It’s fight week (again) for the UFC, which means it’s also time for the last minute fight cancellations to start rolling in. Who’s come down with a sudden illness, who has visa troubles, who had the nagging injury that just didn’t heal the way it should have? And of course, who just picked up a devastating injury in their final training sessions?
With the world’s largest MMA promotion gearing up for what’s only their second event ever in France (and their first of 2023) we’ve got news of a couple unfortunate cancellations that have hit the card.
Taylor Lapilus needs a new opponent for UFC Paris
At one point Taylor Lapilus was one of the hottest prospects in the UFC’s bantamweight division, running out to a 3-1 record with the promotion before making the decision to return to the regional MMA scene. In a move that surprised practically everyone, however, the then-25-year-old Frenchman decided to fight out his contract in the Octagon and make the jump over to boxing instead.
“I will probably be back in the UFC at some point of my career,” Lapilus explained in a 2017 interview. “But for now, I will stick to boxing and keep my focus in my new professional career for a couple fights and see how things go.”
The boxing career lasted just one fight, a 2017 win over journeyman Heri Andriyanto, before Lapilus decided to return to MMA full time. Getting back to the UFC would take more than half a decade (and a 7-1 record on the European regional scene) but Lapilus is finally set make his comeback this Saturday. Or, at least he was…
Lapilus had been set to take on former ONE FC talent Muin Gafurov at the Accor Arena in Paris on the undercard of this weekend’s heavyweight top contender’s bout between Ciryl Gane and Sergey Spivak. Unfortunately, French fight promotion and MMA news source La Sueur has reported that Gafurov has been forced out of the fight. Apparently visa issues were the culprit.
MMA Fighting has since confirmed the report, noting that the UFC is searching for a late notice replacement to keep Lapilus on the card. It’s an especially unfortunate set of circumstances for ‘Double Impact’ who was actually signed for his Octagon return back in 2022, for the UFC’s debut in Paris. Unfortunately an injury sustained in training forced Lapilus to withdraw from that bout.
William Gomis also in need of new opponent
It turns out that Lapilus isn’t the only Frenchman in sudden need of a new dance partner this week. Joining him in the struggle is a featherweight who did manage to make his debut on last year’s Paris card, former 100% Fight champion William Gomis.
Gomis has run out to a decent 2-0 start to his career in the UFC, with victories over Jarno Errens and Francis Marshall. The 26-year-old had been expected to take on former Jungle Fight champion Lucas Almeida. Unfortunately, the Brazilian announced the fight’s cancellation in a post to his Instagram stories on Monday, August 28th.
“Good morning everyone my fight was canceled, God is in charge. He has huge plans for me, I have faith in him. The work continues, let’s go! Thank you all for the messages.”
MMA Fighting has since confirmed that an injury has forced Almeida to withdraw from the bout, and that there is currently no word from the UFC as to whether Gomis will remain on the card with a new opponent, or not.
Other earlier cancelled fights include Volkan Oezdemir against Azamat Murzakanov (Murzakanov has been replaced by newcomer Bogdan Guskov), Zara Fairn vs. Hailey Cowan (Cowan has been replaced by Jacqueline Cavalcanti), and Nasrat Haqparast vs. Sam Patterson (Haqparast has been moved to UFC 293 against Landon Quinones). Hopefully that will mark an end to the cancellations and we can get to Fight Night with the rest of the bouts intact.
Update: Instead of finding two new faces to fill the card this weekend, the UFC has decided to match Taylor Lapilus and William Gomis against two newcomers who were already scheduled to meet each other on the card. Lapilus is now scheduled to fight Caolan Loughran and Gomis is matched with Yanis Ghemmouri.
For streaking top prospects in MMA there often comes a point in their career where booking fights becomes an exercise more of frustration than fun. It’s the point where elite skill and athletic ability have been made clear, yet fame hasn’t quite taken hold. Essentially, it’s the point when a fighter clearly should be getting top fights, but nobody at the top wants to fight them.
It looks like Ian Machado Garry may have hit that mark. The 25-year-old Irishman has stormed his way into the welterweight rankings, most recently picking up a dominating decision over perennial gatekeeper to the elite, Neil Magny. Now the only question is who wants to play the role of potential stepping stone next.
Kevin Holland thinks UFC wouldn’t want him to fight Ian Machado Garry
One of the names that immediately leapt to mind after Ian Machado Garry’s victory at UFC 292 was that of welterweight fan favorite, Kevin ‘Trailblazer’ Holland. A former middleweight, Holland has the kind of frame to compete with Garry out at a distance, as well as the toughness and finishing ability to make the fight dangerous for the ‘Future’ every step of the way.
It’s that kind of math, however that has Holland thinking that he won’t get anywhere near Ian Machado Garry’s fast-rising star.
“I think he answered a lot of questions, looked really good,” Holland said in a recent interview on the Believe You Me podcast (transcript via MMA Mania). “UFC says they have a blueprint for these guys to be something special when they have the Irish accent, so I think he’s on his way. I think he’s going to be wonderful.”
“They have a blueprint for guys like that, and I don’t think I fit the blueprint,” he added. “I don’t think I fit the bill when it comes to what Ian Garry has planned and, you know, props to the guy. Nothing but respect.”
