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Anthony Joshua saw Ilia Topuria’s loss and cut himself off from everyone

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1 month ago

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Anthony Joshua saw Ilia Topuria’s loss and cut himself off from everyone
Anthony Joshua has started taking the fight game more seriously
since Ilia
Topuria's loss to Justin
Gaethje in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Topuria put his lightweight title on the line against interim
champion Gaethje at
UFC Freedom 250. While “El Matador” was a massive favorite
going into the bout and nearly finished it in the second round,
Gaethje piled on the damage in the subsequent frames, leading to a
corner stoppage before the final round. It marked the first defeat
of Topuria's professional career.

Some of Topuria's pre-fight antics and the eventual result of the
recent UFC lightweight championship fight have resonated with
Joshua.

Anthony Joshua explains how Ilia Topuria's loss to Justin
Gaethje changed his approach to boxing

Joshua notes that Topuria had celebrated the night before the fight
and had done so before previous bouts. While “AJ” doesn't want to
criticize the former two-division champion, the Brit had a massive
realization. Joshua has cut all unnecessary contact with people,
making himself inaccessible, since Topuria's first professional
loss. The Englishman notes that the fight business isn't all fun
and games.

“I think you’ve got to be in the fight game to truly know; it's not
lit,†Joshua told Combat Evolved. “It's not what people think it
is. It's not all fun and games. It’s a serious, serious job. Stay
away from people who just want to get lit and get upset when you
don't return calls and stuff. It's not personal. When I watched the
Ilia Topuria fight, I stopped replying to people after that.
Because I said, ‘Yo, it's not a joke.'â€

Dissecting Topuria's loss to Gaethje, Joshua further claimed that
nothing can be taken for granted in combat sports.

“I saw someone in Ilia who was destined to win,†he added. “The
stars were aligned for him to be victorious. I think Ilia had
beaten people that Justin had lost against; the odds were in his
favor. Not a bad thing, but I saw him celebrating before. He's
entitled to do what he wants, but I just took something from it and
I said, ‘Get back to being uncontactable, less accessible, because
the fight game is so serious.' You saw his face, what he went
through. It's not a joke.â€

Joshua (29-4) is set to return to action against Kristian Prenga
(20-1) on July 25 at Jeddah Superdome in Saudi Arabia.

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MMA

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

Published

2 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

Published

4 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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MMA

Shara Bullet draws Gracie family star for RAF Moscow debut

Published

5 hours ago

on

August 25, 2026

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Shara Bullet draws Gracie family star for RAF Moscow debut
UFC Fight Night: Magomedov v Pereira
UFC Fight Night: Magomedov v Pereira

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN – JUNE 27: Shara Magomedov of Russia prepares to face Michel Pereira of Brazil in a middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at National Gymnastics Arena on June 27, 2026 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

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