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The UFC’s habit of keeping the purse strings tight when it comes to fighter pay has had a couple of long term unintended consequences. First and foremost, over the past handful of years, fans have begun to see increasing stagnation among the title contenders all up and down the promotion’s 12 weight classes. Fighters know that if they’re going to get paid they need to fight for a belt, taking on lower-ranked rising prospects is an all risk, no reward scenario.

The other trend that’s emerged in recent years has been that of the ‘superfight’ and the double champ. Much like the contenders below them, champions are starting to realize that benefits to taking on new challengers are few and far between. If they’re going to make the most money they can by A) keeping their title and B) fighting on the biggest PPVs possible, then it’s not hard to see why a champion vs. champion matchmaking is has only become more popular.

UFC bantamweight champ Sean O’Malley campaigning for fight with Ilia Topuria

It was something of an interesting twist, then, when Sean O’Malley announced last year that he had no real interest in fighting Alexander Volkanovski, in part, it seems, because of Volk’s dominance over the division at 145 lbs.

“[Volkanovski] would be a very very difficult fight,” O’Malley explained at the time. “I mean, do I believe I could knock him out? 100%. I believe I could knock out anybody around 135-145. 55? That would be a little tougher, I’d need to put on some L-Bs. But Volk’s a very difficult fight. I’m not saying I’ll never fight him, that’s just not what I want now.”

That said, with a new champion now in place, it seems O’Malley’s reservations are a whole lot lower. Ilia Topuria took the crown this past weekend at UFC 298. While O’Malley recognizes he’s still got a couple challengers ahead of him, on a recent episode of the MMA Hour he made it sound like the Georgian is definitely on his radar for a future battle.

“I’m trying to call out a fight that I feel is exciting, that’s like holy s***,” O’Malley explained, defending his interest in fighting Topuria (transcript via MMA Fighting). “But I got a lot of pushback on it. I don’t know if people actually want me to fight Merab as much as they just hate the confidence that I have that I would go out there and knock out Ilia.

“But I decided, I’ve said what I needed to say, I’ve sent my message to Ilia. If Merab is next, Merab is next. I can get Ilia whenever, whenever the time comes. I haven’t talked to the UFC because obviously there’s nothing to talk about. I’ve got Chito Vera, March 9. That’s what’s next. That’s what I need to focus on.”

Islam Makhachev’s coach makes case for welterweight title fight

Sean O’Malley isn’t the only one setting his sights on a potential double-champ run. Heir to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s lightweight crown, Islam Makhachev has two title defenses under his belt now, after winning gold back in October of 2022. Both of those, as it happens, against then-featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski.

Among current lightweight contenders, Makhachev has a win over Charles Oliveira, whom he defeated to claim the belt back at UFC 280, and a narrow 2019 victory over Arman Tsarukyan. The path should be wide open for fighters like Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, or Michael Chandler to make a run, but that hasn’t stopped Makhachev’s coach, Javier Mendez, from positing a potential path to fighting for welterweight gold instead in a recent interview with Casino Alpha (transcript via MMA Fighting).

“After Ramadan, I’m hoping the UFC will fight Islam at Madison Square Garden—only because it’s good for his marketability to fight in the U.S.,” Mendez explained. “That’s what I’d like, but right now there’s no fight on the horizon for him just yet. I’m sure soon the UFC will announce a return for him, but just not yet.

“Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, and then the welterweight title. They would be my three next fights for Islam. I’d like to see Islam become the welterweight world champion in 2025. I’d love to see that, and I know he would too. If we get two fights this year, who knows, you might see the UFC offer him a title shot sooner.”

I guess for the moment we should all just be glad that Alexandre Pantoja… uhh… Dricus Du Plessis? No??? Leon Edwards!? … well I guess there’s nowhere else for Jon Jones or Tom Aspinall to go, so at least we’ve got that. In the meantime, it seems like every other champ in the UFC has their eyes set on an eventual run at an upper-division belt.

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The UFC heads to Mexico City this weekend

UFC Fight Night: Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval goes down in Mexico City this weekend. The flyweight main event is a rematch three years in the making with former champ Brandon Moreno taking on the man he beat at UFC 255, Brandon Royval.

The co-main is another rematch, with Brian Ortega hoping to exact revenge on Yair Rodriguez. The card also features Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Ricky Turcious and Yazmin Jauregui vs. Sam Hughes.

According to MMA Fighting, these fighters (and everyone else on the card) will need to be extra vigilant when competing in Mexico.

That outlet reported that fighters at UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval will be subject to both the UFC’s own drug testing policy and the policies of the Mexican MMA Federation. And it sounds as if the local commission will have much stricter guidelines than the UFC’s own, and somewhat mysterious, protocols.

According to the report fighters will be subject to a zero tolerance policy on a number of banned substances. This means that any amount of those drugs found in a fighter’s system will equate a drug test failure.

List of substances

The UFC recently sent a guideline out to their Mexico City card athletes instructing them when to abstain from specific substances. That guideline also warned that there must be “zero presence” of these substances on weigh-in day and fight day.

Stimulants

• Ritalin: Discontinue use 7 days before weigh-ins
• Adderall: Discontinue use 7 days before weigh-ins
• Solriamfetol: Discontinue use 7 days before weigh-ins
• Modafinil: Discontinue use 7 days before weigh-ins
• Pseudoephedrine: Discontinue use 7 days before weigh-ins
• Concerta: Discontinue use 7 days before weigh-ins
• Vyvanse: Discontinue use 12 days before weigh-ins

Narcotics

• Morphine: Discontinue use 7 days before weigh-ins
• Oxycontin: Discontinue use 7 days before weigh-ins
• Fentanyl: Discontinue use 7 days before weigh-ins
• Methadone/Suboxone: Discontinue use 7 days before weigh-ins
• Buprenorphine: Discontinue use 7 days before weigh-ins
• Tramadol: Discontinue use 7 days before weigh-ins

Glucocorticoids

• Hydrocortisone: Discontinue use 3 days before weigh-ins
• Dexamethasone: Discontinue use 5 days before weigh-ins
• Betamethasone: Discontinue use 5 days before weigh-ins
• Methylprednisolone: Discontinue use 5 days before weigh-ins
• Prednisone: Discontinue use 10 days before weigh-ins
• Prednisolone: Discontinue use 10 days before weigh-ins
• Triamcinolone Acetonide: Discontinue use 60 days before weigh-ins

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Preview

Hola! Following an unforgettable UFC 298 event, the world’s premiere MMA league is heading south of the border this Saturday (February 24th) for UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2, which is going on at the Arena CDMX Mexico City, Mexico. The marquee matchup of the night will enjoy a flyweight rematch between the former champion, Brandon Moreno, and recent title challenger, Brandon Royval. The co-main event has arguably an even better rematch in store when the UFC’s #2 ranked featherweight, Yair Rodriguez, runs it back with the #4 ranked, Brian Ortega.The start time for this UFC fight card is set for 7:00 pm ET.

Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval 1 happened in November of 2020 and was highly entertaining for as long as it lasted. It was short, but it kind of had a little bit of everything you would see in a standard UFC fight, just at flyweight speed. The standup exchanges were pretty even, with Moreno starting to control with his grappling as time went on. With about 15-seconds or so to go in the opening round, Royval’s shoulder popped out of socket. He let out a scream, and Moreno capitalized on the moment with some fight-ending ground and pound with just one-second left on the clock.

The victory put Moreno in position to fight for the belt, which sparked his wild saga with Deiveson Figueiredo. Brandon won the belt, then lost it, then won it again before ultimately losing it to Alexandre Pantoja. Ironically enough, following his first bout with Moreno, Royval went on to lose his next fight to Pantoja. He then reeled off three straight wins to get into a rematch with Pantoja, but for the UFC flyweight title. Royval came up short Pantoja, and now he’s rematching Moreno, who is also coming off of a loss to Alexandre.

The co-main event for Saturday’s UFC fight night is also a rematch, and dare I say an even better one? Just like Moreno/Royval 1, Yair Rodriguez vs. Brian Ortega 1 was also a lot of fun for as long as it lasted. This match also ended at the end of the opening round, and was also halted after a a nasty shoulder injury. From his back, Rodriguez threw up a gorgeous armbar, and as Brian yanked out his endangered appendage, he managed to pull it right out of socket. That halted the contest right there in its tracks.

Following Rodriguez/Ortega 1, the snazzy striker in Yair continued to exercise his submission skills by tapping out Josh Emmett with a triangle. That earned him the UFC’s interim featherweight title, but then he was melted by the now former champion, Alexander Volkanovski, when Rodriguez attempted to unify the belts in July of 2023. Saturday’s UFC fight night will be Ortega’s first trip back inside the Octagon since that July night in 2022.

UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 Full fight card

Main card

• – Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval: Flyweight
• – Yair Rodriguez vs. Brian Ortega: Featherweight
• – Yazmin Jauregui vs. Sam Hughes: Strawweight
• – Manuel Torres vs. Chris Duncan: Lightweight
• – Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Ricky Turcios: Bantamweight
• – Daniel Zellhuber vs. Francisco Prado: Lightweight

Prelims

• – Edgar Cháirez vs. Daniel Lacerda: Flyweight
• – Victor Altamirano vs. Felipe dos Santos: Flyweight
• – Jesus Aguilar vs. Mateus Mendonça: Flyweight
• – Luis Rodríguez vs. Denys Bondar: Flyweight
• – Muhammad Naimov vs. Erik Silva: Featherweight
• – Cristian Quiñonez vs. Raoni Barcelos: Bantamweight
• – Claudio Puelles vs. Fares Ziam: Lightweight

Start date and time

UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 takes place on February 24th, at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico. The main card starts at 10 p.m. ET. The preliminary card begins at 7:00 p.m. ET.

Tickets

If you just so happen to be out in Mexico and want to witness UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 live, you can purchase tickets by clicking here.

Live streams

UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 can be live streamed on ESPN+ in the United States and Canada. For full streaming details, and compatible devices go here.

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Sean O’Malley was a keen observer of UFC 298

UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley is preparing to defend his title, for the first time, versus his old rival Marlon Vera at UFC 299 on March 9. However, despite being hard at work, ‘Suga’ was still able to tune in to this weekend’s UFC 298; an event which included a pivotal bout in his division.

On the main card of UFC 298 Merab Dvalishvili handled former champion Henry Cejudo to put himself in the thick of the contenders hoping to fight the winner of O’Malley vs. Vera.

O’Malley was on The MMA Hour yesterday. During that appearance he cast some doubts on the idea that Dvalishvili, whom he has history with, is the hands down next contender for his belt (should he defeat ‘Chito’ Vera on March 9).

In addition to reminding viewers that there are other threats in the bantamweight division, O’Malley seemed to suggest that he (and fans) would be more interested in him fighting someone outside the division, someone who had their coming out party at UFC 298 on Saturday.

Sean O’Malley interested in ‘scary’ Ilia Topuria

“He knocked out the featherweight GOAT in round two,” O’Malley said, referring to Ilia Topuria’s stunning KO win over Alexander Volkanovski (before comparing it to his own achievement of knocking out the “bantamweight GOAT” Ajamain Sterling.

“I’ve kind of pushed that fight a little bit,” he continued. “I’ve been getting a lot of hate for it, a little push back saying that I’m ducking Merab. I’m like, Merab just barely, not barely, he whooped Henry, but Henry is like 42 or something. He looked horrible. I would’ve knocked Henry out four times in that fight. And then Ilia goes out there and knocks out Volk, the greatest featherweight of all-time in round two in a beautiful performance, and I’m calling him out, and I’m getting s*** from the MMA fans, saying, ‘Oh, you’re ducking Merab.’”

“I’m trying to call out a fight that I feel is exciting,” continued O’Malley. “I don’t know if people actually want me to fight Merab as much as they just hate the confidence that I have that I would go out there and knock out Ilia. But I decided, I’ve said what I needed to say, I’ve sent my message to Ilia. If Merab is next, Merab is next. I can get Ilia whenever. Whenever the time comes. I haven’t talked to the UFC because obviously there’s nothing to talk about. I’ve got Chito Vera, March 9. That’s what’s next. That’s what I need to focus on.”

O’Malley further explained his desire to fight Topuria, calling the Spanish-Georgian fighter “scary” compared to a “beatable” Dvalishvili.

“There’s Merab, there’s Cory [Sandhagen], there’s Ilia. Those all have potential for next. Again, I’m laser focused, dialed into March 9. Whatever happens after that, I’m very confident in. Merab is very beatable. Henry about knocked him out, Marlon Moraes about knocked him out. Merab’s got a crazy good gas tank. He’s got good wrestling and he’s a dangerous opponent. When I think of a scary opponent, like what makes me [shiver], that’s Ilia. … He could put your f****** lights out and change your life.”

“I like big, big fights,” O’Malley added. “Merab, I’m not saying that wouldn’t be up there, but what it comes down to is: what do the people really, truly want to see? If they want to see Merab, that’s what’s next. But again, I hate even talking about that, I’ve got Chito in front of me.”

UFC 299 is set for March 9

UFC 299 is booked for the Kaseya Center in Miami, FL on March 9. Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera 2 headlines the event. The co-main event is Dustin Poirier vs. Benoit Saint-Denis. Also on the card is Kevin Holland vs. Michael ‘Venom’ Page, Gilbert Burns vs. Jack Della Maddalena and Petr Yan vs. Song Yadong.

What do you think will happen in the main event of UFC 299’s stacked card? And if O’Malley is still the champ when it’s all said and done, who do you want to see him fight next? Ilia Topuria or Merab Dvalishvili?

