UFC lightweight titleholder Alesandre Pantoja admitted that he dreams of one day sharing the octagon with the division's former dominant champion Demetrious Johnson.
"That's my dream. I don't like to say I have dreams as I want to experience everything in this life. According to me, it's better to live than to dream. But if I dream of anything, it's to fight Demetrious Johnson. I have the utmost respect for him. If he does not want to fight me at the professional level, then maybe I will go to the gym and train with him, have a tough sparring," - quotes Pantoja MMA Fighting.
Recall that last weekend at UFC 301 Pantoja defended the belt for the second time, defeating Steve Ercega by unanimous decision of the judges.
Former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Porier spoke about how he took the bout with current full titleholder Islam Makhachev.
The American and the Dagestani will meet in the main event of the UFC 302 show, scheduled for June 1 in Newark, USA.
"As soon as Tsarukyan defeated Oliveira, I got a call from Hunter Campbell and said: "The fight just ended. I'm going to Tsarukyan's locker room right now, I'll call you back in an hour." It turns out that he then offered Arman a fight with Islam in six weeks. And I perfectly understand Arman's decision to refuse.
And to be honest, six weeks is rather short notice for me too. But I didn't have the option to turn it down and say, "Hey, I need more time to prepare." This is my chance that I have to hold on to as tightly as possible," MMA Mania quoted Porier as saying.
The coach of former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland, Eric Nixick, said the promotion's matchmakers were hoping to set up a fight between his charge and Khamzat Chimaev.
"I know that the UFC wanted to put Shawn together with Chimaev. But I'm not sure if Shawn has the opportunity to go to Saudi Arabia. But I know that Hamzat's name has been discussed as a possible opponent. Chimaev is a big star in Saudi Arabia. And here it was the venue itself that mattered more than the name of the opponent for Hamzat," Sportskeeda quoted Nixik as saying.
Recall that Strickland will share the octagon with Paulo Costa on June 1 at UFC 302 in Newark, USA. As for Chimaev, he will fight Robert Whittaker in the main event of the debut show in Saudi Arabia on June 22.
Former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Porier has spoken about his love for the guillotine choke hold.
Former dominant UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson spoke out about this past weekend's bout between Alexandre Pantoja and Steve Erceg, and also assessed Muhammad Mokaev's chances in a potential fight with the current division leader.
"Erceg literally gave the fight away trying to fight a guy who doesn't know how to do that. It was a great fight, but I think Erceg gave it to Pantoja.
I thought Pantoja was going to finish him, but Erceg was better in the standup. He did more damage in this fight, but made some bad decisions along the way. If you give Steve Erceg a year or two, I think he'll beat Pantoja. And Muhammad Mokaev can beat Pantoja right now," said the American in his podcast.
Recall, Pantoja defeated Ercega by unanimous decision of judges in the main event of UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Retired British mixed martial arts veteran Dan Hardy explained why he has little faith in UFC lightweight Michael Chandler winning his upcoming bout with the promotion's former two-division champion Conor McGregor.
"I can't underestimate Conor's skills. He has done exceptional things in the most intense moments of his career. He knows how to control distance and provoke his opponents with deceptive strikes. And the current Chandler is not the same as he was in Bellator, when he acted carefully and clearly chose the moment to attack.
Michael can beat anyone with his speed, but he's a lot less cautious now. And that's all McGregor needs. Chandler is out for the money, he wants to put on a show. He's not thinking about exactly how he wants to beat Conor, he's just going to come out chopping," Hardy said on The MMA Hour show.
Recall that McGregor and Chandler will fight in the main event of UFC 303, which is scheduled for June 29 in Las Vegas, USA. The fight will take place in the welterweight limit.
Former UFC interim lightweight titleholder Dustin Porier shared his thoughts on the division's champion Islam Makhachev's remarks about himself.
"Sometimes it seems like Islam doesn't respect me. I'll go into the octagon to hurt him. And he said it's an easy fight for him. Maybe he feels that way about all fights. But I can knock out any lightweight in the world.
When I lost to Charles and I was asked about my future, I said I still believe in myself. If I want something, I'll get it. And here I am again, a contender. But right now I'm not thinking about what comes next. Now my goal is to finish my story beautifully," - quotes Porier MMA Fighting.
Recall that Makhachev and Puryear will fight on June 1 in the main event of UFC 302 in Newark, USA.
Former dominant UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson has made it clear that he's not thrilled with the level of current belt holder Alesandre Pantoja.
French UFC lightweight Benoit Saint-Denis analyzed the upcoming title fight in his division between champion Islam Makhachev and Dustin Porier.
The Dagestani and the American will meet in the main event of UFC 302, which will take place on June 1 in Newark, USA.
"Porye is accurate with his punches, he is always focused and handles pressure well. He is an experienced and resilient fighter. Hardly anyone would say that Porier has no chance at all. Makhachev is versatile and will be well prepared for this fight.
I think it's pretty obvious what Makhachev's plan will be for the fight with Puryear. He will try to replicate what Khabib and Oliveira did. That's the easiest way to beat Dustin. Porye himself understands exactly how they will work against him. But the favorite will still be the reigning champion," MMA Junkie quotes Saint-Denis as saying.
UFC French lightweight Benoit Saint-Denis has admitted that he would like to share the octagon with Armenian Arman Tsarukyan.
"A dream fight? I would really like to face Tsarukyan. It would be a classy fight. It's clear that right now he's the main challenger, but Makhachev is not the most active champion. I don't know if he'll still be champion after the fight with Puryear, but either way he'll probably want to rest.
A lot of things can happen at lightweight. If they gave me a fight with Tsarukyan that would be ideal. But I don't do matchmaking and negotiations," MMA Junkie quotes Saint-Denis as saying.
Recall that in his last fight, which took place on March 9 at UFC 299, Saint-Denis lost by knockout to Dustin Puryear.
