fight news
UFC 291 fight card — Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje 2: Five storylines to watch for in Salt Lake City – CBS Sports
Play Now
Football Pick’em
Play Now
College Pick’em
Get Ready for the NFL Season
A Daily SportsLine Betting Podcast
Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje have each dubbed themselves as UFC’s most violent man over the years. A strong case can be made for either lightweight, but Poirier and Gaethje look to settle the matter at UFC 291 on Saturday with the ceremonial BMF title at stake in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Your mileage may vary on the BMF (Baddest Mother F—-er) concept, but the fighters on the marquee certainly fit the bill. Poirier and Gaethje are among the all-time leaders in Fight of the Night bonuses. Poirier could set an all-time record if their second encounter in Salt Lake City comes close to replicating the magic of their 2018 Fight of the Year.
UFC 291 is a fight fan’s delight despite the rare absence of a legitimate UFC title. The card is loaded with action fighters and colorful characters. Poirier, Gaethje, Alex Pereira, Tony Ferguson, Bobby Green, Kevin Holland, Stephen Thompson, Michel Pereira and Derrick Lewis — the type of fighters you’d expect to see on a fantasy card — are all scheduled to compete.
Let’s take a closer look at the biggest storylines from a pay-per-view card that deviates from the norm.
Can’t get enough boxing and MMA? Get the latest in the world of combat sports from two of the best in the business. Subscribe to Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news.
The BMF championship is a title with no real value. It’s a ceremonial trophy and not a particularly prestigious one. It does not promise the winner a UFC title shot or anything of substance that’s been publicly disclosed. Yet scrub through the silver prize and you’ll find specs of gold. Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira 2 for the UFC lightweight championship was recently announced by the promotion. That gives the winner of Poirier vs. Gaethje 2 ample time to recover for an eventual showdown with the lightweight champ. Poirier has legitimate crossover fandom after beating Conor McGregor in a trilogy and the UFC would certainly be willing to thrust him into another marquee. “The Diamond” is in his athletic prime, but he has engaged in many grueling battles in a career spanning nearly 40 fights in 15 years. It isn’t necessarily do-or-die for Poirier at UFC 291, but it’s hard to imagine he has many chances left to drape himself in gold. The former interim lightweight champion has always been the bridesmaid, never the bride. The pressure is on as he approaches a third chance to become the undisputed champion.
Gaethje has given to the UFC fanbase more than most. Gaethje, aptly nicknamed “The Highlight,” has earned 11 performance bonuses in 11 UFC fights. After all, UFC cards usually feature 12 to 15 bouts competing for one Fight of the Night bonus and two Performance of the Night bonuses. Gaethje was once concerned exclusively with being UFC’s most violent fighter but has shifted his focus to becoming the world champ. Although, he too has come up short in his opportunities at the full title when he lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira. Gaethje previously told MMA Fighting that he’d like to retire by age 37, putting a three-year deadline on his chances to fight for the title once more. A win over Poirier places Gaethje in a murderer’s row of contenders with featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and impending title challenger Charles Oliveira.
Pereira’s journey to UFC champion ranks among the most impressive rises in MMA history. Pereira captured the UFC middleweight title in his fourth Octagon appearance, reminiscent of Brock Lesnar’s shocking sprint to the top of the heavyweight ranks. Pereira may not have accomplished the feat quite as fast as Lesnar, but it’s possible for “Poatan” to capture UFC titles in two weight classes in short order. Pereira will be greeted by former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz in his 205-pound debut. There is a lot of mystery surrounding the status of the light heavyweight title after Jamahal Hill vacated the title due to injury. UFC could potentially amend Blachowicz vs. Pereira as a title eliminator or take it one step further and put the vacant title at stake. Pereira becoming a two-division UFC champion in roughly 10 MMA fights would be an unfathomable feather in his cap.
The announcement of Ferguson vs. Bobby Green was met with confusion at best and disgust at worst. Ferguson was arrested on a DUI charge and booked into jail on May 7, after allegedly crashing his truck into two other vehicles outside of a nightclub. The UFC booked Ferguson vs. Green nine days later. Ferguson subsequently pled not guilty to the misdemeanor DUI charge, but the promotion deserves scrutiny for booking the fight so soon after a pending police investigation. It is a concerning decision when you factor in Ferguson’s mental health history and his competitive fall from grace. Ferguson’s wife, Cristina Ferguson, filed a restraining order against him in 2019, telling ESPN, “Tony Ferguson is a good husband and good father to our son. The current legal proceedings are part of a process to ensure that Tony will receive the help necessary to continue being the best possible.” Ferguson is also deep into his first career losing streak with five consecutive losses. Green is a step down from most of Ferguson’s past opponents but still possesses many threats to a war-torn Ferguson. It’s possible that fighting is the perfect therapy for “El Cucuy,” but it’s hard to support how this fight came together.
