Latest news with #MartinBuday
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Martin Buday 'very upset and very sad' about UFC exit despite 7-1 promotional record
Martin Buday was riding a three-fight win streak when his manager called in late July. The fighter, then ranked No. 12 in the UFC's heavyweight division, had just scored a unanimous decision win over the legendary jiu-jitsu champion Marcus Buchecha at UFC Abu Dhabi. Buday was still celebrating — Buchecha, after all, had been an idol of his for more than a decade. But on fight week, Buday said, the two foes 'separated any good emotions' during an impromptu meeting. They shook hands and wished the best man to win. That man, on July 26, was Buday. Buday out-struck Buchecha on the feet and successfully stuffed the jiu-jitsu ace's takedown attempts. He ground out a convincing but unspectacular win. The 33-year-old explained Monday on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show" that he knew the Buchecha bout would be the last of his UFC contract, but he'd been in that situation before. 'In the first contract, they let me fight it to the end,' he said. 'This was the same scenario, again.' Back then, an August 2023 first-round submission win over Josh Parisian helped seal Buday's fate. The UFC offered a four-fight contract extension. This time around, there was no such deal. There was no negotiation. The UFC was no longer in the Buday business. 'I found out last Wednesday [July 30],' said Buday. 'I got a call from my manager to say the UFC will not be extending the contract with us. So, it was pretty rough. I was very upset and very sad because I love UFC. I was hoping to get re-signed. I was sad about the situation.' Buday, who won seven of his eight UFC appearances in the promotion's heavyweight division, said he's aware of the reasons why. He'd been told his victories needed that punctuation mark — that slam dunk. Buday needed to finish people in exciting fashion, rather than win by decision, as all but the Parisian win were. 'My fights are not attractive on the eyes of the fan,' he said. 'But I do everything to secure the win. That was the main problem — I didn't have finishes in the fight.' When Buday lost by brutal, second-round knockout to Shamil Gaziev in 2023, he feared the worst. He feared the UFC would cut him from the roster. It was communicated to him that the UFC "was not happy with decisions.' He needed a big finish, he said. But, against Gaziev, it was he who got finished. Buday admitted he was worried. "It was a bad performance," he said. Regardless, Buday rebounded to win three fights in a row. He eked out a split decision over the former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski in June 2024, even though Buday's father died during fight week. Buday 'wasn't there mentally' that week, or in the fight itself, he said. 'It was a very unfortunate situation for me.' Buday then scored a clear-cut unanimous decision over Uran Satybaldiev this past April. And then, of course, he beat Buchecha in what he described as his 'best performance in the UFC.' Ranked No. 12 in the division after a three-year grind, his exit from MMA's market-leader blindsided him somewhat. 'I was hoping after my last performance that I would be re-signed,' he said. Nonetheless, Buday chooses to look at the future with optimism as he's confident his skills are improving. There are also at least three organizations scrambling for his signature, he claimed. Buday said there is interest from the PFL, and that Oktagon MMA — a surging promotion in Europe — is also keen to bring its former champ back. 'I have some offers from other promoters all around the world,' he said. One other proposal was from GLORY Kickboxing, but Buday knocked back their advances. He wants his next move to stay within the realm of mixed martial arts. He would also spur any advances from KSW, if there were any, because he trains alongside Phil De Fries, the current KSW heavyweight champion. 'I will decline that offer instantly,' he said. 'I will not fight my teammates.' That leaves PFL and Oktagon. 'I like the interest from PFL, and also Oktagon MMA, where I was champion before the UFC,' he said, noting that he's leaning toward a return to the organization he fought for from 2018-21. 'They're doing incredible things and are No. 1 in Europe right now. Expanding big. Doing stadiums. Big promotion, and good for them.' If Buday continues sharpening his skills and starts finishing fights rather than simply winning them, then he hopes a return to the UFC is in the cards. It's a company he says he still loves. 'I want to thank them for making me the fighter and person I am today,' he said. 'If I do some good wins, good finishes, maybe they will be open to re-signing me.'
USA Today
31-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC parts ways with Martin Buday despite 7-1 promotional record
The UFC has released a ranked heavyweight despite his lopsidedly successful record in the promotion. Five days after his UFC on ABC 9 win, Martin Buday is no longer with the promotion. Buday (16-2) went 7-1 in the UFC and fought out his contract Saturday in a win over Marcus Buchecha. A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the roster transaction to MMA Junkie on Thursday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. MMA Fighting first reported the move. Buday, 33, was ranked No. 15 in the official UFC heavyweight rankings at the time of the split. Shortly after news of the UFC's decision hit social media, Buday posted a brief statement. "Yeah its true, yesterday we got a call that @ufc is not resigning us for the moment," Buday wrote. "Well it is what it is atleast im leaving with my head up. Thank you." Buday's UFC resume A native of Slovakia, Buday earned his UFC contract in 2021 when he knocked out Lorenzo Hood. He then defeated Chris Barnett, Lukasz Brzeski, Jake Collier, and Josh Parisian before his first promotional loss to Shamil Gaziev by TKO in December 2023. After the defeat, Buday defeated Andrei Arlovski and Uran Satybaldiev before his unanimous decision victory over BJJ legend Buchecha (5-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC).