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Michael Chandler isn’t giving up on the dream of a fight with Conor McGregor. The former Bellator champion has been waiting for the last year for a bout that may never materialize, but that isn’t stopping him from exhausting every available resource to make it happen. Last night, billed by many outlets as a “surprise appearance,” he showed up at the WWE event in Anaheim to cut a promo on the Irish superstar.

“Hey, what’s up Anaheim! You are now in the presence of the most entertaining UFC fighter on the planet. Now, there’s a man from Ireland that’s been making me wait for way too long, and I’ve still got one dude on my mind! Conor McGregor, get your candy ass back to the octagon! We’ve got some unfinished business, boys! God bless. I’ll see you at the top!”

I’m sure the UFC brass had a hand in that surprise appearance, hoping the lure of Chandler’s “Hey, come fight me candy ass, but God bless you first” would somehow provide the right bait for the former champ-champ to jump on the old UFC hook. But we all know what the magic word is and it certainly isn’t “See you at the top.” It starts and ends with money, and if the UFC really wanted to stay in the Conor McGregor business, they’d pony up whatever he’s asking for. But, they’re not, and that is what the holdup is with this bout, not Conor.

And with the way Dana White has been answering questions posited to him about the most popular MMA athlete in the world, it leads one to wonder if the sunset clause in his contract has well and truly kicked in. It was just a few months ago that he expressed frustration about wanting to compete at UFC 300 and that there was a Manny Pacquiao fight people wanted to see him in.

It wouldn’t be that far of a stretch to envision a fight between the two legends in Riyadh. It would undoubtedly do Iron Man numbers and both McGregor and Pacquiao would make a fortune.

One thing is clear, Conor McGregor’s UFC future is very uncertain, and that is straight from Dana’s mouth. “I don’t know, Conor is incredibly rich and doesn’t need money” has been something he’s said more than once over the last couple weeks.

Funnily enough, Conor has been making obvious moves to promote himself and his brands without the UFC. He recently did an interview with GQ to give answers for a listicle titled “Ten things Conor McGregor can’t live without” where the only reference to the UFC he made was about the gloves and the fans. It’s important to note he didn’t say “UFC fans,” instead he went with “fans” and kept the party moving. Even when he mentioned “UFC gloves,” he ended up adding “/McGregor Fast gloves” to it. All ten things on his list were either promoting his brands or his life. (Hat tip to Jed. I. Goodman for the list)

Conor McGregor’s top 10 things he can’t live without

• Proper Twelve/Forged Irish Stout
• Tidl Sport Cryotherapy Spray
• UFC Gloves/McGregor FAST training Gloves
• St. Michael Pendant
• Family
• Patek Philippe
• Yachts
• Fans
• Black Forge Inn
• Gym

Uncle Dana’s explanation of why Conor McGregor isn’t fighting

Dana also said that Conor’s wealth made negotiating with him very complicated, saying that once guys start making that kind of money, everything changes dramatically. But McGregor has shouted from the rooftops that he’s ready to come back. This flies directly in the face of White’s narrative that comes across as: When you have that kind of money, you don’t need to fight anymore.

But many sports stars—the majority of them—keep on with their careers because of things like legacy or ensuring that they have generational wealth. Lebron James is mega-wealthy, yet he continues playing. Ditto Travis Kelce or Patrick Mahomes or any number of professional athletes that didn’t quit because they made it. It really isn’t as “complicated” as White says it is. In the immortal words of Teddy KGB, “Pay that man his money.”

And Michael Chandler continuing to wait for a fight that I’m certain won’t materialize is kind of asinine, too. Sir, you’ve got to let this one go. You are letting the last of your waning prime just slip away. It won’t be long before you’re playing the part of Tony Ferguson, a mere stepping stone for up-and-comers looking to make their name off yours. No amount of begging, pleading or goading is going to change this. Get out of your own way and make the UFC book you against someone else asap. Time is not on your side, even if the Rolling Stones tell you it is.

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Fresh off UFC 298 is this week’s edition of the MMA Hangover. We’re kicking things off with now former champion Alexander Volkanovski releasing his first statement and fight breakdown after Saturday night’s tough loss.

Alexander Volkanovski releases statement, breakdown of UFC 298 loss to Ilia Topuria

From sitting on top of the UFC’s featherweight division and being crowned the division’s greatest, Alexander Volkanovski now finds himself reeling from a second straight knockout loss in just four months. 

But as he always is, the 35-year-old former champion was in relatively good spirits despite the loss. Alexander Volkanovski released a short statement via his YouTube channel, and like the fighter that he is, he promises to bounce back. 

“I always break down fights when I win, I’m going to make sure I break down them when I lose too,” Alexander Volkanovski said. “This is a crazy game we play. You can’t win them all. Sometimes you’re the hammer, sometimes you’re the nail. I’ve been the hammer many times, ruined a lot of people’s parties many times. Last night, Ilia got the job done.

“I think the judges had me up the first round, and I think I was starting to pick it up even more in the second. I was ready to even go another level. I had him missing, started to touch him,” Volkanovski said. “I was going to start adding on, and he did a great job of getting to the cage, where we knew we didn’t want to be with someone like him. He got me there.”

“I probably had better options than looking for a counter. After he backed me up there, he caught me. He did a great job to find that.”

Alexander Volkanovski called the finishing blow a “great shot.” He then called for a rematch with the new king, Ilia Topuria, in Spain. 

“Next time, it will be different, but I’m just gonna have a little bit of a rest. I definitely want that rematch. Spain’s what I’m hearing’s gonna happen. 

“Dana wants Spain, obviously Ilia wants Spain. That probably might be later in the year, so obviously, the timing would be perfect for me to spend time with the fam, rest up a little bit, look after myself, and then we’ll get back in there and we’ll make it right.”

It was a decisive win for Topuria, which, in theory, doesn’t always warrant an immediate rematch for the losing fighter. Add that to the fact that Alexander Volkanovski’s chin has taken a severe beating over a short period.

But the man still has it, and I guess I can speak for a good chunk of fans that it would be interesting to see if Alexander Volkanovski could bounce back and reclaim the belt.  

In Other News

Dana White explains UFC 300 headliner booking

As the card began building up over the past months, there was a lot of talk about UFC 300’s headliner fight. Was it going to involve the company’s currently shelved golden child? Would we see a Nate Diaz return? Ronda Rousey? Brock Lesnar? 

The situation finally came to a head over the weekend when UFC CEO Dana White made the announcement. As you probably all know by now, headlining the April 13th milestone event in Las Vegas is a light heavyweight title fight between champion Alex Pereira and former champion Jamahal Hill. 

After all that build-up, several people were left underwhelmed, and they made sure to let their feelings known via social media. 

But how did we get here? According to Hill, he only found out a day before White made it official. 

“Everybody wanted to headline 300. Everybody wants to be on 300. But realistically, it didn’t really come on my radar, and didn’t really happen until yesterday. I’m not even gonna lie. Yesterday,” he told veteran correspondent Aaron Bronsteter in a backstage interview at UFC 298.

“They needed a main event. They had some things lined up, but they would’ve preferred me and Alex. It was the first option, it was what they really wanted, the people definitely wanted.”

According to White, however, they were looking at a few options, one involving welterweight champion Leon Edwards. 

“Let me say this: Leon Edwards has had, like, three opponents throughout this thing. Leon Edwards doesn’t say no to anybody. This kid is an absolute stud. 

“He’s had three opponents thrown at him during UFC 300. Yes, yes, yes. Was willing to take on anybody,” he told the media during Saturday’s post-fight presser. 

That still does not answer the question of how we got here. Well, even the bossman didn’t have a clear response.

“It was not about money. It’s all about timing. We’ve got three killer cards in a row, and in this business, you have injuries and all kinds of other bullshit that goes on behind the scenes. 

“We’ve been talking about 300 forever, and we’re just trying to make the best fights that we could possibly make.” 

Regardless of how far below it is in their list of options, it is still a solid matchup. Pereira’s road to two division titles is unheard of in recent UFC history, and Hill has not had the chance to defend the belt he willingly gave up after suffering an injury. 

It may not have fulfilled the expectations of many fans, but here we are. It should be a good one, at the very least. 

Fighters’ Words

Ilia Topuria’s self-belief is on another level. Here he is tweeting about his eventual title win three days before he fought Alexander Volkanovski. 

And here’s the ex-champ-champ’s response to El Matador’s post-fight callout.

Max Holloway gave props to a former foe and one of the sport’s uncrowned legends. 

In Case You Missed It

Mackenzie Dern says comments made by Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier made her cry. The UFC strawweight contender and ADCC champion opened up about how critiques of her performance affected her deeply. (link)

How Ilia Topuria knocked out Alexander Volkanovski: BE’s resident analyst Kostas Fantaousakis broke down UFC 298’s headliner where Alexander Volkanovski lost his title. (link)

UFC 298’s reported payouts show ex-champ is making less than a prelim fighter: According to reports, Mackenzie Dern took home $50K more than Henry Cejudo on Saturday night. (link)

Hangover Cure

I’m sure you’re all familiar with the UFC’s banger of a track that opens every PPV main card. I’m talking about The Who’s Baba O’Riley, the tune that plays along the montage of supercut highlights featuring past and present fighters. 

But I’m not sure if many of you have seen this played live during its heyday in the 70s (I’m talking to you, fellow millennials). But thanks to the time capsule that is YouTube, we get to enjoy these performances. 

There’s a lot to unpack from this five-minute clip, whether it’s Roger Daltrey’s electrifying howls, Pete Townshend’s theatric, jacket-tearing, booty-shaking guitar playing, and, of course, the late great Keith motherf–ng Moon behind the kit, with a pair headphones taped to his head.

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Even Dana White knows he talks a whole lot of nonsense. The longtime president and current CEO of the UFC has been feuding with the talent going all the way back to his time as an MMA manager. Whether it’s Frank Shamrock, Paul Daley, Roy Nelson, Nate Marquardt or a dozen other notable fighters from the promotion’s past, White is no stranger to animosity.

It’s something of a surprise, then, to see the UFC putting Wanderlei Silva in the Hall of Fame, considering the place ‘The Axe Murderer’ was in when he left the company back in 2013.

Dana White once banned Wanderlei Silva from UFC Hall of Fame

Wanderlei Silva’s inglorious UFC exit came on the heels of one of the most disastrous fight build-ups in MMA history. A season of the Ultimate Fighter, pitting Chael Sonnen against the Brazilian PRIDE legend was meant to lead to a showdown between the two. Then Silva injured his hand fighting with Sonnen during filming. It only got worse from there.

The bout was immediately re-booked, and then scrapped wholesale when Silva refused to submit to NSAC pre-fight drug testing. In an ultimate case of tragic irony, however, Sonnen failed his own pre-fight drug test shortly thereafter—leading to a four year retirement from competition.

As for Silva? He got stuck with a lifetime ban from the NSAC, as well as a $70,000 fine.

“Nobody has ever run from a drug test before. I didn’t see a lifetime ban coming. Nobody will let him fight. He’s in a very serious situation,” Dana White explained in a 2014 interview.

“There’s going to be no Hall of Fame. The guy’s been Pete Rose’d. There’s going to be no Hall of Fame offers.”

Eventually, Silva’s ban was overturned, and he returned to competition for a short, unsuccessful stint with Bellator. But, the rift between Silva and the world’s largest MMA promotion continued to grow. At one point, it got so bad that the former Chute Boxe talent accused the UFC of fight fixing. The threat of a lawsuit forced a swift apology, and seemingly severed the Brazilian’s ties with Zuffa for good.

Dana White forgot about Silva ban

They say time heals all wounds, however. There may be no better evidence of the truth in that turn of phrase than UFC 298, where the promotion announced that Wanderlei Silva would be part of the next UFC Hall of Fame inductee class. Seated cageside for the event, Silva was all smiles to receive the honor.

“I had no idea, it was a huge surprise. It makes me feel really happy,” Silva told ESPN in a backstage interview.

Dana White was feeling pretty good about it too, even when a reported asked him about his past ‘Pete Rose’ comments to the 2003 PRIDE middleweight Grand Prix champion.

“He deserves to be. He deserves to be in the Hall of Fame,” White told reporters after the most recent PPV event, speaking of Wanderlei Silva. “Back when me and the Fertittas got into this sport, we were huge Wanderlei Silva fans. Everybody that was a hardcore fan back then was a big fan of PRIDE. A lot of big stars came out of there, and Wanderlei has done a lot for the sport in the early days, he deserves to be in there.”

“I’ve been in so many beefs with so many people that I didn’t even remember that until you just told me,” White added, when asked about banning Silva. “It’s a good thing I forgot!”

Silva’s induction into the UFC Hall of Fame is expected to take place during International Fight Week 2024, sometime in late June/early July. At the moment, Frankie Edgar is the only other fighter who has been announced for this year’s event.

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means it’s time for another edition of the Brazil Beat. You know, the weekly roundup of all the news in the Brazilian fighting community (from the UFC and beyond), all conveniently put together in one place by yours truly.

This week, we’ve got Wanderlei Silva still trying to spark up his rematch against Vitor Belfort in a boxing ring, Paulo Costa assessing his loss to Robert Whittaker at UFC 298, the latest development in the Brazilian celebrity boxing business and much more.

So let’s jump right in.

Wanderlei Silva looking at celebrity boxing

The celebrity boxing bug continues to bite more and more aging MMA veterans. Although he has not stepped into any rings yet, legend Wanderlei Silva has been hinting at a potential comeback, especially against some old rivals.

