UFC welterweight Ian Harry revealed in a recent interview when and who he wants his next bouts to be against.
"Let's make the fight against Colby Covington in the summer. Because I don't like to fight when it's cold. I wouldn't fight in New York in November just because it's freezing cold. Unless I would be offered a fight against Kamaru Usman or Shavkat Rakhmonov in the co-main event of the night. Yes, it would interest me," Harry said in an interview with MMA Fighting.
Earlier Harry said that he had already signed a contract to fight Covington, but Colby, according to the Irishman, is in no hurry to do the same.
UFC heavyweight Alexander Volkov talked about how his sparring sessions with Sergey Pavlovich went. Volkov noted the power of Sergey's punching.
"Well you saw these sparring sessions yourself, he hits like a hoof - very hard. It was very hard to work with him. I think I didn't win a single round against him. Of course, after every punch. My legs were shaking. To be honest, when he came to sparring, I tried to stand with him less, because I realized that every time he hit, some injury could happen. I stood up for the very first rounds with him and tried not to stand up anymore. Because when Sergey was warming up, he could hit very hard", - said the fighter.
Former UFC fighter and current commentator and analyst Chael Sonnen has spoken out on who he wants to see Max Holloway fight next.
"There's one thing that Max Holloway has been asking for a long time and that's a rematch against Conor McGregor. I don't want Max to fight Elijah Topuria, I don't want him to fight Islam Makhachev. I have a lot of respect for the BMF title. I believe that if McGregor performs well in the fight against Chandler, we could see a rematch of Conor against Holloway for the belt of "The Most Dangerous Bastard", - said Sonnen on ESPN.
Recall, in the framework of UFC 300 Max Holloway knocked out Justin Gaethje at the last second of the fight.
Eddie Hearn, promoter of WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol, said at the expense of what his ward will win against Artur Beterbiev, the world champion in this weight by versions WBC, WBO, IBF.
"Skills, footwork, thinking in the ring and composure. If you don't know how to move, stop when necessary and engage in exchanges, if you don't have a strong jaw and stamina, Arthur will walk right through you. It takes someone special to defeat him. Fortunately, we have someone very, very special," said the functionary.
Recall, the confrontation between Bivol and Beterbiev will take place on June 1 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. At stake will be the title of absolute world champion in the light-heavyweight division.
UFC lightweightArman Tsarukian explained why he hugged Charles Oliveira before every round.
"I like the guy. Charles is a very good person. And with that gesture we showed that we respect each other. Even though we said different shit before the fight. Oliveira is one of the most respectful guys. But it's a sport, it's not war. You just go out there and do what you know how to do. And it doesn't matter if you like your opponent or not. You just go out there and do your job. I want to knock out my opponent, even if he's a good, respectful guy," Tsarukyan said in an interview with The MMA Hour.
Recall, Tsarukyan defeated Oliveira by split decision of judges at the UFC 300 anniversary event.
Arman Tsarukyan commented on the fact that he defeated Charles Oliveira by a split decision of the judges. According to Arman, the judge who gave his preference to the Brazilian is from Armenia himself.
"I just watched the third round of the fight. And I'm wondering why one of the judges gave this round to Oliveira. Why doesn't anyone ask this referee any questions? He could have ruined my career! And guess what, that referee is Armenian! That's crazy! He's got an Armenian flag on social media, he's got an Armenian last name. And you're giving the round to Oliveira?! If you were Brazilian, I'd understand. I want to hear his comment on this. I'm going to write him, talk to him. I have a friend who knows him," Tsarukyan told The MMA Hour.
Even before his fight at UFC 300 with Jamal Hill, the promotion's bantamweight champion Alex Pereira talked about his desire to have his next fight at the organization's 301st event on May 4 in Rio de Janeiro. And now today, renowned journalist and insider Ariel Helwani reported that Pereira will not be making an appearance in his home country.
"I've been told, it's extremely unlikely that Alex Pereira will perform next month in Rio. As it turned out after the UFC 300 tournament, he broke his toe a few days before the fight and then broke his second toe in the fight," Helwani wrote on social media.
UFC featherweight champion Elijah Topuria has left a formidable message for former titleholder Max Holloway.
Last weekend at UFC 300 in Las Vegas, USA, Holloway scored a spectacular knockout victory over former interim division champion above Justin Gaethje.
"Congratulations on your performance, Max. I respect your history and all you've accomplished with your beautiful family. I hope to share the octagon with you for the rest of the year, and trust me - you're going to feel something you've never felt before. I'll be the first to put out your lights," Topuria wrote on his social media page X.
"Love, champ. See you soon," Holloway responded to this.
WBC, WBO and IBF light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev spoke about the upcoming fight with WBA titleholder Dmitry Bivol.
Yesterday, April 15, at a press conference in London, it was announced that the fight for the title of absolute champion in the category up to 79.4 kg will take place on June 1 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
"A knockout? It's important, but I won't be looking for it. We'll see what happens. As for age, I'm not old, I'm only 39 years old. I believe I'll prepare 100 percent, but I can't claim I'll do anything in the fight. Every fight is different. You prepare differently for every fight. I don't study my opponent for a long time, I've only recently watched a few fights with his participation. We will prepare," Beterbiev said.
On June 1 in Saudi Arabia, Deontay Wilder will face Zhang Zhilei in a heavyweight bout on the undercard of Queensberry-Matchroom's "5 on 5" evening, with Artur Beterbiev facing Dmitry Bivol in the main event. Wilder is representing Eddie Hearn, while Zhang is representing Frank Warren.
Also on the night, heavyweight Filip Hrgovic will face Daniel Dubois. Hrgovich represents Eddie Hearn, Dubois represents Frank Warren.
In the bantamweight division, Willie Hutchinson will face Craig Richards. Hutchinson represents Frank Warren, Richards represents Eddie Hearn.
In the middleweight division, Hamza Shiraz will face Ammo Williams. Shiraz represents Frank Warren, Williams represents Eddie Hearn.
Ray Ford will defend his WBA world featherweight title against Nick Ball. Ford represents Eddie Hearn, while Ball represents Frank Warren.
Eddie Hearn has selected Deontay Wilder as his captain in his fight against Zhilei Zhang, while Frank Warren has selected Hamza Shiraz in his fight against Ammo Williams. Two points in this tournament will be awarded for winning early, one point for winning by judges' decision. The points for captains are doubled.
Thus, the full Matchroom-Queensberry "5 on 5" Matchroom-Queensberry "5 on 5" card on June 1 in Saudi Arabia is as follows:
Deontay Wilder vs Zhilei Zhang
Filip Hrgovic vs Daniel Dubois.
Ray Ford vs Nick Ball
Craig Richards vs Willie Hutchinson
Ammo Williams vs Hamza Shiraz
