MMA
Justin Gaethjes manager says Ilia Topuria doesnt call the shots
Published
1 month agoon
Gaethje's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, believes Ilia
Topuria has no say in whether an immediate rematch happens.
Topuria suffered the first loss of his professional career against
Gaethje, losing the
Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title at
UFC Freedom 250 in June. Topuria has since pushed for a
rematch. Abdelaziz, however, dismissed the possibility.
Ali Abdelaziz says Justin Gaethje has nothing to gain from an
immediate Ilia Topuria rematch
Talking with Submission Radio, Abdelaziz emphasized that Topuria
doesn't have the power to call for an immediate rematch. He further
claimed that Gaethje simply has the Georgian-Spaniard's number and
will beat him again should they run it back.
“He’s not fighting Justin Gaethje next,†Abdelaziz said. “He
doesn’t call the shots. Only one guy in the past did that and his
name is Conor
McGregor and he’s not Conor McGregor. Nobody is. He was a
favorite because everybody thought he was better than Justin. I
believe Justin Gaethje will beat him nine out of 10 times. You know
why? Justin has his number. I don’t think he can beat Justin
Gaethje. He thinks he can, and he should think he can. He was close
to beating Justin Gaethje, but he didn’t. At the end of the day,
this fight will never happen. I can tell you this: Justin Gaethje
has zero gain to beat Ilia Topuria again.â€
Abdelaziz then addressed Topuria's claim that Gaethje had something
unusual in his gloves during their fight.
“If this is what he wants to say that he had rocks in his gloves,
that’s a compliment to Justin Gaethje; how hard he punches,â€
Abdelaziz said. “I’m not going to be insulted by that, because the
Las Vegas Commission was there, the D.C. Commission was there,
Andy
Foster from California was there. He had three commissions
watching him about the gloves. But he said that (during) Arman’s
fight week to take away from Arman and Ruffy’s hype. This is what
Conor used to do, and he did a good job. He got himself in the
media.â€
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MMA
Arman Tsarukyan sets one condition for fighting Alexander Volkanovski
Published
3 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
Report: Jacqueline Cavalcanti vs. Michelle Montague postponed to UFC 335 on Dec. 12
Published
22 hours agoon
November 2, 2026
MMA
On To the Next One: Matches to make after controversial UFC Vegas 123 event
Published
22 hours agoon
November 2, 2026
UFC Vegas 123 went down this past Saturday at the Meta APEX. The Halloween-themed event ended in controversy following referee Dan Miragliotta's decision to stand up Renato Moicano and Tom Nolan with Moicano in a dominant position, thus leading to Nolan getting the finish the third round. Where does Nolan go from this victory where the headlines are solely about the referee?
On an all-new edition of On To the Next One, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee discuss what's next for Nolan after getting his biggest win, yet not getting the rub despite not doing anything wrong. Additionally, future matchups are discussed for Jacobe Smith following his impressive win over Randy Brown in the co-main event, Cody Durden after defeating Ode Osbourne in the featured bout, along with fellow main card winners Luana Santos and Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani, and more.
Plus, your matchmaking suggestions during the second half of the program.
Arman Tsarukyan sets one condition for fighting Alexander Volkanovski
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Arman Tsarukyan sets one condition for fighting Alexander Volkanovski
Naoya Inoue Receives Title Shot Opportunity in New Division After Champions Fifth Consecutive Stoppage
Terence Crawfords Interim Champion Eyes Canelo Showdown After Mbilli Victory
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