Latest news with #UFC319
USA Today
16 hours 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
18 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
'Meet him head on': Michael Bisping advises Dricus Du Plessis how to fight Khamzat Chimaev
Michael Bisping warns Dricus Du Plessis not to back up against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319. Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) defends his middleweight title against Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in the Aug. 16 main event at United Center in Chicago (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+). Bisping acknowledges the work Chimaev has put in for his cardio, but doubts Du Plessis feels threatened. "Dricus Du Plessis, I mean, you cannot doubt this guy," Bisping said on ESPN's UFC on ABC 9 post show. "He said he wants to fight Khamzat on the ground. He said everyone else tries to avoid the ground with him, he said, 'I want to fight the best version of him. I want to test my skills against his on the ground.' He's not intimidated. "There are videos of Dricus Du Plessis online taking on an entire Gracie Barra blackbelt team and submitting them all one by one. He's big, he's strong, he can wrestle, he's got great judo, he's got knockout power. He's had a nose job so. He's got a great gas tank now as well. They hate each other. They absolutely hate each other." That being said, Bisping is confident that Chimaev will succeed in taking Du Plessis down. He advises the champion not to shy away from the early onslaught that the undefeated contender brings. "(Chimaev) is going to get you down," Bisping said. "Look at what he did to (Robert) Whittaker. Look at what he did to (Kamaru) Usman. Usman, with that fight you might go, 'Oh yeah, Usman's had his best days behind him.' Then, look what he did to Joaquin Buckley. "He's still got it. That's how good Khamzat Chimaev is at wrestling. So if you try and just do everything you can to avoid him and get away and run, you're just running away the entire time. He's going to get you. Nah, screw that. Meet him head on. Fight him at his own game."
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Meet him head on': Michael Bisping advises Dricus Du Plessis how to fight Khamzat Chimaev
Michael Bisping warns Dricus Du Plessis not to back up against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319. Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) defends his middleweight title against Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in the Aug. 16 main event at United Center in Chicago (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+). Bisping acknowledges the work Chimaev has put in for his cardio, but doubts Du Plessis feels threatened. "Dricus Du Plessis, I mean, you cannot doubt this guy," Bisping said on ESPN's UFC on ABC 9 post show. "He said he wants to fight Khamzat on the ground. He said everyone else tries to avoid the ground with him, he said, 'I want to fight the best version of him. I want to test my skills against his on the ground.' He's not intimidated. "There are videos of Dricus Du Plessis online taking on an entire Gracie Barra blackbelt team and submitting them all one by one. He's big, he's strong, he can wrestle, he's got great judo, he's got knockout power. He's had a nose job so. He's got a great gas tank now as well. They hate each other. They absolutely hate each other." That being said, Bisping is confident that Chimaev will succeed in taking Du Plessis down. He advises the champion not to shy away from the early onslaught that the undefeated contender brings. "(Chimaev) is going to get you down," Bisping said. "Look at what he did to (Robert) Whittaker. Look at what he did to (Kamaru) Usman. Usman, with that fight you might go, 'Oh yeah, Usman's had his best days behind him.' Then, look what he did to Joaquin Buckley. "He's still got it. That's how good Khamzat Chimaev is at wrestling. So if you try and just do everything you can to avoid him and get away and run, you're just running away the entire time. He's going to get you. Nah, screw that. Meet him head on. Fight him at his own game." This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Michael Bisping issues warning to Dricus Du Plessis ahead of UFC 319
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lerone Murphy on Aaron Pico bout: 'A fighter like me, who's quiet and whatnot, I've got to take these chances'
Lerone Murphy has the biggest opportunity of his career lined up for Aug. 16 against promotional newcomer Aaron Pico at UFC 319. Competing in the promotion's big return to Chicago wasn't initially part of Murphy's summer plans. Top-ranked featherweight contender Movsar Evloev was instead tasked with welcoming Pico to the Octagon, however Evloev was ultimately forced to withdraw from the bout with an undisclosed injury. Speaking to Uncrowned on Monday's edition of "The Ariel Helwani Show," Murphy revealed that he was offered the matchup on short notice only a matter of days ago, yet he was fully on board with it immediately. "It's going to bring good eyes to me and it's a big opportunity for me now, in the position I'm in, to make some noise and try to get that No. 1 spot," Murphy explained. "A fighter like me, who's quiet and whatnot, I've got to take these chances. They're not going to give me nothing for free. "A fight's a fight. For me, I'm going in there with no pressure. Don't get it twisted, he's coming from another organization, but this kid's good. This kid's high level. I believe this is like a championship-level fight. He's good enough to compete with anyone in that division, especially in the top 10. So yeah, I think it's a big fight, it's a big stop to tick." Murphy, 34, joins the fast-growing list of UFC stalwarts to receive the honor of tackling one of the promotion's big-name acquisitions from the PFL-Bellator merger. Before Pico made the jump, his fellow former Bellator standouts Patchy Mix and Patricio Pitbull notably floundered in their UFC debuts. Despite Pico's lack of comparative experience to those two, Murphy doesn't want to discredit his next obstacle. The Brit also saw no reason to refuse the fight just because Pico has yet to debut. "He's fought some good guys, to be fair, but definitely not the level of guys I've fought," Murphy said. "I've fought better fighters than he has, so I think I've got the edge in experience. But yeah, he's wrestled from [early