Dan Hooker would like to see the whole ‘BMF' championship put to rest for now.
MMA
Israel Adesanya's next gym move teased as he trains with two UFC stars
Published
2 months agoon
Credit: Mat Hayward/GettyFormer UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya could be joining forces with a longtime training partner.
Israel Adesanya hasn't won a fight in the UFC Octagon since knocking out Alex Pereira at UFC 287 in their legendary rematch. Since he reclaimed the UFC middleweight title by beating Pereira, Adesanya has lost four consecutive fights, including recent knockout losses to Joe Pyfer and Nassourdine Imavov.
After Adesanya's most recent setback against Pyfer at UFC Seattle, the former middleweight titleholder announced he was leaving his longtime team, City Kickboxing, for a fresh start. Adesanya's decision to leave City Kickboxing was one of the most surprising storylines of the year, and it comes at a time of great uncertainty for his fighting future.
Fighters of Adesanya's caliber are often coveted by many of the top MMA gyms, including in the United States. Earlier this week, Adesanya returned to training and hinted at potentially moving to Sydney full-time.
Israel Adesanya hints at potential Sydney move in recent training footage
Watch Adesanya train with UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and lightweight Mauricio Ruffy below.
👀🤔 Israel Adesanya joins Alexander Volkanovski's camp after leaving CKB?
Adesanya left CKB in July and is now training with Volk and Ruffy.
🎥 Engage pic.twitter.com/s1KXddRa20
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) September 3, 2026
Volkanovski and Ruffy train under coach Joe Lopez at Freestyle MMA Performance Centre in Sydney, Australia. As of this writing, it's uncertain whether or not Adesanya intends to train full-time at Freestyle MMA or if he's considering other options.
Adesanya's decision to leave City Kickboxing came after months of rumors of turmoil between Adesanya, head coach Eugene Bareman, and UFC light heavyweight champion Carlos Ulberg. Adesanya and Ulberg were involved in a rumored love triangle gone wrong that ruined their relationship.
After his recent struggles inside the Octagon, Adesanya is looking to get back on track in the middleweight division and potentially return to the title mix. As his former rival Sean Strickland kicks off his second title reign, Adesanya will look to make a statement in his return.
Who should Israel Adesanya fight in his UFC return? Share your thoughts in the comments!
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
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MMA
Arman Tsarukyan sets one condition for fighting Alexander Volkanovski
Published
8 hours agoon
November 3, 2026
Tsarukyan is open to fighting Alexander
Volkanovski, provided
Ultimate Fighting Championship gold is at stake.
Volkanovski (29-4) defended the featherweight title with a
technical knockout victory over Movsar
Evloev at
UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi before expressing interest in returning to
lightweight. With champion Justin
Gaethje uncertain about his future, Volkanovski offered to face
Tsarukyan (24-3) for the vacant title if Gaethje retires.
Arman Tsarukyan reminds Alexander Volkanovski how Islam
Makhachev rematch ended
Tsarukyan said the championship matters more to him than the
opponent.
“I'm ready for everyone,†Tsarukyan told Yavuz Saynomo. “For me, it
doesn't matter who I'm gonna fight; I just want to fight for the
title.â€
Volkanovski has expressed confidence that he can counter
Tsarukyan's wrestling and avoid being held down. Tsarukyan
responded by recalling the Australian's knockout loss to Islam
Makhachev.
“He said Islam Makhachev cannot knock him out, too,†Tsarukyan
added.
Volkanovski has twice challenged Makhachev for the lightweight
championship. He lost their first meeting by unanimous decision
before Makhachev finished their rematch with a head kick and
follow-up punches.
Tsarukyan remains confident that his next bout will be for the
title. If Gaethje retires, “The Batman†expects to compete for the
vacant belt.
“I have a title fight next,†Tsarukyan reiterated. “Either Justin
Gaethje. If he is retired, someone else.â€
MMA
Dan Hooker blames Charles Oliveira, UFC for tarnishing ‘BMF’ title: ‘He killed it’
Published
9 hours agoon
November 3, 2026
The symbolic title is up for grabs again on Dec. 12 at UFC 335, when champion Charles Oliveira faces Diego Lopes in the main event. Oliveira won the belt with a dominant decision win over Max Holloway at UFC 326, but received criticism for his grappling-heavy performance, which was considered to be against the spirit of the BMF belt.
Hooker agrees that Oliveira, and his newly won title, lost some luster that night.
“It was cool for a bit and then he kind of made it not cool,†Hooker told Submission Radio. “I think he killed it.â€
The BMF championship was innovated by former UFC star Nate Diaz, who cut a fiery promo after a win at UFC 241 that led to he and Jorge Masvidal fighting to become the inaugural titleholder at UFC 244, where Masvidal defeated Diaz. Justin Gaethje later defeated Dustin Poirier for a vacant title, with Holloway subsequently claiming the belt with an all-time great performance at UFC 300.
Hooker believes the promotion has strayed far from the original purpose of the title.
“You know where they f*cked it up?†Hooker said. “They should have kept it like Nate Diaz, Masvidal kind of shit. They completely f*cked it when they were like – They had badass motherf*ckers fighting for it like that, but then it should be the guys that want to throw down and just talk shit as well. That was kind of like me, Bobby Green, could lose 20 times and he's still a BMF contender. Then they had Max do it, and he's like the nicest guy in the f*cking world.
“Talk shit. Say you're going to knock the other guy's head off, that was like our belt. That was the guys whose careers are a f*cking mess. ‘Gamebred' was hot and cold for a minute, Nate Diaz, all our records are a f*cking mess. It's going to be a lot harder for us to get our hands on the nice, shiny, clean one. That's what I'm saying, they let too many nice guys have a crack.â€
That said, Hooker looks forward to the Oliveira vs. Lopes matchup, even if the BMF belt's involvement feels perfunctory. Hooker fights Brian Ortega at UFC Qatar on Nov. 21, and if both he and Lopes are victorious, he sees a scenario where he challenges Lopes for the title next.
“For some reason, they're adamant on this BMF belt sticking around and just having another belt to put up for grabs, but yeah, I like that fight,†Hooker said. “I feel like Diego Lopes is a strong contender for that. As he says, he doesn't feel like he's going to get another crack at Volk. He doesn't feel like it's just around the corner, so I like the fight, definitely.â€
“That's why I wanted this fight [vs. Ortega],†Hooker continued. “I feel like I can beat Brian Ortega, but now, Diego Lopes beating Charles Oliveira, I feel like that's a much bigger ask. But yeah, I like that fight, for sure.â€
MMA
Report: Jacqueline Cavalcanti vs. Michelle Montague postponed to UFC 335 on Dec. 12
Published
1 day agoon
November 2, 2026
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