ONE Championship

Beating Hiroki Akimoto is only step one for Jonathan Haggerty. Reclaiming a second world title is the real target.

“The General†defends his ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Championship against the former divisional titleholder in the main event of ONE SAMURAI 4 inside Tokyo's Ariake Arena on Saturday, October 17.

Akimoto's road to this opportunity was not a straight line. He opened his ONE Championship tenure with an impressive 6-1 stretch before dropping three straight, then rebounded with three consecutive decision wins, the last of which came against Taimu Hisai at ONE SAMURAI 1, the same card where Haggerty retained his belt against Yuki Yoza.

“He's been in the organization for a long time. He's fought the best. And now it's his time to challenge me for the belt,†Haggerty said. “He's beaten whoever they've put in front of him. Meanwhile, I've basically beaten the top opponents in the division now, so it was only right for him to get his opportunity.â€

Haggerty has followed Akimoto's career for years, long before the two were formally matched up, and few opponents have earned this level of respect from the reigning champion.

Jonathan Haggerty plots path back to Muay Thai gold

Should Saturday go as planned, Haggerty has already mapped out where his career goes next. The Englishman, chasing his 25th career victory, is looking at a return to the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Championship he lost to Superlek at ONE 168: Denver in September 2024.

He has two specific names in mind for that pursuit, both of whom currently sit atop the Muay Thai side of the division he once ruled.

“Defending the belt means a lot to me, you know. It always has. And to keep defending the belt is the main goal for me,†he said.

“But I believe after I defend this belt, Yod-IQ or Rambolek will be next for me.â€

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

Credit: Zuffa LLC

UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje and Ilia Topuria continue to stoke the flames of a potential title rematch.

Tensions between UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje and former titleholder Ilia Topuria are ramping up ahead of a potential immediate rematch.

Gaethje handed Topuria the first loss of his career earlier this year at UFC Freedom 250. In an instant classic, Gaethje defeated Topuria by TKO (corner stoppage) to win the undisputed championship for the first time in his legendary tenure.

Despite Topuria's team recently shutting down imminent return rumors, the former lightweight champ recently took to social media to announce he's been medically cleared to fight. Topuria suffered two broken orbitals in the loss to Gaethje, and a timeline for his comeback seemed uncertain.

Now, Topuria could potentially return by year's end, and his earlier cordiality with Gaethje has seemed to dissipate. Topuria recently accused Gaethje of tampering with his gloves at UFC Freedom 250 in an X-rated social media rant.

Justin Gaethje slams Ilia Topuria's glove tampering allegations

In a recent tweet, Gaethje responded to Topuria's scathing allegations.

“Ilia, 94 days and the best you could come up with is a lame excuse,†Gaethje said.

“As terrible as your last performance. Do better kid.â€

UFC lightweight contenders Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy will fight for a potential No. 1 contender spot this weekend at UFC Freedom 250. If Gaethje postpones his teased retirement, he'll likely fight the Tsarukyan vs. Ruffy winner for his first title defense.

But UFC CEO Dana White recently admitted that the Gaethje vs. Topuria rematch is also possible for the next lightweight title fight. A grudge match between Topuria and rising star Paddy Pimblett has also been discussed.

In either case, tensions are ramping up between Topuria and Gaethje, and there remains no evidence of wrongdoing by Gaethje or his team at UFC Freedom 250. But that hasn't stopped things from getting hostile as rematch talks continue.

Would you want to see Justin Gaethje vs. Ilia Topuria 2 next? Share your thoughts in the comments!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

Makhachev recently discredited Jones' title run in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship because of repeated drug-testing
violations. Jones fired back at Makhachev, claiming the UFC's
drug-testing partners at the time had dismissed his failures as
unintentional and not performance-enhancing.

Jon Jones invokes Islam Makhachev’s lone loss before the UFC
pound-for-pound king targets Jones’ past

In addition to defending his run-ins with USADA, “Bones†further
boasted his near-perfect record while reminding Makhachev of his
lone career loss against Adriano
Martins in 2015. Jones listed several reasons why he considers
his legacy superior to that of Makhachev, referencing praise he
once received from Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, before taking a shot at
Daniel
Cormier.

Jones wrote on X:

“Let's start this week by dispelling rumors that have been spread
by people chasing me: 1. If you believe USADA for finding a
picogram in my system, then you must believe USADA when they say
“It was not found to be PERFORMANCE ENHANCING or INTENTIONAL.†You
can't have it both ways. 2. Last I checked, my hand got raised
every time I was in the Octagon since any of you can remember. 3.
Your own coach said I was “a gift from God.†4. Let's not forget
you've been KO'd, flat-lined, went night night. 5. DC I kicked you
in the head LOL; keep telling yourself it was steroids. Whatever
you need to tell yourselves to sleep better at night, go for it.
Keep chasing; it's lonely at the top, Islam, hopefully I'll see you
up here one day.â€

Responding to Jones, Makhachev said that he doesn't intend to take
away from the former UFC double champ's achievements. However, the
Russian subtly reminded Jones of his multiple run-ins with the
law.

“Jon, I'm not trying to diminish your achievements in any way,â€
Makhachev responded. “But your whole life seems to be tied to
breaking the rules one way or another, and somehow, you're never
the one to be blamed.â€

Jones hasn't fought since beating Stipe
Miocic. He subsequently vacated the heavyweight title, but has
left the door open to an Octagon return. Meanwhile, Makhachev is
atop the sport at the moment, having recently recorded his first
title defense at welterweight and breaking Anderson
Silva's record for most consecutive wins in UFC history.