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USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Bryce Mitchell: Ilia Topuria 'not unbeatable,' Makhachev and Tsarukyan will pose problems
ABU DHABI – Bryce Mitchell is adamant that UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria is not unstoppable. Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) submitted Mitchell in their featherweight bout at UFC 282, but Mitchell (17-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) was able to take him down once and control him for a short while on the ground. Mitchell later revealed he entered the fight sick and wasn't able to perform to the best of his ability. Topuria has continued to dominate after scoring three straight knockouts of Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and, most recently, Charles Oliveira to claim the vacant 155-pound belt at UFC 317. Mitchell sees the likes of Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan giving Topuria issues on the ground. "If Islam gets on top of him, he's in trouble," Mitchell told MMA Junkie and other reporters during Wednesday's media day. "He (Topuria) hits harder and better, and is just more precise at punching than Makhachev. That's why he's got so many knockouts. You tell Arman I was as sick as a dog in that fight, and if it was a proper fight – I should have let the fans know I probably shouldn't have took the fight. Anyways, I won't fight sick again. "That's the one fight that bothers me to this day. I can't believe I let my pride get the best of me, and I took that fight. But yeah, if Arman gets him down, he'll do great. What's great about Ilia is his shot selection, and he doesn't waste his energy. He's very, very good at conserving his energy, but he is not unbeatable, bro. I blacked his eye on a night when I didn't have no power in my arms. If I had gone in there healthy, he'd have two black eyes." Mitchell won't get the opportunity to rematch Topuria anytime soon, as now two weight classes separate them. "Thug Nasty" will return to bantamweight for the first time in 10 years when he meets Said Nurmagomedov (18-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in Saturday's UFC on ESPN 9 featured prelim (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+) at Etihad Arena.
USA Today
18-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Bryce Mitchell says Ilia Topuria loss still makes him mad, but success 'well deserved'
ABU DHABI – Bryce Mitchell is still not over his loss to UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria. Mitchell (17-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) was submitted by Topuria in their featherweight bout at UFC 282 in December 2022. Mitchell later revealed that he was battling the flu, and unable to perform to the best of his ability. "The Ilia fight, that's the one fight that still just makes me mad to this day," Mitchell told MMA Junkie. "But you live and you learn, and there's nothing I can do about it except do my best this next fight." Both fighters have since switched weight classes, with Mitchell dropping down to bantamweight, and Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) moving up to lightweight. Topuria claimed the vacant 155-pound belt by knocking out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317. "I think that it's well deserved," Mitchell said of Topuria's success. "I don't have any ill-will towards him, I just don't like him because he called me a coward, and I'm not a coward. He is a liar because he called me a coward. I proved that I'm not a coward. "I fought the man, and I'll fight him again. I'm not a coward. He did whoop me, but I'm not a coward. A coward is someone who doesn't show up to fight. He's a liar because he called me a coward. I don't like him, probably never will, but I also don't wish any harm upon him." Mitchell was able to test Topuria's grappling a bit by taking him down once in their fight, and controlling him for over a minute. "Thug Nasty" is adamant that he could get the best of Topuria, but knows a rematch isn't realistic at this point. "I'm better at it than he is," Mitchell said of Topuria's grappling. "I wish I could get that rematch. Obviously, I don't deserve it, but I think that I can beat him. I know I can, but I'll never get to prove that to the world, but that's OK. Not everything happens the way that you want it." Mitchell makes his bantamweight debut in the octagon when he takes on Said Nurmagomedov (18-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) at UFC on ABC 9 (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+) on July 26 from Etihad Arena.
USA Today
14-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ilia Topuria sounds off on rival: 'Who the f*ck is Paddy Pimblett right now?'
Ilia Topuria sounds off on rival: 'Who the f*ck is Paddy Pimblett right now?' Ilia Topuria wants to put his rivalry with Paddy Pimblett to rest by meeting in the octagon. It's clear that the two parties don't like each other, but their paths have never aligned to meet inside the cage to exchange more than insults behind a microphone. Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) recently vacated the UFC featherweight title to move up to the lightweight division, where Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) resides. Even though they will both be in the same division, a few things will likely need to happen for the promotion to feel like the fight makes sense. Topuria will challenge former champion Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 317, while Pimblett, ranked No. 8 by the promotion, is coming off a win over former title challenger Michael Chandler at UFC 314 and does not yet have another fight scheduled. Topuria recalls Pimblett comparing their careers at the UFC 282 pre-fight press conference, when they shared a pay-per-view card. Pimblett fought in the co-main event against Jared Gordon while Topuria fought in the main card opener against Bryce Mitchell. "He's a hypocrite," Topuria told ESPN Deportes in Spanish. "I'll tell you, I remember we shared a press conference once, and he said something like, 'I'm fighting in the main card, and you're on the prelims,' some kind of nonsense. And now I'm thinking, I have two belts. Where are you? Who the f*ck is Paddy Pimblett right now and why would he deserve to fight me right now?" Since sharing the stage at that press conference, Topuria captured the 145-pound title two fights later, while Pimblett has continued his steady ascent at 155 pounds. The two have continued to take shots at each other in various interviews over the years, but Topuria is now eager to just settle things once and for all when it counts. So much so that Topuria says he'd pick Pimblett if he could choose his next opponent – to not only put their rivalry to rest, but to also add another finish to his record. "Honestly, if I could choose a fight, I would fight him because I hate him," Topuria said. "He's a pain in the ass. I'd love to give that fight to the fans, because for a long time, I believe that in the UFC, you haven't seen a real fight. Two people who really want to fight each other, and what better way than to fight in front of everyone and put on a show? I know what's going to happen, and it won't be good for him."
