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Usman Nurmagomedov planning move to UFC in a couple of years: ‘I’m waiting for Islam to finish his career’

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Usman Nurmagomedov planning move to UFC in a couple of years: ‘I’m waiting for Islam to finish his career’

Usman Nurmagomedov is a man with a plan.

Younger brother of UFC bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov and cousin to lightweight GOAT Khabib Nurmagomedov, the undefeated Usman is currently the Bellator 155-pound champion. Recently, Usman Nurmagomedov successfully defended his title against Alexander Shabliy at in September, cementing himself as one of the best lightweights on Earth. But his ambition doesn’t stop there.

Speaking recently about his future plans, Nurmagomedov revealed he hopes to follow in his cousin’s footsteps by making the move to the octagon once training partner and UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev is done.

“I’m waiting for Islam to finish his career and then I will [go after the UFC title],” Nurmagomedov said on Gorilla Fighting’s YouTube. “I think if we get it right, we’ll be fighting in the UFC at 28. I’m 26 years old right now. Two years, I’ll get stronger and that’s it. Go into the UFC at 28 and compete until I’m 32.”

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Undefeated for nearly a decade, Makhachev is currently the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in MMA, with three successful lightweight title defenses to his name. Before winning the belt, Makhachev found himself in a similar situation to Usman, serving as “the next man up” to Khabib Nurmagomedov. That played out exactly to the plan of the legendary coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, who developed all of these fighters, and according to Khabib, that plan also extended to Usman.

“This is what Abdulmanap envisioned,” Khabib said. “He strongly believed in Usman and always said that he would be the future champion. I didn’t see the potential when he was 16 years old. I saw the prospects and I believed, and from the very beginning, my father believed in it all, believed in Usman’s future.”

Of course, Nurmagomedov’s intention to go to the UFC is not exactly great news for the Bellator or its owner, the PFL. However, speaking with MMA Fighting on Wednesday, PFL co-founder Donn Davis dismissed this as a concern for the promotion.

“How many of you have said you’re going to move to Florida and retire in four years, and how many of you do it?” Davis said. “One in 10? One in five? … People say things all the time, and then they don’t do it.

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“So might he go? Might not he go? Might he go in two years? Might he go in five years? Might he be the champion? Might not he be the champion? My goal is to make my man Usman happy. My goal is to make my man Usman successful, financially rich, and a champion, so that in two years he forgets he said this today.”

Whatever happens in two years, for the time being, Nurmagomedov remains signed with Bellator, where his next fight is likely a title defense against Paul Hughes, following the Irishman’s win over A.J. McKee at PFL Battle of the Giants this past Saturday.

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MMA

UFC 308 Timeline: Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway

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October 24, 2024

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UFC 308 Timeline: Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway

Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway meet in the featherweight championship main event this Saturday at UFC 308, a fight the MMA community has been waiting for since it was announced.

Watch MMA Fighting’s UFC 308 Timeline video for an in-depth look at how both headliners got to this weekend’s pay-per-view at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

The undefeated Topuria captured the UFC featherweight title with a Knockout of the Year contending finish of Alexander Volkanovski in the main event of UFC 298 in February. Prior to that, Topuria competed in his first promotional headliner at UFC Jacksonville, earning a lopsided unanimous decision victory against Josh Emmett in June 2023.

Holloway looks to once again call himself 145-pound champ. Since losing to Volkanovski for the third time at UFC 276 in July 2022, “Blessed” has been on a roll, winning all of his fights, including a knockout for the ages of Justin Gaethje at April’s UFC 300 event to win the BMF title.

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Will Topuria’s streak of dominance continue, or will the Blessed Express begin another championship journey?

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MMA

Power Slap 9 photo gallery

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29 mins ago

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October 24, 2024

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Power Slap 9 photo gallery


Check out these photos from Paige VanZant’s second slap fighting match at Power Slap 9 in Abu Dhabi. VanZant and Chelsea Dodson slapped each other to a unanimous draw. (Photos courtesy of Power Slap)

 

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MMA

Paige VanZant penalized for illegal strike, second Power Slap match ends in a draw

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50 mins ago

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October 24, 2024

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Paige VanZant penalized for illegal strike, second Power Slap match ends in a draw

Paige VanZant didn’t get the result she wanted in her second appearance in Power Slap after the UFC and BKFC veteran was penalized for an illegal blow in the second round in her match against Chelsea Dodson.

The 30-year-old combat sports star, who made her slap fighting debut back in June with a unanimous decision win, ended up going to a draw with Dodson — wife to former UFC title contender John Dodson — after she was deducted a point for “clubbing,” which is defined as “any strike other than a permitted slap to the permitted target area.”