Someone who might fit that bill, however, might be an aging former title contender. Someone closer to the twilight of their time at the top. Somebody like Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson.
Ian Machado Garry wouldn’t be Wonderboy’s first choice
Stephen Thompson has been struggling lately. Not just inside the Octagon, where he recently lost back to back fights against Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad (and, of course, bounced back for a win over none other than the aforementioned Kevin Holland), but with the UFC itself. Thompson was set up for a fight against dangerous wildman Michel Pereira at UFC 291 back in July, but turned the fight down after Pereira failed to make weight.
Dana White & Co. didn’t take kindly to Thompson’s decision not to step in the cage against less-than-professional opposition, withholding his show money as a result. As such, ‘Wonderboy’ is in bad need of a booking. And while someone like Ian Garry might be reasonable choice, the 40-year-old Karateka has his eyes on another prize.
“I’ve been fighting backwards since Tyron Woodley, apart from Gilbert Burns, to be honest with you,” Thompson said in a recent video posted to his YouTube channel—adding that he’d be willing to face someone like Ian Machado Garry, provided he got a full training camp (transcript via MMA Junkie). “I’ve been fighting back. I’ve been fighting those 13s—the Geoff Neals, the Vicente Luques, the Belal Muhammads. I tried to get that fight with Michel Pereira, who I think was 15 or 13—I don’t remember—but giving these guys a shot.
“I want to show the UFC, and not just the UFC, but the fans, that I’m not a gatekeeper. I am not a gatekeeper. I’ve got a small window to kind of do what I want to do with the fight game. I’m 40 years old, and when I see a chance to go for another title shot before it’s over, when Kamaru Usman calls me out, I’m like—dude, no brainer. No brainer.”
If the UFC’s ‘Irish’ plan is still in action, it sounds like the promotion will be looking for an opponent to take on the Kill Cliff FC fighter at UFC 295, on November 11th. That’s a just 2.5 months away. The bottom half of the top 10 is entirely un-booked right now, it just remains to be seen who’s going to step up and put their ranking on the line.
Alongside the rise of celebrity boxing, combat sports over the last half decade have seen an increasing interest in seeing MMA fighters take their skills from the cage to the ring. After all, there may not be much fun or novelty in seeing a pro boxer who has never grappled a day in their life try to fight their way out of full mount, but there’s still some lasting curiosity around seeing a ‘lifelong martial artist’ try their hand in a set of 10oz gloves.
The past few years have seen legends like Vitor Belfort, Anderson Silva, Anthony Pettis, and even Tito Ortiz all test their pugilistic mettle. Some to surprisingly impressive results, others to appalling failure. It’s also seen a few fighters pursue absolute pipe dreams.
Anyone remember when Kamaru Usman was talking about fighting Canelo Alvarez? Or what about when Cain Velasquez was chirping at Tyson Fury? Or what about Francis Ngannou, and that nonsense he was talking about with fighting Fur… oh, wait.
Sean O’Malley wants Gervonta Davis
After beating Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292, and winning the bantamweight title in the process, ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley revealed that he had some big plans out ahead of him now that he’s champion. Most notably, he wants to follow in the footsteps of Conor McGregor and get a massive boxing crossover fight. And Gervonta Davis is the man he’s chosen as his target. It’s a fight O’Malley has been chasing for some time.
“And then I do think, in the future, Gervonta Davis sounds like a big fight for me,” O’Malley explained back in 2022. “I would love to go over to the boxing world,” he said. “I know people love it, they hate it, they don’t want to talk about it. ‘MMA never beats boxers.’ But I’m in the entertainment business and I believe in my skills.
“I truly think that in four or five years, that if I’m double-champ, or if I’ve been the bantamweight, been the featherweight champ, and Gervonta Davis is still a superstar, there’s no reason I can’t go over there and perform for the fans in boxing and put his lights out, too and become the biggest combat sports athlete in the world.”
A complete pipe dream? A fantasy fight with no grounding in reality? A super fight that absolutely nobody asked for or needs to see happen? All these things may be true, but that hasn’t stopped the discourse from reaching Davis’ camp.
Gervonta Davis’ coach responds to Sean O’Malley
It wasn’t enough that recent Gervonta Davis opponent Ryan Garcia tried to warn Sean O’Malley away from his foolish course of action, Davis’ coach, Kenny Ellis has issued his own dire prediction. Boxing reporter Elie Seckbach recently caught up with Ellis for an impromptu interview, and got his thoughts on O’Malley.
“Tank would whoop his ass, first round,” Ellis said, although clearly barely familiar with who O’Malley even was (transcript via MMA Fighting). “S—t, any top lightweight would beat him: Tank, Shakur, Haney, all them guys would beat him, [because] they’re boxers. All of them would knock him out.”
“He’s not a boxer, he doesn’t have professional punches. He’s an MMA fighter, they don’t perfect punches like boxers.”
Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take long for O’Malley to respond to that claim, via social media.
