After the UFC On ESPN 55 tournament, which took place last Sunday in Las Vegas, the promotion updated its rankings. According to the results of the updates, Uzbek welterweight Bogdan Guskov made it into the top 15, placing 12th. Guskov has already had time to comment on the news:
"I became the first fighter from Uzbekistan to break into the top. This is history, my history! There are two other guys from Uzbekistan fighting in the UFC, but it was me who became the first. I'm very happy now," - quotes Guskov MMA Junkie.
Recall that Guskov won a second-round TKO over Ryan Spann in the co-main event of UFC On ESPN 55. This win was his second straight for him.
Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira shared his expectations for the upcoming fight between former two-division titleholder Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler.
"In reality, this fight will make both participants a lot of money. That's the reality of it. It's a big money fight. Of course, if Conor wins, he'll take a step towards the championship belt. He's a huge star, but I think the fight against Chandler is about the money. My prediction is for McGegor to win," Oliveira told Full Violence.
Recall that the Irishman and the American will share the octagon in the main event of UFC 303, which will take place on June 29 in Las Vegas, USA.
Former UFC middleweight champion Shawn Strickland criticized people who display flags of other countries on the street while living in the United States.
American mixed martial arts titlist Daniel Cormier criticized UFC featherweight champion Elijah Topuria for not wanting to fight the top fighters in his division.
Famed American veteran Daniel Cormier has expressed his opinion that one spirited win will put Justin Gaethje back among the top contenders for a title fight in the UFC's lightweight division.
"Dustin Porier used to say, 'I'm always one classy win away from a title fight.' He steps into the octagon, knocks out Benoit St. Denis, Islam Makhachev doesn't have an opponent ... Bam! And Porier takes that spot! I think Gaethje is in the same situation. He's one beautiful win away from a title shot," Cormier said on ESPN MMA.
Recall that on April 13 at the UFC 300 anniversary event in Las Vegas, USA, Gaethje lost to Max Holloway by knockout in the last minute of the fight.
Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira predicts that the division's current "king" Islam Makhachev will successfully defend his title in his upcoming fight against Dustin Porier.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has confirmed that his 18-month-old son Kobe has passed away.
Gilbert Burns, former UFC welterweight title challenger, has stated his desire for a rematch with Kamaru Usman, the promotion's former featherweight champion.
"I like the idea - I'm always excited for every rematch, and this is a good matchup. I don't know if he'd agree to it, but I'd love to do it. Kamaru, I can see that our rematch would be much bigger, given our history. If I could pick my opponent, I would pick him for my next fight," Bloody Elbow quoted Burns as saying.
The fight between Burns and Usman took place at UFC 258 and ended with an early victory for Kamaru.
Francis Ngannou, former UFC heavyweight champion and current PFL league fighter and professional boxer, wrote a bizarre post on his social media.
"What is the point of life if the things we try our hardest to get away from end up hitting us the hardest!!!? Why is life so unfair and merciless? Why does life always take away what we lack? I'm so damn tired," the fighter wrote.
Later it became known that the fighter died 18-month-old son. This was reported in the comments to the post by Ngannou's subscribers, who began to express their condolences to him in connection with the death of the child.
Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker shared his thoughts on the possible move of former welterweight division leader Jiri Prochazka to the 84-pound class.
"I like Jiri a lot, but if he goes down to middleweight, we'll be opponents - that's the way we play the game. He has the guts to make 84 kg. But don't get me wrong, this guy has a mental disorder, Jiri is on the verge of a breakdown. If he wants to go down to the middle division, he will - it's hard to say if that would be a good move or not.
It's hard for me to envision him in the middle division as I've seen him in real life. Jiri is a big guy and it's not just about his physicality. He has a strong build, he has broad shoulders, he's pretty tall, about 1.9 meters. Dude, stay at flyweight so we can stay friends (laughs)," - quotes Whittaker Bloody Elbow.
Recall that Prochazka knocked out Aleksandar Rakic in the second round at UFC 300 on April 13.
