Daniel Cormier doubts Dricus du Plessis gets next middleweight title shot due to history with Sean Strickland
ONE Championship
A World Title win rarely comes with a personal audience from a head of state. This week, it did.
Aliff Sor Dechapan, accompanied by his parents, received a welcome from Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the Prime Minister's Office in Putrajaya this week. The visit followed his fifth-round finish of Sam-A Gaiyanghadao at The Inner Circle 23 on Friday, July 24.
That win made Aliff the first Malaysian to capture ONE World gold. It also pushed his career record to 63-9 and earned him a US$50,000 performance bonus.
Anwar had publicly rallied the nation behind Aliff ahead of the fight. This week's meeting carried that same national spirit forward. The two even shared a lighthearted shadowboxing moment inside the Prime Minister's office.
“Alhamdulillah, today I had the opportunity to meet YAB Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, in Putrajaya. It was a deeply meaningful honor for me and serves as a source of inspiration to keep fighting and bringing glory to Malaysia's name on the global stage,†Aliff wrote.
“Thank you to everyone who continues to pray for and support my journey. God willing, I will continue to give the best for my country.â€
Anwar Ibrahim celebrates Aliff Sor Dechapan's rise
Anwar was among the first public figures to celebrate Aliff Sor Dechapan's win, sharing in the outpouring of national pride that followed. He extended that same warmth in person during this week's meeting.
The Prime Minister posted his own message following the visit. He framed the achievement as proof of what Malaysia's youth can accomplish on the world stage.
“I welcomed Aliff Rakib to my office today and congratulated him on his historic achievement of becoming the first Malaysian to clinch the ONE Interim Strawweight Muay Thai World Title in ONE Championship. This success not only brings glory to Malaysia on the international stage but also demonstrates that our nation's youth possess the capability, discipline, and fighting spirit to compete against the world's best,†Anwar wrote.
“May this achievement inspire more young people to pursue their dreams with determination, commitment, and unwavering perseverance. Well done, Aliff Rakib, Malaysia is proud of this success.â€
Here’s your chance to get your questions in, early and often. Show will go live around 6-6:30-ish p.m. ET, depending on my fun day of travel. Fire away, and we’ll see you tomorrow.
Alexander
Volkanovski is brimming with confidence ahead of his next title
defense.
Volkanovski (28-4) is scheduled to defend his
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title against
Movsar
Evloev (20-0) at
UFC 333 on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The Australian
champion believes he can deliver a career-best performance against
the undefeated Russian.
Alexander Volkanovski doubts Movsar Evloev can outgrapple him
for 25 minutes at UFC 333
Evloev has won all 10 of his UFC bouts by decision, but Volkanovski
doubts the challenger can outgrapple him for five rounds. “The
Great†believes Evloev would need to catch him with a decisive
strike to win.
“Trying to outgrapple me for 25 minutes, I can't see it,â€
Volkanovski told MMA Junkie. “I believe that the only chance that
any of these guys have is for them to catch me… If he thinks he can
beat me by decision or he thinks he can outgrapple me, I'm sure
he's gonna try, we'll see. I'm just very confident in my skills and
the fighter I still am… I think I can do it in pretty wild fashion.
I believe I can get a finish. I believe I can do it inside five… A
lot of people are going to go say after this fight, ‘Is that the
best Volk we’ve ever seen?'â€
Volkanovski first won the title against Max
Holloway in 2019 and defended it five times before losing to
Ilia
Topuria in 2024. He reclaimed the vacant championship against
Diego
Lopes last year after Topuria moved up to lightweight, then
defended it in their rematch in January.
Alexander
Volkanovski forecasts a spectacular finish of Movsar
Evloev at #UFC333. “I think I can do it in pretty wild fashion.
… A lot of people are going to go say after this fight, ‘Is that
the best Volk we’ve ever seen?'” (via @Farah_Hannoun)
https://t.co/YEnSuG15WK
Joaquin
Buckley remains undeterred after his third consecutive defeat
in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Buckley faced Mike Malott in the Canadian's home country at
UFC Edmonton on Saturday. Malott landed a knee in the second
round and followed with a punch before the referee stopped the
bout. Despite the setback, “New Mansa†remains optimistic about his
future.
Joaquin Buckley plans to document his rebuild after Mike
Malott’s UFC Edmonton knockout
Buckley won six straight fights before his current skid. He now
plans to livestream his efforts to rebuild, inviting fans to follow
the process.
“Right now, we rebuilding and I want y'all to see the process, not
just the results,†Buckley wrote in the caption of his postfight
Instagram post. “The highs, the lows, and everything it takes to
become who God called me to be.â€
In the accompanying video, Buckley said he wants to share his
training and introduce fans to his team.
“I realize that I want to document everything,†Buckley said. “I
want to document the process, I want to document the work, I want
to document the team. This is really just starting back over from
scratch; creating a new foundation and making something happen… I'm
not going to stop; I'm going to keep working. And I'll make sure
that everybody remembers that name.â€