#asian-fighters

#asian-fighters

'Our new rules, 'Stand and Bang,' between Materla and Jungwirth, that would be something special. Now it's basically gonna be boxing with small gloves, with elbows also, clinch on the fence, but no takedowns, no kicks. And I believe this will be something special.'

Alex, I don't even have words to talk about you. You know we're very shy, that sometimes we search for words of praise and they don't come. But the heart speaks louder than the mouth. Thank God I fulfilled my dream seeing you. It's very difficult for someone to have a son like you, and today I have you, my son...

For me it just came naturally. When I started doing super fights age 14, 15, and it just came naturally to me to just walk confidently into the cage or the mat or wherever I'm fighting,

Quillan Salkilld burst onto the MMA scene with the kind of poise, power, and finishing instinct rarely seen in a UFC debut, immediately marking himself as a problem for the lightweight division. Shot selection and ruthless efficiency made every moment he was in the cage box office, signaling that his rise isn't a flash in the pan. In a year loaded with strong rookie performances, Salkilld separated himself by looking less like a newcomer and more like a future contender from the moment the lights hit him.

It's hard not to pick Jiri Procházka's comeback knockout over Rountree Jr. when you consider how brutal those first two rounds were. Rountree appeared to be cruising to a clear decision win, but a brilliantly timed combination flipped the entire fight on its head, giving the former champion one of the year's most dramatic finishes.

"I have my own opinion on this, but it's not right to talk about the UFC being a PFL fighter. In one year, Usman has grown a lot," Khabib told Team Gorilla Fighting. "I'm fighting with him myself, I'm working personally. And from the outside, he's at least on the same level as them [Ilia and Arman]. A year ago I would have said we still have to wait, but now he's already at that level. Time will show."

Muhammad Mokaev has seemingly been invited back to the UFC, but not to compete in MMA. Mokaev (15-0) recently won the under-65 kilogram title at the English Senior Wrestling Championships in freestyle wrestling. Mokaev claims he has now been offered to fight jiu-jitsu ace Mikey Musumeci for a UFC BJJ title. "I have been offered to compete against Mikey Mussumeci for the UFC BJJ belt. What do you think guys?" Mokaev wrote on X.

I feed off the energy for sure. I really enjoy fighting, so the louder the crowd, the better,

Kamaru Usman has never shared the mat with Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev despite being close friends with them. Usman is currently rallying for a welterweight title fight against Makhachev. Many believe the matchup is being plotted by their common manager, Ali Abdelaziz. Courtesy of Abdelaziz, Usman is a close friend of Makhachev and his mentor, Nurmagomedov. However, "The Nigerian Nightmare" surprisingly revealed that he never had the opportunity of training with either Makhachev or Nurmagomedov.