Latest news with #KhamzatChimaev
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Robert Whittaker reveals it took months to fully heal from gruesome Khamzat Chimaev injury
Robert Whittaker quite literally had his face rearranged in his most recent Octagon appearance. The former UFC middleweight champion suffered a horrific first-round submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev this past October, a defeat which resulted in a broken jaw for Whittaker and shattered three of his bottom teeth from Chimaev's squeeze. "Bobby Knuckles" is now fully recovered and on the rebound, but before he competes in this weekend's UFC Abu Dhabi main event against Reinier de Ridder, Whittaker revealed it took several months to fully heal from the gruesome scene. "Perfect, mate. Better than before," Whittaker said of his teeth and jaw on Monday's edition of "The Ariel Helwani Show." "I just got them taken out, the teeth. I got implants put in, and it took them a little while to set and settle. Now that that's all done, I've had plenty of time. Like I said, better than ever." Whittaker vs. Chimaev was essentially an unofficial title eliminator that led to the latter's championship bout against UFC middleweight king Dricus du Plessis on Aug. 16 at UFC 319. Whittaker also previously fought du Plessis in July 2023, infamously losing in an upset that, at least in the moment, was considered fairly surprising. When assessing the matchup between his two former opponents, Whittaker believes the paths to victory are clear for each. "Chimaev is going to get him to the ground," Whittaker said. "If he doesn't finish him there, I don't think he wins. That's just how I feel. If you can't get Dricus out in the first, which Chimaev can do — first-round finishes is his thing, right? — but if he doesn't get him out of there, I think Dricus looks good, very promising. He's a guy that if you don't get rid of, he kind of wins." At age 34, Whittaker remains a top contender at 185 pounds and can reestablish himself in the hunt by turning back another surging contender with the aforementioned de Ridder fight. That being said, Whittaker knows his clock is ticking to make one final title run — which in Whittaker's mind, would be the ideal capstone on the Aussie legend's potentially Hall of Fame career. "Realistically, I only want to fight for a couple more years. There's other things I want to do still. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I understand it is my last big push, the last sprint, last one hundred meters of the race. Let's get in there, get a few more fights in. I can see the path to the gold, and the dream is that fairytale ending. Everything goes into this. "Sailing off into the sunset as the champ [would be perfect]." Whittaker has been a mainstay of the middleweight division since 2014 and has been nearly flawless throughout that run. His only losses came against championship-caliber competition: Du Plessis, Chimaev and Israel Adesanya. Depending on how many wins it might take to get Whittaker back to a title fight, he could realistically be staring at a rematch with either man in UFC 319's championship bout. While the Chimaev loss may have been the worst of his recent two setbacks, especially optically, his second-round stoppage loss to du Plessis is still the one haunting Whittaker most. If he had it his way, closing out his run in MMA with redemption against the South African would be a dream come true. "Honestly, I think Dricus is the sort of guy that will lose to himself," Whittaker said. "The way he fights. I think it's obvious with every fight, it's very heavily mindset driven. Especially for him. He's tough as nails and he never quits. He beats a lot of people on the backs of him not going anywhere. I think the day that he can't push, the day that he can't find that, is the day that he might lose. He's got a head of steel, he's a tough guy, he's strong, he's physically fit, he puts in the work. "I'd like to fight him again. That would be the icing on the cake. ... Honestly, I do think I'm better than him. I think I'm better than everybody, even when I lose, right? It's mainly that in our first pairing, I let myself down in that fight, and I want to correct that. I didn't have the right headspace to go and beat him. "I want to correct that more than any of my other losses. That's the fight I didn't like feeling like that."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Paulo Costa shares alleged Khamzat Chimaev DMs that inflamed rivalry: 'I want to take everything he has'
Paulo Costa hasn't changed his ultimate goal after his return to the win column at UFC 318. Costa battled it out for three rounds this past Saturday night in New Orleans to defeat Roman Kopylov in a much-needed unanimous decision. The win snapped the Brazilian's two-fight skid, giving the one-time UFC middleweight title challenger just his second win of his past six appearances. Advertisement Costa, 34, made it clear before the fight he still hopes to eventually get his hands on his old rival Khamzat Chimaev, whom he was supposed to fight in October 2023. Speaking on Monday's edition of "The Ariel Helwani Show," Costa revealed the private back-and-forth his longtime girlfriend, Tamara, had with Chimaev ahead of their canceled bout. "He said, 'Your man is not a man enough. He likes men,'" Costa claimed. "He sent her a picture of [Israel] Adesanya and me, he said, 'Look, he lost to Adesanya. He likes Black men. You should look for a better man than him.' Something like that, with no sense. "Of course, she sends some message back, 'Don't involve my family in this business. It's not about us because you never involve family in this. It's between you and Paulo. This is disrespectful. This is not the kind of thing that a man should do. If you want to talk to Paulo, this is not about me. It's not my business. This is only business. Take care of your problems with