Sure, it’s a fine dunk from the MMA Lab talent. Davis is, in fact 5′ 5.5″ (the kind of exacting height measurement that only the vertically challenged would necessitate). But, it also necessitates the question, if O’Malley doesn’t think Davis is big enough to hurt him, why call him out? It’s clearly all bravado from the MMA side of things, he can’t beat Tank Davis, and nobody in their right mind thinks he can. Not even Sean O’Malley. It’s pure bluster made only for the social media era of trash talk.
Sean O’Malley and Tank Davis are never going to fight
The fine folks over at Bad Left Hook weren’t any kinder about Sean O’Malley’s chances of besting Davis inside the ring, but they had a notable charitable view of the UFC’s business model and their openness to a fight like this one.
Yes. If the money is there, and if UFC and PBC can work it out, then the fight can be made. O’Malley seems to really want it, and it’s not like Tank or his team have ever been averse to disappointing diehard boxing fans with matchups, in part because Davis can sell a fight very easily without worry all that much about diehard boxing fans. Add in a curious UFC fan base, and you have a blockbuster in the making.
It’s been so long since Conor McGregor was anything like the remarkable force he once was inside the Octagon, that many may have forgotten that the UFC had to be dragged into the Mayweather/McGregor bout kicking and screaming. They did everything they possibly could to shoot down, ignore, and stamp out interest in the fight, before McGregor’s persistent negotiations with Mayweather and his willingness to get licensed to box forced their hand.
Even after making a ton of money, the UFC has shown absolutely zero interest in cross-promoting their stars as boxing attractions. The world’s largest MMA promotion would rather walk away from the bargaining table with Francis Ngannou than let him fight Tyson Fury. A bout many felt had no chance of getting made was, in fact, quite clearly right there on the table and will take place this October 28th with the blessings of the PFL.
Sean O’Malley can talk up his desire for a fight with Davis. Enough even that Davis could get interested in making it happen. But unless O’Malley is interested in leaving the UFC, everything he has to say about the fight will just be idle chatter.
The UFC’s sole trip to Asia in 2023 provided a largely okay night of action, capped off by what ended up as a very definitive retirement fight for former featherweight title contender Chan Sung Jun. Max Holloway got the honor of sending the ‘Korean Zombie’ off into the sunset, with a brutal 3rd round KO. Otherwise, Anthony Smith got himself another W over Ryan Spann, and Giga Chikadze put a stop to Alex Caceres’ momentum.
So, what’s left for Max Holloway at 145 lbs? Is Anthony Smith lined up to take on another top contender? And is Erin Blanchfield set to challenge for the women’s flyweight title?
To answer those questions—and maybe a bit more—I’ll be using the classic Silva/Shelby fight booking methodology from the UFC of years past. That means pitting winners against winners, losers against losers, and similarly tenured talent up against one another. Hopefully, by following that model, a few of these bout ideas will actually make it off the page and into the Octagon. Now, let’s get to the fights!
UFC Singapore: Fights to make
MAX HOLLOWAY
This was always set up to be a pretty good night for Max Holloway. Even in their prime, the Hawaiian’s iron jaw and high volume style seemed poised to play hell with Chan Sung Jung’s increasingly counter-focused style. With Jung clearly missing a step lately, however, the table was set for Holloway to win in style.
It’s a credit, then, to the ‘Korean Zombie’ that he actually had a few big moments of success in this bout. His power clearly put a jolt into ‘Blessed’ especially early in round 1. But, with the fight slowly and surely slipping away from him, TKZ bit down in round 3 and decided that he needed to try and make something happen. He definitely succeeded, unfortunately it happened to him.
A massive KO of Holloway has the 31-year-old former champion still seemingly in elite form among the featherweight top 5, but with no real clear path back to the title. Having defeated a large portion of the divisional elite already, no doubt pressure will be mounting for him to make another move back to lightweight.
Given how his fight with Dustin Poirier went in 2019, however, it’s worth wondering how well Holloway would fair at 155. Bouts against the likes of Chandler, Fiziev, or Gaethje all seem like they’d put the Gracie Technics talent at a big power disadvantage, while fights against Makhachev, Gamrot, or Tsarukyan might just see Holloway get firmly out-wrestled by some real top-flight grapplers.
Dariush is always a thrill. – Paul Miller IMAGO/USA TODAY Network
There are two fights up in the lightweight elite that do feel like they could be fun, however. And that’s Charles Oliveira or Beneil Dariush. Oliveira is currently booked to fight the lightweight champ in October, but a loss there would still make for an exciting booking with Holloway. If Holloway wants to stay at 145, then a fight with Giga Chikadze would be solid, but I’ll say Holloway should move up, take a chance and fight Dariush. That seems like the most interesting available option right now, barring a potential move to 145 of Aljamain Sterling in the near future. Holloway vs. Dariush seems like a solid idea.
ANTHONY SMITH
Much like Holloway, Anthony Smith finds himself in position at light heavyweight as a long-tenured high ranking challenger in need of fresh tests. He may never have held the belt, but Smith has already faced five of the current top 15 inside the Octagon, to varying results. In Singapore, the UFC set him up with a deeply unnecessary rematch against Ryan Spann—which proved far more competitive than their first booking, but from which ‘Lionheart’ still walked away with the victory.