In an interview with Ag Fight, Silva explained how he would not turn down a potential fifth encounter with Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson or even his long-awaited rematch with Vitor Belfort.

“I’ve been training boxing, which has been seen as entertainment lately. There are lots of fights people might want to see that could be really good. It’s a new opportunity for us to do old and new fights. I’ve been preparing in order to be ready as soon as an opponent comes up. It could be Rampage or another one, if the conditions are perfect, which is Belfort, maybe. Why not?”

Between both former rivals, Wanderlei Silva does have a preference for Vitor Belfort. Ever since their rematch fell through back in 2012, at the TUF Brazil 1 finale, the ‘Axe Murderer’ has been trying to meet the ‘Phenom’ again, but to no avail.

“Other than getting that wuss Belfort, there’s nothing left, I don’t think there’s anything left. Lots of people ask me if I have any fights stuck in my throat and that’s the only I’d really like a rematch. He’s also been boxing, so I hope that if it happens this time, he doesn’t break his hand. It was all set, then they told me the opponents had changed, that it wasn’t Belfort anymore, but Franklin, because he had broken his hand.

“I was like ‘Oh, he broke his hand, did he?’. That’s cool, though, it’s water under the bridge. If I have the opportunity to do this fight again, you bet I’m going to be there. Like I’ve always been for pretty much all of my fights.”

A 47-year-old Wanderlei Silva swinging for the fences is just what everyone needs right now, isn’t it? This celebrity boxing trend is here to really accelerate the brain damage symptoms for some fighters.

Paulo Costa is feeling motivated, despite UFC 298 loss

Leaving Wanderlei Silva aside to speak about a different middleweight who also enjoys a barnburner, it seems Paulo Costa has taken his latest loss quite well.

The unanimous decision defeat Costa suffered to former champion Robert Whittaker did not seem to take the wind out of the Brazilian’s sails. Having been away from the Octagon for the past 18 months, ‘Borrachinha’ is happy with his performance, despite the frustrating result.

On his official Twitter account, Paulo Costa shared a video talking about the fight. In his opinion, if it were not for some minor technical mistakes, he could have walked out of the cage with his hand raised at UFC 298.

“I’m not happy. This kind of feeling always sucks. It was so close, so f-cking close. Everybody saw the very end of the first round. If I had a couple of seconds, It would be different. Not only that, If I had put just a little bit more pressure in the second and third rounds, it would be different”. Costa said.

I’ve never really been on the Borrachinha bandwagon, he always seemed like an entertaining brawler who would hit his ceiling once he got to the top 5 of the division and I feel like that’s what’s been happening so far. He does manage his career very well and was able to create a unique persona within the community, which sometimes is enough to make a name for yourself. Other than that, I never really feel too excited about his fights.

Mackenzie Dern shares the same feelings as Costa

Paulo Costa was not the only Brazilian to lose a unanimous decision but still keep a smile on his face following the frustrating result at UFC 298.

Although she did not have her hand raised, Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt Mackenzie Dern seemed quite pleased with her performance against Amanda Lemos, which even earned the pair a Fight of The Night award.

On her official Instagram account, Dern expressed her feelings after the loss, thanked Lemos for the fight and seemed eager to keep on training and improving.

“’Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world’
The results weren’t what I was hoping for! Thank you everyone for all the support! I love doing what I do! Now, it’s time to correct the mistakes and keep up the hard work! Congrats to Amanda Lemos for an amazing fight! FOTN for us!”

You know what? I, for one, am enjoying seeing fighters react so positively to their losses. I think that’s the best way to handle a defeat and nothing but good things can come from this way of thinking. Kudos to both of them.

Popo now facing the Brazilian McGregor

While Wanderlei Silva still has not made his debut in the actual world of Brazilian celebrity boxing, that does not mean things are not happening. With its main ambassador being former WBO and WBA champion Acelino ‘Popo’ Freitas, the trash talk for the Brazilian legend has already started.

Now paired up against body builder and Big Brother Brazil 1 winner, 46-year-old Kleber ‘Bam Bam’ Pedra, on February 24 in Sao Paulo, the trash talk from his opponent’s side has already begun.

In an interview with Combate, Bam Bam called himself the Brazilian Conor McGregor and let readers know he is about to shock the world when he meets Popo in the ring.

“I’m so happy with everything that’s happening around this fight. Popo, I’ve got a message for you. I’m retiring you on Globo, I’m taking your four belts and rip your head off. Galvao Bueno (Brazil’s most famous sports narrator), I want you in the first row, because I’m giving you Popo’s head as a gift. That’s my message. Globo, let’s go. I’m the Brazilian McGregor, I make entertainment. I’m shocking the world.”

An aging former boxing champion against an aging celebrity with more muscles than technique. Nothing new under the celebrity boxing scenario’s sun. Still, expect this to make huge numbers when it airs on national TV.

A Brazilian Beat

Back in the 1990’s, axe (pronounced ‘asheh’) music had hit it’s peak in Brazil with massive groups such as Eva, Asa de Aguia, Araketu and many others. A mix of African beats with electric guitars, samba, reggae and many other rhythms, it became mostly associated with Carnaval due to its upbeat songs that just make you want to stand up and dance.

Originally from Bahia, one of Brazil’s states with the biggest black population, it is no wonder axe quickly rose to popularity among its people by celebrating African culture and then took over the country since the music just was filled with positivity and was very family-friendly.

One of its most popular groups was Timbalada, which takes its name from African instrument ‘timbal’ and is popular for the body paint its members wear and for its drum-oriented beats, making the groups sound quite unique even among axe groups.

Led by Carlinhos Brown, one of Brazil’s most popular singers, the group saw enormous success during the decade and released hit after hit throughout the decade.

Today’s song comes from the 1993 self-titled debut album ‘Timbalada’. The track is probably the group’s biggest hit and just an axe anthem that can be heard during Carnaval parties even to this day. So check out ‘Beija-Flor’ (Hummingbird), by Timbalada.

That’s it for this week, folks. See you next time. Stay safe.

Lucas out.

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UFC 298: Ilia Topuria delivers on the hype

Ilia Topuria justified the expectations surrounding him by securing a decisive knockout victory over Alexander Volkanovski in the UFC 298 main event, thereby claiming the featherweight championship. The undefeated Topuria demonstrated remarkable prowess by fulfilling his commitment to aggressively confront Volkanovski and secure the win before the conclusion of the bout. His final, devastating right hand, delivered as he pressed Volkanovski against the cage, solidified his victory over the very experienced featherweight champion.

The first round went to Volkanovksi but Topuria established the calf kick

In the first round of their UFC 298 fight, Alexander Volkanovski used left kicks and jabs to attack Ilia Topuria while moving back to avoid incoming punches. These kicks were executed like a jab, without any prior set-up with punches.

Ilia meticulously tracked the receding distance of Volkanovski as Topuria’s right-handed strikes narrowly missed their mark. Concurrently, Alexander was retreating to the side of incoming right-handed blows, maintaining a posture with his chin elevated. I found Topuria’s traditional boxing stance particularly noteworthy, as it avoided excessive weight distribution on the front leg, thereby enabling the right hand to traverse a greater distance.

Volkanovski successfully landed a pair of straight left hands to Topuria’s face and demonstrated effective knee work from the clinch.

Ilia Topuria executed a hard right calf kick that compromised Alexander Volkanovski’s mobility and balance, potentially affecting his performance throughout the fight. Volkanovski narrowly won the round.

Changing rhythm to set up the UFC 298 finish

Round two commenced with a continuation of the strategic exchange between Volkanovski and Topuria, characterized by the former’s consistent application of jabs to the latter’s nose. The rhythm established in the preceding round remained largely intact, yet the encounter’s trajectory was poised to shift.

Robin Black and I discussed how a fighter should establish a pattern or rhythm of stances, types of strikes and/or distance maintenance, and then suddenly break this rhythm to create openings.

In this particular case, Topuria disrupted the rhythm with a right hand strike to the body, which compromised Volkanovski’s defense. Now, let us carefully examine the sequence of moves that led to the conclusion of the fight.

The finishing sequence

Volkanovski throws a left jab and Topuria slips left. Ilia’s weight is on the back foot and this allows him to change levels and attack forward in an instant as his hips are loaded with kinetic energy and he can easily close the distance.

Ilia connects with a right hand to the body, Note that Volkanovski’s chin is up and he cannot really see the next punch coming. The punches that fighters do not see coming are the ones that hurt.

Left hook to the body connects. Alexander’s chin is still up.

Ilia misses with a right hand. Time to control the situation and establish the distance.

Topuria presses his left palm on Alexander’s face. This enables him to feel the target and the distance. Alexander is backed against the cage.

Ilia delivers the decisive right hand.

This fight was a captivating display of skill and tenacity. I was particularly impressed by Topuria’s performance, which demonstrated his technical boxing prowess and strategic acumen. As a supporter of Volkanovski, I acknowledge the setback and express optimism in his ability to recover from this loss at UFC 298, drawing upon the resilience and determination that have characterized his career.

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Dana White announces UFC 300 headliner

UFC CEO Dana White followed through with his promise to announce the official headliner of UFC 300 this Saturday. Ahead of his appearance at the UFC 298 post-fight press conference, White announced the third championship fight featured at the tricentennial event. 

“I am here in the Honda Center in Anaheim, California and I’m going to announce the main event for UFC 300 right now,” said White. “It will feature Alex Pereira defending his light heavyweight title against Jamahal Hill.”

White: UFC 300 headliner came down to timing and availability 

Many possible headlining fights have been mooted for UFC 300. Much discussed possibilities included the return of Conor McGregor against Michael Chandler, middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis against former champ Israel Adesanya, or a welterweight title fight pitting champ Leon Edwards against Khamzat Chimaev.

“This was not about money,” said White. “It was all about timing. We’ve got three killer cards in a row and in this business you have injuries and all kinds of other bulls—t that goes on behind the scenes. We’ve been talking about 300 forever. We were just trying to make the best fights that we could possibly make. We had two more fights to make and we’re trying to put on two bad ass fights.

“These two guys are it,” continued White. “I’m sure you saw the video, I walked through who they both are, what they’ve both done. Both guys are hungry. They both want it. No way that fight sucks.”

Jamahal Hill gives insight into UFC 300 addition

The former light heavyweight champ Jamahal Hill apparently came into the conversation quite recently. He had to give up his title last year after injuring his ACL playing a pickup basketball game during International Fight Week.

“I found out for sure for sure that it was locked in since I been in this, since I got to the [UFC 298] venue,” said Hill. “We talked about it and I agreed to it yesterday.”

“Everybody wants to be on UFC 300, but realistically it didn’t really come on my radar and didn’t really happen until like yesterday,” said Hill. “I’m not going to lie. Like, yesterday. When he called me, and he let me know the situation.

“Basically the situation was they needed a main event. They had some things lined up but they would have preferred it be me and Alex. It’s the first option, it’s what they really wanted. The people definitely wanted it, that’s what they’ve been asking me for months now, all week and things like that. Yeah, it made sense.”

Hill vs Pereira is a fine bout to headline a UFC PPV but some fans will no doubt be disappointed that none of the more epic matchups previously rumored came to fruition. There’s no doubt that defending LHW champ Pereira has had one of the most charmed UFC runs in history, winning not one but two division titles in only a seven-bout UFC career.

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Ilia Topuria KOs Alexander Volkanovski to win belt at UFC 298

The UFC 298 main event a very intriguing match up, and as expected, it started out as extremely technical affair. Topuria’s sharp boxing had him landing a few good shots early, along with a couple of calf kicks. By the end of the first round though, the king of adjustments in Volkanovski was seemingly figuring out the range already.

It’s always hard to outpoint and avoid big shots for five rounds, but if anyone was to beat this younger, explosive fighter, it was Volkanovski right? Nope. The small adjustments didn’t matter in the end, with Topuria eventually finding a big right hand to brutally KO the featherweight GOAT in the second round.

The fight went just about as I predicted, but it was still shocking to see it actually unfold. At just 27-years-old, Topuria is now 15-0 and on top of the world as the new featherweight champion.

Topuria’s rise to superstardom has been impressive, and it seems like it’s only about to blow up exponentially with two countries Spain and Georgia behind him.

What’s next for Topuria and Volkanovski?

Volkanovski is obviously still very skilled, and his resume and dominance at featherweight alone means he deserves a rematch if he wanted it, but I’m not sure if he should do that. This marks two bad knockouts in a row just four months apart, and he likely should take a lot of time off. That being said, it also becomes tricky as he’s already 35 and doesn’t exactly have a lot of time left in his Hall of Fame career.

As for Topuria, he did put out an unlikely call out for the one fighter that started out with a similar meteoric rise.

That Conor McGregor bout just doesn’t sound realistic at all, and Volkanovski instead suggested a rematch in Spain. I don’t think that should happen next either though.

I don’t care about that weird and unnecessary BMF title at a different division, if it was me, I’d put Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway for his first title defense in Madrid. Volkanovski should take some time off, then perhaps get the next crack and rematch whoever wins that title bout after.

Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa go to war at UFC 298

Robert Whittaker was saved by the bell in the opening round, when Paulo Costa landed a perfect spinning heel kick that badly rocked him. He managed to survive, and the pair went on to trade heavy shots for the next 10 minutes.

It was an entertaining back and forth fight that showed Costa looking like his best version that earned himself a title shot in the past, but Whittaker was just better as he smoothly flowed with his trademark combinations and counters.

Any worries about possible ill effects or slowing down from the TKO loss to Dricus Du Plessis was put to rest, as Whittaker not only still showed chin and heart, but that skill and speed he’s been known for. I’m not sure where he goes next, but Whittaker is still elite at middleweight.

