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BBC News
01-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'All that matters is showing I deserve to be here'
Mason Jones says "showing I deserve to be here" is the only thing that matters before his return to action in the Briton, 30, is set to face American lightweight Jeremy Stephens in Iowa on Saturday - three years after parting ways with the Jones said he left the UFC for "financial and performance reasons", and has since built a four-fight win streak in UK-based promotion Cage Warriors."All that matters is me showing I deserve to be here and how good I can perform and put my footstep back on that ladder," said Jones. Jones made his UFC debut in 2021, having won the first 10 fights of his career, but won only one of four fights in the left following defeat by Slovakia's Ludovit Klein in 2022."My last trip here - my last four fights in the UFC - none of them went well. None of them I performed," said Jones."I had issues and problems and all the excuses you can imagine."Now everything's going well. There's no injuries, my camp's gone well, I feel fantastic."Stephens is also making his return to the UFC after almost four years away from the who will be performing in front of his home crowd in Iowa, fought 34 times in the organisation, winning 15 bouts, but left following a five-fight losing fought in the PFL in 2022, losing to Natan Schulte, before joining Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC), where he won all three of his said Stephens is seeing him as a "molehill", while he views the 38-year-old as a "mountain"."Jeremy is a mountain but he's not insurmountable. I'm going to go out there and piece him up," said Jones."He's a task; he's arduous. I'm not underestimating him at all. He's the most dangerous opponent I've ever fought, he's a big hitter and make one mistake and you're sleeping."
BBC News
25-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
The UFC fighter trying to give up smoking 10 a day
When Ian Machado Garry was asked about Carlos Prates' lifestyle choices before the pair's welterweight bout on Saturday, he preferred to focus on the Prates, 31, has said he is "trying to smoke less to get fitter and healthier", admitting he has been smoking up to 10 cigarettes a day in the build-up to facing the Irishman at UFC Fight Night in Kansas City, is unusual for high-level athletes to smoke, given the health risks of cigarettes which can include cardiovascular disease, lung disease and lung cancer."The dude smokes cigarettes, meanwhile I'm in Brazil – his whole country want me to win. That's his life choices and nothing for me to get involved in," said Machado Garry."Saturday he's going to step into the octagon with someone who's a complete professional. I'm going to manhandle him and there's nothing he can do to stop me." Prates, who has won his first four fights in the UFC, all by knockout, has said he would like to quit smoking entirely in the future, but has found it "hard".After his win over Neil Magny in November, Prates asked if he could smoke a cigarette in his post-fight news conference but said his request was denied as smoking was forbidden in the asked by the media if he would share a cigarette with Prates after their contest on Saturday, Machado Garry, 27, suggested a different idea."I don't smoke so I won't. But I can sit down and talk about how I knocked him out and I can teach him how to get a little better," he headlining fight was made between Machado Garry and Prates after Jamahal Hill withdrew injured from his bout with Khalil Rountree at the beginning of the is the second fight in a row that Machado Garry has stepped in on short notice after replacing Belal Muhammad in December before a narrow defeat by Shavkat Rakhmonov."It speaks to the character and the person I am. I'm Dublin born and bred, they call us the fighting Irish for a reason," said Machado Garry. "When you call me and say "hey Ian, do you want to fight?" There's only one answer." Machado Garry - the stats Machado Garry's loss to Rakhmonov was the first of his 16-fight career and ended his impressive eight-fight win streak in the Irishman is currently ranked seventh in the UFC welterweight rankings, with Prates six places below him in Machado Garry's eight wins since his UFC debut in 2021, three have come by knockout, meaning he has a 37.5% finish rate compared to Prates' 100%.The Irishman has said he prefers longer fights, however, where he can outclass and "dominate" his opponents over five rounds. Despite lacking the knockout power of Prates, Machado Garry still has some of the best striking statistics in the UFC's welterweight is sixth on the list for significant strike accuracy at 55%, with title challenger Della Maddalena fifth with 55.2% and former champion Leon Edwards eighth with 54.2% in Garry is also eighth on the list for striking differential at Irishman says a win over Prates should put him next in line for a title shot, with champion Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena fighting for the belt at UFC 315 on 11 May.
