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Morning Report: Justin Gaethje’s manager proposes Islam Makhachev as final fight

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Morning Report: Justin Gaethje’s manager proposes Islam Makhachev as final fight

Justin Gaethje has done it all in MMA, and he checked off one last box on his career checklist this past June at UFC White House when he upset Ilia Topuria to become undisputed lightweight champion.

At 37, Gaethje has acknowledged his time is running short, and he's made no indication as to when or who he plans to fight next and if that bout will mark the conclusion of his legendary 17-year run. His manager Ali Abdelaziz recently appeared on the Pound 4 Pound podcast, where he plainly laid out the determining factor for Gaethje's decision and asked why his last fight can't be a superfight with welterweight champion Islam Makhachev.

“If Justin Gaethje is to choose one fight, I only want him to fight one fight, and he needs to pick the biggest guy who is the biggest check next to him,†Abdelaziz said. “It doesn't have to be for the title. It can be for a welterweight title, it can be for a lightweight title, it can be for ‘BMF' title. Whoever's going to give him the most zeroes.

“I think nobody of these guys will add anything to Justin Gaethje's legacy. Charles Oliveira, he tapped so many times. Arman [Tsarukyan], probably the toughest fight in the division. He's probably going to be a future champion. Max Holloway, he beat Justin, cool. But also, like me, I'm talking selfishly here, if Ilia [Topuria] would have won, he would have fought Islam [Makhachev] next. I think Justin Gaethje, if you choose to fight Islam, he could get to fight Islam, why not? And he vacates his lightweight title. If that's the biggest paycheck, that should be the biggest paycheck.â€

Abdelaziz has a vested interest in making a Makhachev vs. Gaethje bout happen as he has been the longtime manager of both fighters. Currently, Makhachev and Gaethje stand as two of the UFC's most popular names, with Makhachev having won titles at 155 and 170 pounds and standing atop the MMA Fighting Pound-for-Pound Rankings, and Gaethje establishing himself as one of the most exciting fighters in MMA history long before his stunning performance against Topuria.

For now, Abdelaziz defers to Gaethje and his coaching staff as far as deciding what's next.

“At the end of the day, Justin Gaethje has one of the smartest coaches in MMA,†Abdelaziz said. “I listen to this guy with my eyes closed. He gets to choose who Justin fights. Justin Gaethje gets to choose who he fights. So many scenarios. It can be a Max rematch. Charles Oliveira, for me, doesn't bring anything to the table, in my opinion.â€

Pound 4 Pound host Kamaru Usman—also an Abdelaziz client—asked the manager of Gaethje should be viewed as the greatest American fighter in UFC history, and Abdelaziz put him over numerous others, including fellow all-time great Jon Jones.

“Not even close,†Abdelaziz said. “It's not even close. Jon Jones is great, Mike Chandler, it's not even close. Justin Gaethje, one of the most loved—I'm going to tell you a story. I had the pleasure three weeks ago to have President Trump invite Justin Gaethje and sat down with him and spoke for three hours. And the way I saw the President of the United States speak to Justin Gaethje, I was bugging the hell out. He admires this man, he respects this man. I think the President of the United States loves two fighters more than anybody: Justin Gaethje and Khabib [Nurmagomedov].â€

Retirement. Darren Elkins explains decision to retire after UFC Vegas 120, rules out going to BKFC: ‘I'd probably die.'

145. Alexander Volkanovski expects Movsar Evloev to be next opponent, bout confirmation soon.

Referee. Alex Pereira explains why he's upset with Herb Dean and not Ciryl Gane after UFC White House controversy.

205. Robert Whittaker wants top opponent for next light heavyweight fight, Jan Blachowicz volunteers.

Fixed. Daniel Cormier recounts calling alleged fixed UFC fight: ‘How in the world is this kid so bad.'

Kid. Jessie Rosas has no problem being known as Raul Rosas Jr.'s brother for now: ‘It doesn't bother me.'

Demetrious Johnson talks BJJ.

Tim Welch weighs in on Jonah Hill's skills.

DC's take on Arman Tsarukyan's next fight.

Quillan Salkilld finishes.

SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

OK, but this is how I remember the fight actually going.

Fixed fights? In the UFC???

How many fights do you all think have been fixed in the UFC?

This topic has come up a lot recently so I'm curious what everyone thinks. Obviously a lot have been in Japan, (there is an excellent video about it on YouTube) but the UFC is different. I would say only a few but I know others will say many more. So what are your thoughts? 0? 5? 10? 100? Let me know!

Rec 3ReplyRead 51 replies

Not the greatest weekend of fights, but tomorrow's main event is terrific, and then we're on the road to UFC 330. Enjoy the fights, and see y'all next week.

If you find something you'd like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @AlexanderKLee or @JedKMeshew on Twitter and let us know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitch, and like us on Facebook.

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Tyson Fury admits he didnt train for Francis Ngannou: It was play

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Tyson Fury admits he didn't train for Francis Ngannou: 'It was play'
Tyson
Fury has admitted he did not take Francis
Ngannou seriously, a mindset that nearly cost him the
fight.

