Congratulations!

[Valid Atom 1.0] This is a valid Atom 1.0 feed.

Recommendations

This feed is valid, but interoperability with the widest range of feed readers could be improved by implementing the following recommendations.

Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/rss/index.xml

  1. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
  2. <feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xml:lang="en">
  3.  <title>MMA Fighting -  All Posts</title>
  4.  <subtitle></subtitle>
  5.  <icon>https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52789/mma_minimal_navy..jpg</icon>
  6.  <updated>2025-04-30T17:32:40-04:00</updated>
  7.  <id>http://www.mmafighting.com/rss/current/</id>
  8.  <link type="text/html" href="https://www.mmafighting.com/" rel="alternate"/>
  9.  <entry>
  10.    <published>2025-04-30T17:32:40-04:00</published>
  11.    <updated>2025-04-30T17:32:40-04:00</updated>
  12.    <title>Bo Nickal explains viral fight week weigh-in video, ‘biggest cut’ of UFC career</title>
  13.    <content type="html">  
  14.  
  15.    &lt;figure&gt;
  16.      &lt;img alt="UFC 309: Jones v Miocic - Ceremonial Weigh-in" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/C0Z9OhQMg5-UlFOlH_Cf56qsMI8=/0x0:4432x2955/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74058409/2185020379.0.jpg" /&gt;
  17.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  18.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  19.  
  20.  &lt;p id="tM04JU"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5988/bo-nickal"&gt;Bo Nickal&lt;/a&gt; says he is in the middle of his biggest career weight cut for a fight in his career.&lt;/p&gt;
  21. &lt;p id="emU7T0"&gt;The wrestling standout turned MMA prodigy returns to the octagon this Saturday to face former ONE Championship titleholder Reiner de Ridder in the co-main event of &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1516/ufc-des-moines-sandhagen-vs-figueiredo"&gt;UFC Des Moines&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  22. &lt;p id="36PPEh"&gt;Nickal opened up a lot of eyes with an Instagram post earlier this week, revealing that he began fight week at a whopping 222.6 pounds. The Penn State wrestling legend was asked if that number was real, or if it was incredible gamesmanship, ahead of his biggest test to date. &lt;/p&gt;
  23. &lt;div id="kgUqnM"&gt;
  24. &lt;div data-analytics-viewport="video" data-analytics-action="volume:view:article:middle" data-analytics-label="Bo Nickal explains viral weigh-in video, 'biggest cut' of UFC career | #UFC Des Moines|119685" data-volume-uuid="ffa19f200" data-volume-id="119685" data-analytics-placement="article:middle" data-volume-placement="article" data-volume-autoplay="false" id="volume-placement-866" class="volume-video" data-volume-player-choice="youtube"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  25.  
  26. &lt;/div&gt;
  27. &lt;div id="4DIdgS"&gt;
  28. &lt;blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJCNcGQxhbu/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"&gt;&lt;div style="padding:16px;"&gt; &lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJCNcGQxhbu/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"&gt; &lt;div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"&gt; &lt;div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"&gt; &lt;div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  29. &lt;/div&gt;
  30. &lt;/div&gt;
  31. &lt;div style="padding: 19% 0;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"&gt;&lt;svg width="50px" height="50px" viewbox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"&gt;&lt;g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"&gt;&lt;g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"&gt;&lt;g&gt;&lt;path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"&gt;&lt;/path&gt;&lt;/g&gt;&lt;/g&gt;&lt;/g&gt;&lt;/svg&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  32. &lt;div style="padding-top: 8px;"&gt; &lt;div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"&gt;View this post on Instagram&lt;/div&gt;
  33. &lt;/div&gt;
  34. &lt;div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"&gt;
  35. &lt;div&gt; &lt;div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  36. &lt;/div&gt;
  37. &lt;div style="margin-left: 8px;"&gt; &lt;div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  38. &lt;/div&gt;
  39. &lt;div style="margin-left: auto;"&gt; &lt;div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  40. &lt;/div&gt;
  41. &lt;/div&gt; &lt;div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"&gt; &lt;div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  42. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJCNcGQxhbu/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank"&gt;A post shared by Bo Nickal (@nobickal1)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  43. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  44. &lt;script async="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  45. &lt;/div&gt;
  46. &lt;p id="Zcx8eJ"&gt;“A big part of my last camp these last few months has been to bulk up,” Nickal told MMA Fighting.  “I felt like that’s something that I wanted to focus on was getting my weight a little higher and making sure that I’m a full-size middleweight. So coming in at the weight, it’s just part of the job for me. Bringing the weight down is something that I’m used to.&lt;/p&gt;
  47. &lt;p id="6aJu5F"&gt;“With wrestling, I’ve weighed in in hundreds of times since I’ve been at a young age and it’s business as usual for me. So that was definitely a little more than what I’m used to, but part of the job. No worries. ...&lt;/p&gt;
  48. &lt;p id="UuuLqp"&gt;“It was a little heavier than what I expected, and I was wearing a hoodie and stuff like that, so it was a little less than what we saw on the scale, but, yeah, I knew I had a lot of work to do at that moment, but it is again, part of the job.”&lt;/p&gt;
  49. &lt;p id="GuJOB6"&gt;Nickal is coming off of a pay-per-view main card victory over &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/3883/paul-craig"&gt;Paul Craig&lt;/a&gt; this past November at &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1485/ufc-309"&gt;UFC 309&lt;/a&gt; in New York City — which he did in front of current President Donald Trump. &lt;/p&gt;
  50. &lt;p id="RWtM3V"&gt;The 29-year-old was asked if this will be his largest cut to make weight in his short MMA tenure this week. &lt;/p&gt;
  51. &lt;p id="SeiG5D"&gt;“It’s the biggest cut [for a fight] for sure,” Nickal explained. “I think that I’m always looking to adjust things and make sure that I’m, in each camp and each training cycle, improving and getting better, and I felt like the [extra] size is something that’s good for me.”&lt;/p&gt;
  52. &lt;p id="xaAqSc"&gt;The American Top Team standout is 4-0 inside the octagon since earning a contract on &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2230/dana-white"&gt;Dana White&lt;/a&gt;’s Contender Series. Nickal also competed at the historic &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1438/ufc-300"&gt;UFC 300&lt;/a&gt; event in April 2024 where he stopped &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5440/cody-brundage"&gt;Cody Brundage&lt;/a&gt; via submission in the second round. &lt;/p&gt;
  53. &lt;p id="HipmmM"&gt;When asked for a mid-week update on his weight cut, Nickal is keeping the mystery to himself. &lt;/p&gt;
  54. &lt;p id="nkyVhC"&gt;“Let’s just say I’m a little lighter than what I was earlier this week,” Nickal said. “Yeah, I’m no longer at that weight.”&lt;/p&gt;
  55. &lt;p id="oed9W6"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  56. &lt;p id="Einrgp"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  57.  
