Conor McGregor knows what it’s like to be a “champ champ,” and he believes Alex Pereira could do him one better.

The UFC light heavyweight champion successfully defended his title a third time this past Saturday at UFC 307 with a resounding knockout of Khalil Rountree Jr. Pereira’s success has only heightened buzz around the possibility of him moving up one more division to capture another belt, having previously held UFC gold at 185 pounds as well.

McGregor has often said he’d like to be the UFC’s first three-division champion, but it’s a goal that is also in reach for “Poatan.”

“I think that would be a viable next move for him,” McGregor told The Schmo. “Maybe he is fine at light heavyweight. There is one more matchup for him at light heavyweight that I’d be interested in, him vs. the Dagestani. But other than that, I’d like to see him go for it. Someone has to go for the three belts. It’s myself or himself. I’m sure one of us will aspire to it in the future.”

Though McGregor has struggled in recent years with poor performances and inactivity, in his prime he was a dual-division threat, memorably winning UFC championships at featherweight and lightweight. His success not only vaulted him to the top of the pound-for-pound charts, it made him one of the biggest stars in the history of combat sports.

Currently, the pound-for-pound discussion swirls around Pereira, seemingly indomitable lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, and all-time great Jon Jones, the latter of whom became a two-division champion when he defeated Ciryl Gane to earn a vacant heavyweight title. Asked for his take on the list, McGregor had a definitive answer.

“2024 has been Alex Pereira’s year,” McGregor said. “No one can deny that. And if we go by that, forget belts, forget any of that, in competition he has four fights this year, four KOs, and his most impressive one was most recently. I’d put Alex No. 1. I’d put Alex as No. 1.

“I think he poses a lot of problems for Jon, also. That’s a dangerous style for Jon. But it’s a decent one for him because he’s not so big. Jon is new to the heavyweight division. Jon had a nice one against Ciryl Gane, but he’s still untested at heavyweight, and I’m sure in the back of his mind he has that thought, ‘Some of these guys are really big.’ Alex is a nice one. It’s still a dangerous one though. At the core of it, it’s probably even more dangerous. I’d be very excited to see that bout take place for sure.”

McGregor still awaits his next booking after an injury prompted him to withdraw from a grudge match with Michael Chandler at UFC 303 this past June. Both fighters continued to discuss a re-booking, but for now Chandler has moved on to a rematch with Charles Oliveira on Nov. 16 at UFC 309.

Alexander K. Lee contributed to this story.

John McCarthy went off on one referee for the way he handled a preliminary fight at UFC 307.

Local referee Dave Seljestad was under fire for the way he officiated the middleweight fight between Cesar Almeida and Ihor Potieria, which kicked off Saturday’s UFC 307 televised prelims in Salt Lake City. Almeida won the bout by unanimous decision.

Seljestad failed to acknowledge numerous eye pokes that Almeida inflicted on Potieria, as well as separating Potieria from an advantageous clinch position just seconds after he grabbed a hold of Almeida. His actions left commentators baffled, and McCarthy, a renowned former referee, thinks Seljestad has no business being in the cage again.

“I’ll tell you what: The referee absolutely destroyed this fight. It was bad,” McCarthy said on his “Weighing In” podcast. “Potieria got eye poked probably five to six times in this thing. I know the referee. He’s been around forever. He’s been reffing in Utah for over 20 years. … Look at when he’s checking the fighters, and he starts doing this big swooping motion over the tape of the glove, and he makes it dramatic. You go, ‘Dude, I don’t know if you realize: This isn’t about you. No one gives a sh*t about you.’ He f*cking broke them off of clinches. Guy gets into a clinch on the fence, 10 seconds and he separates them and takes them apart.

“You look and you go, ‘It’s all about you, isn’t it?’ Congratulations, Dave Seljestad. You made a fight bad. You absolutely just sh*t the bed. It was horrible. You did something completely outside of what the rules for the sport are and what it’s intended for. Why? You let a guy get eye poked. How many times did you tell him, ‘Just fight’? Because you can’t see it? What are you in there for? You’re supposed to see these things. Then you’re looking at the wrong guy. The guy that’s continuously getting fouled, you’re not even looking at. Stop, quit, retire. The sport has passed you by, and you’re not doing your job, so you’re no good for anybody.”

