UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad never backs down from a challenge but he’s not going to seriously entertain a potential fight against somebody competing two weight classes below him.
Just recently, Muhammad got drawn into a war of words with Ilia Topuria after he warned the UFC featherweight champion to watch what he says when addressing Islam Makhachev after declaring plans to eventually challenge for the 155-pound title. The comment led to a back-and-forth exchange over social media with Topuria taking one additional step when he said he wants to eventually become the UFC’s first ever three-division champion, which would then require him to go for Muhammad’s belt.
While Muhammad admits he had some fun trading verbal jabs with Topuria, he’s not even remotely concerned that this challenge actually deserves his attention.
“I think that dude’s got Napoleon syndrome or something,” Muhammad told MMA Fighting. “Short guys always act like they’re tough. Literally I think he started coming at me because somebody asked me about why is he coming at Islam [Makhachev]. I said bro, he needs to focus on [Max] Holloway, who’s in front of him and you don’t want to disrespect the guys from Dagestan because they see you in person, they’re going to slap you. They don’t take that stuff. They don’t play the trash talk game. It’s real life to them.
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“I think he took offense to it. He’s at that mode where I think he’s trying to find himself and he’s trying to show fans that he’s trash talker and he’s this bad guy. He’s not really good at trash talking. When he comes at me, it’s laughable because he’s basically copying words off memes.”
As far as his aspirations about winning titles across multiple divisions, Topuria first has to get through his upcoming fight against Max Holloway at UFC 308 as he defends his featherweight belt for the first time.
Regardless if he wins, Muhammad says it’s still a far cry from actually jumping up one division and challenging a dominant champion like Islam Makhachev before packing on at least 25 pounds to attempt the move to welterweight.
In other words, Muhammad isn’t taking that challenge seriously.
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“At the end of the day, we’re not going to fight in the cage so why are you even giving me those words, you’re trying to talk tough because you know nothing’s really going to come of it,” Muhammad said. “He can say ‘I want to go up to 170 and be a triple champ after this’ but you know you’re not.
“I don’t even think he’s going to get past Holloway. I think he’s going to lose this fight and then we don’t even have to hear his freaking mouse voice.”
When it comes to Topuria’s fight on Saturday, Muhammad absolutely plans on rooting for Holloway to win but that’s not even a situation where he’s just hoping to see the featherweight title change hands.
Muhammad absolutely expects it to happen.
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“I’m rooting for Max but I think skill wise, Max will beat him,” Muhammad said. “I think [Topuria] goes out there and pushes these guys forward and a lot of the guys he fought were shorter. Max is a taller boxer. He hasn’t fought somebody like him. We know how good Max’s chin is. I think that he’s going to realize when it gets to the third, fourth and fifth round that Max is still there, still in front of him.
“We saw him get a little bit tired in the [Josh] Emmett fight. I think it’s going to get worse in this fight because Max is high volume. He showed last fight, he’s working on his power. I think Max will put his lights out.”
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.
Luton Town have condemned “abhorrent and unacceptable” racist abuse sent to forward Elijah Adebayo.
The Championship club said the 26-year-old was sent a racially abusive message on Instagram during their 2-1 defeat by Sunderland on Wednesday.
That message has been reported to the police and Instagram owner Meta for further investigation, Luton added.
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It is not the first time Luton have called out racist remarks sent to Adebayo on social media, with the striker saying last October he was “tired” of the abuse aimed at him.
“We’re angry, upset and frustrated to report that racist abuse has been directed towards Elijah Adebayo,” the club said on their website,, external in a statement titled ‘Is It Ever Going to Stop?’.
“Just like we said a year ago, and just like we will do WHENEVER a player or staff member is subjected to abuse, we will stand by and support Elijah unequivocally.
Petrosyan (9-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) takes on Magomedov (14-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 308 main card opener at Etihad Arena (pay-per-view, ESPN+).
Petrosyan will look to capitalize on the hype that undefeated Magomedov brings and the coveted spot they’re on to open up the pay-per-view.
“Shara is very popular. He’s got a lot of hype behind him, and I think really for both of us, this is a great thing that there’s going to be so many people watching this specific fight,” Petrosyan told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at Wednesday’s UFC 308 media day.
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Petrosyan recalls competing in the same kickboxing tournament as Magomedov. They even shared the mats before, and the 33-year-old has nothing but respect for his opponent.
“We know each other. At one point we even trained together way back when,” Petrosyan said. “The tournament you’re talking about, we fought together on the same tournament. It’s not like we fought each other. Yeah, we know each other.