  58. </content>
  59.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/30/24421204/bo-nickal-explains-viral-fight-week-weigh-in-video-biggest-cut-of-ufc-career"/>
  60.    <id>https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/30/24421204/bo-nickal-explains-viral-fight-week-weigh-in-video-biggest-cut-of-ufc-career</id>
  61.    <author>
  62.      <name>Mike Heck</name>
  63.    </author>
  64.  </entry>
  65.  <entry>
  66.    <published>2025-04-30T17:30:00-04:00</published>
  67.    <updated>2025-04-30T17:30:00-04:00</updated>
  68.    <title>Garcia vs. Romero press conference video</title>
  69.    <content type="html">  
  70.  
  71.    &lt;figure&gt;
  72.      &lt;img alt="Fatal Fury: Ryan Garcia v Rolando “Rolly” Romero" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dcjd3cOnovgWRRtwaeKKtm9aHPg=/0x0:6634x4423/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74058406/2204442023.0.jpg" /&gt;
  73.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  74.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  75.  
  76.  &lt;p id="603O2U"&gt;The Garcia vs. Romero press conference will feature the top boxers at Friday’s event in Times Square in New York City.&lt;/p&gt;
  77. &lt;p id="HJyHnG"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/6485/ryan-garcia"&gt;Ryan Garcia&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/6484/devin-haney"&gt;Devin Haney&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/6479/teofimo-lopez"&gt;Teofimo Lopez&lt;/a&gt;, and many more are slated to attend Wednesday’s press conference. It is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET.&lt;/p&gt;
  78.  
  79. </content>
  80.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/30/24420932/garcia-vs-romero-press-conference-video"/>
  81.    <id>https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/30/24420932/garcia-vs-romero-press-conference-video</id>
  82.    <author>
  83.      <name>MMA Fighting Newswire</name>
  84.    </author>
  85.  </entry>
  86.  <entry>
  87.    <published>2025-04-30T17:00:00-04:00</published>
  88.    <updated>2025-04-30T17:00:00-04:00</updated>
  89.    <title>‘UFC or bust’: Kai Kamaka determined to return to old stomping grounds after PFL, GFL stints</title>
  90.    <content type="html">  
  91.  
  92.    &lt;figure&gt;
  93.      &lt;img alt="2024 PFL 9: Washington DC Playoffs" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KLUtsj7F0CXqOKFb7XvSFIfwtuE=/0x0:7352x4901/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74058366/2168150076.0.jpg" /&gt;
  94.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  95.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  96.  
  97.  &lt;p id="Wi8V0n"&gt;Kai Kamaka never took his first stint with the UFC for granted, but now he’s more determined than ever before to return to his old stomping ground.&lt;/p&gt;
  98. &lt;p id="GJRVCr"&gt;The 22-fight veteran only spent four fights with the UFC before his contract wasn’t renewed, but it didn’t take long for Bellator to snap him up with a contract offer. Kamaka spent the next two years competing there while amassing a 4-1 record overall with his only loss coming via split decision.&lt;/p&gt;
  99. &lt;p id="5bzwYR"&gt;But his final fight with Bellator came at the same time as rumors started to circulate that the promotion was up for sale. Barely a month after he defeated &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/3270/henry-corrales"&gt;Henry Corrales&lt;/a&gt;, Bellator officially sold to the PFL and Kamaka had a new home yet again.&lt;/p&gt;
  100. &lt;p id="H3nhAr"&gt;“I had the weird UFC stint [but] I’m doing well in Bellator, picking up steam, climbing those rankings, the competition starts picking up,” Kamaka told MMA Fighting. “[I’m] kind of getting my feet under me on my athletic fighting side where the competition can step up and then boom, I’m doing well. Then I fight [Henry] Corrales, but before I fight Corrales, the rumors are coming that [Bellator] is going to sell. Eventually they sell shortly after if not at that event.&lt;/p&gt;
  101. &lt;p id="oCDnAS"&gt;“I end up in the transition of the PFL. My competition goes up again. &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/1002/bubba-jenkins"&gt;Bubba Jenkins&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5088/pedro-carvalho"&gt;Pedro Carvalho&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2052/brendan-loughnane"&gt;Brendan Loughnane&lt;/a&gt;, do well to where I’m the backup in the championship fight for the PFL.”&lt;/p&gt;
  102. &lt;p id="9pRzom"&gt;Kamaka joined the 2024 PFL season at featherweight where he went 2-1, but he fell to Loughnane in another hard-fought split decision in the semifinals.&lt;/p&gt;
  103. &lt;p id="v7EjvS"&gt;While he appreciated the offer to serve as the backup for the final fight of the season, Kamaka ultimately had to pass on the opportunity.&lt;/p&gt;
  104. &lt;p id="142ozU"&gt;“I don’t end up going to Saudi Arabia because we know the backup situation for PFL is not a good one,” Kamaka explained. “You make $10,000 for a world title fight as a backup. It just didn’t make a whole lot of sense, especially for my team.&lt;/p&gt;
  105. &lt;p id="rAxEhw"&gt;“We’re going to go to Saudi Arabia as a backup with no other card opportunity. That’s a lot of money that we’re not making. We don’t go because they’re not giving us anymore incentive. Give us an undercard fight and we can all make this make sense to go to Saudi Arabia.”&lt;/p&gt;
  106. &lt;p id="ocgvs7"&gt;After passing on the backup role for the PFL Finals card, Kamaka received word that the promotion was interested in bring him back for the next year but the format is changing from a regular season and playoffs to a straight up tournament. The prize money also changed with the eventual champion earning $500,000 versus the $1 million handed out for the season long format previously held by the PFL.&lt;/p&gt;
  107. &lt;p id="5SDHJ2"&gt;But the money wasn’t a deterrent that prevented Kamaka from returning to the PFL.&lt;/p&gt;
  108. &lt;p id="K7IfNF"&gt;It was the actual contract term.&lt;/p&gt;
