Latest news with #UFC303
Time of India
a day ago
- Sport
- Time of India
'Let's not talk about Jon Jones anymore' - Tom Aspinall shuts down comparisons to Michael Chandler's wait for Conor McGregor
Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall (Photo via Getty Images) & Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) The long wait for Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall's heavyweight unification bout has led to the rise of several claims, speculation, and rumors, which also involve the current heavyweight champion's retirement plans. The interim champion, too, believes that Bones is now retired, as expressed through his posts on X, which highlight the fighter's best life. While such speculation amuses UFC fans and the community, the latest addition to this list is the comparison drawn between Aspinall and Michael Chandler , who waited for a long period to get a fight booked against Conor McGregor . The English fighter was quick to respond to this comparison in his recent interview. Tom Aspinall reveals his future plans within the UFC, expresses his desire to fight the top contenders of the division Michael Chandler took a two-year break after losing to Dustin Poirier in November 2022 before finally agreeing to fight the Irish fighter Conor McGregor at UFC 303 in June 2024. The bout was a supposed comeback for the Notorious as well after his loss to Poirier at UFC 264. McGregor even suffered a leg injury during the fight. After a long hiatus of almost 3 years, fans were excited for the Irish fighter's comeback. However, much to the fans' dismay, the bout got cancelled owing to a toe injury suffered by McGregor. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like USDJPY đang đi lên không? IC Markets Đăng ký Undo Ever since, the fighter has shown no signs of stepping back into the ring. Regardless of what went down in the lightweight division, the situation for Tom Aspinall and Jon Jones within the heavyweight division is quite different, as revealed by the interim champion in his recent interview with ESPN MMA. 'I've seen a lot of people comparing me to Michael Chandler. He waited a long time for Conor McGregor.' The fighter stated, 'I'm not waiting for one fight. I'm not trying to fight one guy. I'm trying to fight ALL the guys.' Aspinall has set his ambitions quite high and seems to have gotten over the no-response situation of Jon Jones, 'I'm trying to be THE guy at heavyweight who takes out everybody. It doesn't matter who it is, Ciryl Gane, Volkov rematch, Almeida, Derrick Lewis, Brock Lesnar. Whoever it is, I don't care. I wanna fight everybody, and I wanna fight as much as possible, get some excitement back in this division.' 'Let's not talk about Jon Jones anymore.' Owing to the retirement speculations of Bones, Aspinall further stated, 'I'm the active guy. I'm gonna fight somebody, and that's gonna be announced pretty soon.' Also read: UFC Fans get divided as new training video of middleweight fighter Khamzat Chimaev goes viral ahead of the title bout at UFC 319 The UFC has not yet announced the next course of action within the heavyweight division. Meanwhile, the petition to strip Jon Jones of his title has gained more and more momentum with each passing day. The petition is just a few signatures away from hitting the 200,000 milestone.
USA Today
27-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Merab Dvalishvili assures toe injury won't impact UFC 316 title fight vs. Sean O'Malley
Merab Dvalishvili assures toe injury won't impact UFC 316 title fight vs. Sean O'Malley Bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili says his toe injury is of no concern heading into UFC 316. Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) runs things back with Sean O'Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in the June 7 main event from Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Just weeks before his title fight, Dvalishvili shared a video showing off a severely bruised pinky toe, raising speculation that it could be broken. "Toe is good," Dvalishvili affirmed on the "Believe You Me" podcast. "Like I said, if something, I can cut it off, but I don't need to cut it off (laughs). It's good. It doesn't bother me." "The Machine" was asked about Conor McGregor withdrawing from his return fight against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 last June due to a broken pinky toe, but the champion tried to refrain from taking any shots at him. "I don't want to comment about Conor McGregor's toe because I don't know the exact pain or situation, but I still have nine other toes, and it's fine," Dvalishvili said. Dvalishvili admitted that it could be hard to get up for a second fight with O'Malley after dominating him in their first encounter last September. He does, however, plan to fine tune a few things for their rematch. "Not a big change, but maybe more striking," Dvalishvili said. "It was my first title fight, and I was more focused on winning the fight, and I was the underdog and I didn't care what people were going to say. Now, I'm going to be more focused to show a good fight, and I'm going to show more striking."
