vs Chimaev to headline UFC 317 during International Fight Week on 28 June, though it is also believed that the UFC could try to arrange Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall and/or Islam Makhachev vs Ilia Topuria for that event. With the UFC 316 and 318 main events already set (Merab Dvalishvili vs Sean O'Malley 2 on 7 June; Dustin Poirier vs Max Holloway 3 on 19 July), Du Plessis could theoretically fight Chimaev at UFC 319 in August, if not at UFC 317. Chimaev, 31, last fought in October, submitting former champion Robert Whittaker in round one. With that result, the Russian moved to 14-0 as a professional and 8-0 in the UFC. Twelve of his career wins have come via stoppage, nine of them in the first round. Du Plessis, meanwhile, is 23-2 as a pro and 9-0 in the UFC. His last four wins have all come against former champions – two against Strickland, one against Adesanya, and one against Whittaker.
USA Today
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Israel Adesanya, Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo shared a hearty laugh about their skids
Israel Adesanya, Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo shared a hearty laugh about their skids They say laughter heals all wounds. Well, if that's the case, consider former Israel Adesanya, Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo fully healed. That's because, on the latest episode of the "Pound 4 Pound" podcast, the three former UFC champions shared a hearty laugh about their current three-fight losing streaks when discussing the current state of their careers. Check out the hilarious moment below (via X). Adesanya pushed his losing streak to three after a second-round TKO loss to Nassourdine Imavov on Feb. 1. Three weeks later on Feb. 22, Cejudo suffered his third consecutive loss, a technical decision against Song Yadong following a nasty eye poke. As for Usman, injuries have caught up to him as he hasn't been seen in the octagon since an October 2023 loss to Khamzat Chimaev at middleweight. Given their ages – Cejudo 38, Usman 37, and Adesanya 35 – it's unlikely that any of them will experience a career revival that takes them back to their glory days. But hey, it was a good run. Keep smiling, champs.