UFC 298: Ian Machado Garry’s decision win gets booed

Ian Machado Garry came in with a lot of hype, and some very weird amount of hate, but he technically passed another tough test in his career. His split decision over Geoff Neal was a much deserved quality win but it wasn’t the most entertaining contest. Garry remained patient and was content to land a few strikes from the outside, and fans (and pros) weren’t that happy.

Fans booed the polarizing fighter heavily after the decision was announced, but Garry seemed content to have gotten the win.

He called out Colby Covington after, and it may just be a smart move as he has name value and is higher in the rankings, but is getting up in age and hasn’t really looked great in recent years. Everyone in the top 5 will be tough, but Covington arguably represents the highest reward and relatively lowest risk in that bracket.

Merab Dvalishvili outwrestles Olympic champ Henry Cejudo at UFC 298

This was a very entertaining battle between elite wrestlers. Henry Cejudo has Olympic gold in wrestling, and he did have very good moments in the opening round, but this is MMA, it was Merab Dvalishvili that proved to be the better grappler as the fight went on. He wore out Cejudo, and went on to completely dominate on the mat. He might have even broke his forearm at one point.

Dvalishvili also had fun in the process, showboating with a big slam and kept talking to Meta and Facebook head Mark Zuckerberg during the fight. It’s been a long run and he most likely earned his overdue title shot with that performance.

As for Cejudo, the two-division champion already accomplished everything, but despite that, he still didn’t get the money he deserved. He tried to sit out for years since that was his only move with UFC having all the leverage, but judging by his even lower purse now, that desperate bid failed. If this is really it for the 37-year-old, it’s a rough end to Henry Cejudo’s career.

UFC 298: Mackenzie Dern busted up by Amanda Lemos

Mackenzie Dern had some chances on the ground, which made the fight exciting from the idea of a possible comeback submission coming from the jiujitsu world champion. But that did not happen, and it was her lack of striking (and wrestling) that ultimately cost her again.

As seen with her other losses, Dern gets in trouble when faced with someone who she can’t overwhelm with physicality and athleticism. Lemos was just that, and she completely took advantage of all the holes in Dern’s striking. Dern has focused on boxing for years, but didn’t seem to know how to check Lemos’ calf kicks, and kept throwing off balance haymakers that had her running into big shots.

Lemos also made pretty big mistakes, such as following Dern to the ground instead of letting her up when she hurt her, but she still did enough to survive on the mat and really took advantage on the feet to earn a quality win.

Dern was said to have (finally?) focused more on wrestling for this camp, but that should’ve been the focus and approach from the very start of her development. She’s still only 30, but Dern has lost four of six and took a lot of damage in those losses, so I’m not too high about her chances to climb back up into title contention.

Wanderlei Silva to be inducted to the UFC Hall of Fame

PRIDE and UFC legend Wanderlei Silva was announced to be part of the next inductees at the UFC Hall of Fame. Well deserved recognition for the Axe Murderer.

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UFC 298 is a good looking event, even if it is a bit top heavy in regards to rankings and name value. Almost all of the good fights are packed into the main card portion, leaving only Mackenzie Dern’s fight with Amanda Lemos and Rinya Nakamura’s fight with Carlos Vera as the standouts from the prelims. And speaking of Mackenzie Dern, from the looks of the reported purse payouts (remember, we are in California today at the Honda Center), Dern is making more for her guaranteed purse (the “show” money) than former champ-champ Henry Cejudo is.

LA Times reporter Manouk Akopyan obtained the minimum payouts list from CSAC, which show Cejudo is making $50K less than Dern. If we take a trip back in our memory palaces, we’ll recall that Henry has been making small purses for some time now. When he ended Demetrious Johnson’s 11-fight run, claiming the title in the process, he received just $100K for doing so. As a matter of fact, Cejudo’s (former?) coach, Eric Albarracin told a story about Johnson feeling like his hand was forced if he didn’t take a title fight for just $80K.

“I think I told you the story about Demetrious Johnson,” Albarracin told Luke Thomas. “He took almost a pay cut to take that fight and that’s why we’re here today. Everybody told him, ‘Don’t take this fight. They’re not paying you enough. You’re still on your contract from when you fought Sergio Pettis.’ And he was like, ‘No, if I don’t take this fight, it’ll be two years before I get this fight or they’ll get rid of the weight class or something. No, we’re gonna take this fight. I can beat him. It’s now. It’s now or never.’”

“So just think, I think he made $80,000 that fight. It’s time to pay up. It’s great that he has 21 pounds of gold on his shoulder and resting on his chest, but he needs to have it in his bank account as well.”

Of course it should be noted that Henry was/is under management with Ali Abdel-Aziz who negotiates his purses, so do with that information what you will. In a space where most (not all) managers are self-serving, Cejudo’s chosen one remains one of the most controversial figures in the community, and is often considered more of a broker for the UFC than someone concerned with fiduciary duty to his clients.

Dern was a popular figure right out of the gate. Her first fight inside the octagon was met with tons of anticipation, and since then, she’s remained a “must-watch” fighter. We all wait with baited breath to see if this camp change or that one will be the magic trick that will shore up her striking weaknesses, while laboring under the knowledge that no matter her insufficiencies, we always get an action-packed contest when she’s in the cage.

And that is probably the number one reason she makes more than Cejudo. She moves the proverbial needle. I’m not saying Henry doesn’t, just not to the degree that she does. The number two reason is almost certainly down to her management negotiating well for her. She signed with Paradigm Sports Management a few years ago, the company known for repping Conor McGregor, Michael Bisping and numerous stick and ball stars.

UFC 298 might be the last time we see payouts in California

With the California Athletic Commission having recently acquiesced to UFC pressure by approving Power Slap for sanctioning, it stands to reason that at some point in the not so distant future, we could see purse payout information disappear, as it has with nearly all the commissions. California’s AC also (at least for now) reports how much athletes gain between weigh-ins and fight day. Hopefully, both disclosures continue in the future.

What comes after UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria?

The next event after UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria will be UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 on February 24th. That card is taking place at the Arena CDMX Mexico City, Mexico and the main event will enjoy a rematch between Top-5 flyweights Brandon Moreno and Brandon Royval. The co-main event has an even better rematch than that when elite featherweights Yair Rodriguez and Brian Ortega run it back.

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Table of Contents

UFC 298 was a sneaky good pay-per-view card. The main event saw the featherweight title change hands for the first time in years, opening up so many potential title fights that have never been done before. Lower on the card, numerous matchups sparked a conversation about potential high-profile matchups for the future. And some early UFC careers developed on the prelims as well.

From the Fights To Make perspective of things, there’s so much to cover. Join us as we discuss the top names coming out of this weekend and who they should fight next.

Ilia Topuria

Ilia Topuria is still undefeated and, most importantly, your new UFC Featherweight Champion. With a new king at featherweight, there’s a whole load of options that we can explore for the first time.

There are so many possibilities for Topuria’s next matchup now that he is a featherweight champ. If Volkanovski won this weekend, we’d likely be discussing what rematch he has to give out next. But with Topuria, there’s a ton of potential pairings that we have never seen before.

The issue is, it’s currently a tough logistical period for featherweight. Many top contenders in the division are tied up in high-profile matchups, making it hard to boil things down to one person for now. I am currently looking at three names who I think could be in the mix for the next shot.

The first potential challenger is Max Holloway. The past few years have been tough for Holloway, as he has beaten everyone that the UFC has put in front of him, except for Volkanovski. At featherweight, the last loss that Holloway took that wasn’t from Volkanovski was against Conor McGregor in 2013. His other loss outside of his rivalry was a lightweight defeat against Dustin Poirier in 2019.

Apart from title fights, it’s been all success for the former champ. Holloway has won four of his last five fights, with all victories being in UFC main events. Last year, he beat Arnold Allen and The Korean Zombie. He’s ranked first place at featherweight, which along with his recent track record of wins makes him a solid contender.

That’s a pretty solid record, but there’s a catch. Holloway is currently booked for UFC 300 in a lightweight fight against Justin Gaethje. The assumption is that the fight will be a one-off, meaning Holloway is still in the featherweight title discussion. But here’s the deal: Holloway and Gaethje are violent dudes. I have a feeling that their fight at UFC 300 could put them both on the shelf for a while.

As much as some people like that matchup, part of me wishes it wouldn’t happen so that Holloway can go right to a new title opportunity. I don’t know what type of turnaround Topuria wants, but I have a feeling he might have to wait sometime if Holloway is next.

So, to help with this, I think a backup plan should be in place. If Holloway has to take a lengthy amount of time off after UFC 300, Topuria should face the winner of next week’s featherweight battle between Yair Rodriguez and Brian Ortega. They are both trying to get back to their winning ways after losing title fights to Volkanovski.

Holloway is, right now, my main choice. But if that can’t happen, there is no shortage of other challengers that can be lined up for Topuria. In the coming weeks, we will likely have a better idea of how this will play out.

Alexander Volkanovski

The dominant reign of Alexander Volkanovski has come to an end. After a brutal second-round finish, he is no longer the UFC Featherweight Champion. It’s a tough pill to swallow for some, as he has gained a strong fanbase through his numerous years of control over an incredibly competitive division.

Volkanovski was one of the most dominant UFC champions in recent years. He held his title since 2019, which is hard to process considering how many reigns in other divisions we have seen come and go within that time. But, now that it’s over, we must figure out what’s next.

After his stoppage loss on Saturday night, Volkanovski threw out the possibility of facing Topuria in a rematch. To be honest, I am not a fan of this idea. Along with his short-notice loss to Islam Makhachev last year, Volkanovski has been finished two times within six months. While he undoubtedly had a dominant reign at featherweight, it feels cruel to throw him in there with a top fighter who just flattened him.

There are two things that I want for Volkanovski. Firstly and most importantly, I want him to take some time off. He has been a total workhorse facing some of the toughest names at 145 pounds for years. After losing three of his past five and suffering a pair of tough finishes, I think it would be valuable for him to remain out of the cage for a little longer than he’s accustomed to.

A counterpoint to that might be the fact that he’s 35 years old. Here’s how I look at it: Volkanovski can either return sometime in the next six months or lose that time due to taking a break. Which has a higher chance of doing more damage to his career? I’d argue the former.

What’s next for him is hard to determine, especially if we’re going to give him time off. When he comes back, I want him to face a name who is arguably one win away from a title shot. Right now, I look at someone like Movsar Evloev as that. Evloev has wins over names like Arnold Allen and Dan Ige, but it feels like he just needs a little bit of an extra push before getting a title opportunity.

This is not to say that Volkanovski should face Evloev next, as like I said, the landscape of the division could completely change by the time he’s back in action. But, someone who is in his position — a fighter on their way to a title shot looking for a meaningful win — is who I would want Volkanovski to face.

It’s honestly challenging to find the right opponent for a fighter like Volkanovski after suffering such a brutal loss this weekend. I hope that before he puts any more thought into who he could face next, he steps aside and makes sure he is truly ready to compete again.

Robert Whittaker

Don’t count Robert Whittaker out just yet! The former UFC Middleweight Champion had a solid performance against the returning Paulo Costa in Saturday’s co-main event to earn a decision nod.

After his victory, Whittaker declared his intentions to fight in a rematch against middleweight title holder Dricus Du Plessis. Most will remember that Du Plessis finished him in a fight last year before becoming a champion in January. While that’s certainly a matchup that could happen in the future, I don’t think that’s the Fight To Make for him at the moment. Costa is a ranked name at middleweight, but he’s also someone who has only won one fight in years. Credit is due to Whittaker for the quality of his performance, but I don’t believe it gives him a title shot next.

Despite the fight between Du Plessis and Sean Strickland being close on scorecards last month, comments from Dana White suggest that the promotion won’t be running the fight match. This opens up the opportunity for Strickland potentially facing Whittaker next. This would be a solid title eliminator fight: Strickland can get a second title shot after narrowly losing his first one, or Whittaker can earn his second consecutive victory against a high-ranked name at 185 pounds.

It’s somewhat hard to tell what UFC is hoping to do at middleweight next. Where will Israel Adesanya get placed when he returns? What if UFC changes their mind on a Du Plessis and Strickland rematch? And how highly will they value Whittaker’s win this weekend? There are so many possible opportunities, and I’m having trouble predicting which direction they will go.

Ian Machado Garry

Ian Machado Garry’s rise at welterweight continued with a sleepy victory over Geoff Neal. Machado Garry is currently ranked 10th at welterweight and is expected to move even higher up the standings after his seventh win in the promotion.

Machado Garry already has his sights set on who he wants next, and that’s Colby Covington. After his fight on Saturday, Machado Garry called out the fighter, who is coming off a title fight loss to Leon Edwards from late last year.

While the optics of defeating a former UFC champion are great, Covington doesn’t seem like a big win for him. Covington has lost a lot of his big fights, and his most recent wins — beating Tyron Woodley and Jorge Masvidal — haven’t aged too well. Seven fights deep into his UFC career, I want Machado Garry to get a better challenge than that. He has built himself up against more experienced fighters who have floated around the rankings for a while, like Neal and Neil Magny. Now, I want him to face someone who is similarly on the rise.

I feel like Sean Brady would be a good next opponent for Machado Garry. Brady was scheduled to face Vicente Luque next month but had to pull out of their five-round fight due to bursitis. Brady’s sole UFC loss was against Belal Muhammad, who is one of the top names in the division. He’s currently coming off a win from December 2023 over Kelvin Gastelum. Brady and Machado Garry are both around similar points in their careers, making this an interesting fight.

