Peña jumped at the opportunity to say Harrison is not ready for a title fight.
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“The girl wants to take time off because she even knows that she can’t make the weight and that she’s not a rightful 135’er,” Peña told MMA Today. “She’s too big. She obviously can’t already make the first fight, which is making it to the octagon. She needs time off. That, to me, is already a loss.”
Peña was also not impressed with Harrison’s performance against Vieira, where she outgrappled the Brazilian, but tasted blood for the first time in her career. “The Venezuelan Vixen” is willing to fight Harrison next, but only if Nunes opts to wait.
“Secondly, there was nothing that I saw in her fight against Ketlen Vieira that was, ‘Oh, some world beater. Oh my gosh, I’m terrified: Kayla Harrison,’” Peña said. “Give me a break. She went out there three weeks early and she still gassed out. This is a five-round fight. This is 25 minutes of fighting. She can’t make championship weight like she claimed she was going to make. ‘Oh, I’m going to make 135 on the head.’ She said, ‘That wasn’t me making 136 on that last time, that was God.’ You’re going to need double the God. You have to make 135.0 on the head.
“She can’t even do that. The first fight is already lost. The second fight, she gassed out in three rounds. Come fight me for 25 minutes and you’ll see what it’s like to actually fight in championship rounds, making championship weight and fighting for the championship belt. She can’t even make it. … Kayla Harrison, get in line. I’ve got unfinished business to attend to. Everyone wants to say I dropped the ball for not calling out Kayla Harrison. Kayla Harrison just came to the party. Amanda Nunes is the big fight, the money fight, the fight that people want to see.”
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Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
Max Holloway was a bad motherf*cker well before he was officially granted the title.
The “BMF” champion faces featherweight titleholder Ilia Topuria in the main event of UFC 308 on Oct. 26 and ahead of that matchup, the UFC has uploaded a video highlighting some of Holloway’s most memorable in-cage moments.
Watch the video below.
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Included in the highlight reel are Holloway’s fight-ending taunt to Ricardo Lamas that started it all, his one-sided beatdowns of Brian Ortega and Calvin Kattar, and his brutal last-second knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 that earned him the BMF belt.
Holloway also provides commentary for these classic scenes.
“I love Gaethje,” Holloway said. “So seeing him go down like that is kind of tough because I respect the shit out of him. Not a lot of guys would accept the call and he did, especially how in that moment he went for it, because I knew if the moment was reversed he would have gave me the moment. What an animal.”
He added that his favorite part of the Gaethje clip actually involved his upcoming opponent, Ilia Topuria, who had a front row seat to the unbelievable knockout.
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“It’s of Ilia Topuria looking lost, like he don’t know where he was,” Holloway said. “He didn’t even know if he was in a human dimension.”
We know that Tuesday, Nov. 5, is a hugely important day in America.
Obviously, it’s the NFL trade deadline, and football fans got a sneak preview of what could be ahead with a flurry of moves this week, most notably Davante Adams going to the Jets and Amari Cooper to the Bills.
Will there be even bigger names dealt this season? For teams that have disappointed so far, trading a prominent player is a chance to reload with draft picks. If you have a pending free agent you think will sign elsewhere in March, this is an opportunity to get a pick now instead of waiting for a compensatory pick to come in 2026. And if you’re a contender who’s close, this is your chance to push the chips to the middle of the table and make the most of the window ahead.
So we’re offering up 10 of the biggest names who might be traded, where they might end up and what it might cost to get them.
Crosby, 27, is an elite edge rusher, the kind that really doesn’t come available in free agency or trades. He’s made the Pro Bowl three years in a row, led the NFL in tackles for loss the past two years, and is leading in that category again this year. The Raiders trading Adams makes you wonder if they’d listen to offers for Crosby, just because they could get a huge package of picks — a first-rounder and more.
The instinct here is that cooler heads will prevail, and the Raiders will keep him as a foundational player. But if a team like Detroit really sought a substantial replacement for Aidan Hutchinson, who could be out for the season with a broken leg, Crosby would be the brass ring.
Potential match: Crosby to the Lions, for a 2025 first-round pick and a 2026 second-rounder
Would they really cut bait and move on from a No. 1 overall pick? The Panthers have been a different team since they switched to Andy Dalton, and if they’re sticking with the veteran quarterback, it’s probably better to deal Young now than in the offseason.
If you’re a team without a QB of the future, taking a shot on Young is low-risk and low-cost — basically two years and $10 million after this season. The Panthers could wait until they draft a quarterback in April, but the demand might not be as strong then. A team like the Dolphins, unsure if they can count on Tua Tagovailoa due to multiple concussions, would have an inexpensive plan B who would upgrade their backup situation if nothing else.
Potential match: Young to the Dolphins, for 2025 third- and sixth-round picks
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We’re six weeks into the 2024 season and Reddick hasn’t so much as practiced for New York since the team acquired him from the Eagles. So you don’t know what shape he’s going to be in and if he needs a few weeks to get up to speed. Plus, you’re getting a half-season, and any trade would require a long-term commitment with a new deal.