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Is Merab ducking rematch with O'Malley? Dvalishvili battles broken toe and cut as UFC 316 title clash with Sean O'Malley nears
Grit meets setback as Dvalishvili pushes through pain With the clock ticking down to UFC 316 , Merab Dvalishvili 's training camp has taken a dramatic and painful turn. The reigning UFC bantamweight champion , who is on a remarkable 12-fight win streak, is preparing for a highly anticipated rematch against Sean O'Malley. But with a nasty cut under his eye and now a broken pinky toe, his fight week outlook is clouded with uncertainty. Dvalishvili sustained the toe injury while sparring with undefeated prospect Cameron Sandoval. A miscalculated head kick during the session led to an unexpected outcome, Dvalishvili's pinky toe snapped on impact. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Semua yang Perlu Anda Ketahui Tentang Limfoma Limfoma Pelajari Undo Also read: Sit back and watch, uncle Chael: Makhachev responds as Sonnen accuses him of running from a real fight 'Why you break my toe, my friend?' Dvalishvili asked in a video shared online, showing his swollen foot. Live Events 'That was you, you kicked me in the head and broke your toe. That's just wrong,' Sandoval replied with a laugh, adding levity to the situation. The champion has brushed off the injury publicly, maintaining his trademark grit, but history has shown how such injuries can derail a high-stakes fight. Conor McGregor's toe injury offers an ominous parallel Just last year, former UFC champion Conor McGregor pulled out of his comeback fight against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 due to a similar pinky toe fracture. The Irishman, who had never withdrawn from a bout before, stated he would not compete unless fully healed. McGregor's injury was eerily similar to Dvalishvili's, and fans have started drawing comparisons as they watch the champion's training camp unfold. The worry isn't unfounded, Dvalishvili has also been recovering from a serious cut near his eye, suffered earlier in the same camp. Also read: UFC 317 fight card: Dana White announces headliners for vacant lightweight title; other major clashes While Dvalishvili continues to train and post optimistic updates, the timing and accumulation of injuries raise concerns about his readiness. The Georgian fighter remains confident, though, and there is no official word of a withdrawal. If he does step into the Octagon at UFC 316, Dvalishvili will look to defend his title and improve to 2-0 over O'Malley, whom he defeated by unanimous decision last September at the Sphere. For now, the MMA world holds its breath, hoping 'The Machine' is able to keep rolling through pain and pressure.
