Latest news with #TheBohnfire
USA Today
7 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Video: Ranking UFC's 10 two-division champions from best to worst
There aren't many truly exclusive clubs in the UFC after more than 30 years of existence, but the double champ club remains one of them. More than 100 different fighters have had a UFC title wrapped around their waist over the course of UFC history. That's difficult enough to do in itself, but the list gets significantly shaved down when separating those who went on to capture a belt in a second division. Only Randy Couture, B.J. Penn, Conor McGregor, Amanda Nunes, Georges St-Pierre, Daniel Cormier, Henry Cejudo, Alex Pereira, Jon Jones and, most recently, Ilia Topuria, have budged their way into the two-division champion list, and each have forged their own path to getting there. After claiming two of those belts in a three-fight stretch with knockout of Alexander Volkanovski and Charles Oliveira, some have argued Topuria's rise and in-cage performances are the most impressive of the group. Others argue he still has more work to do to entrench himself in the position like others who defended titles in multiple divisions. It makes ranking the 10 double champions a tricky task, but that's what former UFC and Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez and MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn attempted to do. Check out "The Bohnfire" podcast in the video above where Alvarez and Bohn rank all the UFC two-division champions with their individual criteria.
USA Today
23-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Din Thomas: Arman Tsarukyan as UFC 317 backup doesn't mean he's 'out of the dog house'
Arman Tsarukyan getting the assignment as UFC 317 title fight backup would seem like a positive step forward for his career, but longtime analyst Din Thomas has doubts. After pulling out of a lightweight title bout against then-champ Islam Makhachev on weigh-in day at UFC 311 in January, Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) has been trying to redeem himself with the company and get himself back to the spot he previously held as No. 1 contender. He wasn't the first call to compete for the belt Makhachev vacated to move to welterweight. That instead went to Ilia Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) and Charles Oliveira (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC), who meet in Saturday's main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+). Tsarukyan was recently confirmed to get the task of weighing in should anything happen to Topuria or Oliveira at the 11th hour before UFC 317, but UFC analyst Thomas doesn't think that guarantees he's in back in the good books of the brass, or will even get a chance to face the winner. "I don't think it means he's out of the dog house," Thomas told MMA Junkie. "I think it means he gets the consolation prize because Justin Gaethje will probably get the next shot, and Justin Gaethje said, 'I'm not cutting weight to be a backup. I want the title shot.' And the UFC was like, 'All right, we're not going to make you cut weight.' Because Justin Gaethje should probably be the rightful owner of this position, so I think by default, Arman Tsarukyan was the only guy they could go to for this, and Arman is going to do whatever he can to get himself out of the dog house – had to say yes." If his services as the backup are not needed, then it remains to be seen what Tsarukyan's next move will be. There's no clear next challenger after UFC 317, though Thomas clearly believes Gaethje will get that opporunity. Whatever it is, it's something that will not meet the standard of a title shot that Tsarukyan was previously booked for. He's said he will do whatever the promotion asks to get his stock back up, and making weight at UFC 317, whether he fights or not, will be part of that process. "You have to, because when you start playing with fire with the UFC, that's the hand that feeds you," Thomas said. "So when you start getting too close to biting it, you've got pull back a little bit and understand what's going on. And that's what I think happened. Sometimes these guys get in position where they start talking reckless or acting reckless, then they realize the show will go on with or without you. "And in fact, without you, you're going to see your buddies in the sport (like Renato Moicano fighting Makhachev at UFC 311), and you're going to be really sad. So I think Arman Tsarukyan realized that and was like, 'Woah, I've got to make sure I stay in good graces.'" To hear more from Thomas, check out his complete appearance on "The Bohnfire" podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn.