I get that Covington has the clout and the experience in title fights. However, I simply think that he is not the one for Machado Garry. For Covington, I’m sticking with the potential fight against Shavkat Rakhmonov that I suggested last year.

Merab Dvalishvili

Merab Dvalishvili added yet another quality win to his record on Saturday night, making it clearer than ever what should be next for him. Allow me to make the easiest business pitch ever and say that Dvalishvili should be up next for a title shot at bantamweight after Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera battle at UFC 299 next month.

Dvalishvili has put together 10 consecutive UFC victories since 2018, and the last few performances have been big wins. Before his competitive but impressive victory against Cejudo this weekend, he beat Petr Yan in a five-round fight, went three against Jose Aldo, and finished Marlon Moraes.

Dvalishvili is ranked second at bantamweight, but he’s practically first when you consider that top-ranked Aljamain Sterling is moving up to featherweight in April. He’s the only fighter in the top five that has never been booked for a UFC title bout.

This should be an easy decision to make. Barring any wild circumstances, I expect Dvalishvili to be challenging the bantamweight champion sometime later this year.

Anthony Hernandez

UFC put a real crossroads matchup in the opening slot of the main card, as Anthony Hernandez and Roman Kopylov faced off. Heading into this fight, they were both on winning streaks and hovering around the top 15 at middleweight. It was Hernandez who kept his momentum going in the division, eventually landing a takedown to submit Kopylov in the second round with a rear-naked choke.

I believe that Hernandez is an incredibly underrated name at 185 pounds. He has put together five consecutive wins since 2021, including four via finish. Along with his Kopylov performance, I place a lot of value in his victories over Marc-Andre Barriault and Rodolfo Vieira. I want to give him a bit of a push up the middleweight rankings with a matchup that I feel he is ready for.

Roman Dolidze is currently ranked ninth place in the division, six spots above where Hernandez is at the moment. However, he’s coming off a pair of high-profile losses over the past year. In 2023, he dropped a decision to former title challenger Marvin Vettori. And just a few weeks back, a five-round majority decision went to Nassourdine Imavov over him.

Just like it’s time for Dolidze to take a step down in competition, it’s also arguably time for Hernandez to take a step up. This is a bit of a challenge for Hernandez, but it’s arguably justified after he picked up yet another finish victory over someone who was considered at the same level as him. Let’s see if he could crack the top 10 against a guy like Dolidze, shall we?

Amanda Lemos

It wasn’t easy, but Amanda Lemos returned to the win column with a victory over Mackenzie Dern on Saturday. Lemos showcased some impressive striking, but it came against an incredibly tough and game opponent.

Lemos had a much more interesting matchup for this card initially. She was previously booked to face Tatiana Suarez, an undefeated contender who is ranked second in the division. However, Suarez had to withdraw. It was a fight that could have set Suarez up to challenge for the belt next.

The victory on Saturday was a bounce-back performance for Lemos after losing a title fight to incumbent strawweight champion Zhang Weili last year. The championship fight in 2023 was incredibly one-sided, with Lemos winning just one round on one of the three judges scoring the bout. This is to say, despite Lemos sitting third in the division, I don’t think it’s fair to line her up with a title shot next. Not until we see her get a few wins and show some real dominance against other contenders. 

I think UFC should look to re-book the matchup between Suarez and Lemos. I feared that Suarez’s injury would keep her sidelined for a long time like some of her past setbacks have. But an interview from earlier this month makes it sound like she’s already easing herself back into training.

Suarez is the best non-title fight matchup for Lemos. She’s also one of the few high-up opponents that Lemos hasn’t already faced. I briefly looked at an upcoming fight between Jessica Andrade and Marina Rodriguez for a possible next opponent that Lemos could face, then remembered they have both faced her quite recently.

Suarez is a fresh matchup for Lemos, it’s the highest-ranked name she could go up against, and it seems like it could be done sometime this year. Let’s go for it.

Rinya Nakamura

Rinya Nakamura kept his undefeated record intact this weekend, as expected. He dominated short-notice opponent Carlos Vera, who oddsmakers considered a massive underdog. Nakamura’s record now includes two UFC wins, three victories from the “Road To UFC” tournament, and four Japanese regional bouts. That’s not a bad resume, considering he only debuted in 2021.

Nakamura is a promising fighter inside one of the deeper divisions in the UFC. Frustratingly, he hasn’t faced any solid names in the promotion so far. He was a massive favorite against Fernie Garcia and was once again this weekend. It’s worth remembering that this recent matchup was partially due to circumstance, as original opponent Brady Hiestand had to withdraw.

But after picking up a couple of dominant, one-sided victories and running through the “Road To UFC” tournament with a trio of first-round finishes, I want to see what Nakamura can do against a step-up challenge. I want a more tenured fighter on somewhat of a run to face him next.

A good next opponent could be Montel Jackson. The 31-year-old has won seven of his nine UFC fights and is currently on a three-bout run of wins since 2021. He just beat a real veteran last year, stopping Rani Yahya in the first round.

Nakamura’s performances against low-tier bantamweights prove to me that he’s ready for a bigger challenge. While it might be a big step up in competition, a fight against Jackson is truly what I think would work for Nakamura at this point in his career. If you think it’s too early for him to face someone at the level of Jackson that’s fine, but even then I’d argue he’s probably one win away from a fight like this.

Zhang Mingyang

China now has a light heavyweight to root for, and his name is Zhang Mingyang. The “Road To UFC” alum won his debut with a nasty first-round finish win against Brendson Ribeiro. Finishing is the name of the game for Zhang, as all 17 of his pro wins have come that way in the first round (yes, really).

Over at Fights To Make, we love hearing about a matchup that a winner wants. After all, sometimes they have great ideas! So, Zhang, who do you want? What’s that? You want UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira in the co-main event of UFC 300? Okay, well. As much as I appreciate your optimism, that’s not happening.

Heading into this weekend, I watched a great video analyzing Zhang that is worth considering after his performance on Saturday. This video by MMA Ecosystem mentions how while he has lots of wins, Zhang has beaten a lot of low-level competition in quick wins. And because of that, it’s hard to gauge where his skill level is. His win this weekend was just under two minutes, not giving us that much more to work with.

Despite Zhang’s title opportunity wishes, I want him to slowly build up. Instead of giving him a more experienced name higher in the ranks, I think it would be good to match him with another fighter that is similar to the one he faced this weekend, putting him against a newer name in the UFC that is low on the food chain. While his record of more than 20 fights might make you want to rush him up the ranks quicker, it’s worth remembering he’s still 25. He has time.

I think Bogdan Guskov would be a neat next opponent for Zhang. Guskov picked up his first UFC victory just over a week ago, stopping Zac Pauga in the first round. He lost his promotional debut before then, getting the tough assignment of Volkan Oezdemir in 2023. Guskov is, similar to Zhang, a fighter who gets his opponents out of the cage early.

This would be a potentially explosive matchup between two finishers. A win would help build up either of their careers and maybe help get Zhang closer to the fight against Pereira that he wants. Also, while the record of both fighters suggests neither of them would get a whole lot more cage time, it would probably be a fan-favorite fight.

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UFC 298 just wrapped up a great night of fights in sunny southern California. The Honda Center saw all manner of action from the athletes, but there were a couple stinkers that didn’t quite pass muster (looking at you Ian Machado Garry). We’ll get to Ian’s fight in a second but first, let’s bask in the glory that was Ilia Topuria putting Old Man Volkanovski right to bed. Tucked him in and sang him a lullaby, he did. But we’re actually kind of sad to see “The Great” get handled like that. He was a good champion, always ready to take on the toughest and gave 100% in all his fights, win or lose. His legacy is more than secure.

All the action from their contest was packed in less than two full rounds—eight minutes and 32 seconds, to be exact. Topuria, it would appear, understands the value of backing up any smack talked during the buildup to his fights. Ian Machado Garry would do well to commit that performance to memory before he starts in with the “I’m too big for Ireland” talk.

Ilia’s multi-faceted skillset is exactly what the doctor ordered to supplant the long-reigning Volkanovski. It would be his crispy, crunchy boxing that would set the tone and his shot selection was a certified chef’s kiss. The way he’d dig hard shots to the ribs in the clinch when Volk was trying to work knees or headhunt was brilliant. It was a masterful performance that deserves every bit of the praise it has gotten and will get this week.

Other UFC 298 moments

The co-main event was a mess in the best way possible, and that is mainly due to Paulo Costa once again starting strong and completely abandoning any semblance of a game plan by the time round two was midway in. He won the first minute of the fight, took the next 3.5 minutes off, then landed a head kick that put Whittaker on roller skates. Fortunately, he was saved from any further punishment by the horn.

The beginning of the second round saw Paulo come out hot, but once again, he devolved into slugging and not bothering to check the brutal low kicks Rob was landing, nor did he attempt to change stances. Whittaker turned that very mortal moment around and pretty much destroyed Costa with volume for the rest of the contest. It was really funny when Costa pointed to the center of the octagon, non-verbally telling Rob to bring it in the last minutes of round three and to leave it all in the cage, except Costa wasn’t willing to do that himself. High comedy!

Ian Machado Garry disappointed in a way that can only be described as “bored me to tears.” For all that mess he was talking this week, he certainly didn’t deliver on his promises. And for someone that thinks he’s too big to headline an entire Irish card, he certainly didn’t make any new fans tonight and it’s very likely he lost some of the ones he had going in. You’ve got two choices, Ian, either stop talking, or actually go for it in the cage.

Have we finally seen the last of Henry Cejudo? He claimed that if he lost this bout, he would retire for good and he did lose this bout, and he lost it definitively. It pains me to ever agree with Dana White on anything, but Henry did waste three of his remaining prime years in “retirement.” While in his self-imposed exile from the sport, he started a family and it wouldn’t be too long after that before he started clucking about coming back. Now he’s lost two back-to-back. Time waits for no man, not even you, Henry Cejudo.

There were some real jewels on UFC 298 aside from these fights, as well. Lemos-Dern was a certified banger with lots of action. Kopylov-Hernandez was fantastic for as long as it lasted. Even the heavyweight fight delivered some action albeit completely one way traffic for MRDL. Let’s take a look at the official results:

UFC 298 Results

• Ilia Topuria def. Alexander Volkanovski by KO at 3:32 of round 2: Featherweight Title
• Robert Whittaker def. Paulo Costa by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2): Middleweight
• Ian Machado Garry vs. Geoff Neal by split decision (30-27 x2, 28-29): Welterweight
• Merab Dvalishvili def. Henry Cejudo by unanimous decision (29-28 x3): Bantamweight
• Anthony Hernandez def. Roman Kopylov by submission (RNC) at 3:23 of round 2: Middleweight
• Amanda Lemos def. Mackenzie Dern by unanimous decision (29-28 x3): Strawweight
• Marcos Rogério de Lima def. Justin Tafa by TKO (Leg kicks) at 1:14 of round 2: Heavyweight
• Rinya Nakamura def. Carlos Vera by unanimous decision (30-27 x3): Bantamweight
• Mingyang Zhang def. Brendson Ribeiro by KO at 1:41 of round 1: Light Heavyweight
• Danny Barlow def. Josh Quinlan by TKO at 1:18 of round 3: Welterweight
• Oban Elliott def. Val Woodburn by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28): Welterweight
• Miranda Maverick def. Andrea Lee by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28): (W) Flyweight

UFC 298 Bonuses

• Fight of the Night: Amanda Lemos vs. Mackenzie Dern
• Performance of the Night: Zhang Mingyang, Ilia Topuria and Anthony Hernandez

Don’t forget to check out the bonus section where the boys give their patented, five-star review of all the fights. You can’t get this anywhere…or can you? We like to think you can’t, so we’ll stick with that. Just be sure to listen!

Check out the FREE preview

Listen to the FULL episode on our podcast Substack

What comes after UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria?

The next event after UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria will be UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 on February 24th. That card is taking place at the Arena CDMX Mexico City, Mexico and the main event will enjoy a rematch between Top-5 flyweights Brandon Moreno and Brandon Royval. The co-main event has an even better rematch than that when elite featherweights Yair Rodriguez and Brian Ortega run it back.

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Headlining UFC 298 was an intriguing featherweight title bout between Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria. It was an extremely technical affair to start out, with Topuria landing early but Volkanovski seemingly adjusting and figuring out the range. It didn’t matter though, with Topuria eventually finding a big right hand to brutally KO the featherweight GOAT.

Below is how pro fighters reacted to shocking KO and new champion after UFC 298.

Twitter (X) reacts to Ilia Topuria’s KO over Alex Volkanovski to win the title at UFC 298

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Can Ilia Topuria dethrone Alexander ‘The Great?’

One of the best matchups you can make at featherweight will go down this weekend at UFC 298, as pound-for-pound third-ranked fighter and current featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski will take on undefeated Ilia Topuria. Volkanovski will be trying to extend his 1,500-day reign even further, putting his title on the line for the sixth time since earning it in 2019.

Saturday will be Volkanovski’s return to featherweight after a second unsuccessful excursion up at lightweight. In an attempt at becoming a two-division champion, Volkanovski lost a short-notice title fight to Islam Makhachev late last year via first-round stoppage. This was his second time facing the lightweight champ, as he previously lost a unanimous decision in February 2023 as well. After not having the best 2023 – at least in comparison to his previous years of absolute dominance in the UFC – Volkanovski will have the chance to score a big win back at 145 pounds.