Lewis is another fan-favorite trapped in a career-worst rut. Lewis is contending with the first losing streak of a profession spanning nearly 40 fights and has been stopped in all three. Marcos Rogério de Lima is a step down from the likes of Sergei Pavlovich and Tai Tuivasa, but that’s all the more reason why Lewis must win this fight. A loss to a fellow 38-year-old heavyweight, one that likely will never fight for a world title, would really reshape his role in the division. Heavyweight is kinder to its elder statesmen than most divisions. This is because power is often the last thing to go and the average quality of heavyweight fighters isn’t quite as high as lighter, more populated divisions. Lewis shares the record for most knockouts in UFC history and that power is something Lewis can always fall back on, but it feels like his days as a perennial contender are behind him. The road will only prove more challenging as heavyweight begins to populate with more well-rounded, athletic heavyweights of the future like Tom Aspinall and Jailton Almeida. There will always be a place for a fighter with Lewis’ head-rattling power and cult following, but it’s unlikely to be near the top without a fantastic showing on Saturday.
© 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. All Rights Reserved.
CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc.
Images by Getty Images and US Presswire
We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019.
By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies.
Filed under:
In the ever-shifting MMA landscape, ranking the world’s greatest fighters might seem like a fool’s errand, but that’s exactly we’ve set out to do with the MMA Fighting Global Rankings. Here, our esteemed panel sorts out the movers and shakers from every division to provide you with the most definitive list of the best fighters on the planet.
Let’s take a look at the biggest rankings storylines from this past two-month cycle (Aug. 21 – Oct. 24).
(Ed. Note: These rankings are updated as of Nov. 20, 2023.)
Here’s what I wrote about the then-unranked Khamzat Chimaev back in August:
Fear not, Khamzat fans, should he get past Paulo Costa at UFC 294 as expected, you’ll see him snatch a cherry spot in the middleweight rankings. Until then, everyone’s favorite wrecking machine remains in limbo.
Suffice to say, things did not go quite as expected.
The good news is that Chimaev did end up fighting at UFC 294, and in an actual established weight class. The bad news is that it wasn’t against an established middleweight, but rather former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman stepping in on 10 days’ notice.
Chimaev ultimately beat Usman in a fight where he was dominant for the first five minutes and then shaky for the next 10. The result was a majority decision where one judge scored the fight a 28-28 draw, a fair score given that Chimaev had a difficult time mustering up any meaningful offense against Usman in Rounds 2 and 3. If anything, it looked as though Usman was the one building up steam as the bout came to a close, and he later lamented the lack of championship rounds, something he’d understandably grown accustomed to.
Still, a win is a win, and though our panel wasn’t quite ready to rocket him up the charts (one panelist even left him off their ballot completely), Chimaev slots in at No. 10 in his first appearance on our middleweight rankings. This may turn out to be a case of “ranking, shmankings” anyway, because UFC CEO Dana White said in the lead-up that the winner of UFC 294’s co-main event was expected to challenge champion Sean Strickland.
White wasn’t quite as emphatic when asked about that status after the fight, but regardless, Chimaev is well on his way to finally getting the chance to “smesh” someone for a belt.
Related
It was a fun rivalry while it lasted, wasn’t it?
In an ideal world, Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski’s second meeting would have occurred a little later in their careers, with Makhachev racking up a couple of title defenses against actual lightweights first and Volkanovski continuing his incredible championship run at featherweight. But there’s something neat about these two settling the score in a single calendar year, even if it happened under less-than-ideal circumstances and even if it resulted in Makhachev delivering a brutal head-kick knockout to win the series.
Could Volkanovski have performed better with a full camp? Undoubtedly. Does the best version of Volkanovski beat Makhachev in their rematch? That, we don’t know, but the reality is they’ve met twice in the octagon and twice Makhachev has been the better man. Accept this and move on, is my advice.
That’s what’s best for the lightweight division, with Makhachev hopefully sticking around at 155 pounds to defend against Charles Oliveira or Justin Gaethje or maybe even past opponent Arman Tsarukyan somewhere down the line. Makhachev has also spoken about moving up to welterweight in the event that Colby Covington takes that title from Leon Edwards, which would undoubtedly intrigue the matchmakers (even if might make a few fans’ eyes roll).
