Latest news with #UFCX
USA Today
05-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Kelvin Gastelum: Learning how to be champion outside of camp will head UFC bounce-back
LAS VEGAS – Twelve years after his UFC debut, Kelvin Gastelum admits things are still a work in progress. Less than one month removed from his loss to Joe Pyfer at UFC 316, Gastelum (19-10 MMA, 13-10 UFC) won't speculate who his next fight will be against or who it will be. "It's unfortunate he couldn't fight in Mexico City because we wanted to use the elevation as a weapon," Gastelum recently told MMA Junkie Radio at the UFC X fan experience. "We went out there a month ahead and did everything right so that we were able to use the elevation and the training that I had out there as a weapon." Throughout his career, Gastelum has had ups and downs – quite literally. He bounced between welterweight and middleweight, but has firmly nestled himself into the mix at the heavier weight class. He has not interest in dropping back down. What Gastelum is focused on are the adjustments he can make to get a different result. Largely, Gastelum thinks the most room for improvement can be found in the areas of outside-the-cage discipline. "I think I just need to make some changes maybe in my daily life," Gastelum said. "Maybe, I'll sacrifice a little bit more when I'm not in training camp. I do whatever, whenever. I go party. I go out to restaurants more than I should. When I'm not in training camp, I need to learn how to be a world champion, even when I'm not in training camp – staying disciplined and making sacrifices, even when I don't have a fight." "... "I think over the last few years, I've been making changes in my daily life to make necessary changes so I can reflect on my career. It's a never-ending game, this MMA. I'm still trying to figure things out 13 years later, which is crazy. But here we are." MMA is a sport of momentum, in Gastelum's eyes. Although he's alternated losses and wins across his most recent five outings, the goal hasn't changed. UFC gold is still what he strives for. "I just know that I need to restart, man, get a fresh start, get a streak going and keep it going, just keep the ball rolling," Gastelum said. "It's so hard to build that momentum when it comes to fighting. I'm just trying to build that momentum up again to go on a run and ultimately, that's what I want."
USA Today
02-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Josh Emmett shuts down Youssef Zalal's UFC callout: 'I would like to fight big name guys'
LAS VEGAS – Josh Emmett has some bad news for Youssef Zalal: He's not down to fight him. Emmett (19-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) a former UFC interim title challenger, was recently called out by rising contender Zalal (17-5-1 MMA, 7-3-1 UFC) in an interview with MMA Junkie Radio at UFC X. MMA Junkie Radio then went straight to the source and asked Emmett if he'd be down to throw down with Zalal. The answer was no. "I would like to fight big name guys," Emmett said. "I think he's a good guy, but I'm the guy that's always fighting these up-and-coming, undefeated prospects. I just want big, exciting fights. I don't want to just fight people behind me. Maybe he beats a few guys in front of me, and maybe we'll run it." Emmett, 40, most recently fought in April when he lost a unanimous decision to top contender Lerone Murphy. Prior to that, he scored one of the most brutal knockouts of 2023 when he put Bryce Mitchell's lights out. Team Alpha Male's Emmett isn't sure what's next for his career, given the state of the featherweight division, but he hopes to get the answer soon. He ideally wants to return in October against a fellow veteran. "I'm trying to figure that out now, but I feel like a lot of guys in the featherweight division are all booked right now, so hopefully in the next two or three weeks we figure out and lock in an opponent," Emmett said. "I want to fight as soon as possible."
USA Today
01-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Dan Hooker targets Arman Tsarukyan for UFC return: 'I'd just like to kick his teeth in'
Dan Hooker wants that Arman Tsarukyan smoke. LAS VEGAS – Good news for MMA fans: Dan Hooker has a timeline for his octagon return. The fan-favorite UFC lightweight is recovering well from his hand injury and expects to be fighting again sometime in October or November, Hooker told MMA Junkie Radio at UFC X. Hooker was scheduled to fight Justin Gaethje earlier this year at UFC 313 in March, but he fractured his hand in training and was forced to withdraw from the bout. Hokker is almost in the clear, and is eager to fight again. "I think I'll be good to go in October, November," Hooker said. "I think Gaethje is just going to sit and wait for another title shot. It would be silly to come and fight another contender, but that's what's so interesting about the division now. The title is moving, and over the next couple of months there's going to be a lot of movement in the division. It's good." Hooker expects Gaethje to sit out and campaign for a title shot against the newly crowned UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, making the re-booking of their fight unlikely, at least for the time being. Ideally, Hooker woould like to fight Arman Tsarukyan, also a top contender in the division. "Arman has been calling me out, and that's the No. 1 contender," Hooker said. "No one likes the guy, so I'd just like to kick his teeth in." Tsarukyan is one of the tougher fights in the division, and considered by many the best grappler in the weight class. When asked why he'd want such a tough stylistic matchup, and likely less exciting than the Gaethje fight, Hooker had quite the response. "I don't give a f*ck," Hooker said. "Mine was exciting, the (Mateusz) Gamrot fight, because I was able to get up. If they can just hold you down and make it a boring fight, then that's my fault. But because my counter-wrestling is of that level and people just can't hold me down, and I'm able to scramble up to my feet, that's what makes the fight exciting."