Forbes
31-07-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
UFC Parts Ways With Heavyweight Despite 7-1 Run, Community Reacts
The UFC's heavyweight division is in arguably its worst state in history, but that didn't stop the promotion from making a perplexing decision that made the news rounds on Thursday, July 31. According to multiple reports, the UFC parted ways with 33-year-old Slovakian heavyweight contender Martin Buday. Buday fought out his contract with a unanimous decision win over Marcus Buchecha at UFC Abu Dhabi on July 26. Buday took to social media to confirm the news. Buday moved up to No. 12 in the promotion's rankings with the win and ran his record to 16-2 overall and 7-1 with the UFC, but the decision-makers still went another direction. Predictably, many in the MMA universe took to social media to question the move made by Dana White and Co. Setanta Sports social media manager Giorgi Kokiashvili called the move 'insane.' Tapology's Marcel Dorff called White out for making a move that contradicts his supposed desire to add heavyweights to the roster. Popular MMA social media account ACD MMA says the UFC heavyweight division is on life support. Buday could be a prime candidate to sign with the Professional Fighters League. If he goes that route, he could even find himself in a position to face someone like Francis Ngannou down the road. That fight would likely pay him more than he's made in all of his fights with the UFC combined. Buday's win in Abu Dhabi was his third straight victory. His only loss with the UFC came at the hands of No. 11 Shamil Gaziev in December 2023 at UFC 296. Before that, he smashed his way onto the UFC's roster on the Contender Series in October 2021 when he scored a first-round KO win over Lorenzo Hood. He then won three consecutive decisions over Chris Barnett, Lukasz Brzeski, and Jake Collier before securing a first-round finish over Josh Parisian in August 2023. While Buday is not the kind of fighter who pops off the screen or who has had a myriad of spectacular finishes to his credit, he's a proven winner. Even more puzzling is the UFC dropping a heavyweight who's only 33. That's very young for the division, considering many fight into their 40s. While there could be other elements behind the scenes that many are unaware of, there's also the possibility that the UFC is simply clearing spots for a new crop of heavyweights. As we sit on the cusp of another season of Contender Series, which kicks off in August, the UFC is looking for the next group of fighters who can carry divisions. Clearly, Buday was seen as expendable.
USA Today
22-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC on ABC 9: Make your predictions for Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder
We want your predictions for UFC on ABC 9. Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we'll use the official tallies that are registered by Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT). Those reader consensus picks will be part of the main card staff predictions we release ahead of UFC on ABC 9 (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+), which takes place Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Make your picks below. Marcus Buchecha vs. Martin Buday Steven Nguyen vs. Mohammad Yahya Ibo Aslan vs. Billy Elekana Amanda Ribas vs. Tabatha Ricci Da'Mon Blackshear vs. Davey Grant Carlos Leal vs. Muslim Salikhov Bryce Mitchell vs. Said Nurmagomedov Bogdan Guskov vs. Nikita Krylov Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Shara Magomedov Marcus McGhee vs. Petr Yan Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder UFC on ABC 9 fight card (as of July 21, 3 p.m. ET) MAIN CARD (ABC/ESPN+, noon ET) PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 9 a.m. ET)
USA Today
07-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Martin Buday has 'big respect' for Uran Satybaldiev's grit on super-short notice at UFC on ESPN 65
LAS VEGAS – Martin Buday beat Uran Satybaldiev with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 65 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Take a look inside the fight with Buday, who held off a promotional newcomer who took the fight on three days' notice when Kennedy Nzechukwu dropped out – and with a 60-pound deficit from light heavyweight to heavyweight. Martin Buday def. Uran Satybaldiev Result: Martin Buday def. Uran Satybaldiev via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Updated records: Buday (15-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC), Satybaldiev (9-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) Key stats: Buday outstruck Satybaldiev 152-56 and had more than 5 minutes of control time, mostly in the clinch. Buday on the fight's key moment 'My performance was not so bad, but not something I was looking for. I wanted to finish him. He showed us he's a very tough opponent and (was) an undefeated guy for a reason. Big respect to Uran to step in on a few days' notice. I wanted the finished, but the performance was like normal.' Buday on late opponent change 'We were supposed to fight Kennedy, who is a southpaw, so the whole game plan was different for Kennedy. We did our best to adjust to the new opponent. It's a shame I didn't finish him like I wanted, but we did a good job – it was a whole different fight (than what we prepared for). ' Buday on what he wants next 'I would like to go back and finish what we started with Kennedy, so I wish him a speedy recovery from the injury. Hopefully we can (reschedule) our fight as soon as possible. As soon as he's OK, I'll jump on the training. I'm healthy, so I'll start training immediately when I get back home and have a better performance my next fight, for sure. But I hope it'll be with Kennedy.' 'For me it was the first time, the opponent changed two days before the bout.' Despite a late opponent change, Martin Buday (@MartinBudayUFC) was able to leave #UFCVegas105 with his hand raised Prelim Results ➡️ — UFC News (@UFCNews) April 5, 2025 To hear more from Buday, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above. For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC on ESPN 65. Gallery UFC on ESPN 65: Best photos from Las Vegas View 132 photos
