MMA
Luke Riley defends UFC 329 stoppage, says referee ‘saved’ Kai Kamaka III
Luke
Riley took issue with reaction to his finish at UFC 329. | 📷:
Getty/UFC
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight Luke Riley
was confident that it was only a matter of time before his
UFC 329 opponent, Kai Kamaka
III, went down.
Riley (14-0) took on Kamaka III (18-8) at UFC 329 in Las Vegas. The
Brit took some punishment to his lead leg early in the fight, but
needed just one well-timed right hand to floor his foe, also
opening up a cut near the Hawaiian's eye.
While Kamaka III returned to his feet, Riley was relentless with
his combinations, which was enough for referee Kerry Hatley to call
a stop to the contest. The stoppage drew some backlash from the
commentators and fans online, as Kamaka III was covering up but
still on his feet.
Luke Riley responds to criticism after UFC 329 victory over Kai
Kamaka III
Riley believes Hatley saved his opponent from taking unnecessary
damage. The Liverpudlian is confident he would eventually have
finished Kamaka III.
“Fans have the smallest memories ever,†Riley said in a post-fight
interview. “So, I think after the last one, coming into this one,
[fans were saying], ‘Luke decision, Luke decision. He's gonna
scrape a split decision.' It's like, OK, and then, yeah, that's
what happened: first-round knockout. So, the memory is gonna be
refreshed again.â€
Riley was coming off a decision win over Michael
Aswell going into UFC 329. The undefeated 27-year-old says UFC
fans started considering him a decision fighter after his last
victory. However, he just refreshed their memories with his 10th
career finish.
“Kai is a tough motherf*cker. But once I sniff blood, it's done,â€
Riley added. “Once I landed that shot on the chin, seeing he was
rocked, he was hurt, he was just a wounded animal that was gonna be
put down. And the ref saved him.â€
Furthermore, Riley addressed Joe Rogan and Daniel
Cormier's commentary and views on his finish. “They’ve f*cking
lost their minds. Two more seconds, and he would have been face
down on the canvas,†he said at the post-fight presser.
“I know what I can do.â€
Luke
Riley (@LukeRileyMMA)
wants to keep racking up wins and experience after posting his
third consecutive win to start his UFC career. #UFC329Complete Prelim Results âž¡ï¸ https://t.co/zJYzZphBW3 pic.twitter.com/izipf6tI7s
— UFC News (@UFCNews)
July 12, 2026
ONE ChampionshipA four-fight winning resume now meets a champion's pedigree when two contrasting career paths collide at ONE SAMURAI 3.
Hiroba Minowa meets Yuta Miyazawa in a strawweight MMA showdown when ONE SAMURAI 3 streams live from Yokohama Buntai in Yokohama, Japan, on Saturday, September 12.
Minowa has won four straight since establishing himself in the division, a stretch that includes a split decision over former ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Alex Silva and a ninth-career submission finish of previously undefeated Karen Ghazaryan this past April, a performance that earned him a US$50,000 bonus.
Miyazawa arrives with a 17-fight winning ledger and a Pancrase Strawweight Championship captured this past March, extending his personal streak to three heading into his ONE Championship debut.
The matchup adds another entry to a resume already thick with numbers. Since making his promotional debut in 2020, Minowa has repeatedly been booked against top-five opposition, a run that includes two former ONE Strawweight MMA World Champions among his list of opponents.
Hiroba Minowa's record meets a fresh test
Hiroba Minowa's grappling pedigree makes this matchup a compelling puzzle, since Miyazawa's wins come from his hands rather than takedown defense, and his 17 professional victories carry real knockout power into a division where grappling has often decided the biggest nights. Minowa will look to test that gap early, given four of his ONE Championship wins have come by way of decision or submission rather than knockout.
Elsewhere on the card, Kosei Yoshida's 9-1 record and four-fight win streak run into Zhao Zhengdong's unbeaten 3-0 promotional slate in a flyweight kickboxing pairing that adds another compelling number to the night. Zhao's overall mark of 29-5 stands as the more battle-tested résumé between the two, even as Yoshida chases his tenth career victory on home soil in front of a crowd inside Yokohama Buntai that will be watching his first fight back from a decision setback.
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
MMA
Manager blasts NSAC for withholding Paddy Pimblett's UFC 329 purse: 'This rule needs to be changed'
Graham Boylan, the manager of Paddy Pimblett, has blasted the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Pimblett is coming off a 52-second submission win over Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 329. It was a solid win, and after the victory, he hopped over the cage to celebrate. However, the NSAC doesn't allow that, and now the commission is withholding his purse along with Max Holloway and Gable Steveson.
The three fighters will have disciplinary hearings at the Nevada State Athletic Commission's monthly meeting in Las Vegas, MMAJunkie revealed. After the hearings were revealed, MMAJunkie texted Boylan who confirmed it was due to hopping the fence, which he isn't pleased about.
“For the record, this rule needs to be changed,†Boylan wrote in a text message. “Yes, it's the fight game, and systems need to be in play to make it all work, but this rule does nothing to support that. It's 2026. Apply a little common sense.â€
The NSAC withholding fighters' purses for celebrating on the cage and going out of it does seem insane, and something Boylan hopes will change. It's unclear how much of Pimblett's purse was withheld, but Diego Lopes had $5,000 of his disclosed $100,000 show money withheld for scaling the cage at UFC 300 in April 2024. He ended up being fined $2,500 after the hearing.
Paddy Pimblett hopes to fight Ilia Topuria or Arman Tsarukyan
Although Pimblett is set for an NSAC hearing, he is already looking forward to his next fight.
Pimblett is hoping for a major fight next and is open to facing Ilia Topuria or Arman Tsarukyan, as he wants to be able to get into their heads.
“If I fight Ilia or Arman, I'm gonna absolutely rinse their lives. I'm gonna absolutely terrorize them,†Pimblett said on Green Light podcast. “But if I fight Max Holloway or Charles Oliveira I wouldn't, because I respect them and I like them. … Don't get me wrong, I respect Ilia, but we've had beef for years,†Pimblett said. “I think he's a little helmet. I'd love to fight him and give him shit. Arman Tsarukyan, I've got no respect for at all. He's just rich kid, who's daddy's a millionaire.â€
Pimblett is 24-4 as a pro and coming off the win over Saint Denis.
Who do you think Paddy Pimblett should fight next?
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
UFC Sacramento ‘Hernandez vs. Rodrigues’ play-by-play, results & round scoring
Hiroba Minowa vs. Yuta Miyazawa, plus more added to ONE SAMURAI 3
Manager blasts NSAC for withholding Paddy Pimblett's UFC 329 purse: 'This rule needs to be changed'
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