  109. &lt;p id="AMA4tT"&gt;“It was like Christmas Eve, and they sent out new year contracts and just in general term it’s a three-year contract,” Kamaka revealed. “So that’s pretty long term in MMA. My pay wouldn’t go up and it was guaranteed only six fights in three years.&lt;/p&gt;
  110. &lt;p id="Vbwdnb"&gt;“I’m like I just hit my prime. My ultimate goal, much like other people, is to get back to the UFC, especially for me to rewrite that first time. I’m like I don’t know if I want to do that. It’s not life changing money to change my dreams. I’m like can we negotiate? Can we bring this term down?”&lt;/p&gt;
  111. &lt;p id="5xC5sa"&gt;Kamaka says PFL did offer him a one-year deal for two fights, but he wouldn’t be part of the tournament.&lt;/p&gt;
  112. &lt;p id="BkbtzE"&gt;While he was still weighing his options, Kamaka started hearing about a new upstart promotion called Global Fight League that was signing a slew of veteran fighters, most of whom built their names in the UFC.&lt;/p&gt;
  113. &lt;p id="WZpJDP"&gt;A lot of contracts were handed out with a ton of money being promised to the athletes, but Kamaka wasn’t oblivious to the fact that GFL might end up being a pipe dream just based on the sheer amount of fighters the promotion was signing.&lt;/p&gt;
  114. &lt;p id="Aj4ZGY"&gt;Still, Kamaka took a shot and ultimately signed with GFL, but he did so with his eyes wide open about the possibility that the promotion might not ever get off the ground.&lt;/p&gt;
  115. &lt;p id="IqPVpo"&gt;“These guys are offering money,” Kamaka said. “We can do it here, make money and get back to the UFC. I can get those regional level fights at the GFL. I’m literally stepping into my prime, fighting older competition and with names. That’s a plan.”&lt;/p&gt;
  116. &lt;p id="DeUZE0"&gt;Sadly, Kamaka’s fears were realized after GFL cancelled two debut cards planned for May with no definitive word on whether or not the events are actually going to be rescheduled. Many fighters who signed contracts with the GFL have already spoken out the whole ordeal with UFC veteran and former BKFC champion &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/495/alan-belcher"&gt;Alan Belcher&lt;/a&gt; calling the whole mess a “scam.”&lt;/p&gt;
  117. &lt;p id="3u9Uej"&gt;Kamaka doesn’t disagree based on his own experience but GFL cancelling those cards once again left him without a place to fight and the months of inactivity were starting to mount.&lt;/p&gt;
  118. &lt;p id="UQraAZ"&gt;He finally got booked at a Tuff-N-Uff card in Las Vegas where Kamaka scored a second-round knockout win over &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5820/joshua-weems"&gt;Joshua Weems&lt;/a&gt; in his first action in eight months.&lt;/p&gt;
  119. &lt;p id="xIl9Bq"&gt;The win combined with the tumultuous ride he’s endured ever since Bellator was sold served as the best possible motivation to convince Kamaka that he needed to get back to the UFC.&lt;/p&gt;
  120. &lt;p id="FsliV4"&gt;“That’s where my heart is,” Kamaka said. “That’s why I moved my family to Las Vegas. That’s your MMA moment is getting that call to the UFC. You don’t get that feeling unless it’s the UFC. You don’t get that draft day moment unless it’s the UFC.”&lt;/p&gt;
  121. &lt;p id="9WMLPA"&gt;Truth be told, Kamaka doesn’t hold any ill will towards PFL, GFL or anybody else but deep down inside, he always knew that the longterm goal was getting back to the UFC. The way things played out over these past couple of years only strengthened his resolve.&lt;/p&gt;
  122. &lt;p id="yyYt48"&gt;“I’m here to bash any promotion,” Kamaka said. “Business is hard. You’ve got to make it work, but it makes it hard for us because it’s like what are we chasing?”&lt;/p&gt;
  123. &lt;p id="MPN9Ee"&gt;“My personal frustration is I want to get back to the UFC and I’m doing whatever I can to make that happen. I’m fighting the best outside [the UFC]. In Bellator, I was fighting the best level that I could.”&lt;/p&gt;
  124. &lt;p id="AFN3IH"&gt;From the day he started fighting MMA, Kamaka always wanted to make it to the UFC and eventually earning a contract there was a dream come true.&lt;/p&gt;
  125. &lt;p id="DnLLVX"&gt;Sadly, Kamaka’s UFC tenure only lasted four fights but now with nearly four years passed and a lot more experience on his record, he feels like he’s truly ready to go back.&lt;/p&gt;
  126. &lt;p id="9QXmwS"&gt;“There’s no doubt about it. I always wanted to be back,” Kamaka said. “To me growing up, it’s UFC or bust. Whatever that meant, that might mean I got to LFA or the Bellator prelims, this or that, but if I just kept striving for UFC or bust [and] that just told me to be the best. Be the best version I can. Now, this business outside keeps changing and now it really is UFC or bust.”&lt;/p&gt;
  127. &lt;p id="dyyM60"&gt;As much as he wants to go back to the UFC, Kamaka recognizes that his return might really come down to timing and opportunity. Fighters fall off cards all the time and replacements are needed on short notice but that’s no different than how the majority of his appearances in the UFC came together anyways.&lt;/p&gt;
  128. &lt;p id="CtPhsb"&gt;“At 25 years old, my four fights in the UFC, I had one camp,” Kamaka said. “I had one actual timed camp. A camp meant longer than four days’ notice for Tony Kelley. I had seven days’ notice for &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5151/jonathan-pearce"&gt;Jonathan Pearce&lt;/a&gt; and two weeks’ notice for &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5395/danny-chavez"&gt;Danny Chavez&lt;/a&gt;. I had one camp for &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5279/t-j-brown"&gt;T.J. Brown&lt;/a&gt;. I didn’t even have a true time in the UFC. I had a year and a half of three short notice fights.&lt;/p&gt;
  129. &lt;p id="f7SJP5"&gt;“That mentality is right now the same coming in but now I’m much more seasoned to be doing that kind of thing. Of course this next one is probably going to come on those terms. I’ve already faced that fact. But I also have a lot more experience going into that cage, my fight IQ is way higher than what it was. That mentality is now.”&lt;/p&gt;
  130.  
