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.

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.

“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.”

Ralph Vacchiano

NFL Reporter

In the three weeks since the New York Jets fired Robert Saleh they’ve gone 0-3, and in many ways look even worse than they did before. That proves two very important things:

Saleh wasn’t the Jets’ problem. 

And in-season coaching changes almost never work.

Of course, evidence isn’t necessarily something that will stop NFL owners looking for a quick fix. And to be fair, sometimes an in-season change is necessary to avert a complete and embarrassing disaster. Sometimes it’s even just a way for an embattled owner to throw fresh meat to his angry fans.

That’s why the seats remain hot under several coaches all around the NFL. Some of them could be gone within weeks. Others will surely be gone after their miserable season is over.

Here is the FOX Sports’ bi-weekly ranking of the seven hottest coaching seats in the league, heading into Week 9:

1. Dennis Allen, New Orleans Saints (Previous ranking: 2nd) 

It’s almost impossible to believe that the Saints were once 2-0 and being talked about as a surprise contender, because since then they’ve lost six straight games and Allen looks like a coach out of answers.

It’s not all his fault. Losing quarterback Derek Carr was a huge blow, but backup Spencer Rattler wasn’t the answer and he was benched on Sunday for someone named Jake Haener. The Saints unsurprisingly have scored 18 points total in the last two games. They’ve lost their past three by a combined score of 110-45.

Allen seems to have an ally in Saints general manager Mickey Loomis, but how long can that last? Allen is 18-24 as the Saints coach. Add in his miserable record with the Raiders and his head coaching record in the league is 26-52. It should be clear to everyone in New Orleans that it’s not going to get better under his leadership any time soon.

Dennis Allen and the Saints have lost six straight games heading into Week 9. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

2. Doug Pederson, Jacksonville Jaguars (Previous ranking: 1st) 

His job was very likely saved with a 32-16 win over the awful New England Patriots in London two weeks ago. There were a lot of indications that a loss would’ve resulted in him being fired before the team plane landed back in Florida.

His cause was also helped on Sunday by a narrow loss to the Green Bay Packers, which only goes to show how low the standards have gotten in Jacksonville. But the numbers count. They are now 2-2 in their last four and franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence finally showed signs of life on Sunday. Positive vibes could keep the reactionary instincts of Jags owner Shahid Khan at bay.

But only for so long. The Jaguars remain one of the biggest underachievers in the NFL and they are 3-11 since they entered last December with an 8-3 record. Plus, the Jags play at Philadelphia (5-2), home against the Vikings (5-2) and at Detroit (6-2) over the next three weeks, which could set the stage for Pederson to be fired one week later, during their bye.

Doug Pederson and the Jaguars sit at 2-6 on the season (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images)

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3. Mike McCarthy, Dallas Cowboys (Previous ranking: 3rd) 

Yeah, Jerry Jones swears he’s not firing Mike McCarthy, and given his painful patience with previous coaches there’s no reason not to believe him.

But he’s got to have a breaking point, right?

The Cowboys lost again Sunday night in San Francisco in a game that wasn’t close until a garbage-time comeback. In fact, if you take away garbage time, they haven’t been competitive in any of their four losses. They’re also 0-3 at home, which has to sting, and they’re already 2.5 games back in the NFC East race. Oh, and their defense has given up 77 points in the last two games.

That last part is really McCarthy’s in-season security blanket, since his most likely interim replacement would be defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, and right now even Jones couldn’t sell that to players or fans. Don’t forget, though, that McCarthy is only signed through the end of the season. Jones doesn’t like firing coaches, but if this season gets much worse even he’ll see he won’t have much of a choice.

Is Mike McCarthy’s seat getting warmer following a loss to the 49ers? (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

4. Matt Eberflus, Chicago Bears (Previous ranking: NR) 

The decision not to give Eberflus a contract extension in the offseason spoke volumes about ownership’s uncertainty about him. It also says something about their lack of a plan. The smart move, as they were about to draft a new franchise quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick, would be to commit to a coach to help develop Caleb Williams for the first few years of his career.

Eberflus is still signed through 2025, but he could be on shaky ground if Williams doesn’t have the kind of rookie season everyone is expecting. There have been a lot of positive signs, but he’s been very up and down. Two strong weeks collapsed in an awful effort by him against Washington on Sunday in a showdown against No. 2 pick Jayden Daniels.

