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Usman Nurmagomedov welcomes ‘little short’ guy Archie Colgan to try and wrestle him: ‘He’s not going to win’

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Usman Nurmagomedov welcomes ‘little short’ guy Archie Colgan to try and wrestle him: ‘He’s not going to win’

Usman Nurmagomedov has been one of the most dominant fighters in the PFL but much like his coach and cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov, there's always going to be certain stylistic matchups that makes it look like he's vulnerable.

Throughout Khabib's illustrious career, the question always came up ‘what happens if he faces a dominant wrestler?' The former UFC lightweight champion answered by putting together a perfect 29-0 record before retiring from the sport to focus on coaching.

Now it's Usman's turn to provide his own answers as he takes on former college wrestler turned top lightweight contender Archie Colgan in his latest title defense. But don't expect the reigning PFL lightweight king to show any fear going up against another wrestler in his latest title defense.

“He's a little short, uncomfortable fighter,†Nurmagomedov said about Colgan when speaking to MMA Fighting. “He's wrestling very well but I'm from Dagestsan. I can wrestle, I can grapple, I can do Muay Thai. I can do anything. Whatever he will compete with me, I am going to be better at. All respect for Archie and his team. He's not going to win.

“I don't think he's going to take me down. This is very hard to take me down, to be honest. I know how I have to fight with little short guys. I always love to fight with the little short guys. I have a longer reach. I can control everything.â€

While the wrestling question is going to come up often leading into this main event clash, Nurmagomedov is quick to point out that he's not wrestling Colgan — they are fighting. Nurmagomedov is confident he can match Colgan anywhere on the feet or on the ground and if they want to settle the wrestling debate there's another way that can happen.

“I think I'm going to grapple with him, too,†Nurmagomedov said. “I think I can take him down. My wrestling is not bad. We can do it like this. I'm going to beat him or knock him down, I know I'm going to beat this guy. For the people if they want to see who is better in the wrestling, we can do it in RAF.â€

If anything, Nurmagomedov really hopes that Colgan can bring out the best in him because that's what he always wants when he's going out to defend his title.

“I think I have a big potential inside of me,†Nurmagomedov said. “I have very big ambitions. I just need somebody with who I can show this for the people.â€

As far as the future goes, Nurmagomedov is undoubtedly going to be bombarded with questions about what comes next as he competes on Friday's PFL card on the final fight of his contract.

There's been heavy speculation that Nurmagomedov plans to leave PFL and sign with the UFC, especially now that his teammate and friend Islam Makhachev left the lightweight division to compete at welterweight instead.

Nurmagomedov hasn't made any decisions yet and he's doing his absolute best to shut out all the noise until after his fight.

He knows getting distracted is the perfect recipe for disaster if he's not putting his full focus on Colgan and the fight directly ahead of him.

“Archie, he's undefeated,†Nurmagomedov said. “You can't stay like this for a long time [being undefeated] if you're not in the top five. That's why he's the No. 1 contender and of course, he wants to take everything what I have.

“I don't want to look ahead and thinking about the future for my career. I have a fight. I have a name. We're going to fight. I have a fight and we have to do this.â€

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Bare Knuckle FC teases Michael 'Venom' Page reunion after potential UFC split

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Bare Knuckle FC teases Michael 'Venom' Page reunion after potential UFC split

Bare Knuckle FC president David Feldman says they're actively monitoring Michael ‘Venom' Page's UFC status after his contract expired.

UFC welterweight Michael ‘Venom' Page's standing with the promotion remains unknown after his fourth straight win against Nursulton Ruziboev at UFC Paris last weekend. Page, a former Bellator title challenger, was removed from the UFC's media rankings after his latest win, signaling a potential departure from the promotion.

Page's contract expired once he departed the Octagon on Saturday night, and it's uncertain whether or not the UFC will opt to sign him to a new contract. While earning recent victories in the cage, the lackluster, sluggish nature of his wins has turned off many fight fans.

Before Page signed with the UFC in 2023, he fought once in Bare Knuckle FC against Mike Perry in what turned out to be an instant classic fight. If Page isn't brought back to the UFC, his former promotion is interested in a reunion.

David Feldman confirms BKFC ‘interested' in re-signing Michael ‘Venom' Page

In a recent interview with Bloody Elbow, BKFC president David Feldman reacted to Page's reported removal from the UFC roster.

