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USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Diego Lopes puts Ilia Topuria over Islam Makhachev in pound-for-pound, sees fight as 50-50
Diego Lopes weighs in on the pound-for-pound discussion. The discussion around the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in MMA today has been a hot topic over the last week. After Ilia Topuria knocked out Charles Oliveira to claim the vacant UFC lightweight title at UFC 317, many, including the UFC official rankings, have put Topuria over Islam Makhachev on that list. Diego Lopes, a former UFC title challenger and current top contender, thinks it's fair and deserving for Topuria to get that spot. "I think because of Topuria's last three wins, that puts him in that sport, right?" Lopes told Hablemos MMA in Spanish. "We're talking about the quality of opponents compared to Islam's. I'm not trying to take anything away from Islam and his wins over (Dustin) Poirier, Oliveira, Renato Moicano, but speaking about legacy, the people who Topuria beat give him that spot." The win over Oliveira tops a three-fight run that many are calling the best in history. Prior to UFC 317, Topuria had knocked out featherweight legends Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski in title fights. Lopes, who's a fan of Oliveira, knew a knockout was in the cards at UFC 317, despite his heart wanting a different outcome for his fellow countryman. "We knew that could happen because of their fighting styles," Lopes said. "Obviously, everyone who's a fan of Charles didn't want it to be this way, but we need to be aware of things. You had to put your fandom aside and acknowledge the quality of technique of Ilia. We knew that a well-placed shot from Ilia would put him to sleep, and that's exactly what happened." It's not in the immediate future, given Makhachev's move up to welterweight, but a potential Topuria vs. Makhachev matchup could be on the horizon. If the fight does go down, despite giving Topuria the pound-for-pound best ranking, Lopes still sees the affair as a coin toss. "The only time we've seen Topuria have a tough time was in his debut, which was a close fight, and when he fought that tall kid at 155 who he knocked out," Lopes said. "After that he's evolved a lot, he's evolved a lot. He surprised me a lot because when Charles closed the distance, and you see he has a very good position to get a takedown and in unable to take him down. I was actually next to a friend and when I saw Charles unable to get him down despite having a good position, I looked at my friend and said, 'Ok, he's a problem.' "He's a problem because he's a guy that knows much more than just boxing. He can wrestle, and that can give Islam trouble. Also, we make an analysis based on the fights that happened, but once you're there it can be a completely different fight. It happened to me against Volk. I expected a certain fight, and he was totally different in there. Same thing here. Ilia can focus so much on the wrestling that maybe he gets surprised on the feet, which happened to Volkanovski in the second fight against Islam with the head kick. But it can also happen that Islam worries too much about Topuria's boxing and underestimate his wrestling. I don't know. A lot can happen. I think it's a 50-50 fight."
USA Today
24-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Jesus Pinedo questions Movlid Khaybulaev's cardio ahead of PFL final, predicts stoppage
Jesus Pinedo previews his 2025 PFL featherweight final against Movlid Khaybulaev. Jesus Pinedo finds himself in another PFL tournament final, and just like the one before, he sees himself getting the job done without the judges' help. Pinedo (25-6-1), the 2023 PFL featherweight champion, punched his ticket to this year's final by stopping Gabriel Braga in vicious fashion last week in their co-main event, semifinal bout at 2025 PFL World Tournament 5. This sets him up to fight against fellow PFL standout and champion Movlid Khaybulaev later this year for the $500,000 prize and the 2025 title. Pinedo saw this coming from the moment the tournament got started. "Of course, when I started the tournament, I knew that the final was going to be against him," Pinedo told Hablemos MMA in Spanish. "You never know what can happen, obviously, but I was almost certain it would happen, and I imagine he did too. "Every time that we crossed paths, with respect, we would always say hi and shake hands and there's always that energy, that look in the eyes between us. That was since the first day of the tournament. We knew this was going to happen. I think this is a final that should've gone down in 2023, I expected us to fight that year, but it's now happening in 2025." Pinedo and Khaybulaev could've met in PFL's 2023 tournament, which Pinedo won, but Khaybulaev had to withdraw from the tournament due to injury. Khaybulaev has been on Pinedo's radar for many years, and has him well analyzed at this point in time. The Peruvian star sees Khaybulaev, as a strong, well-rounded fighter. However, he does question his gas tank and believes he'll be able to finish the Dagestani fighter due to that specific reason. "I think his style works well for me," Pinedo explained. "I'm used to wrestling in my academy with my coach Ivan, our foundation is basically wrestling. I'm ready, and I have the cardio to wrestle. I think his weakness is his form, he starts falling behind. I've seen in his last few fights that he starts losing steam, he starts slowing down as the fight goes on. It's going to be a tough fight for him. I'm going to come out like I always do, pressuring. If I connect early and put him away, great, but if not, I think i can still get him out of there in the third or fourth round with good pressure."
