MMA
Ian Machado Garry thinks he's had tougher schedule than Islam Makhachev: "It's not a discussion"
Published
3 hours agoon
Zuffa LLCIan Machado Garry believes that when it comes to recent opposition, his resume surpasses Islam Makhachev's.
Garry will look to take the welterweight title from Makhachev when they collide in the UFC 330 headliner on Saturday. Makhachev's accolades and elite grappling have led many to believe it'll be a successful title defense for the top pound-for-pound fighter in MMA today. Garry sees things far different, and he even envisions a knockout victory to win his first UFC title.
The Irish challenger's confidence is sky high, and he told Brett Okamoto for ESPN MMA that his resume as of late has been more impressive than what the 170-pound champion has faced (via MMAJunkie).
“If you look at the people we've fought, if you look at my last five opponents vs. Islam's last five opponents, in my opinion, it's not a discussion whose are more difficult,†Machado Garry said. “When you look at who I've fought: Belal Muhammad, Shavkat Rakhmonov, Carlos Prates, MVP (Page), those four are four of the trickiest fighters on the planet. All of them present real, real danger. When you look at JDM (Della Maddalena), Renato Moicano, Dustin Poirier, and Volkanovski, if I'm correct – as much as Volkanovski is a legend of the sport, and Dustin Poirier is a legend of the sport, they're not as dangerous as the guys I've just mentioned.â€
Makhachev has said that Garry has the same bravado as his other opponents who have fallen to him. The welterweight ruler has promised to take more risks on Saturday than he did to win the title against Jack Della Maddalena. He's also predicting a finish over Garry in Philadelphia.
We're right in the thick of UFC 330 fight week. Be sure to keep it locked on BJPenn.com for the latest updates throughout the week prior to Friday's weigh-ins, and of course fight night.
What do you make of Ian Machado Garry's claim that his resume has been better than Islam Makhachev's? Drop a comment below.
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
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MMA
Umar Nurmagomedov scolds Merab Dvalishvili over brawl with friend at RAF event: "I can't imagine myself doing that"
Published
3 hours agoon
August 11, 2026
Zuffa LLCUmar Nurmagomedov takes exception to Merab Dvalishvili's actions during the inaugural Real American Freestyle show.
Back in July, Dvalishvili had a skirmish with Nurmagomedov's friend in the crowd. For years, “The Machine†has alleged that Nurmagomedov's team has heckled him, which has led to some crowd and backstage incidents at events. As far as the former UFC bantamweight titleholder's foe is concerned, the brawls expose a lack of composure and professionalism.
During an interview with Adam Zubayraev, Nurmagomedov criticized Dvalishvili for not keeping himself under control during shows (via MMAFighting).
“He's the one who has to live with it,†Nurmagomedov said. “For example, can you imagine a Georgian coming up to me in Dagestan? … If a Georgian tells me not to talk to Merab, and I hit him from behind and insult him in my own language, I can't imagine myself doing that. But as a person, how do you live with that?
“And the people who defend it, that means there's something wrong there. You have to call wrong things wrong. No matter who does it.â€
Nurmagomedov and Dvalishvili could be on the road to an eventual rematch at some point. Nurmagomedov fell short in his bid to capture the UFC Bantamweight Championship from “The Machine†back in early 2025. Dvalishvili won the fight via unanimous decision, but there has been no love lost between the two.
That rematch will have to wait, as Dvalishvili is rumored to be challenging Petr Yan for the 135-pound gold in a trilogy fight this fall. Meanwhile, Nurmagomedov is set for an Aug. 29 showdown with Song Yadong in Shanghai. If both Nurmagomedov and Dvalishvili emerge victorious in their next fight, then talks of part two would likely grow louder.
Do you think we'll eventually see a rematch between Umar Nurmagomedov and Merab Dvalishvili? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
MMA
Umar Nurmagomedov reacts to Merab Dvalishvili brawling with friend at RAF event: ‘How do you live with that?’
Published
8 hours agoon
August 11, 2026
Umar Nurmagomedov and Merab Dvalishvili have gone five rounds in the octagon before and they almost became physical again at a recent RAF event in Georgia.
At the inaugural RAF Georgia event this past July, fans caught footage of one of Nurmagomedov's friends getting into an altercation with Dvalishvili during a pre-fight press conference. Dvalishvili responded aggressively to fan question asking if he would wrestle Nurmagomedov in an RAF wrestling match, saying, “No, never, f*ck that guy. Whoever RAF choose, I'll fight. Except this spoiled guy.â€
Later, Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov's friend (named “Ahmad,†according to Nurmagomedov) had a scuffle in the crowd.
