Latest news with #lightweight
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Daniel Cormier unsure Justin Gaethje's retirement threat will work with UFC
Daniel Cormier has questions about Justin Gaethje's approach with the UFC. Gaethje (26-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) is adamant he should be next in line for UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria after doing the promotion a solid on a couple of occasions. The issue for Gaethje is he's in the running with the likes of Max Holloway, Arman Tsarukyan, and possibly Paddy Pimblett, as well. Gaethje said if the UFC tries to match him up with Pimblett, he doesn't believe they need him anymore. He even threatened to retire if he doesn't get his way, which UFC CEO Dana White called "pretty whacky." Cormier advises Gaethje against making ultimatums with the UFC. "It sounds like he's more than willing now to stand by that and be done," Cormier said on his YouTube channel. "That would suck because MMA is better when Justin Gaethje is fighting. We just had to watch Dustin Poirier retire last weekend and that absolutely sucked. So, what's going to happen this time? We have to walk away from Justin Gaethje, too? That era of fighters that we all fell in love with so much are starting to take the curtain call and go, 'Hey, my time is done. This game is done with me or I'm done with this game.' "Justin seems very, very stern in the idea that if he has to fight Paddy Pimblett, and that's the only option, he's not going to do it. That sucks because I don't know that it's going to make the UFC say, 'We have to give Justin Gaethje a title fight.' I don't know that they're going to do that, especially when you go through all the things that Arman has a case, Paddy has a case." In a recent interview, Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) said he thinks his first title challenger will either be Gaethje or Pimblett, who he faced off with in the octagon after knocking out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 in June. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Justin Gaethje threatening UFC probably won't work, says Daniel Cormier
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Javier Mendez: Khabib Nurmagomedov 'that good,' could have been three-weight UFC champion
ABU DHABI – Javier Mendez could have seen Khabib Nurmagomedov ruling over three UFC weight classes. Nurmagomedov (29-0 MMA, 13-0 UFC) retired as an undefeated UFC lightweight champion after his father passed away. He fought his final fight against Justin Gaethje in October 2020 without his father in his corner. Nurmagomedov is widely considered the most dominant fighter in UFC history. No one had an answer for his intense pressure and wrestling, which he used to maul his opponents. Mendez is so high on Nurmagomedov that he thinks he could have captured two more UFC titles. "From what I remember, the conversations that Khabib and his father had and this was in Russian so it was being interpreted to me, and his father always wanted him at 155," Mendez told MMA Junkie. "(He) was doing great there and if anything, they wanted a legacy fight with GSP. His father envisioned GSP and him. "For me personally, as his coach since 2012, my personal feeling is that this guy could have won easily the lightweight which he did, the welterweight, and the middleweight. I believe he's that good. He would have 100 percent cleaned the clock on all of those three divisions, in my heart, what I seen in my eyes. I've seen him forever, and I watched what he did, and I watched how he kept improving." Nurmagomedov's finals three wins came in submission finishes over three of the lightweight division's best strikers in Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Gaethje. Mendez says he saw exponential growth in "The Eagle's" stand up over the years. "What people don't understand is that he only really did his vast majority of his striking with me so, he wasn't with me, but four, three-and-a-half months of the year, he'd do striking at home, but not with a real coach," Mendez continued. "It was only me and maybe a few of my other coaches, 'Pops' Carvalho, and that's pretty much it. We were the only ones training him. That's why people don't realize that Khabib – watch his evolvement in the striking from one, to another, to another. "You'll see him jumping up levels. At the very end there, he literally was beating up all the guys in stand up. Just standup, and I'd just put him in with pro boxers, and he'd beat them up in standup, too. That's how good he was getting, but unfortunately the world don't get to see him anymore because without his father, he just didn't feel that it was the right thing. So hey, it all worked out in God's plan, and now it's father's plan." Nurmagomedov's protege Islam Makhachev will look to capture a second UFC belt when he challenges welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena later in the year. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Coach: Khabib Nurmagomedov could have been three-weight UFC champion
The Independent
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Rumoured Paddy Pimblett opponent Justin Gaethje provides major update on UFC title picture
