‘No truth to this’ – Nate Diaz rep denies Chimaev’s claim that Kadyrov offered him $2 million
Nate Diaz’s representative Zach Rosenfield had denied a recent claim by Khamzat Chimaev that Ramzan Kadyrov, the dictator at the helm of Russia’s Chechnya region, offered Diaz an extra $2 million to accept their UFC 279 bout at a catchweight. “There is no truth to this,” Rosenfield told BloodyElbow, adding that the two fighters only […]
Diaz would make more money with us than anywhere else – BKFC president wants Nate Diaz vs Mike Perry
Upon Nate Diaz’s departure from the UFC in September, many outside entities immediately expressed their intentions to possibly sign the veteran superstar. One of them is Bare Knuckle FC, and according to organization president David Feldman, they were working “aggressively” to sign the Stockton native. Three months later, it looks like Feldman is following through. […]
He needs a handler, someone like me – Joe Rogan knocks Schaub for ‘dumb’ UFC 279 conspiracy
The mess that was UFC 279 led to the formation of several conspiracy theories. One of them came from former heavyweight turned podcaster Brendan Schaub, who even got into it with UFC president Dana White after claims that the event was “not trending well.” Agree, I’m sure everyone got paid. I don’t think it’s due […]
Back at 185? Khamzat Chimaev hints at move to MW again after UFC 279 weigh-in snafu
Khamzat Chimaev is hinting at a move from welterweight to middleweight. The undefeated UFC upstart has competed at 170 and 185 pounds since his arrival in the promotion a few years ago, but his time in the former weight class may come to an end after a snafu on the scales ahead of UFC 279 […]
UFC star Kevin Holland claims he has ‘retired’ at 29
Kevin Holland caught fans off guard on Thursday, after suddenly announcing that he has “retired.” Along with a peace sign emoji, the UFC welterweight posted a photo on Instagram that wrote “Had a good run. 30 in a little over a month. Got paid, I’m out.” He even polled his followers asking what his “next […]
Sean O’Malley: Khamzat Chimaev can’t make 170 lbs anymore, but doesn’t want the ‘big boys’ at 185
Khamzat Chimaev went through a messy weight-related situation ahead of his supposed UFC 279 headliner against Nate Diaz. “Borz” ended up missing the welterweight limit by almost eight pounds, which led to him facing Kevin Holland at a 180-pound catchweight, instead. His coach Andreas Michael later attributed it to Chimaev’s rough COVID battle in late […]
‘I stole everything’ – Paulo Costa says he’s the reason for Khamzat Chimaev’s UFC 279 weight miss
One of the many side stories for UFC 279 was the brief confrontation between Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa. The two got heated during a fight week encounter at the UFC Performance Institute and had to be separated, but the incident was caught on camera and has since gone viral. A shirtless “Borrachinha” made a […]
Video: Nate Diaz shares behind-the-scenes look at UFC 279 fight week
Nate Diaz and co. filmed their experience throughout the week of UFC 279, the pay-per-view event flipped on its head on 24 hours’ notice. The former UFC star shared a glimpse at what happened from the now-infamous backstage brawl that led to a pre-fight press conference being canceled to the final preparation ahead of his […]
Jon Anik says he was ‘sworn to secrecy’ by Joe Rogan about UFC 279 shake-up
A lot happened in the last 48 hours leading up to UFC 279. But the major shake-up took place during the early morning weigh-ins the day before fight night when Khamzat Chimaev failed to make weight for his scheduled welterweight headliner against Nate Diaz. The man usually tasked to oversee the early weigh-ins as its […]
Chimaev responds to Khabib’s criticism over UFC 279 weight cut: ‘I ate too much tiramisu’
After being criticized by Khabib Nurmagomedov for failing to make weight ahead of UFC 279 last week, Khamzat Chimaev hit back with some shade of his own. The undefeated UFC fighter, who weighed in 8.5 pounds over the contracted welterweight limit of 170 pounds, responded to a fan who claimed to have seen him “hanging […]
Tony Ferguson drove UFC exec’s Bentley to agree to fight Nate Diaz at UFC 279
As revealed by bossman Dana White himself, UFC 279 was their 25th consecutive sell-out card. But as we all know by now, there was a ton of drama during the lead-up to fight night, which led to a major shake-up in the top three fights on the main card. The headliner itself saw a major […]