Nurmagomedov criticized Dvalishvili for his behavior in a conversation with MMA journalist Adam Zubayraev.
“He's the one who has to live with it,†Nurmagomedov said in Russian (English translation via Zubayraev). “For example, can you imagine a Georgian coming up to me in Dagestan? … If a Georgian tells me not to talk to Merab, and I hit him from behind and insult him in my own language, I can't imagine myself doing that. But as a person, how do you live with that?
“And the people who defend it, that means there's something wrong there. You have to call wrong things wrong. No matter who does it.â€
Nurmagomedov claimed that Ahmad went to exchange words with Dvalishvili, but did not initiate the physicality, and that it's Dvalishvili who is responsible for the confrontation escalating.
“Yeah, Ahmad walked up to him and said, ‘Why are you speaking for someone who isn't even here?'†Nurmagomedov said. “He didn't insult him, didn't say anything rude, didn't show any disrespect. He said, ‘Tell him to his face what you want to say. Why are you swearing here?'â€
The beef between Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov dates back to 2024, when Nurmagomedov was rising through the bantamweight ranks as an undefeated fighter chasing Dvalishvili at the top of the division. They were eventually booked to fight at UFC 311 in January 2025, with Dvalishvili outworking and outlasting Nurmagomedov to win a unanimous decision and retain his UFC title.
Nurmagomedov, who looks to make it three straight wins when he fights Song Yadong in the main event of UFC Shanghai on Aug. 29, has spoken of rematching Dvalishvili, but until that day comes he wants little to do with his Georgian rival.
“I swear, I don't care at all what he does or how he feels,†Nurmagomedov said. “I'm being honest with you. In general, there are probably people who want to prove something. Brother, I have nothing to prove to anyone and I have nothing to prove to Merab and I have nothing to prove to Georgians. I just want to live my life, that's it.â€
Professional Fighters League fans will be waiting a while to
see Dakota
Ditcheva compete again.
Dakota Ditcheva reinjured both hands against Denise Kielholtz
at PFL New York and expects to be sidelined before a potential Liz
Carmouche fight
Ditcheva (16-0, 11-0 PFL) is once again dealing with hand injuries.
The 28-year-old earned a unanimous decision victory over Bellator
MMA veteran Denise
Kielholtz in the PFL New York co-main event, with “Dangerousâ€
sweeping the scorecards. The British fighter,
who is ranked No. 10 in Sherdog's women's pound-for-pound
rankings, revealed on her YouTube channel that she had
reinjured both hands.
“Breaking news. I am injured again,†Ditcheva said in the vlog. “I
broke my hands in the [Kielholtz] fight. I could feel it from the
second I started the second round. I didn’t tell my corner. I
didn’t tell anybody. I didn’t show it this time. And I didn’t
actually tell anybody until I got out of the cage.â€
The Kielholtz bout was Ditcheva's first fight in more than a year,
following her dominant victory against Sumiko
Inaba in July 2025. Against Inaba, the
American Top Team representative broke her hands for the first
time. She suffered another hand injury early this year, forcing her
out of a scheduled meeting with Kielholtz at PFL Dubai in February
before the fight was eventually rebooked.
Cris Cyborg's
final MMA bout headlines PFL Tampa: Tune in on Saturday, Aug. 22 at
10 p.m. ET on ESPN.
“I am back in splints until my surgeon has decided what the next
steps are going forward, which will be in the next few days,†she
added. “The good thing is I have no new breaks. It’s just that if I
explained the hand that wasn’t operated on originally that I broke
at the end of last year, I was told that if I didn’t go ahead with
the surgery at that time, there was a possibility that it would
break again in my fight. Unfortunately, I took the risk in not
doing the surgery because I was hoping that it would hold strong
without intervening with that kind of thing, and it didn't. It’s no
new injury.â€
Ditcheva said she expects to be sidelined for “a little bit.†When
she returns, she is expected to meet 2025 tournament champion
Liz
Carmouche in a highly anticipated matchup.
Umar Nurmagomedov scolds Merab Dvalishvili over brawl with friend at RAF event: "I can't imagine myself doing that"
Ian Machado Garry thinks he's had tougher schedule than Islam Makhachev: "It's not a discussion"
Umar Nurmagomedov reacts to Merab Dvalishvili brawling with friend at RAF event: ‘How do you live with that?’
Umar Nurmagomedov scolds Merab Dvalishvili over brawl with friend at RAF event: "I can't imagine myself doing that"
Ian Machado Garry thinks he's had tougher schedule than Islam Makhachev: "It's not a discussion"
Umar Nurmagomedov reacts to Merab Dvalishvili brawling with friend at RAF event: ‘How do you live with that?’
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