“I wouldn’t say we’re best of friends, but we’re really good acquaintances. We know all of his weak parts, we know all of his good sides, so you’ll see it. For every opponent, we make sure to study him really well, so I think you’ll see everything in the fight. … It’s going to be very fiery, very exciting.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.
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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.
UFC 308 is finally here, and with that comes the highly anticipated main event for the UFC featherweight title between Ilia Topuria and Max Hoilloway. Can Topuria, once again, back up his unbelievable confidence, or will Holloway regain the 145-pound title?
On an all-new edition of Between the Links, special guest Action Bronson joins the panel to discuss Topuria vs. Holloway, what the fight means for both men, and how it could all play out. Additionally, topics include the fascinating co-main event betweem former middleweight champ Robert Whittaker and the returning Khamzat Chimaev, what this fight means for both competitors, the rest of the slate, a look back at PFL Battle of the Giants and Francis Ngannou’s knockout win, takeaways from UFC Vegas 99, and much more.
Host Mike Heck moderates the matchup between Bronson and #MMA Fighting’s Jed Meshew.
Watch the show live at 12:30 p.m. ET / 9:30 a.m. PT in the video above.
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If you missed the show live, you can still watch above, or listen to the podcast version, which can be found below and on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your pods.
ABU DHABI – Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway brought some intense energy to their faceoff at the UFC 308 pre-fight press conference.
After exchanging words in front of fans and media at Etihad Arena, which also hosts Saturday’s event (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN+), reigning featherweight champion Topuria and BMF titleholder Holloway got a chance to square up.
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The tension between Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) has grown as fight night approaches. During their first faceoff, Holloway simply stared while Topuria appeared to be the one doing all the talking.
Check out the video above to see Topuria and Holloway have their first official UFC 308 fight week faceoff.
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
The New York Giants won’t be making a change at a pair of key leadership positions this offseason.
Head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen will return in 2025, Giants president and co-owner John Mara told reporters while attending the premiere of “The Duke: Wellington Mara’s Giant Life.”
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“Obviously, we’re all very disappointed with where we are right now, but I’m going to say one thing: We are not making any changes this season and I do not anticipate making any changes in the offseason either,” Mara said.
Mara’s commitment to Daboll and Schoen came as the team is in the midst of a second straight losing season. The Giants lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, 28-3, in Week 7 to drop to 2-5 on the season. Ex-Giants running back Saquon Barkley‘s performance punctuated the sting of the loss to a divisional rival as he rushed for 176 yards and a touchdown. As detailed in “Hard Knocks,” Schoen opted not to retain Barkley so they could commit salary to other positions on the roster.
Quarterback Daniel Jones also struggled in the game against the Eagles. He completed 14 of 21 passes for just 99 yards, adding 20 yards on the ground. Jones has completed 62.5% of his passes for 1,442 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions with an 80.6 passer rating.
Schoen opted to retain Jones over the offseason after he tore his ACL in 2023. However, he notably expressed interest in trading up from the sixth overall pick to select a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Giants weren’t able to find a trade partner, though, and they kept the sixth overall pick to select LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers. New York added a quarterback in free agency, though, signing Drew Lock.
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Daboll and Schoen had a successful first season with Jones at quarterback in 2022. He completed 67.2% of his passes 3,205 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions, with 708 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns that season to help the team make the playoffs. As a result, Jones received a four-year, $160 million extension with $92 million guaranteed. New York can release Jones this offseason while taking on a $22.21 dead cap hit as he has a $41.6 million cap hit in 2025 and a $58.6 million cap hit in 2026, per Spotrac.
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Even though the Giants’ commitment to Jones has been one of the reasons why the team has been hamstrung over the last two seasons, Mara has confidence in Schoen and Daboll to right the ship.
“Just the process that they have, being in the meetings with them, talking about where they see us going forward, talking about the evaluation of our personnel,” Mara said. “I still have confidence in both of them.”
While Schoen and Daboll had success in Year 1, the 2022 season was an anomaly for what’s happened in New York in recent years. The Giants have made the postseason just twice since their last Super Bowl win in 2011.
Mara admitted that it’s “very difficult” to remain patient because “the last 10 or 12 years have not been very good for our fans.” But he said he wants to do “the right thing,” which he thinks is giving Schoen and Daboll a fourth season together.
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“I think I try to be more patient than maybe I’ve been in recent years,” Mara said when asked if there was anything he learned from his father on how to deal with losing seasons. “He was patient. He preached that all the time, and I’ve probably been guilty of not being patient enough in recent years, and that’s one of the reasons I’m committed to Joe and Brian and giving them a chance to turn this thing around.”
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