Topuria is in a title position after stringing together six UFC wins since 2020. He is coming off a high-profile featherweight win, going five rounds against former interim title challenger Josh Emmett for a unanimous decision victory last year. Before then, he handed Bryce Mitchell his first loss and scored stoppages over Jai Herbert and Damon Jackson. While Topuria has numerous impressive victories on his record, nothing is as big as the matchup he is booked for this weekend.

If you want round-by-round updates as the main event fight takes place, keep an eye on this article. The story will be updated frequently during the bout, providing you with details and insight about the matchup as it goes down.

UFC 298: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria live play-by-play

Round 1

Volkanovski tried for a head kick in the opening seconds. He landed a kick to the body just a few moments later. Topuria threw his first strike just under a minute in, trying for a right cross. Volkanovski threw a few more kicks, going after the legs and body of Topuria. Topuria was advancing and getting Volkanovski to back up but not throwing too much yet. Topuria landed a hard leg kick in the second minute, another following a few seconds after.

The slow output from both to start showed that they were ready for a long day at the office. Topuria continued to land his leg kicks. Topuria landed a right cross at the end of a combination that looked good. Volkanovski threw another kick to the body and scored a shot to the lead leg. Volkanovski went into a body lock for a few seconds in the final minute. Topuria came forward with a few punches but Volkanovski did a great job to evade. Slow, methodical round to start, but a really close one as well. I’m scoring this for Topuria, 10-9.

Round 2

Similar to the first round, Topuria was backing Volkanovski up to begin the second round. A right hand followed up by a left hook from Topuria seemingly connected a minute into the second round. Volkanovski flicked out his jab and touched Topuria a couple of times halfway through the round. There is still a presence of kicks in this round, although it seems like it’s less than the opening five minutes.

Topuria was starting to show damage on his nose from strikes. Topuria came forward with a series of hooks, connecting with a right hook that absolutely flattened Volkanovski and knocked him out. The fight went from a slow, strategic pace to a sudden finish just like that. You have a new UFC Featherweight Champion!

Official Decision

Ilia Topuria def. Alexander Volkanovski via KO (right hook) at 3:32 in Round 2: UFC Featherweight Championship

UFC 298 Quick Results

UFC 298 Main Card (10 p.m. ET) (PPV)

• Ilia Topuria def. Alexander Volkanovski via KO (right hook) at 3:32 in Round 2: UFC Featherweight Championship
• Robert Whittaker def. Paulo Costa via unanimous decision: Middleweight
• Ian Machado Garry def. Geoff Neal via unanimous decision: Welterweight
• Merab Dvalishvili def. Henry Cejudo via unanimous decision: Bantamweight
• Anthony Hernandez def. Roman Kopylov via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:23 in Round 2: Middleweight

UFC 298 Preliminary Card (8 p.m. ET) (ESPN & ESPN+)

• Amanda Lemos def. Mackenzie Dern via unanimous decision: Strawweight
• Marcos Rogerio de Lima def. Junior Tafa via TKO (leg kicks) at 1:14 in Round 2: Heavyweight
• Rinya Nakamura def. Carlos Vera via unanimous decision: Bantamweight
• Zhang Mingyang def. Brendson Riberio via TKO (punches) at 1:41 in Round 3: Light Heavyweight

UFC 298 Early Prelims (6:30 p.m. ET) (ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass)

• Danny Barlow def. Josh Quinlan via TKO (punches) at 1:18 in Round 3: Welterweight
• Oban Elliott def. Val Woodburn via unanimous decision: Welterweight
• Miranda Maverick def. Andrea Lee via unanimous decision: Flyweight

UFC 298: Live stream, start time, where to watch

UFC 298’s main card will begin at 10 p.m. ET, available via pay-per-view on ESPN+. The top half of the prelims can be viewed at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+, along with ESPN’s main TV channel. The early prelims will take place at 6:30 p.m. ET, with online services ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass carrying the portion of the card.

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Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa faced off as the UFC 298 co-main event, and it was a nasty back and forth war. Costa badly rocked Whittaker with a spinning heel kick at the very end of the first round and was likely saved by the bell. Whittaker recovered and answered back strongly, leading to both men trading big shots throughout the contest.

In the end, it was Robert Whittaker that got his hand raised after a pretty nasty and fun, fight of the night caliber contest.

This is how the pros reacted to the entertaining middleweight clash.

Twitter (X) reacts to UFC 298 war between Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa

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Former champ Whittaker faces returning Costa at UFC 298

Ranked middleweights will get the spotlight in the UFC 298 co-main event, as past champion Robert Whittaker will face former title challenger Paulo Costa. The fight will be Costa’s first appearance in nearly a year and a half, with his most recent fight being a 2022 decision win against Luke Rockhold.

Before that win over Rockhold, Costa suffered a pair of losses to notable 185-pound talents Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori. While he is riding the momentum of a win, Costa certainly isn’t in the title discussion right now. However, he can edge himself one step closer to being a potential challenger for Dricus Du Plessis with a solid performance over Whittaker.

Whittaker, a fighter who has been one of the top names in the division for years, will be trying to come back from a loss he suffered last summer. In his final fight before dethroning Sean Strickland and earning the middleweight championship, Du Plessis overcame Whittaker at UFC 290 last year via finish. A win on Saturday could push Whittaker closer to accomplishing two tasks at once: Avenging his loss to Du Plessis and regaining the UFC Middleweight Championship.

Bloody Elbow will be providing round-by-round coverage of the UFC 298 co-main event as it happens on Saturday night. Make sure to check back on this page as the fight happens to receive updates on the middleweight bout.

UFC 298: Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa live play-by-play

Round 1

Whittaker opened the fight by landing a leg kick. Costa connected with a lead jab before Whittaker landed another pair of leg kicks. Costa responded with his own leg kick, then tried for one upstairs. Costa threw another head kick a minute into the fight, but Whittaker had his arms up. Both were getting active with their jabs in the second minute of the round. Costa threw a jab and Whittaker countered with an overhand left. Whittaker came forward with a left hook, Costa responded with a left hand of his own that made Whittaker pause for a moment. Whittaker seemingly caught Costa with an uppercut on the counter halfway into the round. Whittaker charged forward and landed another left hand. Costa landed a kick to the thigh with 90 seconds to go. Whittaker scored on a couple of jabs. A hard right cross from Whittaker got a pop from the crowd with a minute left. Costa ends the round with a spinning back kick that connected to the head and wobbled Whittaker. Quite the plot twist to end a round that looked like it was Whittakers. This is hard to score, but I think that final shot gave Costa the edge. I’ll go 10-9 for him, but I’m open to the round going either way.

Round 2

A head kick from Whittaker grazed the head of Costa in the opening minute of the round, causing a smile from the Brazilian talent. Whittaker was still going for leg kicks, landing again early in this round. Costa connected with a few short punches to Whittaker, who is showing some damage on his face now. The fight was paused briefly due to a thumb getting into Whittaker’s right eye. Whittaker scored with a few more leg kicks after the fight resumed. He also landed a solid two-punch combo of hooks that connected. Whittaker put together a series of hooks that landed clean once again, and Costa egged him on to throw more. Costa whiffed on a high kick and then had another blocked. The output dropped off somewhat as the second round came down to its last minute. Whittaker landed another two-punch combo in the final 30 seconds. Whittaker had a strong bounce-back round against Costa and, if he lost the first round, now likely has it tied up 19-19.

Round 3

Broadcast mentioned that Costa’s corner is concerned about the leg kicks he’s consuming. Whittaker is, unexpectedly, still throwing them in the third round. To Costa’s credit, he was also landing leg kicks and some bruising is visible on Whittaker’s legs. Costa was hit with a hard right hand after getting tied up with Whittaker for a moment. They went into a clinch again, with Costa landing to the body of Whittaker with a knee. Costa advanced on Whittaker in the third minute of this round, throwing kicks to the legs and body. Whittaker was coming forward with singular shots, much different from the flurries he was unloading earlier on. Costa continued to keep Whittaker on the perimeter of the cage, which wasn’t seen in the earlier frames. Costa missed on another spinning back kick. Both were throwing punches late in the round, although not a lot were connecting too hard. Whittaker threw a double jab with 15 seconds to go. Whittaker briefly grabbed the leg of Costa for a takedown before separating. The fight runs out of time. This is going to be a nail-biter on scorecards. I could see this going either fighter’s way. The third round was the hardest to score, I think it might be 29-28 Whittaker.

Official Decision

Robert Whittaker def. Paulo Costa via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 & 30-27)

UFC 298 Quick Results

Main Card (10 p.m. ET) (PPV)

• Ilia Topuria def. Alexander Volkanovski via KO (right hook) at 3:32 in Round 2: UFC Featherweight Championship
• Robert Whittaker def. Paulo Costa via unanimous decision: Middleweight
• Ian Machado Garry def. Geoff Neal via unanimous decision: Welterweight
• Merab Dvalishvili def. Henry Cejudo via unanimous decision: Bantamweight
• Anthony Hernandez def. Roman Kopylov via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:23 in Round 2: Middleweight

Preliminary Card (8 p.m. ET) (ESPN & ESPN+)

• Amanda Lemos def. Mackenzie Dern via unanimous decision: Strawweight
• Marcos Rogerio de Lima def. Junior Tafa via TKO (leg kicks) at 1:14 in Round 2: Heavyweight
• Rinya Nakamura def. Carlos Vera via unanimous decision: Bantamweight
• Zhang Mingyang def. Brendson Riberio via TKO (punches) at 1:41 in Round 3: Light Heavyweight

Early Prelims (6:30 p.m. ET) (ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass)

• Danny Barlow def. Josh Quinlan via TKO (punches) at 1:18 in Round 3: Welterweight
• Oban Elliott def. Val Woodburn via unanimous decision: Welterweight
• Miranda Maverick def. Andrea Lee via unanimous decision: Flyweight

UFC 298: Live stream, start time, where to watch

UFC 298’s main card will begin at 10 p.m. ET, available via pay-per-view on ESPN+. The top half of the prelims can be viewed at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+, along with ESPN’s main TV channel. The early prelims will take place at 6:30 p.m. ET, with online services ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass carrying the portion of the card.

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Ian Machado Garry faced Geoff Neal at UFC 298, which served as another test for the Irish rising star. It wasn’t the most entertaining contest, as Garry remained patient and tried to just pick him apart from the outside, but it was a quality decision win regardless.

Garry won a split decision, and fans booed the polarizing fighter heavily after.

Below is how the pros reacted to the welterweight contest.

Twitter (X) reacts to Ian Machado Garry’s win at UFC 298

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Preview

It’s time for UFC 298! The event is happening tonight in Anaheim, CA with Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria fighting in the main event. However, before that fight happens we’ve got an intriguing match-up in the UFC’s welterweight division. The undefeated Ian Machado Garry is seeking to prove he’s a contender in the promotion tonight when he takes on Geoff Neal.

There’s been lots of talk and bad blood between these, too, but it’s time to put that aside and settle things in the cage. You can follow all the action tonight with our live streaming pay-per-view play-by-play below.

Ian Machado Garry vs. Geoff Neal live play-by-play

Round 1

Garry takes center cage. Neal circles on the outside, hops in to fire an inside leg kick. Garry answers with a front kick to the gut. Another calf kick lands for Neal. Garry stomps Neals knee with an oblique kick. Neal answers with an inside leg kick. Garry lands a body punch. Neal eats a head kick. Neal charges in behind a combo, lands with a left. Neal forces Garry into the cage. Garry reverses and pushes Neal into the cage. Neal spins and pushes Garry into the cage again.

Garry escapes but eats a shot on the exit. Garry lands a punch to the body, then a knee. Garry lands a knee to the gut. Lots of kicks from Garry, about 1 in 3 land. Close round, I’ll give it to Garry 10-9.

Round 2

Neal trying a variety of stances. Garry fires off a combo. Lands a body kick followed by a two punch combo. Neal shoots and forces Garry into the cage. Crowd getting restless. Garry spins free.

Garry fires a knee but eats a straight right to the face in exchange. Garry jabs. Knee, right-hand combo lands. Neal lands a right and drives into the clinch. Back to the cage. Garry spins free. Neal lands an uppercut. Neal fires off a 3 punch combo. Crowd restless again. Clash of heads.

Neal comes forward behind a sharp combo. Garry fires back. High kick from Neal. Neal lands a left. They clinch again. Garry backed into the fence. Another one for Garry. 10-9 and 20-18.

Round 3

They open up with sharp exchanges, Garry trading a body kick for a body punch. Garry lands a knee. Eats a left. Crowd boos. Neal forces Garry back and drives into the clinch. Garry breaks free. Peppering Neal with jabs. Big left from Neal. Garry lands a big knee up the middle. Another body kick under Neal’s arms.

Garry circling away as the crowd groans. Garry lands a jab. Dances away from Neal. Crowd boos. Garry dancing away. Neal forces another clinch. Thirty seconds left. Not a fun fight. The time runs out. Another round for Garry but not a treat for fans.

Official Decision

Ian Machado Garry def. Geoff Neal via split decision (30-27×2, 28-29).

