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Aljamain Sterling has humble reason for why he would ‘absolutely not’ have taken Jean Silva fight at Noche UFC

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Aljamain Sterling has humble reason for why he would ‘absolutely not’ have taken Jean Silva fight at Noche UFC

Aljamain Sterling knows his limits.

The former UFC bantamweight champion and current featherweight contender used his podcast to address a rumor that he was in talks to fight Jean Silva at Noche UFC on Sept. 12. Silva was originally scheduled to face Yair Rodriguez in the headlining bout of the card, but Rodriguez withdrew due to injury and was promptly replaced by Jose Miguel Delgado.

According to Sterling, had the matchmakers come to him with the Noche UFC main event offer, he would have had a very good reason to say.

“If I was offered Jean Silva, I would have looked them straight in the eyes and said, ‘You know what? I will absolutely not take that f*cking fight,'†Sterling said.

“If I were to go in the shape that I'm in right now, it's definitely not,†he added. “Because I would be on the ground wheezing for air, and I am not afraid to admit it. I just got back from Serbia and Albania, you think I'm freaking in fight shape ready to do five rounds on short notice? Hell no. Give me a training camp.â€

Sterling suggested he might have considered a three-round bout on short notice, especially if it came with a substantial payday, but he'd be more open to fighting Silva at a later date. Given that Silva is currently in the thick of the featherweight contender conversation, Sterling thinks a fight with him makes more sense than some of the other options in the top 10.

“No, I never got offered to fight,†Sterling said. “I would rather have taken a full camp. If they were to say we'd move Jean Silva to another date with you, then I'll take the fight. It would make sense. It's more appealing than a guy who was ranked 13 and they just magically bumped him up to 12.

“Again, if [Aaron] Pico beats Arnold Allen, then I'll fight the winner. I'll fight Pico. If Arnold Allen wins, I'd rather fight Arnold Allen, someone with an established name and he's coming off another win. So that's a fight I can wake up in the morning for and get excited.â€

Pico fights Allen at UFC 333 on Oct. 24. The former Bellator star has also been a rumored opponent for Sterling, but Sterling doesn't currently see the upside in taking on a fighter with a 1-1 UFC record.

Rather, Sterling has been biding his time with side projects as he gears up for his next fight, one that he hopes has higher stakes than a short-notice call.

“I'm just the guy stuck in limbo and hopefully the pieces, knock on wood, they fall into place,†Sterling said. “All I could do is do my part, get into shape, so if the opportunity does present itself, I'll be ready. But right now giving me a short-notice fight on two weeks' notice would just be asinine, especially for me, I've been partying and pushing my rum company, because that's what I've got to do in the downtime. But now that's on pause. We're still pushing the company, but I took a step back from being the lead and running point at all the activations and stuff, so now we're in fight mode.

“We're ready to go, getting into shape, and sure enough, give me two more weeks, I'll be able to bang out three rounds, easy. Then give me two more weeks after that and I'll be in five-round shape.â€

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MMA

Jordan Burroughs calls out Georges St. Pierre for wrestling match

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1 hour ago

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August 25, 2026

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Jordan Burroughs calls out Georges St. Pierre for wrestling match
Jordan Burroughs has called for a wrestling match against Georges St.
Pierre, revealing that the
Ultimate Fighting Championship legend is his top choice.

The Olympic gold medalist recently called out the UFC Hall of Famer
for a freestyle wrestling match under the Real American Freestyle
banner, proposing a meeting at RAF 14 in Las Vegas on Oct. 3.

Burroughs names GSP his top choice and proposes an Oct. 3
showdown at RAF 14

Burroughs discussed a potential match with St. Pierre during an
appearance on “The Ariel Helwani Show†after his recent RAF victory
over Sean Brady
on Aug. 22. When the Canadian's name came up as a possible
opponent, Burroughs made his interest clear.

“Yeah, Georges, if you’re out there, I would love to compete
against you,†Burroughs said. “I’d love to wrestle you. I honor
you. I honor your legacy. And I don’t want to embarrass you. I
don’t want to humiliate you. I just would love to share the stage
with you. And so, he’s No. 1. He’s at the very top of my list.â€

Burroughs then proposed a date and location.