UFC lightweight Justin Gaethje has emphatically ruled himself out of a No 1 contender's fight with Paddy Pimblett, again threatening to leave the promotion. After Pimblett dominated Michael Chandler en route to a stoppage win in April, many fans were finally forced to accept the Liverpudlian as a top contender at 155lb. Then, in June, the Briton's old rival Ilia Topuria knocked out Charles Oliveira in rapid fashion to win the lightweight title. Those factors could combine to set up a grudge match between Pimblett and Topuria for the belt, although the consensus is that a bout between 'Paddy The Baddy' and Gaethje also makes sense. However, Gaethje has now doubled down on a previous claim that he will not fight anyone other than the champion next, and that he could leave the UFC if he is not given a title shot. When asked if he would face Pimblett next, the American told ESPN on Tuesday (22 July): 'Absolutely not. If that's the route that they want me to take, then I don't believe that they need me anymore. You know what I mean? 'I know that sounds petty or whatever, but I'm No 3. I'm 3-1 in my last four, the champion was calling to fight me, they vacated. They bring a new guy in, and they give a guy that's 2-2 the fight.' Gaethje, 36, was referring to Islam Makhachev's desire to fight him, before the Russian gave up the belt with an eye on a welterweight title shot. Topuria then stopped Oliveira (2-2 in his previous four bouts) to win the vacant strap. 'So if their algorithm and their math tells them just to use me until I get beat,' Gaethje continued, 'then I'm going to have to really reevaluate what I'm doing here, because I signed up for a merit-based system. 'I have lived by that, and if they want to give Arman [Tsarukyan] the fight, which... Arman s*** the bed, had the fight; I had the fight, but I took another fight for them. He had the fight, but pulled out because his back hurt. Those are two different scenarios [...] I'm going to be upset about that.' Gaethje was referring to the possibility that Tsarukyan could be next for Topuria, despite the Armenian-Russian pulling out of a title shot against Makhachev in January. One day before that scheduled fight, Tsarukyan withdrew while citing a back injury. Meanwhile, Gaethje fought and beat Rafael Fiziev – for the second time – in March, despite Makhachev's wish to face him. Although Tsarukyan has a claim to a title shot, it was Pimblett who was brought into the cage to face off with Topuria after the latter won the lightweight gold. 'I knew that it was a mistake, I knew that it wasn't the UFC's doing,' Gaethje said. 'I knew it was kind of just what was happening because of the environment with Joe [Rogan, UFC commentator] calling him in. 'I was obviously upset. My nephew was there with me, I walked out with both of my fingers in the air. At first, while [Topuria] was doing his interview, they were trying to put me and Arman in camera frame together – because I was trying to exit, he was right behind me, and they were filming him. 'And I kept moving to get out of the way so they could film him, and they kept readjusting and putting me in frame. I was like, 'What are you doing?' [A camera operator was] pointing at both of us two, saying he was trying to get us in a frame together. So, as Paddy and [Topuria] are in there, they're trying to put me and Arman in a frame. 'And I was like: 'F*** you, get that f*****g camera away from me. You f*****g wish that you were going to do this right now. Go f*** yourself.'' Despite the pressure that Gaethje is putting on the UFC to give him a title fight, with the potential that the former interim champion leaves the promotion amid this episode, he has refused to retire from MMA. 'I don't even want to entertain that conversation,' Gaethje said, 'because like I said: I have all the desire to compete. If I felt that in any way, then I would be done here. 'I just want to – obviously, from a biased perspective – be recognised as the most consistent and one of the top guys in the world. I did what I did. How many more fights do I have to... If I fight fights where if they win they get a championship, and then I win and it's still, 'I'm maybe going to have to fight someone else,' this is not the situation that I wanted to get myself in. 'And this is the situation I'm going to keep myself from. And that's where we're at.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Justin Gaethje 'going to be upset' if UFC offers Paddy Pimblett, not Ilia Topuria
Justin Gaethje said he will have some serious decisions to make if he's left out of the UFC lightweight title picture and pushed toward Paddy Pimblett next. Gaethje (26-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) is stumping hard to be the next to challenge newly crowned 155-pound titleholder Ilia Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) next and "El Matador" knocked out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 in June to capture the vacant belt. With three wins in his past four fights, with the lone exception being his famous knockout loss to Max Holloway in their BMF title fight at UFC 300, Gaethje thinks his track record and reliability makes him the top candidate for Topuria's first title defense. Gaethje acknowledges that Holloway, who just beat Dustin Poirier at UFC 318 this past Saturday, and Arman Tsarukyan should also be in the running. However, he thinks he should be the selection. "I've been talking a lot, saying what I feel I deserve, what I want – but ultimately I think it's such a timing thing when it comes down to who is going to fight Ilia next," Gaethje told ESPN. "I think I'm one of three, with Max having a big win. It's me, Arman or Max I would assume that has to fight him, if he's going to fight this year. If he's not going to fight this year then who knows what's going to happen. But for me, I've said my piece and now I need to train and work out and all these guys are really good. "I hope it's Ilia, I hope it's November and I hope it's in Madison Square Garden. That's what I'm planning for and trying to speak into existence, but you never know with the UFC and I can only worry about what I can control, and that's how ready I'll be for my next fight." Following Topuria's win over Oliveira at UFC 317, he was passive