  131. </content>
  132.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/30/24420800/ufc-or-bust-kai-kamaka-determined-to-return-to-old-stomping-grounds-after-experience-with-pfl-gfl"/>
  133.    <id>https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/30/24420800/ufc-or-bust-kai-kamaka-determined-to-return-to-old-stomping-grounds-after-experience-with-pfl-gfl</id>
  134.    <author>
  135.      <name>Damon Martin</name>
  136.    </author>
  137.  </entry>
  138.  <entry>
  139.    <published>2025-04-30T15:00:00-04:00</published>
  140.    <updated>2025-04-30T15:00:00-04:00</updated>
  141.    <title>Coach discusses Ian Machado Garry’s short preparation for UFC 315 backup role: ‘We have to train for a war’</title>
  142.    <content type="html">  
  143.  
  144.    &lt;figure&gt;
  145.      &lt;img alt="UFC Fight Night: Machado Garry v Prates" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5EcdbxFwds3n2mBWB2pehg6Rpso=/1x0:7327x4884/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74058102/2212171235.0.jpg" /&gt;
  146.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Ian Machado Garry with Diego Lima and his coaches at UFC Kansas City | Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  147.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  148.  
  149.  &lt;p id="KM8bOL"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5801/ian-machado-garry"&gt;Ian Machado Garry&lt;/a&gt; is once again facing a short camp in the UFC - this time for a fight that might even not happen.&lt;/p&gt;
  150. &lt;p id="C27PFB"&gt;After stepping in on a month’s notice to hand knockout artist &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/6379/carlos-prates"&gt;Carlos Prates&lt;/a&gt; his first defeat in the octagon, Garry will serve as the backup fighter for the &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1512/ufc-315-muhammad-vs-maddalena"&gt;UFC 315&lt;/a&gt; welterweight title match between &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2063/belal-muhammad"&gt;Belal Muhammad&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5772/jack-della-maddalena"&gt;Jack Della Maddalena&lt;/a&gt; on May 10.&lt;/p&gt;
  151. &lt;p id="qNp75K"&gt;The Chute Boxe fighter will only have two weeks between both events, and his head coach Diego Lima told MMA Fighting he will do his best to be prepared to enter the cage in Canada if necessary.&lt;/p&gt;
  152. &lt;p id="qkKIAk"&gt;“We have to train for a war, to train as if we’re fighting,” Lima said. “The moment you’re the backup fighter, that fight can get cancelled. When [Islam] Makhachev was fighting Arman [Tsarukyan in January], we offered [to be the backup], Charles [Oliveira] asked a lot, and the UFC said, ‘No, Charles won’t be the backup. Get some rest, you just fought. You deserve a vacation. Be there as the guest fighter.’ And on Friday, the day of the weigh-ins, the fight was off. Even if you don’t believe it, anything can happen.”&lt;/p&gt;
  153. &lt;p id="XP0hij"&gt;Garry fought five rounds with Rakhmonov in December, almost tapping the undefeated talent in the end, and also went 25 minutes versus Prates. Garry was hurt in the fifth, but had done enough in the previous rounds to walk away with the decision victory this time.&lt;/p&gt;
  154. &lt;p id="BHw3wi"&gt;“You can’t come out unscathed after a 25-minute war,” Lima said. “Thank God they both avoided serious injuries. The important thing right now is to recover from the injuries, get some rest, and then go back to light training after four five days. Move the body in training, do some light sparring. It’s difficult because you have to train everything, and time they have two complete different styles. Fighting Belal is one thing, and Maddalena is totally different. We have to work on conditioning to get better for both in case something happens. I don’t think this fight will fall off, but we have to go there expecting it to get cancelled.”&lt;/p&gt;
  155. &lt;p id="tNN4qK"&gt;Lima, who has trained Prates in the past, celebrated that Garry was able to impose the gameplan with perfection at &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1513/ufc-kansas-city-garry-vs-prates"&gt;UFC Kansas City&lt;/a&gt;, Aside from the final minute, when Prates rocked the Irish talent, and Prates’ takedown defense, Garry had no trouble controlling the match.&lt;/p&gt;
  156. &lt;p id="bAemQn"&gt;“Ian always stays light, he’s always training, so he’s ready for any opportunity,” Lima said. “Every fighter dreams with entering in the UFC, and when they do, they dream with winning the belt. Ian is super young but already very experienced. His penultimate fight was a loss, but he came out bigger than before. He’s showing how good he is, and he deserves this opportunity.”&lt;/p&gt;
  157. &lt;p id="o1fCJ3"&gt;“Ian deserves it,” he continued. “Not only for taking another fight on short notice, but for delivering in the octagon. He’s a complete fighter. He came close to submitting [Rakhmonov] last time around, and now he did a great fight with Carlos, dominating all rounds, minus the fifth. He’s proving he has what it takes, that he deserves it. Both times the UFC needed him, he answered the call.”&lt;/p&gt;
  158.  
