Michael Page is willing to bump up to middleweight to face one of the division’s surging up and comers in defense of his friend Israel Adesanya.
Shara “Bullet” Magomedov recently competed at UFC 308 this past Saturday where he delivered a bonus-winning double backfist knockout of Armen Petrosyan in the main card opener. After the win, Magomedov called for a fight with the former middleweight champion — which Adesanya didn’t take too kindly to — and since that fight is unlikely to happen, Page is more than willing to move up to 185 to face Magomedov.
“Actually, I just forgot his first name, which is terrible, Magomedov — he just fought, did the double spinning back [fist] knockout and then he called out my boy Izzy,” Page told MMA Fighting. “Mate, I’m at that weight right now. You don’t even have to wait too long. That one there, I’ll just take straight away just for the fun of it.”
Page is set to face former interim UFC welterweight champion Carlos Condit in a grappling match this Saturday at Polaris 30, which takes place in London and streams on UFC Fight Pass.
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The match between “MVP” and Condit is taking place at 185 pounds, so for Page, he could just roll right into a camp in preparation for Magomedov.
“That’s what I’m grappling at right now,” Page said. “So, I’m in shape now, ready to go. So that’s a good fight for me, I think. Just a nice stand up fight for everybody, just to come back to the game. and like I said, leave my boy Izzy alone. He’s trying to get back to the belt, to the throne, so I’ll take his place.”
The longtime Bellator star signed with the UFC earlier this year and made two octagon appearances. In his UFC debut, Page earned a decision against Kevin Holland, before facing one of the division’s surging prospects in Ian Machado Garry at UFC 303 in June. Garry came out on top via unanimous decision, but Page made things very difficult for the young star.
Heading into his second year with the promotion, Page got a lot of his initial questions answered. Now, it’s about making a dent in things, and if that means competing frequently — even in multiple divisions — that’s exactly that he’ll do.
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“I’d say [it’s been] a prosperous year,” Page explained. “I really have enjoyed the level up I have enjoyed, almost putting a stamp on where I knew I was. I know there is a big question mark over my head with regards to can I hang in the UFC? Is my talent level that of the UFC level? So it’s been nice to not only get signed, but also tick that box off, let everyone know that, oh yeah, now, he is competitive at this level, as well.
“The last one didn’t go my way, but it was close and there is only a few alterations. … And now I get to, again, express my martial arts skills in a different way, show the world, or keep shocking the world by doing a little something different. And then straight back to the next year, I want to be really, really aggressive in the cage. I’ve had a year when I have had five fights in one year. That’s the goal again, I want to be that kind of aggressive: Get a fight, put someone away, back at it, back at it, back at it, straight away.
“I want to make noise, man. I said that as soon as I came in here, if it’s a good fight, exciting fight, we can do it wherever. Let’s go.”
UFC 308 was certainly a big night for Ilia Topuria and Khamzat Chimaev, but there were others on that card that shinned as well.
Magomed Ankalaev demented himself as the No. 1 contender in the division by defeating Aleksandar Rakic in a unanimous decision, Lerone Murphy also won on the scorecards, defeating veteran Dan Ige, Shara Magomedov picked up one of the wildest knockouts of 2024 by putting away Armen Petrosyan.
Should Ankalaev get the next title shot? Is Murphy ready for the top dogs at featherweight? What’s the ceiling on Magomedov? What should be next for these winners after their respective victories?
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MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Dan Tom, Danny Segura and host “Gorgeous” George discuss some of the big wins under the top billing of Saturday’s UFC pay-per-view event in Abu Dhabi.
Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.
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“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel at noon ET. You can also find each episode on your favorite podcast platforms – including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more – on Tuesday mornings.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
Trailing the Chicago Bears 15-12 with two seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the ball on their own 48-yard line, Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders had one option: throw a Hail Mary.
And their prayer was answered, as Daniels’ pass was bounced backwards in the red zone and into the arms of wide receiver Noah Brown, who reeled in a walk-off, 52-yard touchdown.
Seconds later, Brown dropped the ball to celebrate the score with his teammates, and that’s where Commanders equipment intern Drew Sinclair joined the chat, swooping up the loose ball to store it away.
“I just had my hands on my head in awe, and I saw everyone running around. I saw Noah [Brown] drop the ball, and my instincts just kicked in,” Sinclair said about retrieving the ball, in a story that was published on the Commanders’ team website Wednesday.
“DQ [head coach Dan Quinn] always preaches, ‘The ball is life.’ We see it everywhere. I saw ball and I got ball … I was just thinking, ‘That’s a pretty meaningful football for this team and for this organization.’”
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Furthermore, Sinclair was praised in the team’s locker room by Quinn.
What did Jayden Daniels showcase in his thrilling Hail Mary victory?
“I wasn’t expecting it. I was in the back of the huddle listening to him talk. I heard my name, and I was still in awe from the play, and I was like, ‘Oh crap that’s me,’ and I ran into the center,” Sinclair said. “That was one of the best moments of my life, for sure.”