BBC News
16-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Meet the next great British MMA heavyweight hope
Aged 29, undefeated in the UFC and training with two of the best heavyweights in the UK, Mick Parkin can't believe he is getting paid to fight."Something I was doing for free for years, and then you get paid? It's amazing," he even makes the three-hour commute he makes some days to train with the likes of UFC interim champion Tom Aspinall and KSW heavyweight champion Phil De Fries worth it."I could be going to like a building site in the freezing cold, which I would absolutely hate," he adds. "I enjoy this, or sometimes it's a bit 'what are you being sad for? You've got an amazing life at the moment'."Parkin is on a four-fight winning streak in the UFC. He signed with the UFC after just six bouts on his Sunderland man has been somewhat fast-tracked in the promotion thanks in part to the ever-changing nature of the division he fights in and his closeness with one of the UFC's biggest star, earned a spot on Dana White's Contender Series in 2022 and won himself a UFC contract with a first-round then, Parkin was working security at a bar, regularly travelling to Sunderland mother pushed him to try out the jiu-jitsu gym and from there he transitioned from kickboxing into MMA."I don't think I'd be anywhere near where I'm at now without Phil and Tom and coach [Andrew] Fisher," he says."I went [to train with Aspinall] and I thought I was really good and I just got knocked off. Really bad. I thought, 'oh my god', I'm useless at this. It's like starting adds: "I know I haven't had many fights in the UFC but I'm already ranked. "Heavyweight, you get pushed a little bit more, because there's just not many of Fries - globetrotter finds home as KSW heavyweight champ I never want to fight Aspinall - Parkin The heavyweight scene in the UK has often been scarce. Parkin says he turned pro because he struggled for opponents in the amateur recent years have seen two key men emerge and find success in very different factions. Manchester fighter Aspinall, 31, shot through the UFC ranks and is now the number one heavyweight contender in the UFC, waiting for his shot at champion and legend Jon De Fries, 38, is one of KSW's biggest star. He is the European promotion powerhouse's most dominant champion with eleven successful defences since 2018.'Extraordinary' - the case for Aspinall to fight Jones in numbersParkin sits number 13 in the UFC's rankings. He fights number eight contender Marcin Tybura at UFC London on Saturday. The heavyweight division, not unlike boxing, continues to dominate attention in the scene is primed for another heavyweight to step up and under the tutelage of Aspinall and De Fries, Parkin could be that that doesn't mean Parkin has any aspirations to fight Aspinall in the future, quite the opposite."I wouldn't want to fight him. He's my friend, but I was hoping by the time I got there he'd be completely done, and maybe hopefully get this Jon Jones fight and get loads of money and retire," Parkin says."But I'm still loads of fights off that yet, and like, unless it was for crazy money, I just wouldn't want to fight him, really."I'm 13th ranked now. I know I'm fighting eighth but there's still potentially 15 guys I have to beat to even get there.""I think Tybura had like 20 odd UFC fights," Parkin adds. "So you kind of can't be not good having 20 UFC fights, you know. I do think I'm probably better than him. I do believe that."
BBC News
20-02-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Edwards gets Brady & Pimblett fights Chandler in UFC reshuffle
Britain's Leon Edwards will face American Sean Brady in the main event at UFC London on 22 March after a big reshuffle by the original opponent Jack Della Maddalena will take on Belal Muhammad for the welterweight title at UFC 315 in Quebec, Canada on 10 fellow Briton Paddy Pimblett will face American lightweight Michael Chandler in the co-main event at UFC 314 in Miami, Florida on 12 card is topped by a featherweight title fight between Australian Alexander Volkanovski and Brazil's Diego Lopes after Ilia Topuria vacated his president Dana White announced the changes on social media, adding that Spain's Topuria is moving up to lightweight because he feels he has "cemented his legacy" at co-main event at UFC 315 will feature Kyrgyzstan-born flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko defending her belt against France's Manon Fiorot. Birmingham's Edwards, 33, will be looking to bounce back from his defeat by American Muhammad last Della Maddalena has been selected to face Muhammad because number one contender Shavkat Rakhmonov is new opponent Brady, 32, is on a two-fight winning run, with his last fight coming against Brazil's Gilbert Burns in Pimblett, meanwhile, is looking to extend his six-fight unbeaten streak in the 30-year-old last fought in July, earning an impressive win over American Bobby UFC has also announced the signing of former Bellator featherweight and lightweight champion Patricio 'Pitbull' Brazilian, 37, was released by the PFL after he publicly criticised the promotion in January, and will make his debut against Mexico's Yair Rodriguez at UFC 314.
