ABU DHABI – Ismail Naurdiev was surprised when the UFC pink slip came through his email in 2020.
He went 2-2 with the promotion before he was released. But a little more than four years later, he’s back on the promotion’s roster – winning fights once again.
At UFC 308 on Saturday at Etihad Arena, Naurdiev (24-7 MMA, 3-2 UFC) dominated seasoned veteran Bruno Silva (23-12 MMA, 4-6 UFC) en route to a unanimous decision victory.
“It feels amazing,” Naurdiev told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “I feel so grateful to be back, especially a win against that kind of opponent. It’s for sure something big and will bring me up in the rankings.”
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Naurdiev, 28, went 4-3 during his time between UFC stints, competing mainly for BRAVE CF in the Middle East. Over the course of that time, Naurdiev said he learned a lot and has a much different approach to the fight game.
“I’m much, much stronger,” Naurdiev said. “I’m much more mature (and) much, much better and faster right now. The first run in the UFC, I was too young and too excited. I didn’t really have a right team and right coaches who were telling me how to do, what to do. I was also too naive, doing all that crazy stuff and things. Now, I have a very good team, a great team. I trust them. There was a plan. They told me, ‘Please, man. You remember your last run in the UFC. This time, listen to us. Just follow the plan and you will see everything works out.”
If possible, Naurdiev wants to return Feb. 8 at UFC 312 in Sydney. But there’s a big decision he’ll need to make before accepting a fight. Saturday’s bout was at middleweight, but Naurdiev considers himself more of a welterweight.
“I saw an announcement for February in Sydney,” Naurdiev said. “That will be interesting for me. I wanted always to visit Sydney. … To be honest, no. Actually, I’m a welterweight. First of all, when we go back, I’ve got to discuss with my team. So what do we do next? Stay at middleweight or welterweight? Let’s see how my weight goes, if I’m heavy or not. We will see from there. But first I will enjoy my victory. ”
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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.
Jasmine Jasudavicius may not have hit her peak yet, but she’s looking to get to the top as soon as possible.
Although she’s only seven fights into her UFC career with a total of 14 pro bouts, Jasudavicius (11-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) is 35 and knows she can’t fight forever. A few stumbles could set her back into an impossible timeline.
“This is my time. I understand my window is short. I’m older,” she told MMA Junkie Radio. “I know I’m not going to have a long career, a 10-year, 20-year career in the UFC. So I know my window is short and I’m here to make the best of it.”
Jasudavicius returns Saturday at UFC Fight Night 246 as she battles fellow promotion-ranked flyweight Ariane da Silva (17-9 MMA, 6-6 UFC). The event takes place at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
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While she thinks her skills are already title challenger-ready, it’s just a matter of getting repetitions in and proving herself to the UFC. Saturday’s bout is the next step in doing that.
“I know my skill set is there, but it’s just the opportunities,” Jasudavicius said. “I’ve got to wait for them to line up. Hopefully soon. … A title shot is a title shot, but also any loss that I’ve ever had, I’d love to obviously avenge that. If one of them ever owned a title, then I’d love to take it from them. It’d be kind of the dream. But other than that, whoever has a title, that’s who I want to get matched up with.”
A proud Ontarian, Jasudavicius is excited to represent Canada three provinces away. She’s one of eight home country fighters competing on the card.
“I can see martial arts growing just around,” Jasudavicius said. “There are so many more people just in the gym than there was even a year ago. It’s growing exponentially. I understand that I’m one of the people kind of putting themselves out there in front of everyone, presenting martial arts. I am grateful that people can get inspired and I can be part of the growth of martial arts.
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“It’s a wonderful journey and everyone should at least try martial arts for a little bit regardless of if they fight or not. But I think it’s so good it’s growing and it’s growing exponentially in Canada.”
A new episode of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is released every Monday and Thursday. You can stream or download all episodes over at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, OmnyStudio, and more.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
Show up or get shown out. That’s the motto heading into November.
With more than half of the 2024 college football season in the books, programs that have not proven to be perennial powers are flexing their resilience.
Iowa State is 7-0 for the first time since 1938. Indiana is 8-0 for just the second time since 1967. BYU is 8-0 for just the second time since 1990. Army is 8-0 for the first time since 1996. All four programs could end this season undefeated, and that includes the Hoosiers, who will play Ohio State on Nov. 23 in the Shoe.
And all of that is happening while Vanderbilt has earned its first top 25 ranking since 2013 and Boise State boasts a tailback who might come close to breaking Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing total (2,628). Normally, these programs would simply make for good stories — like UCF running the table in 2017 or TCU running the table in 2010. Each ended their seasons undefeated with wins in a New Year’s Six Bowl, but neither had the opportunity to play for the national title in the Bowl Championship Series or College Football Playoff era.