Time of India
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
UFC boss Dana White downplays Conor McGregor's request in a shocking revelation - 'He is not fighting anytime soon'
Conor McGregor and Dana White. Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images MMA fans finally have an answer, as the UFC boss , Dana White , on Friday, May 16, 2025, dismissed the idea of Conor McGregor 's return to the Octagon. Supporters of the Irish fighter had a hope when the Notorious recently posted a set of cryptic words on his Instagram story, which were still dicey owing to the fighter's previous vague statements of picking up the gloves again. Conor McGregor's vague comeback statement continues to be a mere gimmick as UFC CEO Dana White dismisses any possible bout for the fighter Former UFC champion Conor McGregor was last seen going head-on against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264, where the former broke his leg during the bout. Post that, the Irish fighter was supposed to face Michael Chandler at UFC 303 but had to withdraw owing to a toe injury. Since then, there have been no signs of the fighter stepping back into the Octagon anytime soon. Instead of any concrete announcement or confirmation of a comeback bout, the fighter engages in posting occasional training clips and cryptic statements that partly hint at his return to the Octagon. Recently, the fighter was seen posting a series of cryptic messages on his Instagram stories directed towards the UFC executives and the boss, Dana White. Across two different stories, his statements read '@danawhite @tkogroup call that big b**t nurse' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 3 Reasons to Plug This Into Your Home Today elecTrick - Save upto 80% on Power Bill Learn More Undo 'Let's get this show started @ufc' It has been quite some time since the fighter had last tagged the promotion and its executives directly in a comeback statement. Which is why fans were somewhat more optimistic rather than being sceptical about McGregor's potential comeback. But much to the dismay of the community, Dana White, on May 16, made a revelation about his recent interaction with McGregor, which crushed the hopes of the fans. In a recent clip, the UFC CEO makes a statement about the potential comeback of the fighter, 'He is not fighting anytime soon. I haven't talked to him in a minute. Yeah…I don't know.' Also read: UFC color commentator Daniel Cormier reacts to heavyweight champion Jon Jones' hypothetical claims Dana White, plain and simple, dismissed the fighter's supposed request that was made via the Instagram stories. Fighters like Michael Chandler, too, waited for McGregor to step back into the Octagon before finally moving on with other fighters, thereby concentrating on their own careers. With White's statement, McGregor's claims become irrelevant, and fans can now be assured about the probable future of the fighter inside the Octagon. Get IPL 2025 match schedules , squads , points table , and live scores for CSK , MI , RCB , KKR , SRH , LSG , DC , GT , PBKS , and RR . Check the latest IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Former UFC champion Jiri Prochazka turns down massive title bout offer to prioritise university exams
Czech fighter Jiri Prochazka 's title run chances might not have met their end, as his manager, Tim Simpson , discloses new information on the UFC approaching the fighter for the upcoming International Fight Week 2025 at the Ariel Helwani Show. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Having lost the title to Alex Pereira in 2023, the fighter had another shot at UFC 303 but failed at reclaiming the belt. In a recent negotiation for the promotion, Jiri supposedly declined a title bout offer at UFC 317 for another interesting opponent in life— university exams . Jiri Prochazka, for his next bout in the Octagon, prefers full training camps rather than short-notice fights Recently, Alex Pereira made a post on X about the Poatan's weary relationship with the UFC, which the fighter later claimed was the work of a hacker. Ever since, the MMA sphere has had its own set of theories regarding the truth of the claims. The now-deleted post also emphasized the twisted negotiations between the UFC and the fighter. With Tim Simpson, Jiri Prochazka's manager, revealing the recent interaction between UFC and the Czech fighter, the interpretation of Poatan's recent activity becomes slightly different. At the Ariel Helwani Show, the host asked Simpson about the current status of the fighter's next bout, to which the manager replied, stating, 'Yes, they inquired about if Jiri could do it.' Simpson referred to a title bout between Prochazka and Magomed Ankalaev instead of a rematch with Alex Pereira. He further continued, 'The UFC just wanna know what their options are and I felt like it may not have been necessarily an option for sure.' Darren Till, Valentina Shevchenko, Benoit Saint Denis, Bhullar and Simpson in studio, OTN | 05/14/25 With not much time left for the IFW, it seems like Jiri is not very interested in the bout. According to his manager, the fighter is more focused on clearing his university exams. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Simpson revealed the real reason for the fighter declining the title bout offer, 'He's doing his exams. That's legit. He's deferred them so many times. Like, man, 'I can't defer this exam…' So, he wants to finish the exams. But also, he's done a lot of short notice stuff for them before.' The fighter himself believes that short-notice fights affect his performance as a whole, another major reason for being sceptical about the offer. 'When he gets full proper [training] camps, he looks so much better because he's so diligent with his body. So, I don't think he's gonna be a short notice guy anytime soon.' The manager stated. Also read: Jiri Prochazka has previously stepped up for short notice during his past few years in the UFC. However, now, after clearing his university exams, the fighter will be opting for full training camp before any of his bouts.
