UFC featherweight champion Elijah Topuria once again spoke out about a potential bout with former titleholder Max Holloway.
"You have one thing that will get you a money fight, and that's the BMF belt. I'm not fighting for money anymore, I'm building a legacy. I'll be the first to take that belt by being champion.
I was the first to knock out Volkanovski and I'll almost certainly be the first to send you to bed. And there's no shame in that - you'll have a loss to a champion who will be remembered forever. I'll decide who my opponent will be, when we fight and where. If you don't like my terms - Ortega is probably ready to replace you," Topuria wrote on social network X.
UFC top welterweight No. 2 Belal Muhammad spoke about his attitude toward current division champion Leon Edwards.
"I hate him to the core. He tries to avoid facing me, belittles my accomplishments, says I don't deserve a fight for the belt. Things like that make me furious. They fuel my hatred for this guy, and I can't wait to smear him.
Of course, I'll be ready to fight Edwards on his home soil. I have more fans in Manchester than he does. Nobody there cares about him. When there was a parade in his honor, six people showed up and three of them were his relatives. If I get a chance to go to his homeland and beat him there, it will be amazing," MMA Mania quoted Muhammad as saying.
Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker spoke admiringly about the performance of the promotion's bantamweight belt holder Alex Pereira in his fight with Jamal Hill.
On April 13 in the main event of UFC 300 in Las Vegas, USA, the Brazilian made the first defense of his title, knocking out the American in the opening round.
"We're looking at real skill. This guy is just a phenomenon, he's several levels above most fighters. That's due to his incredible experience and championship background at Glory.
On fight night, he looked as focused as possible. Then he threw three punches, one of which sent Hill to a knockout. That's crazy. The most important thing is to never let your guard down in a fight with Alex, no matter what. Because you can't trust your safety to the referee or anyone else. It's up to you," Middle Easy quoted the Australian as saying.
American UFC lightweight veteran Michael Chandler has spoken out about Arman Tsarukyan's decision to forgo a bout with champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 302, scheduled for June 1 in Newark, N.J., USA.
"Tsarukyan just went out and beat Oliveira. Now he's the main challenger. But I can't understand why he didn't agree to fight Makhachev on June 1. I would have consented. Man, this sport is moving fast - very fast.
On June 1, you're going to see a lightweight title fight. And then a couple weeks later, you're going to see the biggest fight between me and McGregor, which is going to be much more serious than the Makhachev-Porrier fight. If necessary, Conor and I will go down to lightweight. The sport is evolving fast, so you have to take your chances and not miss them," MMA News quoted Chandler as saying.
Luis Ortiz, a 45-year-old Cuban boxer, publicly challenged younger heavyweight Jared Anderson through a social media post. This event unfolded after Bob Arum, Anderson’s promoter, invited heavyweight fighters to take on his protégé. Ortiz, who recently knocked out Francisco Cordero in January, expressed his readiness to fight Anderson.
Dmitry Bivol publicly responded to a cryptic remark made by his opponent Artur Beterbiev. During a recent question session about the fight, when asked about Bivol, Beterbiev simply said, "He knows." Bivol, puzzled by this comment, retorted, "Ask him what he knows. I didn’t talk to him."
Sean Strickland, former UFC middleweight champion, has spoken out about his fight with former middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa. Shawn stated that he likes Paulo, but he intends to bleed him dry.
"To be honest, I like Costa. Funny guy, humorous. Plus, he's in favor of free speech. He's my kind of guy. But I'm going to bleed that dirty Brazilian. I'm willing to do it for Brazil. They don't like Costa there. Hey, Brazil, this fight is for you!", - wrote Strickland in his social networks.
Recall that the fight Costa - Strickland will take place at the tournament UFC 302, which is scheduled for June 1.
Featherweight fighters Tyler Diamond and Otto Rodrigues are set to face off at the PFL 3: 2024 Regular Season event held in Chicago's Wintrust Arena.
Lightweight fighters Don Madge and Brennan Ward will meet at the PFL 3: 2024 Regular Season event in Chicago, Illinois, at Wintrust Arena.
Former UFC champion T.J. Dillashaw would like to see the organization's reigning bantamweight champion Alex Pereira fight Tom Aspinall, the interim heavyweight champion.
"He won the middleweight belt insanely fast, just skyrocketed to the top. Then Alex became a champion in two weight classes. Now he has only strengthened his position. I really hope he's allowed to fight at heavyweight. I want him to fight Tom Aspinall. But it's worth saying this - you've seen he's not very good in the parterre. Alex is a champion, but he has a few style gaps that make up for his kickboxing skills. How quickly he's mastered MMA is incredible, but he has weaknesses..." - Middle Easy portal quotes Dillashaw as saying.