  159. </content>
  160.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/30/24420175/coach-diego-lima-ian-machado-garry-ufc-315-backup-role-train-for-a-war"/>
  161.    <id>https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/30/24420175/coach-diego-lima-ian-machado-garry-ufc-315-backup-role-train-for-a-war</id>
  162.    <author>
  163.      <name>Guilherme Cruz</name>
  164.    </author>
  165.  </entry>
  166.  <entry>
  167.    <published>2025-04-30T13:38:28-04:00</published>
  168.    <updated>2025-04-30T13:38:28-04:00</updated>
  169.    <title>Taila Santos suspended 6 months for failing drug test</title>
  170.    <content type="html">  
  171.  
  172.    &lt;figure&gt;
  173.      &lt;img alt="2024 PFL 7: Nashville Playoffs" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FJSScgOQ71d5PNqPsgbG7YVGkLI=/0x0:7758x5172/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74057923/2164497337.0.jpg" /&gt;
  174.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  175.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  176.  
  177.  &lt;p id="MPFvT2"&gt;The reason for &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/3742/taila-santos"&gt;Taila Santos&lt;/a&gt;’ removal from the PFL flyweight grand prix has been revealed.&lt;/p&gt;
  178. &lt;p id="PcGRru"&gt;The one-time UFC title challenger, now PFL fighter has accepted a six-month suspension &lt;a href="https://www.usada.org/sanction/taila-santos-accepts-doping-sanction/"&gt;from the United States Anti-Doping Agency&lt;/a&gt; for testing positive for oxandrolone and clenbuterol, stemming from an out-of-competition test on March 21. &lt;/p&gt;
  179. &lt;p id="z4h2up"&gt;According to the release, oxandrolone and clenbuterol are “non–specified Substances in the class of Anabolic Agents, which are prohibited at all times under the PFL Anti-Doping Policy and PFL Prohibited List.”&lt;/p&gt;
  180. &lt;p id="UffYAv"&gt;Santos was scheduled to face &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/4308/juliana-velasquez"&gt;Juliana Velasquez&lt;/a&gt; at &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1519/pfl-2-higo-vs-alves"&gt;PFL 2&lt;/a&gt; earlier this month before withdrawing, and has been removed from the division’s World Tournament. Santos is eligible to compete again on Sept. 21 following the conclusion of her sentence. &lt;/p&gt;
  181. &lt;p id="dHSVeb"&gt;The 31-year-old Santos made it to the finals of the 2024 season before she was finished by &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/6085/dakota-ditcheva"&gt;Dakota Ditcheva&lt;/a&gt; in dominant fashion at the PFL World Championship card in November. Santos signed with PFL following a seven-fight stint in the UFC, which includes a decision loss to &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/3494/valentina-shevchenko"&gt;Valentina Shevchenko&lt;/a&gt; in her lone championship opportunity at &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1295/ufc-275"&gt;UFC 275&lt;/a&gt; in June 2022. &lt;/p&gt;
  182. &lt;p id="xCQsX8"&gt;The 26-fight UFC vet competed for the final time in the octagon at &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1399/ufc-singapore-holloway-vs-the-korean-zombie"&gt;UFC Singapore&lt;/a&gt; in August 2023, losing a decision to &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/4534/erin-blanchfield"&gt;Erin Blanchfield&lt;/a&gt; before being given her release from the promotion. &lt;/p&gt;
  183.  
  184. </content>
  185.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/30/24421088/taila-santos-suspended-6-months-for-failing-drug-test"/>
  186.    <id>https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/30/24421088/taila-santos-suspended-6-months-for-failing-drug-test</id>
  187.    <author>
  188.      <name>Mike Heck</name>
  189.    </author>
  190.  </entry>
  191.  <entry>
  192.    <published>2025-04-30T13:00:00-04:00</published>
  193.    <updated>2025-04-30T13:00:00-04:00</updated>
  194.    <title>Reinier de Ridder explains why he favors Dricus du Plessis over Khamzat Chimaev after training with both</title>
  195.    <content type="html">  
  196.  
  197.    &lt;figure&gt;
  198.      &lt;img alt="UFC 311: Makhachev vs Moicano" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Xqsbv3xD6o_pw06ZY98PLiU67tQ=/0x0:3965x2643/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74057822/2194638889.0.jpg" /&gt;
  199.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Harry How/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  200.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  201.  
