MMA
Umar Nurmagomedov not taking Yadong Song lightly: Not an easy fight
Published
2 months agoon
Nurmagomedov expects a difficult test when he meets Yadong Song
in their upcoming main event in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Nurmagomedov is looking to extend his win streak to three straight
at
UFC Shanghai and the Russian is well aware of the challenge
ahead of him in China's Song.
Umar Nurmagomedov expects a difficult UFC Shanghai main event
against Yadong Song
Nurmagomedov has picked up two decision wins since suffering the
lone loss of his professional career to Merab
Dvalishvili in their bantamweight title fight back in January
last year. He's beaten Mario
Bautista and Deiveson
Figueiredo via unanimous decision to return to winning form and
defeating Song in the Chinese 135-pounder's home country could put
the Dagestani back in the title mix.
Nevertheless, Nurmagomedov is focused on the task at hand against a
well-rounded opponent and isn't thinking about the title.
“Of course, I’m going to be happy to do a knockout, you know, but
this guy is not an easy fight,†Nurmagomedov said in a recent
interview. “And I will, I will, we both, I think, we’re going to
show what they mean by mixed martial arts.â€
Nurmagomedov also emphasized that his motivation extends beyond the
title picture. With Petr Yan and
Dvalishvili set to meet in a trilogy bout for the belt at
UFC 333, the 30-year-old is focused on delivering his best
performance regardless of what happens elsewhere in the
division.
“Of course, I want to show my best version,†Nurmagomedov added. “I
don’t care about that fight, whether they’re going to fight or not,
like, for myself, I want to show my best version.â€
“For myself, I want to show my best
version.”With the bantamweight title on the line in a few months, Umar
Nurmagomedov (@UNmgdv) wants to
put on an impressive performance at
#UFCShanghaiFight by Fight Preview âž¡ï¸ https://t.co/JeUnGYBzaq pic.twitter.com/B0wYHMbxS1
— UFC News (@UFCNews)
August 25, 2026
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Alex Pereira says Josh Hokit would be much easier fight than Sergei Pavlovich
Published
17 hours agoon
October 25, 2026
Pereira has explained his frustration with the
Ultimate Fighting Championship's heavyweight matchmaking.
Pereira (13-4) is scheduled to face Sergei
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335 on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Meanwhile,
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favorable stylistic matchup.
Alex Pereira explains UFC matchmaking frustration and why
Sergei Pavlovich is more dangerous than Josh Hokit
Pereira lost his UFC heavyweight debut to Gane by technical
knockout in an interim title bout at
UFC Freedom 250. After Tom
Aspinall relinquished the undisputed championship, Pereira said
the promotion discussed a title rematch with Gane or a fight
against Hokit, who has repeatedly criticized “Poatan.â€
Pereira considers Hokit an easier opponent than Pavlovich.
Nevertheless, he said a conversation with UFC executive Hunter
Campbell resolved his frustration, and he now looks forward to the
December bout.
“What got me more upset at that time was because they told me that
I was possibly going to fight Gane for the belt or fight Hokit,â€
Pereira told Ariel Helwani. “And then none of that happened. Coming
from a loss, fighting Hokit would be much, much easier for me than
fighting Pavlovich, who’s supposed to be a harder fight. Hokit
would be a much easier fight for me. We got together [with Hunter
Campbell], we talked, we straightened things out, so it was fine.
Pavlovich is a little more dangerous opponent, but looking at it in
a technical way today, I see that it’s actually also a very good
fight for me.â€
Alex
Pereira reveals what upset him about the UFC’s decision not to
book him against Ciryl Gane
or Josh
Hokit: “What got me more upset at that time was because they
told me that I was possibly going to fight Gane for the belt or
fight Hokit. And then none of that happened. Coming from a loss,
fighting Hokit would be much, much easier for me than fighting
Pavlovich, who’s supposed to be a harder fight. Hokit would be a
much easier fight for me. We got together [with Hunter Campbell],
we talked, we straightened things out, so it was fine. Pavlovich is
a little more dangerous opponent, but looking at it in a technical
way today, I see that it’s actually also a very good fight for
me.â€â€” Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani)
October 21, 2026
MMA
Islam Makhachev reveals why he turned down January fight with Carlos Prates
Published
18 hours agoon
October 25, 2026
Islam Makhachev has spoken up about why he's not fighting Carlos Prates in January.
For the last few weeks, the MMA world has been flooded with rumors that Makhachev would defend his welterweight title against Prates at UFC 336 in January; however, on Saturday, the UFC announced that those rumors are untrue. Instead, Prates will take on Michael Morales for an interim welterweight title at UFC 336, with the winner unifying against Makhachev sometime next year.
“Prates and Morales will fight, determine who a true worthy contender, and I will fight [the winner]. They will [fight] among themselves. …
“They offered me a fight with Prates, who recently lost to a [Ian Machado Garry] who I beat. If I beat him, Morales would already be next in line, who's not fighting and waiting for [a title shot]. Just let them fight and we will figure out who is the real challenger.â€
Ramadan begins on Feb. 7 and concludes on March 8 in 2027, meaning it is unlikely we will see Makhachev again until next summer.
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