UFC 298 Quick Results

Main card

• – Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria: Featherweight Title
• – Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa: Middleweight
• – Ian Machado Garry def. Geoff Neal via split decision
• – Merab Dvalishvili def. Henry Cejudo via unanimous decision
• – Anthony Hernandez def. Roman Kopylov via submission (RNC) at 3:23 of round 2

Prelims

• – Amanda Lemos def. Mackenzie Dern by unanimous decision (29-28 x3): Strawweight
• – Marcos Rogério de Lima def. Justin Tafa by TKO (Leg kicks) at 1:14 of round 2-: Heavyweight
• – Rinya Nakamura def. Carlos Vera by unanimous decision (30-27 x3): Bantamweight
• – Mingyang Zhang def. Brendson Ribeiro by KO at 1:41 of round 1: Light Heavyweight
• – Danny Barlow def. Josh Quinlan by TKO at 1:18 of round 3: Welterweight
• – Oban Elliott def. Val Woodburn by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28): Welterweight
• – Miranda Maverick def. Andrea Lee by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28): (W) Flyweight

Start date and time

UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria takes place on February 17th, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The main card starts at 10 p.m. ET. The early preliminary card begins at 6:00 p.m. ET, with the regular prelims kicking off at 8 p.m. ET.

Live streams

UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria is available on ESPN+ PPV for $79.99 for current subscribers. New subscribers can pay $124.98 for the UFC 298 pay-per-view and an ESPN+ annual subscription. The event is scheduled to start live at 6:00pm ET, 3:00pm PT, with the prelims on the ESPN+ streaming platform in the US, as well as Fight Pass. The PPV main card is to kick off at 10:00pm ET, 7:00pm PT. For full streaming details, and compatible devices go here.

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Merab Dvalishvili and Henry Cejudo fought at UFC 298, in an entertaining battle between top level wrestlers. Cejudo has an Olympic gold medal in wrestling, but this is MMA and Dvalishvili impressively won most of the grappling exchanges.

Cejudo had good moments in the opening round, but Dvalishvili overwhelmed him in the next two rounds to take an impressive win over the two-division champion. He also had fun in the process, repeatedly talking to Facebook and Meta head Mark Zuckerberg during the fight, who was ringside watching.

Twitter (X) reacts to UFC 298

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Preview

It’s time for UFC 298! The event is happening tonight in Anaheim, CA. Tonight’s main event has Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria for the UFC featherweight title. But before that five round clash there is a main card filled with exciting match-ups.

One of those pits former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo against rising contender Merab Dvalishvili.

You can follow along with Dvalishvili vs. Cejudo live tonight with our streaming pay-per-view play-by-play below.

Merab Dvalishvili vs. Henry Ceudo live play-by-play

Round 1

Cejudo takes center cage. Dvalishvili circling outside. Cejudo tries a leg kick. Dvalishvili fires a wheel kick! “USA! USA!” chants from the crowd. Cejudo lands a calf kick. Dvalishvili lands an inside leg kick. Cejudo stuns Dvalishvili with right hand! Another right hook lands for Henry. They pause and face off center cage.

Dvalishvili grabs a leg and takes the Olympian wrestler down! Has his back briefly but Henry spins free. Dvalishvili lands a big right hand and pushes forward. Cejudo reverses and ends up on top! Cejudo in half-guard. Dvalishvili trying for a kimura grip. Nothing doing. Cejudo takes the back, Dvalishvili on his hands & knees. Dvalishvili stands, hand-fighting with Cejudo still on his back. They trod to the cage. Dvalishvili spins around, still in the clinch now facing each other.

Cejudo lands a knee and they break with seconds left. 10-9 Cejudo on my card but very close.

Round 2

They dance for 30 seconds before Dvalishvili throws a straight kick that misses. They trade leg kicks. Cejudo goes for a single leg, transitions to the back. Dvalishvili breaks free, fires some punches. Cejudo clinches again. They break. Dvalishvili lands a right-hand counter. Cejudo grabs a leg. Eats a couple punches. Dvalishvili hurts Henry with a right! Henry advances behind a body shot. Dvalishvili throwing combos high and low.

Dvalishvili grabs a leg. Gets the takedown! Has the back with Henry on hands and knees, crawling to the fence. Cejudo stands, still carrying Dvalishvili. Dvalishvili throws him back to the ground. Dvalishvili lands rights to Henry’s face.

They break. Cejudo shoots, stuffed. Dvalishvili with a headlock, whips Cejudo down, spins for the back. Dvalishvili peppering Cejudo with lefts to the ribs. Dvalishvili going for the front choke. He’s squeezing and talking trash. Round ends. 10-9 Dvalishvili evens it up on my card.

Round 3

Cejudo opens with a leg kick. Dvalishvili does some spinning, nothing connects. Cejudo’s left forearm is very swollen. Dvalishvili closes distance, takes Cejudo’s back standing. Dvalishvili firing knees to Cejudo’s legs. Cejudo spins free. Cejudo lands a calf kick. Dvalishvili goes for a leg, stuffed.

Dvalishvili lands a smacking right. Dvalishvili picks up Cejudo, slams him down. Dvalishvili lands in Cejudo’s guard. throwing punches. Cejudo tries to scramble free. Manages to stand but Dvalishvili stays glued to his back. Dvalishvili forces him down to the ground. Cejudo fights back up.

They break. Trading punches. Cejudo shoots. Dvalishvili bounces on one leg, fends off the take down and the fight ends. 10-9 Dvalishvili for the win.

Official Decision

Merab Dvalishvili def. Henry Cejudo by unanimous decision (29-29×3)

UFC 298 Quick Results

Main card

• – Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria: Featherweight Title
• – Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa: Middleweight
• – Ian Machado Garry vs. Geoff Neal: Welterweight
• – Merab Dvalishvili vs. Henry Cejudo: Bantamweight
• – Anthony Hernandez def. Roman Kopylov by submission (RNC) at 3:23 of round 2: Middleweight

Prelims

• – Amanda Lemos vs. Mackenzie Dern: Strawweight
• – Marcos Rogério de Lima vs. Justin Tafa: Heavyweight
• – Carlos Vera vs. Rinya Nakamura: Bantamweight
• – Mingyang Zhang vs. Brendson Ribeiro: Light Heavyweight
• – Josh Quinlan vs. Danny Barlow: Welterweight
• – Val Woodburn vs. Oban Elliott: Welterweight
• – Miranda Maverick vs. Andrea Lee: (W) Flyweight

Start date and time

UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria takes place on February 17th, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The main card starts at 10 p.m. ET. The early preliminary card begins at 6:00 p.m. ET, with the regular prelims kicking off at 8 p.m. ET.

Live streams

UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria is available on ESPN+ PPV for $79.99 for current subscribers. New subscribers can pay $124.98 for the UFC 298 pay-per-view and an ESPN+ annual subscription. The event is scheduled to start live at 6:00pm ET, 3:00pm PT, with the prelims on the ESPN+ streaming platform in the US, as well as Fight Pass. The PPV main card is to kick off at 10:00pm ET, 7:00pm PT. For full streaming details, and compatible devices go here.

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The featured UFC 298 prelim saw Amanda Lemos and Mackenzie Dern go back and forth for three rounds. Dern had some moments on the ground, but her striking still had its glaring holes and Lemos was able to badly hurt her multiple times, including a near finish in the second round. It was an entertaining fight where both had chances to win, but Lemos won a much deserved a unanimous decision.

Below is how the pros reacted to the strawweight scrap.

Twitter (X) reacts to Amanda Lemos’ win over Mackenzie Dern at UFC 298

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UFC 298 looks all set to be an action-packed night of PPV action for the world’s largest MMA promotion. The main event features a top-tier featherweight fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria alongside a middleweight top contender’s bout with former champion Robert Whittaker taking on fan favorite Paulo Costa.

Further down the card, however, there’s another fight that deserves just as much interest and attention as the top-billed action for the night. A bantamweight scrap between top ranked Merab Dvalishvili and former two-division champion Henry Cejudo. Dvalishvili hopes to earn his first shot at gold and pick up his 10th straight victory, while Cejudo is looking to bounce back from a closely contested loss to then champion Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288 last May.

UFC boss Dana White lays into Henry Cejudo for retiring ‘in his f***ing prime’

Fans might excuse Henry Cejudo for failing to recapture UFC gold by only the narrowest of margins last year, considering he had spent the previous three years sitting on the sidelines, but in a recent interview ahead of UFC 298 Dana White made it clear that he considers the time off something of a stain on ‘Triple C”s legacy. Most notably because White feels Cejudo had no reason not to be fighting.

“I mean, I think it was ridiculous that Henry Cejudo retired.” White explained (Transcript via MMA Junkie). “When you retire, you should stay away and never come back. This guy retired when he was in his f***ing prime. He looked good. This is a big fight for both of these guys.”

“Merab [Dvalishvili] sat out, and didn’t take a title fight because his friend had the title—all that stuff,” White added. “So I think you’re looking at two guys that, in my opinion, have made some mistakes in their careers. Saturday night’s a big deal for both of these guys. This whole f***ing card is incredible. I love this card.”

Dana White spin control

In the case of Merab Dvalishvili, there are two sides to this story in clear opposition to one another. Back in March, Dvalishvili made it clear that he didn’t want anyone asking him about fighting Aljamain Sterling.

“If they want me to fight Aljo, maybe they have to pay $10 billion,” Dvalishvili said at the time. “Then yes, I’ll be ready.”

Shortly afterward, Dana White sort of claimed that the UFC had offered Dvalishvili a chance to fight Sterling for the belt and that he had turned it down.

“Oh, yeah.” White stated when asked if Dvalishvili had been offered the Sterling fight, “He could have that fight tomorrow.”

It’s a claim Dvalishvili has denied on several occasions now, saying that he has never been offered a fight against Sterling. From the sound of things, it doesn’t seem like he’s ever officially been offered a UFC title fight at all. But, considering that most bout negotiations are usually handled by matchmakers and managers, it’s impossible to know where the truth of that lies.

As for Henry Cejudo, however, his case for mid-career retirement has always been crystal clear.

“Show me the money,” Cejudo said in a 2020 interview. “That’s it. I’ve got my legacy. My legacy is written. Everybody knows what I’m after. I’m out here chasing green now. That’s what I want. I’ve got all the gold. I want the green.”

Whether or not Cejudo was able to finally really get paid big money by the UFC or not? We should know better this Saturday in Anaheim since California is one of the few states that still releases fighter contract information to the public. Even if he’s making serious ends now, however, the longtime Fight Ready talent has made it clear that it’s win or go home this time around. At 37-years-of-age he’s looking for one more run at gold. If he can’t get that, it sounds like he won’t stick around.

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The undercard of UFC 298 is kind of a mixed bag. As Connor Ruebusch put it, “There are a couple gems sprinkled in there but the rest are typical prelims.” We have come to expect “typical prelims” to equate to low-tier, regional level fights, and that is certainly what we’ve got with this event. Fortunately, the matchmaking brass did the rare excellent job stacking the main card with really good fights, so we can sort of excuse the haphazard way they threw together these contests.

The featured prelim seems like whichever way the wind blows would be an expected outcome. Amanda Lemos is dynamite in the standup, especially in the proverbial phone booth, but she’s pretty easy to out-wrestle, out-grapple, what have you. Mackenzie Dern thinks she can strike, but truth be told, her striking has barely improved after several years with the promotion. If this goes her way, we’ll know why. If it goes Lemos’ way, ditto. A two-true outcome fight if ever there was one.

Rinya Nakamura is another fighter we’ve been keeping our collective eyes on, but he is unfortunately stuck with a late replacement opponent that will do nothing for his advancement. Carlos Vera is coming off a loss to Brad Katona from his days on The Ultimate Fighter, so a win over him doesn’t do a whole lot for Rinya, but a loss would absolutely disrupt what he’s accomplished so far.

We also have Miranda Maverick set to take on Andrea Lee in the curtain-jerker. Lee has to be in a must-win situation since she’s on a three-fight losing skid. It seems like maybe Miranda Maverick will be gearing up to give Lee her walking papers with a win over the long-time vet. At the very least, she should supplant Lee’s Number 15 ranking.

That also brings us to the stats portion you’re looking for. These stats will serve the entire card, not just the prelims.

UFC 298 Factoids

• Ranked fights: 5
• Ranked fighters: 13
• Fighters coming off a loss: 10
• Fighters coming directly from Contender Series: 3
• Contender Series alumni in total: 6
• Fighters coming directly from TUF: 1
• Fighters coming directly from Road to UFC: 1
• Road to UFC alumni in total: 2

UFC 298 Prelims

• Amanda Lemos  vs.  Mackenzie Dern
• Marcos Rogério de Lima  vs.  Justin Tafa
• Rinya Nakamura  vs.  Carlos Vera
• Mingyang Zhang  vs.  Brendson Ribeiro
• Josh Quinlan  vs.  Danny Barlow
• Val Woodburn  vs.  Oban Elliott
• Andrea Lee  vs.  Miranda Maverick

Don’t forget to check out the bonus section for a great review of the UFC Vegas 86 preliminary card. Make sure to tune in immediately after this weekend’s fights for breakdowns and analysis on our 6th Round Post-Fight Show.

Check out the FREE preview

Checkk out the FULL episode on our podcast Substack

What comes after UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria?

The next event after UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria will be UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 on February 24th. That card is taking place at the Arena CDMX Mexico City, Mexico and the main event will enjoy a rematch between Top-5 flyweights Brandon Moreno and Brandon Royval. The co-main event has an even better rematch than that when elite featherweights Yair Rodriguez and Brian Ortega run it back.

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Junior Tafa saves UFC 298 fight

UPDATE: Following news of Justin Tafa’s removal from UFC 298 due to injury the UFC weigh-in broadcast team has reported that the fighter’s brother, Junior Tafa (also a contracted UFC heavyweight) has stepped up as a last minute replacement. Junior Tafa offered to step in before the close of the weigh-in window on Friday, February 16th and hit the scales at 249 lbs, making the fight official.

