MMA
Dana White: Heavyweight division on the rise after becoming ‘a little stale’
Published
2 months agoon
Dana White thinks heavyweight could be in a good place sooner rather than later.
Long one of the marquee divisions in combat sports, the UFC's heavyweight roster has fallen on hard times in recent years due to a dearth of promising talent, veterans aging out of contention, and even the very top of the division stuck in limbo due to undisputed champion Tom Aspinall being sidelined since this past October due to eye injuries suffered in his fight with Ciryl Gane that ended in a no-contest.
A handful of intriguing big men have stepped forward to make a name for themselves, including Josh Hokit, Valter Walker, Rizvan Kuniev, and NCAA wrestling star Gable Steveson, and according to White, it's not a coincidence that the fans have been noticing an influx of talent.
“We agree,†White said at the UFC Sacramento post-fight press conference when asked if he felt the heavyweight roster was improving. “We've got a lot of divisions that are shaking up right now and getting fun.
“The boys have been working hard on a few of the different divisions that we thought were a little stale, I'll say.â€
There were three heavyweight bouts on Saturday's UFC Sacramento lineup, and each showed promise in one way or another. Vitor Petrino's win over Serghei Spivac didn't electrify the crowd, but it did establish a new top 10 contender with Petrino improving to 4-0 after moving up from light heavyweight. Shamil Gaziev had one of the best knockouts of the night, needing one punch to drop a defensively suspect Kennedy Nzechuwku.
And then there was the debuting Anthony Wint, a former pro football player just beginning his MMA journey. The hulking Wint scored a first-round submission of Terrance Chatman to improve to 8-0 as a pro. Even more impressive, he did this less than two weeks after earning a contract on Dana White's Contender Series.
“Eleven days,†White said. “Yeah, I love guys that—You know, if you look at what the Contender Series has done for the UFC, and for the business, and when you have these guys who come in and make a big impact and then want to turn right around and fight. I mean, look at Khamzat Chimaev on Fight Island, he's like, ‘I want to fight again next weekend.' Tell me you want to fight again next weekend, you're fighting next weekend. I love it and it's the right thing to do.
“First of all, if you're a fighter, more people know who you are, your name gets out there faster, more people are talking about you on Sunday and Monday and you make more money. I mean, it's a no-brainer. I'd love to see more guys do it.â€
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MMA
Movsar Evloev warns Alexander Volkanovski: He hasnt beaten anyone like me
Published
13 hours agoon
October 23, 2026
Evloev says he has pushed himself harder than ever ahead of his
first UFC title shot.
Evloev (20-0) is scheduled to challenge Alexander
Volkanovski (28-4) for the
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title at
UFC 333 on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Ahead of the
bout, the unbeaten Russian discussed how his preparations have
differed from previous training camps.
Movsar Evloev details toughest training camp ahead of Alexander
Volkanovski title fight at UFC 333
Evloev said he increased his workload across all aspects of
training to address any potential weaknesses. He believes that
preparation will help him showcase his abilities in Saturday's main
event.
“This preparation is different just because I pushed more than
ever,†Evloev said in a pre-fight interview. “And we did more of
everything to make sure we didn't miss anything. He hasn't beaten
anyone like me. There's many things that make me special, like
unique. And I'm about to show it Saturday.â€
Evloev has long been considered a leading featherweight contender,
with Volkanovski acknowledging him as the most deserving
challenger. However, Diego Lopes
received a title rematch against Volkanovski earlier this year
before Evloev earned his opportunity. The Russian's lack of UFC
finishes has fueled debate about his wait for a championship bout,
though the promotion has not established it as the reason for the
delay.
“This is the moment I’ve been waiting for.”
Movsar
Evloev (@MovsarUFC) discusses his journey to the title shot and
his title fight matchup against champ Alexander
Volkanovski @VisitAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | #InAbuDhabi |
@ParamountPlus https://t.co/fWuJJ7I2sz— UFC News (@UFCNews)
October 21, 2026
MMA
Joshua Van: Sean Strickland ‘in a bad spot’ in Dana White feud over UFC pay
Published
14 hours agoon
October 23, 2026
Joshua Van sides with UFC boss Dana White in his public feud with Sean Strickland.
For Van, the UFC's flyweight champion, the matter should have been discussed behind closed doors instead of a public forum like social media.
“He just signed a contract in May and fought Khamzat, and then he won,†Van told Outta Pocket. “Instead of going on Twitter and going on all that [expletive], he should have talked to Dana and said, ‘I wanna renegotiate.' Behind closed doors. Then the boss would have been like, ‘OK, let's talk about this, what you want?' You just beat the boogeyman. Now it's a whole mess.â€
“If you work at a 9-to-5 job and you go off to your boss and you're like, pay me this much. Like, what the [expletive]? You know what I mean? So he's in a bad spot right now. He's still under the contract. I don't know how that's gonna work.â€
A 25-year-old flyweight champion who started his professional MMA career when Strickland already had 14 UFC bouts under his belt, Van agrees with Strickland that fighters should get paid more.
However, he doesn't sound unhappy with his current UFC contract. Van recently defended his 125-pound belt with a decision over Alexandre Pantoja, his third title bout win in a span of 10 months, including a fifth-round TKO over Tatsuro Taira in the co-main event of Chimaev vs. Strickland.
“I'm getting paid good,†Van said with a laugh. “I think they pay me good amount; I don't know, but fighter that think they deserve more or—like, should we get paid more? Yes, but, I don't know, I'm happy where I'm at. I start from zero to now, the UFC literally made me where I'm at, gave me everything that I got right now. I don't know, I'm happy right now. I can't really say for the other guy.â€
MMA
UFC 333 prop odds: Krylov-Yakhyaev favored for fastest finish
Published
1 day agoon
October 22, 2026
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