Eberflus also didn’t help himself with some odd coaching decisions (A handoff to an offensive lineman on 4th-and-goal from the 1 while trailing in the fourth quarter?). And it was a real bad look that one of his players was too busy trash-talking fans to defend the Hail Mary play that lost them the game. Stuff like that is hard to forget.

Will being on the losing end of a Hail Mary lead to Matt Eberflus’ demise in Chicago? (Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)

5. Antonio Pierce, Las Vegas Raiders (Previous ranking: NR) 

The Raiders were right to take the interim tag off him after the Raiders’ strong 5-4 finish last year and the way all his players endorsed him. He seemed to have given the franchise a much-needed jolt of energy.

But good vibes don’t last forever, especially when you don’t have a franchise quarterback and your best receiver basically forced a trade. Right now, Pierce is struggling to hold things together with the Raiders riding a four-game losing streak. They’ve been competitive the last two weeks in close losses to the Rams and Chiefs, but how long will close be enough?

They’ve got a new minority owner in Tom Brady, who almost certainly will have some thoughts to share with majority owner Marc Davis. And they’re heading towards their fourth non-winning season in five years in Las Vegas, which isn’t good.

There’s a bye looming in two weeks, though Pierce likely will survive that. But if he can’t recapture the good vibes — and a few wins along the way — the Raiders may end up starting over in 2025 with a new quarterback and a new head coach. 

Antonio Pierce and the Raiders are 2-6 on the season. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

6. Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals (Previous ranking: 5th) 

Their 37-17 loss at home to the Eagles on Sunday shows how far this team has fallen. They should be much closer to contender status with some of the talent they have. But they keep getting farther away.

He’s still very unlikely to be fired in-season for a bunch of reasons. One is that the Bengals are notably cheap and they don’t want to eat the $4.5 million per year he’s making through 2026. The other is that they are 3-2 over their last five and one of those losses was in overtime to the Baltimore Ravens.

But — and this is a bad “but” — in their last three games, this offense has averaged 18.3 points and 269 yards. That’s inexcusable for a team with Joe Burrow at quarterback and a receiver like Ja’Marr Chase. At some point, the Bengals will have to realize they can’t waste the prime of those two players.

Will the Bengals need a late-season run to save Zac Taylor’s job? (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)

7. Brian Daboll, New York Giants (Previous ranking: 4th) 

Why is he still on this list after co-owner John Mara promised that he and general manager Joe Schoen would be back in 2025? Mostly because what Mara actually said was that he won’t make any in-season changes and “I do not anticipate making any changes in the offseason.”

The phrasing of these votes of confidence is always key.

Mara’s not lying or playing games. But he also knows that things can fall apart late to an embarrassing degree (just ask Joe Judge), and sometimes things happen that he just can’t accept (ask Ben McAdoo). So yeah, there’s a little wiggle room in his promise.

But it really would take something drastic to change his mind, according to sources inside the organization. Maybe if they don’t win another game, or players start revolting, or Daboll’s press conferences just go off the rails — something like that. His team is feisty, though, so the odds are good he’s not going anywhere. But stranger things have happened to this organization in the last 13 years.

Is there enough time for Brian Daboll and the Giants to get on track in 2024? (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

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Dropped from the list:

Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns (Previous ranking: 7th) — A big win over the Baltimore Ravens showed he can still coach, especially when he has a quarterback. Deshaun Watson being out for the season will only help his cause.

Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles (Previous ranking: 6th) — The Eagles are 5-2 now after three straight wins and their offense is clicking for the first time, really, since the 2022 season. But a playoff run may still be needed to save him.

Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.

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Middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis has diverted his attention to Khamzat Chimaev after UFC 308.

Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) was expecting to run things back with Sean Strickland (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC) for his next title defense. But after Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) ran through former champ Robert Whittaker for a first-round submission in Saturday’s UFC 308 co-main event, Du Plessis now has a new target.

“We always knew that, between Rob and Khamzat, if it was going to be something exceptional that happens, there might be a change in the title fight,” Du Plessis told Radioraps. “We have no clarity on that, but as a fan of the sport, and as the middleweight champion of the world, that’s a fight that gets me more excited – taking somebody’s 0. I’ve beaten Strickland before, and I know I’ll beat him again.

