Brazilian mixed martial arts veteran and former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo expressed hope that his former opponent Merab Dvalishvili will be able to conquer the lightweight division.
American mixed martial arts veteran Chel Sonnen shared his memories of his fight with Jon Jones, the current holder of the UFC heavyweight title.
"I had the confidence to win. For that fight, it was my first time competing at featherweight and I had more juice in me than Tropicana! He threw me across the octagon, that's when I started looking for a way out. By feel - imagine being trapped in a cage with a bear.
This is the only defeat after which I had no desire for a rematch. I didn't need a second fight, we're doing well. You proved your point, young man," - quotes Sonnen BJ Penn.
Recall that in April 2013, Jones knocked out Sonnen in the first round.
Renowned British promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed when unified heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua could have his next fight.
Ukrainian lightweight Denis Berinchik (18-0, 9 KOs) assessed his nearest opponent Emanuel Navarrete (38-1-1, 31 KOs), with whom he will challenge for the vacant WBO title on May 18 in San Diego, USA.
- In what are you unequivocally stronger than the Mexican? What will you offer him?
- First of all, it's a solid amateur school, which he doesn't have. Second, it's defense. Third, it's a variety of shots.
Navarrete, he's very uncomfortable. He doesn't "breathe" very well in 12-round fights. He has a weak defense. Although he gets back to his feet, he still falls down a lot. That's about his weaknesses.
When it comes to his strengths, it should be noted that he is a real fighter with a blazing heart. He is the kind of man who will fight to the end.
WBC super heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury shared his opinion about WBA, WBO and IBF belt holder Oleksandr Usyk.
The long-awaited bout between the Briton and the Ukrainian will take place on 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
"I don't have any animosity towards the fighters I've fought or will fight in the future. Usik seems to be a decent guy. He's a God-fearing man who has young children. What else is there to do? I can envision us having 10 beers each because he seems like that kind of character. We need to spend the Saudi money on something," Yahoo News quoted Fury as saying.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamal Hill shared his thoughts on a potential bout between current belt holder Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev.
"I think Ankalaev will be the next challenger. Ancalaev's standup is a problem for Pereira. Pereira doesn't fight well against left-handers. Magomed can also use wrestling and grappling, and he can punch and is comfortable on the feet. I would probably favor Ankalaev in this fight," - quotes the American Middle Easy.
Recall that on April 13 in the main event of UFC 300, Hill unsuccessfully returned to the octagon after a serious injury and a long downtime, losing to Pereira by knockout in the first round.
Former UFC bantamweight title challenger Anthony Smith said that the promotion's former middleweight champion Shawn Strickland has impressed him a lot in their joint workouts.
Former world champion Timothy Bradley believes a lack of concentration cost Devin Haney a win in his fight against Ryan Garcia.
"I don't know if Haney had a mental gap. I think he hinted at it in the interview when he said he lost his guard. You can't do that at the highest level. I thought he had mastered superior concentration. But I didn't see that. I saw it in the Prograis fight. I saw it a little bit in the Lomachenko fight. I thought he was starting to develop concentration. In the Garcia fight, Haney didn't have the concentration. That may have played a big part in him getting staggered in the first round and falling.
When you go down, you want to respond right away, you try to be a puncher. Haney started coming forward and it was the wrong plan for the fight. He wasn't ready for Ryan's left hook," Bradley said.
Recall that on April 20, Garcia defeated Haney by majority decision, knocking him down three times.
Rafael Cordeiro, the coach of UFC ranked American lightweight Beneil Dariush, told why his ward put his career on pause.
Dariush suffered two first-round knockout losses in 2023 - in May to Charles Oliveira and in December to Arman Tsarukian.
"Last year turned out to be very difficult for Beneil. He was knocked out twice and knocked down three times. Plus, he was knocked out once in the gym. All in all, he's suffered head trauma five times in one year. He's still relatively young, so I've asked him to take a break and rest.
My concern for him is not as a trainer, but as a father. He's won eight of his last 10 fights, but there are people advising him to end his career. That's absurd, very disrespectful to Beneil. Let's see what will be the right fights when he fully recovers," MMA Fighting quotes the specialist as saying.
Top American heavyweight Curtis Blades has expressed his willingness to fight interim division champion Brit Tom Aspinall at UFC 304, scheduled for July 27 in Manchester.
"I'm hopeful, but I'm not expecting anything. It would be cool to fight him. That fight makes sense. All I have to do is prepare. By July, I'll be ready. There are times when a fight makes sense, but they do something else instead. I wouldn't be surprised if the UFC invites Brock Lesnar to Manchester. I'll be upset, but it won't be a surprise. A fight in England? I don't really care. I like England, even though the ventilation sucks there. They don't have it for some reason. I don't know why," - quotes the words of Blades MMA Fighting.
Recall that the first fight between Blades and Aspinall took place in the summer of 2022. Then Tom capitulated at 15 seconds because of a knee injury.