USA Today
21-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Din Thomas: UFC champ Jon Jones' nonsense a marketing ploy, will fight Tom Aspinall
Din Thomas thinks Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall is being dragged out for a reason. UFC heavyweight champion Jones' most recent comments regarding the long-awaited title-unification bout with interim Aspinall have been worrisome after saying that he "could really care less about fighting." Dana White's patience has been running thin, and the UFC CEO said he's willing to move on if the fight doesn't get done in a couple of weeks. Analyst and coach Thomas is confident Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) will end up fighting Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC). "It's got to be Jon Jones," Thomas told MMA Junkie. "I think all this nonsense is just marketing. I think it's marketing to keep it out there, to make it even bigger. Every show I've done, we talked more about Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall. We've talked about a fight that wasn't even signed more than fights that happened, and I think that was done purposely. "I think Jon Jones is going to fight. He has to. There's no way he goes this route, does all this, and then not fight. I think it's all marketing to keep it out there, to make it even bigger, and bigger, and bigger, and this is going to end up getting signed, and then it's going to be the big fight the UFC needs to close out the year." Jones has been accused of ducking Aspinall, been labeled as scared, and had plenty of fighters and pundits criticize his actions for dragging out the fight. Thomas still think Jones has played the entire situation smartly. "It's the right strategy, too, because think about this: If the plan was to have them fight in November or December, and we announced it in February, no one would talk about it until then. We get tired of talking about it, but the idea of Jon Jones hinting around, Tom Aspinall calling him a duck, it just really kept us dangling. It just kept that carrot dangling in front of us, and we'd reach for it, and then we go, 'Oh.' Then they bring it back out and we reach for it and we go, 'Oh.' But I think now's about the time where they can make it a really strong announcement and we go, 'Yes!' It's like a movie." To hear more from Thomas, check out his complete appearance on "The Bohnfire" podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn above.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Michael Bisping chides Jon Jones for holding up UFC, Tom Aspinall: 'Defend or vacate'
UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping says it's time for heavyweight champion Jon Jones to defend or move on. Frustrations with Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) and his potential title unification bout against interim champion Tom Aspinall have been boiling over recently. The calls for Jones to either put his belt on the line against Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) have grown louder after the UFC officially announced the future slate of pay-per-view main events into the summer, which did not include the heavyweight title fight. While Aspinall has repeatedly voiced his frustration with the situation, Jones, who defended the heavyweight title for the first time against Stipe Miocic last July at UFC 304, has been publicly dismissive. "Bones" has even hinted that retirement is a strong possibility, while posting videos on social media of having fun in various locations. "That's great for him. That's all well and good, but if you're the heavyweight champion of the world, then you have an obligation to the sport, the fans, to the other fighters in the divsion," Bisping told MMA Junkie's Mike Bohn on "The Bohnfire." "Live your life, and if you are somewhat retired, just be honest and come out and say it. "Obviously, Dana (White) has been very adamant that the fight is going ahead. So I think maybe it's just Jon messing with Tom psychologically because he's a master of his craft, and he knows what he's doing. If he's not, and he has no intention of fighting, and he's just stringing it out for a while because he wants to hang on to the belt, then that's appalling to be quite frank." Aspinall became the interim heavyweight champion by knocking out Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 294 in November 2023. With a title unification out of the picture, Aspinall was put in a position to defend the interim title, which he did successfully by stopping Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 last July. Nearly a year later, Aspinall has no clue what's next. "I feel for Tom here because Tom is in the prime of his life," Bisping said. "He's an absolutely incredible fighter. He's just dispatching of everybody with ease. He's the best finisher in all the sport right now, and he's in the prime. He should be fighting every few months. Every six months at least. Every four or five months, he should be back in there building his legacy and making money and just doing what he was put on this earth to do – what he's trained an entire life for. Yet, he's just sitting around on the sidelines waiting and waiting and waiting. "So, I'm sure it's extremely frustrating for Tom, the fans – because I've said this for a long time: I think Tom smokes him. I do. And I think Jon is probably very conscious of that threat as well. I'm not saying he doesn't think he can win, but he understands that this will be a tough fight, but they're all tough fights. They're all supposed to be tough fights." If Jones does decide to continue fighting, Bisping believes