Who doesn’t love Polish Power? Stephen R. Sylvanie IMAGO/USA TODAY
I wouldn’t at all mind seeing Smith take on someone like Khalil Rountree or Azamat Murzakanov just as sort of a gatekeeper to the divisional elite, but something tells me he’ll probably be focused firmly on fighting up ahead of him in hopes of securing another title shot. That could mean getting a chance at revenge against Aleksandar Rakic (a fight I personally have no need to see again), or maybe a bout against Nikita Krylov.
As much as I’d be down for Smith/Krylov, I’d rather see Krylov take on someone like Rountree. With that in mind, I’ll say this is a great chance to give Smith exactly the kind of fight he’s looking for—a big test against former champion Jan Blachowicz. Smith’s name still seems to carry enough cache that it seems likely ‘Polish Power’ would sign on for the bout, and it’s the kind of fight either man could use to bounce into title contention once again, especially with a vacant belt that still needs filling. Blachowicz vs. Smith seems like just the right fight for both men.
GIGA CHIKADZE
It wasn’t exactly a special performance from Giga Chikadze, but he did well to remind Alex Caceres that the Georgian is a true force to be reckoned with in a range striking battle. Give Chikadze time and space to set up his counters and get creative and he’ll land with power all fight long.
Coming off that fight, the smart thing for the Kings MMA talent to do would likely be to chase after a fight with Max Holloway. At 35, time is only ticking faster for Chikadze to make any kind of title run and a win over the former champ is pretty much the best way to guarantee contender status. Simpler said than done, for sure—but MMA is a sport built on taking wild risks.
As I outlined above, however, I kinda feel like Holloway’s time as a featherweight is through. Sure he could fight guys like Topuria or Chikadze or Evloev… but why? He’s as much a title contender as any man could ever hope to be, but as long as Volk is champ, he’s almost certainly never fighting for that belt again.
All the spins. – Stephen R. Sylvanie IMAGO/USA TODAY
If Holloway goes off to take other risks of his own, I think the best option for Chikadze are bouts against Josh Emmett or Brian Ortega. The Emmett one is especially set up for the former kickboxer to shine, given Emmett’s own tendencies to stay out at long range. Unfortunately, both those men are coming off back to back losses and, in Ortega’s case, a serious injury. Which leaves Yair Rodriguez and Arnold Allen. If Rodriguez would take the fight, then Rodriguez vs. Chikadze would be a thriller, but I get the feeling Allen might be closer to what he ends up with.
ERIN BLANCHFIELD
This fight may very well serve as something of a wake-up call for Erin Blanchfield. She’s made a lot of waves in the UFC behind toughness, pressure, and determination. A lot of that didn’t work too well against Taila Santos, who lit her up with counters early, and effectively nullified a lot of Blanchfield’s work late. ‘Cold Blooded’ still ground her way to a win behind a whole lot of clinching, but it wasn’t pretty and it wasn’t definitive.
If it weren’t for the fact that Manon Fiorot is set to take on Rose Namajunas in Paris this week, I might argue that Blanchfield’s win could still be enough to get her at title shot, especially if Grasso wins her rematch against Valentina Shevchenko. But, more likely, the 24-year-old will need at least one more win. To that end, Maycee Barber is the only woman in spitting distance of her coming off a victory. Barber vs. Blanchfield would be a great fight to make a future contender.
MICHAL OLEKSIEJCZUK
Win or lose, Michal Oleksiejczuk is pretty much always a thrill. Chidi Njokuani started this fight like a house on fire, punishing ‘Hussar’ to the body with massive clinch knees over and over and over again. However, the Polish middleweight’s pressure and aggression have long been a difference maker in his fights, and proved so again here. He found Njokuani backing to the cage one too many times and started landing big overhands, which led to a takedown. The finish followed shortly after.
It’s exactly the bounce-back Oleksiejczuk needed to keep himself in the thick of things as a mid-card action talent, and should set him up nicely for another war next time around. That could mean fights with Jun Yong Park, Eryk Anders, Paul Craig, Brad Tavares, or Gregory Rodrigues. Just writing Michal Oleksiejczuk vs. Gregory Rodrigues feels dangerous, so I think that has to be his next fight.
JJ ALDRICH
This was pure must win territory for JJ Aldrich. Coming off back to back losses, she got something of a physical layup in Liang Na. A loss here could only have led to an obvious question: If you can’t beat this opponent in the UFC, who can you beat? Fortunately for her, that question got put to rest with a fiarly dominating two round performance on her way to a TKO victory.
With that done, it’s time to throw Aldrich in against another talent looking to make headway near the bottom end of the flyweight rankings. That could be someone like Karine or Natalia Silva, both of whom secured a top 15 spot in their last bout. Or veterans like Molly McCann, Maryna Moroz, and Montana De La Rosa, who have failed to find consistent success over time. I like the idea of the McCann fight, her power and aggression should provide some problems for Aldrich, while the Elevation talent has all the wrestling and grappling to give McCann fits. McCann vs. Aldrich seems like a solid battle of veterans at 125.
However, there was one point midway through the fight that has sparked some spirited discussion from fans, and a potentially more serious conversation for officials.
Daniel Dubois’ low blow on Oleksandr Usyk
Early in round five, Daniel Dubois landed a heavy body shot that sent Oleksandr Usyk sprawling to the mat. The champion spent several minutes recovering from the strike, far beyond any 10-count or standing 8-count, but within the five minute allowable time frame for an illegal blow.