  202.  &lt;p id="TeDN2Q"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5633/reinier-de-ridder"&gt;Reinier de Ridder&lt;/a&gt; promised he wasn’t wasting any time after signing with the UFC and his co-main event against &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5988/bo-nickal"&gt;Bo Nickal&lt;/a&gt; on Saturday at &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1516/ufc-des-moines-sandhagen-vs-figueiredo"&gt;UFC Des Moines&lt;/a&gt; could put him on the cusp of title contention with a win.&lt;/p&gt;
  203. &lt;p id="wVJzB5"&gt;Already 2-0 in the organization, the former two-division ONE champion has a chance to knock off one of the brightest prospects in the sport, which could arguably do more for him than taking out a higher ranked opponent. While de Ridder knows he’s almost certainly not going to get a title shot with just one more win, he expects beating Nickal to put him on the short list of potential contenders who will eventually battle for the chance to face the winner of the upcoming fight between middleweight champion &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5478/dricus-du-plessis"&gt;Dricus du Plessis&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5368/khamzat-chimaev"&gt;Khamzat Chimaev&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  204. &lt;p id="scsmKf"&gt;“That’s what I’m thinking,” de Ridder told MMA Fighting about his title fight hopes. “Because a lot of guys at the top have already fought each other so yeah, who knows. If I can do this the right way, choke him out early, I think I have something to say at least.”&lt;/p&gt;
  205. &lt;p id="FJAlzJ"&gt;As a middleweight working his way up the rankings, de Ridder always had a vested interest in the title fight between du Plessis and Chimaev, which is still awaiting an actual date in 2025.&lt;/p&gt;
  206. &lt;p id="KE2IdZ"&gt;But more than just watching as a possible opponent for the winner down the road, de Ridder also spent time working with both du Plessis and Chimaev in the past so he’s got a little more knowledge on how this matchup might actually play out.&lt;/p&gt;
  207. &lt;p id="QKAEMH"&gt;“I’ve had some experience with both of the guys. I’ve trained with both of them,” de Ridder said. “I’d say especially in a five round fight, Khamzat is most likely going to come out guns blazing again, shoot right away but Dricus is not that easy to take down. He moves very well, although it looks a bit funny at times. His footwork is not that bad. He gets out. He circles pretty well.&lt;/p&gt;
  208. &lt;p id="T8kj5u"&gt;“I don’t see Khamzat taking him down right away and to be honest, I don’t see Khamzat choking him out in the first round.”&lt;/p&gt;
  209. &lt;p id="PpeuhW"&gt;If Chimaev can’t get the early finish, de Ridder expects du Plessis to really take over with each passing minute in the fight.&lt;/p&gt;
  210. &lt;p id="pFvkJz"&gt;“Every round he doesn’t choke him out is going to get worse for him,” de Ridder said about Chimaev. “Because with that unorthodox style of Dricus and those heavy hands, I think it might be a long night for Khamzat.”&lt;/p&gt;
  211. &lt;p id="L8Nrh2"&gt;Since first arriving in the UFC, du Plessis has continuously found ways to surprise his opponents despite not always employing the most traditional techniques.&lt;/p&gt;
  212. &lt;p id="6f2yO2"&gt;As awkward as it looks at times, de Ridder believes that’s what makes du Plessis such a difficult matchup because it’s nearly impossible to predict what he’ll do next.&lt;/p&gt;
  213. &lt;p id="WAom04"&gt;“He keeps going,” de Ridder said. “That’s the crazy thing. He looks dead tired, the technique [just goes out the door] but somehow he stays strong, stays very explosive. I’m going with Dricus but Khamzat would be cool, too, if it gets it. But I think Dricus has a good chance.”&lt;/p&gt;
  214. &lt;p id="gIKglk"&gt;Years before both of them were in the UFC, de Ridder actually spent time in the same regional organization as du Plessis but they never crossed paths. They eventually trained together and de Ridder has nothing but praise for the time he spent working with du Plessis but that won’t stop him from going after his UFC title.&lt;/p&gt;
  215. &lt;p id="VWLlHp"&gt;“Dricus is a good dude, too, by the way,” de Ridder said. “Because of the language, I can understand what he says in Afrikaans. He’s pretty similar to his fighting style — all over the place, ADHD — but very nice, very friendly guy. I think that would be a very cool fight to get down the line.”&lt;/p&gt;
  216. &lt;p id="OUF70f"&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
  217.  
  218. </content>
  219.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/30/24420351/reinier-de-ridder-explains-why-he-favors-dricus-du-plessis-over-khamzat-chimaev-after-training-both"/>
  220.    <id>https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/30/24420351/reinier-de-ridder-explains-why-he-favors-dricus-du-plessis-over-khamzat-chimaev-after-training-both</id>
  221.    <author>
  222.      <name>Damon Martin</name>
  223.    </author>
  224.  </entry>
  225.  <entry>
  226.    <published>2025-04-30T12:00:00-04:00</published>
  227.    <updated>2025-04-30T12:00:00-04:00</updated>
  228.    <title>Din Thomas makes Tom Aspinall prediction for UFC 317 main event, questions Jon Jones reign</title>
  229.    <content type="html">  
  230.  
  231.    &lt;figure&gt;
  232.      &lt;img alt="UFC 309: Jones v Miocic" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YQTmirQmMzKUpRfxIakh1VYG33U=/0x0:7556x5037/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74057705/2185190026.0.jpg" /&gt;
  233.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Jon Jones | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  234.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  235.  
  236.  &lt;p id="10Wioc"&gt;UFC 317 is just around the corner with no main event in sight, and &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2318/din-thomas"&gt;Din Thomas&lt;/a&gt; hopes the the organization has a plan.&lt;/p&gt;
  237. &lt;p id="c9hGno"&gt;The UFC analyst recently spoke to &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9SKgtvXn3o"&gt;MMA Junkie&lt;/a&gt; and shared his thoughts on how the June 28 pay-per-view event in Las Vegas - which headlines UFC’s annual International Fight Week - can be set if the matchmakers can line up interim heavyweight champion &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5355/tom-aspinall"&gt;Tom Aspinall&lt;/a&gt; for the card.&lt;/p&gt;
  238. &lt;p id="Ss5JI9"&gt;Aspinall - the No. 1 heavyweight in the &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/3/13/24384030/mma-divisional-rankings-magomed-ankalaev-title-charge-leads-slow-start-to-2025"&gt;MMA Fighting Global Rankings&lt;/a&gt; - currently awaits his next assignment after successfully defending his interim title against &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/3622/curtis-blaydes"&gt;Curtis Blaydes&lt;/a&gt; in July 2024. Since winning that belt at &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1406/ufc-295"&gt;UFC 295&lt;/a&gt;, he has set his sights on undisputed champion &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/47/jon-jones"&gt;Jon Jones&lt;/a&gt;, who has frequently stated he is not interested in fighting the British star.&lt;/p&gt;
