Tag: UFC 309

Dan Hooker Criticizes Michael Chandler Calling For BMF Title Fight: ‘It’s Not Our Title’

Following his loss to Charles Oliveira in the co-main event of UFC 309, Michael Chandler called for two potential fights in the near future. “Iron” Mike admitted that he planned to push for the winner of the upcoming lightweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan which is expected to take place early next […]

Following his loss to Charles Oliveira in the co-main event of UFC 309, Michael Chandler called for two potential fights in the near future. “Iron” Mike admitted that he planned to push for the winner of the upcoming lightweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan which is expected to take place early next year.

After losing the first four rounds in his rematch with “Do Bronx”, which he nearly produced an all-time great comeback in during the fifth round, Chandler pivoted towards two huge match-ups that are still out there for him in the lightweight division. The most obvious of those two options is his long-awaited fight with Conor McGregor that somehow seems less likely than his other call out.

Chandler said that with Max Holloway committing to lightweight following his UFC 308 loss, he’d love the opportunity to fight for the BMF title that currently belongs to “Blessed”. Another name that is also in the mix for huge bouts at 155-pounds is Dan Hooker who commented on his former opponent’s BMF desires during a recent interview with Submission Radio.

“The Hangman” believes that contenders need to stop trying to decide who should fight for the BMF title because it’s a belt that is purely for the fans. He’s likely to be in that conversation as someone who always puts on great fights but Hooker isn’t going to start saying that this is what he wants next.

“I don’t see like Chandler calling for the BMF like why does everyone keep throwing their hands up for the BMF, it’s not up to us. It’s not our title, the BMF title is for the fans. It’s for the fans to kind of get the steam and get it together. People need to stop calling out for the BMF title brother. That’s the fans’ title, it’s their fun.”

Charles Oliveira Addresses Myriad Of Fouls From Michael Chandler At UFC 309

Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira was left frustrated by referee Keith Peterson’s officiating of this past weekend’s co-main event. Oliveira delivered one of the performances of the night at Saturday’s UFC 309 pay-per-view, where he added a second victory over former three-time Bellator champion Michael Chandler to his record. First time around, “Do Bronx” […]

Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira was left frustrated by referee Keith Peterson’s officiating of this past weekend’s co-main event.

Oliveira delivered one of the performances of the night at Saturday’s UFC 309 pay-per-view, where he added a second victory over former three-time Bellator champion Michael Chandler to his record.

First time around, “Do Bronx” was swarmed early and had to mount an incredible comeback to finish “Iron” in round two and have the 155-pound gold wrapped around his waist.

In the rematch three and a half years later at Madison Square Garden, things were simpler for the Brazilian for the most part and it was instead Chandler tasked with coming from behind.

The fifth and final frame saw the American come close to doing so after he rocked Oliveira on the feet and established a dominant position on the ground. The onslaught of strikes that followed, however, caused controversy as they largely appeared to cannon into the back of the eventual victor’s head.

And that was just the latest instance of apparent fouling, with fans highlighting fence grabs during the fight and “Do Bronx” complaining of eye pokes and glove grabbing.

During his post-fight press conference at MSG, Oliveira shed light on the multitude of fouls dealt his way at UFC 309, questioning why referee Peterson didn’t intervene a single time.

“I’m not here to criticize,” Oliveira said. “But I wanna tell you something: there were a lot of blows to the back of the head, a lot of fence grabbing. There was also some eye pokes. And I was telling the ref what was going on, I was calling for his attention and nothing would happen. I hoped that he would intervene, but nothing happened.”

This is far from the first time Chandler has been accused of deliberate fouling. He notably caught the wrath of Dustin Poirier in the aftermath of their fight after appearing to fishhook “The Diamond” during a grappling exchange.

Oliveira thankfully didn’t have to deal with that kind of foul, and he ultimately recovered from some egregious back-of-the-head blows to have his hand raised by way of a convincing unanimous decision.

He’ll now turn his attention to the expected lightweight title clash between champ Islam Makhachev and challenger Arman Tsarukyan next month in Los Angeles, as he gears up to potentially battle the winner later in the year.