childhood] as well, so a fight's a fight. I've been in there with the best of the guys, and I'll be ready for Aaron Pico. Simple. "The game's the game. Listen, from a business perspective, people would probably have said, 'You shouldn't take the fight, sit out and wait for a big opportunity.' But it's like, for me, I think this is a big opportunity. I just want to fight as well, bro. I'm not getting no younger. I just want to stay active, I want to fight. Everybody else seems to get surgery and whatnot. Do I want to be sat out waiting until December, November? No, I don't. I'm ready to go now. So, whoever, whenever. "If I believe I can be champion, I've got to be able to fight anybody in any given moment, and that's it for me," Murphy continued. "We took the fight. I know it's a tough fight. I know it's a dangerous fight. Big risk, big reward, isn't it? Simple. I'm happy and I'm excited." As a UFC newcomer, Pico still finds himself in a massive spot with the late opponent switch, switching from one undefeated top featherweight contender to another. Like Evloev, Murphy has long been on a tear, winning 16 of his 17 career bouts, with the lone non-victory coming in the form of a draw six years ago in his UFC debut. Yet Murphy's winning streak hasn't yet put him at the forefront of title talks. For "The Miracle," he believes that's more a sign of the times than a knock on his talent. "I feel like MMA nowadays is like the WWE. You've got to have it all," Murphy said. "You've got to have the acting skills, there's a lot that comes with the game. "It's not just about who's the best fighter. If it was, there's a lot of guys that would have fought for the title a long time ago. It's about who's the fan favorite, and you see other guys in the division getting big, fast pushes. I fought two main events, beat two guys in main events. Two five-rounders. Three guys in the top 15, and I've still got to fight these people [like Pico]. So that just goes to show, if you're a fan favorite, you get fast-tracked. It's business, I get it." Murphy believes the same logic can be applied to Evloev and how he was lined up with Pico despite being the No. 1-ranked contender. As successful as Evloev has been, his lack of a finishes in his nine UFC fights has led to speculation that the UFC wants to see him be more exciting before he gets a title shot. But Murphy sees the potential to leapfrog the heap and get a title shot of his own if he takes out Pico. Reigning UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is among the current crop of titleholders still waiting to get their next title defense, which only gives Murphy more confidence he can make waves with an impactful performance. If nothing else, UFC 319 provides a good spotlight that the Brit intends to capitalize on. "I just explained the game," Murphy said. "When you look at it from the UFC's perspective, it's like, who's going to sell the pay-per-views? It's a business, and who's going to pay to see Volkanovski vs. Evloev? I personally would like to see it, but most people probably won't. They'll probably want to see the Diego Lopeses, the Jean Silvas. These guys that have got a bit of hype. The game's the game, isn't it? And if it goes off [merit], maybe Evloev should have gotten the title, but he's just pulled out of this fight here, another opportunity, so it's going to be a long road for him. "I think this fight's going to be a fire fight. I think we're both going to show our weight in gold and I believe this is the No. 1 contender fight. That was the No. 1 contender fight, Evloev and Pico, 100%. And obviously UFC want more U.S. champions, I believe. They've got one U.S. champion now at the moment. "I know if I go out there and do what I need to do, do what I know I can do, everybody's going to be screaming for my shot."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Din Thomas: 'It's a disaster' if Khamzat Chimaev wins title at UFC 319
UFC analyst Din Thomas about has concerns about Khamzat Chimaev's reliability as champion if he claims middleweight gold from Dricus Du Plessis in the UFC 319 main event. After starting his UFC career by becoming the quickest fighter in modern history to three octagon wins, Chimaev's pace had slowed significantly in recent years, with just five fight since September 2020. His talent has been undeniable, however, and he's now just weeks away from challenging Du Plessis in the Aug. 16 headliner at United Center in Chicago (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+). The MMA world is collectively holding its breathe that Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) makes it to fight night without issue. If that happens and he delivers a winning performance against Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC), then Thomas thinks that's where the issues could only begin. "If Khamzat wins it's a disaster," Thomas told MMA Junkie. "You can't tell me a part of you isn't just thinking, 'This fight might not actually happen.' Some of these guys habitual struggle in just making it to the dance. I'm not going to be pessimistic about it and will say he's going to show up. But if he does show up and he's able to win, do we trust him to be able to show up and fight again? That's the thing. "Can he do it twice? Can he do it three times? Because we need movement. I hate when it's static and there's no movement in these divisions and in order to be movement in the divisions, the champions have to fight." Only speculation can be placed on what Chimaev's fighting schedule could look like if he claims UFC gold. However, Thomas ultimately thinks that won't be a reality the promotion will face. His analysis of the 185-pound title bout could evolve as UFC 319 gets closer, but as it currently stands, Thomas is predicting Du Plessis to retain the belt. "I think Dricus wins," Thomas said. "I think he beats him and wears him out earlier, actually, and even before the fifth round. It think he could get a stoppage somewhere in the third. Not just weathering the storm, but matching the pace, being a little more efficient in areas and we just start to see Khamzat slow down a little bit and Dricus take over." To hear more from Thomas, check out his complete appearance on "The Bohnfire" podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn above. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Din Thomas: Khamzat Chimaev title win at UFC 319 would be 'a disaster'