The referee did immediately call the punch a foul when it occurred, but multiple angles of the shot haven’t seemed to make things any clearer.
Making things all the more difficult in a case like this, is the fact that the actual equipment doesn’t really determine what constitutes a low blow in boxing, because fighters are given so much leeway with the size, shape, and placement of their fight trunks. Technically a low blow needs to be below the waistband, not simple connecting to the shorts, but that can also change depending on how high the fighter hikes up their equipment. Whatever the case may be, the referee called it a foul, Usyk recovered, and came back to win the fight.
Dubois plans to appeal
In his post fight interview after his TKO loss, Daniel Dubois made it immediately clear the disputed foul call was still very much at the front of his mind. To hear him tell it, Oleksandr Usyk went down to a legal blow and was down on the canvas long enough that a different ref would have ruled the fight a TKO loss for the Ukranian.
“I didn’t think that was a low blow. I thought that landed [legally] and I’ve been cheated out of victory tonight,” Dubois announced in the ring (transcript via MMA Fighting).
Unsurprisingly, Dubois’ promoter, Frank Warren, also got in on the act, looking to stir up controversy. Warren claims that Dubois’ whole strategy through fight camp was to work Usyk’s body, and that the strategy paid of perfectly in the ring with that telling blow. It was only referee negligence that stopped his fighter from becoming champion today.
“Cheated out of victory. It hit him on the waistband,” added Frank Warren, Dubois’ promoter. “… That’s all he worked on in camp. Working to the body. We see that as a weakness and he got caught, and that referee got it badly wrong. Badly wrong. Didn’t take any points off him. If there’s a low blow, why didn’t you take points off him? And I like Usyk, I like him, but that was a hometown decision. Compete hometown decision. He won that fight because he was not fit to go on and they gave him, I don’t know how long it was, a couple of minutes to recover from a legitimate shot.”
“[We’re going to] appeal what’s going on here and then see we’ll see where it goes from there,” Warren added, “but I’m quite sure they’ll order another rematch, order another fight. They have to. Justice has to be done.”
Despite Warren’s confidence, it seems highly unlikely that official review will either overturn the result or lead to an immediate rematch. Usually the standard for that kind of appeal isn’t just that a ref missed a foul, but showing proof of either knowing misconduct or obvious negligence. In this case, the referee saw a borderline shot, called a foul, followed proper procedure with said foul and then the fight went on for multiple rounds afterward, all of which Dubois likely failed to win.
The referee themselves would likely have to come forward and admit clear error to prompt further action from a commission. Most likely the incident will just go down as one of those ‘you had to be there’ footnotes in combat sports history.
Israel Adesanya has a title fight in front of him. Sean Strickland has been tabbed to face the middleweight champion next month at UFC 293 in Sydney Australia. But, the Xtreme Couture talent wasn’t the UFC’s first choice to compete for gold and, from the sound of things, he’s still not the first thing on Adesanya’s mind.
Speaking to MMA Junkie, Adesanya made it clear that he’s not taking Strickland lightly, “because a man with everything to gain and nothing to lose is a very dangerous man.” However, the ‘Last Stylebender’ also made it clear that he plans to knock his opponent out at UFC 293, and then move on to bigger things.
Israel Adesanya still has eyes on Dricus du Plessis
At this point, it has to be said that South Africa’s Dricus du Plessis may have executed one of the most successful trash talk campaigns in UFC history. A relative unknown to US fans when he first took to the Octagon back in 2020, du Plessis’ insistence that he would be the first African champion in UFC history wormed its way right under the skin of the ‘Last Stylebender’ and has been living there ever since.
‘Stillknocks’ earned his title shot this past July with a shocking upset victory over former champion Robert Whittaker. Unfortunately for him, the two-month turnaround the UFC was demanding for their Australia PPV wasn’t enough time for the 29-year-old to recover, giving Strickland the chance to take his place and fight for gold. That said, when du Plessis is healthy again, it sounds like he’ll be right back in contention for a fight that Adesanya feels will be “one of the most important” in MMA history.
“We’ll see if he shows up but also, I’ll see how I feel,” Adesanya said of a potential future fight with Du Plessis before making it clear how he feels (transcript via MMA Fighting). “I do want that fight. I feel like that will be one of the most important fights in sporting history. I mean that when I say in history. I’ll see how I feel because again, time keeps on ticking. Time waits for no man.”
Adesanya’s coach thinks du Plessis already lost his place
Ironically, considering how vocal his fighter is in asking for the bout, City Kickboxing head coach Eugene Bareman recently made it clear that he feels du Plessis lost his spot in line when he declined the chance to fight at UFC 293 due to injury.
“I don’t make that call. But the problem is, if you don’t step up and take fights, you go into the pool,” Bareman explained, speaking of du Plessis in a recent interview. “That’s a fact. Nothing in this sport is solid until there’s something signed on the dotted line. If he’s got nothing signed on the dotted line, then he’s out there in the ether. He had a shot. He had a shot. It’s the same shot that many of my boys have had who have fought for titles or had titles.”