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Darren Till bemoans lack of 'spark' in current UFC product: 'It seems s*** at the moment'
Three years have passed Darren Till last fought in the Octagon, when he lost a hard-fought battle to current middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis at UFC 282. Although Till has moved on to professional boxing with the U.K.-based Misfits promotion, the one-time UFC title challenger has still kept an eye on the product he once called home. Speaking on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show" ahead of his Friday bout at Misfits Boxing 21, Till shared what he believes has become a star problem within the UFC over the past few years. Advertisement "I get messages every day from people like, 'When are you coming back? We need a superstar,'" Till said. "Now granted, look, I'm from Liverpool, and there's a guy flying the flag for Liverpool right now, Paddy [Pimblett], there's still superstars in the UFC, but it does feel like it's dampened a little bit. Fights aren't getting made. I don't know, it just all seems a little fake and stuff like that as well. "It seems s*** at the moment. It seems like when I was in the welterweight division, it seemed like it was just killers' row. Now the welterweight division just seems s***. I'm sorry to say the welterweight division is on its ass. The lightweight division I feel like is on its ass. The featherweight division, on its ass. The middleweight division, probably the best one for me at the moment. Light heavyweight, on its ass. Heavyweight, on its ass. It's just on its ass. But I do love the UFC. I love Dana [White], what they do. But right now it just seems like it's on its ass a bit. I just want a bit of spark. "I feel like there's a few things missing," Till concluded. Advertisement Till, 32, closed the door on MMA for his own foreseeable future, but remains adamant that his interest could reignite at some point. As of now, the financial boon that boxing brings is too much for him to pass up, and he's enjoying the progress made in his game. Meanwhile, in the UFC, old foe du Plessis is set to make his next defense of the UFC middleweight title against Till's friend and occasional teammate: Feared, undefeated super-contender Khamzat Chimaev. News broke about the middleweight title tilt Tuesday when UFC CEO Dana White announced the pairing as the headliner for UFC 319 in August. Even though their paths have gone in entirely different directions since their 2022 fight, Till still finds himself annoyed by du Plessis. Come fight night for UFC 319, Till expects the world will hear "And new." "Tell Dricus I said 'f*** him,' by the way. I can't stand his guts because he's so s***, he's so good," Till said. Advertisement "With respect, I'm never going to look past Dricus. He trains hard, he's super dedicated, he's super strong. He's got that awkward style that doesn't make any sense. I think Khamzat will beat him inside two rounds. I really do believe that. But look, Khamzat knows it's a tough fight, but Khamzat trains like a beast. I do think Khamzat gets it done in two rounds." Regarding his own career, Till is back in action Friday in Derby, England. Taking on fellow UFC alum Darren Stewart, Till will compete in his second pro boxing match after a January win over Anthony Taylor. The match represents Stewart's boxing debut after the pair's original March fight date was canceled. Advertisement Between Stewart's inexperience and lack of success in his MMA run compared to Till, the Liverpudlian finds himself a heavy favorite for the match. Despite that, Till has learned from past experiences that underestimating an opponent is arguably the worst thing a fighter can do. "I think if you're ever going into mortal combat, you should never, ever, ever underestimate your opponent," Till said. "I did that one time in my life, and it was the first ever time I got knocked out for it. "That was one camp I don't think I took it seriously because Jorge [Masdvidal] had just come out of some celebrity reality show [before UFC London in 2019]. I'm not making excuses, he f***ing knocked me clean out and it was phenomenal, the way he done it. But yeah, I don't think we should ever, as men, underestimate anyone else. So Darren fought in the UFC, he's a tough guy. I've got to be on my A-game to finish him on Saturday in eight rounds. ... He's strong and he's durable. I don't think he's as good of a striker as me. I was one of the best strikers in the UFC at one point. I really was."
USA Today
17-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC champ Islam Makhachev's coach says Paddy Pimblett 'deserves' next title shot
UFC champ Islam Makhachev's coach says Paddy Pimblett 'deserves' next title shot Javier Mendez would have no issues if Paddy Pimblett was awarded a UFC title shot. Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) remained unbeaten in the octagon when he finished-former title challenger Michael Chandler by TKO in this past Saturday's UFC 314 co-headliner in Miami. "The Baddy" called out top contenders Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje, and Dustin Poirier, but UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev's (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) head coach thinks Pimblett has earned a title shot already. "Paddy is ready to face anybody," Mendez said on his "Javier & Mo Show" podcast. "I mean, what he's done already, his credentials, his winning record in the UFC, his hype, and what he can do, how he can motivate people. If they give him the next title shot, he deserves it." Mendez admits he wasn't initially sold on Pimblett, but he was eventually able to win him over. He also likes what Pimblett brings to the table from a promotional aspect. 'Let's see who they give him to. I don't know, but is he worthy? Yes," Mendez said. "He's very interesting. He's got all of England behind him and a lot of America behind him. Most of America will be behind him. He has a lot of fans, and I'm a fan. I wasn't a big fan in the beginning when he fought Jared Gordon, but I've become a huge fan." The American Kickboxing head coach thought Jared Gordon beat Pimblett when they fought at UFC 282 but has seen vast strides in Pimblett's game ever since. "He's improved every single time," Mendez said of Pimblett. "Every time he comes out, his confidence is stronger and stronger all the time. His speaking is pretty impressive. I like him. He's fun to watch. I can't understand half the words he says, but I do pick up on him. ...He's funny."
