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Jon Anik doesn’t agree with Dana White, believing that Islam Makhachev should be No. 1 pound-for-pound over Jon Jones.

Lightweight champion Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) is ranked No. 1 pound-for-pound in the UFC rankings, which has caused White to melt down on more than one occasion. White argues that Jones is undeniably No. 1, even though he currently sits at No. 3 behind light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira and Makhachev.

Anik agrees with the UFC rankings as he thinks Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) having not competed since claiming the vacant heavyweight title in March 2023 plays a big part.

“Islam Makhachev’s ability to find that takedown and find that submission in his last title defense against Dustin Poirier is about as good as it gets,” Anik told Kevin Iole. “For me, he was the guy going in, so I don’t know that he loses that perch for me. I have always put 155 pounds on a pedestal. I do believe 155 pounds is the deepest division.

“And part of the reason why Ilia Topuria is getting Fighter of the Year consideration, and rightfully so over Alex Pereira, is because of the depth of his division. But for me, it is Islam Makhachev every day of the week. Jon Jones is in the conversation, but inactivity, I think, largely takes him out of the discourse.”

If Jones retires, Anik OK with it

Jones is scheduled to defend his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) in the UFC 309 main event Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Both Jones and his coaches have hinted that he will retire after facing Miocic, and Anik thinks he shouldn’t get any flack if that does end up happening.

“If Jon Jones doesn’t fight Tom Aspinall after raising a 16th championship banner in Albuquerque, New Mexico in theory by beating Stipe Miocic, I don’t know that anybody would really judge him,” Anik said.

“Yes, the competitor that resides within Jon Jones, there could be no higher note upon which to go out than to beat either Tom Aspinall or Alex Pereira for Jon Jones, right? But the dude doesn’t need that high note. He’s the greatest of all time.”

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

West Ham winger Mohammed Kudus has been handed a further two-game ban after admitting violent conduct following his red card against Tottenham Hotspur.

Kudus sparked a melee in the 82nd minute of the game as West Ham lost 4-1 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 19 October.

He was initially shown a yellow card for a foul on Micky van de Ven, but he proceeded to push both the Dutch defender and Pape Matar Sarr in the face.

The additional suspension extends his ban from three to five games, meaning he will be eligible to return against Leicester City on 3 December.

Kudus has also been fined £60,000 and West Ham were fined £30,000 for failing to control the behaviour of their players.

The Ghana international has scored two goals in eight Premier League appearances this season.

Cody Garbrandt and Miles Johns should hope the third time is a charm if they’re ever going to fight.

MMA Fighting confirmed with sources with knowledge of the change that Garbrandt has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled bantamweight bout against Johns, which was to take place at UFC Vegas 100 this Saturday. The news was first reported by BJPENN.com.

It is the second time Garbrandt and Johns have been booked to fight and seen their date fall through. The two were expected to fight at UFC Vegas 98 this past October, but the bout was moved to Nov. 9 for undisclosed reasons.

Officials are searching for a new opponent to face Johns on Saturday. It is not yet known if they will attempt to schedule Garbrandt vs. Johns again in the future.

Garbrandt competed once in 2024, losing to Deiveson Figueiredo via submission at UFC 300 this past April. For Johns, he looks to keep a win streak going after defeating his past three opponents (excluding one no-contest).

Damon Martin contributed to this report.

Despite his status as a political pariah four years ago, former President Donald Trump pulled off a decisive victory over Vice President Kamala Harris as he was elected to another term Wednesday.

Trump’s win is being hailed as one of the most remarkable comebacks in the history of American politics. He was considered an outcast in Washington after losing the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden – which he believed was stolen – before playing a part in thousands of his supporters attacking the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Influential in Trump’s 2024 victory was UFC CEO Dana White, who has been among his biggest public supporters. Through the UFC, White gave Trump a platform to appeal to young, male voters, which played a big part in his re-election.

That was not lost on Trump, who invited White onstage to address his supporters Wednesday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach, Fla. White took the opportunity to revel in his good friend’s win.

“Nobody deserves this more than him, and nobody deserves this more than his family does,” White said. “This is what happens when the machine comes after you. What you’ve seen over the last several years, this is what it looks like. Couldn’t stop him, he keeps going forward, he doesn’t quit, he’s the most resilient, hard-working man I’ve ever met in my life, his family are incredible people.

“This is karma, ladies and gentlemen. He deserves this. They deserve it as a family.”

WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 06: Dana White is invited to speak at Donald Trump’s rally celebrating his 2024 election win. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Before stepping away from the podium, White followed up those words by thanking a list of influencers/podcasters who welcomed Trump as a guest on their shows during the campaign –  the Nelk Boys, Adin Ross, Theo Vonn, “Bussin’ with the Boys” (hosted by Will Compton and Taylor Lewan, and finally “the mighty and powerful Joe Rogan.”

Trump spent 3 hours on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” the most popular podcast in the world hosted by the UFC commentator, on Oct. 25, less than two weeks before the election.

UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping believes Leon Edwards has everything to gain by stepping in vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov.

Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) was scheduled to challenge welterweight champion Belal Muhammad (22-4 MMA, 14-3 UFC) in the UFC 310 main event Dec. 7 at T-Mobile in Las Vegas, but a foot infection forced Muhammad out of the bout. Rakhmonov wants to remain on the card and preferably compete for the interim welterweight title. Rakhmonov lobbied for former champion Kamaru Usman, but Bisping pitched a different idea – Edwards (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC), who lost his welterweight title to Muhammad at UFC 304 in July.

“For Leon Edwards, this does everything,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “You beat Shavkat Rakhmonov, you are the man. You step up, you are the man. You beat this man that’s finishing everybody, what does that do for you? Well, then you’re right back in the title conversation. In fact, you will be probably getting a rematch against Belal Muhammad, and they will probably do that in America

“So, there wouldn’t be that crazy time difference, and that was what Leon pointed to. … He wants to get his hands on Belal Muhammad once again. He wants to right the wrongs. He wants to prove to the world and to himself that he’s the better man. But more importantly, to get back to becoming the welterweight champion of the world.”

Edwards has remained silent for the most part since his title loss to Muhammad but immediately after the fight, he vowed to “get this back in blood.” Bisping doesn’t see a need for an interim title, and neither does Muhammad, who said he’ll only need six weeks to recover.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.