ABU DHABI – Diego Lopes traveled across the world because of maybe.

Maybe, he’ll fight. Maybe, he won’t.

Four days out from UFC 308, Lopes (26-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) doesn’t know. He’s the emergency backup for the featherweight title fight between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway at Etihad Arena on Yas Island.

“I’m training for both guys,” Lopes told MMA Junkie at UAE Warriors 55 on Tuesday “… I’m ready for everything, bro.”

In usual classy fashion (though unusually fluent English explanation), Lopes explained that he hopes his services are not needed. He wishes both main event competitors the best and is as excited as the fans to see the fight.

“I’m so excited too, to watch the fight,” Lopes said. “I hope Friday morning that everything is OK and the guys stay healthy for the fight this Saturday. I’m so excited for this Saturday night. … But if the UFC needs me, I’m ready.”

Should he not fight, it’s possible the stars will align for a UFC 312 battle vs. Alexander Volkanovski in Sydney. The event is scheduled for Feb. 8 (Feb. 9 local). At a recent press conference announcing the event, Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) name-dropped Lopes as a potential opponent.

Lopes loves that idea and said if his services aren’t needed at UFC 308, he’s ready and hopeful a fight vs. Volkanovski comes to fruition.

“If UFC has this plan, yeah,” Lopes said. “I’m ready for the fight vs. Volkanovski in Australia. I think it’s the biggest deal for the division for the next title fight. If the UFC me as the fighter to fight Volkanovski in Australia, I’m ready. … Title or no title, I’m excited for the fight vs. Volk.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

Speaking outside the Caledonian Stadium on Wednesday, former Dundee United, Rangers, Everton and Newcastle forward Ferguson said he and two of his coaches had been let go.

Earlier, Ferguson said he had “always been against administration”.

Players and other staff are expected to hear if they still have jobs on Thursday.

Administrators BDO said they were working to “secure the long term future” of the Highland club by attempting to find new owners.

If that fails, assets could be sold and the money raised distributed to creditors.

Investor Alan Savage, a former club chairman, told BBC Scotland News he would give it his “best shot” to help save the club.

Asked if he was confident it could be saved, he replied: “Of course I am, yeah.”

Savage pledged to help anyone who lost their job to find a new one.

Asked about his own role if the club survives, he said: “It’s a step-by-step process and until we’ve gone through those steps it’s a bit early to say.”

Said Nurmagomedov lost his opponent and now has the weekend off.

On Wednesday, UFC announced that Nurmagomedov’s scheduled bantamweight bout against Daniel Santos at UFC 308 this Saturday has officially been cancelled. Santos’ withdrawal was first reported by MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin.

Officials had been attempting to find a replacement opponent for Santos and several fighters—including flyweight Charles Johnson, who competed this past Saturday—chimed in on social media lobbying for the opportunity, but the decision has been made to book Nurmagomedov for a later date instead.

The reason for Santos’ withdrawal has not been disclosed.

Nurmagomedov (18-3) is yet to compete in 2024 having seen two bouts fall through. In addition to the Santos cancellation, Nurmagomedov withdrew from a bout against Montel Jackson this past June.

The 32-year-old has put together an impressive UFC career so far, winning seven of his nine fights for the promotion. Most recently, Nurmagomedov scored a fast first-round submission of Muin Gafurov at UFC 294.

ABU DHABI – Robert Whittaker vows to match Khamzat Chimaev’s pace at UFC 308.

Whittaker (27-7 MMA, 17-5 UFC) will look to hand Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) his first-career loss in Saturday’s co-main event at Etihad Arena (pay-per-view, ESPN+). This will mark Chimaev’s first five-round fight, whereas former UFC middleweight champion Whittaker has competed in numerous five rounders. Chimaev doesn’t plan on changing his approach, and Whittaker is ready for it.

“I am expecting him to come out hard and aggressive from the first second to the last,” Whittaker told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC 308 media day. “And I have prepared accordingly for that. I’ve prepared for the hardest fight of my life, to start extremely hard, like sprinting for the first 5 to 10 minutes, but also drag it out the five (rounds). I’m ready to sprint for 25 minutes if so, and I’m coming for war.”

