MMA news
- Khamzat Chimaev makes weight at 195lb for RAF 14 wrestling match with Robbie LawlerHe wrestles the former UFC welterweight champion on Friday's card, which Arman Tsarukyan and Dillon Danis headline after their brawl at the press conference.
- Arman Tsarukyan says Sean Strickland should have been smarter before signing his UFC contractThe middleweight champion says the UFC will not match his pay demands, while Dana White has said Strickland agreed a new deal in May.
- Merab Dvalishvili shows 19lb gain five hours after making weight for Petr Yan trilogyDvalishvili weighed in at 135lb for UFC 333 on Friday, and his own bathroom scale read 154 five hours later, a day before he tries to win back the bantamweight title in Abu Dhabi.
- Bobby Green calls for Michael Chandler fight, with both men beaten by Paddy PimblettGreen's four-fight winning run ended against Esteban Ribovics at UFC 332 this month, while Chandler has lost his last three fights.
- Bella Mir says she is under UFC contract and would fight Mya Lesnar 'if the money's there'Frank Mir's daughter said she signed with the UFC before her Contender Series loss and hopes to fight again in Las Vegas at the end of January.
- Jorge Masvidal tells Arnold Barboza Jr to have 'one or two amateurs' before UFC moveThe former WBO interim light welterweight champion has said he wants to fight in the UFC at featherweight, and Masvidal warned him not to learn on the big stage.
- Joe Rogan says he heard Khamzat Chimaev lost too much weight before Sean Strickland defeatRogan said he had heard Chimaev was preparing to move up to 205lb and challenge for the belt, and does not think he was given enough time to get back down for the Strickland fight.
- Robert Whittaker says fire 'kind of fizzled out' at middleweight before light heavyweight moveThe former UFC middleweight champion said he did not enjoy his last camp or fight at the weight, against Reinier de Ridder, and wanted to enjoy fighting again.
- Nicolle Caliari misses weight by 4.5 lb for UFC 333 and forfeits 30% of her purse to LucindoCaliari weighed in at 120.5 lb for a strawweight bout with a 116 lb limit, but her fight with Iasmin Lucindo in Abu Dhabi goes ahead at a catchweight.
- Dana White seems not to know Alexander Volkov at UFC 333 Abu Dhabi press conferenceAlexander Volkov, a UFC heavyweight since 2016 who fights Rizvan Kuniev at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, asked the UFC president how to earn a title shot and did not get an answer.
- Jon Jones says Daniel Cormier could have been the greatest ever in a different eraJon Jones has also offered to fly his old rival Daniel Cormier to Baton Rouge for pizza and a meet-and-greet with fans, in an attempt to end one of MMA's most bitter feuds.
- Jon Jones says Daniel Cormier could have been the greatest of all time, invites him for pizzaJones has invited his old rival out to Baton Rouge, offering to fly him there so the pair can "bury the hatchet" over pizza.
- Joe Rogan hits out at UFC for releasing undefeated Farid BasharatRogan said he told Basharat in the Octagon after his last fight that he was sure a new contract would follow, but admitted he does not know what happened.
- Khamzat Chimaev says he would take a UFC title fight with Nassourdine Imavov for the moneyImavov has emerged as Sean Strickland's expected first challenger, but the middleweight champion's pay dispute with the UFC has put that title defence in doubt.
- Joaquin Buckley says he will retire after one more fight: "This is the last ride"Buckley, knocked out by Mike Malott in the UFC Edmonton main event, says he feels too far from his goal of becoming a world champion.
- Alex Pereira pities Herb Dean but still wants him away from his fightsThe former two-division champion, who criticised Dean after losing to Ciryl Gane at UFC White House in June, said he stands by his complaints as he prepares to face Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 335.
- Joe Rogan says Arman Tsarukyan deserves UFC title shot but sees Oliveira optionRogan said on his podcast that lightweight champion Justin Gaethje could opt for a rematch with Charles Oliveira if Oliveira retains his BMF title against Diego Lopes at UFC 335.
- Khamzat Chimaev says Colby Covington will need an ambulance after their RAF match in Abu DhabiCovington puts his RAF cruiserweight crossover title on the line against Chimaev at the Etihad Arena on Saturday 14 November.
- Alexander Volkanovski's coach says he is not in top half for talentAlexander Volkanovski's coach credits the champion's success to hard work rather than natural ability, and says athletes widely seen as elite pale in comparison to the 38-year-old.
- Francis Ngannou vs Jon Jones could bring Netflix back to MVP MMA, report saysNetflix is unlikely to stage another MVP MMA event soon despite May's card peaking at 17 million viewers, according to combat sports insider Blake Avignon, who cited sources within the company.
- Arman Tsarukyan swings at Dillon Danis as brawl breaks out at RAF 14 press conferenceDanis wore a shirt about Khamzat Chimaev that Ariel Helwani called disparaging, and security rushed the table a day before the pair wrestle for an RAF title.
- Khamzat Chimaev vows to follow Sean Strickland to any weight for rematchChimaev's warning comes as Strickland, who beat him for the UFC middleweight title in May, threatens to vacate the belt and move up to light heavyweight over a pay dispute.
- Joe Rogan calls Sean Strickland a fan favourite amid UFC pay disputeThe UFC middleweight champion has not fought since taking the title from Khamzat Chimaev in March, and has said he plans to see out his contract so he can box Jake Paul.
- Dillon Danis gives Conor McGregor recovery update after ACL surgeryDillon Danis said Conor McGregor was in a dark place after his knee injury at UFC 329 but now has a nurse with him around the clock while he rehabilitates in L.A.
- Arman Tsarukyan says his next fight is a UFC lightweight title shotArman Tsarukyan says he has been told his UFC lightweight title fight will come at the beginning of next year, despite champion Justin Gaethje considering retirement and talk of a Gaethje-Ilia Topuria rematch.
- Aaron Pico: 'I just need to fight whoever' as Losene Keita replaces Arnold Allen at UFC 333The 30-year-old featherweight accepted the unranked replacement straight away and said he would be ready if anything happened in Alexander Volkanovski's title defence on Saturday.
- Merab Dvalishvili says Umar Nurmagomedov feud is over before Petr Yan trilogyDvalishvili made the claim while arranging a training session at Khabib Nurmagomedov's gym in Abu Dhabi, days before his bantamweight trilogy fight with Yan on Saturday.
- Alexander Volkanovski still fights on, facing unbeaten Movsar Evloev at UFC 333The Abu Dhabi card is a title fight double-header, with Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili meeting for a third time with the bantamweight title on the line in the co-main event.
- Petr Yan vows to break Merab Dvalishvili's nose again in UFC 333 trilogyThe bantamweight champion defends his title against Dvalishvili in Saturday's co-main event in Abu Dhabi, after holding the Georgian to two takedowns in their rematch, down from 11 in their first fight.
- Alex Pereira hints heavyweight stay not guaranteed if Pavlovich fight goes wrongAlex Pereira, who opened as the underdog for his UFC 335 co-main event against Sergei Pavlovich on 12 December, said he would not keep forcing a heavyweight run when he has another option.