Assuming the Sydney PPV event goes as planned and Adesanya walks away with the title belt still around his waist, it seems more than likely that du Plessis will, in fact, have kept his spot in line. The only potential wildcard might be the October booking between Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa. If Chimaev can electrify the fans in Abu Dhabi then that might be enough to shift the champ’s attention. Until then it seems the former kickboxing star has his targets firmly lined up.
Retirement is rarely an easy decision. Especially not in combat sports, where the desire to keep going against all odds is often a defining characteristic of what makes fighters who they are. After 16-years of competition, however, that’s the reality that Korean MMA legend Chan Sung Jung may be facing.
Still just 36-years-old, the ‘Korean Zombie’ has made his name as a fan-favorite talent, on the back of brutal wars inside the Octagon. His bouts with Yair Rodriguez, Dustin Poirier, and Leonard Garcia were the kind of fights fans still talk about years after they took place. This Saturday, in Kallang Singapore, TKZ faces what might be his final fight… maybe.
Korean Zombie still hasn’t made retirement decision
It’s not hard to see why Chan Sung Jung wouldn’t be too thrilled about the idea of retirement. Once considered one of MMA’s top talents, the Fight Ready athlete lost a significant portion of his career to circumstances outside his control. A number of severe injuries and a required period of military service saw Jung spend nearly four years sitting on the sidelines—and saw him compete just four times from 2012-18. In many ways the story of his career feels like a tale of ‘what could have been.’
That said, retirement has clearly been on Jung’s mind these last couple years. Following his last fight, a badly one-sided loss to champion Alexander Volkanovski, it sounded like Jung was ready to hang up his gloves.
“After every loss I always think about leaving the Octagon, leaving this MMA game,” Jung admitted after his title fight loss. “But I’ll need more time to think on it and see if I’ll continue fighting. I have to think on that. I think I’ve realized today that I’ll never be champion, and I don’t know if I have it in me to come back into the Octagon again.”
Clearly, with his fight against Max Holloway ahead of him this weekend, Jung decided he wasn’t ready to ride into the sunset just yet. But that doesn’t mean he’s done considering the idea. To hear him tell it, his future as a fighter will depend largely on how well he does against ‘Blessed’ in Singapore.
“I’m not really sure what’s going to happen,” Korean Zombie told the assembled media during fight week (transcript via MMA Fighting). “It’s very difficult for a fighter to acknowledge that one’s career has ended. I’ll have to see how well I fight in the Octagon. I’ll have to assess myself on this fight, and then decide what’s going on next.”
Max Holloway has sympathy for Korean Zombie
As far as Hawaii’s Max Holloway is concerned, the call for Chan Sung Jung to retire is something of an overreaction. Holloway knows what it’s like to take a bad loss to Volkanovski, and feels if he wasn’t coming off his win over Arnold Allen, fans would be talking about Saturday’s main event as a ‘do or die’ contest for both men.
“At the end of the day, if I was coming off of my Volkanovski fight (and) he is coming off his Volk fight, the talks would be way different,” Holloway told reporters at UFC Singapore Media Day (transcript via MMA Junkie). “I think the talks would be, ‘Is this a retirement fight for both guys?’ We’ll see what happens. I was blessed enough to have the Arnold Allen fight. I was in ‘Korean Zombie’s’ shoes for the Arnold Allen fight. Everyone was counting me out.
“At the end of the day, it is what it is. I pay no mind. I think it’s like one year and four months the ‘Korean Zombie’ is going to be out, so I’m expecting the best ‘Korean Zombie’ there is. He has one year and four months to get healed, get healthy, to get better as an athlete, to get better as a person, period. He had to get all his affairs in order, and we’ll see. I think a dangerous ‘Korean Zombie’ is going to show up Saturday.”
Alongside the featherweight main event UFC Singapore is set to feature a light heavyweight rematch between top contenders Anthony Smith and Ryan Spann. A ranked featherweight fight between Giga Chikadze and Alex Caceres is also set for the card.
Former UFC two-division champion Georges St-Pierre didn’t exactly shake up the combat sports world when he announced his return to competition later this year, but even just an exhibition grappling match is something of a rare event for the MMA legend. After vacating his middleweight title back in 2017, GSP has barely made any motion toward competitive activity.
The closest he came was a briefly rumored exhibition boxing match against Oscar De La Hoya, back in 2021. A fight that ‘Rush’ has claimed Dana White stepped in and personally prevented, since the then 40-year-old was still technically under contract to the UFC. Since then? Nada.
GSP makes return this December with Fight Pass Invitational BJJ
Back in July, during International Fight week, the Canadian superstar made a surprise appearance at a UFC press event, announcing his official comeback. Not to MMA, or boxing, or even Karate, but to the grappling mats.
While now opponent was originally announced for the bout, multiple-time BJJ champion and UFC title contender Demian Maia took to social media in the weeks following the announcement to reveal that he would be facing GSP at the December Fight Pass Invitational event. As of yet, no other bouts have been announced for the card.
Every now and then, something comes up that still does really motivate you. Grappling @GeorgesStPierre will be a huge challenge & great motivation. You GSP are one of the greatest competitors ever, whom I respect a lot. I’m game! Looking forward to competing at @ufc invitational.