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This season, that comes to an end.
At least one of these programs – Iowa State, Indiana, BYU and Army – will earn entry into the 12-team CFP if they finish the regular season unbeaten. Odds are that it will be either BYU or Iowa State, who could meet for the first time this season in the Big 12 title game and be one of the four highest-ranked champions. Not bad in a season where Alabama has faltered, Florida State has been abysmal and Oklahoma and USC have simply been mediocre.
With that said, let’s get to my updated CFP projections:
1. Oregon: Bye (would then play the winner of 8. Clemson vs. 9. BYU)
2. Georgia: Bye (would then play the winner of 7. Texas vs. 10. Texas A&M)
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3. Miami: Bye (would then play the winner of 6. Penn State vs. 11. Tennessee)
4. Iowa State: Bye (would then play the winner of 5. Ohio State vs. 12. Boise State)
5. Ohio State (Big Ten championship runner-up) vs. 12. Boise State (highest-ranked Group of 5 champion)
This matchup involves the most prolific tailback in the sport in Ashton Jeanty and perhaps the most talented set of tailbacks on one team in TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. Jeanty rushed for 192 yards against an Oregon team that is the consensus No. 1 team in the country. Going up against the Buckeyes would make for an exciting matchup.
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Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty leads the country with 1,376 rushing yards this sason. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images)
6. Penn State (one of the top-12 teams) vs. 11. Tennessee (one of the top-12 teams)
If Ohio State has the best set of tailbacks in the sport, then Penn State has the second in Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. The tandem has helped lead Penn State to a 7-0 start to the season, while Tennessee possesses the best tailback in the SEC in Dylan Sampson, who rushed for over 100 yards in the Vols’ win against Alabama.
Backup Penn State QB Beau Pribula threw for 98 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 28 yards in place of an injured Drew Allar against Wisconsin. (Photo by Dan Sanger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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7. Texas (one of the top-12 teams) vs. 10. Texas A&M (one of the top-12 teams)
This matchup might be the most anticipated of this projected CFP field with the Longhorns and Aggies meeting for the first time this November since 2011. That game could also decide which team earns entry into the SEC Championship Game. Mike Elko’s Aggies remain undefeated in SEC play as the season enters November.
Texas QB Quinn Ewers completed 17 straight passes in its win over Vanderbilt.(Photo by Carly Mackler/Getty Images)
After a devastating loss to Georgia to open this season, the Tigers have rampaged through their schedule. Meanwhile, the Cougars are off to an 8-0 start for just the second time since 1990. Between quarterbacks Cade Klubnik and Jake Retzlaff, this CFP matchup could come down to who scores 40.
Cade Klubnik has led Clemson to a 6-1 record this season. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast “The Number One College Football Show.” Follow him at @RJ_Young.
Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).
Those reader consensus picks will be part of the main card staff predictions we release ahead of UFC Fight Night 246 (ESPN+), which takes place Saturday at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Ilia Topuria and Khamzat Chimaev both accomplished something that had never been done before at UFC 308 as the rising stars capped off a wild pay-per-view event in Abu Dhabi. Now that the dust has settled, what comes next for both guys?
On an all-new edition of On To the Next One, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee discuss what could for Topuria after he became the first man ever to knock out Max Holloway in the main event to retain the UFC featherweight title. Additionally, future matchups are discussed for Holloway, Chimaev — after being the first UFC fighter to submit Robert Whittaker in the co-main event — Magomed Ankalaev following his decision win over Aleksandar Rakic, Lerone Murphy after earning a hard fought decision against Dan Ige, Shara Magomedov following his wild knockout win over Armen Petrosyan, and more.
Watch the UFC 308 edition of On To the Next One in the video above. Audio-only versions of the podcast can be found below, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.
The Boston Celtics are months removed from becoming NBA champions for an 18th time, after knocking off the Dallas Mavericks in five games in the 2024 NBA Finals.
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But the path to another championship won’t be a cakewalk, with a number of real contenders in both conferences.
Here’s a look at the NBA title odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of Oct. 28.
Still, there will be questions about health when it comes to the Sixers, considering George has played 70-plus games just once in the past five seasons and Embiid has never played 70-plus games in a season.
In addition, Maxey missed 12 games last season and 22 in 2022-23.
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As far as the West goes, the Thunder are second on the board, followed by a trio of contenders in Dallas, Minnesota and Denver.
In the West, the move that created the biggest shift near the top of the oddsboard was Oklahoma City’s signing of center Isiah Hartenstein.
Follow along with FOX Sports for the latest news on the NBA and other sports.
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