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC's Waldo Cortes-Acosta calls for top contender bout vs. Curtis Blaydes next
Waldo Cortes-Acosta wants to prove he's worthy of a UFC title shot, and he knows to do that he'll have to take difficult fights. The rising heavyweight contender called for one of the tougher challenges in the UFC heavyweight division following his unanimous decision win over Serghei Spivac this past Saturday at UFC 316. Cortes-Acosta (13-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) wants to throw down with former UFC interim title challenger and long-time contender Curtis Blaydes. Advertisement "Like I told you before the fight, God willing, if UFC allows it, I'd like to fight against Curtis Blaydes," Cortes-Acosta told Hablemos MMA in Spanish. "I want to prepare 100 percent and give it my all, and see what happens. I can prepare myself physically better, and work hard like I always do. I do know that I need to work hard now that I'm facing these guys because they're more advanced, more experience." Cortes-Acosta, who's on a five-fight winning streak, thinks doesn't see himself too far from title contention, and thinks a win over Blaydes could close him that gap. The Dominican fighter sees a showdown against Blaydes very much like his fight on Saturday – a striking affair that will eventually get his opponent to start wrestling. "I think that's a fight that will mainly lay out in the feet, but the moment things get complicated for him, he's going to look for the takedowns," Cortes-Acosta said. "That's what happened in this fight When Spivac started having difficulty striking, he looked to take the fight to the ground because I started catching him. The moment I began connecting my jab, I thought, 'I found him. I got this.'" As far as his win over Spivac, some people online scored the fight for the Russian fighter despite Cortes-Acosta out landing Spivac in significant and total strikes in every round of the fight. He disagrees with the "robbery claims" and thought he clearly won the fight. Advertisement "The first round, I had a tough time figuring him out," Cortes-Acosta explained. "I was a little confused, and I couldn't find him with my jab. Then after, towards the end of Round 1, I began to find my jab. I do give him the first round. He looked better. However, in the second, my accumulation of strikes was too much. Then in the third, my coach said I connected more than 100 strikes. So yeah." This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC's Waldo Cortes-Acosta calls for top contender bout vs. Curtis Blaydes next
USA Today
10-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC's Waldo Cortes-Acosta calls for top contender bout vs. Curtis Blaydes next
UFC's Waldo Cortes-Acosta calls for top contender bout vs. Curtis Blaydes next Waldo Cortes-Acosta is looking for a step-up in his next UFC fight. Waldo Cortes-Acosta wants to prove he's worthy of a UFC title shot, and he knows to do that he'll have to take difficult fights. The rising heavyweight contender called for one of the tougher challenges in the UFC heavyweight division following his unanimous decision win over Serghei Spivac this past Saturday at UFC 316. Cortes-Acosta (13-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) wants to throw down with former UFC interim title challenger and long-time contender Curtis Blaydes. "Like I told you before the fight, God willing, if UFC allows it, I'd like to fight against Curtis Blaydes," Cortes-Acosta told Hablemos MMA in Spanish. "I want to prepare 100 percent and give it my all, and see what happens. I can prepare myself physically better, and work hard like I always do. I do know that I need to work hard now that I'm facing these guys because they're more advanced, more experience." Cortes-Acosta, who's on a five-fight winning streak, thinks doesn't see himself too far from title contention, and thinks a win over Blaydes could close him that gap. The Dominican fighter sees a showdown against Blaydes very much like his fight on Saturday – a striking affair that will eventually get his opponent to start wrestling. "I think that's a fight that will mainly lay out in the feet, but the moment things get complicated for him, he's going to look for the takedowns," Cortes-Acosta said. "That's what happened in this fight When Spivac started having difficulty striking, he looked to take the fight to the ground because I started catching him. The moment I began connecting my jab, I thought, 'I found him. I got this.'" As far as his win over Spivac, some people online scored the fight for the Russian fighter despite Cortes-Acosta out landing Spivac in significant and total strikes in every round of the fight. He disagrees with the "robbery claims" and thought he clearly won the fight. "The first round, I had a tough time figuring him out," Cortes-Acosta explained. "I was a little confused, and I couldn't find him with my jab. Then after, towards the end of Round 1, I began to find my jab. I do give him the first round. He looked better. However, in the second, my accumulation of strikes was too much. Then in the third, my coach said I connected more than 100 strikes. So yeah."
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC 316's Waldo Cortes-Acosta plans Serghei Spivac KO, enter heavyweight title contention
Waldo Cortes-Acosta feels he's on the cusp of title contention, and it's hard to disagree. The Dominican heavyweight has quietly put together an impressive run in the UFC, picking up six wins in the seven fights he's had since joining the promotion. These victories include two knockouts, and several notable names such as Ryan Spann, Robelis Despaigne, Chase Sherman and former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski. Advertisement This Saturday at UFC 316, Cortes-Acosta (13-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) looks to continue to bolster that resume and go on a five-fight winning streak when he takes on top-10 ranked heavyweight Serghei Spivac. He thinks a win over Spivac (17-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) will open up big opportunities for him in the division. "Yeah, I do feel the attention and the importance of the event," Cortes-Acosta told Hablemos MMA in Spanish. "This fight can push me, can catapult me to the top, and put me in the title conversation. Maybe I win this one, one more after that, and I'm ready for a title shot, God willing." Cortes-Acosta has his path to victory mapped out for Spivac. Avoid the ground game and keep the fight in his realm. "I see it as a striker vs. wrestler," Cortes-Acosta said. "I don't think he has the hands to match me in the octagon. Like I've said, every fight I'm evolving. I never stop evolving. I feel stronger and I'm heavier now." Advertisement There are high expectations for Cortes-Acosta in this matchup. He sees himself finishing the "Polar Bear" "I expect the knockout," Waldo-Acosta said. "Come Saturday, I'll be knocking on the door, and it will be opened." This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 316's Waldo Cortes-Acosta plans to KO Serghei Spivac