UFC CEO Dana White said he missed the heavily criticized officiating by Seljestad but revealed that UFC senior vice president of regulatory affairs Marc Ratner was not happy with the actions taken during Almeida’s fight with Potieria.

Alexander Volkanovski’s alter ego is back.

With plenty of time on his hands as he awaits his next fight, the former featherweight champion has kept himself busy filming another “Old Man Volk” sketch that was uploaded Tuesday by sponsor Sportsbet.com.au. Volkanovski’s aged character now finds himself invested in an independent pasta sauce business, with an old rival still breathing down his neck.

Watch the video below.

In the sketch, Volkanovski, who turned a spry 36 in September, makes several cheeky references to his fighting career, at one point telling a customer that wants to pay by card that “he never taps” and then assuring another that he plans to continue fighting (though this is actually a segue into his ongoing beef with neighbor Beverly, last seen terrorizing Volkanovski in the original Old Man Volk clip.)

Volkanovski has gotten plenty of mileage out of his comedic character, even showing up as Old Man Volk at a press conference ahead of his fight with Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 this past February. That bout didn’t go so well for Volkanovski, as he suffered his first loss at 145 pounds and lost his featherweight title to Topuria via knockout.

Let’s hope for Volkanovski’s sake that this time the skit is a more positive omen.

That mutual support was necessary during their teenage years when their parents, who have always backed their football dreams, divorced.

While living with their father they were forced to use their initiative on the streets of Freetown to make ends meet.

“Things were hard for us at some points,” Alusine said.

“My brother and I decided to do something just to survive while going to school.

“We were fetching water, putting it into jerrycans and selling it to people in our community. We were also going around collecting used [scrap] iron and sold it.”

According to Alhassan, their bond has been key to their football careers – which were largely spent together until Alhassan moved to a Qatari club last year.

“We love each other so much that we never wanted to be separated,” he explained.

“When a Spanish club, Real Balompedica Linense, wanted to sign me in 2019 I told them that I would only accept their offer on the condition that they also signed my twin brother.

“They told me to sign the contract and assured me that my brother would join me in Spain a few months later – which he did.”

Key moments in their careers have been shared, with the brothers making their first senior appearances, top-flight bows and international debuts in the same games.

Years of playing together has forged an innate understanding on the pitch.

“I can read his mind and he can read mine,” insisted Alusine.

“When I have the ball my brother knows what I’ll do with it and what he should do, so the first person I look out for to give a pass is him.

“We’re protective of each other too. When one is fouled by an opponent the other gets concerned.

“We’ve been fighting for each other since childhood and the pitch is not an exception.”

Week 9 of Dana White’s Contender Series (2024) took place on Tuesday in Las Vegas, and we’re grading the winners from the five-fight card, which streamed on ESPN+ from the UFC Apex.

With a simple but digestible format that has had the MMA fanbase responding, this series has shown to have legs in multiple ways while serving as a crockpot for contenders the UFC matchmakers can use to fill their roster for future events. With that trend in mind, I once again will be taking a look at the winning fighters, regardless of whether or not they won a UFC contract, and grading their performances in regard to their probability of returning to a UFC stage.

***

Sean Gauci

Sean Gauci def. Anthony Drilich – DWCS 75

Advertisement

Weight class: Flyweight
Result: Sean Gauci def. Anthony Drilich via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Grade: B

Summary: Setting the tone for the night was a technical scrap between Sean Gauci and Anthony Drilich.

I’m not beyond rewarding fighters who go to a decision with an A, but there wasn’t enough output and action to get there for me. That said, it was a shame that Gauci didn’t get consideration come contract time given that he was one of the most complete fighters to compete on the entire card.

I know Dana White has gotten everyone (including myself when it comes to winner grades) to associate quick finishes with good performances, but those two things are far from mutually exclusive.

Unfortunately for Gauci, he claimed to have broken his hand early in the second frame and couldn’t make a case as strong as he would like.

It’s a shame that the UFC flew out two Australian talents who could’ve just fought on the regionals (especially given the flyweight grading curb), but I hope that Gauci and Drilich get serious consideration from the UFC matchmakers down the road.

