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USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Khamzat Chimaev responds to Sean Strickland's trash talk: 'I'm in L.A., bro'
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – Khamzat Chimaev welcomes Sean Strickland to confront him face-to-face now that he's in the U.S. Strickland (29-7 MMA, 16-7 UFC), who spent time training with Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) several years ago at Xtreme Couture, went off on him by accusing him of picking on weaker guys at the gym. "Chimaev is just a f*cking c*nt," Strickland told Red Corner MMA. "I was here when he retired from COVID. I was training with him. He's just a f*cking c*nt. There are guys if you knew on a personal level, you wouldn't like. Chimaev is one of these people if you knew, you wouldn't like. "There's a video of me, and I was like, 'Oh, you're so good.' I'm being sarcastic. You go and f*cking starch this 1-1 guy, when there's like Edmen (Shahbazyan), there's high-level UFC fighters, and you're picking the 1-1 fighter because you think he's the same height as your opponent. No, you're picking him because you're a b*tch, dude. He can fight, but mentally, he's just a weak man." Ahead of his title fight against middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) on Aug. 16 in the UFC 319 headliner from United Center in Chicago, Chimaev responded to Strickland's comments. "When I was there, he never said anything," Chimaev told reporters of Strickland at a media day. "When I left Las Vegas, when they stopped my visa, he started to talk. When I came back, I'm in L.A., bro. Come on. If it's something personal for you, just come. I'm here. Whenever he wants."
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Arman Tsarukyan: Khamzat Chimaev's cardio 'must be very good' given UFC 319 prep
Arman Tsarukyan has seen first hand Khamzat Chimaev's preparation for UFC 319. Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) challenges middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) in the Aug. 16 main event at United Center in Chicago (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+). A big talking point for Chimaev's first title fight is how his cardio will hold up against the battle-tested Du Plessis, especially if the bout reaches the championship rounds. However, with the work Chimaev has put in with strength and conditioning coach Sam Calavitta, Tsarukyan thinks he'll be well prepared. "In this camp, Khamzat has improved his recovery ability, and strength and conditioning," Tsarukyan said in a recent interview with Kamil Gadzhiev (h/t Red Corner MMA). "He's been working on his strength and conditioning twice a week, in addition to striking sparring sessions and wrestling. He works with a new strength and conditioning coach on his cardio. So I believe in this upcoming fight, his cardio must be very good. He's been tested every day, his recovery ability. "There's a device that shows his recovery stats every morning right after he gets up, and in the case he's overtrained, they let him rest so he is fully ready. Because if you show up overtrained or a sparring session, you can't work properly. So, he needs a man beside him who controls him 24/7 and stops him at the right moment so he doesn't get overtrained. He is a very hard-working guy" Despite the concerns from many pundits and fighters, Chimaev remains the betting favorite to dethrone Du Plessis and remain undefeated. According to DraftKings, Chimaev is a -180 favorite over Du Plessis, who's a +150 underdog.
The Independent
22-07-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Khabib Nurmagomedov clarifies opinion on Jon Jones with admission about UFC legend's ‘character'
Khabib Nurmagomedov has clarified his opinion on Jon Jones, after some UFC fans expressed surprise about the Russian deeming the American the 'best who ever did it'. Jones recently retired from mixed martial arts, vacating the UFC heavyweight title and ending a career full of accolades but also marred by controversy. The 38-year-old is the consensus greatest light-heavyweight in UFC history, but his subsequent heavyweight run disappointed – despite his title win – and his career on the whole was affected by numerous failed drug tests and run-ins with the law. Still, when Jones announced his retirement in June, former UFC champion Khabib paid his respects, calling 'Bones' the 'best who ever did it in UFC history'. Now, in an interview with Adam Zubayraev, Nurmagomedov has clarified his opinion on Jones, after some fans took exception to the lightweight legend's comments. 'In the UFC, achievements and legacy are different things,' Nurmagomedov told Zubayraev in Russian, with a translation provided by Red Corner MMA. 'I think a lot of people confuse those two concepts. As far as achievements go, no one can compare to Jon Jones in the UFC right now, and it'll be very hard for anyone in the near future. 'So, what is legacy? It's, let's say... Kids, they look at you, and they feel inspired by you. That's what legacy means: when a kid sees you and thinks, 'I want to be like him.' 'There have always been – and always will be – questions about his behaviour, his character and so on. As a fighter, he's the best, and when it comes to personal qualities, there will always be questions. 'As an athlete, he reached greatness, and as someone who fought in the UFC, he has no equal. What Jon Jones has achieved over the past 17 years in the UFC, it's really hard to compare anyone to him. I don't know why people reacted the way they did. As a fighter, I never had questions about him.' In 2023, Jones returned to the UFC after a three-year hiatus, moving up to heavyweight and winning the vacant title by submitting Ciryl Gane. An injury delayed his first title defence, however, with Jones only returning to action in November 2024 to stop a 42-year-old Stipe Miocic. All the while, Britain's Tom Aspinall won the interim title and even defended it successfully, but Jones refused to fight the 32-year-old. Ultimately, Aspinall was elevated to regular champion when Jones retired. And Khabib hinted that a fight against Aspinall might have been too tough a test for Jones. 