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USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Dan Hooker not keen on Paddy Pimblett next: 'I think someone's sh*t, then I fight sh*t'
Dan Hooker is seeking the toughest fight possible for his UFC return. Hooker (24-12 MMA, 14-8 UFC) called out Arman Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) and Charles Oliveira for the November pay-per-view card in a series of tweets. He broke down the landscape at lightweight, and why he's zoning in on Tsarukyan, who withdrew from his title fight against Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 in January. "I think they're going to do (Max) Holloway-Oliveira (and) they're going to do (Justin) Gaethje for the title," Hooker told Submission Radio. "That leaves Arman in the lurch. He's stuck fighting me, brother. He's got to fight me to get back in the mix and to get a title shot. And that's always the fight I want, and not because he's a prick and I hate him, but because I genuinely think that he's the harder fight." Hooker was asked about Paddy Pimblett (22-4 MMA, 7-0 UFC), but "The Hangman" took a dig at him when explaining why he'd rather fight Tsarukyan. "I don't think the guy's that good," Hooker said of Pimblett. "And it brings out the best of me when I fight an actual good fighter. Like, when they give me someone that I think I can beat, or I think someone's sh*t, then I fight sh*t. Like, my mind subconsciously relaxes because I think they're sh*t, and then I do sh*t, then they beat me. "But when I fight a guy that I think could kick my ass, then my subconscious goes, 'Oh,sh*t, we might get our ass kicked.' Then I wake up so, I actually end up fighting really well. So, I'd rather just fight the best guy so I actually perform well."
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Jared Cannonier 'can't really make any reasoning' why UFC booked him vs. Michael Page
Jared Cannonier explained why he's not happy to draw Michael Page at UFC 319. Former title challenger Cannonier (18-8 MMA, 11-8 UFC) takes on Page (23-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in a middleweight bout Aug. 16 at United Center in Chicago (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+). Page has only fought once at 185 pounds in the octagon when he handed Shara Magomedov his first-career loss at UFC Fight Night 250. Cannonier on the other hand, has fought the who's who in the division, from Israel Adesanya, to Robert Whittaker, and Sean Strickland. "The issue is that I have with the fight is that he's not really a middleweight," Cannonier told Submission Radio. "I'm focused on getting back to the title. I understand it's a big fight, it's on a big card. So, there is some weight there." Ex-UFC fighter Joe Riggs claimed that Cannonier wasn't too excited when offered Page, and how he heard Dana White had Cannonier on the "chopping block." Cannonier addressed Riggs' comments. "That's the rumor you guys have heard so, I'm going to leave it at that, a rumor that y'all heard," Cannonier said. Cannonier was asked if the matchup has grown on him over time, and his answer was no. "It's business as usual," Cannonier said. "It's all about the next fight, to be honest. It's not that. He may be unranked, but I don't know. I can't really make any reasoning behind the matchmaking. It's still an exciting fight. I've watched 'MVP' for a long time. He's a world-renowned fighter, and we all know who he is. We all love to watch him fight. So, it's still a big fight and with any fight, a dominant finish will get me back on track of where I want to go."
USA Today
24-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Paulo Costa confident he has way to beat 'anxious' Khamzat Chimaev: 'This is pretty easy'
Paulo Costa won't let go of his beef with Khamzat Chimaev. Costa (15-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) is irate at Chimaev for allegedly sending his girlfriend "nasty" DMs, and is dead set on fighting him after their UFC 294 booking fell through. The former title challenger returned to the win column with a unanimous decision win over Roman Kopylov this past Saturday at UFC 318. Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) challenges middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis Aug. 16 in the UFC 319 headliner from Chicago. Win or lose, Costa wants a piece of Chimaev, and is confident he has the blueprint to take out the undefeated phenom. "This is pretty easy, and I'm going to break down this, OK?," Costa told Submission Radio. "I can see this very clear in my mind right now, how it's going to happen. He'll be very stressful, anxious, and anger against me. Once the fight start, he will come, faint some punches, and then he going to shoot on my legs. So, I'm going to spend some time defending his takedown, he's going to try to push, push, push, and I think after one minute, maybe one and a half, he will be exhausted. "His arms and shoulders will be heavy. Heavy like a heavyweight. Then he will realize he don't put my back on the mat, and he will be heavy and slow Maybe I'm not going to finish him in the very first round. I'm going to let him gas out everything that he had until he be like a dead man walking in the second round. Then I'm going to hit his belly as much as I can with front kicks, with body shots until I see he wants to give up. When I see that, I'm going to start to hit his face and make him uglier than he is." Leading up to his fight with Kopylov, Costa couldn't contain his emotions when asked about Chimaev during his media obligations. He sent a stern message to "Borz." "I'm coming for you, you know that," Costa concluded. "I will not lie to anyone. I don't need that. You know who I am, and I know who the f*ck c*nt you are. I'm coming for you."