Jones should reflect upon his days as an up-and-coming light heavyweight contender. Immediately after beating Ryan Bader at UFC 126, it was announced he would fight for Mauricio Rua's title at UFC 128 just over a month later. Jones won the title to become the youngest UFC champion ever. He then recorded his first title defense six months later. Things moved very quickly for Jones in his early days as a champion, and Bisping would like to see that be repaid to Aspinall. "For Jon to not want to give this guy an opportunity where other people gave him an opportunity – he was the youngest champion in this sport, and he's always talking about there's always going to be younger guys coming along – well, what about when you were fighting for the belt and you were the youngest person to ever do it?" Bisping said. "You got that opportunity. When you become the champion, there is an obligation to do that. So, defend or vacate. It's that simple. "All these cryptic tweets and going out to Thailand and living his best life and sh*t, great. If that's what you want to do, go off and enjoy your life, but do the decent thing." This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Micahel Bisping wants Jon Jones to meet obligations as UFC champion
USA Today
24-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Michael Bisping chides Jon Jones for holding up UFC, Tom Aspinall: 'Defend or vacate'
Michael Bisping chides Jon Jones for holding up UFC, Tom Aspinall: 'Defend or vacate' UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping says it's time for heavyweight champion Jon Jones to defend or move on. Frustrations with Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) and his potential title unification bout against interim champion Tom Aspinall have been boiling over recently. The calls for Jones to either put his belt on the line against Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) have grown louder after the UFC officially announced the future slate of pay-per-view main events into the summer, which did not include the heavyweight title fight. While Aspinall has repeatedly voiced his frustration with the situation, Jones, who defended the heavyweight title for the first time against Stipe Miocic last July at UFC 304, has been publicly dismissive. "Bones" has even hinted that retirement is a strong possibility, while posting videos on social media of having fun in various locations. "That's great for him. That's all well and good, but if you're the heavyweight champion of the world, then you have an obligation to the sport, the fans, to the other fighters in the divsion," Bisping told MMA Junkie's Mike Bohn on "The Bohnfire." "Live your life, and if you are somewhat retired, just be honest and come out and say it. "Obviously, Dana (White) has been very adamant that the fight is going ahead. So I think maybe it's just Jon messing with Tom psychologically because he's a master of his craft, and he knows what he's doing. If he's not, and he has no intention of fighting, and he's just stringing it out for a while because he wants to hang on to the belt, then that's appalling to be quite frank." Aspinall became the interim heavyweight champion by knocking out Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 294 in November 2023. With a title unification out of the picture, Aspinall was put in a position to defend the interim title, which he did successfully by stopping Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 last July. Nearly a year later, Aspinall has no clue what's next. "I feel for Tom here because Tom is in the prime of his life," Bisping said. "He's an absolutely incredible fighter. He's just dispatching of everybody with ease. He's the best finisher in all the sport right now, and he's in the prime. He should be fighting every few months. Every six months at least. Every four or five months, he should be back in there building his legacy and making money and just doing what he was put on this earth to do – what he's trained an entire life for. Yet, he's just sitting around on the sidelines waiting and waiting and waiting. "So, I'm sure it's extremely frustrating for Tom, the fans – because I've said this for a long time: I think Tom smokes him. I do. And I think Jon is probably very conscious of that threat as well. I'm not saying he doesn't think he can win, but he understands that this will be a tough fight, but they're all tough fights. They're all supposed to be tough fights." If Jones does decide to continue fighting, Bisping believes Jones should reflect upon his days as an up-and-coming light heavyweight contender. Immediately after beating Ryan Bader at UFC 126, it was announced he would fight for Mauricio Rua's title at UFC 128 just over a month later. Jones won the title to become the youngest UFC champion ever. He then recorded his first title defense six months later. Things moved very quickly for Jones in his early days as a champion, and Bisping would like to see that be repaid to Aspinall. "For Jon to not want to give this guy an opportunity where other people gave him an opportunity – he was the youngest champion in this sport, and he's always talking about there's always going to be younger guys coming along – well, what about when you were fighting for the belt and you were the youngest person to ever do it?" Bisping said. "You got that opportunity. When you become the champion, there is an obligation to do that. So, defend or vacate. It's that simple. "All these cryptic tweets and going out to Thailand and living his best life and sh*t, great. If that's what you want to do, go off and enjoy your life, but do the decent thing."