about the idea of facing Gaethje next and noted it would be unfair matchmaking. Prior to the event, Topuria said a logical title eliminator would be Gaethje against Paddy Pimblett, and Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) agreed with that notion. But then he beat Oliveira and Pimblett was brought into the octagon for a faceoff with Topuria, putting momentum between those two longtime rivals. Although UFC CEO Dana White said afterward that Pimblett entering the octagon for the staredown was a promotional misstep, he didn't articulate any clear plans for Topuria's first defense. Gaethje, 36, said if the UFC goes another direction with Topuria and then tries to book him against Pimblett, he might have to reconsider his place in the organization. "Absolutely not (fighting Pimblett)," Gaethje said. "If that's the route that they want me to take, then I don't believe that they need me anymore. I know that sounds petty or whatever, but I'm No. 3, I'm 3-1 in my last four, the champion (Islam Makhachev) was calling to fight me and he vacated. They bring a new guy in and give a guy who is 2-2 the fight. If their algorithm and their match tells them to just use me until I get beat, then I'm going to have to really reevaluate what I'm doing here. "I've signed up for a merit-based system. I have lived by that. If they want to give Arman, which Arman had the fight, then I had the fight and I took someone else. He had the fight and pulled out. Those are two different scenarios. For me to get put in the same position and fight for my spot, then I'm going to be upset about that." Ultimately, Gaethje said he's one to focus on the positive. He is thinking about the ideal outcome for his own career, and that would be getting the title shot against Topuria before the 2025 calendar closes out, then go into 2026 with the desire to rematch Holloway at the UFC White House card and cap his own career in epic fashion. Best case scenario, best chapter of my book, if it happens I will believe this is a simulation, but I beat Topuria this year, defend it against Holloway on the White House lawn, then retire with the BMF and the championship belts," Gaethje said. "There's no better way for me to write it. But I'm a little bias." This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Justin Gaethje wants Ilia Topuria UFC title fight, not Paddy Pimblett
Forbes
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Max Holloway: Betting Odds For His Next Opponent After UFC 318
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JULY 19: Max Holloway prepares to face Dustin Poirier in the BMF ... More championship bout during the UFC 318 event at Smoothie King Center on July 19, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC) Max Holloway walked into the Octagon on Saturday with the BMF title around his waist and a 0-2 record against his foe in the UFC 318 main event, Dustin Poirier. After 25 minutes of back-and-forth action, Holloway had the BMF title wrapped around his waist by Lil Wayne, who had walked to the cage with Louisiana native Poirier, after his unanimous decision win over Poirier. With Poirier retiring after UFC 318, most of the talk surrounded Holloway's next fight. We look at who the former UFC featherweight champion, now a full-time lightweight, could face following UFC 318. "I think he's in a great position right now,' UFC CEO Dana White said when asked about Holloway's options after UFC 318. 'He just defended that BMF title, he's ranked No. 4 there [lightweight]When asked if he thought that UFC lightweight champ Ilia Topuria could fight Holloway for the BMF title, White smiled and said, 'Yes, I do.' That fight would be a rematch. Before moving to lightweight to capture the UFC 155-pound title with a knockout win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 317, Topuria handed Holloway his first career knockout loss, stopping him in the third-round of their UFC 308 matchup. That knockout win was Topuria last fight as a featherweight. Topuria won the title in February 2024 with a knockout win over Alexander Volkanovski. The Holloway win was his only attempted defense of his crown. Topuria is the No. 1 fighter in the official UFC pound-for-pound rankings. Holloway entered UFC 318 as the No. 11 fighter in those rankings. Holloway did call out Topuria in his post-fight interview without using his name. 'A lot of (expletives) are coming after this BMF belt,' Holloway said. 'Come get me! 'And I got some history with the champ. So, UFC, it's your move next, baby.' Holloway also mentioned Charles Oliveira as a potential opponent in his next trip to the Octagon. 'There's also Oliveira, I heard he was yapping saying our first fight was with injuries. He had an injury when we fought. But last time I check, when they did a follow-up and wanted to find what the injury was, there was no injury report on it,' Holloway said on the UFC's About Last Fight. 'They said he was fine. So I have no idea what the (expletive) he is talking about.' Holloway and Oliveira fought in 2015. That fight ended in 69 seconds into the first round when Oliveira suffered an injury. That injury was later revealed to be a micro-tear of Oliveira's esophagus. Holloway has a career record of 27-8. He is 4-1 in his past five outings with his only loss coming to Topuria. He holds many UFC records, including most significant strikes landed (3,655) and most strikes landed (3,907). Odds On Who Max Holloway Will Face Next Charles Oliveira: +210 Ilia Topuria: +300 Arman Tsarukyan: +650 Paddy Pimblett: +650 Alexander Volkanovski: +700 Brian Ortega: +700 Movsar Evloev: +750 Arnold Allen: +850 Aljamain Sterling: +1000 *Odds via Bovada We will have more on Max Holloway and his next opponent when that fight is announced.