UFC 298 is set for this Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA. The card is headlined by UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski versus challenger Ilia Topuria. The co-main pits middleweight ex-champ Robert Whittaker against one-time title challenger Paulo Costa. There’s also Ian Machado Garry under pressure to live up to his reputation against Geoff Neal.

UFC 298 Heavyweight bout scrapped

One (more) scheduled fight that fans won’t be seeing is a planned heavyweight scrap between Justin Tafa and Marcos Rogério de Lima. According to an announcement at the weigh-ins, Tafa is injured and won’t be able to compete.

This is the second fight to be pulled from the card in the last 24 hours as Tresean Gore is injured and his scheduled prelim fight with AJ Dobson has been scuppered as well.

These were not the first changes to the UFC 298 fight card. Originally, the card was meant to feature former title challenger Amanda Lemos against contender Tatiana Suarez. However, Suarez had to withdraw from that bout due to injury. She was replaced by fellow contender Mackenzie Dern. UFC 298 was initially meant to feature Marcin Tybura vs. Tai Tuivasa, too, but that bout has been rescheduled.

Justin Tafa was coming in off a Performance of the Night

The injury is poorly timed for Tafa, the New Zealander. His last bout, a first-round KO of Austen Lane at UFC 293 in September won him a Performance of the Night bonus and made up for a frustrating No Contest due to an accidental eye poke at a UFC Fight Night in June of last year.

Tafa is 4-2 (1 NC) in the UFC and 7-4 (1 NC) as a professional mixed martial artist. He’s won his last three fights aside from the No Contest.

No word has been given to the press as to the nature of Tafa’s fight-cancelling injury. We hope it is unrelated to the eye poke he suffered in the Lane No Contest which left Tafa with some nagging consequences.

“Cleared of any major damage to both eyes but both eyes did suffer some damage,” Tafa tweeted soon after the bout. “Right eye still in some pain, sensitive to light and blurred vision on the [left eye] but I thank God nothing that was going to end my career or cause serious damage to to my eye.”

Marcos Rogerio de Lima is coming off a KO loss to Derek Lewis at UFC 291 last July in Utah. De Lima is 21-9-1 as a pro, and 10-7 in the UFC. De Lima’s last Octagon appearance produced a highlight reel flying knee win for the popular Lewis, who sealed the deal by stripping down to his underwear in the Octagon to celebrate.

You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality UFC and MMA coverage. Bloody Elbow is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site.

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UFC 298 is this Saturday

UFC 298 goes down this Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA. The main event has UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski defending his crown against upstart Ilia Topuria. The co-main has a middleweight clash that pits former champ Robert Whittaker against former challenger Paulo Costa. There’s also Ian Machado Garry looking to back up his talk in a fight with Geoff Neal.

Sadly, the card has had a minor setback this week with one fight falling off the prelim portion of the show.

The UFC announced yesterday that Tresean Gore had suffered an injury and would not be able to make his fight with AJ Dobson. In response to this injury, the UFC have opted not to seek a replacement and have instead pulled Dobson off the card, too. UFC 298 will now progress with 12 scheduled bouts.

This isn’t the first change to the line-up at UFC 298. Initially the card was meant to feature former title challenger Amanda Lemos against contender Tatiana Suarez. However, Suarez had to withdraw from that bout due to injury. She was replaced by fellow contender Mackenzie Dern. UFC 298 was initially meant to feature Marcin Tybura vs. Tai Tuivasa, too, but that bout has been rescheduled.

Tresean Gore was coming off the biggest win in his career

Tresean Gore is 4-2 in his pro career. He joined the ranks of The Ultimate Fighter Season 29 in 2021, back when he was a 3-0 prospect. After bowing out of TUF due to injury he made his UFC proper debut in a unanimous decision loss against Bryan Battle at UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Strickland in 2022.

Gore was then TKO’d by Cody Brundage at UFC Fight Night: Dos Anjos vs. Fiziev a few months later. Just three months after that Gore took on Josh Fremd (with his UFC contract likely on the line). He defeated Fremd via first round guillotine choke to notch his first Octagon victory.

Gore has been out of action for 14 months now, having had a a UFC 290 match-up with Bo Nickal fall through (due to a torn wrist ligament) last summer.

AJ Dobson is a 7-2 pro. He is a Contender Series alum, having debuted on that series in 2021. Since beating Hashem Arkhagha there he’s lost to Jacob Malkoun and Armen Petrosyan. He scored his first non Contender Series UFC win with a decision over Tafon Nchukwi in August.

Dobson has now been booked to fight former UFC headliner Edmen Shahbazyan at UFC Fight Night: Ribas vs. Namajunas in March.

You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality UFC and MMA coverage. Bloody Elbow is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site.

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MMA and Hollywood have had a somewhat tortured relationship over the last few decades. While there have been a couple decent high points like Warrior and Redbelt, most of the time when MMA is appearing in a major motion picture, it’s gonna be a hot mess.

That probably extends to one of 2024’s most anticipated fight-adjacent cinematic projects as well, the long awaited remake of the Patrick Swayze classic Road House. Once anticipated as a potential Ronda Rousey vehicle (before her limitations as an onscreen talent became more apparent), the movie is set to star Jake Gyllenhaal as Elwood Dalton, an MMA fighter turned night club bouncer. Filmed in part during UFC 285, production problems have become a noted part of the movie’s upcoming release.

Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel tried to save Road House producer

A few weeks ago, signs of problems behind the scenes became apparent with reports that star Jake Gyllenhaal and director Doug Liman had tried desperately to secure a theatrical release for the film with a a screening on Amazon owner Jeff Bezos’ yacht. That report came via Puck News and former Hollywood Reporter Matthew Belloni.

Despite the film’s apparent popularity with screening audiences (no word on what Bezos thought), it’s still geared for a prime exclusive release. A recent report from Variety, however, laid out more details on how the decision became so fraught.

According to Variety’s sources, early on in the project, director Liman and producer Joel Silver (who produced the Swayze original), as well as Gyllenhaal all signed off on the film as a streaming exclusive with the promise of an extra $25 million in the budget for passing on a theatrical release.

From the sound of things, however, it seems that was a deal quickly regretted. And while Gyllenhaal and Liman both campaigned to get the movie to the big screen, Silver especially became contentious with studio staff. So much so that Ari Emanuel tried to step in and save his job, despite few real connections to the project.

Silver continued to push for a theatrical release and grew so combative that the studio threatened to cut ties with him. That prompted Emanuel, CEO of WME parent Endeavor, to lobby on Silver’s behalf. Sources say Emanuel reached out to Salke and begged her not to fire the legendary producer. One source familiar with the back and forth described his pleas as “desperate.” Emanuel enlisted private investigator-turned-quasi consultant Anthony Pellicano in an effort to help Silver keep his job. (WME declined comment.)

“It made no sense why Ari cared,” says an insider. “WME doesn’t even rep Liman. CAA does.”

Despite Ari Emanuel’s attempts, Silver was removed from the project in 2023, and although the filmmakers continued their campaign without him, their pleas fell on deaf ears. Hopefully audience reactions are a better sign of the film’s merits than the studio infighting. The remake feels terribly unnecessary considering that the first one is already a timeless classic, but it’d be nice if it was at least a fun watch.

Rose Namajunas gets executive producer credit on ‘Strawweight’

Speaking of MMA themed movies, it looks like UFC fans will be getting a project sometime in the near future with more than just tenuous ties to the world’s largest MMA promotion. In this case, it’s a fight drama starring Chloe Grace Moretz of Kick Ass fame, alongside Black Panther’s Lupita Nyong’o. Variety reports that former UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas has been tabbed as a “fight consultant” for the film and will get an ‘executive producer’ credit as well.

The film — being launched at the European Film Market by WME Independent and CAA Media Finance — follows the journeys of two fighters who find themselves competing against each other in the Octagon. One is a young woman (Moretz) whose life is changed forever when she discovers her passion for the UFC, while the other is a former champion (Nyong’o) who is determined to reclaim her title by reinventing herself. Both want the same thing — respect — but only one can come out on top.

The film will mark the feature directorial debut of James M. Johnston, who served as second unit director for the Green Knight.

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New year, same UFC main event problems.

Really, if we’re being fair the world’s largest MMA promotion has already had a much better start to the year than they did in 2023 when it comes to keeping fight cards together, but the good times couldn’t last forever. Amid numerous reports of struggles to find a headlining fight for UFC 300 a smaller Fight Night main event looks to be the first major cancelled booking of the year.

Vicente Luque gets new UFC Atlantic City opponent, moves to co-main

The UFC had been hoping to book a top flight welterweight bout between action talent Vicente Luque and rising potential contender Sean Brady. Unfortunately, despite announcing the contest to the public, it later turned out that contracts had never actually been signed. Brady was sidelined by injury and couldn’t recover in time to make the booking.

Fortunately for fans, it looks like the UFC found a fun replacement. With Brady out, MMA Junkie reports that Luque will take on human highlight machine Joaquin Buckley. The 29-year-old St. Louis native first shot to prominence back in 2020, with an all time great KO over recently crowned PFL champion Impa Kasanganay. Consistency has been a little hard to find in the time since, but Buckley dropped down to welterweight last year and picked up a head kick KO over Andre Fialho for his trouble. Most recently, Buckley defeated longtime UFC veteran Alex Morono at UFC Fight Night: Dawson vs. Green.

For his part, the 32-year-old Luque will enter the bout off a victory in August of last year, over former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos. That win broke a two-fight losing skid for the Brazilian, dropping a unanimous decision to Belal Muhammad, followed by a KO loss to Geoff Neal. Shortly after the Neal loss, Luque was diagnosed with a brain bleed, keeping him sidelined for a year before he was cleared to fight again.

Erin Blanchfield vs. Manon Fiorot elevated to main event

Despite Luque staying on the card, it seems the UFC didn’t feel his new dance partner merited retaining the main event slot. Instead, that position will go to a women’s flyweight top contender fight between Erin Blanchfield and Manon Fiorot. It’s a move that the New Jersey native has been campaigning for over the last several weeks.

“I don’t know yet,” Blanchfield told MMA Junkie back in December when asked about the possibility of headlining in Atlantic City. “I’m pushing, I want it to be a main event. I’d love to fight five rounds. I feel like that fits my style really well, and prepping myself for a title fight, I think going five rounds would be super beneficial. So I don’t know for sure, but I’m going to push for five rounds.”

Both Blanchfield and Fiorot have looked like obvious contenders over the course of their runs in the Octagon. However, both women are currently coming off less than spectacular showings against elite opposition—with ‘Cold Blooded’ grinding out a decision over Taila Santos last time out, and Manon Fiorot gutting out a hard fight against former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas.

Outside of the flyweight bout, the Atlantic City fight card may also play home to the last fight of Chris Weidman’s career. The former middleweight champion has struggled badly with injuries in recent years, and largely failed to find the form that saw him take the belt from Anderson Silva. Weidman last competed at UFC 292 in August of 2023, losing to Brad Tavares via unanimous decision. He’s expected to take on power punching former M-1 champion Bruno Silva on March 30th.

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Ilia Topuria’s rise ahead of UFC 298

Ilia Topuria has had quite the rise in the UFC since signing with the promotion three years ago. With wins against Youssef Zalal, Damon Jackson, Ryan Hall and Jai Herbert, Topuria cemented himself as a contender, but he was still a few wins away from a potential championship opportunity. He got those in his next two appearances, as ‘El Matador’ defeated Bryce Mitchell and Josh Emmett at UFC 282 and UFC on ABC 5, respectively.

After that, Topuria got the fight he always wanted: reigning UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski. 

UFC champ says Topuria could fade into irrelevance with a loss

There is no shortage of confidence in Ilia Topuria. The 27-year-old already sees himself alongside some divisional greats such as Jose Aldo, Conor McGregor and Alexander Volkanovski with a win at UFC 298 this Saturday.

But with a loss? Well, Topuria has no intentions of losing, but if he does, then UFC champion Sean O’Malley says instead of a divisional great, he would be a divisional dud. 

“Ilia, is he going to get the f—ing job done? Ilia vs. Volk,” said O’Malley on an episode of the TimboSugarShow. “He better hope he f—ing does, because he’s talking a lot of games. He’s talking a lot of s—t. He’s got a documentary going coming out, he’s got a f—ing movie coming out. He’s calling out Conor McGregor. Dude, if he goes and loses to Volk, he’s irrelevant. I’m not going to be calling him out. He should be thanking me for talking about him.”

Sean O’Malley wanted a Topuria fight

Though in a different weight class, Sean O’Malley has said a fight with Ilia Topuria was ‘happening’. Of course, that would depend on if they win their upcoming fights against Marlon Vera and Alexander Volkanovski. 

Also, Topuria has already rejected any fight with O’Malley, who he deemed as ‘too easy of a challenge’ for him. To O’Malley, too easy actually translates into too difficult.

“Ilia Topuria, I feel like he’s a little confused on life,” said O’Malley in another episode of the TimboSugarShow. “He said that he wouldn’t want to fight me if he beats Volkanovski because I’m too easy. I just feel like that makes you look so f—ing stupid. He says I don’t have anything. I’m the champ and the biggest star in the UFC.

“For him to say that makes me think that he’s — or he just had someone tweet for him or he had something with the translation,” continued O’Malley. “Because it’s gotta be one of the dumbest things any UFC fighter has ever said. If a 25er was like, ‘I’m going to move up and beat your ass’ and they were a huge star and I thought the fight was actually easy, I would be pushing for that fight. 100 percent, I’m in. So I’m thinking that he looks at me like, ‘F—k, that’s not a great matchup’.”

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