“Getting that Khamzat fight, that gets me excited. I think the whole world, the fans want to see it. The fans ultimately pay to watch the fights. So, the fight the world thinks is the best next fight, that’s what I want. I think the Khamzat fight is 100 percent what I want. The UFC is going to do what they’re going to do, but from a fan perspective and from a fighter’s perspective, I think Khamzat should get the next shot.”

Du Plessis’ head coach, Morne Visser, echoed that sentiment on Instagram.

“3 athletes that started their UFC careers around the same time @tomaspinallofficial @dricusduplessis @iliatopuria 3 world champions, that will stay champions for a really long time!

Massive congrats to @iliatopuria on a phenomenal performance.

We want Khamzat next in February.
Prepare to be amazed once again.”

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

Dricus du Plessis believes Khamzat Chimaev should be his next title defense.

This past Saturday, Chimaev scored the most impressive win of his career, literally breaking former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in the first round of their UFC 308 matchup. The performance was so impressive that du Plessis, the current middleweight champion, stood up and took notice of “Borz,” saying he wants to be the first man to defeat him. And now the champ says he wants to do that next.

Speaking with RadioRaps on Wednesday, du Plessis made the case for Chimaev as his next title challenger, instead of the presumed rematch with Sean Strickland that previously seemed to be in line.

“We always knew between Rob and Khamzat if there was going to be something exceptional that happens, there might be a change in the title fight,” du Plessis said. “We have no clarity on that, but as a fan of the sport and as the middleweight champion of the world, that’s a fight that gets me more excited, taking somebody’s 0. I’ve beaten Strickland before, and I know I’ll beat him again. Getting that Khamzat fight, that gets me excited.”

Du Plessis won the title from Strickland back in January, taking a contentious split decision win at UFC 297. Since then, du Plessis defended his title with submission win over Israel Adesanya, while Strickland won a decision over Paulo Costa, leading UFC CEO Dana White to say Strickland is next in line for a title shot.

But that may have changed for White as well. In his UFC 308 post-fight press conference, White was less committed to Strickland than he previously was, saying who gets the next crack at du Plessis is “a good question.” And for du Plessis that question boils down to which fight is bigger for the fans?

“I think the whole world wants to see it,” du Plessis said. “The fans ultimately pay to watch the fights, so the fight the world thinks is the best next fight, that’s what I want. So I think the Khamzat fight is 100 percent what I want. The UFC is going to do what they’re going to do, but from a fan perspective and from a fighter’s perspective, I think Khamzat should get the next shot.”

Joe Rogan backs Khamzat Chimaev to get the next UFC middleweight title shot.

Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) crushed former champion Robert Whittaker’s jaw for a first-round submission in Saturday’s UFC 308 co-main event in Abu Dhabi. Sean Strickland (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC) was originally tabbed by Dana White as champion Dricus Du Plessis’ next challenger, but after Chimaev’s dominant performance, Rogan was left in awe.

“Once he gets a hold of you, it’s so dangerous,” Rogan said during his Fight Companion podcast. “He gets a title shot, I think. … Not just that (beating Whittaker in the first round), but ran through him. He didn’t get touched. He ran through him and strangled him in the first round. He might be the guy. Think about this at 185: So this guy was killing himself to get to 170. At 185, he’s the f*cking man. That guy’s a scary ass motherf*cker – scary. That grappling is next level.”

After losing his title to Du Plessis by split decision at UFC 297, Strickland rebounded with a win over Paulo Costa at UFC 302 in June. He refuses to compete again unless it’s a title-fight rematch against Du Plessis.

However, Strickland’s title opportunity could be in danger. Du Plessis’ head coach, Morne Visser, posted on Instagram that they want Chimaev next on Feb. 8 at UFC 312 in Sydney.

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

League One side Wrexham say the investment, made through Red Dragon Ventures LLC, “will help fuel the club’s lofty ambitions, as well as those of the broader Wrexham community”.

Eric Allyn, manager and chief investment officer of the Allyn’s family office, said: “For more than a century, our family has focused on building great companies, while also uplifting wonderful communities.

“Our decades-long efforts in the Syracuse region are similar to what Rob and Ryan have started in Wrexham.

“We view Red Dragon Ventures as a vehicle to invest in a world-class football club, and, importantly, in the welcoming community of Wrexham.”

Manager Phil Parkinson has guided the Red Dragons from the National League to League One under the ownership of Reynolds and McElhenney.

Wrexham currently sit third in League One having collected 25 points from their opening 13 matches of the campaign.