VIDEO: Israel Adesanya Applauds Jon Jones Performance During UFC 309 Live Reaction

Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya appeared impressed while watching Jon Jones send Stipe Miocic into retirement with a brutal kick this past weekend. Jones and Miocic headlined Saturday’s UFC 309 pay-per-view inside Madison Square Garden in New York City, completing their long-awaited matchup over a year on from an injury shelving it first […]

Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya appeared impressed while watching Jon Jones send Stipe Miocic into retirement with a brutal kick this past weekend.

Jones and Miocic headlined Saturday’s UFC 309 pay-per-view inside Madison Square Garden in New York City, completing their long-awaited matchup over a year on from an injury shelving it first time around.

Returning from a spell on the sidelines that spanned over three and a half years, many dismissed Miocic’s chances of unseating Jones and adding a third heavyweight reign to his illustrious record.

And the veteran ultimately failed in his pursuit of proving them wrong, with “Bones” following a dominant opening round by eventually finding the finish in the third frame with a vicious spinning side kick to the body.

In spite of many focusing on his avoidance of Tom Aspinall, Jones’ latest triumph on MMA’s biggest stage drew widespread plaudits, including from some UFC peers whom he’s not always seen eye to eye with…

During a video recently uploaded to his FREESTYLEBENDER YouTube channel, Adesanya reacted live to the events that unfolded on the UFC 309 main card at MSG.

The Nigerian-New Zealander didn’t have much to say during the finishing sequence in the headliner, instead simply applauding Jones’ work.

“He did it, as he does,” Adesanya said. “Great main event. … Good to see Stipe hang them up. I still think he went out on top.”

He was subsequently asked the question on everyone’s lips — will a unification fight with Aspinall happen?

“I think it’ll happen. If Jones is not retiring, I think they’ll figure it out,” Adesanya said. “Talk to Hunter (Campbell), talk to Dana (White)…sit down in the War Room, they’ll hash it out, they’ll figure it out.”

While Jones initially appeared to tease a stance switch inside the Octagon when he suggested he could give the masses what they want, he quickly reverted back to dismissing Aspinall and expressing a desire to face Alex Pereira when he arrived backstage.

Bo Nickal Doubles Down On Defense Of UFC 309 Performance: ‘This Fight Was Picture-Perfect’

UFC middleweight prospect Bo Nickal continues to push back on suggestions he underperformed this past weekend. Nickal was among those to have their hand raised on the main card of Saturday’s UFC 309 pay-per-view. But unlike his previous Octagon outings — all of which came by way of knockout or submission — the American didn’t […]

UFC middleweight prospect Bo Nickal continues to push back on suggestions he underperformed this past weekend.

Nickal was among those to have their hand raised on the main card of Saturday’s UFC 309 pay-per-view. But unlike his previous Octagon outings — all of which came by way of knockout or submission — the American didn’t draw a positive reaction from the crowd.

The audience in attendance at Madison Square Garden made their displeasure known throughout Nickal’s three-round contest with formerly ranked middleweight and light heavyweight contender Paul Craig.

After the decorated wrestling specialist got the nod after 15 minutes of largely forgettable striking, he was heavily booed during his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. And they rained down even heavier when Nickal defended the display and expressed how happy he was with the win.

During his post-fight press conference at MSG, Nickal shared the same sentiment, even going as far as to call his performance in New York City “picture-perfect.”

“Definitely, it’s way better for me and my development,” Nickal said. “If you look at my cage time and what I had before this, I over-doubled it, for sure. That’s something that for me I’ve really cornered myself with this reputation of a guy who finishes them and destroys them – because that’s when the expectation is set. My expectation is to compete to the best of my ability at 100 percent effort.

“It’s not anything to do with the result. It doesn’t matter: decisions, submissions, knockouts. I’m definitely not disappointed with this result. I was way more disappointed with my last fight and I subbed the guy,” Nickal continued. “This fight, for me, was picture-perfect.”

With the result, Nickal has moved to a perfect 4-0 in the UFC and 7-0 overall as a professional mixed martial artist.

The three-time NCAA Division I national champion and three-time Big Ten Conference champion out of Pennsylvania State University will now look ahead to his first assignment of 2025, as he edges closer to putting a number next to his name at 185 pounds.