“I remember I was with the (UFC) Fight Pass guys and they were trying to ask me for opponents for GSP (Georges St-Pierre), for ideas, and I had no idea who (it) would be,” Craig claimed (transcript via JitsMagazine). “They asked me in the moment, I was like ‘I dunno…’ but I remember obviously I said Khabib (Nurmagomedov). I think they said Khabib wanted 5 million dollars to do the grappling match. I was like ‘whoa, obviously that’s priced himself out there’. Those guys would be cool to see.”
If the Nurmagomedov price tag seems a bit outlandish, it’s worth remembering that the longtime AKA talent has made it clear on multiple occasions since retiring that he has no real interest in returning to the life of a competitive athlete. He even went so far as to take a step back from his burgeoning coaching career, noting the burdens of the constant travel schedule that cornering fighters can require.
“He just doesn’t want to miss being a father,” AKA head coach Javier Mendez said in an interview with Yahoo! Sports. “He talked to me about three weeks ago and told me of his plan and said he planned to talk to the team and inform them of his decision. He’s doing this for the right reasons. He’s a family man and he simply wants to spend more time with his family.”
Fight Pass Invitational 6 takes place on December 14th at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for more grappling event coverage as the fight date approaches.
Go back a couple months, and it felt like the UFC was primed to put together a rock solid PPV event for their first return to Sydney, Australia in more than half a decade. Unfortunately for the promotion, the linchpin of their plan revolved around some exceptionally optimistic fight booking.
Just a month and a half ago, the UFC held a middleweight top contender’s bout between Robert Whittaker and Dricus Du Plessis. The intention being that the winner would be ready to face Israel Adesanya for the title belt in early September. A mere two-month turnaround for a massive opportunity.
To the promotion’s luck, Dricus Du Plessis beat Whittaker in spectacular fashion, positioning him perfectly to turn his ongoing war of words with Adesanya into an electric PPV buildup. But, it turns out that the UFC’s ambitious plan was exactly as flawed as it sounded, with the South African notifying the Endeavor-owned sports-entertainment property shortly after his victory, that he would not be healthy enough in time to fight for gold.
Alongside Adesanya, one of the other major regional draws expected for the card was former interim flyweight title challenger Kai Kara-France. A training partner to the ‘Last Stylebender’, ‘Don’t Blink’ has carved out a reputation as an action-forward fan-favorite over his 11-bout Octagon run. His planned fight against former RIZIN bantamweight champion Manel Kape seemed primed for violence.
On Monday, August 21st, however—in a video released to his Instagram account—the 30-year-old New Zealander revealed that he had suffered a concussion in training and was forced to withdraw from the bout.
“I just wanted to come on here and give you guys an update,” Kara-France announced. “So, unfortunately, I’ve had to withdraw from my next fight, in Sydney, Australia—UFC 293. I suffered a concussion over the weekend at training and I’ve been speaking to my coaches, my team, and my family, and they all think it’s the right decision to put my health first. Just want to say sorry to all the friends and family that bought tickets and accommodation; all the fans that were excited to see me fight live. I’m gutted that I won’t be a part of this card.
“It’s been a tough week, with my second son being born, as well as me pulling out of this fight; mixed emotions, frustrated. But, I’ve just got to focus on the positives and just spend time with my loved ones. Appreciate the ongoing support and we’ll be back soon.”
Manel Kape gets replacement fight
Fortunately for Kape, he didn’t have to wait long to get a replacement bout to ensure he’ll be staying on the UFC 293 fight card. MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz reports that the UFC has tabbed upcoming Dana White’s Contender Series talent Felipe dos Santos to step in for the injured City Kickboxing star.
At just 22-years-of-age ‘Lipe Detona’ will hit the Octagon with a perfect 7-0 record, fighting out of Charles Oliveira’s Chute Boxe Diego Lima fight team. The Brazilian had been set to take on onetime UFC fighter Edgar Chairez on next week’s DWCS fight card, but instead has his chance to make a huge step up this coming September 10th. The fight cancellation also appears to have led to Chairez getting another shot with the world’s largest MMA promotion. The Entram Gym talent is now set to take on Daniel Lacerda on the UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 card next month.
While Kape will still get his chance to show his skills inside the Octagon, that hasn’t stopped the Angolan-born fighter from sharing a few choice words with Kara France over his decision to withdraw from their bout.
He has 3 weeks to recover if this concussion really happened. You bastard https://t.co/2zOEilkYE4
@kaikarafrance You piece of shit, you come to my instagram saying "you better show up" and now you give up the fight, you fucking coward… Another one .
Kape has even gone so far as to suggest that fighters who withdraw from bouts too near the actual fight date should suffer extra financial penalties (beyond not getting paid, I guess?) for their decisions.
It’s an obviously terrible idea, but it’s hard not to have some sympathy for Kape’s plight, as he’s seen six UFC bookings in just 3 years fall apart due to injuries suffered by his opponents. Hopefully Felipe dos Santos stays healthy enough to make it to the cage on fight night.
It seems as though Sean Strickland was handed a gift. The no. 5 ranked UFC middleweight is coming off a dominant TKO victory over relative UFC newcomer Abus Magomedov back in July, his second straight victory, but hardly the kind of high profile win that would seem to have the Xtreme Couture talent primed for title contention.
