MMA
Demetrious Johnson would be ‘shocked’ if Tom Aspinall fights again
Published
1 month agoon
Johnson questions whether Tom
Aspinall will ever return to action in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Aspinall recently announced that he's vacating the UFC heavyweight
title after ongoing complications from his eye injuries prevented
him from receiving medical clearance to fight. The British
heavyweight was hoping to return against Ciryl Gane
in a rematch and title unification bout, but an accident during
sparring caused further damage to his right eye. Now, Johnson
believes there's a real possibility he never fights again.
Demetrious Johnson explains why Tom Aspinall's eye injury makes
him doubt a UFC return
Johnson addressed Aspinall’s situation on his YouTube channel and
said the severity of the injuries makes a comeback difficult to
envision.
“I sent Tom Aspinall a message today and I said, ‘Dude, I'm sending
good vibes, I'm hoping your eye gets healed,'†Johnson said. “We
don't know if we'll ever see Tom Aspinall again inside the UFC
Octagon. Deep down in my gut, I would say no.â€
The UFC Hall of Famer explained that he believes the risks
surrounding Aspinall’s eye could make a return too dangerous.
“I wouldn't risk the opportunity of me losing my vision and not
being able to see my children,†Johnson added. “I would be shocked
if Tom Aspinall fights again. Just because when it comes to
fighting and training, that eye is always gonna be compromised. Is
he willing to take that risk? I wouldn't take that risk.â€
Johnson also expressed concern about Aspinall's eye remaining an
issue for the rest of his life.
“This is something he's gonna be battling for the rest of his
life,†Johnson said. “He could potentially lose his eye.â€
Aspinall, however, has vowed to return to fighting once he's
medically cleared.
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Alex Pereira says Josh Hokit would be much easier fight than Sergei Pavlovich
Published
18 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
Pavlovich (21-3) at UFC
335 on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Meanwhile,
Josh
Hokit (10-0) will face Ciryl Gane
(14-2) for the heavyweight title at UFC
334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Pereira said he initially expected either a rematch with Gane or a
grudge match against Hokit, but he sees the Pavlovich booking as a
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
19 hours agoon
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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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