On Saturday night, the MMA world leader returned to pay-per-view with a stacked UFC 322 card inside New York’s Madison Square Garden. The event featured quite a few highlight reel finishes, including on the main card from rising stars Carlos Prates and Michael Morales.
In the main event, UFC lightweight great Islam Makhachev etched his name in company history when he became the latest fighter to win a title in a second weight class. Defeating welterweight king Jack Della Maddalena. Some notable news emerged following UFC 322, including CEO Dana White’s thoughts on various topics, including Jake Paul facing Anthony Joshua next month.
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Islam Makhachev’s next fight and GOAT chase
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Following a dominant win in the main event of UFC 322, many MMA fans are wondering what is next for the new 170-pound champ. In his post-fight press conference, White admitted he believes the new titlist is pushing his name into the GOAT discussion. While he is unsure of who could be next for Makhachev, Kamaru Usman, Ilia Topuria, and Shavkat Rahkmonov are all options.
“I don’t know yet, but the great thing, as you laid out, is we have a lot of options,” he said. “It just depends on what he wants to do. Does he want to stay at 170, or is he interested in 155?”
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Dillon Danis is banned from future UFC events
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At UFC 322, fight sports lightning rod and Bellator veteran Dillon Danis made news for all the wrong reasons when he was involved in a wild brawl with members of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s entourage near the Octagon during the main card.
White admitted some wrongdoing in the melee because UFC staff told him Danis was moving into sections he was not supposed to be at, and some of his rivals were nearby. After the incident, the UFC boss confirmed Danis’ day at his shows is forever over.
“You will never see Dillon Danis at a UFC fight ever again,” White proclaimed.
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White calls Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua a bad idea
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“That’s a f***ing bad idea,” the UFC CEO said about a rumored fight between Jake Paul and heavyweight great Anthony Joshua next month. However, he did not deny that the mismatch is sure to get a lot of viewers.
“Let me tell you what, a lot of people will watch that one. You know what everyone is tuning in for that,” he said about his own plans to watch the fight and hopes for a Joshua knockout win.
White and Paul have been open about their dislike of each other over the last few years.
Is Kayla Harrison vs. Valentina Shevchenko next, or a trilogy with Amanda Nunes?
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Following her dominant victory over Zhang Weili in Saturday’s main event, flyweight champ Valentina Shevchenko mentioned in her Octagon interview that a scap with bantamweight queen Kayla Harrison was on the table for her next fight.
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While she said it is a real option during her post-fight presser, she also said a third fight with women’s MMA GOAT Amanda Nunes is something she has interest in. Shevchenko lost to Nunes twice at 135 pounds in very close bouts back in 2016 and 2017.
“I think it’s one of the possibilities,” Shevchenko said about the matchup with Harrison. “I’ll consider that. For now, I want to take care of injuries, but after a week or so, my team will have our conversations and decide what is next. I feel there are good challengers in the flyweight division as well.
“Erin Blanchfield, Natalia Silva, and at bantamweight, we now have Amanda Nunes or Kaylan Harrison. I would say fans would love to see an Amanda trilogy because there’s unfinished business,” she added. “But it’s unclear if she will return or not. It’s also unknown what shape she will return. But Kayla is another possibility.”
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