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The Jets have lost all leverage here, so they have to know they won’t get back the third-rounder they sent to the Eagles. At some point, you’re just selling low to walk away with something. Of the contenders, the 49ers have the most cap space to handle a new contract, though they’ll have their own stars to re-sign with that same cap space soon.
Potential match: Reddick to the 49ers, for a 2025 fourth-round pick
Hopkins is 32, and he’s had only modest production this year, totaling 14 catches for 175 yards and a touchdown amid Tennessee’s offensive struggles. He’s a free agent in the spring, so he probably is done with the Titans either way.
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It’s hard to see the Saints as buyers at 2-4 and with four straight losses headed into Thursday night’s game against Denver, but with Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed both sidelined by injuries, Hopkins would be a high-volume No. 1 in the short term and a veteran target for Derek Carr once he’s back healthy.
Potential match: Hopkins to the Saints, for a 2025 seventh-round pick
If the Cardinals lose to the Chargers on Monday, they’ll drop to 2-5, which makes them sellers. Baker has played his entire eight-year career in Arizona but will be a free agent in the spring, so he’s a smart addition for a team looking for a veteran leader in the secondary.
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Baker is a three-time All-Pro and a six-time Pro Bowler. At age 28, he’s still a tackling machine, with 60 in six games as well as three tackles for loss. Send him to Minnesota, and the Vikings could pair him with Harrison Smith and Cam Bynum in a big-nickel three-safety look.
Potential match: Baker to the Vikings, for a 2025 fourth-round pick
Williams is 30 and the odd man out with the Jets adding Adams to an already deep receiving corps. His $10 million salary and middling production — 10 catches for 145 yards and no touchdowns in six games — mean New York would likely need to eat some of his remaining salary to get a team to take him for the rest of this season.
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Williams could be an experienced presence for a team with a young receiver room. Here’s hoping he gets dealt to a contender, as he’s played only two playoff games in his first seven years in the league.
Potential match: Williams to the Steelers, for a 2026 late-round pick swap
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The Browns are bad enough that they should be sellers here, and they could deal from a surplus at corner. It’s doubtful they’d trade Denzel Ward or Martin Emerson, but perhaps they could dangle Newsome, a 2021 first-rounder who’s fallen into a slot role. His fifth-year option will pay him well in 2025, but for a team that will use him in an every-down role, his versatility could make him a smart upgrade.
Potential match: Newsome to the Packers, for a 2025 fourth-round pick
Johnson, 28, is the kind of high-volume receiver the Chiefs need after the injuries they’ve taken at the position. He leads the Panthers with 29 receptions for 340 yards and three touchdowns, but they could deal him and still have rookie Xavier Legette, Jonathan Mingo and veteran Adam Thielen.
Johnson will be expensive as a second-tier free agent next spring, but Kansas City needs reliable targets for Patrick Mahomes in the postseason. Whether he sticks there for the long term or not, it makes sense now.
Potential match: Johnson to the Chiefs, for a 2025 fifth-round pick
He’s only 24 and will be a coveted free agent in the spring, but the Giants already broke the bank on Brian Burns, so Ojulari is likely to sign elsewhere. He has three sacks and is on course for his best season since his rookie year, when he had eight.
The Giants are 2-4 and if they lose to the Eagles this week, they might be in full sell mode. A team like the Falcons, who are tied for the division lead but dead last in the NFL with five sacks, would make sense here. Even though they already traded for Matthew Judon, they need more pressure up front if they want to be a relevant playoff team.
Potential match: Ojulari to the Falcons, for a 2025 fifth-round pick
Herbert, 26, rushed for 611 yards last year and has a 4.8-yard career average, but he’s a forgotten man in Chicago, running for only 16 yards all season. The Raiders sure could use help at running back, and Herbert has a connection with Vegas offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, who used to be the Bears’ OC. As long as D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson stay healthy in Chicago, dealing Herbert is getting something for nothing.
Potential match: Herbert to the Raiders, for a 2025 seventh-round pick
Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He previously spent a decade covering the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.
Hughes (12-1) faces A.J. McKee (22-1) in a pivotal lightweight clash on Saturday’s PFL: Battle of the Giants main card (DAZN, ESPN+) at The Mayadeen. Part of the appeal to sign with PFL for Hughes was the $1 million tournament, but challenging Nurmagomedov would entice him more than entering the lightweight season at the moment.
“The title is more appealing to me,” Hughes told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “It’s a bigger fight. It’s a huge fight. It could be an absolutely massive fight for Bellator-PFL if they promote it right, which I’m sure they would. It’s Ireland vs. Dagestan, No. 2. It’s a Nurmagomedov vs. myself. That sells itself in my opinion. So, we’ll see. Whenever I get A.J. out of there on Saturday, I think it puts me in a spot of good leverage.”
If the stars align and they do end up fighting, Hughes hopes Nurmagomedov is frequently drug tested. He’s referring to Nurmagomedov’s failed drug test in October in which his title-defense win over Brent Primus at Bellator 300 was overturned to a no contest by the California State Athletic Commission.