Related
There was a time when light heavyweight and women’s bantamweight were marquee divisions. I swear this was a thing.
While there may be no hope for women’s 135 (Julianna Peña vs. Raquel Pennington for the vacant title when?), 205 has been sooooo close to being great again. However, injuries to stars Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill led to a calamitous series of events that have left the light heavyweight title in limbo, and though it should find a home soon when Prochazka fights Alex Pereira for a vacant strap at UFC 295 next month, would anyone be shocked if more craziness ensued?
That was certainly the case this past Saturday when Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker met in a pivotal bout that was sure to crown the next challenger for the aforementioned title, but it just couldn’t be that easy. No, the fighters had to deal with a restless ringside physician who was compelled to interject himself into not one, but two fights in Abu Dhabi. In Walker’s case, he saw his night end unceremoniously when the doctor ruled that he was unable to continue after taking an illegal knee from Ankalaev despite Walker’s protests.
Related
Blame the doctor all you want, but it just feels like this division has been cursed since Prochazka vacated the title last November after suffering a shoulder injury. We’re all praying that his fight with Pereira has a conclusive result, but at this point I’m expecting them to land simultaneous spinning head kicks and both to end up flat on the canvas.
Related
Check out the complete October rankings update below.
Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 3 Ciryl Gane def. No. 10 Serghei Spivac, No. 8 Alexander Volkov def. No. 7 Tai Tuivasa
Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 1 Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic (UFC 295, Nov. 11), No. 6 Jailton Almeida vs. No. 14 Derrick Lewis (UFC Sao Paulo, Nov. 4)
Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Phil De Fries (5), Alexandr Romanov (2)
(Heavyweight rankings updated Nov. 12 after UFC 295.)
Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 3 Magomed Anklaev vs. No. 9 Johnny Walker ends in no-contest, No. 12 Anthony Smith def. No. 13 Ryan Spann, No. 15 Volkan Oezdemir def. Bogdan Guskov
Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 1 Jiri Prochazka vs. No. 5 Alex Pereira (UFC 295, Nov. 11)
Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Rob Wilkinson (2), Azamat Murzakanov (1), Khalil Rountree (1), Thiago Santos (1)
(Light heavyweight rankings updated Nov. 12 after UFC 295.)
Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 9 Sean Strickland def. No. 1 Israel Adesanya, No. 5 Johnny Eblen def. No. 14 Fabian Edwards, Khamzat Chimaev def. No. 2 WW Kamaru Usman
Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 11 Brendan Allen vs. Paul Craig (UFC Vegas 82, Nov. 18)
Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Paul Craig (3), Nassourdine Imavov (3), Ikram Aliskerov (1), Kelvin Gastelum (1), Jack Hermansson (1), Bo Nickal (1), Kamaru Usman (1)
Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): Khamzat Chimaev def. No. 2 Kamaru Usman (middleweight bout), No. 13 Jack Della Maddalena def. No. 15 (tied) Kevin Holland
Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 1 Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington (UFC 296, Dec. 16), No. 4 Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. No. 7 Stephen Thompson (UFC 296, Dec. 16), No. 5 (tied) Yaroslav Amosov vs. No. 15 Jason Jackson (Bellator 301, Nov. 17), No. 8 Sean Brady vs. Kelvin Gastelum (UFC Austin, Dec. 2), No. 10 Vicente Luque vs. No. 11 Ian Machado Garry (UFC 296, Dec. 16)
Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Sadibou Sy (4), Andrey Koreshkov (1), Neil Magny (1), Magomed Magomedkerimov (1), Michael Page (1)
Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 1 Islam Makhachev def. No. 1 FW Alexander Volkanovski, No. 6 Usman Nurmagomedov def. Brent Primus, No. 8 Mateusz Gamrot def. No. 7 Rafael Fiziev, Bobby Green def. No. 11 Grant Dawson
Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 12 Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Clay Collard (PFL 10: 2023 Championships, Nov. 24), No. 13 (tied) A.J. McKee vs. Sidney Outlaw (Bellator 301, Nov. 24)
Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Benoit Saint-Denis (4), Grant Dawson (3), Renato Moicano (3), Drew Dober (2), Matt Frevola (2), Alexander Shabliy (2)
Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): Islam Makhachev def. No. 1 Alexander Volkanovski (lightweight bout), No. 2 Max Holloway def. No. 11 (tied) “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung 26), No. 11 (tied) Giga Chikadze def. Alex Caceres, No. 13 Bryce Mitchell def. No. 15 Dan Ige
Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 8 Josh Emmett vs. No. 11 Giga Chikdaze (UFC 296, Dec. 16)
Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Edson Barboza (3), Lerone Murphy (2), Adam Borics (1), Jonathan Pearce (1), Chihiro Suzuki (1)
Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): N/A
Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 5 Patchy Mix vs. No. 6 Sergio Pettis (Bellator 301, Nov. 17), No. 10 Rob Font vs. Deiveson Figueiredo (UFC Austin, Dec. 2), No. 13 Raufeon Stots vs. Danny Sabatello (Bellator 301, Nov. 17)
Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Pedro Munhoz (3), Magomed Magomedov (2), Ricky Simon (2), Juan Archuleta (1), Chris Gutierrez (1)
(Bantamweight rankings updated Nov. 18 after Bellator 301.)
Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 11 Manel Kape def. Felipe dos Santos, No. 13 Muhammad Mokaev def. No. 14 (tied) Tim Elliott
Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 2 Alexandre Pantoja vs. No. 8 Brandon Royval (UFC 296, Dec. 16), No. 4 Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Rob Font vs. (bantamweight bout) (UFC Austin, Dec. 2)
Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Azamat Kerefov (3), Kairat Akhmetov (2), Azat Maksum (1), Jeff Molina (1)
Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): Nora Cornolle def. No. 15 Joselyne Edwards
Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 6 Irene Aldana vs. No. 7 Karol Rosa (UFC 296, Dec. 16), No. 11 Miesha Tate vs. Julia Avila (UFC Austin, Dec. 2), No. 13 (tied) Lucie Pudilova vs. Ailin Perez (UFC Vegas 82, Nov. 18)
Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Tainara Lisboa (5), Serena DeJesus (1), Claire Guthrie (1), Olga Rubin (1), Taneisha Tennant (1), Darya Zheleznyakova (1)
Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 1 Alexa Grasso vs. No. 2 Valentina Shevchenko ends in a split draw, No. 3 Erin Blanchfield def. No. 4 Taila Santos, No. 5 Manon Fiorot def. No. 5 SW Rose Namajunas, No. 6 Liz Carmouche def. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, No. 14 Viviane Araujo def. No. 10 Jennifer Maia
Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 12 Juliana Velasquez vs. Paula Cristina (Bellator 301, Nov. 17), No. 13 (tied) Amanda Ribas vs. Luana Pinheiro (strawweight bout) (UFC Vegas 82, Nov. 18)
Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Casey O’Neill (6), Karine Silva (2)
Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): 5 WFLW Manon Fiorot def. No. 5 Rose Namajunas (flyweight bout), No. 10 Marina Rodriguez def. Michelle Waterson-Gomez, No. 15 (tied) Loopy Godinez def. Elise Reed, No. 15 (tied) Xiong Jing Nan def. Nat Jaroonsak (special rules striking match)
Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 5 Jessica Andrade vs. No. 9 Mackenzie Dern (UFC 295, Nov. 11), No. 12 Angela Hill vs. Denise Gomes (UFC Sao Paulo, Nov. 4), No. 13 Tabatha Ricci vs. No. 14 Loopy Godinez (UFC 295, Nov. 11), Amanda Ribas vs. No. 15 Luana Pinheiro (UFC Vegas 82, Nov. 18)
Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Karolina Kowalkiewicz (3), Emily Ducote (2), Xiong Jingnan (2), Gillian Robertson (2), Michelle Waterson-Gomez (2)
A refresher on the ground rules:
Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Make your voice heard in the comments below.
Check your inbox for a welcome email.
Oops. Something went wrong. Please enter a valid email and try again.
-
fight news3 months ago
10 Facts You Probably Didn't Know About “Fight Club” (1999) – High On Films
-
fight news Canada6 months ago
Fight News 2023: Exciting Matchups
-
fight news4 weeks ago
woodbury minnesota, woodbury schools, woodbury,East Ridge High School, racist attack, racist school attack, racism, South Washington County Schools,Principal Jim Smokrovich, Shanka Gessod – CBS Minnesota
-
fight news3 months ago
Movies in North Texas theaters on Sept. 1 and coming soon – The Dallas Morning News
-
fight news5 months ago
2023 Detroit Lions Name Bracket Tournament: Round 1, Part 3 – Pride Of Detroit
-
fight news5 months ago
Kota Miura vs. Joker Fight Club: Date, start time, TV channel and live … – dazn.com
-
fight news5 months ago
Frank Warren drops 'game-changer' Tyson Fury next fight hint after Oleksandr Usyk update – Manchester Evening News
-
fight news5 months ago
Boxing News, Results, Schedule, Rankings » Fightnews.com™ – Fight News