Retired British mixed martial arts veteran Dan Hardy explained why he has little faith in UFC lightweight Michael Chandler winning his upcoming bout with the promotion's former two-division champion Conor McGregor.
"I can't underestimate Conor's skills. He has done exceptional things in the most intense moments of his career. He knows how to control distance and provoke his opponents with deceptive strikes. And the current Chandler is not the same as he was in Bellator, when he acted carefully and clearly chose the moment to attack.
Michael can beat anyone with his speed, but he's a lot less cautious now. And that's all McGregor needs. Chandler is out for the money, he wants to put on a show. He's not thinking about exactly how he wants to beat Conor, he's just going to come out chopping," Hardy said on The MMA Hour show.
Recall that McGregor and Chandler will fight in the main event of UFC 303, which is scheduled for June 29 in Las Vegas, USA. The fight will take place in the welterweight limit.
Former UFC interim lightweight titleholder Dustin Porier shared his thoughts on the division's champion Islam Makhachev's remarks about himself.
"Sometimes it seems like Islam doesn't respect me. I'll go into the octagon to hurt him. And he said it's an easy fight for him. Maybe he feels that way about all fights. But I can knock out any lightweight in the world.
When I lost to Charles and I was asked about my future, I said I still believe in myself. If I want something, I'll get it. And here I am again, a contender. But right now I'm not thinking about what comes next. Now my goal is to finish my story beautifully," - quotes Porier MMA Fighting.
Recall that Makhachev and Puryear will fight on June 1 in the main event of UFC 302 in Newark, USA.
Former dominant UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson has made it clear that he's not thrilled with the level of current belt holder Alesandre Pantoja.
French UFC lightweight Benoit Saint-Denis analyzed the upcoming title fight in his division between champion Islam Makhachev and Dustin Porier.
The Dagestani and the American will meet in the main event of UFC 302, which will take place on June 1 in Newark, USA.
"Porye is accurate with his punches, he is always focused and handles pressure well. He is an experienced and resilient fighter. Hardly anyone would say that Porier has no chance at all. Makhachev is versatile and will be well prepared for this fight.
I think it's pretty obvious what Makhachev's plan will be for the fight with Puryear. He will try to replicate what Khabib and Oliveira did. That's the easiest way to beat Dustin. Porye himself understands exactly how they will work against him. But the favorite will still be the reigning champion," MMA Junkie quotes Saint-Denis as saying.
UFC French lightweight Benoit Saint-Denis has admitted that he would like to share the octagon with Armenian Arman Tsarukyan.
"A dream fight? I would really like to face Tsarukyan. It would be a classy fight. It's clear that right now he's the main challenger, but Makhachev is not the most active champion. I don't know if he'll still be champion after the fight with Puryear, but either way he'll probably want to rest.
A lot of things can happen at lightweight. If they gave me a fight with Tsarukyan that would be ideal. But I don't do matchmaking and negotiations," MMA Junkie quotes Saint-Denis as saying.
Recall that in his last fight, which took place on March 9 at UFC 299, Saint-Denis lost by knockout to Dustin Puryear.
Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo believes he may get the opportunity to fight for the lightweight division belt held by Sean O'Malley after a solid win over Jonathan Martinez.
"My manager says I can beat the line, I can go out for a title fight because when we left the UFC, we had very good rankings.
I'm hoping that can help me. If we can beat the queue, it will be great. My opinion is this. I will rest, I will return to hard training, and there will be new challenges," - said Aldo.
Recall, Aldo defeated Martinez by unanimous decision of judges last weekend at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Orlovsky expressed his opinion that lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev will confidently defeat Dustin Porier in their upcoming fight.
Irish UFC welterweight prospect Ian Harry has once again called on former interim division champion American Colby Covington to sign a contract to fight.
Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo commented on his win over Jonathan Martinez and also spoke out about his future.
"I came out for this fight as focused as possible, I had a great preparation, thanks to my team for that. I'm happy that I pleased the fans and gave them what they wanted. I worked a lot on my boxing, that's what I emphasized in the fight. But he is left-handed, so it was not easy to catch him, I had to wait for the right moments to attack, but in general I attacked him with good punches.
What's next? That's up to Dana White, Sean Shelby and Hunter Campbell. We'll see what they come up with. But I've said before, this isn't my last fight. I feel like age doesn't stop me from fighting, I feel great physically. Perhaps I can become a champion again," - stated Aldo.
Recall that Aldo defeated Maritinez by unanimous decision of judges at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro, USA. For the 37-year-old Brazilian this fight was the first in MMA since August 2022.
Australian UFC lightweight division fighter Steve Erceg commented on his loss to Brazilian champion Alesandre Pantoja.