Fury faced Ngannou in October 2023 in the latter’s professional
boxing debut. Despite being knocked down by a powerful punch in the
third round, Fury recovered to edge Ngannou by split decision over
10 rounds.

Francis Ngannou knocked Fury down after the heavyweight
dismissed the bout as an exhibition

In a recent interview with ALF Global, Fury admitted he was
underprepared for his bout with Ngannou. He explained that he
viewed the matchup more as an exhibition than a serious fight.

“No, I didn't train for him because I didn't think he was a good
fighter,†Fury said. “I knew he was a good fighter, but to me it's
levels to boxing.â€

Fury explained that he viewed the matchup differently because the
former
Ultimate Fighting Championship champ doesn't have any boxing
credentials or accolades. The Englishman also discussed Ngannou's
mindset going into the fight.

“When you do an exhibition fight, play, it wasn't really a fight,
do you understand what I'm saying?†Fury said. “It wasn't, in my
mind, a fight; it's just an exhibition, a game. To him, to Ngannou,
it was, ‘Ah, big fight, I fight Tyson Fury!' To me, it was play, a
game, you know what I mean?â€

Fury is rumored to be taking on Anthony
Joshua later this year, with negotiations still underway
regarding the date and location.

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Rafael dos Anjos nearly retired after three surgeries: Man, this is it

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Rafael dos Anjos nearly retired after three surgeries: 'Man, this is it'
Rafael dos
Anjos claims multiple surgeries forced his long hiatus.

The former
Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight titleholder returns
to the Octagon after nearly two years against Alexander
Hernandez at UFC 332 on
Oct. 3 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The Brazilian suffered a
90-second stoppage loss after injuring his left knee in his last
outing against Geoff Neal in
October 2024.

Rafael dos Anjos details the knee surgeries that threatened his
UFC career

In a recent interview, dos Anjos revealed that he has since
undergone three surgeries on his left knee. A doctor in Brazil
initially stitched up his meniscus, which apparently was a big
mistake. He again tore his meniscus after a few months and
underwent surgery in Austin, Texas, in the U.S.

However, the American doctor allegedly left some stitches inside
dos Anjos' knee, which subsequently led to inflammation. The former
champ then went under the knife for the third time earlier this
year. He admits that the thought of hanging up his gloves has
crossed his mind in the meantime. However, the 41-year-old notes
that he hasn't been dominated in his losses and wants to give it
one more shot.

“I had three surgeries back-to-back,†dos Anjos told Ariel Helwani.
“After the Geoff Neal
fight, I had meniscus surgery, and the doctor in Brazil made a
mistake. He actually tried to stitch up my meniscus, which was a
terrible mistake. Four or five months after the surgery, my
meniscus tore again, so I had to redo it. I had to have the
meniscus removed, and the doctor in Austin, Texas, left a couple of
stitches inside my knee, believe it or not. It was causing
inflammation. I couldn't get full extension, and then I had surgery
for the third time at the beginning of this year. For a second, I
thought, ‘Man, this is it.' But looking at my results, I'm coming
from losses, but I haven't been dominated. I want to give it a
chance. I still have four more fights on my contract.â€

Now healthy, dos Anjos (32-17) will look to rebound from a
three-fight skid against Hernandez (18-9), who is coming off a loss
against Rafa Garcia
that snapped a four-fight winning streak.

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Sean Brady spots major Carlos Prates weakness against Islam Makhachev

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Sean Brady spots major Carlos Prates weakness against Islam Makhachev
Sean
Brady claims Carlos
Prates doesn't have the tools to deal with Islam
Makhachev's wrestling.

Michael
Morales (19-0) and Prates (24-7) are the leading contenders for
the next
Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title shot against
Makhachev (29-1). Brady believes Morales will give Makhachev a
harder time than Prates will, citing how the Ecuadorian is more of
an unknown and his grappling hasn't been put to the test in the
UFC.

Sean Brady explains why Michael Morales poses a tougher test
for Islam Makhachev

While Brady (19-2) acknowledges Prates' dangerous knockout power,
he believes Makhachev will have his way against the Brazilian on
the ground. Brady notes that we're yet to see Morales get
challenged on the ground, hence making him more of a puzzle for the
UFC welterweight champ.

“I think Prates can knock anybody out, for sure,†Brady told Ariel
Helwani. “Out of Prates and Morales, everyone's gonna say I'm
biased because I lost to Morales, but I think Morales will give
Islam a harder time. I was asking for the Carlos Prates fight, so
I've gone back and done the tape study on him, where I've seen guys
in One FC take him down and beat him on the ground. I think Islam
will be able to do the same thing, whereas with Morales, we still
don't know how good he is. We still don't know how good his ground
game is. We don't know how good his cardio is. We don't know all
these things, and I think that's gonna play a lot more of a
factor.â€

Morales hasn't fought since finishing Brady last November and the
latter believes the unbeaten 170-pounder needs to beat either
Ian
Garry or Shavkat
Rakhmonov before fighting for the title. Moreover, Makhachev
has already set his sights on Prates for his second title defense
at welterweight.

Meanwhile, Brady rebounded from the loss to Morales with a dominant
decision win over Joaquin
Buckley. He is now scheduled to fight Gabriel
Bonfim (20-1) on Nov. 7 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas.

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