Paulo.' She said something like that. "I hate this motherf***er. I hate this guy. I want to fight him. I want to take everything he has." Unfortunately for Costa, a nasty staph infection on his elbow became dire enough to require surgery two weeks before his originally scheduled fight with Chimaev. As a result, former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman stepped into the bout on short notice and ultimately lost a majority decision against the undefeated middleweight contender. Advertisement In Chimaev's next fight, he'll challenge for the middleweight title against champion Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319 on Aug. 16. Costa said he will be in attendance in Chicago on that night, and he predicts Chimaev will come up short against "DDP" after gassing out as the fight progresses. That same strategy is also how he sees himself beating Chimaev, should the two ever book another fight. "I truly believe I'm one of the worst opponents for him, because I'm strong," Costa said. "I never go back[ward]. I have strong hips, strong legs. I can defend takedowns very well. And I'm going to make a hell of a fight for him. "I think me and Dricus is a kind of perfect fighter to beat him. I think Dricus has a kind of same style [as me], same body shape that are going to compromise his work. Chimaev is still very immature. He fights like an immature guy. Nobody rushes for a title fight, or five rounds against a very strong man like Dricus or me. He's going to do that because he's immature. He cannot compose himself and keep his base because he's emotional. He acts like a kid. I don't know what's his problem." Advertisement Regarding his own confidence levels, Costa admits he's still finding his way back to his best self after the Kopylov win. Before his title loss against Adesanya in 2020, Costa had finished all but one of his 13 opponents. Despite the great performance against Kopylov, Costa expects he'll only get better with more fights from here on out. "I'm still getting this confidence back," Costa said. "I need more fights. I need one more, two more, to get 100% of my confidence back, because I could finish this fight against Kopylov. That first [knockdown], when he fell and got up on his feet, I was — I don't know if I [went hard enough for the finish]. I will keep at the pace, [I was thinking] maybe it's not the right moment to go. Advertisement "But there was a good moment to go because he was rocked, still groggy, figuring out what happened. It was a clean shot. Clean straight in his mouth. He felt that. He was in kind of survival mode. I didn't take too many advantages of that. I could, but my confidence was not so good to do that."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Paulo Costa reveals why he was shaking at UFC 318 presser
Paulo Costa is back after beating Roman Kopylov at UFC 318 to talk about coming back after back-to-back losses, shaking during the press conference, his hatred for Khamzat Chimaev, his ideal return, and more.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Sport
- Forbes
UFC Announces UFC 319 Main Card Without A Co-Main Event
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - JANUARY 25: UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis greets ... More supporters as he arrives at O.R. Tambo International Airport on January 25, 2024 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Lefty Shivambu/) With UFC 318 behind us, it's time to look forward to the next UFC pay-per-view fight card, UFC 319. The main event of that card has been official for some time. In that contest, UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis looks to defend his 185-pound crown against Khamzat Chimaev. On Saturday, during the UFC 318 broadcast, the promotion officially announced the rest of the UFC 319 main card, with one glaring exception: the UFC 319 co-main event remains unbooked. UFC 319 takes place on August 16 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The UFC has not held a fight card in Chicago since 2019. The UFC 319 main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN, and early prelims on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass. UFC 319 Pay-Per-View Card Officially Announced Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev - For Du Plessis's UFC middleweight title TBD vs. TBD Geoff Neal vs. Carlos Prates - Welterweight Jared Cannonier vs. Michael Page - Middleweight Tim Elliott vs. Kai Asakura - Flyweight Other Official UFC 319 Fights King Green vs. Diego Ferreira - Lightweight Gerald Meerschaert vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk - Middleweight Jessica Andrade vs. Loopy Godinez - Women's Strawweight Chase Hooper vs. Alexander Hernandez - Lightweight Edson Barboza vs. Drakkar Klose - Lightweight Bryan Battle vs. Nursulton Ruziboev - Middleweight Karine Silva vs. JJ Aldrich - Women's Flyweight UFC 319 Main Event: Dricus du Plessis Vs. Khamzat Chimaev PERTH, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 18: Dricus Du Plessis of South Africa reacts after his submission victory ... More against Israel Adesanya of Nigeria in the UFC middleweight championship fight during the UFC 305 event at RAC Arena on August 18, 2024 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Dricus du Plessis (23-2) joined the UFC in October 2020 as a 26-year-old with a 14-2 record. Before he joined the UFC, Du Plessis had won titles with KSW and EFC. He made his debut against Markus Perez on the main card of a UFC Fight Night event in Abu Dhabi. Du Plessis knocked out Perez in the first round. He followed that win with a July 2021 'Performance of the Night' KO win of Trevin Giles. Those two wins earned him a shot against the ranked veteran Brad Tavares. Du Plessis won that scrap via decision. The victory put him in the top 15 of the division. A December 2022 submission win over Darren Till moved Du Plessis to No. 10 in