  239. &lt;p id="kdioxR"&gt;Jones or not, Thomas believes UFC 317 should be built around Aspinall.&lt;/p&gt;
  240. &lt;p id="kgZqs6"&gt;“I’m thinking you have to go Tom Aspinall somewhere in this,” Thomas said. “You have to. How do you not go with the heavyweight champion of the world? He wants to fight in the summer. I’m thinking you have to go Tom Aspinall somewhere. Now whether that’s Jon Jones, &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5037/ciryl-gane"&gt;Ciryl Gane&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/939/derrick-lewis"&gt;Derrick Lewis&lt;/a&gt;, I don’t know which one, but it’s got to be Tom Aspinall vs. somebody for International Fight Week to kick things off.”&lt;/p&gt;
  241. &lt;p id="f07t1c"&gt;“I think they convince Tom Aspinall to fight Ciryl Gane,” Thomas later added. “I think if I had to put my money on it, I think that’s the one... we’re two months out and I think they’ll throw a number at Ciryl Gane. It won’t be ideal for him, but they’ll throw a number that he can’t refuse and he’ll have to take it and I think it makes more sense that way.”&lt;/p&gt;
  242. &lt;aside id="PuZTU0"&gt;&lt;div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Georges St-Pierre gives advice to Tom Aspinall over Jon Jones situation","url":"https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/29/24419842/morning-report-georges-st-pierre-gives-advice-to-tom-aspinall-over-jon-jones-situation"},{"title":"Tom Aspinall’s father frustrated over waiting for Jon Jones fight: ‘It’s just a massive pain in the ass’","url":"https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/28/24419345/tom-aspinalls-father-frustrated-over-waiting-for-jon-jones-fight-its-just-a-massive-pain-in-the-ass"}]}'&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/aside&gt;&lt;p id="JetVTO"&gt;Aspinall and Gane have also gone back-and-forth publicly about a potential matchup, though nothing has materialized on that front either. Gane is currently on a two-fight win streak, with his most recent outing this past December seeing him eke out a controversial split decision over &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/850/alexander-volkov"&gt;Alexander Volkov&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  243. &lt;p id="JeiQIV"&gt;The last time fans saw Jones, he was making light work of all-time heavyweight great &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/775/stipe-miocic"&gt;Stipe Miocic&lt;/a&gt; at &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1485/ufc-309"&gt;UFC 309&lt;/a&gt; this past November. Jones and Miocic were supposed to fight in November 2024, but a pectoral injury put Jones on the shelf. The UFC kept the matchup locked in, leaving Aspinall and the rest of the heavyweight division to wait for Jones’ return for their shot at the undisputed title.&lt;/p&gt;
  244. &lt;p id="mmcH53"&gt;Currently, it’s unclear whether a Jones vs. Aspinall matchup is being held up by Jones’ demands for more money and preparation time, the UFC simply not booking the fight, or an issue on Aspinall’s side. Jones needing more time to get ready for Aspinall is one excuse Thomas is not buying.&lt;/p&gt;
  245. &lt;p id="fKuoKi"&gt;“There’s no way Jon Jones accepts that fight,” Thomas said. “But here’s the thing, he says he needs more time to prepare. It’s not like he didn’t know about this for the last two years. We knew about this before the Stipe fight that he’d eventually have to fight Tom Aspinall. How has he not been preparing for this if he had any idea in his head that he was going to have this fight? He has to be ready in his head that this was going to happen.&lt;/p&gt;
  246. &lt;p id="7Wpd8R"&gt;“So the more and more time that passes, the more and more I think that Jon is just pulling us along and may not ever take this fight.”&lt;/p&gt;
  247. &lt;p id="H73jSZ"&gt;Jones has previously stated &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/2024/11/17/24298622/jon-jones-wants-f-ck-you-money-to-face-tom-aspinall-he-needs-me"&gt;he would like “f*ck you” money&lt;/a&gt; to accept a fight with Aspinall, which complicates any potential negotiations. Thomas, a veteran of 36 pro bouts, doesn’t blame Jones for knowing his worth.&lt;/p&gt;
  248. &lt;p id="A9CXno"&gt;“That’s the problem with fighter leverage,” Thomas said. “As a fighter, you go through so much to get to where you are, wherever that is, and when you can really start to call your own shots, think about all the guys who’ve had the leverage and it’s only a few of them. &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/1859/conor-mcgregor"&gt;Conor McGregor&lt;/a&gt; being one, Jon Jones being the other, and once they’re in a position to where they can string you along, they’re going to do it. They’re going to go, ‘You know what? After all you guys put me through, y’all going to feel this one.’&lt;/p&gt;
  249. &lt;p id="nBBxJq"&gt;“And they’ve put us through it. Jon has strung us along, Conor has strung us along, and now we’ve got to sit and eat it because we done gave these guys all the leverage. They done got all the cards in their hands.”&lt;/p&gt;
  250. &lt;p id="o2IWsT"&gt;Thomas was also asked about a recent &lt;a href="https://x.com/espnmma/status/1916502596136677733"&gt;ESPN MMA&lt;/a&gt; graphic that dubiously touted the length of Jones’ heavyweight championship reign. Not only did the statistic seemingly ignore the existence of interim champion Aspinall, it also fails to mention that Jones has only defended his title once.&lt;/p&gt;
  251. &lt;p id="EOdkHq"&gt;“Undisputed?” Thomas said. “And the longest reign? The way we can kind of manipulate numbers to make something seem great. I’m not hating, I’ve just got to call it like it is. I’ve always got to call it like it is. I’m not hating. I love Jon. I think he is the greatest of all time. But it don’t last forever. Your reign doesn’t last forever. And then when it’s over, you can kind of massage the numbers to make them seem greater and that’s exactly what we’re doing here.&lt;/p&gt;
  252. &lt;p id="3Rg8RC"&gt;“We’re manipulating these stats and the situation and the narrative to make it seem better than it is, but the reality is, he fought Stipe and he got the title from Ciryl Gane, who was deathly afraid of him. He hasn’t been on this run of heavyweights where he’s been tearing guys up.”&lt;/p&gt;
  253.  
  254. </content>
  255.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/30/24420923/din-thomas-makes-tom-aspinall-prediction-for-ufc-317-main-event-questions-jon-jones-reign"/>
  256.    <id>https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/30/24420923/din-thomas-makes-tom-aspinall-prediction-for-ufc-317-main-event-questions-jon-jones-reign</id>
  257.    <author>
  258.      <name>Alexander K. Lee</name>
  259.    </author>
  260.  </entry>
  261.  <entry>
  262.    <published>2025-04-30T11:00:00-04:00</published>
  263.    <updated>2025-04-30T11:00:00-04:00</updated>
  264.    <title>Belal Muhammad will walk out with Palestinian flag at UFC 315: ‘Nothing is going to stop me from doing it’</title>
  265.    <content type="html">  
  266.  