You’re a dork with a frat bro vocabulary – Schaub and Dana White trade shots over UFC 279 conspiracy
Dana White isn’t interested in hearing any conspiracy theories related to UFC 279’s major shake-ups. The bossman already denied them at the post-fight presser, while also blasting the “f–ng lunatics” who’ve been spreading them around online. During Tuesday’s Contender Series (DWCS) post-event scrum, White continued his tirade against these rumor spreaders. One person he specifically […]
UFC’s late praise for Nate Diaz can’t hide how they wanted to damage him and his value at UFC 279
UFC president Dana White was effusive in his praise of Nate Diaz during UFC 279 fight week. If one didn’t know better, White’s claims that he and the UFC wished Diaz nothing but the best in his future endeavors would almost come across as sincere and believable. However, the UFC actions leading up to UFC […]
MMA SQUARED: Combat Wombat has just one more question for Dana White about UFC 279 shenanigans
Chris Rini Take care of yourself and I’ll talk to you Monday. Chris
Cormier: Tony Ferguson is ‘done,’ he’s a ‘shell of himself’ but doesn’t have self-awareness
Two of the sport’s respected “OGs” headlined UFC 279 on Saturday. Due to last-minute changes, company superstar Nate Diaz and former interim champion Tony Ferguson ended up paired against each other in what turned out to be a relatively entertaining four-rounder. The 37-year-old Diaz ended up with his hand raised via submission in what he […]
‘Everyone’s talking shit’ – UFC 279 winner Rodriguez wants a rematch with Li Jingliang
For the most part, judging at UFC 279 last Saturday went by without controversy. Of the six fights that saw the final bell, four were by unanimous decision. The other two saw 29-28 splits, with one of the two only really notable for its slow pace and tepid action. It’s that other split decision, however, […]
‘I grabbed Khamzat’ – Li Jingliang gives eye witness account of backstage brawl before UFC 279
Dressed to impress in a new suit, Li Jingliang was excited to address fans and media alike at the pre-fight press conference for UFC 279 this past Thursday. Unfortunately, Jingliang would never get the chance to do so after a brief brouhaha broke out backstage between Khamzat Chimaev and Kevin Holland. The pair were fighting […]
‘Sh-t was crazy’ — Israel Adesanya reacts to Khamzat Chimaev’s UFC 279 win over Kevin Holland
Israel Adesanya may have a new middleweight contender in Khamzat Chimaev. Khamzat steamrolled last-minute replacement Kevin Holland at UFC 279 this past Saturday to extend his winning UFC winning streak to 6-0 (12-0 MMA), finishing ‘Trailblazer’ with a D’Arce choke in the first round. Khamzat’s original matchup with Nate Diaz was canceled after ‘Borz’ missed […]
‘Robbed!’ Li Jingliang says UFC 279 was ‘awful’ experience, didn’t get pay bump for last minute change
Last Thursday Li Jingliang was wearing a flashy new suit and was expecting to show it off at the pre-fight press conference for UFC 279, where he hoped to discuss his scheduled fight with Tony Ferguson. Things didn’t exactly go to plan. The lead-up to last week’s UFC 279 is one of the more chaotic […]
UFC 279 video: Watch fan get phone smashed after telling Khamzat Chimaev ‘you didn’t make weight’
A disgruntled fan got what he deserved after heckling Khamzat Chimaev following his missed weight cut at UFC 279. Khamzat’s welterweight matchup with Nate Diaz was called off at the last minute after ‘Borz’ missed weight by a whopping seven and a half pounds due to reported health complications backstage. The card was reshuffled, with […]
The Level Change Podcast 191: UFC 279 recap, Jake Paul responds to Diaz’ win
Welcome to ‘The Level Change Podcast’, our combat sports themed variety show hosted by Stephie Haynes and Victor Rodriguez. Featuring the news of the week, fight card breakdowns and analysis, a roundup of regional promotions’ cards and fights; and whatever else we decide is important enough or entertaining enough to bring to your ears. Here […]
Nate Diaz says he ‘lost count’ of how much money he was offered to remain at UFC 279
By the time Nate Diaz became a massive UFC superstar around 2016, he pretty much had strong leverage over succeeding negotiations. In the case of UFC 279 where his supposed opponent Khamzat Chimaev fell out 24 hours before fight night, the 37-year-old veteran could have pulled out of the event if he wanted to, and […]
What does the UFC do with a problem like Khamzat Chimaev?
