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Passionate time

LAS VEGAS – Islam Dulatov had an easy career posing for high fashion magazines, but the modeling life didn’t bring him the same joy as fighting inside a cage.

Dulatov (11-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is one of the latest UFC newcomers after impressing UFC CEO Dana White and the matchmakers with a spectacular first-round finish at Dana White’s Contender Series 75. Now, the former model is a UFC fighter.

From modeling for Versace, Hugo Boss, and many others, Dulatov has now fully traded in his fancy clothes for a Venum fight kit, and it’s precisely where he wants to be.

“(I worked for) every brand which is like a big name,” Dulatov said at a post-fight news conference when asked about his modeling career. “I did a lot of fashion weeks and all that stuff, but to be honest, I prefer fighting more than modeling.”

Even as an up-and-comer on the regional scene, Dulatov passed up bigger paychecks to be in front of the camera to fight, which he admits was not the best financial decision at the time.

“I canceled a lot of shootings when I was younger,” Dulatov said. “We had some problems with money and everything. This time, modeling was really helping me with my situation. I remember when I canceled a shooting for $5,000. At this time, that was a lot of money for me.

“The fight, which was the same day, was for like 200 euros or something like that. … At the end of the moment, the fight was canceled too because my opponent had an injury. I had these situations like 10 times, with even more money and everything. But to be honest, I love to be a fighter and that’s what I do.”

Being a fighter and a model comes with the obvious risk of messing up the money-maker. Dulatov, 26, is a fast finisher who has ended 10 of his 11 pro fights in the first round. He only recalled one particular instance where he showed up to a shoot after a fight with a bruised eye.

“I had a shooting for GQ, and when I go to the shoot casting, they go, ‘What is this? Blue eye?’” Dulatov said. “I go, ‘Yeah.’ They say, ‘Oh, it’s cool. It’s more authentic. It shows what you really are.’ Because in the model business, the people already all know me, they know that I do fighting.

“My agency, at the beginning, they was hating it, but with time they saw, ‘OK, this guy will never stop fighting, so we have to accept it.’”

The Chechnya-born fighter has put modeling on the back burner for now. He will still perform in front of the camera, but as a new UFC welterweight with vicious finishing skills.

Cain Velasquez would have liked his chances vs. both Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall.

Velasquez was widely regarded as the best heavyweight when he won the UFC title twice and tore through the majority of the top contenders. However, injuries helped put a close to Velasquez’s MMA career, and many wondered what might have been if he was able to remain healthy. He retired in late 2019.

Velasquez (14-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) was asked how a prime version of himself would have matched up against heavyweight champion Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC), and Velasquez admits even the best version of him wouldn’t have ran through someone like “Bones.”

“Jon Jones, prime Cain – OK, that would be a tough fight, man. Always, that would’ve been tough,” Velasquez said on the “Basement Talk” podcast. “You know, with that dude, he is (the boogeyman). But I think that would’ve been the best matchup because I think I would’ve had something for him. I could go there where he would’ve wanted to go.”

Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) is the interim heavyweight champion, and his lone octagon loss came in a 15-second TKO loss due to injury against Curtis Blaydes. He was able to avenge that loss in his most recent outing when he stopped Blaydes by first-round TKO to retain his interim title at UFC 304 in July.

Although Aspinall’s grappling is highly touted, Velasquez is confident he would have been able to get him to the ground.

“Aspinall, as well, especially with the wrestling, I just know when I get onto somebody’s legs I’m taking him down,” Velasquez said. “(He’s) very dangerous with his hands, has a lot of power. Wat he does, he kind of lunges forward and punches – takes a big step and lunges forward, closes that distance really well. But when somebody is wrestling, you’re going to be coming into my takedowns.”

Jones defends his title vs. former champion Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) in the UFC 309 main event Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Give credit where credit is due. Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya paid his respect to both Alex Pereira and Khalil Rountree following their recent clash.

This past Saturday, Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) and Rountree (13-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) gave fans one of the best championship fights of the year, going toe to toe for almost 20 minutes in the main event of UFC 307 in Salt Lake City.

Although the result was maybe expected, many were taken away by Rountree’s toughness and competitiveness, while also admiring Pereira’s comeback ability and skill. Adesanya was one of them.

“He lasted longer than I thought he would,” Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. “At least someone else took him to the fourth round. It shows how good Khalil is. Again he’s (Pereira) got some hard fights in front of him, but he is that guy right now, he’s on.