In this case, VanZant delivered a shot where more of her arm connected with Dodson’s face than her hand, which resulted in a penalty being assessed.

The one-point deduction put VanZant in a tough position to either deliver a knockdown or a knockout in order to win the bout in the third round. Neither of those things happened, although VanZant did win both the first and third rounds on the scorecards.

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Unfortunately the point deduction in the second round cost VanZant the match after both she and Dodson stayed standing following each blow delivered during the match. The final tally was 28-28 across all three scorecards with the bout declared a draw.

VanZant didn’t speak directly after the match, although she said after her Power Slap debut in June that she definitely planned on competing there again in the future.

“Kind of going into it was like, ‘I only have to do this one time, a bucket list thing, I want to go do Power Slap, prove that I can,’” VanZant told MMA Fighting in July after her debut. “But then afterward it was like, ‘Shoot, that was really fun.’”

It remains to be seen if Thursday’s match could lead to another VanZant appearance in Power Slap.

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NFL Week 8 Super Six: Can Seattle Seahawks pull off the UPSET against Buffalo Bills?

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1 hour ago

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October 24, 2024

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NFL Week 8 Super Six: Can Seattle Seahawks pull off the UPSET against Buffalo Bills?




Join Chris “Bear” Fallica, former NFL Offensive Lineman Geoff Schwartz, and the Gambling Group Chat as they break down NFL Week 8’s Super Six powered by DraftKings Sportsbook. Can the Seattle Seahawks cover the 3-point spread at home against the Buffalo Bills?



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MMA

Paige VanZant slaps her way to draw in second Power Slap match

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October 24, 2024

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Paige VanZant slaps her way to draw in second Power Slap match


Former UFC star Paige VanZant’s second appearance in Power Slap wasn’t a success the way her debut was.

On Thursday in Abu Dhabi, VanZant slapped her way to a unanimous draw against Chelsea Dodson, with all three judges scoring the fight 28-28 after three slaps each. VanZant won the first and third rounds but was docked a point for a clubbing foul in Round 2.

You can watch video highlights in the clips below:

VanZant’s draw against Dodson, the wife of former UFC title challenger John Dodson, comes on the heels of her winning a decision in her Power Slap debut this past June.

Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.

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New York State Athletic Commission to officially adopt new MMA rules ahead of UFC 309

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2 hours ago

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October 24, 2024

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New York State Athletic Commission to officially adopt new MMA rules ahead of UFC 309

Jon Jones can officially use the move that cost him the only loss of his career when he returns to action against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in New York on Nov. 16.

On Thursday, the New York State Athletic Commission confirmed to MMA Fighting that rules changes for MMA approved by the Association of Boxing Commission (ABC) have been adopted and go into effect starting on Nov. 1. The measure was actually approved in September with the commission deciding to adopt the new rules set forth by the ABC.

“The New York State Athletic Commission will adhere to the Unified Rules for MMA at UFC 309 on November 16, as explained in the attached bulletin issued by the Commission on Sept. 5, 2024,” commission officials said in a statement.

While Unified MMA Rules are defined by the ABC, each athletic commission still has to approve the changes before it officially goes into effect.

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The two specific rules changed involve eliminating the 12-to-6 elbow as a foul in MMA and a new definition for a grounded fighter.

The 12-to-6 elbow defined as a straight up and straight down strike that was previously deemed illegal is the move that Jones used during a lopsided fight against Matt Hamill back in 2009. Jones was seemingly on his way to a victory when he unleased the downward elbows that were called a foul but when Hamill couldn’t continue, the fight was stopped and the future UFC heavyweight champion was disqualified for the illegal strikes.

That disqualification stands as the only blemish on Jones’ otherwise perfect record.

As for the second rule change, that involves the definition of a grounded fighter and when strikes can be thrown to the head. Here’s the new rule that goes into effect on Nov. 1:

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“A fighter shall be considered grounded and may not be legally kneed or kicked to the head when any part of their body other than their hands or feet is in contact with the canvas (ground).”

In other words for a fighter to be considered “grounded,” he or she must have another body part like an elbow or knee down on the ground in addition to hands and feet or they are susceptible to knees or kicks from an opponent.

The definition of a grounded opponent has evolved over the years but some athletic commissions have not adopted updated rules changes so it resulted in a lot of confusion among athletes depending on where the fights took place.

When it comes to UFC 309 in New York, fighters will operate under the new rules when it comes to a grounded opponent as well as the use of 12-to-6 elbows.

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UFC 309 pits Jones against Miocic in the main event while Michael Chandler makes his long awaited return to action against Charles Oliveira in the co-main event.

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