Paddy Pimblett prefers Justin Gaethje fight over Arman Tsarukyan, citing Gaethje's popularity. Islam Makhachev gives timeline for return.
Paddy Pimblett says Arman Tsarukyan can't back up his talk – would rather fight Justin Gaethje. Islam Makhachev is confident he fights in 2025. Shooting in midtown Manhattan in New York City. And more.
Mixed Martial Arts
Shara ‘Bullet’ Magomedov defeats Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC Abu Dhabi via Unanimous Decision.
Petr Yan defeats Marcus McGhee at UFC Abu Dhabi via Unanimous Decision – calls for a title shot and isn’t interested in a bout with Umar Nurmagomedov.
Reinier de Ridder defeats Robert Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi via Split Decision. Believes he’s in a good spot to get the winner of Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev.
Aaron Pico will make his UFC debut against Lerone Murphy after Movsar Evloev pulled out.
Paulo Costa shares his thoughts on Reinier de Ridder’s performance at UFC Abu Dhabi. RDR responds.
“There’s always a hater out there. Did Paulo Costa never fight Whittaker? What happened?”
Arman Tsarukyan goes off on Paddy Pimblett and his current standing in the UFC Lightweight rankings.
“You’ve got to delete [Pimblett] from the rankings, he’s not even deserving to be in the top 10. He beat the last three guys, it was [Michael Chandler], he had three losses. It was Bobby Green, he had three or four losses. It was Tony Ferguson, he had eight losses. That’s crazy and you want to bring that guy to fight for the title? You shouldn’t even mention his name, he doesn’t even deserve even mentioning his name.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov was asked how long it would hypothetically take for him to get back into fighting shape.
“I’ll be 37 in two months in September. If we’re talking purely hypothetically right? If we’re being honest, it would take at least six months.”
Bryce Mitchell shares his thoughts on the Australian flag.
“The Australian flag is stupid. It looks like they’re on a video call with the United Kingdom.”
Islam Makhachev on the current status of his bout with UFC Welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena.
“We’ve almost agreed on everything. There’s 90% chance the fight happens in November.”
Cory Sandhagen on UFC Bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili.
“I’m not going to buy into any of the narrative that Merab’s this cardio machine, that he’s this unbeatable guy. That he’s on a tear and can’t be stopped. I fully plan on beating Merab. Obviously now he’s a submission threat too but outside of that, he’s not the most dangerous guy in the world.”
UFC Heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has critique re: Michael Chandler’s fight IQ saying he throws everything and swings – everything he does is picking up full blast, and is surprised about Chandler’s fight style given how many fights he’s had. Aspinall says he knew Paddy Pimblett would defeat Michael Chandler. Chandler responds, calling out Aspinall for being sidelined awhile.
Dan Hooker is now choosing to prioritize his own well-being as he recovers from hand surgery back in March. He had planned to fight on the UFC’s Perth card in September 2025 but changed his mind after being denied tickets to support teammate Kai Kara-France at UFC 317. The final straw came when the UFC scheduled him for an obligation at 7:30 a.m. Eastern (3:30 a.m. New Zealand time) despite his long journey to Las Vegas, and then canceled his event tickets when he didn’t attend. Feeling disrespected after years of dedication, Hooker decided he won't rush back or fight injured for a company that doesn’t show him the same loyalty.
Paddy Pimblett would rather fight Justin Gaethje than Arman Tsarukyan – says no one cares about Tsarukyan.
“People just look at him and think ‘Yeah you sh*t yourself fighting Islam. You talk a big game but you don’t back it up.’ But everyone knows Justin Gaethje’s a f**king banger. And he’s a legend, Arman isn’t. I’d love to fight another legend.”
Islam Makhachev says the UFC moved UFC Lightweight champion Ilia Topuria’s Pound-For-Pound ranking above him so that the fight generates more hype.
Jiri Prochazka will serve as the backup fighter for the main event at UFC 320 where UFC Light Heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev rematches Alex Pereira.
Jorge Masvidal advises Justin Gaethje to stay away from Ilia Topuria.
“I know all the Bud Light drinking American love Gaethje but bro, you’re going to get this guy f**king slaughtered and concussed worse than before. He’s going to leave there looking straight like Homer Simpson.”
Shavkat Rakhmonov’s wife and son (age 3) were involved a car accident in Kazakhstan, leaving them both hospitalized. Reports state that two friends of the wife had tragically passed.
Boxing
Joe Rogan says Oleksandr Usyk is one of the greatest of all time, comparable to Muhammad Ali.
“Usyk is one of the greatest of all time. You have to go back to Muhammad Ali before they took his title away and made him sit out for a few years.”
Culture
A New York City police officer and at least one other person were shot Monday evening in a midtown Manhattan office building that houses major financial firms and the NFL. The gunman is confirmed dead, though details about the victims’ conditions have not been released. Emergency crews responded around 6:30 p.m. and local footage showed people evacuating the building with their hands raised. The FBI is assisting with the investigation which remains ongoing.