the division. A TKO win over the No. 5 ranked Derek Brunson followed. Du Plessis, who was working his way up the rankings, faced a tough test in his next outing when he met the No. 2 ranked Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. Du Plessis continued his rise, knocking out the former UFC champion in the UFC middleweight title eliminator and earning another 'Performance of the Night' bonus. More important than the bonus was the title shot Du Plessis received for that win. He faced then-champion Sean Strickland in January, taking the title from Strickland in a 'Fight of the Night' bonus-winning scrap In his first title defense Du Plessis picked up an August 2024 submission win over former UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya. Du Plessis most recently faced Strickland in a rematch at UFC 312 in early February of this year. Du Plessis won that contest via unanimous decision. I wrote of the champ after that fight, "Dricus du Plessis looked much more controlled and less reckless at UFC 312 than in many of his previous battles. He mixed up his striking techniques and targets against Sean Strickland, landed the more powerful blows, and didn't put himself in too many awkward positions. "Du Plessis did a much better job in his UFC 312 rematch against Strickland in shutting down his foe's offense. In the first fight, Strickland landed 173 of 408 significant strikes. While in the rematch, Strickland was held to 128 landed strikes on 263 attempts. Meanwhile, Du Plessis increased his landed strikes and landing percentage from the first fight to the second. In the first battle, Du Plessis landed 137 of 354 attempts for a landing rate of 38 percent. At UFC 312, the champ landed 147 of 314 attempts for a striking rate of 46 percent. 'Du Plessis has defended the UFC middleweight crown twice while going 9-0 in the UFC. Despite his winning ways, the champ remains a bit of an enigma because his style shouldn't work — but it does.' ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - OCTOBER 26: Khamzat Chimaev of Russia prepares to face Robert ... More Whittaker of New Zealand in a middleweight fight during the UFC 308 event at Etihad Arena on October 26, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Chimaev (14-0) is the No. 3 fighter in the official UFC middleweight rankings. The 30-year-old made his UFC debut in July 2020 with a second-round submission win over John Phillips. He followed that victory with a first-round TKO over Rhys McKee 10 days later, breaking the UFC record for the quickest turnaround between UFC wins in the modern era. Then, in September, Chimaev knocked out Gerald Meerschaert. Things slowed down for Chimaev after that. He was booked to face Leon Edwards in December 2020, but that matchup never came to be despite multiple attempts to make the fight happen. The reason behind the numerous cancellations of Edwards vs. Chimaev was COVID-19. When Chimaev finally returned to the Octagon in October 2021, he made short work of Li Jingliang, scoring a submission at 3:16 of Round 1. In his next bout, Chimaev went the distance for the first time in his career, picking up a victory over Gilbert Burns. He followed that with a submission over Kevin Holland. A break of more than a year followed that victory. Chimaev's next outing was an October 2023 matchup against Kamaru Usman, a fight that Chimaev won via decision. A year after that, Chimaev made short work of Robert Whittaker, defeating the ex-UFC middleweight champ via submission (face crank) in the first round of their UFC 308 scrap. UFC 319 Fight Card Location: United Center in Chicago, IL UFC 319 Date: Saturday, August 16 UFC 319 Time: Main Card: 10:00 p.m. ET Preliminary Card: 8:00 p.m. ET Early Prelims: 6:00 p.m. ET We will have more on UFC 319, including the official announcement of the UFC 319 co-main event, as fight night nears.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC 318: Paulo Costa dominates Roman Kopylov for much-needed win, calls out Khamzat Chimaev as promised
Paulo Costa promised a different sort of fighter after a cold streak and a year-long layoff from fighting. He delivered at UFC 318. The former middleweight challenger notched his first win in nearly three and his second in nearly six years with a unanimous decision win (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) win over the rising Roman Kopylov. An underdog entering the fight, Costa looked like the fighter that began his career 13-0, knocking down Kopylov in the first round and dominating for much of the fight. Kopylov got some major shots in the third round, but not nearly enough to reverse possession of the night. The best that could be said for Costa is that all his losses were against some of the UFC's best. Israel Adesanya used one of his best performances to hand him his first loss. Marvin Vettori and Robert Whittaker both won via unanimous decision. Sean Strickland needed a split decision to beat him in a bizarrely inactive bout. It was after that last bout at UFC 302 in June 2024, that Costa took a long lay-off. He promised to be aggressive again against Kopylov, whose own fight style promised a firework show if Costa followed through. He did, and the result was one of the most impressive performances of the Brazilian's career. We already have a clue on where Costa goes from here. Like his promise to be the aggressor, Costa promised he would call out future middleweight challenger Khamzat Chimaev after a previous fight date fell through. The two have been the opposite of friends for quite some time, though Costa might need more than just this win to get Chimaev if the latter beats Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319 in August. For full coverage of UFC 318, including live results, play-by-play and highlights of the entire Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway 3 pay-per-view card, check out Uncrowned's UFC 318 hub.
