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Khabib Nurmagomedov thinks Ian Garry could make life miserable for Islam Makhachev

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1 month ago

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Khabib Nurmagomedov thinks Ian Garry could make life miserable for Islam Makhachev

Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Famer Khabib
Nurmagomedov believes Islam
Makhachev is in for a tricky outing against Ian
Garry.

Makhachev (28-1) is set to defend his welterweight title for the
first time against Garry (17-1) in the main event of UFC
330 on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.
Makhachev's friend and mentor, Nurmagomedov, notes that his protégé
has never faced an opponent as tall as Garry.

Why Khabib Nurmagomedov believes Ian Garry is a difficult
matchup for Islam Makhachev

Nurmagomedov admits that Garry's elusive style is a difficult
puzzle to crack. “The Eagle†further notes that Makhachev, nearing
35, is six years older than Garry. According to the former unbeaten
lightweight champion, the stylistic threat from Garry, combined
with the age difference, makes it a difficult matchup for
Makhachev.

“We've never faced an opponent this tall – 193 cm [6’4″],â€
Nurmagomedov said on the “Smol Talk” podcast. “We’ll have to chase
him, close the distance, grab him, and take him down. It will be a
difficult fight. And Islam is almost 35. The stylistic matchup and
the age together make this a difficult fight… I expect a hard
fight, assuming we don't get an early finish. Spending five rounds
with this opponent won't be easy. The training camp will be
difficult too, first because we have to find someone who can
imitate him.â€

American Kickboxing Academy founder and head coach of the
Dagestani team, Javier Mendez, recently revealed that
Professional Fighters League champion Usman
Nurmagomedov is helping Makhachev by mimicking Garry in
training.

Garry has racked up 10 UFC wins and suffered his lone professional
loss to Shavkat
Rakhmonov, who is sidelined due to an injury. Meanwhile,
Makhachev is undefeated in 16 straight Octagon outings, including
six title fights. The latter is tied with Anderson
Silva for consecutive UFC wins, and a victory at UFC 330 will
see the Dagestani set a new record.

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MMA

Edson Barboza calls UFC 331 star an ‘improved version of me’

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2 hours ago

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August 25, 2026

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Edson Barboza calls UFC 331 star an ‘improved version of me’
Edson
Barboza sees plenty of himself in Mauricio
Ruffy and believes the surging Brazilian has become an
“improved version†of him.

Barboza, who recently retired from the
Ultimate Fighting Championship, claims Ruffy is one of his
favorite fighters to watch. Ruffy is set to face Arman
Tsarukyan in the UFC
331 co-main event on Sept. 19 in Los Angeles and Barboza
recently broke down the matchup, having trained alongside Tsarukyan
at
American Top Team.

Barboza compares Mauricio Ruffy to Anderson Silva ahead of
Arman Tsarukyan fight

Barboza gave his assessment of the matchup in an exclusive
interview with Sherdog. He claims Ruffy reminds him of UFC legend
Anderson
Silva before drawing a comparison between Tsarukyan and
Khabib
Nurmagomedov.

“Ruffy is one of my favorite fighters right now,†Barboza said.
“He's extremely creative and skilled, and he reminds me of Anderson
Silva. He just needs one opportunity to finish a fight. I'd say
he's the improved version of me.â€

While he thinks highly of Ruffy’s abilities, Barboza acknowledged
how good Tsarukyan is while comparing the latter to Nurmagomedov,
who he faced back in 2017.

“I've had the opportunity to train many times with Arman at ATT,â€
Barboza added. “He's impressive. If he needs to, he'll come at you
10,000 times until he takes you down. Khabib had more pressure. He
controls you more and is always one move ahead, but he doesn't
really look for the submission. Arman is different. He's always
looking to advance and find the finish.â€

He then highlighted Ruffy's finishing ability while hyping up the
matchup.

“Ruffy only needs one opportunity to finish the fight,†Barboza
concluded. “All I can say is that it's going to be a fight you
can't miss — a classic striker vs. grappler matchup.â€

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MMA

Jordan Burroughs calls out Georges St. Pierre for wrestling match

Published

4 hours ago

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August 25, 2026

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Jordan Burroughs calls out Georges St. Pierre for wrestling match
Jordan Burroughs has called for a wrestling match against Georges St.
Pierre, revealing that the
Ultimate Fighting Championship legend is his top choice.

The Olympic gold medalist recently called out the UFC Hall of Famer
for a freestyle wrestling match under the Real American Freestyle
banner, proposing a meeting at RAF 14 in Las Vegas on Oct. 3.

Burroughs names GSP his top choice and proposes an Oct. 3
showdown at RAF 14

Burroughs discussed a potential match with St. Pierre during an
appearance on “The Ariel Helwani Show†after his recent RAF victory
over Sean Brady
on Aug. 22. When the Canadian's name came up as a possible
opponent, Burroughs made his interest clear.

“Yeah, Georges, if you’re out there, I would love to compete
against you,†Burroughs said. “I’d love to wrestle you. I honor
you. I honor your legacy. And I don’t want to embarrass you. I
don’t want to humiliate you. I just would love to share the stage
with you. And so, he’s No. 1. He’s at the very top of my list.â€

Burroughs then proposed a date and location.

“Georges, if you’re out there and are watching this show, make it
happen. Las Vegas, Oct. 3.â€

St. Pierre has not competed professionally since submitting
Michael
Bisping to capture the UFC middleweight title in 2017. He
officially retired from mixed martial arts in 2019 and was inducted
into the UFC Hall of Fame the following year.

Burroughs is next scheduled to face Magomed Kurbanaliev at RAF
Moscow on Sept. 5.

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MMA

Colby Covington tears into Ian Garry, says Bo Nickal’s ‘mystique’ is gone

Published

7 hours ago

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August 25, 2026

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Colby Covington tears into Ian Garry, says Bo Nickal’s ‘mystique’ is gone
Colby
Covington took shots at Ian Garry and
Bo
Nickal in a recent interview.

Covington offered harsh assessments of Garry and Nickal while
speaking to Submission Radio. The former
Ultimate Fighting Championship interim titleholder addressed
Garry's unsuccessful title bid against Islam
Makhachev and Nickal's recent wrestling defeat under the Real
American Freestyle banner.

Covington reacts to Ian Garry's UFC 330 defeat and writes off a
potential Bo Nickal wrestling matchup

When asked about Garry’s defeat at UFC
330, Covington took the opportunity to poke fun at the
Irishman, referencing the controversy and online discourse
surrounding his marriage.

“I don’t know. I didn’t really pay attention, so I didn’t really
care about it,†Covington told Submission Radio. “But the one thing
fitting that I did see is now, you know, the wife got to sit in a
corner and watch him get dogged out for once. So, at least the
roles got reversed for once. You know, the world got to see that he
was exposed as a cuck.â€

Covington was also asked whether he would consider taking on Garry
in a wrestling or submission grappling match.

“I don’t know if I want to roll around with this guy,†Covington
added.

Covington then took aim at Nickal, discussing the latter's decision
loss to Max McEnelly at RAF 12. “Chaos†claims the aura surrounding
Nickal has dissipated and he's no longer interested in taking on
the UFC middleweight in a wrestling match.

“He talked a big game, but look what happens every time he’s on the
world stage,†Covington said. “He comes up short. He’s not
undefeated. The mystique, the scary guy that they tried to build up
to be this killer, you know, it’s not there anymore.â€

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