Islam Dulatov

Islam Dulatov def. Vanilto Antunes – DWCS 75

Weight class: Welterweight
Result: Islam Dulatov def. Vanilto Antunes via knockout (elbow) – Round 1, 2:44
Grade: A

Summary: After turning the cage into a cartoon dust storm, it was hard to deny Islam Dulatov anything short of an A for his knockout over Vanilto Antunes.

As his record indicates, Dulatov is a fighter accustomed to getting things done early.

Dulatov, like other fast starters, such as Conor McGregor, appears to have the ability to lock in straight out of the gate regarding his reads on distance and openings.

Although it can be hard to tell given his enthusiasm and work rate, Dulatov appears to have solid technique and a diverse striking arsenal from which to draw. Dulatov also owns multiple submissions on his record, so I’m curious to see more of him against stiffer competition.

Signing the Chechnya-born German was a no-brainer for Dana White, so don’t be surprised to see Dulatov featured on an international card early next year.

I’m not sure who they’ll book Dulatov with, but I suspect he’d be the perfect dance partner for someone like Danny Barlow.

Mario Pinto

Mario Pinto def. Lucas Camacho – DWCS 75

Weight class: Heavyweight
Result: Mario Pinto def. Lucas Camacho via knockout (left hook) – Round 1,
Grade: A

Summary: Even though it was a quick outing, it’s difficult to deny Mario Pinto an easy A for his knockout over Lucas Comacho.

Both men seemed to be somewhat shakey at first given the height and length parity at play, but Pinto was able to be the more composed of the two by staying behind his lead hand. And once Pinto was able to establish his range, the native of Portugal smartly hooked off his jab to catch Camacho coming in.

I obviously want to see way more of Pinto before making any bold declarations, but not even I can argue with a heavyweight who actually jabs.

Considering Dane White’s Vince McMahon-like adulation for huge men, seeing Pinto get promptly signed came as no surprise to me. As far as his first assignment goes, I think Thomas “Jefferson” Peterson would be the perfect matchup to test Pinto in his promotional debut.

Kody Steele

Kody Steele def. Chasen Blair – DWCS 75

Weight class: Lightweight
Result: Kody Steele def. Chasen Blair via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:07
Grade: A

Summary: Bodyshot stoppages equal instant A’s for me, so it should be no surprise that Kody Steele gets the proverbial rubber stamp from myself and the UFC brass alike.

Looking like the second coming of Rick Story, Steele – who comes from a grappling base – showed steady pressure and bodywork en route to wearing down Blair.

In Blair’s defense, he did take the fight on a short turnaround from a fight he won in late September, so I hope to see him again on a full camp.

Steele appears ready to meet the usual standard signed for this show, but I can’t help but worry about his propensity to keep his head upright and on center in exchanges. That said, I expect solid fight-to-fight improvements from Steele, given his age and the camp he trains at.

I’m happy to see Steele get signed considering the fallout he endured during this season and wouldn’t be shocked to see him paired with someone like Mitch Ramirez for his first UFC assignment.

Artem Vakhitov

Artem Vakhitov def. Islem Masraf – DWCS 75

Advertisement

Weight class: Light heavyweight
Result: Artem Vakhitov def. Islem Masraf via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:23
Grade: A

Summary: Despite starting off a bit shaky, I felt like Artem Vakhitov showed enough in his first-round finish over Islem Masraf to earn an A from me.

When you consider that Vakhitov only recently came over from kickboxing (only having two professional MMA fights prior to this), then I feel like we should temper our expectations when it comes to both the Russian’s style and ceiling.

The clinch is quietly the most important space for strikers coming into this sport, so seeing Vakhitov gravitate toward this phase of the fight isn’t the worst thing in the world (although I suspect he was only doing it to quiet the chaos and reduce win conditions for his opponent).

So long as Vakhitov can avoid pulling his opponent on top of him like he briefly did in this bout, then I expect his competence in closed quarters to only improve from fight to fight. That said, I suspect that the UFC will be careful with how they book Vakhitov, considering his history with Alex Pereira (who apparently played a role in his former foe’s signing).

I feel bad for Yousri Belgouri, who now trains with Pereira and still didn’t get this treatment in his two swings at bat on the Contender Series, but I wasn’t surprised to see Vakhitov get the nod from Dana White and company. For my money, don’t be shocked to see Vakhitov paired up with someone like Ivan Erslan for his UFC debut.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 74.