“I don't know if his contract is actually terminated,†Feldman said of Page.

“That's a pretty fast time to get his contract terminated, so I don't wanna make any moves on him yet, and say that's what we want. We would definitely welcome ‘MVP'. When he fought for us with Mike Perry, it was a pretty exciting match, and a lot of people actually thought he won that fight.

“You can't really be boring in BKFC, so it's hard for him to fight that type of fight in BKFC,†Feldman continued on Page. “We would be interested? Yes. I think BKFC will force excitement out of ‘MVP', and I think that the fans would love that.â€

What should be Michael ‘Venom' Page's next move? Share your thoughts in the comments!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


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GRAPHIC | Dillon Danis shares nasty aftermath of injury that forced Mike Perry fight withdrawal

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GRAPHIC | Dillon Danis shares nasty aftermath of injury that forced Mike Perry fight withdrawal

Polarizing combat sports star Dillon Danis' arm injury which forced him out of his scheduled Mike Perry clash was gruesome.

Dillon Danis and Bare Knuckle FC superstar Mike Perry were supposed to clash in the inaugural Duel Arena MMA main event last month in Florida. But just hours before the event, Danis withdrew from the fight due to an arm injury suffered during his final preparations.

Despite his brash nature, Danis seemed genuinely heartbroken at having to pull out of his clash with Perry in his MMA return. Perry went on to lose to short-notice replacement Brandon Jenkins in the Duel Arena 1 main event due to injury.

Danis shared initial footage of his injury showing a graphic laceration on his arm during Duel Arena 1 fight week. As Danis prepares for his potential combat sports return, he shared additional footage that showed the severity of the ailment.

Dillon Danis shares graphic footage of arm injury suffered ahead of Mike Perry fight

In a recent tweet, Danis shared the aftermath of his gruesome arm injury. You can watch the video he posted here.

Danis hasn't fought in Mixed Martial arts since submitting Warren Spencer in 15 seconds at Misfits 22 last year. He won the inaugural Misfits MMA light heavyweight championship after six years away from the cage.

In addition to his MMA aspirations, Danis remains a top name on the Real American Freestyle mats and will face off with Arman Tsarukyan next month. Danis lost back-to-back wrestling matches against Colby Covington and Khamzat Chimaev earlier this year.

As of this writing, it's uncertain how long Danis will need to recover from his arm injury, but he's expected to miss the rest of 2026. When he's ready to return to action, expect Danis to be a name to watch in 2027.

Would you want to see a Dillon Danis vs. Mike Perry MMA rebooking? Share your thoughts in the comments!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


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Salahdine Parnasse uncertain Max Holloway will accept fight after his UFC Paris win: 'I’m ready for anyone'

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Salahdine Parnasse uncertain Max Holloway will accept fight after his UFC Paris win: 'I’m ready for anyone'

Salahdine Parnasse isn't sure Max Holloway will accept his callout.

Parnasse is coming off his UFC debut, as he headlined UFC Paris on Saturday and scored a first-round TKO win over Dan Hooker. It was a great performance, and after the win, he called out Holloway but isn't sure if he will accept it, as he knows he poses a lot of problems for the Hawaiian.

“I really, really think I'm ready. I've been training for a long time, since I was 11 years old, for this. I'm very ready for that. In KSW, I had three fights before fighting for the belt, against very big names in KSW. I had great fights. In the UFC, I don't know what's going to happen, but I called out Max Holloway. I really hope he's going to accept,†Parnasse said to Ariel Helwani.

Parnasse vs. Holloway does make a lot of sense, as the winner could get a title shot. Yet, whether or not the Hawaiian would take on Parnasse, who isn't as well-known as other contenders.

Salahdine Parnasse open to fighting whoever after UFC Paris

Although Parnasse called out Holloway after his win, he said he's open to anything.

Parnasse knows some top contenders may not want to fight him, so he's willing to face whoever to prove how good he is.

“Look at my face. It's clean. Tomorrow, I'm ready,†Parnasse added. “Max Holloway would be the perfect fight. He likes challenges, and I think we could have a very good war together. I have a lot of respect for Max, and I don't like trash talk — that's not my personality. I'm ready for anyone in the top five.â€

Parnasse is 24-2 as a pro and coming off the win over Hooker. He's the former KSW featherweight and lightweight champion.

Would you like to see Salahdine Parnasse vs. Max Holloway after UFC Paris?

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


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