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After providing “evidence that the prohibited substance was prescribed to him by a physician and maintains that the prohibited substance was prescribed for therapeutic use,” Nurmagomedov wasn’t stripped of his title but was handed a six-month suspension and a $50,000 fine. He then defend his title in September by defeating Alexandr Shabliy.
“I haven’t looked too much into it,” Hughes said on Nurmagomedov’s failed drug test. “I would like to know what he actually popped for. I think it was some sort of medication is what they say. I’m not too sure, but I’d be making sure if I’m fighting him there would be severe drug testing for sure.”
Despite his comments, Hughes sees Nurmagomedov as an elite lightweight across all promotions.
“He’s certainly up there,” Hughes said. “His last performance, albeit he was fighting a very good fighter in Shabliy, who I do rate, it wasn’t the best performance of all time. It wasn’t that exciting, so I guess that would decrease how I see him. He probably is top 10 to be completely honest.”
Ferreira (13-3) meets former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou (17-3) in Saturday’s PFL: Battle of the Giants (DAZN/ESPN+) main event at The Mayadeen.
PFL has been promoting Ngannou vs. Ferreira as a fight to determine “The Baddest Man on the Planet,” but with UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall looking unbeatable as of late and heavyweight champion Jon Jones widely considered the greatest fighter of all time, many disagree with that narrative.
Hardy believes an argument can be made for Ferreira if he’s able to look levels above Ngannou.
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“If Renan comes through his weekend looking like a world beater, I think a lot of people are going to look at him and go, ‘You know what, he’s 6-foot-8, he’s trained at ATT (American Top Team), he’s dangerous in striking, he’s got great grappling and takedown defense since he’s moved there, I can make an argument for him,’” Hardy told MMA Junkie. “Jon Jones, for me, is still not a proven heavyweight. Stipe is way past his peak. I love Stipe, but he’s way past his peak. So, I don’t think Jones benefits a great deal from beating Stipe at this point.
“The benefit from the UFC’s perspective is that the very, very casual fans still feel like Stipe is at the top of the game. … For me, the Jones-Stipe fight, it doesn’t hold a great deal of interest. Jones-Aspinall, that’s the fight I want to see, and I think that determines the best heavyweight in the UFC. I think this fight determines the best heavyweight outside of the UFC. If ever there was a day where we could see the winner of these two fights face each other, I mean that would be a real treat for the fans.”
Despite the PFL’s promotion surrounding Ngannou vs. Ferreira, Hardy has a different opinion on who’s currently the No. 1 heavyweight in MMA.
“We know that Francis is an elite-level heavyweight, and I very much feel like Renan is, even though a lot of people may not consider him to be right now,” Hardy said. “Ryan Bader is no joke, and that was what, 40 seconds?
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“And I feel like the improvements I’ve seen in Renan Ferreira’s game in the last couple of fights in particular, it gives me the confidence that he’s going to be able to hold his own against much better heavyweights. Tom Aspinall, for me, is probably the best heavyweight in the world right now, outside of the conversation with these two guys.”
Sydney Sweeney is almost unrecognizable in new photos she posted after transforming into boxer Christy Martin for a new role she’s playing in an upcoming biopic.
The Euphoria actress showed off first look photos from set as she flexed her muscles and showed off her new hair to play the legendary women’s boxer.
“Over the past few months, I’ve been immersed in training to bring to life the story of an incredible woman—a true champion who fought battles both inside and outside the ring,” Sweeney wrote on her Instagram. “Her journey is a testament to resilience, strength, and hope, and I’m honored to step into her shoes to share her powerful story with you all. More to come soon.”
Sweeney is playing the lead role as Martin, who is a former boxing champion who competed from 1989 to 2012 and she was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2020 — the first year that women were on the ballot. Martin also survived an attempted murder by her husband James Martin after he stabbed her multiple times and shot her at their home in Florida.
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James was later convicted of attempted second-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
The untitled biopic is being directed by David Michod with actor Ben Foster playing Martin’s husband James with additional cast members including Merritt Weaver, Katy O’Brien, Ethan Embry, Jess Gabor, Chad L. Coleman and Tony Cavalero.
Production on the film just got underway in North Carolina with a release date still to be determined.
While she’s best known for roles in TV series like Euphoria and The White Lotus, as well as films such as Anyone But You and Immaculate, Sweeney actually started training MMA when she was only 14 years old and even participated in grappling competitions before turning her full attention towards acting in Hollywood.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle are in talks with a potential investor that could lead to the club avoiding administration.
Discussions are expected to take place with the investor on Thursday, with the club’s board meeting on Friday.
The Scottish League 1 outfit revealed earlier this month that administration was the most likely course of action but could be averted if fundraising efforts reach £200,000.
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A crowdfunding website set up to meet that target currently sits at £85,000.
Losses ran to £1.2m last season and a similar loss is forecast for this term, but the club have warned that figure would not include money spent on restructuring following relegation from the Championship.
Duncan Ferguson’s side are second bottom of their division and host Annan Athletic on Saturday.
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