  267.    &lt;figure&gt;
  268.      &lt;img alt="UFC 304: Edwards v Muhammad 2" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CaTH7OZgCV1utOL69oNoTmC4weM=/0x0:7153x4769/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74057583/2163999154.0.jpg" /&gt;
  269.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  270.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  271.  
  272.  &lt;p id="A9fkEj"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2063/belal-muhammad"&gt;Belal Muhammad&lt;/a&gt; will walk to the octagon with the Palestinian flag on his back as he prepares to defend his welterweight title for the first time at &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1512/ufc-315-muhammad-vs-maddalena"&gt;UFC 315&lt;/a&gt; in Montreal on May 10.&lt;/p&gt;
  273. &lt;p id="VWPjJS"&gt;While he has carried the flag with him in previous fights, there was some question about whether or not he would be allowed after the flag was briefly removed from his UFC profile. The flag was later restored with Muhammad stating that it was &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/3/7/24379840/belal-muhammad-speaks-out-palestine-flag-missing-ufc-profile-hopes-to-carry-flag-first-title-defense"&gt;just a mistake that the UFC quickly rectified.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  274. &lt;p id="E70f2P"&gt;“Yeah, 100 percent,” Muhammad told MMA Fighting about walking out with the Palestinian flag. “We’ve talked about it and they’ve accepted it. Nothing is going to stop me from doing it.”&lt;/p&gt;
  275. &lt;p id="E9Xpp7"&gt;Muhammad, whose parents hail from Palestine, has been very outspoken about the ongoing conflict there ever since fighting first occurred. He’s run fundraisers and shown his support for Palestine through interviews and social media.&lt;/p&gt;
  276. &lt;p id="WS5QhT"&gt;He plans to do the same in the days leading up to his fight against &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5772/jack-della-maddalena"&gt;Jack Della Maddalena&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  277. &lt;p id="UN32Qm"&gt;“It’s hard, especially right now,” Muhammad said. “It’s been over two years now where they’re dying, they’re starving, the people over there are in so much pain. The world’s just watching it. The world’s just coming up with excuses for it. It’s wild.”&lt;/p&gt;
  278. &lt;p id="KsqXvF"&gt;As much as defending the UFC title means to him, Muhammad promises he’s always going to be fighting for something bigger, especially with reports that people living in the Gaza strip have had &lt;a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-blockade-malnutrition-children-6c2bf9a5c628626836ebd6ecda3dedf2"&gt;no medicine, fuel or food transported there for the past 60 days.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  279. &lt;p id="Z88Nxf"&gt;Despite the harrowing conditions, Muhammad revealed previously that he still received messages of support and congratulations after he won his UFC title this past July. That has served as even more motivation for him ahead of the title fight at UFC 315.  &lt;/p&gt;
  280. &lt;p id="m9H8YK"&gt;“For me, it just makes me want to work that much harder for them,” Muhammad said. “It makes me go to the gym, run that extra mile, lift that extra weight. Because I can’t lose. There’s no way I’m going to let the people see me not get my hand raised. When they see me fight that day, they’re going to see that flag get raised When they see me win that day, they’re going to see that flag get raised. They’re going to see me get on the mic and talk about them. They’re going to see me get on the mic and be a voice for them.&lt;/p&gt;
  281. &lt;p id="oajDrU"&gt;“The only way I can be their voice is by continuing to win. I just have to keep continuing to work, keep continuing to push it and it’s all in god’s hands. God has a plan for everything and I’m hoping this finally comes to an end soon.”&lt;/p&gt;
  282. &lt;p id="55JTYn"&gt;As much as he’s focused on his upcoming fight, Muhammad says the people in Palestine are never far from his mind, which is why he’s spent just as much time trying to bring attention what’s happening there as he’s done building anticipation for his return on May 10.&lt;/p&gt;
  283. &lt;p id="8Cqy7Z"&gt;That’s another reason why Muhammad was so adamant about carrying the flag with him to the octagon so he can continue to represent the people of Palestine on the biggest stage possible.&lt;/p&gt;
  284. &lt;p id="f2cdO1"&gt;“Like I said, I’ve just been getting so many messages, people just wanting to know what’s happening there because they see me carrying that flag and what it means and what it means to me,” Muhammad said. “If you’re human, you want to know what’s going on there. If you’re human and you see it and you ignore it, you’re not really human. You don’t have a soul. If you can see kids starving, if you see kids dying, if you see all their suffering and you just turn your head away, look at yourself in the mirror and really ask yourself: What would you do if those people were from a different country? What would I do if those people weren’t Arab? What would I do if those people weren’t this color?&lt;/p&gt;
  285. &lt;p id="RZzhuZ"&gt;“Just so many people out here that are afraid to speak up, afraid to say something, afraid to do anything because they’re afraid of the consequences. There shouldn’t be consequences for being human.”&lt;/p&gt;
  286.  
  287. </content>
  288.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/30/24419585/belal-muhammad-will-walk-out-palestinian-flag-at-ufc-315-nothing-is-going-to-stop-me-from-doing-it"/>
  289.    <id>https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/30/24419585/belal-muhammad-will-walk-out-palestinian-flag-at-ufc-315-nothing-is-going-to-stop-me-from-doing-it</id>
  290.    <author>
  291.      <name>Damon Martin</name>
  292.    </author>
  293.  </entry>
  294. </feed>
  295.  

If you would like to create a banner that links to this page (i.e. this validation result), do the following:

  1. Download the "valid Atom 1.0" banner.

  2. Upload the image to your own server. (This step is important. Please do not link directly to the image on this server.)

  3. Add this HTML to your page (change the image src attribute if necessary):

If you would like to create a text link instead, here is the URL you can use:

http://www.feedvalidator.org/check.cgi?url=https%3A//www.mmafighting.com/rss/index.xml

Copyright © 2002-9 Sam Ruby, Mark Pilgrim, Joseph Walton, and Phil Ringnalda