- UFC. KSI's team pleading with Dana White to help make fight with Conor McGregor happen
- UFC. The UFC lands at the Intuit Dome: $2 billion cost, 1,400 bathrooms, one charger per seat...
Islam Makhachev (27-1) is still the UFC lightweight king and number one pound-for-pound fighter... for now. He comprehensively defeated Renato Moicano (20-6-1) to continue making history and certify his fourth title defense. It closed a night 'tainted' by Tsarukyan's injury but left a great main card with four finishes in five fights. Ilia Topuria also left several tweets from his home in Madrid.
One of them... to Makhachev himself: "Islam, if I want, I can finish you. If I want, I can knock you unconscious. I'll make it look easy. See you soon".
Islam, if I want, I can finish you off. If I want, I can knock you out
The Dagestani wobbled... if only for a moment. Renato Moicano struck him, sent him to the ground... and there he sought the safety of the takedown and submission to win Islam. But he hesitated. And Ilia Topuria smelled blood. He knows he can beat him. And it looks like the 'Matador' is not going to stop until he succeeds.
The fight between Merab Dvalishvili (19-4) and Umar Nurmagomedov (18-1) was amazing. And something happened that doesn't usually happen: Khabib, even though he was in the corner, lost. Merab's infinite cardio and suffocating pressure prevailed in a tense fight where the Georgian came from behind and took the last three rounds. He retains the bantamweight title.
Umar declared that he did not feel like a loser, he did not agree with the judges and stated that he believes he broke his hand. This, without a doubt, smells like a rematch in the not too distant future."Merab, my brother, what a fighter you are! You make us feel very proud. This is what happens when Dagestan wrestling meets Georgian wrestling," wrote Ilia Topuria after Merab's victory.
Fight of the Night?
The fight of the night was between Jiri Prochazka (31-5-1) and Jamahal Hill (12-3). It was an all-out war in which either man could have fallen, but in the end it was the king of chaos, Jiri Prochazka, who won. The Czech fighter connected with an impressive KO in the third round and put the American to sleep. He is back in the race for the light heavyweight belt.
It was a special week for him. After cutting off his iconic ponytail and announcing that he would donate $50,000 to the fight against cancer, the Samurai went out with Ashly McGarity to the ceremonial weigh-in stage to huge applause from the fans in attendance. Ashly is a fan of Jiri and is fighting cancer. Prochazka invited her to him at UFC 311. The victory, he said, was for her.
Argentinian triumph for Ailin Perez
Ailin Perez (12-2) did not fail, even though she was not the favorite. She won by unanimous decision against Karol Rosa (18-7) in a fight that was not very brilliant, but of control of the Argentine over the Brazilian. It is already five consecutive victories in the UFC.
In fact, it is a 5-0 for Ailin in the 135 pounds, and head to the TOP10 of the division. Her goal is clear, she already told MARCA in an interview after winning at UFC Paris: to fight for the belt in 2025 or early 2026.
They lost their unbeaten record
It was a night of surprises. All the undefeated went down the drain. Umar was not the only one. The most surprising was Payton Talbott (9-1). His victory over veteran Raoni Barcelos (18-5) was paid at 1.08 and he gave him a 'masterclass' of takedowns and ground control. The Nevada native has a lot to improve if he wants to be the future star he was supposed to be.
The Japanese fighter Nakamura (9-1) and the American fighter Carpenter (8-1) also lost, both by decision.