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Belal Muhammad still feels like UFC's best welterweight, says Kamaru Usman is avoiding him
LAS VEGAS – Belal Muhammad may have lost the UFC welterweight title, but his belief he's the best still remains. A little over one month removed from UFC 315 and being dethroned by Jack Della Maddalena, Muhammad (24-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) thinks he understands why he lost. He thinks if he were to face Della Maddalena (18-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) tomorrow, the outcome would be different. Advertisement "To me, it's always proving a point," Muhammad recently told MMA Junkie at the UFC X fan experience. "All of my other fights on the come-up, I was the underdog. People thought I couldn't do it. In this fight, they're like, 'Oh, he's going to wrestle easy, but he can't strike with him.' I wanted to prove something, that I could strike with him. I can strike with any of these guys. "Thinking myself, looking back at myself, I still think I won three of the rounds. The judges didn't. But I still grew from it. I still got better from it. So would I go back and change anything? Obviously, what I would do is get my hand raised. But I still think I can outstrike these guys. I still think I'm better than them on the feet. If I were to fight him again, I think could piece him up on the feet, as well." Muhammad said he'll fight whenever the promotion wants him to, but October or November would be ideal. The idea of a battle against rival Kamaru Usman seems like the perfect fight to him, but he's willing change course to Ian Machado Garry or a rematch vs. Sean Brady, if need be. "I think fighting Kamaru Usman (is what should happen)," Muhammad said. "He has to go through me. I'm still the No. 1-ranked guy. It was a war. It was Fight of the Night. If JDM is still the champion, who wouldn't see that fight again? For me, all these guys (have) got to look to fight me. Advertisement "Kamaru Usman is acting like he deserves a heavyweight title fight after beating Buckley, who can't wrestle, acting like he's still the champion. I'm like, 'Bro, you're 1-3 out of your last four fights.' You were saying, 'When I see Belal, it's on sight.' So now you have a chance to make it on sight inside the cage, and you're not doing it. He's trying to stray away from it. At the end of the day, I'm still the No. 1 guy. So I think whoever fights me, the winner of that fight is going to get next." Usman recently snapped a three-fight skid with a dominant unanimous decision win over Joaquin Buckley. He and Muhammad have shared mutual distaste for one another since an alleged podcast recording incident in which Muhammad claims Usman cried before the two got physical. The episode has never been released. "He's trying to avoid me," Muhammad said. "He knows I'm still the hardest guy in the division when you're looking at stylistic matchups. I still think I'm the best in the division, no matter what. Part of that is to throw interceptions. (Quarterbacks) get to play again next week. But fighters, we don't. We have to fight again in three to four months. "For me, it's getting back to where I belong, getting a win and if Kamaru keeps trying to avoid it, it's next guy up. Ian was talking about it. If Ian wants to fight, let's go, Ian. We've got Sean Brady is still there, guys that are still riding high in the division. I still think I beat all of them. All it takes for me is to get one more win and then I'm back where I belong, fighting for the belt." This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Belal Muhammad still feels like UFC's best, says Kamaru Usman avoiding him
USA Today
01-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Belal Muhammad still feels like UFC's best welterweight, says Kamaru Usman is avoiding him
LAS VEGAS – Belal Muhammad may have lost the UFC welterweight title, but his belief he's the best still remains. A little over one month removed from UFC 315 and being dethroned by Jack Della Maddalena, Muhammad (24-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) thinks he understands why he lost. He thinks if he were to face Della Maddalena (18-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) tomorrow, the outcome would be different. "To me, it's always proving a point," Muhammad recently told MMA Junkie at the UFC X fan experience. "All of my other fights on the come-up, I was the underdog. People thought I couldn't do it. In this fight, they're like, 'Oh, he's going to wrestle easy, but he can't strike with him.' I wanted to prove something, that I could strike with him. I can strike with any of these guys. "Thinking myself, looking back at myself, I still think I won three of the rounds. The judges didn't. But I still grew from it. I still got better from it. So would I go back and change anything? Obviously, what I would do is get my hand raised. But I still think I can outstrike these guys. I still think I'm better than them on the feet. If I were to fight him again, I think could piece him up on the feet, as well." Muhammad said he'll fight whenever the promotion wants him to, but October or November would be ideal. The idea of a battle against rival Kamaru Usman seems like the perfect fight to him, but he's willing change course to Ian Machado Garry or a rematch vs. Sean Brady, if need be. "I think fighting Kamaru Usman (is what should happen)," Muhammad said. "He has to go through me. I'm still the No. 1-ranked guy. It was a war. It was Fight of the Night. If JDM is still the champion, who wouldn't see that fight again? For me, all these guys (have) got to look to fight me. "Kamaru Usman is acting like he deserves a heavyweight title fight after beating Buckley, who can't wrestle, acting like he's still the champion. I'm like, 'Bro, you're 1-3 out of your last four fights.' You were saying, 'When I see Belal, it's on sight.' So now you have a chance to make it on sight inside the cage, and you're not doing it. He's trying to stray away from it. At the end of the day, I'm still the No. 1 guy. So I think whoever fights me, the winner of that fight is going to get next." Usman recently snapped a three-fight skid with a dominant unanimous decision win over Joaquin Buckley. He and Muhammad have shared mutual distaste for one another since an alleged podcast recording incident in which Muhammad claims Usman cried before the two got physical. The episode has never been released. "He's trying to avoid me," Muhammad said. "He knows I'm still the hardest guy in the division when you're looking at stylistic matchups. I still think I'm the best in the division, no matter what. Part of that is to throw interceptions. (Quarterbacks) get to play again next week. But fighters, we don't. We have to fight again in three to four months. "For me, it's getting back to where I belong, getting a win and if Kamaru keeps trying to avoid it, it's next guy up. Ian was talking about it. If Ian wants to fight, let's go, Ian. We've got Sean Brady is still there, guys that are still riding high in the division. I still think I beat all of them. All it takes for me is to get one more win and then I'm back where I belong, fighting for the belt."