“Honestly, I called it, but I thought it was going to be earlier. Shout out to Khalil because fighting with a broken nose and the intelligence not to blow his nose in the fight, respect. His stock goes up after this. What a moment.”

With the victory, Pereira is now on a five-fight winning streak since moving up to 205 pounds and has three title defenses. He won the light heavyweight title by stopping former champ Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 last November, and went on to pick up his first title defense in April at UFC 300 by finishing Jamahal Hill. “Poatan” then returned on short notice at UFC 303 in June, where he defeated Prochazka in a rematch.

On the other hand, Rountree saw his five-fight winning streak come to an end. This was his first UFC title opportunity in the eight years he’s been in the promotion.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

“It’s difficult in international games – you don’t have a lot of time to implement your style of play, and I know exactly the way he wants to play. We’ve seen some clips of the way he wants to play and tomorrow it’s about us, how we can cancel that out.

“I know he wants to play good football as we did at Burnley, especially that first season. But it’s always difficult when you only have four or five training sessions, so it’s definitely going to take time for him to implement his style on the team.”

The start of Bellamy’s tenure has rejuvenated Wales, with a bold new style of play apparent during last month’s opening goalless draw with Turkey, followed by a 2-1 win in Montenegro.

Wales are clearly more aggressive off the ball than they were under Bellamy’s predecessor Rob Page, while they are also more creative and dynamic in possession.

“We have had discussions about it but he’s only two games in and the way he wants to play perfect football is not there,” Gudmundsson added.

“So we have to be wary at what comes to us. The pitch could be trouble as well, as it was in Montenegro. The way he wants to play was not possible there. Against Turkey, you saw more of the way he wants to play.

“It will be interesting. We have looked at the way they want to play and we’ll definitely do everything to cancel that out and implement our style on the game as we are playing at home.”

Iceland started their Nations League campaign with a 2-0 win at home to Montenegro before losing 3-1 in Turkey.

Fiorentina forward Albert Gudmundsson was acquitted of sexual assault charges in Reykjavik on Thursday and is now eligible to play for the national team.

He has not played for Iceland since scoring in their Euro 2024 play-off final defeat by Ukraine in March.

Iceland boss Age Hareide said he did not know if it was possible for the 27-year-old to line up against Wales, with Turkey’s visit to Reykjavik on Monday a more realistic date for his potential return.

“We have to call Fiorentina and ask for that,” said Hareide. “We are late anyway, so it could be impossible. We don’t know. We will have to wait and see.”

Carlos Prates has gone from a Dana White’s Contender Series signee to a UFC main eventer after just three fights.

At UFC Fight Night 247 on Nov. 9 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Prates (20-6 MMA, 3-0 UFC) will get his first headlining opportunity. The hard-hitting Brazilian welterweight will share the main stage with a mainstay in the rankings, Neil Magny. Two sources confirmed the news with MMA Junkie following a first report from MMA Fighting.

Prates, 31, was signed to the UFC after impressing on DWCS last August with a second-round knockout of Mitch Ramirez. He made his UFC debut in February, and picked up another second-round finish, earning his first Performance of the Night bonus for stopping Trevin Giles.

Four months later, Prates stopped Charles Radtke in the opening round to earn his second POTN award. The bonus machine Prates took another fight two months later, where he earned his third $50,000 check in his first UFC main card slot for stopping Li Jingliang at UFC 305 – a victory that extended his current winning streak to 10.

Prates previously agreed to face Randy Brown at UFC 309, but the fight fell through.

Looking to hault his momentum will be UFC welterweight wins leader Magny (29-12 MMA, 22-11 UFC). “The Haitian Sensation” has traded wins and losses over his last eight appearances as he has struggled to build momentum of his own.

In his most recent outing, Michael Morales stopped the 37-year-old welterweight in the first round at UFC on ESPN 62. Prior to the setback, Magny came through as a sizable underdog against Mike Malott at UFC 297, finishing the fight in a wild third round comeback.

With the addition, the current UFC Fight Night 247 lineup includes:

• Neil Magny vs. Carlos Prates
• Cody Garbrandt vs. Miles Johns
• Luana Pinheiro vs. Gillian Robertson
• Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Dusko Todorovic
• Melissa Mullins vs. Montserrat Rendon
• Tresean Gore vs. Antonio Trocoli
• Bernardo Sopaj vs. Ricky Turcios
• Denise Gomes vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
• Reinier de Ridder vs. Gerald Meerschaert
• Nicolas Dalby vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
• Da’Mon Blackshear vs. Cody Stamann
• Gaston Bolanos vs. Cortavious Romious