Bo Nickal Doubles Down On Defense Of UFC 309 Performance: ‘This Fight Was Picture-Perfect’

UFC middleweight prospect Bo Nickal continues to push back on suggestions he underperformed this past weekend. Nickal was among those to have their hand raised on the main card of Saturday’s UFC 309 pay-per-view. But unlike his previous Octagon outings — all of which came by way of knockout or submission — the American didn’t […]

UFC middleweight prospect Bo Nickal continues to push back on suggestions he underperformed this past weekend.

Nickal was among those to have their hand raised on the main card of Saturday’s UFC 309 pay-per-view. But unlike his previous Octagon outings — all of which came by way of knockout or submission — the American didn’t draw a positive reaction from the crowd.

The audience in attendance at Madison Square Garden made their displeasure known throughout Nickal’s three-round contest with formerly ranked middleweight and light heavyweight contender Paul Craig.

After the decorated wrestling specialist got the nod after 15 minutes of largely forgettable striking, he was heavily booed during his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. And they rained down even heavier when Nickal defended the display and expressed how happy he was with the win.

During his post-fight press conference at MSG, Nickal shared the same sentiment, even going as far as to call his performance in New York City “picture-perfect.”

“Definitely, it’s way better for me and my development,” Nickal said. “If you look at my cage time and what I had before this, I over-doubled it, for sure. That’s something that for me I’ve really cornered myself with this reputation of a guy who finishes them and destroys them – because that’s when the expectation is set. My expectation is to compete to the best of my ability at 100 percent effort.

“It’s not anything to do with the result. It doesn’t matter: decisions, submissions, knockouts. I’m definitely not disappointed with this result. I was way more disappointed with my last fight and I subbed the guy,” Nickal continued. “This fight, for me, was picture-perfect.”

With the result, Nickal has moved to a perfect 4-0 in the UFC and 7-0 overall as a professional mixed martial artist.

The three-time NCAA Division I national champion and three-time Big Ten Conference champion out of Pennsylvania State University will now look ahead to his first assignment of 2025, as he edges closer to putting a number next to his name at 185 pounds.

Bo Nickal Doubles Down On Defense Of UFC 309 Performance: ‘This Fight Was Picture-Perfect’

UFC middleweight prospect Bo Nickal continues to push back on suggestions he underperformed this past weekend. Nickal was among those to have their hand raised on the main card of Saturday’s UFC 309 pay-per-view. But unlike his previous Octagon outings — all of which came by way of knockout or submission — the American didn’t […]

UFC middleweight prospect Bo Nickal continues to push back on suggestions he underperformed this past weekend.

Nickal was among those to have their hand raised on the main card of Saturday’s UFC 309 pay-per-view. But unlike his previous Octagon outings — all of which came by way of knockout or submission — the American didn’t draw a positive reaction from the crowd.

The audience in attendance at Madison Square Garden made their displeasure known throughout Nickal’s three-round contest with formerly ranked middleweight and light heavyweight contender Paul Craig.

After the decorated wrestling specialist got the nod after 15 minutes of largely forgettable striking, he was heavily booed during his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. And they rained down even heavier when Nickal defended the display and expressed how happy he was with the win.

During his post-fight press conference at MSG, Nickal shared the same sentiment, even going as far as to call his performance in New York City “picture-perfect.”

“Definitely, it’s way better for me and my development,” Nickal said. “If you look at my cage time and what I had before this, I over-doubled it, for sure. That’s something that for me I’ve really cornered myself with this reputation of a guy who finishes them and destroys them – because that’s when the expectation is set. My expectation is to compete to the best of my ability at 100 percent effort.

“It’s not anything to do with the result. It doesn’t matter: decisions, submissions, knockouts. I’m definitely not disappointed with this result. I was way more disappointed with my last fight and I subbed the guy,” Nickal continued. “This fight, for me, was picture-perfect.”

With the result, Nickal has moved to a perfect 4-0 in the UFC and 7-0 overall as a professional mixed martial artist.

The three-time NCAA Division I national champion and three-time Big Ten Conference champion out of Pennsylvania State University will now look ahead to his first assignment of 2025, as he edges closer to putting a number next to his name at 185 pounds.