Israel Adesanya, who Sean Strickland hasn’t seen fight, at UFC 287. IMAGO/ZUMA Wire
However, Adesanya’s continued dominance atop the middleweight division (following a brief bump in the road against Alex Pereira) and Dricus Du Plessis’ apparent inability to be ready for a title fight by September, have left the UFC with no clear top contender other than Strickland. An opportunity he seems primed to take advantage of.
Sean Strickland says manager working to finalize Adesanya fight
Just a couple weeks back, Sean Strickland spoke to MMA reporter Helen Yee about the opportunity to fight for a UFC title. At the time, he made it abundantly clear, that the only thing standing in the way of him taking the bout was money. As long as the UFC was willing to pay, he’d be there.
“Pay me money and I’ll f—king fight him for an hour straight,” Strickland quipped. “Or at least until somebody wakes up or goes to sleep.”
“You guys—that little Chinese slut—we’re trying to make it happen,” Strickland explained. “I’m trying to represent for America. I’m trying to represent for Australia. Because, I’ll tell you what Australians, I am more Australian than f—king Izzy. Izzy is a Chinese man. I ride motorcycles, I sail boats, I like sex with hot women.
“Izzy likes sex with dudes. Nothing wrong with that Izzy, it’s personal preference, I’m sure Schmo might be into it. But, I am American, but I’m like Crocodile Dundee, you guys. I carry guns on me, I carry knives. I consider myself an honorary Australian. I mean, I’m a little bit more in the freedom department. I like freedom. You know, you guys are a little questionable there. But, I would like to say that I’m more of an Australian than the Chinese man, Izzy.”
As for how the actual negotiations with the UFC are going? Strickland had a lot less bluster to deliver on that front.
“Guys, we’re working it,” Strickland said, when pressed on the fight. “My [manager] continues over there—he’s out here—we’re working it. We are working it. We’re trying, I’m trying to do it for you guys, we’re trying to make it happen for you guys. And then, once the fight happens, all I gotta do is fight Izzy—which, you know, that’s the easy part, right? Getting the fight is the hard part. Winning the fight’s the easy part.”
Sean Strickland reveals he’s never seen Adesanya fight
While Strickland was no doubt being extremely sarcastic when suggesting that the easy part of getting to fight Adesanya would be beating the man, he had a surprising answer when asked just how he planned to go about finding victory over the ‘Last Stylebender’. Notably that he hadn’t ever really paid much attention to the champ.
“I’ve never really actually watched an Izzy fight. I’ve watched clips of it. I don’t know Schmo, you’ve watched a lot of fighting, what do I gotta do?”
The 32-year-old former King of the Cage title holder went on to admit that he had actually seen one Adesanya fight before, the City Kickboxing star’s war with Kelvin Gastelum. For the moment, that seems to be the only point of reference Strickland is using for his potential gameplan.
“I need to fight like Kelvin,” Strickland revealed. “I need to go d—k to d—k, nose to nose, and I need to have a war. Maybe we takedown, maybe we don’t.”
“I need to be a little bit more on the aggressive side. You know, there’s some times when I’m out there doing my—what’s that girls name? They always make fun of me—that Disney Channel girl? Carly or something?… So, I need to be a little bit tighter, a little bit more up in the pocket. We’re gonna make magic happen, you guys.”
Israel Adesanya still seems stuck on Du Plessis
While it seems like Adesanya is likely headed for a clash with Strickland in Sydney on September 10th in the main event of UFC 293, the Nigerian-born New Zealander still seems like he’s got his sights firmly set on his ongoing war of words with top contender Dricus Du Plessis. Following UFC 290, the two men engaged in a heated staredown with Adesanya making several racially motivated remarks towards Du Plessis, in response to the South African’s ongoing sentiments that he is “the African fighter in the UFC.”
In a recent segment on the Halfcast Podcast run by City Kickboxing teammates Tyson Pedro and Kai Kara-France, the former kickboxing star talked about his face off with Du Plessis and why he felt ‘Stillknocks’ ended up turning down the chance to face him at UFC 293.
“Now he doesn’t want to fight,” Adesanya explained (transcript via MMA Junkie). “Even after, he’s like ‘Oh bro, all you had to do was put some gloves on, we could have got it on right there.’ B—ch ass, f—k you wouldn’t have because guess what? He didn’t want it. When I told him feel me, people were like, ‘Oh, he’s so classy walking away. He’s so classy.’ I’m like, ‘Bro, he didn’t even walk away. He felt me. He didn’t want to feel me. He’s not a scared man – he’s a tough dude. He’s very crafty, and he’s got a good team behind him – smart team.
“I don’t think he’s a scared man, but I’ll tell you he’s scared of me. You know when you look in someone’s eyes, you just know straight away. He didn’t call me into the cage, I stepped in the cage myself. I didn’t even see him call me … I stepped into the cage because I made this s—t happen. This motherf—ker – I hope … I really was hoping he’d f—king step up. But he’s a b—ch, and I’ll tell you right now: Keep training. Keep training. I’ve got something for your ass, so keep training.”
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