'How many fights has he had in the past? One or two in five years,' said the Russian, 36. 'He's been done for a while, and even those last fights, Santos and Reyes, they were controversial. His prime was clearly behind him. His prime was long past.' Nurmagomedov was referring to Jones's final two fights at light-heavyweight: controversial decision wins over Thiago Santos in 2019 and Dominick Reyes in 2020. After beating Reyes, Jones gave up the light-heavyweight title and took three years off from MMA to get his body ready for a long-awaited heavyweight run. In the meantime, Francis Ngannou established himself as the best heavyweight in the world, with fans desperate to see Jones face the Cameroonian. However, Ngannou left the UFC and relinquished the heavyweight belt amid a pay dispute, before Jones returned and won the vacant gold. US President Donald Trump recently suggested he could host a UFC event at the White House in 2026, to celebrate 250 years of American independence, leading Jones to claim he has unretired. However, UFC chief Dana White said: 'I can't risk putting [Jones] in big positions in a big spot and have something go wrong, especially [at] the White House.' Jones responded by writing on social media: 'I heard the comments made at last night's press conference. While I was a little disappointed, I'm still in the UFC's drug testing pool, staying sharp, and continuing to train like a professional. I'll be ready for whatever comes next.' Jones, who recently said he had not trained since fighting Miocic in November, added: 'In a recent interview, I shared that the opportunity to fight at the White House gave me something deeper to fight for, a 'why' that goes beyond paychecks or belts. Fighting for my country gives me a greater purpose! 'The silver lining in all this is knowing the fans see my heart. They see, I am ready and willing to take on anyone, to represent my country on a historic stage. For me, it's never been just about the opponent. I'm chasing legacy, something timeless, something bigger than the moment. So for now, I'll keep grinding, stay patient, and stay faithful. I'm ready to fight on July 4th.'
USA Today
15-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Movsar Evloev injured, out of Aaron Pico fight for UFC on ABC 9
Movsar Evloev vs. Aaron Pico is a no go for UFC on ACB 9. Movsar Evloev will not be fighting Aaron Pico after all, at least for now. The top UFC featherweight contender has been forced to withdraw from the scheduled bout to due to an undisclosed injury he suffered in training camp. Evloev (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) was scheduled to take on Pico (13-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at UFC on ABC 9 on July 27 at Etihad Arena. MMA Junkie confirmed the news with people close to the situation Tuesday following a report from Red Corner MMA. Those sources told MMA Junkie the UFC plans to keep the matchup and schedule Evloev vs. Pico for a later event. The UFC has yet to make the change official. Pico, who's been a standout fighter for quite sometime outside the UFC, was granted his release form PFL earlier this year, thus prompting his addition to the UFC roster. The fight with Evloev was supposed to be his promotional debut. Pico is on a three-fight winning streak. He last competed n February 2024, when he stopped veteran Henry Corrales in a lightweight bout. Evloev remains unbeaten in his pro career, including his first nine in the UFC – all of which have been decisions. Those wins have come against increasingly stiff competition, including Arnold Allen in early 2024 and former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling late this past year.
USA Today
25-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ray Longo: Rematch with Merab Dvalishvili 'maybe worse' for Umar Nurmagomedov
Ray Longo is confident that UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili beats Umar Nurmagomedov in even more emphatic fashion if they rematch. Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) handed Nurmagomedov (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) his first-career loss when he defeated him by unanimous decision at UFC 311 in January. However, Dvalishvili lost the first two rounds on two of the three judges' scorecards before rallying to win the fight. Two of Dvalishvili's three title wins came over Sean O'Malley. He dethroned O'Malley to become bantamweight champion in a decision win at UFC 306, but was able to submit him in their rematch at UFC 316. If Nurmagomedov ends up running things back with Dvalishvili, Longo thinks that'll spell bad news for the Dagestani fighter. "The same way the first fight went," Longo told Red Corner MMA on how he sees Dvalishvili vs. Nurmagomedov 2 going. "Maybe worse, just like O'Malley. The O'Malley, first one he didn't finish. The second one – the more comfortable Merab gets, the better he's going to get. He already fought Umar, he's got the confidence now. "You got to remember, even in the Umar fight, he played around a little bit. No playing around would have been a different story. So, he's getting more serious with the fighting, with that part. You didn't see it in the O'Malley fight, no playing around at all. No kissing, no looking away. He was all business so, he's going to do that – I believe he'll do that to Umar, too." Nurmagomedov hasn't competed since losing to Dvalishvili due to surgery for a broken hand suffered in the fight. Cory Sandhagen is currently the frontrunner for Dvalishvili's next title defense.