Chimaev said Whittaker knows how to lose, but he doesn’t. While that statement might be true, Whittaker takes that as motivation.

“Experience,” Whittaker answered on what makes him different from Chimaev’s prior opponents. “I’m good at what I do. I’m a different fighter than he’s fought before, and I guess maybe the fact that I know how to lose, it gives me strength, it gives me a reason why I don’t like being there, why I don’t want that to be my reality. It sucks, so I’m going to go out there and give him a taste of it.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

Ilia Topuria won’t hide his long term goals as a UFC champion, but he’s also going to take on whatever challenge the promotion throws at him.

Just days away from his inaugural title defense at 145 pounds, the Georgian-born fighter recently commented that his dream was becoming the UFC’s first ever three-division champion with plans to conquer lightweight and welterweight after already claiming the featherweight title. But as much as he wants that for himself, Topuria admitted on Wednesday that he’s just as ready to take out lightweight champion Islam Makhachev as he would be if a rematch against former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is what comes next.

“Before, I used to make more predictions about that — ‘I want to fight this one or that,’” Topuria explained during UFC 308 media day. “But at the end of the day, I want to do my job, which is to show up and fight and we’ll see what the UFC wants me to do.

“If they call me and they want me to move up to the lightweight division, I will be OK with that moving up and be the first one to submit Islam. If they want me to keep on defending that belt in the featherweight division, I will be OK with that, too. Let’s leave that decision to the UFC.”

There’s always going to be new challenge for a defending champion, but Topuria has the chance to put himself in rarified air if he delivers on his promise to defeat Holloway on Saturday in Abu Dhabi.

Considering he already knocked out Volkanovski back in February, Topuria could add another all-time featherweight great to his resume with the upcoming fight against Holloway. That’s certainly not lost on Topuria, who has made a number of bold predictions about his upcoming fight but still maintains respect when it comes to Holloway’s skills and the accolades he’s earned as a 12-year UFC veteran.

“I have all the respect for him,” Topuria said about Holloway. “He’s a great fighter. He has achieved many great things in the sport. You can’t take credit from him. I have learned many, many things from him.

“He called me a fan. Yeah, I followed his career, I’ve been a fan. How can you not be a fan of Max Holloway? He’s been a great example for me but now it’s my time to be that example for the next generation.”

When it comes to the matchup, Topuria has promised that he plans on becoming the first person to finish Holloway with strikes, which is a nod to his power and precision compared to the Hawaiian’s legendary durability in the cage.

In the past, Holloway has called himself the best boxer on the entire UFC roster but Topuria seemingly takes that as a challenge to prove he’s better.

“In reality, he’s a good striker,” Topuria said. “It’s not only boxer because calling himself the best boxer in the UFC is kind of a shame, I think, because he’s not the best boxer in the UFC. But he’s a good striker.

“He has a lot of experience, he’s very patient inside the octagon. But everyone is good when they can develop a style in the octagon and someone is not putting the pressure on him. On Saturday night, he’s going to feel something he never felt with any other opponents that he had in the past. The pressure he’s going to feel with me, it’s going to be completely different.”

Topuria also responded to Holloway’s claim that he hasn’t yet earned the right to meet him in the middle of the octagon and use his signature move, which is pointing to the ground and inviting a slugfest to ensue.

Holloway’s argument was that Topuria doesn’t really understand why he’s famously used that move — a gesture to give an opponent who’s about to lose the fight one last chance at redemption — but none of that seems to matter much to the reigning UFC featherweight champion.

He doesn’t need anybody’s permission so Topuria absolutely plans on making that challenge to start his fight with Holloway but that’s not the only trick he has up his sleeve.

“I never asked him if I deserve that or not,” Topuria said in response. “I will be pointing to the ground since the first second of the fight.

“If he wants to stand with me in the middle, it’s OK and prove he’s the real ‘BMF.’ If he decides [to not do that], it’s OK, too. I’m going to find a different way to finish him and take his head off.”

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