Latest news with #UFC223
USA Today
12-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Javier Mendez: Belal Muhammad's UFC 315 loss caused by issue Khabib Nurmagomedov faced
Javier Mendez: Belal Muhammad's UFC 315 loss caused by issue Khabib Nurmagomedov faced Javier Mendez disagrees with Belal Muhammad's approach in his UFC 315 title loss, but understands why he did it. Muhammad (24-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) opted to predominantly strike in his unanimous decision loss to Jack Della Maddalena (18-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in Saturday's main event at Bell Centre in Montreal. As a result, he suffered a broken nose, orbital bone, and a split lip. Mendez recalls former undefeated UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov's eagerness to show off his striking and prove that he's not just an elite grappler. While Nurmagomedov never paid for it when he stood and traded with Al Iaquinta in their vacant title fight at UFC 223, Muhammad did against Della Maddalena. "None of us thought that Belal would be able to beat him just standing up, so he wanted to do what none of us thought that he could do, that's what I'm thinking," Mendez told Submission Radio. "I could be wrong, but that's what it appeared like to me that he wanted to stand. He didn't want to implement what got him the title. I used to be on Khabib all the time because Khabib, everybody always criticized him for not being good at striking. "I'd always keep him on track, but he'd always go off track trying to prove to people that he could stand, and he could stand as the fights went on later. Later, he was able to stand really well – extremely well. But I still didn't like that because I wanted him to go back to what made him the best, and that's the mistake a lot of fighters make. They want to try to prove their point that they can do things that people think they can't do." Mendez also gave credit to Della Maddalena for his ability to keep the fight on the feet. "At the same time, too, maybe Jack didn't allow him those opportunities," Mendez said. "But Jack did a great job. He mixes up his punches and his kicks really well, keeps his distance really well, stayed in the middle the majority of the time. He's all around just a really, really good fighter."
USA Today
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Tony Ferguson reflects on UFC departure: 'It was the hardest f*cking thing I had to do'
Tony Ferguson's release from the UFC was an emotional time in his career. Ferguson (25-11) parted ways with the UFC after almost 14 years of competing inside the octagon. It was a successful ride for Ferguson, who kickstarted his tenure by winning Season 13 of 'The Ultimate Fighter' in 2011 en route to capturing the UFC interim lightweight championship. However, Ferguson closed out his run on a historic downfall after amassing a UFC-record eight consecutive losses, most recently a submission to Michael Chiesa last August at UFC on ABC 7. 'I have to tell you, I packed up all my UFC stuff, I put it into bags, and it was the hardest f*cking thing I had to do,' Ferguson said Monday on 'The Ariel Helwani Show.' 'It was a couple of days where it took time for me to be able to adjust. I put everything in big storage bags, and I was ready to move on. I went into 'The Ultimate Fighter' with the purpose of winning a fat check so I can help my family out, my grandma and everything, and I ended up getting a contract. So, this whole entire process has never been a disappointment, 'But what it has been is a learning experience of how, one, about how I go about my business. Two, about how I treat my close circle. Three, about how I want to plan for the future. Right now where we're at in this stage, it's so amazing that there is an opportunity for a lot of other people to display their things and new clothes and a new jersey and a new name on the shirt. It's such a great feeling to have and a relief to move on. No bad blood anywhere, I think this is great.' 'I'm a human being' Ferguson has already moved on. He inked a deal with the Global Fight League and said he'll fight Dillon Danis on May 11 in Los Angeles. While Ferguson is at peace with his time in the UFC, he can't help but feel bitter about some of the things that happened – including being stripped of his interim title when he withdrew from his title bout against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223 after blowing out his knee in a freak accident. 'I have fought for f*cking, I don't know how many years waiting for a championship and then getting it and then having it taken and then dangling in front of me again. Like what? What do you think I am? I'm a human being,' Ferguson said. 'I'm not trying to b*tch and moan. I'm a tough motherf*cker, and I'm a human being, but at least if you do this to me, you're not going to feel bad for doing it to the next person. And then there's a lawsuit, and there's other things, but that's not what I'm focused on. My focus is always to what? Keep the sport moving.'
