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Justin Gaethje vs Ilia Topuria rematch could be 'disaster' for UFC, says Eddie Alvarez

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Justin Gaethje vs Ilia Topuria rematch could be 'disaster' for UFC, says Eddie Alvarez

MMA legend Eddie Alvarez has said that he believes Justin Gaethje vs Ilia Topuria 2 could turn out to be a disaster for the UFC.

Ever since Ilia Topuria's loss to Justin Gaethje, many have been wondering what's next for him. An immediate rematch seemed out of the question given the beating he took, but recent reports are suggesting that this is exactly the direction the UFC is heading in.

RELATED: Justin Gaethje doubts Arman Tsarukyan injured his back prior to nixed 2025 title shot: “He wasn't gonna make weightâ€

For Gaethje, this won't be too much of a concern given how the first fight played out, but it's certainly a risk when you consider that Topuria did have him hurt on a few occasions.

In a recent interview, Eddie Alvarez, a former foe of Justin Gaethje, had the following to say about the idea.

Alvarez's view on Justin Gaethje vs Ilia Topuria 2

“No (there shouldn't be a rematch),†Alvarez told MMA Junkie. “He beat the sh*t out of him. If someone beats the sh*t out of you, you don't get a rematch. It needs to be close. He beat the sh*t out of him. You don't get a rematch. You have to at least fight another guy. That was bad. I could see the UFC wanting to crown Topuria. They want that whole market. The guy's a big deal and he makes a lot of money and he can make a lot of money for the company. But it could be a disaster for the UFC. Giving him that other shot, Justin and Trevor (Wittman) kind of got his number, and he's not just going to go in and forget about what just happened.

“His brain is still going to suffer a form of PTSD where it's not going to be able to go. There's going to be a governor on certain things like, ‘Woah, wait a minute.' He's not going to be that same exact Ilia Topuria he was before Justin beat the sh*t out of him. I think he needs to take on a lesser opponent, build up that confidence again and come back and renew his faith in what he can do. Don't just go away. Even if he thinks, ‘I'm over that.' Your brain is still heavily on that especially considering the amount of damage.â€

Quotes via MMA Junkie

Do you agree with Eddie? Let us know in the comments below, BJPENN Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


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MMA

Chris Weidman reveals the one thing that makes Stephen Thompson angry

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Chris Weidman reveals the one thing that makes Stephen Thompson angry
Stephen
Thompson rarely loses his cool, except when it comes to
watching movies.

Thompson has long been considered one of the most affable fighters
on the
Ultimate Fighting Championship roster. Even Thompson's
opponents avoid provoking him, as nothing seems to faze the former
kickboxer. However, Chris
Weidman, a longtime friend of Thompson, recently recalled a
rare occasion when “Wonderboy†got angry.

UFC’s nicest fighter once cursed out kids for talking during
movie previews

Thompson and Weidman were watching a movie in a theater when a
group of kids behind them started talking. While the movie hadn't
even started, Thompson didn't want to be disturbed during the
previews. The former title challenger turned around and started
cursing at the kids, telling them to shut up.

“The only time I've seen him mad was in a movie theater,†Weidman
said on the “Deep Waters†podcast. “There's a group of kids sitting
behind us. And it's just the previews. ‘Wonderboy's sitting next to
me; we're eating popcorn. And he's just staring behind him. I'm
looking at him like, ‘Why's he turning around like that?' There's a
group of kids behind us; they're probably in their mid-twenties.
And he's like, ‘Shut up! I'm trying to watch this.' Dudes were
like, ‘Bro, it's the previews.' He's like, ‘I don't care. You
better shut the f*ck up.' He starts cursing. I'm like, ‘Wonderboy,'
yo, you good, man? It's the previews.' He does not play games.â€

Weidman revealed that both Thompson and his father, Ray, don't like
being disturbed while watching movies.

“He is obsessed,†Weidman added. “When he is watching movies, he is
so dialed in. And if anybody is taking him out of that, he loses
his mind. And his dad is the same way. They have this movie theater
room in the house. If you talk during the movies, they're just
looking at you like you're ruining their life. Like they're gonna
try and kill you.â€

Thompson (17-9-1) has fought the who's who of the welterweight
division in his 14-year UFC career. The 43-year-old is scheduled to
make his final walk to the Octagon against Charles
Radtke (12-5) at UFC
334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

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MMA

Morning Report: Dana White shoots down $10M Misfits Boxing rumor, tells Eddie Hearn to meet in gym ‘and we can f*cking do it’

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Morning Report: Dana White shoots down $10M Misfits Boxing rumor, tells Eddie Hearn to meet in gym ‘and we can f*cking do it’

UFC 334 goes down this Saturday with two pretty damn intriguing title fights.

In the main event, undisputed* heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane goes for his first defense against, yes, one of the most talked-about fighters of 2026, the undefeated Josh Hokit. Folks, there’s a well-above zero chance that Hokit closes out the year as the UFC’s heavyweight king. Wowza.

Then you have the bantamweight matchup of destiny between champion Kayla Harrison and the GOAT herself Amanda Nunes. Where these two legends and the division go after UFC 334 is anybody’s guess, but this fight had to happen and it’s finally going down in Madison Square Garden.

So what’s your level of excitement as we kick off fight week?

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MMA

Andre Galvao says rules changed after he accepted Rousimar Palhares rematch

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Andre Galvao says rules changed after he accepted Rousimar Palhares rematch
Andre
Galvao is embracing a daunting challenge as he prepares to face
Rousimar
“Toquinho†Palhares at ACBJJ 23 on Nov. 13 in Rio de
Janeiro.

The Brazilian grappler will face Palhares in a rematch of their
2011 ADCC final, this time under rules that permit strikes to the
body.

Andre Galvao prepares for Rousimar Palhares at ACBJJ 23 under
rules allowing body strikes

Galvao, 44, told Sherdog that a renewed desire to compete and an
attractive offer from the promotion prompted his return. He
initially expected the rematch to follow the rules of their
previous encounter, but the format changed as plans developed.

“First they got my yes, then came the surprises,†Galvao said.
“Later on they told me it would be up to 100kg (220 pounds); then
that it would be nine minutes of fighting instead of seven; and
finally they informed me that punches and kicks would be
allowed.â€

The prospect of facing Palhares under those conditions concerned
some of Galvao's friends and students. However, the Atos Jiu-Jitsu
leader believes his MMA experience has prepared him for the
challenge.

“Several friends came to me and said, ‘You're crazy, coming back
right away against Toquinho and with strikes allowed?'†Galvao
recalled. “The fact is that since I built my career more in
Jiu-Jitsu and Grappling, the youngsters forget that I've already
had seven MMA fights, and during that period I was training with
champions like Anderson, Rafael Feijão and Ronaldo Jacare, so
taking punches isn't exactly something that scares me that
much.â€

Galvao nevertheless recognizes the threat Palhares poses.

“Toquinho is a monster, he's incredibly strong. I joke that I'm
prepared to face a monster on Friday the 13th,†Galvao said. “That
fight of ours in the ADCC final in London in 2011 is still
considered one of the best in history. I'm sure we're going to put
on another great fight and make history again.â€

Galvao won their first meeting 9-4 in the under-88-kilogram ADCC
final in Nottingham, England. Their rematch will headline ACBJJ 23
at Farmasi Arena.

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