Daniels finished the game with 326 passing yards and 52 rushing yards, while Brown finished with three receptions for 73 yards and one score. The win moved the Commanders to 6-2, good for first place in the NFC East.
On the whole, Brown has logged 17 receptions for 258 yards and one touchdown this season. He spent the 2023 season with the Houston Texans, which followed a five-year stint with the Dallas Cowboys (he missed the 2019 season due to a knee injury).
As for the one who threw the miracle completion, Daniels, whom Washington selected with the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, is among the favorites to win Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, highlighted by him boasting a 104.3 passer rating, a 71.8% completion percentage and rushing for 424 yards.
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Daniels, Brown and the first-place Commanders aim to keep the magic alive in Week 9 when they face the NFC East-rival New York Giants (2-6) on the road (1 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app); Washington beat New York on a walk-off field goal in Week 2.
Ticket prices for the fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson have dropped to a new low.
Prices were listed for as little as $30 Monday on Seat Geek, the official online broker for the heavyweight boxing match set for Nov. 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The venue, home of the Dallas Cowboys, will have a capacity of 80,000 for the boxing match, according to information issued by Most Valuable Promotions, co-founded by Paul.
While there was only one $30 ticket left on Seat Geek at time of this writing, hundreds of tickets were listed for $37 for a fight that will be livestreamed by Netflix.
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By contrast, three ringside tickets, the only ones available on Seat Geek Monday, were listed for $50,000 apiece.
Seat Geek has declined to say how many tickets have been sold.
On May 8, 2021, when boxing star Canelo Alvarez beat Billy Joe Saunders at AT&T Stadium, fight organizers reported an official attendance of 73,126 – an all-time record for an indoor U.S. boxing event.
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That broke the previous attendance record of 63,352 set during the fight between Muhammad Ali and Leon Spinks in 1978 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.
With the men’s Pound-for-Pound top-3 comfortably set for now, the MMA Fighting Crew looks ahead to 2025 to figure out if UFC champions Belal Muhammad, Dricus du Plessis, Tom Aspinall, or perhaps a surging contender can enter the conversation for the No. 1 spot in the near future. Host Alexander K. Lee is joined by esteemed rankings panelists Damon Martin, Jed Meshew, and E. Casey Leydon as we attempt to figure out who has the best chance of shaking up the P4P list.
Watch the latest episode of the MMA Fighting Rankings Show above or listen below and don’t forget to subscribe to the MMA Fighting feed on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and all your other favorite podcast platforms for the latest episodes from the team.
ABU DHABI – When the idea first was proposed that Max Holloway could challenge for Ilia Topuria’s featherweight title, Topuria had what seemed to be a natural question.
Would Holloway’s new BMF belt be on the line, too? It stood to reason, Topuria argued, that it should.
The MMA world now knows that it wasn’t part of the deal this past Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, where Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC), the UFC’s first champion from Spain, defended the featherweight belt with a stunner of a knockout in the third round. Former longtime champ Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) this never had been knocked out.
Making things slightly more dramatic was the fact Topuria said he’d be the first to do it to Holloway, then backed it up – not necessarily against all odds, but certainly against many of them.
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The competitive nature if the fight before Holloway had his lights turned out made it seem, in retrospect, that it could’ve been a BMF title fight like the one Holloway was in when he finished Justin Gaethje with one second left. That bit of instant legend is what got Holloway the title shot.
Even UFC CEO Dana White, after the fact, said it might have been good to have both belts contested.
“Topuria’s belt was on the line; Max was trying to take that,” White said after UFC 308 in explanation of why the promotion didn’t bring the BMF strap into the picture. “Halfway through the second round, I said, ‘Sh*t, we should have put the Bad Motherf*cker title up for this fight, too, because these guys are both (a BMF).’”
Holloway said after his loss that he’s likely to move to lightweight. That wouldn’t affect the BMF belt, though. It just may be a while before Holloway gets back on the horse, and when he does, it remains to be seen if it will be in the type of fight that would warrant the symbolic belt being up for grabs.
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White was just as unsure what will happen with it.
“I don’t know what we’ll do with it yet, but Max still has it. Max holds the title, so we’ll see what happens,” he said.
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.
Brian McClair “can’t fathom” why Manchester United chose to sell Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay to Napoli this summer.
The midfielder, 27, has already scored twice in eight appearances for the Italian club and has netted 11 times in 56 Scotland matches.
He left boyhood club United in August after 29 goals in 255 games.
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Earlier this week, United parted with manager Erik ten Hag and are looking for their fifth permanent boss in 10 years.
“For me, it’s a big disappointment that he’s not still at Manchester United,” said former Old Trafford favourite McClair on the BBC’s Sacked in the Morning podcast.
“I can’t fathom why on his performances when he played and when has played he’s been very good for Napoli. For Scotland he’s been a revelation.”
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