“Georges, if you’re out there and are watching this show, make it
happen. Las Vegas, Oct. 3.â€

St. Pierre has not competed professionally since submitting
Michael
Bisping to capture the UFC middleweight title in 2017. He
officially retired from mixed martial arts in 2019 and was inducted
into the UFC Hall of Fame the following year.

Burroughs is next scheduled to face Magomed Kurbanaliev at RAF
Moscow on Sept. 5.

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MMA

Colby Covington tears into Ian Garry, says Bo Nickal’s ‘mystique’ is gone

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4 hours ago

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August 25, 2026

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Colby Covington tears into Ian Garry, says Bo Nickal’s ‘mystique’ is gone
Colby
Covington took shots at Ian Garry and
Bo
Nickal in a recent interview.

Covington offered harsh assessments of Garry and Nickal while
speaking to Submission Radio. The former
Ultimate Fighting Championship interim titleholder addressed
Garry's unsuccessful title bid against Islam
Makhachev and Nickal's recent wrestling defeat under the Real
American Freestyle banner.

Covington reacts to Ian Garry's UFC 330 defeat and writes off a
potential Bo Nickal wrestling matchup

When asked about Garry’s defeat at UFC
330, Covington took the opportunity to poke fun at the
Irishman, referencing the controversy and online discourse
surrounding his marriage.

“I don’t know. I didn’t really pay attention, so I didn’t really
care about it,†Covington told Submission Radio. “But the one thing
fitting that I did see is now, you know, the wife got to sit in a
corner and watch him get dogged out for once. So, at least the
roles got reversed for once. You know, the world got to see that he
was exposed as a cuck.â€

Covington was also asked whether he would consider taking on Garry
in a wrestling or submission grappling match.

“I don’t know if I want to roll around with this guy,†Covington
added.

Covington then took aim at Nickal, discussing the latter's decision
loss to Max McEnelly at RAF 12. “Chaos†claims the aura surrounding
Nickal has dissipated and he's no longer interested in taking on
the UFC middleweight in a wrestling match.

“He talked a big game, but look what happens every time he’s on the
world stage,†Covington said. “He comes up short. He’s not
undefeated. The mystique, the scary guy that they tried to build up
to be this killer, you know, it’s not there anymore.â€

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MMA

Former NFL player reveals moment he knew MMA was his future

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7 hours ago

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August 25, 2026

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Former NFL player reveals moment he knew MMA was his future
Former football player Anthony
Wint recently opened up about the moment he realized mixed
martial arts was his next career path.

Wint, who emerged victorious in his
Ultimate Fighting Championship debut at
UFC Sacramento, recently reflected on his transition from
football to MMA after the Covid-19 pandemic during an appearance on
the “Deep Waters†podcast.

Anthony Wint explains how early grappling success convinced him
to commit to fighting

Wint recalled working with veteran manager Malki Kawa before
transitioning to MMA. Kawa manages several prominent fighters and
Wint remembers seeing a picture of Jon Jones in
his office.

“I didn’t know Malki did fighting,†Wint said. “I remember going up
his stairs and seeing the picture of Jon Jones. I was like, damn,
you know Jon Jones? He’s like, I manage Jon Jones.â€

Wint was initially headed toward the CFL, but the 2020 season was
canceled because of the Covid-19 pandemic. During that period, Kawa
encouraged him to consider MMA, claiming he could become a world
champion. Wint eventually made his way to MMA Masters, where he
began testing himself against established fighters in the gym.

“When I started grappling those guys, Miguel
Baeza was there; Colby
Covington comes later,†Wint said. “But they have a lot of big
dudes who’ve been doing it for a long time and I’m dominating them.
I don’t know the submissions, but I know how to do it.â€

That experience convinced Wint that MMA was more than just a
temporary move. He also credited his competitive nature for keeping
him in the sport. Once he started fighting, he found it difficult
to walk away because he did not want to accept defeat.

“Once I started, I knew I was in it,†he said. “The first time I
got into my first amateur fight and I got a W, I knew I was stuck
in it. Fighting is a sport where once you get into it, it’s one of
those sports where you’re the one who has to make the decision. I
can’t end it on a loss.â€

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