USA Today
21-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Luke Rockhold: Darren Till doesn't belong in a ring or a cage with me
Luke Rockhold says boxing will also be his world against Darren Till. Former middleweight champion Rockhold boxes fellow ex-UFC fighter Darren Till in the Misfits Boxing 22: Ring of Thrones main event on Aug. 30 at AO Arena from Manchester, England. Rockhold has excelled in MMA with his grappling and kicks, but is confident that when he laces up the gloves, he'll find success there as well – even though it's Till who's the more proven boxer after amassing a 3-0 record in exhibition boxing. "I've got a million options if I fight Darren Till – mainly kick him," Rockhold told Submission Radio. "Kick through his head, kick through his body, and then beat him up on the ground. There's a million different options. This will be a little bit more of a level playing field, but I still don't think that Darren Till belongs in a ring or a cage with me. "Darren's tough. He's a tough guy, but he's got a breaking point. I think he's complacent at times, and I think there are going to be openings. I can pressure him. I can hit him. People haven't seen me in the boxing ring. I can move. I can move, and I can hit hard with both hands. I'm nothing like anybody he's faced in recent times." With a win over Till, Rockhold wants to take out the popular names in boxing whom he doesn't think belong. "There's one thing I don't like in this world is just fake, bullshit f*cking people," Rockhold said. "The world is full of pathetic, fake people these days. I'm here, and the only reason I still fight is to fight for the greater good of real man, real sh*t. "I'm going to go out there, and I'm going to put Darren Till down, and I'm going to clean up Jake Paul and all these little f*cking minions. That's where I'm at. I'd like to set the world straight. The world's going in the wrong direction, and what excites me to fight is just to correct the bullsh*t of this world."
USA Today
08-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC's Caio Borralho would expect Sean Strickland-Israel Adesanya rematch to look same
Caio Borralho doesn't see a rematch between former UFC middleweight champions Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya going too differently. After three straight losses, Adesanya (24-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) wants to run things back with Strickland, who dethroned him in a stunning upset title win at UFC 293. Strickland (29-7 MMA, 16-7 UFC) was able to hurt Adesanya early en route to a unanimous decision win. If Adesanya does get his wish, top contender Borralho doesn't see him avenging that loss. "To be honest, I see it the same way, because Strickland – styles make fights, and Strickland is a guy that pressures a lot, and Izzy doesn't like to get pressured too much," Borralho told Submission Radio. "He moves a lot, moves very good in the octagon, but he needs the guy to throw with everything if the guy is pressuring him. But Sean Strickland doesn't throw everything. He touches. Maybe it could be different, but I think it's going to be the same thing. "Strickland is going to be marching forward, Izzy is going to try to guess which punch is coming with power, and then there will be no power, and then he's going to be a little bit confused. He's going to get touched a lot, and I think Strickland wins again. Not the Strickland that showed up against Dricus (Du Plessis), because that Strickland was not the Strickland that I know. So if Strickland really shows up to fight like he did the first time with Izzy, he wins this fight." Adesanya went on to drop two more fights to UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305, followed by a TKO loss to Nassourdine Imavov in the UFC Fight Night 250 headliner in February.
