Connect with us

MMA

Drakkar Klose plans to 'make it dirty' against Tommy Gantt at Noche UFC, eyes Beneil Dariush rematch

Published

3 weeks ago

on

Drakkar Klose plans to 'make it dirty' against Tommy Gantt at Noche UFC, eyes Beneil Dariush rematch
Trending:

Pros react after Islam Makhachev defeats Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330

Drakkar Klose is set to end another year-long layoff.

Klose last fought last August when he beat Edson Barboza by decision. However, in the second round, he tore his shoulder which resulted in another layoff.

“I had torn my shoulder against Barboza; it happened in the second round,†Klose said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “I felt it tear. The doctor who did it works for the Dodgers; he's the Dodgers' surgeon, and he told me around a 9-12-month recovery. … I was training around six months; I was in the gym giving some guys some rounds, but I wasn't feeling 100% until after Tommy (McMillen's) last fight.â€

Once Klose was ready to return, he got offered Tommy Gantt at Noche UFC. Although this was the card he wanted, he admits he wasn't familiar with him.

“I had no idea anything about him. One of my coaches knows him through wrestling; another coach coached against him in wrestling. He's familiar with him, but MMA stuff, I don't know anything about him,†Klose said. “The videos we've seen on him, he's fighting guys that are Uber drivers, dudes with losing records, so it's hard to get anything from those, as those guys are in there to get a paycheck.â€

Drakkar Klose expects stoppage win at Noche UFC

Although Klose wasn't too familiar with Gantt, after looking him up, he's extremely confident.

Drakkar Klose knows Tommy Gantt will want to wrestle him, so he plans to make it dirty, which will lead to a finish win.

“He's 33, he has to fight right now,†Klose said. “They don't have time to build him, he has to prove himself and might as well go against a veteran like me. … It's weird, I talked to Hunter and I said I'm trying to fight on the Phoenix card, and they gave me this matchup. I thought I'd get a bigger name. At the end of the day, I just have to beat this dude up and collect my paycheck. …

“He doesn't like getting hit. When he gets put in a bad position, all he will do is shoot. … This is going to be a test for him. Hopefully he wants to throw hands, but I've been wrestling this entire camp. I feel like I am going to finish him in the third round, go in there, stuff his shots, make it dirty. He trains with Daniel Cormier, so I know he's working on his wrestling and clinch, but I'm good in the clinch game,†Klose concluded.

If Klose gets his hand raised, he hopes he can get a rematch with Beneil Dariush, but doubts Dariush would accept it.

“I'm going to be in the same position. If I'm a gatekeeper, I'm cool with it because I'll keep collecting checks and adding them up. … I want to fight Beneil again. I know he has one more left, and I want that fight back,†Klose concluded.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

MMA

Natalia Silva went from sleeping in UFC gym to fighting for gold

Published

3 hours ago

on

October 1, 2026

By

Natalia Silva went from sleeping in UFC gym to fighting for gold
Natalia
Silva never stopped believing in herself, even when she
considered walking away from mixed martial arts.

Silva (20-5) is scheduled to face Cong Wang
(10-1) for the vacant
Ultimate Fighting Championship women's flyweight title at
UFC
332 on Oct. 3 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Ahead of her
championship bout, Silva reflected on her journey to title
contention and the hardships she has overcome.

Natalia Silva recalls living at her gym before earning UFC 332
title shot

Silva credits her perseverance and belief in herself with helping
her overcome hardships throughout her career. She recently revealed
that she once lived at her gym and slept on a physical therapy bed.
The Brazilian admitted there were several occasions when she
considered quitting mixed martial arts but credits her faith and
the people around her with helping her continue.

