Dan Hooker would like to see the whole ‘BMF' championship put to rest for now.
MMA
Rose Namajunas reveals the questions she must answer before UFC comeback
Published
3 months agoon
Namajunas wants to rediscover her motivation before returning
to competition in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.
The 34-year-old admitted during a recent podcast appearance that
she has spent the past few months evaluating her future after
multiple disappointing results and the lengthy recovery from
injuries sustained in her last bout.
Rose Namajunas discusses injuries, recent losses and her UFC
future
Namajunas still intends to fight again, but she wants to make sure
she has the right reason for returning. The former strawweight
champion lost to Natalia
Silva at
UFC 324 in January and had to undergo surgery shortly after her
fight with Silva to repair damage caused by an accidental eye
poke.
“It was like a three-month process,†Namajunas said on the
“Weighing In” podcast. “After the fight, I had to get this surgery
right away. They put this weird silicone tube in my eye. It was a
really easy surgery, though. It was just kind of uncomfortable. I
couldn't blow my nose. I couldn't rub my eye because it could pop
out, so I had to be off — no contact training for three
months.â€
She also revealed that she suffered a torn ulnar collateral
ligament in her thumb during the recovery process. Namajunas was
finally cleared to resume training in April, but has yet to
schedule her next bout. The aforementioned setbacks have left her
contemplating her future.
“That's why I've been sitting out for a while because I'm trying to
rediscover, OK, what am I doing now?†Namajunas added. “The last
three opportunities that I had — the Natalia fight, the Erin
Blanchfield fight and the Manon
[Fiorot] fight — I was told that I would get a title shot with
a win. I came up short in all three of those. I'm at a point in my
life where I'm thinking about family stuff and all these things,
and next steps, future things. So, I do want to compete and I still
want to fight again, but I want to make sure that when I'm going in
there, I'm going for a purpose and a reason.â€
Namajunas is 1-2 in her last three bouts and 3-3 since moving up to
flyweight.
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MMA
Arman Tsarukyan sets one condition for fighting Alexander Volkanovski
Published
18 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
18 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
Terence Crawford Sets Sights on Ryan Garcia at 160, Overlooks Boots Ennis
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