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UFC 330 has a backup plan, and it’s a 19-0 welterweight

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UFC 330 has a backup plan, and it’s a 19-0 welterweight
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship has a contingency plan in place
for the UFC
330 main event.

Undefeated welterweight contender Michael
Morales has been tabbed as the official backup for the
championship bout between Islam
Makhachev and Ian Garry,
which headlines UFC 330 on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in
Philadelphia.

Michael Morales becomes UFC 330 backup for Islam Makhachev vs.
Ian Garry title fight

Morales (19-0) has confirmed that he has been instructed to make
championship weight (170 pounds) and remain on standby should
either Makhachev (28-1) or Garry (17-1) be forced to withdraw due
to injury, illness or any other unforeseen circumstance.

The assignment marks another significant milestone for the
Ecuadorian prospect, who has rapidly emerged as one of the
division’s top contenders. Morales has remained unbeaten through
seven Octagon appearances and secured the biggest victory of his
career with a first-round knockout of Sean Brady
in November last year.

The
Dana White's Contender Series alum has also built significant
momentum, in terms of both results and popularity, winning three
consecutive Performance of the Night bonuses in his last three
outings.

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MMA

Joshua Van reflects on knockout loss that changed his life

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Joshua Van reflects on knockout loss that changed his life
Joshua
Van hasn’t forgotten the night Charles
Johnson handed him the first loss of his
Ultimate Fighting Championship career.

Over two years after being stopped by Johnson, Van has gone from
prospect to UFC flyweight champion. The 24-year-old will return to
the Octagon on Sept. 19, when he rematches former champion Alexandre
Pantoja in the UFC
331 main event at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Joshua Van details how KO loss to Charles Johnson ‘humbled'
him

Van was stopped by Johnson via a third-round knockout in July 2024,
a setback that remains the second and most recent loss of his
professional career. He has since won seven straight fights and
captured the flyweight championship from Pantoja before defending
it against Tatsuro
Taira.

Speaking to Paramount+, Van explained how the defeat changed his
approach to training and discipline.

“Oh, for sure. I want to stay active,†Van said. “Like I say, that
loss kind of humbled me in a way. So, I never want to taste defeat
again. So, my work ethic that I put in the gym is just different
from that day on.â€

Van said that he doesn’t believe he needed to completely overhaul
his fighting style after the loss. Instead, he said the focus was
on remaining himself and avoiding the mistakes that preceded the
Johnson bout.

“Going into that camp, there’s a lot of things that I did that I
shouldn’t have done,†Van added. “Stuff like that, but there’s no
excuse… He beat me fair and square. And it humbled me to become a
better fighter.â€

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MMA

UFC 332 adds four bouts as Salt Lake City card takes shape

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UFC 332 adds four bouts as Salt Lake City card takes shape
The lineup for the
Ultimate Fighting Championship's next trip to Utah is taking
shape.

Four bouts have been added to UFC 332,
scheduled for Oct. 3 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Notably, no
championship bouts have been announced for the card as yet, despite
the title fights for
UFC 333 already locked in and made public.

Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Payton Talbott and Johnny Walker vs.
Mick Parkin join UFC 332

Payton
Talbott (11-1) will look to build on the biggest win of his
career after defeating former two-division champion Henry
Cejudo by unanimous decision in December last year. The
27-year-old will take on another former UFC champ, Deiveson
Figueiredo (25-7-1), in his next bout. Talbott has won his last
two fights since suffering the lone defeat of his career to
Raoni
Barcelos.

Meanwhile, Figueiredo will attempt to halt a two-fight skid. The
former 125-pound champion has dropped four of his past five bouts,
with his lone victory in that stretch coming via split decision
against Montel
Jackson.

Also joining the UFC 332 card is a heavyweight clash between
Johnny
Walker (22-10) and Mick Parkin
(10-1). Both fighters enter the matchup coming off losses. Walker
is committing to a move up to heavyweight after a turbulent run at
205 pounds.

An explosive clash of strikers has also been confirmed for the
card, with Ateba
Abega Gautier (11-1) set to square off against Roman
Kopylov (15-5). Furthermore, Damian
Pinas, who competed at
UFC 329, takes on Andrey
Pulyaev.

Other previously confirmed matchups for the card include the return
of former title challenger Marvin
Vettori and Court
McGee's retirement bout.

The latest UFC 332 lineup, as of Aug. 18, is as follows:

Deiveson
Figueiredo vs. Payton
Talbott
Mick
Parkin vs. Johnny
Walker
Ateba
Abega Gautier vs. Roman
Kopylov
Damian
Pinas vs. Andrey
Pulyaev
Ismail
Naurdiev vs. Marvin
Vettori
Alden
Coria vs. Imanol
Rodriguez
Court
McGee vs. Eric
Nolan

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MMA

Dana White addresses Khamzat Chimaev’s potential UFC 333 return

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Dana White addresses Khamzat Chimaev’s potential UFC 333 return
Khamzat
Chimaev could finally return to action in Abu Dhabi.

Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana
White indicated that the middleweight is being considered, like
many fighters, for
UFC 333, although no bout has been finalized.

Khamzat Chimaev pushes for UFC return as Dana White weighs UFC
333 in Abu Dhabi

Chimaev recently took to social media, seemingly eager to return to
the Octagon.

“What are we waiting for? I want to fight,†he wrote on X while
tagging the UFC boss.

White addressed Chimaev’s future following
Week 2 of
Dana White's Contender Series 2026 after being asked about the
X post from the former champion calling for a return to action.

“I didn’t see it,†White said. “Yeah, I mean, he’s always in
conversation to fight. The whole roster is. I mean, everybody, in a
perfect world, everybody fights three times a year.â€

Chimaev lost the middleweight title to Sean
Strickland earlier this year, suffering the first loss of his
professional career. While he initially hinted at a move up to
light heavyweight after the defeat, “Borz†has been calling for a
rematch with Strickland for the past few months.

Furthermore, UFC 333, scheduled for Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena on Yas
Island, already has two title bouts and a stacked main card.
Alexander
Volkanovski is set to defend his featherweight title against
Movsar
Evloev and Petr Yan will
run it back with Merab
Dvalishvili in a trilogy clash for the bantamweight strap on
the card, leaving little room for another championship bout.


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