A significant number of fans, fighters and MMA media rejoiced at the reshuffling of the top three fights on the UFC 279 pay-per-view card. I will acknowledge that the main event was made better and more competitive when Tony Ferguson was slotted into the spot Khamzat Chimaev forfeited when he missed weight by a not […]
‘My wife called me out’ – Tony Ferguson admits he was ‘sandbagging’ his ‘last four fights’
After a six-year dominant run and an interim title to boot, Tony Ferguson now finds himself in a rough patch. “El Cucuy” is currently on a five-fight skid, with his most recent loss happening over the weekend at UFC 279 against fellow OG Nate Diaz. Any fighter would see this string of defeats as a […]
Commission conducting ‘full investigation’ on UFC 279 presser fracas, may revoke fighter licenses
One of the pre-fight storylines ahead of UFC 279 was the backstage fracas that unfolded before the pre-fight presser on Thursday. According to initial reports, the parties involved were the event’s main card fighters, namely Kevin Holland, Khamzat Chimaev, and Nate Diaz’s team. The presser was canceled, as a result, which Dana White aptly described […]
Vomiting, fainting, spasms – Chimaev’s coach details disastrous cut, says body has been ‘off’ since COVID
Khamzat Chimaev had a pretty disastrous weight cut for UFC 279. According to his coach Andreas Michael, there may just be lingering effects from Chimaev’s bout with COVID-19, which made him announce his retirement after months of horrible complications. Chimaev returned in 2021 and has fought three times since, but his coach believes he just […]
Khamzat Chimaev names one UFC middleweight he doesn’t want to fight
Khamzat Chimaev wants to kill everybody, brother. But he’d rather not fight former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker AKA Bobby Knuckles. Fresh off a first-round submission victory over Kevin Holland at UFC 279, Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) revealed that he’d rather train with Whittaker (24-6 MMA, 15-4 UFC) than fight him, crediting ‘The Reaper’ […]
UFC 279 Reactions & UFC Vegas 60 Picks | Care/Don’t Care Podcast
It’s time for another one of our infamous and patented Care/Don’t Care Podcasts, with your talent: the astounding Eugene S. Robinson, author of the ‘Eugene S. Robinson Substack’, the fight book: “Fight: Everything You Wanted to Know About Ass-Kicking but Were Afraid You’d Get Your Ass Kicked for Asking”, host of the ‘Eugene S. Robinson […]
Kevin Holland wants striking battle with Wonderboy after losing ‘grappling match’ to Khamzat Chimaev
Kevin Holland is looking for a quick turnaround following his lopsided submission defeat to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 279, calling for a standup battle with UFC veteran Stephen Thompson next. Holland gave credit to Khamzat for his performance but can’t help but feel ‘Borz’ treated their short-notice, 180-pound catchweight bout as a ‘grappling match’ instead […]
MMA SQUARED: 50% dumpster fire, 50% happy ending, 100% UFC 279
Chris Rini Take care of yourself and I’ll talk to you Wednesday. Chris