“I think what brought me here was believing in myself and never
quitting and continuing regardless of what happens,†Silva told the
UFC. “No matter what I did in my life and what I was able to
accomplish, it was always a very tough journey. I have gone through
a lot of challenges. There were moments that I had to live in the
gym. I actually lived in the physical therapy room; I slept in a PT
bed for a while. Things were never easy. And in many moments, I
thought of giving up, of quitting… Always, God has strengthened me,
surrounded me with people with a kind word for me.â€

Silva is undefeated in eight UFC appearances, with her last three
victories coming against Jessica
Andrade, Alexa
Grasso and Rose
Namajunas. Meanwhile, Wang is riding a four-fight winning
streak and is coming off a victory over Tracy
Cortez.

Continue Reading

MMA

Conor McGregor gets unexpected UFC title backing from Jose Aldo

Published

6 hours ago

on

October 1, 2026

By

Conor McGregor gets unexpected UFC title backing from Jose Aldo
Jose
Aldo has offered some advice and encouragement to former rival
Conor
McGregor.

McGregor injured his knee in the opening seconds of his rematch
against Max
Holloway in July, which marked the end of a five-year Octagon
hiatus. He damaged his ACL and meniscus and underwent surgery in
August. The Irishman is targeting a return in the summer of 2027
for what would be the final bout of his
Ultimate Fighting Championship contract.

Not only does Aldo wish McGregor the best, but he also believes the
former two-division champion can shake things up at lightweight and
potentially reclaim UFC gold.

Jose Aldo believes Conor McGregor can re-enter the UFC
lightweight title picture at 155

Aldo and McGregor shared a contentious relationship in the lead-up
to their 2015 title bout, which McGregor won by knockout in just 13
seconds, ending Aldo's 18-fight, nearly decade-long winning streak.
McGregor frequently mocked and belittled Aldo as part of his
pre-fight psychological warfare.

Nevertheless, Aldo no longer holds any ill will toward McGregor and
wants him to return to the win column. He believes his former foe
should consider returning to lightweight rather than competing at
welterweight when he comes back.

“I always hope for the best, so I hope that tomorrow he's doing
well physically and psychologically, too, and that he can return to
the UFC and have great fights again,†Aldo told MMA Fighting. “I think first he needs to go
through some dietary re-education to see if he can get back down
and be lighter again. I think, in my opinion, he has the frame for
155, so it would be good.â€

The Brazilian also believes McGregor could quickly work his way
into title contention with a significant victory.

“And I'll tell you this… Today, if Conor fights at 155 and beats a
name, the division is wide open again,†Aldo added. “To me, the
division has kind of stalled there. Ilia [Topuria] moved up and
lost to [Justin] Gaethje, so it's a bit of a mess there and anyone
can come in and snatch the title.â€

Continue Reading

MMA

Khamzat Chimaev, Colby Covington finally set to settle long-running feud

Published

9 hours ago

on

September 30, 2026

By

Khamzat Chimaev, Colby Covington finally set to settle long-running feud
Khamzat
Chimaev and Colby
Covington are finally set to square off.

Real American Freestyle announced Wednesday that the former

Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight titleholder and
former interim champion will collide for the cruiserweight
crossover championship at RAF Abu Dhabi on Nov. 14. The event will
take place at Etihad Arena.

Khamzat Chimaev will challenge Colby Covington for the RAF
cruiserweight crossover title in Abu Dhabi

Covington captured RAF's inaugural cruiserweight crossover
championship by defeating Arman
Tsarukyan at RAF 11. Chimaev later called for a match against
“Chaos†after his recent victory over Gilbert
Burns. That bout served as the co-headliner at RAF 13, where
Covington defended his title against Belal
Muhammad.

The feud between Covington and Chimaev dates back to Covington's
time in the UFC, and the bad blood continues to this day.

RAF Abu Dhabi will also feature Arman
Tsarukyan, Henry
Cejudo, Jordan Burroughs, Kyle Snyder and Abdulrashid Sadulaev,
with their opponents yet to be announced.

The inaugural RAF Abu Dhabi event marks the start of a five-year
partnership between Real American Freestyle, the Department of
Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) and the UAE
Wrestling Federation.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe Us To Receive Our Latest News Directly In Your Inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Trending